The College Republicans celebrated election night in a lounge of Jamestown Hall South, where approximately 10 people gathered to watch Fox News over pizza and Coca-Cola.

“The whole Republican club is really excited,” College Republicans Vice-Chairman John Michael King ’12 said. “This is a fresh start for us, because last year left a bad taste in our mouths.”

Virginia voters chose Republicans Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli to serve as governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, respectively. McDonnell won the gubernatorial race with 58.65 percent of the vote.

“I believe we had three excellent candidates,” College Republicans Chairman Thomas Chappell ’11 said. “I think our candidates would win or be competitive in any election cycle.”

The College Republicans also paid close attention to the hotly contested New Jersey gubernatorial race between Democrat Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican candidate Chris Christie.

“We’re seriously eying the New Jersey vote,” King said. “We’re hoping for Chris Christie. If he pulls it out, it’s going to represent a popular condemnation of the national administration’s policy, considering how much
Obama campaigned for Corzine, the incumbent Democrat.”

Christie later defeat red Corzine with 55 percent of the vote.

The College Republicans had good things to say about McDonnell, who will be sworn into office in January.

“I think [McDonnell’s victory] means Virginia will remain a state that promotes economic opportunity and entrepreneurship,” Chappell said. “It will remain a right-to-work state. I think Virginia will remain a national model of government effectiveness and efficiency.”

However, the celebration was not entirely without concern.

“My only problem with McDonnell is that, if the College of William and Mary wanted to go private, it would be harder under him than under Deeds,” King said. “Neither of them have said anything, but you can tell this by just looking at them.”

Many Republicans believe Virginia’s discontent with Obama’s policies contributed to the party’s multiple victories.

“I think the wide margins are a reaction to dissatisfaction to national politics and the Democratic Party in power,” Chappell said. “I think the frustration comes from out of control spending and what seems to be a desire to expand the size of government.”

No matter the reason, the College Republicans were pleased with the election results.

“I’m just thrilled,” Chappell said. “It’s been a while since we’ve won one, and it’s a nice feeling.”

Attendees of the Young Democrats’s election night party remained cheery and optimistic, even as election results favored Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell.

“We are very pleased by the Williamsburg results, which supported the Democrats,” Young Democrats Vice President Omar Farid ’10 said. “We think it is the result of our organization and students.”

Two couches held the party’s 10 attendees. Over half of the attendees tracked election results county by county on their laptops to see where Democrats won majorities. Other Young Democrats watched the election results on CNN.

“Although the results were not in our favor, we have an important election coming next year,” Farid said.
“We will do all we can to continue our effort in helping [President Obama].”

The Young Democrats are eager to prepare for the 2010 elections, which they said will be important.

“We’ll try to stick to our convictions,” Young Democrats President Ross Gillingham ’10 said. “It doesn’t change the core convictions of change.”

Change was the theme of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. Despite criticism that change has yet to come a year after his election to the presidency, the Young Democrats felt that last
Tuesday night’s elections were not a sign of backlash against Obama’s platform.

“[This election showed that,] in this state, local issues are more important than national ones,” Farid said.

Many in the Republican Party disagree. The party has seen few bright spots since its defeat across the country in the 2006 elections, when Democrats won control of Congress, and in 2008, when Democrats won the White House and a strong majority in the Senate. The night’s victories offered much-needed encouragement for Republicans.

Democrats have controlled the Virginia statehouse since 2001, when Mark Warner was elected governor.
Tim Kaine succeeded him in 2006.

Now that the Republicans have won in Richmond, many Democrats are concerned that their accomplishments in the state will be lost.

“I am personally a bit concerned with how education policy will be affected, and hopefully there will be rational transportation plans that won’t cut into education funding, which has suffered because of the recession,” Gillingham said. “[I hope that] any sort of education cuts will balance with concerns of [the] long-term welfare of our state universities.”

Throughout the gubernatorial race, Deeds made McDonnell’s 1989 graduate thesis a campaign centerpiece.

The thesis, which McDonnell wrote while attending Regent University, expressed controversial views on women’s rights, homosexuality and family values.

“I think it will be clear to William and Mary students that the new governor and attorney general have views that are out of the mainstream,” Farid said.

It’s 2 a.m., Swem is closing, and you still have three more pages of that paper to crank out before tomorrow morning. Tired of the Mews and in need of a comfy couch, you trek over to Alan B. Miller Hall and swipe your ID.

But the red light clicks on, and you are locked out.

Students not enrolled in classes held in Miller are unable to access the building after 10 p.m., at least through next semester.

According to the building’s access policy, only those currently registered for business classes are allowed entrance after 10 p.m., at which time the doors are locked and an approved student ID is required for admission.

Students not taking classes in Miller do not have the approved ID and cannot swipe into the building.

This has sparked a campus-wide debate that has left some students feeling excluded and asking why they cannot access one of their own buildings.

Peter Ross ’10, a business major, supports opening the building to all students.

“As long as you have an ID, you should be allowed in,” Ross said. “Why should I be privileged? I didn’t pay for it any more then anyone else.”

According to Facilities Management, the College contributed $25 million to the construction of Miller, and the remaining $50 million was donated privately through the Business School Foundation. This $25 million is now being collected through fees paid by each student along with regular tuition, whether they register for classes in Miller or not.

European history major Anca Cretu ’11 said she feels slighted by the policy.

“All the other buildings are open to all students,” Cretu said. “Just because this one is fancy and new means that the others just can’t do anything in that building? This is a major discrimination.”

The idea of the policy being “wrong” may have upset many students who are beginning to demand some sort of explanation.

According to Dr. Larry Pulley, Dean of Students for the School of Business, Miller is open to all who wish to use its rooms for study and group meetings, whether they are business students or not.

“We have lounges and team rooms, [and] all that’s open to anybody,” Pulley said. “Anybody can come and plug their laptops in and work together, and we want to support that. People who are taking classes here have access after hours, and people who come in before it closes and they’re here working, they can stay to work.”

Pulley said the policy stems from both technological difficulties and concerns about the effect of heavy traffic on the new building.

“The issues for us are wear-and-tear, congestion, and how all that will work,” Pulley said.
According to Pulley, the security cameras already in place still need to be connected to the William and Mary
Police Department, the card key systems require further programming and the electronic door locks must be tweaked in order to ensure that they lock at the appropriate time.

Pulley said that student fees pose a legitimate question he hopes will be resolved quickly and to everyone’s satisfaction.

During this settling-in process, the school has been made available to business students after hours because of their need to access classrooms and study areas in order to complete group assignments and presentations.

The policy is currently considered temporary and will be reviewed at the end of the semester.
Pulley encourages student input regarding the situation and believes that comments from the undergraduate body will help determine whether or not the policy will be changed.

Michael Powell ’85, former rector of the College of William and Mary’s Board of Visitors, returned to campus to give a presentation about the importance of community values Tuesday. The presentation was part of the Honor Council’s Ethics Week.

“Sometimes we talk about ethics as this clean little thing,” Powell said. “It’s not. It’s painful. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with.”

As a graduate of the College, Powell said he knows of the challenges that conflict with the College’s strict Honor Code policy, yet he is proud to be a part of such a legacy since graduating in 1985.

“William and Mary is a culture that remains unflinchingly dedicated to the Honor Code 25 years later,” he said.

However, collegiate codes are only the beginning of ethical challenges that many will face. Life, Powell promised, is full of events that will demand us to either forsake or affirm our values.

In such situations, he said we must know to what morals we are personally committed.

Powell challenged each audience member to think of 10 things he or she would not compromise for anyone, including family and friends, and then dared those in attendance to test the way in which they live their ethics each day.

“Do you have anything you believe so passionately that you would die for it?” he asked. “Does your calendar reflect these priorities? What would your peers say about you or your values?”

Powell also pointed out that while sometimes students should weigh what others would think when making decisions, there are some circumstances in which ethical choices should be made independent of other people.

“Ethics are a personal decision, and for them to be influenced by someone else takes away from the value of individuality regarding ethics,” he said. “Personal ethics should be questioned every day of our lives.”

Powell also discussed ethics in the context of many current political, economic and environmental problems.

“A commitment to a life of integrity and honor is critical in looking at the problems of the world,” Powell said.

Students in attendance responded favorably to the former BOV rector’s presentation.

“Honestly, I think every student here should have heard this,” Carolyn Sloan ’12 said. “It’s a very good explanation of what the Honor Code is, practically speaking.”

Other Ethics Week events included a lecture by David Callahan, author of “Cheating Culture,” and an Honor Council Mock Trial with College President Taylor Reveley.

At its Tuesday meeting, the Student Assembly discussed the Administration, College and Town Act. If passed, the bill would create a new procedure for SA meetings, although Senate bylaws would remain unchanged.

The ACT Act seeks to address campus life issues through College of William and Mary policy, City of Williamsburg issues and student organizations.

On the first and third Tuesdays of each month, leaders of student organizations would deliver five to 10-minute addresses to the Senate regarding their views of the campus community.

The second Tuesday of the month would be devoted to College administrators and the fourth Tuesday to Williamsburg city officials.

“It’s something Sen. Matt Beato [’09] discussed in previous years,” Sen. Betty Jeanne Manning ’12 said.

The ACT Act will be discussed further in next week’s meeting.

The SA also addressed the Exam Taxi Service Act III, a bill that would allocate funding to provide a taxi service for students during final exams.

“Students are studying especially late, and we don’t want them walking home in the wee hours of the morning,” Sen. Brittany Fallon ’11 said.

There is no public transportation available between midnight and 7 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays.

If passed, the bill would allocate up to $2,600 from the consolidated reserve to provide taxis for students during both the fall and spring semester exam periods of the 2009-2010 academic year.

Fallon said the SA will examine the results from last year’s Exam Taxi Service Act to find out methods have been used in the past before discussing it further.

Sen. Stef Felitto ’12 also discussed the Gender Blind Housing Option Support Act.

“The [SA Department of Diversity Initiatives] … presented a really comprehensive proposal for a gender blind housing option,” Felitto said. “This bill just expresses our support of such an option.”

A more in-depth discussion of the bill will occur during next week’s Senate meeting.

The Bicycle Theft Prevention Act, which would allocate up to $800 from the consolidated reserve to purchase 50 bicycle locks approved by the William and Mary Police Department, was also discussed at
Tuesday’s meeting.

According to campus police, at least 10 bikes are stolen each week; only half are ever returned.

The bill stated that campus police spend countless man hours and other resources looking for stolen bicycles, taking up time that could be spent protecting students.

In past and passed legislation, senators deemed the Continued Seasonal Influenza Prevention Act, which provided 125 free flu shots to both undergraduate and graduate students at the College last Thursday and Friday, to be a success.

“It went really well,” Sen. Imad Matini ’11 said. “They sold out of the shots in both days within the first hour.
We’ve helped vaccinate over 1,100 students.”

The Virginia Gazette Act, passed last week, was also discussed.

The bill provides 300 copies of the Virginia Gazette for student use every Saturday for the remainder of the academic year.

The SA helped sponsor Friday’s Fall Spooktacular and Tuesday’s Election Day concert and considered both to be very successful.

Student opinion came under fire, quite literally, when students torched several buildings in South Africa’s University of Zululand after the Oct. 20 student election results were disputed.

“One lecture hall was completely ravaged when it was set alight, and a number of buildings were damaged by stones. The damage could be well over a million rand [$131,744],” University Registrar Sishokonke Maphisa said to the South African Press Association.

According to South African newspaper The Mercury, one of the parties, the South African Democratic Students Movement, was penalized for missing the deadline to submit its candidate list, resulting in a landslide win for the opposing South African Students Congress.

The deadline for the elections was not printed in any memorandum or election timetable.

In a letter to the university’s vice-chancellor, the chief elector officer recommended the elections be nullified Monday.

In response to the letter, the Dean of Students Mandla Hlongwane proposed a formation of an interim alliance structure to represent students in the university. SASCO, however, rejected the proposition.

Tuesday, ten students began to riot at 2 p.m. The majority of the damage happened after 11 p.m.

“The lecture hall was burnt down and several buildings including the library, computer labs and dining halls were damaged. Police had to fire rubber bullets to disperse students,” African National Congress Youth League Branch Chairman Thabani Mthabela said to The Times, a South African newspaper.

While no suspects have been identified, police inspector Mbongiseni Mdlalose said it was evident the students caused the damage.

Currently, arson and public violence are being investigated.

“[Once found], they’ll be criminally charged or expelled,” Maphisa said to The Mercury. “Students’ lives can’t be put in danger.”

SADESMO has also condemned the violence, accusing SASCO for the destruction, noting that SASCO offices had not been vandalized.

Elections cannot be held until next year, but security has been increased to prevent violence.

“We will be interacting with all the parties that are actually involved, but we are appealing for calm and a speedy resolution of this matter,” Gwedz Qonde, special advisor to the university’s higher education minister, said.

Thursday, Oct. 29 —- An individual reported a stolen credit card in the Campus Center. The estimated value was $5,000.

Friday, Oct. 30 — An individual reported a stolen sign in Washington Hall. The estimated value was $200.

— An individual reported an assault on the 300 block James Blair Rd.

Saturday, Oct. 31—- An individual reported a simple assault outside of Tazewell.

— An individual reported vandalism outside of Reves Hall. The estimated cleanup value was $10.

Sunday, Nov. 1 — An individual reported vandalism to a fence in sorority court. The estimated value was $100.

— An individual reported vandalism to a bookcase in Small Hall. The estimated value was $200.

— An individual reported a stolen picture in the units. The estimated value is $2,000.

— An individual was arrested in Hunt Hall for possession of marijuana.

Tuesday, Nov. 3— An individual reported internet fraud on the 600 block of Ukrop Way.

*Baseball team volunteers with Arc*

The College of William and Mary baseball team will be volunteering for The Arc of Greater Williamsburg Nov. 10 for its Fitness Night.

Fifteen athletes participated in the Oct. 20 Fitness Night, which included activities such as relay races, baseball drills and an indoor baseball game. The athletes also spoke about the importance of exercise and healthy eating habits.

The Arc of Greater Williamsburg is the local chapter of a grassroots organization that advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and organizes activities to improve their quality of life.

*Geology professor wins Neil Miner Award*

College of William and Mary Chancellor Professor of Geology Heather MacDonald won the Neil Milner Award for her work in transforming geoscience education.

“All of us in the geology department are so pleased that Heather has been recognized in this way,” geology department chair Brent Owens said. “She has been a role model and an inspiration to us as teachers and to countless others across the country.”

MacDonald, who has received over $4 million in grants from the National Science Foundation for work in geoscience education, has organized workshops on research, teaching and career management for faculty, as well as workshops for graduate and post-doctoral students.

“There is no one in our community so well known or so well loved by young faculty as Heather MacDonald,” geology professor Greg Hancock, who nominated MacDonald, said.

MacDonald has also received the Biggs Earth Science Teaching Award, given by The Geological Society of America, and the Thomas Jefferson Award from the College.