The public affairs club will be hosting a protest for students, staff and community members who wish to express their support for Standing Rock from, 1-5 p.m. on Nov. 15, in Union Square on Emporia State’s campus.

“We were going to bring in a speaker, but because of time and distance I don’t know that we’d be able to,” said Murad Jalilov, public affairs club member and senior political science major. “So we decided to do a different kind of event to support it, which is the upcoming protest.”

The #NODAPL protest has become a topic of discussion recently as “tribes, allies and people of all walks of life” are gathering to display their support for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, according to the official Stand with Standing Rock website. The access pipeline is supposed to run through the tribe’s reservation and presents the potential for water contamination.

“I think that the protest should serve as a platform for students to express their ideas,” Jalilov said. “We’ve got some people who are coming who will have signs, and others who are going to come with their instruments to play.”

Jalilov is also planning on taking supplies up to the reservation after the protest. He asks that people donate if they want to further their involvement in the protest.

Other students are excited about the movement and protest on campus as well.

“I am happy to see the students at Emporia State University get involved in politics and political discussion, both on the state and national scale,” said Cassie Stair, public affairs club member and senior political science major. “It is exciting to see so many students express their beliefs.”

There is also a plan for a group of ESU students to travel to Standing Rock during Thanksgiving break, according to Jalilov.