The Williamsburg Planning Commission reached a consensus Wednesday not to recommend a proposal to the City Council allowing four unrelated persons to live in a rental property.

After listening to comments from students at the College of William and Mary and members of the community, planning commission members agreed that an increase in persons per rental unit would not solve off-campus housing problems. Instead, they believe alternative options should be further explored.

“This really is an issue of where do we create more student housing,” planning commission member Doug Pons said. “The four-person rule is really just a band-aid. It’s not going to create the housing needed for students.”

Students emphasized the importance of increasing persons in rental units to raise off-campus housing
affordability and alleviate some of the enforcement issues surrounding the three-person rule.

“Were it feasible, we would live off campus, but the affordability doesn’t match up,” Student Assembly
Undersecretary of Public Affairs David Witkowsky ’11 said. “If we are living in a space that can fit a family of six and it’s just me and two friends, it can be much more affordable if it is me and three friends. I think there is a disparity there that needs to be accounted for.”

SA representative Emily Gottschalk-Marconi ’12 emphasized the necessity of maintaining a dialogue between the city and the College.

“While we support many aspects of the proposal, we encourage many changes to find an acceptable solution to this problem,” she said. “We are excited to continue dialogue on areas such as enforcement, and we invite any member of the commission to come to our meetings and continue the dialogue.”

Although all seven members of the commission agreed to put discussion of the four-person rule aside, another work session meeting is scheduled for Oct. 7. The Planning Commission is required to report to the
City Council by Nov. 27, but can file for an extension if needed.

“We need to provide something to [the] City Council that is somewhat unified,” commission member Elaine
McBeth said. “It seems that there are some general discussion points, which we need to get out between ourselves.”

While the commission has been searchsearching for a solution, the College is making an effort to create more housing, including a new residential complex near Wawa on Richmond Rd. that will offer 50 more rooms and a new dormitory that will create 200 rooms on campus.

However, when there is a total of 3,281 undergraduate and graduate students living off campus each year, 250 rooms do not appear to solve the problem.

“If the College could get something started in the next six to 12 months, it would greatly help in the next two to three years,” commission member Sean Driscoll said.

During the work session, students and community members voiced their opinions in an open forum. Students supported the increase to four people, while many members of the community spoke against it, claiming that an increase would cause neighborhoods to become rental investment developments.

“We do not want to lose our single-family homes to absentee landlords,” Williamsburg resident Bill Dell said.
Witkowsky plans to continue discussion of increasing the number of persons per rental unit, even if the Planning Commission does not think it is a viable solution.

“We encourage any and all students to attend the upcoming work session on Oct. 7,” Witkowsky said. “If the Planning Commission won’t hear us, then we’ll have to go back to City Council’s public hearings and work our way back up from ground zero.”

Josh Karp ’11, head of Students for a Better Williamsburg, believes that even though the four-person rule discussion has ended, progress from the Planning Commission is encouraging.

“It is a little bit disheartening that the door is closing on four,” Karp said. “I am very excited to see what the new progress is going to be.”

Other concerns expressed from the community include the destruction of family-friendly neighborhoods through the presence of renters and the negative behaviors associated with College students.

“There are three undergraduate students who live down the street from me who often throw parties,” Williamsburg resident Flora Adams said. “What partiers do indoors, I don’t know. However, I do know what some of the partiers are doing outside of the house on their way home. They are leaving lots of trash along the way, and they are fornicating, sometimes loudly. Is there a way to keep student rentals from becoming party houses? I don’t know. But I do know that increasing their numbers won’t help.”

One clause included in the proposal, the “in good faith and good cause” clause, troubled Students for a Better Williamsburg member Kirstie Brenson ’12. If passed, the clause would allow tenants to be evicted if a complaint was made against them in good faith and with good cause.

“This effectively kicks the fourth unrelated person out of the house and onto the street,” Brenson said. “If this person is a student, it is far too late to get on-campus housing at this point. There is no definition offered for ‘in good faith and good cause.’”

Students and community members will have the opportunity to speak again at the Oct. 7 work session meeting. Until then, the discussion of an increase to four persons per rental unit has been set aside. Instead, the commission is looking for a solution to the housing issue that benefits both the community and the students.

“We should send the message to City Council that we don’t want to change occupancy from three to four, but that we should look at alternative options,” commission member Jim Joseph said.

Williamsburg City Council member Bobby Braxton visited the College of William and Mary Wednesday night to answer student questions about town-gown relations, ranging from parking problems to the three-person rule controversy. Approximately 20 students attended the fourth part of the “Better Know Your Council Member” series organized by Students for a Better Williamsburg.

“The first thing that people asked is if I had heard about the student problem,” Braxton said. “I said, ‘what student problem? I don’t know if it’s that much of a problem.’”

Shortly after he was elected, Braxton toured the College campus for the first time and was drawn to the College community.

“The City Council is about helping the people in the city, and who’s in the city? You all,” he said.

The main focus of the evening’s discussion was on the proposed change to the three-person rule, which would have allowed four people to live in a minimum 2,000 square-foot residence with annual inspections.

“I would go for the four-person rule if it had adequate housing and inspections,” Braxton said.

The Williamsburg Planning Commission unanimously decided against recommending the proposal two days later.

He also spoke of discussions between the College and Williamsburg to allot 200 to 250 slots for student residents on Richmond Road.

“We do not have land, and everything we do must go through residents,” he said.

An Evening with Bobby Braxton from Flat Hat on Vimeo.

Braxton was positive about the parking issue on and around campus, which is also a city planning concern for Williamsburg. He said city parking fines are lower than campus ones and that 60 student spaces are now available in the Prince George Parking Garage.

Students must register through the city for a garage parking pass, which costs $250 per semester and is more expensive than on-campus resident parking.

With the state gubernatorial election coming up, student voter registration was another important issue addressed at the event.

Braxton, who experienced harassment when trying to vote and participated in sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement, emphasized voter registration.

“If you know a kid over 18, tell them to go over there and register to vote, and you can quote me on that,” he said.

Born in Williamsburg, Braxton attended Bruton Heights School and has an electronics degree from the Hampton Institute, now known as Hampton University. He was elected to the Williamsburg City Council in 2006.

While he is not sure if he will run for re-election in May, Braxton is open to talk to any student about current city problems at his morning office hours in Aromas Cafe or at his personal residence near campus.

“[My house] has a stoop. I’ll tell any William and Mary student to come visit.”

Students for a Better Williamsburg is sponsoring an event, tentatively scheduled for Nov. 11, with Williamsburg Mayor Jeanne Zeidler on campus.

The July 28 fire that destroyed Sal’s by Victor and damaged several surrounding stores, including the Hallmark store and Steinmart, in Williamsburg Shopping Center was ruled accidental, Williamsburg Fire Marshal Captain James Humphrey announced at a press conference Thursday.

There was not enough evidence to determine the direct cause of the fire.

The restaurant’s fourteen surveillance cameras showed that the fire originated in the kitchen near the stove, but all the appliances were turned off. The cameras also revealed no one was inside the restaurant at the time of the fire.

The restaurant is still closed, but owner Victor Minichiello hopes to reopen by Christmas of this year. Steinmart has not opened either, but the store is scheduled to reopen Oct. 1.

Running outside, instead of on a treadmill. Biking to campus and saving $300 on parking. Hanging laundry on a drying line. Using a reusable container every day. So many ‘Do One Things to choose from — which one is best?

DOTs are personal resolutions that promote sustainability. International advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi S and the Mason School of Business believe DOTs can impact more than one’s personal well-being.

But DOT’s are not just for environmental sustainability — they can be also be economic, cultural or social in natire. These simple resolutions should make the DOTee happier, as well as more conscious of sustainable-living practices in everyday life.

Adam Werbach, the Global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi S, spoke to students and faculty at the College of William and Mary yesterday at the Business School about DOTs and sustainability. At the age of 23, Werbach was the youngest president of the Sierra Club, but he felt that his leadership role did not allow him to contribute as much as he could to sustainability efforts. He moved to the commercial sector and has helped companies like Wal-Mart, HP and Proctor & Gamble become more environmentally friendly while also increasing sustainability.

“[I’m] not ideological about tactics. [I’m] ideological about ideology,” Werbach said.

Businesses are currently built to protect themselves, Werbach said, but must constantly change in their evolution. Businesses need to move beyond the Green movement, which Werbach labeled as a blip.

“Anyone who tries to tell you that Fiji water is green should be castigated,” Werbach said.

He encouraged the audience to “go blue.”

According to Werbach, going blue reaches a broader definition of sustainability in environmental, economic, cultural and social areas.

Blue sustainability strategies can be applied to all aspects of life, not just the business sector.

Strategies of increased transparency, personal engagement, and building networks outside of personal interest can be used in our daily lives.

But Werbach said starting with just “one thing” will allow you to continually inspire new sustainability practices in all parts of your life.

“I hope the students would be excited after hearing Adam’s story. At some point, everyone gets to be a leader, and we should inspire through our actions,” Director of Undergraduate Business Program Chris Adkins said.

Werbach delivered an optimistic message, challenging the audience to seize the moment and reminding the College that students are at the front of all major movements.

“We have to start small. We can’t assume big plans will be implements and so we have to work from the ground up,” attendee Peter Glowa ’11 said.

Several students have already decided how they will make small contributions to sustainability efforts by DOT.

Arwa Zabarah MBA ’13 wants to forego paper lunch bags and air-drying her hands, and Werbach’s DOT is to share nature with his kids.

The Business School has encouraged College students to participate in Saatchi’s DOT campaign by setting up a Facebook DOT page which has recorded over 200 DOTs and promoting the DOT campaign around campus.

Among the newest of the student-run shows on the College of William and Mary’s WCWM radio station,
Austin Raynor’s ’10 “Libertarian Talk Radio” tackles current political issues from 3 to 4 p.m. every Thursday.

Launched this fall, the show covers current affairs from the perspective of a frequently misunderstood philosophy.

“Many people are unfamiliar with libertarianism, and my foremost goal is to simply educate them about its philosophical basis and its application to current national issues,” Raynor said. “But I also want to convince people that libertarianism is the best political philosophy available, from a moral and an economic standpoint.”

The show does not specifically endorse the Libertarian Party, nor is it affiliated with the College’s Libertarian Students.

Rather than targeting a strictly libertarian audience, Raynor tries to lay out his argument in a manner that allows listeners to keep pace.

“I choose a single topic of national interest for each show and begin by summarizing the issue in a nonpartisan way,” Raynor said. “Then I critique the legislation currently in place, or the legislation being considered, and end by proposing a libertarian solution to the problem.”

After the initial show, which provided a broad overview of libertarianism, Raynor has explored a different
subject each week.

Most recently the show discussed the issue of climate change and the Kyoto Protocol.

Raynor hopes to cover everything from macroeconomics and the role of the Federal Reserve to foreign policy.

Preparation for each show entails a considerable amount of research.

“I try to give as much evidence to support my points as I can, so I include the facts, statistics and examples relevant to each issue,” Raynor said.

Though Raynor has long had libertarian leanings, his commitment to the philosophy crystallized after coming to the College.

His study of economics and of the central tenets of libertarianism convinced him that his own beliefs were best reflected by the philosophy, with its emphasis on free market capitalism, reducing the size of government and increasing civil liberties.

Raynor was drawn to libertarianism because of its emphasis on free market capitalism, reducing the size of capitalism and increasing civil liberties.

The period of expansion in the federal government’s size and scope that has occurred under the most recent presidential administrations only further confirmed his convictions.

The show is broadcast on WCWM, 90.9 FM, and can be streamed live online at the radio station’s website. Callers are welcome to contribute to the discussion by calling in to the show at (757) 221-3268.

The Student Health Act, an initiative to subsidize sexually transmitted infection testing on campus, dominated debate at Tuesday’s meeting of the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly.

SA Vice President Ryan Ruzic J.D. ’11 said that the $75 charge for STI testing was a disincentive for students to go to the Student Health Center.

“It only makes sense for the school to offer free STI testing,” Ruzic said.

Currently, chlamydia or gonorrhea test costs $18, a syphilis test $10 and a genital warts test $5. If passed, the Student Health Act would make all of these tests free.

“I’m really happy with this list of tests to cover because the Health Center called it the ‘most comprehensive list’ that we can reasonably afford,” Ruzic said.

The act would not cover HIV or HPV testing. Instead, Ruzic said that the health center offers alternatives.

“The university health center offers several free screening days for HIV,” Ruzic said.
Covering these tests would raise the cost of implementing the act by several thousand dollars, he added.

Based on the cost of around 950 STI tests administered at the health center last year, the act would cost the SA approximately $12,000.

Funding would come from the consolidated reserve, which is comprised of money from student activities fees.

“Our job is to pass that money back out to student groups,” Ruzic said. “Over the years, a large surplus has developed. It’s certainly large enough to cover this.”

Ruzic hopes that the SA’s funding STI testing, the SA will bring attention to an important issue.

“This is something students hear and think, ‘that is a great idea,’ and that’s what the SA should be doing,” he said.

He hopes that if the Student Health Act is passed, the College will help fund STI testing in the future.

Sen. Ben Brown ’11 said the SA is working out the best way to move forward with the Student Health Act, and that the discussion will continue during next.

At the meeting, the SA also reviewed the Fall 2009 Elections Delay Act, which postponed elections until Thursday, Oct. 1.

“We promoted it significantly better this time. We have several more candidates,” Sen. Ross Gillingham ’10 said.

Last week, the SA approved changes made to the Know Your Rights cards that are handed out to students at the beginning of the year.

The new version will be available at the end of the month or the beginning of October.

The Welcome Home Repayment Act was also discussed. The act will reimburse Undersecretary of Public Affairs Brian Focarino ’11 for the costs he personally took on for one of four “Welcome Home” banners that were on display during convocation.

“[The banners] were a huge hit,” bill sponsor Sen. Jill Olszewski ’12 said, “They’re durable. They’re great.”

The banners will be used for homecoming and other events at the college.

James Evans ’10, Chris Bettis J.D. ’11 and Mark Johnson ’10 were appointed to the Executive Review Board after a closed session was called.

Fayfay Shang ’11 was appointed as the new secretary of finance for the SA Executive. Shang, an accounting major, worked at Merrill-Lynch in Washington, D.C. over the summer.