By Amelia Kibbe
Contributing Writer
Many believe the Nuclear Age to be a thing of the past. They believe it was a problem of last century; the time of World War II and the Cold War.
Kristen Iversen, author of All Bonaventure Reads book “Full Body Burden,” visited St. Bonaventure University Monday to refute this belief.
Over the summer, all incoming freshmen were required to read Iversen’s book about growing up in the shadow of Rocky Flats, a U.S. nuclear production plant in Colorado. Students also wrote a reflective essay on the book. The top 12 essays were published in a composition given to the author and winners. The winners also attended a pre-speech dinner with Iversen. All freshmen then attended Iversen’s talk in the Reilly Center Arena on Monday at 7 p.m.
Iversen was very excited to share her story. She firmly believes in action, and hoped that spreading the word would encourage others.
“I am so honored to be here,” Iversen said.
Iversen spoke to students about the importance of awareness and speaking out when necessary. In her story, she tells of how she came to realize just how many unsafe and illegal practices were taking place at the plant near her home. Not only was the government putting the plant employees at risk, but it was also hurting the surrounding area with dangerous pollution. Iversen described how she and other protesters spoke up and fought the government to admit to the problems and fix them.
Iversen and her fellow protesters are still fighting. Despite the fact that the government stopped producing nuclear weapons years ago, Rocky Flats continues to be a highly dangerous place due to decades of unethical operations.
“Rocky Flats is still a problem, even though the plant has closed,” Iversen said. “It can never be determined just how much pollution is at the plant or has escaped into the surrounding areas.”
The area is not safe to live in, yet the government has not passed any laws prohibiting this.
Freshman biology major Nicole Cummins said she thought Iversen tackled an issue that not many people are willing to discuss.
“I thought Iversen’s speech gave a good representation of an issue many people don’t know much about and aren’t willing to talk about,” Cummins said. “Kristen set an example for others who find out something potentially dangerous.”
Another student who was excited for Iversen’s visit was freshman journalism and mass communication major Lauren Zazzara. Not only did Zazzara attend the speech, she was also one of the students whose essays were selected to be published.
“Getting to know Kristen Iversen on a personal level really helped me understand the book better,” Zazzara said. “It was no longer simply words on a page, but instead the story of someone I knew.”
Zazzara said she believes that Iversen’s message can be an inspiration for others like it was for her.
“Writing the essay gave me a chance to tell a story that I’ve been afraid to tell,” she said. “Iversen’s courage to tell a difficult story really inspired me. I liked her bravery in reporting something that may not be widely accepted because she believed it was important to act.”
Iversen said she hoped Bonaventure students took more from the book than just its literal meaning. She hoped everyone understood the importance of action and that what they do can have a large impact on others.
“It is so important to take action,” Iversen said.
