the davidsonian
September 7, 2016 Vol. 109 ISSue 1
The Independent Student Newspaper of Davidson College since 1914
Inside NEWS New science building strengthens Davidson academics 2 2016-17 Artist Series brings fresh talent to campus 2 LIVING DAVIDSON Deanna Grayson explores Existentialism at the VAC 4 Check out the recipe for apple cheddar grilled cheese 4 PERSPECTIVES Davidson alum shares his advice to the Class of 2020 5 The Class of 2020 boasts 522 students, making it the largest class in the college's history. Photo by Bill Giduz.
Class of 2020 begin their Davidson experience LAURA DUNNAGAN Staff Writer
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he Davidson community welcomes 522 new first-year students as the Class of 2020 begins its first year. This class has nine more members than the Class of 2019, making it the largest class ever admitted to the college. This increase in admitted students follows an initiative by school administration to augment the overall student population at Davidson. Over the past few years, to accommodate the growing population, the college constructed a new residence building, Chidsey Hall, and the newlyopened Wall Academic Center. The Admissions Office reports that they received 5,620 applications for this academic year, 200 more than they received the previous year. Despite the increase in enrollment, the college’s acceptance rate decreased by more than two percent.
The increase in overall applications received could be a sign of Davidson’s growing national presence as one of the nation’s leading institutions of higher education. In July, Forbes announced that Davidson ranked twenty-fifth on their list of America’s Best Colleges, and Davidson attained the first spot on the Top Colleges in the South list. Davidson has also partnered with nonprofit organizations, such as QuestBridge and the Posse Foundation, to provide higher education opportunities for more diverse students. Davidson has been a QuestBridge partner school since enrolling the Class of 2017. QuestBridge is a nonprofit organization that matches high-achieving, low-income students with institutions of higher education. Ten students in the Class of 2020 matched with Davidson through the program. The Posse Foundation identifies high-achieving students from diverse backgrounds who may be overlooked by the traditional college selection
process. Each year, the Posse Foundation sends groups of ten students to several of its partner schools. Davidson began partnering with the Posse Foundation last year with the Class of 2019. President Carol Quillen comments that this new class joins Davidson at an important moment in the college’s history. “Building on Davidson’s longstanding tradition of innovation, collaboration and original student work, our faculty and staff are working every day to lead in re-imagining the liberal arts for the 21st century, so that our graduates are prepared for the interconnected, rapidly evolving world they will enter,” says Quillen. “The class of 2020 arrives at Davidson at a particularly crucial time.” Maribel Hernandez, a member of the Class of 2020, says she chose Davidson after attending July Experience. “I liked the rigor. I was stressed for most of the program, but the professors were
See NEW on page 3
Davidson for Climate Justice continues push for divestment in Davidson's stock portfolio 5 YOWL Forbes releases list praising Davidson's shoe choices 6 No student brave enough to point out mouse in the middle of movie screen 6 SPORTS Women's soccer off to a strong start with young squad 7 Football hopes high again at the start of the fall semester 7
Renowned filmmaker Tom Gilroy focuses his lens on Davidson ANDREW KENNESON Staff Writer
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om Gilroy stands at the board and draws what looks like an upside-down check mark. There’s a long slope running up from left to right that ends with a smaller line running down in the opposite direction. “This,” he says, “is what every story looks like.” A problem is presented, tensions rise, we escalate to an inevitable climax, the situation is resolved, and there is a conclusion. Every story, with exactly zero exceptions, follows this pattern. At some level, we all know this. Somewhere in our elementary or middle school education, we were taught that this is what a story looks like. But Tom thinks it goes deeper than that. He turns to the class and says, “Okay now we’re all adults here. What does this look like? Why are humans drawn to this type of pattern?” It doesn’t take long for someone to say the correct answer. It looks like sex. It’s an unconventional explanation, but Tom, who’s come to Davidson to teach screenwriting and filmmaking this fall, is an unconventional professor. He insists on being called Tom. He wears V-neck tshirts and jeans to class. Gold bracelets cling to
his wrists. He signs off some of his emails with the words “Heaven is Now.” He teaches with the energy of a nine-year old who just drank three cans of Mountain Dew. He dashes across the front of the classroom, scrawling diagrams and pictures, dishing out breathless explanations and anecdotes of how to make a story work. It’s no wonder he says he’s exhausted after each of his three hour classes end. He’s different than most professors, but that might be because he isn’t really a professor. Although he taught part-time at Columbia University for five years, Tom is a filmmaker who admits to having little interest in becoming an academic. He says, however, that when you work in the arts, “the shadow of academia is always around somewhere.” Right now he’s in between films, and he has accepted the McGee Professorship of Writing this fall, becoming a member of the English Department. The former McGee professor, filmmaker Ali Selim, recommended Tom as his replacement. Tom knew very little about Davidson, but he accepted the position anyway. Tom has been writing, directing, and acting in films since he was twenty-two, but he comes from a family of businesspeople. His father wanted him to be an accountant, but Tom wanted to
Tom Gilroy excites Davidson students with a fresh, unorthodox take. Photo provided by Tom
See GILROY on page 2
News
Page 2 September 7, 2016
New additions to campus strengthen liberal arts focus ETHAN EHRENHAFT Staff Writer
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very year brings changes to Davidson, big and small. This school year is no different, and the college is expanding on multiple fronts. In the fall of 2016, Davidson is proud to welcome new professors, a new academic building, and the largest class in the college’s history. As the senses of novelty and freshness continue to wash over Davidson, members of the administration lend thought to the state of the campus through their own perspectives. President Carol Quillen and Dean of Students Tom Shanley are both excited about the new additions to campus and how they will impact all community members this academic year. The first few weeks of school are a special time, when both professors and students are rejuvenated with enthusiasm before the mountains of homework and grading begin to pile. As Dean Shandley put it, there is a “recognition we are all fortunate to be here” at this juncture in time. The most obvious sign of growth at Davidson comes in the form of the new academic building. The E. Craig Wall Jr. Academic Center offers modern, state of the art learning facilities for the sciences. The center was the culmination of an impressive $74 million fundraising campaign. According to President Quillen, the dire need for new facilities “[turned] into an opportunity to build a genuinely collaborative environment that will serve our whole campus.” Academic departments including chemistry, biology, psychology, neuroscience and environmental science will utilize the new space, which includes thirty-six research labs, twenty teaching labs, over four dozen new offices, and several student common rooms.
This recent addition is critical to the college’s mission as a liberal arts school, according to President Quillen. “The Wall Center will enable our community to learn with and from each other in ways we cannot even imagine,” President Quillen remarked. With modern-looking steel and glass designs set between classic red brick, the structure also fits nicely into Davidson’s campus landscape. Metaphorically, the building ties into a larger message at Davidson: to continue to reimagine the way the liberal arts are taught. Dean Shandley remarks, “When fully realized, the Academic Village will bring together multiple disciplines teaching together in new and creative ways.” Fostering interdisciplinary interest in students is central to this process. The Wall Academic Center was not the only construction site on campus this summer. Dean Shandley also commented on his excitement about “the newly remodeled Spencer-Weinstein Multicultural House.” Thanks to donations from Marcus and Carole Weinstein, the Multicultural House has received a makeover which includes a new kitchen, event space, and exterior additions. Davidson hopes it will help embrace students of all backgrounds and help facilitate constructive conversations about diversity and acceptance. Such a goal was also emphasized through the incoming first-year class’s summer reading assignment: Ta-Nehisi Coates’s novel Between the World and Me. With the prevalence of debates over race relations at colleges across the nation, President Quillen remarked how the book “addresses crucial, timely issues, that calls us to honest reflection.” Freshman discussed the book during orientation week, and President Quillen emphasized, “Whether we agree or disagree with the book, we all have a common experience, a
The Wall Center combines modern aesthetic with Davidson brick. Photo by Erin Gross. starting place, to talk about race.” Aside from physical construction, Davidson has initiated some additional changes which affect the daily lives of students. The foremost of these are the ten new assistant professors about twenty-eight visiting professors who President Quillen described as “ phenomenal scholars deeply committed to serving students.” Furthermore Davidson has also introduced some social additions to campus. In a highly anticipated move, the intersection of Patterson Court Circle and Ridge Road will host a food truck every Friday and Saturday night throughout the year for hungry students late at night. Al-
ready suffering from Commons fatigue, EJ Kelley ‘20 says the food trucks are a “pleasant departure from the norm.” Dean Shandley also spoke to his enthusiasm for the trucks. As the community embarks upon the 20162017 school year, the state of the campus at Davidson is stronger than ever. The college remains committed to making sure the full potential of a liberal arts education is realized. President Quillen spoke of how the atmosphere on Davidson’s Campus is a special one, stating “We are so lucky to work and live in a community where asking ‘what if?’ and ‘why not?’ is normal.”
Artist Series bound to entertain throughout the year LAILA KING Staff Writer
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he 2016-2017 C. Shaw and Nancy K. Smith Artist Series will commence on the September 24. The series is a longstanding Davidson tradition which goes back over seventy years; during the first series, Davidson hosted series of performances by visiting musicians and choral groups. Over time, more and more community members have gotten involved in the Artist Series. By 1975 the Artist Series was run primarily by students, who handled aspects of the presentation such as artist selection, ticket sales and publicity, as well as setting up for and cleaning up after the shows. In 2002, the artist series was renamed in honor of two renowned Davidson community members: C. Shaw Smith, who worked at the college
for almost 30 years and served as the first Union director, and his wife Nancy. Every year, Davidson’s Union Board Artist Series Committee, made up of both faculty and students, selects performances and musical acts to perform throughout the year. The group is dedicated to exposing members of the Davidson community to different cultures, styles, and techniques through a variety of individual shows. This year’s series consists of a diverse group of events and shows. The series will begin (on September 24) with “Free Speech (While It Lasts),” a comedy show performed by The Second City, a Chicago-based improvisation group whose famous alumni include Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Amy Poehler, and Keegan Michael Kay, focused on the upcoming presidential election candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It will be stocked with political satire, songs, and improv. The next show, on November 4, will be a per-
formance by the Harlem Gospel Choir, the most prominent gospel choir in the United States. Hailing from Harlem in New York City, these performers will be invoking the spirit and culture of the African-American community, best known for the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. The show will feature contemporary gospel classics as they are performed in churches throughout Harlem today. Following the acting and musical performances, the next two shows in the series are both dance productions. The New York-based Ballet Hispanico will kick off this section on November 12. The ballet members’ show will feature some of their staple performances as well as some new work coordinated by the Belgian-Colombian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. These dancers are particularly known for their exploration and celebration of Latin culture. The second dance performance, taking place on December 31, will be by the premier Span-
ish and flamenco dance company in the United States, Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. Also based in New York, this company explores the rich history and traditions of life in southern Spain through varied and stylized flamenco. The series will conclude on March 1 with a performance of one of William Shakespeare’s best known comedies, Much Ado About Nothing, by the Aquila Theater Company. The Aquila Theater Company is a prominent touring theater company, known for their portrayal of classical plays and scenes. The group mostly travels and performs throughout the United States, but they have also toured internationally. Attendance at the C. Shaw and Nancy K. Smith Artist Series is not limited to members of the Davidson College community. Both individual and season tickets are available for purchase online or through the Union Box Office. For ticket information, call (704) 894-2135.
Gilroy equates sex and storytelling in the classroom Continued from Page 1 be a novelist. He only lasted one semester as an accounting major at Syracuse before transferring to Boston College to study literature. After graduation, he got involved with modeling and acting in New York City, and he joined a punk rock band. He never went to film school but he studied acting at The Strasberg Institute and became a member of The Actor’s Studio, which he then quit to start his own theatre company with eight acting friends. Tom draws comparisons from his career to the punk scene; it was more about just going out doing it than learning in a classroom or even being good. He eventually started writing plays and short films and moved out to Los Angeles to act in a variety of movies and TV shows. But it wasn’t until Tom was acting in a movie directed by legendary British director Ken Loach that he realized he had the chops to write and create films. As Tom tells it, one of his fellow actors told Loach that Tom wrote. Loach asked Tom if he had anything with him, and Tom gave him his latest play. Tom says, “A few days later he asked if
we could have lunch and I thought, ‘Oh he’s just going to kill me.’ But Loach said, ‘What are you doing? Why are you living in Los Angeles? Why are you doing these moronic television shows? You should be making films.’” Although he’s not as well-known in the U.S., Ken Loach is a big name in the film industry. Loach’s filmmaking career boasts several awards including two awards at The Cannes Film Festival, the most prestigious film festival in the world, for his Land & Freedom. Most recently, he captured the Palme d’Or, the highest award at Cannes, for his film I, Daniel Black. Tom says, after speaking with Loach, “Suddenly I saw things radically differently, and I thought ‘I’m not going back to LA to audition for stupid sitcoms.’” So he moved back to New York and started making films. His first film was a short called Touch Base, starring Lili Taylor and adapted from one of his stage pieces. It released in 1994 to critical acclaim. From that success, Tom received funding to write and direct Spring Forward, a feature length film that was shot in sequence, meaning they started on page one and went through the script in order, something that had never been done in the US. In 2013, he wrote and directed The Cold Lands. Both films were well received by critics and audi-
ences. In between these films, Tom has worked on a variety of projects, from editing scripts to directing the music video “It Happened Today” for the band R.E.M. He has also written three books composed of various haikus, and he has contributed political analysis for the Huffington Post. When he leaves Davidson after this semester, Tom will direct a film called Wonder Drug, the story of a cancer-causing drug that was marketed to pregnant women for decades. After that, he’s going to work on another film he wrote about a group of nuns. Looking back on thirty-four years of working with stories, Tom sees a few trends emerge from his work. The first is that he hates violence. Violence is how a shallow writer moves a plot forward, he believes. Spring Forward, for example, is almost entirely dialogue. The second is that he’s interested in some sort of spirituality. This is not surprising for someone who grew up a Christian, became a Buddhist, and is now an atheist. “I wouldn’t even say it’s religious,” he says, “But some form of human spirituality will raise itself up in my films. And I can see it getting bigger.” Tom has only been teaching for a few weeks, but he’s enjoying it. He says the students at Davidson are diligent and ask good questions. It re-
minds him why he likes teaching; it’s a massive review of storytelling basics and forces him to consider the process in new ways. Students in his classes love his energy and enthusiasm for the material, as well as his ability to speak to the “real world” of filmmaking. The chair of the English department, Dr. Shireen Campbell, echoes these sentiments. She says Davidson is incredibly lucky to have someone who has experience making films and is also an excellent teacher. Whether we know it or not, we are always telling stories. Upside down check marks are everywhere. More than anything, this is what Tom wants to teach. The first line of his screenwriting syllabus reads, “Story is our basic unit of communication.” Whether his students end up in public relations, politics, law, advertising, psychology, web design, or even filmmaking, they need to know how stories work. Tom says, “I’m here to teach students the rudiments of storytelling. They can use it however they want to.” Note: Spring Forward, Tom’s earlier mentioned film, will be screened on September 13 at 7:30 in Tyler-Tallman Hall. A question and answer session with Tom will follow.
News New faces on campus Continued from Page 1 really cool and I loved the environment.” Other students surveyed say they were attracted to the studious and supportive academic environment. First-year student Eddie Garcia Alamilla says he chose Davidson in part because of the strong alumni support. “The connections we get here will be really important in the future, because a lot of people, after they graduate, are really involved. I’m looking forward to being a part of that connection,” commented Garcia Alamilla. The first-years surveyed were excited to see how their college years will unfold, but they mentioned being nervous about grades, getting enough sleep, and misplacing their cat cards.
First-year students visit the Ada Jenkins Center. Photo by Bill Giduz.
Dr. Malcolm Campbell speaks to first-year students at the Honor Code signing. Photo by Bill Giduz. They say their first few weeks have been positive, but they have encountered minor disappointments--like the brief period during which the Davis Cafe in Union does not serve quesadillas. Though they’ve been figuring out the key aspects
of campus culture, most freshmen surveyed had a common question: what is Frolics? As reported by the Class of 2020 Profile via the Offices of Admission and Financial Aid, the Class of 2020 includes students from 43 states and 22 countries, most of whom attended high schools in the Southeast. Of those who reported, 85% of accepted students were in the top 10% of their high school class. 14% of the class received scholarships, and 10.3% received athletic aid. The ACT middle 50% for accepted students was 3034. “I am excited to welcome the Class of 2020 to Davidson,” says President Quillen. “We- returning students, alumni, and faculty and staff- are eager to share what makes Davidson special and to learn from those now joining our community.”
Faculty members led students in book discussions throughout Orientation. Photo by Bill Giduz.
Students, Please note that bicycles left on campus over the summer were collected by the Public Safety office. The bicycles are in the custody of the Police Department and will be stored for an additional 30 days following receipt of this notice. If you left your bicycle on campus over the summer and believe that it could have been picked up by Public Safety, please stop by our office in the basement of Tomlinson Residence Hall to claim your property. You will be required to provide a detailed description of your bicycle and will need to provide supporting documentation to claim your bicycle (i.e. serial number or purchase receipt). If bicycles are not claimed within the 30 day time period they will be donated. Thank you. - Carolyn McMakin, Assistant Chief
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Davidsonian.com
crime log Time Reported
Description / Location
8/31/16 at 1055 hrs
Suspicious Activity at Satellite Lot. Inactive
8/31/16 at 1545 hrs
Larceny Felony at Nelson Lane. Further Investigation.
9/1/16 at 1200 hrs
Suspicious Odor. Inactive.
9/1/16 at 1524 hrs
Suspicious Person at 200 D Road. Inactive.
9/2/16 at 1615 hrs
Sexual Battery at South Campus. Prosecution Declined.
9/3/16 at 0300 hrs
Underage Consumption/Possession. Dean Referral.
living davidson
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September 7, 2016
Liz Nielsen addresses Existentialism in Photograms
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DEANNA GRAYSON STAFF WRITER
xistentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre believe in the idea “existence precedes essence,” which means that if something exists, contingently, then we have to create its essence. In Sartre’s novel “Nausea,” the protagonist Roquentin finds the creation of essence to be a burden - a burden that manifests itself into a feeling of nausea upon his realization that he cannot create a truly objective essence. He realizes that everyone sees the world differently and, furthermore, that we only understand the world from our narrow human perspective. Interestingly, Roquentin is able to somewhat overcome his feeling of nausea by the end of the book through the idea that literature and art are not as contingent as other objects. You could ask yourself about an object like a tree, “why does this exist?” and not reach a precise conclusion. Similarly, you could ask yourself why art exists and conclude that it exists because it is sourced from a creator. While we cannot (in Existentialist philosophy) make any assumptions about the metaphysical creator of the world, and therefore objects existing contingently, we can find some explanation in the existence of objects that we create ourselves. When contemporary, Brooklyn-based artist Liz Nielsen places her hand-cut collages of colored gels on photosensitive paper and then exposes them to light, she creates an art object. In Liz Nielsen’s 2015 and 2016 Photograms, she addresses Existentialism and Media Metamorphosis in the Digital Age. These works would likely comfort Roquentin because they were created with intention and can therefore be tagged with an explanation for their presence in the world. But can art fully cure Existential nausea by virtue of being created, or does there still exist a fiery angst in being unable to always know the exact intention of the artist in creating the work? We must also ask ourselves how much that intention matters and if art derives more meaning from the artist’s intentions or from our own interpretations. The fact that there might not be one objective essence to the existence of art (even though less art is less contingent of an object compared to something like a tree) - such a fact may bother Roquentin, but does it bother us? I believe that this lack of objectivity does not bother us, but actually soothes us. Contrary to Roquentin’s existential nausea, the beauty of art can be found in its ability to exist in many different manifestations. Although we each create a different essence when interpreting or even just viewing Nielsen’s works, the works themselves exist objectively as the photograms on the wall. The shapes in the photograms appear very flat and perhaps unsettling. For example, the edges of the blue forms in
“Agave,” 2015 transition abruptly into their dark black background without any indication of being prompted into the field three-dimensionally. The artist attempts shading within the shapes, but the shapes still lay inert and planar due to this lack of indication that the shapes have any other sides than those pictured. The viewer might ask, “why did the artist make all this painstaking effort in the darkroom to arrange the forms into a glass collage if they will just end up looking like flat color shapes in the final product?” I do not have an answer to that question, but the fact that we are asking that question encourages us to unlock our trust in presentation. We live in a world of visual manipulation and photographic editing. While artists have been editing photographs for decades, only recently has this kind of visual manipulation been available to the general public. Image editing has become more democratic than it has ever been. Almost every image we post on social media has been edited. Furthermore, by virtue of transferring the image from our photo stream to our Facebook or Instagram pages - the image is essentially “edited.” The one-dimensional shapes in Nielsen’s final work, although reasonably unsettling, are important because they allows us to be confronted with the disenchanting contingency that I think Sartre is getting at in his “Nausea.” At one point, Roquentin remarks: “I realized that there was no half-way house between non-existence and this flaunting abundance. If you existed, you had to exist all the way, as far as mouldiness, bloatedness, obscenity were concerned.” Sometimes existence is ugly. Furthermore, in the digital age that we live in, sometimes when we switch media and our form is transferred away from an essence that was maybe more charming, it becomes ugly in a very existential way. Think about every time you edit a photo and it begins to look more and more artificial. Does it even still exist as that particular photo anymore? Once we dig our human scalpel into the tissue of an image, we cannot be surprised when the wet blood dries up and the skin shrivels up into a lifeless reminder of what once was.
From top to bottom: “Agave” by Liz Neilsen, 2015, Chromogenic photograph; Liz Neilsen Photograms as on display in the Van Every and Smith Galleries Photo Courtsey of the Artist and SOCO Gallery
Photograms will be on display until October 7
THE CHEW
2.9
Materials 1 Pan Measuring cups and spoons
Apple-Chedder Grilled Cheese Mary Porter Adapted from Bonappetit.com Makes 1 Sandwich
Courtesy Photo
A perfect way to welcome the Fall!
Ingredients 2 Slices of Your Favorite Bread 1 Tablespoon Butter 1/2 cup of white or yellow shredded cheddar cheese Dijon mustard to taste 1/2 red apple, sliced thin 1/2 cup fresh spinach Want your favorite recipe featured? Email editor Mary Porter at maporter@davidson.edu to get involved!
Directions 1. Heat skillet on medium-high. 2. Butter one slice of bread and place in the pan butter-side down. 3. Spread on some mustard to taste and top with half of the shredded cheddar, sliced apple, and spinach. Add the remaining cheddar on top, making sure to get to the edges. 4. Butter the other slice of bread and place on top of the cheese, butter-side facing out. Cook slowly on medium-low heat until golden brown and toasty. Most of your cheese should be melted when it’s time to flip. 5. Carefully flip your sandwich and continue grilling. The second-side grills a bit faster, so turn the heat down to low and keep a close eye on it. When toasty brown and perfect, remove from the pan, and enjoy hot!
perspectives Dear First-Year Students SPENCER WILSON
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n the three years since I graduated from Davidson, I have had a fair amount of time to reflect on my college years. I did not leave college with any regrets, but there are a few hard-won lessons and truths I picked up along the way that I wish I had known from the beginning. This is the letter I wish I could have read before my first day of college. First, a bit of philosophy. You already know that college is a “high value” experience; you’ve seen the price tag, and maybe you’ve calculated the number of years it will take to pay off all your loans. But the truth is, college is infinitely more valuable than the cost of admission, and even vastly more valuable than just the impact it will make in terms of future earnings. Forget about the post-graduation salary. The value of college is in developing your mind itself. It’s in the experiences, both within the walls of this institution and around the world, that broaden your horizons and show you new sides of yourself. It’s in the late-night conversations you will have (maybe in another language) about the ideas you first discovered here that are still influencing the rest of your life. College enriches every day of the rest of your life. That is the mindset you need going into your first semester. Every day, whether you spend it on self-development and explo-
ration or wasting time on the Internet, has already been paid for, but the benefits that you can derive from that day are limitless. Don’t settle for just getting your money’s worth when the sky is the limit on your return on investment. With that in mind, here are a few tips to help you maximize those benefits: - Radically open yourself up to new people, ideas, and experiences. Be utterly, uncomfortably vulnerable to them. The next four years are about what you will learn and how you will change, not what you know and who you are now. - Master a simple introduction. When you run into someone you don’t know, all you have to say is, “hi, I don’t think we’ve met yet.” Ask their name, then repeat it loudly and clearly like it’s the most beautiful, interesting name you’ve ever heard. When you meet someone, make them feel like they are the most important person you have ever met. For all you know, they could be. - No one is going to police you in college (except the police… try to stay on their good side). I had a lot of bright, ambitious friends get derailed by the simple fact that they could stop going to class and no one would care. Cultivate self-discipline. - Do the work you’re assigned and finish it on time. It will wreck you if you don’t. Practice this line in the mirror: “I can’t go out tonight, I have too much work to do.” - Get to know your professors. They are some
of the coolest people you will ever meet, and you are the reason they wake up in the morning. Go to office hours just to talk about stuff that excites you. The bond you form over that shared passion will last long after you graduate. - A reading list is a suggestion. A starting point. If you start reading something and hate it, check out the cliff notes. If you read something and love it, tell your professor and ask them to recommend books that are similar or by the same author. You’re the one in charge of your life’s syllabus, fill it with things that interest you. - Get involved. It’s not about what shows up on your resume or law school application. Find groups and activities in college that you truly care about and throw yourself into them with abandon. - Audit a class. Go to HIS 231: Medieval Warfare twice a week for the sheer joy of learning about battle axes and siege engines, and not just to get a graduation credit. - College is a time of radical growth. Don’t focus on intellectual growth so much that you overlook opportunities for physical, emotional, and spiritual growth. - Learn how to learn. If you can master the art of finding the right books, challenging your beliefs, and actually internalizing knowledge, you can have college-level learning anytime you have access to a library. - Follow your passion and don’t bother with anyone who tells you otherwise.
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About passion. A major is not a passion. Your life goal cannot be to become an art history major or economics major and then see what happens. Do not expect to go through college, pass the classes you need to pass, and then suddenly be ushered into the life you want. The degree you obtain at the end of your four years here is a means, not an end. You need to develop actual life goals, identify the steps you need to take to reach them, and then put in the work to accomplish those goals. This is the hardest thing to learn how to do in college and no one can teach you but yourself. You don’t have to know what your passion is yet. Part of the reason you are here is to challenge your assumptions, discover new ideas, and find that one thing that turns your brain on fire. For some that thing is easy to find. Most have to actively seek it by turning over every stone and intentionally exploring different subjects and disciplines. Work as hard as you can to find it as soon as you can so that you have more time to learn about what you actually care about. Remember that your time here is limited, but the dividends from your education are not. You are the one in driver’s seat, and your college degree is exactly as valuable as you make it. Spencer Wilson '13 was an economics major at Davidson and is now in his fourth year of medical school at UNC. Contact him at spencer_wilson@med.unc.edu
Davidson's Investments Violate the Honor Code EMMA TAYLOE
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he honor code signing at the end of orientation formally marks the entry of each new class into the Davidson community. Honor codes at many universities require students to abstain from bad behavior, but at Davidson, we are also expected to hold one another accountable. Our honor code is unique in that it asks us to not only be honorable in our own actions, but to take active steps to preserve the integrity of our institution as a whole. Davidson’s endowment presents a clear opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to the honor code. In a 1987 memorandum to Davidson faculty, then president John Kuykendall announced the Board of Trustee’s decision to partially divest from businesses linked to South African apartheid, stating that the Board of Trustees Finance Committee is “deeply concerned about the social responsibility of the corporations in which the College invests.” One would hope that this concern still exists today. Davidson has a new opportunity to join a movement for justice. 2-3% of our $680 million endowment is currently invested in energy corporations. According to the EPA, the main cause of climate change is the burning
of fossil fuels. Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, calls climate change “the greatest threat to human rights in the 21st century.” Climate change disproportionately affects people of color on a global and local scale. According to the NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice program, the location of coal fired power plants in the United States correlates more strongly with race than with class; almost 4 in 5 African-Americans live within 30 miles of a coal plant. Pipelines transporting crude oil frequently cut through the ancestral lands of indigenous peoples, which violates the sanctity of the land and subjects the surrounding region to the risk of a spill. Other reservations face different climate change related threats; the New York Times published an article in May of this year called “Resettling the First American ‘Climate Refugees.’” It covered a group of Native Americans who were evacuating their island due to flooding, which the article attributed to stronger storms and to erosion caused by channels carved for oil companies. Flooding poses a much larger risk to other parts of the world and to island and coastal nations, in particular. President Tong of Kiribati recently purchased 5,500 acres of land in Fiji so that his people will have somewhere to live when rising sea levels wipe out his country. More intense and more frequent storms caused by climate change also threaten the
the davidsonian staff editors-in-chief
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Emma Johnson Matt Landini Olive Daniels AJ Naddaff Mary Porter Erin Davenport Paul Henderson Ian Robertson
Erin Gross
web editor
Sabrina Cheema
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Austin Newsome
people of these regions, especially the poor. Low-income families are more likely to live in low altitudes and to lack sufficient shelter, and therefore are more likely to be killed or displaced by a natural disaster. The World Bank found that by 2030, a combination of the effects of climate change could cast around 100 million people, most of whom live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia, into a state of “extreme poverty.” The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded unsurprisingly that “risks [of climate change] are unevenly distributed and are generally greater for disadvantaged people and communities in countries at all levels of development.” Thus, the groups most threatened by climate change are not only the most vulnerable but also the least responsible for the problem in the first place. The governments of the Global North have largely ignored the demands for action from those most affected, but the climate justice movement is growing among students and citizens. In the last five years, schools, corporations, faith-based organizations and individuals have divested well over three trillion dollars from fossil fuels, according to gofossilfree.org. In North Carolina, Brevard College and Warren Wilson College have already fully divested their endowments from fossil fuels. Although a student referendum in 2013 showed that a majority of Davidson students support divestment, the Board of Trustees
decided not to pull our investments from the fossil fuel industry, effectively ignoring the impact climate change has on communities of color, indigenous peoples, island and coastal nations and the world’s poor. In May of 2016, Davidson for Climate Justice presented the argument for fossil fuel divestment to the Board of Trustees and invited its members to form an exploratory committee to investigate the feasibility of divestment. Sadly, despite student body support and the fact that profiting from the extraction and burning of fossil fuels betrays our commitment to integrity, the Board of Trustees refused to join our feasibility study. Even without the cooperation of the Board, Davidson students are continuing to fight for climate justice. Whether we signed it last month or decades ago, the honor code unites the members of the Davidson community in a shared promise not only to ourselves be honorable, but to expect ethical behavior from each other. If we are serious about this commitment to integrity, it is time we hold our endowment accountable to the same standard. Emma Tayloe '19 is an undeclared student from Arlington, VA. Contact her at emtayloe@davidson.edu
The Apology Issue Heroic Student The Only One Brave Enough to Inform Professor That The Mouse Has Been Left in the Middle of Movie Screen
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Guy With Co-Exist Sticker Doesn’t Have Any Money But Can Pay You With Granola
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Guy With Co-Exist Sticker Also Needs a Lift
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Small Talk at the Urinal: Weird or Super Weird?
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Twenty Minute Silence as Professor Struggles With Projector/Volume Controls
Blind Man Hugely Impressed by State Highway Welcome Center Though many do not take the time to appreciate fine establishments such as welcome centers and highway rest stops, there are a select few, such as blind North Carolinian Bert Hannigan, that enjoy nothing more than a rest station. Inspired by the selfless thoughtfulness that must go into the creation and upkeep of a state welcome center, Bert has dedicated his life to experiencing and reviewing many rest stops throughout the country. A month ago Bert visited a particularly exceptional station that he cannot remember the name of, only that his wife said it had a “Blue sign telling you when to get off the road.” “I was blown away by my experience, to say the least,” commented Bert. “I could not believe that the state I was in had taken the time to create a welcome center for travellers right along the highway. Surely it was a clean, well tended establishment that proudly welcomed all, instead of a Burger King, a parking lot
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Avoiding That Thing in the 900 Room
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New BBC Show To Chronicle The “Great F Migration” As Students Switch Rooms the Morning After
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New Deal From Apple Offers Reckless Students 6 iPhone 5’s Instead of the Newest Upgrade
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“I could not believe that the state had taken the time to create a welcome center for travellers right along the highway. Surely it was a clean, well tended establishment...instead of a Burger King, a parking lot and a tipped over porta-potty. ” and a tipped over porta-potty.” Rest stops from all of the country have begun to claim Bert’s praise, each one boasting that their giant faded maps, seemingly always empty vending machines, and strangely damp bathrooms must have won Bert over. “We recently made the switch to clean linen Glade plug ins, that had to be what won him over,” asserted Rowland, North Carolina rest stop manager Kathy Hines. “The fools in Columbus are still using Cashmere Woods, their station is simply behind the times. They could never hope to compete with us. Bert must be talking about our stop.” “I will continue to visit as many rest stops as I can in this life. Always searching, always wondering,” continued Bert. “Welcome centers along state highways remain a bastion of the goodness and optimism that is so important to the American spirit. I cannot imagine a world where these sacred places for the weary traveller would feature anything but pure, clean comfort and beauty. I sincerely hope that these places remain untouched by the filth of our world, like Starbucks.”
Forbes Confirms Davidson Best School in the South at Wearing Birkenstocks Davidson, NC - Forbes has revealed Davidson students have become the number one consumers of Jesus sandals and Birkenstocks, following in the footsteps of uncles that make their own granola and Berkeley students who smell vaguely of pot. The announcement comes just months after Davidson solidified the number 22 spot on the Forbes list of small liberal arts colleges that have a croquet club. The Birkenstocks trend has taken campus by storm with a variety of students beginning to warm up to the idea of comfortable, unisex footwear. “They are seriously unparalleled when it comes to comfort. I just love the way it feels in between my toes. It’s like I’m literally walking on water,” said senior Jason Christ ‘17, while brushing his recently grown out ponytail. “I totally understand why we’ve all gotten so into this and why Forbes would recognize our achievements.” “Despite Davidson’s small Despite Davidson’s small size, the liberal arts college size, the college was still able was able to beat out former to beat out former Southern Southern Birkenstock powerhouses such as Duke, the Birkenstock powerhouses such University of Virginia, and Washington and Lee Unias Duke, the University of versity. Virginia, and Washington Many students also feel that Birkenstocks could not and Lee University.” come at a more opportune time in fashion history. “They’re the equalist answer we’ve always been searching for. This is how we break the glass sealing. Gone are the days of sexist, gendered footwear,” said Cindy Scraw ’18 as she burned her bra on the Chamber’s lawn. Though the Birkenstock trend has spread rapidly across campus, there are still many who stand opposed to the comfort of the strappy fashion statement. “I swear to god, if I see one more man-bun sporting, communist sympathizing, vegan trapezing around campus in those abominations to mankind, I’m transferring to a lower ranked Birkenstock school,” said Stan Stocks ’17, while vigorously ironing a white Brooks Brothers dress shirt.
I hate this damn box.
Investigative Report Reveals Star Wars Names Are Just Toddler Noises
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Editors: Paul Henderson Writers: Kate “Thanks For Sticking With it” Walsh Pat “McCheese” Henderson A Nude Spood
Note: The Yowl is a satirical supplement to The Davidsonian. Hence, nothing in it should be taken as truth. Word.
A shocking investigative report has revealed that the names of Star Wars characters are actually inspired by the nonsensical babbling of toddlers. The investigation confirmed that the names of beloved characters such as Jar-JarBinks and Mace Windu are not the result of ingenious creativity by those at LucasArts, but are instead the creations of toddlers struggling to form words despite lacking familiarity with the English language. The report revealed the location of a secret facility owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company designed to capture and utilize the wails of toddlers to generate names for the new characters set to appear in upcoming Star Wars content. According to the findings, thousands of toddlers were kept in soundproof studios for hours while audio technicians listened carefully for noises with “high name potential.” “This report was truly eye opening,” said Gladys Hayworth, one of the investigators assigned to the project. “Thanks to our findings,
“So you’re telling me that the name KaiAdi-Mundi was just the product of some mic’d up toddler trying to converse with his teddy bear?”
we have been able to discover the true origins of Star Wars’ strange names. For instance, the name Chewbacca is actually the just sound a child made whilst sneezing three times in a row.” As may be expected, many Star Wars fans have not been taking the news well. “Frankly, I feel a little betrayed,” said Ned Scripps, an avid Star Wars fan and memorabilia collector based in Huntersville. “So you’re telling me that the name Kai-Adi-Mundi came from some mic’d up toddler trying to converse with his teddy bear? Star Wars is my life. How can I take this universe seriously anymore? I wish I’d never gotten this.” Scripps proceeded to lift his shirt to reveal a tattoo on his stomach reading “Kai-Adi, forever a hero,” before slouching and sadly walking away. At this time, Disney has declined to make a statement about the facility.
sports
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Mixture of old and new faces propel women’s soccer JONATHAN SWANN
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Staff Writer
ed by key returning players and a number of talented freshmen, the women’s soccer team has started off the season well, winning three of the six games they have played. With wins over former Southern Conference opponents Wofford and East Tennessee State, along with Gardner Webb, the team looks to continue their fine start in non-conference play before beginning conference games in late September. The team hopes that their third season in the A-10 will also be their best, as they hope to reach the top half of the conference and qualify for the A-10 tournament. The Wildcats are a young team however, with 19 of the players either freshmen or sophomores. Head coach Greg Ashton acknowledges that the Wildcats are a relatively inexperienced team, but believes the Wildcats can could surprise some teams in the A-10 and have made significant strides since the season began. Their win-loss record and the strong play of experienced returnees and newcomers is emblematic of such progress. Although the team suffered two close losses to Campbell and Appalachian State, they rebounded for three straight wins before losing to Furman this past Sunday. Ashton said that the games versus Campbell and Appalachian State could have gone either way, and that the Wildcats are still adapting to their specific roles on the team as the season progresses. On offense, Maggie Boyd ’17, Ashley Finke ‘17, and Mia Hodges ’19 anchor the squad. Boyd scored two goals against Wofford, and Hodges added a goal against Gardner-Webb. In addition, Seeley Yoo ’20, a freshman midfielder, notched her first career hat trick with three goals versus ETSU. Given her inexperience in collegiate competition, such a feat is impressive and bodes well for the team as they prepare for A-10 opponents.
Echoing the sentiment of every Davidson team, Yoo noted that “We want to “make it to the A-10 tournament” and “finish each game strong.” Sabine Chandler ’20, who has experience playing for the Haiti U20 national team, and Virginia Jesselson ’20, have provided strong starts for the team as well. However, the team does have to fill the void of Vicky Bruce ’16, a transfer from UNC who started all 19 games last year and recorded 13 points. She had a team-high nine assists, which was good enough for second in the A-10. So far, Bruce’s absence doesn’t seem to be a significant factor, but the offense needs to continue to perform well so they can compete at a high level in the A-10. In goal, Becca Ravitz ’18 leads the way, with Lauren Himes ’18, Rachel Western ’18, and Megan Goodling ’19 returning to maintain the Cats’ defense. The Cats were stingy last year, only allowing an average of 1.65 goals per game while shutting out four opponents. They hope to replicate some of that success this season. Ashton believes if that the team stays composed in every game and more players become offensive threats as the season goes on, then the Wildcats have a great chance of making it to the A-10 tournament. He has also been pleased with the freshmen, and is utilizing almost every player on the roster to showcase all the talent the Wildcats have to offer. Picked to finish 13th in the A-10 poll, the team hopes to use such a ranking as added motivation to propel them to a high finish in the A-10 tournament. Looking ahead to the remainder of the season, the Wildcats play Marist on September 9th at home, and then travel to Wake Forest and Elon to conclude their nonconference schedule. The next three games will be pivotal for the team to gain momentum heading into a tough A-10 slate, but Wildcat fans are strong believers in their team.
The Wildcats celebrate their hard fought 4-3 win over ETSU. Photo by Yilin Wang.
Freshman Michele Manceaux prepares to take a shot at goal. Photo by Yilin Wang.
Hope springs eternal for Davidson football JACOB MARGOLIS
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Staff Writer
here are a few things that, like clockwork, always take place in September. School starts, the weather cools down, the leaves begin to change color and of course, college football returns. The onset of a new season inspires imagination and optimism. September is when a fan can dream and hope, “maybe this is the year” even if recent history and analysis indicate otherwise. Davidson fans are no different; September is when even the most pessimist fan can dare to believe. Maybe just maybe Paul Nichol’s 5th year will allow Davidson fans to dream well into January and February.
Season Preview: Pioneer Football League coaches picked Davidson to finish last in the conference’s annual preseason coaches’ poll. There are some reasons for optimism though. The Wildcats are favored in two games this year and are expected to play close contests against two other programs. This raises the legitimate possibility for a four win season, a total that hasn’t been reached since the 2011 season. The cats play six games on the road and five at home (home opener is September 17th versus Livingstone). What to Watch For: A player expected to make a big impact on the offensive side of the ball this year is wide receiver Jaris Scott. A 6’3 Junior from Jacksonville, Florida, Scott could be in store for a big, breakout year. Quarterback will also be an interesting position to watch this season as Coach Paul Nichols has two very talented weapons at his command in Taylor Mitchell and Stockton McGuire. Mitchell, a junior, will begin the year as the starter after starting nine games last year but Stockton McGuire, a talented freshman, has a big arm and should see time this season. When asked about the two quarterbacks Jaris Scott stated that, “both are talented and hard-working players.” Scott went on to highlight the differences between the players as; “Taylor [Mitchell] finds his success in the pocket while Stockton [McGuire] uses his legs to his advantage.” First Game Recap vs. Georgetown: The cats entered the game as heavy underdogs
against Georgetown, listed as 29.5-point underdogs by one site, and fell by a score of 38-14. The game was much closer than the score would indicate however. The two teams played a closely contested first half that ended with a Georgetown touchdown and a 17-7 Hoya lead. Georgetown then was able to use their physicality and take advantage of Davidson miscues to seize control of the game. Jaris Scott had a career-high day with five catches that went for 149 years and one touchdown. Quarterbacks Taylor Mitchell and Stockton McGuire split time and combined to throw for 305 yards on 22 completions (out of 33 total throws). Something that stuck out on the offensive side of the ball were the significant contributions from freshmen, specifically quarterback Stockton McGuire and running back, Keylan Brown. McGuire entered the game in the second quarter and immediately displayed his strong arm with an outstanding 56-yard pass and catch to junior receiver and playmaker, Jaris
Scott. The duo would go on for one more large, 69-yard gain in the fourth quarter. As a whole, Scott thought the, “[Offense] performed relatively well” and believed that, “establishing the run game will continue to allow [the offense] to find success through the air.” Building on that sentiment, freshman running back Keylan Brown reiterated that a solid running game, “keeps the defense honest and opens up the pass game.” It is clear that establishing a strong running game will be critical to the Wildcat’s success this year. The Georgetown front seven was extremely physical and strong and was able to swing the game in favor of the Hoyas. The Davidson offensive line did not give in though and Keylan Brown backed this up when he stated that Georgetown had a, “tough front 7 but [the] o-line did a pretty decent job handling [them]. [The offensive line] opened up some lanes [for the running game] and helped move the chains.”
Looking Forward: Looking forward to next week (against Kentucky Wesleyan) Jaris Scott sees, “a huge improvement from game 1 to game 2 with execution and cohesion.” At the moment Scott says the team needs to focus on preparing for a talented Kentucky Wesleyan team. Keylan Brown believes the team is, “focused on Kentucky Wesleyan” and is, “confident that the coached will put [the team] in the right positions and call the right plays to be successful, whether that means running the ball, passing the ball, or a balance of both.” An interesting storyline to follow involves the quarterback position. Taylor Mitchell started the game off 13 for 13 on passes but was replaced by Stockton McGuire who had some really impressive plays but also made some common mistakes that were not surprising given his inexperience at the collegiate level.
Coach Nichols talks to the team at preseason after a hard day of practice. Photo courtesy of Davidson Athletics.
THE DAVIDSONIAN
Women’s Soccer Driven by Young Talent See Page 7
Adelaide Cummings ‘17 Photo by Yilin Wang
September 7, 2016