U.S. District Judge F. Bradford Stillman this morning ruled that the College must turn over the names of 20 students suspected of downloading music illegally to the Recording Industry Association of America. The RIAA plans to sue the students for copyright infringement after they allegedly downloaded music on peer-to-peer music sharing programs such as Limewire.

At least eight students have already settled independently. According to previous Flat Hat reports, settlements typically cost $3,000.

College officials have said they will comply with the subpoena request.

RIAA documents show that the association is also trying to sue students at Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia and the Virginia Military Institute.

The Board of Visitors has voted to increase tuition at the College 9.7 percent for the 2008-2009 school year to $6,090 for in-state students.

Accounting for fees, room and board, in-state students will pay $18,276 next year, a total increase of 7.6 percent. Out-of-state students’ costs increased 8 percent to $37,356, slightly more than twice the cost for in-state students.

Other public universities in the state have increased tuition as well; the University of Virginia increased in-state tuition 9.4 percent and out-of-state tuition 6.7 percent, and Virginia Tech increased in-state tuition 10.8 percent and out-of-state tuition 5.3 percent.

“Our priorities were to improve salaries, increase need-based aid for our undergraduates and find enough funds to heat and cool our new buildings,” Interim College President Taylor Reveley said. “We’ll devote more than 85 percent of new dollars to these areas, including committing $1 million toward additional student financial aid and supplementing the state salary increases a bit to help recruit and retain professors of the academic excellence so crucial to the College’s future.”

Vice President for Finance Sam Jones said the increase will help fund a 3 percent raise for faculty and staff, keeping the College’s salaries level for the next year.

“In terms of faculty salaries at our peer institutions, we’re not making up any ground, but this budget allows us to at least maintain our current status,” Jones said.

The increase also included an annual $30 “Green Fee,” which received vast support from the student body. The Green Fee will allot more than $200,000 annually for environmental sustainability initiatives.

Tuition to the College’s graduate programs in Arts $ Sciences, Education, Law, Business and Marine Sciences also increased.

A few nights ago I had a very heated discussion with my boyfriend about the gender wage gap. There I was, trucking along, spouting numbers and saying that women need to be more economically minded in relationships. But suddenly the conversation took a turn for the worse.

p. Feminist ideology might be his deal-breaker. Dating the hegemony might be mine.

p. It’s a good idea to have a personal list of deal-breakers before diving into the complex world of dating — both within the brick walls of the College and without. It’s always good to have a way to whittle down the droves of suitors at your door. Having deal-breakers is key.

p. Maybe your beau has a Fu Manchu. The solution is easy enough — voice your concerns early and often. “Oh honey, are you becoming a pro-wrestler? Are you in someone’s security detail? Do you want to be part of the Village People?” If this doesn’t go your way, Samson-and-Delilah that mess before things get serious.
Being a sloppy drunk can be a deal-breaker; vomit is never sexy.

p. However, some habits can be conditioned away. I was a PDA-prone drunk until I trained myself to just be judgmental instead. The things I do for love.

p. I once had — and potentially still have — a thing for terrible, terrible people. This wasn’t a problem; rather each relationship had to end because of a minor additional flaw. Such as, say, being embroiled in a sexual assault case — deal-breaker. Or, a marathon cheating spree that totaled five different chicks in a month. My rough calculation concludes that this meant my then-boyfriend slept with two different women who were not his girlfriend in a single week — deal-breaker. Had he been more judicious, perhaps only one a week, I may have let it slide. Or the boy who was the worst gossip I have ever encountered — including during my eight years at an elite all-girls school. I knew things about myself that hadn’t even happened yet — and luckily, never actually happened in reality. Dating a gossip girl — total deal breaker.

p. I’ve been lucky to avoid some awful deal-breakers. I’ve actively avoided smokers, addicts and convicts (though I came close once or twice). I’ve never had an abusive relationship or a boyfriend who, to the best of my knowledge, was mean to his mom. I’ve avoided egregious and distasteful tattoos but, unfortunately, not piercings. By and large the aesthetic deal-breakers have remained intact. Perhaps I just never thought about the ideological ones.
I don’t know if I could date a neo-conservative; I haven’t given it much thought. I know I couldn’t marry someone who wanted a stay-at-home wife, but nobody articulates that kind of thing at the onset of a relationship. When is it appropriate to dive into these questions? They’re embarrassing and revealing and totally necessary — especially when commitment looms in the future.
Close your eyes: Can you imagine the person your parents expect you to be with? I can. There’s a clear set of expectations from social groups too. I have a rough idea of background, occupation and, dare I say it, class that’s acceptable to my parents. But if I try to imagine who I want, in mind, body and spirit — that’s more difficult. So, I guess it’s good to weed out what I don’t want. I’m not currently overwhelmed with potential partners, but as graduation gets closer and the dating pool vastly expands, who knows what kind of creepos I’ll meet. At least I can cut the Fu Manchus immediately.

p. Charlotte Savino is a Confusion Corner columnist. She enjoys long walks on the beach and boyfriends with questionable morals.

CLASS OF 2009

Senators

p. Matt Beato: 81%

p. Walter McClean: 73%

p. Caroline Mullis: 69%

p. Matt Pinsker: 53%

p. President

p. Kevin Dua: 92%

p. VP Advocacy

p. Kristin Slawter: 82%

p. VP Social Affairs

p. Samantha Fien-Helfman: 85%

p. Secretary

p. Chris Illardo: 81%

CLASS OF 2010

Senators

p. Ross Gillingham: 67%

p. Sarah Rojas: 53%

p. Steven Nelson: 52%

p. Ryan Eickel: 42%

p. President

p. Ali Snell: 42%

p. VP Advocacy

p. Laura Nelson: 84%

p. VP Social Affairs

p. Alyssa Wallace: 86%

p. Secretary

p. Jessica Taubman: 85%

p. Treasurer

p. Andrew Noll: 86%

CLASS OF 2011

Senators

p. Michael Douglass: 51%

p. Brittany Fallon: 49%

p. Ben Brown: 44%

p. Mike Tsidulko: 43%

p. President

p. Jazmine Piña: 54%

p. VP Advocacy

p. Sarah Owermohle: 90%

p. VP Social Affairs

p. Julia Riesenberg: 59%

p. Secretary

p. Chrissy Scott: 89%

p. Treasurer

p. William Brannon: 73%

The student body can finally breathe a collective sigh of relief. Sam Sadler is back on campus.

p. Approximately eight weeks ago, shortly after announcing that he would retire this summer, Sadler, vice president for Student Affairs, underwent a pericardiectomy at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

p. When functioning normally, the pericardium, the membrane surrounding the heart, is elastic and moves with the heartbeat; however, an inflammation of the membrane causes strain on the heart and leads to pericarditis. During a pericardiectomy, the majority of the membrane is removed so the heart is able to beat normally.

p. “The good news is there’s a procedure that cures the problem,” Sadler said. “The bad news is that it takes major surgery.”

After six weeks of recovery and two weeks back at work, Sadler said he has recovered 85 percent and feels great.

p. “The day after the surgery, I could only walk about one-sixteenth of a mile, which was one route around the cardio floor at Duke,” Sadler said. “Now I’m up to three and a half miles twice a day on different routes through Colonial Williamsburg.”

p. While recovering at home, Sadler read seven books of varying genres, watched a DVD set of BBC broadcasts and spent time with family.

p. “I think that’s the most time my wife and I have spent together in a few years,” he said. “It’s one reason why I’m going to retire, so we can have more of that.”

p. Sadler said that his wife wasn’t particularly confident he would be a model patient.

p. “I think she was surprised that she could trust me. I usually do crazy things or ‘guy’ things and get into trouble,” he said. “But she found that she could go to the store or participate in the things she does, and I’d still be there when she got back.”

p. Sadler said he struggled with aspects of life away from the College.

p. “I sincerely missed all of you,” he said, referring to the students. “It’s why I love this work. It’s funny in the summertime when you’re not here in numbers, and even funnier knowing you all were here, and I wasn’t.”

p. His time away was more difficult because of the turmoil on campus surrounding former College President Gene Nichol’s resignation.

p. “The hardest part was hearing what was going on only through the media. I had to read about it and nothing more,” Sadler said. “It was tremendously difficult being away and feeling I couldn’t contribute during such a painful and wrenching time.”

p. Sadler said his confidence in the capabilities of the staff he left in his stead at the Office of Student Activities gave him tremendous peace of mind during his recovery.

p. “It was a relief to know we have such a great staff and it means a lot that they gave the gift of more time and hours so things wouldn’t be backed up when I got back,” Sadler said.

p. As Sadler entered the close of his career at the College, he took time to reflect.

p. “I love this place. I missed not being at the center of things,” he said. “Knowing what’s going on and being involved have been important parts of my life for a long time. Being away from it was a learning experience.”

While student service trips are often marketed as a cultural learning experience, recent outbreaks of violence in Reynosa, Mexico, the location of Project Mexico, have some students questioning the safety of the environment in which they are learning.

Project Mexico was established at the College in 2003, and has since expanded to include two service trips each year with about 225 students participating nationwide. Every March and May, about 30 students from the College travel to the country to build permanent homes for impoverished families.

“The trips offer the chance to see all that effort come to fruition in a week of hard work, culture shock, personal reflection and community building,” Director of Student Volunteer Services Drew Stelljes said.

But recent events of violent conflict in Reynosa have raised questions about the safety of such service trips. An article published in the March 16 issue of the Washington Post described the region as a “Gulf cartel country,” where Los Zetas, the cartel’s “mercenary squad,” dominated local areas and created high tensions within the Mexican government.

Feb. 16, about two weeks before Project Mexico members arrived in Reynosa, a Mexican man with no apparent ties to the cartel was reported fatally shot reportedly by police for not cooperating at a checkpoint.

A travel alert issued by the U.S. Department of State on Oct. 24, 2007, cites Tamaulipas, the state in which Reynosa is located, for narcotics-related violence as well. Though the alert points out that U.S. citizens do not seem to be targeted in violence, it warns that kidnappings in parts of Mexico do not discriminate against Americans.

Dave Johnson ’09, the leader of the spring service trip, tracks such events regularly.

“While Reynosa is indeed located in Tamaulipas, that does not make it indicative of other places in the state,” he said. “I have never seen any resemblance of border violence in Reynosa.”

Stelljes monitors the State Department’s warnings for all service trips.

“The decision to cancel the trip to Kenya was a tough one, but the right one given the specifics of the Department of State travel warning,” he said.

The warning for Mexico, he said, does not warrant the cancellation of the trip.

However, the tension caused Faith Ministry, the organization that College volunteers work alongside, to issue a letter addressing the dangers.

In the letter, Faith Ministry’s Board of Directors acknowledges the outbreaks of violence, but goes on to say that, “We do not consider the current events as constituting a serious danger to either Faith Ministry volunteers or the residents of the colonias.”

Johnson agreed.

“Ultimately, this violence is solely between the cartels and the government,” he said. “Neither wants to allow any local or U.S. citizen to be harmed; any of their support in the community or the U.S. would likely dry up very fast.”

Johnson attributes the recent media buzz to a rise in nativism in America.

“I think it’s broadcast too loudly in the media because Mexico and immigration have become hot spots of discussion,” he said.

Regardless, Project Mexico and Faith Ministry have numerous security measures in place for each trip: two advisors accompany each group of students their sleeping area is locked up at 10 p.m. each night and they are forbidden to go out after dark.

“People don’t go out after dark not because of drugs or violence,” Johnson said, “but because it’s a different country. I feel completely safe over there.”

Stelljes notes that, at any time, a student is allowed to discontinue participation.

“Every student is urged to communicate with his or her parent or guardian upon being accepted for a trip,” Stelljes said. “In addition to making the personal decision to travel abroad, the student is strongly urged to make the decision alongside his or her family.”

The tension in Reynosa is mostly a result of the Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s increased pressure on the drug trade in the region. Calderón has sent more than 1,000 troops to Reynosa, saturating the area with government presence. The troops are a common sight for Project Mexico members.

“The citizens of Reynosa know all about Faith Ministry and its work; groups from the U.S. are obviously not sent to some random area and left in isolation,” Johnson said. “In other words, it’s not a big deal, and it’s nothing to worry about for the time being.”

Tuesday evening, gathered about the steps of the Sunken Gardens, the William and Mary Veterans Society hosted the second annual Moment of Remembrance in honor of soldiers.

p. “It’s an opportunity to remember and recognize those who have served, both deceased and alive,” president of the Veterans Society Lance Zaal ’09 said. He founded the organization along with several others.

p. Zaal served in Iraq from March 2004 to October 2004 and again from November 2005 to May 2006, before coming to the College in the summer of 2006. He explained that the Veterans Society invites students, not just veterans, and those with stories of service to participate in the annual event.

p. English Professor John Miller spoke of the College’s part in the wars of the nation, from its placement in the midst of both the American Revolution and Civil War to the 2,500 students, faculty and staff who mobilized during World War II.

p. “Their stories are not usually heard, their names are not on these buildings, but their contributions are nonetheless remarkable,” Miller said of College veterans.
Jennifer Honeycutt J.D. ’08 and Kristina Surface ’09 fought back tears as they shared the stories of loved ones killed in action.

p. Honeycutt spoke of her fiance, Jeff Webb of the Marine Corps, who was killed in Iraq. Webb, described by Honeycutt as “the best person she ever met,” joined the Marines because of the unfairness he felt of living in a country where freedoms were taken for granted.

p. After Honeycutt’s testimonial, Danny Morris’s story followed.
“Most were skeptical when Danny told us he wanted to join the Marine Corps,” Surface said. “He was a very small guy, but what he told our band director, when he asked if he was sure, was simply, ‘If I get deployed to Iraq, then somebody’s daddy can come home.’”

p. After hearing of his death in Iraq on Valentine’s Day 2007, Surface was struck by the reactions of the many she told, as they brought politics into what, for her, was a personal tragedy of the loss of her 19-year-old friend.

p. Interim College President Taylor Reveley was the final speaker of the evening. He discussed the honor that comes with the choice to serve in the armed forces.

p. “The willingness of some to engage in genuinely sacrificial service is truly crucial to our survival as a nation and its continued success,” Reveley said. “We are enormously grateful for those of you who have served and are serving. And we will not forget those who did not come back.”

As temperatures warm and flowers bloom, members of the Student Environmental Action Coalition are preparing a number of projects to improve environmental sustainability on campus. Last year, the College received a D-minus in sustainability from the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

p. SEAC’s ongoing campaigns in energy, food sustainability and recycling are all lobbying for changes in the near future, including the green fee referendum on yesterday’s Student Assembly ballot. The proposed fee would add $15 to each student’s general fee for the semester, totalling approximately $225,000 annually for sustainability initiatives.

p. “That’s less than a one percent increase [to the student general fee]. By comparison, we pay more than $1,000 per year to fund varsity athletics,” SEAC member Josh Wayland ’08 said. “With just $15 per student, the College will be able to finally make some real changes, such as improvements in energy efficiency and maybe even renewable energy on campus.”

p. The plan for how the fee will be spent is articulated in detail on its website, GreeningWM.com, and includes a number of goals in renovations, student research programs and a green endowment.

p. “As a school with a perpetually tight budget, the funds raised by the fee will allow us to make capital investments that actually save money as well as the environment,” Wayland said.

p. In last night’s election the green fees passed with 82 percent voting yes.
Projects in food sustainability include a compost tumbler and an organic garden behind the Caf both which have received funding from the SA.

p. “The Student Assembly had been trying to solve problems by itself rather than reaching out to knowledge-based organizations such as SEAC,” SA President Zach Pilchen ’09 said. Pilchen has been an active member of SEAC for three years, and many of his and SA Vice President Valerie Hopkins’s reelection campaign goals focus on the environment.

p. “Valerie and myself saw a need to create a position as a sort of liaison between SEAC and SA, where they could get the money or administrative connections needed for projects,” Pilchen said. To that end, Pilchen appointed Caroline Cress ’10 undersecretary for environmental reform. Cress has been highly involved in the green fees movement.

p. The compost tumbler, which was approved for funding by the SA senate last semester, will sit behind the Caf and provide fertilizer for the organic campus garden, which will supply food directly to dining services starting this spring.
“The campus garden is tilled and ready to be planted when the weather warms up a little more,” Wayland said. “Currently, seedlings are growing in the Millington green house.”

p. Pilchen noted that dining services at William and Mary has been very supportive to the changes, including training staff on the use of the compost tumbler to helping to switch to recyclable to-go containers.

p. Another ongoing campaign by SEAC is the Presidential Climate Commitment, a proposal that, if signed, will commit the College to achieving climate neutrality within a certain number of years. The PCC, which has already been signed by over 500 universities across America, would require adjustments in areas from energy usage — the College currently spends over $6 million per year on energy — to class curriculums, requiring faculty to address environmental topics in class.

p. Former College President Gene Nichol was reviewing the PCC when he resigned, but SEAC members remain optimistic.

p. “As an organization, we had a very positive working relationship with the former president and his office,” Wayland said. “However, we are confident that our initiatives will continue to succeed and we are determined to continue working for a greener William and Mary.”