Will the Yule Log Be Next to Go?

The following article is from the Virginia Gazette, September 30, 2006. Note the reference to the Yule Log. (Emphasis is my own.)

Five Cool Things at W&M

By Gene Nichol

WILLIAMSBURG

I don't have a classic DOG Street Journal list. I make no claim to know the best five things to do around here, or to be able to capture the quintessential William & Mary experience, or to list the ideal ways to introduce yourself to life in this community. When pressed, though, I could think of a few things I've discovered to be cool. To make it worse, even this meager list can't actually be taken as advice, either because, as in one instance, I know already that you won't take up my suggestion or, in another, you wouldn't be allowed to even if you preferred. So, all told, what follows isn't worth much. But, flaws and all, here goes.

l. Depending on how your knees are feeling, take either a long walk or run through Colonial Williamsburg at dawn. The tourists have yet to appear. The humidity is only getting started. The scent of the previous days' horses is humbling. The surroundings are inspiring.

And the sun is on the way. No one will bother you. And it clears the head. It's also not bad at putting temporary matters into perspective. We didn't just get here. Other folks have gone before. They made a mark. And our work is meant to be as large as theirs.

That said, I know you'll pass on this one. I go to bed a lot earlier than you folks. So my morning's a little more accessible. And the experience isn't the same if you haven't gone to bed the night before.

2. Have a lunch, or an early dinner, at Tequila Rose's. It's first-rate Mexican food, better than one would expect in a small town in Virginia. The staff is friendly. It doesn't take all day, though it can if you'd like. If the weather is right, eat outside. It improves the feel. If your age is right, have a Corona. The enchiladas taste even better.

3. Take in the first home football game. If you ignore the bathrooms, the stadium is a classic. The setting's the best. The turf is new. And Maine doesn't stand a chance. Laycock teams usually outsmart the other guys. That typically shows early in the third quarter. William & Mary offense is unfailingly fun to watch. Defense is straight up, in your face. And now, of course, there are lights. Come early. Come often. Help the NCAA see what athletics was meant to be.

4. Unlike most, I have a key to the Wren Chapel. Sometimes, late at night, when I'm trying to sort things out, large or small, I go over and let myself in. I find it hugely settling and hugely inspiring. The footsteps echo. The walls embrace. The doors enclose. The markers lift your sights. And you can sit as long as you'd like. Eventually, the world becomes clearer. So far, it's worked every time.
Obviously, I understand that you don't have a key. But there must be other spots around a 300-year-old campus that work the same magic.

5. Finish the semester by going to the Yule Log. I've only been once. And, at first, I wasn't sure what to make of it. In my case, it entails dressing in a red outfit and looking like a fool. And even though it's organized by students, this being a public university, I'm still anxious about the link to religion. But, that said, I'm not sure that any other campus in the world could turn out several thousand warm-hearted, frosty-cheeked students on a cold December night - jollied, joyous, hopeful, and committed to one another. The tougher the semester, the more amazing the celebration. As James Taylor has put it, "we are bound and we are bound."

Go, Tribe. Hark upon the gale.

W&M President Gene Nichol was a guest writer in the Orientation 2006 issue of the DOG Street Journal. Unfortunately, W&M lost to Maine.

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In my personal, humble and unsolicited opinion, there is something wrong when the President of the College of William and Mary is (a) listing "cool" things to do and (b) quoting James Taylor lyrics. In my day, I don't think a student could have gotten away with that!