November 1, 2024/Midnight
Erie, Pa.–– During the current election period, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding those who support either side of the “pro-choice” versus “pro-life” debate. Recently, Gannon has been a close-to-home example of what happens when opinions are voiced in public– and not everyone agrees with them.
The 2024 presidential election has had two very different leading candidates, both with drastically different values, which has resulted in arguably one of the largest divides in our society politically.
In the weeks after fall break, students from the Knights for Life club voiced their own values and beliefs in the form of a chalk display on the sidewalk in front of the Nash Library. The display has garnered some notice from around campus, including some who may not agree with the club’s rhetoric on abortion.
Other students enacting on their rights to freedom of speech, was also displayed heavily on the cement walkway, including arrows pointing to the statements about abortion rights stating, “Gannon hates women,” which has since been erased or words being crossed out.
Some of the students who are a part of the Knights for Life club voiced their opinions about the entire chalk debacle.
Joseph Preston, the president of the club, stated that the group was participating in National Pro–Life Chalk Day, a day in which colleges and universities around the country draw “pro–life” messages and art on sidewalks around campus.
“We used this as an opportunity to promote the beauty and dignity of human life in all its stages, in a way that can be seen by many people…as such we care about those who disagree with us and want to hear their viewpoint.”
A few of the members were upset by the new messages that had been scrawled on the sidewalk, including Clare Caulfield, the clubs’s vice president, who states that it could have been avoided if viewpoints had been expressed and conversed about directly to the organization, instead of viewpoints being expressed later when a constructive conversation could have been had.
“I was saddened to see the new messages scrawled on the sidewalk…I wished the students had spoken to us the day before. We would have loved to have conversations with students, especially if they disagreed with us.”
Despite the observation of National Pro-Life Chalk Day, the students had another reason for chalking instead of setting up a table to promote their stance. The idea was that chalk art would hopefully gain more attention and reach a larger number of people. The club believes that more people are likely to stop by and read the chalk, than spending time at a table.
“Although some may not have agreed with our pro–life messages, they were certainly thought– provoking from any perspective and encouraged the issue of abortion to be a relevant topic in their minds,” states Mallory Grucza, Vice President of Public Relations.
