• Several conservation groups on campus hosted a candlelight vigil to protest the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
• The student organizations joined a nationwide demonstration against the proposal to drill in the U.S. and Canada.
• The protest, consisting of 10 people, passed out fliers and held signs promoting the cause.
Several of Ball State’s conservation groups came together Monday night to join a nationwide protest against the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The U.S. State Department released its report Friday about the pipeline, a proposed construction project to drill oil through Canada and the U.S.
The report said the pipeline will create nearly 2,000 construction jobs, but carbon emissions from the pipeline would be equivalent to running around 300,000 passenger vehicles for one year.
Go Fossil Free Ball State and Students for Creative Social Activism members hosted a candlelight vigil at Frog Baby and walked through Robert Bell Building and Art and Journalism Building.
Ariana Brown, a senior psychology major and SCSA president, said the candlelight vigil was an unorthodox choice, but it sent a message about the cause’s importance.
“We want people to know that Muncie is there, too,” Brown said. “Muncie cares. We’re out here, and we’re not supporting the Keystone XL pipeline.”
Kourtney Dillavou, a senior landscape architecture major and cofounder of Go Fossil Free, helped organize the last-minute vigil to protest the upcoming legislation.
“It’s [a] non-violent, civil disobedience act against Keystone XL,” she said. “Obama will be making his decision about how he feels, so this is our last fighting chance at having him say no.”
The group eventually left their candles behind and headed inside to hold signs and leave fliers.
Brown also helped to lead the group of 10 protesters, made up of seven students and a family of three from the Muncie community.
“We threw this together last night,” she said. “This is a lot of people. With 24 hour notice on a school night in the cold, this is great. I’m pretty happy with the turnout.”
Dan Kaiser, a sophomore architecture major, said sustainability is a part of his future career.
“I’m just really passionate about sustainability,” Kaiser said.
“Something like [the pipeline] needs to be talked about. People need to know because eventually it’s going to affect all of us.”
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