Though there were sacred elements and certainly many stories told, the Ceremony was far more committed to educating attendees about the history of indigenous peoples and spurring change in the common ways in which we think about those who lived on this land before us and the disastrous effects of European colonization, including the painful reverberations still felt by Native Americans today.

These sentiments were clear in the title of the main program for the night, written by Paula Palmer, “Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples,” as well as its first words:

“Let’s begin by acknowledging, with humility, that the land where we sit and stand today is the territory of the Otoe and Missouria Tribes.”

Also included in the Ceremony was a striking interactive demonstration that put students and community members in the position of Native peoples facing extermination, first through European diseases, then through the many cruel relocation efforts taken by the U.S. government, as well as many other hardships endured, even in recent years.

“The focus of the program is not to point fingers,” emphasized Ron Owens, who led the Ceremony with his wife Jan.

The Owens are active members of Mid American Indian Fellowships (MAIF), an organization working to restore and reclaim indigenous cultures and traditions.

Jan Owens hopes the event will lift up the stories of Native peoples.

“[Storytelling] is what the Native Americans did. The generational and restoration projects that we’re doing [are] to bring back these stories and to add our [own] stories, [as well],” she said.

Students and community members closed the night by sharing their honest reactions to the Ceremony and suggesting actions everyone can take to support Native peoples, ranging from further promotion of the historical truth about the atrocities imposed upon Native Americans, to getting one’s local church or community organization involved with helping indigenous peoples today, perhaps by partnering with MAIF.

Jewell students wishing to make a difference in the lives of Native Americans today should consider joining the upcoming Fall Break Service Trip to the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in Bridger, South Dakota. Those interested in volunteering should contact Jewell Chaplain Jeff Buscher in his office in Gano Chapel or email buscherj@william.jewell.edu.

The Native American Blanket Ceremony was a reminder to Jewell’s campus and communities like it to remember the injustices of the past and seek out opportunities for peace in the future.

“Let us learn to live in right relationship with this land and with all peoples,” expressed the program’s ending lines.

Cover photo by Cassidy Winsor.

On Friday Sept. 14, the Liberty Arts Commission, in collaboration with William Jewell College and Corbin Theater, held the first Poetry on the Square event. Members of the Liberty community, including a few Jewell students and alumni, gathered from 7-9 p.m. in the quaint Corbin Theater to share their own poetry and listen to others’ poems.

This was the second literary event produced by the Liberty Arts Commission and William Jewell College –  the first being Arts Collide, which was held in Jewell’s Stocksdale Gallery in August.

Carol Kariotis, one of the organizers of Poetry on the Square, spoke to the Hilltop Monitor about  the Liberty Arts Commission’s increased focus on the literary arts.

Carol Kariotis at the first Poetry on the Square event

“We’ve started doing a lot more with literary arts besides the regular visual arts that we do. We wanted [Arts Collide] to be kind of a big kick off, and then we would like to have an open mic every month if we can get a following for it,” said Kariotis.

The emcee for the evening was local poet David Arnold Hughes.

David Arnold Hughes, emcee for Poetry on the Square

“The reason I thought of [Hughes] right off the bat was because of his wonderful reading voice and his beautiful poetry,” Kariotis said.

Hughes started the night by sharing one of his own poems entitled “Angels.” His enthusiasm and welcoming attitude made poets feel at home on stage throughout the night.

This welcoming, accepting feeling was a central theme of the open mic.

“Don’t feel shy about getting up [and sharing] because this is a place where we want to encourage new poets, [as well as] celebrate older poets,” emphasized Kariotis.

Attendees of the event took these words to heart –  throughout the night more than 10 poets performed a diverse collection of pieces. Some poets had a few open mics under their belt, while others shared their poetry for the first time. Some had self-published books of their poetry, while others read out of personal journals. Either way, everyone was met with generous applause after sharing their poems.

One of the poets, Anna Borgert, senior English and history major shared about her experience.

“It was much more comfortable and homey than I thought it was going to be. The audience, while small, was very comforting and receptive to new poets. Everytime a new poet read all of the older poets would say ‘Congratulations! Welcome home!’” said Borgert.

Recent Jewell graduate and local poet Rebecca Santiago, class of 2018, gave passionate performances of her original poems, and will also serve as the emcee for the October installment of the event.

Jewell Graduate Rebecca Santiago performing at Poetry on the Square

“[Poetry on the Square], in its early stages and as it grows, will allow those who are unsure of their voices to connect with themselves, the community, and fellow artists,” Santiago said.  

Liberty Arts Commission and Jewell are co-hosting another Poetry on the Square on Friday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. in Corbin Theater. Jewell students are encouraged to share their own poetry and other creative writing, or simply come and listen.  

Santiago looks forward to hearing from a diverse group of poets, amateur or seasoned.

“Poetry should make you feel and then want to do. Laugh, cry, question, grow. From the Hilltop to the Square and beyond, this community has a voice and deserves to be heard,” Santiago said.    

Photos by Harper Vincent

The ceremony began with the procession of faculty members in full academic robes and the singing of the National Anthem. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, president of the College, delivered a welcome message to the community.

The Concert Choir performed the musical anthem under the direction of Dr. Anthony Maglione, associate professor of music. The piece, entitled “The Same Stream,” established an accepting, forward-looking tone through the lyrics:

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day

runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

Susan Chambers, chair of the Board of Trustees, congratulates award winner Karen L. Daniel.

Karen L. Daniel and Jewel D. Scott, received the 2018 William F. Yates Medallion, the highest non-degree award bestowed by Jewell.

Karen L. Daniel was the chief financial officer of Black and Veatch, as well as president of the company’s Global Finance and Technology Solutions Division, until her recent retirement. Daniel was introduced by Joe Reardon, the President/CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, who praised her financial accounting skills and wonderful sense of humor.

Jewel D. Scott, also recently retired, served The Civic Council of Greater Kansas City for 29 years as director of research and lateras the executive director. Sandra J. Price, former Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Sprint Corporation introduced Scott.

The address was delivered by David Warm, Executive Director of Mid-America Regional Council. Warm drew on his experience as a father and a community leader in Liberty to present an encouraging message.  

“[As critical thinkers at William Jewell, you have claimed] the skills, the confidence, the commitment to let go and move forward, to navigate the uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity,” said Warm.

At the end of the ceremony, attendees of the 2018 Opening Convocation stood to sing Jewell’s Alma Mater, ushering in a new academic year on the Hill.

In the email, Jones informed the Jewell community about the upgraded locks on classroom doors that can be locked from the inside with a push button or lever lock, summarized campus trends including a recent increase in vehicle thefts and identified actions everyone can take to deter theft on campus.

One area of the new policy that students should have no problem buying into is vehicular theft prevention. According to KCTV News, Kansas City had more car thefts than any other city in Missouri in 2017. The number of car thefts in the metro area increased from 7,800 in 2016 to more than 9,700 in 2017. Additionally, KMBC News reported that car thefts have risen 25 percent in the Kansas City area.

“People have realized that cars are kind of an easy target,” said Jones. “It really only takes a couple seconds to open a car door, look in the glove box, grab some cash and leave.”

Nathan Wasson, sophomore Oxbridge: History of Ideas major, gained first hand experience with vehicular theft when his car, a 2002 Acura RSX type S, was stolen from campus last November. Wasson suspects that the make and model of his car contributed largely to the theft.

“[The car] is prized among a certain community of people,” Wasson said, adding that his car was locked when it was stolen, possibly indicating the thief knew the car’s value.

An overview of the cars in the “Sahara,” a lot where most William Jewell College students park.

Wasson’s experience may be an outlier, but his story is a reminder to the Jewell community that our campus is not immune to car theft, and that it is more important than ever to keep car doors locked and store valuables out of sight.

Campus Safety has also begun patrolling campus streets at night.

“The reason for that is to deter people who would [steal a car],” explains Jones. “We want them to see that we patrol and go maybe somewhere else.”

The updated policy also included the launch of the See Something, Do Something campaign, which endeavors to make students more aware of various resources on campus–one of them being the new anonymous hotline.

“There’s only so much that I and the officers can do, but we have a thousand people who live and work [on campus] so that’s a lot of eyes, that’s a lot of ears. [Just] having everyone else brought in is incredibly effective,” Jones said.

“[The campaign is all about] getting people engaged in their own safety and [encouraging] people to, if they see concerns, to take action directly,” Jones said. “[Jewell is] a very caring community and I think the See Something, Do Something campaign carries that forward.”

Jewell students may have seen the See Something, Do Something posters around campus. The posters contain helpful resources such as the contact information of various offices that can provide assistance related to sexual assault, safety, security and student conduct. The poster also contains the number of the new anonymous hotline.

Samantha Fulte, senior biochemistry major, shared that the idea for the anonymous hotline came partly from the students and faculty of the Diversity Education Work Group (DEWG).

“Our first goal was to develop a Bias Incident Response Plan,” Fulte said. “[The anonymous tip line] was a way for people to report incidents of bias on campus.”

Fulte said that DEWG also intended the tip line to acquire information about safety at Jewell. “Just because our annual campus safety report says that there were 0 instances of X, doesn’t mean that X is not occurring,” Fulte said. Ultimately, there is potential for the anonymous tip line to fulfill both of these uses.

“[We want to] make it as easy as possible for people to report something,” said Jones. “Getting those reports of concerning behavior is so important to preventing tragedies.”

Beyond the new portions of campus safety’s policies, it is still important for students to lock their dorm rooms and avoid leaving doors propped to the residence halls.

“When you prop a door you [compromise] security for everybody else in that building,” Jones said.

Ernie Stufflebean, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Life, also commented on campus safety at William Jewell.

“I do think Jewell is a safe campus,” said Stufflebean. “However, I also think that safety poses our greatest challenge. We’re not immune from crime, and opportunity exists because we let our guard down.”

Ways for students to report concerns and get support:

Online form: williamjewell.formstack.com/forms/concerning_behavior_report

Online anonymous form: jewell.ethicspoint.com

Anonymous hotline: 1-844-473-4842

Photos courtesy of Cassie Hayes.