Feb. 9, 2015

Since 1966

Vol. 39, Iss. 17

Monday, Feb 9, 2015

IN BRIEF

UCCSScribe.com University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Academic Office Building shot with BB or pellet gun

NEWS

Lab upgrades

The Assistive Technology Lab is upgrading equipment to better accomodate disabled students 2

Nontraditional students The university is a popular destination 3

CULTURE

Mae Rohrbach

Student is actively involved in sustainability efforts on campus 5

Influential professor

Marcus Winters recognized by the RHSU, ranked 181 of 200 7

OPINION

Valentine’s Day Giving gifts to men; Valentine’s should be a positve holiday 9

Societal pressure

Beauty standards determine how women are treated 9

eVan musIck | the scribe

The BB or pellet gun shots shattered a window on the first floor of the Academic Office Building.

Evan Musick emusick@uccs.edu

University Police Operations emailed students Feb. 3, stating that several windows in the Academic Office Building had been vandalized sometime the night prior.

The windows were reported to be damaged by either a BB or pellet gun.

There was “no indication that anything else was used,” said UCCS Police Chief Brian McPike.

The extent of the vandalism

included damage to the north side near the entrance, the lower part to the east and the lower part to the south. There was no damage to the interior of the building and no one was harmed in the vandalism.

McPike believes the shooting may have come from the UCCS parking garage or the Austin Bluffs corridor.

He also mentioned this is a “serious crime,” and that the vandalism was committed with “active intent to damage something.” McPike additionally believes this may have been an “opportunity crime” where someone may

have just been taking advantage of a situation.

UCCS Police followed up on two leads in the case, but both fell through.

This is not the first time UCCS has had criminal mischief involving broken windows.

Broken window incidents occurred in July 2010 at the Heller Center, May 2013 at Columbine Hall and more recently in November 2014 at University Hall. It is unknown if there are any connection between the Academic Office Building and the previous incidents.

The Lowdown Continuing Investigation: If you have any information, contact UCCS police at:

(719) 255-3111 police@uccs.edu

Organizations host events to benefit children’s hospitals April Wefler awefler@uccs.edu

SPORTS

Student athletes

How they juggle school and sports 11

Darius Pardner Quiet by day, enthusiastic on the basketball court 12

UCCS Police will continue to investigate the crime. If you have any information regarding the vandalism, contact UCCS Police at (719) 255-3111 or email police@uccs.edu.

racHel rIccI | the scribe

Dan Divis, left, and Brittany Kowalski, left, make a blanket together.

Two stuffed animals live among senior Courtney James’ keepsakes: Little Blue Prints, a white kitten with blue eyes, and a pink teddy bear with a rattle, both of which were given to her by her mom in middle school.

The Beth-El Student Nurses Association hosted its third annual Build-a-Bear event on Feb. 8. Bears created at the event were delivered to the local Children’s Hospital Colorado at Memorial Hospital Central on Feb. 9.

“I think it’s something that

we’re becoming known for,” said James, nursing major and community service coordinator of BSNA. The event, hosted in Builda-Bear at Chapel Hills Mall, welcomed anyone who wanted to make a bear for a sick child in the hospital.

“Valentine’s Day is about love and so it’s doing a loving act,” said Carly Marsh, senior nursing major and secretary of BSNA. “We’ve just seen a really good response from it at the hospital. The kids really love it and every year it seems like the community’s been getting more Continued on page 3 . . .

News

Feb 9, 2015­| 2

Assistive Technology Lab receives beneficial upgrades April Wefler awefler@uccs.edu

The Assistive Technology Lab in El Pomar Center 215 is changing.

Alterations include technology updates, the first major update since 2004. Mike Belding, associate director of Computing Services, said there might have been unofficial upgrades between now and then.

The AT Lab was opened along with the El Pomar Center in 2001, but many students are unaware of its existence.

“This lab has been underused because I think a lot of the students weren’t trained on some of the software or they don’t know that it’s available to them,” said Leyna Bencomo, assistive technology specialist.

“I actually did not know that we had one,” said Brenden Lynch, a senior English literature major. Lynch frequently uses a motorized scooter to get around campus and is now interested in visiting the lab.

“I’m hoping to do more training with students so they can see what they can use, which should help improve their grades and their retention,” Bencomo said.

The lab is also working on Alternate Media Production, in which a printed book is turned into an electronic version, which then becomes a PDF for blind people to read with a screen reader.

The money for the changes

courtesy | texthelp.com

courtesy | stefandidak.com

The Read&Write Gold program reads word out loud.

An example of a computer with an ergotron arm.

came from the student technology fee.

“When this building opened, I think Disability Services had some equipment [which is] pretty much what you see now,” Belding said.

Now the AT Lab has equipment such as tables that can go higher or lower for students in wheelchairs, Ergotron arms that can be adjusted to help a student see a document better and programs like Read&Write Gold, which allows users to highlight sections in a book, create a new document and translate passages into 50 languages.

Cynthia Barram, senior English major, uses Read&Write Gold to take text from a paper or webpage and have the program read aloud to her.

“It helps because it makes reading things a little faster than it normally would be on my own,” she said.

One flaw in the program,

they’re reading on the screen,” Bencomo said.

“There’s no reason to segregate them into a special area and they can work with their fellow students easier and just feel like they’re part of the general populace, which they are,” she said.

The lab functions like a permanently reserved group study room.

“If they want to write a paper, they’re going to speak aloud, and it’s better if they have a place where it’s not going to disturb other people,” said Bencomo.

Belding said that he also wants the assistive technology available in all of the classrooms and is hoping to get a concurrent license to allow the technology onto other parts of campus in the next six months.

Barram and Michela Jean Amore, a junior English major, are fans of the idea.

“When I’m at the lab and

according to Barram, is that she has to limit the text to under 100 pages or the program will glitch and have to start over.

Barram uses Dragon Dictation in the lab, which translates speech to text, when she writes larger papers.

She said she was a little disappointed with the lab updates because she was hoping the new monitors would have webcams like the other library computers. She is otherwise happy about the upgrades.

“I’m glad somebody is paying attention to the lab as a whole and making sure stuff is getting updated because we hadn’t gotten any new software in a long time,” said Barram.

Bencomo said her personal mission is to introduce the software to all areas of campus.

“As long as they could put earbuds on, they could sit out in the library and use a screen reader to read aloud what

just working with Cynthia, sometimes if a program doesn’t work or needs more study space, all group spaces are full, sometimes we’ll use the adaptive lab for that,” Amore said.

“Sometimes if a lot of people use the lab, it can be difficult [if] I need to dictate something and someone else is using the screen reader,” Barram said.

“Having different options on campus is just a really good idea. It’s the same room over and over so it would be nice if the technology was available in different labs because you would be able to vary it up.”

“It would be nice to be in Columbine as well; you wouldn’t have to run all the way across campus,” she added.

Bencomo said she hopes that there can be two labs in the future, which depends on how much students use the AT Lab.

Crime summary: slashed tires, sexual violations Compiled by Eleanor Skelton eskelton@uccs.edu

Incidents on Campus January Summary: One arrest for DUI, one arrest for driving under restraint.

Two reports of harassment.

One vehicle reported stolen from lot 580.

Four thefts on campus reported, one item was a projector from University Center.

Three liquor violations.

Incidents in Surrounding Area: Oct. 25, 4:24 a.m.

2700 Maroon Bells Ave. Criminal mischief was reported, “an unknown

suspect was going through the neighborhood slashing vehicle tires.” KOAA reported Oct. 25 around 67 vehicles were involved.

Feb. 3, 4:20 p.m.

5800 block of North Nevada Avenue “The 21 year old suspect contacted the victim via social media and through a series of texts requested the victim to sneak out of her home to have sex with him; even though the suspect was told that the victim was only 14 years old.

The victim’s mother contacted the CSPD Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit, and gave the ICAC detectives control of the messaging account. The texting continued and the suspect asked the victim to send naked photos of

herself and meet him for sex.

It was agreed that the suspect would meet the victim for sex at a location on North Nevada Avenue, and when the suspect arrived at the location he was arrested without incident.”

Arrested Chase Alexander Kempf.

Jan. 28, 9:47 a.m.

4300 Barnes Road “CSPD Robbery Unit detectives spotted a stolen car recently associated with a business robbery pattern. The car was in a parking lot near Austin Bluffs Parkway and Barnes Rd. When two people got into the car and drove away from the lot, detectives followed it to a nearby fast food restaurant. The driver made an order and proceeded into the drive-thru of the restaurant toward the cashier’s

window. Detectives were able to cut off both avenues of escape while confronting the occupants. The male driver and female passenger were detained after a brief struggle with the driver, and they were detained with no injuries to suspects or officers. The passenger was later released.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant on Monday for the driver, Darrell Flynn, 42.

Flynn also faces one count of Felony Motor Vehicle Theft.

Flynn will be charged with Aggravated Robbery in the following cases: 01/20/15 at 5:40PM - Subway sandwich shop, 2345 E. Platte Ave. 01/21/15 at 9:18PM Domino’s Pizza, 1102 N.

Circle Dr. 01/23/15 at 7:40PM - Super Cuts, 1207 N. Circle Dr. 01/25/15 at 4:35PM Great Clips, 574 Hwy 105, Monument, CO 01/25/15 at 5:07PM - Cricket cell phone store at 6912 N. Academy Blvd.”

Info Box: For crime tips, call campus police at 255-3111 or CSPD at 444-7000.

Sources UCCS Blotter: uccs.edu/ pusafety/police/blotter CSPD Police Blotter: springsgov.com/units/ police/policeblotter.asp

News (Continued from page 1) Blankets, and more involved. There’s a huge response from it on both ends,” she added.

Senior Lauren Kirk, nursing major and membership director for BSNA, said it’s one of her favorite volunteer events.

“It directly impacts you and you can kind of see the impact on the community in Colorado Springs and the pediatrics population,” Kirk said.

“I like that it brings everyone together who goes to Build-aBear,” she added. “People bring their families and their friends, so they can all build a bear together. It’s a family event and then they can donate it to other kids who have other family.”

James said the tangible aspect of the bears makes the event special.

“It’s the cute, kind of playful aspect of getting to be part of it so you’re not just giving me $20; you actually get to come, make this bear and know that this cute, little bear with whatever outfit you want to put it in is being donated for a

child,” she said.

BSNA’s goal was to create 300 bears.

When the bears are delivered on Valentine’s Day, James said there probably are not that many kids in the hospital. The hospital will stockpile the bears and then periodically distribute them to not only sick children, but also to siblings of sick children who might be having a hard time.

BSNA also set up tables for donations. One professor donated $200 and by Jan. 30, after one tabling on Jan. 27, BSNA had raised around $300.

Hoping to give to the Children’s Hospital in Denver, Alpha Phi Omega, a coed fraternity, hosted Children’s Hospital Philanthropy Night on Feb. 5 to create blankets, bracelets and Valentines for the Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora.

Christy Wiesner, APO president, spent time in the children’s hospital when she was a high school sophomore.

Feb 9, 2015 | 3

bears for children

racHel rIccI | the scribe

Nick Giraudo participates in an activity to make blankets for the Children’s Hospital in Aurora.

“One little gift can make a huge difference and improve physical health. It’s important to let these kids know that there’s people that care,” said Wiesner, junior double-major in English and elementary education and double-minor in psychology and criminal justice.

“We decided to cheer up

the kids who have to spend Valentine’s there,” she said.

APO hoped to donate five blankets, 50 bracelets and 50 Valentines so that a Valentine could be given with each bracelet. The money for the materials came from APO. Wiesner added that students that are interested in making

more can contact her at cwiesner@uccs.edu and she would be happy to deliver them.

“We’re hoping to do more events for the kids,” she said.

BSNA said that if students want to contribute more to the children, they can contact the hospital and see what donations the hospital can use.

UCCS popular destination for non-traditional students Kyle Guthrie kguthri2@uccs.edu

The traditional college student has always been perceived as a high school graduate who has been accepted into a college to pursue a four year degree. But the concept and encouragement of nontraditional students is one that UCCS has never shied away from.

Non-traditional students are an emerging demographic on college campuses, and can qualify as anything from older students to students who possess unique skill sets or lifestyles.

“One needs to consider how non-traditional is defined,” said Jacqueline Bisaillon, counselor at the Admissions Counseling and

Student Recruitment Office.

“Non-traditional students include students over a certain age, job experience, students with kids, military background and cultural experiences, among others. Not all of these identifying factors are visible or quantifiable.”

While there is no clear reason why UCCS may be a popular destination for nontraditional students, several possible factors include its reputation among the military and its roots as a commuter college.

“We know UCCS serves a large ‘non-traditional’ population,” Bisaillon said, “and is very attractive to returning military, parents with children and older students working towards a bachelor’s degree.”

Bisaillon also explained

that giving an exact number of non-traditional students on campus is something of an impossibility.

There are also nontraditional students who fall under the umbrella of online learning. Many of these students prefer learning from home as opposed to in-class instruction.

“We are seeing an increased interest in our online degree completion programs,” Chris Beiswanger, director of Admissions, explained.

“Especially with the [Registered Nurse] and [Bachelor School of Nursing].

We’re seeing an increased interest and enrollment playing itself out in several other fields as well, such as business, a little bit in criminal justice and

sociology.”

Beiswanger explained that some online programs are still more popular than others.

“The biggest program in terms of popularity is the RN to BSN program,” Beiswanger said. “Students that had an associate’s degree in nursing from a community and junior college, and who want to complete the rest of the requirements of the program, those tend to have the highest enrollment numbers for online programs.”

Beiswanger also said that while traditional students make up a large segment of the increasing student body, non-traditional students are part of the increasing population as well.

“What we’re seeing is an increase in traditionally aged freshmen, such as 17 and 18

years, coming here, there’s still a healthy amount of 25-year-plus students coming here as well,” Beiswanger said.

“We’d like to encourage increasing that group, as any school would. That population is very much important when the economy is good and that older student is able to get a job and go back to school.”

Regardless of the reasons for the high non-traditional student population, Bisaillon said the school values their presence.

“UCCS started off as solely a non-residential campus which drew many local non-traditional students to the campus,” Bisaillon said.

“Non-traditional students bring different experience, knowledge and perspectives to classroom discussion.”

News

Feb 9, 2015­ ­­­ ­ | 4

Stormwater laws influence facilities development, operation April Wefler awefler@uccs.edu

UCCS gained additional state funding of around $341,000 to keep up on the maintenance of its stormwater drainage system as part of the UCCS Stormwater Management Program.

The program consists of six elements: public education and outreach, public participation and involvement, illicit discharge detection and elimination, construction site runoff control, post construction stormwater management and pollution prevention/good housekeeping for municipal operations.

The school aims to maintain a functioning stormwater drainage system and ensure safe state waters by preventing potential pollutants and through responsible growth.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency website, stormwater is defined as precipitation accumulated from rain and snow that does not drain into the ground.

The website stated that “as the runoff flows over land or impervious surfaces … it accumulates debris, chemicals, sediments or other pollutants that could adversely affect water quality if the runoff is discharged untreated.”

megan lunsford | The Scribe

Underground pipes and drains in the sides of buildings help UCCS manage stormwater issues.

By Colorado law, UCCS is not allowed to use its stormwater. The state’s “Developing Your Stormwater Management Plan” explains that the Colorado Water Quality Control Act was created in order to prevent harmful pollutants from entering the water we use.

In a letter to The Scribe, Jim Muniz, physical plant manager for Facilities Services, identified potential pollutants on campus that can include: “trash and litter, fertilizers, pet wastes, construction activities, outdoor materials storage, incidental spills, highly erodible sediments, illicit discharges

and/or illegal storm drain dumping.”

“The state’s laws about stormwater are very, very interesting. Every time it rains, we’re required to go and check [the stormwater],” Muniz said in an interview.

He added that checking the stormwater periodically is probably between 15 and 20 percent of his allocated hours.

Gary Reynolds, assistant vice chancellor for Administration, said that UCCS is required to build something in which runoff sediments drop out and then go into the city system without mud or sand. This structure is located behind Summit

Village.

Muniz said he has to clean out sediment ponds occasionally and that the money comes from Facilities Services’ operating budget.

In order to dispose of its stormwater, UCCS has created rain gardens, a feature that acts like a flower bed, near the Lane Center and the Academic Office Building.

“We are allowed to have stormwater go through a rain garden, as long as it’s not there for long. We can let it sit and soak for 48 hours, but it needs to be drained off,” Muniz said.

“It’s designed to have the water flow. It’s part of our daily operation to maintain it,”

Reynolds added.

The money for the rain gardens comes from the state.

In addition to being mandated by law, Reynolds said that managing the stormwater serves another function.

“It provides water to plants and materials we would otherwise have to irrigate,” he said, adding that this saves the school money.

UCCS is required to provide a Stormwater Management Plan as part of stormwater and erosion control, in which the school submits the plan for approval by the state during construction.

Below is a letter submitted to The Scribe by physical plant manager Jimmy Muniz in regards to the stormwater systems in place at UCCS. December 23, 2014 To the editor of the Scribe: Colorado Stormwater regulations require the submittal of an article to a campus publication describing aspects of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Stormwater Management Program. The following addresses the requirement.

The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Stormwater Management Program consists of six program elements which maintain compliance with permitting regulations.

These elements are within the areas of Public Education and Outreach, Public Participation

and Involvement, Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination, Construction Site Runoff Control, Post Construction Stormwater Management, and Pollution Prevention/ Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations.

Goals have been set in each of these areas for completion throughout the current permit period which is in effect from 2008-2013. The overall objective of these goals is to maintain a functioning, well maintained stormwater drainage system by addressing potential pollutants and ultimately to ensure the health of state waters through responsible, proactive growth.

The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs remains committed to achieving these goals through the identification and application of Best Management Practices, which assist in the retention of water quality vital to healthy plant and animal life.

Potential pollutants and sources which have been identified on the campus include, but are not limited to, trash and litter, fertilizers, pet wastes, construction activities, outdoor materials storage, incidental spills, highly erodible sediments, illicit discharges and/ or illegal storm drain dumping. Other conditions associated with the site and

topography of the campus also require maintenance and monitoring.

As in years past, we have addressed campus litter and trash issues by removing litter daily and sponsoring volunteer clean-up days on campus. We also encourage campus visitors to pick up after their pets when necessary. The Department of Facilities Services has completed the first two phases of a three phase project to mitigate erosion at Austin Bluffs along Mountain Lion Way. The project consists of various Best Management Practices including slope and drainage stabilization, sediment collection and methods to slow the flow of runoff.

The permit has been extended administratively until revisions are approved. Approval is anticipated in 2015.

Public inquiries/comments regarding the Stormwater Management Program may be made through the office of the Physical Plant Manager-Support Services, Department of Facilities Services x3714 or jmuniz@uccs.edu.

Respectfully, Jimmy Muniz CEFP Physical Plant ManagerSupport Services Department of Facilities Services University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Culture

Feb 9, 2015­­­| 5

Mae Rohrbach’s leadership stems from strong cultural tradition Eleanor Skelton eskelton@uccs.edu

Sophomore Mae Rohrbach just watched “Interstellar,” a 2014 film about a decaying Earth, but she has been involved in sustainability efforts since well before then.

“We don’t have another Earth, and we need to take care of this one now,” Rohrbach said.

“The millennials are so innovative and I feel like nothing can stop us. We need to take that attitude and focus it on the problems we have today,” she added.

Rohrbach is majoring in geography and environmental science and minoring in sustainable development and leadership. She is in the Chancellor’s Leadership Class, and serves as student at large for the Green Action Fund, a volunteer intern at the Office of Sustainability, an officer for the Asian Pacific Islander Student Union and works in CLC office.

“I get to interact with lots of different groups, and I get to explore campus more and really take advantage of what UCCS offers,” she said.

Rohrbach became interested in the CLC after holding several leadership positions in high school. She believed the program would develop her leadership skills in the

community as well as with family and friends.

The course includes seminars with community leaders such as the chancellor, the director of Financial Aid Jevita Rogers, and a talk with Steven Covey, whose father wrote the best-seller “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”

“I know it was all about the numbers, but … we have a new director now, Garrett Gatlin, and he’s all about trying to find people who are really passionate about leadership and who want to be taught,” she said.

In the Sustainable Me freshman seminar, Rohrbach and two other students, Zachary Jensen and Oren Facey, submitted a proposal to prevent waste of toilet water in the dorms to the Green Action Fund as part of a course assignment.

“The toilets were 3.5 (Gallons Per Flush),” she explained in an email. “We decided to replace the toilets in Summit Village with 1.28 GPF toilets. Around 200 toilets were taken out and replaced in the dorms over a two week period in May [and] June.”

Rohrbach, Jensen and Facey later presented this story at several conferences.

Now as a member of GAF, other proposals excite Rohrbach’s passions as well.

Eleanor Skelton | The Scribe

Sophomore Mae Rohrbach sits at one of the solar powered tables around campus.

“The Rec Center … just recently put in an application for treadmills that you have to power, so self-generating treadmills, so that’s super exciting, we just passed that last week,” she said.

“I love being on the Green Action Fund because I get to be part of those major changes on campus.”

The next project GAF is pursuing is reusable togo boxes for UCCS dining services.

Aside from her sustainability efforts, Rohrbach also has a passion for cultural dancing.

Rohrbach attended a cultural Chinese school in her

hometown, Highlands Ranch.

She participated in traditional Chinese dance for 15 years at the school, including both fan and scarf dances.

Her group has performed at Regis and in downtown Denver, and she would like to continue dance while in Colorado Springs.

“I love to dance. It’s a way to relieve stress, but also to express myself. Because I’m adopted, it was part of my growing up in America, but also being Chinese and being able to go to a place where other adoptees are,” Rohrbach said.

She attends adoptee camps

and conferences to help motivate younger adoptees to discover themselves and become confident.

Rohrbach credits her cultural and family background in forming much of her passion for sustainability.

“My dad used to tell me whenever he would go into a bathroom, he’d always make sure it was cleaner by the time he came out, [like] picking up some of the paper towels on the floor,” she said.

“I think that can be applied to anything, when you start a relationship, going into it and coming out of it in a positive way.”

Colorado Springs ranked one of best cities for singles, local options vary

Baklava from Caspian Café, left, and a pasta dish from Rasta Pasta, right.

Audrey Jensen ajensen4@uccs.edu

Knowing that Colorado Springs has been rated 11 out of 150 highly populated cities for “Best City for Singles” might encourage those unattached to be hopeful this Valentine’s Day. Personal finance social media site WalletHub conducted a study in 2014 to calculate the best cities for singles in America. They based their research on two factors: the economics of dating and the romance or fun of dating.

Whether you decide to celebrate Valentine’s Day or

not, single or taken, there are decently priced venues that are entertaining places to hang out at with a group of friends or your significant other.

If you are searching for an exciting night out on Feb. 14, there are several spots worth looking into: For a restaurant close to UCCS with a Mediterranean atmosphere and inspired dishes ranging from $8 to $30 go to Caspian Café located on 4375 Sinton Road.

The dinner menu ranges from Mediterranean pizza to fried calamari. For desserts, Caspian Café makes baklava, chocolate mousse, sorbet and more.

Caspian Café also provides

courtesy | yelp

happy hour every Monday through Friday from 4-6 p.m with wines, martinis and beer. They are open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 4-8 p.m.

Another restaurant worth trying with friends or your date in downtown Colorado Springs is Rasta Pasta. The restaurant serves Caribbean and Italian inspired pasta dishes and the bar serves a variety of beers including Jamaican beer. The menu also provides vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options.

The inside is filled with reggae themed decorations and music creating a laidback atmosphere for guests.

courtesy | kimballspeakthree.com

Kimballs Peak Theater in downtown Colorado Springs.

All dishes include homemade salad dressing and natural, antibiotic and non-hormonal chicken fresh from Patuxent Farms in Colorado.

The dishes are moderately priced and the happy hour is 4-6 p.m. Rasta Pasta is open every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is located on 405 N. Tejon St. Located on 901 Academy Blvd. is Colorado Springs’ dollar theater, Picture Show.

Tickets are $1.75 regularly and $1 on Tuesdays for movies that have been in theaters for a while.

Although not as cheap as Picture Show, a theater that is showing new films is the Kimball’s Peak Three Theater

located on 127 E. Kiowa St. This small theater has three screens and only shows four films at the most. The theater features a bar with beer, wine and liquor to take into the theater as well as popcorn and fountain drinks.

Since Valentine’s Day falls on a weekend, it is a good chance to take a visit to Mueller State Park or Silver Cascade Falls. The Student Outdoor Learning Experience office hosts a snowshoeing trip that day as well.

These restaurants, theaters and trips in Colorado Springs can be a great way to meet other students or put together a group of people and enjoy Valentine’s Day.

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Culture

Feb 9, 2015­­| 7

Blackout Weekend full of basketball games, dancing Audrey Jensen ajensen4@uccs.edu

On Jan. 31 from 9 p.m. to midnight, the Office of Student Activities hosted the Blacklight Dance in Berger Hall. The dance culminated the Blackout Weekend festivities. Other activities at the dance included games and a photo booth.

A tailgate preceded the women’s and men’s basketball games on Jan. 30, and the dance followed games for both teams on Jan. 31. All four games were victories for the Mountain Lions.

In order from top left to bottom right: Basketball: Clyde hypes up the crowd; The crowd holds up their hands during a freethrow; Derrick White scores a slamdunk; Teams fight for the ball at the hoop.

Blacklight Dance: A group of women dance to the music; Students take photos with Clyde at the photobooth; Students dance in a line.

Photos by Reilly Flood and Megan Lunsford

Professor listed as one of ‘Most Influential’ in nation Alexander Nedd anedd@uccs.edu

Marcus Winters, assistant professor in the College of Education, not only helps enrich the thoughts and lives of students at UCCS, but has applied these concepts to a broader range nationally.

Winters was recognized by the 2015 RHSU Edu Scholar Public Influence rankings, placed 181out of 200 recipients.

Winters’ work focuses on improving education throughout the school system in the United States without having to over-utilize economic resources.

courtesy | uccs

Assistant professor Marcus Winters

“I appreciate what [RHSU] is doing,” Winters said. “[They] recognize leaders that are contributing not only to the academic literature but also to

the broader policy conversation as a whole.”

Winters has worked at UCCS for four years. He is an economist and teaches statistic courses in the Ph.D. program as well as economics of education. His research on public education focuses on K-12 school levels.

“I study the impact of educational interventions on student academic performance,” he explained.

Winters’ work has yielded findings such as the how the average spending on a child by public schools with inflation has more than doubled over the past quarter decade, and yet educational outcomes

have stalled. Winters wants to change that.

“My main areas [of study] are school of choice, school of accountability and things related to teacher quality,” Winters said.

“I study the impact of charter schools, student achievement within public school systems, how wide the variation of teacher quality is, which play a huge role in the conversation here in Colorado but also other places across the nation.”

Winters began working on education policy after receiving his undergraduate degree. His work has been published in a variety of journals across the

nation.

This semester, he hopes to further his research and publish his latest findings.

“I’m working on school accountability policies,” Winters said. “I’m really interested in policies that use retention as part of a test based system, I’m also very interested in teacher pensions.

I think those are undervalued and underappreciated and it doesn’t get very much media attention.”

Winters works with others from around the nation on his findings, including co-author Joshua Cowen from Michigan State University who has published similar work.

eDItorIAl

Feb 9, 2015 | 8

Williams’ truth problem poses issue for all journalists Jonathan Toman Editor-in-Chief

Samantha Morley Managing Editor

Taylor Hargis Copy Editor

Eleanor Skelton News Editor

Audrey Jensen Culture Editor

Alexander Nedd courtesy | Wikicommons

Scribe Staff scribe@uccs.edu

So, it seems that the most trusted name in Nightly News lied.

Brian Williams, host of NBC Nightly News falsely represented his experience in Iraq in 2003. Williams, after the event, repeatedly told the story that he was either in a helicopter that was shot down or in the same squad as one that was.

As has been reported through several media outlets, this story was a stretch if not completely untrue.

Rem Rieder from USA Today posted this about the controversy.

“It’s disturbing that Williams has told many different versions of this story over the years. In some he was in a helicopter that was hit by enemy fire.

In some he was in one near the chopper that was hit. This from a man whose word should be gospel to us?”

This sort of thing causes several problems for students, journalists and student journalists.

First, this makes our job, something we do as a profession and hope to one day turn into a living, extremely hard.

In a job that requires complete trust, to have the most well-known and highly regarded member of our profession break that trust makes it hard for us to do our job.

If Americans cannot trust the people that bring them the news, they cannot trust the news itself.

Second, it will be hard, very hard, to remedy this. Trust is one of the few things that, once lost, is almost impossible to regain. Not only will it be hard for Williams, but it will be hard

for all journalists.

The same level of credibility he enjoyed will, in all likelihood, never be seen again.

But he is human. And as humans, we all make mistakes. He just happened to make his mistake on a large scale.

We hope that he can at least be forgiven and that this incident does not affect the reputation of all journalists, especially those like us at The Scribe: folks that may want to does this for the rest of their lives.

An event like this helps explain why The Scribe is confronted with mistrust on an almost daily basis. We sincerely hope that you will judge us for what we do and how we conduct ourselves, not for the reputation ruining that seems to take place in our industry every so often.

Corrections and Clarifications In the Feb. 2 issue, “Scholarship students take trip to Puerto Rico” incorrectly stated that there are only four species of trees native to Puerto Rico left in the world. There is one species native to Puerto Rico that only has four trees left in the world.

Opinion Editor

Alexander Nedd

Life on the Bluffs Editor

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DeKeveion Glaspie Kyle Guthrie Rachel Librach Evan Musick April Wefler

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opINIoN

Feb 9, 2015 | 9

Men need to be shown love on Valentine’s Day, too

DeKeveion Glaspie dglaspie@uccs.edu

Stop it, ladies!

Stop putting all the pressure on the guys to buy you chocolates and gifts on Valentine’s Day.

It’s a day that companies prepare for months in advance, brainwashing girls everywhere into thinking that the day is solely about them.

But you never see a Valentine’s Day commercial with the girl giving an amazing gift to her man.

Valentine’s Day puts too much pressure on guys to get that perfect gift.

Females should take the initiative to put in the same amount of effort to make their guys feel good. There is nothing wrong with buying them

chocolates or a nice pocket knife. Whatever they might be into, show them on that day that it’s not all about them getting you gifts.

In my past relationships I wanted everything. Flowers, candy, I wanted it all. I was one of those girls who wanted to be treated like a princess and thought it was the guy’s (and only the guy’s) job to do so on Valentine’s Day. But that was with my ex-boyfriend. He spoiled me with gifts from head to toe.

One year later I was with a new guy and looking forward to the same treatment, but things were different. Our relationship was mostly long distance. We saw each other maybe every two or three months and Valentine’s Day came when we were eight months in.

Because of my last relationship, my expectations were high.

We went to a beautiful restaurant and he gave me a teddy bear, chocolates and movies from Redbox. Then we spent a quiet evening

together.

But I didn’t want this to be a typical Valentine’s Day. I wanted to give him something, too.

Going into the back closet I came out with his gift. It was a card, his favorite candy and a painting. He was very surprised and said that none of his exes bought him gifts. He was always told that Valentine’s Day was for guys to give gifts to the girl.

Valentine’s Day should not fall back only on the guy. Both partners in the relationship should put in the same amount

of effort.

Females shouldn’t be sucked into the holiday’s commercials. It only puts in their mind that if their significant other does not buy that diamond necklace or Michael Kors handbag, they are just overall horrible boyfriends.

The love you have for your significant other should not be measured by gifts. Show them love every day in other forms rather than buying objects. Showing them love through actions should be more than enough.

Be affectionate to all you love on Valentine’s Day

Alexander Nedd anedd@uccs.edu

Love is in the air, and for many it makes people sick.

Every year during this time, a number of my friends take to social media and blast the

image that is Valentine’s Day. Some are bitter over being single; others use the day to show off their significant other and gifts given. The two week run into the middle of February can be a trying time.

I have been on both sides of the fence when it comes to this tradition. I used to rant about being single, blasting Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” while believing I was a strong independent black person who didn’t need a significant other to fill the role of self-worth in my heart.

I’ve also had the pleasure of celebrating the day’s expected celebrations with my now boyfriend for over two years.

Many believe the key to Valentine’s Day is having a boyfriend or girlfriend to spend it with. But many don’t know that the pressure of having another half quickly replaces the fear of being single.

I began to obsess with what I could give my boyfriend. I was worried he would think I was cheap if I didn’t buy him something expensive. And of course

I also thought about what he would get me.

After all, that’s what the holiday is for, right?

This year was no different. I began to think about what I was going to do, and asked my mother for advice.

What surprised me was her answer of what not to get him.

“Alex, as long as you show you appreciate and care for him, there is no need to go out and buy the most expensive thing you can find,” she said.

Mom was right.

Through all the chocolates, teddy bears, rings and expensive

dinners, the meaning of Valentine’s Day has been lost, swept up by global corporations hell-bent on receiving that extra dollar while crushing anyone who doesn’t fit the standard criteria.

Since when is love and affection a trait only preserved for our significant others, ignoring the ones that surround us every day?

Valentine’s Day isn’t about how far you go to get that great gift, finding the perfect girl or guy or what you can do in the bedroom.

Valentine’s Day is about love, and you don’t have

to be in a relationship to celebrate.

Call your mother or father and let them know how much you appreciate them. Let your best friend know what it means to have them by your side for not just that day, but every day. Kiss your dog, cat, car, anything that makes you happy.

If you have a significant other, take the time to simply remind them why you like them.

It doesn’t have to have a price tag.

Let you define Valentine’s Day, not the other way around.

Cosmetics, clothing should not define women

Audrey Jensen ajensen4@uccs.edu

The 1957 film “Funny Face,” follows a lowly bookstore owner, Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn) who is considered to be an ugly duckling that no one thinks is beautiful.

Upon meeting Stockton, fashion photographer Dick Avery

(Fred Astaire) tells her that she has a funny face unlike models he is used to shooting. It isn’t until she is dolled up with makeup and fashionable clothes that she is considered worth anything to the other characters.

This idea in American society that women are only appealing when they are dressed up has not disappeared.

It’s a question I ask myself every morning: Would I rather sleep in or wake up to maintain an image?

As much as I wish that I 100 percent did not care what anyone thought of me or how I look, I have learned that in certain settings it is better to spend more time

on my appearance.

It’s true that to a degree men and women both work to uphold an appropriate look as far as hygiene and presentation goes, but sometimes it is exhausting to have to worry about little details of my image rather than just taking a shower, brushing my teeth and combing my hair.

Each person has a different daily routine and not everyone feels it necessary to dress up more in different situations, but I end up planning my appearance based on reactions I receive from those I interact with on a day-today basis.

At school, I am more comfortable in jeans, my favorite t-shirt, a pair

of sneakers, letting my hair dry naturally and wearing my prescription glasses. But at work, I am “the face” of the company and will be judged based on how I look.

Obviously many jobs require a professional appearance, but why should women feel they have to wear makeup?

Even at work?

I enjoy dressing up every now and again and makeup can be fun to wear, but there are days when I just want to look how I was born without added color to my skin and eyes.

I didn’t used to care as much about the difference that makeup makes.

But after days

of hearing, “what’s wrong?” “You look tired,” and literally not being acknowledged by people that say hi to me when I do wear makeup, I started to become frustrated.

Of course I have my insecurities. When people say that I look good without my glasses or compliment me with makeup on then I’m going to make some changes to my appearance.

But I would just like to be treated the same, makeup or not.

It’s not as if I don’t care about taking care of myself. I just don’t appreciate the idea of makeup being my access to acknowledgement or appreciation.

Girls and women should not be judged or treated differently if they decide to wear makeup or not.

There are comments I will have to learn to not take personally. But I’ve also realized that I need to respect and appreciate myself, dolled up or not, and not let people decide whether I am worth it or not.

I applaud women that do not let what society thinks affect their appearance, but the bottom line is that we need to stop judging people by what they put on their face. You can meet a lot of cool people when you treat them the same, no matter what they do with their appearance.

lIFe on the BluFFs Sudoku 2

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Things for singles to do on Valentine’s Day

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April Wefler, awefler@uccs.edu

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

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Feb 9, 2015 | 10

Things for couples to do on Valentine’s Day

Do a month’s worth of homework. It’s not like you have anything better to do.

9

Spend the night reblogging stuff on Tumblr and cry.

8

Go to a horror movie, watch all the dates snuggling and cry.

10

Go to a horror movie and laugh about the single people crying.

9

Upload bunch of romantic pictures on Facebook.

8

Watch a Disney movie and smiles at all the couples that are as happy as you.

7

Watch a Disney movie and cry.

7

Go to an Italian restaurant and share a plate of spaghetti.

6

Go to an Italian restaurant and cry at the bill you pay by yourself.

6

Marathon romantic classics while you cuddle on the couch.

5

Cuddle your pet and cry.

5

Surprise your significant other with an adorable kitten or puppy.

4

Buy yourself a box of chocolates and cry.

4

Feed each other chocolatecovered strawberries in front of singles.

3

Watch Lifetime and cry.

3

Give each other converation hearts and read them in front of singles.

2

Call your parents and cry.

2

Make out in front of all the singles.

1

Marathon a soap opera on YouTube and cry.

1

Bask in your love and be glad you aren’t single.

Campus Chatter April Wefler, awefler@uccs.edu

What shouldn’t you give your significant other for Valentine’s Day?

Capture

Clyde

Win a prize! Come to The Scribe office (UC 106) and tell us where the picture was taken.

“Just put the cereal in the fridge

&

Sweet Salty Tweets

Shamara Byrd, freshman, business “Don’t get a guy a teddy bear or a girl lollipops, an alarm clock [or] beauty products. I hate when guys give me flowers [other than roses.] Don’t lead a guy on and then say [you’re] on [your] period.”

thanks blackout night #uccs”

@joannar1012

Michael Putterflam, sophomore, computer science “A wooden spoon.”

“In class... And there’s a booger on the

wall right next to me #classy #UCCS” @erinturn

“Jt’s in times like this that I become

Nasha Ward, senior, political science

highly motivated to excel in school.

These times where I want out. #UCCS #hardworkwillpayoff #someday”

“A picture of yourself. That’s awful. I’ve seen that a couple times.”

@JCCPalmer

This week

at UCCS

Mon

9

Wed

11

SGA Candidate Meeting 6:30 p.m.

Dwire 204

Water Volleyball Tournament 7 p.m.

Rec Center Pool

Tues

10 Thurs

12

Chit Chat: Politics & Fermented Food 7 p.m.

GOCA 121 (Downtown Gallery)

3-point and Slam Dunk Contest 6 p.m.

Rec Center

Sports

Feb 9, 2015­ ­­| 11

Student athletes juggle physical and mental exhaustion, homework Brandon Applehans bappleha@uccs.edu

Some people only see the glory of collegiate sports when the lights come on. But sport figures on campus are labeled student athletes for a reason.

Athletes preach that great players train in the offseason. Sports at UCCS require student athletes to train and perform all year round, leaving little time for academics, let alone jobs.

Senior midfielder James Roberts played all four years for UCCS and expressed the intensity of the daily life of a college athlete.

“It’s a physically exhausting day; mentally in class doing homework and also on the field when you want to work as hard as you can,” said Roberts.

“At the end of the day, people ask you if you want to do certain things and you really don’t because you’re waking up the next day doing the same thing.”

Two midfielders for the women’s soccer team, junior McKenzie Oliver and sophomore Michaela Mansfield, see similar problems about the intensity of practices.

“For soccer, you just look down at your legs and notice all of these bruises,” said Mansfield. “When you’re sore you just remember that you have to go to practice that next day.”

“Imagine getting hit by a truck, waking up the next morning and having to go to practice again,” said Oliver.

Student athletes travel to games,

courtesy | sports information

Senior midfielder James Roberts, left, and sophomore midfielder Michaela Mansfield, right.

missing certain classes depending on the length of the road trip. Though athletes strive to make the travel work, the homework does not stop.

“Getting teachers to understand that we will miss class on certain days is the toughest part,” said Roberts.

When the UCCS athletic teams travel, a charter bus is taken to accommodate the players. The bus has plenty of seats for students to bring along their gear as well as homework.

Depending on the opponent, teams set aside time for players to get schoolwork finished.

“We all usually meet in the lobby and do it together,” said Mansfield.

“If it’s a day trip it’s hard because you have to do homework when you get back, but if it’s an overnight trip we always meet in the lobby or eating area.”

“When we are gone for a long time, like this year when we were gone for a week, coach made us go down in the lobby and work on homework,” said Roberts. “The fact that he forces us to do it is really helpful. Even when you are forced to do it, you still don’t want to because you’re there for soccer.”

Oliver realizes sports are a battle, but cherishes the opportunity to compete.

“I feel very honored to be a student athlete here,” she said. “I feel like the athletics here has a community and everyone really knows everybody. It’s fun to be a part of something bigger at a school that’s already so big.”

Flawed NBA All-Star system continues in 2015

Brandon Applehans bappleha@uccs.edu

The National Basketball Association needs to expand the rosters for the All-Star game.

The 2011 lockout dispute for the NBA has been settled for over three years now, but a new issue has arisen regarding the 2015 AllStar game, to be held Feb. 15 in New York.

Basketball fans all over the globe huddle around the TV to see the top players battle in a lackadaisical highlight reel that only comes once a year. But this year, the

number of all-star caliber players increased, leaving marquee names off the roster.

In his third season, Portland Trailblazers point guard Damien Lillard will not participate. Averaging 21.6 points, 6.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds per contest, those numbers were not good enough to get him a spot.

Fans vote for their favorite East and West players, naming the five starters for both teams, and coaches finish off by selecting the five reserves for each ball club.

This is an odd time in the NBA due to Hallof-Fame players, such as Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, remaining in the league for an extended period.

Young and talented players are being penalized due to their continued presence.

Bryant will not be participating in the 2015 All-Star game due to a shoulder injury. Lillard was a choice thrown

courtesy | nba

around to complete the only 10-man roster, but league commissioner Adam Silver chose Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins.

Regardless of that decision, Silver should make the All-Star game a 12 to 14 man roster.

Starters and reserves will continue to be the top players, but all deserving

players should be able to participate.

Cousins is worthy of the spot. Averaging 23.6 points, 12 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, there is no concern as to why he is on the team.

It’s why more players aren’t on the roster.

When young talent enters the NBA, and rightfully competes with

potential Hall-of-Fame veterans, they should not be snubbed out of the AllStar game just because of limited roster spots.

Silver has acknowledged the fault in the voting system and expects to expand the roster spots. The principle is the fact that both the West and East ball clubs have players missing the

opportunity of a lifetime.

NBA players have a time limit on their careers, with each year posing the threat of injury, and they shouldn’t have to miss an opportunity like this due to a limited roster.

Next year is another season, and hopefully the NBA can solve this issue as they did the lockout.

sports

Feb 9, 2015 | 12

Softball looks to replace All-American, begins season in Las Vegas Brandon Applehans bappleha@uccs.edu

All-American Jessica Belsterling was among four seniors that graduated in the 2014 season. Head coach Scott Peterson now turns to the remaining upperclassmen as well as 12 freshmen to lead his team.

“Seniors graduate and there’s nothing we can change about that,” said Peterson. “Jess was an All-American and we knew for several years that she would be leaving us at some point. We try to prepare for that. I think we have a great recruiting class.”

“You can’t replace a lot of the things Jess did,” he added.

“But we have some special players out there.”

Expectations for the head coach are not just to compete in the RMAC, but to also win the league.

“Our expectations are to win the league every year,” said Peterson. “They have been told that since August, when we first started, and our expectations never change.”

The two seniors on the squad this year, Korey Kulpins and Emily Jennings, realize the challenge ahead but look to

reIlly flood | the scribe

The softball team begins their season on Feb. 13.

take the journey in stride.

“The biggest difference is the amount of impact that [last year’s seniors] had consistently throughout the season,” said Kulpins. “Freshmen year has a lot of ups and downs. I think the consistency will lack a bit

this year but hopefully we will have a few key players step up and fill those shoes.”

“Jess has huge shoes to fill, but all of the freshmen have to come together and help fill that spot,” said Jennings. “I think we can do it, it will just be

tough.”

The team faces off against their first opponent in Las Vegas, where they take on Simon Fraser Feb. 13. Peterson recalled the last meeting between the Mountain Lions and the Vancouver team.

“We know Simon Fraser,” he said. “We played them in 2004. At that time they were the Canadian Olympic team.

The coach, who is still the coach, was the Olympic coach back then. He was able to encourage all of the Canadian Olympians to go to school at Simon Fraser.”

Jennings and Kulpins think starting the season off in the largest Division II tournament in the country will be a positive.

“I think it’s good for us to travel,” said Jennings. “We are going to face a lot of tough teams. The first team we play has been nationally ranked multiple times so it’s good for us to get out there and face opponents that we usually don’t play.”

“It will be good for our team because none of us really know where anybody is playing right now,” said Kulpins. “I think the first game will certainly be an eye opener for the freshmen and sophomores to see where they end up playing on the field.”

UCCS opens their home schedule against Adams State University on Feb. 21 at noon and 2 p.m. at Mountain Lion Field.

More Inside: Inside the lives of student athletes; NBA system flawed

Senior guard Darius Pardner animated about life, basketball Brandon Applehans bappleha@uccs.edu

Darius Pardner is a quiet guy by day and an enthusiastic and motivated basketball player when the lights turn on.

Entering play on Feb. 7, the men’s basketball team is 19-2, ranked ninth in the nation and tied for first in the RMAC. Pardner, who averages 8.5 points in just under 18 minutes per game, is amazed at the success.

“If you told me, ‘Darius: by your senior year, you’ll be 19-2, ranked number nine in the nation,’ I wouldn’t believe you,” Pardner said. “Never in my wildest dreams did I see this.”

Pardner was recruited for basketball out of Overland High school in Aurora. He was originally recruited by former men’s head coach Russ Caton, but has quickly adapted to current head coach Jeff Culver.

“Basketball taught me about life, more than life’s taught me about life,” he said. “There’s so much you have to go through.”

courtesy | sports information

Senior guard Darius Pardner pumps up his team before a recent game.

“Culver became our new coach and I had to adjust. When life throws you a curveball, you can’t get caught looking.

It’s taught me to overcome adversity, time management and to be mentally tough.”

Pardner’s season high 18

points came against Colorado School of Mines, a college he planned on attending before UCCS. “Something about Mines gets me going, and the games bring something out of me,” he said. “I was supposed to go

there … so I look at them as like ‘what would it have been like?’”

Pardner is a person who lives in the moment, whether it’s hitting a clutch shot in a game or working at the communication center and lending a hand as a public speaking tutor.

“My mood is how I play,” he said. “If I’m amped up and ready to play, it only helps my game. If I hit one shot, it’s over after that. You have to love every moment.”

Pardner not only juggles work and basketball, but has created his own club: Athletes for Christ.

“It’s a place where anybody on campus can come and share their ideas about life,” he said. “It’s a place where you can come talk about college in general.”

“I wanted a place where people can feel truly comfortable.”

Pardner will graduate this May. As for his plans after college, Pardner has a yearning to change lives, as his was changed for the better at UCCS. One idea is a foundation.

“None of my friends, my dearest high school friends, ever went to college. I don’t think they had the appropriate resources and opportunity to go to college.”

“I feel everyone should be available to further their education.”