Dec.

1, 2016 - Page 12

Lifestyle and Opinion

Research That Reaches Out: Practicum experiences in Standing Rock
Cheyanne Reyome traveled to North Dakota to witness over 200 of the First Nations
tribes to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Cheyanne Reyome
Contributing Writer
cheyanne176@gmail.com
Thousands of Native Americans have
been rallying in North Dakota since April
in protest of an oil pipeline that violates
native land and could endanger the water
supply.
As a part of the practicum program at
Photo provided by Cheyanne Reyome
Mercers Center for Collaborative Jour-
nalism, I had the opportunity to work this
semester with the CCJs Laura Fong and
Research that Reaches Out Director Bridget
Trogden to coordinate a trip to South Dako-
ta to meet with Lakota elders, and make the
journey to the Standing Rock Resistance
Camp in North Dakota.
Along the way, we documented stories
and gained insight into who the Water Pro-
tectors are and why the resistance camps
have been put in place.
The resistance camps in North Dakota
have been organized following the con-
struction of the Dakota Access Pipeline
(DAPL), an oil pipeline that passes through
North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Il-
linois. The pipeline travels through Sioux
Nation land, and opponents of the pipeline
claim it violates an almost 200-year-old
treaty between American government and
the First Nations tribes. (Editors note: The
Billings Gazette reports that 87 percent of
the pipeline in North Dakota was completed
at the end of September.)
Within the resistance camps, people
from all over came together to support each
other and spread wisdom about life as a Na-
tive American. I listened to countless sto-
ries and spoke with a multitude of people,
but the message that stuck with me the most
was WoLakota.
WoLakota is a phrase that means ev-
erything that is. It is a phrase that governs
the lands of the Lakota Nation and reminds
its people of two main principles: to be at
balance with what is happening and to not
let unfavorable situations negatively impact
everyday life and the understanding that we
are all interconnected, regardless of where
we come from.
I witnessed over 200 First Nations tribes
unite at Standing Rock to stop the injustice
of the DAPL, and I couldnt help but be re-
minded of the phrase.
Thousands of people gather together
in song, dance and prayer to stop the at-
mosphere from falling to sorrow and pity.
Instead, united, these individuals remind-
ed everyone that they were not going to lie
down and let injustice happen on their land
they were going to fight and take a stand.
The movement ignited at Standing Rock
allows people all over the globe to witness
the embodiment of WoLakota.
People from all walks of life have unit-
ed, helping to take care of each other by
bringing food, donating clothes and passing
out blankets so that everyone will be warm
during the sub freezing days and frozen
nights.
They have created a familial bond with
everyone there fighting for what they be-
lieve in, and a community of interconnected
beings has been formed.
In all, being able to show my support for
Standing Rock and all the individuals who
are supporting the DAPL resistance camps
has shown me the possibilities of our soci-
ety and what we can achieve when we each
apply our own understanding of WoLakota.

Moody Musings: Finals Week Survival Guide

Jayla Moody
Staff Writer
jaymoo96@gmail.com
As another semester comes to an end,
the time of the year that were either look-
ing forward to, or dreading, is upon us. We
get one week to show that we were produc-
tive and proactive throughout the semester
and if we werent, we must have the skills
and determination to make it look as if we
were.
Thats a lot of pressure in this final week
and if youre not careful, you can easily be-
come a victim to what I like to call final-
itis. But if you take the right steps before
and throughout the week, youll have the
perfect recipe for a successful finals week.
1. Create a schedule
The times and dates of each final exam
can be found online on the Mercer registrar
offices website. Once you figure out when
each test is, you can determine when you
need to study and how much time should
be dedicated to studying for each exam or
completing each project. This can reduce
pre-exam stress or feeling like you dont
have enough time to complete or fully pre-
pare for everything.
2. Get some sleep
Twenty-four-hour study rooms are there
for you, but that doesnt necessarily mean
retain the information as well as you would
if your brain was awake. University of Bris-
tol lead researcher Jack Mellor found that
a good nights sleep can help enhance your
memory.
According to the research, daytime
patterns of brain activity are replayed at
fast-forward speed during sleep . . . and the
key new finding is that sleep helps strength-
en the microscopic connections between
nerve cells active in the hippocampus, the
brains central filing system for memory.
These nerve connections are deemed crit-
ical for memory consolidation.
So before you decide to stay up all
night, consider your options and remember
that the information you cram may not even
be retained by test time. Get some sleep.
3. Give yourself a study break
There arent any exams on Wednesday
of finals week. Take some time that day and
Tuesday evening for self-care. Whether you
spend it exercising, having some fun with
friends, eating at your favorite restaurant
or just getting a little more sleep, you will
thank yourself for it later. This will help
eliminate stress by giving you some time to
be active and get your mind off of exams
and projects.
You are more than capable of making
it through finals week sane and successful.
Prepare, dont be so hard on yourself and
trust in your hard work and preparation. Itll Nicholas Wooten/Editor-in-chief

you have to always use them for that long. be over soon, and before you know it, youll Nelliena Young (left), Nova Alam (center) and Supreet Raina (right) study for an up-
coming organic chemistry test before finals.
If youre tired and up studying, you wont have something positive to show for it.