THE
THE
ETROPOLITAN METROPOLITAN
April 7, 2011, Vol. 33, Issue 27
Serving Auraria for 31 years
Online >> http://themet.metrostudentmedia.com
Digging in, hotel to check in Second exclusively Metro building in 4 months breaks ground By Ramsey Scott and Cody Lemon Metro broke ground on the Hotel Learning Center – only the 10th of its kind in the country – in a March 31 celebration at the site, on the southwest corner of Speer Boulevard and Auraria Parkway. The 76,000 square foot HLC, will feature a 150-room Marriott SpringHill Suites operated by Sage Hospitality, 25,000 square feet of academic space and 7,500 square feet of conference space. It will cost $48 million to build. “There are not many opportunities to blend theory and practice together in a single location in the middle of an urban environment like we have here,” said Metro President Stephen Jordan. The ceremony drew more than 250 people, including Jordan, Denver Mayor Bill Vidal and former state Sen. Al White, now the head of the state’s Tourism Office. Jordan’s excitement was apparent in his opening remarks to the crowd. “I’m going to be a little politically incorrect … Welcome to Metropolitan State College of Denver, soon to be Denver State University,” Jordan said. The HLC will provide students of Metro’s Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Events a real-life work environment in which to apply classroom knowledge, according to HTE Chairman John Dienhart. There are more than 600 students enrolled in the department this year, almost double the number the program had five years ago. “We are going to have a facility with a faculty that will truly be able to teach and conduct research in regards to hospitality management,” Dienhart said. Once the HLC opens in August 2012, the plan is for upperclassman to step in as assistants to managers employed by Sage Hospitality. As part of a degree from the HTE department, students must complete 1200 hours of work in their field, said Dienhart. “The hope is that the facility is run primarily by students,” Dienhart said. He described the HTE program as a management department that focuses on hospitality. Walter Isenberg, owner of Denver-based
FROM LEFT: Walter Isenberg, Owner of Sage Hospitality, Metro President Stephen Jordan, Dawn Bookhardt, a member of Metro’s Board of Trustees, Denver Mayor Bill Vidal, John Dienhart, chair of the Hospitality, Tourism and Events department, and former state Senator and head of the Colorado Tourism Office, Al White lift their shovels March 31, during the groundbreaking for the new Hotel Learning Center. Photo by Sean Mullins • smullin5@mscd.edu Sage Hospitality, said he was excited by the involvement with the HLC. “Metro has a great program, and I think this is just going to enhance the program and really produce a lot more great students that are going to be ready to go to work,” Isenberg said. “Just knowing that it exists was a big deciding factor for me in attending Metro … as opposed to Johnson and Wales,” said Jeremy Smith, a Metro freshman and hospitality major. “That vast amount of knowledge that can come from those hands-on experiences is priceless, really.” The HLC will be run as a public-private partnership with Sage Hospitality. The project is being financed through bonds issued by Metro last November and through private fundraising. Metro was able to obtain an interest
SPORTS
rate of 4.34 percent for its bonds, which is extremely low, said Dawn Bookhardt, a member of Metro’s Board of Trustees and bond lawyer. Bookhardt also served as the emcee for the groundbreaking. “The thing that we were most concerned about was the interest rate,” Bookhardt said., “and we got such an incredible interest rate.” Metro’s Board of Trustees in August of last year approved the creation of a special purpose corporation that will own the HLC. At the meeting, Loretta Martinez, the general legal council for Metro, said it was the best way to protect Metro from excessive debt responsibilities associated with the building of the HLC. While Metro is ultimately responsible for the $58 million of debt from the bonds, all of those involved with the project said they believe the venture would end up making money for
Regis/Metro baseball rivalry renewed • 14 Football team to stay strictly club • 16
Metro. “We had four different financial performances done … looking at a very, very low room rate and a very, very low occupancy rate, well below any standard in recent history in Denver. And even then, it breaks even,” Jordan said. Once the hotel is fully operational, Metro will be paying back $3.6 million a year against the bonds issued. Even with that debt, Bookhardt was excited about the future of the HLC. “All of the studies…indicate, and they were conservative, this hotel is going to be incredible and incredibly profitable, which is the big secret.”
METROSPECTIVE
Local group not letting arts funding skate by • 11
THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 7, 2011 • 3
EWS
“Compared with the more memorable Rockies’ past Opening Day performances, the April 1 opener wasn’t a game for the ages. Or even for the week.”
— J. SEBASTIAN SINISI • INSIGHT • 8
Textbook site almost ready
SGA nears launch of money-saving, sell-or-trade service
On the street: Would you take advantage Runner’s Exchange? By Cody Lemon • Photos by Sean Mullins
By Cody Lemon clemon2@mscd.edu After three years of work, delays and administration changes, the Student Government Assembly is ready to start testing a textbook trading and selling program for Auraria students. Tentatively named “Runner’s Exchange,” the website is designed for students to safely sell and trade textbooks with each other in hopes of keeping money on campus and saving students hundreds of dollars, according to the SGA. There is no launch date set, but the SGA is going to revive a demonstration of the site April 6 by the Web design firm Big Orange Planet. The SGA has allocated close to $8,000 of its budget for the program. The SGA has spent $2,000 of that in the form of a 20 percent retainer to Big Orange Planet for creating the web page. Once the project is completed, the SGA will pay Big Orange Planet the remaining portion, SGA President Sammantha O’Brien said. “I think that in the past, the leaders of SGA were a little reluctant to put this much money into this project, but I think that it’s going to have so much return on our investment,” O’Brien said. “This $7,870 is going to save our students tens of thousands of dollars just in the first semester that it’s used – if it’s used right.” The SGA intends to have the initial beta version up shortly. Testing and market research might take up to a couple of weeks. The final version is anticipated to be up and running by the end of this semester and ready for students to use for the summer semester, O’Brien said. “We’re trying to create, basically, a free and easily accessible web page for students to have kind of a Craigslist environment where they can sell and trade books,” said SGA’s Director of Information Technology Devin Brown. “It’s not profit-oriented, and it’s totally funded by the SGA. It will be exclusive to students here, and it’s going to be something where students can post their books and find books. That’s the ultimate goal here, to save the students a lot of money.” O’Brien has focused much of her time and effort over the past few years in getting Runner’s Exchange off the ground. “This has sort of been my pet project since I got into SGA,” she said. “This is the reason I ran for student government. This is the whole reason I
INDEX INSIGHT ... 8 METROSPECTIVE ... 9 SPORTS ... 14 TIMEOUT ... 18
WEATHER A chance for rain Wednesday and Thursday with another chance over the weekend. The beginning of next week looks dry.
“I think if students were told at orientation or when they signed up for it, it would be fantastic.” -James Matthews Metro
“I think it will be a lot cheaper, and it allows us to help each other out, which is a good idea. It makes sense to me.” -Samantha Baker Metro
“I’d use it because I’m sure it would be cheaper. You don’t get anything back from the bookstore.” -John Powell Metro
4.7 • Chance of rain High: 62/Low: 38 4.8 • Chance of rain High: 60/Low: 34 4.9 • Chance of rain High: 50/Low: 33 4.10 • Partly cloudy High: 47/Low: 32 4.11 • Mostly sunny High: 59/Low: 33 4.12 • Mostly sunny High: 66/Low: 36 4.13 • Mostly sunny High: 70/Low: 39 By Kendell LaRoche
CORRECTIONS
“At first, I went to the Tivoli, but I found that the books there are pretty expensive, so now I try to do it online. I’m willing to do anything to help save money.” -Adi Eindge Metro
“Yeah, I would be interested. It’s another option to compare prices.”
wanted to be here.” Due to laws and policies regarding student information, Runner’s Exchange will most likely have to use outside hosting to begin the program. SGA plans to eventually have MetroConnect host the website. “Right now the Web firm is basing off of the idea that we’re not going to have access to the Rowdy server right away, so probably emails and outside hosting will be the way we go,” O’Brien said. “Our ultimate goal is to integrate it into MetroConnect. We’re trying to get it to where you have to use your student ID number and your [school] email account and then your name to set up a profile.” Despite the Auraria Campus Bookstore’s exclusive contract to be the only textbook dealer on campus, the Runner’s Exchange and the bookstore will be working together. “There’s an exclusivity contract that we adhere by on campus where that we have sole rights to sell textbooks on campus,” said Auraria Campus Bookstore Director Michael Clarke.
“We had determined that [the SGA’s] project did not violate that policy and that we were in support of it. We are 100 percent supportive of all student organizations.” According to O’Brien, the Runner’s Exchange website will have a link to the Auraria Campus Bookstore to offer students options and to help students find books they can’t find on the exchange site. The bookstore is a nonprofit organization as well, and Clarke supports keeping money in the pockets of the students as opposed to students spending it off campus. “The revenue that’s generated [in the bookstore] all stays on campus,” Clarke said. “It goes right back into the student bond fund, where it supports the upkeep of the campus and student programs. I would rather see the money stay on campus than go to Big Dog or to some online seller. With exchanges between students, the money stays on campus.” Clarke, however, said he is concerned with students being educated
-Joe Ortman Metro
“I was previously in animation, and you go and see that one book is like $200. It’s kind of ridiculous. I would definitely use this program.” -Shannon Webster UCD about the site, regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the exchange. The bookstore has a two-week return policy at the beginning of each semester, while students using the Runner’s Exchange may not have that option. “[Runner’s Exchange] will tell people that we don’t guarantee refunds or anything like that,” O’Brien said. “We keep ourselves completely free of liability. The students [participating in the exchange] are the only ones taking on liability and risk.” There is also going to be a safety disclaimer with tips on how trade and sell books, and suggested places to conduct the sales and swaps, O’Brien said. “There’s a lot of schools that already have this available,” O’Brien said. “This is just your student government saying that they want to give you the same things that a lot of other students have available to them.” Other schools that have similar programs are Ohio State University, University of Iowa and University of Northern Colorado.
The Metropolitan will correct any errors brought to its attention. Please send your corrections to themetonline@gmail.com.
NEWS: Students who intern have a leg up in their fields, according to Metro’s Internship Center. MUSIC: Check out an interview with the Denver-based rapper SpDouble.
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4 • NEWS • APRIL 7, 2011 • THE METROPOLITAN
TB case confirmed at CU-Denver
Student being treated, others exposed not at high-risk for disease By James Sienkiewicz jsieukie@mscd.edu
A University of Colorado at Denver student was diagnosed with an active case of Tuberculosis March 30, prompting a swift reaction by campus health center. UCD put out an alert on its website the same day informing students the Denver Public Health Department had confirmed the case and that the school was taking all precautionary measures necessary in the situation. “The student is being treated, and those individuals who had significant exposure to the student have been notified, and medical evaluations are in progress,” the alert stated. Dr. Randall Reves, director of the Denver Metro TB Control Program, said the student is recovering from a non-drug resistant strain of the disease. The student’s identity is being withheld for privacy reasons, but the case isn’t serious and the student is expected to make a full recovery, Reves said.
While TB cases are rare at Auraria, they are taken extremely seriously by health officials. Dr. Paul Schadler, medical director at the Auraria Health Center, said colleges are a very high risk place for transmitting the disease. There are two different types of TB, latent and active. “As far as latent TB, there’s probably about 20 cases on campus every year, but it doesn’t cause anybody any problems,” Schadler said. “They get a test, find out they have it and they get treated. It’s the active cases that are the problem. I’d say we see one or two cases a year of active TB.” Schadler said in a classroom environment, students typically don’t spend enough time together for the disease to spread. It is not highly contagious over short periods of time. It is more prevalent in populations where people are forced to spend extensive periods of time in proximity to one another, such as prisons or nursing homes. “Whenever there’s an active case, we want to find out if that person’s contagious. We do a medical evaluation on that person to see where it is. And if it’s in their lungs, (we evaluate) how much are they coughing up,” Schadler said. “The health department has a very strong reaction to any case of TB. It’s not
very contagious, but it’s very hard to treat and can infect people without them knowing it.” Although levels of TB in the U.S. are relatively low, they are more widespread in other parts of the world. This puts international students and students who may have traveled recently at a higher risk of catching the disease. “Anybody from any foreign country exclusive of the United States and mostly western Europe, but anybody from Africa, most of Asia or from the middle East, those are countries where a lot of people can have Tuberculosis at any given moment,” Schadler said. “Most of our foreign students are at much higher risk of having it, and anybody who’s traveled overseas or lived in those places for more than a month or two would be at higher risk of having gotten it while they were there.” The University of Colorado at Boulder practices a mandatory screening process for all of its students to determine risk factors. This helps to diagnose cases at an early stage and works to prevent future cases from developing. “When you do screening like that, if you have TB even though you may not know it, you have a chance to treat it before exposing anyone else,” Reves said.
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At Auraria, all incoming students are required to fill out a medical history questionnaire when they first enroll. Steve Monaco, director of the Auraria Health Center, said staff reviews the students’ responses, and if they determine a risk, the student is brought in for testing. “They’re wanting to know if they’ve been in environments where TB levels may have been very high. The staff reviews the responses and basically assess their history to see if they may be more prone to infection. It’s not a fool proof methodology but it’s the best method that the state requires that they have at the moment,” Monaco said. Cases in Colorado have become increasingly rare in recent years. “Colorado has seen a significant drop in TB cases in the last couple years, which is encouraging,” Reves said. “We had been treating in the metro area in the range of 70 to 90 active TB cases a year for quite a few years but last year we got it down below 50 and it looks like we might get it below 50 again this year.” The highest level of reported cases at Auraria was four in 2004. Since then, the average has been one case per year.
Facts about TB What is TB?
Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by germs that are spread from person to person through the air. TB usually affects the lungs, but can also affect the brain, the kidneys or the spine.
What are the symptoms? Symptoms include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever, coughing, chest and night sweats and coughing up blood.
What is the difference between latent TB infection and TB disease?
People with latent TB infection have TB germs in their bodies, but they are not sick because the germs are not active. These people do not have symptoms of TB disease, and they cannot spread the germs to others. People with TB disease are sick from TB germs that are active, meaning that they are multiplying and destroying tissue in their body. People with TB disease of the lungs or throat are capable of spreading germs to others. From www.cdc.gov/tb/topic/
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THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 7, 2011 • NEWS • 5
Auraria drums up funds for Japan relief
Robert Ficalora takes a turn playing a traditional Japanese drum April 4 in the Roger Braun Lounge. They were also making paper cranes; for every folded crane, a clothing donation was made to disaster relief in Japan. Photo by Ryan Borthick • rborthic@mscd.edu clothing will be donated to Japanese children affected by the disaster, Gerber said. The cranes can also be mailed in or dropped off at a retail store according to the company’s website. “Victims are currently facing a triple threat with the earthquake,
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tsunami and ongoing hazard posed by the damaged nuclear power plant,” Gerber said. Due to the crisis, Metro state has cancelled a study abroad program scheduled for this spring, said Russell Reynolds of the Metro State Testing and Assessment Office.
According to Japanese National Police Association, the official death toll for the disaster rose to more than 12,000 with more than 15,000 still listed as missing, after the U.S. and Japanese militaries made an attempt to recover bodies over the weekend.
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According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, charitable donations By Alex Baskett to Japan topped $161 million in the abaskett@mscd.edu first two weeks after the disaster. The L.A. Times reported April 3 Students showed their support for the victims of the March 11 that the Japanese Red Cross came earthquake in northeast Japan by under fire this week for not distributpresenting a $1,700 check to the ing any of the approximately $1 bilMile High chapter of the American lion it has collected for victims and was urged to accelerate its process Red Cross April 4. The total amount was collected by Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, from more than 550 individual do- Yukio Edano. While donation levels have nations from folks at Auraria, said lagged behind those of both the HaiJustine Sandoval, a Metro senior. Sandoval and other volunteers ti earthquake or Hurricane Katrina, started collecting donations on new opportunities to donate have March 28 and were still taking col- sprung up, according to the Chronlections in the Roger Braun lounge icle of Philanthropy. As of April 1, Wells Fargo Bank as they made the final count. “I was really happy with how customers have donated more than generous students were,” Sandoval $1 million to the American Red Cross. The Chronicle of Philansaid. “This was a true tri-institutional thropy reports that the Red Cross effort,” said Brooke Gerber, Metro’s has collected more than $4 million director of the Student Activities, from individual donors sending $10 who helped organize the effort. The at a time by texting “REDCROSS” to co-collaboration was the result of a 90999. Before the Auraria check was groundswell of student interest via email, and the personal priming of presented, students sat around staff members who have Japanese tables folding paper cranes while a slideshow of the destruction was connections. The money collected will be projected onto the wall. Publication Run Date(s) For each of the paper origami added to the $127 million already Size collected by Red Cross, said Jackie cranes folded, photographed and METROPOLITAN 5” x 7” THURS 4.7 Norris, a member of the Mile High uploaded onto the OshKosh B’Gosh Facebook page, a piece of children’s chapter’s Board of Directors.
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6 • NEWS • APRIL 7, 2011 • THE METROPOLITAN
Student travel receives record number of requests
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A record number of students have applied for grants this year through Metro’s Student Travel Program. The program, sponsored by the Student Affairs Board, provides selective funding to students, clubs and organizations who want to attend educational conferences in the U.S., Canada or Mexico. Students and groups may apply for the grant once each academic year, which runs July 1 to June 30 the following year. Individual students can receive up to $650 and groups of three or more can receive up to $2,000 in travel grants. As of March 31, 331 students, some part of 72 different groups, and 54 advisers traveled to 40 cities to attend 52 conferences. In comparison, during the 2009-2010 school year, 279 students, some part of 61 different groups, and 54 advisers traveled to 33 cities and attended 50 conferences, said Angela LeValley, assistant director of the program. “The Student Travel Program gets all of its funding from the Student Affairs Fee, and all of the money granted is used,” LeValley said. “This year, there is not any extra money left over, and that’s how it usually is.” “There were a record number of students who applied this year. We were able to get all the funding needed, so budgeting really wasn’t a problem,” said Corriene Bidwell, an assistant with the travel program. She used the funds to travel to an education conference in San Francisco in 2008. “I went with a group, and we were granted the
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full $2,000,” Bidwell said. “As long as you qualify and the travel proposal is good, you are granted all of the funding. From what I can remember, there has only been one group who was granted 80 percent of the funding, but it was because they were not fully prepared for their proposal.” Any student or group that meets the academic requirements, presents a proper travel proposal and meets deadlines is eligible for funding, LeValley said. “Each individual or group submits a proposal to the Student Travel Committee. The proposal outlines the budget for the trip, why you want to attend and how you plan to bring information from the educational conference to campus,” LeValley said. The Student Travel Committee has five regular voting members: the director of student travel, a representative from the Student Government Assembly, a faculty member, a student employee from the Student Services division and a studentat-large. The committee discusses funding for student travel proposals on the second week of each month. If a travel proposal is approved, the individual student or group is considered for funding. If funding is granted, students are required to meet with the director of the Student Travel Program to finalize travel arrangements. “I think it’s great that Metro has a Student Travel Program, I honestly didn’t know we had something like that on campus,” said Metro junior Kendra Montoya. Students can find more information about The Student Travel Program by going to the Office of Student Activities, in Tivoli 305, or by visiting www.mscd.edu/studentactivities/travel/.
8 • INSIGHT • THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 7, 2011
NSIGHT
“At this point, our stance is we are not adding football.” —JOAN MCDERMOTT, METRO’S ATHLETIC DIRECTOR • SPORTS • 13
Civil unions deserved a chance STAFF EDITORIAL
March 31 Colorado’s House Judiciary Committee killed a bill that would have granted civil unions to same-sex couples living in the state. They killed the same bill the Senate voted 23-12 to support. This bill would have given same-sex couples the right to visit one another in the hospital, be involved in end-of-life decisions for their partners, entitle them to death benefits and other basic rights that married couples enjoy. The question we have to ask ourselves here at The Metropolitan is how long must we wait until our country finally extends equal rights to its gay and lesbian citizens? For a country that prides itself on being the living embodiment of freedom, why have we denied a group of citizens the basic right to choose whom they spend the rest of their life with? Colorado had a chance to take a step in the right direction. For hours, the committee heard impassioned pleas from supporters and opponents of the bill. Supporters from the LGBT community, religious groups and families of gay and lesbian Coloradans plead with the committee to extend
the basic protections of Colorado’s law to every one of its citizens. Opponents said the bill was a back door way to legalize gay marriage and would destroy the fragile fabric of America’s family system. At the end of the day, every Republican on the committee voted against the bill. If only one had broken with their party, the bill might have had a chance to make its way to the floor of the House for a vote. If only one had chosen to do what was right as opposed to what was politically safe, Colorado might have inspired other states to do the same thing. Instead, the bill died an unceremonious death. Before we place the entire blame for this bill dying on the Republicans, The Metropolitan wants to make sure the Democrats receive their fair share of the guilt. For four years, the Democrats had control of the legislature in Colorado along with the Governor’s mansion. Yet only after losing the House did the Democrats push this bill through. Why? Did the Democrats not think the bill worth passing then or did they not want to face the conservative backlash with an election year looming in the future?
We are proud of ourselves in this country and rightly so. We put a man on the moon first. We helped fight back the dark forces of fascism and communism. We invented the light bulb, the telephone and automobile. Yet more than our achievements, we are proud of the ideals our country stands for. We are the birthplace of modern democracy. We believe everyone is entitled to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness. We value our right to choose how we live our lives. While our country might not always be ahead of the curve when it comes to living out these ideals, we always seem to get things right eventually. Yet today, we refuse to extend basic rights to a large group of our citizens simply based on sexual preference. We make second-class citizens out of gay and lesbian citizens because a shrinking group of close-minded individuals are still uncomfortable with the idea of two men or women kissing, let alone building a life together. We can only hope the voters of Colorado come to their senses in 2012 when this issue will likely hit the ballot.
Win or lose, Opening Day carries magic “Opening day is baseball’s bandwagon. Pundits and politicians and every prose poet on the continent jumps on board for a few days. But they’re soon gone and, once more, all those long months of baseball are left to us. And our time can begin again…” --Tom Boswell, from “Why Time Begins on Opening Day” Play ball! Compared with the more memorable Rockies’ past Opening Day performances, the April 1 opener wasn’t a game for the ages. Or even for the week. While the game itself was sloppy and ended in a 7-6 loss to Arizona in eleven innings, Opening Day at Coors Field still served up the traditional Rites of Spring with all its overtones of rebirth when all things are still possible. There were, at Coors, the traditional pre-game spectacles of military marches, a giant American flag rippling across much of the outfield, festoons of balloons and a fighter-jets-in-formation flyover. Veterans – men and women from all service branches – were rightly honored. But while Major League Baseball and the Rockies might be questioned for linking baseball to a quasi-Cold War drumbeat, their hearts were in the right place with an appeal to assist the victims of Japan’s earthquakes and tsunami. A close to sellout crowd arrived with higher than usual Opening Day hopes after the Rockies’ most successful spring training season ever. And franchise face Troy Tulowitzski, who was a rookie when the 2007 Rockies went to the World Series, said this year’s squad was the best he’d ever been with. More meaningful for the long run is Rockies ownership’s recent willingness to spend money, for a change, with longterm contracts worth $134 million for Tulo and $80 million for Carlos Gonzalez. Some of Friday’s fans may have secretly hoped for a moment to rival Eric Young’s first-
inning home run in the Rockies’ first home opener ever at old Mile High Stadium in 1993. Or Dante Bichette’s three-run shot into the center field bleachers in the bottom of the 14th to win the first opener at Coors Field two years later. It was not to be. What fans got was perfect baseball weather on a day so clear that snowy Long’s Peak seemed to rise right behind the South Platte valley, to frame a game marked by 13 runs, 28 hits, 3 errors, 21 men left on base, 11 innings and no win. Dissecting games are what loud TV sports show pundits – in bad suits and worse haircuts – are for. But a play that didn’t appear in the box score was possibly pivotal – fan interference on a foul ball hit to left by Todd Helton with a runner on third; he was declared out by the umpire. Fan favorite Helton, now 37, has suffered a bad back and will never see the 30 home runs/100 RBI seasons he used to routinely produce. Helton, a Homeric hero in a Rockies uniform (Jason Giambi is another), has descended from Olympus, as all mortals must. But Helton had an excellent spring (hitting .372 in Arizona) while struggling to regain respect. In extra innings, two plays at the plate were crucial. One had Rockies’ catcher Chris Iannetta blocking the plate like a linebacker on a goal line stand to tag out Arizona’s Justin Up-
“While the game itself was sloppy and ended in a 7-6 loss to Arizona in eleven innings, Opening Day at Coors Field still served up the traditional Rites of Spring with all its overtones of rebirth when all things are still possible.”
THE METROPOLITAN Since 1979
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ashley Moreland amorela1@mscd.edu MANAGING EDITOR Caitlin Gibbons cgibbon4@mscd.edu NEWS EDITOR Cody Lemon clemon2@mscd.edu FEATURES EDITOR Megan Mitchell mmitch46@mscd.edu MUSIC EDITOR Ian Gassman igassman@mscd.edu ASSISTANT MUSIC EDITORS Stephanie DeCamp Matt Pusatory SPORTS EDITOR Mark Babish mbabish@mscd.edu ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Matt Hollinshead COPY EDITORS J. Sebastian Sinisi Drew Jaynes Stephanie Wilson Daniel Laverty Ramsey Scott S. Azver Hussain PHOTO EDITOR Steve Anderson sande104@mscd.edu ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Luke Powell Sean Mullins WEB DESIGNER Drew Jaynes ADVISER Jane Hoback hobackje@comcast.net
J. SEBASTIAN SINISI sinisi2@msn.com ton, trying to score in the top of the 10th. An inning later, a wild pitch got past Iannetta to allow what would be the winning run to score. Fan-watching was instructive. If Dante Alighieri were to weigh fans as he did souls in the “Inferno” cantos of his 14th-century “Divine Comedy,” the worst levels of perdition might be reserved for the fat cats in corporate boxes and other high-priced perches. They arrive late, leave early and barely watch the game. The most righteous souls would belong to the real fans who savor lots of games and cheer lustily from the cheap seats or the Rockpile. Legendary baseball maverick Bill Veeck – who at different times owned the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox – once said fans’ enjoyment and appreciation of the game were inversely proportional to the price of their tickets. Veeck’s axiom remains true today and maybe more so on Opening Day. After losing the home opener, the Rockies won on a day that posted record heat for that date – April 2nd – and were snowed out the next. No worries. There are still 159 games to go. And, as legendary Baltimore Orioles’ manager Earl Weaver noted, “this isn’t football. We do this every day.”
GRAPHIC DESIGN Kathleen Jewby kjewby@mscd.edu INTERIM DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Kate Lutrey lutreyk@mscd.edu INTERIM ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Steve Haigh shaigh@mscd.edu
The Metropolitan accepts submissions in the form of topic-driven columns and letters to the editor. Column article concepts must be submitted by 1 p.m.. Thursdays and the deadline for columns is 9 p.m. Sundays. Columns range from 500 to 800 words. Letters to the editor must be submitted by 5 p.m. Mondays to be printed in that week's edition. There is 500-word limit for letters to the editor. The Metropolitan reserves the right to edit letters for formatting and style. All submissions should be sent by email to themetonline@gmail.com. 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. Opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of Metropolitan State College of Denver or its advertisers.
THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 7, 2011 • 9
ETROSPECTIVE
Fraternity week promotes brotherhood Metro's Sigma Lambda Beta chapter celebrates its 25th anniversary by working and playing hard By Linzy Novotny lnovotn1@mscd.edu The snow began to pound right before the brothers of Sigma Lambda Beta had their ammo loaded April 3. They put on protective gear, whatever coats they had and prepared for a game of outdoor paintball, one of several activities planned as part of the fraternity’s annual Beta Week. “Right before we went out, we were asked if we wanted to move to the indoor paintball field,” chapter President Joel Orozco said. Being that it was cold and snowing, the group agreed. But they were ready to brave the cold for a chance for the brotherhood to bond. Brotherhood, which is one of four guiding principles of the fraternity (in addition to scholarship, community service and cultural awareness), means creating a family-oriented atmosphere. According to the principles of the group, members are not just brothers with those in their chapter, but with the entire national fraternity. “I have brothers everywhere, from coast to coast,” Orozco said. “We all went through the same process, and it creates a bond.” The first round of events during Beta Week included the paintball party and a Latino Leadership Summit at St. Cajetan’s Center April 5. Keynote speaker and Sigma Lambda Beta national fraternity president Sam Centellas, presented an inspirational workshop on goalsetting. “Basically he just touched on what your legacy is, what you want to be remembered for and how to go about setting and achieving your goals,” said Metro chapter Vice President, Amos Espinoza. “It was only my second time meeting him, but he’s a great speaker and I think he touched on some really great points.” Other scheduled events, including a showing of the film “Gun Hill Road,” will take place in Tivoli’s Multicultural Lounge April 7 from 3–4 p.m. Actors from the film will be available for a question and answer session following the screening. There will also be a presentation at the Mi Casa Neighborhood Center April 8. Like Beta Week, there is a Beta Day once a
month that all brothers must attend. To promote brotherhood among the Colorado chapters of Sigma Lambda Beta, the Metro chapter of the fraternity plays competitive sports against the four other chapters for trophies. Brothers who have graduated participate in fraternal events as well. The Metro chapter has been active since October 2004. For those who are interested, enrollment is open all year to men of all ethnicities and sexual orientation; however, the recruitment process only takes place when there are five to seven men interested in going through the process, Orozco said. When recruitment begins, it is a rigorous mental and physical process, he said. Until the recruitment process takes place, those who are interested are invited to attend
BETA WEEK RECAP March 31
Latino Leadership Summit
April 1
April 5
Sam Centellas “What was your Legacy?”
Habitat for Humanity Community Service in Collaboration with DU’s Epsilon Gamma chapter.
April 7
April 3
Mi Casa Neighborhood Center College Presentation
Paintball Brotherhood Event
April 4
Study With The Betas
Gun Hill Road Panel
April 8
events, such as Beta Week activities, to keep their interest active and for them to get to know more about the fraternity and its brothers. “We help the [pledges] to step out of their comfort zone.” Pledges go through an informational meeting, formal interview with a letter of intent and an educational process where the pledges meet each other and the brothers. They are also required to do a proposal that they present to a group of people. Although Orozco will graduate in December — or next May if he studies abroad in Puerto Rico — he will always be tied by the bonds of the brotherhood. “We are not a club,” Orozco said. “This is a lifetime commitment.”
TOP: Sigma Lambda Beta chapter President Joel Orozco prepairs for a paintball battle April 3, at the Barr Lake paintball field in Brighton. Photo
by Sean Mullins • smullin5@mscd.edu
BOTTOM: Joel Orozco speaks to the members of the SLB Brotherhood at the St. Cajetan's Center April 5 during part of the Latino Leadership Summit. The Summit featured keynote speaker, Sam Centellas, who is the national fraternity president. Photo By Luke Powell • lpowel18@ mscd.edu
10 • METROSPECTIVE • APRIL 7, 2011 • THE METROPOLITAN
Storm chasing season kicks off for thrill seekers
Metro offers educational forum and equipment training for students interested in wild weather By Kendell Laroche klaroche@mscd.edu Spring is in the air with longer days, warmer temperatures, new leaves on trees — and the return of storm season. With hot days comes the possibility of violent thunderstorms forming, which could spawn tornadoes, hail, strong winds or flooding. While most people ride out these storms in shelter, others ride straight toward them to document how they form and behave. These weather enthusiasts are called storm chasers, and although they track the erratic patterns of nature, they are after excitement, thrills and danger. “To chase a storm is to experience Mother Nature in her rawest and most primal element,” said Storm Farnik Metro graduate and
storm chaser. Farnik has been chasing for six years. “[It] is an adventure and an adrenalin rush unparalleled.” Metro is giving students an opportunity to join in on the chase. There will be a free stormspotter training forum at 6:30 p.m. April 8 in Tivoli 440. The event is sponsored by the National Weather Service Denver/Boulder office and the Metro Meteorology Department. The event is open to the public. These training sessions are designed help the public understand severe weather and equip them to recognize and report any hazardous weather conditions. Forecasting the location of severe thunderstorms that produce this kind of unstable weather is challenging, but not nearly as challenging as calculating exactly where a tornado could form. It’s somewhat rare that a forecast predic-
tion will accurately find a tornado. Usually, “chases” only peak during a strong thunderstorm and maybe some hail. Many storm chasers use specialized vehicles and equipment to get the latest updates, even in remote and rural areas. Others use High-Definition cameras to capture severe weather footage from many angles, which can be used for immediate broadcasting or later study. Veteran storm chaser Verne Carlson, who has seen more than 130 tornadoes, uses a laptop with a wireless data card and Internet signal booster, a Sony HD camcorder, a camera mounted to the roof of his vehicle, and remote controlled helicopters and aircraft for poststorm aerial surveys. The greatest danger of storm chasing is being perilously close by when extreme weather conditions develop, often without warning.
Storm chasers must be alert to the possibility of blinding rain, slippery pavement, large hail, thick mud, fog, frequent lightning, flooding and tornados. “Storm chasing can be very taxing on the body from all the hours spent sitting in a car,” said Tony Laubach, driver for the tornado research group TWISTEX. He usually drives about 30,000 miles all over the Midwest between April and June, often with little sleep. Storm chasers play a vital role in reporting dangerous weather action to the mainstream media outlets. A given state’s emergency management might be able to see where a storm is, but often can’t tell what the storm is doing near the ground in a remote location. If you have any questions or would like to RSVP to the informational event at Metro, contact Robert.Glancy@noaa.gov.
TOP: Storm chaser Brian Morganti photographs a tornado as it crosses Nebraska State Highway June 17, 2009. Photo by Storm Farnik • storm@ stormfarnikmedia.com, special to The Metropolitan
LEFT: A tornado crosses the road May 22, 2010 near Bowdle, S.D. The twister destroyed a farmstead and flattened several electrical towers in the area. Photo by Sean Mullins • smullin5@mscd.edu
Metro club supports childhood literacy, learning development The Association for Childhood Education holds regular book drives at Auraria to supply Denver elementary schools By Linzy Novotny lnovotn1@mscd.edu The Association for Childhood Education International is the oldest professional organization in the country for teachers. Metro’s chapter has been active for more than 10 years. The ACEI is committed to improving educational opportunities for children around the world and ensuring their well-being by encouraging literacy both locally and globally, according to the ACEI website. Metro student Carrie Miller began working with the ACEI in fall 2009. “I joined because it provided me an opportunity to network and collaborate with other
pre-service teachers, teacher educators and classroom teachers while … advocating for children,” Miller said. “I have also been able to develop my leadership and presentation skills by serving as chapter officer.” ACEI sponsors the two-day Scholastic Book Fair held each fall and spring semester at Auraria. Roughly five schools or organizations are chosen to receive books from those donations. Patrons can also donate books to any specific school or organization of their choice. The ACEI has donated more than 2,000 books from fairs held during the past four semesters, Miller said. Elementary schools in the Denver Public School system, Adams 12 Five Star Schools and Aurora Public Schools, as well as the
Women’s Global Empowerment Fund, have received books from Metro in the past. The next book fair will be held in October. ACEI members participate in conferences sponsored by the organization to constantly refresh their approaches to these literacy programs. Current members have presented in five cities as part of the international conference. There, members usually discuss innovative practices in childhood education, cuttingedge research and unique learning strategies. In March, the ACEI held their state conference at Auraria. The conference, “Making Mathematics No. 1,” focused on instructional methods for teaching the basic and variations of math sciences. Conference attendees participated in a
workshop that presented, “effective instructional strategies for teachers to engage students in math to make ‘math rock,’” Miller said. The keynote speaker was Marion Caldwell, teacher of the year in the Jefferson County school district. A read-aloud program was also offered. “ACEI members will read and share books with organizations in the Denver Metro area that are lacking in literacy resources,” Miller said. ACEI membership enrollment is open year round. The next ACEI chapter meeting will be held at the end of April.
THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 7, 2011 • METROSPECTIVE • 11
Boards for Kids raises money for CVA’s Art Builds Communities Story and Photos By Floyd Brandt fbrandt@mscd.edu Hanging on the walls of the basement gallery inside Three Kings Tavern on S. Broadway was not the traditional type of art — no paintings or photographs — but instead 40 skateboard decks suspended in vibrant, eye-catching lines around the room. The Boards for Kids art benefit April 1 joined skateboard enthusiasts and tattoo and graphic artists to raise money for Metro’s Center for Visual Arts’ program, “Art Builds Communities.” The proceeds raised from the sale of the decks will give children who may not otherwise have exposure to the arts a chance to experience it. Local graphic designers, tattoo artists, people who have a love for skateboarding and helping kids, designed each board according to their own inspirations. Emily Francis, owner of All or Nothing Productions, said she had the idea for selling the boards and thought ABC would be a great project to raise funds for. “It seemed to be the most interesting to me, what it offers to youth as far as art programs,” Francis said. “I just wanted to donate to the cause itself, just seeing all the programs it has.” Each board was given to an artist who designed, painted, etched or even cut the boards
into a work of art. One piece showed Kurt Cobain playing golf on the moon; some pieces were made into clocks and all of them were eye-catching. Most of the boards could be used for skating, but these pieces of art were meant to hang on a wall. Each artist put hours and days of work into their creations. James Clark, who designed a board showing an octopus with human hands, said that it took him two days to complete the project. Each piece was a unique creation, donated to a worthwhile cause. Sam Turner designed two boards, one of which included a screenprinting for 303 Skate Shop. Turner, who is a freelance illustrator, said people like to hang boards on their wall as art. “All the proceeds go to the charity,” Turner said. “I think that’s great, people doing something good for somebody — it’s not for them.” Boards for Kids drew people from all around the community who saw the creativity as a chance to make a difference, such as Johnny Powerly and his wife, Laura, who decided to support the program after seeing a promotional poster. “Times are tough; there’s so much going wrong, and here we are at a boards event — but anything to support kids,” Johnny said. The couple has two children of their own and understands how important it is for children to be exposed to the arts. The Powerlys’
FROM LEFT: Emily Francis of All or Nothing Productions and Ericka Baxter of Metro’s Arts Builds Communities stand next to a skateboard designed and painted by William Thidemann for Boards for Kids, a benefit to raise money for K thru 8th grade students’ arts program at ABC April 1. 6-year-old son is starting school at a school in Golden that has no art program, Laura said. “[Art] is considered to be an extra curricular after-school program.” ABC will help children this summer with the money raised from Boards for Kids. ABC has seven sites throughout the Denver Metro area, serving the community since 1995. It was started as an incentive with the Denver Housing Authority in an effort to decrease violence and drug use. Ericka Baxter, the outreach coordinator, said the program operates from benefits like
Boards for Kids, donations and grants. When ABC was established, Denver Public Schools did not have art programs for the K-8 levels, since at that time art classes were in the elementary schools, but are now again in decline. “With the recession, unfortunately they are losing their art teachers, so we are back to where we started in 1995. We are seeing the kids that don’t have art on a regular basis,” Baxter said. You can find more information about the Center for Visual Art, at www.mscd.edu/cva.
12 • AUDIOFILES • APRIL 7, 2011 • THE METROPOLITAN
Sounding Off
The Joy Formidable: ready to roar The Joy Formidable is the kind of band that creates a lush atmosphere defined by walls of sound. They’ve only just released their debut full-length album, The Big Roar, but have the kind of sticky chemistry that binds their music together — as if they’ve been together for years. Although the band is touring the states far from their home in Wales, The Metropolitan caught up with bassist Rhydian Dafydd to discuss the band’s influences and growth, plus, what to expect at their live show April 8. Interview by Stephanie DeCamp • sdecamp@mscd.edu
SD: How is the tour going? RD: It’s going very well, thank you. It’s good to be back in the states and this time it’s a little more extensive. We’ve done the East Coast and West Coast before … but we’re just starting and have 11 months ahead of us. SD: How was playing the South by Southwest festival? RD: Well you know, a show is a show. We went in there amidst the chaos and had a great time. It was our first time in Austin, Texas, as well. It’s a great city, and it seemed to make sense for us because it was the start of the tour. It was actually quite nice to keep things raw and meaty … we really enjoyed the spontaneous element, you know, [SXSW] kind of lends itself to that experience, so it was great. SD: What are your biggest musical influences? How would you describe your sound for our readers who have never heard you before? RD: Well, that’s always difficult, because I wouldn’t say we have a particular style or influence really. We’ve got very broad taste and I think the main thing for us is no genre or style; it’s actually what’s at the core of the artist. The story, the song, the soul … you know, we haven’t had that many releases before [now], we did a live EP and now this full-length album. It’s broad, it’s certainly not one-dimensional, and that’s what we enjoy about artists; they’re very dynamic, and they develop and they grow as each album comes in turn. So you know, I would prefer to leave it at that. It’s always 100 percent committed and
From Left: Drummer Matt Thomas, vocalist Ritzy Bryan and bassist Rhydian Dafydd are The Joy Formidable. Photo courtesy of Big Hassle Publicity honest and open. You know, I would say if you need something in terms of influences, maybe just great artists and songwriters … and great lyricists for sure. We listen to a lot of [Bob] Dylan, [Bruce] Springsteen, [Elvis] Costello … all the great songwriters. But it’s difficult because I wouldn’t say that our sound is really like that, [but these artists] are always really at the core of it all. But the emphasis lies in, like I said, the soul and the story. SD: How would you say The Big Roar is different from your previous release, A Balloon Called Moaning? RD: Well, I think A Balloon Called Moaning was almost like a happy ending. It was something that came about quite organically, and it was almost like a … soundtrack CD to all the shows we’d been doing. It was pieced together in almost a chronological manner, and we didn’t see it as a full-length album. I know some people think it was like a full-length album … but for us it was really more of a snapshot of that time. But The Big Roar is certainly more of an experience of the full dynamic of what this band is all about and that includes, this time around, how we mapped songs on this record … and the live sound of us on this record. It’s about growing, and The Big Roar certainly encapsulates the last year, and what we’re about as a band. And I’d say it opens up a little bit to some social commentary, frustration and things generally within our lives. It reflects that more than A Balloon Called Moaning. It’s still optimistic … but it shows people more of the darker frustrations than A Balloon Called Moaning.
SD: What can our readers expect for your live show? RD: Well I can say that, whether there’s 20 people there or 100,000, we always give 100 percent. I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves right from the start. But it’s different with the live side; you know you can’t predict the chaos … you just kind of have to embrace it and what will happen on a given night. We really like to cross over and make that connection. We’ll always be the band that’ll speak to [the audience] after a show. We generally enjoy playing and have done it now for a couple of years, and I think you’ll sense that; and it’s an opportunity to see what we’ve been doing as artists. And you know, with the live side, you don’t want to show up and [feel like] you’re listening to the CD, so don’t expect that … it’s a live show and we’ve got that kind of commitment to [it]. So I think you’ll like it!
The Joy Formidable
8 p.m., April 8 @ Larimer Lounge, $13
On the record
Weezer’s sunny, depressing nerd rock By Ramsey Scott • rscott42@mscd.edu Most of my memories from high school are long forgotten, either because of the passage of time or by choice. While there are a few broken hearts and haircuts I would rather not relive from that time, one memory does remain: the first time I heard “Undone (The Sweater Song)” by Weezer. I was in the 9th grade, studying at home, while listening to the radio. As I sat, trying to pay attention to whatever I was reading, the song switched. The first drum line of the new song kicked in, followed by the slow picking of an electric guitar. A conversation over the background noise of a theater’s bar began. As I tried to hear what was being said through my onespeaker alarm clock radio, Rivers Cuomo started to sing in a strained voice, filled with a nervous tension and anxiousness, “I’m me, me be, goddamn I am, I can, sing and hear me, know me.” I listened to Cuomo simmer with frustration, the sound of distortion and vocal harmonies hit me in the face as the chorus came in, “If you want to destroy my sweater, pull this string as I walk away.” As quickly as the chorus came in, it subsided to make way for another verse, only to come back again even louder. For more than five minutes, I couldn’t do anything except listen. Weezer’s first album, referred to as “the blue album," came out in 1994 and went platinum less than a year later, reaching
No. 16 on the Billboard Top 100. Since then, it has sold more than 3 million copies and has been named in a plethora of other “best of ” lists by multiple publications. For a dorky kid, who loved to play guitar and felt out of place going to a private high school on financial aid, it was my high school anthem. When I finally bought the album and pressed play, my life was changed. I understand how corny that sounds, saying that my life changed the moment I listened to an album. But in this case, it is the truth. As a teenager, I never got into Nirvana. I was full of teen angst but I could never muster the sort of ambivalent anger that was prevalent throughout Kurt Cobain’s music. Grunge music was all right, but it never moved me because head banging just hurt my neck. Weezer’s music was different. It was sunny and depressing all at the same time. And it rocked. The opening track of the album, “My Name is Jonas,” starts and ends with a quickly picked acoustic guitar chord and is flushed out with electric guitars, an unrelenting drum line and an over-the-top harmonica. “Surf Wax America” is the best musical interpretation of surfing ever created, with its rising and falling melody surrounded by Beach Boys-esque harmonies and lines like, “You take your car to work, I’ll take my board. And when you’re out of fuel, I’m still afloat.” Yet, the reason why this album is so special is the emotional core of its music. The joy in “Surf Wax America” stands in stark contrast to the anguish and anger of alcoholism in the
Weezer’s very own blue period. Photo courtesy of Weezer. next track on the album, “Say It Ain’t So.” Cuomo is the broken hearted lover one moment, the quiet, lonely nerd playing Dungeons and Dragons the next. While Weezer has gone on to make multiple records since, most notably Pinkerton (which may be one of the most underappreciated albums of all time) their first album has remained their best and it is easy to see why. More than 16 years after it was recorded, little has changed. Nerds still play D‘n’D and, like me, hide in their garages. Hearts are still being broken. And kids, no matter how old they are, still feel out of place. But the blue album doesn’t change any of that. It just makes it easier to deal with.
THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 7, 2011 • AUDIOFILES • 13
met music picks
out of 5
Dirty Beaches Badlands By Matt Pusatory • mpusator@mscd.edu Dirty Beaches’ debut album, Badlands, sounds like what would happen if Nick Cave recorded rockabilly and surf rock in his bedroom. The album is dark and has spots of greatness, but its recording quality is so poor, it sounds like you’re listening to it through a wall. The man behind Dirty Beaches, Montreal’s Alex Zhang Hungtai, has been garnering a lot of praise for his live performances, where he slicks back his hair, smokes cigarettes and generally looks like he doesn’t give a damn. It is clear on the record, though, that he values his live persona over his musical substance. The droning and repetitive “Speedway King” opens things up but never really develops into an actual song. “A Hundred Highways” is about two minutes too long and the two instrumental beats that close out the album feel incomplete and tacked on. The piano-looped ballad of “Lord Knows Best” is probably Badlands’ strongest track, and the scalding energy of “Sweet 17” shows how good this album could be. But by the end of Badlands’ eight tracks, it’s hard not to feel disappointed. Maybe seeing Dirty Beaches live would give these songs a much-needed jolt, but as a studio album, there isn’t much on Badlands to get excited about.
The Mountain Goats All Eternals Deck By Ian Gassman • igassman@mscd.edu Dating all the way back to 1994’s Zopilote Machine, John Darnielle has used The Mountain Goats moniker as an outlet for his nasally, lyrical folk punk. On last month’s All Eternals Deck, Darnielle actually kept his guitar in tune and flushed out each song with thoughtful piano melodies and an arching string section. But this doesn’t mean Darnielle is shying away from rocking out. Peter Hughes’ round bass and Jon Wusters’ tasteful drumming carry Darnielle’s long verses and hooky choruses. On songs like “Prowl Great Cain” or “Estate Sale Sign,” the trio gets tight and powerful. Other songs take a nice, subtle approach. “Sourdoire Valley Song” rambles and sighs, loftily recalling youth; “Age of Kings” circles around a moody refrain that deals with accepting love that might only exist in an old, forgotten land. Typical to Darnielle’s lyricism, there is always a glint of hope: like no matter what happens, you should just kick, scream, and fight until love (or that lost world) does exist. Fortunately, All Eternals Deck maintains this sentiment.
Noisey.com
Do you have what it takes to run the day-to-day operations of this Web-based station, oversee production and programming, and lead the training of a diverse group of DJs? In this paid position, you will collaborate over hiring decisions, develop marketing plans and “converge” with the Met Report and The Metropolitan within the Office of Student Media.
Qualifications
Hear the noise with Noisey.com. Photo courtesy of Noisey.com
Noisey.com (developed by Vice, Dell and Intel) is marketed as an “international music experience.” The site features video profiles of bands from around the world and recordings from concerts they’ve played. Noisey.com is a great tool for musical discovery. It features bands from anywhere and everywhere, covering all genres of music. This can include anything from the choral, collective pop sounds of France’s Crane Angels to the electro/hip-hop of Germany’s Kraftklub, or the insane antics of Tokyo’s Trippple Nippples, recorded in a tiny karaoke bar. Even Denver’s own Pictureplane shows up. There is bound to be something you’ll think is cool on Noisey.com, and it’s definitely worth clicking around to find a new band. The videos are well-shot and give the viewer a great taste of what each band is about, while still letting its music take the lead. Each band has a video bio featuring interviews intermingled with live footage, followed by three or four live performance videos. The idea behind Noisey.com’s videos is simple: music is a universal language and just because you can’t understand what some of these bands are saying doesn’t make the music any less enjoyable.
By Matt Pusatory • mpusator@mscd.edu
Met Radio General Manager Application deadline is April 11, 2011
click Hear
Hey, if you’re out there feeling deprived of good tunes, The Metropolitan wants to help. Go online and click, hear, then get acquainted with some of the best music-oriented sites on the web. This week, we bring you Noisey. com. A new, live concert site that documents international bands.
The Metro State Board of Student Media is looking for the 2011-2012
Submit
• Enrolled in at least six credit hours at Metro State • Maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 • Leadership skills with experience in broadcasting equipment and software, and marketing • Résumé and cover letter • Most recent grade report or official transcript • Two letters of recommendation • Samples of your work
Return
Metro State Board of Student Media c/o Shaun Schafer, Tivoli 313 or mail to P.O. Box 173362, CB 57 Denver, CO 80217-3362
http://metradio.metrostudentmedia.com
14 • SPORTS • APRIL 7, 2011 • THE METROPOLITAN
PORTS
“I have brothers everywhere, from coast to coast. We all went through the same [recruitment] process, and it creates a bond.”—JOEL OROZOCO, SIGMA LAMBDA BETA CHAPTER PRESIDENT • 9
Pitching propels Runners
SIDELINE This Week
Metro takes 2 out of 3 from crosstown rival Regis University
4.8
Baseball
3 p.m. @ N.M. Highlands
Men’s Tennis
By Ryan Ward rward19@mscd.edu
Metro’s baseball team lost its first game of the series with Regis on April 1 before sweeping the doubleheader on April 2 at Auraria field. The Roadrunners won the series, 2-1, pushing their record to 16-8 overall and 12-7 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. The finale of the series was called off after three innings because of the snowstorm that swept through Denver. The Rangers came to play April 1 and beat down the Roadrunners 12-5. The biggest story of the game was the injury to Jake Draeger. Metro’s ace was struggling in the first inning and gave up a leadoff single and an uncharacteristic home run. Three pitches into the second inning, Draeger was pulled with an apparent leg injury. This put Metro at a huge disadvantage losing their best pitcher and leaving it to the bullpen to finish the final eight innings. “He tweaked his groin on his power leg,” said Head Coach Tom Carcione. “When you lose your number one starter for the weekend (it) definitely puts you at a disadvantage.” Metro came out April 2 looking to turn the tables from the night before. Starting pitcher Bradshaw Perry was incredible, pitching his team to an 11-0 win in the first game of the doubleheader. Perry finished with seven innings and only gave up five hits and five walks. He was clutch throughout the afternoon. Every time runners were on base, he slithered out of trouble to get the outs he needed. In the seventh inning, the defense let him down on consecutive
11 a.m. vs. Montana-State Billings
Women’s Tennis
11 a.m. vs. Montana-State Billings
4.9
Baseball
12 p.m. @ N.M. Highlands (DH)
Softball
8 a.m. vs. Western New Mexico (DH) in Kearney, Neb.
Track and Field
TBA @ CU Invitational
4.10 Baseball
12 p.m. @ N.M. Highlands Metro second baseman David Kaplan avoids being tagged out by Regis University first baseman Steven Brault after trying to steal second base on April 2, during a doubleheader at Auraria Field. Metro won both games 11-0 and 4-3.Photo by Sean Mullins • smullin5@mscd.edu fly balls that fell for hits. Perry stayed poised and struck out the next two batters. He then forced a lazy fly ball from Regis senior catcher Zach Blakeley to centerfield, ending the game and preserving his complete game shutout. “That’s the Bradshaw I remember from last year. He was lights out,” Carcione said. “That’s what we expect out of Bradshaw. He stepped it up a little bit.” “It’s a great team win,” Perry said, after walking off the mound. The second game of the doubleheader produced another great team effort. Corey Collins took the mound for the Roadrunners and kept the Rangers’ offense in check. He allowed three runs in five and a third innings. He showed great control of the ball throughout the game, walking only one batter. Senior Zach Krueger continued his recent tear and went 3-3 from the plate, while
adding his team leading fourth home run. Junior designated hitter Evan Claus also added three hits and scored two runs. Metro pulled out the close win, 4-3. “(For the) first time our pitching staff controlled games and kept scoring down,” said Carcione. Metro will be heading to Las
Vegas, N.M. for a four-game series beginning April 8 against the N.M. Highlands Cowboys in hopes of improving their conference record and furthering their aspirations for a run at postseason play. “We have a chance to do something. But these next couple weeks will be tough,” Carcione said.
Metro vs. Regis Game 1
Metro vs. Regis Game 2
Hitting Krueger Kaplan Fox Stouffer Claus Brown Danneffel Hancock Jacobs
AB 3 2 4 3 4 3 4 3 3
Pitching Perry W, 4-1 Score by inning Regis ........................ Metro ........................
R 2 1 1 0 2 2 1 1 1 IP 7.0
H 1 1 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 H 5
RBI 1 0 2 0 1 4 0 2 0 R 0
1 2 3 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 1 0
BB 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 ER 0
BB 5
LOB 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 1 SO 4
6 7 0 0 4 X
Hitting Krueger Kaplan Fox Stouffer Claus Nickels Brown Hancock Lopez
AB 3 3 3 2 3 3 2 2 2
Pitching Collins Jacobs W, 1-0 Score by inning Regis ........................ Metro ........................
R 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 IP 5.1 1.2 1 2 0 1 1 0
H 3 2 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 H 9 2
RBI 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 R 3 0
3 4 5 0 0 0 0 1 1
BB 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 ER 3 0
LOB 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2
BB 1 0
SO 4 2
6 7 2 0 1 X
Mountain Lions pounce Roadrunners Softball loses first doubleheader in 2 years By Daniel Laverty dlaverty@mscd.edu For the first time in over 135 games, Metro’s softball team lost two games in one day. The Runners dropped back-to-back games April 2 to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The last time
Metro lost two games in a single day was February 9, 2009, when Fort Hays State swept the Roadrunners at home. The Runners are now 21-10 overall, 16-7 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Metro is now two games behind Colorado School of Mines for the top spot. UCCS entered play tied for the last spot in the RMAC East division. “Everybody plays their best against Metro State,” Head Coach Vanessa Becerra said.
Senior pitcher Julia Diehl was her usual self April 2 for game one, allowing two runs and a walk in a complete game effort. UCCS scored their runs on a couple of RBI singles in the fifth. The Runners squandered a great scoring opportunity in the fourth inning when Aubree Maul led off with a double. Danni Hedstrom and Brittney Padilla both struck out on three pitches and Kristen Gertner, who was pinch-running for Maul, got caught and tagged out in a pickle
between second and third base. All game, Metro failed to capitalize with runners on base, stranding 12, for a total of 20 in both games. Sophomore Annalyse Garcia ended two innings with the bases loaded. Diehl’s solid outing was not enough as UCCS held on for the 2-0 win. It was the second time Metro has been shut out this season. Continued on 15>>
Softball
10 a.m. vs. Adams State (DH) in Kearney, Neb.
RMAC Awards Men’s senior tennis player Ross Gelina was named RMAC player of the week March 16. Gelina led Metro to a perfect 2-0 week with wins on the road at Colorado College and CSU-Pueblo March 11-12.
They said it: “[She’s] a stud on the field and just a great person in general. She does a lot in the community, she’s a great team leader and she’s a stud in the classroom.” –METRO SOFTBALL HEAD COACH VANESSA BECERRA ON SENIOR SHORTSTOP AMBER ROUNDTREE
Did You Know? The Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Florida Marlins are the only MLB teams not to have appeared in a movie.
Metro pitcher Julia Diehl throws a fastball April 2, during a doubleheader loss to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Metro lost 0-2 and 2-5, bringing thier overall record to 21-10. Photo by Jonathan Ingraham • jingrah1@mscd.edu
Metro’s bats cool-down, drop 2 games to UCCS << Continued from 14 All game, Metro failed to capitalize with runners on base, stranding 12, for a total of 20 in both games. Sophomore Annalyse Garcia ended two innings with the bases loaded. Diehl’s solid outing was not enough as UCCS held on for the 2-0 win. It was the second time Metro has been shut out this season. “(UCCS’s pitchers) lived on the outside corner,” Becerra said. “We started swinging at junk.” Game two brought much of the same, but with errors leading to the Runners’ demise. Maul hoped to improve on her two-win performance from last weekend, but got torched for five runs, two earned. UCCS took an early 1-0 lead with a homer in the second. Metro answered in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 lead. Maul was able to throw first pitch strikes, but had trouble after. UCCS used 10 hits and took advantage of Metro’s four errors to win the game, 5-2. The Runners could never figure out Mountain Lions’ freshman starting pitcher Jessica Belsterling as she retired the last 13 batters she faced, including 1-2-3 innings from the fourth to the seventh to close out the game. “The strike zone was a little bit bigger [on
Saturday],” senior shortstop Amber Roundtree said. “It wasn’t anything too special, she was hitting her spots and we just didn’t make the adjustments.” The first two games were unfortunate for Metro because their batters had good contact and squared up pitches, but they couldn’t send the ball past UCCS’ defense. Metro hoped to escape with two wins April 3, but Mother Nature came out the winner. Snow and bad visibility cut game one short and led to game two’s cancelation. In the only game, Metro’s bats thawed just enough to tag UCCS pitcher Becca Smith for two runs on seven hits. Garcia added an RBI sacrifice fly and Metro held on to a six-inning 2-0 lead. Diehl gave up four hits and struck out four on the afternoon. Despite finishing the weekend on a high note with a win, Metro was favored to take at least three of the four games and stay even with division-leading Colorado School of Mines. “You can look at it two ways,” Becerra said. “You can feel sorry for yourself, or you can learn from it and get better.” Metro travels to Kearney, Neb.,to face Western New Mexico and Adams State for two double-headers April 9 and 10. Both series will be neutral site contests.
Metro vs. UCCS Game 2
Metro vs. UCCS Game 1 Hitting Roundtree Clark Tesone Hainlen Diehl Garcia Maul Hedstrom Padilla Nichols
AB 3 4 3 3 1 4 3 2 2 1
Pitching Diehl L, 10-4 Score by inning UCCS ........................ Metro ........................
R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 IP 7.0
H 2 0 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 H 7
RBI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 R 2
BB 1 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 ER 2
BB 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
LOB 1 0 0 0 2 8 0 0 1 0 SO 2
Hitting Roundtree Clark Tesone Hainlen Diehl Nichols Maul Garcia Jenks
AB 3 3 3 0 3 3 3 3 2
Pitching Maul L, 9-6 Score by inning UCCS ........................ Metro ........................
R 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 IP 7.0
H 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 H 10
RBI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 R 5
BB 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 ER 2
BB 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
LOB 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 SO 4
THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 7, 2011 • SPORTS • 15
16 • SPORTS • APRIL 7, 2011 • THE METROPOLITAN
DII football team not an option
Costs prohibitive to elevate team from club status
By Ben Bruskin bbruskin@mscd.edu Metro has no plans to devolop a Divison II football program, but the challenges present are clear: Money would need to be raised, facilities would need to be expanded and the guidelines of Title IX would need to be followed. “It’s the college administration who makes those decisions,” Athletic Director Joan McDermott said. “At this point, our stance is we are not adding football.” Adding a Division II team to Metro’s roster would bring an array of costs. McDermott said, to begin with, the facilities would need to be upgraded. Presently, there is not enough space for each studentathlete to have his or her own locker. Most football teams carry around 110 players, meaning the already crammed locker space would have to be expanded to accommodate all the football equipment. In addition to building more locker space, the weight room would need to be upgraded. “We would need to expand our training room,” McDermott said. “You’re talking about 100 more student-athletes. Right now we’re real crowded in our training room as it is.” The coaches that staff the weight room would also be a budgetary concern. The school would need to hire a strength and conditioning coach, and another full-time athletic trainer McDermott said. The team would also need a full time head coach, a few full time assistant coaches and a
Kicker Rory McGarry practices with the Metro club football team April 2, at Denver West High School. McGarry, a Metro freshman, also plays for the Metro soccer team. Photo by Sean Mullins • smullin5@mscd.edu few part time assistant coaches as well. In the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the DII conference Metro is associated with, the maximum amount of scholarships awarded to football teams stands at 28. The Athletic Department would need to come up with money for those 28 more scholarships, which are about $12,000 each. On top of that money, the department would need to fund uniforms, travel budgets and equipment. Once all of the aforementioned costs are covered to start the program, the year-to-year budget starts to take shape. “Once you get through your first time monies, I think it’s probably a million a year,” McDermott said.
Colorado State University at Pueblo is the most recent school to add a football team in the RMAC, adding the sport in 2008. The exact startup costs are unknown, but CSU-Pueblo Sports Information Director Anthony Sandstrom said the figure was around $13 million to start the program. “When we started the program up, they had to raise in the millions of dollars to really get it off the ground,” Sandstrom said. “It ended up being about $13 million, it was all privately funded.“ “Our athletic department budget pretty much doubled after we added football,” Sandstrom said. CSU-Pueblo’s student population also grew from 4,500 students to 5,100.
“There’s been a huge increase as far as student body (population) here,” Sandstrom said. “It’s really transformed the university, it’s really changed the campus.” For Metro, another issue would need to be addressed — Title IX. Title IX states there must an equal amount of women’s roster spots as there are in men’s. This would mean more sports on the women’s side would need to be added to increase the number of women student athletes. “Ideally you add 110 more male student athletes, you add 110 female student athletes,” McDermott said. Sports like women’s crew and women’s lacrosse could be considered, even though more work would still need to be done to balance out the numbers as those sports would still not open up 110 spots. The other option to this problem is to take away some men’s sports to balance out the incoming 110 male student athletes, but that is not the route the athletic department would want to take. “(We) don’t want to do that,” McDermott said, “As you know schools do that, but that would be a bummer for the current programs.” While there are various options of how Metro would go about starting a football program, abiding by all the guidelines at the DII level and coming up with the money for facilities and other team expenditures would not come easy. Until the school reaches the point in which they are ready to discuss a DII team, students on campus will have to settle for the club version.
Roundtree perseveres on and off field By Matt Hollinshead mhollin5@mscd.edu If you’re looking for a natural-born leader on and off the softball field, look no further than Metro senior shortstop Amber Roundtree. “Amber’s a great player, a great leader,” senior catcher Lauren Hainlen said. “She offers a lot to the team, both mentally and physically. She’s a big inspiration to all of us with her dedication and the way she plays the game.” Roundtree, a 22-year-old Arvada native, has played softball since she was six years old and credits her father, as well as her former coach — Dan Hedstrom, her teammate Danni’s father — for becoming active in the sport, as well as deciding to play for Metro. “He (Hedstrom) is very knowledgeable of the game,” Roundtree said. “The main thing he inspired me [to do] was [to] be a good person before [being] a good athlete.” Roundtree is one of three players to play softball for all four seasons at Metro since the program was reinstated in 2008. The original softball program existed from 1980 to 1990. “It’s been really great being able to make history, be a part of the first [softball] team that the school’s had (since 1990),” Roundtree said. “We’ve been progressing every year and being able to make it to the World Series last year was really great.” Roundtree is majoring in sports industry
Metro senior shortstop Amber Roundtree. Photo by Luke Powell • lpowell18@mscd.edu operations, but she intends to go into firefighting. Motivated since middle school by Anthony Heronema, a local firefighter and former coach, the 2007 Faith Christian High School graduate recently earned her Fire Fighter I, Emergency medical technician and Candidate Physical Ability Test certifications. “He showed me the ropes,” Roundtree said. “He took me to his firehouse, he let me hang out with him for a day, [and] he explained to
me everything I needed to do in order to become a firefighter.” Roundtree initially felt discouraged when others questioned her decision to seek a career in firefighting, which she said was sometimes related to her 5-foot-2 frame. However, she has learned to persevere and not let anything stand in the way of her ambitions. “It was kind of a joke to everyone,” Roundtree said. “As I got to learn more and
more about it, I developed a passion for it. When things are thrown at you in life, you kind of learn to persevere through them.” As a devout Christian, she has applied her faith and perseverance onto the field, along with serving as president of Metro’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes. “Whenever I do achieve something, I give all the glory to God,” Roundtree said. “Whenever I do [hit] a home run this year, [I] just kneel at the home plate.” On top of her work on the field and with FCA, Roundtree is a proven role model for the Metro community, as well as some local high school students. She mentors students at Denver West High School, both athletically and academically, and enjoys spending time outdoors and with her family. “Amber is my typical Metro State girl that I’m looking for,” Head Coach Vanessa Becerra said. “[She’s] a stud on the field and just a great person in general. She does a lot in the community, she’s a great team leader, and she’s a stud in the classroom. [She’s] a girl that I’m definitely going to miss after this year.” Although she will graduate after this season, her leadership will remain inspirational to Metro for many seasons to come.
CROSSWORD
IMEOUT
18 4.7.2011 THE METROPOLITAN
SUDOKU
BEST OF ONLINE Texts from last night
Across 1- Gillette razors 6- Beginning 10- Jackie’s second 13- Dirt 14- South African river 15- Apply powder to oneself 16- Gut course 17- “______ sprach Zarathustra” 18- ___ browns 19- Monetary unit of Cambodia 20- Height 22- Russian sleigh 24- Knight wear 28- Full of precipitous, rocky places 31- Causing goose bumps 32- Article of bedding 34- Shoebox letters 36- Before long 37- DDE’s command
38- Propriety 41- Summer drink 42- Bedouin 44- Roulette bet 45Congo, formerly 47Bucolic 49- Willows 51- Dagger 53- Separates metal from ore 56- Secretly 59- With the bow, in music 61- Gas burner or Sicilian volcano 64- Island of Hawaii 65Campaign tactic 66- Streetcar 67- Baseball team 68- Jewelled crown worn by women 69- Call on 70- Slaughter of baseball 71- Behaved
Down 1- Antiquing agent 2- Distinguishing characteristic 3- Vertical face of a stair 4- Starch 5- Large body of water 6- Hindu incarnation 7Room in a casa 8- Kiln for drying hops 9- Treat with disdain 10- Battery size 11- “Treasure Island” monogram 12- ___ bin ein Berliner 15- Ancient city in S Egypt 20- Hockey player, e.g. 21- Actress Charlotte 23- Chilled 25- Bellowing 26- ___ Janeiro 27- Sand hill by the sea 29- Orchestra section
30- Craving 32- Swagger 33- White with age 35- Inflammatory condition of the skin 37- “…countrymen, lend me your ____” 39- Corp. bigwig 40- Dextrous, lively 43- Aromatic ointment 46- Mohammedan 48- Monetary unit of Romania 50- Flows out 52- Steak order 54- Pay for] 55- Frighten 57- Drops from the sky 58- Horrors! 60- Toward the mouth 61- Aliens, for short 62- It’s past due 63- Not for a Scot 65- RR stop
If your wondering where your blanket is, I put it on the 2 guys you brought home last night. Their still sleeping outside on the trampoline. Your “OraGel will numb anything” theory was the worst thing I ever believed in Her face is stuck to the frozen jager bottle. I think shes ok with it Is it just me or did a policeman park your car last night? I can’t believe I had to convince you to not drink butter. Maybe its all the xanax she takes but she literally has NO shame. I was driving around baked, windows down jamming to third eye blind and eating grapes for 35 minutes before i remembered why i left my house.
My life is average Today, I found my car broken into. At first I was really pissed, then I saw that the perp had only taken the cigarette lighter. What’s better, I found an unopened bottle of Hawaiian Punch (my favorite drink)by the pedals . Fair trade, Mr. Auto Thief. MLIA. A couple weeks ago, I looked up weird laws in Colorado. Apparently it is illegal for a man to kiss a woman while she is asleep. It’s a good thing Snow White did not live in Colorado. MLIA. Today, I took a brief nap while watching my little bro. Instead of waking me up, he decided to build a pillow fort around my unconscious body. I love my 6-year-old sibling. MLIA. During a school period, my teacher was talking about how we should respect the people around us like mailmen and waitresses. I started to laugh. My mom is a waitress and my dad is a mailman. MLIA. Note: Best of Online entries are not edited.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
WEEK PREVIEW Thursday/ 4.7
Feminism & Co. 6 p.m. Museum of Contemporary Art – Denver Toys & Tupperware is a look at the history and sociology of women’s home-based businesses, starting with those ’70s-era Tupperware parties and continuing through today’s trends — including the adult sex-toy parties. $12
Friday/ 4.8
Genius: A Musical Tribute to Ray Charles 8 p.m. Lannies Clocktower Cabaret Written and Created by Lannie Garrett, starring J. Jones who channel Charles’ energy and spirit in a nostalgic, fun and loving way. $25
Saturday/ 4.9
Colorado Tartan Day 9 a.m–4p.m. McIlvoy Park, 5740 Upham Street A celebration of all things Celtic with vendors, food, educational activities, whiskey tasting and reenactments of sword fights and pistol duels. Free
Sunday/ 4.10
International Edible Book Show and Tea 4-6 p.m. Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art All entries are edible books, which guests can examine before eating. Participants also learn to make gelatin hectograph prints on edible paper. $8
Monday/ 4.11
Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors 7 p.m. Pepsi Center Varied
Tuesday/ 4.12
Lunch with Lawmakers 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Tivoli 320 Free
Metro students Elaine Monroe and Kyle Starkey soak up some sun outside the Plaza building April 5. “Today’s so nice that we decided to just lounge around in between classes,” Monroe said. April 5 saw one of the warmest days recorded this year, with a high of 73 degrees. Photo by Jeff Englehart • jenglha@mscd.edu
Wednesday/ 4.13
Self-made Lecture Series Part 3 12:30-2 p.m. Tivoli Turnhalle Join Brandi Shigley, Metro Alumna and CEO of Fashion Denver, as she talks about the road to being a successful entrepreneur. Free