9-14-16 Davidsonian

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the davidsonian

September 14, 2016 Vol. 109 ISSue 2

The Independent Student Newspaper of Davidson College since 1914

Inside NEWS New Career Development Director establishes new initiatives 2 Safe spaces provoke nationwide college campus debates 3 SGA introduces Vice President Connor Murphy '18 3 LIVING DAVIDSON Music scholars showcase talent in recent recital 4 PERSPECTIVES Olivia Liccione '19 opens up about being disabled at Davidson 5 The Herpetology Lab was known for its extensive outreach program at local schools. Photo by Emma Johnson.

Madi Driscoll '17 encourages students to vote in November 5

Dissolved lab leaves unanswered questions OLIVIA DANIELS & AJ NADDAFF News Co-Editors Note: Students' names in this article have been changed to protect their identities.

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ndergraduate research is an anomaly at most universities, even more so at liberal arts colleges. However, at Davidson, it was the force that drove one of the most successful, renowned, and diverse laboratories in the country. Led by former professor Dr. Michael Dorcas, Davidson’s Herpetology Lab was a research and educational outreach based program which had monumental impacts on the students involved and the greater community. From the creation of user-friendly and informative websites about reptiles and amphibians in North Carolina to research trips to Kiawah Island, SC and southern Florida to the annual “Reptile Day,” held on Davidson’s campus, the lab was commended as an effective mechanism for allowing undergraduate students to take the lead on research projects. However, effective as of the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, the lab is

closed and all research activity has ceased. Why? Much of the college community is aware of the current FBI investigation involving Professor Dorcas and his resignation from Davidson. However, many of the students who were involved with the lab or benefitted from its outreach wonder why the administration has completely shut the lab down instead of attempting to keep the program afloat under new leadership. Since 2005, students involved with the lab have been participating in educational programs designed for students in grades K-12. These events often involved the presence of live reptiles and amphibians combined with didactic initiatives to inform the general public. The lab’s outreach data includes records of educational, public events, representatives, including students and instructors, from the Herpetology Lab attended at least twenty-six outreach events in the Spring 2016 semester alone. These educational initiatives took place at a variety of places, including public schools, libraries, museums, and nature conservatories throughout the southeastern United States. Speaking about her experiences working with the labs’ outreach programs, Lucy Jenkins ‘17,

Elizabeth Prosser '18 reflects upon cancellation of Davidson in Peru program 5

commented, “We became a popular source for schools, museums, and nature events around the greater Charlotte area. Kids loved our presentations, and we were able to teach them to love and respect reptiles and amphibians from an early age. The popularity of our Reptile Day also sparked other museums around Charlotte to begin their own annual Reptile and Amphibian days, which we were also invited to attend.” Biology major Tim Jones ‘17 concurred, “Over my two years of outreach through the lab I spoke to hundreds of people, many of whom were children who were experiencing these animals for the very first time and had no innate fear of them. Watching those children absorb information about our outreach animals and grow to appreciate them even a bit more was such a rewarding experience. We were inspiring those children to be actively conscious of their environment, and if we were also able to influence the more stubborn adults than we knew we were making a real

YOWL Charlotte catches North Korea's attention 6 SPORTS Check out the up-and-coming first year athletes 7 Meet cross country star Will Brewster '17 7

See HERPETOLOGY on page 2

Campus political leaders discuss upcoming elections ZACK LONGBOY Staff Writer

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n an unprecedented move, the Davidson College Republicans (CRs) have announced that the group will not endorse the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump. The announcement came after a organization-wide vote on September 5. In an official statement, the CRs cited, among other things, Trump’s “lack of respect and explosive rhetoric” as dangerous to “both the American image abroad and the credibility of our government.” The statement went on to condemn Trump’s values and to highlight what the organization believes is an incompatibility with the values of the college. “Davidson is a college grounded in principles of integrity and intellectual curiosity... these values do not align with those espoused by the Presidential nominee,” the statement said. “Davidson is a community that thrives on difference, and respect for that difference is essential to our success.” For President Beth Wright ’17 and the rest of the CRs’ E-board it was a conversation that had been on the horizon since last year. “We had

some active members, E-board members, say ‘I cannot support [Trump] if he becomes the nominee, and if we support him I don’t know if I can be on the E-board,’” Wright said. “That started the ball rolling.” When the Republican organizations at Harvard University and Princeton University released statements that they would not be endorsing Trump, “all of a sudden, that option became more real for us,” Wright said. “That was when we said we need to at least offer this option to our students, and if they reject it that’s fine; but we need to be able to give them the same opportunity that Harvard and Princeton offered their students.” The vote – open to all members of the organization, not just the E-board – required a 2/3 majority vote to rule against the endorsement. In the end, approximately 75 percent of the group sided against Trump. Of the quarter of the group that voted for the endorsement – and those who are not members of the club but criticized the decision – Wright believes they fall into two different categories. On one side are the Trump supporters and on the other are anti-Hillary Clinton voters. “I think most people in our group fall into that anti-Hillary camp, but we do have some very strong Trump supporters on campus, so there

Beth Wright '17, President of the College Republicans. Photo by Erin Gross.

Andres Ramos '17, President of College Democrats. Photo by Abby Miller.

was some division there – there was some heated discussion,” Wright said. Alex Sizemore ’20 is one such member of the organization who was disappointed by the deci-

Sarah Gompper '18, President of College Libertarians. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

sion. “I think that it is a mistake not to support the nominee of the party that they represent,” Sizemore said. “By vocally coming out against him, I think it severely hurts the chances, and I


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