9 23 2015 the davidsonian

the davidsonian

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 VOL. 108 ISSUE 3

The Independent Student Newspaper of Davidson College since 1914

CURRY RETURNS HOME

Inside NEWS Option for gender-neutral halls offered to freshman class 2 Campus adjusts to self-service laundry rooms 3 LIVING DAVIDSON PAGE 8 Introducing the new members of OOPS! 4 PERSPECTIVES Santiago Navia makes a case for co-ed eating houses 5 Max Feinstein investigates Davidson’s rising tuition costs 5

Stephen Curry and Steve Rossiter ‘10 reunite during Curry’s visit to campus on September 17. See page 7 for article. Photo by Shea Parikh.

SGA Collaborative strives for student involvement GARRETT BARLOW Staff Writer

This semester, the Student Government Association (SGA) launched a program called SGA Collaborative in an effort to encourage conversation and build relationships on campus.

The first of many SGA collaboratives is set to occur this Thursday during common hour. Hailey Klabo ’16 will be hosting “Empowering First Year Women” in room 209 in the Alvarez Union.

The talk will focus on ways in which first year women can live a healthy and successful life at Davidson College.

According to Madi Driscoll ‘17 and Emily Rapport ‘16, SGA Co-Directors of Special Projects, SGA Collaborative is designed to be student-led discussions on contemporary campus issues. Students can offer ideas for issues they want to be discussed, and based on the clarity or relevance of the idea, SGA may then schedule a collaborative. Unlike previous workshops, students themselves are responsible for the content of the collaboratives.

The new program is an effort to create a “space to bring any issues or conversations to the forefront,” Driscoll said. Through democratization of conversation, new viewpoints can be introduced into the sphere of public debate, which before was dominated by the school administration and student leaders.

In addition, the program also aims to make current democratized discussion more productive. Rapport lamented the current poor reputation of campus talks, and hoped that through the Collaborative program, informal discussion could be made formal.

Both co-directors expressed their belief that building relationships was the primary goal of the Collaborative. Driscoll stated that the program would help students “build relationships based on interests or solutions.”

Rapport continued, “I hope the program will foster regular dialogue between students.”

SGA has pledged to take a hands-off role in the creation of these collaboratives. Rapport described her role as a “facilitator.” The intent of SGA is to navigate the logistics of the events, such

as scheduling and advertising, as well as to bring together like-minded students. However, the collaboratives themselves are to be student driven.

There are currently no future planned collaboratives beyond the upcoming “Empowering First Year Women” workshop. Nonetheless, Driscoll and Rapport are in discussion about hosting collaboratives on party culture, race, coed spaces, and political climate. More specifically, SGA hopes to conduct a collaborative as a follow-up to writer and Atlantic Magazine correspondent Ta-Nehisi Coates’ upcoming Reynolds Lecture this November. President Quillen has expressed interest at attending several collaboratives.

SGA collaboratives are set to occur every Thursday at the Alvarez Union in room 209 during common hour. Location and time may change based on the circumstances. To propose a topic for a Collaborative, feel free contact Driscoll or Rapport at madriscoll@davidson.edu or emrapport@davidson.edu.

YOWL Student maxes out CatCard at Union Café 6 SPORTS Stephen Curry surprises campus with return visit 7 4 $ ZLWK ÀHOG KRFNH\·V $QQD Davis ‘16 8

Thank you for reading the Davidsonian!

Ambassador for women’s issues expresses hope for female leadership OLIVIE DANIELS Staff Writer On Wednesday, September 16, Dr. Melanne Verveer, the US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, delivered a lecture on women and their roles in global development and foreign policy. A group of students and faculty members gathered in the Lilly Family Gallery in anticipation of the event. Dr. Chris Alexander, director of the Dean Rusk International Studies Program, opened with a warm introduction of Dr. Verveer, summarizing her career and efforts as an advocate for women globally. Alexander pointed to Verveer’s extensive career in US politics; she served as Chief of Staff to former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and Assistant to former President Bill Clinton. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed her the first of her current position.

Verveer began her lecture by discussing her experience she had had so far at Davidson, emphasizing the senses of awareness and motivation that she saw in the student population during her

visit. According to Verveer, the Davidson community exemplifies the qualities that our world desperately needs, specifically extensive “global understanding” and “commitment to sustainability.” Verveer then emphasized how impressed she was with the Dean Rusk Program, not only by its success and high standards, but also by its accessibility to students with many different academic interests.

From her wide discussion on the potential of millennials and their influence on society and innovation, Verveer narrowed her points to speak about what she considers to be “one of the world’s most powerful demographics,” women. Citing various UN and global committee efforts to include women and heighten their involvement in international development, Verveer discussed how governments measure the progress of such initiatives or goals. Assessing some, such as the goal for enhanced participation of women in the UN Security Council, as not yet fulfilled, Verveer

See MELANNE VERVEER on page 3

Verveer lectures on women’s global roles in the Lilly Gallery. Photo courtesy of Shea Parikh.

News

Page 2 September 23, 2015

In first for Davidson, freshmen settle in to mixed-gender halls COLLEEN KARLOVICH Staff Writer This fall, Davidson began a pilot program for freshmen: “gender-neutral” halls, an initiative that began approximately three years ago with an idea by Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) members.

Before 2012, only Martin Court apartments and Tomlinson suites would allow a group of 4 or 5 students to live together regardless of gender.

When GSA approached Jason Shaffer, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residence

Life, it advocated for the creation of “more options for men and women to live interspersed with each other,” according to Shaffer.

The first step to bring this concept to fruition was a 2013 survey which asked students two essential questions: “How would you feel about Davidson allowing students of different genders to live in a mixed gender community?” and “How likely would you be to choose to live in a mixed gender community?” According to Shaffer, 75% of students supported the creation of a mixed gender community, and just over 50% of students

responded that they would likely choose to participate in the program depending on the dorms it affected.

The second step of the process was implementing the program for upperclassmen in the 2014-2015 school year. 4th Belk, Irwin, Akers, Knox, and Chidsey Hall were all mixed-gender communities. “[Upperclassmen] have a better way to differentiate between, ‘is this going to be a good fit for me,’ than an incoming student who is basing her ideas off a tour, conversations with friends and what they think Davidson is going to be like.” Shaffer explained.

However, the abundance of positive feedback from upperclassmen who were currently living in these communities caused the Residence Life Office (RLO) to reconsider this assumption.

RLO distributed the typical housing preference form to incoming freshmen, but this year included the statement, “Davidson College offers residential communities where students who identify as male live on half of the floor and students who identify as female live on the other half of the floor. The communities have single-gendered designated community bathrooms. Would you be excited to live on a floor as described, yes or no?” 78% of the incoming students answered, “Yes, I would be excited to live in a community described like that.”

With this information in mind, RLO followed typical protocol of looking at interests, personal-

ity types, and other attributes before assigning the floors. It decided to implement the program on three floors in Richardson (base, first and third). feeling that this is not dramatically different from the mixed-gender housing of 4th Belk, except in a smaller setting.

Summer Abiad ‘17, hall counselor on First Rich, however, believes that the difference in floor plan between Belk and Richardson makes a big difference. “Since there are no wings [in Richardson], it’s very different,” she said.

Nick Kennedy ‘19, who lives in Richardson, notes that the mixed-gender halls in his dorm make for greater cohesiveness among its residents. “I don’t think [Belk residents] have gotten to know each other as well, just because there are so many different people and they’re not as close together. We’ve definitely gotten to be closer with each other than people in Belk have,” he said.

Although RLO is waiting until freshmen have adjusted to Davidson life to send out a survey to gather responses to the mixed-gender halls, many students on the hall seem to have positive reactions so far.

“You get a lot of different perspectives and personalities that I don’t think you would necessarily get on a single-gendered hall,” Kennedy said.

Andrew Fe ’19, another Richardson resident, agrees. “Amongst the 24 kids that we have [on the hall], I feel like I know every single one of them.

Within in the first week, I knew names and I knew fun facts.”

“You get a lot of different perspectives and personalities that I don’t think you would necessarily get on a single-gendered hall.

-Nick Kennedy ‘19

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News Melanne Verveer addresses role of female leaders Continued from page 1 went on to point to new expectations being set by current policies. For instance, she mentioned the Sustainable Development Goals, which are initiatives by the UN as a follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals, and their potential to carry more specific categories and initiatives for enhancing gender equality and female empowerment throughout the world.

Verveer transitioned from these wider goals into a more specific dialogue regarding women and their roles in economies – both on national and global levels. Pointing to studies done by the World Economic Forum, Verveer explained that while gaps between men and women may be closing in terms of access to health and education, gaps in political and economic participation remain wide. Verveer emphasized that not only are such gaps unfair, but they also hinder the progress of our global economy and stand in the way of our reaching our full economic potential as a global community. According to Verveer, if women are not given the opportunities to develop their talents and skills as economic leaders through equal access to land and capital, how can the world expect to progress as a strong economic force? Continuing this point, Verveer firmly emphasized that investing in women is akin to investing in the future.

With more specific examples about her experiences in various developing nations, Verveer highlighted the importance of integrating women in terms of development. Citing the successes of microloan projects and self-help groups for women, Verveer pointed to her firsthand experiences in India and Bangladesh.

Returning to her prior claim about the untapped productivity of women, Verveer explained to the audience that if women had equal opportunities as men do to agricultural resources, “women’s productivity would go up to the extent that we could feed 150 million undernourished

people globally.” Verveer went on to discuss the potential impact of women in various other development issues, including climate change and technology.

Verveer concluded her lecture by discussing the absence of women in peace and security roles across the globe. Returning to her previous point about the UN Security Council’s recognition that “women are critical to prevention,” Verveer emphasized that women are underrepresented in peace negotiation; as a result, half of the world’s population which has yet to be empowered could offer momentous contributions to the world of international relations and security.

Then, pointing to the successful efforts of select governments in recognizing the weaponization of rape in civil conflict, Verveer urged the audience to support and work for change for those affected, and not to see these women – and all women – as merely victims, but as pools of potential leadership and contribution through moral obligation, strategic analysis and intelligent thinking.

Following the lecture, students expressed mixed reactions to the event. While some thought that Verveer had effectively conveyed the importance of the most concerning issues facing women today, others were not so sure.

“Although I was very impressed by all of Ambassador Verveer’s accomplishments and duties, I was very disappointed by her unwillingness to touch on certain controversial issues or topics concerning women in America today outside of the big issues such as unequal pay and sex trafficking,” Angeline Pilo ‘16 remarked.

Other listeners were particularly inspired by Verveer’s lecture: Anthony Solis ’19 said, following the event, “[Verveer’s lecture] made me realize that it isn’t about a single group of people anymore. It isn’t only about you or me; it is about all people and that is something very important that we, as young people, will contribute to in the coming years.”

“...it isn’t about a single

group of people anymore.”

-Anthony Solis `19

Self-service laundry rooms replace Lula Bell LAILA KING Staff Writer Davidson’s iconic free full-service laundry program, centered in the Lula Bell Houston Laundry Facility, was discontinued this semester and replaced by new washers and dryers in most residence halls. Davidson had offered free full-service laundry for over 90 years, a perk that became a part of the school’s reputation.

The College has now installed eight new laundry rooms to accommodate the increased number of students using self-service laundry.

The former laundry service was discontinued because the College decided that its resources could be utilized more effectively. While the majority of first year students tended to utilize this service, far fewer upperclassmen took advantage of Lula Bell. According to the College’s website, only 35% of seniors used Lula Bell’s laundry services.

The switch to self-service laundry is expected to save the College around $400,000 dollars a year after the transitional costs. However, there are also some costs of implementing the new system, such as installing and maintaining laundry rooms in almost every residence hall. Previously, there were only six self-service laundry facilities on campus, whereas now there are fourteen. Davidson acquired the new washer and dryer machines from the same third-party provider it previously leased from for the existing self-service facilities, although several other providers of ma-

chines offered bids. The College simply expanded its contract to include all of the new machines needed to fill the eight new laundry rooms. The costs of the shift are covered by the money saved from the elimination of full-service laundry, and are expected to begin saving the College money in three years.

The company also provides maintenance for the machines on a weekly basis and can be called in for service. According to Richard Terry, who is in charge of auxiliary services, problems can arise when a machine goes offline because the third-party is not on campus to immediately deal with the problem. In general, the machines go offline when a student either uses the wrong type of detergent or uses too much of it. To try to prevent this from occurring, the school distributed over 4,000 high-efficiency detergent pods so students would not only use HE detergent, but would also know approximately how much to use if they plan to use liquid detergent later.

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Page 3

Davidsonian.com

crime log Time

09/18/15 at 1509 hrs

09/18/15 at 1923 hrs

Description / Location Injury to Personal Property (Vehicle) at Patterson Court.

Inactive.

Weapon on School Property at Tomlinson.

Prosecution Declined.

Underage Consumption/Poss. of Spirituous Liquor Underage/Poss of Malt Beverage Underage/Miscellaneous Poss. Of Punch Bowl Dean Referral.

09/18/15 at 2202 hrs

09/18/15 at 2345 hrs

Assault on Officer-Misdemeanor/ Intoxicated & Disruptive in Public/Resisting Officers/Littering at Armfield.

Prosecution Declined.

09/19/15 at 0142 hrs

Injury to Real Property (Window) at Sig Ep. Prosecution Declined.

09/19/15 at 2139 hrs

Larceny Misdemeanor (Text Books) at Library.

Further Investigation.

09/20/15 at 0140 hrs

Underage Consumption at Warner.

Dean Referral.

09/20/15 at 0333 hrs

Underage Consumption at Belk.

Dean Referral.

2 3 100

DEGREES IN 15 MONTHS — MS IN ACCOUNTING + MBA MONTH PAID RESIDENCY AT A LEADING ACCOUNTING FIRM

PERCENT JOB PLACEMENT HISTORY

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living davidson Performance artist opens exhibit in VAC Regina José Galindo brings powerful, politically charged art to Davidson JACOB HEGE STAFF WRITER

L

ast Thursday, September 17, was an exciting day at the Katherine and Tom Belk Visual Arts Center. Regina José Galindo debuted a brand new exhibition at our very own Davidson College. Galindo is a performance artist from Guatemala known for her pieces that put her body to the limits. The Van Every/ Smith galleries were filled with images, videos and artifacts from various pieces her work. The building was filled with students and faculty from 6 to 8 p.m., and the anticipation in the air was palpable. The artwork was stunning, thought provoking and unique and you could tell that the art was making an impression on all in attendance.

Galindo’s pieces all have similar themes of control, oppression and power imbalance, most of which are inspired by civil war conflict in Guatemala. Most of her performances also require some form of audience participation.

Some of the pieces involve physical attacks and confrontation between Galindo and the observer, while some require compassion and selflessness. For example in her piece, “Caparazón” or “Shell”, Galindo lies naked under the protection of a sealed, plastic dome while participants attack her shield violently until their weapons break. In contrast, during her piece, “Alud” or “Avalanche,” Galindo lies on a metal table caked

in dirt as the audience is invited to come forth and wash her clean with pieces of cloth.

Other performances emphasized the degradation and silencing of women. In “Perra,” or “Bitch,” Galindo carves the word “perra” into her thigh with a knife in front of a live audience.

According to the gallery description, the piece “holds particular relevance to Galindo […]due to the number of women who are brutally killed and tortured in Guatemala. Numerous women have been found beaten, beheaded or with words like ‘death to bitches’ carved in their flesh.” This was probably the most shocking piece in the gallery and several people in attendance cringed or looked away when passing the video screen.

In another piece, “La Verdad” or “The Truth,” Galindo reads testimonies by women and children, who were raped and tortured, given at the trial of General Efraín Ríos Montt, the former dictator of Guatemala. Periodically throughout the performance, a dentist attempts to silence her by injecting anesthesia into her mouth. The silencing of these stories is chilling as the general was found guilty, but held only for ten days and will be retried this year.

The performance piece, titled “A Latino Near You,” debuted on Thursday and will be on display from now until October 25. Throughout her travels in the U.S. this September, Galindo will wear a GPS-enabled ankle bracelet similar to the ones currently used to track illegal immigrants released from custody. Her movements will be tracked and displayed in a minimalistic, projected video feed at the VAC. If you wish to see the gallery and the new piece, be sure to head over to the VAC before October 25.

Perspectives of Davidson

by Scott Cunningham

Page 4

September 23, 2015

New talent joins OOPS! Meet the new OOPS! recruits: from rapper names to relationship deal breakers DAISY JONES GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

O

OPS!, Davidson’s one and only Improv group, ushered in their newest batch of comedians last week. Here’s everything you wanted to know and more about the four newest members.

Clarise Ballesteros

Class: 2016 Major: Psychology Hometown: Little Rock, A.R. What is the song you have listened to the most this summer? “Happy Birthday” Parks and Rec or The Office? 30 Rock Who would you want to play you in the movie version of your life? Emma Stone What is your most underrated feature? My thumbs If you had to be a kitchen appliance, what would you be? An apple slicer What is your favorite DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie)? Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century What is the ultimate deal breaker for you in a relationship (A quirk or habit that would cause you to automatically break up with your romantic partner)? Sweatpants. If they wear sweatpants all the time/often.

If you were a rapper, what would your name be?

Clarise Navidad

Blaire Ebert

Class: 2017 Major: English Hometown: Lewisville, N.C. Who is the funniest person you know? Probably my dad, but he’s more goofy. Also Matthew Schlerf.

Spirit animal/(Patronus)? An otter for sure Parks and Rec or The Office? The Office What is something you wouldn’t do for $100 that you would do for $1,000? Streak.

Who would you want to play you in the movie version of your life? I’ve actually thought about this

a lot. Probably Kristen Bell. And it will have to be a movie-musical about my life.

What is your most underrated feature? I have super cute toes.

What is your favorite DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie)? Kim Possible: a Stich in Time Anything else you want readers to know about you? Only that I feel absolutely #blessed to be in OOPS, and hope we can make a lot of people laugh this year!

Jack Shumway

Class: 2019 Major: Undeclared Hometown: Concord, M.A. Who is the funniest person you know? Henry Stockwell What is the song you have listened to the most this summer? “Down on My Luck” - Vic Mensa Spirit animal/(Patronus)? St. Bernard Who would you want to play you in the movie version of your life? Jason Sudeikis What is your most underrated feature? My jaw line What is the ultimate deal breaker for you in a relationship (A quirk or habit that would cause you to automatically break up with your romantic partner)? An affinity for heavy metal If you were a rapper, what would your name be?

J-Shum Anything else you want readers to know about you? You can get in touch with my agent if you’re interested in a private performance.

Henry Stockwell

Class: 2019 Major: I have no idea.

Hometown: Virginia Beach, V.A. Who is the funniest person you know? Jack Shumway What is the song you have listened to the most this summer? “Loud Places” - Jamie XX Spirit animal/Patronus: A hamster Who would you want to play you in a movie version of your life? Matthew McConaughey If you had to be any kitchen appliance, what would you be? A Keurig What is the ultimate deal breaker for you in a relationship? Poor music taste If you were a rapper, what would your name be?

Goldilocks

perspectives

Page 5 Davidsonian.com

Revisiting the past: Davidson and co-ed eating houses

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ot many students know how eating houses first appeared at Davidson, and there’s even a few that are oblivious to the fact that several co-ed eating houses were once present on campus. The whole story dates back to 1971. In an effort to remove a reproachful bidding system and allow first-years to have a personal choice, Davidson College imposed a self-selection policy on all fraternities on campus. As a result, three of them lost their charters and cut ties with their national associations, while another two opted to move off-campus to avoid the controversial change in protocol.* The vacant spaces left behind evolved into eating houses.

Initially, these were all-male eating houses, but with the admission of women into the college in 1973, many of them turned co-ed. Perhaps one of the most amusing and creative transitions was that of Alpha Tau Omega (ATO) fraternity. In order to preserve the same letters, the members of the newborn eating house decided to name it “Apple-Turn-Over.”

ATO went co-ed in 1973, dissolved ten years later, and in its place stands what is now Warner Hall. A similar story is that of Fannie & Mable. When Kappa Sigma fraternity folded in 1971, the house was transformed into an all-male eating house that was subsequently named after the two cooks, Fannie Brandon

and Mable Torrence. Like ATO, it turned co-ed in 1973, ceased to operate in 1985, and was replaced by present-day Connor House.

Emanon (“no name” spelled backwards) and PAX were two other co-ed eating houses that came into existence after the 1971 self-selection policy was introduced. Three years later, Et Cetera (ETC) co-ed eating house was created, primarily due to the efforts of the class of 1977, the first to include women. With this final addition, the list extended to five co-ed eating houses. These five would continue to co-exist for almost ten years, until, in 1983, ATO would disappear. Within the next seven years, co-ed eating houses progressively disappeared, such that by 1990, none would remain.

In the meantime, women were pressing for an all-female space on the court. Such initiative was met with opposition and skepticism, a resistance fueled by the prospective idea of sororities arriving to campus. After much rallying, especially by the first class of women admitted in 1973, the first all-female eating house, Rusk, opened in 1977.

Warner Hall followed suit in 1982 and three years later, another all-female eating house was put together: Spencer House. The latter would be replaced by Connor House in 1991, and to complete today’s picture, Turner House was built in 1998. As co-ed eating

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houses faded away into oblivion, all-female eating houses replaced them and gave birth to what we now associate with Patterson Court. However, there was an attempt to bring back co-ed eating houses in the year 2000. Ben Carter and Dane Erickson, both of them in the class of 2001, founded CoHo. Unfortunately, CoHo closed down in 2005 due to continual financial instability and membership shortage, both due to issues with self-selection procedures.** Interestingly enough, ten years is a recurrent pattern in this story. Five co-ed eating houses co-existed for ten years; ten years went by between PAX and Emanon’s closure in 1990 and CoHo’s emergence; and now it’s been ten years since the last co-ed eating house was shut down. We are now in 2015 and perhaps it is healthy to bear in mind the history of co-ed eating houses when reevaluating our notion of inclusive spaces and gender-segregation on campus. RLO has done a fantastic job of introducing co-ed dorms, and the Multicultural House recently relabeled its bathrooms as gender-neutral. Similarly, SGA and the administration are cooperating to bridge multiple divides in our community (up vs. down the hill, upper-classmen and first-years, sub-free vs. non-sub-free halls).

On a personal note, I believe a co-ed eating house would be a great addition to all these changes. This

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is not to say that fraternities, sororities, or all-female eating houses are exclusive and divisive institutions that should be removed. Although I personally do not identify with fraternities, I respect people’s choice to be a part of them and I recognize the value of having gendered spaces. Nonetheless, I would like to see a wider array of options for those who feel more comfortable in co-ed, gender-neutral spaces.

An eating house or fraternity offers several leadership opportunities, a structured party scene, an alternative eating location, and a space for social gathering and community building. I have felt that I missed out on most of this because I do not identify with the nature of fraternities. It is preposterous to believe that we can or should create spaces that fit everyone’s preferences and are in line with their opinions, but I believe there is a large number of people on campus that would be willing to give a co-ed eating house one more shot. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I invite you to keep this relevant conversation alive. *http://sites.davidson.edu/archives/encyclopedia/fraternities-at-davidson-college **http://sites.davidson.edu/archives/encyclopedia/eating-houses Santiago Navia `17 is a Mathematics major from Cali, Colombia. Contact him at sanavia@davidson.edu.

“Financing Davidson”: Funding the academic arms race *"+(,-%#!$-%#

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rivate colleges have grown outrageously expensive over the last couple decades with tuition, room, and board fees far outpacing costs simply associated with inflation. In this article, I wanted to put together some numbers and spell out specifically what this looks like for us at Davidson, and how these numbers may be incongruent with certain statements from our administration.

First of all, why is this happening and relevant now? Our endowment is $650,000,000 but the “academic neighborhood” initiative proposed in 2013 is estimated to cost $450,000,000. Although we numerically have enough funds to support this initiative, we need to first recognize that the college runs mostly on our endowment’s interest, which at 5% annually, brings in around $32.5 million. These funds go to landscaping, professors’ salaries, scholarships, etc.

Keep in mind though that Harvard makes about 2.7 times our entire endowment each year just off of their interest. However, if Davidson were to actually spend $450,000,000 of its endowment on the “academic neighborhood,” not only would we have the smallest endowment among top 25 Liberal Arts colleges by $200,000,000, but we would only be earning $10,000,000 a year on our endowment’s interest, meaning operations on site would have to be cut back by about two-thirds. I’m sure I did tons of simplifications and ignored some relevant factors, such as the contributions of alumni donations, but ultimately

you get the picture: Davidson is spending money we don’t have, and students are being punished by it.

Scratch that, our parents are.

Somewhere down the road someone convinced your parents it’s okay to spend $60k a year on college education, but these same, rationally minded adults would be abhorred to learn that you spent $30 for a burrito at Chipotle.* At Davidson, our total cost of attendance the last 10 years is growing three times as fast as annual inflation rates would predict, with attendance costs increasing about $2,300 a year, or nearly $9,000 between your first and fourth year at Davidson. President Quillen was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans, and the final report that came out of this committee stressed educating young Americans about “financial abuse” as an important component in helping our generation become fiscally responsible adults. But if convincing someone that buying a $30 burrito is a good idea doesn’t qualify as financial abuse, I’m not sure what does.

President Quillen was also part of a panel that discussed with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan earlier this summer at the University of Maryland methods to make higher education more affordable. Please take some time to examine the graph to the right, which will hopefully raise some questions about what exactly President Quillen is advocating for. As you can see, tuition and total cost of attendance (TCA) are growing at nearly three times the rate of inflation, and growing quite steadily at that.

Since 2004-2005, TCA has increased by approximately $2,300 each year with a standard error of just $58, or 2.5%, when fitted to a straight line. I’m

the davidsonian staff editors-in-chief news editors living davidson editor

:LOO 0F'XIÀH Michelle Wan Mary Click Kate McNaughton Sophia Guevara

perspectives editor

Will Weisgerber

yowl editor

Sophie McHugh

sports editors

Ethan Faust Jason Feldman

photo editors

Scott Cunningham Shea Parikh

web editors

graphic design editor

Sabrina Cheema Emily Kent Bridget Lavender Sophia Smith

Figure 1. Actual Tuition and Total Cost of Attendance (TCA) Data were taken directly from the “Davidson College Fact File 2014-2015.” Expected Tuition and TCA increases due simply to inflation were calculated by using 20 04-2005 as a base year, and multiplying those values by annual inflation rates for each year as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics.** Graphic created by Max Feinstein.

planning on having kids around 30, meaning I’ll be sending my child to college in about 26 years. Looking at college TCA hikes over the last ten years, there is very little reason to believe I won’t be asked to pay $120,000 a year to send my child somewhere like Davidson, or $100,000 adjusted for expected inflation.

Whew, that’s better.

I get that these are national trends, and Davidson must unwillingly commit itself to this academic arms race if we are to hold our spot as a top ten liberal arts college and continue attracting talented students. Unfortunately, this does not excuse our President, marketing department, or administration of hypocritical rhetoric and absconding from relevant conversations like these. Someone tell me why a Davidson 101 about my Myers-Briggs personality test is more important than telling me how I am going to make sure I can give my child the same, terrific opportunities that I’ve had? If anything, I’ve learned that I am predisposed as an INTJ to question and criticize every structure or system that I come into contact with, including the usefulness of a Myers-Briggs personality test. Do you prefer to spend your time at Davidson solving existential crises created by your own personality types, or learning how you are going to pay half a million dollars for your child’s college education?

Continue Reading if You Would Like to See Some Suggestions On This Issue!

1. Create a business major. I understand that we have a Career Development Center, but we really should have some vocational majors as options. It’s great that our liberal arts education “emphasizes studies, disciplines, and activities that are mentally, spiritually, and physically liberating” but we should also emphasize the very practical issue of how we are

going to pay for all of it.

2. More transparency between the financial office and the student body would be appreciated. The State of the Campus: Future of Davidson forum was a great idea, and we should see more events like these.

3. Seriously, make “Financing Davidson” a Davidson 101 course. Diversity, drinking, sexual identity, and sexual assault get talked about a lot on campus, and so should skyrocketing tuition rates. Being aware of all of these things will allow us to live more responsible lives at Davidson and after graduation.

4. The financial office should work with students to disseminate financial information periodically to the campus body. Students were heavily involved last year in reforming the Sexual Harassment Policy, and students should also be involved in other serious changes on campus.

5. Auction off the Steph Curry-signed CatCards. *A Chipotle burrito with guac costs around $10, but if Chipotle raised its prices each year at a rate similar to tuition increases at Davidson, that burrito would cost you $30 dollars today, not $10. Interested in maximizing your burrito output during your next visit to Birkdale? Read this Buzzfeed article: http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelzarrell/ burritoooooo#.maLr1B6QY **http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/ http://www.davidson.edu/Documents/Administrative%20Department/Institutional%20Research/Davidson%20College%20Factfile%202014-15.pdf

Max Feinstein `16 is a Biology major from Houston, Texas. Contact him at mafeinstein@davidson.edu.

THE LEATHER ISSUE This bar

HAS A DIAMOND IN IT

Breaking: Stephen Curry Doesn’t Actually Love Commons

Page Eleven

First Year Sorely Disappointed To Find Nothing Hidden In Celing Tiles

Page 1.1+9.9

Fact or Fiction?

Union Piano Reportedly Plays a Little Ditty All On it’s Own

Page 18-7

Campus Skunk : Tail Up and Seeking Revenge

Page 22/2

Junior Unsure If He Should Be Happy Or Devastated That He Is At His Peak

Page One and Another One

Incredible: Girl Who Just Wants To Party Spends 20 Minutes Politely Listening To Student Explain His Ideas For a Screenplay

Campus Prepares To Awaken Green Day Lead Singer When September Ends

Student Unwillingly Spends 200 Dining Dollars And Maxes Out Cat Card At Union Café

Davidson College is abuzz with activity as it prepares for autumn. Fall festivities include Jack-O-Learning, FlickerFall and the Last Leaf Drag Race. But before we can get to those, we must inaugurate the season with a crowd favorite: the annual attempt to awaken Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong upon September’s end.

Those familiar with this classic Davidson tradition know that it hasn’t always been easy. Arthur Chestnut, a dedicated attendee of the event, delves into how the attempts have gone in years past.

“My freshman year we tried a soft approach. Angela Tinsbury-- sweet girl with the softest voice you’ve ever heard-- was elected to lean over Billie Joe and blow gently into his ear. “Wake up”, she whispered, “I’ve made pancakes!” The guy didn’t even budge! He just mumbled something about american idiots and fell back into a deep slumber in a pile of his own drool.”

The punk rock band has been putting out content since 1986, but ever since Armstrong crawled under the covers of his dirty futon a decade ago, Green Day

On September 18, Susanna Johnson walked away from the Union Café with a little more than she bargained for.

Though she entered the eatery with the simple intention of using a meal swipe to purchase a chicken quesadilla and some snacks, Johnson exited the café with what could only be compared to a bulk shipment to Costco.

During an interview with Johnson regarding this turn of events, she appeared baffled: “I don’t know how it happened. One second I was grabbing a bag of potato chips and the next I had over 50 pounds of bananas. The cashier just kept telling me to grab more, so I did.”

This instance has not been limited to one student. It’s quickly become a widespread economic epidemic. Droves of students can be seen walking away from the Union Café without a single dining dollar to their names and more containers of cream cheese than they can carry.

In order to find out the cause of these seemingly “I don’t know how it happened. inane purchases, the Yowl One second I was grabbing a bag of conducted an in depth investigation.

Vicky’s potato chips and the next I Our search began by had over 50 pounds of bananas.” observing the goings on of students as they made purchases in the Union eatery. To our surprise almost every instance happened the same way as the Johnson case study. A student would go into the Union Café to purchase a burger or a sandwich, but would end up walking away flustered and on the verge of tears with more miscellaneous food items than they could carry.

We had to dig deeper. For our investigation The Yowl recruited Michael Hernon, a first year student, to simply buy a meal without going over the limit. We watched in awe as Hernon went into the Union Café, approached the counter with his Chicken Parmesan. He swiped his Cat Card and was just about to exit triumphantly when a Café worker uttered something kindly. Hernon twitched, and then proceeded to buy over 60 cartons of milk. In an interview with Hernon after the purchase he could only shake his head in shame.

“I went up the the counter and the woman told me I had two dollars left. I figured I could put her to rest by getting a milk, but she said I had enough money for another. And then another, and another. Before I knew it I had purchased all the milk in the cooler.”

Before we could ask more, Hernon shuffled away tearfully, his only choice to hit up the Commons cereal bar for the remainder of the evening.

Was it social anxiety or simply hypnotism that caused his excess dairy acquisition? The world may never know.

Page 11*1

Long-Standing Rivalry Between Kids With Cars and Kids Without Reignites

Page Evelyn Morris

Lonely Recent Grad Begins Pen-Pal Relationship With New Freshman Owner of His Old Mailbox Page 11

The Yowl’s Guide To Kitchen Utensils Fork: The poor man’s trident.

Spoon: A shepherd of stray Cheerios suspended in milk.

Knife: pretentious stick with a bone to pick.

Spork: a middle school favorite!

“He left us with a single message. Wake me up when September ends. Well we’ve been trying for the last decade, but the guy just keeps hitting snooze.” productions have ceased to a halt.

“He left us with a single message”, explains longtime Green Day fan, Peter Warts. “Wake me up when September ends. Well we’ve been trying for the last decade, but Billie Joe just keeps hitting snooze.”

Tension is high in the punk rock community. Protests have even begun to form around the singer’s California home. Field correspondents reported that at press time, troops of 40-year-old men with miscellaneous piercings and runny black eyeliner were gathering around the perimeter with no less than 21 guns.

But there are no broken dreams on Armstrong’s San Diego Boulevard; the 2000’s icon snores soundly through the mayhem.

The 10-year anniversary of Armstrong’s expansive nap puts the pressure on Davidson more than ever.

“Last year we didn’t hold ourselves back,” reports Chestnut, “We even flung off his blankets! But all he did was mumble, “one more minute”, and bury his head under his pillow. The guy’s impossible.”

A spokesperson for Davidson PUNK (People Unite in the Name of Kulture) gave The Yowl an exclusive preview on what’s coming next in the annual go at rousing Armstrong.

“There’s a theory going around campus that this whole ‘nap’ thing is just performance art, that he’s just trying to prove how punk rock he is. Well we’re not going to tolerate it any longer. We’re opening his blinds. We’re tickling his knees.

We’re bringing in an excited dog to lick his face. September’s over, buddy! It’s time to wake up.”

My Course Evaluation of Professor S. Staff

Whisk: egg’s worst enemy, spatula’s best friend.

Your Davidson Honor Section

Editor: Sophie “Peter Bowman” McHugh Writers: Lawton “Get Schwifty” Kariher Stuffed Curry Matthew “don’t associate me with this” Schlerf Note: The Yowl is a satirical supplement to The Davidsonian. Hence, nothing in it should be taken as truth. Though really, what is truth but a concept created by humans to cope with the reality of lies?

THE DAVIDSONIAN

This Issue Brought to You By: 16th Century Modern Art

I smelled honey from an old-lady finger, when I was six years old, that sent a shiver through every nerve in my baby face. She (a great aunt, perhaps) unknowingly prompted the strongest sensation that I would experience in my first eighteen years of being. Staff made that honey thin and rank, in comparison to the thunder jolt I felt on seeing him in the now discovered Staff Lounge. Stretched over a Roman couch, he pulled me with his gaze to the carpet at his feet. I plopped down, opened my self to his offerings, and here I’ve been ever since.

They told me Professor S. Staff didn’t exist, that I had been hoodwinked, duped by the registrar. And I believed them because I was new, ignorant, lost. So, I spent the first month of school in my dorm room, not attending the unattendable four classes with Professor Staff for which I had enrolled.

Then, I found him. Or, did he find me? I had napped and moaned through those early weeks, disregarding Orientation and friendmaking, to the point that my roommate had moved out in a dramatic effort unseen by my tear-chafed ears. It was on this night that Professor Staff called to me. I thought his voice was a grunt from my neglected tum, but it was he, his voice, through an air duct above the sink. I clambered, dismantled, followed at the sound of his tinkling whisper, not knowing its source, but sensing that my dear Staff might rest at the end.

“Stretched over a Roman couch, he pulled me with his gaze to the carpet at his feet. I plopped down, opened my self to his offerings, and here I’ve been ever since.”

When asked, on my occasional returns from the Lounge, what it is that I do, or what I learn, with Professor Staff, I blink over a grin and say “Everything. Or, at least, everything you won’t find here.” Which is no fault of Davidson’s, surely, with such a small faculty, with such ambitious, but limited minds. Staff is everything. Staff knows all, is all, Staff is plural. Staff are many, much, big, strong. Staff needs no office hours, when he lives beyond time. Staff is the instructor to my life-long dependent study. Fail me, Staff, and I still won’t drop. Let the haters hate, the register lie—YOU ARE REAL!

sports

Page 7 Davidsonian.com

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fter the Wildcats’ improbable run in the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament, Stephen Curry and Davidson became irrevocably connected, intermeshed in such a way that many people can’t reference the school without also associating it with the lanky, 6’3” point guard. Curry’s impact on Davidson, however, far

transcends this superficial benefit of increased name recognition. Curry’s return to campus last Thursday couldn’t have made this any clearer.

News of his impending visit spread via an e-mail from none other than beloved coach Bob McKillop, nicknamed the “Silver Fox.” By the following morning, despite only one day’s notice of the event, the Union was inundated with students lining up outside Duke Family Performance Hall (DFPH), anxiously waiting to get a glimpse of Curry. The first students began queuing for the 11:20 a.m. event at 7:30, and by 10:15 the line went up and around all three floors of the union.

Brimming with energy and nearly uncontainable excitement, the auditorium and much of the 900 Room, where a live feed of the event was available to students unbale to fit into the hall,

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was filled to capacity with students and faculty.

Curry’s arrival at DFPH was preceded by his visit to the new basketball practice facility, where he took the first ever shot on the new rims, hitting a three off the glass. After an informal workout with the men’s basketball team and his old coach, he made his way to DFPH, where his entrance on stage brought with it a roar of well-deserved applause from the audience. As Curry strutted on stage with the gleaming Larry O’Brien Trophy in one hand, some students initiated a “M-V-P” chant amidst the frenzy of applause and cheering.

The Q&A began with an introduction from Curry’s former teammate, Steve Rossiter ’10, who lightheartedly noted how honored he was to have set so many screens for Curry during their 2008 run. Coach McKillop reminisced about Curry’s early days, providing insight into what made him realize the guard was going to be special. Although McKillop recalled Curry being less than spectacular when he saw him play in an AAU tournament, even then Curry’s grittiness, determination and prevailing never-give-up mentality suggested a potential for stardom.

By the end of his freshman year at Davidson, Curry’s quick and impressive rise as a national-caliber talent attracted looks from larger, more nationally recognized colleges which had refused to recruit him out of high school. Asked whether he had ever considered transferring, Curry stated emphatically, “Transferring never crossed my mind. This was all meant to be. You support me.

My support of Davidson is never going to stop.”

Such a statement is a testament to the impact Davidson has had on Curry, who regards his three years here as some of the best of his life.

Curry continued these sentiments during the Q&A, noting that, “There is no place like Davidson. I try to put that into words, but it never quite comes out right.”

“Everyone has their own (college) experience,” he continued, “but Davidson is top-tier.

You’re here for a reason.” While on stage, Curry expressed deep gratitude for all those who had helped him get to where he is today, thanking his teachers, classmates, and other faculty on campus.

Curry’s thanks went beyond these words. On a return to Vail Commons for lunch after the event, he made sure to stop to thank many of the staff members who had always served him well.

So as excited as the student body was to have its NBA champion back, his return was just as, if not more, appreciated by the staff and faculty that have been here since Curry came to campus as a freshman. All day, professors across campus regaled their students with stories of Curry’s humility.

On stage, Curry hinted at his plan to finish up his degree from Davidson in the “near future.”

While Curry may be far removed from life as a student-athlete, his bond with Davidson seems stronger than ever. His return, or, more appropiately, homecoming, was no doubt a special moment for Curry and the Davidson community.

Yet Curry refuses to revel in the moment for too long. As if there were any doubt, Curry remarked before leaving the stage, “I’m going to try to represent you guys the best that I can from here on out.”

(Quotes from the Charlotte Observer, ESPN and San Jose Mercury News.)

A Q&A with field hockey star Anna Davis *)(+,(#$+"-,(-&

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ell me what have been your observations on the season so far, I know you guys are 3-4 and split the games this weekend [they beat La Salle 2-1, then lost to Longwood by same margin]. What are you doing well, and what can you improve?

Davis: Well, considering it’s basically the same players on the field as last season, and we had a pretty poor season last year – I think we won 3 games total last year and we’ve already had 3 wins this year – we’re already off on a way more positive note. But for me, it’s a testament to our talent that last year we had the same people but this year we’re seeming to make the connections more. Last year, we had all these individuals who were talented but we couldn’t make it click, and now that we’ve had a whole year of playing together we’ve made it click. So some games we’ve been off –we’ve obviously had a few tough losses – but overall it’s a much stronger team than last year, and it’s because we have a year together under our belts that we’ve really figured it out.

And as a senior with 4 years of experience, how do you add to that chemistry you’re talking about, and how have you seen the team develop over your 4 years?

My freshman year I came in and there was a very strong senior class above us. So for me, I was always looking up to them, and that’s what I’ve been trying to embody this year. When I came in, we had an over-.500 season, or very close to that, and with a tough schedule – a lot of ACC schools – that’s a pretty good record for our program. And these last two years, we had smaller senior classes and not that strong leadership that we kind of looked for when I was a freshman coming in, and it kind of showed in our record.

We didn’t have those leaders; we didn’t have those people pushing us constantly to be better. And then this year, our class, we came in as nine and we still have seven of us involved in the program.

And just having that big class that’s seen what can be there if there’s good leadership and good effort from everybody – that’s what we’re trying to embody this year. And it’s shown so far in our record.

Field Hockey - 9/20 Longwood 2 Davidson 1 (OT)

Tell me about how your career has developed. When did you start playing, what got you into field hockey, and how did you end up here?

So I didn’t play field hockey until high school ,really. I was a gymnast my whole life and was really into that. When you’re 16, you’re doing a ton of hours in the gym, and I ended up breaking my elbow. So I ended up reaching the Junior Olympic level in gymnastics, and then you can’t really come back from something like that. So I was going into high school at the time that this happened, and I knew I wanted to play a team sport.

So when I was there, field hockey was a big team sport in Maryland, so that’s what I picked up, and I loved it because all my friends played it and they were my friends since I was 2. So they kind of got me involved with it, and then I started realizing that sports was something I really wanted to be involved with all my life. I was always really competitively driven, and I knew I’d probably want to do that at the college level, but I knew I wanted to be at a Division 1 school academically – whether I made it for sports or not. So then my coach saw me play my junior year, and I was being recruited by 2 or 3 different schools, and Davidson clearly stood out to me as the one I wanted to go to – both for sports and academics. There really wasn’t another option. There was more money offered at other schools, but this was the program I wanted to be at.

So now that you’re here, how has your game developed over the course of your being here?

So I scored the first goal and the last goal of the season in my freshman year and none in between, so it was a very rollercoaster season for me. I started off on a huge high, and ended on a huge high note, and wanted to carry that with me into my sophomore year. I had a great sophomore year and felt very confident in where I was playing, and then junior year our whole team had this kind of slump. And I don’t think it was just me personally, but we as a team kind of were low last season. So this year I’m just so happy that we’ve started off on such a positive foot personally, and there are so many different people scoring games this year. The offensive rhythm is there.

What would you say are the characteristics of what makes you a leader on the team, and how can you continue to drive your team for-

Soccer (M) - 9/20 Davidson 0 Stanford 1 (OT)

ward?

I’m one of those people who will step back with a player and explain what could have happened in this situation – maybe go over two or three different scenarios trying to get them to think about what they could have done in different places – but talking more 1-on-1 is my approach. I’m not the person that’s going to come into the huddle and say the right thing to pump everyone up before the game, but I’m going to take someone aside and say, “Maybe you should try to position yourself here,” or “That cut wasn’t the best move at that time and this is the reason why, and if you’d done this it would have created more options.” So I think that is where my strong suit is as opposed to being the leader in the exact moment.

What’s your outlook for the rest of the season?

I’m really looking to make the A-10 tournament, and I think that’s a really viable goal for us.

Moving to the A-10 was a big transition for us, since we started out in the NorPac [Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference] my first two years here, and last year we didn’t have the season we wanted. So this year I really want to prove to the

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Soccer (W) - 9/20 Davidson 3 Georgia State 1

A-10 what kind of program we really are. Only about 4 teams make the tournament, and there’s about 9 or 10 in our conference – it’s very small – but it’s doable, and we’ve already won our first A-10 game on Friday and we have our second this Friday. So if we can have our focus on those A-10 wins, that’s a very viable goal for us.

How has your family helped in your development? You’ve said they come to support you at all your games. What does that mean to you?

I don’t think they ever expected me to be a Division 1 athlete. I think it came as a surprise.

When I said I was going to play team sports in high school, they were like, “You know you may not make the team, so don’t get worried if you don’t make the team this year,” because I had just never been involved in team sports. But, they come to every single one of my games. My mom drove me to all the tournaments growing up, and my dad takes off work whenever he can to make the weekend games. Everyone knows my mom is the loudest person on the sidelines – not in an obnoxious way – but she dances and cheers, so it wasn’t just me buying into the program, it was my parents buying into the whole process too and I wouldn’t be here without them.

Volleyball - 9/19 Davidson 3 Winthrop 1

XC (M) - 9/19 Commodore Classic 11th Place (20 Teams)

XC (W) - 9/19 Commodore Classic 11th Place (21 Teams)

THE DAVIDSONIAN

Anna Davis looks to lead field hockey to A10 tourney See Page 7

Anna Davis â&#x20AC;&#x2122;16 Photo by Shea Parikh

September 23, 2015