William and Mary is a College with grand ambitions and an unwavering commitment to excellence. That does not come cheap. It costs a great deal of money to maintain our present position and to reach even higher levels. Particularly, private funding is indispensible [sic], as a relatively modest sum is provided by the Commonwealth. Our private financial needs will only increase in the years ahead.

p. Given this reality, the College must have a first-class development operation that can excel in attracting major donors. As anyone knows who has been involved in college development, the discussion to interest a donor in giving a large sum is a delicate one—more art than science. To bee [sic] successful, the College must protect private conversations that involve donors and the College. Making such communication public discourages donors and risks revealing details of donors’ thoughts, not to mention details of their private finances. It is for this reason that the College properly maintains a rigid policy against naming prospective donors and not releasing communications involving them or their gifts. The Board of Visitors strongly believes this policy is essential and must be maintained.

p. Today, however, the College made a rare exception and has released an email that has been a source of controversy. We support making an exception to the general policy in this instance because it is important for the public to have confidence in the integrity of the College leadership and believe it should be given the chance to review the facts, rather than be subject to a barrage of supposition and media speculation.

p. Even so, we would not support release of the email in question were it not for two important facts. First, we have reason to believe that there are members of the public that have seen the actual email. If true, as we believe, the substance of the communication has already been compromised. Moreover, it is not fair or appropriate that a sub-section of the public has access to the content, while others are left in the dark. It is better for all to see the content for themselves in the sunshine. Second, and more importantly, we have secured the permission of both the author and the donor to release the email. Our interest in protecting donor privacy is diminished to some degree (though not entirely), where the donor himself has informed us clearly that he has no objection.

p. Finally, this matter has conspired to rob the College leadership and the Board of Visitors of time that should be spent on the critically important business of William and Mary. It is time to move on. The Board is fully aware of the facts surrounding this matter and it is the Board that will consider whether anything in this episode bears on the performance of College leadership. Public sparring over such matters has little effect and only serves to harm the best interests of the College and its reputation.

The following e-mail was sent from former College President Tim Sullivan to College President Gene Nichol on Dec. 20, 2006:

p. Dear Nick, Greetings from London where we are having a great holiday. I hope things are well with you, Glenn and the girls. I need to tell you about a recent communication from Jim McGlothlin. As you know I have been working hard with Taylor toward a 12 Million dollar gift from Jim to the Law School. I felt that we were making good progress and moving toward closure, but I talked to Jim who is very upset and angry about the Wren cross, and is not prepared to give any more money at this time because he is so upset about the removal of the cross from the Chapel. I am not sure that I can do anything more to help you with Jim. He is very angry. I have said from the time that you became president that I would help you with anything that you needed, and I was prepared to talk about anything with you. We have not spoken (absolutely your right) but I could have told you where this decision would go. I will do anything that you can think of that would help you at this time — but I have to say that I am so sorry that William and Mary has come to this place. Best — Tim.

p. College President Gene R. Nichol announced changes and clarifications to the controversial Bias Reporting System website in an e-mail to the Faculty Assembly today. Anonymous bias reports will no longer be accepted, and the powers of the Bias Reporting Team are now strictly defined.

p. The changes come in the wake of criticism from some alumni and popular blogs. One advertisement in The Flat Hat raised the issue that students may take advantage of the reports’ anonymity by reporting people just because of a grudge.

p. “We have been keen to make clarifications and alterations to the site to assure that it carries out its important purposes of allowing the College to respond appropriately to troubling incidents without violating norms of free expression or interfering with the processes of the faculty handbook or the student disciplinary
code,” Nichol said in the e-mail, in which he also thanked faculty for their input. “They also alter reporting and record-keeping practices and make clear that the bias incident team exercises no regulatory or disciplinary authority.”

p. A clarification was added to the top of the Bias Incident Reporting website in bolded, italic text. “The Reporting System does not create a new category of prohibited behavior or a new process for members of the College community to be sanctioned,”
it reads. “Any report will be handled in accordance with existing staff, student and faculty policies and procedures.”

p. Sam Sadler, vice president for Student Affairs at the College, said that changes to the site are just a clarification of the administration’s original
intention.

p. “Never was authority given to the [Bias Reporting] Team to do any kind of … punishing or anything of the sort. But that wasn’t clear. I think it was critical that it be made clear, so it has been.”

p. Sadler also explained the decision to require that students give their names when reporting bias. “Anonymous reports would never have been subject to any action,” he said. “But this makes it clear that you can’t notify us anonymously. If it was never going to result in action, then it doesn’t make any sense.”

p. Reports are entirely confidential, but if the plaintiff
and the administration decide to take disciplinary action, the identity of the plaintiff is revealed to the accused before the proceedings begin. Sadler said that this was always the rule in judicial cases at the College. “Where an incident is subject to College disciplinary or judicial procedures, the confidentiality requirements of those procedures will govern,” the Bias Reporting website now states.

p. Another addition to the website specifies that the College must keep records of reports in an aggregate form, without names or personal information.

p. Sadler said that he thinks the clarifications will put some criticisms to rest.

p. “I think [this is] going to go a long way to give some people some comfort, because I think there were some who were interpreting this as a totally new set of guidelines…,” Sadler said. “Without the clarifications, I can see how there was confusion.”

The College’s club fencing coach, Pete Conomikes, died yesterday in a car accident while traveling with the team to a fencing competition.

p. Three students were involved in the crash, and two of them are seriously injured.

p. The following letter was sent today by Vice President of Student Affairs Sam Sadler to the College community:

p. “It is with a deep sense of sadness that I write to share the news with you of a tragic automobile accident that occurred yesterday afternoon (around 1 p.m.) on Interstate 64 near the I-64/ I -295 interchange outside of Richmond. Venerable William and Mary Fencing Club Coach, Pete Conomikes, was killed in the accident and three William and Mary Fencing Club members were injured in the crash – two of them seriously. Spencer Butts and Ben Gutenberg are hospitalized at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center (Medical College of Virginia) and are in critical but stable condition. The third student, Matt Peppe, has been treated and released from the hospital.

p. “Details of the accident are still not available though it does appear that it was a single car event. The team was traveling in two vehicles, the car with its four occupants followed by a College van carrying other team members. The group was on its way to Haverford, Pennsylvania to compete in a Middle Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association team event.

p. “The students in the Fencing Club join me in asking that you keep their injured teammates (and their families) in your thoughts and prayers as well as the wife, family members, and friends of their beloved coach, Pete Conomikes.

p. “Pete Conomikes was a remarkable man, an extraordinary athlete, he began his fencing career at Columbia University in 1940 and spent several of his early years training under the fencing master, Giorgio Santelli. During much of a long career, he was an A – rated fencer in his specialty, epee. At one point, remarkably, he was A – rated on all three of the weapons used in the sport. At William and Mary, while a legend for his fencing skills, it was his coaching and his affection for the athletes he taught and trained that defined him. He joined the coaching staff of the College in 1972, when fencing was a varsity sport, and he served as head coach until 1995 when the sport became a club. Undaunted by the change in status, he continued coaching the club and teaching a beginning fencing class until the present time, even though he was 86 years old. Perhaps a recent quote on the Tribe Fencing page says it best, “He is a joy to learn from, and his bladework is still better than yours.”

p. “Mr. Conomikes reputation and influence extended far beyond the campus and his coaching skill was recognized by many honors and awards. In the fencing community, one colleague referred to him as a “giant.” Many of his fencers have continued competition beyond college and his work has helped preserve competitive fencing through his support of the Middle Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association. He will be missed by all who knew him. Because of his efforts and dedication he leaves a proud legacy of excellence in fencing at William and Mary and more importantly gratitude, deep affection and respect in the hearts of all those whom he has taught and coached.

p. “We are extending care, both in Richmond and here on campus, to the members of the Fencing Club and to the families of our injured students. I know you will want to provide support for them and to remember Mr. Conomikes in your own way. The sense of community we share at William and Mary is a remarkable source of strength and healing. With that in mind, I felt you would want to know about this tragic accident.”

In Tuesday’s election, Matt Beato ’09 and Ben Strahs ’09 tied for a position as one of Williamsburg’s two representatives to the Soil and Water Conservation District.

p. Only one person ran for the position, which had two openings. Beato and Strahs received the same number of write-in votes.

p. On Wednesday, there will be a random drawing to determine the winner.

Sarah Bennett is the epitome of cute. Never allowed to wear make-up until the age of 16, Sarah has mastered the look of the pretty girl next door. With her confident demeanor during our interview, it is difficult to imagine her as the awkward teenager she promises she was back in high school. She is also full of surprises: At one point she had five wisdom teeth, her cell phone ringer is Crank Dat, she bets money with grandparents and even now can’t stand to be outside during a storm.

p. **Can you tell me a little bit about growing up in Richmond?**

p. Well, I was born and raised in the same house (which we have only renovated once). My mom is a gynecologist, which always proved for fabulous dinner conversations and never failed to embarrass my brother. My dad worked for the Department of Transportation and now works for a private company. I have one older brother who graduated from Virginia Tech two years ago. I used to hate his guts, but we managed to become a lot closer when he went off to school.

p. My older cousin Jeff was also around a lot when I was growing up and he was always the one to protect me from my brother. I remember days when we used to play football and Jeff would pity me and take me on his team. We would always win, too. We also have a fat dog named Lucky. She had two litters of the most adorable lab puppies and never seemed to lose the maternal weight. Now that my whole family is older, we respect each other a lot and have fun together.

p. **What types of activities are you involved in at the College?**

p. Let me think. Tour guide, Service Leaders Corps, OA, student mentor and this past year, I was the president for Kappa Delta sorority. I have also volunteered all four years with READ, which is an adopt-a-grandparent program. For the past two years, I have taken the role of director at the Blayton Building. I love going there because we play a game which they really enjoy called Pekeno, a mixture of poker and bingo. The stakes get pretty high … okay, we play with pennies.

p. **Can you tell me about some of your experiences serving as president of KD?**

p. It is really difficult, as president, to strike a balance between keeping your friends as well as being an effective leader of the organization. You need to not only maintain roles, but to also keep everyone happy. I think I did that relatively well unless my friends are all lying to me.

p. I would say that the most rewarding experience for me was serving as our chapter delegate to the Kappa Delta national convention, where I spoke about what the sorority meant to me. It was important to share and represent our chapter in such a positive light because, often times, the large southern chapters dominate those conferences. Really, my main goal with the job was just to have everyone be happy. People shouldn’t pay for something if they aren’t enjoying it. At the end of the day, I feel good about where we stand.

p. **With that position and a pre-med track, you were unable to study abroad. Is there anywhere you would love to go?**

p. I would really like to go back to Rome. My grandmother was born there and when I was younger, my family went there to visit. I really enjoyed myself, mostly because of the food. [Laughs] I think I was too young to actually appreciate what was around me, though, so I would like to go back to enjoy the history and sights.
I would especially want to go to this one place right below the Spanish steps. It is the best pastry place with an enlarged window and it is my favorite place. I would be that little kid that just stood outside staring at all the desserts all day. My mom usually let me go in to buy something and if I went back, that would be the first place I would go. I also had my worst eating experience in Rome. I went to eat at the McDonald’s there and I guess the ground beef is different, because it was awful. I have never eaten a hamburger since.

p. **What do you wish you had known coming to the College?**

p. I wish I had known not to stress about the future because you will eventually realize what it is you want to do with your life. Graduating from William and Mary, you can really accomplish whatever it is you have your heart set upon. It might not be right away, but it will happen.

p. I want to become a doctor and I was on the track of going to medical school right after graduation. I realized I was burnt out and wanted a break and you know what? That’s okay. You don’t have to lock yourself in at the age of 21. I’m a strong believer that things will fall into place. Even my boyfriend told me when I was freaking out in the beginning of the year that I shouldn’t stress out about such things. If I had listened to him and known that, I would have stayed much saner.

p. **So you had five wisdom teeth? Can you tell me about that?**

p. [Laughs] Yes, I like to say that’s why I am so wise. I had them all removed, though, so maybe that has been the cause of my downfall. I don’t think that five is that abnormal. It was a really small one, and they took it out with all the rest of them, which I was fine with them doing.

p. **That must have been a little scary. What are you afraid of these days?**

p. It’s a tie between fire and lightning, and that joint fright comes from the same story. When I was seven years old, my neighbor’s house caught on fire from a lightning bolt. Our house started to fill with smoke from theirs. I couldn’t tell the difference between the two houses and what was and wasn’t on fire. We had to run outside during the thunder and lightning storm and that whole experience scarred me for life. I’m getting better with thunder now, but it still freaks me out a little bit. I don’t understand how people enjoy going outside to watch the storms. I’m always inside with the windows bolted shut.

p. **Any other weird tendencies or traits you’d like people to know about?**

p. Well, my first crush was Leonardo DiCaprio. I saw “Titanic” in the movie theater 13 times because of him. I still can’t believe I paid that much multiple times to see it because it wasn’t even that great of a movie. I was obsessed with him though; I had 10 posters of Leo throughout my room when I was younger. It’s funny because he left the scene and just came back recently with films like “The Departed” and he’s even hotter than before. I guess it was a good crush. Unfortunately, I don’t have posters of him up in my room anymore … I was too ashamed. I mean seriously, 13 times? That’s just pathetic.

p. **Is there one thing you’d like to do before you graduate from the College?**

p. I really wish I was part of a secret society. I’m nervous for you to write that because then they might read it and not let me in. I don’t know how their whole selection process works, but I think that is my biggest desire. I mean, they have to still be taking people right? Like maybe they have one for just seniors. They are running out of time and I’m starting to wonder when they are going to come knocking. I remember when I became a tour guide, one of the societies sent me a letter. It was the coolest thing ever. Basically, I’m a loser. [Laughs] That’s the whole point of this story.