A 17-minute student walkout will be hosted on the Lory Student Center Plaza Friday at 10 a.m. to honor the victims and survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., with one minute representing every victim in the shooting.
With the national #Enough walkouts happening last week when Colorado State University was on spring break and the March for Our Lives taking place Saturday, the Advocacy and Service Committee of the National Residence Hall Honorary felt it was an ideal time to show their support for the student activists of Parkland, NRHH Advocacy and Service Vice President Hannah Cowie said.
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“I think it’s really important as student leaders and as a campus that prides itself on its principles and social justice and respect and integrity and inclusion, that we act on that,” Cowie said. “It is our responsibility to honor those high school activists and those student leaders, to let them know we are listening.”
In an email to The Collegian, Cowie wrote it is not their intention to disrupt class or campus activities, but they realize the walkout may impact class time. Regardless, they feel it is key for members of an educational institution to show support for the Parkland survivors.
Although the committee recognizes other student walkouts have had a gun control element to them, Cowie said their organization does not take a stance on gun regulation and asks that walkout attendees also do not bring that debate to the walkout.
“I think regardless of our political views, … we can all agree losing 17 lives was an incredible tragedy and it’s not something that we take lightly,” Cowie said. “We invite people from any opinion on the gun regulation conversation to join us.”
Collegian reporter Samantha Ye can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @samxye4.
