Count Me Out

April 25, 2022

I knew I wanted to be an education major in college and I knew I wanted to be safe in college. To me, safety meant going to a place that had the same beliefs and views that I had growing up.

When I was choosing, Grove City College had a nationally ranked education program and was centered on the beliefs I held at the time. It was the only place I applied and I spent three and a half years immersed in the bubble. I didn’t question anything. It felt safe and that is all I wanted.

But I see things differently now.

I have learned that my definition of safety came at the expense of my freedom, something, ironically, the college claims to hold so dearly. In exchange for my perceived safety, I gave up my voice. In exchange for my perceived safety, I gave up opportunities to connect with and learn from others who held different beliefs. In exchange for my perceived safety, I gave up opportunities for personal growth.

There has been a lot of controversy at GCC over the past two years and I’ve had a voice in some of them. But on April 13th, the Board of Trustees handed down a report that solidifies my position that this place is more focused on maintaining the status quo, upholding oppressive systems and beliefs at the expense of true connection and understanding and love.

I’ve linked the memo in the comments and have read every word of the 23-page document. If you don’t have time to read it for yourself, allow me to summarize.

Basically, an organization focused on attracting a diverse student population, the Advisory Council, is no longer deemed necessary after only being in place for a year. There is one position that was recently created, the Director of Multicultural Education and Initiatives. After leading a training with Resident Assistants for an hour and showing a video, his role is now being reduced to driving international students to get food and to the airport. An education class that was created to teach teachers about cultural diversity and advocacy is now eliminated and all courses will go through a vetting process to make sure they are aligned with the mission of the college. And a Resident Director is under fire for talking with his Resident Assistants about racial equity.

The overarching message is that everyone needs to be quiet. Stop taking about race. Talking about race threatens unity, it has the potential for division, and it takes the college off-mission.

It makes me so angry.

I will no longer support organizations and institutions that exclude others, that try to justify why only some people belong just as they are, that treat people as “less than,” and perpetuate systems and structures that discriminate and oppress.

To quote my friend, Michael Palanski, “Count me out.”