Sept. 21, 2010

the

Scribe

September 21 to September 28, 2010 [Volume 35; Issue 4]

Where there’s smoke...

Page 9

Inside this issue...

featured

Habits that hurt

UCCS student goes missing (page 4)

page 6 & 7

Lavender Film Festival opens this weekend (page 10)

editorial

Page 2

Stop being stupid, or I will put this cigarette out in your eye burg.

Editor-in-Chief Avalon Manly Allow me, dear readers, to tell you a story.

Once upon a time, there was a woman named Terry.

Terry was having something of a rough time; you see, her marriage was falling apart.

She had received a letter from her estranged husband, in which he apologized for his behavior and asked her to stay with him.

But Terry knew it was no good. She had to take care of herself and her two teenage daughters. So, to close the relationship forever in her mind and heart, she took the letter into the woods, and she lit it on fire. She needed to see the ashes before she could move on.

Though the burning letter was enclosed in a ring of stones, the fire quickly spread to nearby undergrowth and raced into the trees. It burned there for 24 days, ravaging 138,000 acres, enveloping 133 homes and forcing more than 8,000 people to flee.

Terry’s inability to cope with her failing marriage transformed into the largest wildfire in Colorado history, the Hayman Fire, which still rests as a tragic scar across the once lushly forested areas to the northwest of our fair

Terry Barton, formerly a U.S. Forest Service employee, was sentenced to 12 years in prison – but that’s hardly adequate restitution for her act of titanic, monumental stupidity; that is, lighting a fire in the woods in spite of an active and urgent fire ban during one of the driest seasons our state has ever known, the summer of 2002.

This Labor Day, only a little over three weeks ago, a new fire began an alacritous jaunt across our region. As of late last week, over 9,000 people have been evacuated from the greater Boulder area; more than 6,300 acres burned and 169 houses destroyed – some of which were owned by firefighters battling the blaze.

Early forensic investigations suggest that the Fourmile Canyon Fire may have a similar impetus. Research into the fire’s origin uncovered a residential fire pit which is suspected to have been improperly and incompletely extinguished.

I was born in Colorado. I’ve lived here all my life, and the wilderness is precious – nigh sacred – to me. Growing up, I went on innumerable camping trips with my family, and they taught me to preserve the world in which we live, for it is wonderful.

I cannot fathom the careless, reckless ways some people choose to behave – burning letters during a fire ban, not tending what was supposed to be a controlled fire – or tossing smoldering cigarette butts onto the ground as they pass.

(Let’s make some-

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thing clear, before I move on: I don’t care if you smoke. It’s up to you whether you want to develop lung cancer and have a voice like Dr. Girlfriend. That’s your decision and that’s not the issue here.)

As a liberal arts major, most of my class time is spent in Columbine Hall; and to get there, I have to pass through several dense clouds of cigarette smoke. Coughing my way to the front doors, I sometimes notice the subtle orange glow of a butt, burning itself out on the pavement at my feet, ignored and untended.

During those moments, I briefly struggle not to become a very violent person, seizing the butt and extinguishing it against the bare skin of the person who disregarded it. I have yet to do such a thing, but it always strikes me as the best method of preventing that person from ever again creating that same potential fire hazard.

It infuriates me that people would express such blatant indifference to this place, our lovely world. Twelve years wasn’t enough for Terry Barton, and some community service is certainly not enough for people caught engaging in irresponsible activities that could transform my home into an inferno.

Pick up after yourself. Stop vandalizing our home. We only get one shot at this life, and in this world; live cleanly and well. Don’t let our world burn, because I’m pretty sure Dante created a special circle in hell for that kind of act. S

September 21 to September 27

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.....................Robert Rodriguez Advertising/Sales Manager..............Luis Hidalgo News Editor..............................Catherine Jensen Culture Editor..............................Brock Kilgore Athletics Editor...........................Matt Crandall Opinion/Scribble Editor...................Jasen Cooper Photograhy Editor......................Ariel Lattimore Copy Editor..................................Cherise Fantus Web Designer................................Dorian Rogers Layout Designers...............................J.D. Osorio .........................................................Shreya Raj Reporters.........................................Rob Versaw ......................................................Alex Cramer Photographers.........................Carrie Woodruff ................................................Chelsea Bartlett Junior Reporters..............................J.P. Niehaus ...................................................Greg Williams .................................................Elliot Reynolds .....................................................Ivory Walker ......................................................Amanda Putz .....................................................Kristin Garst Junior Photographer....................Michelle Wood Cartoonist.................................................Arno Distributor................................Donald Trujillo Advisor..........................................Laura Eurich The Scribe UC 106 (719) 255-3658 (719) 255-3469 (719) 255-3600 www.uccsscribe.com scribe.eic@gmail.com

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September 21 to September 27

student life

Page 3

all aboard “Shelly” takes a break from driving

the

failboat

The March: The Sequel

Tomorrow, Wednesday, at 3 p.m., join your fellow students at the Housing Quad to march down to the Four Diamonds complex for the rival UCCS v.

CSU Pueblo game. Floors in the residency halls will be having Dorm Floor Battles for the Dorm Floors Cup; tailgate parties will commence down by the field; and the student body will be decked in their finest school colors to support their campus’ teams. Go UCCS soccer!

According to The Gazette, on Friday, Sept. 16 a helicopter carrying a German film crew taping an experimental car, crashed on Pikes Peak at 7:30 a.m. All four involved were sent directly to the hospital; the pilot, Jim Dirker, was flown to Memorial Central downtown in the most serious condition of those involved.

Dirker, an experienced pilot, was filming the Autonomous Audi TTS, a driverless car known as “Shelly,” created by Stanford University researchers. The crew was expected to test for the next few weeks. Audi has suspended its test through the weekend.

As explained by The Gazette, “A major danger of high-altitude flying is low air density, which reduces a helicopter’s power and maneuverability.” The helicopter was found on its side near a curve of the Pikes Peak Highway.

You remember when only the pious saw holy faces in food?

Not anymore.

For just $39.95, you, too, can add the glory of God to each morning’s daily bread. A small Vermont company, Burnt Impressions, LLC, last week began selling a toaster that burns an image of Jesus’ face onto each piece of bread. The company also offers toasters that imprint breakfast with peace signs and pot leaves, and hopes to add the Virgin Mary and a Star of David to their heated repertoire soon. Burnt Impressions founder and owner Galen Dively III stated, “We’re like the Henry Ford of Virgin Mary toast. We’re bringing it to the masses.” The image of Jesus is burnt onto the toast using specially shaped coils, and displays His holy face, a halo, and beams of light emanating from behind Him. Miraculous sightings are all part of a balanced breakfast, right?

FTW

“I blame my mother for my poor sex life. All she told me was, ‘The man goes on top and the woman underneath.’ For three years my husband and I slept in bunk beds.”

- Joan Rivers

Fill out the sudoku puzzle below so that each row and column contain the numbers 1 through 9 with none repeated. Return it and the adjacent crossword to the Scribe office when finished; if you’re the first one done (and they’re done right), you’ll be entered into a drawing for two free tickets to the Haunted Mines.

news Page 4

Student enrollment up 5.1 percent Jessica Lynch jlynch@uccs.edu After weeks of fighting, cursing and crying over parking spaces, UCCS’ enrollment numbers come as little surprise to the growing campus.

On Sept. 14, university officials announced its enrollment to be nearly 9,000, according to Communique, UCCS’ publication for faculty and staff.

Historically speaking, this is the largest enrollment since the school’s founding in 1965.

UCCS saw a 429 student increase since fall 2009, a 5.1 percent increase, stated Communique. At 8,893 students, the school has grown substantially every year.

A decade ago, UCCS only enrolled 6,602 students. Since then, the school has seen a 35 percent increase in enrollment. While enrollment

has continued to increase across the state, UCCS is still among one of the fastest growing universities in the nation.

Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak believes these increases result from “…highquality teaching, personalized classes and a variety of outstanding programs.” Due to these continual improvements,

Shockley-Zalabak added, “More students are recognizing the value of a degree from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.”

Additionally, student credit hours rose from 97,546 last fall to 102,070 this semester, equating to a 4.6 percent increase.

Much of this increase is a direct result of the enlarged freshmen class of

1,155 students. This correlates into a 58 student, 5.3 percent increase, explained Communique.

Adding to the enrollment numbers, 921 students transferred to UCCS this fall, up from 825 last year.

Enrollment numbers are on the rise and UCCS is booming, despite potential economic setbacks. S

ROAR and MOSAIC: refuge of resources

Catherine Jensen cjensen2@uccs.edu “Generally on a day to day basis I tend to only go where I need to go,” said student Heather Kim. It is not uncommon for students to travel only within the confines of their area of study and workplace while on campus.This means there are some buildings on campus students may never enter and they will be missing out on the resources each building has to offer.

The University Center (UC) is home to a plethora of student resources.

Refuge for Organizational Activities and Recreation (ROAR), which houses information about student clubs and organizations, the Office of Student Actvities (OSA) and Student Government Association (SGA).

According to ROAR desk employee Jayde Matchem, “If you ever wanted to start-up a club on campus, you have to come to us first so we can help you get it started.”

Fellow employee Brittany Reese adds, “The Office of Student Activities runs through here as well so if you ever need information on clubs, want to study, sleep or even just hang out, the ROAR office is the place

The ROAR office is open and welcoming to students to come.”

“It’s an area where you can get homework done. It is also an area of high traffic where you can observe what’s going on and be involved with other students,” said Kim. MOSAIC, another space for students in the UC, stands for Multicultural Office for Student Access, Inclusiveness, and Community. It is located down the hall from the ROAR office in room 110.

“We do a lot here at the MOSAIC office,” said Jessie Perez, MOSAIC employee. “Our biggest goal is the retention of minority students.

We try to accomplish that goal by having a mentorship program and student

success services available to minority students that will help them reach academic success.”

Services in MOSAIC include the CU Opportunity Program which as is stated by the CU Opportunity mission statement “provides a supportive academic environment and ensures equitable opportunity for higher education to those qualified students who have been historically denied access to university.” The program targets minority, first-generation and economically disadvantaged students and offers support.

The LGBT (LesbianGay-Bisexual-Transgender) Resource Center, a space which provides support and advocacy

Photo by Ashley Bell regarding LGBT issues for students, faculty, and staff around campus, is also located in the MOSAIC office. Here students can connect with other students, be directed to resources and discuss issues and being an ally.

MOSAIC, like ROAR also provides a space where students can hang out, hold club meetings and dialogue about issues on campus and in the community. A supporter of campus clubs, MOSAIC has a year-end celebration every year, which awards the best and most creative clubs for their contributions to campus.

MOSAIC and ROAR are open to all students and organizations. S

September 21 to September 27

UCCS student missing

UCCS student Jerrod Elsemore, 19, has not been seen since last Wednesday, Sept. 15, when he left for class around 8:30 a.m. That evening, his family reported him missing.

A search commenced by members of the Colorado Springs Police and Fire Departments and El Paso County Search and Rescue.

On the evening of Thursday, Sept. 16, Elsemore’s car was discovered by a family member, abandoned on Lower Gold Camp Road near Bear Creek Regional Park.

The search continued and, on Friday, Sept. 17, between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m., the body of an apparent adult male was discovered in the woods just south of where Elsemore’s truck was found.

Sergeant Darrin Abbink of CSPD’s violent crimes unit said that authorities are treating the discovery as a crime scene until they know more. An autopsy will be conducted this week that will seek to positively identify both the body and the cause of death, though sources have unofficially confirmed the body to be Elsmore; suicide is suspected.

The search for Elsemore is unlikely to continue until more is known about this development, said Abbink.

-Scribe Staff

Demonstration for West Mesa J.P. Niehaus

jniehaus@uccs.edu A crowd gathered in the Upper Plaza on Sept. 17 to honor to the memories of the victims of the West Mesa murders of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This demonstration, facilitated by student group Gender Alliance and Liberation (GAL), was planned in solidarity with a similar gathering that occurred on Sept. 18 in West Mesa.

Last year, authorities in West Mesa found the bodies of 11 women and an unborn child together in a mass grave. At least 10 other women in the West Mesa area have been reported missing and authorities fear that there are more missing persons that may have gone unreported. Most of the crimes occurred between 2001 and 2005; the victims’ bodies were not found until February of 2009.

No one has been found guilty of any of the crimes.

According to Brandi Ballard, a leader in GAL, “The importance of the demonstration is to let people know what is going on…11 women and an unborn baby ha[ve] been found dead and the police are supposedly still actively pursuing those responsible.”

Ballard stated that a main goal of GAL is, “to raise awareness of violence against women.”

She continued, “Tell other people about it, this is the age of social networking; everyone should know.”

At the demonstration, Professor Mary Jane Sullivan of the Philosophy Department addressed the crowd, “Today’s action of nonviolence at UCCS is our small effort to notify all those who use brutal force against women to consult their consciences.”

The demonstration included music, thoughts spoken by those present and posters with pictured of each one of the victims. “Mother”, “Wife”, “Sister” and “Friend” were titles written above the photos which GAL member Nicole Sherberkoff said was to, “detract from the way the media has been ending their reports by calling the women prostitutes and drug users which we feel is irrelevant and the lives of the women should come before any of that.”

“The cops took an oath to protect and serve the community,” said student Gabe Bradford, “we just want to show our support.”

Students Kristen Arcella. Kristin Kata and said they, “want justice for the families.”

GAL collected a number of letters from students present to deliver to the families and loved ones of the West Mesa victims, as well as one addressed to the authorities demanding higher priority for the case. According to authorities, the case is being pursed and it is very important to them; finding the perpetrator or perpetrators responsible for the crimes against these women are of vital importance. S

culture

September 21 to September 27

Page 5

Sports bars for students: where to watch your team Brock Kilgore bkilgore@uccs.edu Few students can afford the NFL ticket, MLB extra innings, NBA league pass or NHL center ice.

Fans of out of town teams can watch on their laptops – again, usually for a price – or the 21+ student can opt to visit a local sports bar.

The inherent problem for the student fan is that sports bars come in many varieties and prices, focus on different types of clientele, and might be the home base of your rival team. Sports bars range from the Buffalo Wild Wing chain that provides walls full of televisions and decent food in every city in America, to a holein-the-wall bookie bar that you don’t want to attend.

The Buffalo Wild Wings at 7425 North Academy is great for students, but I like to stay away from chains, and Colorado Springs has some great, home-grown sports bars. The following options are distributed around town so they are close to where you live, are reasonably priced, and are safe for students.

North The Dublin House 1850 Dominion Way This Irish sports bar has become quite a hangout for the younger crowd on weekend nights. I cooked a million chicken wings on Sundays there ages ago, and they are still just as busy. As a Raiders fan this is the place I always go because they dedicate the whole basement to the Raiders game. Who really wants Raiders fans min-

gling with others?

Overtime Sports Bar and Grill 2809 Dublin Blvd.

This is the place to go for college football. A guy with the biggest remote I have ever seen asked me what game I was looking for as soon as I walked through the door. The $8 all-you-can-eat breakfast on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until noon is actually well worth it.

Campus Hondo’s 4695 Centennial Most UCCS students probably already know about this place, but it is big enough and has enough TVs for some serious sports watching. This is the place for Air Force football fans.

O’Furry’s 900 E Fillmore O’Furry’s has the best chicken wings in town, hands down, and they are 35 cents each on Saturdays (dine in). The wings are huge, fried forever (like they should be), and come in buttery hot or buttery mild. They are perfect; try them with a Guinness and a game.

Downtown Old Chicago’s 118 N Tejon St. OC’s has two other locations in town (7115 Commerce Center and 4110 N Academy) which are also great for sports, but the downtown location has been the student choice for NFL Sundays for a long time. The service is quick despite the volume of business; the atmo-

sphere is fun and beer, beer, beer.

Will’s Sports Pub 424 S Nevada Ave. I have a particular hatred of the New England Patriots, so “Cheatriots” fans this is where you should disappear. All kidding aside, this little bar has great specials, excellent food and loud obnoxious Bostonians. Try the green Chile.

West Meadow Muffins 2432 W Colorado Ave. The Westside has never had a true “sports only” bar, but every little watering hole west of 8th street (and there are lots) will have a few TVs with the Broncos or Rockies on. Meadow Muffins has great drink specials and burgers and feels like a circus inside. Sports are only a part of what they do, but it is a good place to watch the game.

East Frankie’s 945 N Powers (Powers and Galley) Frankie’s is a classic

Photos by Brock Kilgore

Three popular sports bars in the Colorado Springs area neighborhood sports bar.

Most teams are represented and they have excellent steak and breakfast specials.

South

The Hatch Cover 252 E Cheyenne Blvd.

The Hatch Cover is one of the growing numbers of places in Colorado Springs where golf is watched as intently as

football. The food has always been the draw with great crab cakes, fire wings (be careful), gravy fries and my favorite, the Chile dog pizza. S

‘Halo: Reach’, Bungie’s crowning achievement (so far) Elliot Reynolds ereynol2@uccs.edu “Halo: Reach” is the most recent game in the massive Halo franchise, and Bungie’s last (another studio of former Bungie employees is picking up future Halo projects).

“Reach” netted Microsoft $200 million on opening day. Thousands of fans rejoiced at the best Halo installment yet.

As a Halo fan, I was personally excited when the game was announced last year., despite the problems

the franchise has had in the past. I enjoyed ODST and couldn’t wait for this new installment, so the day it came out I raced to pick it up.

I was thrilled to discover that there are plenty of new weapons, features, vehicles, characters and plot to keep the game fresh.

Set before the events of the first Halo game, “Reach” takes place on the planet… well, Reach, the home world of the elite Spartan supersoldiers.

Unfortunately, the evil alien Covenant have discovered Reach and, as usual, they set about killing and

destroying everything in their path. The game follows a Spartan, Noble Six, and his five comrades of Noble Team as they do everything in their power to stop the Covenant.

Things don’t look good for our heroes, as the back story of “Reach” is this: the planet is utterly destroyed by the Covenant invasion. This game’s story is the grimmest of them all, but play the game to see for yourself.

The single player campaign is short but thrilling, and certainly fun to play. It is also the hardest campaign of them all: I had a bit of a

hard time on normal mode, and I like to think I’m pretty good. I’m scared even to think about Legendary mode.

Lots of new characters, new settings and all the new vehicles and such are fun to get a feel for in the single player mode before taking it to the internet, which is a good way to warm up and get used to the new game.

On top of the new playable features, the Bungie team upped the graphics, as well as the sound effects.

The music is more moodsetting, fast-paced with the action and soft when it’s a

calm moment.

The game is a lot prettier than the previous ones, more vibrant and more colorful.

The terrain and characters are more detailed. The levels are more varied. Weapons look different than before, giving them an older look (since this game is a prequel). The team does a good job with the older engine.

There are new game play mechanics as well, such as a grunt’s methane tank firing the poor guy around until it explodes.

Multiplayer is different than before to keep the players playing long after the

single player experience is finished. Besides the new weapons and all that, there are new gameplay modes.

Invasion mode pits a team of Spartans v. Elites in a storm the base, objective type game. It’s fun and frustrating, as the defending team sometimes has an unfair advantage. Firefight mode is carried over from ODST. All in all, Bungie has done a fantastic job on their newest Halo game. With enough new to keep things fresh, it looks better, it’s more challenging (but still fun); this is the best Halo game yet. S

news

Habits that you cannot break Page 6

College students tend to be characterized by certain behaviors. 21-year-olds drink themselves into regular stupors; no one gets to bed on time; everyone’s up far too early; veins flow with more coffee than blood and meals are comprised of whatever can become remotely edible after two and a half minutes in the microwave. It’s a lifestyle we’ve come

Food

September 21 to September 27

to expect, and one for which we thought ourselves prepared – but do we really know what we’re doing to ourselves? The Scribe has compiled the ready information on these pages to ensure you make an educated decision about how you live each day.

-Photos Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Keep an eye on your plastics

Marinades: The healthy way to barbeque

The dried fruit myth

The green movement urges students to conserve and be less wasteful. Unfortunately, efforts to cut down on bottled water purchases can be detrimental to your health. Studies show that #7 and #1 plastics, as well as clear Nalgene water bottles can contain trace amount of Bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic chemical that interferes with the body’s natural hormonal messaging system. According to About.com, when Nalgene bottles become scratched from use, dangerous chemicals can secrete from the bottle’s crevices. Similarly, single-use soft-drink and water bottles are typically made from a plastic called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). When these bottles are repeatedly used, the plastics break down and may leach DEHP, another likely carcinogen (cancer causing agent).

In order to avoid these side-effects, students should use bottles crafted from plastic #2, #4, #5 and those made from aluminum and stainless steel.

For students living off-campus, barbequing is a common weekend event. While a cookout is a fun, relaxing and fulfilling activity, according to About.com, carcinogens, benzol[a] pyrene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs) are present in the cooked food. PAHs are in smoke from incomplete combustion, so if you can taste smoke on your food, it contains chemicals. These can be reduced by scrapping the char from the meat. HCAs, alternately, are produced by a chemical reaction between meat and prolonged heat and consequently, cannot be easily removed.

In order to reduce these carcinogens, students should marinate their food before barbequing, claims Readers Digest. “A chemist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California found that marinating chicken in simple mixture of olive oil, cider vinegar, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and brown sugar reduced carcinogenic compounds in the finished product by more than 90 percent.”

Dried fruit is a seemingly healthy choice for the active college student. However, what most students do not realize, is that while it is a better choice than a package of sour patch kids, the amount of sugar and calories per package is exponentially greater than if you opted for fresh fruit, like grapes. According to Christina Stark, a nutritionist at Cornell University, “There are pluses and minuses, [and] the main difference is that taking out the water concentrates both nutrients and calories.” For instance, a cup of grapes is 80 percent water, with 104 calories, where as a cup of raisins is 15 percent water, with 434 calories.

Consequently, it’s easy to over-indulge, so pick an apple instead.

Energy Drinks

Coffee

Taurine

According to research conducted by Addiction Everything, out of the 496 college students who participated 51 percent reported drinking more than one energy drink per month during the current semester. The higher percentage of consumption was among female college students at 53 percent compared to males at 42 percent, the report said.

The most common reasons for consumption included sleep deprivation and mixing energy drinks with alcohol. The most common side effects reported included jolt and crash episodes in 29 percent of users, headaches in 22 percent and heart palpitations in 19 percent. Monster contains 160 mg of caffeine, 5 Hour Energy 138 mg and Red Bull has 80mg.

Caffeine is a drug that interferes with the binding of adenosine (the natural chemical that triggers the desire to sleep) to the relevant receptors. Don’t be fooled by the boost of energy you feel.

After consuming caffeine, your body is still tired it just doesn’t know it. To compensate for this misunderstanding, your brain makes more receptors to compete with the caffeine so you end up needing more caffeine to feel awake to block the additional receptors.

It takes caffeine between 15 and 20 minutes to travel through your body and begin binding to the receptors responsible for binding with adenosine Coincidentally, this is about the same length of time it takes to take a successful power nap that leaves you refreshed. Moderate amounts of coffee, meaning 50 to 100 mg, is well tolerable. Brewed coffee contains about 108mg of caffeine per cup and instant 3 to 5, according to Mayoclinic.com.

Student Julianne Sedillo, who drinks coffee four times a week, said she needs it to get going in the morning, “ I work at seven a.m. four days out of the week, so I drink it to stay awake during my shift. And because it tastes good.” Sedillo said it is effective for her on a continual basis due to sensitivity to caffeine.

Though commonly referred to as “bull piss” by the masses, nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D on mayoclinic.com wrote that taurine may not be as harmful as one might presume. “Taurine is an amino acid that supports neurological development and helps regulate the level of water and mineral salts in the blood. Taurine is also thought to have antioxidant properties,” she wrote.

Taurine is found naturally in meat, fish and breast milk, and according to Zeratsky, commonly available as a dietary supplement. Some studies suggest that taurine supplementation may improve athletic performance, which may explain why taurine is used in many energy drinks.

Other studies suggest that taurine combined with caffeine improves mental performance, although this finding remains controversial.

Up to 3,000 milligrams a day of supplemental taurine is considered safe. Any excess taurine is simply excreted by the kidneys. Moderation is always to be considered.

“It’s also important to remember that there may be high amounts of other ingredients in energy drinks, such as high amounts of caffeine or sugar,” continued Zeratsky, “Too much caffeine can increase your heart rate and blood pressure, interrupt your sleep, and cause nervousness and irritability. And added sugar may provide unwanted added calories.”

Drink

-Jessica Lynch

-Catherine Jensen

September 21 to September 27

news

Page 7

The truth about “higher” education “Nearly half of America’s 5.4 million full-time college students abuse drugs…at least once a month, according to a new study that portrays substance [abuse]… as an increasingly urgent problem on campuses across the nation,” wrote Donna Lienwand of USA Today in March 2007.

Most of the drugs abused by college students on a regular basis are prescription, though marijuana runs a close second, according to disposemymeds.org.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University conducted a survey in 2005 among college students to find the increases in illicit drug use from the mid-1990s on.

According to Lienwand, the study found that: Nearly half the students surveyed said they used drugs to relax, reduce stress or forget about problems.

Students who said they had abused painkillers such as Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin rose from fewer than 1 percent of students in 1993 to 3.1 percent in 2005.

The percentage of stu-

Sleep

dents who reported smoking marijuana heavily — at least 20 days during the month — more than doubled, from 1.9 percent in 1993 to 4 percent in 2005.

The percentage of students who reported using illegal drugs other than marijuana, such as cocaine and heroin, jumped from 5.4 percent in 1993 to 8.2 percent in 2005.

However, the percentage of students who reported binge drinking three or more times during the previous two weeks increased from 19.7 percent in 1993 to 22.8 percent in 2001.

“At many colleges across the country, the ingredients for academic success now include a steady flow of analeptics, the class of prescription amphetamines that is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,” wrote Andrew Jacobs of the New York Times.

Drugs like Adderall and Ritalin have become more commonly used among college students struggling to focus or stay awake long enough to finish everything required of them.

“As many as 20 percent of college students have used Ritalin or Adderall

Substance abuse is a growing problem with college students to study, write papers and take exams,” wrote Jacobs.

At a place like UCCS, however, marijuana use is much more prevalent. According to the 2009 Campus Safety and Security Report, drug violations on campus jumped from five in 2007 to 31 in 2008, which, Chief of Police Jim Spice said, probably has to do with the acces-

sibility of the drug as well as the recent legalization of the drug for those with appropriate licensure.

One UCCS senior who wishes to remain nameless talked with The Scribe about her drug use.

“My use of [medicinal marijuana (MMJ)] and other drugs has very little impact on my being a student. I feel that school comes first, and although

Photo by Chelsea Bartlett

I may spend time doing drugs, I ensure that my course work is done first.

I am less able and willing to spend my excess money on drugs, as I have very little excess money in the first place. I feel that being a student actually impedes my drug use, as I do not have the time, money or energy to spend on my ‘wants.’ On the same token, I appreciate the stress

relief MMJ provides and feel my use would probably decline, were it not for being a full-time student along with working full-time. Overall, I feel that my drug use has very little effect on my studies, and my studies have a large effect on my drug use (which, granted, could always be a little less).”

-Avalon Manly

The right amount of sleep

Too little sleep Unfortunately, many students struggle to get enough sleep. According to the Louisiana Tech study, less than six hours of sleep is unhealthy. This study also explained that 73 percent of college students have major trouble sleeping. Several students mentioned only receiving six hours of sleep, Elisabeth Fisk explained, “I get about six! I feel like it’s probably harder to remember things since I’m so tired.” UCCS student Rob Burton agreed with Fisk in his statement, “I usually get about three to six hours of sleep, it makes attentiveness very hard.” Six other UCCS students also agreed with the Fisk and Burton opinions.

The right amount of sleep affects attentiveness, health and mental state. Students need to take control of their sleep schedules. Set a standard time to go to bed, as well as to wake up.

For several students, the right amount of sleep falls somewhere between seven and eight hours. UCCS Student Braden Cox stated, “The hours of sleep I get each night directly affects my ability to learn. The few days I’ve been able to get seven or more hours of sleep have been my most successful.” Cox was not the only student to see this trend. UCCS student Marta Hendershot noted, “My sleeping schedule definitely affects my learning. I know if I get any less than 6 hours I hardly retain any information in class; whereas if I get six or more hours, I have more enthusiasm for learning.” Mandy Gardener had a similar opinion, “I get about six hours of sleep per night and I can function pretty well, but any less I can’t pay attention in class as well.”

Too much sleep Getting too much sleep can be detrimental to health later in life. The health conditions that can result include depression and physical exhaustion. Other more serious implications are diabetes, heart disease and increased risk of death. As well as long-term effects, it also has some shortterm effects such as laziness and obesity. Those getting over 10 hours of sleep should try harder to regulate their sleeping pattern. However this didn’t seem to be much of a problem among UCCS students- none of the interviews conducted revealed even a single student was getting too much sleep.

-Kristin Garst

culture

Page 8

September 21 to September 27

Palmer Park offers an outdoor heaven in the heart of the city Brock Kilgore

bkilgore@uccs.edu Picturesque may be an impossibly imperfect term to describe the views available in Palmer Park.

Part of a system of bluffs that we are lucky to have transecting our city, this city park is close to campus, but it can make you feel far away. A recent visit displayed shades of green to tan with every in-between yellow under cloudless blue, like a yucca covered coffee table in the sky.

Whether hiking, biking, picnicking, playing ball or visiting the dog park, Palmer Park is a valuable student asset.

The park is named after city founder and Civil War General William Jackson Palmer. Palm-

“…this city park is close to campus, but it can make you feel far away.” er’s temperant vision of a colony of like-minded people included ample public lands for recreation. In 1901, as an aging Palmer watched his little city get larger, he purchased lands including the park which would bear his name to enlarge the city’s infrastructure.

Legend has it that a tunnel connects an old Speak Easy just below the Grand View Lookout with an ex-mobster’s house on the other side of the bluff. Regardless

of whether you are able to find the elusive tunnel (don’t trespass), hiking in the park was the original attraction.

Palmer’s money built the first roads and trails, but we really have the Civilian Conservation Corps #1847 to thank for the complex system of trails and picnic spots that exist today. Between 1935 and 1936 they lived in barracks where the ball fields are today and worked daily in the park.

The park can be very hot and dry in the summer, so bring lots of water and use sunscreen; but it can also be an oasis of sunshine in the winter. The Edna Mae Bennet Nature Trail behind the horse stables is my favorite hike on a hot day, and the Ute Crest Yucca area on top of the north mesa is stunning in June when the sticky plants flower. The expansive north mesa offers the most seclusion, but try to stay on the many established trails, cactus likes its personal

Idyllic Palmer Park offers beautiful views, trails and a chance to get away space.

Mountain biking has become the most popular activity in the park.

Trails.com writes, “If you were going to train an elite force of mountain bikers, you could do the entire program here.“ The trails range from easy to throwing-yourhelmet in disgust, ridic-

ulously difficult, so start easy, get in shape, practice, never ride alone and be very, very careful. An excellent map is available online or in any local bike shop.

Picnicking in Palmer Park can be as simple as grabbing some Carne Asada tacos from the taco truck on Union Boulevard near Consti-

Photos by Chelsea Bartlett

tution Avenue, or an impressive spread of wine, fruit and cheese for your squeeze.

There are many secluded picnic areas in the park, so explore and find your favorite, but my new favorite is unimpressively called Parking Area 15. It is a secluded ridge with a little-appreciated view of the plains

of southeast Colorado Springs.

The southeast corner of the park near Maizeland and Academy Boulevard offers a fenced-in dog park, a children‘s play area, ball fields and sand volleyball courts. The top of the north mesa also offers a leash-less dog run area. S

special report September 21 to September 27

Page 9

...there’s fire

Fourmile Canyon fire affects UCCS’ fall plans Stories by Catherine Jensen Photos Courtesy of Steve Segin

Fire in Boulder sparks flames

Fall bonfire may be fire-less For the last four years, as part of Back to the Bluffs, students at UCCS gather in an empty parking lot to hold activities around what is known campus wide as “the fall bonfire.” This year, the parking lot may be fireless, according to OSA grad assistant, Jordan Mathews. Currently, OSA staff is brainstorming where to hold the event, which will occur as scheduled, on Oct. 1 from 8:30 p.m. until midnight.

OSA’s fire permit was revoked on Tuesday Sept. 14 due to rising concerns over the fire in Boulder, said Mathews. Should the ban be lifted within the next couple of days, the fire will commence as was planned. In case it isn’t, plans are being made to schedule lot three or the west lawn for the event. Students will be notified if and when a change occurs.

“We can have a whole bunch of red lights and red streamers and a fan instead of our fire,” Mathews jokes. Despite the possibility of being fireless, Mathews encourages students to come out and participate. ‘The more people that come out the more fun it will be,” he said. Student groups interested in holding an activity may contact OSA.

The Boulder County wildfire has sent sparks eighty-five miles away to Colorado Springs. Though authorities report that the fire does not represent a threat to the University of Colorado campus or the central City of Boulder, UCCS has taken precautions including banning fire permits.

The fire has led to the burning of 6,500 acres of forest and 169 homes, according to 9 News. The Fourmile Canyon Fire in Boulder County does not represent a threat to UC Boulder and campus classes are proceeding on a normal schedule. However, some students have been displaced from their offcampus housing and others may have been or will be affected by smoke or other impacts from the wildfire.

“The smoke cover started the second day of the fire and was extremely bad. A lot of people were coughing, it was hard to see and a biker friend of mine got ash in his eye on his way to class. There has been a lot of concern and a few mass emails from the school about what to do in case of fire, and the students were obviously a

bit nervous about having something that destructive that close to their homes,” CU Boulder student Cate Stanek told The Scribe.

In a report published and sent out by the Boulder campus police, authorities warned students with severe respiratory distress to go immediately to the closest emergency department or visit the Wardenburg Health Center on campus.

They also informed students that a limited number of N95 masks were available.

A shelter was set up in the Coors Events Center for individuals who have been evacuated from the affected wildfire area. In addition, the campus is lending support by providing space on South Campus for the staging of firefighting equipment and

vehicles.

“CU students have been very proactive about helping the victims of the fire and every day on campus you can see people with water jugs asking for donations to help them get back on their feet. This started only about two days after the fire and I hope that more people were as proactive as these students,” Stanek added.

culture Lavender Film Festival celebrates its 11th year

September 21 to September 27

Page 10

Elliot Reynolds ereynol2@uccs.edu The Pike’s Peak Lavender Film Festival kicks off its 11th year this Friday, September 24th at the Cornerstone Arts Center at Colorado College.

Since 2000, the Festival has screened quality international lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender films for Colorado Springs. It is the only consistently running allLGBT Film Festival in Colorado. The Festival’s director, Alma Cremonesi, was excited to talk about this year’s event. “We love to get any sort of information about us out there!� The opening night begins at 6 p.m. with a catered reception including complimentary drinks. This will be followed by a short introduction and acknowledgments session, and then the first film is shown.

This year’s opening film is a Brazilian romance, “From Beginning to End.� Two half brothers, growing up together, form a close fraternal bond. Their relationship takes a romantic turn after the death of their mother.

On Saturday, four films will be shown. The first is a film inspired by the true story of a 19th century Sicilian woman who falls in love with a childhood friend. In “The Purple Sea,� Angela refuses traditional rolls. To live in this conservative world, she is disguised as a man so she can be with her childhood friend and lover.

The next film, “Is it Just Me?� is a romantic comedy about Blaine, a hilarious, single, bitter main character having a hard time finding a deep relationship with a man in Los Angeles. Finally, he meets the one, a new guy named Xander, in an online chat room.

Xander is just what he’s looking for. Unfortunately, Xander was chatting as his friend, Cameron. After this deception, things get more complicated as people continue to play pretend throughout the story,

Catering ★★★★★ Perfect for the people you love... and relatives too.

(( Photo Courtesy of Lavender Film Festival

For a little over a decade the Lavender Film Festival has brought LGBT films to Colorado Springs Blaine remains deter- information from Canmined to show Xander dy’s diaries and memowho he really is. rabilia of an incredible In “Elena Undone,� transgender model and titular character Elena actress. is trapped in a loveless “Eyes Wide Shut� marriage to an anti-gay offers a look at homopastor. A straight (or at sexuality in an Ortholeast she thought) wife dox Jewish community and mother, Elena meets in Jerusalem. The film, Peyton, an openly les- spoken in Hebrew with bian writer. The two English subtitles, folform a bond and Elena lows Aaron’s confronquickly falls for this tation with the feelings other woman. Covering he has for another male, religion, sex, family and Ezri. The film is both especially commitment, emotionally and sexuthis film shows the ally driven. complicated relation“I Killed My Mothship between these two er� is a French lanwomen. guage film detailing the “The Stranger in Us� strained relationship betells the story of a young tween a young man and gay man from Virginia his mother. The family arriving in San Francis- is pushed even further co, ready for a new life. when his mother discovAnthony’s experience ers he is gay. is less than great when The final film, “The the relationship with his Secret Diaries of Miss older boyfriend, Ste- Anne Lister,� is the true phen, turns abusive. This story of a 19th century film is the tale of An- English woman who, thony’s experience, los- through coded diary, deing and finding himself tailed her daily life. This in the big city and being includes her incredible, helped by another young passionate relationships man named Gavin. Cre- with different women in monesi announced that upper class English sothe film’s director and ciety. three of its actors will Cremonesi is looking appear after the film for forward to this year’s a Q-and-A session. festival, and hopes evOn Sunday, “Beautiful eryone will come out and Darling: The Life and view the films. Times, Times of Candy Darling, dates and prices are on Andy Warhol Superstar� the festival’s website at will include interviews, www.pplff.org. S

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sports

September 21 to September 27

Page 11

Men’s Soccer remains hope- UCCS Golf—Best in the Rocky Mountains ful despite tough start Alex Cramer

Matt Crandall

acramer@uccs.edu

mcrandal@uccs.edu The men’s soccer team began the season with an impressive, high energy, overtime victory against non-conference rival Colorado College on Sept. 1.

The match was decided on a game winning goal by junior captain Matt Friesen and Head Coach Henry Ellis labeled the game, “…a battle and it shows that this team has the temperament to fight.”

However, over the last couple weeks the men have landed on a somewhat slippery slope as they have lost their last three games. In a positive fashion, all three Mountain Lions losses were decided by only one goal, and despite the early season struggles, the Mountain Lions appear confident as they prepare for the first stretch of conference play this season.

“It will take a little bit of time but that is why we have a tough non-conference schedule,” Ellis

Photo Courtesy of gomountainlions.com

Senior Ryan Piechowski on the attack said. “We [need to] find our form when conference play starts.”

UCCS is currently in the middle of the conference pack, sharing a fourth place tie with rival CSU-Pueblo at 1-3. The players are still learning how to play well with one another, but the chemistry and flow that past men’s soccer teams have shown, isn’t out of reach.

“We have a few players this year with the talent to have a strong year,” commented Ellis. “I look forward to watching who will rise to the occasion.”

The team’s focus then,

is on continual improvement and accomplishing both individual and team goals. According to Ellis, “Our biggest goal is to make our conference tournament. We were just shy of it last year [and] we would also like to improve on the amount of goals we scored from last year.”

The men will host their next five conference games of the season at Mountain Lion Field from Sept. 22 to Oct. 3.

They will take on Colorado Mines, CSU-Pueblo, Mesa State, Fort Lewis and Regis. S

Center slide show.

The fitness fanatic program was created by staff member Drew Piller. He came up with the idea as a way to shine light on those who put in long hours at the gym.

“It’s a way to encourage people who come often and let them standout. I know some people who have lost 100 pounds from using the rec center.”

The award is still relatively new with only two winners so far, Evan Jiblets and Kristin Garst. These individuals were awarded for their extensive efforts in the gym. The nomination box is located on the counter where you check in and students can nominate anyone worthy of the award, including themselves.

“It’s a really cool way to encourage people to get fit and use the rec center,” said sophomore Molly Rayer, who works out five to six times a week.

Working out on a regular basis is more than just good for your physical health; it’s good for your mental health as well. With a long semester ahead and students possibly in need of recharging their mental focus, the Rec.

Center may be the answer to provide a mental boost.

Winning the fitness fanatic of the month award can be a difficult task for students that have a busy schedule, but some time at the gym is better than no time. Frequenting the gym on a regular basis factors into your chances of bringing home some hardware.

Senior staff member Abbie Gilstrap has an easy way of selecting her nominees.

“The more you come in, the better chance you have of being the Fanatic of the Month,” she added.

The Recreation Center offers a multitude of workout equipment and ways to stay in or get in shape. Some of these include a two-court gymnasium, an elevated two-lane track, a fitness area with cardiovascular machines, a free weight area, selector zed equipment, a stretching area and an indoor pool with four lap lanes, among other things.

For more information on what the UCCS Recreation Center has to offer or questions about how students can win the Fitness Fanatic of the Month, call 255-7515. S

Employee of the Month meets Fitness Fanatic Alex Cramer acramer@uccs.edu

For students needing extra motivation to workout, the Recreation Center is offering a new program called the Fitness Fanatic of the Month.

As the weather turns colder, runners and work out fanatics abound are likely to move from the streets to the treadmills.

While not everyone will turn indoors, those who do will be offered a chance to compete for the Fitness Fanatic title.

“I think it’s a great program to make people come in, because usually after about a month it [the number of people] dies off. I also think it’s a great program to motivate people to come more often,” said senior staff member Sarah Randall.

The formula is relatively simple; the more you utilize the Rec. Center and the harder you workout, the better chance you have to win the award. Each month’s winner will receive not only bragging rights, but a picture on the Recreation

Entering his 10th season as head coach, Phil Trujillo has the Mountain Lions primed for a run at the RMAC title and an NCAA bid.

Since Trujillo has taken over, he has brought home five Coach of the Year honors and led the team to four NCAA tournament appearances, while just missing out on a fifth last year.

This year’s team is no different; the 2010 squad is lead by Senior Co-Captains Chris Shoop and Riley Andrews and a host of returning players that include senior Brian Morfeld and sophomore Spencer Biersdorff.

UCCS entered the season ranked No. 21 on golfstat.com; the site ranks every NCAA program in the nation.

For most Colorado schools, the beginning of the season can be a challenge, especially when competing against schools in California or Arizona that have been practicing year round.

For the men’s golf team, the beginning of the 2010-2011 season saw little hesitation. By winning the Peak Classic in La Veta, Colorado by an impressive 14 strokes, the Mountain Lions dominated the competition in all three rounds. Leading the charge was Morfeld who took home individual honors and shot 7-under par over three rounds.

“I felt that the guys stayed patient and played consistent. We recognized the things that we need to work on so we can make a good run at another NCAA bid,” said coach Trujillo.

Morfeld wasn’t alone atop the leader board either. Andrews, Shoop and junior Michael Tilghman all placed among the top ten, while Biersdorff tied for 45th.

No team at the Peak Classic came close to matching the Mountain Lions depth as the team set a new team course record for the event.

“We have a very good team. We’re strong, we’re experienced and

have a lot of people who have been there before,” said Shoop.

All through coach Trujillo’s tenure as head coach, the UCCS golf team has been among the best “cold climate” schools in the nation.

“My goal every year is to bring home an NCAA Championship,” said coach Trujillo.

There’s more to coaching college sports than just winning and that’s something the veteran coach completely understands.

“My passion for the game and watching the kids excel and grow from young freshman straight out of high school through the years to young men who are meeting their goals in life is what I enjoy most.”

The Mountain Lions will travel to Gothenberg, Nebraska in search of another big win as they compete in the RMAC/NSIC Crossover. The two day event will take place Sept. 26 to Sept. 27. Students are encouraged to log onto www.GoMountainLions.com for updates and results. S

Sports ShortS Men’s Soccer (1-4, 0-1 RMAC) Sept. 17 Denver, CO UCCS 0, Metro State, 5 The Mountain Lions were defeated 5-0 Friday, Sept. 17 as they travelled to Denver, Colorado to take on the No. 16 ranked Roadrunners of Metro State. Senior Goalkeeper Adam Liszewski recorded five saves in the losing effort.

It was the second consecutive match the men played against a nationally ranked squad after an impressive effort in the 1-0 loss against No. 3 Midwestern on Sept. 12.

UCCS will look to turn things around as they host CSU-Pueblo and Metro State at Mountain Lion Stadium Sept. 22 and Sept.

24, respectively.

Women’s Volleyball (7-4, 1-1 RMAC) Sept. 18 Gallogly Event Center Western New Mexico 0, UCCS 1 (27-29, 25-13, 23-25, 27-29)

sports September 21 to September 27

Page 12

Life and sports: Finding perspective Jessica Lynch jlynch@uccs.edu It is hard to keep priorities straight as a collegiate athlete. Many times, life takes charge and when academics should be most important, they aren’t. Wins become more important than tomorrow’s biology test, and losing feels like a long, drawn out death by someone you once called a best friend.

For the Air Force Academy football team, athletics have never come first, and they never will. It’s not a choice; it’s not an individualized decision; it’s the reality of their situation.

Amidst the special play calls, defensive tactics and rushing yards, the realization that they are here to serve our country will always take precedence. On Saturday, Sept. 11, Air Force Academy battled Brigham Young University (BYU) on a day when football took a back seat to history.

“We, as a team, represented so much more than just the Academy and our families,” Air Force wide receiver Jonathan Warzeka said at Falcon Stadium. “We represented the (New York) firefighters, the New York Police Depart-

ment and everyone on the Atlantic and around the country. It was really emotional.”

The Falcons also invited NYPD Detective Steve Hayden and Kenny Haskell from Ladder 175 of the FDNY to be the game’s honorary captains. Haskell, who I had the opportunity to briefly interview, lost two blood brothers in the attack, and was honored to be recognized by the Academy on such a devastating day in America’s past.

The energy before, during and after the game was enigmatic. The stands, filled with 46,692 fans, waved hand-held American Flags and the AFA players wore helmets emblazed with red, white and blue lightning bolts. On the backs of their helmets, each player wore a patch in remembrance of the NYPD and one for Ladder175.

A moment of silence for those lost nine years ago united both teams and spectators. The importance of the game, while not downplayed by the day’s memory, was put in humble perspective.

The first half showcased a team not only ready to end a mounting secession of losses against rival, BYU, but a team empowered by

the emotion of a day that changed their lives forever.

After AFA linebacker Patrick Hennessey recovered a BYU fumble in the end zone during the first quarter, resulting in a touchback, the Falcons took to burying a team that not even Head Coach Calhoun had beaten when he was a player for the Falcons.

For the second time in two weeks, the AFA Falcons defense held the opponent scoreless in the second half. AFA scored 21 unanswered points; a 33-yard run by receiver Mikel Hunter and a 46yard fourth down play by receiver Jonathan Warzeka.

The gutsy fourth down play, repeatedly mentioned in the post-game press conference, was an act of confidence by Coach Calhoun. “We felt like we had to make a statement at that point,” Warzeka said.

AFA trounced BYU 34-15 for the first time since the 2003 season.

When the alma matter played, the players grabbed hands and proudly sang their melodic reminder. Fans and cadets stood in proud applause and the AFA Falcons looked not just to the week’s upcoming competition, but years

“It would be cool, but I really don’t think it would be worth it right now,” explained sophomore Sam Feldotto.

“Other programs already are lacking funding and adding such an expensive sport that wouldn’t really take off for many years seems like a huge waste of time money and other resources.”

“A DII football team has an average budget of $900,000 and the competitive programs spend more in the $1.5 million range,” said Kirkham.

In essence, “This is a very large sum to generate above and beyond what we already spend on athletics. In today’s market and in Colorado Springs which has over 400 non-profits, funding would be a serious issue. DII football programs never make money. When success-

ful, they can alleviate some of the cost burden through donations and receipts, but they never pay for the entire program. The last statistic I saw showed that only 26 DI programs actually paid for themselves and made a profit.”

“I’m against it,” explained junior Alex Nuttall. “I think overall it won’t be beneficial.

People come to school here without it and the community as a whole would rather go to an Air Force or Broncos game instead of a UCCS game.”Similarly, according to Branden Cox, “Our school already struggles with school spirit.”

Many students in favor of adding a team point to CSU-Pueblo’s recently added football program.

“Colorado State-Pueblo recently reinstituted its

Photos by Jessica Lynch

Air Force Academy Falcons charge the field, ready to battle BYU down the road, when the memory of 9/11 will become a tangible reality.

For most of us, this situation is unfathom-

able. As a former athlete, I remember the revolution of my life; I remember losing focus on what really matters and I re-

member when basketball was the most important aspect of my identity.

Now that it is over, I finally understand. S

Adding football program at UCCS not in near future Rob Versaw rversaw@uccs.edu Unlike many universities, UCCS is not known for its football program ,and as long as Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak is in charge, it never will be. While competitive in an array of collegiate sports, the chances of a future football team is slim to none. According to Sports Information Director Doug Fitzgerald, any football talk is completely “fiction.” “There have been rumors floating around campus about football since intercollegiate athletics was introduced at UCCS in 1986, yet there has never been serious discussion,” he added.

“We are not looking at adding the sport of football anytime soon,” agrees Athletic Director Stephen Kirkham.

Photo by Ariel Lattimore

UCCS’ football team holding strong with a winning record football program, but only because a community group called Friends of Football funded all of the start-up expenses, which are significant, and most of the ongoing expenses,” explained Fitzgerald.

“Without

that organization’s generosity, it would have not been an economically viable enterprise.

I don’t make those types of decisions, but in my opinion it is not economically sound to add football at UCCS at this

time.”

Until there is a viable market for football, UCCS will continue to focus and improve upon its current sports and will strive for a successful, competitive sports program. S

opinion September 21 to September 27

Page 13

I really don’t give a crap about your day

Jessica Lynch jlynch@uccs.edu No one really cares if you’re depressed because another boy stopped liking you, sad because you were left out of the weekend’s party plans, if you lost your favorite green toothbrush during a drunken haze or if the only positive aspect of your life is the tuna fish sandwich sitting in your lap. And those of you that do care, or at least pretend to care, really need to stop yourselves.

Excessive smiley faces do not cure world hun-

ger, grant world peace or save a broken heart.

The perpetual Facebook pity party has got to end, for the love of God. I am sick of misspelled words, abuses of capitalization and an overarching disregard for proper grammar. I am frustrated with the “woe is me” culture. In fact, I hope your misery never ends. Maybe then, when you’ve accepted the ultimate demise of your life, your status updates will stop tempting me to cut my own wrists. I’ve come close more than five times.

In the past months, I have read statuses about people feeling bored because, surprise, their life sucks; “inspirational” quotes about being all you can be, being your own enemy and, lo and behold, being different. I recently read the status, “Maybe it wasn’t

meant to work out.” With an attitude like that, you should probably give up on dating. Adopt a dog.

Or maybe just a small lizard and name it Baby.

Then there are those ridiculous attempts to induce a few lols. Seriously, though, not only do I hate “lol,” but more than 87 percent of the time, no one’s effing laughing.

Well, actually, I probably am, because your life is so excruciatingly pathetic.

Here’s the thing: if I’m disturbed or upset about something, I am not going to broadcast it across the Facebook universe. I probably won’t even get online. Because as we all know, flipping through pictures of our gorgeous “friends” does not help.

In fact, it makes things a whole hell of a lot worse, especially if you’re already gorging yourself on Ben and Jerry’s peanut butter and chocolate

Photo Courtesy of failbook.com ice cream.

Yesterday I read a status that said, “Today could have been better, but there’s always tomorrow.” Unless you die in your sleep. And if you don’t die in your sleep, maybe you should have, just for making me read your annoying nonsense.

Now, this is not to say that I have not failed

in a few of these categories, but I sure as hell haven’t sounded like I’m going to kill myself over a missing earring in my status. Our tendency to share sadness with the world has got to change.

I am tired of crying myself to sleep at night over you.

If you have a bad day because your boyfriend

admitted to cheating on you before taking a chemistry test that you failed, and then you got a call from your mom saying your old dog Buster just got hit by a car and isn’t going to make it, and you owe the bank a couple thousand, please go to fmylife.com and leave me and Facebook the hell alone. S

A report card for current politicians: FAIL

Stephen Farrell sfarell@uccs.edu It’s likely fair to say that Americans are sick of American politics. The Republicans are screwing everything up, vote Democrat! Democrats are screwing everything up, vote Republican! When you really look at the whole thing from a bird’s eye view, it’s tantamount to an old “Three Stooges” sketch of two guys pointlessly slapping each other for five minutes, with the only obvious fact being: the guys slapping each other are, indubitably, stooges.

It’s no secret that our two-party political system was originally created because of differing views on the way the constitution was interpreted. Founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison saw the creation of a two party system as an

opportunity to come to “middle ground” solutions on differing views among our nation’s leaders. However, this idea and goal of finding common ground has evolved into a political UFC ring with both sides intent on “bashing the brains” of the agendas of either side, if for no other reason than that an agenda being put forth is being done so by one opposing party or another. Throw in the occasional political corruption exposure on a Congressman or Senator, coupled with proven hypocrisy here and there, and voila!

You have our modern day political system. But how responsible would I be if I didn’t provide an example or two?

Let’s start with George Bush’s administration misleading us into thinking there were (beyond reasonable doubt) “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq; and then invading Iraq on that premise alone in 2003. Was even one of these weapons, to this day, ever found in Iraq?

Nope! So chalk one up for the Republican Party misleading us into a war that not even one scholar can logically reason out. Of course, Democrats used this Republican-induced wreck as just one of many

Photo Illustration by JD Osorio reasons to get their party elected into present house and senate majority, which they successfully accomplished and topped off by helping our current democratic president into office in November 2008.

Now let’s move onto the Democrats; aside from coercing a highly unpopular 2,400 page (medicalnewstoday.com) health care legislation through the house and senate at a faster speed than the Octomom spits out babies, President Obama had promised the American

people on his campaign trail that negotiations between politicians for the said bill (now law) would be made public on CSPAN. Did this happen?

Nope! Instead the public was treated to closed door negotiations between politicians and Washington lobbyists. You can view the trail of broken promises yourself at politifact. com. And now, of course, the Republicans want you to vote them right back into power so that they too can pee in the punch bowl all over again; and

so continues the Barnum and Bailey sideshow.

So, as much as I’d love to bounce between the two political parties with countless more examples of their misleading us, I’m only limited to 600 words for now. Having that said, I’ll pose this question: Have the leaders of our government proven themselves unfit to lead us? An equally important question: Do we as Americans trust our own government’s legislative branch? Well according to gallup.com, no, as only

45 percent of Americans claim they do… quite a drop from 65 percent in 2001.

So how can “we the people” have any say in the way our lame-duck politicians run the government? Well fortunately, we can vote. We can use the voting powers that we have always taken for granted as citizens and vote all of our unfit leaders (basically the entire current house and senate) out of office. Extreme, indeed, but perhaps it’s time. S

opinion September 21 to September 27

Page 14

Talking peace for the sake of human rights Catherine Jensen cjensen2@uccs.edu

Craigslist: Not good enough

Jasen Cooper jcooper2@uccs.edu Several news outlets reported on Sept. 4 that Craiglist’s Adult Services section, which previously housed ads for massages and escort services, had been shut down. In place of the link to Adult Services was a small Censored logo, and there was much speculation as to whether or not Craigslist owners had been forced to make this change or if they were staging some sort of protest.

More recently, the section and its Censored logo have been removed entirely, and The Washington Post has announced that an official from Craigslist is being called in for a House hearing on sex trafficking. Representatives of Craigslist have yet to comment on any of these things.

The idea that shut-

ting down Craigslist would magically inhibit human sex trafficking and child prostitution is absurd.

Anti-trafficking groups like Polaris Project are just using Craiglist as a scapegoat, when in reality Craigslist was doing its best to stop illegal activity on its site.

According to its own blog, Craigslist began charging for ads in the Adult Services section in May 2009, in order to assure critics that it would start cracking down on illegal content. Every ad posted in that section was manually reviewed and approved by a staffer at Craigslist, and all of the ads had a credit card and phone number recorded (so that if police officers needed information from a listing, they would be able to track down the person who made it).

These measures severely cut back on the use of the site as a trafficking haven, and essentially corralled the few lawbreakers who still made posts into a nice little group, easily tracked and arrested.

As it is now, ads that intend to sell child sex workers or illegal

prostitution (that is, prostitution anywhere outside of Las Vegas) will just seep into other sections of Craigslist, or onto other sites altogether. As documented by a Wired article in February of 2009, sites like MySpace and myRedBook greatly contribute to the problem of child sex trafficking in the United States, allowing virtual pimps to seek out at-risk youth and then coerce them into sex work.

Craigslist is also entirely not liable for the content posted on its site, as the Communications Decency Act clearly assures protection for websites against prosecution for content posted by users. Holding Craigslist accountable for the ads listed on it is like holding Google accountable for any child porn found by using its search engine.

This outcry against the Adult Services section is just more of the same angry rhetoric against prostitution at large, hidden under the veil of protecting children. Yes, a child visiting Craigslist might see a pornographic ad, the same as any child

who knows how to use a search engine. Yes, child sex workers are trafficked on sites like Craigslist. But consenting adults meet on Craigslist all the time, with or without money exchange, and human rights activists find that equally scary.

Just as not all porn stars are exploited, not all prostitutes are selling their bodies against their will. Legalizing prostitution between consenting adults would free up needlessly wasted resources to continue tracking the abhorrent child trafficking that goes on internationally and domestically. Enforcing broad-spectrum, “none of these things should be okay because they hurt my family values” laws against sex work forces all sex workers underground, making deep channels online and in back alleys through which child sex workers are easily traded. If we bring to the surface victimless sex work, instead of forcing it to hide away by closing sections of Craigslist, we would be better equipped to advocate for the true victims of human trafficking. S

After two years of refusing to meet and discuss the possibility of peace, Israeli and Palestinian leaders have met three times in an attempt to forge a framework for peace. Despite these well-intentioned efforts, violence continues in a steady stream.

Negotiations began on Sept.

1 and were marred by rockets fired into Israel by Gaza-controlling Hamas. A conservative estimate by Human Rights Watch claims that since the second intifada began in 2000, more than 700 Israelis have died because of Palestinian attacks and more than 6,300 Palestinians have died on the part of Israeli attacks.

One of the Palestinian demands for negotiations is a complete halt of all settlement activity in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Not until pressured did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implement a partial and temporary settlement freeze that is slated to expire by the end of the month. Netanyahu is demanding that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the nationstate of the Jewish people. Refusal to do so could dismantle the peace process.

Each day, the death count rises on both sides of the border.

This can no longer be about whose side you are on or whose politics you agree with more; it is about the treatment of human beings and the unforgiveable actions being committed against them. On Dec. 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Following this historic act the Assembly called all member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and “to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories.”

The Declaration covers spiritual, public and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights. “...recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,” states the Preamble of the document.

The General Assembly recognizes the intrinsic dignity and the equal and indisputable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. It declares human rights as protected by the rule of law and that in order to uphold such, friendly relations between nations must be fostered.

There is no denying that painful histories exist and the horrendous acts human beings have committed against one another (say, the Holocaust) cannot be forgotten or disregarded.

This allows no room, however, for those aware of this history and what it has done to people and families and communities, to disregard the suffering of others as being any less than their own.

If we push aside the political motives behind either side and examine the conditions in which the innocent people (those who are not part of Hamas, but Palestinian citizens) are living in, would the politics be justified? Would the bombs releasing phosphorus into Israeli homes be justified? Would the demolished schools and children left orphaned and spouses left widowed and people living in fear on both sides be justified?

Would you wish starvation and poverty and denial of education to your mother, your daughter, your son or your sibling?

Don’t both groups deserve to be granted access to the resources 48 other countries have agreed they need in order to survive and function as human beings? I am not saying it isn’t complicated or that history isn’t important, because it is, but if historical hatred and mistrust continues to be placed before human life, then it may end either. It is important to remember history but move into the future with peace as the ultimate objective so that generations after us will speak to our time as a time of change towards peace rather than retribution. S

the

Scribble

“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

Liberal arts major struggles with college algebra Jasen Cooper jcooper2@uccs.edu Samantha Slogan, a bubbly teen majoring in some sort of liberal art, declared last week that she “can’t, like, believe how hard College Algebra is. That class is a total drag.” She was also heard lamenting her “totally lame” teacher and the “like, huge” homework load.

“I just don’t understand why I have to know how to use numbers and stuff, y’know?” she said to one of her friends, or her reflection; it’s really hard to tell. “I’m going to be an actress, or a writer, or maybe I’ll write scripts and

then act them.” She neglected to list her other career options, such as Wendy’s Manager and stay-at-home mom.

When asked if she had tried studying or paying attention during class, Slogan laughed.

“These nails don’t do themselves!” she said proudly, displaying her perfectly manicured hands. Slogan was encouraged by her professor to seek help during office hours, or visit the Math Learning Center for tutoring, but she brushed these suggestions off.

“I don’t have time to do all that stuff just to pass some stupid math class. Besides, when

TOP TEN

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Do not, I repeat, do not be late.

Drive a 1957 Mustang, or something equally sexy.

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Wear seductive cologne for a potentially extended “hug” at the end of the night.

Even if you have to pretend, show interest in her likes and dislikes.

Screw flowers – get her an iPod.

Grow some facial hair, or at least have proof that you can.

Look her in the eyes, and refrain from biting or licking your lower lip.

Have an accent. If you don’t, fake one.

-Jessica Lynch

will I ever use math?” she replied to her professor’s desperate attempts to help. Her professor then reminded her that she will use math in order to get her degree, as the class is required of all majors, but she just stared at him blankly.

“More than struggling with the math itself, most students get hung up on the fact that they shouldn’t have to take whatever class they’re currently enrolled in,” her professor commented during an interview. “We try to tell them to just suck it up and learn something, but they find that particularly offensive.

OMG Math is like so, like, so dumb. LOL I’ve been reported to the dean twice, but we just have a good laugh about it every time.”

In related news, a computer science major is planning on tak-

Photo Courtesy of starpulse.com

ing down his English professor’s entire home network in lieu of doing a research paper.

He cackled manically before shouting “That’ll teach her to distract me

from my more important studies! I don’t need to know how to cite sources in MLA format in order to program a virus that brings the city to its knees!” S

ATM explodes; university employees take all Catherine Jensen cjensen2@uccs.edu College students know what it means to be broke. Students who don’t spend at least one semester a year eating nothing but canned tuna or 67 cent ramen are either academic snobs on scholarship or trust fund children.

Those who are neither are employees on campus.

Last week, desperation showed its true colors when an ATM on campus malfunctioned.

An employee of the bank that manages the ATM, Amy Pennyface, was cashing a check for a weary-eyed customer when a shrieking noise pierced the air. It resembled a whistle, she recalls.

“Before I knew it, the ATM next to the window was making all kinds of noise and then money just began to pour out…

I ran to see what was wrong but didn’t get there in time.”

The ATM spontaneously combusted in what Pennyface said was, “the worst money eruption we’ve ever seen. It was like a volcano.”

The lava of green that spewed from the dysfunctional machine sent

students into a hot frenzy. Out of nowhere, what seemed like thousands of students and faculty descended on the waterfall of paper like rabid dogs, according to Pennyface, who hid behind the desk and promptly closed the window gate to avoid coming within the line of fire.

Though social science professors came running from Centennial hall, scotch and lab chemicals fresh about their persons, none were as quick and ravenous as university center employees. Info desk employees leapt across the desk, while OSA members began to resourcefully use streamers and office plants to hold other students back.

SGA members’ bright gold shirts blinded students and Scribe members tried unsuccessfully to assert press passes into the crowd. A worker at the info desk tried reaching for the emergency button and was tackled by an angry student who hadn’t quite gotten over having to pay $15 dollars for a replacement student ID, according to a witness.

Luckily for authorities, everything that occurred was caught on the University Center’s security cameras, which, contrary

Photo Courtesy of subhub.com

UCCS students: This is what money looks like. to popular belief, have been kept running by additional hidden fees.

“It was pure chaos,” Public Safety officer Max Nobadge stuttered as he recounted the day’s events. “When the machine finally ran out of money, there were beaten students and faculty everywhere. We knew people were desperate and received very little pay… we just didn’t know it was this bad.”

Students won’t be punished for taking the money, said Nobadge.

“Just like at a college party, there were too many of them to charge and the injuries weren’t

life threatening; just a broken bone or bruised face here and there.”

A university student who wished to remain anonymous said she is excited to be able to afford to put something on the noodles she eats five days a week. “You just really appreciate things like cheese and sauce that extra ten bucks can get you,” she said. “I may have had to crush a few toes but in the long run it was worth it.”

In true UCCS fashion, the machine is scheduled to be replaced with a bigger, fancier, more ridiculous machine by the end of the year. S

Another dAy Another dollAr

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