Tuesday, January 21, 2020 Vol. 129, No. 35 by The Rocky Mountain Collegian

COLLEGIAN.COM

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Vol. 129, No. 35

ICYMI: Rams going for 5 straight wins, host Fresno on Wednesday Men’s basketball is currently tied for third in conference ahead of matchup against Fresno State

By Tyler Meguire @TMeguire

Malik Burton, left, and Adrian Jones, right, lead the Martin Luther King Jr. Day March from the Old Town Square to the Lory Student Center Jan. 20. PHOTO BY MATT TACKETT THE COLLEGIAN

Carrying out the dream 52 years later MLK Jr. March draws 1,500 supporting King’s legacy By Isaiah Dennings @isaiah_dennings

Over half a century after his assassination, Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy continue to be honored, revered and celebrated by people from various walks of life, including Fort Collins community members: an estimated 1,500 of whom gathered in Old Town Square Monday to march on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The march, which proceeded to the Lory Student Center from Old Town and was blocked off and guarded by Fort Collins Police officers, was organized by the Black/African American Cultural Center and spearheaded by Malik Burton and Adrian Jones. “I just like to help out wherever I can because my Black identity is very important to me,” said Burton, a second-year Colorado State University graduate student studying student affairs in

higher education. “We need to take this day to remember holistic healing and the fight against injustice.” Burton led the beginning of the march by giving a speech aimed at highlighting the “systemic injustices that disproportionately affect people of color,” Burton said. Jones, a graduate student with a degree in social work and a full-time student development and retention coordinator for

BAACC, led the procession in singing “We Shall Overcome” after Burton’s speech and teamed up with Burton to lead the march from Old Town to the LSC. Jones was also responsible for a community service project that took place in the BAACC office at 9 a.m. before the march. The service project involved 100 volunteers aimed at helping the homeless community in Fort Collins.

see KING on page 8 >>

While Colorado State men’s basketball fans were enjoying their break, the basketball team was making their fellow Rams proud, winning six of their last seven games. If you haven’t been keeping close tabs on the team, here’s what you missed. Dec. 21 vs. Tulsa This game was a wild one to start off the break. It took three overtimes for the Rams to pull out a 111-104 victory over Tulsa. CSU was up 31-27 going into halftime and then was outscored 53-49 in the second half. Both CSU and Tulsa were trading blows in overtimes one and two. Then in the third overtime, CSU prevailed as they held Tulsa to two total points, with nine for themselves. While it was a team effort, Isaiah Stevens paved the way for CSU with 26 points, six rebounds and 12 assists. He also tied the school record for single-game assists. Stevens’ 26 points are a season-high for the team and a career-high for him at CSU. Kendle Moore scored 23 points and hit a season-high six 3-pointers (6-10 from three and 8-14 from the field). see RAMS on page 10 >>

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Collegian.com

FORT COLLINS FOCUS

Bryce Barsnick, a third-year mechanical engineering student, checks for rough patches while waxing a snowboard on a makeshift stand during a skiing trip on Thursday, Jan. 16. He makes sure the wax spreads evenly across the surface of the base and lets it cool for five minutes. Once he applies the wax to the board, irons it smooth and makes sure there are no bare spots, Barsnick examines the board for excess wax that forms unnecessary rough patches on the board’s surface. Barsnick started out skiing but switched to snowboarding seven years ago.

PHOTO BY SKYLER PRADHAN THE COLLEGIAN

overheard on the plaza

Lory Student Center Suite 118 Fort Collins, CO 80523 This publication is not an official publication of Colorado State University, but is published by an independent corporation using the name ‘The Rocky Mountain Collegian’ pursuant to a license granted by CSU. The Rocky Mountain Collegian is a 4,000-circulation student-run newspaper intended as a public forum. It publishes two days a week during the regular fall and spring semesters. During the first four weeks of summer, The Collegian does not publish. During the last eight weeks of summer, The Collegian publishes online Monday through Thursday. Corrections may be submitted to the editor in chief and will be printed as necessary on page two. The Collegian is a complimentary publication for the Fort Collins community. The first copy is free. Additional copies are 25 cents each. Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@collegian.com.

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News | Tuesday, January 21, 2020

CAMPUS

Coming soon: Phase 1 construction of Meridian Village By Laura Studley @laurastudley_

If you’ve been by Aylesworth Hall this past semester, you might’ve noticed one slight change about it; it doesn’t exist anymore. In fact, Aylesworth has been reduced to nothing more than a large fenced-in dirt patch, marking the beginning of phase one of the Meridian Village project, which will begin construction in April. Along with the deconstruction of Aylesworth, Newsom Hall will also be demolished to make way for Meridian Village. The entire project, separated into two phases, is estimated to be completed in the mid to late 2020s, said Nick Sweeton, associate executive director of Housing & Dining Services. There are multiple reasons for the redevelopment of both Aylesworth and Newsom Hall, including the age and quality of the buildings and the increased amount of students who are required to live on campus or who want to return to on-campus residence at Colorado State University after their first year, said Christie Mathews, director of outreach and projects for Housing & Dining Services. “These sites presented a great

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opportunity,” said Laura Bently, project manager of Housing & Dining Facilities. “Now, all of a sudden, we can fit more people by acre by building different buildings than we could by keeping the same buildings.” Housing & Dining is focusing on wellness by putting intentionality to the body, the mind and the spirit through the design of Meridian Village, Mathews said. Phase one concerns the Aylesworth site, with three new buildings planned to be erected in place of the previous dorm/ office complex. It will have approximately 1,100 bed spaces, and students will be able to move in during the fall of 2022, Sweeton said. “At this point, we’re pretty close to being done with the schematic design piece, which is sort of like having the blueprints ready so that we’re ready to pull the trigger on starting a build, then of course know what we’re building,” Sweeton said. The first phase was approved by the Board of Governors in October 2019, which allotted $140 million toward the first part of Meridian Village, according to Sweeton. The budget for phase two is still unclear. Phase two will include the

demolition of Newsom Hall. The building that will replace Newsom will add 500 beds, a community hub and a new dining center. The Board of Governors’ approval for the second phase is projected to happen sometime in 2021, Bently said. The second site is estimated to be open for students to move in during the fall of 2025, Bently said. “We’re creating a continuation of this village environment heading toward main campus and the academic spine,” Bently said. “Thinking in the grand master plan scheme, it just starts to connect the buildings a little bit more.” Pod model Meridian Village will introduce a new housing model called “pods,” the first of its kind at CSU. The pod concept will make up roughly half of the spaces within Meridian Village, Sweeton said. The other half will be traditional double-loaded quarters, similar to other residence halls. The bedrooms will be smaller than traditional residential spaces, with the extra square footage added to a communal area, Sweeton said. “Essentially, we are trying to design these pods like a home living environment for a lot more people than you would have in

your average home,” Bently said. There will be 37 residents within each pod. The pod will allow students to share a common living space alongside their private bedroom quarters. It will also include a gender neutral community bathroom.

“We know that if students feel more connected to each other, (they’re) more likely to be successful (and) more likely to stay at CSU.” NICK SWEETON ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HOUSING & DINING SERVICES

“Rather than just having a corridor with rooms up and down the hallway, there’s actually a room like a living room or a community room where the students are able to come together and spend time together in that space,” Mathews said. The way the pod model is currently designed, the bedroom quarters will be located around a horseshoe shape with each pod

facing each other, Bently said. Sweeton said the idea behind the pod model is to construct a community that fosters social interaction between students. “We know that if students feel more connected to each other, (they’re) more likely to be successful (and) more likely to stay at CSU,” Sweeton said. Meridian Avenue reconstruction As the project title states, once the project is finished, it will be a village. To make Meridian Village feel more like a complete residence, Sweeton said Meridian Avenue will be realigned east of the Aylesworth site near Braiden Hall, with the intersection of Pitkin Street and Meridian Avenue adapted to a pedestrian thoroughfare. “There will be some passageway through there,” Mathews said. “There won’t be traffic driving through the community. We’re not eliminating the ability to drive through that side of campus. We’re just moving where that access would be.” According to estimations by Bently, Meridian Avenue will be realigned either in the summer of 2021 or 2022 depending on phase two’s approval. Laura Studley can be reached at news@collegian.com.

News | Tuesday, January 21, 2020

CITY

City starts Sustainable Neighborhoods Program, modeling Denver, Lakewood By Laura Studley @laurastudley_

The history of environmental sustainability in Fort Collins extends back many years, and with the recent implementation of the Climate Action Plan and declaration of a climate emergency, Fort Collins constantly looks to become more sustainable. Another program the City has implemented to work toward environmental sustainability is the Sustainable Neighborhoods Program. The program involves community members by giving them an opportunity to make a change. “We share the planet with so many other people and animals and living things, and we’re doing things that are really harmful,” said JC Ward, senior city planner for Neighborhood Services for the City of Fort Collins. “We have opportunities to make different changes.” Fort Collins is the third city in Colorado to implement a sustainable neighborhood program. However, the City created a different model from its predecessors Denver and Lakewood. “They have a project manager and coordinator in the city of Denver and of Lakewood who go out to all of the projects with the neighborhoods; they do a lot of heavy recruitment,” Ward said. “Our model is not really like that. (The model is) a less direct delivery of programs by City staff and more of a collabora-

tion per support network.” Rather than the City choosing what projects the neighborhoods participate in, the neighborhoods have the freedom to decide. These projects can range from hosting a clothing drive to visiting a nursing home, Ward said. “The concept behind it is basically to make positive change at the neighborhood level from within the neighborhood,” said Byron Laws, Warren Lake sustainable neighbor community organizer. There are five areas that neighborhoods can focus their projects on: air, water, land, energy and people. To become a certified sustainable neighborhood, neighborhoods must complete projects in two of the given areas, according to Ward. Each project counts for a certain amount of credits. To maintain the neighborhood’s certification, neighborhoods must earn a minimum of 60 credits, according to the program overview. Neighborhoods can become outstanding if they earn 100 credits within a year. If a neighborhood is outstanding, they will receive both recognition from elected officials and custom neighborhood signage. The program is generating stronger community ties and helping Fort Collins achieve its target goals within the Climate Action Plan, Ward said. By introducing a residential piece, small actions can happen in every home across the City, creating a large collective impact.

A sign on a recycling bin in the Warren Lake neighborhood depicts what items can be recycled. Warren Lake is part of the Sustainable Neighborhoods Network in Fort Collins. One of the projects they’ve earned credit for is a workshop on how to properly recycle. PHOTO BY ANNA MONTESANTI THE COLLEGIAN

“If we can do it in a small way here, that can grow in a grassroots way to make big changes,” Laws said. “I mean, countywide, statewide, nationwide, we can all make a difference in our own area and in our own way.” The ultimate goal of the Climate Action Plan is to become carbon neutral by 2050. Being carbon neutral is having a net zero carbon footprint, meaning the amount of greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere does not exceed the amount taken out.

The Sustainable Neighborhoods Program works to introduce projects that help with this goal through enhancing the livability of the neighborhoods and reducing residents’ ecological footprints, according to the program overview. “If you take a chance to start improving what lies directly underneath your feet, you can make a dramatic change right where you live,” Laws said. “What’s more important to you individually than where you live? If we all did that in the places where we lived, guess what? The

whole thing would change.” Every small action helps. It reverberates out, much like the ripples created when a rock is thrown into a pond, Ward said. “Maybe you see the result; maybe you don’t,” Ward said. “But if the 10 people on your block do it, the 100,000 people in Fort Collins do it, then those are the kinds of things that really add up to those big environmental changes and big cultural changes.” Laura Studley can be reached at news@collegian.com.

CITY

From shooting to window peeping: Crimes of winter break By Matt Bailey @MattBailey760

As students return to their classes this spring semester, they may not be aware of some of the crimes and incidents that occurred during their month-long winter break. Here are some of the recent crime incidents that occurred in Larimer County and the Fort Collins area. Vandalism spree Fort Collins Police Services received reports of broken windshields and vehicle damage from BBs in different locations throughout the City Dec. 31, according to a Jan. 3 press release published by the City of Fort Collins. Along with these damages, racial slurs were graffitied onto several residences and churches. A suspect vehicle was identified through an investigation that involved one resident’s home surveillance system registered with the FCPS Patio Patrol program and

assistance from patrol officers. A patrol supervisor located a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle, and after the three occupants of the vehicle were contacted, it was determined they were all involved in the Dec. 31 criminal mischief incidents. The suspects included one 18-year-old male whose name will be released once charges are filed and two juvenile males whose names will not be released due to statutory privacy requirements. As of the Jan. 3 press release, the investigation was ongoing, and charges would be filed with the District Attorney’s Office upon completion. Fort Collins Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said he was proud of the investigative work that quickly apprehended the individuals involved in the crimes. “Damaging and defacing property with denigrating language has a very real impact on our community members,” Swoboda said in the release. “It’s not a harmless prank, and we will not tolerate this type of behavior.”

Unlawful sexual behavior Brendan Morse was arrested Jan. 5 as a result of an investigation conducted after a female reported a sexual assault to Fort Collins Police Jan. 4, according to a Jan. 9 press release published by the City of Fort Collins. Morse was charged on one count of sexual assault, a class three felony; domestic violence; and invasion of privacy for sexual gratification, or window peeping, a class one misdemeanor. In the case of the latter charge, it is believed there are additional victims based on evidence collected. Detectives believe these additional cases occurred in Fort Collins over the past year, particularly in the area west of Shields Street between Mulberry Street and Drake Road. Berthoud single-vehicle crash The Larimer County Sheriff ’s Office received a report at approximately 10:08 p.m. Jan. 10 of a single-vehicle crash near the intersection of Colorado Highway 56 and Gateway Park Boulevard in Berthoud, according to a Jan.

11 press release published by the LCSO. A blue 1998 Jeep Cherokee traveling westbound on Highway 56 struck a median at Gateway Park Boulevard, crossed over Highway 56 and struck a power pole, ejecting a 40-year-old female believed to be the driver, who was taken to an area hospital. Highway 56 between Berthoud Parkway and Meadowlark Drive was closed for four hours as the Larimer County Sheriff ’s Office CRASH Team investigated the scene. As of the press release, the female was in critical condition, and the investigation was ongoing. Shooting investigation A 17-year-old male reported that he was shot near the intersection of Harmony Road and Lady Moon Drive by unknown suspects Jan. 4, according to a Jan. 16 press release published by the City of Fort Collins. Detectives determined the male was actually shot during an attempted aggravated robbery that occurred in the 3000 block of

County Fair Lane the same night. The adults involved in the incident include: ■ 20-year-old Jaquil Ellis, charged with attempted first degree murder, attempted aggravated robbery, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and possession of a weapon by previous offender. ■ 20-year-old Anthony Hammer, charged with attempt to influence a public servant, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and possession of a weapon by previous offender. ■ 18-year-old Andrew Herrera, charged with attempted aggravated robbery. The names of juveniles facing charges in the incident, including the 17-year-old male, will not be released. “Our detectives worked tirelessly on this case, and, because of their work, were able to remove dangerous weapons out of our community,” said Investigations Sergeant Gary Shaklee. Matt Bailey can be reached at news@collegian.com.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Rocky Mountain Collegian

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Opinion | Tuesday, January 21, 2020

HEAD TO HEAD

How will a Trump impeachment affect students? On Dec. 18, 2019, the House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump. Now, the Senate trial is starting to potentially remove the president from office. Two columnists argue how this impeachment will affect students.

Trump impeachment will negatively affect students Katrina Leibee @KatrinaLeibee

Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board. Impeachment is a political tool we often refer to as a last resort. When we feel as though the president has taken advantage of, manipulated or abused their power in office, impeachment is a statement — often from the opposing party — that the president is not above the law. Impeachment is not something we should be proud of or strive for. It’s a failure not only of the president, but of the administration as a whole, the citizens and the electorates that put power in incapable hands. Citizens, and students specifically, are negatively affected by Donald Trump’s upcoming impeachment trial. On the Republican side, the impeachment is a crack in the administration that will be considered by voters in the 2020 election. For the Democrats, they face speculation that they are attacking any Republican that dares to enter public office. As Trump put it on Twitter, he believes that “This is an assault on America and an assault on the Republican party.” My colleague Alexandra MacDonald argues that the impeachment provides students with a real life example of political turmoil that they can use to strengthen their opinions and educate themselves. While that is true and a fair point, I wouldn’t say an impeachment is “great news” at all, even for students of higher education. Sure, it’s a learning opportunity, but it will still negatively affect the 2020 election, an election I would argue is primarily about and for college-age students. Major issues in this election, such as climate change, student debt and gun violence, affect students the most, and I bet most students would say they would rather not have an impeached president running to stay in charge. As a student considering who to vote for in the 2020 election, weighing your options is going to be a delicate balancing act. On one hand, you have a potentially impeached president and an arguably corrupt administration

Trump impeachment will positively affect students

that don’t have your best interests in mind. They have ignored the issues Alexandra that students care about most. MacDonald On the other hand, you have a loud table of chaotic Democrats that @alexandramacc all seem to think they have the golden policies to combat climate change, gun violence, the current healthcare Editor’s Note: All opinion section content system and America’s less than stellar reflects the views of the individual author interactions internationally. only and does not represent a stance taken While Trump’s upcoming Senate by The Collegian or its editorial board. impeachment trial is well deserved, it The House of Representatives voted does not mean the door to the Oval Ofin December to impeach President fice has been unlocked for Democrats. Donald Trump on two charges: abuse of The negative impact of impeachpower and obstruction of Congress. The ment here is the precedent it sets for Senate will hold a trial later this month the next election. to determine if he will be Some angry supportremoved from office. That ers and Republicans may fact alone has sparked a be working overtime to political debate that rages How impeachment works: get what they believe is online and in person. an unfairly treated pres■ An impeachment resolution These debates surrounding ident reelected. Other is introduced by the President Trump’s voters may think that if impeachment trial are House of Representatives Trump is not meant to positive experiences for because of treason, bribery be in office, he will not students. and/or high crimes and be elected into it again, Politics and debate and impeachment is the misdemeanors. tend to go hand in hand. Democrats’ way of trying ■ The House of Without discussion and to ensure a win in an elecevaluation, there wouldn’t Representatives debates, tion they may be nervous be a question about any about. votes and moves forward if ideology or function in our The impeachment in51% says yes. government. It’s good to quiry was legitimate, and ■ Articles of impeachment have an opinion, and it’s it was kicked off based even better when people are brought to the Senate, on a phone call with the can defend their own — president of Ukraine where they write a bill of that’s what makes it work. where Trump asked him indictment. My colleague Katrina to dig up information on Leibee states that ■ A Senate trial is held, 2020 Democratic candiimpeachment is something headed by the U.S. Chief date Joe Biden. He was that we shouldn’t strive not impeached for the Justice, where a jury made for. I agree; it’s not a proud abundance of other vioup of senators collects time for us in the United lations and accusations evidence and has a hearing. States to become divided against him before he enlike we are. However, ■ The jury deliberates, and the tered office. we can’t just ignore it. However, impeachSenate votes. Learning to communicate ment is never positive. ■ If there is a 67% in favor and speak clearly about our While MacDonald argues opinions is something we (two-thirds majority), the that it is a learning opshould be striving for. president is convicted and portunity, every political This is, of course, event is. Watergate was removed from office. the bright side of the also a historical and politimpeachment of Trump. ical learning opportunity, With the internet drowning but that does not mean us in a flood of information we would have chosen for and disinformation, it can be hard to find it to happen in the first place or that it the facts. Algorithms following our media was positive experience. encourage us to follow the cycle of our MacDonald’s idea is merely atown beliefs and see the things we want to tempting to look at the “bright side” of see. We’re not as engaged with opposing impeachment but doesn’t really argue opinions online as we used to be — it isn’t that the impeachment is beneficial or until we specifically search it out that we positive. engage with other perspectives. Katrina Leibee can be reached The eeriest part is that our generation at letters@collegian.com. knows this. Growing up in the technology boom and being accompanied nearly our

entire lives by social media has taught us that we aren’t going to see the entire search when we look something up on Google. We know the political content we engage with is partisan when it comes to social media too. So, the unfortunate truth is that the algorithm prevents us from seeing everything. But the good news is that we’re not blind to this fact. We know that when politics surface as trending hashtags, we’re likely going to see the same thing over and over and rarely see any opposition. We know we need to see the other side. We should be interested in learning what the other party has to say and seek it out — no matter what side we’re on. Being surrounded by the same side encourages mob behavior, and not listening to the talking points of the opposing side promotes ignorance. Ignorance and mobbing are like a match and a stick of TNT, yet they’re not as uncommon as you’d think. Trump’s impeachment trial is great news for students of higher education around the country because it provides them with a subject they can use to strengthen their opinion, educate themselves on our government and defend their Constitution, however they interpret it. This is all because President Trump’s impeachment trial is beginning to shed light on the unwavering political division in this country. With tensions like those seen in the hours-long impeachment hearings — live streamed by the New York Times — perhaps the reason people stay out of the political debate is fear. But that’s not a feeling that gets in the way of a public four-year university student, according to Caroline Harper of the National Center for Institutional Diversity. Harper explained that college students want to be engaged in making a change. In order to do that correctly, you can’t just jump into things and shout your uneducated opinion. Nobody will want to sit through that lecture. Also, college students have been more eagerly coming to the polls in recent years according to a Tufts University report on U.S. college and university voting, with voting turnout growing about 3% between the 2012 and 2016 elections. Without examples of tumultuous political action, we wouldn’t have anything to engage with but the printed text in our textbooks. Alexandra MacDonald can be reached at letters@collegian.com.

Opinion | Tuesday, January 21, 2020

COLLEGIAN COLUMNIST

The NYT wants unity, but their endorsement is the opposite By Leta McWilliams @LetaMcWilliams

Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board. Since 1860, the New York Times editorial board has given a presidential endorsement, encouraging their readership to put their civic energy behind a certain candidate. Whether it’s Abe Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt or Hillary Clinton, the NYT editorial staff has provided researched pieces for their readers. This year, NYT is endorsing Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren, giving their readers anything but clarity or direction. When writing an editorial, there are a few things to keep in mind to avoid confusing readers and keeping yourself credible: don’t contradict yourself, acknowledge counterpoints and support your opinion with strong facts. The NYT endorsement fails to do any of these. In the beginning of the editorial, NYT states, “Both the radical and the realist models warrant serious consideration. If there were ever a time to be open to new ideas, it is now. If there were ever a time to seek stability, now is it.” In and of itself, this statement is contradictory. Political change is not stable — any history class can tell you that much. Changing policy means changing our way of life, whether that be climate policy, foreign policy or health care. Realistically, we cannot have both.

One could argue that the NYT endorsement does include counterpoints, discussing the positive attributes of other candidates such as Joe Biden, Andrew Yang and Pete Buttigieg. However, a lot of this Klobuchar and Warren endorsement is dedicated to why they chose to not endorse Bernie Sanders. They state that “Mr. Sanders would be 79 when he assumed office, and after an October heart attack, his health is a serious concern. … He boasts that compromise is anathema to him. Only his prescriptions can be the right ones, even though most are overly rigid, untested and divisive. He promises that once in office, a groundswell of support will emerge to push through his agenda.” This counterargument is both misleading and confusing, with not much to stand on. Stating that Sanders will get a “groundswell of support” once he’s in office is misleading in implying that Sanders doesn’t currently have support for his ideas. In reality, he received the largest number of donations in history. Attacking Sanders’ age is also misleading, considering that Warren and Biden are 70 and 77 respectively, both of which aren’t discussed in the editorial. While the editorial staff has the right to have an opinion on Sanders’ rhetoric and policies, it doesn’t make sense for them to write multiple paragraphs as to why they don’t endorse Sanders when they have one paragraph dedicated to each of the other candidates’ positive qualities. It makes it feel as though their endorsement is anti-Sanders, not pro-Klobuchar and Warren.

The editorial is also misleading its readers by not giving all the facts. They state that Warren “speaks elegantly of how the economic system is rigged against all but the wealthiest Americans and of ‘our chance to rewrite the rules of power in our country,’ as she put it in a speech last month.” While Warren did say these things, Warren also has a history of receiving support from Wall Street, receiving big money donations and claiming to be a “capitalist to her bones.” While none of these dispute the NYT’s original fact, they show that Warren, like most politicians, tend to cater to the audience they’re talking to and don’t always practice what they preach. Finally, the endorsement is contradictory because they’re endorsing two candidates. The purpose of an endorsement is to encourage readership to support one certain person. The NYT editorial claims that the left needs to unify and compromise, yet they aren’t doing so in their endorsement. They’re endorsing Warren for the more progressive readers and Klobuchar for the moderates — which is splitting their readership into two categories and showing that they’re seemingly unwilling to compromise on one single candidate. Endorsing more than one candidate is confusing and contradicting. The NYT is failing its readers by endorsing both Klobuchar and Warren. Leta McWilliams can be reached at letters@collegian.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Horticulture therapy is undervalued By Guest Author @CSUCollegian

Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board. Letters to the Editor reflect the view of a member of the campus community and are submitted to the publication for approval. To the Editor, As a community, we need take a collective long and hard look at horticulture therapy — why? In hospitals today, there is a heavy reliance on pain medications for patients, and if you have a general awareness of current issues, you will know that there is an ongoing opioid crisis. Hospitals rely on analgesics (pain medication) heavily in postop wards, which can lead to an ad-

diction and potential overdose. So how do hospitals avoid this? That’s where horticulture therapy comes in. When introduced to a horticulture therapy program, patients have been shown to feel lower levels of pain. A lower pain level means less analgesics used on the patients, which can decrease the number of patients exposed to the highly addictive medications. Not only can horticulture therapy help with the opioid crisis, but it also has been shown to improve the mental state of patients. For any of you that have stayed in a hospital for even one night, you understand the almost cynical nature it projects — sterile rooms and the constant smell of hand sanitizer is good for a recovering body, but the impact on the psyche is not always great. When a patient is introduced

to a horticulture therapy program, they are shown to have reduced anxiety levels, fatigue and depression. Now, this is not to say it will cure someone who has clinical depression or anxiety. However, if a patient engages in a horticulture therapy program, there is a positive reaction that helps anxiety, fatigue and depression. Therefore, as a community that is growing and trying to provide the best care possible, would you not want to take a moment and think about what could be improved? Sincerely, Riley June Third-year environmental horticulture student The Collegian’s opinion desk can be reached at letters@collegian. com. To submit a letter to the editor, please follow the guidelines at collegian.com.

COMIC ILLUSTRATION BY SCOTTY POWELL @SCOTTYSSEUS

COMIC ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN GREENE @TFOGDOGS

NOPE

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First day of your last semester.

How much money “Cats” lost.

Seeing “Cats” on edibles.

When your adviser missed one of your grad requirements.

Illegal car maneuvers going unnoticed.

Saying goodbye to your pets at home.

Getting to see your friends again.

Taking crazy amounts of credits.

Going back to school with tons of food.

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News | Tuesday, January 21, 2020

King >> from page 1 “Our goal was to use this day not only to honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream but to carry out the effort to produce equity, not only with race but fortune,” Jones said. The event turned into a celebration after the procession moved from College Avenue to Laurel Street and situated in the LSC. The celebration featured speeches, music, dance, spoken word poetry and even an MLK cake to thank participants. Ryan Ross, the associate vice chancellor for student affairs, equity and inclusion for the Colorado Community College System, delivered a speech in the LSC Main Ballroom. “Don’t you think we owe it to ourselves — to Dr. King Jr. — to finally fully realize the dream?” Ross asked. Ross pushed an agenda to go above and beyond the current state of equity, centering on the message that society simply preserving the dream of King is not enough. “Preservation is merely potential,” Ross said. “Now is the time to act on that potential.” Hannah McKee, a CSU senior equine science major, was one participant in the march and event. “Even though none of my friends are here with me today, I knew I had

to come for myself, especially now,” McKee said. Ashton Galyean, a first-year languages, literatures and cultures major at CSU, explained why they attended the event too. “We must fight for our freedom and for these words of Martin Luther King’s to be true,” Galyean said. Anthony Rodriguez, the marketing director with Front Range Community College student government, also came out to march. “I love the involvement that it has and how it brings people together, and I love being a part of this,” Rodriguez said. And Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell showed up to the event as well. Troxell said he makes it an annual event to come out to the march. This year’s march was the sixth time he attended. “I think it’s important to show leadership and participate in community-wide events,” Troxell said. “Equity and inclusion is Council priority.” CSU President Joyce McConnell, who joined in the march, thanked attendees during a statement she made at the celebration. “I want to thank all of you for participating in this phenomenally important movement and event where we bear witness to the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy,” McConnell said. Isaiah Dennings can be reached at news@collegian.com.

Gavin Ross, son of keynote speaker Ryan Ross, hypes up the crowd prior to his dad’s speech with an original rap song in the Lory Student Center ballroom on Jan. 20. PHOTO BY GREGORY JAMES THE COLLEGIAN

Attendees of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day March hold signs while listening to a speaker before walking from the

Ryan Ross, associate vice chancellor for student affairs, equity and inclusion for the Colorado Community College System, speaks in the Lory Student Center ballroom on Jan. 20 about the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. PHOTO BY GREGORY JAMES THE COLLEGIAN

Jerry Bimka hands out bags f Student Center Jan. 20. PHOT

News | Tuesday, January 21, 2020

m the Old Town Square to the Lory Student Center Jan. 20. PHOTO BY MATT TACKETT THE COLLEGIAN

bags for toiletry kits while volunteering as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Toiletry Drive in the Lory PHOTO BY MATT TACKETT THE COLLEGIAN

Debbie Williams sings spiritual song “Steal Away to Jesus” on Jan. 20 in the Lory Student Center ballroom. Williams was one of several performers at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day “Preservation to Manifestation” Celebration Program. PHOTO BY GREGORY JAMES THE COLLEGIAN

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Sports | Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Rams >> from page 1 Jan. 4 vs. Wyoming Goodbye Cowboys, and hello David Roddy. The Rams were able to handle the Wyoming Cowboys fairly easily. CSU won 72-61 thanks to a strong first-half effort. The Rams outscored the Cowboys 32-19 in the first half and then were outscored 4240 in the second half. Roddy put up his then season-high 19 points on 7-11 shooting. This was a breakout game for Roddy, as the very next game he was able to put up 21 points on 7-15 shooting. The Border War victory marked the Rams’ first conference win of the season. It also was the start of a fourgame win streak for the Rams. Jan. 15 vs. New Mexico This game was outrageous for CSU, as it was one of the most complete games they have played. The Rams routed New Mexico 105-72 thanks to the biggest thing they’ve struggled with all season: the threeball. In the first half, the Rams shot 68.75% (11-16) from three and 56.76% (21-37) overall. CSU outscored New Mexico 56-33 in the first half. The barrage of threes continued in the second half, with the Rams making eight of 12 (66.67%). Stevens had 19 points on 7-10 shooting (5-6 from three), and Moore had 17 points on 5-7 shooting (4-4 from three). Every Ram but Nico Carvacho, Dischon Thomas, P.J. Byrd, Hyron Edwards and Kyle Lukasiewicz made at least two 3-pointers. The Rams had a solid winter break by pushing their record to 13-7 overall and 4-3 in conference play. CSU defeated Doane University easily with 87-62. The box score showed a close game going into halftime (40-34 CSU), but it always seemed like the Rams were in control. The Rams outscored Doane 47-28 in the second half to put the game away without any question. The one loss the Rams suffered came from the hands of Nevada. CSU was outscored 39-25 in the first half, and the slow start proved to be their downfall. In the second half, the Rams outscored Nevada 36-28 to finish the game down 67-61. Roddy led the Rams in scoring with 17 points on 7-15 shooting, and it foreshadowed a nice stretch of games for him. Next game vs. (6-12) Fresno State The Rams will host the Bulldogs at Moby Arena this Wednesday at 7 p.m. while promoting Coaches vs. Cancer night. Fresno currently sits tied for ninth place in the

Dischon Thomas (11) takes a shot against a University of Colorado defender. PHOTO BY LUKE BOURLAND THE COLLEGIAN

Mountain West with a 2-5 record, having lost five of their last seven games. Fresno had totaled 20 or more wins in each of their last four seasons, but this year has shaped up as a forgettable one, as Fresno is on track for their worst season since 201415 when they went 15-17. This game will be CSU’s best chance to end their road losing streak against FSU. The Rams have not won in Fresno since Feb. 18, 2015, when they topped the Bulldogs 81-73. Fresno’s best player statically has been freshman Orlando Robinson, who leads the team in points with 13.5 points per game and in total minutes played this season. The center was a three star coming out of Middlebrooks Academy in Los Angeles and has been impactful in his first season in the cardinal and blue. CSU has also had freshmen step up this year; Roddy has come into the limelight as a dominant physical player, and fellow freshman Stevens continues to grow as a scorer and playmaker. The Rams will be favored in the matchup with Fresno and will look to solidify themselves in the third spot in the Mountain West standings with a win. Tyler Meguire can be reached at sports@collegian.com. David Roddy (21) yells, unhappy with how a call turned out. PHOTO BY LUKE BOURLAND THE COLLEGIAN

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Sports | Tuesday, January 21, 2020

FOOTBALL

Meet the new guys joining coach Addazio’s dudes By Jack Taylor @j_taylr

The Colorado State University football team looks to bolster their likelihood of winning back the interest of Ram fans. Following the recent hiring of head coach Steve Addazio, the CSU athletic community is hesitant to rally behind their new coach. Fans have more than enough justification to be worried about the future of the program. Addazio’s previous head coaching stint at Boston College was no more fruitful than Mike Bobo’s time leading the Rams. However, in the world of college football, no head coach can single-handedly lead a football team. For CSU football to end the 2020 season with a positive record and leave fans with a good first impression of their new head coach, the program must impress when filling in the remaining vacant coaching positions. New CSU football head coach Addazio has a major say when hiring a new coaching staff. Currently, Addazio has a total coaching staff of seven; this is a very small staff for CSU football’s timetable. For reference, last season Bobo entered January with a coaching staff of 25. The Rams will attempt to juggle recruiting players and planning for the upcoming season short staffed,

at least for now. The most notable recent hires for the CSU football team are offensive coordinator Joey Lynch and defensive coordinator Chuck Heater. New OC Lynch is coming to the CSU football program after ending a long-term relationship with his alma mater, Ball State. During his six years as OC at Ball State, Lynch’s offense was able to establish a solid run game that dominated the Mid-American Conference. A testament to the success of Lynch’s run-first offense scheme came last year when Ball State finished with the 18th best offense in all of college football. Much of the success for the impressive season can be attributed to Ball State star running back Caleb Huntley, who rushed for 1,275 yards. A successful run game not only tires out defenses, but the offensive scheme also relieves stress on the passing game, which an unsuccessful CSU football program relied on heavily during the Bobo Era. A solid run game has eluded CSU football in recent memory, especially after Marvin Kinsey Jr. was kicked off the team last season. With Lynch working in tandem with Addazio, who also prefers a run-first offense, expect the Rams to bully their opponent’s defense with hard-nose football and a more

balanced offensive attack than in years past. Commanding the defensive side of the ball for CSU’s 2020 season will be recently-hired Heater. Heater has previously coached the CSU Rams as defensive coordinator, but not since the early ‘90s. Since Heater’s departure in 1992, he has held defensive coaching positions at multiple powerhouse college football teams, such as the University of Colorado, Washington, Utah, Florida and, most recently, Marshall. CSU football had a miserable defensive season last year, with individual players standing out, like Jamal Hicks and Dequan Jackson. But, as a unit, the CSU defense fell well below the bar. Heater’s defense plays just like it sounds: it heats up. With a hard-hitting 4-3 scheme that will apply constant pressure to the offensive backfield, Heater will be planning to bring the heat early and often with four down linemen. A 4-3 defensive package is not foreign to CSU football. The Rams used the package on short-yardage situations throughout the season last year. In those short-yardage situations on third down, CSU’s 4-3 defensive package ranked in the top 10 nationally, forcing opponents into a 30% third-down efficiency. So, fans should get excited to see the Rams light up opposing offens-

New Colorado State University head football coach Steve Addazio speaks at the men’s basketball game on Dec. 13, 2019. PHOTO BY LUKE BOURLAND THE COLLEGIAN

es with a hard-hitting, high-flying defense. As CSU gears up for the 2020 football season, head coach Addazio will be focused on filling his coaching staff. The senior coaching positions for CSU have been filled with the additions of offensive coordinator Lynch and defensive coordinator Heater. However, in the coming weeks, expect to see the Rams add more skill coaches. Currently, CSU has hired multiple coaches who have followed Addazio from Boston College. This includes senior associate head coach and running backs coach Bri-

an White and defensive line coach Antoine Smith. Addazio is also bringing his son onto the coaching staff at CSU. Louie Addazio was hired to become CSU’s offensive line coach after an impressive stint at Bowling Green. Joining Heater on the defensive side of the ball are coaches Sean Cronin from South Florida, who will be in charge of tuning CSU’s linebackers, and Anthony Perkins, who previously worked with defensive backs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jack Taylor can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

BASKETBALL

Women’s basketball hits the road for Fresno State matchup By Ryan Loberger @LobergerRyan

Winner of six straight games, the Fresno State women’s basketball team has been the team to beat in the Mountain West Conference this year. The Rams will get their first crack at the Bulldogs’ undefeated conference record (7-0) this Wednesday as they head to Fresno, California. After the Rams’ 60-40 win against rival Air Force, here are three things they need to do to ensure they return to Fort Collins with a win over the top team in the conference. No quarters off Slow starts to the second half of play have haunted the Rams in recent games. Against San Jose State, the Rams relinquished a nine-point lead coming out of halftime, letting the Spartans back into the game, which SJSU eventually won 58-53. A similar narrative followed in the Rams’ next contest against New Mexico. The Rams held a single-point lead over the Lobos at half only to give up 26 points in the third quarter and

suffer another loss. “We’re getting the looks; we’re getting shots,” head coach Ryun Williams said following the win against Air Force. “We’ve just got to come out with a bit more pop (in the third quarter).” The Rams have been one of the best defensive teams in the conference this season, holding their opposition to an average of 59.4 points per game. They’re tied with University of Nevada, Las Vegas for best in the MW. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have the highest-scoring offense at 78.2 points per game: a mark they’ve surpassed in five of their last six games. Colorado State held a talented SJSU team that currently sits second in the Mountain West to 58 points. Expect them to come out strong in the first and third quarters to help set the tone for the matchup against Fresno. Success from the 3-point line The Rams are in the top five in the conference in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. Jamie Bonnarens, Tori Williams and Megan Jacobs have carried the team from beyond the arc. The trio has accounted for 65%

of the Rams’ 3-pointers, sinking 93 of the team’s 142. Three-point shooting will be critical for the Rams against a high-scoring team. Fresno doesn’t turn the ball over often. The Rams will need to apply pressure on the defense to try and disrupt the Bulldogs. If CSU can get rolling from the 3-point line, they will have a chance to manage the game and try to prevent a shootout with the Bulldogs. Limiting Fresno’s Maddi Utti For the second straight week, the Mountain West announced that Bulldogs forward Maddi Utti was the conference’s player of the week. The junior has posted a double-double in each of her last four games, including a 28 point, 17 rebound performance in an overtime comeback win against New Mexico on Jan. 8. Utti also reached the 1,000 career point milestone in the Bulldogs’ 89-59 win over Wyoming on Saturday. An impactful all-around player, Utti will test the Rams on both sides of the ball. She leads the Bulldogs in points, rebounds and steals.

Katia Stamatelopoulos (1) stands on the sidelines ready to pass the ball back into play. PHOTO BY LUKE BOURLAND THE COLLEGIAN

Last season as a sophomore, Utti was the only player in the MW Conference to rank in the top 10 in the league in rebounds, steals and blocks, earning her a spot on the 2019 All-Mountain Defensive Team. Limiting the Bulldogs’ top

player will be no easy task, but for CSU to leave with a win, the Rams can’t allow Utti to take over the game. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Jan. 22. Ryan Loberger can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

12 |

Arts & Culture | Tuesday, January 21, 2020

ENTERTAINMENT

5 trends from the previous decade that should stay there By Elena Waldman @WaldmanElena

Alright folks, the decade has officially ended — and what a decade it was. It seems like a lifetime ago we were participating in the juvenile fun of the ‘10s, aimlessly singing along to Kesha’s “TiK ToK” and making meaningless six-second videos on Vine. Perhaps those days of joy seem so lost because they were immediately followed by a much more solemn period of social and political hysteria, the rise of reactionary politics and a growing nihilism as a result of our ever-growing chaotic reality. Much like climate change, undoing years of cultural damage takes time and persistence, but perhaps even more importantly, it takes self-awareness. Looking back, there are a few popular trends from the last decade that we might want to reconsider as we head into the ‘20s. Here are five trends that should die in the next decade. 1. Resistance art Here’s a bleak fact: one of the most prolific political satire writers of all time, Kurt Vonnegut, admitted the futility of activism through art (aka his entire life’s work). “The power of (art) turns out to be that of a custard pie dropped from a stepladder 6 feet high,” he said of the anti-Vietnam resistance art movement during the late ‘60s.

Fifty years later, the performative outrage in popular culture and contemporary art enjoys less of the countercultural roots of the anti-consumerist ‘60s. Instead, the politicized art movement is seemingly more tied to elitist virtue signaling than structural change, revealed through long-winded Academy Awards speeches or feminist multi-million dollar budget superhero movies.

“‘Let people enjoy things’ is a remark people use when they can’t effectively defend their interests. Instead of building a coherent argument in favor of the thing, they judge the person in disagreement for being spiteful or petty.” “It makes sense, after all, that the people who stood the least to lose from a Trump win could also afford to be among the most vocal about its administrative failures and moral excesses,” said Anna Khachiyan in “Art Won’t Save Us.” “For those who prefer to do their activism from the comfort of booze-fueled gallery dinners and Wi-Fi equipped airport lounges, political dissent is not so much an inalienable right as a lifestyle

Daily Horoscope Alisa Otte Alisa Otte is a Gemini and a fourth-year English major with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in philosophy. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY

(01/21/20)

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Everything is pink and bubbling. More opaque than transparent. Happiness is found in the unknown more than the known. TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Your focus is sharpening and your self-awareness is growing. You are understanding both your limits and your capabilities. Substantial progress is coming.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Peo-

ple deserve to hear your voice. Your thoughts will inspire others as soon as you get the courage to share them.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) You

are turning toward the sun, toward something light and inspiring like a plant. The movement may be uncomfortable but it is better than not reaching at all. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) The reasons for joy can be found in those who surround you. Look toward your friendships– look outward instead of inward right now. VIRGO (Aug. 23- Sept. 22) This is

the time to care for yourself. You feel best when you’re productive, so do everything that is heavy in your planner.

LIBRA (Sept. 23- Oct. 22) You are

in your element for inspiration. Your mind contains so many colors. Everything you touch can become beautiful.

perk.” In other words, the issues that impact the most people are rarely represented in modern political art, as it is often a lifestyle enjoyed by those who do not live paycheck to paycheck. Perhaps some of this art is substantial, but it would be nice to walk into a movie and not constantly be reminded “We live in a society.” 2. Oversharing on social media The argument in favor of sharing personal details online posits that talking about issues candidly is cathartic and normalizes certain issues to make people who experience them feel less alienated. This consensus has extended to issues with mental health, romantic rejection, revelations in therapy and even darker subjects like toxic relationships. Some evidence shows that finding a community online with shared experiences can help people cope, but these interactions are shown to also have negative outcomes. In a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, oversharing, defined by disclosing private details online, was shown to have adverse effects on adolescents, sometimes creating a negative feedback pattern. Instead of dismissing people who overshare online as narcissistic, it might be time to look deeper into why these compulsions exist. Still, this fairly recent trend should be replaced by encouraging individuals to confide in licensed therapists,

close friends or family members rather than a bunch of strangers. 3. Celebrity worship Many people have described their obsession with “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” a 17-season ongoing reality show peeking behind the curtain of the ever-growing Kardashian empire, as a way to live vicariously through mega-rich and beautiful people on their vacations to private islands or in their decorated mansions. In this way, celebrity fetishes are a form of escapism that don’t involve drugs or, perhaps the more healthy option, reading an engaging fiction book. The waning obsession with celebrities will likely come as a result of a few things. Firstly, the growing rise of the online influencer may eventually cheapen the status of celebrity. If anyone can be one, it won’t be as important. Secondly, growing class divisions may lead to a disinterest in excessive displays of wealth. 4. Viral meme formats We’ve all been guilty of posting “_______ can have a little _______ as a treat” or the famous distracted boyfriend meme with our own unique twist — it’s netizen custom. Many years ago, before everyone became irony poisoned from being “Extremely Online,” copying the exact structure of an idea and claiming it as your own would have been seen as plagiarism. Admittedly, meme formats are a fun game; they’re online ad-libs for people to tai-

lor their individual opinions into an already existing format. Because of this, I don’t think they should go away entirely. I do, however, think people who have curated an entire sense of humor with hack Twitter premises should reconsider their use of the internet. It is also not lost on me that wishing the decline of the viral meme format makes me sound like a boomer, but at the very least, the people who start them should be given credit. 5. “Let people enjoy things” It’s very likely that the “Let people enjoy things” crowd will hate this entire article. Ironically, if cultural criticism is something I enjoy, these people will have to go by their own logic and let me criticize things as I please. “Let people enjoy things” is a remark people use when they can’t effectively defend their interests. Instead of building a coherent argument in favor of the thing, they judge the person in disagreement for being spiteful or petty. Such is the case with especially popular things, like Marvel movies or “The Bachelor.” There is nothing wrong with liking these things, but ultimately, people should have two options when it comes to the discourse around them: either stand by your interests by defending their content or, since some refer to them as guilty pleasures, admit they are dumb and therefore indefensible. Elena Waldman can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23- Nov. 21) You are nesting right now, finding happiness at home rather than adventure. You don’t need to be too responsible– allow yourself to buy a new candle, a new bedspread, a new anything that will make you happy and comfortable. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22- Dec.

21) You might have forgotten some people. Just for a moment. Reach out to anyone who has slipped your mind.

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22- Jan. 19)

You’re wanting safety more than usual. Just because someone disappoints you doesn’t mean they can never be trusted again.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20- Feb. 18)

This is your time. Let every ounce of happiness soak into your pores. Nothing can hold you back. PISCES (Feb. 19- March 20)

Turn your focus to behind your eyes. You can see more than you think you can.

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Tuesday, January 21, 2020

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Arts & Culture | Tuesday, January 21, 2020

ENTERTAINMENT

‘Little Women’ unexpectedly leaves little impact By Scotty Powell @scottysseus

Greta Gerwig is talented. For proof of this, one need look no further than her 2017 coming-of-age tour de force “Lady Bird.” Seriously, it would probably be best not to look further than this, as the director’s latest offering, “Little Women,” hardly holds a candle — nay, it hardly holds so much as a week-old glow stick — to her previous work. This isn’t to say that the movie is bad. It’s delightful. It’s a fun, whimsical, sentimental reimagining of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel with a slightly feistier, more contemporary bite. The problem is that every single previous rendering of the story (whose screen adaptations number six in total)

could be described the exact same way: nothing more than cozy, nostalgic, feel-good displays of the simple joys and frivolities of sisterhood. But there’s much more to “Little Women,” that is, to Alcott’s original story, than frivolity. Although the antics of the March sisters seem light and frivolous to today’s audiences — much like other 19th century heroines such as those created by Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters — they were anything but that in their own time. As with Gerwig’s characters in “Lady Bird,” what set these women apart was their realness and their authenticity. In a time where women were continuously relegated to mere plot devices that advanced the arcs of their more complicated, layered male counterparts, authors like Alcott made them into the fleshed out human beings they are. Thus, it would seem that Gerwig is the perfect choice to direct an adaptation of Alcott’s work since this is precisely what made her directorial debut so captivating despite the simplicity and clichéd nature of its central storyline: her commitment to see

past this surface-level feistiness and defiance and create female characters who, simple as it may sound, actually seem human. Her films aren’t just bones thrown to the self-congratulatory proponents of cinematic “girl power.” She lets her instincts, rather than her morals, guide her work — both as an actress and writer/director — which is the most reliable indicator of a true artist. In “Little Women,” however, that commitment is gone. Gerwig seems uncertain as to how much she wants to adapt her own style to fit Alcott’s story and, contrarily, how much she wants to change Alcott’s story to make it resonate with modern audiences. Thus, the film doesn’t keep a consistent tone throughout but instead constantly shifts between a traditional retelling of Alcott’s novel and something more modern, with a bit of a Gerwig edge. For example, one scene depicts Jo, played by Saoirse Ronan, and her then-suitor Laurie, played by Timothée Chalamet, dancing at a Christmas party. Their style is very formal and fitting to the time period for most of their waltz, but suddenly, the pair breaks off into

wild, ravenous convulsions that seem more fitting for a middle school dance party than a 19th century high society ball. It’s a very Gerwig moment and one that fits well into the film despite not necessarily being period appropriate. However, this tone doesn’t persist throughout the movie. There’s not a consistent effort to translate the spirit, depth and complexity that the characters represented in their time to something that modern audiences can relate to. Although Gerwig is capable of imbuing this endlessly picked-over story with a new, contemporary life that captures the original spirit of the March sisters, and this unique artistic vision occasionally peeks through, the piece as a whole comes off as a surface-level recital of Alcott’s work rather than a spirited rejuvenation of it. The characters don’t have the same kind of multi-dimensionality that Gerwig is so skilled at conveying. They are the same kind of externally defiant and internally shallow Hallmark-style female protagonists that are already prolific in our movies and whose lack of depth is compensated for by

reminding the audience that they are “strong” and “independent” women who are capable of making their own way in the world. These are just words: words that we’ve heard a million times before from a million different characters in a million different movies, but we still don’t attach much weight to them because there are so few female protagonists that actually embody these traits in their respective films. This is largely because there are so few filmmakers in the maledominated Hollywood industry who know how to effectively craft believable female characters. Gerwig is a director who knows how to do this and who has proven her talent, as well as the commercial and critical viability of films featuring these kinds of complex female protagonists. However, this prowess for developing compelling leading ladies is not on display in “Little Women,” which, despite its potential, fails to rise above the hollow and formulaic brand of “girl power” cinema that Hollywood is already heavily saturated with. Scotty Powell can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com.

ENTERTAINMENT

‘1917’ shows gruesome trenches of WWI up close and personal By Leo Friedman @leofriedman13

World War II movies are a common staple in American cinema, but World War I and its horrifying trenches are far less frequently shown on the big screen. British director Sam Mendes’ “1917” closes that deficit by taking viewers on a

riveting journey through those trenches in a powerful new take on the war. The story follows two British soldiers, Lance Cpl. Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Lance Cpl. Schofield (George MacKay), tasked with going behind enemy lines to deliver an urgent message to a different regiment that the attack they are about to commence is a trap and to immediately stand down. The film begins with a brigade of soldiers resting in the barren trenches of France, and the plot quickly advances. Blake and Schofield are ordered to leave the safety of their trenches through no man’s land into a position believed to be abandoned by the Germans. To make

matters worse, Blake learns he is chosen for the mission because his brother is one of the soldiers in the regiment set to launch the doomed attack.

“Short but dark humorous banter is interspersed between the heavy action scenes, humanizing the soldiers in ways that most war movies do not.” What we don’t learn directly about Blake and Schofield’s background, we do learn from how they react to the harrow-

ing threats to their lives as they scramble to accomplish their mission. The cinematography creates an intimate, almost claustrophobic picture of trench warfare and the horrors of the open field. Mendes uses an interesting technique of making the film appear as if it were a single, continuous shot. There are no flashbacks or cuts to other scenes as you follow the soldiers on their mission. The film can be compared to a first-person shooter video game, immersing the viewer directly into the action and giving a visceral experience of the various explosions, firefights and near-drownings of the two friends, like the viewer is the third soldier on the mission.

While the action is certainly a major component of the film, Mendes doesn’t neglect dialogue. Short but dark humorous banter is interspersed between the heavy action scenes, humanizing the soldiers in ways that most war movies do not and expressing, without becoming preachy, the horrors of war. With 10 Academy Award nominations and two Golden Globe Awards to its name, “1917” is sure to be remembered for a long time. Mendes has created a deceptively simple yet immersive film about getting the job done, and the film gets its job done as well. Leo Friedman can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com.

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