Six years ago, Hurricane Katrina blew through the Atlantic Gulf Coast, becoming one of the five deadliest hurricanes in United States history. On Friday, the women studies and Africana Studies departments hosted Professor Ophera Davis as part of their brown-bag lunch series. Davis is currently researching the effect of Hurricane Katrina on black, middle-class women in Mississippi.

After Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, Davis traveled to Mississippi in order to help with the relief effort. She ended up interviewing 12 black, middle-class women affected by the storm, capturing their voices throughout the relief effort.

Davis conducted her study with the purpose of showing the public the broad effects this storm had on the entire Gulf Coast region. While Katrina nearly demolished New Orleans, Davis feels that the public tends to overlook the similar detrimental situation in Mississippi.

“Katrina hit Mississippi, and there is another story about these Mississippi survivors that has never been told,” Davis said.

The 12 women Davis interviewed live in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region, specifically located in the cities of Pass Christian, Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi.

“They were Mississippi residents lifelong,” Davis said. “No one is relocating. They said they are rebuilding.”

While capturing the hardships of Mississippi as a whole is a significant purpose of her research, Davis’ most central focus is capturing the voices of women survivors. The lack of studies focusing on women after natural disasters spurred Davis’ research, especially since women suffer higher death rates in natural disaster situations. According to the National Resources Defense Council, women are 14 times more likely to die in natural disasters than men are.

“I ended up getting a story I had no idea I would get,” Davis said, “Usually when you hear about hurricanes, you rarely hear about women, and I think Hurricane Katrina changed that.”

As a whole, Davis’s interviews serve as a medium for these women to discuss the hardships they have faced since the hurricane, especially in terms of employment.

“After being homeless, it makes you realize what’s important,” one of Davis’ interviewees said.

Davis’s interviews also reveal the lasting psychological effects of Hurricane Katrina on black, middle-class women even after six years of growth.

“[The interviewees] said housing and counseling are still important to the victims of Katrina six years after the storm,” Davis said.

Davis’s ethnographic research utilizes the methods of snowball sampling, in-depth interviews and narrative analysis. These methods allowed her to analyze the specifics of the economic change experienced by the 12 women she continues to interview.

According to Davis’s research after Hurricane Katrina, the unemployment rate of Mississippi skyrocketed, jumping from 5.9 percent to 22.6 percent. Casinos were chief employers in the Gulf Coast region before the storm, and when Katrina demolished many of these establishments, unemployment spiked in the region. 127,000 casino jobs were lost in Harrison County alone in the aftermath of Katrina, according to Davis.
Davis also drew attention to the specific plight of women in Mississippi in comparison to the rest of the United States. For example, the average income of women in the United States is $49,660, while in Mississippi, the average income for women is half that figure.

All of the women Davis interviewed had to change jobs after Hurricane Katrina. According to Davis, few economic security remains in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region, even 6 years after the catastrophe. The Federal Emergency Management Agency currently employs a number of the women in Davis’ study, and as FEMA pulls out of the region, these women will be unemployed yet again.

However, Davis speaks with hope for continued economic improvement and growth of these black, middle-class women.

“The ability of women to find new jobs after Katrina speaks of their perseverance and resilience,” Davis said. “They are able to do something that other women were not able to do because of their social standing.”

Most students and professors attended the lecture as a class assignment, although they walked away with an appreciation for the new approach of Davis’ research.

“I’m appreciative of the fact Davis is studying this particular group of women,” Collin Scott ’15 said. “As a student, I am glad she is looking at an area of study that hasn’t been examined.”

Davis will continue to interview these 12 women as relief efforts end and Mississippi continues on the path towards recovery. She is also currently working on a book to publish the findings of her research.

When you first walk in, the comforting smell of mac and cheese against the backdrop of bacon and warm coffee reminds you that the trek was already worth it. As the familiar shelves greet you with all flavors of Gatorade, pre-made frozen dinners and the Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food variations, this wondrous place has the power to cure any of your ills. Combined with the fact that it is the only 24/7 service in all of Williamsburg and is within safe walking distance of even the furthest reaches of Botetourt complex, I think it is safe to say that our Wawa is fully justified in being one of the highest grossing Wawas of its kind on the East Coast.

However, what the parents and tourists encounter in the daylight hours is a far cry from the world that Wawa becomes once the delis do their last calls — an unfathomable place, where TWAMPy freshman and drunken frat boys can come together over their love of the delicious late night food.

Nevertheless, the late night process itself is an arduous one. We usually stumble in, a bit after 1 a.m., weak, hungry, shriveled and vulnerable. We make our way through the crowd, searching for the item that seems like it will give us our very own taste of heaven on earth. We then battle our way through the lines, carefully place our orders — the debate over “a little bit of mayo” and “no ketchup” is always a difficult one — and then swing into place in the final checkout line. Then a small panic usually hits — what if our credit card is denied, or what if there’s something wrong with our order and how can we survive if we have walk out EMPTY-HANDED?

Before you know it, you step up, and a certain calm hits.
Credit or debit?
Then a swipe, a few seconds of suspense and the wonderful ring.
No receipt, thank you.

Suddenly there it is, with Hallelujah music playing in the background, rivaling the turkey on Thanksgiving day, the food of choice is in your hand and about to be one of the best and fastest-consumed items you’ve had all week.

A feeling of calm washes over you as you munch down — and only the bravest ever have enough courage for round two.

Luckily enough for the students at the College of William and Mary, our very own Williamsburg supermodel and late-night colonial beauty of all centuries has taken the stand at the check-out counter. The reign of Wawa Pam continues to make an impression on all students graduating in the upcoming years.

Late night or not, Pam ensures that every visit to Wawa is a memorable experience. Consequentially, she has also earned the much-desired title of campus celebrity — her newest Facebook page attacked over 500 fans in less than 12 hours. Now at 1,113 and hoping to hit 2,000 by Sunday, her popularity shows no signs of waning.

In fact, apart from being the inspiration behind most jokes at Saturday night’s comedy extravaganza — the SNL writer claimed to have a date with this Williamsburg supermodel — she appears to be the heart and soul of our campus. Regardless of the weather, she is the wonderful woman who sells us ice cream when we are at our most frail, and the soulless creature that comments on our states when we can be at our most defensive. In fact, at that same comedy show, Pam inspired one of our very own students to write a poem in her honor, compiling all that we love and hate about the woman whose name seems to be on everyone’s lips.

So no matter your experience or whether you think she is amazing or terrifying, the next time you find yourself embarking on another Wawa run, remember to ask her how she became the wonderful character that she is. Besides, as liberal arts majors, all of us will have to realize one day that there is not much we can do with our philosophy and sociology degrees, and Pam might be the very role model we have been looking for all this time.

__Dasha Godunova is a Confusion Corner Columnist, and while she takes no claim for the masterpiece work of poetry mentioned ealier in the column, she encourages anyone interested to send her an email at dagodunova@gmail.com or a Facebook shout out if you’d like to read the 13 stanzas of wonderfulness.__

It is not often that something comes along that is so shocking — and yet refreshing — that you know it’s a sign of something different. Like the crisp air of a new spring day, you know it was meant to come.

For associate theatre professor Francis Tanglao-Aguas, this breath of fresh air was R. Zamora Linmark, a Filipino-American poet, novelist and playwright.

“Back in 1995 … I heard through the grapevine that there was going to be a new novel coming out of Hawaii,” Tanglao-Aguas said. “It wasn’t about people escaping exile or life in World World Two, but it was about being Filipino, and that was very important because, at that point, the work that was [coming out of Hawaii] was mostly about politics. It wasn’t personal. It wasn’t about being young and growing up. So when ‘Rolling the R’s’ come out, we just ate it up. And it spread… [Linmark] spread like wild fire.”

“Rolling the R’s” was Linmark’s first book, published in 1996.

Linmark recently came to campus as part of a book tour for his new novel, “Leche,” which was published earlier this year. He describes discovering his love for, as he said, lying (or, in other words, fiction) in college. While he writes fiction, he has sought to do something tantamount to what Walt Whitman did for America: be a voice for a people and for a nation.

He writes about the Filipino experience, both in the Philippines and abroad, and described wanting to give a voice to Manila.

“Manila is one these so-called developing cities, and it can easily fall into the [characterization] of Bombay or New Delhi or Bangkok,” Linmark said, “And I didn’t want that. I wanted to give character to Manila.”

Linmark gives this voice through a unique style, wit and the personal character of his writing.

“You read a lot of writers, and you get the history and are getting a lot of facts, but you can get bored with that,” Wilma Consul, who was the director for the staged reading of “Rolling the R’s” and with Linmark during the book tour, said. “With [Linmark], he uses humor. It’s different when you have truth done in humor. It’s a bit more biting, and I think it’s a bit more effective.”

“Leche,” which does not come from the Spanish word ‘milk,’ but from the not-as-innocent Filipino word ‘leche’ — follows the character Vince, a twenty-three year old returning to his native country after being away for thirteen years. His homecoming isn’t quite what he had expected.

After his flight arrives in the Philippines, he finds the customs line designated for Filipinos, but is told to leave the line. Despite being born in the Philippines, he is, as a customs officer points out, a “blue book holder” — a US citizen, not a Filipino. He argues that in Hawaii, Filipinos don’t see themselves as American. But there is no welcome home. He is ushered out of the Filipino line.

Ideas of homecoming and identity are woven throughout the novel.

Linmark, in his characteristic way of writing, doesn’t hold back in his description of Manila. After describing Vince almost passing out upon arriving in Manilla because of the pollution and humidity, he further criticizes the air quality, or lack therof, in Manila.

“You need a third lung to get to the kitchen from the living room, a fourth to answer the front door and an oxygen tank to cross the street,” Linmark writes in “Leche.”

In setting out to capture the voice and character of Manila, Linmark realized he may have gotten into something larger than he bargained for. While “Rolling the R’s” took a matter of months to write, “Leche” took him over a decade.

“I realized I had taken on a task that I wasn’t ready for, but I didn’t know; I thought I was ready,” Linmark said. “In fact, the first version was accepted [by the publisher], and it could have been published as early as 2000.”

However, due to complications with publishing companies, the publishing of the book was delayed. This gave Linmark time to revise, something for which, in looking back, he says he was grateful.

“I’m glad it gave me the opportunity to write it, and to really labor over it, because I don’t think I could have been as content and really say that the book was done.”

After revising, Linmark produced not only something he was content with, but a valuable addition to the voice of Filipinos and the Philippines. It was an added breath of fresh air that Linmark thought a city like Manila needed greatly.

For years, Williamsburg has been the site of a drawn-out feud. Acts of warfare perpetually interrupt Williamsburg resident’s otherwise peaceful Saturday; noise violations at 3 a.m. disturb whole neighborhoods. Tyrannical laws prevent students from taking advantage of affordable off-campus housing with more than two roommates. A modern grudge that, this Saturday, will reach new heights.

Traditionally, film studies professor Tim Barnard’s upper level film studies class puts together the annual Global Film Festival. This year, however, they are presenting both Williamsburg residents and College of William and Mary students with a new opportunity: to reenact the classic musical West Side Story on a local, unconventional stage.

“What we’re wondering most is, will the TWAMPs come out to rumble or are they too afraid of the townies?” Barnard said.

SouthEast Side Story: A Williamsburg Community Musical will be filmed this Saturday at 12 p.m. at the Kimball Theatre. Done as a LipDub, the movie will consist of local residents, students, shop owners and community leaders. Some of the best-known names include College President Taylor Reveley, Williamsburg mayor Clyde Haulman, and Colonial Williamsburg President Colin Campbell. Chef David Everett and a gang of other Blue Talon chefs will be making an appearance, planning to rumble with the College’s fencing team.
While the theme of the LipDub is set to the traditional gang tale of West Side Story, the aim of the event is one of unity.

“The goal is the same [as] the Film Festival — bringing the community and the College together through film,” Madeline Chessman ’12, one of the organizers of the LipDub, said.

What is a LipDub?
The term LipDub is a combination of lip synching and audio dubbing. The purpose is to choose a song, a setting, and a large group of people, then film them singing the song in one continuous shot. Usually, the camera moves between different areas and films various groups of people who are putting on short shows or stunts to flow with the lyrics in the song, then the shots are edited together.

The original song is put over the audio in the video to make it seem that the group itself is singing the song, as though it were a music video. Oftentimes the songs are longer than the standard three to four minutes. Grand Rapids, Mich., conducted a massive, very popular LipDub and used a live version of Don McLean’s “American Pie,” which was nine minutes long. Remixes of well known songs are also used, along with older pop songs, such as “Nobody But Me,” by the Human Beinz, used in the LipDub featured on the popular television show “The Office.”

The History of the LipDub
In 2006, Jakob Lodwick, the co-creator of Vimeo.com, created the first LipDub when he filmed himself singing a song on his headphones, then placed the original MP3 version of the song over the video, coining the term LipDub. A university in Germany did the first student version of this popular form of music video. They have become popular tools of teambuilding for corporations, an idea which extends past the business model and has helped cities as well. In June 2011, Grand Rapids created one of the most successful LipDubs ever done, involving thousands of citizens and raising $40,000 for the video. The project was a response to an article by Newsweek that labeled the Michigan town as one of America’s dying cities.

“SouthEast Side Story”
The musical “West Side Story” is a version of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” and is considered to be a cult classic. The Global Film Festival aims to retell the classic story on local grounds, with all variations of locals participating. Along with putting on a mock battle with the College fencing team, Blue Talon Bistro chefs will be providing free coffee. Bagels will also be provided on Saturday morning, along with spiced cider, donated by the Trellis. The food will be given away on a first come first serve basis.

Though LipDubs are usually long, complicated events, Barnard’s class has made the event as short as possible. Extras are encouraged to arrive at noon to find their spots, and filming is scheduled to stop at 2:30. Sequences will move between the Kimball theatre, Duke of Gloucester street between Bruton Parish church and Market Square, the Wren building, and the Brafferton. Reveley, Campbell, and Haulman will be filming earlier, shots that include a special closing popcorn sequence.

While groups are encouraged to register at the Global Film Festival’s website, extras are welcome to come and participate so long as they arrive at noon.