Volume 21 Issue 27 April 16, 1999 |
|||
|
|
|||
|
Contents:
|
|||
|
|
|||
NEWS |
|||
|
Students elect new president
One group of student candidates had all its members elected to seats on the Student Government Assembly. The Students for Students party campaigned for nine of 12 spots on the assembly, including president, and won all nine positions. The presidential candidate for Students for Students, Jennifer Darnell, won the position with 205 votes. Three of the party's candidates ran unopposed. Among 16,988 students at Metro, 635 voted in this year's election, an increase from last year's 522 votes. Other parties involved in this years election were Hoo-Ya, The Student Sword, Student Voice and Voice 4 the Voiceless. "I really want more student
involvement, bottom line," Darnell said. She said she wants to establish
a newsletter to increase communication between students and the assembly.
Darnell said she wants to install suggestion boxes throughout campus to
enhance communication between the assembly and students. Other items on
Darnell's agenda are to negotiate a weekly column in The Metropolitan
to answer questions placed in the suggestion boxes, and to increase involvement
of the assembly in the new student orientation. Chuck Dugan was elected to the
position of vice president of administration and finance on the Student
Voice ticket. Andy Nicholas, the current president of the assembly and an
independent candidate, was elected as the student representative to the
Board of Trustees of State Colleges in Colorado and the Colorado Student
Association. Aussy Rabih campaigned as a write-in candidate for vice president of academic affairs. Although she lost, she said she still plans to be involved in the assembly. Rabih said she will participate in the Grade Appeal Committee, which mediates disputes over grades between students and professors. Of the students who voted, 421 approved a fee for membership in the Colorado Student Association. CSA charges Metro 50 cents per full-time student to fund its lobbying activities at the Colorado legislature. The student government induction ceremony was April 15. The new assembly will begin it's one-year term May 1. |
|||
|
Poverty falls harder on some Many people are intimidated by the government and don't speak up when things bother them, said Denver mayoral candidate Gill Ford during a campus visit April 14. Ford spoke in the basement of the Golda Meir House on Ninth Street Park. "People are losing contact with the government because everyone is afraid to speak up," Ford said. Ford encouraged the 20 people in attendance to interact and ask questions while he was making his speech. Ford addressed topics such as the poor test scores from students attending Denver Public Schools. "DPS has 1 percent of its students reading at their grade level, " Ford said. Ford also spoke about the 12 poorest neighborhoods in the City and County of Denver. The unemployment rate for Colorado is around 4 percent Ford said, but in the 12 poorest neighborhoods the unemployment rate is around 30 percent, he said. "People prey on others' poverty," Ford said. "People prey upon people's fears." Tax dollars were another subject on Ford's agenda. Ford said places such as Elitch's, Ocean Journey and the Pavilions were built from tax dollars — yet only a small amount of people can afford to enjoy the finished project. "It was enlightening," said Carissa Archuleta, a Metro student. "I can address similar issues in my life and become more educated about the government." Ultimately, Ford said he wants to change the quality of life in Denver. A native of Denver, Ford is the director of the Daddy Bruce Thanksgiving project which brings meals to metro residents area during the holidays. He has also worked with a variety of community groups, such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Peace Officers and Standards Training Board, the Public Safety Review Commission and an agency to prevent drug and alcohol abuse. |
|||
|
Professors' evaluations on Internet At the end of this semester student evaluations of Metro professors will be available via a link on Metro's Web site. Aussy Rabih, vice president of academic affairs, said it's taken a year to get the project completed. When student government first proposed putting the evaluations on the Web, they planned to change the statistics from a number to a letter grade. "That was illegal," said Monys Hagen, president of Faculty Senate. "We never had a problem with the evaluations going on the Web, we wanted to make sure they were done legally and done right, " Hagen said. She said the evaluations had to be posted exactly as they appeared in the research office. "What Faculty Senate had initially planned was a new evaluation form that benefited the students," Hagen said. "Two years ago Faculty Senate and student government worked together with assessment experts and created a new evaluation for students. The new forms had information about course content, like if the class was lecture based, and asked questions like, 'Did this course motivate you to take more classes like this one?'" she said. "The evaluation form Faculty Senate came up with would have been much better for students, but the student government members that came in the next year ignored the new form, choosing instead to post the existing forms," she said. The evaluation forms student government has posted on the Web benefit professors, not students, according to Hagen. Evaluations are public record and stored at the Office of Institutional Research. Student government members collected the evaluation disks and hired Tek Consulting to transfer the data from disk to the Internet. Tek Consulting charged student government $3,100 for the job. Student government paid the money out of student fees and part of next year's budget. "Eventually we would like to move the database from Tek to campus and do the upkeep ourselves," said student government President, Andy Nicholas. Carrie Schafer, director of College Communications, said the project was sponsored by student government, not Metro. Hagen said she felt students won't benefit from having the evaluations on the Web. "Students still aren't getting enough information about the classes or the professors from these," she said. Nicholas responded to Hagen's statement, saying he felt students have better access to the evaluations with the Web link. "Students won't have to go through all the red tape anymore," he said. Nicholas said students can look at the current evaluations and decide if they're beneficial. "If students think they need better evaluation forms, they can ask the faculty to change it," he said. |
|||
|
Tivoli workers organize donation drive Spare change from each student's lunch money at the Tivoli could add up to thousands of dollars to help Kosovo refugees. Employees at the Tivoli Info Desk initiated a collection box April 8 at Tivoli Tickets, Room 241, to give to the American Red Cross. "If we could get a little bit from everyone, there would be a substantial amount to give to victims in Kosovo," said Metro student Kevin Mahoney, a Tivoli Info Desk employee. After chatting about current affairs at a staff meeting, employees were surprised that no student organizations had gotten involved in such a human rights issue, said Mark Sedlacek, Info Desk supervisor and Marketing associate in the Tivoli. "We just thought there must be something we could do, some way of getting student involvement," he said. "My staff said, 'Let's go for it!'" The collection was the employees' initiative. "I have a lot of caring, good employees," Sedlacek said Mahoney said the group was indifferent to the right or wrong issue of the conflict, but they cared about the refugees. "There are definitely victims," he said, "People should not suffer for some political turmoil. " After mentioning the idea to Club Hub occupants, many of the organizations
agreed to help in the Robert Hazan, a Metro political science professor, said he would promote the collection as well. Red Cross representatives told the staff monetary donations are the best help because they can buy supplies rather than ship them to Kosovo, Mahoney said. Thus, the group decided to collect money rather than food, clothes or blankets, Mohoney said. "One dollar from each student could make a difference," he said. "We're really not asking for anything big, but every little bit helps." This is the first time employees at the Info Desk organized a campus activity, Sedlacek said. The students are solely in charge of the collection, he said. Sedlacek provided a place to receive the money and allowed flyers to be posted, he said. For more information, contact Mark Sedlacek at (303) 556-6329 in the Tivoli Student Union or Amber Stewart with the Colorado Public Interest Research Group at (303) 556-8093. |
|||
|
Internet providers sound off in senate WASHINGTON D.C. — The heads of some of the largest Internet access companies addressed the future of the industry and the prospects of government regulation in testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee on April 13. "It is important to ensure that the enormous benefits of advanced
telecommunications services are accessible to all Americans, regardless
of where they live, what they do or how much they earn, " said Sen.
John McCain, R-Ariz., Senate Commerce Committee chair. "High-speed
data service finally gives us the chance to assure that The hearing addressed the debate between the cable and telephone industries about consumer access to Internet service providers. Cable companies have been developing cable modems that provide access along with cable service, McCain said. But other Internet service providers, including America Online, believe cable modem technology deters competition and want the government to create regulations that provide non-discriminatory access for the last mile to a home. The telephone industry has been working to provide Digital Subscriber Lines through current telephone wires. This service gives consumers access to any Internet service provider that uses the technology. Telephone companies say that current regulations from the Telecommunications Act of 1996 hurt their ability to deploy DSLs in rural and low-income areas, McCain said. The telephone companies want the government to end regulations that hurt their expansion capabilities. James Robbins, the president and CEO of Cox Communications, urged the government to stay out of the Internet field and not regulate the industry. The cable industry has invested more than $10 billion in network upgrades, Robbins said, and government regulation will drive the cost of access up for consumers. "Regulation has no place in this vibrant, rapidly developing sector
Charles Brewer, founder, chairman and CEO of MindSpring Enterprises, said government regulation is the only way to ensure access to the cable and telephone wires that are needed for Internet communication to all service providers. "This is the only way we can have a vibrantly competitive market for the core telecom services of the future," Brewer said. "And that is supremely important—for consumers, for our economy and for the well-being of our country." Solomon Trujillo, president and CEO of U S West, said without action from congress, telephone companies will not serve low-income areas. "Those regulations have excluded millions of Americans from the benefits of the Information Age," he said. "The rules now in place give new market players no incentive to invest in under-served areas and at the same time prohibit companies like U S West from filling the void. "There is no reason to believe this will change without direct action from congress," Trujillo said. He said broadband service is a necessity for farmers, small-business owners and governments in rural areas. William Schrader, chairman and CEO of PSINet Inc., said the regulation of the telephone companies is in the consumer's best interest. "I am also skeptical of Bell Company claims that 'just one more regulatory break, and we'll roll it out,'" Schrader said. "This sort of compromise has been struck before and, invariably, the fabled services never quite materialize. "Instead, the Congress should stick to its commitment that competition, not compromise, will get the Bell Companies to hasten deployment, " he said. |
|||
|
Student clubs hold disability workshop A conference on campus April 16 highlighted people with disabilities that are often overlooked. The Alpha Delta Omega, the honors society in human services, and the student club Leadership, Education and Awareness with Direction held the workshop in the Tivoli Turnhalle. "There are people with disabilities that aren't visible, and those people have a lot of trouble getting their needs met," said Anne Hatcher, the adviser for the honors society in human services. "We want to be able to increase people's awareness to people with disabilities," she said. Hatcher also said there has been training done with faculty, but there has been no training for students and they want to change that. "I have been to other colleges and Auraria has a wonderful set-up because there is more accessibility for students with disabilities," Hatcher said. |
|||
|
|
|||
COMMENTARY |
|||
|
Is that a gun in your pocket Views: It looks like Colorado lawmakers will soon expand the right to walk around with a gun in your pocket. People who haven't been convicted of a felony and can pass a safety test qualify. Opponents predict a bloodbath. Law-abiding citizens, they say, will become gun-wielding maniacs. Advocates say crime rates will drop because criminals will have a tougher time identifying helpless targets. Both positions are typical of the hyperbole used by people who let fear make up for a lack of conclusive research. Nobody knows what would happen. Many states permit concealed weapons, under a variety of regulations and with varying results. In New York, for example, crime rates have fluctuated independent of the state's stringent gun laws. Gov. Bill Owens said he supports a provision to prohibit carrying a concealed weapon on primary and secondary school grounds. Some college officials, including Metro President Sheila Kaplan, are asking to extend that exemption to keep guns off college campuses. In principle, it's a reasonable request. Of course guns shouldn't be allowed on school grounds, whether in college or kindergarten. The very idea of education implies safety and freedom — the antithesis of guns. In practice, however, criminals will not simply avoid a school or university campus because of a legal barrier. That's why gun advocates say the right to carry a concealed weapon is so important — for protection from such supposed vagabonds. Anti-gun forces point out that a gun is no guarantee of protection to its carrier, and it presents additional danger to bystanders. The only satisfying end to this debate would be a vote of the people. Senate Republicans on April 12 squashed that possibility. Now Denver Mayor Wellington Webb is asking for someone to organize a petition drive to overturn any change to the law. Notably, that "someone" won't be him, Webb said. |
|||
|
Owens borrows from the future "House Bill 1325 is an overt conspiracy between legislators and
bond dealers to deprive voters of their rights." This is the kind of thing that inspires spitting on lawyers. I watched in amazement April 13 as attorneys representing Gov. Bill Owens, Attorney General Ken Salazar and the legislature argued to the Colorado Supreme Court the merits of the governor's plan for financing road construction. Here is the gist of what your new governor has in mind: We are going to borrow money and pay it back, but at no time during the transaction will we be in debt, which the state constitution forbids, because the law we are trying to enact for the purpose of this transaction doesn't require us to pay back the money. Yeah, I know. Read it again if you have to. Bare with me through a little background. The governor wants to sell $1 billion in notes on the bond market. The
Department of Transportation will put that billion to work immediately improving
Interstate 25 along the southeast corridor in the Denver area. The notes
will be sold for a term of probably 15 years. After that time, the state
will pay the note holders the principle and interest The governor says this will save the state money on inflation and rising construction costs because we can sign contracts at today's prices. He also says we can make money by investing the windfall so we earn interest on whatever isn't immediately paid out. The problem is the state constitution prohibits debt, multi-year financial obligations and raising taxes without a vote of the people. So in a nutshell: We can borrow money without committing ourselves to paying it back. By doing so we squirm around the provisions of the constitution that deal with debt and multi-year obligations. If we don't say we're in debt, we're not in debt. It's magic. Douglas Bruce, a conservative activist, and four democratic senators, of all people, are opposed to the scheme. "Everybody wants the notes to be paid," said Rebecca Lennahan, a lawyer representing the legislature. "They expect them to be paid. Our position is that there is no legal obligation to pay those notes." I'm disgusted that a Republican governor would stoop to levels ordinarily reserved for liberal Democrats. Owens might think he's being fiscally conservative because his plan saves money once enacted, but he's forgetting to look down at the constitution he's trudging over on his way to those savings. Kyle Ringo is a Metro student and a columnist for The Metropolitan. His e-mail address is ringok@mscd.edu. |
|||
|
|
|||
FEATURES |
|||
|
Flags over Metro Yellow flags placed on Auraria's grass by Lawn Doctor have replaced the ladybugs that the grounds department used to dump on the campus. Lawn Doctor uses the flags to warn of chemical pesticides and fertilizers on the lawns. "Those (flags) are required by law," said Sim Rivera, supervisor of the Auraria grounds crew. "When you look at them, there's a time and a date when they sprayed." Rivera said he hasn't heard of people getting sick from the chemicals, but some people might have allergic reactions to them." I try to minimize the odor with neutralizer so that people won't smell it," Rivera said. He said reducing the smell helps to reduce allergic reactions. Rivera also tries to have the lawns sprayed during times when there are fewer people on campus, such as weekends and evenings. " I'm really careful to try and get them to do it on the weekends," Rivera said. He said Lawn Doctor cooperates with his requests. The children of Auraria have their own grassy playground behind the Child Care Center off West Colfax Avenue. They arrived Monday morning to find Lawn Doctor's yellow flags in their playground. Gina Hamelin, director of the Auraria Child Care Center, said the children couldn't go outside to play for two days. "We kept them inside as a precaution after we saw the signs," Hamelin said. She said the flags said the chemical sprayed on the grass was a pesticide, but facilities management assured her that it was actually an herbicide. She said she didn't think herbicides were toxins, and the weeds were spot sprayed and pulled, so the children would not be in contact with any chemicals. Auraria hasn't always used chemical fertilizers and pesticides on the grass. Rivera said he has been using Lawn Doctor to spray the grass for about a year. "We used to do biological control, like ladybugs and praying mantis," Rivera said. "Every year I would put some out, but sometimes people would complain because those ladybugs fly all over the place." Some students agreed. "I would rather they use chemicals," Metro student Marc Giuliano said. "If they just use chemicals, then I'm sitting on grass, otherwise I'm sitting on bugs. Nobody likes bugs." Bill Dau, a University of Colorado at Denver student, said if he saw bugs in the grass he wouldn't sit on it. Another problem with insects is they only get rid of other insects, such as aphids. Lawn Doctor sprays for both weeds and insects. Rivera said chemicals are the only option he knows to control weeds. Auraria tries to use as little chemical fertilizer and pesticide as possible, according to the grounds department. "There's not very much chemical use on campus, we try to keep that to a minimum," said John Garrett, a groundskeeper. "We lay all that fabric down to keep the weeds from coming up so that we don't have to use chemicals," Garrett said. Garrett said if they do spot weeds after Lawn Doctor has done its yearly spray, grounds will use Round Up, another chemical, to kill them. Spraying the numerous lawns for weeds is not cheap. Rivera said having Lawn Doctor spray costs the campus about $3,000 per year. Rivera said using biological control is cheaper than having Lawn Doctor spray the grass, but it's worth it to spend the extra money because Lawn Doctor is more effective. |
|||
|
Cruisin' the 'Fax Anything can happen on the 15. More than 100 times a day during the week, a 15 bus leaves Auraria Campus and makes a journey along East Colfax Avenue. It's a street that moves to the rhythm of history, people and some T and T. "It's a scenic route," said bus driver Lawrence Collier, who is known to many passengers as T and T. "It's a fast moving street. A lot of things are going on up and down Colfax that you just don't see on other routes." Collier, who has been driving the East Colfax route on and off for the the last 22 years, said he got the nickname when a woman, who was getting off the bus, asked him for the time. "I told her the time is 10:20 and the temperature is 72 degrees. From then on, she calls me Mr. Time and Temperature. "It's a route everybody has a tendency to dog," Collier said. "Ninety-five percent of the people who take the 15 are good people. I refuse to believe there are only bad people. "Hey, there's easy money," he said as a woman in her 40s gets on the bus. "Either you've been staying out of trouble, or they haven't caught you yet," she responded as she sat in the seat closest to Collier. "In order to drive this route you have to be a people-person," Collier said. "You have to take it with a sense of humor." The bus rumbled to a stop at Broadway and Colfax. A man got on the bus wearing orange sunglasses, a black beret and a dirty gray, wool overcoat. It was 70 degrees outside, about 80 on the bus. He sat down and played an imaginary drum set to the reggae music blaring from his Walkman. He rode the bus for three blocks and got off. "You become accustomed to the things you see and the excitement," Collier said. "You go to another route and things are not right. I went to another route and I was just miserable. Now I'm back home. "I'm originally from Oklahoma," he continued. "Oklahoma is my birthplace. I have no control over that. But this is home. "Next stop, Downing, route 7 and 12 just around the corner," he calls out like an old-west train conductor. "Does this bus go to Monaco?" a man asks at the stop."Your reading skills are great, sir," Collier replied followed by a contagious, deep baritone laugh. It was a laugh that drew everyone within earshot into the conversation. "Hey T and T, you've got our lives in your hands," one passenger called out as Collier detours to 16th Avenue to avoid construction on Colfax. "I'll get you there all right," Collier called back before bursting into another round of laughter. Another man started to sing a B. B. King song. Collier leaned into the bus' microphone and joined in the refrain. "Yeah, sing it, T," the man calls. "You don't want me to do that," Collier replied. Another laugh erupted. The bell on the bus rang, and Collier pulled to a stop. He looked in his mirror and drove on. "Hold on," yelled a man in his 70s. "I need to get off." "I didn't see the backfield in motion, so I thought it was a false alarm," Collier said, stopping the bus again. The bus rolled through Capitol Hill, picking up everyone from bums to businessmen, heading to Aurora. As it continued along its path, it passed mom-and-pop restaurants, pawnshops, fast-food joints, thrift stores and roadside motels, standing as monuments to a time when gas was cheap, dad drove and a vacation meant the journey as well as the destination. Several stores still offer movies for a quarter. Many of the businesses along the way are checkered with boarded up windows, resembling inner-city ghost towns. The occasional storefront church "The 15 is one of the busiest routes in the entire country," said Regional Transportation District spokesman Scott Reid. "It's got a pretty wonderful eclectic mix of passengers, which reflects the different neighborhoods." Reid said on an average weekday, people board the East Colfax bus more than 11,000 times. "In terms of ridership," Reid said, "the 15 is in the top 10 in the country." For Collier, the numbers translates into friends. "I've met a lot of sweet people out here that I'm going to miss when I retire," he said. "I haven't seen Colfax change, and I don't think I ever will," Collier said. "It will always be Colfax. I don't think we want it to change." According to University of Colorado at Denver professor Tom Noel, who has written several books on Denver's history, Colfax Avenue was named after Schuyler Colfax. Colfax, who was born in 1823, sponsored the bill for Colorado statehood while he was in Congress. He later became vice president during Ulysses Grant's first term in 1869. In 1873, he was charged with corruption, a common experience in Grant's administration, for accepting bribes through a holding company for Union Pacific Railroad. "It's fitting that Colfax street has been involved in numerous scandals," Noel said. "Colfax is a wonderful barometer of the city," Noel said. "I live two blocks from Colfax, so I see it every day. It's had its ups and downs. It has seen everything from tree-lined mansions of wealthy citizens to hookers. "I like Colfax as a shopping strip because there is any store you could possibly want, from computer repair shops, to bookstores, to laundromats. It's like one big mall." Noel said he is excited to see a historical renovation along parts of Colfax, such as the Bluebird Theater. "That has helped," he said. The Bluebird Theater, at 3317 E. Colfax Ave., opened as the Thompson Theater in 1912. It was the first theater built specifically for movies in Capitol Hill. It was renamed as the Bluebird Theater in 1921. During its history, the Bluebird saw everything from the golden days of Hollywood in the 1920s to the seedy side of life as a pornography theater in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1987, the building was vacant. In 1994 Chris Swank and Evan Dechtman bought the building, renovated it, and opened the new Bluebird Oct. 6, 1994. Noel said Denver, Aurora and Lakewood are now working together to improve the street. "It used to be Denver would just shove the prostitutes to Aurora and Aurora would just shove them back to Denver," he said. "Now that's all changing since the cities are working together." For some people, such as Metro art student Jessica Ried, Colfax and the
15 offer a view into a range of lifestyles."I write quite a bit,"
she said. "Most of the inspiration for my characters comes from people
I see "It's is an interesting cultural experience," she said. "It's the nitty gritty. It's the real people ... the people who have no money. You see artists, writers, homeless people, business people or the really cheap rich folk. It's the epitome of a city. There's nothing that shows you what a city is like like riding a downtown bus." After the sun sets, the 15 takes on a whole different character. The smell of stale beer wafting its way through a roar of conversation transform the 15 from the mundane silence of the daily commute to a rolling social club. A white bearded man sits down at the front of the bus. "My nephew just got into law school," he told anybody who would listen. "He's real smart." Toward the back of the bus, four men were talking. "I used to dance at the Albuquerque Fair," one said. "I even won first place one year. Now I don't dance anymore, but I still sing the songs my grandfather taught me. I sing them to my grandchildren." "What is your name," one of the three men asked. "Black Tongue." "The buffalo has a black tongue. It's a good name." The bus stopped again at Broadway and Colfax. The four men, along with most of the passengers, got off. The bus continued its lonely journey through downtown to a deserted Auraria Campus. |
|||
|
|
|||
SPORTS |
|||
|
Metro splits After taking three of four games from cross-town rival Regis last week, the confidence the Metro baseball team had gained seemed to have been left in Colorado for the first two games of a four-game series with Nebraska-Kearney April 10-11. The Roadrunners dropped both games, 5-3 and 13-5, on April 10. In less than 12 hours, the same Roadrunner team came back and took the last two games of the series with the Lopers, 8-1 and 14-6, to split the four-game series. The Lopers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in game one as the Roadrunners committed two errors in one inning; one by junior first baseman Miika Autio and the other by senior second baseman Cory Linteo. Metro would get two runs in the second thanks to junior right fielder Matt
Jerebker's two-run home run, his first of the season. That would be the
closest the Roadrunners would get to the Lopers. Junior pitcher Will Tavis
went the distance, giving up all five runs, but only one of them was earned.
He struck out eight Loper hitters in six innings Game two started off the same as the first, with Kearney jumping out
to the early lead, this time 9-1 after three innings. The Roadrunners committed
four errors in the game, with one error coming in Kearney's The Roadrunners were paced by junior left fielder Dana Reichers, who went 3-for-4 on the day. Reichers had three singles and scored twice. Autio hit his seventh home run of the season, a two-run shot. After dropping the first two games, Metro needed an all-around performance from its team to regain its confidence. Senior pitcher Kevin Watson started the day off right with a complete game, six strikeout performance in game three as the Roadrunners beat Kearney, 8-1. The offense, which seemed to be dormant the previous day, exploded for eight runs, six of them coming in the fourth inning. Of the 12 Metro hits, only two of them went for extra bases (Autio and senior left fielder Tony Vargas, both hitting doubles). Reichers had another great performance, going 2-for-3 with one RBI and scored one run. Leadoff hitter Geno Ballardo was on base three times (3-for-5) scoring once and knocking in one RBI. The last game of the series started out like games one and two with Kearney striking early, this time getting three runs in the first and the third off Reichers. Trailing 3-0 in the second, Metro started its comeback. Reichers led off the inning with his eighth home run to cut the lead to 3-1. Autio followed that up with one of his own, hitting his eighth of the season to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Roadrunners scored two more runs in the inning to take the lead 4-3. The home run barrage continued in the fifth inning. Up 7-6, junior catcher Billy Wallace smashed a two-run shot, his third home run of the season, to put the Roadrunners ahead for good, 9-6. With Reichers struggling the first three innings, freshman pitcher Jason Ash came in the fourth inning and shut the door on the Lopers. Ash allowed two hits, no runs and struck out three Kearney hitters to record his first win of the season. With Metro splitting the series with the Lopers, the April 17-18 series with Fort Hays State at Auraria Field will have a huge impact on the playoff picture. The Roadrunners and the Tigers are in a four-way tie for third place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with Colorado School of Mines and Regis. Metro and Fort Hays (8-8) trail conference leader Mesa State (11-5) by three games. Whoever wins the Metro-Hays series will have the upper hand on catching Mesa and gaining home field advantage for the RMAC Tournament. |
|||
|
Roadrunners gearing up for end of season The Metro women's tennis team defeated Colorado Christian University April 13 to collect its third win in the last five matches. The 6-3 victory was the most dominating win of the season for the women. No. 1 singles player Kelly Meigs led the way with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Heather Green. The junior is the only Roadrunner player to have a winning record this season. She is currently 5-4 at the No. 1 singles spot. The women have been playing inspired tennis since Natalie Maes joined the team April 9. Maes had to sit out the first six matches for eligibility reasons, making it tough for Metro to win matches with only five players. Since the Roadrunners have been able to field a complete team, they have been 2-2 with wins over Mesa State and Colorado Christian. They are currently 3-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings. Metro's next match isn't until April 23-25 when they compete in the RMAC Tournament. The Metro men's tennis team suffered only its fourth loss of the spring season April 13 when they traveled to face the Air Force Academy. The 6-1 defeat was Metro's worst loss of the year. Metro currently holds a 10-4 record after collecting an 8-1 win over Nebraska-Kearney April 10. It was a sweet win as Kearney is one of only four teams this season to defeat Metro, taking a 5-4 decision in the second match of the season. The victory was also important as Nebraska-Kearney was ranked No. 7 in the most recent regional polls while Metro was ranked No. 8. The match wasn't as close as coaches and players had predicted. Metro won all six singles matches, losing only one set in the process. Metro is coming off a sweep of Mesa State on April 9 at the Auraria Campus. The loss to the Air Force Academy was a match Metro needed to get itself ready for the Bronco Invitational in Edmond, Okla. Metro is seeded fourth in the tournament and will see the top players in the region. The top four teams from the regional tournament will get berths to nationals, something assistant coach Buu Le said is obtainable. "This will give us a clear indication of whether or not we have a shot at making regionals and nationals," he said. "I think it's a good possibility." The way Metro has been playing, anything seems to be possible. The Roadrunners have won seven of their last nine matches. Their only two losses have been to Division I schools Denver University and Air Force Academy. Metro has been very decisive in its wins this season. In the four wins prior to the Air Force match, Metro had a 33-3 game advantage. Sophomores Peter Lantz and Michael Judd have been the biggest factors in the Roadrunner's success. Lantz has posted a 10-2 record at the No. 1 singles spot while Judd has a 11-2 record at the No. 2 singles spot. The two join together at the No. 1 doubles position where they have gone 12-1 on the season. They were the only team to win a match against the Air Force Academy. Metro will play its last home match April 20 against Northern Colorado
before participating in the RMAC Tournament. |
|||
|
Auraria diamond a big hit Other groundskeepers might be green with envy over Auraria's award-winning baseball field. The groundskeeping crew of Auraria Field received the Diamond of the Year award for college-level facilities from the Sports Turf Managers Association for its work maintaining the field. Groundskeeper Tom Moody went to the association's annual conference in Mesa, Ariz., to accept the award Jan. 15, in behalf of the entire crew. Moody and his crew put long hours into maintaining the quality of the athletic fields on campus. They spend an average of six hours a day, five days a week working on the baseball fields during the season, Moody said. That time is used to mow the infield, paint the foul lines, and keep the "skin portion" wet and raked, Moody said. During spring break the grounds-keepers worked even longer hours while the Roadrun-ners were on a road trip. The crew spent more than 150 hours, even on Saturday and Sunday, aerating, fertilizing and seeding the field, Moody said. During the off-season, work continues on the field at an average of three hours a day, Moody said. Repairs and prep work for the new season are completed during that time, Moody said. The groundskeepers were proud of the award and somewhat surprised to receive it, Moody said. They were surprised by the news because they were competing against Division I facilities, which generally get more funding, Moody said. "We work really hard for all the events on campus," Moody said. "It's a great honor to be awarded for our hard work." The Metro baseball team helps in the upkeep of the fields they play on, Moody said. Metro baseball coach Vince Porreco set up a duty roster for his players to participate in the maintenance which is greatly appreciated, Moody said. Porreco, on the other hand, greatly appreciates the work that the groundskeepers put in to keeping the fields in top condition. "Tom and his crew put tremendous time and pride in their work," Porreco said. "They deserve all the credit." Judging criteria included: age of the diamond, number of staff, number of events held on the premises other than baseball and how those effect the playing surface, and the maintenance program organization, said Steve Trusty, executive director of Sports Turf Managers Association. Groundskeepers submitted photos of the field for evaluation by four head groundskeepers of major league ballparks. The award comes after some much needed improvements to Auraria Field. Last year the fence in left field was raised 10 feet to prevent balls from sailing onto Auraria Parkway and damaging cars. Players are required to use only wood bats during any type of practice on the field to prevent the car damage as well. |
|||
|
The
Met Online is a student-produced online version of the weekly student-produced
The Metropolitan newspaper, both operating under the direction of
the Metropolitan State College of Denver Office
of Student Publications.
|
|||
|
All
Rights reserved, Copyright © 2003, The Metropolitan.
For feedback and questions |
|||