Student Senate Votes to Fund Full Playground (April Fools)
By Cassidy Haines, Magazine Editor
On the morning of April 1, an email from the Office of Student Activities and Greek Life (OSAGL) announced the plans for a playground to be built on the open area between Glatfelter Hall and Pennsylvania Hall. The message shared that the Student Senate had voted in favor of funding the project during a meeting with College administration called on March 31.
The announcement was shared on behalf of Senate by OSAGL, in addition to visual models of the playground’s slides and climbing walls painted orange and blue as a nod to the College’s colors. The OSAGL director shared a form for students to help decide the designs on the see-saw and seating areas.
“We want students to be involved in this process, since we hope that this will entice them to use the new facility. I would expect it to encourage physical activity and positivity all around campus,” said the OSAGL director.
While the playground may come as a shock to some on a college campus, the memo by OSAGL promises that “local schools will be utilizing the space” as they please, since they have been “barred” from dining in Servo for much of the 2024-25 academic year and the office expects this to continue. Additionally, the daycare on campus is within a short walking distance of the planned playground.
He added, “When it comes to projects on a campus-wide scale, you have to think about community impact. We’re excited for future generations of Gettysburg students to use the playground, whether they’re kids of staff such as my son or born and raised Gettysburg residents.”
At the time of writing, no timeline has been shared on the construction of this site, but early estimates say it will be completed before the class of 2029 graduates, leaving a potential window of about five years before the playground could open.
“After the success of the renovations in Plank Gym, OSAGL has been brainstorming ways to engage the student body more, and we landed on a college student-sized playground; likewise, after the confusion surrounding Senate’s swingset vote, we figured the best thing to do would be get the administration involved to make things a bit clearer,” the OSAGL director stated. “But after that, President Iuliano really enjoyed the idea, and he wound up wanting Senate to vote on it then and there. The rest is history.”
