Davidsonian 2.21.2024

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Independent Student Journalism Since 1914

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Stella Davis ‘26 examines declining student participation in SGA elections

Volume 122 Issue 13

February 21, 2024

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Natalie Russell ‘25 reflects on her decision not to go abroad

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Josie Swain ‘27 offers a lens into Erica Diamond’s quilting project and advocacy

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The Yowl searches for more funny students, offers incentives for joining

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Armfield Housing Violations Disrupt Social Life Students, Adminstration Clash Over Hosting Restrictions

STELLA MACKLER‘26 (SHE/HER) CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF

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he Armfield apartments play a large role in the social scene on campus at Davidson. However, as the spring semester has begun, many of the students living in apartments that typically host open parties have been restricted from doing so as a consequence for violating Residence Life Policies. These restrictions have impacted student social life on campus.

to end on Feb. 16, was reached.

“Nic Capano, area coordinator, we’ve had a great relationship with him,” Hilton said. “He’s been very open and honest with us. But now this, it seems like something somebody came in above him and kind of gave the directive.

I think as a student obviously, there are rules in place to keep us safe and such. But, you know, this definitely, this behavior..it definitely tarnishes the trust there.”

Travis Allen ‘24 also lives in an apartment that was subject to a week-long hosting freeze after

Armfield’s courtyard is one of two open consumption spaces. Photo by Davidson College.

Armfield, also known as “F” among the student body, is one of two open consumption areas on campus for students over the age of 21. Its status as an open consumption area, along with first-floor residents who open their apartments on Friday and Saturday nights for open parties, makes it a distinct feature of Davidson’s social climate.

The Residence Life Office (RLO) could not comment on how many students were subject to a hosting freeze, or for what reasons. The Davidsonian was able to get in touch with one group of students who are not allowed to host in their apartment until March 1. This group includes David Hilton ‘24 along with his four roommates.

“I think it was the last weekend of January, the following week we received an email from the area coordinators saying like, ‘Hey, by the way, we have a couple of write ups or a couple of instances where reports [were submitted] to us on both Friday and Saturday [nights]. One of which was a noise complaint, one of which was over capacity,” Hilton said.

The capacity limit as stated in RLO Policies and Procedures for students is 25 people in a Martin Court apartment, which includes Armfield. After receiving the email, Hilton and his roommates met with RLO to discuss potential consequences of their violating RLO policy, and it was during this meeting that a two week hosting freeze was suggested.

When Hilton and his roommates received their official letter from RLO on their final punishments, however, they were informed that the hosting freeze would last until March 1. The roommates were unaware of how the decision to extend their restriction, originally supposed

a noise complaint was made during Placement Day. “Campo [campus police] came down, just kind of told us to turn off the music,” Allen said.

“An RA [resident advisor] was with campo but he didn’t really talk to us a whole lot. Then we had our meeting with Nic Capano, we usually always have one if something goes wrong. He talked to us about what was going on and he told us we couldn’t open for the weekend.”

When RLO makes decisions about housing violations, they view every Davidson student by the standards of the Code of Responsibility.

“All students are under the code of rights and responsibilities. RLO policies are in effect, honor council-honor code is in effect,” said Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life Walter Snipes. “So when a student decides, or makes an action that conflicts with that, there are outcomes that occur. So it’s not about hey, there is a hosting freeze, it is that students have gone through a process and the outcome is what the outcome is, based on that process. It is important to separate individual students from the perception of an apartment.”

Snipes was unable to comment on the specifics of which students are currently not allowed to host in their apartments or the reasons why.

However, he emphasized that all students must be held accountable for their actions.

“It is not about the apartment. It is about the individual students able to go through the process with the education outcome.”

Nonetheless, many students are concerned about the effects of Armfield potentially ceasing to function as a social spot on campus.

One worry among students is that going out will become more “cliquey,” as Gabe Jones ‘24

puts it. Jones lives in an apartment on the first floor of Armfield that occasionally serves as a “spillover spot” from other apartments.

“If you want to have a good time, I would say that they [Armfield apartments] are the only things that fuel Davidson,” Jones said. “For example I feel like people at Davidson are kind of cliquey, a smaller school. So we have our own friend groups or whatever, but F is the only real spot where if you want to meet someone new or if you want to do something different, or see people that you wouldn’t normally hang

address it, we’re able to handle anything good or bad in our apartment. We can run up the hill and grab the police and run upstairs and grab an RA.” Snipes pointed out that students are subject to campus and federal policies, regardless of their personal views on campus social culture.

“Sometimes the question comes up – if students can’t behave in a certain way that doesn’t violate policy, because that is what it comes down to, then they’re going to go elsewhere to violate policy,” Snipes said. “My

Students wait to be allowed into a crowded Armfield apartment. Photo by Maia Ferreyra out with in their apartments or their dorms, you go down to F, meet new people and try new things.”

Dominick Schraeder ‘26 compared the party scene at Davidson to those at bigger, schools and emphasized its inclusive nature.

“I think one of the biggest parts of why Davidson is so enjoyable at the social scene is because it’s so open, and it caters towards everyone,” Schraeder said. “You’re never gonna get shut out of an F apartment because you look a certain way, or you talk a certain way, or you dress a certain way, it’s never gonna - that’s never ever the reason. It’s always if people are not being let in, it’s almost exclusively because it’s a capacity issue and it’s a safety issue, rather than you just don’t look the way that people want you to look.”

Armfield also functions as an after-party atmosphere, weekend quiet hours don’t start until 2 am.

“It’s nice to be able to have something that you know, doesn’t close till two so you go to your parties till midnight and then kind of everybody can just collectively just go kind of have a good time,” Allen said.

Armfield serves as a relatively safe option for going out, as students do not have to drive and campus police are stationed nearby.

“The thing about F is it is a concentrated place with a police officer stationed up the hill that has, when things have gotten out of hand, has come in,” Hilton said. “In my experience interacting with campus police, they seem to enforce the rules for our safety’s sake, they seem to have our safety as number one priority.

And having it concentrated there, it’s much more localized in our community, we’re able to

response to a student is I prefer for you not to violate policy. These are not arbitrary policies.

You can’t, federally, you cannot drink under the age of 21. It’s not a Davidson wink wink nudge nudge. Federally you can’t do that. So why would we let you do that on campus?”

Students fear social life will now be pushed off campus, further segmenting the community.

“People who aren’t really in with the cliques lose their way to socialize and meet people,” Jones said. “For people who are in cliques and would be invited to these off campus events, now [they] either have to find a way to drive over there or walk in the night.”

If going out becomes more concentrated away in apartments or houses off campus, Schraeder argues that the likelihood of drunk driving may also increase.

“If people are going to go off campus, which I think they will, you know, that’s probably going to be more driving under the influence, because people want to party but they also need to get places that they can’t access by foot,” Schraeder said. “And I think it’s also a terrible thing, because people might start walking places and if they’re too intoxicated, they might not make it back or to where they’re trying to go.”

Jones feels as though the college may be ignoring the realities of life as a college student.

“You can look at it like, Oh, it’s just a bunch of people drinking, some of those people shouldn’t be drinking, but they’re gonna do that anyways,” Jones said. “You know, if someone wants to do something, they’re gonna find a way to do it, but giving them a safe environment to do it in I feel is .. the best case scenario.”

News

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Declining SGA Participation Sparks Conversations About Student Enagement and Administration STELLA DAVIS ‘26 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER

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tudents received numerous emails urging them to vote in Student Government Association (SGA) elections beginning on Feb. 12.However, most of the elections themselves were uncontested and no position had more than two candidates. This year’s election season highlights the decreasing engagement of the student body with SGA. Students were encouraged to cast their ballot for 10 positions including SGA President, Union Board President, ATC Vice-Chairperson, and Civic Engagement Council Chair.

Five races were uncontested and none had more than two candidates.

Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Andrew O’Geen highlighted several potential reasons for the decline in student government participation, including COVID-19 as a possible factor.

“It’s possible that the student culture around participation in SGA elections was one of the things that eroded a little bit during the pandemic,” O’Geen said.

O’Geen also proposed that students may be uncertain of their ability to influence change overall through voting. “It’s definitely possible that people are feeling a little disillusioned not just about national politics but about generally making change.”

O’Geen and newly elected SGA president Connor Hines ‘26 both agreed that one of the main reasons for less SGA participation is a lack of knowledge about how the organization operates and their impact on campus.

“People don’t know what’s going on and so they’re just less likely to partake in it,” Hines said.

This lack of awareness surrounding SGA is reflected in the student body. Ameya Petsch ‘26 is not involved in SGA and

is unclear about their impact on campus.

“The only thing I can think of that they did was putting the allergy list on the Commons screens last year. But other than that, I can’t think of anything else,” Petsch said.

Petsch is not the only one who feels this way. Other students across campus also expressed confusion regarding SGA. Many feel as though they are an influential part of campus, but are not efficient in communicating their efforts

Few students ran for SGA positions this election cycle, and many roles were uncontested. Photo by Davidson College SGA. to the student body.

“I see it [SGA] in my email when they ask me for a survey or when they ask us to vote,” said Luna Noguchi ‘25, a political science major.

“They don’t publicize anything,” Spencer Wolff ‘25, also

a political science major, added. “I think there’s some good and that they’ve [SGA] done things. But I think they need to do a better job of making their impact known.”

Hines recognized that presence is a problem within SGA, and is a likely contributor to the lack of student engagement.

“I think SGA to its own fault has not been very visible with students. And that’s something that I really hope to change,” said Hines.

Alex Chudzik ‘26, former Class of 2026 Class President, questioned if a disconnect between students and administrators contributes to students caring little about systems, like elections, designed to make their voices heard.

“I think if people are in the loop, they might be more invested,” Chudzik said. He also argued that there is “a perception that the administration is generally disconnected from the student body, [...] that even if students create uproar and outcry about something, the administration just doesn’t care.”

Chudzik described the extensive effort that went into SGA’s attempt to make student voices heard and protest the new meal plan requirement, which mandates incoming classes starting with class of 2028 purchase the all-access meal plan for all four years at Davidson. Efforts included a campus-wide survey to evaluate student food insecurity as well as several other projects.

“It was tough now working with President Hicks, but he ultimately decided to institute the change [referring to meal plan change], even after much of the student body signed a petition against the change.”

Chudzick emphasized that the lack of progress that is seen as inaction by the student body is disheartening, and is not wholly representative of SGA. “The work behind the scenes is not necessarily something the whole student body sees,” Chudzik said.

New Position Created for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work

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ALICE ODUM‘26 (SHE/HER) MASON CLINE ‘26 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITERS

avidson has named Dr. Chloe Poston Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She is the first person to hold this newly created position, and will officially join the college administration in June. Poston comes to Davidson from Dartmouth, where she worked as the Vice President of Culture, Belonging, and Strategic Engagement.

Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Anthropology Professor Dr. Fuji Lozada previously served as the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) of DEI. He has worked extensively with students and faculty on equity and inclusion efforts and is excited about bringing Poston to campus and the creation of her position.

The Davidsonian was unable to get in contact with Poston.

However, according to the college website, in her role as VP, Poston will work to strengthen existing DEI efforts and “continue to acknowledge the realities of a community with members from all backgrounds and to help guide the college’s ongoing dedication and effort toward a sense of belonging for all.”

“Many of us have been pushing [for] [...] a VP DEI stand alone, it’s been a dream for many of us — to have someone finally be able to commit [to] full-time work so that all the college can focus on DEI,” Lozada said.

Lozada is naturally involved with DEI work through his administrative work with faculty.

“Now I do a lot of DEI work just because we all do it [...]

So that’s why I’m saying all of us are involved,” said Lozada.

“But my main role as Senior Associate Dean of Faculty is to make sure our faculty are developing and supported.”

Interim Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer for DEI Dr. Melissa González is also optimistic about Dr. Poston and the future of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Davidson.

González’s role as Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, a position they assumed after serving as the Acting Assistant Dean of DEI in academic affairs, includes guiding Poston’s transition into her new role.

“The VP of DEI is a VP-level role, which means as high up as you can get in the hierarchy, below the president,” said González. They emphasized that the role involves, “[...] having a cross-divisional job description [...], not just primarily an academic affairs [...] but really bringing together

Dr. Chloe Poston is assuming postition of VP of DEI this summer. Photo by Davidson College News. the DEI work happening in all the different divisions.”

González noted that their temporary role with DEI has been a difficult yet rewarding experience.

“It’s been a challenge. It’s been a new challenge for me but it’s been also really productive,” González said.“I’m really excited to go back to the classroom.”

The search process for the new VP involved an external search committee which was composed of Davidson faculty members and students involved in DEI. “There was a committee that was appointed by President Hicks and there was also a search firm,” Lozada said. “We worked with a search firm and a position was crafted. The search firm found candidates, we met as a committee to discuss [...] and in the end, we recommended to the President three finalists.”

González emphasized that “[Poston is] bringing a wealth of expertise here to Davidson, where [...] she has been in roles where they have the structure, and they’re facing this dilemma and so she has just a ton of expertise that she’s bringing [...] that is wonderful.”

González also added that there is true value in this position because “there’s never been a VP voice” and the new role will reflect the integral nature of inclusivity in Davidson’s

identity.

“So in a way…Davidson’s biggest strength when it comes to talking about diversity, equity and inclusion is that it’s firmly rooted in our values and our statement of purpose,” González said. “Our greatest strength at Davidson is that a lot of our DEI work came from the bottom up, from grassroots and from across the college.”

Another growing strength of DEI work at Davidson is the integration of DEI-related curriculum into STEM courses.

Under the direction of faculty members involved in promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, more classes are beginning to integrate DEI-related topics into class discussions and assignments.

“I feel that DEI integration should be more promoted in science-based courses, as oftentimes binary language and harmful language regarding disability is used,” said Daphne Stift ‘26. Stift is currently in a biology seminar titled, “Genetics, Gender Identities, and Disability” and appreciates the course’s emphasis on DEI. “In Dr. Hales’ seminar we take a new approach on genetics, integrating the social model, and attempt to reframe the scientific ways of speaking about genetic conditions,” Stift said. “It has been extremely eye-opening to hear first-person perspectives.”

Stift remarks that while Davidson is making an effort to promote diversity and inclusion on campus, more work needs to be done, especially regarding accessibility issues.

“There is [...] an issue with the Patterson Court Council parties and accessibility,” and “the new path outside Wall, for example,” Stift said.

As the college works to foster an environment of inclusion, Poston will step into a space where much progress can be made.

“There’s more that we can do,” Lozada said., “We have different affinity groups on campus [...] but really, because we were coming from academic affairs, it’s been more focused on the faculty side, so I think this will be good for the college as a whole”.

Lozada believes Poston’s role as VP is important to the culture of the college, but action and conscious efforts from all, students and faculty, a re required to allow Dr. Poston to make a difference.

“We’ve been doing a lot of work, but we really need someone to hold us accountable,” Lozada said, “because all of us should be involved with DEI.”

Features

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College Seeks to Raise Awareness on Eating Disorders AVA MCKINNEY ‘25 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER MADELINE RICHARD ‘26 (SHE/HER) CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF

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tudent Health & Well-Being has taken steps to recognize National Eating Disorders Awareness Month this February. Members of the Davidson community might have noticed that a purple hue has illuminated the exterior of the Student Health & Well-Being building for the past few weeks, and violet pinwheels and body positivity signs dot the campus too. These decorations are not random — they are just one part of Student Health & Well-Being’s advocacy efforts.

The Mental Health Ambassadors (MHAs) are a select group of Davidson students who raise awareness and organize programming about mental health issues, including eating disorders. According to MHA Lily Radtke ‘26, Student Health & Well-Being’s actions align with broader mental health initiatives.

“The ‘lilac ribbon’ is an international movement used to recognize eating disorders and the impact they can have on individuals. This has developed into purple becoming the color associated with eating disorder awareness,” Radtke explained.

“The college has placed these decorations to show that they recognize individuals struggling with an eating disorder or [those who] are in recovery.”

Radtke also pointed out that [Student Health & Well-Being] has taken practical steps to recognize and support eating disorder survivors this past month. “[Student Health & Well-Being] has put on several events and hosted several conversations related to Eating Disorders Awareness Month,” Radtke said.

Campus dietitian Elizabeth Allred explained what some of these events were.

“We will have an awareness exhibit in the Union with some posters,” she explained. “There is [also] a QR code where you could do a little assessment to see where you stand with your relationship with food and body.”

“We [had] an event [...] in Commons [where students] spun a Wheel of Love [...] to win prizes,” Allred added. “A big purpose of [that] is to have people pause for a minute and [recognize] something positive about themselves about their bodies, something they appreciate.”

According to the Eating Recovery Center, a nationwide eating disorder treatment organization, approximately 10-20% of female college students and 4-10% of male college students have eating disorders. “Even if you think disordered eating or body image does not affect you, its widespread nature likely affects someone you know,” president of the MHAs Addie Anderson ‘24 said.

Anderson also emphasized that the impacts of having an eating disorder are wide-ranging.

“Eating disorders have the highest death rate of any mental health illness,” Anderson said. “These disorders affect the body and the mind, infiltrating all aspects of life for an individual

Pinwheels spin outside of the Student Center for Health and Well-being. Photo by Madeline Richard ‘26. experiencing it.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, eating disorders are associated with other mental health disorders — like anxiety and depression — and can cause malnutrition that has lasting effects on individuals’ bones, hearts, digestive systems, and other organs.

Health advisor Ella West ‘26 feels that educating the Davidson community about eating disorders is a crucial part of mental health advocacy.

“I think eating disorder awareness is so incredibly important, particularly in the age of social media. Even those who may not actively have an eating disorder may have some disordered eating habits,” West said.

Anderson further stresses the value of observing National Eating Disorders Awareness Month.

“Having a month dedicated to spreading awareness of signs, symptoms, impact, and resources is valuable for a lot of reasons – not only to increase awareness, but also because the age group of college students are at increased risk, and because these disorders thrive on secrecy,” Anderson said.

Likewise, Allred suggests that recognizing National Eating Disorders Awareness Month can spark necessary discussions and remove the shame around eating disorders.

“Eating disorders can be a very silent thing to deal with,” Allred said. “[Student Health & Well-Being is] really just sort of trying to chip away at the stigma of [eating disorders].”

Despite the good intentions behind and importance of Student Health & Well-Being’s efforts, some students have been

Crime Log Time Reported

Description/Location

02/16/24 01:01 hrs

Assault Offense: Simple Assault Armfield, Inactive

02/16/24 13:40 hrs

Burglary Offenses: Breaking or Entering Vehicle (x2) Larceny Offense: Felony Larceny Knobloch Center, Further Investigation

02/17/24 22:38 hrs

02/18/24 20:10 hrs

Burglary Offenses: Breaking or Entering Vehicle Larceny Offense: Misdemeanor Larceny

Larceny Offense: (Misdemeanor Larceny) Watts, Inactive

confused by their advocacy.

“I did notice the pinwheels and the lights, but I had no idea that they were for Eating Disorders Awareness Month [...] I have noticed signs that seemed to be more about body positivity, but I did not connect the two,” Emily Smith ‘26 said.

Ellie Wilcox ‘26 presumed that the decorations were part of Eating Disorders Awareness Month but was unaware of the other work Student Health & Well-Being was doing.

“I remember seeing that one of the pinwheels by the flagpole said Eating Disorders Awareness Month events, so I assumed that the purple was associated with that,” Wilcox said.

Wilcox mentioned that she “[has not] heard that much about [Eating Disorders Awareness Month” beyond the pinwheels and lights. She believes that additional information might have made Student Health & Well-Being’s intentions more evident.

“They could have sent out more communication about [Eating Disorders Awareness Month] to make the message more clear,” Wilcox said. “I just don’t think they explained what it was very well.”

Radtke also feels that the college could have been more transparent about the goals behind the decorations.

“The meaning behind these decorations should have been made more clear,” Radtke said. “This might look like sending out an email about the importance of this month or doing a tabling event in Commons that brings awareness to this month.”

Students’ busy schedules might have discouraged them from attending Eating Disorders Awareness Month efforts as well, representing another challenge.

“Students are so focused on their school work or have other commitments that make it difficult for them to attend these events,” Radtke said. “The mental health ambassadors run into similar problems when we host events. Many students feel like taking a break from their school work would make them more stressed.”

Despite this challenge, Radtke remains positive about future advocacy efforts.

“The college has done a good job creating awareness events, and I am hopeful that as we continue to host more and more events, more and more students [will] start to attend these events,” Radtke said.

Like Radtke, Anderson trusts that Davidson can support individuals experiencing eating disorders, body image issues, or mental health struggles more generally. Yet she also encourages community members to hold themselves accountable and take an active role in advocacy.

“There are always ways we can be better in supporting individuals and peers,” Anderson said. “While the Health Center, MHAs, and Health Advisors work to promote events, information, and resources via social media, visuals around campus, events, and word of mouth, we all have our part to play in terms of destigmatizing and promoting [conversations about mental health].”

Perspectives

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Social Life at Davidson is Changing for the Worse

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LUCA LOVRICH ‘25 (HE/HIM)

erfection is rarely attainable. Was the party scene at Davidson ever perfect? Definitely not. Talk to any Davidson student on any random day, and they will agree. “Why did Campus Police (CAMPO) take away my Keystone?” “Why do the frats never play any Harry Styles?”

“Why does the KSIG apartment have no air conditioning?”

Despite the minor complaints students had, there was a system. And it worked. In the days of Warner Wednesday’s and Wine and Cheese, students knew where and when to go in an attempt to blow off steam and enjoy the college experience; a stark contrast from the daytime where they spend their time fixated on Descartes, chemical compounds, or the works of Jane Austen.

In the original system, house parties at fraternities and eating houses lasted from their start time until midnight, then the fun took a short walk past Nummit (where the occasional quesadilla could be had) and down to Armfield Court (F). Here, frat apartments would play music and host every student who wished to join until two in the morning.

The hidden gem behind this whole operation was CAMPO’s protection of students. In my opinion, the school acted in a way that accepted that college kids inevitably find ways to drink alcohol; their solution was to protect rather than to punish. However, Davidson recently made moves in an attempt to stop these behaviors, putting more students at risk.

The key cause of concern with shutting down F is the lack of on campus party opportunities available for students. As a result, this forces them to find parties off campus. What’s scary here is the transportation to these places. If a student chooses to walk to off campus parties, they will be out in the

elements for half an hour given the size of Davidson. While this isn’t a bad walk during the daytime, it is a different story at night. Students can be targets to any force that chooses to find them in the dark. With the added force of alcohol, a simple walk through the woods or across a street can easily become more dangerous and possibly life threatening.

The second likely option for transportation are cars. While the Davidson safe ride van is an amazing service, there is limited capacity. Students can also call Ubers, but there is a lack of availability at 2 AM (and in Davidson in general).

This, unfortunately, leaves driving as the last option. It is naïve to think that people will not drive drunk. Remarkably naïve. Astonishingly naïve. Students will think the short distance of the drive makes up for their sobriety. That is not the case. College students are known for making dumb mistakes, but these mistakes used to be tripping on the walk home from F, instead of driving home intoxicated, possibly ruining or ending a life.

Not only are students being forced off campus, but the on-campus parties are encouraging unsafe drinking habits.

While not everything in the new policy is bad, such as making 21+ cat cards mandatory in order to get alcohol at the parties, other rules cause new problems. For example, it is absurd to not let in any open and closed containers at all. Many students go to parties sober and bring in water or some other beverage to stay hydrated. When the heat and humidity of many bodies dancing to ABBA gets overwhelming, it is necessary to hydrate, especially since water fountains are often hidden or not easily accessible in the houses. Secondly, students who wish to drink will inevitably drink more, faster, and in a shorter period if they know they cannot bring a drink to a party. This will increase binge drinking at pre games and there will be increases in unhealthy nights and blackouts for students trying to feel the

same buzz in a shorter period.

The kicker – there’s no way to bring in water to help these students sober up!

The old way to party was nearly perfect. The question leaving me and so many other students bewildered is, what changed? If anything, the college is losing a fantastic selling point to parents worried that their children will be unsafe while having fun. There was no inciting incident, no issue…why? Noise complaints? Overcrowded apartments? Davidson College, what happened? As much as administration tries, drinking will not be stopped in college.

It is a part of college life, and more than that it is a part of adult life. It’s important that safe habits are encouraged by the administration, so students create good habits to set up their futures. Open F. Allow containers into parties. It’s very simple, so please give us the old system back.

Staying on Campus: A New Lens of Junior Fall

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NATALIE RUSSELL ‘25 (SHE/HER)

s I was driving to campus for my third year at Davidson, memories of freshman move-in flooded my mind.

Two years earlier, there was a singular mantra that could calm my nerves: “I will never have to do this again.” After all, I only needed to settle into my dorm room, survive orientation, and make a handful of friends once. For two years, this idea held true. Once I got the hard part of moving away from home over with, Davidson became my home.

For my third time moving to Davidson, I didn’t need Google Maps to tell me which exits to take. My CatCard was ready to reenter my phone wallet rotation, and I already knew which stairwell in my dorm building was most efficient for move-in. But while I headed west on I-40, all of my friends were on airplanes pointed in the opposite direction. An eerie and unfamiliar campus awaited my arrival, feeling strangely like freshman move-in all over again. I was entering completely uncharted territory – the buildings looked the same, but all I could focus on was the absence of nearly everyone I’d come to know.

Junior fall is synonymous with studying abroad for the vast majority of Davidson students. It’s a near-universal experience, so much that opting out can feel like you’re doing something totally unprecedented.

Unless you are an athlete or on the pre-med track, the common assumption is that you will be uprooting your college experience and heading to a new corner of the world during your fifth semester. Conversations leading up to the summer weren’t about whether or not you were going abroad, but instead about which country you had chosen to make home for four months. Unlike many other colleges and universities where studying abroad is seen as a privilege, at Davidson, it often feels taken for granted, as it is so deeply ingrained into our college

experiences.

Because of these factors, staying on campus never felt like an option – until it did. As I talked with my friends about choosing a program, the reasoning behind their choices felt so foreign from my own feelings. For the first time since I’d chosen to come to Davidson, I was forced to truly reflect upon what I wanted to get out of my college experience. During this time, every conversation I had with myself and others consisted solely of my own justifications for why I should go abroad. It wasn’t until one of my professors called me out – “It sounds like you’re doing this solely out of obligation” – that I even entertained the possibility of staying on campus. It was terrifying.

Davidson is about the people, and nothing was more frightening than being here for four months without the relationships that had shaped this place for me.

I realized that staying on campus wasn’t just a default decision, but instead a deliberate choice rooted in the understanding that if studying abroad wasn’t something I personally yearned to do, then it made no sense for me to go. I needed to embrace the notion that staying put was just as valid and enriching of an option for me, rather than succumbing to the pressure of a seemingly universal experience. This decision wasn’t one I took lightly; it felt like swimming against a current so strong it threatened to sweep me away at any moment. Nearly everyone I talked to met me with puzzled looks and big questions: “What will you even do here?” “But don’t you have FOMO?” “What’s your real reason for staying?” The pressure to follow the familiar path of my friends was immense, but for some bizarre reason, I never felt even a bit of doubt after making my decision. There was an inexplicable sense of excitement constantly fending off the fears I had about what the next semester held.

In the weeks leading up to junior fall, as my friends eagerly planned their adventures

abroad, I found myself grappling with an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty. The unknowns of what junior fall would look like felt even bigger than my feelings from the summer before freshman year. This school had become my sanctuary – a place where my relationships helped me feel heard, understood, and valued. The thought of navigating Davidson, such a formative space, without the familiar faces that had shaped it for me was absolutely frightening.

It wasn’t about “missing out” on the adventures abroad; it was about facing the unknown and confronting the fear of being alone in a place that had come to mean so much to me.

Yet, the optimism of what an extra semester on campus held for me was like a ray of light, and my nerves became deeply intertwined with an excitement for my own junior fall.

Staying on campus was the tangible result of so many things I was wildly proud of – for the first time, I felt like I was truly in touch with myself. I’d made a choice born not out of obligation or fear, but instead out of a desire to chart my own course, to lean into the parts of the world that mean the most to me. I was ready to embrace the fullness of my Davidson experience on my own terms: I found myself exploring corners of campus I’d never ventured before, smiling at strangers who would eventually become cherished friends, and immersing myself in activities I’d previously overlooked. When put together, these pieces made it easy to reframe the mindset that I’d taken “the easy way out,” instead highlighting the choice I’d made to dive headfirst into a major opportunity for growth.

As time inevitably passed and junior fall came to an end, I watched with pride as my friends returned from their time in faraway places. I was eager to hear everything about their experiences and unforgettable adventures – but also couldn’t wait to share my own stories, from a land that felt even

more foreign than another continent. Every tear-filled reunion was underscored with profound gratitude for the decision I’d made to honor my own priorities. The moments of overwhelm from existing in a completely new space were far outnumbered by the moments of selfdiscovery, relationship-building, and fun.

Straying from the comfortable path wasn’t just about defying expectations; it was about reclaiming ownership of my Davidson experience and the trajectory of my life.

Sports

5

Baseball, Golf, and Lacrosse Begin Spring Campaigns CAMERON UNICE ‘27 (SHE/HER) LOGAN JAIN ‘26 (HE/HIM) STAFF WRITERS

W

hile basketball may be drawing to a close, Davidson College’s spring sports are in full swing.

Men’s baseball, women’s lacrosse, and men’s golf opened the week of February 10th. These first match-ups gave a sneak peek into the upcoming seasons and what can be expected from each team. The Davidsonian spoke with head coaches Rucker Taylor (baseball), Kim Wayne (lacrosse), and Tim Straub (golf) to glean insight into the aspirations of each team and what each coach sees as critical to success.

The baseball team opened on Friday, February 16th, versus Morehead State. After the three-game series, with the team playing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Davidson exited the weekend with a 1-2 record. The team will have two days to recover and adjust before playing Charlotte on February 20th. After some consistent practices in the spring, Coach Rucker Taylor hopes to capitalize on the team’s cohesion to start the season off strong.

He wants the team to “play with confidence… that’s easier said than done… nerves are real.”

Cooper Cavanaugh ‘27 struck out 9 batters in his collegiate debut. Photo by Jeff Sochko.

Captain Jake Wilhoit ‘24 says that he tells freshmen on the team to “go have fun. At the end of the day, no one is going to look back in twenty years and say dang, you really sucked… just go out and play the game you love.”

Last season, after losing all four captains to injury, the team rallied and finished 2nd at the Atlantic-10 Conference Championships. Coach Taylor explained that the injuries forced some younger players into the limelight, preparing them for this season with new leadership skills. “It puts some younger players in unique positions, unique roles that I think will help this year.”

While the team lost some of their star power last year to the MLB draft, namely Ryan Wilson ‘24 and Michael Carico ‘24, Wilhoit expresses excitement about the solid chemistry the team has this year. He says that “everybody knows the role they fit into, which is extremely valuable in winning.” The baseball team will need that chemistry to make it to the A-10

Championship, which will be played on May 21st in Virginia.

The lacrosse team’s opening game took place on Saturday, February 10th, at Clemson’s new lacrosse complex. Clemson, who is ranked #23 in the nation, was a daunting prospect to face.

Last year, in their first four games, Clemson’s team allowed only 7 goals to be scored against them. However, thanks to both old faces and new, Davidson’s team scored 10 goals.

Both Julianne Carey ‘24 and Coach Kim Wayne agree that the opening game was a learning experience, and the team will take the lessons they learned and apply them to their games at Winthrop, on February 14th, and Stetson, on February 18th.

Coach Kim Wayne was slightly disappointed in the number of turnovers the team gave up during the Clemson game, saying that in a previous scrimmage against High Point, “we only had one turnover in transition [during the scrimmage]… so a lot of it was just mental errors, just not thinking about what we were doing.”

However, Wayne is excited about what this game hints at for the rest of the season. “I love seeing Brooke Ross go out there and play like she’s a senior… like she’s got zero cares in the world. That’s what makes me the happiest,” Wayne said.

While the first half of the upcoming season will be spent trying players in new positions and solidifying a line up, the second

into NCAA regionals. Both Will Davis ‘25, a captain of the team, and head coach Tim Straub explained that the Mobile tournament proved that this year’s golf team can play with anybody. After the first round, the team was ahead of two Top 20 teams in the country. Davis explains that “getting that belief that you can do it and play with the best teams in the country is very important for the rest of the season.”

Davidson’s golf team has been a fierce competitor in the Atlantic-10 conference, winning four titles in the past five years.

Coach Tim Straub explains that a challenge this season will be managing these high expectations, as not every tournament will produce winning results. Davis ‘25 likes to focus on “the idea of getting 1 percent better every day” and tells the younger players on the team that patience is key. It’s especially important this year, as a freshman and sophomore presence is felt on the team. Both Davis ‘25 and Coach Tim Straub are excited about the implications of the age of the team, but this year will allow them “to grow and develop and get more experience.” Be on the lookout as the team heads to Raleigh on February 24th, as their momentum builds and they head to A-10s.

All three coaches approach their sport in a multitude of ways since baseball, lacrosse, and golf all require a mental headspace greater than skill alone. Wayne tells her players that the best

Riley Cochrane ‘25 makes a pass against Winthrop. Photo by Tim Cowie.

Will Davis ‘25 stares down a putt in Mobile. Photo by Tim Cowie.

half is what matters. The lacrosse teams in the Atlantic-10 Conference, namely St. Joseph’s, University of MassachusettsAmherst, and University of Richmond, have dominated the A-10 Championships over the past 5 years. Carey emphasizes the team motto of “day-by-day,” meaning “taking everything play-by-play… focusing on the little things.” The concentration on this, as well as this team’s intensity, aggressiveness, and chemistry, promises an exciting outcome by the end of the season.

The Davidson golf team opened on February 12th, at the Hal Williams Collegiate in Mobile, Alabama. The team started off with a bang, finishing 4th in a lineup of nationally ranked teams.

Two golfers, Will Davis ‘25 and Joshua Stewart ‘26, finished individually within the top 20, out of a field of more than eighty competitors. After the team’s two back-to-back Atlantic-10 Conference wins, the goal this year is to move that momentum

thing they can do is smile; Straub emphasizes consistency; Taylor preaches about confidence and enjoyment and reminds his players that they are all people as well as athletes. The upcoming spring season will be one to watch for these teams.

Women’s Basketball Standings

Standings Update

Team

St. Joe’s Richmond Duquesne VCU George Mason Rhode Island Davidson St. Louis Loyola Chicago Fordham Dayton La Salle

W

L

STK PCT

13 13 12 11 11 9 8 6 6 5 4 4

1 1 3 3 3 6 6 8 9 9 10 10

W11 W6 W5 W1 W1 W2 L1 L1 L3 W3 L3 L5

.929

.929 .800 .786 .786 .600 .571 .429 .400 .357 .286 .286

Davidson Women’s Basketball Senior Spotlight Video

Arts and Entertainment 6 Root Awakening Fashion Show Celebrates Black Culture, Excellence SAVANNAH SORAGHAN ‘27 SHE/HER STAFF WRITER

I

n honor of February being Black History Month, the Davidson student body has organized a multitude of events.

To celebrate Black fashion, culture, and excellence, student organizations collaborated to host the Root Awakening Fashion Show.

RootAwakening first started at Davidson as a fundraiser for Lupus, but it later evolved into a Black History Month celebration. And now, it is an annual showcase of the creativity of Davidson students.

The Black Student Coalition (BSC), Davidson Fashion Club, and the Tau Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated all came together to put on the show.

“We are proudly presenting the BSC’s finest to honor culture through casual wear, NPHC paraphernalia, and cultural wear.

Come see your favorite Davidson fashionistas walk on the runway” read a caption on the BSC Instagram.

Lyric Bailey ‘26, the Black History Month Chair, and Ted Pasquette ‘24, founder of the Davidson Fashion Club, were the main organizers. “The planning process was a lot, a lot of sending emails… but it was definitely worth it,” Bailey said.

At its core, Root Awakening was a celebration of student individuality. All the outfits were put together by the models and everyone selected a different song to play while they walked. The runway saw everything from catwalks to the AKA stroll.

“We wanted to fully encompass Black culture in its different facets, especially as it’s represented on campus,” Bailey said.

The show took place in Alvarez College Union on February 15th. The runway opened with general looks from BSC members including Danseh Yanou ‘27, Nasir Jean-Paul ‘24 and Aaron Carey ‘27. Carey is the founder of the clothing brand Lone Star and wore his brand jackets on the runway, showcasing the show’s goal of uplifting individual creativity.

Next was the cultural section. Here, audience members were

Students stroll the runway at the Root Awakening Fashion Show. Photo by Romeo Norris ‘27. able to see the diversity of the Davidson student body. Naya Falu-Pasante ‘27 and Jayden Carambot ‘24 walked the runway together and demonstrated their Puerto Rican heritage.

“I did the cultural section because, being here, it isn’t an everyday thing to get to show-off your culture and even though it was out of my comfort zone, it was really fun,” Falu-Pasante said.

There were also contributions from other National PanHellenic Council (NPHC) groups. The Sigma Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (AKA) and the Upsilon Mu Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated (DST) members were involved in the show. Both sororities are

historically Black and brought their chapters’ unique fashions to Root Awakening.

Jay Wheeler ‘24 represented the Upsilon Mu Chapter of DST, which was first chartered on the Davidson campus on March 27, 2011. She wore a red and black tracksuit that read “DELTA SIGMA THETA” on the back.

Rodney Wimbush ‘26 and Kellyn West ‘25 walked the runway representing the Pi Mu Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. The Pi Mu Chapter was chartered on the Davidson Campus on September 23, 2008. The two wore the Kappa Alpha Psi Official Krimson color blazers, which include the fraternity’s coat of arms on the front right.

The last NPHC organization to walk was the Tau Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Founded in 1906 at Cornell University, Alpha Phi Alpha is the oldest intercollegiate historically Black fraternity. Pasquette and Jean-Paul walked the runway, both coming down the catwalk wearing jackets in the fraternity’s official Pacelli Yellow color.

In addition to clothing, the sororities and fraternities shook up the typical runway style walk with strolling. Strolling is a cultural tradition for NPHC organizations and it typically includes a step routine that represents the bonds between members. At the end of the show, all the groups came together and strolled.

“We wanted to incorporate everybody else in NPHC so we played ‘Wipe Me Down’ at the end, which is one of those songs that we normally all stroll to together” Pasquette said.

Root Awakening was a celebration of Black excellence, which will be continuing throughout the remainder of February.

Students should be on the lookout for more Black History Month events such as the John C. Smith band, Black Career Building Workshops, movie showings, and Silent Library.

Savannah Soraghan (she/her) is an Anthropology major from Winston-Salem, NC and can be reached for comment at sasoraghan@davidson.edu

Quilting Community: Artist Hosts Collaborative Workshop

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JOSIE SWAIN ‘27 SHE/HER STAFF WRITER

n the third Thursday of February, students packed into room 201 of the Katherine and Tom Belk Visual Arts Center (VAC) to participate in a collaborative quilting workshop with Ashville-based textile artist Erika Diamond. Students worked together to stitch a quilt that will decorate the Lavender Lounge, the safe space for LGBTQ+ students on campus. This community piece is an extension of Diamond’s feature in the exhibition The sun still rises in spite of everything, which is currently displayed in the Van Every Gallery in the VAC. Diamond found inspiration for her quilt in her observation of the disproportionate challenges to queer youth in the United States. Around twenty percent of America’s youth identifies as LGBTQ+ and, of this population, about 40% face housing insecurity. Through her work, Diamond hopes to “reference the home and the comforts of home to raise awareness to who has access to that comfort and who doesn’t.”

The design of the project incorporates the state quilt pattern of North Carolina modified into the shape of little pink houses, drawing attention to the issues surrounding queer youth home insecurity and safety.

Students at the event sewed squares for the quilt using a variety of fabrics from Joanne’s Fabric Pride Collection.

“In one way it’s a nod to how much representation there is now… but it’s ironic as there is still so much anti-LGBTQ legislation being passed,” Diamon said.

She also noted the symbolic significance of quilts as a medium for this project.

“Quilts offer protection and comfort so I wanted to riff off of that to show who gets to feel comfortable.”

Diamond visited Davidon on Feb. 15. Photo from Erika Diamond.

Diamond’s piece (In)Visibility Hoodie hangs in the VAC. Photo by Echard Wheeler.

Diamond’s work emphasizes the important role of community in uplifting queer youth and has incorporated this aspect of engagement in many of her recent works.

“The connection to make something for a queer safe space on campus felt really important to me” Diamond said. The group participation in this project for the Lavender Lounge gave students the opportunity to do more than just “talk about the facts” of the issues explored in the piece, “but to actively make a difference.”

Many students hopped on the opportunity to get involved.

“When I saw an art quilter was coming to campus I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn more and take advantage of Davidson’s art programs,” Julia Carey ‘27 said.

Carey is a long time lover of quilting and was excited to see the college offer an opportunity that highlighted one of her interests and gave back to LGBTQ+ students. While stitching together fabric houses, Carey reflected on the communal value of projects like this one.

“I think this project is a really important way to reflect on issues harming LGBTQ+ youth while creating something that is going to our own LGBTQ+ community on campus.”

The event brought together both experienced quilters and sewing newbies alike. Alana Wilson ‘24 is involved in the arts at Davidson and spends much of her free time in the VAC, but had limited sewing experience before Diamond’s workshop.

Wilson appreciated the openness the artist

had to working with and teaching students about her medium.

“I have been to a lot of different art events with a lot of different artists… I love that the artists want to engage with students, it’s pretty special.”

Wilson applauded the artist for her involvement of Davidson College students in her project.

“I think it’s great to combine the arts with the queer community and to have the artist here to talk about her work and mission… this is a really good community building opportunity.”

Sarah Willoughby ‘25 was the student in charge of organizing the event through the Van Every/Smith galleries. Willoughby was inspired to help put together this event as “there’s definitely not enough queer representation on campus”. While gallery exhibits on queer issues are important, Willoughby believes that engagement events like this quilting experience draw in more students and make queer individuals more visible on campus as a result. She believes these events are creating a much needed safe space for LGBTQ+ students who may not be out yet.

Diamond will be showcasing her work as a part of the exhibit The sun still rises in spite of everything in the VAC until April 7th. Her contributions consist of three pieces made of mirror vinyl including a hoodie, a backpack, and a quilt. These pieces aim to bring attention to the challenges of visibility and safety that young LGBTQ+ individuals face today in America.

Josie Swain ‘27 (She/Her) is from Atlanta, GA and can be reached for comment at joswain@davidson.edu

Living Davidson

Crossword Approximate Cause

7

Crosswords by Victor Fleming ‘73

Across 1 Toon’s reply to a punch 4 Pre-med major’s exam (abbr.)

8 Canadian Plains tribe 12 Scottish denial 13 Zesty condiment 14 Economic news 15 Start of traffic court testimony 17 Librettist Gaetano 18 Cast more ballots than 19 Part 2 of the testimony 21 Francophone Studies assent?

22 Episcopal church group 23 Part 3 of the testimony 29 “Neigh!” sayer 30 Years of Hispanic Studies?

31 Relate 35 “Aladdin” prince 36 Political Science Professor Susan 39 “Bad Behavior” star Stephen 40 Bobbsey, Goldin and Martin 42 Ranks below gens.

43 Third-stringers 45 Part 4 of the testimony 48 Biological ring 51 ___S (letters denoting an org. concerned with letters) 52 Part 5 of the testimony 54 Patella 58 “All joking ___ ...”

59 End of the testimony 61 Fast start?

62 Nouveau ___ 63 ___ Lanka 64 Hardly hard 65 “Out of the Inkwell” clown 66 Pay___ (e-commerce facilitator)

Down 1 Word after catch or log

2 Honolulu’s island 3 Centipede’s multitude

4 Martha “___” Franklin (aka Spi der-Woman) 5 Airhead’s lack?

6 Simile’s middle 7 Absorbent powder

8 Upset with 9 “Start over” button

10 CNN’s David 11 Enlighten

13 One wielding an SOS pad 14 Adjusts accurately

16 Admits bluntly

20 Cry from a crow’s nest 23 Larger ___ life

24 Hispanic Studies greeting 25 “The Auld Sod,” poetically

26 Early North American explorer 27 Sound at sundown

28 Far from better 32 “... ___ saw Elba”

33 What Jack Sprat’s spouse couldn’t eat

34 “Kundun” extra 37 Assemblage of eight 38 Casual “Beg your pardon” alternative 41 Stretch with little to do 44 Universal donor’s blood 46 “So sue me” preceder, maybe ANSWERS TO LAST 47 Very eager CROSSWORD! 48 Have ___ of the jitters 49 Bob Marley fan TIMELY ADVICE 50 Cat Nation 53 “Listen,” quaintly 54 Go for a field goal 55 Astrological marker 56 Trac II alternative 57 “Punxsutawney ___” 60 Book jacket blurb, often

H

Campus Celebrity - Remembering Elliott Jones BEN PEAKE ‘25 (HE/HIM)

ow do we remember history’s greatest people? Through monuments, museums, and various remembrances, our society has memorialized the best our species has to offer. Davidson’s campus contains libraries and professors full of knowledge about humanity’s storied past, and Google can easily catch users up to speed on any historical event. But one student, one extraordinary man, has lived that past and been gracious enough to allow his friend to document it for us.

One evening during Davidson’s 2022 spring semester, current juniors Elliott Jones and Michael Mitchum were sitting in Vail Commons. Elliott was entertaining Michael with stories of the Lincoln era and the Civil War. Michael frequently jokes about his friend’s elderly nature and interests. “This guy has basically lived through all of history,” says Michael. But he wondered if it was truly real, or if he could, at the very least, make it real. A few button presses later, and the el_jones_94 Instagram account was born.

Michael became the man responsible for chronicling (and editing) Elliott’s adventures. While Michael was not originally adept at photoshop, he quickly learned how to expertly add Elliott into famous historical events. Michael was and is the sole contributor of the page, creating a written excerpt in the voice of Elliott to go along with each post. Elliott, of course, corrects the grammatical errors. And he has truly been everywhere and everywhen.

A deep dive into the account tells us that Elliott Jones was born at some point before 1323 BC, as that is the most ancient date posted. This was the year when Elliott fell asleep in King Tut’s tomb and didn’t wake up for 3,246 years. Like many great figures in history, Elliott’s life contains conflicting reports about whether or not he was truly present at certain events and when and where he was seen next. While he states that he didn’t wake up until 1923, his appearance at the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC and his work as a historical advisor and model for Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam,” among other events, are all clear pieces of evidence against his long nap. It makes sense that his story would be largely shrouded in mystery and the subject of scholarly debate (how has Elliott lived this long?), as he claims that the Loch Ness Monster, a similarly inexplicable being, is his pet. Although this photo is still an unconfirmed sighting, the Instagram page contains a picture of Elliott and the legendary monster

that was taken in 1933.

One relationship in Elliott’s long, long life that is extremely well-recorded is his friendship with Abraham Lincoln.

From Lincoln’s birth all the way up to his assassination, Elliott stood by and was photographed with his best friend at many important points in history. Whether it be at the Gettysburg Address or the Battle of Antietam, the two seemed inseparable. Based on his captions, it appears that Elliott was the driving force behind Lincoln attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., where John Wilkes Booth shot the 16th president of the United States. Strangely, it looks like Elliott really wanted Lincoln to visit that theater, according to multiple captions. A possible conspiracy? That’s a story for another day.

What is Elliott up to now? From what we can gather, he seems to have been a student at Davidson College for a long time.

Part of the 2007-2008 Davidson Wildcats Men’s Basketball team, Elliott helped Stephen Curry and the squad make the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament that season. Since he is a current junior 17 years later, one has to question his academic prowess, despite his wisdom. As for the el_jones_94 account, Michael is unsure if it will continue, either on Instagram or a different social media platform. However, if Elliott can revive himself from actually dying on a battlefield (check the post), who’s to say that the page won’t also make a triumphant return? This writer sure hopes so.

EMAIL BEPEAKE@DAVIDSON.EDU TO NOMINATE ANOTHER CAMPUS CELEBRITY!

' ( / 7 $ < $ : 1 % 5 $ 7 $ 9 $ , / 2 6 + $ ( $ 9 ( / , 2 1 6 7 ( 7 1 ( : 7 2 6 7 ( 1 2 $ 1 < 8 6 ( 2 ) 7 ( 6 7 6 9 $ 7 ' 8 1 $ , 5 ( 4 8 , 5 ( 6 0 , 5 1 ( 5 8 ' $ ( ' 8 & 5 ( 3 2 ( 1 1 ( $ 0 $ ( 6 6 3 5 , 7 ( 6 , 7 ( 5 & $ & $ 8 7 , 2 1 $ 1 ' 0 6 * $ 0 , / ( $ 5 3 6 ( ( < $ + 8 0 , / , 7 < % ( $ 5 ' 2 1 ( ( $ 1 1 ( 5 $ 1 * $ 1 ( 5 $ % $ ' ( $ 6 6 7 5 8 ' ( 6 $ 5 $ +

The

Yowl

Irreverent student journalism since 2004. Castigat Ridendo Mores.

inside

yowl.com/lastminute

How to Change Your Date of Birth After Horoscope Reveals You’re Such a Little Bitch Page No More Aries

The Whoops Issue

February 21, 2024

Internal Student Club Drama Mirrors Real World Political Issues Page Inforgraphic Time

Valentines Day Review: Just a regular wednesday for you, loser Page No Situationship?

Fiji revival shows that you should bribe the yowl editors for positive coverage Page Conflict of Interest

More Frat Pledge Ideas

Become a Yowl Editor and We’ll Add You to a Varsity Team

F

olks, we’re going to be entirely honest: we had to write this entire paper in a single hour on publication day and still submitted it after every other section. The Davidsonian staff has told us that they’re “tired of our hijinks and shenanigans” and informed us that we need to start actually planning more than an hour ahead. Suffice to say that at one point the iconic quote of “I Cannot Sanction your buffoonery” was used towards our writing staff and not to the Jim Carrey Riddler. Frankly, the productivity of the Yowl has fallen off precipitously after just 4 weeks. We’re willing to let you in on a secret and offer you a great deal. The Yowl really has the power of the deep state: we’ve been able to place an editor on the D1 Women’s basketball team this week. Just think: If you join us and write us a couple articles you too can get a free weekend to Kinston, Rhode Island!

• •

That’s right: We officially placed an editor on a D1 team last week just because we can. Do you want one of those little dumb scooters everyone drives across campus? We can add you to baseball or football if you want. It’s not like the football team has allocated scholarships anyways, we can just add you to the team as another kicker if you really want, the Yowl deep state has all kinds of connections and no money, much like a football team in our conference! All this deal requires is two to three years of writing Yowl articles each week. You will receive almost 0 positive feedback or recognition (we do keep every article anonymous still) but just think of the joy you can feel in senior spring when we land you a job as a player on a team. We pulled some strings to get an editor on a team less than a week ago and she’s already been around for the same number of conference wins that the Field Hockey team got over the entire season.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Marriage Pact for Third Wheels Announced: Interloper Pact

A

fter the Marriage Pact released, you may have been too preoccupied with experience either complete and utter disgust or a brand new revelation to have seen the announcement is turning into a full blown algorithm app sign-up thing—honestly I immediately deleted the email when I saw it and was only informed later by word of mouth. Anyways, the new new Marriage Pact is exclusive for couples only, pre- or post- Marriage Pact and sets you up with the perfect third wheel to squeak behind you as you and your new link get sneaky. Unlike the new, lengthier algorithm the Marriage Pact is setting up, this program will feature no waiting list.

The 112 heterosexual women who filled out the Pact with no matches will be first in line. If you hated the fact that you got matched with someone only as a friend last time, then great news: you get to be matched with two new friends this time. If it feels like all of your friends are suddenly starting to date your other friends and you’re stuck in the middle then you’re an ideal addition to Marriage Pact 3: Third Wheel Pact. As part of this program you get assigned a couple to follow around and slightly inconvenience. This school has too many happy couples and they’re making it our business too often, if you join the Interloper Pact you can help address this problem. Pact members will be able to contact and ultimately intervene in the romantic life of their couple. You can be involved in everything from sitting right between your assigned couple on movie dates to interrupting their walks at night.

The creators of the third Marriage Pact have seen that the algorithm not in fact helped create any couples in the previous two iterations and have decided that the most effective course of action is to lean into this and deliberately try to sabotage more pairings. Couples here have had it too good for too long, sign up for the third version of the marriage pact and this time around you can actually add to the pool of single people you could date on this campus. A leaderboard will actively track who has broken up or inconvenienced the most couples. If you succeed in undermining the marriage prospects of a couple you will be given a new assignment, with the current model mirroring the current senior assassin format. Participants that have done the most long term damage to the fabric of relationships and players that have awkwardly stood around the largest number of couples will be given priority registration in the inevitable relaunch of the Marriage Pact once

Still Wanted: Interesting Student Groups on Campus to Write About Page Not FIJI this time

Travel to the Lost City of El Dorado Return to your study abroad city to avoid having to have a new experience Have a sleepover in the unlocked rooms abandoned by other people leaving for vacation Gastonia, North Carolina Paris (Texas, not France) Atlanta Atlantis Epstein’s Island Spend one night camping on the top of each of the Seven Summits of Davidson The bustling metropolis of Duluth, Minnesota Platform 9 ¾ (you have to sleep on the platform, though) Portland, Maine: The Portland, Oregon of the East Coast (may still contract dysentery) Spend the entire week dreading having to return to your usual workload The womb Your friend’s ex-roommates’ freshman year hallmate’s cousin’s grandfather’s dog’s exotic beach getaway Grandma’s hospice room

Career Center Event: Mediocre Alums Share Their Stories

A

s everyone knows, the Career Center is an amazing place filled with wonderful advisors who give you a step-by-step gameplan of how to make the most of your post-graduate years—if you’re a tech bro, finance bro, or future ethical sell-out of any sorts. For the rest of us, you’re screwed. But don’t worry! After years of pandering to white, heterosexual, Protestant, cisgendermen who think anything below six figures is chump change, the Career Center has created a new event: Mediocre Alumni Panel.

This event will be hosted during Nummit after hours while an acoustic Noah Kahan cover band plays in the background and an open-tab serving only iced matcha lattes is open. Here are the biographies of the guest speakers: •

•

•

Jack McGrapper ‘17. Jack graduated from Davidson College with a degree in English concentrating on ABAB Rhyme Scheme Poems Written

by Irish Expatriate Authors in the Galapagos between March 5 and March 6 of 1872. Upon graduation, he defaulted to being a middle school English teacher where he created a new grading scale for the poetry his students wrote, ranging from behavioral health center emo to healthily teenage emo, which his former school system has now implemented districtwide.

After the pandemic, Jack left his job and has been working as the store manager for Condoms R Us ever since.

Gary Cowmanure ‘03. Gary graduated in the bottom half of his class with a degree in economics. While at Davidson, he was the President of DIFA, College Republicans, and worked in the print shop where he spent his days printing money. Unfortunately, Gary was one of the ringleaders of the KSig Goose incident which ended up hurting his career chances. He found post-graduate work at Blockbuster where he worked until their demise. Luckily for him, he accidentally run over by a truck carrying a flock of geese so he now collects insurance for life which allows him to take weekly trips to Vegas.

Bert Bombay ‘08. Bert successfully leveraged a PPE major to get an equally unclear and somewhat made up job as a graduate. His linkedin lists him as just an “analyst” and “consultant” with no attached company.

We actually have no idea what he does on a day to day basis or adds to society but he apparently gets paid over six figures to do whatever it is a consultant does.

No women could be reached for comment. Not because they’re not mediocre, but because they know better than to participate in this event.

The

Yowl

WRITERS The other editors

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Can’t be caught talking to NONNERS.” - Yowl editor who did not help with this issue at all

Oops vs ABC Fine Dining Dance Off for sole control of the campus improv scene Friday, 900 Room at 10pm.

Open Bar.

Note: The Yowl is a satirical supplement to The Davidsonian.

Hence, nothing in it should be taken as truth.