Volume 21 Issue 19 February 12, 1999 |
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Contents:
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NEWS |
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Student politics under pressure
Political groups that rely on student dollars are battling for survival against a measure in the state legislature that would ban state agencies from collecting money for political uses. "At this point we're scrambling; our primary focus is to kill the bill," said Jane Duncan, campus affairs director for the Colorado Student Association, a lobbying group funded by student fees. CSA charges Metro students 50 cents each per semester to fund its lobbying efforts at the state capitol. If House Bill 1189 passes, Duncan says CSA could go defunct because it couldn't collect money through the college accounting system. The CSA charge is lumped with others in the Student Affairs Fee. Students cannot opt out of paying the fee. The bill, sponsored jointly by 37 lawmakers, passed the House of Representatives Feb. 2. The Senate State Affairs Committee is expected to consider it this month. "We, as students, should have the right to engage in activity that we have voted on and see fit," said Heidi Van Huysen, executive director of CSA. "This defeats the educational purpose of every college or university." One of the bill's sponsors, Lauri Clapp, R-Englewood, said she doesn't oppose the idea of a student-funded lobbying group or other political activity, but paying for it should not be compulsory, and the money shouldn't be filtered through the college. "If I want to belong to a club or any organization like that, I've never had a problem writing a check," she said. "Nobody has said, 'No, we won't take that.' Should we be channeling money through government agencies to begin with? I don't think we should." If the bill becomes law it would also affect other groups funded by student fees, such as the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, an environmental lobby, which collected $84,000 from Metro students last year. Van Huysen said it could even yank funding from the Student Government Assembly or prevent the college from paying to bring special speakers to campus who have a political bent. That's why one lawmaker who originally sponsored the bill pulled his name off the list when it came up for a vote in the House. "I think (the bill) made it impossible for non-profit organizations to do any kind of political work," said Rep. William Kaufman, R-Loveland. Kaufman said he tried unsuccessfully to include an amendment to the bill to make political groups pay the cost of collecting their funds through a state agency. |
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New building set for $180k art project Colorado Council of the Arts commissioned Denver artist Lonnie Hanzon for a $180,000 project for Auraria's new performing arts building. "No matter whether you are a poly-sci student or a performing arts student, I want to have images that trigger the same idea of what it's like to learn," said Hanzon, who designed the gateway sculpture for Coors Field. Hanzon said he plans to use the entire building as the canvas for the mixed-media work that will include elements of sculptures and paintings. The project's theme is "progress and progression." The art building is scheduled to open fall 2000. The building's architects coordinated with Hanzon early to make the artwork more involved with the building. Hanzon's project will start with simple, earth-tone art pieces at the building's corner at 8th and Lawrence streets. As it wraps around the building, it progresses into more complex and layered art forms. "The art selection is made while the building is still being designed so that hopefully the public art is an expression of the building," Hanzon said. Hanzon and the architects plan to reflect the process of learning in the art and building. Having transparent classrooms in the building is part of this objective. "The whole performing arts thing is sometimes 'pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.' This is not," Hanzon said, "The way they have opened it up allows students walking by to see the process going on." The arts building project will not be Hanzon's first college art commission. In 1997 he designed a sculptural painting for Red Rocks Community College, called "Knowledge Network — A Palimpsest." It was his first commission by the state. CCA selected Hanzon as part of the Art in Public Places Act of 1977. The law requires one percent of construction costs to go towards art in publicly funded buildings. For his Auraria commission, an eight-member committee of the CCA chose him over three other finalists. A CCA committee memo cites Hanzon's past experience in the arts as the main criterion: "His background in the performing arts enabled him to understand the function of the building. His work as the head of an ensemble of artists resembles that of an artistic director in a theater." Out of high school, Hanzon worked as a dancer and actor in small theaters, coffee houses and nightclubs. A Colorado native, he grew up near Pine and attended Wheat Ridge High School. He said he does not have a formal education in art. "This will be a great project because I started my career in the theatrics side and then switched to visual art. This will give me an opportunity to go back into that circle," Hanzon said. Hanzon moved to California and worked with George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, as a show producer. With LucasArts Entertainment, Hanzon designed a Japanese theme park in Wakayama. "I ran away and did the stupid California thing for a while, did some road shows, and then came back in 1991," Hanzon said. Hanzon Studios, on 1044 Speer Blvd., was established in 1991. The commissions he makes from commercial artwork allows his studio to feature fine art and public pieces. Hanzon said, "I don't try to make a net profit off of public art. It is more of an honor." |
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Playwright lauds laughter Humor and stories pave the way for people to understand their culture and other cultures, said a Tony-Award winning playwright. "We come to the table to sample each other's culture and participate in each other's cultural lives," said playwright Ossie Davis Feb. 8 at the Tivoli Turnhalle. "I speak as a representative of a rich culture and a rich history."I've come to set it on the table." "We have to learn to laugh at each other's jokes," he said. "Growing up, our house was a house of laughing people. By laughing, we absorb and control all the elements in our environment. We learned things about ourselves." Davis said he learned about the power of laughing and stories from family gatherings. "We were always telling the same story," he said. "As we told the jokes and stories, we would notice the children would listen and watching us laugh. They were absorbing history and attitudes. They were being bonded into the tribe in the easiest way possible. Humor is one of the methods we use to bond." Davis said it was the family stories that inspired him to write plays." You must identify with the group from where you came," he said. Davis said he and his wife geared their work to the African American community. "It wouldn't make us rich," he said. "They wouldn't let us starve either." Davis visited Metro as the Rachel B. Noel distinguished professor. "I'm not a distinguished professor, I'm a distinguished storyteller," he said. In addition to speaking at Metro, Davis also spoke Feb. 7 at Shorter Community African Episcopal Church at 3100 Richard Allen Court, where Mayor Wellington Webb dclared the day as Ossie Davis day in Denver. "I knew I was home," Davis said of the church. "No one had to convince me I was welcome." "This is what I see when they say multiculturalism, all of God's children," Davis said to the congregation. "His speech was profound. He has so much wisdom and knowledge," said C.J. White, chairman of Metro's African American Studies Department "I'm glad that he shared with us his upbringing." Rachel Noel agreed."I'm overwhelmed with pride. It's just like we have known (Davis) forever. We are so proud of the people we bring in for the professorship." "It was very inspirational," said Gully Stanford, a member of the Colorado State Board of Education, who attended the lecture at the church. "It gives us a vision of the future." "I enjoyed what Mr. Davis had to say, he has so much knowledge, and we are lucky in Denver to have heard the wisdom from a great man," Metro student Shannen Gasbarn said. The Noel Professorship was created to bring scholars to Metro who reflect diversity and academic excellence. |
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Trial set in student's stabbing The man arrested in November in connection with the slaying of his ex-girlfriend, Metro student Jennifer Foretich, has been charged with murder and sexual assault and will go to trial July 13. The Douglas County Court charged Paul Huston Tinsley, 25, on Feb. 3. He is in custody and held with no bond. On Nov. 20, 1998 Foretich, 19, was found stabbed to death in her mother's basement. Sgt. Attila Denes said the coroner's report showed she had also been sexually assaulted. Police found Tinsley at Lookout Mountain with stab wounds to the chest on Nov. 21. He was taken to Saint Anthony's Hospital for treatment and arrested later. Police initially suspected Tinsley's stab wounds were self-inflicted, but later determined that he received them during a struggle, Denes, said. District Attorney Jim Peters will prosecute the case, said Michael Knight, public information officer. |
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High-tech classrooms make debut Six of Metro's classrooms became "smarter" this semester. "Somewhat Smarter Classrooms," is an Auraria Higher Education Center mini-project. The $96,000-project turned six of Metro's traditional classrooms into state-of-the-art, technologically advanced learning environments. These smart classrooms are equipped with ceiling-mounted LCD projectors that display a high-resolution image onto a collapsible screen hanging in the front of the classroom. A professor controls the projector from a laptop computer plugged into a cabinet in the front corner of the room. The ability to access the Internet and use computer programs is the main advantage of the new classrooms. The new system can enhance lectures with such programs as Power Point, which can be used to make slides and animation. The classrooms also have the ability to play videotapes, and some can be used as overhead projectors that digitally project a document onto the screen. Although smart classrooms are an effort to keep up with the ever-changing, computer-enhanced society, it hasn't exactly been received with open arms, particularly in Metro's math department. "The primary problem as far as I'm concerned is the lack of board space," said Patricia Tucker, a professor of Mathematical Sciences at Metro. The large blackboards in the classrooms had to be replaced with much smaller white boards due to the damaging effects of chalk dust on computer equipment. "What one can display via the computer is quite limited and one needs board space to solve problems," Tucker said. "I have managed to run out of board space with the larger blackboards that were in those rooms." In response to the chalkboard-whiteboard preference problem, Auraria officials decided they would re-install one blackboard in the front of each room for the professors who prefer blackboards and keep one whiteboard for the others. The idea worsened the issue. "Does this mean we will now have inadequate chalkboard space and inadequate whiteboard space at the same time," said Glen Murray, a math professor at Metro. "I doubt the wisdom of rendering a room unusable for both chalkboard and whiteboard users." Still, the installation of smart classrooms seems unavoidable. Soon every classroom on campus will be equipped with this technology. The University of Colorado at Denver is also working on their own smart classroom project, and a new project is expected to begin in the next year, with the aid of a fund of more than $4 million in tax dollars, which will convert every remaining classroom at Auraria with the projectors. Some classrooms will have ports so students can plug in their laptops and use the systems as well. "We're trying to figure out how we can empower 17,000 students with technology," said Dr. John Reed, Director of Academic Computing and User Services at Metro. According to Reed, there are about 300 schools in the nation that require their students to own and use laptop computers in class. Next fall, the University of Denver will require that all its incoming students to bring a laptop to their classes. "We would like to do that," Dr. Reed said, "but it is hard for us to figure out how to do that at Auraria, because we are so different. It's a very unusual place because we have such a wide spectrum of student." |
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Delegate, author to discuss Iraq sanctions A former United Nations delegate who worked in Iraq and author of several books on the Middle East will lecture at the Golda Mier Center on Feb. 19, at 1:30 p.m. Denis Halliday, former delegate, and Phyllis Bennis, author of Calling the Shots: How Washington Dominates Today's U.N., will speak about the impact of economic sanctions on the population of Iraq. Stephanie Phibbs from Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace, the group that helped organize the event with Metro's anthropology department, said, "It's fantastic, it's the best opportunity people will have to hear the dark side of sanctions from someone who knows them so well." Larry Leaman-Miller, from American Friends Services Committee, an event sponsor, said: "I think in a sense what we are getting from him is the real story. Iraq is in the news a lot, we hear about it, but we don't really hear the inside details behind what's happening. That's what I feel (Halliday) will bring." Halliday was a member of the United Nations for 34 years and was appointed the head of the U.N.'s Oil for Food program by secretary-general Kofi Annan. Halliday also held the post of United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq in September 1997. Halliday and Bennis will also speak at 7:30 p.m. at the First Plymouth Congregational Church, 3501 S. Colorado Blvd. Halliday will be the Keynote speaker Feb. 20, at the American Friends Services Committee's Annual Public Gathering at the Great Hall IIiff School of Theology, 2201 S. University Blvd., and he will lecture at University of Colorado at Boulder Campus in the Mathematics Building, Room 100 at 7 p.m. |
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Panel to explore gay-minority relations In recognition of Black History Month, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Student Services Office is sponsoring a panel to discuss relations between minorities and gays. The discussion called, Removing the Wedges, is about dividers that create disunity and divide minorities. The all-black panel members will include: Penfield Tate, Representative to the Colorado State Legislature; Clara Villarosa, owner of the Hue-Man Experience bookstore; Carl Jardine, director of housing at the University of Colorado at Boulder; Dani Newsum, University of Colorado at Denver professor, and civil rights attorney; and Rev. Gilbert Caldwell of Park Hill United Methodist Church. The panel will be held Feb. 18 from 1:30-3 p.m. in Tivoli Room 440. The panel members will share their journeys as allies to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people. An open discussion will follow concerning the issues that divide the Black and GLBT communities — the wedges that diminish collective power, as well as ways to overcome divisiveness and gain strength through unity. "Historically, there has been racism within the GLBT community —and homophobia in the black community," said Karen Bensen, GLBT Student Services director "Because we're both minorities, it would behoove us to be working together. The groups must strive to overcome the prejudices amongst them," she said. Tate is part sponsor of the new hate crime bill, an effort to make crimes motivated by sexual orientation, age or disability receive the same increased punishment as ethnic intimidation crimes Newsum supports the hate crime bill and believes it represents a good public policy. Newsum said the gay community's legal need is "the new civil rights frontier of the last 10 years." |
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Credit providers find loophole Credit card companies are dodging a regulation prohibiting them from soliciting to students in the Tivoli. "Study Breaker" boxes are given away to interested students at the information desk on the second floor of the Tivoli. The contents of the boxes include applications for credit cards, samples of deodorant, headache medicine and subscriptions to magazines. Including a credit card application borders on violating a policy passed by the Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board last May. Credit card and calling card companies are still allowed to solicit students from other points on campus. Frequently promotional tables are set up by the flagpole in the middle of campus and in the North Classroom Building. "The boxes which offer the applications are approved by the Tivoli Marketing Department," said Barbara Weiske, director of the Tivoli Student Union and Campus Auxiliary Services. The Tivoli Marketing Department is not always informed of the exact contents of the boxes before they are shipped to campus, Weiske said. "Each year these packs are something different that are put together for university campuses," Weiske said. "The people who offer the packages don't usually define the printed materials or the brand names of the samples included." Metro senior Jim Hayen, current chairman of the Student Union Advisory Board and member of the committee when the policy banning credit card vendors from soliciting to students within the Tivoli was passed, differentiates between the two types of soliciting. "We banned the soliciting at the tables (near) Dominoes because students were complaining of being harassed as they walked through the hallway," Hayen said. Also weighing on the decision was the possibility of putting students at risk of developing bad credit. Each application for a credit card shows up on a credit report and numerous rejections can be perceived as poor credit, Hayen said. Also contributing to the bad credit of students is that the "average credit card debt of a graduating college student is around $8,000," said Besty Adams, a Commercial Advisor at Norwest Bank. "Members of SACAB and SUAB were also worried that students were applying just to get the free T-shirt," Weiske said. "And students of the Community College of Denver were sometimes not allowed to fill out an application because they are members of a two-year college. They felt that this was an unfair situation because the Tivoli is the student union for all three schools." However, the "Study Breaker" boxes are available to all students. The applications in them also give students a better chance to make an educated decision on applying for credit cards, Hayen said. "Students can read the fine print of the applications when they are offered them through the boxes," Hayen said. "They can fill it out and turn it in or they can just toss it in the garbage. "Credit cards could potentially be a service to students if they decided to take that responsibility," Hayen said. The policy banning solicitation of credit cards at the Tivoli was not passed to eliminate students from applying for them, but to allow them to make that decision in a pressure-free environment, Weiske said. |
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Female faculty numbers increase NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — (U-WIRE) More women are becoming college professors but with less pay and fewer promotions than their male counterparts, according to a report released earlier this week by the American Association of University Professors. Women make up 33.8 percent of all faculty in the United States, but are receiving less pay and fewer promotions. More than half of the women are in lower positions such as lecturers and instructors, regardless of the type of institution, according to the report. Mary Gibson, AAUP chairperson of Committee W, the Committee on the Status of Women in the Academic Profession, said the study was necessary to confirm what they felt was happening to women in universities all over the country. Gibson's committee released the findings of the report Feb. 2 and also published it in the January-February issue of the group's journal Academe. "I think it shows that there is some sort of progress for women to have positions at universities, but there still is a great deal of work to be done in eliminating discrimination and achieving equity," Gibson said. "It confirms what we in Committee W suspected and knew, but only from anecdotal reports from across the country, that there were significant disparities in higher education and society at large," Gibson said. Many professors, both male and female, do not agree with the report's results. They said there are many more women working in the universities, but not at a lower pay or fewer promotions compared to their male counterparts. "The professors we have here in Newark include a good number of women," said Amy Trimarco, department administer of biological services at Rutgers-Newark. "They have a good number of promotions, and their salaries are equal to their male counterparts. In this department they are quickly being put up to the same level as males." Norman Schnayer, associate provost at Rutgers-Newark, said he believes in equal pay for equal work. "I am likely to believe the data, but I see (women) getting equal pay and promotions compared to their male counterparts," Schnayer said. "I am happy that there are more women in the universities because I believe in equal pay for an equal amount of work. I am also happy to see diversity in our classrooms and universities." There are a number of factors that determine the pay of a faculty member, such as their academic area, Schnayer said. The number of women in science and math areas is not as great as the number of women in humanities, business and social science areas. Men and women in science areas are in demand and their pay is very high because of their importance, Schnayer said. "There was a study done that found that the number of women who are granted doctorates each year is fairly low," Schnayer said. "The study indicated more women as lecturers and instructors and this has to do with their own personal interests. Someone who has a Ph.D. in English is not interested in becoming a Ph.D. in biology. There is still a deficiency of women faculty members at universities because fewer women are getting Ph.D.s." |
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COMMENTARY |
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Let there be campus art News: Views: With all the new construction on campus, we're glad to know that people who use these facilities will get the added benefit of outdoor and indoor art. Patrons have state government to thank, for once, for making the use of public buildings a little more beautiful experience. State law requires new publicly-funded construction to put 1 percent of costs toward public art. For the Academic and Performing Arts Center, which should be complete by fall 2000, Auraria Campus asked artist Lonnie Hanzon to create the art works. A committee of employees at Auraria's three schools and other community members picked Hanzon back in August. Notably, students were not involved in the selection process. The campus could certainly use some new and better art. Current art and architecture on campus is a study in extremes. We've got boring, block-style classroom buildings, the towering, elegant spire of St. Elizabeth's Church, and old homes on Ninth Street Park converted to cramped office space. The best art option on campus is at Emmanuel Gallery, where first-rate student work is often on display. The best Metro-sponsored art off campus is the Metro Center for the Visual Arts. Witness last year's stunning exhibition of Pablo Picasso's print work, borrowed from the Denver Art Museum's collection. The worst art is the two rusted, geometric graffiti targets posing as sculpture sitting on the main drag through campus. Those pieces should be a lesson to Hanzon: Create something meaningful that can withstand extreme weather. That's exactly what he said he intends to do. "No matter whether you are a poly-sci student or a performing arts student, I want to have images that trigger the same idea of what it's like to learn," he said. The performing arts center is sure to be a fantastic showcase for Hanzon's art. We hope it's used to display plenty of art by students and professors, too. |
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Gay Teletubbies — What's wrong? I like Tinky Winky. For those unlearned ones, Tinky is the purple Teletubbie with the triangle antenna. The purse-toting character frolics across the green, rolling hills of children's PBS television. The Tubby was recently attacked by Rev. Jerry Falwell his National Liberty Journal. The good reverend hints that Tinky Winky represents homosexual culture with gay symbols, accessories and color. An article titled "Parents Alert: Tinky Winky Comes Out of the Closet," reads: "He is purple — the gay-pride color; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle — the gay-pride symbol." It goes on to note that Tinky has the voice of a boy, yet he carries a purse. Perhaps the reverend hasn't spent enough time with his alter boys. Jerry needs to catch up on his children's television knowledge. It's a magic bag, not a purse, Jerry. His paranoia and ignorance are grotesque. Speaking of ignorance personified, our cartoonish governor Bill Owens has promised to strengthen the ban on same-sex marriages if Senate Bill 159 reaches him. The bill says Colorado would not recognize same-sex marriages whatsoever. Proponents say it is necessary because other states are close to allowing the union of same-sex partners, and Colorado would then be forced to recognize them. Opponents say that sort of legislation is far away, and Colorado already has such a law and this is needless and discouraging to all residents of the state. This reminds me of a story, so gather 'round. Fade back to a year ago. I am speaking with a Mormon friend of mine, and this debate arises. Equal rights. She (and Falwell and Owens) agree that everyone should have equal rights under our constitution. They also agree that marriage is a right. Yet when it comes to completing the equation, they stumble, they fumble and they bite their nails. "You, my friend, are a fool — a damn fool." Dignan says this in the film Bottle Rocket. Notice the reiteration. It emphasizes the point. But my friend's not the only fool. From the horse's mouth: let's briefly read and understand both sides (taken from the letters to the editor, Denver Rocky Mountain News). John Curtis wrote Jan. 10: "Republicans have always been good at unleashing the ugly, selfish side of our collective psyche, but their reactionary self-righteous efforts seem to be a necessary step in the process." In Carol Gulley's Nov. 17 letter, she adamantly speaks on how "unhealthiness, unhappiness and promiscuity" go hand-in-hand with homosexual relationships. After all, it's a destructive lifestyle, she spews. But are heterosexual relationships problems-free? A man with a man is the same as a woman with a woman is the same as a man with a woman. Meanwhile, the gay and lesbian couples are getting stiffed on legal bullshit, such as health insurance, inheritance laws, adoption and worker's compensation. Obligatory (but fitting) cliche: Time heals all wounds. Civil rights for African Americans, Rosa Parks in the front of the bus, interracial relationships and intercultural relationships were once against the law or heavily looked down upon. Now most of us look back at that time with disgust and contempt. Can't we just learn from the Teletubbies and just give everyone big hugs? |
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I've been connected to an all-too-real future at The Met "The future is like heaven, everyone exalts it, but no one wants
to go there now." Summer 1994 Woman answering phone: "Metropolitan State College of Denver, how can I help you?" Me: "Yeah, it says here you can connect me with a better future." Woman: "I'll put you right through." 1999 Me: "What the hell do you want?" 1994 Me: "Who is this?" 1999 Me: "I'm you, dumb ass, five years older and $10,000 lighter." 1994 Me: "What's your problem?" 1999 Me: "Let's see, thanks to you, I've been at this school for five freakin' years and still no degree. "But that's not the bad part. Turns out, hardly anyone graduates from this place. Those that do generally take six or more years. They shortened the name of the college to The Met, which would be good if I was going into insurance — at least I could say I'd been at The Met. Instead, I've got to pray potential employers don't ask. If they do, I get to tell them I graduated (if I ever do) from a school with a UPN image in a CNN world. "In the prestige category, The Met is just ahead of Penitentiary U and right behind Barnes Business College. When you tell somebody that you go to school here, an apology appears on their face. The president of the college is slightly more popular with the people who work here than Hitler is in Tel Aviv. Most of the faculty want her out. Some are literally scared to tears of her, and many have convinced themselves she carries a gun or keeps one in her office. Can you imagine getting called in to see her if you're one of these people? "The funny part? None of the students care or seem to comprehend that such a divisive atmosphere could be effecting their education. Figures I'd choose Dysfunctional U. The faculty has its flaws too. Apparently, many of the professors believe being a college educator gives them license to impart their political beliefs on students at every turn. The journalism department used to live up to its name. Now it's over run with public relations majors, which, you can bet, is exactly the way the president wants it. "Too many times in the past hungry young journalists have exposed embarrassing administrative blunders here. Now students in the journalism department are more likely to become one of the minions passing out rose-colored glasses at Metro's door." 1994 Me: "Hold on. I thought I was supposed to be hooked up with a better future?" 1999 Me: "I was just getting to that. Listen, go find a computer trade school and learn as much as you can in six months or a year. By the time we get to 1999, companies will be trying to out-bid each other for our services. And nobody will be wearing an apology." Kyle Ringo is a Metro student and a columnist for The Metropolitan. His e-mail address is ringok@mscd.edu. |
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Graduate satisfaction a numbers game Editor: According to the figures of the page 3 article "Study finds satisfied graduates" in the Jan. 22 issue, of the 1,766 graduates receiving questionnaires, only 800 responded, or 46 percent. It is misleading to assert that 99 percent of those responses is the same as 99 percent of the graduates. Statistics can be misused to suit the needs of anyone. Metro's administration, for example, in a page 6 ad of the same date. Accuracy demands that at the minimum their claim be rephrased as "99 percent of respondents are satisfied." Your editorial of Jan. 29th made some good points exploring this issue, but used the incorrect statistic. Ninety nine percent of 800 is 792. 792 is almost 45 percent of 1766, so in fact, all that can be said is that about 45 percent of graduates from that year are satisfied. Maybe only those who were satisfied returned their questionnaires. Perhaps 55 percent of Metro grads feel like I do, that the only thing that Metro has going for it are the many impressive professors. I'll be very glad when I graduate, and am satisfied with the quality of the teaching. On the other hand, I'm not impressed by the new administration building going up while classes become increasingly crowded and students are packed like sardines into tiny classrooms and ancient desks. I'm not impressed by the dumping of the summer graduation ceremony option, or the bogus reasons given for that, or that from what I've heard, the ceremony is a meaningless circus. I'm not impressed by the endless amounts of money poured into new computer systems — "Banner" is the third system the college has implemented since I returned in 1996, and it still doesn't work properly. The Met isn't even good English — since when is an article of speech part of a name? The Laurel thinks The Met sucks as a name but works as a joke. I'm not impressed by the student government officers who receive $500 a month but can't even attend meetings. I take my off-campus volunteer work seriously enough to show up for every meeting of the three boards I serve on, and I don't receive a dime for my time or work. I'm not impressed that after a year of straight A's, I've not received any indication that such a thing as an honor roll exists, or that my hard work means anything to anyone but myself and my professors. I'm especially not impressed by the knowledge that wage discrimination exists on this campus, and also that part-time teachers are paid so little, and receive no benefits, in fact, I'm disgusted. Satisfied with how the professors meet my goals? Yes. Satisfied with how Metro meets my goals? Not even 45 percent. Laurel Gentile |
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Racism is alive and well, and tearing us apart Editor: Racism and prejudice are alive and, unfortunately, well in this country. Unfortunately, too many people are closing their eyes to this problem, closing their eyes in the hope that it will simply go away. Ignoring the problem or believing that it doesn't affect them is not the answer. In some way, prejudice hits home with everyone. Whether due to race, religion, age, gender, marital status or sexual preference, racism and prejudice strikes all of us in some way. I realize that there is no easy cure to racism, but if we all work together and understand each of us is an individual with a culture of our own, maybe we can make a better world for our children and generations to come. Too many times I have witnessed stereotyping and stigmas being put onto people. One cannot label a person just by their looks, gender or even occupation. Who are we to say that one race, one gender or one occupation is better than others. We are all created equal and should be treated as such. In my eyes, there is only one race, and that is the human race. Yes, I believe in having pride in your culture, but to say that your culture or race is superior to others is not only wrong, but harmful to every person it touches. No matter your race, religion or gender, we are all equal and should be treated as such. As I stated before, racism and prejudice are alive and well in this country and around the world, but we must not close our eyes to it. These problems are not going to go away on their own, we must work together to end the cycle of prejudice in the world, not only for our own sake, but for those who are yet to be born. The Rev. Michael R. Sanchez |
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FEATURES |
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Wilde times 'Gross Indecency: The Three
Trials of Oscar Wilde'
It's a lengthy two-act, running at 2 hours and 30 minutes, and the distinctive, rapid-fire dialogue grows weary. Thank goodness the Denver Center Theatre Company put this intense drama in an intimate venue: the 250-seat Ricketson Theatre. The piece demands the intimacy, and Wilde's verse could easily get lost in a bigger space. On a production level, the job is carried out well enough, but the casting is often skewed. Mark Rubald's George Bernard Shaw has a hideous accent, and William Denis' Marquess of Queensberry is simply too obnoxious. Meanwhile, Jamie Horton's Wilde is calm and cool, often offsetting his hyperactive peers. Gross Indecency runs through March 4. Tickets: (303) 893-4100. 'Arsenic and Old Lace'
Arsenic and Old Lace tells the story of a family that's gone absolutely nutso. There are aunts Abby (Liz Jury) and Martha (Bev Newcomb-Madden) who are philanthropists of a sort. They take in old, solitary men, kill them and bury them in their basement. Then you have nephew Mortimer (Erik Sandvold), who works his way through life as a lowly, despised theater critic. His brother, Teddy (Eric Fry), thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. And their brother, Jonathan (Frank Oden), is a despicable criminal who also disposes of several dead bodies each month. The characters spend the majority of the play trying to dispose of dead bodies and trying to kill each other. Sounds like delightful fun, right? Think again. Arsenic makes for too long of a night (three acts + two intermissions = 3 hours). The Arvada Center starts this production early at 7:30 p.m., but the play isn't captivating enough for three hours. Or maybe it is, but the humor is for an older audience. Nonetheless, the aunts are the highlight of this show. Jury and Newcomb-Madden carry this production with confidence and a bond that can't be broken. Their sisterly characteristics are overwhelmingly real as the two sweet women ramble and giggle in unison as if they've been doing it for 60 years. The remaining characters were above average, with an unfortunate exception in the overdramatic and awkward portrayal of Jonathan by Oden. Arsenic runs through Feb. 28. Tickets: (303) 431-3939. 'Dream on Monkey Mountain'
With such potential, this collaboration between the Denver Center Theatre Company and Cleo Parker Dance Ensemble is utterly disappointing. The talent is there, but it lacks direction, casting and a comprehensible plot. There seems to be a language barrier, even though the characters are speaking English. The one thing the actors have going for them is projection — he screams and she screams, but the volumes carelessly emitted lacked emotion and clarity. The story tells of a man and his dream, an adventure comparing to that of Will Robinson. The original work by Derek Walcott can be very moving, but director Israel Hicks' take is tedious. The only interesting scenes in Monkey Mountain come when dance takes over the stage entirely. Entrancing costumes with flashy colors take over the show, and the movement is fierce and well-woven. But the two main dance scenes only last so long and are rudely interrupted by more of the inane performances. This shove-it-down-your-throat style of theater is worthless, and with such talent on stage, it's a devastating waste of time for the actors, the dancers and the audience. Monkey Mountain runs through Feb. 20. Tickets: (303) 893-4100. |
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Destiny Egypt The experience of 50 centuries overwhelmed the students, as their hair, teeth and nails were blanketed by the timeless dust. Metro professor Akbarali Thobhani organized the trip and shares a common thirst with Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte—the desire to understand and explore the land of the Egyptians. He admits he can't get enough of Egypt. Thobhani has led 18 trips to Egypt through Metro's program with students and community members. "The tour brings students face to face with 4000 years of history," said professor Thobhani, director of the Institute for International and Intercultural studies. Tour members arrived in the city of Cairo where the Great pyramids and Sphinx are located. The tour then embarked on a four day Nile River cruise, which stopped to visit temples. These temples, such as Karnak, display the grandeur and majesty of several Pharaohs attempts to build their way to immortality. The Egyptian tour guide, Walid Ekram Helmy, said one-third of Egypt's monuments
was visited on the tour. Wills said they were scheduled to go on the tour with Thobhani in 1997. "I was devastated when we heard of the massacre at Hatshepsut's temple," said Mohammed Yosef Kamal, who works on a cruise ship named The Lady Diana. Kamal said he fled the boat as soon as it docked, to go to his hometown of Hatshepsut and see his family. "I ran off the boat as soon as I could, I didn't even have time to change out of my pajamas. My entire family was in tears; I had never seen my father cry before. The town knew this would affect the tourism and take away from the town's income." Helmy said, he was unemployed most of 1997 but tourism is picking up. Egypt's economy depends upon tourism and the acts of religious extremists have not succeeded in numbing interest in Egypt. "If anybody wants to go to Egypt, this is a good deal", said Warren Wills, who went with Thobhani in1998-1999. Wills, a retired schoolteacher went on the trip with his wife Rose. "The world situation could change someday, and you may not always be able to go," He said. The Wills researched other tours but found Thobhani's to be the best economically and academically. "You should never postpone for tomorrow what you can do today. You have to live life to the fullest," said Rosemarie Wills. The Egyptian government is well aware of the dangers imposed upon their national treasures. Egypt has been invaded since 1650 B.C. when the Hyksos, an Asiatic people, conquered the land. The French occupation of Egypt in 1798 began a renewed interest in Egypt that spread across Western Europe. Some Europeans had unwrapping parties, where stolen mummies were unraveled as a party game. Others ground mummy remains and consumed it due to superstitions of benefits to longevity. "I'm interested in the music and the religion, and it fascinates me to think Egyptian culture existed before Christ," said Rose Wills, who was raised Catholic. The streets of Cairo, Egypt's capitol city, are not complete without a
military officer and an automatic weapon. Warren Wills said he learned a lot of good things about Islam on the trip. "You are a product of what you see on the news, but it is slanted. There are two sides to every story and you get to see a different picture." The modern Egyptians revel in their ancient history and enjoy the business that tourism brings them. Cairo has three surreal triangles of limestone emerging like mountaintops in its backdrop. The three pyramids of Giza, which is Cairo's twin city, and an ethereal luster to its streets of rhythmically honking taxicabs and occasional stray donkeys. "The adjustment of coming back to Denver has been harder than the adjustment of arriving in Cairo," said Pat Poppenga, a Metro business student. "Denver seems so much less spectacular in comparison," she said. "I'll get used to it, eventually." |
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SPORTS |
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Women lose game-long lead Nebraska-Kearney guard Darcy Stracke gave her team its first lead of the game against the Metro women's basketball team with just 47 seconds remaining in the Feb. 5 contest. She didn't stop there. After a 3-point shot was made by the Roadrunner's Sarah Coleman, Stracke sent the game into overtime on a jump shot with just 14 seconds left and then scored six points in the extra period to beat Metro in overtime, 64-57. The Roadrunners were disappointed with the loss because they did what they needed to do to win the game, according to head coach Mike Power. They just didn't do it long enough. "We did exactly what we wanted to," Power said. "We executed our game plan but in the end we lost our composure." The Metro game plan included containing Stracke. In the first half the Roadrunners succeeded in holding her to just two points. However, in the second half Metro could not keep Stracke down. She scored 28 points to help send the game into overtime. She was the only Loper to score in double digits. Power knew that Stracke would play a large role in the game because she is the leading scorer in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. "It wasn't like we didn't know it was going to happen," Power said. "I think she just decided she didn't want to lose and she started to take over (the game). Great players do that especially when their teams are down and losing. They try to find a way to come back and win it." Metro center Timmi-Jo Miller also credited Stracke with the victory. It was something that she had seen before. On Dec. 4, Stracke scored 32 points against the Roadrunners. "One person beat us," Miller said. "(Nebraska-)Kearney didn't beat us. Darcy beat us." Miller led the Roadrunners in scoring with 15 points. Juniors Stephanie Allen and Coleman also scored in double digits, with 11 and 10 points respectively. Senior Shiloh Tiritas finished the game with 14 rebounds, almost twice as many as any of the Lopers. A victory over Nebraska-Kearney would have helped the Roadrunners down the stretch. Now the only chance to make the regional tourtnament will be to win the RMAC tournament. It looks as though Metro will be seeded third in the tournament which starts on Feb. 23. Power isn't disappointed with that possibility at all. "We have a good shot of controlling our own destiny," Power said. "From here on out if we win the rest of our games we should be seeded third in the (RMAC) tournament and that's where we want to be. That gives us the chance to face (Nebraska-)Kearney in the championship game." Each time Power and the Roadrunners have faced the Lopers, they've come closer to a victory. Power says one more chance is all he and his team wants. "We've played them twice now and know how close we can get to winning," Power said. "Hopefully we will have learned enough to know how to beat them when the tournament comes. For anybody to win the RMAC, they have to go through Nebraska-Kearney." |
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Metro men at RMAC peak There wasn't room for two men's teams at the top of the Eastern Division of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. On Feb. 5, the Metro men's basketball team had a chance to do something about it. The Roadrunners defeated the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers, 91-87, to break a tie for first place in the Eastern Division of the RM AC. "We're all happy that we were able to bump them off of the top of the mountain," head coach Mike Dunlap said. Metro fell behind early in the game, down by 12 points with about nine minutes left in the first half. However, the Roadrunners battled back to claim a four-point lead at halftime. The second half was a see-saw battle in which the Roadrunners and the Lopers were tied nine different times. With just under two minutes left in the game, Metro took the lead for good. Metro improved their overall record to 17-4 and 11-3 with the victory. It was the result of a great team effort, Dunlap said. "We rotated 10 guys into the game, and they all played well,"
Dunlap said. "We have depth and we used it." "DeMarcos and Bynum both played really well," Dunlap said. Anzures scored a team high 21 points against Nebraska-Kearney. He now has led the team in scoring in 12 of their 21 games. Still, Anzures gives a lot of the credit for his success to his teammates. "They are concentrating on getting me open," Anzures said. "They get the ball to me, and they set a lot of picks." Bynum scored 14 points in the victory, seven points in each half. He also had two steals in the game. Barlow led the team in rebounding with nine and was just behind Anzures in scoring with 19 points. "Barlow was very good on the boards," Dunlap said. One of the keys to the game was "taking care of the ball," according to Dunlap. Nebraska-Kearney turned the ball over 22 times while the Roadrunners had only seven turnovers. "Even though we didn't shoot well, we had a lot more attempts," Dunlap said. "That was the difference in the game." Metro will go on the road for the next three games before finishing up the regular season with a home game against Colorado Christian on Feb. 19. |
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Barlow named RMAC Player of the Week Metro junior forward Lee Barlow was honored as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Player of the Week for his performances against Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State, Feb. 5-6. Barlow averaged a double-double over the two games, averaging 17 points and 10.5 rebounds for the two games. He shot 57 percent from the field and averaged 3.5 assists per game. Barlow scored 19 points and had nine rebounds in a win over Nebraska-Kearney. He had a key three-point play with just under two minutes left in the contest to give Metro a 84-81 lead and control of the game. He followed that with a 15 point, 12 rebound game against Fort Hays State. Barlow, who is the only Metro player to start every game this season, is the team's top reboun-der, averaging seven a game. He is the second leading scorer for the Roadrunners and has scored a double-double in five games this season. —The Metropolitan Staff |
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Bombs Away He is still a student at Metro but junior guard Richard Lugowski of the men's basketball team received a little sample of the easy life Feb. 6 at the Auraria Events Center. The ones making life simple were the Fort Hays Tigers, who fell behind by 14 points in the first half and never completely recovered. Metro won its third straight conference game, 84-73, and is now 12-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, 18-4 overall. Metro now holds a one-game advantage over Nebraska-Kearney. Lugowski, along with teammate DeMarcos Anzures, gave the Roadrunners a big lift in the opening 20 minutes of play. Lugowski had 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point land. Anzures had 12 points on 4-of-7 from the three-point area. The big lead gave the Roadrunners a chance to enjoy the game. "I definately felt good in warmups," Lugowski said. "If I get an open look, I'll take it. If we put it on them in the beginning, we can break their hearts and we'll be on easy street." In a three-minute span in the first half, Metro pushed a seven point lead to 14 points behind the shooting of Lugowski. The lead stayed in double digits until midway through the second half. That's when the Tigers made their run, forcing the Roadrunners to respond. "We established a pattern of play early, got up by 20 points, then hit a flat spot," head coach Mike Dunlap said. "We just needed a little bit of emotion to get us going." That uplifting feeling came from senior Kevin DeWig. The forward played 12 minutes in the second half and had seven points. It was the spark the Roadrunners needed to maintain control of the game. "I was just trying to play my best," DeWig said. "When I saw big Barlow getting rebounds, and DeMarcos says to run the floor and I'll get the ball to you, I decided to run." Anzures ended the game as the team's leading scorer with 17 points and also had a game-high five assists. Barlow led Metro with 12 rebounds while the Tiger's Tywan Meadows led all scorers with 32 points. The Tigers cut the lead to as little as five points with just over five minutes left in the game. That's when DeWig took over, scoring five straight points to push the lead back to 10 points. It was a solid victory for Metro after playing Nebraska-Kearney for first place in the RMAC standings Feb. 5. Though Dunlap was concerned about how his team would play against Fort Hays, the Roadrunners are showing their coach their maturity. "Energywise we were ready to go," he said. "I think we're starting to grow as a team. We didn't show a huge amount of emotional energy last night. We just played hard and were balanced." The Metro style of playing everyone on the bench seems to be working. The Roadrunners had five players score in double figures. "It's nice to have that," Dunlap said. "Yet again, our depth came through." Also scoring in double figures for Metro was Rashawn Fulcher with 13 points and John Bynum with 10. The Roadrunners are now 10-1 at home this year with one home game remaining, Feb. 19, against Colorado Christian. The Roadrunners also have a good chance of hosting the RMAC tournament starting Feb. 23. |
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Perseverance pays off for women One night's strength is another night's weakness. The Metro women's basketball team executed its game plan but lost its composure in a loss to division leading Nebraska-Kearney Feb. 5. The following night, the Roadrunners did the opposite. It was their game plan that wasn't clicking and their composure that produced an 84-83 victory over Fort Hays State. The victory gives Metro an 11-4 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference record, 16-6 overall, which puts them in second place in the Eastern Division with four regular season games left. The biggest game left will be Feb. 11 when Metro travels to face Regis. The Rangers are right behind Metro in the division standings. The biggest play of the game against Fort Hays State was turned in by center Timmi-Jo Miller. The senior sank one of two free throws with six seconds left in the game to give Metro the lead. She then was called for a foul with less than a second left in the game. But Fort Hays guard Maisha Prewitt missed both free throws. Once again, it was a reversal of the game the night before. "We miss a shot at the buzzer to win the game last night (Feb 5), it goes in and out, the basketball gods weren't smiling on us," head coach Mike Power said. "Tonight, a kid goes out and misses two free throws with practically no time left on the clock. What comes around goes around. You get your luck sometimes and sometimes you don't." The Roadrunners created much of their own luck against the Tigers by running a patient offense in the second half. The idea was to get the ball into the low post players on offense, rebound and make all the easy shots. None of it worked in the first half. About the only thing that did work in the first half was Sarah Coleman. The junior celebrated her 21st birthday by scoring 14 points in the first half. "Some days you shoot well and some days you don't," Coleman said. "Fortunately I was hitting my shots the first half." Metro trailed by five points at halftime, 46-41, and were lucky it wasn't more. "When we walked into the locker room at half and we saw the three keys on the chalkboard, we realized we hadn't done any of them yet," Power said. It was another contrast to the previous night's game where Metro held the No. 17-ranked Nebraska-Kearney Lopers to just 18 points in the first half. "The keys were defense and rebounding and we didn't do either," Miller said. "I think we used a lot of energy against Nebraska-Kearney and we didn't come out with enough heart tonight." The Roadrunners made up for that in the second half. They watched Miller go down with a knee injury at the beginning of the half and Stephanie Allen injure her ankle just minutes later but never panicked. Both players were able to return to action but Allen was called for a technical foul with just over 10 minutes left in the game. Team rules state that if you get called for a technical you sit out the rest of the game. Allen became a spectator and the Roadrunners started looking for the post players again. "When you are behind, you got to get the clock to stop," Power said. "We started concentrating on getting the big horses the ball." Down by 10 points midway through the second half, the inside game started to work for Metro. A basket by forward Shiloh Tiritas and free throws by Miller cut the lead in half and forced Fort Hays to sag down low. That gave guards Sarah Coleman and Gabi Sandoval the outside shot. Both players sank a three-point shot and with just over four minutes left in the game the Roadrunners found themselves with a two-point lead. "Last time we played we went inside a lot," Miller said. "They either fouled us or we made a basket. We missed a lot of shots underneath in the first half. The second half we came alive." The key was an adjustment the post players made during a timeout. It enabled Miller to score 15 of her game-high 23 points in the second half. It also provided instant gratification and proved to Power that his team was maturing. "The way they were defending our post players was giving us fits," Power said. "We made the adjustment, changed it, and they couldn't double up on us anymore." Once Metro got the lead they never gave it back. Even with Allen out of the game Metro never missed a beat. "We've been in that situation before," Power said. "We've learned not to rely on one person. We did a good job of getting it done as a team." Metro had four players in double figures. Besides Miller's 21 points, Coleman had 19 points, Allen had 15 and Tiritas had 12. Metro has three straight road games left before ending the regular season at home Feb. 19 against Colorado Christian, one of the teams that has beaten Metro. |
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