By Sophie Lange, Assistant News Editor

On Wednesday, Gettysburg College President Bob Iuliano and Chief Diversity Officer Eloísa Gordon-Mora sent a campus-wide email regarding Operation Al-Aqsa Flood at Israel, which was launched by Hamas and other armed groups following the Jewish festival of Sukkot. The email acknowledged that this news has brought with it a wave of heightened emotions across the campus community.

With respect to this conflict, Iuliano and Gordon-Mora said, “When confronting such tragic events in our world and in our lives, we need to stand firm to the core values we share as a Gettysburg College community—values that speak to the worth and dignity of all people, our commitment to diverse and inclusive communities, and our sensitivity to the human condition.”

Iuliano and Gordon-Mora expressed that they want to provide support to all students, faculty, staff and alumni, particularly those in the Jewish, Palestinian, Israeli and Muslim communities. They explained that the Office of College Life has been conversing actively with students, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion is looking to identify additional resources to support classroom discussions, work interactions and other needs. They are currently in the process of gathering a group of students, faculty and staff to organize opportunities to peacefully join together and learn how events such as this impact all members of the campus community.

The email enumerated the following resources:

• Counseling and Wellness Services for students: counseling@gettysburg.edu or 717-337-6960;
• Office of Diversity and Inclusion for students and employees: Gordon-Mora, egordon@gettysburg.edu or 717-337-6376;
• Religious and Spiritual Life for students and employees: Chaplain Bright, mbright@gettysburg.edu or 717-337-6282;
• Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and Learning for classroom support: Josef Brandauer, jbrandau@gettysburg.edu or 717-337-6441;
• Office of College Life for students: Cristina Garcia, cgarcia@gettysburg.edu or 717-337-6921;
• Human Resources for employees: Employment Assistant Program, hr@gettysburg.edu or 717-337-6202; and
• Office of the Provost for faculty: Michelle Schmidt, mschmidt@gettysburg.edu or 717-337-6840.

Iuliano and Gordon-Mora closed the email by encouraging students to contact them, reiterating their desire to support students during this time.