Special Business
Tuesday, March 24, Chief Marketing Officer Heather Golden met with the Student Assembly Senate to discuss the development of the College of William and Mary’s brand strategy and marketing infrastructure. She explained how University Marketing formally began in 2021, following a study conducted by the College that revealed a lack of strong name recognition beyond the state of Virginia.
“We wanted to make sure we were telling a unified story,” Golden said.
The three primary marketing goals for the College that Golden outlined to the Senate were strengthening the College’s institutional reputation around the country, supporting advancement efforts for students and improving undergraduate enrollment outreach.
Golden described the College’s new public brand hub, which provides guidelines for design and outward messaging. This new addition will ensure consistency in how the College presents itself across platforms.
“If you look and feel different every time you put yourself out there, you really don’t have a brand,” Golden said.
The updated strategy modifies the College’s primary visual mark. While the traditional College cipher and 1693 designation will remain in its marketing, University Marketing plans to now emphasize the College’s name in signage and communications.
“We don’t do a great job of telling you when you’re on campus,” Golden said, referencing the College’s porous layout.
Creative Director for the College Michael Bartolotta discussed Canto, the digital asset management system implemented by the College. This platform will house photography, logos and branding materials accessible to students and departments. He shared that the College plans to implement an enterprise-wide Canva system, providing access to a professional design platform for all students.
“This is really about helping people help themselves while staying within the brand,” Bartolotta said.
The speakers concluded with a discussion of various student engagement initiatives, such as social media content programs, surveys and focus groups.
Following the presentation to the senate, Sen. Ryan Ponmakha ’28 asked about efforts to expand the College’s national outreach. Golden noted that increased advertising and marketing efforts have begun to improve application rates in underrepresented regions.
Afterward, Sen. James Holden J.D. ’27 was sworn in as a senator for the College of William and Mary Law School.
Chair of Finance Sen. Mackenna Wyckoff ’28 then presented the fourth quarter finance report. Wyckoff said that approximately $51,808 was allocated to student organizations across campus this quarter, with 91 groups receiving funding out of 112 requests.
New Business
The senate introduced two new pieces of legislation.
The Pride Month Act II, sponsored by class of 2027 President Nico Giro-Martin ’27 and Sen. Nina Argel ’28, focuses on funding a queer prom event.
The ZeroEyes Referendum Disavowal Act, introduced by Sen. Danny Otten B.S. ’23 Ph.D. ’27, aims to allow the SA the opportunity to reconsider its support for the upcoming ZeroEyes referendum following a scheduled meeting with Associate Vice President for Public Safety Cliff Everton ’96.
Old Business
Deliberation then moved to the ZeroEyes Referendum Act, which proposed placing a referendum on the ballot for students to voice their opinions regarding the College’s partnership with ZeroEyes surveillance, an AI-powered weapons detection system.
Members of the Student Experience Committee expressed concern about the rushed timeline on Otten’s bill and lack of student education on the issue. The Policy and Student Rights Committee voiced an opposing viewpoint, emphasizing the importance of allowing students a say on this public safety issue.
Multiple senators raised concerns that the proposed timeline, under 48 hours before the referendum, was not sufficient for students to become fully informed.
Despite calls to postpone the vote, Otten said that he would submit the referendum regardless of senate action, as he had the required signatures. Otten’s statement shifted the debate to a question of whether SA should formally support his bill, wait to more thoroughly educate the public or withdraw its support.
After continued debate on the measure, the senate unanimously voted to approve an amended version of Otten’s bill that would hold the ZeroEyes referendum approximately two weeks after their current meeting on April 7.
Otten eventually said that he would not release the votes of senators if they voted for the amended version of his ZeroEyes referendum bill.
Read more about the debate over Otten’s bill here.
Executive Updates
The Executive encouraged students to attend a public hearing on potential tuition increases and promoted an upcoming night walk for students to provide feedback on accessibility around campus.
The Executive emphasized the need for volunteers for Day for Admitted Students Saturday, April 11, encouraging senators and student organizations to participate.
