First-Year Seminar students recognized for ingenuity, redistricting PA election map

Gettysburg College Mathematics Prof. Beth Campbell Hetrick's First-Year Seminar (FYS) students Matt Granito '22 and Douglas Cummings '22 earned recognition at the Draw the Lines competition- a nonpartisan state-wide contest for people of all ages to draw their own election map of Pennsylvania, end gerrymandering, and improve democracy.

Granito and Cummings were awarded honorable mention for accurately dividing Pennsylvania into 18 contiguous, equally populated districts using district builder software and maps. As part of their FYS assignment, they submitted their final map and a statement articulating their goals to the Draw the Lines competition.

"My two main goals were contiguity, districts being connected, and compactness, districts with the least perimeter and most area," said Granito. "In class, we heard from a number of guest speakers who explained to us the importance of fair maps, as well as the impact of gerrymandering. Without a doubt, Mathematics of Voting prepared us well for the competition."

Gettysburg College encourages students to step out of their comfort zone and explore new ideas through problem solving and critical thinking. Likewise, Hetrick's Mathematics of Voting seminar engages students in hands-on research that bring relevant voting topics to life and helps students analyze hotly contested political actions through a mathematical lens.