Perspectives: On the topic of Community

On Oct. 4, 2024, the Gettysburg football program played its first-ever night game at Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium—under the new lights funded by our alumni and families. The pregame tailgate generated great energy before kickoff, and the atmosphere during the game was incredible. Students, parents, alumni, College employees, and the Gettysburg community all came out to support our young men, and it certainly made an impact.

The gathering of the community to take part in food, drinks, music, and games pulls our campus together and strengthens the connectivity within it. I believe that a strong sense of community is vital to the success of any organization. The ability to be connected to and supported by the people that you share space with not only helps develop a sense of belonging but also creates fulfillment in the work you do within the space.

The “Under The Lights” game sent a great boost of energy through our program. We cannot thank the community enough for showing up for us in such a major way. Our hope is that this becomes a regular occurrence—to come and spend time together as a community, supporting our Bullets.

Gettysburg College spirit celebrates our individual identities and contributions, and, through unwavering belief in our collective potential, nurtures the persistence and resilience needed to meet future challenges.

As the women’s soccer faculty liaison, I see this spirit. Supporters on the sidelines value these women not just for their great plays, but as individuals. The team embodies Gettysburg spirit in their grit, responding to setbacks with renewed determination and commitment. Teamwork drives progress.

In my classroom, this spirit thrives as students pursue research reflecting their personal interests. Their collaboration to master challenging material and their willingness to engage in multiple revisions demonstrates our shared belief in their potential.

I also see this spirit in Board of Trustees meetings and conversations with faculty about courses for the upcoming First-Year Data & Society program.

Gettysburg spirit shines brightest when we unite as a community, turning challenges into opportunities. When we embrace this spirit, we Do Great Work.

The first time I stepped foot on campus was as a member of the Bullets Marching Band. By the end of my first week, I could sing the Alma Mater in four-part harmony, learned the many traditions the band carries on year after year, and met some of my closest friends. So much of what it means to be a Gettysburg student comes from my involvement with the band.

Every home football game, I march through campus with my friends, accompanied by our parents, classmates, and community. We are cheering on the team but also celebrating the past, present, and future of Gettysburg College. As college students learning about the world around us, we can acknowledge that things are not perfect. However, this creates an opportunity for growth. The Gettysburg College community can use the pride we have in each other to encourage change and demand excellence from each other, just as we do when setting drill or playing music in the band. I believe our commitment to bettering ourselves and our community exemplifies school spirit at Gettysburg College.

A few weeks ago, I attended the first football game under the new Musselman Stadium lights. As a multi-generational Gettysburgian, you’d assume I’ve been to a bunch of football games on campus. You’d be wrong. But I was inspired by the people who fundraised to put in the lights and bring a different kind of experience to our College. So I went.

It was great, not just because of the beautiful sunset across Seminary Ridge or the gentle light across the field that felt magical. It was like so many other Gettysburg experiences in my life. Our community made it special.

As I have moved through my life, I’ve come to appreciate that we become part of these places, groups of people, and ideas. We attach bits of ourselves to all of them, imprinting on who and what have meant the most to us. When we reunite or meet others with that shared connection, we feel the familiar touch of who we are—of who we are called to be.

That’s my family’s story at Gettysburg. It’s one of our places, and Gettysburgians are our people. Both have changed our lives.

While school spirit can be found in our athletic facilities, music venues, and anywhere our students congregate, it is also richly expressed in the traditions that bind us and connect our campus to the community around it. As a historian, I’m particularly interested in those partnerships with the community that are rooted in understanding and expressing our shared history.

One of my favorite Gettysburg traditions is the First-Year Walk, for the way it encourages new students to understand that they are part of a broader community here, not just a campus community, and invites them to see themselves and their Gettysburg education as part of a broader story, rooted in this iconic historical location. By placing themselves in the footsteps of their student predecessors, current-day students are inspired to see themselves in the historical narrative, to feel a personal connection to the history of this place, and to think seriously, at the beginning of their experience here, about how they will use their education to contribute to the unfinished work that Lincoln spoke of in his Gettysburg Address, the great task remaining for the next generation.