The Weekly Student Newspaper
Vol. 116, Iss. 2 | Wednesday, March 4, 2026
EVENTS
Chabad hosts Holocaust twin study survivor talk
The College of William and Mary
flathatnews.com | @theflathat
CAMPUS WORKERS SEEK COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
Sora Vigorito describes family separation, experiments MONA GARIMELLA FLAT HAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sunday, March 1, the College of William and Mary’s chapter of Chabad hosted Sora Vigorito, the youngest known survivor of Dr. Joseph Mengele’s twin studies during the Holocaust. Vigorito was one of 89 pairs of twins who underwent Mengele’s pseudoscientific studies at Auschwitz. Mengele, also known as the "Angel of Death,” was a German physician during the Holocaust who conducted experiments on prisoners at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp. At the time, these experiments were rationalized by Nazi ideology. The event began with Andrew Finkelstein ’26, student association president of Chabad, who described the rare opportunity to hear directly from a Holocaust survivor. “We are living in one of the last generations where there is a chance to hear directly from Holocaust survivors, to sit in the same room as them, to listen to their voices, feel their emotions,” he said. “As much as history textbooks are great crucial tools, a living testimony uniquely provides a window into the story. We will be exposed to fear, tragedy, resilience and so much more I do not have the words to describe.” Finkelstein then introduced Vigorito. “Tonight, we will get a glimpse into one of the worst chapters of humanity. A chapter in which Joseph Mengele was put in a position of power, this so-called doctor that experimented on human beings in the Auschwitz concentration camp,” Finkelstein said. “Among his victims were several thousand children and sets of twins. Very few survived, and Sora, thank God, is here.” After Chabad campus advisor Rabbi Mendy Heber expressed gratitude for the organizations involved in arranging the event, Vigorito began her talk. “My goal during these talks is not just to recite over and over again the horrors of the Holocaust,” Vigorito said. “My goal is to share my experience from the heart and soul with trauma and disaster and the knowledge I gained from it to help my fellow human beings increase an understanding within themselves and gain self-confidence and courage to stand up for who we are and what we believe.” SEE EVENTS PAGE 4
GRAPHIC BY / NAMAN MISHRA
COURTESY IMAGE / BERT SHEPHERD
College employees hold town hall, advocate for unionization LIAM GLAVIN AND MADDIE MOHAMADI // THE FLAT HAT
Staff organizes for collective bargaining rights, hopes to improve wages, hours Saturday, Feb. 28, students, faculty and staff from the College of William and Mary and Christopher Newport University gathered in Andrews Hall to advocate in favor of collective bargaining rights for campus and home care workers. The American Association of University Professors, United Campus Workers of Virginia and UNITE HERE Local 25 helped host the town hall. Speakers included Virginia Delegate Jessica Anderson and Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi. The event related to bills currently making their way through the Virginia General Assembly that would afford Virginia public sector workers the right to collectively bargain. At the town hall, the main source of contention was whether campus and home care workers would be included in the final version of this legislation. “The power of the union is us coming together as workers and as a community to put our heads together and solve problems,”
said Brian Liston, a lead organizer for UNITE HERE Local 25. Campus workers were removed from the bill on this issue in the Virginia House of Delegates, per event organizers. Home care workers were removed from a similar bill in the Virginia Senate. Several university presidents oppose and have lobbied against the legislature giving graduate workers, university faculty and staff the right to collectively bargain. The College declined to comment on whether it supports extending the bills to graduate workers, university faculty and staff. Despite winning their union with former dining provider Sodexo in fall 2022, campus employees, particularly the cleaning staff, have expressed dissatisfaction with their hours, wages and lack of equipment, dining employee Melanie Edwards said. “They need to get what they deserve,” Edwards said. “They’re overworked.”
Allen Walker, a Colonial Williamsburg employee who previously worked part-time at the College, said he has seen little change for campus staff since leaving his position there 20 years ago. “I see that there are buildings being built, I see that they are bringing in more revenue, but they’re not taking care of the workers,” Walker said. Anderson emphasized the importance of campus employees. “If someone is not cleaning up behind you and picking up your trash, if someone is not vacuuming that building, if someone is not making sure that food is being served to our students and our professors and our other staff, these buildings would cease to exist,” she said. Hashmi highlighted collective bargaining as a means for change, referencing a 2022 national survey conducted by Hanover Research. READ MORE AT FLATHATNEWS.COM
POLITICS
Gov. Spanberger delivers State of the Union response in Williamsburg Democratic response to Trump's address held in Capitol building, students invited to attend LIAM GLAVIN AND NAMAN MISHRA FLAT HAT NEWS EDITORS Tuesday, Feb. 24, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger D.P.S. ’26 delivered the Democratic Party’s response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address at the Capitol building in Colonial Williamsburg. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation announced this event several days prior in an online statement. The foundation, as well as CW President and CEO Cliff Fleet '91, M.A. '93, J.D. '95, M.B.A. '95, emphasized that this was a nonpartisan historic and civic event. “As an educational organization dedicated to teaching about America’s founding, Colonial Williamsburg proudly advances this American legacy by encouraging civic engagement and hosting leaders from all sides of the political spectrum,” Fleet said. A statement released by the governor’s office also cited Williamsburg’s significance in American history as a primary
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reason for its selection. Spanberger believes that the city represents the importance of democratic governance and civic engagement. “Since the people of the Virginia Colony first gathered to take on the extraordinary task of governing themselves, Williamsburg has served as a testament to the power of ordinary citizens to shape the future of our nation, demand better from our government, and pursue a more perfect union for all,” Spanberger said in the statement. Spanberger opened by noting the significance of her choice of location. “We are gathered here in the chambers of the House of Burgesses. In 1705, the people of the Virginia Colony gathered here to take on the extraordinary task of governing themselves. Before there was a Declaration of Independence, a Constitution or a Bill of Rights, there were people in this room,” Spanberger said. “I can think of no better place to speak to you as we reflect on the current state of our union.” A select group of students from
the College of William and Mary were invited to attend Spanberger’s speech in person. Adrian Ryan ’27, president of the College’s Young Democrats organization, said he received an invitation from the governor’s office to attend the address. “It was a really cool opportunity, and it was really great to see everybody there and to hear the governor speak,” Ryan said. Some student attendees were also invited to speak with members of the Democratic Party and present government officials. “The event last night was a really great opportunity for students to interact with local Democrats and local organizers in our area, with cabinet members in the governor's administration, including the Secretary of Education, the Attorney General, the Lieutenant Governor, with just members of the community who we wouldn't otherwise have a chance to talk to or network with,” Ryan said. Ryan reflected on the speech’s content, particularly in relation to Trump’s address.
“I think the governor touched on a couple key themes, principally that the president isn't doing enough for the American people. Notably, the president did not discuss many of the controversies that are going on at the moment,” Ryan said. “The Spanberger speech or the governor really brought back a lot of those themes into the view of the American people.” Class of 1935 Professor of Government John McGlennon commented on the political value of juxtaposing Spanberger and Trump. “I think that Spanberger's choice was a reflection of the idea that the voters are really looking for change from the current administration,” McGlennon said. “The ways in which she has addressed issues that really matter and are likely to be central to the 2026 election campaign gave Democrats a feeling that she'd be able to marshal the arguments and the way of presenting them that would be most effective.” McGlennon noted the historical significance of Williamsburg’s House of Burgesses as the location.
“I think she was trying to draw a direct line to the founding of democracy in America, and since for a lot of voters, the question of whether democracy is being undermined or whether there's been some backsliding on democracy is a really key one,” McGlennon said. “This was a way of reinforcing the notion that we were founded around democratic principles and that she wants to remind people that there are fundamental aspects of our system that need to be reinforced.” Ryan reflected on the excitement of attending such a high-profile, nationally impactful event within Williamsburg. “It was such a historical experience, in such a historic time, because this was the response to the State of the Union on the 250th anniversary of this country,” Ryan said. “For it to be held in Williamsburg in the House of Burgesses in the first legislature ever in the Western Hemisphere was really symbolic and really a special event to be a part of.”
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