Fort Lewis College News Magazine Issue 70
www.theindyonline.com
FREE April 2015
The Independent FLC
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independentflc
The Independent FLC
Editors & Staff BUSINESS
Andrew Hook Elaine Severson COPY EDITING
Megan Mooney Tirrell Thomas
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Trevor Ogborn
BUSINESS DIRECTOR
Emma Vaughn
CHIEF COPY EDITOR
Carter Solomon
DESIGN Camden Smith Jaimee Souder PHOTOGRAPHY
Anjelique Cato Callie Hagman Lucy Schaefer Mariana Seserman Sean Summers
PRINT EDITOR
Deanna Atkins
ONLINE EDITOR
Lauren Hammond
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Stephanie Pe単a
SOCIAL MEDIA
Mike Gertsen-Rogers REPORTING
Jarred Green Soshina Harvey Luke Perkins Daniel Riley Alison Uralli Catherine Wheeler LEAD PRINT DESIGN & PHOTO EDITOR
Hanna Maddera
ONLINE DESIGN EDITOR
VIDEO PRODUCTION EDITOR
PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Julia Volzke
Anthony Martin
Visit
www.theindyonline.com
for news updates, Fort Fuel videos and more! Cover photo by Callie Hagman: Exerscise science majors Matthew Clark, Aubree Bagay-Houston, and Dusty Dasugo demonstrating how to use a machine.
Lio Diaz
Emilie von Fay
BROADCAST
Lindley Gallegos Nicolas Hassinger Haylee Knippel Meryl Ramsey Mariah Suneson
From the Editor’s Desk
CONTENTS Campus:
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TLC for FLC: FLC’s Main Scholarship Fundraiser Story by Jarred Green
Whether you found this copy of The Independent in the yellow boxes around campus or from the hands of an almost-too-eager Indy staff member tabling in the Student Union, thanks for opening it up! Everyone on staff has worked so hard to get this in your hands. Let me try to break it down for you:
Second SOBA Administrator Leaves School of Business Administration Story by Catherine Wheeler
Community:
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Oxbow Park and Preserve Story by Sheena Harvey
COVER STORY:
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Working It Out: Exerscise Science Department Working with Administration to Ease Graduation Process Story by Luke Perkins
Academics:
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And believe me, that is oversimplifying it. I joined staff last semester, and was brought on board as the Lead Print Designer. Eventually, I absorbed the Photography department as well, and have been a visual machine ever since. The Indy is like my third job. It consumes my life, and can be terribly stressful at times. But, we all do it for you, our reader. And check out those horoscopes in the back, I’m usually right...
Department Capstone: Student Biologists Fight Breast Cancer in Mice Story by Daniel Riley
Health:
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Watch Your Drink: Drugging Awareness Story by Alison Uralli
Entertainment:
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Indy on the Street, Horoscopes and Concert Review!
CORRECTION TO “SHIFTING RESPONSIBILITY” OF PRINT ISSUE 69
It has come to our attention that The Independent reported an error in our “Shifting Responsibility” article on page five of our latest print issue. Due to an error while paraphrasing a quote, The Independent referred to the Native American Indian Education Act as the Native American Protection Act, for which we formally apologize. The article covers the Native American Indian Education Act, which would shift financial responsibility for the Native American tuition waiver from Colorado’s state government to the Federal Government. To learn more, pick up Issue 69 of The Independent in any of the yellow boxes found around campus.
CAMPUS
TLC FOR FLC: FLC’S MAIN SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISER Story by Jarred Green
Graphic courtesy of Elizabeth Bussian
Design by Hanna Maddera
lthough enrollment has been down at Fort Lewis College in previous years, scholarship money is available for students at a steady level. On April 25, FLC is having its premiere fundraiser, TLC for FLC, for scholarships. This is the 22nd year that this event has been organized. This is a great program that raises money for faculty research grants, undergraduate research grants and scholarships for students, Mark Jastorff, the vice president of advancement and foundation executive director, said. Silent and live auctions will be held along with a formal dinner with guest speakers, Jastorff said. “This is a big community event too,” Elizabeth Bussian, the interim director of community relations, said. Foundation members, previous donors and VIPs such as government officials or civic community leaders are invited to the event, she said. TLC for FLC is the signature event for raising money for FLC, Bussian said. Ten percent of the proceeds are awarded to faculty members for grants and the rest goes into the scholarship fund. Faculty and students who have benefited from past scholarships and grants will also be at the event, she said.
The purpose of this event is to show donors what their money is doing for the FLC community and to continue building lasting relationships with the community, Jastorff said. “We’ll also have a slideshow that will highlight faculty and students who have received foundation awards,” Bussain said. Later in the fall, FLC puts on a Benefactors Ball held specifically to thank those who have donated money to the scholarship fund, Jastorff said. “The ball is funded by the FLC Foundation which is an 501c3 that exists solely to raise, invest and distribute private funds in support for FLC,” he said. About 22 years ago, there was a need to have money for scholarships on campus, he said. At the time there was not as big of an endowment available to give out scholarships. “It was out of a need to raise dollars for the campus and to recognize that one way to do that was a special event,” he said. Last year was the first year the event was held on campus, Jastorff said. It was the most successful fundraiser there has been. The event was at maximum capacity, Dave Kerns, director of alumni relations, said. This year, scholarship endowments have already been made, Jastorff said. Two
have already been signed, one for $25,000 and another for about $40,000. There is not a drop in scholarship funding, Jastorff said. There is always a steady amount of money available for scholarships to be handed out. However, the amount of money given out is dependent on freshman enrollment, he said. If there are fewer students enrolling, there would be less of a need for scholarships to be given out. “We’re going to walk out of there with a pretty healthy chunk for scholarships, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. The donors, once they attend this event, usually walk away thinking about what they can do to provide more for the FLC community, Jastorff said. It is a way to build lasting relationships between the donors. Some of the items being auctioned off at the event include a trip to Panama, train and golf packages, artwork and jewelry, and Colorado Rockies tickets, Bussian said. The event is cafe themed, she said. It is intended to be elegant and inviting. It is projected that anywhere from 200 to 250 people will be in attendance, she said. TLC for FLC will take place on April 25 at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. Tickets for students and community members to attend are $125.
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SECOND SOBA ADMINISTRATOR LEAVES SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Photos by Anjelique Cato
Suzanne Wilhelm, the associate dean of the School of Business Administration, working at her desk. She is the second top administrator to leave in four months.
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uzanne Wilhelm, the associate dean and professor in Fort Lewis College’s School of Business Administration, is departing from FLC at the end of the academic term. Wilhelm is the second top administrator to leave in four months, former dean Doug Lyon being the first when he stepped down in December. “It’s just time for me to move on,” Wilhelm said. Wilhelm has been associate dean of the SOBA since 2013 and has been at FLC for 14 years. Though Wilhelm will not continue teaching, her next position will be at the College of Saint Rose, in Albany, New York, where she will be the new dean of the Huether School of Business, she said. Prior to her tenure at FLC, Wilhelm was an assistant professor of business law at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico, she said. Wilhelm decided to come to FLC because she was interested in the SOBA’s foreign studies program, particularly the Junior Term Abroad, she said. The JTA program is the SOBA’s opportunity for students to study abroad with their professors in different countries, according to the SOBA’s website, Wilhelm said. “Dr. Wilhelm has played a key role in
both the development and maintenance of the JTA program,” Dr. Barbara Morris, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said in an email. “Her expertise in global business, language skills, and overall global literacy has been an asset for the program.” Wilhelm was the director of the foreign studies programs for several years, she said. “I put together a program in Costa Rica that was very successful for about three years,” she said. That same program will be returning fall of 2015 with SOBA professors Elaine Labach, who has been selected to replace Wilhelm as associate dean, and Simon Walls, she said. Wilhelm also created a similar JTA program in Cordoba, Spain, she said. Throughout her time at FLC, Wilhelm has done numerous things to not only further the success of the SOBA, but also FLC as a whole. Wilhelm is a team leader for the upcoming re-accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission, Morris said. “In this role she has written draft reports and collected critical evidence,” she
Design by Hanna Maddera said. Additionally, Wilhelm has assisted in policy making for the broader campus, as well as the business school, she said. She was the chair of the curriculum committee for FLC for two years, she said. As for her replacement, Interim Dean of the SOBA Paul McGurr, has selected professor Elaine Labach to take over as associate dean, Morris said. Labach has been with the SOBA for six and a half years and has served as advising and assessment coordinator as well, Labach said in an email. Labach’s goals for her time as associate dean include continuing the re-accreditation process, along with assisting with the four-three college-wide credit shift, she said. Overall, Wilhelm said she is thankful for her experiences at FLC. “I have had a wonderful time here and thankful for the wonderful opportunities I had a chance to develop,” she said. Morris said Wilhelm’s work at FLC will be greatly missed. “Dr. Wilhelm is a valued colleague and friend,” she said. “It is always great to see another woman break the glass ceiling.”
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I HAVE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME HERE AND THANKFUL FOR THE WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES I HAD A CHANCE TO DEVELOP.
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SUZANNE WILHELM
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Story by Catherine Wheeler
COMMUNITY
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Story by Sheena Harvey
he city of Durango is known to preserve the natural habitats and wildlife areas in the community. This is seen in the scheduled improvements to be made at Oxbow Park and Preserve. Oxbow Park and Preserve, located at 500 Animas View Drive along the banks of the Animas River, is a new park in the making, Cathy Metz, the parks and recreation director, said. The Oxbow Park is a 44-acre plot of land with historical walking paths, which will remain in place with a perimeter outline, Metz said. The intention with the park is minor, she said. The plan is to use two acres to develop a river access point that would include boat ramps, parking lots, restroom facilities and picnic areas. The other 42 acres will remain open space. According to a 2013 draft of the Oxbow Park and Preserve Management Plan, available at DurangoGov.org, “Oxbow has 2 distinct areas within the 44 acres—one being the Preserve, an area of approximately 38 acres that will remain predominantly undeveloped, in its existing natural state,
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Photos by Lucy Schaefer
Design by Mike Gertsen-Rogers & Hanna Maddera
with primary management objectives focused on conservation, habitat protection, and environmental education.” Oxbow Park is a great addition to the park systems because of the fact that it will remain an open space, Andy Corra, co-owner of Four Corners River Sports, said. The park has an open beach area along the river which is the only river access point on the flat water section of the river, Corra said. The city of Durango originally purchased Oxbow Park and Preserve with grant assistance from Great Outdoors Colorado, Metz said. When Great Outdoors Colorado is involved the company prefers to know the intentions of usage before signing any grant money, she said. According to their website, “Great Outdoors Colorado is a beneficiary of the Colorado Lottery, GOCO receives up to $60 million in Lottery revenue each year to invest in Colorado’s parks, wildlife, rivers, trails and open space.” According to the consultants who are
designing and developing the construction documents, the reconstruction of Oxbow Park and Preserve is estimated to cost $1.5 million, Metz said. The funding for the park comes from the taxpayers of Durango and funds that have been approved by voters back in 2005, she said. When the city of Durango received the grant money they had to sign a conservation easement, action plan that is made with the La Plata Open Space Conservancy, she said. The easement defines that the city of Durango can make physical improvements to the park as well as presents the park’s blueprints, she said. In the conservation easement, Oxbow Park and Preserve and any other infrastructure parks in the Durango, are not entitled to make any changes to the park once the park is finished and opened to the public, Metz said. Corra believes Oxbow Park and Preserve is a good investment because the people in the community surrounding it and the public will benefit. The plans include a park, a dog friendly walking area and those living close to the park will have access to a bike path that leads to the town, she said. Although the park will provide more for the users around it, many surrounding community members who live near the park are opposed, Metz said. In prior years, individuals camped on private property, had open alcohol container parties, created disturbances and left litter, she said. Susan Ulery, a resident near Oxbow Park and Preserve, is not opposed to the planned development but wants individuals to understand that the land could be at risk to be harmed with overuse. The possibility of commercial boating will bring in a large amount of people to the area, having parties and disrupting the peace for the community and wildlife that live in and around the river banks, Ulery said. Instead of building a road for commercial vehicles, Ulery believes the city of Durango should save money and build a pathway down the river instead of chang-
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ing the park. To combat the partying and littering in the past, the city of Durango will present an ambassador program this year, Metz said. “Volunteer workers will tell rafters, boaters and picnickers that between Oxbow Park and 33rd Street there’s only private property where you can’t get out of your boat, please stay in your craft,” she said. Throughout the process, there has been some discussion from residents around the area. “We love the idea of Oxbow Park and Preserve but we don’t love the city’s plan to stamp on this property and provide unlimited access to the flat water section of the river above 33rd Street,” Ulery said. “We want visitors to understand that Oxbow deserves to be taken care of.” However, David Schuppner, resident near Oxbow Park and Preserve, believes it will be a great idea to have the park where there will be paved pathways for walking and biking, he said. “Oxbow is a good idea for a park,” Corra said. “There will always be opposition to any changes especially when you can see it from your house and I think we need to be sensitive to that and try to build and construct in the best way possible so that it has least impact on neighbors while giving them the greatest benefit on the whole community.”
COVER STORY
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Story by Luke Perkins
espite the decrease in enrollment at Fort Lewis College some majors are growing rapidly. This puts the administration of the college in the position of juggling the need to bolster those majors that are shrinking while not stunting those that are growing. “The decreased enrollment isn’t uniform at all,” Dene Thomas, the president of FLC, said. “You have majors that are growing quickly, dramatically, and you have other majors that are shrinking.” One major at the head of the pack is exercise science, Thomas said. These growing majors receive priority when budget season comes around, she said. “That’s where, right now, the faculty are going and that doesn’t always make other departments happy,” Thomas said. Exercise science has seen a steady increase in full-time equivalent students in the past five years, from 153 in 2009-2010 to 196.8 in 2013-2014, according to FLC enrollment fact sheets available through the budget committee’s website. Currently, the exercise science department has a head count of 276, Mary Ann Erickson, chair and professor of exercise science, said. “Our classes are full and we’ve had to increase class size,” Erickson said. In the past this has led to both over-enrollment in courses that are required, such as the senior seminar class, or people not being able to enroll, she said. “At advising time last spring we had everyone complaining ‘Classes are closed, I can’t get in, I’m not going to be able to graduate,’” she said. This was due to faculty levels not allowing an appropriate number of sections of the senior seminar class offered, she said. “It’s still full, but we are working with the administration to help alleviate that problem,” Melissa Knight-Maloney, professor and incoming chair of exercise science, said.
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Photos by Callie Hagman The problem stems from the limiting of class sizes due to the nature of the course work required in some of the upper division classes, Knight-Maloney said. This has adversely affected students in the past, Drew Mahlmood, owner of Illete Fitness and returning FLC student, said. Mahlmood originally came to FLC in the hopes of earning a degree as an exercise specialist through the exercise science department, he said. He was well on his way to graduation before he experienced a hang up with the senior seminar courses, he said. “I was in research methods as a junior and they made me drop the course to allow fifth year seniors to take it,” Mahlmood said. This is something that has happened in the past when the department was unable to offer an appropriate number of sections for the student enrollment, Knight-Maloney said. The senior seminar capstone courses, either Exercise Science 495-496 or Athletic Training 495-496, are taken concurrently, Erickson said.
Design by Hanna Maddera Research Methods is the first section of the senior seminar that the exercise science department offers. Without this class completed, Mahlmood found himself unable to earn his degree, he said. “I ended up dropping the course and then being wait listed two semesters in a row, so I dropped out,” he said. Mahlmood said he made this decision out of a combination of frustration, due to taking courses that he did not need to graduate, and the desire to focus on his gym that had recently opened. “For me research methods had to be done in the fall, senior sem had to be done in the winter,” Mahlmood said. “If you didn’t make the cut in the fall you weren’t going to get either class, and then you had to wait a whole year to try again.” The capstone course structure has changed so that now 495 and 496 are offered in both the fall and spring semester, Knight-Maloney said. Similar in structure to the other sciences, prospective graduates are required to design and propose a study in the first
Exerscise science majors Matthew Clark, Aubree Bagay-Houston, and Dusty Dasugo prepare to test leg muscles on a rowing macihne.
The increased interest in the exerscise science department has caused overenrollment and not being able to enroll in required courses. During Mahlmood’s time at FLC it was not uncommon for required courses to be over-enrolled in an attempt to help students reach their goal of graduation, he said. “There was some times that you’d be standing up in a class, just because it’s so full,” Mahlmood said. Initially the department put off requesting funding for additional faculty, until it became apparent that it was a sustainable trend and not just a large enrollment class, Knight-Maloney said. “You’ve got to be very careful to see that it is a continual growth pattern before you hire,” Thomas said. “Especially with tenure-track, because there you are making a commitment to a long-term relationship.” To further ease the senior seminar pro-
cess for faculty, the department has developed an application process to enter into the capstone courses, Knight-Maloney said. Erickson said this application process ensures that only those who are in an appropriate place in their collegiate career are taking the 495-496 courses. “We really hold them to that they have to be a senior who’s going to walk out the door at the end of 496,” she said. Overall, Erickson is optimistic about the expected outcome of the application process and the additional faculty, she said. “We’ve put the onus on the students, they’re able to graduate in four years if they pay attention,” she said.
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semester, then gather and analyze data to present to the faculty in the second semester, she said. The students work in groups to design and perform their study while being overseen by a member of the exercise science faculty, Erickson said. “We’re supervising work with human subjects and you want to make sure that it’s safe,” Knight-Maloney said. In order to have human subjects, the participants must pass through the Institutional Review Board process, Erickson said. The supervision of these projects can greatly increase the workload of the faculty, she said. “It’s tough to supervise four different projects at once, that makes it really time intensive,” she said. Before projects can be started students must go before the Institutional Review Board and justify the need for the testing they wish to perform, she said. “Because all the testing we do is on human beings, being exercise science, it’s a long term process getting it approved,” Mahlmood said. These problems have made it difficult for exercise science majors to graduate on schedule, Carol Smith, associate vice president and dean for enrollment management at FLC, said. “Unless you are one of those students who has 18 to 22 credit hours a semester and your advisor makes sure you are in the class because you are taking such a heavy course load,” Mahlmood said. “You’re probably not going to get in and you’re probably not going to graduate in four years.” To help reduce some of the stress on both the faculty and students, the exercise science department has been working closely with administration, Knight-Maloney said. Last spring, Smith recognized that students were struggling to get through to graduation so permission was given to hire a two year visiting instructor. Additionally the exercise science department will be looking into the hiring of adjunct professors to cover lower division classes and free up existing faculty to offer more sections of required upper division courses, Knight-Maloney said. These measures will go a long way to rectifying the problems experienced during his time in the exercise science department, Mahlmood said. “Really, they just need more people to teach the class,” he said.
ACADEMICS
Student presenters gathered in Animas Hall Thursday evening to present the results of their senior seminar research to onlookers, instructors, and peers.
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Story by Daniel Riley
or biology majors at Fort Lewis College, the culmination of their studies is marked by their keystone work in two classes. The experience in the biology department consists of two courses, Senior Seminar and Senior Thesis. In these two classes, students in the major are able to apply all the skills they have learned throughout their college careers to research and experimentation in their final projects. Cell biologists at FLC take senior seminar in the fall and follow it with research for their Senior Thesis class in the spring, David Blake, a biology professor who specializes in microbiology and immunology, said. “For the first semester, you formulate a hypothesis and experimental conditions about a specific topic, then write up a grant proposal,” Alex Dean, a cellular and molecular biology major at FLC, said
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Photos by Sean Summers Students in Senior Seminar are given papers that explain the current thinking in the field of study in question for the students, Blake said. Then the students use this information to write a proposal that mimics a grant. “The second semester is Senior Thesis where you use your grant to buy whatever you need to perform your experiments, run tests to gather data and perform statistical analysis to determine whether or not any of your findings are significant, then explain and summarize it all with a paper and a poster,” Dean said. The final papers range from five to 15 pages, Blake said. Due to the fact that the biology faculty have multiple different interests, students study a wide variety of topics depending on the focus of individual courses and professors, he said. Blake said eight different sections of
Design by Jaimee Souder & Hanna Maddera the course are taught in the biology department. “They could be anywhere from studying insects that degrade corpses, to snow and climate change, to something like cancer, which I’m doing in my class,” he said. In two of the three cellular and molecular biology sections of these courses, the students focus on one topic. In the other course, taught by Dr. Sherell Byrd, students choose their own research topic, Blake said. In the section of Senior Seminar and Senior Thesis that Blake teaches, students are studying the uses of the immune system to reduce or fight cancer, he said. In these experiments, students inject mice with small amounts of cancer cells, creating a small tumor in the mammary gland. The students allow the tumor to grow for seven days, then use three different treatments to combat the cancer cells for the following two weeks, he said.
Biology student Jacob Shepherd presents his findings at the Senior thesis presentation event Thursday.
of the body, he said. The double treatment, using both compounds to fight the cancer cells, was also effective in this case. “We concluded that this is a good treatment because not only does it reduce the tumor volume, it also stops the cancerous cell from going in other parts of the body,” he said. Kit Barton, a senior biology major at FLC, said he applies most of the work he has done in earlier classes within his major to the research he has done in his Senior Seminar class. In order to complete his five-page final
research proposal in preparation for his senior thesis, Barton said it took a great deal of time and effort and that he had to learn several new research techniques. “They’ve learned a few techniques and procedures throughout their biology career,” Blake said. “When they’re in Senior thesis, they essentially create their own experimental design and figure out how to measure certain things,” he said. “It is a capstone experience because they have to take multiple techniques they’ve learned and put them together.”
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The first treatment involves a more traditional method, using a chemotherapeutic compound called Doxorubicin, a wellknown killer of cancer cells, he said. The second part of the experiment involves the use of an antibody against a protein called CTLA4, a newer, less tested method of cancer treatment that relies on manipulation of the immune system. The third is a combination of the first two methods, or injecting the compound and antibody in the mice at the same time like a double treatment, he said. The results are based on the use of these treatments individually and in conjunction with each other, Blake said. “Using both of the treatments together at once significantly reduced the size of the tumor, whereas individual treatments, like chemotherapy, grew larger than the double treatment,” he said. However, these treatments are only done on a three-week time frame, he said. “There’s a limit to how big these cancer tumors could get before we humanely say, ‘OK, this tumor is way too big we have to kill it,’” Blake said. “We chose three weeks as our endpoint. The difference is about the difference between a dime and a penny in size of the tumor.” Students also tested to see how effective the different treatments were in preventing the spread of metastatic cancer cells, also called systemic cancer cells, to other parts
HEALTH
Watch Your Drink:
Drugging Awareness
Story by Alison Uralli
Graphic by Camden Smith
Design by Camden Smith
ictoria Isaac, senior student at Fort Lewis College, believes she was drugged in late February of this year when participating in a contest at a bar in Durango, she said. “At one point in the night things just did not feel right,” Isaac said. Based upon the amount of drinks Isaac consumed, she believes it could not have affected her in the way that she felt, she said. Isaac suspected something had happened after waking up in her house very disoriented the next day, she said. “I cried for a while the next morning, I wanted to know whether it was something I did that night and that I really just didn’t know my limits, which is rare, or if it’s something somebody else did,” she said. To put her mind at ease, Isaac purchased a “QuickScreen” at-home drug test, she said. The test showed positive for Methamphetamine, Methadone, and THC. “I felt both happy and sad,” she said. “I was happy because I knew it wasn’t something I did, I’m smarter than that, I’m responsible. But I was also sad, because I am smart when I drink. I know the rules, I know the cautions. I’ve never done any kind of drug. I have never even smoked pot, and so for that to happen to me all in one
night was really intense,” Isaac said. The most common drugs used in these situations are benzodiazepines, rohypnols, valium and xanax, Ray Shupe, the assistant operations division commander of the Durango Police Department, said. Other drugs that are used are GHB, GBL, and Ketamine HCL, and are typically the first drugs the police look for when someone reports that they believed they were drugged. “It is difficult because a lot of times the symptoms of intoxication from alcohol and the intoxication from drugs can be very similar,” Shupe said. People have come in thinking they have been drugged, but their Blood Alcohol Content is something like .3, which is four times the legal limit, he said. “But not being able to remember or recount things that happened recently can often be a sign of rohypnol,” he said. After posting photos of her drug test and sharing her story on Facebook, the bar’s management commented on the post through their page and expressed their remorse and sympathies for what had happened to her, but also implied that she may have just had too much to drink and questioned the validity of her drug test, Isaac said.
Isaac considered getting a blood test done, but confirmed with her mother who is a pediatric nurse, and her colleagues, that the test was accurate. Kayla Hoover, senior at FLC and Kayla Gagnon, FLC graduate believe they were drugged at a local bar during Snowdown 2015, Hoover and Gagnon said. After participating in the first round of a bar tournament, things started to seem off, she said. “My sister came and picked us up that night, which we didn’t find out until later, and she said she had never seen me like that before,” Hoover said. “They literally had to carry my body upstairs when we got home because I couldn’t even walk.” The next day, Gagnon and Hoover had an unfamiliar feeling that could not even be compared to a hangover, with few sporadic memories of the night, Gagnon said. “My head was just super cloudy and confused, no motor skills at all,” Hoover said. These incidents are infrequently reported to the police and often difficult to validate when they are, because by the time they report it the drugs have dissipated from their system, Shupe said. Hoover and Gagnon did not think to report it, but did bring it to the attention of
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he said. Most of the bar owners and bartenders look out for their patrons because they do not want drug use at their establishment, he said. If something like that is going on, it is best to notify someone. “We are usually fully staffed on busy weekends, with a door guy, two bar backs, and three bartenders and another door guy at the back,” Angie Davis, a bartender at El Rancho, said. “If anything we see is funny, and it doesn’t take much, we’ll make sure that they leave or call the cops, either/or.” The fact that all of the employees behind the bar are sober is a main source of precaution the staff takes, Noel Henry, manager and barback at Pongas, said. “I’ve actually been roofied before, so I definitely watch out for it,” Kait Naylor, a bartender at Ponga’s said. “If I don’t like
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someone you know, or someone is giving me a weird vibe, I keep an eye on them.” As far as preventative advice goes, make sure you are aware of your surroundings and what you are drinking. “Always know where your cup is, finish your drink before you go on the dance floor, and even if you are walking around, keep your hand over your drink,” Gagnon said. “All it takes is for you to turn your head and some could pop something in your drink.” Definitely go out with a good group of people, Isaac said. “You can try to do everything possible in terms of taking cautious measures, but if it happens to you like it happened to me, where it was out of my control, then they can take care of you,” she said. “Even just having a DD. It was definitely something that I wasn’t prepared for.”
ALWAYS KNOW WHERE YOUR CUP IS, FINISH YOUR DRINK BEFORE YOU GO ON THE DANCE FLOOR, AND EVEN IF YOU ARE WALKING AROUND, KEEP YOUR HAND OVER YOUR DRINK.
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the bar management, said Hoover. “My parents really wanted me to go to the police, but I don’t know, there’s nothing you can do about it,” Isaac said about her experience. “If something actually happened to me where I got hurt or if I got raped or something I definitely would have reported it to the police.” In cases of drugging that are not linked to sexual assault, in which case the victim would be paired up with an advocate from the Sexual Assault Services Organization, the first action taken by police is to prove somebody has been drugged, then go back and see if the bar has any video surveillance of the night, Shupe said. It is illegal to give someone else drugs, and can result in a charge for drugging or incapacitating another person, he said. For Isaac, it was more about sharing her experience and making people aware than it was about pressing charges against anyone, she said. “If somebody feels like they’ve been drugged, we would like to see them ideally in the first five to six hours, but definitely within the first twelve,” Shupe said. “If someone tells you ‘Hey, I think something’s off or weird’, listen to your friends,”
ENTERTAINMENT
Indy on the Street What is on your bucket list to do before you leave Durango? ALEX PROUTY
Durango, CO Senior “Go ski Purg and have fun.”
LEO (July 23 – August 22): I hope the warm air is making you comfortable to dress exactly how you want to. Let your calves breathe a little!
Monte Vsita, CO Senior “Take advantage of this beautiful place and do as much outdoor stuff as possible.”
VIRGO (August 23 – September 22): Do something active today - have a handstand competition with some friends! Climb a tree! Play frisbee golf on campus! LIBRA (September 23 – October 22): You are magic, but in a good way. A good kind of witch, like Hermione. I just wish I had her time-traveling device to get all my homework done.
KATIE RATKO
Chicago, IL Senior “Learn a new language. I think everyone should learn a new language no matter what town their college is in.”
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21): Give someone you love a hug today. Not a brief hello hug, but not a romantic hug either. Just a “we’re both here and I appreciate you” hug. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21): It’s fun to get to know you, so keep letting your friendships blossom.
MAX FIELDS
Denver, CO Senior “People should get involved with agriculture in La Plata County.”
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19): Don’t think too hard, but don’t be absent-minded either. Try to find balance. Sagittarius: It’s fun to get to know you, so keep letting your friendships blossom.
Buy one drink, get one FREE (of equal or lesser value)
The
c D E F G H I J K L A B
CANCER (June 21 – July 22): Don’t give up, I adore you. We all do. Ask a friend to give you head scratches.
KALEY MEYER
Indy
ARIES (March 21 – April 19): Cherish your friends, they love you so much, Aires. Ask them if they would rent a bouncy house for you, and they probably will.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 20): You are strong, Gemini. You can get through this semester. Take some time today to focus your energy and get it done.
Pueblo, CO Senior “We’re getting a group friends to hike Ice Lakes this summer, but I’d say a bunch of outdoors stuff.”
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An unoffical statement written by an Indy staff member.
TAURUS (March 20 – May 20): Ah, the spring! Take a walk around town and lay in the grass. Watch the bees, observe the water move through the river, and admire all the emerging plants.
KRYSTAL DONALDSON
Open M-F 8-5 Weekends 9-5
HOROSCOPES
600 Main Ave Durango, CO (970)764-4171
AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18): Reconnect with an old friend, and geek out about funny memories of the two of you. It will fill you with nostalgia and will be fun to reflect.
PISCES (February 19 – March 20): Thanks, Pisces, for being such a good friend lately. You da best.
MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME AT WINTERWONDERGRASS FESTIVAL IN AVON, COLORADO
O
n February 20-22, Colorado bluegrass fanatics bundled up for the third annual WinterWonderGrass festival in Avon Colorado. Local bands and artists from across the country made the trek to Avon for this unique event, and were rewarded beer, smiles, and tons of snow. Up-and-coming Colorado band Mountain Standard Time shared the stage with many big artists like Leftover Salmon, Elephant Revival, Les Claypool, and the Sam Bush Band. MST took the stage on the last day of the festival, playing right after doors opened at 2:45 P.M. sharp. They put on an incredible performance, despite the frigid and unforgiving blizzard that took place during their set. MST adheres to a unique genre of music, and you could tell that right away with their opener. The band played “Rocky Mountain Free Grass,” which Nick Dunbar, member of the band, describes as “…kind of like a combination of some free jazz, anything like free grass, rock, and we just kinda make it so the sky’s the limit you know? We like to focus on a lot of different points, use a lot of different styles, and keep that in mind with the kind of different people we are playing for.” And they definitely knew whom they were playing for at this festival. Compared to other MST sets I have seen, they displayed more their “grassy” side, while still sticking to their roots. For being a somewhat new band, MST has gained a lot of popularity in the past couple years, even playing gigantic festivals like Wakarusa in 2014. There is no question that one thing sets this band apart from the rest: their supportive fan base from Colorado. Out of all the opening bands for WinterWonderGrass, MST had the largest turnout, which only reflects their growing popularity. The support from Colorado fans does not go unnoticed by the band. “Our fans keep us going,” Dunbar said, “Thanks to everyone for coming out and supporting the band, givin’ us the love, you all are all that we could ask for!” They played five songs off of their latest album including “Think Again,” “Dog Down,” “Highway Lines,” “Simple Summer
Photo courtesy of John Ryan Lockman
Design by Hanna Maddera
Nick Dunbar, mandolinist and vocalist of Mountain Standard Time, performing at WinterWondergrass.
Night,” and “Over You.” They did an excellent job picking out this set, showcasing the diversity of their music and the contrast between each song, while still sticking to their Rocky Mountain Free-Grass style. Just as any band wants to please the crowd with catchy covers of songs, MST really got the crowd singing along with their set ender, “Just Seen A Face,” origi-
nally written by The Beatles. They added their own swingy twist to that piece, which made it unique from any other cover I have heard. MST, without a doubt, left the audience wanting more, with gigantic smiles and cheers when it ended.
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Concert Review by Michelle Olson
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