The Gettysburgian - March 2023

The Gettysburgian

A Note from the Editor:

As a senior set to graduate in May, I’ve realized that this will be the last piece I write for The Gettysburgian. My time at this newspaper has been an experience that has shaped me not only as a writer but as a person. It has challenged me to think deeply about the foundation of a place that—for better or worse—has played a part in molding us into the people we are. It has given me a sense of purpose and fulfilled a perception of duty to contribute to this campus positively. For that, I will be forever grateful to this institution and the people behind it.

Although I could fill the remainder of this editor’s note with fond memories of my time at The Gettysburgian, it would not honor the mission it serves to do so.

The Gettysburgian’s motto “Documenting Tomorrow’s History Today” is an adage that stands at the center of what this newspaper means to me. It is a vision carried on the backs of the devoted writers and editors who faithfully toil to keep Gettysburg College students informed. Like all parts of the College, however, our work is not without its imperfections and failings.

At times, we have fallen short in covering systemic injustices, student activism, and including the voices of students of color. As someone who has been involved in The Gettysburgian’s leadership for the past year and a half, these shortcomings are not just The Gettysburgian’s but my own.

When our editorial board stepped into their roles in August of 2022 they inherited a responsibility not only to help steward our campus’ oldest student organization but to avert the mistakes of The Gettysburgian’s past. In every way they know, they have helped grow this newspaper beyond the limits it once knew. I am proud of the progress we have made throughout the last year and proud of the people who helped make it possible.

My hope, however, is that when The Gettysburgian is reborn next August with a new set of editors, its leadership will continue to create a more perfect organization. To “Document Tomorrow History’s Today,” we have to think beyond the status quo and embody the attitudes not of the present but of the future. It’s a tough effort that will require courage and change but will guide the momentum we’ve worked so hard to build into fulfilling the true mission of The Gettysburgian.

In this magazine, please join us as we look at how the Eisenhower Institute hopes to inspire connections between Gettysburg and the Middle East, look at the College’s dissolution of the education major, explore Phi Gamma Delta’s return to campus, and hear the story behind one of students’ favorite local businesses—Waldo’s & Company.

Thank you again for joining us for the latest edition of The Gettysburgian. It’s been an honor.

George Malian ’23

Magazine Editor, The Gettysburgian

By Dominic DiLuzio, Guest Columnist

Examining the Role of the Honor Code Three Years after the Onset of the Pandemic

By Katie Oglesby, Editor-in-Chief

Cultivating Community and Creativity

Dayton,

By Angelina Piette, Guest Columnist

By Laken Franchetti, News Editor

By Kenzie Smith, Staff Writer

Editorial: Student Senate Budget Issues Prove Change is Crucial

By The Gettysburgian Editorial Board

By Laurel Bennett, Staff Writer

(Photo Borna Ganji/The Gettysburgian)

The Commons

OpinionsfromacrossCampus

Compiled by Mikelyn Britt, Opinions Editor

MealExchange

The Bullet Hole is one of the few dining areas on campus, yet it remains inaccessible to a group of students. First years are required to buy the USA plan with unlimited meals, which sounds like a great deal until you consider the fact that these meals are only redeemable at Servo. Servo’s hours are less than ideal, closing at 7:30 p.m. every day. If a first-year gets hungry after the scheduled meal times, their only option for food is Bullet Hole. The problem with the meal plan for first-years is that you are only allotted $75 in dining dollars total over the course of a semester, redeemable at Bullet, the Commons and the Dive. With an average meal costing about $10, you can expect about seven to eight meals outside of the horribly early 7:30 close. Students that work or even have a class or lab will need to spend their own money to subsidize the meal plan they are forced to pay for. Allowing first-year students to get dinner at Bullet Hole instead of only Servo could circumvent this issue, and allow more students to get the meals they actually need when they need them.

— Trevor Hobler ’26

LackofOptions

The vegetarian options here have definitely declined since COVID-19. I remember having a much better selection freshman year, but last year there were times the only things I could eat in servo were steamed vegetables and rice. This year has improved slightly—I can always find carbs and vegetables, but as someone who is starting to get into weightlifting, it’s difficult to get enough protein. During weekday lunches, I can always get a Beyond burger, but dinners and weekends are challenging.

Weekends in particular can be difficult to find food, and there were a couple of times I could only find chickpeas and rice. I’m hoping that as supplies become more available after the pandemic, options will begin to open up again, but the school needs to prioritize vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Students with dietary restrictions that rely on meal plans need to have better options, especially for protein. I sometimes have to supplement my servo meals with more food from my apartment, which shouldn’t have to happen.

— Sabrina Robinette ’23

It’sonYou,Bob Gettysburg College consistently ranks in the country’s most LGBTQunfriendly colleges (#20!). A Gettysburgian article noted that this is not because of a lack of LGBTQ resources on campus; though they must be expanded, the GSRC, Q House, and LGBTQIA+ LIFE are the epitome of “doing great work.” Instead, Gettysburg’s homophobia and transphobia fester because the administration refuses to limit hate speech. Freedom of expression is a pillar of liberal arts; we learn by embracing difference. But there is a limit to acceptable discourse, according to Gettysburg College’s official “Freedom of Expression Philosophy”: “the College may seek to restrict expression that: 1) violates state or federal law; 2) constitutes slander, threats, or harassment; 3) unreasonably invades individual privacy or violates confidentiality interests; or, 4) is directly incompatible with the functioning of the College.” Transphobia and homophobia are harassment; speech about students’ transitions invades their privacy; denigrating students is incompatible with the College’s

mission to foster a safe learning environment. Hate speech endangers students. Yet the administration refuses to enforce its own rules. What happens when a club uses their platform to incite violence against a group of students? How would the administration treat a club request to host neonazis or white supremacists on campus? There must be a line between free speech and hate speech. It’s on you, Bob.

—Carter Hanson ’23

The Value of Print

Recently, a big portion of my life on campus has been connecting with different groups as I have worked to develop a newsletter related to women, gender, and sexuality (WGS) groups and topics on campus. I have been a major in the WGS department for a year now, but have been spending a lot more time on the fourth floor of Weidensall. The community I have reached out to so far in starting the newsletter has been so supportive, and I have met staff and students and deepened my relationships with those I already have. Despite the work of planning meetings and running around campus to put up posters, I have found it incredibly rewarding to provide another resource for people interested in WGS from an academic or social standpoint to access the information in one central place. It has also been amazing to see the people I have collaborated with see the finished product—a physical newsletter. For me, there’s something so special about printing. While social media posts and websites are truly wonderful resources to share information, there is something special about printed copies spreading the word physically on campus, instead of just online.

—Sydney Dyer ’25

(Photo Eric Lippe /The Gettysburgian)

With Student Senate Elections Approaching, Students Reflect on the Meaning of their Vote

By Vincent DiFonzo,

Content

In the upcoming weeks, Student Senate elections will be held to select class officers, senators, and executive board members, including vicepresident and president, for the 2023 to 2024 academic year. All current students are eligible to vote, including graduating seniors.

An email sent to the student body by Senate Vice-President Geoffrey Meadville ’25 outlined important reminders for the elections. Voting begins on Mar. 27, the same day that presidential and vice-presidential debates are scheduled to be held. Additionally, the Senate will host election education sessions on Mar. 21 and 22 at 4 p.m. in Mara Auditorium.

Despite previous efforts to increase student engagement with Senate, voter turnout among students has been low in past elections.

In the elections for the 2022 to 2023 academic year, only 181 students voted for Senate president, with current president Miranda Zamora ’23 as the only candidate on the ballot. In previous years, over 600 students consistently turned out to cast a ballot for president.

Current Senate Executive Board members have taken initiative to increase engagement with the Senate by the student body. Zamora commented on their efforts, stating that they “advertise elections as much as we can in an attempt to get people to vote.” These efforts include tabling in CUB and other activities that allow for students to voice concerns directly to the Senate.

Zamora encouraged students to vote in next month’s elections and said, “Everything is online so it makes it easily accessible to the campus and can be completed anytime within the

Manager

Further, Chaga pointed to concerns such as Senate shutdowns, financial mismanagement, and ignorance of student requests as reasons the student body may be apathetic towards voting. She added that she hopes that Senate will tackle issues such as extending servo hours for Muslim students during Ramadan and extending library hours back to 24/7.

Nate Bowers ’25 said he wants Senate to act on extending hours in Servo and the library. However, he feels that Senate has repeatedly failed to listen to student concerns.

voting period!”

Zamora theorized that voter turnout is low among students because of how engaged many members of the campus are. With students involved in so many activities and courses, Zamora believes that voting “may slip the mind of some students,” causing many engaged students to not cast their ballot.

Zamora remains optimistic that efforts to increase engagement will lead to an increase in voter turnout in the 2023 to 2024 elections.

Several students commented on the importance of casting their ballot in student Senate elections.

Stephanie Chaga ’23 has voted in every Senate election during her time at Gettysburg. Despite this, Chaga expressed discontent with the state of student Senate and fears that her vote is not resulting in any progress.

“ It is apparent that student body concerns and requests are essentially ignored,” said Chaga.

“ If Senate could provide tangible updates and show real progress, then many more students would be engaged and view them favorably,” said Bowers.

On voting, Bowers argued that “not voting can be an act of protest—what mandate will Senate have if only a small proportion of the student body votes?”

Senator-at-Large Nicholas Ryan ‘26 said they believe that it is important to vote in Senate elections even if you feel that it is flawed. “If you dismiss Senate as a lost cause, it both confirms the problem and lets Senate not reflect the student body,” Ryan said.

Additionally, Ryan sees a lack of diversity as an issue in the Senate, saying, “Senate is not diverse, and that will not change unless more people both run and vote.”

Ryan encouraged students to take part in this year›s elections to create a more representative senate body.

(Photo Eric Lippe /The Gettysburgian)

Provisional Phi Gamma Delta Chapter Returns to Campus After Two-Year Suspension

By Alli Dayton, Managing Editor

ThisFebruary, the Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) fraternity initiated 11 members into its chapter, following a two-year suspension.

In Dec. 2020, Gettysburg College suspended FIJI until Jan. 2023, following violations of the College’s COVID-19 protocols. During a campus-wide quarantine period intended to reduce increasing COVID-19 cases, FIJI hosted a party that prompted their suspension. In addition to FIJI’s disobedience of COVID-19 guidelines, the organization committed other conduct violations from 2015 to 2020.

In Aug. 2015, the chapter was found responsible for hazing incidents in which new members were required to do line ups, wall sits, and wear assigned costumes. In Dec. 2015, FIJI was found responsible for enforcing dress regulations for new members, requiring them to clean the chapter house and mandating that they raise the fraternity flag early each morning.

In 2019, the chapter received a 19.8 out of 100 in Greek evaluations, which measure academic achievement and intellectual engagement, member recruitment and retention, community engagement and organizational management.

At the time of FIJI’s suspension, Director of Student Activities and Greek Life Jon Allen stated that the re-establishment of FIJI could begin in spring 2023 and that the fraternity could re-occupy their chapter house by fall 2023.

The organization began its reestablishment in fall 2022 through the efforts of Zach Brooks ’25 and

current Chapter President Ethan Foote ’25.

“We started with an interest group of guys who wanted a different experience out of Greek life than what was currently offered,” said Brooks. “We met with Jon Allen and he put us in the loop that FIJI was looking to do an expansion at Gettysburg College.”

Brooks, who is now the corresponding secretary for the chapter, said, “We realized that what FIJI wanted to do…aligned with what we thought was missing from the Gettysburg Greek life community.”

After agreeing to facilitate FIJI’s re-establishment, interested students like Brooks connected with FIJI’s national headquarters and alumni.

“A group of alumni with graduation years spanning from the mid-1980s to the early 2010s have been working with the student interest group, Phi Gamma Delta Headquarters, and the College on the re-establishment process,” noted Allen. “Over the course of the re-establishment process, this group of alumni will become the advisory board for the chapter… to provide ongoing advising and mentoring to the chapter members.”

Several members expressed that they joined FIJI as an alternative to the traditional fraternity experience.

“When I looked on campus, I saw that in order to be part of [Greek] organizations, you kind of had to fit into a specific box and I didn’t really want to fit into that box, so I saw FIJI as an opportunity to create my own box,” said FIJI

Recording Secretary Joey Labrie ’25.

FIJI member Geoffrey Meadville ’25 specifically identified the negative reputations of other Greek organizations as one of his reasons for joining.

“Greek life on this campus has a really terrible reputation…so I was like, well, I’m not joining those because they sound awful,” said Meadville.

Members also highlighted a desire to change perceptions of Greek life that may prevent students from joining Greek organizations.

“We wanted to make sure we created an inclusive space, so no matter someone’s identity, they felt welcomed,” shared Brooks.

“We wanted to target people who wouldn’t traditionally be in Greek life…like international students and members of the LGBTQ community.”

Meadville added, “We wanted it to be…kind of like a model fraternity for the rest of campus to look at and say ‘we can match that’ or at least feel challenged by and pushed to do better.”

Additionally, members discussed their chapter’s focus on positive components of the fraternity experience.

“We wanted to focus on aspects like philanthropy and highachieving academics,” said Brooks. “We have a national philanthropy…and then we talked about wanting to identify a local organization in Gettysburg we could support.”

Labrie and Brooks noted that FIJI is currently focusing on establishing connections with

(Photo courtesy of Zach Brooks)

campus organizations.

“We have been reaching out to different sororities about mixers,” shared Labrie.

Brooks added, “We signed up to have a team at Airbands, we signed up for the wiffle ball tournament… we also want to find ways of getting involved with other clubs and organizations on campus.”

The chapter is also prioritizing recruitment for this semester, with a goal to recruit approximately ten additional members, according to Labrie.

In the future, FIJI hopes to rejoin the Interfraternity Council (IFC) as a voting member, according to Brooks.

“FIJI is currently a probationary member of IFC because they are not paying dues this semester,” stated Allen. “Once they start paying dues in the fall they will be a full voting member of the IFC.”

FIJI also plans to regain control of its chapter house, located at 105 West Water Street, in fall 2024. In spring 2021, FIJI’s chapter house accommodated a group of 16 firstyear students, as a result of the housing de-densification process that occurred due to the pandemic. Then, in fall 2021, the location became Athena House, a cohort of sorority women, overseen by OSAGL.

“Our senior year, regardless of

how many members we [have], that space is ours again,” said Meadville.

Although OSAGL is working to determine a relocation plan for Athena House, the current building will be returned to FIJI in 2024.

“We will be working with the leadership in the house and the Panhellenic Council over the next year to assess the needs and wants of the sorority community,” said Allen. “Based on the outcome of that assessment we will work with Residential Education to identify a new space that can house the program.”

Athena House Risk Manager Kay Brackett ’23 discussed the impact of losing Athena House’s existing space.

“Replacing a safe space for women on campus with an organization that was no stranger to Title IX investigations is extremely disheartening,” said Brackett. “I can only hope that Athena House will find a new space and that this new beginning for FIJI’s organization will be focused on improving their previous reputation on campus and committing themselves to creating a safe and welcoming social space for all.”

Despite their emphasis on rebranding the organization,

members have experienced challenges with rehabilitating FIJI’s existing reputation among the student body.

“Sorority women…have a very pessimistic attitude toward us as an organization,” shared Meadville. Meadville further explained that prior to his initiation, he received questions from peers about, “how soon you’re going to start a drug ring or what’s your plan for date raping girls.”

Former Students Against Sexual Assault President Sydney Kaplan ’22 expressed her perspective on FIJI’s return to campus.

“I don’t believe that FIJI should continue to be punished for breaking Covid safety measures two and a half years ago; the organization did its time and that is more than sufficient,” said Kaplan. “...Regardless of the fact that classes of brothers have cycled in and out of FIJI for decades, the organization itself has maintained a subpar reputation in recent years and is repeatedly and consistently noted as problematic. At what point do we stop this vicious cycle? Now is the perfect opportunity for FIJI to disappear from campus before their resurrection gains traction.”

In response to negative perceptions about FIJI, Labrie said, “our past doesn’t dictate our future.”

(Photo courtesy of Zach Brooks)

Opinion: Why Labs Should be Worth More than a Fourth Hour

By Angelina Piette, Guest Columnist

Imagine this: you walk into your weekly 1:10 p.m. biology lab. You were told before coming that it was going to be a longer lab and you set your things at the lab bench. It takes the lab instructor thirty minutes to explain the lab before you and your partner dive into it. You watch as the time flies by: 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m. Four hours later, you and your partner finish the lab and are free to leave. You’re exhausted and drained for the rest of the day, thinking about how those four hours spent in the lab were essentially worthless to the eyes of Gettysburg College. Labs are worth no credit at all.

Instead, labs are counted as a ‘fourth hour’ event, which is, according to Gettysburg College’s Academic Course Credit Policy and Declaration Form, a requirement where classes are to meet one hour outside of the three hours spent in the classroom.

Other courses typically assign extra work or ask you to attend lectures outside of the class. Most of the time, you can knock out your fourth hour assignments in the first few weeks of the semester. STEM students in lab-based courses are required to attend labs, which can take anywhere from two to five hours on occasion to complete. This is a weekly occurrence on top of the additional work assigned to students during the lab. What was set up as ‘an hour outside of the classroom’ soon became several hours. The worst part of it all is that this was normalized and the many

hours spent in a lab was seen as equal to other classes.

I have taken fifteen lab-based courses. All of these courses were taxing and took up a majority of my time during the week. While I have watched my friends leave class early and spend more time taking naps and breaks throughout the day, I have been stuck in the lab conducting experiments.

Further, scheduling courses per semester becomes a mess due to limited space from mandatory lab sections. Labs block off three to four hours in a day and prevent you from taking other classes you need as a requirement or for your own interest. They are a large reason why I dropped my writing minor; I didn’t have the space or time to take the required classes to fulfill my minor.

As a senior biology and environmental studies double major, I feel as if my work is devalued when I assess my transcript. My credited hours are only a reflection of the lecture courses I took and not of the fifteen labs associated with them. The labs themselves were extremely helpful for my personal growth, but others would never see this based on my current transcript. All those hours amounted to nothing. No credit. No grade. Nothing to represent the hard work and dedication students like myself put toward labs during their time at Gettysburg College. My real question is if this is worth the work? Is it right to reduce the

efforts students put into a lab as a ‘fourth hour’ event?

As a student pursuing research beyond Gettysburg College, zero-accredited labs become a much more complicated issue for applying to graduate schools. Many programs ask for your GPA and grades for lectures and labs separately. Graduate schools don’t want to see if you can memorize information and excel in an exam, they want to see if you can perform. Can you take information and apply it to an experiment? Are you capable of conducting your own research? These questions are impossible to answer if your college does not credit or grade labs to assess efforts in the lecture course and the lab as different entities. With the lecture and lab grades combined, graduate schools cannot observe your capabilities. You may be able to perform better in the lab than the lecture component, but graduate schools will not recognize this if labs are not represented as a separate course; graded and credited for to show the schools you apply for that you are an applicable and reliable candidate to work with.

However, this current system could allow students to excel in a way that benefits their GPA. A lab can be used to boost a student’s class grade and cumulative GPA, which can only be achieved if the lab and lecture sections are counted as one course.

Even so, the intrinsic design of a lab includes a separate syllabus,

(Photo Eric Lippe /The Gettysburgian)

exams, quizzes, and papers, and is essentially identical to the material assigned in a non-lab-based class. Even if the labs are an additional component and may cover the same material as the lecture component, the workload is twice as much as any other class.

According to the United States Department of Education, the legal definition of a ‘credit-hour’ is a “unit of measure that gives value to the level of instruction, academic rigor, and time requirements for a course taken at an educational institution…to establish a standard measure of faculty workloads, costs of instruction, and rates of educational efficiency as well as a measure of student work for transfer students.” I beg the question: why are the students’ time and work put into a lab and the faculty’s academic effort at this educational institution not given any value?

Let’s take the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s system, for example. Credit hours allotted to undergraduate students for MIT subjects are defined by, “hours per week of lecture or recitation,

hours per week of lab or field work, and hours per week of outside preparation.” Therefore, if you spend three hours a week in lecture, two hours a week in lab, and seven hours on outside preparation, the total credits received for this subject is twelve units.

What I suggest is not to completely rearrange the system Gettysburg College has, but to give labs credit where credit is due. Since students receive one credit hour per course, I believe a quarter credit should be given to labs. This would directly align with what is stated in the college’s Academic Course Credit Policy and Declaration Form: “quarter-unit courses are the equivalent of 1 semester hour. In lecture-discussion courses, an average of 3 hours of student time per week is claimed. … Applied study earning a quarter-unit meets or exceeds the standard of an average of 3 hours of work per week in a 15-week semester.” Labs, on average, claim three hours of student time per week during the semester and, therefore, meets the expectations set by Gettysburg College to receive a quarter-unit.

Hard-working stem majors and minors deserve to be recognized and valued for the time-consuming coursework they put into classes and labs. Because the school gives zero credit hours to labs, students may even lose the motivation to continue with their declared majors or minors. I’ve lost my way many times throughout my college career due to a loss of motivation in labs. You tend to forget along the way how cool experiments are; you’re conducting incredible ground-breaking research and learning amazing new skills to carry with you past your time at Gettysburg College.

I ask, is the thrill of the lab really worth it? At this college, where we are told to do great work and excel, how are we supposed to do that if our work is undervalued? Labs should be appreciated and should be recognized for credit hours. By doing so, students would thrive in STEM-based courses in an environment where their work is respected and treated as equal to other courses.

(Photo Eric Lippe /The Gettysburgian)

Opinion: Gettysburg College is Stuck in the Past

By Dominic DiLuzio, Guest Columnist

Gettysburg is known for its rich Civil War history. College ambassadors highlight the history of the College from the moment a new student steps onto campus, speaking of Union and Confederate troops occupying Penn Hall and underscoring almost every inspirational message with a historic Gettysburg anecdote. However, this inseparability from its history has had an unintentional effect on the College: it has anchored us in the past, preventing innovation, growth, and forward-thinking throughout almost all aspects of the campus community.

Architecturally, the College is stuck in the mid-20th century. Freshman accommodations on their own are an embarrassment to the College and stand alone in their deficits relative to other similar colleges: the gray stone buildings of Dickinson give its campus character and elegance, compared to Gettysburg’s lime-stained, decaying, dilapidated brick rectangles. This, combined with antiquated motels that desperately need new paint, “newconstruction” apartment buildings made of the same boring red brick, and a library that, at risk of being blunt, is plain ugly.

This isn’t a “don’t judge a book by its cover” story—the interior of these halls is almost as bad as their forlorn facades. Servo maintains decor that evokes images of the menu at an Italian restaurant on some hazy vacation. The common rooms of the freshman halls bring a whole new meaning to “tragedy of the commons”—stinking, monochromatic, unpleasant rooms with three to four pieces of furniture fresh from the town dump. The inside of the library is a doctor’s office from 2003. Weidensall is a case study in the landlord ’s special. Even Glatfelter, arguably the most elegant building on campus, leaves much to be desired on the interior.

But worse, beyond just being sickly to look at, Gettysburg’s halls are literally sickening. The basement of Hanson Hall is uninhabitable due to a mold problem (yet still houses laundry facilities) and air conditioners across all freshman dorms are known to house large colonies of mold. These buildings are completely unfit for modern dependence on electronic items. According to the College itself, the presence of air conditioners in every freshman room (a basic and simple amenity) is impossible due to their ability to handle the electrical load. How’s that for historic? Even upperclassmen halls have repeated issues with squirrels, spiders, and mold, begging the question: “College residence or tenement?”

While the College claims to be—and, for the most part, is—innovative within the classroom, there is a constant struggle against the old and the new. With many professors banning laptops for note-taking in classrooms, the faculty of this institution seems to be resistant to modern technology and the modern way of operating within the world. No one would expect, in a secondary institution in 2023, that professors would require essays to be printed for grading or for notebooks and pencils to be required to take notes. Modern technology will not disappear tomorrow. Many employers desire employees that are proficient at using new technology. To restrict the use of technology in the classroom is to admit, openly, that we are stuck teaching the curriculum of yesteryear, no longer focused on providing an education that is modern and no longer equipping our students with the skills for careers beyond.

Gettysburg cannot attract and develop creative, pioneering and groundbreaking students when we cultivate an institution that, through its architecture and beliefs, has a reliance on a long-gone past. We need to break free of historical inhibitions, creating buildings and curricula that encourage and promote the true reason for secondary education; to equip students with the tools, knowledge and mindset needed to enter the modern world. As an institution, we, while still acknowledging our rich and important past, need to get with the times and strive to cultivate the innovation we attempt to preach.

(Photos Eric Lippe /The Gettysburgian)

(Photo Eric Lippe/The Gettysburgian)

What is That? The Outdoor Sculptures of Gettysburg College

By Victoria Staub, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Eachday, students pass by numerous outdoor works of art and may not be aware of their origins. Some of these sculptures are straightforward depictions of people, and others are far more abstract. While some creek ominously on a windy day, others look simply like a stylized pile of rocks. Unsurprisingly, these sculptures carry unique histories, most of which have been forgotten over time. A few of these sculptures have almost no record today, but the histories of some are recounted here:

“Atlantus Rising III” by Salvatore V. DeMaio (1969)

According to the 1969 Gettysburg College Alumni Magazine, “Atlantus Rising III” is 1,000 pounds of A-32 steel located on the plaza of McCreary Hall. This sculpture was inspired by a pile of steel that the artist, Salvatore DeMaio ’69, had seen near the College. This steel pile was what remained of an observation tower from the Gettysburg National Military Park. DeMaio wished utilize this exact steel for his sculpture, but it was unfortunately not usable for this type of project. This was the first sculpture by a student to be a permanent fixture to the College’s campus.

“Eisenhower at Gettysburg” by Norman Annis (1970)

This life-size bronze statue of former President and Gettysburg legend Dwight D. Eisenhower was sculpted by former Gettysburg College art professor Norman Annis. The subject of the statue, President Eisenhower, is an older man, one that the Gettysburg

community was more familiar with. According to a Cupola published paper by Jamie Kessler ’08, Annis utilized photographs and the memories of friends and associates of Ike to depict the former president as life-like as possible. In 1984, the original statue was destroyed in a storm, so Annis remade it. This new statue was “very rushed and not nearly as good as the first,” according to Annis. Currently, the statue resides outside of the Admissions Office building which formerly served as Eisenhower’s office.

“Sentinel” by Martin Puryear (1982)

Known to most students as “the rock thing near Glatfelter Hall,” “Sentinel” was commissioned as a commemoration of Gettysburg College’s Sesquicentennial. According to a recent publication by Merlyn Maldonado ’22 and Dr. Shannon Egan, “Sentinel” was awarded $22,000 in funding by the Art in Public Places Grant from the National Endowment for Arts. The College payed the additional $25,000 required to complete the project. Martin Puryear, the artist of the sculpture, utilized local fieldstones, such as stones from a local quarry and the remnants of one of the first buildings on Gettysburg’s campus, Linnaean Hall, to create an abstract piece that honors the tradition of Gettysburg in a modernist format. “Sentinel” faced quite a bit of criticism, particularly by Gettysburg students via The Gettysburgian, one of which referred to it as a “12-foot shark fin” (Michael Ripley ’84). Another student, Nicholas Micros ’82, on the other hand, helped

build the sculpture. In the years following the installation of “Sentinel” on Gettysburg’s campus, Puryear became very famous in his field, even receiving the National Medal of Arts by President Obama in 2011. Some works, such as “Anemotive Kinetic 4/97” by Robert Mangold (1997) located outside of the Science Center, serve the sole purpose of creating art from the moving wind, or at least that’s what can be inferred, given the lack of well-kept records. Others, even further lost to time, are simply stones and glass with the semblance of a name on a nearby plaque, such as “Trilogy Graces” by Glenn Zweygardt (20002004) located outside of Kline Theatre. Despite Gettysburg College being an institution that certainly does not allow for its own history to be forgotten, its sculptures have somehow become mysteries. Therefore, it is important for Gettysburgians to remember these works.

(Photos Eric Lippe /The Gettysburgian)

The Sentinel

The Dissolution of the Education Department

By Laken Franchetti, News Editor

Gettysburg College has dissolved its education department. Professor of Education in the Department of Sociology, Director of Educational Studies and Director of Community Based Learning and Research Divonna Stebick explained that this occurred following a shrinking staff and the discontinuation of the teacher certification programs that were housed within the department.

The college has never made educational studies a major, yet it has been offered as a minor for several years. The teacher certification program previously existed as another option for students within the education

department.

Stebick explained how students utilized the certification program.

“ If you were going to be a social studies teacher, you would more than likely major in history and then do the teacher [certification] program. Social studies and English are the biggest [programs], and those are the departments that I feel are going to be hurt the most,” Stebick said.

As of fall 2021, the education department no longer accepted new cohorts of students to the teacher certification programs housed in the department. These

programs focused on teaching English, math, science, social studies, or foreign languages. The only teacher certification program currently offered by the college is within the music education program.

“ I think when they decided to suspend the teacher recertification program a few years ago, it was definitely the writing on the wall that they don’t want to put any more support into [the department],” Stebick said.

Mathematics major Antoinette Chango ’24 joined the teacher certification program prior to its discontinuation. She has been able

(Photo Eric Lippe/The Gettysburgian)

to complete the certification in the intended way, yet the department’s dissolution has brought difficulties.

“ I am saddened by the fact that the certification program no longer exists as it is a major reason why I’m at Gettysburg,” Chango said. “I do also feel as though, while the quality of professors and classes [has] stayed as wonderful as it was before the program dissolved, the quantity of professors and individuals who know how to help me along my path has greatly decreased. The advisor for math [certification] students, which is what I am, left Gettysburg at the end of last year, which was a shock to me and my peers.”

History major and educational studies minor Kelsey Grillo ’24 was not able to join a certification cohort before the program was discontinued.

“ The college’s decision to phase out the teacher certification program has also affected my studies—being that I planned on fulfilling program requirements to become a certified educator in the state of Pennsylvania,” Grillo said. “As a result of this, I was left to do outside research regarding my options for certification (if at all) and briefly considered transferring institutions.”

Stebick said she has worked with Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Dean of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Programs

Jennifer Bloomquist to locate alternative certification programs that students can participate in outside of the college. Although the college recently went through accreditation with the state and has the licenses to offer teacher certification for the next ten years,

this option is no longer available for students.

Following the discontinuation of the certification programs, the education department was dissolved. This decision was made official in November of 2022. Stebick was relocated to the sociology department. She also noted that Director of the First-Year Seminar Program and Public Policy Associate Professor Dave Powell, another staff member of the education department, was relocated to public policy.

Powell explained his feelings regarding the decision to dissolve the education department and discontinue the teacher certification program.

“

To me, teacher education is a responsibility all colleges and universities should embrace and I firmly believe that we could have had a truly unique and exceptional program here for years to come, so this was a tough pill to swallow,” Powell said. “But change is a fact of life. Whatever the motivation was, the decision has been made and it seems to be final.

Powell shared his thoughts on if he believes the certification program could return.

“Reversing a decision like this one would take enormous willpower and commitment and the College just simply seems to have other priorities,” Powell said. “I can tell you that I did not agree with this decision, but I have come to accept it and have been told unequivocally that it will not be reversed. I do not expect it to be.”

The educational studies program was formed from what remained of the department, and the minor is still being offered to students.

“ We know there’s still plenty of students here who want to be either a special education teacher or an elementary teacher, and if we allowed them to minor, then they would have the foundation in order to go to graduate school or into one of those alternative [certification] tracks,” Stebick said. “Last May, it was the third largest minor on campus.”

The college administration has yet to make an official announcement to students regarding the education department’s dissolution, and Stebick believes that this is a major issue, as students are not informed about the changes and may not understand what the educational studies program still offers them. Chango serves as a tour guide for the college’s admission office and shared that the lack of an official statement has made it difficult to answer questions about the educational studies program. Powell also believes this to be an issue.

“ If it were up to me we’d issue a full and transparent explanation for the decision and the reasons it was made. I hope the College chooses to do that,” said Powell.

Despite the multitude of changes to the program, Stebick is excited at the chance to teach classes with fewer state regulations that came from being classified with the Department of Education.

“ I am now teaching things that are not being [overseen] by a state and state regulations. I teach a class on creativity called Creativity: Teaching, Learning, and Cross Disciplinary Applications, and it’s amazing,” Stebick said. “There is also the Introduction to Educational Studies course. I love teaching about education inequalities and bringing that

(Photo Eric Lippe/The Gettysburgian)

to the surface because so many students have had very privileged lives, and they have no idea how hard some folks, even on this campus, have had to get to this point.”

Psychology major and educational studies minor Tristan Neels ’24 has recognized this passion and commitment that Stebick and Powell provide to the educational studies program.

“ I think it’s a bit sad to see the dissolution of the department because it’s been a big part of my time here at Gettysburg. However, I think that with the professors that we have at the helm, I have no doubt that the spirit and the overall goals of the Education Department will continue,” Neels said.

Stebick described how she hopes to see the educational studies program evolve in the future.

“ I want to continue to see it as a minor. I would love to explore the idea of it as a major… sociology of education or social justice within education,” Stebick said. “I do see that it could be a major, but I don’t see it ever becoming a teacher certification program again because it’s definitely not a priority from administration.”

Grillo echoed similar thoughts regarding the administration›s treatment of the program.

“ I feel that it is clear that the college administration is not prioritizing the Educational Studies program,” Grillo said. “It is honestly a shame that the [department] is being dissolved; there are so many amazing professors being displaced and educational opportunities being lost.”

After graduation from Gettysburg, Grillo intends to return home to Massachusetts to attain teacher certification and pursue further education programs there.

Sociology and Spanish double major with a minor in educational studies Julia Piness ’23 also expressed frustration with the college administration’s choices. Starting in the fall of 2022, the College offered an American history master’s degree program for teachers after they had discontinued the teacher certification program.

“ From a student perspective, even not as one in the teacher [certification] program, seeing that was disheartening and hypocritical,” Piness said. “As an

institution of higher education itself, the College should understand the value of training educators and teaching students about the education system.”

Piness explained the importance that the educational studies program has had for her and the opportunities that have come from participating in the program.

“ Professor Stebick and the other professors I had were very dedicated to their classes, advisees, and the program. I am currently applying for jobs at nonprofits focused on education, and I would not have had this passion or career path if it were not for the Educational Studies program,” said Piness.

(Photo Eric Lippe/The Gettysburgian)

(Photo Will Oehler /The Gettysburgian)

Danny Sebright Inspires Connections Between Gettysburg Students and the Middle East

By Laurel Bennett, Staff Writer

Danny Sebright currently serves as the President of the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council, but he is also the leader of the Eisenhower Institute (EI) program Contours of the Middle East. He previously served as an intelligence officer and policy analyst on the Middle East Peace Process with President Clinton and President Bush, as well as a U.S. diplomat in numerous U.S. Embassies. Sebright also worked in the private sector for Secretary William S. Cohen with The Cohen Group and received the Department of Defense Exceptional Civilian Service Award for his service.

Before his career in international affairs, Sebright grew up on a family farm with Gettysburg College in his backyard. After leaving the area for college and to build his own career, he returned to Gettysburg around fifteen years ago. Sebright has traveled to over 120 countries and has lived in approximately ten, ultimately making a “full-circle” back to his origins in Gettysburg.

After Sebright returned to Gettysburg, EI Expert-inResidence Susan Eisenhower recommended that he become involved with EI by serving on the EI National Advisory Council. This ultimately led to him teaching Contours of the Middle East.

Given Sebright’s background in the military, intelligence, politics, and business, he often considers the impact of these factors on international relationships, especially with the U.S.’s influence

in the Middle East.

Sebright explained that through his work with The Business Council he, “works with the private sector to promote business by helping them understand what are the priorities of the U.S. and U.A.E. governments, pushing the relationship forward in the future.”

Sebright has continued to share his experiences and knowledge through his role as a guest lecturer with EI. His program serves as a survey of current issues in the Middle East through an American perspective.

“ We cover political, military, strategic, economic, and economic drivers, as well as cultural and societal changes, like the role of women in society and growing tolerance with the acceptance of all religions,” Sebright said.

Guest speakers have included current and former U.S. government officials, such as ambassadors and generals, who bring their perspectives about working in the Middle East. Additionally, Sebright

arranges meetings with foreign diplomats and think tank leaders to provide diverse views. The program also centers around how large global events bring awareness of the Middle East to U.S. society.

According to Sebright, one component of the program’s success has been its experiential learning opportunity, which occurs through an annual tour of the Middle East. This year, participants traveled to Israel and the U.A.E. over spring break.

Sebright explained that the Middle East has changed in a positive manner due to the Abraham Accords, which recognize Israel’s sovereignty and emphasize the importance of maintaining and strengthening peace in the Middle East in order to move past the historic Arab-Israeli conflict.

Regarding the program’s impact, Sebright shared, “It’s important for me if I can help positively influence the way just one or two students think about the Middle East.”

Sebright’s influence extends beyond the program, including giving a student an internship with his own organization in his first year. “I’ve helped at least two or three students get internships and jobs every semester,” Sebright said.

“Going forward, my interest is to work directly with the students to provide opportunities for learning and growth.”

Through his position within EI, Sebright enjoys informing students about the Middle East and helping students to further their own careers in diplomacy and national security.

(Photo Will Oehler /The Gettysburgian)

Examining the Role of the Honor Code Three Years after the Onset of the Pandemic

By Katie Oglesby, Editor-in-Chief

Gettysburg College has had an Honor Code since 1957, though it has undergone revision since then. The version that students see in their classrooms, and are expected to adhere by, says: “I affirm that I have upheld the highest principles of honesty and integrity in my academic work and have not witnessed a violation of the Honor Code.”

According to Sam Arkin ’23, a member of the Honor Commission and a student worker with the Office of Student Success, “The honor commission in the year of 2021-22 has experienced the lowest amount of reported violations since 2012-13.”

This follows what he called an “extremely stressful time for students and faculty” in the

academic years of 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021 when the pandemic was in full swing. Multiple members of the Honor Commission told The Gettysburgian that reported violations increased during the beginning of the pandemic while classes were held online.

Arkin explained this recent drop in Honor Code violations, saying, “As a student I find that post covid I have more take home exams than I had pre covid. I think this is indicative of the faculty perspective that students may still be able to learn if not do a better job with more resources and more time. I concede that this may open the possibilities for cheating, but I… theorize that students feel less of a need to cheat with take home resources.”

He also noted that the Honor Commission is still working on collecting data for the current academic year.

While Arkin spoke with optimism about the current state of academic integrity on campus, going so far as to say, “I truly believe that the position students and faculty are in reflect a greater care for the academic integrity of the college,” some faculty members thought differently.

Assistant Professor of Sociology Alecea Standlee said, “As a sociologist, I wonder if there is what’s known as an ‘intervening variable’ here. Rather than the decline in reports being an indicator of only what students are doing, I think it›s the result of what faculty are doing too. The pandemic made

(Photo Eric Lippe/The Gettysburgian)

us think creatively about how we assess our students, and I suspect some faculty may be using new assignments that they developed during the pandemic, like my open note tests, that make cheating less rewarding. I do think students are thinking more deeply about what they want out of life, in the wake of the pandemic, and maybe this too has influenced what’s going on.”

Assistant Professor of Political Science Lindsay Reid noted, “ I do worry…that it’s increasingly tempting to cheat with access to the internet and AI, and I think the Honor Commission and faculty need to work on a plan to address the changing nature of resources available to students (AI specifically).”

Co-Chair of the Honor Commission Spencer Ashnault ’26 noted that the Honor Commission is concerned about new technology, saying, “In my role, I am aware of accessibility to resources like Open AI, phones, smartwatches, and others that are available to students. The Honor Commission is currently in the process of updating our Honor Code to reflect current times.”

Reid said that she has kept her exams open-note despite classes being back in person.

“As we transitioned back to a more “normal” learning environment,” Reid said. “I realized I tended to like a couple aspects of take-home exams. Specifically, I like that they move away from the memorization model (memorize for exams and immediately forget information post-exam) and they give space for more critical thinking and deeper responses (because students have access to the readings).”

Reid also said that she made the

exams open-book and open-note with the understanding that students would probably use those resources anyway, even if it were a violation of the Honor Code.

However, Reid said, “In the real world, people generally have access to resources (books, notes, etc.), so I’m increasingly comfortable with students having some access to them for exams.”

Standlee similarly has chosen to have open-note and take-home essay exams.

Standlee said, “ My motivations for designing the assignments like that are rooted first in the idea that an essay is the best way for students to show they understand the complexity of sociology. I acknowledge that different subjects might require different kinds of evaluation, but for me, that is the best. I do think the Honor Code policy influenced my decision to some degree. I worried that the students who choose to disregard the Honor Code would learn less than students who didn’t but might still get high grades. This seemed like a source of inequity.”

Bella Hoffman ’23, who has taken two classes with Standlee, spoke on the benefits of open-note exams when it comes to the Honor Code.

“ I think open note exams are a great way to test students,” Hoffman said. “Not only does it help prevent honor code violations as students know they can access their notes, I think it has countless other benefits. For me, when I know professors are giving open note exams I take more detailed notes and have less testing anxiety. I think for many students, they prefer open note testing, partly because we don’t have to worry about there being an honor code

violation.”

Member of the Honor Commission Drew Lemon ’24 attributed increases of Honor Code violations during the pandemic to “COVID-19 related academic learning styles.”

He continued, “As students were taking exams outside of the classroom, they would utilize open book resources and other online platforms to answer questions. However, as we have returned to campus and have begun to take tests back into a traditional format, these honor code violations have decreased. I attribute these decreases in the traditional forms of test taking as students are required to memorize a test, sit in person and take an exam in the pre-covid format.”

Ashnault said he believes students respect the Honor Code.

“ It seems that most cases presented to the Honor Commission are first year students who are not as well versed in the Honor Code and its principles,” he said. “Also, we understand as a commission that resources are becoming widely available for students. I feel as [if] it is the job of the commission to help promote a culture of honesty and integrity.”

Despite this, Will Oehler ’26 questioned the value of the Honor Code now.

“ The Honor Code is out of date because no matter the rules, people are going to cheat,” he said. “It’s not this omnipresent person that is looking over everyone. An organization functions best when the rules work not for the one percent that act out but for the respect and betterment of the whole.”

(Photo Eric Lippe/The Gettysburgian)

Cultivating Community and Creativity

By Kenzie Smith, Staff Writer

Waldo’s & Company, popular among Gettysburg College students and the local community, is a non-profit art space and coffee house located in downtown Gettysburg. Waldo’s sells artwork made in-house and hosts events with live music. The venue has created a welcoming space for members of the community to be involved through volunteer opportunities and for local artists to develop and display their talents. It is also connected with the college community by hosting Listeners & Performers events.

The journey of Waldo’s began approximately ten years ago in Chris Lauer’s art studio. Lauer, a co-founder of Waldo’s, put open studio signs outside of his studio’s warehouse, and people started to fill the space.

“ Friends started hanging out, spending time there, making art, making music, and I think eventually we started dreaming about what it would look like if we had a concert venue and more studio space and be able to support artists in the community,” Lauer said.

After about a year of operating out of Lauer’s studio, what had become Waldo’s moved to its current location where they have been able to fulfill their dreams of expanding while sticking to their root mission.

“Our main mission is making sure artists have access to equipment they need to keep producing. And the coffee house and community side is a way to benefit that as well,” Lauer said.

Although community is not the

main mission of Waldo’s, it is still a very important aspect of the nonprofit.

“ We’re all about community. Making sure that there’s space for people to connect and be together that’s open after six o’clock and not serving alcohol. Making sure that there’s some space there for people of all ages to access,” Lauer said.

Lauer made special mention of how the venue is a mixing spot for people of the community and students from the college.

“ I’m interested [in] intersections of communities that don’t often come together. I think this space is allowing a really neat bridge, especially between the college and community experience,” Lauer said.

Bar manager and chair of the artists committee Ethan Hartranft also spoke about how important it is to have a space like Waldo’s that is a place supporting local artists

and creating community.

“Giving people just a generally really easy way to, like, interact with and support just regular artists in their community I feel like isn’t super possible without an intermediary like [Waldo’s],” Hartranft said.

Another volunteer that has been impacted by the non-profit is Gettysburg student Will Oehler ’26. Oehler first discovered Waldo’s during Family Weekend last semester and was immediately interested in the darkroom.

“ I walked in and saw they had a darkroom and was super excited that I could find one so close to me with a small charge that would totally offset [what] I was spending on labs developing and scanning my film. I spoke with Chris and signed up for the membership and learned I could get a discount on that if I volunteered. I felt I’d have fun making coffee so I signed up for both!” Oehler said.

Oehler found more than just a place to develop his film and volunteer at; he discovered a place that would provide him with community.

“ I wish I had found Waldo’s my first month at college, it has given me an amazing community to be a part of and go to when school and social life is getting to be too much. Everyone is such an incredible person. Waldo’s has made an immense positive impact on my academic and non-academic life,” Oehler said.

(Photo Sofia Gutierrez/The Gettysburgian)

Taking a Gettysburg College Education to Capitol Hill

By Kyle Hammerness, Features Editor

Undergraduate Fellowship. She explained, “We went to London to study the effects of highspeed rail. The whole year was transportation. Policy, planes, trains, and automobiles, so to speak. We arranged meetings with members of Parliament, we got to sit in on a transportation hearing in Parliament, and we met with other stakeholders and groups to talk about their rail system.”

that he was coming back to the Hill and asked if I was interested in joining his staff as a legislative assistant.”

Growing up in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Giulia DiGuglielmo ’18 always had an interest in history. This developed into an interest in politics, and when she came to Get Acquainted Day, the Eisenhower Institute immediately drew her attention.

DiGuglielmo said, “After that weekend, I had chosen Gettysburg because I had really loved how unique the Eisenhower Institute was, and that was not something that other schools had.”

DiGuglielmo said that on her third day at Gettysburg, she walked into the Eisenhower Institute to introduce herself. Later that semester, she applied for the Inside Politics program, but she was not accepted. Despite this setback she joined the Eisenhower Institute as an office assistant, and the next semester she reapplied and was accepted into Inside Politics. During her sophomore year, she participated in Women and Leadership before joining Susan Eisenhower’s Strategy & Leadership in Transformational Times her junior year.

Her favorite program was the

DiGuglielmo highlighted that even if someone does not get into the program their first try, they should apply in the future.

Her classes in political science also helped her in her career in the House of Representatives. DiGuglielmo said, “I took five classes with Professor Bruce Larson. His classes were always so engaging, thoughtful, and dialogue based. [His class on Congress] was fabulous, and I find myself thinking on that class when I›m writing memos, and it shaped a lot of how I think.”

After graduation DiGuglielmo joined Congressman Hal Rogers’s staff and became legislative correspondent. She drafted the Congressman’s communications and assisted with press clips. DiGuglielmo said, “It was cool to have the exposure to that type of work. However, by the end of that year, I was itching to be promoted.”

She put out inquiries for policy jobs, and heard back from Congressman Darrell Issa’s Chief of Staff. DiGuglielmo said, “I stayed in contact with her because I had interned for [Congressman Issa] while at Gettysburg. She said

In this role, DiGuglielmo has gained a policy portfolio covering issues ranging from natural resources, energy, agriculture, health care, education and labor, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. She explained, “my job is to know those issues and generally understand them. You know, I would love to say I’m an expert on every single thing that I do but when you have 14 different areas of policy in your sandbox, that›s close to impossible.”

She continued, “I review legislation that ’s coming to the floor or coming to committee. When the Congressman has an idea or if I have an idea that he likes, I draft and prepare legislation. The last thing I do is meet with constituents and stakeholders to hear their inputs, you know what matters to them, which oftentimes will lead to legislation or [Congressman Issa] having thoughts about things we’re voting on.”

Gettysburg College had a major impact on DiGuglielmo and her journey to Capitol Hill. Since graduation she said she has loved her experience working in Congress and especially with Congressman Issa. She said, “It is fast paced. It is awesome. He is a fantastic boss, and I never want to leave.”

Editorial: Student Senate Budget Issues Prove Change is Crucial

By The Gettysburgian

The spring 2023 semester has brought many debates regarding the Senate as a successful governing body due to their ineffective budget allocation for this academic year. At the start of the year, Senate was allotted $92,116 and by the end of the fall semester, $77,299.89 had been allocated, allowing for the rest of the spring semester budget to total $18,576.11—leaving merely 16 percent of the budget for the second half of the year. Some of the allocations will be used for events in the spring that have already been budgeted as shown through these figures. Despite this point, there is still an evident misuse of the budget.

Student Senate has commented on the issues of budgeting this year blaming much of the impact on inflation and more clubs asking for funds than usual. As life returns to pre-COVID levels on campus, clubs have continued their initial needs for budgeting from before the pandemic. With many of the student senate members having entered college in the abrupt pandemic state, they were likely not trained as well on how to handle an average year’s budget. While inflation is an issue that all Americans are facing and all colleges are dealing with nationwide, it is not fair to blame an entire year’s budgeting issues on the economic state of the country. It is a share of the issue, but not the entire cause. Senate

Editorial Board

should take responsibility for the lack of leadership training and understanding of a functioning campus returning from COVIDlevels of organizing events.

Apart from the already extraneous allocation of the budget acrossthe board, much of the campus’s concerns have been surrounded by the ski club. The ski club, as already allocated in the budget in the fall semester, was allotted $8,840, nearly 10 percent of the annual budget. The College’s ski club is a student-run organization that, according to their mission statement available on their website, “hopes to introduce the winter sports of skiing and snowboarding to students of all abilities through meetings and trips to nearby mountains.” It is no secret that such winter sports are expensive meaning that a minimal number of students are able to participate. It is irresponsible to distribute such a substantial amount of money in the budget for the hobby of a select few. The ski club is just a prominent example of the Senate’s controversial allocation choices and is not wholly to blame given how many clubs compete for the budget. Despite this fact, change must start with the recognition of such misuse of the budget.

A shift is absolutely necessary if the Senate wishes to continue functioning effectively as a governing body for the student

population and it needs to be fixed from the inside. As already stated, many students outside of the Senate have been educated in the COVID-era of a working campus. In order to properly govern a campus regaining speed from the lasting pandemic, there needs to be leadership training. Such training would include professionals or past senators suited to instruct a group of college students in running a budget similar to pre-COVID levels. It would be necessary that professional conduct also be taught as the tensions in Senate have only caused further issues in a functioning organization. Levels of professionalism are the bare minimum requirement in working as a representative member of campus. Members being barred from committees, impeachment and the repetitive threats thereof cause disfunction in Senate and impact the larger campus without getting us closer to a solution. Leadership training will educate and support continuing members to efficiently run an organization that impacts last beyond their years.

The pressing issue surrounding the budget has not gone unrecognized by Senate and there have been discussions towards creating better management of the budget for the future. In a January meeting, Director of the Office of Student Activities and Greek Life (OSAGL) and Senate Faculty Advisor Jon Allen, noted that other institutions required clubs with budgets expected to be large to

bring their requests forward earlier in the year. This practice might help create more efficient execution of the budget by allocating larger costs first. Senate has also begun discussion of changing their constitution including voting outside the presence of the club to request approvals. These ideas are good starts to aid the future of the College campus, but they will only benefit students if executed properly in practice.

Senate is not the only organization to blame for the budget’s expense. Clubs have relied on Senate’s generous budget allocations for a long time instead of using free resources already available to them. OSAGL has offered paint supplies, decorations, games, sound systems, a mobile phone booth, and a popcorn machine to clubs without having to go through Senate. As a result of the current depleted state of the budget, clubs that cannot be supported by OSAGL’s free resources are now forced to cut the costs of their events. The current frugal event budgeting teaches a valuable lesson in prioritizing costs rather than using a catch-all system.

In the likely event that the Senate’s budget depletes, they will then have to dip into the rollover fund. The rollover fund is built by excess remains from previous years and is currently set at $21,489.53. The fund has been previously used for Senate projects including the bikeshare and the inclusion of water fountains in first-year dorms. Aside from the Senate’s use of the fund, it has additionally been accessed by organizations aiding underprivileged students. Mosaic Minds provides textbooks for students struggling with financial issues in ordering textbooks. The Myra T. Heron

Fund supports academic activities, study abroad and research aid for underrepresented students. It is increasingly likely that both of these programs will go underfunded because of the failures of Senate’s budgeting practices. Not only have students within this academic year been affected by the Senate’s lack of organization, but marginalized students entering the college years from now will be facing the repercussions of this senate’s actions on their educational success at the college.

Apart from the initial affair of poor budget organization, there is a general disconnect between the Student Senate and the campus population. There is a lack of voting on campus with only 181 votes for president and 207 votes for vice president coming in through elections on a campus with over two thousand students. In tandem with little voter representation, the Senate positions have included a select number of individuals that continue to win positions regardless of job efficiency – with some candidates even running unopposed. The low voting turnout creates issues of representation in the Senate and forms a closed-off organization that continues to turn out the same candidates and officers every year. It is necessary for any governing organization that positions change and are introduced with new perspectives privy to issues otherwise unknown to the existing members of the Senate. This does not only come with freshman senators who are new to campus, but in representations and changing positions of all years. Without a change to the Senate members, the organization remains stagnant and perpetuates the same issues.

The solution for a change in

Senate is clear: students on campus need to vote. In order for anything to change there need to be new voices in Senate. While the current members of Senate are not to be completely blamed for the issues with the budget and campus disconnect, the only way change can happen is through the introduction of new perspectives. Students should also feel encouraged to run for office and produce more candidates. Including new students in Senate will bridge the disconnect and have the organization function as a greater representation of the campus population rather than have the voice of the few speak for all students, both current and future.

These present issues with the Senate budget are not limited to this academic year. If change is not made through leadership training for climbing senators in aid of inflation and return to pre-COVID levels of activity on campus, the future of clubs and events is bleak. There is not one individual or committee to blame for the problems of budget allocation, but rather a series of compounding events that needs recognition and reformation for the future of the Student Senate and club organization on campus.

This editorial reflects the collective opinionofTheGettysburgian’s editorial board.AssistantNewsEditorEllaPrieto, whoisinvolvedinStudentSenate,did notparticipateinthedevelopmentofthis piecenordidshesignoffonit.

Inside Gettysburg Athletics: Student Team Managers and Assistant Coaches

By Jack Herr, Sports Editor

Student team managers and assistant coaches are the unsung heroes of Gettysburg athletics. While not every team has them, they are crucial to their team’s success, only in less visible ways. Though they do not receive as much fanfare for their behind-the-scenes work as the players, they show an equal level of dedication to their teams.

The men’s basketball team has two such individuals: Andrew Winton ’23, student assistant coach, and Luke Hilliard ’23, team manager. Winton, a psychology major from New York, and Hilliard, a mathematical economics major and East Asian studies minor from New Jersey, have both been with the team since their first years. Winton joked that his minor is “basketball,” given the time he and Hillard commit daily to the team.

The two attend evey practice and

game, and that’s just the beginning of their involvement. At practice, both are assigned various tasks: helping run drills, operating the clock, refereeing pick-up games, rebounding, filling water bottles, and giving players simple pointers or words of encouragement. At games, Hilliard sits at the courtside table and maintains the book, keeping accurate scores and statistics.

Winton sits with the team on the bench, filling out a game sheet that requires him to keep track of the success rate of different plays.

As Hilliard put it, their goal is to “be someone who’s just reliable and can kind of do a little bit of whatever they need [us] to do.”

Winton also said he has been in the office a lot more this year to help run the operations of the program off the court. For example, he sometimes watches game film and takes notes for scouting. Although his contributions to staff meetings

are not comprehensive, he is mainly there to be a “fly on the wall, learning a lot from [the coaches].”

Hilliard also reflected on the contributions he makes outside of basketball. He emphasized that he is always there to keep a player company by “getting food with them, walking with them somewhere across campus, helping them with homework…[or] doing whatever they need me to do and doing it with a smile.”

Hilliard’s response alludes to how both he and Winton genuinely feel like they are part of the team, although neither gets any playing time. In fact, Winton lives with several team members on campus. He remarked that Gettysburg being a Division III program amplifies his ability to feel included. “Because we have such a small staff, I am involved in more ways than I think,” he said. “I’ve talked to friends of mine that are

Luke Hilliard ’ 23 (third from left)

Andrew Winton ’ 23

managers at other schools that are not allowed to be friends with the players…So I’ve been pretty lucky in that regard.”

When asked about their favorite moments from this past season, Hilliard and Winton gave different answers. Hilliard’s season highlight came on Jan. 7, 2023, when the Bullets beat Centennial Conference foe Ursinus on the road 80-77 in overtime. Hilliard reminisced about the way his team “completely stunned their crowd. It was silent. [Ursinus] was completely shocked. They were just humiliated in front of their home crowd.”

Winton, on the other hand, chose a moment where the crowd was electrified, this time in the home of the orange and blue, Bream Gymnasium. Their senior day win over Swarthmore, which at the time was ranked ninth in the country, was an “emotional” day for him.

“ Being able to celebrate Elijah, Sukky, and Josh and then being able to get a win was really cool,” said Winton.

Both Winton and Hilliard said that their experiences will help them pursue sports careers following their graduation in May. Winton came to Gettysburg knowing he wanted to be involved in sports, and the added responsibility from becoming a student assistant coach only helped confirm that passion. Winton credited head coach B.J. Dunne and assistant coach Evan Elberg for mentoring him. He said,“I’m going to take a lot from them.”

Similarly, Hilliard thanked Dunne and Elberg for helping him realize “how much more joy you can get out of being happy for other people than just yourself.” Seeing the coaching staff and players turn the program around heightened his appreciation for collaboration

and teamwork. Hilliard interned with Princeton University’s men’s basketball program in the previous summer, an experience that cemented his career ambitions in the sports management world. He plans to combine the analytical skills he developed from his mathematical economics major with his passion for basketball.

Jentle Sheridan ’24, manager for the women’s basketball team, also gave her perspective on the responsibilities of being a team manager. A business, organization, and management studies major from New Jersey, she originally wanted to try out for the team.

Sheridan secured a meeting with the coaches, who let her know that while they already had a large enough team, they were looking for a manager. “I accepted the position because I still wanted to be around basketball even if I couldn’t play,” she said. “The manager position would be a new perspective for me in basketball because I had only ever played. I decided to see where it would take me and what I could learn from it.”

Sheridan explained that her duties are similar to those maintained by Winton and Hilliard. She attends every practice, runs the clock, keeps track of the practice schedule, and also does the book on game days.

“On game days when I’m doing the book, the assistant coach checks with me frequently throughout the game to make sure that she has the correct information so she can relay that to the head coach,” she commented. “This allows them to make important decisions about the game – for example, when to take a player out if they are in foul trouble so that the team’s chances of winning increases.”

Because her past experiences were on the court, Sheridan noted that she does sometimes “feel more on the outside” of what is happening

on the court because she “knows what it means and feels like to be part of a team, and [she doesn’t] have that feeling here.” Nonetheless, she relished being a part of the team’s success this past season.

“ My favorite moment from this past season was watching this young team develop from the beginning to the end of the season and being able to win another conference championship even when doubted,” said Sheridan. The Bullets won their second straight Centennial Conference championship with a 65-52 win over Johns Hopkins on Feb. 26 They advanced to the NCAA DIII tournament but lost in the first round.

Unlike Winton and Hilliard, Sheridan, being a junior, has another year left as team manager to develop important skills that will serve her in her future.

“ The main skill that matured from this position has been my keen attention to detail, which comes from recording stats at games,” she explained. “I will use this in my future career to be able to excel at my job and identify mistakes when made. Being detail-oriented makes many tasks run smoother and saves time in my opinion.”

Without the aid of student-team managers and assistant coaches, teams would function with less efficiency. The intimacy of the / Division III athletics experience allows these individuals to make noticeable impacts on the teams they work for, both in competition and off the court.

The Gettysburgian Staff:

Katie Oglesby, Editor-in-Chief

Alli Dayton, Managing Editor

George Malian, Magazine Editor

Laken Franchetti, News Editor

Ella Prieto, Assistant News Editor

Kyle Hammerness, Features Editor

Victoria Staub, A&E Editor

Mikelyn Britt, Opinions Editor

Jack Herr, Sports Editor

Vincent DiFonzo, Content Manager

Anna Audia, Lead Copy Editor

Lauren Chu, Social Media Manager

Eric Lippe, Director of Photography

Dr. Scott Boddery, Advisor

CoverPhotobyEricLippe/TheGettysburgian

StaffPhotobyWillOehler/TheGettysburgian