Education Commons^™

A Changing Tradition Comes With A Strengthening Of Bonds, Kyle J. Shaffer

CAFE Symposium 2024

Gettysburg College has many traditions that make it unique. One tradition that may not seem unique is Family Weekend, but at Gettysburg College, there is a vast history associated with the tradition. The weekend started as two separate-day celebrations in the fall semester and spring semester.

The Gettysburg Tuition Dilemma, Jason Dubrasky

CAFE Symposium 2024

My project delves into the cost of attending Gettysburg College over the years and what exactly has caused tuition to increase such as new construction projects, increase in upkeep, among a variety of other factors such as enrollment.

Investing In Textbook Affordability Pays Off For Students, Janelle Wertzberger

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Investing in textbook affordability can have a huge payoff for students—just ask Assistant Professors Alice Brawley Newlin and Marta Maras in the Management department. Their open, customized textbook for Statistical Methods (MGT 235) is completely free. It has been used by over 400 students and saved them an estimated $150,000! The story of how this remarkable outcome was achieved has its origins in Musselman Library. [excerpt]

2022 Gettysburg College Student Textbook And Course Materials Survey Executive Summary, Janelle Wertzberger, Mary R. Elmquist

All Musselman Library Staff Works

In Fall 2022, Musselman Library conducted its second course materials survey, this time in collaboration with 10 other liberal arts colleges from around the country. The results from this new survey illuminate how students are affected by textbook and course material costs, how they cope with these costs, and how effects and behaviors have changed since our 2019 survey.

This report summarizes the background of the project, key findings, and recommendations.

2022 Gettysburg College Textbook Survey Full Report, Mary R. Elmquist, Janelle Wertzberger

All Musselman Library Staff Works

In Fall 2022, Musselman Library conducted its second course materials survey, this time in collaboration with 10 other liberal arts colleges from around the country. This report compiles the results from Gettysburg College participants' responses. Comparisons are also made to the results from Gettysburg's 2019 survey and the larger group of colleges.

Theater & Identity At Gettysburg College, Spring 1971, Jamie A. Riches

CAFE Symposium 2023

In 1971, the country was still in the process of extreme social upheaval and transformation brought on by the 1960s, and that included small, secluded communities like Gettysburg College. In the Owl & Nightingale Society, the school's theater program, many students found ways to express and explore themselves creatively and personally. Both historically and currently, theater tends to draw in queer people, and can be a comfortable and interesting way to embrace your identity and learn to build and work with communities. These are things queer people often didn't--and still don't--have access to in their everyday lives, making theater a …

Gettysburg College Life In Fall 1963, Mary Huegel

CAFE Symposium 2023

The 1960s were a tumultuous decade full of social change and political conflict. This project explores Gettysburg College life in the fall semester of 1963 from a variety of scopes.

Complacency And Conformity: The Female Experience At Gettysburg College, 1956-1966, Greer Garver, Emily B. Suter

Student Publications

Women at Gettysburg College from 1956-66 received unequal treatment at a predominantly male school. Despite the 1960s being seen as a time of radical change, the majority of women on campus were content with the rules and social norms which held them in place. Changes and complaints were not widespread or outspoken, but they did exist in organizations such as the Women’s Student Government Association. Examinations of campus policies, dress codes, and dorm regulations illustrate the different standards men and women were held to on campus. Meanwhile Greek life, beauty contests, athletics and first hand accounts of social life reveal …

Epidemiology In Higher Education: Scarlet Fever At Gettysburg College, Addison E. Lomax

Student Publications

Throughout the early 20th century, the relationship between higher education and the spread of epidemic disease evolved in the United States. Two notable epidemics of scarlet fever in 1915 and 1920 serve as a lens through which the larger roles of disease and higher education can be analyzed. By assessing the roles both the administration and the students played at Gettysburg College, then Pennsylvania College, historians can understand the process of combating health crises in the future. Although the Pennsylvania College scarlet fever epidemics of 1915 and 1920 impacted campus to a smaller extent than the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the …

Diversity & Inclusion Update - Fall 2020, Office Of Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion Update

This Fall 2020 newsletter discusses ongoing campus initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Topics discussed include programming that occurred during the Fall 2020 semester, updates on continuing work such as the IDI and Campus Climate Surveys, and welcoming Dr. Charmaine T. Cruise as the new Dean of Academic Advising and Student Support Services.

Diversity & Inclusion Update – Spring 2020, Office Of Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion Update

The Spring 2020 newsletter documents initiatives that occurred on campus this semester, as well as information related to the campus response to COVID-19. Topics discussed include the Masks of Oppression performances in Stevens Theatre, the creation of Pride and Coffee, the premier of Our Voices are Vibrant, and COVID-19 resources for the undocumented community.

2019 Gettysburg College Student Textbook And Course Materials Survey Executive Summary, Janelle Wertzberger, Sarah Appedu, Mary R. Elmquist

All Musselman Library Staff Works

We’ve all heard stories of students struggling with textbook costs, but how do our students cope when the price gets too high? Modeled after the Student Textbook and Course Materials Survey conducted by Florida Virtual Campus, Musselman Library’s course materials survey sought to uncover how textbook costs impact the success of Gettysburg College students. Results give insight into participants’ perceptions of how much money they spend, the strategies they use to reduce costs, and the effects of the cost of course materials on their academic success.

The Executive Summary details our research questions, key findings, and main takeaways.

Millionaires, Millennials, And More, Betsy D. Diehl, Kathleen Regentin, Laura Runyan

Friday Forum

Join colleagues from Development, Alumni and Parent Relations and from Foundation, Government, and Faculty Grants for a conversation on trends in higher education philanthropy, fundraising at Gettysburg College, grant-seeking, and more.

Diversity & Inclusion Update – Fall 2019, Office Of Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion Update

This Fall 2019 newsletter discusses ongoing campus initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Topics discussed include the newly introduced Presidential Student Advisory Group, the First Scholars program for first generation students, the new ability to self-select pronouns for class rosters, and the creation of Hera's Closet.

Campus-Based Agriculture: The Future Of Food At Gettysburg College, Bryn K. Werley

Student Publications

This research investigates various methods for producing food on the campus of Gettysburg College in order to improve food sustainability. The transportation of food contributes to the increased use of fossil fuels, which in turn leads to global warming and climate change. By producing a larger portion of its food on-campus, Gettysburg College could reduce the amount of food transported to the school, thereby lessening the College’s environmental impact. Urban farming techniques, hydroponics, aquaponics, and greenhouse-based agriculture are explored as viable methods for achieving this goal. Examples of the use of these techniques on college campuses are drawn from Allegheny …

The Evolution Of A Structured Writing Accountability Group (Swag), Alice M. Brawley Newlin, Chas. Phillips, Patturaja Selvaraj

Friday Forum

In this Friday Forum, Professors Chas. Phillips (Political Science), Alice Brawley Newlin (Management), and Patturaja Selvaraj (Management) will cover two key aspects of their ongoing Structured Writing Accountability Group (SWAG). First, we'll talk about we have varied the structure of the SWAG since Summer 2018, including our celebratory end-of-year conference in 2019 which was sponsored through the generosity of the Provost’s Office grants for Faculty Reading/Writing Groups. Second, we'll briefly highlight the projects and products we have accomplished through our SWAG. Though the principles of the SWAG are simple, participating in this group has greatly enhanced the rate and quality …

Diversity & Inclusion Update - Spring 2019, Office Of Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion Update

The Spring 2019 newsletter discusses ongoing campus initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Topics discussed include: The First Generation Campaign; the growth of Latinx house; faculty training around diversity and inclusion in teaching; the Trustee-led advisory group on the new campus renaming policy; the development of "Breathe Gettysburg"; the continued development of "Our Voices", which will be replacing the Vagina Monologues; as well as continuing to address concerns from the Campus Climate Study.

Sororities At Gettysburg College During The Haaland Era, 1990-2004, Elizabeth C. Hobbs, Madeleine M. Neiman

Student Publications

From 1990 to 2004, Gettysburg College’s Greek system dominated student social life and, due to its prominence (and notoriety), attracted the attention of not only students but also faculty and administration during the era of President Gordon A. Haaland. Although fraternities were often the more influential and problematic Greek organizations on campus, Gettysburg’s sororities played a major role in the lives of female students -- offering women a chance to join a community of other women, participate in philanthropy events, and engage in Greek social life. Throughout the Haaland era, Gettysburg’s sororities consisted of a combination of Sigma Kappa, Alpha …

Expansion And Acquisition: The Built Environment Under Gettysburg College President, Gordon Haaland, 1990 To 2004, Hannah M. Labovitz, Lillian Shea

Student Publications

Gordon Haaland presided over Gettysburg College from 1990 to 2004. His goals included improving the national status of the college by increasing the student body, developing the academic departments, and creating a dynamic campus community. This paper outlines Haaland's attempts to fulfill these goals through a plethora of construction projects, ranging from building a state of the art science center and extensively renovating a historic theater, to updating dormitories and revitalizing the appearance of campus. Some of the construction included projects that were planned under the previous president and carried out by Haaland, as well as scandals that accompanied these …

Diversity & Inclusion Update - Fall 2018, Office Of Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion Update

This Fall 2018 newsletter discusses ongoing campus initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Topics discussed include continued campus changes inspired by the January 2016 Town Hall meeting, such as the expansion of the Office of Multicultural Engagement/Mosaic House, and programming held over the previous semester to raise multicultural awareness by organizing events like LincCon Comic and Gaming Convention, workshops during the Disability Awareness Month, visit of Anthony Ray Hinton, etc.

Diversity & Inclusion Update - Spring 2018, Office Of Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion Update

This Spring 2018 newsletter discusses ongoing campus initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Topics discussed include continued campus changes inspired by the January 2016 Town Hall meeting, such as the expansion of the Office of Multicultural Engagement/Mosaic House, and programming held over the previous semester to raise multicultural awareness, such as workshops held during Pride Week, Peace and Justice Week, Stop Bias @ the Burg Week, and the Institute for Healing Racism.

Allison Singley, Director Of Parent Relations, Musselman Library, Allison C. Singley

Next Page

In our new Next Page column, Allison Singley, Director of Parent Relations, shares with us the three books she is currently reading and why it might take her a while to finish them, her two desert island books (one of which inspired her doctoral dissertation), how she maintains a habit of reading poetry daily, and why she doesn’t write in books anymore — or feel the need to finish one!

Diversity & Inclusion Update - Fall 2017, Office Of Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion Update

This Fall 2017 newsletter discusses ongoing campus initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Topics discussed include continued changes inspired by the January 2016 Town Hall meeting, such as the growing availability of educational and social programs available to students (e.g. the Mosaic Orientation program) and the creation of new student organizations like Phoenix Rising and the Muslim Student Association.

In Solidarity, Musselman Library, Salma Monani, Sarah M. Principato, Dave Powell, Brent C. Talbot, Charles L. Weise, Bruce A. Larson, Scott Hancock, Mckinley E. Melton, David S. Walsh, Jennifer Q. Mccary, Kristina G. Chamberlin

Next Page

This edition of Next Page is a departure from our usual question and answer format with a featured campus reader. Instead, we asked speakers who participated in the College’s recent Student Solidarity Rally (March 1, 2017) to recommend readings that might further our understanding of the topics on which they spoke.

Diversity & Inclusion Update - Spring 2017, Office Of Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion Update

This Spring 2017 newsletter discusses ongoing campus initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Topics discussed include continued changes inspired by the January 2016 Town Hall meeting, such as the invitation of new sororities and fraternities to campus, as well as new student and administrative initiatives, such as the organization of the Student Solidarity Rally on March 1st 2017 and college grants received to promote and support diversity.

I Hope, Mai Trinh

SURGE

As I have gotten older, I have learned that no matter how hard I try, I am never going to be able to repay my mother for everything that she did for me. The blood, sweat, and tears she put into nurturing the sick and troublesome, five-year-old me, the rebellious and lazy fifteen-year-old me, and the clumsy, and sometimes lost me now, are insurmountable. I know she had more trouble raising me than she was supposed to. I know her first five years of being a mother did not include taking me to the park, sitting down on a park …

A Note From A Naive, Soft-Hearted Liberal, Katia Rubinstein

SURGE

“I’m voting for Trump,” my step-dad announced this summer. Through and through he is Republican, but his backing of Trump still shocked me.

When I asked him why, he said that he thought Trump could bring change while Clinton would only bring the status quo. He wanted, in fewer words, to “Make America Great Again.”

When I provided him with Hitler’s speeches and Goebbels’s propaganda, comparing the threats made to the Jews with those made to undocumented immigrants today, he brushed it off. “It’ll never happen,” he said with a shrug. When I replied with the sentiment of concern, explaining …

Fearless Friday: Yasmine Perry, Yasmine Perry

SURGE

This Friday, we are celebrating the work of Yasmine Perry ’17. Yasmine, who is originally from Orange, New Jersey, is a senior at Gettysburg College and is majoring in English and minoring in Math. Currently, she is involved with the Black Student Union (BSU) and the Social Entrepreneurship Initiative (SEI), which is a year-long program at Gettysburg College that aims to enable students to impact positive change in their communities, countries, and around the world through social entrepreneurship. Yasmine is also a program coordinator with the Center for Public Service (CPS), working specifically with the LIU Migrant Education program. This …

I Was Assaulted, Anonymous

SURGE

TRIGGER WARNING: Contains content about sexual assault

My first assault happened when I was 18. It was the summer after high school and I was at my boyfriend’s graduation party. None of us had much experience drinking and that night my boyfriend, at the time, drank more than he should have. We hadn’t been dating very long; we were still getting to know each other. When the party started to die down we decided to sneak into the basement for some alone time. At first I was unsure what to make of that night. Even though it hurt and I …

Diversity & Inclusion Update - Fall 2016, Office Of Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion Update

This Fall 2016 newsletter discusses ongoing campus initiatives to facilitate diversity and inclusion efforts on campus. Topics discussed include continued changes inspired by the January 2016 Town Hall meeting, such as the restructuring of the Office of Multicultural Engagement, and other changes made to make college resources more accessible and promote educational opportunities on multicultural viewpoints.