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Volume CXIX, No. 7
National New Orleans’ bustling French Quarter tourist district was a scene of chaos when gunfire erupted early Sunday. One man was left dead and nine others were wounded during what was supposed to be a festive time in the city for people vacationing over the Thanksgiving weekend. The shooting victims were two women and eight men ranging in age from 20 to 37. One of the victims, a 25-year-old man, died in the hospital. Police Superintendent stated that the victims were not intended targets; the gunfire was between two men who were arguing and shooting. A witness to the shooting described the scene as absolute panic with people being trampled in attempts to get to safety. Investigators are continuing to search for the two suspects, who fled from the scene on foot. Mayor Mitch Landrieu said, “We will go to the ends of the earth to make sure that we bring them to justice.”
International Fidel Castro, Cuba’s former president of nearly half a century, died on Friday at 90 years old. Castro stepped down from the presidency in 2006 due to serious illness and had been in declining health since. Castro held on to power longer than any other national leader except for Queen Elizabeth II. The news of Castro’s death was met with mixed reactions; he was seen as a ruthless tyrant by some and hailed as a revolutionary hero by others. Certain areas, such as Miami, have been filled with celebration over his death, while areas in Cuba have been preparing for week-long services bidding farewell to their former leader. On Wednesday, Castro’s ashes will begin a three-day procession across Cuba, retracing the march of his rebel army from the Sierra Maestra mountains to the capital. Several national leaders released statements mourning Castro’s passing, including President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaux.
This week’s “Top Stories” were compiled by Nora Tidey with information from abcnews.go.com.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Thursday, December 1, 2016
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LeVar Burton addresses race and justice at Dedication Day ceremony B y A nnika J ensen E ditor -I n -C hief On November 19, a crowd of reenactors, community members and Civil War enthusiasts gathered at Soldiers’ National Cemetery to commemorate the 153rd anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Following a wreath-laying ceremony at Soldiers’ National Monument and music by the Gettysburg High School brass band, the Dedication Day program began at the rostrum at 10 a.m. with opening remarks by emcee Wendy Allen, vice president of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania. The program featured remarks from keynote speaker LeVar Burton and a naturalization ceremony for 17 new citizens. An opening invocation was delivered by Anthony Stultz, professor of Buddhist studies at the Graduate Theological Foundation and founder of the Blue Mountain Lotus Society. Stultz tied Lincoln’s message to America’s current political climate, calling upon the audience to promote healing action and move beyond fear in order to “behold the ultimate measure of a human being.” In attendance at the ceremony were the mayor of Gettysburg, the assistant press secretary of the White House, and two descendants of Edward Everett, who spoke at the original dedication of the cemetery in 1863. Gettysburg College president Janet
Burton addresses the crowd at the Gettysburg National Military Park. Photo credit Gettysburg College Flickr.
Morgan Riggs spoke briefly about alumnus David Wills who hosted president Lincoln at his home the night before the president delivered the Gettysburg Address and the traditional firstyear walk, which Riggs described as a defining moment in students’ lives. Also preceding Burton’s keynote speech was Ed Clark, superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park, who addressed the new citizens awaiting naturalization, encouraging them to study history and take upon themselves the burden of preservation. “Starting today, the legacy of Gettysburg is yours,” Clark said. Clark drew sounds of disapproval from a few audience members when he conveyed his gratitude that there were not many “Lincoln-shaped” women in the audience. LeVar Burton followed, beginning his
speech by expressing his desire to share what had been on his mind as of late, saying, “recent events in America have caused my heart to be disquieted.” He described an internal turmoil similar to that faced by Lincoln with race, class and economics at the forefront of a conflict defined by anger and a lack of trust. “We are indeed a house divided,” Burton said; “the promise of America has yet to deliver to all her children.” Burton described the current political climate of America as “a crisis that truly has the power to tear us asunder,” asserting the existence of a chasm not so pronounced since the Civil War. He described the “duality of identity” in which Americans so proudly defend freedom but remain apathetic on the issue of slavery, citing the Japanese internment camps of WWII and the oppression
of people of color by means of legislation. Throughout his speech Burton repeated the phrase, “what part of ‘all men are created equal’ have I failed to understand?” B u r t o n emphasized the importance of education with anecdotes about his mother, a lover of language who earned an English degree at age 19 and continued her studies while working full-time as a social worker and raising three children by herself. “In my house, you either read a book or you were hit in the head with one,” said Burton. He described education as a tool to compete with “melanin challenged classmates,” a comment that drew laughter from the audience. Burton concluded his speech with a powerful invocation: “The way forward is clear, America.” He warned that if we do
not shape our society to reflect the idea that all men and women are created equal–another comment that received enthusiastic applause– then the Gettysburg dead will have indeed died in vain. “I pray we find courage and conviction to heed Lincoln’s sage advice,” he said. After his speech Burton was presented with a flag that had flown over the cemetery the previous day in a wooden case made from a tree that witnessed the battle. Burton held the case over his head and called out for the reenactors of the 54th Massachusetts regiment, one of the first official African American regiments in the Civil War. The reenactors responded with enthusiasm. F o l l o w i n g the keynote speech George Buss, a Lincoln impersonator, recited the Gettysburg Address, and 17 candidates for citizenship from 11 different countries were naturalized.
Students stage sit-in to protest hate on campus B y B enjamin P ontz S taff W riter and J amie W elch E ditor -I n -C hief More than a dozen students sat on the steps of Penn Hall for over 24 hours last week to protest what they saw as an atmosphere of exclusion, isolation and hate that pervades the student culture at Gettysburg College. In a protest they deemed “sitting down for hate” because they refuse to “stand for it,” the group spent the night outdoors in order to send a message of unity and intolerance for hate. It began in the afternoon on Nov. 17 when senior Joseph Recupero sent a text message to several friends asking them to join him in protesting what fellow protester Cait Goodlett, also a senior, deemed “increased hate speech all semester.”
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Anita Kinney of Democracy matters, pg. 2
Recupero penned a letter on behalf of protestors that read, in part, “Something has to change. Students can no longer face the mental and emotional abuse of hate speech. We should not have to fear walking across campus at night. We are here for an education but how can we focus on learning when we are constantly looking over our shoulders? Guess what? We can’t. So let’s make something happen. Together.” “This is not a political movement,” Goodlett emphasized in an effort to allay visceral responses that this dealt with Donald Trump’s recent election to the presidency. “This is just us voicing that [instances of hate speech and bias] are happening.” The group met with Gettysburg College President Janet Morgan Riggs that same afternoon, and Goodlett described the
Castle of Our Skins, pg. 3
Students gather on the steps of Penn Hall. Photo courtesy of Jamie Welch.
meeting as positive, noting that Riggs was sympathetic and responsive to their concerns and offered to support the protesters throughout the night in any way necessary. Students also entered the college’s regularly scheduled faculty meeting to share their stories. Goodlett
described the meeting as a touching event at which many student protesters and faculty members broke down in tears. Junior Taylor Atlas, another protester, said that too often, this topic is ignored. In staging the protest students hoped to spark ongoing conversations surrounding
Dogs and Diet advice dinosaurs, from Ari, pg. 4 pg. 5
Donald Trump, pg. 7
issues of isolation, exclusion and hate, all of which were prevalent in the results of the recent Campus Climate Survey. “This is not a topic that should be silenced,” Atlas said. “We’re not going to be able to fix it if we don’t talk about it.” Throughout -Continued on next page-
Women’s basketball, pg. 8