The Davidsonian 10/15/25

Volume 125, Issue 5 • For a Better Davidson • The Independent Student Newspaper of Davidson College since 1914 • October 15, 2025

Turning Point USA gains staff advisor, addresses Watch List CASEY SCHEINER ‘28 (HE/HIM)

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Seantors Thom Tillis and Amy Klobuchar talking at the Duke Family Performance Hall. Photo by Kaspars Golos‘27.

Senators Klobuchar and Tillis speak at Davidson

CASEY SCHEINER ‘28 (HE/HIM) ABI BRISSET ‘26 (SHE/HER)

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ens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) sat down Monday night with Davidson President Doug Hicks ‘90 in front of a packed house at the Duke Family Performance Hall.

The event was the first hosted by the College’s new Institute for Public Good (IPG).

The talk, entitled “Public Good in a Divisive Time,” was the first of many planned collaborations between the President’s Office and the IPG. While hailing from different sides of the country and serving rival political parties, Tillis and Klobuchar were selected to fulfill IPG’s goal of emphasizing bipartisanship.

“Given their party affiliations— one Democrat and one Republican—one might think these two sen-

ators rarely agree, but in fact, they work together quite often,” Professor Chris Mariscano ‘10, Chair of Educational Studies and Director of the IPG, said in his opening remarks. “Tonight, we’ll hear from two exceptionally effective bipartisan legislators about how they find common ground, lead with integrity, and advance the public good.”

The Senators channeled this spirit of collegiality to discuss topics like their starts in public service, artificial intelligence, and the current government shutdown. Then, they answered student questions on subjects from political violence to foreign aid.

President Hicks moderated the discussion, coming with prepared questions for the senators. Klobuchar and Tillis’ arrival are a consequence of Hicks’ connections in Washington DC, as well as Tillis’ local ties. Tillis got his political start on the town board in nearby Corne-

lius. Today, he continues lobbying to reopen Davidson’s disc golf course.

Hicks’ network of contacts on Capitol Hill was a crucial first step for this event. From there, assembling a pair of Senators with records of bipartisanship like those of Tillis and Klobuchar was a logical next step.

During their conversation, the duo reflected on the value of such cooperation.

“Courage isn’t standing by yourself, giving some speech and yelling at people,” Klobuchar said.

“Courage is whether you’re willing to stand next to someone you don’t always agree with for the betterment of this country.”

In a follow-up interview with The Davidsonian, the Senators discussed hot button issues like immigration, bipartisan dialogue, and diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

“Diversity in students is very important, just like diversity in views.

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onservative student organization Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) efforts towards a Davidson chapter move closer to fruition as it completes key administrative matters and establishes a clearer event plan for the year. As the chapter develops, TPUSA faces backlash within the Davidson community for bringing a right-wing group to campus and nationally for the ramifications of its Professor Watchlist.

TPUSA recently secured the support of a faculty advisor: Professor Dan Aldridge, an American history scholar with a specialization in African-American civil rights activism.

With Aldridge’s approval, TPUSA fulfilled the final required step towards formalizing registration with Student Activities. Aldridge came to advise TPUSA not out of unwaver-

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avidson College will not consider faculty applicants for tenure track positions in the current application cycle who require H-1B visa sponsorship. This decision, made by administration, is the result of a new $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa petitions. This fee was announced on September 19 in a Presidential Proclamation and went into effect on Sept. 21.

H-1B visas are given to foreign citizens with a bachelor’s degree or higher in order to fulfill “speciality occupations.” Davidson goes through the H-1B visa process when it hires international faculty.

DAVID ANDERSON MONTES LARA ‘28 (HE/HIM)

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he Davidson College Honor Council hosted a mock hearing on Monday in an effort to shed some transparency on its functions. The Council used a fictional case to walk students through each stage of the hearing process from opening statements to final accountability plans.

Honor Council Chair Maggie Woodward ’25 said the mock trial was an opportunity to connect with the student body in a way that PowerPoints or policy summaries do

not. “Being able to engage the student body in whatever way possible is really important. When you have this interactive setting where students are able to witness how this process goes on not just in theory, but in practice, it sticks with people a lot better,” Woodward said.

Woodward said that the council made transparency one of its central goals this year. She hopes that opening up the process to the public will ease fears surrounding the Honor Council hearings and remind students that the Council is composed of their peers.

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Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Shelley Rigger said the fee definitively altered current searches for faculty.

“People had collected applications already and were planning to review the applications when the [proclamation] came out and we had to give them the guidance to consider only those applicants who do not require H-1B visa sponsorship specifically,” Rigger said.

At the time of publication, the $100,000 fee only applies to those who are filing a new petition for H-1B visas.

The H-1B process formerly distinguished between for-profit entities and nonprofit institutions,

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Honor Council hosts mock hearing to promote transparency

New $100,000 H-1B Visa fee, pause in hiring for international faculty at DaCLAIRE IRELAND ‘28 (SHE/HER)

ing support for the club’s ideology, but rather because of an interest in viewpoint diversity on campus.

“All student groups of all student political persuasions should be represented on campus. They should not discriminate against right-wing students,” Aldridge said. “Rightwing students and right-wing groups have as much right to be on campus as anyone else. We should not encourage some acts and some types of political activism and discourage others. It’s a very bad practice that colleges do.”

On the student personnel side, TPUSA announced its executive board last week: President Oliver Genovese ‘28, Vice President Nikita Aleksii ‘28, Secretary Julien Ernoul ‘28 and Treasurer Michael Emerson ‘28. As he looks to take a passive advisory role, Aldridge indicated that students like these will drive organi-

Students wating for Chick-fil-A orders. Read more on page 2.

Photo by Aidan Marks ‘27.

INSIDE

Chick-fil-A opens suddenly after weeks of uncertainty Katherine Marshall ‘26 on the liberation of speech Katie Deacon ‘27 on athletic trainers Eleanor Nangle ‘28 on Hank Willis Thomas exhibit The Yowl on Vail Commons renovation

Check out our website!

News

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Chick-fil-A opens suddenly In a high profile case from Rutgers after weeks of uncertainty University, Professor Mark Bray,

Faculty weigh in on free speech

TPUSA President Oliver Genovese ‘28 stands with former chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Whatley. Photo courtesy of Oliver Genovese ‘28.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 zational decision-making.

“I’m there to be of counsel and of assistance when needed, but largely the students can and should run this. From what I’ve seen of Oliver Genovese, he’s quite capable of it,” Aldridge said. Genovese discussed many ideas for the semester to assert TPUSA’s presence on campus, including a debating event, a political speaker and a week of programming decrying socialism. The club scheduled a Meet & Greet for the evening of Thursday, Oct. 17, exposing both the club’s 46 WildcatSync members and any interested prospective members to the club’s mission and activities. However, Genovese remains most excited for the debating event, where he would assume the role often played by TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, who would set up on a common area of campus and field questions and arguments from students. He asserted the event would receive support from some of TPUSA’s national employees, who would travel to Davidson to table on campus in order to promote the event.

TPUSA also submitted its bylaws to WildcatSync. They stipulate that the President of TPUSA will serve a fouryear term and enjoys veto power over any amendment to the bylaws, granting the President a longer tenure and more control than the leaders of other campus political organizations. Next fall, instead of an election from the entire membership, Genovese’s presidency will be up for a vote among the club’s officers.

TPUSA’s arrival on Davidson’s campus sparked significant, ongoing contention. The Davidsonian’s Instagram post reporting on TPUSA’s arrival saw 97 comments from users, with some condemning the announcement as

“nothing to be proud of,” “absolutely insane,” and “such a disappointment.”

Others celebrated it as “excellent news” and “encouraging political diversity.”

“I just tried to ignore the backlash,” Genovese said. “Whenever someone tries to bring something new or change, there’s always a lot of pushback. Over time, as it becomes adopted, people just kind of accept what it’s bringing.”

Aleksii also was disappointed by what he viewed as personal attacks for membership in a new organization.

“Those people that wrote such offensive commands, they don’t even know about us,” Aleksii said. “We’re really nice people, very respectful.

We haven’t done anything yet. We just opened and those people already started writing offensive comments. I think it’s not acceptable.”

Genovese said he thinks that negative campus sentiment around TPUSA is driving prospective members away from the organization.

“We had around twenty people who said they would join but are scared of the social repercussions. We also had seven or eight international students who said they’re scared their visas would get revoked if they were to join,” Genovese said, referencing various text, email and in-person conversations he had with prospective members.

Nationally, TPUSA has also faced significant blowback for its Professor Watchlist. The project’s mission, according to the website, is “to expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom.” The Watchlist is a publicly accessible online database that names and profiles professors accused of such behavior.

an expert on the left-wing political movement Antifa, fled to Spain after facing death threats, with his inclusion on the Professor Watchlist exposing him to significant online scrutiny.

The Professor Watchlist is relevant within the Davidson community. Two Davidson professors—Karen Bernd in the Biology Department and Isaac Bailey from the Communication Studies Department—were featured on the Professor Watchlist for defending diversity, equity and inclusion practices, among other things. Bailey, like Bray, faced death threats in the wake of his inclusion.

“I got some really nasty death threats that were primarily about the Watchlist. I’ve been in journalism since 1996 so I’m a little bit more accustomed to it, but these were actually called into Davidson College. My colleagues were actually much more concerned by it than I was,” Bailey said. “It did not change how I taught and wrote.”

Nonetheless, both professors said they are open-minded to TPUSA’s presence on campus as long as the chapter respects campus rules and norms on organizational conduct.

“My perspective is that it is a student organization among the many options Davidson students have established.

If the interested students complete the steps required, then TPUSA will add its voice to the many options that our students have,” Bernd wrote in a statement to The Davidsonian.

Bailey expressed both a commitment to free expression and recognition that TPUSA chapter leadership is different from the people who reported him to the Watchlist. “[TPUSA] is welcome on campus.

The students doing this are not the people who put me on the Watchlist,” Bailey said.

“I am really big on trying to protect free expression rights, so I welcome a variety of different voices.”

Responding to fears over TPUSA’s extremism stemming from controversies like the Professor Watchlist, Genovese said he wants to separate Davidson’s TPUSA chapter from the views and actions of the national organization and other chapters.

“Aside from basic views you have to abide by, like our belief in limited government, capitalism, freedom of expression and the idea that America is the best country in the world, [TPUSA] is autonomous by the chapter,” Genovese said.

“Some schools are very extreme, but my goal is to make this a very moderate chapter and not be very divisive by focusing on issues like economics and immigration and finding common ground. Some chapters struggle with that and take way too extreme stances on social issues that I don’t agree with.”

Hopes to bring more trust to Honor Council CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “We really don’t want it to be this topic people are scared to talk about,” Woodward said. “Just by putting a hearing out on the floor that people can view, I think it’s the peak of transparency making it clear what we do as a council.”

The fictional case chosen for the event involved a student accused of using artificial intelligence to complete a writing assignment, an increasingly relevant issue on campus.

After presenting evidence and wit-

ness testimony, the panel deliberated and delivered an accountability plan, mirroring the real-world process.

The event clarified for some audience members how the Honor Council reaches decisions and why cases can take weeks to resolve.

“It was definitely eye-opening,” attendee Katherine Marshall ’25 said.

“I think it’s really awesome that the current Honor Council is making such a big effort to [...] genuinely try to add transparency to the whole process. It led me to wonder more about

the details like how long cases take, or how the accountability plans are decided. It just made me realize how complex the process really is.”

Marshall also said that while the case seemed simplified due to time constraints, the mock hearing made her more interested in understanding what happens behind closed doors.

According to Honor Council Vice Chair Lily Radtke ‘26, the Council wanted to focus this year’s programming on re-establishing trust.

“There’s been a lot of talk recent-

HALLE CARNS ‘28 (SHE/HER)

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avidson’s newest dining option, Chick-fil-A, opened on Monday after administrators previously said the location might not open until as late as after winter break due to construction delays. The opening date was announced to students by a Student Government Association (SGA) email on Friday.

SGA was notified early afternoon on Friday, just a few hours before they sent an email to students. SGA Vice President Harry Carter ‘28 was caught by surprise. “I only found out two [to] three hours before the email was sent out,” Carter said.

Some students were confused because the announcement came after mixed messages from administrators. “I was very surprised, because I had heard so many different things, like that it could be next semester,” Leah Norton ‘28 said.

Director of Auxiliary Services Richard Terry explained that building inspectors, health department inspectors and Chick-fil-A corporate all came together to make the project successful.

The difference in expected opening dates was driven by the ability to meet multiple codes and inspections. “You don’t really know until the very end when the inspector from the county comes out, whether they’re going to say [if] that’s a problem,” Terry said.

The week prior to Chick-fil-A’s opening, students began to see

trucks, staff getting trained and materials being brought to the new location. Although rumors began around campus, nothing was heard from the school officially.

Disappointment quickly turned to excitement. “People were resigned to the fact that it was going to be [opening] next semester. It was really exciting for people to see the Chick-fil-A workers and the trucks around campus, and then right after seeing it opening,” Carter said.

Most students’ first impression was excitement despite the wait. “I was just ecstatic. I wanted this thing open already. I was just glad it was opening sooner than I thought it was,” Cayden Curtiss ‘28 said.

“I’ve heard pretty much all positive [feedback]. People love Chick-fil-A in general, and are excited about any new dining option on campus,” Carter said.

The project, which began over two years ago, was a collective effort. “I think it shows an engaged community that people do care and want things changed,” Carter said.

Terry also said that the reason Chick-fil-A was brought to campus in the first place was a result of student feedback and decisions. “The fact that we have it at all [is a result of] student emphasis. Students over the years have been really clear about that consistently,” Terry said.

“Chick-fil-A will bring a lot of people and provide another space for people to see each other and be a part of the Davidson community,” Carter concluded.

Students enjoy new campus dining option. Photo by Aidan Marks ‘27.

ly even in The Davidsonian about whether the Honor Code is ‘dead’ or outdated [...] We wanted to show that it’s still very much alive. We have a really strong council that cares deeply about the community and wants to help students, not just punish them.”

Radtke added that the decision to focus the mock case around AI came from student input. “We asked students what kind of violation they felt was most relevant right now, and almost everyone said AI,” Radtke said.

Looking ahead, the Council plans to publish data on Honor Code violations and accountability plans from the past semester as part of a broad-

er transparency initiative. They also intend to host events that promote academic honesty before issues arise, such as mental-health panels, study halls and drop-in Q&A sessions.

Woodward hopes that this year’s outreach sets a base that future councils can build on. “We’re only in these seats for a year […] it’s really important to make sure the Council is in a good spot when we leave.”

“The Honor Council feels a lot less mysterious now. It’s easy to criticize something you don’t understand but it’s a lot harder once you’ve actually seen it in action,” Marshall said.

Features

New visa fees raise concerns among faculty

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Petitions filed by higher education institutions were historically exempt from a nationwide cap on the number of H-1B visa applicants (65,000) permitted per year in the U.S. In contrast, this proclamation appears to affect all petitioners regardless of “cap-exempt” status.

For current faculty members who have H-1B visas, there is not much clarity surrounding how the fee will affect them. Given that having an H-1B visa is a continuous process of application and renewal, the proclamation’s lack of specificity has led to confusion.

“One thing we’re really trying to do is provide existing faculty in this category with honest advice, legal advice. We have an attorney who gives them legal advice,” Rigger said. “The worst thing we can do is to promise someone something that we will be unable to deliver.”

Concern among faculty members

is growing as the waiting game unfolds. Chair of the French and Francophone Studies Department Florin Beschea said that the immediate implementation of the fee to the H-1B petition process created an atmosphere of concern.

“Everybody’s panicking. Nobody knows what’s happening, which is exactly the spirit of the sort of action, to just create confusion and make things difficult,” Beschea said.

Assistant Dean of Faculty Development Melissa González said that the emotional toll of this confusion is evident.

“What the current government’s immigration rhetoric and policy has been doing, even before the $100,000 H-1B fee, is adding to an already complicated and onerous situation,” González said.

“Individuals just have to do extra mental and emotional calculus of like, ‘Can I stay? If I stay, what are the opportunities? How long might I be able to have a life here?’”

Associate Professor of Political

Politics

Science Silvana Toska described bearing witness to this turmoil.

“I have friends who are finishing their PhDs who now find themselves in limbo and don’t know if they should bother applying, because that uncertainty is and we have committed seven years of your life to life here and to being the best researcher you can be,” Toska said. “I can say that universally, we are pretty heartbroken for what it means for our colleagues, for what it means for Davidson, what it means for our students.”

What this means for Davidson is a pause in the ability to consider all applicants in an effort to find the best prospective faculty during the hiring and recruitment process.

“We try our best to make [the hiring process] really meritocratic, so it doesn’t matter where you come from. We don’t care about your nationality. We want the best person for that job, and we care about Davidson, so we want to make sure that we get the best people,” Toska said.

3 The fee also threatens diversity of nationality among faculty. “If we cannot hire [...] people that come from a diverse background, that are trained to be in our [American higher educational] system, but also bring something else, we’re just left in our own little community. Which is fantastic, but it’s not sufficient, because we live in a world. The world needs us. We need the world,” Beschea said.

It is also unclear how long this proclamation will stand. Barring renewal, it is set to be in effect for one year, ending on Sept. 21, 2026.

In the meantime, the visa fee is already facing legal pushback. As reported by the New York Times on Oct. 3, “A group of unions, higher education professionals, religious organizations and others,” in the Northern District of California sued the Trump Administration over the $100,000 fee for H-1B Visas. The suit is based on the lawfulness of the President to unilaterally impose a tax without the permission of Congress.

“The $100,000 is a fee and a fee in

excess of the cost of providing the service is a tax, and only Congress can impose a tax. So a court might say you can raise the fee to whatever it actually costs to administer this program divided by the number of visas that you give. But you can’t suddenly impose this huge tax beyond the cost of administering the program without congressional action,” Rigger explained.

“So the whole thing could be struck down. We just don’t know, and the legal challenges can take a really long time to work their way through, and so we are trying to be very cautious, to wait for more information before we do anything that feels like we’re promising something.”

As the legality of the fee and its long term viability continue to be debated, the impacts of the proclamation for this year’s faculty hiring cycle at Davidson have already been cemented.

“There’s plenty of good people with PhDs out there, but I think we do a good job getting the very best, and we won’t have that opportunity [now],” Toska concluded.

Senators discuss bipartisanship and cooperation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

So I think this has been a very unfortunate attack going on,” Klobuchar said. “It’s one thing to have disagreements on where some money is going. But it’s another thing to just consistently single out different things.

Last time I checked, recruiting a diverse business or student body is a good thing.”

Tillis also offered both criticism of a Trump policy and support from his office. “I disagree with the current posture [on student visas]. I think it’s bad for student populations, but we’re also doing case work. If there are any students concerned they are at risk, they need to contact our office, because we’ll help them,” Tillis said. “If there is anything coming up to fear—and I understand that because of the policies of the president—but if there is a real threat then let us know.”

Reactions to the talk from the campus community were mixed.

“It was a good talk overall. The follow-up is for student organizations and different factions of students here to get together and debate, discuss, and engage in politics,” Professor of History Dan Aldridge said. “I think

we should encourage broad political discourse at Davidson College. The sorts of views that exist in the country should exist in the College.”

Although the campus expressed great enthusiasm with having two Senators visit, with tickets selling out in days, some viewers emerged with points of criticism.

“We [Davidson College] are very well behaved and we respect each other’s humanity, which we absolutely have to do, but sometimes the outcome of that is kind of static,” Professor of Religious Studies Greg Snyder said. “I do think it was a good evening but, if it’s only this, I think that’s probably not good.”

The last third of the event was reserved for audience questions. However, some felt the event would be better served by greater student participation.

“President Hicks’ question didn’t really push the envelope,” Declan O’Donoughue ‘26 said. “The energy in the room really changed when students started talking, it became more dynamic.”

Another constituency of students felt betrayed by the Senators’ muted response during a period of upheaval.

“The lack of urgency in the Senators’

From left to right: President Doug Hicks ‘90, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Thom Tillis, Dean of Students MarQuita Barker and Director of the IPG Chris Marsicano ‘10. Photo by Kaspars Golos ‘27.

comments tonight, given masked ICE agents wreaking terror across the country and the National Guard occupying cities, was disillusioning to see,” Saeran Dewar ‘28 said.

Some students intentionally spurned the talk in an effort to send a message about their disapproval of the project.

“I don’t think platforming a person like Thom Tillis is beneficial in the end, because 30 minutes of saying interesting things doesn’t make up for a long history of working to disrupt the public education structure in North Carolina,” said Lennox Goslin ‘28, a North Carolina native.

On the other hand, many viewed the Senators’ approach to these hot button issues as graceful and a good first step. “I felt the loudest emotion in the room was over the steadfast defense of the value of immigrants in our society, and what appeared to me a full throated defense for immigration reform,” local immigration advocate Barbara Randolph said.

Prior to their public dialogue, Klobuchar and Tillis attended a reception at President Hicks’ home with Davidson alumni, professors, community members, and student political leaders. The Senators conversed with student representatives from student government, the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative (DCI) and campus partisan political organizations. They discussed everything from efforts towards a Senate pickleball caucus to government shutdown solutions.

“I thought it was so cool to put a face and a genuine and fun personality to the names we see on TV all the time. It was a great reminder that all of our politicians at every level are ultimately just like the rest of us,” Student Government Association Vice President Harry Carter ‘28 said.

“I also thought it was super interesting to see how charismatic they were and how friendly they were to each other and all of us.”

After the conversation, the DCI, the tentpole of the IPG’s Deliberation &

Stella Mackler ‘26 interviewing Seantors Thom Tillis and Amy Klobuchar.

Photo by Kaspars Golos‘27.

Free Expression arm, hosted a follow-up deliberation just outside in Union Room 205, inviting attendees to further wrestle with the questions of moving towards the public good in a moment of polarization.

“When I got out of the lecture, I was actually kind of afraid at first to go in. As an international student, do I really want to have these political discussions with all these people around? But I went in and enjoyed the conversation,” Chidindu Ohaegbulam ‘28 said.

“Most Davidson students are pretty open minded, but it’s nice to see different perspectives on the political spectrum have good, meaningful conversations. I came away from that whole discussion with more understanding of what different perspectives look like.”

With Klobuchar and Tillis’ arrival, the IPG sought to mark its presence as a core institution of the campus political scene. Reflecting on the institute’s namesake, Klobuchar, Marsicano and Tillis offered different definitions of a public good.

“The public good is something that improves people’s lives,” Klobuchar said.

Within the context of the IPG, Marsicano defined public good as public benefits that society receives from higher education institutions. He added, “[IPG] argues that there’s a

civic purpose of higher education as well, colleges and universities must be engaged in civil discourse.”

Tillis contributed a more pragmatic definition. “To me the public good [...] it’s really the head and the heart meeting and producing a good result for some country [...] but also a good result for the American people.”

For any of these definitions of the public good, Marsicano and the IPG approach free speech and cooperation across political divides as paramount.

“It is incredibly important that higher education institutions defend free speech in all of its forms,” Marsicano said. “The [IPG] in particular wants to continue to bring people from disparate political views together. That’s why we are supporting this event.”

However, some students demand more from the IPG in directly addressing hot button issues that people care deeply about.

“I was disappointed that the discussion between the Senators wasn’t substantive,” Sofia Cimballa ‘26 said.

“The fact that Doug Hicks did not ask any questions about the climate, Gaza, immigration, abortion or LGBTQIA issues indicates the Institute for Public Good is out of touch with our unique political moment of crisis.”

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Perspectives Liberation of Speech

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KATHERINE MARSHALL ‘26 (SHE/HER)

’m a Religious Studies major writing a thesis on solidarity and Liberation Theology. I’ve been steeped in readings and discussions of liberation amidst a political season where calls for protecting freedom reign. These calls are loud on Davidson’s campus as well. I hear them in college support for extremely conservative, externally funded student organizations that defend their right to gather on the basis of freedom of expression. Davidson’s Code of Responsibility, which exists to hold individual students and organizations to a particular standard of behavior embodying college values, states boldly, “We value Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and will

not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind” (value no. 3).

In the name of protecting free speech, we have a newly registered student organization on campus, a chapter of Turning Point USA. TPUSA has placed two Davidson professors on a watchlist because they discuss and defend DEI in their syllabi or in public articles. The watchlist invites threats against professors, normalizing harassment as part of their job description. While TPUSA’s values stand in clear violation of the Code of Responsibility, they defend a right to gather on the basis of freedom of expression. The irony would be laughable if it weren’t so horrifying.

Studying the language of liberation for the past few months has illuminated the free speech debate in a way that has been quite helpful. Liberation Theology rumbled up from those on the

margins in the poorest parts of Latin America, the “world’s anonymous,” as stated by the Peruvian Father of Liberation Theology Gustavo Gutiérrez. In one of the most famous biographies about Gutierrez, Robert McAfee Brown writes of the critics of Liberation Theology. He points to those he calls, “armchair theologians, who transform the life and death struggles of others into intellectual exercise.” I recited this line silently to myself as I sat in the third row of the moderated conversation between Senator Thom Tillis, Senator Amy Klobuchar and President Hicks in their red velvet chairs.

Latin American Liberation Theology is a Christian vision of understanding God and the Bible that originated in those on the margins. The mid20th century saw a huge modernization in the Catholic Church, which called for a reading of the Gospel (stories of Jesus’s life) that declared the poor to be God’s chosen people. This led to a self-identification with the Gospel by many populations in Latin America and subsequent resistance against oppressive regimes in many of these countries, which were funded by the United States government in the second half of the 20th century.

The stirrings of the masses that we call Liberation Theology empowered many bishops, nuns, and priests throughout Latin America to join efforts of resistance. These true martyrs sacrificed their lives for the conviction that neutrality is impossible in the liberation struggle. They recognized the reality that deciding not to engage in the liberation struggle of oppressed people was, inherently, to support their ongoing oppression.

The present debate around freedom of speech does something dangerously similar. It neutralizes cries for justice and liberation to prioritize the oppressor in the conversation, supporting the victimization tactics used by conservative

groups who feel their power threatened. Freedom relies on a particular fallacy of neutrality, a neglect for the real factors that prioritize the freedom of some above others. Liberation, however, acknowledges our political realities, and voices a call for action.

Let this be an invitation to challenge the very spaces that have been carved out for “free” discourse and the threatening agendas that some of them use “freedom of speech” to justify. These spaces are not neutral. That is impossible. To suppose that they are is to overlook the important task of the liberal arts to recognize and challenge the mechanics of power.

In addition to the “armchair theologians,” Brown writes of another camp of dissenters: the “defenders of tradition (either politicians or church authorities) who cannot endure the risk of change.” The reality of this particular moment in Davidson’s history is that the college is settling down into this position: making concessions to protect the freedom of those who already have it, and placing our collective pursuit of truth and justice in great jeopardy.

Katherine Marshall is a Religious Studies Major from Atlanta, Georgia. She can be reached for comment at kamarshall@davidson.edu.

Texts on liberation theology. Photo by Soren Potthoff ‘27.

DFTD Board Member responds to accusations of bias

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CONSTANSE BUEHLER (SHE/HER)

o the “Anonymous Student” who wrote about the hidden conservative bias of DFTD in The Davidsonian on 9/10, you targeted many of my fellow Board members but did not specifically call out me.

I wonder if you knew more about my primary motives for joining, what would you say?

Do you know that for ~40 years, my passion and career have been helping college kids find their first job, write their resumes, create their stories and be prepared for interviews?

Additionally, might you be aware that it has been my pleasure to voluntarily mentor dozens and dozens of Davidson students and connect them with that first role they passionately want?

So what brought me to DFTD? Honestly,

starting around 2012, I began noticing a lack of spunk and engagement in the seniors with whom I interacted. And by 2020, the job retention of those that had been hired in ensuing years was drastically declining. For example in early 2024, I heard from a company that had hired 5 Davidson grads in 2022 that they had already fired 2 and 1 was on probation. Through my interaction with Davidson students, yes— but college students across the US more broadly—I found that many of their classes/professors started within a “cramped intellectual space” with predetermined outcomes of variables already decided. What was and is missing from many of these classrooms was the comfort of free speech for these outcomes to be challenged. You are not being prepared to think boundlessly about contentious issues —and this lack of development of a key metric of engagement can limit your success in the outside world.

Crime Log Time Reported

Description/Location

10/05/25, 01:14 hrs

Traffic Offenses: Expired Registration Plate NC 115/Griffith St, Closed/Cleared by Arrest

09/28/25, 01:35 hrs

Alcohol Offenses: Consumer Fortified Wine Under 21 Belk, Inactive Alcohol Offenses: Consumer Fortified Wine Under 21 PCC #7, Inactive

09/28/25, 00:36 hrs 09/27/25, 15:47 hrs

Liquor/ Liquor/

Larceny Offenses: Misdemeanor Larceny Belk, Further Investigation

If you doubt me, look at this data from a Forbes article published 1/21/25: 89% of HR leaders say they avoid hiring recent graduates, even while almost all of them (98%) say their organization is struggling to find talent.

Where recent graduates have been hired within the past year, 78% of HR leaders have already fired at least some of them.

I want more than anything to be able to present Davidson students who can navigate through a business case, work through a “topic talk” in a health care start up interview, etc with the assumption that anything is possible and they’ve been exposed to many variables from which to pull. My call of action to all of you: Students, challenge your professors and the administration to give you that room to expand your brains and to make you marketable for whatever future role you want!

And, Anonymous Student, while you choose to

politically paint many DFTD members, might you also want to say, “Thank you, DFTD, as many of you are incredibly successful titans in your field, non-profits or think tanks, yet you take much time to try and ensure we students have the broadest education possible so we are prepared to successfully launch our careers — regardless of our political affiliation.” PS, Anonymous Student, you have my name and feel free to reach out to continue a dialogue… or send your resume.

Constanse Buehler is a DFTD board member and can be reached for comment at ctb1llc@ gmail.com.

Sports

From practice squad to walk-on: John Nowland ‘27 joins Men’s Basketball

MASON MAYANRD ‘28 HE/HIM

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hen John Nowland ‘27 came to Davidson with medical school in mind, he thought his basketball days were behind him. Two years later, after stints as a practice player on the womens’ and mens’ basketball teams, Nowland suited up as a walkon for Davidson’s opening Red/ Black Scrimmage last Friday.

Nowland was surrounded by basketball from a young age. He grew up in Spokane, Washington, the home of perennial basketball powerhouse Gonzaga University and Hoopfest, the largest three-on-three tournament in the world. Up through middle school, Nowland identified as only a spectator.

Stakes changed after Nowland’s freshman year of high school. “I never really took [basketball] seriously until I had my growth spurt. I went from 5-foot-4 to 6-foot-4. The coaches started to notice me, and they were like ‘hey, we want you to play for us,’” Nowland said.

Starting from his high school’s ‘C’ team as a freshman, Nowland moved to junior varsity (JV) his sophomore year and ultimately landed on the varsity roster his senior year. In his first full year as a varsity player, Nowland earned the title of captain, breached the top five in his league’s player rankings and received first team all-state honors.

Nowland’s grit not only reveals itself through his succession of skill in high school, but also through his off-the-court aims of becoming a doctor. “I had offers coming out of high school to play at small colleges around Washington, but I wanted to prioritize my dreams of becoming a doctor [...] my long term goal is medicine and practicing cardiothoracic surgery,” Nowland said.

John Nowland ‘27 training with the men’s basketball team. Photo courtesy of John Nowland ‘27.

Davidson’s strong pre-medicine program drew Nowland across the country—a 2,500 mile drive away.

But without basketball, Nowland felt like something was missing. “I got [to Davidson] but I still wanted to play somehow. So I reached out to the womens’ coaching staff and asked if I could practice, and they let me be a practice player,” Nowland said.

Matt McKillop ‘06 is the head coach of mens’ basketball. “I’m thrilled it’s going in the way where he can now have that dream of being a college basketball player while also pursuing his dream of becoming a doctor,” McKillop said.

Nowland’s tenure as a practice player was cut short when the womens’ team cancelled the remainder of their season with three games to go in 2023-24 due to widespread injury.

But Nowland didn’t let that stop him.

“I wanted to keep playing,” Nowland said. “I reached out to the mens’ side, and they helped me out. And from there it just took off. I realized that walking on was something that could happen, so I started to pursue [it].”

Despite a late introduction to the team, McKillop said Nowland quickly adapted to the program.

“He was in a funky position having not even approached the mens’ basketball staff until the end of his freshman year,” McKillop said. “When we threw him into some drills as a manager, we realized that he was physically capable of helping us, and he knew how to play well.”

During his time working out with the team, Nowland understood that finding his role on the team did not consist of selfish or showy play. “A lot of [walking on] was proving that you were committed to the program.

They knew I wasn’t going to average 30 [points per game],” Nowland said.

“I was going to walk on by proving to be consistent in my role, do what was asked and do a good job.

They want me to be physical, to set screens—just make guys better.”

Nowland is a team player on and off the court. “Whether he was a manager last year or now, a member of the team, he’s always had the personality and the ability to get along with ev-

erybody,” McKillop said.

The walk-on process was not easy.

Nowland said his support network helped him push through mental setbacks. “There were moments where I was like: ‘I don’t know if I can do this,’ but I have a really strong support system around me, with my friends and family.”

5

Nowland entered into his Davidson mens’ basketball experience weighing in at 6-foot-8 and 190 pounds in spring 2024. After a summer spent lifting and training with the team, Nowland weighed in 30 pounds heavier.

“I’m super grateful that they’ve made me way stronger,” Nowland said. “In the past few months I’ve improved at basketball and I still love playing it.”

The common refrain throughout Nowland’s journey? Persistence pays off. Growing up in Spokane, working for spots on practice squads and putting in the work to make the team, all while focusing on his med-school dreams­—Nowland’s story is proof that hard work yields success.

“If I’m ever tired during a draw or if I get hit really hard, I’ll say ‘ok, maybe I’ll sit this next one out.’ But I think about how much I worked to get to the point to have that opportunity to be in those drills, and I think: ‘what am I talking about?’ I want to be doing this. I love what I’m doing and I don’t know why I would ever not want to do it,” Nowland said.

Men’s basketball at the Red/Black Scrimmage on Oct. 10. Photo courtesy of @davidsonbasketall on Instagram.

The behind-the-scenes heroes of Davidson Athletics KATIE DEACON ‘27 SHE/HER

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very game day, they are the first on the field and the last to leave. Whether wrapping ankles, taking late night hospital trips or checking in when nobody else thinks to, Davidson’s athletic trainers are the behind-the-curtain backbone of Davidson Athletics.

They are the essential yet overlooked part of our sports teams and their dedication is a crucial piece to an athlete’s success.

Football and Golf team athletic trainer Steve Zook is in his seventh season with Davidson Football, but he has been a certified athletic trainer since 2001. “We do more than just cover games and wait for somebody to get hurt,” Zook said.

The trainers typically arrive at Baker Sports Complex around 8am during the week. Then, around 5pm, when you can find most others heading home from work, they are transitioning over to practice. As the sun sets on the day, Zook begins post-practice rehab at 7:30pm. That is almost a 12-hour work day.

In addition to long hours, trainers

travel with the team. Sarah Weatherford is the trainer for Mens’ and Womens’ Soccer. “Next week I’ll be in town for two days [...] I’ll be coming back at midnight Sunday, and then we’ll leave Wednesday, drive all day, play Thursday, then drive all day Friday,” Weatherford said. “It’s definitely hard.”

This fall season marks Weatherford’s third year at Davidson, but she has been an athletic trainer for 10 years now. She integrates time with her family into her travel schedule.

“When soccer goes and plays VCU in a couple of weeks [...] I’ll be able to see them.”

Her workload does not lessen by much once Soccer and Cross Country wrap up in the fall. Track & Field season begins in early December and lasts until May. Weatherford treats over 80 athletes during track season.

Trainers spend significant face time with these athletes, whether it be for a lighthearted recovery session or a serious talk about injury. “It’s usually not a one-off time that they’re coming in here,” Zook said.

The constant care, mending and

support the athletic trainers provide for their athletes includes mental components. Weatherford, along with the other trainers, consult the on-campus mental health counselor for Davidson athletes on the daily to “make sure that mentally, all are doing okay, and checking in on that.”

Zook agrees. “It’s very important to talk to your athlete every day, and, you know, check in with them, see how they’re doing.” When athletes get injured, Zook and Weatherford are often the ones accompanying students to hospital trips or doctor appointments.

Informing an athlete of a career-ending injury, prescribing a long recovery time and standing witness to struggle is a heavy burden to carry. “I feel like a lot of us absorb a lot of the injuries,” Weatherford said. “We feel that pain for y’all.”

Although the training room is traditionally a place of dread or frustration, you’ll typically hear laughter and upbeat banter upon entering. The facility is a pleasant juxtaposition to what can be generally expected from an injury rehab environment.

“Everyone’s kind of invested along

Sarah Weatherford arriving at a women’s soccer game. Photo courtesy of @davidsonwsoc on Instagram.

the way [...] when you see somebody get out of a boot or get off crutches, or, like, get to ring the bell or get cleared from surgery, everybody’s excited,” Weatherford said.

It takes a person who strongly models patience, empathy and trust to guide athletes through times of tribulation. Zook emphasizes the importance behind those conversations: to

let them know what’s ahead, and encourage athletes that their recovery goals are attainable.

Weatherford puts her personal philosophy like this: “When you’re going through a train tunnel, you can’t always see the end. But you know it’s there, you’re just looking where your headlights are.”

Arts & Entertainment

“At the Twilight’s Last Gleaming?” by Hank Willis Thomas. Photo by Wyatt Gessner ‘28.

Hank Willis Thomas questions America in “We The People”

ELEANOR NANGLE ’28 (SHE/HER)

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he Davidson Visual Arts Center’s (VAC) new exhibit titled “We the People,” opened this past Friday, Oct. 10. The featured artist, Hank Willis Thomas, also created the memorial to the enslaved and exploited people who built Davidson’s campus—“With These Hands”—which is set to be unveiled on Oct. 23rd.

The exhibit in the VAC was designed to augment and exist in conversation with the memorial. Director & Curator of Art Gallery Lia Newman helped arrange the pieces.

“We really tried to choose his works that best supported the themes and stories of the memorial,” she said. Many of these themes are present in the artist’s broader practice, including identity, collective memory and the legacy of exploitation and exclusion, but also hope, reconciliation and inclusion.

Some of the many subjects of analysis in the exhibit include gun rights, exclusion and the erasure of history, among many other contemporary and controversial issues both across the country and on Davidson’s campus.

The exhibit, along with the memorial, was created in collaboration with the gallery’s faculty, the Davidson Commission on Race and Slavery,

students, staff and faculty, as well as descendants of those who were enslaved and exploited by Davidson College.

Immediately upon entering the exhibit, the diversity in media is striking.

“He chooses the best medium to communicate whatever it is that he wants to say, allowing him to span many mediums, genres, and subjects,” Newman said.

Thomas’ art is unique in form and appearance—particularly for a solo artist—as he utilises mediums including sculpture, retroflective vinyl and lenticular works, textiles and neon.

With a plethora of sculpture and color, the art fills the space of the gallery,

which Newman explained was a very intentional choice. “Perspective is a really key part of this exhibition, and it’s the literal and physical perspective he was playing with mostly. So, we wanted a really bold and full physical experience in the gallery,” Newman said.

The piece that catches the eye immediately is titled “At the Twilight’s Last Gleaming?” The title is borrowed from the national anthem, but the question mark at the end subverts the audience’s understanding of the lyric, turning a patriotic phrase into a question and forcing the viewer to think critically about what the anthem and the correlated flag represents, and who it excludes.

The piece is an amalgamation of deconstructed political and identity-based flags that are highly relevant in the contemporary political landscape, patched together to create a new image. These include the American, Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ and pride flags, but also the Confederate, Make America Great Again and Gadsden (“Don’t tread on me”) flags. He took the symbols apart and pieced them together into a flag that is fragmented, contradictory and full of tension.

The piece is beautiful, while also telling a story of America’s political tension, and asking the question of who is and is not represented by the American flag, and if one single flag could accurately represent the United States and its diverse identities. The beauty of Thomas’ work lies in using symbols that the American public is deeply familiar with and forcing the viewer to critically analyze their meaning in a different way.

Throughout the exhibit, he asks these questions and more of the audi-

6 ence, particularly through the lens of altering their perspective both physically and figuratively. “He’s always thinking about how altering perspectives can alter perception; how it can change people,” Newman said.

In one piece, Thomas even uses a lenticular print, which requires the viewer to physically move their body to see the different messages in the piece.

He also uses UV print of reflected vinyl, the same material used in street signs, which requires light to see the entire piece. The exhibit encourages the audience to use their phone flash to reveal the concealed parts of the piece, and the material allows Thomas to present two distinct scenes.

Thomas was trained as a photographer. “To me, photographs are not documents, but really, storytelling tools,” Thomas said.

Photographs are a vital part of his artistic inspiration. “Photographs shoot us forward or backwards into space and time, because what’s in the frame of the camera is important, but what’s outside the frame of the camera is more important,” Thomas continued.

Speaking about his work with photographs and UV print, he said, “I’m interested in how what we choose to shine light on affects what’s visible— that’s extremely relevant when we think about historical images.”

Thomas explained that remembrance isn’t passive; we must be intentional about not allowing histories to be forgotten. “We can’t celebrate the present if we can’t acknowledge where we came from. So much of the show is to me about the perseverance and history of the American spirit.”

DACE’s role in Institute for Public Good still undecided SAIYA MEHTA ’27 (SHE/HER)

W

ith the establishment of the Institute for Public Good (IPG) earlier this semester comes new institutionalized support for the arts at Davidson. What exactly this will look like, though, is yet to be determined.

For Chris Marsicano ’10, the IPG’s director as well as chair and associate professor of educational studies, the arts are crucial to the IPG’s mission of supporting research and creative works for the public good. “Artists […] challenge us to be better than we are,” Marsicano said. “Art is a [public] good in the case of the IPG, where it forces our students to think critically about the world.”

Sherry Nelson, founding director of Davidson Arts & Creative Engagement (DACE), was a member of the IPG Design Group that identified Arts in Public Life as one of the Institute’s five key program areas. “There are things that [DACE has] done through the years to support the [...] arts in public life. It’s exciting to think that we can establish this [program],” Nelson said.

According to Marsicano, DACE is set to play an important role in developing programming for Arts in Public Life. “The work that Sherry Nelson and the DACE team do is extraordinary, and the IPG is lucky to have such a robust, creative organization helping it navigate what it means to advance the public good through music, the visual arts, theatre, dance, and the humanities,” Marsicano wrote in an email to The Davidsonian.

Nelson envisions DACE as a col-

laborator and resource to support the IPG’s work, but emphasized that the office also serves the College in ways that do not entirely align with the IPG’s mission.

“We care about [arts in public life] greatly. And we want to be a part of that in some way. But that is not [...] our single focus,” Nelson said.

The program is still in the planning stage. Unlike the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), Deliberative & Free Expression and Public Policy & Research program areas, which support existing programs and anchor organizations, the Arts in Public Life program is entirely new.

“We know some of the great work that DACE is doing, but there’s more work that needs to be done beyond DACE,” Marsicano said. “We have a lot of ground to cover.”

That work is crucial to secure funding for the Institute as a whole—and the team is working under significant time constraints. “The way I’ve described it to external audiences is: we are building the plane while it is flying and trying to land on an aircraft carrier that we are also trying to build while it’s on the water,” Marsicano said.

Nelson highlighted campus initiatives already doing the work of art for the public good: Professor of Theatre Sharon Green’s course Community-Based Performance for Social Justice, the Van Every & Smith galleries’ role in the College’s collaborative project with the Catawba Nation, and DACE’s Spike! grant that funded Makayla Binter’s (’20) Mural Panel Project are just some.

As presently envisioned by Marsicano, supporting such public-facing artistic work entails more than sim-

ply providing additional funding. The Arts in Public Life program director—still to be decided—will not only coordinate projects within the arts, but also across the Institute’s other program areas. “[A key question will be] how can we put these things together in such a way that we create programming around it to help students engage with all of this information at a much greater level,” Marsicano said.

The IPG is concerned with art that is made for and accessible to the broader community beyond campus.

According to Marsicano, the art must also do specific work within the public realm. “We are going to be asking that question: is this artistic outlet […] defending free speech? Is it putting up a

mirror to society? Is it challenging us to be better parts of ourselves, better people? Is it providing […] us with an understanding of history and culture and society in a way that we can then question and reflect to make a better society and a stronger culture?”

In a few weeks, an ‘idea group’ of 10-12 people, including faculty, staff, students and community members, will convene to design the program’s purpose. At the semester’s close, the committee will present their recommendations to Marsicano and the IPG team, who will then determine the path forward.

Nevertheless, Marsicano himself has a vision for what the Arts in Public Life program should look like.

“Who are we privileging? Where is the power? That’s the kind of conversation that we need to be talking about with Arts in Public Life. We need to be supporting artists who are saying, ‘this is a problem in society, and my artwork is going to show you how that is’,” Marsicano said.

“Whether that’s visual art, performance of any kind, music, dance, theater, [literature]—no matter what the artistic outlet is […] people who use their artistic talents to question the harm and the bad in society and provide solutions for the good in society—that’s where the Institute for Public Good should be.”

Makayla Binter’s (‘20) Mural Panel Project was funded by DACE Spike! and Projects for Peace grants. Photo by Chris Record.

Living Davidson ACROSS 1. High pt.

4. Governor Gavin 10. Mi __ es su __ 14. Vietnamese noodle soup 15. Folk song 16. Mini mountain 17. What this puzzle might say 19. Love god 20. Whines 21. To-do list items 23. Hit the road 24. Title of Joe Exotic in Persia* 27. Me, myself, __ 28. “Gee whiz!” on iMessage 29. Stage whisper 30. “Journey to the East” figure* 34. Email attachment 35. “Joy Ride” actress Stephanie 36. ABBA plea 38. 1977 Steely Dan album 41. Nickname of Paula Creamer* 48. Tibet’s __ Lama 50. Public health official 51. Smurfs creator 52. Stallone of “Rocky”* 54. “Olympia” artist 55. Renders obsessed 56. Bullish beginning?

57. Deserve 59. Hero of “Wuthering Heights”* 62. Seize 63. Elaborately decorated 64. Macaw genus 65. Window sheet 66. Concert merch 67. __ Boi

DOWN 1. Speedometer stat 2. Restaurant reading 3. Trucker frustration 4. Not a soul 5. Big bucks?

6. Chinese dynasty 7. “Wonderful” jazzman 8. Moving about 9. City VIP 10. Chipmunk pouches 11. Blimp, for example 12. __-mo 13. Ice Bucket Challenge cause 18. Luxurious 22. Deduce 23. Once around a track 24. Boo-hoo 25. Add 26. Ornamental ship 31. “Change of Life” disco group 32. Rapa __ 33. Airport screening org.

37. Romans author 38. TV spots 39. Noisy bird 40. Fibrous Kellogg’s cereal 42. Some fishermen 43. Hướng Hoá district capital 44. __ favor 45. Shakespeare tetralogy 46. Egyptian power symbol 47. Spoil 49. What Thor and Hulk do 53. Very va va voom 54. Malaysian traffic jam 56. Pref. arts major 57. Sixth sense 58. Santa __, CA 60. Asian language group

Leadership Spotlight: Maggie Woodward ‘26 ANNA MORROW ’28 (SHE/HER)

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7

aggie Woodward ’26 is a prime example of a Davidson student. The senior Biology and Hispanic Studies double major on the pre-med track is the Chair of Davidson’s esteemed Honor Council and serves as a Senior Admissions Fellow.

Much of Woodward’s passion for the school stems from its foundational value in the Honor Code that is upheld by a group of students named the Honor Council.

The Davidsonian: How did you get involved with the Honor Council?

Woodward: My freshman year I ran. I knew a lot of people that were on the Honor Council, and they had spoken to me about it. Being involved with the dean’s office and getting to work in this entirely peer run organization seemed really cool to me. I didn’t think that I was going to run for a chair. I was just thinking I wanted to be a part of this organization. And since then, I’ve just grown to love the work and everything it’s done for the community.

The Davidsonian: Have you seen the Honor Code develop for yourself over your Davidson career?

Woodward: I see the Honor Code in everything now, whereas maybe I viewed it as something that was just academic before, but I really can’t remove it from the community, the relationship building, the way we interact with professors, job opportunities, or connections with alums. I think everything we have access to as Davidson students is made possible and is viable because of the Honor Code.

It’s developed from something that was maybe strictly academic to now something that I see in every part of life as Davidson students.

The Davidsonian: What is an example of the Honor Code functioning in our community?

Woodward: We tell this story a lot in the admissions office. Someone lost their wallet the first week of class and got an email the next day saying that his wallet had been found and to pick it up at the student info desk. That in itself is great. But, someone turned his wallet and there was a $10 bill put in it that wasn’t there originally with a sticky note on it. It read, “it seems like this would be like a really rough way to start your first week of classes, go buy ice cream on me.” … That plays into the thinking “oh, someone’s not going to steal your stuff” bit. But also the buy back into the community aspect of the Honor Code The Davidsonian: How do you hope the Honor Code will expand in the Davidson community?

Woodward: I think people get caught up in the semantics of the Honor Code versus the Code of Responsibility. But we all operate under the same idea of holding yourself to your best standards. I think people believe social media and social life is exempt from the Honor Code, but that’s not really the case…

We’re on our honor to act accordingly. And integrity is what you’re doing when someone else isn’t looking. So, I think anytime you’re not in a public space, you are held to the Honor Code, but no one is there to hold you to it.

And I think that’s such a big part of the Honor Code and why it functions. We need to continue upholding the Honor Code in spaces where people aren’t there to hold us to it.

The Davidsonian: Why did you run to be the chair of the Honor Council last year?

Woodward: I was a junior last year and there were a lot of issues I kept seeing coming up and its stuff that I really felt passionate about fixing. I really wish the Honor Council had a bigger role in the Davidson community. I wish people weren’t scared to talk about it. I wish people understood more about the value of the Honor Code in campus life outside of academ-

Solution: Part is Parts

ics.

So, I talked to the current vice chair, Lily Radtke ’26 and decided we would both want to run for these leadership positions. We both feel very strongly about these issues…

We also have some really involved members in the Honor Council this year that are on a committee. The committee is titled the internal practices and outreach committee that has been doing some really cool work with updating our bylaws and working on planning programming and other events to make the Honor Council have more of a presence.

The Davidsonian: How has and will this committee used community outreach to forward its intentions?

Woodward: We had our mock Honor Council hearing, which I think went really well. Lots of students came and asked some really awesome questions and we got to show the process of an Honor Council case. That is something we’re very passionate about this year is, Lily and I and our leadership team as a whole is transparency and how students’ rights are impacted by transparency or lack thereof. We want to make sure that the school was aware of everything we’re doing as a council. We’re going to do all sorts of studying halls towards finals like we did last spring, and different mental health events and resource availability with different offices or clubs on campus just to get in front of things. And state this is where your value lies outside of academics, because it’s us as students. Our value is so much more than a grade we get on paper or test and it’s never worth using artificial intelligence, cheating, or using work that’s not your own to get a grad, because that’s not where our worth lies.

The Davidsonian: How do you hope that the Honor Code will impact Davidson students beyond their time here?

Woodward: I think immediately of the celebration of honor we had last year and how we had the alums come and talk about the Honor Code and what it has meant for them as they grow into functioning members of society.

I feel very strongly about relationship and community building and I think the Honor Code is so integral to that that people will con-

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

tinue to use that to give back to the Davidson community. And realize like we’re all held to the same set of values and that we have something really special at Davidson to bring out into the real world.

The Davidsonian: How do you expect the Honor Code to influence your future?

Woodward: I want to go into medicine. And so I think there’s lots of really interesting conversations surrounding the ethics of medicine, with AI in both medicine and future jobs… I really hope that it helps me both give back to Davidson and the community around me…

And so even though I’m not signing an Honor Code at my jobs, just knowing that the Davidson Honor Code stays with me for the rest of my life is amazing.

Picuture of Maggie Woodward ‘26 Photo courtesy of Maggie Woodward. ‘26

The

Yowl

Irreverent student journalism since 371 AD. Castigat Ridendo Mores.

inside

yowl.com/research.ebsco New Parents Weekend Event: Guessing Which Of Your Friends’ Parents Are Involved In Which Morally Questionable Career Page: BlackRock/IPG

Davidson Shutdown Imminent As Pinky Refuses To Take Away Money From The Tilapia Budget

Perspectives: Why My Dad Actually Did Need to Yell At The Milkbread Worker

Page: Project 225 Baker Dr Page: Minimum Rage

Dining Services announces groundbreaking Commons renovation

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oday, Davidson Dining Services announced a new innovative renovation project to bring the College’s main dining hall: Vail Commons, into the 21st century. “We’ve heard your feedback about Commons”, said Director of Dining Services Middle-Finger MacDonald, “and we simply haven’t been delivering the quality you expect for the outrageous sum of money you pay us each year” After extensive consultation with other college divisions, MacDonald and his team settled on a renovation plan.

“We’ll be conducting a renovation over the span of two years” reported MacDonald. The renovation is expected to start in May 2026, and is scheduled to be completed by Fall 2028. MacDonald then remarked to our reporter: “But let’s be honest, if we can’t finish a Chick-Fil-A on time, there’s zero chance any of you will see the inside of the new Commons” During the renovation, Davis Cafe will serve as the hub for dining resources on campus, including an expanded menu featuring Commons favorites. “We’ll be bringing all your Commons favorites to Davis during the renovation” said executive chef Medhi Ocer, “I’m talking cult classics like Albanian Cheese pie and grape salad.” Ocer himself will be stationed out of the new Dining Services Annex located on the edge of campus. “If you want something we don’t have at Davis or you’re annoyed with the seven hour wait time, you can request food from the annex and it should be delivered to Union within a business day” reported Ocer.

When MacDonald was questioned about the issues long wait times for food might cause for students, he performed his signature one-finger-salute before responding: “food is a privilege. Also I don’t really care what you annoying students think, it’s not like you can stop giving us money: we’ve forced you to be on the all-access plan”.

We also tried to ask RLO if they were considering renovations, but we were unable to enter their highly secured office to get a hold of anyone. Nor was there even anyone inside.

Uh Oh, Spaghetti(Os)! Top Ten Undesirable Trick-Or-Treat Items To Expect At This Year’s Freshman Trick-Or-Treat

10. Dum Dum Lollipops Do people actually like these?

9. STI Pamphlets For the people getting a different kind of freaky this year, RLO has just the thing.

8. Uncooked spaghetti (I actually found this in a bowl my freshman year) 7. Commons Chicken Kiev An explosion of flavor and hot grease-the perfect tricky treat for friend group dinners or a first date getaway.

6. Cleaver knife (a snickers with a giant cleaver sticking out of it) Noticing a sharp difference in flavor this year?

5. Subscriptions to the Yowl We here at the Yowl write out of a pure, unfettered love for the shiz and giggles. Anyone offering you a subscription is a fraud out for your money. It’s probably me (beware).

4. 5 oz. Bag of Pure Methamphetamine Dammit chemistry majors not again >:( 3. Old Spotify Playlists Hope the seniors at F decide to do something about this unnecessary jumpscare 2. Pumpkins I was walking by Chambers when some environmental majors heading a paint-a-pumpkin table began debating the ethics of the ‘Pumpkin Spice’ fad with some Christian Girl Autumn girls. I don’t remember much in the minutes following, as a pumpkin thrown at the head of one of the Girls found its way to mine, instead; though given the scattered gourd entrails and smell of cinnamon when I came to, there seemed to have been a fight. Crumpled venti cups were all that were left of the pumpkin lattes, but some of the actual pumpkins were intact-and are probably still up for grabs. Reuse, repurpose, recycle, amiright?

They also offer a fire-safe alternative to the Chicken Kiev.

1. New Tuition Increase Nothing scarier. Happy Halloween!

The

Yowl

WRITERS A Germ 200mg Amoxicillin Javelin Thrower Sandy Helfgott Rocky Hdwarfhave Matthe

The Germ Theory Issue

October 15, 2025

Warner To Send Risk Managers To Portland

Yowl Investigation Journalism: Disproving Germ Theory

Page: Wappa Happa counter “insurrection”

Page: Raw Chicken And Magnets In Your Underwhere

Kid never told to shut up grows up to confuse discrimination and free speech

I

n the socioeconomically diverse, small, little, quiet town of Davidson, in the southwest of the beautiful mountainous state of North Carolina, resides a small liberal arts college called Davidson. In this quaint college, conservatives and liberals alike piggyback off each other’s ideas in class instead of saying what they actually think. In the midst of these non-sincere niceties and back-and-forths that don’t lead anywhere, conservatives and liberals find themselves in a hole: how do we allow freedom of expression without actually allowing it?

Ah yes, the question for the ages. Conservatives find themselves fired up with the recent change of government, they find value in their voices, and power in their hatred towards the legal citizen who was born in this country, but who unfortunately happens to speak a second language. Liberals are frustrated, being a white savior is no longer encouraged or applauded, instead, their privilege cannot be used for the good of others any longer, just for the good of themselves. Sigh.

We conducted a semi-anonymous interview with Mark Zaburger, a notable conservative, who said: “It is inexplicable, all these immigrants, they get better grades than me. My money can’t pay for my grades anymore, and now I have to work hard to keep my status the same way others did? Blasphemous.

They have to get deported so I get my grades back”. Although confusing yet understandable if you have never had to work in your life, Mark left the interview feeling a bit more relieved for being able to voice out his concerns. Mark never noticed it was an immigrant who conducted his interview. We talked to Mark’s classmates from his Macroeconomics class, who mentioned he is always sleeping: “You know, perhaps he would get better grades if he stopped sleeping in class”, said his classmate, Wright Goodly.

Next, we conducted a non-anonymous interview with Ricotta Queen (a pseudonym as per requested), a Nummit-goer liberal, who spends her after-class hours thrifting and recycling. She expressed her frustration: “I no longer know who to talk to. A year ago my boyfriend was liberal, but he confessed to me a while ago that he is leaning conservative. He said he has no problems with me being friends with those marginalized people, so I stayed.

I just hope when we adopt, our kids will turn out liberal like me”. We went to Ricotta’s friends to ask about their opinions. One mentioned how they are tired of being called marginalized: “This labeling keeps people in the periphery, it victimizes populations, and deepens the divide”. Another one said: “Let’s, like, keep it for real, Ricotta’s boyfriend is mega hot, but he is like, so, like, conservative, so I don’t really know why she is still with him”.

The situation in this quaint town is dire, divisions are everywhere, but the hope is that Davidson Citizenship Initiative will solve all of our problems.

This writer sure is glad to be graduating soon.

Weekly Horoscope - October 15, 2025

Aries (March 21 - April 19): Tensions are rising, and you may feel combative. Don’t be afraid to get into a heated argument with a classmate this week.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20): When things start to get tough, rely on those small comforts. Go ahead, eat at Commons. Just avoid the tilapia.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20): It’s normal to feel like you’re being pulled in all directions. Go to the Bio students and have them clone you for the week to accomplish all of those goals.

Cancer (June 21- July 22): This is a stressful time, and those only make emotions flare up. Schedule a meeting with your therapist. Or find a therapist.

Leo (July 23 - August 22): You are allowed to feel proud about your accomplishments. Just don’t scream about them in Fibs, alright?

Virgo (August 23 - September 22): How’s that minute-by-minute schedule treating you? Mid-semester burn-out, you say? But are you really going to change that…

Libra (September 23- October 22): Indecision can be a real enemy. For any life-altering decisions, try a random spinner wheel!

Incident of The Week

Quote of the Week

Premed students bond over how many dead bodies they’ve seen.

“I dont need cocaine I’m high on life” -Girl in Connor sweatshirt

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

Hence, nothing in it should be taken as truth.