Volume 21 Issue 3 September 4, 1998 |
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Contents:
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NEWS |
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Metro president slammed
"Her record in faculty
relations is pitiful and miserable," said one respondent to the evaluation
survey. The results, compiled by Metro's Faculty Senate, were overwhelmingly negative. At Kaplan's request, Metro's Office of Institutional Research reviewed the Faculty Senate's findings and conducted its own survey. The second evaluation not only confirmed the findings of the first, they reflected worse on the president. "I am concerned that the relations between the president and the faculty continue to be adversarial and contentious,ä said another faculty member, responding to the evaluation survey. Only two of 20 questions in the Institutional Research survey showed support for Kaplan. More than 80 percent of faculty believe Kaplan is doing a good job in encouraging the hiring of both women and minorities. Most respondents to the other 18 questions said Kaplan lacks communication skills and respect for faculty. "(Kaplan) needs to work with faculty a lot more instead of against them," said Faculty Senate President Monys Hagen. "She needs to take faculty concerns more seriously." Kaplan admitted that she needs to work on some areas and said she will address faculty concerns. "The
evaluation speaks for itself," Kaplan said. "We've worked a lot
of issues out. There certainly continue to be areas where the desires of
Faculty Senate, which I understand, are simply nothing I can respond to
positively. This is the first time the faculty
has evaluated the college president. It was done to inform other members
of faculty how everyone felt about Kaplan, said Stu Monroe, Faculty Senate
vice president. In 1997, 161 of 336 full-time tenured faculty said they had no confidence in Kaplan' s ability to lead. The vote was staged after faculty members expressed concerns over her perceived agressive management style. |
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Kaplan to extend fall break Faculty Senate's executive committee are debating on whether Wednesday will be an optional day this year for classes for faculty who may need the day for their curriculum. "Some faculty have designed their curriculum so they have to have that day, but in subsequent years there won't be classes before Thanksgiving," Kaplan said. Kaplan handed down the decision after three years of the Faculty Senate and student government grappling with Kaplan over the issue. "To Dr. Kaplan's credit, she did revisit an issue that she opposed," said Monys Hagen, Faculty Senate president. Metro student government President Andy Nicholas said, "The first meeting I ever had with Sheila Kaplan, that (Thanksgiving break issue) was the first thing out of my mouth." Hagen said both the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the last Saturday of the fall semester will be eliminated. "That'll bring our fall calendar in line with our spring calendar
because we really have been teaching two different courses, spring and fall,
because the contact hours are so different," Hagen said. "Saturday was always a problem because you have the Saturdayâs final and grades are due at 10 a.m. on Monday," Hagen said. Kaplan said the Thanksgiving break had to comply with guidelines set by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, which designates how many days a college must hold classes. "We were teaching in excess of what is required by CCHE," Hagen
said. "Our peer institutions at Adams State, at Western State and at Mesa State all have an entire week (off) in the fall," Hagen said. Nicholas said the decision was finalized by Metro's Provost Council Sept. 1. Nicholas said he believes either everyone should have to go to classes on Wednesday or everyone should be allowed to stay home. "It's not fair to the students to have it optional," Nicholas said, referring to the fact that some students may have four classes and only one that meets for the optional day. |
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Professors appeal $1 award in lawsuit A group of Metro professors filed an appeal Aug. 13 on a lawsuit they have already won. The Metropolitan State College Faculty Protective Association sued Metro's governing board and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education for underpaying the faculty between 1988-94. The professors won their lawsuit in July 1997, but were awarded only $1 each in restitution. They were not awarded court costs, and all claims before November 1991 were thrown out due to a statue of limitations dispute. The professors are appealing all the rulings. Sixty of the 72 professors originally involved in the lawsuit are named in the appeal, according to professor Norman Pence, treasurer of the association. "The $1 was really kind of a slap in the face," Pence said. The College Handbook stated salaries should be comparable to those paid by colleges similar to Metro. This was done by comparing the salaries of the professors at Metro with the faculty salaries at 19 urban, undergraduate institutions. The administration changed the language in the contracts for the 1994-95 school year to get rid of this contract obligation, Pence said. Evidence cited in the decision showed in 1991-92 average faculty salaries were 10.9 percent below peer group averages. While Colorado District Judge Robert Hyatt sided with the faculty, he awarded only $1 in damages to each professor because he felt the model for repayment offered by the association was "not reasonably accurate." The professors disagreed. "We're using the same model Dr. Kaplan uses to figure salaries, in fact we designed the model," Pence said, describing the system Hyatt objected to. By using the model Kaplan uses to cover the years in question retroactively, the association came up with a figure of $5.9 million as a basis for damages. "No judge wanted to go on the record awarding $5.9 million," said association President John Schmidt. "Dr. Kaplan refers to the mathematically inclined as 'mathocrats.' If she can understand a system that doesnât include algorithms or formula, I donât see how a judge can't." Administration officials, including Metro spokeswoman Debbie Thomas and college attorney Lee Combs, refused to comment on the case. |
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Fall Fest swings Auraria Swing music serenaded students Sep. 2-3 during the Fall Fest along the Lawrence Street Mall as they enjoyed the last of the summer sun, shopped and learned about campus clubs and organizations. "We got excellent response," said Ron Cope of the Ron Cope Quartet, who entertained at Fall Fest. "We even had some people out here swing dancing." The fourth annual Fall Fest brought together a myriad of interests. Vendors sold silver and beaded necklaces, Peruvian engraved gourds, Peruvian woven bags and jackets, ankle bracelets, amulets, hackey sacks and clay creations. Advocates for the environment, animals and human rights all asked students for their support, while other organizations, such as Metroâs student government, worked to get students involved in committees. Matt Johnson, a member of the Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board, said, "(We) help people get direction." Other booths vied for pledges of students' organs and tissues donations, while some glorified the virtues of sexual abstinence. Metro's Assistant Director of Student Services, Julie Rodriguez, said Fall Fest is important because it gives the students a chance to know what services, clubs and organizations are on campus. "This gives you an opportunity to be able to meet and talk with these people and interact and get an understanding," said Monique Holmes, a Spanish and music engineering major at Metro. "One of the biggest problems all of us clubs have is recruiting and awareness around campus," said James Crook, president of the Metro State Rugby Football Club. "We're out here today trying to let people know about us because we
always need conversation partners," said Jeanne Hind, director for
the International Language Center, a group that teaches English to international
students. |
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Activists: Go vote! An environmental lobbying organization will solicit Metro students this fall to register to vote in the Nov. 3 elections. The Student Vote 1998 campaign, organized by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, expects to register 25,000 students statewide, and targeted Metro students to register at the Swing Fling Fall Fest Sept. 2-3. College students, especially those between the ages of 18 and 24, are the least likely to vote of any age group, and that cripples student influence on government, said Sarah Scott, CoPIRGâs campus organizer for Metro. Only one in six people in that age group voted in the last election, Scott said. "What it comes down to is having a voice," she said. CoPIRG will also try to inform students of election issues and sign them up for volunteer projects with the organization. CoPIRG is working to protect forest land in Alaska from oil companies such as Arco and Exxon, that want to open up the refuge for drilling, Scott said. The drilling would destroy the land and leave animals homeless in exchange for what CoPIRG researchers predict is 51 days worth of oil. With a surplus of oil in the market and oil prices down, Scott said the drilling is superfluous. CoPIRG will also promote activities for National Hunger and Homeless Week in November and is working to expand recycling on campus. |
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Fight ends in hit-and-run on campus A fight between husband and wife in downtown Denver resulted in a hit-and-run on Auraria Campus Aug. 11, according to a police report. At 2 a.m., Auraria police responded to a report of a van hitting a car and fleeing the scene. The report identified Brandi Bottoms as the suspect behind the wheel of the Pontiac van, and her husband Timothy as the driver of the struck Toyota Camry. However, it was not just another hit and run. According to Bottoms, she and her husband had been in a fight earlier in the evening outside the Denver Chop House and Brewery. Bottoms said her stepdaughter intervened and they took the van, fleeing to where her car was parked on campus in Lot H. "The van drove around a light pole, and broadsided the (car)," the report said. Joe Patterson, an Auraria employee, witnessed the collision. "Patterson stated that the van then pushed the car parallel to the parking space, backed up, then broadsided it again on the driver's door," the report said. After the collision, the van turned onto Colfax Avenue and took off. According to the report, Timothy Bottoms said he borrowed the car from his employer, Stevinson Toyota. He estimated the damage at, "well over $1,500." In a phone interview, Brandi Bottoms contended the accident was unintentional. She said she was afraid her husband was after her and forgot what gear the van was in. Timothy Bottoms refused to comment. According to Auraria police chief Joe Ortiz, the case has been turned over to Denver police for further investigation. "It is not the policy of this department to comment on ongoing investigations in other police departments," Ortiz said. Dave Flomberg contributed to this story. |
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Court case could limit student fees Colorado students could be affected by a court case involving the limitation of student fee monies used for political organizations such as the Colorado Student Association. CSA, a political action group comprised of student representatives from 11 colleges across the state, including Metro, lobbies for the rights and concerns of students at the Colorado legislature. They have fought for such things as pre-paid tuition and keeping the rate of tuition increases close to the rate of cost- of-living increases. The association is funded through student fees. CSA charges colleges 50 cents per full-time enrolled student. Last month the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that the University of Wisconsin at Madison could not force students to foot the bill for campus groups engaging in political activities, court records show. The court case erupted when three students at Madison challenged the mandatory fees policy to fund 18 campus organizations. The organizations included Amnesty International; The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Campus Center; the Campus Women's Center and the International Socialist Organization. Although the student fee policy of Madison is similar to schools on Auraria and other colleges around the nation, the ruling applies only in the seventh circuit states of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. One Colorado student pushed the same issue. Ted McClurg, a senior at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, filed a complaint letter with the chancellor's office stating that he was being forced to take part in political activities that he considered a violation of his constitutional rights, officials at the college said. The complaint came after the students passed a referendum increasing student fees to join the Colorado Student Association. McClurg could not be reached for comment. Responding to the cases in Madison and Colorado Springs, CSA created an organization within itself to protect it from a Colorado court ruling similar to the one in Wisconsin. The new organization, the Colorado Student Leadership Foundation, will fund staff salaries. Money collected from student fees for the organization will be contributed to CSLF, and funding for political activities will be funnelled to CSA, said Ruth Burns, Metro's representative to CSA and a member of Metro's student government. Heidi Van Huysen, executive director for the association stressed that money could not be transferred from one group to the other. Both groups are non-profit. CSA is in a tax category that allows it to engages in political activities. CSLF is in a tax category that can not participate in political activities, Van Huysen said. |
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COMMENTARY |
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The buff must stop here? Last week The Metropolitan ran several provocative photographs with a story on an exhibit by artist Pat York. A severed head with half the skin removed, the skeleton of a baby, even Andy Warhol. All on page 13. But one photo did not appear in the paper. That was one of an architect holding some blueprints. She was nude. When the company that prints the paper, Intermountain Color, got a hold of our Aug. 28 edition, representatives there apparently had no problem with the photos depicting death and celebrity, but refused to print the nude woman. Unknown to us, Intermountain Color has a policy against printing below-the-belt frontal nudity. At the last minute we replaced the nude photo with another one from the series showing a raw spinal cord with part of the cranium still attached. The nude photo ran on our Web site. It's ironic that The Metropolitan would face censorship from its
printer while student papers around the country fight censorship from their
own college administrators. The issue is not whether it's OK to print such photos, but who should be allowed to make that judgment. We do not dispute Intermountain Color's right to accept or refuse our business on whatever basis they choose. We are, however, searching for another company to offer the remainder of our $32,000 yearly printing contract. A company with no desire to exercise control over what we print |
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Kaplan's critics are cowardly Some professors would have us believe our president is a racist lesbian who hates men and all who teach. Our professors twice evaluated Metro President Sheila Kaplan in the spring. The unflattering results have been made public by The Metropolitan staff's crack reporting. Someone called us up and said, "Hey, you dummies want these results?" Here is the gist of the story. Metro full-time tenured professors draw up a bunch of questions to ask themselves about Kaplan. The profs make sure the questions are worded in such a way that the nature of the headhunting mission is not, well, obvious. Kaplan, seeing what is coming a mile a way, asks for a separate evaluation to be done by the Office of Institutional Research. Her wish is granted. Both evaluations conclude Kaplan is a big meany. In fact she is a really, really big meany for someone who stands 5-feet-2 inches tall during powder-packed-powder conditions. Along with the evaluations comes a manifesto of quotes from our professors about their feelings toward Kaplan and the job she is doing - or not - as president. The ugliness of some of the anonymous comments is troublesome when nobody seems to have the guts to speak publicly or the proof to back up assertions. One respondent implies that Kaplan is a racist because she declined to award tenure to a black female professor. One prof penned this gem: "She is the most ruthless, autocratic, rude, obnoxious president I have seen in my life." And another wins the limbo contest with: "This president hires mostly women and lesbians and demotes, transfers, or fires other(s) who do not agree with her." Shame the pitiful souls who wrote such nonsense. To be fair it should be noted that most of the professors focused on the president's job performance and were not slinging mud. Some - but not many - said they were happy with the president. It's laughable that our great open-minded leaders would stoop to accusations of racism or even mention sexual orientation when evaluating Kaplan. I don't know if the president is a lesbian, and I don't care. I doubt anyone has a shred of proof to back up the insinuations that she favors lesbians or any other group when hiring. So, somebody please tell me why this garbage is a part of what is supposed to be a serious undertaking. My guess? The professors resort to acting like 2-year-olds when the president disagrees with their ideas. Here is what troubles me most. It seems few professors have the spine for making their criticisms public. They hide behind more accusations saying that there is some mysterious pattern of retribution by Kaplan toward those who speak their minds. Yet, nobody has any proof. Maybe the professors should take a different approach. Come out and fight the good fight. Quit throwing sticks and stones and then ducking behind the corner while sticking out your tongues. Who knows, someone who matters might listen. |
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Police chief scoffs at state law Chief Wiggum strikes again. In the last six years, Iâve had the pleasure (and sometimes displeasure) of dealing with school officials, city officials, state officials, and police officials of similar variety — sherrifs, troopers, cops and campus cops. I thought I'd seen it all. I love surprises. Auraria police Chief Joe Ortiz gave me a good one. He explained to me that his policy actually supercedes state law. That's right. Chief Ortiz falls in line before our state congress, before our governor, before the voters. It all started when a Metropolitan reporter showed me a police report taken by one of Auraria's finest over an incident that occurred Aug. 11 on campus. Seems some guy and some woman got into an altercation of some sorts. Not too juicy. The report obtained by our reporter was missing a page and almost entirely — and seemingly arbitrarily — blacked out by the over zealous records clerk. Our precocious fledgling ace obtained the same record from Denver police — completely intact. So I called Chief Wig — er, Ortiz, and inquired why this was the case. Needless to say, our conversation did not go swimmingly. "When a case is transferred from my department over to another police agency, itâs their decision what information to release, not ours," Ortiz said. I reminded him that regardless of who is investigating what, his agency
is still accountable under the Colorado His explanation was far from legally supportable. He even said so himself. "Can you show me where in the law it states that you donât have to release information on a case that you have transferred away?" I asked. "It's not in the law," he replied. "It's my law." At that moment, I half expected a tumbleweed to come blowing across my desk and him to end the conversation giving me until high noon to clear out of town. So, now, we'll have to go to Denver police to find out what happens on this campus. Makes you proud, doesn't it? |
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FEATURES |
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The Pursuit of the Perfect Peach When I was three years old, I picked a peach from a neighbor's tree in Southern California. I had been anticipating that fruit all day, and I took a single, big bite. My mouth was full, and the flavor was wonderful. Then I examined the void space where peach once was, and I found a big, juicy, half-eaten worm. After a colorful display, I swore off peaches for life. Over the last weekend prior to the fall semester, I was in Colorado's prime peach country, and discovered an enjoyment of my fruity former foe. The trip back to Denver started at DeVries Buffalo Ranch on 60.25 Road near Olathe with proprietor Elizabeth DeVries. She is a sweet, gracefully aging woman, and sharp as a tack. She has been marketing their home-grown buffalo and running their fruit stand for more than 50 years. "Oh, I been doin' this since '44," she said while sweeping up the little garage-based market stalls for the coming day. She is a worker with no complaints, and seemingly endless energy, but apparently not everyone at the DeVries ranch is of the same mind. "I had some help to pick corn this mornin', but then, of course, they all wanted the day off." And who could blame them as the Sunday morning was already hot - nearly 85 degrees by 9:30 a.m. Three boxes of Olathe Sweet Corn and two boxes of Red Globe peaches later, the journey continued. Her peaches were a little pricier than the farm down the road, but I liked Miss Elizabeth, so I didnât mind. What's a couple bucks anyway? After breakfast at a small cafe in Delta, just 12 miles north, the slow trek back to Denver resumed. I was intent on finding a few more produce vendors on the way. On a side road on the north end of Delta, 1575 Road to be precise, I stopped by a peach orchard. Hendricks' the name, organic's the game. The patriarch of the orchard, Richard Hendricks, gently coaxed me into tasting my first peach since age three. "Why don't you give this a try?" he said. It was Ambrosia. The peach was organically grown, and for just a moment I was a disappointed that we had already bought our peaches elsewhere. I chatted with the Hendricks family for a while about the oldest daughter, Stephanie, who is going off to college this fall, the two acre orchard and crop, and where all those peaches go when they're grown. Donna Hendricks, the matriarch, said they only sell to locals and tourists. It makes sense that if you want a peach to convert a life-long peach-hater, you have to cross those purple mountains' majesty and stop in Delta. In the late summer heat, now about noon, I pulled up to the DeVries Farm Market in Clifton. The two DeVries are brothers, the former specializing in buffalo, the latter in produce. This market also shares space with other local producers of a different kind. Vidalia onion dressings, fresh roasted chilies and spicy, locally produced, organic salsa filled the shelves. In the coolers, there were purple bell peppers, apple-cherry ciders, melons, corn, and of course, peaches. Oh yes, I couldnât forget about the honeycomb-in-the-jar honey. Very weird ... I bought one. Next, in a frenzied fit of, "Mommy, I gotta pee!" I pulled off the highway and right up to the parking lot canopy of the Collette Orchard, manned at that moment by Shelly Collette. The Collettes have a different opinion than the Hendricks on the subject of chemicals. Collette says that if they did not use pesticides they would have virtually no crop. She stands firm in her belief backed by eight years in her orchard. It is still only a part-time occupation for her and husband, Dan. One thing I found to be both useful and mysterious is that the trees need to be "thinned." "Our thinning bill this year was outrageous," she said with a winning grin. The trees usually produce many more peaches than the branches can sustain, and especially this year. It is a bumper crop in 1998. "You literally pinch your fingers (over the branch) and slide them down," Collette said. The process must be repeated when there's only blossoms, again at pea size, and again when they're about walnut sized. Now I know how to get that blue-ribbon peach when, and if, I ever have that blue-ribbon garden of my dreams. Just down Interstate 70, there is one last stop before the last haul to
Denver: Peaches bruise very easily, which was clear by the enormous amount of loose-fall in the orchard. When the fruit ripens on the branch and falls from the tree, it can no longer be sold. It is left to rot at the base of the tree. These overripe peaches may have a good use, however. There is not likely to be a better fertilizer. This was by far the largest orchard I had seen, but my daughter was much more enthralled by the peacock, Big Bird, than the peaches. Finding out where the peach comes from in a hands-on way was reminiscent of my childhood. I saw similarities and differences in the growing and the growers. I learned about packing and growing and thinning. And one last thing: I tasted real Colorado Ambrosia, without the worm. |
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A ride on the Tindall side Chris Tindall, Metro's new criminology professor, can't hide his enthusiasm
for his new post-retirement life. Though Tindall had just left a position as head of the New Jersey State Patrol's Criminology Department, Tindall said he is far from slowing down to a rocking chair's pace. In fact, teaching at Metro and buying a Harley would fulfill two lifelong dreams that he could only realize now, during his retirement. Born in New Jersey, Tindall received his undergraduate chemistry degree from the University of Ohio, and his masters and doctorate degrees from Ohio State University. After college, Tindall hoped to teach Chemistry at a liberal arts college. But as he toured the east coast hoping to find a teaching position, he noticed the New Jersey State Patrol's ad soliciting chemistry doctors to manage one of their forensic units in a chemical engineering magazine. "I had no forensic background," Tindall said. "I didn't know what forensic science was. I didn't have a clue." But Tindall found when he interviewed for the job it seemed to meet his two main job criteria: to be helpful to the public and exciting. So in June 1973, Tindall abandoned his dream to teach, and spent the next 26 years investigating crime scenes. During that time, along with raising three children, Tindall opened two regional crime labs and was promoted to assistant chief of forensic sciences. In 1991, he became the chief of forensic sciences. "I could have stayed in that position until I died," Tindall said. "There is no mandatory retirement for civilians in the New Jersey State Patrol." But as he neared 55, Tindall craved a life change. Again, an urge to teach chemistry took hold of him. Although his high position with the New Jersey State Patrol was beginning to payoff, as his work helped restore the department's bases to state-of-the-art crime labs, Tindall said he wanted to move on. "Once again, I found an ad for Metropolitan State College of Denver
in the back of a trade journal," Tindall said. The professor had visited Colorado before and loved it, finding it a great place to retire. "It had the downside that my family is still on the east coast," Tindall said. "But the job was here. And I had set out to be a teacher. It just struck me that I had taken a 26-year detour in my journey and I was committed to pick it up again." But the reason Tindall is at Metro, he said, is because of his campus visit. "I saw lots of people walking on the campus and they all had, without exception, a smile," he said. "People appeared to enjoy what they were doing." He added that everyone, from the students and faculty to the staff and maintenance crew, seemed to be smiling and happy. "The faculty seemed laid back and yet were very interested and concerned about teaching at the undergraduate level," Tindall said. "One of the big sales points was that I was the only one wearing a tie. Being someone who hates neckties and having to wear one for 26 years, it was a plus." Tindall hopes that he can help his students analyze crime scenes well enough to be hired immediately by any law enforcement department. He said that he wants to help students to investigate a scene, while making as few many mistakes as possible. "I saw this as a opportunity to do something that I wanted to do for a while and to put some energy back into my life," Tindall said. "And yet with the schedule, to be able to work really hard for 10 months and have extended periods of time to go travel and do the things I would like to do. "I have no misconceptions about teaching. In order to be a good teacher at this college and for my students, I will be working harder here than I have worked for the last 26 years," Tindall said. But don't be surprised, if while explaining the finer points of crime scene investigation, a smile of contentment is noticed from a professor who has finally realized his dreams. |
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Families converge in play Without a historical background of America in 1900, I expected that era to be boring amongst our countryâs short history. Then I saw Ragtime. Ragtime is a multi-million dollar production that is still smoking on Broadway, and Denver is one of the first stops on its national tour. The story is a turn-of-the-century tale of three fictitious families' convergence. It tells of the extremes as black Harlem meets white uptown meets Jewish Lower East Side and the result is, amazingly enough, togetherness. Out of which we have WASPs Mother (Rebecca Eichenberger) and Father (Cris Groendaal) from New Rochelle, Coalhouse (Alton F. White) from Harlem, and Tateh (Michael Rupert) as fresh-off-the-boat, unwelcome immigrants. Much of the action takes place in a time when itâs unusual for an African American to graduate from Harvard University. Although these characters are made up, they capture the essence of what was going on at that time. They emphasize the social structure and movement of certain well-known figures of history. Automotive visionary Henry Ford, master escape artist Harry Houdini and black rights activist Booker T. Washington are just some of the figures that help move the Ragtime story along. Lead and supporting characters show the periodâs mentality that America
was the land of opportunity. Indeed, it offered more freedom than most other
countries, but at the same time there was racism and social injustice. Yet
characters still decided their own fate. But those two characters became secondary upon every entrance of White. His massive stage presence upstaged everyone - in a good way, though. His demanding posture and fitting voice were reminiscent of the period, and his overall performance talent elevated the show to the point of greatness. The costumes are also fitting of the period, and designer Santo Laquasto had fun with the show's colors. Most scenes placed the white people in pristine whites, the blacks in dark clubbing clothes, and the homeless immigrants in dirty vagabond rags. The exuberant costumes assisted the show's dramatic stage pictures. One of which takes a bridge carrying fancier J.P. Morgan crushing the homeless and poor below it. The most impressive aspect of the show is the fact that someone actually figured a way to keep a drop-in door set to stay still when someone slams it. It's common in theater for a door to shake, rattle and roll when someone slams it, but not in Ragtime's case. |
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SPORTS |
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Roadrunners reaching for Regis A sliver of wall between two doorways in the Metro volleyball office is just enough space for a ton of motivation. At least that's how Metro coach Joan McDermott views it. She posted a newspaper article praising her team's arch-enemy, Regis University, on the wall as the Roadrunners' season began. McDermott knows she needs all the help she can get, especially after a Sept. 2 practice in which sophomore star Michelle Edwards broke her right foot when she landed on a ball after swatting a kill. Edwards will miss at least four weeks, McDermott said. Metro is ranked No. 11 in the nation in Division II volleyball. The problem is, Regis, the team that knocked Metro out of the national tournament last season and spent the entire offseason trash talking according to some Metro players, is ranked No. 3 and looking every bit the part. McDermott understands why Regis is expected to terrorize the Rocky Mountain
Athletic Conference this season. She is familiar with the three returning
All-Americans on the Rangers roster. She knows the rival is well coached.
"I want to make our team mad about how cocky (the Rangers) are," McDermott said. If the looks on her players faces are any indication when asked about Regis, the strategy seems to be working. It's hard to tell if Audra Littou is grimacing at the pain in her ankle, which she sprained in preseason work, or if it's the thought of the Regis girls having bragging rights that has her face contorted. One thing is sure, last season's star hitter is ready for a shot at revenge. Metro's team is much better by all accounts than the one that dropped three straight games to the Rangers in the championship match of the regional tournament last season. Kelly Hanlon and Amy Buchanan, both senior transfers from the University of Tennessee, add plenty of power to Metro's already potent combination of Littou, junior Shannon Ortell and a healthy Edwards. Hanlon was the high school volleyball Player of the Year in Colorado in 1994. Seniors Laura Mader and Jill Keller return as serving and defensive specialist. Both have plenty of experience and played big parts last season. A key ingredient in the mix is senior Kelly Young who is trying to fill big shoes at setter where Laurie Anderson enjoyed a monsterous senior season last year. "I think they are trying to get used to eachother on the court," McDermott said. "I think with all this talent, it's making them a little nervous." McDermott cites that nervousness for a 1-3 mark in the Tampa Classic in Florida on Aug 28-29, and the fact that several top-10 teams competed in the tournament. "We played really tight," McDermott said. "I think our girls want so bad to be one of the top teams in the country, they put pressure on themselves." The Roadrunners won't have any breaks from the pressure real soon. Metro and Regis co-host what has become one of the best tournaments in the nation Sept. 4-5. Nine of the top 25 teams in the country will participate, including No. 1 West Texas A&M. McDermott said Metro can contend with any team if it plays at its highest level and thrives on the pressure instead of fearing it. "Regis has more talent," McDermott said. "But if we are
healthy and reach our potential we can play with them." |
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A second shot at making saves The last time Kelly Johannes played soccer for Metro, some of her current teammates were still in elementary school. She is the quintessential Metro student — non-traditional, older and ready to get her degree. What's different about Johannes is she's an athlete at heart. She's a goalie and back on the field after an eight-year absence, during which she worked in the real world, got married and divorced, and learned that life outside college "sucks" without an education. Johannes is a blue-eyed, brown-haired 26-year-old, and she came back to Metro last year. She then returned to the soccer team in May. She's older than the other players, and a little more mature. She was concerned that would hinder her performance and the acceptance of teammates. "I was afraid they'd look at my size and age and be like, no way," she said. There's a good three to four years difference between Johannes and the other senior players, and about eight years difference between her and the freshmen; but her team has been supportive, cheering her on and making her push herself. She's never been happier. You might think when girls get together, they're catty and gossip, Johannes said, but not the women's soccer team. It's given her nothing but support. "I remember this day so vividly," she said. "We went up
to Red Rocks, and holy cow, did I think I was gonna die." She felt bad about being last, gasping for breath, ashamed of not being as well conditioned as the others. The team clapped and cheered her on. Assistant coach Saul Contreras said Johannes called him the night after the Red Rocks trip and told him it was the best day of her life. "She did everything everyone else did," Contreras said. "It was just a little slower than everyone else." "As far as building my confidence, the team and coaches are responsible," Johannes said. Her family, too, has supported her. "My mom, my sisters, my aunt...I couldn't have done it without them," she said. All the hard work seems to be paying off. In the first two games of the season, Johannes combined with fellow goalie Jennifer Fink to shutout both opponents. After her brief time at Metro in 1990, she transferred to Colorado State University. "It was awful," she said. "I was in classes that had 400 students in them. "The professors weren't interested in teaching, they were there for the grant money. One professor told me, point blank, he had no interest in teaching." CSU didn't work for her, and she dropped out and got married. Unfortunately, her marriage didn't work out either. "I had a miscarriage," she said. They blamed each other. They blamed themselves, and Johannes had a hard time holding the marriage together after that. Money, too, played a role in the marriage's disintegration. "Maybe if we had a better chance with an education to fall back on," she said. "Marriage is hard," she said. "My mother said that there are four pieces to a marriage, and if one of those pieces is missing, it can still be okay, but if two or more are missing, it's not going to work." Her mother's words of advice: A couple must agree on sex, religion, kids and money. The money piece was missing and the marriage didn't survive. Money was tight. Her husband had a hard time keeping a job. They fought about finances. She worked in a bank and didn't enjoy it. She later worked for an ad agency and finally, she realized, she needed to go back to school. Johannes divorced and rearranged her life. She wants to teach special education, and now she's more interested in classes. "I never miss class now," she said. She joked about calling in sick to work — the unnerving phone call to a boss, the fake cough, the guilt. She can take a day off now, as a student, and not have to face the pressure of work, but she doesn't. Getting her degree is her goal, and she's focused. "I want to be learning," she said. "I want to be here." Her days are filled with school and soccer practice. Contreras has the same bank as Johannes' aunt, and asked if Johannes was interested in coming back to the team, since she was already attending Metro. Contreras and coach Ed Montojo remembered Johannes from her freshman year at Metro and recalled her work ethic. They recalled her ability to continue and her tenacity on the field. They wanted her back. When she made her decision, with no pressure from the coaches, the three met and Contreras said he didn't recognize Johannes. She wasn't conditioned and she began volunteer practices in May to shape up. Twice a week she was on the field getting her hands and body back into practice. She hasn't conditioned her body in years. Exercise hadn't been a priority for her since she left Metro, and she struggles with it. Johannes is competitive though, and she has the drive to succeed. Running and conditioning often put her on the ground. She would lie on the grass and swear she couldn't go on. She was often near tears, Contreras said. But she persisted. She never gave up. "That's part of Kelly's character," Contretras said. Then she started regular practice in August. "I hate running," she said. But it's been a regular part of the two-hour daily practices. The team did relay runs Aug. 31 on the track at Auraria Fields, and she wasn't enthused about it. But, she did it, and she meets all the challenges the coaches give her. Contretras is proud of Johannes. "Did you know she's a 4.0 student? All this and a 4.0 student. You can't give up on a kid like that," he said. His joy and confidence comes through when he talks about her, but he's still comfortable teasing her. They act like best friends, joking, teasing and calling each other names. "Kelly's has been remarkable at making a comeback," Montojo said. Johannes has won the respect of her team and coaches. Her life has taken her to deep dark sorrowful places, and yet everyone speaks of her tenacity, her work ethic, her maturity and her personality. Contretras said it best, "Kelly's is a story with heart." |
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