Monday, December 16, 2019 Vol. 129, No. 34

Monday, December 16, 2019

Vol. 129, No. 34

COLLEGIAN.COM

Steve Addazio is different than Mike Bobo.

Here’s how.

CSU’s recent hiring of coach Steve Addazio has come with divided public support, but the numbers show that there is reason for optimism

By Ethan Lee @EthanLee_99

tions about what it’s like to be a student in a learning environment on the CSU campus in ways that are helpful for faculty members who are interested in improving their teaching,” said Matt Hickey, chair for the Committee on Teaching and Learning, which led the survey revamp.

Colorado State University’s recent hire of Steve Addazio has come with mixed feelings from many Rams fans. Most of the fans’ hesitation spawns from the endless amount of articles and tweets referring to Addazio’s less-than-inspiring stint at Boston College. However, when you compare Addazio’s resume to that of Mike Bobo and the other potential candidates the Rams passed on, it becomes clear that Addazio was the best choice for the program’s future.

In his nine-year tenure as a head coach, Addazio has achieved bowl eligibility seven times, a feat Bobo accomplished only three times during his stint at CSU. Additionally, Addazio has actually managed to win multiple bowl games, compared to Bobo, who failed to bring home any hardware while leading the Rams.

see SURVEYS on page 4 >>

see ADDAZIO on page 16 >>

Colorado State University’s course surveys are available online at the end of each semester through the Canvas portal, with many professors providing an allotted time in class to do the electronic surveys. The course survey allows students to give feedback on a course and its instructor at the end of the semester.

ILLUSTRATION BY AMY NOBLE THE COLLEGIAN

‘Helping faculty to teach better’ New course surveys hope to reduce bias, aid professors

By Samantha Ye @samxye4

Finals week marks evaluation time for students — but also students’ chance to evaluate professors. And with the new course surveys, faculty are hoping for more effective feedback than in the past.

Colorado State University’s new course surveys are

designed to mitigate biased responses and more effectively gauge students’ classroom experience.

This winter will be the first time college departments will use the new survey responses to evaluate teaching faculty.

Unlike surveys from a year ago, the new course surveys steer away from the Rate My Professors model of numeric

rating questions, instead trying to solicit more qualitative feedback. Instead of asking students questions such as “How do you rate the instructor’s knowledge of the subject?” the new survey asks students to rate and describe the workload of the course with specific examples.

“We’ve worked hard with colleagues from all over campus in developing new ... ques-

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Nate Hines, co-owner and chef at the Welsh Rabbit Bistro in downtown Fort Collins, rolls out dough to make pasta for the restaurant. “When I was a kid, I wanted to be three things,” Hines said. “I wanted to be a cowboy, I wanted to be Luke Skywalker and I wanted to be a chef.” PHOTO BY BROOKE BUCHAN THE COLLEGIAN

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News | Monday, December 16, 2019

CAMPUS

CSU students present at United Nations climate change talks

By Charlotte Lang @chartrickwrites

Colorado State University students are leading the world in climate change research.

CSU students traveled to Madrid recently to present various research topics at the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

COP25, the name given to the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties, allowed approximately a dozen CSU students the chance to take part in various sessions and portions of the conference, including the opportunity to present their own research.

In preparation for the conference, CSU students, along with students from Clark University and Michigan Technological University, teamed up to research the 17 topics listed under the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

Tamera Breidenbach, a senior majoring in ecosystem science and sustainability, was one of the few undergraduate students to attend the conference. Her team focused on U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 13: climate action.

At the conference, Breidenbach and her team presented research on mountain and high elevation adaptation strategies to respond to climate impacts.

This project included different case studies, one of which was her own research on wetland ecology.

While Breidenbach’s team began working on this in August, Breidenbach said her own research on wetlands has lasted for over a year.

“As a climate scientist, there are days where this field feels like a fight and can be lonely.”

CLAIRE CARVER CSU GRADUATE STUDENT

“We used part of my own research in the proposal and presentation that we did,” Breidenbach said.

Some proposals were accepted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Breidenbach said.

“It’s really exciting that undergraduates, or even graduates, would have this opportunity,” Breidenbach said.

Breidenbach said she credits her professor in the Warner College of Natural Resources, Gillian Bowser, for the opportunity she and others had to attend.

“She is the sole reason that our students at CSU and the other institutions had this opportunity,” Breidenbach said.

Claire Carver, a graduate student working on her master’s degree in greenhouse gas management and accounting, was another student who attended the conference. Carver said COP25 was the capstone event of her master’s degree.

“As a climate scientist, there are days where this field feels like a fight and can be lonely,” Carver said. “At COP, suddenly you are amongst 25,000 other brilliant people working solutions to the climate emergency. Everyone at COP, while not speaking the same language, is speaking to the same goal.”

Reflecting back on the two weeks spent at COP25, Carver said she knows the world didn’t get the outcome it needs to prevent warming of 1.5 de-

Dec. 17

grees.

“While entirely disappointing, despair is never the option, and there is always more optimism,” Carver said.

Carver’s group worked on Sustainable Development Goal Five: gender equality.

In a media release sent to The Collegian, Carver wrote that “U.N. Sustainable Development Goal Five, gender equality, states that empowering women and girls is a basic human right. Meeting this baseline propels economic growth, development and climate benefits.”

For this goal, Carver’s group investigated the experience, perspective and role of gender in academia and gender equality initiatives.

“Gender equality at universities is pivotal in informing, researching and achieving sustainable development goals,” Carver wrote. “We investigated the experience, perspective and the role of gender in academia and equality initiatives.”

Breidenbach said the experience was one of the most impactful moments in her time as an undergraduate.

“Seeing the communication and utilization of science in

policy is important, as well as for young scientists to see how our work is being implemented in changes for a political scale,” Breidenbach said.

She also said she would like to see more people have this opportunity in the future.

“I think that as a research institution and as recognized as CSU is, internationally and nationally, it would be in the best interests to fund more students in the sciences to be able to participate,” Breidenbach said. “The school actually funding people to participate would be really influential and offer important opportunities to students.”

Funding for this opportunity came from grants procured

by Bowser through the National Science Foundation. “(Bowser) gathered different grants from the National Science Foundation and others to support the students to go,” Breidenbach said.

Breidenbach said more students participated in the initial projects than were able to attend. Out of the 15-20 people in her class, Breidenbach said only a little over 10 attended.

Charlotte Lang can be reached at news@collegian.com.

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Surveys >> from page 1 Student course surveys provide critical information for students, who are able to see the aggregated course results of most survey questions online; for instructors who are looking to improve their course; and for departments who will use the surveys as one factor in evaluating the faculty member’s performance.

Those who worked on the new survey say they indicate a larger cultural shift on campus to enable effective teaching, and they encourage students to fill them out.

Surveys on the regular schedule are now open on Canvas until Dec. 20.

No longer “crude and inappropriate” Numerous studies over the last decade have shown how student evaluations are plagued with sexist and racist biases. Students tend to rate female faculty, faculty of color and older faculty with lower scores unrelated to their teaching, Hickey said.

These patterns were no different at CSU, and the old surveys were particularly susceptible to these biases because the evaluations created numerical averages.

Of the 29 old questions, 27 were scales from one to five. All the responses would then be averaged out to give a number like 4.56 out of five on the question, even though the questions weren’t designed for averages, Hickey said.

Then, the tendency was for departments to take one average from one question and use that as the only indicator of how well the professor did, even though the questions weren’t designed to evaluate teaching.

Women and faculty of color faced significantly lower scores due to bias, and this would inappropriately harm their evaluations, Hickey said.

Assistant professor of ethnic studies Lindsey Schneider wrote in an email to The Collegian that basically “every woman professor I know has gotten comments on how she dresses or how her voice sounds, and I don’t know of any men faculty who get that.”

“I feel like because students perceive me as feminine, there is this expectation that I’ll be nice and likable,” Schneider wrote. “So even though I know I’m doing the same things that men faculty do, when I do it, students will say that I’m ‘harsh’ or ‘too demanding.’”

Additionally, studies have found students will rate easier courses better even if the challenging ones prepared them better for future courses.

Schneider wrote that the few times she has received harsh negative feedback, it has always been from students with personal issues with the material.

“I try not to take it personally, but as untenured faculty, it’s

News | Monday, December 16, 2019

always a little nerve-wracking when students say they’re going to report you to the dean because they’re mad that they had to learn about white privilege,” Schneider wrote.

During the spring 2019 semester, Faculty Council passed an amendment that disallowed departments from using student surveys “as a direct or comparative measure of teaching effectiveness.” The Council also approved adopting the new survey, which is designed to gather better quality student feedback with less bias.

Tim Gallagher, chair of Faculty Council, wrote in an email to The Collegian that there has been no attempt this academic year to eliminate student course surveys, and no such attempt is planned.

“The majority of Faculty Council members who defeated the proposed amendment were also convinced that student feedback was an important part of the process for evaluating faculty teaching effectiveness,” Gallagher wrote.

In the redesign process, every single old question was discarded, Hickey said. Now, when the survey involves numbered ratings, they display as distributions instead of averages. Instead of one giant text box at the end for student comments, the survey asks multiple times for written explanations of what students experienced.

“I try not to take it personally, but as untenured faculty, it’s always a little nervewracking when students say they’re going to report you to the dean because they’re mad that they had to learn about white privilege.”

LINDSEY SCHNEIDER ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ETHNIC STUDIES

“There’s no crude and inappropriate way to compare faculty based on those mean-type of responses,” Hickey said about the use of surveys in departmental evaluations. “That is a formal step away from the temptation to abuse student feedback.”

Rather, departments will have to use the more qualitative student feedback solicited by the new survey, along with other evidence like peer evaluations, a portfolio of syllabi and evidence of teaching practices to determine competence. The survey itself is not a student evaluation of teaching, and this more holistic view will help address the impacts of biases, Hickey said.

“We think the redesign is an improvement, but the reality is we don’t want to rest on our laurels and assume we have a fix, so

Colorado State University’s course surveys are available online at the end of each semester through the Canvas portal. The course survey allows students to give feedback on a course and its instructor once they have completed the term. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SKYLER PRADHAN THE COLLEGIAN

we’re going to have to do continuous improvements,” Hickey said.

“More valuable” for students and professors The survey changes have made them a better tool for students and instructors alike, according to those who were involved in the redesign.

Last year, the Associated Students of CSU contributed greatly to the development of the new survey.

The Syron-Sullivan administration ran on making course surveys available online to save paperwork and to establish a database for students to access the survey results, like an internal Rate My Professors platform.

Former ASCSU Chief of Staff Zach Vaishampayan helped make these items a reality.

Last year’s ASCSU even cowrote the first question of the new survey, Hickey said.

The question asks how students perceived the format of the class, such as whether it was more discussion-based or lecture-heavy. Students registering for courses can see if the class suits their learning style or matches the course description.

Very few students actually access the database, however, and average survey response rates have not been stellar.

The old paper survey averaged response rates in the high 30% area. Once they moved online, the response rate fell below 20%, which was expected but hopefully temporary, Hickey said. CSU moved to a new survey platform over the summer, and pilot tests showed response rates of around 55%, according to Hickey.

Ideally, the response rate would be 100%, Hickey said. But getting there will require professors to build a classroom culture that values student feedback

throughout the year.

The positive feedback to SmartEvals, the new platform, might also help.

SmartEvals shows instructors how many students have responded and sends out automatic email reminders, Director of the University Testing Center Paula Rodriguez wrote in an email to The Collegian. Additionally, instructors receive emailed survey reports 48 hours after the survey closes, can drill down on information in the report for further analysis and have more clearly defined sections for course-specific questions and primary/ co-instructor questions.

Many faculty already review their surveys extensively to improve their teaching, Hickey said.

Schneider wrote that she uses them to gather student input about her teaching and the class content and structure. Whether positive or negative, she can figure out how to address it in the future. The more specific the feedback, the more useful it is, Schneider wrote.

“By and large, I think faculty want to do a good job; we want students to feel invested in their education, and even if the feedback is critical, we want to know how we can do better,” Schneider wrote.

While Schneider hasn’t received feedback from the new surveys yet, she does look forward to seeing if there’s an improvement this semester.

Course surveys are not students’ only feedback option, and Schneider encourages students to go to office hours, write emails and talk to them after class; “whatever (they) need to do” to share their feelings with a professor.

While students may look to sites like Rate My Professors to

judge their prospective teachers, it’s not a platform many professors are looking at.

If students want faculty to pay attention to their input, course surveys are the place to do it, said Gwen Gorzelsky, executive director of The Institute for Learning and Teaching.

“These are valuable to you as students to choose your courses in an informed way, and you are helping your peers in the future (by filling out the reviews) because you are helping faculty to teach better,” Gorzelsky said.

In conjunction with the survey redesign, TILT has launched a new set of tools to help professors become better teachers.

As University culture has evolved, higher education instructors didn’t really receive any training in teaching, Gorzelsky said. This is changing now, and from TILT’s perspective, the course redesign is another way to facilitate better professor teaching.

Students play a critical role by sharing the feedback only they can provide as learners in the classroom.

Reviewing how an instructor runs a classroom, how much feedback they give and the classroom climate are all elements students are qualified to talk about, and they are critical to an instructor’s development, Gorzelsky said.

That’s why these are all questions on the new survey.

“We’re at a very important moment in CSU’s history because we have a new emphasis on how important it is for instructors to take this reflective approach to teaching,” Gorzelsky said. “And I think students may not be aware of how important (their) voices are in that process.”

Samantha Ye can be reached at news@collegian.com.

Monday, December 16, 2019

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News | Monday, December 16, 2019

BUSINESS

Humble Shapes: CSU student starts plastic-alternative brand

By Dorina Vida @simply_she_

Balancing academics, work and a social life is tough for any college student. Add starting a business to the list, and it seems impossible to still succeed while being sustainable the whole time.

Waylon Jepsen is a senior at Colorado State University majoring in mathematics. He is also the founder of Humble Shapes, a brand that aims to promote sustainability by making plastic-alternative products accessible.

“Businesses should be held a little bit more accountable for sustainability,” Jepsen said. “I’m really trying to be involved in other businesses and their sustainability practices because no one person or business can reduce plastic waste on their own. We all have to work together to do that.”

Jepsen said his brand is all self-funded. Being a full-time student, he is limited in what he is currently able to do for his brand.

That being said, he was able to design a beeswax food wrap that is aimed at eliminating the need for plastic wrap and plastic reusable containers.

“It’s made of beeswax, tree resin and plant oils,” Jepsen said. “It’s totally biodegradable, washable, sustainable and will stick to surfaces like bowls and can hold fruit and things.”

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Jepsen said his decision to create a brand was a result of both his passion for sustainability and the market research he conducted.

Specifically, Jepsen looked into the quality of Amazon’s marketplace as it related to a list of criteria he had for demand and competition. “(For) demand, I looked at the top 10 sellers and looked at their monthly revenue,” Jepsen said.

“For competition, I looked at the top 10 sellers and how many reviews they had. I was able to evaluate different marketplaces based on these criteria.”

Jepsen said he found sustainable marketplaces and decided that this was something he wanted to be a part of.

“Sustainability is really important, especially for business, because they have a way larger impact than any individual,” Jepsen said. “From there, it was a big journey of prototyping and working with a contract manufacturer (and) a brilliant designer and going from there.”

Jepsen said he was always drawn to business since he was young. Proof of this can be seen in his past business ventures, all of which have failed. Even so, Jespen said that without these failures, he would not be successful today.

“If I could start and run businesses for the rest of my life, I totally would,” Jepsen said.

Jepsen said a large part of his

drive to contribute to the world sustainably comes from his fear for the Earth. Due to the weight of the problem, Jepsen said he has realized that while we cannot solve the problem alone, we can actually make an impact together.

“The ability to create something in the world and watch it solve problems and impact people’s lives is the most fulfilling thing ever,” Jepsen said. “It feels really good to have a positive impact in the world.”

“If I could start and run businesses for the rest of my life, I totally would.”

WAYLON JEPSEN FOUNDER OF HUMBLE SHAPES

Jepsen truly began building his brand in May 2018, with his beeswax product being made available in October. His plans for the future involve the inclusion of hemp in his products, as the hemp’s fibers make a quality replacement for plastic.

Jepsen said the road to creating his business and establishing his brand has been stressful and financially taxing, as well as a test to his character and determination.

“It takes a lot of time,” Jepsen said. “That’s the biggest lesson for me: patience. Building a brand, you

can’t do in a day. It has taught me to relax and take some deep breaths (and) enjoy the process.”

Rachel Roberts is the assistant director for the Institute for Entrepreneurship at CSU. The Institute for Entrepreneurship, while housed in the College of Business, is a free service provided by the University to aid all students with the process of creating and sustaining businesses.

Roberts worked personally with Jepsen on planning and developing his brand, as well as teaching him the ins and outs of creating a business and making his brand mean more than just making a profit.

“When we got connected with Waylon (Jepsen), he already had a great foundation and had hit the ground running,” Roberts said.

“What he needed was direction on where to go from there.”

Jepsen worked with Roberts and her department on further developing his brand, establishing what it was he was trying to do with his business and his mission of sustainability, which helped him identify what was working and what wasn’t.

“Most people think of entrepreneurship, like Mark Zuckerberg and Apple or Google, blowing up with big exits and having money,” Roberts said. “But in reality, 70% of our workforce is made up of small-business owners. Those

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small-business owners are the lifeblood of our economy, so we need to make sure that we’re supporting on both ends.”

Roberts said Jepsen is currently in the stage where he is receiving mentorship through the Venture Rams program, where he is working with outside community members. Jepsen is working with a team of mentors that are helping him grow and expand his business model.

“Our program is designed so that, as you go through the process, if it’s not for you, you find that out pretty quickly so as to save your time, money and energy,” Roberts said. “What makes Waylon (Jepsen) unique is his persona and attitude: everything he has brought to the table. He is really excelling, which we don’t find as often as we would like to.”

Roberts said starting a business is a very intense process. While there is joy in it, there is stress as well. Balancing a professional work life, studies, a business and a social life that leaves you fulfilled is a lot to juggle all at once.

“It’s exciting to see individuals like Waylon (Jepsen) who don’t necessarily have a business background go through it the right way with a business model that is trying to make the world a better place,” Roberts said.

Dorina Vida can be reached at news@collegian.com.

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News | Monday, December 16, 2019

CITY

“Bikes, beer, ... genocide?”

Protesting New Belgium’s buyer

By Ravyn Cullor @RCullor99

New Belgium saw a protest titled “Bikes, beer, ... genocide?” on Saturday, Dec. 14, calling attention to the company’s possible buyer, Kirin Company, and their connection to genocide in Myanmar.

The company, which is selling after 28 years of being locally owned and almost two decades of being employee owned, announced they would possibly be sold to Lion Little World Beverages, a subsidiary of Kirin, on Nov. 19. The announcement was met with frustration by employees and community members, but this protest was inspired by international issues.

According to a report by the Human Rights Council, the Kirin Company has been connected to the genocide committed against the Rohingya Muslims in Myan-

mar. One of the company’s subsidiaries donated more than $12,000 to the Myanmar armed forces, which committed recognized acts of violence against the Rohingya and other ethnic groups in the Rakhine State in an attempt to push them out of the area, according to a United Nations report.

According to a document sent to The Collegian by the Karen Organization of America, legal action against the “perpetrators” of the genocide began Dec. 10.

“As a subsidiary of Kirin, New Belgium would become part of a key financial network empowering the Burmese army to continue committing genocide and crimes against humanity,” the document read. “By operating breweries in Burmese with the military, Kirin is propping up a genocidal regime and normalizing their conduct.”

Ravyn Cullor can be reached at news@collegian.com.

Protesters hold signs in front of New Belgium Brewery in opposition to the buyout by the Kirin Company Dec. 14. PHOTO BY RYAN SCHMIDT THE COLLEGIAN

A protester’s sign held up in front of New Belgium Brewery on Dec. 14. PHOTO BY RYAN SCHMIDT THE COLLEGIAN

A protester stands holding a sign in opposition to New Belgium’s sale to Kirin because of Kirin’s questionable links to human rights violations in Myanmar. PHOTO BY RYAN SCHMIDT THE COLLEGIAN

Steve Ramer protests in front of New Belgium Brewery on Dec. 14. PHOTO BY RYAN SCHMIDT THE COLLEGIAN

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News | Monday, December 16, 2019

CITY

Steve Ramer protests in front of New Belgium Brewery on Dec. 14. Protesters gathered to show disapproval of New Belgium’s sale to Kirin because of their questionable links to human rights violations in Myanmar. PHOTO BY RYAN SCHMIDT THE COLLEGIAN

Co-founder and CEO of New Belgium Brewing Kim Jordan talks with protesters outside the New Belgium Brewery Dec. 14.

PHOTO BY RYAN SCHMIDT THE COLLEGIAN

Fort Collins community member Kevin Cross protests in front of New Belgium Brewery on Dec. 14. PHOTO BY

RYAN SCHMIDT THE COLLEGIAN

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Opinion | Monday, December 16, 2019

SERIOUSLY

It’s time Mrs. Claus starts delivering gifts

By Ethan Vassar @ethan_vassar

Editor’s note: This is a satire piece from The Collegian’s opinion section. Real names may be used in fictitious/semi-fictitious ways. Those who do not read editor’s notes are subject to being offended.

FORT COLLINS – In recent years, there has been a growing trend of solidarity among women against the transgressions and unfairness they face in the workplace. The #MeToo movement and the call for equal pay have pushed these issues to the forefront of society and have inspired many women to demand a better workplace experience and the same compensation as their male coworkers.

Additionally, many women like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar are taking more prominent roles in politics. Considering this climate of female empowerment, it would make perfect sense for there to be a change to an ageold holiday tradition: having Mrs. Claus deliver gifts this Christmas.

For generations, Mrs. Claus has been living under the shadow of her husband. He gets all the praise and adoration for delivering toys to good boys and girls all over the world in one night, when really, he could not do it without his wife. It is time

that Mrs. Claus’ annual contributions to the holiday be recognized — she should receive a greater role than she has traditionally held. With all the recent female empowerment, the Christmas glass ceiling is just begging to be shattered.

“Having been a part of hundreds, if not thousands, of Christmases, Mrs. Claus is more than qualified to be the one sliding down chimneys and stuffing stockings with gifts, giving joy to children across the world.”

One needn’t look further than the Christmas song “Mrs. Santa Claus” by Nat King Cole to see how Mrs. Claus is underappreciated in the North Pole and how her talents are underutilized. The song includes lines such as “Who’s helping Santa every day?” “Who keeps his red suit looking nice?” and “Who gives the brownies all their spice?” which paints a very sexist picture of Mrs. Claus’ treatment at the North Pole.

COMIC ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN GREENE @TFOGDOGS

Santa and Mrs. Claus were unfortunately unavailable to comment, as they were busy in their preparations for Christmas, but a few former elves were able to be reached for comment.

“It’s really sad to see how the Mrs. was treated,” one said.

“She’s been around for this Christmas thing for decades, seeing the ins and outs of the operation, but Santa still delegates her to cooking and cleaning because she’s a woman.”

Another elf had this to say about the working relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Claus: “I think it’s a toxic masculinity thing with Santa. He can’t let his job be done by a woman, no matter how capable she is.”

Having been a part of hundreds, if not thousands, of Christmases, Mrs. Claus is more than qualified to be the one sliding down chimneys and stuffing stockings with gifts, giving joy to children across the world.

Not only would it be sexist to suggest she should continue being subservient to her husband, but it would be wrong, as recent years have proven, since there is nothing about femininity or womanhood that makes someone lesser. This Christmas, it should be Mrs. Claus delivering gifts.

Ethan Vassar can be reached at letters@collegian.com.

| 11

RAMPAGE | Monday, December 16, 2019

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14 |

Opinion | Monday, December 16, 2019

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

It’s important to know of weaponized artificial intelligence

By Guest Author @CSUCollegian

Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board. Letters to the Editor reflect the view of a member of the campus community and are submitted to the publication for approval.

To the Editor, I am writing this essay to bring awareness and recognition to a fastapproaching topic in the field of military technology — weaponized artificial intelligence.

Weaponized AI is any military technology that operates off a computer system that makes its own decisions. Simply put, anything that automatically decides a course of action against an enemy without human control would fall under this definition.

Weaponized AI is a perfect

example of a sci-fi idea that has found its way into the real world and is not yet completely understood. This said, weaponized AI places global security at risk and must be recognized by institutions like Colorado State University before it becomes widely deployed on the battlefield.

Nations are constantly racing to employ the next best weapon as it is developed. AI is no exception. Currently, AI is responsible for the one of the largest technology competitions since that of nuclear weapons during the Cold War. At the top of this competition is China and the United States.

With little to no international restrictions on the deployment of AI weaponry, a modern “arms race” will continue to develop, creating tensions between world powers as fear of the opposing team reaching the “perfect” AI weapon arises.

The other inherent danger is the gap that is being created between advanced world pow-

COMIC ILLUSTRATION BY SCOTTY POWELL @SCOTTYSSEUS

ers and countries who are incapable of developing such technology. The tendency for global conflict to occur between these nations increases, as powers that wield weaponized AI have a distinct edge over countries that do not employ AI. This allows room for misuse of this power given the lack of international regulations on using this tech.

Going further, my studies have shown that this technology poses considerable risk to international human rights laws. In its current state, weaponized AI is found to be unreliable in doing what it is intended to do. As an example, Project Maven, a current AI used by the United States, only identifies military threats using complex algorithms.

While this seems harmless, the direction in which the world is taking this technology is not. What would happen if this technology’s unreliability costs innocent lives due to a targeting error that AIs, like

Project Maven, are prone to making? Likewise, who would take responsibility for the actions of a machine?

What we have is a blurring of moral boundaries as we come closer to allowing this technology to determine who is a true threat. These kinds of errors cannot be tolerated by the rules of modern warfare.

A final obstacle surrounding AI is the United Nations’ inability to come to a consensus on its use. Researcher Eugenio Garcia with the United Nations stated, “Advanced military powers remain circumspect (guarded) about introducing severe restrictions on the use of these technologies.”

Although people easily recognize the dangers that AI poses to national security, countries are not willing to restrict the development. Furthermore, with minimal current legislation on the unreliability of the technology, weaponized AI will move further than what we can control.

While I make these claims, one must recognize that the technology does offer the benefit of removing soldiers from the battlefield. However, nations around the world are not monitoring this rising issue.

Colorado State University, being a tier one research facility that has investment in military technology, will be the institution that does step up to the plate and recognize catastrophe before it happens. These threats to global security may not be present now, but if we do not advocate for international legislation, these dangers will become reality.

Sincerely, Thomas Marshall Third-year mechanical engineering student at CSU Working under Azer Yalin as an undergraduate research assistant exploring Air Force technology The Collegian’s opinion desk can be reached at letters@collegian.com.

To submit a letter to the editor, follow the guidelines at collegian.com.

NOPE

DOPE

&

Final papers.

Being done with your finals before finals week.

Homework during finals week. #wtf

Making New Year’s Eve plans early.

Final projects that turn out to be 32 pages long.

Having a study room in the library booked before finals week.

Family friends who still think you’re a child.

Eggnog szn.

Trying to figure out how to move your stuff home for break.

When you have all of your gifts purchased for the holidays.

| 15

Opinion | Monday, December 16, 2019

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Correlation between gun violence, suicide

By Guest Author @CSUCollegian

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Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board. Letters to the Editor reflect the view of a member of the campus community and are submitted to the publication for approval.

To the Editor, While gun violence is a topic that always makes the headlines, the majority of deaths that happen with a firearm are actually from suicide. Research has shown that our murder rate has gone down as our suicide rate continues to rise.

September has come and gone as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, but we need more than a month of awareness for this crucial issue. As a society, we need a cultural shift in how we think, speak and engage in preventing suicide.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., with a 50% increase in girls and women within the last decade. Colorado also has one of the highest rates of youth suicide, becoming the leading cause of death in our state for individuals between the ages of 10 and 24, according to a report by the State of Colorado Attorney General’s Office.

According to Center for Health Journalism, “There is little scientific evidence that

media campaigns reduce suicide, with mounting evidence that they don’t.” While it isn’t a bad thing that there is public knowledge of and attitudes toward suicide awareness, having the knowledge is clearly not enough.

Awareness alone will not solve suicide.

While it’s a controversial topic in the U.S., one of the greatest ways to prevent suicide is to limit access to firearms. The most evidence-based and conceptually-sound recommendation for suicide prevention, recommended by clinicians, is to remove firearms from the home.

“If we are not ready to restrict access to firearms, we need to talk about how we are going to take steps to create a shift in our culture to talk about suicide openly.”

While reducing access to firearms can prevent suicide, we also need to dig deeper into why we have such a high rate of suicide in the first place.

We live in a culture that still stigmatizes mental health. Suicidal thoughts are a protective mechanism that can be very

normal for a person to experience. They are not a sign of weakness, rather a warning sign that something needs to change.

We need a culture less concerned about protecting the Second Amendment and more willing to engage in empathy.

We need to take suicide seriously, not making it shameful with the idea that suicide is selfish. We also need to change our language in how we speak about suicide, and we need folks to have better access to mental health services.

If we are not ready to restrict access to firearms, we need to talk about how we are going to take steps to create a shift in our culture to talk about suicide openly. With a sense of hope we can end this epidemic.

Suicide is 100% preventable, but prevention needs strategies that require work at the individual, systemic and community level. We need a holistic, integrated approach to suicide that includes both awareness, education, community engagement, policy change and access to mental health services.

There is a cure for suicide — let’s be brave enough to talk about it.

Sincerely, Ruth Krug Second-year graduate student, social work The Collegian’s opinion desk can be reached at letters@collegian.com.

To submit a letter to the editor, follow the guidelines at collegian.com.

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16 |

Sports | Monday, December 16, 2019

Addazio >> from page 1 Aside from bowl appearances/victories, program trajectory is also an important factor to consider when analyzing the success of a head coach. Coming into the 2013 season, Addazio’s first at BC, the Eagles were still ailing from a horrific 2-10 season the previous year. In just one season, coach Addazio was able to revitalize the lowly Eagles into a 7-6 bowl-eligible program. In the following seasons at BC, winning became the norm, as the Eagles got a record of .500 or better in six out of seven seasons.

“Colorado State University is a worldclass institution, and Fort Collins is an incredible city to live in and to be able to recruit to. Our program will be one built on toughness and passion, and we will work tirelessly to develop men of character to return championshiplevel football back to Colorado State.”

STEVE ADDAZIO HEAD COACH

In comparison, Bobo took over the Rams after a very successful 10-3 campaign in 2014 and did little to nothing with the excitement and momentum former coach Jim McElwain had created. During his first three seasons in charge, Bobo managed to achieve a winning record, but he brought home next to nothing in terms of rivalry and bowl game trophies. In the following two seasons, Bobo led the Rams to a dismal record of 7-17.

Another important distinction to make when comparing the resumes of Bobo and Addazio is the level of competition each coach has faced. Rams fans have been quick to point out that Addazio finished

44-44 in the alleged “weak” Atlantic Coast Conference rather than acknowledging the clear upgrade from a coach who finished 28-35 in the undoubtedly weaker Mountain West.

7-6 means something completely different when you’re playing Power-Five competitions each Saturday as opposed to a lighter Mountain West schedule. Addazio’s five seven-win seasons should not scare Rams fans away. Rather, they should appreciate a coach that can promise annual bowl appearances, something Bobo was unable to do.

Other candidates that the Rams were considering included Butch Jones and Tony Alford. While each had impressive resumes, Addazio was still the Rams’ best option.

Jones boasted Southeastern Conference coaching experience and a winning record as a head coach but is currently dealing with Title IX allegations that date back from his time at Tennessee.

The allegations facing Jones are something that CSU did not want to associate themselves with, and ultimately, Joe Parker decided the potential risk did not outweigh any reward Jones would have brought.

Alford, on the other hand, had no black spots on his resume. The decision to pass on him in favor of Addazio boiled down to longevity.

When I say longevity, I am referring to the number of years CSU could expect to have with a young and successful coach like Alford.

Much like Jim McElwain in the early 2010s, Alford is expected to climb the coaching ladder relatively quickly, and CSU was not looking to serve as a stepping stool in his pursuit for high-profile positions. Addazio, on the other hand, is not expected to be headed anywhere anytime soon, allowing the Rams to build a much-needed culture in pursuit of college football relevancy.

In summary, Rams fans need to appreciate what coach Addazio brings to the table rather than using surface-level statistics to belittle his legacy. One of the best parts of being a sports fan is coming into each new season with an unwavering sense of optimism, which is exactly what this CSU football team needs.

If the community can rally around our beloved Rams and usher in the Addazio era with enthusiasm and trust, the future will be undoubtedly brighter than in seasons past.

Ethan Lee can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

Joe Parker, Steve Addazio and Joyce McConnell hold an Addazio jersey during the new football coach press conference on Dec. 12 at Canvas Stadium. PHOTO BY DEVIN CORNELIUS THE COLLEGIAN

Colorado State University’s new head football coach Steve Addazio speaks at the men’s basketball game on Dec. 13. PHOTO BY LUKE BOURLAND THE COLLEGIAN

HEAD COACHING RECORD: ■ 2011- Temple

9-4 (5-3 MAC); First bowl victory for Temple in 32 years ■ 2012- Temple 4-7 (2-5) ■ 2013 – Boston College 7-6 (4-4); AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl ■ 2014 – Boston College 7-6 (4-4); New Era Pinstripe Bowl ■ 2015 – Boston College 3-9 (0-8)

■ 2016 – Boston College

7-6 (2-6); Quick Lane Bowl champions, First BC bowl win since ‘07 ■ 2017 – Boston College 7-6 (4-4); New Era Pinstripe Bowl ■ 2018- Boston College 7-5 (4-4); SERVPRO First Responder Bowl ■ 2019 – Boston College 6-6 (4-4); Birmingham Bowl

Steve Addazio answers a question from Brian Roth about how the Rams will play football under coach Addazio Dec. 12. PHOTO BY DEVIN CORNELIUS THE COLLEGIAN

| 17

Sports | Monday, December 16, 2019

EAGLES

Eagles set to host Manitoba Moose, continue 6-game homestand

By Ryan Loberger @LobergerRyan

Christmas will come a little early for kids in need, as the Colorado Eagles celebrated their annual teddy bear toss promotion night on Saturday, Dec. 14. Fans threw their plush toys onto the ice following a first-period goal courtesy of Logan O’Connor.

Last season the Eagles collected 10,000+ teddy bears during the game, and this season they broke that record with 12,000+.

The night was capped off with a win as the Eagles topped the San Diego Gulls 3-1, snapping a five-game losing streak.

“It’s always going to be a tough game against (San Diego),” O’Connor said. “They play hard every whistle, every game. It’s nice to get a big win against a division rival. We’re pretty tight in the standings, so we needed that.”

Part of the three-game series against the Gulls marked the beginning of a six-game homestand for Colorado. They’ll host the (14-15) Manitoba Moose for two games on Tuesday, Dec. 17, and Wednesday, Dec. 18.

The Eagles dropped all four meetings last year against the Moose and were outscored 13-3 in the season series. Like Colorado, Manitoba has struggled with consistency to this point in the regular season. They’re unable to put together stretches of good hockey to pick up wins.

Both teams are in the middle of their divisions and boast similar numbers. Currently, in the thick of a very level Pacific Division, the Eagles are in the final playoff spot with 25 points, just one point behind Ontario for third place in the division and one point ahead of Bakersfield.

The Moose are led by centerman Jansen Harkins, who notched 31 points last season and has already tied that point total this year in just 29 games.

Power play struggles have persisted with Colorado this year; they are sitting at an 11% conversion rate, while their penalty kill is at 80.6%. In their last five games, the Eagles have scored just two power-play goals in their last 21 attempts with the man advantage.

Getting the first goal in this game will be key for the Eagles.

Mark Alt (10) and Dan Renouf (5) work together to get a large teddy bear over the glass at the Budweiser Events Center during the game against the San Diego Gulls Dec. 14. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COLORADO EAGLES

Colorado has struggled mightily when playing from behind this year.

The next four games are critical for Colorado. A winning

streak during this homestand will lock up their position in the playoff race for the foreseeable future. Home ice has not been a haven for Colorado this sea-

son; the Eagles have an overall record of 5-7 at the Budweiser Events Center.

Ryan Loberger can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

On a sad note the Mellow Yellow in Fort Collins will close on Dec. 31st.

Thank you CSU for a great 50 years, what a long strange trip its been.

18 |

Sports | Monday, December 16, 2019

GOLF

‘Great leader by example’: AJ Ott driving historic season

By Matt Davis @MattDavis27

Situated in one of the most successful seasons Colorado State University golf has seen recently is senior golfer AJ Ott. But current success isn’t enough to satisfy him.

“This early, the rankings don’t matter. We just have to play good golf later in the season,” Ott said. He believes that the Rams still have room to grow and is not intimidated by the team’s dominance.

A statement like this is pretty typical for Ott; the fourthyear finance student personifies all the adjectives to describe a great athlete, as he’s motivated, gritty, ambitious and confident but humble.

“He was a great leader by example — not just during competition, but in practice; he just hated to lose, even in PE class,” said Fort Collins High head golf coach Kyle Tregoning. “Whatever he sets his mind to, he’s going to do it.”

The general consensus is that Ott is no slouch.

He had a club in his hands by the time he was 5 years old.

He was chipping Wiffle balls in his front yard when he was 8. By middle school, he was shooting lower rounds than his father and grandfather.

Ott has found success at every level of golf. As a 15-yearold high school junior, he was already one of the top-ranked junior amateurs in the state. In that same season, he finished 13th at the 2015 Big I National Championship, posting a 72hole score of 296 (78-72-74-72) in the prestigious tournament.

As a high school senior, he won the 2016 Colorado Junior PGA Championship and found himself the 43rd-ranked golfer in the class of 2016 nationally and the top player in the state per the National Junior Golf Scoreboard. This was all before he had signed his letter of commitment to CSU. When he made the decision to take the leap from Fort Collins High to Colorado State, it was clear from the jump that Ott would make great use of his time as a Ram. He’s performed in every tournament he’s been eligible for, even in his freshman campaign. While that freshman season wasn’t his strongest, Ott grew into the game during his second and third seasons with the Rams golf team.

“I struggled that year, but I got in the lineup,” Ott said, remarking on his first year at CSU. “It was good experience.”

In his sophomore season, Ott led the team in average strokes per round, with an impressive

mark of 71.67 strokes through 33 rounds. Ott earned All-Mountain West team honors — an impressive feat to accomplish, especially after starting the season unranked in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. But by the end of the season, Ott had jumped to 290th.

Ott improves every year, refusing to let his skills plateau.

Ott’s junior campaign was even more successful than his fiery sophomore year. Junior season was the season in which he’d earn the Les Fowler Player of the Year award, an annual award given to the top amateur golfer in the state of Colorado. Ott had four top 10 finishes in collegiate play and dominated the Southwestern Amateur tournament.

The Rams are in the middle of their most successful season in program history. The team currently holds their highest ever ranking in Golfstat’s national rankings at No. 5, with Ott holding strong in the team standings.

When it comes to what motivates Ott, you’ll find his drive is nothing more than pure love for the sport.

“I love competing,” Ott said.

“I’ve always loved competition.

It’s what we are after here at the college level.”

Ott is a local product through and through. Born and raised in Fort Collins, he tore up local competition in his four years on the Fort Collins High School varsity roster.

“You could tell he was talented right away,” Tregoning said.

“He was such a hard worker too. He would work through our high school practices and then go hit balls somewhere else afterwards.”

Ott acknowledged that it took some support from the Fort Collins golf community to get him to where he is.

“I started playing at, like, Collindale (Golf Course) and Southridge (Golf Course) when I was younger, but when my family joined Ptarmigan (Country Club), I could start going whenever,” Ott said. “It’s easy at a club like that to shoo away kids, but they always let me practice and were really respectful.”

To buff his credentials as a true Colorado native, it’s worth mentioning that Ott is an avid outdoorsman. In his free time he likes to hit the slopes and flyfish.

“I would hang my clubs up for four months every season just to ski,” Ott said. “Obviously I can’t go up as much now, but I still try. Anything outdoors really is fun to me.”

Ott’s time at CSU is coming to a close. Over his four years at CSU, his commitment to the program is unmatched. Ott says

Colorado State University senior golfer AJ Ott watches his drive after teeing off on hole 10 of the Ram Masters Invitational Sept. 17. PHOTO BY LUKE BOURLAND THE COLLEGIAN

he’s made some of his closest friends here, and the friendships he’s built here have been what he’ll remember best.

“We always have a really tight group,” Ott said. “We’ve got guys from all over the place, but everyone is really close.”

Ott’s golf aspirations don’t end at the collegiate level. Everyone should expect to see Ott vying for a spot on professional tours following his graduation in the spring.

“I’d like to try to play PGA (Tour) Canada ... or the Korn Ferry Tour next fall if I can,” Ott said.

If he doesn’t go on to find success professionally, he’ll be happy to fall back on the finance degree he’s worked hard for.

Assuringly, Ott is focused on the rest of this collegiate season.

“We’ve got a lot of events left,” Ott said. “It’s been fun, and we have a lot of experience.

We know what we’re capable of now.”

The Rams are heading into the winter play break with strong aspirations for the rest of the season.

“We have the chance to play a lot of good teams now,” Ott said.

“It’d be a lot of fun to make a regional berth and then maybe a NCAA tournament appearance.”

The Rams are scheduled to play next at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate in February.

CSU golf will look to capture their first victory of 2020 when they head to the Classic Club in Palm Desert, California, a tournament the team finished fifth in last season.

Matt Davis can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

Colorado State University senior golfer AJ Ott unstraps his glove after teeing off on hole 10 of the Ram Masters Invitational Sept. 17.

PHOTO BY LUKE BOURLAND THE COLLEGIAN

RAMS 2019 SEASON LEADERS Name

Relative Scores to Par

Stroke Average

Parathakorn Suyasri

-1

70.08

Davis Bryant

-1

70.17

AJ Ott

-1

70.18

| 19

Arts & Culture | Monday, December 16, 2019

HOLIDAY

Collegian picks: Favorite Christmas traditions

By A&C Staff @CSUCollegian

Regardless of your religion (or lack thereof), Christmas is a day that is so pervasive, it’s basically unavoidable. For some of us, the annual gift-giving day gets tiresome. Some decide to focus on what’s important, like family and togetherness, while others opt for a less traditional day. Either way, most people have developed their own unique traditions to celebrate the holiday. Here are some of The Collegian staff’s favorite Christmas traditions.

Elena Waldman My Christmas tradition has remained the same for several years.

Once upon a time, I realized my husband needed a gold chain for his watch, but I was too broke to buy it for him. I felt bad, so I sold my long hair in exchange for the chain. Unbeknownst to me, my husband sold his gold watch to buy a comb for my long hair. We have done this every year on accident. Also, this never happened and is an urban legend. I am Jewish!

Lauryn Bolz Even though I’m a third-generation American, my grandparents still like to keep our Norwegian traditions alive during the holidays, even if the rest of us find them to be a bit strange. My favorite part of these traditions, though, is the lefse. There really is nothing better than a potato tortilla slathered in butter and drowned in sugar to eat throughout the night. It definitely would not feel like Christmas without it.

Jack Taylor I bake cinnamon rolls the night before Christmas, so they’re all nice and hot in the morning. We usually have ham on Christmas Eve. I try to get my parents to let us open one gift on Christmas Eve, but they say no every year.

Ty Davis My stepfather does this really weird thing where instead of filling stockings with candy or other treats, he fills stockings with hygiene items like body wash, razors and toothpaste. We have no idea why or how this tradition started, but he still does it to this day.

Graham Shapley My family’s most important tradition in the winter season is tamale day, wherein we gather as many family members as possible and mass produce hundreds of tamales.

Our current record is 620 in one day. Following this event, all we eat for a week is tamales.

Scotty Powell My family’s most sacred holiday tradition is going out into the woods and finding the crummiest, most lopsided tree we can to bring back home and set up in our living room.

We feel this is a fun and festive way to give the middle finger to traditionalism, as well as to showcase our unique brand of dysfunctionality.

Matt Campbell My family doesn’t really have many traditions. We’re all pretty low-key. My mom does make cinnamon rolls every Christmas morning, which is a part of Christmas I’m always looking forward to! Really, I’m just looking forward to hanging out with my family, going to Christmas parties and petting my dog.

Leo Friedman Since I’m Jewish, my family and I don’t necessarily celebrate Christmas. However, we still get together as a family and get food from our favorite Chinese American restaurant every time Dec. 25 rolls around.

This is an oddly common tradition for a lot of Jewish American families, and we like to keep it going every year.

Emily Pisqui My family always gets together with my aunt and uncle for a white elephant Christmas party. Each year we choose a theme for the white elephant. Last year it was as seen on TV things; it was hilarious.

My aunt loves going all out for the holiday, so she always caters, has chocolate fondue and makes the best drinks. We play family board games and play with the VR set my uncle got. We get together for this white elephant party two or three days before Christmas, depending on everyone’s schedule. I love having a big family to celebrate the holidays with; it makes it more enjoyable. Another favorite tradition is my mom and I choosing a TV show to binge watch during winter break and seeing how far into the series we can get. This year we are doing “Game of Thrones.” Even though we’ve seen the show already, I’m looking forward to it.

Autumn Sorrentino I have a pretty big family, with at least 100 cousins (and, more than likely, several more that we don’t know about). Every year, between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, we get everyone together for the annual Rook tournament. We play a card game called Rook for about 18 hours straight in several teams of two. The winners have a trophy that they get to keep for the entire year until the next Rook tournament. It’s so serious that, back in the day, people weren’t allowed to talk during gameplay. Now, it’s a little more eased up, but children under 13 still aren’t really allowed to play (and if they do, they aren’t taken very seriously).

My aunts Keri and Mindy have won for three years in a row. Last year, they did a photoshoot with the trophies and gave out calendars with the pictures — the only holidays on the entire calendar were their birthdays. This year, they made a ring commemorating their victories. Please, if one of you is reading this, let the rest of us have a chance. I’m begging you.

The Collegian arts and culture staff can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com.

Many families go out and buy Christmas trees from temporary pop-up lots, while some go and cut them down themselves at tree farms or at designated Forest Service locations with proper permitting.

COLLEGIAN FILE PHOTO

“I bake cinnamon rolls the night before Christmas, so they’re all nice and hot in the morning,” said Sports Editor Jack Taylor. COLLEGIAN FILE PHOTO

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Arts & Culture | Monday, December 16, 2019

MUSIC

Sufjan Stevens demonstrates the limitlessness of the holidays

By Matt Campbell @mcampnh

Few Christmas songs stretch past the two minute mark. If they do, it’s for a good reason: say, to accommodate a gripping violin solo or to meet the standard time needed to light every candle at a Christmas Eve service. It’s safe to say that most Christmas songs last just about as long as a person is willing to listen to them, which is a virtue in itself for the genre.

There are few Christmastime albums that are as ambitious as wrapping presents in a bumpy ride over the river and through the woods, as to grandmother’s house you go.

“Songs For Christmas” is singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens’ contribution to the canon of Christmas classics: an absolute behemoth of an album that spans 42 songs over the course of two hours and five discs.

On this project, Stevens takes a self-admitted passion for Christmas and turns it into a five-album masterpiece, incorporating traditional carols and original compositions, all wavering appropriately between Stevens’ traditional hushed “indie baby” vocals and excited arrangements of baroque instrumentals and frantic lyricism.

According to Stevens’ lore, each side was recorded for friends and family as Christmas presents between 2001 and 2006. The first side of “Songs for Christmas” presents listeners with a very early example of Stevens’ sound from the days of “A Sun Came” and “Enjoy Your Rabbit.” Opening with a very traditional and almost irreverent version of “Silent Night,” the instrumental is short and somewhat chaotic before breaking into “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” a song that features strummed banjo and gruff vocals from Stevens.

“We’re Goin’ To the Country!” is a cute folk number that sees Stevens reflecting upon getting ready for Christmas, as written and recorded by Stevens in the form of a steady banjo-driven carol. “Holy

Holy, etc.” is a hectic instrumental that sees dueling electric guitars playing alongside each other with syncopated and spaced-out notes that twinkle and seem to fall like snow.

Side one closes with a rendition of “Amazing Grace” as performed

by Stevens. The song starts with banjo chording before reaching a triumphant Fleet Foxes-esque climax accompanied by acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies.

“Put the Lights On the Tree” is a quirky, piano-driven ballad that sounds straight out of an episode of “Portlandia.” It is a baroque number that captures a period of time in contemporary indie pop, as well as a specific moment of Stevens’ career, as it reflects the rhythmic and musical aesthetics found all over “Michigan.”

This same aesthetic is shared on “I Saw Three Ships,” with playful Neutral Milk Hotel-inspired acoustic guitar and a steady marching drum beat accompanied by an unknown keyboard instrument that drives the melody in gaps between Stevens’ melodic and soulful delivery.

“Each song is carefully deconstructed, rebuilt and elaborated on, while Stevens’ own compositions demonstrate his ability to be constantly inspired by past versions of himself.”

The highlight of side two is Stevens’ rendition of “What Child Is This Anyway?” which is a dark and twisted rendition with a menacing drum part that drives the song under intentional vocals. Stevens takes breaths to allow for synthheavy guitar-like leads to create a level of dissonance under the classical piano that creates the bed of chords on which most of the song lies. “What Child Is This Anyway?” is reminiscent of some of the darker textures Stevens implements on “Michigan” in songs like “The Upper Peninsula” and “Oh God Where Are You Now?” The third side of the record starts with a piano arrangement of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”

that lands in a beautiful field of hymnal voices that create a monstrous, reverb-tinged choir.

“Come On! Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance!” is a song that shows an interesting period of transition between Stevens’ “Michigan” and “Seven Swans” aesthetic and the decidedly different (and arguably more interesting) “Illinois” aesthetic. It is cheerful and clever as layers of voices chant over encouraging lyrics that urge you to drop everything, drink that cup of coffee and finish wrapping those goddamn presents!

“That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!” is a song that became a mainstay during the tours supporting “Illinois” and beyond. It’s a decidedly calmer composition that invokes some of the softer sides of the manic “Illinois,” such as “Casimir Pulaski Day.” Stevens tells a story of a hectic Christmas that is confessional and offers a glimpse into his childhood, something that Stevens used in full force and with great success on 2015’s “Carrie & Lowell.”

“Ding Dong!” is a glockenspiel tune that is reminiscent of some of the instrumental breaths that Stevens often takes in some of his albums. It is dainty and disorienting yet appropriate, breaking up the third side of the record and cutting off to make way for “All the King’s Horns,” a traditionally acoustic guitar and banjo-driven song that is cryptic and possesses an aesthetic of fantasy and mystery.

Side four features three original compositions of Stevens’ that are drastically different and reflect another transitional period of Stevens’ career.

“Hey Guys! It’s Christmas Time!” might be mistaken for a Built to Spill track if not for Stevens’ tender vocals in quiet verses that abruptly bust into an overblown, fuzz-guitar-driven hook.

The song is unmistakably ‘90s indie rock that demonstrates Stevens’ ability to craft catchy and radio-friendly pop songs that are sparsely littered between gargantuan and traditionally folk projects.

“Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day?” is a letter to an absent family member or friend who seems to disappear and reappear in inappropriate and emotionally tormenting ways. It is applicable to many of the feelings we might have toward family that we might have resentment for in a time that continues to be stressful

and tense for many families.

The last Stevens-authored track on side four, “The Incarnation,” is a spacy, ambient and haunting instrumental with aimless, noisy guitars and a feeling of tension. It is the sound of familiar instruments working against each other to create a creepy and irking atmosphere before ending on lightly-strummed electric guitar chords that stands out among a wash of reverb.

At 11 songs long, side five is the longest side on the record in song count and duration. Stevens begins the side with an angelic performance of “Once in Royal David’s City,” a traditional Christmas hymn that is pleasant and steady as it rings with a space similar to the ambiance of a great cathedral.

This is immediately juxtaposed by the bright and chaotic “Get Behind Me, Santa!” which is a trumpet-heavy and groovy indie song that is matter-of-fact in its vocal delivery but messy and charming in its poppy instrumentals. The chorus and verses reflect Stevens’ truly unique talent for pop hooks that run along a song fit for a carefully-choreographed music video of Stevens pushing a cart in a Target shopping for gifts.

Of all of the instrumental breaks on “Songs For Christmas,” “Jingle Bells” is decidedly more straightforward and truer to its source material. It is jaunty and direct, and it ends abruptly to lead into the unmistakably unorganized “Christmas in July.” “Christmas in July” is another song that is confessional and invokes Stevens’ non-Christmas-related work at the time.

Side five also features “Jupiter Winter” and “Sister Winter,” two more songs penned by Stevens.

“Jupiter Winter” is an electronically-driven song that feels courageous and ambitious. The same cannot be said for “Sister Winter.”

“Sister Winter” begins as a product of its own humble nature: a subtle song with the same hushed vocal delivery that Stevens implements in most of his songs, but it’s backed up with driving, distorted power chords. The song invokes the musical aesthetic of Wilco and Arcade Fire, among other indie giants at the time.

By the third reprise of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” the album has become pretty exhausting.

With three more songs to go, the end seems near until “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” cascades into

“Star of Wonder.”

With its seven-minute runtime, “Star of Wonder” is a puzzling number. The soundtrack is similar to being visited by a foreign form of human-like beings. Rather, it sounds like if Jesus were discovered by aliens unsure what to do about him. “Star of Wonder” is a truly interesting song, as it is reflective of Stevens’ self-conscious yet ambitious sound that is found on some of the longer cuts of “Illinois” and “Michigan.”

The end of “Star of Wonder” is thunderous. Its chanted vocals under pounding drums and truly spastic electronic instrumentals are thoroughly disorienting and curious. The repetition of “I see the stars coming down there, coming down there to the yard” is a direct reflection of the awe and inspiring aesthetic that made “Illinois” such an excellent album. Each note is intentional, creating an air of organized unrest that eventually dissolves into vocals and piano, then piano and then nothing.

“Songs For Christmas” ends on the whimsical “The Winter Solstice.” Bright and chimey glockenspiel arpeggios cascade over each other, creating a sonic star-scape from which fragile flakes fall and collect on the ground. Backed up

by Granddaddy-inflected synthesizers, “The Winter Solstice” is a magical callback to the aesthetic of “Michigan” and is a song that allows the album to end naturally with a quaint garnish, like tinsel on a Christmas tree.

What “Songs For Christmas” does that few other albums can do is exist as a separate entity to Stevens’ entire discography. It is a near-linear map full of callbacks, experiments and trials that outline Stevens’ limitless creativity.

On “Songs For Christmas,” Stevens reinvents Christmas music from a foundational standpoint.

Each song is carefully deconstructed, rebuilt and elaborated on, while Stevens’ own compositions demonstrate his ability to be constantly inspired by past versions of himself, as well as whatever version of himself he is currently working tirelessly to hone.

OVERALL SCORE ■ 7.7/10

Matt Campbell can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com.

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Arts & Culture | Monday, December 16, 2019

ENTERTAINMENT

Best holiday TV specials to ring in the seasonal spirit

By Scotty Powell @scottysseus KCSUFM.COM

If all the neighborliness and good cheer being spread around this time of year is starting to nauseate your inner Scrooge, perhaps it’s time to retreat back into the great indoors and snuggle up in front of your faithful old friend Mr. LED Screen for some nice Christmas TV specials.

If you’re looking for a halfhour nostalgia fest to help ease your over-jollied head, here’s a list of the tube’s most memorable holiday specials.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965) “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is perhaps the only holiday TV special that can stand its ground as a bona fide work of art. This is because it doesn’t insert itself as just another holly jolly addition to the popular Christmas culture the way our yearly line of factory-produced pop singles and Hallmark movies do.

Instead, it uses that culture as an artistic metaphor for a much deeper, more human issue: the question of where love itself fits into the traditions we’ve established for the sake of preserving their value and importance.

This movie is one of the first Christmas specials to call out the maddening effects the consumerist reinvention of the holiday had on the populace. It highlights how our desperate attempts to keep Christmastime culturally relevant have only led us to double down on the shallow, sugar-coated glitz and glamour of the holiday.

The aggressive commerciality of it all has ultimately led people to become disillusioned by the season and, beyond that, is what the people trying to keep the holiday culturally relevant are so disdainful of.

Between Charles Schulz’s sparse and beautiful artwork and Vince Guaraldi’s somber, jazzy underscoring, every element of this film is a near-perfect subversion of the increasingly aggressive displays of holiday cheer that saturate our culture and our popular conception of Christmas as the years go on. It is the clearest, most confrontational, most sobering reminder of what we are truly celebrating this time of year.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”

(1966) I’m a sucker for paradox, and there is perhaps no paradox in this world greater than the wedding of Boris Karloff and the most wonderful time of the year in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”

Like “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” this television adaptation of the classic Dr. Seuss tale is

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brilliant because of its subversive themes — its fearless defiance of the kitschy holiday tradition of which it takes part in.

While it may not be quite as pitch-perfect in its melancholy tone and aesthetic as Schulz and Guaraldi’s masterpiece, its message nonetheless continues to ring clear in the modern age. Plus, it’s a truly beautiful piece of animation: a match made in cartoon heaven between Dr. Seuss and famed “Looney Tunes” director Chuck Jones (creator of Wile E. Coyote and one of the 20th century’s finest animating geniuses, second only to Walt Disney).

The blend between Seuss’ whimsical cityscapes and Jones’ wacky, surreal composition imbue the film with a wonderfully weird, dark tone that, like the short itself, stands in stark contrast to the otherwise feel-good fluff contaminating television airwaves during the holiday season.

I can’t tell you how many years of therapy it has taken me to get over the terror of that slow sinister grin that creeps across the Grinch’s face when he first gets the perfectly awful idea to steal Christmas from the Whos. Plus, one can’t ignore the brilliance of Karloff ’s haunting baritone or Thurl Ravenscroft’s silky and slimy recital of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”

While Ron Howard and Jim Carrey may have supplanted their animated predecessor’s place as the go-to Grinch movie, this holiday classic nevertheless continues to stand its ground in our cultural psyche, enchanting us all over again each time it comes on the air.

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1964) Okay, so “Rudolph” is a shameless, mindless, happy-golucky member of the consumerist Christmas movie canon that I just

showered the last two entries on this list with so much praise for defying. Yes, it’s true. From an artistic standpoint, the film is about as profound as Jaden Smith’s pubic hair, but it’s enjoyable. It’s a classic, and you can’t go wrong with Burl Ives playing a talking snowman.

It’s hard to deny the impact that “Rudolph” had in shaping our conception of what holiday TV specials are, what they look like and what we expect from them.

Made in 1964, “Rudolph” helped launch the holiday TV special trend, which, for better or worse, has since become a cultural tradition. So, while it may not be the most artistic or profound entry on this list, it at least deserves credit for its sheer iconography.

“Frosty the Snowman” (1969) “Frosty” is worth watching if only for Jimmy Durante, for whom the film marked his last ever televised performance, narrating the story of a group of children’s futile attempts to lead a melting snowman back to his natural habitat in the North Pole.

OK, so maybe that makes it sound darker than it is, but then again, that’s what “Frosty” is.

Although it isn’t as overt of a subversion of the holiday TV special formula, it still manages to capture the same basic principle that the fun and jolliness of the holiday season is not something permanent. Instead, it embodies the spirit of an idea that is much deeper and more powerful than its glittery sheen.

The movie is a simple Christmastime fable, but it is content with being a simple Christmas fable and doesn’t lose itself in the synthetic airiness of the holiday season the way that other holiday specials do, which has allowed it to hold up over time.

Scotty Powell can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com.

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Arts & Culture | Monday, December 16, 2019

HOLIDAY

5 tips to deal with family over break

By Emily Pisqui @emilypisq15

Once the heat of finals week cools down, a new challenge awaits students. For many, it’s time to go back home to deal with what can be another stressful thing: family.

Dealing with family during the holidays can be many things: fun, sentimental, heartfelt — but it can also be very stressful, especially when most of us aren’t used to being around our families constantly.

Coming home for an entire month after being independent and living the crazy college life for an entire semester is a transition no one really brings up.

Hopefully, these five tips can take away the stress and awkwardness.

1. Be the listener After a week of exams, sometimes all you want is to unload your baggage onto your family; however, it might help to ask them how they are doing first. Things have changed at home since you left — make sure you catch up on what has been going on in your hometown. Plus, this will give you some time to talk about your college experiences and what you have done this past semester.

2. Stay in touch with college friends Leaning on your friends who are also dealing with this adjustment for support is very helpful. Not seeing them every day doesn’t mean you’re completely ignoring them. Also, remember you’ll be going back to campus with them soon. Staying connected is not hard, so keep in touch, and if they are in the same state as you, meet up.

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THE KCSU CONCERT CALENDAR Students heading home after finals can be overwhelmed by the amount of family time they are confronted with but can manage it by listening to family members, staying in touch with friends, redecorating their room, exploring their hometown and talking to their family.

PHOTO BY ADDIE KUETTNER THE COLLEGIAN

3. Rearrange your room to make it more you Coming home into a room that doesn’t feel like yours is weird enough. Redecorate and add your personal touch to change the room. Make sure you don’t forget to unpack your things if you are staying a while.

4. Cruise around your hometown Being enclosed with your family and staying inside all day can lead to you feeling overwhelmed.

Get out of the house when your siblings are being annoying or when your mom keeps telling you to do your chores. Drive around

alone or with your favorite sibling or cousin, put on some good music and get some fresh air.

5. Talk to your family It can feel annoying or repetitive telling everyone about your life, but every family member would love to hear what you are doing and will secretly brag about you to their coworkers.

Remember to enjoy the time at home or being with people you love. Even though some days at home will feel long, the new semester will be here before you know it.

Emily Pisqui can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com.

Daily Horoscope Alisa Otte Alisa Otte is a Gemini and a fourth-year English major with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in philosophy.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY

(12/16/19)

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

When was the last time you made art for art’s sake? When was the last time you did anything unplanned? You are being called to be spontaneous.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

It is all about loving. Not just others, but life. Don’t sink into a routine that will make life too mundane.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

Your emotions are at an all time high. You want to feel everything. Lean into what is unknown, and you will.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Right now you are loving

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excess. More fun. More rest.

More joy.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) You were always meant to take risks. You are not one for sitting on the sidelines. Now is the time.

VIRGO (Aug. 23- Sept. 22) Rest up, for everyone’s sake. You deserve so much more down time than you are allowing yourself.

LIBRA (Sept. 23- Oct. 22) It is easier, now, to look at the past objectively. You are finally healing. You can let go.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23- Nov. 21)

This is such a happy time for you. You are blooming eternally. Never stop rising.

THIS WEEK 12/17 – Hodi’s Half-Note presents Re:Turn Tuesdays feat.

Zebbler Encanti Experience w/ Prismatic and more. 8:30 PM. $5 advance or before 10pm / $10 after 10pm / Under 21: $10 All Night /// Free before 9pm for text blast subscribers 12/8 – The Aggie Theatre is hosting the popular Magnolia Sessions with Ginger Whale at 7:00 PM. Show at 7pm (Doors at 6:00pm) Hodi’s Half-Note is hosting 40oz To Freedom (Sublime Tribute w/Sabotage (Beastie Boy Tribute) at 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM MST 12/19 – Chipper’s Lanes College Center is hosting Live on The Lanes featuring SPACE FORCE: AN UGLY SWEATER PARTY. FREE Concert Series. Music starts at 9pm. Unlimited Bowling for $9.95 starts at 8pm. $1.50 PBR & $5.50 12/20 – The Aggie Theatre presents Shovelin Stone w/ Write Minded, Ms. Nomer, Cody Schell at 8:00 PM (Doors at 7:30pm). With roots embedded in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, and a sound unhinged in the capital of Texas, Shovelin Stone is a music almost as unique at the friendship it stems from. A shared passion for old-timey bluegrass is what brought Makenzie and Zak together, but it’s the unknowing joy for the moment and the complications that life brings that continues to push the duo forward. The road is winding but one thing is for sure that with these two at the wheel it’s going to be a wild ride.

FEATURED EVENT

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22- Dec.

21) Your energy is radiant. You have accomplished more than anyone would have expected.

It’s time to celebrate.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22- Jan. 19)

You are so much braver than people realize. You have fought hard for yourself.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20- Feb. 18)

12/21 – The Aggie Theatre presents Uplift: FoCo, an evening of local music benefiting The Matthews House. Show at 7:00 PM (Doors at 6:00 PM) VIP includes exclusive entrance, reserved section with seating, first-to-bid on silent auction, plus a signed poster.

Debuting its inaugural year, Uplift: FoCo inspires community growth through exceptional local music. The house band is a handpicked group of Northern Colorado's best bluegrass musicians who will be joined by four beautifully voiced Fort Collins songwriters. These musicians come together for the first time to create a unique experience for artist and audience alike.

The blankness of it all should not scare you. It is charged with possibility. When was the last time that truly anything could happen next?

PISCES (Feb. 19- March 20) A chance encounter. An entirely new feeling. Don’t try to anticipate what will happen next. Let the whole of life surprise you.

kcsufm.com/concertcalendar

Monday, December 16, 2019

Collegian.com

Puzzle Junction Crossword Puzzle

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THE FOGDOGS RYAN GREENE, @TFOGDOGS

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