Thursday, November 21, 2024 Vol. 134 No. 15 by The Rocky Mountain Collegian

See pages 10-11

CSU FOOTBALl Chases History

Story by Damon Cook, photo by Ava Puglisi

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN

FOCO EVENTS

Fort Nights at Ascent Studio Climbing & Fitness 6-10 p.m. Nov. 22

Foothills Tree Lighting Ceremony at Foothills Mall 5-8 p.m. Nov. 23

Christmas Ornaments: Ceramics! at Museum of Art Fort Collins 1-3 p.m. Nov. 24

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters to the Editor reflect the view of a member of the campus community and are submitted to the publication for approval. Readers may submit letters to letters@collegian.com. Please follow the guidelines listed at collegian.com before submitting.

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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. Approximately 59% of Rocky Mountain Student Media Corp’s income is provided by the Associated Students of Colorado State University (ASCSU) for the purpose of fostering student careers post-college and greater campus awareness and engagement. The Rocky Mountain Collegian is a 3,000-circulation student-run newspaper intended as a public forum and is printed on paper made of 30% post-consumer waste. It publishes every Thursday during the regular fall and spring semesters. 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.

Allie Seibel | Editor in Chief editor@collegian.com

Hannah Parcells | Content Managing Editor managingeditor@collegian.com

Adah McMillan | Executive Editor copy@collegian.com

Claire Vogl | Copy Chief copy@collegian.com

Nathan Carmody | Print Director design@collegian.com

Caden Proulx | Print Director design@collegian.com

Trin Bonner | Illustration Editor design@collegian.com

EDITORIAL STAFF

Aubree Miller | News Editor news@collegian.com

Sam Hutton | News Editor news@collegian.com

Christian Arndt | L&C Editor life@collegian.com

Jenn Dawson | Science Editor science@collegian.com

Ruby Secrest | A&E Editor entertainment@collegian.com

Damon Cook | Sports Editor sports@collegian.com

Michael Hovey | Sports Editor sports@collegian.com

Dominique Lopez | Opinion Editor letters@collegian.com

Garrett Mogel | Photo Director photo@collegian.com

Cait Mckinzie | Photo Director photo@collegian.com

Gigi Young | Digital & Social Director social@collegian.com

Isabella Trinchero | Social Media Coordinator social@collegian.com

Colorado State University alumna Jamie Erskine plays pickleball at the Fort Collins City Park courts with a group of friends Nov. 18. The pickleball courts have become crowded in recent years as love for the sport has grown. “Students really deserve their own courts at CSU,” Erskine said.

PHOTO BY ALISON BOLIN THE COLLEGIAN

CAMPUS UPDATE

Physiology, Environmental Health buildings remain under investigation

By Sophie Webb @sophgwebb

In mid-May of the 202324 academic year, students and staff began to report symptoms such as blurry vision, eye pain and headaches. After continually reported symptoms, the ultimate cause was found in the Physiology building.

Following this discovery, building entrance was limited to faculty and students with valid keycards in an attempt to limit the opportunity for theft, on account of decreased staff presence in the building. Colorado State University hired third-party companies Gallagher Bassett and Chemistry & Industrial Hygiene, Inc., which test for mold and other hazards.

Since The Collegian’s original article Sept. 24, there has been little word to the public regarding the building except for a piece of paper taped on the door that reads, “Building Access for Occupants Only,” and contact information for affected students and faculty.

CSU staff received an email Oct. 2 from Executive Associate Dean

and Professor Dr. Colin Clay and Dean for the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Dr. Susan VandeWoude providing an update regarding the contamination of boxes tested.

According to the email, common particle analysis identified mold spores, fiberglass and insect fragments. All sampled boxes contained surface fungal spores.

“Fungal spore counts were ultimately low, but several spore types were identified that are not often found indoors — Pithomyces — or are an indication of water intrusion — Stachybotrys,” the email reads.

Pithomyces is a fungus that does not pose a significant threat to humans. It is considered a nontoxigenic mold in North America. Stachybotrys, more commonly known as black mold, can lead to neurological problems, skin issues, immune problems and, in extreme cases, death. Symptoms of Stachybotrys exposure include weakness in movement, numbness, headaches and vision problems.

Although several people reported symptoms, fewer than 20 filed claims for workers’ compensation, and only five chose to pursue care, said Nik Olsen, CSU crisis

communication director and public information officer.

Employees still interested in the claim process can file a claim if they want medical care through workers’ compensation, especially if they feel their health concern is related to their work in the building.

Based on the findings listed in the email, it was decided that the Environmental Health Building will remain open to faculty, staff and students. When the email was originally sent, Clay and VandeWoude predicted that the third-party final report would be ready within a few weeks.

Several staff members who were contacted regarding involvement, information and knowledge provided no comment and deferred to University Marketing and Communications.

The following statement was provided to The Collegian by the university:

“This fall, CSU performed dozens of environmental tests and brought in a third-party vendor who performed an additional set of

While the test results did not identify findings outside of normal range or that were consistent with reported symptoms, CSU — at the recommendation of the Colorado Department of Public Health (and Environment) — proceeded with roof repairs, updated the HVAC system, replaced air filters and

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measures to improve the building’s infrastructure and air quality, there are few answers about the long-term impact on the health of staff and students who reported symptoms.

As the Physiology Building remains largely closed to the public and no official report

The Physiology Building, located off Centre Avenue, is deserted amid the health crisis Sept. 20. The doors remain locked, and special access is needed to get inside PHOTO BY SAMANTHA NORDSTROM THE COLLEGIAN

Ballot Issue 4A passes, granting $49 million to Poudre School District

By Robert Sides @csucollegian

The majority of voters in the Poudre School District voted yea on Ballot Issue 4A in the 2024 general election, passing a mill levy increase for the Poudre School District.

The mill levy will grant $49 million per year to fund maintenance projects, increase staff pay, support smaller neighborhood schools and expand career and technical education opportunities.

The mill levy is made possible by the 2016 Colorado Debt-free Schools Act, which permits districts to add funding increases to election ballots. This is the second time PSD has passed a mill levy; the first was in 2019, when a mill levy override was passed to increase salaries of teachers and other district staff.

Approximately $4.6 million of the

“Colorado is one of the lower-funded states when it comes to K-12 education. It’s always kind of hard for a district in this state to make ends meet. Local measures, such as a mill levy, are helping us do the things we need to for students.”

EMILY SHOCKLEY POUDRE SCHOOL DISTRICT COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

funds will be allocated to charter schools as per a Colorado statute.

The mill levy will be funded by taxes from Fort Collins homeowners. Taxes will be raised based on residential home value, ranging from an annual tax increase of $75.63 for homes with a value of $300,000 to $176.47 for homes worth $700,000.

Because not all schools within the district need the same amount of funding, PSD used a table and a funding model to determine how much money each school will receive and where that funding should go.

“We use a funding model for schools that relies on them having a certain number of students,” said Emily Shockley, PSD communications coordinator. “There’s lots of schools that are closer to capacity, and then they go through that formula to get exactly the right amount of money.”

Thanks to the mill levy, Poudre School District can fund staff pay,

programs that might otherwise be cut and schools that would otherwise face talks of closure. The mill levy, as well as potential mill levy measures in the future, ensures endangered schools and programs receive adequate funding.

“To maintain the robust programming and opportunities that we are currently providing to our students, PSD must find sources of ongoing funding that can be dedicated to addressing our building maintenance needs and that can be used to update our classroom materials over time,” a statement on the PSD website reads.

Because Colorado’s funding per student is below the national average, most of the funding for Colorado school districts comes from local expenditures. Educational programming and many maintenance projects rely on local measures to ensure their survival.

“Colorado is one of the lowerfunded states when it comes to K-12 education,” Shockley said. “It’s always kind of hard for a district in this state to make ends meet. Local measures, such as a mill levy, are helping us do the things we need to for students.”

Poudre School District will form a mill levy oversight committee composed of PSD staff and community members.

The committee will determine how much funding should go into which areas and edit funding projects if future priorities change.

The district will continue to publish annual budget and committee audits on its website.

Anyone who wishes to address the committee can attend and speak at PSD Board of Education meetings, which are on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Reach Robert Sides at news @collegian.com

Cathy Kipp, Jeff Brosius, Phoebe McWilliams, Steve Yurash, Yara Zokaie, Donna Walter and Andrew Boesenecker take part in a student-led candidate forum at Liberty Common School Oct. 3

PHOTO BY JACE CARLTON THE COLLEGIAN

Environmentally minded students gather for community cleanup

By Ella Dorpinghaus @csucollegian

After congregating in the dirtpacked parking lot of Red Fox Meadows Natural Area, students involved with the Associated Students of Colorado State University, the Student Sustainability Center and the Coalition for Sustainable Student Organizations pulled on black medical gloves and unrolled trash bags to take part in a CSSO Community Clean Up Nov. 17. A collaboration

between environmentally focused groups on campus, the cleanup days aim to build community and connect students under a common purpose.

“A lot of times, you can feel helplessness when it comes to sustainability and the environment and seeing climate change,” said Raegan Synk, the upcoming marketing director for the Student Sustainability Center. “And this just is, like, one tiny thing that we can do to make a difference, and we’re all doing it together.”

Students at the cleanups spend time hiking at chosen locations,

collecting pieces of litter from trails. In just one hour, the group filled multiple trash bags and found a large white tarp that had been left in the field. Although there is no set date or time for the cleanups, they occur as frequently as the students are able to organize and participate.

“(My favorite part is) helping students get involved with the community and helping students by providing them with resources to make sustainable change on campus.”

BELLA CONRAD STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY CENTER LOGISTICS COORDINATOR

The cleanup draws students from all corners of CSU’s campus who are united by one passion: a love for the environment. One of these students, Sophia Richter, is a coordinator of The Patchwork Initiative at CSU. The Initiative aims to encourage students to reuse and mend their own clothing, and it is just one example of a studentrun, environmentally sustainable initiative at CSU.

“We are finding areas that collaboration can be possible through sustainable orgs on campus,” Richter said. “For instance, cleanups are one way to do that because the more hands the better. A lot of sustainable student orgs will set up cleanups, and so it’s better to do one big one rather than a bunch of small, spread-out ones.”

The cleanups are held every one to two months and serve the community as much as the environment. While picking up trash, students catch up and reflect on current environmental issues, initiatives, clubs and the semester.

Synk mentioned the importance of finding community to boost

morale and provide support for environmental issues among the student body, a sentiment echoed by other students at the cleanup. With the end of the semester nearing, students have found themselves in need of a break and a mental boost, something the cleanups often provide.

Currently, the CSSO is working to build increased collaboration between the different student groups on campus. United by a common goal, the clubs aim to leverage their unique specialties and focuses to champion a greener campus for students. Bella Conrad, the logistics coordinator for the SSC, reflected on her favorite part of working for an environmentally friendly organization.

“(My favorite part is) helping students get involved with the community and helping students by providing them with resources to make sustainable change on campus that maybe they otherwise couldn’t have made or wouldn’t have thought of,” Conrad said.

Reach Ella Dorpinghaus at news @collegian.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF STUDENT SUSTAINABILITY CENTER

LEARNING CULTURE

James Junes delivers Native American Heritage Month Keynote, emphasizes growth, reflection

By Katie Fisher @csucollegian

With a comedic tone and reflective perspective, Diné and Hopi comedian and motivational speaker James Junes delivered the Native American Heritage Month Keynote Nov. 13 in the Lory Student Center’s Never No Summer Ballroom.

Drawing from his heritage, Junes brings humor and healing together in his “humorhealing” approach, in which he connected his own experiences and journey to initiate critical discussions on substance abuse and domestic violence on Native reservations.

Before his two-decadelong standup career, including time spent as one half of James & Ernie Comedy, Junes grew up in Kirtland, New Mexico. Junes lost his father in 1971 shortly after his return from Vietnam.

“When I was a teenager, when I found out about this, it really tore me up because I always had the mentality like, ‘Man, I’m going to grow up without a dad,’” Junes said. “‘I’m going to grow up with somebody not saying, “Shí awéé.”’ That means ‘my baby.’”

Junes said in his teenage years, he turned toward alcohol, noting that he “started binge drinking, going to parties (and) being the fool.”

In 1989, Junes enlisted in the U.S. Navy with the hope of uprooting himself.

“(I) had no idea what I was getting into, but all I knew was what the recruiter promised me … in hopes that I’m going to find something,” Junes said. “See, we all hope that we’re going to find something. We’re going to find it, rather than work for it, work toward it.”

Junes’ former struggles with alcohol returned during his enlistment, forcing him to confront a difficult decision.

“I got in so much trouble in the Navy that I was given a choice,” Junes said. “It’s either you can continue in the Navy and you can get a dishonorable discharge, or you can take this and get an honorable

discharge. So I only did three years.”

Junes came to later confront his battle with alcohol headon after he returned to New Mexico and realized he was the only one who could change his own reality.

“July 17 of 1996, I said, ‘I’m going to stop drinking,’” Junes said. “I didn’t know what was going to become of it. All I knew is if I took these right steps, I had to really dig deep and go back to what my elders were talking about. I wanted to do something better for myself.”

After a period of selfreflection and continued sobriety, Junes recalled a talent people often commented on during his youth.

“Everybody — when I was a kid to when I was in high school to when I was in the Navy — everybody always told me, ‘James, you’re funny,’” Junes said. “’You ought to do something with that.’”

Junes then began his standup career, first beginning with five-minute segments. This journey morphed into a fulltime career of 24 years, all while continuing his sobriety journey of 28 years.

Junes instilled in the crowd the importance of his first step.

“I knew that there was something that in order for me to do it, I have to take the first step towards it,” Junes said. “So you’re sitting there right now. You’ve got homework, you got this, you got that — everything that involves college life. But there’s these challenges that are awaiting you. There’s always going to be a math problem, always going to be the next problem.”

Junes, in 2012, received a call from Lucasfilm, and he spoke directly with “Star Wars” creator George Lucas.

“The Navajo Nation museum reached out to me, and he said, ‘James, we’re translating Episode Four into the Navajo language, and we want to know if you want to play the part for Han Solo, and if you accept, we have George Lucas on the line,’” Junes said.

Junes voiced the famous smuggler, a project he recalled fondly as “the most highlighted thing that I’ll ever

do in my life, and it was for language preservation.”

In 2018, after a successful career, 25 years of marriage, raising four children and purchasing a home, Junes faced his next challenge in life.

“Everything’s going good, 2018 happened — all of a sudden, I was on the road,” Junes said. “Blood started to come out. (I) went in, got checked, found out that there was a growth in my colon.”

After Junes received a diagnosis of colon cancer, a successful operation removed the growth. However, the cancer returned in 2023, now on the opposite side of his sigmoid colon.

“There’s going to be a punch (in life), and I hope you never have to face that punch,” Junes said. “That punch that will jab you in your jaw, that will drop you to your knees, and then there’s going to be that one punch that will knock you on your back. This one knocked me out like that.”

A six-hour surgery successfully removed the second growth, but Junes was left with an ostomy bag, which was later removed, and the need for another surgery to repair six hernias caused by prior operations.

Through every challenge, Junes said he never stopped pushing forward, both remembering his past and looking into the future.

“My heart matches the scars around my stomach, but my spirit is the one that they have adopted, healed,” Junes said. “I finally figured out what my elders were talking about after I had to learn it the hard way, and I don’t want you guys to learn it the hard way. … Don’t let the temptation veer you off course. Don’t let the mindset of the past harm your future. Don’t let the things that’s going to face you dictate how you’re going to face life.”

This message resonated with audience members, such as Jessica Holmes, a senior in business administration.

“You’re the only one in control (of) your own destiny, and ... despite any hardship you go through, as long as you try your best, ... you’re coming out on top,” Holmes said.

celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Diné and Hopi

speaks humorously about his personal experiences in the

the Lory Student Center at Colorado State University Nov. 13. The

was organized by RamEvents and the Native American Cultural Center

CSU.

I never thought this little snuggie-nose rez kid from Navajo land would go all over the

doing this,” Junes said at the start of his presentation.

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA NORDSTROM THE COLLEGIAN

Others said they were touched by the speech, including Ashton Barbone, the RamEvents liaison for the Native American Cultural Center and the planner of the keynote.

“You need to understand sometimes when you come through hard things, like, you deal with difficult things in life, you feel like you want to give up, but that’s not an option, and that’s never been an option for Native Americans,” Barbone said. “We never had the luxury of giving up. We always had to persevere and stay resilient.”

At the conclusion of his presentation, Junes recited a prayer to the audience, first in Navajo and then English.

“May you be blessed financially, mentally, physically, spiritually,” Junes said. “One day, you’re going to have kids. May you have the right things to say to them. May you not face these things with fear but face them with perseverance. Face them with the good things in life — the things that you were taught that brought us here together, that one day that you will succeed. You will find yourself to be that great person that you are.”

Reach Katie Fisher at life @collegian.com.

“My heart matches the scars around my stomach, but my spirit is the one that they have adopted, healed. I finally figured out what my elders were talking about after I had to learn it the hard way, and I don’t want you guys to learn it the hard way. … Don’t let the temptation veer you off course. Don’t let the mindset of the past harm your future. Don’t let the things that’s going to face you dictate how you’re going to face life.”

JAMES JUNES DINÉ AND HOPI COMEDIAN AND MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER

comedian James Junes

Never No Summer Ballroom in

keynote presentation

“Now,

world

UNIQUE EATS

New food truck Wild Brats serves specialty bratwurst combinations

By Riley Paling @rileypaling

A bratwurst food truck adds a delicious, unique flair to the local street food scene. The most recent addition brings authentic German bratwurst to Fort Collins’ hungry crowd.

Wild Brats, a mobile eatery founded by local chef Craig Wilson, is making waves with its freshly grilled bratwurst. Made with many different meat combinations, the brats are served from a truck that’s quickly becoming a crowd favorite.

Wilson, who lived in Germany for part of his life, wanted to share a beloved food with the community — one close to his heart and palate. Bratwurst were a staple of his childhood. After making his unique and delicious recipe, Wilson is bringing that same rich flavor and authentic experience to the FoCo streets.

“I lived in Germany as a kid, so I was always into brats as it was,” Wilson said. “But then what happened was, I was going to start making my own sausages, but I was trying to find somebody that could stuff them for me, and I found somebody. … It was kind of a relief that I can do the recipes I want, but they already had 20-22 different styles, so I just rotate them out.”

Wild Brats serves a variety of bratwurst options, one of which is a combination of elk, venison, wild boar, antelope, bison, blue cheese and willow creek mushrooms in one brat.

In the Hoppin’ Rattler brat, there is rabbit, pork, rattlesnake, jalapeno, chardonnay brat, cream cheese and sweet pineapple red pepper jelly. Each bratwurst is carefully crafted with high-quality meats and a blend of spices. The sausages are then grilled to perfection on site, ensuring customers enjoy a fresh, smoky flavor with every bite.

The truck’s menu includes more than just bratwursts, with sides of

cucumber salad and assorted chips. The dessert menu has quick breads — in seasonal flavors — and spiced pecans, which are a big seller for Wilson. Finally, the truck offers biscuits and gravy along with bison chili for specialty items.

Since launching in 2022, Wild Brats has quickly gained a following. Wilson’s commitment to quality and authenticity has earned rave reviews from foodies and fans of German cuisine alike. Customers praised the rich flavor of the bratwurst and the truck’s friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

“I ordered the Hoppin’ Raddler,” said Kayden Stokes, a Wild Brats customer. “I never thought that rabbit, pork and rattlesnake would go well together. It also surprised me how well the cream cheese and sweet pineapple red pepper jelly tasted together. And to top it off, the guy was incredibly nice.”

Wilson’s food truck got its start parking outside a Loaf ‘N Jug in Wellington, Colorado, and is now bringing something special to local school events, Fort Collins’ Oktoberfest and so much more.

To find out where Wild Brats will be next, future patrons can follow the truck on social media or check out Wilson’s

Website, where regular updates are posted about locations and events. With its delicious offerings and growing consumer base, it’s clear this food truck is here to stay.

Reach Riley Paling at life @collegian.com.

Craig Wilson, the owner of the Wild Brats food truck, serves unique brats at Zwei Brewery Nov. 14. The Wild Brats food truck travels to different spots around Northern Colorado PHOTO BY JULIA PERCY THE COLLEGIAN

UNPAUSE

CSU Esports Team exercises dedication, teamwork in video game competitions

By Riley Paling @rileypaling

The Colorado State University Esports Team, a student-led organization that competes in a variety of online and in-person tournaments, is excelling in gameplay and growing community and leadership skills among its members. The club comprises League of Legends, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rocket League, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, Counter-Strike 2, Apex Legends, Valorant, Call of Duty and Overwatch.

Founded in January 2019, the CSU Esports Team has grown into a fairly well-known clubconsisting of over 50 people. Under the guidance of President Ben Gregg, the team has shown impressive success. This past Sunday, Nov. 17, CSU Esports hosted their annual Game Swap, where each team gets assigned to a different game in which they will compete against

another team also playing a game that is not their own.

“Our teams are better than they’ve ever been,” Gregg said. “We have more players than we’ve ever had, and they’re friends with each other more than they’ve ever been. So I think as a club, we’re definitely growing in a really healthy way.”

The team brings many opportunities to those who join, especially for those who decide to join in their first year. Club members gain the chance to make friends with classmates with similar interests, learn leadership and teamwork and be part of something bigger than themselves that still accommodates their school schedules and lives.

The CSU Esports Team has practice schedules built around school schedules and commitments; typically, each team practices several times a week, with players engaging in training sessions that focus on improving individual and team performance. These sessions are about honing gaming techniques and building communication, teamwork and strategic thinking.

These skills are crucial to success in the highly collaborative and competitive world of esports, where split-second decisions and synergy between teammates can make all the difference.

“In our club, each team has the flexibility to create their own practice schedule,” said Aashay Patel, team captain and Counter-Strike 2 ingame leader. “We practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8-10 p.m., and this is open to change based on homework and availability of players. We must maintain a 2.5 GPA to stay in the club, so I make sure the team prioritizes classes over practice.”

There are a lot of common misconceptions about those who are on the esports team, but members of the team said they strongly disagree with these misconceptions, saying that it is the polar opposite: Being on the esports team requires focus, energy, time management and more.

“The biggest misconception about esports is that we players are all lazy and sit around wasting time playing video games,” Patel said.

“Instead, we pride ourselves on our dedication of time to our games, knowing the ins and outs of our games and practicing hard every day to train our skills. We, like any other athletes, are passionate about our sport and do our best to prove why Esports deserve the attention it gets.”

The Esports Team is still a growing club at CSU and has made a lot of progress this year alone — the Call of Duty team has already placed second in the National Barstool Tournament — but there is still a lot of progress that can be made; the Esports team is underfunded by the university, most likely due to the lack of publicity.

“Obviously, we’re not bringing the revenue football does,” said James Beattie Jr., a member of the Call of Duty team. “We get funds, we get support from The Rec and sports clubs, but if we saw a little bit more support on the varsity level, … I think we would be a lot better. … So I think having a little more resources from the university would put us in a better spot.”

More information about the CSU Esports Team, including how to join or support, can be found on their Discord. Reach Riley Paling at life @collegian.com.

“The biggest misconception about esports is that we players are all lazy and sit around wasting time playing video games. Instead, we pride ourselves on our dedication of time to our games, knowing the ins and outs of our games and practicing hard every day to train our skills. We, like any other athletes, are passionate about our sport and do our best to prove why Esports deserve the attention it gets.”

EAT MY BUBBLES

Rising star Tess Whineray makes waves for CSU swimming

By Mason Ford @mason_ford2891

Last year, Colorado State swimming recruited a ﬁrst-year who would create waves throughout the program.

Sophomore Tess Whineray has made a huge splash so far in her young career. Her inaugural season was marked by records and victories, which planted roots for an impressive, budding legacy.

“I just see her — she has so much potential,” said Katie Flynn, team captain and relay swimmer. “I think she’s going to continue to blossom and get faster to become a huge asset to the team for years to come.”

Whineray hails from Auckland, New Zealand, where she hosts a notable resume of national competitions and titles. She was a remarkable swimmer in high school and even represented New Zealand in the 2023 Tri Series meet against the Australian and Paciﬁc Island teams.

Her parents, both athletes, represented New Zealand in the curling world championships. Her athletic background is ever apparent in her dedication to the sport.

“It’s just fun when you get to work with an athlete who is that rare combination of both talent, discipline and technical and mental focus,”coach Christopher Woodard said.

Whineray trains vigorously year-round to hone her skills in the water. She is a natural athlete who is propped up by

her hard work. It’s the mix of skill and her mindset that put her above the competition by such a large margin. e 2023-24 season was the ﬁrst time she was able to compete at a college level. She went into the season with high expectations and proceeded to blow them out of the water. By the end of the year, she achieved numerous achievements that put her name on the map.

“She is definitely unique,” Flynn said. “Just the confidence that she held coming in having never swam in college — she just holds herself in such a way that lifts up the team and is so confident, and she just swims so fast all the time.”

Whineray earned AllMountain West honors for the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events. Although it was only her ﬁrst season, she boasted the second-best time in team history in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:55.27 as well as the third-place record in the 100yard backstroke at 53:53.

Whineray eventually grew to be a vital part of the relay teams. She notably swam the backstroke leg in the 400 medley and has become important to the team’s chemistry.

“Tess has helped change the trajectory for sure,” Woodard said. “It’s tough for any freshman to hit on all cylinders right away, but she did, and I think that changed the expectation (of) every athlete. ere’s a progression here, but maybe that progression needs to happen a little quicker.”

Since her addition to the team last year, Whineray also became a core part of the team’s

culture. Described as a silent leader, she builds the team up by example, always keeping a positive attitude and supporting her fellow swimmers as much as she can.

Whineray serves as a role model for the rest of the women on the team with her work ethic. An teammate who is dedicated to their sport does wonders for the team’s morale and creates an example of hard work and perseverance.

“She’s a very quiet and unassuming leader and very modest,” Woodard said. “I don’t think she would presume to take the team by the reins and give them a pep talk. I think she models it by her behavior. She is very calm and very composed. She will tell you that she is nervous, but she approaches races with an attitude of conﬁdence in her ability.”

Whineray is now in her sophomore season and looking as fast as ever. e season is still just beginning, but she has already taken up her position as a consistent ﬁrst-place ﬁnisher on the team.

Whineray is already providing a lot of much-needed value in the backstroke events and relays. She is working hard to secure wins for the team and build her legacy at CSU.

“I want to get the school records in the 100 and 200 back, and I would like to get an invite to the NCAAs,” Whineray said when asked about her goals for the season.

Read the full verion of this article at collegian.com

Reach Mason Ford at sports @collegian.com.

Tess Whineray swims the 200-yard backstroke during Colorado State University’s meet against Washington State University at Moby Pool Oct. 18. Whineray won the race, but WSU won the meet 141.5-120.5.PHOTO BY CAIT MCKINZIE THE COLLEGIAN

SPORTS CSU football chases history behind offensive renovations

By Damon Cook @dwcook2001_

When Fort Air Raid was abandoned, the success of Colorado State football became the ultimate paradox.

Championed by coach Jay Norvell, CSU looked poised to be the gunslinging team everyone grew accustomed to the year prior. So when Norvell implemented the run-first system, it made no sense, but given time, it has panned out beautifully for the fourth-year coach.

Norvell had longtime success running the air-raid system at Nevada, especially with quarterback Carson Strong, to whom he compared CSU quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi. Strong won back-to-back Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year awards in 2020 and 2021. He also threw for 9,368 yards in his Nevada career, good for fourth all time.

The comparison between Strong and Fowler-Nicolosi is a strong endorsement of Norvell’s current quarterback. Between that, the return of Tory Horton, the transfers into the program and a recruiting class at the receiver position, the Rams’ preseason

foreshadowed a year filled with air yards.

Yet Fowler-Nicolosi’s stats look drastically different from a year ago and, at first glance, almost look worse. This year, he’s throwing 180 yards per game, compared to 288 a season ago. He’s thrown just eight touchdowns this season, compared to the 18 he threw in the first 10 games last season.

What doesn’t show in the box score, though, are the strides he’s taken as a decision maker. Last year, Fowler-Nicolosi became known for his tendency to gamble, throw the ball up and try to make a play. That translated to a lot of yards and touchdowns but also to a lot of interceptions that turned into losses.

This year, Fowler-Nicolosi has had to adjust. Instead of being a gunslinger, he’s been tasked more with managing the game. Trust your playmakers and defense, throw it quick and don’t turn the ball over.

He’s been exceptional at that throughout conference play, throwing just one interception in five games, which has translated to winning.

“I want a guy that wins,” Norvell said on Fowler-Nicolosi’s development this season. “The most important stat for a quarterback is wins and losses.

So it’s his job to put the team in position to win.”

That transition wasn’t necessarily easy for Fowler-Nicolosi. He came into the season expecting to be a guy leading the Mountain West in passing yards per game as he did a season ago, but instead, he sits second to last.

Oftentimes, when a team drastically improves over the course of just a single year, there’s someone who makes a big sacrifice for the betterment of the team. Every single player on the offense is seeing more work and more production, of course with the exception of Fowler-Nicolosi.

“It was a grind at first,” FowlerNicolosi said. “Honestly, it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. It kind of sucked. You come in expecting to have 50 attempts a game again, and then all of a sudden, we’re down to 20, and I’m having to use my legs and stuff.”

Through those struggles, Fowler-Nicolosi knew if the team was going to find success, he would have to buy into what Norvell wanted offensively.

The goal was for Fowler-Nicolosi to be a reflection of Norvell on the field. That’s not easy for any quarterback, much less for a sophomore with little experience in

a new system. After putting in all the work, there was one moment when things finally clicked.

“Really after that Oregon State game was when it all clicked for us as an offense, and I was able to be that reflection of him on the field,” Fowler-Nicolosi said.

And from that moment, CSU has made massive strides toward the Norvell era being looked back upon as successful, something that hasn’t been said since Sonny Lubick was on the sideline.

Those strides include rehoming the Ram-Falcon Trophy and the Bronze Boot in Fort Collins in the same year for the first time since 2015.

“It’s all a result of the work we put into the offseason and buying into the new system offensively and defensively,” FowlerNicolosi said. “We’ve both kind of implemented some new stuff, and (we’re) understanding how to come together as a team and make that work and play complementary football.”

The work to become a force in the Mountain West truly began at the very end of last season. CSU traveled to Hawaii with an opportunity to become bowl eligible. The Rams looked like an up-and-coming dangerous team and went in with

the expectation that victory would accompany them on the flight home. Instead, a herd of Rams headed to the tarmac with heads hung and spirits broken. Thus, the epiphany of Fort Ground and Pound was conceived.

“I’ve worked really hard this offseason to look at our team and find out how we can be better,” Norvell said. “I’m going to be honest with you: Last year was gut wrenching to lose and not qualify for a bowl game on the last play of the season.”

With 2:24 left in the game, CSU found itself down eight to Hawaii with an opportunity to drive down and tie the game.

First & 10: Fowler-Nicolosi takes a 5-yard sack. Hawaii unsheathed the dagger it planned on using to finish the Rams’ season.

Second & 15: Fowler-Nicolosi found Louis Brown IV for 5 yards. Hawaii raised that dagger, taking aim at the dreams of a successful season that converged in Fort Collins.

Third & 10: Fowler-Nicolosi found Dylan Goffney for 2 yards.

Hawaii plunged that dagger, coming inches from shattering the hopes of a program that had been trying to find its way back to relevance for six years.

The Colorado State University team walks to the sideline during the CSU football game against the University of Wyoming Nov. 15. CSU won 24-10.

PHOTO BY AVA PUGLISI THE COLLEGIAN

Fourth & 8: Dagger shattered. In what may be the most memorable forgotten play in CSU history, Fowler-Nicolosi hit Horton, who ran the ball 70 yards into the endzone for a touchdown. With Horton completing a pass to succeed on the 2-point conversion, the game was tied, and new life was injected into the Rams.

The clock showed 00:54, but the tie game translated to deja vu. Over a month earlier with just 40 seconds on the clock, UNLV drove down and kicked a game-winning field goal. Hawaii followed suit, with the final three points being the final nail in the Rams’ 2023 season coffin.

“We had seven one-score games, and we had four games that came down to the last play,” Norvell said. “We’re not used to losing those games. We’re used to winning those kind of games, so that was not a typical way for us to finish the season. It was a gut shot, and I looked really hard, and I was determined to do things differently.”

CSU went 2-2 in those onescore games and just 1-3 in games decided on the last play. Oftentimes in the clutch, the offense delivered, but far too often, the defense fumbled away the opportunity.

So when Norvell set out in search of a new identity, defense through offense was going to be one of the characteristics of the new-look Rams.

“A big credit to our defense is our offensive line,” Norvell said. “When we’re on the field, (the opposing team) can’t score.”

With an O-line coming off of an incredible season and captain Jacob Gardner returning, extending offensive drives looked like the winning ticket to cash in on the dreams that failed to be realized a season ago.

Norvell sought to protect his defense because he was worried about his pass rush but still understood that, in order for that ticket to be cashed this season, the Rams would have to finish with the trifecta: winning on offense, defense and special teams.

It’s no coincidence that when the defense started to click, the number in the win column began to inflate.

“We’ve (placed a) huge emphasis on our communication and on our execution of what we’re supposed to be doing,” captain Henry Blackburn said. “Guys are really locked in out there. Guys are talking a lot, which is helping us play a lot better defense.”

Communication comes easily when those around you are all there by choice, and the brotherhood extends beyond just a position group or even personnel.

A motif of the season has been the love each person in the building has for one another. Whether it be the janitors, team staff or Norvell, the atmosphere inside Canvas Stadium has become truly special. That love proved to be pertinent to the Rams’ turnaround.

“Guys just really love each other on this team,” Blackburn said. “We love the coaches; the coaches love us; the players love the players. That’s the biggest thing that I see that’s different with this team.”

Of the 113 players on the roster, 29 of them hail from Colorado. While Norvell emphasized the importance of his guys to understand the history of CSU, many of those 29 guys have been around the community and understand how important this football team is to the Fort Collins area.

The desire to restore the honor of the program that many of those 29 players grew up watching started to intensify. It was paralleled only by the desire to give their graduating brothers — men they lost blood,

sweat and tears for — a season that etched each person’s name permanently in stone, with time being the only force that could wipe that away.

“There’s a core group of guys that have been here for a long time, and we’ve always been talking about trying to turn this around,” Blackburn said. “We really put our hearts into it. … (Winning) is the result of what we’ve been working on and the culture that we’ve been building here.”

CSU may not reside in Philadelphia, but through all the ups and downs, the Rams have become the team of brotherly love.

So in the beginning, when abandoning the air-raid offense seemed destined for nothing but failure, the team locked arms, ready to go into battle for one another. Through perseverance, success followed.

Once upon a time, the desertion of the air raid looked insane. But in hindsight, it may have signaled the start of a program that could once again be the pride of the city.

With a record-breaking student crowd present for the reclamation of the Bronze Boot, echoes of, “I’m proud to be a CSU Ram,” rang as eager faces filled Sonny

Lubick Field for an opportunity to be part of the beginning of something special.

“I’m a big believer that every spring you look at your team and you look at the strengths and weaknesses of (what) you can hang your hat on,” Norvell said. “It became evident that we needed to really improve in our fundamentals in the run game, both offensively and defensively — and we have. We’ve got better since the spring, especially defensively. We’ve really improved.”

The Bronze Boot is just the second stepping stone in what could end as a historic season for the Rams — a classification that seemed ridiculous prior to the CSU offense morphing in to its final form.

The opportunity to play in a bowl game for the first time since 2017 is great, but the chance to win the program’s first-ever MW championship would be legendary.

“I think it will be really cool,” Fowler-Nicolosi said. “(Playing in a bowl game) will be an awesome opportunity. I hope that we don’t play that game for another while because we have a championship to take care of first.”

Reach Damon Cook at sports @collegian.com.

“(Winning) is the result of what we’ve been working on and the culture that we’ve been building here.”

HENRY BLACKBURN SAFETY

Peter Montini jumps into the end zone to try and score a touchdown for Colorado State University during the CSU football game against the University of Wyoming Nov. 15. CSU won 24-10.

PHOTO BY AVA PUGLISI THE COLLEGIAN

prospects following Border War win

Photos by Ava Puglisi

1. Defensive back Dominic Morris goes to tackle a University of Wyoming player during the Colorado State University football game against UW Nov. 15. CSU won 24-10.

2. The CSU football team walks out to the field.

3. Tommy Maher catches the ball and scores a touchdown.

4. Volunteers pull a field-sized American flag onto the field at the beginning of the game.

5. Dylan Phelps pushes a University of Wyoming player away from him as he runs downfield.

6. Quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi scores a touchdown.

7. CSU football coach Jay Norvell walks through a crowd of fans on the field after the game.

8. Fowler-Nicolosi pushes through his teammates and the opposing team.

SCIENCE

POSITIVE OUTLOOK

CSU researchers study possible Alzheimer’s treatment

By Hannah Parcells @hannahparcells

The findings of a recent study at Colorado State University could be groundbreaking in the ongoing search for an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s is a disorder in the brain that slowly destroys memory and other cognitive skills. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s most commonly appear later in life, according to Mayo Clinic.

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, a disease that an estimated 6.9 million people in the United States aged 65 and older currently live with.

CSU researchers in the Healthspan Biology Lab are supporting efforts to change that through a partnership with Sachi Bio, a Colorado-based biotechnology company that develops therapeutic treatments.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation in late July, tested a new drug “cocktail” developed by Sachi Bio on older mice with symptoms of cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s.

CSU postdoctoral fellow Devin Wahl said the treatment specifically targets inflammation in the brain, which is connected to the

development of Alzheimer’s. The study found that the treatment was effective on the mice and improved their mental abilities.

“We saw that it improved memory, (and) it improved cognitive function,” Wahl said. “If you look at the classic pathologies and hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, (the treatment) reduced those pathologies.”

There are two proteins in the brain that are connected to neuroinflammation, Wahl said, and they are both targeted by this treatment. This is intended to target events “upstream” of the disease — things that occur in the brain before symptoms of Alzheimer’s begin to appear.

“The whole idea behind this drug cocktail is that if we can target neuroinflammation specifically, if we can target those upstream events before pathology develops, then that may be a more effective treatment,” Wahl said.

There is currently no way to reverse the effects of brain deterioration, but by targeting processes that occur before cognitive decline, Wahl said this treatment could have a preventative effect.

The results of the study didn’t just include increased memory skills; there was also a measurable decrease

in anxiety following treatment, something Wahl said was important when considering the drug as a possible Alzheimer’s treatment.

“In the lab, we have tests to measure anxiety in mice — believe it or not,” Wahl said. “We saw that in the mice that received this drug, they also had reduced anxiety as well. So that’s important because memory loss and anxiety often come hand in hand with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Someone’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s depends on a variety of factors, but Wahl explained that it is a disease of aging in most cases.

“The Alzheimer’s disease that most of us are familiar with is called lateonset, sporadic Alzheimer’s disease,” Wahl said. “As we get older, aging is the greatest risk factor.”

According to the National Institute on Aging, one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s rises exponentially after the age of 65, and a majority of cases occur in those aged 65 or older, with fewer than 10% of cases arising in younger individuals.

Wahl said the drug could possibly be used to prevent brain deterioration before symptoms of Alzheimer’s arise, as the neuroinflammation connected to the disease usually develops before symptoms do.

“We suspect that brain inflammation, for example, can come decades before neuropathology — the bad things that happen in the brain that cause memory loss,” Wahl said. “This drug or this compound, by targeting things that come before pathology, could be beneficial well before the disease comes about.”

Though the study found promising results in mice with neurodegeneration, Wahl said it’s important to note that this research is preclinical, meaning the possibility for this treatment to be effective on humans with Alzheimer’s hasn’t been tested yet.

“We need to be careful because Alzheimer’s disease in mice looks a lot different than Alzheimer’s in humans,” Wahl said. “This is really good preclinical data, but we’re just not sure what would happen in humans.”

To discover how humans respond to the treatment, the team at Sachi Bio will next have to conduct clinical trials of the treatment. This means that even if this treatment does prove effective in humans, it will take some time before it’s widely available.

Read the full version of this article at collegian.com.

Reach Hannah Parcells at science @collegian.com.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY TRIN BONNER THE COLLEGIAN

DISEASE AWARENESS

Early-onset breast cancer rates rise among young adults

By Hana Pavelko @csucollegian

Approximately 270,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Breast cancer is a disease that develops when abnormal breast cells rapidly and uncontrollably grow, eventually forming tumors in the breast. Right after skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer women are diagnosed with.

While this disease is prominently seen in those who are 50 or older, there has been a significant increase in breast cancer rates among people aged 18-45.

“Cancer is a disease in which some of the cells in a body start to divide in an uncontrolled way,” said Claudia Wiese, an associate professor at Colorado State University involved in research concerning radiation cancer biology.

“(It is) uncontrolled because the brakes to cell division, which exist in healthy normal cells, are taken away. This is a consequence of changes

that have occurred in the cancer cells’ DNA.”

“There has actually been an increase in the early onset of a number of different cancers, including breast, colorectal and lung cancers, to name a few. A recent article discovered that these early-onset cancers were highest in some of the wealthiest countries.”

DAWN DUVAL

CSU

CLINICAL SCIENCES

ASSISTANT

DEPARTMENT HEAD FOR RESEARCH

There are many different factors that can influence someone’s chances of developing breast cancer. Genetic risk factors, such as a person’s age, biological sex, family history of breast cancer or breast tissue density, are unable to be controlled. However, lifestyle and environmental risk factors, such as diet, amount of physical activity and alcohol consumption, can be controlled or changed to limit one’s risk of developing breast cancer.

Dawn Duval, assistant department head in the CSU department of clinical sciences, leads the Molecular Oncology and Functional Genomics program. Duval’s work includes projects that explore genetic changes contributing to cancer development in canines.

Duval said understanding both genetic and environmental factors is key when discussing the rise in cancer cases.

“These habits can make our bodies less healthy and might make it easier for cancer to start,” Duval said. “It’s important to remember that while these things might increase the risk, they don’t always cause cancer. Many factors

play a role in whether someone gets cancer or not.”

Cancer that develops in younger populations is referred to as “earlyonset cancer.” According to recent data, cases of breast cancer increased overall by 1% per year from 2012 to 2021, but the increase in cases for people under 50 was steeper at 1.4% per year.

According to the American Cancer Society, those diagnosed with early-onset cancer make up an estimated 16% of all breast cancer diagnoses in the United States, and 5.2% of deaths due to breast cancer occur in those aged 45 or younger.

A precise cause for the increase in early-onset breast cancer cases has not been determined. However, it is likely that there is a more prominent hereditary component than in those 50 or older who are diagnosed with breast cancer.

“One new approach (to treating cancer) is to engineer our normal immune cells to become better cancer fighting cells using gene therapy,” said Steven Dow, CSU clinical sciences professor. “This type of therapy produces a living drug that can persist in the body for months to years to fight off new cancers from developing.”

People can be vigilant for signs of breast cancer in their everyday lives. While symptoms may vary between people — and some individuals exhibit no symptoms at all — it’s important to watch out for a change in the size or shape of one’s breasts, pain in any area of the breasts, discharge other than breast milk from nipples or new lumps in the breast or underarm areas. It is recommended that anyone who experiences these symptoms set up an appointment with their physician as soon as possible.

Reach Hana Pavelko at science @collegian.com.

“There has actually been an increase in the early onset of a number of different cancers, including breast, colorectal and lung cancers, to name a few,” Duval said. “A recent article discovered that these early-onset cancers were highest in some of the wealthiest countries.” As cancer rates increase, so do ways to treat cancer. Treatment options continue to become available as research expands in the field.

BUILDING CREATIVITY

Interior architecture, design program integrates technology in design

By Katie Fisher @csucollegian

Nestled in the Nancy Richardson Design Center, Colorado State University’s interior architecture and design students possess the industry’s latest technologies and scientiﬁc innovations at their ﬁngertips, developing skills that will carry them well into their professional futures.

e design and merchandising department is home to two undergraduate majors — interior architecture and design and apparel and merchandising — both of which award a Bachelor of Science upon completion. e program is housed in the College of Health and Human Sciences, a discipline that correlates with the very foundation of interior architecture.

“A lot of times, people think of interior designs as being just a subset, like picking furniture, picking ﬁnishes,” said Laura Malinin, associate professor and Nancy Richardson Design Center director. “But it really is about (the) whole spatial layout.”

Interior architecture includes everything within a building’s shell, including wall locations, door

height, specific lighting angles and interior finishes. All are aspects that contribute to a building’s psychological effects on occupants.

“Interior designers need to understand how the environment impacts people, both in terms of their cognitive processes and in terms of their physiological wellbeing,” Malinin said. “So there’s a lot of research. For example, a lot of the theories that students learn, even from the very beginning that help them understand how to design, have to do with the human experience.”

is process of incorporating natural elements is known as biophilic design, and it can be utilized to conjure various emotions from a building’s inhabitants.

“Natural elements within design can help people not only feel more comfortable in a space — especially within hospitals — they can actually make patients feel better and bring (an) outside element of natural healing,” said Bryce Greenwood, an interior architecture and design student.

Students are trained to ensure their designs meet top industry criteria, including the WELL Building Standard, which is awarded to buildings that have been “developed

with people’s health and wellness at the center of design,” as outlined on the organization’s website.

Even the smallest of design elements make a diﬀerence, such as the placement of stairs, which are critical in the science of interior architecture, as it encourages physical movement in visitors.

To achieve holistic spaces, students utilize various technologies and softwares, all of which are industry standard.

“ is year, as a third year, we are learning (Autodesk) Revit, and Revit is super cool,” Greenwood said. “Last year, we learned more of SketchUp and AutoCAD.”

Autodesk Revit is a threedimensional modeling software. Other softwares utilized include Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, all used for 3D conceptual designs.

Students also have access to several learning laboratories within the Nancy Richardson Design Center, including the DLab, which was designed to serve as a ﬂexible space for students to access cutting-edge technologies that allow them to experience their layouts ﬁrsthand through virtual reality.

“Students use a plug-in so that while they’re using the design software,

they can actually put on the headset and work in real time,” Malinin said. “So while they’re working, if they put the VR headsets on, they would see what they’re designing in real size with respect to their body. So while designing a building, they can actually virtually walk through it and look around and see what their design would feel like right in that space.”

e Lighting Lab also enables students to gain experience with

diﬀerent lighting sources and systems both in commercial and residential settings. e major is developing a lighting focus course series, and one such lighting technique relies on understanding the circadian rhythm of the human body.

Read the full version of this article at collegian.com.

Reach Katie Fisher at science @collegian.com.

Sales representative Michelle Cox tells students about her experience working with Momentum Textiles & Wallcovering and provides materials for students during a Snack and Learn event starting at 12 p.m. in the materials room at the Nancy Richardson Design Center Nov. 14. “You guys are so lucky to be here,” Cox said during her presentation regarding CSU and the design center. “So many good designers come out of CSU and this program and the resources it offers.”

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA NORDSTROM THE COLLEGIAN

CULTURAL CONVERSATIONS

Native American art tells stories of generations

By Janaya Stafford @csucollegian

Native American cultural belongings and artwork hold high importance in their communities, as they tell their stories and pass knowledge down to many generations.

There is an incredibly wide range of Native American art, making it impossible to fit into one box.

“I want to emphasize over and over again how diverse (it is),” said Emily Moore, associate professor of art history at CSU. “There’s no such thing as the Native American art form. (It encapsulates) everything from up in the arctic within the Utes peoples to the northwest coast to the southwest deserts. There’s more than 550 federally recognized tribes in the United States, and so it’s really diverse.”

It is important to appreciate all of the differences while seeing the shared impact of these pieces.

Before beads entered these communities from European

traders, quillwork was another popular form of artistic expression.

“Women would get the porcupine, pluck out all the quills, dye the quills and then — painstakingly — stitch down every single one on the hide,” Moore said.

Once beads came into the picture, beadwork integrated its way into Native Americans’ lives and creations. It is a prominent style that can be seen on clothing, moccasins, tipis and much more.

“Traditionally, different tribal nations use certain (beads and patterns),” said Jordan Dresser, curator of collections at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery and Northern Arapaho Tribe member. “You could identify which tribe people were from based on their beadwork but also the different designs and the power they each had.”

Native Americans use different materials to create culturally significant pieces that represent their experiences through various forms of symbolism.

“The large triangle in the center may represent a mountain, perhaps

Bear Butte in present-day South Dakota, which is a sacred place for the Arapaho and many Plains people,” Alex Sherman wrote on the museum card for a pair of moccasins by a Hinono’ei artist. “For Tsitsistas people, Bear Butte is the place where their cultural hero, Sweet Medicine, received the Sacred Arrows and many teachings that remain central to Tsitsistas life today.”

These messages embedded in their work remain relevant and will communicate information for years to come.

Gender played a role in how different people made art.

“Men would do the figurative paintings of figures of people and horses that recounted actual history, whereas women did abstract designs that you kind of had to know how to interpret,” Moore said. “In the warrior societies, men would sit together in the evenings and recount those stories as they showed their paintings.”

At an exhibit at the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, there was a pair of “Star Wars” moccasins by Max

Bear, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Historic Preservation Office director. These moccasins featured beadwork, creating images of TIE fighters and details from the series. It connected Native American techniques with a more contemporary theme.

While some museums are doing better at presenting cultural pieces, there is work to be done.

“There’s been a really bad history of presenting Indigenous material culture.” Moore said. “But I do think its improving, partly because — finally — Native people are allowed to collaborate with museums and really have a say in what those exhibitions say about their cultures and their art.”

Similarly, the rise in Native American pieces in the global market can become tricky.

“It runs a risk of being mass produced, as we see sometimes beadwork ends up at places like Hobby Lobby, which to me doesn’t have a lot of meaning with them because are they made by tribal people?” Dresser said.

Reach Janaya Stafford at entertainment@collegian.com.

EDUC ACIÓ N MUSICAL

CSU professor creates new class combining language, Taylor Swift

By Maria Kantak @csucollegian

Alyssia Miller De Rutté debuted her class Spanish for Swiftie Purposes at CSU this summer. The course focuses on teaching Spanish through the use of all things Taylor Swift.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Miller De Rutté has been teaching for about 13 years and has been an assistant professor of Spanish for specific purposes at CSU since 2022.

“I love it at CSU,” Miller De Rutté said. “It’s a lot of fun with lots of opportunities for teaching, research and development. The students are great.”

She also leads the languages for specific purposes team in developing coursework for professional Spanish, which she said is a relatively new field.

“We’re working on expanding our course offerings to give students those practical skills that they can go out and use once they graduate, in their job,” Miller De Rutté said.

Spanish for Swiftie Purposes (Taylor’s Version) was offered online as a 300-level course over eight weeks last summer. Everything in the course was Taylor Swift themed, from the grading scale to the assignment names. The idea for the course started as a joke at a faculty dinner, but Miller De Rutté believes sparking interest in new ways can help with student motivation in a course.

“In language education in general, we’re at a point where we need to be more conscious of that,” Miller De Rutté said. “We have to innovate; we have to make sure we’re meeting the students where they’re at and helping them achieve the goals they have as well.”

The students worked on coming up with a Swiftie dictionary, which consisted of Spanish terms one needs to know to be a Swiftie.

“We did corpus linguistics, so we looked at all of her lyrics across all of the albums and analyzed the most common words or themes she talked about,” Miller De Rutté said.

The course also looked into pop culture and current events associated with the album eras as well as what was going on in the world when Taylor Swift was touring in different

countries. Miller De Rutté also used modern technology as a tool.

“We did some translation of songs and we incorporated AI and Google Translate to see where we can use technology effectively but know the limits of it,” Miller De Rutté said.

“You really get to dive into how people think across cultures, and you can’t really get that without knowing the language. I think what’s fun about using lyrics and music is it opens the mind, like a window, to other countries and cultures and other points of view.”

ALYSSIA MILLER DE RUTTÉ CSU SPANISH FOR SWIFTIE PURPOSES PROFESSOR

She emphasizes the importance of learning another language to help with professional growth as an opportunity for any major or focus. Miller De Rutté explained that language is more than just learning grammar and structures; it helps students teach empathy and trust and builds relationships across cultures. This is emphasized even more by the use of music.

“You really get to dive into how people think across cultures, and you can’t really get that without knowing the language,” Miller De Rutté said. “I think what’s fun about using lyrics and music is it opens the mind, like a window, to other countries and cultures and other points of view.”

Language skills benefit communication as a whole, and it can be beneficial for professionals in any field to learn how to understand others.

“How can you disagree in a language and still have respect for others?” Miller De Rutté said. “How do you build empathy? These things are so essential to what we do. These skills of conflict resolution,

mediation and empathy are what transcend all of the languages. It’s about that human connection.

She says there are many reasons to study a language. While the skills students learn can provide them with a higher salary and make them more desirable to employers, they also support brain development and brain neurology.

“Language skills actually help your brain so much,” Miller De Rutté said. “There’s so many studies on how learning languages can help with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and there’s just so many benefits to it.”

She said Spanish for Swiftie Purposes received an overwhelmingly

high level of participation throughout the course, especially for an online summer course.

“I loved reading all the discussion posts and grading all of the assignments,” Miller De Rutté said. “It didn’t feel like work for me because the students were so into it, and that just showed in their writing and their assignments. It was really great to see their engagement with the content and the course itself. ... They were really supportive of everybody, so I feel like Taylor would be proud of the community we built there.”

Miller De Rutté hopes to teach the course again in the future, but

Spanish for Swiftie Purposes is just the beginning of the future of language education. The languages, literature and culture team is continually focused on innovating how they teach language to meet the needs of students year after year.

“We’re integrating technology and coming up with different types of courses we can offer to help bring language education into 2024 and beyond,” Miller De Rutté said.

Reach Maria Kantak at entertainment @collegian.com.

Alyssia Miller De Rutte, the instructor of LSPA 380A5, Spanish for Swiftie Purposes (Taylor’s

smiles

FAMILIAR COMFORTS

Fall break is around the corner to cure your homesickness

By Charlotte Seymour @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.

Picture this: It is a Sunday evening, and you are lying on the couch at home with your family. You just got home from catching up with your old friends, and a familyfavorite movie plays on the TV while the aroma of a home-cooked dinner crowds your nose. Sounds great, right? Well, just remember that this image is almost a reality.

The first two months of college are filled with excitement about meeting new people, gaining independence, making connections and honoring academic successes. By the time parents weekend comes around, most are ready to see their family and become a little less independent for a while. But once the weekend ends, that month in between parents weekend and fall break feels like an eternity.

GIRL POWER

Specifically for first-year students, by this time of the semester, everyone has settled into their classes, is comfortable with friends and is used to their new life. But this is also the time of year when homesickness begins to kick in. For a lot of people, no one has gone home in three and a half months, and every minute that goes by subtracts from the countdown to return home.

No one talks about how lonely the first semester of college can be. Sometimes, this feeling of isolation lingers above you like a rain cloud. Sure, there is a whole bunch of excitement that comes with beginning college: meeting new people, participating in new activities and beginning your career journey. But it is all completely unfamiliar. The absence of comfort that accompanies sitting on the living room couch, chatting with people who know everything about you, begins to dominate your mind.

College is a continuous game of charades, as you essentially have to guess which kinds of people you surround yourself with. You have to grab a couple of impressions of your potential friends and hope it works

out in the end — an immensely scary endeavor.

Having a roommate, going to classes and eating at the dining hall come with exhaustion because you are socializing 100% of the time. In college, specifically the first year, you never truly get alone time to relax and reset. Or conversely, maybe you don’t socialize much in college either because you are an introvert or because you haven’t found those people to socialize with yet. Back home, sometimes it is easier to be both an introvert and an extrovert.

As an introvert, you can hang out alone in your house without feeling the pressure to go out all the time. And as an extrovert, it can be easier to be a social butterfly at home because it is likely you have known the people you are engaging with for a good chunk of your life.

Learning to go every day without the people who bring you a sense of security is mentally toilsome. It makes you question a myriad of things and can take a major toll on your mental health. It is probable that during the first semester of college, you might not make deep connections with people. And you

may struggle to find the beauty within college as the sense of unfamiliarity still loiters. But it will get better. Each day should start to feel more and more comfortable as you develop a sense of stability at college.

Personally, as a first-year student at Colorado State University, I am counting down the days until fall break. It will be my first time home since move-in, and I certainly could not hold any more excitement. I just want to hang out with my

hometown friends and pet my cat. I know it will feel luxurious to sleep in my bed and take a shower in my own bathroom.

I know times can be weary, but fall break will be the perfect refresh for those who are experiencing homesickness, and with winter break right around the corner, the homesickness should vanish, and you will likely be thrilled to return in January.

Reach Charlotte Seymour at letters @collegian.com.

Continuing to celebrate women’s joy is important

By Emma Souza

@_emmasouza

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. There is nothing better than women’s joy.

To be completely transparent, the current state of our government — more specifically, the recent loss of Vice President Kamala Harris for

president — has discouraged me. Pure joy is the last thing I’ve felt in the past couple of weeks, and I’ve gone through practically every emotion in the book. Each day since then has blurred into one long, continual mess of 4 p.m. sunsets and 10 p.m. bedtimes. I’ve logged nearly 20 hours on my Nintendo Switch. This is a normal stage in processing emotions. Though I’ve been a complete couch potato, I’m a huge advocate for feeling things deeply and fully. However, because I sit with my emotions for such a long time, I tend to cross the line when

it comes to rumination. I’ll rethink the same thoughts and rehash the same feelings well beyond the point of productivity.

“ Those very same young women will hopefully learn about this election and those in the past — elections in which strong women have gone toe-to-toe with men who do not respect them and are so clearly disgusted by happy women.”

Writing this is partly a wake-up call to myself. It’s a refresh button, a cold shower and a load of fresh laundry. But I also want this to be a celebration, a motivation and a reason to feel excited. I want to

discuss something the government may be able to diminish but can never fully take away: women’s joy.

Seeing women doing what they love fills me with an indescribable sense of pride, accomplishment and joy of my own. Regardless of whether these accomplishments are on a national, state or local scale and regardless of the publicity, there is nothing more perfect and beautiful than witnessing a woman’s success and happiness.

The amazing thing is that success cannot be contained or quantified with one specific measure. Though Kamala Harris did not “succeed” in what we’d typically define as success, she demonstrated to millions of young girls and women of color that they have a place in presidential elections and politics. That in itself is a huge success.

It still baffles me that one of the most popular insults on Harris — in the same vein as “Sleepy Joe” — was to depict her laugh as crazy.

President-elect Donald Trump even explicitly said, “You can tell a lot by a laugh. She’s crazy. She’s nuts.”

To criticize policy is one thing, but to criticize a woman for outwardly being happy and expressing joy? It’s bullshit.

Women have long been called

“crazy” for a laundry list of dumb and misogynistic reasons, but weaponizing women’s joy to bash an opponent is a new level of disgusting. Outwardly and proudly expressing emotions should be commonplace for men and women, but unfortunately, there are steep and real consequences for showing any ounce of happiness or vulnerability, especially for women of color.

Trump does not exhibit a sliver of the resilience, humility, ambition, kindness or laughter that women as a community do. It is deeply upsetting that he, who couldn’t possibly respect women any less, will become the face of our country and represent so many young girls who will grow up fearing his policies and living with the repercussions. Those very same young women will hopefully learn about this election and those in the past — elections in which strong women have gone toe-to-toe with men who do not respect them and are so clearly disgusted by happy women. And I hope that, if anything, that encourages them to laugh more. Keep being passionate, and keep being joyful.

Reach Emma Souza at letters @collegian.com.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY ASIYE UCTUK THE COLLEGIAN

SERIOUSLY

What your birth control says about you

By Astrid Thorn @csucollegian

Editor’s Note: This is a satire piece from The Collegian’s opinion section. Real names and the events surrounding them may be used in fictitious/semi-fictitious ways. Those who do not read the editor’s notes are subject to being offended.

Birth control is a hot topic, especially among female-bodied individuals in college. The beauty of pregnancy prevention lies in its customizability, with modern medicine giving us numerous great ways to keep babies away. What a lot of people don’t realize is that birth control is almost like medical astrology — the kind of birth control you choose can reveal who you are at your core.

The pill

You like to keep it classic and maintain a steady routine. You think ahead and have your life planned out in an aesthetically pleasing digital planner. You also have an alarm that goes off at full volume at 7 p.m. every day — no matter the setting — that says something along the lines of “a pill a day keeps the babies away.” You are reliable and prepared for anything; your friends call you a “mom friend,” but if you don’t want to be a real mom, the pill is perfect for you.

IUD

You are a type-B, relaxed person, and you want maximum protection with minimal effort. You write your essays the day they’re due but always manage to get an A. You also have a suitcase sitting on your bedroom floor from a trip you took last month that you haven’t bothered to unpack, and you tell people you’re just preparing for another trip. When people ask you about your IUD, your response is always, “It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life, but I promise it was sooooooo worth it.” You’re endearingly aloof, and everyone secretly wants to be you.

Arm implant

You also like to stay lowmaintenance and not have to worry about a tight routine to avoid accidentally making a mini you. You are a very go-with-theflow, carefree type of person, and you get along with everybody. Maybe you tried the pill but left do not disturb on and kept forgetting to take it. You may be a little disorganized, but your friends don’t mind because you’re so charming. Your favorite trick is making your friends squeal by touching the implant under your skin, and it makes you the talk of the party.

The patch/the ring

You are a free thinker, a nonconformist. You have 100 incredibly niche Spotify playlists to capture your exact mood, and all of them consist of songs and artists your friends have never heard of. You like these birth control methods because they are nobody’s favorite, and that fuels your individuality complex. You’re extremely chic and a lot of people’s style icon; I’m talking full glam, a Voguelevel outfit every day. You don’t mind wearing a little accessory to ensure that you don’t have to spend the next nine months building a maternity wardrobe and learning how to style a baby bump.

The shot

This is likely not the first birth control you tried, but it’s the one that works best. You are a very open person who will try anything once, whether that be a new food, skydiving or anything else your friends lovingly convince you to do. Though you love a routine, you like to maintain some flexibility in your day-to-day life. You aren’t afraid of a little pain if it will pay off. You like to experiment in all areas of your life, and your birth control is no different.

You’re probably vegan and shop 100% organic to avoid ingesting “all those chemicals.” You use goat’s milk soap in the shower and essential oil deodorant. Your makeup routine is all from Burt’s Bees. You’re not into the hormones that come with most birth control, so you put your trust in nature and hope for the best. You also probably have peerreviewed studies downloaded onto your phone that you pull out when someone says, “Are you sure you can trust that?” when you tell them about cycle tracking. This happens a lot.

Condoms only

You like to stay as medically untouched as possible but with maximum protection. You are particular and like to stick to one way of doing things, even if people try to convince you to change your ways. You are strong in your boundaries and unwavering in your self-confidence. You probably have a favorite condom brand, texture and even flavor if you’re adventurous, and you might judge sexual partners based on their condom choices.

Withdrawal, pulling out

If you aren’t actively trying for a baby, you single-handedly keep Plan B One-Step in business. You live life with a fuck-it-we-ball attitude,and although you may be a bit on the irresponsible side, people admire your reckless abandon. You are the sleep-in-your-makeup type and always have a messy room with week-old Monster Energy cans lying around. You somehow never have a full pantry because of your DoorDash habits, but you like it this way. You’re carefree — maybe to a fault — but you live for the chaos.

Remember, all birth control is good birth control if it works for you. No matter who you are or how you choose to live, there is an option that will fit your needs.

Reach Astrid Thorn at letters @collegian.com.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY TRIN BONNER THE COLLEGIAN

MEDIA

Sudoku

WEEKLY HOROSCOPE

By Sophia Masia

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (11/21/24)

ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 19)

Get ready to shift from solo acts to ensemble projects as Pluto asks you to reflect on your social sphere. Though you’re usually a leader, leaning into group dynamics will ultimately enrich your personal growth. Social connection could surprise you with fresh insights — there’s no “I” in team, Aries.

TAURUS (APRIL 20 - MAY 20)

Career goals will take center stage as Pluto pushes you to take bolder steps professionally. This transit challenges your comfort zone, urging authentic selfexpression and courageous moves in your career. Trust that embracing vulnerability at work will pay off. Be you, Taurus.

GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20)

Always the curious cat, allow yourself to embody wanderlust as Pluto parks deep curiosity, urging you to explore new cultures, philosophies and ways of learning. This transit will expand your worldview and sense of self, so get ready for some major change. There’s power in experience, Gemini.

CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22)

Poor, sweet crab, the planets have been tossing you around lately, and this transit is no different. This era invites you to scrutinize financial commitments as Pluto transforms shared resources, emphasizing trust in close partnerships. Follow your intuition when merging assets or making joint decisions, Cancer.

LEO (JULY 23 - AUG. 22)

Is it tension, or is it sparks?

Your love life will be center stage during the era of Pluto in Aquarius. Relationships are going to get intense, urging deeper bonds and authentic exchanges. Learning to harmonize with others will pave the way for more resilient connections. Lean into compromise, Leo.

VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEPT. 22)

Welcome to your 20-year wellness revolution. Pluto is asking you to embrace lifestyle changes and rejuvenate routines with a focus on physical and mental health. Working yourself to the point of burnout just isn’t cutting it anymore, but luckily for you, this will impact you least of all the signs. Baby steps, Virgo.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23 - OCT. 22)

How’s your inner child? Pluto is encouraging you to get back to your roots and allow yourself to have fun. Whether it be through art, puppy love or doing things that you enjoyed as a child, let yourself go back to your roots. Soak up the good stuff, Libra.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23 - NOV. 21)

This transit is all about strengthening your emotional foundations as Pluto digs into your family ties and home life. Take note of anywhere the energy feels stagnant — do those piles of paper really need to live on your desk?

When you toss junk, donate old clothes and burn old love letters, you make more room

for new connections and ways of belonging, Scorpio.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22DEC. 21)

Happy solar return, Sagittarius. Before we officially get into your season, Pluto is asking you to change your approach to communication. Mindful conversations open doors for growth this season, so get curious, Sagittarius.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN. 19)

Ready to hit the jackpot? Pluto is highlighting your finances, so you can expect transformations in money management, savings or property matters. If you haven’t struck gold yet, don’t fret; this transit supports longterm financial stability. You will move toward wealth every year Pluto is here. For now, reflect on what you truly value, Capricorn.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18) Get ready for a profound and transformative journey as Pluto enters your sign until 2044. This cosmic shift offers fantastic opportunities for selfimprovement, reconnecting with yourself and releasing old habits, beliefs or relationships that don’t serve you. You won’t immediately feel Pluto’s effects, but trust: If you do not surrender these things freely, they will be removed forcibly. Embracing change is key to navigating this transit. It’s your time to shine, Aquarius.

PISCES (FEB. 19 - MARCH 20) Pluto shifts focus to endings and fresh, new beginnings. You can’t fill your closet with new clothes without donating the ones you’ve outgrown, so start making space. It’s time to let go of what’s weighing you down so you can truly move forward. Your new life is going to cost you your old one, Pisces.

Last edition’s crossword solution

Last edition’s sudoku solution

OVERHEARD AROUND CAMPUS

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