Justin Shawler

Dominion Power proposal sparks controversy

by Justin Shawler on October 30, 2012

Controversy broils in the Williamsburg area over a proposal by Dominion Power that would
involve putting high-voltage lines across the James River from the Surry Nuclear Power Plant,
through James City County, and down to Hampton Roads. Residents and community leaders
have voiced concerns ranging from history to economics.

They argue the tall towers carrying a 500 kilovolt line across a 7.4 mile span would impact the
historical views of the James, devaluing home prices and affecting the tourist industry.

Dominion is proposing the plan as the best of many options. Coming in at a projected cost of
$153 million, it is significantly cheaper than the proposed alternatives of burying the line or
using land along the Chickahominy River. With a projected cost of $390 million, placing lines
below the James River is hardly being considered by Dominion. The Chickahominy River plan
would impact 1,500 property owners and cost $200 million.

Local groups, including the College of William and Mary, the Save the James Alliance, and
the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation have spoken out against the plan on the grounds that
it will impact the historic views along that section of the James. It could also hurt the Historic
Triangle’s chances of recognition as a World Heritage Site by the United Nation’s Educational,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Such recognition would likely result in greater tourism for
the region.

Dominion has countered these claims, citing various modern fixtures already situated along
the portion of the James nearby Historic Jamestown, the Colonial Parkway, and the riverfront
properties of Kingsmill. Indeed, many of Busch Garden’s attractions and the Surry Power Plant
itself stand near this historic spot. The company also cited the critical need for reliable power for
residents and employers, particularly the military, in the Hampton Roads area.

John McGlennon, Chairman of the James City County Board of Supervisors and a William
and Mary Professor, is a key community leader among the opposition to Dominion’s current
proposal.

“The new transmission line may well be needed to improve the availability and dependability
of electric power for Southeastern Virginia,” said McGlennon, “However, the route chosen by
Dominion, especially if they run the power lines over the river on 300-foot steel towers, would
cause serious damage to the historic vistas of the James River.”

To solve the growing controversy, the State Corporation Commission held hearings Wednesday,
October 24, 2012. Turnout was significant and some 40 people had the chance to state their
grievances.

The hearings followed actions taken by James City County and other community groups.

“I asked the Board of Supervisors to adopt a resolution of opposition, and the county has filed a
formal objection to the route,” said McGlennon.

“The SCC will hold what is effectively a court case on the application,” he added.

Community leaders hope their case before the SCC will push Dominion to consider alternate
solutions. McGlennon believes that there are “some very attractive alternatives” to the current
route.

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Board of Visitors updates Six-Year Plan

by Justin Shawler on October 9, 2012

From September 19-21, 2012, the Board of Visitors for the College of William and Mary met in Williamsburg. Chief among the topics discussed was the approval of an update to the College’s Six-Year Plan.

The update focused on the proposed allocation of funds for coming budget years. Increasing faculty salaries, which are currently far below those of the College’s peer institutions, was a priority of the revised plan. William and Mary is in the 14th percentile of peer institutions when it comes to faculty pay according the the State Council of Higher Education. The College’s six-Year Plan aims to bring it up to the 60th percentile.

“By all accounts, we lag significantly behind our peers in terms of resources, including salaries. We must be able to provide more merit-based increases,” said Jeffrey B. Trammell, Rector of the College in a university press release.

The Six-Year Plan comes in response to the work of a commission created by Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell which hopes to address the rising costs of college and to increase access to higher-education for all Virginians. In a December 2010 report, the commission laid the framework for what would become the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011. The act required all Virginia institutions of higher education to craft six-year plans.

In addition to matters involving faculty pay, the Board’s improved plan focuses on expanding undergraduate and graduate financial aid, as assured when the Board proposed a tuition increase of $438 for in-state undergraduates and $1,382 for out-of-state undergraduates last Spring. A final operating budget for the 2013 – 2014 fiscal year will be determined when the Board convenes in the Spring.

Financial matters were not the sole topic of the Board’s Fall meeting. The Board’s Committee on Strategic Investments and New Ventures shared its plan for the College’s long-term future Friday, September 21. Promoting diversity of all varieties and expanding the foreign student population campus were among the proposals made.

“Everyone should feel welcome on this campus,” said Trammell during the committee’s presentation.

Diversity was clarified to incorporate political philosophy and military-veteran status, in addition to race, ethnicity, and religion.

Information about the progress of the proposed merger between the College and Eastern Virginia Medical School was presented to the Board and those in attendance. While the College is giving the idea much though, Provost Michael R. Halleran, notes that there’s “still much to be done.”

A key idea of the committee involves fostering cooperation between a hypothetical William and Mary Medical School and its other graduate schools, particularly the Mason School of Business and the Marshall-Wythe School of Law.

The Board will meet again from November 28-30, 2012.

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Attorney General Cuccinelli visits campus: Speaks on healthcare and grassroots organization

by Justin Shawler on September 18, 2012

On Thursday September 13, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli spoke to students, faculty, and the public at William and Mary’s Law school. He covered a broad range of topics from healthcare to eminent domain, but all in the context of Federalism. The lecture he presented was formally titled: “Balancing Power: Federalism, the State, and Individual Rights”.

Cuccinelli was elected Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2010, alongside Governor Bob McDonnell and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling. Before that, he served in the Virginia State Senate from August 2002 to January 2010. Cuccinelli holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia, additionally he earned a Law Degree and a Master’s Degree in International Commerce and Policy, both from George Mason University. As Virginia’s Attorney General, he has gained a reputation for strong opinions on often-controversial issues from climate-change to abortion rights.

Cuccinelli built the foundation for his lecture by describing the role of the Attorney General.
“You’d think the Attorney General was the top-cop in Virginia. That is not accurate,” said Cuccinelli. “One way to look at this role is as to push back on the Federal government when it oversteps its boundaries.”

The majority of his lecture focused on Federalism in the context of the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare”. He went on to say that his suit against the federal government was “far more about liberty than it was healthcare.”

Cuccinelli’s lawsuit was in defense of the Virginia Healthcare Freedom Act, which was signed into law by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell in 2010 and guarantees the rights of Virginian’s from having to purchase health insurance. This, as Cuccinelli explained, means he argued in defense of Virginia law, as opposed to simply in opposition of federal law.

He also spoke about the effects of the courts ruling when it comes to Medicaid, healthcare funding for certain people with limited resources. In a seven to two decision, the Supreme Court ruled against the Affordable Care Act’s efforts to force Medicaid expansion on states with the threat of withholding funds. Cuccinelli believes that this ruling allowed for “meaningful debate” on the issue to take place within state legislatures.

While healthcare legislation was a major part of his lecture, he also chided the Federal government for overreaching when it came to Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Communications Commission regulations. Specifically, he attacked the EPA’s decision to regulate water as a pollutant in Fairfax County in order to save a habitat for worms.

Though these topics can spark heated debate, student reaction was mostly positive.
“I wanted to listen to him in order to know better what’s at stake in Virginia,” said Victor Ganier, an French exchange student at the College. Ganier called Cuccinelli’s lecture “relevant” and “perfectly understandable in the American context.”

“It’s great that the Law School has such great speakers lined up,” said Danny Yates (’12), a current William and Mary law student.

The same evening he also addressed a group of College Republicans and interested guests. Though many of the topics overlapped, he focused more on politics, particularly grassroots organization, at the club’s event.

“I knocked on a lot, a lot, of doors,” said the Attorney General about his many campaigns. “These races are not rocket science. They are hard work.”

While Cuccinelli mentioned his own campaign for Governor in 2013, he stressed party-wide, multi-level organizational opportunities.

“It’s not my job to protect the statutes I like, but the statutes of Virginia,” said Cuccinelli when asked about his job. He elaborated, stating that he viewed his role as protecting citizens from all forms of government, which is why he supports initiatives to reform aspects of the criminal justice system, particularly when it comes to the mentally disabled.

In this same grain, he informed the College Republicans of a ballot amendment that he helped implement that would limit government use of eminent domain in the Commonwealth.
“Government is a bully and it picks on the poor,” said Cuccinelli.

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Tuition: lowest percentage increase

by Justin Shawler on September 12, 2012

Tuition increased $438 for in-state undergraduates and $1,382 for out-of-state undergraduates in the 2012-2013 academic year, according to a statement released last spring on The College’s website. The increase, described as the “lowest percentage increase for Virginia undergraduates at William & Mary in more than a decade” by College President Taylor Reveley, was detailed in the Board of Visitors’ latest budget.

The Board’s decision for the increase is based on many factors. The Six-Year Plan adopted by the College’s Board of Visitors last September, which aims to shore-up faculty salaries and increase need-based financial aid, was a determinant of the recent budget.

“There are additional costs we must address through new revenue in order to maintain base funding and make sure we continue to provide the outstanding academic experience our students, families and community expect from William & Mary,” said Vice President for Finance Sam Jones in an April 27, 2012 Press Release on William and Mary’s website.

Also influential were the efforts Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell and the Virginia General Assembly as a whole to allocate funds for institutes of higher-learning.

Shortly after his inauguration, McDonnell created a commission to address the rising costs of college and to increase access to higher-education for all Virginians. In a December 2010 report, the commission laid the framework for what would become the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011. The act was passed unanimously by the state legislature on April 6, 2011.

“We warmly thank our elected leaders who went to bat for the College in the General Assembly,” said President Reveley in a message to the College community on April 19, 2012.

Student reactions have been both positive and negative, with some students expressing an acceptance of the increase and others fearing its potential effects.

“We expect tuition to go up,” said Joe DiVito, Class of 2015. “We want the best teachers, and we have some of the best professors in the country and in the world.”

“I feel like this is not a good time for tuition to increase, particularly with an economic downturn,” said Nathaniel Marshall, Class of 2016. Adding, “A trend of tuition going up is a lot scarier.”

Others expressed concern over the affects it might have for the College’s makeup.

“It might affect diversity [on campus],” said Sydney MaHan, Class of 2016.

In a statement to the Virginia Informer, Student Assembly President Curt Mills and Student Representative for the Board of Visitors echoed many of the sentiments expressed by the students he represents.

“[William and Mary] provides a private school education at a public school price tag, which means we have been stretching our dollar very thin for quite some time. The tuition increase, while regrettable, should make us a bit more liquid,” said Mills.

“Further increases in the immediate future should be avoided in my opinion though. At a certain point enough is enough on a student body in a recession,” Mills added.

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