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SGA committees planning for changes at UCCS Molly Mrazek mmrazek@uccs.edu

The president of the Student Government Association, Jarod Gray, could think of what seven of the SGA committees were up to off the top of his head. The committees of the SGA have been busy this semester planning changes for UCCS, recruiting and appointing new members and meeting the students.

The Public Relations Committee is working on getting new signage to go in front of the SGA office as well as a banner. They are also trying to plan meet and greet sessions with all the members of the House and Senate.

The Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) has been meeting to talk about the SGA’s budget and to meet with clubs to talk about how much money they are able to provide them for certain events.

So far this semester, the SGA has spent around $40,000 of their $49,000 dollar budget allotted to them each semester to disperse to different

clubs. Gray said that the director of finance, Evan Shelton, keeps the exact numbers for the budget but they are going to start to post the budget information on the SGA Facebook page.

Gray said the Appointments Committee meets every Friday before the joint session to interview people, bring in new members and orient them on the workings of SGA. Although he’s not on the Appointments Committee, Gray did say that this year, there has been less replacing of members and more filling of positions. For example, the senator of multicultural affairs had left and they recently appointed a new one.

The Government Affairs Committee has been busy trying to get public speakers scheduled for the spring semester.

Meanwhile, the SGA Awards Committee has been meeting in order to give out awards. Gray said that they give out a parking spot on campus each month.

The Campus Safety Committee has just been

given money to fix a problem that has come to their attention last year: the lack of crosswalks in the Four Diamonds’ parking lots. The money has come from the state and from an SGA fund called the Plant Fund.

Finally, the Student Union Committee is working to create an assessment for the current

services offered at the University Center and find out in which areas it may be lacking.

There have been a lot of changes that Gray spoke of. As president, he was excited to see something new he proposed be approved by his fellow SGA members. It’s a form called the concern proposal; with this form, stu-

dents can request changes or bring attention to any issues they see at UCCS. Along with that, there have been a couple resolutions passed: the resolution to support Proposition 103 and a veteran’s and military affairs recognition resolution.

Something to possibly look forward to that Gray would like to see come to

fruition before his tenure is up is the installation of vending machines in Columbine and University Hall.

These vending machines would have scantrons and blue books for students to purchase so they wouldn’t have to go all the way to the bookstore if they should forget either item on a test day. S

that we can use for ourselves,” said Gaden, who has been director of campus recreation since July 2007.

One of the survey results Gaden thought was interesting was the reasons people don’t come to the Recreation Center.

“We got a pretty good list from what keeps people from coming and working out here,” he said. “One of the major issues was parking, but a lot of people also said the lack of space, equipment and specialty fitness classes were also issues.”

According to the survey results, which Gaden and staff plan to post in the coming months, about 76

percent of survey respondents would be in favor of expanding the current Recreation Center.

Another result was that 78 percent of respondents would also be in favor of raising the current student Recreation Center fees to help pay for the possible expansion.

“The whole point of the survey was to figure out what our students want and what is important to them at the Rec Center,” Gaden explained. “This survey also is kind of a guiding document for the architecture company that will help us with the possible expansion.”

One of the reasons Gaden and his staff came

up with the survey was because of things they were seeing at the Recreation Center every day. Intramurals were taking up the gym space every night, the upper level of the center was overcrowded during peak hours, and the demand for space and programming was outweighing what the center could physically offer, he said.

“Our student enrollment has gone [up] about 20 percent and keeps increasing every year since we opened four years ago,” stated Gaden. “Based on our enrollment, our Recreation Center should be at about 100,000 square feet; we are currently only at about 54,000.”

Looking at the survey and other research on the topic of expansion, Gaden hopes that by Spring 2012, they can get the ball rolling on the project and meet the demand the students are asking for.

“A key date for us will be March of 2012. That is when the SGA has their elections and one of things that will be on the ballot will be the expansion project,” said Gaden.

Pending the SGA vote, the idea will then go to the CU Board of Regents, where Gaden hopes it will get approved sometime over the summer. “If the idea does get passed by both the SGA and the Board of Regents, we can

then start the architectural phase of the project,” he said.

Although the project is still in the conceptual stages, Gaden believes that the spring semester of 2012 will be a key point in the process. “We hope to have forums, student focus groups, presentations and other events that will give the students a better understanding of the project,” he said.

“The survey gave us a good feel from the students and they offered a lot of feedback and positive support. Now, we need to find a balance point between the features that the students want and making the project cost efficient.” S

Photo by Robert Solis

SGA President Jarod Gray works diligently in his office.

Student survey results spark Rec Center expansion project Ryan Adams radams3@uccs.edu

After hearing from the campus community, Matt Gaden, director of campus recreation, and his staff are set to embark on a multi-year expansion of the current campus Recreation Center.

Gaden put out a survey to students this fall asking them to voice their opinions and offer up ideas on how the Recreation Center can become better than it already is.

“The survey results were very helpful because we ended up getting not only some cool user demographics but good data

Inside this

Issue

news Food for Fines page 4

culture Thanksgiving volunteering page 10

opinion Holiday survival guide page 12

sports Outstanding equestrian student page 15

News

Page 2

November 21, 2011

International students find campus friendly, welcoming April Wefler awefler@uccs.edu

Many international students are in agreement: They like being here and find the students welcoming.

There are currently 42 countries represented on our campus. Although these countries are primarily Eastern European and Asian, there are also students from New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and Africa, just to name a few.

The majority of our international students are from India and Saudi Arabia because of how strong our engineering program is, said Kolby Stallings, international admissions assistant for International Student Services (ISS).

Abdullah Almurayh is an international student from Saudi Arabia. He is here to get his master’s and Ph.D in computer science.

Almurayh noted that coming here has been a good experience for him.

“It’s good to meet people here, to talk to them,” he said. “They are

all friendly, especially in Colorado.”

He would like to see ISS involve more Americans in their programs – not just students, but other people from campus or from the Colorado Springs community. Almurayh said that Americans can share information about the culture here.

“I want to build a bridge between people from my country and this country,” said Almurayh.

Almurayh lives here with his wife and children, and says he doesn’t miss Saudi Arabia. However, he’s a professor in Saudi Arabia and plans to return next summer to teach again before coming back here to continue with his Ph.D. Veronica Castro, of Ecuador, also said that coming here has been a good experience for her.

Castro is a graduate student in the sport nutrition program.

“I already did my master’s in exercise science in Florida,” she said. “I like it way better than the international program in Florida.”

After finishing her program in Florida and choosing to stay in the United States, Castro was deciding between going to school in Utah or in Colorado.

“Both of the programs are really good, but what made me decide for UCCS was Colorado,” she said. “I’ve heard really good things about Colorado. There’s a lot of outdoor things to do yearround.”

Her only complaint about ISS is that, because there are fewer international students when compared to other campuses like CU-Boulder, it limits the things the amount of things the program can do.

“I went to Sarah [Morehead, ISS international admissions advisor] and asked for potential business opportunities, and she said she wasn’t sure.”

Castro said that otherwise, Morehead and the program have been phenomenal.

She doesn’t miss Ecuador.

Both Almurayh and Castro noted that the laws

the

Photos by Shandi Gross

Matt Cox (left) is from New Zealand and Veronica Castro (right) is from Ecuador. in the United States are very different, which took some getting used to.

Matt Cox is from New Zealand. Like Almurayh and Castro, he said that the ISS program has been helpful.

“The program is very good and keeps other internationals in contact.

I enjoy going to all the events and have made some very good friends from the events,” said Cox. Unlike Almurayh and Castro, Cox said that he misses his home.

“It will be my first

Christmas away from home this year, so it is very upsetting not to be able to spend it with family,” he said. “Everyone here has been so inviting, letting me spend Christmas time with them.”

As with Almurayh and Castro, Cox said that the students have been very welcoming and friendly.

Like Almurayh, Cox would like it if ISS could bring more U.S. students to all of the events.

“International students here on campus are the most segregated and isolated. A lot of them don’t

talk to students unless they’re from the same country,” said Stalling.

ISS and the International Student Organization (ISO) put on many programs for the international students.

“Last month, we went to a luncheon with the mayor at Broadmoor,” he said. “They also went to the Elitch Gardens.” He noted that the events are free for the international students.

Stalling also said that the ISS doors are always open to any interested students. S

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News

November 21, 2011

Page 3

Green Cities Coalition brings sustainability opportunities to students Rachel Bradford rbradfor@uccs.edu Opportunities with local companies and organizations can help boost resumes and bring awareness of the local job market for college students interested in environmental studies.

The importance of realworld experience prior to graduation, such as volunteering, internships and employment, is general knowledge among college students.

However, utilizing college-level environmental studies as a profession is relatively new, and the sustainability program offered at UCCS is only a minor.

In addition, the sustainability minor is designed to be combined with a relevant major, such as engineering, energy science or geography, in order to gain useful employment in the sustainability field.

In the past, it may have

been difficult for students to find these real-world opportunities because local sustainability efforts lacked overall organization until Green Cities Coalition (GCC) began to “[get] everyone together and [help] them forge collaborations,” according to Steve Saint, founding member.

These collaborations began in 2007 with small meetings between interested individuals and the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission, according to the GCC website (greencoloradosprings.org).

Since then, GCC has expanded into “an umbrella organization of 400 groups and individuals,” said Saint.

While GCC was not organized for the sole purpose of providing opportunities to college students, Saint said, sustainability internships are available for students who can commit as little as five hours per week,

depending on the project.

For example, one member of GCC, the Shooks Run Agroforestry Project, is “an ecological sustainability initiative underway in Shooks Run Park, mostly between Cache La Poudre Street and Boulder Street,” said Gary Rapp, coordinator.

“We need volunteers who have an interest in working outdoors with woodsy plants in order to enhance the streamside forest ecosystem of our Shooks Run neighborhood.”

Students will be expected to assist in the planting of trees and shrubs along Shooks Run, construct rainwater catchments, control invasive plant species, manage a plant nursery and collect plant data. “Experience would be helpful but is not necessary,” Rapp added.

As one of the founding members of the Green Cities Coalition, UCCS also offers real-world opportunities through the Office of Sustainability,

such as volunteering and student employment, according to Kevin Gilford, assistant director.

Gilford said the Office of Sustainability is in the process of setting up a formal internship program, in addition to their ongoing assistance in helping students with class projects and thesis research.

“We will be collaborating with the department of geography and environmental studies and sustainable development minors,” he said. “It’s all preliminary, but it looks like we are continuing forward with those programs to create an internship program.”

There are also opportunities available within GCC for students with non-sustainability majors. For example, eDao provides GCC’s web services and is specifically looking for computer programming interns as well as writers for their publishing division, ac-

The Lowdown What: Real World Experience - Sustainability More Info: GCC/Recycling Coaltion (Internships/Volunteer) Ingrid Wood, CCO of eDao, 439-2313 Shooks Run Agroforestry Project (Volunteer) David Havlick, Professor Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, dhavlick@uccs.edu UCCS Office of Sustainability (Volunteer/Employment) Kevin Gilford, Assistant Director, 255-3089 Sustainable Transformations (Volunteer) Heather Kelly, Owner 358-8986 cording to Ingrid Wood, eDao’s chief operations officer.

Another GCC member, Sustainable Transformations, is looking for volunteers who want to write about sustainability, according to its owner, Heather Kelly.

Professor David Havlick of the geography and environmental studies department advises students

to “get engaged as much as they can; track down internships, take relevant courses, volunteer for relevant organizations, etc.

This both provides practical hands-on experience (which sometimes creates contacts that later relate to paid employment) and gives students a better sense of how they might fit into and contribute to the field.” S

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News

Page 4

November 21, 2011

Holder pins plants down to wooden board for fun, profit Aaron Collett acollett@uccs.edu

UCCS has its very own mad scientist doing research on campus.

He doesn’t look like it – you’ve probably passed him in the hallways in Centennial Hall without even realizing it. Students have nothing to fear; the vegetation around campus, however, should tremble down to its roots.

According to Dr. Curtis Holder – or Curt, as he prefers to be called – “I’ve literally been torturing trees and plants in the Colorado Springs area for the past two years, and I’ve hired a team of undergraduate students to work with me on this project.”

Holder’s “plant torture” doesn’t stop in the lab. He said, “In my backyard, we have a rainfall simulator.

We take small trees and cut them down, hang them under the rainfall simulator attached to a scale. We turn on the simulator and watch the weight of the tree increase.”

All of this is research into a phenomenon called “hydrophobicity.” Hydrophobicity is a measure of how absorbent a plant is – for example, whether a droplet of water will cling to the leaf, or whether it will bead up and slide off.

Holder is researching “forest hydrology.” According to him, he studies “how vegetation interacts with precipitation events.”

Basically, he looks at how rainfall interacts with the forest, and how that can affect the local water supply.

To this end, he uses a machine called a goniometer. Holder will pin down leaves and branches

to a flat, wooden surface, and drip water droplets on them. Pointed at this flat surface are high-speed cameras.

He uses the camera to observe the splash formations and angles of each droplet. He can also tilt the goniometer to measure how fast the droplet will fall off of the leaf.

Holder’s research is not confined to the Colorado Spring area. He is studying forest hydrology, after all, so he must do his field research in a forest.

The forest where he performs much of his research is in Guatemala.

Every summer, he offers a two-week field course for undergraduate students to accompany him to Guatemala to assist him with gathering data.

These yearly trips to Latin America have had an unexpected consequence:

a new research topic.

This new research is looking at money that goes into the Guatemalan economy and how that affects the local deforestation patterns. Most of this money comes from “remittance” – money that is coming back to Guatemala from family members that have immigrated to the United States for work. According to Holder, “They bring back billions of dollars into Latin American countries.”

Holder continued, “Many residents went to the United States to work, and the money that they bring back can be used to buy gas stoves, can be used to get fuel sources in different ways than cutting down the forest.” Holder attempts to track how that influx of money affects how people use the forest.

Students can sleep easy.

Leaves have more to fear from this mad scientist, and most of those leaves

fated to meet their end in a UCCS lab are still in Guatemala. S

family are accustomed to spending their early mornings searching outlets and department stores.

In fact, many families view Black Friday bargain-hunting as something of a tradition. Eager to find deals on electronics, household appliances, clothes and more, shoppers wake up early the morning after Thanksgiving to wait in line for stores to open.

However, many stores are opening earlier and earlier each year to meet this demand. Instead of unlocking the doors at 4 or 5 a.m., retailers like Target and Macy’s have bumped

their opening up to midnight on Thanksgiving.

Kohl’s, another midnight opener, expects to draw several hundred early-bird customers at a single branch this year.

“An earlier opening will be successful,” said R.J. Canales, a junior studying management. Canales lives in Castle Rock and says midnight openings are much more common there, resulting in I-25 backing up from the number of people drawn by the time and sales.

Maggie Miller, a junior in anthropology, also sees the early openings as

a smart business move.

A self-labeled night owl, Miller said she is much more likely to stay up late than wake up early, so the midnight openings appeal to people like her.

Great deals are not limited to one day of shopping, however. Many stores with websites are participating in “Cyber Monday,” continuing deals through the weekend after Thanksgiving. Major retailers like Walmart and Best Buy are offering online-only Cyber Monday deals.

Going even further, Amazon is hosting an entire Black Friday deals

week leading up to Black Friday. In addition, CVS Pharmacy is treating every Monday in November as Cyber Monday, and Sears has already begun offering discounts and limited free shipping as a lead-up to the holiday.

With the hype surrounding crowds and in-store specials, however, many people are not as aware or interested in these online deals. Canales said he won’t shop online, “But my mom will.”

Miller, on the other hand, said online options interest her quite a bit, though she was not as familiar with

the web sales.

“I don’t like getting mobbed by people,” so Cyber Monday removes the crowd factor, she said.

Whether you enjoy staying up late, waking up early, browsing online or avoiding the crowd completely, there are opportunities for everyone this Black Friday.

However, for Dannae Burchfield, a freshman in psychology, that means nothing to do with shopping at all. “People drive me crazy.” Instead of stealing a deal, she plans to spend her Black Friday morning babysitting. S

plained Myers. “We have had people bring in food items that have resulted in them getting $3 credit to even $30 credit.”

The one catch of the project is that if a book is lost or damaged, you cannot use food items to pay for the book. Since the library needs to replace the book, they have to have cash to pay for it and not canned food items.

“We realize that every dollar counts for a college student, so giving them the option of paying their fines with canned food items is quite a bargain,” Myers said. “At the same time though, the students are also helping out the community by provid-

ing canned food items to those in need.”

Along with “Food for Fines” the Holiday Service Project also includes other events such as “Adopt a Family,” “Holidrop” boxes, Giving Trees and cash/check donations.

The project ends on Dec. 7. On Dec. 8, the Holiday Service Project committee will sort the food items and then distribute them to families in need throughout Colorado Springs.

Students are more than welcome to help out with any of these events and if there are any questions, contact Sherri McDonnell at 255-4320. S

Photo by Robert Solis

Dr. Curt Holder loves to torture trees.

Black Friday brings great deals with earlier openings, online sales Kaitlin Nelson knelson6@uccs.edu

For Paige Wilson, a sophomore studying health sciences, Thanksgiving is special in more ways than one. She is also looking forward to Black Friday, the term given to the day after Thanksgiving.

Black Friday sales, often the biggest of the year for many retailers, are an exciting time for avid shoppers and deal-hunters.

“I go with my brother and sister,” Wilson said.

Her motivation? “Christmas gifts!” Wilson and her

‘Food for Fines’ project benefits students, those in need Ryan Adams radams3@uccs.edu

As the holiday season approaches, many families around Colorado Springs are starting to prepare for the chaos, madness and fun that comes this time of year.

Parents are going out to buy presents for their families, college students are making their plans to go home and little tykes are starting to draw up their annual lists for Santa.

Life is good for these people, but what about those who don’t know if they can provide their family with a holiday dinner or presents? The

Holiday Service Project at UCCS hopes they can be the answer for that.

One of the many parts of the annual project is the first-ever “Food for Fines” program created by the Kramer Family Library.

Carla Myers, an access services librarian at the library, believes that “Food for Fines” is a mutually beneficial event.

“The library was trying to think of more ways to get involved with the Holiday Service Project and we thought ‘Food for Fines’ would be something that both people in the community and students at UCCS could benefit from,” Myers said.

For each non-perishable

Photo by Shandi Gross

Bring canned food items to the circulation desk to receive credits toward fines. food item a student brings in, he or she will receive a $1 credit toward any fines that he or she may have from the library.

“For example, if a student brings in a 40 cent can of vegetables, then they knock off one $1 from the fines that they have,” ex-

Culture

November 21, 2011

Page 5

Eastwood’s ‘J. Edgar’ engrosses with poignant drama Sara Horton shorton@uccs.edu Rating:

We know Martin Luther King Jr., but fewer of us recognize the name of J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the dirt that he had on King.

Hoover, the focus of Clint Eastwood’s biographical drama “J. Edgar,” had more than a few secrets to share about celebrities and political figures.

His willingness to divulge them contributed to his controversial legacy, and “J. Edgar” recollects the late director’s rise in power to probe the spectrum between heroism and villainy.

No matter where you decide Hoover should land, at least two facts about the man are evident: He possessed a brilliant mind that revo-

lutionized a flawed criminal justice system and he knew how to recognize a true friend.

“J. Edgar” explores Hoover’s friendships with secretary Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) and associate director Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer), both of which lasted throughout his life – and after, as evidenced when Nixon seeks to secure Hoover’s files.

Balding and sporting a considerable paunch, Leonardo DiCaprio is almost unrecognizable as an aged Hoover, who recounts his experiences with political radicals in the Palmer Raids and onward.

At first, “J. Edgar” feels like a history lesson and risks losing its audience, but Tolson’s introduction adds muchneeded tension and tenderness.

Rumors have alleged that Hoover was gay, although forcibly closeted because of an unforgiving society and mother, and that Tolson was his

Leonardo DiCaprio stars in “J. Edgar.” lover.

“J. Edgar” proposes the rumor has merit.

Through furtive glances and gestures, DiCaprio and Hammer play out a mutual attraction that they both know can nev-

er be.

Because you are in on the secret, these scenes are painful to watch.

The pain of the situation, where men are not allowed to be themselves for fear of public scru-

Photo courtesy of warnerbros.com tiny, is palpable.

Sadly, “J. Edgar” is not the type of movie that 20-somethings flock to see simply because of its subject matter and style.

It lacks gratuitous violence and sex, overused

tricks to boost box office sales. Without relying upon either, Eastwood offers a simply a complex, touching story that requests for us to think and feel again. Accept the invitation. S

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Culture

Page 6

November 21, 2011

Student co-writes, illustrates online vigilante comic Sara Horton shorton@uccs.edu

Almost everyone has a solution to maintaining long-distance friendships.

Bret Eckelberry, Dayne Riley and D.J. Bush found theirs through a common love for vigilantes.

“The Prodigals,” their online comic series, will launch on Dec. 30. Eckelberry, a senior majoring in business administration, came up with the idea for the comic about a year and a half ago.

He found motivation to start the project after he talked to Riley, who majored in English and

graduated from Pittsburg State University in Kansas, Eckelberry’s home state. Riley is now working on his master’s degree.

“We were just talking about over the summer, over this past summer, how we had these ideas for things and we just wanted to do something with them,” Eckelberry said.

Eckelberry and Riley discussed their ideas and decided to write “The Prodigals,” which they developed on a website (theprodigalscomic.com) with Bush, another Pittsburg State University student who helps with

design and marketing consultation. “‘The Prodigals’ is about a group of individuals who are fed up with the crime in their city and take action,” said Eckelberry.

“They essentially form a gang to combat crime.

However, they soon have to deal with the repercussions of their actions.”

The name for the comic was chosen, Eckelberry explained, because members of the group see themselves as outsiders in society.

“They want society to succeed but they feel that, due to the crime that’s running rampant in their

Drawing by Bret Eckelberry

Promotional images from “The Prodigals” are being released through the comic’s website and Facebook page.

Drawing by Bret Eckelberry

The first issue of “The Prodigals” will be released late next month.

city, they essentially have to break the law to maintain the law.”

He said that inspiration for “The Prodigals” came from “all over the place” and sources such as Batman.

“We wanted to really make a more realistic approach to something that theoretically could happen if people were motivated enough.”

Eckelberry designed a website for “The Prodigals” because it was free for readers to view and could reach a wider audience than print.

He has had the website for two years and plans to release about 12 monthly installations, the first of which will be late next month.

“We wanted to tell a very good and succinct story through this medi-

um,” he said.

Eckelberry said that he began to read comics in high school, but he read mostly graphic novels because he “enjoyed more of concentrated stories that had a beginning and an end, not so much as just a constant continuation of a story.”

In addition to co-writing the comic, Eckelberry also illustrates it by hand and uploads images in Photoshop to create digital art.

“My family actually, a lot of members of my family had a talent for drawing,” he said. “My dad did and I drew with him growing up, so I’ve drawn pretty much all my life.”

He and his father drew a variety of subjects together, which Eckelberry described as “nothing

set in stone,” and said he drew a lot of monsters when he was young.

His drawings have since evolved into “The Prodigals” and character art, such as that of Grayman and Animal Man, are available on the comic’s website and Facebook page. Additional art and promotional images will be released prior to the launch date.

A glance at “The Prodigals” website is all one needs to learn that the comic is not what one might expect from a superhero tale.

To stimulate expectations for what is to come, the website contains an image of a bloodstained baseball bat set against a brick wall and the following statement: “If you’re looking for heroes, you’re in the wrong place.” S

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Culture

November 21, 2011

Colorado Springs’

The Yellow King

Best Kept Secrets A clatter of dice and a yell, followed by cursing, echoes through the small gaming store. Nobody looks up. The people playing Dungeons and Dragons continue their quiet storytelling, and the Magic players don’t even flinch. The yell came from the Hero Clix

The Lowdown What: The Yellow King When: Monday: 5 p.m. - midnight Wednesday - Friday: 5 p.m. - midnight Saturday - Sunday: 1 p.m. - midnight Where: 25 N. Iowa St How much: No charge for gaming Prices for products vary

group, playing on the largest table in the store.

You might expect that an owner would come out from behind the counter and hush the players, but that doesn’t happen at The Yellow King. The owners, Mark Krabbenhoft and James Carpenter, are playing the games themselves.

The Yellow King opened in January and has become quite a popular gaming spot – for those gamers who know about it.

According to Carpenter, “We wanted to be like a speakeasy. The cool thing about speakeasies was that not everyone knew about them – you knew you were ‘in’ just by going there.”

Carpenter wanted to create a place that was cool for gamers to go.

There’s plenty of nightlife for other hobbies, he said, things like bars and movies.

“What if you’re a nerd?” he said, “Where are you going to go at 9:30 that’s cool? You can’t just go someplace and game.” He laughed, adding, “We’re a nightclub for nerds.”

The store specializes

“

Club

and display area. “I think of this as more of a basement with a gift shop,” he said, chuckling.

The store itself does indeed have a basement feel to it. According to Krabbenhoft, “It’s like a finished basement.”

Carpenter added, “We are gamers who opened a game store.

We asked ourselves what we would want in a gaming store.”

To this end, the majority of the store is filled with tables for gaming. These can be moved around and expanded for different games, such as Warhammer 40k, that require a larger surface.

Two of the corners have smaller coffee tables circled with couches for a more comfortable gaming experience.

The store has a surprise for those expecting normal business hours. It opens in the early evening and closes when it closes.

Carpenter said, “I’ll close

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Aaron Collett acollett@uccs.edu

Page 7

We’re a nightclub for nerds.

in anything collectible and also has a sizable collection of roleplaying game rulebooks. While it does have some board games, it is mostly a specialty market.

The owners consider themselves more of hobbyists in some respects.

“People will go find places to buy stuff for their hobbies. They play board games at home.”

Carpenter, who has been working in game shops for several years, gestured to the register

Photo by Robert Solis

Some of the wares offered at The Yellow King. at midnight if there’s no one in the store.” As for the unusual hours, Krabbenhoft remarked, “We’re not a family store. We’re a young adult, mature adult store.”

When asked what their favorite part of running this store was, the two

owners knew immediately. “The ridiculously comfortable couches,” said Krabbenhoft.

Carpenter pulled out an old Advanced D&D book. “The smell of old roleplaying books. The acid in the pages makes them smell all musty.” S

Spotlight

AAUW teaches women how to navigate a male-dominated business world Rachel Bradford rbradfor@uccs.edu

Over the course of women’s careers, they lose a minimum of $700,000 when compared to their male counterparts.

The UCCS American Association of University Woman (AAUW) club strives to create awareness of this pay gap.

“We are the only club that actively generates awareness about the issue gender pay gap in the country so that our graduating students are better prepared in the real world or the job market,” said Aditi Mitra, AAUW faculty advisor.

AAUW, which was founded in 2007 by Mitra, advocates for businesswomen to provide them the best chance possible in a male-dominated field.

“Our goal is to make sure that our student members who graduate from UCCS have better opportunities in the job market, in higher academics with the scope for applying for

scholarships, mentorships and networking with other accomplished women in the local community,” said Mitra.

From the student perspective, Mitra is accomplishing this goal.

“I found the club to be a great resource for women’s empowerment and networking for postgraduation,” said Melissa Burkenbine, club member.

“Dr. Aditi Mitra has done a fabulous job as the advisor and as a national member that started the campus branch. I would really like to give her praise for inspiring me.”

According to Mitra, it will also sponsor club members to attend the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders this spring, which is hosted by the national AAUW in Maryland.

The 2012 conference will provide ample opportunities for students to hear keynote speakers, meet Women of Distinction award recipients, participate in workshops and community service events,

attend the Graduate School Fair and network with other students and business women, according to the National Conference’s website (nccwsl.org).

“My experience with the UCCS AAUW has inspired me to join the AAUW at the national level upon my graduation, in hopes of becoming active on a grander scale,” said Burkenbine, who attended the National Conference in 2011.

AAUW also helps to connect students with the Colorado Springs Chapter in order to access $1,000 in scholarships, said Mitra.

According to Dixie Gordon, President of the AAUW Colorado Springs Chapter, the local chapter was created in an effort “to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education philanthropy and research. We gather in many different ways together and share friendships and wonderful activities to make all this happen.”

Burkenbine said that her experience attending the

Photo courtesy of Aditi Mitra

Brenda Wolfe, the State President of AAUW; Amy Blackwell; Aditi Mitra; Melissa Burkenbine; and Raquel Rosa, Secretary of AAUW UCCS student club all help out at a workshop.

Colorado Springs Chapter as a campus representative, “was an eye opener and I now know what direction I want to go after graduation.”

In February 2012, AAUW will combine student efforts with those of the Colorado Springs Chapter to co-host the “Intergeneration Communication” event on campus.

This event will “provide a forum where women from different generations can interact with each other and discuss issues pertaining to life, profession, social activism and the mission of AAUW,”

said Mitra.

“Intergeneration Communication” will be open to all women and their daughters in an effort to “build a bridge between the generations and have them come to a common ground,” according to Mitra.

This event is currently scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 25 from 9:30 a.m.

– 11:30 p.m. in Breckenridge Hall.

Please contact Mitra (amitra@uccs.edu) in February for the full details concerning this event, as it is still in the planning stages. S

The Lowdown What: AAUW Club When: 4 p.m. every other Friday Contact Aditi Mitra for next date Where: ROAR Office Conference Room More Info: Nicole Dennis, President UCCS AAUW Club ndennis@uccs.edu aauwcoloradosprings.org nncwsl.org

Culture

Page 10

November 21, 2011

Local charities make helping the hungry easy for students this Thanksgiving Kaitlin Nelson knelson6@uccs.edu

Thanksgiving is a time when we are often told to count our blessings.

Present this question to the hungry and homeless in Colorado Springs, and you might find that you have much more than you realize.

There are several organizations in town to help put the “giving” back into Thanksgiving this year, and they need students’ help.

One of the largest providers of meals to the homeless in Colorado Springs, Springs Rescue Mission, is in need of volunteers for its many programs.

Tawny Saunders, a recent UCCS graduate who works with the Mission, said there are several opportunities for students to

help out.

Currently, its biggest need is for volunteers at food drives across town and the dinners it hopes to run every evening throughout the week of Thanksgiving.

To get more information or be involved, sign up at mysrm.org/volunteer.

You will be asked to read a brief statement of faith, as it is a Christian organization, but respectfully disagreeing will not eliminate you from participation.

Panera Bread is also working to serve the community this holiday season by asking for frozen turkeys to help provide Thanksgiving dinners to people in need.

Its drive will last from Nov. 18 to 23, and donations can be dropped off at any location in Colorado Springs or Denver.

Freshman Alex Swartz,

a human biology major, said helping is usually hard because “I don’t have a car.” With a Panera directly across from the Four Diamonds parking lot, giving is now simple and convenient.

Kelsy Koerlan, a freshman pursuing a business degree, pointed out another big hang-up in volunteering as a student: time.

Like many students, she is headed back home for the holidays. Donations would be a better option to give back, she said, “If I had money to buy extra food.”

It is true that buying a Butterball may seem like an expensive item to donate as a college student, but put it in perspective – you can get two frozen turkeys, enough to feed roughly 30 people, for the same price as a new Aeropostale hoodie or nice pair

sometimes her mom will make Korean food, along with ordered dishes like sweet potato casserole.

If Kim goes to her dad’s for Thanksgiving, her aunt will make a huge feast for about 10-15 people, including a turkey and other traditional Thanksgiving meals.

Other students, like junior Katie Grant, will stay in Colorado Springs. She doesn’t have a traditional Thanksgiving but still recognizes the occasion with food. She celebrates with four or five families – most of them, including hers, are South African.

“One family is Greek

South-African, so they bring Greek food. My family is Polish South-African, so we bring Polish food. English South-African, traditional English dishes,” said Grant.

The families bring many different desserts that are unique to South Africa.

“We bring milk tart, which is like a custard.

It’s a traditional South African dish,” said Grant.

Then there are a few students who will opt to stay in the dorms. Chad Kushner, sophomore, will be staying on-campus for Thanksgiving. He’ll just be hanging out and

of jeans. A can of vegetables may be half the price of a Starbucks coffee.

It is a small price to pay to allow someone else to add another blessing to his or her own list. Even if you can only afford to volunteer your time, Pikes Peak United Way makes that easy.

With dozens of partners across town, it has opportunities to fit anyone’s schedule. Check for specific and ongoing events at ppunitedway.org/volunteerpikespeak, or look into its many partners at ppunitedway.org/our-partners/ partneragencies.

The Marian House Soup Kitchen, an aid organization downtown, also does its best to fit your personal schedule.

To volunteer, you simply list the times and positions that work best for you. Visit ccharitiescc.org/

Photo by Ariel Lattimore

Springs Rescue Mission is one of many places in Colorado Springs where students are able to volunteer. ways-to-help/become-avolunteer/ for a quick and simple sign-up.

These days, charities are doing their best to make helping easy. Volunteering can be done on your timing, and food drives

are plentiful – the organizations listed here just scratch the surface.

Consider sharing your blessings this Thanksgiving by assisting a local organization to take care of those in need. S

Students share different cultures, foods this Thanksgiving April Wefler awefler@uccs.edu

The dorms are due to become a ghost town this week. If you happen to walk around campus from Nov. 23 to Nov. 25, you might even see tumbleweeds.

Thanksgiving break is fast approaching, and many students will be going home. Even if students may not celebrate the holiday, they still look forward to enjoying their favorite meals.

Susan Kim, senior, will return home to Denver for the break. She said that

Photo by Tasha Romero

For students in the dorms who don’t have an oven, a crock pot may be helpful.

Photo by Tasha Romero

For more Thanksgiving recipe ideas, pick up a cookbook and look for an easy-tomake, tasty recipe. fending for his own on Thanksgiving day.

“Frozen pizza, probably. I have a kitchen in Alpine; might cook a turkey.”

He might also cook stuffing and mashed potatoes.

But one food is for certain: “There will definitely be pumpkin pie.

Costco has really good pumpkin pie,” said Kushner.

Wellington Mullings, senior, will not be celebrating Thanksgiving.

Because he is from the Bahamas, Thanksgiving is not a national holiday that he celebrates. Even for those like Mullings who do not celebrate the

holiday, you can always make a dish to share with friends or family and share what you are thankful for.

Freshman Gail Castan, for example, likes green bean casserole. Castan said that all you need to make the dish are green beans, a can of cream of mushroom and a can of cream of celery soups, and then French onion crispy chips in the casserole and on top.

You then bake the casserole for about 20 minutes. In a nine-by-13 inch pan, you could probably serve about 15 people.

Josh Nelson, junior, enjoys another type of casserole: broccoli and

rice.

“In broccoli and rice casserole, you steam broccoli and you steam the rice separately and mix it together with a pound of Velveeta cheese,” said Nelson.

Once the ingredients are mixed, you bake it for 30 minutes at around 350 degrees, and then let it cool for 15 minutes.

These are only a few recipes friendly to those of us who may feel lost around a stove. Even if your plans for Thanksgiving involve nothing more than sleeping in, sharing a special treat with friends or family is often enough to express your appreciation. S

November 21, 2011

Opinion

Page 11

Editorial

Giving thanks and helping others on Thanksgiving With the amount of Thanksgiving stories in this issue, we would like to extend our hand to members of our communities who may be without means or reasons to participate in this holiday.

The story that has formed the basis of the holiday is a nice one. It is a story of sharing and acceptance.

As the story goes, the pilgrims landed in America, the “Indians” they found there welcomed them, and they all sat down to a nice feast of Native American foods like corn and turkey.

As we reflect on the story we were told in el-

ementary school, in which the brave pilgrims met up with Native Americans and shared a meal, we cannot forget the other side.

At the “first Thanksgiving” the Wampanoag Nation provided most of the food and signed the treaty granting Pilgrims the right to the land at Plymouth.

We cannot forget that nearly 70 percent of all crops grown today were originally cultivated by Native American peoples.

How would those of us of European descent handle our spaghetti without the tomatoes that were introduced to the Pilgrims?

A different take on the traditional holiday,

“Thankstaking Day” is about recalling what was given on behalf of Europeans in return for this offering: 20 years of disease which would account for a 90 percent death toll in some Native American communities.

Though the holiday is supposed to be about acceptance and giving thanks for the things we have, historically, the holiday has been associated with hardship and less-than-ideal circumstances, like those of the first Thanksgiving.

When Lincoln established the holiday in 1863, Americans were dying by the thousands in the throes of civil war. Roosevelt

signed the holiday into law barely three weeks after Pearl Harbor, another time of tragedy and hardship.

Today, we are faced with economic hardship leaving some shelters and Turkey Trots still in need of food to serve to those without a home or the financial means to enjoy the meal that so many of us are able to take for granted.

This is not a time to blame but a time to reflect, for the sake of those who remember a different history, for those who are without families or homes in which to celebrate.

Thanksgiving, no matter how it was established,

is a time to not only give thanks for what we have, it is also an opportunity to share of those fortunes and of ourselves, maybe not even despite the hardships that came with the creation of the holiday, but because of them.

Take the time to reflect on what Native Americans continue to suffer. Take some time to consider those less fortunate and what they might be going through on this and every other day.

And then do something about it. It may be something as simple as donating a can of food to knock a dollar off your fines (see “Food for Fines project

benefits students, those in need” on page 4) or to win a free gym membership (see the Care and Share ad on page 8).

But if you don’t have the means to donate, or if you just want to help out, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities (see “Local charities make helping the hungry easy for students this Thanksgiving” on page 10).

When it comes down to it, Thanksgiving is a holiday about helping others.

Let’s take the time to consider how valuable it is to give thanks for everyone.

kind of what they’re doing.

I would be upset if someone was baiting and switching my kids when they expected candy. It doesn’t matter whether I agree with the religion or not, it’s cruel to the kid who expects candy and gets a Chick tract.

Now, I have no problem with the “harvest festivals” that a lot of churches put on for their kids. I hear a lot of people mocking that practice, mostly with, “It looks like Halloween and it sounds like Halloween, so it’s probably actually Halloween.”

While that’s a good point, I don’t have a problem with taking a holiday time and making your own traditions for it.

The misinformation and lies that prompt that decision are a completely different topic, though.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about Christmas.

Christmas has ended up as a controversial holiday, which is dumb. Ostensibly, this should be a time of year when everyone can find something to latch onto to share with people.

Unfortunately, this hasn’t happened. Christians are yelling about the so-called “War on Christmas.” They are insisting that the “true” purpose of Christmas has been lost.

What is the true purpose, you ask? Well, of course it’s the birth of Jesus.

Because everyone

Although holidays mean different things to different people, they are still a time of celebration.

- The Scribe Editorial Board S

Holidays are a time of celebration, no matter your tradition

Aaron Collett acollett@uccs.edu The holiday season is my favorite time of year.

Nothing gets me excited like getting to spend time with my family.

But holidays, especially Christmas and Halloween, have become a contentious topic nowadays.

When people are getting their kids ready for Halloween, some Christians are decrying Halloween as “satanic” and encouraging “Jesus-ween.”

Then Christmas rolls around and religious folks start crying about the “War on Christmas” and that the commercialism is destroying this uniquely Christian holiday.

I have one thing to say about that: crap.

First of all, let me address the whole “Jesusween” thing. These are people that are handing out tracts and Bibles to kids when they’re coming to the house trickor-treating. Ever hear the phrase, “Taking candy from a baby?” That’s

Photos by Shandi Gross

knows that Christmas was originally the celebration of Jesus’ birthday. You can see it right in the Bible…umm, hang on a sec…let me find it.

Oops, it’s not there at all.

No matter, of course, that the rituals associated with Christmas were established long before the birth of Jesus. Never mind that most of the holiday traditions that come along with it are completely Pagan.

Never mind that the Roman emperor Constantine grafted Christian symbols into the winter solstice celebrations to make it easier for Pagans and Christians to get

along.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using an existing holiday time (Christmas) to celebrate your own holiday, with your own traditions (winter solstice). That’s exactly what Constantine was trying to do. That’s what harvest festivals are all about.

The bottom line is that everyone needs holidays. They give people a chance to unwind, spend time with family and just get away from the daily grind of work.

Whether you celebrate the solstices or All Saints’ Day, or you just go with Christmas,

Easter and Independence Day, it doesn’t matter.

Every single culture in the world has created holidays – some of them have been bastardized from the holidays of other cultures, and some traditions stretch back into antiquity.

America herself was created with the aspect of a “melting pot” – we accept all cultures. We are a free nation and take pride in ourselves as such.

Well, freedom means that you don’t get to hijack someone else’s holiday because you want to shove your ideology down their throat. Freedom means that if you want to run “harvest fes-

tivals” instead of Halloween, you’re welcome to.

Freedom means that if you celebrate the full moon every month, no one gets to stop you.

Freedom means that the Christmas season means lots of things to lots of people, and no one – no one – gets to tell anyone else that their tradition is wrong.

The golden door is still here, though slightly tarnished, and the lamp, though dimmed slightly, still flames. We still want the tired, the poor and the huddled masses. And you know what? We want them to keep their holidays, too. S

Opinion

Page 12

November 21, 2011

A guide to surviving the holidays with relatives

Molly Mrazek mmrazek@uccs.edu Every year, unfailingly, there is a dish of green opaque Jell-O amongst the cornucopia of Thanksgiving food.

It’s a mystery what exact flavor this Jell-O is, but I’m pretty sure it has chunks of pineapple or something else hard and yellow in it – perhaps

boogers.

My great aunt brings the green Jell-O every Thanksgiving; I think the single scoop taken out of it is always out of pity alone.

As we approach the holidays, I can’t help but think about Thanksgiving traditions. Some people have relatives that over-indulge in the holiday punch; some people (most Americans) watch the Thanksgiving Day football game or if you’re like me, you’ve had an uncle talk about porn stars at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

There are multiple ways to be embarrassed by your relatives during the holidays; therefore, I have devised a list of survival tips that will help you during these trying

times.

Survival trip number one: Avoid Aunt Mitsy.

This name can be replaced with any relative that is exponentially awkward, embarrassing or unpleasant in any way.

You know the one: She tells the same stories at every family gathering.

She is often too affectionate and embraces you in a python-like hug. She’s the one dominating the dinner conversation with inappropriate stories.

Avoid Mitsy, walk to a different room if she enters, and sit at the opposite end of the table. Just avoid that frustration all together.

Survival tip number two: Form a sub-party.

If things get dull or unbearable, the thing to do is pick out the bearable

people and form a ‘cool people’ party away from the hustle and bustle of the actual party.

Basements are ideal because they usually house the ping-pong table or the wrap-around couch that faces the bigscreen.

Survival tip number three: Over-indulge. If any day is a day to overeat, it’s a holiday. First of all, there’s great food.

Secondly, a full stomach can be an excellent excuse.

If your relatives are asking you why you aren’t participating in the conversation, simply claim that you’re so full that it has made you tired. Overeating tends to make you long for a nap anyway, so you might as well take advantage of

the excuse.

It also explains where you’ve been the past few hours: “Sorry I missed the story of when you got in a bar fight and bit off some guy’s finger, Grandpa. I fell asleep after dinner.”

Survival tip number four: Establish acceptable chat topics. You need to prepare yourself to tell your relatives – multiple times – what you’ve been up to, how school is, who you’re dating and what you plan to do after you graduate.

I suggest telling each person a different major, a different name of a significant other and a different thing that you want to be when you grow up, just to make your day a little bit more entertaining.

Survival tip number five: Accept. You can’t choose your family, but they will be present in your life for as long as you (or they) live. It’s best just to get along with everyone and not make a big deal of things.

You spend only a few hours with these people a year. You might as well accept all the eccentrics with a little grace.

Let’s not kid ourselves.

Everyone looks forward to the holiday season, and some of us even love our extended family. We love that the traditions established in our families are unique and that no family dynamic is the same.

Let’s enjoy the forthcoming holidays and our relatives without overindulging in the holiday punch ourselves. S

Leadership and success can’t be bought at any price

Matt Sidor msidor@uccs.edu A few weeks ago, my partner received a letter in the mail from UCCS congratulating him on being nominated to join the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS).

The letter touted some of the exclusive benefits to joining, such as “access to over $100,000 available exclusively to Soci-

ety members each year” and “seminars on campus broadcast by celebrity speakers, best-selling authors, and leaders on various topics for personal and professional success.”

The only catch was that he’d have to pay an $80 membership fee to join this prestigious and exclusive organization.

Maybe I’m biased because I was never invited to join NSLS (with my less-than-stellar GPA, I probably wouldn’t be considered as an ideal candidate anyway), but I’m dubious of this group’s intent.

I’m all in favor of organizations that promote leadership, academic rigor and community involvement. The benefits from networking alone that you get from joining such a group are invaluable.

However, there are a wealth of clubs listed in

the ROAR office that offer many of the same benefits as NSLS without charging such an exorbitant fee; in fact, most of them are completely free to join.

But more importantly, skills like “leadership” and “success” don’t come with an expensive membership fee or a line on your resume. You can’t learn them in the telecast of a celebrity lecture, either.

These are qualities that come with experience over an extended period of time working within an organization — but just because that organization doesn’t have a GPA requirement or a fancy coat of arms doesn’t mean you can’t use it to grow and develop into a future leader.

Perhaps the most telling aspect of NSLS is its financial records. Ac-

Check out our website!

cording to their public tax filings for fiscal year 2007 (the latest figures I could find), their total income was $5,777,952 and total expenses were $5,023,841.

Of this amount, $1,339,332 was allocated to the roughly 200 chapters of NSLS, while a whopping $2,872,574 (57% of their expenses!) was spent on membership activities, which includes their mailings, web site, brochures and other advertisements.

Faced with these figures, it’s arguable that the majority of the $80 fee you are paying to join this organization is going toward pure marketing to current members and potential inductees. That’s not very dissimilar to a pyramid scheme.

I fail to understand why our school has chosen to endorse an organization

uccs

Money can’t buy leadership skills. with such questionable financial statements.

I don’t think very many students pony up the membership fee for NSLS, excited about the prospect of gaining access to its member benefits.

It seems more likely that most of the students who receive their nomination letter are just thrilled to be invited to join such a “special” and “exclusive” group of people, and are

willing to pay for a membership that will make them feel validated.

As human beings, we enjoy being praised for our talents, and these letters are designed to appear to do just that. I think NSLS’ marketing efforts prey on that vulnerability we all share, and for that reason more than any other, I remain skeptical of the organization’s larger motives. S

.com

Life on the Bluffs

November 21, 2011

Campus Chatter

Did you know?

Aaron Collett, acollett@uccs.edu, and Kaitlin Nelson, knelson6@uccs.edu, Photos by Robert Solis

- Matt Sidor, msidor@uccs.edu

The holidays are approaching, and students are gearing up for their own unique traditions. What are some of the holiday traditions that students celebrate?

Did you know that a massive concrete retaining wall was built between the new Gallogly Events Center and the hill leading up to the bluffs? According to Jeff Davis, executive director of Auxiliary Services, this separate wall was necessary to structurally hold back the hill given the unique soil types and clays that compose it. It also has space to allow for water to drain off the hill. The wall alone added nearly a million dollars to the cost of the new building, proving that the unique shape and structure of our campus property adds to the beauty of our school while simultaneously making it one of the most architecturally-challenging. S

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Angela Lee

Junior, Human Biology What holidays do you and your family celebrate?

A lot of the American holidays, but also the Chinese New Year, certain holidays that are also related to the Chinese culture. During the Chinese New Year, it’s really common for the parents or the relatives to give the children red envelopes, it’s called a hóngbāo, and that is basically money that they give to children. At that time they give a lot of new clothes, they go out together to have food, special foods that they have for that holiday. They’ll usually have a parade.

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E 16 Domesticated this 8 Call this company's hotline for free 19 8N Call this for free T R a R I turkey O Tcompany's H E L LEhotline O First this departmentE storeV to hold cooking advice 17 First department store to hold a turkey cooking 20 1 2 3 advice 4 Thanksgiving Day parade 12 Thanksgiving favorite that wasn't Y R E C T L B N J A S S A S S I N A T I 12O Thanksgiving N R Z Thanksgiving Day parade favorite Canadian Thanksgiving is held in served the first time around that wasn't 21 225 19 month Canadian Thanksgiving in A N 14 F O time U Raround T H isEheld R M SHH E Rserved M first I the T American Sfirst AT E E N this Where the 27 6 this 14 Where the first American Name formonth a five to seven month celebration was K L I N G O R I O S OE Thanksgiving M R A month I H Thanksgiving U celebration N held 21 Name for aRfive to seven was held turkey 18 The _____ 23 day after Thanksgiving: 24 L E O U N N N N A T M E I B turkey 18 The day after Thanksgiving: _____ The first Thanksgiving lasted this Friday 7 8 9 10 25 23 The first Thanksgiving this Friday many days E R OI N D T I Thanksgiving C AAcross P R CIseries OI R D E M E L Tlasted U A S R D20O NFL days 20 topping; NFL Thanksgiving series This many country consumes the most 22 Tater or easy 1 The bard A most R 22 AorR easy O this word TA H Tater I invented 24 Thisper country consumes the topping; turkeys yearEper capita 5 Number of lines in a Shakespeare 11 turkeys per year per capita S T R AY T F MO R D U AP O Nsonnet A V DO N K S 26 what you A E E C D W A6 R Sweet D D smeller, E VD E no RA matter E call it 27 H J T who L played the K L I N GL O N A 7 "Titanic" actor 12 13 modern I A C L ARomeo U TD I U S YM 14 11 Shakespeare was born here E H A M L E 13 T Hamlet's brother, L Nwho takes the Across Down 15 16 throne when father dies M B2 The L playing I his E T The bard invented this word L company Shakespeare 17 14 18 A passage from this, Shakespeare's Number of lines in a Shakespeare worked with G L O B E E G Alongest play, E is recited in R sonnet 3 "West Side Story" is based on this"Hair" play 19 17 N Shakespeare's R I the O T Htheater E L L O Sweet smeller, no matterE whatVyou R by Bard 20 19 Play in which the term "the call it 4 Number of Shakepeare's plays R E C T L B N J beast with two backs" coined "Titanic" actor who played the published during hiswas lifetime 21 22 T H E R M A N S H E R M I T S A 21forBand that sang the song 'Henry the modern Romeo 8 Place poison thewhose same name as Shakespeare was born here artist shares theof R A I I 9 Solo O singing HEighth', U CD N one plays Hamlet's brother, who takes the same name as Hamlet's Ophelia 23 Shakespeare's 24 U N N N10 Romeo N 23 Aloved T Mher E firstIdirection?

B Thumb-biting throne when his father dies 25 25 TWeapon" Helena loves him inIstarred "A Midsummer A passage from this, Shakespeare's actor in a D E M E T R I U S12 "Lethal C who Night's of Dream" longest play, is recited in "Hair" recent version Hamlet T I film R "Anonymous," 26 HAccording to the Shakespeare's theater E 15 Popular 1998 movie, "Shakespeare In plays Play in which the term "the beast with ____" Ahe wrote Shakespeare's Y M D K 27 You can read "Hamlet" and "Much two backs" was coined 16 War of "Troilus and Cressida" 26 E17 Hamlet's E D W A About R D D E V Ein R Ado Nothing" thisE obscure Band that sang the song 'Henry the mother's name 27 Eighth', the same name as oneKofL I N G O N18 "The Princess Diaries" star who shares a Alanguage T Shakespeare's plays name with Shakespeare's wife Y T ________ Thumb-biting direction?

20 Shakespeare is buried in Holy Helena loves him in "A Midsummer Church.Down Across Night's 22 The2method of Brutus'death, also 1 Dream" The bard invented this word The playing company Shakespeare According to the of film "Anonymous," Romeo's.

5 Number lines in a Shakespeare worked with he wrotesonnet Shakespeare's plays 24 This3 professor teaches Shakespeare "West Side Story" is based on at this play You 6 can Sweet read "Hamlet" andmatter "Muchwhat you UCCS by the Bard smeller, no Ado About in this obscure callNothing" it 4 Number of Shakepeare's plays language 7 "Titanic" actor who played the published during his lifetime modern Romeo 8 Place for poison 11 Shakespeare was born here 9 Solo singing artist whose CD shares the 13 Hamlet's brother, who takes the same name as Hamlet's Ophelia throne when his father dies 10 Romeo loved her first 14 A passage from this, Shakespeare's 12 "Lethal Weapon" actor who starred in a longest play, is recited in "Hair" recent version of Hamlet 17 Shakespeare's theater 15 Popular 1998 movie, "Shakespeare In 19 Play in which the term "the beast with ____" two backs" was coined 16 War of "Troilus and Cressida" 21 Band that sang the song 'Henry the 17 Hamlet's mother's name Eighth', the same name as one of 18 "The Princess Diaries" star who shares a Shakespeare's plays name with Shakespeare's wife 23 Thumb-biting direction?

20 Shakespeare is buried in Holy ________ 25 Helena loves him in "A Midsummer Church.

Night's Dream" 22 The method of Brutus'death, also 26 According to the film "Anonymous," Romeo's. he wrote Shakespeare's plays 24 This professor teaches Shakespeare at 27 You can read "Hamlet" and "Much UCCS Ado About Nothing" in this obscure language 24

1

24

Last week’s Crossword answers

1 5 6 7 11 13 14 17 19 21 23 25 26 27

N A

6

23

Page 13

How does your family celebrate the Chinese New Year?

Here in Colorado we don’t have a lot of relatives nearby. They’re all mostly in California, so we do celebrate it together, we usually go out, maybe to Denver, because there’s more Asians over there. They usually go to a Chinese restaurant, sometimes they’ll have the Chinese lion dancers, sometimes we go to watch that or just buy time together. Sometimes they’ll have the Chinese T things I O Nat the store,Rjust to spend Z we’ll just stay home and watch TV, because H fireworks in Denver, F O Utoo.

R TSometimes E E N E we have the Chinese M channelR from DirecTV. That usually has a program, like a conL E cert. It shows famous singersO and different performances.

2

3

4

5

10

O D I C A P R I O R R A O What is your favorite Spart of these holidays?

D U P O N A V O N C It’s definitely a different D A type of culture that other people don’t get to experience, so H I feel like I’m lucky J that L my parents still celebrate it, and I’ve been exposed to that.

12 13 A I really M C LI want A U to D go I UtoSChina one day and see those festivals because supposthink M L E T L N edly they go all out over in China when they have those holidays. Sometimes it’s a 16 B L I E T 18 week-long festival, and people don’t go to school during those times, and they just E G A E R 19 people just all-out crazy.

R celebrate I N it and O T H E L go L O L B N J 22 A N S H E R M I T S A I O H U N 23 24 N N A T M E I B S Sophomore, T I History C H I R M What holidays A D and K your famdo you 26 E E D W A R D D E V E R E ily celebrate?

N A T Pretty much Ramadan, Thanksgiving Y T

Sivan Kahn

just for Down cultural purposes and Hal2 just The playing Shakespeare loween, givingcompany out candy.

That’s worked with "West pretty3much it.Side Story" is based on this play

by the Bard Number of Shakepeare's plays during his lifetime How 8do published you celebrate Ramadan?

Place for poison 9 end Solo singing whose CDmonth, shares the At the of theartist Ramadan same name as Hamlet's Ophelia 10 aRomeo loved her called first there’s special day Eid. It’s 12 "Lethal Weapon" actor who starred in a kind of like a reward day for everyone recent version of Hamlet 15 Popular 1998 movie, "Shakespeare In who did____" Ramadan. What people do War of "Troilus and Cressida" is you16 get together and name you celebrate 17 Hamlet's mother's "The Princess Diaries" star who shares a with 18 your relatives and close family. name with Shakespeare's wife Shakespeare is buried in Holy ________ That’s20pretty much it; it’s your reward Church.

22 The methodall of Brutus'death, also for going through of that.

Romeo's.

24 This professor teaches Shakespeare at Explain UCCS what Ramadan is, in your own 4

words.

What my parents have told me and my personal opinion on it, it’s a month where you put yourself in the position of your ancestors or people that are not in a well-off position. So you don’t eat, you sacrifice a lot of things that people don’t normally have. So you put yourself in their position, so you appreciate modern things a little bit more. That’s the main idea behind it.

Do you and your family do anything unique?

It’s pretty much followed by that. The unique thing is that there is no consistent date to it. It’s really dependent on the phases of the moon. I think that on the new moon is when you start Ramadan. That’s really the only unique thing about it.

What is your favorite part of Ramadan?

My favorite part is toward the end when it’s over, when people just jump back into their normal phase. You do get a lot out of it, especially for the people that do, do it, you do understand things a little bit more, you do appreciate things a little bit more. S

Page 14

Life on the Bluffs

the Scribble

November 21, 2011

Caught reading

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

Scribble story turns out to be true.

The Scribe under investigation.

Bertrand Rustle St. Jebus thescribblepage@gmail.com

The Scribe is facing accusations of libel after a Scribble story turned out to be true. While The Scribe maintains a strict falsity policy for the joke stories it prints in the Scribble, one of those stories inadvertently hit the nail on the head.

“Like our disclaimer says, we intend for everything in the Scribble to be completely fabricated,” said Editor-inChief Sharita Fantasy in a written apology addressed to the entire campus.

“So while it feels strange to be apologizing for printing the truth, we want our readers to rest assured that from this point forward, they will be able to hold the Scribble to the high standard of falsity they’ve come to expect from us here at The Scribe.”

Though Fantasy remained positive, The Scribe is currently under full investigation. On Wednesday, members of the Office of Media Relations –accompanied by campus police – were seen leaving The Scribe office with computers and stacks of newspapers.

It’s unclear exactly which Scribble story was the true one, and Fantasy is keeping her lips sealed. Even the rest

of The Scribe staff is in the dark.

“Some of us have our theories,” said Managing Editor Kitty Bensen.

“Since the police have been so heavily involved in the whole investigation, I think it must have been that apple core story.”

The author of the apple core story could not be reached for comment.

Rumors are circulating that the Colorado College student newspaper may take over The Scribe production, and some students worry that UCCS may end up losing its paper altogether.

“I’m concerned that by this time next week, we won’t have a newspaper,” said sophomore Jeff Wurry. “Where will we get our fake stories from? Or real ones? I guess it can be hard to tell the difference.”

Other students are less concerned.

Said Jessica Sneer, “I hope they do get shut down. They’re always walking around campus asking questions like, ‘How do you celebrate holidays?’ and ‘How do you like the college?’ It’s annoying.”

The investigation is expected to last for at least another week. Due to time constraints imposed by the investigation, print copies of The Scribe will not be distributed next week. Students will still be able to find an online version of The Scribe at uccsscribe.com. S

Invisible Joe

Photo by Robert Solis

Invisible Joe makes full use of the campus facilities. To get in shape for his fight club meetings, he works out. Careful, Joe. You should have a spotter. S

Photo by Robert Solis

Congratulations to mathematics major Richard Von Hendy, who was caught reading The Scribe. Please stop by The Scribe office to pick up your prize.

pearrot@gmail.com

November 21, 2011

Sports

Page 15

Riding horses is a way of life for student Geriann Henderson Tyler Bodlak tbodlak@uccs.edu

Riding horses is in student Geriann Henderson’s DNA, intricately woven into the fibers of each double helix in her being.

Her blood doesn’t pump through her veins, but instead gallops in time with the pounding hooves of her mount as horse and rider chase the wind, pausing only long enough to hurdle the next obstacle in their way.

Then they’re at it again, crashing back to the earth, the thunderous sound of hooves beating the ground and heart feverishly hammering in her chest morphing into a single pulsating rhythm. Thump.

Thump. Thump.

“I’ve always ridden horses,” Geriann said. “My mom’s water broke while riding a horse, and we have photos of her holding me on a horse directly after coming home from the

hospital.”

Geriann’s official entry into the organized world of horse showing began when she was two years old. At age seven, she became involved in the United States Pony Club, a horsemanship organization intent on teaching its members all things horse.

“It’s like 4-H in the extreme. It is very focused on the English traditions of riding and they develop horsemanship from an early age on,” said Henderson.

“They teach everything from the colors of a pony all the way to veterinary concepts like internal systems and diseases and drugs. It’s a pretty awesome organization.”

From there, Henderson climbed the horse world ladder into the sport of eventing, a three-day series of equestrian events.

The first day of competition is dressage, an event in which a horse and its rider execute a pre-learned pat-

tern and are judged on the accuracy of their movements and how well they work together.

Day two is the cross country ride, a competition in which riders cover a set distance at a high speed, jumping over a variety of natural obstacles.

The final day of eventing is reserved for show jumping, the event most people associate with equestrian.

Show jumping consists of riding a course and leaping over multiple man-made obstacles.

Henderson’s favorite of the three is cross country, saying that “it’s exciting and there’s lots of adrenaline.”

“In the cross country race, that’s as close as I’m ever going to get to flying,” she said, a wide smile creasing her face. “You can be in an airplane, but this is it different. It totally feels like you’re flying. It’s unreal.”

Eventing is broken up into four classes: one star,

share of the money in order to make their teams better.

Although this lockout has little to nothing to do with the livelihood of the UCCS community, students still feel its effects. Having no NBA season means that there will be no Denver Nuggets, a team that many students support.

Besides the fact that students cannot root for their hometown team, or any team at that, many students had high hopes for the 2012 season.

Arick Zeigel, a sophomore, feels that the atmosphere the NBA season brings is what he is missing the most. “I’d say the thing I’m missing the most is the atmosphere that comes with the start of the NBA season,” he said. “I think it’s a great way to transition into winter and for me, it truly symbolizes the start of the holidays because of the big games on Christmas.”

Most students believe that the NBA lockout needs to be resolved one way or another because of its financial impact on the economy.

Wes Levanduski, a sophomore, happened to do a presentation on the NBA lockout for a class and he found that the NBA is one of the largest contributors to the U.S. economy.

“I don’t think there will be a season, but there needs to be,” he stated. “Due to the lockout, 21,000 people have already lost their jobs and since the NBA contributes about $200 million dollars a year to the economy, the country is hurting a lot too.”

Levanduski went on to say that he believes much of the problem is greed. “I think both the players and owners are making things worse and their greed and selfishness is really getting in the way of solving the problem,” he stated.

“I mean, they are arguing over a few million dollars when some people can’t even make that much in a year. It’s just silly.”

The lockout seems to be giving the NBA a bad image across the country, including the campus of UCCS. One can only hope that the situation will be resolved, but as Levanduski stated, when greed and selfishness come into play, the whole problem only worsens.

David Stern said it best, saying the situation is a tragedy. Hopefully, that “tragedy” can be turned around before the NBA lockout does even more damage to the fans, employees and nation it entertained in the past. S

NBA preparing for ‘nuclear winter’ Ryan Adams radams3@uccs.edu As the lethargic and stalemated NBA lockout nears 150 days, people are starting to wonder if there will even be an NBA season in 2012.

The last time a lockout this long happened, the NBA owners and the Players Union managed to agree to a new collective bargaining agreement, but this time things don’t look as promising.

According to David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA, the league left their “best offer on the table” and “the players decided to blow it up.”

The offer that Stern is talking about is splitting all basketball related income, with each side, the players and the league’s owners, getting roughly 50 percent of the pot. The reason this argument continued is because the players, who are about 420 in total number, believe they are getting an “unfair deal” as there are only about 32 owners in the league.

This may sound unfair, but the NBA fan also has to remember that the players have endorsement and advertising deals, and the owners have to spend their

two star, three star and four star. Currently, Geriann is a two star rider, but her goals for the future include riding three star, and maybe, just maybe, riding four-star events in 2013.

Though the Olympics would be a dream come true, Geriann does not see it as a real possibility.

“I’m too young for the Olympics and my horse is too old,” she said. “I don’t have another upper level horse, and the way it’s formatted right now, you need at least three upper level horses to even be considered for the team.”

“And the U.S. has never fielded anyone on the Olympic team under 35 or 40. You just need the experience levels and you just need a lot of mental development.”

Geriann has been with her current horse, Kingsley, for two years, and has forged a friendship with her horse that she struggles to explain.

“That horse would go

through hell and high water for me,” she said. “It’s hard to explain the connection.

Most people think they’re just horses, but they have a really wide range of emotions. Honestly, I think he knows me better than myself. He’s a reflection of me.

It’s something you can’t really put into words.”

During the school year, Kingsley stays in California while Geriann attends UCCS. She tries to make it back to California at least once a month for competitions, but acknowledges that the delicate balancing act between school and sport is difficult to manage.

“School has to come first. That’s a priority that my trainer and parents have made for me. I have to keep my GPA up and I’m not allowed to miss a lot of class,” she said. “It’s definitely a difficult balance. At shows, I’m hiding in my trailer doing homework. The flying in and out at ridiculous hours is also

hard.”

“But, honestly, I wouldn’t change what I do. It’s difficult from a social standpoint because I’m gone in the winter and I’m gone in the summer. Your friends can only take so much of you saying you can’t hang out because you have other things to do. It makes it difficult,” she said, pausing to reflect.

“But balancing has really helped me grow as a person.”

Equestrian sports are dangerous, but Geriann loves it too much to even consider giving it up. It goes beyond the adrenaline rush and the competitive quest to bring home trophies.

“When I ride, I feel like I can be myself and that the world can see me for exactly who I am. I’m allowed to be proud and beautiful and graceful. Even though people are judging you, you are who you are in that moment. And I think that’s why I do it.” S

Visit uccsscribe.com to see our web-only issue on Nov. 28!

Sports the

cribe

NBA lockout, page 15

November 21, 2011

Two Elks Running Club looks for new runners in search of a good time Located on the west side of Colorado Springs in Old Colorado City, the Two Elks Running Club is now in to their third week of running and the club just keeps growing.

The founder of the club, Jenn Gleason, said that the club has been running a three-mile run on the Midland trail since Nov. 3 and every week, they get more people involved.

“We are still trying to get the word out, but on the first run we had 11 people and on the second one we had about 15,” stated Gleason. Gleason is an employee at Thunder and Buttons, a saloon in Old Colorado City located on West Colorado Avenue. The saloon’s name is where the whole idea of the Two Elks began.

“Jack Quinn, who has a running club that meets on Tuesdays, started run-

Gleason. “Once it is finished though, we will be able to run all the way to America the Beautiful Park which is about four and a half miles round trip.”

After the run on the Midland Trail, the runners head back to Meeting up at Thunder Thunder and and Buttons after the Buttons where they receive run just gives everyone a specials on chance to socialize and Coors Light meet someone new. and the restaurant’s famous “Chili Mac,” great idea to complement a homemade macaroni that on a Thursday and so and cheese with elk chili, I started Two Elks. The cheese, and onions on it. name comes from the ac“Besides the great tual restaurant, Thunder specials on the beer and and Buttons, who were food, meeting up at Thuntwo elks that the founder der and Buttons after the kept and used for his car- run just gives everyone a riage,” she furthered. chance to socialize and Every Thursday at meet someone new,” about 5:30 p.m., all the stated Gleason. “We get runners of the club meet to know each other betup at Thunder and But- ter and form some good tons and begin their five- friendships and commukilometer trek along the nity.”

Midland trail.

As of right now, Glea“Right now we run son and the rest of Two from about 25th to 31st Elks are still trying to get street since the trail isn’t the word out about the finished yet,” stated club.

“

ning a different route that actually went through Old Colorado City and the runners would go to the bars after they were done running,” said Gleason.

“I thought it would be a

“

Ryan Adams radams3@uccs.edu

Check out our website!

uccsscribe.com

Photo by Robert Solis

Members of Two Elks Running Club often wear head lights when running at night.

“We are trying to reach out to everyone and anyone in Colorado Springs, so if you are looking to get in your run for the day, you are more than welcome to join us,” stated Gleason. Though the number of runners

continues to grow, Gleason said at the end of the day, they seem like they have all been here for the past two weeks.

“A great thing about this club is we also accept walkers who want to bring their pets along.

The trail is very private so you don’t run into a lot of busy streets,” said Gleason. “The club is a fun way to get to know a few new people, so if you have some interest, meet at 5:30 at Thunder and Buttons.” S

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