04-27-2017 Davidsonian

the davidsonian

April 26, 2017 Vol. 112 issue 20

The Independent Student Newspaper of Davidson College since 1914

Inside NEWS Investigative report into Davidson's property ownership on Griffith Street 2 LIVING DAVIDSON This week in pictures: Farm Formal and Songs of the Hyacinth 4 PERSPECTIVES Bristow Richards '19 critiques PCC's service culture and criteria 5

Linda Sarsour spoke to invited students at a tea-time hosted at the Spencer-Weinstein Center. Photo by Carter Cook

Women's March Organizer Linda Sarsour Speaks about Activism under Trump Administration

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ETHAN EHRENHAFT Staff Writer

n Wednesday, April 12, Davidson College hosted speaker Linda Sarsour, one of the four co-chairs of the 2017 Women’s March on Washington. Sarsour spoke in the Duke Family Performance Hall and conducted an interview with The Davidsonian and College Communications earlier in the day, the latter of which was filmed and streamed online. The evening event was hosted by Sammy Syed ‘19 and Elizabeth Welliver ‘16, and was co-sponsored by Muslim Students Association, the Chaplain’s Office, Better Together, and twelve other campus organizations.

Sarsour is a Muslim-American political activist and commentator who has risen to prominence in recent months for her organization and leadership of the Women’s March. She was a surrogate for Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primary and is

the former executive director of the Arab Association of New York. Sarsour is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants and was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.

“The most important part of my bio is that I’m from Brooklyn,” said Sarsour during the opening of her speech. “There’s something a little unique about us. We weren’t born with filters. We tell it like it is.”

For roughly the next hour, Sarsour went on to give a keynote speech to a large crowd of students, faculty, and community members. Her talk focused mainly on being a Muslim under the Trump Administration, the dangers of marginalizing others, and what it means to be an activist.

Sarsour was a dynamic speaker, moving swiftly from one anecdote to the next. She was humorous at times to lighten the mood, but consistently delivered passionate statements that drew raucous rounds of applause.

Sarsour gave a full narrative of her sixteenplus years of experience as an organizer and

activist-a long time, she remarked, for someone who is in her mid-30s. For Sarsour, activism grew “out of the ashes of 9/11.” She described how, living in Brooklyn at the time, individuals in her community were rounded up by authorities from restaurants and cafés without notice or warning. Women would come to the mosque, she explained, and they would say, “Someone took my husband and I haven’t heard from him; I don’t know where he went.”

“I didn’t really think these things happened in the United States of America,” said Sarsour, who quickly began volunteering as a translator for families dealing with these questionings and detainments. Sarsour thought, “This is wrong. This should not happen in a democracy. There should not be a whole group of people that is determined to be connected to a horrific attack that they had nothing to do with. That they be punished for

Hannah Lieberman '18 discusses personal balance of academic and service interests 5 YOWL Best dressed student must decide what to do with wrinkled clothing 6 Archaeology student uncovers collection of event posters in Chambers 6 SPORTS Wes Kerr '19 profiles baseball's first baseman Brian Fortier '17 7 Track team poised for conference meet after recent recordsetting performances 7

See SARSOUR Page 2

Dutch Ambassador Visits Davidson on Public Diplomacy Trip OLIVIA DANIELS AND AJ NADDAFF News Editor and Guest Contributor

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n April 19th, His Excellency Henne Schuwer, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United States visited Davidson. Schuwer, accompanied by Advisor for Infrastructure and Environment at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Washington D.C. Jan Peelen and Economic Minister of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Washington D.C. Remco Zeeuw, visited Davidson as part of a larger trip to North Carolina, specifically Charlotte. In this act of public diplomacy, Schuwer represented Dutch political and economic interests after being invited to the area by Mayor Jennifer Roberts earlier this year.

The visit was particularly relevant to the Davidson community. According to Dr. Chris Alexander, Director of the Dean Rusk International Studies Program, ten Davidson students (more than any year prior) will be studying abroad in Amsterdam next semester.

Schuwer explained his visit to Davidson through a short anecdote. Upon creating a Twitter account a year and a half ago, Schuwer was initially contacted by the Davidson German Studies Twitter handle with a request to speak

with Davidson students if he were ever in the area.

This spring, Dr. Besir Ceka, a professor in the political science department and an expert on European politics, received the news that Schuwer was planning to visit Davidson during his time in North Carolina. Ceka quickly arranged for Schuwer to eat lunch with interested students and faculty members and to visit Ceka’s West European Politics class that afternoon.

The Davidsonian also obtained an exclusive interview with the ambassador through Ceka, which led to an insightful discussion about the future of the European Union (EU) and how the EU relates to issues currently facing the Netherlands.

Schuwer initially clarified his reasons for visiting Charlotte, explaining that he was in the area to discuss environmental and sustainability concerns (especially pressing for the Dutch, as much of the Netherlands is below sea level) and Dutch business investment in Charlotte due to its status as a rapidly growing American city. He lauded Charlotte, labeling it a livable, environmentallyconscious metropolis.

See SCHUWER Page 2

Ambassador Henne Schuwer has led a life of diplomacy, working for NATO and the Netherlands in Brussels, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. Photo by Mark Johnson

news

Page 2 April 26, 2017

Davidson College's Controversial Role in Town Development EMMA TAYLOE AND ANTHONY RYBACK Staff Writer and Guest Contributor Davidson College has a complicated history of developing off-campus property in the neighborhoods on the side of the railroad tracks opposite of it. In October 2014, Davidson College purchased a property across the street from Brickhouse that will soon become the Hub, a space that “aims to both connect with and build a vibrant Lake Norman-area technology, innovation and entrepreneurship community,” according to a report from the President’s Office. The Hub will offer internships in corporate business, finance, and technology fields for Davidson students and could benefit local businesses.

In the past, Davidson has caused controver-

sy because of its efforts to develop off-campus property. Specifically, since the early 1980s, the acquisition of residential properties along Griffith Street has been met with accusations of exploitation and racism on the part of the college and its representatives.

Until the North Carolina Department of Transportation built I-77 in the 1960s, visitors and commuters would approach Davidson from the north or south along Main Street.

Since the construction of I-77, Griffith Street has become the primary route for entering the College. In the 1970s, Griffith Street was home to a small community of predominantly lowincome African-Americans, many of whom were employees of Davidson. The view along Griffith Street was notably less upscale than the Main Street entrance.

In 1981, Davidson alumni and members of the Board of Trustees established Griffith Street Properties to acquire and “revitalize” the area, according to a 1984 Davidsonian article by Ross Holt ‘85 (1). Howard Covington ‘37, was at the center of the effort to “do something to improve the approach to the school,” because he felt that Griffith Street was “not very attractive to look at,” (1). Covington stated that Griffith Street Properties acted with the “token blessing of the College” to purchase properties and then to gift them over to the College (1).

Lena Connor lived on Griffith Street but sold her house and moved to a new home off Lakeside Avenue (2). In an 1999 interview, she told the Charlotte Observer, “It was my choice to leave. The college did me proud. They treated me fine,” (2). However, resentment about the

Griffith Street project is rife in the community today.

Evelyn Carr, a former cook at a Davidson fraternity, lives in the one of the few singlefamily homes remaining on Griffith Street; the properties to her left, right, and across the street are all empty lots owned by the college.

Carr believes that the homes were sold for less than they were worth and stated, “Davidson College took all these people[’s] homes. Lied to them,” (3). In addition to the issue of compensation, Carr is frustrated by the efforts of the College to uproot the Griffith Street community. Carr warned “Don’t think that they don’t want me out of here,” and lamented a time

See LAND Page 2

Schuwer Discusses European Politics with Students Continued from Page 1 Schuwer emphasized that there are two large issues facing the Netherlands currently: one is economic and the other, political. In terms of the economy, he explained that, following a “deep economic recession,” the Dutch government has worked to provide structural support in the market, workforce, healthcare sector, and more.

Last year’s budget surplus in the Netherlands, however, was evidence that the Dutch “have really reshaped [their] economy and budget.” The decline in international trade during 2008-2010 made economic development “difficult” because the Netherlands is an international trading nation. Despite this, the ambassador assured, “We have managed to work our way up, and we are doing very well right now.”

Politically, Schuwer described his nation as being in a “more and more unstable neighborhood.” Citing Russia’s involvement with Syria and recent annexation of Crimea, he described Russia’s sphere of influence as “one of great concern.”

South of the Netherlands, the ambassador expressed worry over the conflicts in the Middle East and Northern Africa. “The Arab Spring did not bring us what we thought it would. We are surrounded by almost an arch of instability.” Particularly relevant to his concern is the influx of refugees into Europe via Turkey and some Mediterranean member-states of the EU (e.g. Greece

and Italy).

In March 2016, the EU struck a deal with Turkey to ameliorate the economic and social consequences of the refugee crisis on individual member-states. Through this partnership, the EU will resettle more Syrian refugees who are currently in Turkey; in exchange, Greece will be able to return all new, irregular migrants to Turkey.

Schuwer explained that relations with Turkey are currently under new “pressure,” given the recent Turkish referendum that increased the authority of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This expansion of power jeopardizes Turkey’s classification as a democracy, and many fear it is becoming more of an authoritarian state.

When asked about the Netherlands’ response to the refugee crisis, Schuwer was quick to distinguish economic immigrants from refugees “who cannot go home.”

“The idea is that you give [refugees] temporary shelter, and in the end they will return [home]. So you have the challenge: What do you do? Are you going to invest or are you not going to invest? We [the Netherlands] have said we are going to invest, and we are going for an integration approach.”

Schuwer explained that the integration process in the Netherlands begins with an assessment of whether a refugee is actually someone who cannot return to his or her home. Next, the challenge is to integrate refugees into Dutch communities. Those who wish to stay in the Nether-

lands are required to take an exam testing their Dutch language skills and ability to integrate into Dutch society.

Schuwer explains that “[Many refugees] come from a society which is mainly Muslim with different rules and different ways of approaching people than we have [in the Netherlands]. The idea of the exam is that [if] you want to live in the Netherlands, please abide by our rules. They live in their families and in their communities; we don’t want to upset their communities; they have their freedom of speech and of religion. If you want to participate in the workforce and live in the Netherlands, you take this certain set of rules, and you have to abide by it.”

How effective has this policy been? Schuwer explained, “I don’t think we have succeeded yet, but we are working on it. I think we have a better integrated community than in France or Belgium. We have a number of very successful immigrants.”

The ambassador pointed specifically to Ahmed Aboutaleb, the Moroccan-born mayor of Rotterdam, the Netherlands’ second largest city.

“He talks to his people of Moroccan descent. He says to them, ‘I became a successful Dutchmen.

I’m still a Muslim, and I’ve never walked away from where I’ve came from. I’m proud of being born in Morocco, but I abide by Dutch rules.’”

Schuwer answered more student questions at lunch and during his time with Ceka’s class.

Sammy Syed ‘19, who attended both events, said

of the experience, “I really enjoyed meeting and conversing with the ambassador; he was much more engaging and easy to talk to than I would have thought...I was very impressed by his background and experience in diplomacy and politics in general; he's been active in the field for a long time.”

Caroline Roddey ‘20 also cherished the opportunity to learn from someone with so much experience. “I thought [Schuwer’s visit] was a really valuable addition to the class, as it brought home a lot of points that we talk about in class but don’t actually get to engage with on a real level, such as the immigration crisis and problems with the EU itself.”

Ceka spoke of the significance of the visit to his class and the political science department in general. “It was particularly fitting to hear the ambassador articulate the importance of the European integration project for peace and prosperity in Europe to my West European Politics students who are currently studying the EU. Many of our students end up pursuing careers in public service, so Ambassador Schuwer’s outreach is an important gesture that helps strengthen transatlantic ties and foster interest in Europe.”

Sarsour Emphasizes the Importance of Resistance to Injustice Continued from Page 1 the acts of a very small evil few.” The prejudice exhibited against Muslims following 9/11 proved to be the spark she needed to begin a career in activism.

Throughout her talk, Sarsour warned the audience of the dangers of repeating past mistakes.

She described visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. and the powerful impact it had on her. During her visit, she noted that she saw a sign labeled “Early Warning Signs of Fascism.”

She said the sign listed “disdain for human rights, disdain for the arts and intellectuals, powerful nationalism, rampant sexism, supremacy of the military, obsession with crime and punishment, controlled mass media, oppression of labor powers, protection of corporate power, obsession with national security, identification of enemies as a unifying cause, and fraudulent elections” as indicators. As the audience sat in silence, she asked, “Is there actually anything on this list that is not already happening in this country?”

Responding to critics who call her an alarmist, Sarsour stated, “I’d rather be overly cautious and be a little alarmist than to be here and try to rationalize what is going on and have something really horrible happen on my watch.” She stressed how Americans must not try and normalize the current state of affairs in the country, lest it lead to the further persecution of various ethnic and religious minorities. Sarsour warned that “the folks around [President Donald Trump] were normalizing this. They were making it okay to be publicly racist.”

As an example in which Americans failed to defend each other, Sarsour brought up the ex-

ample of Japanese-American internment during World War II. “75 years was not that long ago,” she said of the internment. And Sarsour did not limit her talk to issues affecting Muslims in the US. “We’re also still watching raids on undocumented immigrants,” she warned. “We’re watching raids on women who are victims of domestic violence who are trusting the system to help them report violence and report crimes, but are being picked up.” Sarsour was referring to specific stories about ICE waiting outside domestic abuse shelters and rounding up victims. She also mentioned the Chinese Exclusion Act in comparison to Trump’s Muslim ban as a time when our country has excluded entire groups of people based on their country of origin.

Perhaps the most impactful part of Sarsour’s speech came when she lamented how critics tell her, “You’re not a patriot. You hate your country.”

She expressed her gratitude toward America for providing her parents refuge from occupied territory, but said that “just because I had a good opportunity does not blind me to the reality of a country that I live in that has done really horrible things in our history.” Recognizing the atrocities of our past, she urged, will help us to never commit them again in our future.

“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism,” Sarsour proclaimed. “I want our country to be the greatest nation on Earth. I want to be able to say that I am proud to be an American because my country treats all of its residents equally, regardless of their religious background, their ethnicity, their race, their gender, their sexual orientation.”

Everyone in America, she argued, deserves the same opportunities, dignity, and respect. “That’s what I want, and that’s what I fight for every single day.”

Trump’s election and presidency thus far were clearly major threads throughout the talk.

Sarsour told of how she cancelled an interview with the BBC on election night, returning home to be with her three children who were watching the results in their living room. Her youngest daughter burst into tears as soon as she entered the room. “Here we were watching a horror film unfold before our very eyes,” said Sarsour.

Regarding the election results, Sarsour explained how Americans lacked a “village mentality.” By that, Sarsour meant that in the US we have a prevailing “every-man for himself ” ethos. “We tend to be individualists. It’s all about us.” When she went to the polls, Sarsour said “[I] imagined myself as a resident of a village,” much like the little one on the West Bank from which her parents came. She put herself in the shoes of others, and imagined the impact her vote would have on other communities.

“When I went to the polls, I thought about indigenous people of Standing Rock, I thought about women of color, I thought about undocumented immigrants, I thought about Muslim communities I came from that suffered in silence for 15 years.” She argued that we as Americans cannot afford to engage in “self-righteous politics,” such as those exhibited by the “Bernie-orbust” crowd or those who simply abstained from voting.

When the results finally came in, Sarsour said she truly felt despair for the first time in her life.

That despair quickly turned to anger: “For me, outrage is a motivating factor to allow me [to] think about what am I going to do about [the election results] right now.” The next day, while browsing Facebook, she noticed an event page about staging a potential march for women in

D.C. She was surprised to see that Muslim-American women were not one of the page’s mentioned groups. “I felt like under an administration like this you might want to center a group that was quite targeted in this last election.” She commented with her concerns, and “the next thing I know I’m the National Co-Chair for the Women's March on Washington.”

Sarsour closed by saying she knows that activism is not easy and that it doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Nonetheless, she says, there are easy things we can do to have our desired impacts on our communities. “We all have a role to play,” she told the crowd. “We all have something we can do.” Sarsour encouraged everyone to listen to the stories of others, get to know neighbors, and try to donate a couple dollars a week to various charities and organizations. Simply showing up to protests and knowing the names of your local representatives is key, too. Sarsour has all of her local politicians on speed dial. She says she’ll call them when she’s happy or upset with what they’re doing. She attributed the survival of the Affordable Care Act to people calling their elected representatives and urging them not to repeal it.

Above all, Sarsour told her audience not to remain silent, to never forget the most marginalized who live amongst us. Her speech was one of warning, but also of passion to work with the American people and to reaffirm the best attributes of our country. Sarsour’s closing lines were, “I will commit to you that I will continue to stand at the forefront of fighting for justice and equality for all people and that I am willing to put my life on the line for that. That’s how much I truly believe in making my nation the greatest nation on Earth.”

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Davidson Land Purchases Concrime log tinue to Impact Town Landscape, Time Reported 04/20/17 at 0120 hrs Local Community Continued from Page 2

when her community and the college had a better relationship, stating, “It’s not like what it used to be in Davidson. The people at the college that really, truly cared for us are dead,” (3).

For a seminar paper available in the college archives, Beth Maczka ‘85 interviewed Trustee and Griffith Street Properties founder Howard Covington about why the school hadn’t instead invested in improving the existing properties.

Covington stated, “You can take a hound dog and cut his tail off and cut his ears off and tie a ribbon around his neck and he is still a hound dog,” (4). This sentiment contributes to the concern that perhaps the leaders of the college wanted not only to remove the Griffith Street homes, but also the people who lived in them.

Guydell Connor, a resident of the Griffith Street neighborhood, told The Davidsonian in 1999 that “what was once a vital vibrant neighborhood is now gone,” (5).

Since the 1980s, the Griffith Street lots have remained empty green space lining the entrance to the College. The Charlotte Observer mentioned that Davidson students circulated an unsuccessful petition in 1999 to dedicate the land towards the development of affordable housing (2). In a 2017 interview with David Holthouser, Davidson College’s Director of Facilities and Engineering and member of the Board of Trustees, he said that in the past several months, the college administration and Board of Trustees had considered developing the properties for commercial use, but ultimately decided that “now was not the time,” (6).

Today, development in the town of Davidson remains a controversial issue. The potential construction of a large apartment complex on

Depot Street has been challenged by community members concerned with the threat of asbestos contamination (7). Carr expressed fears that a possible road development project could redirect I-77 traffic through the residential areas behind the railroad tracks (3). The construction of a proposed hotel across the street from the Community School of Davidson would put commercial property on the same block as some Lakeside Street residences (8). Davidson College itself is making strides toward the creation of the Hub, and in an interview, President Quillen noted the college has consulted with town government representatives and business owners about the project (9).

The College has not explicitly studied any contributions to gentrification that the development of the Hub may have (10). Raechelle Clemmons, Chief Information Officer of Davidson College, pointed out that the property was commercial before it was acquired by the college and that the new project would be “lower impact” than a corporate-owned factory (10).

Clemmons also stated that the College “hear[d] from a handful of neighbors during the environmental permitting process. None had negative comments, and we received positive comments for improving the property,” (10).

The Hub is one of many development projects underway in the neighborhoods between Davidson College and I-77. This change could mean internships for Davidson students, growth of small businesses, and the improvement of long-abandoned properties. However, increased costs of living, more commercial activity, and higher property values could have gentrifying effects. Griffith Street looks nothing like what it did forty years ago, and it remains to be seen how the Town of Davidson will develop in the years to come.

Davidsonian.com

Description / Location Underage Consumption at Richardson Dean Referral/Medic Transport

04/20/17 at 1330 hrs

Larceny Misdemeanor (Doormat) at Student Health Unfounded/Property Located

04/21/17 at 1430 hrs

2nd Degree Rape at Residence Hall Prosecution Declined

04/21/17 at 1330 hrs

Larceny Misdemeanor (Bicycle) at ITS Property Located

04/22/17 at 0130 hrs

Underage Consumption at Cannon Dean Referral/Medic Transport

04/22/17 at 2108 hrs

Alcohol Aid & Abet to Underage x3 at Ryburn Dean Referral

04/23/17 at 1640 hrs

Larceny Misdemeanor (iPhone) at Fiji Further Investigation

Sources: 1. Holt, Ross (1984). The Davidsonian. “Alumni Group Seeks to Buy Griffith Street Land” 2. Moore, Shirley (1999). The Charlotte Observer. “What’s Happened to Griffith Street?”.

3. Personal Interview with Evelyn Carr. April, 2017.

4. Maczka, Beth (1984). Martin Luther King Seminar. “Racial Barriers Alive and Well in Davidson”.

5. Davidson College News (1999). “College’s Griffith Street Greenway Keeps Growing”.

6. Personal Interview with David Holthouser. April, 2017.

7. Boraks, David. “Davidson Mill Redevelopment Unearths Asbestos, Old Tensions.” January 18, 2017. http://wfae.org/post/davidson-millredevelopment-unearths-asbestos-old-tensions 8. The Town of Davidson News Center. http://www.ci.davidson. nc.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?CID=12&searchTerms= 9. Personal Interview with President Carol Quillen. April 12, 2017.

10. Personal Interview with Raechelle Clemmons. April 2017.

living davidson

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April 26 , 2017

Photos of the Week: Songs of the Hyacinth and Farm Formal Images Courtesy of John Chavez ‘17 and The Farm at Davidson College

Songs of the Hyacinth was a collaborative multi-media performance combining theatre, music, and visual art. It was organized by Ben Corson ‘17 and funded by a Davidson Arts and Creative Engagement Spike Grant.

The Farm at Davidson College’s annual Farm Formal was hosted April 22nd. Over one hundred attendees enjoyed a night of dinner and dancing.

perspectives

page 5 April 26, 2017

Examining Patterson Court Service BRISTOW RICHARDS

P

atterson Court prides itself on service and philanthropy. Patterson Court Organizations (hereafter referred to as PCOs) reported some 12,000 hours of community service during the 2014-2015 school year – about 10 hours of service per member – and raised nearly $200,000 for philanthropic funds.

These are impressive statistics, but I have some concerns regarding the way PCOs handle service and philanthropy and want to start a conversation about how to make them better.

For context, PCO members typically must meet a quota of service hours, some of which must be related to the organization and its philanthropy. For example, Warner Hall House requires 7 hours of service; 5 must be related to its philanthropy. Phi Delta Theta (PDT) and Turner House require fewer service hours but have larger punishments for not meeting quotas: Turner fines heavily, and PDT unconditionally prohibits brothers from going to the next formal. Other hour requirements and punishments vary between PCOs. I want to address four issues regarding PCC altruism at Davidson. First, PCOs are limited in their capacity to influence members. The only incentives PCOs can offer are social pressure, fines, social probation, or service hour credits. (Social pressure is weak at best in Eating Houses and larger fraternities due to the sheer number of members, and e-boards can only officially use the latter

three.) Ethically speaking, fining members for not doing service opens up the door for students to hypothetically “pay” in order to avoid service. Of course, using social probation as a sanction could let students who don’t attend social events also avoid service.

While I seriously doubt most Davidson students would abuse these rules in such a way, I am concerned when PCO e-boards turn the table and offer service hours for things that aren’t service. Although I’m sure this isn’t rampant in PCOs, I was disheartened to hear that one eating house offered members a service hour for submitting two recipes to a house cookbook. PCOs could find new incentives for fun but non-service related activities, such as letting members work off fines by contributing to cookbooks. However, under no circumstances should “service” be cheapened to a meaningless incentive device.

The second issue is how measuring service conflates high-impact and low-impact labor. Some jobs are more impactful by their nature, and not all students are equally skilled in accessible kinds of service. Since PCOs only require a certain number of hours of service, there is no way to distinguish how much impact a student has and where that impact will be. Effort is essential, but I believe impact is ultimate. PCOs should set limits to how many service hours members can earn in low-impact labor like managing tables in the union. As critical as those tables may be, we can pursue better.

“

Thirdly, it is important to distinguish between intermediate labor and community service. Any work that goes towards a philanthropy event is “intermediate” in the sense that is integral part of the event but not a direct form of aid. The amount of money a philanthropy makes can be considered a collective wage for the collective labor the PCO contributes. Therefore, to say some philanthropy benefits the community by $5000 and 300 hours of service is incorrect and disingenuous. Philanthropy work is hugely important, so it’s better that PCOs encourage intermediate labor with service hours than nothing at all. However, it may be more honest to limit the number of hours that members can earn in philanthropy-related work, since PCOs already report that work when they report the amount of money they raise. This policy would be a logistical nightmare considering how most PCOs currently operate. Still, Patterson Court needs to be honest about how much it values service outside of philanthropy overhead and what it actually means when it reports service hours.

Which brings me to my fourth point: what does “service” mean? Typically defined, philanthropy is giving resources to others whereas service is spending time doing things for others. Let’s define time and labor as resources, just like money and canned food. Then we can define service as labor-philanthropy; brick-laying is like a charitable donation in which the laborer

...I think PCOs should be mindful of the kind of service they encourage...

“donates” his or her work. Under this framework, inefficiency becomes a problem, because some students might impact the community better by having a private job and donating wages instead of giving their labor to a service organization. To counter this line of thinking, it’s important to remember that service does more than just allocate labor to recipients: it fosters relationships between students and community members. To this end, I think PCOs should be mindful of the kind of service they encourage their members to perform, giving more emphasis to opportunities that let students collaborate with the community and build social capital. This could involve encouraging more “continuous service” like volunteering weekly at Ada to develop strong connections with institutions and causes off-campus.

Don’t get me wrong: Patterson Court does a lot of good for the community. I think that with some more open and honest policies, along with a renewed emphasis on social engagement, PCOs could broaden their impact even more, benefiting the campus and the community at large.

Note: I reached out to representatives from various PCOs, but not with enough time for everyone to adequately respond to my questions. Therefore, this discussion primarily focuses on Patterson Court’s IFC Fraternities and Eating Houses.

Bristow Richards '19 is a Political Science major from Columbia, South Carolina. Contact him at brrichards@davidson.edu.

Singing in the Shower: Mostly a Balancing Act HANNAH LIEBERMAN

I

am a supreme nerd when it comes to musical theatre. Well, I’m actually a nerd when it comes to most things (re: I play competitive scrabble), but musicals happen to be one of my biggest obsessions. I’ve been in musicals my whole life. My childhood was filled with impromptu performances at dinner parties and rushing from one rehearsal to the next. And as a lifelong lover of all things Broadway, I actually have some friends from high school who are pursuing degrees specifically in musical theatre performance.

I find myself sometimes jealous of these friends: they get to spend their whole days, entire semesters immersed in voice lessons and dance classes. No one ever replies to their dated My Fair Lady references with puzzled looks.

Their lives revolve around the stage.

Such is not the case for me. Unlike my friends, I chose to go to Davidson so I could be a well-rounded, liberal arts-educated student. I may not get to

focus solely on musicals, but that’s because I pursue so many of my passions in my time here. As a double major in Theatre and Political Science, I have to split my days between Cunningham and Chambers, and as a Bonner scholar, I fill any free time I have left not only with rehearsals for shows but with the scholarship’s 240 annual hours of service.

I’m someone who likes to keep busy, and the life I’ve built for myself in Davidson certainly allows for that. Normally, I can find a good balance between Bonner and theatre, and sometimes they even complement each other (like in Sharon Green’s Theatre for Social Justice class last spring). Occasionally, I even have time for a nap. But there are moments when the worlds clash and seem to compete with each other, each pulling at me until I’m spread too thin. Each year, I seem to get a little better at the balancing act. Here are a few things I’ve learned: I’m not that special.

There are Bonners who are athletes.

There are pre-med double majors who play in the orchestra and have workstudy. Everyone at Davidson is crazy busy. …But it’s okay to pat myself on the

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back sometimes Being in tech week for a show is like adding a full-time job on top of schoolwork, and then adding Bonner to that is like running a marathon while filling out the FAFSA. So a treat-yourself mentality is sometimes necessary to get through the day. I find that calling my grandparents and having them “ooh” and “aah” over my busy schedule gets the job done.

You can’t make everyone happy all of the time Sometimes I simply can’t go to OOPS! practice because I have a Bonner meeting. Sometimes I can’t get around to memorizing lines because I have to write a policy memo. It was a tough lesson for me to learn, but I’ve come to accept that having to make sacrifices is an inevitable reality at Davidson. …but sometimes you get lucky I am incredibly lucky that my Bonner work is so in tune with my passions. As an intern at WDAV (the classical public radio station next to Sustainability Co-Op), I get my service hours while listening to instrumentals of my favorite musicals. It’s a match made in overinvolved-Davidson-student heaven.

Service is pretty darn humbling.

It’s hard to complain about being

busy doing the stuff you love when you discuss poverty, inequality, and injustice at weekly Bonner meetings. Service is a great way to put my really privileged life in perspective.

ALWAYS find time to do the things you love.

That super annoying soprano who thinks the elevator is her personal rehearsal space? That’s me. But hey, the acoustics are phenomenal, and I don’t have the time to go to Sloan and sing through Sweeney Todd in a practice room, so I gotta take advantage of my fifteen second ride up to 4th Belk. I don’t regret double majoring, tutoring on the weekends, or being in the musical while getting my Bonner hours- but sometimes the only time I can give to my inner musical aficionado or scrabble nerd or politics junkie is a fleeting moment.

That’s just a fact of life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. And that’s why I’ll never apologize for belting Les Mis in the shower.

Hannah Lieberman '18 is a Theatre and Political Science double-major from Charlotte, North Carolina. Contact her at halieberman@davidson.edu.

The OuT Of BreaTh Issue Zit Down On Its Luck Wants To Know If Ok To Crash On Your Face For a While

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Apparently Breaking News: Girl In Your Psych Class ‘Taking a Break from Social Media’

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Independent Study Courses to Commence, Conclude in Coming Weeks

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Coolest Scientist Ever Begins Every Hypothesis With “Wouldn’t it Be Funny?”

Page 1.6

Checklist To See If You Have to Register Your Overwhelming Sense of SelfLoathing as a Guest at Frolics

Archaeology Student Discovers Decades of Event Flyers Built Up on Communal Chambers Corkboard While working on an independent study project for her interdisciplinary archaeology minor, Yolanda Lou ‘17 unearthed hundreds of ancient flyers hung upon a second-floor Chambers corkboard.

“I knew there was something in there,” Lou said, “But I never expected it to go this deep. I mean, this could launch my career.”

Before the excavation, the corkboard was widely assumed to have been an innocuous six-inch growth on the Chambers wall. When the mounted board began to buckle with the weight, campus police recognized it as an immediate threat to public safety and recruited the archaeology department to help.

“Chief Sigler wanted to chuck the whole thing,” reported Dr. William Ringle, Lou’s faculty advisor, “But we immediately saw its potential as a dig site.”

The excavation began with classic archaeological practices. The team, consist-

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Master of Chivalry: Guy Soft Smiles at Last Weekend’s Hookup On Way To Class

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Monkee’s To Open Branch In Chambers Classroom: ”Maybe This Will Get Them To Shop Here”

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Yowl Contributor of the Week: Larry “Zinger” Sanchez

Thank you Larry and Get Well Soon!

Your Davidson Honor Section

Editors: Paul Henderson Sophie McHugh Writers: E-J Greg The Regulars Larry S.

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: Mentos, the Freshmaker

“My favorite find was an old and yellowed flyer announcing the closing of the Lula Bell laundry service. It was hours before we hit naked cork.” ing of Lou, Ringle, and Ringle’s six-year-old son Todd, blocked off the entire second floor of Chambers as to avoid outside contamination. Lou then began the delicate process of thumbtack removal. The artifacts were then sorted based on decade/eon of publication and placed in temperature-controlled manila folders.

Ringle relays the details of some of the groundbreaking discoveries: “We found some truly valuable artifacts that can give us a lot of clues about Davidson’s history. There was a poster advertising Emanon, an old co-ed eating house, and a note urging students to demonstrate at the flagpole against admitting women into the college. My favorite find was an old and yellowed flyer announcing the closing of the Lula Bell laundry service. It was hours before we hit naked cork.”

“No dinosaurs though,” added Todd.

Perhaps the most groundbreaking discovery was made at the very end of the process. Beneath what amounted to 83 pounds of printer paper were leaflets revealing the board’s first official capacity.

“The site was first used as an information space for the Cornfield Department, from when Davidson was mainly a school for farmers. It had headshots of faculty, notably the esteemed Dr. Farmer Lewis, and posters advertising cool events like the Monthly Reaping and the Annual Shuck Fest. The department no longer exists, but totally still should,” explained Lou. Lou intends to continue her studies during a dig this summer in the E. H. Little Library basement.

Proactive Sophomore to Begin Cultivating Finals Week Martyr Complex Three Weeks Early A source from within his group chat can now officially confirm that sophomore English major Teddy McDonald has committed to developing his finals week martyr complex beginning Thursday at midnight.

Said McDonald when contacted by the Yowl’s investigative team, “My Davidson career has largely been marked by a severe tendency to procrastinate on pretty much everything. I figured the best way to abandon these old habits would be to start expressing my selfrighteous need to receive attention during difficult academic periods before any of my classmates”.

Records from Davidson College archives (at least as far back as the Yowl was able to obtain) indicate that no student has developed his or her finals martyr complex before May 1st since the early 1970s. The lack of recent historical precedent for McDonald’s decision undoubtedly makes his bold course of action all the more significant.

“I’m proud of Teddy”, remarked roommate Colin Dempsey ’19, “He’s usually not this motivated and I’m glad he found something he can dedicate himself to as we enter the home stretch.”

Added a smirking Dempsey, “It’s also not the worst thing in the world that I’ll have the room “You gotta let em know that to myself for the next three you’re sleeping in a Wall study weeks”.

As McDonald explained to room. Make sure to include the Yowl, making people aware your blanket and pillow in that you’re not sleeping in your room is one of the most crucial the background of your 3 AM steps in cultivating a martyr snapchat story of your grind.” complex for finals.

“You gotta let em know that you’re sleeping in a Wall study room. Make sure to include your blanket and pillow in the background of your 3 AM snapchat story of your grind.”

McDonald plans to strategically time his trek to the library in order to maximize visibility.

“I’ll head over with a backpack full of books and a couple bricks so I look noticeably strained, and a blanket. Probably do this Friday early-afternoon so all the Frolic-goers see me”, he commented.

He also intends to extort sympathy from his peers with a poignant snapchat Friday night juxtaposing his own academic misery with their heightened revelry.

At press time, McDonald, despite his newly developed martyr complex, was still a student at one of the top colleges in America living a life of privilege.

Fashionista Faces Tough Choice: Make Wrinkles Stylish or Learn How to do Laundry Properly Strutting around campus in his Sunday best, Allan Wegman ‘19 and his flashy outfits have already taken campus by storm. However, he now faces the toughest dilemma of his young college career.

“I know I’m one of the best dressed guys on campus. Several people have told me so,” Wegman said. “But my clothes get wrinkly so easily. I don’t know what’s going on.”

To say Wegman, who was voted Best Dressed in high school, takes fashion seriously is putting it lightly. His peers have certainly taken notice of his trendsetting style.

“It’s really impressive actually,” said fellow classmate Natalia Umbligria ‘18. “Most guys just wear t-shirts, but Allan is always in super formal stuff. I mean, he looks kind of uncomfortable, but gosh darn it does he look good.”

There are some that have caught on to Wegman’s problem. Witnesses to his eye-catching style have predicted that he has not been washing his clothes properly, but Wegman is unconvinced. “I wash [my clothes], dry them, and

“Like they say, if you can’t beat them, join them, pretend to be okay with the situation, and swallow your sadness!”

shove them into my drawers. I’m pretty sure that’s all I’m supposed to do,” he said assuredly with no mention of the word ‘hanger.’

Still, Wegman wants to make the best of a bad situation. He claims to have plans to emphasize the wrinkles to better “flatter his figure.”

He revealed, “I’m in the midst of developing a number of folds that complement the many wrinkles and my physique. Like they say, if you can’t beat them, join them, pretend to be okay with the situation, and swallow your sadness!” He then began to weep silently.

When asked about his ability to successfully carry out this new image, Wegman composed himself and responded confidently. “I’ve started so many trends around here. Do you know who brought the fedora back? That’s right, I did. So yeah, I think I can make this work.”

Though he seemed to have at least one alternate solution: “Or, you know, I guess I could just buy an iron and an ironing board. I guess that might work too.”

sports

Page 7 Davidsonian.com

Fortier Hoping to Lead Cats' to A-10 Title WES KERR Staff Writer Davidson Baseball’s Brian Fortier is enjoying a monster senior season. The 6 foot 6 inch first baseman leads the Atlantic 10 with ten home runs and is ranked in the top fifty long ball hitters in the nation. “B-Fort," as he is called by Wildcat fans, also tops of the conference in runs batted in and total bases covered. Brian’s stellar defense has ranked him with the second most putouts in the league. He was named a National Player of the Week on February 27 by the NCAA. In a stretch of four games, he hit four home runs and drove in nine runs total. The Wildcat stud was also named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week the same weekend. A couple of days later, he went 5 for 5 and ripped a walk-off hit to beat Butler at home. As assistant coach Rucker Taylor

pointed out, "He works hard day in and day out. His offensive numbers jump out, but he's played great defense as well. We know he's an outstanding player, and we look for him to continue to perform at a high level." Fortier and the Wildcats will look to reach the 2017 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship in Saint Louis, Missouri during the week of May 24- 27. Originally from Holly Springs, North Carolina, just a few hours away from Davidson College, Fortier is eying the opportunity to pursue a pro baseball career. I sat down with the Wildcat slugger to talk about his Davidson baseball experience.

How did you get started in baseball and why have you enjoyed playing it?

Basically, my parents got me started at an early age in baseball. My mom was a softball pitcher in college at Rhode Island and I shared her inter-

est in the sport of baseball ever since I was about 4 years old. I enjoy playing baseball because of the competitiveness it brings out of me. I've also made almost all of my friends through baseball and I wouldn't trade those relationships for anything.

What has been your greatest baseball moment in your Davidson history?

My greatest baseball moment at Davidson came last year in the conference tournament when I hit a grand slam against Rhode Island.

How were you able to maintain such consistency during your stretch of home runs in early March?

During that stretch, I just wanted to stay calm and not get too excited because I knew at some point I was going to cool down a little bit. Baseball is a streaky game and I just try to stay on an even level through the hot and cold streaks.

What are some of your pre-game rituals? Any rituals?

The only real pre-game ritual I have is that I go through specific handshakes with about eight other guys on the team before we line up for the national anthem.

How have you improved as a hitter and fielder throughout your four years here?

Our Assistant Coach Rucker Taylor has done a tremendous job with our hitters and I feel like through my four years here, he has worked with me on driving the ball more and using my size to my advantage. I think my improvements on fielding have come mainly from getting more reps during four years of practice and trying to improve each day.

In February, Brian Fortier '17, pictured, was named National Player of the Week after he hit 4 home runs and raked in 9 RBIs. Photo courtesy of Tim Cowie/Davidson Photos

The one teammate I feel that has had the greatest impact on me was Dave Daniels. He graduated when I was a sophomore in 2015 and was the first baseman before me. He had an extremely good senior year and was a captain. I wanted to compete to do at least just as well as he did.

You just missed the A-10 title in 2016, losing to Rhode Island in the final. What are some keys for Davidson to qualify for and win the Atlantic 10 Tournament in May? We just need to take it one game at a time and do everything we can to stay in games and win every conference series. The key to winning the Atlantic 10 tournament is being on top of all areas of the game going into the tournament. We have enough talent and skill on our roster at the plate, on the mound, and on defense, that if we play our game, we can make a run in the tournament and hopefully come out on top this year.

What else would you like to accomplish before the end of your time at Davidson?

Simply, I want to win the Atlantic 10 tournament in Saint Louis and go to an NCAA Tournament regional.

Are you interested in playing professionally? If not, what are your post-graduation plans?

I am very interested in playing professional baseball. I have had some contact from various MLB teams and am planning to declare for the 2017 draft.

As of now I do not have any other plans after graduation other than trying to play baseball at the next level.

Which teammates have made the greatest impact on you and why?

Both Track Teams Primed for Peak Performances at Conference IAN ROBERTSON Sports Co-Editor With an insatiable, fiery passion to improve and maximize one’s ultimate potential, it could be said that every sport’s best competitors are never truly satisfied with their performance. However, it could also be argued that in certain sports, like Track & Field, this lack of satisfaction reaches a new extreme. The ever elusive perfect track race may not exist, just by the sheer fact that an athlete could always run a split second faster, throw just a foot farther, or jump an inch higher.

While track athletes may be notorious for rattling off their personal best performances and obsessing over such performances, none of this matters come championship time. Thus, while the Davidson track & field teams are hoping to build off strong performances and carry over momentum to the A-10 Championships being held at UMass on May 6th- 7th, they also want to believe that such performances do not place a ceiling over what could be achieved at the A10 Championships.

Both the men’s and women’s teams have arguably their most well-balanced teams ever, as recruiting in recent years has been focused on building teams that can compete across the board in every event. In the past the teams have been mostly distance-oriented, competing well in events like the 10k and 5k but essentially giving

up crucial points in the sprints and field events.

Efforts to change such a trend have been demonstrated through the addition of current Davidson student-athletes for the upcoming fall season.

Will Wicks ’20, a two-time N.C. state champion, posted impressive times of 10.5 in the 100 and 21.7 in the 200-meter dash in high school and is hoping to continue his success in college. Tony Collins ’20 will compete in discus for the Wildcats. Both players are members of the football team.

The freshmen class of the women’s team have also shown immense promise. Carly Peters ’20 has been a stand-out performer in the javelin, setting the school record in the event in her first ever collegiate meet and earning A-10 Track and Field Women’s Rookie of the Week. Jada Woods, who is part of the 4x100 squad, is also a record-setting jumper. She is a school record holder in the indoor triple jump and is looking to build off her impressive third place finish at the A-10 indoor championships.

Veteran female runners, including Hannah Rieden ’17, Sarah Sears ’18, Caroline Yarbrough ’19, and Tori Long ’19 are ready to make their mark at the A-10 championships. Rieden, who has consistently bettered the program record in the 800-meter run, ran another program record 2:08 at the Duke Invite. Sears set a new personal record in the 800-meter run with 2:13 earlier in the season while Long also broke a program re-

Seniors Will Brewster and Walker Mogen went 1-2 in the 5k indoors, and will be looking to finish their athletic careers with a similarly impressive performance at the outdoor conference meet.

Photo courtesy of A-10 Photos

cord at the Duke Invite, recording 57.52 seconds in the 400-meter dash. Finally, Yarbrough broke 17 minutes for the first time at the George Mason Invitational. She was the second collegian finisher to cross the line.

On the men’s side, George Williams ’20 and Garrett Nickelson ’20 have been standout performers. Particularly given the important role the 4x400m often plays as a typical track meet’s final event, their success bodes well for the coming three years. Williams and Nickelson have both consistently cracked the sub-50 second barrier this season, with Nickelson running 49.7 seconds and Williams running an even more impressive team-best 48.29. Sean Caveney ’19 is continuing the success of the sprints on the men’s side, running a new personal record of 53.06 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles at the Duke Invite.

Will Brewster ’17, Walker Mogen ’17, and Dylan Carmack ’19 lead the way for the men’s distance squad. If the past 2 years are any indication, Davidson athletes will be contenders in all the distance events.

Brewster will be looking to defend his title in the 10k from last year’s outdoor championships and the 5k title he claimed indoor. When asked about his mentality going into such a big-time meet, Brewster acknowledged, “I’m just pumped full of adrenaline and nerves. It’s the rawest form of competition, as time goes out the window, and the focus is on beating people, plain and simple.”

Carmack will also be looking to score key points for the Cats’ in the 5k and 10k, having recently having won the 5k at the Mason Invitational with a personal best of 14:32. At the competitive Duke Invite last weekend, Mogen ran a 3:52 in the 1500m to assure his place in the top section of the event at the A10 championships.

The Senior Captain acknowledged that “because we have a smaller team its nearly impossible to win,” but continued by saying “we’re to do all that we can to put up a good fight. Individually, I hope to help the team by scoring as many points as I possibly can while trying to enjoy my last time competing as a competitive runner.”

Evidently, with the strong mix of veterans and newcomers, the team is feeling optimistic about their chances at the A-10 championships. Brewster reiterated the importance of being confident and having faith in all the work that has been put in up to this point, noting that “I’m usually much more confident going into championship races because Coach Waldron does a great job preparing us for the moments that matter the most.” With this being many of the Senior’s last opportunities to compete in a Davidson uniform, the teams are hopeful their hard work will culminate with such a peak in performance when it matters most.

Sarah Sears '18 will be a contender in the 1500m after running a school-record of 4:53 in the mile indoors. Photo courtesy of A-10 Photos

THE DAVIDSONIAN

Fortier and Men's Baseball Looking for A-1o Title See Page 7

Brian Fortier '17 Photo courtesy of Tim Cowie/Davidson Photos

April 26, 2017