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Davidsonian 4.10

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The

Davidsonian

Independent Student Journalism Since 1914

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davidsonian.news

Volume 122 Issue 19

April 10, 2024

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Yutika Patel ‘26 reflects on her experience with Davidson’s Bhangra team

Golf finds success during season play, prepares for Atlantic A-10 Championship

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Cate Goodin ‘26 visits senior art exhibits, admires quality and creativity

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The Yowl offers advice on using newly available buildings on campus

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Social Districts Encourage Greater Community in Davidson

JENNEVIEVE CULVER ‘25 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER

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s an ever growing and evolving small town, Davidson has recently been focusing on continuing development projects to foster community engagement and bolster small business growth. On May 23, 2023, the Davidson Board of Commissioners approved the creation of two social districts in Davidson. The decision was part of a yearlong process culminating in work done as part of Davidson’s Downtown Small Area Plan. There are now two designated Social Districts within Davidson: one on Main Street, where many of the town’s most popular local businesses are located, and the other on Davidson Circles, another popular shopping space that features popular restaurants such as Milkbread and Sabor. The creation of these districts allows individuals over the age of 21 to buy an alcoholic beverage from Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) licensed establishments and consume to-go drinks within these designated communal areas. The boundaries of these districts are clearly marked with official signage to make sure the rules of the new districts are both clear and obeyed. These social districts do not extend to all alcoholic beverages; these drinks must be purchased exclusively from approved businesses and must be contained within specially marked containers with the approved logo design. Summit Coffee Co., one of the businesses that partakes in social districts, uses labels on their cups to designate their alcoholic beverages. “We use our to-go cups, and then put a sticker on it,” Summit barista Lucy Champlin explained. Champlin pointed out that while they have not seen many downsides, they wish that there was a more environmentally friendly way of distributing beverages. “Personally I wish it was more reusable,” Champlin said. “I just don’t feel like that [the usage of to-go cups] is as eco friendly.” Nevertheless, many at Summit believe these

implementations will be a positive addition for the Davidson community. While not all businesses have to take part in this program— as local businesses within the social district can opt out by not permitting alcohol brought inside their establishment— many choose to do so. “It felt like a natural next step for the town,” Summit barista Emma Rives said. “It’s on Main Street, but it’s also over where they have concerts on the circle, so it’s that sort of community

capitalized on the growing outdoor dining scene in 2021, when they passed Session Law 2021150. The law allows cities like Davidson to create these spaces where patrons can consume alcohol outside of restaurants. The Board explained that, in addition to following trends throughout the state, the Commissioners were responding to public input. These social districts have opened new possibilities for Davidson’s well known

Signs throughout Davidson indicate location of social districts. Photo from Town of Davidson. culture.” According to the Davidson Board of Commissioners, the idea behind the social district came out of a pandemic solution. “[The social districts] started during COVID so that restaurants could stay in business when people weren’t allowed to dine in,” said Town of Davidson Communications Director Jessica Eggimann. “In Davidson, we have so many outdoor dining opportunities and outdoor events that we wanted to be able to continue the successful model that had been started,” said Eggimann on behalf of the board. The North Carolina General Assembly

community events, such as Christmas in Davidson and Concerts on the Green, where alcohol will now be allowed to be served. Given that this project developed as a response to COVID, the districts wanted to innovate and capitalize on economic development tools. Implementing the districts can increase business for restaurants and merchants within the town who chose to participate in the program. Alicia Ramirez, co-owner of Mestizo, emphasized how these districts will be good for her restaurant’s business. “It brings customers, so they not only come for the drinks, sometimes they are there for the

environment,” Ramirez said. “It has helped us to get people to look at the sign and enter the restaurant and they’re just excited to be there.” Another benefit is the promotion of outdoor shared spaces, such as the Downtown Gathering Space and the Town Green. These could enhance events like Christmas in Davidson and even potentially open up the possibility of creating new uses for the shared spaces. All of these changes represent the potential for growing and developing the town’s close-knit, active community life. “The people that have come to us for drinks are families [...] and I see a very family oriented kind of thing,” Ramirez said. “We were looking forward to it, since we were told that we were going to have it. I think it’s good; it’s good for our business. It’s a positive thing [...] now that we’re having the music and things like that.” Eggimann also emphasized that there will be logistical changes that come in addition to the positive aspects. “[These changes are] a legal means to provide for what was organically happening during concerts and other events,” explained Eggimann. Davidson students, specifically those who are 21+, have mixed feelings about the creation of the social districts. Luca Lovrich ‘25 is looking forward to extending his social life off campus. “I would patronize businesses more frequently knowing that I wouldn’t have to stay in the restaurant the whole time,” Lovrich said. “I think it encourages Davidson students of age to interact with the town more.” Natalie Russell ’25 noted that there had not been much publicity about the change, and remains uncertain as to how this will affect the student population, in comparison to residents of the town. “I hadn’t heard about the new social district until I was walking to Whit’s one day and saw a sign for it,” Russell said. “I doubt it will impact my time as a student here […] People only really use the social district to their advantage when there’s an event that involves a larger space outside of the institutions that serve alcohol.”

Batten Professor Emily Drew Explores Distrust of News, Inspires Students ABBY SMETANA ‘27 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER

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ames K. Batten Professor of English Emily Drew ‘04 has worked in news since graduating from Davidson and explored the industry’s shortcomings during her Batten lecture: “Why Americans Don’t Trust the News Media, What Can be Done About It, and Why It Matters.” The event was hosted by the English department and the James K. Batten professorship on April 2. Throughout the lecture, Drew emphasized that among the majority of Americans, trust in news organizations has dropped dramatically. A 2022 survey by the Gallup and Knight Foundation speaks to Drew’s concerns. The survey found that just 26% of Americans held a positive view of news media and “50% of Americans said that they thought national news organizations intend to mislead, misinform or persuade the public.” Drew examined the factors behind these attitudes, but also offered hope for the future of news. The Batten professorship is an interdisciplinary position held by a series of individuals with experience and expertise in the areas of politics, economics, urban affairs, journalism, and the sciences. The professorship, established in 1995,

Batten Professor Emily Drew focused on trust in the news. Photo by Madeline Richard.

was named in memory of journalist and publisher James K. Batten ‘57. According to English department chair Professor Randy Ingram, Batten professorships allow students to learn from professors with diverse career backgrounds, rather than

exclusively academic training. He explained that one of the intentions of the program is to find “natural communicators and teachers with real-world expertise that they can share.” Before coming to Davidson, Drew broke stories on the Flint water crisis and protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death, has received three Emmy awards for her work, and has a firsthand perspective on Americans’ declining trust in the media. Aligned with the goals of the Batten professorship, Drew has brought her extensive experience working in media to help the Davidson community engage with the news. According to her, the country’s skepticism towards the news was largely exacerbated by former President Donald Trump’s criticism of the media. “The term fake news has really popped in our culture in the past several years because of President Trump’s repeated use of the term,” Drew said during her talk. “He’s using the term fake news in a way to deride the media and to present this idea that all news is fake.” Throughout her lecture, Drew pointed out that social media has aggravated Americans’ distrust of the news. She believes that these platform’s algorithms push users to more extreme

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