• News
  • Student Life
  • Athletics
  • Faculty/Staff
  • Campus Portal Login
  • News
  • Student Life
  • Faculty/Staff
  • Athletics
  • Campus Portal Login

Students plan winter break service trip to Standing Rock Reservation

salvetoday Posted On December 13, 2016
1


0
Shares
  • Share On Facebook
  • Tweet It

Dakota Williams ’17 will travel 3,000 miles to be home with his family in California for the holidays. But he’ll be cutting his visit short so he can follow his heart on another journey before the new semester begins, one that will lead him and some of his impassioned classmates to stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux.

Williams, a former business student turned philosophy major with a self-described passion for activism, and his classmates are raising money on their own to fund the nearly 2,000-mile drive from Newport to Standing Rock, North Dakota. They plan to deliver supplies and join protesters in what has become a prolonged fight to protect the sacred land and drinking supply the Standing Rock Sioux believe is threatened by the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline project. Fellow students Dean Wollenberg ’17 and Patricia Socarras ’17 are helping to organize the trip, in which they anticipate many more of their classmates will join.

The nearly 1,200-mile underground pipeline, a $3.8 billion project of Dakota Access, LLC that is about 90 percent complete, begins in northwest North Dakota and travels southeast through South Dakota and Iowa, ending in Illinois. The remaining section to be completed needs to pass under the Missouri River and as proposed, runs close to the border of North Dakota’s Standing Rock Sioux reservation.

“There is currently a direct attack on the Native Americans, the well-being of this planet, and the lives of millions of people who depend upon the Missouri/Mississippi River for water,” Williams writes in the GoFundMe page he created to raise revenue needed to fund transportation, gear and material donations for the trip. To date, the students have raised about $1,000 but hope to generate more prior to their planned Jan. 2 departure from campus.

The undertaking is completely student-planned, and is a reflection of the University’s mercy tradition. “As college-age students passionate about the social justice issues of our generation, we cannot remain idle and watch as the events at Standing Rock unfold,” Willams said. “We see the injustices this community face and aim to join them in their protest.”

Williams became familiar with the Standing Rock situation like most in his generation do, by reading news feeds on social media. Empowered by the capstone course he completed during the fall 2016 semester with adjunct professor Dr. Jordan E. Miller, he decided to do more than simply voice his concerns. That course focused on the question: What has happened to radical activism in the U.S. since the 1960s?

“Dakota was curious what it would mean to put his values into action,” said Miller, who was a featured speaker during a November rally opposing the pipeline that was held in Newport’s Eisenhower Park. “It’s clear he has a genuine concern for rights and water protection and he can use his skill set to contribute. I helped him through the process and put him in touch with resources. We don’t want these students to show up as ‘active tourists’.”

That meant considerable thought put into the practical considerations of making the trip, the so-called grunt work ranging from planning their driving route, to what items to take with them, to how and where they would sleep in adverse winter conditions once they got there. They put together a list of items to donate once they get there, including blankets, hand-warmers, jackets, beanies/hats, gloves, sleeping bags, tents, and non-perishable food. They’ve plastered the campus and the city with flyers to seek out sponsorship.

“There’s a charge in the mercy mission to go out into the world, and it’s that charge that I take very seriously in this capstone course,” Miller said. The charge, he explained, is to become initiated into the values of the liberal arts, Catholic intellectual tradition; to look at what you want to do with your life outside; to see where we’ve been and where we are; to mine for resources to empower what we’d like to be changed and how we’d like to move forward in the world.

“Going to Standing Rock immediately after finishing the course is a perfect supplement, a perfect complement to the more didactic approach of the course,” Miller said. “The five critical concerns of mercy come together in that one place.”

In declaring their solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux, the Religious Sisters of Mercy pointed to those five critical concerns: working passionately to eliminate poverty, the widespread denial of human rights, the degradation of earth, the increase in violence and racism, the continued oppression of women, the abuse of children, the mistreatment of immigrants and the lack of solidarity among people and nations.

“We embrace the call of Pope Francis to protect this Earth – our common home – and invite others to join us in prayer and in deed to support the Standing Rock Sioux at this important moment to show care and protection for our Earth and for those speaking,” the Sisters of Mercy state.

“As we close out the Jubilee Year, it just seems obvious that a mercy education is behind the people of Standing Rock,” Miller said. “This is coming from students. If we want to know what the value of mercy education is, this is it.”

0
Shares
  • Share On Facebook
  • Tweet It




  • RSS Calendar of Events

    • College search workshop: Essay Writing Workshop
      Wednesday, May 25

      Arguably one of the toughest assignments of your educational career, join us to see how the college essay can instead be one of your favorite projects! We will go over topic selection, do's and don’ts and provide examples of essays that shaped admissions decisions. Now is the time to start thinking about your college essay, you will thank yourself come November!

      Contact: Office of Admissions
    • Memorial Day – No classes
      Monday, May 30
    • Virtual information session for prospective students
      Tuesday, May 31

      Meet with a member of Admissions Office to hear about Salve Regina's mission, campus life and academics directly from an admissions counselor in a group setting. It's a great introduction to Salve Regina and all the opportunities that exist for you here. 

      A virtual information session is designed for those who are in the college search and application process. If you would like to learn more about Salve Regina University and have your questions answered in a live chat, this is the best place to start. Our sessions last approximately one hour.

      You will also be able to view our virtual tour as part of your registration for this presentation. 

      Preregistration is required.

      Contact: Office of Admissions
    • Reunion Weekend
      Friday, June 3 to Sunday, June 5

      Reunion Weekend will be packed with exciting events both on and off campus. It's been too long since we've been able to welcome you to campus for a reunion celebration, so these events are sure to be worth the trip back to Newport. Return to campus and reconnect with your classmates - all alumni are welcome to attend.

      Contact: Office of Alumni, Parent and Family Programs
    • Last day to withdraw from Session 1
      Friday, June 3
    • State of the University
      Saturday, June 4

      Hear from University leaders the state of student life and where Salve Regina is headed. Whether you’ve recently graduated or you’re returning after a hiatus, campus has updates!
      This event will be live on campus and live-streamed for those unable to attend in person. Please register to receive the Zoom link for the live stream.

      Contact: Gill Goodrich
    • Graduate Admissions virtual information session: Applied Behavior Analysis
      Wednesday, June 8

      M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis

      Contact: Graduate Admissions
    • Last day of Session 1
      Friday, June 24
    • Newport MFA: Conversation with Stewart O’Nan
      Monday, June 27
      Ochre Court

      Stewart O’Nan in Conversation with Ann Hood
      About his new novel OCEAN STATE
      Newport MFA guest writer Stewart O’Nan will discuss his new novel “Ocean State” with Ann Hood, founding director of the program. The conversation is free and open to the Salve Regina community and the general public.

      Contact: Tiffany McClanaghan
    • Newport MFA: Fiction reading by Tim Weed
      Monday, June 27
      Young Building

      Fiction Reading by Tim Weed
      Newport MFA guest writer Tim Weed will give a poetry reading as part of the program’s summer residency. The reading is free and open to the Salve Regina community and the general public.

      Contact: Tiffany McClanaghan
  • Browse Sections

    Salve Success

    Health and Wellness

    Mercy Mission

    Arts and Humanities

    Science and Technology

    Event Coverage

    Business and Economics

    Graduate News



Stay Updated

Latest news from SALVEtoday

 

  • Salve Regina University

    100 Ochre Point Avenue
    Newport, Rhode Island 02840 USA

     (401) 847-6650

    (c) 2022 Salve Regina University

  • SALVEtoday Archives


  • News
  • Student Life
  • Athletics
  • Faculty/Staff
  • Campus Portal Login
Press enter/return to begin your search