Volume 32, Issue 15 - Oct. 29, 2009 by Met Media

THE

METROPOLITAN Serving Auraria for 30 years

Vol. 32, Issue 15

October 29, 2009

Campus fills Colo. coffers Auraria brings $11 to state economy for every $1 invested •A3

Snow sets scene for season’s change

University of Colorado at Denver students Michael Bayley, left, and Tim Curtis slosh across a slush-covered campus Oct. 27 near the Tivoli. Meteorologists forecast the Front Range will receive between 10-20 inches of snow by the afternoon of Oct. 29. Photo by Drew Jaynes • ajaynes1@mscd.edu

SPORTS

AUDIOFILES

Everything Absent ‘Runners sprint to regionals or Distorted Cross country captures 4th and 5th places at first home-field RMAC Championships •A11 releases new EP, METROSP plays final concert •B7 Handicapable student speaks out on accessibility •B3 Andy Maher

A2 • NEWS • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN

STUDENT LIVING see office for details

AMENITIES Starbucks with private entrance from lobby Daily room service available All bills included Fully furnished units On-site laundry facility

LIVE WHERE YOU: PLAY: Downtown Denver LEARN: 2 blocks from the Auraria campus

WORK: on-site job

Amenities subject to change

opportunities available at The Inn, The Curtis Hotel & surrounding businesses

1051 14TH ST. 303.623.3007 THEINNATAURARIA.COM

A3 • THE METROPOLITAN • October 29, 2009

NEWS

“By allowing student groups to wither on the vine, the SGA is promoting insular and dysfunctional communities on campus”

- Colin Seger on A8

CAITLIN GIBBONS • NEWS EDITOR • cgibbon4@mscd.edu

THIS WEEK EVENTS

10.29 Haunted Harvest at Auraria Games, costume contests and trickor-treating 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. 9th Street Park

11.02 Priority

registration for Spring 2010 semester begins

11.02 African Drumming

Metro sophomore April Young waits for her train Oct. 27 at the Colfax at Auraria light rail station on the east side of campus. Young says she takes the train to and from campus four days a week. Metro’s student population contributes more than $1 million per regular semester to the Denver economy through transportation sticker fees. Photo by Drew Jaynes • ajaynes1@mscd.edu

Auraria boosts local economy Campus spending buoys Colorado bottom line By Andrew Flohr-Spence spencand@mscd.edu If money talks, Colorado needs to listen to Auraria, according to Metro faculty and administration. Contrary to conversations in the state legislature surrounding cutting higher education funding, college officials cite a recent study estimating Auraria brings more than $1 billion annually into the state as evidence of the campus’s importance to the health of the economy. The fiscal impact study, conducted by the Downtown Denver Business Partnership and the Auraria foundation, factored in direct dollars spent by the more than 40,000 students, faculty and staff, as well as visitors to the campus, on such things as tuition, food, entertainment and housing. The study also took into account so-called indirect dollars, or money spent in the city and state by the more than 7,000 workers that the three schools and Auraria employ. “It is so clear from this study

that higher education brings a huge amount into the Colorado economy,” Faculty President Lynn Kaersvang said. The study found that for every dollar of funding invested by the state in Auraria, the campus brought $11 into the Colorado economy. Evidence, Kaersvang said, that demonstrates the “good deal” the state gets with each dollar spent, and a reason against cutting higher-education funding. “Legislators need to take into account what they are getting for their money,” Kaersvang said. “The state gets a huge return on its tax dollars here … we contribute so much back into the Colorado economy.” On the receiving end, Adriana Marmie, who works the day shift at Leela European Café on 15th Street, a 24-hour establishment catering to a young crowd, said students make up a large part of Leela customer base. The study estimated that taken together Auraria students spend more than $90 million on retail items like food, school supplies and clothing. “I don’t know exactly, but it has to be at least one-third of our business,” Marmie said. “I think because we are always open and are a great place for people to get coffee, get online and

study anytime of day … but especially at night, there’s a lot of students in here.” Marmie said she wasn’t sure how a drastic cut in student numbers would hurt the café’s business, “but it would definitely hurt us.” Jim Kirchheimer, director of economic development for the DDP, said the idea behind commissioning the study came several years ago when funding for the Science Building was in danger of being cut. “At the time, everyone knew how important it is to have institutions of higher education in the downtown area, but no one had put a number on it … it hadn’t really been quantified,” Kirchheimer said. He said he expected the study to show a large number, but the $1 billion was “well beyond what I

would have expected.” Kirchheimer, who also sits on the Lower Downtown District Board and the Mayor’s Workforce Investment Board, said the DDP had not conducted impact studies on any other similar entities, because no other single group in Colorado was as large as the campus. “The study is really unique in Denver … because there is really nothing comparable to Auraria in the local and state economy,” he said. The DDP does not advocate for specific policy, and would not speculate on effects of the state possibly cutting the higher education budget, Kirchheimer said, but that “the study speaks for itself … higher education gives an excellent return on the state’s investment … the impact of the campus is huge.”

Breakdown of the $1 billion impact

$3.4 million Visitor spending

$577 million Indirect impact:

Spending from campus-earned dollars

$309 million Auraria campus operations: Payroll,materials and facilities

$162 million Student spending: Tuition, lodging, medical, retail and transport

Ensemble Performance This event is free and open to the public. Free parking in the Tivoli or PTC lots with voucher available at the performance. 7:30 p.m. King Center Concert Hall

INDEX INSIGHT ... A8 METROSPECTIVE ... B1 AUDIOFILES ... B6 SPORTS ... A11 TIMEOUT ... A14

WEATHER 10.29 • Snow High: 31/Low: 22 10.30 • Mostly Sunny High: 43/Low: 18 10.31 • Mostly Sunny High: 48/Low: 27 11.1 • Partly Cloudy High: 55/Low: 29 11.2 • Mostly Sunny High: 59/Low: 31 11.3 • Mostly Sunny High: 63/Low: 33 11.4 • Partly Cloudy High: 65/Low: 34 By Kendell LaRoche

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

A4 • NEWS • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN

Thirsty Thursday’s

College Night

INVITES YOU AND A GUEST TO A SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 AT 9 PM.

Free Admission WITH THIS AD & STUDENT ID

PLEASE STOP BY

• Tivoli Student Union, Suite 313

TODAY AFTER 10 AM TO RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY PASS FOR TWO. ONE PASS PER PERSON. WHILE LIMITED SUPPLIES LAST. MUST BE 13 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER TO RECEIVE A PASS. THIS FILM IS RATED PG-13 FOR VIOLENT AND DISTURBING IMAGES, SOME TERROR, THEMATIC ELEMENTS AND BRIEF SEXUALITY. PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED. SOME MATERIAL MAY BE INAPPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN UNDER 13. Please note: Passes received through this promotion do not guarantee you a seat at the theater. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Theater is overbooked to ensure a full house. No admittance once screening has begun. All federal, state and local regulations apply. A recipient of tickets assumes any and all risks related to use of ticket, and accepts any restrictions required by ticket provider. Universal Pictures, The Metropolitan and their affiliates accept no responsibility or liability in connection with any loss or accident incurred in connection with use of a prize. Tickets cannot be exchanged, transferred or redeemed for cash, in whole or in part. We are not responsible if, for any reason, winner is unable to use his/her ticket in whole or in part. Not responsible for lost, delayed or misdirected entries. All federal and local taxes are the responsibility of the winner. Void where prohibited by law. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Participating sponsors, their employees & family members and their agencies are not eligible. NO PHONE CALLS!

IN THEATERS NOVEMBER 6

• •

(exp 10/30/09)

No Line For The Ladies Dance Floor Open Playing all of today’s greatest hits & your requests

$1 Well and Call Drinks $1 Coors/Coors Light Drafts $3 Micro/Import Drafts 9pm-Close* *excludes special events and designated games

1930 Blake Street - LoDo w w w. d e n v e r s p o r t s c o l u m n . c o m

You’re Invited To Our Open House! Y Your home. h

Your Yo community. communi commu unityy

Your favorite e place p to be. be

Saturday, November 7, 2009 • During our Open House you will have a chance to win a $500 scholarship! • Tour our Student Housing Community anytime between 11 am to 2 pm and enjoy FREE FOOD. • The Regency: Student Housing Community 3900 Elati Street, Denver CO 80216 (The drawing will take place during the Open House. Student does not need to be present to win but must have toured the day of the open house.)

DID YOU KNOW? Al Capone’s business card said he was a used furniture dealer. • THE METROPOLITAN • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • NEWS • A5

Clever headline goes here

On the street A student who refused to be named, left, answers questions from Auraria Campus Police Officer Jason Skeen, center and Denver Police Officer Paul Davis about a three-car accident Oct. 24, on 7th Street near the Tivoli. Of the three drivers involved in the accident, one was taken to the hospital and her status was not immediately available. Photo by Jamie Cotten • jcotten1@mscd.edu

Withdrawal policy modified Faculty signature no longer needed to receive ‘NC’ By April Zemyan azemyan@mscd.edu This semester, students who utilized the “NC” (no credit) deadline at Metro no longer had to get a faculty signature prior to dropping a class before the Oct. 26 deadline. The NC deadline exists because colleges are required to report enrollment by a certain census date. Students must drop classes before this date so the college can give a true representation of how many are enrolled in how many credits. According to Randy Proctor at the Metro Registrar’s office, the new policy went into effect this semester at Metro for a number of reasons. “It’s to be used as an advising tool,” Proctor said. Proctor said the original purpose of getting the signature was to allow students and faculty to discuss the class before dropping. This is no longer happening because the school is so big and faculty can’t keep up, Proctor said. “We don’t want people to jump through hoops if they’re not getting anywhere,” Proctor said. When students drop a class after the opportunity to get 50 percent of their money back, the money goes to pay for the instructor and class. Proctor said students who don’t get money back are basically still paying for a spot in class. In most cases, it is then too late for another student to pick up the class. “If you take up the first two or three weeks, then another student can’t register for it,” Proctor said. Proctor said some graduate

schools might ask for a letter of explanation if a lot of NC grades appear on a transcript. As Metro’s website explains, NC is not a grade, it simply means withdrawn from the course. Metro Director of Institutional Research Ellen Boswell said that during the spring 2009 semester, roughly 2,800 students, or 12.8 percent of student population, used the NC option. In the fall of 2008, the number was slightly higher at 13.1 percent of students who utilized the NC withdrawal process. Numbers for the 2009 fall semester are not yet available. Judy Layton, assistant registrar at the University of Northern Colorado said the school no longer requires students to obtain a faculty signature to withdraw from a course. UNC uses URSA, similar to MetroConnect, for online registration. Students at UNC had until Oct. 16 to withdraw from a course with a “W” notation on their transcript. At Colorado State University about eight percent of the student body withdrew from a course, Associate Registrar for Enrollment and Academic Records Eugene “Skip” Ackler said. Ackler said the numbers are a “guesstimate” because students may withdraw from more than one course during a semester, making it difficult to determine the exact number. At CSU, 6,554 withdrawals were recorded for the fall 2009 semester. The NC policy is different for UCD students. John McDuffie of the UCD registrar’s office said students still need a faculty signature. “Students cannot drop online anymore. Students must get a faculty signature,” McDuffie said. A policy that went into effect in fall 2007 at UCD requires students to pay for their spot in class. McDuffie explained that during

the beginning of class registration, students are required to pay $200 and if they drop a class they will not receive the money back. Also a week after classes start and up to the census date, students will be charged $100 if they drop a class. The Colorado School of Mines offers students until Nov. 3 to withdraw from a class and receive a “W” notation on their transcript, Registration Specialist Adrienne Campbell said. The W notation is similar to the NC at Metro. “Our policy states that students are allowed to drop with a W past the census date with a drop slip. Students must get an instructor signature, and a signature from their advisor, then return the slip to the Registrar’s office,” said Campbell. Campbell said the last day for students at Mines to withdraw is Nov. 3. The W notation does not affect a student’s GPA.

Adams State College also allows students to withdraw from a course with a W notation. Toni Martinez, records clerk, said the withdrawal deadline for Adams State was Oct. 16. Adams State offers three options for students to drop a class. As noted on their website, as long as it is completed before the deadline, it will be accepted. As Metro’s website and the registrar’s office will say, policies vary by department as well. Business, Art and Communication departments might have different restrictions for NC deadlines. Metro’s faculty encourages students to seek help and ask questions if they have doubts about withdrawing. “It has to be an option; we don’t want to be punitive. It’s about the academics; it’s not about punishing people,” Proctor said.

By Ben Wiebesiek Photos by Caitlin Gibbons

“Oct. 26 was the deadline to withdraw a fall 2009 course and receive a ‘no credit’ (NC) on your transcript. Have you ever used this policy before?”

“It’s funny you should mention that. I just had to take an NC yesterday. Apparently, I was messing up in class and the teacher told me that Monday was the last day to drop it and not get an F on my transcript, so I might as well do it.” -Malik Rahim Metro Sophomore, Art

“I used the NC deadline because, really, I wasn’t doing the work. The teacher was confusing me. He did not know what he was doing. He was always asking us in class, ‘What are we doing? What chapter were we supposed to do?’” -Trinae Frazier Metro Sophomore, Pre-Medicine

Course withdrawal policies for Colorado Institutions Institution Withdrawal Deadline

Policy

Metro

Oct. 26

Online through MetroConnect

University of Northern Colorado

Oct. 16

Colorado School of Mines

Nov. 3

Students request a “W” online through the URSA registration system Faculty and advisor signature required.

Colorado State University

Oct. 19

Online. After the deadline, written petitions can be filed.

“The NC is a good option, but they should put the deadline after all the midterms are done and over with because you don’t know if you’ll be passing a class until after that. The deadline doesn’t give students the opportunity to do faculty evaluations in the classes where they choose to take an NC in.” -B.D. Perez Metro Sophomore, Education

A6 • NEWS • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN

T hirteen million people work in the nonprofit sector. Should you be one of them?

P P P

PASSION PRIDE POWER

FIND CAREER SUCCESS IN THE NONPROFIT WORLD

Passion, Pride & Power Conference Friday, November 6, 2009 7:45 a.m. – 12 p.m. Tivoli Student Union 320

This is a free event, but you must register. Space is limited. Free continental breakfast will be provided. A student based and led conference on opportunities available in the nonproÀt sector. We will be offering panel discussions led by nonproÀt leaders in 8 areas of the Denver Metro nonproÀt sector. We will be looking at the arts, philanthropy, health issues, education, human services, animal issues, environmental concerns and sports. As the fastest growing sector in the country, the opportunities available are limited only by your imagination. Students and young professionals encouraged to attend!

Visit www.ColoradoNonproÀts.org/programs to register or for more info. Please contact Gini Mennenga at 720-334-9968 or vmille17@mscd.edu with questions. Sponsors: Metro State Association of NonproÀt Professionals, Metro State Center for NonproÀt Studies, The Colorado NonproÀt Association and Metro State OfÀce of Student Activities

F.Y.I: A rat can last longer without water than a camel.• THE METROPOLITAN • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • NEWS • A7

Surprise speaker stalls U.N. event Global problems upstaged by abrupt attendee argument

By Andrew Bissett abisset1@mscd.edu

By Ben Wiebesiek wiebesib@mscd.edu An angry outburst interrupted a speech on climate change and sustainable development Oct. 27 at Saint Cajetan’s Center. The speech, by Denver University International Law Scholar Ved Nanda, was the keynote address at an event hosted by Metro’s Political Science Student association to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations. “In all these years since the industrial revolution, those who have been responsible for putting all these emissions into the air and the degradation of the environment, don’t they have a responsibility to assist those countries in the developing world who don’t have the wherewithal to prevent climate change?” Nanda said in his speech. “They don’t have the resources at the present time to mitigate it; they don’t have the resources presently …” “Don’t you think you should take that up with the World Bank?” a woman, who refused to be identified, shouted from the crowd. “It is not necessarily the objective of the United States to dismantle our economy!” “You haven’t heard me out,” Nanda said from the podium. “Can I proceed?” “I want to object!” the woman said. “No, no, no, I’m happy to have her here,” Nanda said as members of the crowd tried to quell the interruption, “The interjection is great but I just ask you to wait until the end.” From that point, the woman in the crowd was silent until the end of Nanda’s speech. “The nice gentlemen from campus security do not need to worry about me. I know how to behave myself,” the woman said referring to an Auraria Police Officer who arrived at the back room minutes after

Robert Hazan speaks with Ved Nanda at the Metro State U.N. Day Oct. 27 at St. Cajetan’s Center. Photo by Nicholas Duckworth • nduckwor@mscd.edu the interruption. “You’re speech did not have much flesh to the bone.” Nanda then grabbed a handful of his notes from the podium. “I’ve got all the flesh to my argument right here!” Nanda responded, adding that this event was not the proper venue to dissect all the details of climate change. After the exchange, three other visiting speakers took the podium without incident. Alia Thobani discussed her tenure working as an aid worker with the U.N.’s World Food Programme in Kenya. Now a Metro student, Thobani said obtaining a college degree was necessary to participate in the higher levels of the U.N. and to affect future aid missions in rural Africa and across the developing world. Speaking from her experience developing water and sanitation projects in Nepal, Shweta Poudel described her involvement with the UNICEF. Poudel said that UNICEF focused on educating the children of remote Nepalese villages on the installation and use of toilets so that the chil-

Q & A with C.J. Garbo By Caitlin Gibbons

Metro student and Student Government Assembly Vice President C.J. Garbo announced his candidacy for the Republican Party for the state house of representative, district nine, Oct. 1. The election take place Nov. 3, 2010. Q: Why did you decide to run for district nine? A: There are a lot of reasons. For me in particular, I don’t think district nine has had a republican candidate that has run with, from what I’ve seen, the intention or resources to win it. I feel that I have both, the re-

ELC sexual assault court date delayed

sources and the strive to win it. I’ve been in law enforcement for seven years. I really enjoy serving my community. I think that there are far too many people that are involved in public service on all levels that are not in with a service mind and servants heart. They are in it to have a resumé line item. They are in it because they have more other self-serving ambitions. I don’t have that. I’m not getting into it with a goal in mind, with a “this is my step to be a U.S. senator eventually.” There are a lot of people that are

dren, in turn, would educate their parents. Jorge Gonzalez, consul of political and economic affairs for the Mexican Consulate in Denver, spoke about efforts by the Mexican government to improve the standard of living for the poorest segments of the population. From 1992 to 2008, the percentage of Mexican citizens living on less than a dollar a day shrank from 4.5 percent to 1.8 percent. Metro Political Science Instructor Robert Hazan, an organizer of the event, said after the event that the interruption of Nanda’s speech was reminiscent of the heated exchanges surrounding the health care reform town hall meetings during the summer. But overall, he felt that the turnout and involvement of students, faculty and staff were impressive. “This was a remarkable reflection of our students’ sophistication and their understanding of the importance of education,” Hazan said. “Students realize that their education is not only to empower them with knowledge but also to energize

them to address the complexities that are the essence of the horrors we are experiencing in this new century: civil war, suicide bombings, terror, people pitted against one another, genocide.” Outside St. Cajetan’s Center, the woman who objected to Nanda’s speech, refused to provide her name due to concerns she had regarding possible retribution because of her comments. She said she came to the event because she felt that a strong discussion over climate change was in order including the cap and trade carbon emissions bill under consideration by the U.S. Senate. “Cap and trade is basically just a money laundering scheme. I’ve been researching these things myself, and I’m not a scientist, but I do come from a substantial environmentalist background and I do not see that the carbon footprint issue is actually a good answer to any of the global problems that have actually been with us for a very, very long time,” she said. “The science is not all in, contrary to how it was presented here today.”

Republicans in office both nationally and locally that I don’t feel represent true Republican interest. Republicans in power right now are hurting the party. Whenever I tell people I am a republican they automatically think I agree with Sarah Palin or Rush Limbaugh and that’s seldom the case. So, I felt it was time that, there are a lot of republicans out there like me that think differently and think that there should be an art to debate, and an art to disagreement and that art has been lost.

people in the legislature without college degrees, that some haven’t even completed high school. There are people that are farmers that work in the state legislatures office. For me I think what makes anybody qualified, but also makes me qualified is the passion, ambition and desire to serve the people. To know what they want and need. And the ability to work well with individuals and other people. Not only do I have my law enforcement background, but I have a lot of background in various leadership roles.

Q: What makes you qualified to run for this position? A: It’s hard to say what makes someone qualified. There are a lot of

Former Auraria Early Learning Center employee Johnny Duran is still awaiting a preliminary hearing on charges of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust. Duran’s hearing was originally scheduled for Oct. 20, but Judge Andrew Armatas approved a motion to postpone the hearing, and it was moved to Nov. 3. Duran remains out on bond. Charges against Duran, 31, were filed after he was arrested by Denver Police Sept. 9 at the Early Learning Center. Blaine Nickeson of AHEC said that a child at the center made accusations against Duran, and that the accusations had been brought to the attention of Denver Police by the director of the Center. He was arrested and spent a week in Denver City Jail before posting $25,000 bond Sept. 19. The Denver District Attorney’s office said that one of several things can happen now that Duran’s preliminary hearing has been moved back. The hearing can be postponed again if a judge sees fit, or it could proceed Nov. 3, where the prosecution for the city will lay out the evidence against Duran to move the case into Denver District Court. The hearing can also be waived by Duran’s attorney, in which case the case will be sent directly to District court. Nickeson said AHEC has had no further involvement with the case since it was handed over to the DA’s office. Duran’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, did not return calls about the case or the reasons for the postponement.

To learn more about Garbo’s candidacy, visit www.Garboforcolorado.com

A8 • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN

INSIGHT

"She beat a few All-Americans and numerous qualifiers, so that speaks volumes. She's lightyears ahead of where she was 12 months ago.”

— CROSS COUNTRY HEAD COACH SEAN NESBITT ON SOPHOMORE XENIA FORES ON A11

BIGGER VIEW

Clear the air on pot rules The Denver Post, Oct. 26, 2009

Illustrated by Lokken Lain, and written by Leah Millis

Colorado needs to get a better handle on medical marijuana. The burgeoning industry — created to help those with debilitating illnesses and pain — is mostly unregulated and that's becoming problematic. The number of permits for medical marijuana use is spiraling far higher than many anticipated when voters passed a law allowing its use in 2000. The state health department told The Post's Lynn Bartels an average of 400 people apply for a permit every day. Clearly, we're skeptical that all of the new permits are going to truly sick and deserving patients. (There seem to be a lot of 20-somethings with chronic back pain.) However, the state lacks regulatory authority to deal with fraud — or much of anything else — under the current law. To meet the demand of new users, businesses that sell medical pot are popping up like mushrooms. Yet the state's registry for the dispensaries, which was required under the 2000 law, doesn't license them, track them or regulate them. It even lacks a mechanism for dealing with complaints brought against a dispensary. And if someone wants to start a dispensary? The registry has no information on how to establish or operate the facility. Meanwhile, the rapid growth of medical pot users and businesses is clashing with local law enforcement. Though President Barack Obama this week instructed federal drug agents to respect state laws that govern medical marijuana, some Colorado sheriffs contend that illegal drug cartels are helping meet the increased demand for pot. The result is that some cities are starting to pass laws to regulate use, and state Sen. Chris Romer says he will take up the issue with legislation during the next session of the General Assembly. We note that a simple solution exists: Legalize marijuana for anyone 18 and older. Treat the drug like alcohol and regulate and tax its use. But we realize the chances of passing such a law are weak. So what to do? Some cities, such as Durango, already are taking action. In Denver, City Councilman Charlie Brown is visiting dispensaries and says he plans to propose medical marijuana laws, including requiring operators of medical marijuana dispensaries, including managers and caregivers, to undergo criminal background checks. Another idea worthy of debate is treating dispensaries like liquor stores, which are licensed by the state and must follow certain rules, such as limitations on how close they can be to schools. Any debate on potential regulation needs to include greater scrutiny or guidance on how permits are issued. Coloradans voted to help those who are truly suffering, not to legalize marijuana through a back-door channel. Lawmakers should find a suitable way to honor that intent.

THE POINT: METRO'S EXECUTIVE BRANCH NEEDS CHECKING

SGA not upholding students' rights

The role of any elected body is to represent the population that elected it. Therefore, it is in everybody's interest when an elected body budgets and carefully considers where and how money is spent. It is especially important when that body holds the key to the bank vault upon which students, working people and everyone else has deposited their own money through tuition, taxes and the like. To diligently and responsibly budget publicly created funds is one of the most important jobs a legislature can do. It is power; a check upon the executive branch who can mobilize various institutions toward a goal but cannot effect funding toward their own designs. In the American system of government, the legislative branch holds the exclusive right to appropriate funds toward the functioning of the government and programs initiated from the executive branch or originate of themselves. Control of the purse strings can stifle the attempts of a tyrannical executive and can make programs or groups wither on the vine, shrivel and disappear into distant memories. Likewise, the executive branch holds the power of veto to check the power of the legislative branch. The student government at Metro has recently decided, without consulting the students who elected them, that they will no

COLIN SEGER cseger@mscd.edu longer be providing funds to student organizations. Not only does this seem to violate their mission statement “upholding student rights… stemming from a position of responsibility rather than a position of power,” but it also seems to be redundant. The justification for the change from allocating funds for student groups who need more funding to no longer funding them at all is that there is already an office on campus for funding student groups. The Co-curricular Funding Committee is designed to fund student organizations. However the student government held funds specifically in order to fund student organizations when they had reached their allotted amount of cash from the CFC. Money specifically held over from last year that normally goes to fund student groups will now go toward funding the Student Government’s own specified projects. The money will be spent on

improving campus safety. Upward of $38,000 that would have normally gone toward student groups will be spent to improve campus safety by hiring a consultant and implementing changes based on their conclusions. The problem I see is this: If the SGA is reluctant to spend money on student groups because there is already an office for student groups to get funds, why are they spending our tuition on a safety review that could already be conducted by another office on campus? The Auraria Police Department is already charged with the safety and security of the Auraria campus, why do we need student government to spend money that could go toward groups on campus that will actually benefit students today? If safety is an issue on campus, the SGA should have used the bully pulpit at which they stand to push for more safety allocations in the school budget. The state is notoriously tight on the Metro budget, in favor of spending for CU, but safety is a major concern for a campus in the heart of the capital city and the SGA is in a perfect position to start a campaign for more state funding. Ironically, the decision to not fund student groups could, in effect, lead to less campus security. Student groups promote cama-

raderie and a sense of community. When student groups work together and interact, it promotes a sense of friendship that encourages groups to work together to create the type of environment they all would want to be a part of. Invariably, in neighborhoods where neighbors interact regularly and know each other by first name, there is less crime and suspicious activities are more out of place. By allowing student groups to wither on the vine, the SGA is promoting insular and dysfunctional communities on campus. Though funding in other schools on the Auraria campus comes directly from their student governments, Metro does not fund student groups from the SGA. What could they be representing? In order to truly be the leaders they have been elected to be, the SGA should resume funding student groups who need cash to bring in a guest speaker or provide coffee and tea at an event. This is truly helping the student body of Metro and promoting for a campus community built on mutual interaction and friendship. Providing a win-win situation, funding student groups and increasing safety on the Auraria campus is something that should incorporate all three institutions, is the mark of truly visionary and inspiring leadership.

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

Metro{spective}

B1 10.29.2009 THE METROPOLITAN

TERROR!BRAINS!

PANIC!

CARNAGE!MURDER!

BLOODBATH!

KINEMORTOPHOBIA!

*FEAR OF THE LIVING DEAD

NOW COMING TO

A CITY NEAR YOU!

IN DENVER, THOUSANDS OF ZOMBIES

APPEARED ON THE 16TH STREET MALL. WHATʼS SO FUN ABOUT BEING SO

HORRIFIC? PAGE B4

ALSO INSIDE:

REVIEW OF MOVIES IN THEATERS TODAY! • B3 HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO GET SCARED! • B2 CONCERTS TO SEE ON HALLOWEEN • B6

Photo illustration by Jamie Cotten

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B2• FEATURES • OCTOBER 29, 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

HALLOWEEN

What’s your scare time worth? Somewhere they have said that time is money. Take a look at how much scare time you get for your buck.

1. 13th Floor 15 — 20 min for $20 2. The Asylum 15 — 20 min for $15 3. The Blood Shed 15 —20 min for $20 4. Frightmare 15 —20 min for $15 5. Spider Mansion 20 min for $12 6. Frightfest All Day for $35.99 7. The Cornmaze at Botanic Gardens 1 Hour for $10 8. The Butcher 20 min for $16 9. Primative Fear 10 — 15 min for $15

HALLOWEEN CLUB BEAT

Extrasensory education

Students look for evidence of a paranormal Auraria By Ashley Moreland amorela1@mscd.edu The Crypto Science Society is a student organization which investigates paranormal activity and presents their findings in a scientific and objective manner. As Jason Cordova, the group’s founder and chief investigator explained, paranormal activity is any form of fringe science that falls outside the parameters of what is accepted. Some examples include ghosts, UFOs and the Mothman. “We’re not the kind of group that’s all talk,” Cordova said. “We actually go out and investigate it.” The group meets at 6 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. The meetings consist of a research topic discussion and investigative training. The group will be holding their 3rd annual Haunted History Tour on campus Oct. 30. The tour will begin at the north side of 9th Street Park at 6 p.m. where there is a memorial to the former residents of Auraria. “Most people do not realize that Auraria was a town before it was a campus,” Cordova said. Auraria was founded as a mining settlement in 1858. The residential community survived until the mid-20th century. “[The tour is] a cool way to honor [former residents] and possibly even communicate with them,” Cordova said. Cordova encourages those who are interested in the group to visit their web site, www.mscd.edu/~crypto and visit their YouTube channel (search Crypto Science Society).

Bass player Roland Guerin smiles while listening to Marcus Roberts Oct. 24 as he speaks to the audience about music theory during the Marcus Roberts Trio Clinic in the King Center at Auraria. The Trio, which also features Jason Marsalis discussed the process of combining jazz with classical music with a small audience. Photo by Leah Millis • lmillis@mscd.edu

Trio fuses jazz, classical Non-traditional ensemble takes a step forward in musical evolution

By Ashley Moreland amorela1@mscd.edu By transforming classics such as George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” the Marcus Roberts Trio has blended jazz with classical music for the past 14 years. On Oct. 24, the trio — consisting of Marcus Roberts, worldrenowned pianist and composer; Jason Marsalis, drummer and Roland Guerin, bassist — visited Metro for a free concert and lecture. They performed two of their songs and explained how they have revamped classical into a new genre. “What we’re trying to do is figure out a way to bring a piece into jazz without messing up the classical part of it,” Roberts said. The trio stressed that creating their style is a trial-and-error process; what they do cannot be

taught, and it has taken them years to get where they are now. As Roberts explained, the original score gives them a road map of what the composer had in mind. The trio goes through a composition measure by measure to decide what, if anything, they should play to create a piece that does not water down either style. “What happens in jazz is we pay attention to the composer and we study the history,” Roberts said. “We do all that stuff, but also bring our own thing to it.” The trio has also allowed their own music to evolve through improvisation. Marsalis said that they take one basic rhythm and tweak the “grooves.” “A rhythm is just a rhythm, but what you do around it could be a lot of things,” he said. “It could be swing or straight. [It’s] whatever

you want to do.” To illustrate, they played a recording of the original composition and then variations of their own interpretation of the piece. Because they have been playing together for a long time, the members of the trio are easily able to pick up cues from each other and adapt to other members’ improvisations. However, Marsalis said sometimes it is better for just one player to improvise while the others stick to the original score. “Again, it’s just a trial-and-error process,” he said. The trio hopes their style continues to evolve and become a common style for the next generation. “Once you have a culture of people doing it, it’s going to be really interesting,” Roberts said.

Gearing up for fall weather with hot items By Mickali Garcia mgarc117@mscd.edu

Fall is an exciting time for fashion — the leaves change and the coats come out. So layer up, accessorize with a mug of hot cocoa and, before you know it, you’re hurdled into the new year. But in fashion, the new year begins in September. The reviews from the final shows in Paris Fashion Week are hot off the press and the trends have been strategically chosen. The styles are reflective of the current state of the economy and the need for a new optimism. It’s definitely a time to cheer up and nothing could be more optimistic than going bold with color, texture and wild patterns. The color is red; by now you’ve seen it in the changing trees — bright, smoldering red, artfully adorned and

organically chic. When thinking of red, think of the modern woman, one who is independent, strong and sexy. Red across the shoulders in a soft cashmere scarf, painted on the nails, or in the form of a dominant strut-worthy heel. Be bold, take a risk! And what is more risky than a sexy feline pattern? A silk cheetah print blouse with a wool skirt and a red skinny patent leather belt will flaunt your moxie. If you’re the kind of girl that sees fall and winter as palette drought, spice it up with the colors of fall. Orange suede loafers casually tossed into an all black outfit. Done. A statement. Small tasteful pops of color in unexpected places not only makes an outfit look more put together, but it’s easy

and speaks volumes about your personal style and taste. Find ways to inject patterns and colors you love so they jump out, but also stay cohesive and uncomplicated. To add depth and variety, find a jacket or skirt that is made of an unusual or heavy fabric, mix it with colorful accessories and a statement print. All in all, make the trends of fall become you. The good thing about accessorizing this fall is that all the color and bold patterns will easily make their way into your spring outfits. So don’t worry about buying those crazy tights; you’ll still be turning to them for seasons to come. Shopping the fall trends is incredibly easy this season, it’s all about the mix and match.

Where to look Forever 21: Best layering; Cheetah print blouse, $22; cropped military jacket with crystal embellished shoulders, $27. Urban Outfitters: Best accessories; wool and sheer scarves, $28; side chain agate necklace, $28; bow/ metal/feathered head wraps, $16-$24. Nordstrom: Michael Kors is the go-to brand when it comes to statement heels; black studded patent leather pumps with animal print detail, $174.

B2• FEATURES • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN

HALLOWEEN

What’s your scare time worth? Somewhere they have said that time is money. Take a look at how much scare time you get for your buck.

HALLOWEEN CLUB BEAT

Extrasensory education

Trio fuses jazz, classical Non-traditional ensemble takes a step forward in musical evolution

Gearing up for fall weather with hot items By Mickali Garcia mgarc117@mscd.edu

THE METROPOLITAN • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • FEATURES • B3

Wheelchair user rolls with the punches Bathroom, parking issues the biggest problems at Metro for some handicapable students

By Drew Jaynes ajaynes1@mscd.edu

By Matt Gypin mgypin@mscd.edu As a wheelchair-using Metro student, I encounter some obstacles on campus that most people simply don’t have to think about. The most obvious example would be stairs, but I rarely have an issue with my inability to go up or down steps easily. After all, every campus building I have been in has come equipped with elevators. Of course, I can’t help but wonder sometimes how much it would suck to get stuck in one, or what would happen if there was a fire and I wasn’t on the first floor. Then again, everyone has fears of the unknown. No, the main obstacles facing me and other campus wheelchair-users are mostly just slight annoyances that could easily be removed with a slightly more understanding and thoughtful student body. One surefire way to piss off the handicapped is to park in our spaces, but you should know that by now, and let’s be honest: you probably face more parking hassles than I do. I always have a space, up close and marked off, like rolled-out red carpet awaiting my arrival. It’s okay to stare and take pictures, but please don’t park in disabled spots unless you need to. You don’t want to pay that fine anyway. The bigger problem is people using handicapped stalls in bathrooms, even when the other stalls are open. I know they are bigger and more comfortable, but they are built that way for a reason: to accommodate a wheelchair.

TechBytes At your fingertips

28-year-old Matt Gypin is a Metro journalism student and has been using a wheelchair for six years. Photo by Leah Millis • lmillis@mscd.edu I shouldn’t have to roll around to three different bathrooms just to take a leak, but many times that is the case. There’s nothing worse than having to wait for someone to finish up their business in the only possible place you can do yours. The same type of accessibility issue exists in classrooms and computer labs. Most of the time, there are only a few select spaces where I can comfortably fit. That usually means having only two or three computers to choose from, and sitting close to the door or the very front or back of the room. This makes it hard to, you know, sit by the cute chick in class and strike up a conversation. And if I’m tired, I can’t just slouch in the back and nod off

unnoticed. Teachers learn my name faster than everyone else so it’s tougher to get away with these things, but I’ve learned it’s still possible to sleep in the front row, in full view, anyway. Minor inconveniences aside, Metro is actually the most accessible and friendly college campus I’ve ever been on. The sidewalks are relatively level, the school strives to be inclusive and the student body is always willing to help if I need it. So thanks for the hospitality, Metro — just remember to park and pee where you should, or the wheelchair mafia will hunt you down with bad karma. Peace.

Apple Inc. has once again beaten Microsoft to the punch. Last week, the Cupertino-based hardware and software maker unveiled the first-ever multi-touch mouse called Magic Mouse. The launch came just two weeks after Microsoft unveiled several prototype designs for similar devices. At first glance, you’ll notice the lack of buttons. But under the hood, there actually are two buttons for left and right clicking. Absent a scrollwheel, users might get the idea the mouse doesn’t support scrolling, but that’s where the touch surface comes in. By sliding your finger in one of four directions, you can achieve the same results as with a scroll wheel. Sliding a finger forward and aft produces scrolling up and down. Sliding side to side allows horizontal scrolling. Apple has also integrated gestures into the mouse allowing users to perform multiple-fingered tasks with such as swiping left or right to scroll through photos or tabs in Safari. At the moment, the new Magic Mouse only works with the latest iMacs. If you buy one, the mouse comes bundled with the computer or sells separately for about $70.

HALLOWEEN

Movies to sink your teeth into

Five flicks from the 2009 horror season

1. “The Canyon”

2. “Antichrist”

3. “Paranormal Activity”

4. “Stepfather”

5. “Zombieland”

You would think two newlyweds would pick a more romantic getaway than the Grand Canyon, let’s say Hawaii. But for Nick (Eion Bailey) and Lori (Yvonne Stahovski), that’s just not good enough. Insistent on taking a mule ride into the canyon, the lovebirds meet shabby guide Henry (Will Patton) and descend into paradise. A couple of snake bites in and an emergency help out, their chaperone falls victim to the elements, leaving the two to scramble for what they’ve seen on Discovery Channel to fend for themselves. Go teamwork. If not for a good chuckle, “The Canyon” is left dry: no twists, bad plot and dialogue you would expect from day-time soap opera. Don’t feel bad when you get the urge to shout at the screen, “What were you thinking?” By Julie Vitkovskaya

Known for his creative study of film noir, provocative metaphors and downright visual creepiness, director Lars von Trier puts together a film that blends terror and grief. The film gave Charlotte Gainsbourg a Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival and divided film critics. As a couple (Willem Dafoe and Gainsbourg) hoping to recover from the loss of their young child, they seclude themselves into a cabin in the woods. While the husband has high hopes of talking through their problems, the wife slips farther into depression and paranoia. In a mix of an art film and a thriller, “Antichrist” leaves behind disturbing and profound images – in the form of disfigured genitalia. By Julie Vitkovskaya

It was 1999 the last time we had a flannel and a good ol’ film camera horror movie. What originally began as a pet project from Oren Peli, a video game designer, turned into a box-office bonanza, grossing over $60 million. Not bad for a film that took only $15,000 to make. The lowbudget movie keeps to the playbook of scares, using simulated reality to pull the audience in and shaking them to their core. The film centers around Katie (Katie Featherston), who believes she has been haunted by a ghost her whole life. Doubtful of her claims, Micah (Micah Sloat) decides to play Nancy Drew and document the events that follow. The film turns out to be a great scare and gives the buddy system a second thought. By Julie Vitkovskaya

Directed by Nelson McCormick, “The Stepfather” is a surefire, pop-out-of-the-corner-andmake-you-jump suspense thriller. A remake of the 1987 original, the film follows a man named David Harris (Dylan Walsh) who is endlessly in search of the perfect family. Once the family starts to disappoint Harris, however, he disposes of them, changes his appearance and travels to a new state to repeat his twisted hunt. Though suspense builds effectively, the plot is predictable and none of the deaths are unexpected. For all of the die-hard gory movie lovers out there, this movie is not for you. The acting is incredibly cheesy. The saving grace: lots of sexy teenage tension and lots of bikinis. If you have ever seen a scary movie in your life, save your money. By Katie Kwiatkoski

It wouldn’t be a complete Halloween if not for a completely hilarious zombie movie. Focused around a geeky teen named Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) with a living and breathing ambition, the film is peppered with awkward love moments, zombie slaughter and the essential rules of apocalyptic survival. And if it was ever appropriate to use one word to describe some of the kills, it would be gnarly. Roughin’ it in Z-Land takes more than just shotguns to the head: partners-in-crime and sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) cheat and steal, Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) takes the Crocodile Dundee approach and Columbus keeps to his already pigeon-holed acting, anal-retentive self. And yes, there’s a reason for the nicknames. By Julie Vitkovskaya

Movies like this: “Strangers” (2008), “The Birds” (1963), “A Perfect Getaway” (2009)

Movies like this: “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968), “Diabolique” (1996), “The Cell” (2000)

Movies like this: “Blair Witch Project” (1999), “Diary of the Dead” (2008), “Gothika” (2003)

Movies like this: “The Shining” Movies like this: “Shaun of the (1980), “Stepfather” (1987), Dead” (2004), “Dead Alive” “The Omen” (1976) (1992), “Evil Dead II ” (1987)

mscd.edu

Jason Ames closes his eyes as his son Kyle applies fake blood to his forehead. Photo by Leah Millis • lmillis@

Gina Kirkpatrick performs the DKBC kickball group’s representation of the dance from Beyonce Knowles’ “Single Ladies” music video on the 16th Street Mall. Photo by Drew Jaynes • ajaynes1@mscd.edu

participants to the fourth annual Denver Zombie Crawl on 16th Street Mall? Cory Casciato, who runs the blog inevitablezombieapocalypse.com, said zombies can act as a stand-in for almost any societal criticism — from mindless consumerism to xenophobia. “It’s death, that’s the main draw. It’s such a scary thing for most people,” he said. “On a bigger scale, zombies are just people. They don’t really have super powers other than being alive after they’re dead, and they’re very easy to plug into any sort of commentary or symbolism that you want.” From zombie video games to literature to movies, the portrayal of the undead has changed, but Casciato said zombies aren’t the individual snowflakes that the living tend to be pegged as. “I tend to look at them more as a fun house mirror — that the filmmaker or the writer picks whatever trait they want to emphasize in humanity and zombies distort that in a way to get their point across.” Denver Zombie Examiner Jess d’Arbonne said people are drawn to the zombie lifestyle as a replacement for their

mundane lives. “You can’t reason with a zombie, you can’t distract them,” she said. “A person who hates their boring job and feels stifled by their daily routine can relate a lot to a zombie.” Halloween has long been a holiday associated with getting dressed up and stepping away from everyday life, but the caked-on layers of latex makeup and fake blood are just part of the zombie façade. Perhaps even more important than looks is behavior — vacant stares, reaching grasps and ominous moans make the undead the scariest monsters of all. “It is downright terrifying how real they look,” said one zombie crawl “victim,” dressed normally with a blue X to mark him as walking bait. “If I didn’t know better I would have guessed I was in a movie. I would be running a lot faster.” Some of the participating victims came prepared with fake guns and knives and doctor’s face masks to stop the spread of possible zombie diseases, a nod to Max Brook’s seminal text “The Zombie Sur-

1. Watch for warning signs - filling hospitals mean get ready to run. 2. Pack a bag beforehand - because you never know when the undead will attack. 3. Arm yourself - handheld weapons are better; they don’t need bullets. 4. Reinforce your “compound” - cover windows and dig yourself a moat.

5. Head for high ground- this gives you a spacial advantage to encroaching hordes. 6. Bring a dog - man’s best friend makes a great companion, early warning system and bait. 7. Always stay calm - acting rational will take you far. Photo illustration by Mark Farnik

vival Guide.” The differing portrayal of zombies (fast vs. slow, aggressive vs. passive) makes for pedantic online arguments Casciato said, but preparedness is the one thing hopeful zombie-attack survivors can agree on. “I’m always coming up with zombie contingency plans. I wrote my first one while going to school in Boston,” d’Arbonne said. “Here in Denver I’m a little more nervous, since there’s no convenient ocean to escape to.”

THE METROPOLITAN

Survive a zombie outbreak

here is a sense of liberation in being undead. Think about it; no more bills to pay, relationships and jobs are no longer important — the only concern of the zombie is where their next meal will come from. Some enthusiasts will tell you the romance of zombies lies in their true representation of what human beings can accomplish if they focus on their one true ambition, the single thing they desire out of life. Or brains. The zombification of culture worldwide has been happening since George Romero’s 1968 movie “Night of the Living Dead” — though Romero never uses the word zombie in the film — and the newest undead-centered offering, “Zombieland,” has been a hit at American box offices. But why? What is it about being, or fleeing from, a zombie that brought more than 1,500

By Dominic Graziano dgrazia1@mscd.edu

From left, Jordahn Salas, 17, Mikei Lynn, 14, and Lisa Sherman, 15, react to a strong gust of wind Oct. 24 as they dance to music during the Denver Zombie Crawl at Skyline Park in downtown Denver. The fourth annual event, which featured a costume contest and a crawl around the 16th Street Mall, attracted more than 1,500 people from Denver and surrounding areas. Photo by Leah Millis • lmillis@mscd.edu.

Poetry, self-help books, video games and movies ranging from comedic to horrific; zombies have taken over most aspects of popular culture

undead

with the

Living

B4 • METROSPECTIVE • OCTOBER 29, 2009 OCTOBER 29, 2009 • METROSPECTIVE • B5

B6 • AUDIOFILES • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN

trick Or Beats:

A HALLOWEEN sHOW gUIDE

By Matt Pusatory • mpusator@mscd.edu and Julie Maas • pretko@mscd.edu Haven’t seen Dinosaur Jr. in a while? Haven’t seen them ever? Well, now is the time. Oct. 29 you can catch the indie pioneers at the Boulder Theater. Vocalist J. Mascis has a voice that is almost painful, yet it balances out the feedback and musical discourse so well. Originally formed in 1984, they disbanded in 1997 and went their separate ways. They are now touring for their second album since reuniting in 2005, Farm. They are still on point and ready to rock. If you can’t make the Boulder Theater show, you have a second chance to start off Halloween weekend right Oct. 30 in Fort Collins at the 8 p.m., Oct. 29 Aggie Theater. Don’t miss it.

Dinosaur Jr.

@ Boulder Theater, $29.50

New York City’s White Rabbits will be bringing their brand of infectious indie rock to the Larimer Lounge on Oct. 30. The sextet, which includes two sets of drums and a piano, creates unique and memorable songs with incredible power. The dual drums are put on display on such gems as songof-the-year contender “Percussion Gun,” and “Lionesse” which are sure to get some feet stomping and hands clapping. The band’s touring in support of their sophomore album, It’s Frightening, a strong album filled with exceptional rock songs that should definitely draw a big crowd to the tiny Larimer Lounge. It should be a fantastic 9 p.m., Oct. 30 way to kick off your Hal@ Larimer Lounge, $18 loween weekend festivities.

White Rabbits

Gypsy rockers Devotchka will be playing their annual Halloween show at The Boulder Theater. This year the Denver quartet is playing a pair of shows Oct. 30 and 31. This is good news for fans since the show on Halloween night is already sold out. Probably one of Denver’s most popular bands, Devotchka blends influences from eastern European cultures with traditional rock music to make songs that are as unique as they are catchy. Using a slew of different instruments and sometimes incorporating burlesque dancers, a Devotchka show is always a spectacle, and always worth seeing. Their Halloween shows should be no exception. So take the short drive to Boulder and celebrate the holiday a day 9 p.m., Oct. 30 early.

Devotchka

@ Boulder Theater, $38.50

Swedish dance-rockers The Sounds will be taking the stage at the Ogden Theater. With heavy synths, pulsing bass lines and strong female vocals they are sure to make some heads bob throughout the evening. The band isn’t reinventing the wheel. Most songs are pretty straightforward and simple, but have great singable choruses and are filled with great energy. Kicking off the night is Ohio’s Foxy Shazam. A band with a reputation for going crazy and bringing out-of-control theatrics to the stage, which could include eating cigarettes and climbing on lighting fixtures. Be sure to get there early. This Halloween dance party should last long into the 9 p.m., Oct. 31 night, so make sure to practice @ Ogden Theater, $22.25 your “Thriller” moves.

The Sounds w/ Foxy Shazam

Bender’s Tavern will play host to Denver goth country legends Slim Cessna’s Auto Club. The band’s dark and sometimes graphic lyrics tell mostly tales of horror, which are perfect for Halloween. The band mixes classic country and gospel elements with sinister lyrics to make songs that are all their own. With a blistering live performance that’s not to be missed, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club is a wonderful way to spend your evening. The Limbs will bring his one-man-madness to open the show. With a jawdropping live show that is sure to blow some minds, The Limbs are definitely worth showing up early to see. The combination of these two local bands is sure to be a high-energy treat for 10 p.m., Oct. 31 everyone in attendance. @ Bender’s Tavern, $15

Slim Cessna’s Auto Club w/ The Limbs

For those looking for a more low-key way to spend Halloween night, Paper Bird has got you covered. The seven-piece Denver band will be playing at Everyday Joe’s in Ft. Collins. The group blends three-part female harmonies with guitar, banjo, trumpet and upright bass to create an unlikely folk sound that is serene and calming. The band may not be exactly what you think of when thinking of Halloween, but their grass roots style and occasional high-speed bluegrass ho-down, like the song “Colorado,” should keep things entertaining. Paper Bird’s sound is warm and inviting with a great strippeddown feel that should make for a fun performance, even if it’s not the most spooky.

Paper Bird

8 p.m., Oct. 31 @ Everyday Joe’s, Ft. Collins, $12

On The Record It’s because of The Black Keys’ album Thickfreakness that I found my calling. In high school I had no real direction and I was just going through the motions. I only really knew that I loved music and I wanted to do something with it, so I joined choir. After a year I could tell that choir wasn’t really my thing, but I stuck with it until one day my English teacher, Mr. Goodman, suggested I join the newspaper, which he also supervised. I thought I’d give it a shot. I was asked what I would like to write about and I of course said music without a second thought. Just like that, I had a column, cleverly titled In Tune with Matt. Around this same time, I purchased the Epitaph compilation Punk-O-Rama 8. I was smackdab in the middle of my teenage punk rock phase, but tucked away at the end of disc one, after 14 blistering fast, angry tracks from all the punk rock heavyweights like Rancid and Bad Religion, there was “Thickfreakness” by The Black Keys. It was a straight up blues masterpiece coming at me like a baseball bat to the teeth. From that first revved guitar note I knew that punk rock was over for me. I just had to hear more of

The Black Keys. I scavenged the Internet for more of their music, downloading whatever I could before I finally received Thickfreakness as a birthday present from my brother. For months it was all I listened to. It blew my mind that two white guys in their early 20s from Akron, Ohio of all places could make music that had so much soul and so much power and raw energy in every note. I told everyone about The Black Keys. It was exciting to be on the cutting edge and pass on this wonderful discovery of mine to anyone who would listen. So when I got my column in the Alameda High School Paragon, there was no question in my mind what album I would write about first. “The Black Keys are not your average blues band.” That’s how it started. The words flooded out of me and in a matter of minutes the article was done. I had no delusions of grandeur. I didn’t think it belonged in the pages of Rolling Stone. In fact, I thought the review was pretty crappy, but what the hell? I was getting the word out and that’s all I really wanted to do. To my surprise, I got positive feedback. For

the first time I thought, “Hey, maybe I can do this.” Thickfreakness was a pivotal album for me. It closed my punk rock chapter; it acted as a gateway to the world of blues, later introducing me to the great Junior Kimbrough through The Keys’ cover of “Everywhere I Go” and it helped me discover a talent I didn’t even know I had. Five years after that first byline, I still listen to Thickfreakness on a regular basis and it is one of the most important records in my always-expanding collection.

The Black Keys • Thickfreakness By Matt Pusatory mpusator@mscd.edu

Met’s Music Picks

out of 5

Everything absent or Distorted the Lucky Ones EP

ABOVE: Andy Maher from Everything Absent or Distorted jumps across the stage while playing his accordion during the band’s last show Oct. 24 at the Bluebird Theater. BELOW: Jacob Hansen and drummer Patrick Bowden from The Knew perform during their opening set. Photos by Ryan Martin • martirya@mscd.edu

Matt Pusatory mpusator@mscd.edu Music Editor

By Ian Gassman • img2007@comcast.net

Noah and the Whale The First Days of Spring

The sophomore effort from U.K. alt. folk band Noah And The Whale is a little bit of a head scratcher. The band’s debut, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down, displayed a group that used light and simple melodies with great acoustic guitars as a backdrop for vocalist Charlie Fink’s conversational singing style that touched on themes of lost love and heartbreak. But on The First Days Of Spring it’s made clear quickly that Noah And The Whale is headed in a different direction. The opening six-minute title track is filled with strings, pianos and dramatic drums that swirl crescendo and dominate the track, almost burying the band itself. This is true for much of the album as it has more in common with a film score than a pop album. On a few tracks, namely “Love of an Orchestra,” the sprawling scope of the instrumentation works. With it’s galloping rhythm, choral backup singers, strings and horns the song sounds huge. Unfortunately, some songs feel too big and border on cheesy. There is too much going on musically and the band gets lost. Lyrically, Fink is as lonesome and depressed as ever and his song writing is still strong, it’s just too bad the instruments drown him out.

By Matt Pusatory • mpusator@mscd.edu

Audio{files}

As of this month, many fans must bid their last farewells to Denver’s own, Everything Absent Or Distorted. To go along with a spectacular final show that graced the Bluebird Theater on Saturday Oct. 24, Everything Absent Or Distorted released 100 hand-made copies of their final recorded effort. Befittingly entitled, The Lucky Ones. Of the four tracks, each is brimming with the signature emotional aesthetics and expansive instrumentation that defines the eightpiece band. Within this context, Everything Absent Or Distorted utilizes unique instruments as well as the traditional rock ‘n’ roll fare to draw their listeners in. Trombones, accordions and banjos are peppered throughout each song. While distorted guitars, fluid synths and a tight rhythm section create the solid framework for Everything Absent Or Distorted’s creative song writing. Everything Absent Or Distorted has become the epitome of an energetic, collective unit over a short five-year span. However, they have always written with the utmost integrity about feelings we all share and thoughts we all think. Pure emotion revolves around every song behind abstract lyrics that deal with death, love, heartbreak, existence and endings. The first track resonates, “We are the lucky ones …” around vibrating, reverb-drenched guitar lines, clicking drums and smooth, lulling vocals. Eventually it gives way to a saddening, yet grateful, tone that seems to scream out the means to an end. Secondly, “Four And A Half Centuries” breaks into an up-tempo meditation on strength overcoming ignorance throughout the passing of time, while it displays beautifully overdriven guitars and elating synth lines. “Infant In Arms” uses the right components of sporadic drumming, atmospheric guitars and urgent vocals to convey a sense of conflict. Finally, Everything Absent Or Distorted revels in an acoustic version of “Closer Than You Think.” A classic song from their debut album that speaks of a daily routine with such a bittersweet cynicism, you can’t help but want it to go on. Simply put, it is sad to see something end. However, a person who has had the pleasure of listening to and seeing Everything Absent Or Distorted throughout their career knows they are the lucky ones. Hopefully, they can say goodbye knowing that the spirit of this band will last forever within their passionate music.

B7 10.29.2009 THE METROPOLITAN

Florence + The machine Lungs

The debut album from Florence + the Machine, Lungs, has so many different points of view, that it’s hard to believe you are listening to the same person throughout. You could try to compare Florence Welch to other female vocalist of our time, but you really can’t. You may hear hints of Sarah McLachlan, Joss Stone or even Kate Bush, but she is bold, unique and has her own agenda. The most unique thing about this album is the “band.” It can be anywhere from Florence and a drum kit or a piano all the way to a sevenpiece band that include harps, keyboards and a choir. Though Lungs was released in the U.K., sparking critical acclaim as well as a tour of local festivals including Glastonbury, it only just hit the states this month. Florence draws from a variety of genres including soul, rock, indie and bluegrass, producing an album that will keep you guessing. She pulls you in with “Dog Days Are Over” and then blows you away with unique eerie tracks like “Blinding.” The album is alive with authenticity and heart. She wants to share her presence in every song and that’s exactly what she does.

By Julie Maas • pretko@mscd.edu

On Oct. 29, 1971, Allman Brothers guitarist Duane Allman was killed when he crashed his motorcycle to avoid a truck in Macon, Ga.

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THE METROPOLITAN • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • INSIGHT • A9

THE POINT: ROCKIES ARE OUT, BUT BASEBALL STILL LIVES

An out of season October elegy

If baseball bores you, turn the page. Still here? Good. Although the Rockies were prematurely snuffed in the first round of baseball’s playoffs to shift all local attention to the surprising Broncos, baseball is still being played in late October. And the World Series could run to November 5th if the “October classic” goes seven games. The Series, around since 1905, has bumped into November before. But the weirdness is getting out of hand. Baseball’s finely-calibrated April-to-October rhythm has been stretched and skewed into a strange beast barely recognizable to old-school fans who think they can still remember the green grass, golden afternoons and lilac evenings of the way baseball used to be. Those reveries, seen through the wavy glass of memory and enhanced by a drug called nostalgia, can — if left untreated — conjure visions of an Arcadian time that, like the mythic Old West,

J. SEBASTIAN SINISI sinisi2@msn.com may never have actually existed. It brings to mind lines penned by sportswriter Robert Lipsyte, in Esquire magazine a couple of years before the baseball strike of 1994. “The amazing thing about baseball,” he wrote, “is that it has so far survived the swine who own it, the thugs who play it and the Lost Boys of literature who want to love it to death.” Against sunlit reveries of a game played in what the Chicago Cubs’ Billy Williams called “God’s own sunshine” before lights were added to Wrigley Field in 1988, collides a current reality of lateOctober baseball played on

cold, dank, ski-parka nights, when games can end well after midnight. Last year, one World Series game in Philadelphia was rain- delayed, played and ended at 2 a.m. in the only time zone that really counts for TV. That’s a good way to lose a generation of kids — baseball’s future fans — who aren’t likely to be watching even a World Series game after midnight. But TV, that would rather not run against every -night football, calls the tune for stupid scheduling. The spread of days between the playoffs and World Series is even more mindless. But it’s all about TV money, and to hell with the fans. Major League Baseball — always whoring after TV’s pot of gold — need not worry about incursions made by the National Football League. Baseball is doing the job of undermining its future all by itself. And comissioner Bud Selig acts, and looks, like he doesn’t have a clue. It was not always thus, to recall a lost and maybe

mythic world of reverieremembrance. Some of us can remember a time when all World Series games were played in the daytime. If I could go back in an H.G. Wells time machine to any particular date, it might be October 4, 1955 — when my Brooklyn Dodgers, finally beat the Yankees in a World Series after losing Series to the Yanks in 1941, ‘47, ‘49, ‘52 and ‘53. I was in the ninth grade and got home about 3:30 that afternoon to watch the final inning of game seven. In three of those five earlier Series, the Dodgers had lost in seven games, to set the stage for yet another “Wait ‘Till Next Year” letdown. This time, though, the Dodgers were up, 2-0, at old Yankee Stadium. Dodger lefthander Johnny Podres had gone the distance, and I recall it as if it were last week. Two out in the bottom of the ninth, two strikes on Yankees’ batter Elston Howard, and the voice of announcer Vince Skully: “…Elston Howard with his foot in the door, and Brooklyn

When I was a kid, Halloween was one of the most exciting holidays. It was all about dressing up in a cool costume, running through the neighborhood with a group of friends and seeing just how many bags of candy I could fill. I couldn’t care less about how I looked, as my major concern was how much sugar I could digest in one night. At the age of 14 I went to my first Halloween party with all my friends from school. I dressed as a witch with a pale face and ugly nose. I had ugly orange and black stockings on along with a crooked hat. Thinking i looked pretty scary and eager to show my costume, I strutted into the party inside a nice clubhouse in the neighborhood. Three steps in the door, I realized I didn’t exactly fit it. I was the only girl not in a barely-there costume. As I scanned the party I became a little distraught and could feel my face turning red but thankfully the ugly makeup disguised the heat escaping from my cheeks. I was covered head to toe and not looking

DACIA JOHNSON djohn205@mscd.edu very attractive. Other girls were dressed in bikini tops with angel wings on their backs. Some had on short shorts with cat tails attached to the little fabric covering their bodies. Girls had on makeup made for a 25 year old and glitter you could see from a mile away. As you can guess I didn’t stay long. I received a lot more confused stares than invitations from boys to dance. So I high-tailed it out of there with the understanding that Halloween was a whole different ballgame. If you have ever seen 2004’s “Mean Girls,” the scene of the Halloween party could have been taken straight from my life, and Cady’s quote describes the phenomenon

best: “Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” This occurance — the age where Halloween is less about candy and more about looking sexy — has taken over our nation causing girls as young as 13 to convert their costumes from scary to, well, the complete opposite. Now, being 21, I have succumbed to this tradition as a sexy ninja turtle last year. I would have to say though, I’m still as confused today as I was when I walked into that party at 14 as to why this tradition exists. Halloween was once a holiday known as All Hallows Eve and was considered the one night when the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped. Scary costumes were worn to scare away evil spirits and black cats were feared as they represented Satan. This Halloween though, the slutty nurses and sexy black cats will entice the evil spirits rather than scare them.

Flatbush. But I’ve seen, with my own eyes,“fans” at Dodger Stadium walking out of a nohitter in the seventh inning to beat traffic to the freeways, and that also says a lot. Author Pete Hamill grew up in Brooklyn’s Park Slope when it was a tough Irish neighborhood. A few years ago, when Hamill was in Denver, we visited Coors Field, whose home-plate façade is designed to echo Ebbets Field, and we talked about the Dodgers. “…Nobody remembers, and nobody cares…” he said, sadly. Earlier, in a magazine piece, Hamill had written: “I will never again see the Dodgers under the summer sky of Brooklyn…but they will live in my treasure-house of memory…” Hamill remembers, and so do I. At a time of steroids, overpaid prima-donnas, a Dodger $75 million player who can’t play the field and baseball in football weather, it’s a warm reverie, real or enhanced, to recall in the chill of late October.

THE METROPOLITAN

THE POINT: HALLOWEEN NO LONGER ABOUT CANDY

Dressing up means being dressed

trying to slam it. Here’s the pitch. A grounder to Reese, over to Hodges…ladies and gentlemen, the Dodgers have just…” at that moment, car horns on the street blared and church bells tolled to drown out the TV. The drive-by horns, celebrations and block parties for the Dodgers ran far into the night. It would have been nice to savor it more fully, but my family was filled with Yankee fans. And, like Elton John in “Candle in the Wind,” I was just a kid. Only two years later, Dodgers’ owner Walter O’Malley moved the team to Los Angeles after the 1957 season, and convinced the Giants to move west with him. Playing in the old Polo Grounds, the Giants were legitimately losing money. O’Malley wasn’t, but he saw the future. It wasn’t in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood, and Brooklyn was never quite the same again after its soul was ripped out. The Dodgers have been far more successful in L.A. — financially and on the field — than they ever were in

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The Metropolitan is produced by and for the students of Metropolitan State College of Denver and serves the Auraria Campus. The Metropolitan is supported by advertising revenue and student fees and is published every Thursday during the academic year and monthly during the summer semester. The Metropolitan is distributed to all campus buildings. No person may take more than one copy of each edition of The Metropolitan without prior written permission. Please direct any questions, comments, complaints or compliments to the Metro Board of Publications, care of The Metropolitan. Deadline for calendar items is 5 p.m. Thursdays. Deadline for press releases is 10 a.m. Mondays. Display advertising deadline is 3 p.m. Thursdays. Classified advertising is 5 p.m. Thursdays. Opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of Metropolitan State College of Denver or its advertisers.

A10 • SPORTS • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN

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A11 • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN

SPORTS

“One sure-fire way to piss off the handicapped is to park in our spaces.” -MATT GYPIN, WHEELCHAIR USER, METROSPECTIVE, B3

Kate Ferraro • SPORTS EDITOR • kferraro@mscd.edu

SIDELINE

Metro Men 4th Metro Women 5th

THIS WEEK

Metro places in top-5

10.30 Women’s Soccer

2 p.m. @ Adams State College Men’s Soccer 3:30 p.m. vs School of Mines Volleyball 7 p.m. vs Chadron State College

By Scott Bassett sbasset4@mscd.edu The Metro men’s and women’s cross country teams took home five All-Conference honors Oct. 24 at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship in Denver. The event, held at Washington Park, not only marked the first time the Metro cross country team hosted an event since they started, but also the first time male runners have attained All-Conference honors since the system changed two years ago. “I expected it,” Interim Head Coach Sean Nesbitt said. “That was really spectacular for them.” The teams haven’t ever had five all-conference winners and both teams tallied the best scores to date in a conference meet, Nesbitt said. Sophomore Xenia Flores spearheaded the women’s team with the highest finish by a male or female runner at the conference championship in team history. “She beat a few All-Americans and numerous national qualifier, so that speaks volumes,” Nesbitt said of Flores’ eighth place finish. “She’s light years ahead of where she was 12 months ago.” Flores finished only one place outside of being named first team All-RMAC to join senior Brandon Johnson with second team honors. Johnson led the men’s team with a 14th place finish and also ran a personal best time of 26:20 in an 8K race. “We just had to represent on our home course,” Johnson said. The teams train at Washington Park two to three times a week, which equates to familiarity and, because of its proximity, Metro had a slew of fans come out in a show of support. “It was awesome,” Flores said of her family’s first time watching her run this season. “They were excited.” The Metro women’s softball team helped out as field marshals for the event and the men’s basketball team made their presence felt with chants and so forth. “That definitely kept me motivated,” Johnson said. The women’s team placed three

Continued on A12

10.31 Volleyball

7 p.m. vs School of Mines

11.1 Women’s Soccer

Noon vs UCCS Men’s Soccer 2:30 p.m. vs Colorado Christian Univ. Metro goalkeeper Becca Maloney slings a ball onto the field Oct. 27 during practice at Auraria Field. The Roadrunners beat University of Nebraska-Kearney 4-0 Oct. 23 in Nebraska. Maloney made three saves in her eighth shutout of the season. Photo by Jamie Cotton • jcotten1@mscd.edu

Metro 4 - Nebraska - Kearney 0

Soccer ranked 4th in nation By Matt Gypin mgypin@mscd.edu The red-hot Roadrunners women’s soccer team won their 15th straight game Oct. 23 in a dominating fashion, outshooting the University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers 29-5 en route to a 4-0 shutout in Kearney, Neb. The win bumped Metro up to No. 4 in the latest NCAA Division II top-25 coaches poll, released Oct. 27, and kept the Roadrunners (171 overall, 14-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference). The outmatched Lopers lost their 16th game of the season and never really had a chance, getting out shot 10-1 in the first 22 minutes before forward Becca Mays broke the scoreless tie in the 28th minute with the first of her two goals. “They are one of the weaker teams, so the biggest key was just bringing the intensity to get the result we needed,” Head Coach Adrianne Almaraz said. “It was a

little frustrating because they had so many numbers down low and the shots we had weren’t the best. But we knew we would get some goals.” Midfielder Madison McQuilliams assisted on the last three Metro goals, a career high and just the 11th time in school history a player recorded three or more assists in a game. “It felt good, just finding the ball and finding people,” McQuilliams said. “They just made good shots.” Almaraz said McQuilliams’ recent hard work in practice paid off. “Recently she has turned it up a few notches,” Almaraz said. “She’s working hard in practices and is distributing the ball really well, finding players in the right spot to finish.” McQuilliams got her first assist when forward Ashley Nemmers scored two minutes after Mays’ first goal, giving Metro a 2-0 lead going into halftime. She got her second goal when she passed to forward Aleah DeGeneres, who scored from eight yards out in the 67th minute. Mays scored the final goal eight

minutes later, giving McQuilliams her third assist of the game. Mays attempted 10 shots in the game, two off the Metro record and twice as many as the Lopers team combined. Goalkeeper Becca Maloney only needed to make three saves to earn her eighth shutout of the season. The Roadrunners will travel to Alamosa to take on Adams State Oct. 30 before hosting the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Nov. 1 at Auraria Field. After that, it’s on to the RMAC tournament, which will take place Nov. 6-8 at Auraria Field. “We’re taking it one game at a time,” McQuilliams said. “I am looking forward to [the postseason] though.” Almaraz said the team feels no pressure from the latest rankings. “For us, it’s just a number,” she said. “It’s not where you start or where you’re at in the middle, but where you end up that matters. That’s where our focus is.”

Say What? “They are both great schools and excellent volleyball programs, but my heart is here now. I have great support at Metro State, love the people I work with and am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish in the 10 years I’ve been here.”

VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH DEBBIE HENDRICKS, A12

numbErs

The number of Metro student-athletes who have recently been awarded with All-RMAC honors.

A12 • SPORTS • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • THE METROPOLITAN • Kite flying is a professional sport in Thailand.

metro 0 - Nebraska-kearney 3

Volleyball falls to Lopers, 4th in division ’Runners look to rebound against Eagles, ’Diggers By Vanessa Mais vmais@mscd.edu The No. 21-ranked Metro volleyball team fell to No. 6-ranked Nebraska-Kearney Oct. 25 3-0 in Kearney, Neb. This snapped a four-match winning streak for Metro and helped Kearney to a 19-game winning streak. The ‘Runners have not beaten Kearney in six straight matches and 10 straight matches at Kearney dating back to 2003. Kearney has been to the NCAA tournament for 10 straight years and was national semi-finalists in 2004 and national runner-up in 2005. Libero Amy Watanabe said it’s difficult to play the Lopers at Kearney. “It’s definitely a hard environment, because everyone is against you,” Watanabe said. “It’s also kind of a cool environment, because here at Metro, we don’t get crowds over 1,000 people.” Metro held their own defensively holding the RMAC’s best offense to a .242 hitting percentage, but offensively struggled with a .034 hitting percentage. Middle blocker Lisa Jones and

outside hitter Bri Morley led the ‘Runners with eight kills each. Metro has had at least one player with 10 or more kills in every match since the first game of the season. Morley busted a 13-match streak of doubledigit kills. Setter Gabe Curtis had 27 assists and 10 digs for the ‘Runners. All time leader in digs, Watanabe led with 16 digs. “She did a great job,” Head Coach Debbie Hendricks said of Watanabe’s performance. “Amy [Watanabe] does a great job for us every time we play. You won’t find a bigger heart in a kid than Amy Watanabe.” Metro battled off set points at the end of the first set with a kill, an ace, and a block but it wasn’t enough. Kearney ended the set with a kill. The second set was not as close as the Lopers had a couple six-point runs and held the ‘Runners to a -.029 hitting percentage. The third set was the same story as UNK started out with a 5-1 lead and another 6-1 run to win the set and match. Metro was held to a -.047 hitting percentage in the last set. Watanabe said Kearney is hard to beat, because they are very disciplined in what they do. “They don’t make very many errors and they make you earn your points,” Watanabe said. “They make you make mistakes. They put the

pressure on other teams when they play.” Hendricks agrees with Watanabe. “When you go to their house, they don’t expect to lose,” Hendricks said. “You have to play an exceptionally aggressive and error-free match to beat a team like Kearney.” Metro fell to 17-7 overall and 10-5 in the RMAC. The ‘Runners are fourth in the East Division behind Kearney, Mines, and UCCS. Watanabe said she believes these next couple of games are must-wins. “Our next four are necessary wins for us,” Watanabe said. “I think this team, we’ve grown a lot already this year and I think coming out strong this weekend is going to help us grow even more as a team.” Metro will host Chadron State and Colorado School of Mines Oct. 30 and 31. The Halloween match will feature a costume contest.

Metro setter Gabe Curtis, front, and middle blocker Anna Mapes jump for the block Oct. 20 during their game against Regis University at Auraria Event Center. File photo by Leah Millis • lmillis@mscd.edu

metro 3 - UNC 2 • metro JV 5 - CSU JV 4

Roadrunner hockey on an early season roll By Lauren Schaedig lschaedi@mscd.edu After an intense weekend, the Metro club inline hockey team stretched their winning streak to three Oct. 24, defeating UNC 3-2 and CSU’s B-team 5-4. While the Roadrunners dominated the Bears in their first game, the Rams proved to be much more of a challenge. Down by two goals in the second period, the Roadrunners came together to get back into the game, scoring again to tie it up in the third. As the clock ticked down, the game took an aggressive turn, putting several CSU players in the penalty box. The Roadrunners saw their opportunity and took advantage of the power play, racing the clock to get one in the net. Just moments before the game ended, the Roadrunners slipped the puck past the CSU goaltender, sealing their 5-4 victory over the Rams. It’s a great start to the season for Metro, who finished off last year in a bit of a slump. After losing in regionals and finishing lower than they had

Metro club hockey forward Nick Fletcher controls the puck during the Metro club inline hockey tryout Sept. 13 at the Rocky Mountain Hockey Arena in Lakewood. The Roadrunners beat UNC 3-2 and CSU 5-4 Oct. 24 at OD’s Sports Crossing in Fort Collins. File

photo by Mark Farnik •mfarnik@mscd.edu hoped in the national rankings, the Roadrunners are anxious to prove they can do even better. Hoping to win regionals and automatically have a spot in the playoffs, the team has set their expectations high. “We want to make it to nationals like we did last year. We finished

as the 13th best in the nation, but we’re going to try and beat that this season,” forward and captain Bobby Derian said. However, proving they are the best isn’t the only motivation for the team to make it to nationals this year. After losing their coach when he

took a job in Atlanta, the Roadrunners had to find a way to pull things together on their own. “With no coach, we have to be much stronger,” goaltender Ryan Tennant said. “He gave us discipline; he could get production from the team because they knew they had to [produce].” Making it to nationals this year would prove to their coach that what he taught them stuck, and would also give the team a chance to see their coach again. “We want to make it to nationals so our coach can come,” Tennant added. Despite not having a coach, the Roadrunners have found a way to get the best out of themselves and their teammates. “Everyone is contributing to the point that a coach almost isn’t necessary,” Tennant said. “I couldn’t be happier with this team. Everyone is stepping up and playing their roles.” It’s not just the work ethic, though, that makes this team great. Like many other teams at Metro, there is no other reason but pure passion for the game that these guys

play. There are no scholarships, no huge recognitions, and it’s always a struggle to keep the team afloat with no formal schedules and practices. It is the bane of club sports, but not for these guys. “Heart is our biggest strongpoint,” Derian said. “A lot of teams don’t [care]. Some people just go out to play, but our team has more heart than any other team. We play to the last second, we [will] win every game.” With as well as they are doing now, the Roadrunners, no doubt, will be a threat when it comes time for them to step onto the national stage. With some fine-tuning to special plays, Metro should continue to dominate teams in their league and around Colorado. But what is it really going to take to win a national title? According to forward Ibrahiem Alami, it’s strategy, motivation, ambition and hard work. The Metro inline team will play again on Nov. 7 against the Colorado School of Mines and CU Boulder at the Rocky Mountain Roller in Lakewood.

The Stanley Cup was originally seven and a half inches high. • THE METROPOLITAN • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • SPORTS • A13

Roadrunners ramp up for regionals Continued from A11 runners in the top-20 on the whole. Metro track star Anthony Luna also earned All-Conference honors and posted a personal best time. But both teams had the displeasure of competing against topranked teams in their conference, one of which being the Adams State Grizzlies, who ended up winning on both the men and women’s side. “Being a distance runner in RMAC is tough,” Johnson said. “But it’s definitely fun to race against some of the best teams in the country.” In Division II cross country, teams are able to qualify for the national meet depending on their placement at regionals, so the season will be defined by that one day. “If they run like they did Saturday, they should be there,” Nesbitt said. “I feel very confident both teams will make it.” Both teams know what it will take to do so and are striving toward building a strong heritage like Adams State. “We’re starting our legacy now,” Flores said. The Metro men’s and women’s cross country teams have an 11-day sabbatical before competing Nov. 7 at the NCAA Central Region Championships in Wayne, Neb.

CROSS COUNTRY MEN’S RESULTS 1) Adams State 2) Western State 3) Colorado School of Mines 4) Metro 5) Nebraska-Kearney

By Mike Nicholls nichollm@mscd.edu

CROSS COUNTRY WOMEN’S RESULTS 1) Adams State 2) Western State 3) Mesa State 4) Colorado School of Mines 5) Metro

Metro senior Brandon Johnson paces himself during a race in the Rocky Mountain Shootout Oct. 3 in Boulder. Johnson finished 14th in the 8K race in the RMAC Championships hosted by Metro at Washington Park in Denver. He also earned All-Conference honors along with teammate Anthony Luna.

File photo by Daniel Clements • dcleme12@mscd.edu

Hendricks honored in Hall of Champions By Matt Hollinshead mhollin5@mscd.edu Metro volleyball Head Coach Debbie Hendricks has been very successful in her current tenure at Metro. As of Oct. 26, Metro is 17-7 this season and Hendricks is 410-173 in her term as the eyes, ears and voice of the Roadrunners. However, this is not her first successful stint as a coach in NCAA Division II women’s volleyball. Hendricks was just elected into West Texas A&M’s women’s volleyball Hall of Champions. She has helped players blossom with her knowledge of the game. “She brings a lot of energy,” Metro outside hitter Bri Morley said. “She just really supports me. She has a lot of high standards for me. She has a lot of faith in us.” Hendricks has an intense coaching style and also excels at helping players reach their potential. “She knows what she’s talking about,” Metro libero Amy Watanabe said. “She knows when to get on us. She helped me get out of my comfort zone.” “I’m humbled and I’m honored,” Hendricks said. “It means a great deal to me. I had a  wonderful experience while I was at West Texas but I’m happy to be at Metro now.” At West Texas A&M, Hendricks had a 159-47 record as their head women’s volleyball coach. However, she is thinking about the here-and-

Metro volleyball Head Coach Debbie Hendricks. File photo by Leah Millis • lmillis@mscd.edu now, which is Metro. “They are both great schools and excellent volleyball programs, but my heart is here now,” Hendricks said. “I have great support at Metro State, love the people I work with and am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish in the 10 years I’ve been here. Most importantly, I love my current team and am excited about what we can accomplish with the rest of our season.”  In addition to her induction into

Nuggets primed and ready for upcoming season

West Texas A&M’s Hall of Champions, Hendricks was recognized for another accomplishment not too long ago. Hendricks won her 400th career match Sept. 5 at Metro, 3-2. Ironically, Metro’s opponent that day was Hendricks’ former team, West Texas A&M. She is currently ranked 20th in career-winning percentage and wins among active Division II coaches. However, she does not care much about those statistics.

“Honestly, I don’t pay much attention to those rankings,” Hendricks said. “My primary concern is developing our student athletes and being as successful as we can each season. Don’t get me wrong, I do love to win. But I believe that if we do things the right way, winning will follow.” Hendricks looks to continue leading Metro Oct. 30 and 31 when they host Chadron State and Colorado School of Mines at the Auraria Event Center.

The Denver Nuggets made a surprising run to the Western Conference Finals last year. They rolled through the Hornets, then killed the Mavericks and were in control of the Los Angeles Lakers series until the fourth quarter of game five. They lost focus, the lead and the series in six games. Their amazing postseason run was not a fluke, it was a warm-up for this season, which is setting up to be the best season in Nuggets history. Forward Carmelo Anthony looks MVP-caliber, Guard J.R. Smith is ready to explode. Forwards Nene and Kenyon Martin are ready to kick ass down low. Guard Chauncey Billups may have lost a step but he is still a great floor leader and a champion. Nuggets fans already know about those players. The reason, however, that they are going to win the title this year is because of the rookie point guard from North Carolina, Ty Lawson. Lawson was not only the Bob Cousy award winner, given to the top college point guard, he was the reason UNC won the title. Now that the Nuggets added the best former college player in the country, they are ready to battle the defending world champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nuggets held their fifth-annual open practice Oct. 16 at the Auraria Event Center. It was an event organized by the Nuggets community outreach program. Over 2,000 Denver Public School students were in attendance. Ervin Johnson, a former Nugget who now works for the program, described the event as, “a great thing for the kids.” The students, and everyone else in attendance, got to witness a hell of a show. The Nuggets’ dancers were out shaking it. Rocky nailed his patented, over-the-head, half court shot and the kids went wild. You could feel the love, passion and optimism emanate throughout the gym. It seemed like everyone in attendance believed the Nuggets will win the title this year. Nuggets Head Coach George Karl said, he believes the Nuggets gained a valuable learning experience in the series against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference FInals last year, which will help the Nuggets get by them this year. “The experience gained, the maturation of the talent of the team is all a part of building towards a championship,” Karl said. Get ready to celebrate in June, Nuggets fans.

Crossword

Time{out}

A14 10.29.2009 THE METROPOLITAN

SUDOKU

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Texts from last night

FML: Everyday life stories

(631): im so bored in class...i just made a pie graph of my favorite bars and a bar graph of my favorite pies

Today, I visited my boyfriend’s house excited about the romantic night he promised me. As time passed, we started making out and heading up to his room. Rose petals and candles filled his room. “How romantic,” I thought. That is, until we saw his 5 year old sister blowing up condom balloons.

(301): This weekend single handedly took me off the liver transplant list (803): I just got hit by a car. I’m fine; I’ll be to the bars in about 15 (971): So then the officer asked you how you were getting home and you told him “very carefully” (937): you got so mad from losing a game of beerpong that you went into another room by yourself and practiced for an hour and a half.

Today, while I was showering, a dark object in the shower kept startling me, After about the fourth time jumping, I realized it was my shadow that kept scaring me. I am actually literally afraid of my own shadow.

Week{preview}

Love, Sex and Lies

A.G.S.A. Halloween Party

10 a.m. — 2 p.m. Tivoli Multi Cultural Loung Free and free pizza

7 p.m. Sigi’s Cabaret Free

Auraria’s Haunted Harvest

“Afghanistan in the Age of the Flowers” screening

3 — 6 p.m. 9th Street Park Free

7:30 — 9 p.m. Mercury Cafe $10

Scary Story Contest Awards

10 a.m. Tivoli Room 640 Free and free food

African Drumming Ensemble 7:30 p.m. King Center Recital Hall Free

“Girls Only: The Secret Comedy Exploring Economic Freedom of Women” Lecture: Health Care 2 p.m. Garner Galleria Theatre $29

Tuesday/ 11.03

MONDAY/ 11.02

Sunday/ 11.01

2 p.m. Tattered Cover, Colfax Free

Murder on Broadway Saturday/ Mystery and Scavenger 10.31 Hunt

2 — 6 p.m. 3 Kings Tavern $5 Join Metro Denver Promotion of Letters in a murder mystery — hunt for leads, interrogate subjects, solve clues and compete for prizes worth hundreds of dollars from local businesses. Just don’t become a victim.

WEDNESDAY/ 11.04

Friday/ 10.30

Thursday/ 10.29

“Pan’s Labyrinth”

Buzztime’s Fantasy Football

6 p.m. Denver Public Library Free

7:30 p.m. Jay’s Grille and Bar Free -— bring your ID

“The Second Tosca”

“Porters of Kilimanjaro: Facilitating Fair Treatment”

7:30 p.m. Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities $34-40

7 p.m. REI Flagship Denver Free

THE METROPOLITAN • OCTOBER 29, 2009 • A15

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Insight is looking for bold new writers. If you’ve got a distinct point of view and clear, effective writing skills, we want you! Contact Dominic Graziano, Editor in Chief at dgrazia1@mscd.edu or 303-556-2507. Letters to the editor are always welcome, and must be received by 3 p.m. each Monday. Either email your letter or deliver it to the Ofﬁce of Student Media, Tivoli 313.