the davidsonian
November 9, 2016 vol. 112 Issue 9
IT'S MOURNING AGAIN IN AMERICA
The Independent Student Newspaper of Davidson College since 1914
The Alvarez Student Union was abandoned at 1:00 AM on Wednesday morning before any conclusive results were announced. Photo by Olivia Daniels
KAMRAN SHAHBAZ Political Correspondent Note: This article was finalized at 3:00 AM on Wednesday morning. Any opinions expressed reflect solely those of the Davidsonian staff.
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he hundreds of red, white, and blue balloons suspended above the Student Union’s third floor were not released after CNN announced the result of the least anticipated yet most historic election of the century. Since the fall of 2015 student organizations have attempted to persuade students to vote for whomever they felt would be best equipped as commander-in-chief. Both the College Republicans’ refusal to endorse Trump and the College Democrats’ hosting of Martin O’Malley and Tim Kaine demonstrate the general anti-Trump atmosphere on Davidson’s campus. Eager to see if these efforts would correlate to a Clinton victory, students sprawled themselves on all floors of the Union to tune into the final stretch of the presidential race. Upholding the Davidsonian tradition, the staff began the evening eager to capture the event, but this joy was ephemeral. Just as political pundits had anticipated a Clinton victory, the Davidsonian staff began to ponder whether the title “Clintorious” or “Hill Yes” would be most apt. However, as ballot-counting began, contemplating this decision proved futile; despite the fact that Clinton supporters comprised the majority of the crowd, Wolf Blitzer’s voice drowned out the cheers of the crowd. And eventually, the electoral votes had been totaled with Trump winning 276 and Clinton winning 218 according to the Washington Post. The first swing state called was Ohio, which President Obama had won the last two elec-
tions. The minute that Trump was projected to win Florida, too, political pundits across the nation promptly changed their predictions for a Clinton presidency. At 10:30 PM the New York Times projected an 87% chance of Trump becoming commander-in-chief. By 11:00 PM that number increased to 94%. Trump continued his streak of winning multiple swing states, causing Wisconsin, Arizona, and Pennsylvania to turn Republican. States leaning Democrat that Clinton won included Virginia, Colorado, and Nevada, but Clinton lost the majority of the swing states as well as many states that were leaning Democrat. Trump’s success on the national level was in part due to his tremendous success in North Carolina, in which he beat Clinton 50.5% to 46.7%. In the Senate Republican Richard Burr defeated Democrat Deborah Ross 51% to 45%. The Democrats did have a victory as Roy Cooper beat Pat McCrory 48.4% to 46.2% in the NC gubernatorial race. On the local level Republican incumbent John Bradford defeated Independent Jane Campbell 57% to 43%, becoming the House Representative of District 98. What are the implications of this election result moving forward? According to Chair of the Center for Political Engagement, Madi Driscoll '17, Democrats must accept some of the blame for the election result. “We have ignored the poor white Americans,” Driscoll says. “We haven’t given them the attention that they need, whether or not that is legitimating in sociological thinking. We have not given them the attention they deserve in order to vote Democrat since Robert Kennedy, and this is on us.” In any case the election result was unexpected for Democrats and Republicans alike, and the closeness of the election in many swing states such as Florida only highlighted the importance of using one’s political power through voting. “This is not what we expected, this close a
race, Florida going Republican, Texas being as close as it’s ever been,” President of College Republicans Beth Wright '17 says. “It shows that every single vote matters, and every student who voted should feel proud of that, no matter who they voted for. And all students who didn’t vote that could’ve voted should be kicking themselves because every race is close.” Whether Trump achieved his victory through hateful rhetoric, sentiments of disenfranchisement among his base, apathy toward Clinton, or a lack of Democrat turnout, it is shocking that
pollsters did not anticipate the election result. The Davidson community references the supposed bubble that engulfs the lives of most students, and this election result is a further manifestation of just how prominent that bubble is. It is no understatement to say that Davidson students will struggle throughout the week, grappling between impractical optimism and realistic pessimism with regard to whether or not America will be great (again).
This map shows the election results as of 2:40 AM on Wednesday morning. At this time, Donald Trump held 276 electoral votes, and Hillary Clinton held 218 electoral votes. Image and information courtesy of the Washington Post's online election coverage
News
Page 2 November 9, 2016
Campus Police Initiates Body Camera Policy to Augment Transparency within the Davidson Community
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LAURA DUNNAGAN Staff Writer
ampus Police has instituted a new bodyworn camera program. With this initiative, Campus Police will now outfit four officers with body-worn cameras, which are to be worn during regular shifts and while patrolling Martin Court on weekend nights. The officers will begin wearing cameras at the start of Spring semester, and they will be required to tell individuals they are being recorded. Footage from the body-worn cameras will be used in disputed cases and will be periodically audited to review officers’ performances. Chief of Police Todd Sigler says this program's impetus was Campus Police officers themselves, despite the fact that many officers are leery of being recorded. Chief Sigler says the decision to begin using body-worn cameras did not involve a “watershed event,” but there have been occasional incidents where police reports and student reports feature differences of opinions. “Sometimes it’s a matter of ‘he said, she said,’ sometimes it’s a matter of severity,” comments Sigler. “The body-worn camera program is an effort to try and take advantage of the technology and to hopefully have as transparent and open community and communication as we could possibly have.” Before deciding to create a Davidson-specific body-worn camera policy, Campus Police researched literature, legislation, and considered policies recommended by external entities like President Obama’s Task Force on 21st- Century Policing recommended model-policies. Upon deciding it was the right time to create a policy, Chief Sigler approached administration, considered budget restraints, and then began to work with the Student Government Association to create a policy that would work for officers and students alike. Chief Sigler comments that he approached the SGA to make sure that “everything [Campus Police] did was in lock step with the student body.” The SGA created a sub-committee of about ten students to help Campus Police write the body-worn camera policy. Connor Murphy, Vice President of the Student Government Associa-
tion, says the key role of this sub-committee was in “setting the particulars to where the cameras were on or off and the community’s access to the footage.” Chris Johnson, an SGA Senator, says the SGA “wants to be involved anytime any change occurs with how police enforce policy on campus.” Johnson comments that the Student Government “wanted to make sure that the student voice was represented in a change that could alter how campus police handle student interactions on campus.” Murphy says the goal of the students involved in creating the policy was to “increase transparency and accountability [of Campus Police].” Murphy comments that the new body-worn cameras will provide students with “an opportunity to build trust between the student body and the police.” Johnson also hopes that the new policy will positively affect student-officer interactions. “Empirical evidence from other campuses has indicated that the amount of contested confrontations between police and civilians has decreased [with use of body-worn cameras],” comments Johnson. “Although our Campus Police already have a great relationship with the student body, we believe it can lead to even more respectful interactions on campus.” Johnson says that the SGA and Campus Police believe that the new body-worn camera program will not significantly change how police monitor student activity in Martin Court. Chief Sigler commented that working with the SGA was an important part of his plan to implement the policy in a way that would honor the voices of the students. “The students we work with are great,” says Sigler. “We couldn’t ask for more cooperation.” Chief Sigler noted that the purpose of this program is to “create a sense of trust between the campus and police.” Though there is a strong, positive relationship between the student body and Campus Police, Chief Sigler comments that regarding Campus Police, “not everybody we deal with is a student, and not every incident goes off the way we would like it to.” Sigler has communicated with other schools who have implemented similar body-worn cam-
era policies, and he comments that other schools have reported positive reactions from both students and officers. Sigler noted that there are approximately five hundred institutions that have already implemented body-worn camera policies, including Wake Forest, Furman, Elon, and UNC Asheville. The Davidson municipal Police Department has also had body-worn cameras for over a year and has had a positive experience with the technology. Though students and law officials carefully crafted the policy, Chief Sigler says the implementation may not be seamless. “There’s going to be a learning process that takes place,” comments Sigler. “There are going to be instances where things don’t work quite the way we want it to. We see this as a process, so like everything else I’ve observed at Davidson, when it’s not working or there seems to be an issue, we talk about it and
see if we can resolve whatever the issue is.” President Carol Quillen commented on the coordination of the student body and Campus Police in creating the new policy. “I am especially proud of the way Chief Sigler and the Student Government Association worked together to develop a fair and reasonable camera policy,” says Quillen. “Their efforts ensure that the use of the cameras will be consistent with the principles of community-oriented policing that guide the campus police force. Chief Sigler emphasized that he hopes this policy will serve to improve the existing relationship between students and Campus Police. “We already have a good culture between students and police,” comments Sigler. “It’s important that everyone understand we have a strong culture, and I don’t want that to go backwards.”
The new body-worn cameras will bring a sense of clarity to the Davidson community. Photo by Erin Gross
Duke Endowment Bolsters Davidson's Commitment to Hiring Superb Faculty ETHAN EHRENHAFT Staff Writer
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n early October, the Duke Endowment announced its intention to give Davidson $12 million over the next four years in support of the faculty. The impressive gift comes in the wake of a $45 million gift the endowment bestowed in 2012 to support the Academic Neighborhood. The money’s effect is already being felt on campus. This effort helped build the E. Craig Wall Jr. Academic Center. In the past two years the Duke Endowment has also granted Davidson several million dollars to bolster scholarships. As quoted on the school website, Dean of Faculty Wendy Raymond said the latest package of $12 million “ensures that the Davidson faculty will remain leaders in the constantly changing landscape of higher education.” The Duke Endowment was created in 1924 by James B. Duke, a native North Carolinian. Duke was wildly successful successful in the tobacco industry and established the Endowment with an initial amount of $40 million, equal to roughly half a billion dollars today. The Endowment is meant to help people throughout the Carolinas by “nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits,” according to its website. The Duke Endowment has grown since its early years to become one of the nation’s largest and most effective private charities. Grants have been given to hospitals, churches, and schools including Davidson, Furman University, Johnson C. Smith University, and Duke University, which is named
after James’s father. Since 1925, the Endowment has awarded a whopping $3.4 billion in grants. 43% of this has gone towards higher education, and Davidson has clearly reaped the benefits. The $12 million dollar push announced will strengthen what Davidson already considers to be one of its finest assets: the quality of its teachers. Minor Shaw, the Chair of the Duke Endowment Board of Trustees, told Davidson that the gift will aid “faculty recruitment, retention and development.” As a liberal arts school, Davidson must find ways to hire university-quality professors seeking to teach in a smaller setting while lacking the financial resources that said universities have. The gift will help create “a faculty for the future,” according to Davidson’s website. This means ensuring that Davidson is able to hire and develop teachers suited to carrying out Davidson’s modern liberal arts mission of personalized education. Some of the $12 billion will be used to cover the salaries of current professors, thus freeing up room for sorely needed hirings. “We might get old positions paid for with the Duke Endowment money but that means we can enlarge the faculty overall,” comments Professor Shelley Rigger, who also serves as assistant Dean for Educational Policy.“The size of the faculty is never what we would like it be in order to offer all the courses and personalized attention and smaller class sizes we like,” said Rigger. The Duke Endowment will help change that. Every year, faculty members on the Educational Policy Committee read through and review new faculty proposals. At the end of the year, recommendations are made to President Quillen
The E. Craig Wall Jr. Academic Center includes classrooms, laboratories, and study spaces. Photo by Jose Balcazar and the Dean as to which positions should be filled. “The Duke Endowment means that we will be able to enlarge the size of the faculty in various ways and that would mean that students would get more of what they’re here for,” says Rigger. The arrival of professors and classes that have been desired by faculty members for years will now come to fruition. This includes a new hiring
in the political science department and the inception of a new class on politics and identity. Students can hopefully look forward to a bounty of interesting new classes taught by incredibly qualified professors in the next few years. The juggernaut that is the Duke Endowment can largely be thanked for it.
News Warner Engineers Unprecedent- crime log ed Policy to Protect Members Time Reported LAURA DUNNAGAN Staff Writer
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arner Hall House has passed a new general misconduct policy that would allow it to regulate the entry of nonmembers into its house and events. The policy allows members of Warner to come forward to the house’s Conduct Council and present their case as to why a member of the Davidson community should not be allowed to enter the house. Such cases can include but are not limited to: sexual misconduct, theft, or property damage. After the case is presented, the Conduct Council will deliberate and determine the timeframe for which the accused will not be allowed into Warner. Then the Conduct Council will send either a warning to the accused or notify the accused that he or she has been suspended. The suspension can be as brief as one semester, or it can be indefinite, lasting after the graduation of the accused. The sanctions will apply to the accused even after the survivor has graduated, and they will be regulated by campus police and a few members of the house at the consent of the survivor. Beth Wright ‘17, President of Warner Hall, said this policy was created because of a perceived hole in the school’s overall misconduct policy. “Last year, as President, I was approached by several members who were uncomfortable going through the school’s policy or felt they did not have enough evidence to win a school-based trial,” comments Wright. These members commented that they “felt uncomfortable attending their own house’s events,” knowing that the people who had committed a conduct violation would be there. Wright says that when she was approached with such concerns, she was powerless. “I couldn’t do anything. I had no options, I had no policy to stand on. We really saw a gap there.” The policy, though separate from the college’s misconduct policy, does encourage students to use college-provided counseling services. The policy encourages Warner members to report any misconduct to Georgia Ringle, Davidson’s Health Educator, who will support and counsel the survivors throughout their interaction with the Warner Conduct Council. By talking with an administrative figure, Wright says Warner Hall will be better able to protect its members. “[Georgia Ringle] is more of a support figure for us, but it’s really important that she has some information about cases on campus,” comments Wright. “We may not know that other cases may be pending against a student, and Georgia would. That would help us make more informed decisions when making sanction choices, and it would help Georgia to better protect and advise the student body. We want to be a supplement to the existing process, which should already involve Georgia.” Wright says the college’s administration has been hesitant to support the policy. “Administration has a lot of problems with it--for some reasons, rightfully so. For example, part of the policy is that we don’t have to contact the accused at all except to tell them that they’re not allowed. Their story doesn’t get heard, and that’s intentional on our part. They’re not a member, and it’s our obligation to care about how our members feel.” Wright says college administration has provided comments about the language used to prevent legal trouble, but she does not anticipate approval from the college. “Administration is never going to give approval,” says Wright. “They said they’re directly against it, but because we’re separate entities from the college, they can’t prevent it.” Sarah Phillips, the college’s Vice President and Warner’s administrative counsel, declined to comment until Warner finalized the policy. Warner has not only faced issues with the college administration regarding this policy; some Warner members are concerned about the potential for retaliation from students. Though the policy does not require Warner Conduct Council to tell the accused why he or she has been prohibited from entry, some members of the committee that wrote the policy worry that the accused may attempt to retaliate or slander the survivor. Additionally, the college will not be enforcing confidentiality rules that would require the accused to refrain from discussing the issue.
“Retaliation is something we are concerned about, but we hope Davidson students will rise above and take the policy seriously,” comments Wright. “We will not be imposing sanctions unless it’s a serious matter, so we hope they take it as seriously as we do.” Though Warner Hall’s policy is helping them address a need within their house, Wright comments that it is not perfect. “There are a lot of problems with the policy, and we acknowledge that,” says Wright. “We’re going to have to live with it for a while to work those kinks out.” Another emphasis of Warner’s policy is increased communication between Greek organizations. Under this policy, eating houses and fraternities would be able to share information about members that have been prohibited from attending other houses’ events, but this will only be done with the explicit consent of the survivor and approval of Conduct Council. Though Warner Hall is spearheading the effort to create misconduct policies, the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity is also drafting a policy of their own. Ross Kruse ‘17, a member of SigEp who helped write the policy, said their organization began this discussion last semester, but the departure of Dean Kathy Bray has delayed the process. Similar to Warner, SigEp has encountered problems coordinating their policy with the college’s misconduct policy. “One issue we ran into is that the school does not release the names of students found responsible [of misconduct] even to the organization of which the student is a member,” notes Kruse. “This limits our [current] ability to take action, as any information we may have heard is often Honor Code bound and only available through word of mouth.” Kruse also notes that although the organizations are different and will require different policies, the two organizations have been communicating to make sure the policies work together. “As a fraternity, this is an issue that means a lot to us,” comments Kruse. “Our brothers have reacted well and are overwhelmingly on board; they see this as an issue on our campus and at colleges around the country.” SigEp plans to finalize and pass their policy by the end of this semester. Alyssa Glover ‘17, a member of Warner Hall that has helped create this policy, says that the purpose of this policy is to address sexual assault on campus and protect members of the house. “Sexual assault is a huge problem, and Davidson is not an exception,” comments Glover. “On top of the fact that Warner Hall strives to foster zero-tolerance attitudes towards sexual assault and rape, our main goal is to protect our members.” Glover hopes the policy will not only have an impact on members of Warner but the campus at large. “The goal of this policy is to create the potential for safe space. Our members should be able to go to their formal without worrying that their assaulter will be there. While this policy covers misconduct in general, it was designed specifically to respond to rape culture on Davidson’s campus. In enacting this policy, we hope to help a culture of accountability grow on campus.” Wright commented that the other three Eating Houses have agreed to pass nearly identical policies almost immediately after Warner passes theirs. “We just want to make sure that we’re doing our best to protect all women on campus.”
10/31/16 at 1640 hrs
10/31/16 at 1641 hrs 10/31/16 at 1815 hrs 11/02/16 at 1130 hrs 11/04/16 at 0135 hrs
11/04/16 at 1345 hrs 11/06/16 at 0245 hrs
Page 3
Davidsonian.com
Description / Location
Larceny Misdemeanor at Patterson Court Circle. Further Investigation Larceny Misdemeanor at Patterson Court Circle. Further Investigation 2nd Degree Rape at Ridge Road. Prosecution Declined. Larceny Misdemeanor at Concord Road. Further Investigation Underage Consumption at Patterson Court Circle. Dean Referral Larceny Misdemeanor at D Road. Further Investigation Possession of Marijuana >1/2 oz to 1 1/2 oz; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Possession of Malt Beverage Underage at Patterson Court Circle. Dean Referral.
living davidson
Page 4
November 9, 2016
“It is more than a show; it is a feeling”
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UYEN NGUYEN STAFF WRITER
eeply rooted in the history of the African-American slave trade, black gospel music can be traced back to the 17th century, when African slaves brought their unique musical heritage to America and combined it with the new faith—Christianity. As a person who had never listened to Gospel music before, my experience with the Harlem Gospel Choir was emotional. During the performance, I often stood up, tapped my feet, clapped my hands, and danced to the energetic, joyous, and exuberant performance. The World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir embodies the spirit of American Gospel. It presents the modern gospel classic that is performed in the black churches of Harlem today. In light of today’s society, I believe that this kind of music provides an escape. Their harmonious songs of love and inspiration touch the depth of your soul. The sound is powerful. It reminds you to have faith and never give up. The Harlem Gospel Choir’s performance was brought to Davidson by the C. Shaw and Nancy K. Smith Artist Series on November 4th, and provided students with an opportunity to explore and learn more about different cultures, and this time, it was about gospel music, an important element of African American culture. People often hesitate when it comes to race and cultural differences. However, the audiences at Davidson prove that all people, under the music of God, can come together and sing. In the middle of the performance, one of the choir singers told the audience about Operation of Smile, the service project that the choir sponsored. Operation of Smile is an
international charity that provides free surgeries for children in developing countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate, or other facial deformities. The choir sold bracelets after the show to support this organization—an indication that it is not just a performance, but it is also about making a difference in society. The signers’ greatest strengths shown through their interactions with the audience. One of the singers taught us a new song. As he sang “Oh, happy day, happy day, you washed my sin away,” the audience followed him and sang even though not everyone knew the lyrics. We all stood up, clapped our hands, and danced. We all opened our hearts to things we had never experienced before, and it didn’t matter whether or not we knew the lyrics. One of the singers asked a female audience member onto the stage. They did a duet. The girl, like me, did not know the words. Even though she sang it incorrectly, it was funny to watch, and we appreciated that she was willing to try something new. They also put a modern twist on the show. The female singers sang two of Adele’s famous songs: “Hello” and “Rumour Has It.” My favorite part was when the female singer complimented the female audience members and sang Beyoncé’s “Hold Up.” The young audience found it interesting and, at the same time, found an even deeper connection with the choir. At the end of the show, some students of the Black Student Coalition (BSC), among others, went onto the stage, singing and dancing with the choir singers. That image illuminated the fact young people these days do love Gospel music. My friend, Saidah Rahman ‘20, who is an African American woman, told me that seeing the Gospel Choir made her realize how much
she misses the church. Gospel music has been an essential part of Saidah’s family as well as other African American families. The Sunday after the performance, she went to church. The Gospel Choir enriched the audience spiritually and emotionally. Such enrichment sometimes can be difficult to find in the frenzied pace of college life. It is always good to have something that reminds you of home and where you come from. The Davidson students in that crowd all experienced the show differently. For some students, it brought them hope during times of struggle. It reminded them that freedom and hope still exist in a society where injustice is prominent. For some students, it gave them an opportunity to explore and learn new things. Regardless of your interpretation of the music, it is always worth it
to try new things. Do something that teaches you about other cultures or challenges you in a new way. Check your email every day and see the opportunities that Davidson offers. It is never too late to learn.
You can learn more and donate to Operation Smile at www.operationsmile.org Future C. Shaw and Nancy K. Smith Artist Series: Saturday, November 12th: Ballet Hispanico Tuesday, January 31st: Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana Presents: Poema De Andalucía Courtesy photo
Diwali Festival
Photos by Carter Cook '20
On November 2nd, students celebrated Dowli, the Hindu Festival of Light.
THE CHEW 2.17 Apple Cranberry Sweet Potato Bake
Courtesy photo
Adapted from stupideasypaleo.com
Ingredients
Directions
6 small sweet potatoes, peeled, and diced 2 apples, diced ½ cup fresh cranberries 2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil 1-2 tsp cinnamon or Primal Palate Apple Pie Spice Pinch of sea salt
1. Preheat oven to 375°F (~190°C). Grease the inside of a large baking dish with coconut oil or ghee. 2. Peel the sweet potatoes and apples. Chop into uniform pieces, ~1/2” dice. 3. Place half the chopped sweet potato/ apple into the dish. Sprinkle with ¼ cup cranberries, half the cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt. 4. Repeat with remaining sweet potato, apple, cranberry, cinnamon, and salt. 5. Dot the top with small pieces of ghee or coconut oil. 6. Bake covered for ~1 hour or until the potato and apple have softened.
Want your favorite recipe featured? Email editor Mary Porter at maporter@davidson.edu to get involved!
perspectives
page 5
November 9, 2016
Dear Clinton Supporters, Now that Trump Has Won... ALEX SIZEMORE The Davidsonian solicited two different perspectives for this slot. We wanted to make sure this section was topical, and given that our deadline was Election Night, we got two perspectives pieces in advance, and planned to run whichever was “true” given the results. The Davidsonian thanks Andres Ramos for writing the “Dear Trump Supporters, Now That Clinton Has Won” article which we are not printing due to the election results.
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ell, it’s done: Donald J. Trump is the President-elect of the United States of America. Many of you are Democrats and were hoping for a Clinton presidency. Others of you are anxious, ethically-torn Never-Trump Republicans. Regardless, it’s all over now. This election is in the books In my opinion, here are some good things that will happen in the next four years: I. Money - Your taxes will go down. Most of us, since we are college students, don’t really understand the impact of that yet since we don’t have jobs. But imagine, once we get into the working world, making up to 20% more money for doing the same job. (Currently, a single filer making $225,000 annually pays 33% income tax, whereas that same filer would pay 12.5% income tax under Trump’s proposed tax plan.) II. Honesty - You can count on the fact that your President will be honest. If there is
one thing we’ve learned from watching Donald Trump’s campaign, it’s that he says exactly what he’s thinking. What you see is what you get. He doesn’t sugarcoat things. He doesn’t have a public stance that conflicts with his private stance. We may never again see such a transparent politician. Embrace it while you can. III. New justices - Remember that guy who died forever ago? What was his name, again? Anyways, there has been an open seat on the Supreme Court for quite a while now, and finally we will get a fresh face on the bench of the highest court in America. Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Anthony Kennedy are advancing in age. Could we see three new justices in the next four years? Only time will tell. IV. Security “Peace through strength” will be the position of the Trump administration. America is a big dog, and we call the shots. The world is a more peaceful place when a peaceful, democratic government like that of
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the United States is in the driver’s seat. Now let’s take a look at some things that won’t happen over the next four years. I. Healthcare People won’t be dying on the streets because they lost their Obamacare coverage or because their unemployment/disability/welfare benefits stopped coming in the mail. Those who need help will be helped, but we will no longer have an inefficient, bureaucratic healthcare system controlled by an inefficient, bureaucratic government. Your premiums will go down (again, a lot of us, as college students on our parents’ healthcare plan, probably don’t understand the full impact of this yet). II. Energy Our lakes and rivers won’t dry up. Our water won’t be polluted to the point of toxicity. But we will begin drilling our own oil and burning our own coal. We finally won’t be dependent on foreign countries to keep our lights on and our cars running. III. World War III Despite what you may have heard, the President can’t declare war.
I encourage you to stand up for what you believe in and make sure our politicians aren't blind to the issues that Americans face today. Don't lose hope.
The President doesn’t decide whether or not a nuclear bomb is dropped. There are hundreds of generals, admirals, and sergeants who advise both the President and Congress so that a well-thought-out, carefully planned action is taken, should it be deemed necessary. Don’t build a bomb shelter just yet. Now if these lists have still terrified you beyond return, take a breath. The President doesn’t have that much power anyways. A lot of the things Trump has proposed will not be able to get done without multiple amendments and approvals from people of both parties. It’s both a curse and a blessing that things take so long to happen in the American government. Lastly, I would like to call for unity. Please don’t move to Canada. Continue to push for your beliefs and your own political convictions, even if nobody around you agrees with them. The American democracy doesn’t work when one side refuses to cooperate. I encourage you to stand up for what you believe in and make sure our politicians aren’t blind to the issues that Americans face today. Don’t lose hope. Trump will be a President for us all. I hope that no matter how angry, upset, or disenfranchised you may feel now, you will never forget that you are not a Republican or a Democrat, but above all you are an American, and you, along with everyone else in this country, have a duty to make it the best it can be. See you in four years. Alex Sizemore, '20, is an undeclared student from Chapin, South Carolina. Contact him at alsizemore@davidson.edu
White Students: We Don't Have All the Answers. KATE HARDIN
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uring my time at Davidson, I have interacted with many students who are passionate about enacting education reform and ending segregation in schools. While these are noble goals, I often find myself questioning the approach. I feel most white Davidson students approach issues of inequality in education from a theoretical approach and not from any lived experience. They often seem ignorant of the fact that they are the beneficiaries of the very policies that they seek to correct. I attended public schools in Charlotte from kindergarten until my graduation from high school and have been exposed to both sides of the divide . The majority of my elementary school years were spent at a well-funded school that was primarily white. For middle and high school, I attended two schools that were minority-majority (meaning white students were actually the minority) and the experiences showed a stark contrast. My high school, as of the start of the 2015-2016 school year, consisted of 93% students of color meaning that out of 2,049 students, 1,905 were non-white. In addition to being racially segregated, my high
school was also extremely socioeconomically segregated, with over 70% of students receiving free or reduced lunch. Very few of the students engaging in activist work on our campus share this experience, which strikes me as a major problem. Students coming from majority-white schools often interact with minorities with an uncomfortable power dynamic. The term “white savior complex” has mostly been used in the context of white Americans volunteering in third world countries but I think it applies equally to the actions of white individuals trying to reform education policies domestically. There is a will to help but it is accompanied by a lack of understanding and a lack of context. I do not blame Davidson students for lacking this context, it is not their fault that they went to private school or lived in an affluent area that was zoned for a superior public school. I understand that my experience is not common. However, we need to acknowledge the culpability of parents who run from public schools they deem inferior instead of trying to use their resources to improve all students’ educational outcomes. I also blame lawmakers who fail to realize that centuries of racist policies will not resolve themselves. My biggest regret at Davidson is not being more involved in programs that attempt to bridge the achievement gap but I also think it is naïve to assume
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Austin Newsome
that a few hours a week of volunteering at Ada or a summer internship qualifies anyone to understand the complexities of segregated school systems. I reject most Davidson students’ outsider-looking-in perspective. I do not mean to discredit the work done by all students, I merely think that white students need to acknowledge that their knowledge of the issues faced by racially and/or socioeconomically segregated schools does not come from personal experience. Just because you have taken classes about inequality and read papers on the topic does not mean that you are now prepared to reform the system. Students from privileged backgrounds are ill-prepared to become educators in the very types of schools they wish to change. This is evidenced by the fact that more than half of Teach For America corps members do not stay at their original low-income schools after their two year commitments are up. They understand, as did I when I had TFA teachers at my school, that they were ill-equipped and ill-prepared, not because of their educations, but because of their backgrounds. What can be done to improve the quality of education received by all students? For starters, I think abolishing the ability of private religious schools to apply for 501(c)(3) tax exemption status is a good start. If parents want to send their children to private schools, that is
perfectly within their rights but I feel that these schools should still pay taxes and thus support education for all students. Local government should draw school zoning lines based on socioeconomic status, not location. Most of the racial and socioeconomic segregation in Charlotte stems from zoning lines being drawn based on neighborhoods, which are themselves segregated. Once new lines are drawn, students would need to attend the schools they are zoned for, instead of fleeing to private or charter schools. Sources: TFA data: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/10/04/kappan_donaldson.html West Meck demographics: http://schools. cms.k12.nc.us/westmecklenburgHS/Pages/ AboutWestMeck.aspx (free lunch) http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/cmsdepartments/StudentPlacement/PlanningServices/ Documents/PMR%20Month%2001%20Enrollment%20by%20Race%202015.pdf (racial demographics) Kate Hardin, '17, is a Biology major from Charlotte, North Carolina. Contact her at kahardin@davidson.edu
The Meowl Issue Can You Major in Baby Bio?
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Binge-Drinking, Coffee-Chugging Student “Can’t Understand Why Anyone Would Use Drugs”
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Davidsonian Columnist Slaves Away At Article That Is Eventually Used to Line Hamster Cage
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Sly NFL Coaches Store iPads in Microsoft Surface Cases
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In Effort to Bring A “Less Inflammatory Speaker to Campus, CPE Extends Invitation to Kim Jong-Un
Sickly Yowl Editor Crawls Toward Union Doors After Semester of Being Harvested For Humor
Massachusetts Resident Creates Groundbreaking Formula to Cast Votes for NC Politicians
Whispering that he no longer remembered how to laugh, a pale, sickly Yowl editor was seen crawling toward the Union doors last Tuesday, presumably drawn toward the unfamiliar, warm glow of sunlight after a semester of enduring constant humor harvest in isolation. Using one hand to plug the gaping hole in his back where the Davidsonian’s humor harvesting apparatus had attached to his body to mine for every trace of somewhat chuckle-worthy content, the editor’s nearly unrecognizable, corpse-like form was observed using his free hand to pull himself across the Union carpet in a daring escape attempt. “Quillen… w-what’s she done this time… just three hundred more words… and Patrick… don’t even get me started,” the editor was heard mumbling under his breath as he desperately sought freedom from the seemingly endless cycle of producing content that he had been trapped in for months. “Just when you finish putting together an article… it’s Sunday again… ha, ha haaaaaa… time to be
Recent reports suggest that one of the country’s most uninformed voters has somehow managed to develop a foolproof system for casting his votes on Election Day. As millions of Americans decide what time to head to the polls on Tuesday, Tom Kelley '20 is just now getting his sh*t together. Kelley, a Boston native, registered to vote in North Carolina because he “felt wicked important saying he was voting in a swing state.” The freshman, who describes himself as “not a huge politics guy,” did not realize until a week ago that the ballot would contain names other than Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. “You mean I have to choose people for random-ass North Carolina positions?” asked an oblivious Kelley, “Like how the hell am I gonna decide who to put down for Mecklenburg County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor?” Kelley agreed to sit down with The Yowl for an exclusive interview in which he explained his now critically acclaimed “‘I basically knew I needed methodology for casting votes for these unheard-of North Carto find some way to objectively olinians. “Yeah, so I basically knew I evaluate these people I’ve never needed to find some way to obheard of... First thing’s first, jectively evaluate these people I test for their legit-ness. If I’ve never heard of. All I know is their name so I figured that was roman numerals follow their a solid place to start,” explained name, they get my vote.” Kelley. Writing on a mirror with an Expo marker á la Will Hunting, Kelley created an elaborate flow chart that did a somewhat decent job of explaining his voting formula. “First thing’s first, I test for their legit-ness. If roman numerals follow their name, they get my vote. Same goes for if they have a middle initial listed on the ballot. If there are competing trends, longest first name takes the cake.” Furiously drawing arrows and illegible math symbols on the mirror, Kelley remarked that firstname/lastname alliteration was also heavily weighted in his model. “If none of these things occur, I just go with a subjective measure of last name swag that I assign to each individual candidate. The more vowels, the better,” he clarified. At press time, Nate Silver was said to be adjusting his own model to take into account voter rationale similar to Kelley’s that is sweeping the nation.
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Campus Shocked That Beer Pong Tourney Between Three Highly Competitive Sports Teams Could End in Conflict
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Excessive Exposure to Freshman May Shorten Fraternity Rush Chair’s Life By 5 Years, Study Shows
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Would You Buy A Yowl T-Shirt?
I sure as f*ck know I would.
Your Davidson Honor Section
Editors: Paul Henderson Writers: The Vegetarian Boy Craigy Thomas EJ Kelli 2000 A.E. Grace Note: The Yowl is a satirical supplement to The Davidsonian. Hence, nothing in it should be taken as truth. Word.
The DaviDsonian
This Issue Brought to You By: An Ever-Persistent Sense of Dread
“The Yowl’s editor had been locked in the Davidsonian room for weeks, attached to an advanced piece of equipment designed to pump witty remarks, lame quips and observational oddities directly out of his brain and into each issue of the paper.” funny… very funny.” According to reports, the Yowl’s editor had been locked in the Union’s Davidsonian room for weeks, attached to an advanced piece of equipment designed to pump witty remarks, lame quips and observational oddities directly out his weakened brain and into each issue of the paper. “The machine was designed around efficiency,” commented Davidsonian staff member Darren Carmichael. “With the paper switching to weekly issues last year, we knew that it was going to be difficult for the Yowl editor to willingly come up with humorous content on such a regular basis. So our team figured the best strategy would involve linking the editor directly to the paper’s computer system, and then exhausting him of every possible joke until he no longer saw humor in the world or found joy in his work.” Though the editor did manage to miraculously descend the flight of stairs from the Union’s third floor and come close to the building’s exit, reports indicate that a group of writers was able to halt his advance and carry him back up to the Davidsonian room before he could escape the building. “While he does appear physically and mentally weak with few ideas left in his fragile psyche, we are confident we can squeeze a handful of issues out of him before winter break. Luckily his co-editor will be returning from abroad in the Spring, and we look forward to attaching her to the system as well. They worked well together before, and we can’t wait to see how our machine manages to drain them of everything as a team.”
Study Determines “Real People” in Chevy Ads Are So Intolerable, They Might Actually Be Real A study surrounding the recent slew of Chevrolet advertisements that feature truly intolerable “real people” using emojis to express on their surprise at the quality of the automotive company’s products has determined that the ad’s subject’s are so annoying, they may, in fact, not be actors. “Like so many people who have sat through these ads on a constant basis, we were hoping for the opportunity to denounce the legitimacy of Chevy’s claims that the subjects of their ads were ‘real people not actors,” remarked Samantha Cheney, one of the principle researchers in charge the Florida State University investigation. “I mean, these people are clearly the f*cking worst. Saying “you go Chevy” whilst expressing satisfaction with a fist bump emoji? Absolutely f*cking nauseating, no doubt about that. Unfortunately, based on what we know about the general quality of the average person, our study has found that these people may have actually been pulled out of our real society and placed in the advertisements.”
“I mean, these people are clearly the worst... absolutely f*cking nauseating...Unfortunately, based on what we know about the quality of the average person, our study has found that these people may have actually been pulled from our real society.”
As many viewers of just about everything on television are acutely aware, the Chevy advertisements feature panels of “real people” dully reacting to giant, multi-level Chevy car towers and uttering affirmative grunts as a bearded, flannelwearing host ruins the back of a truck with a dropped toolbox. “The attempt to appeal to millennial audiences with constant references to technology and ‘hip’ lingo are, simply put, awful and painfully transparent,” continued Cheney. “Everyone and their mom can tell that a team of misguided Chevrolet marketing executives sat around a table and held a series of brainstorms on how to appeal to the younger generation, and we can clearly see how f*cking annoying the result is. However, we cannot dispute their claims that the ad’s subjects are real people. While every ounce of our beings wished to come to a different conclusion, the fact of the matter remains that while these ads are the worst, most people are the f*cking worst too. Maybe this campaign will end up working out for Chevy. F*ck me.”
sports
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My Life as a Cubs Fan WILL BREWSTER
I
Staff Writer
’ll never forget the morning of August 3, 2002. I sprang out of bed, threw on my Cubs hat, grabbed my mitt, and boarded the Metra with my Dad for the 50-minute train ride to Wrigley Field. I was going to my first Cubs game. I’ll always remember that day because of the brats, peanuts, scorching sun, and of course, losing baseball. I remember the excitement I had when Cubs’ 1st baseman Fred McGriff blasted a solo home run over the left field ivy in the 2nd, and the disappointment that followed as we lost to the Colorado Rockies 2-1. Typical. This is my life as a Cubs fan. As a little kid, baseball was my life, and the Chicago Cubs were my team for better or for worse. I got my first baseball mitt when I was 4 years old, and immediately started dreaming of becoming the next Kerry Wood, striking out 20 batters against the Houston Astros in 1998. At the time, I could barely spell my own name, or tie my shoes, but by golly, I could tell you the height, weight, blood pressure, and batting average of every Chicago Cub. There were stories of what happened. 1908. World Series meltdowns. Losing seasons. The Curse of the Billy Goat. More losing seasons. The black cat and the collapse of 69’. Years of frustration. The choke of 84’. Bad trades, busted draft picks, curses, losses, and more meltdowns. I knew them all like the back of my hand. In that summer of 2002, my friends and I were confident things would turn around. We were tired of all the talk about our team being cursed by some old man named Billy Sianis and his pet goat. I mean give me a break. That curse might as well have been as old as Hector of Troy. It was irrelevant to us. We thought we would be the generation that gave the Cubs good luck. We were going to be the generation that would see what previous generations had failed to see: a Chicago Cubs World Series Championship. In that summer of 2002, I had yet to experience a Cubs playoff push, but my Dad and Grandpa had lived long enough to see many epic collapses. They kept saying my time would come. It was like I wasn’t a true fan in their eyes until
I had gone through the cruel and unusual hazing the Cubs had been subjecting their fans to since 1908. Little did I know, my initiation was right around the corner. 2003 was shaping up to be a legendary year for me. My little league baseball team, led by current professional baseball player, Alex Young, was ripping through opponents all over the Chicago area and my little brother was getting old enough to play catch. My crush gave me flowers at recess, and the Chicago Cubs were World Series contenders. What a time to be alive. Led by the best pitching staff in the National League, which included All-Stars Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, and one of the greatest home run hitters who ever lived, Sammy Sosa, the Cubs won the National League Central Division, beat the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series, and took a commanding 3-1 series lead against the Florida Marlins in the National League Championship Series. My team was 1 win away from reaching its first World Series since 1945. I told you that stupid curse didn’t exist. I told you my generation would be the one to bring the Cubs good luck. My Grandpa laughed at my cockiness. He had seen this movie before. The Cubs were shutout 4-0 in game 5 in Miami. No big deal. We still had a 3-2 series lead and were heading back to Chicago. In game 6, with a 3-0 lead in the top of the 8th, just 5 outs away from the Pennant, I realized this curse was no hoax. Juan Pierre hit a double, and then… it happened. Luis Castillo hit a foul ball toward the left field wall. As Cubs left fielder Moisés Alou reached to make the catch, a fan named Steve Bartman did the same. The ball bounced off Bartman’s hands and went out of play. Alou started screaming at the fan, Mark Prior yelled for fan interference, pointing his figure directly at Bartman, who began to get bombarded with beer and death threats. Wrigley Field was rattled to the bone, and so were the Cubs. Absolute chaos ensued, as the Marlins would go on to score 8 runs that inning, come from behind again to win game 7, and defeat the Yankees to win the World Series. I was crushed, but I never once blamed Bartman. The Cubs were choke artists. Or maybe they were just cursed, or maybe both. My Grandpa said 4 words to
me that defined every Cub fan’s existence: “wait till next year.” In the following years, the Cubs continued to field talented teams, but to no avail. They were swept in the 2007 and 2008 National League Division Series. Typical. By the end of that 2008 season, I was a freshman in high school. So much had changed since that summer of 2002. My boyhood dream of becoming the next Kerry Wood was long gone, I no longer believed in Santa Claus, and my hope of seeing the Cubs win it all was evaporating. The Cubs quickly became the laughing stock of baseball once again, and I traded in my baseball mitt for a pair of track spikes. I moved on. I was done saying “wait till next year.” Years passed. The Cubs continued to finish last, the occasional “wait till next year” Facebook post appeared on my newsfeed, and I was enjoying my new sport of running fast and turning left. Baseball became an afterthought. But in the spring of 2015, I sat beside my Grandpa, the former Division 1 and semiprofessional pitcher, famous for a no-hitter in the Illinois state championship game and another one against Princeton, as he lay dying of cancer. He taught me everything I know about the game, including my nasty curveball that helped me win so many games. We talked about God, politics, and of course, baseball. On a muted TV, the Cubs were playing a day game against the Cardinals. My Dad asked him what he thought Heaven was like. My Grandpa, studying the baseball game, smiled and said, “Heaven is great. The Cubs win the World Series every year.” As I sat in front of my TV on November 2, 2016, absolutely stunned at the sight of the Cubs celebrating for the first time in 108 years, those words replayed in my mind. I sat in silence while the rest of the room erupted in cheers. I thought about my Grandpa, my old baseball
mitt, and that fateful game 6 in 2003. I thought about that little boy who, 14 years ago, sat smiling on the Metra on his way to his first Cubs game, dreaming of this very moment. I stared blankly at the TV, holding back the tears. The next day, ESPN called it the greatest baseball game ever played. Maybe so. But I think it was more than a game. My Grandpa was right. It was a little slice of Heaven here on Earth. Will Brewster is a Senior Biology Major from Grayslake, Illinois and a die-hard Chicago Cubs Fan.
Will Brewster '18 at a 2015 Chicago Cubs game. Credit Jodi Brewster
Photos of the Week
Students compete in the annual tradition of freshman flicker ball. Credit Yilin Wang Michael Schroeder '18 runs alongside a Rhode Island runner at the 2016 A-10 Cross Country Championships. Credit Rebecca Turner
Coach McKillop gives a press conference following the Red & Black Scrimmage. Credit Yilin Wang
The DaviDsonian Volleyball Celebrates Senior Day in Match vs. VCU
Emily Franklin and Mikayla Derochie '17 Photo by Amy Franklin
November 9, 2016