A Note from the Editor: Reflections on the Last Few Days
Among the most important lessons I learned my freshman year while participating in the Garthwait Leadership Center’s Leadership Certificate program was the importance of making regular time for reflection. As I reflect on what has transpired over the last four days, I see a situation that clearly transcends Bob Garthwait. In reading every one of the hundreds of comments posted across The Gettysburgian‘s digital platforms...
Opinion: Let’s Stop This Madness
By Garrett Glaeser, Columnist It has been a sad week for this school because of the mishandling of a situation revolving around a forty-year-old yearbook photo. It has been a week of emotion, of conversation, of questions and many responses. Some have said that is a teachable moment for our campus community, a moment for us to grow from a mistake made forty years ago. I’d agree that it is, but not in the way it has been suggested. The...
Opinion: Alumnus ’82 Applauds Handling of Yearbook Stir
By E. Mark Mones, ‘82 As a member of the Gettysburg Class of 1982, and a transplanted New Jerseyian who has lived most of his life in Virginia, I applaud the college, and Mr. Garthwait, for understanding why a picture in a dusty yearbook matters, and what this revelation means for those on campus then and now. The response to what some would dismiss as youthful indiscretion was timely, thoughtful, and in keeping with what I’ve always...
Opinion: I found the Garthwait photo. Here’s how I think we should respond.
By Cameron Sauers, Guest Columnist I did not think that my casual browsing through old college yearbooks would result in this. I thought it best to explain the situation through my eyes so others may understand my intentions. I would first like to acknowledge Mr. Garthwait’s apology and his genuine remorse. I have nothing but the utmost respect for his contributions to improving this college. I am among the many students who benefited...
Opinion: Alumnus Weighs in on Garthwait Resignation
By Chris Roemer ’82 It is impossible to know how many lives Bob Garthwait has impacted for the good because of his generosity and leadership in the forty years since graduating from Gettysburg College. There are probably very few alumni who have benefitted students to the degree achieved by Mr. Garthwait. Yet now, because someone recently discovered a picture in his sophomore yearbook, Mr. Garthwait is likely to be remembered...
Opinion: Garthwait Saga Presents Teachable Moment
By Jay Hauser, Columnist Absolutely, Bob Garthwait should have resigned. As a Trustee, he represents the values of the college. Regardless of the time of his actions, he should not hold such a public position. Moreover, his qualification for his apology, a claim that in 1980, as a college sophomore, he “was not fully aware of the significance of those symbols,” is a highly unbelievable attempt to soften his wrongdoing. But Mr....
