Volume 25 issue 5 September 19, 2002

Flying in the clouds
Metro student takes part in Reno Air Show one year after event was cancelled because of 9/11
Ann Trudeau
The Metropolitan

Greg Gedney a Metro and University of Colorado at Denver multi-degree seeking student, looked forward to over a week of high-powered antique air racing, but he was actually going to do his homework.

He was at the 38th Reno Air Race last year participating as a support crew member of "Sea Hawk", the Race 21 Team in the event. The plane, a 1940 Hawker Sea Fury, is a reconditioned British made fighter-bomber that is piston driven and owned by Joseph H. Thibodeau. He was writing a report for an anthropology class on the psyche of the pilots, the crew, spectators, vendors and others who have attended this race over the years.

Gedney, 42, has been a licensed pilot for 10 years, and carries commercial, instrument and multi-engine ratings. But by the time he got rated he didn’t feel confident in his foundation for safety, so he enrolled in the Aerospace Sciences program.

He said he did it to fill in the voids in his education. " I’m very glad I did," he said.

With his multi-background of anthropology, aerospace, electrical and mechanical education that will eventually include a masters in Archeology, some would say he’s a Renaissance Man. Gedney states that he is just well-rounded. He was certainly prepared to observe the Reno Air Race of 2001.

At the Air Race on 9/11

Ground crew and pilots were working to get their planes in the air for the qualifying flights.

"Overhead, I see five Formula Ones in the pattern with more being brought out onto the flight line," said Gedney. "There is nothing quite like the sound of sleek war birds slicing through the air, a few hundred feet above and to the front of you; engines free to run wild, to reach that flat-out, piercing growl that cuts straight through your body."

Two people ran onto the runway in front of the Reno Home Pylon. One person was waving a red flag, the other a black flag. Someone commented that it was highly unusual. It meant all airplanes must land immediately.

The Reno Air Race was now affected by 9/11.

Gedney’s report said, " The vast majority of the crews and the fans all stay at the hotel , the old MGM. Being a casino, there is normally a lot of gambling. On the day after 9/11 there was virtually no one there. But, from an international standpoint there was an area that has in it a series of large big screen television , 5 by 6 feet,,over 200 seats with individual TVs in front of them. They can bet on any sports event any where in the world. And what I noticed that was most interesting, that on Sept. 12th, not only was area completely abandoned, there was not a single sports event on…anywhere in the world. Everything was blank; there was nothing going on. There was only one TV screen showing…replay of the 767 going into the WTC and the fireball that resulted from it. It just struck home to me that it was a world-wide event. Nobody was playing; nobody was having fun; it was gambling-it was not business as usual.

"Struck me as a metaphor, as a world-wide metaphor," Gedney said. "No one wanted to play. I was looking at a world shut down."

On the flight line they organized and cleaned up the planes which could no longer fly because the sky was shut down to them.

"I look around at the pits around me; there is no one to be seen. A small flight of birds can be heard passing between the hangers. The silence is what you feel now," Gedney said.

Gedney also observed 90 minutes after the towers fell some of the people he had been taking notes on. The older WW II-looking vets with baseball hats that declared they were vets were those that were 55 to 65 or older. These vets were the only ones who didn’t watch the unfolding events on TV. They were washing the planes, talking, but mostly turning their backs on the TV.

"It was: this is your generation’s Pearl Harbor – we’re gong on with our life," he said.

Gedney thought they may be having a flashback to the self-defense mechanisms they had during the war: "Terrible things are going on around us, but we still have to continue with our jobs."

"They went to work!" Gedney said. "Whereas everybody else stopped dead in their tracks and couldn’t pry themselves from the scenes in front of them."

At the Air Race one year later

Last year Gedney saw a very ill-looking vet who pushed his shopping cart filled with newspapers, selling them. As 9/11 unfolded, he refilled his cart and kept selling the papers to those who were starved for any information. Pushing his heavy cart over and over again.

Gedney said that he didn’t see the vet this year and s assumed he has died.

He also noticed a Japanese family that was there taking photos that were walking around with fear in their eyes after the attack. This year the family is back, the dad with a press pass, taking photos as before. Still being part of the Reno Air Race family.

He said that many pilots who race have now lost their job with the airlines. But the outpouring of support of the 230,000 strong family of the Reno Air Race has helped the institution recover from the almost disasterous effects of 9/ll on the race’s finances. They were able to come up with a $800,000 purse to be distributed among the pilots and teams. It doesn’t cover their costs, but it helps.

By the way, not only has this international race survived, but Gedney’s team plane won in its category by flying a 56 mile-seven lap race in eight minutes and 56 seconds.
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9/11: Students remember, react
A year later, many have learned from it, feel safer, stronger
Ernest J. Franssen
The Metropolitan

Students on Auraria Campus started Sept. 11, 2002, as they did a year ago: by going to school.

This year, as they basked in the sun or ate lunch between classes, the memories of last year’s terror attacks were fresh in their minds. Confusion, mixed emotions, pride, sadness and anger were expressed by some students hanging out Wednesday afternoon.

It was evident that they felt that this day should be remembered, but not as a holiday.

Some spent time commemorating the day in flagpole ceremonies held on campus. Others felt that too much had already been made of the tragedy and that it was time to move on.

Most felt that the war is going well and that we can win it with patience.

Brian Montoya said that he feels safer because of the 2,000 terrorists that have been arrested.

The support of the military and law enforcement has made our everyday life better, according to some students.

"We’re at war with a nebulous concept," said Kyro Conner. Conner, 24, felt we are fighting a war that can never be won or lost.

National unity has been the best result from the attacks, said many students. Stephanie Terrada, 18, pointed out that everyone is flying American flags and has more pride then they did a year ago.

Montoya disagreed.

"Look around, I don’t see anyone showing support or American colors," Montoya said.

He was not happy with the lack of American pride on campus. He thought people from Colorado did not feel the effects that New Yorkers had.

The lives of Auraria students have changed.

"It makes me realize what I was taking for granted," said Terrada.

Others have changed because of the fear they’ve felt since that day. Katie Grasser, 19, admitted to being more sentimental and patient than she was a year ago.

The lesson to be learned from a year ago is to promote peace, according to Shanell Sims, 19.

Mostly the lesson to be learned is that we are not untouchable. Maybe that lesson is that America has found purpose again.

"Our way is right for us, not every one," Sims said.

Some students felt that the lessons that should have been learned last year have been missed.

Conner said he thought that we need to understand other cultures better.

Students remember hearing about the attacks on this day last year.

Grasser remembers her mother taking her out to look in the sky and telling her it was the only time she would ever see the sky without an airplane again.

A year after that tragic day there was, again, little air traffic. For students, it was back to normal, with the memories of Sept. 11, 2001, still on their minds.

‘It makes me realize what I was taking for granted.’
Stephanie Terrada, Auraria student
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Metro’s most popular
Computer Information Systems, Behavioral Science lead list of most- graduated majors
Ian Neligh
The Metropolitan

Students can pick from 49 majors at Metro, and some are more popular than others. The top three bachelor’s degree programs selected by graduating 2001-2002 Metro seniors are Computer Information Systems, Behavioral Science and Criminal Justice.

The most popular degree, Computer Information Systems, graduated 176 seniors for the 2001-2002 term.

"We have and incredible mix of faculty with various computer information systems backgrounds," said Abel Moreno, Computer Information Systems chair. "They are up-to-date on what the latest is, and they attend conferences on the annual basis."

The CIS program also has a serious business aspect to it. This program is composed of about 30 credit hours of business courses, so the students are exposed to accounting, marketing, management, finance and statistics.

"This component of the degree not only makes them valuable in the sense that they have an addition to a CIS component but they also have a business degree to offer to prospective employers," said Moreno.

Moreno attributed the success of the CIS department to its curriculum and faculty. He said the department tries to offer courses graduates will need when they enter the workforce.

"Students appreciate that," said Moreno. "They talk to us and they know that by the time they graduate, they need little or no training and they are ready to hit the ground running."

The CIS department is developing a new Bachelor of Arts degree in computer information systems. The new major will give students the option to emphasize the CIS courses over the business courses, should they choose to.

"I feel very fortunate to represent this great group of faculty," said Moreno. "I have worked at other places, and this department is clearly unique."

Behavioral Science was the second most popular major with 168 graduates.

"In terms of behavioral science, we are looking at reviewing some of the aspects to sort of tighten the major up a little bit in terms of core requirements," said Ken Keller, director of the behavioral science department.

"What’s feasible, what’s workable, and what will fit best with what students want out of behavioral science, and where they are going," he said.

Keller said that sometimes it is difficult to meet all of the students’ goals because there are so many different people involved with the major. With good advising, however, students can choose a specific direction for their Behavioral Science degree.

Criminal Justice and Criminology came in third with 149 graduates.

"I also think that we draw quite a few students because we are a quality program and we have some top-notch faculty, full-time and part-time," said Joseph G. Sandoval, chair of the Criminal Justice Department. "We get a lot of people who are working in the field of criminal justice as police officers or various other capacities. In order to get anywhere in this field, you need to get a degree, and many see this as an attractive way to continue to study the field that they are interested in."

Sandoval said that there are students in the CJC program today whose parents went through the program back when it first started.

Much of the program’s popularity can be attributed to word of mouth, he said.

"Our part-time faculty are practitioners," said Sandoval. "We have folks who work in district attorney’s offices, sheriff’s departments, and with the police departments.

"We manage to get them to come and teach here, and there are a lot of people who want to teach here in our department," he said. "It is absolutely amazing to me the number of folks who want to get into our part time pool."

The CJC program also offers students the chance to take all but four required classes online in order to complete their major.

"One of the visions that I had way back when I started teaching here at the college is that we need somehow or other to provide a police force, a police system, that is highly educated and that is highly professional," said Sandoval.

"I do think that we are partially there."

‘We have an incredible mix of of faculty with various computer information systems backgrounds.’
- Abel Moreno,
Computer Information Systems Chair
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Census gives picture of average students
Eric Skougstad
The Metropolitan

Overall enrollment at Metro has risen 5 percent in 2002, according to the new Fall 2002 census. The census is made up of data collected by the Office of Instituional Research.

The study also outlined the average countries of foreign students, and the ages, gender and status of all students.

"We were just talking about (the enrollment increase)," Metro student Shaqaiq Birashk said, pointing to friend and soon-to-be Metro student Ayah Sasi, as they sat in front of Central Classroom.

"There are a lot of students this semester," Birashk said, "but the more the better. As long as I get a seat in front of the class!"

Birashk, a native of Afghanistan, lives in Colorado with her family.

International students make up 1 percent of Metro’s population, the census shows. Of that 1 percent, 29 percent are Japanese, 13 percent are Taiwanese, and 11 percent are Australian, filling up the top three spots.

A Metro student who would only say that her last name is "Kim" was not enthusiastic about the population increase.

"Lots of people are late to class because they can’t find a parking spot," Kim said. "It takes forever to get to class anyway, because you have to walk around so many people just standing around."

Kim, 21, fits into the majority of the student population agewise.

The 7,931 Metro students aged 20- to 24-years-old, make up the most common age group, the census said. Only 3,589 students make up the second biggest category: ages 25 to 29. They are followed, in order, by under-20-year-olds, 30- to 34-year-olds, over-40-year-olds, and finally, 35- to 39-year-olds.

Tina McNally, an accounting major, noticed the population increase.

"But I see it across the board," McNally said, "not just older students coming back because of a bad economy, but an influx of traditional students."

McNally is correct. According to the census, the increase in population for the 19- to 20-year-olds is 5 percent, the same as the overall increase. That age group is considered "traditional" in colleges.

The gender statistics have stayed the same, at 57 percent male to 43 percent female.

"Yes, that’s a good statistic," said Rob Henning, a third-year Metro student. "I’ve noticed that – it kind of makes my head spin!"

The study also concluded that 58 percent of the student population are full-time students, whereas last year only 56 percent were.
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Heart disease can start young
It is never too early to get tested, doctors say
Travis M. Combs
The Metropolitan

College-aged students should be screened for heart disease according to a press release issued by the American Heart Association. Over 4 percent of people between the ages of 20 and 24 have some form of cardiovascular disease.

Screenings should begin for college students as early as 20 years old and continuing on a regular basis every five years until the age of 35, at which time screenings should take place annually.

"In the 2002 release, we are focusing on the younger adults," said Rhonda Whittie, M.D., Master of Science and Public Health at the Health Center at Auraria Campus.

Although the Health Center has only seen a handful of diagnosed cardiovascular cases within two years among 20- to 24-year-old students, early screening could prevent a first heart attack or stroke.

The report stresses that among this age group, multiple areas of slight risk can be a greater factor than any one area of high risk in contributing to heart disease.

"It’s not just one big thing, it’s a large number of little things," said Whittie.

The Health Center at Auraria Campus offers risk stratifications that screen for cardiovascular disease.

The risk factors include high cholesterol levels, diabetes mellitus and a family history of heart disease.

The lifestyle factors of individual students also have a large impact in cardiovascular heath or illness.

"Smoking is the main thing we advise students to give up," said Whittie.

A diet high in fruits and vegetables coupled with moderate amounts of lean cut meat can also contribute to reducing future risks.

"A French fry every now and then is okay, but fries every day are not good," said Whittie.

Along with a healthy diet, students are also advised to include regular amounts of moderate-intensity exercise, preferably everyday. Moderate exercise doesn’t necessarily mean running or aerobics.

"The American Heart Association recommends walking at a moderate pace," said Whittie.

According to current estimates, cardiovascular disease is the number-one killer in the United States, claiming 958,775 lives in 1999, or one in every 2.5 deaths.
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news briefs

Speaker to share stories, experiences about China

Ernie Heyman, Metro instructor, delivered an eight lecture series on the American public school system at Huaiyin Teachers’ College in Huai’an, China, in May 2002. Heyman will share stories, pictures and artifacts Sept. 27, in WC 258.

The presentation is open to anyone who is interested in cultural awareness and understanding.

San Francisco poet

to read at festival

Poet and physician C. Dale Young will do a reading as part of the Auraria Poetry Festival Sept. 20 in the King Center Recital Hall.

Young, a medical doctor living in San Francisco, is poetry editor of New England Review and has gained wide recognition for his debut volume of poetry "The Day Underneath the Day."
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police briefs

The warrant wasn’t just amazing – it was outstanding!

Michael Rollie, Metro student, was arrested on an outstanding warrant at 1:25 p.m. on Sept. 12 near the South Building.

The certificate gone? It certifica-ntly is!

A $100 gift certificate to Park Meadows Mall was stolen from Debbie Hendricks, Metro staff. The thief entered her office in the Tivoli between 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 9 and 7:30 a.m. on Sept.10. Police have no suspects or leads.

Total Loss: $100.

Time to get a new windshield

The windshield of the Metro Criminal Justice Department’s crime-scene car was kicked out. AHEC employee Gary Martin called the police at 7:25 a.m. after discovering the damage to the car, which was parked behind the Technology Building. Police have no suspects or leads.

Total Loss: $300.

Qwest for missing

cell phone

A purse was stolen at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 13 from Alexandria Contreras’ Fieldwork Denver, Inc., office in the Tivoli. Items stolen include: a Qwest cell phone worth $80, a cell phone cover worth $10, a Dickie brand bag worth $30, a Ralph Lauren wallet worth $35, a stereo faceplate from Pioneer worth $60, and miscellaneous credit cards, ID cards and other cards of unknown value. Police have no leads.

Total Loss: $195.

Backpack gone? Wheel-y, it is!

A backpack with wheels was stolen from Emily Mukasa, Metro student, at 11 a.m. on Sept. 13. Items stolen include a backpack worth $50, a purse worth $10, Assorted ID and Credit Cards of unknown value, U.S. currency worth $2, and textbooks worth $200. Police have no leads.

Total Loss: $262.

Tip O’ The Week:

Did you know that in the United States, for every one motor vehicle stolen, there are three bicycles stolen? Register your bicycle with the Denver Police Department. Police will then have your bicycle record on file if it is stolen. Also, check and see if your bicycle is covered under your homeowner’s insurance policy.
-Eric Skougstad
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Bronco-mania returns
Walter Gant
Staff Columnist

All of the people with whom I’ve had a long conversation know I’m a sports guy. That’s why I am releasing my picks for the college and pro football championships. Now, these are strictly my opinions and no one else’s. They are based off schedule and just who has the best players in key positions. If your stars perform you should win.

We will start with the pros. The first two weeks will be behind us when this is released. That’s cool, it gives me a legit chance to see the majority of the teams play and I can give an almost honest assessment of the league.

Every team has a chance but I’m limiting my picks to three teams from each conference that should be able to pull out from everyone else. I’m also picking two surprise teams that may be able to sneak into the Super Bowl this year. The first team I’ll speak on is the Denver Broncos. The big thing with them is if Greise doesn’t perform, then they don’t have a chance of winning, but the defense will get them far this year. It probably won’t lose a game for them. The offense has to perform up to par. If that happens, they will be able to beat any team in the AFC.

The same rule goes in effect for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their defense is superb and their running game is also good. It also falls into Kordell Stewart’s hands. If he falters this year, then expect the championship hopes of Pittsburgh to join him. Oakland is too old and they shouldn’t get past the wildcard round. Indianapolis has no defense so they won’t be able to win it. My surprise pick of the AFC is the Tennessee Titans. The return of a healthy Eddie George and a healthy Steve Mcnair means problems for the AFC. The defense lost Jevon Kearse but the have a suitable replacement. Kearse is back in 6-8 weeks and that means Kevin Carter’s spot is in trouble if he doesn’t live up to potential. Regardless I like Tennessee to win the conference.

The Rams’ dominance in the NFC is over. They had a nice run but Philadelphia is breathing down their neck. You also have Tampa Bay and San Francisco looking extremely good. My pick in the NFC is a little tougher because I believe the NFC is tougher than the AFC.

The three teams I mentioned above I like because they all have great defenses. Tampa Bay’s line is a little older now, but I think Gruden will instill in them the same attitude he gave the Raiders. The main reason Tampa Bay will win is because of Gruden and the improvements he’s made at key positions, especially at running back and wide receiver. Philadelphia has lost Hollis Thomas for the season and they also lost Jeremiah Trotter via free agency and they are still going to be tough. McNabb is the truth at quarterback and he must be respected. San Francisco has a rebuilding program that finished two years ahead of schedeule. The defense is ready as well as the offense. They have Terrell Owens at receiver who is the best receiver not named Randy Moss in the entire league. My surprise team is Minnesota. Randy Moss and Dante Culpepper are the future of the NFL. They are really the present as long as the defense doesn’t let other teams run amuck .

College is a little more easier. I don’t see anybody beating Miami. However I know that somebody has to. No college team is that good. The only team that can match Miami with talent is Texas. The problem for Texas is that they have to play Oklahoma. For the first time in a long time it seems like the polls have the teams ranked correctly. My pick to win it all was Oklahoma until they lost their quarterback. My pick now is Texas. They are just too deep.
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The Gadfly
Brian P. Reed

Mr. Bin Laden,

Two great quotes from Pacino in Scarface:

• "No women, no children."

• "Say hello to my little friend."

I’m back!

Well, we cried, puked, had rippled stomachs, purchased guns and were quite anxious from your little prank a yeark ago. Many of us even thought those Al Qaeda bastards would come back, hunt and haunt us down again. Tough shit. The American resolve exists with the remembrance of everyone who lost their lives a year ago last week.

From the innocent people in New York and The Pentagon to those on Flight 93, who reportedly beat the crap out of their hijackers, you have my heart, Kudos to America and its resolve! Liberals... go shopping for weapons. Conservatives, please, historically, remember your party was once "liberal."

There’s little time for sitting on the commode. I dare anyone to try to hijack the next bus, plane or vehicle I’m kicking back in towards any destination. (Please, please I dare you to try).

Let us not forget the lives that have been spent defending this great country—currently and in the past. Stand tall: "Kill’em all and let God sort’em out."

And, please, you so-called "Liberals," get off your pansy-assed civil disobedience stance. You know where civil disobedience got JFK, Christ, Gandhi and the others. Peace can only come from Chairman Mao’s gun.
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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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Healthy Moves
by Joshua Buck

Brad Pepper takes advantage of Healthy Moves by getting a massage from Ken Purcell on Sept. 10 outside the Health Center at Auraria in the Plaza Building. "This is a great program," Pepper said. "I also go to Yoga every Tuesday."
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Myriad of food, music, culture
2002 Fall Fest allows huge, diverse crowd to become involved
Armando Manzanares
The Metropolitan

Fall Fest, spotlighting worldwide diversity, happened this week while hundreds of students, faculty, staff and passers by had the chance to see Auraria’s worldwide diversity in motion this week.

Fall Fest, essentially, is a cultural festival with food, music, arts and crafts and a variety of performances provided for the students of Auraria. The purpose is to orient the students to services and programs the campus offers and to provide ways to become involved members of the campus.

Planning the event took a few months. It started half way through the summer with all the appropriate committees meeting, discussing schedules and approving them.

Several major sponsors from campus were responsible for the event: Metro Student Activities, University of Colorado at Denver Student Life, Tivoli Student Union, the Health Center at Auraria and Campus Recreation.

Brooke Dilling of Metro Student Activities was excited by the turnout.

"Fall fest is a good introduction to the campus," she said. "There’s a lot of student organizations here, a lot of departments here – it’s one of the more fun events as well," she said.

"It’s the beginning to the year, we want to get people out and mingling and socializing and letting them know being on campus is a fun place to be," she said.

"Raising awareness that there are some really cool events that people can really take part in," Dilling finished, welcoming her student employees to the conversation.

Metro, along with the two other institutions on this campus, is configured to accommodate the commuter student. There is not any on-campus housing, and putting an event together with this in mind is a bit trying.

Timing, performers and booths that suit the student make-up of this campus is like trying to figure how to to get the square block into the circle hole.

"A lot of thought is put into trying to make it inclusive: ethnicity, age . . . a lot of effort is put into that," said Erin Mann, Metro student and Student Activities program coordinator.

This is the first time I have seen that many students convene on this campus at one time. It is very encouraging to see the campus organizations, local non-profits, student life organizations and academic programs from all three schools come together for these two days.

It shows the students that opportunities to become involved and meet their neighbors and become acquainted should be and are a part of the college experience.

This is an annual event. However, last year’s festival was cancelled due to the events of Sept. 11.
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Articulating the word
by Amy Denning

A multi-cultural crowd dispersed themselves throughout a cozy, faintly-lit bar Sunday night while exposing their minds to diverse poetry and artwork.

For the first time since the opening two months ago, the staff of Dulcinea’s 100th Monkey hosted an art show and poetry reading. "I love poets," Philip Bianchi said, owner of Dulcinea’s 100th Monkey. "My dad was an artist and watching poets create poetry has been my whole life."

The guests adjusted comfortably to the living room setting. Worn couches were scattered perfectly throughout the bar, a pool table sat in the corner and a stocked bar sat comfortable in the middle.

A spread of hors d’oeuvre lingered on a table and complimentary wine waited to be sipped by a multitude of guests who conversed as the DJ entertained.

Artists’ paintings hung on blue, yellow and purple walls and were framed in white and colored lights.

As voices grew in abundance, their dialogue was interrupted by a gracious welcome. The show, Embrace Expansion, was to begin.

As each poet read, heads shifted toward the prevailing voice. Then Metro student and poet Maurice Ka approached the microphone and began articulating each word with passion and bold clarity.

Ka held the undivided attention of his audience as he emphatically read Breathe.

He read the words as they revealed his focus on a woman trying to overcome a struggle, which reflected struggles that had taken place in Ka’s own life, he said. Her overcoming conflict means that he is able to do the same.

"At 17 she ran through foreign lands," Ka read from sheets of white paper held in one hand. "Into foreign hands/ looking for the northern star/ in polluted skylines…

"Can you help me breathe/ I need to breathe/ I’m not good at being domesticated/ I have to own my freedom/ maybe it’s better if I walk away/ but something inside me is saying run for your life…"

Ka continued in a manner that had people transfixed as the words resonated within the confines of the bar.

"He will come to retrieve you but not rescue you/ no time for these Cinderella inconsistencies," he said. "You better keep running/ better find an honorable death than to keep living this way..."

The crowd listened intently, their eyes wide with anticipation.

"Immaculate conception turned deception," he said. "Justification rebellion/ confusion mistrust/ revolution depression rebellion/ confusion birth of allusion/ conception transformation/ deception confusion transformation/ renewal/ quiet/ quiet…"

After he uttered the last word, he peered into the crowd and said "Thank you."

"When I was writing that, it was one of the most intense and spiritual experiences in my life," Ka said. "The writing was a healing implement."

Ka stood at the microphone for a second time and began to read another composition. This untitled poem represents a battle between the poetry that people want to hear and what the poet wants to write, he said.

"And I don’t read any more/ participate in the circus show… I have left the public theatre/ composed of an open microphone…" Ka said. "to an audience that claps and cheers/ to key words and shock jock statements/ that make any poet no less than memorable./ I want to become a walking documentary/ the collage of all my past lives…"

More faces in the crowd edged a couple of inches forward to catch the words Ka spoke.

"And there is no beauty in a black face that does not smile/ not even my own/ no peace in a black face that doesn’t know we are in the middle of a war/ in this city with pleasantries only for the dead/ so I have left the temple of stone rituals begging for a memory/ to follow sinners for time has proven they make the best of saints and prophets…" he said.

Ka’s audience was stationary until he spoke his last words, then applause and movement ruptured the tranquil setting. He smiled and exited the spotlight so the night could be shared with yet another poet.

"I think Maurice is so deep that you don’t get what he says until you’re out of the building," Quianna Ray said, poet and friend of Ka.

For the past five years, Ka has been reading his poetry in public, he said. The evolution of society, primarily the human condition has been his area of focus. "The human mind and human condition is what inspires me," he said.

For the past two years, Ka has chosen to impact the lives of younger students by working at the Denver School of the Arts. He works in the day care and is a part-time teacher’s assistant for a creative writing class.

In his spare time, he volunteers with the United Coalition for Kids teaching children about self-expression. For six weeks the group of children ages eight to 14 paint, write, make crafts, participate in theatre and dance.

Throughout history, events have led to upsurges in art and new theories of thought, Ka said. "Everything we do impacts our culture right now."
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Coaching: A family conflict
Eric Eames
The Metropolitan

A year ago, terrorists caused this country, this planet and this life to shake and tilt to a new degree. But it wasn’t until half a year later, when Brian Crookham’s own horizons shifted.

On April 12, 2002, Crookham’s wife, Michelle, gave birth to the couple’s first child Connor, whose initial t-shirt had the red U.S. Soccer logo in the middle. On the very next day, the Metro men’s soccer coach led the Roadrunners out for a spring exhibition game.

"I went out and tried to coach a little bit," Crookham said. "It was just the greatest feeling ever to have a healthy happy baby around. It just puts everything into perspective; frames everything, so you know that there is more important things than getting up early in the morning and coming home late at night, and working and working till you drop. There is more to it than that."

Coaches are often creatures with blinders on, especially during the season when the wins and losses, the strategies and the referee’s blown calls serve as logs for a fire of endless energy burning inside them. It allows them to run on four hours’ sleep as they zero in on every single detail. Their passion, however, works for and against them, with a tendency to muddy the big picture.

"During the season you like to say family comes first, but that is probably not the way it falls," admitted men’s basketball coach Mike Dunlap, who has two sons, Holt and Spencer, and a daughter, Ellie.

"If I had the energy I can be in this office 24 hours a day and have something to do the whole time," Crookham said as he leaned back from his desktop of papers. "But obviously that is not a healthy lifestyle and obviously not very healthy for a family and the responsibilities behind that…. It’s about organization and scheduling and not trying to bite off more than you can chew in any given day. When you are single you can do whatever you want. It is very easy to get caught up in doing too much."

Crookham now has an added zeal to get home earlier to dandle his son from his arms one last time, before Connor goes to bed for the night. In trying to get home around 6:30 p.m., as opposed to midnight, he wakes up earlier and gets a little less sleep, Michelle said.

"I’m more conscientious about what is going on at home, when I’m setting my schedule or traveling and the number of speaking engagements I go to," Crookham said. "I’m more conscientious of spending time there and doing a good job of showing my face at least around the house."

Fortunately, most head coaches get to set their own office hours, but the tick of the clock doesn’t pay them. Their pay is determined by the success of their players on and off the field and how their teams represent the school. Like most of their peers, Crookham and Dunlap view coaching as a seven-day-a-week job without end, so both come in on weekends to stay ahead and buy family time. Sleep is a small price to pay.

"Yeah, I have flexibility, but I have flexibility because I’ve created it," said Dunlap, who helps Spencer and Ellie in reading programs at their elementary school. "I’ve come in here at 4:30 in the morning or 5 in the morning and a lot of times I work on Sundays. So I never feel guilty about leaving my desk and doing something with them, because I work and (our assistant coaches) work incredibly hard, so that affords you the opportunity to treat yourself and treat your children and wife the way you want."

Crookham, on the other hand, cut down on a lot of office work by buying a super computer to use at home for making conference calls and looking up recruits. Perhaps, the biggest change for the new father comes in the mornings, when Connor is all his. Crookham feeds his son and gets him ready to go to the babysitter’s, while Michelle, a teacher at Arapahoe High School, gets ready for work.

"We definitely have a system," Michelle said, "That’s why he takes care of (Connor) strictly in the morning and I take care of him right after school."

Still, there is an admission that there are never enough hours in the day for coaches to come into a time harmony with their family. It’s generally a 70-30 split, the job with the edge. While organization is key to juggling family with coaching, let’s not forget: Behind every tireless coach is a tireless woman holding down the fort.

"I don’t make it work," Crookham admitted. "Michelle makes it work. If I didn’t have somebody that was supportive and able to take a lot of the responsibility at home, it wouldn’t work. There is no way I can do everything in those little hours that I am able to see the baby. You have to have somebody that understands the situation, you have to have somebody who is willing to take on an extra load without constant help."

Retirement speeches from coaches in any realm, be it professional or collegiate, all have the same mood. None of them deny that one of the main reasons they left the sidelines was to reclaim some semblance of a natural life, to see more of their family and to watch their children grow.

At Regis University, Frank Lavrisha, the most honored volleyball coach in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference took a personal and professional leave of absence for the 2002 season. Over 16 seasons, Lavrisha has stockpiled a 408-166 record and has won five conference Coach-of-the-Year awards in the process.

Lavrisha was unavailable for comment for this story, but Regis’ acting head coach Michelle Buckner said he is spending most of his time with his three children.

"It’s a special time for him," Buckner said. "He wanted to do that and he felt comfortable with Darrin (Buckner) and I (as coaches).... He’s kind of taking a spiritual leave more than anything else."

Although coaches are not impervious to wrinkles and gray hairs, the most threatening disease to their career is not ulcers or heart attacks, it’s the proverbial burn out, a sporty cliché for, "I’ve had enough." The symptoms for this vary for each coach. For example, it’s the time one dreads coming to work. It’s the time when you are eating a home cooked meal and you don’t tune out your wife’s conversation to think about the next game. A time when you can sleep through the night without blemish; a time when you punch the alarm clock and hang on to the covers.

What follows is a realization that the coach has been neglecting his or her family for all these years. Dunlap, however, thinks coaches and the media give burn out "a lot of lip service…." In his mind, burn out doesn’t come from the job it comes from inside, a result from lack of productivity. It’s a subject that triggers a bigger response from the paid motivational speaker.

"A lot of guys are just not organized," Dunlap. "They go out and they do stuff with ‘the guys,’ or they do stuff that is inefficient in terms of nurturing your own family. I don’t believe I do a lot of that. I don’t believe I have a lot of wasted motion in any given day. That is what it takes to be successful in that arena. This thing about burn out, this thing about being with your family, all of that typically is prompted because those people are not taking care of those issues on the day in the first place…. What were you doing yesterday? What were you doing today? Why did it get that way? I don’t know. I don’t have that information, so I shouldn’t comment. The only thing that I can tell you is, I’m not one that lives off big regrets. Once you simplify your life, the clearer it comes and everybody needs a common dominator.

"I have two things in my life: my family and this profession," Dunlap added, with his feet up on his desk drawer, wearing a polo shirt and gym shorts. "I don’t try to confuse it by doing 68 things or by being anything other than who I am. I like who I am. I live everyday like that, and I know that I need to improve. I don’t care if I had $6 million in the bank, I’d drive the same vehicle, I’d wear the same clothes. It means nothing to me, because those aren’t important things. I’m just about the who, and the who in my world are my family and this organization and this institution. It is really easy to be confident and move each day, when you are not constantly confused about who you are and why you are on this earth. I don’t suffer fools thoughts on any of that."

Dunlap spends a week with each of his children in the off-season and includes his family with everything he does. He often takes one of his children to road games, enrolls them into the basketball camps he runs for Metro and debriefs with his wife, Mollie, after games. For those looking for a lighter cross to carry, Dunlap offers this warning.

"Don’t ever get married, because you will be safer.... The toughest thing thing that you will ever do in your life is to be married with one person during the run. There is nothing more difficult and nothing more rewarding, and that’s what life is—a contradiction."

Although Crookham admits he’s boastful, grumpy and defensive after a loss, Michelle thinks he does a good job of not bringing his game emotions home. She still roots for a Metro win, just in case his emotions follow him. To her, Crookham has a more glaring problem. Granted he is new at this, but changing diapers, handling spit-up and slowing down are just not his gig.

"I can’t imagine Brian staying home (to take care of the baby)," Michelle said. "He can, but it would be ugly. It’s kind of funny to watch him get Connor ready in the morning. It’s hilarious. He’ll get him all dressed and then Connor will spit up all over the place and then he has to go change his clothes. And if Connor doesn’t eat fast enough in the morning—Connor kind of takes his time and smiles—and Brian is like, ‘Hurry. You have to eat. We have to go.’

"And I lay out Connor’s clothes, because I’m afraid of what Brian would pick," Michelle added. "He might just throw something together that doesn’t match. He can put whatever he wants on himself, but the bady kind of reflects me too, so I’m a little bit more careful about that."

Sometimes a father, just like a player, learns best by taking baby steps.
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