Inequality and Stratification Commons^™

Fearless Friday: Laila Mufty, Laila M. Mufty

SURGE

In today’s Fearless Friday, Surge would like to honor the work of Laila Mufty ‘18. Laila is a sophomore from the Bay Area in California and is majoring in Environmental Studies. Currently, she is one of the CPS Program Coordinators with Big Brothers Big Sisters and is the Immersion Project Leader for the New Orleans trip in May focused on the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast. In addition to her work with CPS, Laila participates in multiple cultural organizations on campus and has volunteered with El Centro, Painted Turtle Farm and Casa de la Cultura. Laila has also written and …

Fearless Friday: Sherfy Battlefield Garden, Emma E. Korowotny

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In this edition of Fearless Friday, we’re highlighting one of the newer service projects that Gettysburg College is involved with: Sherfy Battlefield Garden. This summer will mark the fourth planting season at Sherfy, which was developed in 2013 by Hannah Grose ’13. The garden is located just off of Emmitsburg Road by the house that, in 1860, belonged to Joseph Sherfy and his family. Bullet holes mar the brick walls of the farmhouse, testifying to the fighting that occurred all over the fifty acres of Joseph Sherfy’s farmland on the last two days of the Battle of Gettysburg. Sites of …

No Justice Given, Alison P. Lauro

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I’ve spent a considerable amount of time analyzing privilege and looking at how systems in the United States often work to further oppress the vulnerable, while keeping the privileged in power. I have taken note of how my light skin, middle-class background, and young, abled body has given me opportunities and advantages others don’t have. But, I hadn’t thought too deeply about the privileges that come with being a natural born, American citizen. I’ve stood up to salute the flag every day in school, watched fireworks on the fourth of July, and generally felt proud to be an American; but, …

Attempting To Reason In The Holiday Season, Anonymous

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Every year on the fourth Thursday of November, I sit down with my extended family to heaping dishes of mashed potatoes, sleekly polished bowls of green bean casserole, overflowing gravy boats, and, of course, a crackling turkey fresh from the oven. Without a doubt, my relatives and I have a lot for which to be thankful. [excerpt]

To Id Or Not To Id, Emma E. Korowotny

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“And now can I have the last four digits of your Social? Then we’ll both know each other.”

A cloud of anger swept over me. I glanced up from my computer, blinked, and then elected to continue with my work. I gave the man his money and receipt and sent him on his merry way. He transformed into a veritable ray of sunshine for the other tellers, calling, “have a nice day!” as he left. [excerpt]

The Price I Didn't Know I'D Pay, Anonymous

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$255 textbook. $52 clicker. $150 fleece at Rosemont 310. $1000+ dues to a sorority. These are as much
a part of Gettysburg life as Servo Thanksgiving, chicken finger Friday, and Springfest.

Fitting into this lifestyle has been a daily struggle for the last four years. [excerpt]

Fearless Friday: Annamarie Houlis, Annamarie Houlis

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Constantly working to make open and safe spaces on campus for women to speak up and receive support, using her writing and journalism skills to find and spread the word about social injustices affecting women, and taking the initiative to start her own women’s justice blog, AnnaMarie Houlis ’14 uses her creativity and passion to help those not just on campus, but globally.

Why Is That Even A Question?, Naima Scott

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“Are you the only white Africana Studies Major?” I overheard another student ask a friend.

I reacted. “Why is that even a question?”

Late Night At Lds, Mary E. Maloney

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As I am giving my full attention to the Western omelet, home fries, and rye toast on my plate, I do not notice what is going on around me. I’m not drunk, but I’m not sober either. I’m with some friends I know well and some people I barely know, but they all seem nice enough to share a late night meal. I’m starving.

I start to realize that more and more non-college students enter LDs, presumably local Gettysburg residents. Some are being loud and boisterous, not unlike many of the people sitting at my very own table, and someone …

Fearless Friday: Elena Perez-Zetune, Elena Perez-Zetune

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Consistently involved in programs and initiatives addressing social issues related to children, migrant communities, and education, Elena Perez-Zetune ’14 fearlessly allows her assumptions to be challenged, her time given in service, and her energy spent on encouraging younger generations.

Elena has served with several different programs on campus run by the Center for Public Service, such as El Centro, Immersion Projects, Heston Internships, Casa de la Cultura, and the LIU Migrant Education Program. Growing up in Gettysburg, Elena has had the unique opportunity to run and organize some of the same programs she participated in as a …

What If, Megan Shreve

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I love music. All genres of music. I love the stories that come through in music. I love the songs that create that personal experience and drive me to think or feel more deeply. Five for Fighting just came out with that type of song. It’s called “What If”.

There is a line in the song that goes What if I had your heart, what if you wore my scars. What if you were me? What if I were you? What if your life was my life? What if I was you? It resonates with me personally and with our …

Bootstrap Blues, Hannah M. Frantz

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Meet David*. In mid-January, he came to the small town Iowa elementary school where I work. David has attended more schools in the two years since he started school than I have in my lifetime. In fact, the school he just moved from only has four days of attendance listed on his record. David moves so often because he’s homeless. His situation is not what we may stereotypically think of as “homeless”—you wouldn’t see him on the streets or even in soup kitchens. Instead, David stays with his mother, and they couch surf from one home to another from week …

On The Fence, Emily G. Hauck

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Over a hundred years ago, my great-great grandmother fled Germany by herself to come to the United States to escape the abuse of her father. She had no connections in this country and nowhere to go. That same century my ancestors from Ireland crossed the Atlantic to make a better life in America. They were discriminated against for their religion and for their nationality.

Ana* and her husband, two hardworking Mexicans, paid a coyote to help them cross the Rio Grande into the United States ten years ago. They saw no future for their two young girls in Mexico and …

The Presumption Of Payment, Christopher J. Dellana

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At Gettysburg College, students invest a considerable amount of money to make their experiences rewarding for future aspirations. Enrollment at this school, like others, I am sure, seems to breed a special type of student: the students who view themselves as paying and therefore deserving consumers. [excerpt]

Studying Abroad, Toilet Paper, And Other Exercises In Missing The Point, Rashida Aluko-Roberts

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I have been in Ghana only for a few days, and I can already tell I am going to love the place­—the people, the food, the environment, all remind me of my home country, Sierra Leone.

However, I don’t think I can adjust to the constant uttering by some of my peers about how this experience “makes them appreciate how much they have.” In the past four days, I have heard that same phrase over and over again. [excerpt]

Fearless: Emily Hauck, Emily G. Hauck

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Beginning with an interest in Spanish language that led her to Argentina and Spain, Emily decided to use the language skills she acquired during her gap year after high school and time spent studying abroad to get herself connected to the Latino community in Adams County. Volunteering with different organizations and programs like the LIU #12 Migrant Education Programs, Casa de la Cultura, and El Centro, Emily started seeing the big picture—making connections between the immigration stories, people she was meeting, and the greater national dialogue on immigration issues. [excerpt]

I'Ve Seen The Promised Land: A Letter To Amelia Boynton Robinson, Mauricio E. Novoa

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You asked if I had any thoughts or comments at the end of our visit, and I stood and said nothing. I opened my mouth, but instead of giving you words my throat was sealed by a dam of speechlessness while my eyes wept out all the emotions and heartache that I wanted to share with you. The others in my group were able to express their admiration, so I wanted to do the same. [excerpt]

Reading Between The Lines, Conor P. Brooks

SURGE

“Why do so many people come to our country? They come here and they take pictures, and then they go home and use them to show that we are a terrible place. Why do you do this?”

This question was posed to me by a sixteen-year old boy in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti while I was visiting his school on a post-earthquake relief trip in 2012. [excerpt]

Fearless: Yaou Liu, Yaou Liu

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Humbly and passionately serving the campus community as a true “servant leader” for the past three-and-a-half years, actively engaging in dialogues and initiatives to promote awareness about social injustices, and constantly striving to learn more, act more, and teach more, Yaou Liu ’14, is a fearless role model for the campus community, showing in everything she does a restless passion to see the injustices in the world righted, awareness increased, and the future changed for the better. She is an inspiring, courageous student who has enriched the lives of many both on campus and in the greater Gettysburg community, using …

Challenging Homelessness, Elizabeth D. Marshall

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I had been homeless for about 28 hours. I sat on a sidewalk in Georgetown with a friend holding a cardboard sign that read, “Put a Smile on Our Faces” with a Dunkin Donuts cup at our feet. In the two and a half hours we sat there, hundreds of people passed, hundreds of people avoided eye contact, hundreds of people detoured around the lamppost on the street side of the sidewalk. A few people glanced at our sign. [excerpt]

Dear Mama: An Open Letter From A Prodigal Son, Mauricio E. Novoa

SURGE

Dear Mama,

This may seem a bit unconventional, and it may be a bit difficult to understand (both why I did this and the words I’m writing), but I guess the time came where I had to get some things off of my mind. I’m in my last year of college, and by this time next year, 7 days after my 22nd birthday, I may no longer be in your household, under your guidance and protection, eating your pupusas and pan con frijoles, or having to beg you for money. I also won’t be disregarding your requests to clean the …

Overheard At Gettysburg, Rashida Aluko-Roberts, Zakiya A. Brown, Monae S. Evans

SURGE

Monday. In Old TKE. A student of color is called in the hallway to hear the “funniest thing ever.” (giggling) “Night night little nigglet.”

Tuesday. In an AFS class. “I’m pretty sure the majority of black students in my private school were there because of sports.”

Wednesday. In Musselman. Woman: “I can’t believe Trayvon Martin got shot because someone thought skittles was a weapon.” Man: “To be honest, he did look suspicious because he was black.” [excerpt]

Fearless: Emily Cranfill, Emily J. Cranfill

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Emily Cranfill ’15 has been getting a lot of attention recently, but not necessarily for all of the volunteering, organizations, and groups with which she’s normally involved. Since first hearing last week about the Ku Klux Klan’s (KKK) plans to come protest in the town of Gettysburg, Emily has been inspired to take action by organizing a Rally for Unity Against Hate on campus this Saturday afternoon while the KKK will be protesting. And the responses to her fearless ideas, enthusiasm, and initiative have been staggering. [excerpt]

Red Drops For A Rainbow, Zakiya A. Brown

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Splashes of pool water licked my ankles, scenting my coffee-colored toes with chlorine. Bareback guardians, robed in red, hovered high as flocks of fleshy tangible innocence skipped jubilantly across the pool deck and disappeared into a wet square pocket of sapphire. [excerpt of poem]

Fearless (Saturday): Michael Hannum, Michael W. Hannum

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In celebration of Alumni Homecoming Weekend and Hispanic Heritage Week, we proudly feature Michael Hannum, member of the Class of 2011, for his fearless commitment to fighting for social justice issues and his continued involvement in serving the Adams County community. Currently working with the Lincoln Intermediate Unit’s Migrant Education Program as a Recruitment Coordinator, Michael began finding his passion for helping identify families in the migrant community who need extra educational support when he was a first-year student just looking for something to do. [excerpt]

Fearless: Jessie Pierce, Jessie M. Pierce

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A vocal advocate for socio-environmental justice issues and a believer in the potential for social change in the developing world, Jessie Pierce ’14 fearlessly travels, volunteers, and researches to promote awareness and change. Studying abroad last year for both semesters, spending one semester in Denmark and one in India, gave Jessie the interest, skills, and drive to continue pursuing a deeper understanding of these issues while at Gettysburg. [excerpt]

The Shortcomings Of A "Diverse" College Campus, Chelsea E. Broe

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“What is the diversity like at Gettysburg College?” As a tour guide, I get asked this question a lot. It’s a tricky question to answer: On one hand, I know that this is probably the family’s way of inquiring about race on campus without having to use such a taboo word, but on the other, my Diversity Peer Educator training chimes in and I want to challenge my questioner’s assumptions about what diversity even means. [excerpt]

Out Of The Night, Riley Gryc

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I did not graduate.

After four years of college, waiting for the day I could shake President Riggs’ hand, receive my diploma, and depart our campus with pride and honor, that day never came. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was watch from the back row of the audience as everyone I had attended school with for the last four years, my classmates, my friends, all received their diplomas and moved on without me. The stares from teachers I knew, the surprised looks from underclassmen, the careful tact with which everyone avoided the subject of not …

Milking The System: Do Poor People Deserve Fresh Food?, Melanie M. Meisenheimer

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Poor Americans are all lazy, selfish people who must first prove their worth as human beings if they want to be able to feed their children.

It sounds harsh, stereotypical, and judgmental when you put it like that, and few people would feel comfortable saying that exact phrase. However, it’s a perception of poverty in America that I’ve found still has a strong grip on our way of thinking. [excerpt]

Until The Cops Come Knocking, Mauricio E. Novoa

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“Fuck the police coming straight from the underground/ A young nigga got it bad ‘cause I’m brown/ And not the other color so police think/ They have the authority to kill a minority” – Ice Cube, “Fuck Tha Police”

At some point in our lives, we have all walked down a street for some minute errand, and a few of those times we may have crossed paths with men in uniform patrolling the streets. Some who cross them may not think anything of it, but for others, they feel their eyes follow every step they take and distaste is exchanged …