Volume 21 Issue 13 November 13, 1998 |
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Contents:
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NEWS |
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Man arrested in shooting
A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the shooting of a Robert Adams, a 19-year-old Metro student. Westminster police questioned Timothy Nitz in connection with the incident Nov. 5. He was arrested later that day, said Westminister police investigator Dan Meyer. Adams was listed in critical condition on Nov. 11 at Centura Health-St. Anthony Central Hospital. Adams was shot in the head outside a house party in Westminister on Oct. 24. Nitz is in Adams County jail on suspicion of criminal attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault, police said. More than 40 people from the party were questioned, and police still didn't have a lead until they got a call from Thornton police who had received an anonymous tip, Meyer said. "It was a lucky chain of events that led to him," Meyer said. He said police are still working hard to find other possible suspects, though Nitz is the only arrest that has been made. Adams was the first of three shootings in the last month involving teenagers or young adults at parties. The second shooting involved
17-year-old Joua Her, who was gunned down after a Halloween party at the
The last altercation resulted in a shooting, stabbing and a beating of three males at a party in Terrace Garden Apartments. The victims, whose names weren't released, did not want to press charges so Westminister police are having problems with the investigation, said Meyer. None of the shootings are related but some of the circumstances are similar, Meyer said. "It's
this teen-type party, where someone shows up at a party not invited. They
are asked to leave and they |
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All quiet on parking plan front Students were scarce at a meeting set up by Auraria administrators to discuss parking alternatives for the campus. The parking problem at Auraria was studied by Trans Systems Corp., which published a report of possible parking and transportation solutions for the campus. "Do you hear people complain?" asked a consultant from Trans Systems Corp. "And yet where are they?" The Nov. 11 town meeting on parking was the third meeting Auraria administrators have held gain feedback on possible solutions before they make their final recommendations to the Auraria Board of Directors. "We are going through a process of presenting this to as many members of the campus community as we could get to listen," said Dean Wolf, executive vice president for Administration. Wolf said in the last three meetings, 18 students have showed up to give input on parking issues. Wolf said he is about two weeks away from closing a deal with the Pepsi Center. The pact would allow students from all three schools to use 800 additional parking spaces. For spring semester Mark Gallagher, director of parking, said the building at Fifth Street and Walnut Street is being demolished to make room for additional parking in lot A. One problem impacting the parking availability on campus now is the Center for Academic and Performing Arts. "On this campus we have one place to build and that's usually on parking lots," Wolf said. "So that takes 275 parking spaces out of service." Wolf said construction for the new administration building has started and the space needed for the building will also be taken from parking. By Jan. 1, lot G will disappear. "Any new academic buildings, we will have a component to replace any parking that's displaced," Wolf said. However, building a parking structure that will house 2,000 spaces, is a possibility, Wolf said. It would be built in the current Lot E, adjacent to what will be the new administration building. |
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Cop clashes with car, driver Around 4:15 p.m. Kelley Hood allegedly parked her car in a parking area
reserved for food caterers behind the Officer Felix Lucero approached Hood and asked her to move her car. Hood argued with Lucero and then pulled out suddenly, running over Lucero's right foot and hitting Lucero's right arm with her car's mirror, the report said. Police chased her onto Interstate 25 and lost her in the pursuit, but not before they got her license plate number. "We called the owner of the car," said Detective Randy Hinricher. "The owners then contacted (Hood), who turned herself in to Denver Police." Denver court records show that Kelley Hood is charged with hit and run injury, failure to give notice, failure to report an accident, and driving without proof of insurance. These charges are all misdemeanors. "She was very sorry," said Dale Windish of the Denver Police Department, who took Hood's statement. "She was mad and pulled out fast. I don't think she realized what she had done." Lucero was treated at St. Joseph's Hospital and released, Hinricher said. Neither Hood nor Lucero was available for comment. |
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College to survey students' comfort Metro administrators will conduct three short-term projects to determine ways to decrease the number of students who drop out of the college. Nearly two-thirds of Metro students will not graduate after six years, according to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. The college has the worst graduation rate in Colorado. "We're a school of opportunity," said Metro spokeswoman Debbie Thomas. She said other colleges in Colorado only accept students who, because of their SAT scores and grade point averages, are likely to graduate. She said Metro's charter is designed to give everybody a chance at a college degree. Thomas said despite the nature of the school's charter, "We agree that we need to do better than what we are doing." The first short-term project will be a survey to determine how comfortable students are at Metro. "One of the major areas to consider in retention is how comfortable
students feel in and out of the classroom," The survey, which will be conducted by Noel-Livitz, a national consulting firm, will be distributed to about 4,300 students in 180 classes on campus during the week of Nov. 16. The standardized survey will determine students' opinions on topics such as parking and financial aid, said Michael Barnett, Metro's associate vice president of Student Enrollment Management. He said professors will distribute the questionnaires for students to fill out at home. "We're hoping to find out where we're at and to develop long range goals," he said. Thomas said the college will spend $8,000 to conduct the survey and have the results analyzed. "When we get our results back we can not only compare ourselves to our college but to other colleges as well," Thomas said. "It will give us an ability to pinpoint what is and isn't working for students." Administrators will also examine how scholarship money affects the dropout rate. "The college has committed a substantial amount of funds to help students succeed," Conde said. "Our goal is to make sure the dollars are effective." "We want to see if there is a way we can use the scholarship dollars we have available for those students who would qualify to help them stay in school," Thomas said. Barnett said student services designed to help students stay in school will also be examined. "We need to take a hard look to see how the student services are structured to keep students on track," he said. Barnett said the school will look at intervention services to help students. |
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Metro veterans get preparatory perks Military veterans who decide to go to college not only get their tuition paid for, they can also take free preparatory classes to get them up to speed with other students. Metro's Veteran's Services helps veterans get their Montgomery GI Bill
benefits started, and Veteran's Veterans were honored nationally Nov. 11 for Veterans Day, a holiday that recognizes the truce signed Nov. 11, 1918, ending World War 1. Shane Mora, a Chicano Studies and Computer Information Systems major at
Metro, said he invested $100 a Soldiers have the option of signing up for the Montgomery GI Bill, which passed in 1987 as a system of pay reduction for educational benefits. "When I first started coming here, this office made it very easy for me," Mora said of Veteran Services. "They basically hand-walked all my paperwork." Janet Maestas, who heads Veteran Services, said there are 400-600 veterans in its program who are going to school at Metro. Jake Lindsay, assistant director of Veteran's Upward Bound, said the program was established in 1972 to help Vietnam veterans who had been out of school for two to four years. "The first thing we do is help them to be students and to start setting their goals for graduation from college," Lindsay said. Upward Bound provides pre-assessment testing and a 12-week course on basic
skills covering math, English, computers and science, Lindsay said. During
this time, veterans who have already completed the program Lindsay said 95 percent of the veterans that complete the program go on to college. |
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City passes hate crime resolution Members of the Denver City Council said there are monsters in Denver. These monsters are people. People committing hate crimes. The council unanimously adopted a resolution Nov. 2 designating Nov. 1-7 as ``Denver Hate Crimes Awareness Week." "(Hate crimes) are not going away unless we all make an effort," said council member Joyce Foster. Community awareness of the hate-crime issue is an effective way of dealing with the problem, said several council members. Council member Edward Thomas said he did not understand why people brutalize each other, and it is sad these resolutions are needed. The Matthew Shepard killing in Wyoming and violent hate crimes in Denver were the reasons for the resolution's creation, said council member Allegra Haynes. Shepard, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming who was openly gay, died Oct. 12 following an attack where he was beaten and tied to a fence post. "The only thing that can come out of hate crimes is a doubling of
our efforts towards goodwill," Haynes said. |
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COMMENTARY |
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In protest of protests News: Views: Some Metro students seem addicted to melodrama. Show them injustice, point out hatred and sin, and a small mob will converge on campus to stand up for the rights of good people everywhere. Too bad protests at Metro are more style than substance. Most students don't take the time to learn about the issues they're protesting. Emotional grandstanding is lots of fun and can generate press coverage, but it almost never results in concrete change. Take the protest Sept. 16 when students marched to Colorado Department of Education headquarters to decry the exclusion of ethnic minority history from public school curricula. They tromped across campus, Speer Boulevard and on Colfax Avenue, waving signs and banners, shouting slogans. They passed right by Department of Education headquarters. It's impossible to say how far they would have continued up Colfax Avenue. When Luis Torres, the march's organizer and a Metro professor, realized what was happening he ran to the front to tell the flock they had already passed their destination. The marchers had shouted, "I want to learn," and carried signs that read "Educate the mind," but they had not even taken the time to find out to where they were marching. There have been at least 10 protests on or near Auraria Campus since March that involved Metro students. They protested drilling in Alaska, the Clinton impeachment process, crimes against gays and Columbus Day. Now the marchers are back in their homes. Their screaming has not changed anything and there are no clear signs that the marches have even served to educate their participants. One of the most frequent marchers, Angell Perez, even acknowledged as much at an Oct. 22 march with Amnesty International against police brutality. "It didn't really do anything," she said. "We marched, gave them our demands and that was it." Perez and Torres, it should be noted, are exceptions. Perez is helping to organize another protest against the potential use of the death penalty on a person she says is a political prisoner. Torres has worked for years with the Department of Education to improve history classes in Colorado public schools. But for every Perez and Torres there are hundreds of fists clenched in ignorance. Protests can be a good way to call attention to injustice, but they have virtually no effect unless they are coupled with long-term, concrete action. Of course we defend the students' right to free speech and assembly. But in the shadow of Veteran's Day, when we honor men and women who made real sacrifices for those rights, it is an insult for so many to shout so loudly for something they know so little about. |
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Forget graduation, the interim rate sucks "No administrator in the state of Colorado has any entitlement
to their position." I am submitting a request to the editor of this paper that my formal title and job description be changed to interim columnist for The Metropolitan. Sure, I want to be known for Committing Journalism, but after having done a little of that I think I might fit in better at this school if I am known for committing journalism on an interim basis. Not following me? Let's take a quick tour of our college. We'll start right here in the cozy offices of this newspaper where Chris Mancuso is interim director of Student Publications. Mancuso came down with the interim bug when Kate Lutrey left the position to become interim executive assistant to the interim vice president for Student Services. That person is Yolanda Ortega-Ericksen. And let's not forget Kelly Espinoza the interim assistant vice president of Student Services. Moving on now, we find Cheryl Norton the interim provost, though the word on Norton is she has deteriorated to full-blown Provost. My condolences. If the preceding news upset you, maybe Gail Bruce-Sanford can help. She is the interim director of the Counseling Center. I've heard you can prevent becoming one of the interims by abstaining from
employment in the administrative field, especially as it relates to higher
education, and by learning early to avoid administration. Maybe Vincent
I want to know why there are so many damn interim administrators at this school. Maybe Jane Broida, interim assistant dean of the School of Professional Studies can give us her insight. Why can't people just say no to an interim position? Apparently, it has become such a problem that Metro placed restrictions
on how long one can be an interim employee, according to Sandi Jones, director
of Personnel. It's down to two years — max. Well, unless the Maybe there should be some kind of public service campaign discouraging administrators from accepting interim positions. David Conde and Frieda Holley both interim associate vice presidents of Academic Affairs could do the talking and when they are done that pretty little star can fly by and all will be right again. I'm sure Marlene Roys-Flenniken, interim coordinator of the Academic Success program could help everyone get their ducks in a row. Carolyn Schafer, interim director of communications, could organize the campaign and John Landry, interim associate dean of the School of Business, could keep the books straight. Maybe Joan McDermott, interim Athletics director could convince one of Metro's athletic teams to dedicate its season to the plight of the interims. In the interim, we could have Jennifer Jackson, interim director of the
Student Development Center; Karen Now there is an idea: Interims studying interims. And when all the studying is completed we can turn to Janet Spradley, interim assistant director of Assessment and Testing. Kyle Ringo is a Metro student and an interim columnist for The Metropolitan His e-mail address is ringok@mscd.edu. |
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On the corner of 8th and Speer I always drive past, averting my eyes and pretending not to notice, as do most of the other drivers on the road. How often do you see them, especially along Speer, holding their signs, trying to get a few bucks for food, booze, or whatever else someone in their position might be seeking? It's easy to forget they're there, after a while. But this time I stop. Maybe it's because it's Veteran's Day, or maybe because my column idea for this week isn't ready. I don't know exactly why I do it. I just do. His sign isn't particularly original. "Vet needs help. God bless you." He sits slumped over in a wheelchair, a torn and dirty brown plaid blanket across his shoulders and a mesh-backed John Deere cap on his head. He has on a pair of glasses, one of the lenses missing, the other cracked. I pull over to the side of the intersection and walk across the street. "I ain't botherin' nobody," he mutters, avoiding eye contact. "You really a vet?" I ask, nodding to his sign. "Who the hell are you?" now he catches my eye. And I can tell by looking into his he was, in fact, a man who had seen more in his life than I would care to in mine. I offer up a couple bucks and repeat my question. "Yep. In the army during `Nam. Lost my leg on tour through a shithole in Saigon. Fuckin' O in front of me tripped a mine, blew his ass off. Would've laughed mine off, If'n he hadn't taken my leg with him. Served him right, the dumb bastard." I ask him what company he was with, or platoon. He won't tell me. "Got no right disgracin' my brothers with what I am now," he says. I tell him my name and ask his. He points at my car, a 1974 Fleetwood. "I'm Cadillac Jack," he says, laughing to himself. I ask him how he ended up on the corner of 8th and Speer at 8 p.m. on a cold Wednesday night. "Does it really matter?" he asks me. I say it's Veteran's day, and it might make a good story. "Vet's day already?" he snorts. "Fuck you. While yer mama
was wipin' yer ass, I was gettin spit on by people "You think anyone gives a damn? Ain't nobody gonna read a story `bout me `cause ain't nobody wanna remember that shit. That's why I been sittin' here since 7 this morning and got me four bucks and a quarter. All dem fat cats pretends not to notice me on account of all the babies I killed and all the women I raped and all the weed I smoked. I got news fer dem: I ain't killed anybody wasn't shootin' at me and I ain't fucked nothin over there without payin' fer it!" His voice raises and he shouts this at traffic as it flows. A yuppie in a new Jeep Cherokee passes by and honks, flipping us off. "Fuck you!" the guy in the wheelchair screams. He turns back to me. "See? Think he's gonna read somethin' `bout me? Fat fuckin' chance." I ask him what he's going to do with the money he makes on this corner. "Invest in I.B.M., you jackass, what the hell do you think I'm gonna
do with it? I'm gonna buy me a bottle of I thank him and start towards my car. "Hey," he calls after me, "Happy fuckin' Vet's Day!" Happy Veteran's Day, Cadillac Jack. Dave Flomberg is a Metro student and a copy editor/columnist for The Metropolitan. His e-mail address is flomberg@mscd.edu. |
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Solution to male ignorance: an invasion Editor: How many mothers have you read about this year who have killed their newborn babies? Yes, I can think of two or three off hand that have made the news. Maybe these young women still won't talk to their parents, and maybe we will end up with a bunch of dead babies anyway. I think I know which scenario is worse. My point, you ask? I agree with the principle of both Amendments 11 and
12, but I have very serious problems with the government telling me that
I have no choice anymore. It is a direct violation of our creed as Now, most of us came here by choice, some of us did not. Bygones. Today
is the issue. We are American citizens now. The country where every election
cycle we voluntarily vote out that personal responsibility in Should doctors perform partial birth abortions? Of course not. By the time a fetus reaches that stage in development it's viable; at 22 weeks the fetus has a very high chance of survival outside the womb with fewer problems previously inherent to premature birth. If a woman takes that much time to decide, I think she should deal with the consequences. On principle, I agree. On the other hand, it's a matter of responsibility. My body is mine, and I make the decisions regarding my body. I decide whether or not I get to die if I become irreversibly brain damaged. I decide whether or not I eat meat. I decide whether or not I give birth. It is no man's business, ever to decide for a woman whether or not she will reproduce. If we are going to press the issue then let's press it with engendering taking responsibility for our actions as individuals as sexually active women. Let's not take by force the opportunity to be responsible, to be free and to choose. I guess it's a little late for that. Thank the Republican voters of Colorado for setting back the liberation of men. Most people think women need to be liberated. No, we think freely, we understand what it means to fight for rights, freedoms and privileges. So do so-called minority groups, especially those with an African heritage. They know what it means to win freedom, to be liberated. But men in this generation have never had that opportunity to fight for their freedom. They've fought for the freedom of the Southern Vietnamese, for the freedom of Europeans, two times there, but not since the 1700s have men in this country had to fight for their own freedom. Maybe an invasion would make them understand what it feels like to have to constantly struggle for basic rights. The right to choose, which is guaranteed in our inalienable right to liberty. They need to be liberated from archaic thinking. Then we can begin to focus on where our responsibilities lie instead of what rights we have to win back. Melissa McGuire |
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FEATURES |
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A handful of Compassion Imagine after working your way through four or five grueling years of college, you end up living in below-poverty conditions. No running water. No washing machines. Rats climbing through your broken windows at night. Imagine volunteering to live in those conditions, as some Metro graduates have. Many former Metro students have enrolled in the Peace Corps after graduation, and some say it was the best experience of their lives. The Peace Corps is a program where American volunteers go abroad to provide people with training and education in the hopes of reducing their poverty. The Corps also tries to promote a better understanding of Americans, according to recently published Peace Corps literature. Many of the countries served are under-industrialized or impovrished. Thirty-eight percent of Peace Corps volunteers help with education in English, math and other general subjects. Eighteen percent of volunteers assist with environmental training, 18 percent with training in the health field, 13 percent in business training, 9 percent in agricultural training and 4 percent with training in other areas. Heidi Adler and her husband, Todd, joined the Peace Corps together in 1992 after graduating from Metro with degrees in chemistry and accounting, respectively. They learned of the Peace Corps through a job fair at Metro and said they felt it would be an exciting opportunity to see the world, Heidi said. "We just weren't quite ready yet to settle down into our careers." The Adlers are an oddity in the Peace Corps - only 7 percent of volunteers are married. After about a year wait, the Adlers were sent to small island in Fiji, a 13-hour boat ride from the main island. For 24 months they lived without hot or running water. They had to wash all their laundry by hand and they slept with a mosquito net over their bed each night to keep the cockroaches and other insects out. Heidi said all the windows in their house were broken and rats would often come in at night. She told of one night, after she and Todd had been on the island for one month, when a rat got into bed with them. "My parents actually thought the experience was good for me because I had always been so squeamish of bugs and rodents." Heidi taught chemistry and math to children grades 7-12 and Todd taught accounting and math. Because they were the only teachers at the local school with bachelor's degrees, they were put in high regard by the school administration and Heidi immediately became head of the sciences department. But more important than teaching the basics to students was the opportunity to educate them about American civilization, Heidi said. "Many people in Fiji think that everyone in America is rich," Heidi said. "They have the idea that we all live a Hollywood lifestyle in the United States." Heidi said the experience made Todd and her appreciate what Americans have, especially their vast opportunities and freedoms back home. Americans live in a rushed society, she said, and Fijian life is taken one day and meal at a time. She learned to appreciate the small things in life. After receiving her degree as a physician's assistant from the University of St. Louis, Heidi, 33, now lives in Eureka, Nev. Now, there are 20 Metro graduates who are serving in the Peace Corps overseas. One such graduate, Jennifer Mattison, is serving in Cameroon, Africa, teaching English to high school students. When Mattison first arrived in Africa, her mother, Barbara, said she was stationed in a remote, poverty-stricken area in north Cameroon. The local people were hostile toward Mattison because she was a professional woman in a Muslim society where women are still considered "lower-class" citizens. Her classes consisted of up to 70 students, and Jennifer had to teach with no textbooks, no chalkboard and no writing materials. The community was situated in the middle of a desert area and temperatures often were well above 100 degrees. Mattison was transferred to Galim, Cameroon, in the western part of the country. The climate is milder, and the land is lush and suitable for farming. Barbara said women's rights movements are taking a strong hold in that part of the country and her daughter is respected rather than shunned by the community. She is good friends with a community tribal chief and his 15 wives and 60 children. Barbara said her daughter spends a good deal of her free time with the locals exchanging cultural ideas and customs. Another portion of her free time is spent putting together an environmental education manual, Mattison's mother said. Mattison and some other Peace Corps volunteers wanted to educate the locals on environmental issues such as water conservation and recycling, which few locals are familiar with. Once the manual is complete, they will submit it to Peace Corps headquarters in Africa for approval for publication. Mattison told her mother her experience with the Peace Corps taught her many things. Wherever you go, people are people, sharing many of the same ideas, dreams, and experiencing the same day-to-day frustrations and problems. She said she feels a great openness and caring toward other people which she didn't feel before. Mattison, 26, has a technical communications degree and an international diplomacy degree from Metro and hopes to work in an American embassy abroad when she returns from the Peace Corps in June 1999, Barbara said. Both Heidi and Mattison's mother
said that along with being so far from home and family, one of the biggest
drawbacks to being in the Peace Corps is that many volunteers, despite precautions,
often succumb to disease. The Peace Corps was established in 1961, and over 400 Auraria graduates have served since then. |
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It's my 'Party' Party has a formula that is so universal, how couldn't it work? Seven friends get together and drink and bond and ... party. Most of them take shots, drink beers and they all end up naked. But there's more to this play than seven naked gay men running around the stage. It's all about the brotherhood and camaraderie people have among their inner circle. This play shows a night in the life of these men, but it's the same when a few teen girls get together, just as it's the same when four close heterosexual males come together for a Sunday afternoon full of football and beers. The evening starts out at Kevin's (Don Bill) house. He is the party host, and still feeling the repercussions of his last relationship's abrupt ending. Friends trickle in to the point of a full living room, and things get under way. Playwright David Dillon is apt at showing and not telling his audience the characters' backgrounds. With smooth direction by Nick Sugar, the audience effortlessly learns of character pasts, baggage and involvements. Party guests include Brian (Brian Upton), the actor who's afraid of nothing; Peter (Brian Houtz), Kevin's new roommate; and Andy (Chad Hoeppner), a recently out-of-the-closet student. They play a game similar to Truth or Dare, and end up either divulging
secrets about their lives or living out another's fantasy (such as pulling
one's underwear off with his teeth). The acting in this show is commendable. One hard thing about acting out a party is making it look fresh day after day. They succeed in this. Each character differs from the next and has his own quirky attributes. Thankfully, the gay man stereotypes aren't milked for this production. The script gets away with it (with the token queen who knows everything about musical theater, the horny dancer, etc.), but the acting and the direction steer away from overused methods on acting these characters. Complete with a beautiful realist set, a workable lighting grid and a great script, Party keeps true with its title and is a hoot. |
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Metro's 'Nunsense' doesn't overcome script Hooray! Metro theater is performing the screwball musical Nunsense. It's hard not to be sarcastic. This musical always fails because the two-hour show is boring and only has enough good material to fill an hour. The script isn't funny, the songs aren't memorable, and the characters don't have enough depth. And if you didn't grow up in or near a Catholic family, many jokes will just pass you right up. General audiences will catch its drift. And it has some funny moments and one or two songs that might stick in your head. Just not enough! Things kick off with five nuns running the show (Right there you know you're in trouble). There has just been an accident where the chef killed 52 nuns. The convent buried 48 of them, but the remaining 4 dead nuns reside in the freezer because it can't afford to bury them (after the nuns prematurely bought a VCR). Now these five nuns are holding a talent night to raise money - thus enters you, the audience. They dance, they sing and they quiz the audience on the beginnings of their order of the Little Sisters of Hoboken. (Pay close attention, because if you answer the questions right, you might get a Saint Christopher trading card, or something similar in worth.) Mother Superior (Terry L. Gallant) leads the troupe with her consistent faith. She organizes the troops and acts as the main narrator throughout most of the show. The four nuns under Mother Superior are stereotyped as thus: the dancer, Sister Mary Leo (Mary Dawson); the forgetful, Sister Mary Amnesia (Chelsea Marrs); the responsible, Sister Mary Hubert (Kathryn Jans Coons); and the rugged, Sister Robert Anne (Missy Guisinger). Metro's production is as good as it could be - granted the aforementioned lackluster script. You can see its attempt at humor, only it never reaches it. When a director chooses the show, it's a given that women will dominate the stage. These five women work well together. They glow when they sing harmonies and act off of each other wonderfully. Their noticeable flaws come when they went solo. In most cases, solo dance numbers and vocal solos pale in comparison to the moments when numerous nuns litter the stage. The actresses don't carry the numbers, lacking projection and ability. However, Guisinger and Marrs manage the stage beautifully in their lonesome moments. Guisinger's "Playing Second Fiddle" is bouncy and comprehensible. Marrs' character is curiously lovable throughout, and her ballad "I Could've Gone to Nashville" has the perfect mix of joy and regret. The environment is simple and makes for a good time at intermission. The audience is invited to play games and walk the cake walk. The production team has fun with this musical, but it's not completely translated to the audience. Nun/penguin jokes almost sounds more appealing. Nunsense plays through Nov. 15. Call (303) 556-3033. |
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Superstitions of Metro For athletes, superstitions are a part of the game. Some athletes wear the same shorts under their basketball shorts. Some baseball players wear the same shirt underneath their uniforms. Metro athletes, from volleyball to men's soccer, have their own type of superstitions. They range from the way they dress, to eating a certain kind of food, to even sitting in the same place before each game. Even the guys in the public relations office in Metro's Athletics Department have a superstition going on with one of the volleyball coaches. "Every game we bring a different kind of candy to the scores table," said Adam Dunivan, Metro freshman. "For a couple of games, we would have Starbursts at the table for Liz (Armbrustmacher). When the team lost, we had to change candy. Now the candy of choice is Skittles." WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Assistant coach Amy Bourcy: "I will never eat until I get to the gym because I'm so nervous. When I get to the gym, I eat all kinds of junk food like M&M's, Snickers, and I drink a lot of Coke too." Jessica Lee, a Metro freshman, carries the good-luck candle that the womens vollyball team lights before every game. Assistant coach Farrah Magee: "I would wear the same socks, eat the same thing, take my vitamins before coach (Darryl) Smith would speak. I would stand in the same place during the national anthem, took the same cough drops whenever I was sick, and I would take off my warm-up suit at the same time." Assistant coach Kristi Baxter: "During the national anthem, I would look at the same star (on the flag) every time, the fourth from the left hand corner." Junior guard Stephanie Allen: "I always sit in the same place, pray
at the same time, wear the same socks, and visualize what I'm going to do
in the game. I always seem to be goofing off in the locker room, like telling
jokes and Senior center Shilo Tiritas: "I sit in the locker room and I have my thumb away from my face and my eyes follow my thumb as it is making figure eights. My mom told me that if you do that, you work both sides of your brain and it helps you to think better on the court." VOLLEYBALL Senior outside hitter Amy Buchanan: "I have to put on my right sock first, then my left sock, then my right shoe, then my left shoe. I wear the same tie for every game. If our game is a home match, I always have a Turkey and Provolone sandwich from The Merc." Senior outside hitter Audra Littou: "I have not been really superstitious in a long time. When I was at Glendale (Community College) I would warm up the same way, put my shoes and knee pads on the left side then the right. I would park in the same place on gamedays. It was strange that nobody, while I was at Glendale, would park in that place." Junior middle blocker Chris Brink: "I always warm-up the same, do the same stretches, starting with my right side, then the left. Like if I was starting off stretching my arms, I would stretch the right arm first then the left arm. I wear the same hairdo for every game." WOMEN'S SOCCER "The girls have their own superstition. We would wear our white jerseys at home, then we lost to Mesa State, and we changed to the red. After the loss to Colorado Christian, we went back to the white ones." Senior defender Marisa Burks: ``I always have to have my legs shaved, wear the same sports bra, and when we warm-up before the game, I have to be on the right side of the field and Kari (Pierce) has to be on the left side." Freshman defender/midfielder Jennifer Kitano: "I have to have my ankles taped exactly an hour before the game, and it has to be the right ankle first and then the left one." Junior defender/midfielder Jodie Roberts: "I have to wear special socks and shirt before the game, I don't like to wear my game jersey while I warm-up. I also have to wear my polo socks, I don't like any other kind of socks." Junior midfielder/defender Jenelle Andrews: "I have to wear my socks with the logos on the outside of the my legs. Like if the socks have a Nike logo, the check has to be on the outside of my legs." Junior midfielder Kari Pierce: "I have to eat a `Whatchamacallit" before every game and when the team goes into the huddle before the start of the game, I never go and join them." Sophomore defender Sam McLeod: "I wear Santa Claus socks and chew my green gum (Extra spearmint)." Senior goalkeeper Kelly Johannes: "I will never wear the yellow jersey again! I wore that when we lost to Colorado Christian so I'm not going to wear it again." Freshman goalkeeper Jenny Fink: "Pam (DeLuca) has to be the last person during the pre-game warm-ups that shoots on me." Sophomore midfielder Dawn Mitchell: "I only take three shoots before the game. I don't care if I make them all or miss them all, I just shoot three times." Senior midfielder Julie Ray: "I have to put my cleats on the grass. The rest of the team puts theirs on when they are on the track, but for some reason, I just can't do it." Freshman defender Jessica Westerberg: "I take off all of my jewelry right before the game starts, not before I get to the field, but right before the game starts." Junior midfielder Vicki Chong: "When ever the national anthem is playing, I always sing the New Zealand national anthem." Junior midfielder Ariana O'Neill: "I have to put my sleeves up and tape them so that they will stay up for the entire game." MEN'S SOCCER Junior midfielder Jorge Mena: "Everyone on the team has something different that they do before the game. I never wear my game shirt or shorts when we are warming up before the game. When I get dressed, I start with the left side, then the right. Like I would put on my left sock, then left shoe then right sock, right shoe." |
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SPORTS |
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Soccer season sensational For all of the people who have verbally doubted the Metro women's soccer team throughout this season, prepare to eat your words. For the first time in history, the Roadrunners were selected to participate in the NCAA Tournament after placing second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament held Nov. 7-8. After 13 years of coaching, head coach Ed Montojo will guide the Roadrunners toward an NCAA title. The Roadrunners will travel to Grand Junction to face Mesa State in the first round of the tournament. It will be the fourth time this year the two teams have played each other. Metro has yet to defeat Mesa State, losing a 2-0 game for the RMAC title. But wait, don't wipe your face yet, there's more. The RMAC released the end of the season honors on Nov. 10 with the Roadrunners bringing home two honors. Coach Montojo was named the RMAC Coach of the Year after leading Metro to the programs best season ever, finishing the regular season with a 17-4-1 record. The 9-4-1 record in the RMAC was good enough for second place. The Roadrunners are currently ranked 16th in the nation. "I was kind of surprised that he (Montojo) was named," junior forward Pam DeLuca said. "Everyone had a good season but I'm happy that he won." Ready for dessert? Junior forward Kari Pierce was named the RMAC Player of the Year for her performance throughout the season. Pierce, a dominating factor for the Roadrunners on offense all season, scored 15 goals and dished out six assists for 36 total points. Four Roadrunners were named to the RMAC first and second team rosters. Selected to the first team All-RMAC was Kari Pierce and senior forward Arianna O'Neill while Kari's sister, Katie, was on the second team along with junior defender Kathryn Cziuzas. "Yeah I was surprised," Montojo said. "I thought that it would have been one of the girls from Mesa State, Tiffany Thompson or Cheryl Bates." "Our nominee was Kari and I was glad that everything worked out that the coaches selected her," Montojo said. "She is a complete player, she can play offense and defense, she can do it all." Metro defeated Colorado Christian for the first time this season in the first round of the RMAC Tournament, 4-0. In the finals, the Roadrunners fell behind early against Mesa State and lost to the Mavericks for the third time this season, 2-0. The Roadrunners are 0-3 against the Mavericks this season, including the 2-0 loss in the RMAC Championship game. In the three meetings between the two teams this season, Mesa State scored the first goal in all of the three meetings. The explosive offense Metro had during the season has been shutout only twice, both times coming against Mesa State. The Roadrunners on the season have out scored the opposition 54-20 and out shot them 430-198. In the three meetings with Mesa State, Metro could only score two goals and were out shot by the Mavericks 36-32. "We need to cash in on our opportunities when we get them," Montojo said. "In the last two meetings with Mesa, we had chances to score in the first half and go up early, but our shots would be wide of the goal. "We need to take care of our chances, we would make a mistake and they would capitalize on it," Montojo said. "In the last game with Mesa, we had the ball on our side of the field and we made a bad pass and they intercepted it and Tiffany (Thompson) chipped the ball over Kelly's (Johannes) head for a goal." If the Roadrunners get past Mesa State, they will face the winner of the Somona State-California State University, Domingez Hills game in the quarterfinal game. |
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Ready to prove a point Pardon Gabi Sandoval for being hacked off and excuse Stephanie Allen for her smirk. Sandoval and Allen, both guards on Metro's women's basketball team, are trying to figure out how the coaches in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference have reached the conclusion that this year's Metro team is not capable of winning its second consecutive conference championship. "It really pisses me off," Sandoval said. "But I guess we're the underdogs now and we'll just have to prove them wrong." The source of Sandoval's contempt and the butt of Allen's jokes is in black and white and staring them in the face. It's the preseason RMAC coaches poll, which didn't give the Roadrunners a single first-place vote and has them rated fourth overall and third in the East Division. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. "I just laugh at it," Allen said. "I think it's funny. "It makes us want to work harder. Every year I've been here, we've worked our way up there anyway." There seems to be little to justify such a juxtaposition in respect from the end of one season to the beginning of the next. But here is what Allen, Sandoval and other Roadrunners believe RMAC coaches are thinking: Coach Darryl Smith, 1997-98 RMAC Coach of the Year, left Metro after last season to take the head coaching position at Wichita State. Smith never had a losing season at Metro, and the coaches obviously feel he was responsible for the Roadrunners' success, which is half-right in Allen's and Sandoval's eyes. Metro lost five seniors from last season's team, including RMAC Player of the Year Farrah Magee and the stellar-shooting Kristi Baxter. The other three seniors played sparingly. Coaches don't know what to expect from new coach Mike Power who takes over for Smith after coaching at Briar Cliff College in Iowa the past six years. Sure, if you stop right there, maybe the coaches have a point. But that is really only half the story. Here is what Allen and Sandoval think the coaches are forgetting. Smith said before leaving that if everyone stayed put and his recruits came to Metro despite him leaving, it would be the greatest collection of talent in the women's basketball program's short but storied history. Everyone is back except Nicole Davis who redshirted last season. While losing Magee and Baxter is big, Metro has gained two-fold at both
positions. Shilo Tiritas is back to play post where Magee was so successful.
Tiritas missed last season because she was pregnant with her son, Justice.
And last but not least in the argument against the coaches is Smith's replacement. Mike Power, whose system and approach to the game is without doubt more aggressive than Smith's style, which tormented those same RMAC coaches. Power has slipped in without any of the Roadrunners missing a beat. His credential's speak for themselves. He won 68 of his final 73 games at Briar Cliff and his team was in the hunt for the NAIA national championship in his final two years. Case closed. Regardless of what coaches think and the player's rebuttal, Allen, Sandoval and the rest of the defending champion Roadrunners know they will have to prove everything on the court. "We've got a lot of new people, and we just have to get into a rhythm," Sandoval said. Whether his players are amused or disgusted doesn't bother Power. He is enjoying the part he has been cast in. "I kind of relish this role," Power said. "I've been the king of the hill for the last few years." Power-ball is similar to what the Denver Nuggets played when Paul Westhead was the coach. It is run-and-gun basketball with no stopping or walking to catch your breath. It's full-court, trapping defense and taking as many shots as possible. Power's teams at Briar Cliff attempted more than 100 shots in a single game numerous times and opponents averaged 30 turnovers per game in his final season. But in order to implement Power-ball to its maximum potential, coach Power needs more healthy bodies. Only two of 14 athletes are 100 percent healthy heading into this season, which begins at Auraria Events Center on Nov. 13 at 8 p.m., when Metro hosts the University of California-Davis in the first round of the Roadrunner Classic tournament. "Literally, this is the strangest thing I have seen in my life," Power said. "We have seven girls sitting and watching practice." The list of players and their varying injuries is extensive. Four will miss the entire season. Post player Heidi Lake is not injured but will redshirt this season because she is pregnant. Tonia Carrillo has a dislocated elbow; walk-on Soon Kim and transfer Becky Maclennan also will redshirt because of injuries. Other injuries range from the screw that must be removed from junior forward Kristen Weidler's knee to stress fractures and bulging discs that other players are dealing with. Power just wants to get through the first six games of the season, four
of which are against top-25 opponents. "We are playing with one hand behind our backs right now." As far as Allen and Sandoval are concerned, onehanded or not, the Roadrunners aren't the fourth best team in the RMAC. |
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Metro shares title, RMAC next The Metro women's volleyball team put its name on one piece of school history. Now the Roadrunners are looking to fill a page. Metro finished the regular season Nov. 7 with a four-game win over Nebraska-Kearney,
securing its first ever "The players understand what they've accomplished but they want more," coach Joan McDermott said. That job will begin Nov. 13 when the Roadrunners take their No. 3 seed into the RMAC Tournament. Metro will face Western State in a 1 p.m. match. If they win, they'll face the No. 2 seeded Colorado Christian Cougars in a 5:30 p.m. match. "We have to go into the match like we do against Regis," she said. "We need to get over this mental hump, stay focused and execute under pressure." Regis is ranked second in the nation but Metro has beaten them both times in the regular season. Metro is ranked 14th nationally and third in the Southwest Region. Four teams from that region will receive bids to the NCAA Regional Championships Nov. 20-21. Metro was seeded third in the RMAC Tournament because its overall record was worse than Regis and Colorado Christian. But when it comes to receiving bids to the Regional Tournament, a tough schedule will help teams. Metro has had one of the toughest schedules in the nation, playing 10 matches against teams that were nationally ranked at some time in the season. This is why Metro could conceivably place third in the RMAC Tournament and still get a bid to regionals. Metro is currently riding a six-match winning streak and has won 20 of its last 23 matches. |
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Modest motivation fuels Metro volleyball team Although Brink denies it, last December she posted a motivational sign for the team that teammates say has worked, said volleyball coach Joan McDermott. "It was put up early in the Spring," McDermott said. "I left the sign up for awhile. It inspired and motivated us to get better and it carried over until this year." "She posted a sign and gave it to all the players," said Kenni Swan, an outside hitter for the team. "It had a saying about success and the national tournament." Brink knows a little about national tournaments. As a freshman at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, she scored the final point of the championship game to help her team win the national title. "Under pressure she's a person that can be a leader . . . she's new to the team and already she has been voted one of the captains," McDermott said. "Chris has made a big difference on the team. She can put the ball down with authority. She's very intense and plays with a lot of passion ." A middle blocker for the team, Brink is a junior majoring in Public Relations. Two years ago, she was a personal pick of McDermott when she coached for Morningside College. McDermott tried to recruit her out of Tracy-Milroy high school in Minnesota where she was an all-state selection in both volleyball and basketball. Brink rejected the offer to Morningside and went to the University of Nebraska at Omaha instead. However, even with a national title under her belt, a dislike for the college and the fact that McDermott was now coaching at Metro led to her to transfer here. Her coach in Nebraska refused to release her to a college in the same conference. She did however allow her to transfer to Metro. McDermott said Brink contacted her, visited the college two days later then was in Denver a week after that. "Maybe it's fate that we're together again," Brink said. "She's the most dedicated player," said Kenni Swan, outside hitter for the team. "She'll go until she can't go further. Since the first day, she was very vocal, always yelling and encouraging the team." |
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Wait until next year It comes full circle... All too quickly it comes to a close. Two weeks of preseason. Three months of daily training. Twenty games. Countless hours of planning and preparation. What a season. It started last November 1, 1997, the day of our last game of the season. 1997 was a bitter disappointment. A young team with a lot of potential had fallen victim to a lack of maturity, lack of field, and most of all a lack of confidence. It was not time to make excuses, but to figure out how to get it done. A change of style of play, a change in some personnel, but most of all it was about making a commitment to doing whatever it takes to be successfull both on and off the field. Seven new players were on our roster in the fall. Preseason was intense and there was truly competition for most of the spots on the field. We were more talented than we had been in the three-plus years I have been here. We needed to be. Our schedule was the toughest we have ever seen. Nine of our 19 regular season games would be against opponents who would be ranked in the top 25. Playing for the regular season conference championship, this is what we set out to do nine months ago. A great shot in overtime won the championship for Ft. Lewis and gave us the number three seed in the post season tournament. It was a disappointing loss that would pair us with CU-Colorado Springs who we had beaten a week earlier. Back to Durango we went. After the coaches meeting on Friday night we stepped
out into a heavy snowstorm. The team matured throughout the season, and there were many positives. A 12-8 record. It is the second most wins the program has had since moving to Division II in 1985. We are a constant in the top ten in the region. We only lose two starters. Things are moving in the right direction. In the end, though, we are still 8 losses away from where we want to be. It's time to take a deep look, a deep breath, and get started. Next fall's success starts now. |
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