West Chester University

Does Donald Trump Think Frederick Douglass is Alive? Douglass’s Great-Great-Great-Grandson Clarifies

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DemocracyNow!, 2/3/17

The good news is that President Donald Trump opened Black History Month by mentioning the renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglass. The bad news is he doesn’t seem to realize he’s dead. Speaking at a Black History Month event on Wednesday, Trump’s comments suggested he thought Douglass was alive. Douglass was born into slavery around 1818 and died in 1895. We set the record straight with our guest, Kenneth Morris Jr., great-great-great-grandson of Frederick Douglass, and feature an excerpt of James Earl Jones reading one of his most famous speeches, “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro.”…

keep reading at DemocracyNow! and hear interview with Douglass’s descendant. It sounds as if Sean Spicer doesn’t who Douglass was either. Douglass’s last public speech was in West Chester a couple of weeks before his death in 1895; a fine statue of Douglass was inaugurated in 2013 on the WCU campus (more at Daily Local News).

fdouglass-marker

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Dinniman Awarded West Chester University’s President’s Medal for Service

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Sen. Dinniman’s site (D-19), December 18, 2015

WEST CHESTER (December 18) – State Senator Andy Dinniman was awarded West Chester University’s President’s Medal for Service for his leadership and service to the university, its students, and educators.

The award is presented to “a distinguished educator and public servant [who] exemplifies a commitment to the mission and values of this University and a spirit of service that has greatly enriched the lives of students, educators and the citizens of the Commonwealth.”
Senator Dinniman receives the President’s Medal for Service from West Chester University President Greg R. Weisenstein during recent commencement ceremonies.

Dinniman, who has served on the faculty of West Chester University for many years, said he was honored and humbled by the recognition, which was formally presented by West Chester University President Greg R. Weisenstein during recent commencement ceremonies….

read more at Sen. Dinniman’s site

Democratic gubernatorial debate slated

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By Jeremy Gerrard, Daily Local News, 10/29/13

WEST CHESTER – Three gubernatorial candidates seeking the Democratic nomination and a chance to oust incumbent Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett will face off in a debate at West Chester University Wednesday evening.

Candidates John Hanger, Jo Ellen Litz and Max Myers accepted invitations to attend the debate.

So far, eight Democrats have declared themselves candidates in the upcoming 2014 governor election.

All declared candidates were invited to attend.

“It’s a good chance for all concerned, I think, and not just the candidates,” said Nathaniel Smith, borough resident and debate organizer. “This is going to be a very big race and the issues.”

The debate will begin at 7 p.m. in the Philips Autograph Library in the Philips Memorial Hall located at 700 S. High Street in West Chester. The room is located upstairs above Asplundh Concert Hall.

The debate is being sponsored by the SAC and the Political Science Department at West Chester University.

The candidates will field questions from attendees, mainly students, and will likely touch on education, fracking, environment and partisanship.

West Chester University student MaryBeth Sadow helped coordinate the event. As the contemporary issues chair of the student activities council, Sadow said the group tries to bring in a few events each year focused on current topics. An international relations major, Sadow said she wanted to do something to engage the students with what was happening at the state and local government level.

“I wanted to give them the opportunity to speak to the source,” Sadow said.

While there are a variety of issues to discuss, Sadow said she thinks students will be focused on education with questions tailored toward support for higher education and rising tuition among the students concerns….

read more at Daily Local News

WCU student Daniel Colon to Reapportionment Commission

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May 3, 2012

Legislative Reapportionment Commission Hearing
Testimony by Daniel Love Colon

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to today. I am Daniel Love Colon and as a West Chester University undergraduate, I offer you a student prospective.

The University is located in contiguous areas of three municipalities. The North campus residence halls are in West Chester Borough, where also thousands of students live off-campus. The South Campus Apartments and Village lie in East Bradford Township. The academic buildings of East Campus and West Chester Commons are in West Goshen Township.

West Chester University and the Borough have created a unique partnership that has allowed them to grow in tandem. Whichever municipality they live in, students participate in many community service events, festivals, and other activities throughout the Borough. On the other hand, they vote in East Bradford and West Goshen as well. Students want to know to whom, at the state level, they can turn for support to understand the matters that directly affect Higher Education and their lives.

The districts in which we are voting this year put all areas of West Chester University together in the 156th House district.

The plan rejected by the PA Supreme court split the University between the 156th (West Goshen) and the 160th (the southern parts of both the Borough and of East Bradford).

The current proposal splits the University between the 156th (West Chester) and the 158th (East Bradford, southern part of West Goshen).

In terms of the integrity of the University and students’ legitimate desire to have their legislative representation centered near their campus, the new proposal is neither better nor worse than the rejected plan, and the 2001 plan is distinctly superior.

Splitting the student voice will ultimately affect students’ engagement with their community, municipalities, and university as well as candidates’ ability to represent and reach out to the significant entity that is West Chester University.

Thank you for your attention, and I would urge you to consider a principle that a university, just like any other community, should not be split unless absolutely necessary.