The Collegian – Feb. 21, 2014

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Collegian

The

Suiting up is legen – wait for it – ...dary. Pg. 6

Friday, February 21, 2014

Est. 1891

Vol. 74, No. 14

The Grove City College Student Newspaper

Grove City College v. Bell Thirty years since landmark loss

Louis Petolicchio Staff Writer

Thirty years ago, on Feb. 28, 1984, the Supreme Court issued a final decision on the court case that would define Grove City College as an institution from that point forward. While most people know the decision led the College to withdraw from federal grant and loan programs, many do not realize that “Freedom’s College” lost the case. While the case was argued well and the College received support from many other institutions, the Supreme Court ruled against the College in a 7-2 decision. However, the fallout from this loss became one of the College’s greatest strengths and selling points, leading many people all over the nation to believe that the College had actually won the case. College archivist Hilary Walczak said it is surprising how many students on the College’s campus are unaware that the Court’s ruling was not in the College’s favor. President Dr. Richard Jewell ’67 said that even back when he was a trustee, he was correcting reporters and inquirers who didn’t know the actual outcome of the decision. “On the 20th anniversary, people from Washington actually called me, wanting to get my reaction on our ‘victory’ in court,” Jewell said. Part of the issue is that many people are largely unaware of the details surrounding the case, or

its fairly innocuous beginnings. It began with the passing of national legislation called “Title IX,” which was explained by Mr. David Lascell, trustee emeritus of the College and the lead lawyer on the legal team that argued the case before the Supreme Court in 1983. “Title IX was passed to prevent gender discrimination, originally in collegiate athletics, and has, since then, broadened considerably,” Lascell said. “When it was first started, it was clearly directed at women who were, at the time, underrepresented in many colleges’ athletic programs. The law was later expanded to include any general institution that accepted federal money, and was not limited to athletics.” In order to guarantee that the non-discriminatory legislation was being followed, an Assurance of Compliance was issued to all academic institutions, which they were asked to sign. The College, since it was not federally funded, refused to sign and with a surprisingly progressive history of female athletic involvement, did not see the need to. “Grove City College has been committed to the physical development of all of its students since it was founded,” Dr. Donald Lyle, athletic director and chair of the physical education department, said. “We have had women’s basketball teams going back to the early 1900s, and our first official COURT CASE 2

COURTESY GROVE CITY COLLEGE

Grove City College supporters stand outside the U.S. Supreme Court in 1983.

Alumnus killed in action

Grayson Quay

Entertainment Editor Alumnus U.S. Army Specialist Christopher A. “Drew” Landis ’09 was killed earlier this month in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense. At the College, Landis majored in history, was a member of the housing group Phi Omega Sigma (the Possums), worked as a Crimson Caller and was involved with the Law Society and the Society of International Business Affairs. Dr. Mark Graham, professor of history, remembers Landis as “a nice, quiet, friendly, smiley guy.” After joining the Army in March 2011 and completing basic training, Landis was trained

Kelleigh Huber

as a cryptologic linguist, making use of signals equipment and Arabic language skills to identify foreign communications. Landis’ dismounted patrol in Kapisa province came under attack during his first deployment and was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. He later died of his wounds at Bagram Airfield. According to WCPO, a news

station in Landis’ native Independence, KY, after the announcement of his death Feb. 13, all flags in the county were instructed to be lowered to halfstaff throughout the following weekend. He is survived by his mother, his father, two brothers and a sister. College President Richard G. Jewell ’67 expressed the mourning of the Grove City College community in the aftermath of Landis’ death in the line of duty. “The loss of this fine young man in defense of our country is a tragic reminder of the high price paid in that defense ... Freedom is not free. Its maintenance often requires the giving, as Lincoln said of a soldier, of ‘the last full measure of devotion,’” Jewell said.

Revisiting Reagan

Fostering debate

Josh Evans News Editor

The more politically-minded students of Grove City College now have a new opportunity to pursue their interests, as the College’s chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society just held its first open house on Tuesday. The chapter, part of a national organization that focuses on fostering intellectual discussion of foreign policy, economics and national security, hosted the society’s executive director, Mitch Muncy, who gave a lecture entitled “The Inhumanity of American Foreign Policy.” At the beginning of the open house, junior Pat Cunningham, a co-founder of the chapter, emphasized the society’s primary goal – to cultivate meaningful discussion of major policy issues. The chapters hold various panel discussions and debates to pursue this end. “Too often on campus we only have one voice saying one thing,” Cunningham said. “But with the Alexander Hamilton Society, it’s a little different.” Cunningham, along with sophomore Andrew Lindhome and junior Ben Crelin, founded the chapter after being drawn to the organization through an email from Dr. Michael Coulter, professor of political science. The three students were especially inspired by a conference they attended over the summer for AHS leaders, which included the opportunity to hold a mock

event. “We thought that if we could mirror that here, that would be just a really cool thing to do,” Lindhome said. The students stressed that the society does not pressure students to espouse a certain ideology or to vote a certain way; rather, it wishes to provoke discussion. “Whenever you turn on the news, chances are you see pundits talking about issues, and they’re just blowing a lot of smoke, and they’re not making a lot of intellectual sense,” Lindhome said. “The Hamilton Society gets in experts in those fields, and they present their topic and try to present viewpoints that provoke debate.” At the open house, Muncy highlighted the shortcomings of U.S. foreign policy. He emphasized the inadequacy of scientific methods to predict and to direct foreign policy. Instead, he articulated the importance of understanding cultures, languages and entire societies in combination with scientific methods to develop the best ways to conduct foreign policy. Lindhome also said that the society is hoping to hold another large event in April. While the event is still in its planning stages, he noted that the society intends to focus on foreign policy, and the experts being considered to speak have expertise in Middle Eastern politics.

nomics that highlighted the relationship between tax rates and total tax revenue. Robinson was the head of the economic warfare program against the Soviet Union. Dr. Paul Kengor, political science professor and executive director for the Center has been involved in the lecture since its beginning in 2007. Kengor has welcomed Michael Reagan, the son of President Reagan, along with William Bennett, Edwin Meese, Peter Robinson and Michael Wenning, Reagan’s family pastor, to the lectures.

“I have a good relationship with them and have never been turned down,” Kengor said, referring to the people he has asked to come speak at the event. The lecture itself is not in speech format, but will involve an interview between Kengor, Laffer and Robinson. They will sit on stage and discuss various issues during Reagan’s presidency as well as the present-day situation in the country. Clips of many of Reagan’s popular speeches will be displayed on a screen during the interview.

News

Life

E!

Perspectives

Sports

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There’s a Snitch on campus you won’t hate. Pg. 3

Andy Mineo’s new album shows a promising future for Christian rap. Pg. 5

When it comes to federal aid, is going against the system really the best move? Pg. 6

Junior swimmer Amy Melnik gives insight into last week’s championship meet? Pg. 8

Contributing Writer

The eighth consecutive Ronald Reagan lecture of The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College tour will take place on Feb. 25 in the Pew Fine Arts Center. This year, Art Laffer and Roger Robinson, two men who were strongly involved in Reagan’s economic policies, have been asked to speak for the lecture. Laffer contributed to the development of the Laffer curve, a cornerstone of Reagan eco-

REAGAN 2


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