talkback focuses on lgbt 2.xml
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Part of Talkback focuses on campus LGBTQIA visibility
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N
EWS
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AGE
'4
W
EDNESDAY
'J
ANUARY
'29,'2014
C
RIME
&L
OG
:&01/20&
TO
&01/27
Visiting$professor$focuses$on$
social$media$and$journalism
Flags$and$related$LGBTQIA$issues$discussed$at$Talkback
Continued%from%page%1
“What%we%are%dealing%
with%here%is%a%fear%of%
controversy.%We%need%
a%whole%lot%more%con5
troversial,%challenging%
coversations.”%
5Ben%Wiley%`15
Charlotte%Observer%editor%ex5
plores%the%intersection%of%com5
munications%and%social%media
Josephine'Cannell
Staff&Writer
The#Twitter#bio#of#Rick#Thames,#execu2
tive# editor# of# the# Charlotte# Observer# and#
James#K.#Batten#Professor#of#Public#Policy,#
reads#“Business#is#good.#We#are#in#the#truth2
telling#business.#And#there#is#no#shortage#of#
people#who#want#the#truth.”
Increasingly,#this#truth#is#revealed#through#
varying#platforms#of#so2
cial# media,# which# has#
become#so#pervasive#in#
our#society,#and#which#a#
general#knowledge#of#is#
For# this# reason,# Da2
vidson# reached# out# to#
have# Thames# teach# a#
Communications# semi2
nar# this# spring# called#
“The# Impact# of# Social#
Media#on#Society.”#
For# Thames,# who#
earned# his# graduate’s#
degree# in# Communi2
cations,# teaching# this#
course#is#an#“opportuni2
ty#to#revisit#what#[he’s]#
learned# over# the# years#
about# communication,#
communication# theory#
and# to# learn# how# that#
applies# to# social# me2
dia.”
The#class#draws#stu2
dents#from#a#vast#array#
of# majors,# all# on# very#
different# career# paths,#
because# there# is# a# gen2
eral# understanding# that#
social#media#is#a#way#that#we,#as#a#society,#
communicate.#
Thames#hopes#that#through#the#course,#he#
can#help#his#students#think#through#how#they#
are# able# to# use# social# media,# regardless# of#
Thames# urges# students# to# view# social#
media#and#its#popularity#in#a#historical#con2
text.# “The# oldest# and# most# trusted# form# of#
communication#is#word#of#mouth,#you#talk2
ing# to# someone# else# and# them# talking# to#
you,”#he#said.#
“And# the# most# pervasive# form# of# com2
munication#is#mass#media,#but#social#media#
has#characteristics#of#them#both.#Social#me2
dia#is#word#of#mouth#at#the#speed#of#light.”
Thames# recognizes# the# importance# of#
good#social#media#usage#from#his#work#with#
the# paper’s# stories# viewed# online# because#
of#a#recommendation#via#Facebook,#Twitter#
and#other#social#media.#
Among# the# staff# members# of# the# Char2
lotte# Observer,# there# are# over# 70# Twitter#
accounts.# Since# Thames# took# over# as# the#
editor#of#the#paper#almost#10#years#ago,#the#
paper# can# now# be# read# via# nine# different#
platforms.
Although# jour2
nalism# has# cer2
tainly# changed# in#
that# time,# the# pur2
pose# of# journal2
ism—researching#
and# reporting# for#
the#good#of#a#com2
munity—is#still#the#
same.#
When# asked# if#
Thames# has# any#
advice# for# aspir2
ing# journalists,# he#
again#
mentions#
social# media,# and#
says#to#take#full#ad2
vantage#of#it,#since#
“it# is# a# great# new#
avenue.”#
Having#
the#
knowledge#
and#
skills# to# use# social#
media# wisely# is#
increasingly#
im2
portant#for#those#in#
social#media#offers#
near# instant# con2
nection# with# one’s#
readers#that#previously#took#time.#
Thames# encourages# using# social# media#
connection#as#a#means#to#receive#feedback,#
and# also# as# a# way# to# hear# about# important#
stories#in#the#community.#
For#example,#Charlotte#law#enforcement#
is# beginning# to# use# their# Twitter# feed# as# a#
way#to#get#tips#and#to#help#with#the#crime#
solving#process.#
Thames#lives#in#Charlotte#with#his#wife#
and# three# children# and# can# be# found# on#
Twitter#@rthames.
Rick' Thames,' executive' editor' of'
the' Charlotte' Observer,' brings& his&
expertise& in& the& merging& of& social& media&
and& journalism& to& the& College.& Photo% by%
Denton%Baird
does# not# make# us# better,# more# thoughtful#
falling#out#of#a#window,”#Wiley#said.#“What#
we#are#dealing#with#here#is#a#fear#of#contro2
versy.#We#need#a#whole#lot#more#controver2
sial,# challenging# conversations.# Instead# of#
‘What#does#this#mean?’”#
Spring2boarding# off# of# Wiley’s# argu2
ment,# Pablo# Zevallos# ’16# commented# on#
controversial#conversations”#on#Davidson’s#
campus.# Several# other# students# chimed# in#
and#attacked#Davidson’s#fear#of#controver2
sy,#but#did#not#offer#combative#solutions#to#
the#phenomenon.#
To# keep# the# conversation# moving# for2
ward,# Dylan# Goodman# ’16# expressed# his#
concern# with# the# obsession# and# distraction#
that#Davidson#students#have#misappropriat2
of#protest#or#rebellion#against#‘The#Man’#on#
rather#than#an#expression#of#coming#together#
and#support#for#the#LGBTQIA#community,”#
Goodman#said.#
So# how# do# we#
increase# LGBTQIA#
visibility# on# cam2
pus?# After# all,# this#
was# the# main# mis2
sion#of#the#talkback.#
John2Michael# Mur2
phy# ’16,# a# member#
of# the# CCRL# and#
president# of# YA2
NASH,# asked# the#
group,# “Other# than#
policy# does# not# get#
overturned,# how# do#
we#support#this#com2
munity# and# increase#
their#visibility?”
A#few#students#responded#with#the#idea#
of# incorporating#a# physical#object# or# piece#
of# art# into# the# campus# landscape.#Another#
student# stressed# that# the# object# ought# to#
be# visible# to# tour# groups# and# the# majority#
of# people# who# walk#
the# campus.# Several#
students# advocated#
for# Pride# parades# on#
campus.# The# idea#
that# seemed# to# gain#
the# most# traction#
involved#
creating#
a# sanctioned# space#
for# the# LGBTQIA#
community.# Good2
man# however# sum2
marized# his# peers’#
ideas,# “We# need# to#
make# sexual# diver2
sity#a#part#of#David2
son’s# identity.”# Yet,#
the# solutions# lacked#
a#commitment#of#volunteers#and#manpower#
needed#to#make#these#projects#a#reality.
President# Carol# Quillen# then# extended#
her# aide.# She# asked# how# the# administra2
tion# could# help# “unblock# the# paths# so# that#
students#who#feel#marginalized#can#partici2
pate,# speak,# and# act# in# their# community.”#
She#stressed#that#the#students#are#the#answer#
to#the#problem.#“In#the#end#one#decision#or#
act# by# the# administration# will# not# change#
the# minds# of# intolerant# individuals,”# Quil2
len#said.#So#we#must#challenge#our#peers#to#
support,#encourage,#and#celebrate#our#fellow#
students.#
The# night# concluded# on# the# call# for# a#
change#in#culture.#It#seems#like#the#David2
son# community# represented# at# Forum# for#
our#Flags#recognizes#that#the#campus#envi2
ronment# will# only# get# better# if# the# culture#
2
trative#act#may#help,#but#it#will#not#eradicate#
the#permeating#poison#of#heteronormativity.###
T
IME
L
OCATION
D
ISPOSITION
C
LASSIFICATION
Miscellaneous#Suspicious#
E2mail
01/20/14
1453#hrs
Duke
Underage#Consumption
Further#
Investigation
Suicide#Threat
Larceny#2#Misdemeanor
01/21/14
0015#hrs
01/21/14#
0035#hrs
01/23/14#
1822#hrs
New#Dorm
Little#Dorm
Report#
Originated#off#
campus
Further#
Investigation
Closed#/#Clear
Further
Investigation
Found#Property
Underage#Consumption
Underage#Consumption
Possible#Missing
Person
Miscellaneous#Suspicious
Vehicle
Public#Urination
Underage#Consumption
01/24/14
2251#hrs
01/25/14
0153#hrs
01/25/14
0115#hrs
Larceny#of#Property
Injurty#to#Personal#
Property
01/20/14
1357#hrs
Satellite#Lot
Further
Investigation
Glasglow#Street
Dean#Referral
Chambers
Located#Person
Dean#Referral
01/25/14
2122#hrs
Baker
Returned#to#
Owner
01/25/14
2326#hrs
Outside#KA
Dean#Referral
01/26/14
0820#hrs
Erwin#Lodge
Prosecution
Declined
01/25/14
0031#hrs
Dean#Referral
01/24/14
1045#hrs
Warner#Hall
Dean#Referral
M
ISCELLANEOUS
&R
EPORTS
N
UMBER
&
OF
&R
EPORTS
Suspicious#Vehicle
1
1
Escorts
Alarms
1
Assist#Fire/Medic
Other
3
5
911#Hang#Ups
4
Noise#Complaints
1
Fire#Calls
1
Disturbance
0 - Is Format Of
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