SURGE is an online publication created in the last decade. On the About page on the website the makers write,
“Surge is a student blog at Gettysburg College where systematic issues of justice matter. Through stories and reflection, these blog entries relate personal experiences to larger issues of equity, demonstrating that –isms are structural problems, not actions defined by individual prejudice. We intend to popularize justice, helping each other to recognize our biases and unlearn the untruths”
The topics that you may browse under include race, sexuality, education, gender, religion, and lookism. The stories are often very personal in nature and the authors may choose to publish their work anonymously. There is also a submit button so that anyone in the community may share their story if they please. The requirements for this submission include, however, that the author must “demonstrate critical thought on an issue related to social justice” as well as “illustrate a relationship between a personal experience or event and a systematic issue.” These submissions are meant to “foster insightful and respectful conversation.”
While Surge is supported by the school and therefore is not a protest publication like many of the magazines sent out in the 1960s and 70s, it is focused on issues of social justice and creating dialogue and understanding. It is a place that encourages the telling of stories in order to incite change, and to foster growth. The importance of storytelling for change is something decidedly different from the modern or postmodern era, and it is an idea that is discussed further in the “where are we now?” section.
2016 Articles
This article talks about issues surrounding anti-semitism through telling the story of the mother encountering it in a realtor.
“I Hope” surrounds the discussion of women in relation to men. The author blankets the discussion through talking about the lesson her mother gave her.
Article from SURGE
2017 Articles
This is a poem written by two students who are DACA recipients which is meant to show their experiences and the realities of their everyday lives.
This author worried about the state of the country after the Charlottesville Riots. She is a pacifist and discusses worrying for her friend who goes to rallies armed. It asks us to consider better options for dealing with conflict.
This article tells the story of a boy who offended the author by dressing up casually as a part of a religion in order to make fun of it. The author had personal attachment to this religion because her mother was a part of it.
The author tells the story of fraternity brothers coming to first year hall in order to find “hot” freshmen girls to take to a date party. She highlights the ways in which this perpetuates a culture of treating women as objects.
The author discusses the role of false representation in television of minorities through the lens of a friend’s mother.
Here, the author discusses the problems that arise after one has spoken out about a sexual assault and how there is a stigma attached to be doing a person who makes this choice.
The writer discusses her discomfort with being a student of color, female, and in the field of mathematics.
This article discusses the lack of success for a a protest at the school and needing to change the way we go about looking for change.
The writer of this article discusses the problem in our culture in which we teach young women that they must learn self defense in order to attend college.
The author of this article wanted to showcase their experience as someone who deals with mental health issues and studying abroad and the difficulties that this brings to light.
This article is a thank you to the Title IX coordinator, Jennifer McCary and discusses the importance of all the work that her position does.
This article discusses the event that SAE puts on every year called “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” and the potential hypocrisy of this because they have had instances of sexual assault within their own fraternity.
This is the story of a situation at a frat party in which the writer encountered bystander behavior from a brother when it came to a risky situation for a young girl.
2018 Articles
This article tells the story of an uncomfortable office situation for the author in which they were harassed by a co-worker.
This article centers around incidents in which straight females pretend to be gay. As a gay person themselves, the author takes offense at this and wants to explain why it affects them personally.
The author of this article brings to light issues surrounding the fact that heterosexuality is the norm while queer sexuality is something that individuals must admit to. They do this through discussing their own experiences in coming out.
This article discusses the #metoo movement scandal involving the actor Aziz Ansari and a woman named Grace. Through framing the discussion in this story, the author wishes to expose problems in our sexual culture.
This article looks at the topic of reclaiming certain words that have histories of targeting specific groups specifically. The author shares a personal story in order to frame this discussion.
This article was written in response to the protest against facilities that was held after mold was found in Hanson Hall. The author wishes to offer insight into the problems of protesting for such things and offers advice on how to fix facilities concerns other than protest.
April 2018 Protest Against Gun Violence
On April 20th, 2018, Gettysburg students gathered at the steps of Penn Hall to protest gun violence in the United States. Various students spoke at the event, reading personal stories and statements about the danger of guns. Below are the articles from this protest which where posted on SURGE.
