Volume 24 issue 27 April 11, 2002

Putting each grain in place
Tibetan monks spend 3 days, nights in Tivoli painting with sand
Jenni Grubbs
The Metropolitan

Eight Tibetan monks began a journey into world healing April 8.

The monks, who are from Drepung Loseling Monastery in India, spent three days and nights constructing a mandala sand painting in the Tivoli Multicultural Lounge as part of CelebrAsian, or Asian Awareness Month.

The specific design, or mandala, they painted signifies blessings for world healing. It is the same design that was done at Ground Zero following Sept. 11.

"After what happened Sept. 11, the monks have been doing this particular painting often," said Ten Zing, a University of Colorado student and the Auraria coordinator of Students for a Free Tibet. "All money raised goes back to the monastery, which runs solely on donations and fundraising."

The monks can choose between many different paintings with different significances, including wisdom, compassion, courage and strength in the quest for sacred knowledge. Each painting takes a different amount of time, ranging from the three days Auraria’s takes to three weeks.

Zing said the one they constructed here is probably one of the smallest, but "according to the amount of time they have, it’s the most appropriate to build."

The reason the painting can take so long is because millions of grains of sand are used and each tiny grain must be put in place.

While the painting has an overall significance, every single detail, including colors, of the painting is representative of something.

The most important thing to learn from the painting, Zing said, is that it is not only a piece of art, but that it shows how and why the monks are here.

"What I hope people get from this is educated about Tibetan Buddhism, and its compassion and non-violence," he said.

Zing said it is important for people to realize that, in their home country, these monks would have no free speech or religion.

"Tibetans are becoming a minority in their own country," he said.

This is the first time the monks have done the sand painting at Auraria.

"We just got really lucky," said Brooke Dilling, associate director of Metro Student Activities. "The Tivoli and AHEC have been very accommodating. Seeing the event was multicultural; they were happy to book it."

Zing, who is from Tibet, was instrumental in bringing the monks to Auraria, according to Dilling and Zav Dadabhoy, director of Metro Student Activities.

"I knew they were on a U.S. tour and Zav and I spoke a lot about bringing them here," Zing said. From there, Student Activities looked into it more.

"We received some information from Richard Gere Productions and called their agent and booked them," Dilling said. "They were on a 17-month tour and they were in Utah last and they drove down here."

The mandala was dismantled and most of the sand was tossed into the Cherry Creek to signify the impermanence of life, which is a major belief for the monks. Some of the sand was distributed to the audience; the rest was put in the river so that its blessings for world healing can flow throughout the community.

"We are very fortunate to get to see this happen right here," Zing said.

‘What I hope people get from this is educated about Tibetan Buddhism, and its compassion and non-violence.’
- Ten Zing,
Coordinator of Students for a Free Tibet

CelebrAsian
Asian Awareness Month 2002
On Campus events:

•Music:

Kabir & Company
East Indian Musicians
Daily, 11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Tivoli Atrium

•Video presentation and discussion:

Rabbit in the Moon by Russell Endo
Japanese American internment during
World War II
April 16, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Tivoli 640

•Video presentation and discussion:

My American, (or Honk if You Love
Buddha) by Russell Endo
Samples of Asian food
April 17, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Tivoli Multicultural Lounge

•Lecture:

Japanese American internment during
World War II
A Survivor’s Story
Speakers: Elyse and Ruth Yamuchi
April 18, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Tivoli 320 A,B,C

•Movie presentation and dinner:
"Tibet’s Stolen Child"
Searching for the truth about the Panchen Lama
April 21 5:30 p.m.
111th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.
Margaret Carpenter Recreation Center
Tickets: $25 (303) 223-1319
www.tibet.org/cft
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Candidates receive deadline extension
John R. Crane
The Metropolitan

The deadline for Metro Student Government Assembly candidates to apply was extended from April 1 to April 8. The Metro Election Commission approved the extension April 4 after miscommunication and complaints from candidates.

"I applaud the commission for coming up with a fair and reasonable conclusion," said Joanna Duenas, Metro’s assistant dean of student life and an advisor to SGA.

One complaint was a discrepancy between the deadline written on the candidates’ intent to run forms and that on the election timeline sheets. The former said April 1 at noon; the latter showing the mandatory candidates meeting at 1 p.m.

Candidate Brotha Seku said he was confused by the time differences.

Seku said he and several other members of the Positive Action Coalition, went to Tivoli 329 at 12:30 or 12:45.

"We were trying to put papers together," said Seku.

An April 3 memo to the election commission from Slumber Party members James Watson, Robert Haight and Jennifer Darnell said Seku and other students "arrived at the candidates meeting at 1:00 on April 1 and had not yet completed the intent to run forms and requested that Chief Justice Darren Jolly allow them to have time during this meeting to meet and discuss the positions they were running for."

The students continued to meet in twos to fill out intent to run forms during the meeting after Jolly told them it was inappropriate, the memo said. Some students gained an unfair advantage by getting a peek at the competition while switching their positions after the deadline, the memo said.

"The four or five of us combined with four others," Seku said. "We didn’t know who was running for what."

One problem was that no candidates were officially told about a weeklong deadline extension. If candidates had been told about the extension, the time discrepancy would have been solved.

SGA agreed to a one-week deadline extension at a March 21 meeting, said Duenas. Sara Moreno, SGA attorney general, who was supposed to tell the commission of any agreements, was not at the meeting.

"She didn’t know the agreement was declared, so she couldn’t tell the commissioners," Duenas said, adding that SGA did not tell the commission that the extension was definite."

At an April 4 meeting, election commissioners and members of both the SGA and the Slumber party discussed what to do with the late applications. They decided to extend the deadline to April 8, which the commission officially approved, said Watson, who is also SGA’s vice president of academic affairs.

All applications late for the original April 1 deadline were accepted. There are now at least 25 candidates, Moreno said.

"In a way, it’s good that this happened, "Moreno said. " We’ll get publicity and we have more candidates now."

Open debates between the candidates will be April 16, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., and April 22, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m., at the flagpole in front of the King Center Building. Elections will be held April 22-25, with results posted on April 26.
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police briefs

$10,000 AHEC van stolen

Robert A. Godfrey, Auaria Higher Education Center employee, reported the theft of a van belonging to Auraria Higher Education Center April 1.

A police report said the unlocked van was parked on the north side of the Auraria Campus Administration Building when it was stolen between March 29 and April 1. A jack in the rear cargo area was also stolen, according to the police report.

The ignition was broken and did not require a key to start the van, the police report said. Godfrey said AHEC had the keys, according to the police report.

Estimated value of the van is $10,000. Value of the jack was estimated at $450.Police have no suspects or leads.

Window smashed, purse stolen

Wende Dorman reported the theft of her purse from a car March 29.

According to a police report, Dorman left her purse in a 1995 Jeep Cherokee belonging to Ed Brookman, Auraria student, in Tivoli Parking Lot B, March 27 at 7:30 p.m. When she returned to the Jeep at 9:30 p.m., she discovered the passenger window smashed and her purse missing, a police report said.

The purse was sitting under the dash area on a shelf, which may have been in plain view, the report said.

Items stolen include a Motorola pager, an Eddie Bauer gift certificate, a bottle of Hypnotic Poison perfume, a personal ID, and two credit cards. Total value of stolen items is $285. Police have no suspects or leads.

Stereo stolen from student’s Jeep

Jason Vartanian, Auraria student, reported the theft of his stereo from his 1996 Jeep Cherokee April 1.

Between 4 p.m. and 5:45 p.m., someone broke the driver’s window and took the stereo.

Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $400. Value of the stereo was estimated at $450. Police have no suspects or leads.

-John R. Crane
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Don’t trust the American media
Jenni Arribau
Staff columnist

Many people around the world, including people in the US, claim that Americans are stupid when it comes to awareness of current events. This always seemed like a weak disclaimer to me. I know far too many intellectual, politically and socially aware Americans to believe the majority of us are in our basements shutting out the world, chewing on hamburgers and playing video games. But then why are so many of us unaware of international current events? I don’t blame the American public; I blame the American media.

I am sick of our news catering to the elite white patriarchal culture that is often referred to as "American culture."

Right after September 11th, hundreds of abortion clinics received threatening letters containing a powdery white substance. This story was not covered by TV news. Shortly after that, there were reports our president did not actually win the presidential election. This huge story was not broadcasted on TV. Instead we were bombarded with images of George W. Bush’s condemning much of the world with endless and vague accusations of evil. Our government controls major global media corporations. Those corporations control what is broadcasted nationally and locally, and when it is broadcasted. American journalism is in trouble.

The news is important. There are many examples of cases when the news made positive social changes. The Washington Post’s coverage of Watergate helped to bring down Richard Nixon’s presidency. The coverage by Houston’s KHOU of the deadly combination of Ford Explorers and certain types of Firestone tires, and the Newark Star-Ledger’s exposure of racial profiling by New Jersey state police all called on changes to better protect and serve the people.

Two editors of the Washington Post are part of the recent discussion about the news. In their new book titled, "The News about the News," Leonard Downie Jr. and Robert G. Kaiser state: "Independent, aggressive journalism strengthens American democracy, improves the lives of its citizens, checks the abuses of powerful institutions, supports the weakest members of our society, connects us to one another, educates and entertains us." This "aggressive journalism" generally cannot be seen on TV, but must be read in newspapers and on the Internet.

Despite this fact, most Americans get their news from television. Cable news, such as CNN, has rarely broken a story or challenged a powerful institution with original reporting. Local TV news is an even worse source of news, as technology costs, dramatic effects used in video, and pressure from their network owners to make big profits all influence the lack of program quality.

However, the American newspaper is a short step up from television to delivering good news. In their book, Downie and Kaiser state that "Most of the managers who run newspapers for corporate owners, which means the managers of most American newspapers, are now trapped in a pattern of expectations and reflex reaction that undermines good journalism." They explain that after several papers were bought by Gannett, the biggest owner of newspapers, their journalistic quality dropped dramatically.

Even National Public Radio, renowned for it’s fair and thorough news coverage is now being criticized by many people for falling victim to corporate owners. The stories are not as cutting edge as they once were, and the reporters fail to challenge the American social system as often or effectively as they did before. "Democracy Now" is one of the only alternative American radio shows broadcasted here in Denver that demonstrates effective and strong journalism. The show’s host, Amy Goodman, interviews scholars, activists and field researchers around the world. However, it can only be heard on weekdays at 7am on KGNU, 88.5 fm, which is hard to pick up on most radios. Shows like "Democracy Now" are played much more frequently in college towns, like Boulder and Durango, Colorado. Denver needs to get with the program.

While we are waiting for an improvement in American journalism that may never come, we will have to make an effort to be informed. You won’t find good news by watching TV alone. If you want the full story, listen to the radio, get on the Internet, and read family-owned newspapers such as the Washington Post, or the New York Times. No matter what is our political party affiliation, we all must be critical of the news to better understand and react to local and global current events.
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Shouldn’t everyone know their daddy?
Walter Gant
Staff columnist

Somewhere along the way it became cool among minorities to become a "baby daddy." It's a shame that the actual thought of a family unit has disappeared with my generation.

When did this start becoming such a problem? I could say it started with my parents’ generation. However, it seems this has been going on strong in the black community since their parents’ generation. My family is a good example.

My mother didn’t have what people call a "fatherly relationship" with her dad. Most of her siblings didn’t have a relationship with their fathers either. It's only gotten worse in my generation. The majority of grown men I know couldn’t tell you their father’s name. That basically means they have probably never met their father and could care less if he is alive or dead. My generation is starting up the same vicious cycle of neglect.

I know a lot of baby daddies. I know even more baby mommas. It is a shame this is happening. But having children isn't in itself the issue. It’s the men that don’t take care of their children. These men are making it worse for everybody. Women start to lose faith in good men. If they do find a man upon whom they can rely, these men take care of kids who aren’t theirs. It’s great these men step up to take care of these children, but shouldn’t all children know their own father? It's the children who lose the most because so many of them never really get the concept of family. I’m not knocking the single-parent family, but the majority of mothers I’ve met wish it had worked out with the fathers of their children. The reality of their situations has forced them to do otherwise.

It’s no secret the majority of these single-parent homes are rooted in the poorer or minority communities. I can’t speak to everyone because I’m a black male. Not everyone can relate to my logic, but I do know black males need to step up and start taking care of their children.

I have friends right now who have children. Some of these men are trying to do their best to make the situation work. Marriage isn't always the best solution when a couple finds out a baby is on the way, but when it does happen the father needs to be there for his children.

We can't let this trend continue for another three generations. If we want to start making true strides in this country we must first start with the family unit. We as men need to be there in our children’s life. Right now according to Childstats.gov nearly 40 percent of our families have only one parent in the home. The majority are with single mothers. Hispanics are nearly 60 percent. That doesn’t speak well on the future of America at all. Especially since the fastest growing majority of people in the America are minorities.

I was fortunate to grow up with both my parents playing a big part in my life. They are still together. I could see the difference just between me and my cousins growing up. You can look back and see where a male influence would have played bigger part in their lives. They were definitely wilder than I. The way some of them live their lives now is just as relevant because they grow up and basically did the same things that their fathers did. They birthed children and aren’t taking care of them. I can see the cycle starting all over again.

Men, especially minority men, need to get on the ball. If we don’t start now, our future will be written for us. And it won’t be pretty.
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Letters to the editor

What’s the deal with parking fees?

Dear editor,

I'm sure you have received hundreds of letters regarding the cost of parking here at the Auraria Campus; well, here's another one. I am a new student at Metro. I transferred here from Greeley. The University of Northern Colorado distributes many parking tickets, as does Metro. The cost of these tickets are typically minimal, even when added to the $60 paid for a year long parking permit.

Here in Denver, I park in Lot E. This is one of the only lots on campus which offer "in and out" passes. I find that for $2.25 a day is the best deal on campus, and thus far I have not made a fuss about paying $11.25 a week, $45 a month, $495 for 11 months to park in a predominantly dirt parking lot.

Wait, hold the presses, I've just been informed that for over $250 a semester I can buy a parking permit! I must be aware that this permit does not guarantee a parking space in these lots that are exclusively for permit holders. If I can't find a space in one of the "pay-per-day" lots I will have to pay an additional amount of money to park in one of the pay per day lots. That's over $500 for a year of parking. I'll stick with Lot E.

Just recently, I received a $25 parking ticket for parking in a prohibited area within this dirt parking lot. Well, with all the liens in the dirt (known as big tree trunks that have been placed on the ground) and the ever-present crossing guards (known as the unfortunate people with shopping carts) telling me precisely where to park my matchbox size motor vehicle, which is almost as old as I am, I must deserve to pay an additional $25 to park in what is now, thanks to mother earth, MUD.

With their relationship with RTD, Auraria has made an effort to assist students who commute. However, I'm a young (and I like to think attractive) woman who has seen RTD buses stopped by many police cars so as to rid themselves of harmful passengers. I'm not the kind of person who likes to knowingly subject myself to a possibly harmful situation. I am a commuter from the southern metro area, it takes me 45 to 75 minutes to get to campus. If I chose to take the bus, I would have to change buses at least once and it would take at least 90 minutes to get to school. I am an 18 credit hour student with 8:30 a.m. classes, I don't think I could wake up that early and still be conscious in my classes.

I'm not writing to whine to you and I'm sorry I am. I'm writing to help myself and other students with my dilemma vent frustration in what is hopefully a safe and effective manner.

Amanda Celeste Mervine
Metro Student
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Just say ‘no’ to fee increases

Dear Editor,

I have recently read several articles/letters in The Metropolitan that somehow refer to a Metro student’s financial aspect. I would like to lay out a couple of concerns on my part, and maybe of many others who are also attending Metro.

First concern is the fee increase to be added for Intercollegiate Athletics. I recall that on the February 14, 2002 issue of The Metropolitan, this was written: "Both of these proposals are asking SOLELY for a cost of living increase for 3.2 percent." I don’t mean to sound rude or in any way offensive, but the way he claimed that statement was as if a 3.2 percent is considered nothing for a regular student. Maybe in most cases, it isn’t. I, personally, can afford the 3.2 percent, but you can’t always assume that it is for everyone. It is like walking into a store and paying one extra penny for something you buy, do you usually do that? I don’t think any of us do.

Another thing, it says the athletic fee a student pays will account for revenue lost from an increased bad-debt charge of 9.5 percent. Maybe I’m just being greedy and self-centered, but why should we pay up for the debts that were left behind by students who neglected to pay tuition bills? We pay to study, not to return someone else’s debt. Something else, aren’t ATHLETIC fees supposed to be used for athletic or recreational purposes at the Auraria Athletic Center?

It was said the extended campuses, such as Metro North and Metro South, students will have no access to Auraria Campus Services as a result of the fee elimination from their tuition. I believe any student from any of the campuses should have open option to whether or not they want to pay the fee. Just because we are smack in the middle of the services doesn’t mean everyone uses them. For example, one student’s letter to the editor concerned parking fees. Every student has to pay a $20 fee for use of the RTD service, why can’t the $20 be used as parking money for those that drive? I’m not saying the parking space has to be the nearest to campus buildings, but at least it’s something. For those that wish to park closer, they can pay extra. At least the 20 bucks aren’t wasted for those who don’t mind walking a little more.

Last, about the tri-institutional lab at Tivoli, it sounds good, but who are paying those extra Information Technology fees? Hopefully, it will be among the three institutes, not just one. I also heard that labs are crowded, are they? I am a student that uses the lab and Internet every break I have, and I never have a problem looking for a vacant space at the library or the labs. Schedules are so disperse that it shouldn’t be a major concern. If it is for convenience, I am sure it won’t be as much a convenience later on, since a lab at the Tivoli, I assure you, will be crowded. So for those of you relying for convenience … reconsider. Are extra fees really worth standing in line for the next computer?

I support fee increases where necessary, but it doesn’t seem like they should be increased. I mean, we already pay enormous bills for textbooks, so we don’t have that much t spare to be paying for fees we don’t necessarily have to. My concern is to use my budget wisely, what about yours?

Angela (Yuan-Jue) Hur
Metro Student
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Letters Policy

The Metropolitan welcomes letters of 500 words or fewer on topics of general interest.
Letters must include a full name, school affiliation and a phone number or e-mail address.
Letters might be edited for length, grammar and accuracy.

Mailbox:
The Metropolitan
900 Auraria Parkway, Suite 313
Denver CO 80204

e-mail: haraburd@mscd.edu
phone: 303.556.2507
fax: 303.556.3421
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Cool (kid) cats
Story by Andrea Scott
Photos by Joshua Lawton

The thunder of trumpets filled the air, saxophones wailed, drums pounded and piano keys danced.

Jazz washed over the Auraria Campus as hundreds of middle and high school students and professionals tuned up their instruments and performed in the first Auraria Jazz Celebration April 5-6.

For many of the students, this was their first chance to play at a college.

To honor the event, the Denver Mayor’s Office of Art Culture and Film proclaimed April 5 Auraria Jazz Celebration Day.

The idea for the event came from Walter Barr, Coordinator of the Instrumental Music Program at Metro. He, along with Denver Public Schools and the Denver School of the Arts, has been planning this event since May of 2001.

"I wanted to do something like this for a long time," Barr said. "It’s primarily an educational experience to get kids down here and to really do some supportive kinds of educational initiatives."

The several hundred student instrumental and vocal jazz musicians in attendance had an opportunity to talk to artist clinicians who offered individual instrumental and group clinics, as well as workshops and master classes.

"So many of the other festivals are competitive, but we decided that we didn’t want to fool with that," Barr said. "We want to have kids come here and feel like they’re able to let their hair down, play and have a great time."

Ron Miles, Metro music professor, held jazz history concerts April 5 and 6 in the Arts Building.

Glenn Nitta of Denver Public Schools brought in a 22-member band that performed three songs.

"It’s a great opportunity for the students to play in front of other musicians and hear other people playing," said Nitta.

Salt Productions recorded all of the performances so students had the chance to order a CD of their band’s performance.

In addition to the student jazz bands, everyone attending the nighttime events had the opportunity to hear special performances by the U.S. Air Force Band of the Rockies, the Falconaires, and the Terence Blanchard Quintet. Both bands played for a crowded audience.

Jason Justice, student director of the jazz celebration, aided in the planning and organizing of the event.

"I was so honored to be involved with this project because I believe that jazz is the birth place of desegregation," Justice said.

Planning for next year’s celebration is already underway, and Barr hopes more Metro students and faculty will attend the free event.

"Our youth are the next step, the bearers of that future torch we call jazz," Justice said. "This is our music, and it has served over and over to heal and bring us closer together. May they take it to the future."
‘Our youth are the next step, the bearers of that future torch we call jazz.’
Jason Justice
Student director of the jazz celebration
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Rollins: Get off your ass!
Elena Brown
The Metropolitan

Henry Rollins is pissed off.

Why?

Slackers.

It’s time to get off the couch and make a contribution to society, he said.

The very blunt and usually angry Henry Rollins began his latest spoken-word tour on the college circuit stopping first in Denver. He spoke on April 4 at the Auraria Event Center to almost 800 students, faculty members and fans.

The event was just under two-and-a-half hours, but there was sense in his spew. He speaks about all aspects of life—well, life according to Henry Rollins, 41.

Rollins’ rants and opinions include everything from the Middle East conflict, why the death penalty sucks, the wrongfully accused West Memphis Three, various foiled acting auditions, surviving and living in the ‘demon cloud’ that is Los Angeles and how George W. Bush isn’t inspiring. Not to mention speaking about his own shortcomings, college life, death and traveling.

While encouraging others to take up a cause and fight for action, he leads by example. He approached the dimly lit stage wearing beltless blue jeans, black tennis shoes and a black T-shirt advocating the immediate release of the West Memphis Three.

The West Memphis Three gained notice from the HBO specials; Paradise Lost and Revelations: Paradise Lost 2. The three men have been convicted of brutally killing three 8-year-old boys. Two of the men face life in prison and the other death by lethal injection. Mounting evidence indicates that they might not have been involved in the crime and Henry Rollins has taken on their defense. He has helped raise money and awareness for whom he believes are wrongfully accused men.

He is even featured on the West Memphis Three web site (wm3.org).

It’s time to right the wrongs in this world, he said. Rollins spoke about the feeling of taking action for a cause you love. "You’ll get a hard-on for it.

"We humans are capable of some heinous shit," he said.

He also said that people have the fire for peace but are unable to grasp that they do.

Rollins’s spoken word performance is filled with the messages of motivation and responsibility. And he has some strong words for the American college student that sits on the couch watching MTV, nursing a middle-of-the-week hangover.

"Get off your ass!" he said.

The main job of college students is to educate themselves. Students have the ability and should have the open minds to absorb and expand their knowledge, especially by traveling, he said.

"Book smart is nice. Travel smart is better," he said. He has a love for traveling. He visits 18-27 countries a year. And with each experience his horizons broaden.

"It’s interesting to be the traveling American. It’s a different reaction in every country. In some places we are loved, worshipped, feared and hated."

His latest book, Smile, You’re Traveling, is the third installment in the Black Coffee Blues Series of books (which includes Black Coffee Blues and Do I Come Here Often?) Rollins runs his own book publishing company, named 2.13.61 (his birth date).

The former Black Flag front man began his career in the 80s. The punk band was successful, but like most bands, they didn’t survive the five-year mark. Rollins went solo in 1987. He has been talking and doing standup shows both nationally and internationally for the past 15 years. He also heads up and tours with the Rollins Band.

The Grammy-Award winner’s appeal to a vast audience has much to do with his non-restraint, he said.

The majority of his audience was just born when he began his musical career.

"It’s cool to see someone so passionate," said Metro fine arts major Jaime Moline. "He’s cynical, but there’s a sense of hope."

"I’m outspoken but they (audience) knows I am about a good thing. I wish no ill."

He is admittedly outspoken and will tell you what is on his mind. He even responds to e-mails and questions posted on his web site, Heneryrollins.com. He is a busy man. So how does he relax?

"I listen to old-man music. Stuff like Slayer," he said. But that’s not the only music he listens to. He also enjoys Duke Ellington, Led Zeppelin, Isaac Hayes and various "world music" he has picked up in his travels. He believes right now music is in a lull, and it’s evident in people and video bands like Nickleback, Limp Bizkit and Puddle Of Mudd.

"There is no longevity with today’s bands. The bands are promoted, do one big tour, then destroyed by the industry," he said.

He remembers a time when "ugly people made good music. Now pretty people make well-adjusted music," he said. But music is in a vacuum, and it’s just a matter of time before we get back to good musicians and good music, he said

Rollins wears many hats. He’s an old- school punk icon, a singer and spoken-word artist, a writer, a movie- and commercial- actor, a TV host, an activist and a role model.

"He is an influential mind in an alternative culture," said Community College of Denver student Wind. "He is just a great role model."

"He’s cool to see and hear," said Jared Sheldon. "He inspires people to be true to themselves." Sheldon attends the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. He came to the show with a friend from Colorado State University, Reilly Conway. Conway wasn’t bothered by the long drive from Ft. Collins, or the late time of the show.

Both students stood in line with about 50 others waiting to get their books signed by Rollins after the show.

Just days before the show, Metro Student Activities reported over 700 free tickets had been given to students. Tickets for the performance were $15 for non-students. The show was sponsored by both Metro’s Student Activities and University of Colorado at Denver Student Life. The 8 p.m. performance was the first night event held by Metro’s Student Activities. Brooke Dilling, associate director of Metro’s Student Activities, said she hopes for more evening events, which would allow working students an opportunity to experience events they might have missed during the day.

"We have a decent budget, and with that we have the opportunity to bring good people here for the students," she said. Rollins has a flat fee of $12,500 for speaking engagements. .

Rollins isn’t what you would expect an activist, role model and motivational speaker to be. His huge biceps, furrowed brow and unsmiling eyes can be intimidating, but as a girl by the name of Kaya said, "He’s beautiful to witness. He has a way of making you appreciate and embrace your abilities."
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Metro lucks out with Jasmon
Eric Eames
The Metropolitan

Close your eyes, something terrible is about to happen.

"I don’t know what happened," sophomore Jasmon Crabb says, trying to replay the blurred details.

She was 13, so young and so small. Too small to ride her bigger brother’s racing bike, but at least Jaxon, who plays in the Australian Football League, gave her the bike with brakes. The two are racing down a hill near her home in Perth, Australia, except there would be no winner on this day. Crabb remembers getting a healthy head start, but little after that. Yet it is this moment Crabb cannot shake; one she is hesitant to talk about. She knows this for certain.

"It was the worst thing that has ever happened to me," she says, now 19 and the No. 1 singles player in the North Central region and one of the top 20 tennis players in Division II.

Somehow her foot slipped off the pedal, and then a part of the bike—Crabb thinks it was the spiked pedal—ripped through her skin like tissue paper, eviscerating her left knee. She lay in a heap on the ground with tendons hanging out. It looked like a bomb went off inside her knee and the blood flowed steadily. Jaxon caught up to his sister, but with no brakes he swerved around her and went flying off into a rosebush.

Then Crabb’s eyes tilted back and everything swirled around madly.

"I blacked out for a while," Crabb says. "Then I was slipping in and out of consciousness, because I remember being driven to the hospital by my parents, but that’s when I knew this wasn’t going to be good."

Crabb left the hospital with 78 stitches holding her skin back together and 100 stitches on the inside to connect the tendons and repair the knee. She spent three weeks in a wheelchair, and another month on crutches, doing a whole lot of nothing, only getting up to eat and use the restroom. She was miserable.

The freak accident occurred two weeks prior to her playing in the Australian junior tennis tournament, where Crabb was ranked as the top player in her state. Not one to stay at rest, Crabb took her wounded leg back to the tennis courts. Standing on the good leg, she whacked balls across the net to either her other brother, Jaymon, who is on the professional tennis circuit, or to her father Bruce, who also played in the AFL and trained Crabb throughout most of her youth.

"I definitely wouldn’t be as good an athlete if it wasn’t for my father," Crabb says.

Crabb used to run along the beach with her father as the sun rose over the Australian outback terrain. After the accident, when Crabb tried to run she says "the knee felt like it was going to rip apart from the inside."

Rehabilitation took months. She came back by force of competitive resolve. By the following year she was back to undressing her opponents’ weaknesses. At 16, Crabb went to a tennis camp in Florida, where many Division I schools began recruiting her.

She ended up at Metro when her cousin Jared Rexilius, who played for Metro last year, invited her over.

"She truly fell in our lap," tennis head coach Eduardo Provencio said. "That is just good luck."

But during that first semester, Crabb’s ever-present smile took a break. She was miserable again. Injuries to her hip and left knee (again) kept her from tennis in 2000, and since she had taken no science classes in high school, she was ineligible to play for the 2001 spring semester. Crabb got "fat," she says. When the team left to play a match, she stayed in her dorm alone, fighting depression. Crabb was a beach-goer in Australia, where dolphins sometimes swim at your feet. But in Denver, where there is less sand and more snow, she felt out of sorts.

"Terrible homesick," she began. "I get so homesick at times, like when I get stressed out about things, I just really wanted to go home. I missed my family a lot and my friends and I missed the weather. It’s too cold here. Where I’m from it is so beautiful and always warm and it never snows."

Now, with a No. 18 national ranking, Crabb is enjoying her feel-good season. She still gets homesick, but having not done a lot in the past year and a half, Crabb cherishes doing it all. She has a 12-2 record, and is part of the No. 1 doubles team in the region with freshman Hande Gorur. If Crabb’s game got rusty from the time off, one couldn’t tell from her precision.

"I can tell her to hit that big of a space on the court and she can hit it," Provencio says, forming a circle with his hands no bigger than a super sized McDonald’s cup. "She is incredibly accurate and she hits the crap out of the ball. That’s the big bust there. It is one thing to hit the ball accurately and not put anything on it, but she creams it and she puts it exactly where it needs to be."

From her forehand to her backhand, her mechanics are flawless and her game is smooth. When asked if she could beat any of guys on the men’s tennis squad, Crabb leans back in her chair, smiles with eyes that know the true answer, but cautiously replies…

"No comment."
‘She is incredibly accurate and she hits the crap out of the ball. It is one thing to hit the ball accurately and not put anything on it, but she creams it and she puts it exactly where it needs to be.’
-Eduardo Provencio,
Men’s and Women’s tennis head coach
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Baseball has high hopes for RMAC seed
Jason Sheehan
The Metropolitan

After consecutive victories against Northern Colorado, the Metro baseball team looked as though they were ready to string together some victories. Then came Fort Hays State.

For the second consecutive weekend the Roadrunners struggled against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference competition, this time losing three of four games to the Tigers.

The inability to put runs on the board again cost the team the series. With only 19 games left in RMAC play, the Roadrunners stand at 3-9 in the conference.

"We might be pressing a little bit as hitters just because we know we’ve been struggling all year hitting-wise," sophomore Brian Edwards said.

In the lone win over the weekend, senior-starting-pitcher Steve Fox, produced another strong pitching performance in the 4-2 victory. Fox allowed just two earned runs on seven hits while striking out four in six innings. It was the second consecutive victory for the right-hander after pitching brilliantly only to lose games 2-0, and 1-0.

"Sunday I thought everything came together," Edwards said. "We hit a little better, put up some runs for Steve Fox and he threw another good game like he’s done all year for us."

The Roadrunners were led offensively by first baseman Nate Lavrenz. The senior continued his steady season at the plate by going 2-4 with an RBI double. Lavrenz collected five hits in the series.

In the first game of the series, Metro starter Jason Humphrey and Fort Hays starter Joe Kjose locked up in a pitchers’ duel.

Humphrey pitched seven strong innings, surrendering only two runs while striking out four Tigers. However, his effort was topped by Kjose, who allowed only five hits in eight innings as the Tigers shut out the Roadrunners 2-0.

While the Roadrunners have been struggling for victories, the good news for Metro is that the toughest part of the season is behind them.

Now, the team will focus on making a run for the third or fourth seed in the RMAC tournament.

"We knew that Fort Hays, Southern and Mesa were all going to be in the RMAC tournament, anyway so we were just looking to fill that third or fourth spot coming out of the league," Edwards said.

"We’re right where we need to be; this is right about where we were last year. If we win a couple of games against some teams that we should beat, we should be just fine."

The Roadrunners will begin their effort at a strong finish and a spot in the RMAC tournament this weekend against Nebraska-Kearney. The four- game series begins Friday at Auraria Field.
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Roadrunner tennis wins big
Jason Sheehan
The Metropolitan

Metro women’s tennis team continues to breeze through the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, and the men’s team is beginning to show why it was a pre-season favorite.

On the women’s side of the net, the Roadrunners again showed why they are ranked as the top seed in the North Central Region. Metro whipped Mesa State April 6, 9-0, and bringing their record to 14-4 on the season.

Sophomore Jasmon Crabb led the way in the No. 1 singles, drilling her opponent 6-0, 6-3. Crabb, ranked No. 18 nationally, has yet to lose a match this season to a Division II opponent. Freshman Hande Gorur improved her record against Mesa State, winning the No. 3 singles match 6-0, 6-0. The top-ranked duo of Crabb and Gorur, No. 1 in the North Central, cruised to an easy 8-3 victory in the No. 1 doubles.

In a successful weekend at the Auraria Courts, the men’s team gained victories against Mesa State, 8-1, and Colorado School of Mines, 8-1. After struggling early in the spring season when their No. 1 ranking in the North Central was stripped, the men’s team dominated the Orediggers, the team currently atop the polls. The victories improved the Roadrunners record to 9-6 for the season.

"This victory was huge," head coach Eduardo Provencio said. "We’ve done a good job lately. We play a tough schedule, and we took some licks early, but the team is improving."

Provencio also said that because the team is well-prepared and experienced, they should continue to rise. He also told the team before the match that if they could beat Mines, their early struggles would be washed away.

In men’s singles competition, freshman Magnus Bohman again shown in the No. 1 singles category. Ranked No. 10 in the North Central Region, Bohman swept both of his singles matches.

"Being No. 1 as a freshman is tough," Provencio said. "But he’s responded really well."

Carlos Delgado, ranked No. 11, also won both of his matches over the weekend in the No. 2 singles. In his victory against Kevin Yu, the junior rallied from one set behind to take a thriller 4-6, 6-3, 10-1.

Metro also swept all three doubles matches versus Mesa State and Mines. Bohman and Bruce Dicker kept their No. 5 doubles ranking intact and improved to 8-3 overall in their two wins in the No. 1 doubles.

If the season were to end today, both teams would compete in the post-season. With only three matches left in the RMAC, the men’s team will need a strong finish to improve their tournament seed. The women, on the other hand, control their own destiny. As the region’s No. 1 ranked team, Metro is in the driver’s seat to host a regional. However, they must first get past Southern Colorado, a team Provencio calls "very good" and a "real challenge." The challenge for both teams starts April 10 with Colorado Christian at the Auraria Courts. The busy week will conclude with three matches on the road against Southern Colorado on April 12, CU-Colorado Springs and Colorado College April 13.
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New coach hired for women’s soccer
Jason Sheehan
The Metropolitan

When Metro women’s soccer team takes to the field this fall, they will be under new leadership.

Danny Sanchez has been hired as the head coach for the Roadrunners. He replaces Colin Gilmartin who coached the Roadrunners for one season.

Sanchez previously coached at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Ariz., serving as the head coach for both men’s and women’s teams. He also worked with a club team in Mesa. While working at Mesa, Sanchez became familiar with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference by sending some of his players to RMAC schools.

When the coaching position at Metro presented itself, Sanchez jumped at the chance to apply for the job.

"It’s a good opportunity," Sanchez said. "It’s a higher level of play, and my situation in Arizona had kind of run its course. I was looking for a new challenge."

While he said he hopes to be successful on the field, one thing that Sanchez stresses is success off the field.

"Hopefully we will represent the school well off the field," Sanchez said. "That has always been a big priority for me."

Sanchez also knows this will be his first season with a new team and everyone will have to get to know each other.

"This will be my first year with the team so there will probably be some aches and pains," Sanchez said. "But hopefully down the road we develop.

"The returning players, since I’ve been here, have been doing a good job, working hard. But really next year, everyone will be starting from scratch, not only myself, but the new players and the returners as well. Playing for me for the first time will be a new experience."

So far the transition to Metro has gone smoothly for Sanchez. With the job opening up so late in the year, Sanchez had to scramble to get out here as quick as he could. His quick departure meant he had to leave his family back in Arizona, but Sanchez said that situation is "coming into shape." Another problem with being hired late in the year is dealing with recruiting. However, Sanchez gives credit to men’s soccer head coach Brian Crookham.

"Brian Crookman has done a good job keeping the momentum going as far as the recruits and the returning players," Sanchez said. "I stepped into a pretty good situation. It was kind of late in the game, but I feel good about the transition."

roadrunners on deck

April 12

•Men’s Baseball vs Nebraska-Kearney, 3 p.m.

•Tennis @ Southern Colorado, 3p.m.

April 13

•Men’s Baseball vs Nebraska-Kearney, 1 p.m.

•Tennis @ CU-Colorado Springs,11 a.m

•Tennis @ Colorado College, 4p.m.

April 14

•Men’s Baseball vs Nebraska-Kearney, noon

All games in bold played at Auraria Field
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