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Blasts from the past
This week in 1900 ... An editorial appeared in The Gettysburgian urging current students and alumni alike to recruit young people to enroll at what was then Pennsylvania College. “We of Gettysburg do this with a clean conscience, and when we speak in terms of praise of the advantages offered by our college ... we need not be afraid that we shall be proven ‘free handlers of truth.’ From the present outlook, there are bright prospects for the largest Freseman [sic] class next year that has ever entered Gettysburg’s classic halls … Let every student who has the interests of the Alma Mater at heart … procure students. There will be surprising and pleasant results.” This week in 1917 ... The Gettysburgian reported that rifles were on their way to the college for students enrolled in the Military Training Corps. There had also been a delay in the requisitioning of uniforms, which had been stalled by the Army’s appropriations process. The Student Army Training Corps was a program commissioned during World War I to provide preliminary military training on college campuses to encourage young men to enlist. However, this program did not begin until 1918; it is unclear whether the Military Training Corps was a precursor or something else entirely. This week in 1979 ... The Gettysburg College Board of Trustees affirmed a controversial plan to build Musselman Library in its current location on Stine Lake, which was opposed by a group of students who favored a location behind McCreary Hall. After the decision, both students and board members praised the process and the deep thought behind the outcome. Charles Glassick, President of the Board of Trustees, said, “The Trustees have been pleased with the responsible manner in which the students presented their concerns. The student viewpoint in this decision is very important.” The estimated price tag on the new library, which would move out of Schmucker Hall, was $4.45 million. This week in 1995 ... The faculty approved a new major in Environmental Studies. An interdisciplinary major, faculty coordinator John Commito (now Professor Emeritus of Environmental Studies) said the program would attract new students to the college. A 3-2 program with Duke University wherein a student would attend Gettysburg for three years and Duke for two, ultimately emerging with both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Environmental Studies, was also discussed. These archived “blasts from the past” were compiled by news editor Benjamin Pontz thanks to the digitized Special Collections in Musselman Library.
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
FREE
YAF’s request to bring Robert Spencer to campus under review
Robert Spencer is the founder of Jihad Watch; Photo credit: Jihad Watch
B y B enjamin P ontz N ews E ditor The Gettysburg chapter of the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) has requested to have Robert Spencer, the Director of Jihad Watch and a FOX News contributor, speak on campus about radical Islam, but the college has not yet decided whether or not he can speak due to concerns about possible protests as well as a need for more time to vet his potential presentation. Dean Julie Ramsey, Vice President of College Life and Dean of Students, said that Spencer “falls into a category of speakers whom some will find very objectionable and someone who deserves some careful thought and due diligence before a commitment is made. We are continuing our consultations with YAF and others about the invitation, the timing and the planning and we hope to make a decision by next week.” Scott Moore, Nick Arbaugh and Wellington
Baumann (YAF’s president, vice president, and Student Senate representative respectively) said in an interview that their right to freedom of expression is being limited. “The impression that I got is that [the college] is prioritizing the feelings of anyone who might possibly be offended on campus over the freedom of expression,” said Moore. Arbaugh added that YAF would plan to follow Spencer’s presentation with a question and answer session in which anyone who attends would be free to challenge what they heard and engage Spencer in “academic debate.” The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) calls Spencer one of America’s “most prolific and vociferous anti-Muslim propagandists” and lists both Jihad Watch and Stop Islamization of America (SOIA) as hate groups. In a blog post, Spencer fired back, writing, “The SPLC’s Hate Groups list is a cudgel, a tool for the
use of Leftist enemies of the freedom of speech … Leftists and Islamic supremacists avid to shut down honest discussion of jihad terror and Islamic supremacism contact the event organizers, tell them that the SPLC classifies us as ‘hate group leaders,’ and all too often, ignorant or cowardly officials, unaware of or indifferent to how they’re being played and anxious to avoid ‘controversy,’ cancel the event. It works like a charm, in just the way it was intended to work.” Presently, the college is working to determine whether Spencer is part of a hate group and what exactly his message will be. Ramsey insists that, ultimately, the college’s decision “is not about whether a person is offensive or not,” but she says that potential response by on-campus or off-campus individuals must be taken into consideration when planning events. At this point, the college has three priorities in making its final decision: working through some contractual issues regarding the speech (which Ramsey says is a logistical issue that should be resolved soon), additional planning to determine what security concerns or other considerations will affect the event including selection of the appropriate venue, and consultation with members of the campus community about Spencer and his message, a process in which YAF will be included. With protests frequently storming college campuses over speakers, it changes the calculus in how the institution plans for events. Ramsey emphasized that the college today must be more thoughtful and careful about the content, the speaker and safety, which she said are not necessarily reasons not to do
something, but reasons to be more deliberate in planning. Ramsey mentioned that a recent incident at Vermont’s Middlebury College in which a speech by Charles Murray, author of The Bell Curve, was shut down amid violent student protests that ultimately injured a faculty member hosting the event is at the “forefront of our minds.” “We’re not that different from Middlebury,” she noted. In an interview with The Gettysburgian in March, Riggs said she was distressed by the Murray incident. “I just find that to be so distressing, and I hope that is never a situation that would occur at Gettysburg College where we would have someone come in, and not give them the courtesy to speak. We can protest those views, but shouting someone down, to me, is not the direction we would ever want to go,” she said. Ramsey mentioned that in cases like this, some schools have invited a second speaker with differing views to provide additional context for audience members, which is something potentially under consideration. Dr. Karen Frey, Associate Professor of Management and faculty advisor for YAF, said she is “a little concerned” with the college leaving the door open to barring Spencer over a potentially divisive message. “Freedom of speech is an issue only when you disagree with someone,” she said. “If I see a poster for a very liberal speaker who might offend me, I just don’t go.” Baumann echoed those sentiments. “It’s really easy to defend free speech when you agree with what’s being said, but it’s a testament to your
character when you do not agree with what’s being said,” he said. YAF requested $2000 from the Student Senate, a request that was granted at their meeting on April 10 after considerable discussion. The club representative for the College Democrats acknowledged that while Spencer’s message would probably not be something with which his club would agree, they respected his right to speak. Luke Frigon, who is currently the Treasurer of Student Senate and Director of the Budget Management Committee and who recently was elected President of Senate for the coming academic year, spoke with Ramsey himself to try to better understand the college’s apprehension. Ultimately, he said he supports the decision both of the college to further review the speaker and of Senate to appropriate the funds. “I think that we as a Senate have the obligation to encourage controversial and potentially offensive speakers to come to campus, as well as those from all ends of the political and social spectrum,” he said. Representatives of YAF were effusive in their praise of Senate during an interview; Moore called them “wonderful and efficient every step of the way.” Arbaugh went on to say that if money were a sticking point, the national YAF organization may be willing to underwrite the event entirely, but Ramsey said the college’s concerns are not with the financial aspect of the event, rather with ensuring Spencer’s potential visit would align with the college’s mission statement.
She hopes to celebrate the class’ achievements and encourage them to take their experiences beyond campus. Mohanna was nominated by a faculty member to give a speech, and she competed in a competitive group of about 30 applicants before ultimately being selected by the Student Activities and Greek Life committee. Mohanna is an active member of the campus community and ambassador for her Palestinian culture. Beginning in her first year, she got involved in campus life by working at the Office of Residential & First Year programs (RFYP), participating in international students’ events and serving as an Economics PLA for several classes. Like many Gettysburg students, Mohanna’s favorite
experience from her time as an undergraduate was studying abroad. She spent the fall of her junior year in Aix-en-Provence, France, which she enjoyed as a change of pace and way to encounter new cultures. However, Mohanna also immersed herself in American college life, forming strong relationships with her friends, classmates and professors to teach them more about what it means to be Palestinian. “I hope to be remembered as the Palestinian girl. I carry a lot of pride of my nationality and the area I come from, so I made efforts to open up about the situation at home and my culture. I hope I was able to open up some people’s eyes to what is happening in that area and demolish some stereotypes about being a Palestinian, a Middle Eastern and a Muslim,” she said.
After college, she is considering working as a business analyst and later attending graduate school to obtain a master’s degree in Behavioral Economics. However, before she leaves Gettysburg she plans to share the lessons she has learned during her time as an undergraduate with the student body. Speaking from experience, she advises incoming first years to embrace their moments as an undergraduate and reach out of their comfort zones as often as possible. “These four years are the last period before you face full-on adulthood so you need to live a little,” she explained. “Create memories with people you enjoy, challenge yourself both academically and personally, and shape the person you want to become.”
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Mohanna named student speaker for 2017 graduation
Haya Mohanna will speak on behalf of the Class of 2017
B y S arah K irkpatrick S taff W riter After a competitive selection process, Gettysburg College has named senior Haya Mohanna as the Class of 2017 graduation speaker. Mohanna, an international student from Gaza City, Palestine, is a Mathematical Economics Major with a Business Minor who hopes to focus on the theme of belonging in her speech.
Inside This Issue
Volume CXIX, No. 14
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College to curb cable TV, boost bandwidth, pg. 2
“Coming from an international perspective, there is a lot of pressure to feel that I am a part of this campus or that I belong, but if you think about it, that pressure is on everyone,” Mohanna explained with respect to the content of her speech, “Everyone would like to think they fit in here because they made this college their choice. Some of us do and some of us don’t, but we all share that we made it,” she said.
Penny Isherwood remembered, pg. 3
Derby Days recap, pg. 4
Science in Politics panel, pg. 5
Student artist spotlight, pg. 6
Trump’s big-league mistake, pg. 7