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Blasts from the past
This week in 1897, The Gettysburgian reported that the semester had begun and students had time over the summer “to replenish the supply of red blood corpuscles.” The paper reported that the Repair Committee had been hard at work fixing some of the buildings, especially noting the new frescoing of the Chapel. Almost everyone had returned to campus and the class of 1901 had 67 students. A welcoming speech was given by Dean Bakke, instead of President McKnight, as he had a cold. And just as, 110 years ago, students returned to Gettysburg to find a campus under construction, the more than 720 students in the Class of 2021 had a similar experience. This week in 1912, The Gettysburgian wrote an article about a tug-of-war battle between the freshman and sophomore classes. The freshmen believed they had bigger and stronger men than the sophomores. The two teams seemed even at first when they began to tug, but soon enough, the freshmen pulled harder than the sophomores and won the first round, and then the second and third. This was the first time the freshmen had beaten the sophomores, This week in 1992, the front page of The Gettysburgian had an exciting article about the first Gettysburg student to compete in the Olympics. Aril Husain, ’93, ran the 100- and 200-meter dash for Pakistan. His coach was Ed Riggs, then the Head Coach of the Gettysburg’s men and women’s winter and spring track teams. Husain was Pakistani by birth and he could compete in the Pakistan Olympic Trials because of the College’s staff helping fund Husain’s plane ticket. He was able to beat the competition in the trials and he was on the Olympic team. He came in fifth place overall and was happy that he could compete. This month in 1997, The Gettysburgian had an article about the brand-new equipment the college was using, known lovingly at the time as StalkerNet- CNAV. The article discusses how it took two years to create the system, so students would have quicker access to clubs, activities, and emails of their fellow students. It was designed so students would not have to guess when events were or how to get in touch with others on the campus. They describe CNAV as bringing all the “puzzle pieces” together in one useful place. The only concern raised was privacy, however students could decide on how much information was public on CNAV. Even with some uneasiness at first, CNAV remains an integral piece of campus technology infrastructure. These archived “blasts from the past” were compiled by contributing writer Shannon Zeltmann thanks to Special Collections in Musselman Library.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Thursday, September 7, 2017
One thousand wins
Kasey Higgins (L) and Stephanie Blair celebrate during the Battlefield Classic, held this weekend; Gettysburg, which went 4-0, picked up its thousandth win as a program. For full coverage, see page 8, and for more photos, visit gettysburgian.com/vball2017 Photo Samantha Hann / The Gettysburgian
FREE
Trump ends DACA, campus responds B y B enjamin P ontz M anaging N ews E ditor United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on Tuesday, prompting rapid reaction from across the political spectrum, including on the Gettysburg College campus. “I was incredibly disheartened and disappointed because LASA is my family; this is not just political, it is also personal. This decision to end DACA is not only cruel and racist, but short sighted and counterproductive,” said Emily Vega, President of Gettysburg’s Latin American Student Association. DACA, an exercise in prosecutorial discretion implemented by President Barack Obama in 2012,
provides certain individuals who entered the country illegally as children temporary relief from deportation and eligibility for a work permit. The Trump administration called upon Congress to pass immigration reform, which, potentially, could include codifying DACA into permanent law. Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) hinted Tuesday that he might support such an approach, although he did signal approval of President Donald Trump’s decision. “President Trump’s decision to end [DACA], while giving Congress six months to come up with a legislative solution is the right step,” read part of a statement he released. Effective March 5, 2018, the program will begin phasing out unless Congress acts. The Department of -Continued on next page-
CPS hosts ENGAGE Expo to O M E k i c k s o f f encourage student participation fall programming B y J essica G reenman C ontributing W riter Last Wednesday night, charitable Gettysburgians gathered in the Jaeger Center lobby for the Engage Expo, an annual event in which new students can learn about various community service opportunities on campus as well as this year’s Immersion Projects. The returning students were eager to share their passion for serving the Gettysburg community, representing organizations that aid local children, seniors, migrant families and more. Annette AguileraGonzales ’18, Program Coordinator of 21st Century Pasos, a migrant education
program for local middle and high school students, was excited to bring in new members. “This program is really what you make of it,” she said. “If you are passionate about education, it is very empowering to be able to provide that.” Also present were representatives for nine upcoming Immersion Projects. These one to two week trips will travel to locations around the United States and the world during Winter Break, Spring Break, and at the conclusion of the semester in May. Domestic destinations include Washington, D.C., Kentucky, and Little Rock, Arkansas. Students wishing to join an international Immersion Project may choose from
Rwanda, two different destinations in Nicaragua, Morocco, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. O n e t r i p , “Immigration on the U.S./ Mexico Border,” will travel throughout the American southwest and to Mexico. Mary Beth Bielicki, senior and trip leader of the U.S./ Mexico Immersion Project, hopes that participants would gain a greater understanding of how immigration and borders had evolved in recent history. The application deadline for the Little Rock, AR Project, conducted through the Eisenhower Institute, is September 15. The deadline for all other Winter Break Immersion Projects is September 22.
days. It’s a good time for a record scratch. That’s me. Four days into my college experience, and it seemed like everything that could go wrong, did. Even on a tiny campus, I managed to get myself hopelessly lost, locked my key in my dorm, and even managed to injure myself. That’s not to mention the million other smaller, rookie mistakes I made while trying to figure out how to handle living far from home and being on my own. At first, I refused help from almost everyone. This didn’t last long, however, as my injury made it impossible for me to be completely independent. But this, I came to realize, was a good thing. Part of being a mature adult, I’ve been told, is knowing when to help others, and when to accept help. Helping others is easy for me. Accepting help? Not so much. During my time here, however, I’ve realized that I’ve gained my independence,
(a beautiful thing!) but I’ve also entered a community. Nobody gets by completely alone. So, although I’m thrilled to become someone with more autonomy than before, I should also be equally thrilled to be a part of something bigger. Although on Friday, August 18, I was struggling, it wasn’t long before someone helped me out of my situation. The next week, I was able to do the same for somebody else. I was asked how I was able to remain to optimistic, even as seemingly everything around me went wrong. But in my mind, there’s nothing to worry about. As I learn more and integrate myself into the world of Gettysburg, I can’t help but be optimistic about what’s to come, even when everything goes awry. I’m beginning to realize that there is something more crucial than complete independence, and more exciting: a new family. And that’s something to look forward to.
Dodging the Bullet: A broken ankle and finding a family
B y N atalie O rga C ontributing W riter It is high noon on Friday, August 18th. The temperature: 91 degrees. The humidity is oppressive, a film that clings to the skin. A girl lays sprawled on the burning sidewalk in front of the Gettysburg College Health Center, her back against the rough brick, one leg folded at an awkward angle. Sweat plasters her clothes to her body as she dials a number on her phone. No response. Her ankle is fractured. Her key card is locked inside her room. She’s supposed to be at band camp, but she’s hobbled her way over to the Health Center for the sole purpose of obtaining crutches. The girl taps the Health Center’s number into her phone once more and the recorded message plays again, but this time, there’s an addition: the Center is closed until 1 pm on this particular day. Now, she’s late to practice and can’t walk. She’s been in college for four
Inside This Issue
Volume CXX, No. 2
♦
Meet Alice Brawley, pg. 2
Dodging the Bullet: Lincoln Diner, pg. 3
Summer Research Spotlight, pg. 5
Soul Burrito served food at the Office of Multicultural Engagement’s kickoff event on the first day of classes last week; Photo courtesy of the Office of Multicultural Engagement also offer resources B y M iranda F eeley for students coming S taff W riter The line stretched from underrepresented around the building at the backgrounds and students Office of Multicultural who are the first in their Engagement’s (OME) first family to come to college. There will event of the academic year, b e A c a demic Success the First Day of Class Food Workshops for students Truck. w h o w a n t to learn The event attracted college skills throughout students of all backgrounds to bond over Soul Burrito S e p t e m b e r . R e a d i n g in the OME’s backyard; T e c h n i q u e w o r k s h o p s 330 students were served will be held on the 5th over the course of the and 20th, Note Taking on the 6th and 19th, and evening. Monique Gore, Time Management on Director of Multicultural the 12th and 27th. There Programming and Outreach will also be a panel of f o r O M E , e m p h a s i z e d alumni who will discuss that the Office’s goal this their experience as firstyear is to attract students generation students with from every background a networking reception to to participate in events; follow on September 16 they want to encourage starting at 3pm in CUB a dialogue and exchange 260. Notably, on between all students from F r i d a y , September 8, all backgrounds, no matter Gettysburg will celebrate with which groups they the beginning of Hispanic may identify. H e r i t a g e M o nth with All events and the annual “Salsa on the programs are open to Square” event from 5:30 the general student body until 11:00 p.m. at the including an upcoming s q u a r e i n G e t t y s b u rg. block of programming for Mayor Ted Streeter will Hispanic Heritage Month, running from September make a proclamation and 15th to October 15th and Nicaraguan Ambassador to kicked off with The Fluffy the United States Francisco M o v i e i n t h e S c i e n c e Campbell will speak on the Center Room 300, starting importance of the sister city relationship between at 7 pm September 15th. OME d o e s Gettysburg and León, Nicaragua.
Faces of Myanmar, pg. 6
Dean Volleyball Ramsey wins responds to 1000th editorial, match, pg. 7 pg. 8
THE GETTYSBURGIAN
Page 2
NEWS ♦
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Faculty Spotlight: Brawley studies S e n a t e b e g i n s “gig economy” as new OMS professor n e w y e a r B y E mma P adrick C ontributing W riter Climb four flights of stairs to the very top floor of Glatfelter Hall and you’ll find the office of Assistant Professor Alice Brawley, a distinguished professional whose name and reputation most students have yet to recognize. A graduate of Louisiana Tech who received her Ph. D in Industrial Organizational Psychology two years ago at Clemson University, Brawley is starting a new adventure here at Gettysburg in order to explore new teaching opportunities and focus her research as a tenure-track member of the Organization and Management Studies Department. Inspired by her time working in two locations of the same fast food restaurant, Brawley brings a unique perspective to the field of management studies and now researches the management processes in small family-run businesses and that of “gig workers” such as Uber drivers. Her path to Gettysburg is similar to many of her students’ — she
visited, fell in love with the campus and community, and could visualize working with the interdisciplinary faculty. In particular, she says the small town of Gettysburg drew her attention due to its many family businesses that provide perfect examples for her focus. The excitement of Gettysburg’s first-years as they find their way around campus and explore the town are mirrored in Brawley’s words as she talks about the promise of becoming a part of a meaningful community. “You get really excited when you get to be a part of something, and I think that’s part of the community here,” she said. This semester, if not in her office or the Browsing Room of Musselman Library, Brawley can be found teaching Statistics and Research Methods to those interested in the OMS field of study. Her goal, she says, is for her students to “really know how to use the information they’ve been taught; if it’s statistics I want them to leave the
B y S hannon Z eltmann C ontributing W riter As I first started learning about Gettysburg College, the tradition that stood out to me was one of the historical walks we take as Gettysburgians, known as the First Year Walk. The roots of this tradition can be traced back to 154 years ago, when students and staff left the college (as classes had been cancelled) to walk to the newly-established Gettysburg National Cemetery. Why had classes been cancelled on that day? David Wills, founder of the cemetery, invited Lincoln and several other politicians to speak at the dedication ceremony. Lincoln’s famous address would later become one of the most celebrated speeches of the English language. As President Janet Morgan Riggs shared this story with the entire class in the Chapel last Thursday, the second day of Orientation, I was reminded that one of the important things about this community is the rich history present here. We are all walking through a museum everyday as we stand where one of the most devestating and most pivotal battles in the Civil War took place. Riggs reflected on how the
students of Gettysburg must have felt coming back after the three day battle to find that Penn Hall had been converted into a field hospital for the Confederate Army. As a Civil War history buff, I had heard about the use of Penn Hall before coming here, but what was astounding to me was the fact that 700 wounded soldiers lay at Penn Hall when the students returned on July 4th… that’s nearly the size of the Class of 2021. It is hard to believe 700 wounded men were treated for their injuries in our own Penn Hall. It is even more incredible to think about the stories they could tell and what the students must have been thinking during that day. Fast forward to 2004, when a student learned about the history of the college during the Battle at Gettysburg and the Gettysburg Address. The first-year walk began that year to remind the incoming first-year students of the importance of history at Gettysburg. This year’s walk was amazing; the weather was perfect as we began to walk towards the National Cemetery. We passed the Majestic Theatre with its marquee welcoming the Class
Senate seeks committee chairs, senators from class of 2018, 2021
interactions and small class sizes are a pleasant change on which she wants to capitalize in order to offer the school as much as possible. Now that she’s found her place here on campus, Professor Brawley is enthusiastic about expanding her work in the department through teaching a spring-semester senior capstone on “Gig Management” and future research as she pursues her tenure position.
B y M iranda F eeley S taff W riter The first Student Senate meeting of the academic year passed without incident Monday evening. The board for this year introduced themselves: President Luke Frigon, Vice President Aimee Bosman, Treasurer Sarah Berkowitz, Secretary Kaitlyn Helmstetter and Parliamentarian Pat McKenna. Club Liaison Jackie Crowley was introduced in absentia by Frigon. B e r k o w i t z a n n o u n ce d th a t s h e i s working with the Budget Management Committee to improve budgeting policies, with strong backing from Frigon, who declared that he was tired of Senate meetings consisting of “40 minutes of sitting and listening to budget requests” and would like the Senate to be an activist and issue-driven body. No further information was provided on the budgetary changes. Caitlin Lindsay from the Office of Student Activities and Greek Life gave
a presentation on resources available to club boards for registry with OSAGL and the Senate. The Classics Club and Phoenix Rising, a support group for students who need academic accommodations, are both currently waiting on Senate approval to obtain funding. All students wishing to represent their class in the Senate must submit their petitions by Friday September 8th by slipping under the door to the Senate Office. Elections this year will take place from September 11th-13th. Any students wishing to chair a Senate Committee must email their application, resume, and cover letter to Aimee Bosman by 11:59 p.m. on September 13. Chair positions are available for the Academic Affairs, Career Liaison, College Life Advisory Committee, Diversity, Information Technology, Public Relations and Programming, Student Safety and Regulations, Senate Opinions, and Sustainability committees.
-Continued from page one-
Students sit at the cemetery, awaiting the program to begin after the First-Year Walk Photo Shannon Zeltmann / The Gettysburgian of 2021, the Wills House commitment to equality where Lincoln finished and must continue to learn writing his famous words, the from the words of Lincoln. enthusiastic marching band, According to Bloomquits, current students, alumni, Lincoln’s address promised citizens of the town, and small “Yes, America was worth museums whose bullet holes fighting for.” testify to where Confederate The two-minute troops came up the streets. Gettysburg Address, which We finally reached famously begins, “Four scores the cemetery where we sat and seven years ago…” will and listened to the Mayor stay with us as we begin our of Gettysburg, Theodore own Gettysburg experience. Streeter, discuss our relationship with the town. D r . J e n n i f e r Editor’s Note: “Dodging B l o o m q u i s t , A s s o c i a t e the Bullet: The First Year P r o v o s t f o r F a c u l t y Journal” is a series in D e v e l o p m e n t & D e a n which The Gettysburgian‘s of Social Sciences and staff members from the Interdisciplinary Programs, C l a s s o f 2 0 2 1 s h a r e spoke on the heels of an stories, reflections, and incident of what she called perspective on their first “domestic terrorism” in year experience. You can Charlottesville, and asserted read the full series online that America still has a long at gettysburgian.com/tag/ way to go in fulfilling its dodging-the-bullet. (BP)
Homeland Security will stop accepting new applications for DACA protection, and those applying for renewals must do so by October 5. Among the 800,000 total beneficiaries of the DACA program are a number of Gettysburg College students, according to Riggs, who reiterated her pledge that such students would have their educational expenses met if the end of DACA caused the loss of financial aid. “Gettysburg College is committed to meet all educational expenses of our DACA students if they should lose financial aid due to a change in their immigration status. We will also protect the privacy of our DACA students–and all our students–by continuing to abide by the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA); we will release student records only when required to do so by law,” she wrote in an email to the campus community. The Gettysburg chapter of Young Americans for Freedom released a statement condemning what they call “political posturing” by Riggs. “President Riggs has made it clear that, in spite of her egalitarian email, she places a higher priority on those studying here unlawfully,” the statement said.
For her part, Riggs noted that members of the greater Adams County community are also likely to be affected by the change in policy. She called on the campus community to “stand with our DACA students and those other members of our community who are affected.” Vega echoed that sentiment. “During difficult times like these, LASA will continue to be a familia and community that supports and loves our peers, faculty, friends and families. We reaffirm our commitment to work with the administration to create a supportive space for DREAMers,” she said in an email. “We will advocate for our DACA students, and provide resources through organizations within the Gettysburg community and Adams County. We are in the process of organizing workshops for DACA application renewals and forums to educate and raise awareness.” Vega urged campus community members affected by the change not to lose heart. “You are not alone, this is your home, and we stand by you,” she said. “Please reach out to us; we are both a community and a resource.”
Alice Brawley, Assistant Professor of Organization & Management Studies (Submitted photo) classroom knowing how to use and interpret statistical tests, so that when they’re reading a news story they can dig up the original source and interpret it for themselves.” This, paired with her desire to get to know students individually as people, is one of the reasons she is grateful to be at a small college. Previously a visiting professor at Michigan State University giving lectures to students in the hundreds, the personal
Dodging the Bullet: First-Year Walk Campus responds allows Lincoln’s legacy to live on to end of DACA
DPS Crime Log
August 20, 2017 - No crime to report August 21, 2017 - Larceny: Theft from buildings at 25 South Washington Street Storage Room / Closed: No suspects or witnesses August 22-23, 2017 - No crime to report August 24, 2017 - Liquor Laws: Underage consumption and false identification card at 200 Block North Washington Street / Closed: Referred to SRR - Drug Abuse Violation: Possession of marijuana/ Liquor Laws: Underage consumption and underage possession at West Walkway college apartments / Closed: Referred to SRR - Liquor Laws: Underage consumption and underage possession at Musselman Hall / Closed: Referred to SRR August 25, 2017 - Drunkenness: Public drunkenness at (off-campus) South East of Huber Hall / Closed: Referred to SRR - Bias related: Religion at 100 Block North Washington Street / Closed: No identifiable suspect - All Other Offenses: Harassment at 209 North Washington Street / Closed: Referred to SRR - Liquor Laws: Underage consumption at Musselman Hall Closed: Referred to SRR
Compiled by Brianna Bruccoleri, Contributing Writer August 26, 2017 - Liquor Laws: Underage consumption/ Disorderly Conduct: Urinating in public at West Stevens Street / Closed: Referred to SRR - Assisting Other Agencies and Disorderly Conduct: Yelling Profanity at West Water Street / Closed: Referred to GPD August 27, 2017 - Liquor Laws: Underage Consumption at Dining Center Closed: Referred to SRR - Liquor Laws: Under consumption/ Disorderly Conduct: Urinating in public at Huber Lot (campus exterior) / Closed: Referred to SRR - Drug Abuse Violation: Unauthorized possession of prescription marijuana at Weidensall Hall (outside) / Open: Referred to SRR - Burglary: Item stolen from student room at Lambda Chi Alpha / Closed as of 1 September 2017: No suspects or witnesses August 28-30, 2017 - No crime to report August 31, 2017 - Sexual Assault: Rape and domestic violence; crime occurred on 15 October 2016 at Stine Hall / Closed: Referred to Title IX Officer September 1, 2017 - Sexual Assault: Fondling and dating violence; crime occurred on 15 October 2016 at Stine Hall / Closed:
Referred to Title IX Officer - Liquor Laws: Underage consumption at Hanson Hall Open: Pending citations by Gettysburg Police / Referred to SRR - Other Assaults: Harassment and stalking at The College Union Building / Closed: Referred to Title IX Officer - Drug Abuse Violation: Possession of marijuana/ All Other Offenses: Possession of drug paraphernalia at Patrick Hall / Closed: Referred to SRR - Assisting Other Agencies and Drugs: Driving under the influence at North Confederate Avenue / Closed: Olivia Simmet ‘18 was arrested for DUI by Cumberland Township Police September 2, 2017 - Larceny and Theft: Attempted Theft by Electronic Means at Paul Hall Closed: Referred to GPD - Liquor Laws: Underage consumption at Hanson Hall (outside) / Closed: Pending citation by GPD, referred to SRR - Assisting Other Agencies: Fondling / Closed: Referred to GPD - Other Assaults: Harassment and Stalking; crime occurred on 7 January 2017 at Stine Hall / Closed: Referred to Title IX Officer September 3, 2017 - Drug Abuse Violation: Possession of marijuana/ All Other Offenses: Possession of drug paraphernalia / Closed: Referred to SRR
THE GETTYSBURGIAN
FEATURES Page 3
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Thursday, September 7, 2017
Provocatively unconventional, pithy nutrition claim ...in only 3 days!!! B y A ri S naevarsson F eatures E ditor
Are you disillusioned with dieting (already begin hyperlinking words and phrases that beg further inspection, pinging them to my other articles)? Did that [fairly safe] question evoke an empathic nod from you, as if FINALLY someone gets it? Is discrediting the entire concept of dieting the new diet fad? How badly would you like to achieve some arbitrary marker of health/ fitness success I set in some suspiciously short amount of time? If you answered yes to all those questions, you aren’t doing so hot, because that last one was not a yes or no question. That’s okay. We’re over it. Slightly less provocative title that doesn’t belong here. Exposition I know you’ll skip over, because you clicked on this to learn how to achieve the ridiculous feat I claimed I will be teaching you, not to read about some random nutrition writer’s probably dumb life anecdote. Look, when I started out, I was the most stereotypical lame guy. I was relatably ignorant about all things health/fitness until I discovered the magic pill. But remember, there is no magic pill, and me putting that in writing basically guarantees that I’m not trying to sell you a magic pill. So get that out of your head. Uncomfortable quirky
joke I clearly spent way too much time on, that serves only to delay the mainstay of this article even more. And that brings me here, to today, because where else would it bring me? Anyway, on to this magic pill solution I’m offering. The problem laid out in a manner that renders my idea the logical conclusion. By cherrypicking scientific details, most of which are vastly oversimplified and none of which are actually cited, I supply you with pseudoscience masked by grandiose language (sort of like that) so that I become an authority in your eyes. Great, now that you are reading with about 30 percent comprehension and are desperately trying to recall 9th grade biology to stay on track, anything more understandable will be met with unquestioned agreement. Perfect time for… Actually, wait. Here I take advantage of having your undivided (yet thoroughly confused) attention by fulfilling my one-plug-perarticle quota. If you are the type of person who exhibits traits you obviously would if you read this far into the piece (you are? What a coincidence!), then boy do I have just the thing for you. Just give me your e-mail, because this seems a lowrisk commitment on your end (though it helps me inconspicuously slide into your wallet in the future, via tons of false advertising), and
I’ll send you a FREE course that sounds enticing. Anyways, on to that solution… An old solution repackaged and sold with over-the-top excitement. So, what is the probably simple solution I’ve so far abused the purpose of exposition for? One abstract word written in its own line for emphasis. Attempt to expound upon this but proceed to speak purely in further abstractions. Claim that if you follow this one life motto or habit heard a million times before (but — here’s the key — it’s worded differently) you will experience the same success I ostensibly did, based on that sob story I told you and the happy ending to it that constitutes this magic pill solution. Proceed to frame it as if throughout all of diet history, this one point I am fetishizing has been missed repeatedly. Briefly list some isolated examples of strategies probably offered by at least some people, which apparently failed (you have to take my word for it, but through the pseudoscience segment, I’ve already primed you to do just that), leaving my magic pill as the logical answer. Leave you with some corny conclusion and take a second shot at slipping the plug for my e-mail course in here. Finish by improperly reciting a quote I reckon makes me look more learned.
Dodging the Bullet:
Lincoln Diner, you now have my heart
10 pieces of advice from an upperclassman to a First-Year
Photo credit: Gettysburg College
B y N oelle Z immerman It is the moment you have all been waiting for. It is time for you to leave the place that you have called home for so many years and dive into the great unknown. We have all been there, and at the end of the day it simply is not possible to explain what to expect. Although upperclassmen were in your shoes just a few short years ago, they definitely remember cringe-worthy and embarrassing moments that could have been avoided. There are also many things that we wish we would have known at the time. 1. E m b r a c e y o u r freshness. No matter how hard you try to act and look like you may know what you are doing, you simply do not. There is no shame in being clueless; your first year in college is filled with excitement and new things. Do not be ashamed of how lost you may be for the first few months. On top of all of this, if you are a first-year, we just know. 2. B e o p e n t o everyone. This is not high school any more, cliques are not really a thing. At Gettysburg, we get to know people based off who they are and not who they hang out with.
3. Go experience campus. Even if you simply get a group of new friends to walk around campus and explore, there is always something fun or interesting going on that you do not want to miss. 4. T e x t o r c a l l your family! Orientation week is a rush of fun and excitement, but it will make you so exhausted at the end of the day. Be sure to contact your family members and let them know that you are doing well and you miss them. 5. Do not be afraid to ask upperclassmen any questions you may have. We want to welcome you all onto campus in the best way possible and show you how great Gettysburg truly is! 6. Go to field day! I cannot emphasize this enough. Some people thought they were “too cool” to go to field day, however it was one of my favorite days ever. After field day, you will understand how seriously we take pride in our firstyear halls. (Shout out to Paul Hall for winning last year, #westquadbestquad.) 7. L E A V E Y O U R DOOR OPEN. Of course only when you are in the room. Also, be sure to visit other rooms with their doors open. Last year, my floor (Rice 2) was the closest floor on
campus. We became so close because most people left their doors open the first few weeks of school which allowed for all of us to become homies. Throughout the year, so many of us would randomly hang out in the hallway for hours talking and making plans together. Floor fams are forever. 8. S p e n d y o u r time wisely. You have all year long to decorate your room. You also have the whole year to show off your makeup skills or perfectly coif your hair. Also, everyone is concerned about what their reputation could become so they most likely will not notice how fire your outfit is. Utilize the time you have now to enjoy everything before classes start. 9. Prepare to expand your knowledge. This is a liberal arts school, some of the classes you take may seem irrelevant to your major. However, you will find that many of the things you learn are super cool and can be used in your other classes. 10. T a k e a d e e p breath. Your first year in college could easily be your best year. You are going to make so many friends while learning so much about life, and even about yourself. Slow it down and enjoy being a
Musselman changes over the summer
Photo submitted by author
B y S amantha A nastasiou C ontributing W riter It was particularly breezy on the first evening of September and we had just concluded our first week of classes as college students. Naturally, we were already overwhelmed with endless pages of reading, but Friday offered the opportunity to decompress with new friends. Our long night brought us passing our dorm, Huber, and continuing up the road for a midnight snack. As Friday quickly became Saturday, the nine of us gathered around the long table in the back room of the Carlisle Street icon.
There was slight unrest looming in the air for the anticipation of 24-hour diner food. It felt like seconds after we closed our menu the aroma of fried specialties wafted our way. At first glance, I knew it was a relationship that would last forever… or at least for the next four years. A plate of fried, cheesy goodness was carefully placed in front of me. Myself and the mozzarella sticks were a match made in heaven and a general consensus says everyone found their soulmate that morning. From chicken fingers and french fries to eggs and hash browns, everyone’s meal cravings could be well satisfied. As my friend Alexis
said, “I am a milkshake connoisseur—I’ve had one from everywhere— and this is the best I’ve ever had. This was a good decision.” My close knit group of friends that had formed over the past week met up with some other mutual friends this night. We no doubt ordered enough plates of food to cover the whole table. Within an hour, we were talking like we’ve known each other for years. Whether you prefer breakfast or dinner, our simple conversation quickly formed into an intimate bond all thanks to our mutual love for midnight snacks. So thank you 1:00 a.m. Lincoln Diner, you now have my heart.
M usselman L ibrary Musselman Library received several upgrades over the summer months – come check out what’s new in the library! Extended Hours and Games: Starting Sunday, September 10, Musselman Library will begin its 24-hour access through the week. Starting Friday, September 15, the Library will be offering extended hours over the weekend, staying open until 10:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Board Games on Fridays & Saturdays: In addition to these extended hours on the
weekend, the Library will also have board games available for checkout on Fridays and Saturdays for in-library use. Games include classics like Checkers and Uno, strategy games Risk and Pandemic, and just plain fun ones, like Apples to Apples. Come see what games await! Lockable Charging Station: The library has recently acquired a lockable charging station with 10 lockers. Each locker has the ability to charge Apple and Android devices and is large enough to fit one laptop. This charging station is located on the Main Floor next to the Browsing Room.
New Restrooms: Over the summer we renovated both of the bathrooms on the Second Floor. We have also added a brand new single, gender neutral bathroom on the Ground Floor next to the existing men’s and women’s restrooms. Try it out! It’s the best seat in the house. Healthy Options Vending Machine: If you are trying to make healthier choices, but do not have time to run over to Servo for a full meal, fear not! There is now a new vending machine on the ground floor of Musselman Library that offers healthier fare. Enjoy!
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FEATURES Page 4
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Thursday, September 7, 2017
Dodging the Bullet:
Office hours alleviate the ‘ice bucket challenge’
On artificial sweeteners and “diet foods”
B y M iranda F eeley S taff W riter After three months of not speaking a single word of French, I walked into my first college-level French class last Monday and promptly got a bucket of ice dumped on my head. It wasn’t a real bucket, don’t worry! It’s just that when you’ve never had a class entirely in another language before, and you’re out of practice to boot, 50 minutes straight of French can be pretty shocking. There was one part of the syllabus that I didn’t understand at all. I had never seen some of the words before and the ones I did know were just not processing. My cogs were still all dusty and sticky from the summer and it made me feel sick to my stomach. I’m in French 202. I should be good at this, right? The only part of the paragraph that was clear to me was the big ‘15’ next to the top word. I knew that meant the section was worth 15 percent of my grade, and that only made matters worse. What, exactly, was worth 15 percent? It was a big chunk of the final grade, and I was stuck between wanting to do well, and my mulelike stubbornness when it
B y A ri S naevarsson F eatures E ditor Photo credit: Flickr
comes t o
asking for help. I spent the next day of classes picking up more work, the misunderstood part of the syllabus haunting the back of my mind. And then I decided I was being ridiculous. Not understanding one paragraph didn’t make me a bad person, and I came to Gettysburg to learn, not to show off what I already know. Of course, by then my Professor’s office hours were over, but I resolved to go the next day and clear the issue up.
So that’s exactly what I did. He explained what the assignment was in English, pointed out what grammar rules I would need to know to get a good grade, and then I went and got some food. My spot at the college didn’t get revoked because I didn’t know what some words meant. And I’m really glad I got my first office visit out of the way, because now I know the worst part is that the French offices are in the West Building, all the way across campus from Hanson! It’s a whole extra minute past Servo-
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What are they? Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are the collective name for a wide variety of sucrose-like compounds, generally 100 or more times as sweet as sucrose. Since they are so poorly absorbed, if absorbed at all, by the human GI tract, for all intents and purposes they have been rendered calorie-free (or else very low in calories). For others, it is the fact that they are so much sweeter, per portion, than sugar, they only need to be consumed in micro amounts, in which the calories do not end up adding up. The three most popular sweeteners are saccharin (Sweet’n Low, “light” syrup), aspartame (diet sodas, sweet medicines), and acesulfame K (diet sodas, chewing gum). Deleterious effects laid out and discussed: Correlation with weight gain Early on in the timeline of NNS, some major epidemiological studies (NHANES being the biggest) linked consumption of NNS with weight gain. Similar studies proceeded to show correlations with insulin resistance, diabetes, visceral fat deposition and the whole of metabolic syndrome. However, the problem is that these findings are only significant when found in the context of large epidemiological studies. And here is the problem with that: on a national scale, the people consuming the most diet sodas and “light” chocolate syrups are generally the same ones consuming fast food regularly and exercising little. “They are chemicals:” This is a hard point to debate, only because it is not actually a point. It is smart to be weary of foods we would not have
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had access to before largescale agriculture took over, not to mention factory-born food products. However, this scrutiny must be taken to an actual conclusion. Yes, they are chemically manufactured, but why is that a concern? Unfortunately, I have not seen many proper responses to this. Food-reward hypothesis In essence, the foodreward hypothesis states that when we consume something sweet, for instance, we prime our reward circuits to seek out more of that [sweet] food. This is dependent upon the reward value (“this thing is good and means that you, a Paleolithic human, are doing good, so let’s keep doing that”) and the hedonic value (“this thing tastes sweet”) of a given food/meal. This, in accordance with the model of “mismatched calories,” adds another element to the case against NNS. The theory holds that when we consume a sweet product, through a cascade of chemical events, the brain eventually expects energy (in the form of calories). And since, in the case of NNS, we are getting little to no calories, it panics and sends out signals to go and get that energy. In practice, it looks like this: You drink a diet soda and subsequently crave something sweet, and the cycle goes on until you consume something with calories to match the sweetness. Now, it should be noted this is still a theoretical model and certainly many, many anecdotal reports have refuted its validity. Benefits Avoidance of highsugar items For whatever ambiguity exists around the healthfulness of NNS, the case with sugar is comparatively open-and-shut. Whether or
not sugar activates pathways of addiction is still a topic of debate, and the carbohydrateinsulin theory pedalled by so many of the staunchly anti-sugar voices (that weight gain is not controlled by caloric balance but by insulin response) is not favorable in the eyes of science, as of current. However, sugar carries seriously harmful effects in terms of general health (especially in the sedentary population), weight gain (not because of the carbohydrate-insulin theory but rather the rapid glycolytic pathway fructose goes through, which leads to deposition of fat in the stomach area, as well as pathogenesis of fatty liver), and dental caries. Less weight regain, more weight stability At least one study not only linked NNS consumption with less weight gain but also with a lower likelihood of weight regain after a weight loss bout. Another showed better weight stability (maintenance) in participants versus control Final verdict My final word on the matter? Artificial sweeteners, like most things, are fine in moderation. You would be hard pressed to make any sort of compelling case against having them in your diet at all. Granted, if you find yourself at the point where you are basically living off them and are too afraid of weight gain to eat some real, full-sugar, full-fat foods, there is a much deeper problem we might want to address. I admittedly ran through this information somewhat quickly, but hopefully what I have presented you can help decipher all of the confusing, conflicting views out there on artificial sweeteners. Now, go have that diet soda and
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MONEY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Page 5
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Thursday, September 7, 2017
Climate change made Hurricane Harvey worse B y A phra M urray MS&T E ditor The world watched in horror as Hurricane Harvey made landfall almost a week and a half ago. And the world continued to watch and send aid to curb the devestation that was caused by the deadly storm. But there is one scientific fact that cannot be ignored. Climate change made Hurricane Harvey far more deadly. While it cannot be said that the storm was a direct result of climate change, the flooding of local areas was definitely made worse by changes in the local cliamte. Less than half a decade ago, the storm surge would have been half a foot lower. This
is due to rising sea levels directly linked to climate change, specifically with the decades of human disturbance via oil drilling in the area. Rising temperatures have also had an effect on the average rainfall in the area. A thermodynamic relationship states that as the temperature increases, so too does that average atmopsheric moisture content. What does this mean? Given the higher than average temperatures across the summer, the potential for increased rainfall was heightened. This, combined with the coastal flooding, is responsible for the devestation that Houston is experiencing. Finally, it appears that the “stalling” of
the storms can also be attributed to climate change. Anomalies in wind patterns linked to human behavior means that the storm has not turned and continues to pummel the coastal areas. What does this mean for us Gettysburgians? We have students who come from Texas. They have had to watch from afar and hear from family members about the damage and destruction caused by the storm. This gives us opportunities to lend support to them, as well as support our environmental studies department as they continue to contribute to the wealth of knowledge that already exists about climate change.
One of the America’s oldest skeletons stolen
By Emma Gruner Staff Writer Archaeologists rejoice! Last week, a human skeleton found in a Mexican cave was determined to be over 13,000 years old, making it one of the oldest human remains ever discovered on the American continents. The skeleton, believed to belong to a teenage boy, was discovered in the underwater Chan Hol Cave, near Tulúm on Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula. As if this finding was not enough, the recent history of the skeleton, dubbed the “Young Man of Chan Hol II,” comes with a fair amount of scandal and intrigue. The remains were first discovered by underwater cave divers in February of 2012. At the time, the skeleton contained a nearly complete skull and several bones – about 80% of the skeleton in total. The divers posted about their encounter on social media, which attracted the attention of several prominent archaeologists – including Arturo González González at the Desert Museum in Saltillo, Mexico, and Jerónimo Avilés Olguín at the Institute of American Prehistory in Cancún. Unfortunately, the archaeologists were not the only ones who were intrigued. When researchers visited the cave in March of the same year, they found that the majority of the skeleton had been stolen. All that remained were about 150 small bone fragments, including a pelvic bone shard embedded in a nearby stalagmite. While the researchers would have had 80% of a full skeleton to study, now they had access to a mere 10%. Still, the archaeological community was not deterred. A team of researchers, led by the University of Heidelberg’s Wolfgang Stinnesbeck, decided to use the remaining bone fragments to determine the
skeleton’s age – a process called “dating.” However, there was another hurdle to overcome. The normal process of bone dating involves studying an isotope of radioactive carbon found in the bone’s collagen. But, since the skeleton had been submerged in water, almost all of the collagen had been leached out. Instead, the team turned to the stalagmite that surrounded the shard of pelvic bone. The stalagmite contained a mineral called calcite, which itself contained radioactive isotopes of uranium and thorium that could be studied in a similar manner as radioactive carbon. Their findings were impressive. While the layers of rock closest to the bone proved difficult to analyze, the stone just two centimeters out was proved to be over 11,300 years old. Judging by the rate of calcite formation, the bone itself is thought to have an age of over 13,000 years. Of course, there are complications – according to the University of Southampton’s Alistair Pike, this particular stalagmite probably formed during a period of significant climate change, which could have affected the calcite formation rate. Thus, Pike is more comfortable pegging the skeleton’s age at a minimum of 11,300 years, which, he admits, is still “very significant.” The findings were reported in the journal PloS ONE on August 30. As impressive as the skeleton’s age may be, it is not altogether unsurprising, considering where it was found. The caves of Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula are home to two other sets of ancient human remains – one believed to be over 12,000 years old, and another whose age is estimated at 13,500 years. Generally, though, skeletons older than 10,000 years are rare discoveries in the Americas; besides the Yucatán
finds, the next oldest is that of a 12,600 year-old boy found in Montana. Thus, current evidence points to the underwater Yucatán cave sites as being some of the oldest human settlements on the American continents, likely settled by early humans in the late Pleistocene Era, when the area was dry. As glaciers and polar ice caps melted, the caves were flooded, trapping and killing many and leaving their remains hidden. While the initial colonization of the Americas is believed to have occurred around 14,000 years ago, the early history of the continents remains fuzzy due to the small amounts of evidence. That’s what makes each new skeletal discovery so precious; as Southern Methodist University’s David Metzler says, “These sites are as rare as hen’s teeth.” For the team studying the Young Man of Chan Hol II, their work is not yet over. Their next step is to try and extract DNA from the skeletal remains – a difficult task, given the small amounts of bone they have to work with. A sample sent to the Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany has already been rejected for containing too little DNA. The team hopes to find useful material in the skeleton’s teeth, but the prospects are uncertain. As the team faces these new challenges, they cannot help but ponder the fate of the stolen remains. As Stinnesbeck says, “What would you want with a skeleton? Would you take it home? If they had known it was very old, maybe just to have a souvenir, to have something special.” While inquiries were made to the police, they failed to uncover any substantial evidence, and the full skeleton’s recovery seems unlikely at this point. But hey, what’s science without a little drama?
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Byte-size reviews of the latest apps Any.Do Getting back into the swing of classes often means trying to get organized again. Any.Do helps busy people not to forget daily tasks and keep a schedule with a to-do list, reminders and the ability to assign tasks to others. This might be helpful for club directors looking to delegate or even for just the more forgetful people among us. Free Category: Productivity Updated: 1 Sep 2017 Version: 4.11.6 Size: 73,9 MB Language: English Seller: Google, Inc. © 2017 Google Inc. Rated 4+ Compatibility: Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Summer Research Spotlight: Alex Paredes B y A lex P aredes C ontributing W riter When I first stepped foot on Gettysburg College, I had one thought and one thought only – “Get out”. My plan was simple: 1. Go to class, 2. Get the grades I need, and 3. Leave. I told myself I was going to follow this plan rigorously to ensure my success in college. Well, that all changed when I got an email from Professor Buettner of the chemistry department. An ambiguous message read “Stop by my office so we can talk”. Little did I know this meeting would completely change my next few months in college. She told me that through our few interactions she became impressed by me and wanted me to do research for her… how could I say no? Professor Buettner’s research focus on bio-inorganic chemistry, and she wanted me to pick up right where she left off. The research hoped to bind Titanium to due Ferri proteins, then use these titanium bound mini-metalloenzymes as epoxidation catalysts. If successful, our research could help develop catalysts that are more environmentally friendly and that could be used as therapeutics, which would be beneficial to scientists, the general public, and the natural world. Due Ferri proteins are small, structured proteins, which have binding sites for iron and copper. At first, it all sounded like Latin and the next thing I knew the summer had arrived and I was standing in laboratory for my first day of official work,
through the college’s XSIG program. My advisor told me that there’s nothing to worry about and that it’s a very laid back environment, which I didn’t quite believe as I looked around the lab and saw three other students, R i c h , A p h r a , a n d F o ntaine and my lab partner Olivia all dutifully working on their experiments. Professor Buettner told me to calculate the mass of a compound needed and I reached for an open seat and began to calculate it. I stared at it for ten minutes before I realized that I didn’t know what to do. My thoughts were “What have I gotten myself into? I can’t even solve a simple chemistry question on the first day. How will I actually perform experiments?” I went to her, finally, and told her I had no idea how to do this equation. She looked at me and reassured me that I certainly do. She then gave me the first step and sure enough, the equation was very simple. This is exactly what my research over the summer was like. I met Aphra, Rich, Fontaine, and Professor Thompson. I tried to seem nonchalant and ready to go. The experiments began and I felt like I always had a question that needed to be answered. I looked around to my peers and saw that they didn’t need to ask anything – even if asked to perform a brand new task. Eventually I became more comfortable with weighing out organic solvents, or figuring out what metal complex I needed to try to bind to my protein. As more time went on, the nerves began to dissipate. Soon enough I was being less shy and
opening up. Speaking with the other students and talking with Professors. We decided to have some fun in lab and add a friendly competition – one which determined who the safest student in lab was. I won’t say I lost, but I won’t say I won either. Lab work became what it should be – fun. I was asked to run an instrument, perform an experiment, create an experiment, and much more. I did all of this and more with little to no hesitation – I felt confident enough to be able to perform this. My advisor, Professor Buettner, believed that whatever I came up with was viable to use and perform – and so we did. I became friends with my lab mates and my chemistry work no longer seemed like work. There were, of course, some frustrations. There were some results that were veryunexpected. But nonetheless the ride went on. By the end of the summer, we didn’t quite reach the point that we wanted to – but the ride isn’t over. I’m more than excited to continue doing my research and build on what we’ve done. Quite simply put – Professor Buettner saw the potential in me that I didn’t see myself. I figured getting through the day was all that I needed to do. Thanks to her and this research experience, I now know that there’s so much more. I know that even if I don’t think I can do something, there’ll be someone there to give me a helping hand. My research experience was the best roller coaster I’ve ever ridden, and the best part is that I’m still chugging on.
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A&E
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Featured films WZBT: Gettysburg i n G e t t y s b u r g College’s Very Own Radio
Majestic Theater
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power - PG Tuesday - Wednesday (9/5 - 9/6) - 4:15 PM and 7:15 PM Thursday (9/7) - 2:15 PM A decade after “An Inconvenient Truth” brought climate change into the heart of popular culture comes the riveting and rousing follow-up that shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution. Vice President Al Gore continues his tireless fight, traveling around the world training an army of climate champions and influencing international climate policy.
Maudie - PG-13 Tuesday - Wednesday (9/5 - 9/6) - 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM Thursday (9/7) - 2:00 PM Though her life was one of deprivation and ailment, Maud Lewis became one of Canada’s most beloved folk artists. In 1930’s Nova Scotia, she takes a position as a housekeeper for an irascible peddler and the two find acceptance in their small village. Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke give superb performances in this story of art and love overcoming adversity.
WZBT’s Top Weekly Adds and Albums “Artist”- “Disk” - “Label” WZBT Radio 200 | ‘Top New Releases’ | CMJ 1408 1. Brian Hill - “and the Noh Starrs” - Modern Sky USA 2. Baby Jesus - “Took Our Sons Away” - Yippee Ki Yay 3. Cotillon - “The Afternoons” - Modern Sky USA / Burger 4. Deerhoof - “Mountain Moves” - Joyful Noise 5. Grizzly Bear - “Painted Ruins” - RCA WZBT Radio 200 | ‘Top 10 Requested Albums’ | CMJ 1408 1. The Yawpers - “Boy In A Well” - Bloodshot 2. A Giant Dog - “Toy” - Merge 3. The Accidentals - “Odyssey” - Sony Masterworks 4. Cymbals - “Light In Your Mind” - Tough Love 5. Kelley Stoltz - “Que Aura” - Castle Face 6. Public Service Broadcasting - “Every Valley” - PIAS 7. Broken Social Scene - “Hug of Thunder” - Arts & Crafts 8. The Memories - “Royal United Song Service” - Burger 9. So Many Wizards - “Heavy Vision” - Lolipop 10. Triptides - “Afterglow” - Requiem Pour Un Twister
Come out and dance L C D S o u n d S y s t e m s at Salsa on the Square! i s b a c k a t i t w i t h On Friday, September 8th, from 5:30 pm to 10 pm come to Carlisle Street between Lincoln Diner and the Square to enjoy a live salsa band, Latin food, and an event meant to bond the college and broader communities of Gettysburg. The event is put on by Project Gettysburg Leon, a sister city nonprofit based in Leon, Nicaragua that works for community development through education. If you don’t know how to dance, no problem! Come to eat, watch, and support this amazing organization, someone might even teach you some salsa steps once you get there!
‘Faces of Myanmar’ exhibit on display
‘American Dream’ B y K evin W right Staff Writer
Coming out of retirement could be seen as a marketing gimmick by music fans. Artists such as The Eagles and Jay-Z have called it quits for good, only to launch come backs that are extremely lucrative if not critically acclaimed. LCD SoundSystem fits into this mold, an artist that called it quits while at the top of critical and commercial success. Now they are back, expressing of voice of maturity mixed with bewilderment and resignation, with American Dream. The sound of the album is not unlike their previous efforts, rock music with electronic dance textures, including basslines that are tight and
focused. The influence of early punk rock figures like David Bowie and Patti Smith also cannot be understated. Tracks that have some punk flare include Call The Police and Emotional Haircut. The strong David Bowie influence is nothing new, and isn’t surprising considering LCD SoundSyst em was one of David Bowie’s favorite bands. The broad sonic experimentation and move from rock into dance and vice-versa of also indicative of Bowie. Major lyrical themes of the album include coming to terms with middle age and emotional isolation from those you once felt close to. On Tonite, we get a view on how James Murphy, the band’s leader, accosts himself, “The hobbled veteran of the disk shop
inquisition Set to parry the cocksure of men’s sick filth with my own late era middle-aged ramblings”. Not everything is so glum, however, in many ways this record is about coming to accept the pain and craziness of life, in order for the perspective it gives us. On American Dream, the title track, which can be interpreted in myriad ways, “in the morning everything’s clearer -when the sunlight exposes your age-but that’s okay”. What makes this record special is the sonic landscape that invites the listener to party where you dance to keep away a sense of helplessness and resignation. If nothing else, this outing is the party at the end of the world in a digital age where fact and fiction have become fluid.
Why you should join Shots in the Dark Improv
Photo credit: Janet Powers
M usselman L ibrary
M u s s e l m a n Library has a new photography exhibit, “Faces of Myanmar,” on display in the Apse on the main floor. This exhibit features 24 images of men, women and children captured during a photo safari in December 2014 by Janet Powers, professor emerita of Interdisciplinary Studies and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. The exhibit will be on display through June 2018. M u s s e l m a n Library will host a lecture by Powers on Tuesday,
September 19, 2017 at 4 p.m. in support of her exhibit. Powers will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of a photo safari, and show her images taken in the regions of Yangon, Bagan and Mandalay, as well as in Buddhist monasteries and the countryside. A reception with light refreshments will immediately follow. “These images were captured during a Joseph Van Os photo safari, which offered many opportunities to observe people in different settings,” said Powers,
who became so fond of the country she decided to return. “I went back to Myanmar for seven w e e ks in 2017, this time to teach English to public school teachers in the Chin state under the auspices of the Cetana Educational Foundation and the Metta Partners.” Powers has taught for 45 years in the fields of South Asian civilization and literature, women’s studies and peace studies. This lecture is sponsored by the Friends of Musselman Library.
Photo Courtesy of Shots In The Dark It’s unbelievable how hard it B y J ennifer C logg is to simply list off objects Contributing Writer or words from a related Life is unpredictable. The category on the spot. Only w o r l d i s u n p r e d i c t a b l e . seven things; easy, right? Yet some people are still Wrong again. Particularly surprised when things with an entire circle of don’t go as planned. Most seasoned improviser’s eyes p e o p l e d o n ’ t k n o w h o w on you, the pressure is on. Sounds terrifying? to deal with making on the spot decisions, which Y o u w o u l d t h i n k s o , b u t often leads to awkward and SITD has some of the most unfortunate situations. No r e l a x e d a n d w e l c o m i n g solution for this universal students you will ever meet. p r o b l e m ? W r o n g . L e a r n I only met this group a few t o p r e p a r e y o u r s e l f f o r days ago, yet they treated me anything by joining Shots as if I had always been one of in the Dark, Gettysburg’s them. The hour I spent with I m p r o v C o m e d y C l u b . them this past Wednesday They meet on Wednesdays flew by, and this is coming a n d F r i d a y s a t 7 p m a n d from a person who has the 8pm respectively. Improv p a t i e n c e o f a 5 - y e a r - o l d requires the ability to forget waiting for dessert. Each our human reactions to stop game we played required a and think before answering focus so extreme that only questions and responding to comes from speaking before your mind can process what any type of scenario. I went to my first y o u r t o n g u e i s a b o u t t o SITD meeting last Friday, say. This thoughtlessness and have not laughed harder, o f t e n l e a d s t o h i l a r i o u s , o r m a d e m o r e o f a f o o l inappropriate, and incredibly of myself in a long time, r e a l c o m m e n t s . T h i s i s a n d t h a t e x p e r i e n c e w a s another positive attribute worth every second of it. o f t h e a l l v e t e r a n S I T D
members; in a world full of people who filter social media photos and say only what others want to hear, these humans will give it to you straight. They are all very confident in their identities as human beings, and it comes out through their improv skills. They can pretend to be anyone because they know who they are so w ell. F or example, S ITD member Henry Beaumont easily laughed at himself along with the rest of the group when pretending to be a female with ever-growing breasts, while Sam Sheldon’s turtle impression was scarily reserved, mumbly, and introverted as if he had been a turtle his whole life. All in all, it was one of my most memorable nights here on campus thus far at Gettysburg, and I cannot wait to go back again tonight to continue to have a blast with great people and to better my reaction time, improv skills, and overall relationship with the group.
THE GETTYSBURGIAN
OPINIONS Page 7
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Thursday, September 7, 2017
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.
T h e l o s t s o u l s o f A m e r i c a To your right College Students” found that our ability to relate to one another has been declining since 1979. “We speculate that one likely contributor to declining empathy is the rising prominence of personal technology and media use in everyday life.” The new technological and media environment, coupled with growing inequality, is causing increased self-segregation and a lack of empathy and understanding of those outside our own bubble. For many who fall off the radar, their cultural bubble becomes a life of video games, Internet and/or drug addiction. Surprisingly, as “Reason” magazine reports, “the stereotypical aimless young man, detached from work and society, playing video games…He’s actually happier than ever.” This happiness is only in the short term, however, “A young life spent playing video games can lead to a middle age without marketable skills or connections. “There is some evidence,” Hurst pointed out, “that these young, lower-
skilled men who are happy in their 20s become much less happy in their 30s or 40s.” Society is going to have to consider what happens to these millions of people once they reach that state. “The profound effects of loneliness on health and independence are a critical public health problem,” said Dr. Carla M. Perissinotto, a geriatrician at the University of California, San Francisco. “It is no longer medically or ethically acceptable to ignore older adults who feel lonely and marginalized.” Our culture and institutions have at the moment not adapted to either keep these people in society or bring them back in. This cannot be allowed to continue, because it this “idle army” is highly prone to radicalization via the Internet. The New York Times notes that, “as it turns out, it isn’t just violent jihadists who benefit from the Internet’s power to radicalize young people from afar. White supremacists are just as adept at it.” As the Guardian phrases it, “the
tools that were designed to bring people together are used by people to magnify divisions and undermine social solidarity.” Incentives need to exist for these people to enter society, “In a very low-wage world,” journalist Ryan Avent writes, “more people will opt out of work. This will inevitably strain the socialsafety net; societies will be ever more clearly divided into those who work and pay for social programs and those who live off of them.” If this dynamic is not handled with care, it could lead to “intense political conflict” between thos e tw o groups . The global rise of populist movements on both the left and right including violent extremists like ISIS is an early signal that such tensions are already building. It is in the best interest of the whole nation for everyone to be contributing and to beome a part of society.
The message below is in response to the August 24, 2017 Gettysburgian editorial about the college’s Unauthorized Recording policy. The purpose is to provide additional clarity to the community about the policy and the College’s enforcement of the policy.
B y B rittany R ussell C olumnist Since the passage
Senator Mitch McConnell should not have closed the door on negotiations on the healthcare bill, nor should he have unveiled another bill two hours before the vote and acted like Paul Ryan would do a decent job of keeping the bill from passing in the house. McConnell and the GOP should also have realized that they would not have to worry about Paul Ryan if they killed the bill right now, stopped the vote, and went back to committee to build a plan that better suited their needs and kept more people insured. What makes this even worse is that Republicans have had time to think about this. They have had seven years to cook up a plan and review by all necessary and proper channels. Someone had to have thought that Republicans would be in charge again eventuallywhy did they not think of a better plan and keep it in the desk until it was needed? Did no one think of having a plan B while they spent seven years passing votes that were merely ceremonial that failed each time? I am disappointed in the actions I have witnessed this year in Congress. The unwillingness to listen to reason and the constituents that put each congressman there is embarrassing. Even if you got the outcome you desired from it, the process along the way was appallingly and unnecessarily messy. I find it sad. I urge everyone in Gettysburg College to hold your representatives accountable for their actions, Democrat or Republican. At the moment, they believe they can get away with anything because the man in the White House got away with it. Call them. Make your voice heard. Do not let them play games with anyone’s lives. Let them feel the political consequences of their actions in 2018.
B y J osh G asbarra G uest C olumnist
According to Pew Research, there are over 10.2 million people aged 16-29 living in this country who are not in school or working. These people are vastly less likely to be engaged in civic activities. There are several related societal ills in America that are causing this slip into mediocrity and holding the country back. This problem is practically invisible. As the Wall Street Journal puts it: “Strangely, nearly everyone—the news media, major political parties, intellectuals, business leaders, policy makers—has managed to overlook it.” Part of the reason for that is that these people are simply off the radar. The reason more and more people are falling off the radar is due to the rapid advancement of technology and its effect on culture. A University of Michigan study entitled “Changes in Dispositional Empathy In American
A letter from T h e e l e p h a n t Dean Ramsey i n t h e r o o m
are taken during times when there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. The College does not permit the recording of searches conducted by DPS. Students are typically present for searches and we normally ensure a member of residence life is present. We encourage students to speak directly to the Gettysburg Police Department if they have questions about recording interactions with the police. Finally, the Unauthorized Recording policy will be enforced as the result of complaints made by students or other members of our community. If students feel they have been recorded in a space where they had a reasonable expectation of privacy, they should bring that concern to our attention. In closing, the Unauthorized Recording policy was constructed to protect students from recordings and not restrict their social means of interacting. Each of us should expect to be fully informed if we are being recorded in a private space. The Student Life Committee, a group comprised of faculty, students and administrators, developed this policy to ensure privacy for members of our community. If there is additional feedback about the policy, SLC would be willing to listen to concerns from any student. If you have any questions or concerns, please email the Student Life Committee at slc@ gettysburg.edu.
First and foremost, the policy was created to protect students from unwanted recordings, videos, and photos where students have a reasonable expectation to privacy. Unfortunately, we live in a society where individuals have taken recordings without permission and used them inappropriately. We had incidents on our own campus where recordings made without permission harmed other students. We hope to stop these incidents from occurring. It is a violation of Pennsylvania state law to make an audio recording of another person without their knowledge. As the policy states, students can reasonably expect privacy in their residential facilities, classrooms, meetings spaces, office spaces, recreational spaces, locker rooms and restrooms. Members of our community do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in public spaces or at public events. This includes public spaces located inside (e.g. CUB, Dining, Library) and public spaces located outside (e.g. sidewalks, quads, athletic events). Additionally, what makes a recording unauthorized is the lack of proper consent. Any uncertainty about where a recording can take place or who can be recorded can be resolved by simply asking for permission. Further, the Communications and Marketing Office, which was referenced in the editorial, employs a practice of seeking verbal consent before photos or videos
of the Affordable Care Act in 2009, a core plank of the Republican party platform was “Repeal Obamacare!” over and over again. However, they never quite had the ability to do it while Obama was at the helm of government, nor did they have control of the Senate. Following the 2016 election cycle, Republicans now control both lawmaking branches of government, and Obama is not there to defend his legacy. Donald Trump pledged throughout his campaign that they would repeal and replace Obamacare- and Congress acted irresponsibly. The healthcare debate of 2017 has been chaotic, confusing, and messy. It is an egregious example of poor governance and a complicit party to the actions and words of a leader they know, deep down, is doing a poor job of leading. In this particular case, I find myself watching the congressional updates at 1am and wishing it was literally any issue other than this one. Healthcare is just as messy and complicated as the debate has been. I’m not going to go into the weeds- I’d be here all night- but because it is so complicated and the Obamacare law is so detailed and large, it should indicate that this is a delicate process that should take more time than the six months Republicans have been in charge. Repealing and replacing should not be rushed, or procrastinated. This is not a final paper in a 200 level class you can do the night before. This is 1/6 of the US economy and people’s lives on the line. The gravity of the issue should have told Republicans to slow down, and someone from Congress needs to learn to hold the leader accountable for his actions. Trump should have known better than to rush Congress into this decision.
B y A lex R omano O pinions E ditor
When one searches the words “Trump Nixon” on any Internet search engine, one is bound to find oneself overwhelmed with results that consist of bulleted lists and opeds comparing the incumbent president to his disgraced predecessor. Many are finding the current leader of the free world’s hypersensitivity, paranoia, and shrewdness akin to the thirty-seventh’s own personal flaws. Hawkish Democrats are barking for President Donald J. Trump’s impeachment not even a year into his first term, just as countless vindictive hippies, fed-up liberals, and alarmed Republicans were demanding of President Richard Nixon in the summer of 1974. The scandals, the timing, the campaign rhetoric, the men’s physical appearance, and every other superficial quality are all being used without relent to label Trump as this generation’s Nixon. But the comparison is mostly inaccurate. For the two men’s motivation, political experience, vision, and actual public policy are all carelessly ignored in drawing this presidential Venn diagram. For, in such matters, Trump and Nixon differ vastly, and those who wish to make a comparison to Trump will have to do so with someone else. But to whom would one compare Trump? In order to go about that task, it first has to be decided how Trump should be characterized, for it would be impossible to make a comparison without understanding each of the figures who are being compared. And how to best characterize Trump depends on who one asks. If one was to ask a Fox News commentator, one would hear the reply that Donald Trump is a true red-to-the-bone conservative, principled and conscientious, and loyal and uncompromising in his adherence to the Republican platform. He is putting the United States first in every respect: the richest economy to have a stake in the global market, the most independent fuel producer outside of the Middle East, the strongest military on earth, the most competent and dynamic government since the founding of democracy. Anybody who says or believes otherwise is a cuckservative. Trump is ending a seemingly boundless tide of gross liberalism that has been engulfing the country since January 20, 2009, finally silencing all of those sententious leftists who seek to weaken America’s standing in the world by means of their crafty, cowardly, and outright immoral agenda. Trump has filled his Cabinet with hard men like Jeff Sessions, Rex Tillerson, and James Mattis. He will staunch the flood of illegal immigrants, show North Korea who is boss, and make America so great that no other country could have a chance at competing… and then maybe lend a hand to other parts of the world if they need it and promise to give something in return. To the victors go the spoils, and Donald Trump wants to make America the ultimate everlasting victor. Since the Clinton Upset of the early nineties, Congress has been flooded with weaselly deal-making RINO (Republican-In-
Name-Only) hacks, who unashamedly sell out their party’s ideals for political gain and flip-flop depending on the way that the wind blows, overwhelming in number the true-blue Republican loyalists who actually seek to help the party reach its goals and triumph every election. No more Bushes, Cruzes, Bachmans, Huntsmans, Romneys, Pauls, Cains, Fiorinas, Santorums, and- God forbid- Kasichs, but make way for Donald Trump, the savior of the Republican Party. Now let us ask the neoconservatives, the self-proclaimed “traditional Republicans”, the folks who hate hippies and love Ronald Reagan, who know better than to buy the ludicrousness that the Constitution is a living, breathing document and instead rejoice the uniquely American characteristic of states’ rights. To these people, Trump is a mutation. Trump is neither a flaming liberal nor a screaming right-winger, but a radical in his own right. The neoconservative ideology allows for a dichotomous set of beliefs that would seemingly contradict itself. In order to ensure that no confusion arises from the beliefs’ coexistence in the same platform, the neocons have developed a series of checks to place on their individual ideas to balance them out so that no more weight is placed on one idea over the other. It is a complex though straightforward ideology: Americans should put America first, but not in a way that isolates the country from the rest of the world. Measures such as tariffs and import surcharges are no-nos that would impair the capitalist system. Go about repairing the economy some other way so that free trade is not obstructed, like maybe cutting funding for wasteful social programs or lowering taxes on businesses to encourage employers to expand and thus create more jobs for potential employees. Refrain from interdiction in the affairs of other nations, unless there is something for America to gain from its involvement in the affair. Support traditional marriage, capital punishment, and strict constructionism; protest abortion, crime, and the welfare state. But protest without harming gays and women and squashing the civil liberties of legal defendants and minorities. Taking away or withholding someone’s rights is not something that should be done just ‘cuz; at least use the country’s founding documents as a basis. These ideas have been the components of traditional Republicanism since the party’s founding, and were best embodied by President Reagan. Well, then, to whom should we listen? Who came first, the Reaganites or the Trumpers? Is it the alt-right or the neoconservatives who truly represent “traditional Republicanism”, and are the obnoxious, ego-stroking Fox News panelists and Breitbart staffers right when they ridicule the Jeb Bushes and John Kasichs of the country for being RINOS and cucks? In order to determine which faction of the Republican party is truly traditional, it is necessary to search into the annals of American political history. It will be a point for this writer to do just that, and finally settle this debate in a future article.
THE GETTYSBURGIAN
SPORTS
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Thursday, September 7, 2017
Volleyball spikes past 1000 wins Bullet Bullets Shot: Gettysburg second team in conference to reach milestone Athlete of the Week
First-Year Kerry Sammon By Peter Zhang Contributing Writer T h e Gettysburg College women’s soccer team kicked off their new season last Friday at Clark field. This year’s team is set to have a strong season with key returning players as well as impressive new recruits. Head coach Matt Garrett has high expectations of his team heading into the new season. In their first game of the season, against Lebanon Valley, first-year Kerry Sammon had an outstanding first appearance as goalie for the Bullets. Sammon had four saves while facing twelve shots in goal. The only soccer ball to find the back of the net for either team came from Lebanon Valley in the 98th minute. Sammon was able to keep the Bullets in the game until overtime with her saves and strong defense. The Dutchmen out-shot the Bullets 12-9 and had more corner kick opportunities, 3-2, which provided them more opportunities to score and created the c h an c e f o r th e g ame winner. Keeping the Dutchmen to only one goal will bode well for Sammon’s continued tenure as the Gettysburg goalie. The Bullets will look to Sammon in goal to keep opponents scoring low throughout what is set to be a strong season. “A new season will be defined by our strong senior group and leadership on and off the pitch,” said Coach Garrett in an interview last month on the upcoming season. “We are excited to build a new team to compete for championships with passion, strong values and a real desire to compete and be successful on and off the pitch.” Sammon is clearly a crucial part of that effort, and her clutch debut makes her a deserving recipient of The Gettysburgian’s Athlete of the Week!
By Gabi Eglinton Contributing Writer The Gettysburg College Volleyball team celebrated their onethousandth win since the program’s initiation following its victories against Kenyon College during the Battlefield Classic last weekend. The Bullets are only the second team in the Centennial Conference to reach this milestone. Since its founding in 1976, Gettysburg College Volleyball now holds a record of 1000-425-4. The 1000th win was part of Gettysburg’s overall victory in its own annual tournament. “I think that the 1000th win is such a great historical moment for the program as a whole,” said Head Coach Leah Bernier. “The girls were excited to have been a part of that moment and now they will just keep pushing forward to start on the next 1000!” In a series of four well-fought matches, Gettysburg won 12 of 15 sets to sweep the slate. The entire 18-member squad came ready to play, and the defense was exceptionally strong. “Right now I feel that our greatest asset is currently our defense,” said Coach Bernier. “In volleyball, keeping the ball off your floor is the first step to winning. If the other team can’t find your floor, they can’t score!” Yet the defense cannot do it all, and Coach Bernier is aware of the need for a diverse skill set. “Follow that up with our great setting and smart hitters who can put the ball away and I feel like it’s going to be a great season!” Bernier said.
Senior hitter Maddie Weikert, sophomore middle hitter Kasey Higgins and senior hitter Lauren Godshalk stand at the ready during last weekend’s Battlefield Classic. Photo Gabi Eglinton/The Gettysburgian
Friday brought about a 3-1 win against Arcadia University and another victory versus Bethany College. The Bullets had yet to face their strongest opponents of the tournament, however. G a l l a u d e t University and Kenyon College posed difficult threats Saturday, but the Bullets rallied for the occasion. These games showcased the team’s natural cohesion, with senior setter Stephanie Blair as a driving force behind the camaraderie on the court. Her high energy and well-placed sets lent to a 3-1 win against the Gallaudet Bison. Blair also marked her own 1000th milestone Saturday when she reached 1,000 career digs during the
opening match versus the Bison. This achievement combined with 2,500 career assists logs Blair as only the fourth Bullet in history to hit these numbers. Blair was also named to the AllTournament team based on the weekend success. In total, Blair logged 42 assists over the two-day battle. These assists were met by stellar hits from sophomore Kasey Higgins, who, over the course of the tournament, struck 39 kills and 5 blocks. Later that day, the women went on to shut out Kenyon College. Although this was the team’s toughest competition, a combination of communication and fluidity at the net led to 3 match wins and 0 losses.
This would be the game that brought the Bullets to 1000. “This game was a big milestone,” said first year Allie Stranick. Stranick was a key player on the court over the weekend, providing the Bullets with 31 kills and 31 digs on opening day. “These wins are only possible through the team culture,” said Stranick. “Our seniors do a really good job of reminding us to keep the positive energy on and off the court.” The seniors mentioned include Maddie Weikert, who contributed to Friday’s wins with a career-high 12 kills, and libero Katherine Gilbert. Gilbert maintained steadfast control of the
back row with 20 digs and a multitude of spectacular saves. “I have high expectations for this season” Stranick said. “the goal is to win our conference championship and to push ourselves to be the best that we can be.” Stranick’s early success on the court earned her the title of the Centennial Conference Volleyball Player of the Week. The lady Bullets will compete again this weekend at the Rowan tournament in Glassboro, New Jersey, where they will face off against Widener University, Dickinson College, and Rowan University.
Men’s Cross Country races into season
Bullets place fifth at opening Galen Piper Invitational With Ben Taber 53 seconds. By John Zak Contributing Writer The Gettysburg College Men’s Cross Country team officially started its 2017 season under the lights at the Galen Piper Invitational at Shippensburg University on Friday night. The invitational was a competition between division II and division III colleges including Shippensburg University, Elizabethtown College, Dickinson College, York College, Frostburg State University, Hagerstown Community College, Pennsylvania State
University – Mount Alto and Shippensburg alumni. With 144 points, Gettysburg finished fifth of the seven in the competition. First year Nick Rose of Meadville, Pennsylvania made his debut as a Bullet during the invitational, finishing 74th in a field of 108 runners, and 12th for the 19man team, respectively. “I felt a sense of amazement, I’m actually running in college and I wanted to do my best to win,” said Rose. The men ran a sixkilometer race Friday -- onekilometer longer than the
typical high school race to which Rose was accustomed. “I’m optimistic overall and looking forward to the progression of the season,” said Rose. The men will continue to increase their distance as the season progresses. The official length of the Centennial Conference meet is eight-kilometers. Rose clocked a 22:15 for his first meet as a Bullet. Crossing the line at 20:03, junior co-captain Alex Petrecca posted the best time of the Bullet runners. Petrecca finished 15th in the meet and 10th for collegiate athletes.
First years Jack Kenyon and Peter McQuade along with junior Thad Cwiklinski formed a solid pack in Friday’s invitational. Photo Bill Smith/Shippensburg University
This Weekend in Gettysburg College Sports Friday, September 8th: Women’s Cross Country at Dickinson- 6:00p.m. Men’s Cross Country at Dickinson- 6:00p.m. Volleyball vs. Widener at Rowan University- 6:00p.m. Volleyball vs. Keystone at Rowan University- 8:00p.m. Men’s Soccer vs. Stevenson- 7:00p.m.
Saturday, September 9th: Volleyball vs. Dickinson at Rowan University- 10:00a.m. Field Hockey at Cabrini- 12:00p.m. Football vs. Ursinus- 1:00 p.m. Volleyball at Rowan- 2:00p.m. Women’s Soccer at Elizabethtown- 7:00p.m. Sunday, September 10th: Men’s Soccer at York- 4:00p.m.
graduated, Petrecca is expected to be a consistent top finisher for the men’s squad. A three-season runner, the Fairfield county junior has had impressive performances in the 800, 1500 and 5k on the track, while leaving his mark on the cross country season with a 191st out of 351 runner finish at last season’s Division III Mid-East Regional meet. Other notable placements from the men’s cross country team were sophomore Samuel Sheldon’s 23rd place finish at 20:19, and junior Matthew Robinson’s 20:46 6k, worthy of 36th place. It is Sheldon’s first season on the cross-country team. Sheldon did not run cross-country in high school but has been a consistent track runner since his first year of high school. He runs the 200, 400, 800 and 1500-meter races for the track and field team. The Bullets enter the season with much young talent in tow. Eight first-years and two sophomores constituted the running squad Friday night. The new team additions allow for much pack running potential this season, which is a technique crucial to any running team’s success. During Friday’s meet, the one through five split for runners for the Bullets, those whose points count towards the team score, was
Junior Mike Miller, who recently returned to running from a stress facture that set him back in summer training, had a strong finish by coming in fourth for the Bullets and 47th overall. First year Owen Crosby, from Wilmington, Delaware, placed 51st out the 108 participants in a time of 21:04. While an impressive first performance, Crosby refuses to settle. “I’m looking to get better with each race, particularly to reduce my time gap as the year goes on,” said Crosby. The physical act of running was not the only thing that motivated Crosby at the invitational. “I felt like I was a part of something bigger,” said Crosby. “The camaraderie throughout the sport is one of the most important things to me and what attracts me to the sport.” With four runners in recovery from summer injuries, it is the hope of the team that the full squad will soon be back together and the camaraderie may continue. The Bullets return to the starting line this Friday, September 8, at 6PM in the 37th annual Little 3 meet at Dickinson College.
Get the full Fall 2017 Athletic Calendar Visit gettysburgsports.com