the Monday, August 29, 2011. Vol 36. Iss. 1.
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Photo By Isaiah Branch-Boyle Taken during a lightening storm at UCCS.
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For Profit College Group Sued by Justice Department Andrew Dyer adyer@uccs.edu
Education Management Corporation (EDMC), the nation’s second largest forprofit higher education company, has received $11 billion in state and federal funds, but has been accused of fraud based on the way it enrolls its students. The corporation received these funds even though they were ineligible. The suit charges that EDMC enrolled paid recruiters, who were paid based upon the number of
students solicited, which is against a proposed federal law. This rule was proposed because it alleges that if the recruiters’ pay is based upon the number of students enrolled, they have incentive to use forceful sales tactics that persuade students who may not be ready for college to take out loans that they cannot afford to pay back. The U.S. Department of Education wants the law created because the education that these colleges provide tends not to lead to
the earning potential needed to pay back the debt. There have also been arguments suggesting that minority students will be disproportionately hurt financially by these colleges. EDMC admits no guilt, arguing that it followed the government’s rules against incentive enrollment, which bans financial compensation as the sole factor in an admission officer’s decision to enroll students. The Federal Justice Department and four states have brought a civil suit against the for-profit
college group’s chairperson and former Governor of Maine, John McKernon, who was CEO of the company in 2003. EDMC is known under four names in 105 colleges across the country: Art Institute, Argosy University, Brown Mackie College and South University, which, when combined, serve 150,000 students. This is not the first time that fraud has been uncovered in the for-profit college industry. From May through July 2010, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigated online and on-ground colleges in another
investigation, including leading for-profit colleges such as Kaplan University, University of Phoenix and Argosy University. The GAO used “secret shoppers” to pose as prospective applicants, as the colleges receive approximately 25% of all Federal education loans (about $20 billion in 2009). Among their findings:
-Four of the colleges encouraged applicants to commit financial aid fraud on their FAFSA paperwork. After the findings of the 2010 investigation were released, Kaplan University suspended applications at two of its campuses.
Another suit, filed in 2009, was brought against the Coloradobased school Westwood College and -Each of the 15 col- Westwood Online by leges investigated two former students. engaged in high-pres- One of the plaintiffs, sure, suspicious mar- Amanda Krol, argued that when she keting techniques. enrolled as a teen, -Of the 15 colleges, 14 she expected to find were more expensive than local non-profit Continued on page 3 colleges.
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Monday, August 29, 2011
Ent: A Credit Union for Students Catherine Jensen cjensen2@uccs.edu
Students away from home or looking for a bank at a more convenient location may want to consider using Ent Credit Union. Ent, which has been on the UCCS campus for five years, is located on the first floor
of the University Center (UC) and provides students with a wide array of financial services. Member Service Representative Allison DeSanti said Ent’s services for students go beyond savings and checking accounts. Students who sign up with Ent receive an Ent Lion OneCard, which is a debit card that
Photo by Tasha Romero
Allison and other Ent employees are ready to help out any student looking to set up a local account.
also functions as a student ID. The Lion OneCard checking account includes free checks and money orders, free online banking and bill pay, free withdrawals, transfers and deposits – all, DeSanti adds, with no minimum balance or monthly fees. Ralph Galega, a student who has been using Ent at UCCS for close to two years, said he enjoys the accessibility of Ent and being able to use the ATMs on campus without paying any extra fees. There are three ATMs on campus: in the UC next to the Ent teller windows, on the second floor of Columbine Hall by the coffee cart and in Lot 8 next to the Recreation Center. “I really like the services they provide. They are so welcoming and ready to help. I find their [service] to be exceptional and it’s always rewarding working with them,” said Galega. Students interested in building or improv-
the
ing credit might also be interested in the Young Adult or College Rewards Credit Cards, also available at Ent. DeSanti also recommended text banking as a smart way for students to monitor their account balances. A smart phone app, which enables customers to instantly deposit their checks through their phone’s camera, is also available and free to students who have an Ent bank account. An account previously opened at another Ent location may be converted at the UCCS location to gain access to all the services on campus. DeSanti would also remind students of all of the services that ATMs provide when service representatives aren’t available: ATMs can check balances, give cash, complete transfers and be used to make deposits. Envelopes for the ATM in the UC can be found on the table just inside Ent. DeSanti said she encourages students to come talk
Photo by Tasha Romero
With fast and friendly service, the Ent bank is a great choice when you need something done right here on campus. to Ent representatives at any time and to “pay attention to your account, know how much money you have.” Some of Ent’s financial services are not limited to those with Ent accounts; students without Ent accounts may still make money orders, and make change from large bills and deposit checks. Students don’t have to be a member of Ent to avoid the ATM fees, either – as part of their agreement with
UCCS, no users from any outside bank are charged a fee when using these on campus ATMs. Galega said that he would recommend Ent to incoming students: “Students will usually be on campus, so why not have an easy and accessible bank that can facilitate your use of money, when need be, and help you manage your finances?” Ent is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday during the fall semester. S
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Monday, August 29, 2011 a job earning over $100,000 a year with her $86,000 degree in Criminal Justice. She has still yet to find a job, arguing that that Westwood did not live up to its promises. In her suit, Krol’s attorneys found 730
then-current or former students and 50 former employees who had contacted them with complaints against Westwood. Beyond these few examples, there have been many similar lawsuits across the
News country in recent years. This suit is one of many that have been brought against the for-profit college industry in recent years, but it is the first in which the government has become directly involved. S
Page 3
Call for student art in the UC Catherine Jensen cjensen2@uccs.edu
Mitch Karstens, assistant director of student activities, was surfing Facebook when he came across a photo on the class of 2015 page that he couldn’t look away from. In the image, the mountain lion sculpture in front of the University Center (UC) glows an eerie white beneath a dark sky and several streaks of purple lightning can be seen in the distance. The photo was taken by freshman Isaiah Branch-Boyle, and will soon be displayed above the ROAR front desk in addition to other art soon to line the UC walls. Branch-Boyle started pursuing an interest in photography when he was a freshman in high school and not long after, began shooting senior portraits, weddings and working for the Durango Herald, Durango’s local newspaper. Before taking the photo of the mountain lion, he said he hadn’t taken too many photos as a new resident of Colorado Springs and the night of the storm he was “looking for something more than just the lightning.” The lighting in the photo was ed-
ited so that, with the light coming from Clyde’s and the light of the lightning itself, it appeared purple, Branch-Boyle said. Had he not done so, he said, the mountain lion would have come out orange or yellow due to lighting. Branch-Boyle’s photography will be featured in the UC’s first group of art to line the walls in the last two years, according to Karstens. Branch-Boyle said he thinks he will display a collection of landscape photos he has taken over the last two summers in Colorado. Any student can apply to have art placed on the UC’s three art walls: the wall from MOSAIC to the Scribe office, the wall from OSA (next to the Scribe) to ROAR and in the area that has been named the “gaming area,” where the pool tables can be found across from Clyde’s. Karstens said art of all mediums is encouraged. “We want to be able to show off the talent that the students here have in whatever form,” he concluded. The art should appear in about two weeks, Karstens hopes, and all art following will rotate every two to four weeks. Students interested in having work displayed should email OSA at osa@uccs.edu. S
No Minimum Ba L ance Student I D Over 100 L O cal ATMs No Mo N thly Fees Free Savings Acc O unt Free eStateme N ts Student M E al Card Free Visa® C heck Card Free Email A lerts Cash R ewards Earn D ividends
If only everything about college were this easy. The Ent Lion OneCard. It’s everything you need to control your money. Without costing you any money. And it’s only available from Ent. Get yours today at the Ent UCCS Service Center. For more information, visit Ent.com/UCCS, or call us at (719) 574-1100 or 800-525-9623.
Ent is a community-chartered credit union • Equal Opportunity Lender • Federally insured by NCUA © Ent Federal Credit Union, 2010 • Ent is a registered trademark of Ent Federal Credit Union.
News
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Monday, August 29, 2011
Parking woes continue to plague students Aaron Collett acollett@uccs.edu
On-campus parking is something of a sore spot between students and faculty here at UCCS. Students always want more parking, citing the difficulty in finding spaces during peak class times. Faculty claim to take a more understanding viewpoint and say that there is enough parking, it’s simply not quite as convenient or close as students would prefer. Speculations about an expansion to the parking garage are quite common, but these are, unfortunately, false. According
to Director of Public Safety, Jim Spice, the parking garage will not be expanded, as it was only designed to be five levels high. He did confirm, however, that there is a master plan for expanding UCCS. This plan includes parking, but he was unable to give details, as it is not yet finalized. When asked about the future of parking at UCCS, Assistant Parking Manager Gregg Fleury, said, “There’s a plan, but who knows when. It’s not in the near future.” He was excited about the end result, however. “It’s going to look like Boulder,” he said.
In the meantime, students will have to continue to be creative with their parking. Many of them make the choice to park off-campus, generally at the Four Diamonds parking lot west of the school. The school provides shuttle service to and from the Four Diamonds Sports Complex. Parking and the shuttle to the school are covered by student fees, and students report that there are generally open spaces. Lots 11, 12 and 14, all in close proximity to Four Diamonds, also offer free parking. Using these lots and the shuttle service means avoiding both the additional charges
Word mural encourages dialogue Catherine Jensen cjensen2@uccs.
What was once a blank wall just inside the main entryway of the University Center (UC) has now transformed into a maze of bright colors and thought-provoking language. The semicircular blue bench nestled beneath the lime green seating banquette is set against a mural of words which has ignited feelings that are just as intricate as their design. Mitch Karstens, assistant director of student activities, said the group of individuals responsible for UC renovation decisions was asked to select words for the mural that they thought represented UCCS. Words were taken from the mission statements of the University at large and the UC, and additional words were selected in correlation with what occurs within the UC itself,
he said. Inspiration for the word mural came from a project taken on by the Office of Student Activities’ (OSA) Advertising and Marketing Coordinator, Nic Hostetter, over the summer. After being asked to design shirts that the Orientation Welcome Leaders (OWLs) would wear during Orientation in the fall, Hostetter created a word collage that contained words he thought represented UCCS. “I used words from the mission statement, club list, department mission statements and also the degrees offered at UCCS. I formed them into a pattern to spell the word OWL.” Hostetter later gave the list of words to the renovation committee to be used in the UC word mural, he said. After the word list had been submitted to Senger Design Group, the same
for on-campus parking, as well as the frustration of circling the parking lot over and over, students said. “I’m already paying $165 [in student fees] for Four Diamonds,” said Adam Sigurdson. “I don’t want to pay another $165 for oncampus parking.”
This is by no means an isolated feeling. “It’s really hard to find spots during the day,” Chris Sherwood said. Fletcher Malenkos is even more succinct: “Parking here is terrible.” UCCS has a total of 14 general purpose Hub lots of varying
size, plus levels 1, 2 and 4 of the parking garage also qualify as Hub spaces. Hub passes run anywhere from $20 for a one semester, Friday only pass to $330 for a full year, all day every day pass, according to public safety’s website. S
Photo by Alex Gradisher
group responsible for designing Clyde’s and the main lobby in housing on campus, the list was manipulated into its current design, which has words going every which way on customized wallpaper. Words on the wall include “sports,” “technology,” “excellence,” “leadership,” “achievement” and “academic.” However, some students have pointed out that wall is not limited to seemingly institu-
tional language. One word that stands out is the word “black.” At first glance, it appears to be solitary, a decision some students said has left them confused. Student Rhys Wilson said, “I saw the word ‘black’ and started looking for other ethnicities.” The word “gold” can also be found on the wall, in reference to the school colors. Student Brittney Reece suggested that the wall could have
Photo by Tasha Romero
been arranged differently: “I wish the ‘gold’ was next to ‘black,’ but the wall looks cool and I like the color scheme.” Karstens said that they “gave [the designers] the choice of words and they put them together. They may not have recognized that gold and black for us go together.” There was an opportunity for proofreading, he said. “We were really looking for spelling to make sure it was correct and to make sure that all of the words really embodied what we do here at the University Center and that those words linked back to UCCS.” Anthony Cordova, director of the Multicultural Affairs office on campus (MOSAIC), who was only able to make one planning meeting, said he would have liked to have been more involved in the planning process to make
alternative suggestions for the mural. “I didn’t even know it was going to have words on it,” he said. “I think it’s very limited. Like so many things we forget to ask the students what’s important to them. The words are there, but there is no definition.” He would remind students that “it’s just a decoration. It doesn’t have any power.” Cordova said he would have liked to see students take part in the design and “make it alive,” maybe by painting their own words on it, to “make it unique, like them,” he said. Some students, however, have a favorable impression of the new installation. ROAR Graduate Assistant Nancy Hoist said, “I think it’s a really cool idea and I like the way it turned out. I think it gives the space a Student Center feel.” S
Culture
Monday, August 29, 2011
Page 5
Theatregasm Pleads the 5th Promises Musical, Comedic Fun Caitlin Levy clevy@uccs.edu
Theatre‘d Art has done it again with its annual experimental theater festival, Theatregasm Pleads the 5th, which is a collection of short plays written, directed and acted by members of the community. The performance showcases nine short plays, which range from soap operas and comedic dance numbers to musicals and modern twists to biblical stories. It was an overall comedic smash. “A Very Fairy Fairy Tale,” a musical directed and written by Ariel Baty, is an edgy and provocative twist on all fairy tales with hit songs like “Kill the Bitch” and many others, which stars most of the cast. This fun tale has liquor, gay fairies, Barack Obama, and everything that will
Photo by Shandi Gross
Erick Groskopf, Alisha Pagan and Desiree Meyers in “Soap Bubble”. make the audience forget about Walt Disney. Laughs continue into the second act with “The
The cast and crew of Theatregasm.
Republican Report,” a political spoof of the Saturday Night Live skit “Weekend Update,”
Photo by Shandi Gross
as reported by republicans who can’t tell a lie. From a hypothetical riot in London to Al Gore’s opinions on climate change, these republicans know how to dish it. Finally, Meg Hodorovich’s play deals with the issue of disposing of a cumbersome dead body in “Another One Bites the Dust.” Full of danger, intrigue, and … puppets, this show had the audience rolling in the aisles. Theatregasm is a comedic night to remember. The writing for all of the plays is unpredictable, which creates an adventurous thrill ride for the audience. The comedic
scenes were executed superbly by the actors. “A Very Fairy Fairy Tale” lacked musicality in a few of the songs, but the actors made up for it with an up close and personal audience connection. Brian Mann, the production director and a lead actor who has been producing Theatregasm for five years, describes Theatregasm Pleads the 5th as the easiest theater festival produced, due to fewer shows crammed into the two hour timeslot. Juggling different aspects such as acting, writing and directing into one show is no problem for
DateMySchool Launches at UCCS Sara Horton shorton@uccs.edu
Dating is hard. Even online dating can be difficult with all the creepers out there. But a new dating site called DateMySchool caters only to college undergraduates, graduates and alumni, making it easier to find normal humans (in the right age-range) to date. Columbia University classmates Alexa Balazs and Jean Meyer created the site last November, when it first went live at Columbia. According to The New York Times, DateMy-
School gained almost 5 percent of Columbia’s student population in one week. It has been moving across the country ever since and officially launched at UCCS on August 17. Whether a user is looking for a student at his or her own university or at a nearby university, DateMySchool has both needs covered. “DateMySchool uses current technology to safely and easily connect college and university students and alumni with each other. It’s anonymous, safe, exclusive and free,” stated Melanie
Wallner, DateMySchool director of public relations. “Because DMS members attend the same school or a school nearby, place the same priority on education, extracurricular activities and careers, members understand, trust and relate to one another in a way that they cannot on other dating sites that match users based on their zip codes.” Signing up for DateMySchool, accessing profiles and interacting with other members are all free, and optional additional features are available for a fee. DateMy-
School also has plenty of benefits that could appeal to students who may not want creepy emails from random weirdos. To sign up for DMS, an active school e-mail is required, which consequently restricts fake profiles, scams and spam. Once a user has signed up, he or she is not searchable on Google, unlike many other dating websites (i.e. Your friends won’t find your dating profile and tease you relentlessly). DateMySchool members also have the option to limit their profile access if they don’t want to see members from their uni-
versity or vice versa. DateMySchool’s exclusive filtering system, which assists members in finding dates, is easy and efficient to use. It shows schools in a member’s area and then allows the member to select the department, age range and other characteristics of an ideal date. Even better, only a member who meets another member’s criteria can see his or her profile. At the very least, DateMySchool can be regarded as a secure social networking site. The site’s filtering also can be used to stay in contact with friends or to meet
Mann, who says that he has “been doing it for so long, [he’s] used to it.” The plays are performed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at the Osborne Theater in University Hall from Aug. 12 to Aug. 28. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. for an 8 p.m. performance that will blow the audience away. Tickets are $10, $5 with a valid student ID, and free for UCCS students. The show runs for approximately two hours. For any questions or comments concerning the show or to make a donation to Theatre‘d Art, call (719) 264-9476 or visit theatredart.org. S
new people. “One of my friends just got a job through personal contacts of a guy she met on DMS and another friend keeps in touch with a DMS date that felt more platonic than romantic,” said Wallner. Thanks to recent press coverage from news organizations such as CNN, The New York Times and The Huffington Post, DMS currently has a network of more than 30,000 members from 350 universities nationwide. For more information on DateMySchool, visit datemyschool.com.
Culture
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Monday, August 29, 2011
Tesla continues to be a mystery in Colorado Springs Mark Petty mpetty2@uccs.edu
A genius of a man, Nikola Tesla, made Colorado Springs his home from 1899 - 1900. Tesla was a man famous for many things, such as developing AC electrical current, as well as the AC motor, which runs just about every household electric appliance. Tesla was a man far ahead of his time, sometimes dismissed because his ideas were just too revolutionary for people to accept, and has seemingly also been dismissed from Colorado Springs, despite his ties to the city. In 1899, Tesla was offered a space for a laboratory and free electricity in Colorado Springs. There are indications that Tesla’s experiments produced exciting results. Tesla claimed that he illuminated light bulbs without the use of wires from as far as 25 miles away from his Colorado Springs laboratory, and he asserted to have caused lightning to spring from the ground. Tesla loved Colorado Springs because the atmospheric conditions were perfect for his experiments. Unfortunately, Tesla was plagued by financial woes that limited his time in the city. His troubles compounded once he overloaded the generators in the Colo-
rado Springs electrical plant, which caused a fire. Moreover, many of his financial backers began to pull support after learning of his plans for free electricity. JP Morgan said, “If you can just plug into the ground, where will we put the meter?” Tesla’s Colorado Springs laboratory was dismantled for lumber. Evidently, he owed the city some money after the fire. Just before he left Colorado Springs, Tesla claimed to have received a message from Mars. He was scoffed at by most scientists of the time, but many astronomers now believe that he just might have been picking up radio waves from space, possibly sent by the sun. Tesla may have detected those radio waves 20 years before other astronomers. The truth to some of Tesla’s claims, like when he claimed to have developed a death ray that could annihilate whole armies, becomes difficult to ascertain. Some claim that the Tunguska event, where over 1,000 miles of the Russian forest was mysteriously destroyed around the same time that Tesla was thought to be conducting experiments, is proof of such a device. The Tunguska event is mere speculation, however, and many historians claim that Tesla had already dismantled much of his lab in New York when the Tun-
Photo courtesy of http://wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tesla_colorado.jpg
This publicity photo from Nikola Tesla’s lab in Colorado Springs shows a tesla coil arc. guska event occurred. Tesla’s documented accomplishments are plentiful and there are just as many speculations about what he did accomplish. Many Tesla followers would have us all believe that he caused the Tunguska event, earthquakes and could even take photographs of a person’s thoughts. Since he spent so much time living and conducting experiments in the Springs and had such a huge impact on the community, one
would think there would be a museum devoted totally to this figure. Unfortunately, the privately owned museum dedicated to Tesla closed in 1998. Instead, The Tesla Museum of Science comes up in an Internet search. Its website at teslamuseum.us looked promising and stated that the screening of a Tesla movie, surpassing any other documentary on the man, will soon be showing. But efforts to contact the curator of the
museum have not been fruitful. There is, however, a Pioneers of Colorado Springs Museum located at 215 S. Tejon St., which I thought would possibly feature a small exhibit to Tesla in the old courthouse. “Unfortunately, we have no exhibit dedicated to Tesla at this time,” said Matt Mayberry, director of cultural services bureau. “In order for us to have a Tesla exhibit we would have to have something that authentically be-
longed to him. We just don’t have that.” So it seems as if Tesla is more an enigma now than he was in life. It is no doubt that Nikola Tesla advanced our society and America as a whole. The Discovery Channel calls Tesla “one of the greatest 100 Americans.” Tesla cherished his United States citizenship, but the Nikola Tesla Museum is in Belgrade, Serbia, not anywhere near Colorado Springs, the city he loved so much. S
By Reddi at en.wikipedia (Transferred from en.wikipedia) [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons
Monday, August 29, 2011
Culture
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Farmers markets: Farm-fresh food and friendly service Leslie Randolph lrandolp@uccs.edu
How nice it would be if there were a one-stop shop for local food, art and merchandise. Fortunately, there is. For the last seven years, the Colorado Farm and Art Market has been providing the community with locally grown food and other merchandise. Amy Siebert, the market manager, said, “The thing that makes us different [from other markets] is that we do not allow imports.” Vendors are not allowed to import from other countries or even outside the state. They have to sell only what they grow themselves or what is grown in Colorado, she says. The reasoning behind this rule is because the market believes that customers should know the origins of their food. Mark Tuzel’s company, The Sauce, makes an all-natural tomato sauce with only six ingredients, which he says is the key to making a great sauce. He stands behind his product by telling customers, “Come taste the best sauce you’ll ever taste.” He adds that the sauce can be used for many different types of food, not just pasta. Currently, The Sauce is making seventy-five pounds of tomato sauce a week and selling out of their product regularly. Joan Maxwell, who runs High Mountain Dessert Spreads, specializes in making curds, chocolate sauces and jellies. She has many different flavors of jelly, including a variety of alcohol jellies that are unique to her company and have been selling quite well. “The thing about my product is you’re not going to find it anywhere else,” Maxwell adds. Most of the products selling at the market are distinctive in their own way. Mile High Whoopie Pie Company owner Mike Buzzell, who is from New England, says that he attended college in Colorado and got a care package once in the mail full of Whoopie Pies, which are popular in New England. He gave some to his friends and they loved them. Buzzell says, “I thought, why not turn this into a business?” And so he did. But there’s more to the Farm and Art Market than just food. Sunset Candle Company makes hand-poured, hand-stirred candles. For this reason, the scent of the candle lasts from the moment the wick is lit to the moment it burns out. The company also does numerous fundraisers to help out others. Steven Alford, who runs S&S Bonsai, says he has turned one of his hobbies into a job after he lost his job a couple years ago because of economic turmoil. He sells Bonsai trees and cuts, sands and carves his own stands for them. Alford also makes soil mixes and special boxes for taking care of and maintaining Bonsai trees. With so many friendly vendors who believe in the products they are sellPhoto ing, they make it difficult to walk away without a container of tomato sauce and a jar of jelly in tow at the end of the day. For more information on local Dennis Whittaker offers samples of his kettle corn. farmers markets, students are encouraged to visit farmandartmarket.com. S
by Alex Gradisher
Photos by Alex Gradisher Left: Steven Alford explains how the bottom of a bonsai pot helps in maintaining the right amount of moisture in the soil. Right: Mile High Whoopie Pie Company owner Mike Buzzell explains that he has several hundred whoopie pie flavor combinations, though offering four of the most popular flavors at the farmers market.
Page 8
Feature
Monday, August 29, 2011
New renovations bring mode
Changes add fun and convenience Matt Sidor msidor@uccs.edu
While most of the student body was away campus’ University Center underwent some work was scheduled to be finished by the firs you have probably noticed, they’re still tryin
A place of inquiry One of the most prominent new features of the renovation is a brand new Information Desk near the first floor entryway. The older, much smaller desk was taken completely out to make room for a new storage room and a new entryway to the Event Services office; the new desk is a perfect circle conveniently positioned facing the doorway as you walk into the building. It is also enormous: Many of the student employees working there have taken to calling it the “Enterprise,” as it looks like a spaceship that came inside and landed in the middle of the night. The new desk also has its own blue wall dedicated specifically for taking ID photos, a great improvement over its former position in the middle of the office entryway.
Other subtler but more widespread changes include choices and brand new carpet with trippy geometric d has also been scattered throughout the first floor. This remodel has been the first major renovation si 2001, a project that oversaw the construction of the gl area with the Kraemer Family Library. Student fees for the UC have not risen since that pr expected that they will need to rise again in the forese
A place to play The first floor game room near Clyde’s was expanded to make room for stylish new seating arrangements and two large flat-screen televisions. The UCCS gamer population has been congregating in this area for years, and this change was specifically implemented for them. Now, students can bring their own consoles and computer systems to hook up to these displays and enjoy their multi-player games without being confined to their dorm rooms. Three pool tables were also added to this room several months before renovations began; cue sticks and balls can be checked out from the Info. Desk to any student for free.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Feature
Page 9
ern flair to University Center
e to the building intended for such
y from campus over the summer break, our major remodeling and renovations. The st day of the fall semester, but as most of ng to complete a few last finishing touches.
A grand entrance One of the largest projects of the renovation is the new entryway at the southwest corner of the building near the MOSAIC office. There has always been a door there, but until now, it hasn’t appeared to be a public entrance; it had always looked more like an employee-only side door, a design choice that harks back to when it was originally a loading dock when the building was first constructed. A new glass pillar that mimics the design of the larger southeast entryway is being constructed there to attract more attention to this alternate path through the UC as well as to enhance the building’s exterior appeal.
e a fresh coat of paint with new, more modern color designs. Stylish, more comfortable lounge furniture
ince the expansion of the University Center back in lass atrium which now connects the Overlook Cafe
roject first began more than 11 years ago, and it is not eeable future.
A place to sit Another large addition is a circular seating area directly across from the Info. Desk, next to the ROAR office. Behind the padded seating is a colorful mural of words chosen to represent our campus – although, a few of the word placements seem a little controversial. (For more on the mural, see Cat Jensen’s story on page 3.) Additionally, the curved wall appears to act as a highly effective parabolic dish, amplifying any quiet conversation so it can be heard loud and clear at the Info Desk and sometimes, even all the way across the first floor to the Game Room.
Page 10
Culture
Monday, August 29, 2011
‘No Impact Man’ About More than Conservation Sara Horton shorton@uccs.edu
Is it possible for a person’s day-to-day life not to leave behind an ecological footprint? “No Impact Man” by Colin Beavan, a chronicle of his yearlong project in which he eliminates his and his family’s use of plastic, toxins, electricity, gas-guzzling transportation and more, seeks to answer that question. Although conservation is the basis of “No Impact Man,” it is far from being the only idea discussed in the bestseller. In the midst of his project, Beavan explores a variety of subjects essential to being human; among the most hard-hitting is convenience and its connection to Americans’ happiness, which has a more relevant connection than one might think. Beavan’s findings during this project, though admittedly bleak, are worthy of reading and demand serious reflection. Although Beavan’s chronicle has received critical acclaim from multiple authors and organizations, some media is hesitant to praise him. The New York Times ran an article that criticized Beavan’s project as “an ethically murky exercise in self-promotion.” A similar thought crossed my mind before I started “No Impact Man,” so I can recognize how people might be tempted to see the worst in his efforts. The No Impact Man project is both a blog (www.noimpactman.com) and a book, the latter of which initially made me raise my eyebrows when I read Beavan’s research on how dead trees cripple ecosystems. However, I must disagree with The Times on this book — and the entire project, for that matter. The irony of writing a book on conservation is not lost on Beavan, who notes before the appendix that the book is made from 100 percent postconsumer recycled paper that was manufactured using energy generated from biogas, which is gas produced by the breakdown of organic material. What further dissuades me from labeling Beavan as an opportunist is his honest voice throughout “No Impact Man.” In the opening pages, he is open about his wasteful lifestyle prior to the project and admits, “It’s true that I had occasionally tried to make a difference in the world, but I was coming to think my political views had too often been changing other people…and too seldom about changing myself.” Beavan never attempts to be seen as a martyr, which makes the book easy to digest, though simultaneously confronts science and confirms that the planet’s dire future is never painless. Regardless, this discomfort should not be ignored. In fact, Beavan considers discomfort to be healthier than stasis because it encourages personal growth and changing one’s potentially wasteful way of life. “[Changing is] not going to suck because the new way of doing things is inherently difficult,” claims Beavan. “It’s going to suck because your whole life is structured around the whole way of doing things. Growing pains. But what’s the alternative? Not growing?” Perhaps the most important lesson that can be taken away from “No Impact Man” is that although confronting ecological problems may sound intimidating, people are not as helpless as they would like to think. And while Beavan hints that the federal government is inefficient at implementing eco-friendly measures, he puts the most emphasis on citizens and how they can demand legislation based on individual action. “No Impact Man” isn’t about self-promotion. It isn’t based on thinking about how one can make a difference, either. “No Impact Man” is all about giving it your best effort. S
Photos by Tasha Romero Upper right: faculty and students on campus help in recycling Middle: A UCCS zero waste station provides a place to recycle Lower right: A local UCCS campus recycling can
Monday, August 29, 2011
Editorial
The Scribe Editorial Board
We all have something to say, but we usually don’t think of the newspaper as the place to say it. For one thing, newspapers tend to be little more than inert objects, largely unnoticed decorations in our daily lives. They appear on our doorsteps, at the bottom of our driveways, on the shelf at the library. They sit on our tables or counter-tops, centerpieces changing from day to day, or week to week. Even when we do read them, their contents often wind up being nothing but ornaments we hang
Opinion
Wasn’t there something you wanted to say?
on the mental concepts we have already formed, the beliefs we already hold, the ideologies we would not be caught dead questioning. Of course, we can hardly be blamed for being disinterested in a daily dose of news when today’s news looks uncannily like yesterday’s and last week’s: The names and places may change, but the world we live in never really does. Even as we search for patterns to put together a coherent understanding of the worlds around us, holding our attention is next to impossible when we feel it has nothing to do with us.
Often, we do not think of ourselves as the kinds of people to say something in newspapers, anyway. Newspapers tend to be mouthpieces for those who own them, so that today what counts as news is determined by the same people who sell us movies and golf tournaments and nuclear power plants. Meanwhile, the rest of us who are privileged enough to have access to the Internet get relegated to the blogosphere, where we stare at our computer screens waiting for someone to discover what we have to say. And, we all have something to say. But starting today,
Kalee Ricks, introduced the ‘Take Back the Tap’ initiative. At first, she had introduced it as a referendum on the spring 2010 ballot, but it was shot down by only nine votes. The initiative that did pass in April of 2011 allows the campus three years to phase out plastic bottles. The idea is that in three years’ time, the University will be able to negotiate with the food services and the vending machine companies on campus to remove bottled water from school grounds. This initiative does not include bottled soda, juice or other beverages that are less healthy and more damaging than bottled water. It also will not regulate one-time use plastic foam cups, which, ironically, are made of worse materials than plastic bottles, don’t recycle as easily and are even less likely to make it to the recycle bin. Forcing bottled water off college campuses is a brilliant idea that will help environmental activists’ fight for a significant issue, but it does not fully attack the prob-
lem at its heart. For one thing, it takes away only bottled water, not bottled soda, sports drinks, juices and other beverages and goods sold in plastic containers. For example, the food establishments on campus still sell fruits and vegetables in plastic cups that harm the environment just as much as a plastic bottle. Sandwiches and bagels are packaged in plastic wrap that is not even recyclable, and Clyde’s offers meals to-go in plastic foam containers. Finally, leftover food in the school’s kitchens are covered in plastic and foil that are not being recycled. Taking away bottled water is a worthwhile project, but it is overshadowed when I think about everything else that is being wasted on campus, from paper in classrooms to food in the kitchen. There are plenty of other environmentally harmful products that should be disappearing along with the water bottles. While it is a step in the right direction, we are nowhere near our destination. S
Take Back the Tap…and Some
Miriam Haas mhaas@uccs.edu Last spring, UCCS students voted in favor of passing the ‘Take Back the Tap’ initiative, a project of SEAS that will phase out selling bottled water on campus over the next three years. The idea is to lower the impact that bottled water has on our campus and, consequently, the planet. Creating, distributing and selling bottled water has taken a toll on the environment, and students want to reduce the waste they produce. Furthermore, bottled water is less regulated and can be potentially more damaging to one’s health than tap water. Oftentimes, it comes from the tap and is simply sold as a convenience. A senior in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies,
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this newspaper is different. From now on, The Scribe is not an inert object but a bullhorn, meant to be used by those of you who have something loud to say. It is a concrete wall, meant to be sprayed in graffiti with the symbols of your love and of your rage. It is a marker, a tool for scrawling the words you are never asked to write in class papers. It is no longer a mouthpiece just for the people who write its columns; it is a mouthpiece for every student who has a stake in the cost of a parking permit, every student who finds it puzzling that tuition hikes and salary freez-
es go hand in hand with the construction of new buildings. Further, it is an outlet for those who love the view from outside the library and the hike to the top of the bluffs, for those who could not survive without the librarians or the baristas, for those who want to acknowledge the empowering professors who are too humble to acknowledge themselves, for those who want to send secret messages encoded in crossword puzzles. From now on, The Scribe is a voice of students – not the only voice, but one voice, loud and clear and once a week. It will still sit on tables; it will still provide
news and entertainment; it will still be peppered with our views. But the secret is out, and now the paper is yours to infiltrate. So please consider this your invitation to speak through The Scribe. Send cartoons and stories, opinions and polemics, love letters and hate mail. When your words have been printed, you can fold them into a paper airplane to throw over the imaginary walls that keep us all from speaking. From now on, what counts as news is up to you. Besides, we’ve already said too much. Wasn’t there something you wanted to say? S
Opinion
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Monday, August 29, 2011
The Impact of Guilt Take Responsibility
Aaron Collett acollett@uccs.edu Colin Beavan spent a year living an environmentalist’s dream. He conducted an experiment in which his family attempted to live without negatively affecting the environment. He, his wife and their two-year-old daughter tried to avoid producing trash, importing food, buying new items and using electricity Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with taking steps to use our natural resources wisely. In fact, there is much that is admirable in the attempt to decrease our own waste or work to decrease our waste as a nation or world. There are also clear health benefits toward eating natural or “organic” foods. In fact, Beavan’s wife ended up losing weight and reversing a pre-diabetes condition because of their new diet. With that being said, there are some problems with Beavan’s project and the environmental movement, as a whole. The biggest issue with the environmental movement is its guilt-mongering. Throughout the experiment, Beavan felt guilty over blowing his nose with paper towels, using disposable diapers and even using electricity to do his job as a writer; the guilt that Beavan felt was passed on to his wife, who felt guilty about drinking coffee, of all things.
Beavan’s rules included caveats that the rules would be suspended for social purposes: When he went out with friends, they could eat out, go to movies and use mechanical transportation. This was for the very noble purpose of not alienating him from his friends by pushing his experiment on them. Beavan, however, began ignoring his own rules. He tells of a Christmas party in which, instead of enjoying time with friends and family, he spent the entire time having a hissy fit over the wrapping paper. He tried to “rescue” it from the trash to smooth it out to use it again, while he fussed at family members who were ripping presents open instead of doing it the “right” way, i.e., carefully pulling off tape and sliding the present slowly out of the paper. In other words, he completely ignored a social gathering to take the opportunity to make his friends and family feel badly about their normal lives. Another guilt trip that environmentalists promote is the idea of “used only.” The problem with this concept is that it is a non-sustainable ideal. Someone must be buying new items and disposing of them for there to be used items for others to use. It is simply another reason for people to feel guilty, resonating a message of “I bought something new, so the planet will die and it’s all my fault.” Let me be clear, the
issue here is not the platform of the environmental movement. We should reduce our trash and find alternatives to using nonrenewable energy. The issue is the guilt that’s heaped on people for taking advantage of technological conveniences. People are told that they are being selfish, taking advantage of future generations or that they are the cause of whatever happens to be the current environmental evil, whether it’s global warming, climate change or holes in the ozone layer. This relentless guilt that we
are b e i n g bombarded with is completely counterproductive to the environmental movement. Any system, whether it is governmental, religious or social, has activities that it frowns upon. It seems to me that these all obtain better results from their participants when they reward positive behavior, as opposed to condemning negative behavior. If environmentalists really want people to be a part of their movement, they would do well to do away with the guilt-trip. S
Nate Siebert nsiebert@uccs.edu During a talk at Colorado College last spring, author and speaker Tim Wise recounted the story of a time he came home to find that one of his housemates had made gumbo for dinner. Tired and not altogether hungry, Wise
w e n t straight to bed without eating any of it. The next morning, he came to find that the leftover gumbo was still in a pot on the stove. Since he hadn’t eaten any of it, he did not feel like it should be his job to throw it away. After several days, it was still there, with the smell of gumbo growing fouler and Wise feeling more like it was someone else’s job to deal with it. When the smell had become completely overpowering, it dawned on him: Re-
gardless of who had made the mess, he was going to have to clean it up if he wanted to stop living in the stench. Wise tells this story to show that there is a distinction between guilt and responsibility in the context of understanding and confronting institutionalized white privilege. “Guilt,” he claims, “is what you feel for what you’ve done. Responsibility is what you take because of the kind of person you are.” But that distinction can just as well be applied in the context of strategizing for sustainability, for our feelings of guilt in the face of unsustainability are merely a distraction from our responsibility to confront the systems of power that constrain our ability to live sustainably. The environmental movement tends to operate within a paradigm of individual strategies for sustainability, which alienates many people. The story goes that if enough of us would do our part, the planet could be healed. It follows that if I do not do my part, then I am no less to blame for this culture’s unsustainability than the next person. But author and environmental activist Derrick Jensen argues that if we as individuals feel guilty about the destruction of the biosphere, it is because “we’ve been victims of a campaign of systematic misdirection. Consumer culture and the capitalist mindset have taught us to substitute acts of personal
consumption for organized political resistance.” Of course, there is no political authority to resist if the problem is simply an aggregate of our individual actions. One course of action might be less polluting, but as long as that course of action is woven into an unsustainable framework, the action remains unsustainable. If Jensen is right about all of this, then guilt should not even be on the table as a legitimate response to the unsustainability of this culture. For if the framework in which we find ourselves is such that most courses of action open to us are unsustainable, what is there for any of us to feel guilty about? But this hardly absolves us of our responsibility to address this culture’s unsustainability. Rather, it redirects our responsibility beyond mere consideration of our options as consumers – bike or car, paper or plastic – and toward confrontation with the cultural, political, and economic frameworks themselves. Of course, confronting unsustainability at that scale is a far more daunting task than confronting it at the individual scale. But surprisingly, it begins with two very simple tasks. The first is to ask the question, “If the cultural, political, and economic frameworks in which I find myself are such that most courses of action open to me are unsustainable, what do I do next?” The second is to find other people who are asking the same question. For those of us seeking a livable planet, this is our responsibility. S
Monday, August 29, 2011
Life on the Bluffs
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Did You Know? Campus Chatter
- Julianne Sedillo, jsedillo@uccs.edu
Did you know that UCCS once had a “Cream of Elephant Soup” can as its unofficial mascot? A 10,000 gallon water tank, once located on the bluff behind Main Hall, was painted as a soup can in the middle of the night by a few students in 1969, four years after UCCS was founded. At the time, the UCCS student body had no teams to support, no clubs to attend, nor dormitories in which to bond. The “Cream of Elephant Soup” water tank provided the students with something they could be proud of. The remains of the can of “Cream of Elephant Soup” may still be found on the bluff behind UCCS.
Impact Reduction Molly Mrazek mmrazek@uccs.
This year’s “All Campus Read” is Colin Beavan’s “No Impact Man.” In the book, Beavan writes
about his family’s attempt to make less of an impact on the environment by reducing their energy consumption, eating only locally grown food and trying not to produce
any trash. While most people don’t go to such extremes, many try to do their part to be sustainable. So what are the students of UCCS doing to protect Mother Earth?
Sean Sevener Q: What do you do to make less of an impact on the Earth? A: “I try to recycle, and—I don’t know—I don’t throw trash out the window and I turn the lights off.”
Courtesy, UCCS Archives, Kraemer Family Library, photograph by Donald S. Gage
Q: Would you go without a regular toilet in order to make less of an impact on the environment? A: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. But that’s about as far as I can go.”
Photo by Alex Gradisher
Mark Santon Q: What do you do to make less of an impact on the Earth?
Courtesy, UCCS Archives, Kraemer Family Library, photograph by Antoinette Massengale
A: “I don’t turn on lights.”
Q: Would you go without a regular toilet in order to make less of an impact on the environment? A: “Of course, because I’m a dude.”
Photo by Alex Gradisher
Life on the Bluffs
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the Scribble
Monday, August 29, 2011
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.
Study finds Facebook friends are not really your friends Dr. Gonzo A recent study suggests that your Facebook friends are not actually your friends. Surveys find that most users of social networking sites do not care about those who have “friended” them. It appears to be a pattern that when people get a request to be a “friend,” they merely click “accept” to clear the update, regardless of their relationship to the person requesting the friendship.
Furthermore, with Facebook gaining popularity with a multitude of various generations, young adults feel a strong social obligation to “friend” their parents, whom they had never expected to become Facebook users in the first place. Posts like, “Man, last nite was wikked! ;) We ain’t gonna be allowed back @ that club!!!” transform into, “My word, my responsible study habits are most definitely making my life much more enjoyable. I can surely see
TSA Unveils Latest Airport Security Measure St. Jebus
Today, the Transportation Security Administration will launch its latest security technology at U.S. airports. No longer will you have to take off your shoes to walk through security, or rather, not just your shoes. TSA has unveiled its new “Naked Security Scanners,” which will require travelers to strip naked
and walk through a full-body scanner. Their clothes will go through a separate X-ray machine and be given back after the short walk through the scanner. “We’re all very excited about this,” said TSA employee Peter Creep. “It’s going to make our job a lot easier.” Most people have had the frustration of having their shampoo or
perfume thrown away by security agents, but those same agents are now hopeful that air travelers can look forward to a breath of fresh air. The new protocols involve a full retooling of the entire security process. Upon approaching security, travelers will strip down and place their clothes in a box which is taken to a separate room. They will
Photo Courtesy of TSA
that I am making my way toward a successful future, and I am confident that this is due to the wonderful parenting that I received throughout my childhood.” The study also found that a person may be “friended” by accident because he or she has the same name as another person. Facebook user Alex Franklin, for example, found that he had accidentally befriended the wrong John Smith.
then walk down a short hallway, which is the actual X-ray machine. At the end of the hallway, their clothes, which have been folded neatly, will be returned to them. When asked about the size of the machine itself, Creep smiled, saying, “It’s part of the efficiency process. We can have about 20 people at a time going through the machine.”
“I searched for John Smith, and friended the person whose profile I found. We were chatting for three months before I realized that he was not actually the John Smith I thought he was. It never really occurred to me that there might be more than one John Smith.” Facebook representatives responded, noting that the company can only control the platform, not the intelligence of its users. S
Despite their good cheer, security agents realize that this is a controversial move, but still, they remain upbeat. Some employees focus on the amenities being added along with this new security. “We’ve got a naked lounge area where travelers can wait if there’s a line. It even has a full
bar. We also make sure that there’s a nice breeze going through the walkway. It’s really comfortable,” expounded Creep. “We’re all human,” he concluded, loading some clothes into an X-ray machine, “No one should be afraid of judgment here. This is a safe place.” S
Photo Courtesy of TSA
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sports
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Sports Buzz: Before you kick the bucket… Matthew Crandall mcrandal@uccs.edu The grass is green, the sun is out and there’s absolutely no place to park when you need it the most; all the while, from afar, thousands of people traverse around campus like ants. Yes, it’s a new year at UCCS. For most of us, this time of year may represent an ending to a beginning or a beginning to an end. College is like a never ending assembly line: We make our way onto the track, where we undergo extensive shaping, molding, definition and packaging, only to be appropriately shipped toward the streets of the real world, stamp of ‘degree’ included. A new year brings forth an array of unwritten pages waiting to be filled and completed, but most importantly, experienced. But for the soldiers of academia, the four year path that lies ahead tends to be travelled quickly, not slowly; one second we’re finding our way around campus,
and moments later it seems we’re making final preparations for graduation. One day you’re here, and the next day you’re gone. I’m reminded of a teacher I had a couple years ago. When he was asked if students were allowed to bring in and use their laptops for note taking in class, he replied, “Of course. You all are members of this university which means, in my opinion, you’re entitled to all of the benefits, perks and special accommodations that go along with it.” UCCS athletics, in its entirety, is one of those special features students have access to under the predefined terms of this so-called, “Mountain Lion membership.” The boundaries stretch from dozens and dozens of club sports, intramurals and 11 UCCS Division II collegiate teams. Whether one enjoys participating in moderate to high competition or merely attending as a salient spectator, there exist many different flavors of athletic
fellowship waiting to be experienced. Learning may begin in the classroom, but experiences – long lasting, meaningful college experiences – are brought to life through participation and action and UCCS continues to linearly increase as an active student body in several avenues. Every year I begin this column with a submissive, somewhat passive aggressive response to challenge students to increase their productive support for Mountain Lion athletics, be it school spirit or home game attendance, to joining intramural and club related programs. However, I’m not here to criticize or point fingers at the student body. On the contrary, I’m trying to express my voice with resonating effects that this university is vastly improving in the realm of athletic semantics. Attendance, participation and involvement toward campus athletic life are increasing, and I commend the acts of those students for creating a ring of fellowship and unity.
So, what’s the moral of the story? Well, it’s yet to be revealed, much like the story is yet to be written. Before you kick the bucket and graduate, get together with some friends and create a bucket list of things you’ve never
getting past the downs and taking advantage of the ups is what makes the critical difference. This year, Coach Trujillo and his team seem more than ready to do just that, he said. With a fresh recipe consisting of new players and a new attitude, they appear ready to reach for the top, showcasing why the team won so many consecutive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) titles over the past five years. “We have a handful of new players joining our Mountain
Lion golf team,” expounded Trujillo. “With three top players graduating after last season, I knew I had to bring in some junior college players so we could have some instant experience in the line-up,” he added. “I recruited and signed three players from Mesa Community College that have experience at the NCAA Championship level, and with Kevin Witte, Grant Dean and Eddie Delashmutt [playing] for us, [it] should provide experience at the collegiate level and leadership.” Losing a lot of
upperclassmen hurt the Mountain Lions, but Trujillo hopes that by mixing the experienced players with some newly recruited freshman, the team can mesh right away, concluding, “We also signed a handful of freshman that will benefit from the upper classman. We will have a good mix of athletes and hope we can put it all together and finish the season better than last year.” Last year, the team had an outstanding fall season by competing with many Division I teams at the Air Force Falcon Invitational,
done and go experience them; join an intramural league at the Recreation Center, attend a sporting event at the Gallogly Events Center, sign up for an activity or trip at S.O.L.E. or watch the Super Bowl at Clyde’s.
This column isn’t meant to be a promotion or pitch for UCCS athletics. I’m simply one member, one voice, offering a slice of insight into the fine print of this membership we all share. S
New talent, new attitude aims to lift UCCS men’s golf team in the new year Ryan Adams radams3@uccs.edu
Head Coach Phil Trujillo and his UCCS men’s golf team understand what it’s like to have ups and downs; all one has to do is ask any player from last year’s squad to feel the spring disappointment. The team had high hopes going into the spring season, but everything fell apart due to the absence of consistent play, according to Trujillo. Golf is a game of ups and downs that may happen routinely, but
where they brought home a first place finish, which sparked immense national attention. The team faltered in the spring, however, lacking the power to put together consistent rounds and solid scores. It was tough to swallow for the seniors leaving the team that May, but Trujillo believes those players returning to this year’s team, along with the newly recruited members, will allow them to compete at a high level in the RMAC. “It’s a very competitive group of guys, so it will be interesting to
see how things work out for us this fall,” stated Trujillo. The team’s first tournament will be played in Alamosa, Colo., where UCCS will compete in the Grizzly Invitational along with many of their RMAC rivals. The two-day-long tournament starts on Sept. 6. Other tourneys this fall include the Gene Miranda Invitational at the Air Force Academy, the Grand Canyon Invitational in Phoenix and the RMAC/NSIC Crossover Tournament in Nebraska. S
Sports the
cribe
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Monday, August 29, 2011
New season, tryouts underway for UCCS club inline hockey team Matthew Crandall mcrandal@uccs.edu As a new school year begins at UCCS, Mountain Lion athletics, clubs and recreational intramurals open their doors with high hopes of encouraging students to partake in the fellowship of athletic competition. For the UCCS club inline hockey team, adding new recruits to their upcoming roster over Sept. 8-9 during the two-day tryouts is a symbol of pride, friendship, fellowship and most importantly, family. After having such a successful season last year, having won the Rocky Mountain Division II Championship of the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association, the team hopes to find a new batch of tenacious, motivated and competitive athletes who will bring the club’s growing
family another year of great play. “I think the inline hockey team is a great club to meet people and build strong friendships with fellow students,” commented Matt Pedersen, club team captain, who also plays for the Colorado Springs Thunder. “There are many levels of play that the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA) offers, so I’m sure that no matter what skill level players are, we will be able to find them a place to play. We hope to field very competitive teams, but when it comes down to it, our goal is to help everyone get better as the year goes on.” Inline hockey differs from the more traditional style of ice hockey, which lies host to the NHL and most Division I collegiate competition. Inline hockey adheres to supplying only four players and a goalie on the rink at one time, which
allows for more skating and passing room than ice hockey does, and unlike ice hockey, there is no offside rule. The last, and possibly the most important distinction between the two branches of hockey, is the absence of full contact or “full check” in inline hockey, which eliminates high-impact, physical collisions; inline hockey, however, is still a very physical sport – one that requires more agility and fluent motion. “Even though inline is not full check, this does not mean that we don’t get physical out there,” expounded Pedersen. “It’s meant to protect the players since most don’t wear chest protectors or protective pants, [but] inline hockey is a game that requires a lot of finesse.” This year’s tryouts will be held at the CET Sports Arena Thursday, Sept. 8 at 10:30 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 9 at 2 p.m. The tryouts will include some
Photo by Ariel Lattimore
(From left) Matt Pederson, Taylor Gebhart, and Ryan Pederson hope for a good season. basic drills to assess how well players skate, stick handle and pass the puck. If ample time remains, the tryout may include a scrimmage to see how well everyone plays the game, which Pedersen said, “is definitely the most important factor.” The season commences in October, ending in April, with games usually played during
the weekend. Though most games will be played in Denver, the CET Sports Arena will serve as the UCCS team’s home rink, allowing for some home games. Students interested in inline hockey are encouraged to try out or attend as spectators. For further details or information, please email Matt Pedersen at mattp152002@ hotmail.com. S