Students stage medical traumas
by Travis Combs
The Metropolitan

An earthquake shook a school cafeteria to its foundation last Saturday, leaving six people with serious injuries, including severed limbs and heavy bleeding. Emergency crews were unavailable and panic quickly set in among the wounded.

Fortunately, students in Metro’s First Responder and C.P.R class were on hand at the scene and responded to the crisis by performing First Aid on the injured while observers stood in the background, taking notes on their performance.

Though the earthquake never actually happened, and the school cafeteria was actually the racquetball court in the Event Center on the Auraria Campus, and the victim’s injuries were actually faked; the students performed first aid as if the scene were one of a great tragedy. The observers in the background are actually certified paramedics who critique the student’s performance. “The critique improves their skills and they’re able to ask questions,” Saville said. “In real life they would be better able to react to the emergency and give care.”

Photo by - Joshua Buck Metro first response student Brian Morrison, plays the part of an amputated victim trapped in an earthquake scenario April 12 in the Events Center. The class provides students with real-world emergency scenarios, complete with fake blood and vital statistics.

Once a semester, William Saville, Metro faculty member and Instructor for the First Response and C.P.R course, requires his students to perform their skills in a life-like situation.

“We get a group of four individuals to administer first aid to the victims we have prearranged in the scenario,” Saville said. “It’s a practical exam. It’s an exam we set through four scenarios: medical, trauma, environmental, and mass causalities, with actual mobile-type injuries with blood flowing.”

Saville, a First Responder for the Denver Fire Department for 38 years, said he teaches his students to make quick decisions, an ability many people fail to possess.

“He wants us to be the twenty percent (of the population) who can make a quick decision and know what to do,” said Metro student, Eric Eames. “You know what to do and don’t panic like somebody else might.”

Six students from the class role-played victims in the exam with fake injuries applied with make-up ranging from a severed hand to protruding bone fractures.

“I had an amputated hand,” said Eames. “We had blood packets with this pump thing on it pumping and squirting blood everywhere.”

Both Eames and Saville said that basic first response is a very important skill to know because professional medical attention is often unavailable, especially in places such as rural areas.

With the ability to make quick decisions comes the ability to respond quickly as well, and Saville said that he uses repetition to “brainwash” his students to be able to administer first aid effectively.

“I could say that I brainwash them,” Saville said. “I get letters from former students who say that they’re afraid that they’ve forgotten everything, but if they deem it important, they have instant recall to deal with the situation if it is called for.”

In addition to a mock earthquake, some of the other scenarios included in the exam were a crystal-meth lab explosion, a battered child, a man with diabetes and a man hit by a falling boulder

Students also set splints on “broken” bones and secured a person with neck injuries to a backboard.
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Metro alumna writes action novel
by Ian Neligh
The Metropolitan

Metro alumna, Air Force Captain, commercial pilot, and first time author, Jacqueline Randolph took a break from her busy schedule to talk about her time at Metro, the war in Iraq, and her new book “Deception’s Guard.”

Met: When did you go to school here at Metro? And what did you study?

J: I attended MSCD 1983-1989 changing majors twice.  First choice was commercial pilot before I switched to accounting and subsequently was awarded a B.S. in 1989.

Met: What was it like here as a student at that time?

J: I had to pay my own way through college. I worked full time at various jobs such as the National Transportation Safety Board (Denver Field Office) and the Air Force Accounting and Finance Center (as a civilian).  Consequently, I worked full time during the day and went to school full time during evenings and weekends—hence the five years at MSCD.

Met: What were students doing on campus at that time? Any government or war protests?

J: I don’t remember any war protests going on at the time—things were pretty normal.  Of course, two years after my graduation we went in after Saddam Hussein in Iraq and I decided I wanted to be part of that action, so I joined the Air Force.

Met: What are you doing now?

J: Currently, I am an officer (Captain) in The US Air Force—I’ve been in the Air Force since 1991.  During the two years after MSCD graduation I was an auditor with the Defense Contract Audit Agency (Denver Field Office).  My Air Force career has consisted of 3 years as a C-130 aircrew member in which I transported military troops to war zones (Bosnia, Iraq, etc.) and delivered United Nations Humanitarian relief to the same.  Worldwide travel during this time included Morocco, Israel, Turkey, all of Europe Also participated in Space Shuttle recovery missions, Special Operations/DEA missions, etc.  The next 3 years involved serving as a missile launch officer in Minot ND, the next three years involved serving as an assistant of aerospace studies (AFROTC) at two colleges in the Mississippi Delta (Mississippi Valley State University and Delta State University).  Currently, I am assigned in Colorado Springs as a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) operations crew commander.  GPS is used for everything to include ATM machines, cell phones, Commercial /military airplane navigation, precision weapons, and ground troop navigation, etc.  Aside from the military, I am also a commercial pilot, first time author, and business owner (own several condos/duplexes).

Met: What are your opinions on the war and the Air Force academy?

J: The war is necessary.  To all the war protesters—given their “logic” on the US not going to war on Iraq/Saddam—those same arguments must also apply to WWII and Hitler and the Concentration Camps.  If the war protesters had lived during WWII they would have protested U.S. involvement as it was none of our business, and we should have done nothing and allowed all of Europe, and an entire people, to be slaughtered and oppressed. After all, war solves nothing and perhaps Hitler would have been swayed by our peaceful stance (non-involvement) and decided to abandon his Nazi goals! The only thing necessary for evil to spread is for good people to do nothing! As for the Air Force Academy, the media is notorious in twisting and mutilating.  Was there a problem perpetrated by a very small minority of which needed to be addressed? —YES!  Was it necessary for the media to conduct witch trials and all but act as judge, juror and the offense lawyers? —NO!

Met: Tell me a little about your book, and if you are working on another book?

J: The book is a fictionalized version of my many travels and adventures.  I awoke one morning with the entire story in my head —not an outline or sketch —and proceeded to write the entire 300-page novel in four days.  After sending the manuscript to several publishers, I immediately received several publishing contracts and finally decided to go with American Book Publishing as they offered to help through the entire process (editing, cover design, publicity/promotion, etc.). My publishers have been encouraging me to write a sequel, and I confess I do have the outline in my head—I was hoping God would give me another 4-day bolt of lightning, but I think I’m going to have to write the sequel the conventional way. 

Met: Are you earning money from it yet?

J: The book is currently in the pre-release stage, which means publicity/book reviews are going on now—it can still be ordered now at the Publisher’s Direct bookstore—but won’t filter into Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. until the formal release date 1 July 2003.

Met: Who are some of your favorite authors?

J: Favorite authors include: Clive Cussler, Dee Henderson, Tracie Peterson, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Diane Gabaldon, Og Mandino, Arthur Conan Doyle

Met: What kind of advice can you offer to students who wish to be authors themselves?

J: Write about what you know and what is passionate to you!  I am an adrenaline junkie and adventurer, so of course it was SHEER pleasure and effortless to write about what has given me a “rush.”  Second:  Since writing the book, so many people have confided that they have a book in their head or always wanted to write a book.  DO IT!  NO FEAR!  There are too many avenues for publishing one’s work to not act on your desires.

Jacqueline Randolph’s new book “Deception’s Guard” can be found at www.pdbookstore.com under both the suspense and romance genres.
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Fong Jones jams on campus
by Chelsy Klein
The Metropolitan

Once upon a time, in the not so distant past, there once was a band by the name of Big Head Todd and the Monsters. They were Colorado’s sweethearts, hometown boys whom everyone seemed to love. But gone are the days of Big Head Todd, and now Colorado is looking for a new band to call its own. Our dreams have finally come true with the arrival of The Fong Jones Band. That’s Fong, not thong. The Fong Jones Band is comprised of four guys who love to play music - really good music. The band has a sordid beginning, as do many bands, and it goes something like this: Lead singer, Derrick Camasso, originally from Biloxi, MS., met guitarist Jody Calhoun from Grand Junction back in 1999, at the place where the two worked.

Originally, they didn’t like each other, but found that they both shared an appreciation for music; so they started to “jam” together and eventually started to write lyrics. Matt Helms, born in Dallas, played drums and became an addition to the band in 2002. Finally, bassist Ryan Nicholl, another Colorado native, completed the band in February of 2003.

These guys have a down to Earth appeal both in their music and in their personal lives. They made sure to mention that their music wouldn’t be as good, either live or on their CD, if not for their “sound pilot” Nate Camasso. Nate is the brother of lead man Derrick and also a student at Metro.

When asked to describe their musical backgrounds, the Fong Jones boys gave a gamut of answers, which included everything from rock-a-billy to country to punk rock. “Being so diverse in (musical) backgrounds forces us to be ourselves,” said singer, Jody Calhoun.  “This band is the complete package - technically proficient and musical,” said bassist Ryan Nicholl. 

So, where did the name that is so often mistaken for “The Thong Jones Band” come from? The story behind the name is as diverse among as the band mates’ musical influences. They each have a different version of how they became “The Fong Jones Band.” Guitarist Jody Calhoun’s version is that one-day, Derrick bought a mixing board made by the Roland company. The directions were written in an exact translation from Japanese to English, so when they looked to see the engineers’ names, they saw the name Fong, with a last name that no one could pronounce, so they called him Fong Jones, and it stuck.

Derrick’s version is that an original member of the band, Shane, said that they were either going to be called Naked Jesus or The Fong Jones Band. No one wanted to be named after Jesus, so they settled on The Fong Jones Band.

Matt’s version of the story is the most outrageous. Matt says that Shane was doing an internship at the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and was asked to do follow up calls to people looking to take English-as-a-second-language classes. As he was going down his list, he came upon the name Fong Jones. The name was so unusual that it stuck with him, and thus, The Fong Jones Band was created.

No one buys Matt’s version of the story, because, for all anyone know, Shane never actually worked for the INS. Ryan’s story is the most simple:  “They were already named The Fong Jones Band when I joined, and I hated it; but now it’s who we are.” They all agree, however, that the name will not change.

Derrick and Jody write all of the lyrics to their songs. They draw from their personal lives and experiences, which makes for fantastic, heart-felt music. For example, the song Last Day, is about a car accident that put singer Derrick Camasso in the hospital with serious injuries, and killed the other driver. The song has profound lyrics with a lot of emotion, but, surprisingly, it’s not sad and dreary.

 “The songs have a good remembrance that people enjoy.” Drummer, Matt Helms reflected. He is absolutely correct: the songs they perform and write are not only catchy, but interesting as well.

In a recent performance at The Boiler Room on Auraria Campus, the Fong Jones Band put on an extraordinary show. They drew the crowd in and entertained with a style and dedication that is not often seen in novice musicians.

“(We have) emotion — the same heartbeat — when we play together,” said Jody. Matt compares the diversity of their live performances to driving in your car and flipping around from one radio station to another. - And he wasn’t kidding! They performed quiet a few songs from their demo CD, Tiny Flaws and Imperfections, as well as, a song from Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and the Sugar Hill Gang!  

“The live performance grabs (the audience). The lead singer has a quality voice and the bassist is very playful. It pulls you in.” Concert-goer, Brian DeWitt said. Another audience member commented, “The lyrics are really good, so is the beat. This is something I’d buy for myself.”

Ironically, when asked to describe the music they make, this very talkative band was at a loss for words.

“You can’t classify this band,” said Jody. The same reaction was given by many of the fans at The Boiler Room performance. “They’re awesome. They sound so different,” said one fan. The band members say that they “sound like Dave Matthews Band or Creed, but not really.” Some of the patrons of the show Friday night likened them to bands such as Collective Soul or 3 Doors Down.

Jody made the interesting comment about their music and their fan base when he said, “Whether you’re 8 to 80, blind, crippled, crazy, sick, dumb, or lazy - you’ll get into it.” One thing is for sure, everyone at The Boiler Room performance agreed that these guys will be playing in a bigger venue some day. The Fong Jones Band is going places.
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Celebrating Jazz

Photo by - Joshua Lawton Trumpet player and MSCD Monday Night Jazz Band member Josh Trinidad focuses on his sheet music while playing April 12 in the King Center Concert Hall. The Jazz Celebration at Metro State, which featured one-hour clinics from some of the industry’s leading performers throughout the week, was sponsored by Metro, Denver School of the Arts and Denver Public Schools.

Photo by - Joshua Buck Jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz plays a solo during the April 12 concert in the King Center Concert Hall. Konitz has been playing for 50 years and is regarded by some as a “true jazz living legend.”

Photo by - Joshua Lawton Victor Mendoza adds his unique touches to the jazz sounds with the vibraphone. Mendoza, an instructor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, offered an open clinic to music enthusiasts on April 11, in St. Cajetan’s.

Photo by - Joshua Lawton Metro music professor Walter Barr directs the MSCD Monday Night Jazz Band in the King Center Concert Hall April 12. Bobby Shew, Lee Konitz and Victor Mendoza showed off their talents by playing with the band, wrapping up the three day Jazz Celebration.

Photo by - Joshua Buck Right: Bobby Shew plays the flugelhorn during the second half of the final concert of the Jazz Celebration in the King Center Concert Hall. Shew has played for many big bands throughout the years and also conducted a clinic April 12, with jazz saxophone legend Lee Konitz

Photo by - Joshua Buck MSCD Monday Night Jazz Band pianist tickles the ivories during a set at the Jazz Celebration concert April 12.

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