the davidsonian
OctOber 19, 2016 VOl. 112 Issue 6
The Independent Student Newspaper of Davidson College since 1914
Inside NEWS Davidson's own rap group releases new music video 2 LIVING DAVIDSON Staff spotlight: Eva Alvarez from Vail Commons 4 PERSPECTIVES Wells King '16 and Sarah Gustafson '14 accuse the Administration of abandoning political neutrality 3
Democratic nominee for Vice President Tim Kaine addressed the crowd outside Chambers. Photo by Abby Miller
College Dems Host Tim Kaine and Michelle Kwan as Election Nears ETHAN EHRENHAFT Staff Writer
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t appears that no scrap of land in America is to be spared from the activities of this year’s presidential election. Last week Davidson College’s campus became an epicenter of the critical Democratic campaign in North Carolina. Students returning from Fall Break were greeted by the site of barriers and platforms being erected in front of Chambers. On Wednesday, October 12, The Democratic Party’s nominee for Vice President, Tim Kaine, and the North Carolina Democratic Party held an official campaign event at Davidson. The news generated a buzz on campus generally reserved for chicken parm at Commons or a Steph Curry visit. The rest of the week was also filled with political activity, and not all of it focused around Kaine. Numerous speakers preceded Kaine on Wednesday, including US Representative Alma Adams, North Carolina State Senator Jeff Jackson, North Carolina treasurer candidate Dan Blue III, and several members of the Davidson community. Retired Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan also made a visit to campus on Friday, as part of her role as the Surrogate Outreach
Coordinator for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. All speakers delivered powerful, direct messages, focusing on voter registration, North Carolina’s importance as a swing state, and of course, the presidential election. Volunteers moved across campus, seeking to register students who had failed to do so already. After months of watching on TV and reading about it in the papers, the Davidson community beheld the reality of the heated 2016 presidential race as it was brought literally onto the front lawn. At about 4:30 on Wednesday afternoon, video cameras from both local and national stations focused their lenses on the steps of Chambers, as the rally kicked off. American flags and Hillary campaign signs hung from Chamber’s columns. Students in the standing room section packed around a podium from which the speakers would deliver their addresses. The Nuances, one of Davidson’s acapella groups, kicked off the event with a rendition of the National Anthem, and SGA President Dara Ferguson ‘17 lead the Pledge of Allegiance. The first speaker was Sam Spencer ‘07, who has worked at every level of government over the past decade, including as a campaign manager for state and congressional elections. Spencer set the tone for the afternoon, relating Davidson’s mission to the Clinton campaign, saying that
Davidson has an obligation to keep opportunities open to all regardless of background. “Secretary Hillary Clinton’s campaign is about breaking down those barriers that separate us, that keep out opportunity out of reach for others.” Following Spencer came a string of North Carolinian politicians, all whom made clear the vital role the state plays in present day politics. Deborah Ross, Roy Cooper, and Jane Campbell were frequently mentioned as must-elect candidates. North Carolina has become one of the nation’s most important battleground states, both at the local and federal levels. It went blue for Obama in 2008, red for Romney in 2012, and prefers Clinton by several points in the current election based on the most recent polls. State Senator Jeff Jackson assured that North Carolina “will seal the deal” for Clinton’s election. Jackson, and later state treasurer Dan Blue III both praised Clinton and her record while denouncing Trump, whom Jackson called “a deeply ignorant madman.” Unity across barriers was a common theme. “[Clinton] knows as a nation we are stronger when we come together, she knows
Jules Franco '20 provides a first-year perspective on college transition 3 Emily Carrick '17 discusses activism and (dis)ability 5 Kenny Xu '19 says Davidson conservatives are a silenced minority 5 YOWL Researchers identify mysterious substance in apartment shower 6 Senior women long to return to their carefree abroad lives 6 Campus Police diffuse Samsung Galaxy Note 7 bomb 7 SPORTS Non-D1 athletes shine on campus 7
See HIGH-PROFILE Page 2
Honor Council Speaker Series Features Coach Bob McKillop LAURA DUNNAGAN Staff Writer
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Tonight, we’re on the same team. This is our locker room, and we’ve got a game to play. And I hope in the next forty-five minutes, we are better prepared for the game of life than we are right now.” So began Mens’ Basketball Coach Bob McKillop in his lecture as part of the Honor Council Speaker Series. McKillop spoke about his experiences with honor and framed the discussion around what he established as the motto of the basketball team: trust, commitment, and care. McKillop spoke with raw honesty and intensity while discussing honor. He also spoke with religious conviction, including frequent references to his faith and the power of prayer. Instead of standing at the podium, he walked around the Lilly Gallery, interacted with students, and shared deeply personal experiences that forged a natural connection between himself and the audience. While McKillop is revered for his work with
the Davidson Men’s Basketball team, he commented that his lecture wasn’t merely “coach talk, but life talk” as he reflected on his experiences as a coach, a husband, and a father. His lecture began with a commentary about the Honor Code. “We’re all living parts of this Honor Code,” said McKillop. “We all decide whether it works or doesn’t work. And I wonder, is the Honor Code something that’s only about academics? Is the Honor Code only for you students? Does it apply to the professors? The administration? The coaches? If it applied to everyone, everyone would go home and bring the gift of the Honor Code to their family. They’d live the Honor Code amidst family, and the family would live it. And all of a sudden, it spreads like wildfire.” The focuses of the lecture were trust, commitment, and care. “TCC” has come to color not only McKillop’s personal values, but also the values he teaches to those he coaches. He commented that there is now a banner outside the locker room that his players frequently and reverently “slap,” and that TCC is so important to the culture of the basketball team that many players,
past and present, tattoo “TCC” on their bodies. Stephen Curry is one such player. To frame his speech, McKillop posed three questions to the audience: Can you be trusted to do your best? Are you committed to doing your best? Will you care and show that you care? McKillop acknowledged his own humility in regards to these values, saying, “It’s a tremendous, tremendous challenge to live [TCC] personally. Ain’t no way I’m getting a free pass to heaven, because I violate TCC more than anybody in creation. But I kept coming back to it- because of habit.” McKillop spoke of his early years at Davidson and the challenges he faced adapting to his new role. He spoke of the difficulty of putting aside ego, accepting blame and responsibility, and deciding to fully commit to the Davidson basketball program. Here, he referenced the importance of eliminating distractions, or as he refers to them, “demons,” that can destroy trust, commitment, and care. The star basketball coach frequently referenced the importance of family. He talked about his father, a New York City police officer who
lived his life with trust, commitment, and care. He spoke of his mother who taught him the importance of creating thoughtful habits. He spoke of his children, of playing basketball with and coaching his son and of regret of missed opportunities as he pursued his career at the expense of spending time with his daughter. McKillop spoke of the power of prayer, sharing an anecdote in which after hearing vile comments from another coach during a game, he prayed for the other coach, but he also prayed that his own heart to be changed. He spoke of honor in recruitment, of how important it was to practice personal honor and recognize the honor in others when building a team. When speaking of commitment, Coach McKillop discussed the importance of working through challenges instead of turning away. “Keep fighting,” advised McKillop. “Just keep fighting. Don’t try to take the easy way out.” McKillop closed his lecture with a request of
See MCKILLOP Page 2
News
Page 2 October 19, 2016
NXT LVL ENT Perfoms at Second Live Thursday OLIVE DANIELS AND AJ NADDAFF News Editors
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ictor-Alan Weeks ‘19, Lawrence King ‘19, and Bradford Grant ‘19, otherwise known by their rap names Pragmatic, MC Brooklyn, Legacy recalled the first late nights spent in Chambers’ basement producing songs for their rap group NXT LVL. The group was formed when a friend asked to help with his SGA Senate campaign by creating a rap video. Bounded by their unequivocal passion for rap music, this was the start of many late nights spent tirelessly recording in Chambers’s media lab, emerging once the sun rose and the birds chirped. “After that first 30 second video, we had people telling us that we did a really good job, and we were like, ‘That’s cool, let’s do a mixtape and form a group,’” said King. Weeks and Grant met on an online forum in the weeks before starting Davidson as they bonded over rap. Weeks and King met in French class when King shared his experience rapping during July Experience. The coordinated to meet and freestyled over a few beats, realizing their synergy and potential for future collaboration. Shortly after their first impromptu video, the team secured access and swipes in and out of the media lab through Week's Independent Music Project. The inception of their group's name NXT LVL came through brainstorming, and it was initially proposed by King. Reminiscing about their initial songs, the group commented on how far they have since come. “In the beginning our first mixtape was really safe--baby clean--it wasn’t real to how we
were feeling. We’re young adults and we have these more complex feelings and emotions that we deal with on a daily basis. It’s not just happy or sad but an amalgamation of those emotions. A simple thing is using profanity. This is something I struggle with a bit. I had to be real with myself and say if I feel like this word will express what I want to say more effectively than I feel like as an artist that is the best way to go about it,” said Grant. Through the vicissitudes of an intense Davidson life, their passion keeps them going. “Being here at Davidson, there is such a high stress environment around the academics,” said Weeks. “I want to be happy, follow my passion, and doing music with these two guys has given me a reason to come back to Davidson.” After dropping their first mixtape last year, NXT LVL was offered a performance at Live Thursday, a weekly performance space for student-artists to gather and showcase their passions to the wider community in the Union 900 Room. Prior to the event, King insisted that all the chairs and tables which normally occupied the space be moved, in order to add more of a concert feel. This had never been done before. Reflecting on the impact of the decision on the concert itself, King paused before laughing, “People didn’t know what to do. They started out all the way at the back, and everyone slowly moved up as the concert progressed and the music vibed.” At the most recent Live Thursday, their Emcee, Jalen Madden ‘19 commented on the initial reasons behind the creation of rap: to speak out against injustice. For them, rap is not only about speaking about social issues that oppress the
“Up on the streets see the body drop. Auction block. That was the body shop. For centuries we were worth less than a penny at your local Micky D’s. From the West side of the South pole we was talk hope was imaginary, now my rapping pay like the tooth fairy. Jim Crow bars too heavy,” Lyrics by Pragmatic.. black population, though a common theme in their music, but about their obligation to represent those who feel they have no voice. Above all, the inspiring trio is following their passions. When asked about their biggest supporters, Weeks, King, and Grant all mentioned friends from home, parents, the Davidson community at large, and their extended family members. In the next few semesters, the group members will be going separate directions (Weeks is planning to
go abroad this spring), but they plan to develop as much music as possible over the next few months to release during their hiatus. As soon as they are all back on campus, NXT LVL plans to return at its full magnitude. They thank God and their haters, striving off the multitude of support the Davidson community has and continues to provide.
High-Profile Democrats Visit Davidson's Campus Continued from Page 1 our proudest moments have been when we have accomplished the impossible together,” said Jackson. The final speaker preceding Kaine was Representative Alma Adams from North Carolina’s 12th congressional district. Adams seconded Jackson’s call, announcing, “Hillary and Tim’s campaign is about breaking down barriers.” She commended the recent decisions in federal court which struck down “Pat McCrory’s unconstitutional, racially discriminatory voter ID laws.” Adams and the other pre-Kaine speakers were all met by an enthusiastic crowd, many of whom
waved signs bearing the slogans “Love Trumps Hate,” “I Will Vote,” and “Stronger Together.” At the conclusion of Adams’s speech it was at long last time for Kaine, who entered to raucous applause and the song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” after being introduced by College Democrats Vice President Kate Bock ‘19. Kaine touched on numerous points throughout his roughly forty minute long speech, which held a particular focus on attacking Trump’s latest debate performance. Not surprisingly, Kaine mentioned the “horrible treatment of women in those audio tapes” released of Trump, calling it abusive behavior as opposed to “locker room talk.” The VP candidate talked of how he owed
The pillars of Chambers were adorned with American flags and "Stronger Together" posters. Photo by Abby Miller
much of his political success to strong women, including his wife and campaign managers. One of the most powerful moments of the speech came when he spoke of the grave underrepresentation of women in American politics. Kaine laid out the facts: woman compose 19% of Congress, the highest percentage it’s ever been. That number ranks 75th in world for female representation in government, behind the likes of countries such as Iraq (26%) and Afghanistan (28%). “Part of what makes us a great nation is acknowledging the things you do well and acknowledging the things you don’t. We need to acknowledge we are a nation that has made it uniquely difficult to get women elected to higher office,” announced Kaine. The rally did not mark the end of political activity for the week. Davidson hosted Michelle Kwan, the most decorated figure skater in American history and one of the most popular female athletes of the 21st century. Kwan also came to campus to campaign for Clinton, arriving on Friday, the last day to register to vote in North Carolina by mail. Kwan spoke to a group of students about her transition from sports to politics. According to her, sports helped “opened [her] eyes to international relations” through the numerous overseas tours she did as a skater. Kwan is fortunate enough to know Clinton personally, having worked under her in the State Department and as an envoy representing the US internationally. “She is tough, she is not afraid to stand up for what’s right,” said Kwan regarding Clinton. “When she worked for the UN in Beijing [Clinton] famously said that women's rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights.” Kwan also discussed the role of an envoy as it related to her experience as an Olympian. “I wanted
Michelle Kwan discussed the relationship between her figure skating and political careers. Photo by Olivia Daniels to build on what was the highest honor for me that was representing this incredible and great country.” Kwan provided a finale to what was surely the most politically active week Davidson has seen for some time. At a time when many are experiencing political fatigue and general disillusionment with the government, all speakers delivered decidedly optimistic messages, albeit from the Democratic side of the ticket. The election is at last in its final stages. Kwan said it best: “It was a marathon, instead of a sprint. And now we’re coming to the point where it is a sprint. You do as much as you can.”
McKillop Speaks about Honor in His Life, Team Continued from Page 1 his audience. McKillop posed a question: “Can you imagine if we leave here tonight and we live this trust, we live this commitment, we live this care? Learn from me- that is the greatest formula for honor, the greatest formula for being a great student, a great athlete, a great performer, a great member of your community. It doesn’t get any
simpler than that.” Mary Scott Manning ‘17, Chair of the Honor Council Speaker Series, said she and her team had been considering McKillop for over a year. They chose McKillop because they believed him to be “a person of great character.” Christine Choi ‘17, Chair of the Honor Council, emphasized the importance of having speakers from various walks of life. She said the Honor Council has had various speakers, including one from the military, a poet, a teacher, a social activ-
ist, and they realized they hadn’t touched on athletics. “We wanted to show positively how great the athletics program can be at our school. Bob McKillop was a great way to show that,” commented Choi. Choi says the Speaker Series is part of a greater initiative to change the narrative around the Honor Code. Instead of discussing the Honor Code in a “punitive” way, the Speaker Series allows the Honor Council to “give a positive light” to the Honor Code. “Honor is so much more
than just a code,” reflected Choi. Choi and Manning encourage suggestions from the community about potential future speakers for the Honor Council Speaker Series. McKillop ended his lecture with a message of encouragement which the Honor Code itself is thought to embody: “I hope you trust, I hope you commit, I hope you show that you care. And I promise you, your life will be a journey of success, and if you carry it forward, this world will be a better place.”
perspectives Let learning be cherished... WELLS KING AND SARAH GUSTAFSON
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he last week has revealed symptoms of a dysfunctional political culture at Davidson. Last Wednesday, “Stronger Together” banners adorned the facade of Chambers in what appeared to be no less than an institutional endorsement of a presidential candidate. On Monday, the administration felt the need to intervene amid the vocal disagreement over Milo Yiannopolous’ visit campus. President Quillen’s office is cosponsoring a social event — alleged to cost upwards of $10,000 — featuring a musician and a comedian scheduled during the Milo Yiannopolous’ event. Dean Shandley, in an action reminiscent of Yale’s controversial reminder to wear “safe and thoughtful” costumes during Halloween last year, released an e-mail reminding students that many of their peers felt “devalued, unsafe, and invalidated by much of what Milo says” and accordingly suggested that they attend alternative events on Wednesday. Such actions actively discourage political activism-be it protest or debate by suggesting that students distract themselves from the political event with college-sponsored entertainment and abate their “discomfort” over the Yiannopoulous’ visit with a trip to the over-booked Counseling Center. Certainly Yiannopolous’ views are out of line with the politically mainstream and even the socially acceptable. But the administration’s actions on Monday belied the college’s long-standing tradition of free inquiry and political neutrality. As alumni who benefited tremendously from encountering ideas— yes, even ones hostile to our own— that often shocked, sometimes offended, and always changed us and our thinking, we cannot help but feel concerned about the health of our alma mater and the intellectual well-being of its students. Even relatively benign projects such as “When the Davidson Bubble Bursts”, which is admirable in its vision to give a voice to students’ conflicted feelings over experiences abroad, reveal an attitude that learning is harmful, and that we owe it to Davidson to protect us. Former President John Kuykendall, in 2009, spoke at fall convocation on whether or not the Davidson bubble exists: “I honestly don’t buy the well-intended fiction that this place is not ‘the real world’ after all, and everything outside is really real. As far as I know, the Garden of Eden is closed for the season, and Camelot no longer exists (if it ever did), and anyone here who has taken Humes knows that ‘utopia’ means ‘no-place.’ Davidson can be a fairly rigorous testing-ground for ‘morals and manners;’ indeed, I am convinced that’s why we’re here. So here’s the point: learning to live with integrity in this place is intended to carry over into all those other places to which life will take you.” He urged us to think of Davidson not as a bubble, to “discover that it’s really a crucible—one of those special environments in life in which critical growth and organic change can occur?” Davidson is indeed no bubble, but a testing ground for our morals and manners that we carry forth into life. Just so, the point of study abroad, and
the point of study more broadly, is to have one’s illusions shattered and replaced, ideally, with better ideas, better arguments for your ideas, and alongside these a measure of truth, integrity, humility, and respect for nuance. Again, it need not replace your ideas. It need only refine them, and that can happen as profoundly in a Davidson classroom as abroad, in a lecture or speech one finds offensive, such as Milo’s, as in a casual conversation with friends. The bubble should not exist, and to squash some ideas and free inquiry in the name of safety echoes the Orwellian. We are not alone in believing sincerely that the recent events on campus and the accompanying actions of the administration are inconsistent with the spirit of liberal democracy and the exercise of free inquiry that lies at its heart. Such a spirit is enshrined in Davidson’s statement of purpose and reflected—in too many instances, inconsistently— throughout its institutional history: from the activity of the Philanthropic and Eumenean Halls and the development of the Humanities Program, to the inclusion of women and students of color and the expansion of socioeconomic diversity through the Davidson Trust. The quest for a more open-hearted, open-minded society is one to which Davidson’s particular intellectual heritage holds itself, and which our community prides itself on pursuing. It means that, as our statement of purpose reads, the college “intends to teach all students to think clearly, to make relevant and valid judgments, to discriminate among values, and to communicate freely with others in the realm of ideas.” We cannot do that except in the marketplace of ideas; there is no marketplace if one idea holds a monopoly, or if a monopoly is upheld. In 2014, former Dean Clark Ross wrote for The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy that intellectual civility has fallen alongside traditional civility, that putting “group satisfaction above the free exchange of ideas” meant that “important social and political issues are now avoided as both faculty and students fear misunderstanding, criticism, even ostracism if they say something that isn’t ‘correct.’ The result is a diminished educational experience.” He concluded his essay saying, “It seems ironic, and even a bit sad, that campus leaders, the guardians of free exchange, may need to be reminded of the historic importance of the pillars of social and intellectual civility.” Rather than playing into the hands of some vocal members of the student body, the administration ought to reflect carefully on the college’s statement of purpose, its institutional history, and the wider purpose of the academy. It should seek to foster free inquiry and the humane instincts that develop when we come to understand those with whom we disagree. Davidson’s alumni, no less than its current student body, need to remain vigilant of this latest threat to the college’s institutional health and find ways to promote the spirit of free inquiry that enabled our college to evolve and thrive over the course of its nearly two-hundred-year history. Alenda lux ubi orta libertas. Wells King, '16, was a history major from Concord, NC. He works as a business analyst at McKinsey & Co. Contact him at wellscking@ gmail.com. Sarah Gustafson, '14, was a history major from Wilton, Connecticut. She works as a managing editor at the American Enterprise Institute. Contact her at sarahhgustafson@gmail.com
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Davidsonian.com
crime log Time Reported
Description / Location
10/07/16 at 1520 hrs
Breaking and Entering Motor Vehicle/Injury to Personal Property at Patterson Court Circle. Further Investigation.
10/07/16 at 2210 hrs
Injury to Real Property at Patterson Court Circle. Further Investigation.
10/08/16 at 0128 hrs
Possession of Marijuana/Drug Paraphernalia at Patterson Court Circle. Further Investigation.
10/13/16 at 1900 hrs
Larceny at Faculty Drive. Further Investigation.
10/13/16 at 2228 hrs
Underage Consumption at Dormitory Drive. Dean Referral.
10/15/16 at 0200 hrs
Underage Consumption at Dormitory Drive. Dean Referral.
able later in life. In order to make the most out of the experience, I knew that I would have to navigate it independently. For others, remaining in their high school relationships might give them the necessary support from which to explore all that college life has to offer. What I have come to realize is that regardless of the choice you make to remain in or to end a high school relationship, what is most important is to consider how you want to grow, and which option makes it more possible for you to do so. Davidson, unlike many other institutions of comparable reputation, does not see it’s students as fullydeveloped human beings when they enter as first-years simply because they had high GPAs in high school,
off-the-charts standardized test-scores, and impressive extracurricular resumes. The expectation is that you will graduate from Davidson a different person than you were when you entered. In some cases, relationships grow and change as people grow and change, and in some cases they don’t. Existing independently in a new community on the heels of the security of an old relationship was daunting, but it was through being forced to navigate this new place alone that I have been able to tap into myself and to fully find strength in independence. Jules Franco, '20, is an undeclared student from Brooklyn, New York. Contact her at jufranco@davidson. edu
Adjusting to Davidson
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JULES FRANCO
he transition to college life and its pressures, both academic and social, is bound to be difficult for any first-year student. Accentuating the challenge of the transition are the elements of home life that we are sad to leave behind; our families, our friends, and for some- our romantic relationships. The beginning of college offers hope for the future and brings about the ending of a meaningful journey. In May of my senior year, while our excitement for graduation was high, my then-boyfriend and I realized that we needed to confront the elephant in the room of our impending separation. I knew I was going to Davidson, and he had been committed to a school in Pennsylvania since December. Despite modern technology, we both knew that doing long-distance would be incredibly challenging. Neither one of us wanted to date a phone for the next four years. Recognizing that we would take part in totally new and different experiences, and realizing that we both wanted to be fully immersed in our new communities, my ex-boyfriend and I made the decision to break-up right before college, remaining friends. Initially it was difficult to navigate what it meant
to be friends. Friendship implies a certain element of trust and mutual-confidence that is difficult to maintain when you must be constantly mindful of the other person’s feelings about you. After a few unsuccessful attempts to tow-the-line between friendship and our former relationship, my ex and I took a break from direct communication. This was difficult at first but it really forced me to step outside of my comfort zone, and to not rely on him as a “crutch,” whenever I was having difficulty adjusting to life in a new community. The distance further challenged me to figure out what I wanted from college. The nature of relationships causes us to sacrifice some part of our identity in order to exist with another person. This is certainly not necessarily a negative element of relationships-in fact it produces a unique manifestation of selflessness which causes the transition from a co-dependent existence to one that is wholly independent somewhat bittersweet. But the purpose of college is to learn about oneself, and from there to grow as a person. While it was sad to admit, I knew that I could not do so fully while being tied so strongly to a person from my past. Attending college is a tremendous privilege that brings with it the responsibility to serve, to learn, and to grow. It is an opportunity to connect with people whom you might not have otherwise met and to take advantage of resources and opportunities that might not be avail-
living davidson
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October 19, 2016
Staff Spotlight: Eva Alvarez, Vail Commons EMMA JOHNSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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or those of you Commons-goers, Eva is a familiar face. Her smile greets you as you swipe in, making you feel welcomed and loved. Somehow, she remembers the things going on in your life even though she talks to hundreds of students a day. Eva is a true Davidson celebrity, and I was fortunate enough to sit down with her one afternoon to hear about her early life, how she ended up at Davidson, and how she hopes to give back to the community. 1. What was your childhood like? I came from a big family. We are seven – six girls and one boy. The boy is the youngest, and I am the fifth of the six girls. I grew up in the Philippines and came to the US in October of 2002. It was different – I had a culture shock. I came straight to North Carolina and have never moved. In October I arrived and the next month I got pregnant and wasn’t able to work, so that was hard. We stayed first in Mooresville and then moved to Statesville, where are residing now. 2. When did you start working at Davidson? Why did you apply to work here? I started working in August of 2011. I’ve
just worked in Commons. Before Davidson, I worked in Goodwill and was one of the managers, but it was really hard for me. I gave it up, and one of my friends here, Vickie, who retired this year, had been asking me to come here [to Davidson] but I was hesitant because it is a 20-minute drive from my house and I hate driving on the interstate! So at that time I didn’t want to come here. But then I decided I wanted to give up the job at Goodwill so I would try it to see if I could get in Davidson. Luckily, they called me right away. They didn’t take too long, just two weeks and I was in! It was fast and it was really good because they offered me right away a full time job, not even a temp. I was just lucky I think that they gave it to me. 3. What is your favorite part about working here at Commons? Talking to the students! That is me - I love people. I don’t know, my supervisor says to me “Eva can you just stop smiling.” No, I can’t! I think that is the only thing I can give to everybody that doesn’t cost me anything, and it makes me feel good! Hey, why not! Simple thing, I think it will go a long way for me. I don’t understand why for some people it is hard to give a smile, just smile it is not going to cost you anything! 4. Are you able to visit you family back home? Not as often as I wanted to, but last year I got
to go! It was my dad’s 9th year death anniversary, and in the Philippines it is a big thing, to remember the death anniversary. So I got to go home, but only for two weeks. I was short but I enjoyed it. 5. What do you miss the most about the Philippines? I miss my family! I see on Facebook that they go everywhere on trips, how can they do that to me! I am always upset at all their fun getaways and stuff. You see the Philippines is a really easy going place, much different here. 6. What is the biggest difference between NC and home? The biggest thing… there is a lot. Back home, there is a different way of life. Back home, we don’t get stressed about something we don’t have. Like here, you gotta have this, you gotta have that. But over there, if we don’t have it then we don’t have it! It’s really different. I told my sister, that’s why we have to work all the time, because we have a lot of stuff that we need to get, even if we don’t need it. It is the standard of living here. Back home it is not the standard, it is like the luxury. 7. What do you want to give back to the students? I want them to be welcome, especially these
freshmen. They just got here and they come from other places and they don’t know nobody. Just let them feel at home and if they need some help they can open up. I understand it - when I came here I thought “who are these people?” and “who am I going to go to?” I just want them to feel at home and know that they can tell Eva anything, you know? That is what I want them to know. They are starting to get it now, starting to come to me and telling me about what is happening with them. 8. What is it like to be a part of the Vail Commons Staff? It’s fun! It’s like a big family, my extended family. Of course some days it is not always perfect, but at the end of the day, it’s all good. Because I won’t be here if I’m not happy working. I said hey, I’m not coming back here if I’m not happy, why would I do that to myself? Why should I do that to myself and to my coworkers? 9. Anything else that has made your Davidson experience great? Really, it’s the students. You might expect since that since a lot of students come from a higher class they would be different, but they still look at everyone with respect, and that’s what I like. I feel they give importance to me, asking “Eva, how is your family?” and things like that. I think I’m going to miss that once I leave Davidson.
NXT LVL Performs at Live Thursday Photos by AJ Naddaff
NXT LVL is Davidson’s first rap group composed of sophomores who met during their first semester at Davidson
THE CHEW 2.14 Easy Monster Cookie Bars Courtesy Photo
Adapted from midwestliving.com
Ingredients
Directions
1 16 1/2 - ounce roll refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough 3/4 cup rolled oats 1 cup candy-coated milk chocolate pieces 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces 1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Lightly grease foil; set aside.
Makes 16 to 20 Servings
Courtsey photo from Midwest Living
A quick and easy cookie bar recipe for all of the dessert lovers in your life!
Want your favorite recipe featured? Email editor Mary Porter at maporter@davidson.edu to get involved!
2. Break up cookie dough into a large bowl. Stir in oats until combined. Stir in milk chocolate pieces, semisweet chocolate pieces, and, if desired, nuts. 3. Pat mixture into prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until light brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Use the foil to lift uncut bars out of pan. Cut into bars.
perspectives Mental health awareness
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EMILY CARRICK
y name is Emily. I have anxiety and depression. (Hi, Emily!) Let me state the obvious for you: it is difficult to live on this campus with a mental illness. If you haven’t noticed, Davidson is wildly competitive, even though we pretend it’s not. This façade, the classic Davidson “how are you?” / “great!” artifice, makes for a toxic environment—maybe more toxic than normal cutthroat competition would be. We’re just so good at faking it. After years of depressive episodes and undiagnosed anxiety, I came to terms with my mental health issues last year. For months I juggled my RLO job with my faith/sexuality/identity crises, never sure whether to prioritize others or myself. Navigating simultaneously caring for others and protecting myself was impossible. And realizing the messiness of my neurotransmitters made me feel hugely isolated, since Davidson students tend to downplay problems. Of course I know logically that many, if not most, people on this campus have similar issues. But somewhere deep in my mind, as everyone pastes on smiles and can-do attitudes, I think, Am I the only one? America’s got a lot of crap going on right now, and North Carolina is a hotbed for all these political and cultural issues: HB2, voter ID laws, swing state politicking, the murder of Keith Lamont Scott. This shitstorm is emotionally and mental-
ly exhausting—for me, yeah, but right now, even more for non-white people. And after my experiences with internal versus external tension, I’m starting to understand the difficulty of balancing individual problems with social issues. Especially because others usually just see the external challenges. I was at the walkout last week. I think more people should have been there. But I wonder, in light of my own mental illness and my Disability in Literature seminar, how we can enact activism in a less ableist way. There’s been an EverydayFeminism article circulating Facebook, “6 Ways Your Social Justice Activism Might Be Ableist,” that details some of these concerns, but I don’t think it addresses mental illness enough. How do we deal with the intersections of mental illness and activism? What is fair to expect from activists and allies? At the walkout last week, Morgan Spivey ’18 spoke to this issue, admitting her inability to attend a previous flagpole moment of silence, an event in memory of Keith Lamont Scott. Dealing with the consequences of her anxiety and depression took precedence over her enormous desire to stand in solidarity with her peers. My friend Allison Hancock ’17 had a similar experience at the walkout; she struggled to juggle the necessity of activism with the overwhelming emotional atmosphere of the protest, made worse by her anxiety. And I remember my devastation in June, f**king Pride month, when the Orlando shooting occurred. Some of my queer friends asked me to go to L.A. Pride with them just hours after we
heard about the shooting. I declined. Semi-closeted and newly-medicated (thanks Zoloft for sponsoring this article!), I was way too overwhelmed with fear and anxiety to protest anything. Through my shocked, numb haze, I could barely muster a meek “They have evidence the shooter is homophobic” to my father. Activism is pivotal. Anger, indignation, frustration, and resentment are all valid emotions. But sometimes less “active” responses, like exhaustion or depression, outweigh the anger. Sometimes all you can do is like a Facebook post, not pen your own. Or wear black and not participate in the walkout. And I get that we need, need, NEED to stand up to bigotry and injustice. But if I’m too depressed to get out of bed, how can I be expected to stand at a flagpole for an hour? When I went to the RLO-sponsored Summer 2016 talkback, the day of the walkout, I invited Allison to join me. She turned me down because she knew it would be too emotionally draining for her current mental state. And this is healthy. I stress: bowing out of socially important events for your own mental or physical safety or health is understandable—even laudable. We have to cut ourselves some slack. For my own sanity, I need to treat my tired brain with care and patience. Sometimes, that means I don’t speak up when I should. Sometimes, at the dinner table back home in middle-class white Southern California, I hold my tongue when my stepbrother makes racist remarks. Sometimes, I try to explain why you shouldn’t wear a hoodie and joke, “I call this my
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October 19, 2016
Trayvon.” But sometimes, when I do try, when my dad and I argue about feminism or queer rights or racial justice or really any issue related to systemic inequality… I just end up crying for hours. And I can’t always handle catapulting myself into a depressive episode just to prove an activist point. I wish I could handle it. But I can’t. We need to take better care of ourselves at Davidson. So often we just push through, promising it’ll be better after midterms, after finals. But our mental health deserves scrutiny and care now. Not in December. Not when our stressors have dissipated. We need to practice some damn self-care. Don’t apologize for not being able to fight every battle. Do what you can, and then let yourself off the hook. Emily Carrick, '17, is an English major, Gender and Sexuality Studies minor from Kennebunkport, Maine. Contact her at emcarrick@ davidson.edu
Davidson conservatives will not be ignored. KENNY XU
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ast year, while Haley Hamblin and I were in the early stages of planning an event to bring Davidson conservatives together, a senior, who I respected, asked to meet with me privately. In our meeting, he excoriated my intentions to mobilize conservatives on campus, stating forcefully that my plan was doomed- that I would be laughed out of campus. Very clearly, I remember his words: “Kenny, there aren’t any conservatives on campus. Give up. It’s not going to work.” Actually, he has a point… kind of. In fact, there has always been a large minority of conservatives on campus – Haley and I have known that since last year. However, the Davidson culture is hostile towards conservatives who wish to speak, so many voices are silenced. A professor said to me once: “I have a ton of students who write their essays from a conservative viewpoint. But in class, it looks like the room has been overrun by liberals.” For many years, conservatives have grudgingly accepted the notion that the campus will be dominated by the liberal discourse. The dominance of liberal viewpoints in faculty composition, administrative action, and even
freshman rituals like Davidson 101 has unfairly stigmatized right-leaning viewpoints and created a culture of silence for those who identify as conservative. Now let’s be clear: Davidson is in a far, far better place than many other elite private universities, such as Yale, which harassed a professor out of campus simply for expressing sympathy towards people wearing Halloween costumes deemed by students as ‘marginalizing’, and Brown, which has overseen a safe space machine that has chased out a gamut of speakers deemed politically unacceptable. But when our Administration and Student Government release blanket political statements on issues like race and sexuality that do not attempt to process the legitimate viewpoints of a sizable minority of its constituency, when our most prominent speaker invitees are overwhelmingly liberal, and when professors
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...the Davidson culture is hostile towards conservatives who wish to speak.
the davidsonian staff editors-in-chief news editors living davidson editor perspectives editor yowl editor sports editor photo editor
are given free reign to belittle conservative voices and opinions, it becomes extraordinarily difficult for conservatives to speak out and contribute their voice to the political dialogue on campus. No longer. Late last spring, Haley and I registered the Davidson chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), the nation’s largest youth conservative activist organization. YAF exists to counter this blatantly one-sided dialogue – to promote conservative voices on campus and conversation between conservatives and students of other political ideologies. We represent a constituency tired of being ignored – tired of being misrepresented in our community. We are an independent, non-partisan (unaffiliated with a political party, or even CPE, for that matter), group of activists ready to make a difference. And with 50 members and counting, we’re here to stay.
Emma Johnson Matt Landini Olive Daniels AJ Naddaff Mary Porter Erin Davenport Paul Henderson Ian Robertson
Erin Gross
web editor
Sabrina Cheema
business manager
Austin Newsome
Our first event, a speech by Bay Buchanan (former U.S. Treasurer under Ronald Reagan) on the topic of Political Correctness and Free Speech, was attended by 80 people. Ms. Buchanan effectively showed exactly how politically correct culture inhibits true dialogue and intimidates opposing viewpoints into submission. It was exactly the kind of speech that Davidson needs to hear, exactly the kind of conversation we need to be having. People should be challenged, not coddled. The time is ripe to crash the consensus, to create a genuinely spirited debate between liberals and conservatives here on campus. We need to get to the heart of who we are as a campus. Will we descend into the censorship of Brown and Yale? Or will we start genuine conversations about the soul of our country? We at YAF know where we stand on this issue. We’re going to fight passionately for what we believe in. I can hope the left will match our attitude. Frankly, it’s more fun that way. Kenny Xu, '19, is an English and Mathematics double major from Princeton, New Jersey.Contact him at kexu@davidson.edu
The Bye Week Issue Vigorous Class Notes Taken By Visiting High Schooler Will Surely Come in Handy Down the Road
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Room Numbering in Chambers May Encode Ancient Secrets, says Anthropology Professor
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Sigler Bravely Diffuses Roadside Galaxy Note 7
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Uninvited? Hot Tips For Drinking By Yourself the Night of Semi Formal
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Man Who Has Given Up Eats Hot Dog By Himself in Union
Scientists Discover New Form of Life Amongst Strange, Pulpy Mess in Back of F Shower
“Ugh, Take Me Back” Says Girl In Original Comment Under Study Abroad Photo
Scientists have confirmed this morning that a previously undiscovered form of life has been found amongst a strange, pulpy mess in the back corner of an Armfield apartment shower. The several day-old pile, described as being a beigeish green color with orange accents, is said to now be nearly a foot in diameter and several inches high. According to reports, the shower served as an ideal incubating chamber for a form of life previously unobserved by man. “After close observation and testing, we can safely say that the microscopic life within the gelatinous muck is unlike anything we have ever seen before,” said scientist David Greenburg of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “From what we can tell, the consistently damp and warm environment of the F apartment created the perfect conditions for this to occur. It is unlike anything we have ever seen, or smelled, before.” The team of scientists and researchers was contacted after a resident of the
Diving into truly unexplored Facebook comment territory, Jennifer Reagan ’17 bravely commented “ugh, take me back” on a photo taken of her during her time abroad in Italy. The photo, which features herself and a friend tossing coins over their shoulders into Rome’s Trevi Fountain, reportedly encapsulates numerous qualities that compelled Reagan to reminisce on her truly unique time spent outside of the United States. “Ugh, I know,” commented Danae Stevens, one of the other subjects of the ground breaking Trevi Fountain portrait. “Never had better times than these.” According to reports, the post has garnered well over 370 likes and a plethora of additional comments, including those from friends that went abroad in similarly un-generic locations. “Jealousssssss,” commented Katie Law, a sophomore that has aspirations to embark on a mission to take a photo of her and her attractive friends that thousands of others have taken before. Reagan, who according to reports went to Italy with the sole “According to reports, the mission of capturing pictures that would allow her to remind post has garnered well over friends on Facebook she had an 370 likes and a plethora of adincredible time while out of the country, also sports a collection ditional comments, including of several other truly unique those from friends that went photos in an album called “Leaning Tower of Pizza.” The album abroad in similarly un-generic title is a apparently a reference locations. ” to an inside joke with three of Reagan’s friends that no one else gives a sh*t about. Further investigation has revealed that the album consists mainly of Snapchat screen shots, photos of food, professional photography from nightclubs and a vast array of heavily filtered selfies of Reagan and her friends in front of Italy’s various monuments. “This one is one of my favorites,” commented Reagan, holding up an Instagram photo of a plate of spaghetti and a bottle of wine in front of a Tuscan sunset. “You think anyone has ever taken a photo remotely similar to this one? I seriously doubt it. In fact, I may have been the first person to ever visit Tuscany, eat dinner, and take a photo of it. I should comment on this photo about how I miss this. All of this. Ugh.”
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At Least We’re Not Charlotte, Says Everywhere
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Local Man Cleverly Runs Sink in Bathroom For a Few Seconds Just in Case Anyone is Listening
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Regularly Drinking: The Beautiful Dance Between Cool and Sad
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New RA Finally Understands the Appeal of Fascism
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The DaviDsonian
This Issue Brought to You By: A Growing Hatred For All Things
“From what we can tell, the pile contains traces of toothpaste, old pizza, a duck carcass, a mostly-disintegrated Pringles can and the fuzz from a tennis ball. While it is incredible that these combined objects were able to birth life, lord knows what the hell they were doing in a shower in the first place. ” apartment heard the pile emit a gurgling noise as he carefully stepped around the mess to exit the shower. “I had noticed that the pile kept getting bigger, and that’s about when I started to wear my flip-flops into the shower,” said Jackson Thomas, one of the apartment members that had tried to ignore the smell of the pile for days, yet continued to do nothing. “Eventually I figured that maybe this was a job for the experts.” After close analysis, the scientists were able to identify some of the pulpy mess’ contents. “From what we can tell, the pile contains traces of toothpaste, bits of old pizza, a duck carcass, a half-eaten chicken wing, a shotgun shell, an eraser cap, a mostlydisintegrated Pringles can and the fuzz from a tennis ball. While it is incredible that when combined these objects were able to birth life - lord knows what the hell they were doing in a shower in the first place.”
Armfield Resident Totally Happy with Decision to Live in Such a Thin-Walled F**k Palace
Your Davidson Honor Section
Editors: Paul Henderson Writers: E&J Kraylon GRACE Patrick’s Photo Crog Note: The Yowl is a satirical supplement to The Davidsonian. Hence, nothing in it should be taken as truth. Word.
Fighting back a yawn and trying to hide the bags under his eyes, Armfield resident Tony Sanford ’17 commented on Tuesday that he was totally happy with his decision to live in a such a thin-walled f**k palace his senior year. “Just a bunch of horny 21-year-olds living in close proximity and separated only by a few layers of paper-thin drywall,” said Sanford as he stumbled to his 8:30 Chemistry class. “I can’t imagine a better environment to sleep in. Did you know that a squeaking bed frame upstairs can be heard throughout an entire apartment? Even in the kitchen? Wild.” Like many students entering their senior year, Sanford signed up to live in F without fully realizing that the building serves a dual function as both a living space and a literal f**k playground. “Living here is a blast,” Sanford continued. “My favorite feature of the building, you ask? Well I love that even with your door closed you can hear each slight movement of every other member of the apartment. Makes studying and
““Just a bunch of horny 21-year-olds living in close proximity and separated only by a few layers of paper-thin dry-wall... I can’t imagine a better environment to sleep in. Did you know that a squeaking bed frame upstairs can be heard throughout an entire apartment? Even in the kitchen? Wild.”
existing normally an absolute breeze. This was a good call, no question.” Like many rising seniors, Sanford saw the chance to life in the Armfield apartments as a unique opportunity and a sort of senior year right of passage. It was only after moving in that he realized F wasn’t the place he had always dreamed it to be as a naive freshman. In fact, it was something far different. “I thought F was just the place where people throw parties, you know? Well... yeah. I guess so. Just keeps getting better, week after week,” said Sanford, rubbing his eyes. “Week... after week. Unrelated, how many more weeks of school are left? Asking for a friend.” Turning and mouthing “there’s no escape” before leaving the scene, Sanford was last observed quickly rushing up the hill to class, glad to have a temporarily break from the regular cacophony of students flailing around trying to figure out how everything works down there.
sports
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Athletics Extend Far Beyond D1 Competition WILL JONES
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Staff Writer
iven that nearly 25% of Davidson’s students compete in Division 1 Athletics, it is easy to overlook the outstanding athletic accomplishments of athletes not on a varsity team. Here are just a few individuals and teams whose accomplishments are well-deserving of recognition. Women’s Crew (Captains Caitlin Reilly ‘17 and Noa Schork ‘19): While many people know the Davidson Club Crew team as the team that holds rigorous workouts at the most ungodly of hours on weekdays (5 AM for those unaware), they may not be aware that they are also a very ambitious and goal-oriented team that competes during two major seasons out of the year. They are currently in the middle of their fall season and anticipating big things at their next regatta next weekend. Crew, or competitive rowing, has several categories of races. The Davidson club team trains and competes in both 4-person and 8-person team competitions. At the larger schools, there are also lightweight and regular weight class categories for each of these teams. The race distance is 5 kilometers in the fall, and 2 kilometers in the spring. The 5k races are run in a head-race (similar to pursuit) format, where teams compete on a unidirectional course by staggering their start times 15 seconds apart from each other and attempting to catch up to other boats throughout the course of the race. “Head races are tough because you don’t really know where you stand in the race itself”, according to Schork, “Sometimes you can start last and still win the race.” This means that the race becomes almost a self-determined effort for the members of a given boat, as they can’t really tell where they stand in the race until the last boat finishes, when all of the times are tallied up. “It’s a lot harder for the coxswain of a boat to call the pace in a 5k because you can’t really tell if you’re gaining on a boat or not”, says Reilly. So far, the team has competed at one regatta, the High Point Autumn Rowers Festival on October 1st. The club split the teams into novice and more-expe-
rienced (varsity) crews so that the new rowers could have experience in a regatta on their own. The novice women won their race and the 8-person varsity women’s team finished second in theirs. While their “club” status prevents them from qualifying for or competing in any NCAA championships or events, the team hopes to improve their strength and synchronization so that they can do the best that they can in their final regatta of the year, the Head of the Hooch on November 5th.
national championships, and the weekend prior she qualified for the US Senior Wildwater National Team. Her next big goal is to make the U23 Slalom National Team so that she can compete in Europe next summer at the World Championships. In order to do this, she must travel to Oklahoma City this upcoming spring to compete in the team trials. Her time at the trials must be within a 30% margin of the top overall boater at the trials in order to make the team.
Harriet Rollins ‘19, whitewater kayaking/canoeing:
Davidson Men’s Ultimate Frisbee (Captain Chris Johnson ‘17):
Harriet Rollins is a sophomore here at Davidson and potential Anthropology major, who also happens to be a national-caliber athlete. Rollins competes in whitewater kayaking and canoeing races across the nation, and recently competed at the U23 Wildwater World Championships at the Nantahala River in North Carolina. For those unfamiliar with the sport, there are two types of whitewater races: slalom and wildwater. Slalom is the race that is contested at the Olympic Games, where a kayaker or canoer travels down a typically artificial river course and has to pass through gates for time. Wildwater is a race held on a natural river, without gates, where the objective is to get from the start to the finish in the quickest time. In international competition, there are 3 categories of boats: K1 (1-person kayak), C1 (1-person canoe), and C2 (two-person canoe). While men and women compete in K1 and C1, only men currently have international competitions in the C2 category. Rollins started recreationally kayaking, or creeking, at a very young age. “I have always been an absurdly competitive person,” she recalls, “However, I wasn’t really as competitive with the kayak as I was with myself. I kept challenging myself to run bigger, harder rapids. It was a bit of an adrenaline rush for me.” It wasn’t until Rollins fractured her rib while running a rapid that she became interested in competing against others for time. “I decided to focus more on improving my technique on the somewhat easier Class III and IV rivers by making more difficult moves,” she says, “Having the US Whitewater Center in Charlotte was definitely a big draw for me when I chose to go to Davidson.” Rollins competes C1 for slalom and K1 for Wildwater. Two weekends ago, Rollins competed in the slalom
The Davidson Men’s Ultimate Frisbee team (or DUFF) has been tearing it up on the competition fields over the last several years. In the spring of 2015, they made it to the Division III National Tournament, where they finished in a strong 5th place overall. In 2014, they made the final game at the regional qualifier to go to nationals, but fell by a close margin. They made it that far again this past spring, but again suffered a tough loss on a comeback. However, captain Chris Johnson ‘17 (or CJ as he is affectionately known) is optimistic that the team is poised for an even better finish this year. “Even though we lost two of our top seniors, we picked up 8 really talented freshmen who came into Da-
vidson with a lot of prior Ultimate Frisbee experience,” CJ explained, “We have a bunch of other newcomers without a lot of experience who look very strong as well. We are definitely looking to have our best finish yet.” CJ has been playing Ultimate Frisbee since he was 11 years old. When he visited Davidson, he spoke to the DUFF captains at the time, who really sold him on Davidson. This process has ramped up in recent years, as many prospective students come to Davidson and make a point of speaking to CJ and the other captains. “We don’t really have recruiting in the traditional sense because we’re not a varsity sport, but we have seen a lot more prospective students approaching us,” CJ related, “The sport is really getting more intense as people are competing earlier on at a higher level.” While fall is not their prime competition season, DUFF has already showed signs of promise. They demolished Wake Forest in an informal scrimmage earlier this year and are gearing up for their next tournament this upcoming weekend. However, they have not forgotten the main premise of Ultimate Frisbee that brought them all together in the first place. “We play hard, but we’re also just really weird, really fun people,” according to CJ, “We like to compete, but it is important for both teams to have fun while it’s happening.”
Harriet Rollins ‘19 negotiates an upstream gate during the USACK National Championships this past weekend. Photo by Eric Friedenson
Photos of the Week
Freshman Sabine Chandler fights for a loose ball in Davidson’s 1-0 overtime win against Umass. Photo by Emma Johnson Davidson Football faced Butler University in a tough 17-20 loss at Richardson Stadium. Photo by Amy Franklin
Mikayla Derochie ‘17 and Emily Franklin ‘17 block an incoming return. Photo by Amy Franklin
The DaviDsonian
Football Looking to Rebound from Latest Defeat Eric Haas ‘17 Photo by Amy Franklin
October 19, 2016