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Cameron Clark ‘15 highlights the Sustainability Office’s new space
Volume 121, Issue 6
October 26, 2022
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What’s in a name? Mattie Baird ‘25 discusses Fagg Field and queer identity
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Matt McKillop steps up to the court: a look into the new head coach of men’s basketball
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On conversing: The Yowl teaches a skill Davidson students lack
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Professors Emphasize that War in Ukraine Continues
In the 900 Room last Tuesday, students gathered for an update on the war in Ukraine, led by Dr. Amanda Ewington (left above) and Dr. Besir Ceka (left below). Photos by Brigid McCarthy ‘25 invasion on February 24, 2022.
KATHERINE MARSHALL ‘26 (SHE/HER) Tuesday’s update covered the historical STAFF WRITER context of the war, how the war has changed
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n the evening of October 18, 2022, around 50 people occupied the Davidson College Alvarez Student Union 900 room for a presentation from Dr. Amanda Ewington (Russian Studies) and Dr. Besir Ceka (Political Science) updating the campus on the war in Ukraine. Since February of 2022, Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in a brutal war. Putin’s belief that Ukraine is part of Russia and his strong resistance to Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO were driving factors behind the initial
since February, and what it may look like in coming months. Kat Andersen ‘25 attended the update and shared, “you should take advantage of events like these because they’re free, and they’re a learning opportunity, and, especially with things that are this important and only take an hour of your day, why not go learn something?” Ewington opened the event stating that “Russia is the clear aggressor in this war.” She proceeded to explain that if anyone were to argue differently it would be her, a “Russianist”—someone who has spent her entire life studying and celebrating Russian
history and culture and wishes that Russia’s aggression wasn’t the case. The event gave listeners important historical context. Ewington explained how Putin has framed this war as a fight between “brothers” as he has long ignored Ukraine’s sovereignty. Russia is bent on making Ukraine a part of Russia, using this narrative as justification. “If Russia stops fighting, there will be peace. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no Ukraine,” explained Ewington. Ewington finished her lecture with some ways to support Ukraine, like using Ukrainian spellings in place of Russian spellings: Kyiv, instead of Kiev. She also referenced the organization Davidson for Ukraine, which she co-organizes with Davidson local Motria
Procyk. Valeriia Kruzhkova, a first-year international student from Ukraine, shared that she has felt supported on campus, but there is more that Davidson can do. “I was really glad when I first came to Davidson because I saw a Ukrainian flag next to an American flag. I felt so happy. I would say that I would like to see more events based on the situation. It is really helpful to be updated [. . .] other people, they don’t really know. Updates on the situation would be nice.” Kruzhkova appreciated the historical context given during the briefing. “It is really difficult to talk about the situation from my
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New Endowment Supports Racial Equality and Social Justice EMILY HAZIM ‘26 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER
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n October 10, Davidson College anounced the donation of the Larry Hardaway ‘76 Endowment for Racial Equity and Social Justice by alumni Wayne and Susan Cunningham Jonas ‘77. Named after Larry Hardaway—a Davidson College football alumnus and the third Black student in the college’s history to join the football team—the endowment was made with the goal of supporting student-led racial and social justice work, specifically through the efforts of the football program’s P.A.C.E. initiative. Spearheaded by Head Coach Scott Abell and senior cornerback Quentin James ‘23, the P.A.C.E. initiative (which stands for Progress, Advocate, Cooperate, and Educate) was founded in 2020 by members of Davidson’s
football team following the murder of George Floyd. On August 28, 2020, members of the football team held P.A.C.E.’s first official gathering on Chambers Lawn in light of the shooting of Jacob Blake and to commemorate the 57th anniversary of the March On Washington. As freshman cornerback for Davidson’s football team Amare Hill ‘26 explains, “[The P.A.C.E. Initiative] steps out and speaks about [racism] and shows our community that [we don’t stand for it] and we’re with the Black community, [so] basically what P.A.C.E. does is spread Black awareness and Black leadership.” The P.A.C.E. initiative is especially important at Davidson considering the fact that it is a predominantly white institution (P.W.I.). Though the College was founded in 1837, its first Black students were not accepted until 1964—nearly 130 years later. Larry Hardaway was only the third Black student to join the
football team at Davidson, and beyond this, in 2012, he was also the first Black student to receive the James P. Hendrix award, which is “presented annually to a Davidson football letterman who, by the use of lessons learned on the playing field, has gone on to achieve outstanding success in his chosen profession.” The recognition and commemoration of Hardaway’s legacy and accomplishments through the Endowment is extremely meaningful to many members of the Davidson community. Not only was he a role model for many Black students at Davidson in the years following his attendance, he also took his leadership roles outside of the Davidson community, making the subject of the Endowment very fitting. Though Davidson is still a P.W.I. with a student body consisting of nearly 70% white students, the college makes a strong effort to create an inclusive space. Hill agrees that
connecting with various kinds of people at Davidson isn’t a huge problem because “everybody here is very social and open […] and everyone communicates with each other.” Students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds can also find opportunities to connect through different affinity groups and other organizations such as the Black Student Union (BSU), the Davidson International Association (DASA), and the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS). Freshman offensive lineman for Davidson’s football team Kyler Herring ‘26 shared that “coaches are very open to discussion with their players. If the players have something they want done or have something that they feel very strongly about, a lot of times they can approach the coaches and [their coaches will] do anything in their power to give them the platform or the program to be able to speak out about [those] issues.”