Faculty Members Back Standing Rock Tribe

A Statement of Support for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

We the Senate Leadership Committee of Fielding Graduate University stand in solidarity with Chairman Dave Archambault II, tribal members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and their allies against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a project of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners. This project is a violation of treaty rights and federal law and threatens lives.

As our colleagues at The New School for Social Research have written:

 “The Dakota Access Pipeline is an imminent threat to those living on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, as well as those who live near the pipeline and rely on water from the Missouri River. The pipeline is a dangerous, grave risk to primary water source and would be an environmental assault on the community if a spill were to occur. Energy Transfer Partners has assured the people of Standing Rock that the pipeline would be closely monitored, but given the historical relations between Indigenous peoples and the United States, the tribe has little faith that their safety and interests will be upheld. The record on spillage is bleak. In 2012-2013, there were 300 oil pipeline breaks in North Dakota alone. The pipeline will also disturb burial grounds and sacred sites on the tribe’s ancestral treaty lands—its proposal marks violation on multiple fronts.”

As a community of faculty and student scholar-practitioners at Fielding Graduate University addressing personal, organizational, societal, ecological, and global concerns in pursuit of a more just and sustainable world, standing in solidary with the people of Standing Rock is entirely in keeping with our vision and values. Moreover, Fielding students, alums, and faculty include members of various Indigenous communities who work actively for the preservation and recuperation of Native American culture, language, and values.  We believe our University’s stated commitment to social and ecological justice and to addressing the injustices perpetrated on marginalized people, alongside its commitment to serving American Indians, warrant our position.

We recognize that mobilizations and organizing such as Standing Rock are happening around the globe, with Indigenous Peoples and their allies often on the front lines. We, as members of a global community, understand the deep global interconnectedness of human and natural life and our destiny.

We stand with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and all those who struggle against the imposition of “development” projects and other practices that harm land and life in all its forms.

Sincerely,

Anna DiStefano, Faculty

Senate Leadership Committee

Anthony F. Greene‎, Faculty

Senate Leadership Committee

April Harris-Britt‎, Faculty

Senate Leadership Committee

Barbara Mink‎, Program Director

Academic Leadership Team

Dorothy Agger-Gupta‎, Program Director

Academic Leadership Team

Gerald Porter‎, Provost & Senior VP

Academic Leadership Team

Jerri Lynn Hogg, Program Director

Academic Leadership Team

Kristine M. Jacquin‎, Dean

Academic Leadership Team

Marcella Benson Quaziena‎, Faculty

Senate Leadership Committee

Marilyn Freimuth‎, Program Director

Academic Leadership Team

Mark Scanlon-Greene‎, Faculty

Senate Leadership Committee

Monique Snowden‎, VP

Institutional Planning and Effectiveness

Regina Tuma‎, Faculty

Senate Leadership Committee

Steve Schapiro‎, Dean

Academic Leadership Team

Teresa Marquez-Lopez, Faculty

Senate Leadership Committee