Volume 33, Issue 29 - April 21, 2011

THE

THE

ETROPOLITAN METROPOLITAN Serving Auraria for 31 years

April 21, 2011, Vol. 33, Issue 29

Online >> http://themet.metrostudentmedia.com

Constructing “A New Brain” Metro’s theatrical production team creates unique set

By Ashley Moreland amorela1@mscd.edu Photos by Sean Mullins smullin5@mscd.edu Blue, magenta and lime green cloth hang from the ceiling above a brain painted on a turntable on the stage floor. Images appear on four large screens, and a large white clock projected on the stage curtain keeps the time. The lights dim and the show begins.

But long before the actors took the stage for the Metro Theatre Department’s play “A New Brain,” the production ensemble was busy creating the unique set and putting together costumes.

For Dana Huss, a junior technical theater major and the play’s assistant scenic director, design was new (she typically does technical work such as lighting), but she said she wanted to expand her horizons.

“I wanted to learn; I wanted the experience,” she said. “It was definitely an experience — working, learning.”

Last semester Huss asked Kelly Sorvig, a professor in the department and the play’s scenic director, if she could be his assistant for “A New Brain.” They discussed and researched during winter break and joined the rest of the production team the first week of classes this semester.

One of the things she worked on was the photos projected on the screens. These screens served as the set’s background, and the projected images created the setting for each

scene. The department used similar technology during one scene of their production of “Rent” last spring, but this is the first time they’ve used it as part of the set itself.

“It’s very different [and] we can utilize the technology,” Huss said.

“And it worked well with the setup of the theater.”

While Huss said there are many fun elements, her favorite is the black light effect in the “Brain Dead” scene where the surgeons’ hats glow. The brain painting also uses this effect.

TOP: Metro students Michael McManus and Erika Kae discuss their strategy April 19, before constructing props to be used in Metro’s theatrical production “A New Brain”. The show runs April 21-24 at the Metro State Studio Theatre in the King Center.

RIGHT: Metro senior Zak Wziontka polishes the iron railings in the King Center April 19 in final preparations for the production. mscd.edu

Continued on 10>>

NEWS DU opposes Metro’s new name choice, takes fight to the Capitol • 3

SPORTS Runners track team on fire, breaks three records • 12

METROSPECTIVE Metro grad works to bring opportunity to his native country Sudan • 9

THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 21, 2011 • 3

EWS

“What’s this country coming to, anyway? Soon, a dishonest billionaire won’t be able to steal another billion or two without interference from Big Government.”

— J. SEBASTIAN SINISI • INSIGHT • 8

DU fighting Metro’s name change

By James Sienkiewicz jsieukie@mscd.edu The University of Denver began a lobbying effort this week at the Colorado Capitol, to eliminate a bill that would officially change Metro’s name to Denver State University.

The name change, which was approved by Metro’s board of trustees and voted on by students, is currently waiting for approval by the Colorado legislature, as well as a signature

by Governor John Hickenlooper. It’s scheduled for a first reading at the Senate Education Committee meeting next Thursday.

Sen. Mike Johnston, one of the sponsors of the name change initiative bill, said that he is expecting it to pass the Senate with broad support, but he has seen the emergence of what he called a “heavy lobbying effort” at the capitol against the bill recently.

“We would have liked to have passed the bill without any problems, but it’s seldom a bill gets through

without any opposition,” Johnston said.

DU is opposed to the bill because the university is worried that the new name, DSU, will cause confusion. Jim Berscheidt, the interim vice chancellor and executive director of communications at DU, said that their administration and board of trustees feel that it has become necessary for the legislators to clearly know their position on Metro’s proposed name. They are not objecting to Metro’s desire to differentiate itself, but they would like to protect their own identifiable brand.

“The issue is the fact that DU has a 147 year history, closely tied to Denver and Colorado. The university is known as DU to a lot of people,” Berscheidt said. “We receive lots of news coverage that uses Denver University.

People just assume that DU is what we go by all the time and we feel that the new name suggested by Metro will create unavoidable confusion.”

He added that DU had made its objection known to Metro’s adminis-

tration prior to the decision going to the state legislature and had even discussed alternatives. Their administration doesn’t believe those alternatives are being considered at this time however, prompting the school to lobby at Capitol Hill.

Sammantha O’Brien, Metro’s student government president, said that DU’s chancellor had been involved during research for the new name. “(DU) told us that they’d be fine with it and the only name they would oppose strongly was Metro State University of Denver, because University of Denver was actually in the name,” O’Brien said. “However, our understanding is that it eventually got to DU’s board of trustees, which did not agree with that stance, and they then decided to take action against it.”

Catherine Lucas, associate vice president of communications at Metro, said that [Metro is] currently developing a legislative effort of its own and working on some grass-roots efforts at the Capitol.

“It’s very critical that we get as

many students, alumni and faculty to let their legislators know that they support this bill,” Lucas said.

O’Brien said that they were told to take DU’s opposition “very seriously” at this point. The SGA is currently preparing to take actions to rally student support for the legislation. They recently updated their social media sites and plan on setting up tables on campus as well as sending postcards to representatives on Capitol Hill. Student trustee Kathryn Cammack and O’Brien will be testifying at the legislative hearing at the Senate Education Committee next week as well. The alumni association will provide transportation for students to both to both the press conference April 27 and the committee hearing on April 28. The SGA’s goal is to get about 200 Metro students to attend the hearing. The bill is set to be introduced to the floor near the end of next week.

“We’ve decided to support it and we are going to do whatever we can to help this bill pass,” O’Brien said.

Background check policy unclear for SGA

By Ramsey Scott and Caitlin Gibbons Student Government Assembly candidates are not subject to background check policies, but elected and hired members of the assembly are, Metro’s Human Resources clarified.

HR holds off on running background checks on SGA candidates until those candidates are officially elected, said Judy Zewe, associate vice president of Metro’s human resources department. After students are elected, and then confirmed by SGA, they become official employees of the college and are thus subjected to background checks. In last week’s edition of The Metropolitan, Zewe said according to an interpretation made by Metro’s General Counsel, SGA members were considered “independent contractors” with the college, not employees.

Despite the clarification from HR, there remains a sense of confusion within the SGA as to how elected members are classified.

“This issue was sprung on us at the last minute because of the change of interpretation of policy from the HR department. We are trying to be really careful in how we proceed to make sure that whatever policy we put in place is fair and does protect students who are both in student government and on campus,” said Sammantha O’Brien, SGA president.

O’Brien said the SGA is in the process of trying to figure out what steps they should take next, including creating new SGA rules on background checks on candidates. Any changes made to SGA policy — which lies in the policy manual and constitution — would have to be approved through a referendum voted on by the students.

Speaker of the Senate Simon Ayesse said there seems to be informal agreement among current elected SGA officers that, if the HR department is not going to enforce employability standards, then some standards of employability must be added to the Constitution.

“I hope that the new and old elected representatives will collaborate during new officer training to resolve the question of qualifications for office as a first order of business,” Ayesse said.

Zewe said the issue of background checks has been very sensitive from day one of the policy, back in October 2008.

“My suggestion to the SGA would be to look at your bylaws and your constitution and see how you could possibly write or revise it so that it is a conditional election or something to that effect so you don’t run into the problem where you have someone who is elected and then you find out there is negative information and then what are you going to do?”

INDEX INSIGHT ... 6 METROSPECTIVE ... 9 SPORTS ... 12 TIMEOUT ... 14

WEATHER Dry conditions until Friday, then a chance of rain that continues off and on until the beginngin of next week.

4.21 • Partly cloudy High: 68/Low: 38 4.22 • Chance of rain High: 60/Low: 38 4.23 • Chance of rain High: 61/Low: 35 4.24 • Partly cloudy High: 64/Low: 37 4.25 • Chance of rain High: 59/Low: 39 4.26 • Partly cloudy High: 56/Low: 31 4.27 • Mostly sunny High: 60/Low: 32

By Kendell LaRoche

CORRECTIONS Theresa Spahn’s name was misspelled in the caption on page 3 in the April 14 issue of The Metropolitan.

Auraria Police officer talks to two men involved in a heated discussion outide St. Cajetan’s Center, where Lt. Dan Choi, a civil right’s activist, was giving the keynote speech for the Queer Symposium. Photo by Jerrod Joplin, special to The Metropolitan

Perspectives clash during speaker’s campus visit

By Jessica Wacker jwacker1@mscd.edu Lt. Dan Choi received many handshakes during the 4th annual Queer Symposium April 17, but there was one he was denied— that of visiting campus evangelist Tom Short.

Choi gave the keynote speech in St. Cajetan’s as part of the Queer Symposium. Choi became an activist for civil rights after comming out on The Rachel Maddow Show.

Choi lead a group of students outside after audience members informed him of an event outside in response to his appearance. After an exchange between Choi and Short debating the exclusion of LGBT from the church, Choi

asked to shake Short’s hand– he refused.

“I will fight and die for his right to free speech whether he wants to shake my hand or not,” Choi said.

Choi gave the symposium an “activist” twist, said Joanna Snawder, associate director for the Institute For Women’s Studies and Services.

“He just sort of barreled out there,” Snawder said. “A lot of people don’t understand what this man has done.

He’s taken on two of the ... most powerful institutions, The US Military and the Christian Church, and he’s saying, ‘I’m part of these institutions. I believe in these institutions. They’ve made me who I am and because of that I’m going to challenge their stance on homophobia.’”

FEATURES: Book review: Ed Schultz’s “Killer Politics” discusses how big money is destorying the middle class MUSIC: We present Jay Electronica’s newest hip-hop mixtape, Pre-Act II Greatest Hits.

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4 • NEWS • APRIL 21, 2011 • THE METROPOLITAN

2 percent of Metro students vote Low turnout for student government election, results not yet certified

By Alex Baskett abaskett@mscd.edu Metro students voted in the Student Government Assembly’s general election and the results are already being challenged.

Out of the 23,453 students enrolled at Metro for the Spring 2011 semester, 573 cast a vote in the April 11-15 election.

Ten senate seats, the student trustee position, two seats on the Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board and the president and vice president positions were up for the annual election.

SGA President Samantha O’Brien cited voter fatigue as a possible contributing factor to low turnout for the April 15 General Election. Just 8 weeks prior, the SGA held a special election to fill four open senate seats.

When the ballots were tallied Jacob LaBure, former SGA director of administration and finance, edged out Speaker of the Senate Simon Ayesse by six votes for the student trustee position.

Two-hundred and thirty students cast their vote for LaBure and 224 for Ayesse.

There were six write in votes.

Thirteen other positions were filled. There were 10 candidates for 10 senate seats. All the candidates received more than the re-

quired 25 votes to be elected.

There were two SACAB seats up for election, but only one candidate, Jeremy Bermudez ran. He received 404 votes.

The president and vice president run as one ticket, and there were two tickets on the ballot. Jesse Altum and Tesa Johnson Ferrell Jones won the race with 308 votes cast in their favor. Kile Clabaugh and Ian Brown received 218 votes.

The campaigns ended April 15, but some of the candidates continue to clash. April 19, four days following the end of voting, Ayesse filed a complaint with the Election Commission.

Ayesse’s complaint is asking the Election Commission to investigate whether LaBure used MetroConnect or Blackboard for online campaigning. The use of the two systems is against policy.

“I’m not ready to give up,” Ayesse said.

“It’s something that matters to me.”

Labure said if his election is contested, it is not the votes, but the election itself. It would not be a simple process of simply putting in a runner-up, but needing a new election.

“I think [the complaint] is a disgrace to the SGA and a disgrace to the students,” said LaBure.

The election commission will accept disputes and complaints no later than noon on the Wednesday following the last day of voting, ( April 20) according to the SGA policy manual.

President–Elect Jesse Altum said there is

already a plan in place to try to undermine his victory by impeaching him from his current senate seat.

Under SGA bylaws, anyone removed from office is prohibited from running for office for 12 months. It is unclear whether a senate impeachment would retroactively result in a veto of Altum’s election. An impeachment would require a measure passing by a twothirds vote in the senate.

“I remember this happening a couple times in ‘09, ‘10,” Ayesse said. “In the absence of something severe, as speaker and setter of an agenda, I would not allow [an impeachment] to be railroaded through.”

If a removal is called for, the speaker has 10 days to set a hearing.

There would be a “reasonable amount of time to make sure someone cannot show up and game the system,” Ayesse said.

“They have two options, either they impeach me and I’ll appeal it in the student court, or I’ll resign as senator for the last month of my tern so they can’t impeach me,” Altum said.

The Election Commission usually certifies the results within four days of the end of voting. This year’s results will be certified after the commission has resolved the filed complaints.

The winners are: President/vice president:

Jesse Altum / Tesa Johnson Ferrell Jones

Student trustee: Jacob LaBure

SACAB representative: Jeremy Bermudez

Senators:

Paul Benevides Richmond Boakye Jason Dirgo Scott Hirsbrunner David Jones Reid Palmer Javier San Andres Babak Sateri Aaron Wamsley Jeffery Washington

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THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 21, 2011 • NEWS • 5

Auraria decides to keep riding with RTD Student vote approves pass program for 20112012 school year

By Alex Baskett abaskett@mscd.edu A small portion of Auraria campus students voted overwhelmingly in favor of continuing the RTD College Pass program and a fee increase.

Ninety-seven percent of Metro voters chose to accept the increase and keep the pass, the highest approval of the three institutions on campus. However, less than one in twenty Metro students voiced their opinion about the referendum at the ballot box.

University of Colorado at Denver Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board representative Jonathan Raabe suggested that low turn out was due to the separation of the Auraria Higher Education Center referendums from the three institutions’ individual Student Government Assembly ballots.

“The referendum was scheduled at the same time as SGA elections this year,” Raabe said.

Raabe hopes to have the referendum vote combined with the electronic ballots SGA distributes in an effort to combine voter turnout from both elections.

Next year, students will pay $70 for the pass. The $9 increase in fees is intended to cover the 12 percent growth in ridership among

students, as well as a portion of the general fee increase that affects all paying riders, said Jeff Stamper, the director of Auraria Campus Use and Support Services.

The RTD fee has increased $46 from just two years ago. According to RTD, system wide rate increases were voted upon Oct. 26 and took effect Jan. 1, 2011.

RTD has also increased the number of cars on the Light Rail to manage the increasing number of riders, Stamper said.

Auraria campus is not the only education center with a college pass system. In fact Anschutz Medical Campus, Colorado School of Mines and Naropa University at Boulder have similar programs.

Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, University of Colorado at Boulder and University all have the same pass system with one discrepancy, Auraria students are not granted open rider ship on the SkyRide program that travels to the airport.

Unlike every other institution, the members of Auraria campus only receive a $5 discount on a trip that can cost up to $13.

The Referendum Election Committee declared the vote valid and official April 15. New fees will go into effect in fall 2011.

Voters also approved a $5 dollar fee for the Sustainable Campus Program, a student fund that is controlled by SACAB. A total of 2,363 votes were cast by the students of UCD, Community College of Denver and Metro.

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Metro freshman Christopher McCarthy submits his vote April 14, regarding the proposed increase in student fees for the RTD Student Pass Program and the Sustainable Campus Program. Photo by Sean Mullins • smullin5@mscd.edu

How Auraria voted on the RTD referendum Community College of Denver Metropolitan State College of Denver University of Colorado at Denver

YES NO 474 70 995 28 759 30

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6 • NEWS • APRIL 21, 2011 • THE METROPOLITAN

Auraria seeks even ‘greener’ campus Sustainability Fair returns to promote student’s enviornental awareness

By Ryen Robnett rrobnet1@mscd.edu The Sustainable Campus Program held their third annual Sustainablility Fair April 13 and 14 at Auraria Campus, providing students with information on how to be more environmentally conscious.

The Sustainable Campus Program collaborated with Colorado Technology Partners and the Colorado Public Interest Group’s Student Chapter and organized an event to help raise sustainability awareness.

There were 30 vendors who participated in the event. Many of the vendors were local businesses around Colorado that identify as “green” companies.

“There were a lot of vendors who participated in the festival,” said Jonathan Raabe, Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board representative and event manager for the festival. “The vendors were a very important aspect of the festival as well as our sponsors. This event was sponsored primarily by the Sustainable Campus Program, Colorado Technology Partners, CoPRIG, Microsoft and Dell.”

According to Raabe, Auraria Campus is ranked 14 in the nation in the Environmental

Protection Agency’s list of partner campuses by being 100 percent carbon neutral through wind credit offsets.

“This basically means that we tallied up all of the carbon that the campus produces and then bought ‘wind credits,’” Raabe said. “Auraria is now carbon neutral, which means that we are a carbon-free campus. Our recycling program on campus also offsets up to 30 percent of waste on campus and the SCP is working on a new composting project in the Tivoli. We have also offset five percent of the water on campus by replacing many of the toilets.”

said. “We asked students to donate empty ink cartridges from their printers because it takes an average of 1,000 years for a single cartridge to decompose. We also encourage students to refill their ink cartridges, as it can be reused up to nine times and it saves a lot of oil.”

Recycling bins will be distributed inside the Science Building room 2016 where students can drop off empty ink cartridges to recycle. The recycling of the ink cartridges will also help raise money for a fundraiser provided by the Metro State Environmental Science Organization Kraus says.

“It is important that students become more environmentally sustainable to keep this campus in good shape.”

Jonathan Raabe, SACAB representative

Students were encouraged to speak with participating vendors and educate themselves on how to make better choices when it comes to being more environmentally friendly.

Jordan Kraus, of the Metro State Environmental Science Organization, informed students about recycling ink cartridges.

“We handed out flyers to students educating them about the hazards that ink cartridges have on the environment. Many people don’t know about this issue,” Kraus

The bins will be available until the end of the spring semester and return for the fall semester.

Another vendor featured was eGo CarShare, a nonprofit organization in Denver and Boulder that allows people to rent environmentally-friendly vehicles. “eGo CarShare is a local neighborhood based car rental service where people can rent a vehicle and pay by how many hours the vehicle is used,” said Alyssa Alt, program manager at eGo Carshare. “Our service

is better than a typical rental car service because we can track how often a car is used and see how much fuel is being used. In the Denver area we only have a handful of students who use our service and we want more students to know about what we offer.

We have a lot of potential, we just need to increase awareness.”

Students who participated in the festivities also had the option of recycling old electronics to the Colorado Technology Partners.

“We had a lot of students who recycled old cell phones, computer monitors, keyboards, wires and cables,” said Kevin Meilinger, marketing officer for IronWare Technologies.

“A lot of people do not realize that electronics can be easily recycled just like plastic bottles or paper.”

The event had an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 participants and the SCP hopes that in the following years, more local businesses will participate.

“We have been doing the festival every semester for the past three years,” Raabe said.

“It is important that students become more environmentally sustainable to keep this campus in good shape.”

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AHEC edging closer to filling VP position

By Ali Rodgers arodger6@mscd.edu After two years of searching, the Auraria Higher Education Center’s executive vice president for administration position has narrowed down to three possible candidates.

“The [EVPA] position essentially holds the same level as a college president would have,” said Freddy Arck, a spokesperson for AHEC. “In my opinion, the position is so important so we have that overall (leader) who sets the guidelines as we operate as a service organization.”

A majority vote is needed from an executive session with the board of directors to elect the new EVPA, according to Arck. The session will be used to privately discuss the EVPA candidates and other important matters. The topics discussed in executive sessions can have sensitive information, making them closed to the public.

The executive session has not yet been scheduled.

Barbara Weiske has been the interim EVPA and the chief executive officer for operations since July 2009.

Resume submissions for the position ended June 30, 2010, and all applicants went under review to determine a candidate’s qualifications and credentials.

Weiske joins Suzanne Calhoun and Kim

Kohen as the top three finalists.

The job description for the EVPA states that the minimum education and experience requirements for candidates is a bachelor’s degree in business administration, organizational development, public administration, law or a closely related field.

Qualified applicants must have a minimum 10 years of extensive senior-level experience with significant responsibility and complexity in similar functional areas.

“I think an appreciation for how higher education functions and understanding business, those two are important,” former EVPA Dean Wolf said. “Patience is something else that is quite important.”

Wolf, who held the position from 1996 until he retired in 2009, said he believes a part of the challenge is being “able to provide equal support to all three schools.”

The potential of someone being able to hold the position long term has been a main factor in the decision making process.

The next board meeting will be held April 27.

As of now, there is not an executive session on the agenda, but the board can call one at any time if they choose to do so.

“I think it’s just been a matter of getting board [members] schedules to coordinate,” Arck said.

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THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 21, 2011 • NEWS • 7

8 • THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 21, 2011

NSIGHT

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

I read your article in The Metropolitan dated April 14, great and interesting article, but I feel Metro should have a football team to compete with other colleges here in Colorado.

If Colorado School of Mines, with enrollment of NO more than 5,000; UNC’s enrollment of 12,000; and just recently CSU-Pueblo, started their football program. CSU Fort Collins enrollment is about 21,000. How can they afford to have football team, and here at Metro (there is) higher enrollment than any of those schools.

We have Mile-High Stadium, that is empty on Saturdays, that could be put to use.

We have many graduates from Metro that are employed here in Denver, that probably could donate money to start a football team, a lot of leg work would be required to have companies, corporations and individuals to be involved.

I know it would take time, but you know the exposure that the school would get, and would bring more students to attend Metro.

Think positive, it could happen and keep the good work.

— Ed C. Padilla is a graduate of Metro and retired from Metro after teaching computer classes for 23 years.

“This last weekend we showed ourselves what can happen if we don’t keep executing.”

—DAVID FOX, MEN’S BASEBALL CENTERFIELDER • SPORTS • 16

Background checks? YES STAFF EDITORIAL For once, historically low turnout was not the most disturbing part of the Student Government Assembly’s spring election.

Mere days before the election, Metro’s Human Resources Department and the General Counsel decided candidates for SGA should not be subject to background checks, as was done for many years running. Background checks will only be run upon hire for SGA members.

This means the candidates on the ballot could be anyone. They could be ineligible to work for the college.

But without the background checks, students lose out on a vetting process for the candidates, even if they never knew it was in place.

Candidates for public office at the local, state and national level don’t have to undergo a background check to qualify for office, per se.

However, in most elections, constituents have several months to follow every move the candidates make. State and national races are splashed across prime-time news and every paper in a 100 mile radius of the polls.

For our SGA elections, campaigning lasts all of two weeks, max. There aren’t multiple forums, and many students don’t even real-

ize there is an election happening. True to our commuter style of campus, people come for class and get out. There is no captive constituency and students are apathetic.

The SGA doesn’t vote on taxes, social services or things that immediately impact students’ lives. They DO control more than a $300,000 budget composed of student fees.

In this election, 10 people ran for 10 senate seats, it was a no-brainer win for the candidates. All it took for a win was 25 votes, including their own.

Metro’s Human Resources said if SGA were to change their qualifications, they would happily run background checks – so long as SGA ponies up the $40-$70 to run them through the college’s third-party vendor.

We can’t encourage the SGA enough to do so. If students aren’t going to take the time to care about the quality of their representatives or to do their own research, the organization needs to do it for them. After all, the SGA is here to serve the students’ best interest. Let’s make sure they serve their own and background check their candidates.

The Politics of Greed and Students’ Futures

WTF? Cut tax breaks for the rich? Should we really fail to fill the overflowing feeding trough for the super-rich, on the backs of the poor, seniors, students and the shrinking American middle class?

What’s this country coming to, anyway?

Soon, a dishonest billionaire won’t be able to steal another billion or two without interference from Big Government. Doesn’t President Barack Obama realize you just can’t DO that?

Obama’s budget speech to the nation, delivered April 13, wasn’t in the same league as William Jennings Bryan’s 1896 “Cross of Gold” speech. Ours is not an age of soaring oratory, but of sound bites and slogans. Back then, the Democratic candidate for President argued that adopting the Republican-backed gold standard would hurt farmers, small business and the non-rich of the day with a “crown of thorns” while “crucifying mankind upon a cross of gold.”

Political dynamics haven’t changed all that much in more than a century. The Republican Party — then the champion of railroads, trusts and monopolies like John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil empire while violently opposed to early efforts at organizing labor — is still the Republican Party; with Tea Party zealots pulling it further to the Right.

Bryan’s plea might have been timely this week, dubbed “Holy Week” on some Christian calendars, although — in an age of dumbdown — few might recognize those Biblical references. But Obama, in his budget speech, was very clear — for a change — in opposing the help-the-rich while hurting the poor federal budget for 2011-12 proposed by House Finance committee chair Rep. Paul Ryan, RWisconsin.

Hyped as the first salvo aimed at cutting the federal budget by $4 trillion over the next decade, the Ryan plan sounds plausible – until you look at who’s going to pick up the tab. Not

the military. And not the wealthy ensconced in the top-tax brackets. Hell no. By cutting the top-bracket tax rate from 35 to 25 percent, Ryan’s plan would actually REDUCE federal tax revenues by $4 trillion over the next ten years, observed Harold Meyerson of The Washington Post.

Instead of a tax hike for the wealthiest who can most afford it, we get the reverse – in the guise of reducing deficits. The scheme is really aimed at dismantling most of the social-benefit programs dating back 75 years to President Franklin Roosevelt’s Depression – 1930s New Deal legislation that passed Social Security, a minimum wage, 8-hour work day and collective bargaining for unions. Eleanor – not Franklin – Roosevelt wanted medical care and civil rights laws — in the 1930s! — added to that mix. Franklin demurred, but Republicans still screamed “Socialism!”

Take a guess at who takes the biggest hit under the Ryan plan. It would shift the burden of medical care to the poor and elderly with “reforms” to Medicare and Medicaid. The first would become a federally-subsidized private insurance program, where seniors get a fixed amount to buy coverage. Medicaid would move from federal control to “block grants” to the states. Insurance companies – who’ve done such a sterling job of controlling health care costs while ignoring profits – must be salivating.

When care costs rise with soaring deductibles and tighter coverage limits (as in “preexisting condition? Whatever we say it is. So buzz off.” ) more and more of that cost shifts to those who need it most and can afford it least.

And the implicit response to that inevitability in the Ryan plan is simple. The Brits used to say “hard cheese.” Which translates, in America, to “tough shit.”

On the heels of what some saw as a defeat on the budget compromise that avoided a

THE METROPOLITAN Since 1979

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Caitlin Gibbons cgibbon4@mscd.edu MANAGING EDITOR Ramsey Scott rscott42@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 PHOTO EDITOR Steve Anderson sande104@mscd.edu ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Luke Powell Sean Mullins ADVISER Jane Hoback hobackje@comcast.net WEBMASTER Drew Jaynes

J. SEBASTIAN SINISI sinisi2@msn.com government shutdown two weeks ago, Obama didn’t mention crowns of thorns or crosses of gold. But he did say “… these are the kinds of cuts that tell us we can’t afford the America I believe in…it paints a vision of our future that’s deeply pessimistic … there’s nothing serious about a plan that claims to reduce the deficit by spending a trillion dollars on tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires … and there’s nothing courageous about asking for sacrifice from those who can least afford it.”

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, which they’ve controlled since last November’s election, quickly countered by passing Ryan’s plan by a 235-193 vote on April 15.

The bill has a proverbial snowball’s chance in hell of passing the U.S. Senate, that Democrats control. But the posturing and theater continues.

Stay tuned and, for your own sake, pay attention. The battle for America’s future is your future and not simply about medical care for geezers like me. And keep in mind that most Republicans — it’s in the party’s genes — don’t give a rat’s ass about you, your education or future job prospects — if any — for folks like you, who may not live behind gated-community walls.

The future you save will be your own.

GRAPHIC DESIGN Kathleen Jewby kjewby@mscd.edu ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT STUDENT MEDIA Elizabeth Norberg enobert@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 e-mail 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 21, 2011 • 9

ETROSPECTIVE

Historic LoDo tours: extra curricular teaching

Metro professor Kevin Rucker takes his love for Colorado history to the streets

By Brittney Dahl bdahl4@mscd.edu In front of The Market in historic LoDo, a man in black slacks and a grey 19th-century coat greets his newest tourists for a Saturday afternoon filled with tales that capture Denver’s past.

“Dressed like this, I can say whatever I want; it’s like a license to steal,” Kevin Rucker, historian and Metro professor, said.

The tours give visitors a thorough walk through Larimer Square and several LoDo locations throughout the year. There are two walking tours, one welcome to all ages on Wednesdays, and one on Saturdays for those 21 and older. Guests will be entertained with stories of conmen, brothels, opium dens and ghost stories.

LoDo is one of Denver’s oldest business districts and has seen Colorado’s gold rush, industrial era and urban rebirth. Rucker gives Denver natives and visitors lessons about the past, from ghost tales in the Oxford Hotel’s men’s room to LoDo Bar and Grill.

Rucker has been doing the walking tours for 10 years. He was able to obtain his position as the LoDo walking tour coordinator after he was seen giving tours to his students, which he said started as an extra credit opportunity.

Rucker begins the stories in 1860 at the corner of Larimer and 15th Streets with Mademoiselle Carolista, who tied a rope between the second floor buildings of what are now Comedy Works and Ocean Prime. Rucker said Carolista took three shots of whiskey, tiptoed across the ropes between the second floor windows, blindfolded and with a wheelbarrow.

The tales Rucker told April 16 began to get even more exciting as those on the tour crossed Larimer to Corridor 44. Here, Amelia, a woman in beige period clothing, is said to have walked across the hardwood floor and stand in front of what used

to be a bar. Then she vanishes.

During this time, Market and 20th Streets was the edge of the red light district, which housed one of the most famous brothels, Mattie Silks House of Mirrors. Denver saloons were used for church service, and public hangings were held on 14th Street and Larimer.

“The hanging spot — I don’t look at that corner the same way, because it is just hard to imagine that happened,” Denver resident Sarah Kortnicki said.

Rucker, who has lived in Colorado nearly all his life, said he fell in love with the state’s history.

“It’s so diverse — the gold rush, gun fighters, Indians — we have it all. I was raised on the Front Range and had a fascination with geology,” he said.

Rucker obtained a master’s in business and wanted to research and write; he didn’t plan on teaching. However, he changed his mind after he instructed U.S. history at Red Rocks.

Rucker said he has his own way of teaching — imaginative and understanding the ruths of Colorado and its history.

“I don’t teach history on famous dead people; I look at the women, the workers, the migrants, I emphasize everything and its meanings,” he said.

Rucker said the most rewarding aspect of his job as a historian and coordinator for these tours is to be able to share Denver’s history; it gets the word out to students and creates an appreciation for the past.

“To see people’s eyes come alive when they really see things differently after we have past by them,” he said.

Kortnicki is one of those whose eyes came to life.

“On the visit, I tried to imagine and put myself in that era, rather than just reading about it,” she said.

“That is what was so interesting about the tour.”

HISTORIC LODO WALKING TOUR All Ages All tours are from 4-6 p.m.

Wednesdays

21 & over All tours are 3-6 p.m.

Saturdays

$10 Adults (18 and above) $5 with any College Student District, Inc. Member

$20 Adults $15 with any College Student District, Inc. Members

For more information call: (303) 628-5428

Professor Kevin Rucker tells colorful stories of Denver's history on his Lower Downtown Denver Walking Tour shown here at a stop on Larimer Street. Photo by John McEvoy • jmcevoy@mscd.edu

10 • METROSPECTIVE • APRIL 21, 2011 • THE METROPOLITAN

Campus group NDO aids war-torn South Sudan

By Megan Mitchell mmitch46@mscd.edu Juanis Lual was 12-years-old when he finally left the numerous refugee camps he called home for most of his life. As a baby, he was displaced from his birthplace in South Sudan, which had been overrun by the violence of civil war since 1955.

Before his graduation from Metro in spring 2010, Lual studied political science and took an active, personal interest in humanitarian work.

Lual’s own history and studies led him to develop a grassroots group, the Ngaathaje Development Organization in 2007. This initiative was designed to supply the southeastern region of the Upper Nile State in South Sudan with basic health and education necessities that their battered country desperately needs (85–90 percent of the Sudanese have no access to clean water).

“We thought we could make a difference individually and collectively by doing this,” Lual said. “I came from Africa, and I was born into conflicts of war [that have lasted more than] 50 years, and they have almost nothing; they’re in turmoil … I feel that I need to do my part, even if it’s small, to help my people.”

NDO bases their work around three essential pillars for the betterment of life in South Sudan: education, health care and economics. The collective vision behind this ambitious mission is to facilitate the establishment of a self-sustaining education system, which would influence improvements in health care and the economy.

"We started [focusing on] education in

FROM LEFT: Danny McCarthy and Juanis Lual work together to canvas Auraria to gather $1per Auraria student campaign. Photo by Luke Powell • lpowel18@mscd.edu 2007, and then we realized that people need all those other things, too,” Lual said.

Putting it all into practice is another challenge that NDO plans to begin this November when they send a group of volunteers to South Sudan. During the 4–6 week trip, group members will deliver school supplies and materials to build an elementary school in the area.

“I think any sign of progress is going to empower the community generally,” said Danny McCarthy, NDO volunteer coordinator and Metro alumnus. “I think that progress would be expanded upon with an education program … we’ll be able to branch off and focus on the

other elements of our central mission.”

NDO is also preparing to hold workshops and training sessions on teaching methodologies, water purification and other community development skills.

“This is actually NDO’s second trip, but it’s the first one with such a wide spectrum of goals,” McCarthy said. “The initial trip last year was just to assess how we can be most effective, to meet with leaders in the community and hear their concerns.”

McCarthy met Lual in a political science class about a year and half ago and began working with him immediately. He said he

was deeply moved by Lual’s story and has since worked closly throughout NDO’s progression. “[During the South Sudan trip] one of our volunteers will be charged with figuring out games for 300-500 kids,” McCarthy said. “And then some of us will be networking with other aid organizations already on the ground in South Sudan, whether it’s the UN or Red Cross, UNESCO and the like.”

Right now, McCarthy and Lual canvass Auraria a few times a week to gain support and donations for their cause. The $1 per Auraria student campaign, which started April 12 and will continue through the end of the month, aims to collect one dollar from every student at Auraria in order to reach their goal of raising $16,000 before November.

“We really hope that this kind of work will give them empowerment and inspiration and [the idea] that they can,” Lual said. “If they are willing to engage, get involved and participate — because this is not going to be done by [NDO], it’s going to be done by the local people — it’s going to make a lot of impact.”

McCarthy agrees the key to nurturing relationships with the Sudanese is to employ and train local labor for community expansion.

In addition to their work at Auraria, NDO has taken up many other fundraising endeavors for their mission trip, including partnering with the Nuba Water Project and organizing Rock for Sudan concerts.

NDO is also planning another month-long canvassing endeavor later this fall, before the trip. They need more volunteers for campus projects. Anyone interested should contact McCarthy through www.ndoss.org.

Metro's theatre department gets creative with costumes, set << Continued from 1 Huss said it compliments the dream-like nature of the play.

Liam Speros, a senior musical theater major and the play’s lead scenic artist, painted the brain. Speros normally acts, but he has stagemanaged school and community productions, and taken a scenic painting class last fall, which taught him the basics to set painting, he said.

Sorvig gave Speros a picture of a scanned brain and told him the colors he wanted (blue, purple, yellow and green) to be used. Speros said he worked on the painting for two to three weeks, usually working in two to three hour sessions. He also said he did have help from a couple of other students.

While Laura Love, a professor in the department and the costume shop manager, supervised the painting and Sorvig had the final say, Speros said he still had a chance to be creative. “[It’s] great to have a little freedom and trust … [I’m] happy with the end project,” Spe-

“A New Brain” Metro State Studio Theatre, King Center April 21-23 at 7:30 p.m., April 24 at 2:30 p.m.

Students free with student ID. When are brain surgery and a coma amusing? When accompanied by a human-sized frog dressed in a top hat with a white, ruffled shirt, green jacket and sparkly green bow tie.

ros said.

To compliment the creative set, the costumes had to be equally as unique.

“The costumes are important because there is limited time, especially in this play because there isn’t really any dialogue,” said Faith Reed, a part-time faculty member in the department and the play’s costume designer.

One of the most problematical costumes was Mr. Bungee (played by Patrick Brownson), whom is “a frog, but he’s also a guy portraying a frog,” Reed said. Bungee’s head is actually that of a mascot. Reed said it makes it hard for Brownson to see and for a microphone to be attached to his costume.

Love said some costumes were bought at thrift stores, and Hospital Cooperative Laundry donated the medical apparel.

Reed said the production took a lot of work and the students worked as a team.

“So many people involved and so much time put in — it was really such a team effort, and it has paid off,” Huss said.

“A New Brain,” a musical based on the book by William Finn (whom also wrote the music and lyrics for the play) is about reevaluating and making the most of life when faced with a neardeath experience.

The quirky production follows Gordon, a songwriter, and opens with him sitting at his piano, trying to write a song for a children’s show, hosted by Mr. Bungee, a frog, on deadline. Within the first five minutes of the show, he

TOP: Metro senior Amanda Beard presses costumes April 19.

BOTTOM RIGHT: The head for Mr. Bungee, a character in Metro's "A New Brain," rests in the Men's dressing room. Photos by Sean Mullins • smullin5@mscd. edu

begins to have visual hallucinations of the frog, which makes various appearances throughout the play. After passing out at lunch with his agent, he is rushed to the hospital where he learns he has an arteriovenous malformation, a brain abnormality, and must have surgery.

While in the hospital, Gordon begins to reflect on his life and relationships, and because of a tragedy learns what is important.

12 • METROSPECTIVE • APRIL 21, 2011 • THE METROPOLITAN

Metro alumnus brings community business back to campus

By Joshua Gaines jgaines8@mscd.edu In 2003, Metro alumnus Justin Merow was involved in a serious car crash that left him in a coma for nearly three weeks. Surviving this adversity gave Merow a renewed focus and dedication to complete his education.

A year later, Kanye West released the song “Thru The Wire,” on his album, College Dropout, which was also about surviving a car crash. The song inspired Merow to serve as a role model for young people.

“Kanye’s CD had an inconsistent message, and I knew I could do more to change culture,” Merow said. After he graduated last year, he got the confidence and credibility to start Divine America, a nonprofit organization.

Divine America was created to inspire inner city children to express themselves and achieve more through education and the arts, as well

REACHING OUT Affiliated organizations Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado Community College of Denver Denver Public Schools Art Resource Council Metropolitan State College of Denver Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives Padres & Jovenes Unidos

as to raise money for students to go to college.

Merow believes the contrasting atmospheres of a college campus and the lifestyle of the inner city makes it especially challenging for those students to go to college. “[The purpose is] to critically examine where are our communities are going,” he said.

“It’s like you diss your ‘hood by going to college.”

It may have worked for West to become the “college dropout,” but in reality dropping out of college is not what causes the majority of people to be successful in achieving their goals, Merow said.

Divine America sells music, fashion and visual artwork. They donate 20 percent to Denver Public Schools’ Art Resource Council, 20 percent to various student organizations such as the Mile High Divine Club and 10 percent to other local nonprofits, including Boys Hope

Prodigal Son Initiative University of Colorado at Denver

Student Organizations Hip Hop Congress JBCC (Junior Black Chamber of Commerce) MHDC (Mile High Divine Club) SASA (South Asian Student Alliance) Umas-Mecha De Auraria

Girls Hope of Colorado.

In June, Divine America will release The College/Life Graduate CD available for sale, which is a response to the 2004 CD The College Dropout by West.

“I imagine [Divine America] as a bank account for education,” said Patrick Ortell, videographer for Divine America.

Now Merow’s work is bringing him back to Auraria.

Metro’s Mile High Divine Club, in association with CODA Inc. healthcare, will be hosting the The Future Is All About YOUth in Tivoli 640 and the Tivoli Commons, April 29 from 5:30 p.m.–8 p.m.

The event is an arts showcase and benefit focusing on the promotion of art education as a means to advocate creativity and positive community involvement. Local musicians, artists, youth performers, community leaders and Metro students will perform on stage and raise awareness about Divine America.

In addition to raising money for students to go to college, Merow sees The Future Is All About YOUth as a pro-education demonstration where the people impacted most by the lack of state education funding can present valuable skills of art and music.

“Where is the outcry against educational budget cuts, against the drop-out rate?” Merow asked. “The public is losing sight of our real power. [Divine America] seeks to donate money in a real way.”

Ortell agrees and said he thinks the organization offers an important service.

DIVINE AMERICA Founded by Metro alumnus Justin Merow in 2010.

It is a community-oriented organization that provides students with college funds.

Divine America sells music, art and fashion, while encouraging those involved to have a voice and become an important part of their community.

In December 2010, the group released the College/Life Graduate, a positive hip-hop album advocating education and goal setting.

The CD features various musicians spanning from Colorado to Paris, as well as high school students involved in Divine America.

The first 200 attendees at the event will receive a free copy of “The Future Is All About YOUth” promotional CD. For more information, visit Divine America at www.mhdivine.com.

THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 21, 2011 AUDIOFILES • 13

Sounding Off

Sauna releases retro cassette tape Even though they deny the sentiment, Molly Bartlett, Sammi Davis, Ethan Hill and Charles “CJ” Macleod are the coolest kids in their high school. For a few years now, Hill has played bass alongside Macleod’s snappy guitar work, but once they added Davis on drums and handed Molly Bartlett a microphone, Sauna was born. Since then, the band has made an impact on Denver’s scene with its quirky mix of old school new wave and jovial indie pop. Come summertime, they will release a cassette tape with Safe Boating is No Accident and tour the Pacific Northwest. The quartet talked to The Metropolitan about their first release, the anticipation of touring and the joys of old music.

FROM LEFT: Charles “CJ” Macleod, Molly Bartlett, Sammi Davis and Ethan Hill are Sauna. Photo by Ian Gassman • igassman@mscd.edu

Interview by Ian Gassman • igassman@mscd.edu IG: What are some of your individual influences? How would you describe Sauna’s sound?

CM: Lots of people say we sound like the B-52s, kind of.

SD: Elvis Costello, too.

CM: I think it depends on which song you listen to.

IG: Would you say you’re influenced by ‘80s music?

CM: I’d say anything from the ‘50s up to now.

EH: Yeah, we listen to a pretty broad range of music, anything from the Beach Boys to Coolio to Jay Reatard. We’re working on a cover song­— a Wanda Jackson song — right now. [She’s] the “queen” of rockabilly … and that song’s from 1962.

IG: Do you search for old vinyl?

SD: Yeah.

CM: It never occurred to me not to really buy records. My dad gave me his old records.

EH: My dad too.

CM: Yeah, our dads like cool, old music. The first record I ever had was Kraftwerk and it was my dad’s, which was cool.

SD: I think my first one was [Youthquake by] Dead or Alive.

EH: [That’s] terrible.

SD: It is awesome!

IG: According to the Westword, you’re the “best band that’s still in high school.” Does it feel odd breaking into Denver’s scene while still in high school? Also, do you all feel really badass?

CM: It’s weird being young. But I think that, from my standpoint, no one’s really harped on us about our age … but I’ve never seen it come into play. I think people just look at us as a band.

SD: People think we’re older, too. They don’t realize we’re still in high school.

CM: Then they see the “Xs” on our hands.

MB: I think it puts a good perspective on high school, at least for me. Like, going out and doing stuff that you want to do … you’re involved in something bigger than high school.

IG: Do you enjoy playing with older bands or toward an older crowd?

EH: It’s been cool being able to actually hang out with bands that we normally wouldn’t be able to go see and listen to.

CM: They treat you like a peer.

CM: … It’s weird. They’ve all been very supportive.

MB: It’s surreal, almost.

IG: Which bands have you played with and do you have any favorite local bands?

CM: Lust-Cats of the Gutters. One answer!

EH: Yeah, we still hang out with them a lot.

MB: We owe everything to them.

CM: They gave us our first, second and third show. They’re helping us with [our] tour and stuff.

IG: To avoid the whole “I’m in high school and have angst” cliché, can you tell us what some of your songs are about?

EH: Actually, they’re pretty positive.

MB: I think there’s such a wide variety of them that … we want to avoid being too “teenage angst.”

SD: We have crazy songs. Songs about everything.

IG: Who writes most of the material?

EH: Typically, CJ and I. We tend to write the music and [Molly and Sammi] write the lyrics, so I don’t actually know what most of our songs are saying. I don’t know what Molly sings [laughs].

I just let her do her thing.

IG: Where are you planning to go on this summer tour?

EH: We’re trying to go to the Pacific Northwest. Portland and Seattle.

EH: We played with Taco Cat, a band from Seattle at Bar Bar, like, a month ago and they are going to help us set up some shows up there.

IG: You have a cassette release coming up. Who are you releasing this with?

EH: We’re releasing a split tape with Safe Boating is No Accident.

CM: We each have a side.

EH: I think we’re doing seven songs?

EH: They have about the same number. So it’s, like, 20 minutes each.

CM: But it’s being put out by the Buckingham Pie Group, which is owned by Tim Weilert.

IG: Do you think you’ll play music, in a band, forever and ever? What do you all plan on doing once you’re done with school?

EH: Well, we’re all going to go off to college.

SD: I mean, CJ, we’ve never talked about this but if we end up going to the same college …

CM: I don’t want to be in a band with you [laughs]!

MB: I think it’s pretty open, as far as the future goes.

Sauna

9 p.m., April 28 @ Meadowlark, $7

Band on the street

Circle of Defeat’s musical grind This week, The Metropolitan talked with two members of the up and coming Denver grindcore quartet Circle of Defeat. Together, guitarist Austin Minney and guitarist/vocalist Alex Pace had a little debate on metal music with a fellow metalhead. After a bit of prodding, we managed to pull the two away long enough to ask them about the release of their new album, Victims and Vengeance, the formation of the band and which local artists we should be paying attention to.

By Thomas Stipe • bstipe@mscd.edu Circle of Defeat. Photo by Thomas Stipe • bstipe@mscd.edu TS: How did all of you start playing together?

AP: The band wasn’t originally called Circle of Defeat. It was another project. Austin and I had talked about doing a grindcore band or something like that. So we got together with a couple of his old bandmates, played together and made something where I was just doing vocals, Austin [played] guitar, Ben was on bass and Rich was on drums … we combined the band with a solo project I had, which was Circle of Defeat, and that’s how we came about.

TS: You just mentioned grindcore, explain what that is for all the non-metalheads in the world.

AM: Grindcore …

AP: Grindcore is a combination of old-school death metal and hardcore punk, I guess. It’s just sped up. It’s basically as fast as you can play, all the time. It’s generally political. Either that or

about gore … we’re on the political side.

TS: What sort of politics?

AM: Just how stupid people are.

TS: That simple huh?

AP: Exactly.

TS: Where did you get the name Circle of Defeat?

AP: From a Nasum song.

AM: Yeah, it’s an awesome Nasum song. They’re Swedish grindcore and really awesome.

TS: So who else is in the band?

AM: Rich Wilhelm, he’s a drummer that I know from my death metal band Endless Yeti. He’s awesome. Then Ben Conell, I played guitar with him in my other metal band called Ulysses.

TS: Speaking of Endless Yeti and Ulysses, are you working on any other projects at the moment?

AM: Yeah, Endless Yeti is still alive, technically. I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen with it. Other than that I don’t have anything other than Circle of Defeat until my new band starts up. We’re called The Flagship. It’s with my buddy Andrew Gough. It’s a melodic hardcore band like Misery Signals or Darkest Hour. It’s gonna be fun.

AP: I play in a lot of groups and a lot of stuff here at school, playing trombone. As far as guitar based groups, it’s Circle of Defeat, Party Hard and Rabid Barbarian — which is a thrash band.

TS: You guys seem pretty well versed on the local music scene. Are there any artists in particular you think we should be listening to?

AM: No Thought, Ghost of Glaciers … um, who’s that one band that we saw?

AP: Death of Self and Reproacher — basically all of our friends.

14 • AUDIOFILES • APRIL 21, 2011 • THE METROPOLITAN

Photo FlashBack: Amon amarth

Mile high and rising

Paulie Lipman: The potrait of a poet

By Julie Maas • pretko@mscd.edu For more than a decade, Paulie Lipman has been writing and performing poetry. All along, he’s wanted one thing: to get a reaction out of people. “Isn’t that what art is?” Asked the 35-year-old poet. “Getting an emotional response?”

Of course, there’s plenty of emotion in slam poetry, which is known for its high energy and audience feedback. The bigger the reaction, the better you are. “I had gone to open mic nights before, but getting quiet applause after you read a poem isn’t enough,” Lipman said. “I wanted something more. Then I found out about slam.”

Today, Lipman participates regularly at the Denver Mercury Slam at the Mercury Café.

This year, he was chosen to be on their team at the national slam poetry competition in Boston. Beyond this, when Lipman discovered the slam scene in Denver, he also made an unlikely friend in local musician Ian Dougherty. “[Dougherty’s] one of the founders of the Denver Mercury Slam and one of the main reasons I stuck with it and got better at it” Lipman said. “When we first met, he hated me.” But, as the story goes, the two poets ended up being life-long friends.

“He wasn’t lying. I absolutely hated him at first,” Dougherty said. “I thought he was a smug little know-it-all, and he thought I was a wannabe.”

One night, the two enemies discovered their mutual interest in poetry. “Since then, we have lived together, written music together, done poetry tours together, coached each other … he’s more like a brother than a friend, really. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without him.” Dougherty explained. Through this friendship, Dougherty encouraged Lipman to move forward and do more with his poetry. Soon, Lipman met D. Mackinnon.

“Paulie mentioned to me in late 2010 that he was working on a new spoken word album and I offered up use of my studio for

him,” Mackinnon said. However, Lipman was strapped for cash and simultaneously ready to make the album; he just couldn’t wait. Fortunately, he discovered Kickstarter.com.

Kickstarter.com is a website where artists can raise money for their projects. In Lipman’s case, he just had to find people willing to “pledge” to his cause. “I sent [kickstarter.com] the idea for equipment so I could create an album and they went for it,” Lipman says. Then, with only three days left to pledge, Lipman met his goal of $3,000.

By March 15, The Obscene Gravity of Silence was finished and released via Lipman’s Bandcamp page (paulielipman.bandcamp.com).

Of the 13 tracks, all feature Lipman’s strong personal and political voice, unique delivery and sporadic instrumentation. It isn’t just the words that tell a story, but the atmospheric music behind each poem. Interesting beats and synthesizers are scattered throughout, but tracks like “A Quiet Meditation On Art” are anything but quiet. “Poets and punkrockers age worse than government cheese and Thunderbird... and I’m both. So fuck it,” Lipman slams.

Lipman draws influences from music while also drawing from strong historical stories and personal experience. Cradled in the middle of the album are three persona pieces written from the perspective of three different women: a daughter, a wife and a mother. With a backing track that connects all three stories together, the listener has to pay attention to hear the voices truly change.

Now that this album is done, Lipman is focusing on his trip to nationals, but he isn’t afraid of losing. If anything, he’s got plenty of other things to keep him occupied. From starting another Kickstarter.com campaign to making a film inspired by one of his poems, Lipman is always creating something new, just searching for that elusive recompense known as “reaction.”

“Getting quiet applause after you read a poem isn’t enough. I wanted something more.

Then I found out about slam.”

Amon Amarth ravages the stage April 17 at the Summit Music Hall. The Swedish Viking metal band celebrated the release of their new album Surtur Rising by playing their new songs as well as their greatest hits.

Photo by Sean Mullins • smullin5@mscd.edu

click Hear

Spinner.com 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 Spinner.com.

The interactive music website Spinner. com, a side project of AOL, offers multiple ways of accessing and reading about music; including interviews, up-to-date articles, videos and radio, all of an underground and indie rock persuasion. But it’s the features, placed under the “Exclusive” heading, that make our mouths water here at The Metropolitan.

The exclusives offer today’s audiophile four awesome ingredients: The Interface (live performances), Mp3 of the Day (free downloads), Spinner.com radio (with more than 350 stations) and our favorite, The Listening Party, which allows users to stream new albums entirely for free.

While other websites like Pandora.com, YouTube.com and Pitchfork.com grant near-unlimited access to these components, Spinner.com pulls them all under one hood; making navigating today’s over-saturated information superhighway a much easier task for the musically inclined.

Get the spin at Spinner. com. Photo courtesy of Spinner.com

At once, they do away with needing to know exactly what you’re looking for when you first arrive and allow the user to browse at their convenience — choosing any number of starting points that may interest them. From there, it’s easy to keep on clicking. More often than not, you’ll find yourself enjoying a whole new album from a band you’ve never heard of, or the latest release from an old favorite.

Other tasty virtues include a section for looking up lyrics, tributes and essays, wellmaintained “Top” and “Best of ” lists, a section called “What’s That Song?” and various other categories to peruse such as “Sad Songs” and “Clash of the Cover Songs.”

With all the options, you may feel like your head is spinning. But, in fact, you’ll find it’s quite the opposite. In the end, Spinner.com can help the whirling world of online music actually stop a minute to catch its breath. In doing so, it lets fans like us enjoy music all the more.

By Stephanie DeCamp • sdecamp@mscd.edu

Paulie Lipman knows how to slam. Photo by Ryan Borthick • rborthic@mscd.edu

16 • APRIL 21 , 2011 • THE METROPOLITAN

PORTS

“I came from Africa, and I was born into conflicts of war [that have lasted more than] 50 years and they have almost nothing; they’re in turmoil ...

I feel that I need to do my part, even if it’s small to help my people.”

—JUANIS LUAL, METRO ALUMNUS, DIRECTOR OF NDO • 10

Lopers walk to RMAC lead Metro now three games behind Kearney for top spot

so we decided to cut his day short because he was nursing that injury,” Carcione said.

Brown came through on the offensive side of the ball by going two for three and driving in one of Metro’s runs. Zach Krueger also had two hits in four plate appearances for the struggling offense.

April 17 came and went with mixed results for the Roadrunners.

An offensive outburst gave Metro a 19-5 win in game one before falling to the Lopers in game two, 12-2.

Ryan Ward rward19@mscd.edu Metro’s baseball team struggled in their weekend series against the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers and lost three of the four games at Auraria Field. The losses set them back to a 21-11 record overall and 17-10 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings.

Game Three—” Metro gets Revenge”

Game One— “The Heartbreaker” Metro suffered one of the toughest losses April 16. The game was a back-and-forth matchup until the fifth inning, when the Roadrunners came alive.

Junior infielder Ty Jacobs pounded a single up the middle to give Metro a base runner with nobody out. Senior outfielder Zach Krueger batted next and hit a rocket to right field, but the Lopers Patrick Oliver made an amazing catch to retire Krueger.

Senior infielder David Kaplan was the next to bat and drilled the ball for a double. With runners on second and third, senior centerfielder David Fox came to the plate, in hopes of giving Metro the lead. He smacked his second hit of the game through the right side of the infield and gave Metro the 5-4 lead.

“Honestly, that was one of my most relaxed at bats this season. I knew what I had to get done,” Fox said. “Something came over me and I knew I was going to hit that ball.

Clear mind.”

After a walk to senior infielder Jordan Stouffer and a lazy fly ball out by junior designated hitter Evan Claus, senior leftfielder Brennan Brown came to the plate. He kept the offense going with a triple that escaped the diving left fielder’s glove. That hit would score Fox and Stouffer giving Metro a comfortable 7-4 lead. Brown scored off of a single by senior catcher Jake Danneffel to push the lead to 8-4 going into the sixth inning.

Senior pitcher Bradshaw Perry got the start in the game and wiggled his way out of trouble on more than one occasion.

In the sixth inning, however, he faced his toughest challenge after the Lopers loaded the bases with their first three batters. As quickly as it started for the Lopers, Perry ended it.

UNK’s Oliver hit a line drive up the middle, but Metro shortstop Ty

(FROM LEFT) Kevin Coughlin, Evan Claus, and Ty Jacobs wait to see how a play is going to turn out April 16. Metro lost the game 9-8 against Nebraska-Kearney. Photo by Ryan Borthick • rborthic@mscd.edu Jacobs prevented at least one run from scoring with a diving catch.

That brought up to bat UNK’s Andrew Haake, the RMAC leader in RBIs. Haake grounded the ball to second baseman David Kaplan and he flipped to Jacobs as Metro turned an inning-ending double play. “(That) was huge. The plays they made behind me were big. You can’t do that by yourself. So definitely my fielders helped me get out of that,” Perry said.

After Perry was pulled in the seventh because of a high pitch count, Nebraska-Kearney started chipping away at the 8-4 lead. They would score two in the seventh and trimmed the lead to 8-7 in the eighth.

Some spectacular pitching by the Lopers and the lack of execution by the Roadrunners prevented them from adding an insurance run.

Ty Jacobs came in from the shortstop position to save the game and uncharacteristically lost control of the strike zone. He walked the first two batters he faced and hit the third batter. With the bases loaded, he walked in the tying run.

A sacrifice fly gave Nebraska- Ke-

arney a 9-8 lead. Jacobs rebounded nicely, minimized the damage, and struck out the next two batters.

The ninth inning provided little hope for the Roadrunners as Lopers closer Jake Kresse avoided trouble and closed out the game, giving Kearney the 9-8 win.

“It’s tough, man. When we’re good, we do the right things. When you’re playing quality teams and we don’t get bunts down, we make errors, walking guys, hitting guys.

You can’t beat good teams that way,” Head Coach Tom Carcione said.

Game Two—”The Blowout” The deflated Roadrunners fell behind early in the nightcap of the double header and never recovered, losing 13-5.

The good news was that senior starting pitcher Jake Draeger resumed his spot on the mound after missing the last two weeks with a lingering groin injury.

Draeger lasted only two and onethird innings, giving up six runs, but only two were earned. The game was gradually getting out of reach and Carcione decided to pull him.

“We fell behind early in the game

The first game April 17 saw Metro reach a new season high in runs and hits. Krueger provided a spark to the lineup at the top of the order, getting four hits in five plate appearances and driving in three runs while scoring three runs of his own.

Kaplan also gave Metro an outstanding performance on offense by getting three hits and driving in two runs.

Senior pitcher Corey Collins maintained control of the strike zone for most of the game and took the win to push his record to 4-2. He struck out six batters and allowed only four earned runs in seven innings.

“Collins stepped it up and did a good job. They are a tough team,” said fellow starting pitcher Bradshaw Perry.

Game Four—”The Blowout: Part 2” The final game of the series saw starter Zach Cleveland turn in a beautiful performance, but it was squandered by the bullpen.

Cleveland pitched five innings and struck out seven batters, giving up only two runs. The tired bullpen gave up eight runs in two innings.

Offense was nonexistent and only posted two unearned runs in the game.

But the glass is still believed to be half full in the eyes of Fox, after dropping three of four to the conference leaders.

“It’s frustrating, but that is the name of the game. It definitely hurt a little bit, it stung and we were upset about it. But I think it was good as well, because last weekend we swept (New Mexico) Highlands and showed ourselves what we can do, and this last weekend we showed ourselves what can happen if we don’t keep executing,” Fox said.

Metro will look for revenge against Mesa State April 21 at Auraria Field after being swept at Mesa earlier in the year.

SIDELINE This Week

4.21 Baseball

3 p.m. vs Mesa State

4.22 Baseball

12 p.m. vs Mesa State (doubleheader)

Softball

12 p.m. vs Regis (DH)

Men and Women’s Tennis TBA RMAC Championships @ Gates Tennis Center

4.23 Softball

11 a.m. vs Regis (DH)

Baseball

12 p.m. vs Mesa State

Men and Women’s Tennis TBA RMAC Championships @ Gates Tennis Center

Football Games Canceled Metro’s club football team has decided to cancel all but one of the four scheduled spring games. Team President Ted Reynolds said the reason was “The financials did not get worked out in time.”

The team plans to play their spring game at 6 p.m. April 30 at Hinkley Stadium in Aurora.

Metro students get in free to the game.

They said it: “We have a small team but when we come out here, we work hard and we support each other.”

SENIOR DISTANCE RUNNER BRANDON JOHNSON ON METRO’S TEAM CHEMISTRY • 17

FYI: It is a general consensus worldwide that the top of the strikezone in softball is at the sternum.

THE METROPOLITAN • APRIL 21, 2011 • 17

Track stars set new records Metro participates in five competitions in two states over three days

By Ben Bruskin bbruskin@mscd.edu

Metro senior pitcher Caitlin Jenks warms up for practice April 19, at Auraria Field. Jenks, in her first start as pitcher during the second game of a doubleheader April 17 against Mesa State, threw all seven innings, allowing just one home run.

Photo by Carla Ferriera • cferreir@mscd.edu

Metro picks up sixth split Softball strikes back in final game against Mavs, thanks to Jenks’ gem

By Daniel Laverty dlaverty@mscd.edu Metro has only one softball team, but seems to have two different offenses as of late.

The Roadrunners split a four-game set, their sixth of the season, against the Mesa State Mavericks in Grand Junction April 16 and 17.

The Runners, capable of putting up huge offensive numbers, looked unstoppable at certain points and immobile at others.

“It was definitely two different teams at the plate [this weekend],” Head Coach Vanessa Becerra said.

Game One The Roadrunners scored two runs in the first and second innings and sophomore first baseman Aubree Maul added a solo shot in the third to give Metro an early 5-0 lead.

Senior pitcher Julia Diehl was masterful in the early frames, throwing three perfect innings.

Mesa State got on the board in the fourth inning with an RBI single to make the score 5-1.

The Mavericks would hit a three-run homer with nobody out in the sixth, but Diehl retired the next six hitters and held on to a 5-4 victory.

Even with the win, Metro’s inconsistencies at the plate continued. After the third inning, the Runners only managed two singles to close out the game.

Game Two Metro got an early 1-0 lead in the first inning after senior catcher Lauren Hainlen drove in senior shortstop Amber Roundtree with a single. But it was all Mesa State after

that.

Maul was given the start for game two.

After a quick 1-2-3 first inning for Maul, the Mavericks’ offense ignited for seven total runs in the second and third innings.

Senior pitcher Caitlin Jenks was called in for relief. Jenks gave up two runs, including a walk-off homer in the bottom of the fifth to Mavericks catcher Megan Smith. The Mavericks mercy-ruled the Runners, 9-1.

“I believe we are one of the top hitting teams in the conference, but (our) bats are not showing it,” Becerra said.

Metro only had three hits in the game.

Game Three The Roadrunners again squeaked out only three hits, all singles, in the game and were shut out for the third time this season.

Diehl did her best, allowing only three runs on five hits, but the offense couldn’t come through with a clutch hit.

The Runners’ best scoring chance was squandered when junior Kasey Nichols popped out with the bases loaded, ending the third inning.

Mesa State pitcher Sara Jordan finished her shutout performance by retiring nine Metro batters in a row. The Runners lost 3-0.

“I told my team, ‘When our pitchers are keeping us in the game, the bats need to step it up,’” Becerra said.

Game Four Coach Becerra gave the start to Caitlin Jenks in the series finale. The Runners needed a huge game to leave Grand Junction with a split. Jenks was dominant, holding the Mavericks to just two runs on six hits.

“All my pitches were working,” Jenks said.

“It was really on [catcher] Lauren [Hainlen] calling behind the plate.”

Then the bats finally came alive for the Roadrunners. Freshman designated player

Kelsey Tillery blasted a two-out, three-run triple in the second inning and Roundtree hit a solo shot in the third to give Metro a 4-0 lead.

With the bases loaded in the fifth, senior outfielder Jennessa Tesone hit a bases-clearing double and Metro held on to win 8-2.

In a complete game effort, Jenks struck out three and allowed only one walk. She was brilliant, as Maverick hitters were out in front and popping up her off-speed pitches.

“She pitched a great game,” Roundtree said. “It was awesome to play behind her.”

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference playoff picture is starting to take form. TheColorado School of Mines Orediggers clinched hosting the RMAC tournament. However, the Roadrunners still have an oppurtunity to win their third straight RMAC regular season title.

Metro will host Regis University for four games April 22 and 23. Fans will be asked to give a $2 charity donation for admission to help “Strike-Out Cancer” April 22, with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

Metro State’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes encourages fans attending the games April 23 to bring non-perishable food items to donate and help feed Denver’s homeless.

RMAC Softball Standings RMAC Softball 1. Colorado Mines 23 -8 Standings 21-10 2. Metro State 3.School Regis RMAC18-12 Record 1.

Colorado Mines 23-8 4. Mesa State 17-13 2. Metro State 21-10 5.3. Western N.M. 16-14 Regis 18-12 6.4. Adams State 17-15 Mesa State 17-13 Western N.M. 16-14 7.5. CSU-Pueblo 16-16 6. Adams State 17-15 8.7. Chadron State 15-17 CSU-Pueblo 16-16 9.8. UCCS 14-17 Chadron State 15-17 9. UCCS 10.

Nebraska-Kear ney 14-17 12-17 10. Nebraska-Kearney 12-17 11.

Fort Lewis 10-28 11. Fort Lewis 10-28 12.

N.M. Highlands 5-27 12. N.M. Highlands 5-27

Three Metro track and field athletes broke school records and two of the athletes reached provisional qualifying times for nationals this past weekend at the Mt. San Antonio College relays in Walnut, Calif.

Senior Brandon Johnson broke the school record in the five-kilometer race with a time of 14 minutes and eight seconds, which was also good enough for a provisional qualifying time in that event.

Junior Eiger Erickson broke the school record in the steeplechase twice, shattering the previous mark by 16 seconds April 14 and eight seconds April 16.

Erickson also reached a provisional qualifying time in that event, finishing with a time of 9:11.83.

Junior Carissa Sinda ran a time of 4:41 in the 1,500 meters, demolishing the school record by 12 seconds.

Track and Field Head Coach John Supsic took seven athletes from his team to the yearly affair, where this year the RoadRunners ran wild at sea level.

“Everybody goes there with one goal in mind, and that’s just to run fast,” Supsic said.

“No one is there to win races, everyone just wants to run fast and that’s what makes the meet what it is.”

The Roadrunners used that ‘just run fast’ mentality throughout the weekend, obliterating records at a mind-boggling pace.

“If you’re breaking a record by a second, that’s a lot,” Supsic said. “These guys, to be crushing these records, it’s saying a lot about where the program is right now.”

Johnson, the California native who posted a provisional qualifying time April 9 at the CU invitational in the 1,500 meters, was thrilled to be running on the coast again.

“It was pretty fun,” Johnson said. “That’s what distance runners really train for, to be up here at altitude, and be able to go down to sea level and be able to run as fast as we do.”

After the weekend, Metro now has two athletes having ran provisional qualifing times for three different events at nationals.

Supsic said he also believes a few more athletes have a chance to reach provisional qualifying times in their respective events.

He believes the athletes to watch are Sinda and Nate Newland in the 1,500 meters and Xenia Flores and Julia Hernandez in the 5k.

With six meets left in the season, the team will continue to lean on each other as they try to accomplish even more during this recordbreaking year.

“We have a small team, but when we come out here, we work hard and we support each other,” Johnson said. “We all come out here with the common goal to work hard and accomplish big things.”

CROSSWORD

IMEOUT

18 4.21.2011 THE METROPOLITAN

BEST OF ONLINE Texts from last night

Across 1- Explosion 6- Floor coverings 10- Bundle 14- Unit of volume 15- Adjoin 16- Impersonator 17- Hackneyed 18- Indonesian holiday resort 19- OPEC member 20- Monetary unit of Thailand 22- Weariless 24- Tic ___ Dough 26- Commendation 27- Secretly 31- “___ had it!”

32- Continental identity of a Chinese person 33- Flat surface 36- Delivery room docs 39- Basic unit of heredity

40- French market town 41- Foot covering 42- Form of poem, often used to praise something 43- Cavalry weapon 44- Sleep disorder 45- Involuntary muscular contraction 46- Structure of an artistic work 48- Throughout this document 51- Gal of song 52- Railroad sleeping car 54- Scholar 59- Jason’s ship 60- Bound 62- Choreographer Alvin 63- Cease 64- Pituitary hormone 65- Move stealthily 66- Coop group

67- Interpret 68- Flavor Down 1- Diner orders 2- Currency of Turkey, and formerly of Italy 3- Arguing 4- Bristle 5- Capital of New Jersey 6- Fairy queen 7- Blind as ___ 8- Bell-shaped flower 9- Rousing 10- Magistrate 11- ___-ski 12- Buy alternative 13- Sea eagles 21- Beetle juice?

23- Icicle site 25- Fatted fowl 27- Starch used in puddings 28- Not new 29- Common hop

30- Actress Charlotte 34- Director Jean-___ Godard 35- Neighborhoods 36- Horrors!

37- Joburg settler 38- Thin stratum 40- Rod-shaped 41- Lotion letters 43- Legal claim 44- In any case 45- Soldiers 47- Dr. Dre’s genre 48- Poker Flat chronicler 49- Incite 50- Bridget Fonda, to Jane 52- Cleanse 53- Cheerio!

55- Actress Merrill 56- Some are pale 57- Tidy, without fault 58- Little one 61- High degree

WEEK PREVIEW Thursday/ 4.21

Denim Day Denim Day has been observed since 1999 in protest of an Italian High Court ruling that overturned a rape conviction because the victim’s tight jeans invited her assailant. Wear denim on this day to support the cause.

Friday/ 4.22

Free Day at The Botanic Gardens 1007 York St. Enjoy a free day with the plants.

Saturday/ 4.23

SUDOKU

Great Cloth Diaper Change Denver Guinness World Record Event 10 a.m.

Eco Politan Cloth Diaper Store 437 S. Wadsworth Blvd.

Be Part of the Change! eco-POLITAN Cloth Diaper Store in Denver wass selected as the official host for The Great Cloth Diaper Change - Denver.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change started as an idea by Judy Aagard, owner of Tiny Tots cloth diaper store in California, and has evolved into an international effort to promote cloth diapering as the only eco-responsible and fiscally-responsible choice in modern times.

Free

The bouncer watched the girl drop her ID, saw me pick it up and say OMG SHE LOOKS LIKE ME, and then let me use it to get into the bar.

We found her naked passed out on the bathroom floor. She didn’t even make it to the shower. She was clutching the bathroom rug.

Tried to bribe the bartender with wedding cake. Felt bad for not giving her a tip.

I can’t believe all the places I got into shoeless last night.

Apparently no one will say no to a girl covered in paint with a ripped shirt My dad just asked me if my booty call guy that comes over at 3am and leaves at 6 would like to stay for sunday brunch next week. you in?

Quit making up holidays to get me to go drinking with you.

He quoted the bible to break up with me.

My life is average Today, I had a fortune cookie. It said “Remember, no matter how hard you try, there will always be a million people better then you”. It was my birthday. MLIA. Today, I learned that the guy who does the voice of Optimus Prime also does the voice of Eeyore. My mind just exploded. MLIA. Today at lunch my boyfriend kept stealing my food. I taught him to roar everytime he wanted me to feed him so I could feel like I have a pet dinosaur. I don’t mind so much anymore. MLIA. Today I thought I had a ninja following me around, why? Because throughout the entire day I could faintly hear the song “Everybody was Kungfu Fighting”... I later realized that I had my headphones hanging on my shoulders with the song on repeat.

Good cover Ninja, good cover. MLIA.

Note: Best of Online entries are not edited.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK Sunday/ 4.24

Free Day at Denver Art Museum 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway Enjoy free art all day long, a Colorado ID may be required.

Monday/ 4.25

Exploring Economic Freedom Lecture Series: Do we need Government 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Tivoli 325 Join Dr. Edward Stringham as he talks about private law and private enforcement.

Free

Tuesday/ 4.26

Junior Recital: Ben Turjillo 4:30 p.m King Center Recital Hall Come and listen to Ben Trujillo play his guitar.

Free

Wednesday/ 4.27

Open Mic Night 6-9 p.m.

Tivoli Boiler Lounge Bring your talent and you could earn a chance to perform at the Student Activities Gig Series event.

Free

Lt. Dan Choi makes his way out of a crowd after being snubbed for a handshake by Pastor Tom Short during a debate between Atheists and Christians by the Auraria Library April 18. Choi joined the discussion after speaking at the Queen Symposium earlier in the day. Photo by Ryan Borthick • rborthic@mscd.

edu