The frat dance party is a uniquely disgusting experience, and a pretty integral part of freshman year. Every night out during your first semester at the College of William and Mary seems to feature the best party ever, and the Units have their own special appeal that set them apart from the average house party.

Meeting new people. Dancing on coffee tables while belting out Miley Cyrus. As a freshman girl, you’re getting tons of attention from guys. If it’s before fraternities give out bids, then, as a freshman guy, you’re also getting plenty of male attention. All in all, this doesn’t make dance parties sound that bad.

But when you finally make your way downstairs to the dance floor, you are faced with reality. You know the truth the second you walk through the basement door and hit a wall of hot, sweat-soaked air. I remember first encountering the tropical frat jungle and thinking to myself, “I might have just made a huge mistake.” But at that point I was trapped in a crowd of freak-dancing Greeks and gawking townies. It was too late to turn back. I was lodged, inescapabley, in the foul armpit of the units.

Drenched in sweat, naturally, everyone reeks. Most people at this school can’t dance to save their lives, but this doesn’t deter anyone. A cramped mass of people grinding like there is no tomorrow define the dance, the closest comparison I can think of is probably a Roman orgy. In a lot of ways, dance parties are only an excuse to find an easy hookup. I almost wish people would be a little more honest with their intentions and just start taking their clothes off on the dance floor.

The saddest part of dance parties is how they lead to so many hook-ups by creating perfect conditions for an easy transition from chatting to boning. The art of seduction has been reduced to some wasted frat guy coming up behind you and rubbing his crotch on your butt without even introducing himself. Sexy.

And then there’s that freaky couple in the corner. You know who I’m talking about. The way those two are dancing is not fooling anyone; if they are that serious about grinding, you are witnessing a walk of shame in the making. The best part of watching these couples is realizing that they probably have no idea who they’re even dancing with. But man, they are dry humping like this is the hottest body to body contact they have ever encountered. And actually, because this is the College, that might be pretty accurate.

However, the lowest of the low at any dance party is, unquestionably, the dance floor make out, or DFMO. This phenomenon could be described as the most shameful moment of your life. You’re sweaty; your body is rubbing up against at least four other people, not including the person you’re dancing with. This is beyond even the most embarrassing public display of affection, but you don’t care as you suck face with wild abandon — aggressively making out like it’s the most normal thing in the world. No regrets.

No regrets that is until the next morning. You wake up, hungover, and go to the Commons with the other frat rats on your freshman hall, because Caf brunch is another irreplaceable part of freshman year. You and your friends dress like bums, eat mass quantities of french fries and share hilarious stories of complete mortification from the night before. However, the morning after a DFMO, the Caf can be a very dangerous place: it is a law of nature that you will inevitably run into last night’s partner.

The awkward Caf moment occurs when you are faced with the harsh reality of your terrible life decisions. Despite this, you walk by this guy or girl with as much dignity as you can muster. You might ignore each other, or offer a half-hearted smile or wave. I tend to favor blatantly turning around and walking in the opposite direction. Either way, you think to yourself, “That was uncomfortable, but I handled it well. I was totally casual.” Too bad for you the Caf is shaped like a circle, and you will be running into this person three more times in the next 15 minutes. It’s enough to horrify you, but not enough to stop you from doing the same thing next weekend.

Regardless of the obvious drawbacks of dance parties, they do serve a very important purpose: they give all the sexually repressed and socially awkward students on this campus an easy outlet for their frustration. So, way to go, units. Thanks for keeping it classy.

__Kelsey Werner is a Flat Hat guest sex columnist and sex blogger. Check out her blog at www.flathatnews.com/dailygrind.__

Over the course of the three-day parents weekend, students shared pieces of their college lifestyles at the College of William and Mary with visiting families. While some chose to listen to an a cappella performance or attend the football game against Deleware, a few students shared a special occasion in a place of tradition. On Saturday, Sept. 26, students and families witnessed the unveiling of a new painting of the Sir Christopher Wren Building by Gary Casteel. President Taylor Reveley attended the short ceremony at the William and Mary Meets the Arts event, which was followed by a reception on the Wren portico.

The unveiling is the first parts of philanthropic initiative of the Delta Chi fraternity. The project attempts to raise money by selling prints and notecards of Casteel’s painting. Casteel, a nationally recognized historical sculptor and painter, is the artist at the center of Delta Chi’s largest fundraiser. The Wren Building painting is the first in a four-painting series that comprise the fundraiser. Each painting will feature a campus landmark.

“I transferred from Virginia Military Institute, and when I was there my brother did a fundraiser for the senior class,” Eric Nold ’10 said. “My brother Troy actually did something very similar only it was of the Barracks, a noble landmark on campus.”

Nold proposed the idea to his stepfather and artist Gary Casteel. Once the idea was proposed, Casteel agreed to donate his art for the benefit of the College and Delta Chi’s philanthropies.

“He proposed the project to me, and I immediately recognized the good that would come of it,” Casteel said. Nold worked closely with him to organize the fundraiser.

All of the proceeds, excluding 10 percent for administrative fees — such as fees for selling merchandise through the gift shop, organizing the unveiling, etc. — will be redistributed amongst the beneficiaries of the Delta Chi philanthropic effort.

“Of the money raised, 50 percent will be donated to the Fund for William and Mary, 40 percent will be donated to the V Foundation for Cancer Research — Delta Chi’s nationally preferred charity — and 10 percent will go toward Delta Chi’s operational costs to help pay for projects such as this, especially since this is a four-year project,” Delta Chi Philanthropy Chair David Sherman ’12 said.

This project differs from other philanthropies because so much of the proceeds go directly back to the College instead of to a national philanthropic organization.

“This fundraiser is really an opportunity for us to give back to the College,” Delta Chi President Alex Guzman ’11 said. “This school has done so much for us individually and as a fraternity, and there’s no better way for us to raise money for a cause that benefits all of us and thousands of others whose lives are shaped here at the College.”

The fundraiser itself is rather intricate. Casteel has agreed to paint four paintings over the span of four years, choosing a different landmark on campus each year as the subject of the painting. This year, Lord Botetourt side of the Wren Building was selected.

“It’s a very unique project,” Nold said. “We worked a long time on it. We hope the alumni who come back to parents are able to see it and purchase it sometime in the future.

High-quality prints of the paintings, offered in framed and non-framed options, will be available for order after fall break in the Alumni House Gift Shop, located on the first floor of the Alumni House. They will also soon be available online at Valleyartspublishing.com. In addition to the prints, packs of six notecards that feature the painting on the front will also be sold. Overall, it is a very generous agreement on the part of Casteel who, like most professional artists, would usually profit from the sale of his painting-related merchandise.

“We were able to get the deal in which he’s willing to sell prints to us wholesale,” Nold said. “We can sell the print for what it would normally cost.”

Aside from what it means for the philanthropic goals of the fraternity, the fundraiser also symbolizes a milestone for the relatively new chapter, which began colonizing in 2003 and received its charter in 2005. Since then, Delta Chi has been growing and expects to reach about 36 members for this semester.

“The thing with Delta Chi is that … we’re small, and once membership sunk to about seven members,” Sherman said. “We built back up, but during that time we didn’t really have enough members to sustain philanthropy.”

The fraternity hopes the fundraiser will be successful due to Casteel’s recognition as a sculptor and painter who specializes in life-sized historical sculptures. Among many other accolades, he was honored by the National Civil War Memorial Commission with an invitation to design and sculpt the Civil War Memorial that is set to be unveiled in May 2011, according to his website.

“It is really amazing to see Gary work,” Nold said. “He’s got the classical music going, and he’s just hacking at the ball of clay. Then you get to see the final project, and what was once clay is now bronze, and it’s just amazing.

The four paintings will likely be part of a series that portray the four seasons of the College, according to Casteel. The Wren Building was painted as it is seen in the springtime, since the building is hidden by the leaves of surrounding trees during the fall. The next scene will be the Crim Dell which, Casteel said will be the most challenging because of the dimension added by the water. This scene will probably be portrayed in fall and will be unveiled this spring. The next one will most likely be a summertime subject of the Sunken Garden, decided upon between the fraternity, the Alumni Association and the Alumni House Gift Shop manager.

Casteel has aimed to dedicate his life to history and its preservation. This fundraiser is just another way he has shown his commitment to that cause.

“As a historical artist, I readily accept a challenge to represent a ‘vision of history’ in paint or bronze,” Casteel said. “What is more important than our heritage? Some would say the future. But as a civilization, [not] knowing where you came from can only mean you will stumble over the same stones on the road you once trod.”

__A fresh-faced and smiling Ali Snell seems soft-spoken at first, but she lights up when you get her talking about her geology thesis and life here at the College of William and Mary. You may be familiar with Ali from around campus: She was an Orientation Aide, served as class president for her first three years, is a sister of Kappa Alpha Theta, and is a geology Teaching Assistant. In reality, this girl transcends stereotypes. Ali floats above the politicking that plagues the leadership positions she’s held, talks candidly about the pressure to be super involved at the College and opens up about her quirky love of “Star Trek.”__

*You’re a West Coast girl. What has it been like, transplanted to the other side of the coutnry?*

One thing I noticed is the amount of makeup people wear. People wear way more makeup on the west coast. Although there’s also the California hippie thing; I’ve been called “crunchy granola” on campus before — by William and Mary standards maybe I’m a hippie? I try to recycle, and I have my own reusable water bottle? I like the outdoors, but I like to bathe regularly.

*As a very involved member of the College community, what do you think of the culture of extreme involvement on campus?*

I mean, it’s huge here. It’s a huge thing about how many things people can add to their activities on Facebook to seem important. I mean, I hope that people Facebook to seem important. I mean, I hope that people really enjoy everything that they’re making themselves do, but I think people just need to be critical. I mean, every year going to the activities fair I sign up for hundreds of things, but that doesn’t mean I end up going. It’s still fun to be involved and go support other groups you’re not a part of.

*What’s been your trajectory and attitude about leadership and involvement at the College?*

I threw myself in freshman year; I’m glad I got myself involved in different things. I’m really glad I did, because my freshman year was so much fun. I joined the rugby team, which I miss, but stopped out of self-preservation: I’ve dislocated a hip and my shoulders like three times. With geology you need be able to hike and be active for mapping and stuff, and it’s really important because we don’t have lot of good field geologists.

*What word or phrase is overused at the College?*

I mean, we use “community” a lot, but I like how we use it. I think the words that students have been making up, like “DFMO,” dance floor make-out, and TWAMP, typical William and Mary student, are really funny.

*How do you feel about the term and usage of TWAMP?*

I think if you use it in a fun way, in taking pride in the unique type of student that comes here it’s great, but I think some people use it in a negative context and are like, “Oh TWAMP, that person is really nerdy.” Everyone here has more than the book nerd to them; they have the just-really-excited-about-things nerdy.
If you had to choose a character or celebrity to portray you in a movie, who would you pick?
I think I’d have Chris Pine from Star Trek portray me in a movie. I just love “Star Trek” and Chris Pine.

*You watch a lot of “Star Trek?”*

Yes, but there’s also a group on campus called the Beer Trek Society, so I’m an avid fan of it. I don’t get to go as much as I’d like because I always have work, but it’s not weird Trek-y obsessed, it’s just having fun and bro-ing out. It’s just like, “drink when you see an unnecessary alien,” or when they go on Red Alert or they say one of their catch phrases.

*Do you have a motto?*

It’s “The people that care don’t matter and the people that matter don’t care.” It’s really like don’t let yourself get caught up in what other people think if they aren’t the right people for you, because everyone’s going to have someone judge them.

__Ali will be heading to the mountains of Virginia later this afternoon to attend the Virginia Geology Field Conference, so we part ways to give her time to pack her bag. Next year she will be off to study either planetary or structural geology in graduate school, hoping to settle back on her native West Coast in the future. She will leave behind a wake of friends and memories at the College, potentially making return trips to visit her sister, a prospective member of the class of 2014.__

Students at the College of William and Mary are dreaming of exotic locales from Kenya to the Dominican Republic as winter and spring break destinations. Yet, these students are looking forward to more than just white beaches and a nice tan — they are hoping to make a positive impact on the global community.

Last week, students who applied for an international service trip discovered whether or not they had passed the lengthy application process, which includes a common application, supplementary questions and an interview with the team leaders of the interviewee’s trip of choice. Each service trip team is led by students and consists of 12 to 20 team members. They take on issues of educational inadequacy, homelessness and lack of medical care in communities in less developed countries, with the hopes of provide sustainable solutions. This year only 50 spots were available for 99 applicants, making the application process highly competitive.

“We [were] looking for the most diverse group of people … people who were involved in service and people who weren’t, because it should be an eye-opening experience,” Wesley Ng ’11, a trip leader for the Global Village Project, said.

According to Soojin Ock ’11, a member of Students Helping Honduras, the international service trips offer students the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the world around them and to use that knowledge to make a positive contribution. Although the deadline for international trips has already passed, there are a number of regional and national trips in which students can get involved.

It may seem incongruous with media representations of wild college spring breaks in Cancun, but many students want to do something different with their time off.

“It’s not just chilling on the couch,” Erin Lutes ’11 of William and Mary Students for Belize Education, said. “Coming into college, I was really hoping I would have the opportunity to do something meaningful.”
This desire to contribute to the community seems paramount for many students on campus. In fact, the College boasts the highest per capita Peace Corps volunteers of any research university. The first international service trip from the College left in 2002, and just seven years later there are nine international service trips and myriad domestic service opportunities.

As a reflection of this growth, the Office of Student Volunteer Services has merged with the Sharpe Community Scholars program to create the Office of Community Engagement and Scholarship, now located on the third floor of Blow Memorial Hall. All international and domestic service trips are united as a part of Branch Alternative Breaks, a department of OCES that aims to create a community of active, educated and concerned individuals contributing to social change.

“We thought it was a good idea to connect [all the service trips] under one umbrella … that way people who go to Belize to teach children can talk to the people who went to South Carolina to teach children … and there is an educational continuity,” Melody Porter, the assistant director of OCES, said.

Porter emphasizes that the international trips only reflect one-third of students who participate in Branch Out; the department also offers national and regional service trips.

“The more trips that there are, the better,” Ng said. “However, if you are that passionate about serving, there is also work to be done here in the United States.”

With the development of OCES, and the increasing number of students hoping to make a positive change, it seems the opportunities for students to give back to their community will continue to grow.

Where can you find a place at the College of William and Mary that provides snacks, arts and crafts projects and scheduled naps? It may sound like a college student’s dream class, but it is actually the Williamsburg Campus Child Care — the on-campus childcare facility here at the College.

The center originally opened in 1981 at an off-campus location. It moved to the Sarah Ives Gore Center in 1992, located behind the admissions office on Jamestown Road. WCCC operates from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and cares for approximately 50 children, ranging from infant to pre-kindergarten age.

Ninety-two percent of children enrolled in WCCC are children of faculty, staff or students at the College. However, there is no differentiation between faculty and student parents, and everyone is billed equally, according to the WCCC Director Janet Yang.

“[The program is a] response to the need of parents for childcare,” Yang said. “There’s not a lot of childcare, especially for infants and toddlers, in Williamsburg, and with an increasing number of families with two working parents, there is always a need.”

The WCCC, in addition to providing childcare for the College, provides jobs and internships for students. The staff includes 15 students, nine of whom have worked there for at least one year. Yang said she has noticed a sharp increase in job applications, and even though all positions are filled for this semester, she already has a list prepared of applicants to hire once current employees graduate. Most student employees only work part-time but still find they are able to form connections with the children.

“There is something rejuvenating in working with kids,” Mary Ingram ’10, a former employee of WCCC, said. “I don’t see how you could ever work at WCCC and fail to have a rewarding experience.”

While undergraduate students compose most of the center’s staff, WCCC is also connected with the School of Education. Amanda Geder M. Ed. ’07 works as the Family Involvement Coordinator at WCCC, with responsibilities like forging relationships with parents and organizing parent volunteers. Entering her second year as Family Involvement Coordinator, Geder said parental involvement is something she is interested in studying and facilitating.

The center provides resources for those interested in the fields of child care and education. Ingram said her reason for pursuing the WCCC job was because she is potentially interested in working in child and developmental psychology.

“We can provide valuable experience for those interested in the education field,” Yang said.

Every semester, professors work with WCCC to arrange projects or observation settings. According to Yang, students log more than 1,000 hours of research at the center each year. Projects usually work easily, as long as certain guidelines are followed, such as obtaining parent permission. Developmental psychology classes commonly conduct research projects through WCCC, but even anthropology and public speaking classes have utilized the resources that WCCC can provide.

“A public speaking class had a project to select an age-appropriate book and read it aloud to children at the center,” Yang said. “It was really interesting to see what students selected.”

The relationship between the College and WCCC is reciprocal ways. The WCCC utilizes on-campus resources just as much as students make use of center.

“We are always out and about on campus,” Yang said. “The Sunken Garden and Crim Dell Bridge, as well as Colonial Williamsburg are great for the children.”

The center has even formed a relationship with the College bookstore, which provides special story times for the children at WCCC. Overall, the WCCC offers quality care for children and easy, accessible options for working parents.

“There is never a dull moment working in this environment,” Yang said. “Every day is a challenge, but you know you are making a difference.”