SPORTS OPINION
Vol. 127, No. 63 Tuesday, November 14, 2017
I’M DONE BEING AN RA PAGE 6
GALLUP A SEMIFINALIST FOR
A&C
BILETNIKOFF AWARD
HALLERY FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHY FROM SEMESTER AT SEA
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Honors Program works to increase diversity By Abby Currie @abcchich15
The film AWAKE: A Dream from Standing Rock was shown at the LSC Theatre on Monday, Nov. 13. A discussion with the filmmakers followed the screening of the film. The event ended in song and chant to express solidarity. PHOTO BY ABBY FLITTON COLLEGIAN
Native American Heritage Month finds hope in Standing Rock By Natalia Sperry @Natalia_Sperry
When a movement falls out of the public spotlight, often times it dies down and loses its momentum, but the movement started by the Standing Rock water protectors defies that expectation and many others. The Native American Cultural Center, in partnership with RamEvents and Trees, Water & People, hosted a film showing of “AWAKE: A Dream From Standing Rock” in the Lory Student Center Nov. 13 for the Na-
tive American History Month keynote event. After the showing, the filmmakers were available for a question and answer session with the audience. “Last year around this time, we were very much engaged in the conversation around what was happening at Standing Rock,” said Tiffany Kelly, assistant director of the NAAC office. “There was a lot of momentum, I think, for folks wanting to get involved and engaged around campus.” In July 2016, the United States Army Corps of Engi-
neers approved the portion of the $3.7 billion Dakota Access Pipeline that crosses the Missouri River at the Lake Oahe reservoir. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers not long afterwards. In the coming months, thousands of activists converged from around the country to stand in solidarity with the#NoDAPL Native-led peaceful resistance at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. “One of the things that’s really important to me about this film is that the indigenous voices
are telling indigenous stories,” said Stephanie Cassidy, program manager at International WOW. The film follows the rise of the Standing Rock movement from its earliest days of protest in fall of 2016 to President Donald Trump’s executive memorandum signed in January 2017 that called to expedite the review and approval process for the unbuilt section of the Dakota Access Pipeline. “Up until that point, I was seeing everywhere water was there for us. It’s very easy to take see STANDING ROCK on page 5 >>
In an honors program that is predominately white, it can be hard for students of color to connect. According to Abel Ykalo, a sophomore honors student majoring in computer science at Colorado State University, low diversity makes it difficult to talk about controversial topics because he knows when he signs up for seminars he will be the only person of color in the class, or one of two. “I’m in a space where everything I say is the only thing that’s heard from my perspective because I’m the only one who shares my perspective,” Ykalo said. “It adds some pressure to it and it makes more classes when we talk about tougher subjects more difficult. Also, I understand it’s very important that I do say something because if I don’t say something, my perspective isn’t there what so ever.” Ykalo, who is in his second year in the honors program and his first year working as a peer mentor, said the diversity is lower than he would like and what the program would like. “I don’t know exactly what (the program) could do to improve it, but I know in my belief, it’s just lower than what is ideal,” Ykalo said. According to the CSU Honors Program Director Donald Mykles, in hopes of increasing diversity, the program changed the application review process by working with admissions to link the application to the see DIVERSITY on page 5 >>