This letter was submitted to The Hilltop Monitor by Calvin Heit, president of College Republicans and first-year Oxbridge institutions & policy and international relations major.

On Wednesday March 31, I placed College Republicans fliers in the Pryor Learning Commons with the intent to build some new momentum for the club and promote our sign-up table in the Union on April 19. 

However, that Saturday morning I received word that the fliers were vandalized, ridden with hateful messages. “Republican Party” was replaced with “white supremacy.” They also claimed that College Republicans had blood on their hands. The act itself was incredibly upsetting, but I was even more upset that this happened on our campus. 

I knew the fliers would generate some disagreement from a large portion of our student population, but I honestly did not believe that kind of hate existed on this campus. These kinds of acts highlight the importance and necessity of clubs like College Republicans and College Democrats in promoting civility about issues filled with division. Despite the hate exhibited by this act, I am confident this incident can spark a period of growth for all of us here at William Jewell College.

Since joining College Republicans, I have been increasingly excited about the future of the club, so this kind of retaliation felt personal. It was not the civility and respect that are supposed to constitute so much of our campus’ identity and culture. It is the purpose of our club to add to the civility and constructive discourse at Jewell. 

We are not here to be exclusive, talk trash to those with differing opinions, or plan a riot on the steps of Jewell Hall. Indeed, it is essential for clubs like College Republicans to promote a diversity of perspectives. We, as future leaders, cannot sacrifice original or constructive thinking because we are afraid to be wrong – let alone when a member of the Jewell community attempts to deride it through misrepresentation. It is our aim to create a constructive and well-informed discussion of what it means to be a Republican in the 21^st Century, and foster respect in our bifurcated political discourse. We should all strive to improve our understanding and beliefs through civil discourse and experience – most importantly with people whose beliefs differ from our own.

Jewell’s commitment to inclusivity and civility is admirable, exemplified in its CTI curriculum and branding. However, we still have a long way to go, together. We place a lot of emphasis on being empathetic and understanding of someone else’s identity, be it socio-economic, ethnic, race, gender, sexuality or anything else. That is fantastic and should be continued and encouraged as much as possible. But empathy is not confined to understanding others’ identities, it also requires respect for their ideas and values that differ from your own. 

Civil interaction between differing ideas and agendas is what drives the advancement of our society, both academically and culturally. Music, technology, art, marketing, sports, are all advanced when diverse sets of well-informed, experienced individuals participate in civil discussion about the future. That is what we as future leaders must strive to encourage, just as much as the inclusivity of identities. It is of course a noble effort to vie for equality of people, but in order to produce a better world for our future selves and our children, we must also strive for the civility of ideas.

We, College Republicans at Jewell, want to attract people of all sorts to discuss how to build a better America, one based on strong individuality and families – that ensures the protection of freedoms and rights without the abdication of responsibility or duty. We will oppose any unjust discrimination against any persons or groups on the grounds of race or ethnicity, religion, sex or gender, sexual orientation or birthplace. 

We stand for an American future that is both anchored and open. We acknowledge the wealth of discussions and debates about these issues across the U.S. and within the Republican Party. But we are very confident that many Americans – of all sorts of colors, identities and creeds – will find these ideas attractive as we work together to reform American political life.

By the way, we know that everyone will not agree with our ideas. That is why we will never ask Jewell’s Student Senate to use your student fees to go to our club. We challenge other political clubs at Jewell to do the same.

So to whoever wrote those horrible things on our fliers, thank you. You have exposed a problem on our campus that we should all commit to removing. I was insulted to be told I have blood on my hands, as if my ideals and beliefs celebrate violence or violate morality. As if the Republican party, like any other large ideological group, is defined solely by its worst actors, not those attempting to improve and redefine it. 

In order to truly achieve our goals of equality and inclusivity, we must also strive for civility and respect, which I know we are all capable of. Take this event not as one of injury for our student body, but as one of growth for our campus community. When faced with problems like this, we must look it square in the eyes and never back down. That is why political clubs exist, and it is how civility and respect will carry all of us into the future. See you April 19.

Letters to the editor can be submitted for publication by emailing monitor@william.jewell.edu.

William Jewell College announced the five finalists for the College’s Faculty Award – an award recognizing graduating students who exhibit the highest ideals of a liberal arts education. 

The finalists include Catherine Dema, Oxbridge history of ideas and physics major; Rachel Harris, music education major; Kelsey Lanterman, biology and Spanish major; Madison Carroll Porth, Oxbridge institutions and policy and international relations major; and Jack Still, political science and economics major.

Graduating seniors who have spent at least three years at Jewell and hold a 3.75 GPA are eligible for consideration for the award. Dr. Anne Marie Rigler, chair of the Faculty Award Committee and professor of music, emailed an application to seniors who met these requirements Feb. 17. 

In the application, applicants detailed extracurricular and service activities undertaken during their time at Jewell and wrote an essay describing their perception of what a liberal arts education means. The application was due a little over a week later, and after brief deliberation, the Faculty Award Committee selected a number of semifinalists. Students selected as semifinalists were required to submit two letters of recommendation to the Committee and partake in an interview with Committee members. 

Based on these letters and interviews, the committee selected the five finalists. A winner will be announced at the Honors Convocation April 23. 

When asked why she decided to apply for the Faculty Award, Dema noted that she was inclined to apply because of the deeply formative effect Jewell had on her outlook. 

“I decided to apply for the Faculty Award because I thought my experiences at Jewell – both academic and extracurricular – had a significant impact on how I view my approach to the world, my career and education in general,” said Dema. “I was interested in what the process would even look like and I wanted to know if the faculty also thought I would be qualified for the award. I also wanted to take the opportunity to provide some feedback to the faculty that was at times critical, but that I thought embodied Jewell’s espoused values of critical thought, inclusivity, authentic engagement and courageous citizenship.”

Dema also shared her thoughts on her Faculty Award interview experience. 

“I was frankly kind of confused during a large part of the interview. It was relatively conversational and more focused on digging into questions of value, how one ought to act and what critical thought is and looks like at Jewell. I thought it was generally interesting to have this kind of conversation with faculty I don’t often interact with that much,” Dema said. 

In a final comment, Dema remarked that she wishes the Faculty Award application process was more accessible but is nonetheless thankful to be recognized.

“I really do wish the process was a bit more equitable and fair to students,” Dema said. “The nature of the timeline for applications limited who was able to apply for the award and I think that is a shame. I also want to emphasize that I’m incredibly grateful to the faculty award committee for recognizing me in this way.” 

During her time at Jewell, Dema held leadership positions in The Hilltop Monitor, the Society of Physics Students, Gender Issues & Feminism Club, the Radical Inclusivity Committee and SUSTAIN. In addition, she volunteered as a reading partner with Primitivo Garcia, served as a member of the editorial staff of Cherwell, Oxford University’s independent student newspaper and worked as an undergraduate researcher at Jewell, Coe College and Cornell University.

After graduating, Dema plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School as a Levy Scholar. She ultimately plans to pursue a career in public interest law in order to continue focusing on issues of race and gender justice while working at the intersection of theory and practice.

For Harris, applying for the Faculty Award was an opportunity to make Jewell’s music department proud.

“I really wanted to honor [the music department] and show that they have prepped me and just encouraged me in my education at Jewell and just to show that I am ready to get out into the world and hopefully, through music education, share my Jewell education to other students,” Harris said. 

Harris found the interview difficult but ultimately regarded it as a valuable learning experience – one she hopes to impart to her own students as well.

“It was definitely challenging for me,” Harris said. “Typically, I am used to talking to children and talking about music and teaching them how to be expressive. So this was a different experience, but it really, really showed how important critical thinking is at Jewell. The topic was pretty tough this year. I was just encouraged to stand for my beliefs and just to keep going with those conversations. Even though they were really difficult and challenging concepts to talk about, I feel like I can bring those same kinds of qualities to my next classroom and encourage those students to always think deeper and pursue those deep, deep thoughts.”

Over the course of her four years at Jewell, Harris interned with the Youth Symphony of Kansas City, privately instructed violin students. She also participated in a number of musical masterclasses with famed instrumentalists, including Julia King and Randall Goosby. Her community involvement includes working as a leader with Blue Springs Young Life, being a worship team vocalist at Abundant Life Church and serving at resource fairs for the Blue Springs community. She also owns her own earring company. 

Harris is currently on the hunt for a music teaching job in the Kansas City area – which she praised for its support of the arts and incredible music programs in the public school system. She will also continue her internship with the Youth Symphony of Kansas City, preparing for the upcoming in-person season. After getting a few years of teaching experience, Harris hopes to enroll in a Master’s music education program and to gain certification in the Suzuki method. 

To Lanterman, submitting her Faculty Award application felt like an appropriate way to close out her career at Jewell, especially after receiving encouragement from friends to apply. 

“Honestly, I’ve really enjoyed my four years at Jewell. I’ve had a great time and a lot of fun so it kind of just felt like a cool opportunity with the culmination of my four years and all of the emotions and feelings,” Lanterman said. “I talked to my friends about it and they were like, ‘You should apply. Why not? You might as well.’ Even if I don’t win, I just thought it was a unique thing to apply for.”

Reflecting four years back to when she was interviewed by Dr. Kenneth Alpern – director of the Oxbridge Honors Program and professor of philosophy – for admission into the Oxbridge program, Lanterman happily noted that she felt a markedly lower amount of anxiety when she saw that Alpern was a member of the interviewing Committee. 

“[It was] just like an Oxbridge interview. Alpern asked the first question, and I was like ‘Oh no,’ but it was really pushing you and trying to get the deeper thoughts out, not just surface answers. It was a really good conversation,” Lanterman said. “They really pushed at trying to ask deeper and thought-provoking questions.”

During her time at Jewell, Lanterman was a captain of the swim team, a Presidential Scholar and a member of several honors societies. Lanterman noted that being captain of the swim team was an excellent leadership experience and is generally grateful to be a part of Jewell Athletics because of the valuable relationships she formed. As a Presidential Scholar, Lanterman was connected to an alumni mentor, who she became quite close to and helped integrate her into the broader Jewell community. She also studied abroad in Granada, Spain.

Though she is still waiting to hear back from some schools, Lanterman plans to head to medical school following graduation. 

Carroll Porth saw the Faculty Award as an opportunity to reflect on how the values of a liberal arts education applied to her own development as a leader during her time at Jewell.

“I think that I applied primarily because I feel like I have grown and developed a lot as a leader and a student over the past four years. I think I embody a lot of the values of a Jewell and liberal arts education and that I would be a good candidate for the award,” Carroll Porth said. 

Like others, Carroll Porth remarked that the interview was challenging but certainly rewarding.

“It was hard,” Carroll Porth said. “There was a ten-minute portion where I was just sweating because they were asking me what it means to be human and why humans have empathy and what the word ‘value’ means. So, yeah, it was hard, but it was good. The hardest part was the unexpected nature of the questions, but I think it was a really fruitful conversation and a good chance to talk about my experiences at Jewell.”

At Jewell, Carroll Porth held leadership positions in The Hilltop Monitor, Student Senate and Zeta Tau Alpha. Most recently, Carroll Porth helped co-found the Gender Issues & Feminism Club, which provides free menstrual products and contraceptives to the campus community. Carroll Porth is also involved with off-campus service activities, including leading high school youth groups with Liberty Young Life, working as a crisis hotline volunteer for the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault and collaborating with a team to find solutions to human trafficking during her time at Oxford University. 

Carroll Porth plans to attend Vanderbilt University Law School. After completing law school, she hopes to either go into nonprofit work or a judicial clerkship. After that, she aspires to enter a career in government intelligence.

Still decided to apply for the award as a way to reflect on his experience at Jewell.

“I chose to apply because I have heard from previous finalists that the application is a tremendous way to reflect back on your time at Jewell,” said Still. “At this point, so close to graduation, I was looking for a way to review everything that I had experienced in the last four years, including all that I have learned, the relationships I have made and the ways in which I have changed. The Faculty Award application challenges you to do just this. I knew from the beginning that even if I did not end up winning or being named a finalist, I would be fulfilled by the chance to reflect on my experience as a student at Jewell.”

Still reiterated other finalists’ sentiments about the difficulty of the interview and noted how anxious he was for it. 

“To be honest, it was very intimidating. I had tremendous respect for each member of the Faculty Award committee and I did not want to let them down with my response to their questions, so I was extremely nervous. It might have been the most nervous I have ever been for something,” Still said. “But at the end of the day, I knew that all I could do was to be myself and just give it the best shot that I had. That is what got me to this point in the first place, and I was not about to abandon that now. The questions the committee asked were very challenging and certainly tested all the knowledge and skills that I have obtained since coming to Jewell. But, overall, it was an eye-opening experience that I am thankful for.”

In a final comment, Still expressed his gratitude for being considered for the award. 

“Regardless of whether I am named the winner, I would not change a single thing about my time as a student at Jewell. I gave all of myself to my academics, to my sport, to the relationships I was fortunate enough to build, and to the broader community,” said Still. “To be named the Winner of the Faculty Award would obviously mean the world to me. But just being recognized as a finalist – and to be considered in the same light as my fellow finalists, who represent the highest ideals of this College – is a tremendous honor in itself. I am so grateful.”

Throughout his four years at Jewell, Still was a member of the men’s golf team, president of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, co-founder and president of Cardinal Union, a University Innovation Fellow, President of College Democrats and a member of Student Senate.

Upon graduation, Still will move to Washington D.C. to take part in an eight-week internship with The Fund for American Studies, working with the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, an organization that aims to reform the criminal justice system. His ultimate goal is to attend law school to become either a civil rights lawyer or prosecuting attorney. 

Among these five finalists, a winner will be announced at the Honors Convocation April 23. The event has limited seating due to COVID-19 and a link to a livestream of the event will be transmitted to the Jewell community in the coming week.

I was sexually assaulted by four different men before I knew it was wrong

Content Warning: This Letter to the Editor contains details of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is suffering from trauma due to sexual assault, please consult this list of resources: William Jewell Student Health Center, MOCSA, William Jewell Office of Counseling Services or William Jewell Student Life. Please note that Student Life is a mandated reporter of assault, whereas the other resources listed are confidential. If you need immediate counseling, contact the MOCSA hotline at (816) 531-0233 or (913) 642-0233, or chat online with a trained staff member. 

Growing up, I was taught about consent. I knew “no means no” and that if people touched my body without a “yes” it was wrong. But as I grew up, I started to view my body and sexuality differently. 

I was a late bloomer. I didn’t get my first boyfriend until I was just about 18 years old. We talked about sex, and I knew it was important to him. I was excited to experience what I’d heard my friends talking about. After I lost my virginity (a phrase I am not particularly fond of), I began to think that sex was to be expected. I was there for enjoyment, and even on days when I wasn’t up to it, I let him use me for sex. There were many days where I did not consent and came out of the experience feeling worse than before he started. However, I thought that was how relationships were supposed to be and that as long as he said he cared about me it was fine. 

The next relationship I had was primarily focused on sex. I did not like that, so I told him we needed to stop having sex. I hoped that it would allow us to grow closer emotionally, but every night I would go to see him, he would coerce me into sex. Rarely did I want to, but I believed that my relationship depended on making him happy and entertaining him. 

There was a night I said “no” explicitly, but we still continued, and I allowed it. Afterward, he apologized and said he felt terrible, so I assumed it would be fine. After two relationships where consent was never at the forefront, I was beginning to think it was the same with every relationship. I was very wrong. 

A month before I came to college, I went on a date with a man seven years older than me. He kept asking for me to come over, and I was very uncomfortable at the thought of being alone with him. I decided that we could meet at a SONIC Drive-In. I did not want to go, but I felt the need to appease him. Immediately after entering his car, he was forcing me to kiss him and proceeded to put his hand down my pants. We were in public, in daylight, and his two-year-old kid was in the back seat. I attempted to talk to and play with his kid to try and get him to stop. After a few minutes I made an excuse and left. I did not tell anyone, and I went home feeling empty. 

I thought that he was just an anomaly or that I was somehow to blame. Like, maybe I said something to him that made him think that was what I wanted or that it was just expected out of me. My mom never talked about sex very much and my dad only made jokes about it. How was I supposed to know anything about sexual assault when all I knew were the extreme cases I watched in “Criminal Minds”? I was convinced it wasn’t really sexual assault because I didn’t end up bloody or with bruises or left in the middle of nowhere. 

When I came to college, I thought I would be safe. I knew campus was small and hoped it would be easy to assess which guys to avoid and which ones were keepers. I went to see an upperclassman boy. It was the third time we had spent time together. He wanted me to spend the night, and I did not. He wanted to have sex, and I did not. He continually tried to take my clothes off, and I said “nuh-uh” every time. He continued regardless. I did not want to ruin his fun or be a downer. After a while of repeating “nuh-uh,” I just stopped saying anything. After, he apologized, and I told him it was no big deal. I left feeling empty and swore I wouldn’t tell anyone.

I’m happy to say that I did tell someone. 

That someone is the reason I understand now that I am not something for men to use. My body is mine and is not for someone else’s entertainment. I finally understand that rape is not just the brutal and rough action depicted in crime shows. Rape is every time someone says “no” or “nuh-uh” or “not tonight” or “maybe later,” and the other person proceeds anyway. It took me 20 years to finally understand what rape really is, and it’s heartbreaking that it took that long.

I don’t know if anything could’ve stopped my rape, but I think I could’ve recognized sexual assault a lot sooner if I had been educated on more common forms of assault. I like to think that our generation will be the one to stop rape and sexual assault, but if we refuse to talk about it or don’t educate ourselves in the first place, it’ll never get better.

Everyone needs something different when it comes to trauma, so it’s important to respect boundaries. However, the only way to make the world a better place is to open up about our experiences and hope that someone will be there to listen and understand and help you through it all. It’s our job to be the understanding ones. The ones who want to help. The ones who will teach their friends, family and children about different forms of sexual assault and that their voices matter. No matter your story, no matter how much you think someone won’t listen or that you’re alone, there will always be someone who cares. Speak up, and act now.

If you or someone you know is suffering from trauma due to sexual assault, please consult this list of resources: William Jewell Student Health Center, MOCSA, William Jewell Office of Counseling Services or William Jewell Student Life. Please note that Student Life is a mandated reporter of assault, whereas the other resources listed are confidential. If you need immediate counseling, contact the MOCSA hotline at (816) 531-0233 or (913) 642-0233, or chat online with a trained staff member.

If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please email monitor@william.jewell.edu.

While we’ve attempted to demonstrate our commitment to highlighting student voices and keeping our community informed by publishing features of student advocacy and news reports on the institutional response to these events, these do not constitute an explicit condemnation of the egregious human rights violation that is police brutality, which we must do in order to affirm our commitment to securing freedom and equality for all members of our community.

Speaking as editor-in-chief of The Hilltop Monitor, I conflated news coverage of the recent events alone as a statement of the Monitor’s commitment to these principles. That is simply not enough, and for that I apologize. I further apologize for not sooner directly expressing our condemnation of the horrific murder of George Floyd, and Black people killed by police before him, and our commitment to anti-racism. 

This letter is long overdue, not just because it is being published two full weeks after George Floyd’s murder, but also because the Monitor has never in its history publicly and explicitly expressed a commitment to uplifting the voices of the marginalized nor recognizing the unequivocal truth that Black lives matter.

We cannot be trusted to effectively keep our College accountable nor adequately represent our community if we are unable to call instances of racism and breaches of human rights exactly what they are. 

In doing so, however, we must first confront the failures on the part of our own organization to work to those ends.

News organizations are all too often scared into a position of complacent centrism by the age-old journalistic code of ethics that champions objectivity and neutrality as the cornerstones of good reporting. However, in a case such as this, the basic premise of these ethics is self-defeating. How is it that the fundamental truth that Black lives matter is considered subjective or biased? Acknowledging that Black lives matter is not a political statement. It is a fact. 

And, how convenient is it that these codes of ethics were created by White men hundreds of years ago who were privileged enough to be able to remain neutral and unaffected? We must begin to question the application of these standards and recognize how they can perpetuate oppressive structures under the guise of unbiased objectivity. 

Alexis de Tocqueville, writing in his seminal work in political science “Democracy in America” about the indispensability of press associations to democracy, said about newspapers:

“To suppose that they only serve to protect freedom would be to diminish their importance: they maintain civilization.”

In a previous Letter from the Editor I wrote with my then co-chief editor about press freedom and the importance of distinguishing opinion from facts, I remarked that “the Monitor is not an advocacy organization.” This was, and is, false.

Newspapers, at their core, are advocates of democracy, advocates of freedom and, as de Tocqueville said, advocates of civilization.

As such, we must recognize the fact that maintaining civilization requires the condemnation of acts and practices that run contrary to universal norms of human rights and call out instances of failures to dispel racism within our community.

It is our duty not only to report on instances of racism as they happen but to hold guilty parties accountable. This requires consistent, persistent coverage that doesn’t cease once tensions cool down.

Furthermore, in seeking to account for our failures and report news that takes into account the views of all individuals within our communities, we must work to recruit more BIPOC staff members. 

As a newspaper with a primarily White staff, we inherently skew our reporting to a specific worldview, and that can only be compensated for by the inclusion of more BIPOC contributors.

Below we outline a few concrete measures by which the Monitor will demonstrate its commitment to oppose racism and promote inclusivity on Jewell’s campus:

• Undertake journalistic investigations into instances of racism and discrimination within the Jewell community, publishing a minimum of two to three full investigative pieces per semester
• Provide more accessible avenues by which all members of our community can bring to our attention leads, tips and story ideas relating to diversity and inclusivity in order to expand our coverage, including but not limited to a Google form accessible on all of our social media
• Place an increased focus on reporting on racial disparities as they present themselves within Liberty, the Kansas City metro and the U.S., by publishing at minimum five of these news pieces per semester and designating a beat specifically concerning these issues, so that staff members are always ready to cover these issues the moment they present themselves
• Incorporate themes of advocacy, inclusion and dignity into articles on all pages, not just Features and News, including but not limited to publishing more artist and sports features on BIPOC and more reviews of art/work/content created by BIPOC
• Recruit more BIPOC staff members by reaching out to organizations like BSA, Mi Gente, INSA – not only asking them to join our staff but also asking them if there are ways we can make our reporting more inclusive
• Use our platform to highlight and amplify BIPOC voices, including, but not limited to, regularly commissioning opinion pieces and letters to the editor from BIPOC, seeking out interviews from more BIPOC and featuring more BIPOC-led initiatives in our news reporting
• Establish direct lines of communication with the leadership of campus multicultural organizations in order to increase coverage on them, especially those representing BIPOC, including publishing dedicated features explaining the missions of each of these organizations as well as publishing content throughout the year reporting these organizations’ initiatives 
• Carefully question and probe the validity of data and statistics from law enforcement agencies for misrepresentative or racially biased information
• Explicitly ask cabinets and senators running for Student Senate both at the annual Senate debates and within interviews how they intend to oppose racism and promote diversity and inclusivity on campus, particularly with regards to recruitment and retention, enrollment, housing and representation on campus

If you are interested in getting involved in any of these initiatives, have any comments or questions about these or have further recommendations for items we should add to this list, please email editor-in-chief Christina Kirk at monitor@william.jewell.edu.

Our primary role on this campus is and has always been amplifying voices within our community and holding the College accountable. This requires that we promote diversity and inclusivity within both our newsroom and our reporting.  It also requires watchfulness, persistence and the ability to call out racist and discriminatory behaviors and practices for what they are.

Our silence was prohibitive of these goals, and we now realize that the press cannot truly be a beacon of freedom and equality if it fails to do its part in mitigating and dismantling oppressive structures. We will do better because we must do better.

Letters to the editor can be sent to monitor@william.jewell.edu.

Our staff is open to any student who would like to join. If interested, send an email to monitor@william.jewell.edu.

Christina Kirk, Editor-in-Chief

Savannah Hawley, Managing Editor and Chief Copy Editor

Catherine Dema, Features Editor and Investigations Editor

Jenna Hultgren, News Editor and Opinions Editor

Trent Brink, Sports Editor 

Angelica Gutierrez, Lifestyle Editor

Kari Tott, Coordinator of Campus Engagement