More late video from J.S.
Interview with an alumnus
Interview with an alumnus couple
INTERVIEW WITH AN ALUMNA WHO IS A FORMER MEMBER OF THE BOV
Interview from an SDS rep from Mary Washington

You should give this article a read.

Here are our extremely late videos, courtesy J.S.
M.S. introduces the Forum on Politics and Public Education on Saturday
Student discussion at the forum
Frederick Gibbs, class of 1958
Students form Mary Washington
A class of 09 transfer and nontraditional student
Residents of Williamsburg
S. talks about the Sex Worker's Art Show (from Friday afternoon)

Pursuit Of...will have a second meeting on Tuesday at 9:30PM at the SA House, which is located at 403 Jamestown(?). The following are Sunday's meeting notes, as found on the Facebook group.

    Sunday Meeting Notes:
  • Lengthy discussion of venues through which database would be made available
  • Lengthy discussion of splintering of organizations all over campus and the need to ensure that their is a consistent communicative venue for all organizations
  • Lengthy discussion of how regular communications should be sent out using the database and who should have primary control over it
  • Strong emphasis on the fact that Pursuit Of... would not assume an authoritative position in the movement, and was only forming to provide data to other organizations. Pursuit Of... will remain objective throughout its involvement with this movement in order to most effectively and appropriately fulfill its goal
  • There will be an Alumni Caucus from 4-9pm on Saturday, April 19th.
Contact jncatron@gmail.com

The SPEAK/1st Amendment group is meeting at 6:00PM tonight at the Meridian. A constitution will be discussed. Anybody that's interested is welcome. We'll try to post a summary after the meeting for anybody who doesn't make it.

That makes 2 important meetings tonight and you can definatly make it to both. I'm sure we'll be there.

Also...stay healthy, please! All of this is important, but do try not to get sick.

--M.E.

2/18/08 8:15 AM There is a very important meeting tonight at 9:00 PM on the second floor of Blair. The upcoming visit from the Board of Visitors will be planned and signs and such will be made. Anybody who is at all interested in helping out should try to make it and also, spread the word around.

Have a nice Monday. We'll be adding some more photos and videos from the weekend. And take care of yourselves, please!

--M.E.

2/17/08 10:40 PM

This was a slow day, understandably. Pursuit Of..., a group attempting to organize any organization working on the movement, met at the UC. Details of the meeting will follow.

J.C. asked us to announce the Alumni Solidarity Meeting which will take place in April and will try to organize alumni of William and Mary with the students, faculty, and staff.

Tomorrow night at 6PM SPEAK and the Protect the First Amendment group will meet (location?).

As a final note, while less is happening in the days to come, please don't lose momentum (yes, this is repeated a lot) or zeal. Keep checking the site, going to whatever events, and reading the Google News Feed (trust me, there are some very interesting articles on there!). Keep spreading the word about this site and what's been going on and keep letting us know what you're up to. Now that schedules are returning to normal, it will be much more difficult for us to stay on top of things on our own. And don't forget that the BOV should be here sometime this week!

Stay strong.

--M.E

A.Z. asked us to post this email:

"Hey Guys,
"I just found out about the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation Profile in Courage Award. Its an award for "acts of political courage" and I think it is the perfect award to recognize the integrity and courage of our president. Anyone can nominate Gene Nichol, but please come up with your own text as I think that duplicates would make the nomination lose meaning. So, use my text as an example, but write your own, more meaningful nomination. Here's the link to the nomination page and the text that I wrote describing his acts of political courage:
"President Nichol has maintained his dignity and integrity in the face of constant attacks on the separation of church and state and freedom of speech. His brave change to the policy of the display of a cross at the College's Wren Chapel made the place more open to people of non-Christian faiths and brought our public university in line with the constitution. His refusal to interfere in the student sponsored and student funded Sex Workers Art Show demonstrated his courage to stand up for the first amendment right of every American, even the prostitutes and strippers, to have a voice.
"For this, Gene Nichol came under fire from the religious right, to the end of losing his job as president of our College. However, Gene Nichol committed two more acts of political courage before he was forced to resign. The first was to refuse financial incentives to do what the College's governing body, the Board of Visitors, described as "not to characterize [the non-renewal decision] as based on ideological grounds." This kind of integrity is rare in America. The second act of political courage that Gene Nichol committed before leaving was to inform the world of this attempt at bribery in his resignation letter.
"For these acts of political courage in the face of repression, I nominate Gene R. Nichol for the Profile in Courage Award."

This photo courtesy of N.F.

While M. fills everybody in on what has been happening, here is a new reminder. "Pursuit Of...," a group that intends to network and document this movement will be having an organizational meeting tomorrow, Sunday February 17th, at 6:00 right here at the UC couches. Check out their facebook group for more information.

The Mary Washington reps are telling us about thier Board of Visitors. They apparently have similar issues, with the BOV making decisions without telling the students and without explaining their reasons. They are also concerned with issues of control of education and the focus of the school.

A WM student expresses concern at the influence of money on College policy. How much should donations matter? M. worries that students are only learning that "money" talks. She mentions the support for Nichol that began months earlier, but was ignored.

S.W. wonders why democratic values are being ignored in favor of money here, in the "birthplace of democracy."

Is a university a business or an educational facility? Should money or academia have more importance?

Mary Washington is having issues with money usage as well, because of who decides what donations are used for (and it is not for financial aid).

4:45 PM - A Mary Washington student suggests that we try to set up a new method of decision-making so that students can make the decisions that effect them at their respective university, rather than elected (or appointed?) officials.

One alum asks students, since they can now register to vote in Williamsburg, to make sure we ask for what we want in any elections. We need to get our voice heard at all levels and he believes that widespread student opinion can influence the BOV.

We are now discussing how students get communicate with the BOV. There are two student reps, but their influence is debateable. There are also two faculty reps. But none of these individuals has a vote, nor do they participate in many important sessions.

It is now being pointed out that Reveley was in the running for President when the position was given to Nichol. Perhaps this interest and familiarity to the BOV, as well as his position as Law School Dean, made him the best option for interim.

The composition of the BOV is being discussed. Provost Feiss says that a "vast majority" are alumni.

5:00 PM - Now, the real meaning of this movement is being pointed out. Some are concerned that so many articles seem to think that students are upset only about Nichol himself. It is important to realize that the real problem, and the issue that most are fighting for, is the method of dealing with this.

5:15 - Students from the other schools want to keep in touch with WM, to know what exactly is happening and they want to pressure their own students and BOVs and start letter-writing campaigns. "Pursuit Of..." announced their meeting tomorrow (see below). Interviews are being collected. It has been questioned by a Mary Washington why TribeUnited is not here. It is now VERY hard to hear. Sorry.

5:30 - Communication is the topic at the moment. Four groups are represented here: WM, MW, VCU, and WM alumni. We need to keep these groups in touch as well as to reach out to other VA public schools, probably through their SDS organizations. We are having 2 reps from each group volunteer to attend future meetings and teleconferences.

A student from Mary Washington suggests that everybody maintains a certain level of involvement, rather than anybody leading.

6:00 PM - Further small groups have been formed and the main meeting has dispersed.

Photos from the open forum, as well as more interviews from J.S. will be posted tonight after dinner.

--M.E.

Here are some pictures







2/16/08 4:10 PM

The Forum in the UC is just starting with introductions from those attending. So far, several representatives from Mary Washington have explained briefly similar transparency/BOV issues they are having. There are also students and alumni of all ages (ranging from decades ago to 2006) from William and Mary. Provost Feiss is "here to listen...(he's) not a spy." WAVY TV is here as well. The W&M students are concerned with continued momentum. More red arm bands are being made and passed out. There are reps from VCU as well. We'll keep you posted.

--M.E.

PUPPYGATE
Sometimes, the Wrengateblog.com staff takes time out of its busy, busy schedule to play with other peoples' puppies. Thanks, girls!

THIS ALSO JUST IN!!! --A

February 15, 2008
Dear Members of the College of William and Mary Community,
Members of the William and Mary Board of Visitors will come to the Williamsburg campus next week to meet with the campus community. While we have fielded calls and emails, it is still important to hear the views and concerns of our community in person and to answer questions.
Plans are still being finalized, but Board members expect to be on campus by the end of next week for public and private meetings with students, faculty and staff. Once the specific details of the meetings are complete, the College will e-mail the campus community.
Also, I would like to announce a web link that has been set up for members of the campus community to send comments to the Board. The address is http://www.wm.edu/bov/feedbackform.php.
Michael K. Powell ‘85
Rector, Board of Visitors

!!! Info from yesterday's Faculty Meeting is now up on the site, courtesy J.T. It can be accessed HERE.

2/15/08 7:13 PM

Another day closes...

It seems to me that the fervor died down dramatically today. This is due, in large part, I think, to the fact that the Faculty 'Show of Solidarity' was only scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. The most important part of all of this is keeping the momentum going. This is going to be particularly hard during the weekend, since weekend plans may take precedence over what's going on with politics (Kappa Delt, I'm looking at you). Have a good time this weekend, but while you're sipping your third beer and talking about how you were three under par that afternoon, make sure you tell the blond from your History class about how we all must make sure our demands are heard. Show your solidarity as best you can. Remember that upcoming events are listed on the right side of this page. And if you know about an event that we at Wrengate don't, don't hesitate to shoot us an e-mail (the contact feature is on the side, above the events). Keep the faith.

--A

A few more interviews
Scott, the owner of the Daily Grind
D.R.T.
A word from Facilities Management Staff.
Interview with E.
Interview with D.P. of the Flat Hat

2/15/08 3:50 PM

ACTION NOW: W&M is meeting on the UC Terrace very soon. We'll be covering it. Join us!

Action Now! Pictures

I recently came across this blog which is "dedicated to the fight for student power on campus." They write about events like ours from all over and have recently been posting about William and Mary and this site in particular. A link has been added to "Resources" on your right as well. Check it out.

--M.E.

The SDS meeting is starting now! Circle up! media as they come, promise



--A

We just got an e-mail from the The committee for free speech and first amendment rights of the college of William and Mary (yes they're working on a new name). They're joining up with a group called SPEAK (students promoting equality and knowledge) and having their first meeting on Monday at 6:00 PM. I've not yet been told where the meeting is being held, but when I know, you'll know. The goal is to form a large, active student group concerned with free speech issues on campus. You should check it out.

--A

1:30PM - Two classes are currently meeting on the Gardens. The weather is beautiful!

12:40PM - Professor Joyce is going to hold his class "Modernism and the Visual Arts" on the Sunken Gardens at 1:00. Their class is also having a cook-out.

Reproduced here is the text of an open letter sent to us by a recent alumna, which she sent to the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Virginia Pilot.

--M.E.

2-13-2008
Open letter regarding President Nichol,
As a 2006 graduate of William and Mary I found yesterday’s announcement of the decision not to renew President Nichol's contract and his resulting resignation very upsetting. During my time at the College, I enjoyed the chance to hear him speak on numerous occasions and valued his leadership and passion for the College. It is clear that leaders are often forced to make difficult and unpopular decisions in order to do what is best for the future of those that they lead. I believe that while his decisions were not always popular President Nichol continually made the best decisions for the forward growth of William and Mary. With that in mind, I find it hard to ignore the circumstances surrounding his departure.
Currently I am attending a graduate program in Psychology at VCU and have had an opportunity to observe recent events in Williamsburg only peripherally. Today, I feel the need to share my feelings and thoughts surrounding these current events, specifically the recent uproar over the 'Sex workers' art show'. One of the greatest achievements of our college is that it is a space where new thoughts, ideas, movements and cultures are brought together before some of the greatest minds of our generation. One of the strengths of our colleges and universities around the country is that they are the staging ground for many of the newest innovations and ideas to come into the world. In order to provide an arena to facilitate this type learning (both inside and outside of the classroom) exposure to ideas that push the boundaries of social acceptability is absolutely necessary. If these types of shows are to be seen anywhere they should be seen on the campuses of our nations colleges and universities. To claim that William and Mary must deny their students access to these types of shows is to degrade their ability to make decisions about what they find acceptable. A few days after its stop in Williamsburg the same show appeared in Richmond , no one claimed that this was unethical or perverse or lewd. In fact, even the local news stations pointed out that there was no problem with the show being held in Richmond . However, on the campus of William and Mary it was considered by many to be vulgar and inappropriate for the eyes of our nation’s youth. As an alumnus I find this to be an embarrassment. This is just one example of the issues I feel will be swept under the carpet with the departure of President Nichol. I fear that a new President may find it easier to side step these issues and resort to backsliding within the College.
Elizabeth M. Archer, W&M Class of 2006
Another interview. Courtesy, as usual, of J.S.
An interview from 2/15/08 with Professor Francis Tanglao-Aguas, who spoke at the Town Hall Meeting, etc

12:00PM - The following is the main text of a fairly good article from the Daily Press, which I just saw thanks to our Google News Feed, which you should check out.

Feb. 15--WILLIAMSBURG -- College of William and Mary Rector Michael Powell said Thursday that he and other governing board members plans to meet and talk with faculty and students in the wake of Gene Nichol's resignation as university president.
Powell and other members of the Board of Visitors told Nichol on Sunday that his contract would not be renewed this summer. Two days later, Nichol announced in a campuswide e-mail that he was quitting, effective immediately. Powell also issued a broad statement announcing the board's decision, but he did not give specific reasons for not renewing Nichol's contract.
Since then, many students and faculty have protested by skipping classes, demonstrating across campus and rallying in support of Nichol. On Thursday, more than 100 arts and sciences faculty members met to talk about the board's action. The arts and sciences faculty also approved a motion calling on board members to explain their decision to the campus community.
Powell acknowledged their concern. "I have heard the need to offer a fuller explanation," he wrote in an e-mail to the Daily Press. "We hope to do so in coming days."
He also said board members planned to delay the official start of a nationwide presidential search "until we can collect the views of more of the community and what they will want to see in the next president."
The board appointed law school Dean W. Taylor Reveley III to serve as interim president after Nichol's resignation. Reveley competed against Nichol and School of Education Dean Virginia McLaughlin for the presidency in 2005.
Reveley has "outstanding skills and a deep commitment to the college and its values -- particularly those important policies of diversity," Powell said.
Reveley has said he expects to serve for about a year, until a new president is found, and that he intends to return to being dean of the School of Law.
Lynda Butler, a law school faculty member since 1979 and vice dean since 2000, has been appointed interim law school dean. Nichol, meanwhile, remains a professor in the law school, where his wife also teaches.
Original Article

11:00AM - Here's what's going on. The top of the Sunken Gardens is the "Student Solidarity Headquarters." Classes are not canceled, but anybody is invited to come by whenever they can.

SDS is having an open meeting at 2:00PM also in the Sunken Gardens.

ACTION NOW: W&M is still at 4:00PM on the UC Terrace.

S.W. informs us that "there will be a forum on the intersection of politics and public education with participants from other VA colleges/universities tomorrow, Saturday, February 16th, at 4pm in the University Center Atrium."

More interviews and also updates as necessary will continue.

So, go to class probably, but come hang out too, and come to later events.

--M.E.

February 15th, 2008 10:30AM

It sounds like today's event on the Sunken Garden will be lower key. From what I understand, many faculty and students are returning to their classes. Representatives of SDS and tarps are out here, however, so join us whenever you can! If nothing else, there will be discussions regarding what this is all really about; the BOV's methods in this situation.

When more starts happening, we'll let you know.

--M.E.

A tipster sent us the text of an e-mail from a member of the BOV which attempts to explain their logic in the decision concerning Gene Nichols termination. The text follows. Personally I find it highly illuminating, though I'm not sure I believe much of it. It could just be that I'm tired. Studying isn't going well, you can well imagine.

--A


I share your disappointment in seeing Gene Nichol go--he is a genuinely likable and engaging person. That being said, I do believe the Board made the right decision. The Board has tried to act openly in coming to this decision. We announced publicly a review process and invited feedback from all constituents. We received considerable feedback. Frankly, we discounted the feedback that came from activists that do not seem to have W&M's best interests at heart. We got substantial feedback from the core of W&M--students, faculty, and alums who care deeply about the school. I will try to give you a little more insight into our thinking.
First, let me correct a misconception that I believe Gene perpetuated with his statement. This decision is not in the slightest based on his ideological views relative to the cross or the show. If so, we would have made the decision a year ago when both occured but we did not. In fact, we support the position of the cross now as it stands after extraordinary community dialogue and will not reverse that. Further, the rector issued a statement supporting the President's decision and the student's right to choose their entertainment when the Sex Worker's Art Show came most recently. Finally, most of us on the Board were appointed by a democratic governor and share many of Gene's views.
Second, let me state firmly, we were not attempting to bribe Gene Nichol by offering him a transition package. It is customary to offer an outgoing executive a transition/severance package. The Board cares about Nick and Glenn and wanted to be generous in recognition of their service. The Board said we wanted to reach a "mutually agreeable public statement." As the Board explained to President Nichol, we wanted a graceful and dignified transition to protect the interest and reputation of the College. Additionally, it was our intent to protect President Nichol’s reputation and to give the fullest opportunity to secure rewarding future employment. A mutually agreeable statement would be designed to advance those twin interests. We would not accept portraying our decision as based on ideological grounds because it was untrue.
One of our greatest hesistations in making this decision was our fear that it would be seen as either a victory for the right wing activists or for the bullying tactics of a well-heeled donor and the legislature. Neither were the cause. We received extensive input from the community into this decision and listened actively to all sides.
Out of respect for Gene Nichol and the office of President of our College, the Board of Visitors is constrained from describing in detail all of the factors it considered in its difficult decision not to renew Gene Nichol's contract. We believe that it is important, however, to make this one additional statement:
The job of president of our beloved College involves many duties, 10% of which are performed in public, 90% of which occur largely behind the scenes but are nonetheless absolutely fundamental to the successful stewardship of the College, such as fundraising, long-term planning, program development, executive management and collaborative decision-making. The popular narrative that it was the visible and publicly controversial 10% of Gene Nichol's performance that led to the Board's decision makes for a much more dramatic and politically powerful story. But it simply does not reflect the reality of the Board's full evaluation or the reasons for its decision. President Nichol alluded to our concerns when he stated: "I have sometimes moved too swiftly, and perhaps paid insufficient attention to the processes and practices of a strong and complex university. A wiser leader would likely have done otherwise."
We are not trying to reverse Gene's ideological decisions; but, it is our duty to protect the overall progress of the school across many functions. In the review process, we came across multiple areas in which Gene Nichol's leadership and executive skills were an issue, even with supporters. I know this may be less revealing than you were hoping, but I do not believe it serves the school well to publicly air personnel matters.
Email from Janet Brashear

2/14/08, 9:50 PM

Again, a good day today.

The teach-in is going to continue tomorrow, February 15th. It works the same way; show up anytime between 10:30 and sunset at the top of the Sunken Gardens, pick up fliers, discuss issues, and show your support!

Also, ACTION PLAN: W&M happens tomorrow evening. From 4-6 PM on the UC Terrace, people will be meeting to write letters, contact reps, and support Gene Nichol.

On behalf of the various student and faculty groups running these events, we ask that you please show up, even for a little while, to help out and display solidarity. We'll see you there tomorrow morning!

--M.E.

I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who has helped me these last 2.5 days with the site. Many of you have offered your considerable talents outright to be placed at my disposal. Others have told me in person how they felt about the site. Still others, many of whom are alumni, have e-mailed me about the site. I've also been contacted by important campus organizations for the purpose of collaboration. Your support has meant the world to my staff and me.

Tomorrow I have an exam, an oral assignment, and a pretty important lecture to attend. This is to say, life is starting to go on. We here at Wrengate will continue to work as diligently as possible during tomorrow's events.

If you'd like to help out, please don't hesitate to contact us with tips, ideas, events, and encouragement. Disparagement, too, though we'd prefer less of that, if possible.

This week has been a trying time, but it also fills me with great hope that the solidarity between students, faculty, and staff will do great things for this university. In fact, one of the most interesting things about the teach-in today was the unity and equality among the three groups. Everyone sat in circles, as equals, and the professors gave more of their 'lectures' to group discussions than would ever have happened in a regular classroom. This is what college is meant to be.

Stay excited for the coming days. Don't lose the momentum over the weekend. Keep the faith.

--A

Final photos of the day. These are from inside of Tucker (Nichol?) Hall and are courtesy of W.M. (I believe)