the davidsonian
November 16, 2016 vol. 112 Issue 9
The Independent Student Newspaper of Davidson College since 1914
Inside NEWS Davidson's finances investigated and explained 2 Dining staff are interviewed about working for the college3 LIVING DAVIDSON Andrea Gibson performs at Davidson 4 PERSPECTIVES Carr Kinsey '19 speaks of hope following a turbulent election 5 Nicholas Trevino '1 7 responds to Alex Sizemore '20 5
Winston faced CMPD officers during the protests, and this image was published by various news sources. Photo courtesy of the LA Times
Braxton Winston '06 Fights for Charlotte OLIVIA DANIELS & AJ NADDAFF News Co-Editors
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raxton Winston, at ease in Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood, looks back on the last few months with a wry smile. Long, dark dreadlocks envelop his face, and his 6’2” athletic frame barely fits in the coffee shop's small chair. In a deep voice, he calmly and eloquently explains how his life, personal motivation, and sense of agency have changed over the most tumultuous months of his life. His poise and articulation contrast the general public’s perception of Winston confronting police officers in the protests that ensued following Keith Lamont Scott’s murder. In the widely-circulated image blasted by media outlets such as MSNBC, LA Times, NBC News, CBS, and The Charlotte Observer, a shirtless Winston appears to represent the quintessential 21st century protester: raised by the streets, eager to take charge in the heightened moment of the movement. Winston is perhaps the farthest thing from this stereotype. Prior to the killing of Keith Lamont Scott on September 20, 2016, unlike the protesters who trekked miles to join the movement, Winston was not a social justice activist. Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Dr. Fuji Lozada was close to Winston during his time at Davidson College and closely followed his livestreams during the unrest in Charlotte. “I’m not saying that Braxton wasn’t ‘woke,’ but he wasn’t in leadership in social justice,” Lozada reflected. Now Winston’s focus is Charlotte, and while the passion of the nation may have been redirected at different issues, his is steadfast. Winston remains committed to his city, his family, and what this means for his country; he still is not the typical protester, but he is the protesters’ best hope for concrete change. Born to a military family in North Carolina, Winston was raised in Brooklyn, New York. After being named a Prep for Prep scholar in junior high school, Winston subsequently enrolled at the prestigious Phillips Academy (Andover) in Massachusetts. Upon graduation, Winston was recruited to play football for Davidson College. At Davidson, Winston struggled balancing academics and his Division 1 football career. When he arrived in August 2001 as one of the few black students on campus, it was a culture shock. Then, during his first week of classes, 9/11 happened, and Winston felt isolated from his family in New York. The academics were challenging; the social situation was taxing. He wasn’t mentally prepared. He took some time off, moved to NoDa, worked as a stagehand, and took classes at UNC-Charlotte for a year. Eventually Winston was reaccepted to Davidson and graduated with a degree in anthropology in December 2006. Scott was killed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Brentley Vinson. The altercation was captured on video, and there is dispute as to whether or not Scott had a gun in his possession and whether his killing was justifiable by the police department. After a video of Scott’s daughter proclaiming the killing to be unlawful went viral, the incident became known
as one in a series of widely publicized police brutality across the nation. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) refused to immediately release the body camera footage of the event from the police's perspective to the public, sparking discontent across the country. Hardly interested in social justice during college, Winston settled in Charlotte with his wife and children. He worked as a cameraman for the Hornets. It was not until the September 20 death in the parking lot of the Village at College Downs apartment complex near UNC Charlotte, somewhere Winston drove by everyday, that he realized the reality and poignancy of his position. “I’ve put myself, or been put,
moments in time during the hours and hours [that] people were out there talking. We were talking with police. We made a relationship and rapport with the police on the street that enabled us to ensure that we could keep our protest going...Even after our announced curfew, we worked with them to say ‘Look we are not going home; we are not done. This is a protest not a parade, and we’re not done. And we worked that out.” Unfortunately violence emerged as the defining characteristic of the Charlotte protests. On the night of Wednesday, September 21, protestor Justin Carr was killed at the intersection of North College and East Trade streets. Fellow protester Rayquan Borum
Winston reflected on his time at Davidson and the changes that have since occurred in his lifetime. Photo by AJ Naddaff in a position...to step back and either just continue on with my life or step up in so many ways, play my part in a long battle. I’ve chosen to play my part.” The protests started that evening. Winston, along with many other members of the Charlotte community, took to the streets. A seasoned cameraman, Winston filmed and livestreamed his experiences and interactions with fellow protesters and police officers. Many of the officers deployed to the areas of protest were people he knew. Less than a year prior, Winston had been involved in a radically different dialogue with law enforcement. In November 2015 a domestic argument turned violent in his neighborhood; Winston heard screaming and intervened. After acting a translator between the Spanish-speaking woman and CMPD officers, Winston followed the ambulance to the hospital and stayed with the woman’s baby. Winston respects law enforcement. Most of the officers deployed to the areas of protest were people he knew. He emphasizes the peacefulness of the protests that spread over the course of about five nights. “Anyone that was down on the ground will tell you that it was peaceful...anytime there was violence, it was in response to violence. And those were small
was charged with the murder and has allegedly since confessed. Winston caught the gunshots and aftermath of the shooting on video, and he livestreamed it to thousands via Facebook. These people immediately saw the blood on the ground and heard the protesters screams. Lozada was one of the people staying up-to-date with Winston’s livestreams. “[He] was one of those names taking part in communication and sharing information [as] he saw fit.” Winston cannot overemphasize the importance of social media during his activism. “We were able to convey a message, disseminate the facts as they occurred on the ground so people could consume them and decide the truth as they saw it.” In his “Science, Policy, and Society” class on Thursday, September 22, Lozada discussed the violence in Charlotte. He handed out a packet that included the photographs most widely circulated by the media. On one page was the one of Winston, fist in the air. On the next was another photograph of Winston, published to Facebook in July 2016. It shows him smiling widely alongside Hillary Clinton at a campaign rally. To Lozada, that was Winston, and this fact embodied the point he wanted to make to his
YOWL Class for cookies is a conspiracy 6 Lack of conversation topics during haircuts plague students 6 SPORTS Swimming and diving prepare for A10 competition7 Excitement builds on campus for men's and women's basketball seasons 7
students. The activists and protesters on the streets could be anyone, and they were certainly not necessarily defined by the images projected by the media. Winston’s arrest on Sunday, September 25 exacerbated his media portrayal. At 1:00 pm that afternoon, the Charlotte Panthers played the Minnesota Vikings. Fearing the impacts of the recent protests, Charlotte’s interim City Manager Roy Kimble and Mayor Jennifer Roberts (Winston has since called for both officials’ resignations) declared the football game an Extraordinary Event after recommendation by the CMPD. Originally established in 2012 by the City Council for the Democratic National Convention, the Extraordinary Event Ordinance (Ord. No. 4814(b), §1, 1-23-2012) clearly stipulates regulations to be enforced by the police department for the duration of the event. Winston describes the city legislation as “martial law.” “[The ordinance] severely limits the liberties of private citizens, but it severely increases the liberties of the law enforcement [and] the government.” Winston had been shot with tear gas cannons by police earlier that week. At the time of our most recent interview, he still had obvious bruises on his upper body. So on Sunday, when he went to protest peacefully, Winston brought a gas mask. When describing why he went to the football game, Winston emphasizes how worried he was about three fronts colliding: the protesters; the football fans (many of whom did not have vested interest in the issues of institutional racism in Charlotte); and the law enforcement officials. The police officers present were no longer only Charlotte-area cops, Winston says. Law enforcement had been called in from all over North Carolina due to the state of emergency. Winston understood that these police officers, also without vested interest in the situation, were different than the ones with whom he had been engaging in dialogue throughout the previous nights. “I walked out into the football area and started streaming...the fans walking around and the police presence and military presence...After about an hour, I was approached by police officers, detained, and ultimately arrested. My arrest was viewed by 30,000 people all over the world...First [the police] requested a search of my bag...I declined; they commanded me; they told me to give up my bag for the search because [the area] was deemed an Extraordinary Event zone…When they searched my bag, they saw I had a gas mask. Under the Extraordinary Event law that’s illegal. I was charged. My charge is the possession of a
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News
Page 2 November 16, 2016
A Closer Look into Davidson College's Finances: Breaking Down How Davidson Allocates its Funds ANDREW KENNESON Senior Staff Writer
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t some point before every semester, we all log on to Banner Web, click on “Tuition Fees and Balances.” We scroll down the page until we see a number. That number tells us what we have to pay to go to Davidson this year. Generally speaking, we complain about and stress over that number a lot. But we don’t really examine it. It’s easy to say Davidson is too expensive. It’s much harder to dig into the details of why it’s so expensive and how the college comes up the amount we pay every year. Over the past few weeks, I met several times with Ed Kania, Davidson’s Vice President for Finance and Administration. His primary job is to create the budget for Davidson. We dug into the details of how Davidson works from a financial standpoint. This article is the product of those conversations. Total Costs It costs $147 million to run Davidson for the fiscal year 2017. Everything from professor’s salaries to lawnmowers to Wi-Fi is part of this number. Davidson employs about 150 faculty and 600 staff. We have pledged to meet all demonstrated financial need of all of our students. We have 209 computers on campus and Wi-Fi everywhere. We have eighteen Division I sports, a campus on the lake, a scratch kitchen, study abroad programs all over the world, access to hundreds of research databases, four gyms, an outdoors program, miles of running trails, and so much more. None of these things are cheap. If student’s tuition paid for all of it, we would all be paying much more. But the college business model allows all of us attend Davidson for less than what it costs for us to be here. The Business Model In college finance, revenues from students do not cover costs. If we think about tuition like the college selling pies, the college’s pie sales would not cover the costs of running the college. They would not even come close. In our case, tuition only accounts for $84.8 million of the total cost, and that’s not just because of scholarships. It costs $65, 672 for every student to be here. Even if everyone paid the full $60,119, we would still be short of the total cost. It’s a crazy business model, but colleges aren’t businesses. They’re non-profits. The government decided a long time ago that college education was important enough to give colleges non-profit status. So even though Davidson is private, we don’t have shareholders. We don’t pay taxes. While people who work here earn a wage, we don’t make money. Hence, even students who pay full tuition, or “sticker price,” to come here are still paying a lower rate than they otherwise would if Davidson were not a nonprofit. Where Money Comes From Once the tuition is taken out of the total cost, there’s still a $62.2 million hole in Davidson’s finances. Where does the rest of this money come from? Fortunately, non-profits are equipped with several tools to make up this difference. The first is the endowment. Davidson’s endowment is $661 million. Every year, we take about 5% of that money and put it towards operations. For the fiscal year 2017, we will take out $29.7 million. That shrinks the $62.2 million hole to $32.5 million. $16 million of the remaining hole gets filled by fundraising. Davidson is very, very good at raising money. We’re fifth in the country in alumni giving rates. Our “Game Changers” campaign has a goal of raising $425 million over seven years, of which we’ve raised $327 million. Evidence of our fundraising is all over campus. People like the Belks, the Chidseys, the Dukes, the Richardsons, and many more have given generously to Davidson in the past, and are rewarded with their names inscribed into the front of buildings. The final $16.5 million comes from a variety of sources. Although we are private, we get some government money, mostly in the form of Pell grants (grant money from the government for college). That accounts for $3.8 million. A few other gifts and trusts fill up another $3.7 million.
The remaining $9 million comes from auxiliary services, namely RLO and Dining Services. Part of the money we pay for housing and meal plans goes to general college support. This is one of the reasons Davidson keeps off-campus housing to a minimum and began requiring mandatory meal plans for all class years.
ways changing. However, it’s not impossible to show some guidelines in how these decisions are made. The endowment plays a massive role in how money gets allocated at Davidson. This is because the endowment isn’t just a big pot of money. When donors give money to the endowment,
to say what money is going where. Hopefully this gives you an idea of how the college decides what money goes where.See the above graph showing spending pulled from the endowment. These are just the parts of the endowment that contribute over $1 million to operating costs.
they often give it for a specific purpose. This divides the endowment up into a bunch of individual accounts that are purposed for a variety of things. For example, $88 million of the $661 million is purposed for professorships. For fiscal year 2017, Davidson will slice off $4 million to help pay for professors. Once the college determines how much the endowment can contribute to specific causes, other money starts to fill in the gaps. So, in the above example, the $4 million from the endowment goes into the $21.6 million used to pay professors. Other sources of money, like tuition, have not been pre-allocated in the same way the endowment has. Therefore it’s hard to say exactly how much goes into each bucket. But it’s a pretty good guess to say that since tuition comprises 58% of total revenue, then about 58% of each bucket is paid for by tuition. In the professorships example, somewhere around $12.5 million from tuition is probably going into that bucket. This gets tricky, however, when you consider the unrestricted parts of the endowment. Some donors don’t have specific purposes when they donate. They just think Davidson is a really great place that will do good things with their money regardless. $66 million of the endowment is unrestricted.
Not surprisingly, funds going to scholarships and aid, namely the Trust, make up over half the money pulled from the endowment. However, this only comprises about $15 million of the $47.9 million spent on scholarships every year. As a final example of how this all works, let’s break this down. Of the remaining 32.9, tuition should contribute 27.8, which is 58% of 47.9. Then fundraising should kick in 11% of the total, which is 5.2. Auxiliary services would add in 6%, which is 2.9. Add all these together, and you get $50.9 million, which is pretty close to the total. The real numbers would be different, and not just because this estimate is $3 million off. Fundraising would probably account for more since it’s popular to donate to scholarships, while tuition would be less because it’s less popular to use one student’s tuitions to pay for another’s. However, this is the general process.
Now that we’ve established where money comes from at Davidson, let’s take a look at where it all goes, and how it ends up there. Building the Budget There’s an old way and a new way to build a budget in a university. The old way is for the college administration to go around and ask the people who are in charge of all the departments in need of funding how much money they need. Then they would add up all the totals and back into a number for tuition. The new way is just the opposite. The administration sets a goal for the almost inevitable tuition increase, and then sets up the budget with that number in mind. This takes tuition off the table entirely. If Davidson wants to do something new, we first have to look for something to stop doing instead of just asking students to pay more money. This means we look at everything that’s done on campus with a critical eye. If something doesn’t quite conform to the mission of the college, it could be cut to do something better. This is an especially hard job because no one thinks what they’re doing isn’t essential. The laundry is a good example. By most accounts, Davidson ran a pretty good laundry. Even though it didn’t seem crucial to the Davidson mission, we probably could have kept it with a small rise in tuition. But that’s not how Davidson operates. We make trade-offs. The laundry disappeared. Since then, we’ve beefed up the pre-major advising program, revamped Career Services, boosted disability counseling, and many other things that are arguably more important. The Big Two Although we are always looking for efficiencies two things in the budget are almost never in question: academic affairs and scholarships. This is no surprise. Davidson wants great people teaching their students, and, with the Davidson Trust, the school has a stated commitment to meet all financial need. It’s worth noting that from 2006 to now, spending on scholarships jumped from $16.9 million to its present level of $47.9 million. The other 22% is taken up by about but a dozen things like athletics, utilities, physical plant, admissions, technology, and student life. Here’s the whole $147 million budget broken down into a pie chart. These a rough estimates of how much money each area receives.
The Endowment and Allocation Here’s where we get into complicated nittygritty of making the budget. It’s not all that hard to show where Davidson gets its money. It’s also not all that hard to show where all that money ends up. What is really hard is showing how the two connect. Questions like, “How much of my tuition money goes to fund professors salaries?” are tough to answer because that number is al-
Another $66 million are undesignated funds functioning as endowment, which means the donor didn’t tell the college whether or not to use the funds as endowment or as a current gift. Since it’s undesignated, the college can use it however it wishes, just like unrestricted money. Add these two together and Davidson has about $132 million to go toward anything in the 2017 fiscal year. This can fill in anywhere, making it even harder
Why Tuition Rises One of the unfortunate realities of college finance is that tuition goes up just about every year. Davidson is no different. However, we are getting things for those increases. One reason is that Davidson needs to pay people a decent wage to keep them. As they work here longer, they demand more money. Benefits rise too, particularly for health insurance. More recently, the cost of technology has driven tuition up the most, as students and faculty demand better service around campus. Bandwidth has increased tenfold in the last decade in response to student and faculty needs. Davidson has also been investing in more advisors, counselors, directors, and other important members of the community that are critical members of the college's success. But they come at a cost. Davidson: Not an Outlier From a financial standpoint, Davidson hardly stands out from our peers. When you look at other small, academically rigorous, liberal arts colleges like Williams, Pomona, Washington and Lee, Carleton, Middlebury, and others, not much distinguishes us from them: we have similar tuition costs, hovering around $60,000 a year, and similar small school size. Davidson has one of the smallest endowments of the liberal arts colleges at about $2 million, but have higher rates of fundraising than the other schools. Going to a school like Davidson is not getting cheaper. But it does look worth it. Forbes annual college ranking, which places enormous emphasis on return on investment a student receives, ranks Davidson the best school in the South and the 25th best school in the country. Given our alumni giving rates, people who graduate from here seem to think they made a good choice. Once we all graduate, hopefully we will too.
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Dining Services Employees Discuss crime log Wages, Working Conditions Time Reported
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ETHAN EHRENHAFT Staff Writer
ith collegiate cafeteria workers being brought to the national news stage after the Harvard strike, The Davidsonian decided to investigate the circumstances that our own dining workers face here on campus. While students spend much of their day in and out of Commons and the Davis Cafe in the Union, many know little about the work conditions their employees face. Perhaps the biggest challenge confronted by food service workers this year is the massive increase in meals the Union prepares. This is only the second year in which the facility offers its wildly popular breakfast and late night options. After last year’s successful breakfast test phase, breakfast was expanded from 7:30 - 9:00 until 10:45 am. Employees now only have a 30 minute “break,” in which they must clear out all the breakfast supplies and prep the lunch stations. “It’s difficult for us to manage breakfast with the volume that we’re doing now,” says Mark Lewis, who serves as the Director of Cash Operations for Commons and Davis Cafe. So far this year, Davis Cafe has seen a whopping 350% increase in breakfast business. Sales have also gone up 30%. With such a drastic increase in breakfast volume, a bit of a strain has been put on employees. “In the beginning, it was crazy. All we had time to do was ring people up,” commented Andrea, a Union employee. Despite the physical toll and stress of serving roughly 1,200 meals in a 6-hour time span during the beginning and middle of the day, she added, “I think that we’re finally getting through that slump because now we’re getting used to it.” Davis Cafe does a total of 2,000 transactions every day, about one per student. While an easy answer to the increased workloads faced by employees this year is to hire more workers, the answer isn’t so simple. “That breakfast is pretty brutal. It’s just busy. The workload is not so much the problem as the facility; it’s not set up for that workload,” says Dee Phillips, Director of Dining Services. The Davis Cafe facilities are small compared to those at Commons and only so many people can work behind the counter at a time. Typically 3-4 workers head the breakfast station. “The manager and myself are here every morning for support, so we jump on the line nearly daily to help with busy times,” says Lewis. While work may have intensified at Davis Cafe, the quality of the food reflects it. A new manager was hired from New York City with prior expertise in pizza making. While the pizzas previously available at Davis Cafe were frozen and sold by the slice, the new ones are completely handmade. The students have responded, and roughly 700 pizzas are now sold every week. “Almost everything is made from scratch, including soups,” says Lewis. This spring, students can look to see a new set of options at the international food station. According to Lewis, management is considering implementing a BBQ option, complete with baked beans, mac and cheese, BBQ pork, and possibly brisket. Pulled pork is already an incredibly popular option. Davis Cafe transitioned from serving roughly 20 pounds a night last year to over 60 this year. Next summer, Davis Cafe hopes to expand the capacity of the breakfast station and the prep facilities, pending the approval of a capital project which will hopefully ease the load for workers. The dining services at Davidson have nearly 110 employees. A majority of them can be found at Vail Commons, nationally known as the cafeteria featured in a Steph Curry music video. An entry-level job at Commons in a position like dishwashing will earn you $10.40 an hour. Skilled cooks and bakers
Continued from Page 1 gas mask with the intent to disobey the lawful order of a law enforcement officer in an Extraordinary Event zone. Technically it is a class 3 misdemeanor of a city ordinance…” Winston sought the counsel of Charlotte lawyer Darlene Kannady. With her help, his court date, originally scheduled for the end of October, was moved to January 2017. When asked about the impacts of the Extraordinary Event Ordinance on the lives of civilians or protesters, Kannady spoke to the ordinance’s ambiguity. Like Winston, she questions whether this enactment is effectively communi-
can earn anywhere from $12-$16 an hour. The average wage is about $12.50, according to Chris Bradley, the office manager at Commons. The average national hourly wage for a cafeteria worker is $9.95. Only around half receive healthcare benefits, according to the PayScale Human Capital project. Davidson workers enjoy health care benefits and retirement plans. Workers also get a free meal for every shift that they work, eating most of the same food as the students. “For the line of work that we’re in, we get paid better than a McDonald's or fast food employee,” says Krystal, who works at Commons. As a small private college, Davidson offers several benefits that would be unavailable in the public food industry, or even at other colleges. After employees work at the school for at least seven years, Davidson gives them tuition reimbursements for their children. For Krystal, this will mean $8,000 a semester going towards her daughter’s education, regardless of where she attends college. Davidson also offers a tighter-knit and friendlier environment than many other food service employment options. “I’ve seen [NC State’s] facilities, and they’re huge. Here it’s more intimate, more personable. People know each other,” says Andrea. Bradley worked at the University of Missouri for eight years. “There,” he says, “it was much more corporate; you’re definitely more of a number. This is a much better place to work.” Speaking about her employees, Phillips commented, “I know I care deeply for them, and I feel like they care deeply for me.” One of the biggest problems brought up by both employees and administrators is the issue of what staffers are to do for work when there are no students to serve. While 12-month employees can get summer work, there is no guarantee for recent entry-level 9-month employees. Some workers also live over forty-five miles away from campus. If they are blocked on their way to work by an ice storm during the winter or a flood during the spring, they do not get paid. After graduation, the school tries to shift dining workers to help with house cleaning in dorms, but those jobs only last two weeks. Meanwhile, summer camps don’t start up until later in June. Current employees also are first in line to staff special events like weddings. Winter break will be especially hard this year. Even with holiday pay, if a worker does not have extra vacation time of as much as tens days, they could be going unpaid. Some will have to find temporary work. Phillips says, “My heart goes out to that. As an administrator it’s tough because I work it based off business, and if we don’t have business, they are not scheduled.” Interactions with the student body are also at the heart of all workers’ experiences here. Many talked of personal experiences they’ve had with students and moments that stood out to them. Andrea explained, “I don’t feel like I’m just a service worker. I feel like I’m a friend or a counselor or a mom.” She added, “Probably every single one of us has had at one point or another a student come to us and cry on our shoulders just cause they’re having a bad day or need someone to talk to.” Commons does pre-game meals for athletes and coaches and gets to know them particularly well that way. “They get excited you get involved,” says Krystal. One day, the soccer team even came in to give a staffer a birthday cake and sing. “Working with the student body here is great because they’re always so polite; they’re so thankful. They’re always giving us a pat on the back. You don’t get that in the outside world,” says Lewis back at Davis Cafe. Lewis managed his own restaurant in Mooresville for fourteen years before coming to Davidson, and he says the work here is far less stressful. Even the smallest thank you or hello makes a big difference to the employees who work incredibly hard everyday to make each student's livelihood at Davidson a reality. As Krystal put it, “We feel like we’re part of your family, so speak to us; get to know us.” cated to the population by the police department, especially with regard to the day of Winston’s violation. Major Mike Campagna of the CMPD commented that the public was notified of the enactment mainly through social media and news outlets. Since his arrest, Winston has elevated the stakes of his involvement. Along with seven other protesters, Winston has been named as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against the CMPD. The lawsuit is not seeking financial reparations. According to one of the group’s lawyers Jake Sussman, “[Its end goal] is an order from the
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court to direct CMPD to not use excessive force and not use certain techniques like tear gas, in particular, but also other chemical implements like pepper-spray and concussion bombs which we consider to be military grade weapons... against non-violent protesters.” Campagna countered that the use of tear gas was necessary to protect officers in a potentially deadly situation. “Our officers were being pelted with very large stones.” He further explained that whenever tear gas is deployed, “there is always an avenue for safe escape [for protesters].” The lawsuit claims that the plaintiffs’ first and fourth amendment rights were violated. Sussman speaks for the group: “We don’t think that the way the protests were handled actually kept anyone safe. We think it actually made things less safe.” Sussman emphasized Winston’s involvement in the suit. “One of the reasons why Mr. Winston is a plaintiff is that he not only witnessed the use of the tear gas on crowds of the protesters by the
police, but he also suffered burning to his own skin...He has got scars on his body from being hit with the canisters themselves, so it raised a lot of questions and a lot of concerns themselves about excessive uses of force.” As his legal team waits for a response from the CMPD, Winston exists in a sort of limbo state. Protests no longer rage; the nation is no longer focused on the city of Charlotte. But he hasn’t lost motivation. Besides the lawsuit, Winston has work to do. He plans to use his footage from the protests to make a documentary. Eventually he wants to start a nonprofit organization to address issues of institutional racism in Charlotte. He is currently trying to balance and pursue these aspirations while still supporting his family. He is seeking support via GoFundMe for his documentary project. The rest of America may have forgotten about Charlotte, but Winston is still there, and his footage is still rolling.
living davidson
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November 16, 2016
Professor Profile: Dr. Hammurabi Mendes JULIAN BERTINI STAFF WRITER
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r. Hammurabi Mendes, originally from Brazil, recently joined Davidson College as Assistant Professor in the Math and Computer Science Department. He is on his first semester as a professor, and is deeply committed to conferring the passion and love he found for learning and computer science to his students. Dr. Mendes discovered his interest in Computer Science as a student in high school. At the time, however, he had no access to a computer. “My friends had computers but I didn’t really have one,” he admits. Nevertheless, that did not prevent him from getting his hands on any technology magazine he could find. His fascination of computers quickly evolved from a stack of technology magazines to a B.S. from the University of Brasília, an M.S. from the University of São Paulo, and finally a Ph.D. from Brown University all of which were in computer science. His college journey was influential in more than an academic sense. He was disheartened by students who demonstrated little awareness of how college is a privilege.
“Seeing how many people don’t have this opportunity made me realize that I should be always conscious of that,” he said, adding that we should never take the opportunity of going to college for granted. His desire to share his passion and appreciation for learning pushed him to employ this same mentality in his pedagogy as a professor. When I asked him about what he admired most in students at Davidson, he responded that “they have it clear for themselves that college is an opportunity, and not a burden.” Indeed, it is important for students earnestly care about their work, and remain devoted to taking full advantage of their college education. We often forget how many do not have the privilege to a prestigious education. In fact, as Dr. Mendes said, “we should keep our work in high regard so that we can help others that [don’t] have the same opportunity.”. But Dr. Mendes was also drawn to Davidson because of its strong emphasis on teaching. “I’ve always been interested in teaching and giving other students the same kind of realization I found with computer science,” he said, recalling the time in his undergraduate career when his magazine-fed interest in computers turned into a lifelong passion. His passion for teaching and care for his students is reflected by his overcrowded office
hours. He never hesitates to stay after hours to make sure he has helped every student standing outside his office. When not with students, Dr. Mendes continues to explore his research interests in systems that have multiple computing entities interacting to solve problems. More specifically, he works with fault-tolerant computing, which deals with systems that can resist the failure of a subset of these computing entities. “I’ve done a lot of more formal mathematical studies in that area,” he said, “but my next step to experiment with that technology in large scale database systems.” In other words, he wants to translate theory into practice by experimenting with the technology. He is also interested in self-assembly, where multiple computing entities self-organize into different shapes and structures. The goal of self-assembly is to form shapes and structures that are tolerant to a subset of the computing entities behaving in an arbitrarily bad way. Before even teaching his first class, Dr. Mendes was already involved in the long-awaited creation of a Computer Science major at Davidson. He begun collaborating in a process that had been going on for many years, he said, and along with the many longing students who’ve rushed to
declare their computer science major, he is grateful to be part of a department that after years of hard-work made this happen. With a smile on his face, he adds that “it’s wonderful to know that we can give the opportunity to students to experience computer science.” Dr. Mendes makes it clear, however, that a Computer Science major is not only for computer geeks like himself. He sees computer science as a creative discipline that “empowers students” to express their creativity in whatever discipline they choose. “We are not only a major but a discipline in the college that is eager to engage with all the other disciplines,” he said. Computer science complements the areas of study already established at Davidson, adding a new dimension in our liberal arts view of the world. In his personal time, Dr. Mendes enjoys running, though he admits he is no marathon runner. He also takes time to learn about the world through Gastronomy. “I like knowing about other countries and cultures by looking into what the eat or drink,” he said. But most of all, he is a wine connoisseur, who enjoys Enology and likes to travel to different regions of the world by following the story of wine.
Activist and Slam Poet Andrea Gibson Visits Davidson MATTHEW LANDINI EDITOR-IN-CHEIF
A
ndrea Gibson is the unexpected remedy to an unexpected election. Gibson performed in the Lily Gallery on Wednesday, November 9th. With many students mourning the election results – the Lily Gallery was full of puffy eyes and red noses – Gibson arrived: calm, cool, collected, and entirely punk rock. Gibson is a slam poet whose work focuses on LGBTQ rights, the intersection of sex and gender, and the challenges inherent in capitalism, patriarchal dominance, and tribalism. Gibson identifies as, “a queer performance poet with panic attacks and extreme stage fright who has been touring full-time for over decade.” Previously, Gibson toured with Vox Feminista, a collection of likeminded feminists (artists and performers) determined to inspire a cultural revolution. While at Davidson, Gibson painted pictures of a classic rock America. The poems flow subtly together – creating a strange amalgamation of perspectives transmuted by Gibson’s connection to the subjects, which range from places and friends to adversaries and lovers. Neon signs blur along downtown streets; long stretches of open highway con-
nect East to West; towns decay around forgotten factories; a young girl strikes out in her last little league game. Much like Bruce Springsteen, Gibson strikes a relatable chord, while offering progressive insight into the real America. Savva Martyshev '19, who helped organize the event through the Union Board, said, “[The show was] by far my favorite part of the week. There was so much raw emotion in that short performance. It was incredible. [Andrea’s] first poem touched me the most, it was almost as if the entire audience melted away and Andrea was the only person in the room, radiating light.” Gibson performed alone on stage, accompanied occasionally by subtle acoustic guitar riffs and gentle piano refrains. Gibson prefaced the performance by reminding the crowd to embrace their emotions as needed. Hug, kiss, cry – leave and recover, if necessary. Everyone is welcome and everyone should feel safe. First-year Kayla Edwards '20 also connected the show with the election, saying, “On campus, there were definitely calls to be active in the face of injustice, or rational in the processing of the results, or accepting of the country’s new reality; but Andrea provided a space that valued the legitimacy of people’s emotional responses. I think giving
THE CHEW 2.18
myself time to be emotional or empathetic within Davidson’s intellectual, rational environment was important that day.” Liu Volpe '17 first described her apprehension the day before. She explains, “When I woke up after Election Night, I forced myself to get out of bed and walk to class. The campus felt empty. Sitting in my class, I felt disconnected from my peers as we talked through the election results. Walking across campus I was at a loss for words when I saw my friends. I cried so much that day, because I felt like I couldn’t do much else.” Volpe continued, “Andrea put words to what I was feeling but could not articulate. Andrea called on us to keep fighting for what we believe in. I left the performance warmed by Andrea’s presence and the sense of safety that I felt as an audience member of the event.” Gibson summarized her experience in North Carolina, saying, “It’s three days after the election and the grief is still thick in my chest. In one moment I’m imagining the apocalypse, people burning flags to heat their homes. In another I’m imagining those red stripes cut down the arms of kids desperate for a pain they can control. At the airport in North Carolina I can’t keep myself from crying in the restroom. At my gate a sweet stranger leans in to wish me love during this awful time, and just as I begin to feel hope-
Ingredients 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup butter, melted
ChocolatePumpkin Brownies Adapted from allrecipes.com
1 1/2 cups white sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 eggs 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
An easy Thanksgiving treat to share with friends and family! Courtesy photo
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Photo by Adam Merchant '20 ful my phone flashes an image of four women wearing shirts that read ‘Make America White Again’…then another image of a man wearing a shirt that reads ‘Black Guns Matter’…then a moment later my friend texts to tell me she’s getting married next week, before marriage is no longer legal, before god is hate’s puppet.”
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan. Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. 2. In another bowl, stir together butter, sugar, and vanilla extract; beat in the eggs one at a time. Gradually add the flour mix, and stir until even. Divide into two bowls. 3. Into one bowl of batter, blend the cocoa powder and chocolate chips. In the second bowl, stir in the pumpkin puree, walnuts, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Spread 1/2 of the chocolate batter into the bottom of the baking pan, and follow with 1/2 of the pumpkin batter. Repeat the layers, and drag a kitchen knife through the layers in a swirling motion. 4. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
perspectives This Hope CARR KINSEY
F
ive months ago, I sat on the beach celebrating our country’s 240th birthday. I was surrounded by stunning fireworks displays and patriotic tunes; I was thankful for my country, for my friends, and for my family. Now, over five months later, I sit in reflection about this country’s future and the future of the people living in it. Despite everything gaining attention today: the hate, the violence, the injustices with which we are confronted, I remain optimistic about our country. In a time of such turmoil, you may wonder how I remain so optimistic. My answer is simple: I have faith in our country’s ability to hope. Our country’s history is one of strife and
strength. Time after time, we have beaten the odds. America is a nation of underdogs; we are a nation of the world’s tired and poor, of huddled masses and wretched refuse, of exiles and refugees. Despite our humble beginnings, we have transformed our country into an international leader. More impressive than a little Davidson basketball player, Steph Curry, becoming an international star is the story of us, together, as Americans, becoming the true exemplification of the shining city upon the hill. From Jefferson, Adams, Franklin and Washington came this nation’s central identity: hope. This hope defeated dictators in the name of freedom; this hope sent our sons and daughters across the seas in the name of peace; this hope pushed us to make giant leaps for mankind in the name of unity; this hope risked destroying itself in the name of justice and equality. From this hope has come some of humanity’s brightest moments. And in this light, I
see who we truly aim to be. Who we aim to be is not defined by sex or skin color, political parties or wealth, not by differences but by commonalities. We aim to create a better world for our children and one better still for theirs. We aim to create a world where people can feel safe and prosper. We aim, thus, to create a world where America is obsolete, a world where there are no huddled masses or wretched refuses, a world where tomorrow’s promise of a more perfect union is realized today. I believe, as I suspect you do, that we will reach tomorrow; however we must remember that tomorrow comes one today at a time. Although we may never truly arrive at tomorrow, this reality affords us the opportunity for continual improvement. We must never become complacent with who we are; we must always strive for our best selves. The endeavor for continual improvement, like all of our great efforts, is rooted in our hope.
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November 16, 2016
This hope is the beating heart and soul of these United States. What sets us apart from other nations is not our ability to wage war, out-produce, or out-influence, but rather our ability to inspire others through ceaseless displays of our collective hope. So if you’re wondering if the union will survive, yes it will. If you’re wondering if your family, community, and nation support you, believe in you, and love you, yes they do. If you’re wondering if you will make your grandchildren proud, yes you will. If you’re wondering if we can become who we truly aim to be, Yes. We. Can. These things are possible not because of a strong leader or a new policy, but because we the people exemplify the most critical quality ever depicted: Hope. Carr Kinsey, '19, is an undeclared student from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Contact him at cakinsey@davidson.edu
What Now? A response to "Dear Clinton Supporters..." NICHOLAS TREVINO
L
ast week, Alex Sizemore wrote an especially tonedeaf article to Clinton supporters explaining why we should be happy Trump won. Sizemore failed to honestly address this community’s justified anxieties about Trump, and his article’s simplistic grasp of U.S. politics suggests that if he tried, he would not have been successful. I will respond to Sizemore’s anemic argument, and then give a few suggestions about what Americans should to do next to stop him. Alex Sizemore claims that a Trump administration will result in more money in all our pockets, without thinking out the implications to Trump’s ill-conceived tax plan. Sizemore condescendingly writes, “Most of us, since we are college students, don’t really understand the impact of [lower taxes] yet since we don’t have jobs.” Although this might surprise Sizemore, most Davidson students do understand the definition of taxes, and many of us rely on work study jobs to help pay for our college tuition. Sizemore contends that while “currently, a single filer making $225,000 annually pays 33% income tax” under Trump’s plan they would pay 12.5% income tax. It is never explained why Sizemore chose $225,000 for his argument. My family doesn’t earn that much. The average Clinton supporter earns $61,000 per year, while most Trump supporters slightly more, at $72,000.* Under Trump’s plan, the hyper-rich receive massive tax breaks while the middle class and poor receive relatively modest decreases in taxes. These overall tax breaks, coupled with Trump’s unfunded massive projects will balloon the national debt. Neither Trump nor Sizemore bothers to address this. Sizemore’s healthcare discussion provides an excellent example of how writers use passive voice to distort reality. He writes that when Trump cuts people's’ “unemployment/disability/ welfare” and “Obamacare coverage” people won’t “die in the streets,” because “those who need help will be helped.” Just like Trump, Sizemore doesn’t seem to know who will help these people, and uses passive voice to hide his ignorance. Sizemore’s unintentionally funny claim that“ You can count on the fact that your President will be honest” is clearly untethered to reality. Accord-
ing to Politico’s fact checkers, on some weeks, Trump averaged one falsehood every 3 minutes and 15 seconds.** Donald Trump’s doublespeak has included clear lies like (but not limited to): California has no drought, New Jersey Muslims celebrated 9/11, and America’s murder rate is at a 45 year high. His lies also attempt to cover his past indiscretions, as he claims he: has not incited violence, did not support racist Obama birther conspiracies, did not support the Iraq war, and did not mock a disabled reporter, I could go on, but this article has a word count. Both Sizemore’s article and Trump share an unfortunately un-nuanced understanding of US foreign policy. Sizemore’s confusing claim that “America is a big dog, and we call the shots” ignores US allies’ importance and the increasingly multi-polar international order. Sizemore’s big dog analogy does fit Trump’s unabashedly imperialist comment that we should “take” Iraq’s oil. On a side note, dogs can’t talk and therefore literally cannot “call the shots.” His mixed metaphor distracts from an already untenable claim. Sizemore has confused Trump’s Orwellian “Peace through strength” slogan with a credible a foreign policy strategy. Reagan and Bush Jr., who both used this slogan, didn’t have a peaceful foreign policy. Sizemore also never even attempts to address who will be more secure in a Trump America. Certainly the election results have stoked fear in marginalized communities and foreign ally-countries. Sizemore writes, “Despite what you may have heard, the President can’t declare war. The President doesn’t decide whether or not a nuclear bomb is dropped.” Despite what Sizemore may have heard, America hasn’t actually declared war since WWII, and although the War Powers Act limits the president’s military authority, they still have overwhelming control over the armed forces. The president is literally the only authority that can decide to drop a nuclear bomb. Sizemore’s frankly bizarre argument that under a Trump administration, “Our lakes and rivers won’t dry up” is hard to address. I don’t understand what Sizemore tried to argue here. Sizemore goes on to argue that “we will begin drilling our own oil and burning our own coal.” Does Sizemore know we already do both these things? Coal production levels have dropped because it’s uneconomical and unhealthy for both workers and people. Why should we increase our dependence in an unsustainable energy source? Sizemore begins his argument that Trump can appoint new justices with a mangled attempt
the davidsonian staff editors-in-chief news editors living davidson editor perspectives editor yowl editor
Emma Johnson Matt Landini Olivia Daniels AJ Naddaff Mary Porter Erin Davenport Paul Henderson
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at a joke. He writes, “Remember that guy who died forever ago? What was his name, again?” Based on his article’s numerous and bold inaccuracies, it's possible this is a legitimate question. His name was Antonin Scalia. While on a basic level Sizemore is right, the president does indeed nominate justices, it’s odd that the Republican Party has forgotten (nay, neglected) that responsibility for the last 276+ days. Sizemore uninspired attempt at an inspirational call to unity makes me guess that despite an abundance of opportunities, he seemingly hasn’t conversed with undocumented and Muslim students about their concerns. Alex Sizemore, do you want to talk to these people and learn their stories? Email me, and I’ll try to put you in contact with your fellow students so you can understand how your vote affects my community, my friends, and I. Sizemore claims that “Trump will be a President for us all,” but somehow his article never discusses his Black, Muslim, LGBT, International, sexual-assault survivor, and economically disadvantaged community member’s legitimate anxieties about Trump. This frightening omission makes Sizemore’s article not worth reading. I had a gay friend who cried on their way to class, because they’re afraid of what Trump/Pence will do to them and their community. I have an undocumented friend who cried in my arms, because they’re afraid that Trump will deport their mother and sister. I have a Muslim friend who worries that Trump will require their family to "register" and receive more threats of violence. I have a Black friend who fears that some of Trump's emboldened racist supporters will hurt them and their family. I have a Mexican friend who thinks people will assume they’re a job-stealing "illegal," and look down on them even more. I have female friends worried that since their president commits sexual assault, men will think it's ok. Did Sizemore's article address any of these people’s fears? No. Not once. What should Americans do to confront Trump? We must rebind our community with introspection, empathy, and collective action. We must diligently root out our personal bigotries so we don’t become hollow elitist hypocrites. We must never accept “Trump’s America.” If our slowly sinking expectations normalize Trump’s presidency then we legitimize his bigotry. If you can, commit little acts of resistance against his dull-eyed cruelty. Stand in solidarity with your Muslim and LGBT friends when shallow fascists insult them. Don’t joke about abandoning your community members by moving to Canada; only privileged and timid Americans would leave their friends to suffer. We must not, as I have sometimes done, grow fatalistic and cynical over our future. We can’t mourn this election anymore, we must organize. Don’t assume the universe’s long moral arc will bend towards justice. You must show up to bend it by standing up with your brothers and sisters- by volunteering, voting, protesting and organizing. Take Trump’s every threat both seriously and literally and donate (if you can) to Planned Parenthood, Amnesty International, CAIR, and MALDEF. They need all the help they can get. Support journalism that will hold Trump accountable- turn off your ad blockers when you read the Washington Post or the New York Times. I’ve heard some well-intended classmates say “give Donald Trump a chance; we all need him to succeed” No we don’t. We don’t want him to succeed. A successful Trump means my friends will be deported, hurt and scared. Don’t give Donald Trump a chance. Don’t hope for his success. We live in terrifying times, but we cannot allow that legitimate terror to stun us into leth-
argy and apathy. Sizemore's uninspired attempt at an inspirational call to unity makes me guess that despite an abundance of opportunities, he seemingly hasn’t conversed with undocumented and Muslim students about their concerns. Alex Sizemore, do you want to talk to these people and learn their stories? Email me, and I’ll try to put you in contact with your fellow students so you can understand how your vote affects my community, my friends, and I. Sizemore claims that “Trump will be a President for us all,” but somehow his article never discusses his Black, Muslim, LGBT, International, sexual-assault survivor, and economically disadvantaged community member’s legitimate anxieties about Trump. This frightening omission makes Sizemore’s article not worth reading. I had a gay friend who cried on their way to class, because they’re afraid of what Trump/Pence will do to them and their community. I have an undocumented friend who cried in my arms, because they’re afraid that Trump will deport their mother and sister. I have a Muslim friend who worries that Trump will require their family to "register" and receive more threats of violence. I have a Black friend who fears that some of Trump's emboldened racist supporters will hurt them and their family. I have a Mexican friend who thinks people will assume they’re a job-stealing "illegal," and look down on them even more. I have female friends worried that since their president commits sexual assault, men will think it's ok. Did Sizemore's article address any of these people’s fears? No. Not once. What should Americans do to confront Trump? We must rebind our community with introspection, empathy, and collective action. We must diligently root out our personal bigotries so we don’t become hollow elitist hypocrites. We must never accept “Trump’s America.” If our slowly sinking expectations normalize Trump’s presidency then we legitimize his bigotry. If you can, commit little acts of resistance against his dull-eyed cruelty. Stand in solidarity with your Muslim and LGBT friends when shallow fascists insult them. Don’t joke about abandoning your community members by moving to Canada; only privileged and timid Americans would leave their friends to suffer. We must not, as I have sometimes done, grow fatalistic and cynical over our future. We can’t mourn this election anymore, we must organize. Don’t assume the universe’s long moral arc will bend towards justice. You must show up to bend it by standing up with your brothers and sisters- by volunteering, voting, protesting and organizing. Take Trump’s every threat both seriously and literally and donate (if you can) to Planned Parenthood, Amnesty International, CAIR, and MALDEF.*** They need all the help they can get. Support journalism that will hold Trump accountable- turn off your ad blockers when you read the Washington Post or the New York Times. I’ve heard some well-intended classmates say “give Donald Trump a chance; we all need him to succeed” No we don’t. We don’t want him to succeed. A successful Trump means my friends will be deported, hurt and scared. Don’t give Donald Trump a chance. Don’t hope for his success. We live in terrifying times, but we cannot allow that legitimate terror to stun us into lethargy and apathy. Nicholas Trevino, '17, is a Political Science major, East Asian Studies minor from Jacksonville, Florida. Contact him at nitrevino@davidson. edu.
(Sources and footnotes can be found online at Davidsonian.com)
The OuTsOurced Issue Man Eating Pizza Slice Alone in Harris Teeter Parking Lot Swears He is Okay
Page 9
Something Parodying the Election
Page Wacky
Davidson to Introduce Declining CatCard Swipes for Dormitory Entry
Page 3
Thanksgiving Provides Time of Reflection, Togetherness, and Chance to Finally Hear All About The TV Shows Your Parents Have Been Watching
Page Mentalist
Fraudster Behind Webtree Facebook Plea Has No Intention of Making Those Cookies
Area Man Desperately Searches Brain for Something to Talk About During Haircut
An investigation has revealed that despite making multiple claims made over Facebook that he would make cookies for people that give him certain classes, Ethan Robinson '17 has never once baked those cookies. “This basically fits the profile of your typical Facebook fraudster that pops up about every five years,” said Jim Coley, Director of the Registrar’s Office. The cunning Robinson, caught while scampering out of New Dorm with a sadistic grin on his face, was chased down on Thursday after attempting to pull off yet another WebTree heist. After being interrogated by Campus Police, Robinson was released on $15 dining dollar bail. Robinson agreed to sit down with The Yowl to explain just how he was able to make it this far before being brought to justice. “So it all started freshman year when I really wanted ECON 101 spring semester”, explained the self-described ‘Bernie Madoff of WebTree,’ “I had nothing
Franticly searching his mind for absolutely anything that could fill the awkward silence hanging in the air, local man Jeffery Strong failed to come up with something conversation-worthy to mention to his hairstylist last Friday, according to reports. “She started with her own questions first, really started hammering me with some hardhitting stuff,” commented a traumatized Strong in an interview after the Great Clips encounter concluded. “So I answered her questions as well as I could, told her where I was from, what I was interested in, where I lived. I got through it fine. Then the conversation died off. I mean, just like that, and I suddenly felt like I needed to say something, you know? I mean, she had been asking me stuff, maybe now it was my turn? But, no matter how much I racked my brain I kept coming up with nothing.” According to reports from within the exit 28 Great Clips, silence continued throughout the remainder of the fifteen minute haircut up until when the hairstylist held up the little mirror to the back of Strong’s “‘All I could remember head to see if his hair was the right length. Before the hairstylhow to do was stare straight ist could ask if everything was ahead... Trust me, brother, my done to his liking, Strong reportedly blurted out the word “yes” face may have been expressionas if it were some sort of involunless, but my mind was racing tary response. “Everybody else in there faster than it ever has before.” seemed to be doing fine. The guy in the chair next to me was talking about sports, just having a grand old time,” continued Strong. “All I could remember how to do was stare straight ahead. I couldn’t make a sound even if I wanted to. And trust me, brother, my face may have been expressionless, but my mind was racing faster than it ever has before. It felt like losing Final Jeopardy.” The Yowl consulted an expert in order to gain a better understanding as to why Strong was suddenly unable to talk, despite normally being a social person. “We’re pretty sure it’s just something about chairs in barbershops,” said Professor Allen Grayson of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “You can be a totally, cool, normal person, and then the moment you sit down in that chair, bam! You’re suddenly a completely mute fool.”
“I Wear My Yowl T-Shirt Everyday” Says Dom “Wheels” Shepard, Coolest Kind in School
Page He Plays Guitar
Chambers Snags “F*ck Palace” Title From Armfield As Finals Begin
Page 19
Union Board Member Seen Fleeing Campus in ‘Up’-Esque Balloon House
Page 1
The Yowl Presents: Scratch N’ Sniff #2!
Back by popular demand. I dunno. It’s
The DaviDsonian
This Issue Brought to You By: A Complete Loss of Passion
“So it all started freshman year when I really wanted ECON 101 spring semester... I had nothing good to trade for, so I thought ‘why not say I’ll bake cookies like all these other desperate simpletons,’ explained the self-described ‘Bernie Madoff of Webtree.’” good to trade for, so I thought why not say I’ll bake cookies like all these other desperate simpletons seemed to be doing.” The scammer, who “couldn’t even name three ingredients that go into a cookie,” has finagled his way into the most coveted classes for the past two years with false promises and acute deception. “The con is pretty simple: I write a real witty, peppy message on the school Facebook group begging someone to drop whatever class it is I want. I apologize for having nothing to trade, but then I offer them some scrumptious homemade cookies. Then I get three or four friends to respond to the post and rave about how immaculate these cookies are with like a thousand exclamation points. Some sucker always takes me up on the offer. We meet up, they drop the class for me, and I go out to my car to grab the ‘cookies’, never to see them again.” When asked if his fraud victims ever managed to track Robinson down, his response was simple. “Nah”, he said, “I made this fake Facebook profile that I use only for WebTree purposes. All these fools I make deals with think my name is Jeff Skilling and none of them had ever found me until today.”
Lounge or Study? New Dorm Resident Plagued By Indecision
hard coming up with stuff to put here.
Your Davidson Honor Section
Editors: Paul Henderson Writers: EJ Kaylen I Didn’t Use Any of Your Ideas, Patrick
Note: The Yowl is a satirical supplement to The Davidsonian. Hence, nothing in it should be taken as truth. Word.
According to reports, a crippling wave of indecision washed over 3rd South resident Tyler Jennison '19 while trying to decide where to do his homework last Tuesday. Sources reported that at approximately 4:03 pm the blonde haired, blue-eyed, Caucasian second year student exited his dorm room and made it all the way down the hallway before hesitating and then eventually coming to a complete stop. Looking to tackle an Econ problem set due the day after tomorrow, Tyler gave the lounge a cursory once-over before turning towards the study. “I had about 5 problems to get through, only around an hour’s work,” the sperry-wearing, khaki-sporting sophomore said. “I thought about the lounge but, I don’t know, there were people in there and honestly, Econ is pretty tough. The study is nice and quiet.” Darren Jones, another 3rd South resident, claimed that he saw Tyler from the lounge. “Yeah I saw him come out in the hall. He definitely looked like he was gonna come in the lounge,” commented Jones after the fact. “I didn’t
“I was just, like, not totally feeling either room, honestly. They both have their drawbacks, you know? I want to be popular with the guys, but this work needs doing too.”
think much of it and went back to my Chem homework, but when I looked up like a minute later he was still there.” Tyler cited worry over being thought of as “antisocial” as the primary cause second-guessing the lounge. “I was just, like, not totally feeling either room, honestly. They both have their drawbacks, you know? I want to be popular with the guys, but this work needs doing too.” Caught in the iron grip of uncertainty, he lingered in limbo for another 30 seconds. Upon further rumination, Tyler continued to stare stupidly at nothing in particular, before finally satisfying an itch under his polo sleeve, and shifting his weight to make for the lounge. As his calf muscles bunched in preparation for the journey, the 19-year-old Political Science major felt a familiar vibration in his pocket. At press time, Tyler was seen throwing the football with similarly clothed males on Patterson Court.
sports
Page 7 Davidsonian.com
Swimming Looking Strong in Early Season Meets WILL JONES
A
Staff Writer
fter a 7th place finish last year at the A-10 Championships, the men’s swim team graduated many strong contributing members of their team, including Luke Burton '16, who qualified for Olympic Trials. However, the team picked up a strong recruiting class of 7 freshmen who are already having an impact. Crossan Cooper '20 has shown some strong per-
formances already, having notched a 7th-best alltime best for the program in the 1000m freestyle in a recent dual meet against Georgetown, and fellow freshmen Brian Hynes ‘20 and Alex Strasser ‘20 have also shone in their individual events thus far. But what really has the team going is their pre-season ranking: 7th in the conference according to the A10 poll. “When that poll came out and we were seeded at 7th, it really lit a fire under us,” said captain Riley League '18. The poll was released right be-
Elise Lankiewicz '17 has been a model of consistency for the Women’s Swim Team, and looks to defend several individual and relay titles at the A-10 Championships. Photo by Bill Kiser- Atlantic 10
fore the team’s season opener dual meet against Georgetown in September. The team got after it that weekend and defeated Georgetown, who was ranked 2nd in the same poll. According to League, “Swimming with a chip on the shoulder has been a touchstone for the team. We have nothing to be afraid of because we have nothing to lose.” Fellow Captain Chris Cardwell '17 remarked that the freshmen have added a lot of depth to the squad, and several others have stepped up in a major way. “It is critical that we fight for those 3rd, 4th, and 5th place spots because those points add up in small meets,” according to Cardwell. The team has had a good month of hard training since their last meet, and feel very confident going into their next meet, a larger invitational at Kenyon College the weekend after Thanksgiving. Both captains are already very confident that they will be able to perform much better at Conference Championships than their early season ranking indicates. “A lot of the higher level talent will be difficult to catch, but if we can get our guys to step up and put themselves in a position to make the finals of their events, we have the potential to do well,” said Cardwell '17. League '18 is confident that the team’s attitude and culture of hard work will pay off in the coming months. “I think we have a lot of potential to surprise a lot of people during the season, the way we’ve been working.” For the Women’s Swimming and Diving team, following a stellar 3rd place finish at last year’s A10 Championships, the women’s team is looking to reach even higher this year. “We’ve had our first couple of meets against different conference teams, and it looks like it’s going to be a dogfight for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th at the Conference Championships,” according to Katy Williams '17. “It’s really arguably anyone’s title at this
point,” said Elise Lankiewicz '17. “Richmond, the defending champs, got taken down by Duquesne at a dual meet this weekend and we only lost to them by 10 points.” The team had a large recruiting class of eight freshmen this year, and are returning studs Lankiewicz and Williams, along with several other scoring members of last year’s conference team. The team has already had several close contests this year in dual meets with conference teams George Mason, George Washington, and Richmond. While many of the freshmen are having immediate impact, the team is also seeing several upperclassmen step up and have an impact. “We’ve had a lot of upperclassmen step up in many areas and we’ll be able to have more people scoring in their finals at Conference,” said Williams, “We’ll be able to pick up those little points that can chip away and get us closer to the top.” As far as individual goals go, Williams and Lankiewicz have emphasized their roles as scorers on the team. “My first and foremost goal is to score as many points as I can for the team at conference” said Lankiewicz, “Qualification for NCAA championships is based on time standards, so it will be critical for us both to be in top shape and swim our best at conference so that we can not only score for the team, but get fast enough times to qualify for NCAA’s”. The outlook is high going into the meet at Kenyon on Nov. 30. “The team has had some good momentum from our earlier meets this year and we put in a really solid last two weeks of hard training, so we’re ready to get after it,” Williams confidently says. The men’s and women’s teams will next compete at the Kenyon College Invitational from Nov. 30Dec. 2
Excitement Surrounds Start of Men’s and Women’s Basketball Seasons JACOB MARGOLIS
W
Staff Writer
ith the onset of November it is time for every college basketball fan’s favorite time of the year (outside of March of course): the start of a new season. As always is the case at Davidson College around this time, the excitement is palpable. Recently Atlantic 10 coaches, both Women’s and Men’s, came together to conduct a poll regarding preseason awards and conference standings. The women’s team, still in the midst of a rebuild, was picked to finish in 13th place. Junior forward Mackenzie Latt was chosen to the preseason All-Conference third team. She will lead a team that hopes it can outperform preseason expectations. The men’s team enters the season with lofty expectations. The team was picked to finish
4th by A-10 coaches and most college basketball pundits. Many media sources also have Davidson in the NCAA Tournament. Point Guard Jack Gibbs ‘17 was one of 20 players to receive AP All-American votes and finds himself on countless award watch lists (including A-10 player of the year). Power Forward Peyton Aldridge has received recognition as well; A-10 coaches voted him to the conference’s preseason third team. According to Associate Head Coach, Matt Mckillop, the hype is pointless. He says the team “[worries] less about expectations and [worries] more about what [the team] can control.” In fact the mood around team is seemingly fun and focused, Matt Mckillop states, “everyday, [as a team] we focus on getting better, having fun, and playing to win. If we can accomplish those things every day, every week, and every game, we can do something special this year.”
Strengths:
Men’s basketball prepares for A-10 conference play. Photo by Yilin Wang
The Women’s team greatest strength lies with its most hyped player and experience. Mackenzie Latt is only a junior and can continue to improve her already highly acclaimed game. The team also has great experience; six of the players are juniors or seniors. This experience will be very important as the team looks to continue its upward trend. The Men’s team strength may seemingly lie in its star-studded players but this is far from the truth. According to Matt Mckillop the men’s team has “depth on the roster [that is] unlike [anything the team has] had since entering the Atlantic 10.” A lot of this depth comes from the new additions to the program and an avoidance of injuries, something that plagued the team last year. This hasn’t gone unnoticed, Peyton Aldridge says the team has “the ability to be very deep and play a lot of guys so seeing everyone healthy is great and [the players] who were injured last year can’t wait to be out there playing.” Head Coach Bob Mckillop is also enthusiastic about the new players (Jon Axel Gudmundsson, Will Magarity, Kishawn Pritchett, and Dusan Kovacevic) and he says “all will be part of our rotation and make valuable contributions.” Another strength will be the revamped defense. Partially because of injuries that robbed the team of its big men, Will Magarity believes that “defensively, [the team] was not com-
petitive last year.” Now that the team has a lot of healthy, long players Will Magarity believes that with the addition of “length this year and assistant coach Booker to the staff, [the team] has developed a mentality of defense. With [the] length, [the team] will be able to limit [the opponent] to one shot and be a deterrence around the rim.” As always with a Bob Mckillop coached team, Davidson’s offense is expected to be efficient and put up a lot of points. The vast majority of the players on the team can effectively shoot threes and as always the team’s ball movement and protection should be elite.
Looking Ahead:
The most significant thing to look for from the Women’s team is continued growth and maybe even an unexpected march to the NCAA Tournament. For the Men’s team, the regular season
will hopefully end how many people think it will: a NCAA Tournament birth. Jack Gibbs thinks that the key, to a NCAA Tournament birth and successful season, for the team will be simply “just to take what [the team] works on everyday in practice and put [it] in the game[s] as well as having fun at all times. If [the team] does those two things, without trying to do too much, [the team] could have a special season.” If one thing is certain, this season will be fun for all fans of the Davidson program and maybe, just maybe this could be a “special season”. The Men’s Basketball Team opened up the season with an encouraging 86-74 over Appalachian State. Their next game is this upcoming Thursday against Clemson. The Women’s Team has gotten off to a less encouraging start, but looks to record their first victory tonight against UCF.
THE DAVIDSONIAN
Men’s Basketball Looks Strong in Home Opener See Page 7
Nathan Ekwu '18 Photo by Tim Cowie
November 16, 2016