Clarion Week 1/15

A liberal magazine published weekly in the interest of the students of the University of Denver since 1899

Clarion Staff meeting

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All members of staff and others interested in journalism, will meet in Driscoll underground, next Monday at 6:30 p.m.

Vol. 120, Issue 1

jan. 15, 2013

gun threat Letter from the editors: Multiple women file on campus 120th volume of Clarion date rape allegations

The police are familiar with the individual and do not consider the threat credible by sarah ford News Editor

Last Monday at 3:30 p.m.

Department of Student Life received a call from an alleged gunman threatening to come to campus and shoot students, staff and faculty which they determined to not be a credible threat.

The caller said he planned to enter one of the residence halls and begin shooting. The caller said he was prepared to shoot police and campus safety as well as students and staff.

Because the Denver Police Department has dealt with the caller before on other occasions, they deemed the shooting threat to not be credible. He said DPD officers were able to recognize the caller by his voice and the phone number he was calling from.

“The Denver Police Department is very familiar with this individual,” said Campus Safety Crime Prevention Sgt. Stephen Banet.

According to Banet, the caller lives in another country with which the United States “does not have diplomatic relations” The caller has no known ties or connections at DU. Banet said the alleged gunman “alluded to being near campus” during the call and said he was seeing people with backpacks as he drove.

SEE police, PAGE 2

Boone saga continues

clarion staff

As the Clarion begins our 120th volume, the staff wanted to take time to thank the community and school administrators that have helped the Clarion continue for the last dozen decades.

This was also a time for us to reflect on the tremendous change in the newspaper industry since we began in the 19th century. As you can see, today’s

Clarion looks different from our weekly issue.

We mimicked a front-page design published in the Sept.

20, 1923 issue of the Clarion in honor of our rich history and bright future.

Thank you, DU community, for your support of the Clarion throughout the years. Together, we can work toward a dozen more decades of spotlighting outstanding DU students as the Voice of the Pioneers.

Should Campo be armed? by alex johnson

by manthan bhatt

With the wave of criminal incidents around the DU campus, including sexual assaults and a shooting threat, as well as the mass shootings around the country and in our backyard that continue to shock our national conscience, our campus needs to consider all options to ensure the absolute safety and security of the DU community.

I believe the best option is to allow the Department of Campus Safety, DCS, to have access to firearms on campus.

The proposal I offer does not arm DCS officers with AR-15s or AK-47s while performing their rounds inside a residence hall, but rather would allow the trained officers to maintain a cache of weapons inside a locked vault in their office.

I am not suggesting they be armed to the teeth at all times, because that would create a sense of imminent danger on campus.

Have the semi-automatic, military-style gun wielding nuts who caused the Newtown and Aurora theater shooting massacres proven the need for greater, targeted gun control in the U.S.?

For the misguided, gun-toting freaks of the NRA the answer is a resounding “No!” For them, for every lunatic who shoots up toddlers and the innocent, there is an equal and just as ambitious cowboy-hero who would’ve stopped them if it weren’t for the oppressive government and the gun-taking liberals.

The same submissive forces to the NRA have recently called for armed guards at universities and relaxing gun laws on campuses. Though I have no idea if DU is currently proposing or seeking to arm our Campus Safety officers, history and logic proves this will be a bad idea.

Opinions Editor

Managing Editor

YES NO SEE campus, PAGE 10

by sarah ford News Editor

On Monday, Jan. 7, the Department of Campus Safety (DCS) released a crime alert to staff, students and faculty regarding a series of four sexual assaults which took place on and near campus from October 2011 to May 2012.

The assaults occurred in Nagel Hall and the off campus Vista Lofts University Apartments on South University Boulevard. The suspect is the same person in each of the four crimes, and in each case is also believed to be someone the victims knew.

According to DCS Crime Prevention Sgt. Stephen Banet, DCS became aware of the crimes when one of the victims called Friday, Jan. 13 and said she would like to make a report.

“The victims just now felt comfortable coming forward

SEE string, PAGE 2

Hockey climbs back to top of rankings by alex proietti Assistant sports editor

The then-No. 9 Pioneers bested and then tied No. 13 Nebraska-Omaha in their Friday and Saturday series, skating to a 7-4 win Friday before settling for a 3-3 tie in overtime Saturday night, good enough to jump the team up in the polls to No. 7.

by manthan bhatt Managing Editor

Sam Estenson, student body President at DU, spoke with Chancellor Robert Coombe on the possibility of reopening talks on an official mascot. Chancellor Coombe requested that USG come to a consensus before reopening the process. Last Wednesday, USG senators reached a consensus to create a focus group.

“We agreed a focus group can do no harm as we look for an image that is inclusive, spirited and encompasses what it means to be a pioneer beyond the hurtful images of Boone and other western expanders in American history,” said Estenson.

There were, however, notable objections.

“The student body is not ready. There are still ‘Bring back Boone’ signs on campus,” said SOCS senator Craig Hirokawa.

Kim Devigil, Senior Communications Director at DU, said that the university is open and appreciative of a student led initiative to seek input from the campus community.

and reporting these situations,” said Banet.

Each of the victims was able to identify the suspect of the crimes for further investigation by DCS and the Denver Police Department (DPD).

According to Banet, the suspect does have ties to DU. The investigation of the crimes will be headed by the campus Title IX Department, or the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity.

Banet said many of the circumstances surrounding these assaults are common for sexual assault crimes. Alcohol and date rape drugs, both of which are suspected in these incidents, are often factors in assault cases, he said.

“That’s why it’s critical that the victim of a sexual assault come forward and if they know the individual to tell us so we can help prevent it from happening,” said Banet.

ryan lumpkin

|clarion

While the Pioneers were on the penalty kill, sophomore defenseman Scott Mayfield forced a turnover and found Matt Tabrum who drove the puck to the net and scored.

The Pioneers (13-6-4, 8-4-4 WCHA) pulled off a conference upset Friday night, upending the top-ranked Mavericks in the WCHA and marking the team’s fourth straight win, the first time since the 2007-2008 season the Pioneers have found four straight victories against ranked opponents.

The win also represents the first time the team has defeated four straight teams ranked in the top-13 nationally since the 2003-2004 season, when they won the final four games on the way to winning the NCAA title.

Sophomore goaltender Juho Olkinuora recorded 38 saves in Friday’s win before turning away a career-best 43 shots on Saturday in the draw.

Five Pioneers contributed goals Friday night for the team’s fourth straight win, with sophomore forward Zac Larraza scoring a career best two goals in the win. Also scoring for the team were junior defenseman David Makowski, sophomore forward Matt Tabrum, freshman forward Quentin Shore and senior forward Shawn Ostrow.

“I’m proud that our team found a way to win,” said head coach George Gwozdecky.

“They responded when things were looking their bleakest. We beat a team that was extremely hot. They were first place in our league and can really score. As bizarre and strange as that game was from my standpoint and the way we played, the most important thing was we got a very important two points.”

SEE pios, PAGE 19

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String of assaults draw student, staff attention Continued from page 1

Banet also said it is not unusual for victims to be assaulted by someone they know personally, as was the case in each of the four crimes reported Monday.

University Gender and Women’s Studies professor Lindsey Feitz said this is one of the most important trends of assault crimes for students to be made aware of.

“That’s the myth we need to work really hard to dispel,” she said, “that sexual assault crimes only come from strangers.”

Senior Amber Morse, the student president of Rape and Gender Education (RAGE), agreed.

“It’s really common that sexual assault will occur with someone you know- it can be your friend, your acquaintance or even your partner in a relationship,” said Morse.

Banet said DCS hoped to increase awareness of sexual assault crimes on campus by releasing the information in the Safety Alert, as well as encourage other possible victims to come forward.

“There’s a possibility that there could be other victims as well, and we wanted to open the

door for them to come forward a men’s conference could initiif they wished,” he said regard- ate an open dialogue and have ing the release of the crime alert men allies be a little more active, which is an area that is lacking.” on Monday.

Morse also said there However, Feitz said it is often very difficult for victims of needed to be more information sexual assault to tell others about about available resources for women and victims made availwhat has happened to them.

“There is such an internal- able by the university.

“I think that ized stigma and our awareness shame,” she on campus is said. “its really That’s the myth pretty low,” said common for sur- we need to work Morse. She said vivors to think the university ‘I should have really hard to should find ways known better’ or dispel,” she said, to provide stu‘its my fault,’” she “that sexual dents with more said. information Both Morse assault crimes about on campus and Feitz said sexual assault they wanted to only come from resources, such see the university strangers.” as the Gender take additional Violence Educasteps in rape and tion and Supgender violence Lindsey Feitz port Services awareness, espe- Gender and Womens’ (GVESS) office cially because studies professor located on college campuses campus. are more prone Anyone with to assaults.

Feitz said lots of the respon- information regarding the sibility to increase safety on reported incidents of sexual assault or anyone who may campus falls on men.

“DU men could really be be victims themselves are examples here,” she said, and encouraged to contact Campus suggested men on campus Safety at 303-871-2334 or the educate themselves and others campus Title IX office at 303about assault crimes. “I think 871-7436.

Police discredit caller Continued from page 1

The call was transferred from the Office of Student Life to the Department of Campus Safety (DCS) dispatch, who tried to keep the caller on the line as long as possible to assess the situation.

Banet said the suspect told officers he had a fully automatic rifle and was prepared to come to campus and start shooting.

“The person on the line was saying that they were angry with DU and a lot of things in general, but would not specify the problem,” said Banet.

According to the DCS report, the caller told dispatch he was a friend of Adam Lanza, the suspect of the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut that took place Dec. 14. The caller told dispatch he was prepared to “make today the worst day in US history.”

The Denver Police Department (DPD) was called to the scene as the DCS dispatch officer continued to talk with the caller.

Upon arrival, DPD was able to determine that the call was not a credible threat based on previous threatening calls he had made to other locations in Denver.

According to Banet, the

caller has called threats of a similar nature previously, including a bomb threat.

In response to the call, DCS day officers were kept on duty for several hours after their shifts, and the night shift was brought in a few hours early. DPD also supplied some officers to assist in sweeps on campus.

The Denver Police Department was unable to comment beyond saying that when called to the scene they were able to determine the threats were not credible.

Banet said it is not that unusual for DCS to receive threatening calls to campus.

This is the second threatening call of this school year, the first being a bomb threat called in to University Technology Services (UTS) in October.

He said the university has also received several bomb threats in the past few years.

However, he said Campus Safety takes each call very seriously, especially in the wake of the mass shootings in Connecticut and Aurora this past year.

Banet said DCS works closely with DPD officers, who have been familiarized with the university campus and buildings and identified points of assembly so they would be able to respond effectively if there ever was an active shooter on campus.

Amendment 64 won’t have high impact on policy Although marajuana is now legal in Colorado, policies on campus will not change any time soon by gigi peccolo Assistant News Editor

Amendment 64 may have legalized marijuana in the state of Colorado, but DU’s current policy on marijuana will remain the same, according to Senior Director of Communications Kim DeVigil.

“Even with the passage of Amendment 64, no changes

will be made to this policy: Marijuana is prohibited from campus and will continue to be prohibited,” said Kim DeVigil, senior director of communications.

Associate Provost for Student Life Patti Helton concurred.

“The current policy states, ‘Marijuana, including medical marijuana, is prohibited on campus,” said Helton. “It is my understanding that the policy will remain the same.”

According to Honor Code policy, drug misuse is classified as: “Possession, use, manufacture or distribution of any illegal drug, or any possession

or use of any prescription drug but is not limited to marijuana or other controlled substance pipes and bongs.” except under the “If a direction of a student has licensed physimarijuana on cian. The manucampus, even facture or distriif they have a bution of any drug medical preis also prohibited. scription, they Marijuana, are in violation including Mediof the honor cal Marijuana, code and the is prohibited on Student Concampus.” duct process is The Honor Kim Devigil followed,” said Code also outlaws Communications Director DeVigil. the possession of U n d e r drug paraphernalia. Accord- Amendment 64, however, it is ing to the policy, “this includes now legal for anyone 21 years

“Even with the passage of Amendment 64, no changes will be made to the policy,”

u p c o m i n g Today Students for Africa 12 - 1 p.m.

Korbel School of International Studies Students for Africa is holding a general meeting for those interested in learning more or hearing about upcoming activities.’

Wednesday Buttons for Justice 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Driscoll Bridge Take the opportunity to exercise your creative impulses, and your concern for social justice! Make a button that expresses your convictions. And wear your heart on your sleeve (or lapel or backpack!). We provide the buttons & the markers; you provide the commitment.

THursday Stopping Negative Self Talk 12-1 p.m.

Daniel L. Ritchie Center, 3rd floor conference room Join us for a healing and powerful workshop, designed to help you cut through Self Sabotage and put an end to Negative Self Talk. Commit to making your sole focus a mission of self excellence.

Unfortunately, many of us have trained ourselves, consciously or subconsciously, to live the exact opposite of that.

Join certified Holistic Health Coach, Personal Trainer, and Group Fitness Instructor, Karen Esrick, for an invigorating workshop that will help you put an end to negativity and start living a life you love today!

or older to have less than one ounce of marijuana on their person. Some students like sophomore Luke McKee ,wish that the school would take the new law into consideration.

“It annoys me [that they don’t], but they have that right,” McKee. However, things are mostly likely going to remain the way they are, according to Helton.

“I can’t really speak to the future but currently the University follows the Drug Free Schools Act and I believe comfortable with the current ‘marijuana prohibited’ policy,” said Helton.

e v e n t s

“Getting Ready to Quit” Class 12-1:30 p.m.

Porter Conference Center Are you thinking of quitting smoking? The Porter Tobacco Treatment Program is open to the community and follows proven principles of addiction treatment and lifestyle change. For those who want structure and support in the quit process, a six session core Stop Smoking clinic and 12 months of follow up will be offered after the initial class ISL Bosnia and Herzegovnia Information Session 11 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. korbel School of International Studies Craig Hall Room 384

But it does more than simply operate as a pantry. Join in and learn ALL that they do! Let Gary Brower (gary. brower@du.edu) know if you would like to participate!

Friday US Foreign Policy in the Middle East 2-3:30 p.m.

Sturm Hall (contact Andrea Stanton for room #) “U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East in a Second Term Obama Administration” Roundtable discussion with Political Science Professor Peter Hanson, History / CJS Professor Jonathan Sciarcon, and Religious Studies Professor Andrea L Stanton.

Sunday Lamont Symphony Orchestra Denver Conducting Workshop Final Concert 3-5 p.m.

Gates Concert Hall, Newman Center for the Performing Arts

Volunteering with Metro Care-Ring 9 am to noon Korbel School of International Studies Spend a morning doing good for those less fortunate. Metro CareRing is one of Denver’s largest food pantries.

This concert will be the culmination of an intense two-day workshop at the Lamont School of Music, guided by esteemed conducting teachers Maestros David Effron and Lamont faculty member Lawrence Golan.

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DU named a ‘best value’ school by carolyn neff Staff Writer

DU was ranked No. 41 on a list of top 100 “best value” private universities in a report by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance 20122013, up eight places from No. 49 last year.

Kiplinger’s is a monthly financial and business advice magazine which gives annual rankings in affordability to both public and private universities.

Clark University in Worcester ranked a place above DU at 40, and Creighton University ranked a place below at 42 overall. Yale University received the title of the top “best value” private school.

DU ranking highlights improving numbers 2013 statistics earn DU higher spot in value rankings

86 percent of freshman scored 24 or higher on the ACT Student faculty ratio reaches 8 students per instructer Grad rate: 76 percent Freshman retention rate: 89 percent According to Marc Wojno, senior associate editor at Kiplinger’s, the higher ranking was released in Kiplingler’s Private Colleges story in its December magazine.

The higher rank is due to a variety of factors, including slightly improved test scores, a lower student-faculty ratio, a slightly higher five-year gradu-

ation rate and a slightly higher freshman retention rate.

In comparison with other national college ranking organizations, such as U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review, which have ranked DU no. 82 and no. 83 respectively for best national universities based on a variety of factors, Kiplinger’s rankings focus more on cost and quality.

“We decide how the universities are ranked through the use of numeric data supplied to us by Peterson’s and by the schools,” said Wojno.

Peterson’s is a company which offers assistance to students in college preparation, searches, financial aid and test preparation.

Kiplinger’s categorizes schools into liberal arts colleges and private universities.

“We start with nearly 600 private and liberal arts colleges supplied to us by Peterson’s and narrow the list down to a little more than 100 private and 100 liberal arts colleges,” said Wojno.

According to Wojno, Kiplinger uses a very detailed data-

base with various formulas to calculate their rankings, which are based 56.25 percent on quality factors and 43.75 percent on cost factors.

“We do not have an outside organization that does the rankings for us – we do that in-house based on the data supplied to us

by Peterson’s and confirmed by each of the individual schools,” said Wojno.

According to Wojno, Kiplinger’s rankings focus on both quality and affordability, whereas other lists might focus solely on academics or cost.

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance rankings only concern domestic private colleges and universities.

Carnival Keystone move means more scholarships, activities by carolyn neff Staff Writer

kim nesbitt

| clarioni

After Jan. 31, students will no longer be able to use the lightrail or bus with their RTD stickers on the Pioneercard. Rates will not change with smart cards except for faculty and staff using the Skyride to the airport.

New smart cards required for RTD by carolyn neff Staff Writer

DU will be at the forefront of Denver’s Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) $15 million smart card technology innovation, set to begin Feb. 1, after which faculty, staff and students will need a smart card to access the bus and light rail systems.

RTD is switching the way people access Denver buses and light rail from a cash and decal system to a smart card system.

The smart card technology will allow RTD to more accurately ensure fares and passes, reflecting a system more commonly used in national and international cities.

According to Alex Mehn, communications manager at Transportation Solutions, the nonprofit that runs the campus Transportation Center, changes to public transport will benefit the entire community. Students, faculty and staff will only need the one card they receive within the next few weeks for the rest of the time that they attend or work at the university.

“Eventually, everyone will need to have a smart card to access the RTD system,” said Mehn. “However, they are switching to the CollegePass for students and the EcoPass for faculty and staff first.”

The CollegePass and EcoPass are both forms of smart card meant for certain types of users and often give discounts and special passes to users such as college students.

Student CollegePass smart cards will be available for free on Jan. 22 at the Transportation Center on campus.

According to Mehn, the student decal that was set to expire on Jan. 13 has automatically been

extended to January 31 because DU did not receive the card stock it needed in time to print all the cards before the Winter Quarter began.

“There will be a message to students on webCentral closer to the time that the passes become available,” said Mehn.

Similarly, faculty and staff stickers will expire on Jan. 31 although their cards are now available at the Transportation Center.

While smart cards cannot be bent excessively or hole-punched – such actions could render the smart card dysfunctional – the benefits of using Denver public transportation are still the same.

Students will have to swipe the cards before boarding the train.

According to Mehn, there is only one very minor exception for faculty and staff.

“When they use their smart card to ride the SkyRide to the airport, it will now be $2.50 each way instead of $5 one way,” he said.

No fee will be, nor has been, charged when traveling from the Airport Blvd/40th Ave or the Stapleton Park-n-Ride to the Denver International Airport. The SkyRide will remain completely free for students.

Additionally, Mehn said there would be no need for students to go to the Transportation Office each year for new RTD stickers.

“The cards will automatically activate and deactivate based on eligibility,” said Mehn.

“For example, if a student takes a full course load of 12 credits during the 2012-2013 academic year, does not take classes in the summer, and takes a full course load during the 2013-2014 academic year, the card will be active for 2012-2013, deactivate for the summer of 2013 and reactivate in the fall of 2014 without any

action by the student.”

Lost or damaged smart cards will be replaced by the Pioneer ID card office for $10.

This new smart card program is just another example of DU becoming an increasingly sustainable campus.

In November, the University of Denver was awarded a bronze Bicycle Friendly University award from the League of American Bicyclists.

“This is a very prestigious designation, as only 35 schools in the entire country have been awarded, and only two in Colorado, Colorado State University being the second,” said Mehn.

According to Mehn, the application for the bicycle award was lengthy and involved a partnership between the Sustainability Council, Transportation Solutions and many agencies on campus.

“This bronze award highlights the many steps DU has taken and is taking to improve and promote safe bicycling on campus, but also shows that we are nowhere near done,” said Mehn. “The University of Denver must aspire to be a Platinum Bicycle Friendly University, but it will take a partnership and commitment between all levels of students, staff, faculty and local agencies to make that happen.”

As DU continues to prove an environmentally-friendly campus, according to Mehn, students, faculty and staff are encouraged continue to take advantage of Denver’s light rail and bus systems, set to become easier and more efficient when the smart card system begins in less than a month.

Additional details are available at www.RTD-Denver.com, and DU’s Transportation Center page on smart cards, www. du.edu/transcenter/smartcards.

A move to Keystone from Winter Park and increased scholarship amounts are among changes to this year’s Winter Carnival line-up, taking place Feb. 1 - 3, according to Kaitlin Nueman, co-chair of DUPB traditions, and Ryan Schultz, DUPB student event coordinator.

The carnival has been specifically designed this year to reach 1,000 participants and expand options to non-skier and snowboarder students, including snowshoeing and skating, so they have further opportunities to participate Nueman said.

According to Neuman, Winter Carnival is being held at Keystone Ski Resort because students have indicated that they would prefer to go to a ski resort that is part of the Epic Pass, a pass held by a large number of students. In the past, Winter Carnival has been held at Winter Park and Steamboat, among other Rocky Mountain locations.

DUPB traditions, a subset of DUPB, is hoping that increasing scholarship prices as well as providing additional activities will increase the number of participants, which was 750 last year. Registration will end tomorrow with a total of 600 registered as of Monday.

“We believe that moving to Keystone and increasing the Winter Carnival Scholarship to make the weekend even more affordable than before will provide incentives for a number of students to participate this year that have not in the past,” said Neuman.

The 52nd annual Winter Carnival is set to be fun, affordable and spectacular, according to Neuman..

The most fun and spectacular events on the schedule include the on-mountain concert at 9 p.m. Friday night, for which a headliner has not been announced, and the traditional late-night tubing from 6-7 p.m. on Friday night and 5-7 p.m. Saturday night.

There will also be a great variety of affordable events this year for students who do not ski or snowboard.

“We also offer discounts on tubing, ice-skating, s’mores, food around the village and a concert,” said Neuman. “Lodging and other activities, such as sleigh rides and snowshoeing, are available on-site at a discounted rate when students give the DU group code, GG4DUC.” The rates for Keystone events have been discounted for all DU students attending with Winter Carnival.

Lift tickets, for example, are $45 each day for undergraduate students,

almost a $55 discount from the regular adult ticket price.

Tubing and skating tickets will be $5 for DU undergraduate students, while concert tickets will cost $7.

In addition to the on-mountain events, DUPB will be hosting a series of on-campus celebrations, starting today, including a medallion hunt, open broomball night and a craft night. All events are meant to provide fun and excitement to students during the weeks leading up to Winter Carnival.

DUPB already began promoting Winter Carnival events last week by handing out official “Winter Carnival 2013” cups and cereal on Driscoll Bridge Monday and Tuesday.

According to Neuman, this week DUPB Traditions will be hosting a medallion hunt on campus that will have clues posted each day on DUPB’s Facebook page. Students will have to use the clues to locate a medallion hidden somewhere specific on campus.

“The first student to find the hidden gold medallion will win a wonderful Winter Carnival prize,” said Neuman.

If you don’t manage to snag the gold medallion, there is still chance for competition with an open broomball night on Wednesday. Schultz also announced that on Tuesday, Jan. 29 there will be a Winter Wonderland craft night.

“It should be a lot of fun,” said Schultz. “There we will have winter inspired crafts, such as making gingerbread houses to take home, and some treats that students may eat there.”

Craft night is scheduled to be followed by a Chili Cook-off Thursday, Jan. 31, with a tasting in Davis Auditorium from 7-8 p.m.

“During the tasting, we will be hosting a sing-off to prepare for the movie Pitch Perfect that is being put on that night by the DUPB Films committee,” said Schultz.

According to Schultz, while DU’s Winter Carnival tradition is special because it allows students to go off campus and interact in a new, fun setting, it also allows DUPB to welcome students back to campus after a long break.

“It also provides an affordable way for people to experience the nearby mountains that make our state one of the most beautiful in the nation,” said Neuman. “It is a weekend full of traditions and fun you do not want to miss out on.”

Register now through Jan. 16 for the weekend at Keystone and visit go.du.edu/wintercarnival for a full schedule of events.

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DU revving up for new Chrysler sponsor deal Motor company is first automotive sponsor DU has had since 2001 by gigi peccolo Assistant News Editor

At the end of fall quarter, DU Athletics and Recreation announced Chrysler motor company has signed on as an official sponsor of DU Athletics and Recreation. The twoyear deal, brokered via Denver Sports Properties, makes Chrysler the exclusive auto rights holder in the university division. “[Chrysler] felt like the university would be a good fit for their platforms and the demographic would be a great place to showcase their products,” said Brad Ferrell, general manager for Denver Sports Properties.

DU declined to comment regarding the amount of money the deal was worth.

“We usually don’t disclose investment for the sake of the client,” said Ferrell.

According to Ferrell, DU started discussing a sponsorship deal with Chrysler as early as October 2011, after inviting them to a hockey game.

“We were able to get an audience with them and just kind of talk with them about what DU is all about and provide them a little knowledge about

the university and our athletic programs, and they seemed to really take to it,” said Ferrell.

The deal was finalized in June 2012. As part of the new sponsorship, Chrysler will be able to display vehicles at any athletics event. They will also receive media benefits, according to Ferrell.

“With our relationship with ROOT Sports, ESPN and Mile High Sports, they receive 30-second commercial spots and in-game features within our broadcast,” said Ferrell.

“They will also have some web presence on denverpioneers.com.”

Chrysler will sponsor basketball’s starting line-ups and the Ram Trucks Power Play during hockey games. It will also be featured on the new LED scores table for advertising during 2-minute periods of basketball games, as well as on signage in the Ritchie Center, Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium and Ciber Field.

Ferrell stressed that the new sponsorship not only benefits Chrysler but DU as well.

“We really want our partners to want to be here as much as we want them to be here,” said Ferrell. “We want to not only help promote what their product line is, but we also want them to take ownership with the university and take us to the marketplace as well, let their consumer know that they have a relationship with the

University of Denver.”

In December, Chrysler offered $1,000 of DU bonus cash to add on to any incentive currently on a Chrysler product, according to Ferrell. This gave DU faculty $1,000 off any current Chrysler product.

“It was another way for them to extend a benefit across the campus instead of just leveraging the university for a marketing platform, their way to provide something outside of just athletics,” said Ferrell.

Before the deal, DU hadn’t secured an auto sponsor for over a decade; the last sponsorship was with Toyota from 1999 to 2001.

“The auto category historically is one that loves to participate in athletic programs; it’s sort of a natural fit with the numbers of folks coming through at various games,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Relations, Jeff Howard.

With regards to the sponsorship’s future, Ferrell said he wants to continue to see the university and Chrysler support the people affiliated with DU, including the fans.

“We’ll continue to collaborate with the Chrysler marketing department on ways to provide a benefit to our faculty, staff, friends, students and alumni, to want them to buy a product of Chrysler’s because of their relationship here at the university,” said Ferrell.

Car thieves target valuables, soda by lanna giauque Staff Writer

Department of Campus Safety (DCS) officers are cautioning students to be aware of what they leave in their vehicles after a car break-in occurred on campus in the early morning hours of Jan. 2.

The break in, which occurred in Lot U behind the Ritchie Center near the University-owned apartments, involved the thief trying the handles of several vehicles before breaking a window out of the victim’s car and proceeding to steal large packs of soda.

In this case, the thief was able to escape unidentified.

While DU’s rates of theft from motor vehicles is relatively low, with only six incidents reported in 2012 and eight reported in 2011, the crime is very prevalent in the areas surrounding campus, according to Crime Prevention Sgt. Stephen Banet. Banet said that

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the Washington Park area is especially prone not only to car burglaries, but other crimes as well.

“If you live or run or walk near Wash Park, you’ve really got to be careful,” Banet said.

Banet attributes the relatively low rate of vehicle-related crimes on campus to the efforts of DCS, which he says puts particular emphasis on preventing the crime. Officers on duty will often look inside cars while on their patrols to see if there are any “attractions,” or items that a thief might want to steal, and contact the owners of cars that have those items in plain sight to warn them of the dangers of car burglaries.

Banet says that students should be aware of what they leave in their cars. Smartphones, laptops, wallets, purses, GPS units and backpacks (which could contain any of these in the mind of a thief) are all items that invite burglary if left in plain sight in a vehicle.

Wednesday 49º | 21 º

“Theft is something that students need to protect themselves from,” Banet said. “They need to take a critical look at their car when they park on campus,or anywhere, really.”

According to Banet, many of the car burglaries that occurred on campus over the past two years could have also been avoided if the owners of the vehicles had rolled their windows up and locked their doors.

Just like the thief did during the crime on Jan. 2, thieves often go through parking lots trying car doors. When they find a door that is unlocked or a window that is not rolled up, they can take anything in the car easily and with no damage to the car.

Some of the same methods can be used to prevent theft of personal items outside of vehicles as well.

“Theft is the most reported crime on campus,” said Banet.

“Just don’t leave your items unattended. Keep track of your personal property.”

Weekly Forecast

Thursday 49º | 23º

Friday 53º | 23º

P o l i c e

r e p o r t

MEDICAL

had provided DPD with a false identification.

On Sunday, Jan. 13, at 4:39 a.m., Campus Safety responded to a call regarding an ill student in Centennial Halls who was in need of medical assistance.

Upon arrival at the scene, officers contacted paramedics who responded and transported the student to Porter Hospital.

alcohol On Friday, Jan. 11, at 12:36 a.m., while on routine patrol, a Campus Safety officer observed a loud party taking place at the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house. The party was broken up and officers found a large amount of alcohol.

On Saturday, Jan. 12, at 12:07 a.m., Campus Safety responded to a call from the Denver Police Department (DPD) requesting assistance with a large part at the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity House.

Officers arrived on the scene and were told by DPD there had been 250-300 people in the house, most of whom were underage and intoxicated. One student was cited by DPD and transported to Denver Cares. A second student was transported by paramedics to Porter Hospital.

On Saturday, Jan. 12, at 12:38 a.m., Campus Safety responded to a call regarding an intoxicated DU student in Centennial Towers.

Officers arrived on the scene and spoke briefly to the student in question before calling for paramedic assistance. The student was transported by paramedics to Porter Hospital.

On Saturday, Jan. 12, at 12:20 a.m., Campus Safety responded to a call regarding a DU student who was severely intoxicated at Johnson-McFarlane Hall. Officers arrived on the scene and contacted Denver Cares who responded and transported the student in question to their facility.

On Saturday, Jan. 12, at 1:16 a.m., while on scene at the previous incident, officers were made aware of a second student in the building who appeared to be ill from over intoxication. Officers contacted the student in question and requested Denver Cares response to the scene. Denver Cares transported the student to their facility.

Forgery On Friday, Jan. 11, at 2:02 a.m., Campus Safety responded to a call from the Denver Police Department (DPD) regarding a DU student who they had in custody.

Officers arrived on the scene and were told by DPD that the student had been transported to Porter Hospital due to a very high level of intoxication and

Saturday 45º | 23º

On Sunday, Jan. 13, at 2:13 a.m., while on routine patrol, a Campus Safety officer contacted a student in the lobby area of Centennial Towers who was unconscious and smelled of alcohol. The officer called for Denver Cares and woke the student, who was in possession of a forged identification card.

The student was transported to Denver Cares.

On Sunday, Jan. 13, at 5:17 a.m., while departing from a call in Centennial Halls, officers observed a student who was unconscious in the 6th floor lounge. Officers were able to wake the student who was in possession of a forged identification card. Denver Cares was no longer responding to calls, therefore, officers contacted DPD who responded to the scene and transported the student to Denver Cares.

Drugs On Friday, Jan. 11, at 1:47 a.m., while on routine patrol, a Campus Safety officer observed a noise disturbance taking place at the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity house. Officers entered the house and found drug paraphernalia, alcohol and a false identification in plain view. All prohibited items were confiscated.

On Saturday, Jan. 12, at 1:46 a.m., Campus Safety responded to a call regarding a suspicious odor in Centennial Towers. Upon arrival at the scene, officers spoke with three students who admitted to using marijuana and consuming alcohol. Officers confiscated the marijuana and drug paraphernalia and disposed of all the alcohol in the room.

property damage On Saturday, Jan. 12, at 2:05 p.m., Campus Safety responded to a call regarding a broken window in the Ritchie Center. Officers responded to the scene and spoke with a DU staff member who stated that they were unsure how the window had been broken. Facilities was already on scene at the time Campus Safety responded.

Theft On Monday, Jan. 7, at 12:04 p.m., Campus Safety responded to a call from a staff member regarding an iPad which had been stolen from the Daniels College of Business. Upon arrival at the scene, officers spoke briefly with the reporting staff member who stated that the iPad had been stolen from their locked office sometime between 12/24 and 1/3.

Sunday 45º | 14º

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Jan. 15, 2013

www.duclarion.com

kim nesbitt

| clarion

Teams of two students on the DU Environmental Team (DUET) stand next to compostable bins at hockey games, making sure waste is disposed of properly.

Students aim to make hockey waste-free

Efforts to recycle, compost overseen by volunteer ‘waste goalies’ by sarah ford News Editor

A group of sustainability team members are working in conjunction with the Ritchie Center and Sodexo Dining to transition Pioneer hockey games to “waste free” by the end of the year.

The group has been active at three games so far this

season, including the games versus Nebraska over the weekend. In those games, 60 percent of waste was diverted to compostable bins, making the games “60 percent waste-free”, according to DU Environmental Team (DUET) President Megan Marshall, a junior.

The effort comes from a group of volunteer “waste goalies,” who divert waste by directing people to the proper bins as they throw away their trash. These “goalies” stand by the trash and compost bins throughout the Ritchie Center and instruct people where the

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most appropriate place for their waste is, ensuring that all compostable items are put in the compost bins.

Marshall said the goal of the group is to achieve 90 percent diversion rate by the end of the year, the percentage necessary for an event to be officially called “waste free.”

They currently average about 62 percent per game.

However, according to Marshall the maximum waste diversion percentage currently achievable is 64 percent, a factor of the team not yet manning all waste bins at the Ritchie Center.

“We are still transitioning to being ‘zero waste,’” said Marshall “It is a long process.”

For each game, teams of two stand at the bins located in the concourse area, arena and seating area and in the upstairs “Gold Level,” a total of 16 bins.

According to Marshall, at least 24 volunteers are needed to cover every bin, and 30 for the event to be really “effective.”

Volunteers, averaging about 30 a game, come from DUET, student and faculty volunteers, student groups and community volunteers.

Marshall hopes to get enough volunteers to expand services to all the bins in the Ritchie Center during game time.

“We are hoping we can expand soon, but currently we are just not there yet,” said Marshall.

According to senior Mariah Shell, vice president of DUET and a regular volunteer at zero waste games, there has already been lots of improvement in the process.

“People are really nice and they are starting to pick up on what we are doing,” she said. “Megan has made amazing progress.”

The group has received support in its efforts from officials of the Ritchie Center and Sodexo Dining Services as well.

Marshall said the Ritchie Center faculty has been helpful in giving members access to games and the Gold Club in order to cover all of the bins in the area.

They have also begun transitioning to selling more sustainable items, such as compostable cups, utensils and containers.

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The USG sustainability council also has helped the cause, and offered to buy the entire stock of Sodexo’s noncompostable items so they could sooner transition to allcompostable materials.

Marshall says that in order for “zero waste” games to be a reality, however, there are still improvements that must occur.

Specifically, she said bins near concession stands need to be made more available to patrons, and there needs to be a compostable and recycling bin for every waste bin in the building.

She also hopes to expand volunteers by February 8 to cover all bins in the bathrooms and even areas of the Ritchie Center unaccessible to hockey patrons during games in the push to be “waste free”.

The model is based off of the “zero waste football games” at CU Boulder, which has achieved 88 percent diversion rate through a five year effort.

Eventually, Marshall said she would like to see zerowaste efforts expand all over campus.

“It would be nice to have complete transparency on campus,” she said. “There would always be recycling bins next to all the trash bins on campus.”

Marshall hopes this will also encourage others to be more sustainable in their everyday lives.

“Recycling is like a ‘gateway drug,’” she said. “This encourages people to be more sustainable in their everyday lives.”

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Jan. 15, 2013

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Daniels students reinvent the backpack

photo courtesy of grant wilkinson

Daniels students Grant Wilkinson, Taylor Shiffrin, Jensen Teague, Kayla Rae Veatch and Justin Koppstein created the myBackpack app to win the Madden Challenge.

by maura shea Contributing Writer

Many students are annoyed by the daily hassle of lugging notebooks, textbooks and miscellaneous school supplies across campus from class to class. Daniels College of Business students

have created the mobile application, myBackpack, that will replace the need for book bags all together.

At the start of fall quarter, the introductory “Gateway to Business” course, taught by professor Stephen Haag, stepped away from the traditional lecture

style teaching to educate its students about the business world. instead, the Madden Challenge was created and asks students to produce a detailed business plan for a mobile app to compete for a scholarship, funded

by John W. Madden, Jr., a commercial real estate developer in the Denver area.

Madden’s niece received her MBA from the Daniels College of Business about 10 years ago and wanted to fund the app competition created by professor Haag so that the winning team could use the money to develop their business ideas.

“The point of this class was to learn different aspects of business, like marketing and finance, through creating a mobile app,” said freshman Grant Wilkinson, myBackpack developer and team leader from El Paso, Texas, who’s planning to major in real estate.

Wilkinson approached his classmates Taylor Shiffrin, a freshman from Vail with plans to major in accounting, sophomore Jensen Teague from Littleton with plans to major in finance, junior marketing communications major Kayla Rae Veatch from Minnesota and freshman Justin Koppstein from Ogunquit, Maine with plans to major in business with his idea to create myBackpack, which would serve as a virtual backpack equipped with notebooks, planners, PDF books and other additional tools.

“I got the idea to create this app out of frustration,” said Wilkinson referring to carrying all his school supplies to and from class.

The team created a detailed business plan that outlined the functions of the app, marketing

strategy and revenue in order to present their plan to the panel of angel investors - people who invest in smaller companies and new businesses to provide the group with financial help while developing their product.

At this time, the group also decided to form the company Inovize as they plan to release myBackpack and continue developing mobile apps in the future.

After weeks of writing, rewriting and editing their business plan, they were ready for the first round of the competition: a presentation in front of their section of the class. They were chosen to advance to the final round and present their idea to the Madden family and the angel investors along with the finalist from each of the 12 sections.

The final round included a 10-minute presentation which highlighted the key points found in their business plan followed by a Q&A. Other finalists included the clothespin app, a shopping app equipped with a virtual closet where customers can build their own outfits and share them on social media website and Mystance, an app that allows users to create polls and vote on certain issues. In the end, the myBackpack team was presented with a trophy as the winners of the Madden Challenge.

“After the final round, we were approached by an investor interested in our app,” said Shiffrin. “We were trying to take the app further than just the project and that is what set us apart from the rest in the competition.”

Wilkinson’s experience in website and social media marketing from working with companies throughout Texas proved

to be beneficial. In the coming months, the team plans to meet with investors and estimates that the app will be released for purchase at the end of winter quarter.

The myBackpack app will be a visual representation of an open backpack and users will have the ability to access certain materials by tapping on them.

“The app itself will be free,” said Wilkinson. “The in-app options will be an additional cost.”

The in-apps will consist of four different options. Costing $0.99, PassingNotes will provide users with the ability to transfer notes, documents and agendas to other myBackpack users. The Mathematic package will cost $1.99 and will include an allinclusive scientific and graphing calculator as well as a ruler and protractor. The English Package will have an American English dictionary, thesaurus, grammar and writing sheets and will cost $1.99. Students will also have the option of purchasing the allinclusive package, which would include everything listed above for the discounted price of $3.99.

Aimed at tablet users, myBackpack exhibits many features, particularly those of note taking and scientific calculations, that would be difficult to make on a smartphone. However, it will also be available for smart phone users. Wilkinson hopes to build a partnership with textbook publishers and companies like Sparknotes and incorporate them in myBackpack.

To get updates on the progress of myBackpack and Inovize please visit www.inovize.com or www.facebook.com/inovize.

Social entrepreneurs empower, inspire youth by hsing tseng Copy Editor

How do young people get their voices heard? Three students answered with a social venture, a project to use videos and online media to give youth a voice and to inspire positive social change.

DU seniors Joseph Zhang, Vanessa Teck and Charles Severance-Medaris started Project Ava last July, a nonprofit media production organization dedicated to showcasing youth through different media expressions, most of which are showcased on Project Ava’s YouTube page.

Zhang, an international business major from Colorado Springs, cites Project Ava’s focus has always been around the young people and the issues that motivate them.

“Celebrate and share youth stories,’ that’s our mantra,” said Zhang.

According to SeveranceMedaris, a political science and public policy major from Canon City, Project Ava largely owes its inception to Zhang.

“He was the main impetus behind starting the group,” said Severance-Medaris.

The three lived in the same hall in the Pioneer Leadership Program in their first year at DU and have been close friends ever since.

With unofficial director positions, the three work together closely on each campaign, sharing a strong passion for social activism.

“It’s a very horizontal organization. Each of us complement each other very well. Vanessa is very creative, connected, and often times the brainchild behind our videos and campaigns,” said Zhang.

“Charlie is very logical and task-oriented. He gets things done and sets things up. He’s also very realistic. The balance to my idealism. We fall into our roles as necessary.”

Relying on donations, grants and out-of-pocket expenses, Project Ava highlights youth experiences completely on the house. Past Project Ava videos have covered events like the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, Art 4 Aurora, the Presidential Election and the Excelling Leaders Institute at DU, among others.

As part of their official launch campaign and the

unveiling of their new website, Project Ava is initiating a bi-weekly series of activities, videos and events in “10 Weeks of Thoughtfulness,” which they call “a campaign of the heart.”

Activities include sharing New Year’s Resolutions on Facebook and encouraging others with theirs, defining love on a community mural in February and celebrating Black History Month.

Teck, a Denver native majoring in intercultural communications and digital media studies, emphasizes a DU focus for their campaign.

“One of our main goals is to incorporate the DU campus and its students as much as possible, so we are already collaborating with several organizations on campus such as BSA, QSA, USG and more to maximize our outreach,” said Teck.

Severance-Medaris once again relates the campaign to Project Ava’s main focus: empowering the youth and motivating them to get involved and make a difference.

“We intend to engage DU’s student body in the [student

photo courtesy of proJect ava

Project Ava members Joseph Zhang, Charles Severance-Medaris and Vanessa Teck met as members of the Pioneer Leadership Program as freshmen.

alliances], other campus orgs, and hopefully off campus to resolve to make a difference this year. As an organization, we hope to further awareness about what it is we do and generate support for future campaigns,” said Severance-Medaris.

What’s in store for Project Ava in 2013? A collaboration with Pioneer Leadership Program students to highlight LGBT youth homelessness, a “health awareness” campaign encouraging students to love themselves and a rom-com webseries on healthy relationships, among others.

“The goal is to become a nonprofit in media production, as large and far-reaching as our message allows,” said Zhang.

Teck encourages the budding social entrepreneur not to fear innovation.

“A lot of the ideas that come out of my mouth might seem a bit far out and unrealistic, but I think those ideas are the ones that help to make your organization stand out,” said Teck.

To find Project Ava and their videos online, visit www. projectava.org, their facebook page.

Jan. 15, 2013

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www.duclarion.com

Paxti’s pricy pizza pairs taste, charity

sarah sutin|clarion

Paxti’s Pizza opened its new store on University Blvd. in mid-November.

by maura shea Contributing Writer

The San Francisco-based Italian restaurant, Patxi’s Pizza, opened its first Colorado location at 3455 S. University Blvd in Cherry Hills in mid-November and has since offered Denverites with an intriguing menu and the taste of a true Chicago style pizza.

The ironic coincidence that a San Francisco restaurant is the expert on Chicago-style pizza began when two friends, businessman and entrepreneur Bill Freeman and avid chef Fransisco “Patxi” Axpiroz came together in the summer of 2004 to create a welcoming neighborhood restaurant in Palo Alto, Calif.

Their menu has perfected both the deep dish and thin crust pizza, making it a one of a kind in the Denver area. A great option for students looking to satisfy an uncontrollable pizza craving, Paxti’s can be reached

by the number 24 RTD bus, a two mile walk or a short car drive.

The restaurant offers a wide range of seating options including booths, tables and a bar section making it the ideal location for a family dinner, girl’s night out or a good place to relax at the end of a long day. Paxti’s is equipped with a generous selection of beer, wine and cocktails.

The dark lighting, wood paneling and large windows give the restaurant a modern feel with a unique twist.

The friendly staff is helpful when making a decision from a menu that all sounds too good.

Customers have the option to order a Patxi’s combo pizza off the menu or go bold by creating their own pizza from endless ingredients including meats, cheese and other more adventurous toppings such as aged prosciutto, artichoke hearts and arugula.

The most common dish is the Chicago deep-dish pizza.

This is available in three different sizes: 10”, 12” and 14.” Unique to Paxti’s, the pizza is stuffed with all the goodies instead of layering the crust with sauce, cheese and then toppings.

They start by pressing the crust to the bottom pan and then adding your choice of meat and other toppings all before adding another layer of crust and finishing it with their thick garlic based tomato sauce on top. When finished, the pizza is brought to your table sizzling hot.

Their most popular Chicago deep-dish pizza is the BBQ Chicken, which includes BBQ chicken breast, smoked bacon and jalapenos. This combination creates a mouthwatering experience and is the perfect choice for anyone who enjoys a little zest in their meal. This pizza is priced anywhere between $22-32 depending on the size.

While these pizzas may be out of the price range for students, sharing is a great option.

Their 10’’ Chicago style pizza is the perfect size to share between two hungry friends. Similarly, Paxti’s is doing a lunch special daily from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. with a piece of pizza, salad and a drink for $9.99.

Another deep-dish option includes the Californian, which is made with a whole-wheat crust, low fat mozzarella, fresh spinach and red onions. Supplied with an endless amount of cheese, this is the ideal choice for vegetarians or anyone looking for a tasty yet healthy alternative. This pizza is priced anywhere between $19-27.

Paxti perfects the deepdish pizza by cooking it for 40 minutes; as such, the restaurant recommends that you order by phone or online before you come in to minimize your wait time. While you are waiting, hold your hunger at bay with some burrata bruschetta, artichoke dip, or one of five signature salads.

For an appetizer with a unique taste you won’t find anywhere else, the beef and pork meatballs are braised in their homemade tomato sauce, basil and Grana Padano cheese. This appetizer is priced at $8.

The arugula salad features baby arugula, shaved Grana Padano and extra virgin olive oil and lemon is a very popular choice off of the salad menu. This salad is priced at $7.

For those of you who are looking for a delicious pizza without the large time and financial commitment, the thin crust pizza is the perfect alternative. This pizza is available in two different sizes, 10” and 14” and takes 15-20 minutes to cook.

The most popular thin crust pizza is the traditional Margherita pizza with mozzarella, tomato sauce, fresh basil, Grana Padano cheese and sea salt. The fresh ingredients add incredible flavor to this simple and light dish. It is priced anywhere between $10-14.

Patxi’s Pizza takes pride in offering both whole wheat and gluten free dough at no extra cost.

All of their dough and sauces are vegan-friendly, making it a great location for people with food aller-

gies as well as vegetarians.

The sauce is made daily and fresh cheese and vegetables are chopped at the beginning of every morning. All of the meat is organic and comes from Zoe’s Natural Meats in California.

For anyone looking for a quiet night in, this restaurant offers free delivery for orders that are more than $15. They also have the option of picking up a half-baked pizza. This gives customers the chance to finish the pizza in the comfort of their own kitchen and at their convenience.

Not only does Patxi’s Pizza provide appetizing food for the Denver community, they have taken it upon themselves to give back by hosting a weekly fundraiser for organizations that benefit education and children’s health and welfare. So far they have been able to donate more than $200,000 to these causes. Ten percent of the profits that are made at the different fundraisers are given back to the organization that hosted it.

Since their recent opening, the Colorado location has held one fundraiser with the Colorado Academy Horizon Program, which is dedicated to the enriched education of children who come from lowincome families.

The restaurant is open Sunday–Thursday from 11 a.m.

- 10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.and they’re open 4-10 p.m. on Mondays. Patxi’s Pizza plans to open it second Colorado location at 185 Steele St. in Cherry Creek.

returning juniors share study abroad stories by emma mckay

Assistant Lifestyles Editor

When over 64 percent of DU students study abroad, most during fall of their junior year, there is a big increase in the population on campus every January. Students return home from locations all over the world and are anxious to tell their stories. The Clarion interviewed four students who came from four very different locations.

Visit dularion.com for their full stories.

Mendoza, Argentina

Dakar/Sokone, Senegal “I witnessed firsthand the hardships of poverty and gender disparities in rural Senegal and saw how different organizations arefunctioning and approaching these issues.”

Junior, Trina Stewart

photo courtesy of natalie margason

Senior Natalie Margason in Mendoza, Argentina

Salvador, Brazil

photo courtesy of daniel mason

Junior Daniel Mason in Salvador, Brazil.

“My favorite part was during our excursion to the rural community of Remanso, where we stayed for a week with a homestay family and participated in activities every day, from going on an 18km river expedition to practicing the Brazilian martial art Capoeira with the children.”

Junior, Daniel Mason

photo courtesy of trina stewart

Oxford, England

Junior Trina Stewart posing with her 7 year old Senagalese neighbor, Tuuti in Senegal.

“With the aid of Lords, Members of Parliament and several professors I was one of a handful of students to debate assisted suicide in front of hundreds of Oxford students and faculty,” photo courtesy of gabe rusk

Junior Gabe Rusk giving a speech in the debate chamber at the Oxford Union in Oxford, England.

Junior, Gabe Rusk

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Jan. 15, 2013

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dozen decades down, The Grind: Jelly AClarion looks forward The Clarion editors dish on caffeine and culture.

by anita balakrishnan Editor-in-Chief

Jill hamilton|clarion

Jelly opened its Evans location in November to the delighted stomachs of students.

Decent hangover food, old school cereal boxes, attractive tattooed wait staff and alcohol.

Jelly: 4 beans

by hannah gilham Lifestyles Editor

As all good hipsters know, breakfast is the most important, if not the only, meal of the day.

Unless you count last call, of course. As such, breakfast joint Jelly’s new location at 1700 E. Evans Ave. has enjoyed a fairly positive reception from the cool kids and DU students alike.

Painted bright Easter egg-green and pink and conveniently located next door to the indie-only coffee shop Kaladi Brothers, be sure to look your disheveled best when dining on DU’s only “Hipster Block.”

Serving up breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. everyday, Jelly opened its Evan’s location just before DU students went home for Christmas break in November.

However, Jelly opened its original location in the spring of 2011 in the hippest of neighborhoods: Denver’s Capitol Hill on the corner of 13th and Pearl.

The masses line up daily to get the breakfast of champions: strong mimosas and jelly filled donuts.

The bright and airy atmosphere is, ironically, the most refreshing and alluring aspect of Jelly’s restaurant on Evans.

With natural light shining through the massive windows and springtime colored walls, Jelly exudes an air of carefree, day-drinking goodness. It turns out the best cure for a hangover is a combination of hair of the dog and bright colors.

It’s hard not to enjoy your experience at Jelly, despite the fact that their food is generally subpar.

With most menu items priced around $8 - $10, not including the $3.50 bowl of cereal (for those who refuse to spend more than $8 at a restaurant but are perfectly content to

spend almost $4 on a bowl of cereal) and a drink menu that varies from $6 mimosas to a $4 latte, this is not your usual, nitty gritty breakfast joint.

The exception to the rule, however, is found in the mix and match bite size hamburgers, or ‘sliders’, priced $7.29 for two and $8.79 for three.

They come in four different savory options, including the “Country” sliders served with mini bacon and onion frittata with aged cheddar cheese and the “Garden” slider served with zucchini, caramelized onion and roasted red pepper and herb cream cheese. All sliders are served on a tiny, toasted bun.

These small yet appetizing sliders are the main attraction on the menu for Jelly’s breakfast, along with the hors d’oeuvres style donut holes filled with jelly, chocolate creme or maple bacon. Presented in a pretty white bowl with their contents oozing out of the donut and dusted with powdered sugar, there are dozens of Instagram photos just waiting to be taken.

With no discernible options for gluten-free or vegan diners, Jelly does offer delicious vegetarian biscuits and gravy.

At the Evans location, lines should only be expected basically anytime a sane human being would want to eat brunch: during the weekends and from around 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Try to make it to Jelly during quiet times such as early morning or just before their closing time at 3 p.m.

Parking might be difficult: but there are front windows so we can all watch you fail at parallel parking from inside.

And what more could a good hipster want than a healthy dose of syrup, champagne and easy means of judgement in the morning?

Extra, Extra! A DU tradition older than Winter Carnival or Denver Boone is turning 120 today – and it’s probably not what you think. Founded in the 1890s, the DU Clarion newspaper is issuing its 120th volume this year.

“America’s premier college newspaper,” as a 1930s flag reads, originally began print in 1898 as the Bulletin, becoming the Clarion in 1899, according to a history compiled by former Clarion editors, although clerical errors through the years have made it difficult to tell for certain, said Steve Fisher, University Historian. The Clarion became so popular that by 1902 it replaced DU’s original newspaper, the Hesperus. Both papers sold for $ 0.05.

At that time, the university had just recently moved to the University park area from 13th and Arapahoe, where the Denver Center of Performing Arts parking garage is now located.

“Everything – administrative offices, classrooms, [and] church services – were housed in University Hall,” said Fisher. Along with University Hall, erected in 1890, the campus included Evans Chapel, Chamberlin Observatory and Iliff School of Theology.

The move to the park originally came from DU’s Methodist background, according to Fischer.

“There was a fear that Denver was becoming very urban – we were in a sort-of red light district with a lot of saloons – and DU’s early Methodist founders were opposed to alcohol, “ said Fisher.

“They wanted a park where the evils of the city wouldn’t encroach on them, so Rufus Clark, a local potato farmer, gave them some land.”

Although times may have changed since then, the publication of the Clarion has remained steady, even through World Wars, the Great Depression and Vietnam War Protests.

“The content or organization [of the Clarion] did not change much from what it is now. There has always been a lot of interest in athletics, social organizations, such as Greek life, administration changes such as the announcement of new chancellors coming and going and information on visiting speakers, “ said Fisher.

Although Fisher said there has never been a DU newspaper that directly attempted to compete with the Clarion’s type of editorial content, the business and law school have published their own publications through the years and Clarion editors have compiled lists of alternate publications such as the comedic Weekly Peanut, Parakeet and Spit Valve, the op-ed based Student Free Press and University Free press, and features magazines such as the Weekend, Free and Free Magazine and the Sweetwater Journal, and creative literary journals such as the Oracle and Space.

David Von Drehle, 1981-82 Clarion editor and current editor-at-large for TIME Magazine,

recalled his time at the Clarion.

“On the day before publication, we set the stories in type and budgeted the advertising. I designed the ad layouts and many of the pages,” said Von Drehle.

“By the time we proofed and locked the pages it was often long past midnight, at which point I would deliver the papers to our printing company, which was off West 6th Avenue near the Valley Highway. I often got to sleep as the sun was rising.”

Von Drehle was editor during the first term of President Ronald Reagan, during which time he tried to cover problems such as recession, Cold War tension and financial problems at the University, while also focusing on issues “closer to home.”

Von Drehle returned to DU for the Presidential Debate, noticing changes such as techonology and accommodations.

“The place was a dump when I was a student there, starting with the house where we published the Clarion. It had almost no heat and it reeked of leaking gas. I’m amazed we didn’t blow ourselves up. But human nature never changes,” said Von Drehle.

“Today’s students would laugh at our clothes and haircuts, but they would recognize our pastimes and concerns.”

However, Von Drehle did notice some improvements.

“DU is a much more beautiful and a much more ambitious place, with greater aspirations, than it was 30 years ago,” said Von Drehle.

Citing a recent exhibit in the Ritchie Center about Presidential Visits to DU as an example, Fisher noted that many times, the Clarion is the first place he can find information about DU history.

“There are sometimes errors, of course – you have to verify things – but it’s really a valuable resource to the University,” said Fisher.

In honor of the 150th anniversary of DU, Katie Crowe, archives curator, is currently working on a project to scan old issues of the Clarion into a text-

searchable electronic archive.

“We started looking at it initially because about a year ago, in 2010, we realized that the university’s 150th anniversary was coming up quickly and we had this great digital repository that we could make available,” said Crowe. “We wanted to make DU’s history and the archives a bigger part of that.”

The archive, which can be found at www.digitaldu.coalliance.org, currently only contains a few samples, due to special equipment needed to capture the old images.

“We’ve done a lot of test issues to make sure we can get the old text to scan and get a good OCR [Optical Character Recognition],” said Crowe. “We really wanted to make sure that we could make it as full-text readable as possible.”

Additionally, with many of the archives being off-site and limited access to the large specialty scanner, progress has slowed.

“We are really hoping that the oversize scanner comes with us to the new building [Penrose Academic Commons], because we need to monopolize it. Things will really speed up when we [Special Collections] get into the new building in March and April,” said Crowe.

Other focuses of the scanning project include historic photos, video and audio and the Kynewisbok (DU yearbook).

“When we started this, Steve [Fisher] and I thought, What are the riches sources of DU history?

If you really want to get a snapshot of student life, administration, what’s going on in Denver, what sources would you go to?,” said Crowe. “The Clarion has been around for almost as long as the university, and it’s unique in that a lot of the archives are focused on administration and faculty and are from the perspective of the people running the university, but the Clarion is from the perspective of the students - and a university is nothing without its students.”

photo courtesy of du special collections

Taken between 1965-1975, students gather outside Mary Reed Hall.

Jan. 15, 2013

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Hot off the press: headlines through the ages 1900-1950

Sept. 21, 1905 Oct. 4, 1916 Sept. 20, 1923

Late 1920’s

photo courtesy of du special collections

DU men’s hockey player, Jan. 24, 1958.

1937-1938

John A. Love becomes editor of the Denver Clarion. Love went on to serve as governor of Colorado from 1962-1973, during which time he became famous for increased environmental and educational spending, legalizing abortion at the state level and transparency. He went on to serve in the Nixon cabinet.

1943

1950-Now

layout

by the Clarion staff

Debate club has “something doin’” and freshman class council picks their colors.

Stories mostly focus on club enrollment, such as economic club, Republican club and women’s gym classes. Other stories include advice on college life from guest speakers and information on football schedules and Chinese classes.

“Largest registry in history tests capacity of Denver U,” a story showing that with 1100 students enrolled, some classes are packed with “two women to each man in one commerce class.”

Clarion editor Robert Selig leads a group of DU students to the Colorado School of Mines to blow the M on Mt. Zion off the mountain as a show of the football rivalry between the two schools. According to a 2009 DU Today article by Richard Chapman, Selig was “caught, stripped, shaved, branded and his ‘private parts’ were covered in plaster of Paris.” Then, Selig was dropped off on 16th Street. Selig went on to lead a successful career and served on the DU Board of Trustees.

Francis Melrose is editor of the Clarion.

Melrose went on to report at the Rocky Mountain News, run the Scripps National Spelling Bee and was inducted into the Denver Press Club’s Hall of Fame in 1998.

She donated her papers and columns from the Rocky Mountain News to the DU Archives.

photo courtesy of du special collections

DU football players between 1955-1960.

Oct. 23, 1953

photo courtesy of du special collections

Female baseball athlete, 1951.

“Mixed dormitory ends first year,” a description of DUs first co-ed dorms, which “raised eyebrows” among parents. The 1950s issues also featured a column called “Social whirl’ which commented on sorority romances and Chevy convertible advertisements. The Nov. 23 issue featured a “Which man is your type?” story, offering four choices: Athlete, Gallant, Intellect or Big Man on Campus. Other big fall stories included “Tough Hockey Schedule on Tap,” a season preview of hockey.

Jan. 10, 1961 “No More Football” includes the chancellor’s statement that the sport was “prohibitively expensive.”

May 18, 1967 An ad for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s visit to DU appears in the Clarion. photo courtesy of du special collections

A male and female student stand out front of Johnson-McFarlane Residence Hall in 1959.

Feb 16, 1967 “Students accept bill of rights.” The bill is proposed by the student union and signed by DU students. Also on the front page, an Andy Warhol speaker at DU found to be an impersonator, not the real Andy Warhol.

Early 1980’s David Von Drehle is the editor of the Clarion, after already working for the Denver Post in high school. Von Drehle is now editor-at-large for TIME magazine.

photo courtesy of du special collections

Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, 1983.

Early 1990’s Ian Mohr is the news editor of the Clarion. Mohr is now Deputy Editor of Page Six, a celebrity gossip and entertainment column at the New York Post, and still serves on DU’s AHSS advisory board.

May 19, 1994

“The Search is Over: Gwozdecky named new head coach.” Gwozdecky came to DU from Miami University in Ohio where he served as head coach of their hockey team from 19891994.

photo courtesy of du special collections

The 1983-1984 DU Pioneer ski team.

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Campus Safety should have access to firearms Continued from page 1

The weapons would absolutely not be accessible to students or any group aiming to cause damage. The campus safety offices are already secure, and the weapons would be in a vault inaccessible to anyone outside the department.

I trust DCS because I know many of the officers and have worked with them in a professional capacity. Many are former members of law enforcement or veterans of military service. If anyone on campus should have guns, it is them; arming qualified people who have professional training and are already tasked with ensuring

our safety acts as a strong shield of security to students, staff and faculty. Firearm training would be needed to bolster their already sterling resumés.

With access to firearms oncampus, DCS could also offer courses in the safe operation of firearms designed to familiarize students with their operation and function, as well as teaching the proper role of guns as weapons of self-defense.

After all, students are here for an education, so why could these unconventional courses not be a part of it?

Having armed security on campus not only makes the campus safer in the event of a mass shooting, God forbid, but

would also enable DCS to have the upper hand in pursuing other types of violent fugitives on campus, such as the perpetrators of sexual assault, armed robbers and any other type of violent assailant who would prey upon students. I am not a jingoist calling for the shooting of every common criminal on campus, but armed fugitives need to be addressed by aptlyarmed security.

Those who oppose guns on campus point out that there is a Denver Police Department (DPD) station only a few blocks from campus. This is true. However, according to a Denver Post article from 2012, the average response time from DPD when

responding to a major crime was over 14 minutes. In that amount of time, many lives could have been lost in a shooting event.

It makes sense, then, to arm the people who know the layout and security scenario of the campus best: DCS and their professionally-trained officers.

It is not my distrust of the local police that informs my views on arming DCS, but rather the recognition that they know our campus better and could respond more efficiently and faster. In a crisis situation, the fastest response is certainly the best one.

It’s been said that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.

Arming DCS is a short-term solution to a major problem.

It would increase our security in the event of a major crime at DU, not necessarily prevent crime from happening.

So until we can address a culture of violence and increase mental health treatment for those who would commit such terrible acts, we must be armed and vigilant, ready to respond should the lives of the members of our community be threatened.

Arming DCS officers makes us safe now, but is not an ultimate solution for gun violence.

That will require comprehensive reform, including examining mental health.

America’s cowboy, shoot ‘em up culture needs to end Continued from page 1

Take, for instance, the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech University, the deadliest individual civilian shooter incident in U.S. history.

“Only if someone had a gun, only if there was a good guy. We would’ve stopped it!”

Well, there were good guys. In fact, on that Monday morning there were 14 of them. See, Virginia Tech didn’t have a normal campus safety squadron, they had a whole police department—the Virginia Tech Police Department.

All 35 trained and certified police officers had sidearms as well as access to a cache of SWAT-like gear. Hell

– they had their own SWATlike team that trained and had guns and gear for emergencies.

Thirty-two people, not including the gunman, died from the violence that morning. The shooter committed suicide before the authorities could stop or arrest him.

Fast forward to October 2012 at the University of South Alabama. Freshman Gilbert Thomas Collar was acting aggressively toward a campus officer; he was naked and erratic, but he was unarmed.

The 135-pound Collar started chasing the officer.

When Collar was within five feet of reaching the retreating and fleeting officer, he was shot in the chest once by the said officer.

Gilbert Thomas Collar, at the age of 18, died.

Imagine if the Collar situation happened on our campus. Currently, Campus Safety is not armed with a gun but with pepperspray.

If Collar went to the University of Denver and not the University of South Alabama and had done the same thing, he would – most likely – be alive today. Sure, he would have been tased.

And arrested.

But his mother, Bonnie Collar, would not be grieving.

Her 18-year old son would not have died.

We have to remember our campus safety officers, though I have great respect for them

and would treat them in the same way as I treat our police officers, are civilians.

They are not trained properly, nor could they be, to combat these types of masscasualty situations.

This uniquely American idea that “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun” doesn’t pan out.

In the last 62 mass shootings in the United States - which is, by the way, more than the rest of the developed world combined - not one armed civilian stopped the senseless killings.

In fact, 49 states currently have concealed carry laws and in most of the 62 shootings,

the gunmen were in or near conceal carry allowed areas.

There were simply no “good guys with guns.”

Now we have a choice: We can continue and move to this weirdly savage, American gun-toting cowboy culture or we can choose to do something different; we can take a new approach to the gun problem.

What that is in terms of policy, I don’t know.

It might end with the ban of all non-hunting guns.

And if that’s what we have to do in the most homicidal country in the developed world - well, what’s the alternative?

More shootings like Newtown? Aurora? Columbine?

Pioneer Voices: Clarion Editor Edition After the passage of Amendment 64, should marijuana be permitted on the DU campus for students above the age of 21?

Do you have any opinions at all? About anything?

Write an op-ed for sarah ford News Editor

christian allen Web Editor

“There may come a day when we smoke on this campus, but today is not that day.”

“I’m not sure.”

hannah gilham Lifestyles Editor

“If something is legal it should be allowed on campus, as long as it does not harm others.”

emma mckay Assistant Lifestyles Editor

“As long as there’s a smoking ban, it doesn’t make sense.”

The Clarion! email: alexander. johnson@du.edu

Jan. 15, 2013

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Legislature should tackle civil unions RA perks worth the work by danny zimny-schmitt Contributing Writer

Last Wednesday, the 70th Colorado General Assembly began their session at the Colorado Capitol.

There are multiple issues on the table that need to be dealt with in moving Colorado forward, the most important of which is to finally pass a law recognizing civil unions between samesex couples in the state.

It is time for Colorado to fully recognize the rights of its LGBT couples like eight other states from New Hampshire to Hawaii already do. There is no good reason to withhold the dignity that comes with being a recognized couple in the eyes of the state and the financial benefits heterosexual couples can utilize for taxation.

With national sentiment changing so quickly on this issue, Colorado should join the other progressive states that have already adopted this practice.

This session of the General Assembly holds promise for passing this legislation.

Unlike in Washington, where political gridlock between the Democrat-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House of Representatives will undoubtedly make any sig-

nificant legislation difficult to pass, the Democrats now control both houses and the governor’s office in Colorado.

Democrats have traditionally been far more supportive of gay rights than their GOP counterparts have.

This is also a historic moment for Colorado in that, following the 2012 elections, Mark Ferrandino will be the Speaker of the House.

Ferrandino is the first openly gay speaker in the body’s history. Some progress has been made on this issue in the previous few years.

The Designated Beneficiary Agreements Act of 2009, which went into effect on July 1 of that year, granted unmarried couples in Colorado some limited rights. These included making funeral arrangements for the partner, receiving death benefits, and inheriting property without specification in a will.

In February of 2011, Representative Mark Ferrandino and Senator Pat Steadman, both openly gay Democrats, proposed the Colorado Civil Union Act. The bill addressed financial responsibility of partners, medical decision-making, inheritance, the ability to designate a partner as retirement beneficiary, family leave benefits and the ability to

adopt the child of a partner, among other things.

Following its Valentine’s Day introduction, it was supported by nearly every Democrat in both houses of the Colorado Legislature.

It was brought to a vote in the Senate on March 24, where it received unanimous Democratic support and three Repulican votes to pass 23-12.

However, it was assigned to the Judiciary Committee in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

It was defeated in a 5-6 party line vote, and was never brought to the floor for a vote.

Had the bill reached the floor, it was expected to pass handily, based on commitments from several House Republicans, and then have been signed into law by Governor Hickenlooper.

With Ferrandino taking the gavel from former Republican House Speaker Frank McNulty, who was instrumental in ensuring the failure of the civil union bill, the tables have turned dramatically in favor of marriage equality.

It is time for Colorado to finally grant same-sex couples the respect they deserve by recognizing their right to civil unions.

Posters across campus demand attention and cry out, “Apply to be an RA!” While Resident Assistants can have a negative reputation on campus, I encourage everyone to apply and have the opportunity to change a life and build a community from the ground up.

Being an RA at DU is a challenging and unique job, and one that is often misunderstood.

Students have varying perceptions of what an RA is and what they do, and those perceptions are often governed by the students’ individual experiences with their RAs. While this is an appropriate standard to use, understand that one bad egg does not taint an entire dozen eggs.

Yes, as an RA you may sometimes have to deal with intoxicated people and residents who are noncompliant, but these instances are the exception, not the rule. The people you meet, both in a peer capacity and a professional capacity may become lifelong friends or colleagues.

The hardest part is not necessarily dealing with incidents, but rather finding

time for yourself amidst many other time commitments and job requirements.

Imagine having your housing and meal costs covered for an entire academic year.

Depending on which building one works in, an RA’s scholarship can total over $12,000 for a year. This is but one benefit of the job.

You can also work to build a community and start from scratch with each new year.

As each group of floormates moves into a new residence hall, a new community develops, and the RA is there to cultivate a sense of community, like a gardener works to grow many beautiful flowers.

In addition, being an RA gives applicants a real chance to solve problems that come up throughout the year.

RAs often mediate roommate conflicts, oversee social programs and work to find balance in their own lives as students, professionals, employees and human beings.

Spending a year as an RA also contributes to potential candidates’ résumés, as this position requires so many key elements: excellent communication, the abilities to lead and work as a team player, the ability to fairly and equitably negotiate conflicts and the ability to deal with high-stress situations from time to time.

war, Hagel willingly put his ership positions he has helped life at risk for his country. If military personnel through confirmed, he would be the the VA and brought the first Defense Secretary to not USO out of bankruptcy and only have been involved in into surplus. By fighting for that conflict, but to have will- greater benefits for veterans in the VA and showing leadingly enlisted as a private.

This would be monu- ership at the USO, Hagel has mental for many veterans displayed extraordinary leadout there who can now look ership that will suit him well for Secretary of to Hagel and Defense. see someone who knows “The nomination of His critics, particularly what it is like to start at the Chuck Hagel shows from the right, draw attention bottom and a dedication to to two flaws. climb his way First, they to an upper bipartisanship from believe that he position. It the President.” is not a friend to makes him Israel by calling more perIsraeli supportsonable not only to non-active members, ers in Congress the “Jewish but to active members as well. Lobby” and openly supportHagel has also held lead- ing negotiations between the ership positions in the Veter- U.S., Israel and Palestinian ans’ Administration (VA) and groups.

Second, critics point to United Service Organizations (USO). While in these lead- Hagel’s treatment of Iran.

Hagel voted against economic sanctions against Iran. Republicans especially see this as problematic for relations in the Middle East when Hagel is upsetting Israel and being friendly to its enemy, Iran.

It is important to remember which position Hagel is nominated for: Secretary of Defense.

While it is his job to involve himself militarily with these groups, it is not his job to engage with them diplomatically. That will be the job of the Secretary of State nominee, if confirmed, John Kerry.

Unless the U.S. plans on war with Israel, Palestinian groups or Iran, all of which would be terribly unfortunate, Hagel would have little influence in these areas.

Furthermore, while defense practices in Israel may come under his juris-

diction, there is really little evidence to show that Hagel would not support Israel if the state needed it.

The claims that he may be an enemy to that state are simply unproven.

The President has not always done well in his personnel and staffing endeavors.

Whether it was finding a steady Chief of Staff or a probable, politically viable successor to Hillary Clinton, President Obama has come up empty handed on various occasions since his re-election.

With the nomination of Chuck Hagel, President Obama has nabbed a great choice, demonstrated bipartisanship and redeemed himself in the wake of an election.

Hopefully the Senate can see the advantage in this decorated nominee and confirm him quickly so that the President has his security team in place come his second term.

by alex johnson Opinions Editor

Hagel must be swiftly confirmed by Senate

Israel, Iran comments should not limit Hagel by chris bach Contributing Writer

Earlier this month, President Obama nominated former Republican senator Chuck Hagel to Secretary of Defense, a crucial cabinet role in his second term.

The nomination of Chuck Hagel shows a dedication to bipartisanship from the president. The support for confirmation is anything but certain, however.

Hagel is facing serious opposition from both sides of the aisle in the Senate on his comments on Israel and his voting record on Iran.

Opposing him is a mistake.

Hagel is a military veteran who enlisted during the Vietnam War. While others may have tried to dodge the

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The Clarion is the official student publication of the University of Denver. It serves as the Voice of the Pioneers. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the faculty, the staff and/ or the administration. Reproduction of The Clarion in whole or part in any form written, broadcast or electronic without written permission of The Clarion is prohibited. The opinions expressed by columnists and contributing writers do not necessarily reflect those of The Clarion. Any photograph that has been substantially altered or staged for use as a graphic will be labled as a photo illustration.

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The Clarion welcomes letters to the editor. Those who submit letters must limit them to 350 words. Some letters may not be printed because of space limitations, or because they are similar to a number of letters already received on the same subject or are libelous. Letters may be emailed to editor@duclarion.com. You may also fill out a form on The Clarion’s website, duclarion.com.

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Jan. 15, 2013

‘Squad’ steals silver screen

photo courtesy of filmofilia.com

Sean Penn shoots a Thompson submachine gun during his portrayal of Mickey Cohen, a ganster who controls the city of Los Angeles from the underground. He stands in direct opposition to the LAPD and conflict ensues.

by emily rosenfeld Contributing Writer

With a host of big Hollywood names, the all-star cast of “Gangster Squad,” directed

by Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland”), brings the battle between LAPD and Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) to the big screen for moviegoers. With a decent amount of brutality, plenty of shoot ‘em up scenes and a red-lipped Emma Stone, the movie is sure to satisfy a broad range of audiences.

Based on Paul Leiberman’s novel, “Tales from the Gangster Squad,” the story follows lead Sergeant John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and the formation of the LAPD’s best defense against Cohen’s criminal underground - the gangster squad. Formed upon the request of Chief Bill Parker (Nick Nolte, “Warrior”) as a last attempt to save the City of Angels, the squad consists of the

brains, Conway Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi, “Avatar”), the perfect shot, Max Kennard (Robert Patrick, “Walk the Line”), the newbie, Navidad Ramirez (Michael Pena, “End of Watch”), a very motivated Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie, “The Hurt Locker”) and the last-minute addition Sergeant Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling).

Set in post-war Los Angeles, both Sergeant O’Mara and Wooters struggle to lose their soldier mentality and integrate back into society. O’Mara, whose wife Connie (Mireille Enos, “The Killing”) is expecting their first child, struggles with the constant urge to fight a battle, but this time for his beloved city. The squad offers the perfect answer to get back in the game, this time without the restriction of a badge, and an opportunity to catch Cohen off guard. However, with only six men against the entirety of the

criminal underground, the risk is high, and the chance of not coming home is on everyone’s mind.

Penn plays the perfect villain - sly, cocky and ruthless - with a smile that says, “You’re in for it.” Cohen knows what he wants and will do anything to get it, killing friends, enemies and family to achieve his goals. With the beautiful Grace Faraday (Emma Stone) at his side, he feels certain he has the city in his pocket. Stone does an amazing job playing a sensual, mysterious woman from the 1950’s, whose love for Wooters overcomes the fear of Cohen’s punishment.

Gosling’s role in the movie, though much anticipated, was neither large nor particularly special. He served more as a pretty face than a dynamic character in the overall plot. His reactions to other characters are predictable and at some points not believable, especially playing alongside

Stone, whose character came alive with every emotion.

An aspect of the film done well, however, was the cinematography. In places, the action moved so quickly the viewer got the sense of how quickly the shots were fired and the instantiations decisions needed for those participating in the battles. At other points in the movie, the camera was slowed down, giving a frame-by-frame of shattering ornaments or a bullet impacting a shoulder. No matter what the scene was, the effects and camera work felt well placed and enhanced the overall entertainment of the story.

Although at times the movie seems to be a bit cliché, a few twists and turns keep the audience engaged. With a roller coaster of emotions - gore, heartbreak, death and action, the movie is sure to spark an interest in the epic underground battle for 1950’s Los Angeles.

Familiar characters cause ‘Deception’ to fail by meg mcintyre Contributing Writer

NBC’s newest drama, “Deception,” which premiered last Monday, is a modernday thriller following the efforts of NYPD detective Joanna Locasto (Meagan Good) to uncover the secrets clouding the suspected murder of her oldest friend, Vivian Bowers.

Though the pilot has promise, overused plotlines and character archetypes detract from the otherwise good intentions of the show.

Having grown up in the wealthy Bowers home because of her mother’s employment there, Detective Locasto uses her connection to the family to go undercover, where she hopes to determine how the family was linked to Vivian’s murder and if perhaps the murderer was one of them.

Though the pilot episode may remind the viewer of other crime and suspense shows currently on television, “Deception” has one unique quality: the intrigu-

ing use of flashbacks seen throughout.

Locasto grew up with the victim, allowing the creators of “Deception” use her memories as evidence in Vivian’s case. As they appear during the episode, viewers can piece together bits of Vivian’s story as Joanna remembers, which helps create a more involved story. This element sets the new series apart because it adds a more personal motivation to the mix, unlike many detective shows today which feature random murders and crimes.

“Deception” also has a quality cast in its favor. Veteran actor Victor Garber (“Alias”) plays his role as Robert Bowers, the father of the victim, with a powerful yet emotional tenor, as he never fails to bring his A-game to the small screen.

The performance by Meagan Good as Joanna Locasto is also captivating; though sometimes subtle, her emotive responses were moving and very believable. Yet, perhaps the most eerie enactment comes

from Tate Donovan (“The O.C.”), who plays Vivian’s brother Edward and Joanna’s prime suspect. Donovan coolly embraces the role of an almost-divorced, possibly dangerous playboy and gives a performance that will make the viewer want to know more.

That being said, the series opener simply did not seem to have enough kick to really get viewers interested. Possibly the biggest concern brought up by the pilot is that much of the premise relies on the notion of the archetypal wealthy family: drunks, drug addicts and players. Edward’s wife Sophia, the most exasperatingly stereotypical character, is never seen without a glass of wine in her hand and is incapable of disciplining her 15-year-old daughter Mia. Overall, the use of the rich-but-messed-up family as the center of the series is a tired idea at best and one that lacks interest or creativity.

Unfortunately, Sophia Bowers is not the only character who’s been done before.

Detective Joanna Locasto is a powerful

female police officer who came from a less than perfect upbringing. Julian Bowers, Vivian’s brother, is a careless playboy with seemingly good intentions, while Joanna’s former partner Will is a hard-hitting cop who has been in love with her the entire time. Needless to say, these are all familiar and some are even uncannily similar to those featured on other television shows today.

In all, “Deception” has the potential to become a drama worth watching, but the pilot episode certainly leaves viewers wanting. With cliché characters and a tired plot, there’s not enough intrigue to draw the viewer in, and, unfortunately, what’s really lacking is the suspense necessary to this type of crime-related television show. If the creators of “Deception” are able to increase the tension and downplay the unoriginal, uninspired characters, the new series may have a chance – but until then, viewers’ TV time should be spent elsewhere.

Jan. 15, 2013

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Spoof brings down the ‘House’ with laughs Though light on plot structure, this film makes you laugh at all costs by ali baokbah Contributing Writer

Aiming to deliver pure comedy content, “A Haunted House” hit movie theaters last Friday, delivering a clever spoof that easily elicited laughter from audiences. The movie was directed by newcomer Michael Tiddes and stars Marlon Wayans (“White Chicks”), Essence Atkins (“Are We There Yet”) and a standout performance by Cedric the Entertainer (“Ice Age”), who does a great job making the movie a funny experience, despite glaring pacing issues.

“A Haunted House,” a spoof film making fun of the “Paranormal Activity” series and the “found footage” genre, does not have a solid, fixed plot to follow. The movie copies - almost exactly - the themes of “Paranormal Activity,” but also has its own twist to bring the movie out of the original series’ slow, horrifying tempo into a fast paced, funny atmosphere.

The movie kicks off with Marlon Wayans as Malcolm setting up his new video camera and talking about his girlfriend Kisha (Essence Atkins) moving in with him. They later find out that when Kisha moved in, she brought a demon with her, and that’s when the weird (and funny) events start happening to both of them. Cedric

photo courtesy of themovieblog.com

Marlon Wayans stars as Malcolm in the spoof comedy “A Haunted House.” Seen here with Ghostbuster look-alikes, Wayans strives for laughs every on-screen second.

the Entertainer stars as a priest attempting to exorcise the demon, generating many laughs in this hilarious role.

Having so much to offer and taking it to the extreme, this movie offers nearly non-stop laughs. The concept of the movie itself is kind of sarcastic; turning what was once creepy and mysterious into a hilarious and enjoyable time, and the risk seems to have created a successful move. The acting is

flexible and it suits the loose plot structure of the movie.

Wayans doesn’t hold back when it comes to getting laughs. He pulls out all the stops: performing fart jokes, smoking with the demon and much more.

Despite the laughs, however, “A Haunted House” neglects many elements that would make the film complete. Viewers can instantly feel that, though funny, the film is shallow and clearly missing some-

thing. Some parts of the movie that weren’t necessary; either there was too much slapstick humor or they didn’t fit the rest of the plot.

Worth mentioning is that the film has not received critical acclaim, receiving a horrendous 10 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and similar ratings by other critics. However, the film grossed over $18 million, beating out rival movie “Gangster Squad” in its opening weekend.

The bottom line is that even though the “A Haunted House” does lack some important qualities of a good movie, it successfully reaches its goal of delivering pure comedy to the audience.

Some critics and movie fans may disagree, but “A Haunted House” is an out-of-the-ordinary movie that does what it was meant to do - and doesn’t mind breaking the traditional “good movie” rules to do it.

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Manifestra a hazy declaration by dylan proietti Entertainment Editor

Folk-rock veteran Erin McKeown released her new album Manifestra today, clearly hoping to make a splash with her feminization of the word manifesto, but falling short of a magnum opus.

The singer-songwriter is no newcomer to the music scene, releasing albums for well over a decade and touring alongside well-established musicians as Andrew Bird and Martin Sexton.

With her new album, she attempts to create a name for herself within the folk-rock genre.

Manifestra intends to shake things up, gauging by the edgy, piercing look from McKeown on the album’s cover and the bold move to release the record on her own independent label TVP Records, ensuring the singer had full control over her release.

However, the album as a whole seems to fall flat into redundant patterns and attaining an unfortunate sense of monotony.

The artist’s seventh album begins with “The Politician,” featuring a foot-stomping beat, power chords and layered, bluesy vocals. Overall, McKoewn has crafted a catchy opener that will leave listeners grooving to her melodic voice.

The sound slows down on “Proof,” the second track. Channeling the contemporary style of artists like Norah Jones, “Proof ” would fit perfectly into any B-list rom-com’s climax, chock full of cliché lyrics like “Take a photo, there’s your proof / Solve a number, there’s your proof.”

“In God We Trust” picks up with a rock sound, keeping with the Americana theme indicated by the title through the incorporation of lyrics from “America the Beautiful.” Much of the positive aspects of the song are quickly forgotten once the

photo courtesy of cherrygrrl.com

Erin McKeown performs live with her band. McKeown’s new album, Manifestra, released on her own label TVP Records, attempts to set herself apart in the folk-rock genre.

lyric, “Did we really crash?” is repeated for nearly a minute of the song’s four-minute runtime.

An orchestral interlude followed by an electro-rock rhythm characterizes “Histories,” the fourth song on Manifestra. McKeown sings in time with the beat, blending her own vocals into the sounds behind her, which unfortunately serves to drown out her lyrics and turn the song into a forgettable one.

“The Jailer” recalls the earlier track “The Politician” with the singer returning to her bluesy vocals, adding swing and modern jazz elements to the song. Despite its similarity to

the opener, the song stands as one of the more pleasing and engaging tracks.

On the eponymous track “Manifestra,” McKeown sings slightly above a whisper over a meandering rock rhythm, sounding more like a beat poet than a folk-rock singer. Despite the track sharing a name with her album, “Manifestra” should be quickly skipped and forgotten by listeners.

Gentle piano and mild synth supports the singer’s gentle voice on “Delight/ Divide.” Though a nice departure from the rest of the album, the track seems outside McK-

eown’s comfort zone and has a forced nature to it.

The song “Instant Classic,” however, appears to be aptly named. Singing alongside Ryan Montbleau of The Ryan Montbleau Band, which does a yearly tour of the United States. The playful melody and the chemistry between the male and female vocals create an extremely well rounded track and perhaps the only true folk-rock song on the entire album.

“That’s Just What Happened” features a jazzy piano score and smoldering vocals from McKeown and is easily the most effective jazz and blues

themed song on the album. The song is followed by the album’s closer, “Baghdad to the Bayou.”

Co-written by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, the song is politically charged and keeps with the theme of ferocity McKewon attempts to attain in the album.

Sadly, such aspirations never materialize and listeners are left with a collection of mismatched songs and a mix of genres that the singer has yet to truly master. Manifestra, though bold, should be ignored as a whole, but select tracks such as “The Politician,” “Instant Classic” and “The Jailer” are well worth a listen.

It’s Oscar season, everybody . . .

Which film do you think will win Best Picture at the Oscars? Vote now on the Clarion Facebook page and we’ll discuss it in our Oscar Roundtable next month.

The Nominees Are:

• Amour • Argo • Beasts of the Southern Wild • Django Unchained

• Les Misérables • Life of Pi • Lincoln • Silver Linings Playbook • Zero Dark Thirty

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The Clarion’s mid-season premiere guide ‘Downton Abbey’

‘Girls’

photo courtesy of imdb.com

Hannah (Leah Dunham) and Ray (Alex Karpovsky) have a conversation in Ray’s coffee shop.

by anita balikrishnan Editor-in-chief

photo courtesy of radiotimes.com

Sir Richard Carlisle (Iain Glen, left) and Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery, right) became engaged last season.

by meg mcintyre Contributing Writer

When last seen at the end of season two, the characters of Downton Abbey were once again coping with all manner of disasters: the arrest of Mr. Bates for the murder of his wife, a rocky engagement between Lady Mary and newspaper man Sir Richard Carlisle and Sir Matthew Crawley’s conflicted sorrow over the death of his fiancée Lavinia Swire.

Yet, all was not lost, as fans were thrilled by Matthew’s somewhat surprising marriage proposal to Mary at the end of

the Christmas Special episode, and the servants were happy to discover Mr. Bates would not receive the death penalty. As the series picks up with season three, marriage plans are in full swing, Bates is adjusting to prison life and the house is busy as ever.

Unfortunately, things can never be dull around Downton and there may be trouble lurking for Lord Grantham that could change things forever.

What’s more, Lady Sybil returns to Downton with her bourgeois chauffeur husband, and Lady Grantham’s mother travels to the Abbey for Mary’s wedding.

The creators of “Downton Abbey” have generated a great start for themselves in season three, as plot lines move along quickly and the show picks up nicely, almost as if it never left the airwaves.

In all, the show’s newest episode contains all of the elements fans of the program have come to know and love: romance, deceit, drama and more. These things combined make for an episode worth watching – returning fans will surely be anticipating the rest of the season, and for those who’ve never watched, now would be a great time to start.

‘Pretty Little Liars’

Adorably annoying, preciously pretentious and the voice of our overqualified, unemployed generation, season two HBO hit “Girls” premiered on Sunday and immediately reminded us how Lena Dunham’s palm-to-theforehead protagonist Hannah won our hearts – by letting us laugh at hypocrisy we don’t want to see in our twenty-something peers.

Season one ends with a knock-down, drag out fight that forces Marnie to move out of Hannah’s apartment, with a shocking shotgun wedding between Jessa and a past bad date, and a breaking point in Adam and Hannah’s relationship that ends with Adam accidently being hit by a truck.

A few weeks have passed at the start of season two. Not shockingly, Hannah has begun a new melodrama – although she is no longer with Adam, she continues to nurse him after his car accident

while hooking up with a new and refreshingly reasonable guy, Sandy (Donald Glover, “Community”).

Not to leave things too uncomplicated, she has also moved into gay-best-friend heaven with Elijiah, her college boyfriend. Marnie hits bottom after being fired by her feminista boss and feels lost without Hannah to anchor her. After Elijiah fights with his sugar daddy at a drunken housewarming party, he and Marnie attempt a desperate hookup that falls flat. Finally, while Shoshanna attempts self-help spiritualism to recover from the loss of her hymen, she can’t help but fall once again for Ray’s unconventional charms.

Dunham has no shortage of critics, who are sure to roll their eyes at another season of Millenial entitlement on HBO. However, if the premiere is any indication, “Girls” fans are in for another spirited season of Dunham’s off-color comedy and literary cleverness, full of Tumblr-worthy quotes, laughs and maybe even a few tears.

‘House of Lies’

photo courtesy of whysoblu.com

“House of Lies” runs on Sundays at 8 p.m. and follows a group of management consultants.

by manthan bhatt Managing Editor

photo courtesy of seat42f.com

Toby (Keegan Allen ) and Spencer (Troian Bellisario) have lunch in “She’s Better Now,” the latest episode of “Pretty Little Liars.”

by meg mcintyre Contributing Writer

This year’s Halloween special left “Pretty Little Liars” fans with a few answers but mostly more questions – who murdered Garrett Reynolds? Was Aria Montgomery’s father somehow involved in Aly’s death? And how the heck did they get Adam Lambert to play on the Halloween Train?

After Aria’s kidnapping at the Halloween Party, the Liars ended the first half of season

three determined to discover the truth about the new “A.” This year’s mid-season premiere follows suit, with plenty of mystery to go around.

Most shocking of all, Mona has returned from Radley Mental Institution and is quickly regaining her popularity by playing a helpless victim of high school bullying. Meanwhile, the Liars encounter some faces that are new to Rosewood High, but not so new to them, and they become ever more resolute on investigating the secrets. That

being said, viewers may find the mid-season premiere holds little information that wasn’t available to viewers before now, and lacks the potent suspense of the Halloween special and previous episodes.

Overall, this year’s mid-season premiere was enjoyable, but lacked a certain fear-inspiring quality the show is known for.

Hopefully the drama will build as the season progresses and “Pretty Little Liars” will begin to move just as quickly as it has in past seasons.

As a high powered business consultant, Marty Kaan (Don Cheadle) knows the game: “Consulting’s like dissing a really pretty girl so she’ll want you more. We need them to think they’re almost perfect so we can … get them on the tit, thinking that their business is going to fail without you.”

Along with his minions, Jeannie Van Der Hooven (Kirstin Bell), Clyde Oberholt (Ben Schwartz) and Doug Guggenheim (Josh Lawson), the show documents the roller coaster, shark-eat-shark world of Marty.

At the end of season one, Jeannie successfully stopped a merger between their firm and a large bank

by exposing the “sex for promotion” culture at Galweather & Stearn.

Though Jeanie might have successfully stopped the merger, Kirstin Bell can’t do anything about the shows 30-minute format, a hallmark of ShowTime dramedys.

The show tries to parody itself with the same style of fast cut scenes and gratuitous nudity in shows like Entourage. But unlike Entourage, which develops its characters on a full-hour show, Don Cheadle’s character seems to slog from one problem to another; his character has drowned in scene-after-scene of melodramatic tension.

Season two, which started last Sunday, tried to heed the warning of critics by slowing things down, but the show still seems too shallow for the superior acting crew.

Season Preview

16

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Jan. 15, 2013

BASKETBALL Men’s team bounces back by dalton handy Staff Writer

With a weekend road sweep of Idaho and Seattle, the DU men’s basketball team has clawed its way back to a 9-7 overall record, with a 5-1 record in Western Athletic Conference play. The team started 1-5 against stiff non-conference competition but is now third in the WAC, just one game out of first place.

Against Idaho on Thursday, the Pioneers overcame a slow shooting night to capture their fourth win in a row. DU shot just 43.2 percent from the field, including 27.8 percent in three point shooting.

However, paced by senior guard Chase Hallam’s 14 points, the Pioneers were able to capture a tough road win.

“To win on the road, you have to be okay with the game not flowing and not going your way all the time,” said head coach Joe Scott. “I thought we did a good job of keeping our composure. We grabbed the lead to start the second half, then we responded when Idaho got the lead back. Chase made big plays, and we made big foul shots.”

Despite hitting just five threes against Idaho, the Pioneers came out shooting against Seattle on Saturday. DU sunk 12 threes, including five from Hallam, who led the team in scoring, finishing with a game-high 17 points. The hot shooting helped Denver out to an early lead that they refused to relinquish.

“Our guys were ready and jumped out to an early lead,” said Scott. “We knew Seattle was going to come out in the second half and play a physical game to try to make a run. Our guys met the challenge, and our defense in the second half was terrific. We got contributions from a lot of guys.”

Hallam, after averaging 15.5 points and four rebounds last week, was named the WAC Player of the Week by College Sports Madness on Monday.

After dropping four straight games, and five of their first six overall, the Pioneers were not the picture of momentum halfway through their non-conference schedule.

However, with a 69-40 beatdown of Mercer

Sixth-year head coach Joe Scott, center, works with the Pioneer men’s basketball team during practice. Denver is 5-1 so far in conference play.

on Dec. 5, the Pioneers got back on track.

Just as they have all year, forwards Chris Udofia, junior, and Royce O’Neal, sophomore who scored 14 and 22 points, respectively, led DU to its second win of the season. The 22 points was a career high for O’Neal, who averages a teamhigh 12.8 points per game and captured the WAC Player of the Week award for the week of Dec. 10.

“We knew we were playing tough teams, so we had to step up our play,” said Udofia. “We learned a lot from [a challenging early schedule].”

The win sparked an 8-2 run, with the only losses coming against 14-1 Wyoming and WAC leader Louisiana Tech, who has yet to lose a game in conference play. After a Saturday win over 4-14 Seattle University,

Men’s Basketball Schedule

DU sits just below Louisiana Tech and Utah State with its 5-1 WAC record.

Despite their early season losses, the Pioneers have been reluctant to make large-scale changes, a strategy that has paid off with the onset of WAC play, according to Udofia.

“We fixed up the offense a little bit; we didn’t make too many crazy changes,” said Udofia. “From there, we were able to build.”

And build they have, with seven of their last eight wins coming by at least 11 points, while going undefeated at Magness Arena during that span. On the season, the Pioneers hold a +6.8-scoring margin over their opponents.

While the team’s recent success may not be a surprise to those who watched the Pioneers go 22-9 last season, the youth of

adam hammerman|clarion

the team may surprise some. DU has just one senior, Hallam, who is third on the team with 10.1 points per game, and four juniors. In total, the Pioneers have more active freshmen than active juniors and seniors, with six and five, respectively.

“Our biggest weakness is how young we are and our lack of experience,” said Udofia. “But, we’re trying to use that as an advantage and learn quickly, and it’s starting to work out well now.”

Next weekend, the Pioneers will host San Jose State (3-2 WAC) and Utah State (5-0 WAC) at Magness Arena. DU will have to focus on shutting down high scorers James Kinney (20.6 points per game, SJSU) and Preston Medlin (16.4 points per game, Utah State) in order to continue their winning ways.

Women’s Basketball Schedule

Thursday, Jan. 17 San Jose State* 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 7 Seattle* 7 p.m.

Thursday, March 7 Texas Arlington* 7 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 17 San Jose State 8 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 7 Seattle 8 p.m.

Thursday, March 7 Texas Arlington 6 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 19 Utah State* 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 9 idaho* 4 p.m.

Saturday, March 9 Louisiana Tech* 8 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 19 Utah State 7 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 9 idaho 2 p.m.

Saturday, March 9 Louisiana Tech 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 23 New Mexico State 9 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 14 Utah State 7:05 p.m.

March 12-16 WAC Tournament Las vegas

Saturday, Jan. 26 New Mexico State* 4 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 14 Utah State* 7 p.m.

March 12-16 WAC Tournament Las vegas

Thursday, Jan. 31 Texas San Antonio 6 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 16 San Jose State 8 p.m.

March 19-April 8 NCAA Tournament

Thursday, Jan. 31 Texas San Antonio* 7 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 16 San Jose State* 4 p.m.

March 23-April 9 NCAA Tournament

Saturday, Feb. 2 Texas State 1 p.m.

Saturday, March 2 New Mexico State* 4 p.m.

* Denotes home games in Magness Arena

Saturday, Feb. 2 Texas State* 1 p.m.

Saturday, March 2 New Mexico State 6:30 p.m.

*Denotes home games in Magness Arena

Season Preview

Jan. 15, 2013

17

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BREAKDOWN New coach, conference for women’s hoops

kim nesbitt|clarion

The Pioneer coaching staff addresses the women’s basketball team during halftime of Sunday’s contest against Seattle in Magness Arena. The Pioneers fell 69-66 to Seattle, who currently leads the WAC with a 5-0 record.

by anna gauldin Sports Editor

In its first season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and with a new coaching staff, the Pioneer women’s basketball team (8-9, 3-3 WAC) is six games into its conference competition for the 2012-2013 season.

After a 3-1 start to conference play, the Pioneers posted two close losses last week, falling 68-60 to Idaho, currently No. 3 in the WAC, on Thursday and 69-66 to WAC leader Seattle on Sunday. With 12 conference contests remaining in the regular season, however, the WAC title is anyone’s to claim, according to first-year head coach Kerry Cremeans.

“I’m very pleased with where we are right now,” said Cremeans. “Any time you have a coaching change, there’s a change in philosophy and a new way of doing things. The team has responded in a phenomenal way.

“I believe so much in this team, that they have the makeup and the ability to win a championship. Our non-conference [schedule] was tough and it’s prepared us for the conference. This conference is anybody’s to take.”

In pursuing the conference championship, both Cremeans and assistant coach Abby Waner stressed a championship mentality, day in and day out.

“Every day, Coach Kerry talks about a championship mentality, and that means in any way you can get it,” said Waner. “So ‘championship’ being if you’re in practice and there’s a competition, you want to be the team that comes out on top of that. Ultimately, we want to win the conference.

Every coach has different philosophies on how they approach the team with that goal.

She’s very vocal about it, and I think that’s great, because they hear it every day.”

The Pioneers return a number of key players from last season’s roster, including sophomore guard Morgan Van RiperRose, the team’s leading scorer with 236 points, senior point guard Emiko Smith and junior guard Quincey Noonan, all three of whom have boasted starting positions since their respective freshman seasons. Denver lost only two players from last year’s senior class: Morgan Shell and forward Kaetlyn Murdoch.

In her four years at DU, Murdoch tallied 1,810 career points, vaulting her to third all-time at DU and 18th in the Sun Belt Conference, in addition to finishing first in school history and in the SBC in career blocks with 279. By the end of her career, Murdoch had established herself in a strong leadership position for the program.

“She’s hard to replace,” said Cremeans of Murdoch. “I wouldn’t say we replace her. But all 11 [current players] have to do more – whether it’s more points, more rebounds, more minutes played – each and every one of them has to do more to make up for that loss.”

Joining the Pioneer roster for the 2012-2013 season are three freshmen guards: Kailey Edwards and Michaela Neuhaus, both from the Denver area, and Paige Bradley, from Texas.

“Freshman season, you learn so much about yourself as a person and a player, and I know they’ve all seen that,” said Waner. “I think Kailey Edwards is going to be a really special player in that she’s so versatile. She’s athletic, and we know she can defend any guard position if we need her to.

“Michaela Neuhaus just has such balance to her; that’s how she is as a person and a player. When she gets in the game, we know we need to count on her to get defensive stops and to push the ball on offense.

Paige Bradley is also going to be a really special player. She is a scoring point guard; she knows how to set up her teammates and how to put them in position to be successful, and at the same time, she’s got a great jump shot, she can get to the basket herself and she has a really nice three.”

Rounding out this season’s roster are juniors Maiya Michel, Allison Janecek and Desiree Hunter, as well as sophomores Jordan Johnston and Theresa Wirth. Michel currently leads the team with 139 rebounds, while Johnston is behind only Van Riper-Rose and Smith in points with 127. Janecek boasts the second-best three-point percentage on the team at .417. In total, six Pioneers have already surpassed 100 points this season.

“We’ve just had so many different players step up, and it’s been awesome to see,” said Waner. “It always starts with your point guard and our senior in Emi Smith, coming back from her knee injury [earlier this season]. She’s just been

so solid for us. We’re seeing other players step up in every game, whether it’s Maiya rebounding or [Janecek] hitting threes.”

Adapting to change With the new coaching staff and the new conference, the Pioneers face a number of challenges, but Cremeans said the team remains focused on its goals and is happy with where the team currently stands.

“It’s not only a new program, but I’m a first-year head coach,” said Cremeans.

“The number one goal for me is changing the culture to being my team. I walked into a wonderful situation; [former head coach] Erik Johnson and his staff did remarkable things here, and they were so good to us in the transition; but now, it’s time to put my stamp on it and our stamp as a staff.”

This season, Cremeans said the team is focused on becoming a fast transition offensive team and a high-pressure defensive team on the court, in addition to creating a family environment off the court.

Prior to joining the Pioneer community, Cremeans spent eight years coaching the women’s basketball program at Auburn, in both assistant and associate head coach

positions. All in all, she boasts more than 18 years of coaching experience and said she’s thrilled to be at DU. “I absolutely love it, and I couldn’t be in a better place that expects them to win in the classroom and win on the court,” said Cremeans. “The expectations are great for us to cut down a net, and I want to be in a place that has those expectations. It’s easy to recruit to DU.” Waner, also in her first year at DU after four years as an analyst for ESPN and The Mountain Network, agreed the Pioneer community provides a good fit for her.

“It’s been nothing short of absolutely fantastic,” said Waner. “Of course, it always starts with your head coach, and I can’t say enough about the type of person and boss and coach that Kerry is.

We have an amazing staff to work with, an amazing group of girls to coach, and that’s why I wanted to coach, because of the ability coaches have to impact young women’s lives. I could not have asked for a better situation than the team we have and the program we have at Denver.”

The Pioneers return to the court on Thursday, when they take on San Jose State on the road. The team continues its road trip to Utah State on Saturday.

ryan lumpkin|clarion

Sophomore guard Morgan Van Riper-Rose shoots during Sunday’s game against Seattle. Van Riper-Rose leads the Pioneers with 236 points so far this season.

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Jan. 15, 2013

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DU Athletics tackle ‘turbulent times’

Pioneer Vision

DU Provost Gregg Kvistad, Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple, DU Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation Peg Bradley-Doppes and DU Board of Trustees member Kevin “Casey” Gallagher pose at the press conference where DU announced its move to the Summit League.

Pioneers prepare for second conference change in two years by anna gauldin Sports Editor

After their inaugural season as members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), a number of DU athletics programs are headed to their third conference in as many years as the Pioneers prepare to join the Summit League on July 1.

The university formally announced on Nov. 27 that 11 DU athletics programs will join the Summit League for the 20132014 season, including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis and volleyball. Hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, gymnastics and men’s and women’s skiing will not be affiliated with the Summit League and will remain in their respective conferences.

“Just as a university is responsible for providing its student athletes with solid instruction and guidance both in the classroom and on the field of play, a robust conference values educational excellence as well as athletic achievement,” said DU Chancellor Robert Coombe. “Considering its strong academic focus along with the competitive success of its member institutions’ sports programs, we could not be more pleased than to find a permanent home in the Summit League.”

The Summit League is a nine-team conference based out of Elmhurst, Ill. Current members include Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, University of MissouriKansas City, North Dakota State University, Oakland University, University of Nebraska-Omaha, University of South Dakota, South Dakota State University and Western Illinois University.

“The academic profile of this university is second to none,” said Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple in November. “We took a long hard look at a number of institutions, and the University of Denver is the right institution.

The university is a tremendous addition with an excellent academic reputation and a history of very successful athletics. Denver is a renowned metropolitan area and easily accessed through one of the world’s leading airports. All of those

qualities make the University of Denver an excellent fit for the Summit League.”

Turbulent waters in the NCAA Having joined the WAC in the fall of 2012 after more than a decade in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), the Pioneers were forced to again search for alternate conference affiliation when six of the current 10 members of the WAC announced their departure after this season.

In July, San Jose State and Utah State will join the Mountain West Conference, while Louisiana Tech and Texas-San Antonio are headed to Conference USA. Texas State and UT Arlington will also join the SBC in July of 2013. The following summer, Idaho is vacating the WAC for the Big Sky Conference.

“It has been an incredible, frantic, hectic, confusing time for all of us that are in intercollegiate athletics, not just here at DU,” said Peg Bradley-Doppes, DU’s vice chancellor for athletics and recreation. “I think you could be having this conversation with any athletic director. As long as you’re at the Division I level, the difference in our lives from 24 months ago to now and what will continue is crazy.”

According to Bradley-Doppes, one of the primary reasons DU left the SBC for the WAC in 2012 was the extreme geographic spread of teams in the Sun Belt, requiring large amounts of travel time and significant traveling expenditures for conference competition, in addition to the conference’s increasing focus on football.

“We looked to leave the Sun Belt because of the geographic and academic differences and also because it had become a football-centric conference,” said Bradley-Doppes. “They became a football conference, that was their focus, and we don’t have football. It made it really necessary that we look for a new home.”

Bradley-Doppes said that, in the WAC, the Pioneers found a home that made sense both geographically and academically, especially with the conference headquartered here in Denver. However, after six teams announced their departures primarily based on football-related decisions, BradleyDoppes said the university found itself in a similar situation as in the SBC. “We tried very hard to secure the membership of the WAC so that we could stay, but it became more obvious that the football piece would dictate every conversation,” said Bradley-Doppes. “As the WAC was looking at trying to solidify new

members, the geographic footprint became much broader. It made the argument we made going into the WAC no longer valid.

We then looked at other options.”

As of now, five new members will join the WAC on July 1, including Grand Canyon University, currently a Division II university, California State UniversityBakersfield and three members of the Great West Conference: Utah Valley University, University of Texas-Pan American and Chicago State University.

Path to the Summit According to Bradley-Doppes, the need to consider new conference affiliation arose shortly after joining the WAC, and the university then engaged in a lengthy compare-and-contrast process to identify possible homes for the Pioneers. After considering various aspects, including travel

time and expenditures, membership dues, exposure and sports offered, the university decided on the Summit League.

“The Summit wanted us, wanted our academic institution, wanted our profile of sports and provided an opportunity for all 11 sports to compete in the Summit with an AQ [automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament] in every sport,” said Bradley-Doppes. “Our focus is to provide a great academic experience to our students, to reduce missed class time as much as we can and to provide a great athletic experience, and the Summit provided that. It also provided stability.”

As a member of the Summit League, Pioneer student athletes will have to travel no farther than Michigan for conference competition, and most conference members will be accessible with direct flights out of DIA, greatly reducing both travel time and costs.

According to Bradley-Doppes, the conference shift will be extremely costefficient to the university. While conference realignment typically requires significant changes in terms of signage and logos, the Pioneers will be able to avoid these costs.

“We were really prudent and frugal,” said Bradley-Doppes. “I didn’t paint the courts [with the WAC logo]. You will see a WAC decal we put down, but we were redoing Hamilton and Magness and Gates, and it wasn’t prudent to paint the floor. For our men’s and women’s basketball and soccer, they had to wear a WAC patch on their uniforms, but they were sewn in instead of embroidered in. Knowing how absolutely crazy the process was, we were very careful on expenditures.”

As the turbulent waters of the past year begin to calm for DU athletics, Bradley-Doppes is optimistic about the future of the Pioneers.

“I see our teams thriving and having great success,” said Bradley-Doppes. “I think it’s exciting that our student athletes, our coaches and our fans will be able to establish new rivalries. I think you will see an uptick in both competitiveness and recruiting to this great university. We will have a very successful program and be back in the hunt to recapture the Director’s Cup.”

Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis North Dakota State University Oakland University South Dakota State University University of Missouri-Kansas City University of Nebraska at Omaha University of South Dakota Western Illinois University

Jan. 15, 2013

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Pios nab 3 points, jump in polls

Senior forward Chris Knowlton, sophomore defenseman Scott Mayfield and sophomore goaltender Juho Olkinuora play defense in Friday’s 7-4 win over Nebraska-Omaha.

Continued from front page

Makowski opened the scoring for Denver with a power play goal just 2:29 into the first period after junior Nick Shore sent a pass through the front edge of the crease to allow Makowski to add his sixth goal of the season on a one timer.

While the Pioneers were on the penalty kill around the eight minute mark of the first period, sophomore defenseman Scott Mayfield forced a turnover and found Tabrum, who scored to stretch the lead to 2-0.

Olkinuora turned away 21 shots in the first period to allow the Pioneers to keep the score advantage, despite being outshot 21-6 in the opening frame.

“I thought we made things very difficult on ourselves,” said Gwozdecky. “We turned the puck over more times tonight than I can ever recall. Against a great offensive team like UNO, there’s a reason they outshot us 2-1. That first period, we were a turnover machine. You can’t play defense when you’re attacking and you turn over the puck and all the sudden they are attacking you; that’s called scrambling.”

UNO made it onto the board at 3:57 in the second period when sophomore forward Josh Archibald beat Olkinuora to cut the Denver lead to 2-1.

Quentin Shore answered just 14 seconds later to push the Pioneer lead back to a two-goal advantage, picking up his seventh goal so far this season. This goal marked his fourth goal in as many games after scoring three goals in the first 18 contests. Assists were credited to sophomore forward Larkin Jacobson and Mayfield, his second of the game.

The Mavericks scored again at 17:39 as junior defenseman Andrej Sustr capital-

ized on a Pioneer penalty for a power play goal.

Before the period ended, Ostrow was able to find the net assisted by Larraza and sophomore forward Daniel Doremus to put Denver back ahead by a two-goal margin with the Pioneers heading into the locker room leading the Mavericks 4-2 after the second frame.

The third period started with a pair of UNO goals to level the score. Senior forward Brent Gwidt scored a shorthanded goal just 25 seconds into the third period, and junior forward Ryan Walters knotted the score at 4-4 at 12:19.

Larraza answered with his own pair of goals less than two minutes apart to regain the Pioneers’ two-goal lead with under seven minutes remaining.

Sophomore defenseman Joey LaLeggia and Tabrum each added assists on Larraza’s second goal.

“They were giving me room all game, so finally I just took one up and had a breakaway and buried a chance,” said Larraza.

“It was nice to put the seal on the game, whatever helps the team.”

Tabrum added an empty net goal with three seconds remaining in the contest to make the final score 7-4.

tonight than we did last night,” said Gwozdecky. “In many ways, we played much better than we did last night. Now, we served up three pizzas, and anybody’s going to take advantage of those things, especially good scoring teams like UNO. That’s a team that you can’t afford to give scoring chances to, especially the kind we gave up. But other than those three, I thought we were pretty good.

In many ways, I

like the way we played.”

Three different Pioneers scored goals in the tie, including Larraza for his third of the weekend, Ostrow for his second and senior captain and defenseman Paul Phillips.

Larraza continued his scoring play from Friday night and netted the first goal of the evening Saturday in the opening two minutes of play, assisted by Doremus and Mayfield.

“Being able to put a puck in the net, a big goal like [Zac] did last night, score the insurance marker and be considered the guy who broke the game wide open, you can see in tonight’s game he was so confident,” said Gwozdecky.

“He scored another goal and had another nice assist. Almost every single time he was on the ice he was making things happen, and a big part of that is confidence.”

UNO’s junior forward Matt White answered in the last minute of the opening frame to send the teams to the locker room at a 1-1 deadlock.

O s t r o w regained the lead for Denver at 2:44 in the second stanza assisted

by Mayfield,

Saturday’s action After Saturday’s back-andforth game, the Pioneers had to settle for a 3-3 tie to close the weekend series. The tie extends Denver’s unbeaten streak to five games and also marks the fifth overtime game of the season.

“Certainly, I thought we controlled the puck a lot better

ryan lumpkin|clarion

Sophomore forward Zac Larraza picked up five points in the weekend series on three goals and two assists.

ryan lumpkin|clarion

his second of the game and fourth of the weekend, and Quentin Shore. UNO was quick to answer, however, as Archibald netted his second of the weekend to tie the game at 2-2.

Phillips made sure Denver went into the locker room with a lead for the second intermission after scoring a short-hander at 9:16 assisted by Larraza. This goal marked Phillip’s first of the season.

In the last three minutes of regulation, UNO’s Walters tied the score again to its final 3-3 mark before a scoreless overtime period.

“We took the lead, and they kept responding and we were helping them ,” said Gwozdecky.

“Certainly I like the way we played; we worked hard and gave ourselves a chance.”

Olkinuora’s presence in goal kept the Pioneers from snapping their unbeaten streak, while Olkinuora extended an unbeaten streak of his own to eight games without a loss.

“I thought [Juho] played pretty well,” said Gwozdecky.

“Some of the pucks he made saves on, I don’t know if there was the same amount of control as he normally has. I thought the guy who played so much better than he did last night was Faulkner; he played so well for them. He really ratcheted up his game from last night.”

Denver hits the road next week to play No. 19 St. Cloud State for a two-game conference series where the puck will drop at 6:37 p.m. on Friday.

Jan. 15, 2013

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Pioneer ski teams return to slopes Back in action GAME TALK The Clarion sports staff dives deep into the world of athletics.

by alex proietti Assistant Sports Editor

rich clarkson and associates|du athletics

Sophomore All-American Epsen Lysdahl races at the RMISA qualifier.

Pioneer ski teams off to a hot start in 2013 by dalton handy Staff Writer

While many of its athletes have been spread out over the first quarter, the DU ski team is back in action as a unit, as the Nordic team wrapped up the CU Spencer Nelson Invitational on Sunday and the Alpine team began the DU Invitational on Saturday.

“Early season has a lot of athletes doing some early season races above the collegiate level,” said alpine head coach Andy LeRoy. “Some even race at the World Cup.” LeRoy was referring to sophomore men’s alpine skiers Trevor Philp and Luke Laidlaw, who competed for Canada and Aus-

tralia, respectively. Now back at DU, Philp and Laidlaw will look to help the team capture a record 22nd national championship.

After the first day of competition in the DU Invite, the Pioneer men’s and women’s alpine teams held a commanding lead. The first day featured the giant slalom races, with DU earning 253 overall points, putting them 60 points ahead of second-place Utah.

Both the men’s and women’s teams led the giant slalom contest, with the men scoring 127 and the women 126. Freshman Kristine Haugen paced the women’s team, recording not only the fastest overall time, but also the fastest runs in each of the two rounds, finishing in 59.07 and 1:02.85.

Behind Haugen, the women’s team placed three other racers in the top 10. Sophomore

Devin Delaney finished fifth, while freshmen Teagan Palmer and Tianda Carroll finished sixth and ninth, respectively.

On the men’s side, three racers finished in the top five, with sophomore Trevor Philp finishing second overall with a race-best 1:01.94 second run. Sophomore All-American Espen Lysdahl finished fourth and senior Grant Jampolsky finished fifth.

Sunday brought more of the same for the Pioneers as they racked up 204 points in the slalom, bringing their two day total to 457, putting them on top.

Lysdahl led the men’s squad with a second-place finish as Haugen recorded a third place finish.

“It was a good day,” said LeRoy. “Maybe not as good as yesterday, but I’m excited to have capped off a good week.”

Meanwhile on Sunday, the Nordic team put the finishing touches on a second-place finish at the CU Spencer Nelson Memorial Invitational, scoring 188 points, bringing the team total to 808.5. The Pioneers fell short of host team Colorado, who scored 878 points.

The Spencer Nelson Memorial Invitational marked the team’s first conference competition of the season and the team hopes to win another championship, according to LeRoy. “We need to just continue the hard work and come together as a team,” said LeRoy. “It should come as no surprise if we come away with another championship.”

The DU Invitational will continue in Minturn with Nordic races being held on both Saturday and Sunday.

week and our depth really paid exercise (9.825), only coming in second to Penn State in vault. off tonight.”

“I thought the team showed In the final rotation, sophomore Nina McGee lead the Pio- a lot of competitiveness and neers in floor exercise with a 9.95 depth, and it made for a good and the team earned its highest first home opener,” said KutcherRinehart. “There’s total of the night, 49.4. Fin- “We don’t want to a higher skill and difficulty level ishing first than past seasons, for all-around save the world in p e r f o r m a n c e one meet; we just so it was great to walk away with a with a 38.975 win.” was freshman want to improve KutcherMaggie Laughlittle by little so Rinehart walked lin. away with more “We want we can move forthan just the first to hit routines, win of the season, but we also ward.” though; the Jan. 5 want to focus on details so Melodie Pulgarin Linero win marked her 250th career win we can get as well. good scores,” Junior “I’ve never said Pulgarin known a coach Linero. “As long as we improve from the last like her; she knows where she week, that will accomplish our needs to be in the gym, and she’s goal. We don’t want to save the a really good head coach,” said world in one meet; we just want Pulgarin Linero. “It’s awesome, to improve little by little so we because you feel that she cares about you, and at the same time, can continue to move forward.”

The Pioneers improved she’s pushing you to be the best from their season opener win you can be. She really deserves it.”

Now two competitions into of 194.7 against Lindenwood and No. 16 Penn State. Denver her 15th season with the Piogymnasts were able to place neers, her overall record comes first individually in bars (9.9), to 251-131-2, making Kutcherbalance beam (9.825) and floor Rinehart the winningest coach in

program history. Kutcher-Rinehart has also qualified her team for regionals in all 14 seasons of her tenure.

“I give 100 percent of the credit to the tremendous student athletes, assistant coaches and support I’ve had over my career,” said Kutcher-Rinehart. “They’ve challenged me and made me grow as a coach and a leader.”

Also grabbing awards last week from the Pioneer squad were junior Moriah Martin and sophomore Nina McGee. Martin was named WAC Player of the Week, while McGee was awarded Event Specialist of the Week.

As the Pioneers look toward the rest of their season, they find themselves with a few goals in mind, according to KutcherRinehart. Not only do they hope to continue to improve with each meet, they plan on being top 10 in the country both academically and athletically, while also increasing their fan support.

“There’s no professional gymnastics for these girls after this, so we’re looking to increase attendance from students [at our meets],” said Kutcher-Rinehart.

“We encourage them to come and support, and I promise them our athletes are really committed and won’t disappoint.”

Gymnastics ranked No. 11 Pioneers top Air Force to start season 2-0 by michael gooch Staff Writer

Following its first-place finish at its season opener against Lindenwood and No. 16 Penn State on Jan. 5, the then-No. 20 Pioneer gymnastics team scored a combined 196.6 on Saturday to top Air Force. After the pair of wins, the team improved to No. 11 in the GymInfo poll, the program’s best ranking since they were No. 6 in the nation the first week of the 2010 season.

DU placed first in each individual competition on Saturday, starting on vault with a top score of 9.85 by junior Kaitlin Moorhead and a 49.025 team total.

Junior Moriah Martin topped the uneven parallel bars next with a score of 9.925, and a top score of 9.85 on balance beam was earned by juniors Jorie Hall and Melodie Pulgarin Linero.

“It was certainly an improvement from last weekend,” said head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart of Saturday’s meet. “I really think that this is what this team is capable of doing. The hard work from this

And we’re back.

The NHL and NHL Players Association finally ended their 113-day squabble, and professional hockey is set to return with opening day on Jan. 19.

While many are questioning if there was a clear winner from the lockout, and it is tough to say if there was, there is a bright spot in the outcome for the fans. Yes, 48 games were robbed from the fans, however a shorter season means more exciting games and more intense rivalries.

With the lockout beginning on Sept. 16 and finally ending after a 16-hour marathon negotiation session on Jan. 6, both parties finally ratified the Collective Bargaining Agreement as of Sunday. Along with the start of this season, the CBA had another clause that will please fans; it is a 10-year agreement with an optout clause after eight season. That means hockey fans have eight seasons coming up where this situation cannot occur.

Because of the length of the lockout stretching more than half the season, the league has been forced into a 48-game season without inter-conference action instead of a normal 82-game season.

This abbreviated season not only means fewer games, less revenue for all businesses involved and the second 48-game season since 1994-1995 after a 103-day lockout, but it also means that every single game will affect who makes the playoffs.

While it’s easy to see all of the negatives and be frustrated as fans for another season cut short, I like to look at it in a more positive light. The structure of the season is essentially giving us 48 games plus postseason of playoffs.

Since every game will affect each team’s playoff chances, we can expect even more brutal fights, more meetings with rivals and an even more exciting game almost every time the teams take the ice, because no team is going to be willing to sacrifice those two points and have that be the breaking point for making the playoffs.

Since the teams will only be playing within their respective conferences, this season lends itself to the development of new rivalries and the growth of the existing ones. You can expect fierce rivalries across the board this season.

Get ready to see the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins duke it out in several heated games, the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadians engage in brutal battles and the Chicago Blackhawks square off against the Detroit Red Wings.

The lockout was nonsense and a clear winner cannot even be identified. However, on the bright side, the fans did find a small victory; we are poised to see one of the most exciting hockey seasons to date.

That being said, I say it’s time to drop the puck.