t he scribe
The official student newspaper of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
:
October 8 to October 14, 2009 [Volume 34; Issue 7
Banned Books week hits campus
TOP (from left to right): Kristin Garst, Josh Wolfaardt, Chaz Boyd, Stephanie Morphet. BOTTOM: Kahlor Wilhelm, Lauren Dorsey, Patrick Caldwell, Brandon Wakher, John Fawcett, Daniel Romero, Kristina Magnuson, Aren Sharifi. BANNED BOOKS: The Golden Compass, Twilight, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, The Satanic Bible, A Farewell to Arms, Carrie, The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Gatsby. Carrie Woodruff
Rosa Byun gbyun@uccs.edu The UCCS bookstore hosted its annual Banned Books sale last week to celebrate the nationwide annual celebration of free speech known as Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week, held during the last week of September, is an annual
event hosted by the American Library Association (ALA), American Society of Journalists and Authors and many other organizations dealing with books and publishing. Although UCCS does not hold a designated Banned Books event, the UCCS Bookstore hosts its sale every year, selling challenged and banned books at a discount to interested readers. Even without an official
event, some on campus feel that, according to English Professor Kenneth Pellow, “no book ought ever to be banned.” Pellow stressed that avoiding books that run contrary to strong, held opinions causes thoughts to “remain flabby and unexercised.” Pellow recommended famous author and devout Christian John Milton’s essay in defense of books, “Areopagitica: And, of Education,” to interested
readers. According to ala.org, the ALA’s website, books are sometimes challenged and, if the challenge succeeds, banned in certain locales. A “challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials.” A banning is the actual removal of a book from a library or school. 2008 saw 517 challenges in the U.S., a rise from 420 in 2007. Continued on page 4
An intense game of pool at The Pub. Pool seemed ideal for the bitter cold outside. Kiley Card
In the Middle the FEATURE
Disability and Transportation pages 6 and 7
CAMPUS NEWS Intersections Film Festival the first of its kind
page 4 Queer Student Union forms despite SPECTRUM’s presence
page 4
CULTURE Green chili for Fall
page 8 How to buckle down and train your brain
page 9
Stereo scam at school parking lots Randy Robinson rrobinso@uccs.edu An on-going scam involving illicit sales of electronic equipment on campus has recently targeted UCCS students. The scam involves an unmarked van driving around the university parking lots searching for potential buyers of goods inside the van (usually electronic goods). A person will exit the van, approach a student, and explain that their unnamed company ordered an excess of high-end electronics equipment, usually for stereos or home entertainment systems. These mystery vendors will insist that their equipment works and is not broken or stolen. The student will then be asked to purchase the equipment at a negotiable fee. They will even offer to drive the student to the nearest ATM if the student has no cash on-hand. No receipt will be written out to the student, and there are no warranties. In fact, there are no guarantees that the equipment will even work. Chief Jim Spice of UCCS Public Safety broke down the scam’s operation for The Scribe. First, as far as the Colorado Springs police know, the equipment is never stolen. The few pieces of equipment that have been turned over to the police have clean serial numbers, none of which indicate that the property is “hot” or was obtained by illegal means. Second, the practice is not isolated to UCCS alone – reports of unmarked vans soliciting electronic goods have come in from all over the city.
OPINION Michael Moore: Populist icon
page 10
SPORTS Athlete News: Back in business
page 5
“We’re not sure if it’s one specific person or persons. We don’t know which business is doing it,” said Spice. Although others have contacted the police about the odd sales approaches numerous times, Spice added, “They’re gone by the time we get there. Long gone.” Spice stated that these sorts of parking lot solicitations are a violation of UCCS’s policies and that they break city laws. “We don’t allow solicitation in the parking lots. Period,” said Spice. “We don’t allow them to go building to building, either.” “If they want to sell it, they have to go to the bookstore. The bookstore determines if they’re a legit company,” he said. Any legitimate business, according to Spice, must have a city sales license in order to sell anywhere in the city. Spice added that nearly every time one of these or other solicitors is asked to leave campus, they tend to comply. The protocol for parking lot solicitation can involve a fine for criminal trespassing. Students could face some penalty for purchasing from these mystery vendors, and Spice warned against such actions. “I wouldn’t trust it,” he stated. “There’s no return policy and it could be stolen. I would recommend students not to buy from them.” Spice insisted that if students encounter these unmarked, unidentified vans selling equipment, that they should not engage the solicitors directly. “If students see any suspicious activity, they should call Public Safety immediately,” he said, “because we’re the ones equipped to deal with it.” ◆
THE PARADOX An accident in SENG
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Pay attention to Obama’s War
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CONTACT | phone: (719) 255 - 3658 | fax: (719) 255 - 3600 | email: scribe@uccs.edu | website: www.uccsscribe.com