Davidsonian 4.10

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

Independent Student Journalism Since 1914

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

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

The Yowl offers advice on using newly available buildings on campus

Social Districts Encourage Greater Community in Davidson

As 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 culture.”

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

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 Stu dents

ABBY SMETANA ‘27 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER

James 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,

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

JENNEVIEVE CULVER ‘25 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER

Signs throughout Davidson indicate location of social districts. Photo from Town of Davidson.

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

News 2

Naipanoi Lepapa Brings Investigative Journalism to Campus

STELLA MACKLER (SHE/HER) EDITOR IN CHIEF

Naipanoi Lepapa’s journalism strives to lift the voices of women who have been muffled. In her Pulitzer Centersupported story, The Baby Broker Project, the Kenyabased journalist and her colleagues exposed the shadowy industry of low-cost surrogacy, highlighting the exploitation and abuse of vulnerable young women.

Lepapa, who was named Kenya’s Journalist of the Year in 2022 for her work on the project, has always been driven to investigate what the mainstream news media doesn’t. While looking for smaller, underreported stories about gender in Kenya, Lepapa kept returning to surrogacy. She noticed “dozens” of brokers promoting surrogacy services in the country, all working for foreign-owned agencies targeting foreign clients. Lepapa told an audience at Davidson College that she wanted to “follow the money.”

What followed was a scathing expose of one of these agencies, New Life Global Network LLP. In her lecture at Davidson, Lepapa spoke to the significance of what she and her team couldn’t find, the things that didn’t exist. This included owners of New Life, lawyers for surrogates, their contracts, and internal regulations.

“We discovered it was a fake company,” Lepapa said. “They [surrogates] didn’t have a lawyer. Nobody advises them about surrogacy or the complications of surrogacy so this meant that they could be taken advantage of.”

According to the Fertility Clinic of Las Vegas, surrogacy services in the United States range between $100,000$170,000. New Life promised to match parents with surrogates for as little as $40,000. The significant difference in price is due to the total lack of regulations protecting woman who serve as surrogates.

“There are laws that protect people in rich countries, but in these other countries there are no laws so they [rich people] are basically bypassing their own laws and going to these places,” Lepapa said. “This has become a problem. I wish there was a way to have some international rules to protect these people in developing countries.”

New Life was traced back to a shell company in the United Kingdom, the named owner being an airport driver who had recently been convicted on drug charges. The contracts they issued to surrogates were deemed worthless by legal experts. This left the women and the would-be parents legally exposed. During her lecture at Davidson, Lepapa explained numerous instances of New Life’s exploitation.

“We also discovered that the agency was implanting up to three embryos in the surrogates which meant that they were risking their health,” Lepapa said. “One embryo is difficult right? But two or three means the likelihood of the surrogate having complications goes up.”

Many of New Life’s surrogates were garment workers, victims of domestic abuse, and women desperate for money.

Most were uneducated. They didn’t realize when they signed with the agency that they were signing away their rights. At the same time, they were scared to talk to Lepapa.

“You can go online and see people promoting surrogacy, women asking for opportunities like does anyone know where I can do surrogacy,” Lepapa said. “But they do not want to talk to you. It became basically impossible.”

Lepapa was determined to tell these women’s stories. She wanted the global audience to know what New Life and other low cost, unregulated surrogacy agencies were doing in the name of naive infertile and homosexual couples. She decided to go undercover, first as a surrogate and then as an intended parent seeking out a child.

“I went undercover because it was impossible to get a woman who had worked as a surrogate, so I pretended to be a surrogate,” Lepapa said. “Pretending to be a surrogate, it didn’t really work. I couldn’t get much information… I pretended to be a parent and I wrote to New Life because the only way to

meet a surrogate was through them.”

Even while she was undercover, Lepapa found it difficult to break through to the surrogates contracted by New Life. The agent she was in contact with got suspicious, wondering why she kept coming back for more information.

“The manager of the agency will text me and he will be like stop texting my surrogates,” Lepapa said. “‘You are not police. Why are you investigating?’ So he would threaten me and threaten me and it continued for so long.”

After some time, one woman finally decided to come forward. Several followed.

“Because they trust this surrogate, others talked too.” Lepapa said. “I would speak to them but it was more like I was acting like a therapist–so they are asking, because most of them are not educated–so they are asking me like ‘I have a problem how do I go about it.’”

Lepapa carefully built a relationship with each woman she spoke to. She found that many of the women looked for work in surrogacy because they had no other options, and needed to care for their own families.

“I was kind of like a friend, speaking does take time, you have to take a lot of time to create that relationship with them so that they can trust you and they can share their stories,” Lepapa said. “The one thing that was important was don’t share our circles don’t share our names as long as you’re protecting us we are going to tell you everything you want and we are going to connect you to other surrogates.”

As a result of her investigation, some countries, such as Israel, banned or warned against surrogacy out of Kenya. While the intentions behind these decisions were to combat human rights abuses of the agencies, the bans effectively left women stuck with a child that biologically wasn’t theirs.

“She signed up to be a surrogate because she wanted money but instead she ended up with a child,” Lepapa said. “That is an extra mouth, and that is what happened in surrogacy when these organizations or companies were illegal.”

Throughout her lecture, Lepapa emphasized the hardships these women faced. She also described the struggle she herself faced as a journalist in making their voices heard, as New Life continues to operate in the UK.

“The UK government did some investigation and they found some criminal activity, but they could not persecute them because these people have no identifiers,” Lepapa said. “I feel bad because they investigated and found that they were doing something wrong, they continued to let them to operate. They still exist in the UK. I find this very sad because if someone is doing something wrong, that shouldn’t be [allowed].”

Lepapa referred to New Life’s continuing operations as “heartbreaking”. But it has only intensified her desire to speak out about the findings of her investigations and command the world’s attention.

“What we need to do as journalists is continue to highlight the criminal activities of these agencies,” Lepapa said. “We are not giving up, we are going to continue telling stories because as they continue to operate more women are being exploited.”

Drew ‘04 Reflects on Career, Interrogates Media Priorities

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

content to maximize the time spent on the app. “The algorithms meant to keep people on social media longer might push people toward a more extreme distrust of the media,” Drew said in her talk.

While Drew thinks that individuals like Trump and interactive technologies like social media have contributed to Americans’ declining trust in the media, she drew from her career experience and expressed that the news industry itself is also responsible for fueling distrust. According to her, today’s news organizations are often focused on views and profit rather than reporting the truth.

“There [is] undoubtedly a slimy side of television news,” Drew said during the lecture, having personally witnessed that side. “One of my bosses walked into a morning meeting and told us, ‘our viewers are hungry for outrage. Outrage,’ she said, ‘was what we needed to give them.’ It’s not so much that my boss was a bad person, or that the network was full of bad people. She was just trying to do well in the structure in which she was enmeshed.”

Drew also attributed some of the lack of trust in media to the decline of local news.

“The lack of resources for local reporting is a big problem, because local reporting is in a position to make sure that public officials are using public funds in responsible ways that are in alignment with the community’s values and desires,” Drew told The Davidsonian after the

talk. “The journalist plays a really specific and important role in that [...] checking of local operations in a community, and when you don’t have that people can get away with a lot there.”

While Drew is concerned that so many people distrust the news, she pointed out that remaining somewhat skeptical of news organizations might be a good thing. In her mind, holding media outlets accountable is key to an informed society.

“There’s a fine line between skepticism and total distrust, but I think [...] as citizens, we kind of have to play along in the public discourse as well and we have to do our part and [...] do the research on matters that are important to us,” Drew said. “Accuracy and details and context [are] important in news stories, but [...] news can only do so much and, you know, it’s the public and academics who have to take the events of the world further.”

Drew acknowledges that taking those steps can be challenging, especially for college students who may be just beginning to engage with the news.

“It’s really hard to find an entry point for [...] young people who may not have been ever reading the news before paying attention to the news because you’re in middle school and high school,” Drew explained. “When you’re [...] starting to participate in the world in a different way, [news can be] really intimidating.”

However, she has been impressed by her students’ ability to think critically about the media they consume.

“I’ve seen among Davidson students a desire for nuance and discussion with news stories. I’ve seen in them a willingness to consider other sides of stories that they might not have considered before. And I’ve seen in them a desire to better understand how to critically think about the stories that they’re being fed [...] on social media. And so that has been very impressive and it has given me a lot of hope.”

Drew has been inspired by her students, and the feeling is mutual. According to some of her students, her classes — which have included ENG 309 “Unreliable Narrator in News,” COM 272 “News Producing,” and WRI 101 “News as First Draft of History” — have equipped them to engage with news through a critical lens.

Greg Coppola ‘27 took “Unreliable Narrator in News” in the fall and explained that he learned more about how others interpret news and perceive the truth.

“I understand that even though [a story] might clearly be fake, it might have a different meaning to someone else than it has to me. I won’t believe it, but I can see why other people do,” Coppola said.

Students are also impressed by the practicality of Drew’s classes, including Maggie McCabe ‘26. McCabe took “Unreliable Narrator in News” in the fall and is taking “News

Producing” this spring. She hopes to have a career in news and feels that Drew’s classes have “[set her] up to go into the field.”

“This past week, we had a professional cameraman come and speak to our class. He brought all the equipment. We got to see how it all worked, read from a teleprompter, see all the lighting,” McCabe said. “She brings this sort of unique perspective as a professor because her classes are so practical.”

While McCabe feels that she has learned relevant material in Drew’s classes, she has also been inspired by her as a person.

“The opportunity to take these courses and learn all this knowledge that she has from working in news for such a long time has been really great, but what has arguably been even better is to have her as a mentor,” McCabe said. “She can give me advice and be someone to bounce ideas off of and [I] just have her as a role model.”

Coppola expressed similar sentiments and believes that the Davidson community should feel grateful that Drew has returned to campus, albeit temporarily. She will be at Davidson for the fall 2024 semester to teach “News Producing” and a Writing 101 class.

“If anywhere were to deserve her profession besides obviously her field [of journalism], it would be Davidson,” Coppola said. “We are truly, really lucky to have her as a professor here.”

Naipanoi Lepapa is an award-winning freelance journalist from Nairobi, Kenya. During her talk, she detailed her investigation into the surrogacy industry. Photo from the Pulitzer Center.

Don’t Look At The Sun!

4. Lisa Forrest, Director of the Library, will be meeting with the SGA on 4/9/2024 to discuss the upcoming renovations to the library. The SGA will have time to answer questions and voice concerns.

2. Hines and Maya Rajeh (SGA Vice President, ‘27) met with Kim Davidson, the Police Chief of the town of Davidson to discuss student safety concerns and how to build a lasting relationship between the town and student body.

1. Connor Hines (SGA President, ‘26), Nina Worley (Sophomore Class President, ‘26), Ruby Zhou (‘24), and Dmytro Davydenko (‘27) formed the Executive Taskforce for Student Dental Services to explore innovative ways for the college to broaden dental options for students.

3. Food and Housing Committee met with Dean Snipes to discuss the expansion of community access hours, the annual RLO survey, new residence hall supplemental additions, and other campus issues.

Perspectives

A Tale of Trails: Appreciating the Nature of North Carolina

AUGUSTE

REBOUSSIN ‘26

(HE/HIM)

An often overlooked aspect of Davidson’s campus is that much of the property, 200 out of the 841 acres, is not found in the academic or residential section but on the cross-country trails. A lot of people know the miles of trails are out there, but few have utilized them to their full extent. I want to share my experiences with the trails and the greater North Carolina area in the hopes I can convince those who haven’t yet fully appreciated what the natural spaces around us have to offer. I am by no means an expert on the trails or North Carolina’s vast environments; I am just someone who enjoys going outside and exploring my backyard.

I grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and attended a public high school in the state. It was very common among my friends in high school to neglect the state we were from. As a teenager, all we wanted to do was get out, and as a result, our home state was painted as bland and dull. This always felt wrong to me. I was filled with memories of creek hopping in my neighborhood, walking through fields out in the county, and camping in the Blue Ridge. The mentality of others was always, “Sure we have mountains, but other states have larger ones. Sure we have beaches, but other states have clearer water.” Though these statements may be true to an extent, there is a lot of majesty in North Carolina if you know where to look.

Over the past month, I have driven through around 35% of North Carolina’s counties from the mountains to the coast. I will share the nature facts I observed in the three major regions, which are mountains, coastal plains, and the Piedmont (the foothills). I will end my description of the Piedmont by returning to my discussion on the cross-country trails and providing information on how to become more involved in the trails.

I’ll start with the mountain regions. The Appalachian mountains are well known for their age, being around 500 million years old. This was before animals began to walk on

land, meaning the mountains are home to vast amounts of ancient fish and invertebrate fossils. The ancient biodiversity of the mountain regions might not be clear at a glance, but when you look under a rock or log you will find species you cannot find anywhere else. The Southern Appalachians are the most biodiverse area in the world for flat-backed millipedes and salamanders. The Smokies and the surrounding areas are often called the salamander capital of the world. Standing in the mountains on a rainy night means that several brightly colored, almost primordial amphibians will gently crawl by your feet. These species spend a lot of their time in temporary bodies of water called vernal pools, where you can find them hanging around their eggs freely since these pools are devoid of predatory fish. The mountains of southern Appalachia are a temperate rainforest home to a brilliant array of ferns, trees, and megafauna. To many people’s surprise, there are about 200 elk that call the area home. The Appalachian mountains aren’t as tall as the Rockies, but you still can catch a foggy sunrise surrounded by elk and picturesque ecosystems that you can’t find anywhere else.

Coastal Carolina is known best for its beaches on the Outer Banks and around Willmington, however, I want to focus on the marshes and swamps inland of these beaches. Many people drive by these areas on their way to vacation but rarely stop by. Wetlands, as many ENV majors like me will tell you, are key to environmental health as they act as regulators of nutrients. These swamps are home to countless reptile and bird species such as water moccasins, alligators, and ospreys. The coastal swamps have one of the highest densities of black bears in the eastern U.S. with the largest black bear ever recorded being on the coast. I encourage readers to go on drives through the sparsely populated farmland next time they are in the Outer Banks. These drives are a safe way to see a beautiful coastal sunset while watching bears wander around the farmland. Another animal you might see if you’re in the right place and if you’re lucky is the elusive red wolf. There are only about 20 left in the wild, and they can only be found in the Alligator

River in North Carolina. This population is present due to a reintroduction program in the 90s and subsequent conservation efforts. The chance of seeing a red wolf alone is enough for me to recommend visiting Alligator River.

I will finish this series of recommendations and support of North Carolina’s beauty by talking about Davidson’s place in the Piedmont. The Piedmont still has plenty to offer that is within reach of us here at Davidson. There are many parks littered throughout the area, from Fisher Farms in Davidson to Lake Norman State Park and Uwharrie National Forest in the east. Many of these places are restoring native fields by routinely doing species checks and removing invasive plants. These local state and national parks aren’t far from here

If you want to find a way to interact with central North Carolina’s natural resources, look no further than our crosscountry trails. The best of North Carolina is right here in Davidson. You can go out today and see all sorts of wildlife. There have even been rare sightings of bears (not in a couple of years) and bobcats. Countless small trails scatter throughout the woods; my favorite is the one that takes you by the pond past Irwin Lodge. Another trail by the outdoor classroom goes over a stream where I have found a couple of different salamander species.

Exam week is coming and class workloads are starting to pile on. For your next study break, stroll on the trail, bring a notebook, and sketch. Being in nature and sketching helps to ease stress and focus your mind. We are fortunate to go to a school in a state that has a little bit of everything, so take a day hike with your friends, go on a DO trip, or wander through the woods just in our backyard.

Dance at Davidson: Forming Cultural Connections While Pursuing My Passion

Dance has always been an important part of my life. I grew up doing Indian classical dance (Bharatanatyam) along with jazz and lyrical. Being a professional dancer was never a big dream of mine, but being on a South Asian dance team was. At larger schools, there are dance teams that range from doing Bhangra (Punjabi folk dance), to Raas (Gujarati folk dance), to Bollywood fusion that attend massive competitions all over the US. I was extremely drawn to the vibrant dance culture at other universities that I was deciding between. However, when I finally chose to attend Davidson, I felt like I had to give up that dream because, from the outside, our dance culture did not seem to mirror those at other institutions. It broke my heart because I felt like I had to trade my personal interests for academic pursuits.

As an incoming freshman, I was aware of Davidson’s Bhangra team, but I wasn’t particularly drawn to it as my family is from a different region in India than that which Bhangra originates from. With that, my motivations for joining the team were more to connect with other South Asians and fill my dance passion with something, rather than to help me connect with my culture. I had never done Bhangra before college, so it was fun learning a new dance form. I realized that though Bhangra wasn’t exactly what I was hoping to do, I was passionate about choreographing and ran for co-captain my freshman year. It was also easier to embrace as an outsider considering most of the members of the team are not even Punjabi.

Since then I have been heavily involved and have shared the captain position with Shreya Sharma and Khwahish Sharma. During my time, the team had its first off-campus

performance in Richmond, VA at the Punjabi Mela. We performed as an exhibition piece at its Bhangra competition. It was amazing to see the other teams perform and draw inspiration for how we could become competition-ready. This year we tried to enter some local Bhangra competitions, and though we did not get in, we still had successful performances at the Gamut Showcase, a women’s basketball game halftime show, and the Dance Ensemble Showcase. We also officially named the team Davidson De Sher, which translates to Wildcats of Davidson and draws from the Hindi word for lion, to further establish our presence on campus.

I do still feel awkward sometimes sharing with my older family members that I am on a Bhangra team because I often receive comments about why I’m not on a Raas/ Garba team or even a classical team. To them, I am not actually being authentic. However, authentically representing culture in America is incredibly nuanced. I am just happy that I get to be part of an avenue that shares a piece of Indian culture with Davidson even if it doesn’t completely align with me. A friend of mine, who is also South Asian, came up to me after the Dance Ensemble Showcase that happened this past weekend. She said it was so rewarding to see something that originated from South Asia receive so much support from an audience who may not have been exposed to any of the cultures otherwise.

With all that being said, Bhangra isn’t Davidson’s only outlet for dancers. There is also Davidson’s Dance Ensemble, which I have increasingly become involved with. I think that Dance Ensemble is really special and has shaped participants’ experiences at Davidson. It is essentially a club whose final product is a showcase at the end of each semester. Anyone can choreograph a piece or choose specific pieces to be included in the showcase. I have been in the showcase every

semester because Bhangra always closes the show. For me, being heavily involved with dance on this campus has been so rewarding as it has allowed me to connect with different people, sharpen my talents, and learn skills such as leadership and time management. I always love watching the other performers because everyone works so hard. Dance Ensemble is also incredibly intersectional and displays such a wide array of cultures and dance forms. I highly recommend joining Dance Ensemble to anyone looking to enrich their college experience at some point in their Davidson career. It’s not just about being good at dance; it’s so rewarding trying something new, forging new friendships, and discovering new forms of self-expression. It’s also so fun to bond with existing friends. In the fall, all you have to do is sign up as a member of

Dance Ensemble and be on the lookout for pieces that you may want to be in.

I truly wish that it was more popular on campus in general just because of how good of a show it is. I do think that having to pay for tickets as a student is a deterrent. Student-run performances are difficult enough and I wish the college would do more to support dancers especially when there are so many of us who care about dance. I think it is worth it, if not integral, that Davidson and its community do more to uplift the arts and those that pioneer them in general so that we collectively aren’t pushing the message that personal interests don’t matter in the face of academics.

YUTIKA PATEL ‘26 (SHE/HER)

Sports 5

Men’s and Women’s Tennis Approach Critical Juncture

LOGAN JAIN ‘26 (HE/HIM) STAFF WRITER

With a little less than a month left, both the women’s (11-7, 3-3 in A-10) and men’s (8-11, 2-3 in A-10) tennis teams are at critical points in their respective seasons. The women have their Senior Day against SCSU as well as the A-10 Tournament in Orlando within the month, while the men take on local rivals UNC Charlotte in their final regular season match before heading to Orlando.

This past Sunday, the men eased past The Citadel 6-1 on their Senior Day. While the result was impressive, Nikhil Mukherjee ‘27 focused his post-match comments on the impact the seniors have had on the team.

“I think we’re all extremely grateful to the seniors [Alejandro Solares ‘24 and Jerry Wang ‘24]. Despite being a freshman, I feel quite close to both of them and I think they both possess great character. It’s not going to be easy to say bye to them,” Mukherjee said.

Men’s Head Coach Drew Barrett similarly sang their praises. “Those guys did such a great job this year. Jerry [Wang ‘24] has been an amazing captain…so steady and such a good guy all the way around.”

Reflecting on the season thus far, Mukherjee was quick to point to a 4-1 victory over Campbell as the highlight.

“Beating Campbell [has to be the highlight], especially because of the crazy comeback Udday [Singh ‘25] pulled off from 5-1 down in the deciding set.”

Coach Barrett echoed Mukherjee’s sentiments. “[Campbell] is an excellent team…that was a big win for us.”

The highlight of the women’s season came in late March with a nail-biting 4-3 home victory over UMass. Savanna Kollock ‘26, who won the #3 singles match in 3 sets against

UMass, spoke about the importance of that win. “[UMass] has always been a tough team, and we hadn’t beaten them in a few years, so that performance gave us a lot of momentum heading into the thick of our conference schedule.”

Women’s Head Coach Susanne Depka declined to respond when asked to comment.

Both teams now turn their attention to the A-10 Tournament in Orlando.

“Each of us has things we are working on going into the A-10 Tournament…I’m looking forward to it,” said Kollock.

“I am excited to put everything we have worked on together into play in the final matches of the season.”

With injury issues in the rearview, Coach Barrett feels confident that his team is trending in the right direction heading into the end-of-season showpiece.

“We’re pretty excited about our chances [...] we are confident that we can beat anybody.”

Golf Gains Momentum Ahead of Atlantic-10 Championships

JACKSON STRELO ‘26 (HE/HIM) STAFF WRITER

Fourth straight A-10 title, fifth in the last six seasons. That’s currently the goal for Tim Straub and the men’s golf team as the conference championships quickly approach. The ‘Cats face a favored VCU and a tough Richmond roster as they look to defend their title. As the ‘Cats look to round out non-conference play at Wofford, they’re looking to really dial in their games to best prepare for Orlando.

When asked how he’s preparing, Will Davis ‘25 raved about studying his biggest struggles from the season.

“We’ve played four times in the past five weeks, so whatever you’ve been struggling on, there’s certainly a trend,” Davis said. “You’re not always going to be able to fix it immediately, but work on some things that you can be confident with on the golf course.”

Looking back on the season to this point, the team has consistently found themselves in the top 5 performers. Most recently, the

finished T-7th at -4. Strong performances from Davis (-2) and Price Miller ‘26, carding a 66 on the final round, helped the

team

team surge to 4th.

Earlier in March, the ‘Cats also won the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Title on a

challenging course. Joshua Stewart ‘25 finished 2nd (-2), followed by Davis at 4th (E) and Heffner at a tie for 11th (+4). The team has showcased some amazing golf, fueled by a deep roster of experienced upperclassmen and underclassmen that can step up and deliver.

However, it seems that the key to success this season has been accountability. Since the team competes among themselves to send the best performers to compete at matches, Davis emphasizes that “every shot matters” if you do get the opportunity to play.

“It’s always a matter of prioritizing what you need to do, you don’t want to have the mindset that when you play badly, it hurts the team. But at the end of the day, if you’re struggling, the goal is just always keep fighting,” Davis said.

If the team is able to capitalize on their practice and final match at Wofford, they will be in a position to defend the title once again.

posted a 4th place finish (-7) at Cutter Creek, in which senior and reigning A-10 individual champion Alex Heffner ‘24

Price Miller ‘26 competing at Cutter Creek Intercollegiate. Photo by Jeff Sochko.

Men’s tennis honored seniors Alejandro Solares ‘24 and Jerry Wang ‘24 on April 7 as they defeated The Citadel. Photo by Jeff Sochko.

Heffner ‘24 has been an asset to the team this season. Photo by Tim Cowie.

Arts and Entertainment

Senior Art Exhibits: Pilina and Catharsis

CATE GOODIN ‘26

SHE/HER SECTION CO-EDITOR

It’s an exciting time for the VAC, when the Smith Gallery has a turnover of weekly artist exhibitions. And who are the artists ever-populating the walls? They are none other than our own Davidson seniors. This week we are covering the works of Alana Wilson ‘24 and Claire Tatum ‘24. These shows, from late March to early April, went on one after another in Smith Gallery of the VAC, yet they displayed the breadth of the Studio Art majors in their differing mediums and content. Wilson’s Collection, Pilina, (a Hawaiian word close to connection), featured found objects and intricately crafted sculptures. Wilson detailed her inspiration: “I have always loved being surrounded by the outdoors and interested in what I find. I have been collecting things for a while and making sculptural studies, but didn’t think much of them at first… The title of my show, Pilina, references an un-severable relationship, so with this exhibition I am exploring my unseverable relationship with nature.”

Many of Wilson’s pieces incorporate objects that were once living and, in conjunction, fine threads or strands. Wilson explained the use of these materials in her artist statement next to the pieces, “The strands acknowledge a timeline: preserving a moment and encouraging close speculation.” The backstory to this exhibition features a part of Wilson’s Hawaiian heritage. Wilson explained how she wove childhood experiences into this collection, “I grew up making lei with my mom and other kumu (teachers) in my community growing up in Hawai’i. The first step in making lei is collecting natural materials in a careful way. I had been doing that for a while before I transitioned into making sculptures.”

Wilson explained she was not always drawn to sculpture, though: “My mom is a watercolor painter and my siblings both paint with acrylic on occasion. It felt natural for me to start with painting because that’s what I grew up practicing.” But sophomore year she took a sculpture class and slowly discovered it outweighed her love of painting, “I look forward to going to my studio so much more now and to the process of collecting natural materials!”

Though Wilson originally was set on the Environmental Studies major, she credits the “wonderful art faculty” on campus for the switch to Studio Art major. She also gives advice beneficial to any student on campus, “I chose to take classes that inspire me rather than focusing on a certain minor,”

SOFIA CIMBALLA ‘26

SHE/HER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Eand now she has an Art History minor as well as general ENV classes. Wilson’s art-creating is not just relegated to the VAC, and she attests, “Creating my art is an extremely mindful

activity for me. Spending time in nature grounds my practice and reminds me that the changes in my life are okay since nature is changing all the time.”

In the spirit of change, the gallery swiftly installed the next exhibit of Catharsis, by Claire Tatum. Tatum, a double Studio Art and Communications major, displayed a vulnerable reflection of the self on the walls. Brightly colored acrylic cut outs resided next to stained glass and a sculpture of ombre strands. In response to a question on the cohesive plan for her collection, Tatum chuckled, “this is not what I thought everything was originally going to be.”

She went on to explain the shifting conception of her senior show, originally thinking, “I’m a printmaker. I need to do printmaking.” But Tatum then detailed going to a concert where she “saw these really interesting light patterns on the wall.” This viewing experience led to a creation of “pieces that play with light and shadow” and where they are “purposely lit so [the shadow is] part of the piece.”

Tatum expressed her personal connection to the show, and a recent mental health diagnosis that helped shape it: “the whole start of this was really like a diagnosis with OCD…it was like finding a puzzle piece that was missing.” She continued that she “then got diagnosed with ADHD,” describing these two findings as “paradoxical diagnoses.” But processing this new understanding of herself came with the process of creating this final exhibition.

She explained the method behind many of the pieces, “I change a lot of the materials but keep these organic shapes” which are “inspired by, loosely, things that I have observed in the environment.” She plays not only with the nature of repetition but also the change that it eventually necessitates from her. She names “topographical maps and cellular tissue models, reflections of sea foam” as some of the inspirations. The exhibit is the work of almost fifteen months, but Tatum did confess that “usually each piece you see was probably made in the span of a week or two” because “I rarely start a piece until it’s fully fleshed out in my head.”

As for the audience seeing all of this time, planning, and expression of vulnerability, Tatum mused, “it’s been this weird thing that has kind of been mine for so long, and now I’m sharing it.” She could give no answer for a favorite piece as “taking one out, you kind of lose whatever the next one is.” And with that same spirit, we eagerly await the next senior art exhibition that the Smith Gallery has to offer.

Cate Goodin 2026 (she/her) is an English and Art History double major from McLean, VA. She can be reached for comment at cagoodin@davidson.edu

Brazen Youth at WALT DAYZ

lla Grace Dunn ‘26 was “feeling youthfully brazen” inside of Nummit on Friday afternoon. Dunn had Union Board and Walt Radio to thank, as the organizations came together to co-host “Walt Dayz,” featuring the band Brazen Youth. This interviewer tried to ask Annabel Semans ‘26, Walt co-president, hard-hitting questions, but was dismissed with this description of the band: “So kind and talented, can you ask me later?”

I did ask her later, and she gave me the scoop on Walt Dayz as well as inside intel from time spent with the band. “Walt Dayz” originated as a “First Fridays” event and evolved when Walt established a fundraising account in order to collect money to pay student artists (think student bands that perform at Walt events). These events are an opportunity for students to sell their art, with sixty percent of proceeds going to artists and forty percent to the Walt fund. The art sale had everything you could need, from “Bring Back Pangea” Prints to Crochet Berry Beanies. Wells Letson ‘26 found the experience “cool and rewarding.”

Charlotte Wellsby ‘25 noted that the event “attracts such a wide crowd that I hardly know anybody here,” and bemoaned the absence of twelve art history majors on a trip to New York City, which seemed to have an outsized impact on the Nummit crowd (according to Wellsby, at least). (Abigail True ‘25 was in agreement).

Inside, the band kicked off their set at five o’clock, with half of Nummit transformed into a stage. Emily Patterson ‘26 remarked upon seeing the band members: “Big News: there’s at least one hot band member.”

According to noted music critic Dunn the “guy with the bob was fire,” and the “saxophone really elevated the performance.” Dunn also remarked that the Nummit acoustics were surprisingly suited to live music. Semans got to spend some

time with Brazen Youth, whose green room was a ground floor Davis apartment. The band browsed the art, tossed a football on the Nummit hill, and raved about the Nummit pitchers’ “vibe.” They were also pleasantly surprised at people singing along to some of their songs (congrats all, very indie).

With the number of Davidson weekends in the 23-24 school year dwindling, all present seemed thankful for a sunny afternoon dedicated to friends, art, and live music.

Sofia Cimballa 2026 (she/her) is an English and History double major from Palm Beach, FL. She can be reached for comment at socimballa@davidson.edu.

Found bugs strung on Wilson’s hair. Photo by Cate Goodin

The walls of Tatum’s VAC exhibit. Photo by Cate Goodin

Brazen Youth performs at Nummit. Photo by Josie Swain

Union Board brought in an ice cream. Photo by Cate Goodin

Living Davidson

Crossword Lifetime of Learning

Crosswords by Victor Fleming ‘73

Down (cont.)

59 Conservation subj.

60 Take a catnap

62 Kind of light not to run

64 French author

ANSWERS TO LAST CROSSWORD! NBAer PAR EXCELLENCE

Just a 20 minute walk from campus, milkbread is quite possibly the most versatile restaurant in Davidson for any meal of the day. I ventured over on a bright and sunny Saturday morning, and, walking through the heavy entry doors, saw bakers at work making pastries and other breakfast foods for the morning rush. I immediately knew I was in for a good meal. A slick, modern feel envelops you as you check out the menu above the counter, your eyes and mouth salivating over donuts and assorted confections. Rather than having a waiter come to the table, milkbread has you order at the register, after which you will receive a stand with a number on it.

I ordered coffee and their nutella toast, which came to a total of $12. Their coffee is Summit-branded, and you pour it yourself at a counter off to the side. Unfortunately, I do not love the acidic taste found in Summit coffee. This could be attributed to several different factors, one being over-roasting, but due to the consistency, I have to assume it is directly related to the coffee beans they use. While I sipped on the coffee, my nutella toast was being prepared and was brought to me 10 minutes after ordering. The dish is simple yet delicious. The one piece of thick, toasted bread is absolutely smothered in nutella and topped with thin strips of banana brulee. This is one of the few pieces of toast that you should eat with a fork and knife. It is not for those who want a savory breakfast, as the dish is loaded with sugar. Tons of sugar is how I personally love to start my mornings, but it is worth mentioning. I found the bread to be well-toasted and the banana brulee to be especially tasty. The sugar coating on the banana added an interesting texture that was simply divine.

Overall, I fully enjoyed my breakfast at milkbread and would recommend it to pretty much anyone due to their variety. I’d just opt for one of their specialty drinks over their coffee. 8/10.

Editor’s Note: Thanks Sam! Another breakfast item (although it can, and should, be ordered at any time), and what I believe to be the best thing on the menu, is the crispy chicken biscuit. Please, please order it. You won’t regret it!

Photo from Eater Carolinas

Yowl The

Irreverent student journalism since 2004. Castigat Ridendo Mores.

yowl.com/lists

Perspectives: Theater is Basically Just an Eating House for Kids Who Were Really Into the Recorder in Elementary School Page STFU

Warner Gets $2,000 Tab at Formal to Make Up For Not Feeding Members All Year Page Still Hungry

April 10, 2024

Physics Majors Still Don’t See The Sun After Being Released From The DanaWatson Tunnels Page Eclipse

What the Old Turner House Should Be:

A List of Ideas

Now that Turner Eating house has moved into their new home complete with a basement furnished with the trauma of past SPE-Hazing soaked into the walls, they have officially left behind their old home.

Despite the comically large H still being left outside of the original Turner house, the new space has been abandoned and the Yowl has attempted to come up with ideas of replacement spaces. The Old Unused Turner House, otherwise referred to as the Outhouse, can now be once again put to a several month long vote process. Here are the nominees:

• A fight club

• A strip club. The pole is already there

• New SPE A small football field named B*tch

• Not student housing

• A 5-star private lounge for the Yowl Editors with 24-hour access to endangered species eggs for meals, massages, and strippers (cuz of the pole)

• Target practice for the baseball team

• Something niche and useless

• Fiji die table storage

• Storage for the 500 life-like automatons that wander around campus all the time but you never know their names and they are always in a band or a cheap theater production.

• Housing for a futuristic machine that blocks out the sun to keep people crowding around chambers lawn for picturesque Davidson Instagram posts.

• Evil Turner: A group of straight white men who hate Kesha and diversity. So basically SPE again

• Susty Coop revival

• A shrine for all the premed dropouts

• A student publishing house for the millions of mysterious girls on campus who can’t stop putting their emo poems on top of low quality photos

Knock down the building and use the lot as a farm for Nummit to produce all their alternative milks

Conspiracy! Admissions Hopes to Set Up Matrix State

Coming to Davidson can be a lot like bad sex; a lot of anticipation and build-up but ending in disappointment and feeling a little lied to. This Yowl writer has personally overheard tour guides preach about how cool and unique a club is, but in reality that club only meets once every two weeks with attendance being two e-board members. My dear Yowl readers this didn’t sit right with me. What other lies could they be telling admitted students or even current students? The truth might not be what we see around us. The Yowl may be the only beacon of truth that shines through the dark lies that fester and boil across Main Street at the house of admissions. The Yowl’s muckraking journey started by interviewing particularly brainwashed individuals. Here is a transcript of one encounter.

Anonymous Yowl writer: “Were you told about a daily Davidson tram that could take students to Charlotte every day”

Ess Teadee: “Yes! It allows me to access the thriving hub of the Queen City. I can go see the hornets lose or eat overpriced food whenever I want”.

Anonymous Yowl writer: “Have you ever actually taken the tram?”

Ess Teadee: “I- I just. I just used it. I swear. It’s right by the…it’s right next to the…oh god”

My readers of the Yowl, after this conversation the interviewee proceeds to vomit and cry. Hard removing Ess Teadee from the matrix of lies had a visceral effect, and they haven’t been seen since the interview. Fowl play should be suspected. The walls of Davidson have

WRITERS

Yowl The

The Basically Buzzfeed Issue

Crime Log: Amber Alert Sent Out for Still Missing Rusk Cow

Page Moo

Housing Lottery Harder to Win Than NC Powerball, Your IM Basketball Game, and Your Mother’s Love Combined Page Tough Shit

Graduation Bucket List

W

e surveyed the senior class to see what is still on their Davidson bucket list before graduation. Here are some of their responses:

1.

Yowl Pledge The eds

eyes everywhere, if this conspiracy hunt continues I, a Yowl guardian of truth, would have to go big or go home. The first stop was the landmark often praised by the admissions office, Wall. As I cleared the brick walkway I was met with horror. Where I once saw a state-of-the-art science building was now a field of dirt filled with motionless pre-med students. Hundreds of pre-med students stood in rows with mechanical tubes shoved up them. The air was filled with their zombielike groans “I need a lab course… lab experience?!… I need to study for the MCAT, it’s in two years… Can I be in your lab?... Do med schools accept Fs?… humanities courses are useless”. I had stumbled upon a doctor farm, designed and built to squander all imagination and independent thought. This was the evil child of Davidson Admissions. Admissions lure young high schoolers interested in science with illusions of a heavenly and privileged institution that supported them only to have their soul stripped, probed with mind control tools, and uploaded to a hive mind. Lowly Yowl readers, your pre-med friends are suffering and becoming hollow shells thanks to Davidson’s admissions, you must act now. There isn’t much time. The one way we can break down the admissions matrix is by going to Wall, grabbing a brick from the walkway, and hurling it through the window. Everyone who reads this must go to Wall and break a window, if you’re in a Wall class throw a chair. If we act fast we can save pre-med students from throwing their life down a hole of mindless and manipulative work.

Checking the Censors

You may have noticed that the Yowl, an independent portion of the Davidsonian, has been tainted by the relentless and non-confrontational Davidsonian censors post-submission. As such we Yowl writers are curious about how scrutinizing the Davidsonian censors are. Here is a list of words with various levels of vulgarity to see what gets through. Wish us luck!

• Darn

• Suckatash

• Hell

• Fudge

• Phallus

• Cum dumpster

• Johnson

• Damn Penis

• “I think the library is fine as it is”

• A jammy dodger Poop

• Juice joint

• Alligator f*ckhouse

• Fuck

• “Let’s all show up to the registrar with antique pistols, mortars, and pitchforks”

• Shit

• “It’s easy for colleges to offer students single rooms”

• Sex

• Cum

• “I for one don’t think this campus is the prettiest in the nation”

• Cumquat

• Bosom

• Skank

• Flapper

• Mike Goode Taint

• $@#!*$

• [Redacted]

• [Expelled]

The writer of this Yowl article was taken to the cross-country trails and shot.

Yowl Editor Health Update:

I had to miss the recap and Gesture class debief of our Mime Workshop from compettive mimes in order to go to the health center to get a mandatory eye patch. I then had to return next week after staring straight into the sun at the eclipse

Note: The Yowl is a satirical supplement to The Davidsonian Hence, nothing in it should be taken as truth.