the
Scribe
February 15 to February 21, 2011 [Volume 35. Issue 19]
Black History Month an essay in photos pg. 8 & 9
editorial
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February 15 to February 21, 2011
Wisdom from an oompa loompa
Editor-in-Chief Avalon Manly When I’m not at The Scribe, working to assemble and run this lovely publication, I work parttime at a candy store. A chocolate shop, actually. And because Valentine’s Day was this week, I spent about 20 hours over the last ten days or so, doing nothing but dipping hundreds and hundreds of strawberries in chocolate to appease all of your ridiculous romantic whims. I hope that at least one of you choked on them. But as I was dipping and decorating berries, I was thinking about this editorial, and I thought, “Well, I may not like chocolate, sure, but its history and chemistry are pretty fascinating. I bet people would like to know that, considering how much they’ll have ingested on Valentine’s.” That’s right. My brain uses words like “ingested,” even when I’m talking only to myself. Anyway, chocolate. That most popular of candy commodities, that sultan of sugared treats, the king of coca. I know that last one’s not a direct alliteration, but it was all I had. Just go with it. Most people think chocolate is made from cocoa beans. That’s a misnomer. The plant from which chocolate is made is actually called cacao, and chocolate as it’s derivative is commonly have accepted to have originated in the jungles of South America, as a product of the Aztec or Mayan civilizations. In the seventh century, the Mayans established the first cacao plantations in the northern regions of South America. Chocolate was often used as currency. Chocolate in its earliest form was distilled into a drink called “xocoatl,” after the god Quetzalcoatl, who had supposedly brought the seeds of the cacao tree with him from heaven to Earth as a gift to
humankind. “Xocoatl,” or, as it was sometimes called, “chocolatl,” was a drink made from roasting the cacao bean and grinding it into a bitter paste, then mixing it with water and spices into a frothy, fairly nourishing drink that was considered divine. Human sacrifices were often offered “chocolatl” as their last meal. This drink was, for a very long time, distributed to Europe only through Spain, which kept a secret of its cacao plantations in its more southern colonies. Eventually, the beverage spread throughout Europe, but it was for the most part out of the financial reach of common folk, and cacao beans were in most places passable as currency. The first chocolate press was invented in 1828, and forced some of the cocoa butter out of the cacao paste, giving the resulting drink a smoother consistency and a cheaper price tag; chocolate was on its way to becoming a common commodity. By about the middle of the nineteenth century, chocolate had gone from a liquid to a solid, and people began to eat it instead of drink it. It rapidly became the world’s most popular candy. Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine, a member of a class of alkaloid molecules known as methylxanthines – the same family to which caffeine belongs. Theobromine affects the human body in much the same way as the caffeine in coffee, just on a smaller scale: it’s a stimulant and a diuretic (so it dehydrates you), and it dilates the blood vessels. Chocolate is toxic to dogs because they can’t metabolize theobromine as rapidly as humans, and it negatively affects the heart, kidneys and central nervous system, often fatally so. So, chocolate wakes you up and makes you thirsty. You probably knew that. But, contrary to popular opinion, chocolate also doesn’t cause acne, insomnia or headaches, actually inhibits the growth of plaque, delivers antioxidants to your body and physically makes you happier. “Phenylethylamine is an amino acid found in chocolate that acts as a painkiller and antidepressant,” wrote Cathy Allison of The New Homemaker, “Both the
phenylethylamine and anandamide in chocolate trigger the release of endorphins, the chemicals in our brains that make us feel good. Carbohydrates in chocolate stimulate the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which produces feelings of calmness and wellbeing.” (Those chemical reactions are likely why women crave chocolate during certain times.) Phenylethylamine is also involved in the brain chemistry of love, which contributes to chocolate’s reputation as an aphrodisiac – though its ability to dilate blood vessels might have something to do with that, too. Studies have also shown that chocolate might contribute to longevity, lowering the risk of heart disease and increasing the amount of antioxidants in the bloodstream, when taken in moderation (one to three times monthly). Chocolate is also, fascinatingly, an anti-carcinogen, and helps to prevent adverse mutations in the DNA – in animal testing, it has actually been shown to help prevent the growth and mutation of cancer cells, especially in cancerous lesions on the skin. Chocolate might also act as an enzyme accelerant, helping to speed up the breakdown of lactose in dairy products, thereby rendering dairy edible for people who suffer from lactose-intolerance. The darker the chocolate, the more you benefit from its chemistry. Milk chocolate contains more sugar and dairy, and therefore less of the actual cacao that is so amazing. (I’m sorry to burst the bubbles of all the white chocolatelovers out there, but white chocolate isn’t actually chocolate at all. It contains no cacao, but rather is just made of sugar and dairy.) Usually, on dark chocolate products, there will be a percent marking somewhere of the percentage of cacao included; 70 percent and up is the real strong stuff. Now, when you think back to the entire heartshaped box of chocolates you ate yesterday, maybe you’ll be a little more at ease, knowing that, chemically, it does some pretty awesome things for your body. Just maybe try not to eat the whole pound at once next time. S
the scribe The official student newspaper of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Editor-in-Chief.........................................Avalon Manly Managing Editor........................................Jessica Lynch Business Manager..........................................Matt Baatz Advertising/Sales Manager..........................Luis Hidalgo News Editor.............................................Joesph Ruffini Culture Editor.........................................Brock Kilgore Athletics Editor......................................Matt Crandall Opinion/Scribble Editor...........................Cherise Fantus Photograhy Editor.................................Ariel Lattimore Copy Editor.............................................Cherise Fantus Web Master.............................................Dorian Rogers Layout Designers..........................................J.D. Osorio ..................................................................Emily Olson Reporters...................................................Alex Cramer ............................................................Ryan Piechowski .................................................................Sara Horton Photographer.........................................Michelle Wood Junior Reporters..........................................Ryan Adams ..............................................................Jeremy Lengele ....................................................................Matt Sidor ..................................................................Dan Mancini ..................................................................Mckye Kelly Junior Photographer...................................Brett Owens Contributors...........................................Steven Farrell Cartoonist............................................................Arno Distributor...........................................Donald Trujillo Advisor.....................................................Laura Eurich -------------Cover Illustration by Michelle Wood-------------The Scribe UC 106 (719) 255-3658 | (719) 255-3469 | (719) 255-3600 www.uccsscribe.com | scribe.eic@gmail.com
Information Letters to the Editor The Scribe strongly encourages letters to the editor. Letters intended for publication must not exceed 350 words, must be legible and include the writer’s name and contact information. Letters must be submitted to The Scribe via email at scribe.eic@gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. on Thursdays before publication. The Scribe reserves the right to reject letters to the editor that are libelous, obscene or anonymous and has the right to edit as necessary due to space limitations, spelling or other grammatical errors and AP style guidelines. Distribution Policy The following conducts are prohibited by The Scribe: Publication and news rack theft. A person commits the offense(s) of publication and/or news rack theft when he or she willfully or knowingly obtains or exerts unauthorized control over more than one copy of any edition of a publication distributed on or off campus (a “publication” is any periodical that is distributed on a complimentary basis). Any person who commits these offences is responsible for compensating The Scribe for any reasonable costs incurred, including, where appropriate, the refunding of advertising fees. Archives Additional copies of the current publication volume are available in The Scribe’s office. The Scribe keeps issues from the past five volumes for internal use only. The Office of University Records will handle any request for additional issues from the past five years and before. Advertising If you, your club, organization or business wishes to advertise with The Scribe, please call (719) 255-3469 or email scribeadvertising@gmail.com.
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student life
February 15 to February 21, 2011
all aboard
failboat
the
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Can you hear me now? There comes a point in everyone’s life that we experience a communication fail. It might be through an overuse of “lol,” an obsession with pointless emoticons or an inability to hold a conversation when you’re not drunk. For 25-year-old Cody Wilkins, leaving his phone charging at the scene of the crime was nothing short of idiotic. Wilkins, who had been in the process of robbing a house in Silver Spring, Maryland, was forced to make a speedy and careless exit when the homeowner’s son arrived home. After calling the police to report the incident, the homeowner’s son found the assailant’s phone. Police used Wilkins’ phone to track him down and were also able to link him to other break-ins that had occurred in the area. Moral of this story, leave your phone in your pocket or in the car when committing a felony.
STORYTELLING CONTEST Today in the Kraemer Family Library at 6 p.m., up to 12 UCCS students will present original, five-minute, non-fiction stories for the 2011 Live Intergeneration Storytelling Contest. Each story revolves around a multigenerational cast, and the stories are meant to serve as a lens through which people can achieve better understanding of different generations. The event is free and open to the public.
Kardashian gets ‘assed’ off stage According to Yahoo, last week at Madison Square Garden, Kim Kardashian was finally given a dose of her own medicine. Prince, who was performing at the Welcome 2 America concert, politely invited Kardashian onstage to dance with him. However, instead of graciously accepting the offer and applauding Prince’s own dance moves, the voluptuous booty of Kim Kardashian burst into laughter. With that, Prince told her to “Get off the stage!” to the amusement of the crowd. Kim, of no surprise, repented on Twitter. She explained, “I was so nervous I froze when Prince touched me!” Granted, we can’t really blame her for being frozen by his aura of awesomeness, but who laughs at the man who sang “Purple Rain?” You go, Prince.
FTW
“Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery.” -Bill Watterson
Fill out the sudoku puzzle below so that each row and column contain the numbers 1 through 9 with none repeated. Return it to the Scribe office when finished, along with the adjacent crossword; if you’re the first one done (and they’re done right), you’ll be awarded with a Scribe T-shirt.
Why Snow Sucks 1
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Puzzle 1 (Very hard, difficulty rating 0.81)
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8 9 10
8 9
6 7
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9 3
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8 1
8 6
5 5 8
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Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Tue Feb 8 21:16:15 2011 GMT. Enjoy!
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ACROSS 4 When you're so cold you just can't stop sniffing and everyone in your class wants to kill you, you compare your nose to this. 6 You're wearing four of them and it takes you ten minutes to take them off when you get to class. 8 It rusts the bottom of your car. 10 If your car has these, you may survive the drive home. 11 Everyone will laugh, and your ass will be sore. 13 That thing we did in snow when we were kids but can't anymore because we're behind in stats. 14 They say it's like going to sleep, but I can't imagine being so cold that you die being as awesome as sleeping. 15 It brings warmth. Build one. Use anything. Do it now.
DOWN 1 The obligatory drink for you to sit by the fire and whittle the snow days away. 2 At some point in the blizzard, you can't tell whether they're real people or the little round ones made by kids who didn't have to go to school today. 3 They freeze and burst and the freshmen can't bathe. 5 You might never feel your fingers again. 7 UCCS never does this. 9 Oh, God, I can't see the road! Help meeeee! 12 You can drive on it, but no one else can. 14 The number of words we have dedicated to snow in Colorado.
news
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February 15 to February 21, 2011
eCampus notification system used to warn students of ‘suspiciuos vehicle’ Matt Sidor msidor@uccs.edu On the afternoon of Feb. 3, students and staff members who had signed up for the emergency notification system received a mass text message from the UCCS Police Department. It reported a “suspicious vehicle” behind the Engineering building and instructed all students and staff to remain in their classrooms until further notice. Seventeen minutes later, another text stated that the situation had been resolved, and activities
could resume as normal. The texts were sent in response to a situation that began earlier that afternoon. At 1:25 p.m., Colorado Springs Police received a report of a black Yukon cutting off traffic on I-25. According to their official police blotter, “The witness indicated that the male driver then pointed what appeared to be a 9MM hand gun at the vehicle in front of him.” A second witness called in shortly afterward to report the same vehicle still cutting other cars off in traffic and heading east on Garden of the Gods Road to-
ward the UCCS campus. Jim Spice, the Chief of Campus Police, says his officers listen in on the Colorado Springs Police radio channels, and they heard the reports of the vehicle headed their way. “So when the officers heard that, they started patrolling the campus looking for this car,” he said. “A couple minutes later, the officers saw it parked behind the west side of the Engineering Building.” That’s when the emergency text message went out to everyone, instructing them to stay in their classrooms until they
could determine if there was a credible threat to the campus community. The officers looked up the license plate and parking permit in their system and matched it with a student named Robert Bell. They then pulled Bell’s class schedule and found him in the Engineering building, and pulled him out of class. “We took him back to his car, and he gave voluntary consent to search the car, and he did have a weapon in his car,” said Spice. According to the CSPD, the weapon was a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun,
resting on the center floorboard. Bell acknowledged that he had been driving in the area of question, but denied ever flashing his weapon. Officers were unable to reach the witness who had reported seeing the handgun, so Bell was served and released on a charge of careless driving. Spice says that Bell has been given an exclusion from campus until he meets with the director of Judicial Affairs. This incident was the only time in at least the past two years that the enotification system was
used for an emergency situation. Recently, the system was modified to include messages regarding weather-related delays. Only 2,400 users are currently registered for the service – just 22.6 percent of the approximately 10,600 students, faculty and staff on campus. The service is free to anyone with an active IT username and password, and campus police encourage everyone to sign up: Just go to e2campus.uccs. edu, enter your credentials, and enter up to two cell phone numbers for text message notifications.
Boulder removes emergency call boxes near campus Matt Sidor
msidor@uccs.edu The City of Boulder recently decided to remove their five emergency call boxes from the College Hill neighborhood directly west of the University of Colorado campus. These boxes are nearly identical to the blue-lighted call boxes on our own campus – press a big red button, and you’re con-
nected directly to a police dispatcher. However, between 2009 and 2010, Boulder Police received 351 non-emergency calls from the five boxes, all of which turned out to be prank calls. For each one of those calls, city police had to send out an officer to investigate, wasting precious time and resources that could have been devoted to actual emergencies. The boxes were originally installed in 2002 when personal cell phones were less prevalent. Now, with nearly every individual carrying one in their pocket, the city has decided that the boxes are no longer necessary.
The actual university campus has 60 of the blue light phones. City police say they receive 300 to 400 calls per year from those phones, and only about 10 percent tend to be legitimate emergencies – not a very high proportion, but high enough to justify keeping the phones on university property. UCCS has a network of blue phones as well, s p r e a d
throughout the various parking lots and near campus buildings, stretching from University Hall to the Four Diamonds complex. In fact, last semester the Student Government Association funded the installation and maintenance of several new phones. Many students see them as a critical component to their personal safety as they make the journey from one end of the campus to the other, especially late at night; there are no plans to remove any of the phones. Campus Police Chief Jim Spice says they’ve had no
prank calls from the phones on our campus. “How often are they used? Seldom – I would say a few times a year,” he said “The times that we’ve actually had them used, they’ve all been legitimate kind of things: ‘I’ve locked my key in my car,’ or ‘I need an escort,’ or other valid reasons.” He did say, however, that phones in disrepair would sometimes make calls without anyone pressing the button, causing false alarms. As of now, though, all of the phones are in good working condition.
Photos by Ariel Lattimore
Clockwise from top left: Emergency box in Lot 9 near Stanton Rd.; Lot 9 across from Alpine Village Apartments; Lot 4 outside Kraemer Family Library; Parking garage, level 2; Lot 7 behind Columbine Hall; Lot 8 near the Recreation Center. These boxes are located for the safety and convienence of faculty, staff, administration and students.
February 15 to February 21, 2011
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Cutout hearts encourage recycling Jessica Lynch jlynch@uccs.edu A collage of hearts will be placed outside the campus bookstore in the art exhibit space beginning Feb. 27 to conclude a week dedicated to recycling from the heart. In a combined effort with Mountain Lion PR (MLPR) and the Office of Sustainability, the first of what they hope to be many ‘Recycle the Love’ events will take place in order to increase awareness of and involvement in the sustainability movement by reaching out to local children. The Office of Sustainability is a recent client of MLPR, and the idea for the event was a group effort among its members. As emphasized by Michelle Kissler, a member of the Office of Sustainability, “The collaboration of efforts from their [MLPR’s] expertise on creative outreach and our office’s resources will make a great team.” According to James Burge, MLPR’s President, “Our club is working hard to coordinate pretty much the entire event. We have created flyers, used some Facebook tools and we are also creating the red boxes ourselves.” Twenty red boxes will be placed in various locations on campus and will include red heart cutouts in each box’s side pocket. Students are encouraged to write a message of love on these
hearts and deposit them in the boxes so they can be delivered to the children at White Oaks Academy and UCCS’ Family Development Center. Additionally, hearts will be handed out to students by members of MLPR throughout the week. A total of seven MLPR club members are assisting with the campaign and hearts will be collected until Friday, Feb. 18. As explained by Burge, “After we collect all the hearts we will take them to the schools and allow the children to write a love message back in response to what the UCCS student wrote. This way the love shared between the two will be recycled.” Due to the young age of the children, Burge furthered, teaching the symbolism of the hearts might be difficult. In order to combat this, plans have been made for Linda Kogan, the Director of Sustainability to give a “brief overview of recycling and give them an activity” during the visit. The idea behind this event stemmed from the realization that while the need to recycle is a pressing issue and one that most everyone agrees with, very little action ever takes place. “Our club believes this will be a great way to get students physically involved in the act of sustainability,” Burge said. Also, by involving adolescents, it will encourage future sustainability efforts and
practices. Kogan further emphasized, “This type of event is important because it does two jobs: Teaches future generations the importance of recycling from an early age, and also educates adults about the purpose of practicing small acts of sustainability. Awareness among the public is something is continuing to grow, but action is something that seems to be lagging.” Also mentioned by Michelle Kissler, an employee of the Office of Sustainably, this year’s addition to the RecycleMania campaign “will impact the efforts to reach our zero-waste goal.” White Oaks Academy, as Burge explained, was chosen because his
nephew attends the facility and his sister-in-law teaches there as well. It was important to include the Family Development Center because of its proximity to UCCS and the hope that it “would increase the chances that they would come to campus to see the collage,” Burge said. The hearts will be delivered to the Family Development Center at 10 a.m. on Feb. 25 and the children’s responses will return in the form of one large heart collage. The collage will be up from Feb. 27- March 3. As emphasized by UCCS senior Joseph Casias, “Through events like this one, students will become engaged in more acts of sustainability.” S
Photo by Ariel Lattimore
James Burge, President of Mountain Lion PR and other club members work hard to create this week’s ‘Recycle the Love’ boxes. Hearts will be collected until Feb. 18.
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Steamboat House water pipes break from subzero temperatures Sara Horton shorton@uccs.edu After overnight temperatures dropped to 20 degrees below zero on Feb. 1, water pipes broke in the Steamboat House residency hall. The next day at 12:30 p.m., fire-suppression lines in the sprinkler system burst and flooded ten rooms on three different floors of the Steamboat House building. Consequently, almost fifty students were temporarily relocated from their rooms. While Western States Fire Protection Company repaired the broken water pipes, 48 students could not return to their rooms for about a week due to flooding. “Student welfare is our first priority,” stated Susan Szpyrka, UCCS senior associate vice chancellor for administration and finance, in regard to the incident. Housing and Residence Life Department staff moved the affected students to other available rooms in Steamboat House
and in other student housing buildings. Because there were not enough rooms available to accommodate everyone, some of the students were temporarily lodged at a local hotel at UCCS’ expense. The students moved back into their rooms at Steamboat House the following Monday. However, some students continue to be affected. “My laptop was fried,” said Brian Liu, a resident of Steamboat House who stayed at the local Hyatt Hotel while the water pipes were being repaired. “I have to go to the library to do my homework now.” He claimed to have also lost some textbooks due to water damage but said UCCS is currently working with him to replace them. In spite of losing his laptop and a few other possessions, Liu accepts what happened. “I don’t think anyone expected it to get that cold,” Liu said. Although the broken water pipes in Steamboat House attracted plenty of attention, the record low temperatures caused other minor problems, such as
a frozen sprinkler pipe in the Science and Engineering Building. “I wouldn’t call this a freak accident,” said Jeff Davis, head of UCCS maintenance. He explained the break was due to negative temperatures and wind chill the night before. “It’s a factor of nature,” Davis claimed. UCCS maintenance always takes precautions to prevent broken pipes, and staff will continue to ensure pipes around campus are in good working condition. However, some of those precautions will have to wait until the end of the semester. Davis noted precautionary measures could not be taken while students are still living in the residence halls. He said that thermostatic electric pipe wraps, which prevent pipes from getting too cold and subsequently freezing, will be applied once students move out in May. In the mean time, Davis assured that maintenance personnel will monitor and continue upkeep on pipes at UCCS in case subzero temperatures return. S
ing and support in Spanish (seven tutors), French (three tutors), German (two tutors), ASL (American Sign Language, one tutor) and Japanese (one tutor) including “a media library (available for checkout and on-site viewing) as well as language reference materials for students studying in the center.” “We can offer help with homework assignments, listen to presentations, help with preparing for exams and provide guidance along the way for students as they write term papers for classes,” expounded junior Spanish tutor, David Henriquez. “We have 29 networked computers, where each one is equipped with a headset and microphone and all include Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Latin, ASL, Greek and Russian language building software.” The Language Technology Center is also an active participant in Project Excel, which is “a network of five Project Excel Learning Centers available to help UCCS students succeed and excel in every aspect of their academic careers,” including fellow campus
resources, Math Learning Center (MLC), Oral Communication Center, Science Learning Center (SLC) and the Writing Center. However, despite the numerous, viable and immensely supportive options offered by the center, access is not limited only to those in second language classes; any and all are welcome who merely wish to refresh their second language skills or prepare for trips or vacations to international lands, including study abroad programs. “People that are not taking any second language courses can still come in and use the LTC,” Henriquez added, “If the library is packed to the gills and you’re just looking for a place to get some studying or homework done, students are free to come in and experience a great environment for just that, including use of computers.” For more information, including complete listings of the Language Technology Center’s resources and tools, tutor times or any other general questions of interest, students are encouraged to long onto uccs. edu/~ltc. S
LTC extends hours through Sat. Matt Crandall mcrandal@uccs.edu In what perhaps may be one of the less widely known student services tucked away in the secure confines of 270 Dwire Hall, the Language Technology Center (LTC) offers refuge for many second language students with its availability of resources, materials and tutors. The weekend of Feb. 19 their doors will stay open for extended Saturday afternoon assistance. The LTC is currently open Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. However, this Saturday will kick off a new spring semester schedule for the LTC where they will reopen their doors from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. due in part to consistent replies from the LTC’s Student Feedback Forms. These forms revealed that students were in need of additional help with homework and term paper assistance on weekends. Resources and available assistance come in many different forms. Some of these include drop-in tutor-
February 15 to February 21, 2011
The news in brief
Film festival fills Lon Chaney Theatre
It was standing room only for the fourth annual Greater Colorado Short Circuit Film Festival at the Lon Chaney Theatre. The event, put on but the Independent Film Society of Colorado (IFSOC), is designed to showcase the works of local artists. IFOSEC is the same organization that puts on the annual “Indy Spirit” Film festival. The films in this year’s installment of the Short Circuit ranged from four to 18 minutes long and were thematically centered on romance and Valentine’s day. Among the films screened was the Academy Award nominated short, “God of Love” by Luke Matheny, Winner of last years Student Academy Awards. The film centers on a young man in love who finds the power of cupid’s arrows. The festival offered the opportunity to mingle with filmmakers, see new short films, and even a projectile Valentine’s candy giveaway. The upcoming fourth annual Indie Spirit Film Festival will be held April 14 to 17. Tickets will soon be available online at indiespiritfilmfestival.org. - JR S
Man jumps to his death in downtown Springs
On Friday just after 10 a.m., a man jumped to his death from a 12-story Alamo building in downtown Colorado Springs. The deceased, Jeremy Eckles, 35, died on the scene, according to CSPD. Tejon St. was closed for several hours between Colorado Ave. and Vermijo while police investigated the incident. He was scheduled to have been in court at 9:30 that morning, to be sentenced on multiple charges of theft. He had failed to appear in court once before, on Nov. 19, and investigators say he was faced with up to four years in prison. CSPD are conducting a series of investigations into the event itself and into the ease of access to the roof of the building. “We’ll be investigating whether or not there was open access to the roof or if there’s secure access. That is certainly a question we’re asking,” said Sgt. Steve Noblitt of CSPD. - AM S
Employee stabbed in tussle at Ritz Bar
An employee of the Rtiz Bar and Grill in downtown Colorado Springs was stabbed Friday morning at about 1:30 a.m. CSPD responders said that the large crowd inside the bar hindered their removing the injured employee, who was admitted to the hospital with non-life threatening upper chest wounds. “Someone came up and stabbed him with an unknown object,” said Sgt. Cari Graves of CSPD. One officer suffered a minor injury during the attempt to extricate the suspect, identified by those present as having been involved in “numerous fights” throughout the evening. The suspect was taken into custody, but has not been charged, since the investigation into the incident is ongoing. –AM S
David Mueller continues to impact lives
A recent video staring David Mueller, an accomplished track star at UCCS who passed away in July of 2009, reaches out in an act of remembrance. The video, which was compiled by program advocates, works to explain how lawyers and judges involved in drunken driving accidents will use a new tool referred to as restorative justice. Restorative justice hopes to help those involved work past feelings of retribution so complete healing can occur. The video has most recently been circulated by Coach Mark Misch who spoke of Mueller as being the “best all-around sprinter in UCCS history” and includes Attorney General John Suthers’s belief that restorative justice “has a place in both the criminal and civil court systems.” -JL
Army simulates for ROTC Jessica Lynch jlynch@uccs.edu A trailer housing a helicopter, parachute and vehicle simulator was used last Wednesday to encourage UCCS students to enlist in the Army. By joining the Army, students are given a reprieve from school as they serve the Army’s minimum eight years. It further guarantees school will be completely paid for after serving. This is a tempting offer because of increased tuition rates, bothersome student loans and a desire to serve our country. The idea behind the event, as explained by one soldier, is to “Get the information out there so they [students] know what we do.” While the Army is not all fun and games, the available simulators were engaging and educational. In one, you were harnessed in as you would be if you were jumping from a plane. While it lacked in the actual feel of free falling, the goggles and straps made landing the jump in the circled area a difficult task and one that many students failed to execute. The vehicle simulator allowed one person to drive while the other sat in the back with virtual reality glasses
and a 50 caliber rifle. The glasses were difficult to see out of and made shooting and locking in on the target all the more challenging. Driving was easy enough, though not overly realistic as the vehicle did not move from side to side as would be expected even at a mid-level arcade. Overall, the simulators were interesting, but not realistic in their portrayal of Army activities. Still, the simulators, as it was explained, are meant to illicit student interest and encourage a career in the Army. The process of enlisting, however, can be time consuming at best, and is greatly dependent on the person and how serious their interest in joining is. “Our job is to council and mentor them,” as they make their decision; this can take as little as a few months or up to a year. The event was a joint effort between UCCS’ ROTC program and the Army. The campus’ ROTC program, which allows students to continue attending school while training for the military, provides students financial benefits and scholarships, too. After graduating from the Army ROTC, students will earn the bar of a Second Lieutenant and be commissioned into the Active Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard. S
February 15 to February 21, 2011
culture
And all that Written by Avalon Manly, amanly@uccs.edu Photo of David Sanborn courtesy of parquestematicos.org
Jazz is America’s only original contribution to the wide world of music, and one of its only two forms of native art (along with comic books). Jazz is the offspring of African spirituals and European traditional music; it was born in the South early in the 20th Century, and was raised – at least at first – almost exclusively by African American musicians. It’s the grandfather of rock ‘n’ roll and soul and R&B and country, and is usually recognizable by the presence of what are called “blues” or “swing” notes – that is, instead of each note being played for an equal length of time, every other note is just a little shorter, providing the music with that characteristic dash-dot rhythm. For the first part of its life, jazz was the music of the African-American and those
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without basic social liberties. Then it was the music of the youth, the emerging feminist and civil rights activist, the social deviant, the transient. It was the noise of rebellion, and the soundtrack of the growing pains of our country. It played a large role as the background noise in speakeasies during the Prohibition Era. As jazz became more socially acceptable, it spawned blues and rock and hip-hop; but, it’s still alive and well in its original form today, and right here in the Springs. There are a number of venues in town that offer live jazz, blues and swing, some that focus on the music, some on the atmosphere, but they all offer a different perspective on the multitudinous and rich music that is jazz.
Stargazers Monthly Jazz Jam at Stargazers Theatre and Event Center 10 Parkside Dr., 80910 (719) 476-2200
Stargazers puts on a quality jazz show every month. It’s not a dance venue, but rather a sit-andwatch stage event for jazzers who want to observe the players while they listen. The next show will be on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. Tickets are available online or at the door for $6.
Earl Klugh’s 8th Annual Weekend of Jazz at the Broadmoor 1 Lake Ave., 80906 (719) 634-7711
From April 7 to 9, the Broadmoor will headline names like Peabo Brynson, David Sanborn, Brian Culbertson, Nnenna Freelon and Earl Klugh at their annual jazz festival. It’s not going to be cheap – ticket prices aren’t even posted online yet, but some three-day packages that included lodging at the Broadmoor Hotel are already sold out – though if you’re a die-hard jazz fan and you’ve always wanted to see Sanborn live, this will be something you shouldn’t pass up.
Second Sunday Jazz Affair at the Olympian Plaza Reception and Event Center 975 S. Union Boulevard, 80910 (719) 634-6520
The Pikes Peak Jazz and Swing Society sponsors live jazz on the second Sunday of each month, at 1 p.m., at the Olympian Plaza. The next couple shows will feature Roger Campbell and the Jenkins Middle School Jazz Band (just because they’re young doesn’t mean they can’t swing), and the Boris Cerlac Quartet.
Thirsty Parrot Bar and Grill 32 S. Tejon Street, 80903 (719) 884-1094
The Colorado Springs Big Jazz Band plays here often: Their next show is Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 6 p.m. They’re largely a cover band that plays some rockin’ revisions of popular tunes, and are very conducive to a dancing atmosphere. The Thirsty Parrot is a bar that houses live music regularly, and is therefore fairly popular with the crowd that values the scene over the soundtrack. It’s nothing special acoustics-wise, but they offer some pretty good shows. No cover.
Jazz Fridays at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center 30 W. Dale Street, 80903 (719) 634-5581
Most Fridays at 8 p.m., the FAC’s Deco Lounge hosts live jazz shows; next week headlines the Flute Daddy Quartet. Everything in the Deco Lounge encourages an atmosphere of intimacy and quiet class: the black glass tables, the backlit bar, the blue blown glass chandelier, the exquisite but affordable tapas and the volume of the music – not so loud as to prevent conversation, but loud enough that it can’t be ignored – are all arranged and present to provide a cozy room where you can just let the jazz wash over you. No cover.
If dancing’s more your thing, there are a couple of places you can hit up to blues and swing dance, one of which is right here on campus. Every Monday night at 8 p.m., the UCCS Ballroom is host to advanced swing dancers and newbies alike. On Sundays, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall (430 E. Pikes Peak Ave, 80903) houses Swing in the Springs. At 7 p.m., there’s a free hour-long lesson on the basic swing steps and an intro to other forms of jazz dancing; then, from 8 to 10 p.m., and for a $6 door fee, you can Lindy and Charleston the night away on the dance floor.
African American History in Colora
Sometimes the history of a culture is best appreciated by simply viewing its own art and images. The following examples of art and photographs are about an Local History Collection of the Pikes Peak Library District. Most of the history came from “The Invisible People of the Pikes Peak Region: An Afro-America
Above: An oil canvas by Aurelio Diaz Tekpankalli, a Purepecha Indian from Michoacan, Mexico, on the second floor of the UCCS library depicts the history of the ‘new’ world, and is book-ended by African American images.
Right: Harvey Groves was commonly seen in Manitou Springs in the 1890s leading horse tours to Pikes Peak, Cave of the Winds and Garden of the Gods. He also toured with Wild West shows as a trick rider and sharp shooter. (Photo courtesy of the Local History Collection at the Pikes Peak Library District, Image # 001-8841)
Left: Another of Eric Bransby’s paintings at the Fine Arts Center called “The Good Book.” It depicts an intergenerational discussion of the Bible and what it meant during the Depression.
Right: Fannie Mae Duncan opened the Cotton Club at the corner of Sahwatch and Colorado in 1948. From then until it was torn down in 1975 for ‘urban renewal,’ the Cotton Club was the premier live music venue in town. Count Basie and Duke Ellington, among many others, performed on Fannie Mae’s famous stage. (Photo courtesy of the Local History Collection at the Pikes Peak Library District, Image # 1014846)
Above: “A G second floor Colorado Sp year anniver
ado Springs in Art and Photographs
nd/or by local African Americans, and represent the spirit of Black History Month well. All the art is viewable locally and the photographs are courtesy of the an Chronicle,” by John Stokes Holley. - Compiled and written by Brock Kilgore, bkilgore@uccs.edu
Guardian of the West - The Buffalo Soldier,” by Lawrence Harris, is also on the r of the UCCS library. Members of the famous 10th Cavalry Regiment came to prings in September of 1906 to participate in the parade for the one hundred rsary of Zebulon Pike’s first sighting of Pikes Peak.
Above: J.W. Braxton, the first pastor for the African Methodist Episcopal Church from 1908 to 1911, is also depicted in the Bransby mural at the Pioneers Museum. The congregation still worships at the Payne Chapel just west of Academy Boulevard between San Miguel and Uintah. Below: An unidentified African American man helping to survey the Colorado Springs region with Ferdinand V. Hayden in 1873. Shown next to famous local author Helen Hunt Jackson as part of a mural depicting the history of Colorado Springs that local artist Eric James Bransby painted for the upstairs atrium of the Pioneers Museum in the old courthouse downtown.
culture
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February 15 to February 21, 2011
Dick’s Dogs and Diner offers a spin on your average dog Brock Kilgore bkilgore@uccs.edu “If you like hot dogs, you’ll love Dick’s,” might be the best restaurant slogan of all time. A hot dog cut up into pieces and eaten with the hands may seem like children’s food, but at Dick’s Dogs, dogs are different - they are for adults. Beginning with the very first item on the menu, this dog dealer’s departure from normality becomes apparent. The Original 420 Friendly Dog ($4) has a French toast-like bun filled with a sweet sausage covered with hash browns, cheese and powdered sugar, and served with a side of maple syrup to drench the aforementioned oddity in
The Rundown What Dick’s Dogs and Diner Where 101 N. Tejon St., Suite 106 When Monday - Saturday 6:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. (open a little later Thursday to Saturday) Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More Info 719-635-1951 for downtown delivery
wonderfulness. Dick’s prices are oddly cheap as well. The Trailer Park Trash Dog ($1.50 for one or $2.50 for two) is a simple hot dog with bun, American cheese, yellow mustard and potato chips. The highest priced items – the Philly Steak, Pastrami and Roast Beef and Cheddar Subs – are $6, but are more filling, made with higher quality ingredients and better than the infamous “$5 footlong” jingle. All sandwiches can become a Snack Pack for $1.75 extra with a drink and chips, or a Full Meal for $2.50 more with a drink and two sides. The menu is literally stuffed with crazy names for strangely super sandwiches. No, The Columbian Cartel Dog ($4) does not come with drugs. Instead, the dog comes topped with a special pineapple sauce, vinegar coleslaw, crushed potato chips, mayo and brown mustard. The Italian Mobster Dog ($3.79) is served spread out like a pizza on a bun with marinara, Italian sausage, mozzarella and parmesan. Everything we tried was excellent, but my favorite was The Carolina Kid Dog ($3.89) with a cheese dog covered with yellow mustard, onions and southern coleslaw with bacon. The address is a little confusing because Dick’s is actually on Kiowa, not Tejon. It is located where SS Subs used to be, across the street from The Famous Steakhouse. The colorful owners, Kevin “Sarge” MacDonald and Josh “Homer”
Photo by Brock Kilgore
The Original 420 Friendly Dog at Dick’s
Simpson will always be there actually making the food, which is a lost art in itself. The interior of Dick’s is spacious, bright and lively with rock ‘n’ roll playing at the appropriate volume (loud). The walls are adorned with sports memorabilia ranging from John Elway to Jimmy Connors, including duck and fish statues and a Harley Davidson sign. The importance of music is demonstrated by the colorful mural that reads “Good Ol’ Rock and Roll at Dick’s,” complete with awesome statues of the members of Kiss above.
Dick’s story is different as well. MacDonald grew up an army brat from Louisiana, then traveled the world with the military for twenty years, soaking up hot dog recipes all the while. Simpson’s parents are locals, but he spent high school and college in Missouri. The two met while working in car dealerships here in the Springs after MacDonald retired from the military. When the economy collapsed and the dealership they were working for closed, the two decided to make the MacDonald’s hot dog dream a reality.
Each one of Dick’s Dogs has a story behind it, and these are the types of cultural experiences that always make for the best food. The story behind The Mountain Man Dog ($4) has yet to be fully revealed, but the dog is MacDonald’s favorite. It features a dog on a crusty roll with chili, oyster crackers, yellow mustard and cheddar cheese. Simpson’s favorite dog is The Moscow Mafia Dog ($3.79) which features a dog with sauerkraut and Russian dressing because it reminds him of his beloved Kansas City-style Reuben. S
Never too late to watch ‘Always Sunny’ Sara Horton
shorton@uccs.edu Many of today’s television shows follow a formula; they have the same regurgitated themes and famous faces, but they’re just slapped together in different combinations. Fortunately, some shows challenge this method and give unsatisfied viewers another reason to turn on their televisions. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is such a show. Its fresh situational comedy and new talent make each episode a refreshing— and occasionally unsettling—experience. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” was the brainchild of Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton, who were both struggling actors when the show was first conceived. They recruited mutual friend and fel-
low actor Charlie Day to help them shoot a pilot, which was filmed for about $200. McElhenney, Howerton and Day sent the pilot from studio to studio until it landed in the laps of FX studio executives. Even though the pilot’s budget was pocket change by Hollywood standards, FX was impressed by the trio’s work and ordered the first season to launch in 2005. According to McElhenney, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” is about “four degenerates who own a bar in South Philadelphia.” The four degenerates are Mac (McElhenney), Charlie (Day), and twins Dennis (Howerton) and Dee (Kaitlin Olson). All four characters have their own quirks, but all of them are united by one characteristic: self-interest. There is no low the four of them do not hit and no
amount of dignity they are not willing to lose in order to get what they want. The first episodes featured the gang selling alcohol to minors, trying to profit off of Nazi memorabilia and lying about having cancer to get a date. “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” almost makes viewers feel guilty for laughing. In addition to starring in and producing “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” McElhenney, Howerton and Day write most of the show’s material. The show has an unapologetically twisted sense of humor, but they insist they do not write for shock value. In an interview with IGN, Howerton claimed, “We never do anything that’s purposely distasteful, because I don’t think any one of us finds things that are just distasteful funny. But there are things that are really funny that oth-
er people find distasteful, and I think what we tend to do, is when we talk about pushing it, really all that we’re doing is just doing things that we think are funny and original and things that would make us laugh.” Despite some of its controversial material, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” received enough viewers and acclaim for it to be picked up for another season. At that point, the show wanted to reach a more mainstream audience. McElhenney and company reached out to Danny Devito, who happened to already be a fan of the show, and asked him to join the cast as Frank, Dennis and Dee’s father. Devito agreed and has played a regular character on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” ever since. Although Devito is the most seasoned actor in the cast, he never
Image courtesy of elvzonline.info
“It’s Always Sunny” includes coke addicts, failed suicides and a lot of bad, though humerous, ideas.
takes himself too seriously to have fun. In the 2009 “A Very Sunny Christmas” DVD special, Devito clawed out of a leather sofa stark naked and ruined countless appetites in the process. Such bizarre skits and unpredictability have made “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” a guilty pleasure. “It’s Always Sunny
in Philadelphia” has been on air now for six seasons, five of which are currently available on DVD. The seventh season’s premiere date has yet to be announced, but it will likely be some time this fall on FX. In the meantime, clips from past seasons can be watched online at www. fxnetworks.com/shows/ originals/sunny. S
athletics
February 15 to February 21, 2011
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Home attendance has Mountain Lion athletics middle of the pack Alex Cramer acramer@uccs.edu Since the addition of the Gallogly Events Center in January 2010, men’s basketball at UCCS has averaged more attendance (610) then it was ever capable of seating in a packed Lion’s Den that could hold a maximum of 418. In spite of crowds that would seem underwhelm to new spectators, UCCS has come a long way from the middle-school level confines the Lion’s Den had to offer a mere 13 months ago. In fact, UCCS has some of the best attendance numbers in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) this season by averaging a percent of capacity clip of 48.8% for a men’s game and 37.9% for a women’s game, respectively. Despite encouraging
numbers in attendance, the vibe around campus is that no one cares about athletics at UCCS. The way things are going now point to that trend coming to an end at some point the down the line as UCCS continues to build tradition. “[Despite] the fact that we’ve only been playing athletics here for 20 years [means] the tradition factor is really big,” said Athletic Director Steve Kirkham. “It’s going to be a building process, if we win and we start winning all the time, I think you’ll see the seats fill up pretty quickly out in this part of the country just because you don’t have the tradition.” Other schools in the RMAC are located in small communities making their games the place to be on the weekend. Colorado Springs is large enough community that people have so many other options, UCCS athletics
can fall down the pecking order. “I think we need to look at making the Friday night game the place to be, while students are still in the area,” said Assistant Director Sports Management Program Glenn Steimling. “And we’re trying to make Saturdays more of a community family night, because if our students aren’t going to be here we have seats to fill.” The lone fraternity at UCCS, Kappa Sigma, has shown their school spirit by painting their chests for home basketball games on a regular basis. “Three years ago was the first time we started doing that, and then a year ago we started doing it more often,” said fraternity president Tyler Siskowic. While Kappa Sigma has done a great job promoting school spirit they’re not the only student organization on campus helping get
students in the stands. F.I.G.H.T. Club or Fans Initiating Growth Honor Tradition, has helped paved the way to record attendance nights the past two years at their famed Blackout Night setting the school record in a standing
room at 1,337 in 2010. Sports Information Director Doug Fitzgerald knows the average attendance at games won’t change over night but sees better things ahead for UCCS. “It takes more than 13
months to change a campus culture that previously had athletics in a minor position, and progress will continue to be made as students discover the high level of competition, high entertainment value and campus pride.” S
know exactly what I’m talking about. The pregame tailgate offered free food and drinks, prizes and products ranging from water bottles to gym bags. Overall, it was a great social environment to be a part of as hundreds of students joined in a mutual feeling of camaraderie. However, despite the free goods and refreshments, what was it most students really wanted as they stood in line for an hour and a half? The official, ‘Blackout Night’ T-shirts, consisting of a dark midnight tone, centered on a strong, yellowish emblem in the center may have held most students captive in line. What appeared to be a simple, modest piece of
clothing, ended up draping every student in a symbolic armored layer, representing fight, integrity, growth, honor and tradition. Man, where have I heard that before – fight, integrity, growth, honor and tradition? Now, the intoxicating, powerful feelings I felt as the UCCS men’s and women’s basketball teams competed in front of a full house of screaming, roaring fans is almost too difficult to describe. All one had to do was look around in every direction of the arena to see the incredible impact fans really do have on the game; and it’s only when Gallogly is packed in tight, do we see it take on
a life of its own. According to grim legend, UCCS once housed a vampirical student body. Blackout Night, however, confirms that we do in fact have a heartbeat. If we look below the surface of how the “Big Bang” of Blackout Night came to be, we’ll notice the enigma of it all began with an idea, coupled with motivation and direction of one student: That’s it. Senior and co-founder of F.I.G.H.T. Club (Fight Integrity Growth Tradition – Ah, yes, that’s where I heard it.) Ben Jourdan, ignited the spark which brought forth the foundation of a great tradition to be passed on for years to come. And, after having the pleasure of meeting
the man behind the madness, the entire picture came together. Ben managed to affirm the cliché of clichés, if you will, that one person truly can make a difference. Anyone can want change to occur or for situations to be different, but success only comes when action takes place. And one single action is the root of all change. As I exited the Gallogly Events Center, witnessing over a thousand people wearing black and yellow, my friend turned to me and said, “This is how every game should be from here on out – with tons and tons of people.” It’s a great thing to picture, but the reality of such change would require a lot of ac-
tion, and change of that magnitude also requires time. However, who’s to say down the road this Blackout Night mentality can’t resonate down to Four Diamonds, where UCCS softball and soccer compete? Or, spread to locales where the golf, track and cross country teams compete? If one person and one club could affect so many people to partake in one event, what could 10, 20 or 50 people accomplish? The choice is ours, but one thing which can’t be denied is that the seed has been planted. The question left for students to come is whether they will be willing to water it and help it grow. S
Photo by Ariel Lattimore
Blackout Night is one of the events that pulls in huge crowds at the men’s and womenn’s basketball games.
‘Blackout Night’ successes may have finally planted the seed Matthew Crandall
mcrandal@uccs.edu Although it’s been nearly three weeks since Blackout Night experienced its third consecutive year of complete and absolute success, remnants of the benevolent event are beginning to shine all around campus. If the past is any indicator of the future, this may be exactly what UCCS needs in order to converge school spirit with athletics – permanently. I mean, seriously, will anybody ever be able to hear “Black and Yellow” again without thinking about UCCS? If you attended this year’s festivities, then you
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athletics
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February 15 to February 21, 2011
‘Melo’-dramatic trade situation nears deadline Ryan Piechowski rpiechow@uccs.edu In the midst of one of the most hectic and memorable NBA offseasons this past summer, unrestricted free agent Carmelo Anthony added to the drama when he informed Denver Nuggets’ management of his desire to be traded from the away. A three year, $65 million contract extension offered by Denver has been ignored by Anthony whose representatives have made it known to the Nuggets and the rest of the league that Carmelo wants out of Colorado and with the Feb. 24 NBA trade deadline fast approaching, the Nuggets find themselves in a hole surrounded by limited options. The Carmelo trade request has lingered over the Nuggets organization all season. For Denver, there are essentially three ways of ending this dramatic situation: Convince him to sign the extension, trade him, or risk losing him for nothing at the end of the season. The Nuggets have listened to offers from several teams including
the Knicks, Nets, Mavericks, Clippers, Rockets, and the Los Angeles Lakers. While the list of teams that want Anthony may be large, the list of teams Anthony wants is quite small. Anthony’s people have let the Nuggets know that he would like to go to the New York Knicks, which would a return to the east coast where he grew up. Teams are reluctant to get into the Carmelo sweepstakes because of his unwillingness to sign a contract extension outside of New York. Anthony could leave any team he’s traded to at the end of the season and teams around the league are not going to give up key players to obtain him as a half-season rental. Carmelo’s stance of merely signing an extension in New York has weakened the Denver Nuggets’ leverage in trying to deal him not only to other teams, but also the Knicks. Denver continues to ask for key young talent and draft picks which most teams, including the Knicks, are reluctant to give up. Throughout this whole process Denver has been extremely selective about which players they want back in any trade in-
volving Anthony. The problem with this is other teams realize they can simply wait until Carmelo’s contract ends this summer and grab him out of free agency without giving up anything. New York knows Anthony wants the Knicks and could potentially use this to lure Denver into accepting a trade that is well below Carmelo’s value. Hopefully Denver has seen what has happened to Toronto and Cleveland this year after losing their superstars for nothing in return and make a deal before next week’s trade deadline; waiting for a better return, the Nuggets have turned down numerous offers and are now scrambling to get anything of value for Anthony before Feb. 24. Unless they feel like they can keep Anthony through the deadline and convince him to sign the extension, Denver must deal with him. Allowing your franchise player to walk away Photo courtesy of posters.ws.com for free this summer is a guaranteed way of dropping from Lebron Hames (left) and Carmelo Anthony (right) were both part of a contender to a lottery team. the 2003 NBA Draft Class. Despite the fact the Nuggets’ championship window may be ball package from the Knicks or abruptly slam that window shut all but closed, settling for a low- letting Melo walk for free will on the future. S
Around the Den: February sports short notables #5. Feb. 7: Volleyball team brings in four new recruits to help bolster squad for next season.
The team acquired four new players, three of which are already participating in spring practices and work outs. Freshmen Heather Sanders from Otero Junior College (La Junta, Colo.), and Lauren Loosbrock, a transfer out of Adam’s State (Alamosa, Colo.), sophomore Amy Einspahr, a transfer out of Northeastern Junior College (Sterling, Colo.), and sophomore Lindsy Heisler, a transfer out of Chadron State (Chadron, N)
#2. Feb. 5: Men’s basketball team squeaks out overtime win versus CSU-Pueblo
#4. Feb. 12: Softball team played season opener against No. 9-ranked Nebraska-Omaha.
The Mountain Lions rode senior Brent Jones’ outstanding 27 points, eight rebound performance to victory in overtime over a CSU-Pueblo team who had been giving them turnover troubles for most of the first half. The men built on solid performances by Jones, senior Ben Feilmeier, who had 18 points, and sophomore Alan Paul who had 12 points. The clutch overtime win gave the Mountain Lions a 20-8 edge in the Steel & Silver Series, the all-sports competition between UCCS and CSU-Pueblo that is sponsored by the Ent Federal Credit Union. UCCS needs 23 more points to clinch the Ent Federal Credit Union Trophy for the sixth consecutive season.
The lady Mountain Lions bounced back in dramatic fashion of last year’s distraught season by competing at level required to succeed in the RMAC; although they came up mildly short against the nationally ranked squad from Nebraska-Omaha 6-2, 6-4, in Saturday’s games, the new squad appears to be on track for a successful spring season.
#3. Feb. 11-12: Women’s basketball team looks to bounce back with home game weekend The women’s basketball team aims to secure a couple of much needed wins this weekend as they take on Chadron State and Nebraska-Kearney Feb. 18 and Feb. 19, respectively. The ladies sit with an overall record of 7-15 (6-12 RMAC) and still bear possible playoff contentions as long as they can secure a few more regular season victories.
Story by Ryan Adams, radams3@uccs.edu Photos courtesy of gomountainlions.com
#1. Feb. 5: Track team fares well against Division-I schools in New Mexico The Mountain Lions had a very successful weekend in New Mexico, breaking three school records and competing very well against other Division-I schools at the New Mexico Classic in Albuquerque. Sophomore Lauren Graham tied her season-best mark with a jump of 3.90 meters in the pole vault. She finished third out of eleven athletes, ten of which are from D-I schools. Freshman Alexa Urban broke the UCCS record in 600-meter and took 7th overall, the best showing by any Division-II athlete. Freshman Jonathan Wright, sophomores Alan Ford and John Christian and senior Jason Shaver broke the 4x400 relay and finished eighth overall. Wright also broke the school’s record in the 400-meter dash, finishing 5th out of 28 runners, most of which were D-I runners.
opinion
Please don’t carry small GE food won’t really dogs in your purses end world hunger February 15 to February 21, 2011
Jessica Lynch jlynch@uccs.edu Don’t admit you were a bad student. Don’t obsess over babies and puppies. Never admit you’ve slept with more than five guys. Don’t be a slut in bed. Don’t admit you’ve cheated. These are but a few rules in a book that holds 66. In other words, throw your honesty down the crapper and only talk about how you plan on single handedly curing world hunger. Women, you see, are barraged by the need to act, look, feel and talk a certain way. Stroll into any bookstore and you can be certain to walk out with the newfound ability to land your boss, your hot friend or the elusive man at your local coffee shop – after following a 25 step process. In one book, “Think like a Guy,” the author, Guiliana Depandi, explains that women need to learn the art of being aloof; it is only by being unattainable that we will be successful in the dating pool and ultimately, in life. One way of doing this would be to shut yourself in your room, paint the windows black and take an interest in spiders and other nocturnal insects. To a certain extent, I agree with her point because at least if you’re locked in your room you aren’t pining after a man. Investing a great deal of time for “your
one true love” is both futile and stupid; it’s about as useless and as frustrating as eating tomato soup with a fork. If a man likes you, he will make an effort. If you want to eat soup, use a spoon. And above all else, he should like you for who you are, not who your trusty book of rules has taught you to be. The problem with those rules, then, is that eventually you’re gonna give it up. With time, you’ll admit – whether willingly or not – certain things you had once refrained from sharing. And when this happens, your new boyfriend will begin to wonder what else you’ve been hiding. His imagination will take control and suddenly you’ll be the proto-type of a hoarder – a hoarder of cats. Like women, men have their own guide books; they just don’t fill an entire section at Barnes and Noble. I recently found an article on the AskMen website called, “10 Ways to get the Woman You Want.” Unlike Guiliana, the advice was less superficial, not 169 pages long and more about maintaining a level of confidence and interest than telling you to hate every baby within a fifty mile radius. Men aside, there was a time in my life when following the rules seemed like a really good idea. One of the best ideas I’d ever had, actually. You see, I was recently single and believed I was ready to get my dating life back on track. Rather than do something stupid like go out and meet new people I purchased a lovely little book so I could read curled up in the middle of my bed like a loser. My “helpful” book was similar to “Think like a Man,” and was brimming with the do’s and don’ts of successful relationships. Everything was really going great; I’d learned when to make phone calls, how to sound when I answered the phone, when I shouldn’t pick up the phone and how to accidently lose my phone to attract attention. And then one day I met someone and hell if I didn’t completely forget everything I had just learned. This concerned me at first; I was worried that by breaking the rules I had unconsciously sabotaged any future relationship with the guy. Luckily for me, he liked my unpred i c t a b i l i t y. And because of that I can solemnly swear that being yourself is the most important rule to follow.
Comics by Arno
Cherise Fantus cfantus@gmail.com Nobody would have thought 100 years ago that it would be possible for us to, in effect, “build” a food that had everything that we need to survive. But genetically engineered (GE) food is no longer a foreign concept. We can make foods with whatever ingredients we want. But is it OK? Many would argue that it’s better than OK – it’s curing world hunger. A GE orange sweet potato has been developed to grow well in Africa. Sweet potatoes are already largely consumed in Africa, but their variety is white and lacking in Vitamin A, a vitamin in which many Africans are deficient. The orange sweet potatoes we know and love in America are rich in beta-carotene, which our bodies convert to Vitamin A, but they can’t thrive in African conditions. The recent sweet potato will provide them with adequate doses of Vitamin A. Great, right? I would have to say, not really. GE foods are expensive. Not many poor, rural farmers in developing nations can afford to buy the GE seeds needed to produce the vitamin-rich crops that will cure their nation’s hunger. Not only that, but oftentimes, malnutrition is not caused by the unavailability of nutrient rich foods. Friends of the Earth point out that “many people in the world are suffering from malnutrition and hunger because they cannot afford to buy food, not because it is unavailable.” They simply cannot afford to feed themselves and their families. A more expensive, more nutrient-rich alternative does not solve this problem. Also, the companies that create GE foods, like
Page 13
Mansanto, tend to patent them. These companies have no real interest in solving world hunger; their main objective is to make money. Copyright is just one way to ensure an economically successful business because it is through copyright infringement lawsuits that money is made. Indigenous farmers who are innocently growing their regular crops could get caught up in copyright infringement suits and lose their entire livelihood, thus defeating the idea of curing their hunger. In the United States, Mansanto has already gone after numerous farmers for harvesting their patented crops. The farmers say that it was just a matter of cross-pollination from neighboring fields growing Mansanto’s crops. Still, many farmers have lost their farms, their livelihoods and their money to the tyrannical company. This type of monopoly could be devastating for farmers in developing nations because they would no longer be allowed to grow their indigenous crops. It would force them to rely on a large corporation for any hope of sustenance. If they don’t lose their farms, they lose their dignity. I don’t think that will solve anything. There are also concerns that crops engineered to be herbicide resistant will cross-pollinate with
weeds, creating herbicide resistant weeds. If that were to happen, it could potentially kill off a good portion, if not all, of the crops in that region, creating an even greater starvation problem. The fact that we don’t know all the pros and cons of GE is also concerning. The creation of new strains of foods could create new strains of allergies, which can be deadly. Aside from allergens, other health risks are cause for hesitation. Introducing foreign genes into our foods could easily create more health problems than they would solve. Since the technology is so new, however, there has not been enough scientific research to show whether GE crops do more harm than good. While the optimistic view seems to show that GE crops are going to save the world, I take a more skeptical, realistic worldview. It seems to me that the more GE crops are developed, the less our natural crops will be able to survive. If we keep heading in this direction, we will simply have a bionic world, created and controlled by companies like Mansanto, rather than the friendly farmer down the street with his deliciously fresh produce. GE foods are not going to save the world; they are going to destroy it.
opinion
Page 14
February 15 to February 21, 2011
Having guns on campuses is a bad idea, whether they’re licensed concealed carry or not
Stephen Farrell sfarrell@uccs.edu Concealed weapons have no place on a college campus. Shortly after April 16, 2007 a group called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus was formed. This date, of course, signifies the day of the Virginia Tech massacre where 32 people were killed and several others wounded after a crazed gunman randomly opened fire on Virginia Tech students. Clearly, then, concealed
carry in educational environment “must be” the solution to preventing the guy who sings “Smooth Operator” while smearing peanut butter all himself from shooting up a college campus. I think not. Now I’m a forthright cheerleader when it comes to owning firearms. I myself love to go into the mountains and let loose a few rounds when I have some free time; in fact I recently laid waste to my old Acer laptop computer with a .308 hunting rifle (after the many days I threatened it with violence for crashing on me during homework assignments, I did warn it after all.) But while it can be argued that concealed carry on campus could potentially prevent incidents like Virginia Tech, I’m going to counter with the fact that those types of incidents are few and far between. According to Florida
Today there are 4,352 colleges in the United States. If you do the math, then one or two deliberate college shooting incidents out of over 4,300 colleges have occurred over the last decade. Based on these numbers, the increased need for firearms in institutions of higher education makes very little sense. However, with the more people who carry firearms, the more accidental or “negative discharges” are likely to occur. Really, just imagine sitting in your sociology class while listening to your professor go over statistics on annual gun-related deaths in the United States (9,369 in 2010- NationMaster.com) and next thing you know BAM! Some idiot in the back row just experienced a “desk pop” (for those who have seen “The Other Guys”) while he was fishing through his backpack
DEAR DEVI US DU
and now the entire campus has to close down for the rest of the day while Public Safety conducts a thorough investigation into the matter. Cable news reporters arrive on scene and professors would have to reconstruct any exams that were interrupted during the incident. Do you see what kind of problems implementing a trend like concealed carry on campus could cause? My argument is simple: Which is more likely to occur, the statistically small chance of a crazed gunman or an accidental discharge? Just a hunch, but I’m going to say implementing a generally accepted trend of concealed carry is bound to cause more accidents than a trend where concealed carry is simply not allowed. See this is where people lose focus. As soon as one bad incident happens they re-
sort to their first “knee-jerk” reaction: self protection. But as I just detailed, the consequences of those reactions may be even more detrimental to society. While I absolutely agree that more sophisticated measures need to be taken to assure that incidents like Virginia Tech do not happen again, I do not believe that a trend of concealed carry among students is the answer. But here’s one alternative suggestion, how about government subsidies for college security? This would allow for the increase of well armed and trained professionals on college campuses, while at the same time providing students with an atmosphere where they can focus their attention on studying and not on the .45 caliber Berretta sitting in the same bag as their calculus textbook. S
Dear Devious Duo, A few months ago my boyfriend and I broke up; I wasn’t happy and I believed I deserved better. As the weeks went by, however, I began to feel that I had made a terrible mistake and tried desperately to get him back. I failed miserably and was humiliated more than a few times for my efforts. So I got over it. I moved on and I vowed to never feel that way again. Just recently he decided he wants me back because he’s changed and I’m the love of his life. What should I do?
Dear Nostalgic Dreamer, There’s a reason it’s called the past and there’s a reason you broke up in the first place. Granted, this is always easier said than done, but it doesn’t make it any less true. It’s important to not romanticize your relationship. It had its faults, it was not perfect and you were unhappy enough to break up with him in the first place. The other day I was driving down the road with my friend and we were talking about ex boyfriends and how it is nearly impossible to stay friends after a breakup because men and women can’t be friends, i.e. “When Harry Met Sally.” She then said something that I’ll never forget: “If he wasn’t the one for you then, why would he be the one for you now?” While this isn’t always easy to hear and we all want to believe that someone we once loved can change, true change can only occur over a long period of time – if at all. Most likely he hasn’t actually changed. He just knows what you want to hear. And what you want is the words he failed to tell you months ago. Well, now you have them and most likely the sting of rejection is still lingering uncomfortably under your skin. Moving on is a conscious effort. It’s not like getting a zit: it can’t happen overnight. It takes daily commitment and a logical outlook. So don’t let one road block in the form of a smooth-talking ex boyfriend deter you from your ultimate goal – a mended heart and another relationship you can learn from. So take some time for yourself and don’t talk to him until you are able to think through what is best for you. Remember that you are in control and if you were doing well without him, letting him back into your life may not be in your best interest. It might actually be detrimental to your well-being. Above all else, stay true to yourself and stay true to the woman who was strong enough to let go and move on. - Jessica Lynch
Dear Past-Dweller, You have three things to figure out in this situation. First, are you still in love with him? Second, do you still want to be with him? Third, has he in fact changed? The answer to the first question should be pretty easy for you to figure out. The second is a little more tricky. You may think you still want to be with him, but there are a few things to consider here. You broke up with him because you thought you deserved better. You need to decide if you meant that. Chances are, your remorse stemmed from pure loneliness at the loss of your partner, not from actually still wanting to be with him. If you decide you really did make a mistake in breaking up with him, consider his reluctance to take you back. He may continue to resent you for breaking up with him in the first place, and the relationship will be just short of satisfying for you the second time around. Finally, you need to figure out whether or not he has actually changed. Most people will never really change. So if the thing that made you want to break up with him was an inherent quality of his, it will still be there. People are capable of maturing, however, so if the thing that made him undesirable to you was a simple case of immaturity, there may still be hope for him. Those three questions must be answered in your decision-making process. If the answer to any of the three questions is “No,” you must immediately abandon any ideas of jumping back into a relationship with this guy. It will only end the same way.
-Cherise Fantus
Have a question about relationships, love or...sex? Email your query to the Devious Duo at scribeonsex@gmail.com.
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“Still, if a statement cannot reasonably be interpreted to be one of express or implied fact, it cannot be libelous. This means that humor columns, spoofs, cartoons and satire are protected as long as readers understand that the material is not intended to be taken seriously.” -Student Press Law Center
Student joins the Army; immediately regrets his decision gone into the trailer to play with the simulators, but most walk back out without a second thought. Regett, however, was in a vulnerable state when he walked in. He had just received his loan statement in the mail, and was agonizing over how he was going to pay them. “I was just thinking about how much I already owed and how much I was going to have to pay over the next couple of years. The Army guys said they would pay for my college. That sounded pretty good,” furthered Regett, “but then I realized I would have to drop out of school.” It wasn’t until after he
Cherise Fantus cfantus@uccs.edu Decisions that can completely change the course of your life should never be made lightly, and certainly not spontaneously. A student has expressed great regret over a major life decision made on a whim late last week. After visiting the US Army Special Forces Trailer, sophomore Michael Regett made a quick decision to sign up. “I went into their trailer, and they had all these sweet simulators that I got to try. It all seemed so cool; I thought it would be fun,” said Regett. Many students have
The news in brief Jazzman’s serves student “locks” bagel
A student visited Jazzman’s Monday morning for his breakfast. Senior Kurt Holloway ordered a lox bagel. Samantha, the girl working the counter, gave him a confused look before preparing his order. “I thought it was a weird order, but I thought, ‘I guess, if that’s what he wants…’” said Samantha. After a few minutes, she proudly handed him his plate. “It was a bagel covered in hair,” said Holloway, “I didn’t even know what to do when she handed it to me.” Not wanting to embarrass her, he thanked her and took the ridiculous dish. Then he told his story to The Scribe.
Bieber fever kills 13
S
Bieber fever has struck at UCCS. 13 deaths have been attributed to the disease so far, and 137 others have been diagnosed. The fever struck last week after the release of Justin Bieber’s new movie, “Never Say Never.” Three people collapsed in the theater two minutes into the midnight showing. Afterward, 12 people showed up at the clinic showing symptoms of extreme regret. Throughout the course of the week, the fever continued to spread across campus, with no signs of slowing down. “We don’t know how to treat it,” said Shirley Harburgh of the Student Health Center. Scientists are working as quickly as they can to develop a cure. S
Student hospitalized after energy overdose
The first documented case of an energy drink overdose was reported last weekend on campus. Sophomore Brendan Shock attended an off-campus party, where he partied until the wee hours, drinking Red Bull and vodkas, Jagerbombs and slamming Rockstars in between. Eye-witnesses say that throughout the night, he drank a total of at least 40 energy drinks. He spent most of the night sprinting back and forth and jumping up and down before having a heart attack at approximately 5 a.m., when he was rushed to the emergency room. When asked to comment, Shock simply responded, “Aaaaaahhhhhh!” S
Student incensed at First Annual Sex Issue
Junior Brandy Desparante was incensed when reading last week’s Sex Issue of The Scribe. She hasn’t had sex in over two years, and has decided to take her frustration out on The Scribe staff. “I don’t need to be reminded that I can’t get any,” said Desparante. She harnessed all of that unused sexual energy and put it into boycotting against The Scribe. She wrote several hateful letters to various members of The Scribe staff and sent a Letter to the Editor to The Gazette, complaining about the issue. She has also been standing in front of news stands, shouting, “Don’t read The Scribe! Hold on to your innocence!” Most people just walk around her and pick up their copies, anyway.
signed the papers that he started to think about the gravity of his decision. After talking to some veterans in some of his classes, he learned that it’s not quite as cool as the simulations. Sure, you get to shoot at stuff, but that stuff actually shoots back. They said he could travel all over the world, but they seem to have confused their map of the Middle East with a world map, “I don’t want to die!” Regett added, “I want to be in debt so I can sit through boring and worthless communication classes! Please don’t make me go!” S
Photo courtesy of johngaltfl.com
This isn’t actually how Regett looked upon realizing he’d signed his life away, but it was close, and it was the creepiest thing we’d ever seen. Ever.
TOP TEN
ways to procrastinate
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Your mom.
-Scribe Staff
UCCS overtaken by no-good dogooders Jessica Lynch jlynch@uccs.edu Communication classes with nothing to do (per usual) spent the majority of last week creating small cardboard boxes like those used in elementary schools across the nation for Valentine’s Day. The boxes were placed on all desks in Columbine and students in these classes were instructed to make their cards from scratch using colored paper, stickers and lots of glitter. Those who were unable to cut perfect hearts were told they would fail the class. Josephine Heartthrobe said, “It felt really good to give back to all the ugly girls who never got Valentines when they were younger.” Another student, Rochelle Dimwither, explained, “I remember when this really cute boy like really liked me in 6th grade and he like made me this Valentine’s card and I like started crying and convulsing on the ground I was so happy. I just want to seize one more time before I have to graduate and have to handle things like normal people.” Since more than half of the student population are
communication majors, Valentine’s cards were as prevalent as last week’s reported airborne herpes outbreak. Students spent the majority of the day handing out cards and filling each others’ boxes with those nasty chalk-flavored hard candies and anonymous love notes reading “1 4 3.” Unfortunately, due to the gratuitous amount of cards and the overarching disgust many students hold for Valentine’s Day, a good many were left crumpled on the ground covered in gum, spit and what appeared to be pubic hair, pending further inspection. UCCS’ Office of Sustainability responded bitterly to the love-strewn campus and has begun using their recent campaign, “Recycle the Love,” to fight back. A few members have been seen picking up trashed valentines and depositing them in their designated red boxes. One member was overheard cursing whosever idea the Valentine’s cards were, “Effer eff-offs effing ef.” He was later seen with his head down and heard mumbling relatively coherently about the loss of a fifth grade love interest, inedible M&M’s and misspelled words. S
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