Oct. 31, 2011

Catalysts of Destruction page 6

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University of Colorado Colorado Springs Weekly Campus Newspaper

Heller Center receives anonymous donation Molly Mrazek mmrazek@uccs.edu

Out of the way of the normal hustle and bustle of campus is an inconspicuous sign followed by a winding gravel road that leads to the Heller Center for Arts and Humanities.

Located on North Nevada Avenue, the center sits on a beautiful piece of land donated to UCCS in the late 1990’s. The Heller property includes the main building and former home of Heller and his wife Dorothy, the guest house, a small barn and a studio.

Recently, thanks to a donation of $400,000, renovations have begun on the original house on the Heller property.

The anonymous donor is interested in the artistic history of Colorado Springs and is a fan of Larry Heller’s artwork,

according to Perrin Cunningham, the director of the Heller Center and the curator of the Heller Collection.

Cunningham said the property has been the “gift that keeps on taking” because of all the renovations needed on the buildings.

Thanks to the generous donation, the guest house is finally getting the attention and make-over it deserves, she said.

The guest house is going to be restored to the way it looked in 1948, according to Cunningham who described how the main part of the house has held together well; however, the cinderblocks in the front are unstable, and the east side needs to be rebuilt.

The house was built in the “pueblo revival” style that was popular in the southwest in the 1920’s and 1930’s and has thick “rammed earth” walls

Photo by Ariel Lattimore

The exterior of the current Heller Center. and an adobe look to it.

The house has all the original doors, and the windows were handmade, meaning the glass

for them has to be specially made to fit in them.

The house also used to have a greenhouse that Dorothy Heller, Larry’s

wife, would care for; this is being restored as well.

The guest house was originally built in 1932 by Larry Heller and

friend and fellow artistLaurence Field who Heller originally met at the

served at 11:00 a.m.

Alongside the Roll Call, there will be an open house for veteran and military students also at the Upper Lodge.

There will be speakers and information about tuition assistance, housing, and other subjects aimed at military students.

Bergeron said the speakers will be, “people that will benefit veterans.”

The open house will last until noon.

According to the NASPA website, Retired Lt. Col. Brett Morris, the National Roll Call coordinator, said, “We wanted to rally campus communities across the nation to send a powerful message to the troops currently serving that their peers have not forgotten their

April Wefler awefler@uccs.edu

an avenue through which artists and writers have been able to express their voices.”

According to Pellow, riverrun was named in honor of the first word of James Joyce’s “Finnegan’s Wake.”Argued by some as one of the greatest literary pieces, “Finnegan’s Wake” begins mid-sentence: “riverrun, past Eve and Adams, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodious vicus…”

There is a specific reason that riverrun was named after the first word in “Finnegan’s Wake”.

“The title suggests continuity,” said Pellow.

“The very first word in ‘Finnegan’s Wake’ is riverrun. He puts river and run together.”

Since riverrun was named after the first word

in “Finnegan’s Wake”, there is a rule about the production. “…the word ‘riverrun’ must never be capitalized, as it is not capitalized in ‘Finnegan’s Wake,” notes the riverrun website.

The students that helped Pellow begin riverrun were taking a seminar on Finnnegan and noticed that Finnegan ends with the phrase, “A good reader will realize that ‘the’ loops back to the beginning: the riverrun.” When riverrun was created, there was more poetry submitted than fiction. “We had a surprising number of good writers for a small campus.”

Now, the submissions are more consistent in all areas. Some past submitters have gone on to

Continued on page 2...

UCCS to mark Veterans Day riverrun submission period with National Roll Call ends November 3 Aaron Collett acollett@uccs.edu

President Woodrow Wilson said that “the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service.”

This Nov. 11, the Office of Military and Veteran Affairs (OMVA) hopes the campus will be filled with an outpouring of solemn pride.

OMVA is hosting a Remembrance Day Roll Call on Nov 11. Starting at 7 a.m. at the Upper Lodge, volunteers will read off the entire U.S. casualty list from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

According to Natasha Bergeron, a volunteer

Inside this

Issue

with the Veteran Affairs office, the U.S. casualty list exceeds 3,000 names.

According to Iraq Body Count—“widely considered as the most reliable database of Iraqi civilian deaths,” in the words of the Guardian’s Jonathan Steele—the post-invasion Iraqi death toll exceeds 100,000.

The roll call is not unique to this campus; there will be colleges all over the country reading these same names on their campuses.

This event is being organized by Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA). They estimate on their website that the reading of the names will take almost eight hours.

There will also be one minute of silence ob-

news Health Q & A page 4

Continued on page 2...

If the thought of having something of yours published appeals to you, and you don’t want to wait to write the next great American novel, then it’s time for you to submit to riverrun.

A free publication for art and literature that becomes available each May riverrun, accepts but is not necessarily limited to: visual art, poetry, fiction, short stories, drama, nonfiction, essays, and photographs.

In addition to being comprised of work by the student body, the publication is run by the students, for the students.

It was created in 1971

by Dr. Kenneth C. Pellow and “has long since been

culture “Church” not your average worship page 5

opinion Embrace your inner nerd page 9

Continued on page 2...

sports Places to go skiing page 11

News

Page 2

October 31, 2011

Heller Center (continued from page 1) riverrun deadline (continued from page 1) Fine Art’s Center.

Larry Heller was an artist of many trades including painting, metal work, sculptures, and photography. He was also an actor with the Alexander Film Company.

Heller’s work is displayed throughout the

Heller Center, including a sculpture of his favorite horse, Poncho. It is rumored that the ashes of Poncho are buried underneath the sculpture.

The guest house plans to be finished in February and will have a single living room where there

will be a Murphy wall bed. It will be used as a place for visiting artists and scholars to stay on campus, said Cunningham who said it will also be available for meetings and workshops and will be open to the community at large. S

excel elsewhere. Yusef Komunyaaka won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Marc Weber is an award-winning poet.

Sally Mankus has created photos, sculptures, and mixed-media that are still

on display throughout the United States. riverrun will be accepting submissions through Thursday, Nov. 3. A copy of last year’s riverrun is on display at the checkout desk in the library. You

might want to look it over if you’re thinking about submitting anything. If you have any questions or concerns about the submissions, you can email the staff at riverrun@uccs. edu. S

Veterans Day (continued from page 1) sacrifices, or those of the fallen.”

There will be a continental breakfast offered early, at 8:30 a.m., and a barbecue lunch following the end of the open house. The guest at the breakfast is Lt. Col. Ed Anderson, the execu-

tive director of the National Institute of Science, Space and Security Centers here on campus, according to the UCCS Communiqué.

There will be free parking offered for the event in Lot 7, behind Columbine.

The OMVA is requesting volunteers to read names for the Roll Call. The readers will work in 15-minute shifts, reading names continually throughout the day.

Anyone wishing to volunteer can contact Heather Kling at 255-3253. S

Master Plan Open House

Students are invited to participate in a Master Plan Open House which will be discussing future campus development covering a variety of topics including housing and parking.

When: November 9 and November 10 Time: 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Nov. 9 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Nov. 10 Where: University Center room 116B

To make sure there are enough materials (and snacks!) for all participants, please RVSP for the session you plan to attend by Friday, Nov. 4, 2011.

RSVP Contact: Gary Reynolds (greynold@uccs.edu)

Photo by Shandi Gross

Past editions of riverrun are available at the Kraemer Family Library.

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News

October 31, 2011

Page 3

University students in favor of legalizing marijuana Guest reporters Jesse Byrnes and Rachel Cross

Amid the early inklings of a testy presidential election, fierce health care reform and potentially game-changing tax policy overhauls, Americans can –– for the most part –– finally put to rest one issue: the legalization of marijuana. At least, that is the consensus on campus.

“Everyone I know is for it,” says Taylor Carlson, a senior chemistry major.. “Most people I know [even] use it.”

A recent Gallup poll indicates that 50 percent of Americans now believe that marijuana should be legalized, up four percent since the previous year and nearly 40 percent since Gallup began conducting the survey on legalized pot 42 years ago.

Not surprisingly, ages 18 to 29 are most in favor (62 percent), with approv-

al standing at 31 percent among those 65 and older, according to the report.

Megan Moyles, a junior communication major and student government Senator of Housing, believes there is a general shift in opinion regarding legalized marijuana. “We’re in a more progressive society,” she says. “Lots of things that were once looked down upon are gaining acceptance; marijuana is one of those.”

Moyles views the issue of legalized marijuana as ongoing. “Those who, in their adolescence, may have heard the arguments for legalization are now of voting age,” she says.

“It’s gained a lot of novelty appeal in media and entertainment.”

Last year, a Gallup survey revealed 70 percent in favor of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes in order to reduce pain and suffering. Moyles agrees. “Allowing it for medical purposes has also

been pivotal,” she says.

“It has lessened the taboo regarding reefer madness and has made it a more realistic, tangible subject for people.”

Lisa Erickson, a junior psychology student, has a different viewpoint.

“We’re putting an excuse on marijuana usage,” she says. She claims that people justify using marijuana for medical reasons when their backs hurt, they have headaches, or when they break toes. “People are not using marijuana for the right reasons, and it has become a social thing.”

And there is evidence to support her. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that “Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States.”

Christian O’Shaughnessy, a junior theatre student who works at Jazzman’s coffee house, regards it as a non-issue. “Legalize it,” he says, though he agrees

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that it should be done responsibly. Asked to put a figure on how much of the student body believes it should be legal? “At least 85 percent.”

And responsible legalization is becoming popular.

Nick Knodel, a sophomore mechanical engineering student, claims there needs to be more government control. “The government does not really care who uses marijuana. They just want money from it.”

JaNae Stansbery, a communications professor on campus, teaches Rhetorical Dimensions in Communication. Every semester her class has a debate, and this semester it centered around legalizing marijuana.

Facilitating conversation on the topic, she splits the class in half––one side pro, the other con. After an hour, the class switches sides for another hour of discussion. This kind

of conversation keeps students thinking.

Outside the exercise, Stansbery notes that the topic almost never comes up in classes. She says, “Colorado Springs is fairly conservative,” but from her experience “the student body leans more toward legalizing it.”

Many others would agree. One freshman nursing student says that while she is not in support of it personally, legalizing marijuana is what most students want. It should be legalized, they would say, since most students use it anyway.

Leslie Randloph, a junior studying communication and recording arts, says, “Just because it’s illegal, it has not stopped people from using it.” Asked about differences between generations, she notes that her parents did

not see it as the issue it is now. “Back then alcohol was legal at the age of 18.

Now everyone is saying, ‘Don’t do drugs, stay in school.’ It’s an issue now because more people have access to it.”

Today, whether indicative of their age range or personal beliefs, college students and Americans as a whole view marijuana in a different light.

And the conversation is here to stay. S Jesse and Rachel are students in COMM 290 Writing for the Media.

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News

Page 4

October 31, 2011

Domestic violence study focuses on services to students Ryan Adams radams3@uccs.edu

Dr. Katie Kaukinen’s passion for domestic violence awareness will be benefiting students on campus.

An associate professor of the school of Public Affairs and director of Graduate Programs in Criminal Justice, Kaukinen wanted to find a way to link her interest to the community of UCCS and do something about the problem.

“I have always found the topic of violence against women an interesting one, and I wanted to find

a way to bring services to UCCS that would help those women cope with their problems,” Kaukinen said.

The leadership of UCCS felt similarly and gave Kaukinen a three-year grant that will help women on campus as well as in the Colorado Springs community deal with the issues of domestic violence.

“The main motive behind this project is the realization that domestic violence against women is a major problem not only at UCCS, but around the nation,” said Kaukinen.

“Yet – and the project will help with this – we

actually can do something about domestic violence and make it less of an issue than it already is.”

As a part of domestic violence awareness activities on campus, Kaukinen presented her analysis of 28 years of data from the National Crime Victimization Survey.

The statistics showed a big decline in domestic violence numbers, but Kaukinen believes there is more to the issue than numbers.

“This is an important topic and the highest risk of domestic violence resides in college-aged kids,” stated Kaukinen.

“Having the services along with tougher laws to deal with domestic violence has definitely put a dent in the national numbers. Hopefully, we can bring those same services to campus and help those who are at the highest risk, i.e. students at UCCS.” Kaukinen said the threeyear domestic violence study is just the beginning, “The project’s primary goal is to bring services to campus, but we also have other future ideas we hope to install as well.”

Next year, Kaukinen is hoping to survey students about their attitudes on domestic violence,

Student Health Center answers your questions

Stephanie Hanenberg, FNP-C, Family Nurse Practitioner and Director at SHC shanenbe@uccs.edu Every other week, we’ll be asking questions on a health-related topic to a different provider at the Student Health Center here on campus. This week, we asked Stephanie Hanenberg some questions about vaccinations.

What vaccinations does the Student Health Center offer?

We offer Hepatitis A and B, Meningococcal, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis, Gardasil,

MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and influenza.

and make sure they are up to date.

Why is it important to receive these vaccinations?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the U.S. vaccines have reduced or eliminated many infectious diseases that once routinely killed or harmed many infants, children, and adults.

However, the viruses and bacteria that cause vaccine-preventable disease and death still exist and can be passed on to people who are not protected by vaccines.

Vaccine-preventable diseases have many social and economic costs: sick students miss school and time from work.

College-aged students living in close quarters tend to be at higher risk for some of these vaccine preventable infections which is why we really encourage this population to review their records

What is meningitis and what are its risks to students?

Meningococcal disease strikes 1,400 to 3,000 Americans each year and is responsible for approximately 150 to 300 deaths. Adolescents and young adults account for nearly 30 percent of all cases of meningitis in the United States.

In addition, approximately 100 to 125 cases of meningococcal disease occur on college campuses each year, and five to fifteen students will die as a result.

Due to lifestyle factors, such as crowded living situations, bar patronage, active or passive smoking, irregular sleep patterns, and sharing of personal items, college students living in residence halls are more likely to acquire meningococcal disease than the general college population.

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Meningococcal infection is contagious, and progresses very rapidly.

It can easily be misdiagnosed as the flu, and, if not treated early, meningitis can lead to death or permanent disabilities.

One in five of those who survive will suffer from long-term side effects, such as brain damage, hearing loss, seizures, or limb amputation.

From April 2010 to December 2010 there were nine cases of meningitis reported in Colorado, seven of those on college campuses, five of those resulted in death.

A CU Boulder student was diagnosed with meningitis on October 14, 2011. That student is recovering well, but this serves as a reminder that it is important to receive the meningococcal vaccine and the new CDC recommendation is to receive a booster meningococcal vaccine if the first dose was given before age 16. S

reach out to high schools in Colorado Springs, and get younger people more involved in the project.

Aside from those components, the main goal of the project, according to Kaukinen, is to see an increase in reporting domestic violence on campus. If they can achieve this goal, it would be a huge accomplishment.

“We want students who have been either affected by domestic violence or know someone who has, to not be ashamed and be empowered to come to people that will help them,” she said.

“We want them to be role mod-

Dr. Katie Kaukinen els for all who are affected by domestic violence, and hopefully this project will lead to bigger things beyond the activities we will have on campus.” S

Zero waste coordinators work to increase recycling Mark Petty mpetty2@uccs.edu

A comprehensive recycling initiative at UCCS has been in full swing since 2007. Next month, the Office of Sustainability is expanding the program to include battery and electronic recycling bins as well as continuing with annual competition.

There will soon be black, five-gallon buckets located all over campus in which student can dispose used batteries and their old or broken electronic equipment.

Collected materials will be sent to Blue Star Recyclers of Southern Colorado, a company that uses downstream processors for hazardous and toxic materials instead of disposing of waste in a landfill or incinerator.

A variety of electronics are accepted by Blue Star including computers, calculators, laptops and microwave ovens. A complete list can be found on their website.

America Recycles Day on Nov. 15th is a day dedicated to the education of sustainability and recycling and the Office of Sustainability is planning to participate.

The Office of Sustainability has set a goal to recycle at least 50 percent of its waste by 2012. “We know at least that much of our garbage can be recycled,” said Drew Johnson, zero waste coordinator for the Office of Sustainability. Currently, only about 30 percent of refuse on campus is recycled. This effort will require everyone on campus getting involved, Johnson said.

Sorting items has become easier since UCCS has adopted single-stream recycling; a system in which all paper, plastic, metals and other items can be mixed together in the same collection truck rather than separated.

Now all recyclable materials can be co-mingled in any of the blue bins around campus.

Placards near the bins explain what can be recycled at a glance. For instance, the plastic lids and paper sleeves from your morning coffee can be recycled. The cup itself should be placed in the trash.

Be sure to dump out liquids before placing any bottles in the bin. Liquids will contaminate paper and plastics that could have been salvaged, the signs warn.

During the months of February and March, UCCS will again be a participant in “Recyclemania,” a nationwide competition among colleges during which the campus’ recycling rate is carefully tracked.

“We want to compete with other colleges that are currently recycling 70 percent of their waste,” Johnson said. “We hope to see the use of composting and recycling skyrocket.”

A pilot program for composting on campus is also scheduled to begin in December and the office will be looking for volunteers.

Contact the Office of Sustainability More information about any of these projects can be found at www. uccs.edu/sustain. Questions can be emailed to recycle@ uccs.edu. S

Culture

October 31, 2011

NaNoWriMo prepares for round 12 Sara Horton shorton@uccs.edu

Mike Ferguson’s magic number is 1,666. Ferguson, an English major and creative writing minor, wrote his 1,666-word quota at 9 p.m. every night last November and will likely follow the same routine again this year.

Ferguson is preparing for NaNoWriMo, an international mission to write a 50,000-word novel every November.

When NaNoWriMo first started in July 1999, there were 21 participants in the San Francisco Bay Area. The event was moved to November the next year and has gathered more than 200,000 people across the world since its launch.

In its 2011 press release, NaNoWriMo announced that it anticipates

more than 250,000 people to participate this year.

If the challenge sounds intimidating to fit in a student’s schedule, Ferguson would most likely agree with that assessment.

“It’s really, really hard to be in school, especially in November when you have essays, midterms and all that,” he explained.

“You want to have a social life.”

He referred to his girlfriend as a supportive presence throughout the experience. “She wouldn’t even talk to me until I was done [with my quota],” he said.

Ferguson began the event in 2009 when he was a student at Pikes Peak Community College and took a creative writing course before transferring to UCCS. He began “Darkness Falls,” a fantasy story, and wrote 15,000 words. “I

made excuses and didn’t finish,” he said, although he noted that his progress was enough for the characters to stay with him.

His 2010 attempt, a creative nonfiction memoir named “Greens and Other Short Stories,” reached 50,004 words. Ferguson regarded this as the moment when he knew he could write well, a milestone that made the stress worthwhile.

After writers have finished their drafts, some of their ideas have found their ways onto bookshelves.

According to NaNoWriMo’s website, more than 90 novels started for the event have been published, including Sara Gruen’s bestseller “Water for Elephants.”

Ferguson would like to eventually publish his memoir. “I don’t think I’m at a level yet where I can look at publishing. But

[probably] when I finish school and am able to look more objectively at what I’ve written right now.”

The event has also expanded into more than just an individual challenge; it has become a community effort. Approximately 650 volunteers across at least 60 countries hold writeins where writers convene to work on their novels.

Participants can find writers in their area by visiting nanowrimo.org.

The Colorado Springs regional group currently has over 1,200 members.

Ferguson noted the importance of support while participating in NaNoWriMo. He and a member of his writing group, a friend from his creative writing course, both finished the challenge last year.

They kept track of each other’s progress so neither one of them fell behind.

“It really helps to have a

interacting with the audience through dance, song and monologue.

Murray Ross, artistic director of Theatreworks, and Drew Martorella, executive director of Theatreworks, said “Church” combines the worlds of stage and pulpit into what Martorella described as, “a dramatic interpretation of a service, so it’s affecting a religious service. It has the effect of both service and play.”

The description is accurate. The stage is bare save a pulpit and a couple benches and the 60 minute show mimics a church sermon, worship music included.

It is a show that is different and unexpected

said Ross and Martorella who wanted to add something fresh to this year’s season.

“Once a year, we like to do a play that is new and avant-garde. When we’re creating a season, something new contributes to a more rich experience for the subscribers and the audience,” said Martorella.

Landis spoke of playwright Young Jean Lee as a significant reason for bringing the show to Theatreworks. As a part of Theatreworks’ prologue series, Lee engaged in a conversation with the audience before the show on Oct. 30.

Lee grew up in a Christian environment, raised

by Evangelical parents.

Lee, an atheist who shunned the religion through much of her adult life, liked to assign herself a difficult task: to write the worst play possible. She decided that she would write about “Church.”

With no swearing, profanity or sex, “Church” is a G-rated, high energy show that explores issues that left audiences giggling and applauding this past weekend and is sure to continue to do so.

“No matter what you’re expecting, you will be turned around. This show requires audience members to soak it up,” Landis said. S Catherine Jensen contributed to this article.

ible Monsters,” it has all of the elements of a great Palahniuk novel: sarcasm, shock-value, perversion and twisted psyches.

Set in Hell, the story follows the journey of Madison Spencer, the daughter of two Hollywood A-listers, who believes she died from an overdose of marijuana.

In the style of Judy Blume, Madison begins each chapter by asking, “Are you there, Satan?

It’s me, Madison.”

But instead of a young

girl talking to God in an effort to understand her changing body, the girl is talking to Satan in an effort to understand how she ended up in Hell.

While Madison tells of her trials in Hell and stories from her life before Hell, Palahniuk offers a commentary on everything from religion to social status to the idea of right and wrong.

While Madison was always taught by her hippie parents that traditional religions don’t

support their ideals, and Buddhism is the path to enlightenment, in death she discovers that there is, in fact, a Heaven and a Hell.

But Hell is not so much a fiery pit of torture, as a disgusting pit of human refuse, inhabited by all of the well-known people of our history.

And if you ever thought you’d be going to Heaven, chances are, you’re going to Hell. Because honking your car or peeing in the pool too many

Page 5

friend to help in the competition,” Ferguson said.

He has expressed interest in attending local writeins to work on his latest piece, which he describes as a “comic book idea” of what would happen if villains won the fight of good versus evil.

Ferguson reached 50,000 words last year while taking two courses; he is taking four this semester, which may be an obstacle. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it,” he said, “but I’m still going to try.”

No matter how you may choose to meet the NaNoWriMo challenge, completing a draft tends to have a recurring end result: pride.

“Writing a novel in a month inspires incredible confidence in seasoned and first-time novelists alike,” stated NaNoWriMo Program Director

Lindsey Grant.

“Completing a draft of the novel they’ve been contemplating for ages gives participants a tremendous sense of accomplishment and leaves them wondering what else they’re capable of.”

Ferguson expressed similar sentiments and encouraged students who are interested in writing to participate.

“It’s a great experience,” he said. “I was just elated when I finished.

It made me realize that I had social obligations and school assignments and everything else, but there’s really no excuse not to write. There’s no excuse not to try.”

His advice to students thinking about joining NaNoWriMo: “Do it.

Don’t just think about it.

Go out there and do it.”

NaNoWriMo begins Nov. 1. S

Theatreworks returns to its roots with “Church” April Wefler awefler@uccs.edu

The Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater stage in University Hall was not always used for performances. In fact, it was originally an assembly room for a religious organization, an ironic space for Theatreworks’ most recent production, “Church”.

The play features four young ministers played by professional actresses Shannan Steele, Lija Fisher, Mare Trevatha, and UCCS professor Kevin Landis. Throughout this energetic and thought provoking show, each take turns preaching and

The Lowdown What: “Church”

When: Oct. 27 to Nov. 6 Thur., Fri. and Sat. at 7:30 p.m.

Sat. matinees on Oct. 29 and Nov. 5 at 2:00 p.m.

Sun. at 4:00 p.m.

Where: Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater University Hall How much: Free for UCCS students and children under 5 Adults: $30 Children 5-16: $15 More Info: 255-3232 theatreworkscs.org/tickets.htm

Palahniuk makes a comeback with “Damned” Cherise Fantus cfantus@uccs.edu Rating:

Chuck is back. With three disappointing novels in a row, Cult members and Palahniuk fans were starting to wonder if the “Fight Club” author had lost his magic.

But “Damned” has brought the sexy back.

While it is still no “Invis-

times will guarantee you a ticket southward.

Judy Blume’s influence is seen not only in the prayer to God (or Satan), but Palahniuk also hits on puberty and the changing body.

Palahniuk’s version is a little more modern and twisted, and involves her new age, foreign-babyadopting parents showing her porn films and giving her Hello Kitty condoms.

While classic Palahniuk themes and style shine through, “Damned”

is tame compared to some of his other work.

There is, of course, plenty of delightfully offensive material, but no graphic descriptions of weird sex-acts gone wrong. This novel is more approachable than, say, “Haunted,” but it still has enough shock value to make it worth reading.

The shock value, social commentary, celebrity and heinous dictator cameos and classic Palahniuk style make this book a must read. S

Culture

Page 6

October 31, 2011

Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival continues tradition Molly Mrazek mmrazek@uccs.edu

The longest continuousrunning women’s film festival in North America, the Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival (RMWFF), continues its tradition of bringing documentary, feature, short and animated films to Colorado Springs for three days each November.

From Nov. 4 to Nov. 6 the RMWFF presents a variety of films including “Guilty Pleasures”, a documentary about the romance novel industry, “ Food Stamped”, the at-

tempt of a couple to eat healthy on a food stamp budget and an animated short, “Bottle” which details the unlikely friendship between a clump of sand and pile of snow.

The festival begins on Friday night with a gala reception and three films at the Fine Arts Center.

On Saturday and Sunday films will be screened throughout the day from 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. on Sunday to 5 p.m. at different venues, including Armstrong Theatre, Cornerstone Center for the Arts at Colorado College and the Fine Arts Center.

“We would love to

Club

see more students from UCCS,” said Linda Broker, executive director of RMWFF. “We always strive to have a lot of diversity in the show, and we equally strive to have a lot of diversity in the audience.

We would love to have more college-age people; we think there’s a lot of value in hearing opinions of people from different generations,” she continued.

The festival is not just for women but rather is “dedicated to celebrating the drive, spirit and diversity of women,” according to the festival’s website.

According to Broker,

anyone can submit a film to the festival; however, a lot of the films that are screened are films from other film festivals.

Broker’s organization solicits films from the Sundance, Toronto and Telluride Film Festivals and then asks the filmmakers if they would be interesting in showing their films at the RMWFF. Some of the films will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker There is also a filmmaker’s forum on Saturday and Sunday at lunchtime.

The filmmakers will sit on a panel and answer questions and lead discussions

about the films. Attendees are allowed to join in for free and are welcome to bring in their lunches.

Box lunches can also be pre-ordered online.

The RMWFF began in 1986 when after attending a Telluride Film Festival, founders Donna Guthrie and Jere Martin decided that Colorado Springs needed something similar but more focused toward women.

“It’s been pretty successful from the very first year. It’s a home-grown event, for sure,” said Broker.

Students can attend the festival at a discounted rate on Saturday and Sun-

day. “There are definitely films that are going to get people talking,” Broker said. S

The Lowdown What: Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival When: Nov. 4 - 6 Where: Fine Arts Center, Armstrong Theater, Cornerstone Arts Center How much: $35 and up More Info: rmwfilmfest.org

Spotlight

Catalysts of Destruction has games friendly to all Jay Kim jkim@uccs.edu

The game room lies empty most Friday mornings with an occasional student or two on their laptops.

This changes at 11 a.m., when Catalysts of Destruction Vice President Troy Wagoner arrives with his Nintendo Wii and “Brawl Minus,” a “Super Smash Bros Brawl” hack.

What follows is a plethora of yelling, “OH!”s and taunting. Expletive-laced phrases fill the room, followed by the winner’s theme, and players congratulating each other with friendly trash-talking.

Wagoner described Catalysts of Destruction as, “Something for everyone.

We have ‘[Brawl] Minus’ for casual gamers who just want to have fun. Then we have some other games for the more serious gamers.”

What began as a few

friends having fun has has changed dramatically over the past four years, according to Aki, who said he began the club his freshman year, when he found himself with a four-hour gap between classes and little to do.

Aki and friends have been bringing games to the University Center since before the clubs inception.

What is now Clyde’s used to be “the pub” a space that housed a few tables and a bar was used by primarily

by Catalysts of Destruction.

Aki recalled bringing two monitors, multiple controllers, speakers and various other pieces of gaming equipment to the pub so he and members could play.

The group continued to meet in the pub until Clyde’s was being renovated, when Aki jokingly asked for a game room. This past summer, Aki received a phone call from UCCS architect

Carol Fox, asking about the game room, TVs and other things game-related and his suggestions were taken into account.

Aki is thankful for what he said is a gamer-friendly space to which he doesn’t have to bring as much equipment.

“The game room is thanks to the many gamers who came and shared their passion for gaming, both playing them and talking or sharing their nostalgic feelings about them,” said Aki. Catalysts of Destruction does more than casual gaming. On Oct. 28, Catalysts member Emily Zimmerman, organized a Halloween event.

The event was filled with Halloween-themed games like “Left 4 Dead 2” and “Mario Party” on the haunted setting, as well as Mario themed cupcakes.

Catalysts of Destruction meets every Friday in the game room, which is on the

Photos by Tasha Romero

Catalysts of Destruction president Dan Aki and fellow member enjoy the gaming room on the first floor of the University Center. first floor of the University Center (UC), from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., when members generally go to the McDonald’s on Garden of the Gods.

Due to the renovating at

the McDonald’s, meetings have typically just stayed in the game room until 10:30 p.m., half an hour before the UC closes.

“Anyone and everyone is welcome to bring a con-

sole and a game, and we’ll do our best to get a screen for it,” said Aki. Catalysts of Destruction welcomes both casual and competitive players and invites anyone to come by and watch. S

day, will be created and UCCS club, El Círculo de Español will present the fifth altar to be exhibited on campus.

Edgar Cota-Torres, assistant professor in the Department of Languages and Cultures and advisor to the club said Dia de los Muertos is, “a colorful celebration in which people remem-

ber with happiness and sadness those who they love and are no longer with them. It is also a way to recognize that someday we are all going to die and that we should not be afraid of death.”

Families create altars consisting of food, water, flowers and articles that the people

for whom the altar is offered liked during their life.

The El Círculo de Español altar will include hot chocolate, traditional sweet bread and a display and will be dedicated to famous Mexican revolutionist, Pancho Villa. The altar can be viewed from 2 to 4 in Berger Hall. S

Dia de los Muertos altar Nov. 2 Catherine Jensen cjensen2@uccs.edu

Sugar skulls are a popular treat during this holiday.

The tradition of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) states that on Nov 2 nd the souls of the deceased will return to their homes. In homes and cemeteries across the Americas and Mexico altars for the holi-

Culture

October 31, 2011

Colorado Springs’

Best Kept Secrets

Aaron Collett acollett@uccs.edu

When driving by Cucuru Gallery Café a sign promoting famous Cuban sandwiches is likely to catch the eye but Cucuru, an art gallery, a café and restaurant promises a feast for both stomach and eye.

In addition to sandwiches, tapas and white chocolate mocha cake, Cucuru offers a small selection of beer and wine and boasts a full espresso bar. The seating is mostly in the gallery

itself, though it does have a patio area for guests to eat outside.

The gallery itself consists of several rooms, each of which has four to six displays on the walls.

Chairs and tables are set up so that guests can eat while admiring the artwork.

Artists are rotated in regularly, with any one artist staying up for three to four months at a time.

When asked what it took to be displayed, owner Guillermo Alvarado was blunt: “I have to like it.”

The Lowdown What: Cucuru Gallery Café When: Tuesday - Wednesday: 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Thursday: 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Friday - Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Where: 2332 W. Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs, CO How much: Food: Sandwiches and drinks start at $1.50

Page 7

Cucuru Gallery Café Everything that is displayed is on sale. The prices for the framed pieces run anywhere from $120 $250. There are also “box prints” available. These unframed matted prints are $45 apiece.

The current artist on display is Fritz Penning, who will be displayed until Nov 4. His collection is titled “Nudes and Dancers”.

Penning is a photographer, which is actually an unusual choice for Cucuru.

Alvarado, said, “I normally don’t like photography, but I really liked the ‘Nudes and Dancers.’”

Most of Penning’s photos are black and white, though a few of them are in color. They are also not traditional photography: Penning primarily uses digital effects to create his work.

The info page that the store displays quotes Penning as having said, “Photography is the art of subtraction.” And indeed, Penning’s photography is

Photo by Alex Gradisher

Unlike many other coffee shops, Cucuru’s sitting areas are broken up into different rooms, with art decorating every room. stark in many ways.

However, the starkness brings out the depth of the subject. On his website, Penning calls the human body beautiful. This philosophy shows in his pho-

tographs, which do not shy away from advertising this beauty of the body.

This small art gallery café does not simply limit itself to food and paintings.

Every Tuesday, the gallery

hosts a Tango Night. According to Alvarado, about 20-30 people show up every Tuesday.

Cucuru hosts live music every Friday and Saturday featuring local musicians. S

the finale, the paranormal activity itself is dry and needlessly repetitive.

Multiple fake-outs, which only cheapen the overall effect that “Paranormal Activity

3” struggles to solidify for most of its hour and a half runtime, are even introduced this time around.

Provided that there is only so much that can be done in a horror movie,

I expected less recycling and more innovation from the writers.

“Paranormal” has been fun, but it’s time to cap the series as a trilogy before it becomes a farce like “Saw.” S

“Paranormal Activity” recycles old tricks in new story Sara Horton shorton@uccs.edu Rating:

I was brave enough to watch the first “Paranormal Activity” at night.

Well, I thought I was brave at the time.

The paranoid aftermath dissuaded me from making the same mistake when I watched “Paranormal Activity 2” and “Paranormal Activi-

ty 3,” this year’s installment of the documentary style horror franchise.

If you’re a horror fan like me, you’re probably out of luck if you crave a movie without graphic torture that will still convince you to sleep with the lights on.

The first and second “Paranormal” movies were the first to trigger a genuinely frightened reaction from me. The third left me only a little shaken.

Now that everyone knows what to expect

when the telltale rumbling and ear ringing sound effects ooze from the speakers, the series has finally lost its magic.

If you’re unfamiliar with “Paranormal,” the story is told in reverse chronological order. The first movie documented Katie, the second followed her sister Kristi and the latest movie provides a glimpse of their unusual childhood.

The movie begins with Kristi’s seemingly innocent invisible friend and, like its predecessors, the tension and anxiety escalate from there.

The building up to the scares feels much slower than previous movies and, with the exception of an intense game of bloody Mary and

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Opinion

Page 8

Letter to the Editor

Proposition 103: Sifting Through the Misinformation There’s been an immense amount of chatter the last couple of weeks on the only statewide tax increase initiative in the United States this year, and that’s Proposition 103.

Its aim? To raise property, sales and usage tax revenue during a 5-year period to the tune of $3 billion dollars infused into the state’s general education fund.

At last! Our state has some financial help on the way to make things better.

Well, like most fairy tales, my friends, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The nasty, untold reality about Proposition 103 may be difficult to accept but is, nonetheless, important to understand: raising taxes through 2017 will do nothing to stem the rise in college tuition rates. Colorado’s top-three newspapers, the Denver Post, the Colorado Springs Gazette, and the Pueblo Chieftain, have all backed up this fact, each coming out against the proposition.

Proposition 103, as indicated by its sponsor Boulder State Senator Rollie Heath, and SGA president Jarod Gray, is nothing more than a “band aid” to the bleeding of funding coming from Denver. Colorado’s complex funding problems affect the entire gamut of K-12 and secondary education.

From the proposition’s own wording it reads, “although Proposition 103 requires that the money raised be spent on public education, it does not specify how the money is to be split between the various preschool through high school and higher education programs.”

Thus, we raise these tax dollars and give them to the state lawmakers, and from there, they ultimately decide on where the money goes. At that point, find out who donated the most money to their re-election campaign.

So what does all this mean? The likely outcome is that the vast majority of tax dollars raised would be funneled into K-12 education, with an emphasis, no

doubt, on shoring up salaries and pensions.

The average school district’s budget is 75-80 percent tied up in these legacy costs; I can attest to this, as my mother has been a teacher in Florida for 35 years.

But unless you missed it, we’re in an economic recession – still. It’s painful for so many out there, and now, a new tax burden will be placed on the lower and middle classes? This new tax would come at a time just when El Paso County had recorded two back-to-back months of more sales tax revenue. A tax increase will no doubt reverse these positive trends.

Even our CU Board of Regents Chairman, Kyle Hybl, is against the measure.

In an Oct. 13 interview with the Boulder Weekly, Hybl said, “The question is, what does one need to do to stabilize public higher ed? I don’t think, for public higher ed, that 103 is the answer. I think its focus is more K-12 than higher ed.”

As you can see, most students aren’t getting the whole story on Prop. 103. And that’s quite troubling as so many groups out there are ready to take our money and give it to someone or something else.

What our education system really needs is one simple element: time.

Our state needs time to continue to rebound from the recession, ultimately bringing more jobs and, subsequently, tax revenue from commercial, property, and sales taxes back into the state coffers.

That’s the issue, friends: the state has no additional funds. So the two schools of thought come forward: raise taxes or support economic expansion.

I chose the latter, the one option that will bring real results to our alreadyreeling fiscal situation. Won’t you send a message to our state leaders and vote “NO” on this proposition?

Stephen Collier, a junior uccssteve@gmail.com

October 31, 2011

Sexism is unfortunately alive and well in JV football

There is a football player in Virginia who routinely gets up to four sacks a game. Her name is Mina Johnson, and she is the first girl to play for Southampton Academy’s junior varsity football program. This 5’2’’, 170 pound girl plays defense and routinely sacks quarterbacks that have 8 inches of height on her.

But her accomplishments on the field apparently mean less than her sex.

Lasker Northeast Academy, in North Carolina, threatened to forfeit if Johnson was fielded.

“Why?” I hear you cry.

Because they didn’t want their boys playing against *gasp* a girl. In fact, another school, Word of God Christian Academy, is apparently also considering threatening a forfeit if Johnson plays. The issue, apparently, is that the league that Lasker and Word of God are a part of, North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA), has this fun little gem in their

handbook:“Participation by boys in girls’ sports and girls in boys’ sports in any event hosted and/ or sponsored by any NCISAA school is prohibited.” Let’s unpack this a little bit.

First of all, I can understand some of the logic in keeping boys and girls separate—it can be simply a physical capability issue. Please don’t misunderstand me; I am not casting aspersions on all women. However, in general, men will tend to be larger and stronger than females. So in some games, like football, there can be a legitimate concern for the health of the athlete.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case here.

NCISAA’s handbook lays out the definitions of boys’ and girls’ sports.

Boys cannot participate in field hockey, softball, and volleyball. Girls are disallowed from baseball, football, lacrosse, or wrestling.

This is not a concern for any athlete. This is taking so-called “cultural norms” to a whole new psychotic level. What about baseball is inappropriate for girls? Haven’t you seen “A League of Their Own”? And volleyball for boys? The Men’s Olympic Volleyball Team would like a word with you.

I cannot figure out why NCISAA thinks that these sports, specifically, are gender specific. Oops, I made a mistake. They’re

sex specific. NCISAA isn’t going to give you a pass if you happen to be transgender. So apparently, I’m not qualified to play volleyball directly as a result of being male.

And that’s the issue. This is sexism, pure and simple. In their minds, volleyball is girly, and football is manly. Wouldn’t want a larger worldview to threaten your masculinity, would you? Oh no!

What confusion! How do we know how to act if boys and girls are on the field at the same time!?

Anyway, Johnson sat out for the game on Oct. 6. She was not forced to.

She volunteered to sit out so that her team would get to play a game. What an incredibly selfless thing to do. I can’t in good conscience say that I would have done the same thing in her place. She chose to put her teammates’ good over her own—even to the point of not taking what was essentially a free win on their stats.

But, as they say, what goes around comes around. Lasker got their comeuppance.

In the game against Lasker, Southampton smashed them 60-0. Holy crap. Talk about laserguided karma. The best part? Southampton was wearing pink for breast cancer month. So Lasker got the beatdown by a whole team of guys wearing pink. Kind of puts your sexism in perspective, doesn’t it, Lasker? S

on a screen when the car is put in reverse are pretty nifty. But are these commodities really needed?

No. However, with the way society is moving, most of us won’t even be able to fathom how to drive a car without one in a couple years.

With more and more of these items becoming everyday, supposed “necessities,” our kids and our grandkids are likely to not even know how to flush the toilet or turn off the lights, let alone lead a self-sufficient life without the help of technology.

This type of dependency is already happening in our language with the new text lingo that is becoming

generally accepted. It is not hard to imagine that someday in the near future, our entire lives will be dictated by the technology that we use.

This isn’t to say that technology does not have its benefits. Technology has helped humanity make leaps and bounds with cell phones, computers and the internet, but how we use these tools in the future will determine how our descendants will function in the future.

Already, there are plenty of ways that technology is becoming an addiction. Just look at the sidewalk outside of an Apple Store the next time the new generation of the iPhone comes out – the

lines of people camping out for a new, overpriced phone is outrageous. We need to be careful that a mass addiction of technology does not happen.

If society in general finds technology to be a necessity, rather than simply a tool, we will become nothing more than mindless droids in the future.

Ultimately, we need to become more mindful of the ways that we use technology and more aware of what we think we need in our lives to function. If we work towards being more self-sufficient and using technology simply as a tool, rather than a way of life, technology can work to improve society. S

Aaron Collett acollett@uccs.edu

Technology is becoming the downfall of society

Julianne Sedillo jsedillo@uccs.edu Lately, there has been a surplus of new luxury items specifically made for the richest of the rich. Ridiculously frivolous items are being made for the people who have nothing to do with their money but to

spend it on frivolous items, because giving excess money to charity would be much too logical in the eyes of the rich.

An entirely new market has been created for these people who feel the need to excessively flaunt their wealth. Items include a diamond-crested laptop for $1 million, water that is infused with “anti-aging and anti-stress elements” derived from pure gold that costs $24,000 per bottle, and even a $6,000 toilet, equipped with three preset radio stations, a seatwarmer and an automated seat lifter.

It seems as if society today is becoming more and more infatuated with

superficial and materialistic items. These items, however, aren’t just for the rich anymore. Things that we consider to be everyday items are not things that we actually need – they are only things that make our lives easier.

Take remotes, for example. Since when has humanity become so lazy that we can’t walk five feet from the couch to the TV to change the channel? Many of us have never even owned a TV that doesn’t have a remote, so even comprehending not having one is difficult.

Another example is those new cars with rear-view cameras. Needless to say, these cameras that pops up

Opinion

October 31, 2011

Never overlook family as potential abusers

Sara Horton shorton@uccs.edu Although the end of Domestic Violence Month is imminent, there is sadly never an end to domestic violence itself.

If we don’t hear about it happening to someone we know, there is almost always a cautionary tale in the media from which we can learn.

Perhaps the most pertinent example revolves around the recent suicide of Russell Armstrong, the estranged husband of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” personality Taylor Armstrong.

After Russell’s death, Taylor alleged that her husband had abused her.

She said that he beat her multiple times and, at one point, grabbed her by the throat while she was pregnant and held her against a wall.

As someone who is

nauseated by reality television, I initially did not pay attention to the story.

I only started to read into it after Laurie, Russell’s sister, entered the picture and consequently instigated a needless debate that highlights almost every common misconception that we as a society have about domestic violence.

Laurie rejected Taylor’s allegations of domestic abuse because she didn’t think her brother would ever lash out at her.

However, she somehow thought that she did know Taylor well enough to deem the allegations false.

Laurie described herself as suspicious of Taylor. She recalled when she first saw Taylor’s house and complimented her on it. Taylor supposedly replied that, while the house was beautiful, it was still not “$60 million beautiful.”

Regardless of what Laurie may think about her former sister-in-law, people such as her have no right to say what did and did not happen inside someone else’s marriage.

While Laurie constantly claimed that it wasn’t in her brother’s nature to

be abusive and wanted people to know the “real” Russell, she doesn’t recognize that abusers can easily act one way around their families and another around their spouses.

Even though there is no way to tell whether or not Taylor is being completely truthful, there is also no telltale way to identify an abuser.

Women who allege domestic violence should not be dismissed in order to preserve their spouses’ reputations.

Laurie’s supposed justifications for doubting Taylor include the absence of police and hospital reports, which battered women are typically too frightened to file. Yet she still demanded these reports for proof of her brother’s wrongdoing.

She also referred to an incident where Taylor was injured, blamed the injury on her daughter, but later recanted and blamed it on Russell.

Although Laurie seems to think that this is evidence of Taylor being a liar, the excuses are also typical for battered women.

Fearful for their lives and of angering their abusers, they invent sto-

ries about getting bruises from falling down the stairs and running into doors instead of admitting they’re unsafe at home.

Laurie also wanted to know why Taylor began to speak out and write a book about imbalanced relationships only after Russell had died.

While Taylor’s actions could be seen as questionable, the reason for her silence could also be the same as why she may have lied about her injury: fear.

Fear is what controls battered women until

a fanatic about, something that is a guilty pleasure for them. Whether you’ve read all of the Harry Potter books, seen all the Star Wars episodes, read and seen every Twilight, there are numerous opportunities in this world to be a little nerdy. And why not be a little nerdy? That’s what makes you different than the person sitting or standing next to you. It’s what makes you unique.

When I was a kid, I used to watch Sailor Moon. If anyone remembers the show, it was Japanese animation about a preteen girl with powers to fight evil with her group of friends named after various planets.

Also, when I was in the 4th grade, Pokémon was a huge craze: collecting the cards, watching the show as you were eating Lucky Charms before the morning bus came. My dad even made my sisters and me our very own light-sabers out of a rod of wood

and some metal hardware (I think he wanted boys).

Let me tell you, the sound of wood whacking together was a lot more satisfying than hollow plastic.

You see, when you’re a kid, you’re allowed to appreciate things like Anime without being labeled as being part of a specific “group” of people. Also, your imagination is a lot more active; you think that Lord of the Rings is brilliant, you play with light-sabers with your friends. There’s so much more freedom to be nerdy when you’re a kid.

Stumbleupon.com is a wonderful time-suck but also a great resource. Just the other day I read an article about “Lightning Fast Speed Dating.” Instead of just asking the normal questions of “What do you do for a living?” and “Where are you from?” you can now add, “What kind of nerd are you?” to the mix of a three minute conversation.

What a wonderful way to get all that out of the way from the get-go instead of finding a Sharper Image light-saber and Storm Trooper costume (which I would personally love to play with) in the closet of the guy you’ve been dating for three weeks.

As you are sitting reading this, I am likely gallivanting around Universal Studios’ Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where I plan to nerd it up by taking pictures around the park with various elements from the movies.

I may even come back with a t-shirt. My nerd weakness is exposed and I don’t feel badly about it at all (you may have also

Image: Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net their abusive partners die, they escape or, in the worst possible scenario, they die before they can do so.

Before we deny that a family member could have ever harmed someone else, we need to stop and remember than an abuser is always someone else’s loved one.

Although it’s hard to accept, we may not know everyone in our family as well as we would like to believe, and their abusive capabilities may not be obvious.

We should never allow

It’s OK to be nerdy, my Padawan learner

Molly Mrazek mmrazek@uccs.edu If you were to apply to work at Zappos.com, you would be asked a question in the application that is a little out of the norm.

They ask you to rate how weird you are on a scale from one to 10. They are usually more likely to hire you if you rate yourself about a seven or an eight; nine or 10 is too weird and anything below a five is just not weird enough.

I believe that everyone has a nerdy side; everyone has something that they’re

Page 9

ourselves to become so blind that we can’t even bring ourselves to consider the possibility that an abuser may be in our own family.

Disbelief that stems from the unwillingness to accept an inconvenient reality will only discourage victims of domestic violence from seeking help and speaking out against their abusers.

If there is any one lesson to learn from Domestic Violence Month and the Armstrong media frenzy, it’s that an abuser knows no role. S

Comic by Arno noticed my weakness for Star Wars).

I’m glad you’re all aware of my nerd weaknesses now, because if you wanted to be my friend then hopefully you would be accepting of the things that make me different. In fact, everyone should be

accepting of everyone’s differences. Welcome to college, where everyone is dressed differently instead of wearing the same jeans from Hollister or the same hoodie from Abercrombie. It’s no longer cool to fit in; it’s cool to stand out. S

Page 10

Life

the Scribble

Disclaimer: The contents of the Scribble are completely fabricated, peppered with inconsistencies and laced with lies. Any resemblance to the truth found herein is a matter of sheer luck. The Scribble should be approached with a healthy dose of skepticism, and its claims should be taken - if they are taken at all - with many grains of salt.

Invisible Joe

Campus Chatter

October 31, 2011 - Molly Mrazek mmrazek@uccs.edu - Photos by Alex Gradisher

The Scribe is meant to be a voice of students, so we thought we should check in and see if you think the Scribe is covering what you think it should cover. Here’s what a few of you had to say.

Kylie Garcia Sophomore, Health Sciences What do you think the Scribe should be covering?

Local things going on at the school for the most part: any events usually going on and just kind of some news for Colorado Springs, too.

What would you like to see in the Scribe?

Things that interest the students for the most part. That way we open it up and it’s different than a Colorado Springs newspaper or something.

What did you like in the Scribe issues that you’ve read?

They usually give good information for what’s going on in the school. Sometimes I’d like to see a little bit more of the small things that are going on, that way I know more of what’s going on on campus and everything.

Jenny Ishida Junior, Psychology Photo by Robert Solis

Invisible Joe is a model student and actively participates in all his classes. Here he tries to get the teacher’s attention to answer the question. His fellow students are quite annoyed with him for hogging the discussion. S

What do you think the Scribe should be covering?

I think if the university could cover academic events, a lot of academicpertaining events that would, you know, help people actually get started on their career. So, like, the career fair for example is something going on that’s probably covered in the Scribe, but if it’s not, then it should, ‘cause the focus of being in college is to kind of go on your pathway to a career.

What would you like to see in the Scribe?

Honestly, from the content I saw, it was purely opinion, purely extracurricular. There was very little subject I was actually interested in. I’d like to see more interviews with established students or professors, or even not established students. Like this you know, kinda letting us know what other students think. Inspirational, motivational stories are the best because then that actually motivates people to go on and make something out of their college career. I see a lot of people who just kinda wander around aimlessly not really knowing where they want to go and being really quiet.

They don’t talk to anybody. So, in the one [Scribe] that I did read it was just mostly about, like, “Look at this ski trip happening. These people should or shouldn’t have sex. This event’s going on where you can meet lots of friends.” You know, it wasn’t anything I was truly interested in. I’m a big motivational speech person. I like hearing all about that.

What have you seen that you did like in the Scribe?

I like some of the comedy pictures. It does interest me to see a funny picture here and there because I don’t read a newspaper that’s purely just informational. Like those little “Firefoxes crashed.” That was cute. I think I see it all the time. What I really want to know about is maybe upcoming changes to university policy and maybe IT changes before it actually happens. Like there was something about Mozilla Firefox being taken off some of the computers. I have no idea why, and I can’t get an answer out of anybody. That’s the newspaper’s job to figure that out. So, if I knew that I could find relevant and timely updates, then I might pick up the newspaper more often. S

Photo illustration by Alex Gradisher

Campus police responded to a call reporting that a student spontaneously exploded while lighting a cigarette. The name of the student has not yet been released. S

Sports

October 31, 2011

Page 11

Keystone and Breck favorite spots to ski for Ski and Ride Club Ryan Adams radams3@uccs.edu

The mountains of Colorado are starting to get some solid snowfall and it won’t be long before the best in the business are open for the season.

To assist the UCCS community in decided where to visit this winter, the members of the Ski and Ride Club have offered information on their favorites, Keystone and Breckenridge.

A lift ticket for both averages between $90-$100 and rental prices and skiing and snowboard packages range from $30 to $40 dollars for the day.

Another option is to select one of the three available passes, Summit, Epic Local and Local each which grant access to different amenities. Visit snow.com for details.

“Keystone has long runs, the North Bowl, is a short drive from UCCS, and always had plenty of spaces to park,” stated Ski and Ride Club member, Michael Brauner.

Fellow Ski and Ride member Nik Zimberoff added, “Keystone has some good back bowl hikes, a big park that is all in one place and its own lift so you don’t have to keep riding

up and down the mountain.”

Breckenridge Ski Resort or “Breck” is another favorite of club members.

Charlie Martin, an avid skier, said, “Breckenridge has a “bangin” park, killer tree runs, monster powder runs, and sick straight line groomers. The lines are almost never bad as well.”

Alex Haug said he liked Breckenridge not only for the skiing, but the town as well. “Breckenridge has amazing runs and the vibe there is awesome. It has great snow, great people, and it’s a great

town; nothing better.”

In addition to the skiing, Keystone and Breckenridge offer other amnesties as well. Although, Keystone Resort isn’t situated in a town like Breckenridge is, the nearby towns of Dillon and Silverthorne offer restaurants, bars, and other places to go at night.

There are plenty of dining options, night clubs, shops, and places to go and see while you spend your time at the ski

destination.

Opening day for Keystone is November 4th while opening day for Breck is November 11th. As usual, Arapahoe Basin has already opened and has a couple runs for those who need a late October skiing fix before opening month hits. If you can wait a couple more weeks though, all the resorts will be opening one after the other.

The season lasts from about early November to as late as mid-April depending on the weather and snowfall that each destination gets. S

The Lowdown What: Keystone and Breckenridge Where: Summit County, CO Travel Time: Two and a half hours Lift ticket cost: $90-$100 Season pass: $400-$500 Parking: Keystone: Free Breck: Expect to pay Opening Day: Keystone: Nov. 4 Breck: Nov. 11

No NBA, no problem Tyler Bodlak tbodlak@uccs.edu

Remember the ABA? Remember the red, white, and blue balls, the birth of the dunk contest, and the highflying beauty of Dr. J’s well-groomed afro?

If you said “yes” to any of these questions, you’re either old, or you’re lying.

During its far-too-short existence in the late 60s and 70s, the American Basketball Association (ABA) revolutionized the entertainment aspect of professional basketball, providing spectators with the type of up-tempo, rim-rattling action that dominates today’s highlights.

The ABA died in 1976, but now it is back. This time around, Colorado Springs is getting in on the action with its own team, the Crusaders.

Established in Nov. 2010, the Colorado Springs Crusaders are one of four teams in the ABA’s Rocky Mountain Conference. The other conference teams are the Colorado Cougars (Greeley), the Colorado Kings

(Denver…better watch out, Nuggets), and the Wyoming Roughnecks (Gillette, WY).

The Crusaders play their home games at James Irwin High School and are currently 1-0 for the season, having defeated the Wyoming Roughnecks 116-108.

Beginning on Nov. 5th and 6th with a double header against the Colorado Kings, the Crusaders will have games every Saturday and Sunday until the season concludes in early March.

Tickets can be purchased by email at info@ crusaderhoops.com or at the door on game days.

Students and members of the military both receive ticket discounts.

The original ABA marketed itself as a unique league, one predicated on pure entertainment and innovation, introducing new rules such as the three-point line and a longer shot clock. True to its flashy roots, the resurrected ABA has also implemented a few new twists of its own.

The most unusual of these innovations is the 3-D rule. In short, the 3-D

rule awards teams with an extra point per basket after the opposing team has turned the ball over.

Following a turnover in the backcourt, the “3-D rule light” flashes on until another turnover occurs. While the light is on, an additional point is added to all field goals by the team who didn’t commit the turnover. Consequently, no lead is ever truly safe in the ABA. Other unique rules include the sixth foul rule and the four-point shot.

The sixth foul rule allows players who have committed six fouls to stay in the game as “six foul players.”

When a 6th Foul Player commits a foul, the other team is awarded one (or one additional) free throw, plus the ball.

The four point shot is exactly what it sounds like: a shot that is worth four points. All baskets made from behind the division line are “four pointers.”

As NBA labor negotiations drag on and players and owners squabble over exactly how many millions of dollars it takes to feed a family,

the season is gradually shrinking into nothingness. The ABA can help fill the void.

No, it’s not the NBA, but it doesn’t want to be. Just like the ABA of old, this upstart league is

dedicated to providing its fans with a unique brand of basketball. High scoring games will be the norm and five point plays are possible (can you say “comeback”?).

If nothing else, the

ABA promises to be exciting. After all, the league’s commissioner has a little experience when it comes to excitement. You might have heard of him: his name is Julius Erving. S

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Sports the

cribe

Skiing and snowboarding page 11

October 31, 2011

PGA Golf Management program keeps on swingin’ Ryan Adams radams3@uccs.edu

After almost a decade of accomplishments, success stories, and enormous progress in growing the game of golf, you would think that the PGA Golf Management program at UCCS can be proud of what they have done, sit back and relax.

But if one casually floats into the PGM/Sport Management suite on the third level of Dwire Hall, they can attest that it is probably one of the busiest offices in the whole building.

Hard at work is Director Ed Kelbel, internship coordinator Mollie Sutherland, academic advisor Dr.Paul Miller, and executive assistant Rosey Reidl-Smith.

Each one carries their own specific duties that keep them busy but if anyone

of the 107 students has a question about internships, homework, classes, or just life in general, they have come to the right place.

“The interaction with the students not only in the class room but on the golf course as well is something I have come to enjoy quite a bit,” states Kelbel, a longtime member of the PGA of America.

“Assisting them in their pursuit to be a PGA member and sharing my experience, advice, and passion is really fun because they are all eager to learn more about the game and the industry too,” he furthered.

Sutherland echoed Kelbel’s enthusiasm, “My favorite thing has to be the students of the program.

They make the program what it is,” she stated.

As the internship coordinator, Sutherland sets students up for three, six,

and seven month internships so they can fulfill the 16 months required by the PGA. She believes that internships are one of the biggest ways students grow and that is another thing she likes.

“Watching them grow, learn, and improve the industry is another thing that I love about the program.

I hope that the legacy I leave behind will be one that shows the great success of all the students I have had the pleasure teaching and assisting. It is a special program and one that I am glad to be a part of,” she furthered.

Miller, the academic advisor for the program, said he has felt similarly since the year 2000, when the idea of PGA Golf Management at UCCS came about.

“In early 2000, the new dean of the College of

Business, Joe Rallo, who came from Ferris State University, asked me to look at creating a program that had seen a lot of success at his previous school,” said Miller, who is also a professor of accounting at UCCS. “ [Rallo] thought with a great location like Colorado Springs and a university with strong business school like UCCS would be the perfect place for something like this,” he furthered.

The process to create the program began later in 2000 and Miller along, with 30 other faculty and staff began working.

“Building the program was a lot of hard work and lot of people pursuing a vision of making the PGA Golf Management program the best it could be,” stated Miller.

“Rallo wanted the goal

1

to be to outdo Ferris’ program and that was in the back of our minds when we were creating the model degree program for the students,” stated Miller.

In 2002, Sam White, a senior instructor in the College of Business was named the first official director and by February 2003, the program was PGA accreditation with 33 students recruited for the fall semester.

Approaching their ten year anniversary, the program has reached many milestones and accomplishments but also has become involved in the community of Colorado Springs.

“We work with some prominent charities and organizations in the community most notable the Boy and Girls Club, the El Pomar Foundation, and the Colorado Springs Ro-

tary Club,” stated Kelbel.

Other events include a golf outing to support the El Pomar Foundation and Boys and Girls Club in the fall and helping the Rotary Club each November. “The program is very involved in the community and we have a ton of support from not only UCCS but also Colorado Springs,” Kelbel said.

Community members interact with the club in kind through the granting of scholarships to students. Contributors include George Lee of the Colorado Golf Foundation and longtime Colorado Springs businessman Gary Loo. PGM is supported by the AACSB accredited College of Business at UCCS. For more information on the program, see the suite on the third level of Dwire Hall. S

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