Davidsonfullyhonorsmlkday for the First Time
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ALENDA LUX UBI ORTA LIBERTAS "MecklenburgCounty's Foremost College Weekly" Impeachmentandmore new Wildcats winsome,lose some. 317 freshmenself select Chili CookofY? ♥ DavidsonianMembers Winter sports recapped. Established 1914 News 4 Opinions7, 8 A&L 9 Sports 11 Davidson fully honors MLK Day for the first time CollegeCommunications By Ashlby E. King and CarrieArthur /VeM'.r Editors FLAG abandons fashion show For the first lime in the historyof CenterBelk. This incident heightened Jim Stuntz sentedargumentsfor andagainsttheideaofdiscontinu- Davidson College, the classrooms sat studentawarenessof racialissuesthat Guest Writer ing the Fashion Show.Those arguing for keeping the empty for theentiredurationofJanuary existedoncampus and focusedmany eventunderFLAG'Snamecitedthemassiveattendance King the 18th tohonor Dr. Martin Luther students' attentionon factthatMLK Davidson'sFriendsof Lesbians andGays(FLAG) figures andthelargeamountofmoneyraisedfor charity Jr. andhis accomplishmentsin thepur- day wasnot observedby the College. has decidedtoabandonsponsorship of itsannual as greatbenefits toFLAG. Supporters of theFashion suit ofequality.Instead ofclasses, the ChrisTuttle,VicePresidentoftheSGA, Fash- ion Show. The Fashion Show, a part ofDavidson's Show alsonamed the visibility College sponsored various programs commented that "The poster just the eventprovides. aimed at raisingawareness about what brought to ourattentionaproblemthat social life for the past five years, was addressed in Arguments for discontinuing the Fashion Show Dr. King hadachieved in his lifetime already existed." Ann HarriotFisher. Libertas' November feature on sexuality. The feature were put forward by several students, as well as by and what we can do today to further President of the SGA. agreed with consisted of three personal narratives describing the faculty membersSuzanneChurchill,RichardKaye,and promotehis famousdream. Tuttle's sentiments,saying thatthestu- Davidsonexperiencesofabisexual,aheterosexualand Russ Snapp. Echoing sentiments expressed in the Many individualsand organiza- dentshad"turnedsomethingnegative a homosexual student. Discussion arising from the Libertas, the critics said— that the event is essentially tions wereintegral ingetting the Col- around"by usingtheposter topromote Libertas pieceprompted a reevaluationof the Fashion heterosexualinnature actedoutbyheterosexualsfor lege to suspend classes for ull of the the acknowledgmentoftheMLKholi- Show'smessageinrelation to theconcerns andobjec- MartinLuther Kingholiday. The mo- day.The SGA also helped to change tives ofFLAG, withthe result being a vote to discon- mentum towards acknowledging the the College'spolicy by writingletters tinue sponsorship ofthe event. holidaybegan withaproposalmadeby to faculty and sending around apeti- Continuedoh Pttgr 5 visitors, students and faculty Dean Jeffries in the Fall semester of tion which, according to Fisher, re- Members and pre- 1998.Since theinitialproposal.Jeffries, ceived"hundredsof signatures." the SGA, the BSC,andalargecontin- Althoughthere wereno classes gent of the student body worked to ontheMLK holiday,the Collegeof- convince those intheadministrationto feredmanyoptionalprogramswhich INDEX givestudentsafulldayoffinsteadofthe weremeant toenrichstudents'under- traditionalhalf day dedicatedto cel- standing ofDr.King andtheideashe ebratingDr. King's accomplishments. embraced.TheeventsstartedonSun- EDITORIAL 7 _,. _. .. ., Classes thatwould have beenheld on day,January 17thandlasted through First ClassMail Ltil lhKb ' MLKday arenowscheduledduringthe theendtheholidayonMonday,Janu- U.S. Postage Paid examperiodat theendofthesemester. ary 18th. OP-ED 8 Manyof thoseinvolvedin bring- The first program washeld on Permit #1 ing aboutthis change fellthat the de- the patioofthe Unionat 9;00bothon ARTS & LIVING 9 Davidson, mand to recognize MLK day gained Sunday,January 17thandonthe fol- NC 28036 force whenseveralwomendiscovered lowing Monday at the same time. SPORTS 11 aracial slur writtenon aposter in Ist f Continutdon Page3 ] Introducing the New Davidsonian Board Qfyt Batotteoman ALENDA LUX UBI ORTA LIBERTAS Editors in Chief JOHN A.DUNWOODYII WESLEY H. GOLDSBERRY \ BusinessManager SCOTT REEDER NewsEditors Op-EdEditor CirculationManager CARRIE ARTHUR MELISSAANN EUGENIALEATH deCASTRIQUE ASHLEY E. KING Arts & Living AdvertisingManagers Editors SportsEditors SETH DAVIS PETERCLARK ALISON KALETT DAVID JOHNSTON MIKEANDERSON Op-Ed Head CopyEditor LayoutEditors News Layout HARDIN Editors WHITNEY BLAKE BURGIN EVAN McCORMICK EVANMcCORMICK ELDER GWIN AdDesigners Arts & Living ContactManager BENCOVINGTON Sports Layout KELLS HETHERINGTON Editors CADERHOWARD BENCOVINGTON CADERHOWARD Cartoonist NATHANIELLOTZE Founded in1914 " 'TheNation'sForemost College Weekly Look for GTlje Babibdoman on the Internet soon, the current siteis intheprocess of being updated and brought back online. THEDAVIDSONIAN News WEDNESDAY. JANUARY20, 1999 3 Charles White at prayer broaklaat Cnllegt i«mmwmv«at«u >,,'< '■"!: noil I ■"■■■'. Called"StandUpSpcnk Out." thisprogramencouragedstudents toexpressIhcir personalfeelings onCivilRights or toreadfromCivilRights materialthat they fettwaspoignant. To begin the.Mnrtin I.uthcr KingJr holiday,a "UnityPrayer Bicaklasf look platein the ChambersGallery at H:()0 in themorning,ReverendCharles White. PastoroftheCloverParishof the United Methodist Church locatedinClover,SC delivered a speech to those who attendedthe breakfast. The next activity Qfiheday was"King Day forKids" whichwas meant to introducechildren fromthe community to theissues surrounding theMLK holiday, Attractedto the eventby posters .11 c HmiIlownandflierssent to schools,thechildrenwhoparticipated wereallelementaryschoolage, ranging from3rd to5lhgraders. Variousgames, videos,andinteractiveprojectshelped toeducate the children about the meaning ofDr. King's dream. During lunch, the SGA sponsored"diversitydining" in Vail Commons. Lasting from 12:00 to 1 45 in (he afternoon, (his programallowed students fium different backgrounds to exchangeideasaboutracialissues, Inordertobroadenstudents horizons,small groupswere placedrandomly atatableandaskedlodiscussdiversity. AinsleyNalta.PresidentoftheBSC, saidhe felt such a program"helps forus tomeet new people,tohear anew perspective." From 2:00until 3:00in ihe afternoon, the first sessionofascriesofseminarsoccurred iniheCollegeUnion. The three seminars inthis session includedspeechesby Dr.Russell Snapp,Dr. Susan Roberts, and ReverendBrenda Tapia. Addressingconirovctsialissues,Tapia'sseminar wasentitled "Everything you wanted to know about black people but were afraid toask." Tapia answeied questions from the audience,sharing her uniqueperspectiveoneach issue at handandencouraging students to participate in the discussion. Tin- questions askedpertainedto a wide variety of issues, ranging from African American hairstyles to racism in the Davidson community to the questionable validity ofstereotypes.Inheropeningstatements Tapiuhadsaid,"1feellikeone of the biggest tests that liod has given us as human beings is for us to realize that our differencesarenot rneauiIt]polari/.cus."With eachquestionasked.Tapiaseemedtoreinforce this idea. A professorofhistory. Dr. Snapp's seminar wascalled"IntegratingAfrican-American history into the curriculum."Dr.Roberts,apoliticalscience professor,leda seminarcalled "Apeople'* participation:(he voting rights act." A second session of seminars took place in the Union from 3;30 until 4:30 in the afternoon. Dr Sally McMillanof the history departmentandDr. John Kuykendall of the religion department organized the two seminars ot this session. Kuykendall, who was PresidentofDavidsonCollegebeforeRobert Vagt.dismhuledcopiesof Dr.King's famous "ALetterFrtjnrta BirminghamJail" whichtheparticipantsihenread anddiscussedingroups dl about six people.McMillan discussedtheroleof African-Americanwomeninthehistory ol the I1ruled Slates. TV linal activity nl the day wasan MLK Worship Service and Gospel Song Fesl, organizedby Reverend Tapia. Siudenls.Iat nllv.andmembersnl theDavidsoncommunity gathered inLoveAiutiii>" Brsnad Tapia CollegeConimunlctntons mini at SlWI pm to eel- ■hiiiif the spiritual aspects ofDr. King's movement Many ofthose whoIk-lped toensure thut noclasses Would heheldonMLK day lelt thai they werededicating Monday, January I8lh toraising.iujrciiL-ss i>TI>i K ifi{.''siliciini nlr:\cijili-i|imIiiv Pisliersimlshe hopedlicitevenit students Jid not participate in the events scheduledfor the day, the reeent action ofthe idiiiiiu^lratK'n would still have apositiveimpact by forcing students to"stop Ifld think why' theyhad (oeeived the day off, Natlae\pressed similarsentiments,saying"Ihopethatpeople don'l secit asanotherday oft. 4 It's an imporuuit day people need to reflect why weneed the day off," When asked if he thought Americanswere close touchieving Dr. King's dream. Jeffries said. "1think we'vemade some strides, but I personally think when we look at the overallpicture, westill have along way to go." Natta,Fisher, andTuttle all expressedsimilarfeelings lellncs thought thai studentsat Davidsoncan take furthersteps toward the dreamonanindividuallevel "One thing thatwould be ahuge help is if everyone assessed themselvespersonally," Jeffries said. He felt that alter students truly evaluate themselves, they can then challenge themselvestoact inthe community Reviewing the day,Jeffriessaid."I thinkalotof positivethings happenedtoday through thisprogram."Healso commented thathe hopes students at Davidsoncan"buildonour successes today