Lindsey Hurd

A new student-led publication aims to spread social awareness and promote activism in the Brookings community.

“The Mosiac,” now in its third round of publication, hopes to be “a new view for SDSU.”

“We didn’t feel our views were represented in the Brookings area,” said editor Catherine Grandorff, a freshman English and Spanish major.

“Brookings seems pretty complacent for a college town. I’d like to see them get riled up,” said Grandorff, who met with eight or nine other people in December with plans to start their own paper.

Heath Alsgaard, a contributor, was also disappointed in the media’s coverage of social issues.

“We were getting tired of the editorials in The Collegian,”said Alsgaard, a junior history major. “We felt that The Collegian wasn’t doing as much as they could.”

Alsgaard was shocked by defamatory statements published during the highly debated issues of the 2006 mid-term elections.

“Those instances were a big push to get us started,” Alsgaard said.

Columnists and contributors write about a broad range of issues, including social justice, religious freedom and environmental and political issues. Alberto Orellana, a journalism graduate student, writes a column. His first got involved to write.

“I wanted to write, that was my first motive. I wanted to write about things that were not covered in The Collegian,” said Orellana.

Orellana focuses on discrimination and gender inequality in his monthly column.

Chrissy Eide, a junior music merchandising major, saw a need for “another piece of mind” in the community.

“I was concerned about the lack of awareness in America and especially our age group about what’s happening outside our own individual lives,” said Eide, a contributor for the publication.

Mary Carlson welcomes the new publication. “I appreciate the fact that there is an alternative source of opinions produced and written by students in our area,” said Carlson, a senior English major. “I like that it’s student-run.”

Carlson is not alone.

“So far the only feedback has been positive,” Eide said. “They think it’s great that we’ve taken the initiative.”

“I’d like to see it keep going and see more students getting involved in activist roles,” Grandorff said.

Funding is an issue for the fledgling publication, which received private donations after the first issue.

“We’re having a hard time coming up with the funds,” Eide said. She explained that the paper will run advertisements only out of necessity. “Printing costs are what’s keeping us back right now.”

Copies can be obtained at many locations, including Cottonwood Coffee, Yeager Hall, Black Sheep Coffee in Sioux Falls and from staff members. The third issue will also be distributed at local bars.

Interested participants can contact the publication at [email protected] or on Facebook under The Mosaic.