By Anna Hansen
A routine Google search lead an anonymous student to an article from the College Fix that informed readers about the involvement of a far-right national group, Traditional Family Property (TFP) Student Action, in the college’s decision to remove a link to Planned Parenthood from its wellness resource page.
“When I saw the article I immediately thought, ‘oh no, this isn’t right,’” he said. He then shared it with his peers at Edgewood College.
Many Edgewood community members were disturbed.
Letters to Gevelinger
Mamadou Jawo, a 2019 Edgewood graduate who spoke at commencement, wrote a letter to Edgewood College Interim President Sister Mary Ellen Gevelinger. He insisted the link be returned to the resource page, advocating for Planned Parenthood’s importance to student health and wellness.
“I couldn’t be silent, especially after challenging my fellow graduates with my commencement speech to speak up and demand better when faced with issues like this,” he said.
Jawo said the protest on Dec. 6 shows that Edgewood students are “willing to hold the institution accountable.”
Devin Polar, a student at Edgewood from 2015-2017, also wrote to the interim president and urged her to restore the link.
“I was very shocked and highly disappointed when I heard about the decision to remove Planned Parenthood’s link from the school’s wellness page,” he said. “This does not reflect the values of the institution when I attended.”
He said his years at the college were some of his best, citing “a sense of community that is sorely missing from other institutions” as the factor that set Edgewood apart.
Jawo said as of Dec. 7, he had not received a response from Gevelinger.
But the request to restore the link was fulfilled. Administration made it available again on Dec. 5 via Edgewood Express. This website’s resources are private – Express can only be fully accessed with an Edgewood College login.
Statements from student organizations
Many of Edgewood’s student organizations have released statements regarding Gevelinger’s decision. In these letters, Edgewood’s English Association, Latinx Student Union, and the college’s LGBTQ+ organization SAFE challenged administration to reconsider the meaning of Edgewood’s values and the effects their decisions have on the student body.
“Currently the identity, safety, and values of every member of our community are in danger” read the SAFE letter.
In its statement, English Association added, “we are listening. We are responding. We are here . . . . we know what we stand for, but do you?”
Edgewood’s Latinx Student Union said Gevelinger’s decision has caused the Edgewood community to feel “voiceless, unsafe, and deeply hurt.”
Edgewood College Student Advocates
Students also took to social media to voice their thoughts. Edgewood sophomore Jade Proctor created a Facebook group under the name Edgewood College Student Advocates.
She said she made the group because she “didn’t want Edgewood to think that we had just rolled over on the issue and moved on. I don’t want students to think we have given up on them.”
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