Arts and Humanities Commons^™

What My Muffin Top Has To Say To You, Hannah M. Frantz, Elizabeth A. Rupert

SURGE

My name is Hannah, and I have a confession to make. I hate working out—none of that sweat, panting, exhaustion, and sore muscles for me, no thank you. I’m embarrassed to go to a gym because I assume that everyone judges my speed, pacing, and weight lifting. I try to encourage myself by shopping for brightly colored running shorts and funky sports bras, but, honestly, it’s a fruitless endeavor. Because at the end of the day, I just don’t like to exercise.

So why do I do it?

Because I want to be skinny. [excerpt]

Boys Will Be Boys, Girls Will Be..., Rashida Aluko-Roberts

SURGE

Lets talk about sex.

Well not really, just the double standard that comes with the topic. It’s no secret that men and women are taught to think about sex differently. While there are many (myself included) who fail to accept these culturally imposed ideas and attitudes about sex, it would be incredibly naïve to not acknowledge the existence of the double standard that exists. [excerpt]

Fearless: Sneha Shrestha, Sneha Shrestha

SURGE

Sneha Shrestha ’10, a native to Kathmandu, Nepal, recently received an Advancing Leaders Fellowship from World Learning for her fearless project. With it, she aims to provide a creative outlet for art and culture among young people in Nepal through the Kathmandu Children’s Art Museum (KCAM). This project will support a creative learning space for children as well as an opportunity for them to express themselves and investigate their own culture through art. [excerpt]

Sexism - Lmfao, Katherine M. Patterson

SURGE

So I have a confession to make, one that I’m really not proud of, but part of being a mature person is acknowledging, accepting, and learning from your past mistakes. Here it is:

I told a sexist joke. [excerpt]

The Queer Truth, Chelsea E. Broe

SURGE

I remember learning about intersexuality (then called hermaphrodism) for the first time in my health class when I was twelve years old. In that lesson, my teacher mentioned that when a child is born intersex, the parents will likely choose a binary sex (male or female) for the child, have the child undergo sex reassignment surgery, and raise the child to fit the corresponding gender. My teacher went on to explain that sometimes the parents pick the “wrong” sex for their child, and the child grows up feeling like he or she should be the “opposite” gender. Implied in this …

The Race For Honors, Hannah M. Frantz

SURGE

Over graduation weekend, it was pretty common to see people weighed down by massive numbers of honor cords hanging around their necks. This is a mark of respect at Gettysburg College, so students wear them proudly. I had the privilege to attend Spring Honors Day and watch many of my friends receive achievement awards. As we started winding down to the end of the ceremony, something hit me:

The recipients were overwhelmingly white. [excerpt]

Rape Culture Ruined My Favorite 80s Movie, Stephanie K. Adamczak

SURGE

I will admit that I wish my best friend was Duckie, I want to attend just one Saturday detention with Emilio Estevez, and I listen to an unhealthy amount of music from the Smiths and the Psychedelic Furs. Yes, I am a child of the nineties, but I spent many high school nights watching John Hughes films and attempting to dye my hair the perfect shade of Molly Ringwald red. [excerpt]

What The Unglamorous Side Of Study Abroad Taught Me, Kathryn E. Bucolo

SURGE

I’ve been gallivanting around this beautiful planet posing as a study abroad student taking classes and writing papers for the past academic year, one semester in England and one in Argentina (where I still am) and, just like all the brochures, promotions, and panels of study abroad survivors say, it has been absolutely chock-full of amazing experiences, people, places, foods—I think “transformative” is the proper term.

But transformative can mean many things. It doesn’t just mean that you “find yourself” or “change your life”—it means you see the less glamorous stuff about yourself, too. [excerpt]

Man To Man: We Can Stop Sexual Violence, James H. Garrett

SURGE

I was lucky enough to grow up with a loving mother who taught me early on to respect every woman and, more so, to never overstep the boundaries between people unless I am invited to do so with full cognizance of the actions of both parties. To be less philosophical, she was always very clear with me that touching no-no parts with any person (in my case, a lady) without express consent is wrong every time and that I would never forgive myself if I forgot that maxim in a flight of “passion.” At no time in my life have …

Choosing Sides: The Gender Dilemma, Center For Public Service

SURGE

“You can’t check a box between male and female; you are either a boy or a girl.”

My professor makes this statement often. It is pretty easy to see why he would use gender in this example: he is trying to give us a simple, understandable explanation of a binary. When explaining the binary, he just wants to show that it is a two-option classification: from his experience, male and female fits. [excerpt]

Fearless: V Rosenberger And Tori Reynolds, Veronica B. Rosenberger, Victoria J. Reynolds

SURGE

“Getting Out,” the compelling prison drama by Marsha Norman, is opening tonight at 7:30pm on Kline Theater at Gettysburg, and bringing this play to life are two very fearless women. [excerpt]

Mobile Activism: What Your Profile Picture Says About You, Laura J. Koenig

SURGE

I know you’ve all been seeing this image all of your Facebook news feeds. All of the sudden a few weeks ago it became everyone’s profile picture. People were sharing it, along with other images, explaining why Prop. 8 and the Defense Of Marriage Act should be repealed, and were generally expressing their support of marriage equality. [excerpt]

An Open Letter To Netflix, Elizabeth A. Rupert

SURGE

If there is one thing that I will be absolutely ashamed in admitting to you, it’s that I love television. Love it. Not in a turn-it-on-watch-whatever-all-TV-rocks kind of way, but in an I’m-overly-obsessed-with-15-shows-at-a-time kind of way, to the point where I could say that being able to watch the latest episode of Suits or Community could easily be the highlight of my day (week, year…). [excerpt]

I Am Not Your Video Girl, Rashida Aluko-Roberts

SURGE

“We need girls who are willing to be up on stage with us and who are not afraid to go HAM dancing in front of a crowd. I know at least a few of you who have the confidence/jaw-dropping dance moves to pull this off.” [excerpt]

Fearless: Ratco, Center For Public Service

SURGE

If you haven’t noticed yet, we’ve had some really spectacular visitors from the south with us on Gettysburg’s campus the last few days! The Random Acts of Theater Company (RATCo) is a group that emerged from the Freedom Foundation in Denver, Colorado a few years ago. Their initiative involved using theater as a means for self-expression and communication, but RATCo spread because it was so successful and ultimately reached Selma, Alabama. Selma, although a major site for the Civil Rights movement, and also the site for the last battle of the civil war, has changed very little since the 1960s. …

The F-Word, Stephanie K. Adamczak, Taylor C. Amato

SURGE

I’m thinking of a word. Can you guess it? This word is considered negative and harsh. It’s generally avoided in everyday conversations. You wouldn’t normally hear this word spoken by professors or sophisticated celebrities. It starts with an F… Do you know it?

That’s right folks! It’s “feminist”. [excerpt]

And None For Gretchen Weiners, Center For Public Service

SURGE

In the four years I’ve spent at Gettysburg College, it’s safe to say that my experience has been largely influenced by my membership in Greek Life. I’ve developed a personal leadership style and feel accomplished by the strong relationships I built with other women. But this year, I developed a stronger understanding of the inequities that exist within the Greek community. [excerpt]

My Night As A Sex Tourist, Chelsea E. Broe

SURGE

I’ve been studying in Copenhagen, Denmark for a few months now, and since I had a week off to travel (perks of studying abroad), I took the opportunity to spend a few nights in Amsterdam. I was traveling alone, so during my first night at the hostel in Amsterdam, when I met a woman my age who offered to show me around the city, I accepted, excited to find a traveling partner. [excerpt]

Style Watch: Blackface Edition, Rashida Aluko-Roberts

SURGE

The above quote is from a statement/apology offered by Sebastian Kim, a photographer, whose recent editorial, “African Queen,” which featured a 16-year-old white female made to appear black, was marred with controversy. According to the photographer, dousing a young white female in deep bronze, accessorizing her in elaborate head wraps and heavy jewels (symbols that are often associated with Africa), was in no way an attempt to depict what an “African queen” looks like. Rather, his spread was attempting to showcase “the beauty aesthetic of his shoot” by using a “tanned or golden skin” model. [excerpt]

Culture Shock, Hannah M. Frantz, Stephanie K. Adamczak, Elizabeth A. Rupert

SURGE

Take one week living in our culture:

Monday: A student quotes other students on Overheard at Gettysburg.

“In the commons at 8:50am. Two girls. Completely serious.

Girl 1: Have you been outside? Girl 2: Yea! It’s rape weather. Girl 1: I know. A girl could totally get raped out there.” [excerpt]

That Awkward Moment When I Accidentally Internalized Racism, Rashida Aluko-Roberts

SURGE

I recently attended a conference about the importance of Africana Studies (AFS) and it had a panel of visiting professors that consisted of mostly black men and women. I was beyond impressed by their achievements and found myself engaged and excited by their discussions. My admiration for these scholars only grew exponentially when I learned that one of the female professors was from Sierra Leone, just like me! [excerpt]

Fearless: Casey Butrico And Melanie Emerson, Casey E. Butrico, Melanie P. Emerson

SURGE

Casey Butrico (‘16) and Melanie Emerson (‘16) recently started a discussion group called Students for Reproductive Justice. This group is dedicated to the belief that women should control all aspects of their reproduction, including education about and access to safe birth control. They also aim to focus on gynecological care, pre-natal care, and abortion as human rights. These two fearless first-years have made a mission to educate and raise awareness about local and national issues that relate to women’s reproductive autonomy and the legal restrictions threatening it. [excerpt]

How To Look Like A Lesbian Without Even Trying, Laura J. Koenig

SURGE

“Ugh. I hate those pictures. I look like such a lesbian in them,” my cousin explained to me while her family and I sat around their kitchen table. After she said this, her younger brother laughed into his chicken noodle soup and she hit him over the head. “Shut up. I’m telling you. They’re so bad,” she said. As the conversation went on, I learn that she was referring to pictures that had been taken at one of her lacrosse practices. The important part is that she was displeased with the photos. And it’s certainly not because someone had caught …

Fearless: One Billion Rising, Center For Public Service

SURGE

One Billion Rising is the annual global celebration associated with the kick-off of the Vagina Monologues. It is a day that encourages women to dance, taking ownership of their bodies, of the space they occupy, and of the rights to expression that they deserve. Over 200 men and women joined in the celebration which took place in the Junction on Feb 14th. Speakers included Professor Stephanie Sellers and Terri Hamrick (CEO of Survivors, Inc.), a student choreographed performance by Elle Rupert (’13) and Riccardo Purita (’13), and ended with a group zumba dance to ring in One Billion Rising! [ …