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Volume CXVIV, No. 5
National Police and federal marshals in Oklahoma continued their search early this week for the suspect in a double homicide who also shot six people, including two police officers. The man fled in the police officers’ patrol car after he shot them and even live-streamed his escape on Facebook. The suspect, 38-yearold Michael Vance, is thought to be wielding an AK-47. Police also say the man has a communicable disease that he may attempt to spread. The Oklahoma Country Sheriff’s office did not disclose Vance’s medical condition but urged caution for anyone who may come into contact with him. Police said the incident began when officers responded to reports of shots in the area. The two officers shot by Vance sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Vance then proceeded to flee in the patrol car and drive to a mobile home park where police later discovered the bodies of Vance’s aunt and uncle. Vance’s current location is unknown and police are actively searching.
International Four people were killed on Tuesday after an amusement park ride malfunctioned at a popular theme park on Australia’s east coast. Two men and two women died while on a river rapids ride at Dreamworld, a park on Queensland state’s Gold Coast. The malfunction caused two people to be ejected from their raft while two others were caught inside the ride. Park staffers administered first aid to the victims, but their injuries proved fatal. Victims of the accident were two women, ages 32 and 42, and two men, ages 35 and 38. Two children were on the raft at the time of the accident but survived and were hospitalized. Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson said the park is working with police to determine what went wrong. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said there would be a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident. The park was closed following the accident and was expected to remain closed on Wednesday.
This week’s “Top Stories” were compiled by Nora Tidey with information from abcnews.go.com.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Thursday, October 27, 2016
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College adopts new mission, strategic plan A focus on inclusion and diversity headlines the new mission statement and plan released Oct. 19
By Jamie Welch Editor-in-Chief Gettysburg College has a new mission statement and strategic plan that will guide decision making for at least the next five years, according to a statement released Oct. 19 by College President Janet Morgan Riggs. The importance of a diverse and inclusive learning community and the value of ethical leadership are two major changes to the mission statement, last updated in 2003. Riggs says these changes reflect ideas that emerged during the College’s 2014 Middle States reaccreditation process. “I am grateful to the many members of our College community who offered their ideas as we considered these revisions, and to Faculty Council who endorsed this statement prior to its approval by the Board,” Riggs said in an email to students. Impact, Inclusion & Internationalization and Innovation are the three overarching themes of “The Unfinished Work: A Strategic Direction for Gettysburg College,” the new strategic plan for Gettysburg College released to the public on Oct. 19. The plan uses these three themes to build a series of goals the college hopes to achieve over the next five years. “Today it is clear that the work before our nation—and before our world—is far from finished,” the 20-page plan reads in part. “ W e f a c e
Glatfelter Hall stands amid complex social, cultural, environmental and global issues: inequality and discrimination, hunger, war, climate change and disease,” the plan continues. “This strategic plan focuses on reinforcing that preparation, on preparing our students for lives of impact, for lives that will be played out in an increasingly diverse and globally interconnected society, and for lives that will embrace innovative approaches to the complex issues before us.” The plan draws inspiration from the words of Abraham Lincoln, with quotes from the former president used to tie the themes together into one cohesive document that recognizes the influence the rich history of Gettysburg has on our campus community. The Impact portion of the plan details the College’s commitment to “prepare students for a life of impact.” The plan says the College will work to
a beautiful sunset on Oct. 14. achieve this goal by offering increased opportunities for undergraduate research, greater access to professional conferences and additional leadership development experiences through the GLC. Additionally, the college will work to enhance the opportunities for mentoring, networking and other experiential educational experiences on campus. The Inclusion & Internationalization section of the plan describes a greater focus on the cultivation of “a diverse, inclusive and welcoming campus community that inspires a sense of social responsibility and enables our students to thrive in and contribute productively to an increasingly diverse and globally interconnected society.” The College plans to increase the engagement of students, faculty and staff in issues of social justice through the Center for Public Service by promoting courses
Photo Credit: GCC&M that include communitybased learning and research and encouraging participation in social justice education and dialogue groups. Another goal of the plan is an increase in the domestic and international diversity of students, faculty and staff as well as courses. The results of the Campus Climate Study will be used to inform efforts to improve the climate on campus, the plan states. The final theme of “The Unfinished Work” is centered on increasing innovation on campus. “To prepare our students both personally and professionally for lives of innovation,” the plan says, “we will promote an institutional culture of thinking and acting anew that honors the visionary leadership of President Abraham Lincoln.” The College plans to achieve this goal by working to encourage and reward faculty for innovation
and risk-taking, expanding programming offered through the Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and Learning, and continuing to explore opportunities to use new technology in the classroom.An increase in innovation will also be achieved through expansion and integration of entrepreneurship learning experiences, and the creation of prizes for innovation to be awarded annually to campus community members, the plan says. The broad goals outlined in the plan will be utilized to develop more specific implementation plans that will allow the College to set timelines and identify funding, the implementation section of the plan states. Annual reports will be prepared by the President’s Council each year to allow the campus community to track the College’s progress toward achieving the goals laid out in the strategic plan. “I am thankful for the many members of this campus community who participated in our strategic planning process. I would especially like to thank those students who served on our strategic planning work groups, as well as Provost Chris Zappe and Professor Sharon Stephenson who provided oversight for this year-long process,” Riggs said. The full strategic plan and new mission statement are available to read on our website at gettysburgian.com.
Students enjoy fireside chat with President Lincoln Scholars sit down with President Janet Morgan Riggs for a private chat
B y sarah kirkpatrick C ontributing W riter On October 18 at 6:00 p.m., President Janet Morgan Riggs carved an hour out of her busy schedule to sit down with a group of Lincoln Scholar students for a “Fireside Chat.” She agreed to answer any question the group posed, sparking a conversation that spanned diverse topics ranging from her experience as an undergraduate to her thoughts on this year’s presidential election. As a Gettysburg alumna, President Riggs’ ties to the school are deep. She was engaged in the campus community as a student, faculty member and provost before assuming her current position. Riggs claims one of her fondest memories from her time as an undergraduate was moving into Huber Hall at the beginning of her first year. She met her roommate for the first time in the scorching heat and worried that they might not get along. Fortunately, it
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proved to be a successful match since they roomed together all four years. Riggs began college as a math major but after her advisor persuaded her to take an introductory psychology class, she discovered a new passion. “I just stumbled on psychology,” Riggs explained, “which is one of the great things about being in a college like this one. You might stumble onto a subject you love.” She declared a psychology and mathematics double major with her introductory psychology teacher as a mentor. Riggs became a research assistant for the psychology department, which provided great preparation for her graduate studies at Princeton. Aside from academics, Riggs served as a co-captain in the Gettysburg band front and even wrote marching drills for the group during her senior year. She believes that the marching band helped her to grow as a leader
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but mainly remembers it as a fun time with friends. Riggs also passed her time as a member of a sorority, eventually serving on its board of executives. Riggs became nostalgic when she remembered other parts of her non-academic college experience. She loved visiting the town rollerskating rink and the bowling alley housed in the CUB. However, Riggs does not miss the food from her time as an undergraduate. “We had Servo, which was actually the name of an outside group that the college hired,” Riggs said, “and the food was horrible.” Fortunately, although this Servo passed its name on to the Servo we know today, it did not pass on its quality of food. Riggs prefers Servo’s current award-winning dining options. After discussing her past, the conversation shifted to Riggs’ current role as Gettysburg’s president. Riggs admits that she never
planned to be a college president but that it is “a privilege to represent Gettysburg College.” However, Riggs’ job can be difficult. “Everyone wants a piece of the college president,” sh e expl ai ned, “but i t is impossible to make everyone happy.” Although she wishes she could attend every sports game and choir concert, she realizes this would be impossible. Netflix, politics, and the campus climate survey also came up in the discussion. Riggs admitted to being a huge fan of medical dramas, specifically Code Black, even though she often lacks the time to bingewatch her favorites. However, these shows are not the only programs President Riggs watches on TV. In response to a question about this year’s presidential election, Riggs claimed that she has watched all of the debates so far. She finds this campaign troubling because she feels it “should model better behavior to the
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American public, but currently focuses on name-calling and creates major divisiveness.” Riggs hopes for greater bipartisan cooperation in the future of American politics. In her opinion, the campus community has room for improvement as well. Riggs was impressed by many of the results of the campus climate survey, but found t he high percentage of students that considered leaving the college surprising. She plans to work on finding ways to lower this statistic and help students feel more comfortable. When the bell chimed and President Riggs’ “Fireside Chat” ended, Lincoln Scholars left the room feeling proud to be members of the Gettysburg College community. She addressed their concerns and answered their questions with sincerity, increasing their confidence in the future of the college.
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