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On the Record: “Codes and Keys” by Death Cab for Cutie

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“If you feel just like a tourist in the city you were born, then it’s time to go.” “You Are a Tourist,” the first single from Death Cab For Cutie’s newest release, “Codes and Keys”, explores the dynamics of escaping a failing relationship and starting anew, a theme that recurs throughout the album.

This song, distinguished by its wispy, catchy melody and celestial instrumentation, helped propel “Codes and Keys” to the third spot on Billboard’s Top 200.

The album is a significant departure from Death Cab’s previous works. From a lyrical standpoint we find Ben Gibbard, the band’s front man and main songwriter, relinquishing the morose reflections of “Narrow Stairs” and “Plans” in favor of a somewhat more optimistic outlook. Whether this change has something to do with his recent marriage to actress Zooey Deschanel is up for interpretation.

The opening number, “Home Is a Fire,” swirls from headphone to headphone, combining spacey vocals, heavy synth blips and a drum track that evokes images of falling rain. The title track continues in much the same way, frequently building up to stormy crescendos of strings, keyboard sounds and sonic fireworks.

“Some Boys” and “Doors Unlocked and Open” follow seamlessly, blending Gibbard’s haunting, isolated vocals with old-timey piano riffs. Lyrically, the first half of the album deals with the impending end of a relationship and the fear associated with its conclusion. “Home Is a Fire” and “Codes and Keys” exude doubt and worry, while “Doors Unlocked and Open” and “You Are a Tourist” express hope for a meaningful resolution and rebirth.

“Unobstructed Views” marks a turning point in the album’s trajectory. The song itself slows things down a bit too much and is overwrought with ambient effects, but serves to demonstrate Gibbard’s change of heart. He muses “There’s no one in the sky, just our love.” It seems that although the brooding songwriter has retained the existential angst evident in his previous releases, he has finally found a more precise way to release his angst.

“Codes and Keys” blends the nostalgic and the post-modern to form a 21st century love story and is masterfully devoid of schmaltz or self-pity. Songs like “Monday Morning” and “Portable Television” sound organic, yet have the tightly polished production of mainstream rock hits.

The album’s two best tracks, “Underneath the Sycamore” and “Stay Young, Go Dancing,” are also its most upbeat. In the former, Gibbard weaves a tale of two eager lovers who have finally found peace in one another over echoing swells and piano riffs. The latter would be totally out of place on any previous Death Cab release, with a summery acoustic guitar riff, delicate piano tinkering and a downright joyous vocal line.

“Codes and Keys” is not without its missteps. Its flow is often bogged down by excessive atmospherics, and many of its songs lack the catchiness of Death Cab staples like “Cath” or “Title and Registration.” Still the album clearly exemplifies a new step in the band’s evolution, a sort of settling both musically and lyrically. Indie’s darlings have matured and found peace, yet can still craft thoroughly impressive tunes.

Letter to the Editor: Students should make use of their ability to aid others

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There are nearly half a million Somali refugees currently living in the Dadaab Refugee Camp, located in northeastern Kenya. The majority of residents fall under one of two categories — victims of violence or victims of the ongoing starvation. After having visited the Dadaab Refugee Camp myself this past summer, I have been compelled to promote hidden truths of the camp, as well as voice the needs of the voiceless refugees.

I experienced a few important revelations during my first day of driving through the refugee camps in Dadaab. First, Dadaab is an extremely diverse community which even maintains a bustling free-market in some areas. This is especially important because it shows the impact that remittances can have, an opportunity for aid money to grow the refugee economy, and, finally, the ingenuity of refugees in the camp. The goods ranged from smart phones to Coca-Cola, and the were being imported and sold at a rapid pace.

Apart from viewing the existing market, I also interviewed a number of refugees along with my colleagues.
Our findings were startling; as we engaged in one of the group discussions one of the women stated that she just “want[ed] to be able to help [her]self” financially. In the minds of many refugees, the system of aid handouts, despite being necessary, is unsatisfying to them. It was clear to me that what refugees seek is greater autonomy in their lives and the opportunity to work for their own benefit.

My experience has led me to the unassailable conclusion that the refugees’ of the Dadaab Camp seek assistance in the form of micro-lending or similar employment opportunities. There is no doubt that there is a bustling market in place, as well as a population of innovative and entrepreneurial refugees waiting for an opportunity to succeed. As students of the College of William and Mary, we are in a unique position to provide micro-lending opportunities through our own innovation, fundraising and collaboration. There has never been a better time to attempt such a project, as the camp situation decays with every passing day.

Remix tradition: Change needed for Convocation and Commencement

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Traditions, both new and old, play a large part in forming our unique identity as students at the College of William and Mary. Our shared collective experiences, from completing the triathlon to jamming out at Charter Day and celebrating Blowout — excuse me, Last Day of Classes — help shape our time at the College in a way that goes beyond admissions pamphlets and test scores.

Bearing that in mind, and on the heels of attending my third Opening Convocation, allow me to humbly submit a request for a remix.

Everybody loves a good remix.Sometimes the remix is so good, it puts the original to shame, like R. Kelly’s 2003 remix of “Ignition” which so thoroughly overshadowed the original that it left me scrambling on Google to find whether it even exists. (It does.)

A quality remix takes the elements of the classic everybody knows and loves and subtly spices it up, leaving the core intact. A bad remix typically tries to do too much to the original, leaving the listener wondering why a classic was ever touched in the first place.

Convocation is one of those classics. I think the vast majority of the ceremony should remain the same. It is a beautiful ceremony that regularly gets an impressive turnout of upperclassmen, rain or shine. There is just one little piece that needs tinkering.

During Convocation the new freshmen, transfer students and graduate students walk from the Wren Courtyard, or the Sunken Garden side of the Sir Christopher Wren building, to the Colonial Williamsburg side to be cheered for by their fellow members of the Tribe.

During Commencement, graduating students reverse that walk, walking from the Colonial Williamsburg side of Wren, through the Wren Building, into campus.

While we rightfully treat these traditions themselves as sacred, there is nothing sacred about their respective processes. Convocation, as we know it now, is less than 20 years old. Former College President Timothy Sullivan only resurrected the ceremony for our tercentennial in 1993 after a 20-plus year hiatus. Likewise, only recently was Commencement moved from the Wren courtyard to William and Mary Hall, and the preceding Senior Walk changed in 1978. Now it’s time for both Convocation and the Commencement Senior Walk to be remixed.

As new students come from all over the world to become members of our community, they should walk symbolically from the Colonial Williamsburg side of Wren (the outside world) to the Sunken Garden side. As graduating seniors prepare to leave the friendly confines of Williamsburg to make an impact on the world at large, they should proceed from the College (the Sunken Garden side of Wren) to the world. These changes may be subtle, yet they do exactly what a good remix intends: Keep the core spirit of a classic intact and enrich our traditions by deepening their symbolism.

Law school alum is a poor political choice

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Watching the Republican candidates debate on MSNBC, and even without looking at the television, I constantly hear the buzzwords “jobs,” “Obamacare” and “economy.” Gaining some knowledge about the candidates and their platforms is definitely informative, but their rhetoric has remained relatively unchanged over the last few months. I personally derive a greater amount of enjoyment from watching the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, which show highlight reels of the debate with quips about the various missteps that occur.

The host of one of the shows, Jon Stewart, is amarketing tool shamelessly employed by the College of William and Mary when discussing notable alumni. Another alumni who has remained under the radar until the recent race for the GOP nomination is Michele Bachmann LL.M. ’88, who received her Master’s degree in tax law from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law. I remember commuting to work this summer and listening to National Public Radio when they first mentioned her name as a standout performer in the first GOP debate. Since that time, Bachmann has become a household name. Her face even graced the cover of a recent issue of Newsweek. Her rise goes hand-in-hand with that of the Tea Party, a grassroots movement that advocates a near-wholesale rollback of the federal government intervention in the state governments as well as in the lives of citizens. Bachmann champions this movement and has the support of many of its members.

The position of the Tea Party movement compared to the Republican majority is further to the right on the political spectrum, as seen by the position of many representatives during the debt ceiling debate. Their position created the so-called “debt ceiling showdown” that pushed the United States government to the brink of default.

This no-compromise, far-right position is what typifies the Tea Party movement as well as Bachmann’s platform. Her appeal derives in part from the increasingly heated partisan debate about hot-button issues such as the economy, job creation, gay marriage and abortion. The persistent volatility of the economy and markets has polarized opinions regarding the best solutions to solve our economic woes. Partisan politics have been amplified further by media outlets that project a clear ideology (but I won’t mention names).

I lament Bachmann’s rise mostly due to the rabid partisanship she represents. The spirit of compromise seems to be losing out to the adoption of an extreme stance that gains the attention of media outlets, which prefer stories that sell ideas that are beneficial to getting our economy back on track. Bashing President Barack Obama seems to have become a favorite pastime of the GOP debates and seems to be one of the only ideas upon which all candidates can agree.

I hope politicians in general come up with innovative solutions that can bridge the political divide and solve our economic woes. The student body here at the College needs to ensure that their voices are heard in upcoming elections. We have an important stake in seeing the passage of constructive deals, especially considering the shaky job market many graduates are facing with an ever-increasing amount of debt.

For example, John Huntsman was one of the only GOP candidates who criticized the non-compromising view the Republicans took on the debt ceiling standoff. However, he received little publicity on his stance, so you might have to look beyond the mainstream media to find an in-depth view of the candidates and their position on specific issues. Becoming educated about the American political sphere is one of the best ways you can create effective change and can help to reverse the trend of voter apathy in this country.

Open Gate(s)way

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This week, the College of William and Mary announced former Defense Secretary Robert Gates ’65 as the College’s next chancellor. Gates will take the post after our current chancellor, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, steps down in February at the end of her seven-year term. We congratulate Gates on his appointment, and welcome him back to his alma mater in this prestigious position.

As the excitement of Gates’ return to this campus as this campus as chancellor washed over us, we couldn’t help but wonder: What does the chancellor actually do? It is a prestigious position, to be sure, but does he get paid? Does he report to anyone? Does he have a say in college policy? Aside from fulfilling the title of chancellor, what does this individual do?

Chancellors past have included former secretary of state Henry Kissinger, former prime minster of the United Kingdom (and first female prime minister) Margaret Thatcher, and two United States presidents, John Tyler and George Washington — the latter our first American-born chancellor. But when it comes to the actual role and responsibility of the chancellor, what makes the post special? In the colonial era, the chancellor acted as the College’s representative to the crown. Obviously, the job has changed since then, becoming instead somewhat of a figurehead position, filled by a person who comes to the College on ceremonial occasions to interact with students.

Given Gates’ past as a Defense Secretary under two presidents (President Barack Obama even gave him a shout-out on this chancellor position), we are excited for him to become involved with the College. Just a few months ago, he held a position of great power and responsibility in our government, and we would like to see him use his past experiences to become a more active chancellor than those who came before him. Not only was he Defense Secretary, but he was also president of Texas A&M University and sat on the boards of corporations. He served in the CIA for 26 years and was Director of the CIA under President George H. W. Bush.

We do not think O’Connor or any other chancellors in recent memory have done a poor job, but we would like the chancellor to become a visible part of this university — and not just on Charter Day. We encourage Secretary Gates to visit the College often, to meet with students, and to become an advocate for the College. Gates is in a position to truly impact students’ lives, as well as this campus. The connections he can forge with the students and the knowledge he can give to them may help them to become the next Robert Gates, the next Sandra Day O’Connor or the next Henry Kissinger.

We look forward to Gates’ tenure as Chancellor, and we thank O’Connor for her service to the College. It is our hope that the College continues to produce similarly accomplished, service-oriented graduates who are pioneers and leaders of our country and the world.

Post-disaster Diagnosis

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Regardless of how you watched the 40-3 shellacking William and Mary received in its season opener against rival Virginia, you are most likely exhibiting a few symptoms of Tribal fever. Not the good kind of Tribal fever, either. Symptoms of this new strain include heartbreak, surprise and loss of direction.

For those of us who made the trek out to Charlottesville and spent the day scoffing at the “fourth years” and “grounds”, all while trying to figure out what a Wahoo is, it was pretty tough to be sent home with our Griffin tails between our legs after such a beatdown.

While I’m no doctor, I’ve suffered through enough Tribal fever myself to suggest some explanations and treatment options.

First, you’re most likely suffering from a high degree of shock. Many of us entered Scott Stadium on Saturday with fond memories of the College’s thrilling 26-14 upset of the Cavaliers, and fully believing that the Tribe could do it again.

Apparently, we all forgot how great an achievement that actually was for the College two years ago and how wide the talent gap between FBS and FCS schools really is. It took a near perfect performance from then-senior quarterback R.J. Archer, and seven turnovers from the Cavaliers to make that upset a reality. And while the College proved that it could beat the Cavaliers, it was going to take another great performance from the Tribe, and another awful performance from the Cavaliers, to make it happen. There is a reason the two schools are in different leagues, and it is largely due to the aforementioned talent gap.

And remember, this was just one early-season, non-conference game. While the lopsided score was surprising, losing to an FBS opponent doesn’t carry that much weight at the end of the year. The College has reached the playoffs each of the past three seasons, and only 2009 included a victory over an FCS team. Basically, it’s way too early to write this team off.

Now, we’ll address the stomach problems you may be enduring after watching the play of the College’s offense.

Senior Tribe quarterback Mike Paulus looked lost and confused under center. While Virginia has certainly added speed and athleticism to its defense, Paulus was a sitting duck, showing little or no mobility in the pocket, and his accuracy, which everyone knows is not one of the stronger aspects of his game, failed him—as he consistently overthrew his targets. Perhaps most jarring is that the senior, who finished 5 for 22 for 35 yards, is the same quarterback that went 24 of 35 for 209 yards and two touchdowns last year against another FBS opponent in North Carolina.

But there are two reasons to be hopeful about the team’s offense. First, one can’t fully evaluate the performance of the College’s quarterbacks because the College’s receivers weren’t getting open, and the team’s backup, sophomore Brent Caprio, wasn’t much better. Second, just last year, the offense didn’t come into its own until much later in the season. Paulus’s play last season gives me no reason to suggest his performance in Charlottesville wasn’t just an anomaly or that he can’t be a successful quarterback for the College. He showed glimpses of brilliance last year, and one bad game doesn’t mean he won’t have a good senior season.

There were also many reported instances of sickness after watching the College’s defense as well. Particularly concerning was the College’s run defense, which allowed 254 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Virginia tailback Kevin Parks accounted for 114 yards and three touchdowns alone, and appeared to glide effortlessly through the Tribe defense. One must hope that Virginia’s possession time, 37 minutes, 24 seconds, wore down the Tribe defense.

And while the defense certainly wasn’t good, it wasn’t quite as bad as the numbers would indicate. Junior cornerback B.W. Webb had a great game at corner for the College, and junior linebackers Dante Cook and Jabrel Mines were frequent contributors and showed a great deal of promise. Sure, the defensive front might have made Virginia’s offensive line look like it was full of All-Americans, and Parks like a future Heisman-winner, but the unit will have two straight games — first against Virginia Military Institute this weekend, and then against New Haven the following weekend — where it will have a real size advantage.

Perhaps the largest question concerning the Tribe is its identity. The loss is so surprising because we thought Virginia to be a middling team in a sub-par FBS conference and the Tribe to be one of the best in the FCS and a national championship contender. Given how badly the College lost, the question lingers: Is the College really that bad, or is UVa simply that improved? To answer that, we’ll have to wait a few weeks at the least.

Finally, as your Tribal fever begins to subside, remember how embarrassing it was for Virginia to lose to the Tribe two seasons ago. That game essentially led to the firing of then-Cavaliers coach Al Groh, and a commitment to rebuilding the UVa football program. There was no way they were going to underestimate us this time around.

One year ago, the College was in a similar position. It had just lost a particularly tough season opener, and couldn’t wait to redeem itself against VMI. The Tribe went on to win 45-0. Once again, the College will bear a large chip on its shoulder when it takes on the Keydets Saturday, searching for its first win. And that may be just what the doctor ordered.

Arts reach out online

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A new website will soon join the ongoing effort to promote construction of an Arts Complex at the College of William and Mary.

Matt Reese ’13, an intern at the Muscarelle Museum of Art, created a website in order to increase knowledge of and support for the project among the administration, faculty and student body. The Board of Visitors approved the inclusion of the Arts Complex on the next three biennium requests it sent to the governor in April.

“The idea of the website is to start informing students and faculty who wouldn’t otherwise know what we are hoping to see in the new William and Mary arts facility, and what students can do to get more involved,” Reese said.

The site will supplement a letter of support for the Arts Complex written by Left/Right Producer Jimmy Finn ’00 and the William and Mary Alumni Arts Council that has been circulating since May. The letter currently has 556 signatures.

“This is the first step,” Aaron DeGroft Ph.D. ’88, director of the Muscarelle, said. “What made it real is when the Board of Visitors voted to put it in the next biennium request to the governor.”

A feasibility study completed in 2009 for the new Arts Complex was presented to the Board of Visitors in April. After the presentation, the board voted to include the project in a request to the governor in three phases over the next six years. The first phase is to fund a design for the Arts Complex, the second is to complete the design and begin construction on the project, and the third phase, slated for 2016 through 2018, is to complete construction.

“The thing that we want to make clear is that there are a lot of priorities that the College has, and this is one of them,” DeGroft said. “We have great faculty that are trying to teach great students, and the quality of the facilities aren’t matching up.”

The project would house the music, art, art history, theater, dance, speech, and film studies departments and the Muscarelle Museum of Art.

“The concept was to make a place where music people, dance people, theater people could be in one central area where they can all interact with each other,” DeGroft said. “The museum would kind of be the portal to this, and it would be the new public entrance to the College.”

Finn said that the performing arts alumni of the College had never been organized before, so he began the William and Mary Alumni Arts Council, which consists of four other prominent arts alumni members including Broadway costume designer William Ivey Long, producer Nancy Gunn, Vice President for the Bank of America-Merrill Lynch Parker Wertz and author and novelist Sheri Holman.

“We put together the council, and then we had an event in May or June in New York where Aaron came and spoke with a much larger group of alumni,” Finn said. “We put together the letter to the administration on the website. It’s always important to start a social media push because that is how you can get alumni who are spread all over the world to get excited about it and support the performing arts center.”

According to Reese, both the website and the circulating letter of support are designed to increase participation.

“The administration is on our side, but what we are trying to do with this is to show our faculty the breadth of our student involvement and how much the students and alumni care about the program,” Reese said. “The idea is just to get a broader base of student interest and support.”

While the letter of support was started by an alumni organization, Reese encourages students to sign the letter.
“We want students to sign it because the kids who are at William and Mary right now have the best understanding of what they need, what their facilities are lacking, and what would make their experience better here,” Reese said.
Reese and DeGroft stressed the importance of this project for the entire student body, noting that most people who attend the College participate in the arts in some way.
“People are saying we are doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs. We majored in business, we majored in science, but we sang in the choir, we played in the band, we were in an ensemble, we took art history and dance,” DeGroft said. “The overwhelming response that we get is that William and Mary is all about the arts and that students that come here all take part in this and take away amazing experiences.”
Over the next year, Reese, DeGroft and the alumni council in New York plan to continue their efforts with the arts facility.
“We want to get everyone in the student body and in our faculty on board with this,” Reese said. “It’s got to happen sometime, so it’s a matter of us helping to expedite the process.”

Ambler addresses class of 2015

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Freshmen were officially welcomed into the 319-year-old Tribe at Convocation Friday, filing through the Wren Courtyard in formal attire to take part in one of the College’s most celebrated traditions.

“If you want the best education on the planet, you’ve come to the right place,” Provost Michael Halleran said. “There is only one William and Mary, and now it’s yours.”

Convocation officially welcomes each freshman class into the College. After remarks from the provost, College president and a guest speaker, the Alma Mater is performed and freshmen proceed from the Wren Building courtyard into the portico to be greeted by upperclassmen with high-fives and cheers.

Traditionally, the College chooses an alumnus to serve as a guest speaker for Convocation, but this year’s speaker, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith ’71, J.D. ’79 was unable to reschedule after the ceremony was postponed due to Hurricane Irene. In her place, Reveley selected Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88, Ph.D. ’06.

“Savor it. Savor the moments, savor the gatherings, and savor the legacy,” Ambler said. “There are plenty of fine institutions in this country, but I’d argue that no college rivals William and Mary as a community.”

Reveley extended his welcome as well, happy to officially begin the College’s 319th year after some unexpected bumps.

“Short of a plague of locusts or toads falling out of the sky I think we’re clear,” Reveley said. “William and Mary is for a lifetime. It will be part of your identity from now on.”

Morgan Harwood ’15 described her thoughts at the top of the steps to the Wren Building, overlooking the cheering crowd.

“I thought, what did I sign up for? In a good way though,” she said. “It was so cool, everyone was so nice. I felt welcomed.”

Sophomore Kelly O’Toole enjoyed returning to see one of her favorite College traditions and high-fiving many of the new Tribe members.

“It was awesome, everyone was super excited,” she said. “But now I think I could use some hand sanitizer.”

The Class of 2015 banner was unveiled by 2013 Class President Tess DeAtley and 2014 Class President Tony Hanagan. The ceremony also recognized student Cassie Powell ’12 and faculty member Richard Thompson for their exemplary community service.

City ups transparency

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With the unveiling of a new online public transparency plan for the City of Williamsburg, the College of William and Mary Student Assembly hopes to bridge the communication gap between students and the local government.

In late August, the City of Williamsburg launched the Public Dashboards system, which measures the city’s performance on administrative and economic initiatives. The statistics listed include the overall quality of life, availability of affordable housing and average response times for police and emergency services.

“This system of Public Dashboards is a great example of how the effective use of technology can transform the interaction between citizens and their government,” City of Williamsburg Information Technology Director Mark Barham said in a press release. “This new technology enables us not only to inform the public but also to engage and educate them about their City government.”

The Public Dashboards are organized by the city’s 10 Goals, Initiatives and Outcomes (GIOs), which focus on community engagement, economic vitality and infrastructure improvement.

Student Assembly Vice President Molly Bulman ’12 lauded the initiative, but stressed the need for greater student involvement in the city’s policy.

“Over my last three years as a student, I’ve seen the language used by the city incorporate words and phrases surrounding ‘engagement’ more and more,” Bulman said in an email. “The Dashboards relate to the 10 goals and initiatives that citizens and City Council put together early last year. Unfortunately, not many students were involved in the brainstorming of these goals. And student opinions are what’s needed.”

Bulman said that the SA would be increasing its engagement with the city government in two ways. The Williamsburg Internship Program, which Bulman said was launched this year “as a means of bridging the gap between students and the local government in Williamsburg,” is the first. The second will be a Sept. 21 presentation given by members of the SA to Williamsburg Planning Commission about goals for housing and economic development.

Bulman could not provide specifics, as the SA members have not yet met to prepare the presentation, but she said that expected topics of discussion include advocating for higher-density zoning in areas near the College and mixed-use apartment buildings for student-friendly businesses.

One of the notable statistics listed in the Dashboards shows that while the availability of affordable housing in Williamsburg has increased since 2008, it is still below the national benchmark.

“We certainly have worked with the College very closely to do a project like Tribe Square,” City Manager Jackson C. Tuttle said. “And I see more opportunities for off-campus student housing.”

Tuttle said that the Dashboards system is one of the first of its kind in any jurisdiction, something unusual for a city like Williamsburg, which does not have a reputation for being particularly innovative.

“Generally, we don’t have the time and the resources to be on the bleeding edge too often,” he said. “But this is one, I think, where we went ahead and went in that direction because there wasn’t another product out there that we could adopt someone else’s system. We had to invent our own.”

“William and Mary students have always shown interest in the local government of Williamsburg,” Barham said in an email. “These Dashboards give them access to data that they have never had prior to this system.”

The Public Dashboards are accessible at www.williamsburgva.gov/dashboards and link from the City’s home page.

Segways to decrease carbon footprint at the College

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In its most recent attempt to shrink its carbon footprint, the College of William and Mary introduced two Segways on campus to help better patrol the parking lots and grounds. These two-wheeled, self-balancing personal vehicles will help reduce fuel costs while providing parking staff greater ease while moving around campus.

“While going green was one of the biggest reasons why we purchased the Segways, our decision also had a lot to do with the nature of the business in terms of parking enforcement officers and how they need to get around campus,” Manager of Parking & Transportation Bill Horacio said in a press release. “The specific layout of this campus is more amenable to a Segway than an actual vehicle. They allow you to ride on pathways, walkways and bikeways that are not accessible to your everyday vehicle.”

From 2008 to 2010 the College improved its “Sustainability Report Card” grade from a D- to a B+. The Sustainable Endowments Institute issues the report card annually. Since receiving the poor grade in 2008, the College has made a concerted effort to improve its environmental record, and the introduction of Segways should help further the effort.

“I’m glad to see the administration keeping sustainability in mind, as we have quite a journey ahead of us,” Student Environmental Action Coalition Facilitator Jackie Carroll ’13 said. “I’m sure that SEAC, COS [the Committee on Sustainability] and William and Mary’s administration will continue to work together on issues like these, and I’m looking forward to the day when William and Mary joins the ranks of the most sustainable universities in the country.”

Although the Segways have numerous environmental benefits, one large concern is safety. The vehicles react to body movement and are highly sensitive to different terrains. The vehicles only reach up to 12 mph, but the rider stands upright and should wear a helmet and gloves at all times.

“The W&M campus goes from brick pavements, to hard sidewalks, to grass,” Horacio said in a press release. “It is extremely important to always be alert.”

Parking services used the vehicles during orientation and Convocation. Other departments may opt to borrow the Segways when necessary, as they may be helpful during events that bring a lot of traffic to campus.

Orientation aides had access to the futuristic vehicles, and some found the Segways more harmful than beneficial.

“The Segways were useful, but we also had some golf carts which I thought were more useful, safe and reliable,” Orientation Aide Director Molly Hahn ’12 said. “Segways can get a little finicky; they are definitely something we could’ve done without.”

Segways are one of several ecological initiatives the College has taken in recent years. Last year saw the planning stages of an Eco Village located in the Lodges to increase sustainability.

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