![Caprese salad on black tablecloth](/sites/default/files/styles/small_24x7/public/2024-05/Cover.png.jpg?itok=Rw8Ym0f0)
Spring/Summer 2024 Issue
Explore the 2024 Spring/Summer Issue of the 桃瘾社区 Journal.
Featured Story Common Ground
桃瘾社区 and the Catawba Nation have grown a corn collaboration into a multi-year interdisciplinary project.
A Flourishing Partnership Between 桃瘾社区 and the Catawba Nation
Featured Story Divine Dining
Restaurateurs Jeff Tonidandel 鈥98 and Jamie Brown 鈥99 elevate Queen City鈥檚 spirits and communal cuisine in once holy spaces.
Featured Story Food Chain
They inhabit just about every corner of the food production and distribution infrastructure鈥斕荫缜 alums are feeding their passions and communities.
Featured Story Plate Full of Promise
Bailey Foster 鈥94, founder of Real Good Kitchen, has increased culinary offerings and opportunities for food creators and aspiring entrepreneurs in her Knoxville hometown.
Family Album Paean to the Parm
Do you remember this dish from your 桃瘾社区 days? What does it mean to you?
Prof. Malcolm Campbell Wraps a Career of Launching Pioneers of Discovery
At the end of his three decades at 桃瘾社区, a symposium in April honored Malcolm Campbell, an academic Eras Tour where colleagues and former students saluted the retiring biology professor and told tales of his impact.
The Well
![a young white man behind a table covered with bottles of wine](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2024-05/Sandro%20Chumasvili%20%2724%20for%20桃瘾社区%20Journal_003.jpg?itok=epgGKg5x)
Introducing: Sandro Chumashvili '24
When Sandro Chumashvili started developing the idea for his wine import business, US-Georgia Wines LLC, he was too young to legally partake. In 2022, the economics major received $10,000 from the Avinger Impact Fund to help grow his business. The fund, established in honor of Economics Professor Robert L. Avinger Jr. 鈥60, is awarded through the Jay Hurt Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Chumashvili has since acquired a federal importer permit and commercial license to bring kvevri wines to the U.S. from his home country of Georgia. The wine is fermented in gigantic underground clay vessels, a method Georgians have used for more than 8,000 years.
In addition to his work with the Hurt Hub@桃瘾社区, Chumashvili is a Davis United World Colleges Scholar, has served as an SGA class president and career development ambassador, and co-founded the 桃瘾社区 Venture Capital Club.
![a group of chefs and dining staff pose together in the cafeteria](/sites/default/files/styles/small_4x3/public/2024-05/Dining%20Services%20Group%20and%20Vail%20Commons_0003.JPG.jpg?itok=b3vflzwN)
Dining Squad Salute
They prepare fresh, crunchy salad bar vegetables, juicy burgers, spicy curries and delectable pastries. Food tastes may change, but the care, friendliness and commitment to students has remained a constant for 桃瘾社区鈥檚 Dining Services staff, a crew of 182 full-time, part-time and student workers. Chicken parmesan, a longtime favorite, is still one of the most popular dishes, though fried chicken, salmon bowls and chicken and biscuits have their own fan clubs. More than a thousand pieces of fried chicken鈥攁bout 320 pounds 鈥攎ade their way onto diners鈥 plates one recent spring day.
Whether gluten free; allergic to dairy, nuts or shellfish; vegan or carnivore; this team has you covered. From a leisurely dinner at Vail Commons to a quick lunch at the Wildcat Den or Davis Caf茅, they make sure no Wildcat goes hungry.
![a young man takes a sip of water from a spigot in front of the Alps](/sites/default/files/styles/small_4x3/public/2024-05/Taking%20a%20Sip_Summer%202023_Oberwil%20im%20Simmental%2C%20Switzerland_DR%20Travel%20Grant%20-%20Neve%20Rauscher.JPG.jpg?itok=c0YL62ko)
Viewfinder: On the Alp
After mucking out the barn, milking the cows and sending them out to graze on the Alp overnight, Neve Rauscher 鈥26 snapped this shot of Louis, one of three children of her host family on Alp Morgeten in Switzerland. Louis takes a drink from a makeshift water fountain after spending the day with the other kids practicing archery and playing a version of American baseball they learned from Rauscher.
Rauscher found meaning in the daily collaborative work on the Alp, from milking the goats and cows to field maintenance, and especially the technical art of alpine cheese-making. 鈥淓veryone gathered for mealtimes as well as coffee in the afternoon, and lively conversation always ensued,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hough I could never match the speed at which the Hauter family covered dinner table topics, my Swiss German language skills, especially my farm-related vocabulary, improved over the month I spent on Alp Morgeten.鈥
During her month-long stay, Rauscher learned about life on a traditional dairy farm and herself. 鈥淎fter I got over my fear of the cows, it was cool to see how quickly I could be happy and comfortable in a place where everything was totally foreign to me,鈥 she says. 鈥淲hen my stay ended, I was sad to have to go home. I look forward to the day I can return to Alp Morgeten and the wonderful people there.鈥
Rauscher鈥檚 photo, 鈥淭aking a Sip,鈥 placed 2nd in the Bliss Photo Contest sponsored by the Dean Rusk International Studies Program. Rauscher is the recipient of a Dean Rusk Travel Grant.
![a large athletic stadium with a college campus in the distance, seen from above](/sites/default/files/styles/small_4x3/public/2024-05/stadium%20Large.jpeg.jpg?itok=xOxJK55A)
New Home for Wildcat Spirit
A midfield celebration featuring a lacrosse match and inter-squad spring football game marked the completion of the 5,000-seat 桃瘾社区 Stadium and Game Changers Field House鈥攖he new home for both sports.
The stadium鈥檚 gently sloping bowl, individual chairback seating and food and drink concourse create a next-level fan experience. The training and conditioning equipment and space put 桃瘾社区 in the top tier of facilities. Anchored on the northernmost end of campus, the complex houses an expanded sports performance center to serve all 21 Division I teams; new locker room space for field hockey; and top-of-the-stadium hospitality space.
![an older white man wearing a black top and jacket sitting in front of a wall of maps and prints](/sites/default/files/styles/small_4x3/public/2024-05/Burkey%20%281%29.jpg?h=296940e8&itok=Yn4EQbok)
Just the Facts: Burkey Belser '69
What's black and white and all over every grocery store and pantry in the United States? The nutrition facts label. The person behind the ubiquitous design is Burkey Belser 鈥69. Belser died Sept. 25, 2023, but his legacy lives on in the celebrated simplicity of that label, hailed by Italian designer Massimo Vignelli as a 鈥渃lean testimonial of civilization, a statement of social responsibility, and a masterpiece of graphic design.鈥
The label debuted in 1994 as diet-related illnesses topped the list of public health concerns. The Food and Drug Administration chose Belser for the task following his creation of the energy guide label for appliances. According to an obituary in The Washington Post, Belser and his team took the job pro bono and labored through three dozen iterations of the label. The design earned him the Presidential Design Award, presented by former President Bill Clinton.
Belser majored in English and minored in studio art at 桃瘾社区. He is survived by his wife Donna Greenfield, with whom he founded the design firm Greenfield/Belser. In addition to his wife, survivors include two children, Mikell Belser Rice of Bethesda, Md., and James Belser of Aurora, Colo.; two grandchildren; a sister; and a half brother.
The Union
Bookshelf
Alumni
The Public Humanities Turn: The University as an Instrument of Cultural Transformation by Philip Lewis 鈥64 (2024, Johns Hopkins University Press). Universities are uniquely equipped to act as catalysts for cultural change in the face of the climate crisis. In closely linked essays that explore the evolution of the academic humanities in the era of climate change, Lewis foregrounds the rise of the public humanities, a movement that has been gaining momentum over the past two decades.
True Tales of Old Alexandria by Edward H. 鈥淭ed鈥 Pulliam 鈥65 (2023, The History Press). From the daring escapades of an English adventurer in 1623 to George Washington鈥檚 pivotal role in the city鈥檚 history, Pulliam presents a collection of stories that span centuries. Discover the dramatic events of the War of 1812, the colorful characters of Robinson Landing and Del Ray, and the military legacy of Fort Myer through this engaging narrative. Drawing on meticulous research, this book offers readers a glimpse into Alexandria鈥檚 past.
Here鈥檚 a Letter from Thy Dear Son: Letters of a Georgia Family During the Civil War Era by Edward H. 鈥淭ed鈥 Pulliam 鈥65 (Mercer University Press). An intimate glimpse into the lives of a Southern farming family during the Civil War era, told through personal letters. Pulliam digs into the struggles and triumphs of the young men and women of a North Georgia family as they navigate the upheaval of war, confront questions of identity, love, and purpose, and strive to rebuild their lives in a changed world.
A Light Chop in Protected Waters by Calvin Jones 鈥69 (August 2023, Callimachus Press). When retired book aficionado J.P. returns to his Gulf Coast hometown after 40 years abroad, he is driven by a mission to confront past injustices inflicted by his brother and reconnect with his estranged daughter. Set against the backdrop of the late 20th century, this novel weaves together elements of classical literature, international intrigue, and heartfelt personal experiences.
Like a Woman in Travail: Human Suffering in Biblical Perspective by John A. Porter 鈥72 (January 2024, Wipf & Stock). A profound exploration of human suffering through a biblical lens. Porter challenges readers to reconsider suffering as not merely a darkness but as the birth pangs of a new creation, woven into God鈥檚 redemptive plan. With insightful interpretation and theological depth, this book invites readers to embrace suffering as a transformative force, leading to the emergence of new life and hope.
The Road to Picolata by Tracy Upchurch 鈥78 (2023, Palmetto Publishing). A sweltering day in 1863 thrusts 14-year-old Henry Whitlock into a harrowing adventure when he discovers a wounded Confederate soldier in the dense forests of north Florida. As Henry risks everything to save the soldier鈥檚 life, he grapples with loyalty and identity amidst the backdrop of the Civil War. Meanwhile, Henry鈥檚 Union-sympathizing parents embark on a desperate search, leading to a heart-wrenching reunion amid the chaos of battle lines and moral dilemmas.
Lights on Lancaster: How One American City Harnesses the Power of the Arts to Transform Its Communities by John Gerdy 鈥79 (2024, Top Reads Publishing). The city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when viewed from the outside, looks just like other small cities in America, so what makes this city unique when it comes to the arts? Told through the stories of people who bring art and creativity to every aspect of life in Lancaster, this collection of essays gives us a glimpse into what makes this city so special and a template that other communities can use as inspiration to harness the power of the arts closer to home.
Laying Stones: Life, Loss & the Little Stories of Remembrance by Curtis Leathers 鈥79 (2024, Bonsai Rock Publishing LLC). Written following his parents鈥 deaths, Laying Stones is the author鈥檚 personal journey through loss, remembrance, regret and ultimately the timeless nature of love. Initially penned to impart revealing family moments to Leathers鈥檚 daughters and granddaughters, the result is a work all of us can relate to, with new ways to approach aging, grief and what we leave behind. Editor Karen Mulholland Alley 鈥96 provided invaluable expertise and insights.
Ethics at War: How Should Military Personnel Make Ethical Decisions? by Deane-Peter Baker, Rufus Black, Roger Herbert 鈥83 and Iain King (2024, Routledge). A trip into the complex world of military ethics and competing perspectives on ethical decision-making, the authors present diverse approaches utilized by the armed forces of liberal democratic states. Concluding with insights from philosopher David Whetham, this book provides a comprehensive exploration of military ethics, making it essential reading for students, professionals and scholars alike in the fields of moral philosophy, international relations and military studies.
The Ethics of Special Ops: Raids, Recoveries, Reconnaissance and Rebels by Deane-Peter Baker, Roger Herbert 鈥83 and David Whetham (2024, Cambridge University Press). In this groundbreaking work, the authors shed light on the moral complexities inherent in special operations, a facet of modern warfare often overlooked in ethical discourse. Drawing on historical cases and personal experiences, they challenge traditional moral frameworks, offering thought-provoking insights for both theorists and practitioners alike.
Plastisphere by Heather Flint Ford 鈥94 (November 2023, KDP). Set in a dystopian 2053, Plastisphere follows orphaned 17-year-old Tess and her grandmother as they embark on a precarious trek to escape their plastic-polluted world, navigating through lawlessness, climate chaos, and the grip of corporate control. As they seek refuge in a world ravaged by the aftermath of the Oil Wars, their quest for survival unveils the harsh realities of a future dominated by the Oil and Plastics Industry.
CancerKid Grown: The Battle of Long Term Childhood Cancer Survivorship by Heather Flint Ford 鈥94 (September 2021, KDP). The author shares her remarkable experience as the first known long-term survivor in the U.S. of a rare childhood cancer, offering invaluable insights into managing the challenges of survivorship. With a blend of personal anecdotes and the latest medical research, Ford addresses the progression of management of long-term and late effects, mental health struggles, and the importance of planning for the future.
Hall of Mirrors by John Copenhaver 鈥97 (June 2024, Pegasus Crime). Set in 1950s McCarthy-era Washington, D.C., Lionel Kane is thrust into a web of intrigue and danger when his lover and writing partner, Roger Raymond, dies suspiciously in a fire. Refusing to accept the official ruling of suicide, Lionel examines Roger鈥檚 past, uncovering connections to a serial killer and the shadowy world of government secrets.
A Little Less Broken: How an Autism Diagnosis Finally Made Me Whole by Marian Schembari 鈥09 (coming September 2024, Macmillan). Follow Schembari鈥檚 quest from a lifetime of misdiagnoses to a revelation at the age of 34. Through candid storytelling and personal insights, Schembari navigates the complexities of self-discovery, shedding light on the challenges faced by women with autism. This memoir challenges societal norms and celebrates the beauty of neurodiversity while empowering readers to embrace their differences and find acceptance in a world that often misunderstands them.
Perspectives on Community-Based Corrections by Justin C. Medina and Jillian L. Eidson 鈥05 (2024, Oxford University Press). As incarceration alternatives gain traction in the U.S., the text guides students on current politics, practices, changing data and policies. It offers insight into the complexities and effectiveness of various methods and gives students options to examine new and differing perspectives.
Add yourself to the shelf!
To submit your book for this column, send an email to davidsonjournal@davidson.edu, or write in with details to the address below. Please do not send hard copies:
桃瘾社区 Journal
桃瘾社区
209 Ridge Road, Box 5000,
桃瘾社区, NC 28035-7171
Faculty Notes
Biology
Karen Hales was appointed to the Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Genetics Society of America (GSA) for a two-year term. In 2023 she was an invited speaker at the southeast regional meeting of the Society for Developmental Biology to discuss inclusive language frameworks in biology; she also attended GSA鈥檚 Annual Drosophila Research Conference (Chicago, IL) with Claire Olson 鈥23, who presented her honors thesis research entitled, 鈥淐haracterizing the function of dSLC25A46b, a mitochondrial shaping protein, in Drosophila spermatogenesis and in the nervous system.鈥
Chemistry
Cindy Hauser has been elected to a five-year term on the board of trustees at Washington and Lee University. She began her service on October 20.
Communication Studies
Amanda R. Martinez reflects upon her few years鈥 worth of experience serving as the Speaking Center Director in a review she published in the Communication Center Journal of Sanford & Steiner鈥檚 (2021) book, The Rowman & Littlefield Guide to Learning Center Administration: Leading Peer Tutoring Programs in Higher Education. Martinez also published a chapter, 鈥淟egacies of Land, Cultural Clashes, and Spiritual Stirrings: A Testimonio of New Mexican Ghost Stories,鈥 based upon her multigenerational family stories about northern New Mexico in the book, Monsters and Saints: LatIndigenous Landscapes and Spectral Storytelling. The book is part of the Horror & Monstrosity Studies Series with the University Press of Mississippi.
Digital Studies
Mark Sample鈥檚 chapter 鈥淒econstructing and Reconstructing Genre and Form with Tracery鈥 was published in TextGenEd: Teaching with Text Generation Technologies (2023). This open-access volume is full of approaches, assignments and critiques of both AI and non-AI generative text technologies in the college classroom. Sample鈥檚 satirical video game, 10 Lost Boys, was featured in 鈥淗ops Ahead,鈥 a juried interactive narrative exhibition at MIT in honor of the 60th anniversary
of Julio Cort谩zar鈥檚 nonlinear novel Rayuela (Hopscotch). Sample was also recently appointed to the board of directors of the Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation, a non-profit devoted to the promotion, preservation and ongoing development of interactive fiction.
Economics
Clark Ross published an article with the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal entitled, 鈥淐an the UNC鈥檚 System鈥檚 Return-on-Investment Findings Be Trusted?鈥
Caleb Stroup was appointed lead organizer of the finance at liberal arts colleges group, which brings together experts and educators in the field of finance. The group provides a platform for discussing innovative teaching methods and the exploration of cutting-edge research in finance within the context of liberal arts colleges.
Education Abroad
Lauren Stikeleather has been accepted to the 2024 cohort of the Next Gen Global Leaders Network, a year-long program led by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition with a focus on federal budgeting, development policy, media and communications skills, and advocacy training. During the program, she will take part in the USGLC 2024 Global Impact Forum and State Leaders Capitol Hill Day in Washington, D.C.
English
Suzanne Churchill was invited by the Digital Humanities Program at Michigan State University to deliver their annual distinguished visiting lecture. The two-day campus visit included her public lecture on 鈥淚nclusive DH Design,鈥 meetings with faculty and students, and a seminar.
Brenda Flanagan鈥檚 book, Women鈥檚 Artistic Dissent: Repelling Totalitarianism in Pre-1989 Czechoslovakia, co-authored with University of Nebraska Professor Hana Waisserova, has been published by Lexington Books-The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. Flanagan was invited to give a public lecture on March 6 at the Anglo American University鈥檚 School of Journalism, Media & Visual Arts, about her recently published book. Flanagan also was invited by the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts and Culture in Charlotte to introduce and facilitate a public conversation with the artist Christopher Myers at the February opening of his exhibition, 鈥淧lease Trouble, Carry Me.鈥 Flanagan talked with Myers about the links between his glass and applique works to African American history, literature and Greek mythology.
Ann Fox has received a three-year appointment to the Fulbright Specialist Program Roster.
Hispanic Studies
Angela Acosta was awarded the 2023 Creative Writing and Artistic Creation Prize from the organization Feministas Unidas. Her group of poems in English and Spanish, titled 鈥淧oetic Tributes to 鈥榣as Sinsombrero鈥: The Legacies of Modern Spanish Women,鈥 will appear this spring in the Feministas Unidas journal 脕mbitos Feministas. Her Latinx speculative poem 鈥淟a (Mal)inche鈥 appears in Issue 6 of Radon Journal.
Brandon Cannon, Kyra Kietrys and Mili Paredes recently hosted the first annual conference for secondary and post-secondary Spanish educators in North Carolina: I EPE-NC. 1er Encuentro Pr谩ctico de Espa帽ol. This conference welcomed over 100 educators to hear four keynote speakers, five classroom experiences from peer educators, and four posters from 桃瘾社区 students: Gaby Cubias Aguilar, Isabella McCormick, Anya Neumeister and Matthew Skolar. The event was held in collaboration with Duke University and Klett World Languages and with support from 桃瘾社区鈥檚 Center for Teaching and Learning, Dean Rusk International Studies Program, and the Hispanic Studies Department.
Kyra Kietrys recently published a co-edited collection of essays titled Nexos culturales en el mundo hispano: Ni de aqu铆 ni de all谩 [Cultural Connections in the Hispanic World: From Neither Here Nor There].
Samuel S谩nchez y S谩nchez published 鈥淪pectatorship, Dead Bodies, and Medical Discourse in Celestina鈥 in Celestinesca, a leading journal in Hispanic Medieval Studies devoted to one of the ground-breaking texts in Late Medieval Iberia: Celestina by Fernando de Rojas (1499). S谩nchez y S谩nchez examines how Rojas鈥 literary imagination vis 脿 vis the shift from a medieval to a pre-modern medical gaze and informs a post-medieval understanding of the concept of the dead body at the dawn of modernity in Iberia.
Angie Willis and her co-authors were interviewed by the New Books Network regarding their book, The Dissidence of Reinaldo Arenas Queering Literature, Politics, and the Activist Curriculum. The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple, and other streaming services.
Library 鈥 Collections Strategies
Kelly Denzer co-led a preconference titled 鈥淥A as a Catalyst: Shifting Budgets and Emerging Publisher/Library Collaboration鈥 at the Charleston Library Conference in November.
Mathematics & Computer Science
Professor Emeritus Rich Neidinger was inducted into the Hall of Honor of his high school, Lutheran North, in St. Louis, Missouri.
Philosophy
Paul Studtmann published 鈥淕od and the Numbers鈥 in the Journal of Philosophy. Studtmann shows that a neo-Platonic/ Augustinian conception of the Divine Mind can be axiomatized within 1st-order non-well-founded set theory and that the resulting theory interprets Peano Arithmetic.
Physics
Anthony Kuchera co-authored a research paper with three current 桃瘾社区 students, Branner D鈥橝mato 鈥24, Pat Kielb 鈥24 and Garrett Ryan 鈥24, titled 鈥淭he CeBrA demonstrator for particle-gamma coincidence experiments at the FSU Super-Enge Split-Pole Spectrograph鈥 in the journal Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A. Kuchera gave an invited talk titled 鈥淢ulti-neutron experiments with MoNA-LISA鈥 at the 6th Joint Meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Nuclear Physics and the Physical Society of Japan. Additionally, four of his research students presented posters. Kuchera also co-authored a research paper titled 鈥淪uppressed electric quadruple collectivity in 32Si,鈥 published in the journal Physical Review C in January.
Political Science
Katherine Bersch published 鈥淧olitical Control and Bureaucratic Resistance: The Case of Environmental Agencies in Brazil鈥 (with Gabriela Lotta) in Latin American Politics and Society.