Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88 Ph.D. ’06 displayed a detailed description of the changes she has instituted this year to the College of William and Mary Board of Visitor’s Committee on Student Affairs.
The Student Affairs division on campus completed many comprehensive studies last year in order to target areas of campus that needed more efficient systems or additional support. She divided the areas into six subcategories — student health and wellness, campus living, student engagement and leadership, student success, career development, and the vice president’s office — in order to show all the individual changes, additions or general programs.
Student liaisons to the board, alumna Kylee Ponder ’12 and Drew Chlan ’13, provided a student perspective to the BOV.
Chlan and Ponder addressed the need to be more proactive about including graduate students in campus life.
They also cited changes made at the beginning of year for freshman and transfer student orientation programs, including registration, extended orientation and the change in direction of the Convocation procession through the Sir Christopher Wren building on the first day of classes.
With regard to the new fraternity-housing complex, Chlan mistakenly informed the BOV that the new complex would be alcohol-free. Student Assembly President Curt Mills ’13 corrected the misinformation after Chlan’s presentation, taking blame for the mistake. Mills told the committee that he misinformed Chlan about the new fraternity housing being “dry.”
The BOV then began a brief discussion of the tense relationship between Williamsburg police and the students, which the construction of the fraternity houses and the movement of parties off-campus could affect in the future.
“It is a perennial problem, this 18-year-old drinking age, and it would be absolutely wonderful if a place like Trinkle Hall could be used for parties because it was legal,” College President Taylor Reveley said. “But on campus it is tough to do so, and when it starts being pushed off campus, it is very bad.”