Photo By William C. Moore VP of Student Organizations Linda Cordova exemplifies a point at an SGA meeting Sep. 12.

An advisory committee is being formed to assist Metro’s Board of Trustees find a new president for the college, and recently a student was selected to help in the search process.

Last week Linda Cordova, vice president of student organizations for Metro’s Student Government Assembly, was appointed to the committee by the board.

Student Trustee Harris Singer called the inclusion of a student on the committee “vital.”

“Having a student on the advisory committee will ensure that our new president will be student-centered, student-focused, and able to stay modern with the students,” said Singer.

Although the type of information Cordova will have access to has yet to be determined, Cordova will need to be “critical of information received” concerning presidential candidates and will be responsible for “assuring that the students’ voice is heard,” said Singer.

“I’m very excited and honored to be representing the students,” said Cordova, who described her main responsibility as “ensuring that the students have a voice” in the search process.

Cordova faces the challenge of integrating the opinions of the student body into the search process while adhering to regulations and preserving the confidentiality of presidential candidates.

Cordova’s specific duties as a member of the committee have yet to be determined, as have the duties of the committee itself.

“I’m as interested in how the advisory committee will function and how input from the advisory committee will be accepted as who will sit on the committee,” said Faculty Trustee Eugene Saxe.

While the formation of the advisory committee was discussed at the last board of trustees meeting Sept. 3, the board did not discuss how the committee will operate or how its findings will be incorporated into the search process.

According to Faculty Senate President Joan Foster, the committee’s role should include the ability to “ask interview questions and express opinions without ranking or evaluating.”

Foster noted that exactly how much input the committee will have has not yet been specified.

According to Singer, this will be discussed at the next Board of Trustees meeting Oct. 1.

Currently, “nine or ten” members have been appointed to the committee, including Cordova and a representative from the alumni board, said Singer.

The faculty board will appoint its representatives sometime before Oct. 1.

In total, the advisory committee should consist of “no more than 25 members,” said Singer.

While the formation of the advisory committee is still in progress, a truly representative committee is in the interest of all parties involved, Singer said.

“I would think that all different groups within the institution should be included,” said Saxe.

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In a campus e-mail sent to Metro administrators Monday, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) Cheryl Norton said she will be resigning from her positions by next summer. Her annual salary for both positions combined is $161, 922.

Norton’s announcement comes on the heels of two recent administrative position changes including the termination of Gay Cook from the Vice President of Operations and Planning position, and the resignation of former Metro President Sheila Kaplan, with whom Norton often worked.

“As far as I knew (Kaplan and Norton) had a very healthy working relationship,” said Student

Cherly Norton Provost/Vice Prasident of Academic Affairs

Trustee Harris Singer, who has worked with Norton over the past 11 months. “They complemented each other very well. They worked a lot in teams giving presentations to the faculty senate and the board of trustees. What each of them had to say complemented what the other had to say and added to the personality and the information.”

Singer also said he didn’t think Kaplan’s resignation directly influenced Norton’s recent announcement.

Norton, who has been in both positions for seven years, said that her resignation from her position as VPAA will be effective Nov. 1 and that she will no longer be Provost effective July 1, 2004.

According to Singer, who represents the student body on the board of trustees, Norton’s absence won’t directly affect the students, but it will affect the school.

“Her influence is felt through the quality of education in the classroom because what faculty teaches and how they teach all has to be filtered through her office,” Singer said. “If (vice presidents) leave, their loss is felt in how the people in the departments under them give services to students.”

Norton wrote in the e-mail that after she officially steps down from her VPAA position, she will continue to work as provost for the remainder of the 2003-2004 academic year, working with interim President Ray Kieft on initiatives concerning academic matters at Metro.

She also explained why she is leaving her position.

“Recently, I have felt the need to grow in new directions and have sought new places to serve,” she wrote. “During the last academic year, I was honored to be a finalist for two college presidencies...Currently, I am a candidate in several new presidential searches.”

Norton was unavailable for further comment at press time.

Associate Dean of the Department of Letters, Arts and Sciences Kenneth Keller also said her resignation won’t directly affect students, but she is an important person concerning administrative decisions.

“With day-to-day operations, it probably won’t affect students that much,” he said. “On a long-term basis, after any time you have a new president or a new vice president you get certain directions that they want to go.”

Singer said Norton’s decision came at the right time and in the right way.

“She is very marketable right now as a president,” he said. “Her resigning in this way will allow a transition for the college to hire a replacement, at the same time she can prepare to leave Metro.”
Singer also said that he thinks it will be difficult to find a replacement.

“It will be hard to find someone to match her level of dedication,” he said. “She’s a hard worker, a very good listener, a very cooperative person. It’ll be hard to find someone who can be those things to the student body and to the faculty.”

Kieft released a statement Tuesday supporting Norton and reflecting on his professional experiences with her.

“Even though we have worked only a few months together, I quickly learned that she is a class act and has all the abilities needed in a college or university president,” he wrote. “I have no doubt she will be successful in her search for a presidency.”

Since he came into his position last October, Singer has worked with Norton to learn more about the school and how things work.

“She’s given me a lot of insight into how academia works and how Metro works,” he said. “She’s really given me an understanding of the lexicon that comes with higher education.”

As VPAA, Norton deals with all the academic affairs concerning the faculty.

As Provost, she is a senior vice president and is a leader of all the vice presidents and faculty.

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The newly established Political Science Association met for the first time at 5 p.m. Monday, in room 444 of the Tivoli.

Political Science chair Dr. Robert Hazan opened the meeting by saying that the Political Science Association should provide a forum in which ideologies of every kind can be expressed through honest and rigorous debate.

“Above all, this has to be a part of our learning experience,” said Hazan.

Photo By Luke T Ray Dr Robert Hazan talks to students at the first meeting of the political science association Sept 15 in room 444 of the Tivoli.

Association President George Culpepper, who has worked in Washington as a lobbyist, also emphasized the need for debate on campus and said that PSA would work hard to bring diverse and interesting political figures to campus for open forums and debates.

Members of PSA were encouraged to recommend topics of debate which they would personally like to know more about or that they found relevant.
Recommended issues included the Academic Bill of Rights and the recent redistricting of Colorado’s legislative districts.

Jeff Peckman, the lead proponent of the Safety Through Peace Initiative, and Gov. Bill Owens are among a number of speakers Culpepper plans to bring to campus.

“We want to get our name out there,” Culpepper told the ten current members. “Some folks still don’t know we exist… I thank you for coming. It took a lot for me to get this many people here.”

Along with bringing speakers and promoting debate, PSA’s mission also includes furthering the political education of all students on campus.

PSA will meet every other Monday starting Sept. 29. For more information contact George Culpepper at gculpepp@mscd.edu.

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The Auraria Library officially unveiled a traveling mural Wednesday that represents a positive message of strength and hope for youth.

Appropriately named “The Journey,” the mural made its way across Colorado, appearing at several conferences, libraries and schools, as well as many locations in the Denver metro area.

Five young artists created the mural in 1999, pooling their efforts and talents and drawing their inspiration from the tragedy at Columbine High School.

Muralist Leo Tanguma, a professor at the University of Northern Colorado, directed the team, made up of Frank Garza, Valerie Wolny, Craig Adams, Travis Klopf and Eleanor Yates.

Assets for Colorado Youth, a non-profit organization involved with the positive development of youth in Denver communities commissioned “The Journey.”

“We decided to give it a permanent home, and it turned out to be the Auraria Library,” said Alan O’Hashi, director of marketing and development at ACY.

The mural, which stands 12 feet high and 16 feet wide, took almost three months to build.

“It took about a month and a half to do the woodwork, and another month and a half to paint it,” said artist Valerie Wolny.

Originally intended to be a two-sided work of art, both parts now stand side by side on the east wall of the second floor of the Auraria Library.

The first side is called the “community” portion of the piece.

The “journey” starts at the bottom, with images of a young boy in his room playing violent video games and a young suicidal girl writing in her diary.

Above them are people with their hands on the youths’ shoulders, reaching out to them.

In the lower middle section, there are symbols of drugs, alcohol, weapons and racism, with dead bodies “representing dead ends,” according to Wolny.

People from the community are breaking chains above these images.

In honor of Columbine High School, the mural has a seed growing up the middle and blossoming into columbine flowers.

by William C. Moore-The Metropolitan Five artists created a mural to compliment a wall in Auraria's library.The inspiration for the mural came from the Columbine High School tragedy.

The root of the flowers is a mirror set into the artwork, with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

The second part of the mural is the “global” side.

One of the main messages on this section of the mural is to point out corporate greed, saving money by exploiting both underage and older workers in foreign countries.

“We want to remind people that this kind of stuff still goes on,” artist Frank Garza said. “We have so many unemployed people in America, but big corporations still go to other countries for cheaper labor. Maybe this will give people something to think about the next time they’re wearing their $100 Nike shoes.”

At the top of the “global” side are two hands, which were purposely painted with undefined skin color, appearing to hold the earth.

“The hands (show that) if everyone from black to white could come together, we can both embrace and protect the world,” Garza said.

David Gleim, dean and director of the Auraria Library, pointed out that “The Journey” will be seen by almost 1 million people each year as they pass through the facility.

ACY’s O’Hashi said the campus library is the perfect place for the mural.

“I think the Auraria Library is a great place where both the young and old alike can view it,” he said, “And, we think it will continue to inspire people in the future.”

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Communication Arts and Sciences Chair Kenn Bisio resigned Aug. 26, but will continue to teach photojournalism classes at Metro.

Bisio was the chair for six years and in that time he advised many students, supported faculty and helped the staff of Metro.

Bisio took care of the scholarships, annual reports, administrative work and many other obligations that came with being the chair of a department.

“It was just time for me to resign; it’s too much,” Bisio said.

Bisio began to feel the pressure of being chair about three years ago.

“The last three years I have been walking from the parking lot thinking and reflecting back to a time when I was a photojournalist; and what in the world am I doing this for, this administration work? So, it has been in the process for three years,” Bisio said.

Bisio also feels that he has short-changed his photojournalism students, because being chair has taken up so much of his time and taken away a part of him.

“I need to get back into the classroom; my students inspire me to get back into the classroom,” Bisio said.

Bisio’s teaching and inspiration have produced some of the finest photojournalists at Metro, say many of his students.

“We’ve had a great run so far with photojournalism students,” Bisio said. “Some of my students have (included) Chilian Olgal, who won the Pulitzer Prize this year, Patrick Andrade, who won the World Press this year, Andy Cross and Hyoug Chang, who were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize last year.”

“There were some things that pushed me over the edge,” Bisio said. “It’s my personal suffering. I’m here for the students, they’re not here for me and I have real caring and good students. They deserve better than what I’ve given them.”

In 2000 the speech and journalism departments merged to become the Communication Arts and Sciences Department.

This made the department the largest at Metro.

“There is not enough grief money in the chair’s stipend, but I am by far the lowest paid chair in the whole school and I’m the biggest department, this was part of my reason for (my) resignation,” Bisio said.

His annual salary is $45,551, which is low in comparison to the Chair and Professor of Human Services Charles Branch who makes $105,530 annually

In his contract it states that he can resign as chair anytime, even in the middle of a semester.
Bisio took the opportunity and says he now feels that a ton of bricks have been lifted off his shoulders.

“I spent five years waking up in the middle of the night and now the last two weeks I have been sleeping fine,” Bisio said.

He said that he’d wake up at night wondering if he took care of certain things, or if the items that needed to get to other people were taken care of.

Most weeks Bisio worked early in the morning and late into the night, including some Saturdays.
He missed his boy’s soccer games, school activities, and time with his family.

Now that he is not chair he finds he has ‘more time to do the things he has missed for so long.

“My wife and I have reconnected and I’m discovering that this is the girl I used to date,” Bisio said.

Bisio will continue to teach photojournalism and will be the chair of the department until someone else fills the position.

He said he would mentor the new chair once one is selected.

“I’m not going to abandon my faculty and students,” said Bisio. “I have reassured (them) that I’d stay on even through May. Right now, we are just trying to get organized to figure out our next step.”

Bisio had a meeting with the Joan Foster, Dean of Letters Arts and Sciences and Assistant Dean Ken Keller, to discuss the next step in hiring a new chair, and to figure out where to go from here.
“I think this is the best thing for him, and it’s perfect for his career; it’s his decision,” said Foster.
Leah Bluntschli, a photojournalism student, was shocked to find out about Bisio’s resignation.

“As long as Kenn is still teaching at Metro, I’m happy,” Bluntschli said.

As for Bisio’s co-workers, they all support his decision.

“We’re all pretty ecstatic that he is not chair,” said Jim Becker, who has been the department’s administrator for two years. “He has significantly less stress and we’re happy to see him this way.”

When pressured for a reason for his resignation Bisio said, “managing faculty, student complaints — all those things just became too much and I need to go back into the classroom.”

Headlines

September 4
Kori Gregg reported a wallet, about $100 in cash, and miscellaneous I.D.s and papers stolen from room 305 in the South Classroom. The estimated value of the wallet is $30.00.

September 5
Yauhiro Kuno witnessed a male suspect committing a theft near Speer and Larimer. The suspect succeeded in stealing a laptop, an Olympus Digital Camera, and a black backpack.Assaad Jabbi returned to his car to find a note on the windshield claiming that he parked too close to another car.
He noticed several scratches on the passenger side of his car.

The author of the note denies in-volvement in the vandalism, which will cost about $150.00 to repair.

James Garcia reported a car theft on the South side of campus, adjacent to Walnut Street. His 1999 Dodge Neon was valued at $12,000.

by Jessi Close

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Metro State license plates ready to ride
Students, faculty, staff and alumni are now able to purchase special Metro State license plates.

Plates cost $50 per vehicle ($25 for first year grads and students) and a special plate fee of $25). The Alumni Association Scholarship fund will receive the proceeds.

To purchase plates go to www.mscd.edu/~alumni/alm licenseplate.htm.

Improving eating habits
A five-week healthy eating program will begin from 12 -1 p.m. Sept. 15 at 1020 Ninth St. to assist students with their personal nutrition needs.

For more information call Susan Krems at 303-556-6818.

Stress relief for students
Reflexology treatments are available to relieve stress and muscular tension. Treatments also help in unblocking energy and nerve pathways and improving circulation.

Sign up on day of treatment in front of the Health Center at Auraria, Plaza 150, or call 303-556-6954.

Catch the Rockies in action
Sept. 19 is Metro night at the Rockies. Students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends are invited to watch the Rockies play the San Diego Padres for a low price of $6 per ticket.

To get your tickets go to https://dnbwbl.blackbaud.com/OPXREPHILE/EventDetail.asp

Campus sorority recruits
Sigma Sigma Sigma will be recruiting new members Sept. 22-24. Monday will be an open house; personal meetings will be held on Tuesday; and Wednesday will be Robbie Page Memorial night.

Speaker comes to Tivoli
Dick Reavis will be speaking on Sept. 23 in Tivoli 320 on the history of the Chicano Movement. 10 a.m.- Florencia el Guero Medano: Mexico’s Last Revolutionary Leader and at 1 p.m.- Life and Saga of Mario Canter.

Join cultural environment
Hands-on workshops are being offered to students interested in exploring ways to improve America’s multi-cultural environment. Workshops begin Sept. 24 at 2 p.m. until 3:30 a.m.

For information call Russ Urrutia and Erin Laspa at 303-556-3132

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In last week’s issue of The Metropolitan, the story covering Student Services stated that interim President Ray Kieft would be giving compensation to tenured faculty.

It should have read Kieft would be giving compensation to Student Services.

The Metropolitan strives for accuracy. Report any mistakes to the news editor at: leavittn@mscd.edu

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