Congresswoman and Colgate alumna Claudia Tenney made national news with her comment made last week. As a Colgate student, I agree that this kind of comment does not seem to be the desired outcome of the liberal arts education that we receive here at Colgate. The overarching theme of our education here seems to be critical thinking, and yet this has failed Congresswoman Tenney. I would like to think that a liberal arts education would teach students to be able to identify propaganda and not go about spreading it. I agree that it is sad to see an alumna acting as a parrot of the NRA. 

Above all, I would hope that a Colgate education would send us students into the world with a sense of humility and empathy; however, this does not seem to be the case for Congresswoman Tenney. A national tragedy should not be used to score cheap political points. 17 children are dead. These are people’s sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. I agree that Congresswoman Tenney seems to be lacking in the humanity and decency to avoid making such an appalling comment at a time like this. The political party that a mass shooter belongs to should be irrelevant. At a time when we need to overcome partisanship in order to protect the lives of our children, one would think that a Colgate alumna would put the lives of citizens over her party.

Contact Jace DeMar at [email protected]