Oct. 8, 2012

ROTC page 3

the

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UCCS weekly newspaper

Monday, October 8, 2012 Vol. 37, Iss. 5

Senators discuss defense, military budget cuts at UCCS Jesse Byrnes and Sara Horton jbyrnes@uccs.edu shorton@uccs.edu Colorado Springs residents, including the approximately 1,500 military students enrolled at UCCS, may stand to receive the brunt force of defense spending cuts.

Three U.S. senators spoke at a Town Hall in the Upper Lodge on Tuesday, Sept. 25. Sens.

John McCain, R-Ariz., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., all members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, discussed automatic cuts to military spending under next year’s budget sequestration.

The event, hosted by the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation, was a part of the senators’ “Preserving America’s Strength” Town Hall tour.

It brought together heavy hitters from state and local

government, including House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, as well as university officials, students, business owners and members of the community.

Gene Renuart, retired U.S. Air Force four-star general and previous commander of the United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, opened the Town Hall by highlighting the role defense spending plays in the local and state economy, including the nearly $7 billion spent on five military institutions in Colorado that provide 75,000 jobs across the Front Range.

The three senators all said that cuts can be made, but that the cuts under sequestration would be devastating.

“We need further cuts and savings to get costs under control,” McCain said. “We’re spending money on things that

have nothing to do with defense,” he added, noting that there are some areas where both sides can find compromise. $487 billion in defense cuts are already scheduled to take effect over the next decade. Initial reductions include 72,000 soldiers cut from the Army and 20,000 from the Marine Corps. The U.S. naval fleet, meanwhile, will be kept at 285 ships.

Further reductions may be in store for what the senators have dubbed a “meat axe approach.”

The automatic cuts to the Department of Defense’s budget were a part of a budget ceiling deal reached in the House last year. A penalty clause in the deal stated that if Congress did not trim $1.2 billion, then $500 billion would be cut from defense.

The additional cuts would take effect starting Jan. 1, 2013, but action may be taken as early as a week before the presidential election.

Major defense

employers, Ayotte explained, must issue layoff notices 60 days in advance according to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. Whether or not those notices will be issued remains unclear.

McCain, who admitted to voting for the debt ceiling deal, called the automated cuts a “dumb idea” that carries “profound,” “bad consequences” and referenced Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s statement that cuts in defense spending would leave the U.S. unable to respond to crises.

He said that the proposed budget slashing would have “draconian effects” and that the Pentagon has not planned for cuts yet, something that regularly takes months or even years.

McCain also pointed to an October 2011 George Mason University study, saying that Department of Defense cuts put 18,442 Colorado jobs at risk and threaten the $6.9 billion

Photo by Nick Burns

Senators, including John McCain, visited UCCS in order to address how our nation, community and military students will be affected by next year’s budget cuts. that defense pumps into the state economy (the study itself cites 17,107 jobs for Colorado). McCain

said that this endangers national security and that Continued on page 2 . . .

Student Government Association elects new vice president Kellie Alves

aalves@uccs.edu The Student Government Association’s search for a new candidate to fill the vice presidency has ended.

April Coffin, a junior communication student with an emphasis in leadership, was selected to fill the position.

Coffin, coming from a family of five, almost all holding degrees in communication, indicated that she was initially hesitant to apply.

As a mother of a 5-year-old son, she had to consider the time commitment before applying.

But, as a classmate and friend of Steve Collier, SGA president, Coffin expressed confidence that SGA served an important purpose.

“People that I met from student government were

Inside this

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strong leaders,” she said.

Although Coffin has not been involved with student government previously, she always wanted to be more active within the university community.

When her son began kindergarten, allowing her more free time, and she learned of the vice president vacancy, “the opportunities all lined up perfectly,” she said.

To be eligible, Coffin had to meet school academic standards, as well as write an essay and attend an interview session with other members of SGA, before she was voted the new vice president.

Coffin remembers waiting for the vote as being one of the more nerveracking experiences of her life. When the votes were in, Coffin was relieved and happy.

“It was really exciting,” she said. Coffin em-

Photo by Chelsea Lewis

As the SGA vice president, April Coffin hopes to help fill the gap between younger and older students. phasized her excitement about the opportunity to be able to connect with the students as well as the university administration.

“I think it’s going to be a great opportunity,” she said. “I needed a new challenge, and this is definitely

a challenge. But it’s a fun one, and a good one, and I know long term it’s definitely a great investment.”

One of Coffin’s goals is to reach out to adult students, filling the gap between younger students and older students and

how both interact with the university. “Instead of [UCCS] just being a school, I want it to be a community.”

Coffin has confidence she and Collier will work well together. “I think Steve and I ... are going to

make a pretty good team because we complement each other’s [personalities].”

“April is an excellent addition to the Executive Branch of the Student Government,” Collier said. S

news

culture

opinion

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Parking protest page 2

Coming Out Week page 6

Entitlement page 9

Men’s soccer page 11

News

Page 2

Senators (continued from page 1) in a “stumbling recovery” it would have an effect on the economy.

Ayotte reiterated Panetta’s comment on the effects of cuts, saying that we are “shooting ourselves in the head.” She also referenced the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, who said earlier this year that as a result of the cuts, “We would no longer be a global power.”

As the Wall Street Journal reported in March, Dempsey later amended his remarks and said that “we wouldn’t be the global power that we know ourselves to be today.”

Ayotte pointed to Iran’s alleged development of a nuclear weapon, China’s presence against Japan in the South China Sea and the situation in Afghanistan as examples of why the U.S. must maintain a strong military.

“Now is not the time to destroy our military,” Ayotte said. “Certainly we can reduce defense spending in a responsible way.”

Ayotte referenced budgeted areas like VA benefits, which are exempt from cuts, but said that some areas will need to be scaled back. “All of us are going to have to bite the bullet on discretionary spending,” she said.

She cited the consequences for different divisions of the military, including “drastic” cuts to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

The cuts would result in the smallest Army since 1940, the smallest Navy since 1915 and the smallest Air Force in the military organization’s history.

Despite President Obama’s executive order to exempt personnel from the cuts, Ayotte said that they will still need to hollow out the force and reduce equipment, maintenance and training.

“We put [military personnel] in a position where they don’t have what they need to protect themselves and to protect our country,” she said.

“We can’t do that to our military again.”

Graham said that in order to have a robust economy, the U.S. must remain safe. If those contracted for defense technology go and produce material for other sectors of the economy, he said, “we lose capacity and the world power that we are becomes threatened.”

“What we need is leadership,” Graham said, referencing President Obama. He added in response to Obama’s current proposals, “Having a plan that others don’t buy into is having no plan at all.”

Ayotte offered similar views. “I don’t think that defense of our country should be used as a bargaining chip,” she said, adding that she hoped Obama would bring both parties together for negotiations because “the security of our country can’t wait for an election.”

While Obama plans to raise taxes to offset sequestration, McCain, Graham and Ayotte to some extent promote the Simpson-Bowles formula, which will offset sequestration by eliminating all tax deductions except for two: interest on homes and charitable giving.

Congressman Lamborn cites Simpson-Bowles as a good starting point.

“I appreciated the fact that they were willing to look at entitlements, and that is something that the president has studiously avoided,” Lamborn told The Scribe.

He said that entitlements make up two-thirds of the budget, with defense spending making up only half of the remaining discretionary spending.

“The advantage of Simpson-Bowles is that at least it looked at the whole picture,” he said.

Ayotte, referring to a letter sent the day before to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, R-N.V., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Tenn., by the three Republican and three other Democratic senators on the committee, called for a bipartisan proposal where “all ideas should be put on the

Correction

table.”

According to McCain, the bill the three senators have co-sponsored with Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., has yet to make any progress.

Ayotte said, “I don’t think that we should raise tax rates right now,” adding that it would hurt the economy.

She cited areas where the government can gain additional revenue by looking at loopholes in the tax code like ethanol subsidies, reforms to food stamps and even putting social security numbers on tax returns to avoid fraud.

Ayotte called on Reid and McConnell, as well as the president himself, to come together. With the president’s insistence on cutting taxes and the Republicans’ insistence on cutting spending, both sides are at odds.

One of the reasons both sides haven’t come together is because everybody sets preconditions, McCain told The Scribe. “When you have real negotiations, you sit down and you put everything on the table, and then you reach a compromise.”

While McCain said he didn’t place the entire blame or burden of the defense cuts on Obama, he did critique the president on his availability.

“The president of the United States was able to go on ‘The View,’ but yet he couldn’t meet with various world leaders today,” he said.

“The president of the United States was in Las Vegas and also here in Colorado, and he was unable to find time in his schedule to meet with the leader of our closest ally in the Middle East, the prime minister of Israel, so I don’t question the president’s priorities.”

The senators stressed they cannot wait much longer.

“The world is getting dangerous on multiple fronts,” Graham said. “Are you willing to make hard decisions? I’m willing to do that. I think all of us are.” S

In “Free Minds Film Festival seeks to promote liberty, free thought,” coordinator Michael Mangin was incorrectly referenced as founder and director of Students for Liberty. Free Minds Film Festival was also nominated, not voted, for the 2011 “Event of the Year.”

October 8, 2012

SEAS club protests parking as new parking garage is approved

Photo by Nick Burns

By occupying one parking space with plants, people and pets, Students for Environmental Awareness and Sustainability highlights the amount of green space that would be free if more people utilized alternative transportation.

Eleanor Skelton eskelton@uccs.edu Between Osborne Hall and Kramer Family Library on the morning of Friday, Sept. 21, a group of students camped in a parking space lined with blankets, beaded pillows and potted plants.

Club members from the Students for Environmental Awareness and Sustainability (SEAS) camped from 7-10 a.m. as a peaceful protest to raise awareness about the issues surrounding parking on campus and to attempt to offer solutions from a new perspective.

The co-chairs of the club, Andrea Hassler, a graduate geography student, and Hillary Fuller, a senior geography and environmental studies major, sat on pillows between a bicycle, sporting a banner and a leashed dog.

Other protesters asked passersby to fill out a transportation survey intended to evaluate how commuter students travel to campus while offering complimentary bagels and buttons that read, “I don’t need a war to power my bicycle.”

Carole Huber, a senior geography and environmental studies instructor and the faculty advisor for SEAS, was also present, handing out surveys and talking with bystanders.

“National Parking Day is actually an international event where people basically occupy parking spots to raise awareness about the amount of public space that is donated to park-

ing lots instead of things like parks,” Hassler said. “If more people were to, essentially, use alternative transportation like bikes or buses, we would not need as many parking spaces.”

She said that most of the protesters transported the items that occupied the parking space on their bicycles. “We just kind of made it into a chill spot instead of a park.”

SEAS spoke with school officials prior to the demonstration. “We talked to public safety [and] we have a parking pass here, we just don’t have a car in it,” Hassler explained.

Students who chose to participate in the survey were invited to place a sticker on a city map showing where they live in relation to the campus.

Hassler hoped that the club could use the information obtained to argue that students should be eligible for free or discounted bus passes. “It’s something that we’ve talked to the city about before, but we haven’t set up a system yet,” she said.

On Sept. 24, UCCS announced in a press release that the CU Board of Regents approved a new parking garage near Alpine Village and the Recreational Center projected to contain 1,200 spaces and an athletic field on the highest level in an effort to add more places for exercise to the campus.

“This will be a unique parking facility, one that is built to standards for sustainability and that

serves the needs for commuting faculty and staff as well as for students who live on campus and who want to have more recreational space,” said Susan Szpyrka, senior associate vice chancellor of Administration and Finance, in the press release.

SEAS club members believe this decision may not be a truly sustainable choice for UCCS. Hassler considered the issue from a geological perspective, saying, “I like the idea of this new parking garage in that it is a practical solution to two issues UCCS [is] concerned with: parking and recreation. … However, I always take approval of new development with caution, particularly at UCCS where our soils are highly erosive.”

Huber agreed with Hassler. “I would like to see the campus put more effort into promoting alternative modes of transportation,” she said.

“Traffic congestion already makes it challenging (life-threatening for cyclists such as myself) to leave campus at certain times of day; I can’t imagine what another 1,200 cars on main campus will look like.”

“I feel strongly that UCCS should be a model of sustainability for our students, our city and our region,” Huber said. “Let’s increase support for alternative solutions rather than facilitate increased SOV [single occupancy vehicle] travel.” S

News

October 8, 2012

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Weekend ROTC exercises instill confidence and teamwork in cadets Samantha Morley smorley2@uccs.edu Cadets dotted the shoulder as they paced toward the training site. Some cadets smiled, waving at the passing cars. They made their way along the pavement, shouldering 35-pound rucksacks.

The three-and-a-half mile march was only one of the many events that took place over the weekend training. Hosted at Jack’s Valley on the Air Force Academy, cadets participated in a three-day experience meant to boost confidence and team cooperation.

The first formation took place Friday, Sept.

28 at 6 p.m. as cadets assembled their sleep tents and prepped themselves for training.

The night land navigation exercise started at 9 p.m. “You have to go out and find five points, obviously at night,” MS3 Nick Albers explained. “Day land nav is more points, which is eight points, and longer distances.”

The land navigation exercise was early the next morning. MS3s were required to find eight flags, while MS1s and MS2s located five. Another night land navigation exercise with three points occurred the same night.

Cadets also partici-

pated in an event consisting of 17 obstacles, which included climbing over walls, maneuvering through scattered logs and other methods of improving agility.

The hand grenade assault course was another activity for cadets. Squads were assigned a simulated casualty and had to navigate their way through a mock battlefield.

The best time of the day was 12 minutes and 47 seconds. The cadets of the winning squad were permitted showers as a reward.

The Field Leadership Reaction Course was the last major event of the day. In their squads, teams were issued a challenge in which they only had certain items to accomplish a goal, like only being able to use specific pieces of wood to cross a riverbed.

Additional challenges, like a 30-minute time limit, complicated the goal.

MS4s observed, making sure squad leaders encouraged teammates and developed strategies. Each squad leader received a formal evaluation of their leadership at the conclusion of the event.

Sunday, Sept. 30, the last day of the weekend training, had more exercises. MS4s woke at 4:30 a.m. to set up the training course.

Photo by Nick Burns

Cadets build confidence, leadership skills and camaraderie as they overcome mental and physical challenges, both individually and as a group.

The MS1, MS2 and MS3 cadets assembled in formation at 6 a.m., then marched to the ropes course. The day’s activities consisted of four events, one of which, the low ropes course, had three obstacles.

The spider web of the course required cadets to help each other through holes created using yarn.

Once a hole was used, it closed. “It really, really requires everybody participating,” said MS4 Lyle Rogers.

The next obstacle required teams to balance on three steel wires while organizing a method to have each person hold a rope attached to the trunk of a tree, and the third obstacle used a pair of cadets.

The two would stand on parallel wires that gradually grew farther apart.

They had to use each other as support to the end. The exercise can entail more risks, as illustrated by one MS1’s injury.

“My partner started leaning back, and I went

with him. I hit my shin on the other wire,” the cadet explained. His shin and ankle were treated by onsite medics.

The rappel tower, alpine tower and climbing wall made up the high ropes events. The alpine tower was composed of three routes to the top of a 70-foot wooden structure, each path a different level of difficulty.

Strapped in a harness, cadets worked as teams to instruct each other on the best holds for their feet

and hands. There was no time limit.

Lieutenant Colonel Mark Thompson commented on the bravery of cadets. “It’s the ones that are really scared of heights but choose to get to the top that really impress me,” he said.

MS4 Jonathan Caraballo summarized the weekend: “It’s all about teamwork and camaraderie. It teaches the individual that it’s not about yourself all the time. It’s about helping one another.” S

Student writers and artists have opportunity to be published Jennifer Knight jknight@uccs.edu Students interested in having their own creative works published in the annual UCCS literary and arts journal now have less than 30 days to submit their works for consideration.

Published each spring, riverrun is seeking submissions through Nov. 2 for its next edition. The next publication of riverrun will mark the 40th volume of student works in the forms of poetry, essays, art, photography, short fiction and non-fiction.

Started by C. Kenneth Pellow in 1971 as a student-run publication, riverrun has aimed to provide an avenue for student artists and writers to express themselves and be published.

Several UCCS alumni have benefitted from being published in past volumes, including 1994 Pulitzer Prize winner Yusef Komu-

nyaaka, award-winning poet Marc Weber and Sally Mankus, whose sculptures, photos and mixedmedia art pieces continue to be displayed throughout the U.S. This year’s editorial team consists of students Courtney Gillis and Randi Batt. Gillis and Batt will work under the guidance of English professors Kirsten Ortega and Alex Ilyasova, who have served as faculty advisors for the last several volumes.

The process includes three selection committees comprised of student volunteers. Selection committee members are unable to submit their own works for consideration.

Selections will be completed by winter break, and the design and layout will begin immediately after. About 500 copies will be printed and distributed in May, which is when the annual banquet is held.

Past volumes are available at the Kraemer Family Li-

brary.

“In the earlier days of publication, most work that was submitted got published,” Ortega said.

“Over the years, however, the number of submissions has grown and we are forced to be a bit more selective. That’s a great achievement.”

Students are encouraged to submit any and all forms of their own creative expression as long as the submitted works have not been published elsewhere.

Applying is free.

Students interested can send an email to riverrun@ uccs.edu, and the editorial team will reply with the official submission form. S

Photo by Nick Burns

News

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October 8, 2012

Trumpet professional to encourage students to follow their passions April Wefler

awefler@uccs.edu If you’ve ever dreamed of a career you thought was impossible, you’re not alone.

Musician Manny Laureano achieved his ultimate dream as principal trumpet in one of the few elite major symphony orchestras and will be part

of this year’s guest lecture and Q-and-A event “With a Little Bit of Luck,” a collaboration between the UCCS Music Program and the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs.

“I believe freshmen will walk away from this discussion with a new understanding of the profound connection between the conviction to follow your

passions and dreams and achieving success,” Glen Whitehead, associate professor and director of the UCCS Music Program, said.

Whitehead said that Laureano asked if the university could create a forum in which Laureano could talk with students face-to-face about success and making it in the

world. “These daunting words are everywhere for college students, as if it is that easy,” Whitehead explained.

He said that Laureano’s life experience is not very different from that of many UCCS students.

“Growing up in an immigrant family from Puerto Rico in the 1950s, he found his true passion – to become a professional classical trumpet player – as impossible a dream as it gets,” he added.

According to the Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra website, Laureano was born and raised in East Harlem. He learned the trumpet at Wagner Junior High School, the only school in New York City that offered instrumental music as a main subject.

He auditioned for and was accepted to the High School of Music and Art before he was later admit-

ted to Juilliard.

Laureano also won the position of principal trumpet of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra 10 years after he started playing the instrument. In 1988, Laureano and his wife became music directors of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies.

“I think that Mr. Laureano sees in college students of all areas of pursuits the very same challenges and insecurities that he wrestled with,” Whitehead said.

He added that Laureano wants to connect with all types of students, but he is particularly engaged in connecting with the younger Latino generations that are coming of age.

“I felt this was a unique opportunity for UCCS students to get a glimpse of the larger world of human pursuits and unique

career paths,” said Whitehead.

In addition to the lecture and Q-and-A, Laureano is also giving a clinic on trumpet playing on Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. in Centennial Hall. Tickets are free for students.

There are additional performances Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 14 at 2:30 p.m. at the Cornerstone Arts Center at Colorado College. Tickets for UCCS students at those show times are $5. S

The Lowdown What: With a Little Bit of Luck When: Oct. 11 4 p.m.-6 p.m.

Where: University Center 302 How much: Free

Economic success: EPIIC more than just cocktail shrimp Shelby Kotecki

skotecki@uccs.edu The complexity of our world extends beyond iPhone 5 failures, protests in the Middle East and presidential debates. Issues like the economy – both its functions and its effects on the middle class – are constantly changing.

The El Pomar Institute for Innovation and Commercialization (EPIIC) is one organization that seeks to aid students, as well as the community, to better understand and foster innovative ideas and then connect these ideas to economic success.

EPIIC began in 2008 and is sponsored by a grant from the El Pomar Foundation. The organization is chaired by Terrance Boult, the chair of innovation and security and a professor of computer science; Michael Larson, chair of engineering and innovation; and Thomas Duening, chair of business and entrepreneurship.

Each chairman is evaluated on their appointments to the EPIIC board every five years. On the second Tuesday of every month, and always on campus, a speaker is chosen by one of the three professors to lead a lecture.

Duening selected Charles Sizemore to speak Oct. 9 on Investment

Photo courtesy of El Pomar Institute for Innovation & Commercialization On Oct. 9, EPIIC will feature Charles Sizemore.

Strategies for the Decade Ahead. Sizemore is the editor of The Sizemore Investment Letter, an organization dedicated to finding worthwhile investments for potential clients on domestic and global scales.

“I chose Sizemore because he’s top in his field, not just second best,” Duening said. While many students might not show much enthusiasm for the subject, he believes Sizemore’s speech could be beneficial for them.

“He’ll be discussing the way that money flows in the world,” he said. “It’s another perspective, a different point of view, and it’s something that can affect students, especially those that are graduating soon.”

As unemployment remains high, organizers hope that information given at this lecture helps to steer students into job markets that are still growing.

“Any undergrad that is going to be launched into the world soon needs to see where it’s going, see how that capital flows,” said Duening.

Sizemore will discuss the aging baby boomer population, how it impacts our economy, the income of blossoming economies across the world when the market is in a precarious position and other aspects of the economy. He will address how it affects students nationally but also those searching for work in the Colorado Springs.

“I want students to come if they’re interested in it, not just for the cocktail shrimp,” Duening said. S

The Lowdown What: EPIIC When: Oct. 9 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m.

Where: Berger Hall How much: Free More Info: epiic.uccs.edu

Culture

October 8, 2012

‘Hedda Gabler’ unleashes insanity on Osborne stage April Wefler

awefler@uccs.edu Drama and suspense is common, but a convincing performance of insanity on stage is not.

The UCCS stage production of “Hedda Gabler” brings all three.

“Hedda Gabler” was first published in 1890 by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Although “Hedda Gabler” is set around the same time, the campus production directed by Christian O’Shaughnessy doesn’t have a set time period.

The play opens with a discussion about Hedda Gabler (Carmen Vreeman) and her recent honeymoon with husband George Tesman (Dana Kjeldsen). Hedda and George enter, and throughout the play, the audience learns that Hedda is unhappy as George’s wife.

The Lowdown What: Hedda Gabler When: Oct. 12-14 at 8 p.m.

Where: Osborne Studio Theater, University Hall How much: Free for UCCS students $5 general admission Rating:

Later in the play, an old friend of George’s and old flame of Hedda’s, Ejlert Luvborg, returns to town, and Hedda causes trouble between Luvborg and Mrs. Thea Elvsted, his current romantic interest.

There are many layers to Hedda Gabler. Although she is sadistic, cruel, vicious, jealous, condescending and selfcentered – and those are only some of her negative qualities – Hedda also has a longing for a life she feels she can never have and is used to a different kind of lifestyle than George has been able to provide.

Hedda tells Thea, “If only you knew how poor I really am,” and, “For once in my life, I’d like to have power over someone’s destiny.” When she’s asked why she married George, Hedda says that her time was up and George wanted her so.

From this, Hedda shows she cares a great deal about propriety, and although she is manipulative and conniving, she is also a woman who is simply resigned to her fate in life. She does not love George, but she will not cheat on him, either.

Vreeman gives a stunning performance as Hedda. In one scene, Hedda gleefully burns a book that Thea and Lovborg had poured their souls into.

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Photo courtesy of Christian O’Shaughnessy

Carmen Vreeman stars as Hedda Tesman in “Hedda Gabler.”

While burning the pages, Hedda laughs and exclaims that she is burning Thea’s child. Hedda sounded so sadistic that one would think she is, in fact, burning a child.

“Hedda Gabler” is pri-

marily a serious play, but there are some funny and unexpected moments as well, like when George tells Hedda not to expect him back from a party early, and Hedda tells him to stay out as long as

he would like.

The scene is filled with dramatic irony – George thinks that Hedda wishes him a good time while the audience knows she doesn’t want him around.

Although I wasn’t

“One thing leads to another,” Shinn said. “I grew up in that environment naturally.” And his inspiration shines through the majority of his works, many of his pieces offering beautifully orchestrated architecture.

Shinn notes the differences in material for his work, his earlier pieces originating from acrylics and wood. “My work has evolved through the years to this point,” he said.

“Illuminated” shows his love and ability to meld the idea of abstract art and architecture into one, creating that intended “peaceful confusion” The exhibit is a mixture of paintings, architecture and sculptures all rolled into one seemingly mind-altering event, but the seemingly threedimensional paintings must be seen to be understood.

The paintings themselves are actually two-

dimensional figures, but with special lighting, they appear as something one would think impossible to produce – a doubleedged moment when one questions if the paintings are only light and paint upon a plain white wall.

Shinn hopes that “Illuminated” will offer “a certain bit of uncertainty where the light merges with the different forms and leaves the world of thinking up to the audience.” S

fond of Hedda’s character, Vreeman does a wonderful job of showing all of her character’s layers. The director and the entire cast must be commended for effectively enticing the audience. S

‘Illuminated’ exhibit seeks to alter viewers’ perceptions Ryan Cooper

rcooper4@uccs.edu Step into the unknown and experience something the eye wouldn’t expect to perceive.

This is the feeling many will get after viewing Jay Shinn’s “Illuminated” exhibit, which was unveiled Oct. 5 at the Gallery of Contemporary Art in downtown Colorado Springs.

Shinn said wishes for the audience to gain

a “peaceful confusion” within their own minds.

He works primarily out of Texas, acquired his bachelor’s degree from the Kansas City Art Institute and has also had many residencies in Europe, where he unveiled three of his exhibits.

His inspirations developed from architecture and abstract art. His father, who worked in construction, inspired him by having his own method of architecture.

Check out our website!

uccs

The Lowdown What: Illuminated When: Tuesdays through Fridays Noon-7 p.m.

Where: GOCA 121 121 S. Tejon, Suite 100 How much: Free

.com

Culture

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October 8, 2012

Coming Out Week offers multiple events around campus Peter Farrell

pfarrell@uccs.edu National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11, has been celebrated on campus before, but this year’s festivities will be different.

“This is the first time we’ve had the resources to do more than one event,” said Vanessa Delgado, LGBT program director at the Multicultural Office for Student Access, Inclusiveness and Community (MOSAIC).

Coming Out Week, beginning today and culminating with National Coming Out Day, is a series of events in which members of the LGBT community on campus encourage each other to be open about their sexual identities.

National Coming Out Day has been a part of the LGBT community since

1987. MOSAIC and the SPECTRUM club on campus have created their own tradition with Coming Out Week.

The purpose of Coming Out Week is to cre-

event,” she said.

SPECTRUM is the main sponsor for the week and is supported by MOSAIC. SPECTRUM’s mission is to act as “an openforum on sex, sexuality and gender on campus,” said It’s about building Deanna Kitchawareness and incluen, the previous SPECTRUM sion, showing that we president. are not alone here, The week and we are supported starts today with a Safe here as a community.

Zone training - Vanessa Delgado session at 7 LGBT Program Director p.m. in University Center ate a place for students 116. The session aims to of lesbian, gay, bisexual, educate participants about transgendered and queer terms, the coming out sexual identities to find a process, combating hocommunity and publically mophobia and becoming affirm their identities. part of the growing visible Samantha Kennedy, the ally population. president of SPECTRUM, On Oct. 9, a Healthy hopes the program will be Relationships workshop a success. “I just hope to sponsored by Respect continue that [on-campus on Campus will be from supportiveness] for Na- noon-1 p.m. in the Upper tional Coming Out Week Lodge, and that evening at because it is our first huge 6 p.m. in University Cen-

“

ter 302 is Buddy Night, a series of coming out stories. The week will conclude on Oct. 11 with the Guess Who’s Gay panel at 7 p.m in University Center 116.

After Coming Out Week, Zach Walls will speak at Cafe ‘65 on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. Walls became famous last year via YouTube when a video of him defending his two moms to the Iowa House of Representatives went viral.

MOSAIC acts as the LGBT resource center and headquarters for diversity on campus, aid for before, during and after Coming Out Week.

Delgado said, “It’s about building awareness and inclusion, showing that we are not alone here, and we are supported here as a community.”

Kitchen encouraged students who are thinking about coming out to prepare themselves mentally and emotionally. “I think the most important

Photos by Chelsea Lewis

Right: Vanessa Delgado is the LGBT program director. thing you can do is a personal inventory: ensure

that you’re prepared,” she said. S

“

UCCS alumnus publishes first book in ‘Mobster’ trilogy Kellie Alves

aalves@uccs.edu Pikes Perk was alight with the sounds of conversation and brewing coffee while the smells of homemade pastries wafted through the air.

Megan McAndrew Cox, author of the new Young Adult “Teen Mobster” trilogy, UCCS alumnus and former reporter for The Scribe, sat at a table surrounded by friends, family and fans for a book signing.

With a mother who discouraged cable, Cox developed a love for reading at a young age. Entranced by authors like Michael Crichton and Lauren Oliver, she found herself brewing a story of her own.

The first book of her trilogy, “Accidental Mobster,” a story about a teenage boy who becomes part of a mob family, was not published when originally sent out to publishers in 2007.

Cox braved the publishing world again in 2011, and one week after her daughter’s first birthday, Bluewood Publishing offered Cox a contract for her “Teen Mobster” series.

“I was very excited,” she said. Cox added that she is a strong believer in

the value of higher education and the opportunities it provides for students.

She is thankful for the contribution that UCCS and The Scribe made to her success, instilling her with a level of confidence that she says she could not have attained without her degree.

“At UCCS, I had two or three professors there that told me if you put your mind to it, you can find the opportunity. You can go and do things and go places,” Cox said.

She recalled fond memories of her time at The Scribe as a reporter, saying that although the editor was always hard on her and fellow reporters, the experience helped prepare her for the real world.

“The work ethic that you learn at school is what gets you to the next level.”

But even with a strong work ethic, getting inspired can become a frustrating obstacle for any writer.

Cox, a mother of two, an author, blogger and marathon runner, keeps herself inspired by envisioning a good scene toward the middle or the end of her story that she wants to get to or by setting a word count for herself, especially when be-

ginning new projects.

“Some days you’re inspired, and some days you’re just doing work.

But it’s always fun.”

Concerning her trilogy, Cox said that she has always loved the Young Adult genre.

“The characters [in Young Adult] are people you can understand because we have all been there,” she said.

Many people can still look back to the books that left an impression on them as teenagers. High school is a time when teenagers experience revelations about who they are in relation to the world around them. Cox hopes to be a part of that experience through her Young Adult series.

And the publishing process?

“It’s painful,” Cox said, laughing as she remembers her struggles.

She stresses the fact that you must believe in yourself if you want to become a writer – even if that means subjecting your work to criticism and possible rejection.

The outcome – that moment when you are published – makes the experience well worth the fight, she said.

“Keep your options open. Be willing to write anything and everything

Photo by Tyler Anderson

Megan Cox signs copies of the first book of her trilogy at Pikes Perk. because you never know what will open the door,” Cox said.

The first book of her

“Teen Mobster” series is on shelves, and she has already signed a contract for a new series. To con-

tact Cox, for more information or to purchase her books, visit teenmobster. com. S

Culture

October 8, 2012

Page 7

Appetizing ‘Bob’s Burgers’ returns with bikers and bullies Sara Horton

shorton@uccs.edu Rating:

Finally, a reason to watch television on Sundays for something other than football. Yes, it’s a cartoon, but genre shouldn’t downplay quality.

Amid reality shows and sitcoms that try too hard (I’m looking at you, NBC.), Fox’s Animation

Domination line-up bests its lukewarm competition with “Bob’s Burgers.”

“Bob’s Burgers” spotlights an American couple, Bob (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) and Linda Belcher (John Roberts), and their three children Tina (Dan Mintz), Gene (Eugene Mirman) and Louise (Kristen Schaal).

The family owns and operates, as the show’s name suggests, a burger joint.

Since the show premiered last year, the Belchers have confronted

numerous, bizarre dayto-day problems, like delivering burgers during a hostage situation, while they struggle to stay in business.

The third season premiere, which aired Sept.

30, demonstrates everything that makes “Bob’s Burgers” work. It opens with a new problem for the Belchers: The OneEyed Snakes, a rowdy biker gang that rolls into their restaurant after the death of their leader Horny Dave.

While he talks to Bob and the kids about him, Critter, the self-proclaimed gang “chapter president,” fondly reminisces, “If we were fightin’, he’d come out and he’d say, ‘Let’s go cook some meth,’ and we would, and we’d forget all our troubles.”

Meanwhile, Louise has her own troubles after she challenges Logan, a high school bully. He steals her iconic set of pink bunny ears, rendering her defenseless. But not for long.

What really makes “Bob’s Burgers” is characters like Louise, a mildly sociopathic 9-yearold girl. She takes center stage, a position that shows her at her most vulnerable – and scary.

Louise begins to stalk Logan for a chance to take back her ears and knows no bounds, not even the men’s restroom. The stalking continues until she unleashes her revenge, which merges the two storylines.

While adult cartoons may not be the most so-

phisticated art form, “Bob’s Burgers” does make social commentary on contemporary issues like bullying.

Best of all, the commentary is subtle and doesn’t lecture an audience that expects to be entertained. Most network television shows have yet to discover that balance between serious life lessons and comedy.

If they can appreciate offbeat humor, then they could learn some pointers from “Bob’s Burgers.” S

the setting is so painfully real that readers will wish for the relief of magic.

The book begins by defining “casual vacancy” as an empty seat in a city council due to the death of a council member. Barry Fairweather dies, leaving the town of Pagford to react and reveal the impact he had.

The elitists see his death as an opportunity to gain political ground,

and the people he helped during his life are devastated.

Then things fall apart for the town when some teenagers hack the council’s website and start posting secrets about council members under the alias of Barry’s ghost.

Rowling’s attempt to prove her abilities as more than a mere children’s author will leave many Harry Potter fans

wishing she’d been satisfied with fantasy.

“The Casual Vacancy” explores every issue that makes muggles depressing – things that the stories of Harry, Ron and Hermione provided an escape from.

Readers observe one girl have a cutting episode, another is raped, teenage boys watch porn and the number of f-bombs is lost near the thousands. And that’s not to mention the drug abuse, love affairs and family domestic violence.

If I didn’t have so much trust for the author and a review to write, I would have stopped within the first few chapters.

Using the worst of content doesn’t create an obstacle for Rowling’s talent, however. She writes a story with multiple perspectives, so the reader sees the thoughts and motives of the bullies and the bullied, the rich and the poor, the villains and the heroes, the politically elite and the politically active.

A small town where everyone knows every-

one has been taken to the extreme, and no redemptive end is in sight.

The amount of trashy content leaves the reader questioning Rowling’s point. If she’s trying to prove herself as an author of mainstream fiction, she’s trying a bit too hard.

A good book can cover the problems of smalltown politics, suicide, self-harm, bullying, drug abuse, promiscuity and everything else but not all at once.

If Rowling’s intent is to write about the state of humanity, though, she succeeds. Perhaps in this book she has done what few authors have: telling the story of multiple people.

The reader sees into the thoughts of almost everyone, so the main character is unclear. If only the people of the town knew how much they were hurting each other, if they could open their eyes to how much they had in common, perhaps the tragedies could have been averted.

The book doesn’t have

a mystery or a double climax, like Rowling has become known for. The story is saddening. The reader sees those who have the power to change things and becomes attached to characters overlooked by those around them.

The strongest people are broken, and the broken find hope – it’s so realistic, most would like to see this story as mere fiction. Though the book is depressing, it takes a firm look at the state of society and begs readers to recognize the reality of these issues in their own cities.

Getting any Harry Potter fan not to read this book will be difficult.

No matter its content, it’s already a bestseller and it will be remembered.

Whether it’s worth the content is a question for the reader to answer.

But maybe, instead of trying to prove herself, the writer who taught a generation about loyalty, friendship and bravery has returned to teach the same generation about perspective. S

Rowling’s ‘Casual Vacancy’ may disappoint Potter fans Cynthia Jeub

cjeub@uccs.edu Rating:

Though the names Harry and Barry rhyme, the similarities between the heroes of J. K. Rowling’s stories stop there.

“The Casual Vacancy,” which hit stores Sept. 27, is a story of muggles, but

We exclusively carry

Editorial

Page 8

October 8, 2012

Club funding demonstrates need for reorganization As enrollment increases, so does the number of registered clubs. According to the 2012-2013 viewbook, UCCS has 206 clubs and organizations, about 26 more than last year.

While more clubs would seem to mean that more students are networking and taking part in campus life, looking at the individual groups raises questions concerning duplicate clubs and excessive spending.

First, only two people are needed to form a club.

There are essentially no restrictions on this: if you have a friend, you can create a club for any subject.

This can be good – it gives people with marginalized hobbies a way to connect with others, or just another person, on campus who share them.

But, as we have asked around about club activities this semester, we’ve noticed not all clubs on campus are as active or organized as they could be. As such, clubs that are inactive or misleading, especially to freshmen, don’t deserve to be registered.

the

Photo by Chelsea Lewis

From left to right: Jamie Taylor, Mike Olson, Monica Lee and Franklin Lawsen enjoy downtime together between classes, which clubs on campus can help provide.

Multiple club contacts from the club list available at the ROAR Office never returned our calls or emails after we’ve requested more information about them.

While a lack of response doesn’t necessarily mean a club is inactive, it’s still a concern, especially if those clubs are unresponsive to students, too.

Others that have responded, like the Mountain Bike Club, have told us their leadership had no

events planned at all.

A club isn’t required to host events. But, if it does, members can request funds from SGA, which funds events that are “open and beneficial to all UCCS students.”

Funding proposals can be submitted for a maximum allowance of $3,000.

Unfortunately, this funding is on a firstcome, first-serve basis.

This caused a problem in February, when over three quarters of 2011-

cribe

Editor-in-Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sara Horton Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jesse Byrnes Copy Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Hargis News Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eleanor Skelton Culture Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cynthia Jeub Opinion/Life on the Bluffs Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aaron Collett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kaitlin Nelson Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tyler Bodlak Photo Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Gradisher Business Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike English Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Emily Olson Designer and Photographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Solis Web Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edwin Satre Ad Sales Representatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nikolas Roumell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jamie Burnett Photographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicholas Burns Junior Photographers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chelsea Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tyler Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joshua Camacho Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April Wefler Junior Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Blessinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Farrell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kailey Hernandez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shelby Kotecki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Samantha Morley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kellie Alves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kyle Marino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Palma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Toman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jennifer Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mikaila Ketcherside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Cooper Distributor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa Erickson Advisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Laura Eurich

2012 club funding had already been spent. When that money runs out, no more clubs can request funding for the rest of the year.

Funding proposals are restricted to clubs that are registered with the ROAR Office, attend a club orientation meeting and are open to all students.

Afterward, the club receives $100 in Clyde’s Cash, student funds from the Student Activity Fee that SGA reserves for club

Contact us:

On campus: UC 106 Phone: (719) 255-3658 Email: scribe@uccs.edu

expenses, and $100 in bookstore donations.

Once a club is registered, though, it can submit a funding proposal for various line items even if it doesn’t plan to hold an event.

Events funded by SGA are required to be open to all students so that we can see and participate in activities that student fees support.

But when activities outside of events can also be funded, that creates a situation in which students are paying for trivial expenses like snacks for meetings, which clubs should already be able to provide through their initial allowance – or even from their own pockets.

Club funding can further be drained due to duplicate clubs, like the two registered anime clubs on campus: Anime Culture and Japanese Anime and Culture Club. They’re not the only examples of duplicates, either: hookah and religion clubs have also multiplied.

While any student interest deserves an opportunity for representation on campus, there is no need

for more than one club for the same hobby.

Consolidating duplicate clubs would save hundreds in student funds and benefit the members, as they would have the opportunity to meet even more students who share the same interests.

Clubs also need to be evaluated every semester and taken off the club list if they fail to show leadership or are inactive. If they are active but don’t respond to information requests from students, a new contact needs to be elected.

Clubs should continue to bring students together, especially in a university environment where we otherwise may not have the time to connect with other students.

But when student fees pay for that to happen, we need to be aware of how they’re spent and how they can easily be reduced so that we don’t have duplicate clubs and so that the clubs we do have receive funding throughout the year. S — The Scribe Editorial Board

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Opinion

October 8, 2012

Giving away health care and housing saves money

Aaron Collett acollett@uccs.edu 47 percent of America feels entitled, according to Mitt Romney, “to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.”

You know what? That 47 percent is entitled, or has a legal right, to health care, to food, to housing.

For that matter, 100 percent of America is entitled to health care, to food, to housing.

The Declaration of Independence, though not a legal document by any means, says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Leaving aside the thorny question of the source of these “unalienable rights” (because that’s another

whole discussion), people have a right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Feeling entitled to food is like feeling entitled to air. It’s ridiculous to even imply that people don’t have a right to food.

Now, no one can force you to eat – Mohandas Gandhi proved that – but a right to life that requires food for living is a right.

What about health care and housing? Well, if you get sick and die, you’re obviously not alive. If you freeze to death because you are outside when it’s below freezing all night, you’re not alive again. Looks like we’ve got a case for at least limited health care and housing.

Those rights aren’t in the Constitution, true. They’re not “legal” in the sense of being protected by the Bill of Rights. But find someone who doesn’t agree that people have a right to life.

Right-to-life arguments are at the core of social issues like euthanasia, abortion and issues involving keeping someone on life support.

Providing health care and housing for people who don’t have it actually saves society money – a lot of it.

According to The New Yorker, in one University

Page 9

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has since said his comments about 47 percent of Americans, who he said “believe they are victims,” were “not elegantly stated” and “just wrong.” of California, San Diego Medical Center study, the chronically homeless – those who are homeless for years – rack up an average of $100,000 in medical bills every 18 months.

Most of that cost comes from ER visits and the ICU. Since the chronically homeless are not getting preventative care, when they do come into the ER, their visits are always serious. The cost of this medi-

cal treatment is spread out to the rest of society.

Getting the homeless back on their feet with housing and preventative medical treatment would be far cheaper.

In 2005, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless began a new program for the homeless. Instead of running food kitchens and shelters, it started giving apartments and medical care.

The cost per person? $10,000 per year. And the program is better at getting the chronically homeless off the streets.

Politicians rail against this highly effective, efficient program every election cycle – and this year, Romney is leading the charge.

The issue, of course, is that Americans have an overblown sense of “fairness.” If someone gets

something that they don’t “deserve,” people throw a fit, turn on the waterworks and cry, “But I didn’t get (insert noun here)! It’s not fair!”

So, yeah. Americans are entitled to food, housing and health care. And even if you’re deceived enough to try and claim that they aren’t, it’s more efficient to act as if they are – to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars per year. S

tal decisions that alter experiences and outcomes.

The finale of the “Mass Effect” trilogy comes down to a single eleventh hour decision, revoking everything the player had built throughout the three games.

“Dragon Age II” faced criticism due an identical problem EA caused with the “Ultima” series – a rushed release date.

It also ends with a cliffhanger, enticing the gamer to buy the next installment, a blatant marketing scheme BioWare has never used before.

This change does not bode well for the final installment of the “Dragon Age” series, “Dragon Age III: Inquisition.”

Unfortunately, other EA acquisitions can relate to the company’s tendency to twist what makes series unique. EA’s meddling lends credence to the idea that the parent company can overpower its subsidiaries’ creative influence, destroying the smaller company’s initiative to

produce stylized games.

EA’s releases under its own label are heavy in gameplay mechanics and light in story, with popular contributions to the gaming community including “The Sims,” “Madden NFL” and “FIFA Soccer.”

BioWare’s releases, meanwhile, are based heavily on story and character development rather than innovative game play. Their games have some of the most engaging experiences of any available, and EA has no business intruding on such a radically different style of gaming.

BioWare includes controversial themes in its games, and it has mastered the mechanics of having key decisions influence the game’s ending.

Fans fear losing the innovative and provocative ideas included in BioWare games. With EA’s history of squashing defining series traits and without BioWare’s founders to protect them, fans are right to be fearful. S

Founders’ retirement suggests unpromising future for BioWare

Mikaila Ketcherside mketcher@uccs.edu Hardly any creative video games are on the market anymore. Now that BioWare co-founders Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka have left the video game business for good, that precious supply will dwindle even further.

BioWare is now vulnerable to Electronic Arts (EA), its parent company.

As a parent company, EA overpowers its subsidiaries’ creative influence and destroys their ability to produce unique, stylized games.

EA has a colorful history of purchasing small production companies,

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Ray Muzyka, left, and Greg Zeschuk, right, have retired from BioWare, which they founded in 1995. then releasing games drastically different from their previous productions.

Origin Systems (OSI) produced the highly successful “Ultima” series.

After EA purchased OSI, it released “Ultima VIII: Pagan” and “Ultima IX: Ascension.”

These two installments were received poorly by fans and lacked key elements that defined the

“Ultima” series. OSI cofounder Richard Garriott left in 2000, and four years later, EA disbanded the company.

Similar destruction occurred with Bullfrog and Westwood Productions, two more subsidiaries of EA. John Riccitiello, EA’s CEO, apologized for defiling these companies and claimed EA would allow more creative freedom.

Recently, however, EA has returned to old habits.

Though EA acquired BioWare in 2008, there has been little visible interference – until now.

The changes have affected popular BioWare games, including “Dragon Age: Origins,” “Dragon Age 2” and the completed “Mass Effect” trilogy.

These BioWare titles allow the player to make vi-

Life on the Bluffs

Page 10

Campus Chatter

October 8, 2012

A club is on campus for almost everything. Like to play chess? There’s a club. Want to smoke hookah? There are two. Students gave their opinions on clubs and how they can be improved.

Aaron Collett, acollett@uccs.edu, photos by Sara Horton

Nikki Liquete, freshman, mechanical engineering Are you involved in any clubs on campus?

Currently, I’m part of the APISU and the energy conservation club - CoPIRG. What made you want to join those clubs?

Well, I have a sustainable meet for freshman seminar, and I’m Filipino, so Mosaic and APISU would be the fastest way to get into the school.

Do you think that clubs are beneficial to campus?

I do. They help students get into other groups and to hang out with other people and meet new people.

How do you think clubs in general could be improved?

More people. More diversity throughout the groups, more people who want to join.

Amber Alderete, junior, communication and criminal justice Are you involved in any clubs on campus?

Yes. I’m involved in the APISU, which is the Asian Islander Pacific club, and also I am in a breakdance group.

What made you want to join those clubs?

For the APISU club, I have a lot of friends who are in it, so I was just like, I’ll try it, and I knew a lot of people in it. When they asked me to join it, I said, “Why not?” Then I joined it, I said, “Let’s do this.” Breakdance group, I just like dancing, so I found it, and I invited a lot of people from my friends, and they enjoyed it too, and it’s a great let out.

Are clubs beneficial to campus?

Yeah, I always say if you’re on campus, you always have to have some type of fun, something you enjoy, something you can go to and let out your emotions, let out your stress. Because if you don’t have that, you’re just going to be balled in. You can’t really set anything, and you’ll just be stuck in one area.

How could clubs be improved?

If people were more involved, if people knew about them. I didn’t know about APISU or the breakdance club until someone mentioned it. If it was more widely put out, I think that would be better. As far as the clubs itself, it just depends on the people and what they want.

Gay Rights Crossword: Gay Rights Aaron

Top 10: Worst Clubs at UCCS

by Jonathan Toman, jtoman@uccs.edu, photo by Peter O.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Anthony Parsons, freshman, mechanical engineering Are you involved in any clubs on campus?

Not currently, but I’m a very big cyclist … I think we have a cycling club here I could get involved in.

What made you want to join the cycling club?

I feel like, with my high school, we started the cycling club, and I definitely felt more involved with my school, something that I had a lot of passion for, and involving that with my school life … I wanted to be at school more, and I felt like I was participating more.

How could clubs be improved?

It seems like a lot of people at first are into certain clubs and being a part of it. From what I’ve seen, a lot of them just fall out and die. It’s almost like generations, like there’s a group of people that are really big into the club, but it doesn’t get passed down. So if there’s any way to get other people involved so it doesn’t die out. S

Bring your completed crossword to the Scribe office (UC 106) for a prize!

Last week’s crossword answers can be found online at uccsscribe.com.

The Lodge Ice Cream Machine-Breaker Club

1 4

6 7

The Future Moustache Growers of America Club

8

9

The Celebrate Construction at 8 in the Morning Club

10

11

The Helium Voice Club

12

13 14

The Dictionary-Reading Club

The Biking Up (But Never Down) Austin Bluffs Parkway Club The Watching Paint Dry Club

The Campaign for Fewer Parking Spaces Club The Pro-CC Club

UCCS

3 5

The Box-Making Club

This week at

2

Tuesday, Oct. 9 EPIIC Night 1 with Charles Sizemore Berger Hall 5:30-7 p.m.

Jeopardy Clyde’s 6-8 p.m.

Men’s Soccer vs. Colorado State-Pueblo Mountain Lion Stadium 7 p.m.

15 16 17

Across Across First gay bookstore dedication (2 Words) 4 4 First gay bookstore 6 Annual Gay Rights Festival dedication (2 Words) 7 Traditional marriage advocate, sandwich 6 Annual Gaymaker Rights Festival 9 Controversial coffee house 7 Traditional marriage U.S. lesbian magazine (2 Words) 10 First advocate,12sandwich First marriage equality state maker 15 Number of states to have legalized samesex marriage 9 Controversial coffee First pro-gay president 16 house Planet used as a symbol by transgender 10 First U.S. 17 lesbian community magazine (2 Words) 12 First marriage equality Wednesday, Oct. 10 Thursday, Oct. 11 Friday, Oct. 12 state 15 Number ofa states Intermediate/Ad“With Little Bit of to Women’s Soccer vs. have legalized vanced Yoga Luck” Adams State Rec Center same-sex UC 302marriageMountain Lion Stadium 16 First pro-gay president 12:10-1:10 p.m.

4-6 p.m.

5 p.m.

17 Planet used as a symbolH20 by transgender Core Express Lecture Series: Club Night community Rec Center Colorado Supreme

5:10-5:40 p.m.

CSI (Cardio Strength Intervals) Rec Center 6-7 p.m.

Court Justice Gregory Hobbs GOCA 1420 (Campus Exhibit Space) 7:30-9 p.m.

Clyde’s 6-8 p.m.

Men’s Soccer vs. Adams State Mountain Lion Stadium 7 p.m

Down Down JCPenny 11 Face ofFace of JCPenny 2 First country to recognize same-sex marriage 2 First country to 3 Gay rights organization founded in 1950 (2 recognized same-sex Words) marriage of National Museum of LGBT History 5 Location 3(3 Words) Gay rights organizatio founded inin CA 1950 gay man elected (2 Words) (2 8 First openly colors 11 All theWords) states from havingof to recognize 13 5Prevents Location National same-sex marriages, abbr.

Museum of LGBT Histo to have a cover story on gay 14 First magazine (3 Words) rights

8

First openly gay man elected in CA (2 Word Sunday, Oct.14 Saturday, 13 colors 11 AllOct. the 13 statesSocfrom Cool Prevents Science Fes- Women’s tival having to cerrecognize vs. Colorado same-sex marriages, Multiple on-campus State-Pueblo abbr. locations Mountain Lion 14 First to have 9 a.m.-3 p.m. magazine Stadium cover story on gay rig Improv Night Clyde’s 6-9 p.m.

11:30 a.m.

Men’s Soccer vs.

Fort Lewis Mountain Lion Stadium 2 p.m.

Sports

October 8, 2012

Page 11

Men’s soccer team strives to continue winning streak jtoman@uccs.edu Despite a difficult beginning to the 2012 campaign, the UCCS men’s soccer team has hit its stride.

After a 0-2 start, the Mountain Lions took on cross-town rival Colorado College on Sept.

5 and gained their first victory of the season.

“That was a big win against CC, and it really raised our confidence,” said first-year head coach Johnnie Keen.

With a couple of personnel changes and a “think defense first” mentality, the Mountain Lions have won their last four games, including a 3-2 victory against defending Division II national champion

Keen, UCCS hasn’t beaten Fort Lewis in Durango since 1999. “We had a game plan, and everyone stuck to it,” Keen said.

Shaswar, the team’s leading scorer, is one of six Now that we’ve found players on the the winning formula, we squad not originally from the just have to perfect it.

U.S. Each - Johnnie Keen player brings Head Coach a different perspective to the medicine with an empha- team. sis in strength and con“They all bring comditioning. “It was a crazy pletely different backgame,” he said. grounds, and in turn, Senior captain and cen- completely different viewter midfielder Brett Drefs, points on the game,” said who is majoring in busi- Keen. ness with an emphasis in Shaswar, from London, marketing, echoed Shas- came to Colorado because war. “I was just extremely it “had sunshine and skiexcited, especially since it ing … plus, the coach was was the last time I was go- interested in me.” ing to play there,” he said.

“It’s very different from According to Coach London,” Shaswar added.

“

Fort Lewis College on Sept. 23 in Durango.

“Everyone worked hard for each other,” said senior striker Mash Shaswar, a graduate student in sports

“

Jonathan Toman

Photo by Nick Burns

The men’s soccer team won against Colorado College on Sept. 5.

“Everything here is so spread out, and the sun actually shines here.”

Keen is pleased with the turnaround of his team.

“We are starting to play for each other, and now that we’ve found the win-

ning formula, we just have to perfect it,” he said.

In the coming week, the Mountain Lions will play five consecutive games at home. On Oct. 9 at 7 p.m., the Mountain Lions play host to rival CSU-Pueblo,

and Adams State comes to town Oct. 11 at 7 p.m .

Their final regular season home game is Oct. 14 at 2 p.m., when Fort Lewis comes to Mountain Lion Stadium looking to avenge the previous loss. S

weeks under the replacement refs, it’s easy to say these replacement referees in the NFL were, well … terrible.

Even though the refs were doing their best, they blew many key calls in matches, and they tainted the integrity of the game.

It was hard to watch.

These guys were refereeing Division III football and high school games before coming to the NFL as replacement officials.

The speed of the NFL game is difficult to follow for the untrained eye.

These officials were not qualified to be refereeing NFL games.

I felt bad for the replacements; refereeing

any game, let alone a professional one, is hard.

They were being unjustly scrutinized by fans, players and the media.

Every single call they made was a horrible call in the eyes of the fans, players and coaches. The situation had gotten so bad that the normal referees were cheered when they returned (a sight you are sure to never see again).

Truth is, the replacement refs did what they had to do. They were thrown into a pit of fire and did an admirable job doing what the normal refs have trained all their lives for – and the replacements only had a

few months to get ready.

I applaud the replacement referees. They refereed as best as they could and allowed us to watch some entertaining, err, controversial football for three weeks. It was an interesting ride for everyone, and we still got to enjoy football.

We got our regular referees back now, and all will seemingly be restored. Everyone – myself, the players, the fans – is happy they are back.

If nothing else, the situation has been good for the game of football, as the NFL players will have a newfound respect for the referees and their officiating. S

NFL says goodbye to replacements, hello to Hochuli

Kyle Marino kmarino@uccs.edu Two weeks ago, football fans across the country breathed a collective sigh of relief. The replacements referees had been removed from the NFL. Even though the veteran referees – like Ed

“Big Guns” Hochuli, who celebrated the end of the lockout with push-ups – are back, no one will soon forget the tumultuous tenure of the replacement referees through the first three weeks of the season.

As the quality of officiating dipped, many people were left asking, “Why couldn’t they get a deal done sooner?”

The answer lies in our passion for football. Simply, the demand for football is unyielding, and people will keep watching regardless of the refereeing product they put on the field.

Arguably the most controversial call, which

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Write us @ scribe@ uccs.edu

some are dubbing the “Inaccurate Reception” and “Fail Mary,” occurred during the Monday Night Football thriller between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.

The game-ending decision was the turning point for finally getting the veteran referees back on the field.

Commissioner Roger Goodell decided to step up, give the refs what they wanted and reward faithful fans with a better product for eight to 10 years in the future.

It sure feels like a topic that’s been beaten to death and revived only to be beaten again, but after watching football for four

Sports

Page 12

October 8, 2012

Women’s soccer ties record, sets sights on championship Kyle Marino

kmarino@uccs.edu The UCCS women’s soccer team has enjoyed success so far this season, already tying the school record for wins with eight of its first 10 games.

“Our goal every year is to obviously win a Division II championship, and all we need is a shot,” said Craig Decker, assistant head coach.

After a successful 8-9-1 campaign last season, the Mountain Lions entered this season with a young but experienced core group of players.

“

They want to win for each other and have been playing for each other this season.

“

- Craig Decker Assistant Head Coach

“We have built a winning culture here at UCCS, and girls are looking at UCCS as a viable option to come play Division II soccer,” Decker said.

The Lady Mountain Lions’ success could be a surprise to some, as they compete in one of the nation’s toughest conferences, the RMAC. But Decker is not surprised by their success so far.

“The RMAC is one of the toughest conferences in all of Division II. Every game is a battle, but our girls get hyped

for big games,” he said.

A mix of solid defense and a complimentary offense has been critical to the success of the Lady Mountain Lions this season.

According to Decker, a team-first mentality has helped the Mountain Lions gain much of their success this year.

“This year the girls are playing with a team-first mentality,” Decker said. “They want to win for each other and have been playing for each other this season.”

The defense, anchored by keeper and two-time R M A C Defensive Player of the Week Kelly S c h r o e d e r, is one of the better defensive teams in the nation.

Schroeder, a junior and Colorado Springs native, has had an impressive six shutouts in 10 games. Her shutout percentage is tied for 16th best in Division II. On offense, the team has been steady, scoring and providing a boost to the stout defense. Hannah Levett has been the leader of the offense thus far. Levett, a sophomore

from Fraser, Colo., has paced the team with five goals and five assists through 10 games this year.

While the Mountain Lions have been successful thus far, the team

needs to keep a sharp focus and play as a team. A top-three finish in the RMAC would give the team a chance to win a Division II championship, the ultimate goal.

“It’s like the holy grail of college sports,” said Decker. And judging from the way the team has been playing, getting there might be possible. S

The women’s soccer team has won eight of its first 10 games, tying the school’s record for wins.

v Photos by Nick Burns