By Alyssa Allemand
Interim Edgewood College President Sister Mary Ellen Gevelinger angered her students when she failed to appear at a public forum on Friday, Dec. 6.
The Student Senate had asked her to publicly apologize for removing a link to Planned Parenthood services from the Edgewood website several weeks ago under pressure from a national conservative student organization.
Vice President for Student Development Heather Harbach said the link to Planned Parenthood has been restored to a different website, the Edgewood Express page, on Dec. 5.
Student Senate President Sydney Wilcox began the forum by praising Edgewood students for demonstrating the college values of truth, justice, partnership, community and compassion.
“Now, Sister Mary Ellen and Edgewood College administration,” Wilcox said, “it’s your turn to demonstrate those values and your search for truth.”
Harbach told the crowd Gevelinger would not show up. “Today’s gathering that we agreed to come to … was a gathering that was shared with us by student leaders as one with students, and that’s not what’s happening here now.”
“That’s the conversation that we said we would come to today. So instead, Sister Mary Ellen and I, and her leadership team . . . will be meeting with Student Senate and the leaders that they would like to bring next week at a different time.” Wilcox said the Senate has not been contacted.
Student outrage
The crowd reacted with outrage, chanting “shame” and “we are here.” Some students, faculty and staff were in tears.
They marched, holding signs in support of Planned Parenthood and calling out administration, from the Sonderegger Science Center to the president’s office. The office appeared to be empty, the lights off and no one around. Gevelinger’s office door was closed.
Isabel Vreeke, an Edgewood student, said if the interim president is not going to show up, “we will.”
Sean O’Brien, senior at Edgewood and president of SAFE, said the interim president’s absence “is an act of cowardice” and is the “worst thing” administration could have done. He said students asked “politely and kindly” for a forum with the interim president, and the college is refusing to fix the situation.
Senior Connor Psyck echoed O’Brien, calling the president a “coward.”
Wilcox said she is disappointed and blindsided by Gevelinger’s refusal to attend the forum. “Our college isn’t taking our student demands seriously.”
Sophomore Justin Christiansen wonders why Gevelinger chose to be interim president if she doesn’t “have faith” in Edgewood students.
The protesters marched to Monroe Street, chanting “Mary Ellen is a felon,” “no room for hate” and “the president’s got to go.”
Freshman Max Andrews said that Gevelinger not showing up is “showing us that she doesn’t care … that she was scared of what we might do. And so we’re going to bring it.”
Students took the protest to Monroe Street, followed by faculty and staff. Photo by Robin Gee. 
Students protest on Monroe Street outside of Edgewood College. Photo by Robin Gee. 
Students protest in the atrium of Predolin after the forum. Photo by Jena Emmert. 
Students protest in the atrium of Predolin after the forum. Photo by Jena Emmert. 
Students protest in the atrium of Predolin after the forum. Photo by Robin Gee. 
Students protest on Monroe Street outside of Edgewood College. Photo by Robin Gee. 
Edgewood College Director of Security and Transportation Michael Metcalf. Photo by Jena Emmert. 
Students protest in Predolin hall following forum. Photo by Robin Gee. 
Students march from Edgewood campus to Monroe Street to protest. Photo by Jena Emmert.
Signs of hope
Among the protests, students see hope.
Edgewood students purchased food and water from the campus dining halls to bring out to the protesters on Monroe Street.
Wilcox and O’Brien both said the number of students, faculty, staff and community members at the forum gave them hope.
“We know that this fight is not done, and that it will continue,” Wilcox said.
O’Brien said he is committed to making sure this issue does not dwindle over finals week, winter break and next semester.
Faculty, staff respond
Wilcox said students “know that we have faculty and staff here at Edgewood that we can trust that are in our corner.”
After Harbach’s announcement that the interim president would not attend, Dean of Arts and Sciences Melanie Herzog read aloud a statement from faculty and staff in support of Edgewood students .
The statement said they “stand in solidarity” with “every” student. The statement also condemned the “hateful rhetoric” from groups such as TFP Student Action, the group that pressured Gevelinger. “Caving in to the pressure of hate is not an option,” it said.
Associate Professor and Co-Director of Women’s and Gender Studies Lisa King said she is “surprised and disappointed” Gevelinger did not show. “It shows to me a lack of commitment to community and partnership,” she said.
Senior Lecturer of Art History and Director for Student Research Shad Wenzlaf said Edgewood faculty needs to stand beside students. “You guys are the reason why I stayed at this job for 17 years,” he said.
A faculty member and former Edgewood student that preferred to remain anonymous said the only word for what she feels in response to Gevelinger’s absence is “brokenhearted.”
“It is so anti- what our values are and what we have taught our students,” she said. “Those students were respectful, they were calm, they were compassionate, they just wanted justice.”
Associate Professor of Psychology Ferrinne Spector said she has “unwavering faith” in students.
O’Brien said Edgewood faculty and staff are members of the college truly committed to Dominican values. “They’re putting their students first,” he said.
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