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Volume CXVI, No. 16
This Week’s Top Stories
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Thursday, September 3, 2015
Thursday, September 3, 2015
FREE
Gburg Dining Services recieve multiple accolades Dining Services are recognized on three lists for excllence in meeting students’ needs
Photo Credit: Gettysburg College Dining
National
International Syria is in the midst of a human rights crisis, as nearly 250,000 people have been killed in the last four years. This tumultuous situation has led millions of citizens to flee their homes in hopes of finding refuge. More than half of refugee children are currently not in school, which should be a right guaranteed to all children. Sadly, many of the people killed died at the hands of their own government. The United States’ foreign policy specialists are preparing to intervene. Many are supporting the development of a nofly “safe zone” along one of Syria’s borders. Hopefully in doing so, the migration crisis can be ameliorated and refugees will have outside aid. The U.S. and other nations recognize that the current situation could have longterm implications for Syria’s neighbors and for power dynamics in the region.
This week’s “Top Stories” were compiled by Kayla Britt with information from CNN (www.cnn.com) and Project Syndicate (www. project-syndicate.org)
Gettysburg College Dining Services publicizes the three awards it recieved, including 15th for Best Campus Food by the Princeton Review, 5th for Best Dining Services by BestColleges.com, and 23rd for Best Campus Food by Cappex 2015.
B y A nnika J ensen S taff W riter
Gettysburg College Dining Services has won three awards in the past few months, placing 15th in Princeton Review’s rank of Best Campus Food, 23rd in the Cappex list of Best College Food, and fifth in the bestcollege.com list of Top Dining Services in the Nation. Gettysburg College is no stranger to such distinctions, as Dining Services has received accolades in 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2013; banners in Servo serve as reminders of these past awards. However, these accomplishments are not always widely recognized by the
college population. “There are not a lot of reactions from students and faculty because they are not aware of [these awards],” said Gary Brautigam, Director of Dining Services. “We never even know we are receiving any distinction until we see it, but we are always on the lookout this time of year.” However, the awards are representative of the hard work performed by Dining Services’ staff, and they serve as a tangible accomplishment for all their efforts. “Our employees had great reactions to the news, and I make sure I congratulate everyone. Everyone works together to make us great.”
New changes in cash operations also played a significant role in Dining Services’ awards. However, such awards are not only given for excellence. Gettysburg Dining Services has succeeded by setting itself apart from other competing institutions and meeting the needs of its students. “All of us try to connect with the students more than other schools,” Brautigam commented. “We try to be on the floor, answering questions and making menu changes from student suggestions. We really, truly listen.” The dining center is also accommodating to students with dietary restrictions, as it
offers vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. In addition to serving healthy options, Brautigam noted that dining services caters to comfort: “Students are eating healthier, but they still like their pizza and chicken nuggets.” One popular tradition at Servo is the annual Servo Thanksgiving, where students come in groups of 12 and are served a delicious spread by campus community members. New to Servo this year is organic tea, lemongrass decaf tea with completely compostable packaging, a new cappuccino machine to be installed in the near future, and a juice program which includes nutraceutical
waters without high fructose corn syrup. Perhaps receiving the most attention from students in the new policy prohibiting backpacks in Servo, but Brautigam insists that it is purely for safety: “It is a tough issue to balance: we want to make the dining room as safe as possible, but we do not want to upset the students.” As the crowds grow, backpacks, skateboards, scooters and athletic equipment unfortunately become a tripping hazard. Dining Services will be installing more hooks to the atrium in Servo to provide more storage space.
The First-Year Walk and the power of place
The class of 2019 students continue the tradition through the First-Year Walk
C ourtesy of GCC&M Some locations have a sense of place – a feeling of connection to a geographic space and the events that occurred there, no matter how long ago they took place. During Thursday night’s 13th annual FirstYear Walk, Gettysburg College’s incoming class was exposed to the power of place, both in regards to the three-day battle that raged here over 150 years ago and the words spoken here by President Abraham Lincoln that have forever defined that battle. This year’s speaker – Associate Director of the Civil War Institute Jill Ogline Titus – imparted to
Inside This Issue
The man who shot a video of deputies fatally shooting Gilbert Flores in Texas this past week could show that he was in possession of something in his hand. The authorities want the Texas Public Safety Department’s crime lab to hone in more closely on the time sequence in question so investigators can get a closer look at what he had. Only one Taser was attempted to be used by one of the officers, although both officers had Tasers at the time of the incident. The video recorded by Michael Thomas, a citizen of San Antonio, shows a shirtless man with one hand in the air who is shot by two deputies and falls on his back. The FBI has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the incident.
Weird News, pg. 2
the incoming class an understanding of the significance of our historic location. “The Gettysburg Ad dress has become arguably the most famous speech in American history – because of its eloquence and brevity, sure, but even more so because it took suffering and destruction and made meaning out of them,” Titus said. “It attached transcendent meaning to the battle of Gettysburg, and turned this war-ravaged town into a symbol of democracy and devotion to duty.” She then described how our location and the meaning given to it by Lincoln’s words have been used as a rallying point throughout
Movies playing near Gettysburg, pg. 3
history. She shared how President Dwight D. Eisenhower used this location during the height of the Cold War to charge Americans to defend the rights of others as strenuously as they defend their own. In 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson stood on the stage at the National Cemetery and called for an end to racial injustice. During the Vietnam War, civil rights activist C.T. Vivian used his platform here to compare the struggle for racial justice and peace in Vietnam with the Civil War soldiers who fought and died on the Gettysburg battlefields. “Lincoln’s words con-
Logical fallacies in climate change debate, pg. 4
tinue to resonate with us because they belong not only to 1863, but to 1942, 1963, 1972, and 2015,” Titus said. “How will you advance the unfinished work of justice?” she charged the Class of 2019. “How will you use the opportunities your Gettysburg College education will offer you to engage with the world around you and refuse to take the easy way out in life?” The first-year students were also welcomed by Mayor William Troxell, who presented Andrew Dalton ’19 with a key to the city. “I am very honored to accept this key on behalf of the Gettysburg College Class of 2019,” Dalton said. “It is
a great welcoming gesture by the mayor and the town, and signifies that our class is now a part of not only Gettysburg College, but of the larger Gettysburg community.” “The First-Year Walk is my favorite Gettysburg College tradition,” said New Student Orientation Coordinator Rebecca Borovsky. “The opportunity for the incoming class to connect with the town, history, guests, and fellow students is a prime example of the strong community that Gettysburg College creates.”
Gettysburg GBurg XC ranked Nikki vs. Miley hosts alumni on racial issues, poorly for run race/class pg. 5 pg. 6 interaction, pg. 5
THE GETTYSBURGIAN
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NEWS ♦
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Photo of the Week!
AXP, TKE
Sept. 1, 2015: GIV Day Volunteers having fun! Photo by Cait Goodlett ‘17.
Interested in writing for News? Get your article on the front page of The Gettysburgian Contact Kayla Britt (britka01) for more details!
Staff Box
The Gettysburgian
Features Editor, Sarah Lowy
Editors-in-Chief, Lauren Perry & Brendan Raleigh
Opinions Editor, Isabel Gibson Penrose
Advisor, Jack Ryan
Sports Editor, Bethany Holtz
News Editor Kayla Britt
Business Manager Zach Warner
MS&T Editor, Marli Horwitz
Web Master Jamie Welch
A&E Editor, Raichl Davenport
Web Editors, Daniella Snyder & Anika Jensen
Weird News of the Week By Kayla Britt News Editor
It’s All Gravy The 6th Annual World Gravy Wrestling Championships kicked off in Rossendale, UK as 22 participants got down in almost 400 gallons of beef gravy. Competitors faced off for a total of two minutes, and were judged by their moves. The competitor who the audience went craziest for got the win. To make the competition more exciting (because clearly, wrestling in gravy is not interesting enough in itself) wrestlers dressed in costume, including as a chicken and as a pregnant nun. The crowned winner was Joel Hicks, who was dressed as Gandalf from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Triple the Trouble A teen girl in Wyandotte, Michigan allgedly used the website FakeABaby.com to fake her pregnancy for ten months. She had named the kids Ivan, Alice, and Isabella, and shared the news with friends, family, and her boyfriend. “I started looking for jobs the best I could,” said the boyfriend, who hoped to contribute. She was thrown a baby shower and recieved thousands of dollars in donations from well-meaning acquaintances, friends, and organizations. The girl’s boyfriend and his family started to suspect something was awry when nine months passed and she did not go into labor. It was confirmed that her ultrasounds looked akin to those on FakeABaby. com. Authorities are now investigating into the situation, and looking to see whether the girl’s parents were involved.
This week’s “Weird News” was compiled by Kayla Britt with information from huffingtonpost.com.
g o L e m i r C s u Camp August 24-Septem
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August 27
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Senate Update August 31, 2015 By Brooke Gutschick Student Senate Secretary
Student Senate Bullet Points • Vice President: Petitions for First-Years and Seniors are due September 8 under the Senate Office door (Plank 106) with a resume and cover letter. • Clubs Liaison: All club information should be sent to gburgclubliaison@gmail.com. • Senate Public Relations are taking off! Find Senate on Facebook: Gettysburg College Student Senate and Instagram: @gburgsenate.
Students are welcome to attend the weekly meetings of the Student Senate Mondays at 7 p.m. in CUB 260.
THE GETTYSBURGIAN Page 3
A&E
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Thursday, September 3, 2015
WZBT: Gettysburg College’s Very Own Radio Station
In Theatres Near You Majestic Theater
25 Carlisle St, Gettysburg, PA 17325 A Walk in the Woods - 1 hour, 44 minutes – PG A light-hearted comedy about two old friends who decide to hike the Appalachian Trail together. Stars Robert Redford, Nick Nolte & Emma Thompson. Friday (9/4) - 7:00 PM Saturday (9/5) - 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM Sunday (9/6) - 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM Monday (9/7) - THEATER CLOSED Tuesday - Thursday (9/8 - 9/10) - 7:00 PM
WZBT 91.1 FM is Gettysburg College’s Radio Station. Style described as Indie/College Radio, the station provides the community with news programming as well as varying genres of music regularly. Tune in everyday to see what’s new on WZBT. What if you don’t have a radio you ask? You are in luck because WZBT is online. Streaming live at: http://tunein.com/radio/WZBT-911-s24329/ You can also check out WZBT at: www.wzbt.org https://twitter.com/WZBT https://www.facebook.com/wzbt911
Mr. Holmes - 1 hour, 44 minutes – PG Ian McKellen as an aged Sherlock Holmes in an absorbing drama where he grapples with an old, unsolved murder case. Also starring Laura Linney, Patrick Kennedy and Frances de la Tour. Friday (9/4) - 7:15 PM Saturday (9/5) - 4:15 PM and 7:15 PM Sunday (9/6) - 2:15 PM and 5:15 PM Monday (9/7) - THEATER CLOSED Tuesday - Thursday (9/8 - 9/10) - 7:15 PM
WZBT Radio 200 | ‘Top 5 New Releases’ | CMJ 1408 1 2 3 4 5
Gateway Theater
Routes 30 & 15, Gettysburg, PA FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4TH THRU WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9TH **BARGAIN TUESDAYS – ALL SEATS $5 – ADDITIONAL FEE FOR 3D** HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD LIVE PREMIER NR NO PASSES WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9TH 7:30PM EVENT PRICING THE TRANSPORTER REFUELED (1:35) (4:35) 7:20 10:05
And here is where you will find WZBT’s top weekly adds and albums
PG-13 NO PASSES
MIKE KROL Turkey Merge LOU BARLOW Brace The Wave Joyful Noise FRESH AND ONLYS Early Years Anthology Castle Face SUPERHUMAN HAPPINESS Escape Velocity Royal Potato Family PANDA BEAR Crosswords Domino
WZBT Radio 200 | ‘Top 10 New Albums’ | CMJ 1408 1 WILCO Star Wars dBpm 2 SLIM TWIG Thank You For Stickin’ With Twig DFA 3 LA LUZ Weirdo Shrine Hardly Art 4 TAME IMPALA Currents Interscope 5 SEAPONY A Vision Self-Released 6 MAC DEMARCO Another One Captured Tracks 7 TITUS ANDRONICUS The Most Lamentable Tragedy Merge 8 ZACHARY CALE Duskland No Quarter 9 ULTIMATE PAINTING Green Lanes Trouble In Mind 10 DRINKS Hermits On Holiday Birth
A WALK IN THE WOODS R I.D. REQUIRED (1:45) (4:45) 7:30 9:50 NO PASSES WAR ROOM PG NO PASSES (1:15) (4:15) 7:15 9:55
Like Films? Art Galleries? Plays? Concerts?
NO ESCAPE R I.D. REQUIRED (1:30) (4:30) 7:10 9:30 STRAIGHT OUT OF COMPTON (1:00) (4:00) 7:00 9:35 THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (1:10) (4:10) 7:05 9:50
R I.D. REQUIRED
PG-13
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION PG-13 (1:00) (4:00) 7:00 9:50 INSIDE OUT (1:30) 7:25 SINISTER 2 (4:30) 9:45
PG
Write about them for The Gettysburgian! If you would like to be a writer for the Arts and Entertainment section of the Gettysburgian email section editor: Raichl Davenport davera01@gettysburg.edu
R I.D. REQUIRED
*opportunity to recieve free passes to the Gateway Theater
Sherman Alexie visiting Gettysburg College
Upcoming events at the Burg 9/4
9/9
5 PM- 7 PM Activities Fair @ CUB Ballroom
10 AM (UN)GOVERNED SPACES Art Exhibit Opens @Shmucker Art Gallery
10 PM Comedian Ronnie Jordan @ The Attic
10 AM “Pray for the People Who Feed You” Voices of Pauper Children in the Industrial Age Art Exhibit Opens @ Schmucker Art Gallery
9/12 http://toniandgriff.com/
Pictures from Last Year’s Event
Meggan Smith Library Consultant
As part of the First Year Reading program, author of Flight, Sherman Alexie will be speaking on campus September 8, 2015 at 8 p.m. in the CUB Ballroom for a discussion about the book. Alexie is also the author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
9/5
11 PM - 1 AM MIDNIGHT MADNESS @Servo
9 PM- 10 PM Hypnotist @ CUB Ballroom 7 PM Shots in the Dark Back to School Special
@ the Junction
~Please our www.thegettysburgian.wordpress.com website www.thegettysburgian.com and post your comments!~ ~Visit our visit website and post your comments!~
THE GETTYSBURGIAN
FEATURES Page 4
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Thursday, September 3, 2015
Greek Life begins fresh Logical fallacies abound chapter with Gettysburgian in talks of climate change B y C handler R obertson “I A m G reek ” C olumnist
On behalf of the Gettysburg Greek Community, welcome to the Class of 2019! We, as the upperclassmen know that, whether you choose to go Greek or not, you all will make a number of excellent contributions to this campus. This year, the InterFraternity and Panhellenic
Councils are partnering with The Gettysburgian for a column called “I Am Greek.” This column will highlight a member of the Greek community every week, celebrating the fantastic work that students do on or off our campus. Greek life is an excellent opportunity on this campus. While it is not the only way to contribute by any
means, being involved in Greek Organizations has helped give the greek students, who will be highlighted in this column, the leadership tools that have helped them change our community for the better. We hope that, through this column, we can help highlight the fantastic things that fraternity men and sorority women do for this campus.
Gburg student interns at Harpers Ferry Natl. Park B y A lexandria A ndrioli trips and summer groups. C ontributing W riter The biggest program
My name is Alex Andrioli and I am going to be a Sophomore (‘18) this year and I am a History major. This summer, I was a Pohanka intern through the Civil War Institute at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. I was with the Education Department and led programs for students for field
we had this summer was the Junior NYLC program that hosts seventh graders from all over the United States in Washington DC for a week to study leadership. On their third day, they arrived in Harpers Ferry to study the leadership of John Brown and partake in simulations that help them get an
idea of what it might have been like to live during the Civil War. I would lead a group of up to 35 “scholars” throughout the day and teach them all about Harpers Ferry, John Brown, and the Civil War. It was a phenomenal experience for me and I have a new found appreciation and love for the National Parks Service.
B y J ulia R entsch GECO C olumnist
Aside from repeating things that are not true, people who debate human-caused climate change often root their arguments in the quagmire of poor logic. Naturally, arguing against a widely used methodology which relies on investigative logic can lead to losing touch with the whole idea of logic, both practical and rhetorical. As a disclaimer, in this article I am paying most attention to what types of arguments the speakers make, not so much whether their facts are wrong or right. Unfortunately, those who incorporate logical fallacies into their arguments abound, and despite missing or ignoring crucial facts, they can sound pretty convincing. For all the word nerds out there, this one is for you. Here’ is a round-up of some woefully wrong arguments spoken by our favorite talking heads. From Donald Trump, in an interview with Maureen Dowd of The New York Times this month: “...I’m not a believer in man-made climate change. And again I had uncles at M.I.T. and stuff. By the way many smart people agree with me.” By attempting to back up his assertion that he is not a believer with appeals to family members and others he considers “smart,” Trump is exhibiting a couple logical failures. First, the glaring subjectivity of his qualifiers offer no reasons why these mysterious people should be credible sources for opinions on climate science. Second, Trump’s blind loyalty to those who he sees as being
on his side in this debate prioritizes that loyalty above truth, and above conclusions he could draw himself. In a 2014 interview with The Christian Science Monitor, Rick Perry argued that “...Calling CO2 a pollutant is doing a disservice to the country, and I believe a disservice to the world.” Perry’s argument that CO2 just cannot be a pollutant because the consequences are too terrible is a very dangerous error in judgment. Never mind that his terminology is a bit off, since CO2 is actually not really an air pollutant but a greenhouse gas that contributes to the warming of the earth. Wanting to ignore what experts worldwide have learned about our world, which is that carbon dioxide is indeed causing harm to our environment, simply because it is economically scary (Perry was commenting in reaction to Obama’s discussion of plans for capping carbon emissions), logically does nothing to make the fact any less true. Here is Bill O’Reilly on Fox News’ segment Talking Points last year: “Liberals of course, are crazed over manmade climate change demanding immediate action pounding the table to save the icebergs.” In this speech he goes on to say that the environment should indeed be looked after, but not at the price of economic growth in America, the degradation of which he equalizes with plans to impose strict environmental standards on U.S. corporations. Despite making this concession, O’Reilly’s use of this gorilla-like image is a poor way of defending his view because his statement relies on name-calling as its only
point of argument. Last but not least, during a March 2015 episode of The “Rush Limbaugh Show”, Ted Cruz attempted to demolish climate change by citing an old study that suggested global cooling was occurring. “The solution for all the advocates in the seventies of global cooling was massive government control of the energy sector, of our economy, and aspects of our lives,” said Cruz. “Now, the data proved to be not backing up that theory. So then all the advocates of global cooling suddenly shifted to global warming.” Aside from it being very clear that Cruz lacks the understanding that the difference between then and now is the overwhelming agreement that has lead to consensus in the scientific community, his comparisons between past thought and present scientific theory just don’t connect at all. Arguing that climate change can’t be real just because at one point in time science couldn’t tell us everything has no bearing on today. Of course, if you do not believe a word I am writing, you could accuse me of building a Straw Man argument by misrepresenting the conservative standpoints and then knocking them down as ridiculous. But the thing is, people are really saying this stuff, and some people are believing them. It just goes to show that, from a formal logic standpoint, when something is argued over which really cannot be, it descends into buffoonery.
Students of Gettysburg Keira Cooney ‘18 Tell us about your flag! B y D aniella S nyder S taff W riter
Photo courtesy of Alexandria Andrioli
Alexandria Andrioli loved her internship in Harper’s Ferry this past summer.
Interested in Writing for Features? Email Sarah at: lowysa01 Photo courtesy of Daniella Snyder
“My family comes from a small coastal town called Belmullet in County Mayo, Ireland. Listening to my grandparents tell me stories about home has influenced my passion I have for my heritage. And growing up surrounded by this culture has been a huge part of shaping me to become the person I am today.”
~Please visit our website www.thegettysburgian.com and
THE GETTYSBURGIAN
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Thursday, September 3, 2015
Note: The opinions published in this section are those of the individual writers and are in no way representative of the views of The Gettysburgian staff, The Gettysburgian or Gettysburg College.
Thumbs Up/ Thumbs Down By Isabel Gibson Penrose Opinions Editor
Thumbs Up
Kanye West running for President in 2020 – imagine the glory of a West/ Biden, West/Clinton, or West/Anyone ticket. President Obama is renaming Mount McKinley Mount Denali, which means ‘The Great One,’ and was the original name of America’s highest peak until it was changed in 1917. All the first years wearing lanyards. Seriously adorable. The new chip and sauce options at Bullet. Yes please, give me Avocado Ranch and Cheddar Bacon Mac and Cheese Chips for the rest of my days! McDonald’s will start serving all day breakfast. McDonald’s: For those Sundays when nothing on campus is open until noon (every Sunday folks). The new Gettysburg College camelback waterbottles in the book store are both awesome and leak proof. For the spirited and clumsy! The gym has been relatively empty, thank goodness for a lack of new school year resolutions.
Thumbs Down This weather: 84 percent of humidity means 100 percent chance of bad hair days. Monday is Labor Day and we still have class. That’s almost as bad as if we didn’t get Veterans Day off even though we live right on a hugely significant battlefield! Wait, we don’t get Veterans Day off? Yikes. Servo seems legitimately intent on keeping backpacks out. Can the school afford to install the thousands of hooks needed to hold them all? Elisabeth Hasselbeck asked why Black Lives Matter isn’t classified as a “hate group.” Daily reminder that Black Lives Matter does not equal White Lives DON’T Matter. Donald Trump is still up in the polls by massive margins. His campaign slogan should be “There’s No Such Thing As Bad Publicity, Losers”. The new Google logo is supposed to be “simple, uncluttered, colorful [and] friendly” but is actually just more similar to the Bing logo. The Dive changed the menu again - First Years will never know the glory of pizza bagels!
Miley Cyrus and the problem with claiming “ignorance” to racial issues
By Isabel Gibson Penrose Opinions Editor This past Sunday Miley Cyrus hosted the VMAs. Was it avant-garde? Eh. Was it entertaining? Not for the reasons it should have been. Did Cyrus continue to dig herself into a grave where her tombstone will read “Here Lies Miley: She Pushed the Boundaries… of Ignorance”? Absolutely. Cyrus has done some pretty awesome stuff – she founded the Happy Hippie Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting injustices facing homeless and LGBTQ youth, and has been open about her gender identity and sexual preferences in groundbreaking ways. But she has also shown a fairly unrivaled level of ignorance, especially regarding racial issues. In a New York Times interview, mostly given to promote her upcoming gig hosting the MTV Video Music Awards, Cyrus weighed in on the summertime skirmish between Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift. (Recap of that: Minaj commented on the lack of diversity in the VMA nominations, and the music industry in general, Swift took the comments as personal insults, then they made up and everything was sunshine and butterflies.) Instead of adding thoughtfulness to the dialogue surrounding the “feud,” Cyrus went petty,
accusing Minaj of bringing the spotlight onto herself, instead of fostering a real conversation about race, and fueling the E! News catfight fire. “If you want to make it about race, there’s a way you could do that,” Cyrus said. Never mind how ridiculous it is for Cyrus, whose record on race relation issues is far from spotless (more on that in a second) to critique Minaj on how she talks about race – her comments move beyond ridiculous into straight-up rude. “I think there’s a way you speak to people with openness and love,” she condescended. Ah yes, openness and love. I was moved by her statement – moved to roll my eyes all the way into the back of my head. Back in 2013 Cyrus was under a good deal of fire because she was twerking all over the place. Many people called on her to stop the dance because she was appropriating black culture without paying appropriate homage to the black people twerking originated with. In response to her critics Cyrus tweeted “I know what color my skin is. You can stop with the friendly reminders bitch.” Not only completely missing the point of what people were saying – insulting them as well! I love openness and love. Since the VMAs, defenses and critiques of Cyrus have popped up in equal
Photo courtesy of Us Magazine
Nicki Minaj (left) and Miley Cyrus (right) had a heated interaction at the MTA VMAs after Cyrus made rude comments about Minaj to the New York Times
measure. The defenses all say the same things (give the same excuses, if you will): Cyrus was a child star, she’s growing and learning in the public spotlight, she’s just ignorant, she’ll learn. Exactly how long can you claim “I’m just ignorant?” before people stop buying it? Two years ago Cyrus called people that criticized her (very real) cultural appropriation of twerking bitches. When asked about her music Cyrus has said she just wants “urban, something that sounds black.” This isn’t ignorance anymore folks – Cyrus knows exactly what she’s doing, and what she’s
doing is being racist. On Sunday Minaj refused to buy into the “poor ignorant child star” act Cyrus defenders have recently been putting on. She called Cyrus out for her comments before adding, “Miley, what’s good?” It was the one-liner that launched a million cheers, and a thousand memes. Cyrus stood on stage with her ridiculous white dreadlocks, spluttering to defend herself against a woman who was calling her out for both her rude comments and the cultural appropriation she was literally wearing. It seemed strange to watch
this unfold on MTV. Recently the music video channel has been working to raise awareness of racial issues – with the documentary “White People,” about white privilege and the website lookdifferent.org, while spreads important information about various biases. And yet, they hired Cyrus, a white woman to parade around stage wearing dreadlocks and saying “mammy,” like she’s not aware it’s a racial slur. Everyone deserves a chance to grow up and learn from their mistakes – ignorance doesn’t have to be forever, but Cyrus almost seems to enjoy it.
Gettysburg College ranked third highest for least race/class interactions among peers B y M ichelle L ee C ontributing W riter Recently, Gettysburg College has ranked #3 on the least race/class interaction list by the Princeton Review. While the rank shows improvement compared to last year’s ominous #1, diversity remains an unresolved problem for the college. Like many other liberal arts colleges, Gettysburg College struggles to expand its racial, economic, and international diversity. The school has been making several moves to promote diversity: the matriculation of more international students, appointment of the Chief Diversity Officer, and hosting of various international activities. Despite the effort, the disparity among students from different backgrounds remains unabridged. In other words, the institute resembles more of a salad bowl than a melting pot. T h i s l a c k o f i n t e r a ction is an unfortunate loss. Although the school acquired tools and resources to promote its diversity, it is yet unfledged in maximizing its potentials. Domestic students are losing their opportunity to expand their perspectives without going abroad; international students are missing out on their full-blown American experience; and the campus itself is failing to enrich its global connections. Domestic students are satisfied after picking up a few fun facts and phrases from different countries. International students are oblivious of what the full American experience implies, and end up being gratified “physically” living in the US and remaining in their own niche. The admissions office is satiated with simply counting the number of countries students hail from and
bluffing about its international connections. So where does the problem originate? Environment. The college desperately needs a “safer” environment for both international and domestic students to thrive. Sure, most of us bleed blue and orange with Gettysburg pride. But that pride does not resonate with many international and students of color, consequently marginalizing them. For instance, unlike most liberal arts colleges, Greek life remains the center of hierarchy on campus. While the school claims that it is not the only option, with a small student body, there are no other alternatives as vociferous as Greek life. Fraternities and sororities are rooted in tradition and brother/sisterhood. Most international students at Gettysburg are English as Second Language (ESL) students. For those who have been abroad will know the frustrations of language and cultural barriers. In order to join the mainstream or share their backgrounds, students must have at least some language proficiency, which a lot of international students lack. Naturally, these students are excluded from conversations. The problem with Greek-centered campus also affects domestic students. The excessive dues to join a frat or sorority prevents students from low-income family from joining the club. Language barrier matters. While international students are often misunderstood as self-segregated, the truth may be that they simply don’t have the language proficiency to freely converse. When language barrier is off the hook, next comes the cultural barrier. And without
the understanding of culture, speaking a foreign language does not differ much from using google translator—uttering the words without knowing what one says. Although the rate may differ, it takes time for one to fully absorb and acclimate to a certain culture. Gettysburg, however, shows little patience or assistant with helping these students. There are no ESL classes offered. The IRC services often backfire and confine international students in their own international house or events. Even the assistances provided often neglect to reflect international students’ actual needs or poorly advertised. Students may not know what assistance the school has to offer, and the school unsure of student needs. Some students still struggle after the adopting of various cultures. These students may belong to more than one culture or background, yet are inept in “code switching”. For instance, African American “lingo” is substantially different from the “standard English”. Unfortunately, there is a propensity for being considered “alien” or “sketchy” if one does not speak “standard English”. As a result, some of these students end up living a “border life”, not belonging to any specific culture. While the dexterity may be merited as an advantage, students may experience identity crisis or lack of sense of belonging. Another problem lies in the ethnic ratio of the student body. Gettysburg College is predominantly white with less than 20% students of color according to Forbes. In fact, the percentage becomes dismally small when further broken down. Asians represent about 1% of the student body, Black
or African American students about 2-3%, and Hispanic/ Latino students about 4%. The rest of the 20% are multiracial, unknown, or a non-resident alien. Furthermore, the one digit students tend to skew in certain majors such as economics and mathematics. Consequently, if a student of color wishes to take English or philosophy courses, he inexorably stands out in classrooms. Such distinction can easily intimidate students of color, which in return leads to lack of self-confidence and underperformance in class. And underachievement in class may eventually hinder them from getting a better job or getting into a grad school. The deficiency of diversity in faculty also raises some issues. Although most faculty go through diversity training before standing in front of the class, most professors don’t share the first-hand experience living as a minority. As a result, students of color may feel less comfortable talking to white, male professors with little (immediate) common denominator. Even when a student has the language fluency, the cultural and ethical background plays a major role in building intimacy. A Caucasian professor may not be able to understand the additional predicaments minority students go through. There are certain topics one can discuss only in certain environment. For example, students of color probably won’t confide about their intimidation in class from being the minority to a white, male professor. And once again, students with strong connections tend to perform significantly better in classes and even after graduation. While there are attempts
to integrate students from different backgrounds through discussions (e.g. nGender, eRace, iBelieve) these discussions end up being literally “discussions”. Such dialogues mostly happen indoors with essentially the same members. Unless students actively seeks such meetings and dedicate their time to participate, chances are the voices will not be heard by the outsiders. Therefore, there must be more outdoors and open-space events that requires less seriousness and particular interest for anyone to chime in. How are ESL students suppose to participate in debates and discussions when they are still struggling with language? For instance, why not utilize the viridescent Stine Lake for events where people can be seen? Of course, unconscious bias cannot be completely eradicated. People do have certain expectations of how certain race behaves in certain ways. For instance, it is easy to assume that all Asian students come from Asia, when some Asian students might be Asian-American, born and raised in the States. This type of unconscious bias may often be interpreted as microaggression and therefore discourage students from acting certain ways. Much of selfconsciousness do steam from internalization and lack of clear communication. However, nurture is often more influential than nature, correcting people’s behaviors in specific environments. If we can make Gettysburg a place where everyone feels welcomed and encouraged to maximize their potentials, imagine how Gettysburg will become a next-level place.
THE GETTYSBURGIAN
SPORTS
Page 6
Bullet Shot: Athlete of
Athlete of the Week the Week
Junior KJ DePontes, courtesy of GCC&M. B y M ichael B oncardo S taff W riter The Gettysburg College men’s soccer team faces a pivotal season this year. After improving their win total by 6 games last season, the young team seems primed to be Centennial Conference contenders. Junior KJ DePontes will be a key member of this up-andcoming squad. DePontes returns from a breakout sophomore season, during which he formed the backbone of the Bullets’ offense along with Junior Henry Smith. His expertise extends beyond playmaking, as he led the Bullets’ squad and tied for 9th in the conference with 5 assists last season. Despite these accomplishments, KJ still hopes to refine his game over the coming months. “Last year was a great accomplishment. I was happy with the way I played but being a little bigger and having more experience, I expect to contribute more.” KJ also applies this constructive attitude towards the coming season in general. “After last season’s success, everyone is very optimistic that this could be a breakout season. Preseason has gone very smoothly and everyone seems prepared to start. We improved so much last year and did very well outside the conference.” Regardless of what the coming season brings, the Bullets are surely grateful to have a player like DePontes on the pitch. For DePontes’ growing talents and focused attitude, he is this “Bullet of the Week.”
♦
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Women’s soccer sets sights high for 2015 season Gettysburg Bullets welcome 24 returning players and 15 newly recruited first-year players to the field B y B ethany H oltz S ports E ditor Returning after their most successful season in program history, the Gettysburg women’s soccer team has their sights set high for the 2015 season. With six returning starters, 18 returning letterwinners and 15 fresh first-year players, the Bullets are determined to improve their game and take down the competition. Last season, the Bullets finished 13-4-2 overall and posted an undefeated (9-0-1) record in Centennial Conference play. Sliding into first place in conference standings, Gettysburg earned the right to host last season’s conference tournament. The accolades do not stop there either, as the team also captured their first national ranking in 10 years at No. 19 and an at-large bid for the NCAA Division III Tournament. Gettysburg has now qualified for the Centennial Conference playoffs in five consecutive seasons, and ninth-year head coach and 2014 Centennial Conference Coach of the Year Matt Garrett is preparing this year’s Bullets for the same model of success. “I am excited about this new team which is very young and has a great deal of potential. We are starting a new process with a new group after losing a lot of starters and all conference
Photo courtesy of David Sinclair,GCC&M
Senior Eliza Gray made a pair of impressive second-half saves to help Gettysburg tie the College of New Jersey in their season opener. and regional players in the l as t t w o years and w i t h a very tough schedule,” shared coach Garrett. “Every year our goals are to compete for a conference title, be regionally ranked, make the NCAA and improve from the previous year.” Returning to the field for the Bullets, is senior goalie Eliza Gray. Gray finished last season allowing only two goals to escape her clutch in Centennial Conference regular-season play. Gray registered a 0.796 save percentage to go with ten shutouts, earning herself First Team All-Centennial Conference, First Team NSCAA Division III All-Mid-Atlantic Region and Third Team NSCAAA Division III All-American
recognition. Gray is not alone in the net this season though. First-years Kelliann Bolash and Kiera Loftus will debut their skills and vie for time in the net. Also on the back field this season will be senior Cailin DiGiacomo, junior Carly Cobbol, and sophomore Gillian Sencindiver. DiGiacomo returns with a Second Team All-CC status in her second year as a starter. Playing in 16 matches last season and starting in the final ten games, Sencindiver will also return as a starting defender. Likewise returning as starting defender, Cobbol returns after playing in every match and starting in nine games with one assist.
Juniors Maddie Brown and Courtney Long and sophomores Haley Brazier and Aoife Schanche will also join the Bullets defense. Schanche will be a player to watch, as she joins this season as a transfer from Division I Drexel University. First-years Taylor Buckley, Gabby Kase, Annie McNamara, Stefany Soltesz and Skye Speciale will also add their skills to the Bullets’ defense this year, as they transfer their skills to the college level. On the forward line, the Bullets will return their leading scorer from 2014, senior Lauren Schapiro. Senior Melissa Seidner and sophomores Maddie Heaney and Jessica Cuttone will join Schapiro on
the offensive front, bringing a variety of skills and tricks from last year. First-years Samantha Esposito, Danielle DeMichael, Alexa Soltesz and Daisy Sullivan will round out the Bullets’ offense. Contending for playing time as either forwards or midfielders, junior Hannah Theurer and sophomores Krissy Bradley and Jordan Stefanacci return as significant offensive contributors. Theurer played in 18 matches with 10 starts, one goal and one assist. Bradley hit the field in 19 matches with one start. Stefancci scored one goal in her six matches on the pitch. Junior Julia Ramsey and sophomores Shannon Brady, Nicole Crofton and Taylor Atlas will hit the field as returning midfielders eager to build on their skills from last season. Rounding out the team will be first-years Alexa Bushey, Paige Heiden, Lauren Miesemer and Virginia Sanford, who will all contend for time as midfielders. In their season opener on Sept. 1st, the Bullets showed their potential for the season by tying with ninthranked College of New Jersey. The Bullets will hit the field for their home opener on Sept. 5th when they face Hiram College at 7 p.m. as part of the annual Gettysburg Cup.
Gettysburg XC hosts successful Alumni Run Bullets’ junior Amanda Asaro strides into first place overall with a 5k time of 19:43.7 B y E lizabeth H ilfrank S taff W riter This past Saturday, Gettysburg cross country embarked on its first race of the season as the team hosted its annual alumni race. The women’s team faced a competition of eleven alumni w h i l e t h e m e n w e r e c h a llenged to twenty alum. The current teams on both sides came out victorious, however, as the women scored 21 to 40 and the men 21 to 38. Junior Amanda Asaro was the overall winner for the women’s race, clocking a 19:43.7 5k. All within two minutes of each other, six teammates followed Asaro in the top ten. The girls looked strong as a pack of four raced into the finish only seconds apart from one another. The alumni did not make the win easy, however, as 2013 graduate Christine Esposito, current Gettysburg College 5k record holder, cruised into third place. Not too far behind was recent grad Alyssa Beyer, who clocked in a 20:42.1 5k worthy of fourth place. The saying ‘out with the old and in with the new’ held true Saturday when the ten freshmen girls showed up ready to race. All had
successful performances, the most notable being Sarah Rinehart who burst into fifth place out of thirty-three runners. After the second longest preseason in the program’s history, these accomplished competitors bring good vibes to the team. Freshmen Sarah Linton and Colleen Campbell also made it into the top ten, scoring eighth and ninth respectively. Junior Ben Taber came in first for the men, successfully upholding his number one position from last year. The race was even closer on the men’s side, as the first ten runners finished within forty seconds of each other. The closest competition appeared between the seventh and eighth runners when senior captain Noah Rossiter edged out freshman Matt Robinson by a mere 0.3 seconds at the line. Similar to the women, the alumni in the men’s race were not going to give up easily. Three alumni made it into the top ten, scoring fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. All years came to the race, from 2015 grads experiencing the race for the first time as alum and others hitting double digits for the number of races attended as alumni.
Junior Amanda Asaro strode in with a time of 19:43.7 to win the annual Gettyburg College Alumni Run. The event was a nice way to introduce the past members with the new ones, and to reminisce on some old memories. Sophomore Mary Casey said, “It was awesome to have the chance to catch up with my former teammates who graduated last spring!” As the premise to the
season, the alumni race foreshadows nothing but good th in g s to co me. Th e team worked tirelessly for a week and half prior to the race, having double sessions every day to get in the best shape possible for the best season possible. As Casey stated, “The alumni race is a great way to start the season be-
cause we use it as a starting point and can see how individuals and the team progress as the season continues.” The Bullets will continue to see their season progress under the lights on Friday night at Shippensburg University at 8:00 p.m.
This weekend in Gettysburg College fall sports:
Friday, September 4: Volleyball vs Penn State in Harrisburg- 3:00 p.m. Men’s Soccer at York- 4:00 p.m. Volleyball vs Messiah- 7:00 p.m. Men’s and Women’s Cross Country at Shippensburg Invitational- 8:00 p.m. Football at Bridgewater- 7:00 p.m. Saturday, September 5: Volleyball vs Geneva- 10:00 a.m. Field Hockey at DeSales- 1:00 p.m. Volleyball vs Mount Saint Mary- 2:00 p.m. Women’s Soccer vs McDaniel vs Scranton in Gettysburg- 4:00 p.m. Women’s Soccer vs Hiram- 7:00 p.m. Sunday, September 6: Women’s Soccer vs Hiram vs McDaniel- 4:00 p.m. Women’s Soccer vs Scranton- 7:00 p.m.
Are you interested in writing for the sports section? Contact Bethany Holtz at holtbe01 for more information!