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College ranks high on Forbes lists

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Once again, the College of William and Mary ranked among the United States’ most elite universities. Forbes, which recently released its list of “America’s Top Colleges,” ranked the College as the second best public institution, the ninth best university in the South and the 49th best university overall.

The College fell slightly behind the University of Virginia, which was ranked as the 46th best university. However, the College outstripped two Ivy League universities, Cornell University (No. 51) and the University of Pennsylvania (No. 52), as well as Vanderbilt University (No. 53).

This is not the first high rank for the College, and students believe such consistently high ranks have implications stretching beyond borders.

“The U.S. has one of the most complex education systems in the world,” Director of International Students Stephen Sechrist said. “An American student knows the difference between a community college, a liberal arts school and Penn State, but that is not necessarily the case abroad.”

This year, the College has a record enrollment of 468 international students from more than 50 countries.

“Both overall rankings and categorical rankings play a roll in helping international students discern what school is best for them,” Sechrist said. “Since 2004 when I began working here, the population has more than doubled for international students.”

Students such as Eric Wong ’14 appreciate the continued recognition of the College and of U.Va.

“Even with the state budget cuts, it’s satisfying to know that both of these universities are able to maintain such high academic standings,” Wong said. “Having both of these options available to me as a prospective student made it easy for me to decide to stay in state.”

Others noted that a strong rank, while appreciated, is not something that College strives to achieve.

“We realize that people watch these ranks, and as there are so many types of rankings, we look for consistency, but no ranking captures the entire character of the community or what makes the William and Mary experience,” Director of University Relations Brian Whitson said. “And we do not shape policy or curriculum based on how that might impact one rating or another.”

Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admission Henry Broaddus also praised the College’s integrity in not conforming to standards set by any ranking system.

“We would never shape policy to meet the standards of any ranking,” Broaddus said. “Rankings have become cluttered with uncountable publications, each with their own approach and standards for ranking. However, students use rank as a way to landscape their choices, and William and Mary has always done well.”

Broaddus summed up his description of ranking with an analogy.

“Rank is like an honorary degree,” he said. “It is not substantive but it is always welcome.”

Words to watch out for in Williamsburg

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Override
Perhaps more succinctly referred to as begging, asking for an override is something every student at the College of William and Mary will do at least once in their college career. For some, it is the intense desire to take Tudor England while for others it is senior year oh-crap-how-is-this-happening-what-am-I-going-to-do realization that you still need to fulfill the performing arts GER, but no matter what, everyone comes to know the plaintive email sent to a professor asking to be granted a seat in their already over-capacity class.

The Caf
Nothing makes you feel more grown up than eating in a caf, right? For some reason this rather high schoolish name for the Commons Dining Hall remains the only thing that any student ever calls it. For the multitudes of freshmen who live nearby, it becomes a home away from home, especially for those weekend morning brunches.

Swemming
You certainly know by now that the College’s library is officially called Earl Gregg Swem Library. You might not know that students here are so dedicated to going to the library they’ve invented a very specific verb to cover that activity, which lends itself to lots of swimming and drowning puns. A long night of swemming can be just the thing to make sure that you get the desired grade on a test or it can result in a soul-sucking loss of humanity, take your pick. Come finals though, make sure you get in early, as everyone seems to suddenly enter training for academic Olympics. To slightly alter what a wise fish once said “Just keep swemming, swemming, swemming.”

CW
The College probably has Colonial Williamsburg to thank for preserving its existence in the 1930s, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it. The abbreviation, which is much older than the television network playing Gossip Girl, generally refers Merchant’s Square as well as the historic area, suggesting that students find the two grouped together as one tourist trap. But within you can find some of Williamsburg’s hidden delights, like the Governor’s Palace Gardens and cider. Plus, you know, history, if that’s your thing.

Bread Ends
Bread ends might be the best thing about Williamsburg. When the Cheese Shop cuts its sandwiches there are leftover ends of loaves, which they but in a bag and sell for a dollar. Pair that with some house dressing or cheese and you have the perfect snack, lunch, dinner, afourthmeal, study break or early morning treat.

The Units
Ah, the Units. The Units are much more than the dorm where fraternities live. For members of a fraternity they can be a home away from home, for unlucky sophomores and juniors they can be a last ditch attempt to stay on campus, but for many freshmen they are where dignity goes to die.

Blowout
Twice a year, on a very special day, the College becomes a place of magical wonder. Not only do classes end for the semester, but students tend to go all out, enjoying themselves in ways generally considered very un-William and Mary. Whether you participate in a marathon of drinking or just watch the mayhem, it is the opportunity for everyone to enjoy themselves before devoting their lives to finals for the next week and a half.

TWAMP
The pinnacle of William and Mary slang words, TWAMP stands for Typical William and Mary Person. An insult to some and a badge of honor to others, the term has come to summarize what it means to be the very essence of a William and Mary student, whether that means studying too much, being involved in dozens of extracurriculars, or lacking any recognizable social skills. Everyone has their own definition of what it means to be a TWAMP, so find yours and own it. Or scorn it.

Fishbowl
Located a bit elusively in the Campus Center, the Fishbowl serves as a dispenser of information on all matters of health courtesy of Health Outreach Peer Educators. Its major claim to fame though is free condoms, which you can pick up any time they are open.
Confusion Corner
Some would say that five streets is too many to meet at once place, but not the genius who designed Williamsburg. Sure, it confounds almost every driver and results in many possible pedestrian accidents, but that never stopped the City of Williamsburg. At the very end of the College, where Ancient Campus meets Colonial Williamsburg you will find this urban planning gem, whose only good qualities are its excellence for giving directions (“Once you get around the really terrible confusing corner it is about a mile up”) and lending its name to a column in this paper.

Echo Wall
Many discover the echo wall stumbling back from Wawa late at night, but the Tyler Family garden, located on the Sadler Center side of James Blair Hall, deserves your attention. It is hands down the most adorable spot on campus.

Add/Drop
Add/Drop makes the world go round. Every year people students find themselves stuck with one, or half a dozen, classes they never wanted to take. During Add/Drop this can all be remedied, as you have the chance to stalk banner, searching for that perfect class to make your semester.

Tackling inevitable problems of freshman year

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This year you should plan on screwing up relatively frequently.
That’s not a bad thing, nor is there anything specific about you individually that makes you more prone to screwing up. It’s just the nature of your freshman year, and you should be prepared for it with the knowledge that you will inevitably screw up with alarming frequency and bush-league quality.
However, there are some ways to avoid some of the more catastrophic screw ups. As someone who has screwed up on a monumental level, allow me to walk you through common freshmen errors and how to work through them.
Skipping Class: It’s just too easy. There are often no tangible or immediate ramifications, and it’s basically the perfect crime. Sometimes it’s a good choice to miss class. Missing one basic lecture in order to prepare for a graded exam later in the day is not always a bad call. However, more often than not the choice to miss class stems from less-academic problems, like being too exhausted to walk to Jones from Monroe, the fact that at 8 a.m. the notion of movement is entirely unacceptable, or the classic, “I am so hungover, if I were to step into the sunlight I would literally die.”
Unfortunately, after some arithmetic involving tuition and credit hours, you will come to realize that each class session is actually worth several hundred dollars, and that it’s generally poor form to be that guy in the class. As such, here are some strategies to minimize your number of missed classes:
1. Don’t do the thing that made you miss class. Whether it’s going through Reddit until 4 a.m. or enjoying Thirsty Thursday, try to call it a night before it gets too late. Exert more self-control and discipline. (I do not recommend this strategy. This strategy is, as would be expected, incredibly difficult.)
2. Plan your schedule realistically. I don’t schedule classes before 9 a.m. anymore, and I don’t schedule math courses until 11 at the earliest. I also don’t take any classes on Friday. I bought a coffee pot that starts brewing automatically when I want to wake up. I’ve made my schedule work with my (awful, lazy, degenerate) habits, and you can too. (This strategy is much easier, and generally more effective.)
Roommate Problems: Roommate problems almost always stem from a lack of communication. While there are other factors — Target has tackled these really comprehensively in their recent Back to School commercials, so I’ll take them as written ­­— an absence of communication exacerbates all of the smaller issues that otherwise wouldn’t matter. For instance, sometimes one roommate doesn’t know that he has vile and disgusting hygiene. While this may be a difficult topic to broach, communicating your concerns honestly and verbally can actually do wonders in improving the dynamic of your relationship. By being direct and forward, you can convey the importance of attending to your concerns (vile and disgusting behavior) without being passive aggressive, silent or nagging. To borrow a moral from Behind Closed Doors, communication is key.
Being Really Wasted: You will probably do several dumb things when you are wasted. This is to be expected. As long as you don’t get caught or hospitalized, you did pretty well for yourself. If you’re new to this, here are several tips and tricks for the new drunk on the go:
1. Don’t mess with the locals. The Vegas mantra certainly applies to the City of Williamsburg. Students are tolerated in this town. We have a former student on the city council. As opposed to open antagonism, the city now has merely a grudging distaste for us. This took a lot of work, so please don’t screw it up for us by being the next guy to get tased in front of the Green Leafe. Also, the people who work at Wawa are saints: They sell you caffeine, alcohol and sandwiches, so don’t be awful to them.
2. If you’re drinking, travel in packs, and look out for each other. This minimizes the chance of someone violating tip No.1, makes everyone involved slightly safer, and lowers the risk of someone getting too drunk and, say, urinating on someone else’s Macbook Air.
3. Try to know, or at least ascertain, your limits. Vomiting in the hall is best done discretely, or it will become very expensive. This is where teamwork comes in handy as well. If your friends failed to keep track of what you’ve been putting in your body, they should be the ones to drag you back home. If you thought AlcoholEdu was boring the first time around, it only gets worse the second time.

Eight figures you need to know

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1. Reveley
Most colleges have a reliable, steadfast president who will steer the budget, endowment and direction of the institution toward a stable and fruitful tomorrow. In College of William and Mary President Taylor Reveley, we not only have most of those things, but also an immensely quotable grandfatherly figure. With an unabated romantic attachment to the English language, the man has a distinct Sesquipedalian loquaciousness that has yet to shy away from public intonation on the values of a liberal arts education. In short, the man is engaging, but constantly and hilariously quotable with his succulent bits of diction. Whether you’re interested in the finer points of war powers law, or Reveley’s propensity to spawn Facebook groups like no other college president, the president of the College never fails to interest William and Mary students.
—Walter Hickey

2. Squirrels
You’ll hear plenty about the W&M squirrels (one even has a Facebook page as a public figure). However, nothing can quite prepare you for actually encountering one of them: these little animals have big personalities. These mighty tree mice have been known to hoist food items equivalent to their body weight. They are also the least shy “wild animals” you will ever meet. — Sarah Stubbs

3. Cider Cups
Nothing tastes better during cool weather than warm cider, and warm cider never tastes better than when it’s free. Official Colonial Williamsburg mugs purchased for $10 at a small stand about halfway down DoG street come with free refills for an entire calendar year. Mugs are also available at the Kimble Theater concessions stand, Shield’s Tavern, Raleigh Tavern Bakery, Chownings Tavern or the Visitor’s Center. — Sarah Stubbs

4. Wawa
Coffee, cookies and chips galore! Located across the street from Blow Memorial Hall, Wawa has served the hardworking students of the College for years. This food and drink emporium, interestingly named after the American Indian word for “goose,” offers an inexpensive menu of flatbread sandwiches, chicken tenders and their specialty “hot to-go bowls” at all hours of the day. At midnight, join fellow pajama-clad night owls in their quest to satisfy early-morning cravings for milkshakes and mac-n-cheese. With its constant flow of customers, including the occasional presence of a costumed colonial, Wawa is certainly the hub of the College’s off-campus cuisine. — Kyra Zemanick

5. Greek Life
Whether partying at the units on a Friday night or playing Campus Golf on a Saturday morning, Greek life plays a huge role in campus social life. There are 17 fraternities and 10 sororities operating on campus. Scattered between the units, Ludwell and off campus, the fraternities offer a consistent party scene on very day of every weekend. Some have taken to operating shuttles between campus and their fraternity locations. The sororities are based in Sorority Court and initiate the rush process before classes start. Each Greek organization hosts a philanthropic event at least once a year. The most notable remains Kappa Delta’s Campus Golf, a yearly staple in which students register in groups and dress in outlandish outfits to “golf” in benefit of Avalon Womens’ Shelters.— Walter Hickey

6. Ginger Ambler
Occasionally, people may get swine flu, lose their possessions, or get stabbed at this institution of higher learning. It’s an unfortunate reality. When something goes wrong, the College needs a strong, comforting voice to opine on the matter and grant the college closure. Preferably, this person should have a access to a listserv of every student’s email. That person is Ginger Ambler. The Dean of Student Affairs, Ambler is tasked with informing, consoling and inspiring the student body toward action in times of crisis as well as times of slight distress. —Walter Hickey

7. Kaveh
Student Assembly President Weekly emails will bear the tongue-twister last name of the current SA President. Kaveh Sadeghian ’12 is a marketing and public health double major who participates in SOMOS, SASA, the Diversity Committee of the College and even the Dance Marathon. With a hand in nearly every activity on campus, Sadeghian remains a memorable name at the College. Sadeghian served as the vice president last year, creating the first paperless student activities fee submission process and a new website for the Student Assembly. He won the election for SA President by 56 percent of the vote in March. — Katherine Chiglinsky and Katie Demeria

8. Secret Societies
While the details are, justifiably, rather sketchy, there are a number of secret societies (allegedly) operating within the campus community. The Sevens, the Flat Hat Club, the Thirteens, the Cats and the Spades are some known examples of the secretive organizations operating within the campus community. Details of their memberships are closely guarded, but their antics are often observed on campus on bulletin boards, the Crim Dell Bridge, and especially on Gate Night, the evening before Halloween. While details are vague, the groups are nonetheless active and remain a significant, shadowy part of the campus community. — Walter Hickey

Dear class of 2015

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Congratulations and welcome to the College of William and Mary. At some point in between meeting your roommate, exploring Williamsburg and the final parental goodbye, the overwhelming sense of arrival will suddenly hit you. You are finally here.

In the months and years leading up to this moment, you have no doubt been showered with all sorts of advice about college. Your parents have lectured you on the academics, your elder siblings have listed off the dos and don’ts of collegiate nightlife and your grandparents have told you about how they had to walk 40 miles in the snow to their freshmen orientations. While all this advice may prove useful in one way or another, it is our job to clue you in on a few valuable lessons we have learned in our time here at the College.

First, it’s important to come in with realistic expectations. While you certainly are the best and the brightest, you might not be the same world-conqueror you were in high school, and that’s just fine.

You had all A’s and B’s in high school, took the maximum number of accelerated classes and excelled in every one of them? So did we. While we would certainly never discourage academic diligence, remember that you need to strike a balance between academia and sanity. Don’t take 18 credit hours your first semester — it won’t end well. You have plenty of time to fit in all the required classes in your remaining seven semesters — take some classes that are outside your General Education Requirements and intended major. They won’t automatically revoke your chemistry diploma if they discover that you once took a film class for fun.

And yes, we know that you were very involved in your high school extracurricular activities. We know that you were “that guy” or “that girl” in high school who ran the place, but there is no award for being the president of 12 different campus organizations in college. Pick a small number of student organizations in which you are truly interested and stick with them.

As far as the social aspect of college goes, give it some time and give everything a try. Outside of the horribly awkward co-ed mixers, orientation really isn’t that bad. (Your parents are paying thousands of dollars for your college education, and the school threw in a week of summer camp absolutely free of charge!)

Don’t allow yourself to fall behind the social curve — don’t go home too often and don’t be afraid to cut your high school sweetheart loose if you are drifting apart. The only way to meet new people is to get out there.
Speaking of which, give the units a try. Some people love the fraternity party scene, while others quickly rule it out. (Word of advice —timing is everything. Get there late, but not too late.)

Be sure to participate in at least some of the College’s storied traditions. We are all well aware that the College has an exhausting number of traditions, but you should have expected that when you applied to a 318-year-old institution. Yes, some of the College’s traditions are exceedingly lame (here’s looking at you, Charter Day), but just do it. You will thank us later — probably when you experience Opening Convocation or hear College President Taylor Reveley at the Yule Log ceremony.

While all of this advice could seem daunting, we will simply crystallize all of the above sentiments into one compact, but lasting thought: Your freshman year is going to be tough — it will challenge you academically, socially and emotionally — but it will also provide lasting friendships, hilarious memories and really just a lot of fun. Today when you begin your freshman year with one of the biggest William and Mary traditions, orientation, don’t forget to enjoy it. You have worked hard for this. Be prepared for the challenges, but remember to have fun. We’ll see you on the other side of the Wren building.

New students should take time to participate in old Tribe traditions

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I am sure every incoming freshman is tired of the quintessential pre-college small talk routine: “Where are you going to college? What are you majoring in?” For the out-of-state students, “Where the heck is the College of William and Mary?” Well, the time has finally come to actually begin your college experience.

For me, the orientation process has definitely been one of the most memorable experiences of college to date. The College does a great job of helping incoming students get accustomed to life at college in general and of helping them get to know the College itself better. Throughout the process some activities might seem redundant, especially after experiencing AlcoholEdu, but I promise the orientation aides will find ways to make even the drabbest of subjects somewhat entertaining. Furthermore, the freshman hall experience is most definitely the best part about freshman year. Never again will you have the opportunity to live with a group of people who for the most part do not already know each other. This is the best time to make friends and get to know everyone, because the people on your freshman hall and in your orientation group are most likely going to remain your best friends throughout your time here at the College.

During orientation, you will learn about some of the traditions here at the College. These are what make the Tribe unique. First is Opening Convocation, which gives faculty and students the opportunity to welcome new students to the College. All incoming students sit in the Wren Courtyard and get to first experience the uniquely rich voice of College President Taylor Reveley. Afterward, you will be greeted by a mass of cheering students as you walk ceremoniously through the Wren Building. Another one of my favorite traditions is the Yule Log ceremony, which occurs a few days before the end of fall semester. Students toss sprigs of holly into the Yule Log fire for good luck. While the Yule Log ceremony is often later during finals, I recommend staying and getting to experience this tradition. As you have gathered by now, the Wren Building plays a central role in the College’s traditions, as it is the oldest academic building still in operation in the United States. The Wren Building represents the formal beginning of your time here at the College, and it also represents the ending as all graduating seniors are able to ring the Wren bell after the conclusion of their final class. My advice is to take advantage of any and all traditions the College presents throughout the year.

Another hallmark of the College is the Student Activities fair held at the beginning of the fall semester in William and Mary Hall. There are more clubs and activities than you might imagine, and it may seem overwhelming at first. However, this is another great opportunity. My advice is to sign up for anything and everything. There is literally a club for any interest you have, and if there is not, you can always create your own. The diverse student interests, in my mind, are probably the best part about the College.

In the end, the best advice I can give is to go all-in. Remember, everyone is in the same boat, so do not be afraid to try new activities or to meet new people. I know the last few lines seem cliche, but they are true.
You will never get this type of experience again–so go out and take advantage of all the College has to offer.

Making the most of college since 1693

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First and foremost, I want to congratulate and wish the best of luck to the class of 2015. You have finally made it to freshman move-in day — traditionally the sweatiest day of the year in Williamsburg ­— and the beginning of the true college experience. You are standing at the doorway of independence with the best four years of your life and everything for which you worked in high school awaiting you. You should feel proud — even if that doorway is the entrance to a non-air-conditioned dorm located on the very outskirts of campus — the Botetourt Complex.

After the moving in is accomplished and orientation winds down, you will inevitably begin thinking about the reason you came here in the first place: your education. You may have done this already, accruing college credits from Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and dual enrollment classes. In high school, our guidance counselors instructed us to take the most advanced classes possible if we wanted to go to a competitive school, and they did so with good reason. College Board recently released the results of a survey that found “85 percent of selective colleges and universities report that a student’s AP experience favorably impacts admissions decisions.”

Most high schools offer advanced placement or dual enrollment classes that will enable students to receive early college credit. Students need to take these rigorous courses in order to have a competitive transcript.
Why all of the stress on taking college courses in high school? Colleges want to see that students embrace challenges and take education seriously.

However, this trend creates a major setback for the traditional four-year college experience. Currently, the College of William and Mary has no limit on the number of credits with which a student can enter the school.
This encourages some students to graduate early; students frequently enter freshman year as academic sophomores and feel pressured to finish their college career in only two or three years. This can be beneficial to students and their families financially, but it can also rob them of a year of college experience and can cause students to miss some of the best lessons the College has to offer. For example:

Being independent is no walk in the park. Conducting research, expanding social opportunities and still managing to get your own laundry done can be challenging . However, college does not mean complete independence — at least not while you can go and use a meal swipe at the Marketplace instead of cooking.

Everyone makes mistakes. You will learn this quickly when you attempt to make toast at 2 a.m. and accidentally trigger the fire alarm in Barrett.

Giving new people a chance cannot hurt. Maybe your roommate who showed up with the full set of Star Wars action figures will turn out to be your new best friend.

No test or class can fully embody the college experience, but the experience is an important part of entering the real world.

Other universities, such as Virginia Tech, have the right idea in limiting the amount of credit with which freshmen can enter college. While these caps are still incredibly high, they ensure that students will be forced from their comfort zones and will be able to participate in the total college experience.

At the end of the day, there is more to college than academic learning. College is about the experience and the stories — just make sure you edit them well before you tell your parents.

Getting to Know the Tribe

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Group 1: Excellent Tribe teams that should remain that way throughout your time here

Football
2010 Record: 8-4
2011 Opener: Sep. 3, 6 p.m. at U.Va.

The defending CAA champs enter 2011 consistently in the top five of the nation in pre-season polls. The Tribe has qualified for the FCS playoffs in each of its last two seasons, reaching the semifinal round back in 2009. The team will look to start the season by repeating its shocking 2009 upset of ACC-rival U.Va.

Men’s Soccer
2010 Record: 15-4-3
2011 Opener: Aug. 27, 8 p.m. at SMU

The men’s soccer team has had a winning record in each of its last three seasons and is coming off an historic 2010 in which the Tribe made it all the way to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. A top-notch 2011 recruiting class should ensure that this team stays great in the future.

Women’s Soccer

2010 Record: 10-7-2
2011 Opener: Aug. 19, 7 p.m. vs. St. John’s

The women’s soccer team hasn’t had a losing record since the 2005 season. It qualified for the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons from 2006 to 2008. That said, the team hasn’t qualified for the CAA Tournament in two seasons. It’ll look to end the short drought in 2012.

Group 2: Unproven teams with the potential for breakout seasons in 2011

Men’s Basketball
2010 Record: 10-22
2011 Opener: TBA

After falling in the final round of the CAA Tournament in 2010, 2011 was pegged as a rebuilding year. The regular season was a yawn, but the Tribe has built a name for itself recently in the post-season. Back in March it scored an upset of JMU in the first-round of the CAA Tournament. With a strong returning core and exciting underclassmen, the team is preparing for a promising 2011-12 season.

Volleyball
2010 Record: 11-15
2011 Opener: Aug. 26, 7 p.m. vs. Bucknell

Anticipation was high at the start of the 2010 season, but the volleyball team fizzled, posting a 5-9 conference record. The team is extremely young though, with nine underclassmen on a roster of 13. That could mean another middling season due to inexperience, or a breakout season that sets the tone for years to come.

Track and Field
Next Meet: Aug. 27, IAAF World Championships

The College’s track and field team, often overshadowed by the outstanding cross country team, has been consistently average in recent years. It frequently finishes in the top half of its meets, but has struggled to find success as a team at major national or regional meets. Still, impressive individual performances at recent national meets have the team optimistic about the future of the program.

Group 3: The teams for which there’s a lot of room for improvement

Field Hockey
2010 Record: 4-14
2011 Opener: Aug. 26, 7 p.m. vs. American

The Tribe’s field hockey team hasn’t posted a winning record since 2006, and 2010 was one of the team’s worst seasons in recent memory, as the squad went 2-6 in conference play. But the team is young, featuring eight freshmen and just two seniors, so if coaches develop the team’s talent well, things could be looking up.

Women’s Basketball
2010 Record: 3-26
2011 Opener: TBA

The 2010 record really says it all for the women’s basketball team. Last season was woeful on an historic level. Thankfully, the team’s returning its core. Senior guard Taysha Pye will once again star for the Tribe, and sophomore forward Kaitlyn Mathieu is coming off a breakout freshman campaign.But even a marked improvement in the 2011-12 season wouldn’t spell relevance for this team.

Swimming
2010 Men’s Record: 5-5, 5th of 7 in CAA Championships
2010 Women’s Record: 7-6, 4th of 9 in CAA
Championships

This is an unfair grouping for the women’s squad, which reached the NCAA Tournament in 2009. The men’s team, though, hasn’t been on the podium at the CAA Championships since 1999.

Toasty is out: campus Quiznos replaced by Einstein Bros. Bagels

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You can’t get toasted anymore at the College of William and Mary, but you can still get baked.

The Quiznos that for years served oven-crisped subs to hungry students in Lodge 1 has closed, and its replacement, Einstein Bros. Bagels, opened for business Aug. 31. The national chain serves coffee, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, salads, sandwiches and two dozen varieties of its namesake circular breads.

“We’re very excited that it’s a new brand on campus,” said Matt Moss, Dining Services director.

Not only will blueberry, chocolate chip and poppy seed bagels replace Torpedoes, Flatbread Sammies and oven-warmed giant cookies, Einstein Bros. will open and close earlier than Quiznos. The bagel shop will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, in contrast to Quiznos’s past-midnight hours.

“Because of the all-day products that Einstein has, it’s really not a great fit for a late-night option,” Moss said. “We are looking at the possibility of opening up the Student Exchange later in the evening.”

The official grand opening for the store will be Sept. 6. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 8:30 a.m., and the first person in line will receive 100 free bagels for the semester. Games, raffles and free samples will be available starting at 10 a.m.

The brand change, which has some students moaning and others cheering, was motivated by economic reasons, Moss said.

“We had seen a substantial drop off in the sales at Quiznos,” he said. “Quiznos as a brand has been having some challenges nation wide. We made a decision to look at a change of brand.”

Quiznos closed about 1,500 stores since the start of the economic recession, according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, and sales at stores that had been open for at least a year fell by 13 percent in May.

The company has hired financial advisors to avoid defaulting on its debt of more than $850 million.

According to Moss, student surveys and financial considerations make Einstein Bros. a good fit for the College.

“In polling students, we saw a trend toward another sandwich concept, closely followed by something that is more driven toward breakfast or bagels,” he said. “So Einstein Bagels actually provided a great solution for us. It’s one of the leading brands we operate nationwide. We think it will be a great success and hopefully we will hear that from the students.”

Students have already started expressing their opinions. In a two-day Flat Hat Facebook poll asking students and alumni if they are glad Einstein Bros. is replacing Quiznos, 119 people voted “yes” and 77 voted “no.”

(Six indicated unfamiliarity with Einstein Bros., five expressed apathy and two registered indecision, while 13 people ambiguously voted, “Excuse me?”).

Laura Murray ’12, who said she enjoys a variety of Quiznos entrees, is among the voting students who disapprove of the restaurant’s replacement.

“I’m not so excited about bagels,” Murray said. “Quiznos was such an institution. My friends from my freshman hall always did Quiznos Friday for lunch. Now we’re just going to have to have Quiznos Friday at a bagel place, and that’s going to be awkward.”

Murray said she has been to Einstein Bros. once or twice, although the restaurant did not make much of an impression on her.

Bagel-enthusiast Brian Nance ’12 said he is looking forward to the new dining option.

“I didn’t like Quiznos that much,” he said. “It’s kind of where flavor goes to die. I’d rather go to Wawa if I’m going to get a sub, or even one of the delis. One of my favorite foods is ‘everything bagels,’ so any time I can get those near me, that’s good.”

Murray noted that the earlier closing hours might displease some students.

“I think one of the reasons people liked Quiznos was that it was an alternative to Wawa,” she said. “You could get something hot late at night.”

Nance was not concerned by the projected earlier closing time.

“If I want a late-night snack, I’ll just go to Wawa,” he said.

Some students have complained that an Einstein Bros. on campus will be redundant since both the Daily Grind and the Mews Cafe Starbucks serve coffee and breakfast baked goods. Nance did not share this concern.

“I think they have a good product, and even if other places around sell similar products, their bagels are really, really good,” he said.

The Daily Grind, an independent coffee shop and bakery located across the terrace from the new Einstein Bros., has been operating on campus for more than 11 years. Although both restaurants sell coffee and bagels, Daily Grind owner and manager Scott Owen said he is not worried about the new bagel shop taking his customers.

“The Grind people are Grind people,” he said. “It’s like being a Starbucks person or an independent coffee shop person.”

Owen emphasized the differences between his business and the chain restaurant franchise, and noted that the Daily Grind offers an organic bagel made in Virginia.

“We focus on nutritional foods, baking from scratch — we’re using sustainable coffee,” Owen said. “Einstein’s is using commodity coffee.”

Owen said that he’s glad to share customers because the Daily Grind’s small size would make it hard for the café to accommodate the entire campus coffee business.

“I’m sure that my bagel sales will go down, but that’s neither here nor there,” he said.

Students from bagel-centric regions like New York City will note that the round breads Einstein Bros. bakes are not traditional bagels, which get their tough, chewy exteriors from being boiled before baking in the oven. Instead of boiling its bagels, Einstein Bros. injects steam into them, which gives the bread a softer, more roll-like crust.

Though the food items and hours will change, the brand switch will not make much of a caloric difference.

An Einstein Bros. standard breakfast sandwich averages 540 calories, while most of the restaurant’s deli sandwiches range from 400 to 600 calories before cheese and condiments. That is about the same as Quiznos’ regular-size subs, which also mostly fall between 400 and 600 calories without cheese, sauces or spreads. An Einstein Bros. bagel without cream cheese ranges from 240 to 350 calories.

Most Quiznos staff members have been retrained and retained at Einstein Bros. and a bagel baker has been hired. Moss said all the baked products will be made on site.

Plumeri ’66 addresses class of 2011

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As freshmen, sophomores and juniors at the College of William and Mary said their temporary goodbyes for the summer, the Class of 2011 prepared to say farewell as graduates.

A weekend that included a dance, an alumni ceremony and the traditional walk across campus culminated in a commencement ceremony, held in William and Mary Hall May 15. The ceremony traditional includes addresses from the College’s president, a commencement speaker, awards, and a speech by a chosen student. During this year’s speech, graduates were told to go play in traffic.

This year’s commencement speaker was chairman of Willis Group Holdings and College alumnus Joseph Plumeri ’66.

“Memories are what make this place special,” Plumeri said. “This campus is a shrine of tradition. But tradition can be a jailor. It’s the dreams of where life will lead you that I’ll talk about today.”

Plumeri’s speech focused on making dreams come true, and that an education at the College has helped to allow the graduates to achieve their goals.

“This place helped me realize my dreams,” he said. “Dreams, fed by vision, passion, integrity and an enduring belief that anything is possible, is what you and I share, bridged by the decades.”

The theme of his presentation was for everyone to “play in traffic;” to take necessary risks in order to accomplish dreams.

“Sometimes, it requires great personal risk,” he said. “Other times, it only requires you move beyond your comfort zone. And that’s my message: go play in traffic, and find out what’s possible. You won’t make a difference by sitting on the sidelines.”

He elaborated, detailing his guide to playing in traffic with what he called “signs along the road.”

“Go play in traffic,” Plumeri emphasized. “When you do, keep four big ideas in mind. Number one: have a vision and go for it. Number two: bring passion to your vision. Number three: match your passion and vision with integrity. And number four: remember, absolutely anything is possible.”

Plumeri then went on to praise the class and summarize his belief that people should strive to achieve their dreams, even if that means running into risk.

“Most people in the world know all these words,” he described. “They know ‘vision’ – but they don’t see it. They know passion – but they don’t feel it. They know integrity – but they don’t live by it. They know the words – but they don’t know the music. In your years at William and Mary, you learned the words. I’ve just told you where the music comes from. It comes from your heart. I told you earlier this place has heart. Now you know what I mean. The music is the visceral, electrifying feeling you have in your heart. See it. Feel it. Live by it. Go play in traffic, the music beating in your heart, knowing that anything is possible.”

The audience was also addressed by Kalyani Phansalkar ’11, a chosen student speaker.

“Our experiences at the College have taught us how to search,” Phansalkar said. “The people we have met and the time we spent together has allowed us to be inspired. Wherever our passion is – these years have shown us we have the capacity to find it.”

The ceremony concluded with a closing remark by College President Taylor Reveley.

“Everyone, this is a glorious day,” Reveley said to the graduates. “There is only one William and Mary – and now it’s yours.”

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