Volume 34, Issue 33 - May 24, 2012

May 24, 2012

Volume 34, Issue 33

www.metnews.org

Serving the Auraria Campus since 1979

TheMetropolitan

Learning to walk as a new university Orientation edition Welcome to Metro State University of Denver

Students and faculty toss their caps in the air to commemorate their spring 2012 graduation May 10 at Auraria Fields. The celebration marks the final class to graduate under the school name Metropolitan State College of Denver. Story on page 4. Photo by Seth Baca • sbaca22@mscd.edu

TheMetropolitan May 24, 2012

Orientation Edition

MetNews

From Denver digs to Student Success J. Sebastian Sinisi sinisi2@msn.com

There was no Student Success Building when the school that would become Metropolitan State University of Denver (officially on July 1) was launched in 1965 in several buildings scattered in downtown Denver. The unified Auraria Campus was more than a decade away. Student enrollment was far from overwhelming, and the fledgling venture’s shot at success was, in many minds, a long one.

At the time — two score and seven years ago, or several eternities in slow-moving academic time, not even the wildest optimists could foresee Metro today having a 126-acre footprint on Auraria with nearly 24,000 undergraduate students; second in the state only to the University of Colorado, Boulder. Those students can today choose from 54 majors and 90 minor areas of study in across a sizeable spectrum of liberal arts and science programs that include well-regarded teacher education, business, aviation and criminal justice programs.

Masters programs in teacher education and accounting came in 2010, followed by one for social work a year later.

Founded as the “Colorado

A woman walks toward St. Cajetan’s Church (now St. Cajetan’s Center) before most of the current campus buildings existed at Auraria. The photo was taken Feb. 16 1977.

School of Opportunity,” Metro’s original mission was to offer lowcost higher education to urban students whose only entrance requirement was a high school or G.E.D diploma. The sliding scale of tuition and other costs have naturally gone up – ‘way up as a result of ever-shrinking state funding for

higher education — but Metro’s mission is essentially unchanged.

Metro still serves a commuter student clientele that’s mostly urban, or from the Denver metro area, with a substantial percentage of minority students; not only from Denver, many of them foreign-born.

Most Metro students are far from affluent and have off-campus jobs, sometimes more than one.

Older, “non-traditional” students — a demographic that has become more elastic in recent years — may be supporting families. Few have affluent parents. In short, Metro — and the other two Auraria

schools, the University of Colorado, Denver, and the Community College of Denver — are not CU, Boulder.

Metro students, who hold jobs, may take five or six years to graduate. There the similarities end. Because — even on a five or six-year plan — Metro students will have lots less time to party or to emulate Boulder frat boys checking out the talent while cruising Broadway — Boulder’s Broadway; not Denver’s — in an open-top Jeep.

Unlike Metro commuter students who drive to campus, we took the subway – an hour and a half each way from Brooklyn to the Bronx and nearly as long to CCNY. But tuition was free, if that can even be imagined today.

The Auraria campus didn’t always look as it does today, and as late as 1995 — 20 years after the campus started taking shape and when the North Classroom building was new, stretches of the former Auraria neighborhood’s (a story unto itself) streets were still unpaved, muddy and radiated the ambiance of a war zone.

Even as the Auraria campus has evolved over the years, so has Metro’s position on it, now highlighted by Metro’s new Student Success building. Which is where we came in.

• Man on the street “Where do you buy, sell, or trade your textbooks?”

Interviews by Kelli Heitstuman-Tomko Photos by Daniel Fairbairn, Jr

“I keep my books and let my friends borrow them. We’re all college students, man. We don’t have any money.” > Josh Bush, CCD Sophomore

“I’m a philosophy major, so I keep my books.” > Jen Harvey, UCD Senior

“I go to Half.com to buy.” > Joe Brawley, Metro Sophomore

3

“Amazon. It’s cheaper and they buy back most textbooks.” > Elyse Lani, UCD Sophomore

4 May 24, 2012 MetNews TheMetropolitan

Roadrunners graduate in flocks Police Blotter seal of the five branches of military on the fields and a live webcast online, close to 100 other. people attended the college’s 2nd annual Veteran’s Graduation and Breakfast Ceremony.

Led by the Office of Student Life, the ceremony recognized student veterans and the success they have achieved in their dual roles as students and members of the military.

In recognition of the unique sacrifices ROTC members make, including but not limited to special training and a commitment to serve if called upon, each was awarded a Challenge Coin Medallion featurThe class of 2012 lines up to receive their diplomas ing Metro State’s logo on one side and the

Ryan Smith smitryan@mscd.edu

Continuing a four-year growth trend, 1,880 students graduated from Metro May 13, making it the largest ever spring commencement – the last before Metro becomes a university July 1.

Metro State’s spring graduating class was its largest yet, following a growth trend that has seen the number of graduates increase steadily for three straight years.

In addition to the regular graduation ceremonies held on the Auraria athletic

May 13.

DUI Arrests 5.11: Arrest at Speer & Larimer. The suspect had no campus affiliation.

5.12: Arrest at Speer & Larimer. The suspect had no campus affiliation.

Thefts 5.8: Arrest at Cottonwood Lot. The suspect allegedly stole from a motor vehicle.

THE METRO STATE OFFICE OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES ASKS:

Are You Involved?

YES

5.9: Arrest at Tivoli Parking Garage. Theft of parking fees.

5.9: Arrest at King Center Bike Rack. The suspect allegedly stole a bicycle.

NO DID YOU KNOW?

ARE YOU IN A STUDENT ORG, FRATERNITY OR SORORITY?

Involved students tend to have a higher GPA.

NO

DID YOU KNOW?

YES

NO

HAVE A YOU BEEN AVE ON A TRIP USING THE STUDENT TRAVEL TRAVE A L PROGRAM? AVE YES

There is funding available to students to attend conferences and conventions.

NO N O

DO YOU ATTEND EVENTS ON CAMPUS?

DID YOU KNOW?

5.13: Arrest at 7th & Walnut.

The suspect had no campus affiliation.

The majority major a ity of events on campus ajor are free and open to the public, and many have free food!

5.14: Arrest at West Classroom. The suspect had no campus affiliation.

5.15: Arrest at 9th & Auraria Pkwy. The suspect had no campus affiliation.

There are many options to help out, volunteering provides great experience and is an excellent resume builder.

5.20: Arrest at St. Francis Center. The suspect had no campus affiliation.

DID YOU KNOW?

HAV HAVE A E YOU AV VOLUNTEERED THROUGH THE COMMUNITY-BASED COMMUNITYY BASED YLEARNING PROGRAM?

NO

YES

ARE YOU INVOLVED LLVED IN ANYY LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS?

That employers & graduate school admissions counselors seek out those who are in leadership programs.

We have an opportunity for you!

NO YES

5.18: Arrest at Cherry Lot. The suspect allegedly stole a CD player/radio from a motor vehicle.

Warrant Arrests

DID YOU KNOW?

YES

5.15: Arrest at Technology Bike Rack. The suspect allegedly stole a bicylcle.

Stop by our office in Tivoli 305, or visit us online at www.mscd.edu/s / tudentactivities to learn more. /s www.mscd.edu/studentactivities @MetroStateSA

MetroStateSA

Trespassing 5.9: Arrest at South Classroom. The suspect had no campus affiliation.

5.19: Arrest at South Classroom. The suspect had no campus affiliation.

5.20: Arrest at St. Francis Center. The suspect had no campus affiliation.

Orientation Edition

TheMetropolitan

MetNews

May 24, 2012

5

Education cost pays off for Metro professor Danielle DeSisto ddesisto@mscd.edu For some, a career in law seems ideal.

For Andrew Pantos, an English professor at Metro State, it was more a nightmare than a dream.

“It’s a whole different life. Every time you pick up the phone it’s always combative and that’s just not my personality; it’s just not the way I am. It was miserable,” said Pantos about his first career in law.

After graduating from Rice University in Houston and obtaining his law degree, Pantos worked in litigation for six months.

For the next six years, he did legal work representing savings and loans companies, but soon found that his work was unrewarding.

For the next 11 years he owned a training and consulting firm with a partner.

Although he was happy at his new firm, Pantos still wasn’t doing what he really wanted. He had been interested in language since he was little. All four of his grandparents were Greek immigrants, and the language sparked Pantos’ interest in linguistics. As an undergraduate, he had studied German literature and had wanted to pursue a graduate degree in the same area, but there weren’t many job prospects.

Pantos decided to go to graduate school for linguistics because it was a broader field with more career opportunities available.

But before he could go after his childhood

Metro main and online campuses undergraduate level tuition and fees for fall 2011-summer 2012.

dream, he had to find a way to pay for additional schooling. This was no easy task, as college tuition costs have risen substantially, causing increases in the percentage of students who receive financial aid and the number of students defaulting on their loans.

According to a 2011 report from The Condition of Education that looked at the price of graduate and first-professional attendance, the average price of tuition in 2008 for graduate education was $34,600 for one year.

Student apartments, steps from campus…

It’s a smart move.

CONVENIENT DOWNTOWN LOCATION. NO MEAL PLAN REQURED.

Campus Village at AURARIA

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The report said about 90 percent of full-time graduate students in 2007-2008 were granted financial aid. In 2007-08, the average financial aid for a master’s program was $18,600.

“About 17,000 Metro students received financial aid in 2010 through 2011,” Brian Hultgren, the Associate Director of Financial Aid and Loans at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said.

These 17,000 students accepted $117 million in financial aid, an average amount of

nearly $7,000 per student.

A report from the U.S. Department of Education that focused on tuition, fees, student loans and default rates, stated that the default rate in 2006 was 4.9 percent compared to the default rate in 2008, which was 6.7 percent.

“In fiscal year 2009, Metro’s two-year default rate was 11.3 percent as 4,263 students entered repayment and 483 defaulted,” Hultgren said.

“I am sorry higher education is so expensive. Both my kids are paying for their education here, and my son has a huge amount borrowed, over $180,000. He is graduating from Harvard Law School in May. I think it’s awful people should repay their loans for decades,” Marina Gorlach, the advisor for the Linguistics Club, said.

Getting an education becomes an obstacle for many people due to the price of tuition. The question that prevails for people seeking a college education and who don’t have the means to pay for it is: Is it worth it?

Pantos was able to get the career he wanted through the education he received.

In December of 2010, Pantos received his Ph.D. in linguistics at Rice University, and then was hired as a professor there. He transferred to Metropolitan State College of Denver in August of 2011. Pantos said he loves his job and his students at Metro and said he will be thrilled to do this for the rest of his life.

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TheMetropolitan

Orientation Edition

7

InSight

Homage to Catalonia: A Postcard from Barcelona “… My client is in no hurry …”

— Master Barcelona architect Antonin Gaudi, referring to God, when asked when his monumental “Sagrada Familia” cathedral, begun in 1883, would be completed.

BARCELONA, SPAIN — As anyone who occasionally emerges from a Facebook coma or Broncos update knows, the Spanish economy and banking system are in difficult straits. The “official” unemployment rate is 23 percent and is widely suspected to be much higher, especially for young people.

While not as severe as the situation in Greece, default specters are raised with regularity while more-than-occasional civil unrest and demonstrations greet calls for further austerity measures.

But there were few signs of that malaise in Barcelona, where I spent several days in late April before leaving on a cruise across the Mediterranean to Egypt, the Suez Canal, and more days at sea — including Somali pirate watersto the desert fantasyland of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on the Persian Gulf. Dubai is home to the world’s tallest building – the 2009 Burj Dubai, more than twice as high as the Empire State building.

Nearby, ultra-high-end air conditioned malls make the spiffiest emporiums in America seem like Dollar Stores.

Far from those temples to consumerism, the architectural delights started in Barcelona — where you could altogether miss the economic gloom that hovers over other parts of Spain. Because Barcelona and its nearly 2 million residents form the capital and spiritual center of Catalonia in Spain’s southeast corner, and lives largely apart from the rest of Spain.

It has done so for centuries.

With a fierce pride and independence of spirit, Catalans are protective of a proud history of resisting and defeating frequent invaders. Their own language — Catalan, which is co-equal with Spanish as the “official” language, differs more than slightly from the Castilian Spanish that Catalans avoid using.

Nor was Barcelona’s economic growth in recent years nearly as dependent on the real estate speculation house of cards that fueled economies elsewhere in Spain and Europe. Accordingly, this city was far less affected when the real estate bubble burst and left other areas in trouble. This was pointed out by Forbes online correspondent Christopher Coats, an old

May 24, 2012

friend of my son’s, while we walked the narrow streets of the “Gothic” area, one of Barcelona’s oldest.

Catalonia was one of the last Loyalist holdouts to fall to Francisco Franco’s Fascist regime that triumphed after the 1936-’39 Spanish Civil War. Franco’s dictatorship lasted until his death in 1975, more than 30 years after his Fascist supporters, Hitler and Mussolini, were gone.

With more than half a million people killed and nearly as many exiled, the Spanish Civil War was more than a local conflict.

Supporting Franco’s forces, Hitler and Mussolini used the war to test the new tanks and aircraft they’d used in World War II that Hitler launched in September, 1939. At the same time, anti-Fascist forces from around the world rallied behind the losing Loyalist fight.

From America came the Leftist “Abraham Lincoln Brigade” band of anti-Fascist fighters.

The reward for Franco’s opponents from America was to be smeared as Communist sympathizers a decade later in U.S. House Un-American Activities (HUAC) Committee investigations. An early version of the broad-brush McCarthy anti-Communist witch hunts that followed in the early 1950s, HUAC destroyed reputations and lives while turning up scanty results.

The Spanish Civil War was the backdrop for Ernest Hemingway’s 1940 “For Whom the Bell Tolls” novel. One of photographic giant Cornell Capa’s most famous photographs is of a Spanish Loyalist, rifle raised, at the moment of his death by an enemy bullet. Pablo Picasso, a Barcelona resident, caught the war’s horror in his famous and surreal “Guernica” painting with a horse’s head crying out against the carnage from the Fascist bombing of a Spanish town. And British author George Orwell, who would ten years later write “1984,” also fought with the Loyalists and wrote his 1938 “Homage to Catalonia,” set largely in Barcelona.

In “Homage,“ Orwell notes the Barcelonans’ refusal, despite a freezing winter with no fuel during the civil war, to cut down the trees lining ”Las Ramblas,” the city’s leading pedestrian promenade, to again demonstrate dogged Catalan pride.

In April, Las Ramblas was wall-to-wall with locals and tourists, even at midnight. Then again, Barcelonans eat late and take afterdinner strolls. As in Italy, Ameri-

cans finding restaurants empty at 8 p.m. may think they’re late, when they’re actually early.

Barcelona, which dates to a Roman settlement around 15 B.C., offers markets in lieu of malls - as at the Boqueria market, just off Las Ramblas and tracing to the 12th century, with an incredibly colorful array of meat, produce, fish and other goods. The markets are part of a human-scaled polis designed for people and not real -estate developers.

The evidence of a month ago showed tourists still arriving in Barcelona, the world’s 16th mostvisited city, in large numbers. Restaurants and bars — many of them closed in mid-afternoon — were packed past midnight and retail stores showed no signs of a slowdown. Despite the economic woes felt strongly elsewhere in Spain, life in Barcelona goes on.

Visitors find a mainly low-rise city sure of itself and described as “comfortable in its own skin” with no need for self-conscious posturing. But, despite having architectural treasures found nowhere else, Barcelona is not trapped in its own past. While other cities, from Shanghai and Hong Kong to penultimate Dubai, build everhigher and more dazzling towers of steel and glass, Barcelona’s own 2004 Torre Agbar, by architect Jean Nouvel, rises as a 31-story multi-colored bullet or “gherkin” to match the best uber-architecture in London, where Norman Foster’s so-called “Gherkin” went up in 2003.

In Barcelona, Torre Agbar’s inspiration, said Nouvel, came from the rounded mountains of nearby Montserrat and the fantasy architecture of Antonin Gaudi, who died in 1926.

Not far from Barcelona’s 14th century Santa Maria del Mar church — the nearby Cathedral dates to the 13th century — in the “Gothic” district is Gaudi’s otherearthly Sagrada Familia ( Holy Family) church, that was begun in 1883.

Nothing quite prepares a visitor for this Art Noveau-on -acid monument that defies both photography and description; inside and out. With exterior lines looking like a child’s dripping sandcastle on a beach buttressed

by Gothic details, the interior soars heavenward with arches that are intensely modern yet still Gothic; dazzling in the light pouring through stained glass windows.

Modernist sculptures of saints

MetStaff Editor-in-Chief Brian T. McGinn: bmcginn3@mscd.edu Managing Editor Megan Mitchell: mmitch46@mscd.edu News Editor Nikki Work: nwirk@mscd.edu Assistant News Editor Ryan Smith: smitryan@mscd.edu

J. SEBASTIAN SINISI sinisi2@msn.com and sages are in nearly every niche and the church’s rooftop spires are covered with colorful ceramic tiles in starburst patterns.

Despite an official visit and blessing by the Pope in 2002, Sagrada Familia — whose work depends on private donations — remains unfinished.

Prior to working exclusively on Sagrada Familia, Gaudi designed the “La Pedrera” apartment block (built 1905-1910) with undulating Art Nouveau curves, no straight lines and a fluid sense of floating on Barcelona’s fashionable Passeo de Gracia.

No straight lines also mark “Casa Batllo,” that Gaudi restored from 1904 to 1906 with a sinous sandstone façade and columns that resemble bones. As with La Pedrera and Sagrada Familia, the overall effect suggests a druginduced dream.

From his surrealist and also dream-like 1888 Park Guell public space to his 1898 community housing Casa Calvert with elaborate wrought iron balconies to the unmistakably-Gaudi lampposts over Passeo de Gracia and the hexagonal pavement tiles and mosaic benches along its corners, Gaudi’s touch is everywhere.

Barcelona’s Palau de la Musica (Music Palace) is an outstanding gem of early (1905-1908) Modernism by architect Luis Domenech i Montaner. With neo-Gothic galleries, an incredible stained glass center canopy and ornate brick work and Art Nouveau columns in its waiting areas, the Music Palace would, anywhere else, be a regional centerpiece. In Barcelona, it’s almost overshadowed by Gaudi’s body of work.

This city needs no trendy restaurants-of-the-month, presided over by “celebrity chefs” — the drivel that clogs what now passes for travel writing. Often, those venues are gone or already out of favor by the time their reviews see the light of print. Or blogs.

Barcelona, with its wealth of the real, endures.

MetroSpective Editor Caitlin Seivers: csievers2@mscd.edu Assistant MetroSpective Editor Kayla Whitney: kwhitne2@mscd.edu Sports Editor Angelita Foster: amayer1@mscd.edu Assistant Sports Editor Josh Gaines: gains8@mscd.edu Copy Editors J. Sebastian Sinisi Luke Powell

Kate Rigot Nicholas Keith

Photo Editor Ryan Borthick: rborthick@mscd.edu Assistant Photo Editors Christopher Morgan: cmorga37@mscd.edu Web Editors Steve Anderon: sande104@mscd.edu Derek Broussard Daniel Fairbairn 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 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.

8 May 24, 2012 TheMetropolitan

MetroSpective

Pigeons fly coop in name of training MCA loans homing birds to Coloradans Caitlin Sievers csiever2@mscd.edu As part of a current exhibit, visitors to the Museum of Contemporary Art — Denver can leave with a homing pigeon and set it free to return to the museum.

Homing pigeons can be trained to fly over 400 miles to their original destination.

The exhibit Thinking About Flying was created by Jon Rubin, an artist from Pittsburg.

“He picked this museum because it has a great feature for a rooftop pigeon coop,” said Ed Moss ,a pigeon caretaker at the museum.

The pigeons are kept in an enclosure on the roof and are trained by the museum’s visitors, who with approval can bring the pigeons home with the promise of turning them loose to fly back to the museum.

Visitors who live within 30 miles of the museum can take home a pigeon in a carrying case on Friday through Sunday from 2 pm to 5 pm.

“By sharing in the responsibility of caring for the pigeons, the relationship between the visitors and the institution is made explicit and personal and a collective stake in the ongoing life of the artwork is initiated,” the Museum of Contemporary Art website says.

Some visitors think taking a pigeon home is an interesting concept.

“It would be a fun experience I think,” Sharon Novie-Greenburg said. “It’s a cool idea.” Novie-Greenburg is a Boston resident and visited the Museum of Contemporary Art while on vacation in Denver.

The small wooden pigeon loft where the pigeons live was donated by Buzz Corcillius. The loft once belonged to Corcillius’s father.

The museum’s pigeon caretakers let the birds out of the enclosure once a day and allow them to race around the building. Some of the pigeons come right back, and some wander around a bit. Moss estimates that the birds can fly around 30 miles per hour.

He says that they haven’t lost any pigeons in the past few months, because the birds get better at evading predators as they get older.

The pigeons were supplied by the Foothills Pigeon Racing Club. The exhibit runs through June 30.

On the Web To learn more about homing pigeons, visit www.mcadenver.org/ ThinkingAboutFlyingMCADenver.php

Right: Cari Smith, bird trainer at MCA holds one of the museum’s homing pigeons. Visitors who have approval can take home a bird and release it to return to its enclosure at the museum. Photo by Brian T. McGinn • bmcginn3@mscd.edu

Orientation Edition

‘Avengers’ assembles awesome action

Steve Musal smusal@mscd.edu

The director’s fans have been saying it for years: “Joss Whedon is my master now.”

With “Avengers” breaking records at the box office, it looks like the rest of the world is catching up.

Whedon (Serenity, television’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is in his element as both screenwriter and director, and his trademark, witty dialogue is on full display here — especially when delivered by Robert Downey Jr.’s already-delightfully-snarky Tony Stark/Iron Man. If viewers haven’t already seen the earlier films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (“Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Thor,” “Iron Man 2” and “Captain America: The First Avenger”), they might miss a few of the plot points, but ultimately “Avengers” stands alone.

The film begins where “Thor” left off — Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Asgardian god of trickery/sufficiently-advanced alien/general intergalactic ne’er-do-well, after banishment from Asgard, makes a deal with an alien race

called the Chitauri to deliver the Tesseract (last seen in “Captain America”) to their master in return for control of Earth.

Loki appears on Earth in a S.H.I.E.L.D. research facility, gleefully wreaking havoc, stealing the Tesseract and mind-controlling the lead scientist as well as Agent Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), calls in man-out-of-time Captain America (Chris Evans) and incredible-anger-managementissue Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to retrieve it. Along the way, they pick up Stark, Agent Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Loki’s estranged brother, Thor (Chris Hemsworth).

Though the road to an effective group dynamic is rocky at best, with plenty of interpersonal conflict, by the last third of the film the Avengers come together to fight Loki’s Chitauri army on the streets (and above them) of New York City.

Ensemble numbers are tricky, and bringing together seven title characters into one show more so. Whedon delivers by knowing what’s important: while the fight scenes are admittedly spectacular — look for the one

long shot during the battle; you’ll know the one when you see it — the real staying power “Avengers” has is the interpersonal dynamic.

The friction between Captain America and Iron Man is particularly well played: viewers who saw “Captain America” will remember Tony Stark’s father Howard as one of Cap’s friends (something Tony is uneasy about at best), while Tony’s selfish background (thoroughly explored in “Iron Man”) rubs self-sacrificial Cap the wrong way.

While Johansson’s character spent most of “Iron Man 2” alternating between eye candy and stone-cold killer, “Avengers” explores her past, motivations and relationship with her fellow agent, Barton, in a way that makes them both believable, sympathetic characters.

Ruffalo kills as Bruce Banner, silencing critics annoyed by the lack of Edward Norton by delivering the best Hulk seen on the big screen. Whedon’s writing is again on display here; between excellent motion-capture work for facial expression and Ruffalo’s lines in human form, it’s finally clear to audiences that yes, Bruce Banner and the Hulk really are two sides of the same coin.

TheMetropolitan MetroSpective May 24, 2012

The Avengers film blew up at the box office.

Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios At the end of the day, “Avengers” is well worth the price of admission. Go see it while it’s still in theaters, and don’t forget to stay until the end of the credits.

Portal 2’s user-friendly level editor A few textbook tips to save money Story and graphic by Brent Zeimen bzeiman@mscd.edu

Level creation tools are nothing new in video games. The concept of a level editor began with popular PC game Doom in 1993.

Since then racing games, real-time strategy games, and even some first person shooters have included some form of level editor or mod tools. Some mod-friendly games even caused new genres to sprout. Warcraft III, for example, has a very versatile level editor. The editor is so versatile, in fact, that it allowed the very popular Defense of the Ancients game and multi-player online battle arena genre to come into existence.

The latest installment in this long line of level editing tools is Valve Software’s test chamber creator in Portal 2. The tool, which is the main feature of the Perpetual Testing Initiative update, is a user-friendly level creator specifically for Portal 2. The tool allows users to create test chambers to upload to the Steam Workshop to be played by others.

The steam workshop is a unique advancement in user-generated content distribution. It allows users to easily find the best content and install it smoothly. Most of the time with mod-friendly games, one has to go into the game’s file structure on one’s PC to install a new level, mod, or other user generated content. With the steam workshop, however, users just have to click one button and Steam handles all of the downloading and installing for the user.

The integration between the game and the workshop goes beyond just installing content made by other users. Players can also create, publish, and manage their own test chambers directly to the workshop from inside the game. Test chamber updates are handled much like game updates are for Steam. When an update is sent to the workshop, the update is automatically downloaded and applied for anyone who is subscribed to that particular test chamber.

The workshop also allows users to easily create collections of levels to be subscribed to by other users. These collections allow test chamber creators to create a series of levels to be played in sequence. Collections are handled just like other subscriptions on the workshop. They are automatically updated quickly and effortlessly. As soon as the collection author adds something, the change is pushed to the workshop and all subscribers.

Level editors aren’t news to many gamers, but one with this level of usability is certainly something new. The entire experience is seamless and easy to understand. This is another step toward players having true creative control, a common trend over the last few years, as evidenced by Minecraft, other creative games, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim mod support.

An example of a player-created level using Portal 2’s new editing software.

Brent Zeimen bzeiman@mscd.edu

Photo courtesy of College Magazine Textbooks are a large part of taking classes in college. Unlike in high school, students have to buy their own textbooks instead of checking them out from a campus library. Owning the textbook for a class allows the student to go back and review the content any time and to make their own notes in the margins or highlight important points in the text.

Finding textbooks is easy, but they are expensive. Finding the best deal is a bit harder. The on-campus bookstore in the Tivoli building carries all the textbooks that classes at Metro State, the Community College of Denver and the University of Colorado at Denver require. The bookstore also sells slightly cheaper used versions for some textbooks and will buy back textbooks at the end of a semester.

The bookstore is convenient, but they might not have the best prices, even if one looks at the used copies. Other bookstores like Barnes & Noble are worth a look, but often, online retailers have the best prices.

The best way to cross-check prices for

9

books is to copy down the ISBN of each book needed for the coming semester and search the Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites for it. This ensures the results are the same edition as the one a professor is using. The edition of a book is very important. A lot of information can change between editions of a book. Whole chapters may be missing or rearranged. The ISBN of a book is on the back cover, usually next to the barcode. If the ISBN isn’t readily available, the author’s name and the full title of the book, including edition or revision number, will narrow it down enough.

After the semester ends, the bookstore sets up a book buyback program.

The bookstore will pay students to return books in good condition. It won’t pay as much as the original price of the books, but doing this will offset the cost of the next semester’s books substantially. When the end of the semester nears, pay attention to bulletin boards around campus, which will detail the locations of these “buyback” desks.

10 May 24, 2012 Metrospective

TheMetropolitan

Coming soon to a theater near you July June

Snow White and the Huntsman Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) sends out The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to kill the fair Snow White (Kristen Stewart), but when he can’t hurt the innocent girl, the fairy tale takes a turn for the worse — the Huntsman trains Snow White to become a warrior that fights against the Queen.

Friday, June

1

Prometheus

Friday, June

8

The Amazing Spider-Man

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is an outcast at his school, but he’s also Spider-Man. Parker finds a mysterious breifcase that belonged to his father and begins to investigate his parents’ disapperance, which leads him to find Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) who was his father’s former partner. Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, eventually collides with Spider-Man.

Tuesday, July After discovering a star map a group of scientists sets out on the vessel Prometheus to follow said map to the origins of mankind. During their explorations, the team becomes stranded in a mysterious alien world where they fight to survive and discover a severe threat to mankind’s exsistence.

3

The Dark Knight Rises

Eight years after the events in The Dark Knight, Batman (Christian Bale) decides to assist the city’s police department even after taking the blame for Two Face’s crimes. Two new criminals, Bane (Tom Hardy) and Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), threaten Gotham City. Obviously, Batman must take a stand.

Friday, July

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Future site of CCD Building

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Auraria Campus Building Guide

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2012–2013

Technology (TE)

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St. Francis Center (SF) St. Francis Way

Ninth Street

Rio Court

Children’s College (CD) Auraria Early We Learning Center (ELC) st

St. Elizabeth’s Church (SE)

Central (CN)

Juniper

West (WC)

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Curtis Street

Pine

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Arts (AR)

Golda Meir House (GM)

Ninth Street Park

Cottonwood

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MC 6 MC 10 MC 9 Birch Old Colfax

North (NC)

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MC 5

MC 7

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Sports Authority Field at Mile High

PE/Event Center (PE)

Rectory Office (RO)

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Lawrence Way

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Facilities Annex (FA) Facilities Management (FM)

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Redwood

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Market Street

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7th Street (SS)

Athletic Fields Tivoli Commons

7th Street Garage

Seventh Street

Aspen

Fifth Street

Walnut

Spruce

Elm

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Auraria Police

Tivoli (TV)

Walnut Street

Auraria West

Health Center at Auraria

MC 1–4

Building (SSB)

Parking Lot RTD LightRail Stop

Dogwood Student Success

Twelfth Street

Fourth Street

Campus Village at Auraria

RTD Bus Stop

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11

May 24, 2012 LoDo

Pepsi Center

Southbound To

Key

Metrospective

TheMetropolitan

Orientation Edition

Maple

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Cha

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Str

Stout Street

Capitol Hill

Colfax at Auraria

& ENTER FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN AN ADMIT TWO PASS TO THE SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING

Invite you and a guest to a special advance screening on Wednesday, May 30 at 7pm

Please visit www.gofobo.com/ rsvp and enter the code THEMET1EA1 to download your complimentary passes!

MAKE SURE TO PRINT OUT YOUR PASSES AND PRESENT THEM AT THE SCREENING. THIS FILM IS RATED R. RESTRICTED. Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent Or Adult Guardian.

Please note: Passes received through this promotion do not guarantee you a seat at the theatre. Seating is on a first come, first served basis, except for members of the reviewing press.

Theatre is overbooked to ensure a full house. No admittance once screening has begun. All federal, state and local regulations apply. A recipient of tickets assumes any and all risks related to use of ticket, and accepts any restrictions required by ticket provider. The Weinstein Company, The Metropolitan and their affiliates accept no responsibility or liability in connection with any loss or accident incurred in connection with use of a prize. Tickets cannot be exchanged, transferred or redeemed for cash, in whole or in part. We are not responsible if, for any reason, recipient is unable to use his/her ticket in whole or in part. All federal and local taxes are the responsibility of the winner. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary.

Participating sponsors, their employees and family members and their agencies are not eligible. NO PHONE CALLS!

IN SELECT THEATERS JUNE 1 WWW.THEINTOUCHABLES.COM

The Metropolitan

TEXT THE WORD GRADUATION AND YOUR ZIP CODE TO 43549 Example Text: GRADUATION 80210 Entry Deadline: Monday, May 28

THIS FILM IS RATED R FOR PERVASIVE DRUGS AND LANGUAGE, CRUDE AND SEXUAL CONTENT, SOME NUDITY—ALL INVOLVING TEENS. There is no charge to text 43KIX. Message and data rates from your wireless carrier may apply. No purchase necessary. One entry per person/household/email address. Winners will be drawn at random from all entries received by 9AM MST on Monday, April 9.

IN THEATERS JUNE 1 www.highschool-themovie.com METROPOLITAN

12 May 24, 2012 TheMetropolitan

MetSports

Summer sports camps slated Zee Nwuke znwuke@mscd.edu

This summer Metro is hosting four sports camps that will bring exposure to the school’s athletic program.

Teams running camps this summer include men’s and women’s basketball, women’s soccer, and volleyball.

The camps are designed to help high school athletes learn more about their respective sport and improve their game. The training will enhance the players’ skills and knowledge, and also give the university a chance to recruit talent for future teams.

Training will consist of workouts, clinics and tournament play.

High school athletes from Colorado and other states will attend.

In addition, the coaches will have a few of their own college athletes on hand to help with the clinics.

Camps will run from May to the beginning of August.

Facebook Keep up with all Metro teams and athletics all semester by liking The Metropolitan on Facebook.

Men’s Basketball

Women’s Soccer

The 2012 Metro camps will be a top destination for high school teams across Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and New Mexico in Class 1A-5A levels. Last year more than 160 teams participated, including seven final four teams and two state champions. Teams are guaranteed fi ve games via pool and tournament play. Camp dates are May 25-27 (all levels), June 1-3 (varsity only), and June 8-10 (lower levels). Register online at www.gometrostate.com or contact Adam Wall at 303-556-6888 or awall8@mscd.edu for more information.

This camp is designed for players ages 14-18 to enhance abilities and strengths on the soccer field and will be coached by nationally licensed collegiate coaches.

Players will develop technical and tactical skills in an intensive training environment with a fast-paced curriculum that will challenge their abilities. The camp will be held on July 21. Go to www. metrostatesoccercamps.com or contact Adrianne Almaraz at 303556-4874 or aalmaraz@mscd.edu for more information.

Women’s Basketball Head coach Tanya Haave and the Lady ’Runners will hold a team camp for high school athletes June 17-19. Teams will be grouped by experience and ability level, and a typical daily schedule will include three simultaneous full-court games. There will be complementary coaching clinics each evening for coaches who have registered teams. Register online at www. gometrostate.com.

Volleyball Head coach Debbie Hendricks, the volleyball staff and players will hold a position camp July 31-Aug. 2 and a team camp Aug. 3-5 at the Auraria Event Center. The team is sponsoring its second-annual high school team camp with a guaranteed 10 matches per team. Camps are designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of all volleyball players. Go to www.gometrostate.com for more information or contact assistant coach Gavin Markovits at 303-556-3832.

Metro senior guard Reggie Evans goes for a dunk against Colorado Christian in the Auraria Event Center Feb 4. You may not learn to dunk, but you will learn other skills to improe your game at the upcoming summer camps. File photo by Rachel Fuenzalida • rfuenzal@mscd.edu

Roadrunners know how to compete Nick Ohlig nohlig@mscd.edu Welcome incoming students to Metro State University of Denver, a place where the Roadrunners run away from the competition.

Now, I will admit that we play at the Division II sports level and that might not be as sexy as Division I. But at Metro, you will see champions on and off the field.

Whenever you go to a Metro sporting event remember this: Metro plays in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, also known as the RMAC. There are 14 teams in this conference, spanning the states of Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and South Dakota. Metro’s major rival is Regis and admission to home games is free. That’s right, it’s free. So you and your Metro

friends can watch great sporting events and not pay a dime. The best part of these free games — you can see winners play.

Did you know the women’s soccer team has won two NCAA Championships and its record in the NCAA Tournament is an outstanding 22-5-4? Plus, Metro has the second most NCAA Tournament all-time wins among D-II schools.

Another reason why you should watch women’s soccer is the dominance in conference play.

The Roadrunners have won four RMAC Championships, tying for most in RMAC history. Metro has hosted six consecutive RMAC Tournaments from 2004-2009.

Now, you might be wondering why is that important. The team with the best conference record gets to host the tournament each year.

The volleyball team has also had success. Since 2000, Metro is one of seven D-II teams to reach the NCAA Tournament in all 11 years. Only six current D-II schools have had more postseason appearances than Metro’s 18.

By the way, conference success

Ty Jacobs takes a swing in a game at Auraria fields April 5. Jacobs is one of many Metro athletes putting a winning face on Metro athletis. File photo by Rachel Fuenzalida • rfuenzal@mscd.edu

is flat out embarrassing for the opponents. Metro’s record in the RMAC Tournament is 24-9. And the Roadrunners have five tournament championships, which is the second most in conference history.

The men’s basketball team has one of the most successful programs in D-II history, entering this year with a winning percentage of .705. No other D-II school has a winning percentage over

.700. Since 2000, Metro has gone an outstanding 291-74, which is the second highest winning percentage in D-II. Since 1998, Metro has gone to the NCAA Tournament 13 times. Only one other school has reached the tournament 12 times since 1998. Metro’s all time tournament record is 30-13. The Roadrunners won National Championships in 2000 and 2002. The ’Runners are 32-6 in the RMAC

Shootout since 1999. Their nine championships are the most of any RMAC school. In fact, the school with the second most RMAC championships is Fort Hays State, with four.

The success continues on the women’s basketball side. The Lady “Runners have won two RMAC Shootout Championships and have appeared in five NCAA Tournament games.

The tennis teams have had championship banners raised as well. The men have won seven RMAC Championships while the women have won three.

Metro’s cross-country teams have some success in the RMAC with five top-five finishes for the men and two for the women.

Overall, Metro’s sports teams can be defined as winners. Our athletes work hard on and off the field and they need your support.

Besides the winners and the free admissions, if you go to a Roadrunner game you will experience an intimate sports venue. Welcome to Metro State, where you can watch winners run to a title.

14 May 24, 2012 MetroSpective TheMetropolitan

TimeOut This

Week 5.24

Van Halen 7:30 p.m.

Pepsi Center With Special guest Ky-Mani Marley $52-$514

5.25

Down: 1- Canine command 2- Single entity 3- Routine 4- Border

5- Violinist Zimbalist 6- Close at hand 7- Whip 8- Commedia dell’___ 9- Sir ___ Newton was an English mathematician 10- Ring combo 11- Red flower 12- Not much 13- Romanian coin 21- Stuffed savory vine leaf 22- Future fish 25- Vinegary prefix 26- Female fox 27- Pays to play 29- Gillette razors 30- Debussy subject 32- Word with panel or energy 33- Fit to be tied 34- Nostrils 36- Very skilled person

38- Women’s ___ 41- U of U athlete 42- Apple juice 43- Without warning 48- Thrills 49- A Kennedy 51- French form of kick boxing 54- Whiskey type 56- Stationary 57- Leg muscle, briefly 58- Golden Rule word 59- Arthur Ashe’s alma mater 60- Crux 61- Liquid container 62- Swirl 63- Nabokov novel 66- Draft org

Texts From Last Night Sounds like it. If it makes you feel better I blew up a $75,000 farm tractor last night.

You took it upon yourself to rid the world of them, and by that I mean you dressed up as Batman and started kicking them in the shins.

I had to smuggle a street sign attatched to a 14 foot long pole this morning. The list of reasons for me not to drink just keeps getting longer.

8:30 p.m.

The Walnut Room free

5.31

Reggae on the Roof 10:00 p.m.

Vinyl

Winner of the 2012 Westword Newspaper best of Denver DJ SABO with DJ Big Spade and DJ Top Shelf

5.31

8:00 p.m.

Center for Visual Arts

$6-$9 44- Driving peg 45- Greek vowel 46- Borne in pairs 47- Beginning 50- Road curve 52- Ventures 53- Wreath of flowers 55- Not many 57- Governing body of four persons 63- Em, e.g.

64- Mountaineer’s tool 65- X-ray units 67- Go out with 68- Roofing stone 69- Finishes 70- Brouhahas 71- Despised 72- The ___ the limit!

Open Mic Night

The Outfit with A Mouthful of Thunder and Colfax Speed Queen The Walnut Room Across: 1- Board on water 5- China’s Zhou ___ 10- Like some history 14- Are you ___ out?

15- Phobias 16- E or G, e.g.

17- Bandleader Puente 18- Dreadlocks wearer 19- Biblical birthright seller 20- Sympathetic 23- Grave 24- Female bovine 25- Advantage 28- Thanksgiving tuber 31- Red fluorescent dye 35- Picture theater 37- Bus. card info 39- Man-mouse link 40- Like afterschool activities

5.30

5.28

Rockies vs. Astros 1:10 p.m. and 6:10 p.m.

Coors Field The rockies host the Astros for two games $5-$75

5.29

Electronic Tuesday 9 p.m.

Cervantes’ Other Side DJ battle and showcase featuring ticket giveaways throughout the night.

Free before 10 p.m. ages 21+, $10 for everyone after 10 p.m.

My Life Is Average Yesterday as I was walking in New York City, I thought I saw Daniel Radcliffe walking towards me. Instinctively, I looked at his forehead to confirm the presence of the lightning-bolt scar to make sure it was really him. It wasn’t until several minutes later that I realized that he doesn’t have the scar in real life. MLIA Today, I was bored waiting for my mother at a gas station and started making silly faces. An employee who just got off his shift walked by, saw me, and gave me a head nod. Needless to say, I returned the favor and continued making funny faces. 5 minutes later, he walks up to my car window and says, “Young grasshopper, I see that you are bored. Your solution is great in it’s awesomeness and I hope to see this again.” He then ninja rolled back to his van and drove off like nothing happened. MLIA

Taos art exhibit 7:00 p.m.

Featuring 56 artists from Taos County

6.1

2nd annual Summer Daze 7:00 p.m.

City Hall

Featuring Audio Push $10-$20

6.2

Love Denver: A midsummer night’s celebration of the arts 5:00 p.m.

City Hall $15 presale $45 day of show

Today in History 5.24 1798 - The Irish Rebellion of 1798 against British rule begins 1935 - The first night game in MLB history is played in Cincinatti, Ohio.

1941 - German Ship the Bismark sinks the Bristish HMS Hood leaving three survivors.

1961 - The Freedom Riders of the American Civil Rights movement are arrested for disturbing the peace in Jackson, Mississippi after getting off thier buses.

Israeli troops leave south Lebanbon after occupying the area for 22 years.