THE INDEPENDENT

CULTURE

Indigenous People's Day 2025 Indigenous People's Day 2025

Wednesday, November 12, 2025 | Written by Mya Simon, Photographed by M'iitra Pino

Indigenous People's Day 2025

October rain does little to keep FLC from celebrating Indigenous culture 

Banging Heads in Buckley Park Banging Heads in Buckley Park

Thursday, October 2, 2025 | Mya Simon and Garrett Middleton

Banging Heads in Buckley Park

Locals share an inside look into Durango's metal scene. 

59th Annual Hozhoni Days Powwow 59th Annual Hozhoni Days Powwow

Friday, May 2, 2025 | Written by Junior Parrish, Photographed by Donovan Riley and Junior Parrish

59th Annual Hozhoni Days Powwow

An event that brings joy and beauty, Hozhoni Ambassadors and First Attendant said.
Powder to the people Powder to the people

Powder to the people

By Mia McCormick Indy Staff Writer

Running Purgatory means all work and snow play. 

How much do we know about what it takes to keep a ski mountain running? What happens after the last chair unloads at 4 p.m.? Purgatory Ski Resort, the closest ski area to Durango, has an array of workers who experience sides of the mountain that the public doesn’t. They are the behind-the-scenes crew, who make sure that the slopes are ready for any rider.    THE TEAM...

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Four stars for my four day quarantine Four stars for my four day quarantine

Four stars for my four day quarantine

By Mia McCormick Indy Staff Writer

After testing positive for COVID-19, one reporter tells-all about her stay in FLC's COVID hotel

Isolation room 336 smelled like cleaning products and fresh linens the first time I  entered it. When I hurried out the door on my fourth and final day in the COVID hotel, the air that followed me was thick with the odor of soggy, untouched food and unhinged boredom.  I got my positive COVID-19 test results on Jan. 28. A few hours after I got the dreaded email from the health...

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Thinking outside of the 9 to 5 Thinking outside of the 9 to 5

Thinking outside of the 9 to 5

By Julian Zastrocky Indy Staff Writer

From coffee-making to plant-care to art, here's how some students on campus pay the bills. 

What better way to make a little extra money than a side hustle. Some students at Fort Lewis College sometimes need a little extra money, so they use their interests and skills to make the extra cash they need. But other times that little extra cash can turn into more.  Devyn Valandra is a sophomore at FLC, majoring in entrepreneurship. When he was a senior in high school, he took a...

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'A String of Prayers' 'A String of Prayers'

'A String of Prayers'

By Dorothy Elder Editor-in-chief

Behind a four-day, 232 mile prayer run that stretched all around the Four Corners region to raise awareness and pray for missing and murdered Indigenous women.

For around an hour on a cold, brisk Friday in February, the First Assembly of God’s church parking lot in rural Dove Creek saw the most action it’d probably seen in years, as cars swiftly pulled in, sandwiches were exchanged and runners eagerly drank water.  It was a small pitstop, just off U.S. Highway 491, in a rather large endeavor: a four-day, 232 mile prayer run that...

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Lee Bitsóí Departs FLC Lee Bitsóí Departs FLC

Lee Bitsóí Departs FLC

By Alx Lee Indy Staff Writer

Effective on March 1, LeManuel “Lee” Bitsóí, associate vice president for diversity affairs and Special Advisor for Indigenous Affairs has left his position at Fort Lewis College.

Effective on March 1, LeManuel “Lee” Bitsóí, associate vice president for diversity affairs and special advisor for Indigenous affairs has left his position at Fort Lewis College. The news first broke after an email sent from Bitsóí to Fort Lewis College President Tom Stritikus was shared with the FLC community.   The email included Bitsóí’s acceptance to the...

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