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The Flat Hat is the student newspaper of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. It prints Tuesdays and Fridays during the College's academic year. It began printing twice-weekly in 2007; since its inception in 1911, The Flat Hat had printed weekly[1]. The newspaper prints on broadsheet, the same printing style that is often used by The Washington Post and The New York Times. Today, The Flat Hat's front page and back page are generally printed in color while the inside pages are printed in black and white. During the early 1990s, The Flat Hat was printed on broadsheet with a colored front page and a separate colored variety section. In October 2007, The Flat Hat won the Pacemaker award for excellence in the category of non-daily newspaper at a four-year university[2]. The Pacemaker is considered to be the highest honor in collegiate journalism, and is awarded by the Associated Collegiate Press and the Newspaper Association of America Foundation. The contest was judged by The Washington Post.
[edit] HistoryThe Flat Hat is named after the Flat Hat Club, the nation's first secret society founded in 1750 at the College. The first issue of The Flat Hat was printed on October 3, 1911[1]. [edit] Origins of the name Flat HatThe name can be traced back to a secret gentleman's club founded in 1750, called The Flat Hat Club. Its most notable members included St. George Tucker, Thomas Jefferson and George Wythe. It is believed that the Flat Hat Club was probably the precursor of Phi Beta Kappa, established in 1776. According to the September 28, 1928 issue of The Flat Hat, members of the Flat Hat Club were directly responsible for the creation of the newspaper[3]. The badge of the club was circular with an elaborate coat of arms on one side, and F.H.C. in a large monogram on the other. Beneath was a date and motto: "Nov. XI. MDCCL Stabilitas et Fides The motto of the Flat Hat Club, Stabilitas et Fides, has always been the motto of The Flat Hat."[1] [edit] CensorshipIn 1945, Marilyn Kaemmerle, then the 22-year old editor of The Flat Hat, wrote an editorial titled "Lincoln's Job Half-Done" to commemorate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. She encouraged the racial integration of William & Mary, citing that African Americans "should be recognized as equals in our minds and hearts."[4] The William & Mary Board of Visitors, the group appointed by the Commonwealth of Virginia to run the College, instructed then-president of the College John Pomfret to expel Kaemmerle. Pomfret compromised by removing Kaemmerle from The Flat Hat and commanding her to sign a statement saying that a censored paper was in the best interest of all concerned.[5] Since 1945, The Flat Hat has had complete editorial control and autonomy. It has no faculty advisor, which is uncommon for a student newspaper. The Flat Hat is, however, a member of the Publications Council, a body which oversees finances and selects the editor of the paper. The Publications Council is made up of the editors of most newspapers and magazines on campus, as well as members of the college administration. The Council has been referenced by outgoing Editor-In-Chief Andy Zahn as "restrictive."[6] The Flat Hat does not grant the William & Mary administration prior review of content, but is financially dependent on school funding.[7] [edit] StaffThe exact number of staff that work on The Flat Hat differs each year. Additionally, students with or without experience in journalism are often encouraged to join. On each issue, there are about 45-50 permanent staff (students listed on the staff box on the second page of every issue). There can be as many as 100 potential writers in each section at any given time. Each issue of the newspaper consists of a news, opinions, variety and sports section. However, like many other collegiate student newspapers, the newspaper staff also consists of a business/marketing section, a copyediting section and an executive/editorial staff. [edit] Wren Cross controversyThe Flat Hat was the first media, student or otherwise, to break the news about the Wren Cross controversy[8] as it did so in a news brief. After the decision received more press, The Flat Hat continued to follow the controversy, including the revocation of a $12 million donation[9], the placement of the cross in a display case[10][11], and the ultimate resignation of College President Gene Nichol[12], which was in part based on the Wren cross controversy[13]. [edit] Special issues[edit] The Fat HeadMost notably, on April 1st of every year, in honor of April Fool's Day, the newspaper prints The Fat Head to go along with the usual bi-weekly issue. The Fat Head is a humor issue, usually with falsified articles and satirical commentary. This has been a Flat Hat tradition since the early 20th century. [edit] Best of the BurgEvery year around mid-December, The Flat Hat prints a special edition of the newspaper titled "Best of the Burg." The "Best of the Burg" issue outlines the staff's favorite picks for several restaurants in the Williamsburg area. In recent history, consistent winners have been The Cheese Shop, Aromas and The Trellis Restaurant all located in the Merchants Square area of Colonial Williamsburg. [edit] See also
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