Volume 25 issue 18 February 6, 2003
Metronews |
Protesters’ messages washed away
by Noelle Leavitt
The Metropolitan
Between nine and 11 students wrote messages with chalk on the sidewalks of
Auraria campus supporting an Anti-War rally, Jan. 27, expressing their views
on why the United States should not go to war with Iraq. Shortly before
the rally began Auraria Higher Education Center employees erased the messages
with a water hose.
“They were clearly marked with AHEC stuff, and the guy with the hose
saw us looking at him,” Metro student, Melissa Hedden, 25, said.
Hedden said she saw an AHEC truck along with four to five AHEC facilities
management workers spray the sidewalks at around 8 a.m., about two hours before
the rally began.
Metro student Erika Church, 26, said Anti-War Auraria, a collation of 17 different
organizations on campus, got verbal permission from AHEC Assistant Director
of the Events Center, Irene Oliver, to chalk their messages on the sidewalks
of campus.
Oliver said there was no verbal agreement concerning chalk writings for the
rally and usually people ask AHEC for permission.
Oliver said it has always been okay to chalk on the sidewalks, but the only
time it is not is when the chalk is written on the buildings. If chalk is
written on buildings it is considered graffiti.
Oliver said if Anti-War Auraria would have even remotely mentioned it to her
than she could have called everybody and told them that they would be chalking.
Metro student and head sponsor of the rally Erin Durban, 19, said she doesn’t
know if the chalking that Anti-War Auraria was considered writing on a building
or not.
“We wrote on the cement bottom part of the parking garage,” Durban
said.
Community College of Denver student and Anti-War protester, Jennifer Samimi,
22, said the only chalking they did was on the sidewalks.
Hedden said that when Anti-War Auraria went to AHEC to try to find policies
pertaining to chalking they gave her a runaround.
Oliver said there are no written policies in place stating the procedures
for chalking because it is common sense, and student organizations should
know what they can and cannot do.
Larry Lopez, Assistant Professor of Management, said, “We drafted a
new sign policy and chalk is one of the things we haven’t looked at
yet.”
“In the absence of nothing written, anything can be washed away,”
Lopez said.
Oliver said if students want to know what is okay and what isn’t they
should ask.
“When we asked for the rules, people were very rude to us,” Hedden
said, adding, “Personally I think its garbage, because rules were enforced
that do not exist.”
She also said Anti-War Auraria made very clear what was going to happen, it
was very organized, so there would be no surprises about what was going to
happen.
“The administration signed off on our application and permit,”
Hedden said
Durban said the chalking they did was of the tragedies that might come if
the United States did go to war with Iraq.
“We did body chalking of people,” Durban said.
Along the side walks were outlines of dead bodies lying on the ground, and
big peace signs with statements around them that said, “No war with
Iraq.”
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Kaplan projects $11 million budget cut
by Ross Mote
The Metropolitan
Metro President Sheila Kaplan issued an advisory to the staff and faculty
of the school about the state of the college budget Thursday morning stating
that Metro that while has had to give back millions to the state and more
cuts are yet to come.
Kaplan projects that Metro will have lost a total of $11 million in state
funds between July 2002 and July 2003 due to the Colorado budget shortfall.
She began with an overview of Metro’s accomplishments, awards and goals,
then moved into an extensive summary, outlining the bleak fiscal realities
that Metro will face in the second half of the fiscal year, 2002/2003.
Kaplan quoted State Senator Dave Owen-R, who chairs the legislature’s
Joint Budget Committee, saying, “Round two is when things get a little
tough.”
This is the second consecutive year that our school has undergone budget cuts.
Last year, Metro was asked to give back $3.3 million in non-tuition, state
appropriated funds, which it managed to do through prudent spending and the
use of additional revenues generated by enrollment increases.
An additional $1.2 million was added to Metro’s budget restrictions,
bringing the total amount of cuts to 10 percent of the college’s non-tuition
state appropriation.
Citing the New York Times Pulse of the Economic West, Kaplan said, “when
the technology-telecommunications-transportation bubble burst, Colorado and
Utah were the region’s hardest hit states. Colorado’s unemployment
rate has almost doubled from 2.8 percent to 5.5 percent and economists say
this is the worst recession Colorado has experienced since the 1930s.”
This unfortunate turn of events has translated into a dire need to cut costs
in the state budget. Kaplan said, the Colorado Legislature will need to cut
$850 million from Colorado’s financial plan.
“If the new revenue estimates, due in March, are lower than projected—and
there is every indication they will be—the deficit will increase,”
Kaplan said.
She then related the affect this information would have on Metro State, “I
have every reason to believe that rescissions from higher education will total
17 percent if not more. Metro State’s share, now at $5 million, would
increase to about $7.7 million.”
“Against a backdrop of record enrollments,” Kaplan said, “(we)
are doing a Herculean job of ensuring that in these tough economic times that
our students receive a quality education and the services they need to succeed.”
Listing what Metro has done in the past to adjust to cuts, Kaplan said, “We
have allocated new tuition revenue from enrollment growth to compensate for
the loss of state funds; we have instituted a hiring freeze, and we have eliminated
positions by merging Information Technology into the Division of Administration
and Finance.” Kaplan refers to this as “win-win strategies.”
However, additional reductions in state money will mean that the school must
look to the staff and faculty to make further, more agonizing concessions.
“We have exhausted the ‘win-win’ strategies for managing
Metro State’s share of Colorado’s budget shortfall,” Kaplan
said, adding, “Undoubtedly, decisions will be made that will spark consternation
and even dissention. But I am confident that by working together and sharing
burdens to the extent possible we can manage this crisis in ways that keep
the college as whole as possible today and position it for tomorrow.”
Feb. 5, Kaplan asked the Board of Trustees to declare a fiscal emergency and
to institute the Early Retirement Incentive Program for staff and faculty
members who have served the school for 20 years or more.
Those having served 10 to 19 years will be eligible for the Early Separation
component of this plan.
Depending on how many eligible employees take part in the early retirement
and/or separation plan and how much money is saved due to these departures,
the school may be able to lessen the severity of future mandatory concessions.
During her speech, Kaplan made plain what the staff and faculty are
being asked to do.
“We’re all expected to tighten our belts,” she said, “They
should make a belt puncher available,” which prompted troubled laughter
from the audience.
Students are being urged to contact the state legislature and insist that
they protect funding for Higher Education. Information about your representatives,
including contact information, can be accessed at www.congress.org.
Kaplan projects that Metro will have lost a total of $11 million in state
funds between July 2002 and July 2003 due to the Colorado budget shortfall.
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Students discuss Bush’s plans
by Jenni Grubbs
The Metropolitan
About 40 Metro students and faculty gathered in North Classroom Jan. 29, to
discuss President George W. Bush’s Jan. 28 State of the Union Address.
The discussion was hosted by the Golda Meir Center for Political Leadership
and its director, Norman Provizer.
“The idea behind it is to get an exchange of ideas,” Provizer
said, “not to present a viewpoint.”
It was an opportunity for faculty members to talk and listen to their students,
he said.
“It was fun,” Provizer said. “It did exactly what we ought
to be doing here: a civil forum for people with different perspectives to
express those differences. Ultimately, if education isn’t about that,
it’s not about anything.”
The group talked about issues related to the current economic recession, the
federal deficit, the AIDS epidemic in Africa and the prospects for war
against Iraq, according to Metro political science department chair Robert
Hazan, who went to the discussion.
Hazan focused on the president’s remarks about Iraq. He said he argued
that, “on the basis of the data submitted by President Bush in his State
of the Union address, the United States should not go to war against Iraq.
The US should allow the UN inspectors more time to do their work.”
Many students said they felt the same as Hazan, but some were open to war,
Provizer said.
While Bush’s speech started out talking about business and Medicare
reforms, tax cuts, hydrogen-powered cars, and world AIDS relief, the finale
was all about Iraq, which was also the main focus of the discussion.
“Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent,”
Bush said. “Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions,
politely putting us on notice before they strike?”
Bush declared that if “Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, for the
safety of our people and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition
to disarm him.”
Bush also talked about North Korea and Iran as threats to the United States.
“In Iran, we continue to see a government that represses its people,
pursues weapons of mass destruction and supports terror… On the Korean
Peninsula, an oppressive regime rules a people living in fear and starvation.”
The students also discussed these issues.
“The students actively participated in the discussion and their statements
were thought-provoking,” Hazan said. “All of their questions and
assertions were well articulated. I sensed that they were more concerned about
the prospects for war than the recent economic downturn.”
The State of the Union
Some of Bush’s points include:
• in 2002 the United States added the Department of Homeland Security
• “tough reforms” were passed for American business laws
• income tax reductions were passed, which the president proposes to
take effect immediately, rather than in 2004 and 2006 as planned
• a proposed end to “the unfair double taxation of dividends”
• healthcare and Medicare reform
• a proposed a prescription drug benefit for seniors
• a proposed medical liability reform
• $1.2 billion in research funding for hydrogen-powered cars
• $450 million for mentors nationwide
• $600 million for drug rehabilitation and treatment
• a proposed end to partial-birth abortions
• a proposed law against human cloning
• seeking peace between Israel and Palestine
• $15 billion, over the next five years, to fight AIDS in Africa and
the Caribbean
• working to keep “terrorists on the run”
• $6 billion for vaccines
• Iran and Korea are threats
• Iraq and Saddam Hussein are big threats that must be stopped
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American civil rights in jeopardy
U.S.A. Patriot Act, Dept. of Homeland Security pose threat to privacy
by Travis Combs
The Metropolitan
Since the attacks on 9/11, the civil rights of American citizens have
been put in significant jeopardy by the passing of various bills through the
congressional house, according to former Congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney.
The U.S.A Patriot Act, the funding for the war on terrorism bill and the creation
of the Department of Homeland Security all pose a real risk to the rights
and freedoms Americans now enjoy, said McKinney in a speech given in Tivoli
320 on the Auraria campus Monday morning.
McKinney, the first African American woman who has represent Georgia’s
fourth congressional district for ten years, but lost that seat last year.
“I do want my government to protect me from terror, but who’s
defining terror and what type of terror do I need protection from?”,
said McKinney.
What is defined as terrorism can be relative to whomever is doing the defining
according to McKinney.
“I remember when the U.S. thought Martin Luther King Jr. was a terrorist
just because he wanted black people to vote,” said McKinney. “I
remember they went after Josie Carmichael just because he said ‘black
power’. I remember they banned James Brown from the radio because he
said that he was black and proud and now Dick Cheney and the crowd that’s
in the White House now, also thought Nelson Mandela was a terrorist.”
McKinney’s speech, entitled “The War on Terrorism and the Future
of Civil Liberties”, addressed the past methods the Federal Government
has used in the past to combat what was then deemed a threat to national security
and the Bush Administration’s current policies in the wake of 9/11.
“I voted against every bill that passed through congress having to deal
with homeland security,” said McKinney. “Not because I don’t
want our country to be secure, but because I fundamentally disagree with the
road down which our country is going.”
According to McKinney the groundwork for the current administrations policies
in regarding the eroding civil rights of individual Americans is the result
of a deliberate and carefully executed plan.
“This is a political landscape which we have a hand,” said McKinney.
“The grand design was laid out many years ago, but it took all of us
in our own way to make it happen.”
To add weight to her claim, McKinney said that one just has to look at recent
events to bring to light what is currently happening to individual liberties
in the Bush Administration.
“If we were to go back and look at some of the historical documents
that reveal what we were doing at home and abroad fifty years ago, it becomes
easier to understand the layout and design as we see it today,” said
McKinney.
Even the civil liberties of universities are in danger with the passing of
the homeland security bills, according to McKinney, who claims that professors
can be punished for expressing civil dissent and the F.B.I can now work with
campus police to survey potential student terrorists.
According to McKinney, The U.S.A Patriot Act, which was passed shortly after
the attacks on Sept. 11th, give the Federal Government sweeping powers of
surveillance and access to private information on individual citizens both
domestic and abroad.
With the passing of this legislation the restrictions on telephone and internet
surveillance is eased. The ability of the Federal Government to conduct secret
searches has expanded and allows for the deportation of non-citizens who are
considered members of suspected terrorist organizations, said McKinney.
“When the U.S.A Patriot Act was rushed through congress in the days
after the Sept. 11th, it bore little resemblance to what was needed to prevent
another attack,” said McKinney.
Throughout U.S. history leaders and members of civil rights movements have
been victims of scrutiny and occasionally violence from the Federal Government,
who perceived these organizations as threats to national security, said McKinney.
“When the United States Government started talking about homeland security,
I remembered that in 1968, two hundred forty military personnel were surveying
Dr. King and in just two months in March and April of 1968 those military
personnel logged in 16,000 man hours trailing Dr. King,” said McKinney.
“That’s why I find it hard to believe they don’t have a
clue what happened at 6 p.m. in Memphis, Tennessee On the balcony of the Loraine
Hotel where Dr. King was killed.”
Quoting George Washington, McKinney pointed out that that ‘the mere
presence of a large military is in and of itself hostile to liberty’
and that a patriot in an often misunderstood term in contemporary society
as it was used in Washington’s day.”
Patriots are the ones resist the intrigues of favored countries and unprincipled
men,” said McKinney, paraphrasing Washington. “Sadly he also had
to add that true patriots are liable to become suspect and odious.”
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News Briefs
The after party
After the Homecoming game please join students, faculty, staff and alumni
for a post-game party hosted by Metro’s Student Government Assembly
at Brauns Bar & Grill, 1055 Auraria Pkwy, across the street from the Tivoli.
Meet the players and coaches and enjoy food and drink with the rest of the
Metro community
Police Briefs
Almost, but not quite
A security wire was cut from a digital projector in the South classroom
sometime between Jan. 20 and 31. The projector is attached to the ceiling
and was not taken. Value of cable is $5. Police have no suspects or leads
at this time.
TOTAL LOSS: $5.
Wait a minute, I don’t have three hands
A Metro student was pick-pocketed while walking down the 1100 block of
10th Street Mall on Jan. 30. The student’s wallet was taken from the
right front pocket of his windbreaker. Stolen: men’s leather wallet,
$12.; assorted currency, $55. There were no witnesses and police have no suspects
or leads at this time.
TOTAL LOSS: $67.
I can’t hear you now
A Metro student’s cell phone was taken from his backpack while he played
basketball in the Physical Education Center on Jan. 30. The cell phone was
on top of his bag at the side of the court. Stolen: Motorola cell phone, $250.
Police have no suspects or leads at this time.
TOTAL LOSS: $250.
Maybe it was the wicked witch
A Metro student’s bike was stolen from the bike rack between Central
and West classrooms at 8:20 a.m. on Jan. 29. Stolen: Mongoose bike, $200;
cable lock, $20. Police have no suspects or leads at this time.
TOTAL LOSS: $220.
Didn’t run fast enough
A 1999 black Chevy truck was damaged in a hit and run while in the parking
garage. The right rear bumper and quarter panel was dented. A witness was
able to get the hit and run vehicle’s plate number.
TOTAL EST. LOSS: under $1,000
No, that is not what that’s for
A transient was arrested at 11:50 p.m. on Jan 31 for urinating in public.
Metroopinion |
Your Opinion Counts!
Vote in our online opinion poll at http://metonline.mscd.edu on the editorial
page.
Yes or No: In your opinion, should the US have involved itself in the European
conflict (ie: WWII, Hitler) prior to the sinking of the Lusitania?
Revisit your past with a journal
Josh Pacheco
The Metropolitan
We, as students, get plenty of opportunity to write. We often get stressed
out when deadlines grow near and procrastinate when our papers due.
The last thing we would want to do is to write for fun; but, believe it or
not, writing can be therapeutic as well as stress relieving.
Over Christmas break ,I have been re-introduced to a great past time.
In those quiet moments at home when no one is around, I have found that starting
a simple journal can be one of the greatest ways to track your thoughts and
bring importance to the way you feel from day to day.
Life sometimes gets monotonous and the trudging of life as each day goes by
sometimes makes things seem bland. I have found that when you keep a
record of your thoughts and are able to reflect upon past events of your life,
then it takes the rust off your past. Memories are no longer just memories—they
become brighter and more detailed, which is important.
There are times when it seems like no one understands what you are experiencing
in life. In those times, when you need an outlet, I have found that
simply writing down your thoughts makes life seem so much more manageable
and easier to cope with.
It seems like such a simple thing, but sometimes it’s the smallest things
that make a difference in life. As you grow as an individual it is important
to remember the places you’ve been and the people you have met along
the way. It is important that each of us maintain our own unique stories.
After all, the diversity in each of us is so prevalent and deserves to be
recorded.
What is your story? Wouldn’t it be neat in twenty years to be
able to look back at the way you were and have something to hold on to and
with which to relate? Too many times we let time slip away and go unheralded.
The way you felt when you bumped into an old childhood friend or when you
succeeded at a class which seemed impossible at the beginning of the semester.
None of this is unimportant.
So, as you hustle about your busy life this semester, don’t forget to
stop and record the present and think about the past. It is important
to take things a little slower and enjoy the moment that you are in and to
recognize the people that are in your life right now.
Keeping a notebook of your life is a great way to keep the gratefulness of
what you have in life and, soon, will hopefully become a valuable tool
through which we can revisit yesterday and the way it used to be.
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Bush introduces ‘trickle-up’ theory
Melissa McGuire
The Metropolitan
Welcome back! Come on in and sit a spell. Hope you like your coffee
strong and your waitress long winded.
So, the State of the Union was a little befuddling? You bet it was.
I was confounded by the annual address regarding our nation’s relative
position in the universe. Mostly I was confused because I do not recall
actually hearing about the “state” of the Union.
I did hear a bunch of rhetoric about how much money to throw at problems around
the country and around the world. Also, I recall quite clearly a visitation
on the evils of biological warfare. Wait a minute – didn’t
the Government totally deny 10 years ago that there were chemical and biological
agents used in the Gulf War? And we are talking about the same guy now,
right? Hmmmm…
Anyway, back to the question at hand; what state are we in?
Bush said, “My budget will commit an additional 400 billion dollars
over the next decade to reform and strengthen Medicare.” That
is simply fantastic! “…600 million dollar program
to help an additional 300,000 Americans receive treatment,” for drug
and alcohol addictions. Noble indeed. To the 30 Million with HIV/AIDS
in Africa, he will throw in 15 billion dollars including “…10
billion in new money.” Whatever that means.
Bush proposed to expedite the 2004 and 2006 tax cuts approved by Congress
by applying them this year. Does that mean this year 2003? Or this year 2002
tax year? Policy gets so confusing.
Where is this money coming from? The government would like to cut taxes,
refund surplus tax money, and increase military spending and international
relief efforts. These are great ideas with one obvious caveat: I’m
not real big on war. Yet, we still have hospitals struggling, school
systems failing and an ever-increasing jobless rate across the US. I
ask you, how are we going to fund these new initiatives?
President Bush suggested that the solution to this problem is the trickle
up effect. Refund taxes, people spend more, more jobs are created and
then more taxes are collected. Not a terrible assumption. Unfortunately,
even with the tax rebates, refund and reassessments, most people are still
spending conservatively, paying off debt and hoping desperately that their
job is not the next one axed.
As far as I can recall, and mind that I am not blaming any one person or Administration
for this, the economy is in the toilet. Two million jobs have been lost
since 2000. Healthcare is in trouble, the education system is in trouble,
the social fabric of this country is unraveling and no amount of money is
going to fix that. The US is in the tank internationally and no amount
of money can fix that. No amount of money can fix core issues that need
fixing.
While I do not have any universal answer, I do have a universal question.
What are you, dear reader, doing about this mess we are in as a nation?
Me? I write this column in the hope that it might stir someone to think
a little deeper. Is this the answer? No. I do know that
change from the top down usually ends in a bureaucratic-red-tape nightmare.
I also know that change from within an individual can radiate outward in a
positive and useful way.
So I must digress here from the state of our Union to the state of the individual.
Next time you stop in for coffee here, hold the door for the person leaving.
Tip the waitress an extra buck for the time. Smile at someone on the
street, preferably someone “different.” Let’s make
eye contact again. It improves my state when I do it and I am almost
certain that it will improve yours, too. Now that’s trickle up
economics.
Thanks for stopping by. See y’all soon.
People are still spending conservatively, paying off debt and hoping desperately
that their job is not the next one axed.
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The art of positive persuasion
Joel Tagert
The Metropolitan
Last December, two or three thousand peace activists gathered at the Martin
Luther King statue in City Park and marched down Colfax to the front steps
of the Capital. Leading the march were some representatives of the American
Indian Movement playing a large drum and singing in their native tongue.
Just a little ways behind followed a substantial Black Bloc group. The
rest of the long line stretched for a few blocks further, with musicians scattered
throughout the crowd.
I like music, I particularly like to sing and play during a march. I
had brought a drum and a rattle so I could join in. At first, i was
near the head of the line, by the AIM members. I loved the deeply spiritual
sound of their music, but I found it difficult to participate because I felt
I might be interfering rather than contributing; and in any case, I didn’t
know the words. So, I dropped back a bit to where the Black Bloc kids
were.
Hey, I thought. Here’s something I can join in with. If
they’re drumming on five-gallon buckets, they can’t be too concerned
about your musicianship. They had a vibrant. youthful energy.
They were chanting: “Global, Mobil, Exxon, Shell: Take your
war and go to hell!” Or: “We ain’t gonna take
no more. We’re fired up!” But as I walked, I noticed
something curious. While the Black Bloc-ers were chanting loudly, the
people around them were not joining in. If anything, they seemed to
be edging away.
Reflecting on this, I think the problem was that their chants were overtly
angry and phrased negatively. While anger is an understandable reaction
to injustice; if it is not tempered by a clear, positive vision, its expression
will only alienate those one wishes to persuade, and divide those one wishes
to unite. Those marching around the Black Bloc were uncertain.
Clearly, these young people were against the war; but what were they advocating
for?
So I dropped back further, and still further, until, finally, I saw something
remarkable. Two men were marching together. One had a tuba over
his shoulder; the other had a snare drum strapped around his waist.
They were playing enthusiastically. People around them were smiling,
bobbing their heads in time to the music. As I watched, two more drummers
joined them. I followed suit. Now we were a little impromptu band
marching for peace. The tuba player paused and sang to a merry rhythm,
“All we are saying is: give peace a chance!”
Hey! That sounded great! I started singing along. Before
we knew it, the crowd around us was singing, laughing, and dancing.
We did other chants: “power to the peaceful!” “There
ain’t no power like the power of the people cause the power of the people
don’t stop!”
The peace movement will not achieve its aims so long as it remains re-active
rather than pro-active. Negative slogans allow the earmongers to define
the public dialogue. We must instead embrace a positive vision expressed
positively.
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America deserves greater respect
José Rocha
The Metropolitan
Blame it on America! Why not? Who are they to bully other nations
around? From containing fly zones, reinforcing weapons inspections,
and even going as far as to threaten to go to war with Iraq unless our demands
are met. It’s almost as if America were playing policeman to this
nation— and who knows how many others. After all, America is a
Democracy, that believes in freedom and the people’s right to choose.
Some even go as far to call America another “Nazi Germany”, strutting
around the world fixing what ever they choose
But whether or not America does these things, the world may view America as
tyrannous. Time and time again, immigrants from not just Southern America,
but all over the world, wash up on the shores of American soil, by the hundreds
and even the thousands. People like these have gone as far as attempting
death to escape the land in which they live in order to escape poverty or
politically unjust societies. They risk both life and limb to obtain the American
life of opportunity. Even as our nation is greatly threatened by terrorism
and our economy is in recovery; they still come. All to be a part of
this nation A nation so many love to hate.
And when parts of the world from Somalia to Ethiopia, have people living in
disease stricken lands, starving to death by the millions; who is there to
help? America dips inside of its budget to supply military assets to
render aid and supplies to those people in need. America, with their
superpower ability, dips into their government funds to render help for those
in need of it. America is known for their consistent ability to jump
first on these issues.
Who, for example stoop up when nations like Iraq knowingly used chemical and
biological weapons on their own people and surrounding neighbors; even deciding
to invade Kuwait? Who took the stand in putting a stop to this aggression?
And who took a stand during the cold war against the threat of invading communist
governments? From Vietnam to Korea, the aid stretches to so many more
as well. And who has provided funds to numerous nations in financial
need for the past century? Millions and millions, still never to be
paid back. The point is that the list of these types of actions stretches
far beyond the scope of a few pages.
Yet, so many are so quick to judge the mistakes that America has made, as
well as criticizing every next move they make. But, those critics often
fail to give credit to the great things America has done for this world.
The “Lone Ranger”, judged or criticized, still stands alone.
America stands up for starving and suffering nations. Always the first
to dip into its wallet, as if it were the worlds “sugar daddy”.
Always the first to speak out and face up to tyranny, unilaterally or not.
Taking one step at a time, it takes on each battle to make this world a better
place. Many might say that America is just bulling its way around, trying
to fix the world the way it wants to. I say that America is saving those
parts of the world where no one else is brave enough to. It is like
a responsibility that no one else cares to take on.
And now, America is taking on another battle with Iraq. A nation
that admitted to obtaining weapons of mass destruction and who has knowingly
used them before (Read your newspapers!), deliberately violating not only
your well being, but all of humanity’s. America, taking a stand,
once again. The “Lone Ranger” United States, with or without
the help of others, dives head first into the firing pit called nuclear, chemical
and biological warfare. America, who stands up against the unjust here,
and everywhere. America, in all of its splendor and courage, still criticized
and judged. Yet the criticism and judgement is to be expected.
Especially in this democracy, and especially when you’re the strongest
nation in the world. What we should be asking ourselves is where is
the support? Where is the patriotism? As part of such a nation;
do we not owe a little support? I say, we owe a whole hell of a lot!
There is a firing pit of hatred, tyranny, aggression, terrorism and inhumanity
in this world that threatens our well being every day. Once again, America
dives headfirst into the firing pit of such things. Never would I want
to be a part of any other nation, but this bold United States of America.
And if this nation is willing to dive head first once again, as a damn proud
American, I say, throw me in first.
God Bless America!
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Letters to the Editor
America did not start this war
Dear Editor:
This letter is to all the anti-war, so-called peaceful folks here at
the Auraria Campus. Where were you when your oh-so-favorite President
Clinton was bombing Aspirin factories in the Sudan and SAM sites in southern
Iraq? Where were you when he sent troops into Somalia and refused to
give them the proper supplies to complete their mission and then pulls them
out after they where massacred? Watch “Black Hawk Down”
and maybe you’ll learn something! The Metropolitan’s headline
“War unpopular in Denver” is complete BULLS***. A recent
polls say 67% of Americans support talking Saddam out.
These anti-war people have no clue as to what this evil man (Saddam) will
do to America if he is not taken out NOW!!! It seems as though they
have forgotten that AMERICA DID NOT START THIS WAR!!! We were at peace
and all we got was 9-11. It also makes me sick that if you are a member
of the military, you are a “baby killer” and a “murderer”
when the real murderer is in Iraq. For heavens sake, the man kills his
own people. President Bush is a great man and he doesn’t hide
behind the military to save his ass, unlike that lying, adulterous, liberal
scumbag Clinton. God Bless the military and all those who serve and
protect this nation and freedom and God Bless the United States of America!
Danielle Robinson
Metro State, Sophomore
Please promote albino squirrel rights
Dear Metropolitan,
My name is Dustin Ballard and I am president of the Albino Squirrel
Preservation Society. We are an International organization of college
students dedicated to promoting albino squirrel rights worldwide. The
reason I’m writing is because we feel that the albino squirrels of Colorado
are vastly unrepresented. We would desperately like to change this.
If any of your readers are interested in registering a chapter of our club
at Metropolitan State College please visit: albinosquirrel.com. Thank
you very much.
Dustin Ballard
ASPS International President
dustin@albinosquirrel.com
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Du muBr dein Leben ändern.
—Rilke
Archaïscher Torso Apollos
I am not, nor purport, nor wish, nor aspire to be a journalist (a posit,
I’m sure, many of you already knew, hoped or I had hoped inferred).
What I do, here ( at the paper), is fill up this section very much like many
“journalism” majors also do while attending classes at Metro.
Having been in the newspaper business for several years, I know of very few
people for whom I have greater contempt than “journalism” majors
who rely solely on the mistakes of other’s for personal aggrandization.
(It’s like, you know, criticizing America for doing something, even
though the only reason you can criticize it is because of it.) Rather
than shoving your pathetic little heads in the sand, get involved. That
is, PUT UP OR SHUT UP!
Your tiny, weak-kneed, pansy-brained self should have little or nothing to
say about anything. My guess is that you would be denied a job at the
“Thrifty Penny.”
Are your heads so far up your ass that you idiots really think your going
to get a job in the “real” world without experience? “:Come
on,” (said the cat to the mouse), “I’ve got a piece of a
bridge in the desert overlooking a lagoon that I’ll sell to you.”
Have you ever considered what goes into the production—from beginning
to end—of a newspaper? Or, more likely, do you think there is
some special “fairy dust” (swaying you, nonchalantly towards IBM)
that we sprinkle on our computers on a weekly basis to make our baby?
Even more interesting, I find, is that the professors in your department do
not require at least 14 weeks of work (and I mean bleeding) to be completed
at “The Metropolitan,” or something substantially greater, prior
to graduating.
In retrospect, I have known many business professors who could not run
an espresso stand to save themselves from caffeine deprivation let alone success
and, as a result, chose to work at the college level. I pray this is
not also true for journalism professors.
Anyway, what comes around goes around. I guess, in the end, it does
not matter. When you graduate with your “degree” in journalism
and put your resume without any experience in the industry, it will be the
people I see every day hiring you. The jokes, then, will be both you
and on you.
p.s. Kill Saddam Hussein!
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: grubbs@mscd.edu
phone: 303.556.2507
fax: 303.556.3421
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Metroactive |
Met People
Metro mentor has high goals
Speech major wants to help students increase self-esteem
by Jonathan Kuenne
The Metropolitan
Metro junior, Na-Kesha Taylor plans to be traveling around the country as
a motivational speaker within the next five years, to help encourage middle
and high school students to stay in school and increase their self esteem.
Na-Kesha who is currently pursuing a Speech Communications degree with an
emphasis in public address and rhetoric says “I hope to start speaking
right when I get out of school. I have an internship set up with the
Hall of Life speaking on health issues.”
Taylor explained that the internship would mainly consist of speaking to various
audiences on health issues including smoking, exercising and eating right.
“But that’s not my ultimate goal,” Taylor added, “I
want to speak to youth about self-esteem , about building their own self esteem
and understanding the social aspects of life. Also about setting and
achieving their goals, making a choice to change their life.”
Taylor feels that self-esteem is an important issue in the teen community.
Na-Kesha says she doesn’t plan to limit herself to the Denver market
for speaking opportunities. “I want to travel - all over the United
States… to just to middle schools and high schools..” Taylor expressed
during an interview in the Tivoli on Monday. I’d like to base myself
out of Denver and go from there.”
Taylor’s inspiration comes from a video she saw in middle school.
“When I was in middle school I saw a video of Montel (Williams), and
didn’t think it had much to do with me.” The speech, entitled
‘Mountain Get Out Of My Way’, was presented by Montel Williams
at Denver’s South High School and became the spark that ignited the
fire in Na-Kesha’s heart.
Na-Kesha decided then that she would dedicate herself to the overall improvement
of our youth.
In addition to speaking in schools across the nation, Taylor wants to design
a program that will be of help to all youth. “I don’t think
there is a program that helps middle-schoolers decide what they want to do
and what they want to be. I want to use the NBA, the NFL, designers –
mainly music, sports, and art to (help them) change or to figure out what
they want for themselves.” Na-Kesha says that she especially wants
to work with at-risk kids and have them build a relationship with mentors
in the public eye.
Na-Kesha first brain-stormed for her program, currently named project X, when
she was a junior in high school. “I started with the alphabet
and listed a sponsor for each letter - that I could call to help with different
aspects of the program,” Taylor said. “Major companies that have
a lot of money that they can donate in addition to time and jobs,” she
added.
In addition to large companies, Taylor hopes to eventually use celebrities
to create an umbrella system. She wants them to come to schools and
be mentors to the youth.
Within five years Na-Kesha wants to have a program that is worth knowing about.
Taylor is already on her way to success in changing lives. Recently,
she was offered a grant to help deal with the housing issues in district three
where there are too many people per house. Na-Kesha plans to fix up houses
and rent them out as a way to improve the community.
Besides her busy school schedule, volunteering in the community and seeking
out new opportunities, Na-Kesha is currently working at a day care, and training
for her real estate license.
Keep your eyes peeled for Na-Keesha Taylor, future motivational speaker, program
founder, director, and mentor.
‘I don’t think there is a program that helps middle schoolers
decide what they want to do and what they want to be. I want to use the NBA,
the NFL, designers – mainly music, sports, and art to change or to figure
out what they want for themselves.’
- Na-Keesha Taylor, Metro student
Fact Sheet
Na-keesha Taylor
Age: 25
Birthday: July 22, 1977
Favorite Restaurant: Frankies
(in Florida)
Favorite Movie: Lean On
Me
Favorite Actor: Denzel Washington
Favorite Actress: Susan Sarandon
Favorite Vacation Spot:
Arizona
Favorite Book: Makes Me Wanna Hollar
by Nathan McCall
Major: Speech Comm., emphasis on public address and
rhetoric
Minor: Human services, emphasis on at-risk
youth
Pet Peeve: Liars
If I had one million dollars I would: Invest in real estate helping people who need low-income
housing
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MetFeatures
Oh the horror...the Rocky Horror
by Travis Combs
The Metropolitan
Space alien transvestites and the gathering of displaced souls have made a
new home at the Starz Film Center within the confines of one movie: The Rocky
Horror Picture Show.
Denver has been one of only a handful of cities across the United States
who, for twenty-seven years, have continuously run the film for Saturday midnight
showings. The venue has changed several times over the years, but the
spirit of Rocky Horror remains constant.
The movie, which contains elements of b-grade science fiction and alternative
lifestyles, did poorly at the box office when initially released in 1975,
but quickly gained a cult following when theaters started running only midnight
showings of it.
The Colorado Elusive Ingredient (C.E.I), a collection of Rocky Horror fans,
, has been organizing live, mimic performances of the movie’s scenes
for nearly three years, and provides a place for like-minded individuals a
community in which to bond.
Both the cast of C.E.I and audience members participate in a live reenactment
of The Rocky Horror Picture Show while the film is playing on screen.
Born out of melodrama, which characterizes the community of dedicated fans,
the C.E.I has carried the torch for keeping weekly Saturday midnight showings
of Rocky Horror alive in Denver, according to Pierrette J. Shields, Production
Manager and Performer at C.E.I.
“Colorado Elusive Ingredient was born out of extreme melodrama. Since
then we’ve been working very hard to eliminate that and I think we’ve
done it,” said Shields. “Rocky Horror’s not anything unless
it’s completely melodramatic.”
Playing the part of Dr. Frankenfurter, a space alien transvestite, during
last Saturday’s performance, Shields and the rest of the crew perform
a shadow cast of the show, which is different from doing a direct performance.
“We’re doing exactly what’s going on up on the screen,”
said Shields. “We lip sync it all. We even memorize the character’s
twitches.”
According to Tam “T.J” Bowkes, being a member of C.E.I can offer
a place for many to explore aspects of their personalities that normally would
go unexpressed in normal, day-to-day living.
“It’s an amazing experience,” said Bowkes. “I’ve
come out of my shell so much. A year ago I wouldn’t be caught dead running
around in a half-slip and a bra.”
According to Bowkes, the transforming nature of being a cast member has helped
her self-confidence levels grow.
“The confidence you gain in yourself is amazing,” said Bowkes.
A self- described cult, both audience and cast of Rocky Horror showings used
the word “family” to describe their relationship to both each
other and film itself.
“If one thing in particular happens to a cast member, we all feel it,”
said Bowkes.
Andrew (a middle school teacher who asked that his last name not be used)
is the Co-Manager of C.E.I and has been involved with The Rocky Horror Picture
Show in one aspect or another for fifteen years, also describes the cast and
audience as a family.
“Because I’ve yet to convince a woman to stay naked with me for
any extended period of time and therefore have no family and no kids, this
gives me an opportunity to be parental,” said Andrew who is in his mid-thirties.
“I’ve gotten very psychological about it because I feel the need
to have a family and take care of things.”
According to Andrew, involvement in Rocky Horror can sometimes provide people
with a more caring environment than their traditional families.
“We spend more time with these kids as parents then their parents,”
said Andrew. “I’ve counseled some of them on some serious matters.”
Bree Dunn, a cast member for C.E.I also feels Rocky Horror has provided her
with a sense of belonging she may have lacked in other aspects of her life.
According to Andrew, misplaced members of society can often find a home among
kindred souls when traditional society rejects or misunderstands them.
“Rocky Horror is a place for the socially incompetent yet emotionally
interesting,” said Andrew. “It’s a place for people to find
functional family groups and band together with other weirdos, which has been
the case of theatre since the beginning of time.”
Sara Stevens, A theatre major at Metro and a founding member of C.E.I echoed
Andrew’s statements by describing the Rocky Horror community as society's
misunderstood members.
“Rocky Horror attracts the freak — almost geek — crowd and
gives them a chance to be lewd, crass and almost mean at times,” said
Stevens.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show planted its roots in Denver when the Ogden Theatre
ran the show every Saturday at Midnight during the latter half of the seventies
and into the eighties.
The Show then had regular viewings at the Esquire Theatre on Sixth Ave. during
the nineties. After a brief stint at the Buckingham Mall, the show found an
ideal theatre at Tiffany Plaza 6, but was unable to stay because of financial
concerns.
During their transition to the Starz Film Center, C.E.I underwent a period
when it’s future was in question.
“We went homeless for a while when we were between theaters,”
said Shields. “There was another group trying to move in and take over,
but our audience stayed with us because it’s really a cult.”
According to Shields, C.E.I’s shaky transition to its new home is testimony
to the staying power of both Rocky Horror’s appeal and its fan base.
“We’ve just moved to the Tivoli and we survived the move,”
said Shields. “The cult is alive and well in Denver after twenty-seven
and we’re proud we’re the torchbearers.”
The Rocky Horror Picture Show can be seen Saturdays at Midnight at the Tivoli,
with the pre-show starting at approximately 11:15 p.m. For more information
about Rocky Horror or the C.E.I go online to www.denverrhps.com or www.coloradoelusiveingredient.com.
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New Moon New Year
by Ian Neligh
The Metropolitan
The Chinese New Year begins Feb. 1 with the first New Moon on the first day
of the New Year (Feb. 1) and ends 15 days later with the full moon. 15 days
later.
In Chinese culture, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are
celebrated in Chinese culture as a family affair, a time where when people
come together for reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally
highlighted with by a religious ceremony given in honor of family ancestors,
Heaven and Earth, and the gods of the household.
“The Chinese New Year is what we call the spring festival, and I would
say that it’s the most important festival in China, just like our Christmas
here,” said Metro history professor Xiansheng Tian.
Tian, a native of China, said that there are very different ways in the different
regions of China to celebrate the New Years.
“Generally speaking, the family members will come together and have
a big banquet,” Tian said. “A big eating event, and the
major feast around the table is something roughly translated to meat dumpling.
You can put your fortune and a good wish for the New Year in these meat dumplings.,
some Some (people) even put something, like a coin, in one of the dumplings.,
Who ever gets that one is the luckiest person, and will make a fortune next
year.”
Tian said that firecrackers are traditionally considered by the Chinese as
a way to scare away wandering evil spirits, so that they can have a peaceful
year. Chinese ancestors are also acknowledged on New Year’s Eve,
with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table.
“On New Years Eve, every one will come together and sit through midnight,
extended family kids, parents, grandparents., Traditionally they also had
a ceremony to show the worship of your ancestors, but (modern)now a day’s
Chinese society is much more westernized,” Tian said.
Tian said that on the first day of the New Year, the younger generation is
supposed to kneel and touch their head to the ground to show their respect
to for their older family members elders. by kneeling and touching their head
to the ground to show their respect. In return for doing this, the children
receive an award or a red envelope carrying with money inside. However,
Tian said that today many young people go to church to celebrate Christmas
instead of staying home with their parents to celebrate the Spring Festival.
“These traditions are forgotten by the younger generation, especially
after, I’d say, the 1950s under the communist control. (The communists)
were saying that all of these traditions should be gone. So people are
forgetting it,” Tian said. “Some of the old traditions are
slowly coming back, but after you’ve lost it for so long it is not easy
to restore.”
Some Taboos and Superstitions of the Chinese New Year
*Setting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve is the Chinese way of getting
rid of the old year and welcoming in the one.
*All debts must be paid by this time of the year. Nothing should be
lent to anyone on this day, as anyone who does so will be lending all the
New Year.
*The whole house should be cleaned before New Year's Day. On New Year's Eve,
all cleaning equipment should be put away. Sweeping or even dusting should
not be done on New Year's Day for fear that all your good fortune will be
swept away.
*References to the past year are also avoided as everything should be turned
toward the New Year and a new beginning.
*Everyone should refrain from swearing. Negative terms and the word "four"
(Ssu), which sounds like the word for death, are not to said. Death and dying
are not to be mentioned and ghost stories are very taboo.
Metrosports |
‘Blessed in basketball’
Arguably the best true point guard in college hoops
by Eric Eames
The Metropolitan
Life has to be fun if you are going to be any good at it and so does the game.
These are the beliefs of Metro’s starting point guard. And as
his mother Sarah so correctly puts it: “Clayton’s been blessed
with basketball.”
Clayton Terrell Smith. There are several titles associated with that name.
Maybe even one more. Smith has been apart of two National Division II Championships
in four years here at Metro. In 1998, his high school team won the state title.
He has titles from middle school and recreational ball. He played for a team
sponsored by George Karl, then the Seattle Supersonics head coach, that was
ranked No. 1 in the country.
“Basketball has played such a good part in my life; if somebody took
it away from me it would be hard to adjust,” Smith said. “It’s
played such a big role in my development as a person, it’s played a
big role in taking me places and showing me new things and showing me different
ways of doing things. Without basketball I don’t think I would be the
same person.”
Smith has been wrapped around basketball every since it wrapped around him.
But before you know anything about him, you have to start at the grassroots
level, when he walked into game one with his throat in his stomach and quivering
kneecaps; a lost puppy.
At first he couldn’t see the joy in it all, blinded by the deep shouts
from the parents and grandparents congesting the recreation center. So many
people. So many eyes. So many things they can say to me. So many things that
can go wrong, will go wrong.
He was six-years-old. It was his first game. Ever. Coach gave the pre-game
speech. His teammates rushed out for warm-ups. Smith’s head, though,
rushed from one fear to the next. He didn’t want to go out. The locker
room was a quiet hiding place. The court wasn’t. The crowd ate him up.
He worked hard for this moment too. Like most hoop dreams, Smith’s started
alone. He practiced at a park near his home in Seattle, between two stratus
clouds.
He liked to shoot on the deck of his house with a rim bolted to the wall,
but usually his dad, Donald, wouldn’t let him fire from the outside.
He first had to learn the infinite number of ways to angle the ball off the
backboard, shooting lay up after lay up. Donald told him that point guards
from the benighted days of Boston Celtic’s Bob Cousy looked to pass,
setup their floormates, control the ball and tempo. That is a true point guard
and that’s what Smith wanted to be, just not now.
“I sat in the locker room and I wouldn’t leave,” Smith recalled.
“I was so scared because everybody’s parents were there watching
and stuff. I was so scared I didn’t want to play. My dad had to come
drag me out.”
Donald reminded his son of his commitment to the team and convinced him that
he only had to play defense, because anybody can play defense. Smith finally
crept out and played and loved it. Every time he played from then on the chills
disappeared a little bit, churning trepidation into anticipation.
“He came out and actually played defense pretty well,” Donald
said. “He got comfortable with the game enough that he stole the ball
and went down and made a basket and launched a pretty successful career.”
Today, Smith avoids the locker room. As game time approaches you can spot
him sitting in the far corner of the stands at the Auraria Events Center,
with eyes visualizing something besides the chair in front of him. Minutes
before the 2002 National Division II title game against Kentucky Wesleyan
tipped off, Smith dribbled a ball back and forth in the long tunnel that lead
out to court at Roberts Stadium in Evansville, Ind. He saw the crowd pile
in, the lucent lights and the building hype. He soaked it all in. He was getting
relaxed.
“For me sitting in the locker room just gets me antsy,” Smith
said. “I just need to sit down and try to envision the game in my head,
before it happens. Before we even start I’ve played 10 plays in my head
already.”
During the 2002 championship run Smith was the regulator and a hero of sorts,
quickly bringing his teammates to life with his hustle. Yeah, anyone can play
defense, but no one plays it like Smith. He runs back and forth, poking at
the ball, giving goosebumps to defenders.
On an AAU summer league team he was know as the “One man press breaker.”
Well, towards the end of the title game against Kentucky Wesleyan, Smith was
just that. Time and again he took a outlet pass, made a hard cut on the dribble
and knifed through two pressing defenders at a velocity that ripped the court
wide open, allowing the Roadrunners to pull away. In the 80-72 win he scored
nine points with 12 assists and four steals. He was named to the Elite Eight
Team.
“Down the back stretch (of the playoffs) he was unbelievable,”
junior teammate Luke Kendall said. “He was all over the place on defense,
just wreaking havoc. He took control of the game and the tempo, made tough
baskets. That’s why he was on the Elite Eight All-Star team.”
Well scoring is against his nature, already this year Smith has established
a new career high in points (21) and steals (6). He is currently fifth in
the nation with a 7.4 assist per game average and No. 7 in steals with three
a game. He’s also a big reason why Metro’s defense is tops in
the conference and third in the nation, allowing a measly 56.8 points a contest.
“Defensively, I just run around, trying to create havoc,” Smith
said. “I figure if I stand in one spot I’m not going to be very
effective with my size.”
For point guards, everything depends on feel; whether you push the pace or
play a half court game. It depends on the feel of his fingertips on the ball
and the control in his wrist. And his timing; to get the ball at exactly the
right time and place. Smith has all these transcendent abilities and more
“Some of the plays (I make) it’s not even a thought to make a
play like that,” Smith said. “To throw a pass like that it is
just a reaction. You may see a guy cutting to the basket and his defender
may not by looking, but if you throw the ball right pass the defender’s
head, it’s a lay up.”
Smith finds angles and small cavities in the defense, no on else can see.
He’s 5-foot-5, but he does interesting, not spectacular, things with
the ball when he drives among the big men. In his wake, he passes off to a
teammate unguarded. One sequence at the end of the first half in Metro’s
80-49 shellacking of Chadron State on Jan. 31 perfectly summed up the difference
between Smith and today’s me-generation players at the point. With four
seconds left, Smith took a inbounds pass, got low, drove through the middle
and into the opening. But instead of laying the ball up for an easy two off
the glass, Smith dished to center Ben Ortner who was fouled under the rim
as time expired. Ortner made both free throws and Metro head coach Mike Dunlap
pointed at Smith as if to say “You da man.” In essence, Dunlap
has entrused his offense to a single maestro.
“He’s a true point guard,” Dunlap said. “He sets people
up and knows who to get the ball to in the right spots. There wouldn’t
be two or three guys in the country that are quicker than him at any level.
He’s as quick from one spot to another as anybody in the country, Division
I, II or III.”
And to think Smith had to walk-on for his first season (1998-99) and then
ended up redshirting. Coming across a Metro recruiting letter at the last
minute, Smith enrolled two days before classes started, when no scholarships
were left. His parents paid for tuition, books, housing and food, the whole
smash that first season. But after the first week of practices the coaching
staff was so impressed with Smith they granted him a four-year scholarship
the following season.
During a team meeting that first year, Dunlap called the dimunitive Smith
a little puppy and assistant coach Derrick Clark has called him “Pup,”
ever since
Smith stopped dreaming about being 6-foot-6 and dunking on people long ago.
He likes being small. He likes learning something new each day. Right now,
he is so focused on basketball that he’s not sure where his business
degree will take him next year. If his court play is any indication, and his
teammates can attest, Smith is not setting himself up for failure.
Metro head coach Mike Dunlap pointed at Smith as if to say, ‘You
da man.’
Roadrunners On Deck
Feb. 7
Women’s Hoops at Colorado Christian
6 p.m.
Men’s Hoops at Colorado
Christian 8 p.m.
Feb. 8
Women’s Hoops at Colorado Mines
6 p.m.
Men’s Hoops at Colorado
Mines 8 p.m.
Feb. 12
Baseball Season Opener Metro at Regis
2 p.m.
Jan. 29
Men’s Hoops beats Regis 64-40
Women’s Hoops lost
to Regis 56-61
Athletic Hall of Fame
The Metro athletic department recently announced its 2003 inductees to
the Roadrunner Hall of Fame. They include former women’s basketball
coach Darryl Smith (1990-98), men’s swimmer Darwin Strickland (1993-96),
volleyball player Crissy Cananda (1991-94), baseball player Keith Schulz (1983-86),
artist Malcolm Farley and the 33-0 1978 volleyball team. The Class of 2003
will be honored at a ceremony at the Holiday Inn Select at 455 S. Colorado
Blvd., 6 p.m. Feb. 14.
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Head job in Clark’s future
Past Metro aides now head coaches
by Eric Eames
The Metropolitan
In convincing wins at Regis University and at home against Chadron State
this past week, Metro men’s head basketball coach Mike Dunlap stood
in the background. Quietly nervous and confident at the same time, Dunlap
gave his top assistant the clipboard and the nod to handle team timeouts and
make substitutions.
Dunlap didn’t have to pass the reins in the over-the-top style of asking
a referee to kick him out of the game “or I’ll start screaming
like a mad fool” like Hickory head coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman)
did and left recovering alcoholic Shooter (Dennis Hopper) in control in the
movie Hoosiers. Plus, Derrick Clark didn’t have to draw up any picket
fences for the win. The outcomes were well decided, by the time Dunlap slipped
to the end of the bench for much of the second half as No. 11 Metro (16-3;
9-2 RMAC) beat Regis 65-40 Jan. 29 and Chadron 80-49 Jan. 31.
“I’ve done it before, but it’s been a little more subtle,”
Dunlap said of giving Clark an opportunity to coach. “He’s getting
older and he is getting ready to take over a top program, so he needs to do
all the things that will get him prepared for that day.”
Always under the microscope of the fourth estate, us keyboard hacks who want
to know where he’ll be coaching next year and why he is still coaching
at Division II, as though Division I is the mountain top and all Kumbáya,
such a statement from Dunlap could be taken as a indication that he is thinking
about moving on. While he kindly takes a look at offers from other schools,
and Metro athletic director Joan McDermott encourages him to do so, Dunlap
has repeatedly said he is not going anywhere, that he’s loyal to the
program, he’s happy and the money doesn’t matter. The sixth-year
head coach has two years left on the contract he signed in April 2000, after
Metro’s first Division II National Championship.
Clark, whose previous employment was for the Xerox Co., has been with Dunlap
for all six years as an assistant, four as a full-time assistant. Their relationship
goes back to the 1992-93 season, when Clark played under Dunlap for two years
at California Lutheran University. Over the last few years, Dunlap has entrusted
more responsibilities on the 31-year-old, including letting him conduct parts
of practices, organizing players for study hall and mainly bringing in recruits.
Both Dunlap and point guard Clayton Smith believe Clark is ready for a head
coaching position, but what does Clark think?
“I be disappointed if I wasn’t,” he said after the Regis
game. “I’m getting damn close. (Dunlap) has a lot of confidence
in me, as witnessed by a lot of freedom he gives me, behind the scenes too.
That’s what I’m here for.”
Dunlap was 32 when he took his first head coaching job at Cal Lutheran. Brannon
Hays became head coach at Colorado Christian, after spending three years as
an assistant under Dunlap at Metro, as did John Peterson, who is the head
coach at Ohlone Junior College in California. Both new coaches have respectable
records.
“I listen to anything he has to say, I don’t care what it is and
I just trust him with anything,” Smith said of Clark. “He’s
a good assistant coach and I think he is ready for a head coaching job, but
maybe he doesn’t think so and that is why he is still here.”
Days before the match-up against cross-town rival Regis (10-8; 3-7 RMAC),
Dunlap expected a physical game from Colorado Sports Hall-of-Famer Lonnie
Porter’s team, but said, “we have three or four things we try
to do against Regis and we’ve had reasonable success against them.”
One thing the Roadrunners did was work the shot clock, which created passing
lanes and openings in the Rangers zone defense. Smith regularly found the
holes as Metro built a 32-18 halftime lead and bulged the lead to 47-20 in
the opening minutes of the second half. Metro coasted from there.
“One of the things that we have to do to play the better teams in the
country, is move the ball and be patient on offense,” Clark said. Dunlap
bolted quickly after the game was over.
Against Regis, Smith scored 11 points on short jumpers and added six assists.
Leading scorer Luke Kendall (12 points), Patrick Mutombo (10) and Lester Strong
(10) were in double figures. Mutombo and Strong also recorded eight and seven
rebounds, respectively.
On the other side of the ball, Metro stayed disciplined, forcing 23 turnovers.
They continue to lead the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in that category
as well as allowing only 56.8 points a game. The 40 points Regis scored was
the second lowest total in school history. The lowest was the 36 scored by
Queens College last season.
In the Chadron (8-9; 4-6) game, it was the team with just four conference
wins that floor burned and chest-thumped its way to a 20-9 lead. The Eagles
hit their first eight shots, including four three pointers to take the 11
point advantage with 11 minutes and 30 seconds left to play in the first half.
Chadron scored 29 points in the remaining 28:30, as Metro found its rhythm,
well before the halftime drum and dance performers. Kendall (18 points) spearheaded
the rally with a fading jumper, a three pointer and after being fouled beyond
the arc, his three free throws put the Roadrunners up for good at 25-23.
“We stuck together,” backup center Ben Ortner said. “The
bench kept talking to the guys on the floor and the guys on the floor kept
bringing energy. We didn’t over react to the score, obviously. We stayed
calm and we stuck to our system.”
Metro scored an amazing 38 points off 21 turnovers. Mutombo had a game-high
21 points. Strong started the second half off with a bang with a thunderous
dunk while flying by two defenders. With five minutes left, Clark cleared
the bench, sending in rarely used freshmen Benas Veikalas and Greg Muth; sophomores
Jimmy Dadiotis and Ryon Nickle; and junior Jovan Obradovic. The regulars cheered
them on fervently and coached them a little too.
“They work the same amount we do,” Ortner said of the reserves.
“They get up early too (for 6 a.m. practice). They got to every practice.
They are always there for us and they don’t get as much playing time
as other guys. That is why everybody is so enthusiastic about those guys.”
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Roadrunners let Regis off hook
One month left to reach goals
by Eric Eames
The Metropolitan
The Metro women’s basketball team finds themselves in the underdog role,
even when they are supposed to win. As twisted as that statement sounds it
is a simple paradox; upon abysmal inspection it is nonetheless true.
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference hasn’t heard much from
the Roadrunners in the past two years (a combined 21-32 record), and a
feeling of that same theme repeating itself is planted in minds around the
league. But the Roadrunners have set goals to play in the eight-team RMAC
Championship Tournament. They even envision hosting a playoff game.
For that to happen, the Roadrunners 10-9 (7-4 RMAC) will have to take February
by storm. Two out of last three years, a 13-6 conference record was good enough
to host a first-round RMAC playoff game. Currently in fifth place in the RMAC
standings, Metro might not be able to afford two losses this month to reach
its goals.
“I don’t think it is life or death, in terms of need to (go on
a winning streak), but certainly that is our goal, is try to run the tables,”
head coach Dave Murphy said. “A lot of people don’t believe in
us, but we believe in ourselves…. We continue to get better, especially
defensively. We play pretty good on the road. It’s in the back of our
mind, but we just need to get ready to go by Friday” Feb. 7 when the
Roadrunners will be at Colorado Christian (7-10; 2-8), followed by a Feb.
8 game at Colorado Mines (4-14; 2-8).
You never really cancel the fear of losing, but right now Metro needs to win
a close game to diminish some of it. While closing out January with a 64-49
home thrashing of Chadron State (8-10; 5-5), there was still talk about the
one win that blew up in front of them when they hit a screaming dead end in
the final seven minutes in a 61-56 loss at Regis University (13-5; 8-2).
Up by as many as 11 points in the second half, and holding a firm eight-point
lead with 7:03 to play, the Roadrunners went stone cold around the basket,
bricking nine lay-ups or point blank jumpers. They also turned the ball over
six times during that same stretch. With five seniors on the floor, the Rangers
took advantage taking their third lead of the game at 53-51 on a pair of free
throws by Molly Marrin, who scored 18 points.
Murphy said, “(Regis) showed why they are a top team and a mature team.
Even when down, when most teams would have just quit, they stayed in it and
believed that they could still win. As they got a turnover, a rebound and
made shots, all of a sudden they snowballed us.
“We should have won, but we are learning how to close a team off and
that doesn’t come over night. We relaxed and that little relaxation
made us lose our focus, which led to an errant pass, which led to a missed
shot. What good teams do is that they understand that you can’t relax.”
Afterward the look on the Roadrunners faces, dispirited and a little peeved,
told it all. Senior Malene Lindholm could careless about the 16 points she
scored or the big three that pulled Metro within one at 57-56 with 40 seconds
to go. She just wanted a win over a top RMAC team.
“It’s difficult (to stay positive),” junior Natasha Molock
said, “because you have to go to practice and you’re still down
from the other game. It’s hard, but you got to win the next game, because
you want people to still respect you, so you have to comeback playing hard
every time or else you won’t get any respect.”
Molock, who didn’t earn conference Player-of-the-Week, showed why she
should have been picked for the honor in the win against Chadron. She scored
25 points, 17 in the first half, to go with six rebounds, three steals and
three assists. After spending much of the off season working with “The
Gunner”—a machine that forces a player to shoot with more arc
and rolls the ball back to the player—Molock showed that she can be
both a gunner from the outside and a threat to drive the lane. It’s
on defense, though, where Molock drives opponents nuts.
“I like to get to their heads,” Molock said, “so that when
they see me coming they know that I’m not going to give them an easy
time.”
Metro scored 30 points off 24 Chadron turnovers to take command. Junior Rachel
Grove also had a solid game against Chadron, scoring 13 points and grabbing
six rebounds. Starting point guard Courtney Pettitt, meanwhile, was all over
the stat page and all over the court. The junior recorded 12 points, five
rebounds, five assists and four steals. Both hustle players Molock and Pettitt
constantly back each other up. Murphy said all her life Pettitt has been told
that she can’t play basketball, because she’s too small or she
doesn’t have the natural ability or whatever. All of which has lit a
fire under her butt, in an instant reaction, “I’m gonna prove
you wrong.”
And no one can question her determination and all-out grit. Murphy added,
“Courtney has always been about playing the game and loving to play
the game and taking advantage of every day that she is allowed to play the
game.”
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