NEWS BRIEFS UNC has selected Adolfson & Peterson Construction to manage the construction of the Campus Commons. The company has been involved with other projects on campus and will work closely with the university and Semple Brown and Handprint Architecture, which was selected in August.
A student reflection of the UNC community
UNC’s celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month will conclude on Tuesday, with a presentation by Priscilla Falcon, a professor of Hispanic studies. The presentation, “Latino Americans: 500 Years of History–La Raza de Colorado: El Movimiento,” will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. in Michener Library’s Lindou Auditorium. The Monfort College of Business will celebrate Business Ethics Week this week. The celebration, which will take place Monday through Thursday, will include three nationally known guest speakers, a student business ethics case competition and a Center for Public Trust Ethical Leadership Town Hall Meeting.
Breelyn Bowe | The Mirror
ALSO INSIDE:
GREELEY ELECTION
COVERAGE
2015 PAGE 4
Shai Landreneaux | The Mirror
Michael Rodriguez of Pi Kappa Phi and his group dance and lip sync for Homecoming’s Bear Sync. Right: The bonfire burns bright Friday night at the pep rally.
HOMECOMING
BRINGS THE ROAR By La’Asianée Brown arts@uncmirror.com
Homecoming spirit week hosts a plethora of events that allows students to celebrate not only with the rest of campus but also with the Greeley community. Below are a few “behind the scenes” fun facts of some of the events this week. t #FBS TZOD IBT B WBSJFUZ PG SVMFT FBDI PSHBOJ[BUJPO NVTU GPMMPX POF CFJOH that “Confetti, glitter, silly string and other small ‘hard to clean’ items are not allowed,” according to a University Program Council homecoming handbook. t 0WFS CPPUIT XFSF QSFTFOU BU UIF $PNNVOJUZ 'FTU UIJT ZFBS JODMVEJOH UNC Student Farm, the Greeley fire department and TEDTalks in Northern Colorado. t ć JT XFFLFOE HSBEVBUFT PG UIF $MBTT PG DFMFCSBUFE UIFJS 50th anniversary.
A nationally recognized motivational speaker will present at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the University Center ballrooms. Antonio Neves’ presentation, “How to Create Your Own Luck: Excelling on Campus Before You Have Experience & Connections,” will focus on how to build campus connections to help college students succeed. A plane crash was investigated by deputies from the Weld County Sheriff ’s Office last Tuesday morning. The plane crashed in a field near Weld County Road 80 and Weld County Road 43 and the two individuals that occupied the plane were confirmed dead at the scene. The cause of the crash is unknown and the investigation has been handed over to the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board. Municipal fraud in American history will be the topic of a discussion session about ethical leadership on Thursday. The presentation will be 4:306:30 p.m. in the Panorama Room of the University Center.
For the week of
10/19/2015
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News
NEWS CALENDAR
MON 10/19 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. UNC Connect Presentation for Graduate Students University Center- Aspen B
TUE 10/20 6-7 p.m. Alternative Spring Break Information Sessions University Center- Spruce A
WED 10/21 5:30-7 p.m. Student Senate Meeting University Center- Council Room
THU 10/22 4:30-6:30 p.m. Ethical Leadership Town Hall Meeting University Center- Panorama Room 6-8 p.m. Student Leadership for Environmental Action Fund (LEAF) Meeting University Center- Spruce B 7-9 p.m. Antonio Neves: How to Create Your Own Luck: Excelling on Campus Before You Have Connections University Center
FRI 10/23 All Day Alternative Spring Break Participant Application Deadline University Center All Day Deadline for Requesting Defense of Doctoral Dissertation 10 a.m. Nursing Spotlight for Prospective Students University Center
Editor: Chelsea Hinspeter
October 19, 2015 | uncmirror.com
‘Neighbors helping neighbors’ Project helps residents who are struggling or homeless in Greeley community By Riley Krumpholz news@uncmirror.com
A community was once again established during the fifth annual Weld Project Connect on Friday. The event focused on supporting residents of Weld County. Jeannine Truswell, executive director and CEO of United Way Weld County, originally decided to host an annual event geared toward helping community members after observing a similar event in Denver. The Denver event advocated for helping the homeless population in the city, but Truswell saw an opportunity to be inclusive of all populations and demographics. “We know that so many people are battling poverty in our community,” Truswell said. “While in some cities [the project] is called ‘Homeless Connect’, we knew that it wasn’t just the homeless we wanted to reach out to. We wanted to reach out to people who were struggling.” Mike Freeman, Weld County commissioner, summarized the event as “a hand up, not a handout.” But the event isn't only beneficial to those receiving a ‘”hand up.” The experience for the hundreds of volunteers dedicated to making Weld Project Connect a success is just as rewarding. “I love volunteering because I love being active in the community,” said Rachel Luckner, a senior human services and nutrition major and UNC's outreach coordinator.
Marketed as “neighbors helping neighbors,” the Weld Project Connect promotes a sense of community and belonging among Weld County residents from all aspects of life. With sponsors and service providers such as Banner Health and Professional Finance Company Inc., Weld Project Connect is able to offer various types of assistance to families and individuals. “The event provides free on-site, one-on-one services for individuals and families in Weld County who need help due to housing instability, job loss, underemployment, health issues and many other critical issues that can impact life,” said Tom Fasano, director of marketing and communications at United Way Weld County. “Weld Project Connect reaches out to all residents in need.” Instead of having to seek out various services across Northern Colorado, businesses and service providers set up in “neighborhoods,” a term coined by Fasano, allowing families and individuals to seek all services they needed in one convenient location. “When somebody is in need, isolaGraphic courtesy of K99.com tion can be the most difficult part to deal with,” said James Kohles, UNC’s off-campus life program coordinator. “For those in need, [Weld Project Connect] creates an opportunity to access [various] services in one place at one time, where typically they might not have the opportunity to do that.” For further information about the event or Weld Project Connect, visit: www.unitedway-weld.org.
The not-so-foggy future of journalism Colorado Press Association discusses how to adapt to new changes in journalism industry By Julia Sobczak news@uncmirror.com
The journalism program at UNC is getting a facelift and will soon include studies in all mediums of communication, including writing, photography and video production. Members of the Colorado Press Association visited last Tuesday to meet potential interns and provide advisement for the next generation of journalism students. “How we’re delivering the news is changing,” said Matt Lubich, general manager of The Mirror. “What we do hasn’t really changed at all.” While journalism has always been a competitive field, and there are new struggles prospective journalists must learn to overcome in a quickly chang-
ing field, there are still many options for students to become successful and thriving reporters. According to Randy Bangert, editor of the Greeley Tribune, the majority of writers hired by local newspapers start as interns attending college and work their way up to high-ranking positions within that newspaper. “There’s always going to be a spot for a journalist at a small, local community,” said Jeff Stahla, managing editor of the Loveland Reporter-Herald. Stahla said people’s stories are always going to need to be told. Social media is starting to incorporate itself into the world of journalism. It typically is used to share the important events of the day, such as elections or court cases, but often neglects the stories of the individuals. Newspapers are becoming more localized in order to cater to those indi-
vidual stories. “The world is bigger than the Greeley Tribune and Weld County,” Stahla said. Stahla said there is no set career path for journalism, but people who are more willing to travel have greater chances of getting hired. Traveling to many other newspapers is a great way to gain credibility and experience, Stahla said. Possessing a knowledge of laws and policies is also vital to becoming a successful journalist. Jeff Roberts, executive director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, said journalists are the eyes and ears of the public, so knowing how to cite court records and official papers to convey the core of an event to the public, without the federal fluff, is essential. Because public relations jobs tend to pay higher, many reporters choose to go into that field.
It is because of this that Jerry Raehal, chief executive officer of the Colorado Press Association, said public relations is “the hidden enemy,” draining the pool of available journalists. But not everyone shares this thought. Katarina Velazquez, a journalism and mass communications major and the editor-in-chief of The Mirror, said her personal experience in public relations has helped her become a better journalist in general, no matter what the subject material is. Regardless of the obstacles and changes in the industry, dedicated journalists can have a successful and rewarding career. “If you’re curious, there’s not a better industry,” Raehal said. For more information about the Colorado Press Association, visit: http://www.coloradopressassociation. com/.
Opinion
October 19, 2015 | uncmirror.com
Who you know often overcomes what you know Making connections and building relationships is key when trying to land the perfect job
By Jett Goldsmith The world is made of people. At every single level, from company executives to the teenager running the checkout stand at a local grocery store, people build, create and maintain every single aspect of the society we live in. Even machines—the kinds that threaten to take our jobs and make it even harder to get somewhere in life—are built and regulated by people. And of course, people like other people. As a result, the world is not a meritocracy. Of course, working hard and having insight into a specific field gives you a head start against the competition. A recent graduate with a master’s degree in accounting will find it much easier to land a job than someone who has no degree at all. But at the same time, the boss’ niece will find it
much easier than both parties to land the same exact job. Why? She knows the boss. She’s family. He can trust her, to some extent. And even if she’s horribly incompetent, she still got the gig. It’s a shame, but it’s the world we live in. So why fight it? People naturally want to work with people they like. Someone they can have a casual conversation with, or sit down and grab a relaxed bite to eat while discussing business. Being good at your job is important, but to land the job in the first place, being friendly and likable is even more important. In that case, the best path to personal and professional success is simply to make friends. And college is the perfect environment to get a jump start on that path to success. Join a club, or explore Greek life. Get to know your professors, and get involved in social activism
on campus. Take an internship or two. Meet and foster connections with your peers—they’re the next generation of workers. Get to know people now, so when the time comes, you won’t have to struggle against a hostile job market. This isn’t advice to slack off in your academic career, either. Work hard, get good grades and learn everything you can so you know more than the guy next to you in the interview room. There’s a reason hard work and luck are nearly indistinguishable. But don’t neglect the necessary evil of building and maintaining relationships to stretch that hard work even further into personal success. Because, after all, it’s all about who you know. - Jett Goldsmith is a freshman business major with an emphasis in international affairs. He is also an opinion columnist for The Mirror. He can be reached at editor@uncmirror.com.
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THE MIRROR STAFF 2015-16 Editor-in-Chief Katarina Velazquez editor@uncmirror.com Production Manager Manuel Perez adproduction@uncmirror.com
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The Mirror’s mission is to educate, inform and entertain the students, staff and faculty of the UNC community and to train the staff on the business of journalism in a college-newspaper environment.
ABOUT US
The Mirror produces a print newspaper every Monday during the academic year as well as maintains a current web page. The student-operated newspaper is advised by the non-profit Student Media Corporation and is printed by Signature Offset.
GREELEY ELECTION PREVIEW t
Do you know how to vote? By Antonio Hill
news@uncmirror.com
With midterms ending and finals around the corner, it can be easy for a college student to forget to register to vote. Despite the ballot this year not containing a presidential election, there are still important matters to be voted upon. Registered voters have 22 days before the election to vote, and there are only a few steps college students need to make to register. First, individuals must be registered to vote in Weld County. To do this, an individual must be a United States citizen, be a resident of Colorado for at least 22 days and complete the places marked “required” on the application, including the listing of a complete address. Mitchell Staut, a senior psychology major, explained that registering to vote was not a difficult process.
“It was a quick and easy process for me,” Staut said. “I’ve been a Colorado citizen my whole life, so that part was easy. I registered for the mail-in ballot during the last election, so the process for this one was pretty simple.” Mail-in ballots follow the same rules as walk-in ballots, and voters must also be registered to vote 22 days before election. Ballots get mailed to recipients at the beginning of October. Registration and information about how to register are readily available to everyone, including college students. However, the age group for traditional college students—approximately 18-24 years of age—historically have the lowest turnout. Mark Reinholz, a philosophy professor at UNC and a registered voter in Colorado, said younger voters may have a harder time grasping politics because of what they learned in high school. “I think it’s hard for younger voters to escape the ‘all politicians are bad’
mentality,” Reinholz said. “Learning more about politics in high school could help, but we want to avoid telling people what to care about. That could make the problem worse.” According to the United States Census Bureau, voter turnout reaches its highest rate for all ages during presidential election years. Midterm election years are second highest, and odd-numbered years yield the smallest number of voters. While congressional election years typically have lower voter turnout, there are still some people who think every election should be viewed with importance. “I feel like my generation just has a hard time taking the extra step of looking up information about issues on the ballot,” said Bre Olsen, a senior sociology major. “I’m proud to be a voter, and I think being an educated voter is important. I don’t know what else to do besides keep telling my friends to register and vote.”
NOVEMBER 3 ELECTION DAY Voting will be conducted through mail-in ballots. Ballots will be sent to Greeley registered voters by Oct. 27 at the latest. Ballots may at select locations by Oct. 30. More information can be found at http://www.co.weld.co.us/ Departments/ClerkRecorder/ ElectionInformation/index.html.
2015 City of Greeley Ballot Measures BaLLOT MEasuREs 2C-2E
By Chelsea Hinspeter news@uncmirror.com
While Greeley’s population is growing and the economy is recovering from a recession, the city is suffering from a backlog of road maintenance, and its public buildings and parks are in dire need of repairs. Along with measures that would update the language used in the charter, reaffirm term limits for elected officials and repeal the retention vote for city manager, Greeley’s 2015 ballot measures are primarily focused on increasing funding for road maintenance and reauthorizing a food tax to assist in repairing public facilities. “We would not be asking for this if we did not identify a need,” said Victoria Runkle, Greeley’s assistant city manager. “I think there’s a significant need in this city. We’ve gotten far behind because of the great recession.” Ballot Measure 2A would increase sales tax—excluding groceries—by .65 percent, all of which would go to the repair and maintenance of roads. Ballot Measure 2B would reauthorize the sales tax on food, and a portion of that would go towards roads while the other portion would fund the reparation of public buildings and parks.
2C
Would update or eliminate unnecessary language from the charter
2D
Would readopt term limits
2E
Would remove the retention vote for city manager, which currently occurs every 6 years
Runkle explained that funding for roads and general repairs is not sustainable. To address the growing concern for funding, City Council put a citizens’ committee together in January. “We wanted an honest, outside opinion from the citizens to see if they agreed or see the need that we did for our facilities, too,” said Joel Hemesath, director of public works. The committee, which was made up of individuals who showed interest or took an active role in the community and represented various interest groups throughout the city, reviewed the city’s
overall maintenance needs—not just road maintenance. The committee recommended keeping Greeley’s food tax and advocated for the addition of a new tax just for roads. “By no means are we going to have extra money,” Hemesath said. “I think that we’ll be constantly chasing this for some time. Our buildings are just so old, and our roads, they typically have a 20-year lifecycle. A lot of them in this eastern part of the city where we want to focus are easily 40 years old. They really haven’t had anything done to them for road maintenance.” Runkle explained the population growth, the city’s economic strain and backlog, and everyday wear-and-tear has resulted in a huge backlog for Greeley’s road conditions. “We’ve been growing out of recession, don’t get me wrong, but during that great recession we really got a bad backlog,” Runkle said. “And coming out of a backlog while you’re also doing growth is impossible to do.” On Oct. 6, City Council publicly gave its support of the ballot measures, a rarity which Runkle said was a way to convey the importance of these measures to Greeley residents. “If we don’t have the adequate funding from either sales tax initiative, then we have to find another funding source, and the only way we can find a funding source to do what needs to be done for our public facilities is to find funding elsewhere,” said Andy McRoberts, director of culture, parks and recreation. “This means we have to cut a program or cut a service somewhere else.”
Election Preview
October 19, 2015 | uncmirror.com
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Low voter turnout Mayoral contests attract: causes concern for Voter turnout drops drastically during local midterm elections By Mikhala Krochta news@uncmirror.com
According to the Center for Voting and Democracy, about 60 percent of eligible voters in the U.S. cast ballots for presidential elections, while 40 percent vote during midterm years. Many are concerned by low turnouts to the ballots because of the importance of voting to the democratic system, and numerous ads and campaigns have been created to get more people to vote. The voting process has also become easier with the introduction of mail-in ballots. But the numbers haven’t changed much. Less than half of eligible voters vote during midterm elections, and even less turn out for elections during odd-numbered years. These elections are typically local and include a number of ballot measures and local officials running for election, such as mayor. A study done by Portland State University showed a less than 30 percent voter turnout in mayoral elections in several U.S. cities. The study also found that voters over the age of 65 were 10-20 times more likely to vote than 18-34 year olds. John Gates, a council member from Ward III, said off-year elections always seem to generate lower voter turnout, but it’s becoming less common with the ease of mail-in ballots. But many people choose not to vote for various reasons. “I wish every eligible voter would vote every time,” Gates said. “But there is a lot of voter apathy existent in our society. Some people don’t vote as they are so disgusted with what goes on at the national level.” Apathy is often associated with a low number of active voters in the U.S. Many people argue that their votes don’t matter or won’t make a difference. “I really haven’t been locally politically active,” said Katarina Velazquez, a senior journalism and mass communications major. “I just
never thought it affected me as much as it does on the federal level.” Junior music performance major Juliette Angoulvant said she doesn’t vote when she isn’t familiar with the issues at stake or doesn’t have a particular opinion about them. “I don’t usually have the time or energy to do much research about issues or candidates outside of conversation with friends,” Angoulvant said. “There isn’t much point in me voting on something I don’t know.” Angoulvant said she doesn’t typically vote during off years but will if she hears about an election and knows about the issues. Junior Kayla Dean, an audiology and speechlanguage sciences major, said she also doesn’t vote during non-presidential elections because she doesn’t feel well-informed. “I don’t know when they are or what they are for,” Dean said. “I’m too shy and anxious to register and figure out where to go. I don’t want to seem ignorant when I go to vote and have no idea what I’m doing.” Angoulvant said many college students probably don’t vote for similar reasons. “Most college students don’t seem to vote for about the same reasons I don’t often vote,” she said. “They don’t want to put in the time and effort to learn about the issues at stake, are unaware of when elections take place and don’t have a convenient method of voting.” Voter turnout in local elections continues to hover much lower than that of presidential elections, and in the U.S., even those are fairly low. But those concerned over the effect on democracy continue to seek out new ways to increase voter turnout. “Presidential election years seem to always generate much higher voter turnout,” Gates said. “The marketers in these campaigns make sure that everyone knows their candidate through mailings or thousands of TV ads. Most people who vote in presidential election years know exactly who they support and who they don’t. Conversely, city and sometimes state campaigns don’t always have a way to reach the voters.”
27% of Registered Voters
22% of VotingEligible Population
Nearly 75% percent of these contests are held in oddnumber years
(Information from study done by Portland State University Who Votes for Mayor? A PSY Pilot Research Report for largest 30 U.S. cities in 2011-2014 election cycle.)
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Election Preview
October 19, 2015 | uncmirror.com
Mayor Norton seeks fourth term By Brad Klump
news@uncmirror.com
Greeley Mayor Tom Norton is seeking reelection for his fourth and final term as the mayor of Greeley. Norton said he wants to continue making Greeley a respectable city by focusing on repairing roads and by installing a hotel in the downtown area. Norton is running against Patrick Wardell, who is looking to unseat Mayor Norton. Norton recently had a hip replacement operation, which caused him to miss a city council meeting in early October. He said he would be prepared for the next meeting and the upcoming election. During his previous three terms, Norton has used his master’s degree in civil engineering from Colorado State University and his time as the executive director of Colorado Department of Transportation to accomplish landmarks
for Greeley. As Greeley strays away from a profitable oil and gas era, Mayor Norton said he believes it will be challenging to match the new development with jobs. “We want to keep and maintain the jobs we have here while finding ways to add new ones,” Norton said. Another issue that will be a deciding factor in the election is taxed in Ballot Measures 2A and 2B. Measure 2A would implement a street improvement sales tax on all items besides groceries for the next seven years. Measure 2B, would reauthorize a 1990 groceries tax and use the money to do capital maintenance of facilities as well as parks and streets. “We haven’t been able to keep up with the streets and buildings,” Mayor Norton said. “We should back 2A and 2B, because I believe they will provide positive outcomes for the Greeley community, and in the past, the voters have shown that they are willing to pay for what we get done.” While it’s possible many citizens have already
made up their minds, Mayor Norton has a message for undecided voters. “A vote for Tom Norton is a vote for someone with experience and demonstrated ability to run this city,” he said. “I have experience at the state level, the state senate and the transportation department. I know how to work with people and city council to make positive changes in Greeley.” Fellow Greeley City Council member Randy Sleight has worked extensively with Norton on the council. “It’s an honor being on the Courtesy of Tom Norton’s Facebook council with Mayor Norton,” Sleight said. “He is a mentor to Mayor Tom Norton is running for his fourth term as mayor. everyone. With his experience as a state repre- someone you can learn from, and overall, he has sentative and member of the Colorado Depart- helped me learn a better way to gather informament, he knows and understands state issues tion and assess a situation.” and issues that affect the city of Greeley. He is
Mayoral candidate opposes popular opinion By Danielle Ross news@uncmirror.com
Courtesy of Patrick Wardell’s Facebook
Greeley resident Patrick Wardell is opposing Tom Norton in the 2015 municipal elections. He claims that many of his stances differ from popular opinion.
Mayoral candidate Patrick Wardell has an unpopular opinion among the current city council in Greeley. Whereas the council recently signed a resolution declaring its unanimous support for ballot measures 2A and 2B, the atypical Wardell has called the measures “punitive,” “mean” and even “evil.” Wardell explained that a tax on food to pay for road work is, in his opinion, completely unnecessary. “The evildoers at City Hall want to tax the poor students and middle class $7 out of every 100 they spend on food, and that’s up for passage this year,” Wardell said. “The students have a chance to save money on food by voting no on the evil, mean food tax.” Wardell said the city council is comprised of “tax-and-spenders,” who tax residents mercilessly to pay for pet projects, like road projects which he says “fall off track and hurt businesses.” “There are other ways of raising revenue,” Wardell said. “Specifically, marijuana.” Wardell is openly a strong advocate of marijuana and the positive effects it could have on Greeley’s economy if dispensaries were allowed to operate within the city.
Garden City, which is right on Greeley’s border, has four dispensaries that are just a few minutes from UNC’s campus, and marijuana users in Greeley are traveling to Garden City and contributing their tax dollars to its economy. “The fact of the matter remains that there were $35 million in cannabis sales last year and $3.5 million of that went to schools,” Wardell said. “Greeley needs to get its share… It’s hypocritical, when we’re the city with the most liquor stores in the state, to come down on people who legally smoke marijuana.” If elected, Wardell said he’d work with the city council to form a consensus on how to best go about allowing dispensaries in Greeley and responsibly using tax revenue from the marijuana industry. Wardell said it’s time to accept that marijuana is coming to Greeley, whether nonsupporters want it to or not. The positive economic impacts speak for themselves, and Wardell said it’s important to him to stimulate Greeley’s economy by creating jobs and circulating more money. After 30 years of living in Greeley, Wardell decided to run for mayor because of his son, Justin. Justin is a 17-year-old high school senior at Frontier Academy who recently became a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship and earned a perfect score on his ACT.
Wardell said his son is a scientist and is considering attending Stanford University. In order to inspire his already quite impressive son, Wardell said he needed to “think outside the box” and set himself some lofty goals—running for mayor being one of them. In addition to being a loving father, Wardell is also a cancer survivor, Army veteran, born-again Christian and self-proclaimed poet. The vast majority of the posts on his Facebook page are original poems, while a few posts state his stance on various issues in the community and mayoral race. He encourages people to read and share his poems. “My writing is about life and love and living and going for your dreams,” Wardell said. “My writing reflects me and who I am.” Residents and students are also encouraged to share questions and comments with Wardell directly via his Facebook page. As far as his campaign to win the seat from Mayor Tom Norton is concerned, Wardell said he believes Norton is “afraid” to debate him. “He’s scared because he knows I’m right on the issues—that’s why there isn’t a debate,” Wardell said. “He’s playing defense, and he thinks he can win. He thinks I can’t get a message out, but I can. He knows I’m right on all the issues, and he’s scared. He doesn’t want people to hear my message.”
Election Preview
October 19, 2015 | uncmirror.com
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Councilmember at large seeks re-election By Tommy Simmons news@uncmirror.com
Robb Casseday didn’t set out to be a politician. He didn’t study political science, and he spent the majority of his working life in the private sector. Still, since 2011, Casseday has served on the Greeley City Council as a member at large, and he is running for re-election this November. One of his primary qualifications, Casseday said, is that he has called Greeley home for almost his entire life. “First of all, I’m a Greeley native,” he said. “Other than my time in the Air Force and when I was away at CU getting my degree, I’ve lived in Greeley my whole life.” Casseday’s stint at the University of Colorado stretched from 1969–1976. He attended the University of Colorado-Boulder for his undergraduate degree in environmental design and the University of Colorado-Denver for his master’s degree in architecture and planning. He
then returned to Greeley and, with two degrees in hand, went to work for ConAgra foods. During his career with the company, he designed 35 food processing plants. Working in Greeley gave him a unique perspective on the culture and the people he would later be representing as a council member. “I had a lot of experience with Greeley,” he said. “Not [necessarily] politically, but the politics came as a part of growing up and raising a family here and understanding the issues that Greeley faces.” That understanding led Casseday to become a member of Greeley’s planning commission, a government body that handles zoning and development within the Greeley city limits. Casseday was able to draw on his academic and professional knowledge of architecture and planning and was appointed to the commission three times. That position, in turn, afforded him the opportunity to serve on city council. “In 2011, I was appointed [to the council] when a city council member resigned,” Casseday said. “I had a few months of actual participation
before I had to run again.” Touching on his private sector experience — as well as his time on the planning commission — Casseday made roads and infrastructure the centerpiece of his campaign. He was successfully re-elected. That issue is also still relevant today. “We’re facing a really big issue in roads and streets infrastructure,” said Sandi Elder, the council’s other member at large. “We need $12 million to maintain roads. We dug ourselves a hole.” Part of the issue, she said, is that roads aren’t “glamorous”—they aren’t necessarily an eyecatching investment for the city to make. That’s part of why Casseday has made streets and infrastructure his number one issue. “City image is another one,” he said. “Any economic developments we hope to obtain are based on how people see us and [if] they want to move in.” To that end, Casseday has been considerably invested in the Greeley Unexpected campaign, helping assemble its campaigns and goals. If his time with the city council has been chal-
lenging, it has been a labor of love—Casseday spoke of Greeley with an obvious sense of pride for the city in which he’s built his life for the past four decades. “The most important thing is that you care about Greeley and don’t have a personal agenda,” Elder said when talking about the qualities of a good council member. “You have to have an open mind and do what’s right, and what’s right isn’t always popular.” Elder and Casseday are unique on the council in that they are the only two council members at large—they serve the city council, although they don’t represent one of the four “wards” that Greeley is broken into. “We all care about Greeley,” Elder said. “But Robb and I are at large members, which means we represent the entire area.” For Casseday, that urge to represent the city was a moral stirring—one that has been driving him ever since he became a council member in 2011. “I never really wanted to be a politician,” he said. “I just wanted to be a good person and do the right thing for our city.”
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Election Preview By Zach Blackburn news@uncmirror.com
Ward IV’s councilmember has a unique background that led him into the world of local politics. “When I came to Greeley, I noticed immediately what a great community it was, and I was happy to be a part of it, but I wanted to help make it even better,” said Mike Finn, a Greeley City Council member representing Ward IV. Finn is a retired Navy Commander who served on various SS ships. He has visited several places in the Middle East and has also spent some time in Japan during his service. After he retired from the Navy, he came to Greeley to be with his wife and help take care of his in-laws. Finn has served on Greeley’s council for six years and has made a large impact on the community. “I’ve always been a fan of public service—obviously, since my time in the Navy—and I like to give back,” Finn said. “It’s important to me to feel like I’m making a positive difference.” Many Greeley residents are thankful to Finn’s work, even if they are not sure of who he is. “I don’t know him, but I really enjoy where I live, and the Greeley community in general,” said Ian Butler, a Greeley resident in Ward IV. “If he’s helping make it the way it is, I’m all for it.” Finn is an important part of the community, but he recognizes
himself as a regular person who simply likes his neighborhood. “I’m not much different from anyone else,” Finn said, “I’m just a representative, so people support me, but I do it for myself, too. I’m sure other people feel the same and like to see their community thrive.” But Finn has amassed his district’s liking. “I don’t really care for any sort of politics, but he seems like a stand-up guy,” Greeley resident Casey Campbell said. “I think he Courtesy of GreeleyGov cares about what’s going on, and that’s important. These days a lot Michael Finn, representative for Ward IV, said he is just a regular of people don’t take the time.” In addition to community im- person who wants to see his comprovement, Finn has a few other munity do well. major passions in life as well. His favorite thing to do is travel, but he also enjoys cooking and golfing. “My best piece of advice would be to travel,” Finn said. “It leads to understanding. It’s hard to really understand a culture unless you’ve been there and experienced it. I’ve been very fortunate to have traveled to a lot of places, and I’ve learned a lot from it.”
By Dominique Morphis news@uncmirror.com
The soon-to-be youngest member of Greeley City Council, Rochelle Galindo, 25, has some big plans and goals for the city. As the first openly gay female elected official, Galindo, who is running unopposed, is bringing voice and opinions to the table that reflect the diverse city she grew up in. Being Latino and Apache Indian, Galindo said she is just as diverse as the citizens she wants to represent. Galindo has experience working with the community since she was in high school. She worked on the Greeley Youth Commission and got her first opportunity to work in politics when she worked for President Obama on his campaign at the age of 22. Galindo said more young people need to be involved with politics, since being involved helped her form an opinion on important topics. “There is a lot of decisions being made that we definitely need a voice in,” she said. She also said being involved has helped her develop into a community leader by being aware of the issues and by learning to think for herself.
October 19, 2015 | uncmirror.com
Courtesy of Rochelle Galindo for Greeley City Council Facebook page
Rochelle Galindo is running unopposed for Greeley City Council.
Although some people may think that Galindo lacks the experience to run for Greeley City Council, she said she knows what the residents want and need by having grown up in Greeley and having talked to thousands of people about their concerns and problems.
Galindo’s mother worked her way from the bottom and is now the export coordinator at Cargill Meat Solutions in Fort Morgan—the first woman to hold that position in the industry. Galindo said it is necessary to work from the bottom in order to fully understand what’s going on in a particular area. “You have to start from the ground up in order to understand everything at the top,” Galindo said. Galindo said she felt a need to do something about the issues affecting her city. One of her biggest concerns is the lack of grocery shopping options in Ward I, an area which Galindo said many lowincome families who lack transportation reside in. Because of the connections she has made, Galindo said she understands these issues better than anyone else, which is why she has chosen to run for office. “I wanted to ensure Greeley has the type of representation and leadership that reflects the people it represents,” Galindo said. “I hope to do that. I’ve been accessible to people, and I want to continue to be accessible to people… That is what leadership is, and that is what representation should be like. If you have an issue, you should be able to reach out to me, and that is definitely something I want to bring to the city.”
October 19, 2015 | uncmirror.com
Editor: La’Asianee Brown
Arts & Culture
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ARTS CALENDAR
MON 10/19
Shai Landreneaux | The Mirror
10 a.m.-4 p.m. The Ballast: Anja Marais Art Show (Daily Event) Guggenheim Hall 9-11 p.m. Open Mic Night University Center- Fireside Lounge
Be the RoaR:
Homecoming
2015
TUES 10/20 7:30-8:30 p.m. UNC@UCCC: Bands Small Ensemble Concert Union Colony Civic Center, Hensel Phelps Theatre, 701 10th Ave.
WED 10/21 6:30-8:30 p.m. Celebration of Mind University Center- Ballrooms 7-9 p.m. UNC@UCCC: Jazz Bands Union Colony Civic Center, Monfort Concert Hall, 701 10th Ave.
Shai Landreneaux | The Mirror
THUR 10/22 7-11 p.m. Spectrum Presents Sixth Annual Drag Show: Drag Me to Hell University Center- Ballrooms
FRI 10/23 2-5 p.m. UNC’s Mini Amazing Race University Center
SAT 10/24 WED 8/26 Breelyn Bowe | The Mirror
Shai Landreneaux | The Mirror
Top: Fireworks light up the sky, concluding the homecoming pep rally and bonfire. Left: Calesia Monroe (right), a freshman human services major, eats and talks with a fellow UNC freshman at the homecoming barbeque and obstacle course. Bottom left: Students stay warm at the homecoming bonfire Friday night. Bottom right: Comedian Ronnie Jordan returns to UNC to talk about life as father, “after-school poops” and his appreciation for food.
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Zombie Tag Bishop-Lehr Field
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Arts & Culture
October 19, 2015 | uncmirror.com
Bears in action: Homecoming Game 2015 Instagram pictures sporting #unchomecoming and #gobears capture students’ moments at the football game
Photo courtesy of UNC Alumni Association Instagram Photo courtesy of University of Northern Colorado Instagram
Spring Concert GENRE POLL
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Text 313131 with code UNCOUPC along with ONE of the following hiphop, pop, country, EDM, rock.
Editor: Dylan Sanchez
October 19, 2015 | uncmirror.com
Sports
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For next-day game recaps, check UNCMIRROR.COM
Football lands record-breaking win By Kyle O’Neal
sports@uncmirror.com
The Northern Colorado football team scored early and often in its second straight Big Sky win, 56-27, over UC Davis for homecoming on Saturday afternoon at Nottingham Field. The Bears (4-2, 2-2 Big Sky) scored touchdowns on each of their first seven drives of the game en route to their highest scoring output since becoming a Division I program. At one point, The Bears led the Aggies (1-6, 1-3) 42-0 in the first half before UC Davis managed a short field goal prior to halftime. Even when things didn’t go the Bears’ way, UNC could do no wrong in the first half. The Bears scored their first touchdown on a botched rushing play that led to an impromptu 10-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman quarterback Jacob Knipp. After preventing UC Davis from gaining a first down on the following possession, UNC took just three plays and 50 yards to score its second touchdown of the day on a 34-yard swing pass to redshirt sophomore running back Brandon Cartagena. Both Cartagena and Knipp had breakthrough performances on Saturday. Knipp accounted for four total touchdowns, one passing and three rushing. Cartagena led the Bears in
rushing with 112 yards off just nine carries. He also added two rushing touchdowns and one touchdown reception. The Bears allowed another short field goal to open the second half to make the score 42-6, but followed that up with the play of the game. UNC started their next possession on their own 25-yard line and took just one play to get into the endzone. Before the snap, redshirt sophomore receiver Hakeem Deggs came across the formation and got the ball off a jet sweep. Deggs beat the Aggie defense around the edge and won the race to the goal line, making the score 49-6. Despite the promising showing, all was not perfect for Northern Colorado. The Bears started their next possession deep in their own territory at their own six-yard line. On the second play of the drive, Knipp thought he had an open man in the flat to his right. However, the UC Davis defender closed quickly to intercept the ball and return it nine yards for the Aggies’ first touchdown of the day. “I saw him, and I thought I could slip it in there,” Knipp said. “He wasn’t looking at me when I threw it, and right as I threw it, he turned around. It was just one of those plays you have to learn from. What was good about that is the offense came back the next drive and put it in the end-zone.” Northern Colorado had a huge day on offense, especially rushing the ball.
MON 10/19 All Day Men’s Golf at California State University- Northridge Northridge, Califorina 5 p.m. Women’s Swim and Dive vs. Nebraska-Omaha Butler-Hancock Swimming Pool
TUES 10/20 Photo courtesy of Rob Trubia
Redshirt sophomore running back Brandon Cartagena scored three touchdowns, two rushing, one catching, and ran for 112 yards off just nine carries in this weekend’s homecoming game against UC Davis. The Bears won 56-27.
In addition to Cartagena’s big day, junior running back Darius Graham added 71 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. If not for a late kneel-down, UNC would have finished with 300 rushing yards. Instead the team finished with 298. The Bears added 186 yards through the air, resulting in 484 yards of total offense. “Quite frankly, Brandon Cartagena and Darius Graham ran the ball the way we needed them to today,” coach Earnest Collins said following the win. “When it’s clicking like that, you can see
the momentum starting to build. As a coach, when you talk to the kids about what they’re capable of, and then they see it for themselves, it’s a great feeling. I know we played together as a team.” Despite the dominating performance on offense, UNC held the ball for just over 17 minutes for the entire game. In comparison, the Aggies had almost 43 minutes for time of possession. The Bears will try to make it three wins in a row next week, when they play Eastern Washington at 1:35 p.m. on Saturday at Nottingham Field.
Volleyball sweeps UND, soccer wins in double OT, women’s tennis looking towards ITA championships Staff Report
Volleyball
UNC was able to complete the homecoming weekend sweep with a win against University of North Dakota, just hours after UNC football broke division-I scoring records. Coming off a 3-1 loss to Sacramento State on Thursday, the Bears were hoping to bounce back against North Dakota. It took four sets on Thursday in Sacramento as the Bears eventually lost 22-25, 25-19, 25-19 and 25-10, winning only the first set before losing three straight to the Hornets.
The Bears returned home to face the North Dakota on Saturday evening at the Bank of Colorado Arena. UNC swept UND 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-19) as the Bears recorded 51 kills and hit at .327 percent, getting UNC back to .500 in the Big Sky Conference, 8-13 overall (4-4 Big Sky). UNC will be back in action and will try to get above .500 for the first time against Southern Utah University at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Cedar City, Utah.
Soccer
YELLOW = HOME GAME BLUE = AWAY GAME
This week in Northern Colorado sports sports@uncmirror.com
SPORTS CALENDAR
Northern Colorado women’s soccer defeated Sacramento State 2-1 with goals from senior Essense OrtizLaneir and freshman Mariel Guttierez. The game went into double overtime, and both teams were given plenty of opportunities in regulation time, firing 15 shots each.
Sacramento had seven shots on goal while UNC had six shots on goal. Sophomore Madeline Burdick made six saves, including a lone save in the second overtime session.
Women’S TenniS
The Bears were aiming to qualify individuals and doubles for the ITA Championship this weekend, and freshman Remi Immler and junior Beth Coton led the way for UNC in doubles competition. Immler and Coton were in the fifth round of the qualifiers after beating the University of Nevada-Las Vegas 8-5 on Friday. Coton and Immler got the furthest of all Bears in singles play as well, making it to the second round before both were eliminated. The week-long tournament concluded on Sunday.
All Day Women’s Golf at Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Invite Oahu, Hawaii
THUR 10/22 7 p.m. Women’s Volleyball at Southern Utah University Cedar City, Utah All Day Men’s Tennis at ITA Reginal Championship Albuquerque, New Mexico
FRI 10/23 7 p.m. Women’s Soccer vs. Eastern Washington Jackson Field
SAT 10/24 1 p.m. Women’s Volleyball at Northern Arizona Flagstaff, Arizona 1:35 p.m. Football vs. Eastern Washington University Nottingham Field
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Sports
October 19, 2015 | uncmirror.com
Dynamic linebacker dominating Big Sky By Makalah Emanuel sports@uncmirror.com
From his debut season in 2014 to now, UNC linebacker James Riddle has made his presence known on the field and in the stat records. He finished the 2014 season third on the team in tackles and with this year’s season well under way, “the Riddler” continues to power through the number charts. The Colorado native holds the second spot in this season’s tackles with 49. He recorded 14 stops in the season-opener against Western State. The statistics outweigh his previous season-high of 12, which came last year against Sacramento State. A few weeks following the win against Western State, Riddle tallied up nine tackles and a touchdown. The numbers were enough to win Riddle the third ranking in the Big Sky conference for tackles. He is 28th overall in the nation. The success, however, isn’t something Riddle boasts about. “Winning games is more important than individual accolades” Riddle said. “I just do my job and the defensive line helps out with opening up pulls and helping make tackles.” During his redshirt freshman season in 2014, Riddle was given the opportunity to start in the final six games. The run helped Riddle end the season with 35 solo tackles, 34 assisted tackles, one TFL and four PBU’s. He said the games he started in helped him progress into the player he is today. “It definitely helped me get used to playing Division I football and taught me some things like the speed of the game,” Riddle said. Riddle also recounted his favorite memory from a UNC game, which came out of one against UC Davis.
“It was the last drive and they had the ball and they had a chance to win it,” he said. “We held them and didn’t let them score and won the game.” When Riddle is not playing or practicing, he’s doing one of two things. “I like playing video games,” he said. “I’m a big Call of Duty guy and I study a lot. When I’m not playing video games or practicing, I’m studying.” As for his favorite NFL team, Riddle said he doesn’t necessarily have one. “I like watching players in the NFL, but I don’t have a favorite team,” he said. “I like linebackers like Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.” The sport and exercise science major said he has clear goals for what he wants to accomplish following his UNC campaign. “I want to do something with athletics later on in life,” Riddle said. “I want to do something with coaching college players, or be a combine trainer.” Taylor Risner, a junior UNC safety Maeve Widmann | The Mirror and one of this year’s team captains, said the energy that Riddle brings to every game is what sticks out to him. “That dude just flies around and you see how many tackles he gets,” Risner said. “That’s because he’s always just flying around the ball. He loves the game. He comes out here with high energy and is hyped up. He loves to be out here.” Perhaps the energy Riddle brings stems from his long-standing love for the game. “I started playing football in the fifth grade,” Riddle said. “I just fell in love with the game really young. Playing little league football was really fun. There was no structure or pressure so you just go out and have fun.” Riddle and Risner have been a defensive duo that combined for 109 tackles and eight tackles for losses, and will continue being a spark plug for the UNC defense.