Fort Lewis College News Magazine
editors
Coya Pair
editor-in-chief
Kim Cassels editor
Taylor Hutchison lead reporter
Shelby Martin design editor
Lea Leggitt
multimedia editor
Easton Verduzco
business director
REPORTERS William Charles Dorothy Elder Amber Labahe Alx Lee Mandy Lorenson Charlotte Williams
DESIGN Elizabeth Anglin Brooke Munden
ADVISORS Paige Blankenbuehler practicum director
Faron Scott
content editor
dear readers, Unfortunately there is truly no graceful way to introduce this issue, or touch base on the times we are living in. To me, global pandemics were something that only existed in history books, documentaries or news coverage of some country on the other side of the world. But here it is, right in front of us. There’s no flipping the page or changing the channel on this one. It’s a crazy time to be a human, despite your passion or profession. The journalism world has completely exploded with facts and stories about COVID-19. As student journalists, we’ve been put in an interesting scenario. We’ve been planning this last issue for months now, long before COVID-19 seemed to be a real threat to society. Our reporters spent most of this semester digging into stories that they found interesting and intriguing, that had nothing to do with the current state of the world. When everything got real, we needed time to adjust and cope. Once we got back on track, we sent every reporter on staff to cover the student impacts this virus has had on our campus. We wish we could dedicate a whole issue to this, but we simply don’t have the time or staff for that. Instead, we all collaborated on one story to help you understand what our student body is dealing with through this tragic moment in history. Though it may seem like COVID-19 is the only thing going on in the world right now, it’s not. The 2020 elections are still approaching, and it is important to know that FLC ranked painfully low in our student voting rate for the primaries. Remember that as students, we are the future, and we have every right and responsibility to take control over what that looks like. Right now is an important time to read the news, pay attention to the health crisis, pay attention to politics. However, limit yourself when you feel the world weighing on you, as your mental health should come first. How can you support your community without supporting yourself? I took a digital break and realized for the first time that the spring flowers are still starting to bloom. I don’t know why, but I felt as if they wouldn’t, as if maybe they were too afraid to come outside, too. But no, life goes on. The world is still spinning. We’ve all done an excellent job finishing up the year despite the consequences. Cheers to you, Skyhawks. Stay healthy and happy.
Coya Pair Editor in Chief
cdpair@fortlewis.edu
Issue #107 April 16, 2020
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In This Issue
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SNAP out of it and Get the Help You Need: FLC offers assistance with Food Insecurity Alx Lee 3
Corona Virus Impacts FLC Students Indy Staff Collaboration 5
Sustainably Cultivating a Garden: A Student’s Guide to Growing their Own Food Coya Pair 7
Comida Mexicana en Durango William Charles 9
Fort Lewis Fashion:
The Style of Students Charlotte Williams 11
The Voices Behind Voting Charlotte Williams 13
FLC students Maggie Magierski (left) and Emily Biggins (right) work in the campus garden. Photo Courtesy of the Environmental Center
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SNAP out of it and get the help you need:
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FLC offers assistance with...
Food 3
Alx Lee
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ccording to a Student Needs Survey done by ASFLC during the 2019 fall semester, 91 out of 213 students answered neutral, disagree or strongly disagree when asked if they could meet their basic needs such as shelter and food. Jeff Dupont, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, said the conversation started with the State Department of Human Services holding a meeting in the summer of 2019. It was the State Department that brought up federal funding that students were not utilizing, Dupont said. Colleges were encouraged to evaluate their own campuses to shed light on the resources not offered to students, he said. The #RealCollegeSurvey was a tool colleges could utilize to do this. Dupont said by offering a reward to students who took the survey, Fort Lewis College was granted free access to the #RealCollegeSurvey. The survey was a success with over 30% of the student population partaking in the survey, he said. The survey gave insight to the campus population and their needs. The Student Needs Survey was done all throughout the nation, he said. Once the results were in, Fort Lewis could be compared with other 4 year institutions and community colleges. “What we found was that our students scored significantly higher on food insecurity and homelessness than the national average is for four-year institutions” Dupont said. Dupont said through reviewing the data for what students needed at Fort Lewis, the need for outreach for federal benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, became a priority.
SNAP Benefits
Fort Lewis then partnered with the community organization, Manna Soup Kitchen, to provide outreach on SNAP, Dupont said. Marissa Hunt, Manna Soup Kitchen Program Services Coordinator said through a partnership with the nonprofit organization,Hunger Free Colorado, Manna Soup provides SNAP outreach to the Durango community. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a government program
that provides money to those in need of help with their food budget, Oona King, Manna member, said. A student ranging from the age 18-49 while enrolled at least half time is part of the criteria eligible for SNAP, King said. The student or household must meet the income under $2,082 a month. Lastly, a student on work study, parent or caregiver would meet the criteria for SNAP, King said. Hunt said she was put into contact with Dupont to provide SNAP presentations to professors and explain the importance of support services for students who may struggle to acquire food. “The idea with bringing SNAP into light in the college community is to be able to make sure that students are having at least some of their basic needs met when it comes to food and nutrition,” Hunt said.
“I think that a lot of people just expect students to scrape by. It’s about the ramen diet lifestyle, buying the cheapest food. ” Marissa Hunt Manna Soup Kitchen Program Services Coordinator
From there, SNAP outreach professionals were provided with a space on campus to directly work with students she said. Hunt said the obstacle of transportation needs and a busy schedule were considered when making the decision to bring the SNAP workshop to the Fort Lewis campus. “Being able to come here with the open door policy makes it really efficient for students to ask questions, learn and enroll” she said. Not only does the SNAP program allow for money assistance with food but it allows for nutrition education, Luis Perez, Manna Soup member said. SNAP promotes a nutrient density diet rather than a calorie dense diet he said. Double Up Food Bucks, a pro-
gram within SNAP, provides the opportunity to buy locally grown produce King said. Nutrients play a vital role in being successful in school, Hunt said. Your physical well being will begin to take a toll with side effects such as sleep deprivement and being lethargic, she said. “I think that a lot of people just expect students to scrape by,” she said, “It’s about the ramen diet lifestyle, buying the cheapest food to get by.”
FLC resources for students
Contacts with TRIO, Skyhawk Station and Student Union are working to provide food for students and education to what resources students have on campus, Dupont said. The Sociology Club offers the Grub Hub Food Pantry and free hot lunches are to students, Dupont said. He said the Student Affairs Department is consistently collaborating with the Sociology Club to bring awareness to the weekly resources. Collaborations that ensure a constant stock of food items in the food pantry as well as diverse and nutritious food options. Manna Soup Kitchen also provides sack lunches to students on Mondays, Dupont said. Donate A Meal,a collaboration between the Student Union and Campus Dining, allowed for students to donate unused meals on their meal plan, Dupont said. About 109 meals were donated and the vouchers were given to students who may be struggling with food security through TRIO, Grub Hub and Skyhawk Station. Dupont said he is currently working towards providing more resources for students. Hunger Free Colorado has reached out to Fort Lewis to provide resources, he said. Dupont said the Student Affairs Department is also looking at federal grants that provide shelter for students. “In the future what I see us doing is spending more time researching grants and resource opportunities at both the state and federal level,” he said “that will give students more support.”
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Indy Staff Collaboration
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s we know, for many, COVID-19 has turned the world completely upside down. Fort Lewis College students have had many changes to their jobs, classes and social life. Here’s the inside scoop on what’s going on in the life of an FLC student.
Although this semester at FLC has been switched to a pass/fail grading system, announced on March 26th, some students in the teacher education system have been letter grades, said Dr. Kristine Greer, professor and Associate Dean of the Teacher Education department.
CURRICULUM ADJUSTMENTS FOR CLASSES DEPENDENT ON CAMPUS RESOURCES
“I asked people what they would prefer, and most of them would prefer a letter grade, because they’re graduating so they want their grade point average,” she said.
On Thursday, March 19th, President Stritikus announced that all FLC courses would be switched to online for the rest of the spring semester. In the announcement, classes the week following spring break were canceled, to give faculty more time to prepare for the switch online, which can be difficult for majors with less traditional means of instruction.
According to Kami Larson, Lab Coordinator in the biology department, the biology department was given word about the online transition March 12th, before Spring Break. Professors got together to discuss ideas in moving lectures and labs online with the help of those who had experience in online courses, Larson said.
For performance based theatre classes, the last show of the semester was canceled, although most students had received credit from the previous show earlier this semester. For those receiving credit from this last show, she is working with them using alternate assignments, Ginny Davis, the department chair of Theatre said.
Teaching and Learning Services offered workshops and answered questions with the help of information technology to prepare for online instruction, Cathy Hartney, senior lecturer, said.
As for education majors who are currently student teaching, these students are actively having to adapt to online learning for their classes as well, said William Camp the coordinator of field experiences in the Teacher Education department. “Ninety percent of the student teachers are now having to hustle and learn how to do this virtual online learning with their cooperating teachers,” Camp said. “They’re going to have this extra module of instructional practice to add to their resumes or to their experience.” However a few students have connectivity issues or a difficult time transitioning their subjectsonline, such as P.E and theatre, he said.
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Dr. Kimberly Hannula, chair of said the decision to move courses to strictly online was a decision she had hoped for. Expecting students to travel on spring break and rejoin the next week would’ve caused a breeding ground for the virus, Hannula said. “The department has been emailing each other links to useful materials, plus dividing up the work of creating new online labs for the introductory courses as much as we can,” she said.
In the geology department, instructors have utilized virtual models in observing groundwater, Hannula said. In place of field trips, an instructor from geology has made an entire trip through video, looking at the landslide mitigation in Durango. “The students seem to be taking it well. They miss each other, and miss getting to work together and go on field trips.” Hannula said, “But they also seem to understand that this is a weird, scary time, and we’re all doing the best we can.” FOOD SECURITY FOR RESIDENTS ON CAMPUS San Juan Dining Hall continues to serve students during the stay-at-home order and the coronavirus pandemic. Jerritt Gibbons, a server for SJDH, said that he was happy to work because he was offered extra hours. “It’s nice to hear how appreciative the students are,” Gibbons said. “They’re supporting us as much as we’re supporting them.” In regards to dining hall staff members who are no longer working, Gibbons said that it is sad to see the staff diminished. SJDC has lost two-thirds of its workers, said Bill Baransk, executive chef at FLC. Baranski said it is sad that the school year had to end on a negative note.
In addition to modifying their labs, professors calculated lab costs for a week, Larson said. For every week students were not in the lab, those costs were refunded, she said.
“I wanted to go out with a bang with revising our menus and tweaking our system that we’ve been working on all year long” Baranski said. “All our grand plans have been smashed by the virus.”
Hartney said she has resorted to narrating powerpoints and Zoom video footage of models from the lab, she said.
Amid the pandemic, The Colorado State Board of Education has the final say as to what SJDH can and cannot do, he said.
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They tell the college what to do and then FLC informs Gina Rios, the general manager of SJDH, on what the kitchen staff can do to provide meals to the students, Baranski said. As far as being a service for the students, Baranski is uncertain about the summer but is looking forward to cooking for students in the fall, he said. STIMULUS CHECK In mid-March, President Trump and Congress signed and passed the largest emergency aid package in US history, offering around 2 trillion dollars in relief to Americans, in response to the job displacement and financial instability that has followed the COVID-19 global pandemic. American adults will be granted the following one-time payments: $1,200 payment to individual taxpayers $2,400 payment for married couples filing jointly An additional $500 per qualifying child under the age of 17. If you are a dependent: You do not qualify for the stimulus check. There are two ways that you are considered a dependent: 1. Your parents claimed you as a dependent on their taxes. 2. You fit the legal definition of a dependent. This definition is: a child under the age of 19 at the end of the year, who lives with you for more than half of the year and has not provided more than half of his or her own support for the year, qualifies as your dependent, so long as he or she doesn’t file a joint return for the year. If you filed your taxes for fiscal year 2019 or 2018 and your parents do not claim you as a dependent: You should qualify for the stimulus check, as long as your income on your last tax return does not exceed $75,000. Stimulus checks will be direct deposited into the bank account listed on 2019 tax returns (or 2018, if you have yet to file for last year). If no bank account is listed on either return, the IRS will send a physical check to your most recent address on file. You will be notified, via mail, that your payment has been dispersed.
STUDENT UNEMPLOYMENT
SAFETY DURING THE STAY-AT-HOME ORDER
FLC students strategize for future plans to find employment opportunities within their available regions. Keleraini Trujillo, FLC student, said she is not searching for a job at the moment but she is worried about how long these stay-athome orders will last. Trujillo said she plans to work during the summer and said the jobs which are available to the public do not meet the standards of college students, such as flexible working hours that most college students need in order to focus on their education. “People who live check by check, myself, are finding it hard to find food, tissue paper and other essentials,” Trujillo said. “There is a very limited selection of these things and since everyone has bought big quantities that leaves nothing for people like myself who live check by check.” Amber Henderson, FLC student, said if it weren’t for COVID-19 she would still be working as a Kid Camp Aide for Animas Valley Elementary. “I found out the dorms were closing on campus and I honestly was so concerned,” Henderson said. “I wanted to go home and my family wanted me home for my safety, so I just got ahold of my boss and she was so understanding and told me I just needed to fill out some paperwork and to take care of myself and stay healthy.” Henderson said in light of the situation that she is happy to be home with her family and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for herself. This debacle continues to surprise many, however there are students at FLC who continue to choose alternative patterns in order to show others around the world that there are loopholes which allow people to strive for the better.
COVID-19 has left many students feeling displaced and forced to return home to live with their parents being on their own for some time. When students return home, or are forced to return home, they bring new thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. This can make an already unstable home environment worse, Lori Benefiel, professor of psychology said. If a student is going home to a place where they feel unwelcome or unsafe, they should make it a priority to stay in touch with friends, Benefiel said. As students navigate their way through learning and life during the coronavirus pandemic, it is important not to self-isolate, but to stay-in-touch with family and friends that bring you a sense of comfort, Benefiel said. It is in our best interest to take this time we have been given and use it to do the things we have wanted to do for so long, Benefiel said. During the stay-at-home order, it is important that people continue to take care of themselves, Benefiel said. There are three things people can do in order to take care of themselves. Sleep a lot and sleep more than you think you should, get at least 20 minutes of sunshine and exercise every day, Benefiel said.
SAFET Y CURRICULUM FOOD SECURITY
UNEMPLOYMEN T STIMULUS CH EC K 6
Sustainably Cultivating a Garden: A Student’s Guide to Growing their Own Food Coya Pair
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tudents can grow their own food, whether it is indoors, outdoors or through volunteering at community gardens. Though giving space, time or money can sound intimidating, there are several ways to work around these issues.
How to Grow Food Outdoors In order to have an outdoor garden, students often run into issues with their landlords, Maggie Magierski, campus growing spaces steward and local food security team coordinator, said. “Most landlords don’t want you breaking up the ground, especially if you’re going to move out next year,” she said. If one does have space and permission to create an outdoor garden, the initial start-up can be the most time-consuming and intimidating part, Magierski said. First, there needs to be fertile soil in the garden bed, she said. “People often don’t understand the difference between dirt and soil,” Magierski said. “Dirt is dead, but soil is alive and rich
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with nutrients and microorganisms.”
them into compost themselves, Magierski said.
In order to turn dirt into soil, storebought fertilizer is the simplest way to go. However many of these packaged fertilizers are stocked with synthetics that won’t grow the most sustainable crops, she said.
Keeping an outdoor compost pile is both unappealing to landlords and can attract bears, she said.
Good fertilizer has three key components, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, Magierski said. To avoid buying a lot of fertilizer, animal manure or compost can be implemented to create fertile soil. “Bone meal and chicken pellets are incredible sources of nitrogen,” she said. Growing legumes is also a great technique, Magierski said. “They’re the only plant that can fixate nitrogen from the air,” she said.
Composting To create compost, there are several options such as leaving an open mound of food scraps outside, buying a rotating compost bin, or paying a company to pick up food scraps and turn
Magierski and her roommates pay a company to pick up their food scraps because with their tight school schedules it is the easiest thing for them, she said. Other ways to compost include buying composting worms or fermentation powder, FLC student and at-home gardener, Zoe Van Nortwick, said. “We just have some worms in a recycled spring-mix container that break down our food waste for us,” Van Nortwick said. “It only takes them like three days to break down the inside of a banana peel.” Van Nortwick lives in a small apartment, so composting worms is the simplest method for her, she said. “My mom has more space, and a large outdoor garden to put her compost,” she said. “So she uses the Bokashi method.” Bokashi is a system that includes a fermenting powder that you sprinkle on food
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waste, which eliminates smell and speeds up the composting process, Van Nortwick said. Once the soil is rich with nutrients, it is important to grow food that is adaptable to Durango’s climate, Magierski said. “Corn, beans and squash are great companion plants for this region,” Magierski said.
Van Nortwick keeps her herb garden on a few tables in the corner of their living room with grow lights on at night, she said.
Now Magierski has a plant-based diet and doesn’t feel such a disconnect with her food, she said.
How to volunteer
“If you ask a kid where their food comes from, they’ll say the store,” Magierski said. “They don’t actually know how it’s grown.”
There are plenty of local garden volunteer opportunities in Durango, Magierski said.
These particular companion plants are what Native Americans told the pilgrims to plant, she said.
One of these opportunities for students is to help work in the campus garden or food forest through the Fort Lewis College Environmental Center.
“Indeginous agriculture in this region is very rich in history, Magierski said. “The pueblo people just had an amazing techniques.”
The campus garden requires more maintenance, and the food forest is more of a wild, biodiverse orchard, Magierski said.
How to Grow Food Indoors
“The best way to know what is going on and to get involved is to sign up for the EC Digest or the campus garden weekly newsletter,” Magierski said.
If outdoor gardening space is not permitted, there are plenty of beginner ways to grow food indoors, Magierski said. “Sprouting is a very easy, entry-level way to get into growing food,” Magierski said. Magierski has sprouted sunflower seeds and beans, she said. “You can buy a raw sunflower seed in the store and just eat it,” Magierski said. “But if you plant it in the ground and sprout it, you get so many more nutrients from that.” To sprout sunflower seeds, Magierski uses a shallow, recycled plastic container, like a strawberry package, fills it with one inch of soil, plants raw sunflower seeds from the store, waters them lightly and sets them in her window seal to grow, she said. In order to sprout beans, you put them in a mason jar and fill to the top with water, she said.
The garden weekly newsletter was created to attract volunteers, and there is always space for them, Magierski said. Volunteers can take home produce on some occasions, but are not entitled to it, Magierski said. “We like to share our produce with dedicated volunteers who come week after week,” she said. Most of the food is sold to Sodexo to use in campus meals, she said. This money keeps the campus garden and food forest going, and pays garden employees, she said. Other places to volunteer include the Ohana Kuleana community garden and the Manna Soup Kitchen community garden, Magierski said.
Why it is important?
“All you have to do is change the water every day so they don’t get moldy,” she said. “But soon enough you have a jar full of sprouts.”
Growing food can influence diet, sense of community and mental health, Magierski said.
Van Nortwick has an entire herb garden in her tiny apartment, she said.
“I grew up eating a lot of processed food and meat,” Magierski said.
“It’s so amazing to make your own pesto out of basil you’ve grown,” she said.
Magierski had a garden growing up, which helped start her passion for growing food, she said.
People not only have a disconnect from their food, but from each other, Magierski said. Van Nortwick grew up with a garden in New Zealand, where people could come and pick veggies and we welcomed to cook in her home, she said. Magierski has met so many people and made so many friends through garden workdays and potlucks, she said. The message Magierski wants to send through food is how important it is to have a healthy planet and environment to be able to grow food, Magierski said. “Consumer capitalism focuses on exponential growth, which is impossible,” she said. “Our species is facing extinction. It’s depressing.” For Magierski, working in the garden helps ease her climate change anxiety, she said. Getting dirty and growing food can be therapeutic to anyone, Magierski said. This type of therapy can be called ‘earthing’, a term coined to people connecting to the planet through bare feet or hands, she said. Growing food indoors can be therapeutic too, Van Nortwick said. “It brings life to your home,” Van Nortwick said. “You gain an appreciation for this life.” Aside from benefiting her own mental health, Magierski feels like growing food is a form of climate change activism, she said. “We’re doing just as much as the protesters in DC through sustainable agriculture,” she said.
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William Charles
Durango offers a list of restaurants that specialize in Mexican food. Due to coronavirus mandates, such listings may not be fully applicable to food service needs, although when said mandates are and authorities permit gatherings, these are the restaurants in Durango that each offer their own unique representation of authentic Mexican cuisines.
MI RANCHITO FAMILY RESTAURANT - Starting in May, open on weekends FriSat until 3am
CANTERA
NINI’S TAQUERIA - Salsa made fresh daily - Fresh baked cookies.
ZIA TAQUERIA
SWITCHBACK LOS AMIGOS DEL SUR
- $2.95 street tacos
TEQUILA’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT - 1/2 price appetizers - Happy hour 2:30-6pm daily
GAZPACHO
FRANCISCO’S RESTAURANTE Y CANTINA - Margaritas on tap
- 3 tacos for $7 or 5 for $12
MACHOS
FIESTA MEXICANA
- $2.75 tacos - Beto’s Challenge: One person must eat Nachos Machos in less than 60 minutes. If so, then you get a photo on the wall, a t-shirt, and a free meal. - Tuesday special: free kids meal with purchase of adults meal after 3pm
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NAYARIT - Discount drinks on Taco Tuesday with domestic at $2.50.
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Fort Lewis Fashion: THE ST YLES OF STUDENTS
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urango was labeled as “the least fashion conscious” town by USA Today in the 1980s. Thirty years later, FLC students share what they are wearing today.
Story and photos by Charlotte Williams
Julia Roberts, student athlete, wears an FLC softball sweatshirt with Nike sweatpants and tennis shoes. “I dress for comfort,” said Roberts. Roberts’ style reflects her mood and what level of comfort she wants for the day, she said. “I dress laid back and I'm a laid back person” she said. Roberts said she loves a good bargain at TJ Maxx or Ross.
Emma Tornroos, golf team member from Sweden, wears a pale pink blouse and matching blazer with black leggings and Timberlands. Tornroos finds inspiration for her outfits from social media platforms like Pinterest, she said. “People have told me I have a lot of different styles,” Tornroos said. “One day I'll dress all girly, and one day I look like a boy.”
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Gillian Bynun, Associated Students of Fort Lewis College senator, wears a Patagonia jacket and hat, with jeans and tan Chacos. “My style fluctuates a lot depending on where I am and who I’m around,” said Bynun. “I sit on a lot of committees and boards, and I work with a lot of administration with my position on student government and so when I'm around that I definitely dress more professional.” In her free time she likes to be comfortable and says her style has evolved to become more Durango-like, Bynun said. “I would consider the Durango style definitely functional but fashionable in a way,” she said. “What everyone wears is very functional and it means that I can easily transition to something I can do stuff outside in.” Bynun said she’s anti fast-fashion and tries to stay pretty sustainable with her clothing. When buying new cloth ing, she tries to buy investment pieces that she knows that they're going to last a long time.
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First-year student Nate McCoy said he prefers clothes that have meaning to them, while wearing a sweatshirt from Buena Vista, which is one of his favorite places in Colorado. “I'm sentimental with clothes,” McCoy said. His grandpa’s clothes are some of his favorite things to wear, and he was a big mountain man, a Colorado guide and skier, McCoy said. “He's just one of my biggest inspirations in general
so I dress like him,” he said. He wears clothes that are useful to different things he’s doing, like wearing converse if he’s skating, he said. “I also have a retro vibe that reflects my personality,” McCoy said. “I was really into the 80s, so I got retro windbreakers from Goodwill and I have the Forrest Gump shoes, the Nike Cortez.”
First-year student Charolette Gonzales wears cuffed ripped jeans, a green t-shirt layered over a gray long sleeve shirt, and black combat boots. Gonzales said she prefers a messy, undone look that’s comfortable but still trendy. “Honestly, some of my friends really inspired my style,” Gonzales said. “Sometimes they’ll wear something and I’m thinking about how I could wear something similar to it and put my spin on it.” Gonzales said she goes to thrift stores like Goodwill often because you can alter the clothes you find by cutting or adding to them. “People forget that just because the clothes go out of style doesn’t mean you can’t recycle them,” Gonzales said.
Hannah Pierce, Oklahoman student, bundles up with a jeanjacket over a gray sweater, with black jeans, gray socks, and combat boots, to keep her warm in the cold, she said. “I like to look cute and for me, it’s whatever I think is cute,” said Pierce. “I also like to be comfortable, whether it be comfortable clothes or just whatever I feel comfortable in my own skin wearing.” Sometimes it’s a struggle for her to find cute clothes with out spending too much, Pierce said. “I love boutiques because they always have really unique things that you don’t really see off the streets,” she said. “That’s kind of me. I don’t really like to always go with the flow of the crowd.” Pierce enjoys thrifting and shopping at sale racks, she said. “There’s this thrift shop back home, where you could find American Eagle jeans for $10,” Pierce said. “They had Louis Vuitton bags and Michael Kors and Kate Spade. You can literally go in there and buy a pair of Nike Pros for $5.”
My style is nonexistent, said Luke Shull, FLC student. “I go thrift shopping a lot, and I'll buy occasionally a few clothes online but not very often,” said Shull. Shull said his style is the hippie look and laid back.
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“If you’re engaged in tribal elections, or a member living on a reservation, sometimes there are a lot of complex factors that make it a lot harder for you to vote in terms of getting access to your ballot or to reach polling places,” Schwartz said. As a campus, it does seem like voting is something that people are apathetic to, especially if everything seems fine. Why waste time to vote on certain things if things seem fine and it’s not apparent how it directly affects someone, Schwartz said.
Charlotte Williams
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ith the 2020 Presidential election just around the corner, the Civic Engagement team is making efforts to change the overall voting turnout and increase student engagement at Fort Lewis College. According to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement from Tufts University, the FLC student voting rate is 34.2%, which is lower than the 39.1% average. According to the study, only 2,267 out of 3,131 voters at FLC were registered to vote in 2018. Less than half of those voted. FLC has a low voter turnout and there are a number of reasons behind that, Dr. Paul DeBell, political science professor said. A lower socioeconomic status, social influences or not knowing how to register can contribute to low voter turnout. “There are some reasons that we might expect that but it doesn’t make it less troubling,” DeBell said. “To me it’s thinking about how much better our country could be if everybody, including people who are less advantaged, are able to participate.” Demographically speaking, some students do not vote due to lower access to polls or ballots. Some students may be new to voting and may not know how to access polls and ballots, Sophie Schwartz, Associated Students of Fort Lewis College senator and legislative affairs committee member said.
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There are a lot of students who are registered in other states who receive absentee ballots, but ballots are lost in the mail, or sometimes it seems like a chore to track down your ballot, fill it out and send it back, Schwartz said. According to the NSLVE study, health professions, psychology, and parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness majors have the lowest voter turnout at FLC with less than 30% participation. History, english and education majors have the highest turnout being at over 40% voter participation. Unlike other colleges, there has not been a funded civic engagement team at FLC in recent history. In the past, the political science club was completing the same duties as a civic engagement team, DeBell said.
“We’re not an Registered Student Organization, we’re a group of students, staff and faculty working together,” DeBell said. “It’s most of the political science club as well as the ASFLC Legislative Affairs Committee.” This year, DeBell applied for and received a monetary grant from the Coutts and Clark Western Foundation to help aid student engagement efforts to use promotions, materials, and food to attract students, he said. “We’re hoping to have speakers come to campus before the November election,” DeBell said. “Perhaps some support for speaker travel and lodging, but mostly it’s to engage students.” The Civic Engagement team hosted the Fall in Love With Voting fair on February 14 this semester, in partnership with the League of Women Voters, DeBell said. “We had 15 or more different organizations come up to campus and set up booths and tables to provide information and resources about why students should care about voting,” Schwartz said. At the event, there was a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new ballot dropbox on campus by the Center of Southwest Studies parking lot, she said.
“A lot of different institutions, specifically in the state of Colorado, have specific areas of their campus and organizations that are really well funded on their campus that are meant to bolster civic engagement,” Schwartz said.
“Now students registered in La Plata County can just drop their ballot off at the dropbox right on campus, which is super easy for students who live on campus and don’t have any transportation,” Schwartz said.
Before this year, there was no formal organization or department on campus that was tasked with that duty of getting students civically engaged. Not having the resources that other institutions do that focus on civic engagement could be a reason for why FLC’s voter turnout is not as high as other institutions, she said.
The team has a few more events scheduled this semester, and is looking ahead to next semester before the election as well, DeBell said.
This year, the Civic Engagement team was created to help bolster student voting on campus, Schwartz said.
“Whether we like it or not, politics will affect us,” he said. “We all have an ability to affect the world around us, but it’s about taking advantage of that opportunity and doing so meaningfully and in an informed way.”
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