Thiel College student organizations collaborate on Virtual March on Washington

GREENVILLE, Pa. - Aug. 26, 2020 - PRLog -- The Thiel College Organization of Black Collegiates, the Student Government Association and the Office for Diversity and Inclusion are hosting an event on campus to participate in the Virtual March on Washington program, Friday, Aug. 28.

Speakers will include Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion Anthony E. Jones, Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Mike McKinney '02, Director of the Dietrich Honors Institute Sheila Nowinski, Ph.D., Pastor Brian Riddle '07 and President Susan Traverso, Ph.D.

Thiel (https://www.thiel.edu/) student organizers Stacy Reecks '21 and Hannah Uschock '22 collaborated to create the event for the Thiel College campus.

Reecks, of Ft. Washington, Md., is a member of the Organization of Black Collegiates and a neuroscience major. Uschock, of Indiana, Pa., is the Student Government Association vice president and a history and philosophy double major.

Thiel has a long history of tolerance and acceptance. In 1910 civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois published a survey that included Thiel College's response, "Should any apply for admission they would be welcome," when asked if the institution would accept black students.

Prior to the 1963 March on Washington, Thiel's student newspaper published a letter from college campus pastor Martin L. Dolbeer.  He said, "As Christians, we still must think of African-Americans as people, a man made in God's image, with the same rights and endowments as ourselves."

"The demand for equality, justice, and harmony among us still matters," Reecks said. "I want this event to help educate people who may not know about the March on Washington and what it really means."

About Thiel College

Thiel (https://www.thiel.edu/) College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a Master of Science in speech-language pathology, a Leadership Master of Business Administration and a Management Master of Business Administration. A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation.