Volume 126, No. 97 March 6, 2017

SPORTS

BASKETBALL SPECIAL EDITION INSIDE

Volume 126, No. 97 Monday, March 6, 2017

PAGES 9-16

NEWS

CSU’s humane lab animal practices PAGE 4

Self-Harm Awareness Month

NEWS

Population rises cause traffic jams PAGE 5

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NATALIE DYER. COLLEGIAN

The lasting effects of self-harm Shay Rego @Shayrenee411

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in the following column are those of the writer only and do not necessarily represent the views of the Collegian or its editorial board.

Release. That was the feeling I got from pushing the razor against my skin and seeing the blood trickle out. Many peo-

ple don’t truly understand the mindset of a self-harmer and the effects that it can have on someone’s life years down the road.

March is Self-Harm Awareness Month, a time to become aware of the realities and kill the stigma of self-harm.

Almost every day I would come home, lock myself in my room, turn on the music and break out my razor. After an arduous day at school dealing with being bullied verbally and online, having few friends and dealing with other immense stresses, nothing was more comforting than watching my skin rip open. Hurting myself was the

only thing I had real control over in my life and making the decision to cut deep was incredibly freeing because I was in control.

I didn’t do it to punish myself, I did it because it genuinely felt good and I needed a little something good in my day. Breaking my skin was like breaking out of the social constructs that everyone had placed on me. It was liberating.

It has been two years and a long road of recovery. I am not ashamed of my scars and if I see someone else with scars I feel great empathy and also pride that they made it through their hardships and are here today. There

is such a stigma around self-inflicted scars and it influences how people treat someone with scars.

In reality, there is nothing wrong with scars. Everyone has their secrets and their ghosts and no one should judge. Self-harm and mental illnesses are not something we can control. It would be like telling someone with a broken leg that they can just stop having a broken leg and run a mile.

As life goes on, people will begin to make lifelong friendships in adulthood. At some point friends are going to see the scars and shy away or always wonder. There will come a time see SELF-HARM on page 7 >>

A&C

TEDxCSU tackles big ideas PAGE 20

2

COLLEGIAN.COM Monday, March 6, 2017

FORT COLLINS FOCUS

Mitch Howard sits on top of his car at Horsetooth Reservoir overlooking the lights of Fort Collins. PHOTO BY JOE OAKMAN COLLEGIAN

overheard on the PLAZA this

•

campus

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says

• funny

• things

•

SCHEDULE

sometimes

MONDAY

KCSUFM.COM

“Half the time we spend together we’re sleeping because college.”

“Look, you smoked too much weed and got bronchitis. That’s your fault, Dad.” “I am majoring—maybe minoring—in dramatic sighs.”

“My orange tree is hardy AF.”

“I actually really want to live on a commune--like not the cultish kind, but just the farm part of it.”

1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Salt Indie & Questioning

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Automated Music Broadcast

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ThunderWolf Hexagonal Perspective

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Meenbeatz & Tradhandz Twerkfest Vol. 5

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NEWS Monday, March 6, 2017

3

POLITICS

Hundreds attend Denver Trump rally amidst protesters

By Haley Candelario @H_Candelario98t

DENVER – Masked protesters in all black uniforms chanted, “no Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA” as supporters of President Donald Trump chanted, “take your masks off ” at the March 4 Trump rally on Saturday in Denver.

The rally, one of nearly 50 rallies occurring across the nation, drew a crowd of over 300 supporters and around 100 protesters.

While organizers of the original March 4 Trump rally called for supporters to host local rallies, the media platform, It’s Going Down, urged protesters across the nation to attend to show their opposition.

Protesters stood across the street from the State Capitol at the start of the rally, then crossed the street after the first two speakers finished. Supporters of President Trump shouted in response to the protesters’ chants.

Around 50 Denver Police officers and Colorado State Pa-

Watch the video with the story online at: collegian.com trol members separated the protesters, who stood behind police tape, from the rally.

Protesters continued to chant rallying cries such as, “no Trump, no Pence. Community self-defense,” throughout the duration of the rally.

As the rally ended and supporters of President Trump left, protesters ran after cars waving President Trump’s campaign

A group of protesters to the Trump rally in Denver rip an American flag apart in opposition to the event. PHOTO BY DAVIS BONNER COLLEGIAN

flags.

A group of a dozen protesters also ran after a supporter escorted by police. Police informed one protester, who apparently got too close to the supporter, that she would go to jail for harassment if she attempted to get closer to the supporter again.

Protesters also burned Russian flags with “Trump” written on them and ripped an American flag in half.

Though protesters did not cross the police line, some ripped the police tape in half while other unmasked protesters walked around the State Capitol through the rally.

A 27-year-old protester by the name of Hanah went around the police tape to deliver a note to the supporters and the police before she was escorted back over the police line.

According to Hanah, her note read, “we love your country as you do. Dissent is patriotic.

Respectfully, Hanah.”

While some participants of the rally shouted back at the protesters, U.S. veteran and supporter of President Trump, who wished to only be identified as

Chuck H., urged participants to turn their backs on the protestors.

“Don’t make them the story,” he said to supporters. “Make (the rally) the story.”

Community members and state representatives continued to speak at the rally over the chants of the protesters.

Patrick Skorjanec of Gays for Trump said the name of the organization is a direct response to the Democrats’ tactics.

“Democrats like to use fear-mongering and identity politics to scare voters into supporting them,” Skorjanec said. “This is why we call ourselves ‘Gays for Trump.’ It is a direct response to Democrats’ identity politics.”

Skorjanec said he supports President Trump because of his plans to focus on America.

“Even though we use the title, ‘Gays for Trump,’ we are Americans first,” Skorjanec said, “And, like Mr. Trump says, he is going to take care of all Americans first.”

Araceli Cortez, a recent graduate of Everest College, said she attended President Trump’s Colorado campaign rallies and will

Around 300 people turned out for the March 4 Trump event in Denver, in addition to the protestors. PHOTO BY ASHLEY POTTS COLLEGIAN

continue to attend rallies that support him.

“Anything that has to do with my president, I’m going to go and support it,” Cortez said.

“He doesn’t just need our vote, he needs our support for the four years he’s in office.”

Casper Stockham, the co-founder of the at-risk youth program Project Purpose, said Republicans need to stop defending their beliefs because their candidate won.

“For years Republicans have been on the defense,” Stockham

said. “We need to be on the offense. Last I checked, we won.”

Skorjanec also urged supporters to continue to voice their beliefs.

“My call to action is this: engage in open dialogue and discourse. Show people that it is not only okay to think for themselves, but it is an American virtue,” Skorjanec said. “You are allowed to have your own thoughts and ideas, and here’s the kicker: it’s okay to respectfully disagree.”

Haley Candelario can be reached at news@collegian.com.

CAMPUS

Eco Leaders to host food waste audit on Plaza Wednesday

By Jym Cox @jym2233

Eco Leaders will be demonstrating how much food is wasted on campus in one day at Colorado State University on Wednesday.

Eco Leaders will be in the plaza on Wednesday, March 8 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., sorting through trash to find recyclables and compost. Garbage trucks will be bringing trash from Parmalee and Corbett and taking sorted trash and recyclables to

appropriate locations throughout the event. Volunteers will be inviting passersby to help sort.

Dominique Ashe, an Eco Leader and ASCSU Senator for Natural Resources, said the purpose of the audit is to educate students about the sustainable disposal of food and trash.

“We want to emphasize recycling as a sustainable tool that students can use to reduce their environmental impact on a daily basis,” Ashe said. “It gets people to think about repercussions and how they can use resources on

campus to recycle, compost and avoid trash.”

The audit coincides with RecycleMania, a yearly collegiate recycling competition by Keep America Beautiful. This year it lasts from Feb. 5 to April 1. Ashe said CSU ranks No. 17 with a 61 percent recycling rate.

Saphyre Kelly, an Eco Leader and sophomore biology major, also said the purpose is educational as well as an important project.

“It will be one big sort for the community,” Kelly said.

For those who want to be more involved in sustainability, additional activities are available to students and the community.

Eco Leaders provide educational movie nights and programs with Resident Assistants and Hall Councils throughout each semester. There is also a program called Green Warrior which helps students commit to sustainable living.

A video game named “Recycle Mania” can be found online at recyclinggame.colostate.edu, and allows students to use their

eID to login and sort items into the correct bins. Top scorers are entered into a raffle to win prizes.

Technotrash bins by GreenDisk are available on campus to recycle electronic devices.

There is one in the Morgan Library and many residence halls and dining halls host these bins as well.

Students interested in volunteering for the Food Waste Audit can sign up online at bit. ly/2lMBily.

Jym Cox can be reached at news@collegian.com.

4

NEWS Monday, March 6, 2017

POLITICS

State Rep. Ginal hosts conversation on Colorado marijuana regulation in Fort Collins

By Katie Marshall @katie_marshall3

State Rep. Joann Ginal hosted a meeting to speak about marijuana in Colorado at Mugs on College Ave. with Choice Organics Saturday morning.

Ginal hosted this meeting to educate people who are interested in the medicinal and recreational uses of marijuana.

Choice Organics, a local Fort Collins dispensary, presented facts about legal marijuana and spoke about the common misconceptions in the industry.

Choice Organics is accredited with being the first medical marijuana dispensary in the nation as well as the first recreational dispensary in Larimer County.

The main properties in marijuana that are used for medicinal and recreational uses include THC, CBD, CBN and terpenes.

THC contributes the psychoactive quality of marijuana, but it can be used for medicinal purposes in cases of HIV and to help regulate pain, according to Choice Organics.

CBD is much more accepted in society than THC, according to the presentation, as it does not have any psychoactive affects, but does help with seizures.

The cannabis industry is closely regulated by the Colorado Department of Revenue. According to the owners of Choice Organics and representatives the cannabis industry has several regulations regarding employees and the transfer of money.

To work in the cannabis industry each employee must pass a background check.

As well as a background check, anyone who is in debt to the IRS may not be allowed to work for this industry.

This requires each employee

in the cannabis industry to pay off all their student loans in order to work at a dispensary, even as a secretary.

Choice Organics aims to help people safely use recreational marijuana.

Choice Organics emphasized how difficult it is to buy weed when under 21. They I.D. each person who enters the dispensary twice: once when they first enter the door and again when purchasing the product.

“Don’t do it if you’re underage, it’s illegal,” said Amanda Woods, the compliance officer at Choice Organics. “Know the rules, wait until you’re 21.”

Woods is responsible for the cannabis legalities at Choice Organics. She is responsible for reading over bills and policies to constitute what is allowed and what is not.

Choice Organics said they want to encourage legal con-

sumption as well as safe consumption by college students.

“Take a cab if you dab,” Woods said. “Be good ambassadors for Colorado. We are a petri dish; the world is looking at us and we would like to set the example.”

Since the cannabis industry is still new, banks are hesitant to support the industry.

Often, marijuana businesses are cash-only and banks are hesitant because of it. Banks may also be penalized for working with the cannabis industry.

Since the industry generates so much revenue, banks do not have the physical space to store the proceeds from the cash-only industry. This causes many major banks to avoid becoming involved with dispensaries.

Though this may not seem like a potential problem, Choice Organics representatives said it impacts the employees directly.

Employees like Woods do not receive their payments through direct deposit like most other industries pay.

However, small, local banks are beginning to work with the cannabis industry. The marijuana business has even made its way into CSU. CSU is currently working with marijuana and animals in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Two studies are currently being conducted to test how cannabinoids interact with animals and if they could be beneficial to animals’ health.

One study is testing marijuana and the impact on dogs who suffer from seizures.

Rep. Ginal said she will continue the marijuana discussion on March 17 from 6 pm. to 8 p.m.

More details are yet to be released.

Katie Marshall can be reached at news@collegian.com.

CAMPUS

CSU practices humane lab animal euthanasia

By Nate Day @NateMDay

Dissection of an animal carcass is a popular method used to study biology, and students all across the country dissect animals in classrooms — millions each year, according to the Humane Society of the United States. However, most schools do not actually euthanize the animals themselves. Colorado State University is an exception to that rule.

Colorado State University is the only major college in the state that provides students with the opportunity to study animal sciences and biology, meaning that no other school in the state has reason to euthanize animals whatsoever. At Metropolitan State University of Denver, for example, it is common for a biology student to dissect a cat or mink for a better perspective of mammal anatomy, but all of the animals they use in their labs are purchased from breeders or slaughterhouses and arrive at the university already euthanized and soaked in preservatives.

At CSU that is often the case as well, but occasionally animals

are euthanized. Terry Engle, a professor within the Animal Sciences department, noted that it is mostly small animals that face euthanasia.

“Mice and rats are euthanized for pieces and parts,” said Engle, who formerly sat on the Animal Care and Use committee, noting that large animals are not often euthanized unless they have been severely injured.

Bernie Rollin, who holds the position of university bioethicist, is known for creating the field of veterinary medical ethics and describes the university’s practices as “state of the art.” Not only does the university follow strict ethics guidelines, Rollin said, but federal laws mandating humane treatment of research animals were also drafted at CSU. Kevin Pond, who heads the Animal Sciences department, said that animals may occasionally be euthanized to study meat consumption as well, but this is never done at the university.

“We always take [the animals] to a commercial harvest center,” Pond said.

Pond and Engle have both endorsed the methods of animal care practiced at CSU and the methods of animal euthanasia

at these commercial slaughterhouses.

For the animals that are shipped off, several methods of euthanasia exist and are considered highly humane by the American Veterinary Medical Association, an organization that lays out stringent guidelines for euthanasia. These guidelines were designed to foster the most ethical process possible when euthanizing animals and address issues that the Humane Slaughter Act was passed to address.

CSU professor and recent National Women’s Hall of Fame inductee Temple Grandin said that the commercial harvest facilities now utilized by the university were not always so humane in their treatment of animals.

“In the seventies and eighties and nineties, things were so bad,” Grandin said.

Not only were the meat packing plants unsanitary, Grandin said, but they treated animals poorly, causing distress and pain throughout the whole process.

Since then several improvements have been implemented, such as high walls to prevent over-stimulation and electric stunning to ensure a quick and

painless death. According to Grandin the improvements that are now in practice today are due largely to the fact that massive restaurants like McDonald’s started to audit the slaughterhouses that their meat came from—ensuring the quality of both the meat and the animal’s life.

Meat packing plants are motivated to treat animals well due to the fact that distress before death often causes their product quality to lower — the meat from distressed animals is often tougher.

While the euthanasia of CSU’s animals is not necessarily done at a packing plant, the commercial harvesting facilities partnered with CSU utilize similarly humane practices.

“The industry has improved so much compared to ten or twenty years ago—there’s no comparison,” Grandin said.

Pond, who heads CSU’s Animal Sciences department, said that CSU has been working to launch an online simulation for dissection. This particular alternative has been endorsed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. They claim that in almost every published study

students taught using non-animal methods, such as interactive computer simulations, tested as well as or better than their peers who were taught using animal-based exercises.

PETA also notes that these alternatives dramatically lower the cost of maintaining anatomy laboratories. The most popular of these programs allow students to virtually dissect frogs, cats, dogs, rats and fetal pigs, and offer a wide variety of anatomic studies to students.

The Animal Sciences department also utilizes byproducts from packing plants and the like.

This means that, rather than allow a company to dispose of organs and other undesirable parts of livestock, Animal Sciences utilizes them for classroom study, effectively reducing the amount of waste created by processing and packaging livestock.

According to Pond CSU and its Animal Sciences department pride themselves on the humanity of the practices they have endorsed and they are open and looking forward to implementing more humane and practical alternatives in the classroom.

Nate Day can be reached at news@collegian.com.

NEWS Monday, March 6, 2017

5

CITY

Increasing population to blame for more vehicle crashes in Fort Collins

By Sam Aniello @SBAniello

The steadily increasing population in Fort Collins has increased the number of crashes and traffic incidents in Fort Collins, according to the City of Fort Collins.

Joe Olson, the head of traffic Operations for the City of Fort Collins, said the city has seen an increase in the number of crashes in the past five years—up about 22 percent from 2012 to 2016.

Since 2000, the population in the city has increased more than 32 percent and that number continues to rise each year.

As of July 2015, the population of Fort Collins surpassed 161,175, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The rising population of northern Colorado brings an ever-increasing traffic volume along with a resultant increase in crashes.

Joe Olson said the most frequent types of crashes can be avoided through simple safety tips.

Intersections with the highest traffic volume: Timberline and Harmony 88,400 vehicles per day College and Harmony - 75,300 vehicles per day College and Drake - 72,000 vehicles per day Crashes increased by 22 percent from 2012 to 2016.

Since 2000, the Fort Collins’ population has increased more than 32 percent.

“We’ve seen an uptick in crashes throughout the city over the past five years,” Olson said. “The good news is that serious injury crashes have not increased.”

Intersections with higher traffic volume equate to higher incidences of crashes.

Olson said that most crashes are various forms of car versus car, which account for 47 percent of crashes—the most prevalent of these are rear end crashes.

The next most common form of crash occurs when a motorist is attempting to make a left turn when the light turns yellow. Olson said that according to crash reports most people assume oncoming traffic will stop and so they proceed to go on yellow, which results in high-speed accidents.

“These crashes are completely preventable with a bit of driving acumen,” Olsen said.

Car versus bicycle crash-

es account for 23 percent of crashes, and since 2012, have declined 11 percent.

The reason for this decline can be attributed to better infrastructure put in place by the city as well as the public being generally more aware of bicyclists.

Compared to other similar cities in Colorado, Fort Collins had the second-lowest rate of crash fatalities. In Front Range cities with a population between 100,000 and 150,000, Fort Collins, with an average of 3.8 yearly crash fatalities between 2011 and 2015, had the second-lowest rate, only slightly higher than Boulder.

Olson said drivers can reduce the risk of crashes by minimizing their distractions.

He attributed the prevalence of cell phones, music and distracting passengers in the car as factors that take away attention from what is happening on the road.

Heavy traffic passes through Lincoln Street earlier this year. PHOTO

BY NATALIE DYER COLLEGIAN

“If any of us could do something to be better drivers, it would be to be less distracted,” Olson said.

Sam Aniello can be reached at news@collegian.com.

6

OPINION Monday, March 6, 2017

COLLEGIAN COLUMNISTS

Let’s learn about history as it actually happened

By Mack Beaulieu @CSUCollegian

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in the following column are those of the writer only and do not necessarily represent the views of the Collegian or its editorial board.

This month is women’s history month and last month was black history month, so it’s a good time to talk about the fact that we don’t get taught history as it happened in U.S. schools. We get Disney-style tales where the white men are always the heroes and lots of great people don’t get mentioned. The result is an ill-informed society that lacks critical thinking on its issues.

A woman named Sybil Ludington rode twice as far as Paul Revere to warn of the incoming British, yet you have likely never heard that name. Multiple women, white and black, played huge roles in the Revolutionary and Civil war, yet they received little to no mention. Black men held office in the South before Woodrow Wilson kicked them out in the early 1900s, and still, little to no mention. Some Seminole tribes in the early Americas included white, black and native Americans; they represent pos-

sibly the purest form of an inclusive society in our American history, but still get little to no mention.

“It’s an insult to our intelligence that we are supposed to accept history as this onesided narrative.”

I think it’s an insult to our intelligence that we’re supposed to accept history as this one-sided narrative. The ruling descendants of Europeans are always being held up as the righteous or justified heroes of the story when, for some, that’s not quite true and, for others, it’s murky at best.

While there are some heroes of that variety, good, white men

being noble as the overall moral of our story rightfully insults other groups. Telling our history this way means one of two things is happening; it means those people who write the narratives, the lobbyists and the four or five major textbook publishers, are either assuming we’re naive enough to believe it’s all so simple and pure, or they’re playing to the undeniable fact that most people won’t ever know better.

It starts with Columbus, he discovered America even though there were people already here and there’s strong evidence of many others making it to the Americas first.

Worse than the obvious flaws in these fables are the atrocities and complexities that are left out of the story. It is not stressed enough that Columbus enslaved both Native Americans and Africans. In Haiti, Columbus’ brother counted 1.1 million natives in 1496. Some historians believe there were closer to 3 million, but either way, by 1516 a historian named Benjamin Keen estimated there were only 12,000 of those same natives left due to their treatment as slaves and exposure to disease. He was promptly blacklisted as a communist sympathizer in the 1950s for pushing unedited history like this.

Having a headache all day.

On the American mainland and in Africa the slave trade began in direct response to Columbus. This was also when white people stopped seeing it as acceptable to own each other, regardless of other reasons. To me, that’s when racism as we know it began.

Columbus is just the earliest and maybe most extreme example. Still, my argument here isn’t to strip Columbus. He was unsavory to say the least, but his drive played maybe the biggest role in the eventual establishment of the U.S. However, for the sake of fairness, we still need to tear him apart where he deserves it.

While we need to get the whole truth about our forefathers, we can still hold them accountable for their mistakes while recognizing their undeniable contributions.

For example, George Washington was basically on our side during the revolution because of money issues and he had several hundred slaves at Mt. Vernon.

He was still great, if not morally sound by our standards. Lincoln was prejudiced, he even looked into sending slaves back to Africa but deemed it impractical. In the end though he knew the country couldn’t exist with slavery and he eventually grew to respect at least

NOPE DOPE

When it looks like it’s going to rain or snow but it never does so you just have cloudy weather for no justifiable reason.

some black people as is evident in his well recorded relationship with Frederick Douglass.

Giving us these insights into our forefathers’ pasts while not making up blatant lies that downplay instances of slavery, genocide and the fact that everyone’s flawed would undoubtedly make all Americans feel more akin from the start.

Minority Americans, women and the poor deserve to have their people lauded for their achievements and not slighted or held as secondary characters through clever, rich, white, male PR. That’s one of the problems of thinking of the country as a business. Views and values are systematically altered to be in line with those highest in the company ladder.

Extending to all Americans, a history written in its full breadth would, in theory, impose on us the knowledge that everything that works out doesn’t always start pretty. Most importantly it would illustrate that ideas, morality, people and our society develop in a complex fashion. It would allow us to have more civil and logical conversations about our society’s issues.

Mack Beaulieu can be reached at opinion@collegian. com.

Completing your beer wall.

Being 21 at a house party so not having to worry when the cops get called. #Meh

Being 21 at a house party. Why am I here?

Having an awesome snuggle session with your dog.

Having to buy a futon.

Having a cool futon.

Blacking out and trying to start a fight at Tony’s. #WeHaveAProblem

Jamming out with your friends.

OPINION Monday, March 6, 2017

7

SERIOUSLY

Libertarian Party to give up paying taxes for Lent Sean Kennedy @seanskenn

Editor’s Note: Seriously is a satire column, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. The views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the Collegian’s editorial board.

Claiming that Libertarians everywhere want to “resist the temptation of government and grow closer to God,” Executive Director of the Libertarian Party Wes Benedict announced that the Libertarian Party is giving up paying taxes for Lent. “We as Libertarians want to refocus this

>> SELF-HARM from page 1 when the scars may need to be explained to these friends, reopening old wounds and scarred memories. It will be letting someone new into an old past, a past that many people don’t want to have to revisit. A majority of people also hide these scars for many years from their families.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call: The Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255 But what about the wedding day? Those scars will be revealed eventually to family members, and they’re going to blame themselves for never noticing over the years. And what about possibly having children?

It’s not exactly something a person wants their six-year-old child to see, and by the time they reach early adolescence they’re going to realize anyways what the scars really are. It could change how someone’s friends, parents and even children view them.

People are often denied jobs in the work industry due to their scars. Having lines of scars noticeably all over one’s body can be very off-putting and, in some cases, frightening.

Some people have absolutely no idea how to act upon seeing such scars and one of those people may be an employer. In

time of year on our most Heavenly duty: to not do a goddamn thing for anyone else,” Benedict said, noting that while Libertarians would be participating in the Catholic tradition of Lent, it’s not like they’re religious or anything. “Our country was founded by people who wanted to be free from religious persecution and we hope the statists respect our religious rights to not give a fucking dime to benefit anyone other

“Damn, that’s a good idea! Why didn’t we think of that?”

WES BENEDICT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY

certain jobs, especially those relating specifically to children, employers want their employees to be friendly, approachable and exemplary role models. Having scars does not mean those qualities are absent.

Outsiders sometimes look upon scars with disgust, stare at them uncomfortably, act shamefully towards them and even be so appalled by the scars that they will altogether not talk to the wearer of those wounds. Some people feel that having scars makes a person less whole, that maybe that person has something wrong with them and they’re not normal or perhaps people feel that those with scars should feel ashamed. Some call cutters attention-seekers or crazies.

People stare as if it is horrid and distracting. This is the kind of stigma that surrounds scars.

Having scars are not bad.

Scars do not define a person. It is not on the person to try and change their disease, it is on society to change their views on scars. It is a very personal issue and cannot be used as a judge of character. March is all about becoming aware and educated on self-harm. Kill the stigma that it is gruesome and terrible. Give empathy, make people feel in control of their lives and help them feel strong and beautiful even with their scars.

If fresh wounds are noticeable, reach out to them because it only takes one person to make a difference in someone’s life.

Most importantly, treat those with scars no differently; we are all human.

Shay Rego can be reached at opinion@collegian.com.

than ourselves.”

When questioned by critics, Benedict defended the move as “living as God intended, probably,” free from the shackles of shared social responsibility and having to actually cooperate with other human beings.

“I don’t know the Bible, like, super well,” Benedict said, “but

the devil is totally a statist. I mean, forcing people to give up their souls and suffer for eternity? He’s like the IRS!” When asked by reporters why the party didn’t simply give up government for Lent, Benedict said that the idea hadn’t been discussed.

“Damn, that’s a good idea!

Why didn’t we think of that?”

At press time Benedict could be overheard loudly debating the merits of the Sixteenth Amendment with tax collectors, arguing that the constitutional right of the government to collect taxes was “freaking bogus.”

Sean Kennedy can be reached at opinion@collegian.com.

Inside the Lines Monday, March 6, 2017

Mountain West Tournament Edition

10

Inside The Lines Monday, March 6, 2017

2017 Mountain West Men’s Basketball Championship

8) Utah State

1) Nevada

2) Colorado St.

Thursday, March 9 1 p.m. MST CBS Sports Network

Thursday, March 9 7 p.m. MST CBS Sports Network

Wednesday, March 8 12 p.m. MST MW Network

7) Wyoming Wednesday, March 8 2:30 p.m. MST MW Network

9) San Jose St. 4) Fresno St.

Friday, March 10 8 p.m. MST CBS Sports Network

Friday, March 10 10:30 p.m. MST CBS Sports Network Saturday, March 11 4 p.m. MST CBS

3) Boise State

10) Air Force

Thursday, March 9 6) San Diego St. 9:30 p.m. MST CBS Sports Network

Thursday, March 9 3:30 p.m. MST CBS Sports Network

Wednesday, March 8 5 p.m. MST MW Network

5) New Mexico

11) UNLV

2017 Mountain West Women’s Basketball Championship 1) Colorado St. 8) San Jose St.

2) Wyoming

Tuesday, March 7 12 p.m. MST MW Network

Tuesday, March 7 7 p.m. MST MW Network

Monday, March 6 3 p.m. MST MW Network

7) Fresno St. Monday, March 6 5:30 p.m. MST MW Network

9) San Diego St. 4) Boise State Tuesday, March 7 3:30 p.m. MST MW Network

5) New Mexico

Wednesday, March 8 7:30 p.m. MST MW Network

Wednesday, March 8 10 p.m. MST MW Network Friday, March 10 1 p.m. MST MW Network

3) UNLV Tuesday, March 7 9:30 p.m. MST MW Network

10) Nevada 6)Utah State

Monday, March 6 8 p.m. MST MW Network

11) Air Force

Inside The Lines Monday, March 6, 2017

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CSU awaits SDSU-SJSU winner

By Colin Barnard @ColinBarnard_

For the fourth consecutive year, the Colorado State women’s basketball team will begin the Mountain West Tournament comfortably in the stands.

The Rams secured sole possession of the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a victory at San Diego State on Feb. 25.

Now they begin the daunting task of running through their MW competitors for a second NCAA Tournament berth in as many years. The Rams realize, however, that they can’t get ahead of themselves in tournament play.

“We know for sure that you can’t talk about winning the tournament,” senior Elin Gustavsson said. “You can just talk about, are we gonna win the first game, are we gonna win the second game? We know that it takes a different type of mentality to go into the tournament.”

With the No. 1 seed comes a first round bye and a matchup against the winner of San Jose State vs. San Diego State, two teams the Rams are very familiar with. Despite going 4-0 against the pair during regular

season play, both teams bring something to the table that can mitigate any weaknesses they may have: a dynamic scorer.

Dezz Ramos of San Jose State leads the conference in scoring by a large margin at a clip of 23.3 points per game.

That average is also good for fourth in the nation. The Aztecs’ McKynzie Fort averages 15.8 point per game, trailing only Ramos. Both players have proven their ability to score the basketball against the Rams this season.

Ramos’ 34 points against Colorado State during their first matchup on Jan. 4 mark the most points scored by a single player against the Rams this season. This was just one of eight games she scored more than 30 points this year. Ellen Nystrom nearly matched Ramos with 32 points of her own as the Rams completed the comeback effort to defeat the Spartans in overtime.

In the second of two meetings against San Diego State, Fort was the only Aztec to score more than five points.

She tallied 15 points, accounting for 33 percent of the Aztecs’ scoring in a blowout loss to the Rams.

Colorado State guard Hannah Tvrdy (10) dribbles up the court during the Rams’ game against New Mexico on February 22. PHOTO BY ELLIOTT JERGE COLLEGIAN

Head coach Ryun Williams realized the importance of playing competitive games down the stretch to prepare for the MW Tournament and beyond.

“That’s kinda some March

Madness basketball, that’s how it is late season,” Williams said “You’re gonna have these close contests, and I thought our kids handled it really well.

Winning is not easy…and everybody is going to play with

the most energy, the most enthusiasm, and you’re probably gonna get their best performance.”

Colin Barnard can be reached by email at sports@ collegian.com.

Nystrom, Gustavsson share unbreakable bond

By Colin Barnard @ColinBarnard_

A distance of 4,809 miles.

That’s the distance between Fort Collins, Colorado and Stockholm, Sweden, the country’s capital. For Colorado State seniors Ellen Nystrom and Ellie Gustavsson, it’s the distance from one home to another.

Nystrom, a native of Lulea, Sweden, joined Gustavsson of Angelholm, Sweden on a recruiting trip to an unknown city in the foothills of Colorado before the 2013 season. The two had played together on Swedish national teams before the visit, but had yet to find the inseparable bond that makes them one of the greatest duos in Colorado State history.

Inside The Lines Cover Design: Keegan Pope Cover Photos: Elliott Jerge and Javon Harris

Four years later, what was once a foreign land has turned into their home. And a whaleshaped building has become their sanctuary.

“This is our home,” Gustavsson said. “When we come back from the road, we’re always like ‘Hey Moby, we’re back! We’re here to protect you.’ Moby is our home.”

The Rams (23-7, 15-3 Mountain West) won their fourth consecutive conference title this year, becoming the first men’s or women’s team to accomplish the feat in conference history. The pair of Swedish superstars, who are both four-year starters, have been at the forefront of them all.

They brought with them a winning attitude from Sweden, and it has made them the winningest Lory Student Center Box 13 Fort Collins, CO 80523

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players in MW history since its inaugural 1999 season.

Just three days removed from what will likely be their last game in Moby Arena, the two are coming to terms with the fact that the ends of their miraculous collegiate careers are near.

“It still feels like we’re gonna come back next year, come back next week and play.” Nystrom said.

“Yeah, yeah preseason in a few weeks,” Gustavsson added.

With three more wins, they will pass women’s basketball legend Becky Hammon and Katie Cronin, who did their damage when Colorado State was still a member of the Western Athletic Conference, for most wins in school history. As the schedule sits, that third win would come EDITORIAL STAFF | 970-491-7513 Julia Rentsch | Editor-in-Chief editor@collegian.com Mikaela Rodenbaugh | Managing Editor editor@collegian.com Chad Deutschman | Sports Editor sports@collegian.com Keegan Pope | Special Section Design Editor sports@collegian.com Colton Strickler | Assistant Sports Editor sports@collegian.com Eric Wolf | Sports Reporter sports@collegian.com

in the conference championship game, certainly a fitting way for two legends to make history.

Their friendship off the court is matched only by their chemistry on it. Gustavsson’s ability to score in the post has complimented Nystrom’s unselfish style of play, making her the all-time assists leader at Colorado State.

“Most of my assists are to her, so thank you for that,” Nystrom said to Gustavsson after their win over San Diego State on Jan. 28.

“It’s fun to play with Ellen,” Gustavsson responded. “We talk a lot about this is our last year.

Just try to make the best out of it and just have fun together because this is once in a lifetime.”

Surely it becomes easier Justin Michael | Sports Reporter sports@collegian.com

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for the two of them to have fun when they both score so prolifically. Nystrom ranks ninth in school history with 1,396 points while Gustavsson ranks 11th at 1,383 points, needing just 11 to crack the top 10. Nystrom ranks fourth in rebounding all-time and Gustavsson ranks seventh in blocks. Before even leaving the school, there is no doubt that they have cemented themselves as Ram legends.

For the ladies who love each other as much as they love the game, that 4,809-mile gamble has paid off.

And with it comes another place to call home.

Colin Barnard can be reached by email at sports@collegian.com.

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Inside The Lines

13

Super Senior

Inside The Lines Monday, March 6, 2017

Monday, March 6, 2017

“I was hurt while I was on the way to one of the best years I’ve ever had. “It was really difficult to have to sit out without knowing if I was ever going to be able to play

After considering a transfer following last season, Gian Clavell’s final year at Colorado State nets him Mountain West Player of the Year honors

for the team (Colorado State) again.” -Gian Clavell

By Eddie Herz @Eddie_Herz

PHOTO BY KEEGAN POPE COLLEGIAN

Gian Clavell’s final season at Colorado State has been special.

And not because of all the accolades the Mountain West Player of the Year has received, but because of what it took to get here.

“It really has meant a lot,” Clavell said about his senior season. “I want to win the conference championship and I want to go to the NCAA tournament. I’m going to do my best to do it.”

After scoring 20.8 points and collecting 6.9 rebounds per game through 10 games last season, the Puerto Rico native was on his way to a career year.

However, a broken bone in his non-shooting hand forced Clavell to watch the final 24 games of the 2015-16 season from the sidelines.

“I was hurt while I was on the way to one of the best years I’ve ever had,” Clavell said. “It was really difficult to have to sit out without knowing if I was ever going to be able to play for the team (CSU) again.”

There was a chance Clavell’s CSU career was going to abruptly end after his hand injury. But, the guard was granted a medical redshirt, allowing him to return to the Rams lineup the following season.

Even once Clavell returned to full-health, the guard continued to face adversity. Clavell was suspended before the 2016-17 season for nine games following an off-court altercation with his ex-girlfriend.

Again, Clavell’s Colorado State career was in jeopardy. And this time his character was in question as well.

“The people that really know me know what type of guy I am,” Clavell said. “I apologize for not making sense, I’m always laughing, I’m always loud, I’m always outgoing. That’s the type of guy I am. That’s me.”

Nevertheless, the guard returned to the Rams’ lineup after the first nine games.

Clavell has scored 19.5 points and collected 6.3 re-

bounds per game in 22 contests this season. In Mountain West play, Clavell has averaged 21.2 points per game to lead the conference en route to being named Mountain West Player of the Year.

“He’s matured as a person and as a player,” head coach Larry Eustachy said.

Since Colorado State’s roster shrunk to seven, Clavell has had to elevate every facet of his game.

In the 15 games since Che Bob, Devocio Butler, and Kimani Jackson became academically ineligible, Clavell has rarely spent time sitting on the bench. The senior guard has played an average of 37.8 minutes per game in these contests, including four games in which Clavell played the entire 40 minutes.

The guard doesn’t seem to mind the big minutes. In fact, Clavell never wants to sit out and never asks for a breather.

“I will never do that,” Clavell said. “I will fight through it, I promise. I have too much pride, I wouldn’t do that. That’s why we have timeouts, that’s why we have media timeouts, that’s why we shoot free throws. Sometimes I’ll get a drink of water before free throws. He (Eustachy) asks me if I’m tired during timeouts and I look at him and say, ‘come on man.’ I will never do that.”

Somehow, fatigue has not gotten in the way of Clavell’s execution on the court.

“It’s hard,” Clavell said. “I can tell you right now that I’m tired. But coach (Eustachy) does a great job of making practice simple, short, and to the point. I’ve gotten a lot of sleep, water, and eating the right way.

I can’t go out a lot and I take a lot of ice baths.”

It’s evident that Clavell’s offensive production has not decreased since his major increase in minutes. Clavell has scored an average of 21.6 points per game since CSU’s roster shrunk. The guard has also notched three double-doubles during the span.

While his offensive numbers alone are impressive, it’s saying even more that Clavell

is able to consistently produce on offense while often having to guard the best players on opposing teams.

“It’s hard to sometimes guard the best player on the other team and then to come down and have to make shots, rebound and be a leader,” Clavell said. “It’s a lot to do. But I have the help that I’ve needed to tell me what I can do and get better at using the pressure. I use the pressure for my advantage.”

Being the best player on both ends of the court while also having to lead the Rams for the entire 40 minutes has put a lot on Clavell’s plate. The guard feels he has gotten better at handling all of this as the season has progressed. Clavell uses a particular method to keep himself calm and collected.

“I meditate every day, it helps your body recover,” Clavell said. “It’s a lot to take in. It can drive you crazy. It’s emotional, if you can’t handle it you will cry a lot. That’s why sometimes you see me sitting down at halftime meditating.”

Similar to Clavell, Eustachy has faced some off-court trouble this season after being accused of mistreating players in previous seasons, according to the Coloradoan. Despite the commotion, Clavell has stuck by his coach through all of the trouble. The two have developed a tight-knit bond throughout Clavell’s career.

Clavell attributes a lot of his improvements on the court to Eustachy’s tough-love coaching style.

“The great ones love coach and there is a reason why,” Clavell said. “I’m not saying I’m a great one, but they love coach and he’s a great coach.

He pushes you to be better in his way. Like when I made a basket against San Diego State, I couldn’t make a basket to save my life, he comes up to me and gives me a low-five. The connection is amazing. He’s a great coach.”

The confidence in Clavell’s ability to carry the team extends further than just Eustachy. Though the Rams are

capable of having someone else step up every game, Clavell’s teammates acknowledge and trust his ability to lead CSU. “When I first got here Gian kind of took me under his wing,” sophomore guard Prentiss Nixon said. “In my first couple of weeks he would take me to the gym. He was killing me in the post with things I couldn’t stop. Ever since then we’ve grown a bond. Last year he didn’t get to play due to injury. Even over the course he kept trying to teach me when I was playing. I think it’s helped this season.”

Clavell’s strategy in taking over a game consists of the tendency to frequently shoot the ball. Though the guard is usually efficient from the floor, sometimes Clavell has trouble finding the bottom of the net.

Either way, he always finds a way to get hot at some point, usually in crucial stages of a game.

Even when Clavell’s shots aren’t falling, his teammates never get frustrated and remain confident in the guard.

“He’ll come up to me and

ask what h e ’s doing w r o n g and I’ll tell him he’s thinking about it too much,” Nixon said. “Just shoot the ball. You’ve hit 40-footers, you’ve hit turnarounds, threes out of bounds, half-courters, all types of crazy shots. So a simple three is nothing, just

jump up and knock it down. I’ve seen him hit crazy shots before so if he misses crazy shots in the first half I tell him don’t get rattled, just keep letting it go.”

Besides taking home a Mountain West crown and earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament, Clavell has a couple of other things he’d like to cross off his bucket list in the final year of his CSU career.

“I want to be player of the year (MW) and I want to be first team all defense (MW),” Clavell said. “I pride myself on defense and I know that will make coach so proud.”

Eddie Herz can be reached by email at sports@collegian. com.

PHOTO BY KEEGAN POPE COLLEGIAN

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Inside The Lines Monday, March 6, 2017

PHOTO BY JAVON HARRIS COLLEGIAN

Inside The Lines Monday, March 6, 2017

15

CSU’s success a product of effort, not destiny

By Eddie Herz @Eddie_Herz

An underdog season, a cinderella team and a magical run.

However it is analyzed, Colorado State’s success this year has been against all odds.

Colorado State was predicted to finish seventh Mountain West. Midmajormadness.com thought CSU would end up in sixth place. Similarly, USA Today had little faith in the Rams, predicting them to finish in seventh out of 11 teams.

Going into the 2016-17 season, it seemed no one had faith in Colorado State except the Rams themselves.

Despite a heartbreaking 8572 loss in the hands of Nevada to rob CSU of their first regular season conference title in 27 years, the Rams had one of their most successful seasons in program history.

Colorado State finished the regular season in second place in the Mountain West with a 21-10 overall record and a 13-5 record in conference play. The 13 MW wins ties a program record for most single-season conference victories.

Fans and observers of the

Rams this season are quick to point to destiny as the culprit for CSU’s impressive season.

After all, the Rams had to fight through the thick of their conference schedule with only seven players. Every player had to step up in a way that they were not expecting before the season began.

CSU closed out its home schedule with two consecutive buzzer beaters at Moby. The first came on an awkward looking 3-pointer by Emmanuel Omogbo that somehow found the bottom of the net. Though Omogbo would most likely pass up that shot nine times out of 10, by no means does he credit destiny to letting the shot fall.

“It’s not a magical season because we could lose any given day,” Omogbo said. “We could have lost those two games. But one thing about this team is we keep fighting. We just keep fighting and working hard. We feel like if you keep fighting and working hard, something good will happen no matter where you are in life.”

Nonetheless, CSU has almost always found a way to win this season. The Rams enter the Mountain West tournament having won 10 of their last 12

games. While the run has been unfathomable to many, Colorado State players are not surprised.

The Rams give no credit to destiny.

“We’ve been through a lot, you know with coach and the seven players and myself,” Gian Clavell said. “It’s not magical. It’s just hard work, motivation and hard work.”

Whether you’re a believer in fate or not, it’s tough to argue that the 2016-17 Rams aren’t one of the hardest working squads Colorado State has had in quite some time.Redshirt freshman Nico Carvacho had to play the amount of minutes that Larry Eustachy would normally only ask of from an experienced big man.

Though Gian Clavell was somewhat accustomed to playing nearly 40 minutes frequently, Emmanuel Omogbo, Prentiss Nixon, and J.D. Paige had to do so as well.

Omogbo went from playing 24.5 minutes per game last season to 30.6 this season. After the Rams roster was depleted to only seven, the forward averaged 33.6 minutes per game.

Nixon only saw the court for an average of 15.7 minutes last

season. That number has nearly doubled to 31.5 minutes this season. Nixon has played 35.5 minutes per contest since CSU’s roster dwindled.

The numbers are similar for Paige as well. After playing 16.9 minutes per game last season, the Denver, Colorado native has played 32.1 minutes on average this season.

CSU has been able to win consistently and climb up into the top 80 of the RPI rankings simply because of its dedication and Eustachy’s coaching adjustments to cater to the Rams’s small roster.

“We only practice for maybe 30 minutes,” Nixon said. “We watch a lot of film, we’re in the film room a lot. We go to the court for maybe 30 minutes and then get out to keep our bodies fresh and ready for the game.”

Colorado State head coach Larry Eustachy has been praised by his team for how he has handled the seven-man roster.

“I mean you got to think about that if we practice the way we normally practice with only seven guys, someone might get hurt,” Clavell said. “Coach has changed practice a little bit. He made it a little more secure for

us.”

Colorado State’s third 20plus win season in five years is a result of hard work and smart coaching by Eustachy; not fate or destiny. CSU is hoping that the product of that hard work has not reached its full potential.

The next step towards making the 2016-17 season a memorable one would be to make the NCAA tournament.

The Rams have a bye to the quarter finals of the MW tournament and will play either Air Force or Wyoming on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

Though CSU has made a decent case towards earning an at-large bid, with quality victories over Colorado, New Mexico State and New Mexico, the Rams would rather it not get to that point.

“I think it’s possible to get an at-large bid,” Nixon said. “Also at that point in the season it’s out of our hands and in the tournament committee’s hands. I hope they lean towards putting us in, but on the other hand if we take care of business the next three games, it’s in our hands.”

Eddie Herz can be reached by email at sports@collegian.com.

Carvacho’s role expanding for Colorado State

By Justin T. Michael @JustinTMichael

On any given night, Nico Carvacho is not a player that is expected to light up the stat sheet or make the highlight play that ends up on Sportscenter, but heading into the Mountain West Conference Tournament, the 6-foot-11 forward may be the team’s secret weapon for making a run at the NCAA tournament.

After redshirting last year, Carvacho began to catch the attention of basketball fans along the front range for his efforts on the Chilean national team in the FIBA South American Championship last summer.

Nico Carvacho dunks against Utah State defender Quinn Taylor helping the team to a 69-52 win Feb. 7 (Davis Bonner | Collegian) Named to the Honorable Mention All-Tournament team

by Latinbasket.com for his efforts, Carvacho shot 43 percent from the field, while averaging 11.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. In a win over Bolivia, Carvacho recorded his second-consecutive double-double with 13 points and a personal tournament-high 15 rebounds along with two assists, one steal and a pair of blocked shots.

“I played against men, so that helped me a lot coming in here,” Carvacho said of his time playing for Chile. “I played against guys that were 38 years old, 29 years old with three kids. They were really mature so it helped me a lot.”

Carvacho burst onto the scene this year in a November road victory over Colorado, where the redshirt freshman recorded a career-high in points (14), while also bringing down nine rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Since that point, Carvacho has faced some up’s and down’s offensively. But the Chilean big man has made a living on the offensive glass, serving as one of the team’s best offensive rebounders and making key effort plays to keep possessions alive.

“Playing Division 1 is different than high school or even when I played overseas, so I just had to get used to it,” Carvacho said. “I went through a little rough patch, but just had to grow in confidence and focus on a couple things like defense, getting offensive rebounds, pick and rolling. If I score four points or if I score ten points, bring down ten rebounds or two rebounds, I just want to do whatever I can to help the team win.”

On the season, Carvacho

has averaged 5.5 points and five rebounds per game. Carvacho explained that he understands his role with this team is not shouldering the weight offensively or necessarily making the big plays, but more as a complimentary piece to the senior duo of Emmanuel Omogbo and Gian Clavell.

“I know I’m a freshman, so I just have to play my role and do the best I can,” Carvacho said.

Although Carvacho has been comfortable taking a back seat offensively, do not underestimate his competitiveness or desire to match the play of his talented senior counterparts.

“He (Omogbo) motivates me because he gets every rebound,” Carvacho said. “We try to bring down 20 rebounds a game between the two of us.”

His teammates have taken notice too.

“I would say Nico is probably the guy who made my game so improved,” Omogbo said of the young forward. “I feel like without him I wouldn’t be doing some of the stuff I’m doing this year because he puts so much pressure on the rim. Whereas I can still be able to play make and play off him. Teams are starting to key in on his offensive rebounds, so that means I can go get some offensive

Colorado State forward Nico Carvacho dunks against Utah State earlier this season. PHOTO BY KEEGAN POPE COLLEGIAN

rebounds.”

What does the young forward have to do for the Rams to make a run at the postseason? According to Carvacho, just keep doing he has been doing for the better part of the season and serving his role.

“Grab every rebound, play defense, go get the offensive rebound, make my free throws, dunk the ball,” Carvacho said.

“Stuff like that.”

Justin Michael can be reached by email at sports@collegian.com.

Inside the Lines Monday, March 6, 2017

Mountain West Tournament Edition

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