23 minute read
Park 9:30 a.m. Oct
Thursday, September 29, 2022
PAGE 4
Story by Allie Seibel
Illustration by Dylan Tusinski
Vol. 132, No. 7
FORT COLLINS FOCUS
Zach Corbett, vice president of the Colorado State University Skate Club, displays his skateboarding skills on The Plaza Sept. 27. This was the club’s first event. “My roommate, Gabe Goodwin, the president, and I met each other through skateboarding,” Corbett said. “We really respect the sport because anyone can participate in it. It’s a little chaotic, but everyone can truly have fun. We just wanted to put this together to bring CSU skateboarders together because there’s so many on campus.” PHOTO BY AVERY COATES THE COLLEGIAN
TOP STORIES TOP STORIES
PAGE 5
L&C: ‘A sweet new year’: Chabad at CSU hosts Rosh Hashanah
dinner PAGE 8
CANNABIS: Strain Review: Green Dragon’s Whoody Melon’s
a mellow fellow PAGE 10
OPINION: Seriously: It’s time to harvest CAM the Ram’s wool
for profit PAGE 17
SPORTS: Faces of the fan base:
The Outlaws of CSU PAGE 18
A&E: Snow and chickens: Leroy Twarogowski’s art in retrospect
PAGE 21
PHOTO: The second annual Korean Festival PAGES 14 & 15
FOCO EVENTS FOCO EVENTS
Taylor Shae Duo at the Magic Rat
8 p.m. Sept. 30
“The Wolves” opening night at the Lory Student Center West
Lawn 5 p.m. Sept. 29
Tour de Corgi at Civic Center
Park 9:30 a.m. Oct. 1
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EDITORIAL STAFF
Chloe Leline | Print Editor design@collegian.com Trin Bonner | Illustration Editor design@collegian.com Tri Duong | Photo Director photo@collegian.com Lucy Morantz | Photo Director photo@collegian.com Piper Russell | News Editor news@collegian.com Allie Seibel | News Editor news@collegian.com
Ivy Secrest | L&C Director life@collegian.com Paul Brull | Cannabis Director cannabis@collegian.com Bella Eckburg | Opinion Director letters@collegian.com Karsyn Lane | Sports Director sports@collegian.com Braidon Nourse | Sports Editor sports@collegian.com Alex Hasenkamp | A&E Director entertainment@collegian.com
CAMPUS
RamRide continues Lyft partnership, expands to Thursdays
By Sam Hutton
@csucollegian
Colorado State University’s RamRide service is continuing its partnership with Lyft this semester in an effort to keep students safe over the weekends.
New this semester, however, students will be able to use a code worth $13 for Lyft rides as well as Spin electric scooters from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Thursdays. Spin electric bikes will become available in early October.
Off-Campus Life and RamRide Assistant Director Justin Schwendeman-Curtis said the Lyft partnership, originating during the COVID-19 pandemic as a temporary measure, allowed RamRide to continue offering safe rides to students on Friday and Saturday nights while mitigating risk of disease transmission. But due to recent changes in the Motor Vehicle Record check policy and widespread popularity, the partnership is currently here to stay.
“We’re hoping that this really gives students that way to get home within the city of Fort Collins,” Schwendeman-Curtis said.
According to the RamRide website, with the addition of Thursday night services, thanks largely in part to Lyft’s recent partnership with Spin, students will have yet another opportunity to find safe transportation. At least 100 $13 passes will be made available to students through the RamRide app on a first-come, first-served basis and can be redeemed through Lyft for rides and rentals anywhere in the city.
“We were brought into the partnership with Lyft and Spin as one of the flagship institutions,” Schwendeman-Curtis said.
RamRide, which operates within the Off-Campus Life office, was founded in 2003 and remains committed to helping students stay safe beyond campus grounds. Schwendeman-Curtis said the office maintains a positive relationship with the Associated Students of CSU, which helped facilitate the Lyft partnership and
JUSTIN SCHWENDEMANCURTIS
OFF-CAMPUS LIFE AND RAMRIDE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Photo illustration of Spin bikes parked at Colorado State University Sept. 22. PHOTO BY MYKYTA BOTKINS THE COLLEGIAN
ensure the program remained in place through the pandemic.
For more information on claiming and utilizing Lyft passes, visit the RamRide x Lyft website.
Reach Sam Hutton at news@ collegian.com.
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COVER STORY
The search for the 16th president of CSU
By Allie Seibel
@allie_seibel_
Colorado State University is currently searching for its 16th president after former President Joyce McConnell split ways with the university June 30.
New presidential candidates will be recommended by a committee of 31 members representing students, staff, donors and other community members to the Board of Governors for hiring consideration.
“I’m very proud of the team on the search committee,” said Armando Valdez, Presidential Search Advisory Committee chair and CSU System Board of Governors vice chair. “They’re very engaging, committed and passionate. We all have one goal of seeing what is better for Colorado State University’s future while respecting past accomplishments and traditions and balancing that with future innovation.”
The search committee is working with Parker Executive Search to develop and post a job description and create a candidate pool of three to five people to present to the Board of Governors.
Valdez said the committee’s goal is to identify the next president by the end of the calendar year, with a public announcement expected at a later date, depending on the candidate’s professional schedule and if they would like to finish the academic year at a prior institution.
“We’re looking at a whole set of candidates,” Valdez said. “We’re looking at the traditional candidates that come from academic realms, but we’re also open to nontraditional candidates who may be a good fit for Colorado State University.”
A nontraditional candidate could be someone who does not currently hold leadership at a university but represents values the CSU community has identified as desirable in the listening sessions and community engagement processes.
On the current search committee of 31 members, five are students, one represents nontenure-track faculty and two represent Student Diversity Programs and Services offices. SDPS representatives were not included on the original committee, which raised questions in the campus community surrounding the inclusion of various voices on campus.
Following the announcement of the members of the search committee, Associated Students of CSU members Kimberly Carracedo-Perez, Rory Low, Charlie Williamson, Sammy Trout and Ariadne Athey contacted CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank to voice their concerns about the lack of SDPS representation on the search committee.
“We looked at the numbers that represented demographics at the university and presented the statistics,” Carracedo-Perez said. “And eventually, we were told, ‘OK, you’re fighting this enough. Fine, you win,’ which was a slight victory too because we were able to add two additional people on that committee.”
Following Carracedo-Perez’s and the group’s efforts, Dora Frias, director of El Centro, and Reham Abdunabi, an ASCSU student senator representing the Asian Pacific American Cultural Center, were added to the committee.
“I’m interested to see how they fare in that group that didn’t want them there in the first place,” CarracedoPerez said.
Williamson, ASCSU director of diversity and inclusion, was also involved in advocating for adjustment to the search committee and said they hope the new president upholds the CSU Principles of Community.
“We have our Principles of Community, and they’re important, but I think that there are many times they are just a poster on a wall,” Williamson said. “And there are areas of the university that struggle to uphold those to the best of their ability. I think that from a new president, I really want to see someone that can be a staunch ally in every sense of the word.”
In other areas of the university, nontenure-track faculty members voiced similar concerns over lack of representation.
Nontenure-track faculty members do not hold tenure — basically a lifelong guarantee of a position at CSU. Tenure may be granted after an instructor obtains the terminal degree in their field and is tenuretrack for a certain number of years based on their position. In the 202021 school year, only 15% of CSU faculty and staff were tenure-track: 1,142 faculty members.
Nontenure-track professors are reported to teach approximately 70% of undergraduate classes, according to John Kitchens, a CSU nontenuretrack faculty member.
“We hope that we get someone who prioritizes education, the land-grant mission and undergrad education over athletics, which means prioritizing the staff who are responsible for teaching,” Kitchens said of his hopes for the next CSU president.
“We have a huge role, but we feel like we’ve been left out for years,” Kitchens said.
When asked what he hopes the new president brings to campus, Kitchens said he is hopeful for change.
“There were some people who were optimistic that Joyce McConnell was bringing that kind of transformation, and (then) with her departure, a lot of people fear that such transformation has departed with her,” Kitchens said. “We want someone progressive — someone that is going to bring change to the financial structure, the models, the teaching, the workplace. That is what we want: someone who is going to recognize the major role we play and compensate and respect us for it.”
Students are also hopeful CSU’s new president will bring innovative change and new ideas.
“I hope our new president will bring some sort of shock to the system,” Williamson said. “I think that could be in many different ways, but something radically different that inspires some kind of shift. I think that CSU and a lot of universities are at a point coming out of COVID where it’s either go back to the way it was or start something new.”
Carracedo-Perez said she hopes the new president will be engaged with different students on campus in an effort to be more immersed in the campus community.
“My hope is for them to be not a mysterious entity,” Carracedo-Perez said. “Throughout my entire time at CSU, I’ve never seen a president in any of the SDPS offices I frequent. They just aren’t very human to us as students. If they make themselves more personable and more human to us, (then) that’s how they gain our respect and gain the support of not only students but staff and even the community.”
Valdez is aware of the expectations on him and the search committee to find a president who lives up to the hopes of the community.
“Is there this magic person out there that covers so many areas?” Valdez asked. “People want to see a president that is a great communicator that engages all levels of the university community, from students to different levels of employees to our external partners as well. People want someone with strong engagement and strong communication.”
As the search committee continues its process of identifying candidates, all eyes remain on the looming decision and coming leadership change at CSU.
“Ultimately, people want a leader that comes in to inspire,”
Valdez said. “We feel that we’ve got a striving, strong university, and we feel confident that we will find someone who is going to push CSU into the next frontier and support all the wonderful things that are happening.”
Reach Allie Seibel at news@ collegian.com.
CHARLIE WILLIAMSON
ASCSU DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
CAMPUS
By Samy Gentle
@samy_gentle_
The Women and Gender Advocacy Center at Colorado State University is the result of more than 50 years of “evolution of the student and academic affairs structures,” according to the WGAC website, starting out as the Office of Women’s Relations in 1970.
Today, the WGAC provides students with “support through safety planning, housing accommodations, academic support, coping skills, basic needs access and more,” said Victoria Benjamin, interim assistant director for victim services.
“The WGAC exists to support survivors of interpersonal violence as well as offer education around (intimate partner violence), consent, healthy relationships and more,” Benjamin wrote in an email to The Collegian. “Our 24/7 hotline is one of the oldest campus-based hotlines in the country.”
“WGAC provides advocacy and support for victims of sexual violence, stalking, sexual harassment and relationship violence,” Benjamin wrote. “Our purpose is to provide a safe and affirming space for the students we serve at Colorado State University while supporting systemic change to end all forms of oppression within our community.”
In addition to providing support to direct survivors of interpersonal violence, the WGAC also offers services for the individuals close to the survivors trying to support them, according to an email from the interim director of the WGAC, Casey Malsam.
“It is sometimes helpful to think about our office offering three distinct services: advocacy, education and community,” Malsam wrote.
The WGAC’s 24/7 advocacy services are free and confidential for interpersonal violence survivors, Malsam said. Through social media information and interactive learning opportunities for everyone at CSU, the education team works to spread awareness and knowledge.
The organization’s offices serve the community aspect of their services, “being a place where students can find value and belonging here on campus,” Malsam wrote. “Our office can be a place to find others and create some safety.”
The WGAC holds regular events throughout the year, especially during October and April, which are National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, respectively, Benjamin said.
“We just had a huge summer of self-care programs where for nine weeks, we explored a different way to take care of yourself — students had a chance to try out paddle boarding, massage, reiki and more through this program,” Malsam wrote. “We have lots of programs in the works for this year and are excited to share them with campus.”
“Students and student organizations can request programs through our website,” Malsam wrote. “We can be pretty flexible with topics, dates and times.” Students can also visit the Student Services offices at 112 Student Services during business hours to talk to an advocate in person or reach advocacy services through the 24-hour hotline at 970-492-4242. The WGAC can also be reached through an online chat function from 1-4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Benjamin said.
Their satellite office is located on the second level of the Lory Student Center, where students can access informational handouts, safe sex devices, resource contact information and more.
Reach Samy Gentle at news@ collegian.com.
CASEY MALSAM
WGAC INTERIM DIRECTOR
COLLEGIAN FILE PHOTO
CULTURE
Julissa Arce talks American dream, rejecting assimilation
By Ivy Secrest
@ivysecrest
On Sept. 20, bestselling author, businesswoman and immigration rights advocate Julissa Arce spoke to the Colorado State University community as a part of El Centro’s Latinx Heritage Month events.
One of the most critical aspects of hosting events like Arce speaking is acknowledging how history affects those living in the modern world. For Arce, that means looking into how immigrants are treated and what the American dream really looks like.
Arce lived in Mexico until she was 11 years old and moved to the United States with a visa that expired when she was 14.
“That’s one little kind of thing that is often lost when we talk about immigration,” Arce said. “About half of the people who are undocumented in this country never (illegally) crossed the Mexican-U.S. border.”
Arce shared with the audience how the new status of “undocumented” affected her self-perception.
“I was undocumented, and I used to think there’s something inherently wrong with me,” Arce said. “But what I didn’t realize was that there was actually something inherently wrong with the system.”
Arce discussed the shame associated with being undocumented and not realizing at the time that there is a long history of the United States treating immigrants poorly.
With references to the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers into the United States for a decade beginning in 1882, and the ongoing issues with the immigration of people from the Americas to the United States, Arce highlighted how deeply ingrained it is to exclude people from the misleading concept of the American dream.
Arce was a highly driven student in high school. She shared with the audience that when she graduated, she remembered not hearing the name of a university following her name as her diploma was handed to her. She said no university was required to allow undocumented students at the time.
But this was, in fact, a misremembering of the events. A video later proved her acceptance to a liberal arts school with an essentially full-ride scholarship was announced. But when they asked for Arce’s social security number and she couldn’t provide it, they took away her acceptance and scholarship.
“I think that that memory had been so painful that I erased it,” Arce said. “It was the first time that I started to question the American dream — started to question what my parents have been feeding me since the moment I got to this country, which was if you work hard and stay out of trouble, you can do anything you want.”
This realization was a theme throughout Arce’s talk: looking deeply into what it means to be in tune with cultural identity and what it means to be proud of your identity. This meant discussing the value of whiteness in Mexican culture as well.
One audience member asked Arce if she felt immigrant parents contributed to the push toward assimilating to whiteness. “I think previous generations felt the pressure,” Arce said. “I think some generations thought that they provide protection in whiteness and in proximity to whiteness.” Another audience member asked how they could go about having a conversation around assimilation with family members who are still ingrained in assimilation. “We’re having these conversations ultimately because I love you, and I want to free you of this kind of thinking,” Arce answered.
Eventually, Arce was able to go to university due to a change in Texas state policy. She became a successful professional on Wall Street, and eventually, through her first marriage, she won the battle for citizenship.
This path in life meant not being able to return to Mexico when her father was fighting an illness that eventually lead to his death. And while Arce has many accomplishments, she regrets this.
“That was the second time I really started to question this American dream,” Arce said. “I started to question what it all was for because I had made it. … If it had been about hard work, if it had been about application fees, if it had been about anything I could actually do, I would have done it.”
Arce’s story may seem like an anomaly to be used for inspiration about how one can overcome great obstacles, but what Arce really hammered home in her talk was the reality of the American dream and assimilation.
Speakers like Arce bring to light the harsh realities of immigration in the United States. For some, her experiences offer someone to relate to and look up to and for others, someone to wake them up from their privileged, tinted view of the world. But Arce has no interest in being responsible for changing the minds of the intolerant.
“I don’t feel like it’s my job to convince somebody else of my humanity,” Arce said.
Reach Ivy Secrest at life @collegian.com.
JULISSA ARCE
BESTSELLING AUTHOR, BUSINESSWOMAN AND IMMIGRATION RIGHTS ADVOCATE
Julissa Arce speaks about her experience immigrating from Mexico to the United States at Canvas Stadium Sept. 20. “To tell you the truth, being undocumented felt very shameful,” Arce said. “Having a human be illegal — and yes, that’s the word that a lot of people use to describe our immigration status — it’s just a status. It’s nothing about us as humans. It’s a piece of paper that we no longer have or that we never had.” PHOTO BY MICHAEL MARQUARDT THE COLLEGIAN
Come meet the CSU Collar Scholars and their canine coworkers
By Bella Eckburg
@yaycolor
The Colorado State University community is full of diverse clubs, activities and groups of people.
The Collar Scholars club at CSU is a campus extension of the charity Canine Companions, a nonprofit group that works nationwide to provide free, professionally trained service dogs to people with disabilities who submit an application.
Collar Scholars is a puppy’s first introduction to its future in service. They spend the first 18 months of their lives with their designated puppy raiser, who helps them socialize, teaches them nearly 30 cues and prepares them for doggy graduation at Canine Companions.
Although not all groups of Canine Companions puppy raisers are located on college campuses, CSU Collar Scholars President Emily Arnow said it’s one of the best places for these dogs to learn.
“In a five-minute walk to class, you can see skateboards; you can see giant inflatables; you can see squirrels (and) other dogs,” Arnow said. “It’s a really phenomenal environment that you don’t get many other places with so many support systems in one spot.”
You might be wondering if the puppies are raised with all work and no play, but Arnow said that could not be further from the truth. “We teach them to differentiate between working and not,” Arnow said. “We teach them appropriate play — so we don’t want them stealing socks or licking the kitchen floor, which is a work in progress for us,” she laughed, gesturing down at her puppy Delta VI, a sleek black Labrador and golden retriever mix donning a vest that read “future service dog.”
The dogs that come through the Collar Scholars are all either Labradors, golden retrievers or a mix of the two.
They go through extensive vetting to ensure they possess the right temperament for the job, and then they are placed into the hands of the puppy raisers.
Following every dog’s graduation and any subsequent professional training, they are matched to those who applied for a service dog and spend the next eight years helping their owner in everyday life. When they are matched to their future owners, the decision is based on what the applicant needs and what the dogs can provide.
After that, they retire and spend the rest of their lives as playful pets who happen to be trained as medical equipment.
Although it can be hard to return the dogs to Canine Companions for their graduation and placement, Collar Scholars recognizes the importance of the work they do and how much the dogs will help their future owners. They even get to attend and present the dog they raised at graduation.
“I think my favorite part would have to be knowing that no matter where this journey takes them, they will change someone’s life for the better,” said Jessica Lalone, the club’s vice president, who got involved with the club after spotting someone on campus training a puppy and found the club’s resource page online.
There are three types of positions in the Collar Scholars club: puppy raisers, who are assigned a puppy and live and work with them for those 18 months; puppy sitters, who work as needed to ensure the puppies have different experiences and stimulation when the raisers are unavailable (for example, if the puppy is not yet well trained enough to attend all of the raiser’s classes without being potentially disruptive); and general members.
In the club’s general meetings, all four of the currently assigned dogs gather in the room and complete tasks and desensitization techniques with the group. This comes in the form of a few games, including “I Spy,” wherein group members “spy” a part of the dog and touch it (like their ears or paws) to see if they have a reaction, and human-made obstacle courses to train them to maneuver in crowded areas.
The dogs seemed to be having fun, and the meetings allow every group member who may not have consistent interactions with the dogs to experience their skills firsthand: watching as they walk closely at their raiser’s left side and complete cue after cue — accompanied by a lot of positive reinforcement in the form of treats, of course.
The club’s next general meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Behavioral Sciences Building on campus, and they’re always looking for new members who want to be a part of making a difference in providing accessibility and more independence to those with disabilities.
Reach Bella Eckburg at life@ collegian.com.
True poses for a photo after the Collar Scholars meeting in the Andrew G. Clark Building at Colorado State University Sept. 20.
PHOTO BY REILEY COSTA
JESSICA LALONE
COLLAR SCHOLARS VICE PRESIDENT
Hoops maintains eye contact with a student handler during the Collar Scholars meeting in the Andrew G. Clark Building at Colorado State University Sept. 20.
PHOTO BY REILEY COSTA
THE COLLEGIAN
