William & Mary Grad Recognizes Tepid Form Letter As Such

I wrote individual letters to each member of the Board
of Visitors. I signed the petition (now 15,000 strong
and counting). I stood out in the freezing rain with
my four young children during last week's campus
debate about the cross. I appeared on WVEC Channel 13
voicing my support for the cross.

And what did my esteemed Board of Visitors give me in
reponse? A tepid form letter using Nichol's exact
phrases and exact line of reasoning ("spirit of
inclusion," "diversity")to tell me that they will keep
Nichol's decision as the default policy of the
college.

I quote from the generic letter from the Board (author
anonymous): "The Board of Visitors believes the
process put in place by the President [i.e., the
religious "committee"] affords an opportunity for a
greater number of people to express their opinions,
something that will better inform the views of the
Board and the President."

Does that mean they didn't hear from ENOUGH people
already? Or do they just need more time to come up
with arguments against the cross that aren't
self-contradictory?

Either way, their cowardice and passivity are a slap
in the face.

Ironically, I received a letter from the Alumni
Association yesterday requesting donations. I had
promised the BOV members in my letter that I would not
withhold money unless they failed to act at their
latest meeting. And guess what? They failed to act.

So please add my name to the list of those withholding
contributions. I'll be sending a personal letter to
the Alumni Association relaying the same.

Stephen R. Hawkins (M.A., 1997)
Williamsburg, VA

PS--Thank you and everyone else for all the efforts
you are putting into this. Keep up the good work.