A Response to Maggie Carter’s Letter from President Riggs

By Janet Riggs

Dear Maggie,

I am writing in response to your letter regarding juicycampus.com. I appreciate your willingness to take a strong stand against this website which has had the attention of many of us (students, administrators, and faculty) over the last few weeks. All of those with whom I have talked agree that juicycampus.com is degrading, offensive, and inconsistent with our values as an institution.

I especially appreciate the conversations that Student Senate has had about this website, and I support the resolution that they adopted this week. That resolution denounces use of the site by members of the Gettysburg College community and emphasizes the importance of promoting an atmosphere of mutual respect. That atmosphere is central to our mission as a liberal arts college, as you point out in your letter.

Student Senate’s resolution does not recommend banning access to the site. Though it is tempting to deny access to something that we as a community condemn, I find the actions taken by students against this website to be far more effective and meaningful. Student leadership on this issue has been inspiring. I applaud all of those students who have been willing to stand up against this website—-by writing a letter as you did, by educating peers about the importance of not visiting this site, by working to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect, and so on.

Thank you for speaking out on this issue. I have just been informed that your letter appeared in the Gettysburg Forum. If you would like to publish my response there, please feel free to do so

Sincerely,

Janet Morgan Riggs

Interim President and Professor of Psychology