Imagine five long minutes on the mats. You are doing your best to keep your mind and body alert. The crowd is surrounding you with noise. Your opponent is a survivor of 10, maybe 15, years of intense training, and to win you would have to slam him flush against the ground. All the while you know you’re there to represent your school, your state and even your country. Each five-minute match is a chance to prove the value of the years of dedication you’ve put into practicing judo.

This foreign and even intimidating scene is a common reality for Michael Harrison ’12. He has practiced judo for seven years, and is co-president of the College of William and Mary’s Judo Club. His co-president Chris Bahls-Mariles ’12, has been practicing the sport for 10 years.

In his seven years, Harrison has competed and ranked in countless local and national competitions, and has recently delved into participating in international competitions.

“My favorite tournament was probably this summer. I went to Pan-American Championships and I got third place there,” Harrison said. “It’s a lot different because it’s more like you are competing for your country, so it’s honorable and fun because your teammates are from all different parts of the U.S.”

Harrison spoke more about his experience than his growing number of medals.

“Hopefully I’ll participate in the Olympics eventually, either 2012 or 2016, and after that I want to open up my school and give back to judo,” Harrison said. “And I might move to one of the Olympic training centers after I graduate.”

His competitions abroad have prepared him for Olympic-caliber matches, although Harrison admitted that international games are a whole new level of intensity. With steady training, he hopes to be ready to compete in the Games eventually.

“I would not want to fight Michael in a competition,” Bahls-Mariles said. “He is set on winning, and he is a very imposing individual. He knows what he’s got to do … but the second he bows out he’s back to good old Michael, laughing.”

Harrington said that even though he is not in the right place to train for the Olympics, Judo Club helps keep him on his game. During school it is difficult to travel to large competitions, so Judo Club provides people to practice and learn with.

“It’s not about beating up on each other,” Bahls-Mariles said. “You get a lot of anime types who are coming and are ready to rip someone’s head off, but that’s not what judo is about.”

Although on the mat the main goal is to throw down your opponent, the sport involves more than having bulky muscles or being the most aggressive. Judo becomes a passion for some because of the philosophy and lifestyle behind the sport.

“People who do judo are very relaxed, outgoing, good people,” Bahls-Mariles said. “It’s the philosophy, it’s the trust thing. If you come into judo you’re trusting someone with your body … and to do that everyone has to have the upmost respect for each other. It’s a very beautiful thing.”

Harrison and Bahl-Mariles believe judo can be a positive force in a person’s life. This benefit is a contributing factor as to why they have put so much effort into creating the Judo Club. Only one year old, the club has a core group of 20 members that includes students and people from the surrounding community.

“I like teaching new people what judo is and the importance of judo and how it helps you in everyday life,” Harrison said. “Most of them are new; that’s what I also like about it — teaching new, fresh people.”

The co-presidents share a strong vision for the Judo Club’s future, beginning with better training resources and more competitions at the collegiate level, although they already do compete with other colleges in the area. More than anything, they hope to strengthen the presence of judo on campus. Their core group already includes judo novices, community members from Norfolk, three girls and a College staff member. No matter their level of experience, they learn something new every practice.

“You have to be really patient with judo because it takes a long time to get good at it, so you have to learn that you have to do more listening when you first start judo,” Harrison said. “I’m still learning and I’ve been doing it for a long time. You can learn a lot from judo, even when you’re old.”

“It’s all about happiness,” Eddie tells his psychiatrist at the mental institution he’s just been admitted to. He’s describing a play he recently read, by a playwright named Martin Patrick Simon. “The play starts out and they’re still trying to figure shit out, trying to figure out how to be happy.”

The same could be said of all the characters in Joseph Riippi’s first, and not entirely successful, novel “Do something! Do something! Do something!” Riippi ’04, a former Confusion Corner columnist for The Flat Hat, attempts to encapsulate the uncertainty of post-collegiate youth through the stories of three 20-somethings — all, it can easily be said, going through their own personal struggles.

Eddie has just been checked into a mental facility by his estranged step-father after attacking a stripper with a broken bottle — but it’s clear his problems run far deeper than that. He’s visited by his step-sister, only identified as “the girl with the starfish tattoo,” who has personal problems of her own. Although she’s supportive of her brother, she can’t help but remember that Eddie’s assault is “not completely unlike what a man had once done to her,” triggering memories of her rape at age 22 and its resulting hardships.

The final strand of the novel follows Simon, the playwright, and his struggle to overcome a divorce prompted by the death of his prematurely born daughter. The novel interlaces these three stories — hardly ever in a linear fashion for no discernable reason — in the hope of creating characters emblematic of their generation.

But it’s these characters that really comprise the novel’s main weakness. At one point, Eddie describes someone from Simon’s play as the kind of person who thinks a “depressive biography [is] … a necessity for becoming a great writer.” The author seems to have a similar idea as to what creates a great protagonist. Each character is more of an avatar Riippi insists on subjecting to increasingly horrible events — rape, miscarriage, institutionalization, friends killed in Iraq, bowel cancer, dead preemies, suicide attempts. One assumes fans of “Saw” might flock to the book purely for the torture porn aspect. It’s never really clear what impact these events have, practically or psychologically on the characters, problems that motivate a character close to suicide may disappear entirely by the next time their narrative recurs, accomplishing nothing except to push each character toward a maturation that never actually materializes. Each is, as Eddie puts it, “pushed into the great unknown by TIME and REALITY and SHIT,” quite literally it turns out; each character’s dark and weighty past is punctuated with the stuff. But by the end each seems as indistinct as when the novel began.

Riipi’s notion of what defines a person may be responsible for this indistinction. Riippi seems solidly rooted in the camp that a person is defined by their combined experiences. Neglecting the part of character that is defined by action, by the choices people consciously make. Part of the reason these characters seem so indistinct might be because, despite having had quite a lot happen to them, they rarely, if ever, do anything themselves. Those with tragic lives and trust me, these characters have more tragic back-stories than a Marvel comic, still lead lives in the present. How a character’s past interacts with his or her present choices and actions is normally where a novel derives its conflict. But more often than not, the conflict present in “Do something” is merely an indistinct setting — a coffee shop, an abandoned bathroom stall — from which each character can further expand upon his or her sordid past. Sadly, “Do something!” is a phrase you’ll hopelessly be shouting at his characters well before novel’s end, to little avail.

This isn’t to say the novel fails entirely. The novel is a medium based on recurring images, a device to which Riippi seems well accustomed. Each plotline has elements that echo the others in a way that makes the novel subtly cohere where it quite easily could have fallen apart.

There’s definitely another point behind Riippi’s summation of our generation. His characters near relentlessly speak in allusion — through quotes by Susan Sontag, Leonard Cohen or Leo Tolstoy — and there’s something to be said about an entire generation unable to frame its own experiences without using the words of others. But it’s only stray thought stuffed into a novel far too overburdened with ideas to really effectively carry any of them out. A truly successful novel creates a story in which these ideas are able to emerge organically from an identifiable and engaging plot and set of characters, but neither of these aspects are apparent in “Do something.”

The most disappointing part is that any one character in the book, given a bit more to do and few more details to flush out his or her conflicting personality, could have easily become a protagonist worthy of a longer, and much better, novel. Between the line of this one are the traces a very good book: Riippi may just need to do a better job of sorting through the shit in order to find it.

__Kevin Mooney is the Flat Hat Confusion Corner columnist. He does not aspire to be a novelist, but finds it a worthy pursuit from his position.__

Picture this: Fifteen students are sitting in a dimly lit wine cellar, sampling bottles of wine and slices of cheese, having servers pour them glass after glass of wine while they explain the robust flavor in each one.
If this image sounds more like something you would find at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom than at the College of William and Mary, it’s because that’s exactly where the idea came from.

While studying in Oxford last semester, Omar Farid ’10 joined one of the three wine societies there.

“I had joined Bacchus, which is the Oxford University Wine Society, which held wine tasting events every week and I thought it would be a fantastic idea to start a similar organization on campus here in the United States,” he said. Thus, The College of William and Mary Wine Society was born.

However, this is not the College’s first attempt at starting a wine society. According to Farid there have been previous attempts that have not lasted.

Farid, president of the wine society, believes that many students want to learn more about wine and drinking it. “My goal is to get people who want to learn about wine, who love wine, who love learning about wine, together and talk,” he said.

The organization is open to students and faculty; however, members must be 21 years or older. There is a membership fee of $35 for undergraduates and $45 for faculty per semester. The fee allows members to attend all events at a discounted rate and to attend the society’s dinner at the end of the semester.

For example, this last event was $15 for members and $25 for guests.

The society plans events, which are often open to both members and guests, in accordance with their mission statement: “The College of William and Mary Wine Society was created in 2009 to help promote the appreciation and enjoyment of wine on campus. This will take place through wine tastings led by experts in the field along with other special events especially catered to aid in learning about wine and how to taste it properly.”

To properly taste wine, you must check for three things: look, smell and taste. First, look at the color of the wine ­— it is recommended to swirl the glass a little from the rim of the glass to the middle to see color changes. While continuing to swirl the glass, smell the wine to get a good sense of the aromas mixed in. Start by wafting the wine and then later dipping your nose closer to the wine to get the full bouquet. Next, taste the wine. Start with a small sip and allow it to sit and roll around on your tongue ­— pay attention to sweetness, aridity, sour flavor or bitterness.

“It’s mostly about drinking wine and learning about wine,” Ty Muirragui ’10, the Wine Society’s treasurer, said. “It’s not about getting drunk.”

According to Farid, the tastings have been attended by a mix of members and guests — all with varying degrees of knowledge about wine.

“My experience was definitely an enjoyable one. Everyone was very friendly and congenial,” guest Vida Ess ’10, said. “The organization definitely made me realize that wine tasting is accessible, even for college students.”

At this point in the semester, the society has hosted three events: one that the organization put on itself, one in coordination with the Williamsburg Winery, and one most recently at the Cheese Shop.

This last event featured wines from France and was an introduction to some of the most famous winemaking regions, including Côrtes du Rhône and Bordeaux.

Farid believes that Williamsburg offers a good location for an organization like the society.

“The Cheese Shop and other venues in Williamsburg have great wine and we are glad they are willing to work with us,” he said.

Tomorrow, the Wine Society is ecouraging members and those who wish to learn more about wine to see author Miles Lambert at the College Bookstore. He is the author of “Desert Island Wine” and “Greek Salad: a Dionysian Travelogue” and will be signing copies of his books from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. These books focus on wine and wine history.

For more information about The College of William and Mary Wine Society, visit: Wmwinesociety.wordpress.com.

Sexile is a phenomenon known in college dorms everywhere. A student is displaced from his or her own room while his or her roommate enjoys some private time with a significant other.

Although sexile is not a new occurrence in college dorms, the issue has received renewed publicity in recent months. This September, Tufts University created an official rule: No sex when your roommate is in the room — or kicking hem out to have sex. This also includes roomates’ study hours, sleeping hours or privacy being disturbed. While most people would agree that common decency should prevent you from having to witness your roommate’s lovemaking, the rule has received mixed reactions.

“I think it’s really funny, and a little too much because how do you police that, to be honest?” McKinley Sims ’10, Head Resident for Reeves and Hunt Halls, said.

Residence Life at the College of William and Mary has a more hands-off approach than Tufts, and focuses on the more general issue of overnight guests. According to Director of Residence Life Deb Boykin, the sensitive nature of sexiling makes enforcement a problem.

“When students have that kind of conflict, they’re not often going to talk about it,” she said. “Or they are not going to talk about it outwardly. They might talk about it to each other.”

Occasionally, roommates have difficulty reconciling, but Boykin said that these conflicts escalate to the point of Residence Life’s involvement in the conflict only once or twice a year.

“We know that [Resident Assistants] have helped in some of those kinds of conversations, and I think it gets solved at a lower level with the RA kind of mediating,” she said.

The College will not be making a rule to parallel Tufts’ new regulation.

“We have no intent to entertain a clause like that,” Boykin said. “Mainly because we believe in self-determination and we’re always there to help students through something, and if somebody’s having their rights infringed upon.”

Sims agreed that the school should have minimal involvement.

“I don’t think it’s the school’s job to police that,” he said. “It’s the school’s job to help the two roommates to make the situation better. That’s shooting the calf that’s already dead.”

In Sims’ experience as an RA, students have resolved conflicts on their own, sometimes relying on hallmates for a place to sleep.

“My guys were always very respectful of each other, and that’s why it was so great as far as when situations pop up,” he said. “And it wasn’t really a big deal, because it wasn’t just me that had an open futon policy, it would be other people, too.”

However, some students at the College agree with Tufts’ decision to institute a ban on sexile.

“I think it is part of the school’s responsibility because I think that’s maintaining decency standards,” PJ Judge ’13 said.

As a freshman, Judge has yet to encounter an extreme case of sexile which would require school intervention.

“I haven’t experienced it too often, so I think that if it does get out of hand, you should be able to have the RA to stop it. But usually that’s not the case; usually it doesn’t get that far,” he said.

While ResLife may have no intention of banning sex in the presence of a roommate from dorm rooms, they have been discussing other rooming issues involving sex and gender-identification.

The Student Assembly and Lambda Alliance have pitched a rough draft to the Residence Hall Association to designate several apartments in the Ludwell Complex as gender-neutral housing.

“So if you have people that are transgender and may not feel comfortable living with a male or female, then they have the option to live in a space that’s gender-neutral,” Sims said. He heard of the proposal from meetings between the SA and RHA.

The new policy would not require applicants to check off a male or female box. The option would only be available for upperclassmen.

Because ResLife has yet to receive a formal proposal, they cannot make an official comment about gender-neutral housing; however, Boykin has seen a movement for such housing before.

“This is a trend that’s spreading across the nation,” she said. “It has not happened in Virginia, so no other Virginia school is doing it, especially a state school.

”A similar proposal was submitted to ResLife by the RHA in 2006, but was rejected. Since the College is a public school, housing is governed by state laws, and those laws are then interpreted by the College’s legal counsel.

Sociology professor Jennifer Bickham-Mendez who has taught Gender and Society for 10 years said that gender differences are institutionalized by gender specific spaces, such as dorm rooms. These gender-specific spaces also exclude people who do not fit gender stereotypes.

“It sends the message that males and females are more different from each other than, for example, a female from a female,” she said. “In the case of intersex people, it even muddies the water further because they are folks whose physicality doesn’t measure up with our complete ideas of what male physicality looks like and female physicality looks like, so they can in effect choose neither completely.”

ResLife’s perspective echoes this sentiment.

“I think the bigger question is, ‘How do we serve our transgender students?’” Boykin said. “A transgender student who is public about it is one thing, but a student who is struggling with their sexual identity and is so unsure that they don’t want to share that; how do we help those students?”

Typically, students uncomfortable with gender-assigned housing move off campus, although there have been students in the past who have worked privately with ResLife to create more comfortable housing options.

Other than legal obstacles, two primary problems surface with a proposal for gender neutral housing. Sims pointed out the potential for heterosexual couples to choose a room together, which could possibly result in messy breakups.

“I think in theory it’s a wonderful idea, and if it works the way it’s supposed to — to protect people who might have issues and who identify with LGBTQ — that’s great,” he said. “I think the only problem that you could run into is if you have people who say that they identify that way but are really maybe trying to live with their significant other.”

Having been an RA for two years, Sims is wary of the complications that come with romantic relationships in dorm situations.

“If they break up, from a ResLife head staff position, that takes roommate conflict to a whole new level,” he said. “Having to deal with breakup conflicts, that’s hell.”

Besides the problem of couples, the proposal faces potential opposition from policy makers and alumni. Both Judge and Sims said they have seen overwhelming support from the student body, but question how gender-neutral housing will appear to those outside the College.

“From my personal perspective, people seemed very positive about it, and if not positive, just positively indifferent,” Sims said. “I haven’t had anyone that’s out and out spoken against it.”

According to Judge, a member of the RHA, there may be negative responses from outside the College. As a public institution, the opinions of people outside the College can greatly affect policy making.

“I think that students should have basic adult freedoms in this area, but that has to be balanced by safety,” Bickham-Mendez said. “As a faculty member in the political context that we reside in as a public institution, I would be concerned about the message that it sends and how that gets interpreted. Externally, other stakeholders look in and they don’t like it. So it’s prudent to tread with care on these things.”

Perhaps Sims’ advice on sexiling is also applicable to gender-neutral housing, as both issues involve the intricacies of two people living together and respecting each other’s boundaries, especially pertaining to sexual issues.

“Have a little respect kids,” Sims said. “Give a little bit, take a little bit.”