Volume 21 Issue 28 April 23, 1999 |
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Contents:
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NEWS |
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Aftershock: As the news rippled across Auraria Campus on April 20, students and staff crowded around televisions and radios to hear news updates on the shocking high school massacre. Students with ties to Columbine High School rushed to phones confirm the safety of their family or friends. Metro student Erin Herring feared for her parents' lives. They were both teaching history at Columbine on April 20. Her mother escaped the rampage by mere minutes when she went home for a lunch break. "It's one of those funny things — our dog was sick so she went home over lunch break to check on him," she said. "They walked into the building about two minutes after she cleared it." Her father, however, did not make it out of the building until 3:30 p.m. Herring was on campus awaiting theater rehearsal when she heard the news of his escape. "I just wanted them to get my dad out. That's all I wanted," she said. Her friend, Metro student Sara McGuire, paged Herring in class to inform her about the shooting. McGuire attended Columbine with Herring and was shocked at the news. "Columbine! I mean south Jeffco! That's something that you never think would happen there," she said. Metro student Brian Elson coaches junior varsity lacrosse at Columbine. He was driving to practice when police at barricades surrounding the school directed him away from the scene. "I didn't think there was anything I could do. I figured the best place for them to get a hold of me was at home," Elson said. None of Elson's players were harmed, he said. Elson did not attend Columbine. Of the students registered for the 1999 spring semester, 260 Metro students attended Columbine high school, said Paul Wilken, director of Institutional Research. Metro student Lisa Jimenez said, "It could happen anywhere — even at Metro. If you're not safe in school, where are you safe?" Laura Premer, a University of Colorado at Denver student who lives a few miles from Columbine, went home April 20 to many distressed family and community members. "It kind of turns your whole world upside down," she said, "It's a high school! One of the safest places in the world." Premer joined hands with many other Auraria students at the flagpole April 21. She said she came to school to be with friends because she could not stay in Littleton. In the center of the memorial circle at the flagpole, UCD Student Activities coordinators set up flowers and lit candles. Metro student Tyler Foe also joined the silent circle to pay his respects. "It was good to see people joining hands," he said. "At a time like this, it's easy to let yourself get down and think the world is going downhill. But I see there are a lot of people that care and have compassion, too. It makes me feel better." Laura Nissen, director of human services and works with high risk youth, said feeling safe is the immediate need for students. "It's too soon to focus on grief. We first need to stabilize and live through it," she said. Student can help themselves feel safe by asking questions and getting involved, Nissen said. Talking about the situation is also an important step, she said. The Metro Counseling Center at Tivoli Room 651 is offering crisis intervention discussion groups all week from 10-11 a.m. and 2-3 p.m. "It's important to understand that there will be a wide range of responses," said Gail Bruce-Sanford, interim director of the counseling center. "Some will have a much more profound grief and others will have a more philosophical outlook. It's different for everyone." Metro Sociology Professor Martha Shwayder said she spoke with students in her classes April 21. Several of her students called to tell her they would be absent from her class, she said. "My class was only half full, which suggests that a lot of them were affected," she said. |
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Education chief: Metro shouldn't need landlord Colleges on Auraria Campus might operate better if they didn't spend millions on an organization that plays landlord for the three schools, the state's top higher education official said April 15. Each of the three colleges on Auraria contributes about 8 percent of its budget to the Auraria Higher Education Center, which maintains the campus grounds, police force and other shared services. "You've got three systems that can't seem to get along, and so you've got to hire a fourth president," said Tim Foster, the new governor-appointed director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. "All Auraria is, is a landlord." Compounding that problem is the fact that each college teaches a set of similar undergraduate classes. That's unnecessary duplication, Foster said. A more efficient system would involve Community College of Denver teaching only technical courses, Metro teaching only undergraduate courses and the University of Colorado at Denver offering only graduate courses, Foster said. Gov. Bill Owens appointed Foster three months ago to head the commission, which oversees Colorado's 28 colleges and universities. But Auraria Vice President Dean Wolf said the current organization works just fine. "I think some of the comments related to Auraria certainly are ones that people can make standing from a distance," Wolf said. "You've got to remember that this concept, the Auraria concept, has been in operation for 22 years. You don't snap your fingers and immediately have something that's very unique working over night." Foster acknowledged that Auraria Campus is working adequately. He complimented Wolf's work during the last few years at settling disputes between the colleges. But Foster said students would benefit financially from not having the extra expense created by Auraria's administrative staff. The campus phone book lists 298 Auraria employees. If AHEC were to dissolve, most of its administrative staff could be transferred to other government jobs, Foster said. Then administration of the campus could be shared between the three colleges, without a fourth organization. Metro President Sheila Kaplan wouldn't comment on whether dissolving AHEC is a good idea. "I think right now AHEC is operating as the founders hoped it would," she said. "One shouldn't think that simply because somebody thinks X should happen, it necessarily will happen." Looking at how Auraria works could be a part of a larger study of all colleges in the state. Colorado lawmakers are in the process of approving House Bill 1289, which calls for a study of all higher education. The bill passed the state House of Representatives on Feb. 24 and is awaiting action in the Senate Appropriations Committee. The study carries an estimated price tag of $200,000. |
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Murder prompts Metro prof's sudden leave A part-time Metro professor has taken time off after her daughter's father was shot dead outside of a Capitol Hill Alfalfa's Market April 17. Metro Speech Professor Emma Yoder's 5-year-old daughter witnessed the shooting, according to police. They said she had been splattered with blood, but she was unharmed. The victim, Richard "Steve" Elliott, had just left the Alfalfa's store and was in the parking lot on 900 E. 11th Ave. at 6 p.m. when he was shot in the head at point-blank range by an unknown assailant, police said. The nature of the relationship between Yoder and Elliott is unclear aside from their sharing a daughter. Yoder declined to comment on the shooting or on her relationship with Elliott. The police have a description of the suspect but as of April 21 they have made no arrests. No weapon has been found, and no motive could be established, police said. Alfalfa's is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of a suspect in Elliott's death. Marilyn Hetzel, the chairwoman of the Metro Speech department, said Yoder teaches Interpersonal Communications. She said Yoder was absent from classes this week because of what happened. Hetzel said it was unclear when Yoder would return to work, but Yoder expressed to her a desire to return before the semester ends. Hetzel said the department would accommodate Yoder and there would be no need for her to rush back to work after such a tragedy. The Metro Human Resources Department said Yoder worked as a Spanish professor as well. The Spanish Department declined to comment on Yoder. Diane Blomberg, a Metro speech professor, said Yoder's classes were canceled for the week of April 19 through April 23. A substitute has been found, Blomberg said, but it is uncertain when the substitute will take over. Blomberg said Yoder asked her to explain the circumstances of the absence to the Interpersonal Communications class. "She just wanted them to know she was all right," Blomberg said. Yoder did not want to have her students left to speculate with just a note on the door, Blomberg said. Blomberg said she went to the class April 19 and informed them of shooting. "Her students reacted with horror, sadness and empathy," Blomberg said. Blomberg told Yoder's students they could write notes expressing sympathy and put them in Yoder's mailbox in the Speech office. She said a number of students followed her back to the Speech Department and her box filled with notes from students offering their condolences. |
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Metro student tests positive for TB This month a Metro student tested positive for active tuberculosis, a contagious lung disease. Martha Eaton, a clinical supervisor with the Student Health Center, said students shouldn't worry about getting TB from the infected student. "Unless you've have close contact on a regular basis with the person you are not at risk," Eaton said. Students can't become infected by being in the same classroom with the person, she said. Eaton said the student was put into isolation and given a special antibiotic treatment. Isolation lasts for a week and a half. Eaton said the health center notified the state about the TB case, which is standard protocol. Anyone who may have had close contact with the infected student has been notified and tested. Anyone exposed to the student who tests negative for TB will have to be tested again in three months to make sure the disease hasn't incubated in their system. Having active TB and testing positive for TB are two different things, said Tim Englert, manager of the Colorado Tuberculosis Surveillance Department. A positive test can mean the person was exposed to TB, but the disease is dormant. Doctors prescribe an antibiotic treatment as a preventative measure. The antibiotics are taken for six months. "You can only get TB from a person with active TB, not from someone who has tested positive," Englert said. Symptoms of TB include fatigue, a persistent cough, weight loss and a slight fever. These are general symptoms, Eaton said. Just because you have these symptoms doesn't mean you have TB, she said. "Of course, we're students and all of us are tired. It's springtime and everyone has a cold with a cough, and when I get stressed out I eat less and lose weight," Eaton said. |
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Arts center construction on time despite finds A 6,000-gallon tank containing water and diesel fuel was found buried under the future site of the Academic and Performing Arts Center. This brings the total number of tanks discovered there to three. Ray Allen, the manager of Auraria's Environmental Health and Safety, said the tank was discovered March 8 while construction workers were drilling concrete caissons and hit a pipe on the tank. Caissons are cement support beams that are drilled into the soil in order to support a building from the ground level and up. The tank was found only a few yards away from where the first two tanks were discovered last year in the northwest part of the lot. The first two tanks were tested and sampled by Evergreen Analytical Inc., and lab reports showed they contained mostly water but did have some gasoline and diesel fuel inside. They were excavated along with more than 100 cubic yards of contaminated soil. Allen said the Arvada Treatment Center tested the third tank and found it contained 3,500 gallons of water and had some diesel fuel in it as well. Before the tank could be removed, Auraria had to notify the state fire department in case there were explosive materials in the tank and the oil inspectors section of the Colorado Department of Labor had to be notified to look for soil and ground water contamination. Allen said the soil around the tanks could not be left on the site because it was contaminated and was hauled off as well. Mike Lopez, the construction manager for the Academic and Performing Arts Center, said about 40-100 cubic yards of contaminated soil was hauled off to landfills. The center's schedule of completion is for the fall of 2000. Lopez said they have not encountered anything to put them behind schedule. "We are not behind schedule. We are not ahead of schedule. We are exactly where we want to be," Lopez said. Lopez added the cost for the extra work would not affect anyone since the costs to clean up the contaminated area will come out of a budget that is pre-set for the project. Chris Wineman, the project coordinator for the center said the cost to build the center is about $38 million. The site where the center is going to be was an iron and metal company in 1924 according to a private collection of directories from the Denver Public Library. In the mid 1930s it became the Shidler Irving fill station. The site was home to a service station until the early 1970s. |
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National Guard tuition increase mulled by House National Guard members attending Colorado colleges could have their full tuition paid if a new bill passes in the Colorado legislature. House Bill 1332 would allow the members to receive an increase from 75 percent to 100 percent of tuition dollars. Each member in return must spend one year in the National Guard for every semester assistance is granted. "The bill is aimed at recruiting people," said one of the bill's sponsors, Sen. Frank Weddig, D-Aurora Each person must remain a member of the Colorado National Guard to continue to receiving tuition dollars from the Department of Military Affairs. The bill would also prohibit any member of the National Guard from receiving tuition assistance from any other agency if the amount in conjunction with the program would exceed 100 percent of their tuition. "This bill allows them to allocate the dollars they see fit," Weddig said. This bill would give the Colorado National Guard more money to recruit more people who have the skills they need to fill certain positions, Weddig said. The Colorado National Guard Tuition Assistance Program currently pays for 60 percent of the students' tuition, or up to 12 credit hours, said Charise Jones, supervisor of Student Accounts at Metro. The government paid $21,260 for 55 students to attend Metro this spring through the program, Jones said. The bill will be read for the third time on April 22. If passed, the bill will proceed to the Senate for consideration in committee. |
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Part-time Metro prof dies of heart attack A Metro adjunct professor died April 17, of a heart attack outside of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. He was 44. Alan Dumas has taught feature writing for newspapers at Metro in the past few fall semesters. "He was just a great guy," said the journalism department chair Ken Bisio. "His student evaluations were always high. He always made time for his students. He just gave of himself like crazy. He had years of professional experience that he always brought to the classroom. He had a passion for journalism and writing, but he really had a passion for passing it on to students." Many of Dumas' former students said his death is a loss to the campus. "I found him to be incredibly encouraging," said Metro student Crawford Clark. "He broke down mental barriers. I thought he was a pretty talented guy." Dumas had worked in radio, television and newspaper fields. He worked at Westword when it first began printing 26 years ago. For the last 10 years Dumas had been a feature writer at the Denver Rocky Mountain News. "Alan was a true Renaissance man of journalism, he could write about just anything from the Beat Generation to Star Wars," said Mike Pearson, Dumas' boss at the News. Dumas was born in Minneapolis on Sept. 23, 1954. Survivors include his mother; brothers Daniel and John; sisters Kathy and Nanette; and stepfather Steve Stevens. Services were Thursday, April 22. |
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Blood drive draws 193 donors The IRS is not the only organization that drew blood this year. Students and professors donated more that 163 pints of blood April 15. One-hundred and ninety-three people donated their blood which can save up to three lives each donation, said Bonfils medical officials. Bonfils held a blood drive at the University of Colorado at Denver North classroom all day April 15 for Auraria students and faculty. Bonfils Blood Center provides blood to more than 70 percent of hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout the state. CU-Denver student Luke Rogers said he has given blood in the past. "I think it is good public service," he said, "It helps out with the community without costing anything." The donated blood is sent to Bonfil's laboratory, located on the old Lowry Air Force base, for testing. The blood that passes the tests becomes available to patients. Participants must be 18 years of age, in good health, weigh at least 110 lbs., and be able to donate blood every 56 days. Matt Otis, a blood donor recruitment specialist, said he and a team that works for Bonfils go around to schools, businesses and communities, setting up drives. "It's a really good cause. I enjoy seeing students come and give of themselves to help others," Otis said. As long as students and faculty continue to come and donate their blood, Bonfils will keep coming to the campus three times a year for blood donor drives, said attendants working for Bonfils. |
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COMMENTARY |
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Lessons at Columbine High I am a Columbine High School alumna. Informally, of course, because I was one of those ridiculed students whose self worth was beaten so effectively into the ground by my peers; I didn't graduate in June 1985 like the rest of my class. I migrated to Boulder to be an "outcast" in peace. I guess I can tell you from experience that the old adage is false, and should be rewritten as follows: Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can break my spirit. I don't condone the actions of those boys. It is abhorrent. Neither can I condone the societal push to blame anyone or anything else. Society: Look at yourself. We have a country that was completely willing to impeach a president because of his sexual exploits. Yet he's bombing a country to help bring peace and everyone thinks that's perfectly A-OK. What crap. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians are displaced or dead because the Serbs don't like people who are different. Do you see what I'm getting at? One group doesn't like another group. No so different from that school I avoided like the plague so many years ago. My sisters and brothers went to school there. I have a friend whose parents teach there. I'm not involved, and yet I am, because I'm human. I feel awful for the families of those children with so much promise suddenly vanished. I feel equally as bad for the parents of the boys who did this unthinkable act. What of their promise? Lost. I would have to say, looking back over the years, that the freaks, geeks and fringe elements I knew turned into the most successful, intelligent and interesting people I know. Take the time to get to know somebody who challenges your ideas, who challenges you because they appear to be different. You might like them. You might not. But you'll be better for the experience. And you might find that they are not so different after all. |
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Professor evaluations useless It's that time of the semester: research papers, projects, final exams — and evaluations. Most like the idea of having students rate their professor or his or her ability to teach the subject matter. Not only are evaluations a waste of valuable class time as a semester is ending, they serve no purpose other than pitting students against their instructors. The real enemy of the students is not their instructors, but the administration. Metro history professor Thomas J. McInerney said the evaluations are antithetical to 600 years of academic tradition where students and their instructors worked together in their intellectual pursuits. "Evaluations come from a time of division and conflict and create a lot of distrust," McInerney said. After the student protests of the '60s and '70s, college officials proposed evaluations, slyly shifting the focus off the administration and on to professors. This was done, McInerney said, "to give students the impression they have something to say, when in fact they have no say." Evaluations are a bad idea. Yes, student government members — both incoming and outgoing — are in love with the idea. Evaluations give students a good foundation when selecting a class for the upcoming semester, said Aussy Rabih, vice president of academic affairs. Sadly, there is no evidence that students have ever used evaluations as an aid in class selection. For students to even view evaluations they must walk across Speer Boulevard to Institutional Research on the 10th floor of the Terra Center. However, as reported in The Metropolitan's April 16 issue, the evaluations are due on the World Wide Web next month, courtesy your student government. Though this will save students some walking, what they should be doing is talking. Is the class lecture-based? Ask. Talk to the class instructor. Talk to former students. Jennifer Smith, incoming vice president of student services for student government, said it is precisely this lack of talking that makes evaluations important at Metro, where the commuter campus prevents the word-of-mouth discussion available at residential campuses. "Because of the nature of the student populations, this is the way to go," Smith said. It used to be that at semester's end, professors would evaluate the students. Now, students get to sound off on their professors. What worries many is the amount of students who use evaluations as a means to get even with a hard professor. Who knows what grudges are brought on the instructor's evaluation? Student government member Rabih said students recognize potential biases. "Students know that numbers do not mean anything," she said. If they don't mean anything, what is their purpose? "I do not think evaluations serve any useful purpose," McInerney said. "They do not promote academic freedom and they're not in the best interest of students." Evaluations, he said, "may well explain grade inflation and the general deterioration of higher education." Sadly, not too many students would complain about an 'A' despite deserving a 'B' or 'C.' High standards used to matter. Anymore, students are taking a "pay and pass" mentality. They pay their tuition and their professors pass them. If the work is too difficult or too challenging, it is the instructor's fault. At the risk of sounding old-fashioned, it is time for students to take some responsibility for their own education. The proponents of evaluations say they are a helpful tool for students mulling class choices. I've got a better suggestion: Why not have professors rate their own courses in terms of difficulty, style, workload and attendance requirements? That would save precious time at the end of the semester. It would give students a clearer picture of what to expect from a class — not one clouded by number crunchers or students carrying a grudge. |
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School slayings hollow hearts "These guys were killing just to kill." There are no words for this. Try one. It doesn't fit. None of them do. There isn't a word to describe the horrible emotions gripping the families of 12 children and one teacher killed at Columbine High School. Despair? It's not enough. Fury? There is more than that. You can pile up all the best and worst adjectives and none would fill the holes in their hearts. I am struck by the sorrow I feel. I know no one involved. Why is it that this can happen in Oregon, and I am able to simply shake
my head? A similar circumstance — multiplied by a million times —
plays out in Kosovo and some days I decide not to pay attention. Think about
it. I can't explain why this is more meaningful to me than those tragedies. Maybe it's just proximity. My family has lived a few miles from Columbine for nearly 20 years. We celebrated my niece's birthday and my nephew's baptism in the park next to the school within the last year. I feel nothing approaching the pain of those 2,000 souls who attend and teach at the school. I am numb. How must they be? I am surprised by my sadness. I've never cared more about something I've had so little to do with. I have heard others relate similar feelings after comparable events.They all say it's different when it happens close to home. I have wondered about that and questioned it. Now I know it's true — at least for me. This was vicious. The slaughter was planned. It seems it must have been. That makes me queasy. It is so foreign to us we are stunned by this evil's existence. Why is it that people figure this kind of calamity can't happen here no matter where here is? I can't remember it happening anywhere else, but the sort of place It seems to be, if you are somewhere thinking it won't happen here, you're next. So how do we learn from this and make sure it doesn't happen again anywhere? Can we? I don't think so. I want to tell my niece and nephew that this won't happen to them. I want to tell them they have nothing to fear. I can't. There are no words. Kyle Ringo is a Metro student and a columnist for The Metropolitan. His e-mail address is ringok@mscd.edu. |
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SGA asks: 'What's on your mind?' When I decided to attend Metro, I wanted to have a complete college experience, which is more than attending class. I believe college is about getting educated socially, as well as academically. I have been giving a great deal of thought to what I would like to accomplish this year as student government president. My foremost goal is to represent Metro students to the best of my ability. However, not enough students provide their input, making this a difficult task. So, my second goal is to get students involved. As an elected representative of the student body, it is imperative that I know what issues the students would like me to address. Considering the diverse population at Metro, I am sure that we will have different interests and ideas regarding what needs improvement around campus. What I find important is probably not the same as what you find to be important. In order for me to do my job effectively, I need to know what you feel the SGA should be addressing. I want to take this year's SGA in a new direction. With increased visibility, student awareness and student involvement in the SGA, we can get on the right path. Our first order of business is to put up suggestion boxes around campus. We will begin designing and planning the SGA newsletter, as well as putting the student hotline and Web page back into use. Be sure to keep your eyes open for these exciting new avenues of communication and provide us with feedback through our suggestion boxes. It is important for the SGA to support all students as much as possible. Therefore, I am currently looking into the possibility of displaying Metro student artwork in the SGA office, offering my services for spring commencement and extending help to various student groups throughout the campus. I promise to be as available as I can, and I would challenge the student body to come and speak to the SGA, especially myself. I look forward to the coming year and the challenges we will face. I also look forward to playing an integral part in the development of a new and innovative style of student government. Jennifer Darnell is president of Metro's student government. |
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High school shooting's aftermath Editor: I was a student at Columbine High School in Littleton. It held some of my most beloved memories. Now it holds my worst fears. I heard about the shooting at 1 p.m. when I arrived at work. Two Together we watched and waited. No one knew what was happening inside. Wild reports of explosives and gleeful murder in the library and commons area. I am not a violent man by nature. I have worked hard to suppress my anger, but today created a change. I wished nothing else but death for those who would dare invade my former school and so easily gun down innocents in the name of retribution. I couldn't find any way to release the tension. People I cared about were in mortal danger with me able to do nothing but pray. I was filled with joy at the acts of heroism by the students and teachers to save lives and get most of the more than 2,000 students out. I also found a dark happiness to find the two suspects were dead by their own hands. I have new respect for the security of Columbine I faced when I tried to visit last fall. I now understand their reasons for keeping me off the grounds and having Jeffco officials check on me at my car. I understand all too well. As I write this, I still don't know if any I know are dead or alive. I have always been against guns, never picked one up for any reason. Now my stance is even stronger. I have seen cowards use guns to solve their personal problems and my family, my friends and my community are paying the price. I do hope those who were there, directly and indirectly, can make this horrifying event stand for final changes. To make sure that no other community has to face this kind of fate again. Death is an inevitable truth in life, but not like this. I personally ask everyone to let your thoughts turn to the students of Columbine and make sure that their anguish and sadness is never repeated. Doug Hoffman |
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FEATURES |
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The Belly Barrier A Metro alumna is whirling her way through cultural barriers with a unique and oftenmisunderstood form art of belly dance. Metro grad Eva Cernik, a professional belly dancer, was born in Brazil and moved to New York at age 8. She said she is not sure why, but she's always had an interest in Middle Eastern cultures. Cernik began performing ballet when she was a toddler, but an accident tthat damaged the cartilage in her knee forced her to stop. She knew she was no longer able to do the difficult jumps ballet required, so she learned belly dance. Cernik has been to Egypt 19 times and Turkey five. She even lived in Istanbul for several months to get a better understanding of the origin of belly and Oriental dance. Belly dance has long been seen as a form of seduction because of the negative way it was introduced to the American culture more than 100 years ago. When belly dance first came to this country, the nakedness of the belly dancers offended some people, so it was forced into saloons. Cernik said the negative image saloons gave belly dance is inaccurate and harmful to the dance, which she considers a serious art form. "It has its roots in goddess worshiping cultures that had no inhibition about the female body," Cernik said. "But now it has been thought of as a seductive dance, to seduce men. When we're dancing that's the last thing on our minds." "In the Middle East what we call belly dance or Oriental dance people think is something low class, something sexual," Cernik said. This is mostly due to the very modest Muslim traditions and religion, she said. "This dance is left over, it is like Easter bunnies and Easter eggs," Cernik said. "They're not Christian they're left over from pre-Christian times, from the Pagan times when Easter bunnies and eggs represented fertility, but we keep it." Like Easter bunnies in Christianity, belly dance has remained in the Muslim religion because of its association with fertility, Cernik said. Cernik said some more fundamentalist Muslims have always opposed belly dance, and have shown their opposition in some very dramatic ways, such as throwing acid in the dancers faces and threatening their families. However, she is quick to say that not all Muslims are opposed to belly dance, and it is still a common tradition at weddings and other celebrations because of the belief that belly dancers are good luck. Often at weddings the bride and groom will each put one hand on the belly dancer's belly for a picture, believing the belly dancer will cause them to have many children, Cernik said. "For some reason, the (Muslim) religion loves it and hates it at the same time," Cernik said. Moving to Denver helped her belly dancing career. She received a degree in biology from Metro, and while at class she met a man who helped her with her dancing, she said. "My lab partner was this big guy who I thought was from Guatemala or something," Cernik said. "It turned out he was from Persia." The man had a friend who owned an Indian restaurant, that featured belly dancers. "He said 'Well, you can dance here,' so I used to take my costume and hang it in the lab," Cernik said. "I would ride my bike over there and dance for lunch and come back." Cernik has fond memories of Metro, and she said when she went here there was no Auraria Campus. Metro was several buildings spread around Denver. "We were in buildings all over downtown," Cernik said. "We had to run from one class to another," Cernik said, laughing. "It was far!" Cernik works as a dancer at Mataam Fez Moroccan restaurant in Denver, and
gives belly dancing classes when she has time. She also does regular shows,
which she said helps people to understand the different cultures, especially
Cernik will perform at the Mizel Museum April 25. The museum is part of a synagogue and it has a program called 'Bridges of Understanding,' which tries to educate youth about different cultures. "They try to bring in kids from all different schools ... to show them programs from different cultures," Cernik said. "They try to break the barriers between different cultures, and because it's a synagogue that's sponsoring it, they're trying to have understanding with the Palestinian children as well so that the kids don't grow up hating each other." "It's good for people to understand a little bit more about this
culture that we're going to be hearing a lot about," Cernik said.So
far, the program has been successful. Organizers hired her to dance
and lecture about Turkish Cernik said that the program will have an unusual twist; break dancers. "We're going to have some break dancers as well because we noticed with break dancing they do all the same movements that we do in the Oriental dance," Cernik said. "It is different music and different culture but the movements are so much the same." Cernik said when she lived in New York many years ago she and some other belly dancers would often dance across the street from the Lincoln Center. "Down the block there were the break dancers," Cernik said. "They used to come over on our block and imitate us. It was one of those things that we had in common that only the dancers could understand." Cernik said that although the form of the purpose of belly dancing has changed over the years, the committed dancers refuse to let the spirit and traditions die. "Dancing was a way of meditation," Cernik said of the ancient goddess worshiping cultures, where belly dancing was originated. "Of course now it's a lot different than it used to be; it's more of an entertainment now." |
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Metro student directs main-stage play Roy Ferguson was kicked out of Brigham Young University in the early 1980s, but somehow he's managed to land on his feet at Metro. The 36-year-old is directing How I Got That Story, a reporter's vivid tale of Vietnam and the Korean War. This is the first full-length play he's directed at Metro, although that's where his inexperience ends. His theatrical career came about at age 10, when his parents threw him into a play where he memorized three lines. From there he tackled Boy Scout productions and everything else until his entrance to middle school. His love for the theater grew with his performance as Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof as a senior at Hood River Valley High School in Oregon. "It was one of the few leading roles I've ever had," he said. He toured with a bus-and-truck production of Grease for six months. He worked with Keith Carradine on the film Warning Sign. He also beat out 167 people for one of 12 roles in an original play at BYU. Ferguson sees more importance in the small characters with memorable quirks and traits. "They're the characters who have the most impact in a show. Everyone remembers the really mean guy or the gay guy. "People know those people in their everyday lives." The small nature of the roles allow actors to show more of their talent, he said. This is one of the reasons for his picking How I Got That Story. Ferguson also played the leading role of the reporter a few years back at Aurora Community College. He is able to direct the show at Metro because it is a student stage production — an all-student (and no-faculty) effort. He put in for the opportunity last year; his wish came true this semester. "We still talk to (Speech Department Chair) Cookie (Marilyn Hetzel) and (theater professor) David (Kottenstette) when we have problems, but it's not an everyday thing. "The major involvement comes from the students." Although Ferguson is dealing with a bigger budget than that of the semi-professional theater company he normally works with, all positions in this production are without monetary or credit stipend. The speech communication education major is ever hungry for knowledge, and he learns his trade from close observation of Metro's Marilyn Hetzel — AKA Cookie. "She is always teaching something," he said. "She is always so excited about everything she is doing, and she'll tell you it's because she makes that choice. I want to be like that when I'm teaching in a few years." How I Got That Story runs April 27-May 1 at 7:30 p.m. and May 2 at 2:30 p.m. Call (303) 556-3073. |
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Noble Nazis and the Net Only the best playwrights can make incestuous pedophiles likable. Paula Vogel almost does too good of a job in her Pulitzer-winning How I Learned to Drive, currently up at the Acoma Center. The Curious Theatre Company production is the finest theater outside of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The ensemble is tight, and the direction bomb. It's all about Li'l Bit (C. Kelly Douglass), and her trials and tribulations behind the wheel. But driving becomes much more difficult when she's steering her way around Uncle Peck (Paul Borrillo) and his wandering hands and mind. It's material that sticks with you in both good and bad ways; the subject matter is beautifully written and tastefully performed with haunting images and resonance. The acting by Douglass and Borrillo fit the bill, and supporting actors Brett Aune, Melanie Owen and Denise Perry rocked the mic with supersonic support. How I Learned to Drive plays through May 30. Call (303) 623-0524. The musical, the myth, the legend — Les Miserables is at the Buell Theater — and it's so good it stings. The French musical based on the Victor Hugo novel is a classic. It's presence in the theater world is static, and the story is colossal. Jean Valjean (Ivan Rutherford) served a hard 19 years for stealing a mouthful of bread, and upon release he screws up again and is granted his freedom — but his soul then belongs to God. He leads a life of morals in taking in a dying woman's child Cosette (Regan Thiel), and raising her through the tough times leading up to the French Revolution. The drama runs high, the music hangs with you and the voices kick ace. This tour is strong, excluding the unfortunate three-hour-plus running time of the show. Les Miserables plays through April 24. Call (303) 893-4100. While I was watching Blood Brothers, I kept waiting for Eric Roberts to walk on Arvada Center's stage. As I had never heard of B-musicals, I know Roberts is infamous for the B-movies he graces with his image. Here's the low-down on this musical: It's like one of those Jackie Chan or Jean Claude movies where there's two twin brothers separated at birth, but they meet later in life and end up fighting for the same girl? The word "contrived" doesn't even do it justice. But that's OK. The casting director nearly makes up for it with the talented pool of actors singing the lame lyrics and the forced dialogue. Mrs. Jonestone (Joan Staples) is the heart of the play, and Staples is more than delightful. Her sons Mickey (Greg Baccarini) and Edward (Klint Rudolf) also flow with charisma and charm. The performances are stable throughout the entire deal, but why anyone would choose this musical astounds me. Blood Brothers plays through May 9. Call (303) 431-3939. Craig Lucas' modern play of love and deceit on the Internet doesn't work. He tries hard. He even throws a curve ball of Crying Game proportions. But the story never clicks, now up at Theater on Broadway. Robert's lover recently died and he is selling his screenplay to a film company executive, Jeffrey (Robert Mason Ham). Jeffrey changes all the characters in the play so they're straight, rather than gay, and he and Robert start having sex even though Jeffrey has a great marriage to Elaine (Trina Magness). They all get on the 'Net, someone breaks into the psychologist's office and mayhem breaks loose. The script has potential through the first act, but it loses steam, only keeping its head above the water because of performances from Magness and the gang. Magness is all that is good and sexy and evil and alluring. She's not the lead, but she's more than integral to the story. The Dying Gaul plays through the end of June. Call (303) 860-9360. And I thought Shakespeare alone was confusing enough. Try the Bard's Merchant of Venice done under experimental pretexts with heavy German accents in an intense and violent atmosphere and you have the LIDA Project's original adaptation, the Merchant of Auschwitz. It's a play within a play. It's Shylock (Nils Ivan Swanson) played by a Jew in a concentration camp. Antonio (Josh Hartwell) is played by a Nazi captain. This production is heavy, and I wasn't prepared. The effort deserves serious applause, as the environment evokes feelings of death and grief. The music (three soundtracks) set the tone and added believability to the period. The performances keep together a complex, demanding script with near fluidity. A downfall was the accents, which took away from the cohesive performance and the basic understanding of the language. Shakespearean lingo is tough enough to understand, but when actors speak in hushed voices with a sometimes-incomprehensible dialect, it is a next-to-impossible feat. LIDA should nonetheless get accolades for this experimental journey full of juxtaposition. Merchant of Auschwitz plays through May 30. Call (303) 282-0466. |
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SPORTS |
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Give a little, take a little The weekend baseball series between Metro and Fort Hays State on April 17-18 was supposed to clear up the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings. All it really did was show the parity in the RMAC, prove that good pitching will beat good hitting most of the time and keep everyone guessing. Fort Hays, Metro, Regis University and Colorado School of Mines were all tied for third place in the RMAC with just two weeks left in the regular season. Once the dust settled, Fort Hays State and Metro remained tied for third place as they split their four-game series. Regis is currently fifth and Colorado School of Mines is sixth. The top four teams at the end of the regular season get a berth into the RMAC tournament. Metro won the first game of the series with a dramatic come-from-behind rally in the seventh inning. Down 5-2 entering their final at-bat, catcher Billy Wallace started the rally with a double. Several batters later, Jason Klatt hit a bases-loaded single to right that scored two runners. Dana Reichers followed that with a game-tieing single and after an intentional walk to Miika Autio, Matt Jerebker hit a grounder between third base and shortstop for the game-winning RBI. "That was a big win for us," head coach Vince Porr-eco said. "Wallace's double got things started." While Wallace may have been a hero at the plate, it was pitcher Corrigan Willis who kept the Roadrunners close. After allowing Fort Hays State five runs in the first four innings, Willis shut down the Tiger attack in the final three innings to give Metro a chance at victory. "Willis pitched an outstanding last three innings to keep us in the game," Porreco said. Metro was poised and ready for a doubleheader sweep in the nightcap. Kevin Watson, the Roadrunner's top pitcher, was on the mound but the Tigers were able to get to Watson early. He gave up five runs in the first two innings and the Roadrunners could never get a rally going. The biggest deterant was Tiger starting pitcher Vonley Frey. Frey gave up only four hits in six innings of work. He struck out six batters, walked only one, and kept the Metro hitters guessing all game long. "He was on today," said first baseman Miika Autio, who struck out twice against Frey. "He was changing speeds and hitting his spots." Porreco said the same thing. He felt his players never got used to the way Frey pitched. "I think he really spotted the ball well," Porreco said. "He moved the ball in and out and kept the hitters off-balance." The biggest problem was calculating Frey's windup. He was only throwing the ball about 80 mph, according to Porreco, and the slow speed may have fooled the Metro batters. "His slow windup and slow motion delivery changes when he comes to you with the hard stuff and it's deceptive," Porreco said. Porreco was hoping the Roadrunners could feed off the momentum from the late-inning victory in game one. But falling behind early put an end to those thoughts. "When you have momentum, you like to try and keep it," he said. "But we lost it when we gave up three runs in the first inning." Watson, who leads the staff with a 6-4 record, went the full seven innings. He allowed 13 hits and struck out three. The following day, the Roadrunners again got off to an early start with a 6-2 win in the opening game of a doubleheader. Adam Willis collected his first win of the season with a superb seven inning performance. Willis allowed just five hits in the game and struck out three batters. Dana Reichers supplied all the runs Willis would need in the second inning of the game. He hit his ninth home run of the season, a three-run shot that gave Metro a lead they would never relinquish. In the second game, it was once again good pitching that took control of the game. The Tiger's Franco Martinez and Metro's Jason Ash were in a pitcher's duel for most of the game. Both teams scored two runs in the first inning but it was Martinez who continued his mastery of the Roadrunners throughout the game. He allowed just three Metro hits and struck out seven in a 4-2 Tiger win. Metro travels to face Southern Colorado on April 24-25 before finishing the regular season with a four-game series with New Mexico Highlands May 1-2 at home. |
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Statistically speaking, Metro with the leaders The Metro baseball team may not be on top of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings but when it comes to statistics, the Roadrunners can play with the best of them. Metro is currently tied for third place in the RMAC with Fort Hays State.
Mesa State leads the RMAC standings and with good reason. Mesa State leads
the conference in most of the team and individual Metro is tied with the Colorado School of Mines with the most runners picked off base. The two teams each have picked off 24 runners during the season. Metro's best category is in the field. The Roadrunners lead the conference in fielding and are ranked 19th in the nation in the same category. The Roadrunners are ranked high in several other categories in the RMAC including hits per game (2nd, 9.79), RBI's per game (2nd, 6.33), doubles (2nd, 83), total bases (2nd, 634), on base percentage (2nd, .411), RBI's (2nd, 266) and homers (2nd, 38). Several individual players are ranked high in the RMAC. Pitcher Kevin Watson leads the RMAC in walks allowed, giving up just 1.40 walks per game. Watson is also fifth in innings pitched per game (5.85) and sixth in runs allowed per game (5.18). Watson has an impressive strikeouts-to-walks ratio with 36 strikeouts compared to just 10 walks. Watson is Metro's top pitcher with a 6-4 record. Corrigan Willis is right behind him with a record of 5-4. Junior Jacques Burgoyne has the team's best earned run average at 4.26. Will Tavis is third in hits allowed per game, giving up just 8.71 per game. Tavis is also ranked second in strikeouts per game with 8.88. The Roadrunners are hitting .326 as a team which ranks them third in the RMAC. Six Metro players are hitting above .320 for the season. Junior Billy Wallace leads the team in batting with a .391 average. The Metro power supply comes from Dana Reichers. The junior has nine home runs this season and 47 RBI to lead the team. Junior Miika Autio is right behind Reichers with eight home runs and 39 RBI. Senior Jason Klatt has five homers and 44 RBI. Metro has eight more games left in the regular season. The Roadrunners travel to face the University of Southern Colorado April 24-25 for four games. Southern Colorado is currently in last place in the RMAC standings. Metro finishes the season May 1-2 when they host New Mexico Highlands for four games. New Mexico Highlands is currently second in the RMAC behind conference leading Mesa State. The top four teams after the regular season is over will receive a berth in the RMAC playoffs. — The Metropolitan staff |
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Ash, Lantz, Schweissing receive Metro honor Just outside the Tivoli, athletes are working hard and trying to prove themselves. And when they do, they win Metro Athlete-of-the-Month honors. Sophomore pitcher Jason Ash, sophomore tennis player Peter Lantz and senior swimmer Kristen Schweissing have all earned Metro Athlete-of-the-Month honors for April. Ash was named Athlete-of-the-Month for his performance on the baseball field. He pitched a complete game in the April 11 victory over Nebraska-Kearney. For the season Ash has a 1-1 record and a 6.29 ERA.Lantz is the No. 1 singles tennis player and holds a 13-5 record for the season. When he teams up with sophomore Michael Judd for No. 1 doubles their record is 15-4 this season. Schweissing earned the monthly honors after the swimming season Metro basketball update More than a million homes tuned in to watch the Metro men's basketball
team play for the NCAA Division II championship, according to the Nielsen
TV Ratings. — The Metropolitian staff |
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Fourth place finish keeps Metro alive The Metro men's tennis team wanted a tough schedule this season to prove to on-lookers that they belong in the Division II regional and national tournaments. With a fourth place finish in the prestigious Bronco Tournament in Edmond, Okla., April 15-17, the Roadrunners made their point loud and clear. "The Bronco Tourney was the big match of the season," head coach
Dan Lefevre said. "It was the pre-regional tournament with the top
10 teams from the region there. We were the new kid on the block. We knew
we The Roadrunners won their first two matches, defeating Northwest Missouri State, 5-2, and Ferris State, 5-3. The tournament used a team format which is the way the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference will be run. After beating Ferris State on the morning of April 16, Metro had to come back in the afternoon and play Central Oklahoma. Playing two matches in one day took its toll on the Roadrunners as they lost, 4-5. Lefevre said he thought the Roadrunners weren't in the greatest of condition and that might have had an impact on the match. "I think they realize now that conditioning is a key," Lefevre said. "We've got to be ready for every match." Even with the loss, Metro was able to reach the semi-finals on April 17 against Northwood. Metro lost the match as Northwood swept all three doubles matches and finished with a 5-4 win. The loss put Metro into a third-place match with Northeastern. Though Metro lost the match, 5-2, it was much closer than the score indicates. Bruce Dicker and Ondrey Pilik both lost their singles matches in three sets. The loss gave Metro a fourth place finish and Lefevre was happy to finish exactly where Metro was seeded going into the tournament. He said it shows that the Roadrunners are "legit" this season ,and he wasn't the only one to notice either. "There were a whole group of teams hanging around after fourth place," he said. "There was a lot of parity which will make it interesting in seeding regionals." "Most coaches who saw us play said good things about us," Lefevre said. "The tournament gave us the exposure we needed and the notoriety." The top player for Metro during the tournament was Oliver Breustedt. The junior from Germany went undefeated at the No. 6 singles spot. Breustedt tends to rely on a finesse game to defeat his opponents and lost only one set in his four matches. He did not play in Metro's first match. "Oliver was the man, he really came through for us," Lefevre said. Metro finished off the regular season April 20 with a 9-0 shutout win over Northern Colorado. The next match will be in the RMAC Tournament to be held April 23-25 in Colorado Springs. Lefevre says that as long as Metro doesn't get upset, it should receive a bid to regionals. Lefevre even said that there is an outside chance that Metro could host a regional match. The Metro women's tennis team didn't participate in the Bronco Tournament but ended the regular season April 13 with a 6-3 win over Colorado Christian. The women are 3-7 on the season as they head in to the RMAC Tournament. |
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