Equality Alliance Hosts Demonstration, Planning More

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After the results of the 2016 election, Equality Alliance decided to hold a peaceful demonstration on campus.

The group did just that 10 days later on Nov. 18 out on the Quad.

“We as a group decided that the world needed more love in it,” said Equality Alliance President Harold Norsic. “We decided to hold a demonstration for anyone on campus to join.”

Norsic said that Equality Alliance decided to hold the demonstration rather than a protest because they felt that protesting would only raise tensions on campus, and that is something the group did not want to see happen.

“Instead we decided that we would hold a positive, inclusive and loving demonstration centered around the idea that no matter what happens, that through all struggle and adversity, we as people and as a community will overcome,” said Norsic. “We were inspired by the writings and speeches of many scholars, politicians, theologians and activists who all preached a message of love and peace, reaching out across all that can divide us to instead unify us and reaffirm our common values and commitments and that together, with love in our hearts, we can overcome anything.”

According to Norsic, Equality Alliance is currently unsure of when another demonstration could happen, but said the group is planning to host more in the future.

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Annual Vespers Service Moved to New Date and Location

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The annual Muskingum University Vespers holiday church service will see changes to the service this year.

The Advent-Christmas event of lessons and songs will be held at College Drive Presbyterian Church in New Concord at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10. instead of its previous location, Brown Chapel on Muskingum’s campus. A prelude begins at 6:30 p.m., featuring organ, brass, and handbell music.

The date and location have both changed for this year’s service to better accommodate Muskingum students, and to include more members of the New Concord community.

“We wanted to make it more of a community event,” said Muskingum University Chaplain Will Mullins. “So we thought, ‘why don’t we move it [from Brown Chapel] down to College Drive?'”

Traditionally, the Vespers Service has been held the Sunday before finals week at Muskingum, but the decision to move the event to Saturday came from feedback given to Assistant Professor of Music, Dr. Zebulon Highben from students and faculty, according to Mullins.

The Muskingum University Advent-Christmas Vespers service, Dec. 13, 2015.

The Muskingum University Advent-Christmas Vespers service, Dec. 13, 2015.

Once the decision was made to move Vespers to a Saturday, Mullins and Highben got together and came up with the idea to include more of the community. The two then reached out to College Drive Presbyterian Church Minister, Anne Weirich.

“We’re very excited about it,” said Weirich. “It seemed like a great opportunity to grow the relationship between the church and the school.”

Weirich said that College Drive Presbyterian Church is doing some different things to help prepare for the service, including cleaning out the upper balcony to fit the Muskingum Choir. She also said that the organ is being tuned on Friday to make sure it’s in top shape for the service.

According to Weirich, the University is providing a lot of the help needed for the service to be a success. She said that Muskingum students will be at the doors ready to greet visitors in on Saturday.

The Vespers Service can also be heard live on WMCO 90.7 Saturday starting at 6:30 p.m.

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