Men Read Horrible Tweets

I'm a little late in posting this, but I just saw an article about men reading mean and derogatory tweets that were directed at two different women who are members of the sports media.  Neither the men nor the women had read the tweets ahead of time, and apparently the men thought they would be similar to the Jimmy Kimmel "Mean Tweets."  Unfortunately, many of the tweets took it to an entirely other level of cruelty.  Please watch the video here:

 
Not a lot needs to be said about this, but the idea of people hiding behind the anonymity of social media to post derogatory and hateful thoughts is nothing new.  And unfortunately, neither is directing negativity to women who may step out of traditional gendered roles, or really any woman who seeks to excel in her chosen field.  Obviously women in sports are not the only group targeted in such a way, but I believe this is a very powerful video.  I'd like to take their argument even one step further though.  I like the attitude of, "if you wouldn't say it to someone's face, you shouldn't post it," but really "if you wouldn't say it to their face, you shouldn't say it to yourself" is preferable.  We don't all have to be language police all the time, but we can all do more to combat these attitudes when we see them.  For every single one of us, we can think about what we've done or not done in the past, and we can do just a little bit more.  Figure out a creative way to subtly challenge the language of your friends and peers, and figure out a way to critically challenge your own thoughts when you hear this type of voice.

Scarlet and Give Back a Huge Success

The Office of Development and Alumni Relations is still tallying who gave what and where they designated it, but the total amount given during the recent Scarlet and Give Back Day has been announced: 3,376 unique donors gave $284,553.48 and one very generous donor gave $1,100,000, for a one-day total of $1,384,553.48!!  Wow!!

In case you missed it at the time, an anonymous donor promised to give $1 million if 2,000 unique donors gave to Grinnell in a 24 hour period.  That goal was reached easily, so the donor offered a bonus $100,000 if we added an additional 500 donors.  We accomplished both goals, and we collected an amazing $1.38 million dollars!

Thanks to all who gave.  No matter where you directed your gift, trust that you are improving the experience of somebody, or many somebodies, during their time at Grinnell.  It's a great feeling!

#GCPride

Andy Hamilton Posts 400th Win

This past Sunday, newly appointed Director of Recreation and Athletics Andy Hamilton recorded his 400th win as the head men's tennis coach at Grinnell.

You may remember Andy is Grinnell class of 1985 and has served as a coach of football, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's basketball.  No matter which team, they have all excelled while Hamilton was on the staff.

Congrats Coach Hamilton!

Scarlet and Give Back Day

Today is the second annual Scarlet and Give Back Day at Grinnell College.  All current and former Pioneers are encouraged to give back today, in any amount.  We can make a general gift, to the Pioneer Fund, or direct it towards any program, including athletics or football.  As a bonus, if we reach 2000 unique donors today, an anonymous donor will give an additional $1 million!  Let's get it done!

The College has seen a recent uptick in giving, thanks in part to the leadership of Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Shane Jacobson.  A tireless worker and effective communicator, Shane has re-energized DAR and has engaged our former student-athletes in a way that hadn't been done before.  I believe we'll see even more of this in the future, and it's an opportunity for us to continue to lead the way for Grinnell College.

Please join me in making a one-time gift, in any amount directed in any way you choose, to help us on our way towards 2000 gifts.  Thanks!  #GCPride