Issue 86 by The Independent Student Press

Independent

The

Fort Lewis College News Magazine Issue 86

www.theindyonline.com Spring 2017

FLC IN MIDST OF CAMPUS-WIDE BUDGET SHORTAGE

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK Dear readers, Thank you for picking up this issue of The Independent as your source of student news in the Durango community. Our cover story this issue tells the story of the budget shortfall our school is going through. There’s a combination of issues that play into this story that go back to even last semester. It’s our job as a student news organization to provide you with the best coverage of everything that is affecting the school. We plan to cover issues like this as accurately as possible to provide you with the best information possible. I want to remind our readers that this is not the only way to get news that directly relates to you. Our website, theindyonline.com, has a variety of stories as we work to expand our coverage. From ASFLC meetings, to sporting events, to previewing what the theatre department is doing, to we’re doing everything we can to provide coverage to a variety of events. We hope to continue to expand what we’re doing online as well, and I’d encourage you to check us out. Thanks for making the Independent a part of your day! Alex Semadeni Editor in Chief 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.

EDITORS & STAFF

Alex Semadeni Editor in Chief

Jarred Green Associate EIC

Crystal Ashike Photography Editor

Carolyn Estes Print Editor

Allison Anderson Design Editor

Cover illustration by Allison Anderson

Izzy Farrell Online Editor

Chris Mannara Social Media

Natalia Sells Business Director

Avery Martinez Videography Editor

REPORTING CJ Calvert Becca Day Davis Deussen Douglas DuPont Shandiin Ramsey Ryan Simonovich Lacey Tewanema DESIGN Hannah Burlingame Katreena Haswood Walter Potter PHOTOGRAPHY Isaac Furtney Traven Halley Richie Scheuer VIDEO PRODUCTION Nicole Curry-Stephens Faith Luna Matt Roy Alex Sarracino BUSINESS Levi Nells Evan Wick SOCIAL MEDIA Brandon Book

IN THIS ISSUE

CAMPUS

Indy Profile: Exchange Students at FLC- 3 Story by Becca Day

From Compassion to Action: Valunteering in Durango- 9 Story by Shandiin Ramsey

COMMUNITY

Homegrown Food: An Option for FLC Students- 5 Story by Elizabeth Haagenstad

COVER FLC in Midst of Campus-Wide Budget Shortage- 7 Story by Davis Deussen

OUTDOORS Snow Safety in the Southwest- 11 Story by Douglas DuPont

ENTERTAINMENT Horoscopes, Indy Online Highlights, andProfessor Profiles!- 13

Photo by Allison Anderson

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CAMPUS

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COMMUNITY

HOMEGROWN FOOD:AN OPTION

FOR FLc STUDENTS

espite the limited time, budget and space that Fort Lewis College students may face, it is possible for them to grow their own food. Many local farmers and gardeners can agree that the process of growing one’s own food is within reason, whether they are a student or not. “It doesn’t take a whole lot,” said James Plate, founder of Fields to Plate Produce. “You just need some space and some dedication to work it.” What students can grow is dependent on their home situations, but it is far from impossible, Brooke Frazer, manager at the Manna Soup Kitchen Community Garden said. “If you start small, and you do a 10 by 10 garden, and you water it everyday, and maybe have your roommates help you,” Frazer said. “I would say it’s medium commitment.” Home-grown produce is not only cost efficient but also guarantees the consumer that they are getting a healthy organic product straight from their backyard, as well as knowing exactly what was and was not put into that product, Frazer said.

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Story by Elizabeth Haagenstad Photos by Crystal Ashike Design by Allison Anderson

“They can save money, and they know they’re growing either organically, or beyond organically,” Frazer said. “You also get the therapeutic benefits to just being outside and gardening.” In addition to being cost-effective, personal food production builds resilient people, which is necessary for students on a tight budget in a fiscally tight and unforgiving economy, Plate said. There are steps that should be taken in order to start one’s own garden, all of which include consideration to the climate, soil and unique weather conditions that Durango has to offer, Frazer said. “You want a nice mix of soil, clay, and organic matter,” Frazer said. “They say you want 5 percent organic matter, and it’s a struggle to get that organic matter, which is why you want compost.” Compost is an important ingredient to creating the ideal soil for an at-home garden, and although some may think that this “ideal soil” can be hard to come by, compost, like building a garden itself, is not unobtainable, Frazer said. There are resources available designed to both ed-

ucate and provide venues for people to gain the experience necessary to grow successful at-home gardens, such as Plate’s company Field to Plate. This program is responsible for much of the produce that is distributed throughout Durango, including many local restaurants and grocers such as Nature’s Oasis and Durango Natural Foods Co-op. Fields to Plate also provides itself as a learning experience for many of those interested in gardening and growing their own produce. “A lot of the times, especially in our situation, we accept volunteers all the time for food trade,” Plate said. “And that’s probably the best resource for education, just working hands-on on farms.” For students without a place to grow, community gardens offers a place to grow education through experience on how to grow a garden, said Frazer. Ohana Kuleana is one of a few community garden located right off of Main Avenue here in Durango. The garden includes 33 plots which are available for $60 a year. The charge includes water and plant-ready soil. In addition to Fields to Plate and Ohana Kuleana,

there are other resources available for students looking to start an at-home garden. Native Roots Garden Center of Durango is a locally owned grown year-round garden center. As well as providing all of the necessary materials one would need for a first time home garden at a reasonable price, they also offer opportunities for those interested in learning all the significant skills to gardening in your own backyard. “We like to coach our customers as well.” Said Kirk Williams, yard manager at Native Roots. “We have free classes all Spring long.” If there is enough motivation and dedication, growing an at-home garden is an excellent way to guarantee organic produce while also minimizing carbon footprint, according to Plate. For students, a chance to grow their own garden is as close as their backyard, regardless of time and budget.

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COVER

FLC IN MIDST

OF CAmPUS-WIDE

BUDGET SHORTAGE

he Fort Lewis College campus is in the midst of a $1.2 million budget shortfall due to decreases in student enrollment for the 2016-2017 academic year and state appropriations. FLC budgeted for a 2 percent decline in enrollment for the entirety of the current school year, Steve Schwartz, the vice president of finance and administration at FLC said. The college has hired Ruffalo Noel Levitz, an outside consulting firm, to address the school’s student enrollment fluctuations and retention rate. “We’ll be using the RNL process to look towards what are we not doing that we should be doing,” Schwartz said. “We’ll also be looking in the short term. What can we do to reduce budgets so that our expenditures are in line with our revenues.” Faculty Senate President David

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Blake, who also sits on the college’s budget committee, said that the college has not identified any departments or programs or services to be cut currently. Ruffalo Noel Levitz has implemented a new program review process for the campus that is a part of the strategic enrollment analysis the consulting group is conducting for the college. The firm was hired for $177,500 with the funds to cover the cost coming from the same college reserves that are funding the school year, Schwartz said. The consultants conducting the strategic enrollment analysis, which is scheduled to take place from Jan. 23 to Jan. 22, 2018, are asking for strategic enrollment plans from students, faculty, staff and members of the community. The proposed new ideas will go through a review process in order

to determine the approximate impact the idea would have on student enrollment figures, Andrew Burns, director of admissions at FLC said. “We want to make sure that everybody from academics to enrollment management to athletics to student affairs are thinking about ways that we could positively influence enrollment activities and enrollment for our student body here,” Burns said. “At the end of the day, any of the ideas that are seriously considered need to be assigned a budget and at that point we’ll look at the cost-benefit analysis to see whether a program makes sense.” A resolution to ensure transparency and clarity during the Ruffalo Noel Levitz new program review process was passed unanimously in a Faculty Senate meeting on Feb. 2. Transparency, knowing what is going on with the review while it is ongoing, is of major importance to

the faculty, Blake said. It is also important to take this unique opportunity to get ideas out there, Blake said. “There’s been a lot of discussion about collaborative programs, say within three or four different departments. Can we all get together and create something that we’ve only dreamed about?” Blake said. “Maybe those kinds of dreams or ideas might turn out to be, hey, this is a worthwhile idea to do.” The fall enrollment went down 3.4 percent, while spring enrollment declined 5.8 percent, Burns said. This decline in fall enrollment led to a full-year projected budget shortfall of $600,000, Schwartz said. The decline in spring enrollment led to an additional $600,000 projected budget shortfall resulting in a $1.2 million budget deficit overall. FLC is predicting a flat enrollment rate for the upcoming school year, Burns said. Flat enrollment means that there is a zero percent increase and a zero percent decrease in student enrollment. The retention rate from the fall semester to the current spring se-

mester was projected at 89 percent and came in at 85 percent, Schwartz said. FLC’s student enrollment decrease is larger than the National Student Clearinghouse’s reported 1.4 percent drop in national enrollment in fall 2016. The spring semester was funded by college reserves, which is a onetime savings account, Schwartz said. The college reserves, one-time savings account consists of leftover funds from the budget that are banked, or stored, as a reserve after all of the school’s recurring expenses have been paid, Schwartz said. The college has predicted a flat student enrollment rate with one of the biggest factors contributing to that projection being increased admission standards, Burns said. “We are slowly moving towards a set of standards that the state commission on higher education has passed, which encourages all institutions to make sure that their students are college ready by the time they enter,” Burns said Per a Nov. 1, 2016 budget request to the state of Colorado from Gov.

John Hickenlooper, an increase in funding to higher education by $20 million, or 2.5 percent, was requested. FLC’s share, or budget increase due to this state mandate, would be 2.7 percent, or $304,000, Schwartz said. Also in the state budget request for next year, a state-mandated increase of 2.5 percent to classified staff wages is. Classified staff are generally staff who get paid an hourly rate as opposed to exempt staff, who get paid a salary. With a potential 5 percent increase to residential tuition, a potential 6 percent increase to non-residential tuition, flat enrollment, the governor’s budget request and the state-mandated salary increase all projected into the budget for next school year, FLC would still have a projected $700,000 budget deficit for the 2017-2018 school year, Schwartz said.

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TOTAL STUDENTS FRESHMAN APPLICATIONS FRESHMEN ADMITTED

0 7 0 7-2 0 0 20 8 0 820 0 20 9 0 9-2 0 20 10 10 -20 11 20 1120 12 20 12 -20 13 20 13 -20 14 20 14 -20 15 20 15 -20 16 20 16 -20 17

FRESHMEN ENROLLED

620 20 0

STUDENTS

ENROLLMENT 2006-2017

SCHOOL YEAR

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COMMUNITY

Story by Shandiin Ramsey

Photos by Traven Halley

Design by Katreena Haswood

Although it is hard work, being around the horses is incredibly rewarding which is why people stick with it McCracken said. “I love being around the animals,” Callahan said. “It’s a nice break from the monotony of everyday life. A lot of these animals have had very rough lives, and simply being able to help them find joy in life is rewarding in itself.” Horses are so gratifying to work with because of their innocence and gentle nature, Callahan said.

Friendly volunteer at the Humane Society holds one of their cats named “Whiskers.”

here are volunteer opportunities around Durango that are available to Fort Lewis College students. Many of these, such as the Spring Creek Horse Rescue and the La Plata Humane Society, include working with animals. While on a bike ride around Durango with the Fort Lewis College cycling team, Kevin Callahan came across a sign for Spring Creek Horse Rescue. Intrigued, he returned home, searched the name and came across a website. Callahan was interested in learning more about horses, as he had never been around them growing up. “What better way to learn about the equestrian world than to volunteer at a rescue?” Callahan said. “I’ll get tons of experience, and I’ll be able to help out at the same time. It’s a win-win.” After reaching out to Diane McCracken, the founder of Spring Creek, he began volunteering at the rescue weekly. Working at the rescue requires a lot of physical labor that involves moving horses from one place to another and cleaning stalls, McCracken said. Callahan agreed with this statement. “There’s no shortage of work to be done: it’s endless,” Callahan said. “It’s hands on and dirty.” Callahan volunteers at the rescue on Tuesdays and finishes the day with class. “I often arrive covered in mud and hay,” Callahan said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I smell somewhat like a barn on some days. Not that I care. My classmates might, though.”

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Currently the rescue has 25 horses and is expecting another soon, McCracken said. “Two-thirds of our horses are sanctuary horses, never leaving here. They are not adoptable which makes it pretty hard,” McCracken said. The ranch struggles with so many sanctuary horses because they aren’t receiving as many adoption fees, McCracken said. Most of the horses have a lot of problems, and some people have a hard time when horses come in that are really skinny or bloody. “Volunteer work is rarely easy, but I enjoy every minute I spend there and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Callahan said

Caged dog stares with emotion ready to be adopted.

There are other places around Durango that provide opportunities for volunteers working with animals. The La Plata County Humane Society is the local pound in town, and they are always looking for volunteers, Kristy Simplicio a supervisor at LPHS said. “If they want to be more with the cats, they just go in there and socialize the cats,” she said. “They let them out of their cage, brush them if they need it, just play with them in there. With the dogs, they walk them on the river trail and that’s the main thing that volunteers do here.” Right now the shelter has about 45 dogs, which is a high number. Contrary to the large amount of dogs, LPHS only has about 20 cats, which Simplicio said is a good number because it is on the lower side. However, with such a high number of dogs, there is always a dog in need of going on a walk, Simplicio said. “To become a volunteer you have to become a member, which is a $25 annual fee,” Simplicio said. “Once you become a member, you fill out the volunteer application then the volunteer coordinator will go over the orientation with you.” The orientation takes about half an hour and just covers the basics of volunteering, she said. Groups are also able to come volunteer together. The Fort Lewis College softball team comes in to walk dogs together, as does the staff from Zukes, Simplicio said. Some volunteers can participate in events and fundraisers outside of the humane society, where they work tables and booths and answer questions from customers, she said. Advanced volunteers can walk dogs downtown with “Adopt Me” vests on. Volunteers are able to walk dogs or play with the cats whenever it fits their schedule. As long as LPHS is open and they have completed orientation, they are welcome, Simplicio said.

“Cotton” the cat getting some loving by one of the volunteer caretakers!

Contact info for volunteer opportunities: Spring Creek Horse Rescue: Founder - Diane McCracken Ph: (970) 884-4425 Email: springcreekhorserescue@yahoo.com La Plata County Humane Society: Volunteer Coordinator - Carolyn Bollinger Ph: (970)259-2847 Email: carolyn@lpchumanesociety.org Woolfwood Refuge: Paula Watson Ph: (970) 946-9606 Email: wolfwood1995@hotmail.com

Lovable “Smokey” is patiently waiting to find a new home!

Annie’s Orphans: Anna Anderson Ph: (970) 759-8811 Email: anniesk9orphans@yahoo.com

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OUTDOORS

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ENTERTAINMENT

HOROSCOPES ARIES (March 21-April 19) Don’t let all the stress from midterms take over your life remember to take some time off to recuperate and recollect. Burning the candle at both ends isn’t helpful.

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:

Skyhawks Overcome Deficit but Run Out of Gas in OT

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You may have run into an obstacle in trying to acheive a goal of yours or complete a task. Take the time to think and evaluate whether or not these obstacles are self-imposed.

Story by Matthew Roy

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Just beacuse there’s something on the horizon that you’re excited for doesn’t mean you can ignore what’s happening now. Keep your focus on the present and time will pass much faster.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Your tendency to worry about other people is a much appreciated characteristic, but know that self-care is important too.

The ASFLC Approves Censures and Quorum Requirements Story by CJ Calvert

Valentine’s Day, What a Drag

LEO (July 23-August 22) If you’re faced with a difficult decision, don’t give into pressure to make a quick choice - instead, take your time and really evaluate any possible outcomes.

Story by Jarred Green

VIRGO (August 23-September 22) Taking a break from a pertinent task or project may have served you well, but considerthat it may be time to get back to it and make the final push to finish it.

LIBRA (September 23-October 22) Now is the time to clear the air of any grievances or grudges you’’ve been holding onto lately. Remember, though, to be productive in squashing your beefs.

SCORPIO (October 23-November 22) Don’t keep your good ideas to yourself! Converse and collaborate, and you could be on your way to something great.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23-December 21) Try doing something spontaneous for once - do something completely out of character for you. You may find a new avenue of expression.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) You may be tending to fly solo latelyin order to ensure things go the way you want them to. Try breaking this habit by collaborating with people on something.

AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) Plan something cool for yourself for spring break. A new experience will give you energy to finish out the last half of the semester.

KDUR New Music Review: Ab-Soul and Old Crow Medicine Show Story byDouglas DuPont

PISCES (February 19-March 20) In the next few weeks, evaluate everything in your life and get rid of whatever doesn’t do you any good anymore.

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flcindependent

MEET A PROFESSOR: JASON SHAFER by Ryan Simonovich

Jason Shafer is a visiting instructor of English. His area of expertise in British Literature, he said. This semester he is teaching African American Literature, Early American Literature, Senior Seminar of Westerns, and Reading Texts and Writing Texts. Where did you grow up? “I’m from Durango, actually. I was born and raised here and then kind of wanted to get out of town after high school.” Where did you get your degree? “I did undergrad at University of California Los Angeles and graduate school at University of Colorado Boulder.” What’s the best part about living in Durango and teaching at Fort Lewis? “I’ve always been somehow connected with this school. I used to walk over here as an 8 or 10- yearold and use the Library. They had high speed internet which nobody did back then. I have a lot of good feelings about this school.” Is there any advice that you often give to students? “Work hard first and have fun with it second. You have to take things seriously, but there’s a lot of fun to be had.” What do you like to do outside of work? “I like to ski, and go horseback riding in the mountains. I also do 3D graphic art.” Where’s your favorite place around Durango? “I like to spend a lot of time up at Vallecito.” What’s your favorite food? “I’m a pretty big fan of Thai food. I spent about a year over there.” Do you travel a lot? “I have. I don’t don’t get the chance as much anymore, but I’ve been a lot of places. I definitely encourage people to travel. It does a lot for you as a person.” What’s your favorite place you have traveled to? “I went to Siberia twice, and that was kind of amazing. It’s a truly wild place. You go out and there’s grizzly bears eating and there’s giant wolverines. It’s dangerous, but it’s amazingly beautiful and just really wild in a way that a lot of places aren’t anymore.”

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Attention FLC Students: Get your summer storage unit now!

Chances are if you wait until April everything in the county will be already rented! • • • •

Affordable Storage is ready with smaller student sizes available now. Rent before March 15th and pay only $10 for March on our smaller units (4x4, 4x6, and 4x8) We have additional Pre-Pay discounts on all sized units available for summer as well! Call Affordable Mini Storage today and we will get you into a discount unit in 5 minutes! (970) 259-2371 www.affordablestoragedurango.com 1378 County Road 250 (5 minutes from FLC campus - north end) “Elvis has left the building, so we have room!”

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When: February 15, 2017

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123.456.7890

Practicum Director pmgray@fortlewis.edu

Alex Semadeni Editor in Chief awsemadeni@fortlewis.edu