Volume 39, Issue 24 - March 1, 2017

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mymetmedia.com

The Student Voice of MSU Denver

Volume 39, Issue 24

March 1, 2017

Taxpayer Bill of Rights at center of heated debate By Esteban Fernandez eferna14@msudenver.edu

Sports Stance:

A look at Derrick Clark’s leadership By David Schaut dschaut@msudenver.edu

The atmosphere within the men’s basketball organization has been a mystery ever since head coach Derrick Clark was suspended and junior guard Cam Williams was dismissed. At the center of this is Clark’s future at MSU Denver On Jan. 28, Clark was suspended and Williams was dismissed. The athletics department issued a press release that revealed nothing about the nature of the suspension other than the fact that it was not a legal matter. “Metropolitan State University of Denver Director of Athletics Dr. Anthony Grant announced tonight that head men’s basketball coach Derrick Clark will serve a three-game suspension beginning with tonight’s game against Westminster,”

the report said. “Grant made it clear that this is not a legal matter. Because this is a personnel matter, further details will not be provided or discussed.” I asked Associate Director of Athletics John Kietzmann about the nature of Clark’s suspension and he provided me no further details. One thing he did make clear was that Clark’s suspension was not related to the dismissal of Williams. Speaking of Williams, Kietzmann told me during a phone call that his dismissal was for a violation of team rules. He pointed out that Williams had been suspended for two games early in the season, inferring that the dismissal wasn’t just because of one egregious offense, but that it was a culmination of issues. Then, on Feb. 10, Williams was surprisingly reinstated

to the team. Again, the Athletics Department issued a statement: “Williams has met with men’s basketball studentathletes, coaches, and administration following his initial dismissal for violating team rules. Further details will not be provided on this matter.” That same day, the Athletics Department issued another press release that further convoluted the matter. “Metropolitan State University of Denver Head Men’s Basketball Coach Derrick Clark has chosen to take an indefinite leave of absence. During his absence, Adam Wall and Michael Bahl will serve as co-head coaches for the Roadrunners. Because this is a personnel matter, further details will not be provided or discussed.”

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News

Met

Photo by Taelyn Livingston • tliving4@msudenver.edu

Protests ensue after deportation begins

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Features

Met

Taxpayer Bill of Rights Foundation member Penn R. Pfiffner discusses TABOR at the event “Social Perspectives: Conversation, debate and understanding.” The event was held by the Denver Post at the Denver Press Club on Feb. 28.

Kristi Hargrove voted for Donald Trump in the last election. From Crested Butte, which she calls a liberal town, she identifies as a proud Republican. “My daughter came home from school, she was in middle school, complaining about how cold she was at school,” Hargrove said. It was around 2003. “I said to her, well wear more clothes, because you never put on enough clothes.” However, when Hargrove went to work on a student directory for her P.T.A., she had trouble because her fingers were freezing. After confronting the principle, she found out the school had turned down the utilities. “We live in a fairly affluent area and I thought that was ridiculous,” she said. “My comment to her was, ‘who’s

wasting money?’” It was only after going down to the school board that Hargrove found out there was no money for the school. That’s when she found out about the Colorado Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Ideologies clashed and tempers sparked at the Denver Press Club during a panel discussion of TABOR. Billed as Social Perspectives: Conversations, debate and understanding, the event was the first of a new monthly collaboration between The Denver Post, the Denver Press Club and the Colorado Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The inaugural topic was TABOR, the law that puts a cap on how much tax revenue the state of Colorado is allowed to keep after taxes are paid. The cap is tied to Colorado’s inflation and population growth.

Reefbuilder convention promotes creative innovation in tanks

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