photo: Emma Pile

Friday, April 20, an all-day campus rally was held at Elizabethtown College as the final installment of a three-part series of events on gun violence organized by junior Bekah Smith. The first event, the ENOUGH: Vigil for victims of the Parkland shooting, represented “remembrance.” The second event, the ENOUGH: Walkout, represented “solidarity.” The third event, the rally, represented “dialogue.”

The rally began at 10 a.m. as students and volunteers gathered outside of the Bird Cage in front of the BSC. Afterwards, the students and volunteers marched down to Market Street to Rep. Dave Hickernell’s office, where they would have a meeting with Hickernell to discuss their perspectives as college students on gun violence. Candidates running against Hickernell in the upcoming elections, such as Democratic Party candidate Mary Auker-Enders, were present outside of Hickernell’s office to answer questions about their stances on gun violence.

“I appreciated the time the students took to visit with me last week,” Hickernell said in an email about the meeting. “Each student offered a unique perspective on a number of important issues facing our state and nation.”

“I think the meeting with Rep. Hickernell was successful and positive,” senior Allie Vaccaro, one of the students who marched to Hickernell’s office, said. “Each student was able to articulate their stance on the topic of gun violence, and the Representative listened intently and was responsive to our suggestions and various viewpoints.”

Once the meeting ended, students marched back to the BSC to participate in the next phase of events. Speakers and a microphone were set up for students to present speeches. Topics covered included experiences students’ families have had with gun violence, gun violence in communities of color, the need for dialogue with people of other opinions and mental health and the Second Amendment.

Additionally, there were stations for students to research ways to contact their local representatives and to register to vote. Auker-Enders and Libertarian Party candidate Jim Miller were present at the rally, and the organization Moms and Students Against Gun Violence also made an appearance. One of the more popular events was the drum circle, which gathered a lot of participation.

This rally took place on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. According to Smith, this rally was meant to coincide with the demonstrations by the organization National School Walkout, which planned nationwide walkouts for change. Smith participated in planning all of the College’s three-part series on gun violence.

“I’ve been relatively active in the last year or two to begin with,” Smith said.

She said that this series began when she approached a professor about missing an exam that would have taken place Wednesday, March 14, the date of the first walkout and vigil. Her professors were understanding and supportive, which eventually led to Smith looking into what it would take to plan campus-wide events.

Because of multiple organizations planning different dates for demonstrations, such as the Women’s March declaring March 14 as a day of walkouts and the National School Walkout declaring its demonstration April 20, Smith and the people she worked with decided to make this into a three-part series on campus. She said Global Peacemaking Scholar-in-Residence Jonathan Rudy was the one who created the idea of a series of events.

Smith spoke about her goals for the event and what she hoped that students would take from it.

“My main goal is to help create a stronger sense of efficacy,” Smith said. She said she believed students at Etown might not feel comfortable demonstrating or making themselves heard, and she hoped that these events would give students the environment and opportunity to get their voices out.

Smith said the rally was meant to be a non-partisan environment to welcome and encourage dialogue between students, as seen in the meeting with Hickernell and the speeches held throughout the afternoon.

Students who wish to voice their opinions on issues like gun violence are encouraged to contact their representatives. Hickernell has already expressed willingness to listen to any concerns, and he can be reached by visiting his office on 222 Market St. or by emailing him at Dhickern@pahousegop.com.