Perspectives
Sept. 9, 2016
Page 9
The Collegian looking to the future
It’s no secret that journalism is evolving. People still get their news from newspaper stands, but they increasingly turn to the internet and social media to find out what’s happening in the world. This is nothing new to college students. For years now, we’ve been browsing Facebook, scrolling down Twitter and perusing Instagram to get our news. News outlets have realized that they must evolve to attract a new generation of readers. The times have changed, and news outlets are changing with them to appeal to a digital audience. This brings us to The Collegian. For over 100 years, our newspaper has reported the goings-on at Grove City College. Writers and editors have come and gone, but the paper has remained, always trying to get the facts to students on campus. This year, it’s time for The Collegian to move into the 21st Century. Our aims are not going to change, but it’s time to change with the times. We have been working with Dr. DiStasi, and we will have a new website up in the coming months. This will allow us to provide up to date information to you, our reader, as quickly as possible. This year, we are also increasing our engagement to a variety of social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. That’s where college students get much of their news, and The Collegian knows it. Journalism isn’t dead. In fact, the future of reporting is very bright. We promise to keep you up to date and informed with unbiased information this school year, and we hope you like our digital transformation.
Caleb Harshberger, Editor-In-Chief Joe Setyon, Managing Editor
Copy Editors Alison Kjergaard Hannah Sweet Thomas Verner Rachel Reitz
Designers Bri Doane
100 Campus Drive Grove City, Pa. 16127
Drew Hayward
collegian@gcc.edu gcc.collegian@gmail.com
Cat Anderson
Writers Robbie Davis Josh Delk
Editor-in-Chief
Jonathon Fisher
Caleb Harshberger
Angela Kim
Managing Editor
Molly Morgan
Joe Setyon
Maddy Moser
Section Editors
Amy Luebben-Rivera
News
Claire Rauf
Molly Wicker
Jon Von Stein
Life
Tara Steinheiser
Kelleigh Huber
Grant Wishard
Entertainment
Advertising/Business Manager
Elizabeth Borcherding Perspectives
Jesse Peterson
Rio Arias Sports
Publisher
Bradley Warmhold
Grove City College
Design Chief
Nick Hildebrand
Staff Adviser
Karen Postupac
Social Media Manager /Graphic Designer Nate Pittman
Copy Desk Chief Gabrielle Johnston
The Collegian is the student newspaper of Grove City College, located in Grove City, Pa. Opinions appearing on these pages, unless expressly stated otherwise, represent the views of individual writers. They are not the collective views of The Collegian, its staff or Grove City College.
GREEN EYESHADE AWARD
Karen Postupac
This week’s award goes to designer Gabrielle Johnston for her dedication and hard work on the Collegian. The Collegian Green Eyeshade Award honors student contributors who have demonstrated consistency and excellence in their work.
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One chance to reject Trump Grant Wishard Staff Writer For the past three decades, conservative Christians have constituted one of the most powerful voting blocs in American politics. White evangelical Protestants account for 19.3 percent of the U.S. population and a full 39 percent of the Republican Party. They are highly organized, motivated to vote, and have acted as gatekeepers to the GOP since ushering in Ronald Reagan in 1980. Against all expectations, Trump has won their support. He won an early primary victory in South Carolina, receiving a 34 percent plurality of evangelicals, an early indication of his strength with the group across the country. Trump went on to win every state in the Bible Belt. He won the church-going vote from Massachusetts and Vermont to Georgia and Virginia. Evangelicals were predicted to be a fail-safe to stop Trump’s campaign, and they handed him the nomination instead. Why and how did an adulterous, racist, arrogant, loud-mouthed, casino-owning narcissist make off with the evangelical vote? Trump knows he’s gotten away with something. Accepting the nomination at the Republican convention, he said: “I would like to thank the evangelical community because I’ll tell you what, the support they’ve given me, and I’m not sure I totally deserve it … it’s a big reason for me being here tonight.” These are the same voters who waffled over the rightness of voting for Mitt Romney and his Mormon theology in 2012. As of today, they’re giving Trump more of their support than they
gave to the upstanding family man. Pew reported in the primaries that a mere 15 percent of devout evangelicals are original, steady Trump supporters — the remainder are latecomers. But now that Trump and Clinton are the nominees, evangelicals face a bifurcated choice and many are determined to take the realistic, make-the-bestof-an-evil-world approach. Most voters, especially this year, are faced with two bad choices. But it’s evangelicals who have always claimed to be “values voters,” expecting their candidates to be of saintly character and orthodox on moral issues, such as abortion and gay marriage. How do evangelicals justify falling in line behind the morally bankrupt Donald Trump? Many will describe their choice as finding the “lesser of two evils.” Christian conservatives have long dreaded what they view as the evil possibility of a Clinton presidency. She’s pro-choice, will appoint liberal Supreme Court justices, and will defeat the Right in the culture war. Surrendering to the lesser of two evils is a thin, desperate justification for tossing aside the values evangelicals have touted for 30 years. It’s code for “I would vote for anyone, even Vermin Supreme, to defeat Clinton.” In July, the New York Times reported fourth-fifths of white evangelicals plan to vote for Trump. According to Pew, 94 percent of GOP evangelicals are now on board the Trump train. Half of those voters say they are voting against Clinton. “The most likely result of not voting for Trump is that you will be abandoning thousands of unborn babies who will be put to death under Hillary Clinton’s Supreme
Court. Thousands of poor will never again be able to find high-paying jobs,” writes Christian ethicist Wayne Grudem. At a critical moment, evangelicals have proven more fearful than principled. The solution for them? Don’t vote for president. Making an informed decision not to vote for a presidential candidate is one way to participate and vote your conscience. Not voting, when you would have otherwise, is the only way to reform your party. That’s especially true if you vote in other races, so the shortfall at the presidential level is obvious when ballots are tallied. True, your withheld vote won’t affect the outcome of the race and may even help Clinton gain the White House, but it sends a powerful message to the candidates. The 2016 primary season proved once again that evangelical votes have impact. Republican politics will change forever because a plurality, and now a majority of evangelicals have shown themselves willing to vote for a monster, as long as he’s their monster. But there’s one more moment of reckoning, one more choice looming. On Election Day, evangelical conservatives can help the country pick one of two bad options, or stick to their principles, not vote, walk away, and prove they can’t be so easily bought. They are an essential part of every electoral contest, but this year they’re the cart horse who has forgotten he’s strong enough to run away with the cart. This article is a reprint from the USA TODAY Opinion section.