Nov. 19, 2009

t he scribe

A Look Inside the ISSUE

CULTURE

The official student newspaper of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

November 19 to December 2, 2009 [Volume 34; Issue 13]

City Council vote brings the trucks

Search committee New ordinance making Austin Bluffs a city truck route may endanger students narrows Financial Aid Director applicant pool

College Chefs: Turkey tips for the student budget

Lauren Mueller lmueller@uccs.edu

page 5

check. This money is then used to improve Sodexo facilities on campus.”

In the past two years, these funds have been used to purchase catering equipment, remodel The Lodge and refurbish The Overlook Café (at UCCS, Sodexo also functions out of Jazzman’s Café, Daz Bog and The Pub).

The New York Times reported in April of 2001 that Sodexo, Inc. (then called Sodexho Marriott Services, and the leader in North American food services) provided food to 900 colleges and universities across North America.

The Director of Financial Aid search committee has narrowed its search to three final candidates to facilitate improvements for the near future.

Since Former Director Lee Ingalls-Noble retired Oct. 30, Committee CoChairs Brad Bayer and Susan Mitchell have reviewed a number of candidates, from both in and out-of-state, for the position.

Of the three finalists, the only UCCS staff member is Student Employment Director Mark Hoffman, who has been overseeing the Financial Aid and Student Employment Department since Ingalls-Noble’s retirement.

The other finalists, Robert Bode and Kent McGowan, are from out-of-state.

Hoffman believes the committee is looking for a creative person who can capably handle about $63 million in annual funds, and provide great management and service to UCCS students.

One finalist, Robert Bode, is currently the Financial Aid Director at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minn. and has been in the financial aid field for over 20 years.

One of Bode’s accomplishments includes implementing a non-attendance program at Metropolitan State, which led to the return of grant funds for students missing classes. For this he received the University’s “Measurable Difference” Award.

Kent McGowan comes from Buffalo, N.Y. where he has spent the last ten and a half years as Director of Financial Aid. The biography he has submitted to the committee talks about the places he lived as he grew up

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4

Police Procedure: What to do when you’ve been pulled over

page 8

PARADOX

UCCS students cross Austin Bluffs in the wet slush.

Tim Canon tcanon@uccs.edu

Zombie Survival Guide

page 9

OPINION | Truth Bombs | Nostalgia: Paying homage to your past

page 10

| The Cautious Pessimist | How we’re letting COS wither and die, and why you should give damn

page 10

SPORTS

Austin Bluffs Parkway from Union to Nevada could become more dangerous for students next year when it becomes an official city truck route.

The changes, passed by City Council in an ordinance Nov. 10 and scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2010, could increase truck traffic on Austin Bluffs’ UCCS stretch by as much as 165 vehicles a day, according to estimates conducted for the city by an independent transportation consulting firm.

This possibility of increased truck traffic has administrators and Public Safety worried about student and pedestrian safety.

“First, when you add up Colorado Springs Christian School, Bates Elementary, and the day care center, plus our student here, you’re talking 10,000 students along the route,” said Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Brian Burnett. “Second, grades are in excess of nine percent over at [Stanton and Austin Bluffs].”

“Also, in 1975, when the city got the parkway approved by all the neighborhoods, and it was very controversial, the City Council

Kevin Kassem had promised this area that it would never become a truck route,” added Burnett.

The present council, however, argued that past promises could not legally bind future councils, and citing economic needs, initially passed the ordinance by a 5-3 vote, with Vice Mayor Larry Small and Councilmembers Bernie Herpin and Scott Hente voting against.

Joey Luna, a student at UCCS who lives in a nearby neighborhood and often crosses Austin Bluffs to get to school, is less concerned than the administration, and said as long as students stay aware of their surroundings, there should be few prob-

lems.

“If you actually stop at the lights, it shouldn’t be a problem. Just look left and right when you cross the street.”

Inclement weather days have Luna a bit more worried. “That’s different. I think there should be some regulations on the weather days, because if it is icy, it’s a lot harder for big trucks to stop.”

“The weights of trucks make them stop much more slowly,” agreed Chief of Police Jim Spice. “So, when people jaywalk, or on inclement weather days, there could be a problem.”

Continued on page 4

Sodexo: Catering, community and conflict Avalon Manly amanly@uccs.edu

Softball slugger Rheana Trujillo signs letter of intent to play at UCCS

page 11

In the Middle the FEATURE

UCCS and Religion pages 6 and 7

A cook peeling potatoes for dinner.

Carrie Woodruff

Sodexo, Inc., the food contractor for The Overlook Café, Jazzman’s, The Lodge, Dazbog, and The Pub is overcoming past controversy to better serving UCCS students.

Russ Saunkeah, General Manager of Sodexo, Inc.’s contract with UCCS, has been with the company for nine years, and said he desires, via Sodexo, Inc’s partnership with UCCS, to improve both the campus and the community at large.

“When [Sodexo] sign[s] a contract,” Saunkeah said, “we also sign a [lump sum]

CONTACT | phone: (719) 255 - 3658 | fax: (719) 255 - 3600 | email: scribe@uccs.edu | website: www.uccsscribe.com

2

editorial

November 19 to December 2, 2009

scribe staff

Group projects: Waste of time

Jackie Parkinson Executive Editor

Yet another semester has arrived and it is time for all of us to begin planning what classes we would like to take. With this being my last semester at UCCS’ business school, I have acquired a vendetta against group projects. So I am researching each of my classes to find out if I will, yet again, be subject to working in a group on a project that counts for a significant amount of my grade.

It’s not that I despise working with others. It’s that I cannot stand when every one of my classes requires a group project. This semester I have been assigned five projects for five classes; as for many other business majors, this is where it begins to get complicated.

We try to schedule a meeting time that everyone can attend conveniently.

Yet, out of my five group projects only one has met outside of class. It simply is not possible to find a meeting time that works for six

other people. After all, what is email for?

Email is a great tool, when your group members choose to use it. Yet, there is always that one person in the group who does not grasp the concept that it is vital to a successful project to check email at least once a week.

Then, there is the cop-out of using telephone numbers.

I have never had a group member call me. I have called them, but they never call me.

While I do not desire to hear from my group members, when you’re compiling five different papers the night before it is due, a telephone may come in handy.

Yet, after working out the kinks in a group project, I am always stuck with the “Free-Rider.” We all hear about this viral plague who spreads through the world of group projects and we hear about the nasty punishment that the professor will give them, but we never point them out.

My main reason for not pointing them out is that they are someone I know well and have had numerous classes with.

This person either knows you as a friend or is in the same major as you. They share common attributes that make it difficult to ascertain the gumption to overthrow their laziness.

They are what I like to call the “I have some last-minute

changes, but really, I’m going to run to the library and haphazardly put this together” member.

Which brings me to my next favorite assailant, the member who acts as if they know every fact about the class and has a heightened work ethic above anyone else’s, yet they turn in a paper that could be better written by a third grader.

They never use MLA, APA, or Chicago format.

They write like theys got nothing to stay and not a gosh darn thang 2 makes an A. If I ever wrote anything like that, I know, my staff would stone me in a mutiny.

Most of us have fallen into not taking pride in our work. We just want to finish the task, have our portion done and sent in, rather than having an A paper.

Accordingly, we haphazardly write what we think the professor is looking for in hopes of a passing grade, yet we rarely think of how our actions affect another group member.

The next time you are late on an assignment, turn it in incomplete, or use shoddy sources, think of the disrespect you are showing your fellow group members and the extra time and effort they will have to put forward because of your laziness. That or reek the distain when your peer evaluation comes back less than favorable. ◆

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

Letters to the Editor The Scribe strongly encourages Letters to the Editor. Letters intended for publication must not exceed 300 words, must be legible and must include the writer’s name and telephone number.

Letters must be turned into The Scribe office, emailed or delivered to The Scribe mailbox in the ROAR office by 5 p.m. the Friday before publication. The Scribe reserves the right to reject Letters to the Editor that are libelous or obscene or anonymous, and has the right to edit as necessary due to space limitations, grammatical or spelling errors and AP style guideline errors.

striving to present the truth to the students by creating an open forum for opinions and ideas

Editor-in-Chief Jackie Parkinson

Managing Editor Tim Canon

Copy Editor Randy Robinson

Culture Editor Avalon Manly

Opinion Editor Byron Graham

Campus News Editor Catherine Jensen

Sports Editor Matthew Crandall

Layout Editor Rosa Byun

Advertising Manager Sarah Tindell

Columnists Tim Canon, Erica Doudna, Byron Graham, Greg Reilly, Veronica Graves

Reporters Carrie Horner, Brock Kilgore Lauren Mueller, David Owens

Photographers Kiley Card, Ariel Lattimore, Carrie Woodruff

Layout Designers Alec Bishop, Chris Sheppard

Cartoonist Arno

Web Designer Dorian Rogers

Interning Reporters Brandi Ballard, Patricia Cameron, Justin Case, Phillip Jones, Chris Sheppard, Jessica Vaughan

Interning Photographer Kevin Kassem

Distributor

Donald Trujillo

Advisor Laura Eurich

student life

weekly calendar

(Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!)

sun: 11/22

mon: 11/23

tues: 11/24

wed: 11/25

thurs: 11/26

fri: 11/27

sat: 11/28

Manheim Steamroller @ Pikes Peak Center, Colorado Springs 3:30 p.m.

Textbook buyback @ The Bookstore

Student Commuter Donutes @ SENG 7 a.m.

Thanksgiving Break – No classes, campus offices open

Thanksgiving Break – No classes, campus closed

Thanksgiving Break – No classes, campus closed

SPLAT Fest ’09 @ Upper Lodge 10 a.m.

Textbook buyback @ The Bookstore

Bill Joel & Elton John @ Pepsi Center, Denver 7:30 p.m.

Flobots @ Three20South, Breckenridge 9 p.m.

Women’s B-ball v. Western @ The Lions Den 6 p.m.

quote of the week:

Women’s BBall v. MSB @ The Lions Den 3 p.m.

Women’s BBall v. MWS @ The Lions Den 3 p.m.

40 Oz. To Freedom @ The Blacksheep 8 p.m.

“[I’ve] concluded that if Henry Winkler became a white-collar criminal, he’d commit Fonzie Ponzi schemes. Which is fun to say.”

LAUGHS >>

-Byron Graham (on Facebook)

email quotes of the week to: scribelayout@gmail.com

cool food-related stuff that happened last week: The new Chick-Fil-A gave out a free meal per week for a year to the first 100 customers on 11/12 at 6:00 a.m. The University Village Chipotle gave out free burritos to hungry UCCS students on Wednesday, 11/11.

LEFT: Crowded Chipotle RIGHT: Chick-Fil-A campers Pictures by Ariel Lattimore

double challenge sudoku!

the first person to bring these completed sudoku puzzles will receive a $10 La’au’s Tacos gift card.

easy/hard puzzles

✁

bottom floor UCenter rm. 106

cut and stick between the pages of your textbook (you know, the one you never read)

✁  You are HERE 

BOOKMARK of the week

What’s going on?

Sun 11/22

+ Manheim Steamroller @ Pikes Peak Center, Colorado Springs 3:30 p.m. + Bill Joel & Elton John @ Pepsi Center, Denver 7:30 p.m.

Mon 11/23

+ Textbook buyback @ The Bookstore

Tues 11/24

+ Student Commuter Donuts @ SENG 7 a.m. + Textbook buyback @ The Bookstore + Women’s B-ball v. Western @ The Lions Den 6 p.m. + 40 Oz. To Freedom @ The Blacksheep 8 p.m.

Wed 11/25

+ Thanksgiving Break – No classes, campus offices open + Flobots @ Three20South, Breckenridge 9 p.m.

Thurs 11/26

+ Thanksgiving Break – No classes, campus closed

Fri 11/27

+ Thanksgiving Break – No classes, campus closed + Women’s B-Ball v. MSB @ The Lions Den 3 p.m.

Sat 11/28

+ Thanksgiving Break + SPLAT Fest ’09 @ Upper Lodge 10 a.m. + Women’s B-Ball v. MWS @ The Lions Den 3 p.m.

4

campus news

Austin Bluffs truck route (cont.)

November 19 to December 2, 2009

Search for a new Financial Aid Director (cont.)

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

Many students park in nearby neighborhoods, and must cross Austin Bluffs Parkway to get to class. Kevin Kassem

Because of these and other safety concerns, campus administrators initially fought the truck route change.

“It’s a classic political question for weighing competing interests,” Burnett stated. “In this case, it was the needs of the trucking industry to deliver goods against the preservation of neighborhoods and quality of life.”

In this case, according to Trucking Issues Subcommittee (TISC) member Dave Munger, the city’s trucking needs were considerable, and changes to meet those needs have been under discussion for several years.

“This all stems from around two-and-a-half to five years ago, depending on who you talk to,” said Trucking Issues Subcommittee Chairperson Munger.

“City Council established a trucking committee, and when the Citizens’ Transportation Advisory Board (CTAB) was created, with TISC under it, both were tasked with examining the city’s truck routes.”

After discussion, said Munger, the committee decided that the best way to improve the city’s truck system was to eliminate redundant routes and fill in gaps.

One of those gaps was Austin Bluffs between Union and Nevada.

A significant issue with the former truck route system, according to Munger, was the lack of an east-west corridor, a problem which could be solved by opening up the Austin Bluffs stretch.

The city had several options for dealing with the issue, but due to cost, residential proximity to proposed routes and unfitness for truck traffic, the only option addressed in the end was the Austin Bluffs stretch.

“The main reason that was compelling for everybody concerned was that if you

look at Garden of the Gods through Austin Bluffs and Barnes as a single route, it’s the only complete east-west route in the city,” Munger said.

“That route is the only thing that ties the western limit of the city to the eastern limit of the city.”

Munger said that Austin Bluffs’ appropriateness as an east-west corridor essentially convinced city council that changing it to a truck route was a necessary step.

Having realized the motion would likely pass, the UCCS administration decided to compromise.

“The compromise had three parts,” said Burnett, who worked actively with the trucking industry to obtain concessions decided by the university. “First, the trucks that will be permitted will be limited to four axles.

So that keeps the eighteen wheelers off.”

“Second, we will be working with the city on signalization on the parkway during inclement weather to make this stretch off-limits to trucks during those times.

Finally, we agreed that in twelve months, CTAB will review this whole decision and present their findings to Council,” an idea Burnett attributed to Councilmember Herpin.

The compromises, which CTAB opposed, were brought to council, which voted 9-0 to incorporate the compromises and make the truck route changes, with the limitations proposed by Burnett and the trucking industry.

Burnett and Spice both said the university will work with the city to solidify inclement weather policies for the route. Some possibilities, according to Spice, include installing flashing signs to alert truckers to stay off the stretch. ◆

Ashley Lawrence and Stephanie Leque check the security screen in the Financial Aid Office. and started his career, and ends with a description of his adopted family.

The internal candidate, Mark Hoffman, has worked for UCCS since January of 1988. Recently he was selected as employee of the

quarter.

“The change has already started,” Hoffman said of the Financial Aid Department since Ingalls-Noble’s retirement.

Hoffman hopes that, in his current and possible fu-

ture directing the office, he can set up a “triage” in the financial aid office to alleviate waits for people who need quick questions answered.

Very soon UCCS and the entire CU system will be adopting a whole new op-

Ariel Lattimore erating system for financial aid, the Bursar’s Office and almost every other record keeping department on campus. The search committee is looking for someone who can seamlessly handle this complicated move. ◆

Sodexo: Catering, community and conflict (cont.)

Continued from page 1

Robert Davidson serves students Alex Chabas, Bryce Weatherford, Troy Moser and Nick Siegel.

Some students disliked the fact that while Sodexo, Inc. itself was not connected to any correctional facilities, Sodexo, Inc.’s largest shareholder, Sodexho Alliance, was – and, indeed, still is.

Sodexho Alliance previously held shares in the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), which runs privatized prisons.

Outraged, thousands of students nationwide protested against Sodexo, Inc’s connections to CCA. The New York Times quoted that three universities in various states discontinued their partnerships with Sodexo, Inc. Faced with plummeting profits, Sodexho Alliance withdrew from prisons in the US. The company still runs privatized detention centers in the U.K. and Australia.

Colorado College took issue with a different aspect of Sodexho Alliance: employee pay. From 2001 to 2003, a student organization battled

for campus employees (both those who worked for the college and those employed

by Sodexo, Inc. who worked on campus) to be paid living wages.

In the 2003-2004 school year, according to Academe Online, the student protesters succeeded, and Colorado College raised minimum hourly wages for all those who worked on campus.

Ultimately, Sodexo, Inc. was replaced at Colorado College by Bon Appétit, a food service company which purchases food supplies primarily from local farmers and ranchers.

In order to improve campus cohesion at UCCS, Saunkeah works closely with clubs through the donation of both food and labor. On Nov. 8, We Heart UCCS, a student group, hosted a free pancake breakfast for students, and Saunkeah opened The Lodge’s kitchen at 7 a.m. so that the club would have a place to cook.

“We were working with

Sodexo the morning of the event. Everyone that I encountered was very helpful and supportive of our efforts,” said UCCS Junior Haley Chesser.

On any given weekday, 1,100 students will eat Sodexo, Inc.’s food at The Lodge. Freshman Matthew Rockwell eats there twice almost every day.

“There are really good days where I gorge myself on everything,” he said. “On bad days, I only have lettuce.

Then I leave. And it’s sad.”

Saunkeah and Executive Chef James Gagnon work one-on-one with students who face allergic or lifestyle decision-related obstacles to eating at UCCS. Any one of the 767 students with meal plans this fall (592 of which are residents) can approach Gagnon for a dietary consultation so that The Lodge can supply just what they need, be it gluten-free or vegan fare.

Each week, Sodexo posts The Lodge food’s nutritive

Carrie Woodruff

values online at uccsdining. com, where any student can view a thorough listing of food content and nutrition information. Gagnon and his staff (made up of more than 70 people at UCCS, many of them students) prepare most food from scratch and fresh on campus.

Much of the produce served at The Lodge is purchased locally; Saunkeah and Gagnon are working to create a garden on campus where they can grow organic produce with compost from The Lodge’s kitchens.

Currently, Sodexo, Inc.’s largest account belongs to the U.S. military, according to antimetrix.org. With millions of dollars worth of contracts, Sodexho, Inc. supplies food and equipment to American troops worldwide, from Afghanistan to South Korea.

Sodexo, Inc. also holds a number of corporate contracts with companies that include Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and USAA. ◆

culture 5

November 19 to December 2, 2009

College Chefs: Turkey tips for the student budget Byron Graham bgraham2@uccs.edu

Southern style turkey wings and turkey cutlets with a cranberry pan sauce. Brock Kilgore

Brock Kilgore bkilgore@uccs.edu

It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the world’s first food critic was present at the first harvest festival, because the fall season still comes with plenty of food - and, of course, plenty of critics.

Thanksgiving meals take a lot of work, and if not done properly, they can make the entire holiday a rather uncomfortable, potentially fiery affair.

A turkey is hard to cook, and also fairly impractical

for the student cook who is either entertaining a group of friends or having parents over for the first time. Both of these situations call for a budget-minded, smaller Thanksgiving meal.

A whole turkey is like bacon: Don’t buy the cheap stuff. My advice for the student who wants to cook a whole turkey is to first watch someone who knows how to do it.

Fortunately, most modern supermarkets offer more turkey options than just huge, frozen and twenty bucks. One pound of boneless, skinless turkey breast ($4.50/lb) and four pounds

Turkey Cutlets with Cranberry Pan Sauce

of turkey wings ($1.50/lb) costs about $10, and either option is enough white and dark meat for four people.

The following recipes for turkey cutlets with cranberry pan sauce and southern style turkey wings are very simple to make.* The wings cook slowly, so the house is filled with turkey smell, and the cutlets are made quickly just before serving.

Turkey can easily become a full meal with a rice mix or stove top stuffing, a salad, good bread and storebought pumpkin pie. Paired with a decent Chardonnay this turkey dinner will impress anyone. ◆

Southern Style Turkey Wings with Root Vegetables & Gravy

INGREDIENTS:

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb turkey breast salt and pepper ½ cup flour 4 tbs oil 2 tbs onion ½ cup red wine ½ cup orange juice ½ cup dried cranberries (Craisins) 2 tbs butter

1 onion 2 large carrots 2 celery sticks 1 large potato 1 large sweet potato 2 cans chicken broth 2 turkey wings (about 4 lbs) Salt and pepper Garlic powder 1/3 cup flour

INSTRUCTIONS: Slice turkey breast on an angle into about 5 ½ inch strips. Season with salt and pepper and coat with flour on a plate. Heat 2 tbs oil in a sauce pan on medium high and cook cutlets for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Keep the cutlets warm, and using the same pan on medium high add 2 tbs oil, onions, and salt and cook 4 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook 5 minutes or until syrupy and salt and pepper to taste. Top cutlets with sauce and serve.

INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat the oven to 275˚F; coarsely chop all veggies and add to a 13x9 cake pan with one can broth. Rub wings liberally with spices right on top of veggies in pan. Cover with foil and cook for 3 hours. Place wings and veggies on some sort of platter to serve, leaving mostly liquid in the pan. Make gravy by adding the second can of broth and flour to the pan and carefully whisking over medium-low heat until thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

*Both recipes with sides serve about 4

Richard Kelly’s biggest problem is that he makes movies about ideas instead of people. “The Box” teases at moral conundrums, ratchets up the tension, and leaves audiences confused and unsatisfied.

Written and directed by Richard Kelly, the everydude auteur behind the neocult-classic “Donnie Darko,” the new film (starring Cameron Diaz, James Marsden and Frank Langella) is based on the short story “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson, the venerated author of “I am Legend.”

Returning to the mold he cast with “Darko,” Kelly grounds viewers in the suburban lives of characters who live in a bygone era.

Marsden and Diaz (whose southern accent is laughable) play Arthur and Norma Lewis, a young, working couple who live in suburban Virginia in the ’70s.

Period details don’t so much color the film as overwhelm its settings and characters. Certain gimmicks, like the Lewis family gathering around the television to catch the network debut of

“Good Times,” ring hollow and aren’t funny enough to justify the detours the film makes to include them.

Mr. Lewis works at NASA, where he’s recently been passed over for the promotion on which he’d been depending for his family.

That day, Mrs. Lewis receives a visit from a mysterious businessman with half of his face burnt off. The man, Arlington Steward (Langella) offers the Lewises a once-in-a-lifetime prospect.

Mr. Steward carries a box with him, and on top of this box lies a fatal button, which, once pushed, Steward informs them, will instantly kill someone they don’t know and have never met.

As a reward for pushing the button, the Lewis’ will earn no less than $1 million, tax free, left in a briefcase on their kitchen table. So far, intriguing.

It doesn’t take long for buttons to get pushed and for the movie to get underway, but once Mr. Lewis starts investigating Arlington Steward’s past and the consequences of button-pushing,

the film loses focus. Not so much on telling the story, but on telling it well.

Kelly’s movies are famous for their ambiguous brainteasing finales as well as characters who explore philosophical enigmas through expository dialogue. Unlike “Darko,” however, “The Box” doesn’t develop its characters into people so much as types.

The lingering questions I had after the credits rolled weren’t about the philosophical implications of the films ending; rather, I was left wondering whether or not the glaring plot holes toward the conclusion were Kelly’s deliberate obfuscations or merely bad filmmaking.

It seems like everyone involved with this movie barely tried. Maybe that’s not fair.

Nobody involved with “The Box” tried to please anybody except Richard Kelly, whose films are too lofty to be enjoyed on a visceral popcorn-munching level and too poorly acted and clumsily written to qualify as thought-provoking material. ◆

Christian groups on campus The Navigators The Navigators is a Christian student club that was founded in 2001.

The Navigators meet in the Upper Lodge at 8 p.m. on Wednesday nights. In addition to the weekly meetings, the club holds Bible studies and other weekend events.

The club has an open membership and averages about seventy students at meetings.

Club President April Baillee stated, “our meetings have something for everyone: Worship music, a spiritual message delivered by speaker, prayer, fun activities and fellowship.”

The club is a chapter of the college ministry of The Navigators, a non-profit, interdenominational group founded in 1933.

“I chose to join the Navigators because I wanted to meet more people and get involved at UCCS,” said Baillee.

“Students at UCCS need to have community with other students,” she added.

“The Navigators can provide that for Christian students as well people who want to learn more about the Bible and meet other people.”

Although the club has participated in community service projects, such as preparing and delivering meals to those in need, their main focus as UCCS Navigators is to serve students.

Worship/Contact Info.

The Navigators: Upper Lodge, Wednesday at 8 p.m. www.uccs.edu/~navs.

R12: Jazzman’s, Thursday at 7 p.m.

RomansTwelve@gmail.com Campus Crusade for Christ: UC116, Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

R12

ABOVE: Merial Honigman lights a c Jewish ceremony.

Club Bible Talk: UC 122, Monday at 2:00 p.m.

R12 is a Bible study group that formed earlier this fall semester.

The club meets on Thursdays at 7pm on the couches outside of Jazzman’s. According to Club President Will Port, the meetings consist of “taking a chapter of Scripture and going verse by verse, examining the message for our life in the context it is intended.”

Port states that the main focus of R12 is to provide an open group environment in

which students “can study The Bible, ask questions and explore the applications of God’s Word to their lives.”

“With as many things as there are in the university environment, we want to make sure there are opportunities for people to experience Christ as well,” Port said of his concerns for the student community. He believes that offering an open Bible study to students helps to meet that need.

Campus Crusade for Christ Campus Crusade for Christ is a Christian organization with numerous ministries all over the world and throughout the United States.

Ashley McCracken is one of the student leaders of the club on the UCCS campus.

McCracken described Campus Crusade for Christ as being an “interdenominational ministry here [at UCCS] to meet the students where they’re at in their spiritual walk.”

The local group has been on campus for approximately 20 years, and has about 30 to 50 regulars who attend once a week every Thursday at 7:30 PM. Each session

includes a time for worship, a discussion of relevant club topics, and an after party for relaxation.

“It’s been a great place to make lifelong friends and to grow as a person,” said McCracken.

Campus Crusade for Christ conducts a number of different promotional campaigns throughout the year, including putting up fliers and posters, setting up a booth at the university’s annual Club Fair, and handing out popsicles and cards at the beginning of the school year.

Reporters Brandi Ballard bballard@uccs.edu

sections:

The Navigators R12

Justin Case jcase@uccs.edu

sections: Campus Crusade for Christ Club Bible Talk

ABOVE: Alycia Lovatd reads a vers during a Catholic Mass in Shove Ch

Club Bible Talk Another Christian club on campus is Club Bible Talk, lead by President Nathanael Mooberry. Every Monday the club’s members meet to hold discussions about the Christian Bible. In a phone interview, President Moorberry described the club as nondenominational and “pretty informal.”

Each session is open to any topic that one of the members might want to discuss. Once a topic is chosen, the group reads specific scriptures that have to do with the topic and

then discuss what the scriptures say.

Unlike Campus Crusade, which has hundreds of ministries throughout the world, Club Bible Talk is much smaller and, according to President Mooberry, may be unique to this campus. Club Bible Talk has not been able to promote itself as much since the leadership in the group recently changed due to the former president’s graduation.

ABOV Port r verse and J ing a

LEFT: ship i tors’

All p Arie

candle during a

How UCCS students worship Religious groups search for community off campus Catherine Jensen cjensen2@uccs.edu

(Rosa Byun contributed information about Native American Spirituality)

Native American Spirituality

According to the UCCS Department of Institutional Research, there were 53 American Indian students attending UCCS in 2008. Before Alvin Chee, member of the Díne, founded the club Society of Native American Peoples (SNAP) this semester, there were “no real organizations” for Native American se from the Bible students.

Native Americans have no allhapel at CC. inclusive religion among different tribes; “each tribe has their own way of doing things,” stated Chee, but all Native Americans participate in powwows. Chee said that a powwow “keeps us all together, we all participate in it,” and is planning the first official SNAP powwow, open to everyone, for this spring.

Chee also stated “the land they’re standing on is holy, many people don’t know that.” UCCS is built on land used by the Plains Indians for spirit quests, sites where they received spiritual visions. “You can still see rocks piled up [behind the school],” also, “before the university was established, it was a sanitarium and the last people to use it were Indians for tuberculosis testing,” Chee said.

Chee wants UCCS students to learn about the original history of the school, and stressed the difficulty in finding information about VE: William Native American involvement in the founding of UCCS. “University reads a Bible Archives had only limited informae while Javier tion [about Native Americans in Joy listen duruniversity history], said Chee, but an R12 meeting. encourages students to pursue said research.

: Students worin The NavigaReFresh event.

pictures by el Lattimore

Worship/Contact Info.

Contact Alvin Chee: achee@uccs.edu (928) 349 - 0354

Non-denominational Christian students at UCCS don’t have to look far to find community and get involved. Clubs like the Navigators, Campus Crusade for Christ, and R12 make their presence felt and known on campus.

Students who practice Judaism, Catholicism, Native American Spirituality and Islam, however, often

Judaism Hillel, a foundation for campus Jewish life, is provided for Jewish students at more than five-hundred colleges and universities the opportunity to build community and explore Jewish culture.

UCCS had its own Hillel from 2004-2005, but that group disbanded after a decrease in student involvement, according to Anthony Cordova, Director of Multicultural Office for Student Access , Inclusiveness and Community (MOSAIC).

Colorado College opens its Hillel to Jewish students from UCCS as well as students of many faiths, Hillel President Mariel Honigman said.

Hillel Chaverim meets every Friday for weekly Shabbat dinners. Students can cook, eat and socialize.

“We want to use faith to bridge gaps, create understanding and create a safe space for students to discuss and live what they believe,” said Honigman.

UCCS student Aaron Novy said Hillel is important for students of the Jewish faith and is currently working with Mosaic to try to establish services for Jewish students at UCCS. The problem, he said, is identifying students and maintaining involvement.

“I would love to see high holidays offered here, however, some students tend to go home so the turnout would be around four. The solution would be working with a local temple in town,” he said.

search for community outside campus, attending services and celebrations at Colorado College and elsewhere throughout the city.

Islam Though there is currently no organization on campus that caters to what is estimated to be nearly seventy Muslim students, Junior Saif Mohammed Deis told The Scribe that students at UCCS would like to register a campus branch of the National Muslim Student Association. Deis said he hopes to increase awareness of Islam at UCCS and in Colorado Springs.

Student Mohamed Abdallah shares Deis’ sentiments. “The negative media that surrounds Muslims and terrorists has robbed the true Muslims of their identity, and education of what Islam is all about.

[Maybe raising awareness] could help in changing the stigma that surrounds the Muslim population.”

Increasing awareness could also aid in creating a more comfortable environment for Muslim students, Deis said. Muslims are required to pray five times a day at certain time intervals wherever they are.

“After 9/11 it is difficult to pray in public,” said Deis. “So we have to wait until we go home or go to the local mosque to pray.” Students also avoid eating at campus dining facilities due to dietary restrictions, he said.

Deis said he would like to see local Muslim leaders invited to interact with students and professors, campus lectures explaining controversial Islamic topics in America and around the world, and the incorporation of Muslim contributions to history in the curriculum.

“This would help introduce Muslim faith to campus by enhancing the student’s knowledge, create another diversity factor, reduce Islamophobia and increase the number of Muslim students registered on campus,” he said.

Worship/Contact Info.

Shabbat Dinners are held at the Interfaith House on CC’s campus from 5-8 pm every Friday.

Worship/Contact Info.

Quick Stats Protestant: 55.8% Roman Catholic: 14.1% Buddhist: 0.3% Eastern Orthodox: 0.8% Hindu: 0.3% Islamic: 0.3% Jewish: 0.8% LDS: 3.0% Quaker: 0.3% Other Religion 3.8% None: 20.6% Born Again Christian?

66% No 34% Yes Evangelical?

76.4% No 23.6% Yes Data compiled by Cooperative Institutional Research Program in 2007 and available at: http://www.uccs.edu/ ~irpage/surveys.html

Catholicism Catholic students also utilize Colorado College’s services. Though there is a Catholic Club on the UCCS campus, group member’s use CC’s facilities to hold weekly worship and activities.

CC student Hannah Heckman said having students from both campuses participate has been a worthwhile experience. “I have loved getting to know students from UCCS. I feel that it is not uncommon for CC students to get caught in the “bubble” of CC culture and forget that there is a larger world with differing views from their own.”

“I think that all of us are enriched by being involved with a larger community and seeing things from a wider perspective,” expressed Campus Minister for the Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs, Valerie Vela.

UCCS and CC campuses both host a Lectio Divina Bible Study and an informal gathering called “coffee hours.” The community uses facilities at CC for a monthly supper and Sunday Mass. “Every event welcomes all students, independent of the campus they attend,” Vela said.

Worship/Contact Info.

The Islamic Society of Colorado Springs: 2125 N Chestnut, Colorado Springs, CO 80907

The Catholic Community meets every Sunday for mass at Shove Chapel from 9-11 pm

High holidays and rides to Temple also provided.

Friday Juma services from 12:40 to 1:20 beginning with Khutba and ending with Salat.

Shove Memorial Chapel: E Cache La Poudre St. Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Contact Mariel Honigman: Mariel.Honigman@ ColoradoCollege.edu

Contact Masjid Al-Farooq: information@isocs.org

Contact Valerie Vela: valerie@diocs.org

Interfaith House: 51 1006 N. Weber

8

culture

November 19 to December 2, 2009

Side-step the plastic trap: Credit card tips and tricks Jessica Vaughan jvaugha2@uccs.edu

Credit cards can be the joy of one’s life, or the start of a plummet into the financial hole called “debt.”

Whenever a college student decides to get a credit card, he or she needs to be careful about its use.

Shannon Ernst, a sophomore, said that the benefits of having a credit card are the extra rewards that can be acquired through purchases.

“Rewards!” she said.

“The credit card I have has a points-reward system,

which is pretty cool because I can get gift cards to Best Buy, Bath and Body Works, etc., or straight up cash back.”

Still, Ernst believes credit cards can often do more harm than good. “The disadvantages usually outweigh the advantages, especially if you miss a payment,” she said. Interest rates on credit cards can often be very high, and if a payment is late, they may go up even higher.

Ernst warns students to be safe with their cards and to

only spend money that they have. She also cautions students to read the fine print.

“Banks will try to attract students with good rates, but they may have annual fees that you will have to pay, even if you don’t use the card.”

Ashley McCracken, another student, said that she does not have a credit card because she doesn’t want to spend money that she does not have.

Instead, she chooses to use a debit card for her purchases.

“When I am using my debit card, I am using the money that I already have in my account, and there are no bills at the end of the month that I have to pay.”

One thing that McCracken does not like about her debit card is the chance of overdrawing, or purchasing something that costs more than the money in her account.

Because of this possibility, a student using a debit card has to keep a close eye on the account.

April Rodger-Bonck says that students should only use credit cards for emergencies. “Don’t use it on things that disappear before you get the bill, like food,” said Bonck.

Credit cards can be a useful tool in building credit, but students need to be aware of what they are getting themselves into, and they need to be able to properly handle their money to do well with a credit card. ◆

Advantages

✔ Convenient for online or over-the-phone purchases ✔ Like a free loan – if you pay your full bill every ✔ ✔ ✔

month Can help build credit – if you pay your full bill every month Rewards Good for emergencies – flat tire, no money in your account, etc.

Disadvantages

✘ ✘ ✘ ✘

Easy to spend too much and not think about it High interest rates Debt can build up fast if payments are late Legal fine print is likely more than non-lawyer minds can understand

Tips

★ Get a low or no annual fee card ★ Only spend what you can pay in full at the end of the ★ ★ ★

month Pay full bill at the end of the month, because high interest is charged on what you don’t pay (even if it’s the minimum amount due) Keep in mind that when you take a cash advance (offered by most credit cards), interest accumulates immediately, not at the end of the month Don’t spend on frivolous purchases : Keep it to gas, emergencies and, very occasionally, perhaps, the small food or beverage items

Police procedure: What to do when you’ve been pulled over mage about to provide their license and registration right away. But when you’re pulled over, the officer has no idea of your intention. Moving slowly and keeping your hands in ready view helps everybody stay calm.

Avalon Manly amanly@uccs.edu

The scene is familiar: You’re on your merry way to work, or school, or home, or to pay that ransom to the guy with the eye-patch who’s been blackmailing you with pictures from that one night sophomore year of which you have no memory, and you hear the sound of sirens. You glance in the rear view, and there’s a police car on your bumper. You’re being pulled over.

In order to keep your average, everyday PD encounter from becoming an incident you’ll have to include on the “prior convictions” section of your resume, here are some tips from Sergeant Brian McPike of the Colorado Springs Police Department on how to behave during a cop stop, and the rights you retain – and waive – when you drive.

The first thing to do when the blue-and-reds begin to flash is to pull over to a safe location. If you’re on a busy street, it’s best to turn into a parking lot or a shoulder removed from traffic. In rural or deserted areas, you can continue driving until you reach a populated or lighted area, like a gas station. To prevent turning your stop into a low-speed chase, turn on your hazards to alert the officer that you’re aware of his or her presence and indicate your movements with turn signals. Then, call 911-dispatch, tell them where you are and that you’re being pulled over, and they will radio the officer behind you to let him or her know that you’re going to stop as soon as a safe location is available.

When you finally have stopped, there are some things you can do to make sure you don’t wind up on “Cops”:

DO NOT BE IN THE PROCESS OF COMMITTING A CRIME “A traffic stop is a detention; detention is a kind of arrest,” said McPike. Thus, your right to vacate the area is limited; you can’t just drive away. The officer involved does not have the automatic right to search your vehicle – he or she first has to establish “probable cause.” Probable cause can consist of the smell of alcohol or marijuana, or catching sight of firearms or drug paraphernalia in the cab, or any other number of things. At that point, you can either submit to voluntary search and seizure, or you can be arrested and the officer can search your car then. At that point, one of the only other rights you retain when stopped – the right to a reasonable time frame (usually 10 to 15 minutes) – is abolished.

BE POLITE McPike said that politeness is “one of the main things we stress,” because it “sets the tone for the whole stop.” So, you should not make any references to doughnuts, bacon, fuzz, po-po or other cop-ish slurs.

SUBMIT TO CHEMICAL TESTS “Driving is a privilege, not a right,” said McPike.

When you signed your driver’s license, you expressed consent to undergo chemical blood or breath tests when stopped. Police do tend to use standardized tests – walking a straight line, etc. – when they suspect the influence of alcohol, before utilizing chemical tests, but in the event that the driver fails standardized tests, he or she has no right to refuse blood or breathalyzer tests.

DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR It can take a while for the officer to actually approach your vehicle after pulling you over, because he or she has to “call out” the stop, said McPike. Be patient, roll your window down, and keep your hands on the wheel. “So many want to be helpful,” McPike explained, and rum-

You can be pulled over for any number of traffic or moving violations: Speeding, tailgating, safety (like running a stop sign), having a dirty license plate or burnedout headlight. “We’re not there to be a jerk,” said McPike.

“We want to encourage and educate. We appreciate cooperation.” ◆

From the first sounds of shuffling steps and low moaning on your lawn, to working on your home-run swings on their heads, in a zombie apocalypse, you can never panic. Well, unless you are currently being eaten, or dragged out with your entrails – ahem. Once again, don’t panic!

Assuming you live in the basic suburban Colorado home, your house has doors, windows, and basic plywood construction.

This is not going to do, considering that the average man is around 170 pounds let’s say 200 because this is America - how many pounds of dead flesh will it take to knock down your walls? How about cave in your roof?

Go with concrete. Concrete and steel.

In fact, while you’re at it, pour the concrete into the holes where your windows once were, and invest in a bank-security door.

That’ll show ‘em (the writer is not responsible for incidents of suffocation, or ultimate security against the undead). Listed below are the three main types of zombie and what you need to get rid of them!

1) The stupid zombie The stupid zombie just wants braaaiinnns. This type of zombie is generally weak, as most were dead for a while before they punched their way to the surface from their graves, so they lack muscle and are mostly tendon and bone. These zombies are not contagious, so don’t worry about fighting them if needed. They are stupid, and prone to slapstick, stumbling falls and comic chase scenes.

Weapons needed: Basic blunt objects, swords and pistols, or anything that can deliver a fatal attack to a zombie brain.

2) The possessed zombie: The possessed zombie does not care about world domination, but his controller does. Through some sort of ceremony or ancient talisman, somehow some twisted individual decided to raise an army of the undead to take over the world. The controller uses the zombies to exercise his or her will.

Weapons needed: same as the stupid zombie, however, upgrade your gun to a shotgun or something else with more firepower.

3) The infected zombie The infected zombie doesn’t care about anything, just rage, pure rage, and the taste of your flesh; these characteristics pretty much guarantee world domination.

Most infected zombie apocalypses begin in a laboratory. Inside the laboratory are monkeys/hamsters/rats/dogs/cats/ people who spit/scratch/bite/throw feces at intruders/visitors/scientists/angry environmentalists and those infected go out into the world and spit/scratch/bite/throw feces at more people, causing mass panic and mass zombification.

Weapons needed: Everything you can get your hands on and more.

Follow the guide, exercise those muscles, and stockpile survival tools. Hopefully, after reading the guide, at the first sign of zombie apocalypse, you’ll be prepared and ready. Don’t panic!

paradox the

the news is full of contradictions

satire : irony : hilarity

“Still, if a statement cannot reasonably be interpreted to be one of express or implied fact, it cannot be libelous. This means that humor columns, spoofs, cartoons and satire are protected as long as readers understand that the material is not intended to be taken seriously.”

- Student Press Law Center

Top Ten

Veronica Graves

Rosa Byun [gbyun@uccs.edu]

ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE

Tools needed to survive a zombie apocalypse

10 9 8 7 6

Targets. Practice shooting.

Be sure to practice at close range. Practice screaming and missing your target until it’s about to munch on you, then shoot it.

Undead celebrities Byron Graham [bgraham@uccs.edu] Earlier this week, The Grand Master of the entire World’s Undead, Pope Benedict XVI, encouraged his fellow flesh-eating public figures to disclose their hitherto incognito identities and rally together to represent the unique needs of zombie-kind in the political process.

Addressing a crowd gathered outside the Vatican, Pope Benedict of the Undead regaled listeners with tales of how Nazi scientists unnaturally brought Benedict back from the grave, and how a diet of live human tissue keeps him spritely and stalking through the world of the living to this day.

In the days since Benedict’s bombshell, a growing number of celebrities have dedicated their support to his cause and publicly identified themselves as zombies, though few have been as forthcoming with their origin stories as the Pope.

Former presidential candidate and US Senator John Kerry, in a characteristic mire of semiotic snobbery, admitted, “Ok, well, on the matter of my zombification – you know it’s just... America has housed so many of my proud undead elders, I think.” Without further words, Senator Kerry tore a nearby intern’s arm off, munching the exposed bone as he lumbered away onto the senate floor.

Other prominent zombies from the US Senate include former Senator Strom Thurmond, who agreed to completely retire from public life, in the form of a faked death, to avoid drawing suspicion to his eerily advancing age. Thurmond has spent the last few years haunting southern graveyards, ensuring that they stay segregated. Now that the Pope has come forward, however, Thurmond has been coming out of death-retirement and considering a bid for re-election.

The fact that TV personality Joan Rivers has been a member of the walking dead all along should surprise no one, as the freakish extent to which Rivers underwent plastic surgery was, in actuality, a lastditch effort to conceal the visible decay of her original face.

“Silicone doesn’t rot, baby!” Rivers exclaimed as she revealed her decrepit, horrifying, rotting face. No one in the crowd seemed to notice, however, as Joan Rivers has always been horrifying, zombie or not.

Actor Nick Nolte, long suspected of haunting Malibu-area cemeteries after dark, expressed gratitude that, from now on, he could practice his necromancy rituals and virgin sacrifices in relative peace. “It’s a good day to be a zombie,” Nolte smiled as fresh blood dripped from his teeth.

The Scribe will report any further developments in this story as soon as... wait my arm! No! No, for Christ’s sake, Joan Rivers bit me!

I’m turning into a... a... aggggghhh.Brains.

zombies do not love. don’t be fooled by this heartwarming picure!

Get a map. You need to know where you’re going so you can stay away from populated places like N.Y. and amusement parks in general.

Lamborghini or Porsche is a must. Not entirely practical, but you’ll live longer.

If you’re a dude, you need to get your hands on some weights. Get at least 50 lb dumbbells. If you can’t lift that, then…well…you’re probably that extra guy.

Stay looking as hot as possible, especially if you’re a chick. Makeup, hair, super-tight rippedup clothes and stilettos or knee high black boots are a must.

5 4 3

Find a super hot person of the opposite sex. This will greatly increase your chances of survival.

Immediately shoot anyone in your group who uses the phrase, “Let’s split up.”

2 1

Get yourself two submachine guns and one shotgun. Dual-wield the submachine guns and make sure to shoot the shotgun at your hip, not at your shoulder.

Study up. Break into Blockbuster and take one of every zombie move. Figure out whether your zombies are fast zombies, mummy zombies, smart zombies, ferociously strong zombies, or super growly zombies.

Get an extra non-zombified (yet) person. This person will distract the zombies as you escape. vgraves@uccs.edu

10

opinion

November 19 to December 2, 2009

| Truth Bombs | Breckenridge decriminalizes marijuana

Byron Graham bgraham2@uccs.edu

Last election day, voters in Breckenridge, Colorado voted, by a substantial margin, to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Seventy-two percent of the electorate in the sleepy mountain town, which is mostly famous for its ski resort, supported legislation that would remove penalties for those Breckenridge citizens caught with less than 1 ounce of marijuana or the paraphernalia required to smoke it.

This is exciting news for smokers and general fans of liberty alike, as these laws will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2010. Plans to open up a medical marijuana dispensary in the mountain town are also underway.

Before UCCS students go mounting bongs to their snowboards, however, they should consider what laws like these actually mean for Breckenridge townies and what effect their implementation will have on the people who voted for their passage.

To begin with, before election day, Breckenridge’s weed laws were quite liberal, at least in comparison to nearby ski havens in Utah or Wyoming, where posses-

sion of even a small quantity of cannabis can often mean jail time or steep fines.

As it stands in Breckenridge, possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana amounted to a small fine, up to but not exceeding 100 dollars. Breckenridge police wrote a total of ten tickets for marijuana possession last year, and only four total were written for paraphernalia.

Rick Holman, Breckenridge’s Chief of Police, explicated law enforcement’s response to the vote and assured the Vail Daily newspaper that trafficking, driving under the influence and public smoking will remain illegal, and that the decriminalization laws only apply to Coloradans who are 21 and up.

“It’s never been something we spent a lot of time on,” Holman added, “so I don’t expect this to be a big change in how we do business,” he told reporters, emphasizing that implementation of the laws would rely on the “discretion” of individual officers.

A similar measure passed in 2005 in Denver, and another appeared on Breckenridge ballots back in 2006.

Called Amendment 44, the initiative contained ambiguous language regarding the age limits imposed by the amendment and was roundly defeated at the polls, by a margin of 60-40.

So what happened? Did 32 percent of the voting public develop a marijuana habit in the intervening years, thus influencing their vote? Or, perhaps, did Breckenridge voters see that Denver indeed had not been swal-

lowed alive by hell simply because police were more lenient on weed smokers, and voted accordingly?

Colorado loves herself some marijuana, and the weed subculture that has emerged in towns like Boulder and Breckenridge is unavoidable. However, it seems that, by and large, the tide of public favor is following the stoners and increasingly often, non-smoking voters are beginning to vote according to their conscience and sense of logic rather than their personal preference for alcohol or utter sobriety While smoking (or eating) marijuana is certainly not as harmless as pro-marijuana advocates contend, I still don’t think it’s a crime for a well-informed adult to light up from time to time.

The future of the legalization debate lies in the hands of non-smokers. Stoners are often quite politically active, and activist organizations like NORML and SAFER have made palpable headway on a state-by-state basis.

The American Medical Association has reconsidered their classification of marijuana as a Schedule 1 narcotic substance with “no medical value,” and is currently investigating marijuana’s possible medical applications.

Personally, I believe that the legal system should treat drug offenders as a public health issue rather than a legal issue, but in order to reverse America’s long history of locking up non violent criminals for drug possession, it will take the support of those wise swaths of the population who’ve never smoked a joint to change. ◆

| The Cautious Pessimist | How we’re letting COS wither and die, and why you should give a damn

Greg Reilly greilly@uccs.edu

So you might have noticed that we had elections this month. A little ballot might have shown up in your mailbox saying something like “official ballot enclosed.”

You might have looked at it and wondered, “why is there a ballot? I didn’t think national elections were until 2010.” You might have shrugged it off and went on with your day.

Of course, I say “might” because it’s only incredibly unlikely that anyone reading this voted on Nov. 3.

Most of you probably had no idea there was an election. I’m fairly certain most of you don’t know that a tax increase was on the ballot for Colorado Springs that would have saved the jobs of dozens of police and firemen, or provided funding and maintenance for the Metro system, parks and public pools, and myriad

other services in town that are, due to its failure, likely to face drastic cuts (if not elimination altogether).

How many of you have had your cars broken into?

Your houses? I suspect that the number of people who just thought “I have” is going to increase rather steadily over the next few years. Planned cuts to the Colorado Springs police force include 26 patrolmen.

Fewer patrolmen equals less protection and lower deterrence equals more crime, generally speaking. Have fun with all that.

I know that the ballots have been cast and it’s a bit too late to cry over $25 million in spilled milk. The point of all this is to demonstrate that local elections can often be more important, in our day-to-day lives, than national ones. Why, then, is it so difficult to convince younger voters to register for local elections, and to get them to vote on matters that effect them? And by “them,” of course, I mean “you.”

Why don’t you, as it may be applicable, give a damn?

Remember how feverishly pitched the Obama-McCain election got? How people were constantly discussing the campaigns, rallying behind their candidate, discussing the stances and viewpoints (and, naturally,

the gaffes and blunders) of each candidate? Remember the incredible enthusiasm people seemed to have, and when young voters turned out in historically high numbers?

Where’s that sort of enthusiasm for things that much, much, much more closely affect our lives? Yeah, President Obama is a Democrat and that’s serious business.

Yes, we’re going to have new senators and representatives elected in next year, and they’re going to make all sorts of decisions representing us up in Washington.

Shouldn’t we start getting worked up about representing ourselves directly in the elections that really have an impact on our immediate lives?

Some of you reading this, I’m sure, did vote, and vote often. I applaud you, regardless of how you vote or why.

Next time, tell your friends to register for local elections. Tell them to tell their friends. Get involved — this is our city, and it’s our own fault if we don’t take care of it. There’s no time like the present to get more involved, even if it’s just voting more than once every four years.

So please, for your sake and for all of ours, those nonvoters reading this, get more involved in the politics that actually impact your life. ◆

sports

November 19 to December 2, 2009

11

Softball slugger Rheana Trujillo | Not Your Usual Sports Column | Fans, Wie and Shame signs letter of intent to play at UCCS David Owens dowens3@uccs.edu

Finally, a study for all those trash-talking sports fans who believe their favorite teams are always going to win.

Recently, researchers at Ohio State University concluded that fans who are not confident that their favorite team will win prior to a game beginning, are more excited and enjoy watching a game more if their team pulls out a win, as opposed to those fans who expect to their team to win and they do win.

In other words, if someone expects nothing and winds up with it all, they will be happier than others who expect everything and get everything.

“When people think about entertainment in general, they think it has to be fun and pleasurable,” said Prabu David, co-author of the study and associate professor of Communication at Ohio State University in a press release found at eurekaalert.org.

“But enjoyment doesn’t always mean positive emotions, sometimes enjoy-

ment is derived by having the negative emotion, and then juxtaposing that with the positive emotion.”

The study will appear in the December issue of the Journal of Communication, but I don’t plan on reading it. Sounds like too much of an emotional rollercoaster ride for me to handle.

Speaking of emotional rollercoaster rides, Michelle Wie has finally won her first Ladies’ Professional Golf Association (LPGA) title.

According to the BBC, Wie competed in her first tournament in 2002, when she was 13. Now, a 20 year-old Stanford student and 65 tournaments later, Wie has finally done something that many thought she wasn’t capable of.

Wie has undergone a great deal of criticism in the past from her female counterparts for competing in both men’s and women’s tournaments.

Some thought it was silly of her to compete against men when she hadn’t proved herself to be top-notch competition in the LPGA. Though this win for Wie was not against any men, at least she finally recorded a victory.

Wie also wins my award for Tweet of the Week for her post after winning the

title, “[sic] wow this is just sooo delicious. [sic]” Rather than save the golf ball that helped her get her first title, apparently she decided to eat it.

In other not-so-pleasant news, Chris Surette, who sports his Boston Red Sox hat in his staff picture, is eating his words and they are not so delicious. Surette, a columnist for Fairfield University’s student newspaper, is coming under intense criticism for writing a piece called, “He said: The Walk of Shame.”

According to the Connecticut Post, the independent student publication is facing harassment charges from the school’s Student Conduct Board. So far though, no funding has been cut from the paper.

Legalities aside, after reading Surette’s shameful commentary that somehow managed to get published, I can only assume the paper’s editor was desperate for material.

I’ll leave you with Surette’s closing sentences. “We are relying on each other for an entertaining story that is both hilarious and humiliating. Just remember one thing; her walk of shame is an induction into your hall of fame.” ◆

Basketball Slang Crossword DOWN 1. To completely defend an opponent to the point he cannot do anything on offense.

3. Side of the court where the ball is.

4.Intersection of the free throw line and the side of the key.

5. Slang term for an assist.

7. Slang term for the ball.

ACROSS 2. Ability to jump.

6. A miss so bad, people hear it from outside the gym.

8. Slang for hte area behind the three point line.

10. Line beneath the basket designating out of bounds.

12. Side of the court where the ball ain’t.

13. Ability to dribble the basketball.

9. Last name of the guy who invented the game in 1891.

11. Slang for blocking a shot.

Matt Crandall mcrandal@uccs.edu Cañon City High School senior Rheana Trujillo officially made her collegiate decision Nov. 11 by signing a letter of intent to play softball at UCCS. Trujillo was awarded a partial scholarship for the 2010-11 school year and will be one of the many new additions to the women’s softball team.

Trujillo said she wanted to stay close to home, and commented on www.canoncitydailyrecord.com that when she visited the campus, “that sealed the deal.”

According to www.espn. go.com, Trujillo was ranked as one of the top high school softball players in the state of Colorado for the 2009 season. Despite finishing her senior season with a 4-13 record, she stated she enjoyed finishing her high school

New recruit Rheana Trujillo at bat for the Colorado Stixx.

Picture courtesy of UCCS Sports Information career and looks forward to continue playing at UCCS. Trujillo commented that will she continue to play for her nationally ranked clubteam, the Colorado Stixx,

and finish up their season prior to beginning her career at UCCS. Trujillo will start working out with the Mountain Lions sometime in July of next summer. ◆

Sports Women’s Volleyball (18-10, 13-6 RMAC)

Nov. 12 at Kearney, Nebraska Colorado School of Mines 3, UCCS 0 (16-25, 22-25, 19-25)

Shorts

The lady Mountain Lions lost to the Colorado School of Mines Nov. 12 in the first round of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Tournament. Andrea Brodie led the team with 10 kills while Jenica Shippy added seven. Brodie and Kendall Utz each had 12 digs and Cindy Bathelt finished with 27 assists. The disappointing loss leaves UCCS with a 2-6 all-time record in the RMAC Tournament.

For more sports information, visit: gomountainlions.com

Women’s Basketball (0-1, 0-0 RMAC)

Nov. 15 at Alterowitz Gymnasium Montana State-Billings 91, UCCS 57

All photos courtesy of Rick Gorham.

UCCS lost in their season-opener against Montana State-Billings 57-91 on Nov. 15. Junior Mallory Lowe led UCCS in scoring with 14 points and added seven rebounds. Senior Lauren Holm and Junior Caley Fisher contributed with 11 points apiece; while Junior Jessica Lynch had a team high three assists.

The Mountain Lions’ first home game is scheduled for Nov. 24.

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