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The

Davidsonian Independent student journalism since 1914

inside

davidsonian.com

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Voting in Davidson?

Natasha Marcus, Christy Clark, and Jeff Tarte answer our questions

October 31, 2018 Emma Tayloe ‘19 and Jamie Montagne ‘22 reflect upon personal and corporate commitments to sustainability

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President Carol Quillen shares an essay about a transformative trip to Israel-Palestine

Volume 114, Issue 8

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Amateur instagram influencer radically impacts on NC midterm elections

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Dean Rusk: Celebrate or Protest?

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On Monday evening, members of the Davidson community gathered to mourn the lives lost in Saturday’s tragic shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA. Photo by Elayna Daniels ‘21

Deconstructing Davidson’s Endowment and Investments

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JULIA KNOERR ‘21 STAFF WRITER

or many students, college finances appear convoluted and do not frequently enter daily concerns.

Consequently, misconceptions often arise about differences in the college’s endowment and investments versus its budget and spending.

To better understand Davidson’s investment process, The Davidsonian sat down with Ray Jacobson, Chief Investment Officer, and Chris Barrera, Investment Operations Manager. Davidson is currently in the process of hiring a new Chief Financial Officer.

Davidson’s operating budget consists primarily of revenues from tuition and fees,

endowment income, and gifts and trusts.

These revenues support compensation, financial aid, and other operating expenses.

However, the college’s budget and spending are distinct from its endowment and investments.

Jacobson explained the relationship between the endowment and investments: “The endowment consists of past gifts and investment appreciation. It grows when investment returns are positive. This goes into perhaps a misperception—no tuition dollars go into the endowment.”

Gifts are often directed towards a specific purpose, but endowment funds only go towards Davidson College and its constituents.

In a statement emailed to The Davidsonian, President Carol Quillen added, “The

endowment provides critical funding that supports scholarships and faculty positions and helps sustain day-to-day operations of the college… The endowment has been quite successful. Our returns have been above average compared to other schools, while our risk has been below average.”

A feature in the Fall 2017 Davidson Journal noted that Davidson’s endowment “ranks 18th in size among the college’s official peer set of 21 schools.” How can Davidson meet 100% of calculated financial need with an endowment significantly smaller than that of many other institutions?

Jacobson emphasized, “One reason [we can commit to meeting 100% of calculated

EMMA BRENTJENS ‘21 STAFF WRITER

stimates place the Vietnam War’s death toll at over one million casualties, including civilian and military deaths on both sides, between 1955 and 1975. Known as one of the staunchest defenders of the war, Dean Rusk ‘31, then the Secretary of State, returned to campus ten years after the war ended to give a speech at Fall Convocation.

According to the Davidson College archives, he spoke about international relations, nuclear warfare, and the arms race between the United States and Russia before introducing Davidson’s new international studies program.

Most students at Davidson have interacted with Dean Rusk’s name at some point, whether through Rusk Eating House, the Dean Rusk International Studies Program, or conversations around campus. However, many students do not know the person behind these organizations.

Rusk was involved in a variety of activities during his college years. He was active in the Student Government Association, serving as the president of his first year class. During his sophomore year, Rusk was on the Court of Control, an organization created after the school abolished hazing to “retain some form of control over the Freshmen.” The following year, he was the vice president of his fraternity, Kappa Alpha. Finally, his senior year, Rusk served as the president of the YMCA. Rusk also played for the varsity basketball and tennis teams and participated in several clubs, including the international relations club. Rusk graduated from Davidson with a degree in political science. In 1930, he became the college’s sixth Rhodes scholar. Rusk maintained close ties to Davidson, and his name is widely recognized on campus nearly nine decades after his graduation.

The Dean Rusk International Studies Program provides funding for lectures on international topics, travel grants, cultural events, and independent projects. It is separate from the study abroad office. Dr. Jonathan Berkey, a history professor and the program’s interim chair, said, “the work that the program does is really wonderful… There are not many places that have something quite like this.”

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Students Reflect Upon Dropping Eating Houses

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JACK DOWELL ‘21 STAFF WRITER

ust under two thirds of women at Davidson join an eating house during their college careers, and self-selection is one of the defining social moments of spring semester. But not everyone who decides to join one of the four eating houses retains membership for the next three years, and somewhere between 5-10 people leave each house every semester.

Emma Tayloe ‘19 joined Warner Hall Eating House the spring of her first year and ended up dropping it the fall of her junior year as the house became less important in her life.

“I was living in the Sustainability Co-op

my junior year and was getting a lot of my meals there. I had a lot of social time with other people as they were around the house …

And then it was also one of my busiest semesters,” she recalled.

Eating houses, according to Erica Miller ‘19, Connor House’s president, “offer sisterhood, a common connection, another place to get food, another philanthropic outlet … and just a common connection among a group of women.” But two issues that generally lead to members dropping are the large time commitment and financial dues each semester.

According to Miller, when she talks to departing members of Connor about their reasons for leaving, “typically the response I get is split between commitment, they didn’t realize how large of a commitment it was, and not

seeing the benefits for what they’re paying.”

Concerns about time are one of the most common reason members drop their eating houses. “We all balance crazy stuff here at Davidson, and sometimes you’ve got to cut something out,” said Claire Thompson ‘19, Warner Hall House’s president. “It’s a little harder to be a very passive member of Warner.

I think it’s a thing people need to be aware of.”

Ashley Frye ‘19, a former member of Connor House, returned to Davidson after being away from Davidson for a year and a half.

“I didn’t really miss [Connor] when I wasn’t there, and I didn’t want to waste time doing things that I wasn’t particularly passionate about,” said Frye.

A concern shared by Patterson Court Council (PCC) as a whole is first-year ex-

pectations. According to Julia Caldwell ‘19, Turner House’s president, “Something PCC is working on is people not having a good idea of what eating house expectations are. I think the culture for explaining eating houses for first years is that you can make it what you want it to be. And that’s not really true; there are expectations you’re expected to uphold.”

Thompson echoed the concern, mentioning, “Elia Ramirez [‘19], the Eating House Ambassador [to PCC] has come to a lot of eating houses and said, ‘you should make the expectations more clear for members in terms of how many hours you’ll be working in the house.’”

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News

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Students Call for Transparency CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 financial need] is we have exceptional annual fundraising efforts. Two, there has been and continues to be a strong effort in raising endowed scholarship funds. Comparatively, some schools are not purely need-blind, and some schools are also not meeting 100% of calculated financial need.”

As of June 30, 2018, the endowment totaled $822 million. Asset allocation included 59% in equity (public equity, equity hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital), 24% in credit and absolute return (liquid and illiquid credit and other hedge funds), 10% in real assets (real estate, commodities and natural resources), and 7% in United States Government Bonds and Cash.

This asset allocation balances growth objectives and diversification, or returns and risk.

Jacobson expanded, “Some of those categories [fall under] alternative investments. [The majority] of the large and most successful endowments have more than most in alternative investments…It’s one of the reasons we’ve done so well.”

Similar to peer institutions, in-house professional staff oversee Davidson’s investment strategies. The Board of Trustees’ Investment Committee and alumni advisors also provide input. Jacobson shared, “Many of our peers have similar or larger offices for the purpose of managing their endowments. A handful use consultants or outsource to do most of this work for them.”

Davidson partners with investment managers and only invests through fund and private partnership structures. Contrary to common misconceptions, Jacobson underscored that the “endowment has a robust process for selecting commingled investment funds and respective managers. The endowment does not invest in individual stocks…[and therefore] is not a shareholder in individual stocks.” Barre-

ra added, “Ray [Jacobson] and Dave [Demeter, Investment Director,] are well versed on who [the managers] are and where they invest, but the managers are the ones who decide which securities to own or not own.”

To select managers and funds, Davidson’s investment staff seeks three main characteristics. Jacobson stated, “[The first is] managers who have competitive advantages [e.g., experience]. The second thing is opportunities where there are structural inefficiencies [e.g.,undervalued opportunities]. Three, we want to have a genuine partnership with the manager [e.g., aligned interests]. You want to have a two-way trust relationship with who you’re working with.”

“As our student body continues to evolve, I think our investments should reflect that.”

Fiona Kolterman ‘19 Following the selection process, managers invest endowment funds in commingled funds or partnerships. Commingled funds include assets from various accounts, functioning as institutional versions of mutual funds.

Barrera commented on Davidson’s relationship with investment managers, noting, “Investment managers are ultimately choosing areas and companies that they feel are the most appropriate to protect and grow capital.

We identify and select talented managers who have skill in…making that decision on behalf of all their investors, including Davidson.”

Jacobson affirmed, “We would not be able to invest in the vast majority, if not all, of our

managers if we told them what to do and what not do. We are fortunate to have access to an exceptional roster of managers through relationship development and networking.”

Addressing investment responsibility, Jacobson offered, “We ensure managers are responsible and compliant with regulations. We are naturally attracted to people who we feel are good corporate citizens who want to back good management teams…We are not telling managers ‘we don’t want you investing in this country or this sector or these companies.’”

While many schools’ investments function similarly, some do invest in individual stocks.

Jacobson expressed, “It can get more vocal with pension funds, especially state pension funds, because a lot of politics are involved there. Some people may want to highlight their political positioning. In many cases, state pension plans are invested in individual stocks, so there is a difference versus investing in commingled funds.”

Some students expressed dissatisfaction with Davidson’s investment transparency. Arianna Montero-Colbert ’19, a member of the past Divest Davidson campaign, shared, “As members of the fossil fuel divestment campaign on campus, we were constantly met with gendered accusations of our naivete.”

More than explaining financial processes, she believes that “transparency looks like an explicit process for students to advocate for meaningful systemic change through a real and defined pipeline of power holders at the college.”

Jacobson explained, “A lot of what we do could be considered proprietary. So to let that leak out would not be judicious or prudent.”

But he added, “Many elements are not proprietary; we’re open to talking about the endowment… we feel we’re open and accessible, but there’s a lot of nuances and complexities related to how the endowment is invested.”

Although complex, campus organizations

work to engage students with investments and finance. In an email, Quinn Fahey ’20, Chief Operating Officer of Davidson Investment & Financial Association (DIFA), shared that as one of the club’s components, “DIFA manages a small portion of the college’s endowment with oversight from the investment office.

All ideas are student generated, pitched, and managed.” While anyone can attend meetings and make a pitch, only members can vote on changes to the portfolio, which includes equities and exchange-traded funds across seven sectors.

Regarding investment ethics, Nick Grzeszczak ’20, DIFA Chief Financial Officer, commented, “The pitch process to alter the portfolio requires thorough research and holistic consideration of a variety of factors… [including] expected performance, growth, management, and ethics. While our investment objectives aren’t structured around ESG (environmental, social, and governance) criteria, these factors are considered in our holistic process.”

Madison Abbott ’19 and Fiona Kolterman ’19 also recently began attempts to start the Davidson College Impact and Investment Group, centered around socially responsible impact investing. The group will aim to create a more inclusive culture and focus on social good in addition to generating high returns.

Kolterman acknowledged the Investment Office’s need to prioritize fund diversity to combat risk but remarked, “With that you lose a little bit of transparency, and it’s a little bit more elusive.” To increase student input, Abbott suggested Davidson mirror peer institutions. She noted, “they have students who are involved with these decisions, and I think it would be cool if Davidson could do that as well. As our student body continues to evolve, I think our investments should reflect that.”

EHMM Experiences Explore Rusk’s Legacy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 leaving eating houses is the cost of membership. Daisy Jones ‘19, a previous member of Turner House, mentioned that living in an apartment gave her “another way to get food and controlling more of how I’m spending my money, instead of having to pay dues.”

Frye also cited financial concerns as a cause of her departure from Connor, saying that “there were money issues; [leaving] was cheaper since I didn’t eat there usually.”

Unlike with commitment and expectations, communication about fees is less of an issue. Frye explained that the house executive board “were totally up front about the fees; they were totally accomodating to other people who had the same [money] issue.”

“I would be more open or receptive to something like interest houses.”

Daisy Jones ‘19 While Thompson “wishes so much that money didn’t have to be a factor in a woman joining a community,” she noted that “we do have to pay for gas and utilities for the house, and we do lease the house from Davidson, so there are some outward expenses.”

Erica Urban, the PCC Advisor, discussed the financial duties of PCC organizations, noting that they “have a lease with the college renewed annually,” and that “the organi-

zations currently pay $1,500 per year in rent … based on maintenance expenses… organizations are also required to have one million dollar liability insurance… organizations who employ cooks also are required to pay for worker’s compensation insurance.”

Urban stated, “If an individual drops through Eating House Member Movement [EHMM], the individual is not responsible for dues for the following semester…[but] if an individual drops after EHMM is completed, the organization’s leadership can decide if they will refund an individual’s dues.”

Other concerns cited relate to the culture of the house. Thompson mentioned that “for some people, maybe the drinking culture or social aspect of the house is not what they’re looking for.” Miller spoke about how “we promise girls a sisterhood, a common identity, and it’s hard to promote a common identity in a house of 150, almost 200 girls.”

The eating houses are considering changes to address these common causes for leaving. Thompson mentioned that “rehashing our house’s budget to ... prioritize... financial aid would be a great way of moving forward.”

Cardwell cited a Turner initiative to “get more input from the house… we’ve been having more small group discussions about what we want the culture to look like.”

Still, some students want to see new alternatives on campus. “I would be more receptive or more open to something like interest houses in places of eating houses and fraternities, and that way, there’s not as much of a gender divide,” said Daisy Jones ‘19. “That way you can build friendships with people based on a common interest, rather than a computer algorithm.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Much of the controversy surrounding Rusk concerns his involvement in the Vietnam War as the Secretary of State during the Kennedy administrations (1961-1969). According to Dr. Daniel Aldridge, who teaches 1960s U.S. history, Rusk was not Kennedy’s first choice for Secretary of State. “It’s sad to say that he was not a particularly influential Secretary of State,” said Aldridge. As he explained, other people including National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara were more significant in the war.

While Kennedy, Johnson, and other cabinet members took the lead in foreign relations during their presidencies, Rusk was instrumental in implementing the use of Agent Orange, a potent herbicide, in Vietnam. In fact, he told Kennedy “I recommend that you approve the undertaking of such operations” with regards to using herbicides [1].

The herbicides used during the Vietnam War resulted in adverse health effects for many people. Dioxin, a byproduct of the herbicide, lasts for a decades in the environment.

Short-term exposure can lead to liver problems and chloracne, a skin disease [2]. Vietnam continues to suffer the impact of Agent Orange [3]. The herbicide is possibly linked to Hodgkin disease, respiratory cancers, prostate cancer, and leukemia and birth defects in the children of veterans [4].

When asked about Rusk’s name in association with the international studies program, Berkey said, “Dean Rusk himself is a kind of a controversial figure because the war in which he is indelibly connected was a contro-

versial war.” The war involved “well-meaning, intelligent folks who just got Vietnam horrifically wrong, and Dean Rusk was one of them.”

Although Aldridge considers the war “a tragedy in our history and a great mistake,” he also said, “I don’t think it’s a crime.” Because most Americans supported the war during his term, he sees Rusk as “a very honorable, conscientious, honest public servant.”

We should put his name on our stuff and our buildings,” he added.

Julia Tayloe ‘21, a history major, has a different perspective. “Frankly, I think it’s shameful that the face of our international program is a war criminal,” she said of Rusk.

“Authorization of the use of [Agent Orange] was a war crime,” in her opinion. Tayloe, who is also a tour guide, stated that she often “[brags] about how Davidson will help you get where you need to go.” However, she feels that the naming of the program after Rusk is “problematic to say the least.”

Tayloe added that because Davidson has “a reputation for not necessarily responding quickly to human rights abuses on and around our campus [including the campus’s history of slavery]… it’s so crucial that we examine things like this in our recent past that have had lasting and damaging effects on the world.”

[1]https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1961-63v01/d275 [2]https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/agent-orange-1 [3] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/opinion/agent-orange-vietnam-effects.html [4] https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/agent-orange-and-cancer.html

October 31, 2018

Local Election Coverage: State Senate and House Candidates RAVEN HUDSON ‘21 STAFF WRITER The Davidsonian interviewed three of this year’s General Assembly candidates: Natasha Marcus (D) and Jeff Tarte (R), running for the Senate, and Christy Clark (D), running for the House. Incumbent Republican Representative John Bradford (R) did not respond to requests for an interview. Excerpts of the interviews are below, and the full set of questions and answers can be found on www.davidsonian.com.

Q: What would you say is one of the major issues that North Carolinians face right now, and how do you plan to address this issue?

Clark: At the top of the issue front in North Carolina is the education system. For a long time, the GOP has prioritized corporate tax cuts over education, and so it is now time for us to focus on getting back to education being a priority for our state.

North Carolina is 39th in the nation for per-people spending…

We really need to put some more money towards per-people spending. We need to pay our teachers more so they have more resources in the classroom, reduce our class sizes, and put public schools as a priority.

Tarte: We have a constitutional amendment that says tuition and college education will be free as practicable… One of the things I’m doing is working with a professor at Davidson College, Chris Marsicano, and I’m functioning as a guest lecturer or adjunct professor. We’re working with a group of seven students, who are helping me potentially develop legislation to address student debt and the cost of tuition at our public universities. These are massive issues because the cost of college is out of control. We’re working on the UNC system right now and researching programs in other states, like the Georgia Hope, and online learning to bring down the cost.

Marcus: For me, public education is always number one, because it touches so many families and other issues we care about. North Carolina used to be known as the education state in the southeast. If you wanted a strong public education, pre-K through higher education, North Carolina was the place to come because we valued it, funded it, and did innovative things. But under the GOP supermajority, it has dropped to a low priority. Per-people spending is way behind. It’s not even back to where it was before the recession hit in 2008. We just don’t have the resources that schools need. Teacher pay is, on average, $10,000 less than in all our neighboring states.

Q: How do you think the North Carolina legislature should respond to the question of gun control and regulations?

Clark: As a long-time advocate in gun violence prevention, this is my area of expertise. I am advocating for closing the background check loophole on the sale of all guns. Currently, the loophole is only closed for handguns in North Carolina, so we need to change that for the sale of long guns, like rifles.

I’m mostly advocating for instituting red flag laws, that is, Extreme Risk Protection Orders. Those would be laws that can be put in place to help reduce suicides and prevent any kind of mass shooting. It would apply to circumstances where law enforcement or the family could go before a judge and ask that firearms could temporarily be removed until the person who is the firearm owner can get treatment. After a period of time, the firearm would be returned to them. This has proven to be effective since it’s been instituted in Florida following the Parkland shooting, and it would be one of our top priorities.

Tarte: In one word–seriously. That is how we should respond.

My mantra is that we should do everything in our means to keep guns out of people’s hands that would do bad things to people. And on the other side, we should never do anything that impedes a law-abiding citizen who desires their own fire-

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arm from doing such. My focus immediately, though, centers around school hardening exercises. I’ve been working with a chief from Charlotte to bring that here locally… If you look at the background of the majority of school shooters, I’m focused on the behavioral health aspect. Because the predominant number of shooters are white kids in their late teens or early twenties, who were bullied in school and have drug and medication issues. They also have a presence on social media that is volatile, and they typically have a record with law enforcement or school counsellors and healthcare officials. What we need to do is bring behavior health expertise to our schools, through the hiring of clinical psychologists, clinical counsellors, and clinical nurses… I’m working on a bill to make the investment to bring those professionals into the schools because as we can identify that small number of students that are at risk, we can start giving them the help they need before they become active shooters.

Marcus: Very different than it’s been responding. I believe that the vast majority of Americans want better gun safety laws than what we have in North Carolina. We have some glaring holes in our laws. Specifically, we need to expand the background check so that every gun sale in North Carolina is subject to one. Right now, it is legal for a person of any age—as young as 18—to go to a gun show and purchase assault-style weapons with no background check. That is appalling; that is a tragedy waiting to happen. I also support what’s known as red flag laws, which is a way to prevent suicides and homicides by temporarily removing weapons from the possession of people proven in a court of law to be a danger to themselves and others. Our current legislature will not allow us to even debate the wisdom of these provisions because it is a GOP supermajority, with people like my opponent [Tarte], who is very proud of his A+ rating from the NRA, which means he will not provide debate on common sense gun laws. And that’s a shame.

Crime Log OCTOBER 25TH

Agenda

Takeaways

Attendance

LIZZIE KANE ‘22 SGA CORRESPONDENT

77%

24 31

Time Reported

Description/Location

10/22/18 at 1620 hrs

Misdemeanor Larceny (Money) Chidsey, Further Investigation

10/22/18 at 1830 hrs

Misdemeanor Larceny (Bicycle)

Late (excused): Emma Lynn ‘21, Samuel Owusu ‘21 Absent (excused): Heidi Meyer ‘22, Bess Li ‘19, Jack Shumway ‘19, Nilay Ghatlia ‘21, Mauricio Lozano ‘22, Kibriyaa Morgan ‘20 Absent (non-excused): Livaslou Tanjong ‘21, Andrew Coyner ‘20

10/23/18 at 1548 hrs

Misdemeanor Larceny (Bicycle)

A vote led to funds for Bee Club and Electronic Sports Club this year.

The Center for Career Development (CCD) pays for a service called Vault, which is to help students tailor their résumés to specific career fields; however, most students don’t know about it. Also the CCD is developing a tab of resources on Handshake for undocumented students.

The SGA is trying to allocate money used for Safe Rides to also fund transportation for students to and from the airport before and after breaks.

Chief Sigler discussed a decline in noise complaints and alcohol-related transportations. In spite of that, the hospital in Mooresville remains agitated with the college due to the number of transports. Additionally, the amount of alcohol referrals are steady, but the amount of drug (specifically marijuana) referrals have increased. Chief Sigler also wants the SGA to brainstorm ways we can better train students for emergency situations. Community chargers—the charger in every common room—will be removed due to a fire caused by one.

A committee composed of students and staff started meeting this fall—formed because of the drink tampering instances—to discuss social and cultural standards in our community; SGA will rotate members into the group.

Field Day on November 17th.

Baseline concussions were not discussed.

10/24/18 at 1702 hrs

Harassment

10/25/18 at 0105 hrs

Fire Alarm-Malicious/ Discharge Fire Extinguisher

or

1. Baseline Concussions 2. Vans for Break 3. Visit from Chief Todd Sigler 4. Announcements

Belk, Property Located

Cannon, Further Investigation

Main Campus, Inactive

Kappa Sigma, Dean Referral

10/26/18 at 1920 hrs

Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia

10/28/18 at 0130 hrs

Underage Consumption

10/28/18 at 0140 hrs

Underage Consumption

Sentelle, Dean Referral

Armfield, Dean Referral

Belk, Dean Referral

Perspectives

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Reflection: Debating Through Tragedy ELAN KAINEN ‘19 Following the massacre that took eleven lives this past Saturday at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania were a slew of different reactions as to how such an event should be processed. Surely, every sensible and decent person quickly denounced the attack and considered its tragic consequences.

However, differing perspectives within the Jewish community expose a rift at large. How should individuals acknowledge the likelihood that such an event would even happen in the first place? One need look no further than their Facebook newsfeed to view the slew of user commentaries and article links posing a response to this question.

Some people feel that Trump has blood on his hands; specifically due to the lackadaisical approach he has taken to denounce certain

groups and people who have expressed their malicious intent. From blaming both sides at Charlottesville to sidestepping media scrutiny following David Duke’s endorsement of him, Trump has expressed, what I would euphemistically refer to as, a tepid disavowal of white supremacist activity. Therefore, it is not remotely far-fetched to assume that white supremacists would feel specifically more emboldened with Trump in office, even if he does not explicitly back them. For that reason, individuals on social media, political advocacy organizations, and the mainstream media, including but not limited to CNN, the Washington Post, and the Forward, have been quick to blame Trump for the shooting, for transitively arousing white supremacist activity during his presidency.

In the same vein, other individuals and media outlets, including the Daily Caller, Fox News, and USA Today, have been quick to denounce the blame placed on Trump. Other Jewish voices have expressed their open dis-

dain with associating Trump with the attack, feeling that first and foremost, utilizing the tragic deaths of eleven individuals for political gain is dishonorable and in poor taste. Furthermore, certain individuals feel that placing the culpability on one polarizing figure disrespects the long, stained history of prejudice against Jewish people that has existed since time immemorial and serves as the consistent and unique theme for the cruel intent that we all witnessed this past Saturday.

I personally understand both sides of the debate and find myself completely unable to pick a side, mainly because deciding whether or not Trump truly has blood on his hands will not change what happened. It is not as if I do not see the disconcerting trend in this country under Trump, who (despite having a daughter who converted to Judaism), by default of his rhetorical approach and campaign strategy, seems to have reinvigorated open white supremacist expression. However, I am skeptical of engaging in debate regarding Trump’s

potential complicity in the shooting.

We currently find ourselves in an extraordinarily bizarre period due to the hypocritical way we engage rhetorically, view political opposition, and subdue certain facts over others.

Creating a rift, especially within the Jewish community, regarding Trump’s complicity only further fuels the strangeness of our political-rhetorical climate. I will eagerly listen and agree with those who blame Trump, and I will empathize and stand with those who do not want political gain to infiltrate bereavement. However, I am just not willing to submit myself to the debate. I do not see a collective benefit by engaging in such. I am not a martyr, nor are the people who died on Saturday.

Elan Kainen ‘19 is a Hispanic Studies major from Miami Beach, Florida. Contact him at elkainen@davidson.edu

Dual Perspective: Climate Change Evaluating our Lifestyles JAMIE MONTAGNE ‘22 It was one of those unusually muggy Southern September days when the air was congested with humidity. I stood for a moment in the wooden bathroom, glancing back and forth from the bowl of sawdust to the instructions posted on the wall.

I’d never experienced such longing for my bougie, porcelain throne until my first encounter with a compostable toilet. Thus began the first of many transformative experiences I had during my time WWOOFing (working as a “Willing Worker On an Organic Farm”) in rural Alabama. For three months last year, I interned under a solar consultant where I lived in a passive-solar designed home, learned about community, led solar home tours, and saw what sustainability looked like.

Living in a sustainable eco-village exposed the hypocrisy of the “gungho environmentalist” title I’d given myself. My AP Environmental Science credit and Instagram post on polar bears made me feel like I was a champion of the environment, someone actually making a change one social media post or conversation about Rachel Carson at a time. Looking back it’s clear that I confused enthusiasm for activism. My experience WWOOFing soon forced me to confront the truth about my own unsustainable lifestyle; the amount of waste I produced and the struggle I had letting go of the unsustainable practices I’d grown comfortable with. It was challenging to consciously monitor my energy-usage, limit the amount of meat I ate, and adapt to a home with such different practices than my own. I learned that sustainability is a lifestyle; a commitment that admittedly, I found daunting at first.

Despite my hesitation, living sustainably proved to be one of the most liberating, meaningful experiences of my life. I gained a sense of freedom in growing my own food, providing for myself and others, and knowing exactly where my food came from. Interning under a solar consultant allowed me to share the newfound knowledge I’d gained of photovoltaic systems to help people understand how they could utilize solar energy in their daily lives. This time around I really felt like I was making a difference. Unfortunately, I think many of us feel out of control, submissive to many aspects that surround our daily life: the energy-industry, food-industry, etc. However it is possible, hell, even economically efficient, to take charge of our energy and accessibility to renewable resources. But it is simply unacceptable to continue living

with the awareness of our consequences on the environment and still choose to do nothing.

Recently the UN published a report on climate change, issuing that a 1.5 C increase would cause serious changes to our world: weather patterns, a decrease in biodiversity, and failing agricultural output. The report illuminated the fact that we will experience the catastrophic events of climate change around 2030 unless there’s a 40-50% reduction of carbon emission rates in tandem with no net-addition of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

So what can you do? What can Davidson do?

One of the most important things you can do is evaluate your lifestyle: Does your lifestyle reflect how you regard the environment? The identities and images we have of ourselves in relation to the environment must change. While climate change may seem contained to only an environmental issue, it is also a substantial political, social, and economic issue. Think about water distribution, the cost of energy, the socio-economic class of people who will and are encountering the effects of climate change. One of the easiest things you can do is vote! Electing people into office who make the environment a pillar of their agenda is imperative.

In the wake of the UN’s report we must all question our lifestyles and commit to making a change.

If anything, at least give the compostable toilet a chance.

Jamie Montagne ‘22 is an undeclared student from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Contact her at jamontagne@davidson.edu

Energy Awareness EMMA TAYLOE ‘19 Note: For full links and citiations, see this article on our website.

Addressing climate change is a matter of life and death for literally millions of people, the vast majority of whom contribute almost zero carbon emissions.

Climate change is not happening because individuals and institutions are making bad or selfish choices but rather because our economic system allows corporations to amass exorbitant wealth. Our political system allows them to use that wealth to protect their profits by fighting against workers’ rights, defending a criminal justice system that exploits inmate labor and lobbying against environmental regulation. Climate change can only be seriously addressed through radical economic and political reform, yet the dominant narrative around it emphasizes individuals’ roles in saving water and recycling.

Davidson pledged to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 and advertises the college farm, the compost program and Wall’s energy efficient features on tours and online. I strongly support the College’s efforts to reduce its impact and provide

opportunities for students to engage with sustainability. However, the College has punted on speaking to the real political problem of climate change. Without contextualizing these institutional level reductions, Davidson propagates the false narrative that climate can be solved through responsible consumption.

If Davidson is serious about preventing catastrophic climate change, we should leverage our social and economic capital to affect political reform. One of the first steps Davidson could take to this would be to acknowledge our relationship with Duke Energy, which provides power to the College.

Duke Energy contributes to climate change not only through profiting from burning fossil fuels but also through lobbying to prevent serious climate action.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Duke’s political action committee has given $10 million to political campaigns in the last decade. Duke refuses to comment on whether or not it belongs to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) despite calls for it to leave the organization [1], but was found to have sponsored a 2015 ALEC meeting [2]. ALEC is a private organization made up of corporate executives and conservative state-level representatives that seeks to coordinate the “exchange” of pro-business legislation. ALEC invites outright climate change deniers to speak at meetings and drafts bills that promote climate change denial, weaken environmental regulation and defund sustainable energy programs.

We can celebrate sustainable campus initiatives and Davidson’s efforts to reduce its impact, but we must properly situate these efforts into a broader economic system. This includes acknowledging how Davidson interacts with corporations like Duke Energy. To solve climate change, we must better address the political nature of the problem and work towards serious political reform.

Emma Tayloe ‘19 is a Chemistry major from Arlington, Virginia. Contact her at emtayloe@davidson.edu

Sports

5

Winning Streak Propels Volleyball To A-10s

S

JONATHAN SWANN ‘19 SPORTS WRITER

tuck at LaGuardia Airport on Thursday, October 18th, Davidson’s volleyball team waited for the bus, which had a flat tire, to pick them up for their game against Fordham. The unfortunate opportunity, however, brought enjoyable, unexpected team bonding off the court. But with the Atlantic 10 tournament only three games away, the volleyball team is looking to create memories that will resonate far more than just through an unsatisfactory travel experience.

Currently, the team has a 12-10 record (5-6 in the A-10), punctuated by a five-game winning streak that was snapped by St. Louis last Friday, and the team is looking to finish the season strong.

The winning streak, the team’s longest since 2004, was marked by several conference and national awards, including National Team of the Week by PrepVolleyball. com, Runner-Up for Player of the Week (Non-Power 5) by PrepVolleyball.com for Mason Rooney ‘19, and A-10 Player of the Week for Ciera Cockrell ’19. Additionally, the team swept a weekend of A-10 road games for the first time ever.

During the streak, which started on the road against non-conference foe NC Central and was then followed by 4 straight wins versus A-10 opponents, the team was dominant, with only the last game against Rhode Island going to five sets.

Many players contributed to the team’s uninterrupted success. Rooney led the way, but Cockrell, Hattie Rodriguez ’22, Katharine Franz ’19, and Ellie Crosley ’21, among others, played major roles as well.

Cockrell noted that “from the start of preseason, we knew we had a great team.”

It came down to “the upperclassmen setting the tone” and “the freshmen buying in” that fueled the recent win streak.

Head Coach Chris Willis, who is currently in his eighth year of coaching the Wildcats, also points to the leadership of the upperclassmen as a reason for the team’s success.

He explained that the senior class (Rooney, Cockrell, Franz, and Sam Thompson) have experienced the rigors of the A10 and “know how to prepare and compete against the various teams” in the conference.

Rooney and Cockrell have over 200 kills on the season, with Rodriguez, Franz, and Crosley adding over 100 each. Rooney leads the nation in triple-doubles (kills, assists, and digs) with five. Only one other A-10 player has more than two. She has 26 aces and over 300 assists on the season, both tops on the team.

Josie Treadwell ’20 anchors the defense for the team, with over 350 digs this season and an average of over four per set. Elise Edman ’20 and Sydney Champaigne ’21 also are defensive stalwarts for the Wildcats. The strong defense has helped the Wildcats win all three games this season that have gone to five sets.

The team is hoping to make the A-10 tournament after losing in the first round in 2016.

Six teams out of ten make it to the tournament, and Davidson sits in sixth place after Duquesne moved up in the standings after their win against Fordham on Sunday. Dayton is currently in second place in the conference standings, while St. Louis is in the middle of the pack but has matched up well against Davidson. A sixth seed may actually be more favorable for the ‘Cats as any higher puts them in VCU’s path in the tournament, who is undefeated in conference play this season.

The Wildcats travel north to play George

Mason and George Washington this weekend, before traveling to Richmond to play VCU on November 10th, with the goal of clinching a spot in the A-10 tournament.

During the win streak, the Wildcats beat both “Georges” at home, and are looking to repeat the results away from Belk Arena.

Coach Willis, when asked to sum up his advice for the team as they finish the season, offered this: “continue to strive to be the best at getting better.” Cockrell echoed that thought, stating that while the “streak [was] fun, we know is still a lot of work to be done in accomplishing our season goal of winning the A-10 tournament.”

The ‘Cats are in a prime position to both make to and make a difference in the A-10 tournament following the hot end to the regular season. Photo by Sacha Franks ‘20

Salute to Seniors: Volleyball’s Mason Rooney

G

LIZZIE KANE ‘22 STAFF WRITER

Weekly Sports Update

eorgia native, six feet two inches, jersey number 13, captain her junior and senior years, Mason Rooney ’19 is a major contributor to Davidson’s Division 1 (D1) volleyball team.

Rooney started playing volleyball in eighth grade, joining a club team that same year. Her positions are setter and right side; as a setter, she hits the ball in place for her teammates to get it over the net. She likes “being able to put [hitters] in a great space and opportunity to score because when you do, you get to celebrate them, which is always the best.”

Rooney chose Davidson because she wanted a Southeastern state, D1 athletics, small class sizes, and “a degree that meant something.” She said, “When I visited here for the first time, it just felt like home.”

The team is 12-10 overall, and 5-6 in-conference. Rooney stands out of the pack with six aces and four blocks against N.C. Central this year. There are many young players on the team, six first-years, and many veterans, like Rooney, as well.

“I think that the future of the Davidson volleyball program is only moving upwards, which is exciting,” Rooney said.

On Friday, September 21st, Davidson beat Duquesne for the first time in conference history. Additionally, Rooney shared excitement about Senior Weekend on October 28th, despite the loss to Dayton.

When asked about how she handles a tough loss, Rooney said, “I think the nice part about our conference is that we get to play on Friday and Sunday, so if you have a tough loss on

Mason Rooney ‘19 has been one of the nation’s best during her career at Davidson. Photos courtesy of Tim Cowie, DavidsonPhotos.com.

Friday, you get to compete again on Sunday. If [a loss] happens on Sunday, you are right back in the gym on Monday, competing against your teammates.” While the team always has new games to focus on, “it is easy to bounce back when the team and the girls around you are awesome,” she said.

Rooney elaborated by talking about how the best part of being on the team is the support that comes with it. “It’s nice— especially in college when you are not at home anymore—to have girls that feel like family to you and make you feel at home.” She also mentioned the team’s tradition of “Thursday Night Commons” before their games on Fridays.

Coaches and teammates speak highly of Rooney. “[Rooney] is a fearless leader on the court and extremely committed to her teammates off the court,” Captain Josie Treadwell ’20 said.

“She’s shown the classes below her what it looks like to be a

Game of the Week Basketball (M) It’s that time of year! The men’s basketball team kicks off their season next Tuesday night at 7pm against Cleveland State. The visiting Vikings come in after finishing last year 12-23 on the season. However, they were a tournament team in 2009 after winning Horizon League and have been in the NIT twice in the past seven years. Meanwhile, the ‘Cats look to get their season started off the right way on the track to defending their Atlantic 10 title and getting back to the NCAA tournament. Be sure to support the ‘Cats and see Belk Arena’s new enhancements!

loyal friend and passionate player.”

“On the court, [Rooney] is an offensive threat at all times,” Assistant Coach Brian Rosen added. “She is able to score points for our team as an attacker, server, and blocker.

[Rooney’s] role as a setter allows her to put teammates in position to score as well. She leads the NCAA in triple-doubles, which is one of the toughest stats to achieve. It is a true test of versatility in the game of volleyball.”

Head Coach Chris Willis also noted that Rooney is currently ranked in the top 10 in the A-10 for three categories; she is third in aces/set, sixth in hitting percentage, and seventh in points/set.

Rosen continued to emphasize her buoyant personality. “As a captain, she drives the energy bus for our team. Her celebrations when we score a point are contagious and often lead to long runs of points,” he said. “[Rooney’s] positions and role on the team come with a lot of pressure, but she handles it all with so much poise. She, along with our other seniors, is always someone that our team can look to.” “[Rooney] is an incredible person who embodies the Davidson purpose of humane instincts and a disciplined and creative mind,” Willis said. “We love having her as a force on the court, and more so, value her ability to set the example of what it means to be a true scholar-athlete.”

It is clear that Rooney loves the sport and that her presence will be missed next year. However, the team still has a long road ahead to make the A-10 tournament with their star setter.

While Davidson has yet to even make the tournament, Rooney is already shooting for the gold. “Why not reach for what the top is?” Rooney said.

Wildcat Standings: Football Team San Diego Drake Marist Stetson Dayton Morehead State Davidson Butler Valparaiso Jacksonville

W 5 4 4 4 3 2 2 1 1 0

L 0 1 1 1 3 3 4 4 4 5

T

Pct.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 .8 .8 .8 .5 .4 .333 .2 .2 0

Arts and Culture

6

Davidson’s The Book of Will: Fights, Fun and Folios SEBASTIAN SOLA-SOLE ‘21 THEATER CRITIC

S

unday afternoon, I took my seat in the Duke Family Performance Hall for this semester’s mainstage production, The Book of Will by Laura Gunderson, directed by Dr. Ann Marie Costa. I settled in to the sound of something like Elizabethan muzak (my battle with the music is a criticism to come) and a pretty packed house. I had strict orders from my Literary Analysis professor to consider the show and come prepared with questions for Monday morning’s class discussion with Dr. Costa. I was stuporous—still wiped out from Davidson Halloween the night before. The lights dimmed to dark, the actors shuffled out onto stage and the spotlight landed on a period-dressed Cameron Anderson ‘20 performing a hysterical, “bad” quarto version of Hamlet’s iconic “To be or not to be” soliloquy. After Anderson’s thirty seconds in the spotlight, Davidson’s own Globe Theatre Tap House was fully illuminated on stage and I, thank god, was hooked and awake. The show has since finished its four-day run and deserves some published applause and criticism, which we here at The Davidsonian are more than happy to provide.

The play, published in 2016, follows a Hamilton-ian conceptual framework: blending modern elements (music, lighting) with period speech and historical records, The Book of Will follows Henry Condell (Jacob Haythorn ‘19) and John Heminges (Sam Giberga ‘19)— members of Shakespeare’s famed acting troupe, The King’s Men—in their efforts to assemble the first complete folio of the playwright’s works after his death. It thematizes the question of legacy and manipulates words and feelings from the past to grant audiences an accessible view of Shakespeare’s London.

At the show’s outset, we meet Henry, John, and his daughter, Alice (Zoe Harrison ‘21), joined by their fellow actor, Richard Brubage (Adam Gelman ‘21), famed and fabled for his work as the troupe’s leading man. Brubage and company barbarically condemn the impure representation of Shakespeare’s work we had all just seen. Then, Exit Burbage: the plot arch begins with leading man’s death: with

him comes the passing of the what all on stage consider the purest memory of Shakespeare’s words. The two remaining members of the King’s Men, with their families behind them, set out to collect and canonize the Bard’s words: curating, assembling and printing a folio edition of his plays. They face further death, doubt, and devious publishers, but ultimately achieve their goal in the show’s final moments: a somewhat cheesy but nevertheless triumphant dedication of the works to Shakespeare’s living family, his widow Anne Hathaway (Deya Bowers ‘19) and his daughter Susannah (Caroline Gschwind ‘22).

Among the excellect performers, I found none more successful than the character actors. Raul Galvan ’21 as Ben Johnson, Shakespeare’s longtime literary rival and the period’s cantankerous, sottish poet laureate, dignified and deepened Gunderson’s construction of the character, stumbling hilariously about the set to impress and compel the audience through moments of gruff comedy and soft, inspiring care. John Leiner ’21 and Lee Kromer ’21 as (respectively) Ed Knight, the King’s Men’s self-serious stage manager, and Ralph Krane, Ed’s nervous but competent assistant, relate perfectly to one another and develop a dynamic that’s hilarious to watch. Leiner’s curmudgeonly ire alongside Kromer’s cowering earnestness win the audience’s sympathy and attention as soon as the two engage.

The second major success came from the scenic crew. The set was thin—not in the sense that a leaf of parchment or McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club is thin, but more like sparse—unassuming, smartly built and, again, effective. Three massive oaken rafters hung from the stage ceiling to frame the top of the set and a variably illuminated cyclorama cut off the back, informing dimension in various scenes. In the center sat an interchangeable, barely decorated bar/printing station, around which rotated a collection of chairs and tables.

Most impressively, with the completion of each of three major steps in the folio’s development, sets of larger-than-life pieces of paper—evocative of Paul Cocksedge’s “A Gust of Wind”—descended in front of the cyc to field projections and lighting. All told, technical director and Davidson theater first-timer Chip Davis, and those on the scenic crew,

The King’s Men (and friends) plan their publication of Shakespeare’s first folio. Photo by Olivia Forrester ‘22. nailed the task at hand: to populate the stage with simple, functional and attractive set elements and lend Gunderson’s work the space it demands to flourish.

I found the score, on the other hand, underconsidered. I entered to plucky Renaissance background music and was quickly met, in the first transition scene, by its technofied cousin: EDM backing beats and club rhythms under synthesized strings. Productively, the music motivated transitions and modernized the staging as a the script demands—but in the middle of the show, for one awkward moment, it switched back to the lobby music to cancel the stylistic impact of Costa’s choice.

Beyond that, my only real disappointment with Davidson’s production came from its handling of Gunderson’s female characters.

The script dedicates a good deal of effort and energy to recasting the women of the period to reflect their contemporary status and how Shakespeare tended to write them. While the play is clearly male-driven, Gunderson leaves a lot of space for female voices, especially those of Alice and Rebecca (Lidan Zhang ‘21).

The most potent example comes at the beginning of the second act’s sixth scene, when Henry and John entrust the final edit of the folio’s dedication to Alice. The men are to hang

on her criticisms and compliments with wide eyes and inspired grins. In Davidson’s staging, Alice seemed casual and impartial to the positional advantage Gunderson granted her over the men. To transcend the story’s imposition of male dominance, I felt the characters’ acting choices needed to take advantage of the spaces Gunderson writes. This aspect of Davidson’s production fell a little short for me.

In fairness, a friend of mine who had never read the play attributed the dilemma to the writing itself. He felt Gunderson had used winking suggestions of female power—sly comments about what men say when women aren’t around, teasing reminders that women keep things in order—to make up for the fact that the show is overly focused on male greatness. Shakespeare, under this reading, is something like the ghost of King Hamlet: a father dead before the show begins, haunting his male heirs as they fight corrupt usurpers who follow him. In a show whose real action is so driven by the decisions and debates of men, Gunderson may have simply left the women without enough space.

Sebastian Sola-Sole ‘21, Design Editor of The Davidsonian, is a Hispanic Studies major from Bethesda, MD.

Restaurant Review: The Original New York Bagels MICHAEL HALL ‘19 FOOD CRITIC

H

eading into The Original New York Bagels, I made sure to recruit a gang capable of enjoying what has become almost stigmatized by health fads for its carb-carrying capacity. This bagel-slinging deli in the Harris Teeter parking lot pays homage to the space’s former occupant, TCBY, by offering an array of cream cheeses that includes a thirteenyear-old Michael’s concoction (Oreo, strawberry, etc.) while still incorporating the classics (i.e. scallion).

The selection of bagels is more traditional—poppy seed, sesame, everything, cinnamon raisin—and was still well-stocked despite our late-afternoon arrival.

The Original New York Bagels offers exactly what you’d expect from a casual bagel deli in a college town: bagels, cream cheeses, breakfast sandwiches, and a few relatively pricey specialties such as lox and capers. We decided to give each category a try, ordering a sesame with scallion cream cheese, a poppy seed with egg, cheese, and pastrami, and an everything with lox and capers (all toasted, of course).

The son, mother, and father were all outwardly friendly and I quickly

learned that they were from Venezuela and Colombia and shared my disappointment with Sabor’s arepa (a real boost to my ego). By the time I grabbed my coffee and joined my friends, an enthusiastic teen entered through saloon-style doors and placed the three bagels on the table.

Upon arrival, there was no mistaking the Dalí-esque oozing of cream cheese that would commence upon a first bite of the sesame-scallion behemoth. Nevertheless, the bagel warranted no complaints from anyone; although difficult to approach, the bagel’s toast-to-interior ratio was mouth-watering, and I appreciated the subtlety of scallion for its frugality.

Second favorite amongst the table was the poppy seed bagel, adorned with what appeared to be two eggs, American cheese, and small hill of pastrami. The bagel’s presentation—sliced in half—allowed for an encompassing bite that was satiating; however, the central distribution of pastrami meant that after 3 or 4 bites all that remained was a well toasted bagel whose unseasoned egg and gooey American cheese pleaded for salt to combat the dullness of an unseasoned sandwich.

My least favorite undoubtedly was the lox and cream cheese. An ode to the bar mitzvahs of my middle-school

years, I had high hopes for this classic combination. The bagel came with lettuce and tomato—normally not a problem, but being late October, the sad sliced tomato had been refrigerated and was mealy and flavorless rather than acidic and sweet. Each bite flooded the sandwich with the seeded liquid to rehydrate the salt-cured salmon. As I wrote my comments my friend futilely searched for capers.

The highlight of each of the orders was the bagel—as it should be—and at just four dollars these toasted bagels and cream cheese are a steal, despite the one-dollar premium in comparison to Nummit’s offerings. Also, the general thinness of the bagels prevented an expected carb-coma. Most notable of all was the experience itself.

A soundtrack of the refrigerator’s hum, paper cups and plastic baskets bearing parchment paper and bagels— plus no decorations apart from Google stock photos of New York—created an environment that fit the scene: a lowkey breakfast spot in a quiet college town, making this my favorite of the four restaurants I’ve reviewed.

Michael Hall ‘19 is an Economics and Latin American Studies double major from Savannah, GA. He can be reached for comment at mihall@davidson.edu.

Top: racks of bagels. Bottom: poppyseed bagel with egg, cheese and pastrami. Photos by Michael Hall ‘19.

Et Cetera A Shared Future

7

Personal Essay: Carol Quillen

While at a future time, I will respond to your questions, in this column I want to recount an experience I had many years ago and that continues to challenge and inspire me. Thank you for reading.

W

ell over a decade ago, I spent three weeks in Jerusalem with a group of people who shared an interest in religion and public life. That interest was all we shared. Our group included Muslims, Christians and Jews from around the world, an American Buddhist, agnostics, atheists, and others.

At the start of the trip, this group agreed on very little. We didn’t agree on right and wrong.

We didn’t agree on how to dress, or what to eat, or when to pray. We didn’t agree on how to raise children or on appropriate gender roles. We told conflicting stories about the same events. We didn’t agree on what was happening around us, right before our eyes.

Add to this that we were traveling around Jerusalem, on some of the most sacred, contested ground on the planet. So, we didn’t even agree on where we were. Things, places and people had at least two names. Was it the Temple Mount or Noble Sanctuary? Har Habayit or Al –Haram ash Sharif? Were we in greater Israel or occupied Palestine?

Was it Hakhrazat HaAtzma’ut or the Nakba, Independence or catastrophe? In the course of one conversation, the same person could be called a hero and a traitor; or a holy man and a heretic; a victim and a perpetrator; a prophet and an apostate.

This trip had all the makings of a full-blown disaster.

Fortunately, our group had to spend a lot of time in transit: walking, riding in a bus, waiting in line. During these times, in these “in-between” places, we inadvertently stumbled onto common ground. “Where’s that inscription from?” someone would ask. “I love that song!” another would shout. “Who wants falafel?”

In spite of ourselves, we found fleeting opportunities to connect. And, miraculously, we seized them.

These small connections—listening to jazz, a love of poetry, an interest in yoga—helped us see each other differently. Where before we saw only the hard lines that starkly divided us, now we found shared territory. We saw each other in light of rather than in opposition to our own experience. Iva, Alejandro and Izmir loved Mozart. Jill and Mahmoud had studied Maimonides. Rahel taught all of us yoga.

We lowered the steely, monolithic identities - national, ethnic, and religious - that, like shields, had divided and hidden us, one from another.

Through these small shared interests, we overcame our fear just enough to leave ourselves open. We lowered the steely, monolithic identities—national, ethnic, and religious— that, like shields, had divided and hidden us, one from another.

So, when Iva a Bosnian Catholic said, “That

looks like my old school,” Izmir a Bosnian Muslim didn’t immediately mention his Catholic neighbors who had burned down his house. Instead he looked at the building where Iva had pointed.

And he talked about his friends from his school. And when Izmir stood in Al-Aksa Mosque on the Temple Mount—a site sacred to three world religions—and quietly whispered, “Can this piece of stone be worth the centuries of blood spilled in its name?”

Everyone—Jew, Muslim, Christian, Palestinian, Israeli, American, Bosnian, Serb, atheist—felt the weight of his words.

And then, even on the most divisive topics, we opened up. Even when our sense of self depended on our story winning, even on these topics, each of us actually opened up enough to hear other, different stories.

As we took in different stories, we discovered our own inner contradictions. We saw the pieces of ourselves that our dogmatic narratives had suppressed. We realized we were more than the rigid identities with which we had armed ourselves. We learned to value those parts of ourselves that those rigid identities had silenced.

We went from either/or—either independence OR catastrophe, either mosque OR temple, to both/and.

And at that moment, we became capable of imagining a shared future.

Day 2

Day 4

Caroline Yarbrough ‘19 While I derive my style inspiration from an array of women including Jane Birkin, Jackie Kennedy, Olivia Palermo, and Leandra Medine, my mother represents my ultimate style icon. From handmaking the smocked dresses I wore throughout my childhood, teaching me how to find treasures in Palm Springs vintage stores, and serving as a role model for the cultivation of an uniquely personal style, she instilled in me from a young age an aesthetic appreciation and the importance of dressing up and dressing well. I wholeheartedly identify with Oscar Wilde’s maxim, “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.”

Day 1

The

Davidsonian Staff

Editors in Chief News Editors Perspectives Editor Arts and Culture Editor Sports Editor Photography Editor Yowl Editors Design Editor Web Editor Art Editor Copy Editors

Laura Dunnagan ‘19, Olivia Daniels ‘19 AJ Naddaff ‘19, Emma Pettit ‘20 Kayla Edwards ‘20 Lucas Weals ‘19 Sam Thomas ‘20 Elayna Daniels ‘21 EJ Kelley ‘20, Katie Walsh ‘20 Sebastian Sola-Sole ‘21 Hope Anderson ‘22 Richard Farrell ‘22 Sarah Austin ‘21, Lindy Bustabad ‘21, Susannah Cate ‘20, Yashi Gunawardena ‘19

Day 3

Day 5

The

Yowl

inside

Irreverent student journalism since 2004. Castigat Ridendo Mores. yowl.com/yowl The Spooky Issue October 31, 2018 BREAKING: Trivia Night Reveals That One Friend Is Actually Just Fake-Smart Page 5

Abroad Students to be Housed in Decrepit Old Shack in XC Trails Pages 11

Sweat-Stained Costume Relegated Back To Its Home in Left Corner of Underwear Drawer Page 39

Professor Confuses Student Picking Back Pimples For Active, Enthusiastic Classroom Participation Page ...

Local Philosopher Wonders Out Loud If Anyone Actually Eats The Union Cheese Sticks Page 2.75

Weather Report: Despite Low Temperature, Cocky New Englander Claims it is Still “Shorts Weathah”

Above: Area Man seen yacking his brains out after a scrumptious meal at V-ending

Food Review: V-ending Machine

EH LITTLE LIBRARY –– Rated the number 15 best food establishment within the greater Charlotte area by The Pines’s critically-acclaimed, bimonthly foodie magazine, Elderly Eats, the E.H. Little Library’s first floor restaurant, “V-ending,” by all means matched its famous reputation.

Sporting a seasonal menu, the library’s premier gastropub offered a spin on classic Americana. The ambiance created an authentic snack joint exterior, and the smell of printer ink and moldy book pages enhanced the rich flavors of the SpicyHot Cheetos appetizers, which remain the highlight of my dining experience (and have literally remained on my stained fingertips).

Though the weighty silence of the dining room seemed to enhance every crunch and crackle, the ambiance served to enhance the flavors and experience of enjoying the tapasstyle menu. The dead-eyed, library work-study students doubled as attentive, if slightly unnerving, wait-staff.

The main course failed to disappoint; dry-aged honey buns from 2007 paired well with the vaguely iron-tasting latte from the adjacent machine.

While the pricing of food seemed shockingly high, the complex array of dishes was more than worthy of siphoning my remaining 15 dining dollars. The slightly nuanced funk of the dill pickle Lays chips blended umami and savory flavors,

and the air-fried, lightly balanced veggie sticks satisfied the tongue and titillated the palate.

While a dessert of calcified Cliff Bars seemed an overthought creation on the part of the chef, Ralph Gouda, the crumbled, dusty Aunt Annie’s cookies re-inscribed a childhood nostalgia that brought a single tear to my eye.

Though I seemed to be constipated for eight days following my meal and experienced a series of loud burps which awakened the sleeping economics student in the fishbowl, I can confidently say that I’ll be visiting V-ending again.

Whatever direction the V-ending will take in upcoming years will undoubtedly excite locals with its commitment to culinary excellence and experimentation. Chef Gouda, who doubles as the after hours librarian, claimed to be working with local farmers to bring “my take on the cheesy cracker to the menu.”

“We hope to move more towards a tapas-style menu, with an emphasis on well-sourced organic ingredients,” said Gouda, shooting back canned cheese spray.

“We’re committed to transforming food in new and exciting ways. We’ll be featuring a gummy-bear emulsion this winter that’ll hopefully land us the Michelin star we’ve been gunning for since we opened in 1982” Gouda continued.

DAVIDSON, NC — The Yowl’s field correspondent recently spotted Davidson first-year and suburban Boston native Patrick McGillicuddy walking to the Union in what he confidently referred to as “his fall look,” which consisted of a slightly oversized Larry Bird jersey and a pair of well-worn athletic shorts.

When asked if the outfit was appropriate given the recent drop in temperature over the past few weeks, McGillicuddy responded, “Back in New England it’s wicked f*cking freezing right now; like bro, it’s freakin’ cold. This right here is summah weathah. Shorts till Thanksgiving break baby.”

The Yowl’s reporter states that McGillicuddy then began rattling off names of towns in the Boston area that he believed to be the most heavily hit by the frigid northeast weather.

“There’s wicked heavy frost in Quincy bro, and the roads in Dorchestah and Medfo[r]d are as icy as Andovah in Decembah.” He continued to ramble on for several minutes, naming a few cities whose existence The Yowl has not been able to corroborate. “Wa[r]te[r]fo[r]d and Wahlbe[r]gham already have snow bro, and Afleckchestah lost powah.”

Our correspondent began to try to escape the conversation, but McGillicuddy insisted on pointing at people wearing long sleeves calling them “chowdaheads.” He then went into a semi-audible rant about how people “down he[r] e” do not appreciate the warmth at Davidson. Four minutes into his rant, our reporter could notice the Bostonian becoming less and less coherent. After a while, his teeth were chattering and he just continuously repeated the phrase, “Bro, bro, Krispy Kreme is just trash Dunkin’ bro.”

Our reporter was able to get McGillicuddy inside by playing Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch’s hit single Good Vibrations, at which point she promptly left him in front of the Union TV playing reruns of The Office, which prompted the shivering lad to mutter, “You know that Steve Carrell is from Mass, right bro?”

Claire Reitman ’22 , who went to high school with McGillicuddy, told The Yowl, “He’s not even from Boston. He lives in a town like an hour away. He developed that accent senior year after he watched Good Will Hunting on a school trip.”

McGillicuddy responded to these comments by saying, “Do I physically live in Boston? I guess technically you would not be wrong if you said no, but I’m 100% Beantown bro.”

At press time, McGillicuddy had reportedly been diagnosed with Raynaud’s syndrome and was seen wearing sweatpants.

Local Social Media Exhibitionist Expected to Increase Voter Turnout ANY GIVEN COLLEGE CAMPUS IN THE U.S. –– With the U.S. midterm elections approaching in the coming weeks, the increasingly polarized political climate is shadowed by a general feeling of voter apathy across the country.

Those who have been marginalized in the previous elections are beginning to feel a lack of faith in the democratic practices once promised to the American people.

Yet, the American population should not give up faith so quickly. With the help of social media “influencers”, such as Davidson’s own Bridgett Cain ‘21, voter turnout is expected to increase by 35 percentage points in North Carolina alone.

Cain’s Instagram stories are usually updated

The

Yowl

twice a day with a similar message of reminding her followers to “GO VOTE” in the red typewriter font, usually place in center screen with a black background. The inspirational message is surrounded by small American flag stickers with a large “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” GIF floating at the bottom of the story.

“With the help of social media ‘influencers’, such as Davidson’s own Bridgett Cain ‘21, voter turnout is expected to increase by 35 percentage points in North Carolina alone.”

Weekly General Horoscope Regardless of Sign This week, avoid relationships––any relationships––hole yourself up in the Davidsoniana Room, and be sure to play YouTube videos out loud at a moderate volume to the chagrin of the over-serious Computer Science major trying to do work next to you. If you have to perform a sacrifice this week, we reccommend the f*ckboy in your Instagram DMs. All hail Satan (sorry mom I’m kidding). Whatever. I don’t care. You do you, girlfriend.

Cain has been encouraging her friends to go vote since early September. Former group project member David Franklin ‘21 stated he had never even considered registering to vote until Cain’s story came across his feed. “This particular post included a cat sticking its head out of a voting booth, how can you say no to that?” Franklin commented.

Cain shared her personal strategy for the next week to increase voter turnout (and saving America). She is strategizing to increase Instagram story posts to three a day starting on November 1st, and then will increase the posts by one each consequent day until the election. Then, the night of November 5th, Cain will post a picture of the

flag outside of Chambers at sunset with a 500 – word personal essay on her political opinions, specifically why the North Carolina election is so important.

For the grand finale, Cain will post a selfie on November 6th to all 13 of her social media platforms with her “I Voted” sticker in clear sight as a concluding reminder to all followers to go vote.

Update – One week after the interview was conducted, The Yowl received an anonymous tip stating that Cain is not registered to vote in NoCarolina. The Yowl did further investigation and found no evidence of registration in her home town of Smithville, Oregon. Cain declined to comment.

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Quote of the Week: “Tinder is a networking opportunity as far I’m concerned.”

- Modern Romancer

Note: The Yowl is a satirical supplement to The Davidsonian. Hence, nothing in it should be taken as truth. We don’t make the news, we fake the news™.