The Davidsonian 3/19/25

The

Davidsonian

For a Better Davidson.

inside

thedavidsonian.news

Annabel Groseclose ‘27 gives advice on how to navigate a Davidson slump.

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Volume 123, Issue 5

March 19, 2025

Sören Potthoff ‘27 grapples with being an outsider at Nummit.

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Josie Swain ‘27 reflects on HAIM’s grand return with new single “Relationships.”

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The High Magic Council punishes students for their unethical use of spellcasting.

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“Bring it on”: Stephen Curry ‘10 carries on Davidson basketball mission as assistant general manager JENNEVIEVE CULVER ‘25 (SHE/HER) NATHAN STEWART ‘25 (HE/HIM) SPORTS CO-EDITORS

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avidson College made history on March 10, 2025 by announcing that alum Stephen Curry ‘10 had accepted a role as assistant general manager (GM) for men’s and women’s basketball. In doing so, he became the first active player in United States major professional sports to take an administrative job with a collegiate program. Curry and his wife, Ayesha, also partnered with longstanding supporters of the school, Don, Matt ‘05 and Erica Berman to create an eight-figure fund to support both the men’s and women’s basketball programs. This gift, the Curry-Berman Fund, is intended to allow Davidson to compete with other schools in the changing landscape of college athletics, dominated by a recent focus on name, image and likeness (NIL).

Matt Berman will also join Curry as an assistant GM. In addition to Berman, Austin Buntz, former member of Under Armour’s global basketball sports marketing team and a member of Davidson’s athletic fundraising team since 2021, signed on as general manager and assistant athletic director for basketball development. All of these developments make one thing incredibly clear: the athletics department is looking to secure Davidson’s status as a legitimate mid-major force in the NCAA. Curry has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, revolutionizing the game with his unmatched shooting ability and offensive creativity. A two-time MVP and four-time NBA champion, Curry holds the record for the most three-pointers in NBA history, surpassing Ray Allen’s mark in 2021. His career averages of over 24 points, six assists and nearly five rebounds per game reflect his all-around brilliance, but it’s his ability to pull up from virtually anywhere on the court that has reshaped how basketball is played at nearly every level of the sport.

Curry’s influence extends beyond the stat sheet—his deep-range shooting has forced defenses to adapt, inspired a generation of young players and made the three-pointer the most valuable weapon in modern basketball. Off the court, his leadership and humility have made him a beloved figure worldwide, elevating the Golden State Warriors into a dynasty and solidifying his place in basketball history. Moreover, he remains a proud Wildcat.

Curry is always quick to cite the impact Davidson College has had on his life and sports a TCC tattoo on his wrist, representing former Head Coach Bob McKillop’s “Trust, Commitment, Care” mantra. Berman was quick to praise his new collaborator. “Steph is as awesome as you think he is, not just as a basketball player, but how he comes across as a person. He is all of that and more.”

The generous support for the College highlights Curry’s commitment to helping Davidson remain competitive in the evolving era of NIL. “The Davidson experience is top notch,” Curry stated in a press release. “I want very talented, high character student athletes [sic] to have that same experience.” Davidson President Doug Hicks ‘90 emphasized the same point: “the Currys and Bermans have provided an extraordinary gift, and they will give of their own time and expertise to ensure that we can continue providing an unparalleled educational experience—for our scholar-athletes and for our entire college community.”

Curry’s commitment is made possible only in collaboration with Berman. An alum and former Davidson soccer player, Berman reflected similarly on his time as an undergraduate student. “Davidson was really, really important to me. I love the school and love getting back as often as I can, and I’m excited for the rest of the broader school community to see this, to want to get involved and support this.”

The Berman family also created a sports performance endowment for men’s and women’s basketball that provides mental health resources for its players. Though he admits the uncertainties amidst a changing collegiate

Stephen Curry ‘10 hits a three in Davidson’s 2007 first-round NCAA tournament game. Photo from Flickr.

Stephen Curry ‘10 hits his 4,000th career three-pointer in the NBA on March 13. Photo from Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty.

landscape, Berman still “absolutely believe[s] that we’re going to be at the top of the A-10 again.”

Berman is not new to sports management—he currently holds an ownership stake in Burnley F.C., an English football club. With this experience, he’s realistic about what it’s going to take to achieve their goals. “I think that the entire school community—alum[ni], administration, etc.—everyone is going to play a part in us getting to where we want to be,” Berman said.

Davidson College Vice President and Athletic Director Chris Clunie ‘06 explains that the decision to have Curry on board came about naturally. “It’s something that we’ve been working on for over half a year. [...] NIL was going to shift from third-party deals and outside collectives to a revenue sharing model.”

The Curry collaboration falls not even one month after Clunie’s announcement that Davidson would opt into the House v. NCAA settlement, which, if approved, will allow Davidson to share revenue across its two basketball teams and compensate scholar-athletes. Clunie and the College’s decision to opt into the settlement depended on what, at the time, seemed to be optimism to counter the NCAA’s uncertainties. In choosing this model, Davidson would need to depend on greater endowments and individual NIL deals to fund its team and players.

Because of the generous fund set up by Curry and the Berman family, though, the basketball teams are now completely self-sustained, each equipped with eightfigure funds. This allows Davidson to provide for their men’s and women’s basketball teams and do so not at the expense of other teams. When asked about the origin of the Curry-Berman Fund, Clunie said, “We wanted to figure out a way to help keep basketball—men’s, women’s basketball—successful, but not sacrifice all our other programs, because that’s important, too. We didn’t want to rob Peter to pay Paul. Other schools are not shy about it, right, cutting programs and cutting resources.”

Clunie describes that the plan for funding Davidson athletics is twofold: “Let’s sustain basketball. Let’s build a foundational, sustainable, successful framework for basketball. And let’s do that with external dollars. And let’s build on that. And then part two is, let’s double down on

increased endowed scholarships and direct team support for our athletes, because we’ve shown that we don’t have to operate at the highest level to be successful.” The CurryBerman Fund allows exactly that—the new endowment for basketball allows the athletics department’s other funds to be spread amongst Davidson’s other teams. In short, everyone benefits, and Davidson does not sacrifice its values in the process.

No matter how the NCAA changes in the coming years, the College’s core values will remain the same. “Wherever we are, it’s still going to be about leadership, still going to be about service, we’re still going to have an honor code, we’re still going to [strive for] a 3.5 GPA or better. That’s my goal, let’s maintain that,” Clunie said. “What the future brings, bring it on, and we’ll be right where we need to be.”

Further suggesting that Davidson is a “unicorn”—as Clunie stated in his email about the House settlement in February—is the heavy emphasis on education. Berman, Curry and Clunie continually uphold Davidson’s academic commitments in their statements. “There are schools that compete at the highest level academically, but they sacrifice athletically, and there are schools that compete at the highest level athletically and sacrifice academically.

We do neither. We do not compromise. You do not have to sacrifice here. It’s hard. It’s really difficult, but you can do both here and have a great experience,” Clunie said.

Berman added, “Ensuring that Davidson stays true to its character and its core values was the only way this was going to be successful.”

Clunie also stressed the importance of not just being an athlete at Davidson, but a scholar-athlete. “[Duke forward] Cooper Flagg was never coming to Davidson. [Alabama wide receiver] Ryan Williams was never coming to Davidson. [...] We need kids that value the Davidson educational model, the academic experience and [have the ability to] succeed on the court, on the track, in the pool, whatever.”

Curry—who came back to Davidson to finish his degree in 2022, thirteen years after declaring for the NBA draft—

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News

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Curry makes a splash on Davidson’s campus

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 naturally echoed Clunie’s beliefs in the Davidson press release. “There are very few places in higher education that can offer demanding academics with elite athletics in the way that Davidson can. Davidson will always be a worldclass academic institution, and I am proud to be part of the solution that allows Davidson to remain a place where elite athletes can go to compete at the D1 level AND get a fabulous education.”

This move comes during what looks to be a pivotal moment for Davidson men’s basketball. Over the past three years, Davidson has struggled in the wake of the retirement of longtime Head Coach Bob McKillop in 2022. During his last season with the team, the ‘Cats finished 27-7 overall, 15-3 in the A-10, secured the regular-season conference championship and earned an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. Since then, however, the team has struggled to finish above .500 in their regular season record, with a 16-16 overall record in 2022-23, a 15-17 overall record in 2023-24, and a 17-16 overall record this past season. Current Head Coach Matt McKillop could not be reached for comment.

For women’s basketball, this increased support and attention will also strengthen the program’s competitiveness and provide valuable resources for player development. The past four years, too, have yielded mixed results, with a 14-15 overall finish in 2021-22 and 14-16 overall finish in 2022-23.

The 2023-2024 season looked incredibly promising, with an 18-8 record, until injuries forced their season to be canceled in early March. This past season was much improved, with Davidson finishing 19-13 overall and earning a spot in the

Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT). Head Coach Gayle Fulks could also not be reached for comment.

The Curry-Berman Fund’s equal emphasis on men’s and women’s basketball continues Curry’s commitment to uplifting women’s athletics. The Curry Family Women’s Athletics Initiative, established by Curry and his family in 2021, elevates and supports women’s sports at Davidson by providing resources, funding and enhanced opportunities for female scholar-athletes. The Curry-Berman Fund builds on this foundation, ensuring that both programs have the tools and support needed to compete at the highest level.

The reaction to this news has been nothing short of major. Curry and Berman made headlines at ESPN, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times and several other major news outlets. Response on campus has been equally strong.

‘Cats Stats member and Davidson cross country runner Alex Thole ‘28 remarked that it “gives [him] hope for the future of all athletics, but especially the basketball teams.” Curry’s contributions to the College have made a strong impact on the freshman. “I’ve been amazed by how much impact Steph has had on Davidson, and it’s really cool to see him continue to pour so much into this little college,” Thole said.

Other students have maintained similar sentiments. Alex Meyers ‘25 and Kaylie Williamson ‘25—avid Davidson basketball fans and partial creators of the Davidson Section 30 organization—both believe that, at the very least, this will yield “great publicity” for Davidson and expressed their excitement over the news.

Adding Curry to the athletics staff has resulted in farfetched—yet well-earned—optimism. Davidson swimmer Frank Howden ‘26 believes that “Steph [will] retire in the next two years and then come home to Davidson and take

over as GM.” Williamson has similar hopes. “This means Steph will finally come play with and retire with the Hornets,” which she called the “family reunion we’ve all been waiting for.”

These desires are undoubtedly lofty, but the speculation is fun nonetheless.

Basketball fanatic Elise Desjarlais ‘26 put it best: “it made me super proud to see how much Davidson pride Steph Curry still has. I feel like him becoming an assistant GM while he is still playing speaks volumes about how much he cares about Davidson and how positively it impacted him.

It makes me happy to see Davidson recognized publicly as such a special place, because we feel that everyday.”

Regardless of what Curry’s long-term commitment to Davidson looks like, there is no doubt that adding one of the single greatest and most influential athletes in the world to the athletics staff will benefit the College. Davidson alumni are known to emphasize the positive role that the College has played in their lives, and the decisions they’ve made reflect this. With the Curry-Berman Fund, athletics will only improve, and academic excellence will only be reinforced.

Berman knows that any change for the school will be positive. “Davidson as a whole is better as an institution, [and] it’s more fun to be a part of either on campus or as an alum, when the basketball team is doing well.”

Wildfires continue to burn in the Carolinas, residents adjust to new realities of climate change STELLA MACKLER ‘26 (SHE/HER) SENIOR EDITORIAL ADVISOR

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ildfires scorched thousands of acres across North and South Carolina at the beginning of the month. Now, residents of both states are forced to confront a reality where fires are more common and more intense.

Tryon and Saluda, small towns in Western North Carolina, bore the brunt of North Carolina’s fire damage. South Carolina, specifically the Myrtle Beach area, saw the largest flames. In South Carolina, the Covington Drive Fire, also referred to as the Carolina Forest Fire for the neighborhood it boarded, has burned over 2,000 acres of land. At the time of publication, the fire continued to burn but was 75% contained according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission. Professor of Communication Studies Issac Bailey ‘95 splits time between Myrtle Beach and Davidson. The fire is roughly ten miles from his home.

“We’ve been through this before,” Bailey wrote over email. “Several years ago, as a journalist, I covered wildfires that erupted in a nearby area. More homes burned then than now. And my late father-in-law was with the Forestry Commission in SC, so while we don’t have a fire season like California’s, this isn’t new for our state.”

Bailey’s reference to California comes just a few months after fires ravaged Los Angeles and surrounding communities in January of this year. The Carolina fires, while significantly less destructive, brought with them a threatening projection for the future on the East Coast.

“So far for this incident we got kind of lucky, at least in the Myrtle Beach area,” Bailey said. “We didn’t [lose] many homes, despite how unnerving the fires are. We won’t always be so lucky.”

Tim Koch teaches music and is the director of choral activities at Coastal Carolina University in Conway South Carolina, about ten miles from the Myrtle Beach neighborhood where Koch lives. He drove past the fire on his way to work and described days on campus that were covered in smoke.

“There was at least one or more days where

Wildfires swept across North and South Carolina, causing residents to reflect on the implications of climate change. Photo from The Sun News.

everywhere you walked you could smell the smoke,” Koch said. “I teach singing and it was affecting students’ voices. Students were not able to—their voices were really irritated by the smoke.”

No lives or homes were lost in Myrtle Beach according to The Sun News, the area’s local paper. Longtime resident Dawn Bryant credited this to the hard work of firefighters and other first responders.

“It was just tremendous work by all the firefighters, not just locally, but we had support from the state and other communities in the Carolinas who came in and really rallied to help our local firefighters get that under control,” Bryant said. “It is just remarkable that there were no injuries, no lives lost and no structures that were lost to that fire because it was right on the edge of those neighborhoods.”

Koch echoed Bryant’s sentiment, praising the network of first responders.

“The fire broke out just behind the Carolina Forest [neighborhood],” Koch said. “Somehow the firefighters kept it off all of the houses. However, a large majority of those houses are built with vinyl siding and there were houses that were closest to the fires where the siding melted off of the house. But none of them ever caught fire.

There were firemen here from all over the East Coast.”

Myrtle Beach resident Alexandra Bialousow was arrested on March 6 for allegedly starting the Covington Drive Fire.

“Bialousow is accused of not taking the proper precautions to prevent her debris burn from escaping and negligently allowing fire to spread to ‘lands of another,’” the South Carolina Forestry Commision wrote in a press release. “Witnesses reported seeing Bialousow intentionally start a fire in a backyard fire pit that was in close proximity to a tree line within Covington Lakes Subdivision on March 1.”

Bilousow’s backyard fire quickly spread out of control. This is due in large part to the fire-friendly conditions of the surrounding area. According to Dr. LeeAnna Chapman, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Environmental Studies, early spring and late fall in the Carolinas means warm, dry and windy weather along with dead vegetation, a combination that creates “extreme fire risk.”

Although Bilousow was allegedly responsible for starting the Covington Drive Fire, climate change played a part in its intensity and longevity.

“Wildfires thrive in warm and dry conditions,” Chapman said. “Climate change is increasing both of these, making wildfires more likely and further reaching.”

As a long-time resident of Myrtle Beach,

Koch has watched the landscape evolve as a direct result of human impact.

“There are fewer and fewer trees,” Koch said. “I own a boat, it sits in a marina in the Intercoastal Waterway and it used to be forested all along. We have been going over there the past few weeks and remarking about how some developers have come in and taken out [many] trees. The planet needs to breathe. It becomes impossible to predict the weather, to control the weather because of what we are doing to the planet. There is no doubt about it.”

In Myrtle Beach, Koch claimed, business comes before environmental protection.

“I do think that our local government allows too much development,” Koch said.

“Business is very very important. Primary, I would say, in our community. Any decisions that are made that are anti-business are not popular and if they are not popular then that increases the likelihood that this or that politician will not get re-elected.”

Residents appear steadfast in their commitment to making a home in the area, despite the increasing risk posed by wildfires, storms and other natural disasters at the hands of climate change.

“I haven’t heard anyone say ‘I’ve got to get out of here’ at this point,” Baker said.

“I think those things, these natural disasters can happen anywhere. We live on the coast, so there’s always the threat of a hurricane too. I think it’s that balance of taking the good with the not so good.”

Climate change poses threats to North Carolina, South Carolina, the East Coast and the entire country.

“We should prepare for more frequent and more intense climate events because climate change is making this a new reality,” Chapman said.

Editorial Clarification from 3/5/25 Issue: When quoted in “The burden of acknowledgement: Community upset at administration’s lack of Black History Month recognition,” Mikayla Bowens ‘27 was speaking on behalf of herself, not the Black Student Coalition.

Politics

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Forward Party looks to offer alternative to current political binary ISA EFIMOV ‘28 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER AIDAN MARKS ‘27 (HE/HIM) POLITICS EDITOR

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n the aftermath of the 2024 general election, it has become clear to pollsters and elected officials alike that voters are less connected to the traditional Democratic-Republican party binary than ever before. Instead, voters are increasingly identifying as independent, with many choosing to align with smaller third parties. The Forward Party (FWD)—a national party pursuing ballot access in North Carolina—is one such minor party looking to capitalize on partisan disillusionment.

According to a recent Gallup poll, more than 40% of Americans identify as independents. Only 29% identify as Democrats and 30% identify as Republicans. When broken down on the issues, independents are generally moderates and support policy proposals from both major parties.

Voters are not just dissatisfied with party politics; they seem to be increasingly upset with the state of American politics and government in general. Roughly 65% of Americans cite consistent exhaustion when discussing politics, according to a recent Pew research poll. Public trust in government rebounded to 22% in 2024, up 8% from an all-time low 16% in 2023. Pew found 63% of Americans reported little to no confidence in the future of the American political system.

“I think we’re in an unfortunate place where real issues aren’t being dealt with [...] I just think that now more than ever, it’s painfully obvious that we’re being let down by our political system,” registered independent Colin Decker ‘27 said.

FWD brands itself as an antidote. Founded by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and former New Jersey Republican Governor Christy Todd Whitman in 2021, it aims to bring about solution-oriented leadership that defies party lines.

FWD’s goals are straightforward: reduce polarization and restore the reigns of democracy to the people. To proponents of FWD, this means that policy and law should reflect the will of the people. “The Forward Party’s approach to politics is rooted in the ‘Forward Formula,’” North Carolina Forward Party Chair Patrick Newton explained.

Unlike the current duopoly, which often disenfranchises its voter base when enacting legislation, the “Forward Formula” requires party members to secure the support of two-thirds of its constituents before passing bills.

Newton cited gun ownership as an example of how this principle is neglected in the current political system.

“The majority of gun owners [...] think a person should be required to get a permit before they can buy a handgun. And that used to be the law in North Carolina, but our legislature changed it, so that’s no longer the case,” Newton explained.

The recently formed Forward Party is pursuing minor party status in North Carolina. Photo from NC Forward Party website.

“[Gun ownership is a] perfect example of where the policy and the laws [...] don’t represent the will of the people.”

FWD believes the modern American political system lacks nuance and choice. “[Democrats] are now clearly identified as ideologically ‘liberal’ and the Republicans as ideologically ‘conservative.’

The Forward Party rejects these labels and embraces broadbased values such as ethical leadership, personal responsibility and the rule of law that are not associated with only the left or the right,” Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Graham Bullock, who previously served as Chief Advisor of the FWD Policy Committee, said.

Bullock believes FWD’s solution-oriented and values-based platform will be attractive to many young voters.

“Younger voters are disillusioned with traditional partisan politics and are looking for a political home that prioritizes solutions over ideology,” Bullock said. “The Forward Party’s emphasis on pragmatism, reform and inclusivity aligns with what many young people wish to see in politics and society.”

Accordingly, Bullock sees college campuses as a key arena for new ideas and minor parties, including FWD, to gain traction.

“College campuses have historically been hubs of political activism and innovation and can serve as testing grounds for

Lifestyle Q: I feel like campus is becoming too small. I love Davidson but I just feel like the same things happen every week and it’s all the same people. I don’t know if I’m just in a slump or if Davidson is just too small for me. What should I do?

Dear Reader, First of all, you’re not alone. I think that everyone feels this at some point during their time at Davidson. It’s not always easy being at a school where everyone knows each other (and their business). It can definitely feel suffocating at times. It’s totally valid to wonder if you’re just in a slump or if Davidson is the problem.

It’s easier said than done, but try new things! Study somewhere different, go to a random club meeting, sit in a new spot in class. We are very much creatures of habit and it’s super important to shake things up every once in a while. Maybe start by trying one new or different thing each day. This can be small, like studying in Wall instead of Libs, or big, like sitting with random people in Commons. One new thing a day might make you look at Davidson a little differently.

Now that we’re back from spring break, Davidson has kicked into full gear. Davidson truly comes alive when the weather gets warmer—more outdoor events like Frolics, more people hanging out on Chambers lawn, more Lampus visits and overall better vibes. Is it possible that your “slump” is related to seasonal depression or winter blues?

If it is, maybe springtime is what you need to shake off your funk and get back in a groove.

You could always consider a change of scenery. Depending on what year you are, you may soon have the opportunity to go abroad. From what I’ve been told, most people come back from abroad carrying a new love for Davidson. If you already went abroad or have decided not to, even a summer internship in a new city could give you the break from Davidson that you need.

No one wants to hear this, but it is also possible that Davidson really isn’t your place. Thousands of students in colleges across the country transfer every year because they aren’t happy where they are. There’s absolutely no shame; some people can look at a school and know right away if it’s for them or not, but others might have to try it out for a while before they decide. It’s like online shopping vs. instore shopping: one works for some people and the other works for others. My older brother transferred to NYU for his junior and senior years of college and he maintains that it was the best decision he’s ever made.

Consider whether Davidson seems small socially or academically (or both) to you. If it’s just a social slump, some adjustments to your routine might help. But if you’re feeling like Davidson is too small academically or in a way that a change won’t fix, it’s totally okay to explore other options. You don’t have to have all the answers right now, just know that this feeling is normal—and could be shortlived. Whatever you decide, you have options!

Wishing you a temporary slump and fun-filled spring, Annabel Groseclose ‘27

ideas and processes that can be used by the party elsewhere,” Bullock said.

Students looking to affect change can propose new and relevant political policies, found campus chapters, mobilize their peers and community members to vote, host discussions on electoral reform and advocate for alternative voting methods friendly to third parties.

Even so, third parties face an uphill battle for traction at the state and federal level. FWD must overcome resource and reputational inertia in order to make gains in North Carolina.

“I think people are very quick to buy into the idea that time spent in government equals experience. And I feel like that’s one of the biggest advantages that the Republican Party and the Democratic Party have over any sort of independent party,” Decker said.

The future of the Forward Party may rely heavily on the support of younger demographics and disillusioned voters, especially as they form new state parties across the country. As Americans continue to re-evaluate their tumultuous political climate and ask themselves what the two-party system has to offer, the Forward Party might have the potential to be an attractive alternative.

Looking for advice? We’re all ears!

Scan the QR code above!

Perspectives

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Davidson College Republican and Davidson College Libertarian Presidents: We stand for free speech at Davidson GABRIEL RUSS-NACHAMIE ‘27 (HE/HIM) STEPHEN WALKER ‘26 (HE/HIM)

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avidson’s public commitment to free expression is admirable, but recent anti-speech actions by the College contradict its guarantees to students and set dangerous pro-censorship precedents.

This paradox threatens to stifle the open discourse we as a community all grow and benefit from.

For context, a 2021 press release announcing Davidson’s commitment to freedom of expression states the College intends “to build a culture where everyone can participate and be heard” and acknowledges that “freedom of expression can’t exist when some people are barred from the conversation” solely on account of allegations that their speech is seen as wrong or offensive. Davidson’s pledge in the free expression statement itself commits the College to upholding protections of student expression for all because “Dissenting voices cannot and should not be censored.”

Recent actions against the College Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) chapter and its president, Cynthia Huang ‘25, threaten to undo these efforts in ways harmful to each and every one of us.

In a letter published by YAF’s Davidson chapter, the College accused Huang of “Harassment” for publishing political content online and distributing pamphlets that “allegedly includes misinformation” promoting “Islamophobia” and “Transphobia” that made students report feeling “threatened and unsafe on campus.”

Davidson offered to “resolve” the matter by forcing Huang to either admit responsibility for the alleged violation and agree to an “Accountability Plan” demanding action to avoid further sanction or a “Code of Responsibility Council Hearing,” which is

reserved for actions constituting “serious prohibited conduct in a single incident or a persistent pattern of less severe prohibited conduct,” according to Davidson’s student handbook.

The content that triggered this response was political material responding to ideas and policies the YAF chapter disagreed with. It is wrong to classify disagreement as harassment simply because the disagreement “offended” students. The content in question was meant to spark discourse surrounding certain political policies and ideologies.

According to Davidson’s own standards, this content should be protected speech.

The content that Huang faces potential sanctions for did not explicitly or implicitly promote any action against specific people or groups on account of their identities.

For example, the pamphlet from YAF notes the link between Islamic fundamentalist theology and Hamas. However, this is not “Islamophobic” but a historical and scholarly argument about justifications of violence that rely upon religious interpretations. In fact, Hamas is an acronym that stands for the “Islamic Resistance Movement” and the group uses Islamic theology to justify their actions. Discussing the impact of religion on violence, whether it be Christianity, Judaism, or Islam, is protected speech and not bigotry.

The club did not in any way target students and the material was freely available for anyone to engage with or ignore. Serious political disagreement on issues always has and will continue to offend individuals who dislike competing opinions. However, a small group of students being “offended” never justifies institutional backlash against political speech.

We are not the only individuals or groups concerned about this restriction on speech.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a nonpartisan national organization dedicated to protecting free speech for all Americans, recently sent a

letter to President Doug Hicks ‘90. FIRE urged Davidson to drop the charges against the YAF chapter and change its policies to align with the Chicago Principles of free speech, commonly known as the Chicago Statement which Davidson has allegedly committed to upholding.

Adjudicative bodies should not base their decisions purely on perceptions motivated by personal feelings and biases. These actions by the college against YAF risk violating Davidson’s commitment to ensuring free speech and robust debate among students.

No threats or harassment against students were included in YAF’s content, and anybody who does not like what they have to say is not being forced to engage with their content in any way. The only discernible motivation for going forward with sanctions is that YAF is a political minority that has questioned political orthodoxies in a way that is upsetting to others. The College’s Commitment to Freedom of Expression was made to protect this type of conduct.

The Commitment directly states, “Davidson College’s fundamental commitment is to the principle that debate, discussion, and deliberation may not be suppressed because the ideas put forth are thought by some or even most members of the college community to be offensive or unwise.”

Sanctioning YAF for political arguments violates our rights as students and has dangerous implications.

The aforementioned press release announcing Davidson’s commitment identifies “self-censorship” as a problem for Davidson and a motivator for its creation of the Commitment to Freedom of Expression statement. When students see that the only person who has spoken out against the majority in a political debate is facing sanctions because others did not like the content that student shared, said administrative action sends a message that dissent is unacceptable. This potentially

triggers more self-censorship among all those who may disagree with this and countless other political ideas.

As the presidents of the Davidson College Republicans and the Davidson College Libertarians, we stand for the free speech rights of all Davidson students. As a leading liberal arts school receiving taxpayer dollars, Davidson has publicly committed itself to upholding free speech rights for students and faculty.

We call on the College to uphold its proclaimed principles and reject punishing students and political clubs for speech that some might disagree with or find offensive.

We call on the College administration to change the Code of Responsibility to align with the Chicago Statement, as FIRE argued is crucial for Davidson in its letter to President Hicks.

Finally, we firmly reject the antiintellectual, adolescent mindset that has motivated the support for YAF’s censorship.

Unwillingness to coexist with peers you may disagree with is unbecoming of students at such a prestigious institution like Davidson.

You can’t take away your peers’ rights just because people’s feelings are hurt.

Gabriel Russ-Nachamie ‘27 is an economics and mathematics double major from Lincolnton, NC and can be reached for comment at garussnachamie@davidson. edu.

Stephen Walker ‘26 is a political science and English double major from Philadelphia, PA and can be reached for comment at stwalker@davidson.edu.

The existential horror of trying to fit in at Nummit SÖREN POTTHOFF ‘27 (HE/HIM)

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he following article attempts to explain why I feel like a fish out of water in Nummit. Interspersed throughout are ridiculous little fragments representing my internal monologue: Perhaps you, dear reader, have experienced the horrors that occur when you find yourself in an environment that is not within your social circle.

I cannot properly elucidate why I get remarkably anxious every time I step into Nummit. Part of it has to do with the fact that last year I didn’t go at all, so I didn’t establish myself as a “Nummit guy.” It’s like deciding to wear jeans after a lifetime of not wearing jeans. Because of this, I feel like everybody can sense that I’m not a Nummit guy, that I’m trying to blend into a completely hostile environment. This results in a kind of absurd mental commentary that is as follows: They can smell your fraudulence and that you don’t belong. They can see it on your face. What are you wearing? They don’t just smell your fraudulence they can see it. You need to get out. I feel like I have no right to be there.

The scariest part is, undoubtedly, ordering. It does kind of seem like everybody who frequents Nummit has a relatively complex, very established order that they adhere to with an almost religious zeal. Being agnostic (and uncertain about my order) brings about an absolute neurosis whenever I come face to face with the smiling barista.

You approach the counter. Everything is sweating. The barista feels your fraudulence and does not take pity.

What does a regular get? Your order will reinforce your fraudulence. The drinks come out from behind the counter

and they are filled with blood. Disembodied heads float to the counter to acquire their drinks filled with blood.

Obviously, there are no disembodied heads and there is no blood. Still, a central part of my Nummit paranoia is this feeling that my order will either be stupid and trite or that it will, in its attempt to not be trite, be so ridiculously out of character that whoever is taking my order will say something like, “Sören? You drink matcha?” and then I’ll have to unconvincingly say something like, “Why yes of course I drink matcha! I love matcha,” even though I didn’t even know what matcha was until three weeks ago when I asked a good friend why her drink was all green.

Nummit is not a closed organization. In fact, it’s the opposite of exclusive. It’s actually quite welcoming.

The greenish hue coupled with the windows that let in just the right amount of light give the space a really pleasant ambience. Still, there are Nummit people—the regulars—and non-regulars: people who don’t have a predetermined order, people who hope they can digest the menu fast enough to spit out an order when it’s their turn, people who only find themselves in Nummit if they’re doing a group project with people who enjoy doing group projects in Nummit. As I have gotten to know more and more people at Davidson, I have found myself in Nummit more often than I’d ever thought I would be, and every time it has been an experience of abject terror.

As the fragmentary dispatches from my consciousness demonstrate, I experience a profound amount of social anxiety that is occasionally supplemented by these absurd Lynchian hallucinations in Nummit. Indeed, something is happening in Nummit, but I don’t know what it is. I’m not in on it. There’s an entire vocabulary, an essence of being that Nummit regulars inherently possesses that is totally foreign to me. I have no idea if this is a unique

experience or if there is a silent cohort of people who also feel this way. Please email me if you also face this affliction.

The truth is, however, that none of this is real. The norms that I imagine exist in Nummit, which I’m supposedly ignorant of, are not real. The baristas are very nice.

Oftentimes they are my classmates. The other people in Nummit don’t even notice me; they cannot actually sense my fraudulence. The adage that you will be way less concerned with what others think of you when you realize how seldom they do rings true. Nummit is indeed a terrifying place, but it’s all a fiction that lives in my head.

In reality, Nummit is green, warm and welcoming. One day, I will be comfortable within its walls. I humbly request everyone’s assistance in this endeavor. Maybe I will even have an order.

Sören Potthoff ‘27 is an English major from Chapel Hill, NC and can be reached for comment at sopotthoff@ davidson.edu.

Sports

5

Second round A-10 exit puts cap on another disappointing season for men’s basketball

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COLIN DECKER ‘27 (HE/HIM) STAFF WRITER

s March Madness begins, all eyes are on men’s and women’s college hoops. With the recent announcement of the Curry-Berman Fund at Davidson and Stephen Curry ‘10 as new assistant general manager of men’s and women’s basketball, even more eyes are on the Wildcats.

Unfortunately, the lights proved too bright, as the men’s team was sent packing in the second round of the Atlantic 10 (A10) Conference Tournament. The ‘Cats fell to the Saint Louis Billikens 75-83.

After going 6-12 in regular-season conference play, Davidson entered the tournament as the 12 seed. The ‘Cats entered their first-round matchup on a four-game losing streak, with their most recent loss coming in Belk Arena on March 8 against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies 61-64. Still, when Davidson faced the 13-seed Richmond Spiders on March 12, they approached the game with experience and confidence, having beaten the Spiders twice in the regular season.

The ‘Cats were able to channel some of that confidence, knowing that any chance of an appearance in the NCAA tournament rested on an improbable run through the A-10 tournament. Reed Bailey ‘26 showed out, as he had all season, scoring 25 points to lead all scorers. This season, Bailey earned First Team All A-10 honors and was awarded the Chris Daniels Most Improved Player award. Thanks to 22 points from Connor Kochera ‘25 and a good shooting night from the team—the ‘Cats shot nearly 50% from the floor— Davidson downed Richmond in a tight game, 64-61.

Unfortunately, their time in the tournament was short-lived.

The ‘Cats played another close game (with nine lead changes) and Kochera led the effort with 18 points. Ultimately, it

wasn’t enough to overcome the Billikens on March 13, led by their senior guard Isaiah Swope’s 26 points.

Close games have been a staple of Davidson’s season.

“Unfortunately, there were a few too many games where one big run by an opponent made us either lose a lead, or helped our opponent build a lead that left us a possession or two short of coming back,” Head Men’s Basketball Coach Matt McKillop ‘06 said. “Too often, that was something we could not overcome.”

“Could not overcome” unfortunately encapsulates the last few years for Davidson men’s hoops: the last time Davidson won a conference championship was 2018, their first since moving from the Southern Conference in 2014. The ‘Cats last made the A-10 Championship game in 2022, which also marked the last time they earned an NCAA tournament bid.

Despite the disappointing end to the season, McKillop did not let it sour his experience with the team. “I think our team had a great attitude all season, and I believe that it was why we were able to fight in every game. Our practices always gave us great faith and belief that we were ready to win, no matter who we were playing. I loved coaching this team and [felt] joy every day coming to the gym to work. I was never happy that we fell short of the successes we worked for, but I was happy that I was able to share the ups and down with people that played together and cared about each other the way they did. This group reminded me of the teams I played for at Davidson, and being with them brought me back to some of the greatest memories I have had in my life.”

Fifth-year senior Zach Laput echoed the same sentiments as his coach. “The growth I saw was the togetherness off the court more than anything. Being a transfer, it takes time to build bonds with the guys and I felt by the end of the year we were much closer,” Laput said.

McKillop was optimistic about the growth of his team and the direction of the program, stating, “We saw individual improvements from many players. We saw big moments from our younger, less-experienced players, and our veterans showed that they are on a path to being great college players.

I believe these improvements will lead us to a level of consistency that can win a championship next season.”

A-10 Most Improved Player Reed Bailey ‘26 drives into the paint against George Mason defender. Photo from Tim Cowie.

Women’s basketball wraps A-10 campaign with best-ever tournament performance ANNA MORROW ‘28 (SHE/HER) SPORTS WRITER

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avidson women’s basketball put together a historic season by making their first trip to the Atlantic 10 (A10) tournament semifinals, capping off a successful conference slate. After forfeiting their last regular season game in the 202324 season and not competing in the A-10 tournament due to crippling injuries, the ‘Cats were proud of this season’s outcome despite their earlier-than-desired tournament exit to George Mason in the semifinals. Head Women’s Basketball Coach Gayle Fulks, who just finished her eighth season as head coach, spoke about the past two seasons. “Last year was extraordinarily difficult, and we took a lot of time to process that as a group. However, once this season started, our focus was on making the most of the opportunities in front of us and having the best year we could,” Fulks stated.

Katie Donovan ‘27, the team’s leading scorer, spoke on the team’s attitude toward the 2024-25 season after a disappointing 2023-24 campaign. “As a team, we saw this season as a comeback. The lingering ‘What if?’ from last year fueled us, and we were determined to prove that we could still compete at the highest level. More than anything, we wanted to win, not just for ourselves, but for each other,” Donovan said.

Fulks agreed with this attitude. “Even through the challenges, we were able to taste

success with wins over Duke and Wake Forest [in 2023], which gave our returning players a blueprint for winning big games. That experience fueled our belief that we could achieve something special this year.”

Charlise Dunn ‘26, a returning member of the team, praised the group’s resilience throughout the 2024-25 year. “We faced adversity throughout the season, but I think this ended up helping our team stay so close and together, which ultimately helped us have a historic season.”

For Fulks, team culture has been a focal point.

“A broader goal for our program has always been to be the most united, cohesive team in the country. At Davidson, the people make the program special, and we knew that if we built a truly connected team, we could accomplish a lot. I believe we met that goal—this was one of the closest-knit teams in the country, and that unity translated to our performance on the court,” Fulks said.

Along with team unity, Fulks holds the motto “Share, Shoot, Stifle” in high regard. “Share: sharing the ball is a core part of our identity, but it goes beyond just being good passers— we also share the load of winning as a team.

This season, we had eight different players score in double figures in multiple games, demonstrating our balanced attack. [...] Shoot: we take great pride in our ability to shoot the ball, and the numbers back it up. We finished the regular season ranked in the top 35 nationally in three-point field goal percentage and had eight games where we hit ten or more threes.

[...] Stifle: we fully embraced the defensive end of the floor this season. During A-10 conference play, we led the league in points allowed per game, holding opponents to just 55.1 points per game. [...] Our commitment to protecting the paint was just as strong—we led the conference in total blocked shots (85) and blocks per game (4.72).”

Fulks laid out three ways in which she hopes this motto continues to affect her team. “First, it provides a clear and consistent basketball identity. Every player understands what is expected and the style of basketball we want to play. [...] [Second,] the freedom to shoot when open gives our team confidence and makes the game pretty fun. [...] [Third,] the ‘Share’ element is the secret sauce. Our players consistently choose a ‘We Over Me’ mindset, which has created a selfless, cohesive group.

That unselfish approach allows us to play together at a high level and stay focused on team success rather than individual accolades.”

The 2024-25 women’s basketball team fully embraced this motto, setting records for the program and leading the A-10 in many categories. “With a relatively young team this year, we leaned into our motto and fully embraced the culture we wanted to build. Led by our seniors, ‘Share, Shoot, Stifle’ was a strong principle for us,” Donovan stated.

Dunn spoke to how this motto was applied statistically. “This season we broke [Davidson’s] single-season three-point record, which is awesome, and I think while this obviously covers the ‘Shoot’ part of our motto,

Men’s Baseball Standings Team

Standings Update

Richmond Rhode Island George Mason Saint Louis Fordham Davidson UMass George Washington Dayton St. Bonaventure VCU

W

L

PCT

3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0

0 0 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3

1.000 1.000 .667 .667 .667 .667 .333 .333 .333 .000 .000

it also speaks to the ‘Share’ part, as we are always looking for the open teammate.”

Fulks, Dunn and Donovan all considered the 2024-2025 season a success. “This season was a major step forward for our program. It showed we can compete at a high level in the A-10 and it gives us confidence for what’s ahead,” Donovan said. Dunn echoed this statement, especially in comparison to last season. “This season has been so impressive, especially when we look at how disappointing our season ended last year. It really just speaks to how amazing this team is.”

Though the team did not win the A-10 or make an NCAA championship run in the 2024-2025 season, Fulks was proud of her team’s performance and remains optimistic for their opportunities ahead. “While I obviously wish we could have come away with an A-10 championship, this group made the journey so special. The energy, dedication and selflessness they brought everyday made it an incredible year to coach and be a part of.”

Davidson women’s basketball continues their season in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament on Thursday, March 20. They take on James Madison at 7:00 p.m. in this 32team secondary postseason tournament.

Arts and Entertainment 6 Orchid emerges as wholesomely distinct student band

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JAYSON RIVERA ‘27 (HE/HIM) STAFF WRITER

ach year new talent emerges among Davidson students, and the student band Orchid is no different.

Since the start of the fall semester, the rock group has played a variety of shows both on and off campus including Live Thursday and Battle of the Bands.

Together, lead vocalist Nisrine Tiouti ‘27, guitarists Anthony Strouse ‘28 and Patrick Plaehn ‘28, bassist Audrey Cobb ‘25, keyboard player Savanna Scripter ‘27 and drummer Eli Bassett ‘28, have helped Orchid stand out with a unique setlist of aggressive rock songs. They’ve covered tracks from popular punk and metal bands like Metallica and Paramore, who Cobb cited as a major influence, especially when they play “All I Wanted.” “We try to play the music that we like,” Scripter said.

“So a lot of it just ends up being hard rock.”

Tiouti ‘27, Plaehn ‘28 and Cobb ‘25 perform at WALT Cotillion at New Korner Pub. Photo from Orchid Instagram.

Tiouti’s energy is driven by personal and political perspectives of the bands that Orchid covers. “I think what connected with me the most was the messages of these songs,” she said. “We’re trying to do a lot more political songs because of the current political climate [...] there’s a certain feeling that these songs convey that express my inner anger about the world.”

Orchid formed last year but rotated members until finally landing on their current lineup. They played their first gig at WALT 1610’s Cotillion event on Oct. 19 and ever since, a primary goal of Orchid’s performances has been to dynamically engage with the crowd. “We’ve been working recently on stage presence. Especially with the people who are playing instruments, we’re working on vibing more and moving around,” Strouse said.

“Especially as we get to know our setlist better, [...] we can be more free with how we’re actually performing it,” Scripter added.

Aside from stage presence, Orchid is attempting to infuse their own personalities into their performances, particularly during transitions between songs. “Savannah likes to do funny or classical songs on the piano, Eli likes [to] yo-yo, and I do different languages or [awkwardly attempt to be comedic],” Tiouti explained.

When asked about any personal highlights, the band only expressed love for each other. “I really like when Eli plays the drums,” Strouse said. Tiouti added that she enjoys it when Plaehn starts singing and Bassett praised Strouse’s guitar solos.

This excitement doesn’t just reside among band members, but can be seen among their audience too. “Being in a band showed me how loving and supportive people are, because a lot of our friends just show up,” Tiouti said. “It doesn’t even matter what you’re doing, they’re going to be dancing, they have signs, they’re up front, they’re there the whole time, and I really appreciate that. It’s made the community feeling of Davidson way better. Hearing people I’m not even that close with be like, ‘Oh yeah, y’all did great last night,’ [is] such a good feeling.”

Courtney Lassiter ‘27 is one of the group’s biggest proponents.

“I have a lot of friends in Orchid, and my best friend Nisrine is the lead singer,” Lassiter stated. “Seeing someone I love so much performing is obviously amazing, but it also helps that the band is just incredibly musically talented in general. Their setlists are always high energy, and the combination of talented musicians playing with Nisrine’s powerful vocals always gets me excited. As an audience member I think the emotion that they bring to their performances sets Orchid apart.”

Looking ahead to future performances, the group feels optimistic about upcoming gigs. “I think Woodstock is going to be a lot of fun,” Plaehn said. “And no animosity to other bands, but it’d be really cool to win Battle of the Bands.”

Scripter also emphasized the unique opportunity that Orchid

has as student artists on campus. “I probably won’t be in a cover band after college,” she added. “So I want to live it up and have fun.”

Still, Strouse has high ambitions for himself and his fellow musicians. “I think it’d be really cool if we made original music someday. Since we’re such a talented group of musicians with different backgrounds and areas of expertise, it’d be really cool to blend all of those together and make a song.”

Orchid poses for photos by Courtney Lassiter ‘27. Photo from Orchid Instagram.

Cobb, who has had years of musical experience throughout their time at Davidson, understands the impact a new band can have for years to come.

“I’ve been playing music at Davidson for so long with so many different people, and it’s always fun to watch the different paths people go down afterwards,” Cobb said. “It makes me so happy to see these little baby freshmen blossom into musicians and getting more confident on stage, so I’m excited to see what [they] do after I leave.”

Jayson Rivera ‘27 is an English major, music minor from Middletown, DE and can be reached for comment at jarivera@davidson.edu.

HAIM teases “single girl summer” with new song JOSIE SWAIN ‘27 (SHE/HER) ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT CO-EDITOR

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ccording to sisters Este, Danielle and Alana of HAIM, it’s breakup season. The trio invites listeners to fall in love and self-sabotage in their new single “Relationships” released on March 12. It is their first release in four years, marking the beginning of their “single girl summer” as declared on the group’s Instagram. The band continued to urge fans to “break-up with whoever you are with” in the minutes leading up to the release, paired with a cover photo paying homage to Nicole Kidman’s paparazzi photos where she celebrates finalizing her divorce to Tom Cruise. Their teasers for the single paint a clear image that mirrors how the sisters truly feel about “all these relationships,” as heard in their new song.

In the single, HAIM covers the topic that no one really wants or knows how to talk about: what do you do when love starts to die out? The angsty conversation they stir, blaming parents and past partners, sits on top of a funky, light and feathery beat that pushes against the constant uncertainty and frustration of the song’s contemplative narrator. The question is never ending, as the narrator continues along asking again and again, “Why am I in this fucking relationship?” She never finds out, and maybe never will. Like many, she feels like she can never seem to get it right and continuously ponders over if this is the way things are truly supposed to be. She—and the listener—never get the answer as the song grooves on its continuous beat. The song warms listeners up to their upcoming record, but its lack of resolution leaves

listeners wanting more.

In an interview with BBC One, HAIM discussed how they spent seven years perfecting this song that acts as an “allencompassing” story about “everything we always go through” in relationships, whether they’ve been single, taken or something in between. When it comes to the production aspect, the trio “really wanted this to be a song that gets you on the dance floor,” as

As a devoted HAIM fan, Goodin shared her true feelings on the song as a whole. “Is it my absolute favorite HAIM song? No. But have I played it over fifty times already? Just ask my friends who I’ve held hostage to my car aux,” Goodin added.

Goodin also gushed about the music video release that accompanied the track. “The music video makes the song even better, certain parts get very good, and it overall

The HAIM sisters pay homage to Nicole Kidman’s paparazzi photos in “Relationships” cover photo. Photo from HAIM’s Instagram.

Danielle Haim and Drew Starkey star in the “Relationships” music video. Photo from HAIM’s Instagram.

they believe it to be “the most dancey HAIM song yet.” This turn toward dance floor music definitely marks a turn in HAIM’s production style, as their past projects have centered around a laid-back vibe.

Cate Goodin ‘26, one of Davidson’s many HAIM enthusiasts, shared her mixed thoughts on the new release. “I was skeptical of the new single from the teaser snippet, but I knew to have faith in that trio!

I was relieved that it wasn’t misplaced when it opened up to the casual intro (very “3 AM”),” Goodin said. “My favorite portion is the beat change for the outro and the play on words of relationships towards the end.”

signals a promising album. I’m very curious what the cover will be and look forward to a HAIM summer.”

After a three-year music drought from the trio, Sofia Cimballa ‘26 was thrilled for the return of HAIM. “What a joy that HAIM is back,” she exclaimed. While the song to her was a hit, there were a few bits that fell flat. “I do quite enjoy ‘Relationships’ [...] but found [it] to be a bit lyrically… cliche?

Cringe? Millennial?” Nevertheless, the song still resonates with Cimballa. “The song itself is fabulous, and I feel a bit of a new (in a good way!) sound for them.”

Like Goodin, Cimballa shared a similar sentiment toward the music video. “The video

is superb. Hi Drew Starkey!” Cimballa, too, has big hopes for the summertime release, including a collaboration with one of her all-time favorite artists. “The only thing I can hope for, in addition to a fantastic entire album, is a Lorde album release sometime this year—which would fulfill the trend of Lorde and HAIM releasing in the same year for their past three album cycles.”

Claire Carroll ‘27 saw noticeable differences between this new release and prior ones in HAIM’s discography.

“Something I noticed about HAIM’s new song was that it was sung in a higher octave than most of their songs. I think this reflects the general trends we see in pop music today, as well as the season we are [heading into]: a high-pitched, fast, fun song feels very springy/summery to me,” Carroll shared. “I heard the term ‘genre-defying’ to describe this new single and that really stuck with me because it sounds like a mix between rock, pop and indie music. It is definitely different from their last album, and I wonder if it is representative of a larger transition in their music to come.”

Regardless of the various opinions about the single, it is clear that there is resounding excitement for an incoming HAIM summer.

As the trio teases the release of a new album in the coming months, fans can hopefully expect more songs that get them up and grooving!

Josie Swain ‘27 is an English major from Atlanta, GA and can be reached for comment at jowain@davison.edu.

Living Davidson

Crossword Golfer’s Vocab Across 1 “My ___!”

4 Deep-sea diver’s gear 9 San ___, Calif.

14 In the style of 15 Hershey’s caramels 16 Engaged in battle 17 “It means a ___ to me” 18 Leisurely trip after church, say 20 “Maple ___ Rag” 22 Floyd who won four majors, to friends 23 Reflections 24 Pre-CIA spy group 26 Air pollution watchdog 27 Brilliant original idea 35 Garlic-flavored mayonnaise 36 Cities, informally 37 Cardinal or Pirate 39 1990s Israeli Prime Minister 40 It elevates your 1-Down 41 Big name in insurance 42 Mythological war god 43 Restaurateur Toots ___ 44 “___’s Latest Flame” (“Evita” song) 45 1964 Peter Sellers film 48 Work without a ___ 49 Fire 50 Shoe section 54 Backwash creator 56 Take risks 60 Smell, as swamp gas 63 “Citizen X” actor Stephen 64 Horseshoe-shaped Greek letter 65 Fish-line attachment 66 U.S.N.A. grad 67 Hotsy-___ 68 Behaving like a ruffian 69 Had breakfast, say

7

Crosswords by Victor Fleming ‘73

Down

1 Titleist or Srixon product

2 Skin-cream element 3 Computer input or output

4 Alums-to-be 5 Eighteen holes, usually

6 Armbone 7 ___ language 8 Crazy ___ loon 9 Guy who’s crazy

10 Gillette brand 11 Small stick

12 Wasp’s nest setting

13 Bauxite and others 19 “Egad!”

21 Like going for the green from 300 yards out, for most 25 One of 18 in a certain betting game 26 Ninth-century Saxon king 27 “Hard Time” author Paretsky 28 What a princess may wear in court

29 What judges may wear in courts

30 Got better distance than 31 DuPont refrigerant brand name

32 “If ___ Someone” (Beatles song) 33 Davidson alums’ Ne ___ Society

34 Mister in Mexico 38 Major or colonel 41 Crowning point 43 Curry of the Warriors, familiarly 46 Kind of street 47 ___ Finch (Michael Emerson’s on “Person of Interest” role) 50 “ ___ Rhythm” 51 “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” captain 52 “Keep it,” from an editor 53 Price stickers 54 ___ value (worthless) 55 Some ..., but not many 57 Vicinity 58 “I’ll Cover You” musical 59 “At ___!” (military command) 61 Mideast map abbr.

62 Do some aviating

ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS CROSSWORD: SHARP PLACE

03/12/25, 11:07 hrs 03/14/25, 16:17 hrs

Description/Location Burglary Offenses: Breaking or Entering a Vehicle Daley, Inactive Burglary Offenses: Breaking or Entering a Vehicle Ramsey, Inactive

Time Reported 03/15/25, 14:30 hrs 03/18/25, 13:11 hrs

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

Crime Log Time Reported

Description/Location Burglary Offenses: Breaking or Entering a Vehicle Belk, Inactive Larceny Offenses: Misdemeanor Larceny Belk, Further Investigation

SGA Updates Accessibility and Academic Affairs: The Committee is co-sponsoring an accessibility sign-making event with the Davidson Disability Alliance on March 26. The event will take place in the Brown Atrium in the Alvarez College Union.

Food and Housing: The committee worked with Dining Services to expand dining options for students over spring break. The committee will continue this work in order to make food more accessible for students.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: The Committee invited Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dr. Chloe Poston to present to the SGA last Tuesday. Senators were given the opportunity to ask questions.

Other Updates: The SGA appointed six new members to the Activities Tax Council (ATC): Meghana Nakkanti ‘27, Aneesha Jayaram ‘28, Cillian Hallinan ‘28, Rohan Doddavaram ‘27, Ezra Steinman ‘28 and Lily Ogawa ‘28. The deadline to submit budgets to the ATC has passed and the ATC will begin hearing allocations soon.

The

Yowl

8

Irreverent student journalism since 2004. Castigat Ridendo Mores.

inside

yowl.com/mrsportz

Men’s basketball team wears “Doubt Us” shirt and loses in the second round.

Page Basketball Successfully Doubted

The Eric Slander Issue

March 19, 2025

How to abandon your identity to fit in at Nummit.

[Harrowing story of seventh-generation Irish immigrant here].

Theatre student chooses bracket based on mascots.

Hazing investigation into Big/Little deliveries.

Page My Mom Started Crying

Page “Irish” American

Page Sports Ball

Page Awkward Freshmen Frat boys

I shared the truth... Now the High Magic Council wants to punish me

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n the third waning gibbous of February, I received a scroll from a carrier owl on behalf of the chancellor of the High Magic Council informing me that I, as president of our Academy’s Freedom Apprentices of Righteous Trickery (FART) chapter, had violated the Academy’s Code of Spell Casting.

The letter stated that me and my FART chapter had allegedly cast unapproved spells upon students by distributing a pamphlet entitled “The Top Five Spells Chancellor Juliuscor Doesn’t Want You to Know.” According to the High Council, telling the truth about blacklisted spells to counter their lies meant we were promoting unethical spellcasting.

The Academy of Magic, of course, feigned ignorance when a massive goblin was previously admitted, showing sympathy for the innate barbaric nature of goblins.

In addition, the High Council said I was promoting the dark arts because of the telepathic messages I was “exchanging in class.” With these absurd restrictions, the High Council tried to shame me by claiming I had made individuals feel “threatened and unsafe.”

As a result, administrators presented two options to right the supposed wrongs I had committed: concede to a Mutual Resolution Agreement that would require me to surrender my tome of dark magic or attend a High Council hearing. Neither of these options

T

are tenable. The first would be endangering the existence of the dark arts, while the latter would likely involve presenting my case in the Academy’s kangaroo court to the very individuals who made the complaint—or, at the very least, biased warlocks who support them.

The letter I received and the reaction that precipitated it demonstrate two characteristics of the current state of the Academy of Magic’s High Magic Council: its oppression of free spellcasting and its double standards.

My FART chapter’s distribution of the pamphlet and telepathic communication were simply an exercise of magic skill development.

I had not forced any wizard, warlock or witch to read the contents of the pamphlet nor intercept the telepathic messages. It is thus not only illogical but completely false to define FART’s actions as harassment.

Moreover, as the magically-inclined, we possess the God-given freedom of casting that is not contingent upon whether others disagree or are offended by our spellwork.

Some might argue that because the Academy has an impenetrable protective mana field, it should have greater authority over students’ magic. However, I would argue that the Academy is not its own nation; it is still part of the greater Wolfshade region and must abide by the bylaws of King Eldorath the Wise.

No magic academy chancellor nor high warlock can nullify my basic liberties. What’s more, the Academy has previously claimed

to have adopted the Ravenbell Principles as a commitment to free spellcasting and open sorcery. The Academy also claims that it “dedicates itself to the mythical quest” and “intends to teach all students practical magic, basic healing concoctions, basic combat skills and realm history.”

The Academy’s commitment to open sorcery, as I have now repeatedly seen firsthand, only applies to those whom the Academy deems worthy of power.

For example, when I called upon the western winds during the autumn semester and was mocked by my fellow conjurers due to unforeseen heavy gusts, the Academy took no action.

Even worse, when I had mentioned such occurrences to the chancellor during our session, he expressed that he was aware of them. Although he communicated that he was sympathetic and would be willing to speak with me about my concerns, it seems odd to me that he knew of my pure, raw power and made no effort to intervene amidst the mocking. Instead, he seemed to be more concerned about students who felt “threatened and unsafe” by 60 mph gusts of wind that did not target any individuals specifically but did cause extensive property damage and injury.

From the perspective of most reasonable shrews, it would seem that the backlash to my practice of the dark arts constituted “harassment.” I was truly “threatened and unsafe,” and yet the Academy did not care

because my spellwork is supposedly “wrong.”

Meanwhile, the Academy continues to teach the “Conjuring of Spirits from Purgatory” from the 3rd edition of the necromancy spell tome while criticizing my practice of the dark arts.

With this latest show of hypocrisy, the Academy again demonstrated a willingness to infringe upon the freedoms bestowed by King Eldorath the Wise in order to protect the “safety” of “other students.” In doing so, the Academy disregards their mission statement of “[teaching] practical magic” and instead aims only to push a watered-down curriculum, seeking to silence anyone that contradicts the High Council. The Academy not only allows for the practice of necromancy, with which most Elvish students disagree, but their faculty partake in the casting of spells deemed “too dangerous” for the average student.

Despite the Academy’s claims about promoting wanderlust and magical development, they only support their own flawed definition of conjuring education at the expense of true magical development. For the High Council, it is not about “teaching sorcerers to cast clearly or make relevant potions” but about controlling the rising generation in the ways of spell limitation.

The Yowl that shakes the barley

SAE horse whistleblower op o’ the morning to you laddies! As you may We continued our search for someone who could tell us well have known, this Monday was St. Patrick’s more about the meaning and significance of St Patrick’s dead at 33 Day! In compliance with Davidson’s new cultural Day at the Commons-themed meal. To our surprise,

visibility initiative, The Yowl has decided to shine a spotlight on this beloved holiday with a special feature.

We began our morning around 10:00 a.m. interviewing a group of Ksig seniors enjoying several pitchers of cider at Nummit, where we asked how they were celebrating and expressing their love for Irish culture. Our first question received the following responses: “It’s St. Patrick’s Day?” and “My parents wouldn’t let me watch Spongebob.” This deeply concerned The Yowl. We had our work cut out for us. After giving a detailed history of St. Patrick’s Day and Ireland, from the Flight of the Earls to U2, the Ksig brothers seemed to have understood the weight of the holiday and expressed that they would have started drinking earlier if only they had known.

The next stop on our tour was meeting with several alumni of the Davidson Northern Ireland program. In the hope of fermenting old memories of their time abroad, we interviewed them in the middle of a field, a vista that would have been common to them during their travels.

The Yowl: “What was the most meaningful part of studying in Ireland?”

Alumni: “I think it was truly being able to return to the homeland and reclaim my Irish heritage.”

The Yowl: “Oh, you are Irish. Do you have family from Ireland?”

Alumni: “No but my grandfather used to drink Guinness and I kind of like it too.”

Sadly, this was the only information we got from the alumni beyond their discussions of going to bars, which were seemingly identical to American bars, though they insisted they were not.

The

Yowl

WRITERS

Commons was practically empty. When asked why no one wanted to eat the cultural meal of corned beef and boiled vegetables, one student made it clear how upset they were that the “woke left” was forcing students to eat more plant-based meat replacements, such as corn. The only other person in Commons was one man, doubled over and breathing heavily with several empty cups around him.

He had drunk all the shamrock shakes in the cafeteria. His mouth was stained green and he had green ooze all over his shirt. When asked what St. Patrick’s Day meant to him, he said, “It is the first sign of spring, a time when people can ignore their family lineage and all be Irish for just one day.

It is a day when people unite in the face of adversity and respond to oppression with a laugh and a song of defiance.

St. Patrick’s Day is a day where you go outside and drink with strangers who, by wearing green, become your brothers.” Tears were in his eyes as he finished. Just then, a Commons employee said they were out of shamrock shakes. He grew silent, uttered “Tiocfaidh ár lá” and left.

It has become apparent that this campus has lost its connection with St. Patrick’s Day and must return to it. We are at risk of losing Irish culture and its offerings, such as potatoes and novels that don’t make sense. The Yowl wants readers to rally behind this holiday next year and return to traditional ways of celebration. Next year, The Yowl will host a car bombing of the British embassy in Charlotte and cohost the event “Yelling at Cops 101,” which will count as a personal and professional development EDU credit.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Apprentice “He hates Donald Trump so Synthius Haunt he’s just really sweet.”

Piff Hork Saemus O’Yowlie - Woman with low standards

D

ear The Yowl readers,

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the death of local Davidson snitch Anita Taka Boutit, born Feb. 10, 1992 to Ms. Watta Boutit and Dr. Evant Heard Boutit.

Boutit was best known for her chatty, approachable demeanor as well as her activist work with the SAE Horse Acquisition Resilience Taskforce (SHART).

Boutit presented The Yowl with sensitive information regarding the captured stallion at serveral points, comprising her own safety for the sake of informing the public. It is believed that her involvement with SHART and The Yowl resulted in her subsequent death, as she was found shot dead on the SAE lawn.

Friends and family are gathering this weekend at the Armfield apartments in order to mourn the loss of Boutit.

We at The Yowl are grateful for Boutit’s contributions to journalism and horse safety. Not only was she an informant and snitch, she was a friend.

Rest in peace, Anita Taka Boutit.

You are one thousand candles in the wind.

INCIDENT OF THE WEEK A The Yowl editor was turned away from a barbershop because his hair was too long.

“We can only do a crew cut here,” she said before walking him to a salon down the street.

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

Hence, nothing in it should be taken as truth.