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Volume 82, Issue 11 Web Edition SERVING BREVARD COLLEGE SINCE 1935
November 16, 2016
BC sta nds with
Standing Rock
By Jessica Wiegandt
Arts & Life Editor
Brevard College committed to divest from the
use of fossil fuels in February of 2015, becom
ing the first school in the southeast of the U.S.
to make the commitment. On Wednesday, Nov.
9, 2016 the Student Government Association
furthered the school statement by approving
to donate at least $1,000 to the Standing Rock
Sioux Reservation. However, the donation could
not officially move forward into action because
SGA fund donations have to be approved unani
mously by the entire student body.
The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) has been
proposed by the Dakota Access, LLC, which is
owned overall by Energy Transfer Crude Oil
Company, LLC. On Energy Transfer’s website,
the pipeline is stated as being utilized “to trans
port crude oil from the Bakken/Three Forks play
in North Dakota to a terminus in Illinois with
additional potential points of destination along
the pipeline route.”
The pipeline is scheduled to be completed and
functional by the end of 2016. However, protests
have broken out, especially in Standing Rock,
N.D., because the pipeline route enters the Sioux
preservation, breaking U.S. agreements with the
Native Americans.
The tribe has been publicly stating for weeks
that the DAPL directly affects the natives as it
snakes through sacred grounds. Not only does
the pipeline disturb burial grounds but also cuts
under drinking access points for the tribe.
Further along the path, the DAPL is scheduled
to be constructed under the Mississippi River,
where a mishap or explosion in the pipeline
would release tons of oil directly into a river
that thousands of U.S. citizens rely upon for
commerce and transport.
At the SGA meeting on Nov. 9, members
of the student body gathered and listened to a
presentation on the Standing Rock protests and
how the community of BC could help.
“This is an issue worth getting involved with,”
Ben Saettel, SGA senator and presenter said.
“Our school is about serving and helping those
in need. These protesters need our help and we
can give it to them.”
After Saettel’s presentation, SGA president
Lauren Fowler delivered the proposal. SGA had
allotted $ 1,000 to the Recycling Committee at
the beginning of the school year, which was an
unused and unneeded amount, according to com
mittee members. Fowler and Saettel utilized this
excess money in the budget and proposed all of it
be donated to the Sioux Tribe of Standing Rock.
Immediately students began asking questions
about how the tribe could utilize the money and
how quickly it could be accessed for the DAPL
protest. The main question, however, was not
whether or not the students would approve the
money but how much they would approve.
The students voted unanimously to donate
$1,000 to the cause of protesting DAPL.
“I had so many people coming to me before
the election asking how we could contribute to
Standing Rock as a campus community,” Fowler
said. “Then I ran into a lady in the community
who was looking for help from us to gather
donations because she’s going out to Standing
Rock soon.”
According to Fowler, SGA funds come from
a fee that all students pay, with a premise that
it will be used to “better campus and student
life.” This means the money cannot be directly
deposited to the PayPal account being used on
the Sioux website. Instead, Fowler and other
students will use the approved money to back a
community fundraiser effort.
Fowler said a BC alumnus, Harmony Blue,
plans to attend the protests in Standing Rock
and has recruited the help of the college. Fowler
has gathered a crew of at least 40 BC students
who have volunteered to organize a campus
fundraiser.
“The Travers Brothership band has agreed
to put on a show here [on campus] and the ad
mission fee to get in will be a donation, either
monetary, clothing or food for the protestors and
members of the tribe,” Fowler said. “We will
also be putting out jars around the community
to gather change for Standing Rock and boxes
with lists of what is needed. I believe this com
munity is going to come together and we can
really make a difference.”
Fowler and Saettel will be hosting a town hall
style meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. for students
interested in helping. It will take place in MG
232 and will include time spent making banners
and discussing the fundraiser and future actions
with community members.
“This is right along the lines of what we be
lieve in as a school,” Fowler said. “We already
made a commitment to divest from fossil fuels,
which means we as a school have already said
we don’t condone this pipeline. Now we’ve
decided to back up what we say with some ac
tion. Together we can make a difference... So
let’s do it.”