the
Scribe
April 5 to April 11, 2011 [Volume 35. Issue 24]
editorial
Page 2
April 5 to April 11, 2011
A brief history of SGA v. The Scribe
Editor-in-Chief Avalon Manly A few years ago, in a time when I was little more than a worker bee for The Scribe, I had some sort of incredible lapse of reason that caused me to run for student body president. Or, more accurately, student body tri-executive (a type of ticket that has since been abolished wherein three students run for, essentially, co-president spots). I’m not sure why I did it, apart from the fact that I was running with some pretty cool people for a position that might afford me the ability to make a difference on campus. I had no idea regarding anything about politics, or the bureaucracy of student government. I just knew that things weren’t as good as they could have been, and I thought I had the moxie and drive to try to fix some things. My running-mates and I lost the election – not by much, but we still lost. I was happy about that pretty quickly, as I realized that I could thrive as a journalist, and that the printed word was where my moxie belonged. The winning ticket boasted David Williams for Student Body President and Andy Addare (who I thought was imaginary for about five months into the year, as he was never around) for his VP. Their year in charge, from the fall of 2008 to the spring of 2009, is a reign that shall live in infamy. Now, UCCS students are notorious for not actually voting during student elections, but chances are if you were on campus that year, and even if you weren’t one of the 300 or so students that voted, you heard about Williams and his spectacular menagerie of failure. (This being an editorial, it’s important at this
point to note that this is all my opinion, and does not necessarily represent the feelings of The Scribe or any Scribe employees.) Williams managed to spend the first semester or so of his regime being a pretty abhorrent person, but not doing anything overtly outrageous. Then he vetoed funding for a Spectrum event, which was actually okay and fell within his jurisdiction as student body president (the funding was later passed anyway, so it came out all right in the end). Instead of just letting it ride as part of his duties, though, Williams chose to send out a mass email explaining how much he disagrees with homosexuality. We, at a newspaper that was totally not The Scribe, used to make jokes about Williams holding the giant closet door shut on Coming Out Day. Anyway, a hullaballoo ensued that included Williams getting impeached, Williams hiring a team of lawyers to defend his position, and a great rejoicing at the end of the school year when none of us had to deal with “Douchebag” Dave any longer. The Scribe struggled throughout that year to report accurately on everything that went on, not only because extracting the necessary information from Williams and his administration was like herding rabid cats, but also because The Scribe is awarded the majority of its funding by SGA. Reporting on the screw-ups of the people that sign your checks is a conflict of interest worthy of the ages. The next year (20092010) brought UCCS its first openly gay student body president and vice president, Daniel Garcia and James Burge, respectively, who, while being very kind and capable individuals, struggled to make a viable impact as the heads of Student Government. I remember little about their time leading SGA apart from the war that broke out between their administration and The Scribe. Historically, the organizations have never really gotten along – the media and politicians never do, at any level – but the le-
vee broke between Garcia, Burge and the former editor-in-chief, and no one was given the time, space or respect to do their jobs right. The Scribe had to fight tooth and nail for every penny it needed, and SGA had to vouchsafe for its members against bad press. When May 31 rolled around and SGA and The Scribe were both under new management, the relief was almost palpable. Given the less-thansavory history shared between The Scribe and SGA, I faced my term as editor-in-chief with considerable trepidation. I knew next to nothing about the incoming student body President, Kristina Achey, except that she had won the election by a margin of exactly four votes. Achey called me in June, shortly after I had assumed this position, and requested that we meet. I was prepared for a crash of hostilities bred from the previous year, and tried to steel myself to defend my paper and my staff from the onslaught. I was thrown off balance when Achey told me that she’d warned the members of SGA that anything negative appearing in The Scribe about them or their actions was their fault, and she wouldn’t go to bat for them against the newspaper. I assured her in turn that everything we reported would be factual and fair. Thus was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. SGA and The Scribe have enjoyed a sort of Indian summer this school year, thanks in large part to Achey’s integrity in conduct and management. Unfortunately, the financial conflict of interest is still present in spades, as The Scribe still approaches SGA each spring for funds, but Achey’s administration has been working with the paper to implement a system that frees The Scribe from that yoke. I’m not sure what next year will bring for either the paper or SGA, but I hope that you, the students who make all this happen, pay attention and vote next week, because any success or failure of the representatives that you elect is on your shoulders. 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..................................................Matt Sidoe 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 ...................................................................Ryan Adams Photographer.........................................Michelle Wood Junior Reporters.....................................Jeremy Lengele ........................................................Heather Templeton ...............................................................Molly Mrazek Junior Photographer...................................Brett Owens Contributors...........................................Steven Farrell Cartoonist............................................................Arno Distributor...........................................Donald Trujillo Advisor.....................................................Laura Eurich Cover Photo Illustration by Avalon Manly
Recycle this paper.
Don’t be a jerk, man. The Scribe UC 106
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news
April 5 to April 11, 2011
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SGA Judicial Board rules unanimously in favor of Student Director of Finance on all counts Jessica Lynch jlynch@uccs.edu On March 2, Student Body President Kristina Achey addressed The Judicial Board with concerns regarding Evan Shelton’s decisions and behavior as the Student Director of Finance. An open hearing took place on March 29; the Judicial Board ruled on April 1, in favor of Evan Shelton on all four counts. Achey’s initial appeal detailed concerns regarding blatant conflicts of interest, lack of viewpoint neutrality and Shelton’s overarching role as Director of Finance and involvement on the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC). Achey made note of fifteen specific instances in which she believed Shelton had acted in an unprofessional manner. One noteworthy instance concerned the Asian Pacific Islander Student Union (APISU) and Army ROTC. While APISU was denied funding for T-shirts because they were viewed as a personal expense, on Oct. 5, ROTC’s request for 12 hooded sweatshirts was approved. This, Achey believed, was a result of Diana Timmerman’s status as both a voting member of BAC and a member of Army ROTC. Other decisions made by the Budget Advisory Committee,
Achey explained, were influenced by Shelton’s position of power and his involvement with numerous clubs on campus. “Thank you all for being here,” opened Achey when she took the floor as plaintiff at the beginning of last Tuesday’s hearing. “It is important we leave personal allegiances outside this room,” and made reference to the difficulty of the situation given her close working relationship with the respondent, Evan Shelton. Achey called Senate President Stephanie West to the stand. West was appointed last semester as vice chair of the BAC to act in case of Shelton’s absence; her appointment, though, was never documented and showed, Achey claimed, “negligence and disregard for the rules,” by Shelton. Achey also mentioned the lack of recusal records, which, West answered, are excluded from meeting minutes as recorded by West per her position’s duties. An email was then produced by Achey from Michelle Cutran, club leader of APISU. In said email, Cutran expressed her disappointment in and frustration with the personal expenses ruling and said that Shelton had “chuckled” when Cutran first addressed him with the issue. Another issue brought
to the court by Achey was one of viewpoint neutrality. “When he [Evan Shelton] presents his own financial report, he has too much power and influence,” Achey said. Evan responded by calling Stephanie West to the stand once more. She was asked whether he came to the BAC with funding proposals as a club member or as the director of finance. She reiterated that he came forth as a club member and in regards to the APISU situation, the club was denied funding because the T-shirts were for one event and could not be reused. House Speaker Chris Hollander was called to the stand and asked a similar line of questioning. Hollander answered Shelton’s questions of conflict of interest and said, “I see you more as an expert…you were not influential.” Representative at Large Dianna Timmerman also claimed “no viewpoint neutrality issue” in regard to the APISU conflict. She said her vote was not influenced by Shelton’s position of power. Shelton explained, “As you’ve seen they don’t believe I had any influence on them. I have to be the expert. I don’t put my personal views on any of these. With the recusals, I’m out of the vote for conflict of interest. I do not feel that I benefited financially. This money was
not for me, but for the club…to benefit students of UCCS.” Achey responded by pointing out that Shelton personally started two clubs on campus. This makes him personally interested, she furthered. Shelton responded, again, by clarifying his role as the student director of finance. “This isn’t a private gain. I have not benefited financially and when there was conflict of interest I recused,” he added. Of the four counts voted on by the Judicial Board, all were dismissed with a five to zero vote in Shelton’s favor. The first count dealt with the case involving APISU and was rendered a moot point because no formal submission from the club had been received prior to Oct. 5; the ROTC sweatshirts had been used as advertising rather than for personal use. In regard to viewpoint neutrality, Evan Shelton recused himself from potential cases of conflict of interest and his decision making was found not at fault. The third count, which dealt specifically with his job description, also found Shelton not guilty. Lastly, there was only a perceived conflict of interest when Shelton proposed two budgets for clubs he had created; because it was only perceived, this count was consequently dismissed by the board. S
Sustainability office proposes initiatives, changes Molly Mrazek
mmrazek@uccs.edu Last year’s “Take Back the Tap” campaign – a result of Carole Huber’s class, Changing Places – will host an event filled with prizes, snacks and donated soda on April 11 at 7 p.m. on the West Lawn. According to Kalee Ricks, co-president of Students for Environmental Awareness and Sustainability, ‘“Take Back the Tap’s” main goal is to educate the students about the problems with bottled water and eliminate its sale on campus by 2014.” The Office of Sustainability, which was established in 2005, hopes to continue increasing awareness and participation among UCCS students. Every semester, the Office of Sustainability, in partnership with other clubs and classes across campus, puts on and takes part in a number of events and
campaigns to promote greener practices. According to Ricks, “Take Back the Tap” is particularly important because, “The plastic is bad for the environment. It leaches into the water and it sits in landfills for hundreds of years. It’s a single use convenience.” A Facebook page called, “Take Back the Tap- University of Colorado at Colorado Springs” carries additional information on the campaign. Monday’s event will include a showing of the documentary, “Bag It.” This semester, Huber’s class has proposed a senator of sustainability position. According to Drew Johnson, a volunteer with the Office of Sustainability and a member of Huber’s class, the senator of sustainability would be the “go-to person, [and] the official liaison for advocacy of a sustainable campus.” The senator of sustainability would be in constant contact with the Office of Sustainability and other sustainability clubs on campus, and an overall repre-
sentative of these efforts in student government. To Johnson, the senator’s job will include working with the community to partner with local businesses and organizations as well as helping determine how fees are spent. Those involved in the proposal hope the position will help change the culture of the university. As Johnson furthered, “recycling has been stuck at only 27 percent for a while.” Finally, The Office of Sustainability is having a Clothing Swap on April 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Berger Hall. This is a chance for students to bring up to five items of gently used, unwanted clothing, bags, shoes and accessories; these can then be exchanged for five items of the student’s choosing. Both men’s and women’s items will be accepted in the ROAR office on April 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., on April 7 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and on April 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. You may also donate items on the day of the swap. S
culture Babes, blades and brothels Office of Student Activities Page 4
Avalon Manly
amanly@uccs.edu “Sucker Punch” is a slideshow of all the aspects of cinema that writer/director Zack Snyder apparently adore – both those used previously by Snyder himself in movies like “300” and “Watchmen” and those external sources that clearly influence his work. A spinning coat button in the foreground that might as well be the comedian’s badge in “Watchmen;” a high-tech-meets-lowtech steampunk train heist lifted almost intact from an episode of “Firefly;” a ravaging, silvery waif worthy of Tim Burton as “300’s” Leonidas. Then there are the giant, menacing samurai that bleed light, the clockwork WWI trench soldiers, the Asimov robots, the mech warriors, the blatantly “Lord of the Rings” orcs, the Nazis with skin cancer, the dead baby dragon and the pissed-off mommy dragon, all to a soundtrack of mellow Eurythmics covers and dramatic percussion. So, yes, “Sucker Punch” is a strange movie, a framework story that would make Chaucer roll in his grave, so lacking in segues that almost nothing makes sense right away – but it’s also a good movie, a commentary on mind over matter, and a story about self-sacrifice, redemption and the ultimate eradication of great evil. A wisp of a protagonist known only as “Baby Doll” (played by Emily Browning), whose wildly tragic backstory is told in the opening credits, is installed in a mental institution by her abusive stepfather, who bribes the staff to lobotomize her within the week, so she will never be able to incriminate him. The Lennox Institute seems to embody all the horrible things Hollywood suggests time and again that asylums are: havens to
April 5 to April 11, 2011
the perverse and predatory, unforgiving haunted houses of manipulation and abuse. In order to cope with her time there, Baby Doll delves into a fantasy that might grant her the key to her escape. Now, you might think that a psychologically shattered young girl, given the opportunity to create her own empowering (albeit imaginary) habitat, would project a setting of safety and peace. Not Baby Doll. Her coping mechanism is to imagine the institution as a brothel, overseen by an orderly-turned-pimp, a kindly psychologistturned-cowed madam and a lecherous cook. Baby Doll teams up with a cohort of impractically-clad young women (I’ve never seen 20-year-olds look quite so prepubescent) to plan her flight from Lennox. She uses her newfound, trance-inducing dancing abilities, represented throughout the movie as aesthetically hypnotic fight sequences, to distract her captors while her comrades obtain the tools they need to escape before Baby Doll’s frontal lobe gets scrambled by the doc. While Snyder’s use of fantasy battles as symbolic of Baby Doll’s struggles to overcome her own demons is almost painfully unsubtle (the film goes so far at one point as to use a dragon’s disemboweled anatomy to represent the seedy underbelly of the politics of power), the movie is not lessened for such interpretive simplicity. Rather, it gives the viewer a break and allows them to be overcome by the immersive visual effects; the alternating slow- and fast-motion blend with a veritable buffet of explosions and kill counts to create a world you can get lost in until the credits are through scrolling.
rolls out ‘Roar Daze’ for some mid-spring fun
Ryan Adams, radams3@uccs.edu From April 11 to April 17, the UCCS Office of Student Activities (OSA) will be hosting ‘Roar Daze,’ a week filled with events for UCCS students, staff and faculty to enjoy. Events and descriptions are listed below and any question can be answered by OSA’s Jordan Matthews at 255-3532. Continued on page 10
Following in the tradition of films like “Memento,” “Donnie Darko,” and “Inception,” “Sucker Punch” is not easy to follow. It is, however, delightfully familiar in many respects. If “Sucker Punch” had cinematic parents, they would be “Kill Bill” and “Charlie’s Angels.” Baby Doll’s guide – or perhaps her guardian angel – is played by Scott Glenn, who, whether Snyder meant him to be or not, is almost a clone of David Carradine’s Bill, irreverent quipping and affinity for samurai swords intact. “Sucker Punch” is a polarizing film that audiences will either adore or resent. If you can suspend your expectations of what a sci-fi genre movie should be and appreciate the 110-minute runtime for what it is – a trippy, visually stunning video gamemovie hybrid with a moderately well-told underlying story – then you’ll enjoy it. If you demand a little more from your movies than gentle self-awareness and unexploitative tales about good over evil, then you should probably just watch “Citizen Kane” again.
Photo by Michelle Wood
Upcoming ‘Roar Daze’ is worth getting excited over. Why? Well, it looks like members of OSA are having a grand time.
Big Train offers friendly atmosphere but older demographic Sara Horton
shorton@uccs.edu The Big Train Family Restaurant at 3050 N. Nevada Ave. is at the end of a Kmart parking lot and in close proximity to KKTV Channel 11. I found this to be a peculiar location for an eatery. Nonetheless, the parking lot was full of people when I arrived for breakfast one morning, so I reasoned the food had to be good. Although the service was great and the staff I talked to was very friendly, I did not discover what set the Big Train and its food apart from more popular diners such as Denny’s. When I first walked into Big Train and seated myself, I noticed that the furnishings and patrons were noticeably older. Although Big Train is a family restaurant, I saw only a few families with children. Most of the customers I saw were senior citizens who sat alone at tables or
at the counter. The few children I did see happily left the restaurant with balloon animals that had been made for them by an employee. I later asked another employee if Big Train got many college students. “Not often enough,” he admitted, although he noted that he was personally a student at the University of Phoenix. He also told me that Big Train’s doors had been open for forty years and the same family had owned the restaurant for two generations. Both he and the owner said that there were currently no discounts for college students, but they would like to offer something for students in the future. The older demographic at Big Train can probably be accredited to the senior menu and discount, which are available upon request. The Big Train serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served all day and most breakfast choices are accompanied by a choice of toast, a pancake or biscuits
and gravy, the latter of which seemed to be a popular choice, and customers get a lot of food for their money. The breakfast menu offers omelets, sandwiches, French toast, pancakes, hot and cold cereals and plenty of side orders. I also looked at the lunch and dinner options, which include more sandwiches, burgers and range of steaks. The costs are reasonable; prices range from about $3 for a bowl of oatmeal to upwards of approximately $10 for steak and egg entrees. I ordered a ham breakfast burrito with green chili and a side of hash browns. My mom, who decided to investigate Big Train with me, ordered the biscuits and gravy. When my burrito arrived, I was pleasantly surprised at its huge size, but the green chili was unusually spicy. Even though my waitress assured me that what was on top of the burrito was green chili, it wasn’t the milder variety that I had expected. I had to take off the thick chili and cheese coating so I could
enjoy the hot eggs and ham. The biscuits and gravy was delicious, but the biscuits were a little thinner than my mom and I had expected. Both of our meals were okay, but the food was not any more memorable than what we had eaten at other diners. I talked with owner Reva Pendleton, whose son had graduated from UCCS with a political science degree. She told me she hoped to work out some kind of deal with UCCS, especially now that the nearby TRW building was being converted into an exhibition center. Until that happens, I’m not sure if the Big Train will be a popular choice amongst college students because of its older environment. I think a discount would help influence college students to visit more often, but I’m not sure if the food will lure students so far away from the UCCS campus, which is already close to more popular breakfast restaurants like Village Inn. S
April 5 to April 11, 2011
culture
Gogol lecture begins Russian Spring prologue series Sara Horton shorton@uccs.edu To begin the Russian Spring prologue series, esteemed Russian literature expert Laurence Senelick of Tufts University visited UCCS on March 20 and lectured on playwright Nikolai Gogol. Senelick translated “The Bacchae,” which was performed at UCCS last year, and Gogol’s, “The Inspector General,” which ended its run at Theatreworks last month. Senelick’s lecture on Gogol’s life and work was entitled, “The Escape Artist: The Comedies of Nikolai Gogol,” in honor of Gogol’s flighty character. “Nothing is straight in Gogol,” said Senelick about the esteemed playwright. “He was a writer who was very hard to pin down.” Gogol was born in the Ukraine and later moved to St. Petersburg, where he dabbled in gothic Romanticism but burned his work and started anew after his initial writings failed. After he wrote a collection of stories about Ukraine and the supernatural, Gogol created a series of plays that influenced Russian literature for years to come. Among his more renowned writings was “The Inspector General,” a five-act comedy based on nothing but a rumor and the most produced Russian play of all time. Senelick said that Gogol based much of his work on nothing at all, which resulted in big laughs. “He used laughter to cleanse the pollution of Russian life and politics,” explained Senelick. In addition to discussing Gogol’s work, Senelick shed some light on Gogol’s personality. Senelick claimed Gogol was a dandy, glutton and hypochondriac; the latter condition ultimately cost Gogol his life. A fanatical preacher convinced Gogol that literature was a vanity, and Gogol consequently halted his work. Senelick claimed that Gogol’s crisis of conscience began to have physical effects and made him ill. Gogol con-
vinced himself that he was sick due to an upside-down stomach and starved himself. Thus, Senelick concluded, Gogol made his final escape to death and died of a disease just as imaginary as what he based his plays upon. Despite his eccentric behavior, Gogol made a powerful impact on theater with his humor and knack for making reality appear strange. “This glutton, this hypochondriac,” said Senelick, “was also the greatest storyteller of his age.” Because of Gogol’s greatness, translating the playwright’s work presented its own challenges. “The language is hard,” Senelick said in reference to Gogol’s work. “You have to be aware of that playfulness in the language so it comes across.” Senelick claimed to have translated Gogol’s Russian words into their English equivalents, but he noted that some danger surrounded translators and their work. “Most people don’t pay attention to translators,” stated Senelick. “People buy a book by a [foreign] author and assume they’re reading that author.” However, any original work is at the mercy of a translator, who may find the language in the original text confusing and alter it. Senelick demonstrated his point by reading two lines from different versions of the “The Inspector General” and stressed that the only way to actually read a foreign author’s original work is to learn the author’s language, a challenge that Senelick undertook so translators could not lie to him. Senelick’s lecture was the beginning of the UCCS Russian Spring’s free prologue series. The next event in the prologue series will be Theatreworks’ Murray Ross and his discussion of Chekhov’s theatre on April 24 at 2:30 p.m. Kevin Landis will also lead a group workshop on May 8 at 2:00 p.m. on the acting techniques and practices of Anton Chekhov’s nephew. The workshop is open to everyone, but participation is limited to the first 25 respondents. S
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MAKE YOUR V Student Elections
Runners program involves students, rewards with prizes Jessica Lynch jlynch@uccs.edu Student Government Association (SGA) is responsible for a substantial amount of student fees and resources. Comprised of elected student representatives, it is SGA’s duty to oversee the distribution, delineation and responsible use of funds to various clubs and organizations across campus. Each spring, the student body is given the opportunity to vote in those fellow students that will represent their interests for the following school year. Last year, approximately 600 students voted, out of a campus of nearly 9,000; current Student Body President Kristina Achey won by only four votes. The student elections for the 20112012 school year will be held next week, from April 11 to April 15, both outside the Kraemer Family Library near Jazzman’s and online. In the interests of providing students the opportunity to make educated decisions throughout the voting process, The Scribe has put together the following noteworthy accomplishments that SGA can boast from this year, as well as snapshots of those running for positions on SGA next year, and a rundown of the ballot initiatives you’ll face next week. New runners program Students interested in an opportunity to win one of six prizes are needed in a newly implemented campus message delivery system. The idea for a runners program first developed last semester after members of student government attended the fall assembly at Metro State and spoke with students who used a similar system at their school. As explained by current Student Body President Kristina Achey, UCCS’ runners program will help resolve problems that SGA and other groups on campus have had informing students of upcoming events and points of interest. “The problem we’re having is students just aren’t seeing the stuff. They’re too busy to hear about an event before it happens. Our goal is to get the info out there.” Even more concerning, Achey emphasized, is the invisibility of SGA to many students. “Many students don’t even know there’s a student government. It’s scary because it limits what we can do. We need the support from the student body.” The runners program hopes to both increase awareness of SGA and encourage participation in this year’s elections. Last year, Achey explained, only saw 600 voters. “There are great opportunities that students miss out on. We want to be here to tell them those things,” she said. The messages for the runners program will pertain to things such as events, fee increases, surveys and words from the administrators. Student participation is
critical to the success of this program and willing individuals are asked to retrieve messages from the ROAR Office front desk. After consent from the student’s professors, the brief, one-to-two minute messages are to be delivered either before or after class. On the bottom of the message, a space will be available for the professor’s signature. It is only with this signature that the student’s name will be entered into a drawing. This will ensure students are actually participating and Achey will contact involved professors to gage the effectiveness of the class announcements. The goal, Achey explained, is for students to deliver the messages in all their classes, not just one; in this way, full circulation of the information is more likely to occur. Completed messages should be delivered back to the ROAR Office front desk. The more times a student participates, the greater chance he or she has of winning one of the six items at the end of the semester. While SGA’s public relations committee will write most messages, other organizations can submit brief memos for the committee’s review. Unlike the system used at Metro State, there is less structure in UCCS’ proposed program and it allows involvement from other clubs and outside groups. Parking spot is finally the real deal After months of planning and deliberation, the parking spot dedicated to the student of the month has been awarded. As Achey explained, “I want to apologize for not having this done sooner.” The parking space, which was awarded to Rob Burton on March 14, was made available through University donations. Burton, who was involved in many organizations on campus like OSA, has a “tradition of giving a lot of himself” to the UCCS campus and community, said Achey. “His work has been exemplary,” she furthered. The location of the space is versatile and will move each month depending on that student’s particular needs. “The Student of the Month Award recognizes a student who has made an outstanding contribution to the UCCS community,” explained Achey. Students are nominated and then selected by the SGA Awards Committee. Nominees – even if you nominated yourself – must be enrolled full time and cannot hold a paid position with Student Government. All applications must be submitted online or turned in at the ROAR desk. The nominee’s honors and achievements as well as involvement on and off campus will determine each applicant’s worth. Achey feels this program will be successful because of the scarcity of and value placed on parking spots. With eight donated parking passes already, Achey hopes the program will continue through the next academic year. S
Grey and Flores Ticket
“We will work our hardest to fight for students not only within our own sc but also at the local, state and federal levels of government to make sure doing what we can to make sure tuition rates don’t increase. We also wan building a community at UCCS.”
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VOICE HEARD held April 11 - 15
Hollander and West Ticket
chool system e that we are nt to work on
“[We] joined SGA to try and help get student input… Drawing upon [our] experience of community and public service [we] now look toward the future.”
Take Back the Tap
The Take Back the Tap initiative, sponsored by SEAS Club, returns from last year’s ballot, hoping to gain student approval this time around. The initiative seeks to prohibit the sale of bottled water on campus in an effort to ease UCCS into more sustainable practices; it would not take immediate effect, but rather influence the campus’ decision to renew contracts with bottled water vendors when the appropriate time arises. According to the initiative’s Facebook page, “If the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is to fulfill its pledge to be a strong community leader in sustainability, students, faculty and staff must be willing to make the dramatic changes required to move us toward a more sustainable future.”
Clyde v. Boomer
UCCS has undergone a number of mascot changes over the years: we’ve been the Buffaloes, the Long-Necks (giraffes) and the Mountain Lions. Our current mascot, Boomer the Mountain Lion, is up on the ballot next week not for a change of species, but for a name change. Clyde, the mountain lion UCCS sponsors and after whom the new UC hotspot is named, might share his name with the UCCS mascot, if students pass this initiative. Student Body President Kristina Achey, who spearheaded this initiative, said, “Boomer was a name chosen by the student body that the university supported, but Clyde is an actual mountain lion. He has real teeth.”
Solar Energy Fee
itional Candidates
ing candidates did not reach The Scribe before press time: • • • • •
Kristina Achey, Senator of Graduate School Alvin Chee, Representative-At-Large Nathanial Mooberry, Senator of LAS Paige Nelson, Senator of Education Erik Oregon, Senator of Residence Association
Open Positions
ment Association is still looking for students to fill these positions: • • • •
Ballot Initiatives
Senator of Multicultural Affairs Senator of School and Public Affairs Senator of the College of Business 13 positions for Representative-At-Large
A modification to the $5-per-semester Solar Energy fee, which was overwhelmingly passed by students in April 2008, would expand its purpose into a general fund to cover all new initiatives from the Office of Sustainability. Currently, the fee is devoted exclusively to purchase new thermal and photovoltaic solar energy systems. Since its passage, new panels have been set up on the roofs of the Campus Recreation Center, the Science and Engineering Building, and Centennial Hall, increasing our renewable energy portfolio and reducing the campus’ carbon footprint. The fee is set to expire in 2013.
Family
Development
Center
An extension of the Family Development Center bond fee would push it past its current expiration of 2016. The fee repays bonded indebtedness on the building as well as support for childcare operations. The center serves as a daycare and preschool learning center for young children of students, faculty, and staff members. S
athletics
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April 5 to April 11, 2011
Inline Hockey secures division title in season debut Ryan Piechowski rpiechow@uccs.edu
ited funds and resources, the UCCS inline team played all of their games in Denver but will look to establish a home base here in Colorado Springs for future seasons. “We did a lot of positive things this year. Our goal was to just represent UCCS both on and off the floor, but now we’re hoping to be able to expand,” concluded Pedersen, “There is definitely a lot of hockey talent in Colorado Springs and not many people know that, which is why we took everyone by surprise.”
After finishing the season on the highest note possible, the team realizes they now have everyone’s attention. They are expecting to move up in division in the next year or two, and the number of interested players will undoubtedly rise, as well. The expectations may be high next year for a team who won their division in their very first season, but the Pedersen brothers and the rest of the squad look forward to any challenges they may face on the road to inline supremacy. S
The UCCS Inline Hockey team finished off its inaugural season exceeding all expectations. The team, established by a young group of UCCS students, went on to win its division in their first year of play. This remarkable feat was highly unexpected during the formation of the squad but as the team came together, they knew they had something special. The team had a rocky 0-3 start to the season after playing three of the top teams in the state. However, the inline team came together to go on an 18-2 run for the remainder of season, including their playoff run to finish with an 18-5 record and the division title. Two of the club’s founders, brothers Ryan and Matt Pedersen, were very pleased and amazed about the successful year, saying, “We were real skeptical coming in to our first year. We started off with eight guys, which is a small roster for an inline hockey team. It ended up being a real successful season; we had a good run,” expounded Matt Pedersen. The Pederson brothers wanted to get a team together on campus for some time and with the help of players at local rinks and a good incoming class of freshman, the inline team was able to find enough interest around school to get a team started. The team, who is not officially recognized by UCCS and thus cannot use the school’s name until next year, entered the Division II Inline Division and set up games against schools such as Denver University, Colorado School of Mines and CUBoulder. The list of large, competitive schools they competed against displayed just how impressive their successful season really was. Photos Courtesy of Matt Pederson The future appears to be bright for this young group who has already made a name for themselves Top Row (From Left to Right): Zach Blake, CJ Prue, Taylor Gebhart, Jesse Ernst, and Chris Mair amongst the other teams in the area; with very lim- Bottom Row (Left to Right): Leland Scott, Ryan Pedersen, Matt Pedersen, and Scott Archibald.
Mountain Lions finish fifth at G.C. Invitational, take time to give back at the local Care and Share Matthew Crandall mcrandal@uccs.edu Despite a somewhat slower start to their spring season, the UCCS men’s golf team managed to expel an extra burst of consistency during the final day of play and take home a fifth place finish at the Grand Canyon Spring Invitational on March 29 at the Palm Valley Golf Club in Phoenix, Ariz. The Mountain Lions were in a seventh-place tie after Monday’s first two rounds concluded, only to follow up Tuesday’s third and final round with the fourth-best score of the day (295) to move ahead of Western New Mexico, Cal. State-Stanislaus and Point Loma Nazarene. Senior Riley Andrews led UCCS in the final round, shooting an even 72-par. Senior Chris Shoop and junior Michael Tilghman each contributed with a 1-over par 73, and sophomore Spencer Biersdorff finished with a five-over par 77. Senior Brian Morfeld was one stroke out of the individual lead after two rounds but struggled Tuesday, finishing with 79 that dropped
him all the way to 18, individually. After completely dominating the competition in nearly every tourney last fall which sent the team en route to three first-place finishes along with a pair of second place finishes, the Mountain Lions are running tangentially positive toward claiming their sixth consecutive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) title. There are a few new changes and additions to the conference scoring system which have gone into effect this season, but head coach Phil Trujillo feels confident and hopeful toward the revamping. “We’ve won two of the three [tournaments], but it’s a point system instead of a stroke system like in the past,” he said “You get a point for every team you beat, [but] unfortunately, Fort Lewis has taken second place in every event and won the one we didn’t.” “So it works like this: If we don’t win, we need to finish second to Ft Lewis in order for us to tie. If another RMAC team wins and we take second, then we win the title,” added Trujillo,
“I like the stroke system, it shows how much better a team is and they should rightfully win the conference championship. The point system just keeps a handful of teams around so it’s not so dominating every year. We’re in good shape and we like the course it’s being played on.” Aside from adhering solely to their devotion on the course and potentially making serious runs for conference and national titles, the men’s golf team took time to extend their hands and volunteered over spring Photo Courtesy of gomountainlions.com break at the local Care Senior Riley Andrews finished with a 3-over par 219 score at the Grand and Share on March 23, Canyon Spring Invitational on March 28 in Phoenix, Ariz. where they assisted in separating and preparwhelmed by how incredible UCCS will have a bit of a ing food for the less fortunate. the kids were and how much reprieve as they prepare for the “I think it’s good for them to it meant to them when they April 11 Dairy Queen Wolfpack see how important it is to proshowed up for their once a week Invitational at the Walking Stick vide their time in helping others,” concluded Trujillo. “A few visit. The kid’s parents were so Golf Club in Pueblo, Colo., years ago we participated in the grateful to our guys for spend- followed by the all-important Colorado Springs Boys Club ing time out with their children. RMAC Spring Championship [and] that was a true awakening [It was] an absolutely incredible on April 18 in Phoenix, Ariz. at the Wingham Golf Club. S for our guys. They were over- experience.”
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opinion
Office of Student Activities rolls out ‘Roar Daze’ for some mid-spring fun (cont.)
April 5 to April 11, 2011
A Spring Break winning experience
Jessica Lynch jlynch@uccs.edu
Photo by Michelle Wood
People joining hands and jumping seems to be the iconic representation of happiness. Hooray!
Monday, April 11: “Campus Carnival”
Taking place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the West Lawn between the Summit Village dorms and the Science and Engineering Building, clubs will provide games and information for interested students. There will also be apple bobbing, “cash cube,” food provided by Chick-Fil-A and Glacier ice cream and gelato.
Tuesday, April 12: “Hypnotist Jim Wand and Beer Tasting Event (21+)” The first event will be taking place in Berger Hall from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and will be free for students and staff. Jim Wand has been doing the show for a couple of years now and videos of his tricks are on YouTube. He will also be hypnotizing students, per usual. Bristol Brewery will be showcasing five to seven different beers for students 21 and older to try throughout the night. The cost is $5 for the whole night so come to Clyde’s from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. that night and relax with a few beers!
Wednesday, April 13: “Earth Day” Acoustic concerts will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the West Lawn. There will also free food and the winner from last month’s “Green Challenge” will also be announced. With $100, students were instructed to come up with an idea to make UCCS a greener campus.
Thursday, April 14: “Taste Around the World”
From 11 a.m.to 2 p.m. on the West Lawn, the APISU (Asian Pacific Islander Student Union) and many other clubs will showcase their culture’s food and/or activities. It is sure to be an entertainingly delicious event.
Friday, April 15: “Open Mic Night” Taking place at Clyde’s from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., it is free to students and staff members. Come showcase your amazing talents by performing music, comedy, or poetry acts during the night. There is no pre-registration so anyone can come into Clyde’s and register that night. It should be a fun event!
Saturday, April 16: “Decemberists Concert”
This event will be taking place at the Gallogly Events Center with doors opening at 7 p.m. The Decemberists are a nationally recognized band with hits such as “16 Military Wives,” “Down by the Water” and “This is Why We Fight.” Their website is www.decemberists.com. Tickets for students cost $15 and can be purchased at www.ticketswest.com or at any Colorado King Soopers.
Sunday, April 17: “Family Day”
This event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the West Lawn. A barbeque with hot dogs and hamburgers for families of UCCS will be available. There will also be a craft table, a game to test baseball throwing speeds and a character artist. This is sure to be an enjoyable event for families to wrap up the fun-filled week of Roar Daze. S
While many of you consumed copious amounts of alcohol, lost your phones and experienced the best week of your lives, I spent my time in Pagosa swapping uncomfortable glances with the townies and finding the motivation to apply for jobs. I was a little depressed initially; I mean, unlike everyone else, I was going to be able to remember my entire week. The moping was short-lived, however; for one, my dad hates complainers. And two, feeling sorry for yourself is a pathetic characteristic and totally not what winners do. Speaking of real winning, as most of us would agree, success is an engrained goal; from childhood we are told that by working hard we can achieve greatness. Above all else, we hold strongly to the rags to riches story and we believe, if not rather naively, that anything is possible if we put our minds to it. But is this true? Toward the end of Spring Break, while I was nursing a half-sunburned face caused by a narcoleptic nap in the car the previous day, my dad handed me a book. And he told me to read it. Granted, at this point I was already reading four other books, but hell, what’s one more? Malcom Gladwell’s book, “Outliers,” has since changed almost everything I had once believed in regard to personal success. We like to think, Gladwell explains, that success is about the person. We want to know what kind of person they are, what they are like, their personalities, their intelligence and their lifestyles. “And we assume that it is those personal qualities that explain how that individual reached the top,” he wrote. Well, it’s not. Gladwell used the example of Bill Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems. His story is similar to other “successful” individuals like Bill Gates and the Beatles. But while we think of these stories as ones of hard work and dedication, some-
thing quite different plays out in the end. While Joy was driven, ambitious and remarkably talented, what set him apart was something known as “the 10,000 hour rule.” It has been determined – through interviews with highly successful individuals – that approximately 10,000 hours are put into their specific areas of interest. While this in itself is amazing, what makes their stories possible are what Gladwell calls “lucky breaks.” Joy attended the University of Michigan where one of the first Computer Centers existed. It was ahead of its time and did not employ the cardboard punch card system. Because it was open 24 hours a day, Joy was able to spend approximately eight hours a day coding. Had he gone to any other university, he would have continued to pursue his initial degree in biology. As all of these stories showed, because he was given the opportunity to devote 10,000 hours to coding he became an expert. More curious, is that all the successful men in the computer industry were born within a few years of each other. Special circumstances, opportunity, help from others and passion are more indicative of success than personal qualities. Another example the book uses is of three violin players. Let’s say, for instance, that each player possesses the ability to put in 10,000 hours. (This is not always the case as based on socio-economic status, putting this much time into an activity is nearly impossible.) All three players are already accomplished violinists. They have what we like to think of as “innate” talent. Regardless of this innate ability, however, it is the individual capable of putting in 10,000 hours that becomes an expert. There comes a point then, that those born musically inclined, will take a back seat to the one who reaches the 10,000 hour point. Available time to devote to one specific activity is a lucky break in itself and is something not everyone experiences. You might work hard, but if you don’t know anyone, or aren’t given the time to perfect your skill, you will fall short. So here’s my advice, make the most of your lucky breaks, whatever they may be, and put in your 10,000 hours – even if it takes you more than a decade. S
opinion
The law that was forced Freedom isn’t free. upon us… Neither is healthcare. April 5 to April 11, 2011
Stephen Farrell sfarrell@uccs.edu Obama Care reform – I said it one year ago and I’ll say it again now – is not wanted by Americans. And quite honestly, there’s so much to say in regard to this, I don’t really know where to begin. Let’s start with the fact that President Obama lied to the American public when he stated on his campaign trail that there would be open-door negotiations televised on CSPAN about health care reform. Unfortunately, his lying isn’t even the worst of it. I begin with this because I believe that there is no greater governmental offense (short of false imprisonment and murder) than lying to its people. I believe the passage of this law was only made possible because democratic politicians were intent on hoodwinking the American public. In fact, I have to say that my favorite quote during the entire passing of the law came from Nancy Pelosi (D-California) when she said, “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.” Yeah, something tells me Hugh Heffner would have an easier time getting some Catholic nuns to perform
a make-out trifecta on one of his centerfolds than convincing people Nancy was being up front on that one. But now that I have successfully proven how dumb the Democratic Party actually thinks you are, I will successfully prove that the majority of Americans were and are still against Obama Care. In October 2009 (about 4 months before the passage of Obama Care), 40 percent of Americans said they would support the passage of the law, according to gallup.com. Lo and behold, as of March 24, only 37 percent of Americans support it, as recorded by CNN/ Opinion Research Corporation. So what does this mean? Well what it really means is that I should just stop typing this piece right now. Why? Because I’ve already proven my point – our legislative branch of government is passing things that people don’t want! I could jump into the long-term financial struggles attributed to this law, but rather than diminish any merit gained through my first two arguments, I will digress. Also, I’m fairly certain the Supreme Court is going to strike down the entire law anyway, so I’ll save that argument for another day. This law was passed right under our noses. It was passed while the vast majority of the population rejected it as highly outrageous. I don’t think I’m very far off base in saying that a significant amount of people in this country
have lost faith and trust in our government because of this issue. The passing of Obama Care served as nothing more than President Obama and the Democratic Party telling us, “We know what is best for you and do not care what you think.” Revolutions have been ignited over less. If our government continues to pass undesirable laws, then a revolution in the near, or distant future, is a definite possibility. Wouldn’t be much of a shocker, would it? Didn’t think so. And to those reading this, you may have noticed
Cherise Fantus cfantus@uccs.edu Healthcare. We all need it. We all pay for it, one way or another. Those of us who have health insurance pay out-
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across the board. Most people who are without health insurance are so because they cannot afford it. Then they are expected to pay thousands of dollars for necessary care. That just doesn’t seem right to me. Even people who can afford to and would love to have health insurance are denied due to “preexisting conditions,” for which the insurance companies don’t want to pay. In 2009, Christina Turner of Florida was denied coverage because she was prescribed antiAIDS drugs after being sexually assaulted. A
Comic by Arno how I continually refer to this legislation as “Obama Care.” The reason for this is simple: because it is President Obama’s law, not ours. Obama Care was and still remains unwanted. S
rageous premiums, and then have to hope with all our might that the insurance company will actually approve our claims if we ever need to use it. Those of us who don’t have health insurance avoid going to the doctor for anything that’s not life threatening. When it’s absolutely necessary for them to see the doctor, they end up needing a lot more care than they would have if they had been able to see the doctor regularly. Then they have to deal with the bill. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield, a tonsillectomy, which is one of the most common procedures performed in the U.S., will cost around $5,000. That number, of course, varies depending on the state, but $5,000 is a reasonable estimate
New Mexico woman was denied coverage under similar circumstances because she was diagnosed with PTSD after being raped in 2003. Kimberly Fallon was denied payment for a rape exam after disclosing that she had been assaulted in college 17 years earlier. The payment was denied by her insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield, because she “had been raped before.” In the Middle East, women get killed for being raped. I thought we were more understanding in this country, but is denying them healthcare because they have been brutally violated any better? The ideas presented by President Obama to help ensure things like that don’t happen have been call “socialist.” So-
cialism is defined as, “a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.” What that basically means is everybody pays equally for a service that is provided to all. That is apparently a bad thing. I’m not sure about you, but I was always taught to share. Sure, we are a capitalist nation, and socialism is a dirty word to us. But for those who think all things “socialist” are evil, do us all a few favors. Remove your children from public schools. Our tax dollars pay for it, it is available to all for free, so it is obviously socialist. Don’t bother calling the police if you are in danger. Don’t dial 911 if you are hurt. Don’t expect the fire department to save your house from annihilation. Our tax dollars pay for those services. They are for socialists, not for you capitalists. Don’t expect the military to protect you from the terrorists you so fear. Don’t expect them to protect the borders from the immigrants you so despise. Don’t expect them to fight to ensure your freedom. Our tax dollars pay them, and they are socialist, too. The healthcare plan recently passed in the U.S. will not provide complete coverage. It will not allow anyone to walk into a clinic or hospital, be treated for their ailments and pick up their prescriptions without having to pay a dime, as the healthcare systems in Canada and Europe that work so well allow people to do. The plan simply makes insurance cheaper and easier to obtain. I think it is a step in the right direction. We all get sick. We all need healthcare. Maybe one day we will have a system that will allow us to see a doctor without the fear of have to pay a bill we can’t afford. Until then, I’m glad to know we are at least making steps in that direction. S
University Village Colorado Shopping Center (UVC), proudly presents the UVC Running Club. We are conveniently located right across the street from UCCS on N. Nevada Ave.
Come join us on
April 11th, 2011
for our inaugural run.
(free t-shirts for the first 50 runners that sign in!) For more information please visit our website.
UVC
Running Club
Monday Nights at 6pm www.UVCrunningclub.com