DU Clarion Volume 126 Issue 2

Top Stories N: Lawmakers seek to change Colorado’s poor vaccination rate O: The Electoral College is a one-fourth compromise S: DU Lacrosse beats St. John’s A&L: Q&A with “BlacKkKlansman’s” Kevin Willmott

DU Clarion [www.duclarion.com]

April 17, 2019 Volume 126 Issue 2

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Hate incidents spark testimonies by students of color Clarion Staff

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n Monday night, Apr. 8, the DU community got a “DU Alert” from Campus Safety that detailed an incident that took place at the Evans Crosswalk in which three white males between the ages of 18 and 21 committed “assault” and “ethnic intimidation” by “throwing stones or missiles” at a student of color. They assailants were driving a truck and threw a liquid substance at the student of color while yelling racial slurs.

On the following night of Apr. 9, a similar event was reported to Campus Police. nother student of color,

second-year Taylor Lucero, was attacked with “stones or other missiles.” Lucero detailed the incident on Facebook, “I contemplated not sharing this, because it was hard to find the right words. But at this point, I can’t hold it in anymore. Last night around 10:15 PM, I was walking back from the library to my dorm. Usually when I walk to places at night, I am well aware of my surroundings.

But last night, as I was walking back, a group of white students drove by, rolled down their window, and threw a liquid

substance at me. Luckily they barely missed me, and they proceeded to laugh and drive off.”

Lucero also explained the impact that the event had on her, writing, “I am still shaken up about it and dealing with the emotions. Experiencing imposter syndrome while being a minority student on a big university campus is bad enough...

I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone. I have reported the incident and have reached out to many people. I just thought that there wouldn’t come a day where I wouldn’t feel safe on

campus... But I am okay. I am not going anywhere because I have worked so hard to be where I’m at and I would never let anybody decide where I belong otherwise. I deserve to be here.”

After Lucero shared her story on Facebook, other students of color started to speak up about similar incidents that had happened to them from 2015 to now.

Bristi Basu, a fourth-year student, commented that she was egged by white students during her time at DU. She said, “I am with CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Grace Carson | Executive Editor Emeritus

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Colorado lawmakers look to curb the state‘s poor vaccination rate

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olorado has the lowest vaccination rate for kindergarten children for any state in the US. According to CDC, Colorado was very last in the 2017-2018 school year when it came to vaccinating students in kindergarten. Roughly 12 percent of kindergarteners in Colorado were not vaccinated for measles, mumps and rubella: all diseases that are easily treatable.

This is not only dangerous to young children who have not been vaccinated, but it also endangers others around them who cannot get immunizations because of medical conditions.

“Herd immunity” is when the vast majority of a community is immune, thanks to vaccination, to a disease. Those who cannot get vaccinated, like infants and those with specific illnesses, are rendered safe because the disease cannot move its way through the population, and therefore cannot get to them. In order to achieve herd immunity, roughly 95 percent

of the community needs to be vaccinated. The data from the CDC shows that young Coloradan children are therefore in danger with an 88.7 percent vaccination rate. Though older children and adults still contribute to group immunity, the data is alarming and demonstrates that Colorado is vulnerable to an outbreak.

Colorado legislators are aware of this danger and have introduced legislation to combat it. Democrat Kyle Mullica, a trauma nurse and legislator from District 34, has partnered with Democrat Julie Gonzalez from District 34 and Republican Kevin Priola from District 25. They have introduced HB19-1312 School Immunization Requirements which would mandate that parents need to opt their children out of immunization, and would standardize that opt-out process. Otherwise, vaccines would be safely administered by a licensed physician.

Exemptions could be personal

ABOUT US

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

or religious but would have to be verified and allowed by the state.

Though this bill does not aim to completely get rid of the exemption process like other states have, it would make communities safer. An interview conducted by a CPR revealed that this bill would make disease outbreaks less likely. Dr. Sean O’Leary, an infectious disease specialist and pediatrician, said, “Research shows the easier the process for opting

out, the higher the exemption rate” and “The higher the exemption rate, the higher the risk for vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.” If HB191312 were to pass, more children would be vaccinated, and the chance for outbreaks would go down.

HB19-1312 was introduced on Apr. 4 and went to House Health and Insurance on Apr. 15.

Isaiah G. Jakab | News Editor

DU Clarion EDITORIAL STAFF

HANNAH BRANIT, Editor-in-Chief VICTORIA VALENZUELA, Executive Editor TARYN ALLEN, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus GRACE CARSON, Executive Editor Emeritus The Clarion is the official student newspaper of the University of Denver, serving as the “Voice of the Pioneers.” Founded in 1899, it covers campus and local stories with the highest level of journalistic integrity possible. 1000 copies are distributed each Wednesday afternoon (throughout the academic year) across the DU campus, and every article is also published at duclarion. com. The Clarion does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the faculty, staff and/or administration of DU, and the opinions expressed by columnists and contributing writers do not necessarily reflect those of the Clarion.

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. The Clarion reserves the right to reject advertising, stories, columns or letters to the editor that it deems graphic, obscene or that discriminate on the basis of race, culture, gender or sexual orientation.

The Clarion welcomes letters to the editor. Those who submit letters must limit them to 500 words. Some letters may not be published because of space limitations, overly-libelous content or similarity to past submissions. Please submit letters to duclarioneditor@gmail.com.

HOW TO JOIN The Clarion is open to contributors of all years and majors at DU, including both undergraduate and graduate students. There’s no application necessary; all you have to do is show up to one of our weekly meetings, which are held every Monday at 6 p.m. (during the academic year) in the Hub. Can’t make it to a meeting? Send an email to duclarioneditor@gmail.com and we’ll do everything we can to get you published.

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APRIL 17, 2019

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NEWS | 3

John Hickenlooper’s 2020 presidential run is underway

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n March 4, former two-time Colorado governor John Hickenlooper officially announced his plan to run for president in 2020. He joined at least 19 other Democratic candidates now campaigning for a chance to beat President Donald Trump in the upcoming race.

Hickenlooper informed the nation of his candidacy with a video, in which he states, “I’m running for president because we’re facing a crisis that threatens everything we stand for.” The video shows Hickenlooper providing a brief biography and recounting his political success, eventually calling for people to join him in “repair[ing] the damage done to our country and be[ing] stronger than ever.”

According to CNN, Hickenlooper, age 67, was born in Pennsylvania. He studied geology there at Wesleyan University, which led to his move to Colorado to work in the petroleum industry. A lay-off in the 1980s pushed Hickenlooper in a new direction, and he opened a popular brewpub in LoDo, Wynkoop

Brewing Company; this got him back on his feet financially and allowed him to make connections across Colorado, leading to his eventual mayoral victory in Denver in 2003 and gubernatorial victories in 2011 and 2014.

As a leader of Colorado, he confronted natural disasters, economic crises and at least one mass shooting, each of which necessitated he work across party lines to keep a unified state. According to The New York Times, Hickenlooper calls himself an “extreme moderate” running as a “pragmatic progressive,” and he was labeled by the Times as a “socially-progressive, pro-business Democrat.”

In terms of the prominent issues, Hickenlooper is largely pro-gun control; this stems from his response to the Aurora movie theatre shooting, after which he passed a ban on high capacity magazines and legislation for universal background checks. On climate change, he is working hard to counter President Trump’s efforts, but he is also notoriously against regulation of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”). He

also supports free trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

He supports universal health care but has taken no steps toward achieving it.

FiveThirtyEight has speculated about how these identities and stances may help or hurt Hickenlooper in a variety of ways. Certain issues, like his sympathy toward the oil and gas industries, may serve as a turn-off to some voters, and some critique his lack of a clear campaign platform. He lacks name recognition beyond Colorado, and he has considered running on a “unity ticket” with a Republican candidate. However, Hickenlooper brings other unique strengths to the table, including economic and social successes as governor, including a reputation for navigating the legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado, as well as a “quirky” reputation and tendency to create innovative political ads and viral videos.

In the aforementioned video, Hickenlooper continues, “As a skinny kid with Coke-bottle glasses and a

funny last name, I’ve stood up to my fair share of bullies,” in reference to President Trump. FiveThirtyEight calls him an “underdog,” but only time will tell if Hickenlooper stands a chance at going head-to-head against Trump in the 2020.

Taryn Allen | Editor-in-Chief Emeritus

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia

It’s spring, and the Clarion is hiring!

Now seeking a Business Manager for the 2019-2020 school year, with other staff openings to come.

Email duclarioneditor@gmail.com with inquiries.

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you. I experienced something similar a few years earlier with being egged at night. You are so strong and deserving of the very best. Keep fighting for what you believe in. One day I believe we will thrive.”

Kyla Peck, a student of color who transfered her second year due to DU’s hostile environment, said, “My heart goes out for you. I can remember those days and nights that my friends and I had similar experiences

DU CLARION

being on DU’s campus. I didn’t understand it then but I understand it now, DU is a microcosm of the country we’re living in.

I’m so sorry that this is the world you’re coming into as a young adult, it’s enraging.”

Autumn Murphy, a fourthyear, said that during her freshman year, a friend and her were walking down High Street when a car drove by and a white male threw a drink at them, similar to Lucero’s experience. She said the man barely missed, hitting them with the liquid, and

APRIL 17, 2019

they yelled something that they couldn’t make out because they were in shock.

Lumiere Bukasa, a second-year student, came forward to tell her experience with racism: “I was at work the other day, and one of the residents that lives in my building locked eyes with me, stared dead into my eyes and whispered ‘black bitch,’ as if I couldn’t hear. I told my best friend about it, and we brushed it aside thinking it was nothing. However, these micro aggressions, the racial tensions

and the constant reminders that you are a ‘minority’ can be unbearable sometimes. I’ve become so afraid to walk near a group of white men alone, and it shouldn’t be like this. DU has to actively work to change this campus dynamic.”

Other students, who wish to remain anonymous, described other similar incidents having happened to them, such as cupcakes being thrown at them, other incidents of being egged on campus and more.

Grace Carson | Executive Editor Emeritus

Meet the DU Commencement speakers for spring 2019

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his June, the university will welcome Imran Khan and Freeman A. Hrabowski III to make addresses at the graduate and undergraduate Commencement ceremonies, respectively.

Khan is an entrepreneur, technology executive and investor who graduated from DU in 2000. He studied economics and finance, and he has since been recognized as a distinguished alumnus for leadership and impact. He has worked at JPMorgan, Credit Suisse and most recently at Snap, Inc., where he was chief strategy officer.

Khan worked for Snapchat in the business of building operations, partnerships, ad sales and more. He is best known for being named a “Most Indispensable Executive in Marketing, Media and Tech” by Adweek in 2016, as well as for his role in the $25 billion share sale of Alibaba IPO. Hrabowski is the current president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). His work emphasizes minority inclusion in math and science education.

He studied mathematics at the wampton Institute and earned his PhD in higher education administration and statis-

Photo Courtesy of the University of Denver

Photo Courtesy of the University of Denver

tics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Hrabowski is known for being named one of “100 Most Influential People in the World,” “America’s Best Leaders” and “America’s 10 Best College Presidents” by various sources. He also has a background in activism, serving as a civil rights

leader growing up, appearing in Spike Lee’s 1997 documentary “Four Little Girls” and being appointed chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans by the former President Barack Obama.

Graduate Commencement will take place on June

14 at Magness Arena, and undergraduate Commencement will occur the following day at the same location.

Taryn Allen | Editor-in-Chief Emeritus

USG Weekly Update: 4/9/19

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he Undergraduate Student Government (USG) meeting on Apr. 9 passed two bills and tabled one bill. The first bill passed was the Amendment Amendment, which was previously tabled at the meeting held last week. This bill proposed to change the process in which amendments are made on bills.

The second bill passed was the Resolution in Favor of Data Synchronization and Other Issues Resolution in which USG resolved to formally support the Queer Students Alliance (QSA) in their calls to both merge the three roster generation systems as well as add a pronoun selector in the application to DU. It also resolved to advocate for the

creation of a gender neutral or “Queer” residence floor, Living and Learning Community or Center in the new Dimond Family Residential Village.

USG tabled an Executive Secretary Additions Amendment which would create positions for an Executive Treasurer, Press Secretary and Executive Secretary of USG Marketing.

The Executive Treasurer would manage and oversee the funds of the Executive Branch of USG, create a funding manual yearly that outlines the ways in which Executive funds may be accessed and requested by various parties, manage Executive Fund requests and ensure that these funds are used in a way that meets the goals of the various Executive Funds and manage the Executive Budget and work with

the comptroller to meet requests for funding. The role and reach of The Executive Treasurer is controversial in the USG chamber, and creation of this position is not guaranteed.

The Press Secretary would be responsible for outward facing communications of the USG. They work directly with the Clarion and other various news organizations to increase awareness of what is taking place within the USG and various USG projects They would recruit directors to work with them to further the outward communications of the USG. Furthermore, they would be in charge of community outreach, working closely with the Secretary of Marketing to ensure that the messaging of the USG is

reaching the appropriate outside audiences.

Lastly, the Secretary of USG Marketing would be responsible for creating marketing materials for the USG, which would consist of creating graphic posts for online platforms, posters and other commonly used forms of marketing in order to promote the work of the USG. They would work closely with the Secretary of Communications and the Press Secretary in order to ensure the awareness of USG projects, events on DU’s campus and manage all social media outlets that USG operates.

Grace Carson | Executive Editor Emeritus

APRIL 17, 2019

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SPORTS | 5

Pioneers fall 4-3 in overtime to UMass-Amherst

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en’s hockey lost to the University of Massachusetts in overtime with a score of 4-3, this past Thursday.

The loss came after a thrilling third period when freshman Cole Guttman (Los Angeles, Calif.) scored two consecutive goals, forcing the game into overtime.

The Pioneers, however, were unable to keep the momentum as the UMass Minutemen sealed their win just shy of five minutes into overtime. Nevertheless, the

Pioneers defeat did not come in a lackluster fashion.

Denver started out the first period strong as senior Collin Staub (Colorado Springs, Colo.) scored the first goal of the game in a Denver power play. The initial victory was cut short when a penalty was called on junior Tyson McLellan (San Jose, Calif.) for holding, sending UMass into a power play.

With Denver on the penalty kill, the Minutemen snatched the lead. They scored three power play goals within 2:31, gaining a

3-1 lead. The first period was sullied with a series of questionable hits which lead to two game misconduct penalties, one of which was leveraged on Denver’s Ryan Barrow (Baniff, Alberta), resulting in an ejection.

The momentum seemed to lag in the second period but was quick to build in the third as the Pioneers went on the attack.

Assisted by freshman Tyler Ward (Kamloops, B.C.), sophomore Jake Durflinger, (Walnut Creek, Calif.), McLellan and senior Les

Photo Courtesy of DU Athletics

Lancaster (Ypsilanti, Mich.), Guttman was able to tie the game at 3-3 in the last few minutes of overtime.

Unfortunately, the Pioneers were not able to stave off the Minutemen. UMass snuck a shot into the far post past freshman goalie Filip Larsson (Stockholm, Sweden) just shy of the five-minute mark, ending with a No. 2 finish in the United States Collge Hockey Online rankings.

Haley Birt | Contributing Writer

Photo Courtesy of DU Athletics

No. 13 Men’s Lacrosse defeats St. John’s 15-12

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he No. 13 Pioneers were able to push past St. John’s 15-12 behind the effort of junior attackman Ethan Walker (Peterborough, Ontario), who scored his third career sock trick. Freshman faceoff specialist Brett Boos (Parker, Colo.) continued to shine as he went 22-of-31 from the dot assisting the Pioneers in game control.

Making his first collegiate debut after relieving senior Alex Ready (Lancaster, Pa.) in the

second quarter, freshman goalie Cole French (Danville, Calif.) stepped up and made nine saves out 15 shots faced.

In the first quarter, St. John’s started well early as they took a 2-0 lead before the Pioneers were able to respond with three straight goals. In his first career start, freshman Austin Stewart's (Arlington, Va.) tallied his first career goal in between goals

by Walker. The Pioneers and St. John’s traded goals between the first and second quarter until

Photo Courtesy of DU Athletics

the Pioneers ended on a 4-1 run taking a 10-7 lead into the half.

St. John’s was able to come within two in the third quarter but the Pioneers were able to keep their 12-10 lead going into the fourth. The fourth quarter began with a goal from Walker but St. John’s scored to keep the game within two. Eventually, the Pioneers finished their scoring 15-11 with goals from freshman Alex Simmons (Smithville, Ontario) and Walker.

The Pioneers will return home

to face Providence on Apr. 20 at 12 p.m. MST for the final home game of their 2019 season.

Lawson Montgomery | Sports Editor

Photo Courtesy of DU Athletics

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APRIL 17, 2019

OPINIONS | 7

The Electoral College is a one-fourth compromise

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he electoral college process should not be used in U.S. presidential elections. The process is flawed in practice. First, the Electoral College does not represent everyone equally. Second, the winner of the popular vote can still lose the presidency.

Third, the electors can decide to vote for a candidate that their state did not pick. Those who back the electoral college process argue that the rural areas will not be adequately represented in a popular vote. A closer look shows that they are wrong.

The Electoral College argument is a clash between equality and rural representation.

An electoral college process does not allow fair representation of every individual. An Electoral College creates a system in which each voter’s ballot is not treated equally. In the 2012 presidential election a Wyoming voter, when weighed as a part of the Electoral College, was worth 2.87 California voters. One may think this is bad enough, but based on the current system,

Photo courtesy of Vox

a Texan’s vote is worth less than one-fourth of a Wyoming voter. In this way, the Electoral College is almost a one-fourth compromise of the fair electoral system it claims to be. In a country where “all men are created equal” one would think that every vote would be equal.

The Electoral College enforces a system of swing states and safe states which reduces the value of many votes to virtually zero.

Safe states like Maryland and Texas are states that historically side with one party no matter the year. “Therefore, a Republican’s vote in Maryland really doesn’t matter and a Democrat’s vote in Texas is worthless,” according to the Huffington Post. On the other hand, votes from swing states like Florida are “marginally more significant than the vote of an individual in a safe state.”

The Electoral College creates a system where the individual chosen may not win. In the history of the U.S., five elected presidents have lost the popular vote. In a country that prides

itself on having a “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” it is strange that the people do not always decide their leader. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by more than one million votes, yet still lost the election on electoral votes. Even the one who benefited from this wacky system, President Donald Trump, saw its flaws, saying, “I would rather see it where you went with simple votes.

You know, you get 100 million votes and somebody else gets 90 million votes and you win.”

The Electoral College permits a group of party elites to choose the president. The electors are handpicked by the party that won the state and are supposed to vote for the candidate that the people chose.

This, however, has shown to be untrue. Throughout the history of the U.S., there have been 157 faithless electors. Since only 280 electors are needed to win the presidency, 157 “faithless” electors can have a huge impact.

This sweet land of liberty is starting to seem more like a harsh wasteland of oligarchy.

Those who support the electoral college believe that it helps represent rural America in a way that the popular vote cannot.

They claim that without the Electoral College, candidates would spend all their time campaigning in big cities and not rural areas. In reality, however,

the Electoral College does not increase campaigning in rural areas. According to Time, during the 2016 elections, “none of the four candidates ever went to 27 states, which includes almost all of rural America.” Supporters argue that without the college the presidency would be decided solely by big cities. This, however, comes at the price of equality. Every person deserves to have a vote that matters, and no one deserves to be worth more than anyone else. A popular vote to decide the election would give the U.S. a president that the majority of people want.

The rural areas across every state would be united in a popular vote which would mean that they would have just as much of a voice as they would have in the Electoral College.

The Electoral College creates some representation for rural areas, but it destroys voter equality. First, it creates a system where some votes are worth more than others.

Second, the candidate that the people want can still lose.

Last, it lets bias electors ignore the people’s choice in favor of their own. The Electoral College process creates a system of inequality that suppresses the views of many Americans. If I only get one-fourth of a vote, am I only one-fourth of a man?

Jake Gloth | Contributing Writer

Amazon’s Alexa can now track health

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s the information technology market tightens, conglomerates such as Apple, Google and Amazon strive to attain the best artificial intelligence (AI) devices. In an attempt to stand out, Amazon’s Alexa will be able to relay consumers’ personal health information, track their prescriptions and stay atop daily healthcare routines. It’s a bold move that must be implemented seamlessly, otherwise consumers will be left wondering: Where should we draw the line with privacy?

The information technology (IT) revolution is still unfolding, and with it numerous privacy concerns have risen. Through digitalization, it can be argued that the bulk of society has a virtual profile that conglomerates have already used and/or sold to better understand their target markets. It’s no surprise that privacy is in short supply; it has been for the past couple of decades. Yet, is medical information too far?

It’s important to understand why this is tedious terrain.

Patients’ healthcare information is highly confidential, and that’s why there are acts such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which protects patients’ information from being accessed and tampered with by others. Understandably, privacy is a major concern. Previously, Alexa made headlines when the

device recorded a private conversation and mistakenly sent it to someone on the owner’s contact list. That cannot happen with medical information or else Amazon’s brand credibility will

new feature to report whether or not patients are experiencing pain or diminished appetite after their surgery as well.

It will also be able to require that the user confirms their

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

be hindered and Alexa will most likely plummet in sales.

Additionally, Alexa strives to be implemented into hospitals.

Numerous facilities have tested it, enabling users to schedule appointments and search for wait times. Hospitals can use this

identity and as a precautionary measure, Alexa will state: “May be available to anyone using your Alexa devices.”

That’s not very reassuring.

Five companies are using these new Alexa features for their consumers through federal pro-

tocol. In this context, Alexa will track when drugs are shipped, read blood sugar results, check health insurance benefits and schedule appointments. Clearly healthcare companies are ready to make the change, but consumers aren’t as eager to do so.

It’s important to acknowledge that most of our “profiles” are an open book to companies anyway. What really matters is how Amazon decides to deploy and market Alexa. Rather than rushing out to beat the Google Home, the HomePod or whatever it may be, this is an instance where quality definitely outweighs quantity. Through previous scares with these assistants, people are already wary of such devices, and tossing in a hiccup with someone’s medical records isn’t something that can be brushed over.

At its core, these smart devices are pretty darn smart. It touches upon convenience and simplicity; it’s all about making tasks easier for the owner. Alexa has good intentions and lots of potential, and it can be challenging to consider a slower and more methodical approach towards the IT industry, yet if Amazon doesn’t slow down to ensure the implementation of medical assistance is done perfectly, it will facilitate a major setback in the development of smart devices.

Megan Cooney | Contributing Writer

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Clarion or of the DU community.

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APRIL 17, 2019

Cruel and unusual punishment in America’s prisons

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he U.S. is no stranger to incarceration-related issues given that, as of 2014, the country possessed about 25 percent of the world’s prison population, despite only having about five percent of the world’s total population. As well as that, if the U.S.’s prison population were viewed as a major city, it would be among the ranks of the nation’s top ten most populous ones. On top of those staggering statistics, the conditions of some states’ prisons are astoundingly inadequate and host hundreds more inmates for every hundred thousand than the national average.

In one of those states, Alabama (which has 946 prisoners for every 100,000 people versus the national average of 698), recent investigations show that the overpopulation of inmates is not the only problem their prisons face by far. What’s most alarming about the conditions of Alabama’s prisons is the fact that many of them appear to violate the inmates’ Eighth Amendment rights, suggesting that the prisons’ terrible conditions actually count as “cruel and unusual punishment.” According to the New York Times, the guards don’t confiscate makeshift weapons and allow sexual violence to occur on a regular basis. Be it the fact that inmate deaths are abundantly violent and common or the fact that those deaths

often go unnoticed, the Alabama prison system has been put on notice for their blatant apathy towards inmates’ rights.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) dictates that “violence and sexual abuse, discrimination, overcrowding and other threats to health and safety” qualify as inhumane treatment of inmates, yet those imprisoned in the state of Alabama often face these on a daily basis. Inmates are Americans too, and humans for that matter, and ought to be treated with the respect and dignity that America promises to all its citizens.

However, it is mockingly clear that Alabama’s justice system either wrongfully disagrees with this notion or simply does not care. Given their position of fifth-highest incarceration rates in the country as of 2018, it isn’t necessarily a shock that the prisons might end up more crowded than average (often at a capacity of 172 percent), but the reports of inmates essentially not being observed at all due to the sheer volume of them and lack of guards is simply absurd.

All of these factors combined show an evident dismissal of the inmates’ rights and, unfortunately, is common throughout the whole country, with some prisons electing to keep inmates in solitary confinement for days on end, with only an hour outside of their confines.

One issue with these prisons’

Photo courtesy of The New York Times

starkly inhumane conditions is not just the prison system itself but the staff that is hired to work there. Guards at these prisons need better vetting, training and observation, lest they take on the role of predator and prey when it comes to the inmates. Though meant to keep order, there have been a plethora of reports that internal and bone injuries occur when guards aren’t met with immediate placation by prisoners. This type of unhindered anger should not be a common denominator with prison guards, but it appears to be so.

Additionally, Americans can be completely unaware of the

horrendous states of these prisons, usually because the media doesn’t have access to the prisons themselves, or when they do they often go unreported or underreported. Citizens have a right to know that people are being abused mentally, emotionally and physically while serving their sentences, and despite the fact that, yes, they likely did break laws (not to mention that a percentage of them may not even belong there), they are still human beings and have the Constitutional, and innate, right to be treated as such.

Rachel Kunzi | Contributing Writer

Victoria Valenzuela | Executive Editor

DU CLARION

APRIL 17, 2019

OPINIONS | 9

PIONEER VOICES Question of the week:

If you could choose a headliner of Coachella, who would it be?

“Mozart or Tokyo Myers.”

“I would choose Bob Dylan. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as their back band.”

Oliver Martinez-Reyes, Fourth Year

Elijah Null, Graduate Student

“Flaming Lips.”

“The Scorpions. That’s a pretty good band.”

Amelia Zabel, Second Year

Sebastian Legarburo, Fourth Year

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& LIFE

APRIL 17, 2019

Go(zo) on a Mediterranean getaway Haley Paez | Clarion

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ith two massive garage doors acting as windows, this Mediterranean masterpiece is anything but a place to park your car. When the springtime sweeps the cold winter blues away, Gozo will be there ready to raise up the windows and let the fresh Denver air in. The sleek interior has the power to transport you to the Greco-style houses lining every inch of the Mediterranean sea with its pearly white tile. The decor only intensifies the rustic and earthy flavors they pride themselves on constructing in each dish presented. Regardless if it’s a weekend brunch or a night out with friends, the flavors always shine.

While the homestyle, laidback Italian coastline aesthetic is prominent, the food is more contemporary than what you would expect to be cooked by your nonna from Sicily. But, it still captures the sweetness from fresh fruits and vegetables, richness from a homemade pasta and traditional spices that would even make the Italian purists smile.

The mix of beef and pork is the expectation for ragu, but Gozo takes it a step further by creating a seriously bubbling cheesy crust that can only be made from the flames of a wood-burning oven.

But don’t fear, the chef has accounted for this extra bit of heat at the end, thereby undercooking the pasta ever so slightly to finish off in a hot tub of rose red sauce which results in the perfect al dente bite.

Another staple that lines the tables of Italy overlooking the ocean is the salty, crisp bite of calamari. While chain sit-down

Haley Paez | Clarion

restaurants have tried their hand at this common bar food, the mastery comes when the breading is paper thin and stuck tightly to the calamari itself.

Gozo created the perfect ratio of breading to squid, while other places will give you deep-fried batter with a touch of calamari that ultimately just gets lost. If you’re trying to shy away from the fried food, then the salad they offer counts for the acidic craving you might be looking for instead. While many people assume brussel sprouts require roasting before eating, Gozo presents them in a raw form.

With the help of a citrus vinegar dressing, the brussel sprout leaves tenderize just enough and release their nutty flavor which only intensifies with the accompaniment of the almonds and pecorino cheese dusted on top.

But the real draw to Gozo comes between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays when they are dishing out some of Denver’s best brunch dishes. For the trendy brunchers, you can breathe a sigh of relief because the top right corner of the menu has the avocado toast you were anxiously searching for. A piece of house-made sourdough toast is the base of this masterpiece.

The thickness allows for the outside layers to brown while leaving the inside to be a nice chewy counterpart. On top comes the glorified avocado, mounted high and claiming its place as the star of the dish. While some restaurants would end it there, Gozo taps into its Italian roots by draping translucent pieces of prosciutto over it all. Step aside, eggs and bacon, because

the newest partners in crime are avocado and bacon. The creamy avocado gives a fruity note to the salty, cured Italian ham, making for the refreshing take on the savory-sweet combination. A finish of olive oil elicits the feeling of the Italian countryside that and much more.

Benedicts and other egg staples have made their way onto the menu, but they have a secret weapon to put the toast fanatics in a coma: brunch pizza. Yes, that is correct. At 10:30 in the morning you can have a piping hot, bubbling, cheesy, crispy thin crust pizza arrive at your table with no questions asked. The air pockets lining the edge of the crust mean you are in for a real treat because that is the work of an 800 degree wood-burning oven that hasn’t taken a break in years. The colors of the Italian flag come across beautifully in their margherita pie, with a blanket of red tomato sauce topped with generous pieces of pearly white mozzarella just waiting to be stretched as one piece pulls away from another. But the aspect that elevates the dish is the tornado of basil swirling the pizza, allowing the taste of the garden to translate to the plate.

They don’t mess around with just one leaf per piece but let every bite get those fresh herbaceous notes. In order to satisfy everyone, their breakfast pizza comes with bacon and a fried egg that has a runny yolk that the crust sops up in seconds, making for the perfect sauces for which the rest of the ingredients play off.

Normally I forget about side dishes because I am too focused

on the entree, but at Gozo, you might want to take a closer look.

Regardless of whether it’s your first meal of the day or your last, the following two sides are always on the menu. The polenta is rich and an Italian version of our southern grits, but these are a yellow similar to the sun and velvety in texture because of the cream, stock and cheese woven throughout. Polenta can get clumped and dry, but the attention to detail from the Gozo staff ensures that it maintains the right consistency, bite after bite. They also rule over carbs here with their homemade English muffins. Accompanied by an apple mostarda (a savory apple jam) that has the warming spices of fall, a kick from the Dijon mustard and apples as sweet as if they were just plucked from the orchard. The butteriness of the muffin allows for a slight toast, in turn causing the jam to reheat ever so slightly. It makes you crave this as your side rather than the pre-sliced whole wheat toast with gelatinous jelly, still maintaining its shape from the small square pack it came in, at the average breakfast dinner.

The time of day doesn’t really matter here at Gozo because they are always ready to serve you as if you just paid for first class tour of the Mediterranean. Kick back, relax and let the cross breeze do its thing. Enjoy your trip to the coastline on South Broadway as winter turns to spring.

Haley Paez | Contributing Writer

APRIL 17, 2019

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How to spend your 4/20 in Colorado

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s the first state to legalize recreational cannabis, Colorado sure knows how to celebrate 4/20 right. Here are some of the best events happening on this blessed holiday in and around Denver If you’re looking to minimize the 4/20 munchies-damage ahead of time, you can participate in The Mile High 4.20k, an event to promote and raise awareness of the medicinal value of cannabis. But hurry, registration ends on April 16 (even if you don’t register to participate, you could still come to support the cause.)

The Mile High 420 Fest is one of Denver’s biggest 4/20 celebration events, with over 50,000 people in attendance each year. Happening all day long in Civic Center Park, this 100 percent free event has a lineup of performers including T.I. and Jermaine Dupri, as well

Chelsie Fincher | Clarion

as a number of vendors selling cannabis-related products and more.

If you live in south Colorado or you’re looking for an event where you can legally consume cannabis, the SoCo 420 Festival at the Speakeasy Vape Lounge in Colorado Springs may be for you. There’s a great lineup of performers, including Lil Flip

and Peezy, as well as a DJ, raffles and much more happening throughout the day.

Enjoy the enhanced creativity that comes with consuming cannabis? Go to The Coffee Joint at 7 p.m. for Creatively Cannabis, a joint (pun intended) experience of cannabis consumption and painting. Bring your own cannabis and pay only

40 dollars for two step-by-step painting lessons, and you’ll be in good company among many renowned artists whose work was influenced by drug use.

If you’re looking for a little more excitement, there are plenty more concerts and shows happening in Denver and beyond, too. Baked! @Your Mom’s House is a “hip-hop brunch,” where you can see performance by artists such as $light Team and King Loot while you dine from a catered brunch bar. If nighttime entertainment is what you want, you can see Juicy J at the Ogden or Stick Figure at Red Rocks, and if you want comedy, see Craig Robinson and The Nasty Delicious at the Stanley Hotel.

A happy and safe 4/20 to all, no matter how you choose to spend it.

Emma Cohen | Contributing Writer

Sexual Assault Awareness Month at DU

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his April, the DU community observes Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). An annual month of advocacy sanctioned nationwide since the early 2000s, SAAM designates a period of time to educate the public throughout the country about sexual violence, assault and gender-based crime. Historic traditional events occur all throughout the month, providing a space for survivors of sexual violence and assault to speak about their experiences or for others to show their support in fighting sexual and gender-based violence.

DU annually participates in SAAM not only for the nationwide traditions, but for the pervasiveness of these issues on college campuses especially. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, “20% - 25% of college women and 15% of college men are victims of forced sex during their time in college,” “more than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault” and “nearly two thirds of college students experience sexual harassment.”

Photo courtesy of du.edu/saam

College campuses are notoriously unsafe in terms of sexual violence specifically. Additionally, many cases of rape are frequently never reported and therefore not calculated into statistics or known to people outside the campus realm if the assault is not made public.

Several events are occurring here on campus to educate DU’s community about sexual violence and fight its prevalence.

Month-long events include the Clothesline Project, in which a display of t-shirts hung in the atrium of the Anderson Academic Commons (AAC) features messages of support as well as testimonies of those affected by sexual violence. Also, on the first floor of the Colorado Women’s College, “Corazón Lastimado: Healing the Wounded Heart” will be on display all month.

Comprised of decorated wooden hearts, this art exhibit visually represents the feelings and thoughts of survivors.

Special one-time events for the rest of the month include the historical “Take Back the Night” ceremony. Originally, women began this tradition in the late 1970s looking to share

their experiences of sexual harassment in the streets at night.

These gatherings, held in communities looking to change the behavior in their local areas, expanded to a nationwide practice in which survivors of assault and violence are welcome to stand up and share their experiences in a safe space. Members of the DU community can either share their own story or submit one to be anonymously read by volunteers. This event will be held in Lindsey Auditorium in Sturm Hall at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17.

Additionally, on April 24, wear jeans or your favorite Canadian tuxedo to take part in Denim Day. Started in 1998, wearing denim on this day relates back to an Italian Supreme Court Case of the same year. After a driving instructor sexually assaulted his student and she reported the incident, he was not convicted of rape because the victim was said to be wearing too-tight jeans.

People all around the world still wear denim on this day to combat this case ruling and support survivors. Stop by the Denim Day Consent Fair in the AAC special events room from 11-1

p.m. to pick up buttons, socialize and learn about SAAM. The Hub will also be hosting a breakfast and buttons event from 8-10 a.m. on this day.

Make sure to also look for the Stickies for Survivors display in your residence hall throughout the month. Everyone is welcome to write messages of hope or support for survivors and those affected by the emotions and experiences that this month brings up.

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault or violence and you wish to talk to someone about your experiences, the Center for Advocacy Prevention and Empowerment (CAPE) is available for private counseling and all other resources. You can also request outreach or a special workshop from Gender Violence Prevention and Education from the Health and Counseling Center. Join the outreach of SAAM this April to show your support and work towards a safer DU community.

Grace Ganz | Contributing Writer

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APRIL 17, 2019

Kevin Willmott and bringing awareness to film

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ward-winning screenwriter and University of Kansas film professor Kevin Willmott was not thinking about winning an Oscar this year for his recent film “BlacKkKlansman.” When the talk surrounding the Oscar nominations came up, he and film producer, director and actor Spike Lee, who worked on the film with him, would try to laugh it off and not discuss the acclaimed award ceremony at all.

“You just don’t want to talk about it,” said Professor Willmott. “If you start talking about it, you start to think it just might not happen. Spike had a little thing where he’d turn around three times, because it was like this superstitious thing. You just didn’t want to talk about it.”

However, when Samuel L. Jackson, a friend of Lee’s, came onstage to give the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, Professor Willmott realized the award would go to “BlacKkKlansman,” and recalled winning the Oscar as a “crazy experience.”

“It was a great moment,” said Professor Willmott. “It was like a dream come true.”

Through working on “BlacKkKlansman,” Professor Willmott was able to learn about why people join hate groups and how these groups function. Being assigned to bring these characters to life allowed Professor Willmott to delve into the complexities of hate groups and the people who join them.

“One of the messages we wanted to send about hate

Victoria Valenzuela | Clarion

groups was that it’s easy to say they’re crazy or stupid, but your neighbor could be involved in one of these groups, and you don’t know anything about it,” said Professor Willmott. “They weren’t the scruffy, ugly, trailer park types we like to stereotype them as. I think the film was a wakeup call for Americans to realize this.”

Professor Willmott believes the release of “BlacKkKlansman” came at the perfect time.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), hate groups in the U. S. have increased by 30 percent in the past four years. In 2018 alone, the number of hate groups increased by seven percent. The SPLC stated the increase of hate groups came from President Trump, right-wing media outlets and the ease of spreading hate messages on social media.

Professor Willmott also believes Trump is the reason for the increase in hate groups.

“For over 200 years, good people have been trying to close the door on hate in this country.

It’s a hard door to keep closed.

People have died and sacrificed and gone through hell to try to get rid of hate in this country,” said Professor Willmott. “It’s really difficult for people to look at someone running for president and the first word that comes out of his mouth is ‘Mexicans are rapists.’ The whole thing should have ended right then. It should’ve been that we showed the American people the crazy, racist thing this guy said today on the news, and not go a step

further. But here he is as the president.”

Professor Willmott believes one reason Trump won the presidency was because people did not want to talk about subjects they saw as “taboo,” including racism and hate groups. For Professor Willmott, films such as “BlacKkKlansman” and other works of art that bring awareness to these topics may change people’s minds on wanting to stay silent on racism. Professor Willmott hopes that future films, no matter what genre, will contain messages that make Americans think more on society.

“The best movies, no matter what genre, are about something,” said Professor Willmott.

“You can take any genre and make it a movie that’s very entertaining, but not very stupid.”

Professor Willmott credited his past film “C.S.A.: Confederate States of America” for helping him prepare for his role as a screenwriter for “BlacKkKlansman.” He stated the film looked at how the South really won the Civil War and how African Americans had lost due to segregation and Jim Crow laws.

Through working on “C.S.A.,” Professor Willmott also realized how polarized the U.S. has become in recent years.

“We’ve always been fighting the Civil War. The Civil War never really ended, we’re just living in a cold Civil War. There’s two Americas: the Confederate States of America (C.S.A.) and the United States of America (U.S.A). We had eight years of the U.S.A. with Obama. An Af-

rican American was never supposed to be president. It was a huge American democratic achievement that he got there,” said Professor Willmott. “The U.S.A. means that we would bring women and the LGBT in and everyone in. The C.S.A., what we have now, is about limiting rights and freedoms and taking things away. It’s about selling fear to justify taking away these freedoms.”

Professor Willmott believes the way to unify the country is for people to realize what the stakes are in the upcoming election, and everyone comes together to uphold the democratic institution that founded the U.S. His future projects may play a large role in bringing more awareness to subjects from racism to a polarized U.S. Professor Willmott and Spike Lee have written a new screenplay titled “Da Five Bloods” about African American soldiers in Vietnam, and hope to film a movie this summer called the “Twenty-Fourth,” a film about the Houston Riots in 1917.

He especially wants to focus on police brutality against African American soldiers and how 150 soldiers eventually marched against the police.

“It was the largest murder trial in American history, and many people don’t talk about it, because it makes them uncomfortable,” said Professor Willmott. “My shtick is to find stories that people should know.”

Nina Petrovic | Arts & Life Editor