The Ithacan

How to Stay Motivated

By Christina Tudor • February 10, 2015

Last night, I was sitting in my bed struggling to get off Facebook and actually finish my paper that was due the next day. I was tired. I wanted to go to sleep. I didn’t have any more energy to keep...

A Fight for Freedom: A Reflection on the Day of Action

By Christina Tudor • February 2, 2015

One week ago at exactly this time, I would have just braced a massive snow storm driving back to Ithaca College after attending Planned Parenthood’s annual Day of Action in Albany, NY to lobby for women’s...

Learning the Jails

By Faith Meckley, Staff Writer • December 8, 2014

Before myself and my comrades began lining up in front of Crestwood Midstream's gates on Route 14 just north of Watkins Glen, I never put much thought into the area jails. I had no clue that there was a jail in Watkins Glen right across the street from the picturesque state park, and I admit to not even knowing that there was a jail in each county. Now I find these various jails to be at an almost constant forefront of my mind.

$A jar of silica sand used for hydraulic fracturing$

Risky Business

By Faith Meckley, Staff Writer • November 16, 2014

My heart was pounding as I brushed the excess sand off the jar, and it wasn't because I was risking trespass charges. It was because I knew there was a chance I was risking my life. Once I screwed the lid on, I frantically brushed my gloves off on my pant leg, and then did the best I could to shake the stuff off my pants. A little voice in my head told me that trying to decontaminate myself was futile, that if I had been smart I would have come here equipped with a mask. It could already be in my lungs.

Politics professor engages students in local social justice issues

By Sabrina Knight, Staff Writer • November 11, 2014

Patricia Rodriguez, associate professor of politics, said she developed a passion for activism and speaking out against issues because of oppression.

When All Else Fails

By Faith Meckley, Staff Writer • October 31, 2014

I clarified to him that our blockade was not going to let anything in or out. "Well, I'm going to open the gates, then!" He declared in a tone that said, 'alright, you asked for it.' The negotiation phase was over; now, they were using intimidation. When he opened the gates, the driver climbed into his truck and lurched forward, blaring his horn.

First Amendment Rights Don’t Come First

By Faith Meckley, Staff Writer • October 3, 2014

...as the excitement from Flood Wall Street died down, I saw that day much differently. I now see how tightly the police controlled us, and, subsequently, how watered-down our first amendment right to peaceably assemble was.

The Fruits of Our Labor

By Faith Meckley, Staff Writer • August 29, 2014

...corporations have no right to be exploiting people, whether they live in Nebraska or Texas or the Ecuadorian Rainforest, and I know that this current system cannot last. Although the Tar Sands Blockade failed to stop TransCanada in the south, the northern section of KXL has not been built because of activists.

A Vow of Silence

By Faith Meckley, Staff Writer • June 25, 2014

The purpose of constantly having someone silent on the march is so we can represent those who have no voice in this issue. It is my turn to carry this torch. Ben just finished his 10 day silence, and in his place I will be silent for a week

America the Beautiful

By Faith Meckley, Staff Writer • June 20, 2014

Here lies Berenice Tompkins, dead from pollution from tar sands oil refineries like Suncor. She breathed the air and it killed her. What world are we living in where we have no clean air? Let Berenice’s death be a reminder to all of us of those who have been silenced, sickened, and killed by air pollution...

Colorado Springs

By Faith Meckley, Staff Writer • June 15, 2014

While I'm on the march, I want to focus less on the material world and more on the finer things; nature, friendships, music, making a difference in my world, and my personal development.

Video: Ride For Life

By Ben Bishop, Cody Hoyt, and Durst Breneiser • September 11, 2013