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Volume CXIX, No. 8
National President Donald Trump has largely expanded the ban on providing federal money to international family planning groups that provide abortions or abortion information to all organizations receiving global health assistance from the U.S. Trump’s spokesman Sean Spicer announced on Monday that the ban on family planning funding had been reinstituted after bouncing in and out of law since being instituted by GOP President Ronald Reagan in 1984. The order directs the secretary of state to extend the requirements of the ban, known as the Global Gag Rule, to global health assistance furnished by all departments or agencies. Any international organization receiving U.S. funds for health programs will now be required to prove that it does not provide abortion services or advocate for the liberalization of abortion laws. If the organizations cannot prove this, all their funding from the U.S. will be cut off.
International Iran, Russia and Turkey agreed to launch a three-way system to ensure compliance with the Syrian cease-fire. The three countries will also continue to fight ISIS. The statement released by Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister did not specify how the “trilateral mechanism” would work to monitor the cease-fire, only stating that the three countries will work to observe and ensure full compliance, prevent any provocations and determine all modalities of the cease-fire. Experts are not convinced that the agreement will make a real difference on the ground, asserting that without independent observers and no clear mechanisms for holding violators of the cease-fire accountable, no significant changes will occur. The ceasefire, which began Dec. 30, has been shaky and repeatedly violated for several weeks.
This week’s “Top Stories” were compiled by Nora Tidey with information from abcnews.go.com.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Thursday, January 26, 2017
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Gettysburg College holds 37th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration B y J eremy P orter S taff W riter “Powerful.” “ G o o s e b u m p s . ” “United.” These were some of the words used by Gettysburg students who attended the college’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration on Monday when asked to describe the event and its impact on them. This year marks the 37th in which students and community members alike gathered to discuss and pay tribute to the civil rights leader and his creeds. The night commenced with the processional “Lif t E v er y V o ice an d Sing” by the Morgan State University Choir, one of the nation’s most acclaimed collegiate choral ensembles. Music would continue to play an important role throughout the ceremony; following the invocation by The Reverend Dr. Joseph Donnella, college chaplain, the Morgan State choir performed a few more powerful tunes and received standing ovations. One of them, “Glory,” is the theme song from the movie Selma, which is based on the 1965 voting rights marches in Alabama of which Martin Luther King Jr. himself was a leader. Another, “We Shall Overcome,” began as a simple gospel hymn and eventually came to represent the Civil Rights movement, having been sung in the crowds at the March on Washington in 1963. This song was performed at the end of the evening, with the entire congregation eventually joining in while standing hand
Morgan State University choir performs for crowd in Christ Chapel. Photo credit Gettysburg College Flickr.
in hand. Later in the evening, the Chamber Chorale of the Gettysburg Children’s Choir, under the direction of Dr. Brent Talbot, sang two songs of their own: “Dream Keeper,” based on a Langston Hughes Poem, and “All Good People,” written as a response to the tragic shooting at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015. All the night’s music seemed to return to a theme appropriate for a tribute to MLK: remembering struggles of the past while holding out hope for a better future. One of the most important parts of the celebration each year is the presentation of the “Living the Dream” award. This award, sponsored by the YWCA Gettysburg and the United Way of Adams County, honors a local resident who dutifully serves his/her community and embodies
the selflessness and compassion exhibited by Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s recipient is Adrienne Camel, a Gettysburgian born and bred who has worked at the South Central Community Action Programs Inc., (SCCAP) for 16 years providing low-income citizens with educational and career opportunities. Adrienne’s daughter accepted the award on her behalf. The award presentation was followed by the recognition of two Adams County Career Aid Project (ACCAP) recipients and their achievements. The ACCAP, an initiative of SCCAP and the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee, provides underprivileged students with the financial means necessary to pursue a collegiate education. The first recipient recognized was Champella Harman of
Philadelphia. After discovering that she could not afford to simultaneously continue her education at Delaware Valley Community College and enroll her young son in daycare, she came to Gettysburg. The SCCAP not only provided her with money for daycare, but introduced her to the MLK Celebration Committee that would end up raising money for Champella to continue her degree at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC). Champella expressed her gratitude to the committee in a short speech. Josh McCray, the second recipient, graduated cum laude from Shippensburg University after receiving the proper funds to attend. He could not make it to the ceremony due to inclement weather conditions. This year’s keynote speaker at the celebration was Troy Datcher ’90. He is the Vice
President of Sales and Sports Marketing for the Clorox Company, leads the company’s African Americans Building Leadership Excellence resource group, and was recently named to Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 list. He is also on the Gettysburg College Board of Trustees. Datcher began his speech by explaining why he thought Martin Luther King Jr. was able to connect with people on such a wide scale. King, he explained, was neither wealthy nor privileged and had even landed in jail during his Birmingham campaign. AfricanAmericans everywhere recognized that King deeply understood and sympathized with their ongoing struggle – King himself could not be removed from it – and that he would not stop fighting and dreaming big until tangible changes were made for their community. Datcher encouraged the -Continued on next page-
College pledges support for undocumented students B y B enjamin P ontz S taff W riter Three days after the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States, Gettysburg College President Janet Morgan Riggs sent an email to the campus community pledging the college’s ongoing support for undocumented students presently protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA, which the Obama administration implemented in 2012 as an exercise in prosecutorial discretion, grants certain undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as minors a two-year reprieve from deportation as well as eligibility for a work permit and a Social Security Number.
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College to assist DACA students,
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Trump, whose administration has not indicated whether it will continue DACA, emphasized securing the border and addressing illegal immigration during the campaign including his pledge to construct a wall between the United States and Mexico. According to information available on the college’s website, 164 international students are presently enrolled at Gettysburg, comprising just over 6 percent of the student body. Although information specific to Gettysburg College was not available, Educators for Fair Consideration, an advocacy group for undocumented students, estimates that there are between 7000 and 13000 undocumented students attending colleges nationwide. In December,
Jazz Concert in the Junction, pg. 3
Gettysburg released a 12-page information b r i ef pu b l i s h ed b y t h e American Council on Education outlining what the potential end of DACA could mean for colleges across the country. At a faculty meeting in December, R i g g s p l e d g e d Gettysburg’s support for student beneficiaries of DACA. College-funded services for DACA students include free legal advice from an immigration attorney, i n d i v i d u a l i z e d counseling, and weekly gatherings of support. Further, Riggs states that -- consistent with the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) -- the college will provide student records only when ordered by a subpoena or court order. Significantly,
Bumblebee placed on endagered list, pg. 4
Riggs announced that Gettysburg is committed to “meeting all educational expenses of our DACA students if they would lose financial aid due to a change in their immigration status.” In an email to The Gettysburgian, Riggs suggested this commitment would not require a substantial financial outlay. “Given the fact that the number of students is relatively small, we believe we could cover these additional costs from our existing budget,” she said. Pressed on whether tuition money could be used to support students in the country illegally, Riggs emphasized that DACA students were brought to the United States as children and should be
#GBCTalks discusses race, pg. 5
supported rather than ostracized. “They did not choose to come here. However, this country is their home, and Gettysburg is their community. Financial aid is supported by many sources including Gettysburg Fund scholarships and the College’s endowment,” she explained. Despite the many steps the college is taking to support such students, Riggs declined to label the college a “sanctuary campus,” as some faculty members have urged. “My focus is on action in support of our students, rather than the terminology. For some, the word sanctuary might imply protection beyond what we can legally provide, and I did not want anyone to draw incorrect inferences
Humans of Gettysburg, pg. 5
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Indoor Track preview, pg. 6