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‘Obsession’ sparks college debates

A documentary about Muslim extremists encouraging attacks on the United States and other Western nations has sparked debate at many college campuses.

p. According to The New York Times, showings of “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West” were canceled at Pace University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook due to worries that it could incite hate crimes against Muslim students.

p. When the film was shown at University of California, Los Angeles, over 300 students came to watch, but dozens of protestors stood outside.

p. Many college protestors argue that the documentary is incendiary and focuses on a radical group of Muslims who do not represent the majority. Proponents of the film say it is an important look at militant Islamist groups.

p. “The movie was so well-crafted and emotion manipulating that I felt myself thinking poorly of some aspects of Islam,” Adam Osman, president of Stony Brook’s Muslim Students’ Association, told the times. He asked that the film not be shown at Stony Brook.

p. ‘Obsession,’ produced by Raphael Shore, a Canadian who lives in Israel, features scenes of Middle Eastern children as they are encouraged to become suicide bombers. It then cuts to shots of Nazi rallies.

p. Current protests over the film are part of an increasing number of debates on college campuses about the Middle East. The Times reported that students at an anti-terrorism rally sponsored by the college Republicans of San Francisco State University stomped on copies of the Hamas and Hezbollah flags. At Brandeis University, officials removed an exhibition of Palestinian children’s drawings. The exhibition was intended to bring the “Palestinian viewpoint” to a campus where half of the students are Jewish.

p. When students at New York University tried to organize a showing of the film, they found that they had to register at IsraelActivism.com and were asked to send digital pictures of the event to Hasbara Fellowships, a group that tries to counter anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses.

p. “If people have to give their names over to Hasbra Fellowships at the door, that doesn’t have the effect of stimulating open dialogue,” Jordan J. Dunn, president of the Middle East Dialogue Group of New York University told the Times. “It intimidates people and stifles dissent.”

p. According to Karyn Leffel, who works for Hasbara Fellowships program, ‘Obsession’ is important to understanding conflict in the Middle East.

p. Shore recently said that the purpose of the film was to inspire students to take action against Islamic terrorism.

p. “We want to spread this message to all people [who] will stand up and make a difference in combating this threat,” he told the Times.

p. While he believes that the film is unbiased and nonpartisan, some students who have watched the film believe that it will fuel prejudice.

p. “If it were used in a class, it would have to be treated as a polemic and placed in that context,” said Arnold Leder, a political scientist at Texas State University, San Marcos who decided not to show ‘Obsession’ in his classes.

This week in Flat Hat History

**1930**
The College’s Board of Visitors dedicated Chandler Hall. It was named after Dr. J. A. Chandler and was to be a women’s dormitory. The building cost $152,000 to build and had suites on the second and third floor that were to be used by sororities.

p. **1969**
Male and female students began a protest against the women’s curfew rules. Two hundred and twenty-five women refused to sign in at their dormitories in accordance with the Women’s Dormitory Association Rules. In addition, approximately 100 men held an orderly sit-in and refused to leave women’s dorms after the 11 p.m. curfew.

p. **1972**
A College-wide debate began after the abolishment of the usage of D as a letter grade. Statistics from the registrar said that about half of the grades that would have been assigned as Ds dropped down to Fs. The other half jumped up to Cs and pushed many former Cs to Bs. The move transformed the College’s average grade from a C to a B.

p. **1994**
The student body voted by an 83 percent majority to unify all the College’s schools under one honor system. In addition, the new honor code corrected differences between the rules and penalties for undergradate and graduate students. The code was also amended to allow all accused students to have a student representative in their hearings and ensured that students would be tried only by members of their own school.

By The Numbers (March 2): Student political breakdown by region

These are based on the 2,820 searchable profiles of William and Mary students on Facebook.com that list both home state and politics.

p. **New England**
3.65 liberals per conservative

p. **Mid-Atlantic**
2.64 liberals per conservative

p. **West**
2.53 liberals per conservative

p. **Virginia**
2.34 liberals per conservative

p. **Southeast**
1.72 liberals per conservative

p. **Midwest**
1.66 liberals per conservative

Campus Police Beat (Feb. 21 to Feb. 26)

**Wednesday, Feb. 21** — A day student at the Marshall-Wythe law school reported a larceny. The investigating officer reported that about $240 was stolen from the student’s vehicle. (1)

p. **Saturday, Feb. 24** — A student at Preston Hall was arrested and taken into custody for assault and battery and underage possession of alcohol. (2)

p. — Vandalism was reported at the Commons. The investigating officer reported that there was powdered milk spilled all over the bakery at the commons at approximately 3:15 a.m. There was no further damage and the estimated value of items stolen was $25. (3)

p. — A student in Chandler Hall called in with a noise complaint. The student reported that there had been male voices that sounded like they were fighting for approximately a half an hour. The officer dispatched said there was no noise coming from the room. (4)

p. **Sunday, Feb. 25** — A student called to report the theft of his bike from the bike rack in front of Pleasants Hall. The investigating officer estimated that the bike was worth $275. (5)

p. **Monday, Feb. 26** — A staff member called to report graffiti in the second floor women’s restroom in Washington Hall. The investigating officer estimated the clean up cost at $300. (6)

Donor pulls $12 million over Wren cross policy

p. Former Board of Visitors member James McGlothlin, ’62, J.D. ’64, a major donor to the College, has withdrawn future donations because of College President Gene Nichol’s decision last October to remove the Wren Chapel cross from permanent display.

p. “[Nichol’s decision to remove the cross] has been so disturbing to me that I have decided to withhold any future contributions to the College,” McGlothlin wrote in his e-mail to another former BOV member, which was also sent to current Board members. “Unless a change in direction takes place, it will be difficult for me to provide future financial support to our wonderful school.”

p. McGlothlin said that his contribution had been planned in cooperation with former College President Timothy J. Sullivan.
Director of University Relations Michael Connolly confirmed that a donor recently revoked a $12 million pledge to the Campaign for William and Mary, but Connolly would not verify the donor’s identity.

p. “I assume the two things go together,” Board of Visitors Rector Michael Powell, ’85, said in a telephone interview. “As rector, nobody has told me about any second pledge of that kind of volume.”

p. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported yesterday that McGlothlin was, in fact, the donor who rescinded his future $12 million donation.

p. The loss of funding puts the Campaign for William and Mary below its $500 million goal. Connolly still expects the campaign to meet the goal before its June 30 closing date, adding that since Charter Day the Campaign has raised an additional $3 million.
In a written statement, Nichol said he felt “heartsick” over the decision, which he called a “serious setback to the College.”

p. “While I know it is intended to make a policy statement, ultimately it only hurts our students,” he wrote. “The core values of the College cannot be for sale.”

p. He said that while the Wren cross controversy has led some to stop donating, others have renewed or even increased their support.

p. “The College continues to thrive, with applications and contributions above where they were a year ago,” he wrote.
Two residents at the Williamsburg Landing, a local retirement home, have started a fundraising campaign of their own to try to replace the $12 million.

p. Tom Mikula, ’48, and Marilyn Entwisle, ’44, both pledged $12,000 to the College, and they are asking others to do the same in hopes that 1,000 people will join them to make up the lost donation.

p. “When I heard about [the lost $12 million], I was so incensed that someone with money would try to change things that are so important to the College,” Mikula said, adding that so far at least eight people have decided to contribute $12,000.

p. Powell said he thinks the Wren cross controversy — which quickly escalated into a nationally debated issue — will have an overall negative financial effect on the College.

p. “How much is yet to be determined,” he said. “$12 million is a lot of money.”

p. He said that the administration, along with a number of people affiliated with the College who know McGlothlin, will contact him about reversing his decision to no longer financially support the College.

p. “From my perspective, it’s always unfortunate if any alumni chooses not to give, even in small amounts,” Powell said, adding that he hopes McGlothlin will see the value in returning his contribution.

p. McGlothlin, for whom McGlothlin-Street Hall is co-named, is the founder and former CEO of the United Coal Company. According to the Daily Press, the company donated $3 million to the College in 1997.

More students traveling off the beaten path for abroad experience

Europe remains the top choice for studentsof the College who chose to study abroad this semester, but other, less traditional destinations are becoming more popular every year.

p. According to Global Education Programs Assistant Sally Lavender, the top choice for students studying abroad this semester was England, with 43 students, followed by Spain,
with 42. Thirty-eight students chose Italy, 34 chose France and 26 students decided to study abroad in Australia.

p. “Europe is really popular,” Lavender said.

p. “A lot of times it’s the location. Some students want to focus on immersion in a language, and that makes it more popular.”

p. Jimmy Gertzog, a junior at the College, attributed his major the largest influence on his study abroad location, England’s University of Nottingham.

p. “I am an English major, so going to England made the most sense. I would’ve loved anywhere I ended up as long as it contributed to my major,” he said.

p. Casey Metheny, a sophomore, studied in Bath, England over the fall semester for many of the same reasons. An English major, Metheny told The Flat Hat that she wanted to study British literature from the English point of view.

p. Both Metheny and Gertzog noted that, while England is often seen as too close to home to warrant a study abroad, their experiences were very eye-opening.

p. “Contrary to popular misconceptions, England is a very different country from the United States,” Metheny said. “The lack of a language barrier, however, and the presence of an extremely supportive staff and a group of other American students struggling with the same adjustment made it fairly simple to settle in to life in Bath,” she added.

p. Gertzog traveled through a College program, while Metheny traveled through American Studies in England, or ASE. Both said that the staff was extremely helpful and made life easy in England.

p. Peggy Newman, a junior who studied in Italy last semester, had a more difficult time with her program — which was independent from the College — but still enjoyed herself in Rome.

p. “I wanted to study in Italy for the art, the history and the language,” she said. “Since I had never been to Western Europe, a central location was important for weekend traveling, and it was easy to get most places from Rome. Plus you can’t beat Italian food and wine.”

p. Newman also said that the College’s credit- transfer policy was frustrating.

p. “It was pretty annoying to have to deal with credit transfers and tuition exchanges,” she said. “I took a lot of interesting classes that have almost no bearing on my … degree, which was frustrating because many of my friends received more credit from their home institutions.”

Despite the frustration, Newman said that her experience was worthwhile. “I’m glad that I studied abroad for an entire semester in Italy, which is something [that the College] does not offer. It was a great opportunity to make a more diverse group of
friends, too,” she said.

p. Outside of Europe, one of the most popular study abroad destinations is China, where 21 College students chose to travel this semester.

p. Junior Maera Busa studied in Beijing last semester, while her friend, junior Matt Hanson, studied there over the summer. Both agreed that it was an amazing experience.

p. “Chinese is one of the harder languages to learn, so going there is a great way to do it. [Beijing] is such an easy city to move around in,” Busa said.

p. Hanson agreed with Busa’s assessment of the benefits of immersion in the Chinese language. “I’d say my language ability increased more than I could imagine in those two months,” he said.

p. While both students experienced culture shock, they said that learning the customs of China was a great experience.

p. “They have different ways of dealing with things and they have these pre-conceived ideas about Americans,” Busa said. “It’s about two or three weeks before you realize how to interact with them – how to get past the little cultural differences,” said Busa.

p. “They’re learning too—they want to understand American culture too,” she added.

p. According to Lavender, such cultural experiences are a major benefit of study abroad programs. “We do encourage students to think globally,” she said.

This week in Flat Hat History (Feb. 27)

**1930**
The College received official notice from its architect that a hospital would be built on South Boundary street. The building was located south of Tyler Hall and east of what was then one of the College’s dining centers. The building was reported to have “all modern facilities,” including steam heating, an automatic elevator and electrical signal systems in each room and ward.

p. **1952**
The Epsilon Iota chapter of the Sigma Nu fraternity was reactivated. The new chapter replaced Sigma Rho, the only local fraternity on campus at the time. The chapter scheduled pledge activities just a few days after the reactivation.

p. **1965**
The men’s basketball team was first runner-up in the Southern Conference basketball tournament. The team lost to West Virginia, 70-67 in double overtime. The team started the season with a sevengame losing streak, before winning eight of its last 11 games and going to the Southern Conference tournament.

p. **1975**
After two months without heat or water, Ludwell residents found that the complex had returned to normal. Prior to fixing the complex’s facilities, the water temperature had been 105 degrees, according to the Williamsburg Health Department. The housing director for the College claimed that “there was plenty of heat” and hot water in all the rooms. At the time, the College did not own the Ludwell apartments and was currently arguing with the then-owners about repairs.

By the Numbers (Feb. 27, 2007)

**45,000**
The number of packages handled by Postal Services at the College so far this academic year, according to Associate Director Richard Sears. That amounts to an average of 6.34 packages for each student at the college.

p. **2.3 billion**
The number of cell phone users worldwide, according to a report by CTIA The Wireless Association. There are 229 million users in the US, less than 10 percent of the world total.

p. **$900**
The amount that the average college student spends annually on textbooks, according to a study by the Government Accountability Office.

p. **105%**
The profit margin of Magellan’s expedition, the first to circumnavigate the globe. Although only 22 out of more than 230 sailors ever made it back and Magellan himself died, the cargo of cloves on the one returning ship covered more than twice the cost of the expedition.

p. **17**
The number of wins by the Tribe Women’s basketball team, the second-most in the team’s history according to TribeAthletics.com.

City Police Beat (Feb. 15 to Feb. 22)

**Thursday, Feb. 15** — A man was arrested for cocaine possession on the 2100 block of Richmond Rd. (1)

p.**Friday, Feb. 16** — A 50-year-old white male was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle on the 200 block of Page Street. (2)

p. **Saturday, Feb. 17** — A 20-year-old female student was charged with underaged possession of alcohol and littering on the 1200 block of Richmond Rd. (3)

p, —A 21-year-old white male was charged with being drunk in public on the 2100 block of Richmond Rd. (1)

p. —A 20-year-old female student was charged with underage possession of alcohol on the 800 block of Richmond Rd. (3)

p. —A 38-year-old black male was charged with his third DUI and refusal to comply on the 3000 block of Richmond Rd. (4)

p. —A 25-year-old white male was charged with a DUI on the 3000 block of Richmond Rd. (4)

p. —A 25-year-old white male was charged with larceny on the same part of Richmond Rd. (4)

p. —A 19-year-old male student was charged with underage possession of alcohol and littering on the 200 block of Richmond Rd. (5)

p. **Sunday, Feb. 18** — A 39-year-old white female was charged with defrauding an innkeeper from Feb. 13 through 18 at the Econo Lodge on Richmond Rd. (6)

p. — A 21-year-old white female was charged with a DUI at 3:00 a.m. on the 1600 block of Richmond Rd. (7)

p. — A 19-year-old white female was charged with a DUI at 4:00 a.m. on the 400 block of Richmond Rd. (8)

p. **Tuesday, Feb. 20** — A 45-year-old white female was charged with a DUI on the 1400 block of Richmond Rd. (9)

p. **Wednesday, Feb. 21** — A black male of unknown age was charged with larceny of a bottle of Grey Goose alcohol on Richmond Road. (3)

p. **Thursday, Feb. 22** — A 48-year-old black female was charged with a first DUI offense on Bypass Road. (10)

News in Brief (Feb. 27)

**Test of online housing lottery system experiences errors**

Residence Life assigned time slots to students who had signed up to test drive the new online housing lottery Monday, but errors prevented students from seeing their assigned registration time slots.
Residence Life sent four e-mails to all testers over a two-hour period.

p. The first e-mail announced that there were errors; a second said that they had been corrected, and a third said that IT was still working on correcting errors.

p. “This is a test instance of myWM and not the real thing, so the smallest thing not being set up correctly can [throw] things off,” a final e-mail said.

p. __By Maxim Lott__

p. **Former College rector and BOV member passes away**

Herbert V. Kelly, Sr., ‘41, a former rector of the College and BOV member, died Feb. 19, at the age of 87.

p. “The College of William and Mary today is immeasurably better for Herb’s leadership during the last 60 years,” President Gene Nichol said.

p. Kelly received a law degree in 1943, in addition to his undergraduate degree. He was on the BOV for nine years and was rector for two.

p. He served as president of the local United Way, Boy Scout Council, Sports Club and Newport News Club Rotary. In 1987, he received in the Alumni Medallion and an honorary degree in 1993.
p. __By Morgan Figa__