p. Nobody expected this — not even top Board of Visitors members.

p. Rector Michael Powell ’85 said he found out about College President Gene Nichol’s resignation about 20 minutes before students did, giving him little time to make arrangements and respond. Powell asked Nichol to wait on releasing the resignation e-mail until the board could write a statement, according to Faculty Assembly President Alan Meese, but Nichol refused.

p. Nearly two hours later, Powell e-mailed students saying, among other things, that Nichol wasn’t dismissed for the ideological reasons discussed in his resignation e-mail. Instead, the decision came after a five-month review of Nichol’s performance that ended last week in a discussion where all 17 BOV members agreed that Nichol’s contract should not be renewed.

p. “The relationship at the top of the school was continually deteriorating because of the unwillingness of the president to see the board as an equal partner, let alone his boss,” Powell said in a telephone interview. “And the chief executive, no matter how gifted, must work effectively with the board.”

p. In Nichol’s e-mail, he said that he made four decisions that stirred controversy and led to his resignation: removing the Wren cross from permanent display, refusing to ban the Sex Workers’ Art Show, introducing the Gateway program and working to increase racial diversity.

p. But Powell said the board’s decision was based mainly on communication issues and that Nichol continued to announce major policy changes without consulting BOV members, even after the board repeatedly discussed the problem with him. According to Powell, Nichol announced the $4 million Gateway program without securing funding and without alerting the BOV, forcing the board to divert money away from other student aid initiatives to pay for the unfunded program.

p. He said the board agrees with the mission of Gateway and is currently trying to build an endowment for it, but he believes the announcement could have been handled more responsibly.
Powell also said Nichol removed the Wren cross without consulting the BOV and that Nichol would not agree to board members’ recommendations that he appoint a religion committee until six months into the controversy. By that time, Powell said, “enormous political capital had been expended.”

p. “It collapsed into a situation where things were either his way or no way,” Powell said. “We tried many, many ways to work on it, but it became clear that we were asking him to be something he wasn’t.”

p. He added that Nichol did not properly consult the BOV about several other programs that required funding, and Nichol responded to the Sex Workers’ Art Show in a way that the board found unnecessarily controversial.

p. The board’s 360-degree review of Nichol, which included an appraisal by an independent consulting firm, concluded that he was doing a poor job developing relationships with the school’s top donors, Powell said. He added that the board had been considering a billion-dollar fundraising campaign as a follow-up to the $500 million Campaign for William and Mary but decided that insufficient progress had been made toward such a large project.

p. “It became crystal clear that, unanimously, the board didn’t have confidence that he would succeed,” Powell said. “We made the gut-wrenching decision to make a change.”

p. The BOV, though, set no timetable for releasing the decision. After reaching a consensus at last week’s meeting, the board informed Nichol Sunday that his contract would not be renewed — after dining with the president Friday night and after the Charter Day celebration Saturday.

p. Powell said he hoped Nichol would serve out his term and that they could work in the remaining months to find a way for Nichol to leave gracefully. That’s why, Powell said, the board offered him a generous transitional package stipulating that he make no statements about his departure without the board’s approval.

p. Nichol rejected the offer, saying his values are not for sale.

p. “It was not the board’s intention to censor him or unfairly restrict him,” Powell said. “We were hopeful that we would work together toward a mutual, agreeable public explanation and in a manner that was harming the school as little as possible and harming him personally as little as possible.”

p. Now, in the wake of Nichol’s e-mail, the board is left with the task of answering student calls for transparency. Hundreds of student protestors are saying that their voices were not heard and that the board acted in secrecy to dismiss a president who was admired by students and faculty.

p. BOV member Charles Thomas, who was the first black justice on the Virginia Supreme Court, said he was taking phone calls from students in the days after the resignation and that he was considering a trip to Williamsburg in the near future.

p. “We’re not budging on diversity, and we’re not budging on Gateway,” he said, adding that Nichol wasn’t dismissed for his ideological stances.

p. Powell said that he was aware that many students are upset with the BOV, and he wanted students to understand that the board did listen to them.

p. “Being heard is not the same thing as prevailing, and that’s important to distinguish,” he said. “I’m not naive about where we sit with the community right now, and that’s heartbreaking to me.”

p. English professor Colleen Kennedy, who is the faculty representative to the BOV, said she originally supported Nichol but now believes that the board’s decision was in the best interest of the College.

p. Nichol’s resignation e-mail, she said, was not.

p. “I don’t see how that letter can be construed as doing any good for the College at all,” she said. “That letter is not in anybody’s best interest, except maybe his.”

p. “He made the board the villains and they’re not — they’re the people caught in the middle of it,” she added.

p. The Flat Hat tried to contact all BOV members for this report, but only Powell and Thomas returned calls or were willing to comment. Nichol would not return requests for comment, and last night his wife said he had left for a beach in North Carolina.

p. Last Tuesday, students from the College filled the Williamsburg Community Building to vote in the Virginia Republican and Democratic primary elections. The polls were open from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m.

p. Student Assembly President Zach Pilchen ’09 said that between 800 and 900 students were registered to vote through the College’s student voter registration program. However, some of those students registered in the 30-day period before the election, rendering them unable to vote in the primary. The number of students able to vote in the primary was around 700.

p. Although the statistic of how many students actually voted is still forthcoming, Pilchen says that students did make a difference in the election.

p. “There were many more voters at the Stryker precinct, which is the precinct that includes the neighborhoods around the College and the College itself,” Pilchen said.

p. This is the first year that students were allowed to register to vote in Williamsburg through the College. Jennifer Schindler ’11 of New York really appreciated being able to vote without the hassle of an absentee ballot.

p. “It was so empowering,” Schindler said. “As students, our voices should be heard. “What better way to express ourselves than to be part of the community we will live in for the next four years.”

p. The town seemed to welcome students to the polls. Williamsburg Mayor Jeanne Zeidler told The Flat Hat that she thought, for the most part, residents were happy to have students voting.

p. “I think there remain differences of opinion, but in general, I think most people not only accept it but encourage the interest and involvement,” Zeidler said.

p. California Tortilla, a restaurant in New Town, had a special incentive to entice people to vote. People wearing their “I Voted” sticker were given a free taco.

p. The SA sent an e-mail to students early Tuesday with information on how to vote. Students were told which candidates from both the Democratic and the Republican parties were still in the running, since some of the candidates on the ballots had already dropped out of the race. The e-mail advised students to participate, saying that this election was a type of trial run for later elections.

p. “Students have only sparingly been able to vote in Williamsburg for the past four years, so this election will be important to make sure that problems can be ironed out before more important elections,” the SA email said.

p. Many students agreed that the voting process went very smoothly and easily. Kathryn Phillips ’11 was proud to cast her vote Tuesday and hopes that many others on campus did as well.

p. “I think that no one has an excuse for not voting because the polls were only a few blocks away and the lines were not very long,” Phillips said. “It was an easy process.”

p. Complaints about Sigma Chi’s Derby Days philanthropy have led to discussions with the Inter-Sorority Council and leaders of the fraternity.

p. Derby Days is a week-long national philanthropy and is one of the largest in the country, according to Sigma Chi Philanthropy Chair Spencer Tawse ’10.

p. Derby Days is “a competition between different sororities or groups of girls to support the Children’s Miracle Network,” Tawse said. CMN is a non-profit organization that funds hospitals and medical research.

p. Competitions at Derby Days include creating banners, performing skits and lip-synching.

p. The philanthropy became the source of some controversy this year when the ISC received complaints from females about Derby Days, ranging from the setting to the tasks assigned. Respondents to an ISC survey said that the philanthropy “is degrading to women who are judged by men of a fraternity” and is designed “to impress members of Sigma Chi.”

p. In response to the complaints, Tawse and Sigma Chi’s president Jonathan Anderson ’08 and former president Bryan McDermott ’07 met with the ISC to go over the complaints and the ISC’s proposals.

p. Tawse said that he knew of the problems with Derby Days when he signed on as Sigma Chi philanthropy chair.

p. “The previous philanthropy chair had worked on bringing Derby Days back to what it had been,” Tawse said. “I had come into this position with the goal to [continue] that.”

p. Tawse said that the ISC meetings were highly successful and that Sigma Chi and ISC worked out solutions to most of the issues discussed.

p. The ISC report indicated that murky scoring and point-keeping were a problem for many participants, who felt that Sigma Chi may have been awarding points based on criteria not in their guidelines. More than 75 percent of respondents also felt that the non-public venue for Derby Days’ activities “encouraged inappropriate behavior.”

p. In response, Tawse told The Flat Hat that many of the changes recommended by the ISC would be implemented.

p. “A lot of the recommendations were really simple, like a public scoreboard,” he said. Sigma Chi is now planning to hold the lip-sync performance as a concert in Lodge One.

p. To address complaints that participants were unsure of where the money for Derby Days was going, the first day of the competition will feature a presentation by the Children’s Miracle Network, Tawse said.

p. In addition, Tawse said he was happy with the ISC meetings and expects Derby Days to be a success this year.

p. “I think everyone came out of that meeting excited for Derby Days,” he said. “We feel like we have an opportunity to come out [of] this with a better philanthropy.”

p. Former College President Gene Nichol kept people talking all throughout his career and will make news for weeks to come as well.

p. Nichol was selected as the College’s new president in early March 2005. The Board of Visitors picked the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s law school dean in a unanimous vote, beating out the College’s School of Education Dean Virginia McLaughlin and Marshall-Wythe School of Law Dean (and now interim president at the College) Taylor Reveley, following a nine-month search for previous President Timothy J. Sullivan’s replacement.

p. Nichol was sworn in July 1, 2005. He stated his goals of helping the College better compete against private institutions, increasing funding and cultivating better student and faculty engagement. He was then installed as the College’s 26th president April 7, 2006, along with Sandra Day O’Connor as the 23rd chancellor. Diversity was one of his goals from the beginning. “The College needs to more vigorously open its doors to become more racially and geographically diverse,” Nichol said in the April 14th issue of The Flat Hat.

p. Nichol introduced a program early in his career that will carry on beyond his presidency. The Gateway program provides tuition, room and board for students whose families make less than $40,000 a year. Student recipients are chosen based on Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms. The first Gateway freshmen arrived in fall of 2006. Nichol mentioned Gateway in his e-mail to students following his resignation.

p. Soon after his installation, Nichol received news that the National Collegiate Athletic Association had ruled the two feathers on the College’s logo hostile to Native Americans; however, the College’s sports program was allowed to keep the name “Tribe.”
After lengthy appeals, Nichol announced Oct. 6, 2006 that the administration would adhere to the NCAA’s decision. He reasoned that suing the NCAA would cost a large amount of money that would be better spent on financial aid.

p. Feb. 20, 2007 Nichol charged Vice President for Student Affairs Sam Sadler with the task of forming a committee to create a new logo. The committee consisted of 14 total alumni, students, faculty and staff at the College. Members accepted student input until April 29 and then worked on the decision until December 2007, when the committee revealed the new logo it had selected to the BOV. The design faced strong opposition among students, who formed an online petition to “express profound disappointment” in the new design.

p. The biggest event in Nichol’s career came in October 2006, with what came to be known as “the Wren cross controversy.” He removed an 18-inch gold cross from the Wren Chapel to make the chapel more welcoming to people of all faiths. It was to be relocated to the sacristy and made available on request.
Nichol made the decision to relocate the cross after receiving some requests from members of the community to reconsider the cross’s placement in the chapel.

p. Word about the seemingly small change started spreading when Assistant Director of Historic Campus Melissa Enginmann sent an e-mail to employees of the Wren building informing them of the decision on the day of the cross’s removal. As the news spread, Nichol then sent an e-mail on Oct. 27 verifying and explaining the move.

p. Major news sources soon picked up on the story. A few members of the SA proposed bills against the decision and the Campus Crusade for Christ expressed displeasure.

p. Its removal also became an issue with alumni. Oct. 31, Vince Haley ’88 started savethewrencross.org, a website which included a link to petition Nichol’s decision. It had 1,300 signatures when The Flat Hat printed a report on it Nov. 17, 2006.

p. Margee Pierce ’84 witheld a donation, and four members of the Fourth Centry Club, a group of alumni who contribute $1,000 or more annually, signed Haley’s online petition. However, Vice President for Development Sean Pieri told The Flat Hat Feb. 13 that the number of alumni withholding donations was small compared to contributions to the Campaign for William and Mary.

p. Nichol defended his decision in the Nov. 16, 2007 BOV meeting, while money went back and forth. Supporters donated to make up for those retracting donations; these included Tom Mikula ’48 and Marilyn Entwisle ’44, who both pledged $12,000 to the College and called for 1,000 others to make up for this, the biggest loss. Then, last February, founder and former CEO of the United Coal Company James McGlothlin ’62 J.D.’64 pulled his $12 million donation because he was upset by the cross’s removal.

p. This year questions about McGlothlin’s retraction resurfaced. Jim Jones ’82 had given the BOV a 40-page document arguing that Nichol should be fired. The presentation included a letter to Jones from McGlothlin. In the July 18 article, McGlothlin stated that he never fully committed to the donation. He said that he had told former College President Tim Sullivan ’66 the previous December that he no longer planned to make the donation.

p. The presentation included allegations that Nichol knew of McGlothlin’s retraction of the money before he announced that the Campaign for William and Mary had met its $500 million goal.
Nichol said that he had never misrepresented the amount of money in the campaign, and that he did not know McGlothlin would retract the $12 million until the campaign had already ended.

p. Nichol also said that he had discussed the donation with Sullivan, but Sullivan did not mention McGlothlin’s plan to revoke the money. Nichol said that he learned of the pledge Feb. 23, when he received a letter that had been forwarded to the BOV Feb. 16, in which McGlothlin said that he planned to withhold a large donation. That letter became public in February 2007.

p. Like Jones, the anti-Nichol website ShouldNicholBeRenewed.org used this uncertainty as the basis for their main argument that Nichol should be fired, taking the view that Sullivan told Nichol about the $12 million loss, and Nichol subsequently ignored it due to he criticisms that had been surfacing ever since his decision concerning the removal of the Wren cross.

p. College officials released the e-mail in which Sullivan warned Nichol that the pledge was “in jeopardy” two months before Nichol said that he actually learned of the retraction.

p. Nichol had appointed a committee to deal with the controversy surrounding the placement of the cross called the Committee on Religion in a Public University. It was made up of students and professors and chaired by Ball professor of law Alan Meese and religion professor Emeritus James Livingston. After only a few meetings, on Apr. 16, they made their decision to place the cross in a display case with a plaque explaining the College’s historic ties with Bruton Parish Church and its Anglican roots. The cross was placed in its glass case in August. The conflict seemed to have been resolved, though criticisms continued to surface for Nichol.

p. Following the cross conflict, Nichol seemed to face scrutiny concerning almost all of his actions. His last difficulty arose with the hosting of this year’s Sex Workers’ Art Show, a show that tours the country with former or current workers in the sex industry who talk about their experiences and perform various pieces. This was the second year in a row that the show was hosted by the College.
Nichol said that although he did not approve of the content of the student-funded show, he would not agree to censor it. However, a vocal anti-Nichol minority raised issue with the “questionable” content on a college campus.

p. Nichol faced vocal criticisms of his presidency up until the day he resigned. Early in December the BOV decided to delay a decision about his contract; Rector Michael Powell sent an e-mail Sept. 28 to students telling them that the BOV would vote on Nichol in the February or April meeting in 2008. The BOV announced that they would not renew his contract after its meeting last week, and Nichol sent an e-mail informing the College community of his resignation, sparking varied responses, including reflection on Nichol’s actions and his overall influence on campus.

p. Nobody was expecting this — not even top Board of Visitors members.

p. Rector Michael Powell said he found out about College President Gene Nichol’s resignation only minutes before students did, giving him little time to make arrangements and compose a response to Nichol’s e-mail.

p. But nearly two hours later, Powell sent an e-mail to students saying, among other things, that Nichol wasn’t dismissed for the ideological reasons discussed in his resignation e-mail. Instead, the decision came after a five-month review of Nichol’s performance that ended last week in a discussion where all 16 BOV members agreed that Nichol’s contract should not be renewed.

p. “The weaknesses we found in executive skills were costing us,” Powell said in a telephone interview. “At the end of the day we felt we couldn’t make enough progress without making a change.”

p. The BOV, though, set no timetable for releasing the decision. After reaching a consensus at last week’s meeting, the board informed Nichol Sunday that his contract would not be renewed — after dining with the president Friday night and after the Charter Day celebration Saturday.

p. Powell said he hoped Nichol would serve out his term and that they could work in the remaining months to find a way for Nichol to leave gracefully. That’s why, Powell said, the board offered him a generous transitional package stipulating that he make no statements about his departure without the board’s approval. Nichol rejected the offer, saying his values are not for sale.

p. “It was not the board’s intention to censor him or unfairly restrict him,” Powell said. “We were hopeful that we would work together toward a mutual, agreeable public explanation and in a manner that was harming the school as little as possible and harming him personally as little as possible.”

p. Now, in the wake of Nichol’s e-mail, the board is left with the task of answering student calls for transparency. Hundreds of student protestors are saying that their voices were not heard and that the board acted in secrecy to dismiss a president who was admired by students and faculty.

p. BOV member Charles Thomas, a former Virginia Supreme Court Justice, said he was taking phone calls from students today and that he was considering a trip to Williamsburg in the near future.

p. “We listened to all the voices in the community,” Thomas said.

p. “We’re not budging on diversity, and we’re not budging on Gateway,” he added, saying that Nichol wasn’t dismissed for his ideological stances.

p. English professor Colleen Kennedy, who is the faculty representative to the BOV, said she originally supported Nichol but now believes that the board’s decision was in the best interest of the College.

p. Nichol’s resignation e-mail, she said, was not.

p. “I don’t see how that letter can be construed as doing any good for the College at all,” she said. “That letter is not in anybody’s best interest, except maybe his.”

p. “He made the board the villains and they’re not — they’re the people caught in the middle of it.”

p. Students and faculty, decked out in pro-Nichol shirts and red armbands, packed into the University Center Wednesday to protest the Board of Visitor’s decision not to renew the contract of College President Gene Nichol.

p. “It’s been hundreds of people, coming and going,” Devan Barber ’08 said. Barber has been cited as one of the organizers of the event, which included an all day sit-in and town meeting at 2 p.m. “It’s amazing that students have mobilized so quickly.”

p. According to Dave Johnson ’09, the organization of the protest occurred spontaneously, involving two or three groups and coalescing over the 24 hours between Nichol’s announcement and the protest’s commencement.

p. The impromptu protest brought a wide variety of students to the UC. Many sat circles, listening to old protest songs or doing work. Several students made rounds throughout the building, carrying with them a petition with a list of demands for the BOV.

p. “It really started organically,” Phil Zapfel ’09 said as he stood outside, asking those going into the building to sign the petition. “But we feel like we’ve got a majority of student support.”

p. According to Zipfel, the petition already had approximately 800 signatures as of 1:45 that afternoon.

p. The Commonwealth Auditorium was crowded with students, alumni and faculty at 2 p.m. when leaders of the protest listed their demands.

p. These included full disclosure of the reasoning behind the decision not to renew Nichol’s contract, a review of the process by which the decision was made, a question and answer period for Rector Michael Powell and the BOV regarding student and faculty concerns, a guarantee that the BOV take into account student voices in the decision-making process, and a BOV commitment to continue diversity of the college.

p. Several faculty members also addressed the crowd, including Provost Geoffrey Feiss, who said, “To an old lefty, this feels good.”

p. Feiss went on to add that Nichol’s departure is tantamount to “a death in the family,” and that no matter who the BOV appoints to replace the former president, “He’s not Gene Nichol.”

p. Several faculty members expressed their concerns at the meeting, saying that the voices of faculty members and students at the college had not been heard throughout the decision-making process. Many urged for solidarity amongst students, faculty, and staff.

p. “There’s some power in strength in numbers,” Lynn Pelco, a professor at the School of Education, said. “Reach out to your faculty.” Another professor raised his right fist in the air, and yelled, “We are a family,” prompting enthusiastic applause from the audience.

p. One professor brought up concerns regarding the status of the unofficial strike taking place Wednesday and Thursday, saying that the Commonwealth has informed the College that if professors were to collude and go on strike, their positions may be terminated.

p. “We’ve been told not to use the ‘S’ word,” she said. “How about another ‘S’ word? Solidarity.” She then lifted a sign over her head, bearing the word “STRIKE” in all capital letters.

p. Student Assembly President Zach Pilchen considered the day a success for the protestors.

p. “It went fantastic,” he said. “Students are asking how they can get involved beyond holding candles at a rally.”

p. “Today makes me energized in some ways,” sociology professor Jennifer Bickham-Mendez said. “I’m glad to see students leading this. This is what education is all about.”

“Interim, acting, temporary, man of the hour.”

p. Those were the words of Interim College President Taylor Reveley Wednesday afternoon as he tried to describe his current position after College President Gene Nichol’s resignation Tuesday.

p. Reveley said that he was surprised by Nichol’s decision, which Nichol announced Tuesday in an e-mail to students. He also said that the College’s Board of Visitors asked him to serve in the interim shortly after the announcement. He previously served as Dean of the College’s Marshall-Wythe School of Law; law Professor Lynda Butler will serve in that position until he returns.

p. Reveley noted that he is not seeking a permanent position as college president but felt it was his duty to serve in interim. Reveley was one of top three candidates for the College presidency in 2005, after former College Presidedent Timothy Sullivan’s retirement.

p. “An alumnus of the law school sent me an e-mail, and he didn’t know whether this was a promotion, a civic duty or a sentence,” Reveley said. “I’m focusing on the civic duty dimension. I’m doing this because I think I can help the university get through a difficult period and do some good.”

p. Reveley also said that, while he will only serve in interim, he would try to lead an active presidency.

p. “What I’ve been asked to do is not be a caretaker but to help the College keep moving forward,” he said.

p. He noted that the College will work to increase student and faculty diversity, internationalize the College campus, foster civic duty and continue the College’s Gateway Program, which improves financial aid to low-income Virginia students.

p. These issues were a large part of Nichol’s tenure. In his e-mail to students yesterday, Nichol cited his commitment to diversity and Gateway as some of the most controversial aspects of his tenure.
Reveley said, however, that those initiatives were part of the College before Nichol’s presidency.

p. “These are things that have been around William and Mary for a long time; they certainly characterize Tim Sullivan’s presidency,” Reveley said. “What [Nichol] did was put some … passion into them.” Reveley said.

p. In a statement released to students and faculty yesterday, Reveley stressed the need for the College community to move past recent events. He also expressed sympathy for Nichol.

p. “This is a difficult time of transition not just for William and Mary but also for Gene Nichol and his family,” Reveley wrote in the statement. “Nick and Glenn [George, Nichol’s wife] are my good friends. They have my very best wishes.”

p. Reveley also said that he wants to improve the College’s national reputation and move away from the controversies that have garnered national attention in the past 16 months. He cited the Wren cross and the Sex Workers’ Art Show as the issues that has distracted attention from other College initiatives.

p. “We need to start talking about other things,” he said.
Reveley also said that the search for a new president may take a long time and that he would not be surprised if he were to serve in interim for more than one year.

p. He also addressed the student and faculty protests that have occurred throughout campus. Many students held a “sit-in” at the University Center Wednesday and some faculty held an unofficial strike that caused the cancellation of many classes Wednesday and Thursday.

p. “I think one reason we’re having so much reaction is people care so intensely about this place, particularly the students. I mean this really is your school. You care about it so you’re responding very vigorously to something that you either don’t understand or don’t like.”

p. Reveley said that he plans to address students more publicly in the coming days.

p. “I’m going to do my level best for the school they love,” he said, referring to students. “William and Mary’s … one of the genuinely great, enduring institutions. I want to help push it forward.”
Reveley attended Princeton and the University of Virginia. He clerked for Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. and worked at the law firm Hunton & Williams for 28 years before becoming Dean of the Law School in 1998.

Flat Hat Assoc. News Editor Alex Guillén contributed reporting to this article.

p. Students filled the Wren courtyard Tuesday night to show support for College President Gene Nichol after his official resignation this morning, which was the result of the Board of Visitors’ decision not to renew his contract when it expires in June.

p. Mallory Johnson ’10, Justin Reid ’09, staff member Anne Reppeta and Nichol spoke on the steps of the president’s house, and then participants sang the alma mater.

p. Reid said he felt the BOV was unfairly secretive in their voting, and Reppeta thanked Nichol for “how much he cares about all of us.”

p. Reid also said that a new website supporting Nichol — www.tribeunited.com — will release the e-mail addresses of BOV members and that the website will post student letters online.

p. Volunteers passed out candles for supporters and collected thank-you notes from attendees to give to Nichol and his family.

p. “When Justin [Reid] spoke, he said that I was one of you — that is the highest compliment,” Nichol told the crowd. “The notion that I would not be your president in the coming months and years is one of the deepest wounds I can imagine.”

p. Nichol urged the crowd to make the College the single most engaged university in the country, and he talked about the students in his Gateway program. He said that many Gateway students were wearing t-shirts that said that if Nichol is not welcome here, then they are not welcome here — but Nichol said that the best way for them to honor the Gateway initiative is by staying at the College.

p. “Live life by doing things in which you believe,” he said. “Think of the alternative — people do [live a life they do not believe in] all the time, but it is not for you. It is not for the young women and men of the College of William and Mary.”

p. “You have taught me much more than I have taught you,” he added. “I cannot say how much it means to have you here in tremendous numbers.”

p. Following the alma mater, Nichol hugged and shook hands with students.

p. “I was in the Sunken Gardens this afternoon, and the students there were very articulate and passionate,” Swem and geology librarian Karen Berquist ’83 said. “I was just really glad to see students following in the model that Gene Nichol has set.”

p. Law School Dean Taylor Reveley, who has been named the College’s interim president, released the following statement Tuesday to The Flat Hat.

p. This is a difficult time of transition for William and Mary. Though not a mission I sought, I will serve this marvelous College as best I can. Listening and learning will be crucial for me in the weeks to come. I look forward to meeting with the College’s extraordinary faculty and students, its deeply committed staff, and its stalwart alumni. Vitally important to the continued progress of William and Mary is our commitment to the College as a place for students, faculty and staff of great diversity. Important also are the College’s welcome and support for students regardless of means. It matters too that the College is a place increasingly open to the world. And William and Mary’s historic commitment to the civic involvement of its people is central to our identity. These are College values of great importance. They are also my values.

p. More than 200 students, faculty and staff gathered in the Sunken Garden today to speak out against the Board of Visitors’ decision to not renew College President Gene Nichol’s contract when it expires in June.

p. Students called for a boycott of the Senior Class Gift, and several professors called for a faculty strike tomorrow and Thursday to protest a decision that many in the crowd viewed as a unilateral action by the BOV to end a presidency that has been surrounded in controversy since 2006.

p. “This is a good time for students to stand up and say how we feel because the BOV doesn’t care what the students think,” said Lamar Shambley ’10, who told the crowd that he is a Gateway student who likely wouldn’t have been able to attend the College if it weren’t for Nichol’s student aid initiative.

p. The protest started around 2 p.m., and hundreds of students were still gathered two hours later. Some students shouted phrases like “fuck the BOV,” while others spoke to the crowd about personal experiences they had with Nichol.

p. Dean of Admissions Henry Broaddus and Provost Geoff Feiss were in attendance, and they both said that they were disappointed with the BOV’s decision.

p. “I feel deeply the pain, and it’s terribly important that people have the opportunity to express that — their anger, their frustration,” Feiss said. “What we need to do is honor the things that Gene Nichol stood for.”