Volume 21 Issue 7 October 2, 1998 |
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Contents:
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NEWS |
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Campus crime down 28%
Crime on Auraria Campus decreased by 28 percent from a year ago, police records show. As of August, 266 offenses were reported compared to 369 reported by August 1997. Police made 95 arrests, the majority in theft offenses. Crime increased in only a few categories. Assaults increased by almost 30 percent. These include intimidation or causing a physical injury to another person. Arson increased from one incident in 1997 to two incidents this year. The biggest decrease is in reports of theft, which includes shoplifting, and stolen school or personal property. Campus police Chief Joe Ortiz said the rates have dropped because people are more careful with their belongings. "People don't leave things unattended. It's crime of opportunity," Ortiz said. Car thefts have also dropped 50 percent. So far this year, there have been only 13 thefts compared to 26 in 1997. Most stolen cars have been found off campus at a later time, according to Auraria Campus Detective Randy Hinricher. This year, the most common thefts are in the Tivoli parking lot and Lot H southeast of the Parking and Transportation Centre. Car thieves aren't looking for a particular car make like last year, when Hondas and Jeeps were frequently stolen. "(Some car thieves) use it for a couple of days and drop it off. Those are the joy riders," Ortiz said. Campus police are fighting car thefts by sending more student employees to parking lots. The more traffic a parking lot has, the safer it is to park, Ortiz said. At least 15,000 cars park on campus a day, not including traffic from Broncos and Rockies games, Ortiz said. Bike thefts are also a concern after 10 bikes were stolen in August, compared to the beginning of the year, with only one or two thefts a month . There is no favorite place for bike thieves, they look more for convenience and opportunity, according to Hinricher, who says U-Locks are the best security. "We do crime prevention at the beginning of each semester. We put notices on bikes. We give information at orientation and festivals," Ortiz said. Reports show there hasn't been a rape on campus in five years. However, there have been some cases of 3rd degree sexual assault (indecent exposure or unwanted fondling). One case involved a man who reportedly masturbated in front of women in the Science Building this summer. The high level of traffic on Auraria Campus deters many would-be sexual predators, Ortiz said. "We have those wide open spaces, we cover 185 acres. It's pretty hard to be isolated. We don't have a lot of foliage or shrubs. Parking lots are pretty well lit. The (parking) huts are attended until late in the evening," Ortiz said. Rae Hochstettler, an employee at The Daily Grind, said she feels safe taking the bus home at night because the bus stop at the Tivoli is close and well lit. But when she drives to school, she said she is apprehensive when she parks in the parking garage. "I don't think they are very well lit, especially when you have to walk by all of the cars," said Hochstettler. Christine Torres, a Metro student, said her last class ends at 8:30 p.m. and she walks from the Science Building to Lot E, west of the campus police building. "The path is pretty lit up. I've seen tons of bike officers," said Torres. Though Torres says she has chosen a good path, she still gets nervous walking to her car. However, she has never called for a campus escort. "You take responsibility for yourself. You usually don't think anything will happen to you, or you hope it won't," said Torres. Auraria Parking and Transportation Services provides a free escort service, called Nightrider, on campus to pick up students and take them to and from their classes in a van. They escort 25-30 students each weeknight. Patrons should call (303) 556-2000 the day before and schedule a ride. On weekends, call campus police for an escort at (303) 556-3271. Matt Mueller, of Parking and Transportation Services said Nightrider isn't anywhere near it's capacity to serve patrons. "We have at least five or six drivers. But it will probably pick up when night classes get longer," said Mueller. |
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Letter states appointment for VP unfair A letter sent to Metro's student government last week complained about the manner in which the appointment of the vice president of administration and finance was handled. The letter was written Sept. 24 by Catherine Campbell after student government unanimously approved John-Paul Whitaker-Krcik as vice president of administration and finance Sept. 17. "As a candidate for that office, I was completely disheartened and
angry at Andy (Nicholas) for trying to appoint Nicholas, president of student government, said he interviewed all the candidates. "If I was trying to get John-Paul in, I would've appointed him on the first day," Nicolas said. Nicholas said the position was open for three months. The other applicants were Teresa Thomas and Helen Giron-Mushfiq. Campbell said she has removed her application for vice president of student fees. Nicholas said, "I stand by the appointment the student government approved unanimously." |
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Couple, police disagree on arrest Auraria police are pursuing domestic violence charges against a couple that visited campus, even though both the man and the woman say nothing unlawful happened. According to police reports, Kimberly Tabor and Mark Millie became involved in a dispute that turned violent in the early hours of Sept. 19 in parking Lot R. "Tabor and Millie became involved in a verbal argument," the report said. "Millie rushed Tabor, shoved her, knocking her to the pavement." "I came down in a cab to pick her up," Millie said. "She had been drinking and I startled her, and she fell down." Tabor confirmed this. "I scraped myself and broke the strap on my sandal." she said. "The cop didn't see anything." Officer Sgt. Greg Stahl reported the assault, and arrested Millie. Because Millie and Tabor live together, the case was handled as a domestic violence incident. Joe Ortiz, chief of Auraria Campus Police and Security, said that under Colorado law, "the officer doesn't have an option. Physical contact requires that we make an arrest in cases of domestic violence." The Colorado law says if the officer believes there is probable cause in a case involving domestic violence, the officer must make an arrest of the suspect "without undue delay." Neither Tabor nor Millie are students on campus. Tabor refused to make a complaint against Millie and arranged bail for him. She also visited him in jail. According to Ortiz, the state will prosecute even if the victim refuses to make a complaint. "This case is pointless," Millie said. |
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Bronco stadium tax debated on Auraria Former Denver Bronco David Treadwell joined Ray Hutchins Sept. 28 on campus in a debate on a tax to fund the building of a new Denver Broncos stadium. Hutchins represents COST, Citizens Opposing the Stadium Tax, Inc. He said the group does not oppose a new stadium, but believes the tax will be slanted in favor of a few without regard to the needs of all taxpayers. Treadwell represents a group called CFANS (Citizens for a New Stadium) and has worked with them from the beginning stages of gathering signatures to get the issue on the November ballot. He lamented the stadium issue had progressed past being a community issue to a political one, a position he believes is unwarranted and accompanied by a good deal of misunderstanding and misinformation. Treadwell said the issue is not about the funding of the new stadium, but "It's about character...of the team, the city and the state. "The time is right," he said. He said low interest rates, a healthy business economy state-wide, and increased tourism are factors that support passing the funding now. To wait is to risk increased interest rates, higher construction costs, and undetermined problems that the future might bring, he said. He added that after 38 years of association with the Broncos, it is time to take them out of Mile High Stadium and put them into a venue that would bring pride to Denver and its citizens. He cited past charitable acts performed by the Broncos as a team, individual players, and owner Pat Bowlen to show that it is time for Denver to pay back with their support of the new stadium initiative. "It's not about the Denver Broncos, but about our community winning. Denver is identified with the Broncos," he said. He closed saying if we provide the Broncos with a new stadium, it could act as an important building block in future growth and expansion of Denver. But Hutchins disagreed. "A small group of people will make a very large profit," Hutchins said. Hutchins went on to discuss the problems and concerns he has with the issue. He made several points on what he said will be the unfair way the stadium would be funded. He said the tax district which was set up 20 years ago will unduly tax some residents and spare others. He said some residents 15 miles from the stadium will pay nothing while others as far away as 50 miles will be forced to pay because of the way the district lines were drawn. He asked the question why not tax everyone the same, or why not make the tax a statewide tax since all of Colorado benefits from the added tourism dollars generated by the Broncos. Hutchins then took up the issue of the cost of the new stadium which he placed at $467 to $510 million when overall costs are figured in the equation. He said this was an unfair burden to place on taxpayers when Mile High Stadium renovation was not seriously considered. "Mile High Stadium is a fine stadium to play football." He pointed out, however, the stadium has in the definition of some become "economically out of date." Hutchins admitted there were problems that existed in the facilities and other areas on the fan side of the stadium, but added, the cost of renovation would be much less than building a new state of the art facility. The new stadium will be "an exclusive deal for exclusive citizens," he said. He supported this assertion by pointing to the fact that there were 75,000 seats and 75,000 season ticket holders. Treadwell, in his rebuttal, said 2,000 tickets would be made available to the public at reduced prices on a game-to-game basis. Hutchins, however, maintained that the new stadium would not be a boon to the average taxpayer, but a means of lining the pockets of a few vested interests. |
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SGA seeks cooperation with professors Metro's student government members said they will try to include faculty in the process of releasing professor evaluations on the Internet. The Student Government Assembly created a committee Sept. 24 to improve relations with Faculty Senate. It will include representatives of both organizations and Cheryl Norton, Metro's vice president of Academic Affairs, said Andy Nicholas, student government president. The previous committee only included student government representatives. Faculty Senate voted Sept. 23 to hire an attorney to protect professors from having their evaluations distributed. They questioned the legality of its release to the public. Some faculty were concerned the information would not fairly portray professors. They questioned the use of letter grades to reflect information compiled from Metroâs Office of Institutional Research. A letter grading system would use five levels used for students: A, B, C, D and F. The information compiled by the college uses six categories, from very poor to excellent. Although the information is open to the public, if student government would manipulate the statistical information from the college to reflect grades, it would be illegal, said Stuart Monroe, vice-president of Faculty Senate. "I think that it's the most accurate information available," said Alvis Montgomery, chairwoman of the student government's Student Survey Committee. "If the data is in question, that is not our area, it comes from the Office of Institutional Research." Faculty Senate published an evaluation of college President Sheila Kaplan earlier this semester. The legality of publishing Kaplan's evaluation was not questioned. "I think it's necessary for the investment I am making in my education. I'd use it as a tool to choose instructors and classes," said David Redus, a Metro student. Metro's Student Government Assembly representatives said they want to work with faculty regarding the release of the information, but intend to move forward either way. "Peace is great. But if they don't want it, we can go right around them," said Dave Yoos, student government's vice president of academic affairs. |
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COMMENTARY |
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Don't go soft on crime News: Views: At first look, Auraria Campus is a safe place, and getting safer. Reports of crime are down by nearly a third compared to this time last year, and police records show no serious incidents, such as rape or murder, in the last five years. But, of course, that doesn't mean it's time to look on every stranger as a friend you haven't met yet. Campus crime rates are bound to fluctuate from year to year, as campus police Chief Joe Ortiz will readily admit. Last year, several crimes increased in frequency over 1996, such as car thefts and weapons possession. But students and employees continue to lazily assume they are safe. Women, especially, are at risk. Only 25-30 students and college employees use the "Nightrider" service to drive or escort them to class and their cars after dark each night. Why? First, because few people know about the service. Here's how it works: If you want a ride to your class or car, call (303) 556-2000 the day before to schedule an appointment. On weekends call Auraria Campus Police and Security at (303) 556-3271 for an escort. Maybe it's inconvenient. Maybe you've never done it before. Maybe you think everything will be OK walking to your car, a quarter of a mile away, in the dark, by yourself. Maybe not. It's doubtful that in a campus of 35,000 students and employees, in the middle of the city, there have been no rapes or murders in the last five years. Many crimes, especially sex crimes, go unreported. And students could easily think Auraria is a safer place than it actually is because campus police are often reluctant to release information about crimes. Taking an escort from Nightrider or campus police might seem like too much caution. Maybe it is. Do it anyway. |
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Makin' history ain't over yet "I'm in awe of myself."—Mark McGwire Not too long ago I read a baseball book written by a fellow named Robert W. Creamer. The book's title is: Baseball in 41: A Celebration of the "Best Baseball Season Ever" — in the Year America Went to War. It's a joy to read for a baseball fan, but I think that is because it's not entirely about baseball. It's an account of a historic year through the eyes of an 18-year-old man. Ted Williams hit .400 in 1941. Nobody has equaled the feat since. Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 56 consecutive games that same year. The Brooklyn Dodgers hadn't yet moved west and lost the World Series to the hated New York Yankees on a dropped third strike by catcher Mickey Owen. Events inside the game gripped the nation's attention. During DiMaggio's streak, Creamer describes people beginning conversations with, "Did he get one today?" It's something we have become quite familiar with this summer thanks to Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. And just like this year, in 1941 the races and chases on the baseball paths shared headlines with far more weighty issues. World war does not equate with a president's tendency to masturbate, but in history there is a correlation. It dawned on me the other day a few hours before my favorite team, the Chicago Cubs, squared off in a one-game playoff with the San Francisco Giants to determine which would advance to the playoffs: We are living in historic times. I made my 9-year-old niece Corbin watch the game with me. She hated most every minute of it, except for the seconds Sosa spent on the screen. Among the many other miracles baseball has provided us this season, it also somehow managed to motivate Corbin to want to do homework on a Monday night. I tried to explain to Corbin for nearly three hours everything from why we needed to watch this game to the strategies inside the contest itself. Not much eased her boredom. But as I drove her back to her mother's house way past her bedtime, smiling because of a 5-3 Cubs win, I knew it was right to make her watch. Soon someone will write a new book about the best season in baseball's history, and when Corbin reads it, she might feel like she was a part of something special. I will read it and remember: The death of Harry Caray, Kerry Wood's 20 strikeouts against Houston, David Wells' perfect game, two teams trading Mike Piazza inside of a week, Seattle trading Randy Johnson, my first trip to spring training during spring break, my first All-Star Game with my dad, Walt Weiss' son nearly dying and the fans nearly crying, the Yankees 114 wins, the Roger Maris chase and a wild-card race. I'll remember the record is really 71. But mostly I'm thinking I might remember Corbin nodding off in my rusty old clunker on her way home. |
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Column insults white men Editor: I read (Michael Byrd's column) in The Metropolitan (Sept. 25) and was disgusted. It was ignorant blabber about a situation that does not exist. White men are viewed as the enemy by many minority races and most women. This is stereotyping a group of people because of their skin color. This concept is something we as Americans have been trying to overcome for years. (The) story started out as a real emotional outreach to a group that has no one on their side anymore, and turned into an insult. Not all white men listen to country music, and not all good basketball players are black. If you continue to divide our nation by color and print such garbage you are not only being disrespectful to the "white man," you are mocking all people in America who have worked for equality in our nation. Justyne Romero |
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FEATURES |
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Barriers to Equality
Apartheid collapsed in the 1990s, yet racial inequality between the races of South Africa persists, a Metro professor said. The professor, C.J. White, spent two weeks in South Africa this summer and said racist attitudes and educational barriers continue to separate the races. "It will take many Nelson Mandelas and many years to break the entrenchment of racism," said White, chair of the African American studies department. South African President Nelson Mandela, was imprisoned for 27 years for his belief on equal rights for humanity. The social climate in some South African cities reminded White of his own experiences as an African American who struggled for equality in the 1960s, he said. In Johannesburg, whites and non-whites have little interaction. Non-whites are still in subservient positions and are rarely seen in restaurants and shops as customers. Johannesburg resembles Birmingham, Ala., in the mid-1960s, where a black man was free by law but not in the eyes of the people in power, he said. Racial discrimination laws, some in effect for more than 300 years, were dismantled in the 1990s in South Africa. Yet many of the white elite continue to discriminate because social change happens slowly, he said. Nicola Grun, 19, a white South African and Metro student, said racial segregation is ingrained into her society. "Growing up, I really didn't notice it because that's the way it was. But now that I'm older and am (in the U.S.), I see that it really was not fair," Grun said. Yet another gap keeps the South Africans segregated. That gap is education. Professor Raymond Lockett of Southern University of Baton Rouge said many non-whites don't have access to education that could prepare them for higher-paying jobs. An uneducated society is at a disadvantage when competing with an educated society. Lockett, who led White and 23 other educators to South Africa, said, "Education is a great equalizer between people." The team of educators visited more than five cities in South Africa, as well as Mandela's prison cell on Robben Island. The small cell that measured 5 feet long, 6 feet wide and was Mandela's home for 18 years. "Robben
Island was without question the harshest, most iron-fisted outpost in the
South African penal system," Mandela said in his autobiography. "I want to infuse the information concerning South Africa into our traditional social science classes," White said. Students will receive a better understanding of the African American struggle for equality by studying the current fight in South Africa. Despite the barriers between the races, conditions for non-white South Africans are improving, slowly, White said "I left (South Africa) with a feeling of hope," he added. "It will just take some time, but at least the door has been opened." |
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Stairway to Havens When people first hear that the Colorado Symphony Orchestra is playing the music of Led Zeppelin this weekend, the reactions are mixed. "Oh, elevator music?" "Can Stairway to Heaven possibly get any more mellow?" "Oh. Really? That should be interesting." But don't fret symphonic aficionados and Zeppelin freaks alike, a band is being brought in with guest conductor Brent Havens to lead the way for the symphony. And Havens promises one thing. "Is it the elevator music of Led Zeppelin? No," he said. "The promoter originally wanted to do it as an all-orchestral show, but I didn't want it to be too much of a Musak thing." With the addition of the band (which includes guitars and drums), Havens says the joint groups will create an "intense wall of sound. "We're trying to do the music of Led Zeppelin as accurately as possible. Some of the guitar solos are note for note." This is their first show in Denver, but they've done a dozen others all over the country. The band rehearses with the orchestra once before the performance, and Havens is finding the symphonies like the change of pace. "They're used to playing a different style of music," he said. "But we're finding that a lot of the orchestras are really getting into it. "It's a totally different crowd they're playing for. They're not used to wearing earplugs because the crowd is loud or the guitar and drums are too loud." Havens, who mostly composes music for films and TV, grew up listening to jazz. "But you couldn't help hearing A Whole Lotta Love and Stairway to Heaven." His favorite songs performed by the orchestra include The Ocean ("It's meter changes are all over the place"), Black Dog ("The whole orchestra is playing the same thing") and Stairway to Heaven ("Because the orchestra fits in very well with it"). "People don't know what to expect when they hear we're doing this show, but we're trying to do the music of Led Zeppelin as accurately as we can." We'll see. The Colorado Symphony Orchestra plays the music of Led Zeppelin with guest vocalist Randy Jackson and conductor Brent Havens. Oct. 2 - 3, at 7:30 p.m. at Boetcher Hall in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets.Call (303)-830-8497 for tickets. |
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Metro theater: weird but good When Absurdist theater is bad, it's really bad. Metro theater shows us the vice versa side to that cliché. Metro's Life & Death & ..., a production of three Absurdist works currently playing at the Metro Theater, is carried out with few dead spots. Absurdist theater is weird like that. It has dead spots, but they're not your typical theatrical dead spots. An audience member can usually see the characters building something larger - a more abstract vision. And the players do this well with all three mini-productions. Starting out the night is The Stronger, a match of mental espionage between Madame X (Missy Guisinger) and Miss Y (Jennifer Williams). An interesting directorial move is made with this show, as it carries itself slowly and surely. The pace makes the show over dramatic. It lags, and it's not a show that should lag. Nonetheless, Guisinger was fantastic when she let the hate pour on thick. Her delivery of "Oh, how I hate you" was perfectly deplorable. Williams' character could have been more apathetic, but when she laughed, her condescending cackle threw a million hateful darts. Next we visit The Man with the Flower in His Mouth, a more absurd delve into the genre. The Man (Jeff Thompson) is dying, and he talks to The Commuter (Erik Schnitger) about life's subtleties that we take for granted every day. He speaks of the great wrapping jobs on gifts, the smell a person acquires from just living, and the sober furniture in a doctor's office. They are the lost actions that we need to be reminded of. Thus, The Man reminds us of them. Schnitger, in the difficult non-speaking role, has the pretentious role down pat. He slowly starts to care, and it is a smooth transformation. Thompson's gentle approach is welcome - and unexpected. It works and adds a nice change-up to the performance as a whole. Lastly, the Review Sketches rear their frightening heads. The most extreme venture of the bunch, it turns out to be the most sexual as well. The eight short skits contain different combinations of actors, playing characters with random names from A to First. Keeping it simple (and lighthearted) is a priority. Actors wear black clothes with fluorescent paint and make-up spattered in wacked shapes all over their bodies. The subject matter varies, but what makes or breaks these performances is the compatibility between the actors on stage. Most work wonderfully, others don't. The dialogue is all about non-sequiturs. It makes the audience wonder: "What is a Virgo Intacta, and why is it that I so badly want to be one?" Sara Keely McGuire particularly stands out. Her comedic timing, sometimes like that of Mr. Bean, is on the mark. Her Piffs in Applicant is intense, and in the other sketches, she elevates the performances of those around her. She and Williams are crudely funny in The Black and White, and she and David Skeers work wonderfully together in That's Your Trouble and Applicant. The sets are minimal, and that is great. Is this a case of college students doing good experimental theater? Yes, so take advantage of it. Does everybody understand everything? Never, but that's the fun of it. You'll still be thinking and laughing about some abstract element of the shows weeks later. An interesting observation: in The Black and White, the two brute women are talking ... First: There's always a bit of noise. Second: There's always a bit of life. Thank God. For tickets to Life & Death & ... call (303) 556-3033. It runs through Oct. 4. |
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Stomp needs jump-start Smack that foot down onto the hard cement, or the plastic canister, or the rippled hubcap or your little brother's kneecap. It makes no difference as long as it has a beat. It has to be a beat that is driving - a block-rockin' beat will do. It's due time that we came to this juncture, where rhythm takes absolute precedence over government and bureaucracy. It's like rolling ecstasy, and Madonna's Ray of Light dance mix comes on and you're caught in another world where it doesn't matter what happens as long as the texture keeps true and the beat rocks the mic. This is the quasi-production that is Stomp, currently playing at the Auditorium Theater. Eight cast members, whose main emphasis is in percussion rather than dance, jam and beat on all sorts of cool stuff. Only it takes a while for them to get there. It's a good concept, and a popular one at that. The Australian sensation Tap Dogs was recently in Denver, and it is similar and more interesting than Stomp, only because they have the right concept. Stomp could lose its first hour, and it would be a better show than it is now. The closing 40 minutes are powerful, throbbing and funny at times. But with a start as annoyingly slow as that, it needs to be the shizznit just to avoid flying vegetables. It starts out with the characters in a junkyard setting. There are hubcaps and cylindrical structures lining the upper wall. Trash cans - both metal and plastic - litter the floor in a scattered manner. The players figure out every way and any way to abuse an object to create sounds. They start with brooms (yawn), and later they have giant barrels strapped onto their feet like they're Carney (you know, the circus folk with big hands who smell like cabbage). It's pretty uneventful, until they jam while hanging on the scaffolding, banging on the various items scattered on the upper wall. Interestingly enough, the most exciting times are found when there is variety in the pitch. It doesn't mean squat when they are just banging on one or two matchboxes or plastic bags. But when they start with the multi-octave, ten-gallon drums and the metal garbage cans, the house starts to rock. An element that the show seriously misses is humor. The transitionary rest periods beg for humor - it should be considered mandatory - but it is rarely there. They try to be funny, but in most cases it's just they're trying too hard. The energy is high, and the dancing and percussion is dominating. But too much of a good thing sucks. Save your money. See Tap Dogs on its next time around. Stomp plays the Auditorium Theater, 14th and Curtis streets, through Oct. 11. Tickets range from $19 to $38.50. Information: (303) 893-4100. |
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Underground colony crawls across the screen in ANTZ How does a movie studio create a movie presumably for kids, but with appeal for adults? The answer could be ANTZ, DreamWorks' first computer animation creation about an underground city filled with ants. The concept and the scenery are imaginative and well done, and the ants' world looks just like one might expect. The movie's dedication to detail is evident, right down to the ants' sparkling teeth. ANTZ is the second full-length computer animated feature to be produced.
The first was Toy Story. He is helped along in his quest by supportive friends, as well as an uppity ant princess who learns some lessons of her own. Z ultimately becomes a positive example to the entire colony, as well as a hero. The message from the movie presents the importance of individuality even in the face of opposition from the group. More than 15 well-known actors provided voices for the animated characters, such as Anne Bancroft, Gene Hackman, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone. An unnecessary use of expletives comes from the characters and seem to be used only in an effort to be hip. Children will be drawn to this movie, so the adult language is out of place. ANTZ is a movie that adults will appreciate more than children will. Children will probably find the antics of the ants humorous, though a war with termites might make for some bad dreams. And dentists will like the fact that these ants all have really nice teeth. |
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SPORTS |
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McDermott might seek AD office Metro volleyball coach Joan McDermott confirmed Sept. 29 that she would apply for the athletics director position at Metro being vacated by William Helman on Nov. 1. At press time, McDermott had amended her statement saying she was only considering applying for the position and she was having a hard time with the idea of giving up her coaching career. McDermott said it has always been her long-term career goal to become an athletic director. "I think this is a great place," McDermott said. "(Helman) has done a great job, and we can continue to grow from here." The man in charge of finding a replacement for Helman is vice president
of Administration and Finance Joe Arcese. "I think it's wonderful," Arcese said. "I think it's great that she is throwing her name in the ring. "Frankly, I'd like somebody who has been a coach and knows what the coaches need." Metro is conducting a national search for a new athletics director and the field of potential candidates should be large. McDermott has some experience in athletics administration. She served as assistant athletics director at Morningside College in Iowa before returning to Metro for her second stint as a volleyball coach. Asked if he thought McDermott or any other coach could handle doing the administrative job while continuing to coach, Arcese said: "I think the athletic director is probably a full-time job, but that is probably something we could talk about." Helman himself performed both jobs for 14 years. He coached the Metro baseball team and ran the athletics department until he decided he no longer had the time for both in 1992, he said. McDermott said she would consider both jobs if that were a possibility, but she admitted the task seemed unrealistic for one person. McDermott said she will make her decision sometime in the next three weeks before the deadline for applications arrives. Awards Senior Kelly Young was named volleyball Player of the Week in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's East Division. Young racked up 124 assists, 24 digs and six blocks in three conference wins. Young and her teammates moved up one position in the Division II top-25 rankings to No. 17. Junior goalkeeper Kelly Johannes earned the same award after posting two shutouts for the women's soccer team over Colorado Christian University and the University of Northern Colorado. The Roadrunners (9-0-1) are currently No. 6 in the latest top 25 women's soccer poll. |
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In defense of athletics Talking with a gentleman on my return flight from the World Cup in France this summer, made me really take a look at defining my role as an educator. After some small talk about what each of us did for a living — he was a history professor at a small school in Connecticut — he asked me what I wanted to accomplish with student athletes over the four or five years I have to work with them. Immediately I thought of the standard answers of helping them obtain a degree and providing them the highest level of play that I can. But this obviously intelligent man was looking at me over the top of his reading glasses and expecting more. So I gave it to him. Often people challenge the worth of athletics, especially college athletics, but this, I could tell, was an attempt to see what I was made of and what my motives were. My goal, I explained, is to give my players the ability to compete. Not just on the field, but in the classroom, in the workplace, and in their personal lives. I think he understood what I was saying. We had the same type of goals although we have two very different jobs in description. To me, competing is much different than winning. We can build our program in two ways: We can create the easiest schedule possible so that winning comes easily, or we can play a schedule that will challenge us to compete every day. If we first learn to compete everyday it will enable us to consistantly compete at the higest level. Nine of our 19 games this season are against opponents who are currently or will have been ranked in the top 25 at some point this year. In my opinion, the only way to get to the top level is to be challenged and learn to overcome challenge. Our professors on campus see it every day, young people who were not challenged as high school students. They were always successful in the classroom, even when they didn't have to work hard. Now that they are in the college classroom, they do not know how to deal with the challenge. It is the same in many of our personal lives. We accept failure because
sometimes it is easier than finding a solution. I am not sure you can teach people to be a competitor, but I think that you can give people the needed tools, and put them in an environment where they can compete. This whole story came up because of a phone call I received Sept. 29. A former high school player of mine called to say he was going back to school so he could find a career that was more challenging to him. He said if he had learned one thing, it was to not settle for something just because it is easier than working hard. He wants more out of his life and is willing to work to get it. I hope that all of the young men that I work with are challenged to be the best that they can be. I hope that you will challenge yourself and others around you to compete. — Brian Crookham Brian Crookham is head coach of the Metro men's soccer team. His column will appear weekly during the fall soccer season. |
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Hanlon's harmony Kelly Hanlon admits she can't sing or play a musical instrument. She does however have a knack for writing song lyrics and so far this season, they've been a big hit. Hanlon is a starting outside hitter for the No. 17 Roadrunner volleyball team and though her songs haven't gotten the attention of the music industry, they have brought some success to the Metro volleyball team. Before each match, she tries to write a song and so far she's been right on key. "Everytime I've written a song before a match, we've won," she said. "I started out against Augustana State and we won and then I didn't write for three matches and we lost each one." With a five-match winning streak, including an upset win over then No. 2 Regis two weeks ago, coach Joan McDermott may want to devote some of Hanlon's warm-up time towards writing. She's been able to do most everything else asked of her. Hanlon leads the team in kills with 252 (5.25 per game), attempts with 581 and is hitting .298. She is second on the team in aces with 12 and digs with 168. But most importantly, her enthusiasm for volleyball has returned. It may not sound like a big deal, but to understand the significance of that, one must know what Hanlon has been through the past three years. Success is something Hanlon was accustomed to as a prep in 1993 and 1994 at Overland High School. She helped lead her team to consecutive state championships, being named Colorado's Class 5A high school Player of the Year in 1994 as a senior. She had offers from a variety of Division I schools and looked to be on her way to a promising four-year career. With one decision, that all changed. She chose the University of Tenessee and has regretted it ever since. "I was conned and manipulated and lied to," she said. "They're excellent recruiters but that's all they know how to do. "You get there and it wasn't what they told me it was going to be like. Everything they had was really great except for the coaching skills." Her new home and new team were not what Hanlon had expected but she didn't give up, always believing things would change. She knew the situation, a program struggling for recognition and talent, but she didn't realize the affect it would have on her emotionally and physically. "They had it in my brain that it would be much more admirable to help establish a program," she said. "I bought into that and now I regret it." Her freshman and sophomore years she led the team in kills, digs, attacks and was the only player to play every game of every match. Her team finished 7-25 her first year and didn't win a single conference match. Every semester she wanted to leave and every semester she found herself still in Tennessee. According to Hanlon, the verbal and physical abuse she and her teammates endured led to drinking, eating disorders and other emotional problems within the team. Hanlon's biggest problems became her knees. Between her freshman and sophomore years, Hanlon said her team was subjected to six hours of practice, six days a week, a violation of National Collegiate Athletic Association rules. The result was another bad year for the team and surgery on both knees for Hanlon. Finally, during her junior year, Hanlon decided enough was enough. Tennessee had gotten rid of its abusive coach only to hire another, more abusive coach. Things weren't getting any better and Hanlon was going to quit in the middle of the season but decided not to, wanting to make sure she would get released from her scholarship. It was finally an end to a period of time that she still seems to have a hard time talking about. "I'm just now getting over my boyfriend back there," she said. "Just how many people backstabbed me, my coach, my roommate, my teammates, how I gave them everything and once I left took everything of mine they could and I didn't see it coming." Hanlon now tries to remember the good things that happened in Tenessee, and there were some. She made some positive connections and good friends outside of volleyball and is looking at the whole situation with a positive attitude. "I believe everything does happen for a reason because if you don't believe that it will drive you crazy," she said. "I'm changed forever but I didn't need that experience to grow. "I could have done without the last three years." When she returned to Colorado, Hanlon thought the backstabbing and cheap shots were over. She was wrong. The coaching staff at Regis University — where Hanlon initially intended to enroll — decided she "wouldn't fit in" with their program because of things they heard from other people, never actually talking with Hanlon. That's why the win against the Rangers was so sweet for Hanlon, who finished off the Rangers with a match-winning ace. Finally, with one conversation, Hanlon found a home. She didn't even know Metro had a volleyball team until an old friend and current Metro player, Shannon Ortell, told her about head coach Joan McDermott. "She didn't have one negative thing to say about Joan," she said. "And I see why now, she's a wonderful coach and a wonderful friend. "I've never seen a coach like Joan. There is no abuse in her program at all. She is here to make us better. She is here as a friend. She is here to help us out." This nurturing has renewed Hanlon's enthusiasm for volleyball and changed her attitude. "It's changed me as a player because I used to be very confrontational and mean and got after people and now I'm not like that," she said. "I realized there are great players out there that will put the ball down, so give them that shot and encourage your teammates before you get in their face." Hanlon's transition into the Metro team was a slow one. She didn't talk to anyone for months, after arriving last spring. She was trying to get over her knee surgery. She didn't feel she had anything to prove. She just wanted to have fun and do her best. Hanlon was surprised that her teammates gave her room to adjust to a new team and that made things easier for her. She's not surprised that her team is doing so well. "This is a very good team that I'm on," she explained. "They can go to anybody on this team and they're going to put the ball down and that's something new to me, too. If I'm having a bad match, we have three or four other very solid hitters to get the job done." Hanlon was used to getting the ball all the time at Tenessee, but she's adjusting nicely to the new format. She misses getting all the passes but realizes it's all for the best. "That means we have other people to go to and when I saw the other girl put it down I understood, we could all contribute," she said. While Hanlon admits the team goal this season is to win it all, her personal
goals are a bit more modest. She wants this year to replace the last three
years, to have a positive experience and end her collegiate career on a
good note. |
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