April 23, 2012

Relay for Life page 3

the

Monday, April 23, 2012 Vol. 36, Iss. 27

FREE

cribe

Your school.

Your voice.

University of Colorado Colorado Springs Weekly Campus Newspaper

Large corporate donation helps engineering department Kaitlin Nelson knelson6@uccs.edu

Agilent Technologies Inc. is the world’s premier company for precise measurement tools in areas such as engineering, research, science and business.

Earlier this month, the engineering department benefitted from their expertise when the company donated $200,000 worth of their InfiniiVision 3000 X-Series oscilloscopes to the school.

“Agilent has had a longstanding partnership with UCCS for many years,” explained Megan Chura, the high-volume oscilloscope business manager for Agilent’s Oscilloscopes Product Division.

Agilent has helped student research at UCCS in the past by lending equipment to the school.

The gift left many engineering students pleased and many non-engineer-

Photo by Nick Burns

Electrical Engineering senior Andrew Vallejos watches the screen on a donated oscilloscope to help with his work. ing majors confused – what is an oscilloscope, and why does it matter?

Seth Shoemaker, a junior in electrical engineering, described the instrument like this: “Oscilloscopes are a tool that let you measure sinusoidal electrical currents,

like alternating currents.

They can show you the amplitude, the phase, the frequency and so forth.”

Essentially, oscilloscopes help researchers to develop the electrical components in many common products, and are also helpful in trou-

bleshooting electrical equipment.

The measuring instrument is widely useful. Chura said, “Oscilloscopes are one of the most common tools used in [engineering labs].

Very general purpose.”

Not only are the tools

used in a large number of classes, but they are also used when the department does demonstrations for high school classes that come to campus.

The donation was particularly welcome in light of their current equipment’s age.

“We had old instruments in the lab, and now we are replacing them with a new generation of instruments so that we can give students very good hands-on education,” said T. S. Kalkur, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Chair.

“This donation helped us a lot,” he added.

Like many of his peers, Shoemaker agreed that the donation was helpful and was pleased overall. “The machines they gave us were quite good,” he said.

“The only thing I don’t like is that they can be very troublesome to connect to the computer. But, that’s a small quibble.”

Partially due to Agilent’s gift, Shoemaker said he would consider the company for a job after graduation.

Kalkur thinks this is a good mindset. “Students are trained with [Agilent’s] instruments when they go to get a job,” he said. “So that gives them an edge over their competitors.”

In fact, this was a key motivator behind the donation.

“We hire many graduates from UCCS,” Chura said, which leads to the company’s “vested interest in not only keeping the relationship, but also keeping students engaged with the latest and greatest technology.”

On April 5, the school held an unveiling ceremony in celebration of the gift, given through Agilent’s University Relations program, where the chancellor formally accepted the donation on behalf of the university. S

Mountain Lion Research Day showcases research on campus April Wefler awefler@uccs.edu

Students and faculty alike were invited to share their academic research during Mountain Lion Research Day on April 13 at the Gallogly Events Center. The poster session consisted of 82 researchers speaking about their work.

Michael Larson, associate vice-chancellor for research, started the program four years ago. “We really needed a mechanism for allowing faculty, students and people from different colleges to appreciate and understand what different people are doing,” he said.

Larson said that invitations are also sent to students and faculty at Pikes Peak Community College and the community at large. “It lets folks better understand what’s going on in research at their lo-

Inside this

Issue

cal facility. We need the community support,” said Larson.

“It’s been education for me to get a look at the broad range of research that’s happening at UCCS,” he added. “Intellectual vitality of research is what makes UCCS so great and distinguishes a university from a community college.”

Cerian Gibbes, a professor in geographical and environmental studies, shared her studies of the change in climate and vegetation patterns in southern Africa since the 1950s.

“People often think of much of sub-Saharan as being resource-scarce; from a different perspective, it’s actually resourcewealthy,” she explained.

While researching, Gibbes realized that there was less rainfall in southern Africa after the 1970s and the region was moving away from large trees to shrub

news What ROTC really does page 2

species. She noted that it could potentially affect the local wildlife.

Michelle Wood and Evan Shelton, senior undergraduates, did a study for a class and were invited to present their research at the poster session. “We wanted to see whether a girl’s attachment to her father in childhood prevented her from having risky sexual behavior later in life,” said Wood.

While researching, Wood and Shelton gathered evidence that they believe supports their hypothesis. “Girls seek acceptance from their father and if they don’t get it, they find it in another male,” said Wood.

Sophomore Justin Miller, a research assistant for Veterans Trauma Court, studies post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans. “Mental health [in veterans] is pretty distraught after a war,” Miller

Photo by Ariel Lattimore

Mountain Lion Research Day featured many interesting projects. said. “We want to help them start completely over without them being held back while trying to get a job.”

A class three or higher felony can’t be erased, but the files can be sealed. “We give them a lot of support because they protect our country,” he said.

The poster session included three oral presen-

culture

Film Festival preview page 4

tations by Eugenia Olesnicky Killian about fruit fly genes, Charles C. Benight regarding his study of disasters, and John Crumlin explaining what the CU Aging Center is used for. Benight is hosting a session April 27 in Breckenridge 5101 from 12-1:30 p.m. to further explain his research.

Afterward, during

the Keynote Luncheon, James O’Hill of the Colorado Center for Health and Wellness in Denver talked about what the center is doing to help obese kids become healthier.

Gibbes added that it was great to see the work others were doing. “I’m really impressed with the student presentations that are present here.” S

opinion

sports

Ethnic Studies for all page 8

Bounty Hunting page 11

News

Page 2

April 23, 2012

ROTC cadets spend their weekend training, bonding Lucas Hampton

lhampton@uccs.edu Before sunrise on the morning of April 15, snow was falling on the faces of cadets as they prepared for an exercise in light infantry tactics, the first exercise of many on that frost-bitten morning. Students in the Army ROTC program travelled to Jack’s Valley, a training area within the Air Force Academy, where they spent three days practicing a variety of field training exercises.

The intense weekend of training varied depending on the rank of the cadet – or more accurately, their equivalency of rank.

Cadets are ranked between Military Science (MS) one through four. Senior Jonathan Briggs, ranked MS 4, explains that the ‘rank’ just refers to the year of the cadet, so all of the cadets are technically the same rank.

MS 4s like Briggs will be training in light infantry tactics, leadership-based obstacle courses and night navigation; cadets such as Elizabeth Hill, ranked MS 2, explained that “the MS 1s and 2s do an obstacle

course.” She added that since it’s the last day, “its MS1 and 2 fun time.”

Is it actually fun? “It’s more fun than what we’ve been doing … it’s team bonding; you get to hang out with your class mates.”

Hill said that she is fortunate, as “the MS 3s have to be patrolling, and that’s not fun, I’ve heard.”

MS 3 Andrew Perry explained the training that his year is preparing for, “We’re doing patrolling lanes … which in the Army would be in a platoon size unit – 30 to 40 people – but here we do it with two squads – 15 to 20.”

The exercise places the cadet in the scenario of being in enemy territory and receiving a mission, which includes anything from a raid or ambush to reconnaissance or retrieving friendly soldiers. “We first establish a patrol base,” Perry explained, “and there we receive an operations order.”

The operations order funnels down the command chain from platoon leader to squad leaders to the rest of the soldiers, and then they rehearse the mission. During the mission rehearsals,

Perry explained, “[we] plan for action on the objective … we conduct battle drills, basic doctrinal reactions to certain situation that might come up.”

Perry said that most of the patrol exercise is to train the platoon and squad leaders. All ROTC cadets will become officers upon graduation from UCCS, and the leadership being taught is “what an officer ultimately does: They are master planners, master organizers,” said Perry, “they have to be the leader.”

Leadership skills and survival training are not the only rewards ROTC has to offer: Enrollment in the program is what pays these cadets’ tuition bills, but ultimately, this perk is not what inspired cadet Perry to enroll.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to be in the Army.

I grew up with three brothers, and we always fought and played army. My other two brothers – one is a Ranger, and the other is in Special Forces.”

Once the cadets graduate, they are required to serve four years either in the Army or National Guard, but Perry said he can’t wait.

the

“I’m looking forward to being in the actual Army again.” Perry was already a member of the National Guard before he decided to enter ROTC. “The Army is a necessary thing for our protection, and ROTC students are going to be the future leaders of the Army,” he continued.

“We as Americans enjoy a lot freedoms that other countries don’t have, and I know its cliché, but I think it is very true, and we fight for those rights.”

Participating in ROTC is a full-time commitment, and the demands can be tremendously taxing on the cadets. “It takes a certain type of person to be in the Army,” Perry said. “A lot of people don’t like being told what to do, and you will be told what to do, and a lot of the times you will not like it.”

Briggs explained that “even out of uniform you’re still a cadet,” something that is demonstrated by the extra workload ROTC students take on.

“We have our PT three times a week, that’s physical training. We do that Monday, Tuesday and Friday every week,” he ex-

plained. “We do a leadership lab every Thursday,” and many weekends, such as this one, are reserved for intensive field training.

Hill relates the seemingly endless training exercises that occur regularly. Other than regular PT, she said, “We practice battle drills, learn about Photo by Nick Burns equipment, we A cadet hugs his rifle while he tries to have to do waget some rest. ter training … we have ranger challenge, preciation for the role they we compete against other are seeking to fulfill, for the schools, there’s a baton image of cadets huddled ruck march in the spring.” together, half asleep, still Despite the numerous clinging to their weapons, commitments, Hill finds the yellow smoke bomb pleasure in what she is do- staining the faint light of ing. “Some days, I wonder dawn, and the ring in your what in the world am I do- ear from an explosion ing? But I am so happy I’m somewhere nearby; all of doing this, and you meet this makes it difficult to aca lot of friends and cool knowledge that this is just people.” training for these students, Catching only a glimpse and several years from now, of what these cadets do cre- this battlefield artifice will ates instant respect and ap- become a reality for them. S

cribe

UC 106 | (719) 255-3658 | www.uccsscribe.com | scribe.eic@gmail.com

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Copy Editor News Editor Culture Editor Opinion/Life on the Bluffs Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Business Manager Graphic Designer Web Designer Ad Sales Representatives Photographers

Reporters

Columnist/Reporter Junior Reporters Distributor Advisor

Cherise Fantus Cat Jensen Julianne Sedillo Matt Sidor Sara Horton Kaitlin Nelson Tyler Bodlak Alex Gradisher Matt Baatz Emily Olson Edwin Satre Nikolas Roumell Jamie Burnett Robert Solis Ariel Lattimore Nicholas Burns Ryan Adams April Wefler Jesse Byrnes Aaron Collett Lucas Hampton Kailey Hernandez Peter Farrell Tori Kay Laura Eurich

Letters to the Editor

The Scribe strongly encourages letters to the editor. Letters intended for publication must not exceed 350 words, must be legible and include the writer’s name and contact information. Letters must be submitted to The Scribe via email at scribe.eic@gmail.com by 5 p.m. on Wednesdays before publication. The Scribe reserves the right to reject letters to the editor that are libelous, obscene or anonymous and has the right to edit as necessary due to space limitations, spelling or other grammatical errors and AP style guidelines.

Distribution Policy

The following conducts are prohibited by The Scribe: Publication and news rack theft. A person commits the offense(s) of publication and/or news rack theft when he or she willfully or knowingly obtains or exerts unauthorized control over more than one copy of any edition of a publication distributed on or off campus (a “publication” is any periodical that is distributed on a complimentary basis). Any person who commits these offences is responsible for compensating The Scribe for any reasonable costs incurred, including, where appropriate, the refunding of advertising fees.

Archives

Additional copies of the current publication volume are available in The Scribe’s office. The Scribe keeps issues from the past five volumes for internal use only. The Office of University Archives will handle any request for additional issues from the past five years and before.

Advertising

If you, your club, organization or business wishes to advertise with The Scribe, please call (719) 255-3469 or email scribeadvertising@gmail.com.

News

April 23, 2012

Page 3

Relay for Life event working toward a cancer-free world

Stress can be good or bad – but moderation is the key

Half of all men and one-third of all women in the U.S. will develop cancer during their lifetimes.

Relay for Life, started in Tacoma, Wash. by Gordy Klatt in the mid1980s, is working to raise money for the American Cancer Society to ensure that one day, there will be a cancer-free world.

Nic Hostetter, a graduate student in the nonprofit management program and the event chair for UCCS’ sixth annual Relay for Life event, said that this year was one of their bigger years, with about 300 people and 25 teams in attendance.

Hostetter’s aunt is a cancer survivor and his grandma passed away from breast cancer. When he got to college, he learned about Relay for Life and immediately became involved. “We want to make sure the cause is known and why we do this,” said Hostetter.

At the beginning of the night, cancer survivors Janie Bertagnolli and Judy Poulson of Parker, Colo. spoke to the attendees about their experiences with cancer. Additionally, the team and people that raised the most funds were announced, and eight cancer survivors were the first to walk around the track.

“You’re relaying for us survivors, but I feel like we relay for the future generations,” said Bertagnolli. She explained that

April Wefler awefler@uccs.edu

Aaron Collett acollett@uccs.edu

Relay for Life is 12 hours long because, “night is the darkest time when you learn you have cancer; the light gives you hope.”

Added Poulson, “Cancer never sleeps. When you hear the words ‘you have cancer,’ it strikes terror into your heart.” Poulson first became involved with Relay for Life 14 years ago when she was helping take care of her mother, a cancer patient.

In later years, when Poulson learned she, too, had cancer, she went from not wanting her kids to go through what she had with her mother to not wanting her grandkids to.

Throughout the night, team members sold smoothies, hot chocolate, cotton candy, T-shirts, candles, glow necklaces and various other items.

Luminarias were also sold to remember loved ones that had passed away, had survived or were still fighting.

The team that raised the most funds was Angels, consisting of two people: juniors Megan Near and Mark Wilkerson. Near and Wilkerson raised $2,500 and Near was one of two people to raise the most funds as an individual, at $1,500.

“I’m racing for my old saxophone teacher,” said Wilkerson. He said that it was his first time participating in Relay for Life and that he had an outpouring of support from his family and his teacher’s family and friends.

Near mentioned that many people in her family have had cancer, and she reached out to them to raise money for the Relay. “My uncle died; my grandpa survived. We thought we had only days with him, but he keeps going for years.”

“It’s a healthy process for people to open up and share their experiences at the event,” he added.

In addition to the relay being a great cause, many people also said it was a lot of fun. “Meeting new people, hearing their stories, hanging out with people you wouldn’t associate with, the challenge to stay up all night,” said Andrea Haddad, junior and Relay for Life committee member.

By the end of the night, the total amount raised for cancer research was just over $18,000. However, fundraising doesn’t end until Aug. 15. If you would like to donate to the cause, visit uccsrelay.org. S

It should come as no surprise that this time of the year tends to be the most stressful for us students. Spring finals are coming up quickly, seniors are preparing for graduation and everyone has a list of assignments that are due.

According to Sandy Wurtele, a professor of psychology, low stress is just as harmful to productivity as high stress.

In other words, it’s actually good for people to be under some amount of stress.

Psychologists divide stressors – those things which cause us stress – into two categories: environmental and cognitive.

Environmental stressors are those things which you can’t change – finals are coming up, graduation requirements are getting closer, the class you have to take isn’t available, etc.

Cognitive stressors are your thought processes – how you think about the environmental stressors affecting you.

Wurtele said, “Spring finals, especially, are tough.

A lot of students who are graduating don’t know what the future holds, and that’s stressful.”

According to Benek Altayli, the director of the Student Counseling Center, “For stressors in general, being able to have a balanced, realistic outlook for what happens to us is critical.”

When that balanced

his students.

Coughlin, with his 10 years of experience teaching fourth and fifth grade classes, collaborated with Kimbra Smith of the anthropology department to make the field trip a reality.

The elementary students paired up with a class of UCCS students on April 13 and toured campus.

The field trip was part of a year-long program designed to engage the Hunt students within their community. “Basically, we have three Hunt students with two UCCS students and they’re kind of buddies

for the year,” explained Smith.

Smith, a faculty member since 2006 and strong advocate of higher learning, said, “What I’d like them to get out of this is just the idea that college is a possibility for them and that their community is a little broader than what they’ve experienced so far.”

Hunt Elementary is on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum in District 11. After enduring a merger in 2009 with Adams and Ivywild elementary schools due to budget cuts, Hunt Elementary is no stranger to the pressures

of fiscal strain.

Due to Hunt’s current imposition, students rarely experience the privilege of higher education. “This is my first time inside a college,” said Gene Valdez, uncle of fourth grader Leno Valdez. “I didn’t get to do nothing like this when I was in elementary school – they never took us to nothing like this.”

In the case of Hunt Elementary, Gene is not the only uncle acting as a father figure. Coughlin takes his influential role as a teacher very seriously, “Just being a positive male role-model is something

Photo by Nick Burns

The Relay for Life event raised $17,558.

outlook is lost, the thought processes themselves cause even more stress.

When stress levels get too high, that’s when problems start. Altayli said, “Stress is taxed psychological resources.”

As the load on those mental resources increases, the body makes physical changes to accommodate. “There are a lot of different results when stress happens,” Altayli said.

“It affects a person as a whole. Medically, physically, psychologically, in behavioral terms, all through all the areas of their lives.”

Students can run the gamut of stressors. “I think [internal stressors] are huge,” said Wurtele.

“That’s where I think the majority of student stress comes from is what they’re telling themselves and what expectations they’re setting up for themselves.”

And the results of extended stress are debilitating. Altayli said, “If the stressor is prolonged, ex-

haustion sets in, mood and anxiety start showing up and your physical health starts to suffer.”

Not only that, stress can start causing more stress, as well as runny noses, sore throats and all of that fun stuff, so try to pace yourself.

“Staying up, pulling allnighters, not doing good time management, not eating well, not keeping to your exercise, everything kind of piles in on you, and that ends up adding more stress,” explained Wurtele. “Which is why a lot of people get sick during finals time.”

Students aren’t powerless, though. There are quite a few things that students can do to relieve some of the stress on them.

According to Wurtele, the most important thing that students can do is sleep. “Your sleep is a good barometer. If you’re not sleeping well, you’re either not eating well, not exercising or you’re stressed.”

Altayli expanded this idea to what she calls the big triangle: appraisal, support system and coping strategies. Appraisal is being realistic with your expectations to decrease your cognitive stress.

Support systems refer to any relationships that help to reduce stress. Finally, according to Altayli, coping strategies refers to healthy ways of dealing with stress.

So, punching walls is not a healthy coping mechanism, but exercising is. S

that they don’t naturally get. Y’know? I have a lot of students that are living with aunts, uncles, grandparents.”

Coughlin’s students were ecstatic to see the pendulum in the Osborne Center and the 9/11 memorial outside the Engineering Building. Their enthusiasm continued as they paired up with their senior buddies to build Lego Mindstorms robots.

The workshop was hosted by Michael Reyes, an instructor and former member of the Student Government Association at UCCS. Students were given a brief

lecture on the importance of understanding goals before they were allowed to build their robots.

“I’m going to program [my robot] like my dog.” said Deborah, one of Coughlin’s students.

The field trip gave the students of Hunt Elementary a positive memory about college. “They need exposure at a young age,” said Coughlin. “They need to see that this is a warm, inviting place that they can do things that they don’t normally get to do. They need an opportunity to be told that they can go to school.” S

Photo by Nick Burns

Stress is a slow killer. How do you handle stress?

Hunt Elementary students experience higher learning Peter Farrell pfarrell@uccs.edu

The privilege of education that so many of us take for granted is easy to lose sight of when running from one class to the next. For 4th grade students from Hunt Elementary however, being on the UCCS campus is a privilege in itself.

Kevin Coughlin, a UCCS alumnus and fourth grade teacher at Hunt Elementary, brought his class on a field trip to visit the campus in order to generate excitement and interest in the idea of college for

Culture

Page 4

April 23, 2012

Original films to be shown at 11th Annual Student Short Film Festival Sara Horton shorton@uccs.edu

Sarah R. Lotfi has yet to win an Academy Award.

Considering what she has accomplished with her films thus far, however, that could soon change.

Lotfi, a senior VAPA and communication major, submitted “The Last Bogatyr,” a drama set in World War II Russia, for the 2009 UCCS Student Short Film Festival and will participate again this year.

“It was nowhere near where it was when we submitted it later on to festivals over the next two years,” she said about the initial screening of “The Last Bogatyr,” describing it as a “rough touch.”

According to Lotfi, it was shown in film festivals around the world, including ones in Canada, Wales and Ireland.

“The Last Bogatyr” was also a national finalist for Best Narrative in the 37th Student Academy Awards,

a film competition that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences started in 1972.

According to the Student Academy Awards website, over 500 college students submit entries from across the United States every year.

Lotfi said that, while the UCCS Student Short Film Festival is comparatively small to other national film festivals, she still recognizes its benefits.

“It’s nice to be able to share your work with your peers and your professors and the local community, city; and that’s why I try to have something there every year that I’m there.”

She will submit “Walking Eyes,” which she made last spring for her VAPA Capstone project, for this year’s festival.

It was shown at last year’s International Student Film Festival Hollywood, but this is the first time the film will be shown publicly in its complete form in Colorado Springs.

“It’s more of like her subconscious fantasies,” Lotfi said of the film, adding that the greatest compliment she has received has come from people who have said “Walking Eyes” reminds them of “The Fountain,” one of her favorite films.

“The real motivation for the film is that I had all these gowns from a bridal fashion show that I had sewn years ago and had never done anything with, and I wanted to do a piece that incorporated the color white and those white dresses on a white background.”

The cast of “Walking Eyes” includes some familiar faces, including Ariel Baty, a UCCS graduate who also co-wrote the film; Michael Lee, a philosophy student; and theater professor Leah Chandler Mills.

Professor von Dassanowsky, director of Film Studies, said, “Not always, but we do get a substantial number of our theater students who per-

form in these. We have this wonderful little connection between the arts and theater and communication and so forth that comes together on that evening.”

Film is more than just about connecting departments, though. “Film, of course, is the only art that is an art, a technology and a business, so it’s wide enough to encompass everyone’s dreams.”

Students can also have their films screened during the UCCS Student Short Film Festival if they submit them by May 2 to a Film Club Officer or the Film Club mailbox at the ROAR Office.

The only restrictions are that entries cannot exceed 15 minutes and must be original work.

At the festival, judges will present awards for the best film from each genre: live action drama, live action comedy, animation, documentary, experimental and music video. There will also be an award for audience’s choice.

Junior English major Sean Purcell, president of the Film Club, said action drama tended to be a popular genre, and the music video category was especially competitive last year.

He added that students from the VAPA production program, which is run through Film Studies and the Communication Department are expected to submit many of the entries this year.

“What’s happened the two years that I’ve been at it was we’d always have to extend the deadline to like two minutes before we’d actually judge it,” Purcell said. “Hopefully we’ll have a nice, rounded-out year instead of having to scramble or do last-minute work.”

The Film Club also needs people to judge the films. Following the submission deadline, judges will view and critique submissions on May 4 at 5 p.m. in Dwire Hall 121.

Purcell encouraged anyone interested in judging

to simply show up. von Dassanowsky noted the festival is wholly student-run and involves students who major not only in VAPA but also communication and English.

“We’re not going away,” he said. “I am proud of the students because I’m just the academic advisor, but I think everybody’s proud that we’ve created this tradition at UCCS that really shows off that you can get anywhere from here.” S

The Lowdown What: 11th Annual UCCS Student Short Film Festival When: May 5 at 3 p.m.

Where: Dwire Hall 121 How much: Free More Info: facebook.com/ groups/24750487661/

Culture

April 23, 2012

Page 5

A Walk to Pikes Peak explores student appreciation for Colorado Kaitlin Nelson knelson6@uccs.edu

Most people who have lived in Colorado Springs like to think they have a pretty good idea of what the town has to offer. One new project hopes to open up a fresh perspective on “home.”

A Walk to Pikes Peak, sponsored by UCCS’s Gallery of Contemporary Art and the Art History program, is exactly what it sounds like. Students will take three days to walk from campus to the top of the mountain, learning on the way.

Visiting artist Harrell Fletcher created the idea

for the event, and he will be along for the hike.

Fletcher wanted to explore the idea of seeing other people’s view of art, and this event is set up to encourage a wide range of viewpoints.

The main idea behind the activity is to allow people

to express their own stories and knowledge about the landscape by having each participant share a short lecture at some point during the walk.

In this way, the “Walking, Art, and Place” class, offered through both the geography department and

VAPA, has expanded on Fletcher’s original idea.

“One of the things that we’ve done in the class is we’ve talked about how notions of place can be shifted by walking through something,” explained Eric Steen, visual art professor and the event coordinator.

“Normally we drive somewhere, or we have this goal that we’re trying to attain, so we miss a lot of details along the way.

“But if we slow down, we walk through something, and we really begin to explore in it; that way, we’ll have new understandings of what makes us feel attached to where we live or where we go.”

and burger lovers, alike.

Walking into Larkburger is an experience in itself, for it becomes immediately apparent that this is what happens when a burger joint tries too hard to be hip.

The dining area resembles a ‘70s rendition of the future, making the cashier look out of place for not wearing a silver jumpsuit.

In all seriousness, the place is nice, and with all of the tables and chairs being hospital white, it is also very well lit.

The menu offers five varieties of burgers, including veggie, turkey and tuna. The star burger, the Larkburger, is just a regular burger made with Black Angus beef, but there is also the truffle Larkburger,

which is what I ordered.

The first disappointing thing you will discover is that for $7 you get only the burger.

Fries, drinks and cheese – yes, the burgers don’t come with cheese – do not come with the burger purchase; there is no ‘meal

deal.’

However, the burgers are delicious, and I was shocked to see that after ordering my burger rare, I was actually served a burger that was cooked rare.

When Larkburger boasts ‘gourmet burgers,’ it is serious. The burgers

she still possesses the headstrong nature of a queen, which Warden captures with undaunted intensity.

With Mary in her clutches, Elizabeth, played by Jane Fromme, must decide whether or not she should adopt England’s popular opinion and execute her cousin.

Warden and Fromme succeed at making their individual characters complex and exciting to watch, but they are at their best when they finally meet.

Their conversation degenerates into an argument.

Warden spreads out her arms, inviting her to attack, and Fromme looks disgusted enough to march over and oblige the request.

Director Murray Ross

uses a new version of “Mary Stuart” by Peter Oswald that gives Schiller’s play, originally written in 1800, a contemporary feel.

Mary and Elizabeth wear beautiful, elaborate gowns, while the men wear suits, as if prepared to conduct business – and shady business at that.

Many of the men are political schemers, including John FitzGibbon’s Lord Burleigh, whose blunt antics and mannerisms add just the right amount of dark humor to an otherwise stark story.

While “Mary Stuart” has plenty of dialogue, there’s little action. The stage has a wide floor, pillars and the occasional piece of furniture, but that’s it.

Photo by Ariel Lattimore

Participants will take the Barr Trail to Pikes Peak.

Students hope to gain a lot from this project. Stacy Sprewer, a sophomore double majoring in visual art and communication, said, “I’ve learned that walking is a great way to learn to appreciate a place.

“I hope the Walk to Pikes Peak will allow me to experience the city of Colorado Springs more indepth so that I can appreciate my hometown much more.”

Felix J. Lopez, a political science senior, agreed.

“While on this journey, I am hoping to gain a better respect for what surrounds me,” he said.

“It seems that in life, we are so focused and busy with the many things

we have going on that we often forget to slow down and appreciate the little things we have been afforded.” S

are cooked perfectly and served with thick-cut tomato slices and whole leaves of lettuce. The French fries are thin cut, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary.

Larkburger’s major appeal – other than its burgers – is its well-advertised commitment to sustainable management.

The restaurant boasts interior wood paneling that comes from reclaimed timber, utensils made from potato or corn starch, reuse of canola oil as gasoline and a 100 percent dedication to wind energy.

What is ultimately keeping Larkburger from becoming the next Chipotle of burger joints is that it offers nothing new to the scene.

Restaurants like Chipotle get away with charging $7 for a burrito because it is serving what could be two meals. Even if burgers were good left over, the Larkburger is no more than one meal.

All in all, Larkburger is offering a gourmet-quality burger at a quality restaurant price; however, it does not offer the amenities that allow for such a price.

It is hard to justify spending $10 on a burger and fries, and other than their green business practices, it is simply not worth it.

One would be better off spending half of the money on restaurants like Five Guys or Drifter’s and getting the same, if not bettertasting food. S

of powerlessness, even as a queen, invites sympathy.

She is conflicted between following her conscience and the advice of her advisors up until the moment she has Mary’s death warrant in her hands.

Schiller’s play is historically inaccurate in multiple ways, the most glaring one being that Mary and Elizabeth never met.

Mary also did not murder her second husband like she claims in the play, and, contrary to her protests otherwise, she was involved in an assassination plot against Elizabeth.

Regardless, both Mary and Elizabeth display their share of flaws. They leave the audience to wonder which woman – if any –

was justified in her struggle for power. S

The Lowdown What: A Walk to Pikes Peak When: April 27-29, times vary Where: Locations vary Check uccs.edu/goca/ TALK/A-Walk-to-PikesPeak.html How much: Free More Info: email uccswalking@ gmail.com

New burger joint eco-friendly, still doesn’t deliver Lucas Hampton

lhampton@uccs.edu Rating:

For many years, restaurants such as In-N-Out and Fatburger have labored to create the perfect burger joint, but the newly opened Larkburger doesn’t add much to the competition.

Larkburger is a Colorado-grown chain, originating in Edwards, Colo.; on March 31, Larkburger opened its newest location in Colorado Springs.

Advertising eco-friendly service and “all-natural gourmet burgers,” the dinein fast-food chain is appealing to the environmental- and health-conscious

Photo by Robert Solis

These customers are enjoying Larkburger’s organic approach to burgers.

Modernized political drama takes the stage in ‘Mary Stuart’ Sara Horton shorton@uccs.edu Rating: Being pressured to kill someone is unthinkable.

Being pressured to kill family, even more so.

This is the quandary Queen Elizabeth I faces in Friedrich Schiller’s drama “Mary Stuart,” Theatreworks’ last production of the season.

It begins with Claire Warden as the title character, Mary Queen of Scots.

Her cousin Elizabeth holds her captive as a prisoner of England.

Although Mary realizes the gravity of her situation,

None of the actors appear uncomfortable with so few props and how often they move about the stage, confidence that certainly speaks to the cast’s talent.

The setup still feels too plain for a show that’s almost three hours long, though. The mind starts to wander when in the midst of too many monologues.

Even the mildest case of apathy can prevent learning what’s happening and who’s who, both of which are especially important to pick up on in this production.

The first act feels too long, but once it’s over and the drama thickens, “Mary Stuart” doesn’t have to try as hard to cater to short attention spans.

Elizabeth’s ironic sense

The Lowdown What: Mary Stuart When: April 19-May 6 Thursdays-Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.

Sundays, 4 p.m.

Saturday matinees, 2 p.m Where: University Hall Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater How much: Adults: $30 Children under 16: $15 Free for UCCS students More Info: theatreworkscs.org

Our company name Mystery Guest Inc has a vacancy in our office for the post of a team player and a shopper, Requirements: -Should be computer Literate.

-24 hours access to the internet weekly.

-Efficient and Dedicated.

If you are interested and need more information,Contact Nick Evarsman Email: mymistery.hoan@gmail.com

Opinion

Page 8

April 23, 2012

Editorial

The Scribe is not trying to steal anyone’s money In the media, we strive to be accurate. Sure, sometimes we make mistakes – we are only human. But we do our best to ensure that we get multiple points of view and check our facts and figures carefully.

When dealing with facts on a specific person or organization, we go directly to the source to verify our information whenever possible.

But some information sources seem to be OK with taking faulty information from one source.

The latest weekly newsletter for the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) – UCCS Chapter was sent out with the subject line reading, “The Scribe Trying to Steal Your Money!!!”

We can assure you, we are not trying to steal your money. And if the YAL would have talked to us before sending out that newsletter, we could have given them all of the facts, and they could rest assured that we are not trying to steal anyone’s money.

Instead, the assertion is

based on a quote from SGA President elect Steve Collier: “So, the background story . . . The Media Fee didn’t pass, however, the expenditures tied to what would have been that fee remained.

Originally, the Scribe submitted an $80,000 budget. After much debate at Tuesday’s Budget Advisory Committee for SGA, that budget proposal was slashed down to $66,000.”

First, the quote makes it seem as though we are only asking the SGA for money from the Student Activity Fee because the Media Fee didn’t pass.

Receiving our funding from the Student Activity Fee is nothing new for The Scribe, though. The SGA has been allocating our funding since 1981.

The Media Fee was intended to give us our own budget so we wouldn’t need to go to the SGA every year to ask for funding. But since it didn’t pass, we are just doing as we’ve always done – submitting our budget to the SGA. Second, let’s make sure the numbers are cor-

rect. The Scribe submitted a budget of $74,970, not $80,000, and the SGA cut that down to $66,920, which is a little more than what we received this year.

We asked for an increased budget for two reasons. The first is that we wanted to put out 30 issues over the course of the year, rather than the 25 we were budgeted for this year. The reason for that is simply to have an issue out for every week classes are in session.

Regardless of how much any entity asks for, the students pay the same amount. The Student Activities Fee is $14 per student. Period. That won’t increase based on the amounts requested by clubs and organizations.

It is simply a matter of how it’s allocated, and that changes from year to year.

During the Budget Advisory Committee meeting on April 10, some SGA members suggested cutting down the number of issues to even fewer than 25 in an attempt to move toward a paperless

Scribe.

Now, we’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again – the student fee does not cover printing costs. And one more time for good measure – the student fee does not cover printing costs.

In order to move toward a paperless Scribe, what we would want to do is put out the same number of issues throughout the year, but make more of them online-only instead of putting out print copies for every issue.

The payroll cost (which the student fee covers) is about the same for an online issue as it is for a print issue. The only person we wouldn’t need to pay would be the distributor – a savings of about $16 per issue. The big difference is that we don’t have to pay to have a paper printed – which the student fee doesn’t cover, anyway! So really, cutting the number of issues is not moving us toward a paperless Scribe, it’s moving us toward no Scribe at all.

The second reason for the increase is to ac-

commodate what Collier, other members of SGA and some students have been asking for – to move toward that paperless Scribe. One way to do that is to develop a mobile app, so we asked for the budget to create one.

Collier went on to talk about the radio budget, saying, “Subsequently, the Radio submitted a budget that jumped from 3,500 to 21,600; that’s a 684 percent increase (insane, if that’s what you’re thinking). That was slashed, from what I understand, down to $12,000, so that’s an average savings of about $21,000.”

Now, we’re all journalists, so math isn’t our strong suit, but we think there may be a problem here. The budget requested was an increase of 617 percent, not 684.

We know, that’s not a huge difference, but we like to be accurate. Also, the $21,600 request being slashed to $12,500 is a difference (not a savings, as it is not saving students any money) of $9,100, not $21,000.

As far as the reasons

for the increase, we’re not radio experts, so we can’t get into particulars. What we do know is that in order for UCCS Radio to grow and improve, they will need more money for the proper staff and equipment required for those improvements.

If you would like more detailed information feel free to stop by The Scribe office (UC 106) or the Radio Station (in the ROAR office or Dwire 253), and we will be happy to answer any of your questions.

But really, if we want to play the numbers game, we can point out that this year, the YAL received a $1,883.95 increase on their budget of $0 from last year (doesn’t matter that they weren’t a club last year, an increase is an increase). Since a percentage of zero doesn’t exist, we’ll pretend they had a budget of $1. In that case, they’re asking for a 1,884 percent increase on last year’s budget. We know – insane, if that’s what you’re thinking. S

-Scribe Editorial Board

Tucson High School, is simple: To love and respect others is to love and respect oneself.

“Precious Knowledge” examines the ongoing conflict in Arizona around ethnic studies.

Ethnic studies courses are designed to focus on the contributions of marginalized groups, those who have experienced systematic oppression on the part of race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability and class.

In the summer of 2010, Governor Jan Brewster and then-state Superintendent of Education Tom Horne ordered the termination of the MexicanAmerican studies program at Tucson High.

Their argument illustrated both in the film and beyond said that the courses teach students to be bitter toward and resent whites, teach students as a collective group rather than as individuals, use materials from a biased perspective and teach students to overthrow the

government.

Based on these speculations, if you’ve hated the British after learning about the American Revolution, marked yourself as a part of a group on a census, only learned history as it was relevant to the white majority and read anything by George Orwell while in school, I guess you’re ahead of the curve.

John Huppenthal, current superintendent and a supporter of Horne’s, lobbied for the passing of the ban based on one visit to a classroom at Tucson High. Asserting that the texts and class are meant to insight revolution without taking the time to research and consider the voices contained within them is to enter this fight without any legitimacy.

News flash for Huppenthal and all other skeptics: Ethnic studies classes are good for white kids, too. Not only do they endow skills such as critical thinking and the opportunity to learn his-

tory from perspectives we don’t hear (I mean, how many of you knew anything about Native Americans beyond the pilgrim stories when you came into college?), but they also provide those of us who are white with tools we will need if we plan on being present allies in the fight against continual oppression.

Learning about these issues also helps us fit into the world. Unless you live in the middle-of-nowhere where the only people you interact with are your in-laws, you will, at some time in your life, be working alongside someone with a different reality, different history and different social assumptions than yours.

Ethnic studies courses, as well as courses in any other social science, are preparing students to face the world in a positive and productive way.

If we are unable to teach history in an honest and accurate way, which includes the various

atrocities human beings have inflicted upon one another, what is going to be taught?

Attempting to suggest that people need to be, as Horne has argued, “Of one history” furthers the rhetoric that we all have a shared history. This argument will only continue to allow for the structural inequalities that these students were bound by before finding voice and discovery of place through La Raza studies.

The political-racial ideology of white supremacy cannot continue to compromise public education and prevent us from learning about one another.

Discovering what it means to contribute to structural inequality is frightening, and I can see fear on the part of those in the dominant group in reaction to courses in which they will have to remain silent when it is something they are systematically unaccustomed to.

It is important to remember, however, that

these programs are not exclusive or exclusionary. In order to be an effective ally to those who face different structural inequalities, we as (white, male, heterosexual, etc.) individuals may not have to, it is necessary to participate in classes such as these so that we can all come together and fight for equality for all.

Today, students at Tucson High and around the country are coming together to voice support for ethnic studies programs and the work being done on the part of educators on a national level.

We are one among many universities where courses in women’s studies and ethnic studies are offered.

Even if it means going beyond your comfort zone, I recommend that during your time here are UCCS, you take at least one. The goal of offering and participating in these courses is to learn about how we as individuals, despite our differences, can transcend social issues together. S

Ethnic studies are important for all, white kids included

Catherine Jensen cjensen2@uccs.edu While riding the shuttle recently, I overheard a fellow student remark, “Ethnic studies is like teaching alternative history.” If the timing had been right, I would have asked my fellow Anglo-American to attend the screening of “Precious Knowledge” that occurred on campus on April10.

The title of the film “Precious Knowledge” comes from a poem by Luis Valdez, “En lak’Ech.” The poem, which opens every class when recited by students in the La Raza/Mexican-Studies programs at

Opinion

April 23, 2012

Page 9

General Services Administration caught in spending scandal

Jesse Byrnes jbyrnes@uccs.edu Amid tax season, the presidential election and tax reform campaigning, we found a golden nugget of government taxpayermoney waste: the General Services Administration.

Most probably haven’t even heard of GSA, which manages federal buildings and purchases government supplies. It has 13,000

employees, though after a recent debacle involving an abuse of taxpayer funds for its October 2010 Las Vegas conference, it’s sure to see that number of employees drop by a few.

I was reminded of GSA’s existence when I shared a Starbucks table with one of its employees in Washington, D.C. the week news broke of their lavish travel expenses (sorry, no inside information).

The 2010 conference started as a training session, but “evolved into a raucous, extravagant, arrogant, self-congratulatory” event, said Martha Johnson, who later resigned as head of GSA, at the first of a series of congressional hearings Monday.

The four-day Las Vegas conference drew an $823,000 bill, more than

$600,000 over budget. Expenses included a $75,000 bike-building activity, $6,325 for commemorative coins, $8,130 for souvenir books and $7,000 for sushi rolls, along with a clown, a comedian and a mind reader.

It’s nothing new. There are countless examples of government waste at every level. Of course, we’ll hear the typical “that’s horrible, it’s taxpayer money” rhetoric. But is the occasional media spotlight enough to set a precedent for other government entities?

And it begs the question: If such a loathsome abuse of taxpayer funds occurred with a relatively low-profile agency, how much waste is occurring in larger administrations? And are high-profile government employees always held

accountable?

It costs taxpayers $32,000 roundtrip for Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta’s weekend trips to California to visit his family. He said that he regretted that the trips have cost taxpayers $800,000 since July 2011, but has given no indication that he will stop. Over a two-year period, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi racked up a bill of $101,429 for inflight services, not even totaling the flights themselves – another bill for taxpayers.

It just so happens that the GSA situation is the perfect blend of government waste, civic recklessness and “Hangover” debauchery on the backdrop of Sin City.

What campaign and legislative level-mindedness does the GSA situa-

tion put into focus?

First, it shows that the federal government has no room to talk on the fact that individuals know how to better use their money than government.

Everyone isn’t charitable, but when they are, they’re typically Americans.

Why? Because they have the freedom to earn their money and donate whatever portion of it to whomever they would like as they see fit. (This should seem pretty clear for the Obama family, while the Bidens must still try to learn how to be charitable.)

Second, in an election year, it puts the spotlight on government hypocrisy concerning changing our tax policy and whether we should close tax loopholes for the rich (however that is being defined at the mo-

ment).

As President Obama goes around the country campaigning for the Buffet Rule for higher taxes on the wealthy, GSA employees are dropping Benjamins on bikes and Secret Service members are laying down cash for prostitutes.

The less glamorous versions of government waste include administrations that do double work, burdensome legislation that allows for unnecessary government initiatives as well as misguided government programs.

Changing our tax policy might become popular at some point, but even if it does – if the federal government can’t put the money it already has to good use, why should it feel justified in taking more? S

theaters.

For many of us, both of these events were like flashbacks to our childhood – a nostalgic reliving of coming home after school to watch “Wishbone” on PBS, riding bikes with the neighborhood kids, begging for a Furby for Christmas and seeing how high the number on the Skip-It could actually get.

Bill Nye and “Titanic” were two separate events, but because they coincidentally occurred on the same day, it was a day that created a whirlwind of childhood memories in many students’ minds.

Childhood was a time for us to have fun and relax, but it didn’t exactly come at the right time.

When we were kids, we didn’t appreciate just how fun it was to be young and to have no responsibilities.

Now, as college students, we must relive the carefree years that we had through watching old movies, replaying songs like “No Scrubs” and “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” and conducting an occasional eBay search for old Easy-Bake Ovens (or maybe that’s just me). Just because the ‘90s have come and gone, however, doesn’t mean

that all is lost.

Everything we learned from our childhood and preteen years, from taking Jack Dawson’s words to heart when he says “to make each day count” to learning that when we grow up we “don’t want no scrub” are all lessons that have stuck with us forever.

It is these lessons, embedded in the old school music and classic movies that have molded us into what we are today. These are the lessons that we should carry with us for our entire life, because these are the things that taught us about relation-

ships, different perspectives and just about life in general.

Perhaps one of the largest cues that our generation had that our childhood has officially ended was the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2 last year.

Because most of us grew up with the Harry Potter name spoken everywhere we went, the last movie being released marked the end of an era, and it signaled a new chapter in our lives.

As we move on in our lives to graduate from college and eventually get professional jobs in the

real world, it is important that we learn to look back on our childhood and embrace the experiences that we had.

These memories are what will keep us young at heart and rejuvenated for whatever we may face in the future. Now is the time to reflect on our past, embrace all that we had as children and take in all that was great about our childhood.

Now is the time for us to improve on ourselves through reminiscing, and face the next 20 years with the same oomph and passion that we did with the first 20. S

Learn to embrace your childhood, stay young at heart

Julianne Sedillo jsedillo@uccs.edu On April 4, two events happened that were impactful to many students: Bill Nye as a guest speaker and the re-release of the movie, “Titanic,” in

Humans struggling with ethnocentrism around the world, not just United States

April Wefler awefler@uccs.edu Since the 1998 release of the book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” in the United States, a constant battle has been going on about its name.

Known as “Harry Pot-

ter and the Philosopher’s Stone” outside the United States, many believe that the name should never have been changed.

Tumblr, a social networking and blogging site, recently experienced this argument yet again when a post indicating that it was “Philosopher’s Stone,” not “Sorcerer’s Stone,” appeared in a “Harry Potter Confessions” blog. Immediately, responses to the confession came slithering in.

The post initiated a fight that escalated into British and Australian people pointing out how ignorant Americans are, despite the fact that the American public had nothing to do with Scholastic choosing

to change the title. Some of the elitist Brits and Aussies also referred to Americans as idiots.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is defined as ethnocentrism. We Americans are often ethnocentric, but as indicated in the Harry Potter blog post, we are not the only ones.

Ethnocentrism is explained by the Encyclopedia of the New American Nation as “the belief that one’s own nation and its values are superior to all others.” I think Americans do struggle with this problem; more importantly, I think everyone does.

My sister’s high school, and my alma mater no longer requires a foreign language to graduate. I think

this is ridiculous. Learning a foreign language not only helps in business matters, but it also allows a person to step out of his or her comfort zone and be able to communicate more effectively.

It is my belief that making foreign language optional fits with the mindset that if people from other countries come here, they ought to know English, and there’s no point in us learning anything else.

However, did you know that many people all over the world are required to learn English?

For example, my friend in Sweden has studied the traditional math and science classes, as well as English, her whole life. I

have several friends in the Philippines that also speak English well. If they are required to learn English, why aren’t we required to learn another language?

On the other hand, most of these people speak British English, which, contrary to the English Potter fan’s belief, is not the same as American English. Does this mean we’re dumb? No, just like Mexicans aren’t dumb for speaking Mexican Spanish rather than traditional Spanish.

I don’t know if this happens for you, but when I listen to a French or Spanish song, people want to know why. Why does it matter, if the song is good and I like it?

Just because we’re technically still a superpower doesn’t mean we’re better than any other country.

Just because British English is more widely-known than American English doesn’t mean England is better.

Many Americans often think they’re better than Canada, Mexico, Iraq and a whole list of other countries. Several of the English like to refer to us as idiotic; the same English might think they’re better than Australia.

No one country is better than another. We, as the human race, need to learn to accept other cultures, languages and values, whether they might be different or not. S

Life on the Bluffs

Page 10

Crossword: Famous Movies Campus Chatter

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.

1 2

3

4

6

1

1 2

3

3

4

9 4

10 5

5

11

12 7

13

9

9 10 11

11

8

8

14

15

10 12

12

14

15

15

13

13

18

16

16

19

20

17

17

18 19

20

19

21

21

22

22

23 23

23

24 24

25

18

20

22

25

24

25

AcrossAcross oss 3 to "Get your to Mars."

(2 Words) 3 "Get your ass to ass Mars."

(2 Words) t your ass Mars."

(2 Words) 5 "I feel a need... need for speed" (2 5 "I feel a need... a needafor speed" (2 eel a need... a need for speed" (2 Words)Words) "Of course, personally, think ds)7 "Of7 course, personally, I think Iit'd beit'd be tacky todiamonds wear diamonds I'm to wear before I'm course,tacky personally, I think it'd bebefore (3 Words) forty." forty."

(3 Words) ky to wear diamonds before I'm 9 "Iahave a feeling we're in Kansas 9 "I have feeling we're not in not Kansas y." (3 Words) anymore."

(3 Words) anymore."

(3 Words) 11 Marlon anno offer Marlon Brando makes an offer oneno one ave11 a feeling we'reBrando not inmakes Kansas can refuse (2 Words) can refuse (2 Words) more."

(3 Words) 13 A classic featuring 13 A classic horror horror movie movie featuring lon Brando makes an offer no one attacks from flocks of common attacks from flocks of common animals (2 Words) (2 Words) refuseanimals (2 Words) 14 Phone home 14 horror Phone home assic movie featuring 16 "Here's you, kid" "Here's lookinglooking at you,atkid" cks16 from flocks of common 19 Recently re-released 19 Recently re-released in 3D in 3D mals22(2You Words) 22shall Younot shall not pass through life without pass through life without these(4 films (4 Words) seeingseeing these films Words) ne home 23movie's This movie's action revolves This action revolves aroundaround re's23looking at you, kid" characters who the bathroom characters who are in are the in bathroom ently re-released in 3D (2 Words) (2 Words) 24pass He'll be back. life without 24 not He'll be back. shall through 25films "One(4 word: plastics."

(2 Words) "One word: plastics."

(2 Words) ing 25 these Words) s movie's action revolves around racters who are in the bathroom Words) l be back. e word: plastics." (2 Words)

With summer being so close, students find themselves stressing about finals, papers, due dates and trying not to lose focus.

Does knowing that summer is so close make it harder for you to focus on your finals?

I think it is little bit of a distraction, and then at the same time, it is a way for me to power through.

16

17 14

6

6

7

Photos by Robert Solis

Are you feeling any stress with the end of the semester around the corner?

No, not really because I feel that I have good professors, and I feel that they supply us with the information so that we can be prepared for finals. It is just a matter of studying I think, so that’s why I’m not feeling a whole lot of stress.

8

2

Kailey Hernandez khernand@uccs.edu

Drew Riek Freshman, Psychology

5

7

April 23, 2012

21

Do you do things outside of school to help you from being overwhelmed with end of the semester finals?

I play an APA Pool League on Thursday nights, so it’s like once I get to pool night, it’s weekend time.

What is it about the end of the semester that causes people so much stress?

I think people procrastinate; I am guilty of doing it too. I procrastinate papers, then it just builds this unimaginable amount of tension.

What would be some helpful advice you could give to others?

Make study guides early; if you have a huge paper, take it in chunks and don’t save it until the last minute.

Down Down Down 1 Attica!

ATTICA! (3 Words) Attica!

ATTICA! (3 Words) 112 Attica!

ATTICA! (3 Words) Raquel Rosa 2 "Tomorrow is another (4 Words) "Tomorrow is another day" (4day" Words) 24 "Tomorrow is another day" 4 by Said by critics be a ripoff(4 ofWords) Said critics to be atoripoff of Junior, Biology/Chemistry "FernGully" 4 Said by critics to be a ripoff of "FernGully" 6 ain't "Thatno ain't no Etch-A-Sketch.

6 "FernGully" "That Etch-A-Sketch.

This isThis one is one thatbe can't be un-did, doodledoodle that can't un-did, Are you feeling stressed with the end of the 6 "That ain't no Etch-A-Sketch.

This is one homeskillet" homeskillet" doodle that can't be un-did, semester so close?

8 Johnny first movie appearance 8 Johnny Depp'sDepp's first movie appearance (5 Words) (5 Words) homeskillet" Yes, I just got out of a test so definitely feeling 10 "Shrimp is the of the(2 sea" (2 "Shrimp is the fruit offruit the sea" 810 Johnny Depp's first movie appearance Words)Words) the pressure starting.

Words) 12 Support are Norton's thing (2 12 (5 Support groupsgroups are Norton's thing (2 Words)Words) 10 "Shrimp is the fruit of the sea" (2 15 Today is history.

15 Words) Today is history.

Today Today will bewill be How are you dealing with your stress? remembered.

Yearsnow fromthe now the remembered.

Years from 12 Support groups are Norton's thing (2 I like to talk about it and go to the gym. askwonder with wonder young young will askwill with about about this this Words) (2 Words) day. (2day.

Words) 17 "Beauty killed the beast" Words) 17 Today "Beauty the beast" (2 Words) 15 iskilled history.

Today will(2be 18 You're a bigger boat 18 remembered.

You're gonna gonna need aneed bigger boat Years from now the What about the end of the semester causes you stress?

20 mind Yourismind is the scene the crime 20 Your the scene of the of crime A lot of it boils down to, we have already been going at it for so long that once you will with wonder about 21or"Do orask do not, there is no(2try."

(2 this 21 young "Do do not, there is no try."

Words) Words) day.

(2 Words) reach the end you are just so tired of the same thing, you become burnt out.

17 "Beauty killed the beast" (2 Words) 18 You're gonna need a bigger boat 20 Your mind is the scene of the crime Do you think that there is anyway teachers could help relieve some stress for students during this time?

21 "Do or do not, there is no try." (2 Words) Yeah, they could not make their tests so hard and long, but that is so subjective.

They are kind of in the same boat, too; they just want to be done with the semester, too. They want a good range of As, Bs and Cs, so it’s almost like we are all in this together.

Invisible Joe

Morgan Pinto Senior, Human Biology Being a senior, has senioritis kicked in yet?

Oh yeah.

What do you do to help with that?

I don’t! No just kidding, I think of my goals that I have set for myself, that way I continue to push through my class.

What about the end of the semester, do you think, causes people so much stress?

Probably everything that is coming down, like this is your last chance to make a good grade. So people tend to stress out more with that on the line.

Do you feel that there is anything teachers could do to help relieve some of that stress?

Maybe they could hold review sessions; that way, it gives the students the best chance they can have before going into the finals.

Photo by Alex Gradisher Do you have any helpful advice for people?

Joe likes to say he is better than Travis Barker . . . no comment.

Remember to take breaks and maybe study for a large amount of time and then hang out with friends and do something fun to help let your mind settle and relax. S

Sports

April 23, 2012

Early warm weather brings mountain biking to campus Ryan Adams radams3@uccs.edu

With the end of the school year in sight, students across campus have put a disappointing ski season behind them and are looking forward to the sporting opportunities offered by the summer.

Asking students around campus about their favorite warm weather sport, you will get a variety of answers. One of the most mentioned sports was mountain biking, which should come as no surprise. Colorado Springs has a multitude of trails and the state in general is one of the most popular mountain biking destinations in the country.

Sophomore C.J. Prue, an avid mountain biker and Colorado Springs native, said he has been

riding bikes since he was two years old on training wheels.

“I’ve been riding around since I was a little kid,” stated Prue. “I was five or six when I started riding without training wheels and haven’t stopped since.”

Like many Colorado natives, Prue loves the outdoors. He also snowboards in the winter time, but said that biking is his favorite thing to do.

“I enjoy riding and would rather go mountain biking to get exercise than just go to the gym,” he said. “The Springs has a ton of places to ride and is the perfect town for mountain biking.” Some of those places are right around the corner from UCCS too.

Palmer Park, only a short ride from campus, is a great place for mountain biking, according to Prue.

“Red Rocks, Gold Camp and Palmer Park are the best in the Springs, and Red Rocks is my favorite because of some of the jumps you can get there,” he said.

Prue plans on riding for the first time in this summer’s Winter Park Races, which takes place in June.

The Winter Park Races are some of the toughest tracks to maneuver in the state, but Prue said that firsttimers to riding should still challenge themselves.

“If you don’t think you can do something, than get off your bike,” he stated.

“But make sure you challenge yourself a little bit, because it can be really fun too.”

For those who are interested in mountain biking, the Rec Center has bikes for rent and can provide you with more information. S

Photo by Alex Gradisher

BMX rider C.J. Prue tries out his new bike at Palmer Park.

Planned Parenthood is offering $10 STD testing & $10 HIV testing on April 24 & April 27.

3958 N Academy Blvd. #108 719.573.8880 3480 Centennial Blvd.

719.475.7162 www.pprm.org

Page 11

t r o p S

s

Buzz

Bounty program exposes NFL’s dirty side; raises ethical issues Ryan Adams radams3@uccs.edu

“We’ve got to make sure we do everything to kill [San Francisco 49ers running back] Frank Gore’s head.”

Quite a way to pump up a defense isn’t it? Former New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams apparently thought so, and is now suspended indefinitely for paying players to make sure they “killed” Frank Gore’s head during a playoff game this past season.

For those who don’t know, Williams, head coach Sean Payton and General Manager Mickey Loomis were responsible for the operation of a two-year “bounty program” that paid defensive players for knocking out their opponents or injuring them.

The program mainly targeted older players or those who had serious injuries in the past and were more susceptible to injury. Sick to think about, but the above quote from Williams was only a small sample of the ugly side of America’s most glorified sport.

Violence in the NFL has become a hot topic recently, due to the increasing number of concussions and head trauma

experienced by former NFL athletes. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has done his best to curb the inherent violence within the sport, handing out harsh fines and suspensions to players who have gone too far with their hits.

But after hearPhoto courtesy of Tulane Public ing the Gregg Relations Williams audio Gregg Williams is one of the people clip, Goodell responsible for the Saints’“bounty has a whole new program.” problem on his hands. of despair. Now, we look Not only are players at him as a lying scumhitting violently (an un- bag who should have told avoidable reality), but the truth when he had the their coaches are encour- chance. He may not be as aging and even reward- vulgar and disturbing as ing them for doing so. Williams, but Payton is That’s right. Coaches (or responsible, as well, and at least one), expected to may never coach again. enforce the rules, want This “bounty protheir players to hit their gram” story is a sad one. opponents illegally for a Football is supposed to little spending money on be exciting to watch, but the side. hearing the Gregg WilAre you kidding me? liams audio tape (which Who in their right mind is on YouTube for all to could think doing that is listen to) scares me. at all permissible? Oh, I may hate some teams I know: the feel-good, with a passion, but never heart-warming New Or- would I ever want to see leans Saints; a team that a player get hit so hard America fell in love with that his career is over after Hurricane Katrina and has head injuries the destroyed their city. rest of his life. Football is We looked at Sean such a fun sport to play Payton as a hero, some- and watch, but as in all one who would lead New sports, sometimes people Orleans out of the depths get carried away.

S

Event Management Certificate Program The Arapahoe Community College & Colorado Events and Festival Association have created a high-quality experiential education and training certificate program for Event planners and those aspiring to become a planner. Great variety of courses offered.

Classes Start May 1, 2012 Late start program also available For More information call 303-734-3701 or go to www.arapahoe.edu/workforce

Sports the

cribe

Mountain Biking page 11

April 23, 2012

Athlete Spotlight: Mathewson one of country’s top hitters Kailey Hernandez

khernand@uccs.edu Having dedicated 17 years of her life to softball, it should come as no surprise that junior Lara Mathewson can play.

And she can play well.

An all-conference selection as both a freshman and sophomore, Mathewson is a strong candidate for all conference nomination again this year.

Last season, Lara Mathewson led the team with a batting average of .386 and a slugging percentage of .601. This season, those numbers have jumped to a .431 average and a .843 slugging percentage.

Aside from being a power hitter, head coach Scott Peterson also cites

her cool had as one of the reasons for her success.

“Lara is an offensive player. She is one of our best hitters and she can definitely play under pressure,” he said.

Lara doesn’t see things quite the same as her coach, though.

“I don’t see it as putting pressure on myself; I see it as putting more pressure on others to get me out,” said Mathewson. “So the feel of pressure never affects the way that I play. If anything, it makes me play harder.”

One person who has had a hand in Mathewson’s success on the diamond has been her dad.

“My dad has had a huge impact on my softball career,” explained Mathewson, “he is one of the most knowledgeable

people when it comes to hitting.”

Not only can Mathewson play, but Mathewson is also very coachable and understands her own game well.

“I love her work ethic.

She is easy to work with and takes all of our feedback well,” stated assistant coach Becki Pepper.

“She understands her offensive game more than anybody I have ever seen,” said Peterson.

“That kid knows what she has to do and she gets the job done.”

Despite the personal success, Mathewson is also a great teammate, helping the team’s younger players whenever possible.

“She’s an encouraging person. A person that is there when you need her and gives you advice

when needed,” expressed freshman Rheana Trujillo. “Lara is a leader on the field and she encourages others to step up.

She sets the bar pretty high.”

During her three seasons, Mathewson has positioned herself to leave UCCS as one of the school’s best players of all time, but that’s not what it’s about for her.

“Softball has given me many qualities I use in my everyday life such as setting goals, time management, hard work, how to work with a team and leadership skills,” she said.

“But being able to meet some great people, make some close friends and having great experiences that some people will never have is what I cherish most.” S

Photo by Ariel Lattimore

Lara Mathewson has played softball most of her life.

Zumba® & Hot Hula Fitness® Classes Free First Class With Ad! $4-5/Class www.DanceZ.us 719.510.3443

We exclusively carry

Check out our website

@

uccsscribe.com