The Mirror - March, 2018

FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2018

A Student Reflection of the UNC Community

FOLLOW US ONLINE www.uncmirror.com

SLAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL

JoJo’s performance at the Spring Concert was well-received, but Slake Dransky, the UNC student who opened for her, was a huge hit.

Read all about him on page 11.

If you have ever wanted a 600-seat performance venue, a 400-seat multipurpose auditorium, or another café on campus?

Either way, get ready for the new Campus Commons.

The idea of Campus Commons was introduced to UNC students, staff, faculty, and community members in the spring of 2014. They were asked to share their ideas and thoughts about the new building, and in the summer of 2014, a program plan about the visions, financing, construction schedule and facility requirements was published.

The Campus Commons is being built with three main goals. The first goal is to increase the number of students who enroll and succeed at UNC. The second goal is to address the basic curricular needs of students in performing and visual arts, business, nutrition and hospitality. The third and final goal is to create a welcoming and accessible point of connection between UNC and the broader community.

The new building will be used for admissions counselors, new student orientation, study abroad programs, international student support, career services, community and civic engagement and alumni relations. Campus tours will also begin in this building. This is designed to be a onestop center for students, as well as a way to showcase the music and musical theater productions in the heart of campus.

Kirk Leichliter, the assistant vice president of facilities management, led a small group of UNC alumni, staff, and members of Student Senate to tour the Campus Commons on Saturday, Feb. 24.

“We should get everything but the performance hall turned over to us in early December,” Leichliter said. “So then we’ll work with the occupants to decide whether they’re going to be up and running for the beginning of the spring semester, or whether that’s their busy time and they

need to move later in the spring semester. So we’ll learn that in just a bit.”

According to Leichliter, the 600seat performance hall features a stage similar to Langworthy Theater in Frasier Hall. There will be an orchestra shell, which is set up to change sizes depending on how small or large the orchestra group is. The orchestra pit features an orchestra lift, where it can be raised to increase the amount of stage, lowered down one level where 80 more seats can roll out on the lift and then be raised to house level for a bigger audience, or it can be lowered to make a bigger orchestra pit. The heating will come from below the seats, which will be better acoustically and used for temperature control.

The Campus Commons will also feature a rehearsal room with shaped walls and curtain systems.

The balcony level of the Campus Commons features more bathrooms and conference spaces. There are several conference rooms for 30 people, and another 50-person conference room in the corner. The balcony level also has meeting and group rooms, which can be for study work or other uses.

GPS+ Director Sarah Chase introduced the integrated services center in the Campus Commons.

“This is our integrated business services and student services center, so this is what will become the GPS+. This is what we’ve been calling the ‘one-stop,’” Chase said. “So this is where students will be able to come in and get help with financial aid questions, make changes to registration, possibly set up an appointment for career counseling. We’ll be actually located next to the career center and so next to the center for international education and civic engagement and we’ll be able to help connect and do some referrals from there.”

Chase said the integrated business services and student services center will be a great place for students to get a lot done in

one visit, as well as get more information.

According to Leichliter, the integrated business services and student services center will be the main entry on that level, which will go down the hill and connect outside of Zachariah’s in the UC. They will be adding more tables and an outdoor space, as well as building a fire-pit outside.

They are also redoing the patio outside of the ballrooms.

Lyndsey Crum, the assistant vice president for alumni relations, went on the tour and spoke to the group about possible student jobs in the Campus Commons.

“So for offices that currently employ large amounts of students that are going to be located – so our student ambassadors, the admissions office, alumni student assistance that work in my office, student assistants that work in her office, or international education – much like the professional staff that we work with, they’re going to be located here,” Crum said. “Kirk and our planning team have been working with those team leaders like me that make sure we have space for our student workers, so that’s all been thought about. So if you’re one of those offices or you want to apply for an office job – alumni, admissions, career, orientation – you’ll have a space in this facility in addition to all the service spaces that are available. You’ll be

here with us.”

According to Leichliter, there is just a room or two who’s current places are being vacated, such as civic engagements, which has two offices in Michener Library. The visitor’s center is the biggest single space that is moving to Campus Commons, and they are in process of evaluating to see who else needs to be there. Several other units that need more space could possibly fit in the current visitor’s center on campus. Some spaces have multiple components and will be split between the UC and Campus Commons, such as International Education.

There won’t be a lot of vacated space due to the Campus Commons project.

The Campus Commons is a $73.6 million project, which is funded from state capital funds, private donor gifts, and bonds supported by student capital fees. According to the campus commons website, every university in Colorado charges a student capital fee, which is used for construction and maintenance. This requires a full-time UNC student to pay a fee of $160 per year for this project. The capital fee is designed in a way that will pay off the construction of the Campus Commons in over a 30-year period approximately.

A livestream video of the Campus Commons tour can be found on The Mirror’s Facebook page.

Student Media Corporation

Racial tension is trending on the University of Northern Colorado campus in 2018.

UNC is ranked among the most diverse campuses in Colo31 percent of students on campus are members of a minority race.

UNC may have more racial tension than the statistics have led the public to believe.

African-American students on campus are reporting instances where white students are using the N-word in everyday conversation. When confronted about the negative connotation caused by this word, white stusophomore, who wishes to remain anonymous, has experienced this.

“I got into an altercation with my roommate. There was a lot of verbal abuse, threat and harassment and I ended up having to move out of my dorm,” said the sophomore, describing her encounters with the N-word on campus. “It was all around the use of the N-word. I didn’t do anything because of freedom of speech.”

UNC sophomore Kylie Kayemba, an African-American student, recalls a similar experience.

“My friend told me she was standing in line at the Subway in the UC and two girls in front of her kept using the N-word in their conversation,” Kayemba said.

At the 2016 rally in which President Donald Trump came to UNC, chants and slogans were introduced to campus, encouraging minorities to return back to their homelands. Some of the chanters were not even students at UNC, but rather outside individuals targeting minorities on campus. These incidents of racial Trump rally were protected by the UNC faculty and Greeley police through the right to free speech in a public space.

In fact, some black students who reported harassment during the Trump rally were told by the police that nothing could be done, and the individuals could leave campus if they did not like what was going on.

Black students did not just sense bear witness to it.

“The Trump rally created a feeling as if people of color were being

targeted. Before I was always aware and cautious about my race, but now I have a general feeling of being unsafe,” said the anonymous UNC sophomore.

Following the election of President Trump, racial tension became more evident to many people at UNC. The election of a president so openly against relaxed immigration control seemed to signal to some that discrimination against an entire group of people was popular.

“It got really bad. People were saying racial slurs to black people, people were shouting ‘Go back to your country,’ someone even put a whole poster on the campus library saying ‘Death to Diversity,’” said the anonymous sophomore, explaining why she did not feel safe on campus.

“I study elementary education and I am the only black person in my year in the entire college. The only other black person I talk to in elementary ed is Doctor Middelton,” Kayemba said, depicting her isolation.

Why does the skin color of black students on campus have to lead to feelings of isolation and discrimination? This is the same question that civil rights activists, such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, asked America in an attempt to discredit racism.

“I feel most black students feel isolated when they enter a classroom on campus and I don’t think that’s right,” Kayemba said.

Some black students on campus describe instances in which they are isolated and targeted in the classroom. When they look to the faculty in charge of the classroom for shelter from the storm, the faculty chooses to let free speech and a lively debate prevail.

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Why does the skin color of black students on campus have to lead to feelings of isolation and discrimination? This is the same question that civil rights activists, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, asked America in an attempt to discredit racism.

“I feel most black students feel isolated when they enter a classroom on campus

and I don’t think that’s right,” Kayemba said.

Some black students on campus describe instances in which they are isolated and targeted in the classroom. When they look to the faculty in charge of the classroom for shelter from the storm, the faculty chooses to let free speech and a lively debate prevail.

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“Some of my friends have been in classes where someone will say something completely racist during a classroom debate but the professor doesn’t do anything to stop it. They just give everyone their chance to talk,” Kayemba said.

UNC senior Nicholas Johnson is also an African-American student, and has played football for the college for four years. He has experienced the same thing.

“In class sometimes, some guys will be joking around and they say something racist against black people and all I can do is just kinda give them a look, you know?” Johnson said.

So what is happening to combat these negative trends? The general attitude among black UNC students is to continue the work of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King and provoke change, “By all means necessary.”

Many of the black students on campus are tired of the inaction from faculty and are ready to see change. Although

there are mentors and cultural centers on campus aimed directly at fostering diversity, students feel like this is not going far enough.

Angel Cooper, a black UNC sophomore, expressed her views on modern day civil rights activism.

“I feel like as a society we have taken a step backwards,” Cooper said. “If we want something to change we need to stop talking about it. You can’t just keep talking about it.”

Kayemba agrees, comparing the racial tension today to the days of MLK and Malcolm X. “I see our fight as a continuation of what Malcolm X stood for, especially because a lot of us are tired of just sitting around and watching nothing happen,” Kayemba said.

The main request from African-American students on campus is to wake up and see that racial tension is alive at UNC.

A day in the life: transitioning from longboarding to snowboarding STAFF REPORTER It was around 11:00 p.m.. Laying before me was the seemingly harmless hill stretching from Ross to Holmes Dining Hall. My competitive side had gotten the best of me once again and, this time, I found myself lining up to race against a few of the guys who lived Hall.

I was about to race them down one of UNC’s bigger hills. Rookie mistake.

I had been doing relatively well with just cruising around campus during the day. When I was tempted into racing against the guys I felt that, even though I had only begun a few hours ago, I somehow could beat all of them at this race. If they could do it, I could do it.

I stood at the end of the line of maybe three other people, staring down the

long stretch of cement to the glass doors of Holmes Dining Hall, with my Ireland Sector 9 board. seconds of wind blowing through my hair ing in the adrenaline and feeling freer than I had ever felt before. At 11 seconds, panic set in. The board started to wobble beneath my white Vans as the speed picked up. I suddenly felt so exposed, nothing linking me to the board except gravity.

As the panic slowly consumed me, something else occurred to me: I didn’t know how to stop. approaching, I decided to carry out this idea, even though there was only cement getting maybe three steps in before I went tumbling down the rest of the way, skinning my side and landing on my head.

I sat up on the ground, trying to make

sense of what had just happened; I may had First day of snowboarding: I had rented all the equipment and gear that I needed from Outdoor Pursuits.

Though I had lived in Colorado for about 20 of the 21 years of my life, I had never been snowboarding, or skiing for that matter. It rado, it took someone from out-of-state to get me to hit the slopes.

theory.

Having spent the whole morning on the bunny hill, constantly falling and having to get myself back up, I somehow made it from the top of the hill to the bottom without falling. Pleased with myself, I decided to give the smaller, but bigger part of the bunny hill a try.

Second step: learning how to get on and the snow.

a supposedly two-hour drive to Keystone turning into nearly four hours. The resort was not as busy as anticipated, but people

ferent story. Obviously compacted snow is slick, but no one ever really knows how slick

nervous for the day’s events until we pulled into the parking lot. Then I began to wonder if I was just getting myself into another

as gracefully as possible, while it’s still moving, with a snowboard strapped to at least one of their feet. And even though I had been told to put my other foot in the middle

bunny hill for me.

The bunny hill consisted of mostly children and classes. It was small, so it wasn’t very intimidating for a starter, or at least not for me.

Though I hadn’t become any expert

give me the security and stability I needed to keep from falling.

afraid of was picking up speed, losing control and crashing once again. My competitive side was not going to get the best of me that day.

First step to learning to snowboard: learn how to get up. It seems like a simple task, but when one is sitting at the top of a hill and everything is slippery, it proved more I managed to stand up, get a split second of balance, but then quickly lose that balance and end up with my butt in the snow once again.

Though maintaining my balance on a snowboard was basically the same as maintaining balance on a longboard, having my feet strapped to the board took some getwhen you start feeling uneasy, but with snowboarding if you start to fall, the board goes with you.

It was bittersweet having my feet stuck to the board. I didn’t have to worry about positioning my feet in the perfect spot and what more simple in that regards, at least in

ly looked like me snowboarding, or at least that’s how I imagined it.

I wanted to go faster and try to keep up, but the memory of rushing down a hill at scary fast speeds seemed all too familiar. So I decided to play it safe, trying to maintain a slow, but steady speed with the exception of a few parts I sped up on, as they were not as

Final step for the day: tackle a run. mountain, it began to hit me that it was taking a really, really, really long time to get to the top. And if it was taking a long time to get to the top, the way down would be very similar. I was not sure I was all that committed to the run. up with a little boy, maybe about six years old, whom I asked if he would need help

dence fell a few levels with me.

The run didn’t seem all that intimidating, seeing as it was a green-level route called Schoolmarm and most families were easily going down with their younger children.

Thus, I began my descent down. than I thought. I did stop a lot to catch my breath and kept a relatively slow pace, but I found a little pride in the fact that I had hardly fallen.

Having gone with someone who had been snowboarding almost all his life, I had a hard time keeping up. Imagine a snail trying to keep up with a cheetah--that basical-

intimidating, seeing as it was

most famlies were easily going down with

steep or intimidating.

Both snowboarders and skiers raced encouraging me to pick up my speed a little more slowly, but surely.

On the bright side, even if I went a little

a small bruise on the snow was a heck of a having nasty road rash to show for it.

By two thirds of the way through the run, my body was starting to give up on me. My knees were hurting. My thighs ached. I was completely worn out. For some unknown reason my arms were killing me, even though I was pretty sure they had hardly done anything all day other than catch me when I fell. Until that point, I didn’t feel tired at all, but it was as if all the events of the day hit me all at once.

The person I had gone with was well ahead of me considering I had been going so slow and we were so close to the end. I told him to just go on without me. I would make it down eventually.

Several people warned me that learning to snowboard was no easy task, but a small part of me had thought that I would get it naturally. Natural was not a word that I By the end of the day, I was sure of three things: one, I needed a beer, two, beginner snowboarder and graceful don’t ever belong in the same sentence, and three, me, I couldn’t wait to get back out on the slopes.

STAFF REPORTER Gun violence is so old that saying its getting old is old, but even that has been said by others already.

However, in wake of yet another tragic school shooting, this time killing 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida, students, parents and teachers across the country are asking the same question: “Will this be the day I face death?” No one should have to fear bullets piercing through their classrooms but nothing is being done to curb this anxiety.

What we need to ask ourselves as a nation is how we can morally, ethically and justly protect our schools while being realistic, constitutional and pragmatic at the same time. Even if school-related gun violence diminishes, its overall threat still lingers in our society.

My answers to these questions are found partially within the voice of one parent who sadly lost their child in this monstrous act of evil.

“I’m pissed,” said Andrew Pollack, whose daughter, Meadow, 18, was gunned down at Stoneman Doug-

las. “I’m not going to see my daughter again. She’s not here. She’s at North Lauderdale in King David’s cemetery.

That’s where I go to see my kid now.”

“How many schools, how many children have to get shot?” Pollack said.

The bottom line is that if we can protect our schools, the rest of our society can be kept safe as well. It starts tential carnage should focus initially on protecting the safety and well being of our students, keeping them out of harm’s way. If our schools can become safer, so could, ultimately, our theaters, concerts, highways, churches and other sectors of our society also. The tension lies between safety and freedom. The question to ask is what

Unquestionably, as Americans we live in a gun culture; this is the underlying issue. A consensus will, for the most part, tell us that we like guns and thus they are not going away anytime soon. This is why this issue is so complicating, problematic and frustrating. Whether it’s the frontier mentality inherited from manifest destiny or revolutionary spirit originating in 1776, there is something present within the American psyche that is fascinated with, perhaps awed by, things that explode.

This is the primary reason why other European countries don’t experience the same intensity of gun violence as the United States: gun-related deaths here have a cultural basis. Culture, therefore, not so much politicians, interest groups Our regional accreditors (the or lack of mental health supHigher Learning Commission) port, underlines this issue recommended that based on our accreditation status we should no and is the most problematic.

Bachelor of Science in longer be considered a school, but Most would agree that the Nursing / Associate a college! With fourteen years of U.S. should be a gun-owning Degree in Nursing excellence in Nursing education nation, yet, we have no clue and thousands of successful how to manage them in a graduates providing the best in free society.

Nursing care, WE AGREE! Then there is the Second Amendment. Not only is gun ownership an individual Accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, DCN is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission; DCN programs are approved by the Colorado State Board of Nursing. For freedom, Americans clearly consumer information go to denvercollegeofnursing.edu. embrace and defend the constitution. We are skepti-

EXCITING NEWS!!

Several people were killed on Feb. 14 at a high school in Parkland, Florida, prompting Dick’s Sporting Goods to Washington Post.

cal – and for good reason – even looking at the amendment liberties. Not only is “the right to bear arms” an amendment, it is part of the original Bill of Rights. Furthermore, it’s number two, following the amendment protecting the freedom of speech, to assemble, practice any religion, and so on. This liberty might as well be sacred in the hearts of Americans.

American psychology, other factors mentioned previously are somewhat to blame in this pattern of gun-related homicides and mass shootings. One is ambitious, opportunistic and reluctant politicians, combined with the slowness of the political process in general, which is naturally antagonistic to change and progress. to advocate for and enforce stricter gun regulations, I felt despair and dread,” says Vicki Smith from Sandy, Utah.

“I am a kindergarten teacher who now has to practice ‘shelter-in-place’ drills with my young charges.”

Demanding to “take action now,� Cameron Kasky, a 17 year old survivor at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, talked about how “students at my school felt one shared experience – our politicians abandoned us by failing to keep guns out of schools. But this time, my classmates and I are going to hold them to account.�

This phenomenon should come as no surprise. An all-too-familiar routine follows these deadly shootings: coverage bombarding viewers. Next, divisions arise, with gun-control advocates on the one side calling for stricter laws, and quarrelling proponents on the other, who argue contrarily, saying the time is not appropriate als wouldn’t help anyways.

Ultimately, this leads to a predictable stalemate on both sides. A political deadlock results, nothing changes, and America grows more divided. The fact that the Florida House rejected a motion to take a bill banning assault but later approved a resolution declaring pornography a public health risk, attests one unfortunate trend: priorities are ambiguous in the world of politics.

Interests groups are exacerbating this trend. Orga-

nizations such as the NRA are especially to blame, who knowingly line the back pockets of some politicians with money to advance the group’s goals and interests. These groups continually donate millions to these politicians at every level of government, who then rile up their supporters into making them believe that the opposition

encouraging gun violence, yet, if you don’t realize that interest groups like the NRA are at least partially responsible, then you’re naïve. Yes, interests groups contribute to this problem, but this is routine for every political issue conceivable.

The same goes for mental health. One common mis-

In turn, these individuals stockpile these weapons

comment, is that mental health is regularly a “big� problem underlying these tragedies. While some correlation exists linking mental health with these shootings, facts and statistics prove that this doesn’t necessarily cause them or is a major contributing factor.

A 2016 academic study estimates that just four percent of all violence is associated with some mental illness. A similar study a year prior found that individuals

which would never work anyways – or an apocalypse that never comes. While in the meantime, gun manufacturers, lobbyists and especially the NRA get richer.

Both sides of the political spectrum are to blame.

While Republicans on the one hand, for the most part, tend to take large donations from groups like the NRA als seem to lack a clear and cohesive plan in enacting gun-control legislation and are disorganized in their cause overall. Gun control advocates, while desiring aced, and merely throw hands in the air, proclaiming, “Well, something must be done.� right does. The NRA may not be the sole perpetrator in

percent of “gun-related� deaths in the U.S. between 2001 illness, according to the New York Times. “Evidence is clear that the large majority of people with mental disorders do not engage in violence against others, and that most violent behavior is due to factors other than mental illness,� said the 2016 study.

In other words, people who struggle with mental health

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health issues are more likely to harm themselves than others. Shootings, therefore, have the tendency to only stigmatize mental health even further. Again, mental health is not the core issue, culture is. Yes, it is important to get help for those who need it. Yes, we need to be proactive about recommending counseling, reaching out to families, and advocating mental health awareness, but this is not going to completely eliminate the threat of gun violence in schools, let alone anywhere else.

“We can recommend counseling, talk to the family, dole out suspensions and even expel them if it’s bad enough. But we cannot force them to get counseling, we

cannot force their families to admit to the degree of illness, and we cannot stop them from getting guns and coming to school to kill us,” wrote a public high school teacher from New York.

Certainly a shortage of trained professionals on hand will only further perpetuate the symptoms of what students are already experiencing. Most of the time, because schools are whelmed, a simple problem could automatically land a student within the realm of hospitalization. There’s treatment and diagnosis, if any at all, but no support.

“Those who blame the mentally ill for these murders are neglecting the real cause of the mass casualties,”

Smith said. “A mentally ill intruder is scary. A mentally ill intruder with an automatic weapon is deadly.”

Safeguarding schools rests on supporting teachemotionally, not arming them. Instead of zealously sponsoring border security, maybe our president should focus on constructing impenetrable walls to protect our schools and keep children safe.

These policies need to be both reactive and proactive; including ones that can immediately suppress or eliminate the target immediately and on site, along with others that prevent the shooting place. Reactive policies could be revamping lockdown pro-

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One of the reoccurring issues that come up with the mention of guns is possible infringment upon American citizens’ Second Ammendment rights. Photo courtesy of teenvogue.com.

cedures and making them more extensive or increasing the number of school es. Designing or requiring schools to include a single entry point into them could ing teachers and providing incentives for them to carry in schools, while a reactive but also a useless and absurd policy for a plethora of reasons. such as priorities in funding, the risks involved, and ethical morals and principles.

Proactive policies, on the other hand, could come in the form of more universal and thorough background checks, a stronger mental health support system and greater enforcement of laws already set in place allowaction. The FBI, for example, admitted its failure to follow through an anonymous tip “close” to the 19 year old suspect, explaining his “desire to kill people,” “erratic behavior” and “disturbing so-

cial media posts.” Establishstraw buying, and increasing arms are also potential proactive measures to consider.

The goals of these policies are to avoid two extremes: the abolition of the Second Amendment and the reinforcement of a police state in our halls of education. To gun advocates who question the infringement of their constitutional liberties when the word “gun-reform” springs: how exactly is this manifested simply from taking another class or getting another visit? It’s a little much to say any of these protocols would threaten the essence of the individual living in a free and democratic sostitution.

This last point may seem controversial, but considering the facts, needs mentioning. There is no need for semi or automatic. A hunt-

of war are diametrically optween the two. If there’s any confusion, just look at the shootings in Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, Pulse Night Club, Las Vegas and Florida as examples. Wal-Mart and Dicks Sporting Goods have no problem understanding.

Weapons like the AR-15 are typically purchased not to check tyranny or add to some antique gun collectionfor target practice – a toy, in other words.

The question therefore, is not whether America is dom for safety, it’s what are Otherwise, we could forfeit a good portion of our rights with only perpetual safety in return.

TO: Students, faculty, administrative and classified employees, Student Affairs, UNC Executive Staff, Dean of Students, UNC Board of Trustees, the Greeley community, UNC alumni, student government and all student programs, cultural centers and services, activities, all sororities and fraternal organizations, the friends of the UNC Alumni Association and especially to the friends of the UNC Marcus Garvey Cultural Center in “Bear Country.”

Congratulations on thirty-five years of success!

As I reflect on thirty-five years ago at UNC, I remain honored to know that WE did something great and lasting.

One of my fondest memories as then president of the Black Student Union (BSU) was our campus-wide award ceremony when at that program we listened to the song being played to the audience entitled, ‘The Greatest Love of All’ by George Benson. Since that time, Whitney Houston’s version took that beautiful song to a different level.

It still sends chills through me when I hear it.

On another note, I agree with the comments made by my predecessor, BSU president, Richard Kynard about the center’s grand opening. As I paraphrase his comments, “…it had been a long hard road. It took twelve years for the Black Student Union’s dream to become a new reality on campus in 1983.”

With your brief indulgence, I would like to make a few historical points (questions) in my letter to you today. I want to pass forward seven important things I have learned or re-learned during these thirty-five years: Did you know that years before the Civil War that Horace Greeley (1811 1812), founder and editor of the NewYork Tribune, ran for President of the United States?

Did you know that in the years before the Civil War that Horace Greeley was opposed to slavery and the Mexican War?

Horace Greeley said that “Fame is a vapor, popularity is an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.”

Point #1: Continue to strive for the very best of who you are everyday with consistency.

Point #2. Remember the definition of “dignity” and teamwork often.

Point #3. Highly effective leadership requires critical thinking.

Point #4. Celebrate life, family, friends and good causes.

Point #5. Let kindness in your heart grow often or you will miss out on the beauty of life itself.

Point #6. Ask questions. For example: Am I leaning on the tree or is the tree leaning on me?

Point #7. Self-actualization will occur on different levels in life-span development if you allow it to happen.

And finally in my letter: At this time I also wish to pledge a five-hundred dollar gift donation to the UNC Marcus Garvey Cultural Center.

May God continue to bless those individuals who are both able and unable to show financial support to the success of students everywhere.

I urge small business owners and corporations to continue to invest and contribute to the Marcus Garvey Cultural Center at UNC. I also wish to thank UNC President Norton for her leadership throughout the years. May you have a happy, blessed, and prosperous retirement!

STAFF REPORTER The nostalgia of tween pop, a standout opener and abandoned sobriety.

The UNC’s Spring Concert turned out to be pretty wild for many attendees.

Students were given the opportunity to relive their middle school years as JoJo headlined the University Program Council’s annual concert.

Natalie Tanner, a UNC senior and UPC’s marketing and spring concert coordinator, has worked on getting the event together since August. The music genre for the event is chosen via polls. Hip-hop and R&B was this year’s selected genre.

“It varies year to year, Tanner said. “Last year, we

had a more of R&B rap music. We try to give a variety of options and students pick based on their early interests.”

Tanner explained that the artists are chosen through an agency.

Four hundred tickets for the event were sold, but more continued to be sold throughout the evening.

The concert was held in the UC Ballrooms which can hold up to 800 people. Tickets for students cost $7 and $20 for general admission.

JoJo’s prominence in the mid-2000’s led to many wanting to experience that nostalgia at her concert.

That year, her 2006 album impression on many as the song “Too Little Too Late” peaked at number 3 on the Hot 100 Chart according to

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARCUS GARVEY CULTURAL CENTER! Much love, Neil Williams, founding member, Marcus Garvey Cultural Center, Captain (Retired Reserves), U.S. Air Force.

Peace

JoJo preforms in the UC Ballrooms. Photo by Mary Harbert

Billboard. JoJo started her music career at a young age.

Notably, in 2004 at age 14, her single “Leave (Get Out)” peaked at number 12 under the same chart.

If attendees did not recognize her for her chart-topping music, they might have She starred in the popular teen mermaid movie, 2006’s “Aquamarine,” which starred JoJo, Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton. That same year, she joined the cast of the road trip movie “RV” which starred Robin Williams.

JoJo has grown in her music career beyond 2006, but she did not entirely ignore her early fame. JoJo balanced her one hour and forty-minute set with a mix of throwback singles, covers, and songs from her

new album, she sang “No Apologies” which typically features rapper Wiz Khalifa. The audience was energetic and responsive to her strong performance, gathering around tightly by the railing. A meet-andgreet was held before the concert, but some audience members were able to catch up with JoJo and her band members for pictures and autographs afterwards.

The opener, specifically chosen by JoJo from a selection of three audition submissions, was UNC student performer Slake Dransky, who gave an eyeopening and thrilling per-

formance.

His thirty-minute, hand-picked set held a boisterous amount of energy as he and his friends rapped on stage. Slake Dransky and his crew worked together to put on a show entirely unexpected by those in the audience. The variety of sounds, with different voices rapping or singing, mixes and brassy, trumpet tunes, kept the crowd’s attention.

Slake Dransky is his stage name, which was formerly a high school nickname given to him by a theater friend. The senior acting major’s real

name is Drake Slansky.

The switching the consonant sounds in his name is a type of literary device called spoonerism. After learning about spoonerism, Slake Dransky’s logo became a spoon, which he is quite committed to as he has a matching spoon tattoo on his forearm.

His music is available on every major streaming platform from Sound Cloud to Spotify. Dransky describes his music as something people can groove to, but it inspires critical thought. He says he is a lyricist first and foremost.

He prefers to work with

a variety of people, friends with great talent. Dransky brings along as many of his featured artists to his shows as possible to create an energetic and fun atmosphere among him and his friends and the audience.

Common featured artists and friends of Dransky are: his trumpeter, Kelso, Sydee Whigs, Radiance, Type 1ne, Frederiiick the Great and Jason LoCricchio. He met most of them through UNC. He has performed in smaller venues in Greeley, like the Moxi Theater and the Jager, and in Seattle where he is from.

For some, this night looked like a really great

time as they came prepared. Several inebriated attendees were in the audience. One woman was so inebriated that when she was prompted by the police of who is the current president, she replied that it was George Washington.

Two attendees received a minor in possession, one having vomited in the middle of the crowd early in the evening. Two women towards the end of the concert were escorted to their ride.

No major harm came to anyone in the audience as the police handled the situation with humor and women shared compli-

ments about who looked the most like JoJo..

Who is Slake Dransky, what is spoonerism, and does Mike Pence get high?

STAFF REPORTER the University Center. His arms rested on his knees, his spoon touches of the concert, where he should be during his introduction, prepping for his biggest performance yet.

The Spring Concert headliner JoJo hand-picked Slake Dransky out of three UNC student submissions. The Spring Concert genre this year was chosen by poll and hip-hop and R&B was selected.

His friends were in the room with him. They would be performing with him on stage as his features, artists featured on his songs. It was a large and diversely talented crew, the trumpeter played a short practice tune.

“For such a big event like this, I want everyone to have a party here,” Dransky said. “I think seeing me with my friends up there having a good time, hopefully, it’ll trickle down to everyone else.”

Dranksy’s performance was a big hit with the audience.

The performance sparked responses from the crowd as they danced, moved and chanted back to him. At one point during his song “Mike Pence Smokes Weed,” Dransky called out, “Mike Pence,” to which the crowd responded with “smokes

weed” with great enthusiasm.

With the help of his feature crew, Dransky surprised many by his strong performance and reminded people of the great potential and talent of UNC students hold.

Dransky is a stage name, a prior nickname given to him in high school by a theater buddy. The senior acting major’s real name is Drake Slansky. The name became his stage name when he learned the concept of “spoonerism,” which is a litera phrase are switched. Inspired by this pleasant accident, he branded his stage persona with a logo of a spoon.

Likened to Denver artist Flobots, Dransky’s rap music is packed with energy that engages his listeners musically and thoughtfully. He said his music is something people can groove to while inspiring critical thought.

“For me, it’s all about the lyrics,” Dransky said. “I love good ist without his words?”

He typically tries to bring every featured artist that appears in his tracks along for the ride whenever he gets a new gig. He met each of his featured artists through UNC. He said the “perks of being a theater major” is being surrounded by great talent. His crew consists of: his trumpeter, Kelso, Sydee Whigs, Radiance, Type 1ne, Frederiiick the Great and Jason LoCricchio. Together, the performance was lively as the

friends collaborated on their art.

Dransky has had prior success with performing at the Moxi Theater and bars like the Jager in Greeley as well as open mic nights and gigs in Seattle where he is from. Dransky has released two mixtapes, available on all major streaming platforms, called “Spoonerism” and “How We Pictured It from the Front Porch.” His next work, an EP, is projected to be released His performance brought to question whether the great talents at UNC are being overlooked or not.

Previous Spring Concerts hosted by the University Program Council have been lackluster, bringing in artists so unknown that a venue change was called for this year presumably due to low turnout. Previous concerts were held in the Bank of Colorado Arena whereas this year the UC Ballrooms were converted to a concert venue. Some students that did not attend the Spring Concert complained that they had no idea who the artist was, this year and previous years.

If students are expected to want to attend a concert of an unlight on local or student musicians?

Ellie Dorman, a senior business, marketing and RTH major, was concerned about the need for the Spring Concert. She volunteered at the event this year as well as attended at least three previous Spring Concerts.

“I think it’s a waste of money,” Dorman said. “They don’t advertise it enough, so there’s no way they are making back money in sales… I know it’s not the fanciest artist, they don’t spend thousands and thousands of dollars, but there’s no way they make it back in ticket sales. They either have to do something else or stop doing it.”

Dorman and her friends, Emilie Rhoton and Angela Choe, who are both junior elementary education majors, said they agreed with the idea of having an event with a greater student talent presence. Rhoton said that, while this year’s Spring Concert was much better

than years past, the concerts are inconsistent. Choe, while she did not attend this year’s concert, suggested a festival of multiple student performers with a more famous headliner as a compromise.

Dransky likened the idea of giving student artists the spotlight to the time he performed in a festival in a previous year called “Porchella.”

The festival was hosted by Aidan Warner and Ethan Clampitt. The event showcased local artists in small backyard venue.

“As with any situation ever, I am sure that the student ate over time,” Dransky said.

“But right now, we are look-

STAFF REPORTER UNC is looking into expanding its curriculum and putting to use the former laboratory school-turnedstorage building, Bishop-Lehr Hall. Operated under the Colorado-based healthcare provider, Salud LLC, UNC is projected to open the Colorado College of Osteopathic Medicine, which would educate and train future physicians and others in the health profession, in 2020.

The CEO of Salud LLC, David Mohr, and David Figuli, who has experience in launching medical schools as well as working with UNC in the past, proposed the idea to the Board of Trustees on Friday. The team behind the college proposal is still seeking accreditation and cannot recruit students quite yet.

“It’s a vision, at this point, assuredly,” Figuli said. “It’s one that we plagiarized from, though, from President Norton. So, I give credit to Kay for inspiring this vision for us.”

There is a projected shortage of physicians, with a demand of 125,000 physicians needed by 2030. As education and training in this field takes nearly a decade, the need for physicians is ever-growing. Some factors of this rising need are linked to the U.S. population growing and aging, government programs encouraging access to medicine and participation in insurance markets. Mohr said that there is a significant need for physicians in ru-

ing at a vibrant student music scene.”

Some students like Dorman, Rhoton and Choe as well as Dranksy were reminded of other opportunities such as UNC’s Talent Show and the Open Mic Nights available for students to showcase their music.

The Residence Hall Association’s “Fauxchella” opened submissions for their music festival on April 21, which the suggestion for the Spring Concert. Though, with the budget and guidance of UPC, as well as a potential partnership with several other programs targeted to showcasing UNC talent, the event

could be so much more.

Dranksy said he hoped that nonetheless aspiring students take advantage of these opportunities and that, with dedication and a willingness to take chances, it is possible to put yourself and your art out there in northern Colorado.

“I do think it’s a great idea, but I also think that unless we have someone interested in fronting that, I think it’s something that students are going to have to front themselves,” he said. “I think the Spring Concert is a great way to get student musicians involved. And I think if there were more opportunities like that, other people will do so.”

ral areas. He said that 40 percent of future physicians tend to stay in the region in which they trained. Because Greeley is a rural area, creating a medical school at UNC would address this growing concern.

The college is anticipated to provide new programs in addition to incorporating existing health science programs. A master’s degree program would be available to mimic the first two years of medical school for students that still want to pursue the medical profession but did not initially get into medical school. The college would provide the opportunity of joint-research with existing health science and nursing programs already existing programs at UNC. Those enrolled in UNC health science programs would also benefit from preferred enrollment in the college.

The college would be privately funded, partnering with UNC to use the campus as a site for the medical school. The total cost of getting the college established by the end of the decade would be $110 million. The process of accreditation would require gathering enough money to ensure that, in the first five years of the school operating, students would not be financially hurt or risk not receiving their degree. The reserve of funds would cost $40 million. The major renovations needed to turn Bishop-Lehr Hall into a medical facility would cost an estimated $35 million. Hiring faculty as well as operating the facility would cost an additional $35 million.

The accrediting agency, The American Osteopathic

Dranksy said that, though he will be graduated by the time it opens, he also hopes that the Campus Commons will become a “more interesting and inviting place for people” to share their art rather than the Fireside Lounge in the UC, causing higher turnout.

Emily Carter, a sophomore theater education major, was excited about the alternative of having a dedicated large event to student performers.

“I’d love to see what other people can do,” Carter said.

Bailey Heard, a freshman elementary education major, disagreed with the idea.

“I think we should keep what

we have now,” she said. “If people see a face they recognize, they’ll more likely go to it.”

Dransky had planned on seeing JoJo even if his submission was not accepted.

He said student submissions may not always be there, so it would be important to work with what students would want on a year to year basis to make sure everyone is having a good time.

“I think that if the outlet was available, I think you would see a lot who have been sitting on music or want to make music come to the forefront of the student population,” Dransky said.

Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, would be overseeing the accreditation of the school. According to Mohr, it has accredited 34 schools, with at least four approved in the last five years. The agency dates to the 1800s. Mohr said the agency is progressive and active in opening new medical schools while applying a strict and formulaic approach for approval to ensure the success of the school.

The application process began in 2017. In 2018-2019, the proposal reached candidacy as the teams works to fulfill its accreditation. In 2019 until the start of fall semester of 2020, the college will reach pre-accreditation status. At that point, recruitment of students would begin, and Bishop-Lehr would be undergoing renovation.

They expect the college to have 150 students per class, with 600 total. Bishop-Lehr is a large enough facility to accommodate this size.

The 120,000 square foot building would be renovated to have labs and a simulation center that will provide students practice in an emergency room or hospital scenario.

“Were going to have to find a new place for storage, but that’s a good problem to have,” Mohr said. “And being able to take that building and repurpose it and create a hub for the health sciences on the university’s campus is something we’re really excited about. It will be a tangible, visual reminder of the partnership that we are putting together.”

Ethridge made the Wildcats competitive pression fracture in the tibial plateau.

Champions has a nice ring to it.

Whether it’s listening to Queen’s 1977 hit “We are the Champions,” or the title next to the team hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

It’s written next to the Alabama Crimson Tide as the National Champions in 2018 and it’s once again written at the University of Northern Colorado.

made the move to Greeley.

“This is a program that has tremendous Ethridge said in her introductory press conference in 2014.

That potential has been unleashed ished the season with an overall record of

ningest class in program history with a vada. they were hungry for more. All season the “The title has been in reach and right in front of us all year long,” coach Kamie Ethridge said. “We have had the target on our backs all year long and it just feels nice to win it.”

Ethridge began coaching at UNC in 2014

“I want to leave the mindset to not get ends up winning games.”

ponent Wednesday night.

“That’s not the only net we want to naments, four WNIT tournaments, and won

be good so she does the right things in prac tice.” her life.

at an early age through swim

strong, talented young woman.

contemplated giving it up later when she was stricken with pneumonia, but the environ ment and warmth of the water kept her swimming.

practices again. dive team, and the only way she can go is up ward.

Greece. has also been par of the Greece Junior Na tional team since 2012, and holds national backstroke. seconds. ter, but she also is very driven and focused,”

joys certain events more than others. Her favorite event — predictably enough — is the 200 back.

“I don’t know why I like it so In swimming, what takes a swimmer things.

Flip turns, starts, breath control, pacing, stroke rate and mental fortitude may seem gold medal and missing the podium alto gether is less than a second, they make a

come a more complete swimmer by improv strokes for her individual medley events.

“I came here to UNC be

a lot of work with her this year to develop strength and translate power into the pool and work on the technical details of her kick outs, turns and starts.”

Again, it’s the little things that make all the UNC swimming and diving team is looking to continually improve and become a great program in the next few years.

is very excited about being here in Greeley.

“In swimming, one of the greatest assets you can have is wanting to be good, and

Athletic Conference Championship, scoring

physical and natural talent goes, the sky is the limit for her.”

“I am very excited. The girls we have now have really bought into the culture and they are working hard and we see improvements on a daily basis,” Ebeling said. “And it is get ting noticed by the outside swimming world so we are getting more and more interest from recruits, and our recruiting classes will only be getting stronger.”

coaches see no end in to her improvement in sight. did a high level of volume, so we have done

year, records, had seven medlalists, seven more

guys. It doesn’t matter how good Winning isn’t anything new to The University of Northern Colo rado wrestler has won at every level he has competed out.

He was a force to be reckoned with growing up and carried that momentum into his high school ca Vegas, Nevada.

He compiled a career record of time state champion in New rule allowing eighth graders to compete on high school teams.

He also traveled to — and ments — all while maintain

thing with it.”

UNC is never going to be a smooth transition.

has also made it a point to focus on his mental approach. Wrestling is without doubt one of the most physi cally taxing sports, but it is also one of the most psychologically strenu ous.

erson said. “You go out there, lay it on the line for seven minutes, trust in your ability and live with it instead of thinking you could have done more.”

who hadn’t lost much in his career before coming to Greeley, that it can

wrestling program, he is not done yet.

Tournament last year, he is well on

his way to making it two in a row.

— the most wins by anyone on the

school career an incred son. onships, becoming the make.

“You won’t chop down a forest un less you chip down one tree at a time, the tiny goals, the rest will fall down in the process.” lineup card since his freshman year at UNC.

for third most wins on the team. in technical falls that

put in a lot of work. I basical ly lived in the wrestling room my junior and senior years.”

cord.

with a scholarship to UNC to wrestle for new coach Troy Nickerson.

“I really liked him out

NCAA National Tourna ment his sophomore

said. “He had just about ev erything you look for, he just needed to hit the weight room.”

And hit the weight room he has. Though he has wres scrawny kid that took the kid that has climbed as high ings this season.

“You have to be able to move

last year, and looks to year.

First Team. this season.

in Ames, Iowa.

CONTRIBUTING REPORTER The band Dashboard Confessional might sound familiar to those people who were fans of emo rock in the early 2000s.

Their hit song “Vindicated “ peaked at number two on Billboard’s Alternative Rock chart and it was featured in the movie Spider-Man 2. Since 2004 the band has had little success in the music realm and faded into obscurity. But now, they’re back.

Dashboard Confessional released their seventh studio album, Crooked Shadows, Feb. 9th through their label

album in eight years. The album was preceded by an early release of their new song “Heart Beat Here”, a ballad that preFight”.

The band shares a record label with other popular alternative groups like Panic! at the Disco, Paramore and Twenty One Pilots.

Since the band originally formed in Florida in 1999, they have undergone several member changes. Chris Kamrada is the latest addition to the band, joined the group in 2017 to play drums. Originally the position was held by Mike Marsh, a founding member of the band, who played from 1999 to 2015. Between 2015 and 2017 Ben Homola played drums be-

Lead singer Chris Carrabba discussed the band’s return to music at iHeart Radio’s inaugural ALTer Ego festival on Jan 19. impulse you can’t ignore,” Carrabba said.

“You can manufacture it, and that’s dangerous territory. That’s why we waited so long, because I didn’t want it to be a reit to be something strong, and pure, and real.”

Dashboard Confessional starts their ‘Crooked Shadows’ tour March 20 in Houston,TX and they will return to Colorado April 9. Tour dates, tickets, and merchandise are available on their website.

STAFF REPORTER A loud “clang!” reverberates across Gunter green, as students smash scales inside grocery bags. Nothing but smiles come from students shattered scales. The metal bat was the most popular tool amongst participants. In front of the smashing site are tables scattered with small candies, fruit, souvenirs and packets with information about eating disorders.

This week was Eating and over the course of the held all over campus. Scale smashing was also held on Turner Green.

Scale smashing is not an original event, but was inspired by Proud 2B Me, a website that promotes body positivity. Eating Disorder al campaign that happens all over the U.S. Among a se-

Photo courtesy of dashboardconfessional.com

Rose, the licensed psychologist for Cassidy Hall Health Center and Dr. Katie Kage, a registered dietitian and assistant professor at University of Northern Colorado, collaborated together and put the weeks events together. Eating Disorders have the third highest death rate in the country, and Kage said it’s vital to talk about eating disorders.

“Eating disorders is a topic that is misunderstood.

There are a lot of misconcep-

tions and stigma around eatworse about that is we see the college population unfortunately have a high incidence of developing eating disorders, so I think it’s vital to have conversations about eating disorders,” Kage said. sees the impact eating disorders have on people.

“There’s a lot of silence that happens, a lot of people who are ashamed of what they struggle with,” Rose said.

Scale smashing was meant to be a metaphor.

Smashing the scale released people from the number on self worth for the day or the week.

Rosemary Assabil, a senior human services major and an intern for Cassidy Hall, emphasized the use of resources on campus and to talk to someone. they aren’t alone, and to seek help,” Assabil said.

The Body Project will be in early April, to talk about the pursuit of thinness and how for women. Kage wants the dialogue to continue about eating disorders.

“The conversations should not end. Keep talking about it.” Kage said.