College of William and Mary - Colonial Echo Yearbook (Williamsburg, VA)

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iim A Junior Charlie Arlinghaus. the president of 1 Bryan ' s Dorm Council, sports the practical preppy attire that Birnbach found to be so typical of W M during her visit here four years ago. 25

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Religion, Sex, Drugs, Politics From the Outside Looking In . . . Lisa Birnbach claims to tell it like it is on the explosive issues of religion, sex, drugs and politics, according to her obser- vations of student trends on her state-by- state trek to 186 American colleges and universities. The College Handbook (published by Ballatine, of the First Official Preppy Handbook) is a How-to guide to student living in the 1980s. The pages of the handbook are filled with editorials on down-to-earth subjects such as how to peacefully co-exist with an undesirable roommate, co-ed virginity, and the status of Greek life on campuses. The criteria of her analysises of almost two hundred colleges and universities ranges from the practical, such as location, size, and cost of tuition, to the subjunctive — college politi- cal persuasion, best worst professors, dorms, classes, and favorite drugs. Ms. Birnbach ' s entry on The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg raises serious questions about her credibil- ity. In fact, one wonders if she has ever been to William and Mary, and if so, who in the world did she interview? (They must be given credit for snowballing Ms. Birnbach.) While Birnbach is accurate in her por- trayal of the college as being considered very competitive academically (most agree that W M ' s reputation gets better the farther the distance from Williams- burg), she fails to capture the essence of the student body at the college. William and Mary is filled with home- coming queens, and country club ath- letes, who are arch-conservative in view, not unlike a prep school , she wrote. Birnbach emphasized the school ' s 70% in- state population and the popularity of Creek life to back up her findings that W M is a very homogenous crowd. Despite occasional frustration with Wil- liamsburg ' s limited nightlife scene, (It took no amazing insight for Birnbach to name Paul ' s, The Creen Leaf, Second Street, and the Blue Rose as off-campus favorites), most students are aware of the powerful sense of history and the beauty of the ► The growth of campus bands — from folksy acoustic groups to the Irreverent Skum — refutes Birnbach ' s assessment of W M as conservative. Here, members of Scum pose with their very own groupie. 24 campus. While students occasionally romp around in the ' Burg, most would not agree that DOG street is the ultimate in trendiness. Colonial Williamsburg is America ' s ultimate in antiquity , says History major Peggy Carroll, but few at the college are so appreciate of their environ- ment that they take part-time jobs in C.W. although they don ' t need the money , as Birnbach claims. Birnbach named the drinking age con- troversy as the 1984 Big Issue and probably hit it on the nose nation-wide — at least in Virginia. Budget cuts in 1984 were also a hot spot of debate. Lacrosse, swimming and golf (Birn- bach ' s college favorite sports ) were originally axed by the college administra- tion, but have been reinstated on a tem- porary basis. Birnbach claimed that basket- ball and football are not spectacular sports at William and Mary. Let ' s get serious! In terms of athletic participation, the student body is very much athletically minded , said Director of Mens Athletics, Jim Copeland. Out of twenty-seven sports at the college, the two sports which draw the most crowds are basketball and football, which have followings from the town of Williamsburg and the college. Copeland said that an average home game for Tribe football draws a crowd of about 14,000 fans, to fill its 15,000-seat capacity stadium. Tribe basketball, this year a participant in the ECAC Southern Conference, usually attracts a crowd of about 3,700 per game, although some- times the crowd is as large as 7,000. Students complain about grade defla- tion at William and Mary, citing History and Geology courses as a tough A. Birn- bach repeats this rumor in her handbook. However, Dorothy Bryant, Registrar of the college, says It is dangerous to speculate on the easiest majors to attain a high grade. No one in the administration would take such a chance because it is all rela- tive. Bryant and Birnbach agree that Biology and Government are two of the most popular majors at W M, although the registrar says that other popular majors include Economics, English, and Business.

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REVIEW cont. This year ' s big name entertainment in- cluded Eddie Murphy, the Kinks and Billy Idol. However, an undercurrent of reac- tion against the generally accepted view of W M as conservative and tradi- tion whiplashed across the college social scene. Groups such as Bootleg , a five- man band who specialized in older rock and roll tunes, such as music by The Grateful Dead, Beatles and Clapton, made itsdebutafterthefirstof the year. Among other appearances. Bootleg performed at the Crab Feast at Lake Matoka on April 14, and at the End-of-Classes jam in front of Cabell dorm. Another band which has shook William and Mary and raged through the Tide- water area is Skum . Bass player Todd Middlebrook capsulated the mood of the group: Skum is representative of the nouveaux attitude that prevails on cam- pus. We live our lives on the border of insanity: our musicand philosophy reflect that. The present social situation at W M is just what we want. A lot of people say ' We ' ll worry about that tomorrow ' when they are having a good time. Well, every day of our lives is tomorrow. Guitarist, lead-singer for Skum, Hart Baur agreed with Middlebrook, W M has been an ideal atmosphere for Skum to emerge as the area ' s most provacative band . . . I ' ve been kicked off more stages than I can remember for things that are applauded here. Most schools are too concerned about the conservative trend that is sweeping the nation and too wor- ried about looking ugly in case someone is watching. Birnbach names the Beaux Arts Ball as the Best Party on Campus . Indeed, the Beaux Arts Ball is the most outrageous tradition on campus. Kelly Lawlor, the President of the Fine Arts Society which hosts the party, said that this year ' s mas- querade party, held on March 23, was constructed around the Dada move- ment. The Dadaists created a movement which went from Zurich to Paris before WWI.; they had a revolutionary state of mind in reaction against the traditional values of art, such as the natural render- ings of apples (still-life) , she said. Al- though last year ' s theme was Come As You Aren ' t , Lawlor said the party will always be a good time where the underground people feel comfortable. 26 The Fine Arts Society donates the money they raise to buy a painting for students to use for study, she explained. Perhaps college life at William and Mary resembles the mood expressed by Lawlor ' s Dadaists , whose movement flourished until their artwork was ac- cepted. The Dadaists didn ' t like accep- tance. College students, so emersed in a tradition of which they are proud, are trying to reach for their own individuality. The Beaux Arts Ball, representative of the undercurrent of rebellion at William and Mary, shows that despite Birnbach ' s label of conservativism , students here can get pretty crazy. — Kirsten Fedewa Jennifer Veley U i ife :j H giE:gS- T Beth Henry A As Birnbach said, CW is a major sourceof stud employment. ► There is certainly nothing conservative about Dernick Riddle ' s attire.