Issue 99 by The Independent Student Press

The Independent i

Issue #99

Fort Lewis College News Magazine

THE SAN JUANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S UNSTABLE SNOWPACK

What it Means for Backcountry Travelers

February 14th, 2019

Dear Readers,

Editor’s Note

Happy Valentine’s Day! This time of the year always reminds me of my first Valentine’s Day experience in high school. I was a lowly freshman in high school, not at all confident about romantically wooing the opposite sex. I was popular among friends, but had no experience in flirting smoothly (Update: I still do not have this skill). The story begins a few weeks prior to Valentine’s Day at an acquaintance’s birthday party. I tagged along with one of my friends and met one of the birthday girl’s friends. We hit it off at the party and soon began texting everyday after.. Texting turned into hanging out. Soon, it became clear that we were an item. All I had to do was ask her out. Valentine’s Day was coming up, giving me the perfect time to pop the question. The problem was I had absolutely no idea how to do that. Do I take her out to a nice steak dinner and ask her out there? Do I buy a bouquet of flowers and decorate her room? Or was I overthinking it? Can I just ask randomly in the middle of a conversation? Can I send a text? After spending all night Googling what to do, I decided to settle in the middle. Before school that morning, I bought a single rose from a local flower shop. In the passing period before lunch, I was going to march up to her with the rose, act like I’ve done this a million times, and ask her out. I had kept the flower with me all day to ensure it’s safety. I carried it around, proudly explaining to everyone that I was about to have a sophomore girlfriend. Surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous. Things were good. Tragedy struck during English class, the period before lunch. I had kept the rose in my water bottle, thinking this was healthy for the plant. There was only a couple of minutes until the bell would ring, and my days of being single would be forever over. In my excitement, I hastily grabbed my water bottle and put it in the side pocket of my backpack. However, my classmates were equally as excited to leave, and one of them hit me, knocking my water bottle to the ground. The rose got clipped, leaving the rose in tact but leaving almost no room to even hold the flower. I was mortified. My perfect plan was ruined. All I had was a rose with no stem that could only be held by ever so awkwardly holding it. The problem was heightened because it was showtime - I had no time to come up with another plan. I either had to roll with it or abort the mission. I decided to roll with it. I considered abandoning ship all the way until I saw her and it was too late. My face redder than the rose itself, I nervously approached, all my confidence completely clipped like the rose’s stem. Her friends all gathered around as I mumbled what I had so confidently rehearsed the night before. I could see in their faces they felt the rose was weird. But it didn’t matter. She said yes. We didn’t make it a month, though it would be foolish to blame it entirely on the rose (which is exactly what my freshman self did). I forever swore off Valentine’s Day. That promise was broken the next year, when I realized I would be single again if I didn’t get my sophomore year girlfriend a gift. Everytime I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of how awkward I was as a high school freshman, and how much I hated the holiday. Now, it’s one of my favorite holidays, mainly due to the discounted chocolate. I hope your Valentine’s Day is a million times less awkward than mine. As always, thanks for picking up a copy of The Independent and make sure to make theindyonline.com a regular part of your day.

Alex Semadeni Editor in Chief

awsemadeni@fortlewis.edu

COVER FLC student Garrett Rodgers splitboards along a local trail. Splitboarding is a common way people access the backcountry. Photo by Colton Branstetter

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In This Issue

Empowering Women Outside

New Campus Club has Students Bound for Big Adventures Ryan Simonovich

3-4

Spring is Here, Season is Near Colton Branstetter & Mandy Lorenson 5-6

From Red Hearts to Red flags Meritt Drake 7-8

The San Juanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Unstable Snowpack

What it Means for Backcountry Travelers Nate DeCremer 9-10

Study Abroad

Summer 2019 Coya Pair 11-12

Technical sports like ice climbing may be intimidating to beginners, however groups like Keeping Women Wild provide a supporting environment for women who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know where to start. Courtesy of Sarah Moore

FLC Staff Profile

Arnulfo Pardo Taylor Hutchison 13

Empowering women outside new campus club has students bound for big adventures

Creating a Community

In the summer before her freshman year at Fort Lewis College, Sarah Moore participated in a monthlong Outward Bound trip in Northern Colorado. “I experienced a lot of really, really hard days where I didn’t know if I would get through it,” Moore said of the trip. “I didn’t know if I could even get to base camp.” Despite the physical challenge, the experience reaffirmed Moore’s affinity for the outdoors. She’s the president and founder of Keeping Woman Wild, a registered student organization on campus whose mission is to empower women in the outdoors. Emma Patron, a member of the club, had a similar experience on a two monthlong Outward Bound trip. The physical challenge and experience of being

outside moved Patron to engage in more outdoor sports, she said. Outward Bound was a key moment in solidifying both women’s interest in the outdoors. The program focuses on instilling traits like compassion, character development and self confidence, said Powers, who was an Outward Bound instructor for seven years, said. Outward Bound’s extended stays in the backcountry come at a pivotal point in people’s lives--teens and early adulthood--so they can leave a lasting impression on people, Powers also notes. Although Moore and Patron had positive experiences that have shaped their outlook on the outdoors, many women do not participate in outdoor sports such as climbing, mountain biking and snowboarding. According to a 2018 study by the Outdoor Foundation, participation in outdoor sports by people aged six and above was 54 percent male and 46 percent female.

Moore, a senior at FLC, had the idea of starting a club for women interested in the outdoors since her freshman year in 2015. Her dad introduced her to rock climbing when she was a child, but she but fell out of the sport and opted instead to play soccer for much of her childhood. When she got to FLC, Moore didn’t know many people that she could do outdoors trips with, she said. Eventually, she found friends to go on climbing trips with and summit 14ers together. In addition to Outward Bound, a second experience solidified Moore’s intentions to start the club. Last winter, she participated in an all-woman climbing clinic in Ouray and was coached by top women guides. Moore realized that she loves getting outside with other women, and starting a club could help other women get a foot in the door to the outdoors who normally wouldn’t know how. The club debuted in fall semester 2018, and offers clinics, trips and informal sessions. Men can participate too, however they are only allowed if they are going to be there in support of the women, Moore said.

Climbing the Gender Gap A wide array of things can be attributed to why a gender gap exists in the outdoors. The broadest reaching explanation is also the simplest: the outdoors is facing symptoms of a larger problem. American society is patriarchal and minimizes women, said Deborah Powers, assistant professor of adventure education. Therefore, the outdoors falls into the same stereotyping and traditional notions of gender roles, she said. An example is the stereotype of the tomboy, Powers said. Women and men are socialized from a young age to be either feminine or masculine, which creates a false binary. When a woman is interested in sports or the outdoors, she is labeled a tomboy because she is breaking from the societal norm, Powers said. Another way this manifests is people making assumptions about someone’s knowledge based on his/her gender, Powers said. For example, somebody might ask a man a question about climbing rather than a woman, even if the woman is more experienced, Powers said. For people just starting out in a sport, experienced participants can be intimidating and underestimate women’s abilities, which is why groups that focus on empowering women are helpful, Patron said. Keeping Women Wild provides a positive environment for women who may not know where to start, Moore said.

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Emma Patron, pictured, has been interested in the outdoors since she was a child growing up in Baltimore, however sports like climbing were not as prevalent in the city. Courtesy of Emma Patron

because of scheduling. One reason Patron gravitated toward soccer as a child was because outdoor sports were not as prevalent and accessible in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, she said. Exposure to traditional sports such as soccer, basketball and track and field may be part of why women participate in other outdoor activities. In more urban places, these traditional sports are easier to access, cheaper to participate in and are a socially acceptable part of the American education system. Outward Bound was a key moment in solidifying both women’s interest in the outdoors. The program focuses on instilling traits like compassion, character development and self confidence, Powers, who was an Outward Bound instructor for seven years, said. Outward Bound’s extended stays in the backcountry come at a pivotal point in people’s lives--teens and early adulthood--so they can leave a lasting impression on people, Powers also notes. There is no keystone piece to the puzzle that is getting more women outdoors, but Moore has two suggestions. The caveat, however, is no woman is the same. “I don’t think there’s a set way to get girls outside because some girls don’t “I feel like sometimes we think we’re want to get outside,” Moore said. “Some alone, and we’re definitely not alone,” girls don’t like the outdoors, and that’s Patron said. perfectly fine.” The club has created an inclusive The first idea Moore has is exactly community at FLC for women interested what Keeping Women Wild is doing: in the outdoors. For instance, Patron can creating a community, building friendnow easily find a ride up to Purgatory ships and fostering trustworthy and to go snowboarding by sending a text to resourceful connections. fellow group members. The second is to have role models and The sport of soccer has impacted set goals. Moore follows women on both Moore and Patron’s life. Moore Instagram who inspire her in the outplayed soccer as a child, and Patron is on doors industry and beyond. She also the FLC women’s soccer team. Patron’s makes an effort to not follow anybody coaches are not discouraging of particwhom she considers toxic, like models ipating in sports such as snowboarding, whose body images are not attainable however getting outside can be difficult for most people. Instead, she opts for

successful women like climber Kitty Calhoun and comedian Ellen DeGeneres. “I follow these women just to kind of like stay motivated in what I want to do and keep reaching for my goals,” Moore said. “And these women are actually helping me reach my goals.” For Moore, goals keep her focused in the long term, like eating healthy and working out to train for climbing Mount Denali, which she hopes to do in about three years. She also aims to climb while traveling throughout Southeast Asia and doing volunteer work along the way. While tabling in the student union, a woman approached Moore and said that she really wanted to learn how to snowboard, but she didn’t have gear or a car. Moore said she was going to help the woman find cheap gear at Durango Outdoor Exchange and the club would pay for a lift ticket at Purgatory. Moments like that are exactly why Moore started the club. “The San Juans are in their backyard, and they don’t know how to get outside, they don’t know who to get outside with, they don’t know where to go,” Moore said. “This is the exact cushion to come to.”

By Ryan Simonovich

Spring is Here, Season is Near F

ort Lewis College student athletes are gearing up for the new seasons ahead. Even though spring semester has just begun, student athletes who participate in lacrosse, track and field, and softball have been preparing for this semester since fall. For seniors about to embark on their final seasons as college athletes, it’s a time of reflection.

Passing the Torch The women’s lacrosse team begins their season in March. Coached by Sean Claussen, they’re looking to improve upon their 7-7 record from last season. The team is in a rebuilding year, as eight new freshman join the squad. It’s been difficult to tell where the team is at at times, said senior Aitana Rivera. A lot of the uncertainty of how the team might perform this year comes from the fact that the team hasn’t seen a playing field since their fall season, Rivera said. As spring sports roll into their season, it is hard to utilize the fields because of the snow. The team has had to practice in Whalen Gymnasium. Practicing inside for an extended amount of time gives the teams less room to work, leaving certain areas of their game untouched until they hit the field for their first games. Despite the field situation, the team is excited to see what their hard work cultivates. “I’m excited to see the connections we have built come together on the field,” said Allena “Boogie” Wolfblack, a senior on the team. Rivera and Wolfblack are the only two seniors on the

Senior Allena Wolfback takes direction from coach Sean Claussen during practice at Whalen Gymnasium. Photo by Colton Branstetter

team. Each brings a unique style and play to the field, Claussen said. “You get a player like Boogie and you are getting a passionate player who put her teammates first,” Claussen said. Being a student athlete has taught Wolfblack a variety of things, including time management and decision making skills. It has also challenged her in the aspects of trying to find time to work, make money and stay connected to the important people in her life, she said. On top of being a student, adding a demanding athletics schedule can overtake a student’s life completely. With practices and weights everyday or every other day, it is difficult to find time to stay connected back home. Wolfblack won’t be setting out on her journey into the “real world” until December of 2019 when she graduates. She plans to be a teacher, and knows she will have the knowledge and experience to achieve what she really wants to do in her life. As the lacrosse team’s season gets under way in March, Wolfblack has the excitement and motivation to end her career on a high note alongside Rivera, who is a natural leader on the field, according to their coach. Rivera started her career at FLC four years ago. Playing for the Skyhawks has allowed her to grow into the athlete she has become and also the person she is today, she said. Being a student athlete hasn’t been easy for her because she has the tendency to take on more than she can handle. “Being a student athlete has taught me to find a balance and be consistent,” Rivera said. The thing she found most exciting during her time as a student athlete has been staying productive and, even toward the end of her career, still having the drive she had when she started out. At the end of her college athletic career, Rivera will be most proud of the fact that she was able to motivate her team and be the spark plug, she said.

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“Aitana brings strong work ethic, she brings a passion for improving, and she is also a grown up,” Claussen said. After the season ends in April, Rivera plans to use her exercise science degree and become a personal trainer, she said. Once she obtains that goal, her next plans are to go back to school for athletic training. “I know she will be successful in whatever endeavor she attempts,” Claussen said.

Running Out of Time The track and field team is both a men and women’s sport on campus that competes in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Last season the team participated in many races that lasted from February to April. The team will kick off this season in March in Los Angeles. Seniors like Quinlyn Borneo will be embarking on their last competitive runs. “I’m kind of over it, and I’m thinking about the future,” Borneo said. Borneo has been a short distance runner for the women’s track and field team for the duration of her career at FLC. She competes in the 200 and 400 meter races. There has been a lot of learning and adjusting the last four years with multiple coaches coming in and out of the program, Borneo said. Her years as a student athlete have taught her what is going to be necessary for her in the next steps of her life, she said. The biggest lessons she has learned is how to multitask, lead, resolve conflict and time management. If there is one thing that Borneo wishes she could have done differently in her career, she would have gotten help and learned the communication skills she needed early on when communicating with her coach. At the end of the season in April, when Borneo hangs up her running shoes, she’ll be most proud of the fact that she was able to complete her career. She’ll be getting her degree in English, and plans to move to Charleston, South Carolina and land a job in marketing or public relations, she said. She also plans to go back to school and get her master’s in education, she said.

tee-ball after her family moved to Arizona. She has been playing softball ever since. Elemen said she’s been encouraged by a renewed cohesion amongst the players this year that she hasn’t seen previously. “There is a sense of togetherness that we haven’t had in the past couple of years, and that has been pretty cool to be a part of,” she said. This new sense of unity has Elemen looking forward to a winning season for her team that finished 16-38 last season. “I don’t want to jinx anything, but I’d say it’s looking really good”, said Elemen. After graduation, she plans on moving back to Arizona and working with children in some capacity. This is a skill that Coach Fracker says comes naturally to Elemen, who is involved locally in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. For many senior student-athletes, a door closes on a past they have known for so long, but it also presents opportunities to use the habits they’ve developed into a skill they can use long into life.

By Colton Branstetter and Mandy Lorenson

Senior Angelique Elemen takes some swings during batting practice at Whalen Gymnasium. Photo by Colton Branstetter

Finishing Strong “Intense” would be the one word that Ellie Fracker, head coach of women’s softball at FLC, would use to describe senior Angelique Elemen as a player. Elemen has the unparalleled ability to be locked in to the game and has been a consistently good player since her freshman year, Fracker said. A fourth-year Sociology major from Litchfield Park, Arizona, Elemen has led FLC softball in batting average, RBI, home runs, and slugging percentage since the 2016 season. She is on pace to beat the program records for home runs, hits, and RBI by the end of this season. Though she has spent her entire career with the Skyhawks, Elemen says her history with the sport dates back to being encouraged by her father, a former baseball player, to playing

From Red Hearts to Red Flags

Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

day can be hard to navigate for both those who are single, and people in relationships.

Dating can seem risky and is hard to do safely. 7

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“Talking about the risks of dating makes it sound like if you go to dinner with someone you might get raped, so instead of giving tips on how not to get raped, we like to focus on teaching people how not to rape,” Molly Wieser, Title IX coordinator, said. One way of educating people on dating safety is by looking at what makes a relationship healthy or unhealthy. With dating comes the potential for problems, and it’s important to identify the warning signs of an unhealthy relationship early, Wieser said.

Red Flags People sometimes think that a couple can’t tell if a relationship is healthy or not until late into the relationship, but there are actually warning signs that can show up as early as a first date, Wieser said. “If you’re watching a sitcom and there’s a scene of a date, and the date talks too much and orders all of the food, you know it’s a bad date,” Wieser said. Being respectful and making decisions together, even small decisions like what to order at a restaurant, are indicators of a healthy relationship. If a person spends all of the time on a date talking about themself and never asks about the other person, that’s a red flag. “If it’s all about the other person on a first date, chances are the relationship is going to head in that direction too,” Kendra Gallegos Reichle, coordinator of the Student Wellness Initiatives, said. Respecting each other’s space is also important. A common problem that comes up is cell phone grabbing, Wieser said. “There’s so much physical nonsense that goes on in couples involving phones,” Wieser said. “Like asking ‘who’s texting you’, even though I have curiosity about who they’re texting, I should have the confidence in myself and in them to see if someone’s being present in our relationship.” One of the most common forms of sexual assault happens when couples pressure each other to have sex, Wieser said. Someone will say no to having sex and the other person will start to negotiate with “what ifs,” like “what if I shower,”,Wieser said.

“If I get a maybe or a not so much then I’m drawing a hard boundary,” Wieser said. On Valentine’s Day in particular, some people can feel pressured into sex after receiving a nice gift. “There’s never any implied consent no matter how much someone spends,” Gallegos Reichle said.

Other plans If Valentine’s day brings up bad memories or is not something you want to celebrate, it’s good to make a plan for how you’ll spend the day. One of the things FLC’s Wellness Peer Advisory Council suggests is taking time to do self care. “Self care isn’t just taking a bubble bath and drinking a glass of wine, it’s also indulging in something you’re passionate about,” Gallegos Reichle said. “Setting boundaries is self care, and you can set the boundary that no, I’m not going to do anything on Valentine’s day.” The main focus of the day should be self love, Gallegos Reichle said.

Response If something goes wrong on a date, FLC does have options to help someone through the situation.

Durango’s Sexual Assault Services Office offers legal and emotional support, Gallegos Reichle said. The Counseling Center, to which all students have access to four free sessions a semester, can also provide an outlet for those who have experienced sexual assault, Gallegos Reichle said. One of FLC’s new resources is the Peer Support system, Gallegos Reichle said. One of the best ways to keep a Valentine’s Day date from going wrong is to plan ahead, Gallegos Reichle said. “It’s super important for people to know in advance what their values are and what they want, because when it comes to risky behavior like sex or drinking, planning ahead is better than not having a plan at all,” Gallegos Reichle said. The Peer Support System can help to come up with a plan, by talking through values and boundaries with a peer counselor.

By Meritt Drake

If you would like to meet with someone to talk: Molly Weiser, Title IX Coordinator Schedule an appointment at https://www. fortlewis.edu/care Peer Support System To set up an appointment email kgreichle@fortlewis. edu Counseling Center Call to schedule an appointment (970) 247-7212

The San Juan’s Unstable Snowpack: What it Means for Backcountry Travelers W

ith winter in full effect across Southwest Colorado, the San Juan mountain range has become a playground for backcountry snow sports. It is also one of the most avalanche -prone mountain ranges in the country. With the San Juan Mountains as our backyard here in Durango, students are privileged to have easy access to some of the best backcountry terrain in Colorado. While the San Juans have been proven to be a mecca for the backcountry ski and snowboard community, it has also become famous for its notoriously dangerous snowpack. According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, 63 people are buried and 6 fatalities each year on average in Colorado. The CAIC states that this year alone, there have already been 54 recorded burials and two fatalities. One of said fatalities happened here in the San Juans off Red Mountain Pass. With the most recent snowfall, there have been numerous special avalanche warnings issued by the Colorado Department of Transportation and the CAIC for the San Juan mountain range and other zones throughout Colorado. “This is a very standard San Juan year,” says Josh Kling, Coordinator of Outdoor Pursuits Permitting and Programming. “If you go from a year that is super stable, then go to a year that has no snow, and then go to a normal year, everyone thinks that the normal year is extremely sketchy.” The past two years have seen extremely stable snowpacks for the San Juans, and this year’s relatively standard snowpack shows that anyone who is going to travel in the backcountry needs to remember how dangerous these mountains can get, Kling said. The main reason why the San Juan snowpack is so avalanche-prone is because the mountains are very high with very cold temperatures. According to data collected by CAIC, the San Juan mountain range has a smaller snowpack relative to other places in the U.S, like the Pacific Northwest that can have giant amounts of snow.

“We get snow in October and November, and it’s very shallow, about a foot and a half, and very cold,” says Kling. “We get these buried facets and then we get dumps on top of it. Once the foundation is a crummy foundation, everything else on top of it is there until spring.” These facets, or weak layers in the snowpack, are what causes avalanches to occur. The snow will build up on top, and when the weak layer breaks, all the snow above it will slide, carrying anything in its path along with it. There are steps that students wanting to adventure into the backcountry can take to avoid these dangers. “One is to get educated and get the knowledge,” says Brett Davis, assistant director of Outdoor Pursuits. “If you’re gonna go out there, at a minimum you should start with some sort of avalanche education.” Davis recommends that students become familiar with safety equipment, such as beacons, shovels, and probes, and to get knowledge on how to perform rescues and burials. He also recommends choosing competentent hiking partners. Students should also never be under the influence of

want them to get ”We out there and go, but we want them to be safe doing it and go out there with some sort knowledge..

”

Brett Davis, Director of Outdoor Pursuits

substances and always have a plan prior to going out there. Local entities that put on Know-Before-You-Go clinics include the non-profit organization Friends of the San Juans, Outdoor Pursuits, Kling Mountain Guides and San Juan Mountain Guides.“There’s been an explosion of opportunities for people to get educated in our area,” says Davis. Outdoor Pursuits also offers all the necessary safety equipment needed for a trip into the backcountry available to students at no cost. They have avalanche beacons, shovels, probes, skis and splitboards, and are happy to share any knowledge they have to keep students informed, Davis said. The CAIC is also another resource to find avalanche information. The CAIC posts avalanche forecasts every day for the San Juan mountain range that gives backcountry travelers all the information they need to stay safe. In an avalanche forecast you are able to see the level of avalanche danger in the area you’ll be traveling in, the type of avalanches you would be seeing and why, and the weather that you would encounter in that area. Most forecasts will also go

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into an in-depth discussion on how the recent weather conditions has effected the snowpack over the last few days as well. Forecasters will look at different weather stations’ forecasts to see what the weather conditions were overnight and will then issue the forecast based off of the meteorological data they found, said Tico Gangulee, a former avalanche forecaster, active IFMGA Mountain Guide and instructor for Kling Mountain Guides. Forecasters will also go out into the field and collect data directly from the snow and incorporate those finding into the next forecast, Gangulee said. With all the different resources available in Durango, students can receive the proper training, knowledge and equipment that is essential to keeping them safe in the backcountry. “We want them to get out there and go, but we want them to be safe doing it and go out there with some sort of knowledge” Davis said.

By Nate DeCremer

Jane Webber, FLC student and Outdoor Pursuits employee, rearranges backcountry skis after a busy weekend. Photo by Colton Branstetter

Some of the skis available for students at Outdoor Pursuits. They can provide students with various types of skis from touring to alpine to telemark. Photo by Nate DeCremer

summer

study abroad

2019

ne of the least expensive ways to travel is as a student, Scott Miller, International Student Advisor said. Fort Lewis College has many programs to get students out of the country, with the help of fundraising, financial aid or scholarships.

Listed below are a few organizations that partner with FLC to allow students to study abroad for a whole semester.

International Student Exchange Program With ISEP, the money you pay goes to FLC and is roughly the same cost as a semester’s tuition, full meal plan and Centennial apartment living, Miller said. Sometimes you live on campus at the abroad university with a meal plan and sometimes you get an apartment and stipend. It depends on the location, Miller said. Financial aid and tuition waivers apply.

Partner Exchange On the FLC’s International Programs Office website, there is a list of partnering Universities under the programs tab, Miller said. Similar to ISEP, students pay their at-home college fees while studying at a different college in another country. This way you can attend college for a semester in Denmark, Japan, Australia, and more.

University Studies Abroad Consortium USAC is a non-profit study abroad provider, Miller said. The price you pay goes to this organization rather than FLC, and cost depends on the location you travel to. All financial aid applies other than the Native American tuition waiver and the Merit Scholarship, since classes aren’t offered directly through FLC. However, all credits are still transferable. USAC offers internship opportunities and acts as a safety net for students in case of injury, illness, or other emergency, by taking students to hospital and translating the language, for example, Miller said. All of these programs require students to take a class at FLC, called GS251, Miller said. This class isn’t worth credit, and doesn’t cost anything, but helps students see which program and location is best for them, helps them with all the paperwork and helps them plan their trip.

An entire semester away may seem like a bit much, especially if a student has never left the country before, Miller said. If this is the case, there are classes available through USAC for a few weeks in the summer, taught by FLC professors. Each of the courses are 300-level and worth three credits.

FLC Faculty Taught Classes Abroad, Summer of 2019 Political Legitimacy and Secession in Spain and Beyond (philosophy/psychology) This class will be taught in Alicante, Spain by Sarah Roberts-Cady, Political Science, Psychology, and Gender and Sexuality professor. Plants and People (biology) This class will be taught in Puntarenas, Costa Rica by Aurea Cortes-Palomec, Biology lecturer. The Two World Wars in Europe (history) This class will be taught in Prague, Czech Republic by Ellen Paul, History professor. The Psychology of Happiness:What Brazilians Know (psychology/sociology) This class will be taught in Florianopolis, Brazil by Brian Burke, Psychology professor.

If studying or volunteering abroad seems like something you want to do, FLC has plenty of options for you to explore.

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If a classroom environment abroad isn’t quite what you’re looking for, there are also programs that focus more on experiential learning and volunteer work. These trips are independent programs through FLC, rather than ISEP or USAC. They tend to be worth a bit more credit, too. Application dates vary, so contact the professor leading the trip if interested for the upcoming summer term.

FLC Faculty Led Trips Abroad, Summer of 2019 Africa (anthropology, 5 credits) This trip will be led by David Kozak, Anthropology professor, and Stacey Sotosky, Journalism and Multimedia Studies professor. Students will start preparing for a week on campus, from April 29 to May 2. Then students will spend three weeks in Tanzania, Africa from May 3 to the 23, Kozak said. The program is open to all majors, who can choose to research and volunteer within global health, food security, substance abuse, women’s work, environmental studies, and more. Sotosky will even be there to assist students in creating documentaries. Mexico (sociology, 6-credits) This trip will be lead by Benjamin Waddell, Sociology professor. The purpose of this trip is to trace migration backwards, Waddell said. The trip extends from June 3 to the 22. Students will start in San Diego, then cross the border into Tijuana and spend five days volunteering with organizations that work with migrants. After that, students will go by bus to Guanajuato and spend a week there and take Spanish classes and attend cultural talks to help students communicate. The last week will be volunteer work within migrating villages.

April 29 to May 3.. On May 6, students will fly into Rome to meet Booth and Tapely-Booth at the airport. From there they will explore Florence, and southern Italian villages until May 20. This program is run through a company called Education Tours and Cruises. The best part about this is being able to skip four-hour lines, Booth said. Because of the efficient use of time, the itinerary is packed and students get to experience much more than they could if traveling any other way, Booth said. Germany (business, 9-credits) This trip will be lead by Chris Lyon, Accounting professor, and Doug Lyon, Management professor. Students will be taking classes in Heidelberg, Germany for 7 weeks, from May 1 to June 18, Doug Lyon said. In addition to excursions and tours during the week, students get long weekends to go off on their own, and explore surrounding countries. You can be any major for this program, and can earn half of a business minor from the trip, Chris Lyon said. The class is even accessible through canvas like any other FLC class. With each of these programs, there is a set fee not including airfare. Cost depends on location. Tuition waivers and financial aid apply, as well as some scholarships, such as a competitive abroad scholarship called the Benjamin A. Gilman scholarship that grants up to $5 thousand, Waddell said.

Financial aid isn’t the only way to make travel affordable for college students. FLC has a program that is specifically centered around volunteer work in some of the world’s poorest countries, Don May, Engineering professor said. It isn’t worth any credit, and no aid applies. However, there is plenty of fundraising to make the trip possible.

Volunteer Programs Village Aid Project There are two trips offered by VAP, one to Myanmar and one to Nicaragua. These happen at the same time, and are led by either Don May or Laurie Williams, both Physics and Engineering professors. The purpose of this trip is to build water and sanitation systems in some of the poorest countries in the world, May said. However, students can join in any major. The trip will extend through the first three weeks of May. Fundraising this year has included stocking and selling snacks through the vending machines on campus, as well as putting on a concert, May said.

By Coya Pair

Italy (art, 3-credits) This trip will be lead by Paul Booth, Art professor, and Julie Tapley-Booth, Center of Southwest Business and Public Relations manager. Students will be preparing for a week on campus from

“You got to be positive all the time, regardless if you got problems, everybody got problems. No obstacles.”

Arnulfo Pardo, 64, poses in the Student Life Center, where he does his work. Photo by Taylor Hutchison

CUSTODIAN ARNULFO PARDO IS BEST KNOWN FOR HIS LIFE ADVICE

n between cleaning, doing laundry and being a handyman in the Student Life Center, 64-yearold Arnulfo Pardo, who goes by Arnie, offers life advice to students. Chad Myron, a Fort Lewis College student, works at the Student Life Center, where Pardo is a custodian, and has a good relationship with Pardo. The two discuss things like the food on the Navajo Reservation. “We talk back and forth about our daily lives,” Myron said. Pardo also tells Myron stories about when he was younger and used to box.

As for advice, Pardo has plenty of that to offer too. But when asked about the biggest obstacles in his life, he simply said that he has none. “There are some out there for some people but I don’t have any,” he said. “You got to be positive all the time, regardless if you got problems, everybody got problems. No obstacles.” Pardo first started working as a custodian at FLC almost five years ago. He considers retiring but stays because of his interactions with the students. He loves talking to his the kids, as he calls them. And he’s grateful for their positivity.

“I never hear complaints,” he said. Before he was a custodian, he was a carpenter and worked for a construction company. He knew that business was slow for carpenters at the time so he wanted to find a new job. Pardo did not pay much attention to what the work was. He just wanted work. Eventually, he was introduced to the college by a contractor. Pardo remembers that the contractor asked him if he would be embarrassed to work as a custodian. He said no because it was a new job and that was exactly what he wanted. After a few months of working for the contractor, Pardo’s direct supervisor, Jake Epps, asked Pardo to stay. Epps knows of Pardo’s love for sharing his life story. “Once you get him rambling he’ll tell you some long stories,” Epps said. One of Pardo’s favorite stories is the story of how he ended up in Durango. “That one is a long story, a nice one too,” Pardo said. Born in Mexico, Pardo left the county and said that he would never go back. He traveled across the United States and never stayed in one place for more than a few days. He would meet new people, work for gas money, and go. Eventually, Pardo met his wife in Grand Junction, Colorado, where she was a college student. He continued to travel with her and, more than 40 years ago, she introduced him to Durango. He fell in love with the area. So they decided to stay. Pardo now lives in Ignacio and has a farm where he tends cattle, Myron said. He has visited every state except Alaska and Hawaii. This is part of the reason why Pardo has no regrets “I had a good life,” he said, “So, if it ends tomorrow? Hey, it’s good.”

By Taylor Hutchison

The Independent i

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