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Tuesday, April 19, Student Assembly held the first meeting of its 330th session where it elected new senate officers, approved five nominations for SA Cabinet positions and introduced the Mental Health Initiative Resolution.
Class of 2022 senators remain in senate meetings and represent the interests of the Class of 2026 for the remainder of the Spring 2022 session.
Wednesday, April 20, the Reves Center for International Studies and the Asian Centennial Committee awarded Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen the Hatsuye Yamasaki ’37 Prize for Visionary Leadership. Nguyen also gave this year’s McSwain-Walker Lecture titled “Refugees, Language and the Meaning of America.”
Nguyen centered his lecture around the role of language and memory in contexts of war and immigration.
Nguyen is best known for his fiction works, including “The Refugees” and “The Sympathizer,” which won a 2016 Pulitzer Prize. Nguyen is also the Aerol Arnold Chair of English and professor of English, comparative literature and American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California. Much of Nguyen’s writing — both academic and literary — deals with war, memory and diaspora, particularly relating to Vietnam.
The College of William and Mary welcomed the Ampersand International Arts Festival (previously W&M Global Film Festival) back for its fifteenth year from April 6-10. This year’s 5-day festival was larger than ever before, hosting international and student film screenings, live arts performances, guest lectures, author talks and multiple receptions for the greater College community. Flat Hat Photos Editor Justin Sherlock ’23 captured the occasion in a colorful, striking series of photos.
Tuesday, April 12, students representing sustainability projects at the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia came together to present the Climate Action Partnership webinar highlighting ways to stay green on a college campus. Hosts for the event included Madeline Bertagnolli ’22 and Olivia Wachob ’23 representing the College and Morgan Foster ’22 and Nora Raleigh ’24 representing UVA. The event featured two student speakers: Neel Simpson ’22 from the College and Julianne Feutcher ’22 from UVA.
William and Mary (9-8, 4-1 CAA) soundly defeated Richmond (7-10, 4-3 A10) 6-1 Saturday, April 16 to continue their three game winning streak. The Tribe has not lost a home match since March 6.
The team brought a fresh strategy to the match by switching up their doubles lineups from last week’s double header, which resulted in both the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles posting 6-1 wins in their matches.
OPINION | BARTZ: Rachel Bartz '25 writes about how severe the pollen in Williamsburg can be. Bartz, a California native, writes about her own struggles dealing with the pollen in Williamsburg.
April 15 and 16, Sumié Yotsukura ’22 presented “Your Best (Asian) American Girl” as a part of her senior thesis at the Williamsburg Regional Library Theater. It was directed by Christopher Michael Richardson ’13. The cabaret chronologized her lifelong interest in musical theater, from a young child who wanted to see herself as a princess, to a woman who had become aware of how Asians have been underrepresented in the field she wanted to devote her life to. Throughout the hour-long show, Yotsukura performed songs and monologues framed through her personal experiences as a biracial third-generation Japanese American girl.
Saturday, April 9, music, drama and laughter filled Sadler Center’s Commonwealth Auditorium. For the second and final night, College of William and Mary students put on “Spectacular,” a brand new musical comedy. Extremely catchy songs coupled with a talented cast and inspiring tale made the Saturday performance of “Spectacular” a night to remember.
“Spectacular” developed from the creative mind of Paul Hardin ’22. In addition to producing, Hardin wrote the book, music and lyrics for the show. After studying the dynamic and interconnected political and theatrical scenes prevalent throughout 18th century France, Hardin felt inspired to write a musical based on this historical period.
William & Mary (16-12, CAA 7-2) defeated Towson (9-23) 15-1 in the rain at Plumeri Park on Friday, April 8.
The Tribe started off strong in the top of the first inning, shutting down all three batters and keeping the Tigers off the bases. In the bottom of the inning, William and Mary showed that they were equally as strong on offense. They managed to rack up four runs on four hits.
By the second inning, Towson gained some momentum as they got a hit and managed to put three people on base. However, the Tigers were unable to capitalize and score any runs. In the bottom of the second, their defense held strong, as they shut down the William and Mary offense.
In a college environment, one of the most important things for students to learn how to do is to find positive and beneficial ways to deal with stress and stressful environments. In recent decades, studies have shown that one of the most effective ways to do this is to interact with therapy dogs. While such an option had long been unavailable for students at the College of William and Mary, thanks to Marisol Lambert, who herself graduated from the College in 1980, and her four corgis, Nellie, Louie, Tucker and Humphrey, students can meet professionally trained therapy dogs in Earl Gregg Swem Library every Friday at 2 p.m.
OPINION | DOW: Hannah Dow ’23 writes about the open position of the College of William and Mary’s vice president for strategic initiatives and public affairs, once held by Henry Broaddus. Dow believes the student population should look more into this issue and carefully consider who replaces Broaddus.
OPINION | BABLU: Bushra Bablu ’24 writes about the unique coffee experience that Column 15 brings to the Williamsburg area.