Queen Elizabeth who? Frances Moore has lived in Williamsburg since before Elizabeth II took the throne. In this time Williamsburg has expanded but that’s okay with Moore. Virginia’s colonial capital remains true to its origins.

p. Moore, 83 this year, has worked at the College Shop for the past 48 years. In this time Williamsburg has literally changed before her eyes, “It was a small town. It’s just not a small town anymore.”

p. “So the surrounding area which used to be nothing is built up now you know. Condominiums, motels, hotels. But there are so many people that really like the atmosphere of Williamsburg that they return and make their home here,” she said.

p. Yet Moore has grown to accept the change of scenery. Gregarious by nature, she loves meeting people. Those she met over the years are “very interesting people.” Moore appreciates Williamsburg’s expansion because of the new business and attractions that it brings. “So I don’t think that has hurt Williamsburg. I think that has helped it,” she said.

p. Moore has come into contact with people from all over the world in her time at the College Shop. She owns a business card signed by John Wayne, who visited once. And while the rest of Williamsburg anticipates the arrival of Elizabeth, that’s old shoe to Moore.

p. “I saw the queen and her husband when they were here in 1957. They rode the carriage right down DoG Street. I was standing on the street very close to her. Which was very exciting. I’m hoping to get to see her again. I’m not sure if I will or not with so many people, but it’s exciting. I was impressed with the queen mother too. She was so beautiful. Her skin was not even a blemish. Her skin was so beautiful,” she said.

p. At 83, Moore has no plans to leave Williamsburg in the near future. For now she will continue to work at the College Shop and travel, a pastime she enjoys with her spouse. And she looks forward to meeting more new people.

p. “I left Williamsburg for three years. When I came back I said I’m never leaving again. I liked it because it’s centrally located. I like the people in this area. But I after I came back I said I might go on a trip but I’ll never go again,” she said. “I just always liked the atmosphere of Williamsburg. I like working in the public.”

College economics professor Carl Moody has endorsed a report advocating the legalization of marijuana, which, according to research done by a Harvard University professor, would create savings and tax revenues resulting in a net gain of approximately $10 to $14 billion annually.

p. Harvard economics professor Jeffrey Miron’s report, published in June 2005, is called “The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition,” and has garnered the support of over 530 economists from colleges and universities across the nation.

p. Focusing on federal budgets, Miron’s report notes that “prohibition entails direct enforcement costs and prevents taxation of marijuana production and sale.”

p. Moody decided to express his support for the matter because he has long agreed with Miron’s argument, despite the controversy surrounding the issue.

p. “It just makes so much sense. I’ve done lots of research, never published it, but I looked into it, and the cost of drug prohibition is just enormous,” Moody said in a phone interview. “It is controversial, but look who else supports it. I’m with Nobel Laureate winners. If [Nobel Laureate recipients Dr.] Milton Friedman and [Dr.] Vernon Smith can take the heat, so can I. It’s just so sensible, why wouldn’t people agree?”

p. According to the report, lifting prohibition and allowing for the taxation of marijuana would save the government approximately $7.7 billion per year in enforcement costs. Of these savings, $5.3 billion would be accumulated at the state and local levels from such expenditures and $2.4 billion at the federal level.

p. In Virginia, the police, judicial and corrections budget combined is $2,935 million, of which $99.46 million is attributed to expenditures related to marijuana prohibition, the report says.

p. In addition to these savings, the report says that the tax revenue gains would be considerable. Depending on the method of taxation, anywhere between $2.4 billion (if marijuana were taxed like an ordinary product) and $6.2 billion (if it were taxed like alcohol or tobacco) would be accrued annually.

p. Many of the esteemed endorsers of the report, however, think that the economics are only part of the problem about marijuana prohibition.

p. “Look at the factual consequences: the harm done and the corruption created by these laws,” Friedman said in an interview with Forbes magazine. “The costs are one of the lesser evils.”

p. Although the report espouses the view that legalizing marijuana would have many economic benefits, it acknowledges that the social impacts and consequences of eradicating prohibition were not considered.

p. Moody, however, feels that the social impacts of lifting prohibition would all be positive.

p. “It’s an unnecessary infringement on rights as a person and the right to do what you want with your body. It’s not anybody else’s body; it’s not the government’s. I support [legalization] on philosophical grounds,” he said.

p. His support for the issue of legalization also stems from his view of the negative impacts of prohibition on society and individual freedoms.

p. “Prohibition leads to empowerment of the law enforcement and police side of government. We’re not a police state, but if you stop people from doing what they want it reduces freedom overall. [In situations like this,] police are forced to go undercover or rely on snitches or break into houses [to seek out the criminals.] If prohibition were lifted, there would be a significant shift of usage from alcohol to marijuana, and also from more intense drugs to marijuana, which [in comparison] is pharmacologically mild,” Moody said.

p. Prohibition, in Moody’s opinion, is the reason that harder drugs have become more popular.

p. “[During prohibition in the 1920s,] beer wasn’t smuggled in, they took in hard alcohol. Essentially the same thing holds true now. Dangerous, designer drugs are popular because they’re easier to smuggle in. You can’t fly a plane of marijuana leaves,” Moody said.

p. The report has been summarized in a letter to President George W. Bush, requesting “an open and honest debate about marijuana prohibition” and advocating reform that would allow a system of regulation and taxation similar to that used for the distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages.

p. “I don’t expect significant movement [to change marijuana policy as a result of] the report,” Moody said. “This is essentially one drop in a Chinese water torture method to change [the current] policy. Our one drop says ‘your policy is stupid.’ Sooner or later, reason will win out.”

In response to the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech senior Scott Brown and the Student Assembly have teamed up to sell “We Remember” bracelets to raise money for Virginia Tech’s Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund.

p. The 2500 maroon and 2500 orange bracelets will feature the College’s and Virginia Tech logos and the words “We Remember.” On the other side of the bracelet will be the date of the shooting, 4/16/07.

p. Brown, who also planned the College’s five-year 9-11 memorial, came up with the idea as a way for students to show solidarity with Tech. He contacted SA president and vice president, sophomores Zach Pilchen and Valerie Hopkins asking for their support. Pilchen and Hopkins were also looking for a way to respond to the Tech shootings.

p. “We wanted to address in the long-term what we could do for Tech,” Hopkins said. “Coming together as a community to grieve was an important way to deal with the tragedy. Now, we have to reach out to their community.”

p. The SA senate passed the “We Are All Hokies” bill that allocated money to pay for 5000 bracelets. A second bill was also introduced in the senate by senior James Evans and freshman Ryan Eickel to express the College’s condolences to Virginia Tech.

p. “By purchasing the bracelets, it’s a small way that we, as a community, can convey a tremendous message to the Tech community that we are united,” Brown said. “If each student buys two bracelets, that’s a $10,000 contribution to the fund from the student body.”

p. He plans to send two bracelets to College alum Jon Stewart, ’88, in hopes that he will wear them on the Daily Show.
The bracelets will arrive on campus today and students will be able to purchase them for a minimum donation of $2 beginning at the King and Queen’s Ball and, pending approval, the My Chemical Romance concert on Saturday. The bracelets will also be on sale all next week at the UC and outside of Swem Library.
A hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of the bracelets will go to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, which was set up by Virginia Tech.

p. According to the Fund’s website, the fund uses donated money to pay for “assistance to victims and their families, grief counseling, memorials, communication expenses and comfort expenses.”

Julia Schaumburg – The Flat Hat. Eleven days after the deadliest shooting in U.S. history, a Virginia Tech Banner drapes the welcome sign of the College.

__Queen Elizabeth II of U.K. will make her first trip to the College since 1957__

Queen Elizabeth II will visit the Commonwealth of Virginia at the beginning of May, including a stop at the College May 4, a Buckingham Palace Spokesman said. The six-day visit is in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement.
An itinerary released online said that the afternoon of Friday, May 4, the Queen will visit the College, where she will meet students and faculty, request a ringing of the Wren Bell and receive a gift from the senior class.

p. President Gene Nichol announced the Queen’s impending visit in an e-mail to students Tuesday.

p. “We’re extremely honored to welcome back to our campus Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II — 50 years following her first historic visit to the College of William and Mary,” Nichol said. “It will be a great moment in the life of the College — and an unparalleled thrill for our students, faculty, staff and alumni — to host the Queen once again and further strengthen the bonds between the nation’s second oldest college and our historic roots with the United Kingdom.”

p. Vice President for Student Affairs Sam Sadler said that he expects thousands to attend the Friday ceremony.

p. “It’s pretty exciting for the College. The Queen is making two public appearances in Williamsburg, and one will be on our campus,” Sadler said. “It’s very rare that a British monarch comes to an American university. We should all feel very honored. [The visit] really reflects our heritage as a university that was founded by the crown.”

p. Nichol canceled classes May 4 to facilitate the Queen’s visit. Faculty and staff will also receive time off as a chance to participate.

p. Nichol acknowledged that some problems may arise from the class cancelation.

p. “The announcement, I’ll concede, comes closer to the events than is ideal,” Nichol said. “But these limitations inhere in a royal visit. And they will also, we hope, help sustain a unique opportunity for all to participate.”

p. Sadler acknowledged that canceling classes was a “challenging decision,” but noted that holding classes would be impractical with so many public attendees and security concerns.

p. “We’ve moved all end-of-class, Blowout activities to Thursday,” Sadler said.

p. He added that the Queen will be accompanied by Virginia state police, the secret service and British security. Magnetometers will be placed around the Wren building and all visitors will be screened for security purposes.

p. According to ABC News, the Queen will pay tribute to the Virginia Tech massacre during her visit, although she will not visit Blacksburg.

p. “As the queen is visiting so shortly after the tragedy, it is important that it be recognized,” an unidentified spokeswoman said. “It’s a significant and terrible tragedy.”

p. Queen Elizabeth II last visited the College 50 years ago during the 350th anniversary of Jamestown’s founding. During that visit, the Queen had tea with then-College President Alvin Chandler and his wife, then toured the Wren Building and accepted a gift of six original drawings of buildings on campus.

p. Her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, will not join the Queen. Instead, he will spend the afternoon touring the U.S.S. Wisconsin, a decommissioned Iowa-class battleship moored in Norfolk at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum.

p. The College will post information as it becomes available online at www.wm.edu/hermajesty.

p. __Flat Hat News Editor Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.__

It is rare for College students to be sued by large, national organizations.

p. It’s a situation, however, in which 12 students currently find themselves, as part of the third wave of the Recording Industry Association of America’s new campaign to target the illegal downloading of music on college campuses.

p. “I think it’s kind of ridiculous that we’re given 20 days to gather this much money,” junior Mac Garber said. Garber received a warning letter and has forgone his anonymity in order to speak with The Flat Hat. “Most college students don’t have that type of cash lying around — it’s like they expect us to have to go borrow all of the money. It’s completely unreasonable.”

p. The College received 12 letters on April 12, alerting the administration of a pending lawsuit against members of the student body. The letters mention no names, only the IP addresses of the offending users computers.

p. The school, which holds that information, forwarded the dispatches to the appropriate students.

p. The letters represent a final offer for students to settle with the record companies before any action is taken to formally file a civil suit in court.

p. “Frankly, we’ve found that students know that downloading from unauthorized P2P systems is illegal,” RIAA President Cary Sherman wrote in an internet discussion with university journalists from across the country. “But the chance of getting caught isn’t great enough to discourage them from doing it. By increasing the number of lawsuits, we’re letting them know that the risk of getting caught is greater. That’s also why we’re bringing more lawsuits on a single college campus.”

p. The new campaign, which has now resulted in 1,218 letters sent to students from 68 different universities, focuses on mailing large numbers of letters to specific schools in order to send a concentrated message of warning to the entire student body.
If students refuse to settle, the next step is for the RIAA to subpoena the various schools in order to ascertain a user’s identity.

p. The College is only the second Virginia state school, after Virginia Tech, to be targeted by the RIAA’s new strategy.

p. The reason for this newfound focus on college campuses stems from the belief that a disproportionate number of college students download music illegally — the RIAA’s website cites a Student Monitor study finding that more than half of all college students are guilty of copyright infringement regarding music and movies.
The campaign also marks a shift in regards to targets for the RIAA. While the organization has focused its efforts on the most grievous offenders in the past, they now seem committed to take legal actions against offenders regardless of the scope of their transgression.

p. “I couldn’t believe it,” Garber said. “I mean, I know so many people that download so much more music than me. I thought that I’d need at least 1,000 songs for anyone to notice me.”
Garber’s letter mentions 370 songs that the record companies believe to be downloaded illegally on his computer.

p. The RIAA strongly recommends that students consider the settlement, heralding the pre-lawsuit settlements as being far discounted from later settlements and decisions.

p. The punishments levied by the courts, should a student be tried in court and found guilty, would be between $750 and $150,000 per work copied. While the amount of money asked for by the RIAA in these initial settlements is usually kept private, Garber has confirmed that his letter asks for $3,000 in order to prevent further litigation.

p. Responding to charges that the RIAA is drawing confessions from students who are not well-versed in the law, all the while saving costs on legal fees, RIAA General Counsel and Executive Vice President Steven Marks wrote, “We have heard from a number of defendants that they wished to have the option of settling before a lawsuit was filed … Settlements are completely voluntary, so a student can turn down our offer to settle before filing a suit in order to have his day in court if he wishes.”

p. The RIAA has already declared the program a huge success. Of the first 805 letters sent out, 328 students have decided to settle.

p. Executives of the various recording companies are quick to stress that they are not against the downloading of music, and that they merely want to point students toward more legal means of accessing music.

p. One of the RIAA’s favorite programs to publicize as the next wave of music enjoyment is Ruckus.

p. The Herndon, Virginia-based firm offers free downloads to all college students, using advertisement revenue to cover the necessary royalty payments. While the program certainly seems promising, it still has its faults, as the files have encryptions that don’t allow them to be played on iTunes or iPods
Downloading is still popular among many college students, however, and the lawsuits will likely continue.

p. “Honestly, I don’t think that it’s really affected my friends that much,” Garber said. “Some of them have stopped for the time being, but mostly people aren’t really fazed.”

p. Casting the issue in terms of the effect that the illegal downloading of music could have on artists, Sherman remarked: “I’d hate to think that the next Red Hot Chili Peppers has to go back to waiting tables because they can’t make a career in music.”

__City relieves Andrews of duties__

Williamsburg City voter registrar Dave Andrews was “relieved of duty” and will not be reappointed when his term ends in June, according to the April 25 edition of the Virginia Gazette.

p. Andrews was reportedly escorted by Williamsburg police to remove personal effects from his office to “ensure the integrity of election records,” Deputy Police Chief Dave Sloggie said. He cautioned that the escort was merely a “precaution” and that it did not suggest that Andrews would tamper with the records.

p. The locks on his office were reportedly changed as well.
Andrews told the Gazette that he had met earlier that day with the electoral board about “a personnel matter that involves me.” Although he still holds the title of registrar, Andrews claimed he could not discuss the matter further and referred questions to the electoral board.

p. The registrar’s office was closed Tuesday while the change was made. It reopened Wednesday with the assistant registrar, Sharon Marchelya, in charge.

p. Andrews’ time in office has been controversial among students at the College as they have not been allowed to register as voters in the city.

p. Andrews was named in a lawsuit in which students challenged his decision that they not be counted as permanent residents. Student Assembly Senate Chair Matt Beato, a noted supporter of allowing students to register to vote, said that Andrews “changes policy on a whim” and has “a pattern of disenfranchising students.”

p. “He’s switched policies so many times; it’s not even funny,” Beato said.

p. Beato was glad to see Andrews go.

p. “You have no idea how happy this makes me,” he said.

In the early 18th century, income from the Nottoway Quarter, a plantation run by slaves, was used to support the College. While working on an honors thesis in history, alumna Kristin Zech, ’01, found that slaves contributed greatly to the College.

p. “There were slaves connected [to the College] up to the Civil War,” history lecturer Juile Richter said.

p. Richter, who worked with Colonial Williamsburg in 1999 to put together information about the history of slavery in CW, said slaves would have been at the College throughout the colonial period.

p. According to Zech’s research, the Nottoway Quarter supported the College. Profits made from the slave-run tobacco plantation were used to assist students who needed financial aid and to offset other College costs. According to documents Zech found, nearly half of the 1718 endowment dealing with Nottoway Quarter was used to purchase slaves.

p. “Anything that they grew would have been sold for the benefit of the College,” Richter said.

p. Richter added that this was not the only capacity in which slaves were involved at the College.

p. “Some of the students brought personal slaves with them,” she said. “Most of the gentry boys – it was very likely they would have a personal slave to take care of what they needed.”

p. The College also employed slaves on campus to perform labor tasks. Examples included serving food, washing dishes, cleaning chamber pots and doing laundry.

p. “Any of the unglamorous work was likely to have been done by slaves,” Richter said.

p. She added that it was likely slaves were involved in the construction of Colonial Williamsburg and the College.

p. “I haven’t seen a document [about] whether slaves built buildings, but I would feel most comfortable that they probably did,” she said. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

p. She added that there is evidence that many of the laborers in Colonial Williamsburg owned slaves. Some may have installed windows in the Brafferton.

p. The Flat Hat reported in February that the Wren Building was most likely built by slaves, according to a Colonial Williamsburg historian. Archaeological research done by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation shows that James Wray was one of the glaziers at the Brafferton School who employed many slaves.

p. Zech’s research also found that the College would hire its slaves out to the Williamsburg area. Research done by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and Zech shows that there were also fairly sizable numbers of freed slaves in Williamsburg. Richter added that Virginia Governor Nicholson started a school for enslaved men in 1774 and, for a while, the College had a grammar school for slaves.

p. “We do know that on the eve of the American Revolution a census of Williamsburg revealed that over half the town was black,” Richter said.

p. She did not want to speculate on whether there are descendents of the slaves or free blacks living in the city.

p. “I suspect it would be very tricky to trace that far back,” she said.

p. According to Zech and archives at Swem Library, at one point College President James Madison tried to sell slaves for land during his tenure. Archives indicate that there was still a presence of slaves until the Civil War.

p. The existence of slaves at college campuses in Virginia is not uncommon. According to an Associated Press report, April 26 the University of Virginia apologized for the use of slave labor on their grounds.

p. Richter said it was important to remember how much slaves have contributed to the history of the College.

p. “I don’t think you can separate the history of Williamsburg from the history of slavery,” she said.

**Tuesday, April 17 —** An unidentified individual called police to report a group of people laughing and yelling outside Jamestown North, on the side facing Barksdale Field. **(1)**

p. —A student called to report the theft of 20 Ritlan tablets from Unit F. The tablets were estimated at $80. **(2)**

p. **Wednesday, April 18 —** A student called in to report the theft of their iPod while they were at the library. The white iPod has an estimated value of $299. **(3)**

p. **Thursday, April 19 —** A student called to report the larceny of his wallet from the University Center. Estimated value of the wallet was $40. **(4)**

p. **Friday, April 20 —** An individual called to complain that several males were making noises outside of Giles and Preston. **(5)**

p. —A student called to report damage to his vehicle on Ukrop Way. The estimated damage to the vehicle was $100. **(6)**

p. **Saturday, April 21 —** Officers were dispatched to an unidentified area to deal with a reported news complaint.

p. —A student reported the larceny of his cell phone from Zable Stadium. The cell phone’s approximately value was $399. **(7)**

p. —An RA called to report students possibly smoking marijuana in Jefferson Basement.Walking by the room he smelled marijuana. Officers were dispatched and upon their arrival, there was no odor of marijuana. The officers found and seized a bottle of Captain Morgan Rum. The area director was present for the disposal. The students were charged with under aged possession of alcohol. **(8)**

p. **Monday, April 23 —** A student reported a larceny of his parking pass while his car was parked on Landrum. The estimated loss of the parking pass was $240. **(9)**

p. —A student reported the larceny of her license plate while her car was parked at Rec Sports. The estimated value of the license plate $45. **(10)**