Spring 2015, Vol 3.
Red Rocks gets Trampled by. . . Turtles ?!
Technology: The Burden on Humanity
The Kings’ Treasure f est o The B CCDʟs . t s e the B nalism Jour ence Excell d Awar
MISSION STATEMENT:
The Star, Community College of Denver’s student run Journal of Excellence, incorporates visual and written media to provide a platform of expression available to all CCD students. We adhere to Associated Collegiate Press guidelines.
SENIOR EDITORS:
Chanel Ward
T. Machisa
Theresa J. Cole
ASSISTANT EDITORS:
Claudia Graham,
Tina Soledad Taylor,
Chris Meehleib
CREATIVE DIRECTOR/
Lysander Romero
DESIGNER: FACULTY ADVISORS:
K. Strother, Professor, English/
Journalism/Faculty Advisor,
The Star
Lisa Erickson, English Instructor/
Faculty Advisor, The Star
John Kjos, Chair
Graphic Design Program
Photo By: Tamara Chernomordik • Balloon Glow
The Star is a student run publication and does not represent the official opinions or views of the Community College of Denver.
CONTENTS 1
VISITING MY FATHER IN PRISON
9
THE WHITE POWER
13 TECHNOLOGY: THE BURDEN ON HUMANITY We may be harming ourselves
more than we realize.
15 21 27
THE RISE AND FALL OF MIKE ALVARADO
37
THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF SUCCESSFUL CCD STUDENTS
41
DEATH WITH DIGNITY
RED ROCKS GETS TRAMPLED BY…. TURTLES?! THE KINGS’ TREASURE
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19
I want11to
“You need to go
1
I waswith a child’s you stay
soldiers marchin
HOW DARK OU Why did she j u s tWITH c rOUT y ? WAS
between the tables
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WORDS FROM OUR EDITORS:
The Star is an digital magazine showcasing the work of Community College of Denver students. Published every semester each piece is carefully reviewed and selected by us, the student editors. The Fall 2014 edition of The Star was featured in the Denver Post, and recently it received one of the Region 9 Mark of Excellence Awards. This semester’s issue features music and venue reviews, powerful prose, controversial topics, and gorgeous photography. We hope you appreciate and enjoy the excellent work chosen for our spring edition.
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FROM LEFT TO RIGHT Chanel Ward Theresa J. Cole Chris Meehleib T. Machisa Claudia Graham Tina Soledad Taylor
Photo By: Anna Stein • Denver on a pink evening
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Visiting My Father in Prison
“You need to go
I wa
I wasw stay
soldier
HOW Why did j u s t WAS
between t
look NOW.”
I MISSED M
”
By Amna Ali
I
t had been a year since the last time I saw my father. Because he was a political prisoner in Wad Madani, Sudan, my mother worked very hard for weeks to get permission, so we could visit him. Before we went to visit him, my mother tried to explain to me and my siblings the difference between a political prisoner and a regular one, but it was too much for a five year old to understand. I was going to see father, and that was all I cared about. I missed my father. Whenever he was around, his spirit lit up the place. You always saw him with a book and a smile. He read in the background of our loud laughter, and he never asked us to be quiet. Unlike other fathers, he enjoyed 1
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taking me biking while other fathers took only their male children. Unlike other Middle Eastern men, he was proud of his little five princesses. A whole year without him was too much for us all. In the morning of our visit, I woke up very early even though I couldn’t sleep most of the night. I put on my cousin’s brown dress, which she had passed to me when she grew too big for it. My mother did some work on it, so as to make it the right size. I borrowed my sister, Shaza’s sandals. They were a bit big and made my walking awkward. Since she was very jealous of me because I was going to see father, she made me do all of her duties in housekeeping for a week to get the sandals.
HOW DA WAS WI
My four sisters were not going on this visit, because it was a Sunday, and they had to go to school. Only my mother, my baby brother and I were going, so we went out after my sisters left to school. We had to change buses three times, and it took us the whole morning to make it to the security building, which was one mile away from the prison. We had to take our place in a long line in the security building’s yard where my mother was carrying my baby brother the entire time. It was summer time, and the temperature was 115 F. Although we were melting down from the sun’s heat, no one was complaining. I was sitting on the hot, stone paved floor next to my mother, so that I could use my mother’s shadow as an umbrella. She was covering my brother’s head,
ant to
a child’s you.” with
rs marching
DARK OUR HOME d she tWITH c rOUT y ? HIM,
the tables
king closely
MY FATHER
I MISSED MY FATHER
ARK OUR HOME ITHOUT HIM, who was crying loudly, with the edge of her white toub, a common dressing style for Sudanese women, which looks a bit like the Indian sari. A woman behind us told my mother that we could leave for a moment and she would keep our spot. I couldn’t understand why we had to wait there so long. I did not know that was part of the routine of visiting special prisoners. Because it was like forever to me, I kept asking my mother to go to see baba. By noon, we made it to the window where my mother filled and signed some paper work. Finally, we left the security building, and walked out to the main street until we could see the prison’s high walls. We
went through the prison’s huge doors. By the reception, there were many soldiers wearing green uniforms and carrying guns. When we were passing them, they laughed all at the same time as if they were threatening us. I grabbed my mother’s hand, and she squeezed it. Since it was the first time to be that close to soldiers, it scared me. One of the soldiers guided us to the visitors’ hall. We waited outside. The families were to be called in by the name of the prisoner. Because I didn’t want to miss it, I kept listening carefully for my father’s name. “ELYH” it knocked my stomach. I ran in front of my mother inside the visitor’s hall. It was a big room with many doors on one side and no windows at the other
sides. It appeared as if it was a little restaurant where the crowded customers were eating and chatting. Unlike a restaurant, the room’s walls were decorated with life size pictures of Gafer Nemairi, the Sudanese president 1971-1985 in his military uniform. Instead of waiters there were soldiers marching between the tables, and looking closely at every one. The room was hot, and the smells of the spicy and onion food made it hotter. The high ceiling fans seemed to be just blowing a fire. Here he came in his white jalabiya, a Sudanese traditional garment. He looked tired with an unshaved face, but still I could see his bright smile. I ran towards him, and I threw my hands SPRING 2015 VOL 3
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YOU ALWAYS SAW HIM WITH A BOOK AND A SMILE.
YOU ALWAYSSAW MY MOTHER STARTEDHIM WITH A BOOK TO CRY QUIETLY AND A SMILE. I USED TO THINK HE ENJOYED TAKING ME BIKING
THAT SOLDIERS WERE HEROES around him. He lifted me up as he used to do when he came home from work, and carried me while he was walking towards my mother. They shook hands, and sat down at a table by the far corner. I listened to his deep voice with my heart while he was setting me on his lap. I tucked my head in his chest, and he smelled my hair. I can’t remember the conversation, but I do remember the feeling. I was excited like a child’s first visit to the zoo. I was happy like someone who had won the lottery. The sounds of the crowded hall seemed soldiers marching between the tables, and looking closely The smells of delicious food were trying to tickle my empty stomach, but I was far away; one girl in one moment on top of a castle. ……Until a soldier came and declared that our time was over. Both of my parents stood up. My father was still carrying me when I looked at his face and told him that I wanted to stay 3
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with him. He tried to put me down, but I grabbed his neck with both of my hands, “Please I want to stay with you,” I said. The soldier came closer and told us again that time was over. I kept shouting, “No I want to stay with you.” The sound of the solder became more firm, “You need to go NOW.” I was still hanging from my father’s neck when the soldier came too close, pulled me away very roughly, held me and ordered my father to leave. I tried to kick him with my hands and legs, but he was too strong. I watched my father leaving accompanied by another soldier until he disappeared. Before he disappeared, he turned to look at us, and his eyes were full of tears. My mother put my baby brother down and gathered her stuff calmly. When the soldier released me, she started to walk out and motioned to me to follow her without a word. When we went through the huge prison’s doors out
to the street, it was already dark. Then my mother started to cry quietly, and I followed her with so many confusing thoughts and feelings. I used to think that soldiers were heroes because they put thieves in prison, but my father was not a thief. Why did they do that to him? Why were those soldiers so rough to a little girl who wanted to stay with her father? Maybe they didn’t know how dark our home was without him, or how quiet--no loud laughter for a year! No biking! Maybe they took him because he was different. But why didn’t my mother tell them that he is a good guy? Why did she just cry? [Author Amna Ali came to the United States in 2007 and has been a CCD student since 2012.]
Tell Stories Using Photos JOU 121 — Photojournalism
Develops photo journalistic skills in capturing moments of real life from a unique personal viewpoint. Covers a broad overview of new media storytelling techniques. Students will focus on the way they observe the world around them and on the content and quality of their photographs.
No experience necessary.
Hone Your Editing Skills
JOU 102 — Introduction to Editing for Media
Focuses on the process of editing articles for publication in newspapers, newsletters, magazines and the Internet. The Associated Press style is emphasized. This is a great class for beginners or those wanting to brush up on writing and editing skills.
Editing is FUN — I promise!
Also offered . . . l Introduction to Mass Media l Fundamentals of Reporting l Internet Media l Feature and Magazine Writing
Contact
Kristi Strother, CCD Associate Professor 303-556-5495 kristi.strother@ccd.edu for more information about Community College of Denver’s Journalism program or certificate.
Photo by: Christopher Empson • Palazzo Ducale
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Photo By: Christopher Empson • Downward Spiral.
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Photo By: Christopher Empson • Puddles Are Portals To Parallel Universes
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Photo By: Christopher Empson • Not A Threat to My Family
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The White Power
By : Chelsey Moore
I
am white. I am Danish and English, and I have never been stopped in an alley for having a hoodie on past dark, I have never been taken to the ground for saying something rude to a police officer, and I have had the privilege of being driven home by the local police after having too much to drink, far before I was 21. I will never know the fear of letting my son leave the house at night, and just praying that he doesn’t say anything, or do anything perceived as “suspicious” that may possibly get him assaulted, or worse, by the very men that are supposed to be protecting him. I am proud of who I am as a person, but am far too often disappointed in those who share my complexion. The disparities that we are facing in this country, in our society, are not going to go away if we don’t stand united to let our leaders know that we will not accept this resurgent and continuing discrimination. We will not stand for young men and women being killed and abused, we will not stand for people receiving different treatment and sentencing for committing the same minor crimes. We will not stand for 13 year old boys being shot and killed for playing with a fake gun or for men being choked to death for selling cigarettes. If we, the privileged, continue to be silent about these issues, and bite our tongues because we feel that we don’t have a place in these issues, then we are condoning every single heinous act. I don’t expect to change the world today with this poem, I just hope to remind those of us who are privileged enough not to notice privilege, that there is still work to be done.
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The White Power
White regret
The power to buy, to sell,
The- it is on my street. On all of our streets
To trade. Money, Property, Lives.
The- I watched your child be murdered, and did nothing
The power to do what you please,
The- I turned away because I was never taught what to do in this situation of injustice, but what I was taught means so much less than my actions now
The power to get away with it. The power to make Red White and Blue Stand for the red blood on the blue
The- If only I had lent a hand, joined in a protest, helped that boy up, stood in front of that cop, Questioned anyone, ever
uniforms of White cops. The White HopeWhite Privilege
That we stop seeing in terms of Black and White and Brown and Rich and Poor
The privilege to go to a school, To Live in A house, on the right side of the tracks. Decided by Demographic status alone.
That we stop defining people by their social standing or education level, That we no longer deny certain people privileges because of their socio-economic background.
To be hired first, to not have to explain “Yes Officer, I live here” and “No, just because I match the Description of a dangerous criminal in your mind, does
But that we start seeing shapes, the shape of neighbors, of children, of those who need us. Of those who Cried “STOP, I’M UNARMED”, “I CAN’T BREATHE”,
Not mean that I am party to a crime.” “IT’S ONLY A TOY”. White Complacency The- But I donate to the ACLU
That we stop being so concerned about media image and politics, And we start being concerned about the individuals that live in our communities.
The- I’m not racist, so I’m not the problem The- No one would listen to me if I did say anything The White power. White Apathy
The-If we have so much of it, why are we wasting it on ourselves.
The- It’s not on my street, so it doesn’t concern me The- I don’t have time to care about that The- Let them destroy themselves
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Photo By: Christopher Empson • Give it a Chance
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Photo By: Christopher Empson • Hope SPRING 2015 VOL 3
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Technology: The Burden on Humanity
L
We may be harming ourselves more than we realize.
By Elizabeth Reynolds iving day to day in this impulsive consumer society, it’s an obvious fact, that the human race has become obsessed with the idea of technology. With eyes glued to a cell phone screen, young people especially are losing sight of the artistry in world around them. The modern American may become stuck inside of their own egotistic world that technology has glorified through social networking, apps, and other convenient ways to make it “all-about-me.” People find comfort in creating their own technological safe-havens. As a student at Community College of Denver, I have observed that in a city setting, communication is a lost skill among people. Designed to be social creatures, a quick glance between the new text message and a passing stranger is perceived as awkward. This lack of interchange is however 100% socially acceptable. People are depriving themselves from the human interaction that they need to function the way they were intended. This lack of ideals, needless to say, shows in family life and in the workplace. “More than 60 percent of employers say that applicants lack crucial “communication and interpersonal skills,” reveals a survey by the workforce solutions group at St. Louis Community College. “A large percentage of managers also say today’s applicants can’t think critically and creatively, solve problems or write well,” According to Martha White’s “The Real Reason College Grads Can’t Get Hired.” It is a phenomenon of people living in their technology as if it was a virtual reality game. Not to mention
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the fact that Japan is already on top of creating virtual worlds through technology. Not only has new age technology affected our ability to communicate with one another as the sophisticated beings we are known to be, but also our entire ability to use our minds to their full potential. We are dehumanizing ourselves. Looking back on the great minds in history, students are baffled about how intelligent people were before technology. “I wish I could be as smart as Einstein”, one student expressed at the Northeastern Junior College in 2015. This is the era of technology and the generations to come will have more convenience at their fingertips and less ability to “think outside the screen.” Discovery seems to be an ideal of the past. “Any screen-based technology we use, including video games, will certainly enhance our visual-spatial skills — in beneficial and highly sophisticated ways — but only at the expense of developing other mental abilities, including critical thinking, knowledge acquisition, and imagination. Generally our contemporary technologies have weakened our capacity for deep processing” explains Patricia Greenfield, a developmental psychologist. She continues to explain that, “Neurons and synapses adapt to circumstances, your time spent interacting with a computer means you are remodeling your brain.” It is not difficult to see the lack of critical thinking in our spoon-fed American youth. The light behind our eyes is slowly dimming to the artificial light of the veil in front of us. In this era of technology, can we really accept that we are carrying this burden that society has bestowed upon us?
Society of Professional Journalists Region 9 Conference April 24-25, Auraria Campus Downtown Denver
Scaling New(s) Heights
Open to all student and professional journalists in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming
Early bird registration closes March 27, 2015
For registration link and event updates, visit www.spjcolorado.com
The conference highlight will be the Mark of Excellence Awards luncheon Saturday
Sessions Include • • • • • • •
Freedom of information Ethics Diversity Multimedia journalism Non-profit news Investigative journalism One-on-one mentoring SPRING 2015 VOL 3
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By Chris Meehleib
B
roomfield, Colorado, January 24, 2015, “Mile High Mike” Alvarado begins to make his way out of the tunnel. Rapper Young Jeezy’s song “Put on for my City” blares though the sound system. Chants of “Three-Oh-Three” become louder as more and more of nearly 6,000 fans join together to cheer on their hometown hero. Awaiting Alvarado in the ring was his opponent, Brandon Rios, who had just been introduced to a chorus of boos almost as loud as Alvarado’s cheers. The third fight in an epic trilogy was set to begin. The previous bouts between these two rivals had been spectacular showcases of excitement, resiliency, brutality, and heart, where each of the fighters handed the other his first career loss. Rios stopped Alvarado in 7 rounds back in 2012 and Alvarado returned the favor by unanimous decision in 2013. The stage was set for this highly anticipated rubber match to end a trilogy that will go down as one of the classics in boxing history. Unfortunately, all the hype was for naught. Mike Alvarado failed to show up in front of his home crowd. A seemingly unmotivated and lethargic fighter was beaten to a pulp in the first three rounds. Brandon Rios controlled the fight from the opening bell, landing powerful uppercuts at will while Alvarado was unable
to get into any sort of rhythm or inflict any kind of damage to his opponent.
Alvarado’s face was bloodied and every power punch Rios landed was causing him to buckle. By the end of the third round, Alvarado’s corner physician held up two fingers and asked Alvarado how many he saw. Alvarado’s response was “four”. That is when the physician was certain Alvarado had had enough. The fight was over.
Even if Alvarado had answered correctly and the fight had continued, he wouldn’t have lasted long. Rios was having his way with him. Alvarado’s face was bloodied and every power punch Rios landed was causing him to buckle. Even the Denver crowd, a fan base known for their passion and loyalty, had already turned against him and was starting to chant Rios’ name. Due to all the punishment Alvarado was taking, it was only a matter of time before an inevitable knockout would have occurred.
Once the fight was over, the boos came raining down on Alvarado. During his post-fight interview with Jim Lampley, some of the fans, infuriated with Alvarado’s lack of effort and embarrassing output, began to throw popcorn and other concessions into the ring. It was the second fight in a row that the Denver area native, fighting in his own backyard, left his adoring fans bitterly disappointed with his inability to finish the fight. His previous fight at the 1st SPRING 2015 VOL 3
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Bank Center against Russian brawler Ruslan Provodnikov ended in an eerily similar fashion. He was completely demolished and was unable to leave his corner after the 10th round.
Alvarado landed one vicious uppercut after another almost knocking down Prescott again, Flashback to 2011, Mike Alvarado VS. Breidis Prescott. Alvarado was engaged in what at first was a lopsided fight in favor of Prescott, a fighter from Columbia. Prescott was taking advantage of his superior speed and battering Alvarado’s face with constant left hooks. By the end of the 4th round, Alvarado’s face was bloodied as he had suffered both a cut under his left eye, as well as a split lip. Alvarado was being beaten so badly that he was in danger of the referee stopping the fight. Until Prescott began to fatigue. Trailing on the scorecards, Alvarado’s then undefeated record was in danger of escaping from him. Alvarado responded by digging deep and mounting a furious comeback by becoming the aggressor. Chasing the now tired Prescott, Alvarado started to finally land his combinations and power punches. In the 10th round, Alvarado landed a series of uppercuts that knocked down Prescott. It was the first time Prescott had been knocked down in his career. But Alvarado wasn’t finished yet. A now-exhausted Prescott left himself open to more uppercuts from Alvarado. Alvarado landed one vicious uppercut after another almost knocking down Prescott again, the corner ropes being the only thing saving Prescott from being knocked down for the second time in the round. With a wobbly Prescott now leaning on Alvarado, and Alvarado now landing devastating power punches at will against a defenseless Prescott, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. With that 10th round TKO 17 SPRING 2015 VOL 3
victory Alvarado not only improved to 32-0, but his display of resiliency catapulted him into the championship contender conversation. Many fans of Mike Alvarado point to this fight as the turning point of his career as well as the fight that put him on the map. His following fight against Mauricio Herrera in 2012 was another slugfest that required him to once again come from behind in order to secure the victory. Six months after defeating Herrera, Alvarado engaged in his first fight against the aforementioned Brandon Rios, a fight that would be voted the 2012 Fight of the Year by Sports Illustrated and would result in the first loss of Alvarado’s career. Five months later he avenged his loss by yet again showing his resolve and strategic prowess and winning unanimously in another classic brawl. Unfortunately, that was the peak of his career, as he has since lost 3 fights in a row. Losing to the aforementioned Provodnikov in October of 2013, followed by a loss to Mexican boxing legend Juan Manuel Marquez in May of 2014 before losing his January 24th bout to Rios. In a career that saw Alvarado start with a 32-0 record, he has gone 1-4 since. Since his January 24th loss to Rios, the sports community as well as Denver media has bombarded Alvarado for apparently seeming distracted during his fight. Many blame his legal troubles as the primary culprit for his distractions. On January 3rd 2015, just three weeks before the showdown with Rios, Alvarado was arrested in downtown Denver. The Denver Post reported he was arrested on a felony warrant for suspicion of illegal weapon possession. Alvarado, already a convicted felon, legally cannot be carrying a weapon. Although he was released on a reported $41,500 bail, there were rumors of the fight being cancelled due to his arrest. Furthermore, there are many who believe that the sport of boxing has taken its toll on Alvarado both mentally and physically. During Alvarado’s 32-0
start, he made a name for himself as a brawler and a fighter more than a tactical boxer. He was never afraid to stand toe to toe with his opponents and was always willing take hits in order to give hits. With his history of slow starting fights and his knack as a comefrom-behind fighter, his body was always subject to punishment. In an article published by the Los Angeles times, Alvarado was once quoted as saying “My best rounds are always the late rounds.” This sheds light on the fact that many of his fights required him to go the distance into later rounds, with the prolonged fights accumulating an enormous amount of damage to his body.
Alvarado is now 34 years old, and it is wellknown that being on the wrong side of 30 does not bode well for any professional athlete
punch. Mentally he did not look like he was fully there, and he paid the price. He not only lost his title, but in the eyes of some he may have also lost his career as a professional boxer. However, if there is one thing that anyone who has followed Alvarado throughout his career knows, it is that no matter how much the odds are stacked against him, no matter how much of a beating he would take in a fight, he would show his warrior mentality and figure out a way to persevere, rise to the occasion and come out on top. Mike Alvarado was never one to be completely counted out. Let’s hope that for the sake of his faithful Colorado followers, for the sake of fans of the sport of boxing, and for his sake most importantly, that this once exciting and entertaining fighter can rise to the occasion once more and get his career back on track.
Alvarado is now 34 years old, and it is well known that being on the wrong side of 30 does not bode well for any professional athlete, much less an athlete in a sport that is centered around 12 rounds of intense violence and bodily damage. One should not be surprised if he indeed is in decline after all these years of brawling. The January 24th 2015 prize fight had all the hype and makings of another epic duel between two fighters with fighting styles perfectly suited for each other. Alvarado and Rios were on a crash course for another “clash of the titans” type performance. Putting their bragging rights, the International Welterweight title, and legacies on the line. Unfortunately for the fans, what they saw were two fighters trending in opposite directions. Rios arguably never looked better, both physically and mentally. Alvarado, on the other hand, did not look like he belonged in the ring with Rios. He was outpointed, outhustled and constantly beaten to the SPRING 2015 VOL 3
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Photo By: Christopher Empson • Hit A Snag.
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Photo By: Christopher Empson • Marquee.
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Red Rocks gets Trampled by. . . Turtles ?! By Leticia Goebel
S
ince moving to Colorado in the summer of 2013, I have been told time and time again that to be a music lover and not see a show at Red Rocks is blasphemy. As the summer of 2014 was approaching, I took a critical eye to the list of bands playing at Red Rocks.
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The band to take my Red Rocks cherry ended up being Trampled by Turtles (TBT) from Duluth, Minnesota. I had been an avid fan of theirs for the past several years, though I had never seen them. Feeling the time was right, I purchased my ticket. Traipsing up the steep hills, I took in the magnificent rock formations surrounding me. The golden sun was beginning to mingle with clouds, to say goodnight. With a beautiful sunset approaching, I was in awe, even before being admitted into the amphitheater. As I entered, the notes to immediately greet my ears were from opening folk-rock and blues band Deer Tick. I peered eagerly toward where the band was playing and decided to grab an alcoholic refreshment. A drink would be good to ease the nervousness of going to a concert alone in such a gigantic--yet intimate--venue. As the sun continued to wane, the music kept flowing and my anxiety began to fade. The time was coming closer for Trampled By Turtles stage time. While Americana band The Devil Makes Three was performing, I decided to wander into the Red Rocks museum, taking mental notes of the many musicians that had graced the stage over the years. I grabbed another drink as The Devil Makes Three broke down to set up for Trampled by Turtles. At that instant, my night was transformed by meeting Ted. The night went from being amazing by myself, to being a dreamy fairy tale with a stranger. Ted was as animated as I am about the band. He told me how roughly 40 people, himself included, had flown and had driven in from Minnesota to celebrate the Trampled by Turtles making it to Red Rocks as a headliner. He told me tales of growing up in high school with band members, and how tight-knit their community had been. He asked me if I wanted to be backstage when they played, but I said no. I told him that when people come to watch a show at Red Rocks, they watch it for the experience of being among the crowd, not from being behind the band. I wanted my first time to be the same as others’ firsts at Red Rocks. Sealed with a kiss, he respected my wish. As the first notes of TBT’s set floated across the night, we 23 SPRING 2015 VOL 3
scampered drunkenly down the steps, finding a spot on a wall to perch. The moon smiled, huge and orange upon the wolfish, grinning faces of the band members: Dave Simonett, a vocalist who also plays guitar; Bass-player Tim Saxhaug; Dave Carroll, who plays the banjo;
Erik Berry on the mandolin; and fiddler Ryan Young. Each member fiendishly played his instrument, lost in his own world but uniting in harmony to create their bluegrassfolk songs that bring people together. Glancing around the arena, first-time listeners and longtime fans could all be seen clapping, dancing, and stomping, with twinkles in their eyes and cheers
emanating from their mouths. Ted and I would get so excited as they played our favorite songs: “Wait So long”, “Walt Whitman”, “Midnight on the Interstate”, “Codeine”, “Alone”, “Wild Animals”, “Are You Behind That Shining Star”, and a bluegrass rendition of “Where Is My Mind?”. We both thoroughly loved the songs being played but showed favoritism towards different lyrics of our favorite songs. Eagerly explaining why we favored the lyrics in the ways that we did, we were opening our ears to fresh and new perspectives, making the feel of the concert even more intimate and memorable. TBT played effortlessly for two and a half hours, feeding off of the audience’s energy. Never once did it seem that their enjoyment of playing was anything but genuine. With the summer night’s air mingling with the final notes of Trampled by Turtles’ set, two shooting stars ended the night perfectly: one star for Ted, and one for myself. We came together as strangers, but through music, we parted ways as friends. Still today, that magical night of August 16th, 2014 at Red Rocks lingers in my mind. It brings a smile to my face without fail, every time I recall the memory. I do not think any other band would have been a better timecontender for my first Red Rocks experience, starting off my first semester of college. Being able to see a band start out so small and then make its way into a world-wide known amphitheater, after years of dedication, is a humbling experience. The love and support they received from Colorado was amazing, but even more amazing is the love and support of their people from Minnesota. Be sure to check out their newest album Wild Animals, off of Banjodad Records. If the opportunity permits, be sure to catch Trampled By Turtles playing Aug.29th 2015 at Red Rocks. Bluegrass, not your style? Do not let that keep you from creating your own Red Rocks memory. Other musicians on the Red Rocks schedule this year, in no particular order, include reggae band Rebelution, rapper J.Cole, hip-hop artist Atmosphere, violinist Lindsey Stirling, indie-rock performers Death Cab for Cutie and Grammy Award winning vocalist Sam Smith.
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Photo By: Faith Wood • Fire at Dawn
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Photo By: Cassie Snow • Dozer
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The Kings’ Treasure By Aaron D. Graff
t of s e B The CCDʼs . t s e the B nalism Jour nce e l l e c Ex d Awar
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“I am in the great bright spring of my senility. You see, it’s time for me to retire,” SPRING 2015 VOL 3
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“I am in the great bright spring of my senility. You see, it’s time for me to retire,” Professor Laurence DiPaolo jokes as he admits he forgot to bring musical selections of Joseph Hadyn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from home. Sitting in his third floor office in what used to be the South Classroom, Professor DiPaolo acknowledges that this will be the last article written about him during his Community College of Denver tenure. For decades, writers have profiled him in every CCD publication. “I’m interviewing a celebrity,” I say, “the Britney of CCD.” DiPaolo intertwines his fingers and slowly rests an elbow upon a stack of papers sitting on his desk. “Don’t you mean Justin?” he asks with a mischievous smirk. He pauses, arches one eyebrow upward, leans forward, and continues, “They wouldn’t know if you meant Bieber or Timberlake.” His smirk widens into a smile, and he starts to roll his chair toward the computer next to his desk. Halfway to the computer his chair stops. His hand flies up in a moment of inspiration, “Oh no, I’m Kanye!” he exclaims, and his smile stretches wide, laughing as he mocks the reference to a pillar of pop culture. He grabs Voltaire’s Candide and his grade book and exits his office. Walking through the Cherry Creek hallway to 29 SPRING 2015 VOL 3
his classroom, Professor DiPaolo is greeted by custodians who shake his hand, know him by name, and share a few kind words. Then he pauses to stare at a sign hanging on the wall. The sign, a product of CCD’s marketing, praises a college degree as a means to find employment. “You see,” he points toward the inspirational advertisement, “we’re training workers here,” he says with disgust. DiPaolo doesn’t think job training has anything to do with higher education, and he continues into the classroom. His humanities class has been submerged in the 18th Century for the last few sessions. DiPaolo places the grade book on the lectern at the front of the class and begins to take roll. He still uses a pen and a faded green grade book - emphasizing his refusal to use the latest digital attendance device. Listing off his students’ names, he makes eye contact with each person before moving on to the next one on the list. DiPaolo notices that a student has failed to bring his copy of Voltaire. “Stick around after class,” he politely scolds as the student nods in embarrassment and the class sits silently. Over the years, many students have been chided due to their audacity in forgetting to bring Voltaire to class. Next, DiPaolo turns to the board to write the word ‘WIT’, and assures students that Voltaire is considered the greatest satirist of the 18th Century. “And wit aims at the mind,” he says slowly, deliberately, antagonistically. “Satire isn’t meant to
make anyone feel comfortable.” Despite the class having just finished Candide, the discussion doesn’t remain solely on the assigned text. Students will ask a question or comment on a particular passage or event in the book, and DiPaolo strategically navigates the discussion from Voltaire to Thomas Jefferson, Saturday Night Live, Jon Stewart, Mae West, and W.C. Fields. He allows students to present their ideas and perceptions. Eventually, Dr. Samuel Johnson enters DiPaolo’s mind, and he turns to the board to write another entry for their reading list. DiPaolo’s mind pivots, and he summons a quote from his mentor, Professor Charles Evans, when it is appropriate, “We honor Voltaire, we pay him lip service on the surface, but he scares the hell out of us.” Some students laugh, some sit without reacting, but there are no phones on the desks, no eyes on social media. All eyes remain fixed on the man now resting his elbows on the lectern.
born. Educated at a time when humanities and the classical world mattered, his four great mentors were of an older generation. They were not the products of pop culture. He often reminds his classes that local grocery stores used to sell Dickens, Wharton, and Tolstoy instead of several shades of dull colors, and it is from that era that his mind has been shaped. “If all you know is pop culture,” he reminds me, “it’s going to have a dumbing down effect.” Though he never wanted to be a “cowboy or a fireman or a dinosaur”, teaching wasn’t always at the forefront of his mind. He doesn’t remember learning to read because, for as long as he can remember, he has always been reading. The only certainty was that he knew the direction of his fate would be steered by the books he read. Often at Denver North High School, he anticipated the final bell signaling the freedom to break from the shackles of boring lessons and return to the books that intrigued him.
“You see,” he says, “The American shopping mall doesn’t do anything for us. It just keeps us there. The great minds remind us of this.” This might be his third reference to pop culture or consumerism. Each poke and prod at what he considers the dumbing down of society elicits a rebellious smile. There are no students willing to challenge his contempt.
“Larry represents the Grand Canyon of the very highest of educational attainment in the sense that he represents that which is known and unknown,” says Dr. Everette Freeman, President of CCD. “He has spent his entire life engaged in the occupation of the pursuit of knowledge in its purest sense, the Kantian sense of pure reason.”
In the next session, DiPaolo introduces the class’s first writing assignment. He hasn’t brought a summary to class, but instead devotes the first thirty minutes to describing his expectations and demands. He insists that research is not necessary; he cares for only three things: The first is that each student write about their personal reactions or response to the Age of Reason. The second, that independent thought is used when discussing the Age of Reason. The third is grammar. “Grammar teaches us intellectual discipline,” he says as he sits in a chair next to the lectern. DiPaolo admits that he may be alone, but he does not rejoice in the rapid decline of grammar in American society.
His lifelong pursuit of education is evident after only five minutes of discussion, whether in one of his classes or face to face. His mind refuses to linger on simplicity. He quotes poetry from memory, knows Shakespeare by heart, and even the most voracious reader may have to ask what one of his jokes references - to put it in pop culture language, DiPaolo is a form of Google, void of advertisement.
“I want only your names,” he continues describing the format of the paper. “God knows I don’t want any student numbers. You’re not numbers,” he says with an antagonistic grin. And he iterates that paragraphs should be indented; block style is for the mundane. “Render unto business the things that belong to business. Civilized people indent.” He emphasizes the last sentence. With each poke and prod at what he considers the corporate model that colleges have adopted, DiPaolo sends forth a tiny ripple in the otherwise docile waters of the current state of higher education. Antagonizing cultural norms is not just a pleasure but his obligation. Back in his office, Professor DiPaolo once again recalls his mentor Evans. “There are two kinds of teachers: those to the manor born and those who fall into it by accident or necessity.” DiPaolo is from the former; he is to the manor
“There are moments when you’re saying to yourself,” Dr. Freeman comments with a proud smile, “did he really know Aristophanes? Did he actually sit next to Plato? Because he is so grounded in the subject matter, his delivery is effortless, almost always extemporaneous, away from any prepared notes, and his great capacity to interlink things that, seemingly to others, may not even become obvious.” “DiPaolo is a true humanist,” says friend and fellow professor Stacey Beckman. “When I’m with him…I’m certain I’m in the presence of Henry James incarnate.” Beckman, who chairs CCD’s paralegal program is similar to DiPaolo. Both are teachers to the manor born, both are avid readers, but the depth and breadth of DiPaolo’s knowledge leaves even Professor Beckman in awe. To read Henry James, even just the opening sentence of a novel, is to peel back an onion. The layers continue and lead to no certain core. It is similar to DiPaolo’s teaching style. The assigned text serves as the starting point, the outside layer, but DiPaolo’s seamless interweaving of literature SPRING 2015 VOL 3
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with philosophy, history with science, and art with religion is to peel back the mindset of the text’s period in time, hear the contemporaries of the writer, and familiarize his contemporaries with the mentalities of the past. And once the onion is peeled, the reader discovers that there is no concrete foundation. There are only the layers to be examined, looked over, and an opinion to be formed. DiPaolo’s style of teaching, “inspires critical thinking and pulls you out of these ridiculous linear silos that say we’re going to study the Constitution today, but we’re not going to make any connections to the era in which it was forged,” says Beckman, who herself teaches Constitutional Law. “Teaching the Constitution without also contextualizing it in the enlightenment gives you a half-assed idea about the Constitution,” she affirms. For example, Voltaire was a contemporary of Thomas Jefferson - Voltaire’s bust looms just inside of the entrance at Monticello - and it is impossible to understand the American Revolution without at least attaining some correlation with the satire and philosophy of the 18th century. The Constitution can’t be completely understood without reading Paine or Locke - or Montaigne. “Once you start making those connections, particularly with history, you are destined to appreciate the suffering and the struggle that came before we got to this place of great prosperity and great ease,” Beckman says. In DiPaolo, students are provided these complex yet imperative relations to the minds of the past, whether they appreciate it or not. DiPaolo traverses disciplines, continents, and centuries in the span of only a few minutes to provide a truly transcendent voice that is both enlightening, and unfortunately for mankind, too rare. “Is there such a thing as a college level any more?” DiPaolo inquires rhetorically when asked about college level scholarship. “Higher learning is what college is all about, but starting in the 1980’s - it was like a Kafka nightmare that dev-ed [developmental education] mentality became the goal.” His disdain for what he considers the “dumbing down” of higher education - not to mention Reagan’s 80’s is constantly evident. “I think what they mean by higher ed, now, is the number of years students put into education after graduating from that terrible prison called high school.” DiPaolo has issued countless grades over his decades’ long tenure, but when I ask him to assign a grade to the current state of higher education, I can’t even finish the question. He answers unabashedly, “F, the failure is hideous.” Concern overtakes his face, and he leans forward. “I will quote the late Gore Vidal. ‘I have never in my life met a stupid seven year old, but I am hard pressed to find a bright seventeen year old. Now, something in between must have happened, and I suspect it’s the public schools. The failure of the public schools on every level is too complete to have been an accident.’” 31 SPRING 2015 VOL 3
Anyone who has ever taken one of DiPaolo’s courses has certainly heard his sharp, and often bitingly witty criticisms of American education in general. He argues that the American mindset post World War II transitioned from a pursuit of knowledge to an appetite for materialistic consumption. “Our corporate masters want to sell us products, and independent thinkers are not easy sells,” he says. “The dumbing down is deliberate; that I know.” Stemming from his constant scholarship, DiPaolo has grown immune to finding pleasure and entertainment in popular culture, popular television, and most modern books. “The United Shopping Malls of Amnesia” is a Gore Vidal term that DiPaolo perfected. Like the writers he introduces to students, his wit and rhetoric suffer no form of censorship other than the truth - as he sees it. His truth also takes issue with the direction of the American college system itself. He considers tasks and outcome based agendas to be enemies of education. All of the imposed goals, systems, and evaluations, “drain one’s energy because it takes us away from what’s important; it takes us away from our own scholarship,” he laments. “College is a mirror of the decline of America, though we’re not supposed to say we’re in decline. We’re certainly in denial,” he continues. Exhaustion and frustration replace his witty and cheerful banter when asked about American education. This disdain sporadically seeps into classroom discussions, usually when a class debate isn’t lively or moving fluidly. One evening when three students failed to bring Plato’s The Trial and Death of Socrates to class, DiPaolo’s demeanor turned combative and facetious. He mocked the class by pleading with students to never read, never open a book, and be an easy sell for anything the television told them they needed. There was absolutely no remorse or regret for scolding the class. After years of working with many students who have no curiosity or desire to read, DiPaolo is ready to retire and spend his days in the presence of the dead great. The constant struggle to interest students in Shakespeare, Mozart, and Emerson has taken its toll upon him. When asked if he has any reservations about retiring, there’s not even the slightest hesitation. “No.” After a few moments he acknowledges that he will miss his talented colleagues and his devoted students, and the collegiate atmosphere - though he regrets that this atmosphere has been absent for more than a decade. When asked if college is even worth the debt that will inevitably ensue, DiPaolo pauses for a moment. “It’s still important for the interior life.” The concern leaves his voice but not his face. “We’ve got a factory mentality in a factory atmosphere. Students buy a degree with loans and spend the rest of their life paying them off…We’re certainly a very indebted country.” The struggles of students is never
far from his mind, and the contempt he articulates doesn’t only stem from his own dismay, but from the education he believes is being kept away from pupils eager for knowledge.
“Don’t turn this place into a job training center,” DiPaolo has pleaded with Dr. Freeman. The president declares he doesn’t intend to.
Dr. Freeman disagrees with DiPaolo on the direction of college and confesses to having had many spirited discussions on the matter. “I think there is always an impulse, in free market economies, to commoditize everything,” Freeman rebuts, “and the role of education is to resist the commoditization of everything.” Having known Bayard Rustin and Stokely Carmichael, as well as teaching labor history for 28 years, Dr. Freeman finds himself in a difficult place. On one hand, there is his own depth of knowledge and reading - something DiPaolo finds delightful in the president - but on the other hand, Dr. Freeman can’t help but be tugged by administrative policies that put forth an economic agenda over students.
Dr. Freeman’s first step in continuing the legacy of DiPaolo is in asking him to lead the first Last Lecture. The lecture will take place on Tuesday, April 14, in Confluence 105 from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm. But Dr. Freeman insists that this lecture isn’t for the present; it’s for the future. He hopes that DiPaolo’s lecture will serve as a mission and a demand for how CCD will devote itself to true scholarship in the future, perhaps 50 years from now. And, more than likely, Dr. Freeman expects DiPaolo’s honesty in the Last Lecture to make many people on campus uncomfortable.
“I think there will always be faculty and administrators who won’t get that. We’re supposed to spend all of our time and energy on getting ‘job-ready’,” Dr. Freeman continues. That is part of the misfortune of losing a mind and voice like DiPaolo’s. “Larry is the court jester who reminds the emperor that, even if he is not naked, his clothing is lacking. His role is to remind the institution…that the machine can never be central. The human being must stand central.”
Professor DiPaolo opens up a Mediterranean blue envelope, return address La Rondinaia, Ravello, Italy. Inside, a letter begins ‘Dear Larry,’. It is a letter from Gore Vidal. Vidal, one of the great American writers, thanks DiPaolo for visiting La Rondinaia and laughs about meeting someone who knows more about Vidal’s body of work than Vidal himself. DiPaolo doesn’t just have the respect and admiration of his students and some of his colleagues, but from two of the great writers of the near present. Next, DiPaolo opens the cover of Terra Nostra, the seminal SPRING 2015 VOL 3
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work of the great Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes. Inside is a personal inscription. DiPaolo dined with the writer at the Tattered Cover after Fuentes spoke at Auraria. He dined in Italy with Gore Vidal. And even though DiPaolo isn’t one to drop names in order to sound important, like Truman Capote - DiPaolo’s imitation of Vidal’s impression of Capote is spot on - there is something to be said about the idea that, for over four decades, a man with the knowledge, the kindness, and the intellect to become an acquaintance of the great minds of the last century has been available to students at both MSU Denver and CCD. His legacy will live on in the countless students he has taught, those corrupted by his Socratic method of questioning what’s important, what’s civil, what’s ethical, what’s humanist. A few weeks ago, DiPaolo received an email from the daughter of a former student. The former student had recently passed away, and when her daughter went through her personal items, they found several books and notes from DiPaolo’s class. The daughter of the student emailed DiPaolo to let him know that his student had perished, about how much she had adored his class, and that her books would be passed on to her granddaughter. The departed student had attended DiPaolo’s class in the mideighties, but he remembered her well. He remarked that she was an excellent student. 33 SPRING 2015 VOL 3
Suraj Chaudhary, a former student of DiPaolo’s who is currently pursuing his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Kentucky said in an email, “When I joined CCD, I had just come from Nepal, a small South Asian country where humanities as a field of study is virtually non-existent. I had very little knowledge of western history or literature, and had only heard of a field called philosophy. But in each class period with Mr. DiPaolo, I heard him passionately talk about some of the most important people and events in Western intellectual history. Each class was an opening of a new world to me. In everything he taught he brought the sociopolitical and literary context to enable us to understand words and sentences as they were meant to be understood. He despised the imposition of modern cultural standards on literary pieces that were a product of a completely different era. In classroom discussions and in our writings, he demanded that we support our statements and thus reveal - not only to others, but, more importantly, to ourselves - the assumptions and values that guided our interpretation. Thus, he not only encouraged us to see properly, but to speak and write intelligently. I was one of many of his students who took these lessons to heart. I cannot exaggerate the influence Mr. DiPaolo had on my way of understanding the world. This is not to say that he made me see the world in a particular way. His brilliance
lay in opening our eyes to see things as they were - in the context of their own time and place and in the context of history - so that our seeing was grounded and not flimsy and superficial. It was indeed no surprise for me when, moving on to Metro State and then to University of Colorado, I couldn’t find teachers like him who avoided narrow frameworks of understanding.” Troy Elenga, another student of DiPaolo’s currently enrolled at CCD, says, “I began my first semester at CCD with low expectations for my teachers, the curriculum, etc. I believed that community colleges were on par with low quality high schools, so I was anticipating the worst. Professor Laurence DiPaolo completely shattered the mold I ignorantly sculpted in my mind. I enrolled in his Philosophy 111 class and was stunned to find out that we’d be basing the class off of literary classics instead of a textbook. I was even more shocked when I learned that most of the books would be read in whole instead of by selected chapters/sections. The first class section was intimidating, to say the least, not only because of the assigned texts, but also because of Professor DiPaolo’s personality. Larry (as I now occasionally call him) is one of the most brilliant men I’ve ever heard speak. I initially felt uncomfortable participating in his class discussions out of the sheer panic of making a complete ass of myself. I immediately dove into the assigned texts
and became more and more interested in the subjects they covered. Eventually, my inner voice dominated the anxiety I felt about participating in class and I spoke up. It was in that moment that Larry changed my perception on education and learning more fundamentally than any other person before. He listened to what I had to say and encouraged me to participate more often in class. I realized that he wanted us to learn and form our own opinions about the world. He welcomed debate and fostered independent thought. I looked forward to every class and walked out every night thinking deeply about what we had covered. I enrolled in his classes for the next two semesters. I now consider Larry a friend and a mentor. He has helped illuminate the dark caverns of my mind. Professor DiPaolo is my Virgil, and his influence will forever guide me. I am hungry to learn, and Larry has always kept me well fed. His presence at CCD will be missed.” There will be those around CCD who fain praise, who pretend to celebrate DiPaolo’s career, but secretly relish the prospect of a college campus without the ghost of Voltaire whispering into DiPaolo’s ear, and DiPaolo relaying their missteps of education. Perhaps that derives from what DiPaolo’s mentor Evans said about teachers to the manor born. Teachers like DiPaolo remind others that the art of teaching can’t be taught or measured. It is engrained in the heart, the soul, the mind, and it must be cultivated by SPRING 2015 VOL 3
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countless hours of honest and dedicated study and devotion to craft. And when someone refuses to be a team player, when someone speaks up because the injury to his craft is so severe, that person is seen as a nuisance, instead of the necessity to the collegiate atmosphere that he is. “Future students will the miss writ large permission to step away from the awful, pervasive conformity that informs almost every aspect of their lives. DiPaolo asks them - all of us - to wake up and think. Without him here, who will do that?” Professor Beckman asks. Dr. Freeman hopes to hire another DiPaolo, an educator whose scholarship is central to their life, but Professor Beckman is right. Despite all of Dr. Freeman’s sincere optimism, CCD will never find another Laurence DiPaolo. The 19th Century art critic John Ruskin once gave a lecture entitled Of King’s Treasuries. In the lecture, Ruskin discussed how the great minds are always at our disposal. These words are more valuable than any king or queen or fortune, and they wait on bookshelves for us to engage them in thought and 35 SPRING 2015 VOL 3
discussion. The great minds will not lower themselves to our level, but demand that we ourselves make the commitment to raise our minds to their intellectual capacity. And their words will not be in haste or disorganized, but gathered into pages, meticulously thought out and edited. These books give us the very best of the great minds. Professor Laurence DiPaolo has been sitting upon those shelves for the last 41 years. He has been imparting a vast knowledge that can both enlighten and challenge us at the same time. He belongs on those shelves because he devoted himself to that same discipline that Ruskin praised. He is in the company of Emerson, Vidal, Voltaire, and James, both in terms of intellectual stature and timeless dialogue. This semester may mark the last time DiPaolo presides over a class, speaking as the reincarnation of the 18th Century and chiding students about forgetting books, but his legacy will live on through the minds he shaped and the lives he transformed. He will continue to read, his pupils will continue to speak, but Auraria will forever be a few shades darker. For in losing the great Cardinal DiPaolo, we say goodbye to a true academic treasure - The Kings’ Treasure.
Journalism at CCD Exciting, career oriented classes offered at Community College of Denver Introduction to Mass Media
Fundamentals of Reporting
Study the exciting world of mass media. Think like a journalist. Get involved with current issues and stories. This course places the mass media in a historical and cultural perspective, considering the validity, integrity and influence of the media in a democracy.
Hit the beat. Dig for the news — Is your interest in news-writing, reporting and interviewing? Learn about this exciting career. CCD is offering a fun, active class that teaches the basics of reporting! This class introduces students to those areas with an emphasis on clarity, accuracy, completeness, timeliness and fairness. Students are acquainted with journalism techniques and the newspaper medium. This class is is hands-on and engaging. Often we walk the campus practicing interviewing.
Journalism 105
This course covers: n mass media’s impact on: • the individual. • the family. • the world community. n mass media from a cultural, economic, political, and historical perspective. n the legal limitations and responsibilities of mass media. n freedom of press issues and the media. n how technology affects mass media and vice versa. n media convergence and new media. n impact of mass media communication with technology. n how mass media functions in a democracy. Introduction to Mass Media is a fun, active course because we cover everything from radio, TV, movies, newspapers and the internet. Each semester we have a guest speaker, and we often watch clips of current news items.
Magazine Article Writing Journalism 241
Learn how to submit articles to magazines n increase your chances of being published n gain an understanding of how the magazine industry works. n trace the changing trends of magazines n work on submitting your own manuscript
Journalism 106
This course covers: n Conducting Surveys and Interviews n Strategies for Finding Stories n Reporting on Local Stories n Current Issues Surrounding the Media n First Amendment Issues Don’t worry if you have never written a newsstory or interviewed someone — this is a basic beginner course.
Internet Media Journalism 225
Explore digital media and internet-based journalism outlets. n Utilize journalistic best practices and ethics and explore how technology effects the profession of journalism. n Recognize different methods of developing and delivering internet-based media content. n Utilize different styles of journalistic writing techniques. n Find or create outlets for online journalistic efforts. n Locate story ideas and primary sources. n Beginners welcome!
For more information about the CCD Journalism program or certificate, contact:
Kristi Strother, CCD Associate Professor 303-556-5495 • Kristi.Strother@ccd.edu SPRING 2015 VOL 3
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The Do’s & Don’ts of Successful CCD Students
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By Theresa J. Cole ou’ve chosen to pursue higher education at the Community College of Denver, the best community college in the metro area. You’re already on the path to success. Getting a great college education requires much more than just attending classes. There are a few things that you need to do to enhance your college experience and a few things that you should not do to avoid major headaches down the road.
Auraria campus library for borrowing textbooks as well. Both may have older editions, so check with your instructor for approval. Go online. Vendors such as Chegg, Amazon, and Staples offer textbook rentals and sales at affordable prices. Don’t worry; we’re not going to leave the bookstore out in the cold. You can show your school spirit by purchasing CCD t-shirts, sweats, and City hawk paraphernalia from the bookstore.
DON’T buy books or supplies from the Auraria campus bookstore. The bookstore doesn’t offer the best bang for your limited bucks. Instead, use creative alternatives to obtain required textbooks. CCD offers a lending library where students can borrow textbooks, free of charge, for the entire semester. Access to the lending library is determined by a lottery. Use the
DON’T plagiarize. Taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as your own, including buying a paper online, is a no no. You’re brilliant and your thoughts are worthy of being shared with the world. You don’t need to hide behind someone else’s work. Besides, you’ll eventually get busted, publically humiliated, and cast into the abyss of nameless ne’er-do-wells who blatantly copied work or didn’t have the wherewithal to cite their sources.
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DON’T drive to Auraria campus. Why waste money on gas and parking when your student fees include an RTD pass? You can use the pass for all RTD ride services. Besides being free, public transportation has many benefits. You can use the travel time to get a jump on that extensive reading or homework wonderful professors routinely assign. Decompress and relax. You’ll be sailing smoothly past the automobile mosh pit called I-25.
DON’T rape. The Phoenix Center is a resource on the Auraria campus that provides free and confidential services to survivors of interpersonal violence, as well as, their friends and families.
*Interpersonal Violence occurs when one person uses power and control over another through physical, sexual, or emotional threats or actions, economic control, isolation, or other kinds of coercive behavior. http://www.thepca.org/ DON’T underestimate the power of your voice. You have a right to be heard. Just because you’re a college student doesn’t mean that people aren’t concerned with what you have to say. In fact, the collective voice of college students has influenced historic events, such as, the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. Recognize the value of uniting with your classmates to reach a desired outcome. If you don’t understand something at CCD, ask for an explanation. If you want something changed at CCD, make the request. If the answer is no, recruit others who feel the same to join you and ask again. Don’t be afraid to start a movement. DO apply for scholarships. This is a no brainer. If someone offers you free money with no strings attached, take it! The office of Financial Aid is practically bursting at the seams with unclaimed scholarship dollars available to CCD students. They have taken the complication out of the entire process. Fill out a simple information page on their website and you’ll be matched with scholarships that fit your situation. The office of Financial Aid is located on the first floor of the Confluence Building. What are you waiting on? Start here. https:// www.ccd.edu/administration/nonacademic-departments/financial-aidscholarships/financial-aid-basics
and counseling related to sexual or general health issues. http://www.msudenver.edu/healthcenter/ DO use the tutoring center/writing lab. The tutoring center provides academic support to CCD students in math, ESL, writing, and study skills. Whether you need help understanding concepts, studying for an exam, or writing for your composition classes, the tutoring center can help. Professional tutors are available Monday through Friday at no additional costs. The service is included in your tuition, all the more reason to take advantage of it. Guidance from the tutoring center is a definite way to boost your skills. If you can’t make it to the tutoring center you can receive tutoring 27/7 with Brainfuse, CCD’s online tutoring option. https://www.ccd.edu/administration/non-academic-departments/academicsupport-center/tutoring-center DO participate in campus life activities. Participating in Student Life activities is one of the most important things you can do while in college. These activities include clubs and student organizations, such as, STEM Discovery and the Urban Male Initiative. If there’s a club or group that CCD doesn’t have that you’d like to see on campus, create it. Try something new. Take on a leadership role. In the end, you’ll have that experience to boost your resume and take valuable lessons into your professional life. For a complete list of available clubs and organizations visit the Office of Student Life website at: https://www.ccd.edu/administration/non-academic-departments/office-studentlife/student-organizations College is a time of discovery, thinking critically, and expanding boundaries. You will find success in each by applying these principles to your college life. Now get out there and experience all that CCD has to offer.
DO practice consensual safe sex. There’s no denying that sex is a major part of the human experience. Be safe while having fun. Get tested for STD’s and always use protection. The Health Center on campus is a vital resource for services SPRING 2015 VOL 3
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Photo By: Tamara Chernomordik • Traveling to the Moon
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Photo By: Tamara Chernomordik • Sintra Stairs
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Death with Dignity By Erin Calkins
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ome say the physician’s sworn oath to “do no harm” prohibits them from assisting a patient with suicide; the disallowance of a willing physician to alleviate a terminally ill patient’s physical and mental suffering is harmful in itself. Although some people may consider physician assisted suicide (PAS) to be shameful, most proponents do not consider the concept of Death with Dignity as suicide at all; the terminally ill are already dying. They are simply choosing to hasten the process and die peacefully on their own terms. There are options for terminally ill patients that are not considered to be controversial, but it can be argued that the less controversial options are not always in the best interest of the dying patient. It must be understood that a patient who is considered to be terminally ill has no options for a cure. Some terminal patients seek palliative care in their final days, weeks, or months, which is the most prevalent means of care for those with a chronic or terminal diagnosis. Palliative care is “specialized medical care for people with serious illness” that includes hospice and pain management, in which caregivers do all that they can to make a dying patient as comfortable as possible without taking any measures to hasten death (Ceronsky et al.). Administers of palliative care strive to ensure comfort for the patients who are no longer autonomous, but there is only so much they can do to maintain quality of life (QOL). The majority of dying patients who have legally requested lethal medications value their autonomy and QOL more than life itself (Ganzini et al. 560, fig. 1).
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Figure 1 In cases where the patient “experiences unbearable suffering or permanent impairment” and thinks of death as a “merciful relief . . . , there is little perceived difference between PAS and acceptable end-of-life alternatives, such as refusal or withdrawal of life sustaining treatment” (Johnson et al. 584). The process of a prolonged death is not comfortable; for some, it is unbearable. Film director Mario Monicelli was bedridden in a hospital in Italy and chose to end his life by jumping out of a window in November, 2010 (Frati et al. 26). It can be assumed that if he had the option to peacefully pass on by means of PAS, he would have chosen to do so. It should be made legal throughout the United States for physicians to have the option to prescribe life-ending medications to terminally ill patients after it has been clearly determined that the patient is undoubtedly terminal, and is very cognizant of the weight, finality, and consequences of their decision. There are currently five states that have right-todie laws in place: Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Montana, and New Mexico (Weisensee 69). The first state to legalize PAS was Oregon; its law can be used as a guideline for the rest of the United States. Oregon passed its Death with Dignity Act on October 27, 1997. Physician Linda Ganzini and her research team describe the law in their article titled “Physician’s Experiences with the Oregon Death with Dignity Act,” which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine: This law allows the physician who has primary responsibility for managing a patient’s terminal illness to prescribe a dose of lethal medication, which the patient may administer. The prognosis (death within six months) must be confirmed by a consultant, and the patient must make two oral requests and one written request over a period of fifteen days. (557) Brittany Maynard, aged twenty-nine, was an advocate for Death with Dignity who moved to Oregon after being terminally diagnosed. She used legally prescribed medications to peacefully end her life on November 1, 2014; she suffered from a glioblastoma and was given six months to live (Weisensee 67). Had she not had the ability to peacefully end her life, she would have suffered immensely physically as well as mentally. Nikola Biller-Adorno is a physician who wrote an article entitled, “Physician-Assisted Suicide: PhysicianAssisted Suicide Should Be Permitted,” published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2013. He pointed out that only a small number of patients who look into PAS as an available option (where it is legal) actually complete the process; therefore it can be conceived “that the option is perceived as a choice that can be abandoned.” The ability for a patient to make such a choice can provide them with a sense of a control, regardless of whether or not they choose to follow through with the option to end their lives. 43 SPRING 2015 VOL 3
It is understood and respected that some physicians are not, nor will become, comfortable with participating in PAS. After PAS was legalized in Oregon, Gazini and her research team surveyed 144 Oregon physicians who received requests from their patients for lethal prescriptions between 1997 and 1999, and found that fifty percent were willing to prescribe lethal medications to patients meeting the requirements for PAS (559, fig. 2). The data shows that there is a significant number of physicians in favor of PAS. Importantly, it should always be up to the physician to decide whether or not he or she would feel comfortable prescribing end-of-life medications (Biller-Adorno). Physicians should never be pressured to assist a patient with death by their peers, by the patient himself, or society as a whole. If any physicians have a religious, personal, or moral opposition that prevents them from Figure 2 wanting to participate, they have the right to decline a patient’s request for life-ending medications. Some believe that the “involvement of physicians . . . is unethical and harms the fundamental role of the doctor as healer” (Boudreau). It can be argued that there has to come a point when a physician admits defeat and stops attempting to heal a patient who cannot be healed. It must be understood that “the role of physicians is not simply to preserve life, but also to apply expertise and skills to help improve their patients’ health or alleviate their suffering” (Biller-Adorno). There are instances where the only way to alleviate a patient’s suffering is to assist them with death, if that is the patient’s explicit wish. Some physicians may feel pressure to avoid PAS and supporting the legalization due to society’s perceived abhorrence, but the final decision to end one’s life with dignity should be left to the patient and his or her supporting physician. If members of society object to the legalization of PAS due to religious reasons, they should understand that the sufferer’s decisions and the religious ramifications of their decisions, if any, are between the patient and their god. If a physician’s intervention resulting in a life being saved could be considered by some to be a blessing from God, perhaps a physician’s intervention to end a life for the purpose of eliminating extreme suffering could be considered to be a blessing from God as well. It is important to honor and respect a dying person’s wishes. Death is frightening, profound, and significant. Terminal patients deserve the right to choose whether they want palliative care or PAS, and if a physician agrees with a patient’s decision to die and has no personal moral objection, he or she should be allowed to care for the patient accordingly.
Figure 1
WORKS CITED Biller-Andorno, Nikola. “Physician-Assisted Suicide: Physician-Assisted Suicide Should Be Permitted.” The New England Journal of Medicine 368.15 (2013): N. pag. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. Boudreau, J. Donald, and Margaret A. Somerville. “Physician-Assisted Suicide: Physician-Assisted Suicide Should Not Be Permitted.” The New England Journal of Medicine 368.15 (2013): N. pag. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. Ceronsky, Lyn, et al. “What is Palliative Care?” getpalliativecare.org. Center to Advance Palliative Care, 2014. Web. 8 Nov. 2014. Frati, Paola, et al. “Assisted Suicide in the Care of Mentally Ill Patients: the Lucio Magri Case.” Journal aof Forensic and Legal Medicine 21 (2014): 26-30. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
Figure 2
Ganzini, Linda, et al. “Physician’s Experiences with the Oregon Death with Dignity Act.” The New England Journal of Medicine 342.8 (2000): 557-563. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. Johnson, Shara M., et al. “The Role and Challenges for Psychologists in Physician Assisted Suicide.” Death Studies 38.9 (2014): 582-588. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. Weisensee Egan, Nicole. “Ending My Life My Way.” People 27 Oct. 2014: 65-69. Print.
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Photo By: Alan Rodriguez Villalobos