Volume 32, Issue 13 - Oct. 15, 2009

THE

METROPOLITAN Serving Auraria for 30 years

Vol. 32, Issue 13

October 15, 2009

Jordan affirms OneCard Students now have option for ID, bank card combo •A3

Keeping shelves stocked

Season’s Musings

Metro donation bank brings in less food, more needy students •A5 SPORTS

Women’s Soccer tightens grip on RMAC •A10

METROSPECTIVE

Urban farming a mile high Denver residents embrace new center for backyard homesteading •B4 Visit our website » themet.metrostudentmedia.com

Metro student Heath Ellis strums on his mandolin Oct. 13 near the Plaza Building at Auraria. After a week of cold weather, the weekend’s forecast is for sunshine and blue skies back to the Denver area with temperatures reaching the 70s by Sunday. Photo by Leah Millis • lmillis@mscd.edu

A3 • THE METROPOLITAN • October 15, 2009

NEWS

“It’s 10 o’clock Monday morning, do you know where your student government is?”

- COLIN SEGER on A9

CAITLIN GIBBONS • NEWS EDITOR • cgibbon4@mscd.edu

Panel talks about future of transport

By Ben Wiebesiek wiebesib@mscd.edu Plains, trains and electric cars were among the topics at the wideranging conference, “Transportation: a 21st Century Transportation Panel” Oct. 13 in the Tivoli Multi-Cultural Lounge.

The Colorado Public Interest Research Group, CoPIRG, a political advocacy group, hosted the event to highlight the efforts of local organizations working to meet the challenges of meeting tomorrow’s transportation needs.

UCD Geography and Environmental Sciences Instructor Jon Barbour said that his hopes for the 21st century include an increase in the public’s use of renewable sources of energy.

“As our society moves away from the use of fossil fuels, it is important to understand the direction that transportation technology might be going in our lifetime,” Barbour said.

The panelists, from different local organizations, each gave a brief presentation to the audience before coming together for a question-andanswer session at the end.

The first speaker, S.T. Tripathi, provided a business perspective for the emerging industries working to meet the growing public demand for green technology.

Tripathi is president of Electric City Motors North America based in Parker, a manufacturer and distributor of affordable, highway-approved, low-emission vehicles.

“I’m here to support anything that has to do with transportation, solar energy, wind power,” Tripathi said.

“I’ve quit selling gas vehicles. We do not convert; we build our vehicles from the ground up.”

Electric City Motors North America has developed 100 percent electric cars that can reach speeds of 83 miles per hour and are capable of traveling between 58 and 65 miles per charge, Tripathi said.

The panel discussion moved across the public/private divide of transportation technology with Caley Johnson, a representative from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden.

NREL is a part of the U.S. Department of Energy, which received money from the federal economic stimulus package for the research and development of alternative energy technologies.

Continued on A7

Metro starts debit deal

EVENTS

10.15 Distinguised Lecture

New identification cards allow students to connect ID to bank

Series Presents: Richard Jensen The Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality and Relationships 1 p.m.

Multi-Cultural Lounge

By Caitlin Gibbons cgibbon4@mscd.edu Metro students will now have the choice of getting their financial aid delivered in paper or plastic.

The college, in conjunction with U.S. Bank, unveiled the Metro OneCard and OneCard Maxx and Metro President Stephen Jordan cut the ceremonial ribbon Oct. 13 in front of the Commuter Resource Center in the Tivoli.

The OneCard combines the traditional student identification card with a VISA debit card that can be used anywhere debit cards are accepted.

The OneCard Maxx card is also a debit card, but functions like a credit card and can be used anywhere.

Greg Landers, a student manager and UCD student said the Commuter Resource Center issued 15 OneCard Maxx cards and 19 OneCards at the end of the business day Oct. 13.

“This partnership, we think, with U.S. Bank, will have tremendous benefits for our students here at Metro state.

Our students for the first time, are going to have access to whatever level of services they choose. So they can simply have a college ID card, which we all need to have. They can open a checking account with U.S. Bank and that checking account becomes an ATM debit card. Or they can choose to go to go to what’s called a OneMaxx card and receive even more services and offers than simply having a checking account or ATM card,” Jordan said.

The new cards are not mandatory.

Students still have the option of having a regular ID card and receiving their financial aid through checks.

Andrew Bateman, student government assembly president, was the first student to receive the new OneCard.

SGA has worked with the college for the past year to help implement the new system.

“I really encourage students to use the Maxx card, especially if they take advantage of financial aid. With this card, the day disbursement happens, which is usually before classes start, you can come right down and get your textbooks and get moving,” Bateman said.

“One of the biggest complaints we get from students is how long it takes to get their financial aid. This is one step toward solving that problem.”

Financial aid money can be directly deposited into a student’s U.S. Bank checking account on the day the funds are made available.

THIS WEEK

10.16 Career Fair Prep

Workshop Come get tips on how to best prepare for a career fair.

R.S.V.P. is required.

Sign up by visiting Metro JobLink 303556-3664 11:30 a.m.

Tivoli 215

INDEX INSIGHT ... A9 METROSPECTIVE ... B1 AUDIOFILES ... B6 SPORTS ... A10 TIMEOUT ... A14

WEATHER President Stephen Jordan cuts the ribbon during the Metro OneCard Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Oct. 13 in the Tivoli.

Photo by Chancey Bush • cbush7@mscd.edu The same day, students will have access to their money.

Natalie Lutes, vice president for administration and finance said she is in favor of the new program.

“I think this is a huge step forward.

Not so much for the institution, we will save a little bit, but mostly for the students. This is a more secure and quick way to get [students] their money,“ Lutes said.

Students are typically issued a check for their financial aid the week prior to the beginning of classes.

Lutes said the college deals with lost or stolen checks frequently.

“We figure if a student loses their check it takes a week or better to figure out that it is lost, make sure it is lost, reissue another one,” Lutes said.

“We give out 5,000-6,000 checks per semester,” Lutes said.

Lutes said her signature, which appears on all financial aid and payroll checks has turned up on other checks.

With the use of the OneCard the amount of checks will decrease, and so will the likelihood of fraud.

George Middlemist, associate vice

president of administration and finance, has been working on the OneCard concept for almost three years.

The contract with U.S. Bank was signed the week of July 13.

The college explored five different options before deciding to go with the U.S. Bank plan.

“The contract was really complicated with this institution. We needed to have ATMs available, but Auraria already had an agreement with another institution,” Middlemist said.

Auraria already has a contract with Chase as the campus’ primary bank.

U.S. Bank ATMs will be placed in the Central Classroom Building as well as the Auraria Event Center.

Students must take their OneCard to one of the U.S. Bank ATMs to activate the card.

Local U.S. bank branches also have ATMs where students can activate their cards.

The OneCard is a Metro-exclusive program.

10.15 • Mostly Sunny High: 64/Low: 38 10.16 • Mostly Sunny High: 66/Low: 39 10.17 • Mostly Sunny High: 70/Low: 41 10.18 • Partly Cloudy High: 72/Low: 40 10.19 • Mostly Sunny High: 66/Low: 38 10.20 • Partly Cloudy High: 62/Low: 35 10.21 • Partly Cloudy High: 64/Low: 36

By Kendell LaRoche

CORRECTIONS On page A7 in the Oct. 1 edition of The Metropolitan, Lance Denning was incorrectly identified as the advisor to the Auraria Democrats. Amy Eckert is the advisor to the Auraria Democrats.

To notify The Metropolitan of an error in any of our reports, please contact Editor-in-Chief Dominic Graziano at dgrazia1@mscd.edu

DID YOU KNOW? The human eye blinks an average of 4,200,000 times a year. • THE METROPOLITAN • OCTOBER 15, 2009 • NEWS • A5

Mentor challenges perceptions on race Guest professor part of Metro’s diverse history

By Ben Wiebesiek wiebesib@mscd.edu Nearly two decades separate the current students of Metro’s Chicana/o Studies Department and the life of the instructor who helped found the program, but through a program hosted by visiting professors, Richard T. Castro’s legacy of social change continues today.

The 2009 Castro Professorship featured Delilah Montoya, associate professor of photography at the University of Houston, in a series of events from Oct. 11 to 14 across campus and the metro Denver area.

“Of primary importance is my view of art as a serious and responsible vehicle for exploring issues of Chicana ideology,” Montoya said during a discussion of her work Oct. 12 at Saint Cajetan’s Center. “In my own evolving ideology I question my identity as a Chicana in occupied America, and articulate the experience of a minority woman.”

It is this artistic philosophy that Ramon Del Castillo, chair of the Chicana/o Studies Department, be-

Professor Delilah Montoya addresses Metro Students as part of the 2009 Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship Oct. 12 at St. Cajetan’s Center.

Photo by Chancey Bush • cbush7@mscd.edu lieves makes Montoya an excellent selection for this year’s professorship.

“She presents a feminist view that is often missing in the art in our

community,” Del Castillo said. “She really highlighted the importance of photographic work and this year, it inspired many of our students to look

into studying photography.”

During the professorship, a photo mural by Montoya, “La Llorona in Lilith’s Garden,” was on display at Auraria at the Institute of Women’s Studies and Services.

Montoya is the 12th visiting professor to come to Metro since 1997 when the program was created to honor Castro’s lifetime of community involvement.

According to the Metro website, Castro was a “champion of the disenfranchised who led many struggles for social justice, including opposition to English-only legislation.”

In past years, a diverse group of Latina and Latino scholars, artists and leaders have taken part in the program including novelist Carlos Fuentes, United Farm Workers Vice President Dolores Huerta and actor Richard “Cheech” Marin.

One of the event organizers, Assistant Professor of Chicana/o Studies Adriana Nieto, said this year’s conference has benefited from greater financial support from the college.

“Starting this year we’ve had institutional support, so we had a budget to start with because the Office of Diversity on campus pledged money and the president’s office gave us money and that’s new. In the past, we had to ask from different departments,” Nieto said.

For funding future visits, Nieto said that the establishment of the Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship Endowment will help secure a solid future for the program.

“We are also receiving support from our endowment and it has received donations from different business owners,” Nieto said. “One of our biggest supporters, Paul Sandoval, who owns Tamales by La Casita, and his wife Paula, who is a state senator, have donated for the endowment. Their donations help create a store of funds that we can use the interest from to make the program more permanent.”

For Paul Sandoval, the decision to donate to the endowment was inspired by his personal friendship with Castro and his legacy of community involvement.

“I’ve known Rich most of my life.

We went to grade school together, and we served on the state legislature together,” Sandoval said, “When they brought this endowment program to our attention, my wife, Paula Sandoval, and I felt that this program was a powerful way to remember Rich and all the great things he did for the people of Denver,” Sandoval said.

Donations dip during economic downturn Recession affects food drive bank while needs rise

By Rita Wold rwold@mscd.edu Donations at Metro’s food bank have dwindled while an increasing number of students seek the help.

“We assume [it] is due to the hard economic times,” said Zoe Elpern and Natalie Romero, the food bank’s coordinators, in a joint e-mail. “More students than ever are needing to use the food bank.”

The bank held its annual fall pasta and protein food drive Oct. 7 in the Tivoli Commons, where canned goods and dollar donations were exchanged for a slice of pizza.

“It was very successful. The ‘pasta and protein drive’ raised $263. All the money goes directly back to the food bank. We use that for going out and buying food at places like Sam’s Club and Costco. We also got 1,133 food items from the drive,” Romero said in a phone interview.

However, Elpern and Romero wrote in an e-mail donations are down from last year.

“More students than ever are needing to use the food bank due to the loss of jobs,” Elpern and Romero wrote.

Students Rick Van and Alicia Marsicovetere take advantage of the donated food available to them Oct. 13 at the Metro Food Bank in the Tivoli. Any student may present their student ID card and pick out six items per day. Photo by Taryn Jones • tjone101@mscd.edu Earlier this month, the Labor Department announced that the national unemployment rate rose to 9.8 percent, up from 9.7 percent in August and 9.4 percent in July.

However, the state Department of Labor and Employment latest statistics reported a stumping improvement in jobless rates, which fell 7.3 percent last August, down from 7.8

percent in July.

“We have about 20 to 25 students per day coming to the food bank. At the end of the week we have seen approximately 100 students.

Each student can take six items each visit. We go through about 600 items a week,” Elpern and Romero said.

According to the Food Bank of

the Rockies website, one in eight Coloradoans struggle with hunger.

“As the number of student using the food bank continues to increase, we are looking for more and more ways to keep the shelves stocked,” Elpern and Romero said.

The Metro Food Bank has partnered with the Food Bank of The Rockies with a volunteer program to

help alleviate the burden.

Olive Crawford, volunteer relations manager at the bank, said for every three hours a Metro student volunteers at the Food Bank of the Rockies, the Metro food bank will receive a credit for 20 pounds of food.

The volunteer credits are paid at the start of the following month. For October, seven credits have been recorded.

Crawford said it is important for volunteers to know that they must complete a three-hour shift for the credit to be applied to Metro’s account.

According to Elpern and Romero’s e-mail the program has lacked volunteers.

They have encouraged student organizations and clubs to participate in the partnership with the Food Bank of the Rockies, as well as in the Metro Food Bank office, located in Room 145A in the Tivoli Sigi’s Pool Hall.

In addition to partnering with the Food Bank of the Rockies, the food bank utilizes donations from various departments at Metro, the community and individuals.

The food bank also works with donors including City Harvest, King Soopers, Safeway and 9Cares Colorado Shares.

A6 • NEWS • OCTOBER 15, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN • THIS JUST IN: The sentence “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” uses every letter in the English language.

New justice appointed to On the street By Ben Wiebesiek • Photos by Drew Jaynes student court Should President Obama increase the troop level in Afghanistan?

By Julie Vitkovskaya uvitkovs@mscd.edu Charlotta Lockhart has been appointed as an associate justice, therefore filling the last vacant spot in the student court.

Lockhart comes highly recommended by Chief Justice Jason Cordova.

“She has done a lot of things throughout her life and career up to this point that really lend themselves well to applying conflict resolution to a situation,” Cordova said.

In choosing a justice, the Student Court looks for three things: objectivity, commitment and the ability to use the position as an opportunity for a learning experience.

In her resume, the educational objective is attending law school with an emphasis in constitutional law.

Lockhart first approached Student Government Assembly President Andrew Bateman in search for a different position, but was then redirected to the Student Court.

This is Lockhart’s first time in a student organization at Metro since the seven years she has attended the school. She plans to graduate from Metro in May 2010 with a philosophy major and a minor in technical communications.

“No. The people there are not going to stop fighting. Somebody comes into America, we’d keep fighting until they were out of our country.”

Isaiah Kelley Metro, Senior

“I don’t know; we’ve been over there long enough. There’s not really any point to being there anymore, so why send more people?”

Lisa Carl Metro, Sophomore

“He should increase the number.

It’s how Bush won the Iraq war, pretty much. So what worked in Iraq should work in Afghanistan.”

Ryan Vergara-Mangan Metro, Sophomore

“It should go down. I’m not sure why we’re still in Afghanistan.

What is it for? We should subtract troops instead of adding troops.”

Rudy Brown Metro, Junior

“I don’t feel the level should go up because more U.S. troops will cause more of a war. Then it’s all about who’s badder and who’s bigger.”

Chris Walsh Metro, Sophomore

“Doesn’t Gen. Petraeus say we need more troops to win? I was in the military and if they need more troops they ought to get them.”

Joe Baasch Metro, Sophomore

“I think he should decrease the number because we’re trying to get away from the war and increasing it would just make it worse.”

Vanessa Higuera UCD, Freshman

“If you want to get away from something you have to decrease the number or otherwise it just gets worse and worse.”

Marla Duran UCD, Freshman

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F.Y.I: A 10-gallon hat barely holds 6 pints. • THE METROPOLITAN • OCTOBER 15, 2009 • NEWS • A7

‘Tis the season for flu shots

Search for fuel efficiency guides members of panel Continued from A3

Martha Eaton, left, helps Mary Lou VanVoorhis roll up her sleeve Oct. 12 before giving her a flu shot outside of the Health Center at Auraria. The Health Center at Auraria gave the flu shot at a discounted $20 price for the first 100 patients. Photo by Leah Millis • lmillis@mscd.edu

Students shop schools Reps for master’s programs added to Metro grad fair

By Caitlin Gibbons cgibbon4@mscd.edu Armed with shopping lists composed of graduation announcements, caps and gowns and class rings, potential Metro graduates filled the St. Cajetan’s Center Oct. 13.

This year, graduates could check one more item off their list — comparing graduate school programs.

The annual graduate fair is a one-stop shop for Metro seniors to compile everything they will need for their big day. This fall however, the organizers added representatives from graduate schools to the line up.

“This is the most comprehensive one-stop shop,” said Gini Mennenga, a non-profit studies student who works in the Office of Alumni Relations and helped to organize this semester’s fair.

About 20 percent of graduation applicants usually attend the graduation fairs, Mennenga said.

“We’ve invited students across the grade levels to know about grad schools and their options for furthering their education once they graduate.”

James Reiker, a land use planning major attended the graduate fair. Reiker will be graduating in December.

“I knew what I wanted to do and get, so I figured I might as well and get this out of the way. “ Reiker said he is interested in

attending graduate school and planned to visit with the representatives at the fair.

Representatives from the University of Colorado, Regis University, University of Denver, Colorado Christian University and Fort Hays State University attended informational tables at the fair.

Vanessa Kidd, Manager of Enrollment and Advising for DU had plenty of advice for students considering graduate school.

“If you are on your academic path, continue to go while your thinking is in that mind-set. Taking a few years off to figure that out is fine.

You don’t want to jump into graduate school if you are not ready for it.

Take the time you need, but make sure you have your end goal in mind always,” Kidd said.

Tara Stenbakken, a graduate admissions counselor for the University of Denver said the school is taking in more applications than ever for graduate programs.

Thomas Gaschler, director of the Colorado Higher Education Opportunity Center at Fort Hays State University shared the importance of post-graduate education.

“In today’s economy a lot of people are realizing that if they want to get ahead when the next hiring phase takes place around the country, and corporations and business start to hire, those with the best degrees behind their name, experience and MBAs will be looked upon first.

A lot of people are looking at graduate programs right now. It is so key,” Gaschler said.

Gaschler said it is important for students to think at least six months

out when applying for graduate school.

“You’ve got to get your GMAT test taken care of, you need to get your letters of recommendation. You need to get your ducks in a row,” Gaschler said.

The fall commencement will be held Dec. 13 at the Colorado Convention Center.

For information on the December commencement please visit www. mscd.edu/commencement.

“For the most part, we know there is no silver bullet out there, so we’re trying the shotgun approach,” Johnson said.

NREL scientists are exploring options of harnessing the power from the biological activities of microscopic aquatic organisms, Johnson said.

“One of the main attractions of algae biofuels is that you not only have fuel that emits less carbon dioxide, but you can actually sequester carbon dioxide off of electricity power plants,” Johnson said.

“On top of that, you can use waste water and non-arable land. So a lot of the disadvantages that come with crops used for ethanol fuel don’t apply to algae biofuels.”

Finally, to provide a local government perspective, Director of the Stapleton Transportation Management Association Angie Malpiede discussed the progress and obstacles to efforts at improving mass transit in Denver and surrounding cities through the multi-billion dollar FasTracks program.

“FasTracks is RTD’s 12 year comprehensive plan to build six new commuter rail and light rail lines

and expanding pre-existing lines,” Maplied said.

“I really believe in alternative transportation. The metropolitan region is expected to add more than 900,000 people and 600,000 jobs by 2025,” Malpiede said based on projections from a report by the Denver Regional Council of Governments.

“This growth is going to have a tremendous drain on the region’s already congested transportation system particularly since drivers already spend more than 40 hours a year sitting in traffic. That’s a lot of time.”

During the question-and-answer section, audience curiosity focused on the financial burdens that technology innovation might present to a public still grappling with the costs of economic fallout and health care reform.

Sara Goudge, an intern with CoPIRG, was pleased with the level of audience participation.

“Everyone was very responsive and NREL was a really good contact to have,” Goudge said. “I think everything went pretty well and we’re planning on having more.”

2009 Graduate School representatives • Colorado Christian University • CU Denver - School of education and development • CU Denver Integrative Biology • University of Denver - Daniels College of Business • University of Denver - Joseph Korbel School of International Studies • Regis University - College of Health Professionals • Regis University - College of Professional Studies

Thomas Cox from Colorado Public Research Interest Group ties gallon bottles together for transport after a demonstration by the group Oct. 13 at the Tivoli Commons. The organization used the gallon bottles to illustrate how much gasoline an average driver could save in a given day or week by driving an environmentally friendly electric car. Photo by Drew Jaynes • ajaynes1@mscd.edu

A8 • OCTOBER 15, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN

INSIGHT

"Beer pong is moving away from what people view it as, a drinking game, and turning into a real competitive sport"

— World Series of Beer Pong Co-founder BEN "SKINNY" FOLNIK ON A13

Quiet in the room. Rocktober may be over, but the Broncos are doing well and the Nuggets will be playing soon. We'll never know the joys of World Series 2009, but life must go on.

Illustrated and written by THE METROPOLITAN STAFF

THE POINT: BAD-MOUTHING AMERICA 'DISCOVERER' EASILY HYPOCRITICAL

The Columbus Conundrum

Chris, we hardly knew ye.

You went from hero to monster in the baleful light of a politically correct lamp that launched not a thousand ships, but rafts of spurious “scholarship” backed by a thousand footnotes.

And after the Academic Huns were done, the second-string wrecking crews arrived waving signs and mouthing slogans to demolish Columbus, man and myth, in a better job than Rome did on Carthage.

Remember Columbus Day? It used to be a national holiday that started in Colorado in 1907. It’s still honored in places like Boston, New York, Chicago and San Francisco, where “Columbus” hasn’t been turned into a dirty word.

The PC Police have become insufferably righteous and will tolerate no loud talk from dissenters — borrowing a page from the Far Right they rightly blast.

When it comes to Columbus, they get a big assist from students, some faculty and others whose grasp of American and European history is somewhat —er, like, you know? — fuzzy.

Hell. I said “European.” For the PC Police, that raises the sin of Eurocentricity, a broad brush to tar any work, thought, music, writing or whatever by dead white European males as invalid. Which means any

J. SEBASTIAN SINISI sinisi2@msn.com of the above is unworthy to share the same stage with whatever’s politically correct this month.

Back to Columbus.

Unless you’ve spent the last two decades in a cave or (worse yet) watching Fox News, you’ve heard it all. Columbus didn’t “discover” anything, but only had a dumb-luck “landfall” on Hispanola. He was a slave trader. He enslaved Carib Indians and practiced genocide by slaughtering scores of thousands or millions; depending on which lurid account you believe.

Not a bad body of work for someone who, after three voyages, returned to Spain in 1494, shackled and disgraced because he failed to find the gold his backers were counting on. Neither did subsequent bands of conquistador-thugs, who did slaughter Indians on a wholesale

basis. And unless Columbus spent years, 24/7, mowing down Carib Indians with an AK 47, he could hardly have accomplished the genocide he is often credited with.

Truth be known, Carib Indians were pretty good at butchering their own people, or at least the enemy tribes and captives they enslaved and killed. Spattering the brains of captives with heavy clubs was a favored method.

Vikings likely reached the American mainland first, but Columbus did usher in what is loosely known as Europe’s “Age of Discovery.” It is not my purpose here to defend all that Columbus may or may not have done.

But, at a time when entire academic careers have been built on trashing Columbus — Ward Churchill at CU and Glenn Morris at UCD come immediately to mind — let’s give the Devil, or Devils, their due.

As an Italian-born employee of the Spanish crown, Columbus did not destroy the indigenous cultures and advanced civilizations of the Maya in Mexico and Inca in Peru.

That distinction, in the decades after 1520, was the work of Cortéz, Pizarro and their Conquistadors. In less than 20 years, they destroyed Montezuma’s city on the lake that is now Mexico City and Cuzco in Peru. While building churches atop razed Mayan and Inca monuments,

Cortéz and subsequent viceroys also enslaved and decimated – via sword, gun and disease — local populations.

In Peru and Mexico, indigenous people were forced by torture to accept Catholicism and were enslaved in silver mines. Under incredibly cruel conditions, they mined the silver shipped to Spain to help finance Spain’s European wars. Some of those ships never made it home and were captured or sunk by Dutch and British pirates when Spain was in the process of pissing away its overseas empire.

In short, things were a bit more complex than a simple scenario of one man as a lightning rod for all that went wrong in the next 400plus years of conquest, colonialism, displacement and genocide. But why bother with facts that slow down the script?

With only the facts of Cortéz, Pizarro and others. It’s especially ironic to hear Hispanics calling Columbus the slave trader responsible for all the sorrows visited on indigenous peoples in the centuries that followed his “landfall.”

I feel no need to trot out Leftleaning credentials while hooting at the PC tracts cranked out by what I call the “1970s people” who’ve become prominent in some departments. Their screeds may seem convincing to impressionable minds

whose idea of research is to cut and paste from Google or Wikipedia. But some of us, who’ve been around a little longer, have had more practice in bogus detection.

It’s also possible that Columbus has been debunked because Italians remain an easy target. While it is today unthinkable to apply ethnic stereotypes to any other group – like “lazy” Hispanics or “jive-ass“ blacks – Italians remain fair game. From “The Godfather” to “The Sopranos” it’s still OK in American pop culture to portray Italians as criminals. And any number of others movies and TV shows continue to have Italian men as loveably sweet, street smart and sexy. But they’re ultimately not-toobright buffoons.

There’s no room here — or in volumes — to list Italian-American accomplishments in business, sports, science, politics, entertainment, design, architecture and even academia, where Bart Giamatti was president of Yale University before he became Major League Baseball commissioner. But we still get no respect, and Italian-Americans who’ve made a few bucks must have done so through mob connections.

So runs a script that still holds sway. It’s time to change it, and bastardizing Columbus into “Discovery Day” or some other diluted and generic tag, isn’t the answer.

Julie Vitkovskaya Features Editor uvitkovs@mscd.edu Gabrielle Porter Assistant Features Editor gporter8@mscd.edu

Metro{spective}

B1 10.15.2009 THE METROPOLITAN

Sandwich line serves the needy With an early winter rolling in and taking Denver by surprise, St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church takes the initiative to help the homeless.

By Katie Kwiatkoski kkwiatko@mscd.edu

Metro sophomore Sydney Yousse, left, and junior Kim Harrer work to prepare cake slices for the evening meal Oct. 12 at the Denver Rescue Mission. Both Yousse and Harrer have been serving food for the homeless at the Lawrence Street Shelter since the beginning of fall semester. Photos by Leah Millis • lmillis@mscd.edu

Honors students reach out to community

By Dacia Johnson djohn205@mscd.edu

Marcia Ausmus, a Metro student obtaining a secondary degree in early childhood development, began volunteering this semester through the Honors Program.

The only way a community can thrive is with “I choose [to volunteer] because it is embedthe help of people — perfect strangers providing ded in my own personal philosophy to try to alcommunity service to those in need around them. ways give back to the community,” Ausmus said.

Thanks to the Metro State Honors Program, stuAusmus also said she finds it important to do dents are given the opportunity to volunteer in volunteer work because it is vital in their community. so many areas. Not only do orgaThe new Metro student coordinator nizations need volunteers, but the for the Honors Program, Kim Harrer, orcommunity and economy benefit, ganizes different volunteer opportunities as well as the individual who refor Metro students. Harrer is currently orceives the satisfaction that naturally ganizing a care package drive for soldiers comes with giving. in the Middle East.

All students are welcome to The social division has done work volunteer with Harrer’s team and with Habitat for Humanity and the Denstudents have a lot of input and ver Rescue Mission, where volunteer control on what volunteer projects hours are scheduled weekly.

Harrer organizes.

At the Denver Rescue Mission, Volunteering builds a greater meals are prepared and served to anysense of community — it’s imporone who needs one, three times a day, tant to gain that perspective in order seven days a week. The mission also has From left, Reggie Wilder, Kim Harrer and Sydney Yousse to come to an understanding about a work-therapy rehabilitation program, ladle garlic sauce onto slices of bread Oct. 12 at the Denver and discounted dental and medical servic- Rescue Mission before serving it to some of Denver’s local the world around you and the people in it, Harrer said. es. Harrer, a third-year honor student and homeless population. economics major, only recently received will remind people that there are others out there the position as student coordinator at Metro.

For more information on volunteering with the Honors program, contact Kim Harrer at harrer.

“It never ceases to amaze me just how open who aren’t as fortunate, and we all need to lend km@gmail.com or visit West Classroom 147. [the people at Denver Rescue Mission] all are with a helping hand sometimes,” Porter said.

Porter dedicates a lot of hours at the Dentheir personal stories, their emotions and their wisdom. Everyone there is so friendly and down- ver Rescue Mission and plans to continue volunto-earth,” Harrer said. “They are completely hum- teering after college. ble and openly grateful for volunteers. I am always in higher spirits when I leave there than when I arrived.”

Freshman elementary education student, Hope Porter, is also in the Honors Program. She said she volunteers because it makes her feel like a better person.

“I believe that any volunteer work one does

Every day at 11 a.m. in the alley between the cathedral and Central classroom, St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church runs a large-scale sandwich line — rain or shine.

Regulars start to arrive around 10 a.m. daily. Nearly 100 people go through the sandwich line, some coming back two or three times. Truthfully, no one gets turned away and not every visitor is homeless — even construction personnel working on the Science Building enjoy cups of soup in the morning. The mantra of the church is that if you’re hungry, you’re welcome.

The history of the sandwich line dates back over 100 years ago to 1878, when Franciscan monks would distribute food off the sides of rail cars to the homeless.

After a year, the church was dedicated to St. Elizabeth, the daughter of a 13th century Hungarian king, because of her role in helping the hungry and poor. Although the roots of the church are grounded in service, the sandwich line did not become a stable fixture until about 20 years ago.

Lauretta Proulx, the administrator of St. Elizabeth’s Church, explained it was difficult to determine if the recession has affected the number of people seeking help. However, the average number of recipients has climbed from 45 per day to 100 since 2005, Proulx said.

Although most are men, 60 percent of the homeless in Denver are either partial or whole families living on the street, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services.

All food is provided through individual donations, parishioners or distributions from Food Bank of the Rockies and The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which also offers the same service to schools and prisons. All donations go directly to the sandwich line. No administrative costs or payrolls come off the top.

When working on the sandwich line, smiling faces greet the volunteers with every sandwich or cup of soup handed out. Most of the visitors give friendly salutations and a wholehearted “God bless you.”

Each person gets two sandwiches, a cup of soup, a choice of drink and, on most days, either fruit or some kind of pastry.

Everyone gets through the line once before seconds are handed out. The yell of “first timers to the front” echoes in the alley as hesitant newcomers approach the gate to ask for whatever is being served.

It is not a scary or sad place — quite the opposite. It is a place of hope and happiness as the St. Elizabeth community gives back.

Gary Fisher comes to the sandwich line

Continued on B2



B2• FEATURES • October 15, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN

12 p.m. Sun. The Know 3 p.m. Sun. The Andy Hilton Show 9 a.m. Mon. — Fri. Morning Mix 11 a.m. Mon., Wed., Fri., Suicide Sunglasses 11 a.m. Tue., Thurs.

Classic Rock 1 p.m. Mon., Wed. The Undercurrent 2 p.m. Tue. Dark Side of the Tune 2 p.m. Thurs.

Winds from the Front Range 3 p.m. Mon., Wed. Thrash Time 3 p.m. Tue., Thurs., Fri. Sports 4 p.m. Mon. — Fri. Emerald City Mix Show 6 p.m. Mon., Wed. Underground Hip-Hop 10 p.m. Mon., Wed. Techno/Electronica

CLUB BEAT

Auraria College Republicans

By Gabrielle Porter gporter8@mscd.edu The Auraria College Republicans is a political student organization made up of students from Metro, UCD and CCD that meet twice monthly.

The club members advocate conservative values on campus, help run campaigns and try to encourage civic engagement from students through a variety of activities.

Though officers are required to be registered Republicans, club members are not.

For more information contact student president Cyrus Schoonover at cschoono@mscd.edu.

Breaking off the bike safety path

By Alex Vaughn avaughn5@mscd.edu Imagine a bike so simple, to remove one bolt would render it useless.

Now remove the brakes and go ride in traffic.

After riding for only a few minutes the difference is obvious. The fixed wheel, also called track bike, is smooth and elegant, however, most fixed riders would agree it’s very dangerous.

Last year, Kirk Wallach, co-owner of Denver bicycle shop Track Shack, sold parts and bikes that added 200 new fix wheeled bikes to the Denver roads.

“People love them,” Wallach said.

“Most people want to know how to turn their bikes into a fixed wheel.”

You can make a fixed wheel out of any type of frame as long as the rear wheel can be pulled back far enough to tighten the chain, added Wallach.

A close inspection of the bike re- Cyclist Michael Reilly, right, waits for an official to sign him off at a checkpoint Sept. 27 during an alley cat race in veals the essence of the fix: a collec- the Highlands neighborhood in Denver. Photo by Andrew Bisset • abisset1@mscd.edu tion of greasy moving parts lashed to“My first experience was on my gether with bits of metal and stickers. off that brake and roll the bike down a cards spinning wildly in the spokes Thick straps on the pedals connect the small hill. Beneath you is the stripped- then skid, leaving strips of rubber buddy’s fixed,” Boules said. “We went downtown. I made a turn across the rider to the motion of the wheels. The down version of your bike, pedals fol- stretched across the pavement.

The body moves over the front of tracks when I noticed the Light Rail faster the rider peddles, the faster the lowing the momentum of the street. bike moves — until something gets in That is when you notice — the red the bike, so your hips almost touch the coming. The train missed me by about 30 feet but that was close enough.” light and rumbling wall of traffic at handlebars. the way.

Those who ride a fixed wheel Because the weight is now over This is where new fixed riders can the bottom of the hill. You push hard get hurt. It’s easy to get into an ac- against the pedals in an attempt to the bike’s front wheel it is easier to would agree the bike is the Siren of cident if you stop pedaling and try to defy gravity, but it’s too strong. Thank- skid. Clasp your knees to the bike, stop the bicycle world. There are thrills and fully there is another way to stop a peddling and hold on. The sound of caution in every rotation of the wheel coast or lean too far into a turn. rubber sliding against pavement will calling to you. Heed this warning: the Tina Sandoval, a CCD student, brakeless bike. suicide fix is not for everyone, but hav“The suicide fix relies more on the shriek as the bike comes to a stop. was turning her fixed wheel on to the Metro senior Evin Boules agreed ing brakes does not exclude you from Cherry Creek bike path. She was going skid to stop,” said Metro senior Josh the fix is addictive. The more hours the club. into a sharp corner, leaned the bike Tofoya a five year fixed veteran.

“The fixed wheel is a way of life “You are more reliant on your you spend riding, the more the bike too far and smacked her pedal on the ground. The bike bucked and she hit legs. I’ve bailed more times than I can becomes a part of you. Going without that promotes simplicity beyond fashthe ground — throwing out a trail of remember. I recommend investing in a brakes increases the level of intensity. ion,” Boules said. “It’s about being able You really have to be paying attention to ride.” sparks and flesh as she slid across the brake,” Tofoya said.

To truly understand the allure of A dangerous bike with brakes be- when riding downtown. pavement.

The best way to try a fixed bike is to the fixed wheel bike it is necessary to “Anything that was sticking out comes a death wish without them.

One of these bikes will silently zip by borrow someone else’s, then after your ride one. But once you do, you may was cut up,” Sandoval said. never want to go back.

To make it interesting, let’s take if you stand on any downtown corner, first near-death experience, buy one.

Church volunteers help homeless year-round SERVES from B1

Sean Nicolosi, left, and Sean O’Donnell stir the soup for the sandwich line Oct. 10 at St. Elizabeth’s Church at Auraria. Volunteers show up thirty minutes before the sandwich line begins to prepare the meals for the visitors. Photo by Nicholas Duckworth • nduckwor@mscd.edu

almost every day. Discussing the seasons, he explained that fall brings a high volume of people to Denver. As the weather turns cooler, many homeless people migrate – some traveling from as far as the Dakotas or Wyoming for warmer, southern climate.

However, Fisher would rather stay in Denver.

“Denver is the best place to be if you are homeless,” Fisher said.

Fisher continued by saying that in some parts of the country, people are lucky to get a slice of bread and a glass of water; Denver, on the contrary, helps the homeless and does all it can to feed, clothe and shelter all of those in need.

The volunteers are not just from St. Elizabeth’s, nor are they all Catholic. Various parishes and individuals, who wish to give back to the community, volunteer at different times. Depending on the comfort level of the volunteers, some choose to work in the alley and others serve behind the gate. The crews are different every day.

Volunteers assemble around 9:30 each morning in the church basement to start making large pots of

soup and coffee. Each crew makes sandwiches for the next day’s group. Somewhere between 125 and 150 servings are prepared each day.

Theresa Miller, coordinator of volunteers for the sandwich line, said disposable products are always in short supply because of the volume of people St. Elizabeth receives.

Proulx also encourages the Auraria community to sponsor small drives for food and coats to keep the sandwich line regulars warm in the winter. When available, the line distributes blankets, hats, gloves, scarves, socks, underwear and occasionally coats — all donated by parishioners and other organizations.

“In the summer, people live off their backs, and don’t want to carry around a heavy winter coat, so they get rid of it, and when winter hits they need a new one,” Proulx said.

When asked if there was one thing Proulx wanted Metro students to know, she smiled and said simply “all are welcome.”

This, the mantra of the entire service, is the code that each volunteer lives by, and it remains true.

THE METROPOLITAN • October 15, 2009 • FEATURES • B3

Capturing the right moment TechBytes

By Drew Jaynes ajaynes1@mscd.edu

LEFT: Kim Staunton as Ruth Younger and Russell Hornsby as Walter Lee Younger in the Denver Center Theatre Company’s production of “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, directed

by Israel Hicks. ABOVE: Tyler Palmer as Travis Younger and Marlene Warfield as Lena Younger.

Photos courtesy of the DCPA

Triumph and tragedy

A family’s misfortune is overshadowed by their love for each other and the determination for a better life.

By Lindsay Allen lallen31@mscd.edu When it was first performed fifty years ago, “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorrain Hansberry was the first play written by a black woman to be performed on Broadway. The story takes place on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s. Following the death of Mr. Younger, the family awaits an insurance check for $10,000.

The Younger family quarrels over what to do with the money. Walter Lee Younger (Russell Hornsby) is passionate about opening a liquor store with two of his friends. His little sister Beneatha (Dawn Scott) wants a chunk of the money to put toward medical school, and their mother, Lena Younger (Marlene Warfield), dreams of buying a house like she and her husband had planned to buy

more than 30 years earlier.

Self-expression is an important theme in the play. Beneatha is constantly changing her hobbies. She takes guitar lessons, claiming it helps her express herself.

After being influenced by her college friend Joseph Asagai, (Sheldon Woodley) Beneatha cuts off all of her perfectly-styled hair in an attempt to show individuality, honor her roots and demonstrate that she is not assimilating to the dominant U.S. The actors took a few minutes to warm up to their roles. Once they hit their stride, though, it was a stunning performance all around.

Lena Younger is a very honorable character and Warfield’s performance did her justice.

Though they are by most standards adults, Walter Lee and Beneatha are still subject to punish-

ment by their strong-willed mother.

There are two particular scenes when Walter Lee and Beneatha cross the line, drawing out their mother’s incredibly convincing angry face.

Hornsby had a very challenging task to fulfill in playing Walter Lee, who was initially portrayed by Sidney Poitier.

The passion he put into the character seemed so natural. Walter Lee was frustrating beyond belief; his character was despicable. Hornsby definitely got the message across.

The stage of the theatre was set up like a cut-away of their tiny apartment in which they shared a bathroom with the neighbors. The environment was very effective, putting the audience right inside the house like a fly on the wall.

One trick that worked fantastically with the setting was the fluctu-

ation of the lighting. When the play opens, it is early morning.

As the first scene progressed with everyone getting ready for work and school the stage lights very slowly and subtly brightened the stage simulating the sun rising higher in the sky and beaming brighter through the windows. It was barely noticeable and therefore very effective.

“A Raisin in the Sun” exceeds expectations and brings to life important contemporary issues in this touching and warm production.

A Raisin in the Sun Oct. 1 — Oct. 31

Denver Center Theatre Company Stage Theatre Tickets: starting at $18

Perfect game with less than perfect players

By J.T. Barthelemy jbarthe3@mscd.edu Here it is again, October, and the boys of summer are still doing what they do best, keeping fans on edge and bringing happiness to people across America.

Coinciding with the upcoming World Series is Lew Paper’s new book “Perfect,” a story about an immortal baseball event. Paper is a lawyer and an avid baseball fan. His book takes us back to what many say is the greatest period in American base-

ball. “Perfect” covers everything that happened between the lines on Oct. 8,1956, a historic day in baseball, in splendid detail, going behind the scenes of that auspicious day. “Perfect” spends quality time examining the lives of the players involved both on and off the field. Both Yankees and Dodgers come alive in the pages of this book.

Don Larsen was an average pitcher and not a character of any real renown. Most of the players in Paper’s book have personal and professional histories that out-do Larsen’s.

His teammates are the ones who contributed to Larsen achieving an accomplishment yet to be equaled: a perfect game, three up and three down for nine innings in the World Series.

It remains today as the greatest single feat of pitching in the history of the fall classic.

Larsen’s reputation as a Yankee was mediocre at best compared to some of his teammates’ like Billy Martin and Mickey Mantle. Martin and Mantle spent many a night trying to see who could out-party their teammates and still make hits in the following day’s games, a pastime that eventually cost both them and others.

There is much to be said about the background of all the players involved, but the overall story focuses on that single game.

There are eighteen chapters, each chapter filling out a half-inning of the game with a pitch-by-pitch account.

All the players of both teams were integral to Larsen’s historic game.

Most of the athletes had dirtpoor beginnings and reached the top, only to suffer through years of hard times after this moment of greatness.

For the majority of the players this was their peak. “Perfect” fills readers in on their less-than-perfect declines.

Baseball is known as America’s pastime and Lew Paper’s book “Perfect” is a remarkable way to celebrate that; not only because we are at the point in the season that sets the stage for Don Larsen’s type of greatness, but we can also look ahead to next spring when the fever for the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and the perfect moments that only a baseball game can provide.

A photographer friend of mine embarked on an epic summer road trip this summer to document some Army friends’ lives after combat. His cameras certainly got a lot of mileage between his starting point and where he ended up.

Somewhere along the way, he shed his still camera gear and opted to exclusively shoot video. He started posting his videos on Facebook for all of his friends to see, but, to make a long story short, found the social networking site too limiting in broadcasting his adventures to the world outside his circle of friends.

I initially advised him to set up a web site or a video blog and just share the hyper links to his site on social media such as Twitter or the ‘Everyone’ Facebook feed. Word of mouth link sharing would likely do the rest.

But my friend really doesn’t have the funds or the know-how to get that goal accomplished. So I decided I would give him a hand finding an economical solution for hosting and sharing his video files online.

As far as video sharing sites go, there are a plethora of options out there. Sites like Vimeo, YouTube and Google Video all offer pretty similar capabilities.

As far as exposure goes, YouTube tops all its competitors. The site is one of the most popular and most viewed web sites on the Internet today, hands down. But the site can be limiting and its uploading capabilities leave a lot to be desired, especially for a person who will likely be a frequent uploader.

Almost all of the mainstream video sharing sites offer free as well as premium plans, each with its own smattering of extra features and available options. Some sites offer higher upload limits, while others offer a more streamlined viewing experience. Finding quality and usability in a sharing site is tantamount to allowing users to forget about the delivery method and focus on creating their content.

I told my friend his best bet would be to pick out a few of the choices and give each of them a go to see what works best for him. In the worst case, he would have his videos scattered all over the wired universe, which, when you stop and think about it, may not really be a bad thing at all.

The ensemble has about 16 members this semester, none of whom are actually African, group founder Peter Schimpf said.

Students are generally captivated by the sound of the drums first and come to gain an appreciation of the cultural value it has, Schimpf said.

Robin Lander, a first-semester drummer, said she loved the rhythms when she heard them at a concert as a freshman.

“It’s so much fun,” said Lander, a sophomore studying music education at Metro. “I remember a concert of theirs I went to last year, and at the end they allowed the audience to participate… that kind of made me want to join.”

Recent Metro graduate Sam Young has played with the ensemble for two and a half years.

A percussionist and music major in Metro’s predominately classical program, Young said he was drawn to the vibe the

music gives off and the simple interlocking rhythms which synthesize to create a uniquely complex and primitive sound.

“It’s a little more organic and laidback,” Young said. “I like the repetitive, kind of hypnotic nature of it.”

Director Bob Hall also has a long history with percussion— he was no older than 8 when he decided to be a drummer.

He eventually discovered the sound of African drumming in the early ‘70s when African pop music started to be popularized in the U.S. “I’m kind of holding onto my roots, my heritage,” said Hall, who later traveled to West Africa in pursuit of drumming knowledge.

Hall has been playing and performing in Denver since 1978 and has directed the Metro ensemble since it’s inception in 2007.

While most students come for the pounding rhythms, Hall said he tries to

emphasize the cultural significance, giving them the feeling that they’re participating in something much larger than themselves.

“I have to get all the students first of all to understand what they’re doing,” Hall said. “Yes, we’re playing drums, but there’s a lot more to it than that. You’re not just randomly playing the drum to get any sound… These drums do talk and sing and they are still used to communicate in Africa today.”

However, not all African cultures use drums, Hall said. The western African countries which have the most prominent drumming cultures (including Senegal, Ghana and Guinea) use percussion to illustrate and celebrate all the phases of life — birth, adolescence, marriage, harvest and death.

“To me, [African drum and dance] is almost like a way of life,” said Carmen Toure Lorenzo, artistic director and co-

founder of Heritage African Drum and Dance.

“When people do this stuff in Africa, it’s not just for fun, it’s not art for art’s sake. It actually has a purpose. A lot of the dances are for harvest. You don’t get to go to the grocery store and pick out all your food… Some people have to work hard and grow the crops, and so you celebrate the harvest.”

At most performances, Hall invites special guests like Toure Lorenzo’s dancers. “[The dancers] definitely bring more life and they bring more excitement,” Lander said. “We have to keep up with them and the speed tends to pick up.”

Young agreed that having dancers to perform with takes the experience to a completely different level.

“You work on these rhythms and they are repetitive… sometimes in rehearsal you’re just kind of going over the same

stuff over and over again,” Young said. “[Then] the dancers come and it just all makes sense all of a sudden, because you see these cues that you’ve learned but you don’t really know what they’re cuing… you see how the dance fits in with that and just how the physical movement of the dancers matches and kind of complements the rhythm and how they interact together.”

The dancing itself is an interesting sight, Young said.

“I don’t know if it is actually imitating things in nature, but it always seems like that,” Young said, comparing the fluid movements to trees swaying in the wind.

“It’s such a different movement from what I think of when I think of… going out to a club or something… It seems more natural and real to me.”

Musical Director Stephan Griffin closes his eyes in concentration as he leads the rehearsal before the Ensemble’s evening performance.

THE metropolitan

Director Bob Hall (standing center right) watches as the Metro State African Drum Ensemble perform before a live audience.

The pulsing, undulating rhythm throbbing from the arc of drummers weaves between them and the brightlyclad women dance barefoot in the middle.

The dancing women, occasionally bursting out snatches of high, piercing and somewhat eerie song, separate into two groups, one echoing the other as their song rises to a higher-pitched intensity — never missing a step.

While reminiscent of a scene from a village in rural Senegal, one look at the rest of the audience comfortably seated in the King Center Concert Hall at Metro, could remind viewers where they really were — at Metro’s African Drumming Ensemble’s concert Monday evening.

Photos by Leah Millis lmillis@mscd.edu

Story by Gabrielle Porter gporter8@mscd.edu

Feel the beat

TOP: Heritage African Drum & Dance performer Senakhu Riddick moves her body to the beat of the Metro State African Drum Ensemble Nov. 2 during the Music at Metro State performance in the King Center at Auraria. ABOVE: Mahailia Nejelski, 5, center, and Nyel Settles, 3, second from left, check out the scene backstage while standing with the rest of the Heritage dancers as they wait to go on stage.

B4 • METROSPECTIVE • November 5, 2009 November 5, 2009 • METROSPECTIVE • b5

B6 • AUDIOFILES • OCTOBER 15, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN

SOUNDING OFF: We All Have Hooks For Hands The South Dakota sextet We All Have Hooks For Hands’ jubilant indie rock is certainly a lot of fun. The collective of musicians is preparing to release its second album, The Shape of Energy.

The album is much cleaner and more polished than their 2007 DIY debut The Pretender, which was recorded in a basement and self-produced.

Drummer Isaac Show, with a little help from his brother and guitarist Eli, talked about the new album.

Interview by Matt Pusatory • mpusator@mscd.edu MP: What kind of band is We All Have Hooks For Hands?

IS: We are an indie folk party band.

MP: How did you come up with your name?

IS: I don’t know. Hey, Eli [Show], how did we come up with our name? I think my brother Eli, like, read it in a book or something… We didn’t take it really seriously in the beginning. But I’m happy with it.

MP: Do you think actually having hooks for hands would improve or hinder your rock?

IS: I think the guitar playing would be really shitty, but everything else we would pass with flying colors.

MP: You have a really wide range of instruments in your band, how did you all come together?

IS: A lot of us got together in college, and then we just kind of cherry-picked other people. It was kind of a collective of musicians. The most we ever had in our band was nine, but now we’re down to six.

MP: How does this album differ from your debut?

IS: Lyrically it sounds a lot more put together. It was recorded professionally and the other one was recorded in my basement so it sounds a lot different.

MP: Do you prefer recording in your basement, or professionally?

Why? IS: I really like recording in my basement, like getting off work and other people are recording. I would just go down and help out… [There’s] more time to think about things.

MP: Can you explain to me what the hell is going on on the new album’s cover?

IS: I don’t know. I like doing things that not everyone else is do-

We All Have Hooks for Hands ing. It’s a really wacky cover but I think it stands out.

MP: How does your song writing process work? Do all six members have an equal say?

IS: We have two main songwriters. Eli writes a lot and then it’s kind of like an idea pitch. He comes in and plays something and then everyone else joins in and ideas become songs. I think that’s a good way of doing it.

MP: What are some of the band’s major influences?

IS: Eli’s been listening to a lot of Motown. I like listening to anything new that I can… that’s out and people are reviewing…

We’re all really into Creedence right now. Creedence Clearwater Revival is great.

MP: What is your live show like?

IS: It’s a little bit more stripped down now that we don’t have nine people. It used to be like a giant party because there were nine or 10 people on stage… but we still try to have that big gang feeling.

MP: Do you have any crazy tour stories?

IS: I don’t know. Most of them are pretty X-rated… Oh here’s one. One time we were driving around northwest Oregon and we all decided we needed to find some place to swim because the water in this river was super clear. So we were driving down this

back road and found this, like, deserted lake. No one was there.

And we all just jumped in. The water was ice cold, but it was really fun.

MP: What’s next for the band?

IS: We’re touring until this feels like an actual job. [The new] record isn’t out right now but I’m already really excited to start a new one. I guess we’re excited for the record to come out. That’s what’s next MP: If you weren’t in a band, what would you want to do instead?

IS: I work at a record store right now, but I can’t see wanting to do that. I guess I’ve always kinda banked on this... I don’t know.

I don’t really have an answer to that.

We All Have Hooks For Hands

9 p.m., Oct. 20 @ Hi-Dive $6

On The Record

By Julie Vitkovskaya • uvitkovs@mscd.edu

Buying The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan set off one of the warmest winters of my high school years. And maybe a slightly unhealthy obsession. I remember hugging my knees, sitting in a cramped chair, listening to the broken croon of a man whose life history I would eventually come to follow extensively.

But it didn’t start out that way.

The first time I heard Dylan was in a car. I spit out something obnoxious, like, “He’s just talking. Where’s the singing?” After the shock wore off, my friends decided it was time for an intervention. Let’s just say intense mix-tape therapy followed. Listening to several songs, I quickly picked up the wit, tragedy and love Dylan infuses in each of his songs. It left me curious to see what people really meant when they called Dylan “One of the greatest poets in music history.”

As the second album in a long line of hits (and misses) in his discography, Freewheelin’ is pure. Under the creative direction of John Hammond, who also produced the albums for famous jazz names, it’s simply Dylan — poetry hummin’, guitar pickin’ and harmonica blarin’. Of course, we all have our own definition of the pure Dylan. But in my eyes, he has always been America’s troubadour, electric or folk.

The most remarkable aspect of the album is that it

stands on its own. There was no backup band. There were no guest artists or extensive production needed to carry the tracks. However, each song had something special.

The harmonica sounds of “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” reminded me of the blowing train whistles I heard while growing up in Russia. The heartbroken lyrics bring me back to the high school teen I was in the United States. Listening to the lines, “I ain’t sayin’ you treated me unkind / you coulda done better, but I don’t mind / you just kind of wasted my precious time,” is still so important to me today. It’s enough to make me wipe the snot with my sleeve and continue to look forward.

I always find myself going back to the album at pivotal turns in my life. It might be as big an event that shakes the country, or in retrospect, something small like a breakup. But for every moment, Freewheelin’ hits it on the nose.

“Masters of War” downright frightened me. There is the short, inflammatory “Oxford Town,” which tells several anecdotes from the Civil Rights movement. The slow ballad “Corrina, Corrina,” shows the delicate side of losing, but remembering your beloved.

But it wouldn’t be Dylan if there wasn’t any humor

Bob Dylan • The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan wrapped up in at least several songs. “Talkin’ World War III Blues” and “Bob Dylan’s Dream” alter the topic of 1960s nuclear paranoia in verses that were simultaneously comedic and intelligent.

Finding Dylan pushed me into other alleys of music. But I will always return to the album with the cover of the mop-headed man, walking hand-in-hand with his sweetheart down a snowy New York street.

Met’s Music Picks

B7 10.15.2009 THE METROPOLITAN

out of 5

Lucero • 1372 Overton Park

By Matt Pusatory • mpusator@mscd.edu

Just in time for Halloween comes the selftitled debut from actors-turned-musicians duo Dead Man’s Bones. Ryan Gosling, probably best known for his role as bearded heartthrob Noah Calhoun in “The Notebook,” delivers a shockingly skillful and listenable album with fellow actor Zach Shields.

From the outset, it’s clear that this album is made to scare. The opening poem and the first proper track, the slow burner “Dead Hearts,” set the tone perfectly before the handclap-laden, organ-fueled “In The Room Where You Sleep” comes crashing in.

The album also features The Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children’s Choir, which is put on prominent display on such tracks as “Buried in Water” and the highlight “My Body’s a Zombie For You,” which has a decidedly doo-wop feel and a great shouted chorus.

It’s obvious that this album doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is why it’s such a treat to listen to. While it probably won’t last very long in your rotation, it’s a great for setting the mood for the season, and the eponymous track calls to mind the likes of Devotchka, Gogol Bordello and Tom Waits.

The transition from actor to musician is a hard one to make. Just ask Eddie Murphy or Keanu Reeves. But Ryan Gosling proves with Dead Man’s Bones that he has some chops.

By Matt Pusatory • mpusator@mscd.edu

AFI • Crash Love AFI’s Crash Love is a new form of punk; in fact, one that’s not very punk at all. It’s more like punk’s little sister with pigtails and pink nails. Not that there’s anything wrong with this new musical hybrid, it’s just that it doesn’t seem to be anything new at all.

Crash Love came across contrived and over-produced, contrary to AFI’s previous records that featured at least some sense of originality. But there were no songs that got stuck in my head, and no lyrics that I found particularly thought provoking.

The songs were undeniably big, but in the end I was left thinking“That’s it?” It was still dark, still moody, but essentially nothing that hasn’t been played before.

By Krista Coulter • kcoulte2@mscd.edu

Girls • Album

Chris Owens, of the San Francisco quartet Girls, had the kind of nightmare childhood that could potentially ruin a person’s entire life. Owens grew up without a father as a member of the Children of God cult before escaping to California as a teenager and finding refuge in music.

But listening to Album is not nearly as dark and depressing as you would think. Most of the songs on the record have a sunny, lo-fi feel of early ‘60s radio. “Big Bad Mean Motherfucker” is pure Beach Boys bliss and on “Lauren Marie,” it’s hard not to think of Elvis

Costello at his height.

The true highlight comes halfway through the album on “Hellhole Ratrace.”

The six-minute opus most closely hints at Owens’ troubled youth, but through the course of its slow build the song is ultimately uplifting.

The theme of the song can be applied to the album as a whole. Without a weak song in the bunch, Album is proof of the healing power of music.

By Matt Pusatory • mpusator@mscd.edu

Amy Millan • Masters of the Burial

There’s an unseen force in indie music that pulls female singers, like Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley, away from wherever they may be playing, not to a Gwen Stefani-esque hip hop side project, but to good ol’ country music. Amy Millan, chanteuse for both Stars and Broken Social Scene, is not immune, with her sophomore album Masters of the Burial.

Burial is full of boozy heartbreak, suited for Millan’s dusky vocals and banjo plucking, though perhaps Millan’s notebook is holding less cowgirl angst these days, as four of the 11 tracks on this album are covers, compared to just one on her first solo disc.

That’s not to say Millan shouldn’t sing covers. Millan gives Death Cab’s I Will Follow You Into the Dark a whole new spin, with just enough Patsy Cline twang to remind you who’s singing it. It’s well crafted, with drums that sound like a lonely steam train chugging across the prairie. If Millan and Death Cab ever shared a festival stage, the duet would be one for the ages.

This may be the breakup album of the year, but if you’re looking for the wistful, flirty indie queen that Millan becomes when she’s with Stars, you’ll be disappointed. On her own, she uses her voice as a weapon, a potent weapon that has only one target: your heartstrings. And Masters hits its mark.

By Andrew Bisset • abisset1@mscd.edu

upcoming show Cake, the long-running Sacramento, Calif. band will be bringing their alt-rock country-esque jazz-influenced mildly-sardonic music to the Boulder Theater Oct. 18.

But be warned: this concert, featuring opener Chuck Prophet, is being brought to you by E-Town — Boulder’s answer to the question, “How can we take the worthJohn McCrea of Cake while experience of attending a concert and boil it down to radio-friendly pandering and corporate sponsorship?”

No doubt E-Town’s founding couple Nick and Helen Forster will take every opportunity to say each others’ names and thank their wonderful advertisers for making this concert with [insert band name here].

True Cake fans shouldn’t have a problem enjoying the show — granted they don’t mind being forced to stay seated, applauding only when cued and hearing the same plug multiple times because the hosts are mispronouncing Cake lead singer John McCrea’s name.

By Dominic Graziano dgrazia1@mscd.edu

Cake presented by E-Town 7 p.m., Oct. 18 @ Boulder Theater $25

Audio{files}

On 1372 Overton Park, Tennessee’s alt-county good ol’ boys Lucero make quite an impression. The band’s major label debut keeps all aspects of their sound intact and piles a fantastic horn section on top of it all, giving the album a true Memphis soul sound.

The opener, “Smoke,” has a triumphant chorus and the follow-up, “What Are You Willing To Lose,” is accessible as just a solid rock song. It begs to be cranked up, and the horns really shine. It definitely shows that Lucero is still as strong a band as ever.

Vocally, Ben Nichols’ gravelly drawl is spot-on. He really delivers on the ballads like “Goodbye Again,” “Can’t Feel A Thing” and the closer “Mom,” a real tearjerker and a great way to close out the album.

The album may be a little bit of a departure from earlier masterpieces like Tennessee, but on songs like “The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo” and “Sixes and Sevens,” which is probably one of the most soulful songs the band has ever released, with great guitar and some sweet backup singers, it’s hard not to just have a good time.

This is certainly an album worth rockin’ out to.

Dead Man’s Bones • Dead man’s Bones

Matt Pusatory mpusator@mscd.edu Music Editor

On Oct. 15, 1968, Led Zeppelin made its performance debut at Surrey University in England.

THE POINT: STUDENT BODY NOT ACTIVE IN STUDENT GOVERNMENT

THE METROPOLITAN • OCTOBER 15, 2009 • INSIGHT • A9

Representation without participation It’s 10 o’clock Monday morning, do you know where your student government is? Do you know what the student government does, or can you even name a senator? It’s interesting that the student government, the representatives picked from among us to represent us, have little to no outward connection to the student body at large.

Maybe that is to be expected when a whopping three percent of Metro students bother to answer their e-mails in the spring to cast their vote. This is how your tuition gets raised. Only the motivated and organized show up to vote and the rest of the student population, those who have a vested interest in not having their tuition raised, continue to browse Facebook and read about what their friends are doing, instead of taking the time to cast a vote against something they would otherwise find disagreeable.

But this column is not about tuition increases. I have written before on the need to have polling stations, preferably in every classroom, to increase participation in the student government elections. I still believe that the election commission should advance this project in the name of open and free elections, and the administration of Metro should allow more funding to go toward this end.

But, since an informal poll I took last week confirmed to me that the

Colin Seger cseger@mscd.edu average student cannot name a single senator who “represents” them in the student assembly, let alone who the senate president or vice-president is, shouldn’t we strive toward a more true “representative” form of student government? It seems to me that a natural way to increase the visibility and familiarity with student representation is to elect senators from recognizable boundaries, not unlike the 50 states, but in this case there are no physical boundaries separating the student population of Metro.

Instead why doesn’t each major elect a representative? There is no greater connection to students on campus than to people who share your common outlook and desire of a common occupation in the future, and electing people from their major is a way to enshrine your values into the student government. Like-minded people tend to gravitate toward similar activities and occupations, so

why shouldn’t we want to be represented by people that we see in class everyday?

Isn’t that the promise of democracy? That the government should not be a faceless ruling class with no connection to the people they govern? The student government at Metro is that faceless entity who cannot possibly encapsulate the wants and desires of the wildly dissimilar majors offered at Metro. So why shouldn’t difference be incorporated into the student government as a “representative” body?

At what cost is democracy that represents the will of the people it governs? It is, of course, priceless.

If each major had a representative from their ranks, voting turnout would again increase, and if two candidates from within a major ran in opposition it would motivate that major as a whole to vote. Having actual elections, instead of the current system of “you run, you win,” is good for any polity and increases the ethical and moral standing of any elected body.

Within each major, if there were two candidates running for one spot in the legislative branch of student government, then more students within that major are likely to get involved with the major in question.

Elections would create competitions for inclusion, in other words, candidates would be in competition for

votes and if the students within a major were courted by each candidate, the winner would be the academic department itself. Inclusion and creating a “community” at Metro has been a stated goal of nearly every position of power from President Stephen Jordan, to student government President Andrew Bateman.

But sitting on your hands and saying what your constituents want to hear is not the same as taking action toward creating an actual “community” at Metro. And this community would not raise tuition to build a brick “community” with empty promises of actually bringing people together. Changing the voting and election processes at Metro would bring people together. When students feel like they have a vested interest in their community they are more likely to become involved in preserving, maintaining and looking toward the future of that community. That pride in their surroundings is also increased when one feels like they have an actual outlet for their frustrations and desires for change in student life. Having a true representative student body would be a giant step toward creating and fostering a sense of inclusivity and pride in Metro State, and would lead to the community that this commuter college is so sorely lacking.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Fighting for Native American Studies program We want to keep the Native American Studies program as a minor at Metro!

We are having a tough time right now fighting for our minor. We wanted to add a Native film class in the fall.

We seem doomed and our professors have been deemed racist when they are only telling the facts of history. This comes at a time when I wish the powers that be would attend The IIIRM Indigenous Film and Arts Festival this week where the Indigenous Alliance @ Metro will be volunteering (it’s taking up all of our time.)

The Native American Studies program was developed to provide an area of study that is inclusive of an indigenous perspective. Without comparative analysis of families; religion; politics; law, how can an indentity, allbeit a political entity, be ignored like we are not important?

The reason I came to Metro was for the Native American Studies minor. Our program focuses an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Native Americans. History, culture, politics, and other issues are

told in the Colonist’s voice. The victor always writes history. I have heard local radio jocks joke with listeners about cultural issues.

Football and baseball teams still degrade the honor of our ancestors. Some of us have an inherent thirst for knowledge and some of us are just plain curious.

Many of the Native American courses also fulfill a multicultural requirement for other majors. Native American Studies is a magnet program that draws many of the indigenous community to Metro. I am proud to have participated in the program.

Native American Studies increases understanding of the historical experiences, cultural traditions, innovations and political status of Indian peoples.

Removing this as a minor would not only disrupt our balanced education but would mean that many students will go elsewhere.

If the program goes away, we will feel marginalized once again. We don’t matter. Never have. History repeated itself. I wish the powers that be would attend some of our courses and explore Native

American philosophy, ways of living, our understanding, and our societies. People ignore the impact of invasion and colonization on this continent, South America and various indigenous peoples around the world. The clash that occurs between Indian and European histories is the re-telling of stories.

We are getting mixed messages from Joan Foster. The rumours are circulating. I wish the Dean would spend a little time with the Natives, sit in on discussions, enjoy some movies this week and maybe a little art at the Center for Visual Arts. Zia Meranto, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science and Mervyn L. Tano, President, International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management, and Melanie Yazzie, Associate Professor of Art, University of Colorado (and also one of the featured artists in the Currents exhibit) will discuss Art as a Political Statement.

As Native American artists produce, every piece of art is political because of who and what they are. European artists have to go out of their way to be political. We are a

political entity.

We want to fight for our minor but this week we are going to be so busy with the 6th Annual Indigenous Film and Arts Festival.

The festival offers an introduction to the modern culture of indigenous peoples especially for the curious and the misinformed.

I hope people that feel we should be marginalized will attend.

For more information please email film@iiirm.org or call Jeanne Rubin at 303-744-9686.

S. Harrison Sadler President IAM The Metropolitan and its staff are not responsible for the ideas and content published in Letters to the Editor.

All letters are edited for spelling and grammar. To have your letter published, please e-mail it to dgrazia1@mscd. edu, care of Editor-in-Chief Dominic Graziano with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject line. All letters must be received on the Monday before they are to run.

THE METROPOLITAN Since 1979

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dominic Graziano dgrazia1@mscd.edu MANAGING EDITOR Lindsay Lovato llovato5@mscd.edu NEWS EDITOR Caitlin Gibbons cgibbon4@mscd.edu ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Ben Wiebesiek wiebesib@mscd.edu FEATURES EDITOR Julie Vitkovskaya uvitkovs@mscd.edu ASST. FEATURES EDITOR Gabrielle Porter gporter8@mscd.edu MUSIC EDITOR Matt Pusatory mpusator@mscd.edu ASST. MUSIC EDITOR Krista Coulter kcoulte2@mscd.edu SPORTS EDITOR Kate Ferraro kferraro@mscd.edu ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Josiah Kaan jkaan@mscd.edu PHOTO EDITOR Drew Jaynes ajaynes1@mscd.edu ASST. PHOTO EDITOR Leah Millis lmillis@mscd.edu COPY EDITORS Matt Pusatory Morgan Bia mbia@mscd.edu Sam Blackmer blackmar@mscd.edu Dacia Johnson djohn205@mscd.edu ADVISER Jane Hoback hobackje@comcast.net ADVERTISING Tucker Knight tknight7@mscd.edu GRAPHIC DESIGN Kathleen Jewby kjewby@mscd.edu DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Dianne Harrison Miller harrison@mscd.edu ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Donnita Wong wongd@mscd.edu

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.

Opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of Metropolitan State College of Denver or its advertisers.

A10 • OCTOBER 15, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN

SPORTS

“Denver is the best place to be when you are homeless.”

-GARY FISHER, HOMELESS MAN, METROSPECTIVE, B1

Kate Ferraro • SPORTS EDITOR • kferraro@mscd.edu

SIDELINE THIS WEEK

10.15 Volleyball

7 p.m. @ Adams State College

10.16 Women’s Soccer

1 p.m. vs. Regis Univ.

Men’s Soccer 3:30 p.m. vs. CSU-Pueblo Volleyball 7 p.m. @ Western State College

10.17 Volleyball

7 p.m. @ CSU-Pueblo

10.18 Women’s Soccer

Noon @ New Mexico Highlands Univ.

Men’s Soccer 2:30 p.m. vs. UCCS

Say What?

“We stepped it up big time mentally.

We didn’t want to go winless for the weekend.

We had a lot of confidence.”

INLINE HOCKEY CO-CAPTAIN ANDREW SMITH, A11

Volleyball, A11 Inline Hockey, A11 Where Are They Now?, A12 Women’s Soccer Forward Becca Mays, A13 Beer Pong Across America Tour, A13

Metro forward Ashley Nemmers lunges ahead of University of Nebraska at Kearney’s defender Sara Chapman during the women’s soccer game Oct. 4 at Auraria Field. The Roadrunners won against Mesa State 4-1 Oct. 9 and Fort Lewis 1-0 Oct.11, and are on an 11-game winning streak. File photo by Leah Millis • lmillis@mscd.edu

metro 4 - Mesa State 1 • metro 1 - Fort Lewis 0

Road wins keep Metro unbeaten in RMAC ’Runners beat conference foes extending streak

By Matt Hollinshead mhollin5@mscd.edu The Roadrunners women’s soccer team scored four, second-half goals Oct. 9 to cruise past Mesa State 4-1 in Grand Junction. After the come-from-behind victory, Metro improved to 12-1-0, including an impressive 9-0-0 in the RMAC this season.

“It was very crucial,” goalkeeper Becca Maloney said. “Hopefully, we can keep it up for the rest of the season.”

Forward Becca Mays had a solid game, scoring her 16th goal of the season. Forward Jen Thomas also contributed by scoring her eighth goal of the season, while Maloney only allowed one goal in the first half and stopped three shots, two of them in the first period.

Metro started the game playing aggressively, taking five shots in the

first 20 minutes of game time, but with no success. To add insult to injury, after a substitution at 21:32, Metro received four foul calls, which Mesa State used to their advantage. At 43:05, Mesa State forward Daniela Ramirez scored the first goal of the game on assists by midfielders Megan Swan and Kira Brannan.

That would end up being Maloney’s only mistake throughout the match.

At the end of the first period, Mesa State was up 1-0.

In the second period, the Roadrunners destroyed Mesa State.

At 47:34, Thomas dribbled past the Mavericks’ defense and scored an unassisted goal, her eighth of the season. The game was tied, 1-1.

Less than two minutes later, forward Ashley Nemmers added her fifth goal of the season at 49:22 on an assist from Mays. Metro was on top 2-1.

The offensive intensity did not stop there. Metro played aggressively and had eight additional shots by the time an injury timeout was called at 69:14. Metro would tack an extra goal onto their lead at 75:56, to increase the score to 3-1, after Mesa

State accidently kicked a ball into their own net. Mays later sealed the game with her 16th goal at 89:09, with an assist from midfielder Ashley Munchiando. Mays had nine of Metro’s 22 total team shots for the entire game. Even though they trailed after halftime, Metro’s strong performance in the second period resulted in another win, 4-1.

Metro defeated No. 11 Fort Lewis 1-0 Oct. 11 in Durango, winning their 11th straight game and improving their record to 13-1-0, 10-0-0 in the RMAC. Thomas scored the game-winning goal against Fort Lewis with less than seven minutes to play in the game.

The Roadrunners will come home to play Regis University Oct. 16 at Auraria Field and then travel to face New Mexico Highlands Oct. 18 in New Mexico.

Stats box Game 1 - Oct. 9 Goals by Period Metro Mesa State

1 2 Total 0 4 4 1 0 1

Scoring Summary 43:05 MSC D. Ramirez; M. Swan;

K. Brannan 47:34 MSCD J. Thomas; 49:22 MSCD A. Nemmers;

B. Mays 75:56 MSCD OWN GOAL 89:09 MSCD B. Mays;

A. Munchiando Game 2 - Oct. 11 Goals by Period 1 Metro 0 Fort Lewis 0

2 1 0

Scoring Summary 83:48 MSCD J. Thomas; B. Mays

Total 1 0

“The fewer rules a coach has, the fewer rules there are for players to break.” -Hall of Fame football coach John Madden • THE METROPOLITAN • OCTOBER 15, 2009 • SPORTS • A11

Metro 3 - Fort Lewis 0 • metro 0 - Mesa State 3

Volleyball splits matches on home court ’Runners drop to fifth place after 1-1 weekend Enrico Dominguez edoming2@mscd.edu

The Metro volleyball team played Fort Lewis College Oct. 9 in the Auraria Event Center and came away with a win.

This win dropped the Skyhawks to 4-14 and 2-8 within the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

“One of our goals was to start and finish strong with intent,” Head Coach Debbie Hendricks said. “I thought we did a good job at that.”

The first set was close at 11-10 until an ace by setter Gabe Curtis and a pair of kills by middle blocker Julie Causseaux.

Fort Lewis battled, but at 20-17 the ’Runners closed the set with five straight unanswered points.

The second set started off similar to the first, but after the score was 16-13, the ’Runners scored the next nine of 12 points to close out the set.

The third set was tied 7-7 until the ’Runners ran off five straight points and nine of the next 10 points to lead 16-8.

Middle blocker Lisa Jones and outside hitter Emily Greenhalgh

combined for five kills during the 9-1 run.

“We executed into our offense at a pretty high level,” Hendricks said.

“We played very good defense. I think we played a very solid game.”

The women hosted Mesa State Oct. 10 at the Auraria Event Center and lost in three sets.

The loss dropped Metro to 13-6 overall and 6-4 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Mesa State improved to 12-8 overall and 10-1 in the RMAC to expand their lead over the RMAC West Division.

The ’Runners outplayed Mesa in the first two sets but were unable to finish the sets off.

The first set Metro led 23-20 but MSC scored six of the final seven points to finish the set off for a 26-24 win.

The second set was the same story with Metro taking 23-22 lead after four consecutive points, but the Mavericks scored the last three points to win 25-23.

Mesa controlled the third set the whole way through, until a Jones kill brought Metro within two points at 21-19. MSC quickly jumped to a win, scoring four out of five of the next points for a 25-20 win.

“I think the biggest problem was we didn’t win the critical points,” Hendricks said. “There have definitely been some matches where we’re

not winning late in games, late in sets.”

Morley checked in before the match and showed her diversity on the court with a match-high 15 kills and 10 digs, for a double-double.

Curtis had 34 assists and seven digs of her own. Watanabe tied Morley with 10 digs defensively.

The Roadrunners will travel to Adams State Oct. 15, Western State Oct. 16 and wrap up Oct. 17 at Colorado State University at Pueblo.

Stats box vs. Fort Lewis College Bri Morley - 12 kills;

.328 hit % Anna Mapes - .600 hit %

7 kills Lisa Jones - 7 kills Gabe Curtis - 6 kills Emily Greenhalgh - 5 kills Amy Watanabe - 12 digs

Metro middle blocker Julie Causseaux goes in to serve the ball during the game against Fort Lewis Oct. 9 at Auraria Events Center. The Roadrunners shut out the Skyhawks 3-0. Photo by Drew Jaynes • ajaynes1@mscd.edu

metro 8 - CSU 4 • metro 10 - unc 0 • metro JV 6 - UNC JV 3 • metro JV 2 - CU 8

Rough season start for Roadrunner rollers

By Vanessa Mais vmais@mscd.edu The Metro inline hockey teams suffered three losses Oct. 10 at Rocky Mountain Roller in Lakewood.

Varsity faced the Colorado State University Rams and came out strong. Defender Ryan Donahue scored less than two minutes to give the ‘Runners an early lead.

The Rams didn’t wait long to reply, scoring in the fifth minute from forward Tyson Wheeler. Metro responded a couple minutes later with a goal from Co-captain Cody Lemon to put the game at 2-1 at the end of the first.

The second period was a different story as CSU dominated the scoring.

The Rams scored quickly off a goal from forward Don McLachlan. The Rams scored another three goals within five minutes from defender Luke Osborn, forward Nick Campana and forward Matt Olsen to put the game at 5-2.

“The second period at the beginning is what killed us,” Co-captain Andrew Smith said. “We had a lot of breakdowns. We were kind of scram-

Metro inline hockey defenseman Christopher Dean participates in a drill during tryouts held Sept. 11 at the Rocky Mountain Roller Hockey Arena in Lakewood. Photo by Chancey Bush • cbush7@mscd.edu bling and we didn’t get set up in our system.”

Metro finally got on the board again by another goal from Lemon, assisted by forward Tommy Derian, in the fifth minute. CSU responded with two more goals from Wheeler and Olsen to put the game at 7-3 at the end of the second period.

Both teams found the net in the

third period but it was not enough for the ‘Runners. Defender Andy Tillotson scored off a pass from Donahue for Metro but the Rams responded with another goal from Olsen to give him a hat trick. The game ended 8-4.

Donahue along with Tillotson are new additions to the varsity team this year and are having an immediate impact.

“The two new guys are very experienced,” Smith said. “They have played inline for a couple of years.

They know what needs to be done.

We have got them working into our system.”

The ’Runners won 10-0 against the University of Northern Colorado Gold later that day. Statistics were not available from the game.

The ‘Runners Denver Red team, the JV team, faced the University of Northern Colorado Gold in their first game. They started out well scoring just over three minutes in off an unassisted goal from forward Zach Conner.

“We stepped it up big time mentally,” Smith said. “We didn’t want to go winless for the weekend. We had a lot of confidence.”

Gold responded with back-toback goals from forward Adam Winemiller in the sixth and 10th minute.

They struck again the 11th minute with a goal from forward Jason Visser. It was 3-1 Gold at the end of the first period.

Both teams scored quickly in the second period. Visser scored his second goal of the game in the 10th

minute for Gold but forward Jared Stoke found the net for Metro in the 12th minute to put the game at 4-2 at the end of the second period.

“The second period at the beginning is what killed us. We were kind of scrambling and we didn’t get set up in our system.”

HOCKEY CO-CAPTAIN ANDREW SMITH

UNC was at it again in the third period with two goals in under three minutes from forward Brian Hollm, and forward, Jake Barrett. Metro found the net in the 11th minute off a goal from forward Zach Thompson, assisted by Captain Alex Nichols.

The ‘Runners lost 6-3 before playing three hours later.

Denver Red faced the University of Colorado in their next game and lost 8-2. Metro and Metro Red are both in last place in their divisions.

Both teams will play Oct. 24 at OD’s Sports in Fort Collins.

A12 • SPORTS • OCTOBER 15, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN • From 1900 to 1920, Tug of War was an Olympic sport.

Where Are They Now?

Devon Herron: the legend, the player, the lady

By Josiah Kaan jkaan@mscd.edu Going into the 2000 season, there was a lot of questions surrounding Metro volleyball, but little was it known at the time that freshman setter Devon Herron would help lift the program back into prominence in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

Herron, the all-time Metro career assists and assists per game record holder with 6,286 assists and 13.85 assists per game, came to Metro in 2000 after committing to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

“I had verbally committed to go to UMASS,” Herron said. “They [the Metro volleyball coaching staff] actually saw me at a tournament in Phoenix, or something like that, and asked if I had already committed.”

Although she had already committed to another school, she wasn’t completely happy with the decision to go to UMASS and had a bad feeling about going there, Herron said.

“The first time we saw her was in the Fiesta Tournament in Phoenix, which was a bigger tournament back then than it is now,” Head Coach Debbie Hendricks said. “We started communicating with her, [then] brought her in around the time of the Vegas tournament in February.”

Hendricks said she believed Herron was going to be the cornerstone of her team, and compared her to a hall-of-fame quarterback.

“You can’t make someone almost 5’ 10’’ and as athletic as Devon is, and so we felt like

Former Metro setter Devon Herron jump sets her way to a new school assists record during the Roadrunners’ upset win over top ranked West Texas A&M Sept. 6, 2002. Herron now works outside sales for Dex Media in Spokane, Wash.

File photo by Joshua Lawton

she was a player that we could build a program around,” Hendricks said. “That was my first year here; we had a lot of rebuilding to do. It

was kind of like bringing in a young quarterback like Troy Aikman into the Dallas Cowboys back in the late ’80s.”

Devon helped the team to a 21-8 overall record with a 16-3 RMAC record and a National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament berth as a freshman, but it would be her junior year that she would make her mark in the Metro history books.

Seven games into the 2002 season, Metro faced the then-No. 1 team in the country, Western Texas A&M. During the game against Hendricks’ former school, Herron exploded for 60 assists breaking the assist record of 3,304 assists set by Jennifer Drees in 1991.

“It was a special match for her to break that record,” Hendricks said. “She put so much distance on that record, it’s just phenomenal. But also because that was my former school and they were ranked No. 1 in the country at the time.”

Upon graduating in 2004, Herron stayed in Denver and got a job at Boston Market’s call center working inside sales. After about six months, she was promoted to outside sales and moved to Los Angeles. In December of 2008 Herron moved back to her hometown of Spokane, WA and has just recently started working for Dex Media in outside sales, Herron said.

“My degree was in sports industry operations with a minor in marketing,” Herron said.

“I don’t use the sports side of it anymore, but I use the business side of it all the time in sales. I use the marketing part all the time.”

16TH & BLAKE

Herron has continued to play volleyball in recreational leagues, and while she lived in Los Angeles she tried her hand in beach volleyball.

“My favorite is still indoor, hard court volleyball, just because I love the strategy behind it,” Herron said. “Beach volleyball is just a whole different game, and I’m not as good at it as I am indoor [volleyball].”

Herron earned RMAC Freshman of The Year honors in 2000, along with RMAC Player of The Year honors in both 2002 and 2003.

She was also named first team All-RMAC three times, an American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American twice, and made the 10-person RMAC volleyball all-time team along with fellow Roadrunner Marina Bazana.

“I’d take 10 Devons anytime, you know, that’s the kind of kid she is. That’s the kind of adult she is today,” Hendricks said. “She’s one of those typical successful athletes who, even though she got it at the time, she gets it at a whole ‘nother level now and doesn’t mind sharing that, and trying to give back.”

The bond between coach and player has blossomed into friendship, and Hendricks said she still tries to talk Herron into moving back to Colorado.

“If she ever moves here, she’ll definitely be a mentor for us,” Hendricks said. “We remain pretty close and we always will be.”

Until 1859, baseball umpires sat behind home plate in a padded rocking chair. • THE METROPOLITAN • OCTOBER 15, 2009 • SPORTS • A13

Mays making most of senior season

By Matt Gypin mgypin@mscd.edu Whoever said good things come in threes could have been talking about Becca Mays’ 2009 soccer season. Wearing jersey number three, the senior forward has scored three goals in a game three different times this season and has moved into third place on Metro’s all-time scoring list.

Numerology doesn’t matter much to Mays, though.

“I don’t look at success as an individual thing,” she said. “If the team succeeds, then I’ve succeeded.”

Mays has led the ’Runners to a 13-1 record and No. 6 national ranking, and her sights are set on winning another national championship.

“I won my freshman year and it would be an awesome way to go out, with another ring on my finger,” Mays said.

Mays, 21, has grown up a lot since then and is working harder than ever to earn that championship ring.

“When I came in as a freshman, I was immature,” she said. “I didn’t really care as much. It wasn’t like I didn’t care at all, but you don’t know

Metro women’s soccer forward Becca Mays. Photo by Taryn Jones • tjone101@mscd.edu how much you can care. And now, every practice I give 110 percent and every game I give it everything I’ve got.”

Head Coach Adrianne Almaraz

took note of her growth.

“I think that this season she has been more focused than she’s ever been,” Almaraz said. “She’s always had the ability, but I just don’t think

she has ever quite applied herself like she is now. She knows this is her last chance. You can see that in the way she plays. She goes out and is playing every game almost as if it’s her last.”

Mays is also applying herself off the field as well. Counting school as her biggest challenge, she hit the books and earned straight A’s last semester.

“That was one of the happiest times in my life,” she said. “I had never done that before.”

Almaraz said that reward for hard work has helped Mays to realize her potential and become a better leader.

“I think she just realized that if she works hard, the sky’s the limit for her,” Almaraz said. “She has developed and grown not only as a player, but as a person, and for a coach, that’s all you can ask for.”

Mays said she has loved her experience at Metro and plans to pursue a professional soccer career after she graduates in May with a degree in criminal justice.

“I am going to try to get accepted into the WPS [Women’s Professional Soccer] combine and see where that goes,” she said. “If not, I am going to try to play in the W-League for a couple years. Other than that, I will probably just coach. I definitely want to continue with soccer.”

Beer Pong Across America tour visits Denver

By Josiah Kaan jkaan@mscd.edu Across college campuses all over America, students celebrate the end of each week with partying, which is naturally accompanied by booze.

From frat boys to your typical, overachieving classmate sitting in front of you in English 101 everyone is either unhinging their bathroom door or setting up ping-pong tables in preparation for the madness that is beer pong.

Beer pong, also known as Beirut, is a traditional college game that mixes drinking in excess and ping-pong.

In a beer pong game, there are two teams that consist of two people. In front of each team are ten cups, halffull of beer, arranged in a triangle.

The object of the game is to make the ping-pong ball into your opponents’ cups of beer. Every time that a player makes a shot, the other team has to drink all of the beer in that cup. The game varies as there are different rules from beer pong table to beer pong table, but the idea of the game is still the same.

What was once a cheap and effective way to drink a lot of beer in a short amount of time has turned into some sort of a strange quasisport.

“Beer pong is moving away from what people view it as, a drinking game, and turning into a real competitive sport,” said Ben “Skinny”

Folnik, World Series of Beer Pong Co-founder. “It’s not about the drinking anymore. It’s about skill and it’s about hitting cups.”

Although it is named beer pong, only water is used in the national tournaments to promote the sporting aspect of the game, Folnik said.

Since 2006, BPONG.com, the self-proclaimed center of the beer pong universe, has sponsored nationwide tournaments aimed at crowning a beer pong national champion.

“I got involved for the first world series which took place Jan. 2006 in Mesquite, Nev.,” Folnik said. “The first one was kind of just an experiment to see if a very large tournament could work. It brought out 166 players from across the country.”

After the first champion was crowned at the WSOBP in 2006, the national tournament became insanely popular, tripling the number of participants by the second World Series, Folnik said.

“We moved it into Las Vegas for World Series III,” Folnik said. “Now we are up to World Series V, this January. We’re doing a $50,000 grand prize and over $65,000 in total prizes. We expect over 5,300 participants.”

Anyone can enter the WSOBP for a price, $550 per person which includes a four-night stay at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas during the tournament.

An alternate route to the

WSOBP is by winning one of the 150 satellite tournaments that take place across the country, Folnik said.

“A satellite tournament is basically a local tournament, either a 64-team double-elimination tournament or something similar,” Folnik said. “The winning team gets a free entrance to the World Series.”

The BPONG satellite tour stopped in Denver Oct. 8, and saw 54 teams compete for a spot in the WSOBP. Team HP Puppet Masters, comprised of Nick and Bear Martinez, won the tournament that took place at Table Steaks East in Denver to give them a free trip to the WSOBP. This is not the first year that they will be participating in the WSOBP, as HP Puppet Masters placed fifth in last year’s World Series.

The WSOBP will be held Jan. 1 -5, at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino and will feature four days of beer pong with teams from the United States and Canada.

BPONG TOUR STOPS Oct. 22 - Columbus, MO Nov. 13 - Raleigh, N.C. Dec. 3 - Miami, Fla. Jan. 1-5 - World Series of

Beer Pong in

Las Vegas

Sam Lebaron tries to outshoot the opposing beer pong team with friend Juan Gonzalez, right, Oct. 11 at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Photo by Taryn Jones • tjone101@mscd.edu

Crossword

Time{out}

A14 10.15.2009 THE METROPOLITAN

SUDOKU

FABRICATED TALES

Burrito dog newest trend Across 1- 16th letter of the Hebrew alphabet 5- Scatter 10- Crown of the head 14- Letterman rival 15- Fuzzy fruit 16- Inter ___ 17- Study of communicative attitudes 20- Unimportant 21- Oppose 22- Fail to tell the truth 23- Pottery material 24- Igneous rock of a lava flow 28- Colored part of the eye 29- Paris possessive 32- Muse of lyric poetry 33- Masked critter 34- Push with the head 35- Long-distance shooting?

3- Memo heading 4- Ark builder 5- Vital essence 6- Keyed up 7- Anger 8- Euro forerunner 9- Vorticose 10- Fall guy 11- Et ___ 12- Personal quirks 13- 3:00 18- Move with a bounding motion 19- Mariners can sail on seven of these 23- Sing like Bing 24- East Indian pepper plant 25- Aggregate of qualities that make good character 26- Saline 27- To ___ (perfectly) 28- Little bits

38- Kitchen addition 39- OPEC member 40- Otic 41- “Conquest of Space” writer Willy 42- Little devils 43- Inhumanly cruel 44- Latin I word 45- Links org.

46- Winter vehicle 49- A superior court writ 54- Kind principles 56- Purim month 57- Young hooter 58- Actress Heche 59- “You are ___” 60- Racket 61- Melt

Down 1- Iams alternative 2- Bring forth young

29- Above 30- Actor Hawke 31- Genre 33- Army unit 34- Oz creator 36- Pallium 37- Open shelter 42- One-named supermodel 43- Set on fire 44- Without ___ in the world 45- Trims 46- Ayatollah’s predecessor 47- Unclothed 48- Actor Epps 49- Former French colony of north-western Africa 50- Med school subj.

51- Ho Chi ___ 52- Annapolis sch.

53- Diving duck 55- Snake eyes

By D. Graziano dgrazia1@mscd.edu A delicious but deadly new fad is hitting Los Angeles bistros and roadside carts. Small dogs, once coveted for their purse-fitting ease, are now being wrapped in tortillas and eaten.

Heiress Paris Hilton started the

trend when, in a drunken haze, she ate her dog, Princess.

“She wasn’t very hot,” Hilton said. “I didn’t mean to eat her, but I’m happy to be showing the world what to do.”

PETA has seen membership drop after a releasing a memo stating disdain for the act.

Week{preview}

7:30 — 10 p.m.

Ellie Caulkins Opera House $19 and up

9 a.m. — 4 p.m.

27th Street and Larimer Street Free

Celebration Kickoff Concert

Trick Out Your Bag Screenprint Workshop

7:30 p.m.

King Center Concert Hall $5 — $10

A Night in Old Union Station

7 — 11 p.m.

Union Station, Denver $40 and up Union Station Advocates host a fundraising party to help rebuild the Mizpah Arch, a historic tribute to Union Station’s past. Troups of mimes, contortionists, palm readers and other entertainers will be performing and food will be provided from participating LoDo restaurants.

10 a.m. — 9 p.m.

Ink Lounge, Lakewood $10

Tuesday/ 10.20

MONDAY/ 10.19

Open Mic “Guitar Church” with Public Astronomy Night Tony Padilla 8:30 p.m. — 12:00 a.m.

Mead Street No Cover

Ingrid Michaelson 8 p.m.

Gothic Theatre $20

«

Sunday/ 10.18

Corn Maze 12 p.m. — 10 p.m.

Denver Botanic Gardens $10

La Candela at the D-Note 9 p.m.

D-Note, Arvada $8

WEDNESDAY/ 10.21

«

Larimer Sidewalk Art Festival

«

Colorado Ballet: “Don Quixote”

«

«

Thursday/ 10.15

Saturday/ 10.17

«

«

Friday/ 10.16

Rodents of Unusual Size Comedy

7 p.m.

DU. Chamberlin Observatory $3

7: 30 p.m.

Avenue Theater $8 with student ID

Paul Hunnicutt Photography

Line Dancing Class

5:45 a.m. — 7 p.m.

Amate Coffee, Boulder No Cover

5:30 —7:30 p.m.

Jazz at Jack’s $5