Davidsonian 3-9-22

The

Davidsonian

Independent Student Journalism Since 1914

inside

davidsonian.com

Frolics to make its long-awaited return April 1-2

Volume 120, Issue 14

March 9, 2022

2

William E. Jackson, Jr. ‘57 discusses North Carolina redistricting in Perspectives

4

7

Living Davidson: The threat to LGBTQ+ Ukrainians and ways to help

Spring Break tips courtesy of The Yowl

8

Davidson Reckons with Russia-Ukraine War Political Science and Russian Studies professors provide insight into global conflict

Davidson community members at vigil in respect for the lives lost and altered in the Russia-Ukraine War Photo Courtesy Davidson German Studies’ Twitter (@GerDavidson)

KEVIN GARCIA-GALINDO ‘24 (HE/HIM) STAFF WRITER

O

n Monday February 28th, just four days after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, professors from both the political science and Russian studies departments came together to host a teachin. The event was communitarily organized by multiple Political Science professors as well as Dr. Amanda Ewington from the Russian studies department over a lengthy email discussion the Friday before the event.

The three main professors involved were Dr. Ewington, Dr. Besir Ceka, and Dr. Shelley Rigger. The two latter are part of the political science department.

At 4 p.m., just a half hour before the teachin event, a vigil for peace in Ukraine was held to pray and commemorate for the refugees and victims of the invasion in Ukraine. The event included many of the faith-organizations on campus, including the Jewish Student Association, Davidson Dharma, and Christian organizations on campus.

Both events were successful in bringing students together and in helping spread awareness about ways students could help during this uncertain time.

Dr. Ewington started the teach-in by

emphasizing the importance of understanding the socio-cultural context of this war. She spoke firmly about the Russian myth that Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried to push that the Ukrainian invasion was a “denazification” project, and that Ukraine is not a legitimate state and devoid of a unique history.

An official statement written by Dr. Ewington and posted by the Russian studies department states “As we stand with the Ukrainian people, we also urge everyone in our Davidson community to distinguish between the Russian people who are living in an authoritarian state with increasingly severe penalties for free speech, and the Putin regime. The Russian people with access to real information, as opposed to state media distortions, stand against this war and are experiencing shame and horror at the actions of their government.”

Dr. Ewington intentionally clarified this distinction, as she has been noticing recent reports where many “regular people are being targeted for harassment over this.” She wrote the statement the Saturday morning following the invasion as she felt a “sense of responsibility.” Dr. Ewington was aware that even though Russian language learning and Russian global politics represented a small number of professors and researchers at

Students gather for presentation meant to educate community members on the conflict Photo Courtesy Davidson German Studies’ Twitter (@GerDavidson) Davidson, it was still their duty to inform the student body.

Additionally, Dr. Ewington created a Twitter list to connect students to “credible journalists, policy people, and scholars.”

“No offense meant to the NBC correspondents or people like that, but those people don’t have deep expertise in the region.” said Dr. Ewington.

Aside from Dr. Ewington, few professors have direct links to this Eastern Europe region.

In the Political Science department, Dr. Ceka is the only professor that actively studies Russia and Eastern Europe and is currently teaching a biannual course POL 348 “Pol of Russia and East Europe.”

Dr. Ceka, Dr. Rigger, and Dr. Ewington, have provided multifarious recommendations for students about how to respond to the Ukrainian crisis. One consistent theme is the importance of doing one’s best for the people of Ukraine.

Dr. Ewington acknowledged the difficulties of “doom scrolling” due to living in a “deeply connected world.”

“If you’re just kind of sinking into doom scrolling, then you’re not productive. . . [but] you need to take care of your mental health,” Dr. Ewington said. “What is happening is an absolute catastrophe and I don’t think we can look away.” As she stated, “not everything

needs to be earth-shattering,” but anything we can do using our talents can really help.

She gave the specific example of how she is currently trying to learn Ukrainian as an attempt to better understand the issues forming from Ukrainian sources.

Dr. Rigger pointed out that although we may not always be able to have as big an effect on Ukraine as we want, something we can do is work towards preventing the next “George Floyd or Ahmaud Arbery, [as well as] so many other things that have gone horribly wrong in our own country,” because as much as we may want to change the entire world immediately, one good place to start is in your own home.

Lastly, Dr. Ceka similarly said that although “we are really privileged in this country because of the accident of birth or the luck of choosing to immigrate here, [and furthermore] to not to have to worry about being invaded by another country,” we should indeed take care of ourselves “and enjoy the wonderful amenities that Davidson has [like] getting close to your friends [and] talking to them about various issues as a means to decompress,” but we should also be conscious about the atrocities happening in Ukraine and the burden that so many young people have to carry there.

Brandon Harris Gains National Attention After Freeing Friend MCKINLEY LETTRE ‘24 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER Most Davidson students’ independent study projects culminate in a graded paper from a professor. Brandon Harris ’22 however, ended his study with national media attention and the release of his childhood friend, Sura Sohna, from prison. In his “Telling Stories of the Ignored and Forgotten” project, Harris contacted numerous people involved in Sohna’s case, including victims, prosecutors, and the governor of Maryland. His tireless

efforts got Sohna a hearing with a judge, who reevaluated his case and decided to release him from prison–12 years early. Without Harris’ project, Sohna would have remained in prison until 2034.

“There’s so many people in our society who I consider to be ignored and forgotten,” Harris said. With the mentorship of Professor Issac Bailey, James K. Batten Professor of Public Policy, Harris began to dig into six stories of people he felt society had neglected. “I wanted to bring awareness to these stories that weren’t being acknowledged.”

Harris heard many conversations about mass incarceration during his time at Davidson, but students often spoke about these issues “in an abstract way.” Incarceration was more than a discussion topic for Harris–he knew his friend Sohna was behind bars.

When students were sent home at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Harris heard about the detrimental effects the pandemic caused in prisons. He immediately thought of Sohna and decided to write him a letter. “I was genuinely curious about how he was doing,” Harris said. The two began

exchanging mail, rekindling a relationship that had fizzled during Sohna’s incarceration.

The two met at school in fourth grade and became fast friends. “We would play at recess together, tell jokes, sit together at lunch, just have fun together,” Harris said. In middle school, the two began to drift apart as Sohna began to get in trouble more often. “He first got arrested when we were in middle school,” Harris revealed.

Harris then got an academic scholarship to

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

News

2

Spring Frolics to Return to Davidson ANDREA LIU ‘23 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER

D

avidson’s long-awaited Spring Frolics is set to return to campus on April 1-2 after three years.

According to Around the D, the Davidson College archives and special collections blog, Frolics has been a Davidson tradition since 1940. It was formalized as an annual Dance Weekend taking place every spring semester.

Since Davidson’s Student Union Board took over the organization of Dance Weekend in 1977, the focus shifted from formal dances to outdoor activities, developing into what many students have heard about today.

The last Frolics happened in late April 2019, pre-pandemic. This will be the college’s first Frolics in three years, which means only the current senior class has ever experienced a Frolics. The Davidsonian’s 2019 Frolics Review documented how Frolics was a chance to bring students together through its lawn festivities and court parties throughout the weekend.

Union Board’s Major Event Programming Chairs, Caree Henry ‘24 and Bailey Leaphart ‘24, spoke on the challenges of hosting a Frolics that the majority of the student body has never seen. Union Board has to balance “traditions, [with] everything that everyone knows and has heard about Frolics [...] and reimagin[e] it, giving it a fresh approach, to better fit the ‘new’ Davidson.”

Union Board is hoping that Frolics, set to take place on the lawn on Patterson Court, will bring the campus together in celebration of our community. Many seniors remember Frolics

fondly. Michelle Silver ‘22 remarked that “Frolics was super chaotic and fun at the same time–there’s more people roaming around campus than you’ve ever seen, and I loved going around to different things happening and seeing so many people that you don’t get to talk to on an everyday basis!”

Tifani Panek ‘22, Union Board’s president, gave a brief rundown of what students can expect from Frolics this year.

“There’s going to be food on the [Patterson Court Council (PCC)] Lawn, and the surrounding PCC organizations will have [events] in their houses as well,” she said.

Additionally, students can expect to receive Frolics 2021-2022 T-shirts and fanny packs.

Union Board will put together and send out a master calendar for the student body that will include what events are happening when and where.

There will be “lots of inflatables, food trucks, photo opportunities, and decorations,” Leapart emphasized. She furthered: “We’re pushing decorations and the theme a little harder than usual this year, so we’re hoping that people will get into that.”

On the lawn, Union Board will also provide snacks, water, and sunscreen to ensure that students stay safe throughout the weekend.

Unlike previous years, the concert that has accompanied the last couple Frolics will be held on a different weekend. Frolics will be on April 1-2, while the Spring Concert will be on April 29 (the artist is yet to be announced).

Panek articulated that Frolics and the Spring Concert were traditionally two separate events: “Only recently, did they happen to be put together,” but now students have “two reasons to celebrate coming together and recognizing our community.”

Photographs from Scott Cunningham, Bill Giduz, Tommy Rhodes, and the Davidson Archives with assistance from Sharon Byrd.

Many underclassmen expressed excitement to see Frolics, which has long been a figment of their imagination. Michael Chapin ‘24 stated that having Frolics feels “like a return to a lot of the things we missed during COVID, and being able to be outside and have fun as a collective campus is something I’m excited about because I haven’t seen it before.”

Panek underscored the value of Frolics to Davidson’s campus community. “We work so hard as Davidson students, and it’s an opportunity to really let out all that stress and anxiety and just enjoy the time we have

together,” he said.

While many details of the weekend are still in the works, Panek, Henry, and Leaphart are excited and emphasize that Union Board is working hard to make a great Frolics happen.

They hope Frolics will “come back with a bang. [We] want this to be the best Frolics it can be … but there’s only one way to find out!”

For now, Union Board encourages students to but for now, stay tuned for the theme reveal on March 21, with a giveaway item for the first 200 people.

NC Green Party hosts round table discussion SOHAN GADE ‘23 (HE/HIM) STAFF WRITER

O

n Friday March 4th, conversations regarding climate justice and the two-party system took center stage in the Union’s Morcott Room. The North Carolina Green Party senate candidate, Matthew Hoh, and NC Green Party co-chair, Tony N’dege, spoke about their experiences with American politics and their foray into activism. The Green party brands itself as an “alternate party,” apart from the dominant Democratic and Republican parties. It focuses on addressing environmental issues and the inequities that they cause through a model of grassroots activism.

Unlike most guest speaker events, the conversation was set up as a roundtable discussion. As students and community members filed into the room, Hoh emphasized his desire for open-minded dialogue, and proceeded to ask attendees about their majors, hometowns, and class years.

“You all get lectured at enough [as students]...I’m not sure how much you all will get out of, but we will gain a lot,” said Hoh. Both N’dege and Hoh discussed their long careers in activism. They both started at the grassroots level and progressed to become leaders in the Green party.

“I spent a lot of time on Capitol Hill, with both Republicans and Democrats. I also spent a lot of time on the street level as an organizer,” said Hoh. Hoh underscored the importance of having third parties in a Democratic society. He explained that, in a two-party system, the main two parties would stretch too far to cater to people with drastically different ideologies.

He felt that this would force people to bargain with their beliefs.

“Third parties provide more of a focus on the issues, fostering issues-based campaigning and issues-based elections, which means people go to the ballot box and not compromise their values,” said Hoh. Expanding on Hoh’s point, N’dege said, “We need parties like in France, and in many other countries with genuinely organized stronger unions, [which means] more unions to fight against cutbacks.”

the discussion table. Among them was Grant Mitchell, a music student at Central Piedmont Community College. Mitchell described himself as a newer member of the Green party and enjoyed the event. “[The] Discussion was great, I was loud and outgoing, and [everyone] gave me an opportunity to be at the center of the room,” said Mitchell.

Additionally, not all of the attendees were supporters of the Green party. Many attendees identified with other political groups, including

[North Carolina Green Party Senate Candidate, Matthew] Hoh underscored the importance of having third parties ... He explained that, in a two-party system, the main two parties would stretch too far to cater to people with drastically different ideologies. He felt that this would force people to bargain with their beliefs.

When asked about what an ideal America would look like, Mattie Baird ‘25 chimed in.

“We need to address the prison-industrial complex. There is complete lack of empathy in how the country treats other countries and people within the country,” said Baird.

When concluding the event, Hoh applauded the attendees and their open-minded outlook.

“I’m very touched [by this conversation]… [you all had a] lot of compassion and empathy, everything said was about other people— people you don’t know,” said Hoh. While most attendees were Davidson students, a few community members came to

Jack Magner ‘23.

“While I am not a member of the Green Party, I personally thought the event was great!

It was nice meeting Matthew and Tony and I appreciated how they incorporated students’ perspectives and beliefs into the event,” said Magner.

In the lead-up to the fall and an important election season, the Center for Political Engagement (CPE) has focused on bringing a wide range of candidates from across the spectrum. Hoh was the second major senate candidate to visit campus this year, after former Democratic contender and State Senator Jeff

Jackson came in the fall.

Magner is also a member of the CPE executive board; he discussed the process of bringing candidates to Davidson.

“The ongoing redistricting process has made it a bit more difficult to consistently schedule candidate visits. Because the maps have constantly been changing, the filing period for candidates closed on March 4th (originally planned for December 2021).

Now that we know who’s running and where, bringing candidates will hopefully be much easier,” said Magner.

Matthew Skolar ‘24, President of the Davidson Ecosocialist Alternative, also lauded the CPE’s hard work to bring Hoh and Green party representatives to campus.

“We have very smart people on this campus with ideas for a better world that don’t conform to the Republican-Democrat binary.

I hope that this event sets a precedent of being able to create space for more political diversity on campus,“ said Skolar.

Looking ahead to this fall, midterm elections will have a long-lasting impact on state and national politics. N’dege made a call to action by contextualizing his activism within the rise of Gen Z and ongoing world events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These points in history are going to be important and you all are going to be a big part of it,” said N’dege, “Go to those who need your allyship, a lot of great things have happened when people stood up for themselves.”

3

March 9, 2022

‘Cats For a Cause Hosts Dance Marathon CHARLOTTE SPEARS ‘24 (SHE/HER) STAFF WRITER

T

he Dance Marathon, contrary to popular belief, is not just a dance marathon. The Davidson organization, ‘Cats for a Cause, raises money for Levine’s Children Hospital in Charlotte year round. The Dance Marathon, on March 26 from 2:00-7:00 p.m. in the Lilly Gallery, will be their main fundraising event with a cappella and dance performances, games to win prizes, relays, dinner, and a silent auction to reach their monetary goal.

Hayden Cooke ‘22 is one of two executive directors of ‘Cats for a Cause. Cooke says that the most important part of this fundraising is remembering where this money is going. Families of children who spend much of their time in the hospital will receive financial help to pay for things like hospital bills, food, crafts, and housing. ‘Cats for a Cause recently held a miniDance Marathon to get people excited for the main event in three weeks.

“At the mini event on March 5 we played videos of our ‘miracle children,’” Cooke said. “Those are the kids that spent much of their childhood in the hospital, whether they were born with heart problems, birth defects, cancer or serious accidents that cause them to spend a lot of their childhood in the hospital.”

Cooke said that three families of children who will directly benefit from the money raised are coming to the Dance Marathon.

“These families can meet some of the Davidson College students who are spending their time raising money and raising awareness,” Cooke said.

Chloe Fisher ‘23 is the other executive director of Cats for a Cause. She said that one of the best parts of the event is hearing the testimonies from the people that stay in the hospital. “[At the event,] we get to listen to families that are being treated at Levine’s, and that’s really impactful to listen to those stories and know that everything that we are trying to do is making their experience in the hospital easier financially,” Fisher said.

After registering, participants will gather at the Lilly Gallery in Chambers on March 26 at 2 p.m. and spend the following

Mini-Dance-Marathon participants enjoy festivities on and off the dance floor in preparation for the main event in a couple of weeks. Photo Credit Bailey Maierson‘25 five hours playing games, dancing, watching performances and calling friends and family to donate money to the cause.

Fisher said in the past they had struggled with registration for the Dance Marathon. During COVID, the Dance Marathon was not in-person, so they are raising awareness for the event in the weeks leading up to March 26.

Registration is required for the Dance Marathon. Students register using the link on the ‘Cats for a Cause Instagram page, @catsforacausedc.

“We have everyone register for the event,” Cooke said. “It costs twelve dollars to register and that fee jump starts your fundraising campaign. Once you register you are expected to start fundraising on your own with Facebook fundraising and then during the main event, we do this thing called power-hour where we check in on fundraising amounts every ten minutes and really encourage people to reach out to friends at home,

parents and grandparents and ask them for help.”

‘Cats for a Cause has a fundraising goal of 17 thousand dollars, two thousand more than last year’s goal. So far this year, they have around ten thousand dollars.

“It’s important to remember that all the money we raise is directly impacting families and people and you get to participate if you do come to the Dance Marathon,” Cooke said. “It’s just really special people and a really special cause.”

Sydney Taormina ‘24 is the recruitment chair for ‘Cats for a Cause. “[At the Dance Marathon] it’s amazing to see how five dollars can impact a hospital stay,” Taormina said. “They can get treatment paid for and they can buy arts and crafts, and [the children] love to go to the Dance Marathon to meet these [Davidson students] who are pushing them on. It brings them more confidence.”

Independent Study Inspires Continued Reform Work CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

a private high school, while Sohna continued to go to public school. “I was just given a much better opportunity. I was given resources, I had the support to go where I wanted to go,” Harris said. He was able to pursue his academic and athletic interests, while Sohna’s situation led him to make poorer choices. “I would see him around, but I would hear that he would get arrested,” Harris said, “It was pretty difficult to know.”

Even now, Harris described the project as “emotionally challenging.” “I had to hear things that were potentially negative,” he explained. Yet the conversations he had were essential to understanding the full picture of Sohna’s story, an understanding which led to his eventual release.

Not all the conversations he had were negative, however. “I actually had a great conversation with the prosecutor,” Harris said. His conversations deepened his understanding of not only Sohna’s case, but the American legal and justice system as a whole. “Some really good conversations came out of it,” he said.

Harris chose Professor Bailey as his advisor because, as he put it, “he’s one of the best people when it comes to investigative journalism and putting stories together.” Professor Bailey, who graduated from Davidson in 1995, also understands Harris’ experience as a Black student at Davidson. “He’s had very similar experiences to me, especially with being a student at Davidson,” Harris said. “He had the best academic and emotional understanding for this project.”

Harris said the national media attention, especially the Washington Post article, has been “overwhelming, in a positive

Crime Log

Dance Marathon participants enjoy festivities on and off the dance floor Photo Credit Bailey Maierson‘25 way.” The public interest in his project was unexpected for him, but motivational. “It’s inspiring to know that people are actually interested in hearing what we had to offer,” Harris said, “It’s been really special for me and Sura.”

When asked about next steps, Harris said “I see myself digging into more stories.” His original plan was to study six stories, and he is unwilling to abandon these. After the outpour of attention for his project, he’s received numerous letters from other incarcerated people talking about their stories. He plans to bring these stories with him next year to law school. So far, Harris has been accepted to Columbia, Vanderbilt, University of Maryland, University of Virginia, Georgetown, and George

Washington University. He is waiting to hear back from more schools before making his final decision.

When asked if he had any advice for students who wanted to take on similarly large projects, Harris advised students to, “try to become aware of the challenges that will come up during a project this difficult.” Understanding the roadblocks he would face allowed him to prepare to surmount them. Harris also encouraged students to “surround yourself with people who can support you” to make bypassing challenges easier. No project of large magnitude is effortless, but preparedness and a strong support system can bring far-fetched goals well within reach.

Time Reported

Description/Location

03/03/2022 at 0030 hrs

Injury to Personal Property (Vehicle) Ramsey Lot, Inactive

03/03/2022 at 1153 hrs

Larceny Felony (Laptop) Union, Inactive

03/04/2022 at 1506 hrs

Larceny Felony (2 Laptops) Union, Further Investigation

Perspectives

4

Instagram: An Exceedingly Pernicious Mirror

How Social Media is Damaging Women’s Mental Health

A

ISABELLA BRADY ‘24 (SHE/HER)

sk yourself, how many times do you find yourself on your phone, comparing yourself to others on Instagram? Do you really feel all that good about yourself after you close that app? Individual presence on social media continues to grow every day, and with 57.9% of Instagram users being female, social media may be one of the most toxic mirrors to exist. Unfortunately, social media begins to consume our lives and plays a much bigger role than we can comprehend. Certain social media apps are detrimental because of a user’s ability to search for other accounts, specific hashtags, and see public profiles. Recent research has delved into the outcomes of Instagram posts and has constructed links

While there have been countless efforts to bring attention to the social media illusion, researchers continue to see an upward trend surrounding the presence of social media posts and body image issues. between heavy social media use, eating disorders, and mental health disorders.

As we continue to look at how social media plays such a big role on body image and self-confidence, we must explore different phenomena in social psychology. The social comparison theory, a related phenomena, argues that “people compare themselves to others in order to fulfill a basic human desire: the need for self-evaluation.” The use of social

comparison becomes troubling due to most photos on Instagram being highly edited and improved from the original depiction.

In fact, when you take the steps to post a photo on Instagram, your first option is to filter or edit the photo. Along with that, many photos are edited outside of the Instagram app using face and body tuning tools. This leads to the concept of what many are beginning to call “Instagram versus reality.” Photos in the Instagram world are full of perfect lighting, angles, filters, and edits. Whether real or edited, these photos are what one may perceive as an accurate representation of others and cause the use of upward social comparison: the “mental comparisons to people who are perceived to be superior on the standard of comparison.” When one compares themselves to seemingly perfect images on Instagram, they typically experience the consequences of an upward social comparison, including heavy threats to self-evaluation and self-esteem, along with inferiority.

Unfortunately, Instagram has set a precedent for the unrealistic images that are posted. This leaves us asking ourselves, why do we continue to compare ourselves to others when we know these are consequences?

In a recent experiment from the FSU Department of Psychology, Madeline Wick and Pamela Keel studied the correlation between posting edited photos and mental health measures. In this study, about 27% of females who approved of posting edited photos reported that they were hit with higher levels of anxiety when posting. The second stage of their study, aimed at correlating edited photos and increased concerns in weight, shape, and body image, found that “posting edited photos caused increased weight/shape concerns and reinforced urges to exercise and restrict food intake and anxiety.” Wick and Keel’s study displays the magnitude of pressure tied to posting a photo and further proves the connection between unhealthy behaviors and social media. Another study, conducted by the School of Psychology and Public Health at La Trobe University, looked at the correlation between social media posts of oneself and how one felt about their weight, shape, diet, and body. Experimenters hypothesized that there were

greater levels of body image and eating issues when edited photos are involved. There was also greater concern with shape and weight, as well as more discomfort in one’s body when sharing self-photos. Both studies present concrete evidence for adverse consequences of social media.

The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that eating disorders can be considered one of the deadliest mental health disorders, causing over 10,000 deaths a year, and is especially detrimental towards young girls, for up to 57% engage in a type of eating disorder action. While there have been countless efforts to bring attention to the social media illusion, researchers continue to see an upward trend surrounding the presence of social media posts and body image issues. The National Eating Disorder Association suggests a few different types of solutions to prevent those who may be affected, including choosing your media platform and unfollowing accounts that don’t make you feel good, limiting your social media and online screen time, and consistently reminding yourself of the “truth” before looking at posts or posting. Continue to remind your friends, peers, and family members to be cognizant of the harmful effects that social media may have on our brains. Finally, encourage your favorite influencers, retailers, and celebrities to promote healthy body ideals and stray from the social media fantasy we inhabit today. Social media can be a valuable component of our lifestyle; however, we must modify our use to be beneficial rather than allowing it to contribute to a decline in mental health.

Isabella Brady‘24 (she/her) is a psychology major and intended public health minor on the pre-health track from Winter Park, Florida. Isabella can be reached for comment at isbrady@ davidson.edu.

Math, Maps, and Power in North Carolina WILLIAM E. JACKSON, JR. ‘57 (HE/HIM)

N

orth Carolina has a tortured history in drawing congressional district lines. Until February 4, the heavily gerrymandered district maps that had been drawn by the Republican-controlled state legislature for North Carolina’s 14 seats in the House of Representatives had been stuck in court. Those maps probably would have yielded Republicans as many as 11 out of 14 seats in the November 2022 election.

However, in a landmark decision, the state Supreme Court, 4-3, termed the maps of all 14 districts “partisan gerrymanders” that violate the N.C. Constitution.

The court found that the first draft of the congressional maps was unconstitutional because of the way the lines minimized the influence of Democratic voters by guaranteeing Republicans would win more House seats even if more N.C. voters statewide were to vote for Democrats in the fall.

The North Carolina election results in 2022 have the potential to determine which party controls the House of Representatives in Washington in the next Congress — where the count stands at 222 Democrats, 212 Republicans, and one vacancy.

If the draft map drawn up by the trial court had resulted in six safe Republican seats, four safe Democratic seats and four “swing” districts—as predicted in the N.C. press— that would have meant a substantial increase in competitiveness over the map that was recently ruled unconstitutional.

But, on February 23, that court rejected a new congressional district map, after the judges had a group of outside experts draw a new congressional map for the state. An analysis of the map drawn by the outside experts— advised by “special masters”—shows it would have more safe seats for Democratic candidates, and fewer toss-up seats, than the map the Republican-led legislature had drawn.

Instead of accepting the legislature’s latest congressional map, the judges rejected it and created their own new congressional map.

The judges had a group of outside experts draw a new congressional map for the state.

An analysis of the map drawn by the outside experts shows it would have more safe seats for Democratic candidates, and fewer tossup seats, than the map the Republican-led legislature had drawn. Hypothetically, this map could swing from a 10-4 advantage for Republicans to an 8-6 advantage for Democrats. In contrast, the map the court picked Wednesday could hypothetically swing as far as 8-6 in either direction.

This is now the second version of GOPdrawn congressional maps to be snubbed by the judicial system in recent weeks.

On Wednesday, with that new guidance in place, the GOP-majority trial court decided that the maps Republican lawmakers redrew on court orders didn’t pass muster for the new congressional districts. So, the judges had a group of outside experts known as special masters draw a new map. Those special masters, former N.C. Supreme Court justices Bob Orr and Bob Edmunds and former UNC System president Tom Ross, had help from

a team of academic experts from around the country. The map was drawn by Special Masters and released by a three-judge panel on February 23.

All of this depends on which party does better statewide. An analysis of the map drawn by the outside experts shows it would have more safe seats for Democratic candidates, and fewer tossup seats, than the map the Republican-led legislature had drawn.

two parties “substantially equal opportunity to translate votes into seats in elections.”

Such a model could be applied in other states that have yet to complete their own congressional redistricting process, such as Ohio.

Both sides appealed different parts of the ruling, but all were shot down Wednesday by the N.C. Supreme Court. That means

The North Carolina election results in 2022 have the potential to determine which party controls the House of Representatives in Washington in the next Congress.

In contrast, the map the court picked Wednesday could hypothetically swing as far as 8-6 in either direction. Some on both sides quickly announced plans to fight on.

House Speaker Tim Moore said state House Republicans would appeal the decision to use the outside experts’ congressional map.

But the N.C. Supreme Court overturned that ruling, finding that the state constitution does apply.

Three special masters (one of whom is former Davidson College president, and former president of the University of North Carolina system, Tom Ross ‘72) have been appointed to assist the court, after the legislature offers a range of statistical analyses to show “a significant likelihood that the districting plan will give the voters” of the

candidate-filing for the 2022 election can start at 8 a.m. Thursday as scheduled.

Of passing note, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) has yet to be cleared to appear on the ballot in either a new congressional district— where the draft map was initially drawn by the legislature to include the town of Davidson— or in his home district in the western counties of the state.

William E. Jackson Jr. ‘57 (he/him) was an Assistant Professor of political science at Davidson from 1968-1973. He later served in senior posts in the US Senate and the State Department. Write him at 109 St. Albans Ln, Davidson, NC, 28036.

Sports

5

Swim & Dive Caps Successful Season

Shelby Stanley ‘23 at the A10 Conference Championship Meet in Geneva, Ohio. Photo Credit A10 Conference

T

JEREMY CHRISTENSEN ‘25 (HE/HIM) SPORTS WRITER

he 2021-2022 season for Davidson’s swim and dive team was full of challenges, success, and most importantly, effort. The men’s team finished with 3 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie overall, while placing 4th among 8 teams for the Atlantic 10 Championship. The women’s team, on the other hand, finished slightly stronger with 5 wins and 2 losses, while placing 5th among 11 teams in the Atlantic 10 championship. However, a win-loss record doesn’t do justice to representing the adversity, triumphs, and different perspectives wrapped within a swim season.

In hindsight of the freshly finished season, Ian Brann ‘24 brings to light the impacts of COVID-19, and how it affected their annual training trip: “Everyone was really looking forward to going to Florida for a training trip in January, but COVID started getting really bad. So we just ended up staying here. Yeah, that was probably the toughest part, to train for an extended period of time on campus with no one else but really us here.”

Even though COVID set a temporary setback for the men’s and women’s swim and dive Teams, Brann and his teammates still stayed optimistic, as he stated, “this was a

Members of the men’s team pose with their medals. Credit A10 Conference

much more normal year without COVID playing as large of a role. And even with our training trip canceled, I still think that we had a lot of fun training and everyone did really well at the conference.”

Despite the challenges that COVID brings, it is slowly becoming a “normal” part of everyone’s life. As athletes, students, and faculty of Davidson College, evolving and adjusting to constantly changing circumstances and the problems COVID brings is difficult but necessary.

When asked about how he saw his team evolve and change as the season went on, Guil Ware ‘25 illustrates not only how he saw his team evolve, but also a unique and vital part of Davidson College: “I was happy to see the way everybody was able to contribute. The way people came into the season at a lot of different points or training and going through the season seeing everybody kind of getting into shape and contributing is a lot of fun. That’s kind of one of the big draws, I guess even coming to swim at Davidson, is that it’s not like the men’s team has 50 people on the team, only 15 [people] contribute, it’s a pretty collective effort.

That was a lot of fun, to kind of watch that happen. I guess it’s somewhat rare to see a team where everyone is able to score some points.”

The evolution as a team during the season for the Men’s

swim and dive team is easy to see because of its distinctively small size. As everyone came into training and the season at different points physically, getting into shape as a collective unit as the season progressed proves one thing: being on a Davidson sports team requires collective effort, a pillar and ethic that Ware was able to pick up on throughout the season being a freshman.

Last but certainly not least, captain of the women’s swim and dive Meredith McGill ‘22 is always looking into the future, even though this last season marked her last season of swimming after 15 years. In doing so, she states, “Going into next season, I think it’s just to build on this momentum that we have [from] this past year of not being as interrupted with COVID. So I think just staying consistent, and getting down a practice schedule that we can stick to and really focus on our details and our strength…that’ll carry us to where they want to be next year. I’ll be cheering for them.”

The swimming and diving Wildcats are looking to build off the momentum that they created this season through scheduling and focusing on details and strength. With there always being room to improve, it’ll be interesting to cheer them on in a season that extends beyond the impacts of COVID-19.

First Look into Coach McKillop’s Incoming ‘Cats

A

BRYCE KALSU ‘22 (HE/HIM) SPORTSW WRITER

s the 2022 Davidson Men’s Basketball team begins their postseason journey and looks to finish the already historic season on a high note, fans might be wondering about the official signees replacing some of the top talents in the Atlantic 10. With a frontcourt-loaded Class of 2022, including Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Luka Brajkovic, exiting the program, the recruiting plan seemed unavoidable.

Davidson needed to recruit a new wave of forwards to continue upon the success of recent years, and that they did.

In the upcoming recruiting class, Davidson earned the commitment of forwards Reed Bailey (6-11, 210) and Sean Logan (6-10, 205), in addition to the mid-semester enrollment of combo-guard Riccardo Ghedini (6-7, 200) from Milano, Italy. As Associate Head Coach Matt McKillop ‘06 emphasized in our discussion regarding the upcoming class, a player’s ability to assimilate into the Davidson program is one of the most, if not the most, important characteristic the coaching staff searches for when out on the recruiting trail. According to Coach Matt McKillop, that schematic and cultural fit seems to exist in all three players, continuously handing out glowing reviews about the overall skillset of the recruits but also giving kudos to their intelligence on and off the court.

Regarding the size of the signees and the roster as a whole, Coach Matt McKillop slightly concedes the fact that the Wildcats might not have the same caliber of athleticism as some of the top Atlantic 10 teams. However, he mentions “those extra

inches of shoulder width, arm length, [and] overall height, can help make up for some of our lack of quickness.” With these defining characteristics in mind, the Davidson coaching staff seemed to expand the talent on the roster as well as fill the frontcourt void perfectly with the pair of solid-sized forwards from the Northeast and lengthy combo-guard Riccardo Ghedini

A player’s ability to assimilate into the Davidson program is one of the most, if not the most, important characteristic the coaching staff searches for when out on the recruiting trail. from Italy. After watching highlight tapes and reading scouting reports, the one characteristic that stands out to both experts and the coaching staff is the class’ versatility. From poster dunks on NBA lottery-level recruits to the silky smooth jumper already prevalent on the roster today, this Wildcat recruiting class could mount to something extraordinary.

Another noticeable feature of this recruiting class was not only Bailey and Logan’s skill set but also their Northeastern

origins. With a more significant footprint in the Northeast after joining the Atlantic 10 in 2014, this class should affirm the coaching staff’s ability to lure top-level talent away from their respective region. An achievement the program has fulfilled in years past with players such as Kellan Grady. As Coach Matt McKillop stated, “our ability to prove we can compete with the top teams in the country” as well as provide a track record of positive development has propelled the Davidson Basketball program to new heights in the “last decades.”

Although assimilation into the Davidson Basketball program can sometimes be a complicated process, and not every first-year gets to see the floor as much as they may desire, sophomore guard Grant Huffman “sees a big opportunity for whoever” wants to step up in the wake of Brajkovic’s graduation. With so much talent returning to the roster next year, it will be interesting to follow the roles of the three signees. However, as Huffman pointed out when giving advice to the upcoming class, both fans and members of the team need “to be patient when going through such a long season” and career. As exemplified by Huffman’s career, a player’s role as a freshman could completely change compared to their responsibilities as a senior or even later in the same season, a theme consistent with most Wildcat players. With the high hopes of yet another winning season and hopefully building upon an NCAA tournament appearance and more, the coaching staff and current players seem very interested in what this new class of Wildcats can bring to the table.

Arts and Culture

6

Television’s Most Anticipated Bitch Slap: Euphoria Season 2 Finale Review SYDNEY BALLARD ‘25 (SHE/HER)

E

uphoria, which originally premiered in 2019, follows eight teenagers navigating struggles with drugs, trauma, and relationships. Their stories are observed through the lens of the main character, Rue, as she narrates their experiences while facing her own problems with addiction. Following its release, Euphoria amassed a large following, with trends from the show overtaking social media.

Euphoria is unique in its ability to draw people in through exciting fashion, meaningful music, and complex characters. By releasing an episode every Sunday, Euphoria kept its viewers wanting more through intense, drama packed scenes. In comparison to last season, however, season two had a very different tone. Rather than primarily songs from the 2010s, this season’s episodes featured forgotten 80s/90s songs, hip hop classics, classical features, and pop. Cinematography also took on a more nostalgic, worn-out aesthetic with the use of Kodak Ektachrome Film and its ability to capture rawer shots.

If you personally haven’t heard people talking about Euphoria on campus or seen spoilers on Tiktok, I advise you to stop reading. Concerning the season two finale, it was a poorly paced rollercoaster, and below I will discuss personal highlights.

In this episode, we discover why Fez was absent from Lexi’s play. Custer planted a wire at the beginning of his visit, intending to get Fez to confess to a dealer’s murder featured earlier in the season. Despite fan suspicions, Faye protects Fez by alerting him of the situation and blaming another dealer. Unfortu-

nately, Ashtray misses this and goes for the jugular (literally). Considering Fez had just previously been talking about his future dreams, his reaction was crushing. The anguish on his face was evident as he prepared to take the blame for the murder and have his future forever impacted. But, in typical fashion, Ash handles the situation. As much as I cried in the shootout scene, I wish we had more depth to Ash’s character. Time in this episode could have been devoted to highlighting Ash as a child and his brotherhood with Fez, rather than other repetitive scenes.

Layering of dialogue such as, “He’s not a kid, asshole, he’s my partner” to Fez screaming “Don’t shoot! There’s a kid in there!” would have been impactful.

Later on, despite Cassie’s spiraling being painfully embarrassing, I agreed Lexi’s play was an invasion of vulnerable moments.

Even so, Cassie’s cruelty towards Lexi—interrupting the one thing Lexi felt like she had accomplished—was heartbreaking. Thankfully, Maddy came to the rescue, attacking Cassie on stage with a well-deserved bitch slap.

Although, I can’t help but be annoyed that Sam Levinson, creator of Euphoria, waits for this episode for their altercation. The timing seems counterintuitive to the growth and maturity we have seen from Maddy all season, ultimately seeming like a grab for drama to please viewers. And of course, there have been many complaints about what follows: Elliot’s song. A Dominic Fike performance is typically welcome, but to include an entire four-minute song during the most anticipated episode, while overlooking numerous plot lines, felt excessive. We also see closure for Nate, confronting his father moments before

From left: Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), Maddy (Alexa Demie), Kat (Barbie Ferreira), Lexi (Maude Apatow) and Rue (Zendaya) in Euphoria season 2 finale. Photo courtesy Eddie Chen, HBO the police enter and Cal is arrested. It will be interesting to see the ramifications of his family’s public downfall next season.

Personally, my favorite part of the episode was Lexi and Rue’s very real conversation about how trauma and grief can manifest in such different ways. Their connection being renewed after years of internalizing their pain was hopeful, and I hope to see this furthered.

Once again, Rue makes amends with those around her and essentially faces no consequences as she ends the finale with a goal of trying to stop using drugs.

Discouragingly, Rue describes her sobriety in the past tense. While this could be due to her narrating from the future, the phrasing could also allude to a future relapse.

All in all, I will credit Levinson for tossing us a few bones—Lexi and Fez scenes, Dominic Fike performing, and Maddy slapping Cassie –but it is clear that he is focusing on setting up for the confirmed season three. As a viewer, I found myself frustrated that other episodes and scenes were slow or lacked references to storylines that were supposedly continuous. Despite my critiques, I definitely still will be anticipating Euphoria’s third season while simultaneously hoping for new voices to join Levinson in the writing process.

Sydney Ballard (she/her) is a biology major from Greensboro, NC. She can be reached for comment at syballard@davidson.edu.

Finding a Voice: A Conversation with the Social Justice Theatre Troupe CAMPBELL WALKER ‘25 (SHE/HER) Arts & Culture Editor Campbell Walker ‘25 (she/her) discusses the recent production of This Special Place with members of the Social Justice Theater Troupe.

Can you describe the rehearsal process for this production?

Davis Varnado ‘25 (he/him): The rehearsal process for the Social Justice Theatre Troupe performance was really unique as it was mostly student-led. We spent the first semester talking about all sorts of social justice issues, both within the college and outside of it. Calley Anderson ‘14, the playwright, came to visit us for a weekend during November. We told her the topics we wanted to include in the play, and she wrote the script over Winter

Break. When we got back, we had around a month until the performance. We did a dramatic reading, and Dr. [Sharon] Green [professor in the theatre department] gave us some direction during this time. However, the bulk of our rehearsals were spent on the memory scenes and putting everything all together. One of the most important aspects of our rehearsal process throughout the entire year was comfort.

Since we were dealing with incredibly heavy topics, we had to ensure that all of the troupe was completely comfortable with everything that was happening during the rehearsal process and on stage. Dr. Green frequently asked the Voices if they were comfortable with the things that were happening. We also wanted to make sure that the audience was comfortable with everything happening onstage. To do this, we decided to add a small but adequate trigger warning before the show.

Varnado’s response was condensed for the printed publication. For his full response, see the online version of the article.

How has this show reflected your own experiences at Davidson?

Zayna Abuhakema ‘24 (she/her): I think that this show accurately reflected my experiences as a student of color at Davidson. I am very involved in a lot of student organizations, including my eating house. However, like my character said, they are not spaces that are catered to me. I have to work a bit harder to make them for myself, which is okay! It just might be something many students of color probably do not expect when joining organizations on campus.

Walker Hansen ‘25 (he/him): The entire show was inspired by discussions the troupe had together last semester, so it is based on our collective experiences. The parts that resonated the most with me, though, were the parts concerning the party culture at F. Sahana Athreya ‘25 (she/her): As a student of color on campus who got to speak with the playwright and talk about my personal experiences, the show made me feel heard and seen.

The Social Justice Theatre Troupe gave me a platform to talk about issues that mattered to me and build a safe space with a group of passionate and loving people.

Social Justice Theatre Troupe cast members performing in This Special Place. Photo by Sydney Schertz ’24

David Kilde ‘25 (he/him): I often find it hard to narrow down the issues I care about, especially when I find myself wanting to listen to issues that my friends and colleagues care about. It can feel hard to decide what needs my attention the most and what I could be most

effective working on.

What do you hope people will take away from this production?

ZA: I hope people just start listening to each other. More than that, we need to learn to start being okay with being uncomfortable when hearing [or] sharing experiences, as that is how we learn from one another. Not all of our stories are going to be positive, and not all of us are going to be comfortable when listening or sharing. We need to have these uncomfortable conversations, because what comes out of them is a new sense of empathy and understanding for things we may not have been aware of.

WH: In the post-show dialogue, we had audience members write down actions that they could carry out to help improve conditions on campus. If they take away anything from the show, I hope it’s that each of them has the power to make positive change and that they shouldn’t be complacent with the status quo.

SA: Everyone has power; we just have to learn to wield it. I hope that people will take action, big or small, to bring about positive change.

DK: I hope people will understand that these may not be exclusively Davidson problems, but they are problems at Davidson. I also want people to realize that they do have power, no matter where they are in the world.

Campbell Walker ‘25 (she/her) is an intended neuroscience major from Dallas, TX. She can be reached for comment at cawalker1@ davidson.edu.

Living Davidson

7

plant one species or multiple. All of that is up to each student.

So we’re on a race to see who the best micro farmer is.

Sahana: What brought you to the greenhouse in the first place?

Sahana: Could you give me an overview of what your lab is doing this semester?

Jill: So Sarah and I were both in ecology last semester, and I really enjoyed that. I wanted to get more on the experimental side of things. I did research with Dr. Kevin Smith, over the summer, and Susana’s lab was right across from ours. So we saw what they were doing all the time. And I was really interested and also just wanted more research experience.

SAHANA ATHREYA (SHE/HER) ‘25 We Are Wildcats is a human-interest column that aims to share the extraordinary within the ordinary at Davidson College and showcase the inspiring things that make each and every Wildcat unique. If you wish to be featured or know someone whose story needs to be heard, please feel free to contact saathreya@davidson.edu! Stay tuned for future stories! This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sahana: It’s a sunny Friday afternoon in the Pat Peroni Greenhouse on the roof of Wall. Today, I’m joining Sarah Green ‘24, Jill Paquette ‘24, Walker Willis ‘23, Annette Marks ‘23, and Dr. Susana Wadgymar [professor in the biology department] to learn more about their work in the greenhouse. What is one of the most interesting classes you’re teaching this semester, Professor?

Dr. Wadgymar: I’m conducting a project with my plant adaptations class where they are the farmers. They have a variety of crops—they can choose up to eight species—and they have to grow their crops all semester long. The idea is to maximize yield. By the end of the semester, there will be simulated natural disasters, and they will have to make the same decisions that farmers need to make in terms of when to plant, when to harvest, how to troubleshoot whether they

The

Davidsonian Editors-in-Chief News Editors Features Editor Senior Political Correspondent Perspectives Editor Arts and Culture Editor Sports Editor Living Davidson Editor Yowl Editors Photographer Web Editor Cartoonist Multimedia Editor Social Media Manager Business Manager Design Editors

Dr. Wadgymar: What aren’t we doing this semester? Half my lab is doing stuff outside of the greenhouse, and the other half in here, so I feel like we’re really diverse in what we’re doing. My lab studies the evolutionary ecology of plants and how ecological factors can influence the evolution or adaptation in plants. We use a bunch of different species, whichever ones are suitable for addressing whatever question we’re asking. This project here is unique in that we’re collaborating with the members of the Catawba Indian Nation to help them explore a question they’re interested in. One of the major things that we’re doing this year is starting to really initiate long term projects that will be ongoing over the coming semesters. So that’s a new thing—I didn’t have the space in Wall or the facilities to grow plants before now; I would grow them in basements, closets, and wherever I could find space. So I haven’t really had a chance to get my lab going.

And certainly not anything long term or large scale. So that’s what we’re starting this semester. That’s exciting in and of itself, but I think in the coming years, when we’re able to do multi-generational things on a large scale—that’s when it’ll really sink in how exciting this is.

Sahana: Could you tell me a little more about the question the Catawba Indian nation is interested in exploring?

Walker: When the Catawba people came to Davidson, they wanted to develop a relationship with Davidson and work with the science department. And so one of the ideas they wanted to study in particular was their corn. They wanted to have students and faculty do research on it, particularly with drought treatment, because with increasing climate change, conditions are getting harsher for plants. So whether it’s floods or droughts, the intensity of weather is increasing. We planted around 218 pots of corn, and our goal is to treat them once when they’re young and once when they’re old. Some will be just treated when they’re young, some will just be treated when they’re old, some will be treated both times and we’ll have a control group. Then, depending on the overall corn yield, we’re going to correlate how the droughts affected that output.

The Davidsonian is currently recruiting new writers to join its staff!

Email Brigid McCarthy at brmccarthy@davidson.edu or Katie Stewart at kastewart@davidson.edu for more information on how to put your own pen to paper.

Jill: Honestly, you kill plants more than you grow them. It’s a learning process. And Susana gives us a lot more freedom than I expected. Every meeting, we’ll discuss things like, “Do we want to study this? Do we want to study when they flower first? Who’s taller?” There’s just so many choices to make.

And it’s a little daunting, but it’s really cool at the same time.

Sahana: Annette, could you tell me more about your study?

Annette: I’m currently doing an observational study on four different species of plants, and trying to look at the viability of using these plants for future research. I’ll be recording the height of the seedlings and seeing how tall they grow and also gathering life history information on them, like the shape, overall height, and flowering time. From that information that I gather and the literature that I read, I’ll be able to determine what species would be good fits for the lab for future research.

Sahana: What is your favorite part about working here?

Sarah: My favorite part is that we get to call this experiment ours. We’ve made all the decisions and everything, so it’s different than when you read an article in class or study somebody else’s experiment or when you’re following the same methods as somebody else. We’ll end up writing our own poster, and we’ll be presenting at the Vernon Miller case. That’s our plan. The final product.

Sahana: Do you have any advice for our readers?

Dr. Wadgymar: I may be biased, but I think everyone should be a plant biologist.

H WIT DAVID SOWINSKI

Staff

Brigid McCarthy ‘25, Katie Stewart ‘23 Anika Banerjee ‘24, Georgia Hall ‘25 Samantha Ewing ‘23 Ian Macel ‘24, Bilal Razzak ‘25 David Sowinski ‘22 Campbell Walker ‘25 Andrew ElKadi ‘23, Varun Maheshwari ‘23 Nora Klein ‘24 Emma Begley-Collier ‘25, Josie Hovis ‘23 Bailey Maierson ‘25, Sydney Schertz ‘24 Ben Gordon-Sniffen ‘23 Richard Farrell ‘22 Bailey Maierson ‘25 Sahana Athreya ‘25, Hailey Tsuda ‘24 Landon Schabes ‘22 Isabelle Easter ‘25, Bailey Maierson ‘25

Sahana: What’s something you didn’t expect about working in the greenhouse?

F

(HE/HIM) ‘25 & ANAYA PATEL (SHE/THEY) ‘25

or years before Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two weeks ago, Vladimir Putin has been waging a culture war intended to keep his neighbor from adopting European, Western values. One of these values is LGBTQ+ rights.

Russian influence has been one of the greatest obstacles to LGBTQ+ activism, as pro-Putin oligarchs have funded anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda and worked against legislations intended to protect queer and trans people. Thanks to the hard work of activists and new pro-European leadership under Volodymyr Zelenskyy, progress has been made in Ukraine in the past decade. However, with Russian bombardment falling on nearly every major Ukrainian city, a huge present concern is that all ground covered toward LGBTQ+ rights will be dashed.

In addition to the threat to queer and trans rights, the conflict in Ukraine has spurred a refugee crises disproportionately harming LGBTQ+ asylum-seekers. As Ukrainians flee their homes and arrive in surrounding countries like Poland and Hungary, they have faced discrimination born of deeply imbedded anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments. Moreover, relief efforts from near and far abroad nations have historically mistreated queer and trans refugees. Still, some Ukrainians are forced to suffer worse fates, trapped in Ukraine by bureaucracy. For example, transgender women are also unable to seek refuge because their legal gender remains male, forcing them to remain in Ukraine under conscription laws and be vulnerable to violence.

If you would like to support efforts to help LGBTQ+ Ukrainians seek safety, consider donating to one of the following organizations:

Insight Ukraine, a local LGBTQ+ organization that provides legal,

psychological, and medical support to queer and trans Ukrainians

OutRight Action International, an organization working to provide

access to LGBTQ+ refugees needing humanitarian and social assistance

QUA, an organization of LGBTQ+ Ukrainians in the United States

currently collecting funds for refugees arriving in the U.S.

The

Yowl

Irreverent student journalism since 2004. Castigat Ridendo Mores.

inside

yowl.com/anger

T

Why Anger Is the Motivator You Never Knew You Needed To Get Your College Degree Page Fuck You Admin/ Trustees/Alumni

How to Tell Prospie That Davidson’s Food Options Are Not, In Fact, “An Endless Buffet of Delights” Page Lying Tour Guide

10 Spring Break Activities That Do Not Involve International Travel But Are Still Fun Somehow Page My Family Is Not

Nananananananana BATMAN!

he Batman movie has a lot of positives going for it: there’s a bunch of cool action scenes, and somehow both not ironic and gritty portrayals of The Penguin and The Riddler. Robert Pattison looking vaguely disheveled and brooding a lot.

Now I’ll tell you what it doesn’t have: totally iconic and definitely real Batman villains like The Condiment King, The Crazy Quilt, and Kite Man. It also doesn’t have Zach Galifianakis as the Joker or Michael Cera as Robin. There is also no scene in The Batman where Batman raps about how he loves to evade taxes. Not once does Batman inform a villain that he’s currently trying out “fighting around” and won’t commit to him as a greatest enemy.

You’re probably saying “that’s terrible, if only all of those aspects were in The Batman movie, it would be the greatest Batman movie ever!”

Well, have I got news for you: you can find all those and more in the greatest comic book movie ever: The Lego Batman Movie.

Instead of some dark movie with a sad and static Batman, why not watch a movie where

Just You Wait Issue

March 9, 2022

he fights his greatest challenge to date: his fear of opening up to others. For a children’s movie it gets incredibly emotionally insightful. Lego Batman not only has character growth and brighter colors, but, as you can probably tell from the title, it also has legos, yet another positive that this new Batman lacks.

While the new Batman clocks in at a lengthy 3 hours, the Lego Batman movie is only 1 hour 45 minutes, so you can even watch it almost a full two times back to back in the time it would take you to watch the (much less fun) newer movie. Overall, Robert Pattinson’s The Batman is many things, but most importantly: it is not and never will be as good or as groundbreaking as the seminal work of The Lego Batman Movie.

How To Tell Your Grandma You’re Gay AGAIN This Break Page She’s Old And You Honestly Don’t Know If She Can Hear You

Elite Merit Scholarship Now Part of “Premium Subscription,” You Pay Full Tuition Plus Extra But Get to Feel Special

Kasey Musgraves Weighs in on Covid-19 Pandemic

Y

ou’re damned if you do And you’re damned if you don’t So you might as well just do Whatever you want Those lyrics comes to mind as life slowly recedes back to status quo ante pandemic. Kacey Musgraves knew what she was talking about in that song “Follow Your Arrow.” (Shoot, I guess I’ve outed my occasional indulgence in the guilty pleasure of white-girl country music. Well, c’est la vie.) We seem to have reached a moment in these past few years where everyone is beginning to become kinda sorta just a little bit okay—but only if everyone else is okay with it also—with finally lifting the mask order. I’ve heard rumors, wild rumors.

If you don’t go to church You’ll go to Hell If you’re the first one on the front row You’re a self-righteous son of a— (—bitch. Kacey Musgraves might have given up cussing for Lent, but I didn’t.)

Despite these rumors though, I’m still skeptical. I bet these masks are set to stay here for longer. Why? Because we’ve heard this before. ‘Oh, the pandemic’ll be gone in two weeks.’ ‘Oh, your senior year should be completely normal.

The summer heat is gonna kill the virus.’ ‘Ooooohhhh, stop complaining, you ungrateful whiny bitch. Be thankful that we are having a basketball game at all.’ Yeah Principal Ray, well guess what, there’s a difference between checking the score of the fan-less game on my phone and watching it in the loud, grimy gymnasium with all my sweaty friends packed together in the student section.

If you save yourself for marriage You’re a bore You don’t save yourself for marriage You’re a HORR-(hahahahaha, good pun)-ible person Where was I? I got a little side-tracked. Oh right, masks. Yeah, there’s no way in heck that mandate is going away this semester. Mecklenburg County may have lifted theirs, but Davidson College? Not a chance. They know that as soon as they lift the mandate, cases will spike. And then we will go right back to masks. It’s Catch-(20)22. Every possibility leads to the same result: we remain in masks. And don’t get me wrong, I’ll follow the rules, dot every i, and cross every t. But aren’t I allowed to admit that I want to see people’s lips again? I want to be able to see somebody--anybody--give me that sexy bottom-lip bite.

I miss it so…

When the straight and narrow Gets a little too straight Roll up a joint, I would Me too, Kacey. Me effin’ too.

Spring Make-Or-Break List

I

t’s the week before Spring Break and you’re dying to escape not only the Davidson Bubble but also the #DavidsonGrind. But before you and your gal pals embark on a Spring Breakers-esque road trip to your friend’s beach house, there’s probably some things you should know first:

The

Yowl

1. Don’t fill up your gas tank with diesel. The rookiest of rookie road trip mistakes. If you completely missed the huge uptick in price when selecting it, don’t worry, because you definitely won’t miss out on your car breaking down the second you try to drive off.

2. Learn how to change a tire.

WRITERS Mask Eric Andre Mystery Skylar

This will make you both hotter [editor can confirm the allure of tire-related knowledge] and solidify your spot as top-dog within the friend group. It will also stop you from being stuck on the side of the road.

3. Fix your daddy issues. A number of things could go wrong on the drive: your car breaks

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “We like to say that we’re the place where purposeful serendipity happens.”

- A Hurt Hub affiliate so high on the fumes of late stage capitalism that she can’t think straight

down (for non-tire related problems), you try to outsmart your own GPS but quickly realize you can’t, a group of frat boys at a podunk roadstop challenge you to a grill-off, etc. Maybe you’ll betray the GSS gods by maintaining gender roles, but let’s face it: dad knows more than you.

Freedom of Speech, According to This Institution Freedom of speech means waking up in the morning, knowing you’re an alumni of a college that for some reason now allows students that don’t look and think exactly like you, a white cis het male? Tsk tsk. And you want to say something about it, but then your niece on Facebook says your hilarious joke is “ableist” (what does that even mean) and that “you’re uninvited from her 18th birthday”? Why has your voice not continued to be overvalued in the limited circles you inhabit? The outrage!

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