Volume 34, Issue 17 - Jan. 12, 2012

January 12, 2012

Volume 34, Issue 17

Serving the Auraria Campus for 33 Years

www.metnews.org

TheMetropolitan

A shot at a new semester

MetNews Metro combat vet dicusses anti-war activism 3

InSight SGA President’s message to student body 5

MetroSpective Don’t go crazy, go to the movies 6

AudioFiles Summit punkrocks its way into the New Year 7

MetSports Men’s and women’s basketball no longer perfect 8 Metro freshman guard Jenessa Burke shoots over Colorado Mines forward Taylor McBain in Golden Jan. 6. The Roadrunners won 63-51. Burke was also named RMAC Offensive Player of the Week Jan. 2. Photo by Matt Hollinshead • mhollin5@mscd.edu

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TheMetropolitan MetNews January 12, 2012

MetNews

3

Metro staff member fighting for troops Jessica Wacker jwacker1@mscd.edu

The official end of the Iraq war brought closure for many, but the mission for combat veteran Kelly Dougherty is far from over.

Dougherty served as a medic and military policewoman with the Colorado Army National Guard in the Balkans and Iraq. She currently works as a Communication Arts and Sciences administrative assistant for Metro State.

Dougherty was deployed to Iraq in 2003 where she spent 10 months as a military policewoman helping guard supply convoys.

Upon her return, she co-founded Iraq Veterans Against the War. Dougherty was opposed to the Iraq invasion before her deployment, but had not been involved in opposing the war politically.

“I didn’t believe the reasons [regarding] weapons of mass destruction. I didn’t trust the Bush administration to tell the truth,” Dougherty said. “I was never of the mind set that we should invade Iraq, but at the same time I felt obligated [to go].”

Dougherty explained that the events she witnessed during her deployment, including the de-humanization of the Iraqi people and the use of combat forces to help indepen-

Sgt. Kelly Dougherty poses with the son of an Iraqi police officer in southern Iraq during her deployment. Photo courtesy of Kelly Dougherty.

dent contractors such as Halliburton turn a profit, motivated her to become involved in opposing the war.

The mission of IVAW is to end the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, make

available full benefits and health care for returning veterans, and give reparations and compensation to the Iraqi people.

“It wasn’t right that I had been so on the sidelines while I was in the military and

then had this deployment happened to me and I was taken off guard by it,” Dougherty said.

In Aug. 2004, she networked with five other Iraq veterans at the annual convention of Veterans for Peace. While there, they announced the formation of IVAW. Dougherty served as the Executive Director of IVAW for 2.5 years, starting Dec. 2006.

“That was the first time we had gotten enough funding to hire someone on full time as the executive director,” she said.

Afterword, Dougherty “unplugged” and lived on a sailboat in Mexico for six months with her husband as a way to decompress.

Still, her mindset and experience with activism followed her to the sea.

“It seems that whenever I’m thinking that I want to take a break from it, I look at the work that still needs to be done, and I look at the work that other people are doing…and that reinvigorates me,” said Dougherty.

She is currently helping to build the Denver chapter of IVAW and is also involved with the IVAW Operation Recovery campaign, which advocates troops not be forced to redeploy if they have suffered physical or mental trauma.

College students drowning in debt Christin Mitchell cmitch39@mscd.edu Americans reached the $1 trillion mark in student loan debts in 2011, which is why many have chosen to join the Occupy movement. They’re asking for a bail-out on a degree that can’t help them land a job.

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, a survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education to determine how students pay for college, said 67 percent of the 2008 graduating college students had loans. The survey also showed that the average graduate had accumulated about $23,000 of debt, a 24 percent increase from $18,650 in 2004.

Roni Holt, a 2008 Metro graduate, was unable to cover her tuition and book expenses. She took out five loans to cover those costs and now makes monthly payments on $35,000 worth of student loans.

“I lived paycheck-to-paycheck and didn’t have enough money to pay for my school out of pocket,” Holt said.

Students graduating with $24,000 in student loan debt will pay $277.12 per month for the next ten years to pay off their loan.

On a beginner’s salary, $277.12 is a big chunk of money to pay each month, especially with living expenses. The U.S. Department of Education reports that 14 percent of students

with loans default within three years of their first payment.

Colorado is ranked 48th in the nation in higher education funding per resident student. This year, Metro received $44 million in state funds and federal stimulus money.

Next year, it will only receive $36.9 million.

Many blame Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) for the decline in higher education funding. TABOR limits the growth of state and local revenue, and any extra money the state makes is given back to taxpayers.

TABOR (approved in 1992, before being suspended in 2005) pits programs against one another — making some issues take a backseat to others. Under the bill, higher education funding has declined by 31 percent according to The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

According to Education News Colorado, Metro raised its tuition and fees by 18.1 percent this year. Next year tuition will rise another 13 percent and by 9 percent each year after until 2016. In 2011, for 15 credit hours, resident students paid $3,106.80 for tuition. During the 2015-2016 school year, students will pay $5,501.18. This $2,000 hike for in-state students will impact non-resident students who pay four times more.

“Our tuition is rising, but it is rising as other colleges’ tuitions are rising,” Metro Associate Director of Financial Aid Loans

Mark Hultgren said. “Metro still has the most cost-effective education.”

Hultgren said during the 2010-2011 year, Metro processed 12,000 loans. He estimates 60 percent of Metro’s student population use loans. Metro has limits on how much a student can borrow based on whether they are a dependent or independent, and if the loan is for a term or a year “Money is awarded based on your [classification],” Hultgren said. “The lifetime limit for a dependent student is $31,000 and for an independent student $57,000. Unfortunately, we do have some students who use the maximum amount of their loan.”

As college becomes more expensive, Metro expects more students to choose its cheaper education. With tuition increases, Metro plans to make students aware of financial aid choices and hopes to form a program to help students manage their debt before they graduate.

“What we are trying to do — but resources are slim — is to start a financial literacy team,” Hultgren said. “This team is an information team that would make presentations about financial aid choices. We are also trying to get finance professors to teach courses on budgeting and paying off student loan debts.”

MetOnline For the complete story and Metro’s resolution to the student loan crisis, visit metnews.org

Outside Tivoli, Metro junior Luisa Zamora fills out paper work for the Compact Core Service Program.

The program awards students grants for volunteer work. Zamora volunteers with the Colorado Anti-Violence Program. Photo by Jessica Wacker • jwacker1@mscd.edu

5

InSight TheMetropolitan

Journalism Lite: tastes better, or just less filling?

It seems as though Q&A — that’s question and answer — pieces are everywhere.

They’re light, bright, fluff y, puff y and perfect for folks with the attention span of a gnat, or a lot of today’s readers. And that’s assuming they read anything at all.

Since Q&As are often so vapid, they’re perfect for interviews with celebrities — or celebrity wannabes — who seldom have much to say anyway. So all you have to do is match a celeb (or wannabe) with a vapid interviewer whose heaviest reading is gossip blogs, and you’ve got a marriage made in lightweight heaven.

Call it Journalism Lite. Q&As are to journalism what McDonald’s is to food. So maybe McStory is more apropos — even lighter and more soufflé-fluff y than the nuggets and news-oids served up for years — with a straight face by a McPaper that will go nameless.

At a time when nearly everybody’s doing it, we thought we’d try our hand at this art form of our time that says a lot about our time. We have a hypothetical reporter nibbling for nuggets with a celeb or a wannabe. Who the celeb is doesn’t really matter because they’re pretty interchangeable. They might even be among those luminaries who are famous for being famous. Either way, being a celeb — or having people believe they are — means that what they say carries weight. If only they had something to say.

This interview in lightweight land could be for print or TV. Like the celebs and interviewers, they’re getting pretty interchangeable, too.

Interviewer (hence, IR): Thanks for taking the time to hang with us.

Interviewee (hence, IE): My pleasure.

So thank you, Brad (or Chip or Jason or Jessica…the names have become pretty interchangeable, also)

IR: Awesome. So I’m going to ask you some questions and…

IE: Wait. Do my answers have to show that I’ve given any thought to the question?

IR: Not at all. No thinking goes into the questions, so the simpler the answers, the better.

IE: Why so simple?

IR: Well, we don’t want to confuse anybody and to tell the truth, I’m not the brightest bulb on the scoreboard myself.

IE: Awesome. I like you already. So …no big words or anything that sounds like, you know ... deep thoughts, right?

IR: Exactly.

IE: But why this way and not a straight interview? Won’t some people think their intelligence is being insulted?

IR: The thing is, we don’t do intelligence.

And a straight interview means I’d have to sound like I know what I’m talking about.

Doing regular stories is hard work, too, and we try to avoid that. Our focus groups also tell us that lots of people don’t want too much that makes them think. So we only talk to celebrities — that usually means a nothink zone — and names you might know because they were on TV last night.

So, how do you like Denver?

IE: I like this part of town. What’s it called? Lowdowntown? If L.A. had something like this, it’d be awesome. I mean, some of these buildings look like they’re… what? …forty, fift y years old?

IR: It’s called LoDo, and some of the restaurants and bars are in buildings more than 100 years old. But my job is to look good, not know much about history. By the way, what do you think of this bar?

IE: It’s all right. But the waiters aren’t very snotty and Mojitos only cost $15, so how good can it be?

IR: Wasn’t there talk of you buying a condo in Cherry Creek?

Being a student at Metro State is no small matter. We are proud of where we are and where we will be going, making our Roadrunner family roots strong. Like in any family, a new year always brings new beginnings. At this time, I want to let you know that through all the changes at Metro, the Student Government is always here to make our school a better place for you.

Often, people don’t know what the Student Government does, while some think we exist to fund their student groups or programs. The Student Government is here to represent the best interest of all students, to make sure you are having a successful experience as a student of Metro and to advocate for progress in multiple areas of the school. During difficult times for the state in funding higher education, we are working

to make sure the state legislature knows how important your education and their funding really are.

In the U.S., Metro State is currently the least funded non-research higher education institution serving more than 15,000 students. That is not a fact to wave a stick at.

If the federal government doesn’t find it necessary to fund Pell Grants, then it is important that the state of Colorado realizes how important your education is to our community and economy. You are our future, and I think it is important that not only does the SGA represent your needs, but that you help us serve you.

Throughout the spring semester, I will continue to work on great opportunities for us to get involved in making sure that Metro State is still an affordable and exceptional school where we can all start our next journey. Metro State has consistently been the most affordable four year college in Colorado and we need to make sure it stays that

January 12, 2012

MetStaff Editor-in-Chief Megan Mitchell: mmitch46@mscd.edu Managing Editor Daniel Laverty: dlaverty@mscd.edu News Editor Jessica Wacker: jwacker1@mscd.edu Assistant News Editor

Brad Roudebush: wroudebu@mscd.edu

MetroSpective Editor Nathalia Velez: nvelez@mscd.edu

J. SEBASTIAN SINISI sinisi2@msn.com IE: Oh, that was years ago.

IR: Any pets?

IE: What’s that got to do with anything?

IR: Nothing. I’m just winging it and asking whatever comes to mind. And that reminds me: if you could be a tree or an animal, what kind would you like to be?

IE: Beats me. You know, answering dumb-sounding questions may make me sound like, you know, like I’m not too bright.

IR: Not at all. You’re doing a great job so far. Say, if they made a movie of your life, who would play you?

IE: I’ll have to get back to you on that.

IR: Here’s one on the script that I almost forgot: if you could change the world, what would you do?

IE: Wow, that’s a tough one. Never gave it much thought. Actually, I don’t do much thinking at all. So I’ll have to get back to you on that, too.

IR: (Looking at his watch) Looks like we’re out of time.

IE: Already? We’ve been here less than ten minutes.

IR: Today, five minutes is a depth interview and ten is an epic. So we’re done. I can’t thank you enough for this fascinating interview. Hope your fans learn as much from it as I did. Hey, it’s been real. Let’s keep in touch. Ciao!

Student Op-Ed: Better serving you Jesse Altum Metro SGA President jaltum@mscd.edu

InSight

way for years to come.

I am proud of being a Metro State Student and I want Denver to know how great all 24,000 of us students really are. As Metro students, we progress in our professions and build our communities. We want to make sure that through the next semester you make the SGA a part of your community. The Runner’s program is always a great ways to get involved with Metro and the SGA Coming to Our Spirit Thursday’s celebrations in the Tivoli every Thursday this semester.

I am dedicated to making Metro State a great place for you to recieve your education and will continue to innovate academic and non-academic opportunities for you. I want to make sure SGA stays focused on what is important to you. Because of your involvement and our dedication to representing you at the SGA, I am able to better serve you.

Good luck this semester.

Assistant MetroSpective Editor Steve Musal: smusal@mscd.edu AudioFiles Editor Wesley Reyna: wreyna1@mscd.edu Assistant AudioFiles Editor Ian Gassman: igassman@mscd.edu Sports Editor Ben Bruskin: bbruskin@mscd.edu Assistant Sports Editor Matt Hollinshead: mhollin5@mscd.edu Copy Editors J. Sebastian Sinisi Luke Powell

Kate Rigot

Photo Editor Steve Anderson: sande104@mscd.edu Assistant Photo Editors Brian McGinn Ryan Borthick Adviser Gary Massaro: gmassaro@mscd.edu Webmaster Drew Jaynes: ajaynes1@mscd.edu Director of Student Media Steve Haigh: shaigh@mscd.edu Assistant Director of Student Media Marlena Hartz: mhartz@mscd.edu Administrative Assistant of Student Media Elizabeth Norberg: enorbert@mscd.edu Production Manager of Student Media Kathleen Jewby: kjewby@mscd.edu The Metropolitan accepts submissions in the form of topicdriven 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 600 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.

6 January 12, 2012 MetroSpective TheMetropolitan

MetroSpective

Starting a student org? Here’s how

Steve Musal smusal@mscd.edu

It isn’t too late to start a student organization for this school year, and it isn’t too early to plan for next year either. Though the process may seem daunting, all you need is a few of your fellow students, a faculty adviser and a little of your time to get going.

According to Melanie Hughes, Metro junior and student organization coordinator with the Office of Student Activities, the first thing anyone interested in a student organization should do is register with OrgSync at http://metro.orgsync.com. Once that’s done, students can browse a list of existing clubs and join them if one already suits their needs.

“We have more than 150 organizations right now, from academic clubs to frats and sororities, religious clubs, anything,” Hughes said.

Students can also start their own club.

In addition to the OrgSync account, new clubs need four officers — a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer — who

must all be Metro Students enrolled in three or more credit hours, with a 2.0 grade point average or better. They cannot be incoming freshmen or transfer students.

The president and treasurer must attend an officer training session through the Office of Student Media. Two are offered each week, and the times vary to provide the least possible conflict with student classes; an up-to-date schedule can be found on Metro’s OrgSync calendar.

“In the unlikely event that an officer can’t make any of our sessions, we can set up a one-on-one,” Hughes said. “We’re very flexible. The important thing is, we’re here for students.”

At these sessions, officers receive a student organization handbook, explaining the sometimes-confusing details of how to run a club. Many of these details are also explained at the training session.

Additionally, a club will need a faculty or staff adviser, who must be considered full-time by Metro.

“I always advise students to go to their department chair, either to serve as an adviser or to recommend an interested

professor,” Hughes said. “Even if it’s not an academic club, some teachers might be interested in a break from academics.”

The adviser, Hughes said, is there for extra support and occasionally to sign off on purchases with student org money.

“This is student-run, not run by advisers,” Hughes cautions, “but faculty advisers can be as involved as they’d like. I encourage students to invite their advisers to meetings and events, and to keep them in the loop, without letting them overrun their organization.”

Training for advisers is available at the once-a-year Officer Forum, or in one-onone meetings at the Office of Student Activities.

After tracking down four officers and a faculty adviser, new clubs fill out a registration form with their information, including a constitution for their organization.

“I do recommend student orgs get their officers first, go to training and then submit registration,” Hughes said. “That way their form doesn’t sit on the ‘pending’ file but is acted on right away.”

More information New Club Step-by-Step

1. Create an OrgSync account.

2. Find four officers.

3. Send president and secretary to officer training session.

4. Find a faculty adviser.

5. Submit registration form.

OrgSync

Found at http://metro.orgsync. com. Training on OrgSync is available through the Office of Student Activities; ask for Jeremy Priest.

Clubs in summer

Clubs formed over the summer rely on fall registration for officer eligibility.

Why student orgs?

• Access to Co-Curricular Funding Committee money • Ability to reserve rooms on campus

Relax: 3 films to keep you sane this spring The Avengers

Nathalia Vélez nvelez@mscd.edu The beginning of the semester comes with anxiety and that unshakeable sense of impending doom. After a long day of school, work, and writing a five-page paper, some may feel tempted to slip into some sweatpants and watch “Jersey Shore.”

Instead, you could kill a couple hours at the movies and spare your tired neurons. Here are three films, to be released during the course of the semester, to help relieve the stress without lowering your IQ.

The Secret World of Arrietty Directors: Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Gary Rydstrom Release date: Feb. 17

Based on the book “The Borrowers” by Mary Norton, this story of 4-inch people who “borrow” things from humans has been told many times, but has once again been reinvented. The Clock family lives beneath the floor boards of a human home, and they steal small things like cubes of sugar. Although they try to stay out of sight, their daughter Arrietty is discovered by a young boy. The unmistakable touch of Hayao Miyazaki, creator of “Spirited Away” and “Princess Mononoke,” makes the magical tale appealing to film lovers of any age.

But what the 10-year-old audience won’t be able to appreciate is the sense of nostalgia a film like this can bring — nostalgia for a time when you could lay in the grass and shamelessly daydream about becoming friends with a tiny person who lives under your floor.

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Director: Joss Whedon Release date: May 4 All the classic Marvel heroes have made it to the silver screen — some more successfully than others—and now it’s time for them to assemble for our entertainment. The film snob in you might discard this as Hollywood trash, but the comic-book-geek in you insists you should indulge. Ironman, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye form a superhero supergroup, the Avengers, brought together by Nick Fury to protect the world from Loki, Thor’s deranged step-brother. For all the devoted fans who have been to the midnight premiers of every Marvel film, this is Nerdvana.

Miss Bala

Image courtesy of Marvel Studios

Director: Gerardo Naranjo Release date: Jan. 20 (Denver) International films don’t typically draw floods of viewers to movie theaters in the U.S., but every now and then there is that foreign film that receives so much praise from critics, it eventually arrives at American screens. This Mexican film, originally released in 2011, seems to be one of those rare specimens.

“Miss Bala,” meaning “Miss Bullet,” tells the story of a young woman who becomes a beauty pageant queen to make a better life for herself. She becomes entangled with an organized crime unit, and her pageants take a turn toward the illegal.

The film is the director’s reflection on the current situation in Mexico, and can show international audiences a consequence of drug trafficking they had never considered.

Image courtesy of Fox International

TheMetropolitan

January 12, 2012

AudioFiles

PHOTO FLASHBACK

7

Summit Music Hall hosts punk rock New Year’s Eve party Story and photo by Chris “Spike” Todd • ctodd15@mscd.edu their drummer kept the beat along with the upright bassist, who was swinging so hard, it looked like half of the audience thought his bass would break.

Right after Camp Kilroy, Thee S.O.B.s punched their way on stage so fast there didn’t seem to be a set change. This trio featured Hendrix, the same guitarist that danced his way across stage with Camp Kilroy, on guitar and backing vocals. And their wild and exuberant bassist, Taylor St. Dizier, drove his heavy punk lines hard, defining Thee S.O.B.s strong sound. But their lead singer and drummer, Kalon Shellhorn, really got the crowd going. Dancing turned to moshing and, as more people fi lled Summit, the energy intensified.

Third up was the local “Oi!” band, Piss and Vinegar, along with its wild, metalhead guitarist, Aaron “Garth” Simko. Throughout every song, Simko ripped his axe and fi lled in the sound behind the quartet’s energetic second guitarist and lead vocalist, Brandon Allen. This quartet slammed through its material with intensity and quickly carried the audience onward, to the final band (and

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Everybody has his or her own special way of spending New Year’s Eve. Many people enjoy raging house parties with close friends or complete strangers. Others prefer the bar scene. Some will even travel into Denver to see the fireworks or enjoy a wholesome, family-oriented event, only to head back to the ’burbs before the ball drops.

Then there were those of us that sought out a great show.

For me, there is nothing like seeing a punk rock band to top off any evening. And this past New Year’s Eve, to ring in 2012, Summit Music Hall hosted a wild night of punk rock complete with local bands Camp Kilroy, Thee S.O.B.s, Piss and Vinegar and Truckasaurus.

Amongst all the other New Year’s festivities going on, a handful of people still came to Summit and, at 9 p.m., Camp Kilroy kicked off the night with their sweet rockabilly/ska/punk sound.

The quartet’s lovely vocalist, who goes

by Miss Corrine, doubled melodies with guitarist, Mitch Hendrix, who was jumping, spinning and running on stage. Meanwhile,

ay s�her

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the last few strokes of 2011).

Truckasaurus, took the stage at 11:45 p.m. and decided to play three quick songs just to fi ll in the time. Then, with their cell phones in hand, they started to countdown the last 10 seconds of 2011. Then, 2012 finally struck.

Drinks were gulped, cigarettes were smoked and people made annoying, joyful noise. After all the celebration, Truckasaurus proceeded to play for over an hour. In fact, the band played every song they have, as well as several Screeching Weasel covers that they usually perform in their cover band, Weaselsaurus.

By 2 a.m., the venue had cleared out and the partiers were making their way in every direction. Some were trying to hail cabs, while others were avoiding the trip home by mingling in the street. A few were fighting with one another, being arrested or just passing out in the crowded roadway. This show, in turn, offered a fun end to 2011 and a very promising start to 2012.

Aaron “Garth” Simko lifts his guitar toward the heavens just before the ball drops.

8 January 12, 2012

MetSports TheMetropolitan

MetSports

Metro men implode at Colorado Mines Despite losing, men’s basketball has edge in RMAC Story and photo by Matt Hollinshead Great college basketball teams don’t need to rely on winning at home to succeed. This is certainly the case for the Metro men’s basketball team.

Following a dominant 7-0 home stand to start the season, the Roadrunners (13-1, 8-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) had to leave the sweet confines of home, playing five of the next seven games away from the Auraria Event Center.

The first road trip started with a narrow escape at University of Nebraska at Kearney Dec. 9, as the Runners won 73-68 in overtime. The next evening, Metro traveled to Chadron State College (Neb.) and were in another tough fight. Once again, they barely escaped, edging-out the Eagles 66-62.

On Dec. 17, Metro had its hands full at crosstown rival Regis University. Although the Rangers led 43-39 with 16:54 left in regulation, they couldn’t sustain the lead. The Runners fought back and won 78-71.

After a short holiday break, Metro returned to the Auraria Event Center for New Year’s weekend (Dec. 30 and 31). They continued playing aggressively and shot the ball well against Colorado Mesa University and Western State College. They won those

Metro junior guard Demetrius Miller drives toward the basket against Colorado Mesa University at the Auraria Event Center Dec. 30. The Roadrunners beat the Mavericks 93-78.

games 93-78 and 79-64, respectively.

“We played very unselfishly, and a lot of guys contributed,” Metro head coach Derrick Clark said after the game against CMU. Mavericks head coach Jim Heaps took note of what transpired on the court Dec. 30.

“Derrick [Clark] had them ready to go,” Heaps said. “(Metro) guarded well, they were great offensively. I just thought Metro played [an] unbelievable game.”

The top-ranked Roadrunners then traveled to Golden to face 12th-ranked Colorado

School of Mines Jan. 6. They were in for a rude awakening. Tied at 49 in the second half, Metro struggled offensively down the stretch, and Mines started knocking down 3-pointers and scoring in the post.

“It came down to making shots,” Mines head coach Pryor Orser said. “Our preparation really helped us out. If you’re a lazy coach the week before you play Metro, you’re going to get tuned out.”

The loss was Metro’s first of the season.

“Give Mines credit, first and foremost,” Clark said. “We had some defensive breakdowns that led to open shots.”

In the aftermath of the loss at Mines, The Runners fell to fifth in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Top-25 poll.

Although the loss left Metro shaken, the Roadrunners quickly rebounded with a 73-59 win at Colorado Christian University Jan. 7. Freshman center Nicholas Kay led the Runners with 24 points.

“We came out really well,” Kay said. “We started what we wanted to do, followed our game plan well and just crashed the boards hard.”

Metro will travel to Colorado State University at Pueblo Jan. 13 and University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Jan. 14.

Hot Roadrunners cool off in Lakewood

Women’s basketball falls at CCU, second place in RMAC Matt Hollinshead mhollin5@mscd.edu While Metro’s student body spent the holiday break relaxing, the women’s basketball team was busy compiling a 6-1 record in seven conference games, with their only blemish coming against Colorado Christian University.

Metro dropped five spots to No. 7 in the latest Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division II Top-25 poll after the loss.

The Roadrunners are now 12-1 (8-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference).

On Dec. 9-10, they took care of business at University of Nebraska at Kearney (65-51) and Chadron State College (Neb.) (71-43).

Then on Dec. 17, Metro followed those performances with a victory at rival Regis University (70-64).

Upon their return to the Auraria Event Center Dec. 30 and 31, the Runners again came through with wins over Colorado Mesa University (60-49) and Western State College (83-74).

“We had a lot of hard preparation, really came in focused,” senior forward/center Caley Dow said after the win against CMU. Metro then traveled to Golden on Jan. 6 to square off against Colorado School of

Mines. Although the Orediggers matched Metro virtually neck-for-neck on the scoreboard (down 28-27 at halftime), Mines started struggling offensively and committed several turnovers.

“We’ve struggled for 14 games coming out in the second half,” Mines head coach Paula Krueger said. “For whatever reason, our second 20 minutes just isn’t very good. In the second half, we kind of lost some of our defensive principles. (Metro) beat us in the paint.”

Metro consistently fought for rebounds and made shots down the stretch, winning the game 63-51.

Senior point guard Jasmine Cervantes led the Roadrunners with 19 points, and her only assist of the game vaulted her into becoming the Metro women’s basketball program’s alltime leader in assists.

“It was a difficult game,” Cervantes said.

“It started off, from the beginning, a little shaky. But [in the] second half, we finally picked up our intensity.”

The next night, Metro traveled to Colorado Christian University and lost its first game of the season.

With 10 minutes left in regulation and down 48-47, the Cougars went on a 7-0 surge over the next four minutes and stayed poised defensively.

Metro couldn’t cut CCU’s lead to less than three points in the final minutes. The Runners lost 67-59.

Leading Colorado Christian to a dramatic upset over the second-ranked Roadrunners, Cougars sophomore guard Christina Whitelaw scored 25 points to complement her nine rebounds, five assists and four steals. Because of her performance, Whitelaw received offensive and defensive player of the week honors.

“It was a breakthrough game,” Whitelaw said. “We just knew that we didn’t have control over our scoring, but we could get stops. Down the stretch, we just focused on defensive stops because we knew if they didn’t score, we had an opportunity.”

Metro struggled in the later phases of the second half and failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities.

“We just got too tight offensively,” Metro head coach Tanya Haave said. “Everybody wanted to take it upon themselves. We couldn’t get shots, we weren’t working for good shots. I think it just manifested itself.

We just needed to slow down, and we just never could do that.”

The Runners will travel to Colorado State University at Pueblo Jan. 13 and University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Jan. 14.

Metro junior guard Brandi Valencia shoots over Colorado School of Mines freshman guard Taylor Helbig in Golden Jan. 6. Metro won 63-51. Photo

by Rachel Fuenzalida • rfuenzal@mscd.edu

10 January 12, 2012 MetroSpective TheMetropolitan

TimeOut This

Week 1.12

Cash Cab’s Ben Bailey 7 p.m.

Comedy Works South $27

1.13

My Teenage Angst

8 p.m.

The Bar: 554 S. Broadway

Across 1- Basic 6- Cure, in a way 10- “___ and hers” 13- Island off Venezuela 14- Winglike parts 15- Flaw, so to speak 16- Weeping 17- A pitcher may take one 18- Absent 19- Icicle site 20- Attractive 22- Period of the year 24- Mouth stuff 28- Musical composition 31- Hackneyed 32- Try to pick up 34- Neighbor of Leb. 36- Mongol tent 37- Small amount 38- Baby’s ring

41- ___ Grande 42- Corrida cries 44- ___ Aviv 45- Hood-shaped anatomical part 47- Egg-shaped 49- Prescription 51- Comment 53- Fall 56- Unsubstantial 59- Greek island in the Aegean 61- Hindu princess 64- Assns.

65- Young male horses 66- Gator’s cousin 67- Bundle 68- Less than lively 69- Invoice abbr.

70- Dog-powered snow vehicle 71- Horse locks

Down

1- De-intensify 2- Neighborhoods

3- Blandly urbane 4- Side by side 5- Put Down 6- Saltworks 7- Sleep like ___ 8- Whip 9- Quizzes, trials 10- Hesitation 11- 401(k) alternative 12- Eye infection, pig house 15- Ambush 20- Poem of 14 lines 21- Test area 23- Smoke deposit 25- Accustom 26- Miscellany 27- Choir member 29- Name 30- Baseball bat wood 32- Cleave in two 33- Steel girder 35- Belonging to a king 37- Entrance 39- Alway

40- Engrossed 43- Lacking movement 46- Dense white opacity of the cornea 48- Before 50- Brought about 52- Door handles 54- Breakfast fruit 55- ___ Dame 57- Orsk’s river 58- Eyeball 60- Grounded fleet 61- Nipper’s co.

62- Chair part 63- “As if!”

65- Engine part

Texts From Last Night You may genuinely find a use for the siphon. But the bag of human hair is less likely.

It’s like a marriage. For better or worse, till death do us part. I will hold your head over a toilet.

Remember when life was so hard that you had time to write about every waking moment of it in your journal? Megan Nyce does, and she wants you to relive those embarrassingly awesome middle- and high-school memories with her, on stage, in front of strangers.

Free.

1.14

Lafayette Quaker Oat Festival 7:30am - 1:00pm Various Lafayette locations

January is National Oatmeal Month, and now in its sixteenth year, the Lafayette Quaker Oatmeal Festival will serve up a fun-filled day of activities and health. The fare includes pancakes, muffins and a build-your-own oatmeal topping bar.

Free

1.15

“Big Bloooom!” with Nicole Anderson

5:30 p.m.

Art on the Brix - 1299 Washington Avenue Free

1.16

Martin Luther King Jr. Day — No class Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra

7 p.m.

Dazzle Restaurant & Lounge 930 Lincoln Street $10

1.17

Electronic Tuesday and Dj Battle 9 p.m.

Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom 2637 Welton Street Featuring Cloud D with Skrause, Ableedamned, Amagama and Broken Electronics Free

1.18

A Lot Like Birds with Just Like Vinyl

7:30 p.m.

Marquis Theater - 2009 Larimer St $10

My Life Is Average

Today in history: 1.12

Today, I was submitting a story, and the CAPTCHA I had to do said “been there”. I typed in “done that”. It accepted it. MLIA

1773: The first public museum in the U.S. was established in Charleston, S.C.

Today, I decided to tell my family a riddle that goes like this: “When you have it you want to share it, but when you share it you don’t have it. What is it?” The expected answer to the riddle is “a secret”, but my little brother said “Virginity?” I love him a little now.

He told me I was a pleasure to arrest.

That’s the 2nd time I’ve heard that.

Today on DBPB, I read: “Dear Taio Cruz, I throw my wand up in the air sometimes, sayin AYE OH, where’d my nose go? Sincerely, Voldemort.” This person definitely belongs here. MLIA

How many vodka infused gummi bears count as one drink?

Today i colored an entire sidewalk block purple. MLIA

1896: H. L. Smith took the first X-ray photograph. It was a hand with a bullet in it.

1915: The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a proposal to give women the right to vote.

1915: The Rocky Mountain National Park is formed by an act of U.S. Congress.

1967: Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation 1998: Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.