The Flat Hat has recently received comments regarding a perceived lack of judgment in our decision to print an advertisement entitled “What is Sexual Virtue?” which appeared in our Feb. 23 edition. This advertisement has been harshly criticized for the viewpoints it advocated — premarital abstinence, the increased likelihood of interracial relations leading to unhappy marriages and the notion of emotional inferiority in women. This one incident of controversial material brings up the broader issue of censorship in our pages — an issue that has appeared in the past and is certain to resurface in the future.

p. The Flat Hat reserves the right to refuse and censor advertising and content — and we have done so before. While we may not necessarily agree with the particular stance of an ad, we do not find it in our best interest or in the best interest of those who value an open campus press to refuse publication of an advertisement unless exceptional circumstances warrant such censorship. Our staff discussed whether or not to print the ad and ultimately chose to do so because we agreed that it was neither obscene nor directly threatening to anyone.

p. The Flat Hat does not currently have a concrete rubric for examining the appropriateness of ads; submissions are handled on a case-by-case basis. Ads and content that are obscene, pornographic, blatantly threatening or that libel or attack individual persons or groups are examples of cases where censorship would be appropriate and thus implemented.

p. However, the factual accuracy of an ad is the responsibility of the person or group who submits it, and, as always, readers are welcome to submit their own opinions in response. As with any form of advertising, a viewer and a consumer must approach each ad with a critical eye. One cannot believe everything one reads or sees in advertisements.

p. The debate involving censorship, decency and responsibility is not new to this campus. Recently, the Sex Workers’ Art Show caused a similarly heated debate, and College President Gene Nichol said that, regardless of his own personal opinion, it was not his place to censor campus groups. In our coverage of the show and the campus response, The Flat Hat included a photograph of a performer in the show handling a dildo in a way some saw as inappropriate.

p. In this case, the photo — which was printed in a non-sensational, discrete way on the fourth page — appeared because it was relevant to the story and was essential in helping readers understand the Sex Workers’ Art Show and why it had caused such an uproar.

p. In the same way that the College did not censor the Art Show, our editorial staff chose to allow both the photo and the aforementioned advertisement to print. While readers may disagree with certain ads or content, our staff has upheld the principles of free speech except in rare cases where the content was illegal, immoral or posed an imminent threat to people. We chose not to print the names of rape victims, even when other campus publications exposed their identities.

p. On Blowout last year, we withheld threatening information at the request of campus police for reasons of public safety. The Flat Hat will continue to show restraint and censorship when it is warranted while simultaneously remaining committed to the ideals of a free and open newspaper.

As you may have noticed, Sigma Pi’s annual “Golf Pros and Tennis Hoes” dance party had a slightly different message this year; tennis “ladies” replaced “hoes,” to appease members of the College administration who thought the original name was inappropriate. I was surprised to see the school taking this stand, since frat parties almost always have “Pimps and Hoes” themes, and I didn’t think anyone outside of my circle of friends thought anything of it.

p. I’ve frequently complained about these party names, since they often seem more sexist that sexy, but for some reason tennis “ladies” gave me no vindication. Yeah, I’m no fan of the term “ho,” but it’s not like the party itself was transformed with the use of a different female descriptor. There were polos, pearls and lots of intoxicated people trying to dance, as always. Nothing seemed to have changed, so was making a new name really that big of a deal?

p. As a feminist and a sorority woman, I’ve often experienced conflict over the role of women in Greek life. On the one hand, sororities are organizations designed specifically for women to gain leadership experience and form life-long bonds. At the same time, though, competition among sororities and the value placed on attention from fraternities is disheartening.

p. So, while making every T-shirt and dance party a sexual (and sometimes sexist) innuendo rubs me the wrong way, I still love being Greek. In fact, I get defensive when non-Greeks criticize us (even when I agree), because I hate the stereotypes that people create for social sororities and fraternities. There are certainly aspects of the Greek system that I don’t like, but we are more than just drinking clubs and popularity contests.

p. Frankly, while the Greek world has lots of work to do in the realm of female empowerment, I really don’t think it’s fair to put too much blame on Greek students themselves. Yes, I think that women aren’t always treated fairly, but (unfortunately) is it that surprising? We live in a society where women are unequal to men in many arenas, and being the sorority “ho” to some fraternity “pimp” certainly doesn’t fall outside mainstream gender roles and expectations. Plus, it isn’t just Greeks who participate; they’re just more visible than other organizations and groups on this campus.

p. While I have problems with this pimp and ho dichotomy and the college hook-up culture that promotes it, I still can’t totally dismiss it — with all of the obvious flaws, it does provide a way for women to express their sexuality. I think it’s unfair that women are still devalued, but this hyper-sexuality does provide an alternative to the repression of sexuality (especially female sexuality) we’re so accustomed to. I don’t like the pressure that’s placed on women our age to always be sexy and available, but for those women who want to dress like “hoes,” this culture at least provides some opportunity for that expression.

p. It’s difficult to balance these ideals. While I have strong feelings about sexist gender roles, I also don’t want to disregard something that many women feel is empowering. Moreover, it seems as if sorority women are being pulled in two directions: most national headquarters don’t want their members to appear “un-ladylike,” but in college students’ psyches, sorority girls are assumed to be crazy, drunken sluts. The fact is, we’re both and neither. Maybe someone could throw a party with that theme: “Pimps and Sorority Women Who Can Dress Like Hoes If They Feel Like It And Not Be Judged Either Way.” Any takers?

p. Devan Barber, a junior at the College, is a Staff Columnist. Her columns appear every Tuesday.

At every impasse in our institution’s spotted history, there appear to be two dueling factions into which each one of us can be more or less accurately deposited. These sides regularly joust on The Flat Hat’s discussion webpage; they write passionate and sometimes noxious letters to varying editors with varying numbers of exclamation points; and, to borrow one of my favorite phrases from Pynchon, each regards the other as a pack of deluded fools. Indeed, were they ever to cross paths en masse, unquantifiable gobs of spit would surely be exchanged.

p. I propose, therefore, that we call the whole thing off and chop the school in half. Not literally, mind you — though if things take a turn for the macabre, it may call for that. Our school’s bipartite name already supports division. We will have The College of William and The College of Mary. This implies that one college will be for men and the other for women, but that’s not true. Initial confusion will be rampant, I realize, but with time this will dissipate, as will all of our problems.

p. The College of William will educate students (again, of both sexes) who believe that a moral guidebook exists, perhaps printed by God Himself on acid-free paper, and that the best lives are devoted to abiding by this code. These students will be typically, but not always, conservative. To promote the college, William’s newspaper, The Flat, will give away a free iPod to whoever writes the millionth article in support of the display of religious symbols.

p. In fact, to ease these tensions, every student will be given a gold religious symbol to display at one’s discretion in any environment. William’s half of the Sunken Garden will be constantly littered with crosses, signifying that portions of the lawn have been transformed into chapels.

p. If any of these mini-chapels are ever desecrated by the removal of their symbols, The Flat will field the inevitable onslaught of victimized visitors. To help validate these cases, any college regulation will be deemed a tradition within two minutes of its inception. Classes will integrate sermons as often as possible, though in obscure courses like Elasticity of Demand in the Federated States of Micronesia, this may prove difficult. If you can think of a few universities like this that already exist, so what? They’re private. We’re public.

p. The College of Mary will support a free and open exchange of ideas, theories and bodily fluids. Its student body would be a motley bunch of amoral youngsters with an inherent disdain for any power structure that inflicts its ideology on those who disagree with it. Anarchists, Marxists, Lou Reed fans — you get the idea. Their library may feature an in-house brothel for study breaks, with student employees. Mary’s student newspaper, The Hat, will sponsor a biweekly contest for best pornographic snapshot.

p. People will streak around campus as a way of life. Peyote will be distributed with orientation materials. Humanities majors will be exposed to the worldviews of everyone from Hitler to Anna Nicole Smith, and a failure to embrace each one will result in being unpleasantly mocked with big words.

p. Should William decide that too many dissenting opinions are seeping in, they may consider moving to the Biodome, or beginning a closed anachronistic society à- la “The Village.” Should Mary believe that its campus is not diverse, students may be issued an electric scooter with a small stipend and told to get the hell out. In their eyes, “classes” are tools of domination employed by the plutocratic patriarchy.

p. The issue at hand is apparent. Some are fed up with a College that doesn’t explicitly share their values. Others are angered by demands that the College legislate morality. If postmodern society is characterized by the effects of institutions on the individual, then shouldn’t we attend an institution tailored to our lifestyles?

p. John Edwards once said that there are two Americas. This was a gross understatement — there are at least two College of William and Marys, and we’re only a smidgen of America. Turning our warring college into two relatively peaceful ones is the only way to mollify and diffuse. Next week, I’ll explain why the country should split in half and, in the week afterwards, I’ll print my coup de grace, tentatively titled, “Bigots Go to Mars!”

p. Remember, friends: it’s a dangerous world out there, littered with litterbugs and trashed by the trashy. Lock your doors or go out and soak it in.

p. __Dan Piepenbring, a junior at the College, is a Staff Columnist. His columns normally appear every Friday.__

Frankly, I’m pretty disappointed with the coverage of the Wren cross controversy, and I’m not just talking about the campus newspapers. The problem isn’t that the topic’s not getting enough publicity; anyone who’s opened The Flat Hat knows that’s not the case. Instead, the problem is that the issue’s being debated the wrong way.

p. If you read the heated comments left on The Flat Hat’s website, the majority of them are ad hominem attacks on President Nichol, comparing the “arrogant” man to a “dictator” with an “agenda” of both ignoring the history of the College and desecrating the Wren Chapel. Yet these comments themselves are an insult to the history of the College; they demonstrate that some of our students (and alumni) cannot hold a rational, civilized debate without resorting to name-calling.

p. By now it’s become clear that the subject has devolved into two groups of people endlessly arguing value judgments and opinions, which can’t possibly yield anything but frustration on both sides. Let’s take a step back from our divisive belief systems, and start with a blank slate. Let’s look at the facts. Let’s use the intelligence that the administration praised us for during Orientation week. In sum, let’s use some reason. Thus, I offer you an example of a logical argument supporting President Nichol’s actions.

p. 1. The College is a public institution run by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

p. 2. The Supreme Court, in the 2005 case Van Orden v. Perry, ruled that religious symbols displayed in public areas are only constitutionally justifiable if they are part of what is “a broader moral and historical message reflective of cultural heritage” that serves a “secular” purpose.

p. 3. The Wren cross is a religious symbol displayed in a public area.

p. 4. The Wren cross is not part of “a broader moral and historical message reflective of cultural heritage,” nor does it serve any “secular” purpose.

p. 5. Therefore, if the Wren cross case were brought to the Supreme Court (at least the one of 2005), the Court would rule there must be some modification in the manner that the Wren cross was displayed.

p. I’m not going to say I stand by this argument, as I only quickly composed it using my (limited) knowledge and (infinite) frustration with the way this controversy is being handled by both our community and outsiders alike. However, I still think it makes a point: there’s a way to argue intelligently and compellingly. For example, if you question my premise that the Wren cross lacks a “moral and historical message,” put forth your own argument demonstrating how a relatively recent addition can still convey such a message.

p. Rather than simply presupposing the College’s history is so important to preserve, I challenge you to prove it. To those who assert the cross is offensive to non-Christians, demonstrate it. Isn’t this type of disagreement better than what we’re seeing elsewhere? Rather than shouting back and forth like fanatical dogmatists, let’s make an effort to address controversial issues like the removal of the Wren cross with more reason and less emotion. In short, College community, I’m asking you to please stop taking your beliefs for granted.

p. __Raymond Berti is a junior at the College.__

In my four years at the College, I have witnessed a fair share of media focus on our community. Typically, news outlets have chosen to write about issues that I have felt do not define our community and have approached them in ways that do not reflect our values — but such is the nature, I suppose, of sensationalized media that insists Britney Spears’ shaved head and Anna Nicole Smith’s death are its top stories.

p. It does not surprise me, then, that some national media outlets have picked up on the Sex Workers’ Art Show, reducing its content to an “explicit porn show” (Worldnetdaily.com) or a sex show. Given our vocal conservative counterparts, I was anticipating a similar reduction in our on-campus dialogue. What has surprised me was realizing that within our community, I have played a part in that reduction.

p. As an organizer, it was part of my responsibility to market this event to our campus. Sean Barker and I made a choice to advertise this event based on its sex appeal, and it was the wrong choice. Some contend that sex sells, that we filled the seats and that people took from the performance what they wanted. While I agree in some ways (and find that approach problematic in others), I also think that this event addressed issues much more complicated and varied than our representation implied.

p. It addressed a range of issues from a critical examination of what it means to work in America, to commentaries on the ways that race, class and sexuality shape our relationships with one another. Leaving that nuance out of our discussion was a failure on our part. However, our failure does not reflect on the success of the show itself.

p. The fact that this performance was treated as a “sex show” is evidence that its recurrence is not only appropriate, but necessary to our campus dialogue. Allowing sex workers to be sex workers and yet speak as human beings is the one unifying element of this varied and multi-faceted performance. Their acts demand that we allow them to speak outside the context of our expectations of sex workers.

p. C. Snatch Z’s performance is a perfect example of this. In most of the national and campus coverage of the show, her performance of oral sex on a dildo to the soundtrack of Ave Maria is consistently cited as little more than inflammatory, depraved sexual weirdness. However, this beginning led into a more accessible dance number and the two together acted as a commentary on the sexual slavery of Japanese women during and after World War II.

p. Whether or not you thought this was an appropriate venue or approach, Snatch at least asserted her right to make that critique. The fact that we are focusing on the “sex” of her act and not the possible meaning of it reveals the ways that we are not listening. We need to confront the possibility that we are not listening to her because she identifies herself as a sex worker. Nothing in our culture tells us that her voice, her opinion, is legitimate.

p. Refusing to talk about anything but the “sex” is a fundamental misrepresentation of this engaging discussion. In writing this, I hope to do my part as an organizer of the Sex Workers’ Art Show to help correct this misunderstanding. I also hope that the more thoughtful representation of the organizers who are already working on bringing the show back next year will foster a more open and complicated dialogue.

p. __Virginia Walters, an organizer of the Sex Workers’ Art Show, is a senior at the College.__

Recently, while practicing my Christian right to pray, I happened upon the Christopher Wren Chapel. Doors open and a prospective tour in progress, I couldn’t help but startle the nubile youths by exclaiming, “Eek Gads! The cross!” Everybody has their cross to bear, but it is no longer true for the Wren Chapel.

p. Many College students might not realize it, but lately there has been shadow where the glorious cross once stood. A colleague of mine remarked, “I don’t even know how large it was. Actually, I never noticed it.” For those still uncertain of its beauty, it is a six by four foot cross made of pure Tyranium and our Lord has cubic zirconium jewels for eyes (the masterpiece now hangs over our dear president’s bed).

p. Now I understand that controversy surrounds this topic (mostly among generous alumni who make up our endowment and local community councils), and rarely would I take it upon myself to write an argumentative editorial. However, I feel, as an informed denizen of the College, I must expound upon my findings. Allow me to put two and two together for you.

p. Feeling hot? Or feeling cold? Most Williamsburg residents can’t decide. Late January, I witnessed a warm front that inspired daffodils to bloom in front of the University Center only for them to be frozen the next day. Early February, a cold front wiped the snot from student’s noses to their sleeves, as the Crim Dell was frozen an inch thick. We all watched in awe of the flash of snowfall we received, but were dismayed when a blizzard that left New York six feet buried in snow, left us with rain. Why were we spared from such similar joy? This question came to my mind when I witnessed another scholarly friend of mine attempt to walk across the frozen Crim Dell, only to soak himself from head to toe eight feet from success. Why, if it was frozen, did he fall in?

p. Some ex-presidential candidates would like you to believe it is “global warming.” If that were the case, though, why was our winter so cold? And so late? As an esteemed employee of Colonial Williamsburg remarked, “We get the strangest weather.”

p. The answer seems so obvious now, as though we are in the calm before the storm. There is one clear connection: no cross and strange weather. Woe on man; the judgment of God is upon us.

p. Now, I haven’t fulfilled my religious studies GER, but I did watch “Prince of Egypt.” I can tell you that this is no test; we are experiencing the Ten Plagues of our time. Notice the swamps have been especially putrid lately? Or that the Caf isn’t up to snuff anymore? This is all part of a grander scheme. Believe me, the worst is yet to come. Locusts, toads, flaming babies? All could very well rain superfluous regret on us at any moment.

p. If you haven’t followed the cross controversy lately, I hope that this article will sway your belief. This isn’t an issue of politics or anything petty. Our endowment may rise or fall, but what is most important is that we put the cross back into Wren, and hopefully prevent a severe smiting.

p. Wren’s been burned down three times before. Don’t make God burn it again.

p. __Daniel Wolfe is a freshman at the College.__

By the end of the month, the Food Lion near the College, at which I am employed, will have undergone major renovations as part of the process of becoming the upscale superstore, Bloom. Food Lion grew its roots in 1957 in North Carolina, and is a subsidiary of Delhaize Group (that’s where the lion comes from), founded in Belgium in 1867. The updated store is partly in response to mounting pressure from neighbors Farm Fresh in Hampton Roads and Ukrops in the Monticello Plaza.

p. So what the hell is Bloom? In so many words, it’s a Food Lion on crack. It all started back in 2004 as part of a project to integrate technology with human-to-human customer service. Currently, there are fewer than 50 within the Virginia-Maryland-Carolina region. Naturally, Microsoft has a hand in this.

p. The project’s aim is to replace most of the current Food Lions with either its superior Bloom superstore or inferior Bottom Dollar one-stop shop.

p. Bloom is a concept store (whatever that means), and its concept is a radical one — to tend to the customer’s needs by adopting a “customer-centric” policy, built around the customers’ demands, as opposed to the retailer’s.

p. There will be an integration of Microsoft technologies to help customers find products with ease. Managers will be equipped with Tablet PCs, which will enable them to collect information from around the store (i.e. track inventory, manage labor deployment, etc.), and execute their tasks with unprecedented efficiency, giving them more time to spend on the sales floor schmoozing with soccer moms or in the back room, smoking.

p. Several workstations will be set up for personnel scanning, basic training, task-specific applications and communication between employees within the store, as well as with general vendors and office outlets around the universe.

p. Emphasis will be put on the shopping experience, which is expected to be personal (as opposed to the rather impersonal Wawa system), simplified (wider aisles, lower shelves, restructuring of products, segregating foods from non-foods, etc.) and quick (new parking spaces for 20-minute shoppers; now you don’t have to park in the handicapped spots).

p. One of its more ambitious goals, Bloom is attempting to bring into existence the myth of the faster checkout. I hear their average checkouts run at 32.7 seconds.

p. The new store will house information kiosks, which will be used for product information, like wine-meat-seafood recipes and Shop-to-Cook applications, and as product locators, this technology will make GPS look like a mall map.

p. The store’s boost in specialization is evident. Bloom’s design will accommodate traveling vendors, offering free samples of cheeses, wines and delicate meats. There will also be a long-anticipated seafood department, a butcher in the meat department and a noticeable expansion of the produce and deli departments, with new floors, lighting and, hopefully, music.
Paradoxically, Bloom’s speedy-easy shopping experience will turn away from low-quality ready-mades and 15-second meals, adopting a more or less health-conscious inventory of organic foods. This makes sense, since the obesity epidemic has spawned a twisted generation of hyperhealthnuts and exercise fiends.

p. I stumbled upon the article “Food Lion’s face-lift coming to Hampton Roads” in The Virginian-Pilot (Feb. 12) concerning Bloom’s specialization phenomenon where “employees bake the cakes daily, giving them names such as Chocolate Avalanche and Strawberry Sensation. The store’s bakery also constructs cookies, breads and its signature Bloomberry muffins, some topped with icing and a dollop of Maine wild blueberry sauce … Bloom’s produce area boasts more than 37 packaged herbs and eight feet of organic fruits and vegetables. A Flavors of the World display holds such items as sunchokes and boniato root … ”

p. Already the local Food Lion has experienced a change or two. The deli is now selling virile 5-pound Perdue Chickens, which look like bronze turkeys seasoned with steroid injections. We’re also expected to get a new fryer and meat slicer. What we’re hoping for is the compact, able-to-cut-thin Chef’s Choice 668 slicer in lieu of our medieval Torrey, a hulking mass of ancient steel, spitting cheese shards all over the place.

p. I feel I should say something about Bottom Dollar, since it might crop up in the area (mainly, in the Carolinas). The idea of Bottom Dollar is to return to the old days, when groceries were cheap and within proportion. It’s old-school, much like the chain Piggly Wiggly, with bold 33¢ signs, gondolas shelving 50¢ soup cans and unbroken pallets stacked with boxes of $2.00 cereal.

p. Ironically, its aim is to contend with the Costcos and BJ’s conglomerates who sell grotesque bulk quantities of food that could sustain an African village for months. The stores don’t have a deli, meat or bakery department, and let customers bag their own groceries. I hear customers will have to clean their own spills, unload the truck and stock the shelves too.

p. Word around the deli’s water cooler is that all current employees will receive a generous raise, new uniforms (baby blue button-down shirts), an abolition of the MVP card system (as well as all Food Lion brand products) and a tenfold demand for fresh, legal, exploitable employees. My personal wishes are for a return to the 24-hour schedule (Wawa is too small to loiter about drunk), a lower price on cereal and a lower drinking age — 18 should do it.

p. __Sherif Abdelkarim, a sophomore at the College, is a Staff Columnist. His columns appear every Tuesday.__

**President Nichol’s column**

p. To the Editor:
I would like to commend President Nichol for his editorial in last Friday’s newspaper. His self-effacing, yet emboldened words come as welcome relief in the face of such spiteful rhetoric from alumni and those outside of the College’s community. Nothing could speak more volumes towards his courage and strong character.

p. **__— Pretlow Moring ’08__**

**Shoe protest unclear**

p. To the Editor:
I’m not a vocal proponent or detractor of the War in Iraq, but since I got an e-mail about protests against “the War,” I thought I’d take the opportunity to respond.

p. I respect that you (the person who sent me the e-mail) made the shoe exhibition a neutral event, as this war has been politicized enough. I also applaud the overall effort because I think few people have a real sense of the suffering, since few are inconvenienced by the war at all. As the son of a U.S. soldier who has served in Iraq and having personally worked closely with Marines who have served in “the sandbox,” I find that the politicization of the war, and the lack of cognizance among many Americans of the struggle “over there,” has a deleterious effect on the service and sacrifice of our armed forces.

p. While I think the shoe exhibition sends a poignant message that needs to be made, my criticism has to do with the student strike occurring in conjunction with the exhibition. First, I think you should clarify your message. Are you protesting U.S. involvement in the Iraq War, or just that violence is occurring there in general?

p. The difference is that the Iraq War is now driven by a thousand year old sectatian conflict, not U.S. bombs. Protesting seems moot because I can tell you that an Iraqi Shia death squad does not care what some college kids in the U.S. do with their day.
Given the failure of American leadership to fully understand the effects of their actions in Iraq, a student walkout seems incredibly misguided, if not already ineffective.

p. If American students truly want to be dedicated to the direction of our country and all others, they will go to class and learn as much as they possibly can so that when it is our generation’s turn to lead, we will be armed with the knowledge and understanding required to not repeat the mistakes of the past and, hopefully, be able to provide positive direction for this great nation.

p. I appreciate your activism and the time you took to send the e-mail and organize everything. It’s high time this issue was discussed in an apolitical context.

p. **__— Chris St. Cyr ’08__**

p. **The deed of the College**

p. To the Editor:
Much has been said about outsiders. Much has been said about the ownership of the College. It is both a modern, public university and a venerable historic institution. As a public university, it is funded in large amount by the so-called “outsiders.” These outsiders fund the bonds to pay for classrooms, laboratories and dorms. These outsiders contribute millions in taxes to fund the operations of the college. Outsiders are the single largest source of funding — more than the Zables, Masons or Streets combined. Outsiders hold the deed to the college.

p. As such, outsiders are fully entitled to an opinion on the direction and condition of the College. At the same time, the College is indisputably a historic college. This history is a gift. Without these 300 years, the Colonial influences and the controversial historic facts that come with our history, we’re just another small school tucked away in Tidewater, Virginia. Without that history, we’re no different than Virginia Tech or the University of Texas, minus the championship sports teams.

p. A good part of our national visibility comes from our illustrious history. This history means that the College belongs not just to those of us who live now, but to those who came before us. As students and alumni, we would be wise to look to those who laid the foundations and frameworks that we build upon today. We stand on the accomplishments of those who came before us and we owe them our gratitude.

p. The College does not belong exclusively to the students and faculty who occupy its halls today. It belongs to the taxpayers of Virginia, the alumni, the parents of future students who may only be preschoolers today, the living and the dead and everyone who has sacrificed over 300 years to get us where we are today.

p. As such, it is due time we took a step back and asked ourselves — at what point did the College decide that strippers and prostitutes best embody the College’s future and history instead of a pathetically simple brass ornament in the Chapel? Say what you will about the cross, but when those of us living hundreds of miles away see the only remaining symbolism of the 213 years of Anglican history removed at the same time the school pays for strippers and prostitutes — it makes us wonder what the hell is going on down there.

p. **__— Todd Skiles ’92__**

p. **Fake cross controversy**

p. To the Editor:
I read with dismay the Mar. 2 article “Donor pulls $12 million over Wren cross policy,” describing an anonymous donor’s decision to revoke his or her pledge because of the decision to remove the Wren cross. I won’t bore anyone with yet another opinion on the controversy. The reason I am so disappointed about the whole affair is not because one donor disagreed with President Nichol; it is because this donor’s response is emblematic of the absurd proportions to which this issue has grown.

p. This “cross controversy” is basically a fake issue that has spun totally out of control. To suggest that the issue of whether the Wren Chapel does or does not permanently display a cross is worth revoking millions of dollars worth of funding, and to argue that the College is going to and should lose prestige or respect because of the controversy is to elevate this whole issue into something it is not. In the grand scheme of the College, and in our lives in general, does this really matter that much?

p. The whole controversy is just another instance of high-pitch, fake moralism that is used by those of a particular political persuasion to distract us from the truly important issues of the day. Christians upset about the Wren Cross being removed? Why are these same people silent on the issue of torture being practiced in our name in the War on Terror?

p. Offended as an American because President Nichol removed something important to the College’s “heritage?” Why aren’t you similarly offended as an American that things much more essential to the fabric of our nation (you know, little things like habeas corpus and the separation of powers) are being removed as we speak?

p. Don’t let yourself be fooled — this Wren Chapel controversy is much ado about nothing. Do you disagree with Nichol’s decision? Write a letter. Protest. But don’t pretend like this is some great issue of the day, and that you are just so offended by it. This whole thing is right up there with Anna Nicole Smith on the evening news. It’s become a fake story that does nothing but distract us from things that matter. Do us all a favor — get offended by something that is truly important.

p. **__— John Castiglione ’02__**