Members of UW’s faculty assumed prominent state roles concerning the issue of civil rights
On the December 22 a press release from UW reported that 15 Wyoming citizens were appointed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Wyoming State Advisory Committee, two of which are UW faculty.
Affie Ellis, who worked in UW’s American Indian Studies Program, was also appointed.
Eric Nye, associate professor of English at UW and State Civil Rights Committee veteran of three terms, said that the committee has not been terribly active in the past years. He said that the committee is primarily there to respond to situations that arise, pointing toward past meeting minutes that highlighted issues such as gay students in Natrona County having trouble hosting clubs, or a vote in Torrington that would consider the gay student ostracism and hostility across the state.
He attributes the committee’s inactivity in recent years to the its inability to address larger scale issues, citing a webinar the committee held on human trafficking that did not lead to much action on the committee’s part.
Nye said the he is especially concerned with issues concerning free speech, citing a polling they held when a controversial speaker was invited to the university.
“There were a lot of ways to approach civil rights, and it’s been questioned by hostile sources and come from within governments,” Nye said. He says that the committee is a way to defend against civil rights violations that could come from the government.
Affie Ellis, the president of Ellis Public Affairs and first time member of the committee, said that she hopes to make changes to current Native American laws. She also said that being a new member, she does not know much of what to expect.
Ellis plans to work for jurisdictional reform on the Wind River Reservation.
“In my years of working in the government I’ve learned that people are best served when listened to,” Ellis said.
The State Civil Rights Committee is scheduled to meet next on February 7.
