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V I D E O O F T H E W E E K
Amber Labahe (Journalism & Multimedia Studies, '22) filmed a mini-documentary for Rocky Mountain PBS on the opening of The Stories We Wear, an art installation that honors Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Facilitated by the Center of Southwest Studies, the exhibition was a semester-long project that displayed three traditional garments worn by different Indigenous cultures: an atikluk, a blanket, and a ribbon skirt.
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FLC aims to reclaim education for Indigenous people
Many Indigenous faculty, staff, and students at FLC are redefining an educational system once used as a tool for cultural assimilation. These community members set the stage for Indigenous intellectual freedom by weaving language, culture, and history into the institution's fabric.
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FLC's rapid re-housing program eases students' housing concerns
Housing costs in Durango continue to balloon. To take this pressure off students, Stella Zhu, basic needs coordinator, created a three-pronged rapid re-housing program that has helped dozens avoid homelessness and housing insecurity.
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VoFLC: Byron Tsabetsaye
This week on VoFLC, tune in to hear FLC stories from Byron Tsabetsaye (English, '13), director of the Student Involvement Center.
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M O R E N E W S F R O M F L C
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- Kirbie Bennett (English, '17), a citizen of the Navajo Nation, shares his perspective on the "Chief" statue in downtown Durango. Bennett said the sign is out of touch with contemporary ideas about depictions of Indigenous peoples.
- Justin McBrayer, professor of Philosophy and associate dean, was named as one of the 15 scholars who helped lead the charge for academic freedom in 2022 by The College Fix. The College Fix cited McBrayer's recent publication, "Diversity Statements Are the New Faith Statements," published in Inside Higher Ed.
- Is your fear of death driving your shopping habits? Brian Burke, professor of Psychology, thinks that's the case. Burke, who studies terror management theory, said we could override this behavior by acknowledging these unconscious decisions.
- FLC's School of Business Administration hosted the 31st annual Southwest Economic Outlook. Though many presenters noted the local economy's rapid rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, they said the region must reckon with workforce shortages, rising housing costs, and an aging population.
- House Bill 20-1343 requires egg producers to demonstrate a ratio of one square foot per hen to become certified to sell eggs in Colorado. Nate Peach, associate professor of Economics, believes this bill will place compounded upward pressure on egg prices—which recently increased due to Colorado's worst-ever avian flu outbreak.
- Ursala Hudson (Studio Art, '14), a Tlingit tribal citizen, was selected as one of the six Indigenous artists for The Smithsonian American Art Museum's 10th installment of the Renwick Gallery Invitational. Hudson's work infuses Northwest Coast art styles into her printmaking, oil painting, and weaving.
- The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law set aside $3.5 billion to improve water infrastructure for rural Indigenous communities. Kaitlin Mattos, assistant professor of Environment & Sustainability, said this funding is crucial for some Alaska Native communities who have been waiting for water and sanitation services for 50 years.
- Writing for The Durango Herald, Andrew Gulliford, professor of History, details the ecological disaster created by Charles Jones, a wildlife entrepreneur from the early 1900s. Jones crossbred buffalo with Galloway cattle and herded them at the Grand Canyon Game Reserve, where their descendants continue to destroy the landscape a century later.
- Despite raising $64,550, the La Plata County GOP performed poorly in the 2022 midterm elections. Paul DeBell, assistant professor of Political Science, said the bipartisan rejection of Trumpism, concerns over abortion rights, and crucial statewide ballot measures likely swayed results.
- In a column for The Durango Herald, Ben Waddell, associate professor of Sociology, examines why first-generation immigrants from Latin America experience the lowest rates of suicide in the nation. Waddell believes this phenomenon in the Latinx community is rooted in a cultural tendency to maintain strong social networks, which increase happiness and satisfaction with life.
- Heidi Steltzer, professor of Environment & Sustainability, sat down with Inside Climate News to discuss a new phase of "post-industrial" forest re-spiritualization posited by researchers in Ecology & Society last year. Steltzer said that while forest spirituality is increasingly apparent, it never vanished.
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That's hawksome
With his trusty Toyota Tacoma, Byrne Dobrient (ATT '20-22) conducts regular roadside rescues in snowy conditions. Described by his peers as "the nicest guy," he's assisted groups of FLC students marooned in Moab, Utah, and Chama, New Mexico.
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