We asked Ellie to share more information about her project and the process of planning a History Day entry. Tell us about your History Day entry: William Slocum was the President at Colorado College (CC) from 1888-1917. When he was recruited by a CC professor to move from the East Coast to Colorado Springs, Colorado College was in very bad shape. The college served 50 students, had only one building, and was in severe financial debt. In the years following his arrival to the school, Slocum instituted a series of sharp reforms that bolstered the student body, resulted in the building of 10 new college structures, and saved the school from a path that was said to have been leading to bankruptcy. The tragic part of this story comes in the personal relationships that William Slocum formed during his time at Colorado College. From 1900-1916, over 100 women came forward with charges of sexual assault. As a result of the women’s bravery, the Board of Trustees at CC forced Slocum to resign from his presidency. Still, due to his great accomplishments at the school, written accounts of wrongdoing were covered up and William Slocum was positively memorialized on the campus. Two buildings at the school even bore his name up until 2017 when college archivist investigated his story and discovered accounts from the women he assaulted. In a unanimous decision, Slocum’s name was stripped from the buildings adding yet another interesting detail to this already complicated story. Why did you choose this topic? Living less than a mile from Colorado College, I have been heavily exposed to the new developments surrounding the story of William Slocum. When Slocum’s name was removed from the campus buildings a couple of years ago, the story was heavily reported on by the local press. This was when I had first heard of it. When coming up with a topic for NHD this year, I remembered a little bit about the story of Slocum and realized it would for perfectly with this year’s theme: “Triumph and Tragedy”. I decided to do a performance because I figured it would be the most fun, and would emphasize some of the emotion regarding this story. Why do you think History Day is important? History Day gives kids an opportunity to get an experience to learn about history in a way that they could not from a textbook or in a classroom. Through NHD, students are able to discover the value of the past as well as its relationship to the present. How do you plan to use the Sprague Scholarship? I really have no idea what I want to do with my life yet. I plan to use the Sprague Scholarship to help with the cost of a higher education. Right now, I’m thinking about attending a smaller liberal arts school in the Northeast. I may study something having to do with politics or government, but I’m not completely sure. Congratulations to Ellie and all of the students who participated in the Regional History Day contest! We are pleased to announce that Ellie also placed at the Regional Contest and will move on to the State Contest this May in Denver. MUSELETTER MAR 2019| PG 7
8 Publizr Home