Civic and Community Engagement Commons^™

You Know One Of Us, Emma Love

SURGE

**Trigger warning: sexual assault

I am afraid of my bed.

I am also afraid of heather blue shirts. Men’s voices make me jump. I am constantly scanning crowds, always looking for the closest exit. I sit with my back to the wall. I no longer eat at Servo for lunch or dinner, or walk down a specific pathway as a shortcut home. Instead, I take the long way through the middle of campus to get back to my room. If I see someone with the same haircut or wearing similar clothes, I start to tremble. Unexpected touches from male friends, …

The First Year Frat Experience, Anonymous

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It was September 14th and my three weeks were up. I had told myself I had three weeks to make friends. Three weeks before Greek life would dominate the social scene. Publicly, I decried the three week rule, writing it off as dumb or lame. Privately, a part of me wished it could last forever. That night, while my floor pregamed in their rooms, I stayed in mine. I spent a long night alone, listening to the music blasting from dorm rooms and down the streets. I decided to shut the lights off because I didn’t want the world to …

The Rush To Fit In, Kate M. Delaney

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A week ago, I had been dead set on not rushing. I had heard the rumors and beliefs of my peers, that Greek life encouraged excessive drinking and partying, that hazing was still incredibly prevalent and demeaning, that Greek life worked only to discriminate and exclude members of the campus who refused to take part, promoted unfair gender roles, and encouraged pageantry and forced conversations between strangers. Still, the call of philanthropy, having a group of sisters, and finding a home on campus appealed to me. In the end, it felt like I was choosing between rushing with my friends …

Frats And Faggots, Anonymous

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I’m a flamboyant gay man. I was at FIJI on Springfest Friday and some brother over the microphone called his friend (presumably a fellow brother) a faggot. This moment changed a lot for me in terms of my relationship to my own identity as an other, my relationship to the word “faggot,” and my relationship to the identities I surround myself with in frat basements. [excerpt]

Fearless Friday: Kaiden Krueger, Christina L. Bassler

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In this week’s Fearless Friday, we would like to spotlight Kaiden Krueger ’16!

Gettysburg College has been Kaiden’s home for the last few years. Kaiden, now a senior, knew from the start that his time at college would be transformative. He decided he was officially going to come out as a man and live the life he knew was right for him. [excerpt]

Fearless Friday: Erin Duran, Christina L. Bassler

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As we conclude PRIDE Week, we honor Erin Duran, the fearless director of LGBTQA Advocacy and Education. In Erin’s three years at Gettysburg, he has established institutional support for the LGBTQA community and has worked to make the campus more inclusive and accepting of all students. [excerpt]