With ‘Rock the Vote,’ debate watch party, FLC launches nonpartisan SkyPEP civic engagement initiative

DURANGO— Watching students dance to the music of Diné poet, singer, and songwriter Hataałii at Fort Lewis College this past Friday, FLC senior Britney Bitsilly couldn’t help but feel excited about the energy of the event as students discussed why everyone —regardless of their political tendencies— should register and vote. 

“This is probably the first election that I feel that there is hope, and it’s a wonderful feeling,” said Bitsilly, a political science major and president of the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College (ASFLC). “Just the amount of coverage that the election is getting. Everyone is talking about it on TikTok, asking questions, and I’ve never really seen people, especially my age, be this engaged with an election.” 

The campus civic engagement kickoff event featured local bands Desiderata and Hataałii, who welcomed students back to campus.  

The event is the first in a series of community events planned for this year through a collaboration of FLC’s Political Engagement Project, SkyWords Visiting Writers Series, and Academic Affairs. Called SkyPEP, the initiative encourages students and community members to critically consider and exercise their rights and responsibilities as citizens. 

“Our activities and shared events focus on the story of citizenship, the importance of journalist storytellers to responsibly inform and truth-tell, and the importance of young people in creating a vision for inclusive citizenship in the United States,” said Paul DeBell, associate professor of Political Science and assistant dean of Impact and Innovation at FLC. 

“The whole community will have the opportunity to create, engage, and reflect on what it means to be a citizen in a time of uncertainty and unrest in the United States,” added Candace Nadon, associate professor of English and the Honors Program coordinator at FLC. 

As part of the program, students will table and visit classrooms to register voters and answer voting questions. In collaboration with New Era Colorado, PEP students will regularly table in the Student Union to register voters and generate excitement and engagement. 

The event was an opportunity to learn about the issues other students are interested in and enjoy good music. 

Students agreed it’s important for FLC to work with the community to promote dialogue and civic engagement. 

“One thousand percent, I think it's our job as students and people in our community to be a part of our community and take care of it,” said Lily Castro, 18, a first-year student from Oklahoma. “I care about access to health care for men and women, I care about funds for students, as well as making sure that we have access to good food, and that students at FLC play a role as part of our community and help our community,” she said.  

“I do think it’s a good idea that people get involved,” added Charlie Herberholt, 18, of St. Louis, Miss., a first-year student at FLC. Asked about his issues of interest in this year’s election, he said there was mostly one. “I would say the economy. You know money, things are expensive, and we’re in college. I don’t have any money yet, I don’t have a job, so I would say that money is like my biggest concern now.” 

Laurie Meininge, president of the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of La Plata County, said the organization has been engaged with the project from the beginning and is committed to it through the school year. 

"As the premier voting education organization in the United States, the League of Women Voters greatly values partnerships with higher education to reach out to younger voters to encourage voting and increase understanding of, and participation in, civics and government," she said. "Equally important is our commitment in La Plata County to building community across the county regardless of political ideology, geography, community affiliation, race, gender, place of birth or other ways in which we define ourselves as citizens of our county, state and nation(s).

"We are excited to be part of this project that examines and promotes civil discourse on our rights and responsibilities as citizens.  We hope that students and residents of La Plata County and beyond will engage thoughtfully in the planned offerings because, at the end of the day, a fundamental element of a thriving democracy is citizen engagement. What better way to do that than with students and non-student community members coming together in community," she said.

DeBell said this fall, students across the curriculum will engage in a common reading experience on different aspects of citizenship paired with a series of large events hosted at the college for students and community members. Food and beverages will be served at all events. These include: 

• Constitution Day Indigenous Voting Rights Panel
  September 16,5:30 pm | Vallecito Room 
  Led by Professor Christina Stanton, director of the CU American Indian Law Clinic of Colorado Law School, the CU team will travel to Durango to host this event and engage in a dialogue with FLC students about the evolution of Indigenous voting rights, current challenges, and the future landscape. 

• Journalist Panel 
  October 8, 6 pm | Noble 130 
  This panel will feature local and regional journalists focusing on how journalists cover politics, the importance of representing diverse stories, and the evolving role of journalism in fostering informed and engaged citizenship.  

• Telling the Story of Citizenry 
  October 16, 6 pm | Noble 130 
  Viewing party for a Colorado Mountain College talk with Richard Haass, author of “The Bill of Obligations Rediscovering Common Ground.” The event will include a community discussion of this and other grounding texts. 

• Know Your Ballot Student Explainer Videos Launch and Q&A  
  October 22, 5:30 pm | Noble 130 
  Event to display ballot explainer videos created by students in Introduction to Political Science, Media Literacy, and Political Analysis Lab classes in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of La Plata County. The event will showcase well-researched, engaging, and nonpartisan explainer videos targeted at helping young voters vote their full ballot. 

• Vision for the Future of Citizenry in America 
  October 28, 5 pm | Student Union Ballroom 
  Media Literacy Panel Discussion and celebration of student work. Showcase of student work in response to the prompt “What does it mean to be a citizen?”   

• Post-election panel  
  November 11, 5:30 pm | Noble 130 
  FLC experts discuss the ramifications of the election outcomes and look forward.  

• Community by Conversation Better Holiday Dinner Prep  
  November 19, 5:30 pm | Student Union 
  A better family dinner is possible with some basic political psychology insights! Join better conversation experts from campus and the community to troubleshoot your family holiday dinners despite whatever 2024 throws at us. Bring your questions and concerns, and enjoy! 
  SkyPEP is made possible by generous local donors to the FLC Foundation, the Teagle Foundation, NEO Philanthropy, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.  

Visit the SkyPEP website to learn more about the program.