A2|November 8, 2018
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Christina Basken - News Editor Nikki Brahm - Asst. News Editor
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LEFT: UWO students and community members honor the victims by joining together for a candlelight vigil. RIGHT: A candle is lit for each shooting victim.
Pittsburgh shooting vigil from A1
On Oct. 27, UWO students and Oshkosh community members honored the 11 victims of the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting by having a candlelight vigil. Andy Solomon from the Congregation B’Nai Israel gave a blessing in honor of the victims whose lives were taken.
PITTSBURGH FROM PAGE A1 community here, but other faiths and other communities need to be aware of Judaism and what happened.” Event coordinator, UWO communications professor and Chair of UW
Oshkosh Interfaith Dialogue and Education Alliance Jennifer Considine said there are two reasons UWO hosted the vigil. “I think for me there are two purposes: one is to allow people to mourn,” Considine said. “I think anytime when we encounter a tragedy like this, particularly one that was inspired by such hate, we need to come together and
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We need to come together and stand together as a community.
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— Jennifer Considine UWO Professor
Students debate political issues
stand together as a community. Certainly, it’s to allow us to mourn, but also to recognize that we have Jewish students, faculty and staff and a synagogue that is our neighbor right here in this community.” Leavitt said there are changes that need to be made to ensure that shootings like these do not prosper in the world.
“There are always very complicated situations,” Leavitt said. “There are a number of facets to it including access to firearms, to mental health issues along with creating an environment where hatred can flourish and grow. So that’s what we need to fight against is that environment.”
Black Thursday Agenda Wednesday, Nov. 14
Chancellor remarks and presentation (Chancellor Andrew Leavitt) Closing remarks (Dr. Sylvia Carey-Butler) 8:30-10 p.m. - O'94 Reception (Pollock House)
3-5:30 p.m. - Chancellor’s office (Meeting with Chancellor Andrew Leavitt) 6-7 p.m. - Reception (Arts and Communication Center, Allen Priebe Art Gallery Thursday, Nov. 15 7-8:30 p.m. 10 a.m.-noon - Campus Tour and Welcome Community Riding Tour Dr. Sylvia Vice Chancellor of Academic Noon - 1 p.m. - Lunch Support Blackhawk Commons Black Thursday Remembered (Included for O’94 members; $8.70 for dramatization others) (Dr. Stephen Kercher) 1- 2:30 p.m. - Conversation with current Black Thursday Video - Where Are UW Oshkosh students They Now? (Multicultural Education Center) (Grace Lim) Graphic by: Ana Maria Anstett
JOSEPH SCHULZ/ADVANCE-TITAN
Political issues are discussed before the night of the midterm election. by Joseph Schulz schulj78@uwosh.edu Over 100 students came to Reeve Union Ballroom to watch the College Democrats and Republicans of UW Oshkosh debate issues such as gun control, education and immigration the night before the midterm election. The College Democrats were represented by Emily Miller, Aaron Wojciechowski and Brandon Colligan, and the College Republicans were represented by Jennifer Perrault and Isabella Olson. The event was organized and moderated by the American Democracy Project, an organization that tries to help college students become informed and active members of the democratic process. Debate moderator and American Democracy Project intern Ian McDonald said the debate was important because it educated students on candidates the night before the midterm election. “When you have an educated electorate, like our founders thought, they are going to vote for the best people,” McDonald said. “If we educate our voters on who we think are the best people and we vote on who we think the best person to do the job is, then the American experiment will live on.” Perrault said the event was
important because most students get their news from social media sites, and the debate helped dispel many theories that appear on social media. “College Democrats said they don’t want open borders, but that’s what I was hearing on social media, so I kind of thought the democrats wanted all the illegal immigrants to come here,” Perrault said. “I think this gives the real picture and not the Facebook picture.” The College Democrats and Republicans had widely different opinions on gun control. Perrault said mass shootings can be prevented by more ordinary people having concealed carry permits. “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” Perrault said. Wojciechowski said he wanted to dispel the rumor that democrats are looking to take away all guns. He went on to say that mass shootings can be prevented by stricter background checks and more regulation. “Ninety percent of people agree that we need universal background checks,” Wojciechowski said. “These are simple solutions we can do, same with closing loopholes like buying guns at gun shows, where no one records that.” The College Democrats and Republicans agreed that Wisconsin needs to strengthen its public school system, but they
differed when it came to private school vouchers. Wojciechowski said public education should be a priority because local communities have been passing referendums to fund local school districts due to a lack of funds from the government. “[Tony Evers] is going to put money back into the fund that has been taken out to go to tax cuts that don’t benefit us,” Wojciechowski said. “He wants to appoint regents who will push policy that helps students.” Perrault said funding private school vouchers should be a priority because parents should have a choice in their child’s education. “I think the voucher system gives low-income people a chance to get a good education,” Perrault said. “It doesn’t restrict you to the one high school in your neighborhood.” Wojciechowski said even though both parties have disagreed on many issues, he believes that democrats and republicans will unite to pass meaningful legislature within our lifetime. “I think millennials, the younger generation, as we get older will agree on more social issues like cannabis reform, immigration and the #metoo movement,” Wojciechowski said. “I think a lot of it has to do with civility and working together.”
UWO to host Black Thursday Remembered: 50 years later
by Christina Basken
baskec94@uwosh.edu UW Oshkosh will host the “Black Thursday Remembered” event on Nov. 14 and 15 to honor the 50th anniversary of a historic event that took place on campus in 1968. On Nov. 21, 94 African American students attending UWO marched into the university president’s executive office of Roger Guiles with a list of demands to better the treatment of African Americans on campus. These students took matters into their own hands after months of feeling ignored and disrespected by campus administrators when the president told them he couldn’t help them. In response, 12 of the 94 students reacted by engaging in vandalism. The day became known as “Black Thursday” when all 94 students were arrested and expelled from the University System. According to the Associate Vice Chancellor
for Academic Support of Inclusive Excellence Sylvia Carey-Butler, Black Thursday will not and should not ever be forgotten. She also said she is proud of the students helping to prepare for the upcoming event. “During rehearsal was really the first time that I literally got chills,” Carey-Butler said. “Students said that it finally came alive to them and they thought about what they were reading, and they realized there were students that were their age that this was happening to; going into town and being refused service, and how that made them feel.” On Nov. 14, students will have the opportunity to meet and talk with 34 of the “Oshkosh 94” members. Presentations will be given by Chancellor Andrew Leavitt, Sylvia Carey-Butler, Chair of the Department of History Stephen Kercher and journalism adjunct professor Grace Lim. Leavitt will also be presenting the surviving 34 members with medallions on Wednesday night.
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When: Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7-8 p.m. Where: Sage 3002