Preserve the Educational Mission of GCC (Grove City College)

Comments

#601

Cedric Lewis is a great professor who encourages discussion and provokes students to think outside their comfort zones. And he’s obviously uniquely situated and qualified, due both to his experiences and as a man of faith, to teach this course to students who (going out on a limb here) are fortunate not to have encountered racial injustice.

This sadly feels like the natural result of where the College has been heading the past five years. And I doubt that, if this is really how the College feels about this viewpoint being taught, it’s limited to only then.

Peter Garthwaite (Chicago, 2022-05-11)

#607

I believe the work of the Committee to be deeply flawed based on the report issued in April 2022. While I recognize that a sub-committee report to a board of trustees does not bear the same kind of academic rigor as that of a submission for a peer-reviewed journal, I have yet to see demonstrated in said report the kind of integrity Grove City administration and faculty expect their students. The merits of CRT as an academic theory should be debated by the experts GCC has hired to form the minds of its students; if it fails or passes the rigor of academic scrutiny, then let it do so honestly. I sign this petition because the report appears to me to be a scare tactic more than an earnest assessment within the confines of academic discipline. For an institution that has, since I have been associated with it, struggled (and I believe failed more often than not) to reflect a diverse landscape of students and faculty across socio-economic, theological, political, and ethnic differences, to take such a hardened stance requires more than a handwave.

Michael Swanson (State College, Pa, 2022-05-12)

#611

I’m signing because books shouldn’t be banned.

Danielle Skinner (Brooksville, 2022-05-14)

#612

I should have learned about the Tulsa Race Massacre in high school or at GCC. Systemic racism is real and evil!

Nathan Moore (Winona, mn, 2022-05-14)

#620

As an alumni of Grove City College AND a parent of two Black children; I am deeply ashamed of my alma matter and the poor process through which they’ve decided to abandon their guiding principles to cave to political zeitgeist.

Ken Case (Gambrills, 2022-05-20)

#622

I’m signing because education should not be political. Learning about what truly happened in our country and our world is bipartisan even if it isn’t pretty for those in power.

Briley Barnett (Cookeville, TN, 2022-05-20)

#624

I disagree with the committee and board’s findings. I believe Grove City is choosing politics over being good followers of Christ.

Kellen Quackenbush (Pittsburgh, 2022-05-20)

#625

I sign for Such a time as this.

Carolyn Rue (Renton, WA, 2022-05-22)

#627

I want my children to receive a complete education at Grove City College, and to be part of a diverse community of thinkers and learners

Kristen Ward (Erie, 2022-05-24)

#628

I’m so tired of being embarrassed by my alma mater. It seems like a college that considers itself Christian would be making different decisions.

Ann Haefele (Victor, NY, 2022-05-25)

#630

I'm signing because I am passionate about social justice. As a professor for 26 years, I always included issues of ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other issues of social justice in my teaching and research. The U.S. is long overdue for the inclusion and serious consideration of the perspectives of People of Color.
The report of the Ad Hoc Committee at Grove City College includes an inaccurate definition/explanation of CRT. It is also antithetical to the stated mission of GCC.
Thank you for circulating this petition.

Genevieve Canales (Greeley, CO, 2022-06-06)

#632

I'm signing this because I have always been proud of having graduated from Grove City College. The strong critical thinking skills I honed in my many difficult courses made me an independent thinker who was taught to look for the validity of an argument and to consider the practical ramifications of ideas and actions. Whether or not I agreed with my professors or fell in line with the more conservative bent of the college, I felt I learned to test ideas and to be able to acknowledge personal biases that might be getting in the way of an honest and rigorous academic paper. The Ad Hoc Committee's report does not stand up to that strong tradition of academic rigor. I believe education is empowering, and attempting to control or limit the content of education is an action of fear and anxiety without temperance. It does not help prepare students for the complexities of our world. -Rev. Karin A. Wright

Karin Wright (RAVENNA, 2022-06-17)

#633

I do not want any change in the direction of GCC nor do I want its academic integrity to be breached.

Dale Parkes (Los Alamitos, 2022-09-09)

#634

A friend told me about this situation and I have been a friend of the school for many years.

Sandi Thompson (Beverly Hills, 2023-01-11)

#635

I want to be able to think of my alma mater as a school where students taught to think rather than indoctrinated. In the current context this should include the open discussion of race.

L. Alex Richardson (Holmes Beach, FL, 2023-02-15)

#637

Christian faith requires attention to persistence of racism in our nation, and academic freedom means engagement with diverse points of view. Both are critical for the future of a Christian college in the USA.

William Snyder (York, 2023-07-20)

#638

I wish I had seen this petition earlier. I honestly don’t associate myself with GCC or feel any particular bond or pride with being an alumni. The education has served me well in life, but I have viewed my relationship as strictly transactional…a means to an end.

There is so much potential in the talented students and alumni of GCC. They will and are shaping the reality we will live in, whether just or unjust. I am deeply saddened but not at all surprised by the report. The fact that the term “challenging” is used multiple times to refer to discussions of race, white privilege and nationalism tells you all you need to know. The report seems to make clear GCC is dismissive of systemic racism and this is a topic of interest only to a few fringe, minority students, such as in a book club. Why is GCC so afraid? An institution that claims to value academic rigor should welcome views that “challenge” their world views.

To be honest I don’t think this petition goes far enough, but it is a good start, and I am proud that so many have signed their name. What do I hope to accomplish by signing? Jemar Tisbey said he hoped to fill students’ minds with awareness so in 5, 10, 20 years they wouldn’t say “I never knew.” I feel sad that many young individuals will not be exposed to the reality of racism in America, due to the political views of a few fragile souls. And I hope this encourages those within the halls of GCC who do take a stand for racial justice. A generation of future leaders cannot ignore nor be denied wrestling with the critical issues of race and privilege in America, no matter how “challenging” it is.

Ben Perry (Salem, OR, 2023-10-01)

#640

I do not believe GCC is preparing its students for life in our modern world, and I do believe that their far right agenda perpetuates systemic racism. For this reason, among others, I ended my financial support of the College several years ago.

Mary Casey (Fountain Hill PA, 2024-01-05)



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