the davidsonian
April 5, 2017 Vol. 112 issue 18
The Independent Student Newspaper of Davidson College since 1914
Inside NEWS Bloomerent start-up wins $50,000 from Davidson I&E's Venture Fund 2 Gloria Fortuna '19 exhibits "Express Respect" as art of Breakthrough fellowship 3 LIVING DAVIDSON Mary Scott Manning '17 describes the joys of eating fresh produce 4 PERSPECTIVES Members of SAE Grant Koehl '19, Evan Mitchell '17, and Jacob Newton '17, among many others, participate in the fraternity's Block Party Basketball Tournament to benefit new scholarship, the "Ben Callinder Scholarship." Photo by Adam Merchant
SAE Honors Ben Callinder through Prep for Prep Scholarship Fundraiser
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AIDAN PETERSON Staff Writer
he Davidson community suffered a heartbreaking loss last year when one of our own was taken by cancer. Admired by many, as evidenced by his position as SGA president, Ben Callinder ‘16 was a prominent figure on campus. Many students speak of being deeply impacted by the announcement of his premature death in the early weeks of summer 2016. This year, several initiatives have sought to honor his memory and celebrate his contributions to the college. Callinder was an active member in Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), and his death was an extremely devastating blow to the brothers of his fraternity. In the wake of his death, members of SAE came together to create a way to honor their late brother. They spent the fall semester tossing around ideas until the prospect of helping the Prep for Prep organization came to mind. Prep for Prep identifies promising students of
color who come from low income situations and prepares them for placement into independent schools in New York City and boarding schools throughout the Northeast. The organization does not require tuition payment for those who are program participants. Instead, Prep for Prep relies solely on generous donations in order to prepare their students for success. Callinder, who benefitted personally from the program as a Prep for Prep student, was committed to seeing students like himself from Queens, New York succeed in high-level environments, such as Deerfield Academy in Connecticut, where he attended high school. It did not take much convincing for the brothers of SAE to decide that this was the way to best honor their late brother. The fraternity decided that it would provide Prep for Prep with a scholarship in honor of Callinder. The “Ben Callinder Scholarship” will be a $50,000 scholarship that includes a ten-year sponsorship for a student with services from the Talent Search through to college graduation. This includes all five components of the Prep for
Prep program as described on its website: Talent Search; Preparatory Component (including Secondary School placement); Post-Placement Counseling & Activities; Leadership Development; and Undergraduate Affairs & Professional Advancement. $50,000 is an ambitious fundraising goal for any fraternity, especially for one that comes from such a small student body like Davidson. Outside donations will not fulfill the sum, so SAE will be hosting events to help fund Callinder’s scholarship. A few weeks ago, SAE held its annual Block Party Basketball Tournament. In the past, this event has benefited numerous organizations in and around Davidson, but this year it seemed fitting for the members of SAE to use all proceeds to help fund Callinder’s scholarship. The tournament draws in a large amount of students, hoping to prove their basketball skills in self-or-
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Jada Wiggleton-Little '17 discusses the future of the BSC 5 Jamie Stamey reflects on her career journey 5 YOWL Quarry miners terrorize Rusk Formal at Carrigan Farms 6 Police Chief Sigler chases thieves of stolen pants 6 SPORTS FCBescola establishes presence in Charlotte as premier soccer school 7 Golf hopes to peak in time for A-10 championships 6
Young Life Engages with Local High Schoolers to Spread Mission ETHAN EHRENHAFT Staff Writer
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ollege Young Life is one of Davidson’s most active student religious organizations. According to Young Life’s website, its national mission is to “introduce adolescents to Jesus Christ and [help] them grow in their faith.” College Young Life meets on campus to discuss the Bible and facilitate other activities. Students from Davidson’s Young Life may join Greater Lake Norman Young Life, a separate Young Life organization that operates more broadly in the area and has a large presence in local high schools. The Young Life regional organization seeks to use Jesus to establish positive relationships between its volunteers and high school students. Ben McDaniel, the Area Director for Young Life in the Greater Lake Norman Area, says, “In a large way, it’s building communities of people where Jesus is a central figure in that community and is easily accessible.” While McDaniel himself was a member of Young Life while in high school, he did not attend church as a child. After working as a Young Life volunteer at NC State University, he decided to become a staff member after graduation. McDaniel has now been on staff for ten years, seven
of which have been at Davidson. “I got to figure out my faith as I went,” he says. “That’s the heart of Young Life.” Logan Russell ‘19, President of Young Life on campus, did not participate in Young Life in high school, but says he quickly “fell in love with the community of it. That’s what pulled me into it and made me want to lead.” Davidson College Young Life has about 25-30 members who show up to regular meetings on campus. Of those thirty, ten are official Young Life volunteers who go to local schools about once or twice a week to work with younger students. Young Life members say that the relationships they build through volunteering make the experiences truly special. Young Life volunteer Kate Donahoo ‘17 states, “When I think of what my job as a leader is, it’s to love kids well.” She added, “I believe that to love a kid and show up that way is radical. And there’re a lot of kids for whom we’re the first people to love them who don’t have to.” The kids with whom Kate and other volunteers work come from a variety of religious backgrounds and previous levels of engagement with
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Davidson's Young Life chapter hosts an annual fall swing dance to welcome new members. Photo by Katherine Eggleston Photography