Volume 35, Issue 6 - Sept. 20, 2012

September 20, 2012

Volume 35, Issue 6

www.metnews.org

Serving the Auraria Campus

TheMetropolitan

Roadrunners exterminate Yellow Jackets MetSports Price is right at MSU Denver 12

MetroSpective Anime animates Denver

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MetNews Water festival hosts visiting reptiles

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InSight Romney shoots first 7

Vanessa Gemigiani sets the ball for her teammate Audri Morris in Metro’s home game Sept. 15 against the Yellow Jackets. It has been a strong start for MSU Denver in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, begining at 2-0.

Photo by Christopher Morgan • cmorga37@msudenver.edu

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TheMetropolitan

September 20, 2012

MetNews

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Auraria PD puts bike theft on lock-down Nikki Work nwork@msudenver.edu Auraria Police arrested a man suspected of trying to steal a bicycle Sept. 13 outside the southwest corner of the Science Building.

Detective Sgt. Jason Mollendor said the suspect, whose name was not released, was attempting to cut through a cable bike lock when Auraria Police approached him. Police surrounded the suspect, handcuffed him and then questioned him. The suspect has been charged with attempted theft. “[This incident] is typical of the types of bicycle thefts we regularly see,” Mollendor said. “Theft is undoubtedly the biggest issue facing our campus.”

He also said there have already been 60 bicycle thefts this year, and some of the bicycles can cost between $500 and $2,500.

According to the Denver Police Department’s 2011 Strategic Plan, bike thefts in District 6, which includes Auraria, increased 2.3 percent from 2010 to 2011, and one of the department’s goals was to decrease the volume of these crimes.

“The bicycles are our students’ transportation to and from school,” Mollendor said.

“I think because people feel so safe, they don’t always take the precautions necessary to protect their bicycle.”

To combat theft, Auraria Police recommends students switch traditional cable locks for solid steel locks or U-locks.

“With a pair of wire cutters or bolt cutters the thieves can cut through even the thickest cable locks in 3-5 seconds,” Mollendor said. “I know that sounds quick, and it is. We have watched them do this. It

is important to remember that the bicycle thieves that victimize our community are professionals — this is what they do.”

Chris Little, an MSU Denver junior, rode his bike to campus on Thursday, just after the attempted bike theft. He spoke with the officers that were near the Science Building bike racks about ways to ensure the security of his property.

“I’ll get [a U-lock] tonight,” Little said, after learning how easily cable locks can be destroyed.

More than just changing locks, Auraria Police highly recommend recording the bike’s serial number, as it is nearly impossible to recover a stolen bicycle without it.

According to the city of Denver’s website, cyclists can register their bikes online to make locating them easier in the event of loss or theft. To register your bicycle, visit http://www.denvergov.org/bikeprogram/ BicyclinginDenver/BikeSafety/RegisterYourBike/tabid/442270/Default.aspx.

With the new east/west bike lane on Curtis Street, the first of its kind on campus, biking at Auraria has become more accessible and connected to downtown.

“It is hard to tell if there will be a substantial increase of bikes on campus, but it allows for easier ingress and egress through campus,” Mollendor said. “The effects on bicycle safety on campus are yet to be seen.

There is always a risk when a bicycle lane transects our established pedestrian malls.”

For those using the bike lane, Mollendor said it is vital to follow the posted signage and watch for pedestrians.

“Individuals caught riding their bicycles on the pedestrian malls face City and

County of Denver traffic tickets that cost approximately $70,” Mollendor said. “Bicycles locked up to trees, rails and signs will be impounded by the Auraria Police Department.”

Above: A man was arrested after campus police say he attempted to steal a bike on Sept. 13 near the science building.

Below: The suspect allegedly used these bolt cutters to try to cut through a cable lock on a bicycle when he was apprehended.

Photos by Melanie J. Rice • mrice20@msudenver.edu

Indecent exposure suspect apprehended

Kelli Heitstuman-Tomko ktomko@msudenver.edu

Students who need to report criminal or suspicious behavior to the police can call them at (303) 5565000. The police office is in Tivoli 228.

Police arrested a suspect Sept. 14 in the indecent exposure incidents on campus.

This suspect may also be linked to similar incidents that occurred on campus in April.

The suspect’s name has been withheld due to the ongoing investigation, police said.

Students reported an individual exposing himself in the library Sept. 8.

Reports were called in again on Sept. 10, first in the PE/Event Center, and then half an hour later in the Arts Building. Though police responded quickly, the suspect was able to escape each time.

Auraria police chief John Mackey said that while the on-campus police staff is small, responses are timely.

“Although we have a limiting staff with 25 officers and [three] security officers, our notification system that is utilized by our Auraria Events, Facilities and Parking staff, as well as students and faculty, allows us to quickly search for potential offenders in an efficient manner,” Mackey said.

Lisa Ingarfield, associate director of the Phoenix Center at Auraria said that it is common for indecent exposure to be taken lightly. Such offenses, though, are sexual assaults and can leave victims with feelings of anger, fear and frustration.

“Victims can feel that they’re worrying over nothing,” she said. “They can pretend it didn’t happen. They need to be able to acknowledge that they are victims and talk it out. They don’t have to come to a professional, but they should talk to someone.”

Jacki Feigle, an MSU Denver senior, was not a victim of the crimes but has felt their repercussions. Studying alone on the silent second floor of the library, she felt apprehension at the building’s emptiness.

“I was scared in a place where I once felt safe,” Feigle said.

Ingarfield said that it is important for friends and family not to pressure a victim to “get over it.” Everyone handles violation in their own way, she said.

“People who experience this kind of crime always feel awkward,” Ingarfield said.

“But they need to understand that this kind of criminal eventually commits much more violent crimes.”

Ingarfield’s statement was backed up by Mackey. He advises that students who encounter such offenders should immediately leave the area and call the police.

“We would always consider these types of offenders dangerous,” Mackey said.

Despite the fact that a suspect has been arrested, some students may still feel a sense of unease on campus. Ingarfield said that these feelings could range from nervousness and hyper-vigilance to a fear of coming to classes. She recommends that fearful students come to the Phoenix Center to make a plan about feeling safer on campus.

The Phoenix Center at Auraria is located in Tivoli 227. They can be reached at (303) 556-CALL (2255).

4 September 20, 2012 MetNews TheMetropolitan

Upward Bound receives funds for five years Maalikah Hartley mhartle8@msudenver.edu After 38 years on campus, MSU Denver’s Upward Bound program was in danger of being shut down. On Aug. 9 program directors received word from Sen. Michael Bennett’s office that they would be funded for the next five years.

“I had been meeting with parents during an assessment,” said Pamela Osborne, Assistant Director of MSU Denver’s Upward Bound. “We could hear the screaming and it didn’t sound like bad screaming [laughs]. It sounded like ‘oh my god’ and that was [the call] we had been waiting for. It was a very exciting moment.”

The federal TRiO Upward Bound program is designed to assist low-income and first-generation college-bound high school students to complete high school, then enter and complete a post-secondary education.

Paulette McIntosh, the director of MSU Denver’s Upward Bound spoke on Sept. 14 about the program receiving funding for the next five years.

Photo by Melanie J. Rice • mrice20@msudenver.edu

After the Department of Education had reduced funding for the federal TRiO program to $8 million for the 2011-2012 school year, over 1,500 grant proposals were submitted. Then, more than 300 programs were forced to close their doors while others had to scale back their services. MSU Denver was one of five schools nationwide to come out of a “second funding band” — a gray area where the program administrators did not know if they would be receiving additional funds or not.

“The bad thing is that we’re still level funded. The Department of Education is asking us to serve more students,” Osborne said. “We’re going to be serving 85 students in lieu of serving 73 with less money. We’re going to be a lot more diligent in making sure that we do what we need to do even if the schools aren’t doing what they need to do.”

Another stipulation from the DOE is that MSU Denver’s Upward Bound must now accept the majority of its students from North High School, the lowest achieving school in Denver Public Schools. In the past, any number of students could be chosen from any of five DPS high schools.

Upward Bound will have to cut back on some services, including field trips and retreats to the mountains, but program directors aren’t letting the low funds faze them.

Osborne is on a mission to find outside

funding from organizations that have hosted Upward Bound activities in the past. Both Osborne and program director Paulette McIntosh are reiterating to their students that they are going to be held to a standard level of excellence.

“We have our jobs cut out for us,” said McIntosh. “It’s an opportunity for us to do things differently than we have over the past five years. It’s an opportunity to prove to the department they did not make a mistake refunding this grant. The need is still high here — the students really have a need for this program.”

Kiara Roberts, an MSU Denver senior and Upward Bound alum, was excited to hear about the renewed funding.

“I just thought about all the kids that would be affected,” Roberts said. “I couldn’t tell you how many people I still talk to from this program who are actually doing good.

[Upward Bound] were like parental figures for me. There is not a time I’ve come and didn’t get the help that I needed, even today.”

On Sept. 14, Upward Bound hosted registration for returning high school students in the program. Registration is still open for newcomers until they reach their limit of 85 students. The program opened Sept. 17 with supplemental classes, tutoring, college preparedness courses, and campus internships.

Osborne and McIntosh both got emotional when they had to think back and talk

about the possible closure of their program for their students, but now with additional funding they still hold that MSU Denver’s Upward Bound is the “best kept secret on campus.”

Aaron Vasquez, a senior at Bruce Randolph High School, attended the orientation for the TRiO High School Upward Bound program on Sept. 14.

Photo by Melanie J. Rice • mrice20@msudenver.edu

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Information and awareness flow at Water Festival Kelli Heitstuman-Tomko ktomko@msudenver.edu

The Water Festival on Sept. 13-14 raised awareness about global water safety, and its potential impact on MSU Denver students.

As part of Fall Fest, the festival featured several educational displays to support the new One World, One Water Center for Urban Water Education and Stewardship.

“It’s very important that urban dwellers understand where water comes from and the impact our lifestyle has on water quality and quantity,” said Sandra Haynes, dean of the School of Professional Studies.

The festival was held within sight of Denver artist Rik Sargent’s “One World, One Water” sculpture in front of the Student Success Building. For MSU Denver junior Jackie Brand, though, the location was too tucked away.

“I think water issues are really important,” Brand said, “But why are they hiding it down here? We only found this part of the festival by accident.”

Erika Church, assistant director of the school’s new One World, One Water center, or OWOW, said that the festival was geared to bring attention to the center and to let students know about the OWOW program, as well as internship and career possibilities.

“An anonymous donor granted Metro the money to start the One World, One Water Center,” Church said. “Just this fall we started our first two water study courses, and we’re working on turning it into a water study minor.”

Though both of the water study classes are new, Haynes said that they not only filled, but that a new section had to be opened to accommodate the demand for the Water Essentials course.

“This is an amazing result for the first offering of courses,” she said. OWOW is located in Modular 1, Room 109.

City and government entities such as the Department of Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey, Denver Works and Denver Water had booths at the festival to not only draw attention to issues surrounding Colorado’s water, but also to let students know about possible internships within those departments.

Water 2012, a short-term organization geared toward the celebration of water, offered freebies and the chance to enter a contest by making a 30-second video about a day without water.

“Governor Hickenlooper declared 2012 “The Year of Water,” said Nona Shipman, Water 2012 project coordinator “Water 2012 brings people’s attention to water in a positive light without all the harping about the politics of it.”

The Denver Zoo’s booth drew a lot of attention with a variety of animals from unique salamanders to large snakes. The main focus of the booth, though, was to showcase their new elephant habitat in model form. The Toyota Elephant Passage is sustainable, utilizing everything from treated reclaimed water for pools to dung for energy. The exhibit has earned a platinum credential with the U.S. Green Building

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Stephanie Madison, an MSU Denver student majoring in environmental science and land use and who is part of the One World, One Water program, shoots bubbles at students on Sept. 13 during the campus Fall Fest.

Photo by Melanie J. Rice • mrice20@msudenver.edu

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Lydia Hooper is a communications liaison between Denver Works and Earth Force.

She talked about the safety of Colorado’s drinking water and what might cause the rivers to be polluted.

“People have blamed industry and factories,” she said. “But pollution is closer to home. Pet waste, lawn chemicals and insecticides get washed down storm drains to the rivers, and that water does not get treated,” she said.

Though 96 percent of Colorado’s population does drink clean water, Hooper said, there is room for improvement. Her organization seeks to educate people about that need.

Haynes said that last semester’s successful Water Festival was the first festival of its kind to be held on any college campus. She’s just as happy with the festival this semester.

“I would definitely consider this year’s festival a success,” Haynes said. “Whatever we do to increase awareness of water issues is important.”

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TheMetropolitan

InSight

Mitt Romney: The Incredible Shrinking Candidate Mitt, we hardly knew ye. Even when we thought we did, what you stood for and your views of Americans remained fuzzy. Now, we have a better idea. And it’s not good.

By the measure of most mortals who aren’t overpaid to play in the NFL or NBA, Mitt Romney is a six-foot or so dude who is reasonably “tall.” But he stands a lot less tall right now than he did two weeks ago.

And we’re not even talking about the upagain/down-again polls that now have him trailing Obama by a few percentage points in key swing states — even in polls run by Faux (FOX) News — that remain within marginof-error territory.

Instead, we’re pointing out two major miscues the gaff-prone Romney has let slip in less than a week’s time. Both could cost him heavily among still-undecided voters.

His second set of comments, that came to light on Monday, Sept. 17, came in a video that Romney — speaking behind closed doors to a group of 30 big-bucks donors — didn’t know was being recorded. But it shows what he really thinks of nearly half of Americans.

First things first.

Last week, four Americans — including U.S. ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens — were killed in anti-U.S. demonstrations across the Muslim world from Morocco to Indonesia in response to a stupid, crude and amateurish fi lm, produced by a California “Christian” group and said to insult Islam.

Romney fired a salvo at Obama before thinking; much less getting the facts. It was

Comic by Jorge Perez-Garcia • jperezga@msudenver.edu

J. SEBASTIAN SINISI sinisi2@msn.com hardly the first time. Romney blasted Obama as presiding over a weakened American

“Far be it for us to suggest this demonstrates classic Republican thinking and its disdain for folks who aren’t rich — coming from a candidate who, in an interview earlier this month, defined “middle income” Americans as those earning from $200,000 to $250,000 a year.” position in the world and went so far as to say Obama was “sympathetic” to the mobs that killed the four Americans. Romney’s response came while events were still unfolding in Libya and elsewhere.

Right Wing bloggers and broadcast flame throwers applauded Romney — led by a well-known fat drug addict along with foreign policy experts and deep thinkers, Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann.

Romney’s earlier foreign tour to Britain, Israel and Poland — where he managed to anger most of his hosts, plus Israel’s Arab neighbors — had already demonstrated a degree of foreign-policy cluelessness sufficient to raise serious doubts about his fitness to play commander-in-chief in a complex world.

Replying to what amounted to a charge of treason, Obama jabbed that Romney has a tendency to “shoot first and aim later.”

But embarassed moderate Republicans were less kind to Romney and voiced criticisms whose unspoken subtext was “you’re killing us.”

This week, it got better. Or worse.

Against reports of campaign staff in-fighting, poor communication and a campaign said by critics (on Politico sites) to be spinning out of control, Romney unknowingly revealed elitist, arrogant and

woefully out-of-touch thinking by essentially writing off nearly half the American populace — or at least the 47 percent of voters who supported Obama four years ago.

Obama supporters, said Romney to the group of fat-cat donors, are people who are “dependent upon government, who believe they are victims, who believe they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it …” He went on the say, “My job is not to worry about these people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

Far be it for us to suggest this demonstrates classic Republican thinking and its disdain for folks who aren’t rich — coming from a candidate who, in an interview earlier this month, defined “middle income” Americans as those earning from $200,000 to $250,000 a year.

Sound like anyone you hang out with?

“It’s shocking that a candidate for president of the United States would go behind closed doors and declare to a group of wealthy donors that half the American people view themselves as ‘victims,’ entitled to handouts, and are unwilling to take responsibility for the lives,” said Obama campaign manager Jim Messina. He added: “It’s hard to serve as president for all Americans when you’ve disdainfully written off half the nation.”

Did anyone say “class warfare?”

Early this week, the Romney campaign announced another vague “plan” and shift in emphasis.

To appeal to America’s decimated middle class — by pushing programs that have been shot down again and again by GOP Tea Party zealots in the U.S. House of Representatives — the plan also promised more specifics on foreign policy. Good luck with that one.

For Romney supporters, seeing their candidate shrink before their eyes to a smaller and less-respected figure must be painful.

For all we know, here’s a seemingly decent man — albeit seriously out of touch — who must now play to the Tea Party fringe that’s no longer a fringe, but has highjacked the soul of the Republican Party.

In today’s Party, GOP presidents Ronald Reagan and Dwight Eisenhower would be out of step.

Fat-cat “Super PAC” donors are spending scores of millions to defeat Obama with negative TV ads. Wouldn’t it be a kick in the butt if their own candidate assured that all those millions were poured down a dry hole?

The billionaire Koch brothers — much of whose wealth comes from polluting oil and gas facilities — don’t like dry holes. But they may have to live with one.

September 20, 2012

MetStaff Editor-in-Chief Brian T. McGinn: bmcginn3@msudenver.edu Managing Editor Ian Gassman: igassman@msudenver.edu News Editor Nikki Work: nwork@msudenver.edu Assistant News Editor Maalikah Hartley: mhartle8@msudenver.edu Kelli Heitstuman-Tomko: ktomko@mscdenver. edu MetroSpective Editor Caitlin Sievers: csiever2@msudenver.edu Assistant MetroSpective Editor Kayla Whitney: kwhitne2@msudenver.edu Sports Editor Angelita Foster: amayer1@msudenver.edu Assistant Sports Editor Zilingo Nwuke: znuke@msudenver.edu Copy Editors J. Sebastian Sinisi Megan Mitchell

Luke Powell Kate Rigot

Photo Editor Ryan Borthick: rborthick@msudenver.edu Assistant Photo Editors Chris Morgan: cmorga37@msudenver.edu Mike Fabricius: mfabrici@msudenver.edu Web Editor Steve Anderson: sande104@msudenver.edu Multimedia Editor Derek Broussard: dbrouss2@msudenver.edu Adviser Gary Massaro: gmassaro@msudenver.edu Webmaster Drew Jaynes: ajaynes1@msudenver.edu Director of Student Media Steve Haigh: shaigh@msudenver.edu Assistant Director of Student Media Marlena Hartz: mhartz@msudenver.edu Administrative Assistant of Student Media Elizabeth Norberg: enorbert@msudenver.edu Production Manager of Student Media Kathleen Jewby: kjewby@ msudenver.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 600 words. Letters to the editor must be submitted by 5 p.m. Mondays to be printed in that week’s edition. There is a 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.

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8 September 20, 2012 TheMetropolitan

MetroSpective

Fall Fest offers a range of activities for everyone Nate Hemmert nhemmert@msudenver.edu Rain showers and cloudy skies put a hamper on the first day of Auraria’s Fall Fest.

The second day, however, was full of sunshine and gave Auraria students a chance to enjoy the event’s various sights and sounds.

Fall Fest, which ran Sept. 12—13, was host to many different booths ranging from art and jewelry vendors to a zip line.

At least 150 people took a ride down the zip line outside of the Tivoli, according to Brenna Pritchard of student activities. Judging by the large stack of already filled-out safety waivers, the estimate was accurate.

“What a way to wake up,” said Lauren Droege, a junior at MSU Denver who rode the zip line.

The event was host to more than just vendors, food and a zip line. There was live music from several local groups and a variety of student organizations and academic departments.

Some of the booths were there just for fun and many supplied students with information about their organizations.

For example, the U.S. Army had a football throwing contest, there was an Epic Mountain booth and the Auraria Police had a DUI education booth just to name a few.

One of the booths getting attention from passersby was Pi Lambda Chi Latina Sorority of UCD and MSU Denver, one of only four such organizations, according to the student activities website. The sorority was allowing students to throw a pie in the face of members in order to raise awareness and get their name out.

“We are celebrating our 15th anniversary here on campus,” Monica Garcia, one of the pie recipients, said. “All of our proceeds from today and yesterday go towards that event.”

From left to right Mark Maceda, Loi Nao and Dong Nguyen, all CU Denver students, cruise through the campus Fall Fest on Sept. 13 with their hydro-fuel cell car that they entered in the Shell Eco Marathon for super-mileage vehicles.

Photos by Melanie J. rice • mrice20@msudenver.edu

Nate Larkin played the sax as Dakar performed at the 2012 Fall Fest Sept. 13.

Ben Gallegos, a CCD sophmore majoring in education, talks with Lisa Ingarfield, assistant director of the Phoenix Center at Auraria at the Fall Fest Sept. 13. The Phoenix Center provides support and information for survivors of relationship violence and stalking on campus.

TheMetropolitan

MetroSpective

September 20, 2012

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NDK celebrates 16 years of fan-run fun Kayla Whitney kwhitne2@msudenver.edu A lot more goes into anime conventions than nerds and cartoons.

Many fans pull late nights finishing up their costumes. Others do what they can to scrape up some extra dough to blow in the dealers room. And many are just antsy for another year of anime splendor. But when the weekend hits, there is nothing but nerdy excitement coursing through the veins of eager fans.

Nan Desu Kan is one of the 10 largest anime conventions in the United States and the largest convention in Colorado and the 14 surrounding states.

NDK blessed the Denver Marriot Tech Center Sept. 14-16. The event, a phenomenon in itself, got its start right here on campus.

It began in the Tivoli Student Union as a fan-run event in 1997 with around 200 attendees.

Sixteen years later, NDK hosts tens of thousands of fans and, for the first time this year, the convention hit the attendance cap for Saturday’s events.

In addition to anime, NDK offered a vast arrangement of Japan-centric pop culture.

There were panels, guest speakers, music videos, movies, video games, a cosplay (costume play) contest, a concert and art show.

And for those willing to spend a little extra money, on top of the $50 three-day pass or $30 one-day pass, the dealers room, auction and artists alley offered many souvenir options for attendees.

“The atmosphere is so amazing and meeting new people, finding a new group that I didn’t even know at first, and just meeting new friends are the best parts,” said Christina Kinney from Colorado Springs. “I like seeing the balcony contests and cosplay contest and seeing the creativity in everyone.”

The Marriot has hotel room balconies that overlook its main atrium. NDK held a balcony contest and encouraged fans to decorate their balconies. Some balcony themes included “The Legend of Zelda,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and “Fullmetal Alchemist.”

The decked-out balconies added a creative touch to the atrium, which held the artists alley, an area featuring arts and crafts from several artists for fans to peruse and shop at. Among the booths was Scuttlebutt Inc. where San Francisco artist J.D. Saxon showed off some of her work at NDK’s artists alley.

“Originally I used to do a lot of cosplay, but it is very expensive as a hobby and so, I was like, ‘I also like drawing so, maybe I’ll try doing the artist alley because then I can make some money to support my cosplay habits.’ So I did that for a good six years and in the last two years art has kind of taken over my life,” Saxon said.

Saxon’s most prized piece was her comic book, “Shounen Fight!” which she described as a spin-off of “Sailor Moon” but with magical guys as characters. The comic currently has four full chapters, with the fift h in the works. It is available as an online comic at www.mahoushounenfight.com.

A new attraction at this year’s NDK involved Lolita, which is a Japanese sub-

The East Blue Cosplay group wins an award during a cosplay contest. The group dressed up as characters from “Dantalian no Shoko” (“The Mystic Archives of Dantalian”). From left to right: Lauren Scanlan as Rasiel, Steve Martin as Huey Anthony, Emma Olsen as Flamberge, and Madison “Mei” West as Lady of the Library.

Photo by Ryan Borthick • rborthick@msudenver.edu

culture that plays off fashion from baroque and Victorian-era culture. Women from the Colorado Gothic Lolita Society aimed to educate fans on the Lolita culture.

“The Lolita event was one of my favorites.

I like the pretty outfits and girliness,” said Ambir Kalthoff of Denver. “I’m not a girly girl, but it’s fun to see them.”

Besides supporting Japanese pop culture and its fans, NDK, which is sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Anime Association, does a lot of charity work. Fans were asked to bring in non-perishable foods that the convention donated and each year they choose several organizations to make donations to.

Last year they donated about $24,000 to the Japan Red Cross to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. This year, NDK is making contributions to the American Heart Association and the Aurora Victim Relief Foundation for those affected in the Aurora shooting over the summer.

NDK has grown exponentially since its small beginning in the Tivoli. It’s now a huge, annual event full of activities for nerds of all shapes and sizes that raises thousands of dollars for charity.

Lead singer and guitarist Ray leads Lolita Dark in a set at NDK on Sept. 15 before a cosplay contest.

Photo by Kayla Whitney • kwhitne2@msudenver.edu

10 September 20, 2012 MetroSpective TheMetropolitan

High Tea pours honors on GLBT Allies Collene Lewis clewis66@msudenver.edu

A string quartet with MSU Denver Jr. Kari Clifton (left) playing cello and former MSU Denver student Azarias DeVillier (right) playing the viola performed during High Tea Sept. 17th in the Tivoli.

Photo by Heather Newman • hnewman3@msudenver.edu

MSU Denver is becoming a more inclusive place to learn, thanks to the commitment of LGBTQ allied students, faculty and staff.

The 18th annual High Tea, Sept. 17, awarded eight individuals Ally of the Year for their dedication to equal rights across the Auraria campus.

The Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Student Services at Auraria (GLBTSS) organizes the High Tea every year to publicly honor allies for promoting acceptance and diversity on campus.

Those attending the High Tea were served scones and tea in glass mugs. They were serenaded by a quartet comprised of students and alumni.

Since 1995, The GLBTSS office has never failed to celebrate those who aid LGBTQ people at Auraria. In addition, the GLBTSS office also provides support, education and advocacy services on LGBT equality to the

entire campus.

The services provided through the GLBTSS office and the dedication of allies contributes to making MSU Denver and UCD two of the 100 best campuses for LGBT students, according to the Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students.

Allies expand the definition of acceptance and the High Tea is a way to celebrate the progress that the campus has made in accepting people of all identities, said Steve Willich, director of the GLBTSS office.

“We hold the ceremony to honor the allies to our community, those who work to support the LGBTQ community here on campus through their voice and their actions,” Willich said.

Attendees at the High Tea agreed. Nicholas DeFore, a psychology student, said that it was important to show gratitude toward allies, such as teachers who bring in staff from the GLBTSS office to speak with students on transgender issues. The High Tea was “giving back to those who give,” he said.

Because of this positive impact, the High

Tea is one of the more important events that the GLBTSS office hosts, according to GLBTSS staff member and computer engineering major, Cara Holmes. Not only does it build connections between students, faculty and staff of MSU Denver, but it awards allies for even the seemingly smallest, inclusive actions, such as being receptive to LGBTQ issues.

Holmes has been a part of the office for a long time, and will continue attending events like the High Tea to support the community. As it is an annual event, students, staff and faculty are encouraged to join in the celebration.

“This is our event to say thank you,” Holmes said. “We wouldn’t be anywhere if we didn’t have allies.”

A group of games that require no green

After bills, food, gas and school, money can be tight. Saving on anything is important. Here are a few free games to entertain.

Brent Zeimen bzeimen@msudenver.edu

League of Legends

Tribes

Play on: PC

Play on: Ascend, PC, Steam

“League of Legends” is one of the most popular Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, or MOBA, games out there. The genre started with “Warcraft III” and its expansion, “The Frozen Throne.” Blizzard’s popular strategy game contained a very powerful map editor, allowing people to make entirely new game modes based on the “Warcraft III” game engine which spawned “Defense of the Ancients.” The goal was simple, get into the enemy’s home base and destroy the Ancient, a large building in the center. The mod went through several iterations, ending with the “DOTA-Allstars” versions. Riot games then released “League of Legends,” a game in the same vein as “DOTA-Allstars,” but with a bigger focus on community and casual play. There are also a few other MOBA games that have been released recently or are still in development, including DOTA 2, being made by Valve. “League of Legends” has the best community out of any of the current free options that are easily available right now, but keep an eye out for DOTA 2’s open beta.

Get the game at na.leagueoflegends.com

“Tribes” is a beloved series among competitive shooter fans, just like “Quake” and “Unreal Tournament.”

The biggest difference between the arena shooters like “Quake” and “Unreal Tournament” compared to “Tribes” was the huge environments that “Tribes” focused on. Players had to utilize vehicles and jetpacks to get to an enemy base to grab a flag and get back to their own base as quickly as possible. This was aided by the discovery of a slight physics glitch in the early “Tribes” game that allowed players to “ski” around the terrain to gain tons of speed when going down a hill and using the jetpacks to fly to the top of the next hill without losing much, if any, momentum. “Tribes Ascend” is the newest game in the series and skiing is not directly controlled by the press of a button. The game is free to play, with the option of purchasing some items to reduce time investment to get new gear or to have special class skins.

Get the game at account.hirezstudios.com/tribesascend/

Slender: The Eight Pages

Team Fortress 2

Play on: PC, Mac

Play on: PC, Steam

“Slender” is a short horror game, featuring the Slenderman, a fictional character that originally got its start on the Something Awful forums and has garnered quite a bit of popularity. Slenderman isn’t very violent, at least he doesn’t seem that way. He just stalks his prey, flitting in and out of their peripheral vision. “Slender” is the key character in several popular alternate reality stories, stories that are presented as truth like urban myth, but are generally accepted as fabrications. Some of these alternate reality stories develop into full blown series, like the “Marble Hornets” series, which is still going. The “Eight Pages” subtitle was added recently to differentiate the game from other versions of Slender that are currently in development.

Get the game at parsecproductions.net/slender

“Team Fortress” has been around for a while, but it still isn’t really showing a lot of age. Valve, the developers behind the hit team-based shooter have been continuously adding new items, maps and even modes to the game with no immediate extra cost. The most recent major content release added a new Mann vs. Machine mode which is a “Team Fortress” style horde mode that has become popular in many other games, regardless of genre.

This mode pits a team of human players against several waves of increasingly difficult to destroy robots with the goal of surviving past the final wave to earn in-game rewards.

All of the other “Team Fortress” modes are still intact, however, including capture the flag, control point, arena, payload and payload-race to name a few.

Get the game at store.steampowered.com/app/440

12 September 20, 2012 TheMetropolitan

MetSports

’Runners Wrapup

Price knows cost of winning Justin Taylor jtay111@msudenver.edu

Compiled by Angelita Foster amayer1@msudenver.edu Cross Country MSU Denver ran the Woody Greno/Nebraska Invitational in Lincoln Sept. 15. The men’s team finished 10th out of 28 teams and the women finished 16th out of 32.

Junior Kirk Harvey crossed the line at 25:46.56 for 16th place in the 8K while sophomore Nick Kadlec placed 36th with 26:24.00.

The freshman class respresented the ladies as the top four runners for MSU Denver, led by Janelle Lincks who finished the 6K race 22:31.18, just seven seconds off the school record, for the 16 spot.

Tennis Both Roadrunner teams swept Colorado Christian University Cougar’s 9-0 Sept. 14.

The women are now 2-0 and the men are 1-0 for the season.

Gabriel Vlahos and Adrien Delvaux won 8-3 in No. 1 doubles, while Alicia Holm and Cara Cromwell won 8-4.

All six singles players won in straight sets.

Women’s soccer The Roadrunners tied Regis University Rangers 2-2 Sept. 14 at Auraria Field and fell 3-0 at UC-Colorado Springs on Sept. 15. The Roadrunners fell to 3-2-1 overall and 0-1-1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

Bicycle kicks, national championships, MVP honors for the United Soccer League “Super 20’s” national tournament, and a roster spot with the Colorado Rapids Women’s team are not easy to accomplish, but Karisa Price has achieved them all.

“A lot of people think soccer is an easy game,” sophomore forward Price said.

For those who don’t follow the sport, soccer may look easy, but despite the perception, the list of extraordinary accomplishments for Price is growing every weekend she laces up her bright orange cleats.

On Sept. 7 against St. Edwards, Price executed a bicycle kick to score a goal. The move requires a lot of skill and is not something that every player can do.

During the Coach Almaraz Show, which airs at 12:30 p.m. every Tuesday on Kmetradio.org, head coach Adrianne Almaraz said, “It was probably one of the best goals I’ve ever seen in my coaching or playing career by a female athlete.”

Price takes all the accolades in stride.

Her focus is solely on winning a national championship. That goal ultimately led Price to choose MSU Denver over its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rival, Fort Lewis. After Fort Lewis head coach, Damian Clark discussed his aspirations with Price to beat the powerhouse Roadrunner program, Price went home and researched the Roadrunners.

“I sent Adrianne a couple of emails and told her to come watch me play and a few months later she was calling my coach and

having me out here for a visit and once I came here, I knew I wanted to come [to Metro]; I loved everything about it,” Price said. “The number one thing when I was looking for schools was: can I compete for a national championship? And, I knew that was possible here.”

Although Clark wasn’t able to land the talented forward, he recruits hard in Phoenix and has plenty of Price’s club teammates on his roster. Clark said he would have pushed a little harder for Price if he had more scholarship money but appreciates her game and maturation since high school.

“She is a feisty, scrappy forward who is very athletic and very capable of striking from distance as well as getting inside the box and causing problems,” Clark said. “I think she has also grown a lot since she has been there, I think Adrianne has done a fantastic job to change her technically.”

For the young lady that everybody calls “Crash,” feisty and scrappy are perfect descriptions. She picked up the nickname in eighth grade because of her aggressive nature on the field. Price first began playing soccer at the age of seven after she noticed a flier in her Karate class. By eighth grade, Price was being recruited by club coaches.

When the Preseason All RMAC forward isn’t on the field or completing her basic requirement courses for a Nutrition and Dietetics degree, she watches Netflix, coaches for the Colorado Storm Academy youth teams, plays practical jokes and cooks.

But ultimately, Price is looking for a

national championship, and every game she plays she gets a little closer.

File photo of Karisa Price Photo by Cosme Lindstrom-Furutani • clindst1@ msudenver.edu

Roadrunner’s take sting out of Yellow Jackets Matt McVey matt.mcvey49@gmail.com

MSU Denver senior outside hitter Amy Wong had 11 digs to help her team beat Black Hills State University Sept. 15 at Auraria Event Center Photo by Cosme Lindstrom-Furutani • clindst1@ msudenver.edu

MSU Denver women’s volleyball ran away with a win on Sept. 15 at Auraria Event Center against Black Hills State University.

The No. 9 Roadrunners won in straight sets dominating the Yellow Jackets and pushing their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference record to 2-0.

The first set was the closest of the three sets it took MSU Denver to send the Yellow Jackets home early. It came in a 25-20 victory where the lady Roadrunners controlled the game much of the way.

After being up 21-16 to start the first set MSU Denver let Black Hills crawl back into the game to make it 21-20. At which point the Roadrunners’ head coach Debbie Hendricks called a timeout to speak with her team.

Hendricks had confidence in her team, making minor adjustments throughout the game.

“We adjusted our block, a little bit against their left side hitters,” Hendricks

said. “We didn’t make that many adjustments. We stuck with the game plan we had from the beginning.”

The next set was all Roadrunners as the ladyies came away with a quick 25-14 win.

The set was defined by the team’s ability to pass the ball well. The offense fi ltered through senior setter Vanessa Gemignani who had 24 assists on the day.

“Our passing was on point and that’s a game changer for us. When our passing is on our game is on,” Germignani said.

Good passing was not the only thing the ’Runners were doing right. The team set some goals after their 2-2 performance in the recent Colorado Premier Challenge tournament and they stuck to them. One goal was reducing errors, which were a problem for the ’Runners in the past. Against Black Hills State the Roadrunners only committed 12 errors.

“We gave ourselves some goals at the start of conference and we achieved all of them,” senior outside hitter Amy Wong said.

“We wanted to take care of teams in three when we had the chance to. We wanted to

be low-error, which we definitely were this weekend, and overall it was just a great way to start Conference.”

The Roadrunners are on a three-game winning streak. Wong has been a leader the whole way and this game was no different, as Wong led the team with 14 kills and 11 digs.

The final set echoed the first two, as the lady Roadrunners pulled out a 25-18 win to close out the match.

The whole team stepped up, as multiple players were major contributors to the win.

Sophomore right setter Lauren Quijano came away with 11 kills and freshman outside hitter Kylie Haun had 8, while junior defensive specialist Alex Green had 10 digs.

The Roadrunners had a very successful weekend as they also came away with a win on Sept. 14 against Chadron State College, 25-15, 25-21, and 25-10.

Leading the team, Haun had 10 kills, Wong had 9 and Quijano had 8. Gemignani directed the offense again with 22 assists and 8 digs. Green, Wong and sophomore defensive specialist Savannah Garcia each had 10 digs on the day, as well.

TheMetropolitan

September 20, 2012

MetSports

13

Men’s soccer fall 4-0 to No. 19 Regis Angelita Foster amayer1@msudenver.edu MSU Denver men’s soccer struggled to respond to the pressure from Regis University and lost 4-0 Sept. 14 at Auraria Field.

“We knew they were going to be good and I think we just weren’t ready for the pressure they brought,” junior defender Andrew Mejia said. “We saw a lot of their players coming at us and we were just trying to absorb it.”

Defender Taylor Diem scored first for the Rangers at 22:34 off a pass by midfielder Jason Boyle from the left wing.

MSU Denver senior forward Marc Herschberger received a yellow card in the 28th minute of the game, the first of three the Roadrunners received. The continued pressure by the Rangers had the Roadrunners playing a physical game that forced some fouls.

“As a unit of a team we didn’t come out and work right and they took advantage of it,” MSU Denver senior goalkeeper Shailer Thomas said. “They work well off the ball and have good combinations in the middle of the field.”

MSU Denver head coach Ken Parsons agreed his team struggled in the middle of the field.

“I thought our defense was put in a lot of situations that we didn’t deal with very well,”

MSU Denver freshman midfielder Dustin Berg wins a header over Regis player Kade Hanson, 12, and Nicolas Morabito. Berg gets support on the play from freshman midfielder Pierce Galan, 12, and junior midfielder Andy Lopez. Photo by Heather Newman • hnewman3@msudenver.edu

Parsons said. “I think it all stems from the fact that our midfield didn’t do a lot of work, and when our midfield doesn’t do a lot of work our defense is going to be under a lot of pressure.”

Ranger midfielder Justin Ortinau sent a long pass to Ben Fredrickson who scored in the 44th minute. The Roadrunners went into halftime down 2-0.

“I didn’t tell them anything different at halftime,” Parsons said. “We knew exactly what we were going to be encountering.”

The Rangers continued applying pressure on the Roadrunners in the second half doubling their shots from five to 10, while holding the ’Runners to only five shots in the half.

Thomas allowed Regis to get a third

goal in the 53rd minute. Regis midfielder Adam Tormoehlen headed the ball into goal off a cross from teammate midfielder Alex Tarnoczi.

The final Regis goal was from a penalty kick by midfielder Logan Miller in the 67th minute.

“As a goalkeepers standpoint, it’s a fift yfift y chance they will score,” Thomas said. “I just guessed the wrong side.”

The Roadrunners were coming off a couple of good offensive games but the pressure from the Rangers in all areas of the field held the ’Runners to a total of 12 shots.

“I think it stems from the fact that our possession was not good today,” Parsons said. “We couldn’t connect on passes, even the easy passes that we should have connected on.”

Parsons gave credit to the Regis team.

“They made us play quickly and we didn’t play quickly very well,” Parsons said.

“Until we figure that out we can just expect to see more of the same.”

MetOnline Visit www.metnews.org for more info on MSU Denver game results and schedule information.

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14 September 20, 2012 MetroSpective TheMetropolitan

TimeOut SUDOKU

.27 9 0 2 .

9

This k e e W

MSUD Events 9.19 Visiting Artist Master class — Tiffany Blake, Soprano @ King Center Recital Hall 2 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.

9.20 Latino Welcome St. Cajetan’s 3 p.m.

Brain Teasers

9.20 Return of the Corn Mothers: Opening Reception and Panel Discussion @ Center for Visual Arts 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

9.26 Open Mic Night @ Tivoli Boiler Room 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

MSUD Sports Denver Events 9.21 Men’s Soccer @ Colorado School of Mines 5 p.m.

9.21 Women’s Soccer @ Colorado School of Mines 7:30 p.m.

9.21 Women’s Volleyball @ Colorado School of Mines 7 p.m.

9.20 The Maykit, Matt Nasi Band, Kimi Most 8:30 p.m. @ Moe’s BBQ Englewood, $5-$7 9.21 Chimney Choir, Beth Bombara, Natalie Tate 8 p.m. @ The Walnut Room, $5

9.22 Women’s Volleyball @ Colorado Christian 5 p.m.

9.21-9.23 Oktoberfest (first weekend) Friday, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday, 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. @ 20th & Larimer, free

9.23 Women’s Soccer @ Colorado State — Pueblo 12 p.m.

9.22 Gardens & Villa, Flashlights 8 p.m. @ Larimer Lounge, $10

9.23 Men’s Soccer @ Colorado State — Pueblo 2:30 p.m.

9.22 The Growlers, Florida Kilos, Safe Boating is No Accident Doors at 8 p.m. @ HiDive, $12

MSUD Memes

Last week’s answers (left to right): Bigger and better, half-hearted, go up in smoke, crossbreed, tongue in cheek Memes courtesy of www.facebook.com/pages/MSCD-Memes