n imaginary
raft, the premise of the debate is that
only one professor would survive. In
order to determine who shall be saved,
the three hold a debate, with each
representing his academic field and
arguing for its importance.
This years participants were
John Nezlek, psychology professor,
representing the social sciences; Chuck
Bailey, associate professor of geology,
representing the natural sciences and
Jennifer Taylor, associate professor
of modern languages, representing
the humanities. They were joined by
Eric Jensen, professor of economics,
playing the Devils Advocate, who
attempted to have all three thrown in
the water. The debate was mediated
by Hans C. von Baeyer, professor of
physics and director of the Graduate
Center.
The Raft Debate is actually an old
College tradition, tracing back nearly
40 years. Von Baeyer, a veteran of the
original debates as well as a three-time
champion of them, said that the debates
were once so popular that faculty
vied for the honor of debating. He
continued that unfortunately, the event
died down after a time.
The Raft Debate was revived last
year. Students, faculty and members
of the community packed the
Commonwealth Auditorium to see
the professors debate. Baeyer set the
mood as a dark and stormy night.
After introducing the participants, he
explained the rules. There were four
sections of the debate. Each professor
had seven minutes to make his case and
two minutes for rebuttal, followed by a
five minute free-for-all between the
professors and finally questions from
the audience at the end. The winner
would be determined by the level of
applause received at the end.
Nezlek began the debate and
opened his argument with an attack.
Emphasizing the tedium of the
natural sciences, he told an anecdote
about a high school physics test on
which he answered all the questions
correctly, but received a 72 percent
for not applying the correct symbols
in his equations. Continuing on to the
humanities, he complained that they
merely make an already confusing
world very confusing.
Nezlek said that in the social
VARIETY:
Shakespeare in the Dark
brings Coriolanus to light,
pg. 9
REVIEWS:
Jack Blacks School house
rocks, pg. 13
U.S. Postage Paid at Williamsburg, Va.
flathat.wm.edu
T
HE
S
TUDENT
N
EWSPAPER

OF

THE
C
OLLEGE

OF
W
ILLIAM

AND
M
ARY

SINCE
1911
O
CTOBER
10, 2003
VOL
.94,
NO
.6
SPORTS:
Womens soccer
1-1-1 in the CAA
so far, pg. 20
B
Y
S
ARAH
I
NGLE
FLAT HAT STAFF WRITER
During this past week, nationally known
as Mental Health Awareness Week, the
Colleges Counseling Center organized
several interactive programs to raise
awareness about mental health issues and
about the resources available on campus to
help students deal with them.
According to Kelly Crace, the director
of the Colleges Counseling Center, the
weeks activities have been a part of the
centers efforts to reach out to the campus
community. In addition, the activities are
intended to encourage broader student par-
ticipation in the centers free counseling
services and relaxation workshops, which
it will hold periodically throughout the
semester.
Tuesday, members of Health Outreach
Peer Educators, a student organization
affiliated with the Health Center, held
Clues for the Blues, an informational
program about the symptoms and causes
of depression. HOPE members dispelled
several common myths about depression,
including the idea that depression always
follows a significant trauma and the notion
that all anti-depressant medication is dan-
gerous and habit-forming. The group also
discussed positive ways to deal with stress
that can help keep stress from leading to
depression.
Dr. Cory Clark, who works at the
Counseling Center, encouraged students
attending the program to take advantage
of the counseling centers services even
if they do not feel that their problems are
severe enough to warrant major treatment.
Were open to all students, Clark
said. You dont necessarily need to be
depressed or experiencing major, major
stress to come visit the Counseling
Center.
Depression screening questionnaires
were available in the University Center
lobby Wednesday afternoon. Students who
filled out a form received a private consul-
tation with a member of the Counseling
Centers staff.
Wednesday evening, a panel of five
students and one alumnus spoke about
their own experiences with depression and
other mental illnesses. All of the panelists
stressed the importance of seeking outside
help for depression rather than trying to
cope with it alone.
Junior Lisa Hopkins, one of the panel-
ists, said that although many sufferers
of depression feel guilty or inadequate
because they cannot solve their problems
alone, many mental illnesses have physi-
ological as well as psychological causes
and therefore require professional treat-
ment and medication.
You cant out-think serotonin,
Hopkins said, referring to a chemical that
many psychologists believe contributes to
depression. Although the attitude that I
can do anything can be helpful in your
schoolwork and can help you get into
William and Mary, its not that helpful
when it comes to depression.
The weeks final program, Dog Day
Afternoon, brought several dogs to the
grassy area in front of the UC, where
students could pet and play with them
between noon and 2 p.m. Thursday. The
dogs belonged to Counseling Center staff
and to Canine Connections, a local organi-
zation that takes dogs to visit the elderly.
We know that companionship and rela-
tionships with pets are an important part of
our mental well-being, and we also want to
get the word out about what this week has
been about, Crace said.
Freshman Paul Brockwell, who stopped
to pet some of the dogs, said that he found
yesterdays program relaxing and enjoy-
able.
[The dogs] should be given the status
of college counselors, Brockwell said.
According to Crace, the Counseling
Center has recently concentrated its out-
reach efforts on updating the centers
website. The site now has links to outside
sources concerning mental health issues
as well as links to free, fully confidential
national online screening questionnaires
for issues including depression, substance
abuse, eating and anxiety disorders.
Students who use the link to access an
online questionnaire will remain anony-
mous even to the Counseling Center and
will get advice and feedback on the
questionnaire from counselors outside the
College.
Privatization
upsets workers
G
IVING

PAWS

TO

THE

DAY
SARAH HIRSCH THE FLAT HAT
Freshman Jessica Sitnik spends time with one of the dogs featured in yesterdays Dog Day Afternoon, where members of the
Colleges Counseling Center encouraged students to paws to relax. The program was part of Mental Health Awareness Week.
B
Y
N
ICOLE
M
ATHIEU
THE FLAT HAT
Four employees of the College are
being laid off from their current positions
due to the administrations decision
to privatize Duplicating and Printing
Services. UE Local 160 Virginia Public
Service Workers Union opposes this
decision and has begun trying to raise
support to prevent any further decisions
by the College to privatize other
services. College President Timothy
J. Sullivan has issued a memo to the
faculty regarding the issue.
I am writing to correct some
unfortunate misinformation conveyed in
a recent message regarding the Colleges
duplicating and printing services,
Sullivan said in the memo. The four
staff members currently employed in
these areas will either be retained by the
new vendor, or will have other jobs at
the College.
The four employees, two of whom
work in Duplicating Services and two
of whom work in Printing Services,
were notified Oct. 2 that the College was
privatizing the service and if they wished
to be rehired by the private company,
they must fill out application forms.
The four employees have collectively
provided fifty years of state service.
Its insulting, Annette Walker, one
of the four workers, said. I can do a
job for 14 years and then have to apply
for the same job again. Our retirement
comes to a screeching halt.
UE 160 and Walker claim that due to
the privatization, the employees will not
attain all of their retirement benefits.
All of us are getting to the
point where were thinking about
[retirement], Walker said. All of us
are over 40 in age and it is hard to
find something comparable [to current
salary].
Walker said she will need to
relinquish her car and begin traveling
on the bus due to the loss in income.
In addition, she said she must establish
herself in another company position for
See W
ORKERS
page 3
Natural science end
survivor in second
year of Raft Debate
Self-scheduling considered
COURTESY GRAPHIC GRADUATE CENTER AND GRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION
The Raft Debate traditionally pits representatives of the natural sciences, social
sciences and humanities against each other as each struggles to survive a hy-
pothetical shipwreck. Geology professor Chuck Bailey, representing the natural
sciences, won this years debate.
B
Y
A
SHLEY
P
ATTISON
THE FLAT HAT
At their meeting Oct. 1, the Student
Assembly senate passed a resolution,
10-5-3, to begin working to employ se