{"id":4314,"date":"2021-05-20T19:09:54","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T19:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/atb\/?p=4314"},"modified":"2021-05-20T20:44:57","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T20:44:57","slug":"social-activism-on-campus-in-the-age-of-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/atb\/2021\/05\/20\/social-activism-on-campus-in-the-age-of-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Activism on Campus in the Age of COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Molly Seaman \u201921<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CC boasts over 80 active student organizations, and a significant fraction are geared toward effecting positive social change within the CC community, the greater Colorado Springs area, and\/or beyond. Social distancing and other health protocols related to COVID-19 have dramatically affected life on college campuses around the globe for over a year now, but social activists within the student body at Colorado College haven\u2019t let the circumstances halt their work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Collaborative for Community Engagement <\/a>facilitates collaboration between students, staff, faculty, and community organizations who are trying to address local issues. Elena Martinez-Vivot \u201921 <\/strong>works with the CCE to bolster the work she does with CCVotes<\/a> and the Political Advocacy Coalition. She says, \u201cThe CCE has been incredibly supportive of all of the initiatives I’ve proposed. One of the things I love about CC being such a small campus is that there’s less bureaucracy and it’s easier to gain access to resources for student initiatives.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martinez-Vivot <\/strong>explains that the motivation behind her tenacious social activism lies in her passion for increasing voter turnout. \u201cI have worked to ensure that CC students have every resource necessary to vote. The Political Advocacy Coalition has worked to connect CC students with the broader politics of Colorado Springs and trying to engage students in local issues. I think the coolest thing we were able to do was to host a debate for the 2019 City Council elections, which involved a collaboration between CC, UCCS, PPCC, and the CS Indy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nate Hochman \u201921<\/strong> is a Young Voices associate contributor, a Conservative Fellow at the Citizens\u2019 Climate Lobby, and a former editorial intern at National Review<\/em> and The Dispatch<\/em>. His writing has been published in National Review<\/em>, City Journal<\/em>, The Dispatch<\/em>, The Washington Examiner<\/em>, The Washington Times<\/em>, Quillette<\/em>, The American Conservative<\/em>, Townhall<\/em>, The Orange County Register<\/em>, The Colorado Springs Gazette<\/em>, Intercollegiate Review<\/em>, and other outlets. He has appeared on various television shows, podcasts, and radio programs such as Fox 5 DC, the First Things podcast, Matt Lewis and the News, and the Acton Line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At CC, Hochman is <\/strong>the co-chair of the American Enterprise Institute Executive Council and the founder and editor-in-chief of Athwart Magazine<\/em>, a new student-run political magazine. When asked how he works within the CC community to effect positive change, Hochman <\/strong>says, \u201cI aim to elevate voices that aren\u2019t generally heard at CC, specifically those who align with the political right. A liberal arts education should be a rich exchange of a variety of ideas.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to make the significant body of students who have felt left out of the community at CC feel like they have a place here too, that they can and should be comfortable voicing any ideas in a respectful manner. I think empowering these students to speak up benefits the entire community at CC because a significant number of Americans have these beliefs. Even if students disagree with these ideas, it\u2019s important to be able to have informed debates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filip <\/strong>\u010carnogursk\u00fd \u201923 <\/strong>is a Bonner Fellow<\/a>, which means that he was selected for a four-year cohort-based opportunity designed to support student leaders from underrepresented backgrounds with their endeavors to transform communities. His status as a fellow means that he also works closely with the CCE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am very fortunate to be a Bonner Fellow through the CCE. We are supported by very knowledgeable staff who are eager to help with any question we ask them. We participate in useful educational workshops and on top of all of this, we can work on social change without being too worried about the financial aspect. Many of us come from weaker socio-economic backgrounds and we receive a stipend that allows us to work on issues that we care about instead of working for the sole purpose of making ends meet. Then there are summer grants, research grants, fellowships and so many opportunities that allow us to focus on what we are interested in, which I see as a privilege most people do not have (or I did not have before I came to CC).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u010carnogursk\u00fd is heavily involved in environmental activism both on and off campus; he participates in various student groups, such as the Sunrise Movement<\/a> and EnAct<\/a>, and Environment Colorado, with whom he helped organize the protest against Senator Gardner\u2019s inaction on climate change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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