Volume 127, No. 28 Tuesday, September 19, 2017
OPINON
SPORTS
WE’RE CHANGING OUR COMMENT POLICY
MOUNTAIN WEST VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW
A&C
PAGE 6
PAGE 11
PAGE 13
FALL TV GUIDE
Usama Alshaibi
Usama Alshaibi is a visiting professor at Colorado State University and has a concentration in film studies. PHOTO BY ABBY CURRIE COLLEGIAN
A professor, filmmaker and former refugee By Ryan Greene
@Ryangre75057034
Colorado State University professor and filmmaker Usama Alshaibi remembers an exchange from his childhood during the 1980’s Iraq War - and the mark it left on him. “I asked my father, ‘Are we the good guys?,’ and he said, ‘Yes, because the U.S. is on our side,’” Alshaibi said. A former refugee, Alshaibi has a background few students can imagine. Memories of armed conflict inform his filmmaking and give him unique perspectives as a teacher. Alshaibi once fled Baghdad after a bomb struck his family home. Now he is a visiting assistant professor at CSU’s Art and Communication Studies departments. His work is driven by what Dr. Greg Dickinson, chair of the Department of Communication Studies, calls a praxis of representation. “This is the ability to bridge
theoretical work with a practice, such as creating art while critically evaluating its meaning,” Dickinson said. To Alshaibi, an artist cannot have one without the other. “So, you’re upset with how someone tells your story,” Alshaibi said. “Change it, and tell it how you want it. Think about it. You’re playing baseball, and a foreign army comes in to liberate you. What would you do to protect your family?” Part of Alshaibi’s praxis involves asking his students to critically examine dominant narratives about the Middle East. “My students have a tough time seeing Chris Kyle from ‘American Sniper’ as an invader, but I want to shift the narrative,” Alshaibi said. “Look at the background characters in the crosshairs of that sniper’s scope. Bring them to the foreground.” Alshaibi’s interest in humanizing background characters is connected to his time at
the Chicago History Museum. He was interviewed by Studs Terkel, an author known for collecting spoken-word stories from average Americans. Terkel’s pulitzer prize-winning book, “The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two,” presented everyday people’s memories, from farmers to prisoners. Terkel believed that anyone who had a story should be heard and remembered. Alshaibi archived Terkel’s voluminous interviews and took inspiration from their deeply personal, often heartbreaking narratives. “I spent years digitizing his work, and Studs had a big influence on me,” Alshaibi said. He went on to create “Boy from War,” a documentary of his own coming-of-age story during the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988. Fearing that the 1979 Iranian Revolution see ALSHAIBI on page 4 >>
City acts to provide shelter for homeless this winter By Rachel Telljohn @rtelljohn
As with most cities in America, Fort Collins runs into the issue of not having enough spaces to house its ever-fluctuating population that identifies as homeless. Fort Collins solidified their plan for winter shelters for its homeless population and presented that plan to members of the community Monday evening. The City held one of its regular community meetings in order to present the plan. Community meetings are held in public spaces in the downtown area and are a mixture of presentation and round table-style discussion. Council members Bob
Overbeck and Ray Martinez were among the dozen plus community members in attendance Tuesday night. The plan for shelters is already approved and will not need to go to the Fort Collins City Council for any kind of vote, unlike other prior initiatives involving individuals who are experiencing homelessness. Tuesday’s meeting was straight forward as the City still does not have its desired number of shelter spaces for the coming winter, but the plan is more thorough than what they began with last year. “We, as a community, come together every year,” said Sue Beck-Perkiss, social sustainability coordinator for the City. “We would like (more people) see HOMELESS on page 4 >>
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