Volume 30, Issue 1, Aug. 16, 2007 by Met Media

Serving The Auraria Campus Since 1979

Vol. 30 No. 1

http://www.mscd.edu/~themet

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2007

State clariﬁes regulations regarding tuition status » A3

METROSPECTIVE »

LIVING LIKE HUNTER DETAILED IN NEW BOOK WRITTEN BY WIFE » B1 FROM THE EDITOR » David D. Pollan

A simple, contemporary college newspaper

COACHING CHAMPIONS Photo By CORA KEMP ckemp4@mscd.edu Coming oﬀ a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship in 2006, the women’s volleyball team battles early injuries and the loss of four key starters from last year’s squad. But head coach Debbie Hendricks, who has taken the ‘Runners to the NCAA tournament team every year of her tenure, has her team headed in the right direction and says that the team’s chemistry is the best she has ever witnessed. Outside hitter Julie Green returns for her senior year and will carry the team through the early season struggles. - Eric Lansing » VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW A15

Breaking down the Broncos’ season » A17

You now hold in your hands the first edition of The Metropolitan’s new look. The look of the paper is one of only many things that have changed – not only in our appearance, but also in our approach to news coverage. It became apparent to me that significant changes had to be made, and new goals had to be set if The Metropolitan wanted to be an influence on the Auraria community. The paper had to evolve. What you hold in your hands is a product of that evolution, and a major improvement from years past. We strived for a more contemporary paper, but also to keep things simple and interesting. Our goal is to provide students

and faculty with the best possible coverage of events and news on campus as well as off. Before we changed the look, we changed our approach to the news. We have turned the paper into your

EDITOR Continued on A3»

metro THE METROPOLITAN » A3 » AUGUST 16, 2007

»HISPANIC INITIATIVE TAKES SHAPE »A5 »LINDA CURRAN REMAINS INTERIM »A7 »INSIGHT: NIC IS BACK AND STILL GAY »A11

ANDREW FLOHR-SPENCE » NEWS EDITOR » spencand@mscd.edu »

NEWS NOW

THIS WEEK » Friday 8.17

The Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board will meet at 2:30 p.m. in Tivoli suite 329. The meeting is open to the student public. SACAB is located in the Tivoli suite 314. Questions or comments? Stop by the office or call at 303-556-4589.

In-state policy changes Attorney general approves in-state tuition for children who qualify, but whose parents are undocumented

Wednesday 8.22

The Faculty Senate will meet from 3:50 p.m. to 5:15 in Tivoli suite 320 A and B. The meeting is open to the public. The Faculty Senate is located in Central Classroom 303. For more information call 303-556-3905 or stop by the office.

LOCAL HEADLINES 25 YEARS AGO » Israel drops demands in evacuation of West Beirut

- Rocky Mountain News Saddam Hussein promises air-strike unless Iran stops war

- The Denver Post Higher parking prices due to Auraria expansion

- The Metropolitan

THE MET REPORT: Looking for help for the student run TV newscast. Learn to be an anchor, photographer or behind the scenes worker. Come by Tivoli 313 or check out metreport.com

Photo by AMIE CRIBLEY/acribley@mscd.edu

Francesca Kollar stands in the ﬁnancial aid line Aug. 14 in Central Classroom. She starts as a freshman with her two sons at Metro this fall. She said they were in the line for “10 minutes at the most.” They all receive ﬁnancial aid and help for veterans and are part of the Upward Bound program.

By ANDREW FLOHR-SPENCE spencand@mscd.edu Colorado’s attorney general clarified on Aug. 14 a gray area in the new immigration law about who qualifies for in-state tuition. Those under the age of 23 who qualify otherwise for in-state status, but whose parents are undocumented immigrants, will no longer pay out-of-state tuition. “Because it is the student, rather than the parents, who is the legal beneficiary of in-state tuition status, the fact that the parents may be in the country illegally is not a bar to the student’s receipt of that benefit,” wrote Attorney General John Suthers in a statement. The ruling comes less than a week after President Stephen Jordan announced a change in Metro’s policy. Until the school received a response from the attorney general, Metro would consider such students as residents, Jordan said in a letter posted on Metro’s website. According to a more than 40year-old Colorado law, schools must look at parents’ residency when establishing a student’s tuition, but the law does not address whether or not the parents must be legal residents. A 2006 immigration law, House Bill 1023, states that undocumented immigrants cannot receive in-state tuition, federal or state financial aid or money from the Colorado Opportunity Fund. Together, the two laws could have left legal residents excluded. Students younger than 23 must file a form describing their parents’ income and tax returns. If the student fails to describe any tax history for the parents, or included no social security numbers, they are disqualified from any educational benefits.

A U.S. citizen born and raised in Colorado would then be forced to pay more than three times the tuition and denied ﬁnancial aid, because his or her parents had no papers. The legal vagary was left to interpretation by each college. Mesa, Western and Adams State colleges and University of Colorado at Denver chose, like Metro previously, to charge out-of-state tuition, while the University of Colorado at Boulder, the community college system and Colorado State University considered them in-state. Metro’s change followed recent media attention the issue received after Colorado higher-education director David Skaggs asked Suthers to ofﬁcially clarify the law in such cases. Skaggs advised him to consider the students as residents, not to penalize them for their parents. Jordan’s letter said he hoped Suther’s decision will bring a uniform policy to the state’s education system, and that all Colorado residents will be treated the same, regardless of their parents’ residential status. Jordan said that he was not aware of the various interpretations around the state of the law until he read about it in the Denver Post. “When this issue was brought to our attention, and when the Latino community expressed some concern with it, then Dr. Jordan and our onstaff attorney got together and decided to implement interim policy,” said Cathy Lucas, assistant vice president of communications for Metro. Lucas said that, to her knowledge, there was one student that applied to Metro this fall who was affected by the situation. She said the school wanted to thank Skaggs’ leadership in bringing about the change.

EDITOR » The Metropolitan is all slicked up for the new school year «Continued from A1 paper. It now relates to the various demographics of the campus, and is a paper more suited for Metro. You will start to see more narrative and ﬁrst-person storytelling, not typical, boring news stories. There is livelier writing and alternative storytelling to make the paper more interesting and exciting. We are here to serve you, but our efforts are to no avail if you’re not reading it. The times are changing, and so are we. With the more radical and

nontraditional writing style, we needed a design that would fit and reflect our goals and serve as an example of our evolution. We started with the flag on the cover page. This was by far the most time-consuming and daunting task of the whole redesign process. Really? For something so small and basic? Yes, really. We needed something that embodied our image, but was not so flamboyant that it stood out over everything else on the page, because our name is not nearly as important as the news we

bring you each and every week. So the color changed from red to blue, and we decreased the size. The design is much cleaner and pages are more navigable. We switched from a four to a five-column layout to help facilitate a cleaner design and to bring you more news. Interest in Metro sports has always been lacking, and we have set a goal to bring you a more interactive sports page filled with more box scores and player profiles. Also, during times when there are many sports going on, we will provide

a larger sports section. You will also notice a different system of page numbering. We have made the “metrospective” a completely separate section, hence the lowercase “m”. In years past, this section has been focused toward the arts and entertainment aspects of life, but it will now include more human-interest features. For example, our ﬁrst center spread is about the life of a blind Metro student. There are other minor changes, but I will not bore you with them.

This is your paper and we hope you enjoy and appreciate what we have done to better serve you. If you have any questions or want to let us know what you think, please feel free to contact me at 303-5568353 or at dpollan@mscd.edu. I hope you are as excited as we are about the upcoming year and hope you feel we have done our job to best serve you. Cheerio! David D. Pollan Editor in Chief

THE METROPOLITAN « AUGUST. 16. 2007 « NEWS A5

Metro seeks to serve Hispanics Initiative could earn school federal funding, minority designation

Getting a commitment The steering committee and 65member task force is volunteer, a point Torres considers signiﬁcant and says speaks for the commitment of the members. “I’m very pleased that there are 65 members, that is an excellent number,” Torres said. “It’s a very ambitious goal, and this number and the depth of expertise of this group is what’s going to make this a reality.” Diaz Bonacquisti said she was taken back by how big the task force

New DUI Task Force Seven metro-area law enforcement agencies, along with local district attorneys, have come together to create the Metro DUI Task Force. Police ofﬁcers, deputy sheriffs and Colorado state troopers will be patrolling communities throughout the metro area to help solidify the crackdown on drunken motorists.

Uranushasnodiamonds Photo by AMIE CRIBLEY/acribley@mscd.edu

Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services, Judi Diaz Bonacquisti and Interim Associate Dean of Letters, Luis Torres stand in front of the memorial for displaced Aurarian’s. The two are co-chairs of the newly formed Hispanic Serving Institutes steering committee. turned out, but says she wants to corral its energy and not discourage anyone who may want to participate. A website will soon be available with times and locations of the various sub-committee meetings and a proposal format so people can contribute ideas to the HSI initiative. Diaz Bonacquisti encourages students to participate in the initiative. “Hearing student perspectives on how we can make it happen are really important to the initiative,” Diaz Bonacquisti said.

Tapping the numbers The HSI task force has until February 2008 to outline how Metro will reach the benchmark necessary to become designated a HSI – 25 percent of the full time equivalency (FTE) student body has to be Hispanic. While President Jordan said he hopes to have Metro an HSI by 2010, Metro has maintained a 12 to 13 percent FTE Hispanic student population for the past few semesters. Torres points to the demographic trend that Denver is becoming in-

creasingly Latino and a much larger section of the Latino population is of traditional school age. In the Denver Public School system alone, 57 percent of the students are Latino, and represent 35 percent of the Denver population. Comparing these percentages to Metro’s average of 12 to 13 percent Latino student population reveals what Jordan calls a “shrinking pipeline” to higher education for students of color. “If Metro does not get ahead of

HISPANICS Continued on A6»

Auraria selects new chief of police Former police chief of Dillon chosen to lead Campus department By AMY WOODWARD awoodwa5@mscd.edu Since the departure of Auraria’s police chief, Heather Coogan, the trio of institutions have come together to quickly ﬁll the position by the beginning of the fall semester. The selected candidate is none other than John Mackey. Mackey will take his position as Auraria’s new police chief for the campus police department on Sept. 4. “I am very excited and very much looking forward to working with the staff for the students of the Auraria campus,” said Mackey, who is currently the police chief in Dillon, Colo. Out of the hundreds of applicants who answered the job posting, Auraria’s search committee narrowed down candidates to three promising individuals. Open sessions to meet the ﬁnalists were held over a three-day

Bush to be impeached?

Town Council members in Telluride announced their decision for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, the Associated Press reported on Aug. 7. The decision was approved 6-1 and if the issue endures a second reading, it will be known as the town’s ofﬁcial position.

By ROBERT FISHER rﬁshe18@mscd.edu Metro is on its way to becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution, but there is still work to be done. The ﬁrst meeting of the full HSI task force occurred on July 27, beginning what Interim Associate Dean of Letters Luis Torres calls the second phase of Metro’s HSI initiative. Torres and Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services Judi Diaz Bonacquisti co-chair the steering committee in charge of directing the HSI task force and making a cohesive plan out of the suggestions of the six sub-committees. Ultimately, the steering committee will pass along to Metro President Stephen Jordan the recommendations outlining how Metro will become an HSI.

BRIEFS

interviewing process, and in the end, Mackey seemed the most qualiﬁed. Mackey has experience not only in managing a police department, but also on a college campus, said Barb Weiske, deputy executive vice president for operations and administration for the Auraria campus. “He has a good understanding of (the) community,” Weiske said. “We’re all here for the students and everything that that is about,” Mackey said. “I like the idea (that) every semester is a new start, and there is excitement in the air, and the kids are excited,” Mackey said. “And then you see them at mid-term, I don’t even need to know the date, I know that I can see it in their faces. You can see how frazzled they are, and that’s exciting, too.” Without a doubt, Mackey’s extensive background has made him wellrounded, since he holds two decades of law enforcement and instructing under his belt. Originally from Massachusetts, Mackey graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a bachelor’s in education, and taught

«I am very excited and very much looking forward to working with the staff for the students of the Auraria campus.» JOHN MACKEY in both his home state high schools and Arizona. Mackey began his career in 1981 with the Lakewood Police Department and served more than 20 years with the department. In that time, he was assigned many duties, including police agent, police detective, S.W.A.T tactical agent, and academy instructor for the Red Rocks Community College Police Academy. He later ﬁlled a job opening at the Red Rocks Com-

munity College police department. Mackey has taught at all of the staterun police academies before and after they began their associations with colleges in 1992. During his own college days, Mackey was involved with student government and other numerous campus activities. When he was involved with the Red Rocks Community College, he

CHIEF Continued on A6»

A new study conﬁrms there are no diamonds on Uranus or Neptune. Contrary to popular belief among scientists, Uranus and Neptune do not contain enough carbon to produce diamonds, although white dwarf stars do.

Safety first, position filled

In light of the Virginia Tech tragedy and Denver’s preparations for the Democratic National Convention next year, former police chief Heather Coogan created the position of Campus Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. Michael Moreland was hired for the job, and will begin Aug. 20.

The Master Planner To fulﬁll Auraria’s vision for the campus master plan, all three institutions came together to hire Jill Jennings, who has taken the newly created position of campus master planner. Jennings duties will include working with Auraria’s institutions to help with the construction of the master plan.

Food for thought Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College found that cravings for junk food may be inherited. Tests show that when rats were fed a diet of sweets while carrying, their offspring were eating more unhealthy food. Dieticians have always stressed the importance of eating healthy, especially for pregnant women, but latest research suggests that for rats at least, eating behavior may be developed in the womb.

A6 » METRO » AUGUST 16. 2007 » THE METROPOLITAN

CHIEF » New chief wants to improve officer retention «Continued from A5 started and joined in clubs. “It’s a lot of fun, I enjoy doing these things,” Mackey said. There are many issues to tackle here on campus. One issue that dominated the open sessions was the problem not only with recruiting officers for the Auraria campus, but also keeping them. According to the human resources department at Auraria, the turnover rate at the campus for police officers is under five years. “Recruiting law enforcement officers today is always a big issue,” Mackey said. “I’ve got to

say I’ve had a lot of luck with that because I am in front of so many new ofﬁcers on a regular basis, and I’ve been training in the academy for a long time. I think the key is getting the right people, and getting the right people to do the job that they are applying for,” Mackey said. Being “the new guy on the block,” Mackey has taken in all of the expressed concerns with deep breaths and ease; but ﬁrst, he plans to step out on the campus to meet and greet staff, faculty and students. “If you hear that accent, it’s from Boston. Any Red Sox fans here?” Mackey asked.

CONTACT INFO: Auraria Campus Police Department 1201 5th Street, Denver, CO 80217 Dispatch: (303) 556-5000 www.ahec.edu/acpd.htm SERVICES: 24- hour police service, night escorts to your vehicle, security patrols, bicycle patrols, vehicle unlocks, emergency response and after-hours admission into buildings.

HISPANIC » Funding will benefit all students «Continued from A5 “If Metro does not get ahead of this trend, we will be losing out to a large percentage of the Denver population,” Torres said. Diaz Bonacquisti points out that some schools have HSI status because they traditionally serve Hispanic students, and did not have to actively seek HSI status. “The fact that we are doing it consciously sends a message to the community,” Diaz Bonacquisti said. “We value where we live and the people in the community we are working with.” In order to tap into this population, the school has to be marketed. Tat Sang So, a member of the Curriculum Development sub-committee, compiled a report on majors Latino students are attracted to. For example, 17.7 percent of the students majoring in Political Science are Latino, while 32.2 percent in Modern Languages are Latino. Torres admits that these are the majors to market to Latino students, but also points out that students aren’t aware of all the majors that Metro offers. He pointed out the thick student course guidebook on his bookshelf as evidence. Metro open house nights are advertised in both the two main Spanish newspapers in Denver, La Voz and El Semanario, though Torres said efforts will be ramped up in the upcoming year. Community outreach will also play an important role for Metro to attract additional Latino students. No formal ties have been established by the task force with the Hispanic Education Advisory Council, which serves as a liaison between the Latino community in Denver and DPS. Both Diaz Bonacquisti and Torres, who have served as chair to the HEAC, said there are plans to formalize relationships with the HEAC and local high schools.

Finding the funding Torres says he wants to emphasize the word “institution” in HSI, pointing out that any money awarded would beneﬁt the entire institution. According to the U.S. Department of Education, HSIs received nearly $96 million in 2005. He cites examples of what other HSI schools have done with the money they have been awarded: some have improved libraries and science labs, while others have allocated money to student services, like advising centers that offer evening and weekend hours. But money is not what Torres sees as the real reason why Metro should become an HSI. “I am an educator,” Torres said. “I want to educate. I want to serve students and to provide as much access to education as I can to as many people. That’s really I think the heart of this. The ﬁnancial part is frankly secondary, maybe even tertiary.”

«We value where we live and the people in the community we are working with.» JUDI DIAZ BONACQUISTI

THE METROPOLITAN « AUGUST.16. 2007 « NEWS « A7

Interim provost continues to serve Linda Curran to serve for upcoming school year; Rocha remains on leave By GEOF WOLLERMAN gwollerm@mscd.edu Due to continuing health problems, Rodolfo Rocha will no longer be Metro’s provost. He ofﬁciated the position – which administers, among other things, academic policies as they pertain to faculty members – for less than a year. In late April, Rocha went on medical leave, and on May 30 Linda Curran, the associate vice president of academic affairs under Rocha, became the acting provost. There is no expected date for Rocha’s return. Curran will serve in the interim

Rodolfo Rocha position for at least another year, at which point Metro President Stephen Jordan will most likely conduct a nationwide search for a permanent provost, said Metro spokeswoman Cathy Lucas. In May, the faculty senate began an evaluation of Rocha’s ﬁrst year at Metro. At the time, several long-

Linda Curran time faculty members, based on their knowledge of faculty sentiment, predicted that the evaluation would not go well for Rocha. The evaluation was completed in June and presented to Jordan, who has read the evaluation but not yet discussed it with Rocha, Lucas said. According to Faculty Senate President Hal Nees, the evaluation is made

available only to Jordan. No such stipulation exists in the Handbook for Professional Personnel, which regulates administrative evaluations. But, according to Lucas, any evaluation of a college employee is not made public until it has been made available to whoever is being evaluated. Rocha will be the third high-level administrator to be appointed by Jordan, only to vacate their post months later. Former Metro President Sheila Kaplan was the college’s longest serving president, and after she resigned unexpectedly after 10 years in July 2003, Metro has experienced several interim administrators – including an interim president. It has only been since Jordan took ofﬁce in April 2005 that more permanent posts have been appointed. However, some of these

posts have proved to be less than permanent. On Aug. 1, Metro announced the resignation of Sallye McKee, assistant to the president for diversity. She had been with Metro since June 2006, and resigned to accept a similar position at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In October 2006, Douglas Samuels, then the vice president for student services, resigned after being put on administrative leave. Samuels, who served less than a year in the position, cited personal reasons for his resignation. It is said he will return to Metro this fall to teach in the African and African American Studies department. Before he went on leave, Rocha was the ﬁrst permanent provost since Kaplan resigned in 2003.

Comments cause dispute over faculty evaluation Assessment allegedly tainted, ‘blatant’ racist remarks blamed By GEOF WOLLERMAN gwollerm@mscd.edu In the same month that Metro announced the formation of its Hispanic Serving Institution initiative task force, Metro’s Board of Trustees responded to a complaint of racism. In May, the Latino Faculty and Staff Association sent a complaint to Metro President Stephen Jordan, which alleged that recent racist comments by three faculty members had tainted former Provost Rodolfo Rocha’s faculty evaluation. Noted in the complaint were comments – which appeared in this paper – by industrial design professor John Schmidt, who had implied that Rocha was hired based on his skin color, rather than his professional merits. The LFSA called for the censure of Schmidt and for the rejection of the “unorthodox evaluation of the provost.” Unsatisﬁed with Jordan’s response to its concerns, the LFSA sent a letter to the trustees on June 28, reiterating its complaints. The board responded on July 12, telling the LFSA it had been informed by Jordan of the association’s concerns and that the board supported his responses to date. According to the board, Jordan met with the LFSA and the other two offending faculty members, Nancy Bailey and Jennifer Caine. It is unclear the exact content of these professors’ comments, but according to Metro spokeswoman Cathy Lucas, they pertained

BACK STORY »

THE LATINO FACULTY AND STAFF ASSOCIATION FILED A COMPLAINT TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGARDING RACIST COMMENTS MADE BY FACULTY MEMBERS AND ACCUSING THEM OF TAINTING RODOLFO ROCHA’S FACULTY EVALUATION.

THEY SAID IT »

“THE PROFESSOR’S ISOLATED STATEMENTS, WHICH IN SUBSTANCE QUESTIONS ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS AND INITIATIVES, WOULD BE PROTECTED SPEECH UNDER CONSTITUTIONAL LAW AND COLLEGE POLICY... THE TRUSTEES HAVE MADE IT CLEAR THAT PROFESSOR SCHMIDT WAS SPEAKING FOR HIMSELF ONLY IN THE ARTICLE. HIS TERM HAS EXPIRED, BUT THE TRUSTEES COULD NOT LAWFULLY EXPEL HIM EVEN IF HE WERE STILL IN OFFICE.” - THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

to Metro’s HSI initiative. Both professors acknowledged that the way their comments were voiced was “needlessly offensive,” and both professors apologized. “We believe President Jordan could do no more in the circumstances,” the board wrote to the LFSA. The board also pointed out that Metro’s Ofﬁce of Equal Opportunity – which handles racial harassment and other discrimination complaints – had received no formal complaints regarding the situation, and that Jordan “cannot determine whether anti-harassment policy has been violated until the relevant investigative procedures are followed.” Regarding Schmidt’s comments, the board iterated that he has “a right, protected by the First Amendment, Academic Freedom, and the Civil Rights Act, to make public statements criticizing the effectiveness of the College’s leadership and objecting

to the use of race as a factor in personnel decisions.” Caine and Bailey’s comments were similarly protected speech, the board said. Juan Dempere, a Metro ﬁnance professor and president of the LFSA, said the association had not yet had a chance to discuss the board’s response to its concerns. A majority of the LFSA’s members – including vice president Dalinda Solis, who is Rocha’s wife – have been out of touch this summer, Dempere said, adding that he did not feel comfortable discussing the issue until the association had met in full to address the board’s response. According to Percy Morehouse, director of Metro’s OEO, there have still been no formal complaints regarding the situation. The OEO receives 30 to 40 complaints per year, most of them from students and most of them regarding disability issues, Morehouse said.

HOT SUMMER in the city By AMIE CRIBLEY acribley@mscd.edu Oscar Gutierrez, who works for Brown Brothers Asphalt and Concrete, patches holes Aug. 13 in the Tivoli parking lot. The Auraria campus is being spruced up during this hot weather with new paint on the parking lots. The trees are being trimmed and the sewer systems are being repaired. The entire campus is being prepared for a new set of freshmen and a new year of classes.

A8 » METRO » AUGUST 16. 2007 » THE METROPOLITAN

New laws give gays right to adopt, workplace protection By KATE JOHNSON jokathry@mscd.edu New Colorado legislation allows same-sex couples to jointly adopt children, and provides new protection to gays in the workplace. Earlier this year, Gov. Bill Ritter signed off on the second-parent adoption act and the employment nondiscrimination act after the measures passed in the Colorado General Assembly. Both laws went into affect Aug. 3. “I think it kind of shows the perspective of legislators,” said Jordan Bair, program coordinator for Auraria’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Student Services. “They understand we need to be protected.” A prior attempt to pass legislation that would increase workplace rights for gays and

lesbians was initially approved, but later vetoed by Gov. Bill Owens. Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, opposes the legislation. He said it enables litigation against people who discuss their beliefs in the workplace. “This bill opens up the opportunity for people to sue on those grounds, and stiﬂe religious expression and freedom of speech,” Harvey said. Not according to Mindy Barton, legal director for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Colorado. She said the law is about securing equality for all Coloradans, not promoting lawsuits. “We’re not the first state to have an employment nondiscrimination act in place,” Barton said. Colorado is the 20th state to pass legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual ori-

entation, and the 13th to extend that legislation to transgender people. “These were very successful,” Barton said. “We’re very excited that Gov. Ritter was the one to follow through and sign both of these.” But Harvey said the new laws are not what the people of Colorado want. He cited Referendum I, a failed ballot initiative from last November that would have legalized domestic partnerships. Barton and Bair said the adoption law covers much more than new rights for samesex couples. “Both of these laws impact the GLBT community and the heterosexual community,” Barton said. “They go both ways.” Under the second-parent adoption act, a legal parent can consent to have a second adult adopt their child, so long as they undergo a

GRADUATING? Attention! All Potential Fall 2007 Degree Candidates All Students Who Will Have Completed All Degree Requirements by the End of Fall Semester, 2007: 1 Must file an Application for Graduation in the Office of the Registrar (CN105) by Friday, August 31, 2007. The Application for Graduation is available in the Office of the Registrar (CN105) and on-line: www.mscd.edu/enroll/registrar/docs/index.htm (May be faxed to 303-556-2568.)

2 Should have a CAPP Compliance Report run NOW in their major department or the Academic Advising Center (CN104).

3 Must clear or explain all CAPP discrepancies (Not Met) with the Registrar’s Office by September 28, 2007 in order to remain a degree candidate for this semester.

4 Monitor the Fall 2007 Graduation/ Commencement Website on MetroConnect throughout the semester.

METROPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE of DENVER

home study and pass a background check. Bair said this would beneﬁt many people, gay or straight, because it would offer a child additional support and resources. “I think it will honestly impact youth more than anyone else – young women having children,” she said. If parents were to get joint rights, Bair said their children would likely have access to better education and health beneﬁts. But according to Harvey, the law is just a “window dressing” for the proponents of the legislation whose objective was to allow samesex adoption. “I think it’s always in the best interest for children to have a mom and dad,” he said. “That’s the ultimate goal of any society, is to have solid families.”

New venue for Fall Fest, chilling out

Old bus turnaround becomes Tivoli Commons Space By JOSIE KLEMAIER jklemaie@mscd.edu As parking rates rise and bookstore lines grow longer, there is one noticeable change at Auraria that students can welcome. The Tivoli Commons Space, located at the southeast corner of the Tivoli Turnhalle, will be the new host of many of Auraria’s annual events, offering a covered stage, sound-reflecting barriers and electrical outlets to accommodate large functions. “It will be a good place for students to hang out and sit down,” said Laura StrohmingerRoth, interim assistant director of Metro’s student activities. “It is what it was designed for.” Work began on the area, which used to be the location of the RTD bus turnaround, in March 2007, and was the final stage of the Tivoli revitalization project. The final addition to the area, a canopy that will cover a raised stage, will be installed the week students begin Fall classes, according to Blaine Nickeson, interim division director for student auxiliary services. Upcoming events planned for the Tivoli Commons include the Welcome Back Festival on Aug. 21, the annual Fall Fest on Sept. 12 and 13, and the second annual Disability Awareness Festival on Oct. 3. The area, Strohminger-Roth said, will be an alternative to the flagpole area on the lawn in the center of campus, which has been the location of many events in the past. Some events will still be held near the flagpole, like the Auraria Block Party, otherwise known as the Student Involvement Fair, on Aug. 29, to accommodate the traditional large tent the event is held in. The party is an event for students to become introduced to their institution’s organizations. The Tivoli Commons will be available for student organizations to reserve for events, and the process is similar to reserving spots at the flagpole.

A9 » NEWS » AUGUST 16. 2007 » THE METROPOLITAN

BEYOND AURARIA

Bridges of gold, roads of mercury School of international studies chooses former mining industry CEO for award amid calls for protest By EMILE HALLEZ ehallez@mscd.edu Controversy surrounds the University of Denver as it prepares to honor on Aug. 30 a former CEO of Denver-based Newmont Mining Corporation, a company accused of human rights abuses and environmental detriment. At the Korbel dinner, the annual fundraising event to beneﬁt the Graduate School for International Studies, Wayne Murdy will receive the International Bridge Builder’s Award, an honor bestowed upon those who establish relationships between Colorado and the international community. “Wayne Murdy and the corporation that he runs – Newmont Mining – are known as being some of the biggest corporate criminals in the world,” said Glenn Spagnuolo, an organizing member of the group Stop Newmont Mining. “They constantly engage in human-rights violations and environmental destruction.” At Newmont Mining, the sentiment is different. “Naturally we feel very good about it,” said Omar Jabara, spokesman for Newmont Mining. Under Murdy’s leadership Newmont became, at one point, the largest gold-mining company in the world and established most of its global operations; the company has mines in places such as Indonesia, Peru and Ghana. “It’s pretty unique for a corporation in Denver to have operations all over the world,” Jabara said. One of the most glaring examples of Newmont’s violations, Spagnuolo said, comes from the Yanacocha Gold Mine in Peru, the largest gold mining operation in the world and home of Yanacocha Mountain, a site considered sacred to Peruvians. “They use what’s called cyanide heap leach mining,” Spagnuolo said. Cyanide heap leach mining involves irrigating crushed gold ore with cyanide to percolate gold out of the ore. The process can take several weeks to complete. While the cyanide Newmont uses is segregated from the surrounding earth with liners, “sometimes those liners leak,” he said. “They’re taking away one of their sacred sites.” Spagnuolo also recalled a mercury spill on a public road in Peru. Newmont didn’t clean up the spill for days, he said. Locals collected some of the shining mercury, which they mistook for gold, poisoning them. A contractor who was transporting the mercury, a byproduct of gold production, was in an accident, Jabara said.

“We accepted responsibility for it right away,” he said. Newmont has not actually compensated the victims of the spill yet, because the process is in arbitration. “It’s in the arbitrator’s hands to find the amount,” he said. “Naturally we’re going to have impacts, but our job is to have collaboration … to ensure we do it the right way,” Jabara said. Because of Newmont, programs for flood protection have helped Indonesian farmers and a potable water program was established in Peru, he said. “The areas in which we operate tend to be very remote, poor areas. “Not everybody can work being a computer programmer … economies have to start somewhere. Mining provides that kick start.” Some who live near the mine don’t agree. “Now we can see the natural pastures have been destroyed, the wool of our animals is peeling, and the water is dirty. There is so much poverty here, and when Yanacocha says we are better now, better than before, it is all lies,” said Eriberto Ventura Castrejon, a farmer quoted on www.nodirtygold.com. The University of Denver defended selecting Murdy for the award. “He’s been instilling the idea of social responsibility in his company for years,” said Jim Berscheidt, a spokesman for the university. The Bridge Builder’s Award is “given to someone who made connections, reached out from Denver to the rest of the world. “This is going to him. It’s not going to the company per se,” he said. The international human rights group Oxfam America issued a statement July 30 calling for Newmont to address allegations of human rights abuses at the Yanacocha mine. Most of the allegations concern the private security firm FORZA, which Newmont hired to protect the mine. “Newmont saw more trouble at the Yanacocha mine last month when villagers from the community of Totorcocha entered Yanacocha,” read a press release from Oxfam. “They were forcibly evicted by FORZA agents; 13 people were detained and brought to the local police station, several people were injured.” Two people working for an organization to protest the mine’s effects on local communities were spied on and received death threats, Oxfam stated. The perpetrators, they continued, had ties to FORZA. “The allegations brought forth by Oxfam are being processed,” Jabara

Newmont Mining Corporation

2 3

1 - Denver: Headquarters. 2 - Ahafo, Ghana: Newmont claims it has given employment and better access to health care to residents. The company is accused of displacing farmers and not disclosing environmental and health risks. 3 - Batu Hijau, Sumbawa, Indonesia:

Newmont claims it has established water-management programs, protecting local farms from ﬂooding. The com-

pany was acquitted of charges it polluted the area with Mercury emissions. Earthworks accuses the company of using controversial waste dumping and exploring protected forests.

has provided jobs and potable water programs for the locals. Mercury spill victims await health care and health assessment more than six years since the spill took place.

4 - Minera Yanacocha, Peru: Using cya-

5 - Nevada: Mining operations occur without permission of the Shoshone people, who are not compensated for past gold extractions, Earthworks claims. Mercury emissions present environmental and health concerns. - Emile Hallez

nide heap leach mining, Newmont has poured cyanide into the land, allegedly contaminating local water. Human rights abuse allegations loom over FORZA, a private security ﬁrm hired by Newmont. The company claims it

NIC GARCIA/ngarci20@mscd.edu

The Korbel Dinner » Costs to attend the event $250 for a seat $500 for a VIP seat $2,500 to $25,000 for corporate-sponsored tables

Past award recipients

Former Denver mayor Wellington E. Webb Former first lady Wilma J. Webb Ed McVaney, former CEO of J.D. Edwards Gene Schneider, chairman, UnitedGlobalCom Ralph Peterson, CEO of CH2M Hill Companies John Sie, CEO of StarzEncore Hank Brown, former United States Senator

said. “We will offer our ﬁndings … We’re taking the allegations seriously.” About Newmont’s responsibility for FORZA’s actions, “It’s not a Newmont company,” he said. Newmont has been subjected to unmerited allegations in the past, Jabara said. “As a large entity, we’re also a large target.” In one instance, an Indonesian court acquitted the company against charges that claimed one of its mines polluted a bay with mercury and arsenic, killing marine life and poisoning residents, he said. The mining company has also

Guests at the 2007 dinner

Madeleine Albright, former secertary of state Robert and Judi Newman Daniel L. Ritchie Joy Burns David and Suzanne Hoover Scott and Virginia Reiman

History

Exiled Czech diplomat Josef Korbel founded the University of Denver Graduate School of International Studies in 1964. The Korbel Scholarship Fund was created in 1975 and is funded primarily by the Korbel Dinner.

been accused of violating U.S.-Shoshone treaty rights on tribal land. “They have mining operations on that land that are illegal,” Spagnuolo said. Carrie Dann, a Shoshone grandmother has asked Newmont to cease its operations on their land, but to no avail, Spagnuolo said. “To people like Carrie Dann, it’s saying that their land, their way of life is insigniﬁcant.” Newmont counters that the land on which they operate belongs to the federal government. “This is a sticky issue … it’s not for Newmont to decide what land belongs to the federal government,” Jabara

said. “The Shoshone … their grievance is with the federal government.” “To watch DU give this man an award … it almost being as guilty as Wayne Murdy,” Spagnuolo said. “I think they (DU) should change their mission statement.” Indicating resistance by Stop Newmont Mining to Murdy’s reception of the award, “He thinks he can come to Denver and hide his record … We want to make Wayne Murdy as nervous in his own community as he makes people feel in their communities when he shows up.” The dinner will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Denver Marriot City Center.

THE METROPOLITAN » A10 » AUGUST 16, 2007

»METROSPECITVE: ‘CALAMITY PHYSICS’ DEFINES ITSELF »B2 »SPORTS: CU GRAD TAKES HELM OF WOMEN’S B-BALL »A13

SECOND THOUGHTS

insight

ILLUSTRATED BY ANDREW HOWERTON » ahowert2@mscd.edu WRITTEN BY THE METROPOLITAN STAFF

FACULTY SPEAKS » “Metro State has traditionally been committed to diversity, and I see the Hispanic Serving Institution – HSI – designation as one component of Metro’s ambitious pursuit of diversity ... It must be made clear – and perhaps the work of HSI is going to show this – that commitment to diversity also means increasing the student population of all students.” – Robert Hazan, Metro political science chair

POLL POSITION » CBS NEWS POLL Aug. 8-12, 2007

Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the campaign against terrorism? APPROVE: 44 percent DISAPPROVE: 48 percent UNSURE: 8 percent

A BIGGER VIEW » NEW YORK TIMES Re: Karl Rove

“Mr. Rove failed his own party, as well as the American people, when he counseled President Bush to turn every serious policy debate — Social Security, the war in Iraq, even terrorism — into one more political dogfight. Today, despite Mr. Rove’s claims of invincibility, both houses of Congress are back in Democratic hands, Mr. Bush’s approval ratings are around 30 percent and many Republican presidential candidates are running as fast as they can away from the Bush legacy.

Karl Rove: The “real” weapon of mass destruction DAVID D. POLLAN » dpollan@mscd.edu

Grim tales of Metro’s future Consider yourself warned. I have been unable to wrap my head around one particular issue to discuss, so I am just going to write. But before I do you should know that I will ramble and jump from tangent to tangent in a seemingly random manner and I will do so without warning. I am sorry, but it’s just the way my brain works. With the start of a new year, there are some things to look forward to regarding the Metro community. The following are my predictions. Highlights, if you will, of the ridiculousness embodied by this school. Undoubtedly, the Student Government Assembly will be unable to maintain a fully staffed cadre, and will have at least three members resign due to their general unhappiness with, and petty quarrels within, the SGA community. The SGA will be paid (and well, at that) to act like kids on a playground – ﬁghting over any and everything – and will fail to get much accomplished. It is, and will continue to be, a huge waste of student resources. The SGA is given a huge budget every year (to the tune of $300,000) and there is no doubt that most students will ever see the effects. Student

fees will disappear into the pockets of senators and executives who do nothing but bicker like 2-year-olds and fight over who gets first dibs on the sandbox. My solution: now, now children, play nice. Andrew Bateman gets to ride the slide first and he will be followed by Jack Wylie. A bunch of useless swine, I tell you – decadent and depraved. We’re better off using the money to purchase an army of chimpanzees to take over the assembly. I trust that the chimps will accomplish more in 10 minutes than the SGA can do over the course of the year, even if they only pick the fleas from each other. I can see the headline now: Dateline, September 23, 2007. Chimpanzees storm Tivoli, SGA despot Wylie ousted. “The SGA was replaced by 20,000 howling monkeys, who in their first hour ate 600,000 fleas. This marked a remarkable feat, as the chimps began their reign in promising fashion accomplishing more in an hour than their predecessors would annually. The chimps may lack a constitution, but at least the insect population has taken a devastating blow.” Only in my dreams, I suppose. The outlook for the administra-

tion is similarly bleak at best. President Stephen Jordan will no doubt appoint at least ﬁve new high-level administrators, all of whom will serve in their respective posts for less than six months and cite personal reasons for their resignation. Not long after, Metro’s administration will be chock full of professors acting in interim positions – oh wait, that’s already the case. Dateline, November 13, 2007. Metro newspaper editor appointed interim provost. “Due to an already depleted supply of professors, the untrained, though luminary, David Pollan has been named interim provost. Fear not, he is Hispanic and will promote diversity.” This will no doubt cause an uproar among faculty, stating that I was appointed solely because the color of my skin and not because of

any professional merit (which would be right, in this case). President Stephen Jordan would be quoted as saying, “The selection of Mr. Pollan to this position was due to his Hispanic background and our need to become a Hispanic Serving Institute – we need that green. It is vital to our quest for preeminence that we achieve this moniker.” Before we know it the same chimpanzees that overthrew the SGA will take over the school. There’s no stopping 20,000 crazy chimps, armed with rocks and rods, hell bent on taking down an army of humans. Haven’t you ever seen Planet of the Apes? That’s some scary shit. Not to mention those bastard hippies who will ﬂood the campus with petitions to stop the cruelty against the chimps. “They’re poor little animals who don’t know any better. You can’t hurt them.” This year will be no different than past years. We can expect nothing from the SGA and a continuation of musical chairs from within the administration. Oh, and make sure to keep an eye out for an angry horde of chimpanzees. God knows what they’re capable of.

metrospective

THE METROPOLITAN » B1 » AUGUST 16, 2007

EMILE HALLEZ » FEATURES EDITOR » ehallez@mscd.edu

NOTHING MORE THAN FREEDOM »

ANITA THOMPSON REFLECTS ON HER HUSBAND’S LIFE AND DEATH IN NEW BOOK “THE GONZO WAY” » BY JEREMY JOHNSON » Anita Thompson made the trek from Owl Farm in Woody Creek, Colo., to a rainy downtown Denver Aug. 1 and 2, appearing at The Tattered Cover and the Denver Press Club, respectively, to promote her new book, The Gonzo Way. The book is a guideline of sorts on how to live life the Gonzo Way, insomuch as it is loosely based on the lifestyle and motivations of her husband, the wildly acclaimed journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Hunter committed suicide in his Woody Creek home in February 2005. Aside from signing and promoting her book, Anita reveled audiences of 100 or more both nights with stories about Hunter’s antics, his many friends and seemingly crazy career, as well as more personal moments that separated the man from the myth. “Ever since he was a child, I think all Hunter wanted was nothing more than freedom,” she said. “If he had it, everything else in life – fun, love and nourishment – would fall into place.” The book and her recent reﬂections certainly beget closure, but they also continue the legacy of a respected writer and American, a lover to some and a friend to many. “I always have Hunter on my mind,” Anita said. “I can’t shake him, and I don’t want to shake him right now, because that’s what brings me comfort.” The Gonzo Student In the preface of The Gonzo Way, Anita Thompson writes, “(Hunter) turned out to be my best friend, my boss and my teacher, all in one.” Hunter and Anita Bejmuk met in 1999, and she soon became his assistant, helping him edit piles of copy and faxing jumbled pages to publishing companies. Soon after, they fell in love, and were married in April 2003. In the foreword, Hunter’s literary executor and friend Douglas Brinkley wrote, “Thus did Hunter and Anita become One. ...They lived in a state of perpetual honeymoon, holing up for long, blissful stays at hotels such as the Carlyle in New York and the Kahala Mandarin Oriental in Honolulu. Back home, Owl Farm took on a more frenetic, productive and happygo-lucky work rhythm.”

The result of their work together was Hunter’s best-selling memoir Kingdom of Fear. “I had never been with a writer before and I didn’t know much about his work … all I knew was he was a writer,” Anita said. “Then I started reading more of his work, and I realized how important he was.” Hunter may have been Anita’s elder by 35 years, but he taught her a lot about life, love, freedom, writing and, of course, the Gonzo Way. “All of us have…a sense of freedom, and if you’re not careful that can be dulled down, that can be repressed,” Anita said. “And Hunter wouldn’t let that happen. I think he inspired (a sense of freedom) in all of us. He reminded us that we’re all young at heart.” According to Anita, Hunter was a great promoter of the nation’s youth, and he believed that the next generation would be responsible for changes in political movement and civil rights and liberties. “Young people have the vitality and the courage you tend to lose when you get older,” Anita said. “Young people have bounce.” The Gonzo Teacher If The Gonzo Way reads as a guideline, a book of rules if you will, it is because that is precisely what Anita had in mind. The book is based on an idea that Anita and Hunter penned during the last years of his life. The original title of the book was to be “Dr. Gonzo’s Guide to Physical Fitness.” “I’m honored to be Hunter S. Thompson’s wife, but I don’t fancy myself a writer,” Anita said. “I feel like I’m still married to (Hunter) and still doing my job. He knew he wasn’t going to live forever, and he wanted somebody to carry on the work.” And she has done just that. While attending Columbia University in New York, she also oversees the Owl Farm Blog and publishes The Woody Creeker, a magazine focusing on the betterment of the mountain community that Hunter lived in and loved for nearly 40 years. Anita also maintains the Owl Creek Estate and mentors summer interns at the legendary farm. “It brings me great joy to think about him every day, and think about what Hunter would do and how I can

THE SEVEN RULES OF THE GONZO WAY» 1. LEARNING -- THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT. 2. IT’S WRONG WHEN IT STOPS BEING FUN. 3. POLITICS IS THE ART OF CONTROLLING YOUR ENVIRONMENT. 4. WE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD IN POLITICS. 5. TRUTH IS EASIER. 6. BUY THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE. 7. NEVER APOLOGIZE, NEVER EXPLAIN.

THE GONZO WAY » By Anita Thompson Published by Fulcrum Publishing $14.95 beneﬁt his legacy,” Anita said. “That was always my job and that’s what he expected. I take that very seriously.” While The Gonzo Way may never stack up in literary prowess to the man for whom it is written, it is certainly a portrait of a sensitive and private man about whom the public is not accustomed to reading. As Anita reminds us, “There is a difference between Hunter’s works on your bookshelf and his true lifestyle.” The Man, The Myth, The Gonzo Master When asked what it was like living with Hunter, Anita responds with his own self-description: “It was like living with a teenage girl trapped in the body of an elderly dope ﬁend.” While The Gonzo Way is peppered with the author’s commentary on her late husband, the book also includes various excerpts of letters written to Anita from several of Thompson’s friends (including Brinkley, Hunter’s recently deceased friend and neighbor, 60 Minutes anchor Ed Bradley, and former South Dakota Sen. George McGovern) that prove Hunter’s life to be far more textured and complicated than guns, drugs, recklessness and booze. And although Hunter once said, “I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me,” at the Tattered Cover, Anita addressed her husband’s renegade style and put the record straight. “Hunter used drugs as a tool, and I think he used his body as a mixing vessel,” she said. “But he didn’t tolerate a drunk. He didn’t like drunks because they were boring.” Instead, she said that Hunter surrounded himself with the elite, or “snow leopards,” as she put it. The phrase referred to those creatures that dominate the top of the mountain.

“That’s one of the beautiful things about Hunter’s career over 40 years, is that he developed a lot of great friendships,” Anita said. “When you look at the group of friends he had, even when he was a child, they were usually at the top of their profession or the top of their life path.” The Gonzo Way The first time I met Anita was during a Ralph Steadman slideshow on Nov. 6 at the Denver News Agency. Steadman, Hunter’s longtime friend and illustrator, was in town promoting his book The Joke’s Over, also about Thompson’s life and work. I was there as both a reporter and photographer, but I was having a hard time getting a shot as the woman in front of me had ants in her pants. She just wouldn’t sit still, and she appeared to be drunk. Several of my photos came out with her slim shoulders and blond hair in the frame. After Steadman’s presentation, I learned that the fidgety, seemingly intoxicated woman sitting in front of me was the widow of the late Hunter S. Thompson. Sure, she was drinking Flying Dog beers (whose logos are also illustrated by Steadman) and having a good time, but everyone around her, friends and family of all ages, had the same celebratory energy that I soon realized couldn’t be justified simply by booze. Instead, they were all drunk on an energy created by the spirit of Hunter. They were living the way Hunter had taught them all to live, with spontaneity and vigor, free and in the moment, without regret and without remorse. As Anita writes, “In other words, do whatever works to live your life in the freedom that comes with confronting your fear by beating it senseless and into submission.” That’s the Gonzo Way.

THE METROPOLITAN « AUGUST 16. 2007 « METROSPECTIVE « B2

INTERNET JUNKIE»

GEOF WOLLERMAN» gwollerm@mscd.edu

Spam, Viagra and a hit man During a typical day I receive around 70 unique spam messages in my inbox. The average Internet user may chafe at wading through this daily pool of unsolicited correspondence, but I take the attention as a compliment. Maybe it’s just my sick sense of wanting to be included, but there’s something disheartening about possibly being left out of even the most poorly executed marketing campaigns. Like Navin Johnson in The Jerk – who, upon finding his name for the first time in the phonebook, declares “I’m finally somebody!” – receiving spam somehow validates my existence. I can sleep at night knowing that some ingenious third-world entrepreneur is putting together a Viagra advertisement right now – and I’m on his mailing list. In my book, spammers are the most helpful strangers I’ve never met. Few of my friends care as much about my love life as does Irving Tatum, who sends me a message at least once a week reminding me of the “older babes” who are waiting for me to contact them. There is also Millicent McGowan who sends me information about how to make a million dollars a week, and Norberto Bonner who sends me daily stock tips that I can only assume are straight from the smoky back rooms of Wall Street. I can only assume that these folks are unequivocally working to further my interests. Except for Boby B. Boby contacted me in late July and, with only a limited command of the English language, informed me that my life was going to end soon, but that he could help me. It turns out, if Boby is to be believed, that one of my friends hired him to kill me. Boby’s “boys” had already found out all about me and were just waiting for his word to act. Luckily, Boby was willing to give me two days to come up with $20,000, at which point he would tell me which of my friends had hired him, so that I could then take legal action. I have been waiting for over a month now – patient and fearful – repeatedly checking my inbox for signs of a familiar spammer, a suitcase of cash ready to go at a moment’s notice. Spam may validate my existence, but whoever hired Boby has made me think that next time I should just hit delete.

IN PRINT»

Building a mystery Novels that begin with an unsolved murder are usually good for one simple reason: anticipating a mystery’s solution makes literature compelling. Unfortunately, Marisha Pessl’s debut novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics – which utilizes this time-tested literary device, purposely leaves some loose ends, the bane of the average reader’s existence. Fortunately for Pessl, her prose is damn near brilliant, and clever enough that most readers may be forced to forgive her blatant literary transgressions. “Before I tell you about Hannah Schneider’s death, I’ll tell you about my mother’s,” the narrator, Blue Van Meer, offers at the beginning of chapter one. From there we learn that following her mother’s death, a mysterious auto accident, Blue spent most of her childhood traveling with her father – a political science professor with an affinity for third-world revolutions – from one third-tier college to another, “the schools no one had ever heard of, sometimes not even the students enrolled in them.” In his defense, Blue’s father, Gareth, reveals his affinity for the Common Man. “Why should I waste my time teaching puffed-up teenagers whose minds are curdled by arrogance and materialism? No, I shall spend my energies enlightening America’s unassuming and ordinary.” Then, during the summer before Blue’s senior year in high school, the two settle down in Stockton, N.C., where Blue enrolls in the private school St. Gallway. “The catalogue featured the proverbial wound-up rhetoric drenched in adjectives, sunny photos filled with bushy autumn trees, teachers with the kind faces of mice, and kids grinning as they strolled down the sidewalk, holding big textbooks in their arms like roses.” Blue soon finds herself reluctantly wel-

Marisha Pessl swan dives into the mystery genre and lands on her face in the shallow end » by geof wollerman

SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS » BY MARISHA PESSL Publisher: Penguin MSRP: $15 comed into an elite crew of ambitious students – known to the rest of the school as “The Bluebloods” – and under the informal tutelage of the deceased-to-be Hannah Schneider, a ﬁlm studies teacher who “liked being incongruous, the lone Bombshell slinking into a Norman Rockwell, the ostrich among buffalo.” Regarding Hannah, Blue feels sure that

“somewhere, at some time, she’d been the toast of something. And a confident, even aggressive, look in her eyes made me certain she was planning a comeback.” It soon becomes apparent, however, that Hannah, The Bluebloods, and everyone else at St. Gallway are not quite the people they present themselves to be. Everyone seems to have a dark secret. As the novel hurtles toward its inevitable conclusion, larger truths are revealed one by one. Blue, a diligent observer with a caustic wit – a Holden Caulfield of the 21st century – slowly pieces the mystery together only to discover a shocking truth about her father’s past. Like a lot of contemporary novels, Special Topics relies on a literary gimmick: constant reference to previous works. In describing Gareth’s girlfriends – all of whom Blue refers to simply as the June Bugs – Blue paints an effective picture with only a small flourish of her brush. “Sometimes June Bugs weren’t too terrible. Some of the sweeter, more docile ones, like poor, droopy-eyed Tally Meyerson, I actually felt sorry for, because even though Dad made no attempt to hide the fact that they were as temporary as Scotch tape, most were blind to his indifference (see ‘Basset Hound,’ Dictionary of Dogs, Vol.1).” Special Topics is a semi-dry festival of analogy, hilarity and interjection. But be forewarned: Pessl toys with a reader’s fundamental trust in an author – the assumption that all questions will be answered. Instead of tying the narrative together into a neat package of plot, Pessl opts for a list of questions, seemingly meant to provoke insightful dialogue about the various possible endings. But all the ending really provokes is frustration, and the reader is left with only one last burning inquiry: Why?

LIKABLE LINES» “The phenomenon of Dad interacting with a beautiful woman was always an odd, sort of uninspired chemical experiment. Most of the time there was no reaction. Other times, Dad and the woman might appear to react vigorously, producing heat, light and gas. But at the end, there was never a functional product like plastics or glassware, only a foul stench.” “It was one of those chime-laughs that knifed cleanly through the morning, through the tired muttering of all the other kids, hinting this person had never known embarrassment or awkwardness, that even grief would be gorgeous in the off chance she ever experienced it.”

timeout

“IT’S A SURE SIGN OF SUMMER IF THE CHAIR GETS UP WHEN YOU DO.” - Former columnist and broadcast journalist Walter Winchell

CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1. Incandescence 5. Sprinkle 10. Bring into existence 14. Very small quantity 15. Jeweled crown worn by women 16. Mountain goat 17. Enticement 18. Wrath 19. Seaweed 20. Pregnant 22. Theater district 24. Incredibly powerful mythical bird 25. Bandage 26. Ancient Palestinian 29. Base 33. Guides 34. Small yeast cake 36. Aﬃrmative reply 37. Debtor’s letters 38. Run of bird-song

SUDOKU

August 13 puzzle from www.crosswords.com. Solution available on the website.

39. Tasteless items, junk 40. Large cask 41. Hard to ﬁnd 42. Sift 44. High spirits 47. Reduce 48. Collar fastener 49. Monetary unit of Vietnam 50. Straight downhill ski run 53. In birth 58. Chemical used on trees 59. Convocation of witches 61. Potpourri 62. Niger neighbor 63. Tumbles 64. House rodents 65. Sight organs 66. Genre 67. Tibetan oxen Down 1. Deride

2. It may be ﬂoated 3. Auricular 4. Irrigated 5. Mode of standing 6. Hue 7. Anger 8. Before 9. Ferocious 10. Title of the emperor of Japan 11. The third man 12. Salmon that has spawned 13. Public exhibition 21. Electrically charged particles 23. Tavern 25. Christian writings 26. Best of a group 27. Capital of South Korea 28. Sweatbox 30. Units of computer memory

31. Depart 32. Devoured 34. Stigma 35. Intangible mixture of gases used for breathing 38. Pants 42. Scorch 43. Equality of political rights 45. Trouble, slangily 46. T.G.I.F. part 47. Fourth highest peak in the world 50. Identical 51. Pottery material 52. Robust 53. Skillfully 54. Sphere 55. Hip bones 56. Small notch 57. Departs 60. Drunkard

WHERE IS THIS?

Be the ﬁrst to e-mail us the correct location, and you’ll receive a prize! Lucky you! Each week’s winner will also have their photo printed in the following issue of The Metropolitan. Send e-mails to ehallez@mscd.edu.

CUT CORNERS

metropolitan staff and andrew howerton

MASTER PLAN

geof wollerman and andrew howerton

puzzle courtesy of www.websudoku.com

THE METROPOLITAN

B4 » AUGUST 16. 2007

AUGUST 16. 2007 « B5

BLIND AMBITION

METRO STUDENT BATTLES SINGLE PARENTHOOD, BLINDNESS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN TODAY’S WORLD STORY BY ELENA BROWN » brownele@mscd.edu » PHOTOS BY EMILY MEHRING » emehring@mscd.edu

CAN NO LONGER SEE A TREE MOVE

FROM A SOFT BREEZE, BUT HE CAN FEEL IT. HE CAN NO LONGER SEE A MUSICIAN’S EXPRESSION ON STAGE, BUT HE CAN HEAR IT.

«IT’S

HE CAN NO LONGER SEE A SMALL PRINTED RECIPE WHEN HE COOKS, BUT HE CAN TASTE IT. »

ayne Marshall may no longer have his eyesight, but he hasn’t let that stop him from living and achieving his goals. “It doesn’t mean that you’re less because you have a disability. It only means that you’re less able in that particular area,” Marshall says. “There’s a lot more to life than just seeing.” And Marshall is doing a lot more. A divorced father of two and a former building engineer for U.S. West, Marshall is a senior in his last semester at Metro. He has just completed his work-study with Metro’s Access Center for Disability Accommodations and Adaptive Technology, he founded Me and My Dad, a support group for single fathers, and he has won several scholarships and community awards. He’s come a long way from the day more than 20 years ago when he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a genetic degenerative eye disease that affects the back wall of the eye , which captures images. “I thought I needed stronger glasses because I noticed I couldn’t see while driving at night, and then I was leaning in to read the computer screen or the dials on my work equipment,” he said. Marshall admits he didn’t take the news well. “Oh, man. I just cried,” he said. “I cried when they told me and I was angry. I was like ‘why me?’ and I tried to escape by parting and trying to forget, but in the end I had to deal with it.” The rate of the disease’s progression and the degree of blindness varies from person to person, but most people with RP are legally blind by age 40, with a central visual ﬁeld of less than 20 degrees in diameter. Night blindness and loss of peripheral vision is one of the earliest and most frequent symptoms of RP, according to the Foundation for Fighting Blindness. Legal blindness is when a person’s best-corrected vision is 20/200 or worse. For example, a person with 20/20 vision can be 400 feet from a sign and read it. People with 20/400 vision will have to move from 400 feet to 20 feet before they are able to read the sign. Marshall isn’t completely blind; in fact, his 20/400 vision with RP blindness is enviable.

BEEN

20 YEARS

AND I STILL HAVE SOME SIGHT... “It’s been 20 years and I still have some sight, but some days are good and some are bad,” he said. “I’ve thought about if I’ll be able to see my grandchildren.” Marshall has a 14-year-old daughter and a 20-year-old son in the Navy. “It skips generations, sometimes. My grandfather had it and that was a concern for me when having kids. But fortunately they don’t have it,” Marshall said. Marshall got a divorce, partially, he admits, due to his blindness, founded Me & My Dad, began volunteering his time and effort and enrolled in college. He says that his lack of sight has some positive beneﬁts. “While I miss tennis and driving, I’ve learned to ski and recently bought a tandem bike,” he said. “And my children are excellent readers because I had them reading to me.” After attending therapy and learning adaptive technology and mobility training, he felt the desire to help others. “My sight does not make me more or less of a man. I’d much rather have insight than physical sight,” he said. “I decided I needed to be proactive rather than reactive.” Marshall is conﬁdent moving around the Auraria campus and uses his cane sparingly especially around familiar surroundings. He said many people don’t even realize he’s blind. The Metro senior is studying Human Services with a concentration in mental health. He

has completed his work-study with the Access Center, and will soon begin an internship with the Colorado Center for the Blind. “Wayne served as our good-will ambassador. He is very willing to promote the center and its services. He will be missed,” director Gregory Sullivan said. Marshall provided orientation training for students as well as visited with deans, administrators and chairpersons to promote awareness of the Access Center, which provides training for faculty in accommodating students with disabilities. “You have to teach them how to teach you,” Marshall said of the professors. “Sometimes they’ll say, ‘over here.’ Well, where is ‘over here’?” Marshall’s efforts have earned him a two-year See the Future Scholarship and a Jan EmbreeBever Scholarship. In July, he received recognition from the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council, which awarded him the Dan Davison Excellence in Inclusion Award. The award honors people and organizations that strive to include persons with disabilities in school, employment and the community. Julie Farrar, a fellow student and Access Center participant, recommended him for the award. Farrar spoke at the award banquet about their similarities and friendship. She thanked Marshall

for his support, encouragement and being goaloriented. “Obstacles did not become overwhelming because I had someone who believed in me when I was unable to believe in myself,” Farrar said. “He leaving some pretty big shoes to fill,” Sullivan said. “There are a lot more students that have disabilities that aren’t using our services,” he said. Confidential services are offered at the center. Metro’s Access Center has about 650 registered students with disabilities. The center aids in academic assistance, including extended exam times, a reader or scribe for exams and disability counseling and advocacy. The center also has an Adaptive Computer Lab with special software including ZoomText, a computer screen magnification system, and Alternative Text, which reproduces textbooks into Braille, large text and tapes. Alongside the new technology, Marshall hopes that a cure will be discovered in his lifetime, but until then he takes the position of inspiring others humbly. “We all have something in our lives that we have to deal with. Some are a little tougher than others,” Marshall said. “It’s not what you have to deal with, it’s how you deal with what you have.”

I’VE THOUGHT ABOUT IF I’LL BE ABLE TO SEE MY

GRANDCHILDREN. »

NEED HELP? Access Center for Disabilities Accommodations and Adaptive Technology Auraria Library, Suite 116 (303) 556-8387 www.mscd.edu/~access

Me and My Dad 15167 E. Louisiana Dr. Unit C Aurora, CO 80012 (303) 525-9191 www.meandmydad.us

FAR LEFT: Wayne Marshall uses Jaws, a screen reading software for Windows, to get information oﬀ the computer and the Internet. Marshall’s vision is 20/400, therefore he is unable to read small type and either needs it read to him or enlarged. Metro’s Access Center provides assistance to students to help accommodate their special learning styles. LEFT: The Dan B. Davis Excellence in Inclusion Award was awarded to Metro student Wayne Marshall. Marshall is a visually impaired student who assists other students with adaptive technology acting as a mentor. BELOW: Wayne Marshall at the Access Center News Board Aug. 9. Marshall just completed an internship at the Access Center and helped open up awareness for the campus concerning the center and how it helps students with disabilities.

THE METROPOLITAN » B6 » AUGUST 16, 2007 JEREMY JOHNSHON » MUSIC EDITOR » jjohn308@mscd.edu

»ANYTHING BUT COMMON »B7

half notes

UPCOMING SHOWS » Thursday 8.16

Oakhurst, Potcheen w/ Zebra Junction and Dan Walker

SEE B7 »

Reverend Horton Heat Ogden Theater, 9 p.m. SOLD OUT, 16+

Sunday 8.19

Ted Nugent Fillmore Theater, 7 p.m. $75, 21+

Wednesday 8.22 Lez Zeppelin Bluebird Theater, 9 p.m. $15, 21+

NEW RELEASES TUESDAY 8.21 » Nikki Sixx

The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack Eleven Seven Music www.amazon.com

AND ALL THAT JAZZ... Miles Davis

Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival Concord Jazz www.concordmusicgroup.com

Thelonius Monk

Live at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival Concord Jazz www.concordmusicgroup.com

Dizzy Gillespie

Live at the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival Concord Jazz www.concordmusicgroup.com

audioﬁles

By JEREMY JOHNSON jjohn308@mscd.edu They Might Be Giants are the antithesis of what people generally think of as rock ’n’ roll “cool.” With songs ranging in theme from pirates to presidents to songs about particle people, typing monkeys, taxidermy, bugs and eccentric hairdos, TMBG are not just fun, they’re educational, if not nerdy. You always come away from a TMBG record feeling like you were tricked into learning something new, and their catchy timing and light-hearted vocals make sure it sticks. If sex and drugs are what fuels most rock stars, it seems more likely that the two Johns who make up TMBG (Flansburgh and Linnell) are hooked on nothing more than public libraries and The History Channel. Their new album, The Else, sticks with that same formula that took the two Johns from high school buddies to either the geekiest rock stars to grace major music venues or the coolest historical pundits to ever play the accordion. Perhaps the biggest perk to The Else is the bonus CD Cast Your Pod To The Wind, a compilation of over a year’s worth of remixed podcasts, which is a geeky juxtaposition full of alternative instruments as opposed to the vibrant, electric rock sounds of The Else. (To further prove this point, iTunes lists The Else as “rock” and Cast Your Pod as “alternative.”) While The Else is full of songs with harmonic climax, sardonic vocals and a strong bass and drum backbeats, such as “Take Out the Trash,” “Climbing the Walls,” “The Cap’m,” and “The Shadow Government,” Cast Your Pod is steeped in silliness and satire, and backed with Linnell’s trusty accordion and the addition of several strong sax solos. “So listen now to the sound of the things that are found underground…” sings Flansburgh as Linnell wails out a passionate sax solo ode to the metal detector called, well, “Metal Detector.” Like a beach full of potential ﬁndings, Cast Your Pod is full of two-minute gems that should be considered real musical treasures. Not to say that The Else shouldn’t be considered the premiere disc of the two. The album is full of strong musical arrangements and the lyrical wit that put TMBG on the map in the ﬁrst place. And despite titles like “Feign Amnesia,” TMBG never forget the basics: “Not much quiet about the adventure/Why half settle for

Photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

John Flansburgh and John Linnell light up the stage with an arraingment of witty lyrics and a kick-ass accordion.

They might be... geniuses?

stuff that is half true?/Like a volume beyond comprehension/If the bass don’t get you, the treble will get you…” The fact of the matter is that TMBG is a smart band, both musically sound and diverse, and they have an undeniably unique sound that is immediately and wholly recognizable. TMBG’s use of podcasts to promote their music seems like the logical progression for a band that started out promoting their songs through a telephone hotline called “Dial-A-Song.” And TMBG’s music spans genres that include not just rock and alternative, but television theme songs and educational learning CDs for youth. In 2005, TMBG released one such education learning CD, entitled Here Come the ABCs, and their follow-up, Here Come the 123s, is slated for release later this year. They Might Be Giants seem to get wiser with age, and The Else is one of the smarter albums from the band since their seminal record Flood in 1990. So wise up, and give this new two-disc gem a listen.

They might be... educational? Smart songs from TMBG »» “Istanbul (not Constantinople)” Flood, 1990

«The fact of the matter is that TMBG is a smart band, both musically sound and diverse, and they have an undeniably unique sound that is immediately and wholly recognizable.»

“Particle Man” Flood, 1990

“Mammal” Apollo 18, 1992

“James K. Polk” Factory Showroom, 1996

“Where Do They Make Balloons?” No!, 2006

B7 » AUDIOFILES » AUGUST 16. 2007 » THE METROPOLITAN

CMJ Radio Top 20 Chart courtesy of CMJ New Music

‘Forever’ makes un-Common mark

ARTIST

ALBUM

LABEL

SPOON

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Merge

Interpol

Our Love To Admire

Capitol

White Stripes

Icky Thump

Warner Bros.

Polyphonic Spree

The Fragile Army

TVT

Justice

Cross

Vice

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Is Is [EP]

Interscope

Gogol Bordello

Super Taranta!

Side One Dummy

Metric

Grow Up And Blow Away

Last Gang

Ryan Adams

Easy Tiger

Lost Highway

Beastie Boys

The Mix-Up

Capitol

1990s

Rough Trade

Iron And Wine

Boy With A Coin

Sub Pop

Tegan And Sara

The Con

Sire

Bad Religion

New Maps of Hell

Epitath

Smashing Pumpkins

Zeitgeist

Reprise

Chemical Brothers

We Are The Night

Astralwerks

Against Me!

New Wave

Sire

Editors

An End Has A Start

Epic Fader

National

Boxer

Beggars Banquet

Mark Ronson

Version

RCA

ZEBRA JUNCTION »

Photo courtesy of www.wma.com/common/images

Thursday 8.16

By GEOF WOLLERMAN gwollerm@mscd.edu Hip-hop might be dead – but don’t write the eulogy yet. Gone are the days of Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. Graffiti is passé and breakin’ is a quaint memory. These days if you’re not dropping rhymes while sipping Cristal in your Gucci loafers, you’re just not being heard. Don’t get me wrong: I love a little Wu-Tang in the morning, and summer just wouldn’t be the same without some Big Tymers booming. But there’s a crucial difference between hip-hop and rap. Rap is all about where your hoes are at, how you made your loot, how much you love your bling, and what you’re going do to all the fakers who doubt you. Hip-hop, on the other hand, is more about that fine-ass girl who’s caught your eye, the bullshit of politics, the false security of street life, and why bling is a bunch of bullshit. That said, Common is one of the few lyricists still around who represent the essence of hiphop. Sure, there’s KRS-One, Jurassic 5, Mos Def, Atmosphere and The Coup, to name a few, but compared with all that’s being spit about Cadillac grills and getting rich or dying trying, the realness is getting lost in the shuffle. Hip-hop is inherently angst. Like punk and hardcore – and really any music worth its salt – hip-hop’s main inspiration is dependent on some aspect of social agitation. And on Finding Forever, Common continues to tap into the malaise and anger so prevalent in today’s urban environment. The third track on the album, “The People,” reminds Common’s listeners, “This is street radio/for unsung hero/riding in the Regal/trying to stay legal … yeah, you know how we do/we do it for the people.” A loop that sounds like someone sawing back and forth on a cello drives the lyrics and adds a frantic imperative to the track – as if, in doing it for the people, the stakes are that much higher.

Gothic Theater $5-7, 16+

A few of the songs are a little mellow and focus on relationships, but they make the album more personal, as if the listener is privy to a private confession from a man broken down by female ﬁckleness. For instance, the track “Drivin’ Me Wild” is all about how elusive new affections can be so hard to ﬁgure out. A chorus of women sing out the refrain: “There’s this thing now/it’s driving me wild/I got to see what’s up/before it gets me down.” The thing in question, of course, is love, a topic Common has revisited repeatedly throughout his career. “It’s not a mystery,” he says, “it’s everything.” “I Want You” is a self-explanatory serenade that comes close to making the middle of the album sag. But two other tracks, “Southside,” featuring Kanye West, and “The Game” are as close as the album comes to gangsta, and they break up the hearts-and-stars reverie of its midriff. A sample from Nina Simone’s ”Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” made popular in 1965 by The Animals, provides the backbone for “Misunderstood,” a testament to those who mean well, but get caught up in the pitfalls of the game. The title track, “Finding Forever,” caps the album off with the help of what sounds like a full church choir, and provides an uplifting, optimistic vision for the future. But the listener wonders just what Common is optimistic about. World affairs? Or the resurgence of real hip-hop? Let’s hope it’s a little of each.

Photo courtesy of dwightmark.com

Although they’re not headlining this latest event at the Gothic, Zebra Junction might be the highlight of the evening and one of the most fun bands to see in Denver right now and well worth the cost. With an odd assortment of instruments such as a ukelele, a scratch box and a mandola, Zebra Junction incorporates an old-timey sound with special guests such as comedian Josh Blue and dancers, The Junkettes. It’s bluegrass meets burlesque meets Blue. Josh, that is... Visit Zebra Junction at www. myspace.com/zebrajunction.

So you may be wondering whatever happened to that darling girl Juliette Lewis. You know, the actress from Natural Born Killers and Cape Fear? Apparently the thespian has turned in her good girl image for badass rock star and Four On The Floor is the latest effort from her band Juliette and the Licks. Good old ambitious Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Tenacious D and Queens Of The Stone Age) adds his drum expertise to Lewis’ latest endeavor. Visit at www. myspace.com/julietteandthelicks.

THE METROPOLITAN « AUGUST 16. 2007 « INSIGHT « A11

NIC GARCIA » ngarci20@mscd.edu

The bitch is back, skinnier than ever Remember me? I thought so. How long has it been, my darling readers? A year? Oh, how much can change in a year? I’ve moved, twice, got a new gig with a new fag rag in town, become more socially connected (the polite way of saying popular), turned 21 and lost 40 pounds. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Let’s not even talk about how our Mile High City has changed. And believe me when I say it’s going to take me a whole year to catch you all up on all the drama – gay marriage, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Lance Bass, et al – surrounding us fags. Look at me carrying on. For those of you who don’t know me, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nic Garcia, and I’m the resident “queen” around here. You see, back in the old days– just before YouTube and right after

MySpace, and just before Lindsay Lohan turned into a coke head and right after Mel Gibson went anti-Semitic – I began this little column of mine with a question: “What would the world be like if their were no gays?” Well, a year later, you readers found out. I was ﬁred from our beloved Metropolitan. And we all discovered The Met – and life in general – without Nic just isn’t the same. Before I go any further, I have to take a moment and send out tons of love to those of you on campus who came up to me, time and time again, and said you missed my column, The Met wasn’t the same and you prayed every night to Madonna (the virgin or otherwise) that one day I would be back. Well, you and I got our wish granted. I’m back. So buckle in. Like before, my column will be, oh what’s the term I’ve heard be-

fore, “unique?” Yes. My column will be unique. I will be sharing bits and pieces of my life with all of you. And more so than before, I’ll be looking at more “issues” – that’s the term (and condition) my editor used – and discussing real-world problems, not just the ones inside my head. But that’s for next time. Perhaps the most paramount notion I must share with you now is this: I’ve grown up. I don’t know how it happened, but somewhere after my ﬁrst legally consumed

Whiskey Sour and now, this girl has come of age. OK, I’m still coming of age. After all, I still smoke, shop way too much, am still single and can’t balance a checkbook. But I hope to show you my newfound maturity and share with you all the wonders of adulthood. Don’t worry, I promise from time to time I’ll still be the catty bitch you all love to hate. But moreover, I hope you and I can really take a step back and look at what’s going on in the world, and earnestly try to make it a better place, one column at a time. After all, if Karl Rove can resign on his own behalf and I can wear a 34inch waist, I can only assume there is hope for us all. Yeah, I think Rove’s “retirement” is just a new tactic, too; at least I’m still wearing those 34s.

Real maﬁa Don holds nation’s highest oﬃce

voters all gave Bush a gerrymandered victory. Ironically, GOP Secretaries of State ran both states’ elections, and Bush’s brother, Jeb, was conveniently the governor of Florida. With cohorts in power positions, it’s no wonder Bush stole the White House. With the White House secured, “The Teflon President” was in power to pursue his agenda with First Lieutenant Dick Cheney. This was similar to Gotti’s take over of the Gambino Family after disposing of mafia rival Paul Castellano. Since the Bush crime family is in the oil business and had a vendetta against its former associate Sadaam Hussein, there was no better time to go to war and take over his territory. But how would they convince the American public? Falsified CIA intelligence confirmed Sadaam had purchased uranium from Niger and possessed weapons of mass destruction that would destroy America, freedom, and Christianity. Mass hysteria as a result of 9/11 allowed the Bush crime family to occupy Sadaam’s territory like

gangsters. However, Niger Ambassador Joseph Wilson debunked the uranium purchase and the claims of weapons of mass destruction. He then charged the Bush Administration with doctoring the CIA report. Due to this challenge of authority, First Lieutenant Cheney ordered Karl Rove and Scooter Libby to retaliate. Thus, Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame, was exposed as a CIA agent. Afterward, Libby became the fall guy and was subsequently convicted of obstruction of justice and perjury. This was for lying to authorities concerning his source of classified information. True to form of any Mafia subordinate, Libby didn’t reveal his mob boss Cheney as the conductor of Plame’s outing. Obviously, Libby understood: in the mafia, snitches get stitches. He put his freedom on the line by not ratting. Or did he? There is a more compelling theory for his loyalty: Libby was aware the “White House Don” would pardon him. Thus, Libby felt safe from any consequences since he would be the recipient of a legal jailbreak. Confidence under fire was alive and well in the White House after Cheney’s hunting accident involving a shooting, alcohol, and a failure to report. Republican activist Harry Whittington was almost a fatality as a result. Here, the power of Cheney was obvious: Whittington himself

Since 1979

EDITOR IN CHIEF DAVID D. POLLAN dpollan@mscd.edu MANAGING EDITOR Geof Wollerman gwollerm@mscd.edu NEWS EDITOR Andrew Flohr-Spence spencand@mscd.edu ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Amy Woodward awoodwa5@mscd.edu FEATURES EDITORS Emile Hallez ehallez@mscd.edu Josie Klemaier jklemaie@mscd.edu MUSIC EDITOR Jeremy Johnson jjohn308@mscd.edu SPORTS EDITOR Eric Lansing lansing@mscd.edu ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Zac Taylor ztaylor2@mscd.edu PHOTO EDITOR Amie Cribley acribley@mscd.edu ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Cora Kemp ckemp4@mscd.edu

EARL ARMSTRONG » earmstr10@mscd.edu During the 1980’s, John Gotti, the Gambino Family mafia boss was dubbed “The Teflon Don” by the media. This moniker alludes to his ability to face criminal charges without them having the necessary substance to stick. The moniker also provides segue to a grand analogy involving George W. Bush. During the 2000 Presidential Campaign, revelations surfaced that Bush used cocaine. Instead of this information costing Bush his chance at the presidency – like former President Bill Clinton’s confession that he “never inhaled” – Bush overcame the accusation. Just as “The Teflon Don” was capable of avoiding damaging charges, Bush merely sidestepped this accusation by rhetorically stating the Nancy Reagan “Don’t Use Drugs” slogan. Bush was also the only presidential hopeful who failed to answer the drug use question. The omission of cocaine use predicated what his administration would do during trouble. Like mobsters, it would lie, cheat, create alibis, retaliate, torture, spy, free comrades from prison, and freely discharge firearms. In the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, accusations were made in Florida and Ohio that certain voters were not allowed to vote. Police roadblocks, butterfly ballots, destroyed or uncounted ballots, and misinformation directed at certain

THE METROPOLITAN

confessed no improprieties – a strong alibi for Cheney despite incriminating facts. Like Libby, Whittington took one for the team like a true mafia soldier. Mafia antics in the White House go on and on. From the torture of inmates at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay to Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez’s firing of noncompliant attorneys and lies under oath to the invasion of privacy of innocent citizens, the White House Good Fellows are as untouchable as Al “Scarface” Capone. It’s bewildering how the Bush Administration can indulge in such mischief when Clinton faced impeachment for lesser accusations during the Lewinsky Scandal. Impeachment seems the more likely for manufacturing an unjust war rather than for engaging in “inappropriate relations.” The White House Good Fellows are staring Congress down, and demanding that their agenda of improprieties continue. Horrifically, the Democratic Congress is bowing instead of pursuing impeachment. If the historical-wimps-to-the-GOP will not stand up to Bush, who will? Picture the GOP stealing the 2008 presidency. Will the Wimpocrats get tough? One can only hope. Otherwise, the reign of the Good Fellows will continue until America sleeps with the fishes.

DESIGN EDITOR Nic Garcia ngarci20@mscd.edu ILLUSTRATOR Andrew Howerton ahowert2@mscd.edu COPY DESK CHIEF Matthew Quane mquane@mscd.edu COPY EDITORS Sara Whitney stevesar@mscd.edu Clayton Woullard cwoullar@mscd.edu DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Dianne Harrison Miller ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Donnita Wong ADVISER Jane Hoback The Metropolitan is produced by and for the students of Metropolitan State College of Denver and serves the Auraria Campus. The Metropolitan is supported by advertising revenue and student fees, and is published every Thursday during the academic year and monthly during the Summer semester. The Metropolitan is distributed to all campus buildings. No person may take more than one copy of each edition of The Metropolitan without prior written permission. Please direct any questions, comments, complaints or compliments to Metro Board of Publications c/o The Metropolitan. Opinions expressed within do not necessarily reﬂect those of Metropolitan State College of Denver or its advertisers. Deadline for calendar items is 5 p.m. Thursday. Deadline for press releases is 10 a.m. Monday. Display advertising deadline is 3 p.m. Thursday. Classiﬁed advertising is 5 p.m. Thursday. Tivoli Student Union, Room 313. P.O. Box 173362, Campus Box 57, Denver, CO 80217-3362.

Upset by what you read in the Insight pages? Want to have your opinions heard as well? Think you have what it takes to be in print? Send in your letters to the editor or volunteer to write as a columnist. Direct e-mails to dpollan@mscd.edu, or come by Tivoli 313 and ﬁll out an application. Columnists of all persuasions and walks of life are encouraged to apply.

THE METROPOLITAN » A13 » AUGUST 16, 2007

» WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL 2007-2008 PREVIEW » A15 » TAYLOR: A SUMMER OF SPORTS TURNS SOUR » A15 » DENVER BRONCOS SEASON PREVIEW » A16

sports ERIC LANSING » SPORTS EDITOR » lansing@mscd.edu »

SIDELINE

THIS WEEK » Saturday 8.18 Volleyball

Alumni 6 p.m. at Auraria

Soccer Mens 7 p.m. at Air Force Womens 1 p.m. at DU

SAY WHAT? » “It was my fourth knee surgery since I began volleyball. They really cleaned it up, cleaned up the arthritis, the scar tissue, the miniscus and put in some new cartilage to see if that would help it out. I asked myself ‘why am I getting this surgery?’ I just told myself to stop being a baby.” -Volleyball star Julie Green

DID YOU KNOW » The Metro men’s soccer team has been picked to win the RMAC conference, taking six of eight first-place votes.

RMAC PRESEASON MEN’S SOCCER POLL 1. Metro State (6), 8 2. Fort Lewis (1), 15 3. Colorado School of Mines (1), 18 4. CSU-Pueblo, 24 5. Regis, 33 6. UC-Colorado Springs, 35 7. Mesa State, 43 8. Colorado Christian, 48

NUMBERS GAME »

Number of consecutive years that volleyball head coach Debbie Hendricks has taken Metro to the NCAA Tournament. That is every season that Hendricks has been head coach for the Roadrunners.

Women’s head coaching job falls into Lappe of CU grad Former Buffalo and CSU assistant takes over for basketball program By ERIC LANSING lansing@mscd.edu It was only four years ago that Linda Lappe was running up and down the basketball court, helping the University of Colorado at Boulder to a Sweet 16 appearance in 2003. Now, instead of leading her teammates on a fast break, she is leading Metro’s women’s basketball team, with hopes of making another deep run in the NCAA Division II Tournament as a head coach. “Metro has very good tradition,” Lappe said. “I knew that before even looking at the job. I told myself that if that job ever opened up, I would love to have it.” Athletic director Joan McDermott is excited about bringing Lappe into the women’s basketball head coaching position. “We are just thrilled to have Linda on our staff,” McDermott said. “She brings outstanding credentials as both a player at Colorado, under Ceal Barry, and as a coach. She has championship experience, which will be valuable to our team. I am confident that she will continue the success of the program.” Lappe comes to Metro with substantial college basketball experience, having both played and coached at the Division I level. Lappe played four years for the Buffaloes, and helped her team earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament three straight years, from 2001-2003. Her team reached the Elite Eight in 2002, and the Sweet 16 in 2003. Lappe played under legendary college coach Ceal Barry at CU-Boulder, and credits her new position to her former coach. “The thing with Coach Barry is that she is just a great person,” Lappe said. “She does things the right way. She is just a classy lady, and her programs were always first-class programs. As players, she instilled that into us, and one of the biggest things I hope to do is to have Metro State run like a first-class program.” After her graduation from CUBoulder in 2002, Lappe ventured

Photo by CORA KEMP/ckemp4@mscd.edu

New women’s basketball coach Linda Lappe takes over for Dave Murphy Aug. 2. Lappe played four years at the University of Colorado and led the Buffaloes to the Sweet 16 in 2003 and an Elite Eight appearance in 2002. back to her home state of Iowa and became an assistant coach at Drake University. She led the Bulldogs to two Women’s National Invitation Tournaments in 2004 and 2005. She then found herself back in Colorado as an assistant coach for Colorado State University, where she spent a season helping secure 11 recruits for the Rams for the upcoming 2007-2008 season. “I am definitely a Coloradan at heart,” Lappe said. “I love this state, ever since I lived here six of the past nine years of my life. I have a real passion for the people of Colorado (and) its communities. I have no problem selling the state (to possible incoming recruits).” Lappe becomes Metro’s sixth women’s basketball coach in its 25year history. She takes over for Dave Murphy, who served five years as Roadrunner head coach, leading his team to a 24-7 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance in the previous season. Murphy abruptly retired in June, leaving behind a senior-laden team that has all the parts to make a serious run at a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title, as well as an NCAA Tournament championship.

LINDA LAPPE » COLLEGE STATS

- 4-year basketball player at CU-Boulder - 3 NCAA tournament appearances - 3-time Academic All Big-12 selections - 2 years as team captain - 8.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists average as a senior

COACHING HISTORY

- 3 seasons as assistant head coach at Drake University - 47-42 record at Drake - Took the Bulldogs to two WNIT Tournament appearances - 2006-2007 season as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at CSU - Named Metro women’s basketball coach for 2007-2008 season

“I have to say that Coach Murphy and his staff did a great job of leaving the cupboard very full for whoever took over this program,” Lappe said. “We have a lot of depth, some senior leadership, but I think it will be a matter of how well we gel together.” Metro will return six seniors for the 2007-2008 season. Lappe says she brings her Division I tournament experience to the Roadrunners and hopes to build on

the school’s already successful program. “I hope to continue that, getting to the Sweet 16, getting to the Elite Eight and hopefully competing for a national championship,” Lappe said. “That’s a realistic goal we can set for ourselves, if not for this year, then in years to come. I am not going to be satisﬁed with being mediocre or in the middle of the pack of the RMAC. I think we can be better than that.”

A15 » SPORTS » AUGUST 16. 2007 » THE METROPOLITAN

Metro looks to find health in new season By ERIC LANSING lansing@mscd.edu The women’s volleyball team looked like a medical unit on Aug. 14 as they prepared for the beginning of an already rough start to the 2007 season. Outside hitter Julie Green ran blocking drills with a metal brace on her left finger while favoring her surgically repaired knee at the same time. Outside hitter Danny Myers took part in practice but is not jumping as she is slowly working her way back from knee surgery. And defensive specialist Bri Ostler watched from the sideline, having sustained a minor concussion while diving for a ball. The list of injuries goes on for the Roadrunners, but so does the fight to continue to be major contenders in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. “I don’t know if we will ever get back to a hundred percent,” head coach Debbie Hendricks said about the estimated time her team will need to be ready by the start of the regular season. “Based on the standpoint that we have had three knee surgeries, it just takes a certain amount of time to get healthy. Bri’s concussion, Julie’s finger, Kelsey Ellis’s pulled quad, they are things that happen during twoa-days and happen early on in the season.” Having lost four key starters to graduation and bringing in five newcomers to the squad, the team doesn’t have the same experience it possessed in the 2006 season, when they brought home the RMAC Tournament championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Hendricks, who is in her eighth season as volleyball head coach, realizes the inexperience her team brings to the court, but says all the teams in the RMAC are young, and her team

METRO VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW 2006 SEASON:

-Overall record, 21-10 -RMAC record, 14-5

COACH:

-Debbie Hendricks (8th season) -Career record, 160-63

KEY RETURNERS: -Julie Green, OH

515 K, .263 pct., 48 blks -Bri Ostler, DS/L 122 GP, 40 SA, 578 digs -Stephanie Levi, S 97 K, 1565 asst., 27 SA Photo by CORA KEMP/ckemp4@mscd.edu

Metro’s volleyball team works on their setting skills during their second practice of the day Aug. 14 at the Auraria Events Center. There is less than two weeks remaining before the start of the regular season, which begins Aug. 23. still has enough weapons to put up a good ﬁght in the conference in 2007. “I think we will compete with the rest of the RMAC, but it is a rebuilding season,” Hendricks said. “We are very young, and we could have at any point in time three to four freshmen on the ﬂoor.” Hendricks also says that team chemistry is going to be the factor that pushes her team into major contention. “I think what we may lack in experience, we are going to more than make up for it in team chemistry,” Hendricks said. “It is a mature group for being so young. It is a testament to each of them as individuals and what they are bringing to the collective energy of the team.” Ostler, who is one of only two se-

niors on the team, already sees a huge difference in how the team is coming together in the few weeks they have trained together. “After a week and a half of two-adays, our chemistry is already ridiculously good,” Ostler said. “Everyone gets along, there has been no ﬁghting yet and the attitudes from everyone has been great.” Green will be the star of the squad, having played a huge role in leading Metro to the NCAA Tournament in 2006. Last season, Green was an All-American honorable mention, All-Western Region, and All-RMAC while putting up monster statistics with 515 kills, posting a .263 kill percentage and contributing 48 blocks. Last season, Green played in the shadow of fellow All-American hon-

orable mention Stefanie Allison, who won the RMAC Tournament MVP. But now the 6-foot outside hitter knows she will have to step into the spotlight and carry the load. “With just having my ﬁnger surgery last Thursday, and having three pins put in along with my knee surgery, I had to work my butt off all summer,” Green said about the effort she put in to be ready to lead her team this season. “I know I was in a lot of pain, but I knew I wanted the best for my team, to help my team and to help myself for this year.” Sophomore server Stephanie Levi and Ostler are the key returnees for the Roadrunners, and will have to pick up the slack for the ﬁve freshmen and two redshirt freshmen. Hendricks has led her team to the

KEY LOSSES:

-Stefanie Allison, OH 550 K, 433 digs, 61 blks -Sheena Bohannon, MB 281 K, 115 blks -Kelley Angel, MB 182 K, 72 digs -Megan Wittenburg, MB 221 K, 348 digs, 93 blks NCAA Tournament in every season as the Roadrunner head coach, and nothing in the game plan changes this year. It’s just a matter of time before things begin to work in her team’s favor. “I always say that we need to play strong the first couple of weekends and find out where we stand,” Hendricks said. “Even though we will take our lumps a little bit, the most important thing is to grow and improve each time we play, and figure out where we want to be by the end of the year.”

ZAC TAYLOR » ztaylor2@mscd.edu

From cycling to cheating, summer sports has fans sweating

Summer is quickly coming to a close, and most sports fans have turned their eyes to football as the preseason gets under way. But as the school buses arrive and the leaves begin to fall, we must reﬂect on the summer that left us sports fans in shock and awe. Barry Bonds is the new career leader in home runs, and a lot of people aren’t too happy. Even without the courts and the “I didn’t take steroids knowingly” quotes, people don’t normally change head sizes like waist sizes. He hasn’t been convicted, so he is technically innocent, but most fans are too wary to be genuinely happy to see Bonds pass a class act like Hank Aaron. That said, I will gladly white out the asterisk in my personal record book when Bonds proves that

he didn’t cheat. Until then, Hank Aaron remains my home-run king, although Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez will be closing on the record in a few years, if he keeps at his current pace, solving the home-run king dilemma. The cheating didn’t stop at baseball this summer. The Tour de France, already waiting to see if 2006’s winner was doping, was rocked after losing its leader, Michael Rasmussen, for missing two drug tests. Not only was Rasmussen winning at the time, but he was set to win the yellow jersey. That wasn’t all. Favorite Alexandre Vinokourov, after enduring heartbreaking falls that ended his yellow jersey run, won a time trial and, later, a grueling mountain stage. His was the heartwarming story of the event,

until the Kazakh rider was found to have doped just before his wins. By the end of the race, two teams had dropped out, and riders had staged a protest at the start of one stage. For a sport that lost its luster when American Lance Armstrong retired, these doping allegations are only pushing the world of cycling further into the depths of insigniﬁcance in the U.S. Players weren’t the only ones

found cheating this summer. NBA referee Tim Donaghy was discovered betting on games he refereed and having fixed those games in his favor. His game-fixing had been going on for a while, and although it wasn’t on the scale of the Black Sox throwing the series in 1919, this new gambling problem is still serious for the NBA, as viewers are left to wonder if the refs’ calls aren’t just bad, but unethical. The last big sports story of the summer didn’t involve cheating, but Michael Vick’s dog fighting indictment has rocked the sports world. With the media’s coverage of dog fighting, we continuously see footage of mangled dogs and horrible implements for killing them if they lose a fight, which not only has sports fans

in disbelief, but every human who is a dog-lover. Even in our home town of Denver, a man was found standing outside a Nike Store, one of Vick’s shoe lines and sponsors, protesting the Falcon quarterback by holding pictures of dead dogs found at his Virginia home. Sports were shaken this summer, but there was a story that showed sports can still be wonderful. The Iraq soccer team winning the Asian cup may not mean too much halfway around the world in a soccer-lite country, but for a day it brought the divided country together. It was one small light in the mess of the summer, but many fans are just ready to be done with the heat and on to a fresh season of football.

THE METROPOLITAN « AUGUST 16. 2007 « SPORTS « A17

DENVER BRONCOS 2007-2008 SEASON PREVIEW QUARTERBACKS: Jay Cutler, Patrick Ramsey

RUNNING BACKS: Travis Henry, Cecil Sapp and Mike Bell

The job now belongs to the second-year gunslinger, with Jake Plummer teetering on retirement in Tampa Bay. Cutler has the arm, the legs and the will to lead this team for years to come. For this year, it will be an up and down type of season, as we saw in the last half of 2006-2007. All Cutler needs to do is keep the turnovers to a minimum and allow the always successful running game to lead the way. If the young stud goes down to an injury, Ramsey is a capable backup, but won’t wow you with a strong arm or nifty moves, almost a Bubby Brister clone but without the experience.

Henry is coming off a solid 2006-2007 season with the Tennessee Titans after two years of injuries with only six games played. He fits right into the zone-blocking scheme the Broncos have thrived on for so many years and he will hang onto the football better than outcast Tatum Bell who, seemed to fumble the ball at the least opportune times. If Henry stays healthy, expect 1,300-1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns. If hurt, then Cecil Sapp and Mike Bell will try to fill the void, but don’t count on either carrying 25-30 times a game and helping the team win games. The running game is the bread-and-butter of the offense and if this fails to work, so does the rest of the offense.

B-

TIGHT ENDS: Daniel Graham,

B Quarterback Jay Cutler -

- Defensive end Kenny Peterson

Stephen Alexander and Tony Scheﬄer

If only there was such a thing as a three tight-end set. Graham is a better blocker than receiver, but he can catch the ball. Alexander has showed in the past that he can be a reliable target, having caught 35 or more passes in a season four times in his 10-year career. Scheffler seemed to build a rapport with Cutler toward the end of last season and could see significant time, having great hands and the lack of functioning wide receivers. Young quarterbacks love their tight ends and this group could be the saviors Cutler needs to succeed.

B+

WIDE RECIEVERS: Javon Walk-

Louis Green, D.J. Williams, Ian Gold and Nate Webster The loss of Al Wilson has hurt a once dominant position. A neck injury turned his future from bright to dim, and the Broncos’ front office released him in the offseason. Green, Williams and Gold are all good linebackers, but Wilson’s leadership will be sorely missed. Gold will have to step up as the senior linebacker to teach Webster and the rest of the corps how to hang with the big boys of the NFL, which is no easy task unless your name is Ray Lewis.

CORNERBACKS:

Champ Bailey, Dre Bly and Dominique Foxworth

Running back Travis Henry -

er, Brandon Stokley, Rod Smith and Brandon Marshall

Javon Walker is a top-10 receiver when healthy and needs to step up for a WR corps that is battling an array of injuries. Brandon Stokley’s place on the team is uncertain as he is coming off an ACL surgery that kept him off the field for the entire 2006-2007 season. Broncos great Rod Smith could be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list, because he is still feeling the effects of offseason hip surgery. Brandon Marshall is still hobbling with a quadricep injury, but could be ready by the first regular season game. Cutler needs targets if the running game is stopped, and with the way things are going in the wide receiver world, tight ends could be the position he has to throw to.

C+

SAFETIES: John Lynch and Nick Ferguson The starting safeties have a combined 23 years experience, but don’t tell Lynch he’s getting old when he flattens a 220 lb. running back. Even after 15 years in the league, Lynch is still a force in the secondary, although he has slowed recently. What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in strength, the former Tampa Bay menace still packs a punch. Beyond his abilities on the field, Lynch is also a leader on defense and with the release of linebacker Al Wilson, he will have to step up in that role even more so. Ferguson is a solid starter and uses his experience to prevent big plays from occurring down field.

B-

LINEBACKERS:

- Head coach Mike Shanahan

This could quite possibly be the strongest position for the Broncos even with the loss of hard hitting Darrent Williams in the offseason. Soon after the tragedy, the Broncos traded for cornerback Dre Bly from Detroit. He looked a little weak last season, as the Lions starting corner, but he will be outstanding covering number two receivers while Bailey, quite possibly the best corner in the business, takes on other teams’ stars. Denver also has Dominique Foxworth, who can hold his own against most receivers. Wide-outs will not enjoy playing the Broncos this year.

A+

DEFENSIVE LINE: John Engelberger, Sam Adams, COACHES: Mike Shanahan, Rick Gerard Warren, Ebenezer Ekuban and Jarvis Moss

Dennison and Jim Bates

Adams and Moss have brought more skill to the defensive line, but for very different reasons. Adams is a 14-year veteran brought in from the Bengals and has been given a second chance at life in the NFL by Shanahan. His immense size, at 350 lbs., and his experience will help his young line mates in Moss, Marcus Thomas, Ekuban and Tim Crowder. Moss was the Broncos first-round draft pick out of Florida. He has the skills to be an excellent lineman in the near future, but for now will wait behind former Cleveland lineman Ekuban. Engelberger and Gerard Warren, another Browns castaway, round out a solid D-line, which has gained both experience and raw talent since last year.

On the whole the Broncos coaching staff has remained unchanged, with the exception of Jim Bates, who will be the new defensive coordinator. Bates will be guiding a talented defense and shouldn’t have to work hard to produce results. Head coach Shanahan has shown his talent with his back-to-back Super Bowls in the 90s, but has recently been criticized after failing to do much after the exit of John Elway. He and Dennison, the offensive coordinator, are banking on Cutler to be the savior.

B-