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Show MONDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2016 7 JOSHUA WINEHOLT | The Signpost JOSHUA WINEHOLT | The Signpost Bob Moses performs at the Rock the Vote concert at the Ogden Amphitheater as the headline act. The Brocks, based out of Provo, open for Bob Moses at the Rock the Vote concert at the Ogden Amphitheater. ROCK THE VOTE ››continued from front race was tied. One person shows up, and they decide who the mayor is. More often, you get local elections where they’re split by a few hundred votes or a hundred votes. One person can rally enough people to change that, so just even talking about it, being involved, it changes things.” Backstage, as Provo locals The Brocks wrapped up their set, Vancouver altrock/electronic two-piece Bob Moses spoke about what playing events like Rock the Vote means. “It feels like you’re playing for more of a cause than people just coming to get messed up,” guitarist and vocalist Tom Howie said jokingly. “Also, I don’t think enough young kids go out and vote, so bringing more light to that is a really important thing,” Jimmy Vallance, the other half of the duo, added. Both Vallance and Howie are Canadian born, but Vallance has obtained U.S. citi- zenship, and Howie is in the process. The band formed in New York and came to prominence in the United States, so they consider themselves an American band. Howie said he hopes to be able to vote one day. “I feel like the things I strived for as a young man are more possible in America,” he said. Vallance pointed out that many people have the attitude that their votes don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but he added that often, it’s a marginal number of votes that decides elections. When only half of the population votes in a presidential election year, a small, focused group could swing the outcome, and that’s why voting is important. “Look at the candidates, and look what could happen,” Vallance said. “Go out and do something and help because if it goes the way you don’t want it to go, you only have yourself to blame. And not voting is a vote for the other side.” Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com Town hall dialogue about race opens at Union Station WSUSA Executive Board burns the late-night oil By RACHEL STORM By BEN BRANDLEY Correspondent Over 100 Weber State University students, alumni and community members attended Weber’s second town hall conversation, “About Race,” this Saturday from 9–11 a.m. at the Ogden Union Station, which donated the use of its facility for the event. They gathered to continue the open dialogue among the community from a previous town hall hosted earlier this year on July 30 concerning issues of race, ethnicity and police policy. Adrienne Andrews, WSU’s chief diversity officer, led the discussion at the event. Andrews said, “It’s less of an issues-focus dialogue this time. This particular conversation is a result of interest from the first conversation. A lot of the feedback we received was that people wanted to have a better understanding of ‘What does race mean?’ ‘What does ethnicity mean?’ ‘How do we talk about those concepts?’” In order to answer these questions and better facilitate an open dialogue among the community, participants received an educational packet, which assisted each individual in identifying his or her own racial autobiography. During this time, participants were divided into groups of 7–8 and were encouraged to communicate with one another about their personal experiences with race and ethnicity. The dialogue then moved to a collective discussion, acknowledging how racism in our communities has changed, progressed and, in some instances, stagnated over the past few decades. Roy City Police Chief Carl Merino and Ogden City Police Chief Mike Ashment vol- untarily joined in the conversation, each sharing his own personal experiences while listening respectfully to the concerns of the community they serve. At the conclusion of the event, Chief Ashment said, “We’re focusing a lot on things we need to do, but we also recognize how far we have come in such a short period of time. I think we have to give ourselves some credit.” Weber students attended this event for a variety of reasons. Shirley Knight said, “I came here for extra credit in one of my classes, but I was surprised hearing others’ stories and seeing how strong racism is in Utah … I’ll be coming back again. It was awesome.” Heidi Cottam said, “Racial injustice isn’t an option, so anything that will get us closer to a solution — I’ll be there.” While the reasons for attendance varied, a common theme emerged — a search for knowledge and shared understanding among the community in hopes of achieving unity. When asked what message Andrews hoped the Weber State students and participants took away from this dialogue, she said, “When we use pronouns like ‘I’ and ‘you,’ we’re talking about diversity. When we talk about ‘we,’ we are talking about unity.” By popular demand from the community for more open dialogue on race, the Diversity Office will be hosting another town hall conversation Nov. 12 and invites all members of the community to join the conversation. When asked what students interested in attending this event can expect, Andrews said, “Meaningful and impactful dialogue where everyone has a chance to speak.” Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com RACHEL STORM | The Signpost Ogden community members gather to talk about racial tensions at the Union Station on Sept. 17. News Reporter The WSUSA executive board is staying up late for meetings this semester. The members of the executive branch are gathering in the Student Involvement and Leadership (SIL) office from 9–11 p.m. every Wednesday night. Gregory Woodfield, WSUSA president, directs the late-night meeting. The unique meeting time is due to hectic schedules, according to Morgan Gardiner, service vice president. “We all don’t have one aspect in our lives. We have a lot going on,” Gardiner said. The executive board is made up of several teams that oversee organizations and committees. Vice presidents generally lead these teams. Despite the late hours, every executive board member was present. Hayley Tomney has been a member of student government for over a year. This semester, she is the vice president for the Davis Campus and all other satellite centers. “I have never heard of meetings going this late before,” said Tomney. Student government meetings have historically been held in the afternoon on school days. Michaela Funtanilla, WSU senior, said she can understand if that is the only time that fits with the executives’ schedules, but she is also a little concerned. “I feel like they should be encouraging students to attend, but they’re not really doing that by having meetings so late at night,” Funtanilla said. The purpose of the board is to discuss issues and upcoming events that involve the entire school. Diversity and Unity Vice President Hailame Kinikini is in charge of some of those events, which are aimed at accepting diversity at Weber State. Kinikini said that every school on campus is part of the diversity and unity committee. In this meeting, board members discussed ways they could help unify the Weber State community. In an effort to do this, Kinikini and others helped organize a panel discussion with Latino and Hispanic public and political officials on Sept.15. WSU Student Involvement and Leadership Gregory Woodfield, WSUSA president. WSU Student Involvement and Leadership Morgan Gardiner, WSUSA service VP. “Our goal is to unite the school,” Kinikini said. Most teams hold smaller meetings every Monday from 12:30–2:00 p.m. All students are welcome to attend. The executives plan on holding meetings at a more convenient time for students next semester, according to Tomney. Along with the aforementioned board members, the following executives were also in attendance: Landon Bickley, leadership vice president; Jeffrey Henry, legislative vice president; Noor Mouhammad, programming vice president; Dylan Totaro, marketing director; and Cassidy Eames, social media chair. “We are willing to meet late because we are dedicated. We bleed purple, and we love Weber State,” said Tomney. Comment on this story at signpost.mywebermedia.com |