Volume 23, issue 6, September 22, 2000

News

Community colleges undergo reform
New standardization policy to make transferring credits easier
Chris Ward
The Metropolitan

A system put into effect by the Colorado State Board of Community Colleges will make it easier to transfer college credit, but may require some teachers to change their curriculums.

The Common Course Numbering System was designed to ensure that students who took the same courses at different colleges in Colorado received the same education, according to Barbara Bollmann, vice president for instruction at the Community College of Denver.

The system went into effect last year, according to Sam Dosumu, director of instruction for the Community Colleges of Colorado. The process should be completed by fall of 2002, when "we hope to have at least 80 percent of the classes meeting the requirements, if not all of them."

"We’re not done by any stretch of the imagination, but we’re getting there," Bollmann said of the system’s timeline. "It’s very time-intensive, but it is in the best interest of the students."

As the name implies, the Common Course Numbering System assigns numbers to courses taught in community colleges. Those numbers are the same in every school throughout Colorado, making it easier for students to transfer credit from community colleges to Metro and other four-year schools. It also involves changing the content of some courses to conform to the rest of the state.

"Part of the Common Course Numbering System is to look at the actual content, and to be sure that the content is the same," Bollmann said.

Another part of making sure the students are learning the same material involves adjusting some teachers’ curriculums to cover certain minimum requirements.

"If we say we're teaching a course in American history at CCD and they have the same class at Front Range, we want to make sure the students are learning the same material," Bollmann said.

Because many professors teach the same classes at both Metro and CCD, the system’s effects will be seen at both schools. Most instructors will probably adjust both classes instead of dealing with an additional curriculum. Certain core classes at Metro may also be updated to meet minimum requirements.

"I think this will positively affect how the curriculum is developed," said Dosumu. "The system allows for variation in the curriculum, as long as the minimum requirements are met."

The Common Course Numbering System is one of the few major changes that has been made to the General Education Core Transfer Curriculum that was instituted in 1988. The core curriculum consists of 34 credit hours required for graduation from most community colleges in Colorado.

Although the numbering system covers a wide variety of courses, those included in the core curriculum were the first to be addressed. This was in response to the large number of students who take the core requirements at community colleges with low tuition rates before transferring to more expensive four-year colleges and universities.

The system then moved on to elective and occupation-specific courses. According to Bollmann, the courses that dealt with specific occupations didn’t require many changes.

"They have outside accreditation," Bollmann said, "so everyone in the nation already has to take the same test."

Bollmann said there is more variation among the elective classes, where teachers tend to create their own curriculum around less clearly defined requirements. The differences there will require the largest adjustment to conform to the new system.

So far, there has been little resistance from teachers to the changes in curriculum, according to Bollmann, who said that there haven’t been any adverse or unexpected reactions.

"Overall the teachers have been willing to work with us," Bollmann said, "because, like I said, it is in the best interests of the students."
"I think this will positively affect how the curriculum is developed"
~ Sam Dosumu, director of instruction for the Community Colleges of Colorado
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Rioting on campus’ not a unique occurrence

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — University officials across the nation are struggling to head off campus riots like the violence that has shaken the University of Colorado seven times in the past three years.

"Unfortunately, the Boulder campus is not unique," said Tim McDonough, spokesman for the American Council on Education. "These are not isolated incidents."

Three weeks ago, an off-campus party at James Madison University in Virginia turned into a melee. Police in riot gear used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse a crowd of more than 2,000, arresting 20 people.

In Waco, Texas, Baylor students rioted Sept. 1 after officials announced a noise ordinance would be strictly enforced at parties.

Last week, 10 people were arrested at a disturbance in Bloomington, Ind., after Indiana University fired basketball coach Bobby Knight.

In Boulder, police were pelted with rocks and bottles Sept. 8 when they broke up a large crowd and arrested three at a party that spilled into a street near campus.

Two weeks earlier, Boulder police used tear gas to break up a crowd of about 1,000 who threw furniture, doors, carpet and debris into a 30-foot-high bonfire and threw rocks and bottles at officers and firefighters. That riot led to at least four arrests.

Boulder officials were baffled by the lack of any specific cause of the violence.

"Riots used to have a specific protest attached to them, but what alarms us now is it seems as though these are random in nature," regent Jim Martin said.

Some experts say young students act up because they feel disengaged from their campus or because alcohol represents their newfound freedom.

Others blame town or college officials for suddenly toughening or enforcing alcohol policies.

"If you just start arresting people, they're going to rebel," said Nancy Schulte of the Inter-Association Task Force on Alcohol and Other Substance Abuse Issues. "They have to be a part of the solution."

Universities are trying to solve the problems with information programs, stepped-up enforcement and cooperation with landlords, housing commissions and police.

Officials in Bloomington are relying on a strong city police presence to pre-empt a riot like one in 1991, when more than 100 people were arrested during an annual spring party that got out of control.

At Washington State University, where a riot in May 1998 led to arrests and fraternity closures, administrators make a point of getting to know sorority and fraternity students.

"Then, if I get complaints, I can call them in the middle of the night and tell them they've got an hour to take care of the problem," said Vincent Nix, assistant dean of students.

Boulder is forming a task force to deal with riots and CU officials have adopted a policy of imposing one-semester expulsions on students involved in three alcohol- or drug-related incidents.

The university also plans more campus events to give students some late-night options.

"We take these disturbances very seriously, and we find the behavior of what we consider a small group of students to be absolutely reprehensible," CU Chancellor Richard Byyny said.

"We are still in a situation where we are really puzzled to some extent by why this is happening, but part of it seems to be students need to learn that this is not acceptable."
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Student films moving to big screen
Brian Keithline
The Metropolitan

Students are finding it easier to make short films and animation these days by using the newest digital equipment, which can save them thousands of dollars over traditional movie equipment.

The number of film festivals accepting short film submissions also is helping students show their work in front of large and receptive audiences. The Breckenridge Film Festival and the recent Crested Butte Reel Fest are among Colorado’s newest festivals, and each one offers a strong showing of student-created films.

Part-time Metro student Grant Temberton attended the Crested Butte festival Aug. 18 and said he knows the future of student and independent film making will revolve around the use of digital equipment.

"Digital videotape, for example, might not rival the quality of traditional film," Temberton said. "But, it is easy to use, the cameras cost less, and a hard-working person could even use a digital home camcorder to create a professional short film.

"Film making has always been hard for the poor guy, but now people with less money can compete against high-dollar productions."

Temberton spends his spare time working on miscellaneous short films, but has yet to submit any of his work to a film festival. The prospect of selling his short film to an Internet film web site, such as Atom Films or on Shockwave.com has him looking at film festivals as a way to market his work.

The average 15-minute film costs about $20,000 to produce. The most basic digital video equipment however, can cost as low as $2300, equivalent to the rent for a one-bedroom Denver apartment for two years. Although additional costs, such as casting actors and finding a crew increases a film budget, Temberton said many students can create cheap films with equipment they might already own.

Here’s how:

Start with a digital camcorder sold at any retail store in the Denver area. The Canon Ultura or similar JVC camcorders cost about $899 and record video and sound onto small MiniDV cassettes. Video can then be sent through a special cable into a computer equipped with FireWire or an IEEE-1394 port–allowing the student to digitally edit his or her work.

For those with a general knowledge of audio systems, an MIDI sound interface can be purchased for $400, such as the MIDIport 96. This allows the filmmaker to import sound and music into a computer and then edit a soundtrack for the final video piece.

Next, an Apple iMac DV system sells for $1499 and comes with an IEEE-1394 for digitally editing video. The iMac also comes with a barebones video software program that allows a rookie filmmaker to easily create a simple video with typical special effects and titles.

Finally, the polished video can either be dubbed onto videotape or uploaded to a personal web site.

A growing number of Internet companies are specializing in showing short films and animations for viewing on the computer or for downloading. Film makers can submit their work to these web sites and, if the film is accepted, they might receive a small payment.

These web sites include: www.Atomfilms.com, www.z.com, www.mjrose.com, and www.Ge tReelFilms.com. Some web sites accept free submissions while others might charge a small fee.

"It’s a great way to show your work and to maybe get a foot in the door," Temberton said.

Perhaps the best-known film festival in Colorado is the Telluride Film Festival, which some critics see as the film maker's gateway to Hollywood. Many of the winners at Telluride end up producing their films with entertainment corporations such as Fox, Paramount, Warner Brothers, and others.

The smaller festivals, such as the Reel Fest in Crested Butte can be better places to make connections, however, according to Temberton.

"At smaller festivals, people tend to be nicer and more willing to help you out," he said.

Screenwriter Holly Payne, of San Francisco, California, taught a seminar at the Reel Fest, but also said Colorado was the starting point for her career. Shortly after graduating from college, she visited Crested Butte and discovered that she wanted to work as a screenwriter and filmmaker.

"Colorado offers unmatched scenery and inspiration," she said. "It lets the mind think creatively and is a great start for anyone who needs a little quietness and beauty."

Once someone finds the inspiration, then he or she can brush up on the video and technology skills through various classes offered at Metro. The Technical Communications department teaches video production, computer-editing, and DVD-authoring courses among its other communication classes. The Speech Communications department teaches students the techniques of television and radio broadcasting.

Metro student Jon Gilbert is working on his first video production and said that although there aren’t any film making organizations on campus, all the resources are there for fledgling Film makers.

"At Metro, students can find other students to act in their film productions or to even sit down and look at their work," Gilbert said. "There are a lot of people on campus who will help students and their art–especially when it comes to films."
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Research group: some colleges should combine under CSU

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — The state of Colorado should deregulate its system of higher education by creating charter colleges and universities and making them part of the Colorado State University system, a preliminary report by an educational research group suggests.

The report by the North West Educational Policy Center, which was hired by the state to conduct the study after the Legislature passed a bill directing the Colorado Commission on Higher Education to examine higher-education performance in the state.

The group suggested several Colorado campuses merge to become part of a pilot program beginning in 2001 which would be called the Colorado Compact Colleges and Universities Program, run by CSU.

Schools recommended to be considered are: Colorado School of Mines; the University of Colorado at Denver and at Colorado Springs; CU's Health Sciences Center; Mesa State College; Metro; Fort Lewis College; University of Northern Colorado; Colorado MountainCollege; and Aims Community College.

Under the proposed six-year experiment, the campuses of Adams, Mesa and Western state colleges would be "branches'" of CSU. Names would be changed to Colorado State University at Alamosa, Grand Junction and Gunnison.

Current schools in the CSU system, which is administered by the State Board of Agriculture, are CSU, the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo and Fort Lewis College in Durango. Southern Colorado and Fort Lewis would also change their designations.

The schools would get their own governing boards and each would be chartered for six years at a time.

"It"s our opinion that things are not going as well as they should," said NORED Executive Director William Chance. "It"s not because of the people. It"s sort of the structure, the organizational arrangement and policy requirements and dynamics that put a lot of mistrust and suspicion into the relationships."

Chance said the proposal was a new idea.

"That's why we're saying, ‘Try this, but don’t let go of the trapeze on faith. See if you can make it work. If it’s good, move it on to another bunch of schools," he said.

Converting the colleges to charter schools would place Colorado in a small group of states exploring the concept, although K-12 charter schools are already common in the state.

University of Colorado President Elizabeth Hoffman said the recommendations "could provide some significant improvements to Colorado's higher education system."

The report also recommends changes in the CSU system's administration.

Colorado State University officials would not comment on the report except to say that it is just a draft.

"It would be premature to comment on an evolving document," university spokesman Tom Milligan said. "We’re just now getting a look at it ourselves."

Tim Foster, the executive director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, said NORED came up with a creative idea but he dismissed public comments that were included in the report that said CCHE was dysfunctional and a "political animal."

NORED will take comments on the draft report, then issue a final document by Nov. 1. CCHE will add suggestions and pass the report on to legislators by Jan. 15.
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Student Bond Facilities fee to be put to vote

The Community Colleges of Colorado approved a motion four - two, the second time around, to have another vote for the Student Facilities Bond Fee in late October.

The governing board of the Community College of Denver, voted Sept. 14 to allow the Student Representatives to the Auraria Board to hold another vote to see if the students of Auraria would pass an $18.50 increase for the Student Facilities Bond Fee. Both Metro and the University of Colorado at Denver’s governing boards approved the vote, the first time around.

Last spring the Community Colleges of Colorado defeated the first vote for a increase of $20.50, because the majority of the CCD students voted against the increase, even though the other two colleges students voted in favor of the fee increase. The bond fee money would go to help offset the budget deficit the AMC Theatres left when it stopped its operation in the summer, as well as help with repairs to the Tivoli, Auraria Events Center, and the Auraria Child Care Center.

—Micaela Duarte
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Editorial

Breast Cancer myths that kill
Danielle Haraburda

Sometimes I wonder if things would be different had Kelli been diagnosed earlier. The cancer that aggressively expanded into her lymph nodes had already spread through her body by the time the doctor found the lump in her breast. Even so, she lived longer than anyone thought she would.

I knew Kelli as a family friend and didn’t get to see her all that often. Maybe that’s why the memories of her, the dramatic changes that took place after she was diagnosed, are still so vivid. She was always one of those fanatically healthy women, the kind who run every morning, eat green things, never smoke. She had one of those limber, muscular bodies that people who care about their fitness have.

Kelli was 36 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a double mastectomy, she was subjected to months of chemotherapy. The treatment was hard on her body, but Kelli wasn’t the kind of woman to complain. She wasn’t so much worried about her health as she was about seeing her two daughters go to their first prom, she said she wanted to make sure that Richard, her husband, didn’t scare the poor boys dating her daughters too much. She promised the girls she would be there when they graduated.

It was hard. She lost more than 30 pounds, a significant blow on her small frame. She lost her hair and her energy. She told me once with a tired smile she had always wanted to recreate her look, but hadn’t expected to go about it so drastically.

Kelli was there when her youngest girl received her diploma, just like she promised. Four months later, with her family keeping vigil around her, Kelli died.

There is a myth killing women everywhere. This false idea is only women considered at risk for breast cancer are susceptible to the disease. The sad reality is that out of the 182,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, many will be those not considered in the high-risk category. Only about 5 percent of those diagnosed with the affliction will be women who have a family history of breast cancer. Additionally, other risk factors, such as child bearing past 30, or no child bearing at all, will be the reality for few breast cancer patients.

The only common denominator in victims of breast cancer is age. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women 40 to 55, and is second only to lung cancer in over-all cancer related deaths among women. While the disease is most common in women ages 50 to 64, it can strike women of any age.

But nobody is completely safe from the disease. In fact, few people know breast cancer doesn’t always attack women. While rare, almost 1 percent of breast cancer cases this year will be diagnosed in men. Unfortunately, little is known about the causes of cancer, any cancer. Because of this, the best weapon against the disease is early detection.

Every woman should, regardless of age, conduct a monthly breast exam. Additionally, women between the ages of 20 to 40 should receive a clinical examination at least once a year and women older than 40 should schedule mammograms on a yearly basis as well. The reasons are clear: Breast cancer is about ninety percent curable when detected in its first stages.

Unfortunately, 70 percent of the nearly 41,000 women who will die of cancer this year are much like my friend, Kelli. They never believed they were in jeopardy of contracting the disease.

The Denver Komen Race for the Cure 5k run/fitness walk will take place Oct. 1. The Komen Foundation has raised nearly $240 million towards breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment and is considered the nations leading catalyst in the fight against the disease. Out of the money raised Oct 1, 75 percent will be used to fund local breast cancer causes. The remaining 25 percent will go towards national research. Denver’s race will begin at 9 a.m. at the Denver Pepsi Center and will finish at Civic Center Park.

This year, separate starting lines will be created for runners and walkers. Men and women with strollers will also be welcome and given a start line behind those walking the route. For registration information for Race for the Cure, call 303-576-8705.
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People have the right to judge Dr. Laura for themselves

Dear Editor,

As a fan of Dr. Laura, I thank Danielle Haraburda for her opinion piece in your Sept. 15 edition. However, she still seemed to fall into the same trap as many of Dr. Laura’s detractors. Like others, she failed to mention the fact that Dr. Laura is a licensed marriage counselor. Does this qualify her as an expert on all family issues? Maybe—maybe not. But it does lend her more credibility than just a physiology degree, which is why it is conveniently "forgotten" by those who disagree with her.

Overall, however, I agree with Haraburda. Why not let viewers and listeners decide for themselves? Her show is based often on opinion, and she is the first to say so. If you disagree, don't listen.

It's true these days that, often, the same people who shout the loudest about freedom of speech seem to spend a lot of time trying to silence anyone they disagree with. In a time when politically-oriented flyers on campus (especially those of the College Republicans, and the various Nader supporters) are often summarily torn down within hours of being posted, we should be even more watchful of the exercise of our freedoms by those who we disagree with.

After all, what's there to be afraid of? If you believe someone's message is full of hot air, then why not let it wither in the light of day? Let the public decide for themselves who they choose to believe, based on their rational assessment of available information. If the "right" information isn’t available to the public, then take the initiative to make it available.

Whether it’s Dr. Laura or political flyers on campus, if the people will not support it, then it will die of its own accord. Let it face public scrutiny. If you don’t, you’re no better than a good ol’ fashioned book burner.

Jim Schofield
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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Features

Metro professor publishes African art book
Toby Donar
The Metropolitan

In 1993, after receiving a book in the mail that she considered somewhat disturbing to read, Monica Blackmun Visonà decided to do something about it. The result of her and her colleague’s efforts is the recently published book, A History of Art in Africa, which is available through Prentice Hall, Inc. and Harry N. Abrams, Inc., publishers.

Visonà, an associate professor of art at Metro since 1989, said she was appalled by what the book had to say about the history of African art.

"African art was based upon fear and superstition, that Africans didn’t have metal until the arrival of Europeans," Visonà said, referring to the book. "It was highly stereotypical. Things that I thought were appalling to write in 1993."

After presenting the book to her professional organization, the Arts Council of the African Studies Association, the association agreed that they should write a letter to the publisher of the book. And since Visonà brought the subject up, she was asked to write the letter.

Visonà got a phone call from the developmental editor to inform her that she had received the letter. The editor told Visonà that she had consulted a professor regarding the issue with the book, and Visonà was "right on."

"The editor asked me if I knew of any one book that would explain to the general public what African art is about," Visonà said. Visonà said that she was not aware of one, but explained to the editor that ACASA had a textbook committee, and the editor asked if Visonà would be willing to write a book for the publisher.

After checking with the committee, Visonà said the committee agreed to write the book.

"The committee said ‘sure, I guess we could go with the publisher, but who’s going to write it?’," Visonà said. "So I said ‘well I will."

Visonà’s next step was to gather funds in order to research and write the book. She applied for and received a National Endowment of the Humanities grant, which allowed her to take about eighteen months off and "essentially write the book," she said.

The biggest problem with the research, according to Visonà, was the number of illustrations in the book and where to find them.

"We have 700 illustrations and probably 500 different sources," she said. "so that’s an awful lot of different people to track down. In most cases we went to colleagues of ours who researched different areas of Africa."

Visonà admits that she did not go directly to Africa for photographs of the book, and that the photos that she did get from Africa were difficult to obtain.

"The major problem we had was with photographs in Niger," she said. "We couldn’t find out who owned them."

According to Visonà, A History of Art in Africa is divided by region, and within each region, it is organized chronologically to make it simpler to understand. It’s history goes from "about 25,000 B.C. to a work of art that was created three years ago, and that is very unusual," she said.

Visonà likes to refer to the book as a survey or introduction to African art. "It’s the first textbook on African art which wanted to survey the entire field," she said. "No one had ever written a real survey before. It’s an introduction to the subject."

Visonà hopes that the book will be purchased by art historians and other universities throughout the country, and plans on using the text next semester in class. She said she would like to break the history of African art into two different subjects.

"We want to change the way African art is taught," she said. "We won’t be teaching just about West Africa, but the whole continent. We want people to get a completely different idea about Africa."
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LINKS helps students make connections
Marci Myers
The Metropolitan

Leadership. Interaction. Networking. Knowledge. Success.

LINKS is the college-wide mentoring program at Metro. LINKS is recent in origin, but already has many participants throughout the college. The program began in the Fall of 1999 and includes 14 student mentors, six faculty and staff members, and 62 students that are mentored. LINKS is under the Title III grant that works at Strengthening Developing Instutitions Program.

The program as a whole is very diverse. There are mentors and students of different ages, races and family status. Most of the students mentored are freshman or sophomores and 75 to 80 percent of the students are first generation college students that just need to be pointed toward the right building or program.

LINKS is aimed at new students to help them start them in the right direction. Goals of the program include knowing how to use resources on campus, understanding the degree and general requirements, and planning their college careers. The goal of the program is that once students are mentored, they will later become mentors themselves and help give back to the program that helped them succeed.

While it has faculty and staff members, LINKS is a peer mentoring program that helps new students find their way around school and give them the confidence to succeed at school and after graduation. The student mentors are trained and then become certified student associates.

Students have many specifications they must meet before they can become a certified student associate. They must have a GPA of 2.75 or better, one letter of reference, 30 credits and 18 hours of training from LINKS. Once they become certified, they must be available for 10 hours each week and attend a weekly staff meeting. Certified student associates have many different backgrounds and majors. A few of the students involved are English, history, business management and criminal justice majors. The program will be interviewing for mentors again in April and they will train throughout the summer.

According to Kimberly Fielding, program coordinator for LINKS "helps (the students) to graduate with career confidence." Fielding has been helping to form LINKS since she was a graduate student, when the program was under development.

Certified students Walden Schmidt and Ralph Kennedy, both seniors, are doing their social work and field placement with LINKS. Both Schmidt and Kennedy feel that they have learned a lot through their students. They each have five students that they mentor, in addition to attending class, and having full time jobs. Walden said that LINKS "helps (the students) to learn the talk" about college situations.

LINKS has a scavenger hunt that helps to orient their students with campus. With this activity, the students learn about places such as the Office of Financial Aid, Student Activities, Campus Recreation, the Advising Center and the Writing Center.

In the scavenger hunt, they must find answers to the questions provided about campus organizations.

LINKS works with many campus programs to provide the most information possible to the students. The Women’s Institute, Academic Advising, and Co-op are among those associations. Their strongest alliance is with Career Services, which helps the students understand their future careers and give them background information.

Senior Juanita Jacobo is a Spanish major involved in LINKS.

"They are all positive experiences, in that I’m learning from working with my students." Jacobo plans to be an elementary school teacher, and feels that this experience will help her to mentor her students and guide them toward higher education.

Fielding says that LINKS is "trying to socialize (students) to the environment, to the culture."

LINKS is accepting students that would like to be mentored, however there is a waiting list.

For more information about the program, you can contact LINKS at (303)-556-6167, or visit their website at http://clem.mscd.edu/~links
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Author tells of Bible’s adult side
Elena Brown
The Metropolitan

Sex. Lust. Violence. Love. Betrayal. Incest. Comedy. Romance. Scandal. Politics.

These are all good ingredients for a great book.

"The Bible is one hot read," said Los Angeles Times columnist and author Jonathan Kirsch.

Kirsch was in Denver on Monday to promote his new book, King David: The Real Life of the Man Who Ruled Israel. The Metro political science department enticed Kirsch to speak at the Golda Meir House before his book-signing at the downtown Tattered Cover bookstore.

The bible is the first political book in history, said Kirsch. It is the what, why and how of politics. Political science is the principle, organization and method of government, he said.

Society as a whole has been taught the conventional lessons of the Bible, he said. We have been taught not to question or tamper with the words of God. Kirsch understands society’s child-like upbringing with the Bible. Unfortunately many adults never grow beyond a child-like mental understanding of the Bible -- the do’s and the don’ts, all the rules and all of the punishments.

"The Bible is not for children. It’s R-rated at times," said Kirsch, "even X-rated in some parts."

There is more to the Bible than rules, he said. The Bible’s history, politics and psychology make up the fundamental source of the values we have today.

The writing of King David began with the court historian, who is un-named. David’s life appears in the book of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible and in the books of Kings, Chronicles and Samuel in the Christian Bible.

David is widely known for slaying Goliath. As the story goes, after David killed Goliath with a slingshot, women took to the streets singing his praises and strengths. It was viewed that David’s abilities and triumphs far surpassed then-king Saul. This was the beginning of political stirring and competition.

King Saul began instituting tactics and strategies to eliminate his political rival. He was ultimately unsuccessful, and David ascended into power, Kirsch said.

Kirsch’s book recaps King David’s life and his kingdom as a very important study of political science. And history has taught us, there can be no politics without scandal.

Events during King David’s reign included an illegitimate child born and the rape of his daughter. The story also alludes to David’s bi-sexuality.

But in politics, a primary goal is to preserve the kingdom. Strategies must be implemented, especially during a time of scandal. For example, King David did nothing to his daughter’s rapist, because he knew the rapist would be the future ruler of Israel, Kirsch said.

King David was an absolute monarch. He was well aware of the value of public opinion and watched it closely. He was attuned to bringing the public with him. This attitude helped with keeping David in power for so long. David brought together warring tribes and clans to created the single largest nation with one ruler.

Kirsch spoke about the "tremendous danger" in drawing selectivly from the Bible in the name of politics. For example the motives behind the unrest in the Middle East.

The land of Israel implies a greater Israel, geographical-politics and has Biblical implications. The state of Israel implies size and wealth.

The history of the battle over Jerusalem in Israel, between the Israelites and the Moslem people, begin in the book of Genesis, when God promised to give Abraham a land from the river of Egypt to the bank of Euphrates. But it was only under the reign of King David that Israel grew that vast in size. Both Islam and Israel view Jerusalem as scared and continue the sometimes-deadly battle of ownership.

"It’s a tragedy that adults get the child version of the Bible," said Kirsch. He believes that making the Bible more age-appropriate as we mature into adulthood would continue the thirst of knowledge and encourage continued study of the Bible.

Kirsch’s other books include The Harlot by the Side of the Road and Moses: A Life.
"The Bible is one hot read."
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Colorado band defies definition
Troy Markgraf
The Metropolitan

There are not many places one can find the mandolin sounds of bluegrass combined with the hard drive of rock, the hopping beats of swing and the rhythm of calypso. Runaway Truck Ramp combines them all, tightly wrapped into one album.

"We could be considered bluegrass. We really don’t fit into that category because we have a strong rock influence," said Brian Schochet, the mandolin and bazouki player for RTR.

The Nederland, Colorado band, which will perform at the Gothic and Fox Theatre in the coming months, has played together for close to three years.

"We all bring our individual backgrounds, but we are all fans of just about every era. Our lead singer was influenced by the Allman Brothers and Eric Clapton. I was influenced by a lot of western swing," added Schochet.

RTR has just released their newest album, Chateau Fever, which draws from as many music genres as their original album, Yellow.

"We have a rock-and-roll base, but we try to introduce a lot of other sounds," said Schochet.

Chateau Fever does just that. The album has songs that swing such as Flatfooted, and other tracks that have the pickin’ sounds consistent with the band’s bluegrass theme like Snowin’ in the Mountains. The album even has guest appearances from Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon.

RTR is a band that has the formidable task of defining itself. Although it may be easier to just skip the process.

"If you are looking for a catch phrase that defines our band, we don’t have one," stated Schochet.

Although the band has the formidable task of defining itself, it does not seem to be concerned. Their main interest is putting on a good show for their fans.

"Our best shows are when we get a lot of people dancing and hooting. It’s a good time thing and it’s a dance thing."

Runaway Truck Ramp will be playing the Gothic Theatre on September 21 and the Fox Theatre on October 27.
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Hobos assemble in Pennsylvania

PENNSBURG, Pa. (AP) - Some of the county's most astute budget travelers assembled last week at an international boarding school to give students a lesson in that legendary American figure, the hobo.

About 80 modern disciples of the freight-hopping tradition came to the ninth annual gathering, the only such confab on the East Coast, held on a spur line that runs past the private Perkiomen School.

In fact, the event was held in the backyard of school head George K. Allison, who relishes the chance to expose students to American culture, said School librarian Michael Wampole. The school relishes the chance to expose students to this side of American culture. When a local hobo asked to hold the first gathering there, he said, the school considered it a gift to its students.

Wampole himself has a foot-long beard that would make him blend in with the first hobos, soldiers who hopped freights to get home at the end of the Civil War.

And he fits in when he rides the rails from time to time, dubbed Great Grand Duke of Hobo Educators at the annual national gathering in Britt, Iowa, two years ago.

Growing up in Anderson, Ind., he remembers watching hobos come off the rails and get a day's work in his grandparents' orchards. He sees the same kindness where he is now.

"What's neat about this town," he said, is that during the gathering "people drive by, drop off a bushel of food," while businesses donate such things as portable toilets.

In return, each night the hobos provide free stew, stories and songs.

Wampole rejects the stereotype of hobos as winos or the tendency to think of them as tramps or bums, which he sees as different.

"A hobo travels and works," Wamploe said. "A tramp travels and doesn't work. A bum doesn't travel or work."

Betty Moylan's father, for example, ran away from an orphanage at 15 and was a hobo for 44 years. He was only home for seven years, and she didn't meet him until she was 28 years old.

When he died a few years ago, she went to bury him in Britt, where there is a cemetery for freight jumpers.

Moylan herself became a hobo for a vacation in 1993 while working at the national headquarters of an insurance firm in Connecticut.

She caught a California freight from Dunsmuir 350 miles to Roseville, then went back to the firm as a senior administrator.

But after burying her father and meeting all his hobo friends, she quit in 1995 and sold her home, and her sister in upstate New York sold hers as well. The two of them bought a motor home and now wander the country.

"I'd say we have a wanderlust he had," she said.
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horoscope by miss anna

ARIES: It's one of those weeks when you should read the fine print on any contracts. Know what your getting into. Take care not to let things slide on the job. Business is highlighted this week, the unemployed will receive valuable leads. Others meet with rewards and gains. Finances will receive a favorable boost.

TAURUS: Focus your attention on your career path this week. You will make a major business decision. There is someone who will hurt or upset your feelings, try not to make a big deal out of it. It's time to rethink spiritual matters. Do your best not to make mountains out of molehills.

GEMINI: You may experience minor delays or frustrations early in the week, but the week will be ideal for romance and going out for fun. Most of the week will find you in a lively and optimistic frame of mind. Be sure to follow through on any commitments made. Emphasize educational pursuits.

CANCER: This is a week for creative work and for getting your ideas across to others. You'll be pleased with developments in a child's life. Partners will share your delight and support you. Make sure to state things clearly when instructions or intentions could easily be misunderstood.

LEO: An outing this week may turn out to be more costly than you had expected. Still you'll have a good time in the company of family and friends. There is an emphasis on romance, creativity and recreational pastimes. At work, there will be satisfaction in the completion of a project.

VIRGO: A nice gift or thoughtful words from a loved one will start the week off well. You'll derive joy today from family matters. Don't dwell on a work problem after dark. Arguing or becoming moody will not rectify matters. You'll be especially shrewd where business matters are concerned.

LIBRA: It's a great week for making major family decisions. But delays will be likely on the job. Your bright disposition will be very evident, and many will be taken by your grace and charm. Avoid fussing with a lover about a minor concern. Make sure that daydreaming doesn't keep you from accomplishing goals.

SCORPIO: Your intuition will be a valuable asset in business dealings all week. It's a great time for buying and selling. Money matters take a turn for the better. Inspiration will help you make new plans in your personal life. Being sincere will help you get your point across.

SAGITTARIUS: This week domestic concerns and family matters will be very important. Any work of an artistic nature is favored. You may be inspired to start that home remodeling or redecorating you have been thinking about for some time. Make sure to take time out in the evening for leisure.

CAPRICORN: Avoid forcing your family to conform to your plans this week. Be patient if a child annoys you. It is a great time for romance and activities with children. Your business goals are in the foreseeable future. Be ready to capitalize on new opportunities, financial gains are likely.

AQUARIUS: Behind the scenes developments favor you financially. Home will be the center of most activities this week. Two tasks are finally completed. Take the initiative in contacting a friend you haven't talked to lately. Evenings will be filled with romance and fun, but avoid any excesses.

PISCES: Don't be overly critical of people in the workplace this week. You may receive a job opportunity that will let you work from home for the next couple of weeks. Focus your attentions on family and property matters, you may decide on a change of residence. Avoid being hasty in signing any papers.

IF THIS WEEK IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: Take care not to shut others out. Things will very much go your way, especially where pleasure is found.
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Sports

Men’s soccer reclaims shut out streak
Nick Garner
The Metropolitan

In the last game the Metro men’s soccer team played, it lost it’s five-game streak without being scored against.

What do they do in the next game?

The Roadrunners get back on the shutout streak, blanking West Texas A&M 1-0 Sept. 17 at the Auraria Fields. The win was Metro’s sixth straight and the shutout was sophomore Eric Butler’s fourth on the season.

In the first six games, Butler has already tied the amount of shutouts he had from last year (4) and there are still 11 games left on the season. But he won’t take all the credit for the early success

"We have the best defense that I have ever played on in my whole career," Butler said. "They are the four in front of me that work just as hard as I do and the shutouts mean just as much to them as it does for me."

For only the second time this season, the Roadrunners failed to score a goal in the first half, the last time coming in the first game of the year against Montana State-Billings.

But both teams had their chances to get a score on the board in the first half.

Metro had a 2-on-1 break inside the keepers box with, but the Buffs defense knocked the ball out of harm’s way. The Roadrunners had another shot, this time from sophomore Danny Gallardo, but Buff keeper Matt Corley made a great save to stop Gallardo.

West Texas A&M freshman Ian Lynch had his opportunity to get his team on the board, sending a header to Butler, but the Roadrunner keeper made a great one-handed save to keep the game locked at 0-0.

The Buffs had the first real chance to get the first goal in the second half, when freshman Josh Hendon was able to get a shot of in the middle of traffic in the box, but Butler made a great save to keep the game knotted at zeros.

But it would be the Roadrunners who would get the game’s first and only goal.

Gallardo would finally get through, getting a nice pass from freshman Victor Adetoye from Gallardo’s left side and drilled the pass into the lower right-hand corner of the goal at 20:18 in the second half. For Gallardo, it was his seventh on the year and his fifth goal in two games.

The win was only the third in eleven all-time meetings with West Texas A&M, with the Buffs winning last year 4-1 in Canyon, Texas.
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Roadrunners jump into season with unreal numbers
Nick Garner
The Metropolitan

There is no better feeling than starting off the season 6-0.

Along with a perfect record, the defense has shut out the opponents in five of the six games. The offense is scoring at will, scoring 18 goals while opponents can only get one in the net.

And all of this coming at home.

For the Metro men’s soccer team, these are the feelings it has after finishing a recent home stand a perfect 6-0.

The real test is to come for the young Roadrunners, who have 11 freshman and one sophomore on the roster.

The last 11 games of the season will have them on the road, including a four-game stretch that will include the NCAA runner-ups and No. 1 Fort Lewis, No. 15 Colorado School of Mines, and two games in Texas: Incarnate Word and St. Edwards.

The home stretch is something Metro coach Brian Crookham said has got the team in the right direction, but it will not be an easy task.

"We got ourselves off to a good start, we got some confidence now," Crookham said. "We still have two-thirds of the season left, it gets harder everyday. We got better today (West Texas A&M) we have to continue to get better as we see the better teams in the league."

The numbers themselves are unreal. The Roadrunners are averaging three goals a game, opponents 0.2. Metro is averaging 25 shots a game, opponents 7.2. The opponents have yet to get an assist against the stingy defense of the Roadrunners (17-0).

Last year, Jared Zanon was the main target to score goals for Metro. This year, opponents have to deal with freshman Victor Adetoye and sophomore Danny Gallardo. Adetoye has scored five goals in six games for 11 points while Gallardo has scored seven goals, including five in the past two games, for a team leading 14 points.

Sophomore goalkeeper Eric Butler is a wall in net. In almost 500 minutes of play, he has recorded 4.5 shutout (shared one with freshman keeper Andy Jennings), 13 saves, a 92.9 save percentage, and a mind-boggling .18 goals against average.

But Butler isn’t too worried about going on the road, in fact, he thinks that it doesn’t matter where they are playing, they will be there to play.

"If you come out to watch our games, we have a good team," Butler said. "It doesn’t matter if we are on the road or at home, it shouldn’t effect our play, we shouldn’t struggle on the road."
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No revenge for Buffs as Neuheisel, Huskies win
John Mossman
Associated Press

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) _ Having completed a perfect 3-0 run through its non-conference schedule, Washington can now do some fine tuning during an off week to prepare for its Pac-10 schedule.

Colorado also has an off week, giving the Buffaloes ample time to ponder their 0-3 predicament and wonder what might have been.

Marques Tuiasosopo rallied his team to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, and the No. 8 Huskies held off Colorado 17-14 Sept. 16.

The road doesn't get any easier for Colorado, which bowed to Southern California by the same score a week earlier and lost to in-state rival Colorado State 28-24 in its opener.

The Buffaloes resume play Sept. 30 at home against Kansas State. Washington will travel to Oregon.

"We haven't played with the warrior sort of heart you need against a schedule like this," Colorado coach Gary Barnett said. "We’ve had a chance to win every one of our games. Sometime we’re going to have to grow up and take control of a game.

"This leaves us in a tough situation, obviously. The hardest thing now is not ourselves but how we handle how other people view us. That's the part that eats up kids at this age."

Huskies coach Rick Neuheisel enjoyed a triumphant return to Boulder. Neuheisel was the target of wrath from Colorado players, university officials and fans when he left CU— Boulder to take a $1-million-a-year job at Washington 20 months ago.

Neuheisel, who coached the Buffaloes for four seasons (1995-98), departed for Washington at the height of recruiting season. Later, Colorado officials accused him of contacting Buff players, attempting to entice them to Washington _ a charge that Neuheisel denied.

Colorado’s hopes for revenge against Neuheisel were thwarted last season when the Huskies beat Colorado 31-24 in Seattle. This year, CU players almost universally said they had forgiven Neuheisel, even if many fans hadn't.

After Saturday's win, Neuheisel refused to gloat.

"Congratulations to Colorado for an unbelievably hard-fought game," Neuheisel said. "They were inspired; we knew they would be. I’ve said all along they have good character in the program, and I thought they were extremely well coached. I wish them nothing but the best.

"This is a happy day, more than just the fact that we found a way to win. It’s happy in that it’s behind me and we can move on with our lives. Colorado can go with Gary Barnett to hopefully win Big 12 titles, and I can be a Colorado fan without having to worry about playing them and what people say and all of those things. It's water under the bridge."

Washington trailed 7-3 until Willie Hurst ran 2 yards for a touchdown on the second play of the fourth quarter, capping a 63-yard drive.

When Colorado followed with one of its many ineffective offensive possessions and punted, Washington went 69 yards in eight plays for the clinching touchdown.

Tuiasosopo, who made key third-down plays all afternoon, scrambled for a 13-yard gain on third-and-9. He passed 15 yards to tight end Jerramy Stevens, then hit Wilbur Hooks on a 24-yard scoring pass with 8:33 left for a 17-7 lead.

Colorado, without an offensive score to that point, marched 97 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. Bobby Pesavento, making his first start after two solid performances in relief of Zac Colvin, passed 19 yards to Javon Green for the score with 3:46 remaining. Green kept the drive alive with a one-handed, 53-yard reception to the Huskies’ 12-yard line.

Washington was unable to run out the clock and kicked the ball back to Colorado with 57 seconds left. A pass-interference penalty moved the ball to near midfield, but receiver Eric McCready, on a short reception, was stripped of the ball by cornerback Anthony Vontoure and defensive tackle Larry Tripplett recovered. Tripplett also had three sacks.

The Buffaloes, who had won their previous 12 home openers, were victimized by penalties and dropped passes and had only 243 total yards compared to Washington's 405. Pesavento was sacked six times.

Neuheisel said his defense, aware of Colorado running back Marcus Houston's talent, tried to neutralize Houston and dared Pesavento — "the kid who was starting his first game" — to beat them.

Asked if it would have been special to defeat Neuheisel, Green, a senior, said, "It would have been special just to beat a ranked team. It wasn't an emotionally difficult game. Neuheisel wasn't playing on the field. We were just trying to beat his team."'

Freshman cornerback Phil Jackson returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown as Colorado, despite being outgained 194-107 in the first half, led 7-3 at intermission.
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sports briefs

Two Roadrunners named RMAC Player of the Week

Metro men’s soccer player Danny Gallardo, and volleyball player Mei-Rong Lu earned Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player-of-the-Week honors.

Gallardo, a sophomore forward, scored five goals in two games last week for the 6-0 Roadrunners, and he nailed game-winner against West Texas A&M.

Lu, a 6-1 junior middle blocker from Cheng Du, China, led Metro to road wins against Colorado Christain and Chadron State. She hit .535 and had a team-high 28 kills for the week.
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