Independent
The
Fort Lewis College News Magazine Issue 80
www.theindyonline.com
WHY LOCK YOURSELF IN AN ESCAPE ROOM? IT’S A CONUNDRUM
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK Dear readers, I first would like to thank for picking up this issue of The Independent. I would also like to thank those of you who took the time to complete our survey regarding what you would like to see from your student news organization going forward. It was great to see that there is a desire for the news coverage we produce here at The Independent and to receive suggestions for how we can improve ourselves in meeting the needs of our readership. I hope in the future we can foster an open dialogue with the student body of Fort Lewis College both through us reaching out to you and you reaching out to us. This open dialog is crucial going forward both in allowing us to focus on what is important to our readership and to improving our crafts as media producers. Sometimes it can be easy to get caught up in the belief that what we produce here at the Indy occurs in a vacuum and having feedback about the quality of our coverage, and on what is important to cover, helps to break down any feelings of isolation from those we are covering and those we are serving as journalists. If nothing else I hope that knowing we are looking for your feedback will encourage you to continue to expose yourself to The Independent, Theindyonline.com and IndyTV and see how your voice is empowering us to better our coverage.
Thank you and enjoy.
Luke Perkins Editor In Chief The Independent News Organization Anyone who is interested in providing feedback on The Independent can reach out either through email (independent@fortlewis.edu) or through Facebook (The Independent FLC) and Twitter (@flcindependent). If you are interested in providing feedback about specific departments please visit theindyonline.com where you can find contact info for our departmental editors.
REPORTING
EDITORS & STAFF
Chris Mannara Alex Lamb Masheli Thompson Carolyn Estes Travis Good Izzy Farrell
DESIGN/PHOTOGRAPHY LUKE PERKINS Editor in Chief
ALEX SEMADENI Print Editor
JARRED GREEN Online Editor
NATALIA SELLS Business Director
Catie Welch Celeste Matovich Crystal Ashike Drew Lovell Cyril Glaser
VIDEO PRODUCTION Alison Uralli Meryl Ramsey Gabrielle Silva Drew Lovell
BUSINESS
LUCY SCHAEFER ALLISON ANDERSON KEENAN MALONE ALLISON KRUCHELL Photography Editor Design Editor Social Media Video Production
Alicia Koehler Emily Dee
SOCIAL MEDIA Chris Mannara Alex Lamb
Cover photo by Celeste Matovich
IN THIS ISSUE
CAMPUS
Opportunities for Student Activism - 3 Story by Alexandra Lamb
A History of KDUR - 11 Story by Izzy Farrell
COMMUNITY Neighborhood Art in Durango - 5
Photojournalism piece by Celeste Matovich and Lucy Schaefer
COVER Why Lock Yourself in an Escape Room? It’s a Conundrum - 7 Story by Carolyn Estes
HEALTH Animals on The Fort - 9 Story by Masheli Thompson
ENTERTAINMENT Horoscopes, Indy Online highlights, and KDUR DJ Profiles!- 13
Photo by Lucy Schaefer
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CAMPUS
Story by Alexandra Lamb
Fort Lewis College and the Durango community both have unique opportunities to participate in social change. Students who want to get involved with social issues, but do not know where to start, can turn to local groups and FLC based groups. FLC's sociology department is dedicated to social justice and social activism, Anthony Nocella, FLC sociology professor, said. When working with students Nocella first tries to address systematic social problems, and then he tries to encourage students to participate in social change despite the overwhelming nature of these problems, he said. "I try to get them out of this binary of winning and losing and that change is transformative, and it is going to be a lifetime of work," Nocella said. Some opportunities for student involvement include groups like the Protectors of the Waters & Lands,
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Photo by Crystal Ashike
Durango Save the Kids and Durango Hip Hop. Protectors of the Waters & Land held their first official meeting on September 1. The Protectors of the Waters & Land: Standing with Standing Rock The Dakota Access pipeline is infringing on Native rights and treaty rights by threatening the water supply for millions of people, Randall Hughes, FLC biology major, said. Hughes ancestry is Oglala Lakota, DinĂŠ and Anishanaube, he said. It is important to recognize that Native American reservations were created in exchange for native lands with the promise of certain securities, Ruthie Edd, FLC native american and indigenous studies major, said. Edd is part of the Navajo Nation. For the reservation to be livable there needs to be a clean water source, Edd said. “And so if this is the primary
Design by Crystal Ashike
source of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s water, which it is, and there is a threat to it, that is a violation of treaty rights,” she said. FLC business major, Maya St. Cyr, helped organize a group with the help of the Native American Center called Protectors of the Waters & Land in order to shed light on these issues through solidarity rallies for Standing Rock. St. Cyr is from the Omaha and Winnebago tribes of Nebraska, and she is registered Winnebago. The group includes both students and non-students who want to protect lands from any type of social or environmental issues, Denyce White, FLC environmental studies senior, said. White is both Diné Navajo and Northern Ute from the White River Band, White said. “This is my first time ever doing anything like this,” St. Cyr said. “I am a business major, so it is kind of out of my norm to do something like this, but I felt that it was the right thing to do for my people and the future.” Members of the group unanimously want to emphasize that they are not protesters, rather they are protectors. “It is easy to say protesters because
I think our society has triggered that word into being confrontational,” White said. A lot of people in the Dakota Access pipeline movement call themselves protectors because they consider what they are doing to be a responsibility or a duty, she said. Meetings are held in the Native American Center on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm.
Center, Jones said. The DeNier is Durango’s local juvenile facility. Part of the organization works with Durango Hip Hop, a group that uses hip hop as an outlet for youth, he said. “I would say hip hop is a good avenue because of how much it can relate to anyone’s life because with all the elements of hip hop there is graffiti, break dancing, being a DJ or MC, and so I mean so many people are into at least one of those Durango Hip Hop and Durango if not all that it is an easy medium Save the Kids: to catch people’s attention,” he said. “Save the Kids is a national Hip hop changed Jones’ life organization that uses hip hop as a in so many aspects, he said. medium to influence the youth to “I have had a lot of rough times in be more creative than destructive,” my life, and writing has helped me Josh Jones, co-founder of Durango’s to release a lot of my anger and emofaction of Save the Kids, said. tions in a positive way rather than In addition to Jones’ role with Du- a very destructive way,” he said. rango’s faction of Save the Kids, he The group appreciates students is also involved in the organization who want to volunteer, but they are Durango Hip Hop, Nocella said. encouraged to simply seek informa“We try to kind of be the force tion and get updates on events, he within our community and so- said. It is very easy to get involved. ciety that is reaching out to kids that are already getting in trouble, that are in their youth, and getting caught up in the system,” Jones said. Some of their goals include working directly with La Plata Youth Services as well as developing poetry workshops at the Robert E. DeNier Youth Services
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COMMUNITY
Neighborhood Art in Durango Photos by Celeste Matovich and Lucy Schaefer
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Design by Allison Anderson
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COVER
WHY LOCK YOURSELF IN AN IT'S A CONUNDRUM. ESCAPE ROOM?
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Story by Carolyn Estes
ecently “escape rooms” have increased in numbers and have become more popular game for entertainment using active brain activity. Essentially an escape room is where a group of people enter into a themed room and approximately have one-hour to escape based on clues and objects found throughout the game, Hanna Pierce, owner of The Conundrum Escape Rooms, said. “I do not think there is really a perfect description of what an escape room is because they are so different from one another,” Pierce said. Escape rooms are a form of entertainment that create an adrenaline rush from being locked into a room
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Photos by Celeste Matovich
Design by Allison Anderson
and working as quickly as possible to escape, Tina Hott, Animas High School science teacher, said. “They are excellent for fostering collaboration and team building when you are locked into a room with five to eight other individuals,” Hott said. “You are forced to really figure out the strengths of the group.” In corporate team building events typically the employee who is the leader at work takes a step back to let the group take the lead, Pierce said. In escape rooms, every team member has a significant purpose. “People enjoy being challenged and it is a new way to go out and do something with your friends that is a little less stagnant than seeing a mov-
ie,” she said. The first unofficial escape room in Durango was designed and created by Animas High School, which was an escape room open to the public in the spring of 2016 and was exhibited May 2-6, Hott said. Building the escape room itself was a project for the students to engage in the curriculum being taught in their Biology and Geometry courses, Hott said. On Jan. 11, the students went on a field trip to Albuquerque, NM, where the closest escape room was located at the time, to start brainstorming for their own ideas, she said. “The first month we started working on it was mostly brainstorming,”
Hott said. “We needed to come up with a scenario first before we could create the room.” The Animas High School’s escape room was themed around an art gallery with art pieces that were anatomically correct created by the students, she said. “The idea with the escape room is that when you walk in it feels like a normal room for whatever backstory you are in,” Hott said. For the art gallery set up, the first room in the hallway was a reception room with a desk, a phone, fake plants, a bookshelf, and a seating area, she said. Once through the first room, the next room is the art gallery with a table with art work on it as well as the walls, Hott said. Soon after the Animas High School escape room exhibition ended, locals Hanna and Chris Pierce opened their own escape room creating a new attraction in town. The Pierces’ business, The Conun-
drum Escape Rooms, opened June 10, 2016, as Durango’s first official escape room, Hanna Pierce, owner of The Conundrum Escape Rooms, said. The Conundrum team considers escape rooms as an adventure experience which works well in the Durango community that is full of activity enthusiasts, she said. “We (Durango residents) like being challenged, we like doing things, we like being active and I think an indoor adventure is something that we really needed,” Pierce said. “There are a lot of outdoor adventures, Durango is known for that, but sometimes you just have to go indoors.” Currently Conundrums offers two different escape room experiences, she said. The Jesse James room, which is 100 percent the Conundrum’s own design, and the establishment’s first room, which is about 70 percent of the conundrums own design and 30 percent of another design that they
purchased, she said. For escape room designers, ideas can come from different companies that will design escape rooms with different themes to sell to the owners, Pierce said. Blogs and buy sell trade groups are also popular ways to find concepts to help create an escape room, she said. Pierce, however, prefers to create a theme and brainstorm a few puzzle ideas that will be in the room, she said. She then starts shopping around for furniture and pieces to go into the escape room. Thrift store shopping for objects for the escape room is how Pierce becomes inspired with ideas for the room, she said. “I find and figure out how those can play a role into the game or become a puzzle within themselves, versus trying to figure out what I want and then having to shop for very specific items,” Pierce said. “I kind of let the room evolve itself.”
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HEALTH
Animals on the Fort
Story by Masheli Thompson
F
Design by Catie Welch
rom service dogs to emotional support animals (ESAs) and regular pets, Fort Lewis College students have a unique relationship with their animals. The two types of animals allowed on campus are service dogs and ESAs, Dian Jenkins, director of Disability Services at FLC, said. ESAs support their owner’s mental health disability by providing comfort and are allowed to live in their on-campus housing with them, Jenkins said. ESAs must be approved by the Disability Services office. Unlike service dogs, ESAs do not have to be dogs, she said. The animal is individualized to suit the mental health disability and needs of the person they provide comfort to. ESAs are limited to on-campus housing, as opposed to service dogs, she said. Service dogs have public access rights where other animals are prohibited, due to their training. “A service dog performs a task for their person based on what that person is unable to do for themselves,” Jenkins said. An ESA requires no special train-
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Photos by Catie Welch
ing to live with their owner, and cannot go in public places where animals are restricted, she said. “Service dogs are working dogs.” Jenkins said. “They should not be approached, talked to, or petted.” If someone has concerns about the presence of a service dog in class with them, such as an allergy or phobia of dogs, they should inform the instructor of their issue, she said. Students and Pets Adopting animals remains popular with FLC students even without these special classes of animals for disabilities, said Chris Nelson, Director of Animal Services at La Plata County Humane Society (LPCHS). LPCHS used to not allow FLC students to adopt pets, but have been easing up on the restrictions, allowing students to adopt now, he said. There are financial concerns that must be addressed as well if a student adopts a pet, said Kassy Keough, a veterinarian assistant at Riverview Animal Hospital.This includes the cost of vaccinations, leashes and bowls paid for by the student. There are also behavioral health
Three year old Atlas is cared for by FLC student Sara Squirrell. concerns for the pet as well, she said. Cats generally adapt well to apartment living, while still providing companionship, but dogs are less independent and may develop neurotic and destructive behavior if left alone too long. Post-college life should be the main concern for both pet and owner, Nelson said. “You have to think about your future, and the future of the pet,” Keough said. It is a common story to hear that a pet has been handed over to the parents of a former college student because factors such as career expectations and family structure have changed, she said. It also is not uncommon to hear of cats being abandoned when their owners leave town. They have to be thinking about where they are going to be living once they are done with school, Nelson said. “We see a lot of animals surrendered when students are graduating,” he said. Students need to be aware of the financial costs, not only of caring for
the animal, but the results if they do not, she said. The treatment for parvo, a potentially lethal but preventable disease, is about $2,000-3,000. The Durango area has problems with fleas, ticks and a cardiac parasite known as heartworm, Keough said. Heartworm can be potentially lethal to a dog if it advances far enough, but fleas, ticks and heartworms are all preventable with medication. Potential costs also include a first-aid kit for the animal, especially if they are a hiking companion, she said.
Items that should go in a dog’s first-aid kit include bandage material, Neosporin, Benadryl, and potentially even dog boots, Keough said. Sharing walking responsibility for a dog with a friend is also one way to get around the potential behavioral issues of a dog with apartment living, she said. If a student cannot adopt a dog or cat, they can volunteer to share the duty of walking the dogs or playing with the cats at the humane society, Nelson said. It’s a $25 Humane Society membership fee per year to do so.
If they cannot make a long-term commitment to adopting an animal but are able to house young puppies and kittens, they can foster for a few weeks at a time, he said. “It’s like being a grandparent.” he said. “You get to spoil them and give them back.”
Two students pet their newly adopted husky mix before taking him home.
A two year old cat currently up for adoption at the LPC Humane Society.
Buck is a five year old yellow Lab who is waiting to be adopted at the LPC Humane Society.
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ort Lewis College students and Durango locals who are interested in radio, being a DJ or just sharing their eclectic musical tastes have a rare opportunity to do so right here on campus in the form of KDUR. “One of the things we pride ourselves on here is to play music that’s not heard on commercial radio,” Bryant Liggett, Station Manager at
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KDUR, said. “So if you wanted to come in and play stuff from your obscure punk rock collection, or metal collection, or whatever, you can do it here.” The station broadcasts all across Southwest Colorado via 91.9FM and 93.9FM, and it is also possible to listen online according to the KDUR website. According to said website, KDUR was founded in 1974 and became a public radio station in the
early nineties. “It’s kind of been like a niche radio station for people who are just kind of tired of commercial radio and bands that are overplayed on major radio stations,” Liggett said. Within the studio, a special shelf called the play box is dedicated to new music sent over from record labels for free, said Douglas DuPont, vice president of the KDUR Board of Directors. Dupont, a sophomore, also serves as the Student DJ Representative for the Board. DJs are encouraged to play a minimum of three songs an hour from the play box, Dupont said. KDUR focuses on music that is not often played on commercial stations, so larger labels such as Warner Brothers are typically not in-
cluded in the play box, he said. However, DJs can put in a request with the music directors for a specific new track they believe will go over well, he said. “The best advice I can give is that everyone takes practicum,” Dupont said. Practicum, or English 251, is for FLC students who wish to take KDUR as a class, Liggett said. Students may register for up to six credits. “In English 251 those students will do a show for like five or six weeks, so they have to play all new music,” Liggett said. DuPont said his best experience with KDUR was through practicum, when he created a thirty minute documentary on trap music. “I was able to go to Denver with a field recorder I checked out from the station and interview Vince Staples, who’s a pretty renown rapper,” DuPont said. “Last year I wouldn’t have ever foreseen anything like that happening for a school project.” Fifty to sixty DJs host a show each semester, in addition to the fifteen to twenty practicum students, Liggett said. Both students and Durango locals are welcome to join. “I would say in the summer time it’s about half and half, and in the school years it’s probably seventy five percent student,” Liggett said. “This semester there’s 56 slots to do radio shows, and so I think 40 of those this semester are students, and so 16 community members.” One of those community members is Jeff McGarvin. His show Upbeat airs every Monday night from 8 - 10 p.m., McGarvin said. “I’ve held this time slot for probably seven or eight years,” McGarvin said. Before hosting his own show, McGarvin worked as a fill in DJ, he said. He has been involved with the station in some way for 16 years.
“We went from having a cubby hole up on the third floor before this whole thing was remodeled, to having the studio in a trailer for a few years, to having this gorgeous place here,” McGarvin said, “So that’s been a huge change.” The expansive music library and improved technology within the studio has also had a significant impact, McGarvin said. “We probably have one of the nicest radio stations in the community, and I would even say in the Southwest,” says Liggett. Liggett said before coming to Fort Lewis, he had been to Durango and was familiar with KDUR. “I’ve always liked radio, and I’ve always liked this radio station prior to moving here,” Liggett said. “I’d been to Durango a couple times and enjoyed this radio station. So that was it, I just liked it.” Many shows on KDUR’s schedule have been running since the nineties, Liggett said. Some of the longest running programs on the station include a bluegrass show, a Grateful Dead show, and a reggae show. “Saturday mornings nine to noon is one of our most popular programs and they play what I call like insurgent country music,” Liggett said. KDUR is an RSO III, said Mark Mastalski, director of the Leadership Center. The only other RSO III at Fort Lewis is the Environmental Center, Mastalski said. Registered student organizations are divided into RSO Is, RSO IIs, and RSO III, she said. The different levels determine how an organization is funded. “What makes an RSO III is that those two organizations have professional staff who are paid out of the budget of that organization,” Mastalski said. “So Bryant Liggett
is the station manager of KDUR, he is on the KDUR payroll. That is his job, period.” RSO IIs may also have staff but they are considered employees of the college and paid through FLC, Mastalski said. Both RSO IIs and RSO IIIs receive a budget through student fees, he said. At the Sept. 28 ASFLC meeting, all RSO IIs had their budgets cut by 8.89 percent. The Environmental Center also faced an 8.89 percent budget cut, while KDUR’s budget was unaffected. RSO IIs include student organizations such as WellPAC, Club del Centro, ASFLC, Wanbli Ota, Village Aid Project, Student Union Productions, and The Independent, he said. “The majority of our student groups fall under RSO Is” Mastalski said. “What this means is they do not receive a budget, they receive an initial allocation.” These initial allocations are in the amount of either $50 or $100, he said. Unlike many RSOs, KDUR is funded through a variety of sources. According to KDUR’s most recent Financial Audit Report, less than one third of the station’s total operating revenue comes from student fees. This means that fundraising, private grants, and underwriting from local businesses makes up the majority of the station’s revenue. However, KDUR is very different from a commercial station, said McGavin. Commercial radio stations, he said, often turn off listeners with repetitive music. “There’s great stations like KDUR that play really good music that no one else plays, and it makes all the difference in the world,” McGavin said.
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ENTERTAINMENT CALL FOR CREATIVE WORKS The Independent is now accepting creative content to be included in the next print issue of the Indy. Art, poems, photos, short stories, anything you’d like to submit is welcome! Please send all submissions and questions to Allison Anderson (awanderson@fortlewis.edu) and be sure to include your name and the title of your work in your email.
HOROSCOPES ARIES (March 21-April 19) This week,try getting the things you’re least looking forward to crossed off your to-do list first - the whole rest of your day and week will seem a lot easier.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You may pride yourself on your honesty, but remember that honesty and tact used in tandem will always get you further than either one by itself.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Money may be burning a hole in your pocket right now - don’t give in to temptation! Save for a larger splurge at the end of the month.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Life may be throwing a wrench in some plans you’ve been working on. Work around it - it’ll be worth it in the end.
LEO (July 23-August 22) Be communicative - whether you’re dealing with problems in your life or you just want to remind a loved one of how important they are to you, don’t bottle up your emotions.
THE INDY ONLINE Want more? Head over to theindyonline.com for exclusive stories, opinions, Indy TV videos, photo slideshows and more! You can find these stories online now:
Unforeseen Decrease in Housing Numbers Story by Carolyn Estes
VIRGO (August 23-September 22) It’s okay to say no sometimes - if you’ve already got a lot on your plate, get that done first before taking on new responsibilities.
LIBRA (September 23-October 22) Don’t stress too much about anything right now. This too shall pass- it may pass like a kidney stone, but it’ll pass.
SCORPIO (October 23-November 22) Find some solace in routine - when things get all shaken up and stressful, it’s nice to have at least a few things stay constant.
SAGITTARIUS (November 23-December 21) You may think that overloading yourself is helping you stay on top of things, and it might, but remember to give yourself a break every once in a while.
Trigger Warnings and Safe Spaces Story by Izzy Farrell
CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) Art on Campus
Photojournalism piece by Catie Welch
Smith Sports Complex, Fiesta on the Mesa, and DAPL Video by Indy TV
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Just because something’s been a significant in your life for a while doesn’t always mean it’s good - everything has a point of diminishing returns. If it’s not making you better, cut it out.
AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) The changing of the seasons may have you feeling a little bit off. Just take things one day at a time and focus on the task at hand.
PISCES (February 19-March 20) If a new task isn’t coming as easy to you as you would like, don’t worry. Enthusiasm and reliability will take you infinitely further than skill.
CJ’S CATERING SPECIALIZED DINING FOR EVERY OCCASION
KDUR DJ PROFILE: Avery Martinez When did you get involved with radio? The first time I did anything in radio I was probably six years old. I forget exactly what the context of it was but I was involved in a show and they invited us to talk about it on the air. I remember going there and being completely fascinated with the radio station. It was a small town, so most of the news and entertainment came from the radio. This is going to sound really old school but that was in the days before Salida really had internet. When I really got heavily involved into radio I show I was a freshman in highschool and I was already into radio dramas. I thought it was so cool that you could hear the voices and I could design the character however I thought it could look. It was not like watching a tv show or a play or a movie where you’re essentially told how everything should look. What was the concept behind your show? Almost any series that you could imagine before 1965 is in the pub-
Kristen Martinez Catering & Event Coordinator 970-375-0117 970-759-8855
lic domain, so I listened to so many different programs and one of my favorites was The Adventures Of Phillip Marlow which was a radio detective series about a character that Raymond Chandler created and I really liked it and I remember I thought it was really stupid in a way that they don’t do shows like this now so I sat down at my computer and I typed up a radio script I followed the same format as The Adventures Of Phillip Marlow, I created my own characters and I took the script to my parents. I said “read this and tell me what you think” and so my mom read it and was very very excited. After taking his script to Dean Johnson, the station manager for KVUH in Salida, Avery pitched his idea of having an ongoing radio series aired in addition to the episode he showed Dean. So starting my freshman year of highschool, I did a bunch of writing and got a punch of episodes together, a group of people of all different ages from about five years old to about 60
and they’d all meet at the radio station and we’d record them and edit them and send them out. It was an AM station so it’s kinda nice here at KDUR to have made the jump from AM to FM. Describe your involvement in KDUR. When I was looking for colleges I came here and toured the school and KDUR at a booth set out up front. I told them I did radio drama and Bryant Liggett was like “Oh that’s awesome!”. As soon as I got to school here I went and talked to Liggett, got approved for it and I’ve been doing radio dramas on KDUR ever since. It’s neat, I’m very proud and very thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to get the exposure to radio that I have from such an early age. My whole interests is in radio because I think now in the twenty first century, the radio has more opportunities to expand as a media in the sense that television is so oversaturated with so many forms of media and target audiences while radio has hardly been touched.
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