Written by Briana Salem, Staff Writer

The student organization Four Directions held its first interest meeting on Jan. 24. The meeting was open to all students, faculty, and staff.

“We work in conjunction with the Native American studies minor to promote it and discuss basically anything we want, but most of the things we discuss are centered around Native Americans in the surrounding community as well as worldwide,” Johnson said.

Students are welcome to come to any meeting to pitch ideas for activities or to join the organization. During the meeting held on Jan. 1, the students discussed ideas of what they would want to do throughout the spring semester.

“Each meeting we all get together and discuss whatever we want,” Dr. Lovern said. “One semester we worked completely with learning and studying different languages, and during another we focused on more charitable work.”

During meetings, the members consider activities, such as bake sales, movie nights and fried bread night, an event started by the Department of Social Etiquette in the fall 2016 semester that Four Directions partnered with the group to hold, and since the event was a success, the two organizations are coming together in March of 2017 to hold the event again.

The members of Four Directions discuss national issues as well. For example, the students in the organization are concerned about the pipeline that President Donald Trump has approved to be built throughout the Dakotas; the land threatened is sacred to the Native Americans in the area.

To start off this semester, members discussed donating canned goods to the surrounding counties that were affected by the storm that hit a week ago. The members are going to donate and help out the victims of the storm.

“I am sorry it happened, but it would be a great way to start off our semester by helping the victims of the storm,” Johnson said.

Created in 2012, the organization Four Directions meets every other Tuesday at 5 p.m. to discuss what students want to do in the community. Most meetings are conducted by the faculty adviser, Dr. Lavonna Lovern, and staff adviser, Pamela Johnson.