This fall I started classes again after a semester-long break to campaign for Bernie Sanders during the primary election. Although I wasn’t actively working for any candidate during the general election, I still found it difficult not to spend a lot of time following election news.
Fortunately I was taking only one major class, PUBAFF 6040, Public Budgeting and Finance, and ENR 7981, the seminar for students in the Masters in Environment and Natural Resources program, which I formally started this semester.
In addition to coursework, I tried to keep up with environmental advocacy work. Many of these activities revolved around the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in North Dakota, including starting a petition, participating in a protest, meeting with the governor’s office, and visiting Standing Rock myself.