Since 1966
Vol. 38, Iss. 8
Monday, Oct. 21, 2013
News Campus security authorities Program serves as middle man between police and victims 3
Science & Business SBDC Small Business Development Center at new location 4 Seasonal jobs Students look for fall work 4
Culture Mountain Lion Trax Page tracks shuttle locations 5 ‘Reign’ New TV show lacks historical accuracy 6
Opinion Internships Unpaid internships unfair to students 9 Registration Students must stay on top of registration dates 9
UCCSScribe.com University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Flu shots Chancellor addresses faculty during open forum available
at Student Health Center
Nick Beadleston nbeadles@uccs.edu
Chancellor Pamela Shockley-Zalabak met with faculty and staff during an hour-long open faculty forum on Oct. 17 that discussed upcoming changes to the campus. Topics discussed included the end of food provider Sodexo’s contract, the upcoming Lane Center, parking and expansion plans. In attendance were approximately 25 people from several departments, including housing, maintenance and the library, as well as other faculty. Transition from Sodexo to food self-service The first several questions pertained to the cancelation of the Sodexo contract. Shockley-Zalabak cited Sodexo’s annual increase in utilities and housing costs as a key reason for the determination. “It’s a larger increase than we can do for our size university.” She outlined, in brief, the university’s plans to transfer to food self-service. The increase in student jobs on campus was voiced as a positive aspect of the decision. According to Shockley-Zalabak, a self-run operation will quadruple the number of students employed in food services. “We need more student employment, period,” said Shockley-Zalabak. She espoused the career benefits of working in food service for students in all disciplines. Shockley-Zalabak also explained that “Sodexo doesn’t have the capacity to do training tables” and that its inability to provide information about nutrition does not coincide with the university’s commitment to health and wellness. Lane Center opening The Lane Center will be completed in December, according to Shockley-Zalabak,
Taylor Hargis thargis@uccs.edu
NICK BURNS | THE SCRIBE
Chancellor Shockley-Zalabak provided an open forum for staff and faculty on Oct. 17 to discuss updates and concerns.
“We need beds in housing more than we need more classrooms. We can add 5,000 more students by changing the times teachers teach.” —Shockley-Zalabak and its grand opening is scheduled for Feb. 19 at 5 p.m. The center will include a geriatric clinic, a veteran rehab center, cardiovascular services and other facilities. Additionally, she indicated the integrated-care facility will allow for cross-staffing patients, a practice that allows individuals to be seen by multiple practitioners in the same facility. “It’s a new way of making huge contributions to student care,” said Shockley-Zalabak. She stated there will be learning and research options for students in every clinic in the center. The Lane Center will also offer a Ph.D. track in psychology that deals with veteran treatment and rehab. According to Shockley-Zalabak, this
will be the first program of its kind in the nation. Shockley-Zalabak recently interviewed three finalist candidates for associate dean of medicine. The center is expected to serve 1,500 patients in its first operational year. Parking Several questions were also posed to the chancellor regarding the current parking situation. “We actually do have spaces open … this is imperially the truth,” said ShockleyZalabak. She acknowledged, however, that this does not always mean students can get from those spaces to their classes on time. “You can’t leave an Continued on page 2 . . .
Sports Waldo Waldo 5K Fire-benefitting relief run continues 12 Outdoor safety SOLE rents equipment with safety guidelines 12
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With the transition to fall also comes the start of a new flu season and the call for preventative vaccinations. For those who would like to get vaccinated, the Student Health Center offers $20 flu shots for students, faculty and staff. Stephanie Hanenberg, director of the Student Health Center, said the center does not predict a shortage of vaccinations this year. While the number of vaccines fluctuates, the center currently has enough, according to Nancy Gadachy, office manager. The Student Health Center allows walk-ins between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. but prefers appointments to reduce waiting time. Appointments for flu shots can be made by calling the Student Health Center at 255-4444. Last year, the Student Health Center gave 450 flu shots. According to Gadachy, OctoberDecember tends to be the most active time for receiving flu shots, but the center also provides shots in the spring. Thomas Wolkow, an associate biology professor, explained some of the science behind the flu and how the vaccinations work. “The virus has sticky proteins on the outside that stick to our cells in the respiratory system. It then goes in to your cell this way by sticking to your receptors and infects your body with mild symptoms,” he said. “If you get vaccinated, getting pieces of the virus and getting injected with it, pieces of the virus that don’t work, your body can then make antibod-
NEWS
Oct. 21, 2013 | 2
Top News, Across the Nation
Nick Beadleston nbeadles@uccs.edu
New charges against former Blackwater guards in Baghdad shooting
Federal employees head back to work as US returns to business as usual
Four former Blackwater Worldwide security contractors have been indicted on charges of voluntary manslaughter and other crimes. The 2007 Baghdad shooting left 14 unarmed civilians dead and 18 wounded.
Despite a return of federal workers, it may take time for full government operations to resume. Approximately 1.3 million essential civilian employees are expecting back pay for services rendered during the shutdown.
Obama signs bill to end partial shutdown, stave off debt ceiling crisis
Unlike shutdown, GOP says Democrats must bend on immigration
Newly found ancient skull could rewrite human history
A 16-day partial government shutdown ended with the president’s signing of a temporary Senate-proposed measure. The bill will extend current spending levels through Jan. 15 and push the debt ceiling deadline to Feb. 7.
With the shutdown temporarily solved, the next large political issue looks to be the 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. According to Obama, immigration is one of the top items he wants Congress to address.
The 1.8 million-year-old “Skull 5,” found in the country of Georgia, may cause a shift in human evolution concepts. The find could potentially link branches of human ancestry previously thought to be separate species.
cnn.com
theguardian.com
usatoday.com
washingtonpost.com
cbsnews.com Photos courtesy: Wikimedia
(Continued from page 1)
Chancellor addresses faculty during forum hour earlier, and I get that,” she said, referring to students’ work or other obligations. When asked by a faculty member where these spots are, the chancellor said, “They’re all over the place … especially in the parking garage.” Shockley-Zalabak assured “relief is coming.” This, she explained, will be in the form of a 1,234-space stall in March of 2014. These will help offset 400 stalls that will be lost through other expansion projects. Plans for expansion and transition Regarding the ongoing expansion of the university, Shockley-Zalabak explained that “I want to continue to grow modestly.” She went on to say the university would like to see 13,000-14,000 students by 2020. “We need beds in housing more than we need more classrooms,” said Shockley-Zalabak. “We can add 5,000 more students by changing the times teachers teach.” According to the chancellor, the ongoing process of extending class hours is being hampered by the complexity of scheduling. “We are still designing everything to keep the student-to-faculty ration low,” she said. Shockley-Zalabak also spoke about
the trend in higher learning institutions receiving reduced federal funding. Multiple faculty members raised questions regarding their insurance coverage. UCCS recently switched its underwriter, which, according to Shockley-Zalabak, has led to multiple coverage issues that must be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. “We’re not really making these mistakes internally,” she said. Shockley-Zalabak also addressed a question regarding the relocation of Galleries of Contemporary Art. “We want it to be a community gallery,” she said, referring to the lack of available parking for local patrons. “GOCA must go down to Nevada.” Shockley-Zalabak indicated there are plans to potentially convert the GOCA space into a large science classroom. Regarding concerns of making UCCS a non-smoking campus, Shockley-Zalabak stated the issue needed to be delved into further. “We have a dilemma that’s got to be studied,” she said. Shockley-Zalabak expounded on the importance of an “environment that’s healthy, but respects individual rights.” The chancellor will host a Conversation with Students on Oct. 23 at 3 p.m. in UC 302 to answer questions about campus changes.
NEWS
Oct. 21, 2013 | 3
Public Safety trains campus security authorities Dezarae Yoder dyoder@uccs.edu
To maintain accurate crime reporting, UCCS is continuing to train campus security authorities (CSAs). The training for UCCS CSAs, who report crimes and act as intermediates between officers and crime victims, is strictly available online. The CSA training became available through Skillsoft, a training website, in August 2012. “We teamed up with the other CU campuses to combine CSA training into one area,” said Claudia Ryan, Public Safety operations manager. “It’s just a good way to reach out to everybody.” The training itself contains information about the Clery Act, which requires universities to disclose crime information, while detailing what a CSA is and the required responsibilities of the post. CSA eligibility is based upon what position people have within a campus organization. The university has labeled anyone who “has significant contact with students or responsibility for student and campus activities” as a CSA. “There are some folks that are exempt,” said Jim Spice, former UCCS chief of police and current executive director of the Department of Parking and Transportation. “The CSA are those who routinely work with students, well, faculty work directly with
students every day, and they’re exempted.” Spice, who originally came up with the concept, stated he did so to ensure crimes were accurately reported. His plan addressed victims who may not feel comfortable with contacting the police directly. The CSA training course is divided into an introduction, which contains Clery Act information, and two modules. The first module covers basic CSA duties and reporting techniques. It teaches CSAs to ask the following question: • Is a violent crime in progress? (If so, call police at 9-1-1 immediately.) • Does the victim need medical assistance? (If so, call 9-1-1.) • Has the victim sought or is the victim in need of assistance/services? • What happened? How, when and where did it happen? Is there an identified suspect? • Has the incident been reported to police or to another CSA? The second module familiarizes CSAs with a list of crime definitions and provides specific questions to ask a victim to help classify a crime. The training includes questions concerning situational issues and provides answer options, such as what crimes would be reported and to whom. The course culminates in a 10-question quiz. A minimum score of 70 is required to pass the training. However, individ-
uals may take the training over as many times necessary until a passing percentage is acquired. According to Ryan, only passing scores are reported, and there is no record of the failed attempts. “It’s really just a training tool,” stated Spice. “It’s not even required through Clery. We’re just trying to find a tool to get CSAs trained, familiar with what their responsibilities are.” “We encourage them that if there is an incident that just recently happened that they call Public Safety for guidance,” he added. “It’s not any different than coming up on an accident,” stated Brian McPike, UCCS chief of police. “This is just a guideline to alert you that we have federal mandates, we have to be in compliance with this and this is what you need to look for.” “And if you’re contacted, really it’s just a guideline to call us and let us know,” he said. McPike stated training CSAs served multiple purposes, including satisfying the requirements of the Clery Act. “We didn’t want to find ourselves in a situation where Clery came in or the Department of Education came in and found us liable,” McPike said. “We don’t want to be behind the mark, we want to be in front of the curve,” he said. “We want other universities to see our program and go, ‘These guys really know what they’re
(Continued from page 1) Flu ies that recognize the virus,” Walkow added. “Then, if you ever see the virus again, [the antibodies] bind to the virus and inhibit its ability to infect.” He also explained why it’s necessary to get a new flu vaccination every year. “In Asia, at the beginning of every flu season, there’s all these nasty new viruses that come out. These are all new assortments of viruses that your body has never seen before, so your body won’t have any defense to it,” he said. “So scientists are like, ‘Let’s just go down and pick three that look really nasty, and let’s make vaccinations against them because if these are going to make it all the way to North America, they’re going to cause huge problems.’” Although Wolkow was uncertain of why the flu season starts in Asia, he said it might have something to do with climate, circadian rhythms and having a “huge reservoir of people and animals.”
NICK BURNS | THE SCRIBE
Campus security authorities work with Public Safety.
doing.’” The Clery Act also requires that this type of communication occur with local authorities. “We reach out to CSPD,” McPike stated. “We work with them so closely.” “Every year Claudia [Ryan] gets with the CSPD,” said Spice, “and says, ‘Here are the streets and addresses in the surrounding area directly adjacent.
What crimes have happened?’” The Clery Compliance Committee includes representatives of several departments, including housing and campus police. “When the committee was formed, we really reached out far and wide,” stated McPike, “We wanted to encompass everybody we could. Everybody has different ideas. We still have room for expansion as well.”
shots at Health Center
MIKI SWANSON | THE SCRIBE
Students can receive flu shots for $20 at the Student Health Center.
SCIENCE & BUSINESS
Oct. 21, 2013 | 4
Small Business Development Center works to help students at new location Samantha Morley smorley2@uccs.edu
To make way for a new administrative building in front of the parking garage along Austin Bluffs Parkway, the Small Business Development Center moved down the road to the El Paso County Citizens Service Center. The SBDC moved to the service center, 1675 Garden of the Gods Road, on April 26 after its parking garage structure was demolished June 19. “It was our opportunity to move off campus and be in an area that was more expectable to everyone,” said Aikta Marcoulier, executive director of the SBDC. The county offered the space in-kind, essentially donating the location to the center that shares it with the Pikes Peak Workforce Center. Since the SBDC is part of the College of Business, it frequently partners with UCCS to encourage students to attend workshops. UCCS students can attend all SBDC workshops at no cost. “Instead of paying $20-30, the students, if they’re one day interested in starting a business or working for a business … [then] there are a whole
JAMES SIBERT | THE SCRIBE
The Small Business Development Center, sponsored by the UCCS College of Business, is located in the Motor Vehicle Department complex on West Garden of the Gods.
bunch of workshops they can take for free,” Marcoulier said. “We have had plenty of students come through,” she said. But the flow can be sporadic. The SBDC does not appear to be well known on campus. Some students, like business major and president of the marketing club Curtis Sveinsson, have never been or heard of the SBDC. However, UCCS professors who know of the SBDC have been encour-
aging students to explore the workshops and the variety of services. Marcoulier may also speak at a few business classes but noted the SBDC is not only for College of Business students. “Our region is El Paso County, Teller County and Park County. We have free one-on-one consulting and free and lowcost workshops,” she said. “They’re all related to small business.” Workshops include instruction on how to make a good business plan, how
to find a purpose and passion, bookkeeping, small business advice for veterans and other general financial classes. Between 2010 and 2012, the SBDC has counseled 1,449 clients and helped start 43 businesses, according to the SBDC’s 2010-2012 impact data. They have created 309 jobs and retained 373. Veterans account for 38 percent of their clients. Minorities and women/ joint-owner clients follow in at 35 and 34 percent, respectively. They mostly serve the service, retail and financial, scientific and technical industries. “Any … individuals that want to do something with their craft or expertise, such as start their own business or be a part of a small business, this is for them,” said Marcoulier. Marcoulier has her own small business in which she makes and sells jewelry. Because she knows what it is like to own a small business, she believes she can encourage the community to support such endeavors. “What we do is really giving back to the community and helping people develop resources [in order to be] successful with what they’re going to do. It’s our way of giving back,” she said.
Students have mixed experiences with seasonal employment April Wefler awefler@uccs.edu
Halloween is fast approaching, and it’s time for students to start looking for seasonal employment. According to Monster.com, 700,000 seasonal jobs are currently available nationwide. Students’ personal experiences with seasonal employment differ, however. Some students, like junior Gabrielle Soileau, an English major, have found their experiences to be disappointing. “I had my eye on a job that I really, really want, and I want some temporary employment until that job becomes available,” she said, adding the job she wants is at the new theater in Chapel Hills Mall. Soileau was hired at Spirit Halloween without an interview. She said that after she was hired, the company put her on an employee list and didn’t contact her for another 17 days about her work hours. “I told them I didn’t think this was
the employment for me, so they took me off the employee list. I quit without even working,” Soileau said. “[They’re] probably the most unprofessional company I’ve ever worked with.” Those that are not part of the approximately 1,700 employed at UCCS or who are looking for a second or third job may have difficulty finding extra work, like sophomore Audrey Jensen, a communication major. “I was looking for another job for extra money just ‘cause I was worried about food, gas, bills,” said Jensen, who works at Penrose Public Library. “I chose Kohl’s because I’ve always loved shopping there, and I thought it would be nice to get discounts, trying to get by in college.” Jensen applied at Kohl’s, which Monster cited as a major seasonal employer, through a job site and then received a call from the company. “They said that my profile stood out from other people’s,” she said.
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The Lowdown Need a job? Search for one on SEAN’s Place: seans.uccs.edu However, like Soileau, Jensen didn’t have a good experience with her seasonal job. “No one would really talk to each other, none of the coworkers. At my last job, everyone knew everyone,” she said. “I guess I chose my library job over Kohl’s because that was guaranteed.” Other students, like sophomore Amy Aiken, have been offered a permanent job from their seasonal jobs. Aiken, a nursing major, moved to Colorado Springs this year and needed a job for the summer. Her brothers both worked at VillaSport Athletic Club and Spa, so she decided to apply for a job at its childcare program. “It was really easy. I sent in an application, got a call, got an interview, got
hired,” Aiken said. As part of her job, Aiken helps take care of members’ children, ranging from 6 weeks to 12 years old, while their parents work out in the gym. “I love working with kids. I really enjoy helping them out. I just always loved being around kids,” she said. Aiken said that at the end of the summer, the company offered her a permanent part-time position. “They just felt like I was a person they wanted to keep around,” she said. Aiken, along with Soileau, said she would look for seasonal work again. “I’d really like to be seasonal at Barnes & Noble ‘cause they hire for Christmas temporarily,” Soileau said. Jensen, on the other hand, said she wouldn’t try seasonal employment again. “From hearing other people’s experiences, on how good a worker you are depends on whether you keep the job,” she said.
UCCS lands in top 50 for women in STEM Scribe Staff scribe@uccs.edu
The university ranked nationally as the 50th top college for women in science, technology, engineering and math, according to a list released last week by the San Francisco-based Online College Database. The ranking was based on the number of female students and faculty members involved in STEM programs, incorporating the school’s
50 STEM programs, 353 women in STEM programs and 54 percent of women in STEM programs as part of its ranking. UCCS and CU-Denver were the only colleges listed from Colorado. The CSTEM program on campus, which sponsored the Cool Science Festival last week, organizes programs throughout the year for K-12 students interested in science, employing undergraduate students to work with the students.
C ULTURE University buildings, spaces have history Monika Reinholz mreinhol@uccs.edu
While UCCS expands and it welcomes new students every year, past remnants remain. A trip to the archives in the Kraemer Family Library reveals the historic significance of the bluffs that house our nearly 550-acre campus: Cragmor Hall Before there was a University of Colorado Colorado Springs, there was the Cragmor Sanatorium. According to the UCCS Cragmor website, the sanatorium opened on June 5, 1905 thanks to a large donation of 100 acres and $50,000 by General William Palmer. Cragmor Hall used to be Cragmor Manor, a nursing home and senior citizen facility, while Main Hall was the main building. Both of these buildings went through a thorough renovation from 1999-2002, but two parts stayed behind: the fireplace and the vaulted safe in the academic advising and bursar’s area. Directly behind Main Hall and the administration parking lot is another remnant of when Cragmor Sanatorium was around. The five brownish-red doors and small window tucked into the hillside used to be the maintenance shops. On top of the bluff directly behind these same two halls, where the administration reserved parking area sits, is the ruin of the first nurses’ housing. To the right is an old stone stairway that leads to nowhere. Campus Services Building Campus Services sits where the
acollin2@uccs.edu
Girls have started ditching their skinny jeans and shorts for the most comfortable bottoms known to mankind: leggings. Leggings are comfortable, fashionable and, best of all, relatively cheap. However, they are not pants and should never be worn as pants. Ditching your jeans for leggings seems like the perfect idea at first. They are made of the softest material and are easy to move around in. However, when you wear leggings as pants, you never look completely dressed, and they are quite revealing. If you’re not willing to give up your leggings, here are a few guidelines to make sure you’re wearing them correctly: Always wear your leggings under clothes that cover your tush. Leggings tend to be very thin, and if you wear them as pants, anyone would be able to see things that I’m sure you’d want to keep private. If you do yoga in leggings, you should invest in a thicker pair. Do not wear underwear that is the same color of your skin, either. People will think that they’re staring at your butt, and guys will definitely be happy to see you.
Mountain Lion Trax great idea but needs to be actual app Ryan Adams radams3@uccs.edu
Rating:
COURTESY PHOTO | UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES, KRAEMER FAMILY LIBRARY
Shops behind Main Hall, 1991.
Old Solly House once stood. “For many years it housed three studios for the Fine Arts Department and most recently served as a warehouse for UCCS Theatreworks’ props and costumes,” according to Douglas McKay’s “UCCS—The First 25 Years: A Selective History.” Cottages Right behind the Campus Services Building, on the other side of the parking lot, are three cottages. Cottage A, closest to the “stairs to nowhere,” used to house the psychology department and lab in the 1980s. This cottage and the cottage next to it are now abandoned. The other cottage currently houses Theatreworks. Parking Lot 1 South Hall once stood just south of Cragmor Hall where Parking Lot 1 is currently is located.
Built between 1924-1927, it used to be a patients’ dormitory until 1930. It was then turned into a nurses’ living facility until 1968, when it was leased out to the Pikes Peak Mental Health Clinic and Family Counseling Services. It had also housed the Colorado Springs Center’s library and psychology department in the spring of 1972. As soon as Dwire Hall opened with facilities for the new campus library, South Hall reverted to its gloomy role as a storage area for heaps of discarded materials, a kind of academic pantry. On Feb. 4, 1980, it partly burned down due to an electrical shortage and was torn down that summer to make way for the expanded parking lot. The Forster House The Forster House was donated to the University in 1978. Since 2012, it has housed the Military and Veterans Affairs department.
Leggings as pants: a fashion ‘do’ if done correctly Attiana Collins
Oct. 21, 2013 | 5
Make sure your leggings are not too tight or too loose. If your leggings are too tight, you’re running the risk of more frequent wedgies. When leggings are extremely tight, you can sometimes see between the cheeks of whoever is wearing them. That being said, your leggings should not be too loose, either. When they’re too loose, they bunch over your legs, and that is not very flattering. Leggings should be tight enough to hug your legs but not too tight so that others see more than they need or want to see.
shrink. After several runs through the washer and dryer, leggings tend to shrink and linger right about your ankle. This isn’t always a big deal. It can actually look very cute, but it just depends on the outfit you’re wearing. Leggings and jeggings are not the same. Jeggings are a mix between jeans and leggings and can be worn with T-shirts.
Wear leggings with the right pair of shoes. Leggings look great with knee-high boots, pumps and ankle boots. During the summer, you can also wear them with sandals and flip-flops when wearing a dress. Only wear patterned leggings with simple shoes and tops. If you wear patterned leggings with a dress that also has a pattern, the combo makes you look like a circus – there’s way too much going on at once. Try pairing patterned leggings with a dress, skirt or tunic that is the same color as one of the colors in your leggings.
Leggings are an amazing article of clothing and perfect for college women because they’re very cheap and stylish. They can be what makes or breaks an outfit. It all depends on how you wear them, so make sure that you’re wearing them right. Remember: if leggings were pants, they’d be called pants.
Try to keep getting new leggings when your current ones start to
COURTESY PHOTO | WICKER-FURNITURE
With more students now using the shuttle system to get to and from main campus, the need for a shuttle bus tracking system has become more relevant. Students, faculty and staff are finding it extremely hard to search for a parking spot, and with the cost of a parking pass being fairly expensive, the shuttle system has become a crucial part of UCCS daily life for many. Although most shuttle stops have a set time at which a bus stops at a certain location, wouldn’t it be nice to know where exactly that bus is? Mountain Lion Trax is the answer. Sort of. The new “app” according to the Parking and Transportation Services website (a page at bus.uccs.edu, actually), was created to give people an idea of each shuttle’s location. That includes buses that cycle around campus, those that go down to Four Diamonds Sports Complex as well as buses that operate on the weekends. Mountain Lion Trax, which is powered by the virtual mobile network company SPOT Mobile, is very handy because it lists each and every stop that a bus makes on campus. For example, if a student just parked at Four Diamonds, Mountain Lion Trax can be pulled up on a mobile web browser to see the ETA of the next bus. To do this, once a student is on the site, there is a choice between Circulator, Four Diamonds and weekend routes. The student would select Four Diamonds, and the site would pull up where the bus is between Four Diamonds and its stop at Centennial Hall. You can constantly refresh the site to get up-to-the minute updates, and it is a really nice way to plan ahead if you know you are going to be early or late. Although Mountain Lion Trax is a great idea and is something that students, faculty and staff really need, it still isn’t very user-friendly. With details like ETA and location, it makes sense that they could easily be turned into an app for a smartphone. There aren’t really any other major details that would make the app clunky or slow, and possible additions like push notifications for delays or road conditions could come in handy. With our high expectations of how fast we expect things on our mobile devices, the current page might not get used as much as hoped. Students can easily avoid this problem by bookmarking the Mountain Lion Trax page on their mobile device to make it more accessible when they need it. A solid app format would make Mountain Lion Trax a great asset for commuters at UCCS as the campus becomes more technologically integrated.
CULTURE
Oct. 21, 2013 | 6
Historically inaccurate ‘Reign’ proves disappointing April Wefler awefler@uccs.edu
Rating:
Mary Stuart, dark-haired and lacking the strength that history fondly remembers of her, has become the newest character to be ruined by the CW. “Reign,” the supposed story of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, premiered Oct. 17. The costumes, castles and rooms are lavish and beautiful, indicative of French court in the early 16th century. However, the good points stop there. The episode begins with a dream of Nostradamus, Queen Catherine de Medici’s mystic. Blood drips onto flower petals and Nostradamus awakens with a start, breathing heavily and murmuring, “She’s coming.” A great start, but then it’s only downhill. The scene transitions to a French convent, where Mary (Adelaide Kane) has been hidden away since she was 9 years old. After her taste tester dies, she returns to the French court to prepare for her marriage to Francis II (Toby Regbo). Nostradamus tells Catherine (Megan Follows) of Mary’s impending doom for her son. Catherine is determined to put an end to the betrothal. Unnecessarily, since Francis has no intention of marry-
ing Mary anyway. Francis, who was historically a sickly boy and died at age 16, is strong and fit on the show and, because it is the CW, fairly decent in the looks department. His half-brother, Sebastian (Torrance Coombs) is attractive as well and favored by the king, despite being an illegitimate son. “Reign” is disappointing and takes creative license with Mary’s story. It’s insulting how little the creator, Laurie McCarthy, thinks people know of this important queen’s history. The show is historically inaccurate, even in the easiest and smallest details. For instance, although Mary Stuart had Tudor red hair according to marie-stuart. co.uk, Mary is dark-haired in “Reign.” However, “Reign” does indicate Mary’s love of animals, particularly when she loses her beloved pet and chases after him, only to be chastised by her betrothed’s half-brother for doing so. Although many historical dramas tweak history to fit their stories, there is nothing salvageable about “Reign.” While Mary is snarky, she is mostly docile and certainly not the Mary, Queen of Scots that history remembers – the one who tried throughout her life to seek an audience with her cousin, Elizabeth I. Additionally, Mary seeks only the affection of her betrothed, who is determined not to have a thing to do with her. Although this is reasonable, given that they must make a marriage alliance
between their countries, it only introduces yet another Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Everyone in the pilot uses an English accent, despite the fact that Catherine de Medici was Italian and everyone else would have likely spoken French. In typical CW and historical drama fashion, “Reign” is filled with scandal, backstabbing and love triangles. However, unlike most CW shows, Mary does have true friends – that is, until the end of the episode when an upset Lola (Anna Popplewell) declares that Mary is not her friend but her queen. It seems Mary is more determined to win the COURTESY PHOTO | CW TV heart of Francis and the ‘Reign’ premiered Oct. 17. hearts of her ladies-inwaiting than anything One wonders why the CW feels the else. Because the show is so divergent need to rewrite the already intriguing from history, it’s hard to predict what story of Mary, Queen of Scots. Perhaps will come next. Will Francis live to if the creator had written a show based be older than 16, unlike his historical on it, assuming that she does know the counterpart? One of the major conflicts real story, “Reign” would be much more is Catherine’s attempt to prevent Mary appealing. Alas, another historical figand Francis’ marriage, so a young death ure is lost to the shallowness of the teen viewing population. for Francis could throw it off.
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EDITORIAL
Oct. 21, 2013 | 8
Gridlock motivation for students to rely on themselves, not Congress Staff Editorial scrube@uccs.edu
The U.S. Congress ended the 16-day federal government shutdown late Oct. 16, which initially furloughed approximately 800,000 federal workers, according to the Fiscal Times, though that dropped after about 350,000 Defense Department civilian employees were called back. The deal Congress finally agreed upon will fund the federal government through Jan. 17 and raise the national debt limit, set to exceed $17 trillion any day now, until Feb. 7. Congress should not be so quick to pat itself on the back for this. The decision to yet again delay paying down our debt is spineless and leaves a larger burden for future generations, including us as young people. Similarly, students should not depend on their representatives but instead depend on themselves. This debt deal is only temporary relief masking a bitter feud that hasn’t ended by any means. All of the theatrics will pick up again in 2014, and nothing will have changed. The senators will all be the same people, the representatives will all be the same people and the
political landscape will be exactly the same. The only thing that can change is our response as citizens. Students whose financial stability is tied to government function have experienced an added concern at a time in their lives when education should be their sole focus. This highlights the need to strive for independence while working toward other life goals. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect to the government shutdown is the political divide, which has become the deepest in recent memory. Even the last shutdown, which occurred in 1996, still had both sides working together, at least to some extent. In this shutdown, the two parties would not even talk to each other for the first week – a situation which did nothing to help solve any problem. Part of the problem is “brinkmanship,” a tactic similar to playing chicken. The game is to get as close as possible to the edge of destruction and then come back. While this is a fun game to play on the playground, using the global economy is foolhardy at best – and downright suicidal at worst. Both sides of the aisle have been finicky with negotiations, causing us to further question the competency (and
maturity) of our elected officials. We elect these people to legislate – and the government grinds to a halt because a handful of freshman Representatives decided to hold the country hostage in the face of losing their pet legislation. The inability of our elected officials on both sides of the aisle to come together on a sensible deal that takes a serious look at the major costs driving our debt – Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security and defense spending – is childish and irresponsible. Personal agendas have no place getting in the way of progress in the right direction: placing our national debt on a downward trajectory while reining in spending and eliminating unnecessary government programs. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called the Oct. 16 deal a “historic bipartisanship agreement.” But really, what’s so “historic” about bipartisanship and working together for the American people? Bipartisanship is Congress’ job, and this shutdown has demonstrated our representatives have been failing at it. We students have demonstrated greater patience and effort at teamwork during our group projects.
$16.699
Editor-in-Chief
Sara Horton
Managing Editor
Taylor Hargis Copy Editor
Nick Beadleston News Editor
Eleanor Skelton
Science & Business Editor
Cynthia Jeub Culture Editor
Aaron Collett
Opinion/Video Editor
April Wefler
Life on the Bluffs/Social Media Editor
Jonathan Toman Sports Editor
Nick Burns Photo Editor
Emily Olson Layout Editor
Edwin Satre
Website Manager
In Trillions
$17
Jesse Byrnes
Reporters
Oct. 17 Debt Ceiling
$16 $14 $12
Debt per citizen
$10
= $189,498
$8
Dezarae Yoder Crystal Chilcott Alexander Nedd Attiana Collins Serena A. Ahmad Shelby Shively Monika Reinholz Ryan Adams
Samantha Morley
Graphic Designer, Reporter
$6 $4
Debt per taxpayer
$2
= $148,135
Photographers James Sibert Joshua Camacho
$1 $0
Business Manager 1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
Present
Sources: U.S. National Debt Clock, Washington Post
Following the Sept. 30 editorial “Thoughtfulness, inclusiveness must expand with enrollment,” which called for greater communication following student, faculty or staff deaths, Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak sent a note to student, faculty and staff email lists announcing a “Celebration of Life” event for Margaret “Marge” Mistry, the Spanish instructor and UCCS Radio faculty advisor who died in a car accident last month. The event will be held Thursday, Oct. 24 from 4-6 p.m. in the third-floor Kraemer Family Library apse and will allow those in attendance to “honor, share stories and reminisce about the incredible life of Dr. Mistry.”
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OPINION
Oct. 21, 2013 | 9
Corrupt unpaid internship practices exploit students
Aaron Collett acollett@uccs.edu
A student arrives on the first day of her internship, excited to finally be part of the industry – the opportunities are enormous. When she meets her supervisor, however, she is assigned to facilities and instructed to wipe down door handles. That was the experience of a New York University student
who took an internship with Little Airplane, a children’s animation company based in Manhattan. This isn’t the story of every college student intern. But when a student takes on an unpaid internship, he or she accepts many risks. I like the idea of internships. I really do. And the “ideal” internship – getting trained by a legitimate company and receiving class credit – is a wonderful concept. The problem is that people have to execute this wonderful idea, and people can be terrible. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 50 percent of students in
2008 graduated with an internship, and up to half of those internships were unpaid. Now, the argument is employers are doing students a favor – after all, these students don’t even have experience! Clearly, employers are going out of their way to help these naive, inexperienced young people. Except that’s not the case. In general, the U.S. Department of Labor’s qualifications for a company having an unpaid intern include that the environment is educational, the intern doesn’t displace any paid workers and the company does not receive any immediate value from
Blackboard diaries: confessions of a fed-up student
Alexander Nedd anedd@uccs.edu
If there is one thing I hate to hear in the classroom, it’s the teacher telling the students class materials are on Blackboard. Seemingly a necessary evil, Blackboard is the university’s attempt to bridge the gap between the classroom, teacher’s office hours and student schedules into one, easyto-navigate route. But this road has some major potholes and is in dire need of a repave. Have you been taught how to use Blackboard? Do teachers explain how to use the website each semester or do they expect you to know it already? The variety of answers suggests a major breakdown in the Blackboard process. The lack of a uniform use for Blackboard truly is most upsetting. Right now, I am taking four classes, only two of which are on Blackboard. Both are for online/ hybrid courses and both are used in different ways that are not easy or
consistent to follow. For example, my class syllabus is located in the announcement section with one teacher but under class content with the other. Simple tasks, such as finding out due dates for projects or contact info for the teacher, become major annoyances, as they are peppered throughout the website. My other teachers have the option of using Blackboard but feel it is a hassle. What does this say if educators are not willing to figure out this website? What makes people think students want to take part in it? An app is also available for Blackboard. And it is easy to navigate, a stark contrast from the main website. However, it costs money to download the app. And although convenient, the app won’t fix the navigation issues of inconsistent data locations. It simply falls on students to remember. Not everyone feels the same way, however. Annie Aristide, biology major, doesn’t mind Blackboard or its layout. “I like it because it is really convenient. It’s easy to do my homework,” she said. “Most of my teachers use it, but for me, I don’t really have that issue of teachers [not using Blackboard].” “I wish all the teachers used Blackboard even if
they just post links,” said Ashlie Scott, a freshman majoring in anthropology and archaeology. “That would be helpful, and a tutorial to find out how to find the grades and view notifications would be nice too.” Personally, I can see the convenience factor, but the unorganized element leaves me feeling lost. I love a lot of things about UCCS, but Blackboard definitely needs some work to be the tool of convenience it purports to be. It needs a uniform policy for all students and teachers to follow. The website needs to be consistent in what is available and where students can find things to help them succeed. An easier layout would provide students a better way to navigate the website and encourage them to adjust their profiles to connect with peers. Freshmen and transfer students are fighting a system for which they have not been trained, a problem being compounded by teachers who lack interest on using Blackboard or use their own medium. It’s time the university takes note. Blackboard is meant to help answer questions but only leaves me scratching my head and closing my browser early.
the intern – in other words, they can’t use interns as a free labor source. By definition, then, it should be very difficult to have unpaid interns unless you actually have a legitimate intern program. Unfortunately, what happens in practice is that companies claim they’re giving students an educational environment and then put the student to work in positions that require menial, unskilled labor, as with the NYU student. That student’s story is not unique – several New York and Hollywood media companies have been sued recently by former interns who were cheated out of an educational op-
portunity by internships that were not educational in the slightest. The other problem with unpaid internships is that they are inherently classist. I am paying for college with loans and by working paid positions. I can’t afford to work two or three months without pay. The useful unpaid internships are barred from me. I can’t be an intern for many media outlets because they don’t pay their interns, and I need to eat every so often. Unpaid internships can only be utilized by students that have their college paid for by someone else. Not only that, those are the same students who
will have connections to get a good internship – yet another classist obstacle placed in the path of those who would benefit most from an internship. Exploitation of students must end. Unpaid internships – while a fine, noble idea – are untenable. People will look for loopholes and abuse systems any way they can – and in this case, the student pays for it. While yes, the argument could be made that I’m simply arguing against corruption in the system, I’d argue corruption is ever-present – and steps must be specifically taken to avoid it. In this case, that means requiring interns be paid.
University, students share responsibility in class registration awareness
Shelby Shively sshively@uccs.edu
I am quite possibly the biggest school nerd around. I get so excited about searching for classes and choosing what I’ll take. I always register as soon as I possibly can. Even students who don’t love school should register as soon as possible because it’s the only way to ensure they get into required classes for a timely graduation. Unfortunately, university administration has had a poor track record of informing students of registration dates. And, even when they are informed, some students are still struggling to stay on top of those registration dates. On Oct. 4, I had an appointment with my advisor, and she informed me classes were up in student portals, and we would be able to put them in our carts on Oct. 14. Registration will begin next week – Oct. 28.
If I hadn’t had that meeting, I might have gotten around to checking my portal on my own, but it’s been such a busy semester. With all the other things I need to do, routinely checking my portal is a low priority. Other students can relate. I have known a lot of students who wait until the last second to register. I can almost understand waiting a week or two to register, but I don’t understand waiting until a week or two before classes start. On multiple occasions I have switched classes at the last second; usually ending up in classes I didn’t love and didn’t do well in. And there is always the possibility of getting waitlisted for required classes. Waitlists are purged before the drop date, which impacts a lot of students’ schedules. Often, the waitlist can be avoided by simply registering sooner, and advance notice of important registration dates can help. In the past, the administration hasn’t been very communicative about registration and only emailed students about looking for their enrollment dates. This email usually had simple, generic infor-
mation along the lines: “Your enrollment date is posted in your student portal. Go look for it so you know when you’re allowed to register.” The administration did not inform students about the opening of our shopping carts or when classes were first posted. With growing enrollment, the administration should understand students need to know their registration openings earlier. Fortunately, the university sent out an email on Oct. 11 informing students about the day the shopping cart opens, likely hoping this would encourage planning for the spring 2014 semester. It remains to be seen whether the administration will continue informing students about the registration dates. Now, students just need to make sure they are staying on top of registration and their own enrollment dates. As the student body continues to grow, classes will fill up more and more quickly. This campus is expanding rapidly, and it is up to students and the administration to make sure that expansion doesn’t affect student schedules and graduation plans.
LIFE on the BLUFFS Campus Chatter Alexander Nedd, anedd2@uccs.edu
Sudoku
Puzzle 1 (Easy, difficulty rating 0.29)
Have you been online to purchase or look at the Colorado Health Exchange? Why or why not?
“No, I’m in engineering and won’t be because I’m in the military and don’t need to.”
Chrissy Louf, junior, psychology “No, my dad works for the company that provides insurance for all those people. I’m already taken care of through him.” Brandon Crusha, sophomore, digital film/media arts “No, I honestly have no idea. I don’t really pay attention to that type of stuff. My parents are with the military, so I’m covered for free.”
This week at UCCS General Oct. 24-Nov. 10 7:30 p.m. “Death of a Salesman” Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater
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5:30-6:30 p.m. MBA information session Dwire Hall 333
3 p.m. New event calendar training Kraemer Family Library/El Pomar Center 239
Thursday, Oct. 24 4-5 p.m. Marge Mistry celebration of life Kraemer Family Library third floor apse
6-7:30 p.m. Where Was God? Theology after the Holocaust lecture Columbine Hall 128
Friday, Oct. 25 12-4 p.m. SIDNE car Summit Village 1-3 p.m. Where’s Waldo? lecture UC 302
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Foods and beverage that deserve pumpkin spice
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Bud Light Gatorade Ramen Vitamin Water
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Nachos
Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Tue Oct 1 02:25:29 2013 GMT. Enjoy!
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the Scribble
Deep dish pizza Thanksgiving turkeys UCCS hydration stations
Disclaimer: The contents of the Scribble are intended as satire.
Junear Repotter
Tuesday, Oct. 22 1:30-4:15 p.m. The Psychology of Fraud with Toby Groves UC 302
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Top Ten
Officials announce University Center to be renamed University Off-center
Monday, Oct. 21 10-11:30 a.m. Integrating Food into Campus Culture workshop UC 303
Bring your completed sudoku to the Scribe office (UC 106) for a prize!
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Sara Richmond, junior, history
Oct. 21, 2013 | 10
4-6 p.m. Industrial healthcare and mining lecture UC Theatre 302
scribe@uccs.edu
It has served as a hub for on-campus dining, event services and club meetings and has also housed the university bookstore, copy center, pub, student government, radio station and student newspaper. Now, after 36 years of operation, University Center will be renamed University Off-center, school officials announced last week. The move comes after recent expansion on the western portion of its property along Austin Bluffs Parkway and Nevada Avenue. “Back when all of our university operations were at the top of the bluffs, it made sense,” Chancellor Parm Shockerly said in a campuswide email to students Thursday. “Now, with our wonderful expansion at the bottom of the hill, University Center is no longer at the center of the campus.” Some consider the move culturally insensitive, considering the University Center’s history dating back to 1977 when the building opened along with the library. In 1988, the UC was expanded and its pavilion opened in 2000. “It’s weird,” said senior history
COURTESY PHOTO | GOOGLE MAPS
As this graphic demonstrates, University Center is off center.
UC major Janish Cordolla. “On one hand, it demonstrates that the university is growing. On the other, it’s just awkward.” At least a few students employed in the UC have voiced their concerns that changing the name will bring up confusion in daily conversations. “Instead of saying, ‘I work in the UC tomorrow,’ all of us are going to have to say things like, ‘I work in the
UO tomorrow.’ It sounds like ‘you owe’ – it’s weird,” said Trixi Gauzalanz, who works in the bookstore. Others, like copy center employee Eion Brows, don’t expect they’ll notice or think the rename is a move in the right direction. “On the off-chance that this goes through, it’ll be super easy to remember the location of the copy center – University Off-center!”
SPORTS
Oct. 21, 2013 | 11
UCCS women’s basketball favorite to win conference title Jonathan Toman jtoman@uccs.edu
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference released its 2013-2014 women’s basketball preseason poll and awards on Oct. 16, and the UCCS women were well represented. In the preseason coaches’ poll, UCCS was picked to win the conference title this season. In addition to the team selection, UCCS junior guard Abby Kirchoff garnered a lot of attention. As well as being named unanimously to the preseason all-conference team, Kirchoff was selected as the preseason player of the year. After an exhibition game against Colorado State on Nov. 8 in Fort Collins, the Mountain Lions open the regular season on Nov. 15-16 against Bemidji State and California Baptist at the Gallogly Events Center. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. for the game against Bemidji and 5:30 p.m. against California Baptist.
COURTESY PHOTO | UCCS ATHLETICS
Abby Kirchoff was selected as the preseason player of the year.
Look for full coverage of the UCCS women’s basketball team in upcoming editions of The Scribe.
COURTESY IMAGE | RMAC
Legalize performance-enhancing drugs for all Dezarae Yoder dyoder@uccs.edu
The problem of the past, present and future: performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and superstar athletes. Anabolic steroids, stimulants, human growth hormones and supplements are all considered PEDs and remain banned substances in professional sports. Depending on the organization and the situation, athletes who use PEDs can be suspended, stripped of titles and records and face enormous backlash from fans and fellow athletes. There are no sound moral arguments against PEDs. They can be seen only as unnatural and unfair as, say, an elbow surgery or insulin. Whether the athletes use PEDs for quick recovery from injury or to boost their level of athleticism, I say we let
these adults choose for themselves whether they will partake or abstain and discontinue the suspensions and ripping away of titles. Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees, naturally talented and athletically inclined, decided to take the plunge into the world of banned substances – and lie about it. The Yankee third baseman is the proud owner of some of the golden records within baseball, including 24 career grand slams, which he managed just this past September. Currently, the mega baseball player is suing Major League Baseball for singling him out and alleging the league has set out to “destroy the reputation and career of Alex Rodriguez.” Continuing to make these drugs illegal has set aside the purity of the game that we’re so worried about as it pertains
to performance-enhancing drugs, and instead we’re concerned with A-Rod’s trial result. As we can see from this mess, the boys are still going to get their hands on the candy. Because we have continued to wrongly demonize something, these athletes hide in the dark, lie for years and only when there is no other alternative do they “come clean.” Jhonny Peralta of the Detroit Tigers baseball team was suspended 50 games for using, only to return in the post-season as the Tigers played the Red Sox. Peralta proved to be the best hitter in game one of the series, as he drove in the only run of the game, giving his team the 1-0 win. Still seen as assets to their respective teams, both A-Rod and Peralta have been exceedingly influential and, even without
the drugs, athletes of a high caliber. Ultimately, the clubs they represent want their ballplayers and accept both A-Rod and Peralta with their history of use. Sumo wrestlers gorge themselves on the fattiest of foods, beauty queens get the most “attractive” of implants and near-sighted people buy glasses or contacts to improve their natural ability to see. For professional athletes, it’s simply no different. They want to transcend and so they look to supplements that any other individual outside of pro sports has the right to use without consequence. The bottom line is these individuals are going to get their hands on these drugs, and pretending like they won’t continue at this stage in the game is beyond silly.
SPORTS
Oct. 21, 2013 | 12
Waldo Waldo 5K to bring renewed sense of community to city Ryan Adams radams3@uccs.edu
Finding Waldo is about to get much easier. More than 1,200 people will participate in this year’s Waldo Waldo 5K Walk and Run, a fundraiser started last fall in the wake of the Waldo Canyon fire, on Oct. 27 at 9 a.m. in America the Beautiful Park. Participants will be dressing up as characters from the children’s storybook “Where’s Waldo?” and raising money for local nonprofit organizations the Trails and Open Space Coalition and Rocky Mountain Field Institute. The idea for the event came from its lead coordinator, Chelise Foster. “Back before the fire, my family and I were hiking though Waldo Canyon on some of the trails,” she said. “I thought that it would be a cool idea to hike through Waldo as Waldo from the children’s book. We could then use the proceeds to help clean up the trails.” Foster, who works for the local costumer company Elope Inc., knew she could easily come up with the costumes for her idea. Yet, due to the fire damage, Foster’s original idea could not come to life. Instead, a bigger and better idea came about. “I contacted Randi Hitchcock and her nonprofit company, UpaDowna, and we began planning the event in September of 2012,” said Foster.
COURTESY PHOTO | WALDO WALDO CHARITY, MARK REIS
Participants of the Waldo Waldo 5K receive Waldo costumes after registration.
Hitchcock, who is the race director and family/youth program coordinator at UpaDowna, remembered she and Foster didn’t have all that much time to plan the event. “With only about a month of planning, we were able to inspire 1,008 Waldos/Wendas to come and write a check for $20,000 to the Pikes Peak Community Foundation’s Waldo Canyon Firefighter’s Fund,” she said. What makes this event stand out compared to other “novelty runs,” as Hitchcock puts it, is its genuine sense of bringing together the community. “One, and this is what makes it different than other runs, is you get a free Waldo costume instead of a T-shirt,” she said. “Second, it directly benefits our community. Unlike other
runs like the Color Run or Dirty Dash, all net proceeds are divided between the two nonprofits Trails and Open Spaces Coalition and Rocky Mountain Field Institute.” Both organizations provide wildfire and, more recently, flood relief efforts as well as mitigation to the affected areas in Colorado Springs. “By joining up with both Trails and Open Spaces Coalition as well as Rock Mountain Field Institute, the event will allow people to begin using damaged trails, parks and open spaces that we all love so dearly,” said Foster. “Not everyone has the money to donate or time to volunteer, but this event gives them the chance to do it all at one time, for one cause, and have fun,” she added. Although they have plenty of volunteers already, Hitchcock
encouraged students, staff and faculty to come out for the event that they are hoping to get into the Guinness World Records book. “We do need help spreading the word about the event,” said Hitchcock. “We are really shooting for the world record of 3,873 people in a ‘Where’s Waldo?’ costume so come on out on Oct. 27.” The event is $30 to register for interested students, staff and faculty. Participants can register in at Elope Inc. from Oct. 21-25 at 3755 Mark Dabling Blvd. Cash, check or credit card is accepted. Foster believes this is an event that reminds the people of Colorado Springs what type of community we are in. “The Waldo Waldo brings a sense of community for everyone
participating,” she said. “It especially shows the people that were directly affected that people are here for them and are here to support them anyway they can.”
The Lowdown What: The Waldo Waldo 5K Walk and Run Where: America the Beautiful Park 126 Cimino Drive When: Oct. 27, 9 a.m. How much: $30 More info: thewaldowaldo.com
SOLE Office rentals focus on experience, safety Crystal Chilcott cchilcot@uccs.edu
Colorado has a number of allseason outdoor activities ranging from backcountry skiing to whitewater rafting. But along with the options for outdoor recreation is the risk for accidents and injuries. The recent disappearance, search for and eventual finding mountain biker Alicia Jakomait in the Colorado Springs area illustrates the necessity of everyday safety. For UCCS students interested in exploring the outdoors, the SOLE Office provides free or low-cost rentals for outdoor exploration along with a focus on safety. Rentals through the SOLE Office include camping equipment like tents, sleeping bags, cooking sets, fishing gear and snowshoes. The office offers daily, weekend or weekly rentals. For example, a sleeping bag is $4 for one day, $6 for the weekend and $10 for the week. With each rental, the office aims to be aware of safety. “We don’t rent out hard gear,” explained Daniel Bowan, manager of intramurals, outdoor recreation and club sports.
NICK BURNS | THE SCRIBE
Joshua Richards showed the types of gear that can be rented through the SOLE Office.
“We don’t rent out ice picks in case people don’t know how to use them. We don’t rent out climbing rope. Not only would we be concerned about the condition of the rope but what renters would do with it. Would they use it to climb in Garden of the Gods
with no experience?” The office evaluates the rental equipment to ensure it is appropriate for beginning skill levels. Occasionally, the office will eliminate an item for rent if they feel it is a safety hazard. “We no longer rent out beacons.
You can wear one and feel safe but then go and do something stupid,” Bowan said. “We keep it at a novice level of equipment. The stoves are the most basic, safest stoves available.” Each time a student checks out an item, the student receives an informal safety message from SOLE employees, who give guidance and insight to renters. “Employees talk with each student to find out what their plans are. For example, if someone is going backpacking through bear country, we make sure they are prepared. They might need to consider things like a bear-proof tin to store food,” said Andrea Hassler, trails and outdoor coordinator. In the future, the office is looking to provide renters with a brochure that includes general tips for each activity. They would also like to expand with a Top 10 adventures list. At present, the office has shelves dedicated to books and guidebooks about outdoor adventures. On trips, the SOLE Office focuses on teaching skills for all levels and abilities. On rock climbing trips, they start by teaching belays and knot tying.
“The trips are aimed toward exposure and skill-building,” said Bowan. “For those looking to be more advanced, we refer them to the climbing club or another club sport. This year, the climbing club gained over 20 new kids.” The SOLE Office also offers a Bike Shop and a Ski Shop to provide mechanical assistance along with teaching students selfsufficiency. In both shops, all the resources are available for basic tune-ups and repairs. Mechanics are also employed not only to fix problems but also to teach students to make the repairs themselves. “We’re not a bike shop. If someone needs new brakes or tires, we walk through the experience with them. The students do as much work as they can so they know what to do if they’re on a trail and have a problem,” Bowan said. Students who just need a general tune-up can receive help from a student mechanic, like Harrison Ory, an undecided sophomore and professional downhill mountain biker who works eight hours a week in the Bike Shop. Ory estimates he fixes 10 bikes per week.