The Gettysburgian October 18, 2017

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Blasts from the past

This week in 1897, the weekly “Town Notes” section of the paper reported a fire that had broken out in a stable of Henry Brinkerhoff on Baltimore St. right before 5pm. However, the firemen were “excellent and intelligent” and quickly had the fire under control. The fire also spread to the neighboring barn of William Martin, however that was also put out. This week in 1942, a second year of a new wartime tradition is discussed in the Gettysburgian. The “Keep ‘Em Smiling” program was created to send letters to Gettysburg students and alumni who were off fighting in the war. This program was chaired by Edward K. Stipe, chairman of the Service Contact Committee of the Student Christian Association. Students in fraternities sent letters to those who were part of their fraternities, while other students wrote to the ones who were not part of them. Stipe said they hoped to send two letters per week to the servicemen These were mailed for free, thanks to the efforts of the program, as not to deter students from writing letters. This program made a sincere effort to keep fellow alumni smiling, even in the hardest of conditions. This week in 1992, Kristen Schwarze, a ’93 special education major, took a hundredday Semester at Sea. The Gettysburgian reported she visited Venezuela, Brazil, Kenya, India, Taiwan, and other places. Schwarze had to take historical, cultural, and language classes in preparation for this trip. She learned about the domestic issues of each area she visited, and at each place, she had a unique experience. In Venezuela, she faced a country in political turmoil with a coup to overthrow the president on the day she left. She learned about the racial tension in Cape Town, South Africa. She went into the safari and saw elephants, gazelles, and other animals. In Malaysia, she was met with cultural diversity and friendly people. In Hong Kong, she was surprised by the high tech and packed city. In the end, Schwarze said the trip changed her because it allowed her to “get a taste of everything.” This week in 2007, a new fitness center was in the works. The Gettysburgian reported it was an extension of the Bream-Wright Hauser Athletic Center. It cost approximately $25 million and the center would be 55,000 square feet. The main feature of the fitness center was the new natatorium, as the pool was fifty years old. They were not sure what to do with the fitness center in Plank Gym. However, the updates were all necessary, especially with the healthy lifestyle that seemed to be trending. These archived “blasts from the past” were compiled by staff writer Shannon Zeltmann thanks to Special Collections in Musselman Library.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Thursday, October 19, 2017

FREE

Open Access Week seeks to Fineman to speak address “Textbook Crisis” at Commencement

Max Glover ‘21 with textbooks in Musselman Library (Photo Gauri Mangala / The Gettysburgian) B y G auri M angala in the educational materials dogs. for Gettysburg students. The headline of S taff W riter J a y H a u s e r a 2015 NBC News article Accordingly, Musselman ‘19 spent $391.43 for a s a y s i t a l l : “ C o l l e g e Library’s 2017 OA Week, single course’s materials T e x t b o o k P r i c e s H a v e taking place Oct. 23-27, during his first semester at Risen 1041 Percent Since will orient more towards how students can advocate 1977.” Gettysburg College. A s w i t h m a n y for change. “I had a class Open Access where we read classical other industries, there text of philosophy. But only have been many mergers provides readers with free sections of each text. But and acquisitions in the access to published research, we had to buy the books. p u b l i s h i n g i n d u s t r y . while still remaining within No one ever tried to bring in This has led to a small the confines of copyright open source online copies monopolized industry of and license restriction. of them and the professor large, powerful publishing Open Access advocates did not provide them. companies, with few t h a t e d u c a t i o n a n d Instead we spent a lot of opponents to consider. knowledge are a right, not money on like twentyish Because of this, companies a privilege, and works to books and only used parts can set extremely high provide information for all, p r i c e s w i t h o u t h a v i n g regardless of class. of them.” In fact, a 2016 to worry about being J a n e l l e a n a l y s i s c o n d u c t e d b y outcompeted. Since their Wertzberger, Assistant C o l l e g e B o a r d f o u n d main market is students, D e a n a n d D i r e c t o r o f that the price of books w h o a r e c o m p e l l e d Scholarly Communications, and supplies for a full- c o n s u m e r s , p u b l i s h i n g and Chris Barnes, Scholarly time student at a private companies need not worry Communications Librarian, nonprofit 4-year college, about having appealing are leading OA Week in l i k e G e t t y s b u r g , w a s prices: students will have to o r d e r t o u n c o v e r w h a t $11,890. Add in the cost put up with whatever price students are really paying for textbooks and teach of tuition, room and board, they set. and living, and suddenly M u s s e l m a n students what they can do it is clear why college Library has expressed deep to change that. “ I t h i n k , students so often are finding interest in making Open nutrition in ramen noodles Access (OA) and its many sometimes, that faculty and microwaveable hot components a real partner assume that everybody gets -Continued on page four-

Huffington Post Global Editorial Director Howard Fineman will be the 2018 Commencement Speaker (Press Photo) B y S arah K irkpatrick n o m i n e e s a r e p e o p l e whose contributions S taff W riter G e t t y s b u r g are outstanding in a College has announced v a r i e t y o f c a t e g o r i e s , that it will host Howard including artists, scholars, Fineman as the 2018 h u m a n i t a r i a n s , a n d commencement speaker. members of the corporate Fineman, who serves as and business community or Global Editorial Director the public sector.” While the typical for the Huffington Post c o n s u l t ation process and has a long-standing includes conversations relationship with the with senior class officers, college, has published this year’s process differed, books about political as Fineman had already history, has appeared on TV been asked to speak in shows such as “Morning 2017, but, because he was Joe,” and has interviewed every significant American unable to attend, offered to presidential candidate since speak in 2018 instead. 1984. With his extensive A c c o r d i n g l y , background in politics, the announcement of the F i n e m a n h a s a l r e a d y speaker came far earlier appeared on campus three t h a n u s u a l ; l a s t y e a r , times in the last ten years. t h e c o l l e g e a n n o u n c e d “Commencement J o h n e t t a B e t s c h C o l e , speakers are often chosen retiring Director of the from a list of honorary S m i t h s o n i a n N a t i o n a l degree nominees solicited Museum of African Art, as f r o m t h e C o l l e g e the commencement speaker community and approved in April. Although Fineman by the Board of Trustees,” has spoken on campus in explained Gettysburg the past, the College College President Janet -Continued on next pageMorgan Riggs. “These

Riggs charges panel to draft statement on freedom of expression B y B enjamin P ontz M anaging N ews E ditor Five months after suggesting that Gettysburg College needed an “affirmative statement related to freedom of expression” in an email to the campus community, President Janet Morgan Riggs has appointed a committee of seven to develop such a statement. The committee, chaired by Associate Provost for Faculty Development & Dean of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Programs Jennifer Bloomquist, met last week with the faculty as well as the Board of Trustees to begin gathering input from stakeholders on what should be included in such a statement, which Bloomquist emphasizes will be an institutional philosophy, not policy. Throughout the remainder of the month,

Inside This Issue

Volume CXX, No. 5

College to review emergency response, pg. 2

the committee will gather input from student groups, including Student Senate, with the goal of releasing a draft statement for campus review by the end of the semester. Ultimately, the Board of Trustees and faculty will vote to ratify the statement, which Riggs hopes will happen early in the spring semester. This process comes after the Young Americans for Freedom invited Robert Spencer, Director of Jihad Watch and a FOX News contributor, to speak on the “political ramifications of Islamic fundamentalism” last May, which generated a torrent of discussion over what limits the college can and should impose on freedom of expression. The college hosted a counter-speaker, Todd Green, an associate professor of religion at Luther College, and students held a solidarity

Dodging the Bullet: My first class, pg. 3

rally concurrently with Spencer’s lecture. In August, Riggs defended the college’s treatment of the situation in an interview on The Gettysburgian‘s podcast, “On Target,” noting that the college followed guidelines for handling controversial speakers released subsequently by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Asked directly whether, in hindsight, she would have approached the situation the same way, she said, “I would — and there may be some on campus that are appalled by that statement, but I know there are others who thought that was the right thing to do… I do value freedom of expression, and I think we have to value that on a college campus.” Riggs charged the new committee: “(1) To lead campus discussions about

freedom of expression, with the goal of educating our campus community on this topic as well as soliciting input for an institutional philosophy regarding freedom of expression. (2) To develop a statement of institutional philosophy that will provide context and guidance for decisionmaking and for the development and revision of related policies.” The members, all appointed by Riggs, are: - Bloomquist, chair - Ivanova Reyes, Assistant Professor of Economics and member of the Faculty Council - Hakim Williams, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies - Jeff Foster, Associate Vice President of College Life and member of the Student Life Committee - Patrick McKenna ’20, Chair of the Student Senate Policy Committee and

Boro Mayor Dr. Katherine Ted Streeter Willets talks to “On speaks on Target”, campus, pg. 4 pg. 5

Senate Parliamentarian - Jeff Oak, Trustee and Chair of the Trustee Academic Affairs Committee - Jim Banks, Trustee and Chair of the Trustee College Life Committee. Michael Mancuso ’19, Chair of the Student Senate Opinions Committee, objects to the composition of the committee, asserting that students are not appropriately represented since McKenna was not appointed through Senate. Also, he is concerned that, because the committee met first with faculty and the Board of Trustees, student consultation is a formality. “ T h e administration has a history of making decisions and asking Student Senate about it afterwards. I hope this time is different.” Mancuso said. “Also, their rationale for choosing Pat McKenna is flawed. While

Liberal values, pg. 7

-Continued on next page-

Women’s soccer wins two on the road, pg. 8


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