Thursday, December 1, 2022 Vol. 132, No. 15

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN

FORT COLLINS FOCUS

TOP STORIES TOP STORIES

NEWS: CSU administration accused of targeting grad worker union PAGE 4

L&C: Avalanche education: How to stay safe in the backcountry PAGE 6

CANNABIS: 3 easy steps to learn how to hit a dab rig PAGE 7

OPINION: Henry: Social media is making people angrier PAGE 15

SPORTS: Wrapping up a striking 2022 volleyball season PAGE 17

A&E: Soccer Mommy uses her inside voice in the outside world PAGE 21

PHOTO: The forgotten fruit PAGES 9-11

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FOCO EVENTS FOCO EVENTS

Community Makers Market at Baldwin Hardwoods 10 a.m. Dec. 3

CSU Concert Orchestra’s “Mozart Musicale” at the University Center for the Arts 3:30 p.m. Dec. 4

Santa Pics with Pups at Crooked Stave 5 p.m. Dec. 6

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Letters to the Editor reflect the view of a member of the campus community and are submitted to the publication for approval. Readers may submit letters to letters@collegian.com. Please follow the guidelines listed at collegian.com before submitting.

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Morgan Lindquist, studio manager and artist, paints a picture of the galaxy with ultraviolet acrylic paint while listening to Frédéric

Peter Gundry at Pinot’s Palette Nov. 30. Lindquist has been working in the studio for four years and plans to pursue being a tattoo artist in the future. An important lesson she has learned from other artists is to let go — to step away from perfection and overthinking. She added the moon to the painting since it has a lot of meaning to her daily living. “I have a weird fascination and love for the moon,” Lindquist said. “I had it since I was really young. I remember back in the summer time at home when my sister and I (were) living with my mom. She has a pretty big backyard, so we would run out with our hoodies, lay on the grass and stare at the moon. It ties back to my dad’s love of space, and that transported to my sister and I. The moon just feels special. … It’s like being able to talk to an old friend without having to say anything.”

This publication is not an official publication of Colorado State University, but is published by an independent corporation using the name ‘The Rocky Mountain Collegian’ pursuant to a license granted by CSU. Approximately 59% of Rocky Mountain Student Media Corp’s income is provided by the Associated Students of Colorado State University (ASCSU) for the purpose of fostering student careers post-college and greater campus awareness and engagement. The Rocky Mountain Collegian is a 4,000-circulation student-run newspaper intended as a public forum and is printed on paper made of 30% post-consumer waste. It publishes every Thursday during the regular fall and spring semesters. The Collegian publishes online Monday through Thursday. Corrections may be submitted to the editor in chief and will be printed as necessary on page two. The Collegian is a complimentary publication for the Fort Collins community. The first copy is free. Additional copies are 25 cents each.

CORRECTIONS

Everybody makes mistakes, including us. If you encounter something in the paper you believe to be an error, please contact us at: copy@collegian.com.

Serena Bettis | Editor in Chief editor@collegian.com

Taylor Paumen | Content Managing Editor managingeditor@collegian.com

Falyn Sebastian | Digital & Design Managing Editor managingeditor@collegian.com

Rachel Baschnagel | Night Editor copy@collegian.com

Lauren Pallemaerts | Copy Chief copy@collegian.com

Chloe Leline | Print Editor design@collegian.com

PHOTO BY TRI DUONG THE COLLEGIAN

EDITORIAL STAFF

Trin Bonner | Illustration Editor design@collegian.com

Tri Duong | Photo Director photo@collegian.com

Lucy Morantz | Photo Director photo@collegian.com

Piper Russell | News Editor news@collegian.com

Allie Seibel | News Editor news@collegian.com

Ivy Secrest | L&C Director life@collegian.com

Paul Brull | Cannabis Director cannabis@collegian.com

Bella Eckburg | Opinion Director letters@collegian.com

Karsyn Lane | Sports Director sports@collegian.com

Braidon Nourse | Sports Editor sports@collegian.com

Alex Hasenkamp | A&E Director entertainment@collegian.com

Alex Wilson | Social Media Coordinator socialmedia@collegian.com

Chopin and

LSC renovations projected for completion by summer 2023 CAMPUS

By Sam Hutton @sam_hut14

The current renovation and expansion of the Lory Student Center, which has affected the daily functionality of the building through the temporary closing or relocation of several student services offices, will continue through the end of the school year.

The $28 million project intends to revamp the north end of the LSC by making upgrades to the Transit Center, providing elevator access to the third floor, updating bathrooms and adding an additional lactation room, refreshing the CSU Bookstore, renovating space for the temporarily relocated Aspen Grille and renewing the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems for increased sustainability and eco-friendliness.

Construction began in midMay after a two-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant strides have been made thus far, allowing students

to experience an upgraded lower level of the bookstore, an improved Transit Center and a new north-end entry that better suits the design language seen throughout the building.

“The LSC Transit Center was opened to accommodate building and transit users at the beginning of the semester,” wrote Mike Ellis, associate vice president for student affairs and executive director of the LSC. “The renovation is progressing as planned and is on schedule, which is remarkable given supply chain and other challenges emerging from the pandemic.”

The project will also extensively renovate and expand the Adult Learner and Veteran Services offices using revenue generated by student fees, increasing the organization’s space from approximately 1,900 square feet to more than 8,000.

The ALVS office, which serves as a prominent space for community gathering, has been relocated to the former Fast Print area in the basement of the LSC for the duration of the renovations, decreasing

the availability of the space for many students.

“ALVS supports increased academic achievement and holistic development for all adult learners, including but not limited to veterans and student parents, resulting in graduation from Colorado State University and sustainable personal and professional success,” according to the ALVS website.

ALVS Director Ben Schrader thinks the expansion of ALVS’ permanent offices will thoroughly benefit the community by creating an improved permanent space, allowing for increased outreach and capabilities.

“Right now, most days we’re jampacked in here; people are in here having lunch and just don’t have room,” Schrader said. “(The expansion) will allow us to help build community and also bring in a lot of the programs and partners we work with to let them have space to work.”

The LSC renovations are projected to be completed by midsummer 2023.

Reach Sam Hutton at news@ collegian.com.

The front entrance of the Lory Student Center undergoes construction Nov. 29. PHOTO BY AVERY COATES THE COLLEGIAN

CSU administration accused of targeting grad worker union

By Sophia Masia @sophie_masia

Sept. 14, the Graduate Workers Organizing Cooperative received a tip that the Colorado State University administration was ordering the custodial team to discard all GWOC pro-union posters.

According to their website, GWOC is a union that advocates for Colorado State University graduate workers.

In a post on GWOC’s Instagram account, screenshots show a message to GWOC from an anonymous CSU custodial worker explaining they were given orders to take down any of GWOC’s fliers.

“We wanted to figure out who is deciding this and why,” said Alex Pelissero, a fourth-year Ph.D. student and treasurer of GWOC. “Nobody else’s posters were being targeted.”

Pelissero and Débora Nunes, founding member and secretary of GWOC, posted the redacted screenshots on GWOC’s Instagram and emailed the CSU facilities manager hoping for an explanation as to why their posters were being targeted. However, they received a response from the vice president of facilities management with lawyers, police and administration copied on it.

“Several custodians told us about very specific instructions to take down only our material,” Nunes said. “They say that (the posters) don’t comply to CSU regulations, but almost none of those posters out there do.”

Members say the email gave no indication as to what the posters

were in violation of — just that they did not comply.

“We took it very obviously as a soft power move, just sort of flexing their muscle because they saw our post calling them out for union busting,” Pelissero said.

Pelissero and other members of GWOC have doubled down on putting up their posters since this incident despite the pushback from administration.

Nik Olsen, the director of integrative communications with the university’s strategic communications team, gave a statement on behalf of CSU about the incident.

“Facilities crews are regularly asked to remove posters and flyers that do not adhere to university policy,” Olsen said. “With respect to the First Amendment, the university must remain content neutral when enforcing this policy. The issue is not the message or the responsible group; it is the prohibited posting on university property without official permission, as per the policy.”

“We have continued putting up posters in spite of them taking them down, but postering is not our main goal as an organization,” said Andrew Feder, first-year graduate student and GWOC member.

Nunes said the organization is focused on waiving student fees

and fighting for higher stipends and better working conditions.

“A big push for us was a report by Colleen Webb (and other graduate school representatives) comparing our stipends and fees we have to pay out of pocket at CSU compared to our peer universities, and we are behind,” Nunes said.

“We are losing a lot of people who can’t come here just because our stipends are too low and the fees we pay out of pocket are outrageous.”

The report found CSU pays its graduate workers less than peer institutions, yet it charges

them around double in fees for amenities that GWOC members like Feder feel — more often than not — they don’t use.

“Universities in expensive places pay their student workers more,” Feder said. “We have to hide getting second jobs to afford living in Fort Collins.”

Those interested can learn more about GWOC and their mission on their website and follow their social media platforms for updates.

Reach Sophia Masia at news@ collegian.com.

Housing & Dining increases student minimum wage CAMPUS

Housing & Dining Services keep the workers they have and hire more simultaneously.

Base wages are kept competitive, and CSU has worked to keep wages the same as the minimum wage over the years, and returning workers can receive a raise every semester they work.

“We have worked diligently over the years to keep base wages competitive, and the same efforts were made this year to remain proactive and offer more than Colorado minimum wage,” said Jason Scott, project and program manager at Residential Dining Services.

Housing and dining centers have been working with reduced staff following the pandemic, resulting in the closure of Spoons in Allison Hall and the transition of the Durrell Dining Center to only the marketplace and express options.

Scott and the Residential Dining Services team hope the wage increase attracts more student employees to better staff dining centers.

By Rebekah Barry @csucollegian

Colorado State University increased the hourly wage of student Housing & Dining Services employees to $15 an hour — a $1.50 increase.

“I think it’s just worth noting that this now puts working for residence and dining in a very competitive place in the market for flexible entry-level positions,” said Tyson Whitman, a second-year electrical engineering student who currently works at Ram’s Horn Dining Center.

JASON SCOTT PROJECT AND PROGRAM MANAGER AT RESIDENTIAL DINING SERVICES

All student staff members have an increased minimum wage of $15 per hour, which helps

The raise comes after the campus housing and dining employees advocated for more benefits at the beginning of the school year.

“I believe I heard about the change less than a week before it went live,” Whitman said. “I was planning on staying regardless, so it did not affect my decision to stay. However, it does enhance the prospect of staying longer term.”

“Moving to $15 an hour benefits all of our student team members and has increased our retention,” Scott said. “The increase helped Residential Dining Services to hire new students and retain the talented individuals who were already employed with us. We also continue to provide raises every semester (to) student staff (who) return to work with us, as well as a one-time pay increase for students that take a series of unit-led leadership courses.”

Reach

Rebekah

Barry at news@ collegian.com.

“A big push for us was a report by Colleen Webb ... comparing our stipends and fees ... to our peer universities, and we are behind. We are losing a lot of people who can’t come here just because our stipends are too low and the fees we pay out of pocket are outrageous.”

DÉBORA NUNES FOUNDING MEMBER AND SECRETARY OF THE GRADUATE WORKERS ORGANIZING COOPERATIVE

“Moving

Three protesters lead the Labor Rally group away from the Administration Building as they march toward the Lory Student Center where the Colorado State University Board of Governors meeting is May 3. COLLEGIAN FILE PHOTO

Colorado pediatric hospitals experience surges in RSV HEALTH

statement. “Once we discharge a patient, we have one ready to take (their) place.”

RSV is very dangerous for younger children, the elderly and those who are immunocompromised. RSV is the leading cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants.

Some symptoms of RSV include a runny nose, loss of appetite, coughing, sneezing, fever and wheezing. Most children have RSV before the age of two years old. However, it can be deadly.

RSV can be spread similarly to COVID-19 through coughs, sneezes, surfaces and kissing. A person can be contagious for a day or two before showing symptoms.

to include RSV, influenza and other respiratory illnesses,” Public Health Director for the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment Tom Gonzales said in a press release. “The disaster declaration allows agencies to continue to access state and federal funding for recovery efforts to rapidly respond to changes in the public health environment and to support the healthcare system to remain appropriately staffed and prepared to respond to all healthcare needs.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 60,000-120,000 adults are hospitalized due to RSV, and 6,000-10,000 die from it.

increases in visits,” said Matt Bower, Colorado regional epidemiologist, in a statement. “In addition, we are seeing additional outbreaks in community settings, and a majority of these (are) occurring in childcare and school setting — over 50% are RSV cases.”

The RSV positivity rate is nearly double that of last year’s season as of Nov. 9, but it has yet to hit its peak. The majority of the patients hospitalized currently for RSV are 2-5 years old.

By Alexander Wilson @alexgrey0604

Nov. 11, Gov. Jared Polis extended the COVID-19 disaster declaration to better support hospitals in Colorado with an abnormal influx of cases of respiratory syncytial virus.

At Children’s Hospital Colorado, medical professionals had to set up a tent outside the hospital to treat less severe cases because of the lack of available beds.

“Our pediatric unit is nearly at capacity,” CEO of the Banner Health Northern Colorado region Alan Qualls said in a

The Colorado Hospital Association announced the reactivation of the Combined Hospital Transfer Center Nov. 9, which was used during the pandemic to match enough beds for the extreme amount of patients and hadn’t been used since March.

“Polis signed an executive order amending and extending the current COVID-19 disaster declaration

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, there have been 367 hospitalizations due to RSV in the Denver metropolitan area Oct. 1-29.

The executive order also stated 95% of current hospitalizations were pediatric as of Nov. 11.

“Since the end of October, we’re beginning to see significant

HANDBOOK

“As of the first of November, we have been in pediatric incident command mode, meaning we’re triaging our patients in Northern Colorado, where we have bed capacity,” said Kevin Unger, the CEO of the UCHealth Northern Region, in a statement. “We’ve certainly seen ... a huge surge in RSV cases.”

“We will continue to serve our community and keep our patients close to home if possible,” Qualls said.

Reach Alexander Wilson at news@collegian.com.

Sailing Through

-Campus Living

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY TRIN BONNER THE COLLEGIAN

Avalanche education: How to stay safe in the backcountry

By Molly Hendry @csucollegian

Every winter, more people travel into the backcountry. The COVID-19 pandemic increased ski resort visitation, and a recent jump in outdoor recreation is one reason.

The risks of the backcountry haven’t gotten better, though, and for skiers and snowboarders, they’ve actually gotten worse. Researchers at the Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine found that while shortened winters will likely decrease avalanche risk in the long term, more rapid temperature fluctuations are changing the integrity of the snowpack and increasing the likelihood of wetsnow avalanches, in which rescues are more difficult.

Unfortunately, your risk isn’t always your own. Deseret News released an article, “The bittersweet rise of the backcountry,” warning about the risks of increased backcountry travel, detailing a potential burden on health care systems with injuries and an increase in human-triggered slides stressing rescue resources.

How can we prepare for this risk and avoid it? Most would jump to avalanche education courses.

Organizations like The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education offer multiple curriculums through various providers across the country that run throughout the entire winter and are easy to find locally in mountainous regions.

Education is important for all backcountry users so they can physically evaluate the snowpack themselves and avoid relying on forecasting services that can’t guarantee safe conditions. But surprisingly enough, education doesn’t decrease the risks as much as you might think.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center found that during the 2019-20 winter season, the majority of people involved in incidents had some form of formal or informal avalanche training, many of which were considered advanced.

This doesn’t mean avalanche education isn’t beneficial. These courses and informal training simply provide the tools for people to understand the conditions; they can’t prevent people from making the decision to enter unstable terrain.

The same CAIC summary provided a chart comparing the Tier 1 forecast ratings of days for avalanche danger, assigned low, moderate, considerable or high

based on evaluated risk, to the incidents that occurred during the 2019-20 winter. The majority of incidents occurred on days when the avalanche danger was rated considerable or high.

This provides some insight as to the level of risk backcountry goers are willing to accept. Days when the risk is considerable or high are often also days when recent storm cycles have left an accumulation of fresh snow on slopes.

Avalanches in these conditions are referred to as “storm slabs” and are easy to trigger for a few days after the storm cycle has ended. Unfortunately, the days with an accumulation of fresh snow are the days most tempting for skiers and snowboarders and have been coined as “pow days” in the snow sport community. If avalanches are going to be avoided, backcountry goers need to lower their acceptable risk. Who you choose to travel with in the backcountry is also something to consider when entering avalanche terrain. Group dynamics can influence the decision-making process throughout the trip, from terrain choices to route choices and even down to what time you start your expedition.

A study conducted by then-doctoral student Shay Bright

at Colorado State University examined several factors in group attributes and decision making of recreational backcountry groups along with the groups’ decisions’ outcomes.

Groups with some type of leadership facilitating group decisions were the most successful in decisions related to their expedition. Groups were also found to be more communicative and use more available information when there was informal leadership and decisions were made collectively by members. Both of these categories of leadership were more successful than others.

According to the Colorado Mountain School, before traveling into the backcountry or even making plans to do so, you should consider how the people you want to travel with communicate. Is someone better at standing up and speaking out? How can you ensure everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts throughout the planning process and trip? This is all essential to consider when venturing outside of a resort’s bounds.

There’s no one-step guarantee to avoid being caught in an avalanche. Anytime you choose to enter avalanche terrain during the winter, the risk is present. But

there are a few things you can do to significantly lower this risk:

1. Educate yourself, and “know before you go.” Know the Tier 1 forecast and the weather for the day (fresh snow, temperature fluctuations, etc.), get the right training to understand avalanches and get the right gear to be prepared if you or a partner gets caught in one.

2. Don’t balance fun with risk. The days with the most pleasurable skiing conditions are often the days with the most deadly avalanche conditions. One sick pow day in the backcountry isn’t worth anyone’s life.

3. Travel with a group you know is educated and that you trust to keep everyone safe. Understanding the experience and training background of your group members and feel ing comfortable communicat ing with them are essential to feeling confident and safe in the backcountry.

The pandemic has brought out the beauty in spending time outside more than ever, and we need to ensure it can be done with both excitement and caution.

Reach Molly Hendry at life@ collegian.com.

Skiers and snowboarders ride the Peak 8 SuperConnect lift at Breckenridge Ski Resort Nov. 24. Climate change has caused avalanches to be more unpredictable as rising temperatures cause snow to melt faster. PHOTO BY LUCY MORANTZ THE COLLEGIAN

“One sick pow day in the backcountry isn’t worth anyone’s life.”

NUGS OF WISDOM

3 easy steps to learn how to hit a dab rig

By Bella Eckburg @yaycolor

If I asked you to picture a stoner or someone smoking weed, you might think of some hippie smoking a blunt or joint — or the occasional bong rip/blow-it-outthe-window combination. Dab rigs look a bit different.

This method of smoking is arguably the scariest and least seen in popular media. It seems more crack pipe-esque than the beloved bong rip or drag from a joint. The first time I saw someone hit a dab rig, I thought, “Damn, these people are doing real drugs.”

The truth is it’s really not that different from hitting a cartridge or loading a PAX with a wax oven and filling it with wax. It is more involved, though, and deserves a tutorial.

1. Prepare your supplies

To make a dab rig, you can take the bowl piece out of a bong (the part where flower goes) and replace it with a dab nail, which is also called a banger. This, unlike the bowl piece, has a deep cup that juts out and connects to the glass joint and

water chamber. Place the rig on a secure surface — you’ll need both hands for this operation.

and a little carb cap, which you’ll place over the nail to direct smoke through the dab rig. The carb cap should be made of the same glass or quartz as the nail, and you can find them at most smoke shops that sell smoking glass pieces.

Finally, you’ll need the most important piece of the apparatus: the wax itself. The consistency of the wax is your choice, but I find gooier waxes work better. Shatter is fine, but it doesn’t ball up in the way you want it to, which makes it hard to place in the nail. No one wants to waste wax.

Make sure to get your wax ball ready before heating. Think about a pea, then cut it into fourths. You can do bigger, but I recommend starting small if you’re smoking from a rig because the strength will smack you in the face before you realize the error of your ways.

to where you’ll actually place the wax is better.

You’ll see the quartz or glass get red hot before pulling your torch away. The effect will dissipate quickly, but don’t place your wax right away. If you do, you’re going to cough your ass off because it’s too hot. Also avoid touching the nail with your hands at all costs. The burns are less than forgiving.

Cooling to 500 and 700 degrees is preferable. At this point, you can feel the heat by hovering your palm above the nail. If it hurts to keep your hand there, the nail is way too hot. I like to set at least a 30-second timer before placing my wax. If you’re new, it is also a good idea to have a more experienced friend double check the temperature before placing the wax.

3. Put your wax ball in, and smoke it up

The wax will heat in the cup, and the smoke it produces will percolate through the water. This way, you’re not breathing 550-degree liquid weed wax into your lungs.

Remove your tool quickly, and place your carb cap on top, keeping the smoke in. As you finish your inhale, quickly seal and unseal the carb cap from the nail the way you provide airflow on a pipe with your finger. Do a final pull, watching as the smoke leaves the water chamber, and let it out.

Every time you do a new dab, you should repeat the heating and wax process. You might be able to squeeze in a tiny second hit if you time it right and the nail is hot, but it’ll likely just leave wax residue in the nail’s cup, and you’ll burn it off the next time you heat it, wasting the wax.

You will also need a butane torch to heat the nail. Don’t make the mistake of trying to use a regular lighter — it’ll turn the bottom of the nail black and won’t heat fast enough to make it worth the damage to your nail.

You also need a (preferably metal) tool to place the wax in the nail

2. Heat it up

Take your torch in your dominant hand and your rig in the other, and light up. Focus the tip of the flame (not the base) on the bottom or corner of the nail’s bowl. You can heat the whole thing, but concentrating the heat

P lace your mouth on the mouthpiece, hold the tool with your wax ball at the end of it in your dominant hand, grab your carb cap in the nondominant hand and then place the wax where you concentrated your flame. Swirl it around and inhale while doing this.

As a reminder, smoke safely, and use moderation, especially if you’re testing out a dab rig for the first time. Wax is potent — it’s good if you want to get stoned for the night but less so if you’re trying to also be a functioning human being. Happy dabbing!

Reach Bella Eckburg at cannabis@ collegian.com.

Photo illustration of a dab rig and Honolulu Choo Choo wax Nov. 28. PHOTO BY LUCY MORANTZ THE COLLEGIAN

“As a reminder, smoke safely, and use moderation, especially if you’re testing out a dab rig for the first time. Wax is potent — it’s good if you want to get stoned for the night but less so if you’re trying to also be a functioning human being.”

STRAIN REVIEW

Cookie Monster wax — a warm high for the cold season

By Miles Buchan @buchanmiles

After a hefty snowstorm and temperatures falling to the single digits, you can be sure the holiday season is in full swing. That is why for this week’s strain review, I went back to Verts Neighborhood Dispensary to find a concentrate with the potential to connect us to our winter sense of wonderment.

After browsing some options, I settled on the cheerfully named Cookie Monster, a strain-specific buttery wax. To smoke the strain, I used a dab rig with a quartz banger. This is essentially a water pipe — similar to a bong — meant to be heated to a temperature that will melt and activate the wax.

Dabs are a great way to get stoned in the colder seasons because they don’t smell as much if done inside and require less time to consume if you must smoke outside. A dab rig and wax also give cleaner hits than flower. Ether way, wax is incredibly potent, so moderation is key. A clean hit can become very harsh if the wax quantity and temperature are wrong.

Cookie Monster is an indica strain testing at 71.4% with a $15 price tag for a gram. This strain was just one of several at Verts from a brand new to me called At Altitude. In the spirit of transparency, the color and consistency of this strain won me over before anything. The inside of

the white container reflected a bright yellowish-orange — maybe even golden — ray off of the wax.

The high from this strain took me by surprise, as it could not have been more different from the effects typically associated with the indica

Glitch in the simulation

family. I could feel a pleasant head rush soon after smoking that quickly transitioned into a very active head high. At the time of consumption, I was watching TV, but I felt like being active soon after. If my memory serves me well, I cleaned up the room I occupied with a certain enthusiastic

anxiousness. After some tidying up, I worked on a drawing for a few hours, which was really fun.

I found the high to be lasting, and even though it was a more energetic high, I would still describe it as smooth. This might not be the best strain right before bed or if relaxation

is your main goal. If you’ve got gift wrapping, holiday shopping or great movie watching to do, however, Cookie Monster might just get you to where you want to be.

Reach Miles Buchan at cannabis@ collegian.com.

By Guest Author @csucollegian

Editor’s Note: “Because I Got High” content consists of community story submissions and does not represent the views of The Collegian or its editorial board. The Collegian does not promote underage or excessive substance use or impairment for the purpose of creating a submission.

Glitch in the simulation

One of the weirdest experiences I had was a smoke shop interaction a few years ago. Before I entered the shop with the intention of buying a torch, I bumped into someone, apologized and continued walking

into the store. Then there was a glitch or delay in the simulation of life because the next thing I know, a worker pulled out a torch from the display case before I could get a word out to him. He just looked at the torch with confusion, held it out to me and asked, “Was this what you were going to get?” I just slowly nodded at him, and we both stayed silent for the rest of the transaction. It was probably the craziest time to be high while buying something at a smoke shop. The weed gods really wanted to mess with me that day.

To submit stories, email cannabis@ collegian.com or fill out our Google Form, which is linked alongside guidelines in our Letter from the Editor.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CHARLIE COHEN THE COLLEGIAN

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHIA SIROKMAN THE COLLEGIAN

The forgotten fruit: A solution to agricultural food waste

By Milo Gladstein @gladsteinmilo

The sun rises over Talbott Farms in Palisade, Colorado, as Jennifer Seiwald fires up her mobile fruit-juicing truck she’s nicknamed Helga.

“Going up!” Seiwald calls as she loads up a 1,000-pound tote of peaches to be juiced, and Helga roars into action. The mobile juicing trailer makes short work of the huge load of peaches, and the owner of Summit Hard Cider and Scrumpy’s Hard Cider Bar and Pub takes some satisfaction in knowing her work not only makes delicious hard cider but also provides real support for local and sustainable food production.

“I’m a firm believer in supporting local agriculture, and if we don’t do it, it will go away,” Seiwald said. “Colorado is a really harsh mistress, but we grow some of the best fruit here. I really want to see that art survive.”

Industrial food production is hard on farmers. The demands for huge quantities and uniform production make it difficult for large-scale growers to make a profit and nearly impossible for small farms to survive. With the help of Helga, Seiwald specializes in juicing what is known as “seconds.” These are perfectly tasty and usable fruits that would never make it to market for a variety of reasons — one being quality-based contracts.

Fruit that’s too big, small or blemished violates this contract, and farmers toss out what doesn’t make the cut. Big grocers want the cheapest, most perfect-looking fruit they can find, often going so far as to import fruits from other states like California because they are 50 cents less per pound and look “better” than locally grown fruits. Doing so causes their carbon footprint to grow exponentially.

Seiwald moved to Fort Collins in 1991 with her husband searching for a fresh start. After spending 25 years in the banking industry, it was time for a career change. Seiwald has a severe allergy to hops, so brewing beer was out of the question. Through research and observation, Seiwald came to the realization that nobody was brewing hard cider in Fort Collins.

“That was the defining, pivotal moment where I decided to figure out what it took to make cider,” Seiwald said. She enrolled in some classes with the Washington State University Extension office as well as the Cider Academy in the United Kingdom before launching her company,

Fruit grown in Colorado generally has a higher sugar content and thicker skin than fruit from other states like California, which creates more tannins, making for a richer tasting cider. That local taste is not only the key to sustainability but has set Summit apart.

“We use only Colorado peaches — primarily Palisade peaches — in our peach cider, and they’re delicious,” Seiwald said. “They’re the best, and that’s all there is to it.” She estimated she also helps small farmers and orchard owners put over $2 million per year into the local economy.

Thilmany told her about the Local Food Promotion Program grant from the United States Department of Agriculture.

“USDA continues to put new resources on the ground to catalyze innovations in farms and food supply chains,” Thilmany said. “As soon as I met Jennifer Siewald, …  we quickly brainstormed how a mobile juicing unit she had heard of might serve the Western Slope well.” It took months of work, but the USDA grant helped her buy the trailer.

“Fast forward five years, and she is helping to create a market for ‘seconds’ among fruit growers that has not existed in years,” Thilmany said. “We are lucky to have community leaders like her to lean into when opportunities for food system investments arise.”

The USDA estimates $161.6 billion of food gets wasted each year, which motivates food workers like Kevin Harvey, who manages the mobile juicing truck. “Forty-plus percent of this industry is just thrown away,” Harvey said. “That 1,500 gallons of juice in the back of that truck would have just been thrown into a landfill. I wish that more people, especially farmers themselves, knew about this.”

Another instance of this assistance is Seiwald’s relationship with Palisade orchard owners Annette and Bob Dunckley. “Last year by this time, we had a lot more fruit dropping on the ground,” Annette Dunckley said. “We were in a hurry trying to figure out what to do.” The Dunckleys had 18,000 pounds juiced by Summit Cider this year, so all that fruit that would have gone to waste is distributed all over the state of Colorado as well as into Kansas and Wyoming.

Seiwald maintains a close relationship with Colorado State University both through the agricultural college and the fermentation science and technology program. Seiwald allows CSU fermentation science students to brew beer in Scrumpy’s Hard Cider Bar with peach juice from Palisade. The beer is called Belgian Peche, which is a peach saison made with local malt. Students learn how to use the unique qualities of local fruit to create a flavor that can’t be replicated elsewhere.

Seiwald met Dawn Thilmany, CSU agricultural and resource economics professor, while on a local food panel at CSU. Seiwald’s goal was to get more people involved in where their food comes from, and

“We usually do between 500,000-800,000 pounds of fruit processing (per year) with (Helga),” Seiwald said. This is all fruit that was grown with hard work and a lot of money that would have been wasted if not juiced. There is a small amount of waste produced by the trailer; this is used as compost and put back into the soil. The excess trash from the juicing process gets spread into the fields in Palisade because the soil is very alkaline — fruit is acidic, so spreading it into the fields brings the soil pH down, which causes the fruit to have higher sugar levels and taste better.

The juice is then brought back to Scrumpy’s Hard Cider Bar in Old Town Fort Collins and fermented in large tanks into hard and nonalcoholic cider, which is then canned and sold right in the shop and distributed all over the state of Colorado. Seiwald and head cider maker Erik Woodwick create new and exciting cider flavors.

Seiwald plans to continue to expand Scrumpy’s and Summit cider distribution as well as continue to support local farmers and businesses.

Reach Milo Gladstein at photo@ collegian.com.

Peaches inside a tote to be juiced by Helga, the Summit Hard Cider mobile juicing trailer, in Palisade, Colorado Sept. 3. Each tote weighs between 850-1,000 pounds.

PHOTO BY MILO GLADSTEIN THE COLLEGIAN

A fruit’s journey across Colorado

1. Pears on a tree at Annette and Bob Dunckley’s orchard in Palisade, Colorado Sept. 2.

2. Annette and Bob Dunckley on their orchard in Palisade, Colorado Sept. 2.

3 Kevin Harvey, Summit Hard Cider mobile juicing truck manager, cleans the trailer before use in Palisade, Colorado Sept. 2.

4. Jennifer Seiwald dumps peaches into the wash bin section of Helga, the Summit Hard Cider mobile juicing trailer, in Palisade, Colorado Sept. 3. Seiwald supports local agriculture and farms all over the state of Colorado, contributing $2 million back into the Colorado agriculture system every year.

5 Jennifer Seiwald sorts through peaches in the wash bin section of Helga, the Summit Hard Cider mobile juicing trailer, in Palisade, Colorado Sept. 3. Seiwald said they juice 12,000-20,000 pounds of fruit per day, and the record was 40,000 pounds in a day.

6. Jennifer Seiwald, owner of Summit Hard Cider and Scrumpy’s Hard Cider Bar and Pub, explains which juice goes in which tank to Erik Woodwick inside Scrumpy’s in Old Town Fort Collins Nov. 16. Woodwick is a recent Colorado State University graduate and is the head cider maker with Summit and Scrumpy’s.

7 Jennifer Seiwald drives her truck and trailer to pick up juice from the storage facility in Old Town Fort Collins Nov. 16.

8. Jennifer Seiwald pours a glass of Summit Hard Cider in Scrumpy’s Hard Cider Bar and Pub in Old Town Fort Collins Nov. 16.

9. A glass of Summit Hard Cider in Scrumpy’s Hard Cider Bar and Pub in Old Town Fort Collins Nov. 16. This cider contains juice Seiwald juiced in Palisade, Colorado, to support local agriculture.

PHOTO STORY BY MILO

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From swing to safe, why Colorado is no longer a purple state

By Dylan Tusinski @dylantusinski

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.

This November’s midterm elections definitively proved what many political analysts and armchair pundits have been saying for years: Colorado is now a blue state.

For the last couple of decades, Colorado has been a fierce battleground state. It’s flipflopped from Democrats to Republicans a number of times over the last 30 years, with both parties running competitive campaigns that earned large swaths of the state’s votes.

Colorado’s historically purple nature is why pundits across the country turned their looking glasses to the state during the midterms. It’s also why the outcome of the elections stunned so many of those same pundits.

Democrats did shockingly well in Colorado. All over the state, they won key races and put up impressively strong campaigns in elections they weren’t supposed to

have a shot at in the first place — a result that was replicated nationally.

Colorado is a unique state politically. It’s a microcosm of America’s politics at large, with a roughly even number of Democrats and Republicans, an unusually active group of independent voters, more people of color showing up to vote in recent elections, a sharp urban-rural divide and booming population growth.

The state’s unique social, economic and political makeups create a perfect place to analyze national politics on a small scale.

As a result of its unique demographics, Colorado’s politics mirror many nation al trends too. Candidates and ballot measures from the far right, moderate right, centrist left and progressive left were on the ballot across the state, and almost all of them were predicted to be competitive.

That said, candidates and ballot measures on the left won almost universally, regardless of how centrist or progressive they were.

One of the best examples of that was in Colorado’s newly created 8th Congressional District, wherein Democrat Yadira Caraveo defeated

Republican Barbara Kirkmeyer. The 2022 midterms were the first elections held in the district, which was created just two years ago.

again replicated nationally. Across the country, Latinx and abortionrights voters were the decisionmakers, tipping many races in the Democrats’ favor.

What was interesting about Colorado’s midterms, though, was that the state’s toss-up elections were just as intriguing as the state’s noncompetitive races.

Many pollsters were shocked by Democrats across the state outperforming expectations in races they were already expected to win. The prime example of Democrats’ overperformance was the senate race between Democratic Senator Michael Bennet and Republican Joe O’Dea, which many expected to be relatively competitive.

a supposedly palatable Republican was crushed by a relatively unknown moderate Democrat is incredibly important and may be indicative of voters rebuking the Trump-esque GOP nationwide.

Perhaps the most nationally consequential race in Colorado, though, was in the state’s 3rd Congressional District, where farright Congresswoman Lauren Boebert was expected to run away with the election. Instead, she stared down the potential for a huge upset. When votes started being counted, Boebert was locked in a tight race with Adam Frisch, her Democratic opponent. Despite Boebert’s nationwide status as a star of the “MAGA movement” and a massive fundraising haul, she sat with a paper-thin lead over Frisch.

The results were tight. The race was too close to call on election night but was ultimately decided by a difference of less than 500 votes.

Caraveo’s victory was ultimately attributed to her support of abortion rights and a large Latinx population in her district, a trend that was

Even still, most analysts had Bennet in the winning column. After the votes were tallied, those analysts were correct: Bennet won his race. What surprised both analysts and Bennet himself, though, was the 12-point margin by which he beat O’Dea.

The blowout was doubly surprising given O’Dea was considered a model Republican, with moderate views and antiDonald Trump beliefs. The fact that

Though she managed to squeak out a win as of Nov. 18, the fact that Boebert was so close to losing a safe seat should be telling for Republicans nationwide.

It’s been said that when it comes to politics, “as goes Colorado, so goes the nation.” If the 2022 midterms have been any predictor, Republicans across the board should be worried about the next couple of election cycles.

Reach Dylan Tusinski at letters @collegian.com.

“It’s been said that when it comes to politics, ‘as goes Colorado, so goes the nation.’ If the 2022 midterms have been any predictor, Republicans across the board should be worried about the next couple of election cycles.”

COLLEGIAN COLUMNISTS

Social media is making people angrier

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SUKA VO THE COLLEGIAN

ideologies and vice versa. Why not partake in a conflict online when it avoids in-person confrontation?

The desire to be angry is taken out by way of the screen so no awkward face-to-face is needed.

Should we care about what other people think? Should we care about the opinions of others and whether they align with our own? Is it not our choice to abstain from anger when reading someone else’s personal ideology?

We are drawn to it like a dog sniffing out table scraps. We need that opposition to fuel our anger because humans are stubborn. That stubbornness turns to anger, and we feel we need to defend our own beliefs.

By Brendan Henry @brendanhenryrmc

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.

Social media can be utilized as a tool to stay up to date with friends and family, but it can also be used to perpetuate one’s views on issues around the world. How often have we gone on social media only to find an opposing opinion that makes us upset or angry? There is an appeal to finding these posts and joining in on the argument.

The social media sphere holds the opinions of many of our friends and family, and in an era of political divisiveness and significant decision making, there are always differing

Transit Center slush.

Missing your flight.

opinions to be found. Conversations that would not be had in person are written out online under the shield of a profile picture. There is a particular thrill to being angry, and this anger is extremely easy to find on any social media platform.

When Elon Musk purchased and took over Twitter, he made a slew of changes and comments that leaned heavily into the broad idea of freedom of speech — despite Twitter not being part of the government and therefore able to regulate speech online — and even took a partisan stance when he tweeted that people should vote Republican.

These opinions are not limited to Musk’s hate on Twitter, as they are found on just about every social media platform out there. Those with right-wing opinions are not shy to attack those with left-wing

This phenomenon is not limited to a rude exchange of comments. There is a draw to watching physical conflict as well, such as the simple exchange of fists and faces to the more intense footage from the war in Ukraine. Even the biggest tragedies are drawing in a crowd simply because they want to be mad.

Aggression used to be taken out on a physical battlefield, but now the more common battlefield is social media.

Wars are typically fought on social media, with multiple opinion holders joining forces to combat the opposing opinion holders without a single verbal exchange taking place. The average Joe can expel their desire to lash out at people without having to receive legitimate flack in return.

People enjoy being angry, and people’s beliefs only get furthered when shouting into the echo chamber. Someone can lash out at a different ideology and get a million voices shouting alongside them. Social media makes us angry, and we cannot stop eating it up.

Reach Brendan Henry at letters@ collegian.com.

Crafting.

Seeing family.

When your car doesn’t start in the cold.

Your windshield wipers flying off your windshield.

When your professor can’t use technology in 2022.

Not having a final in a class.

When your professor voluntarily pushes back deadlines.

The United States in the World Cup.

COMIC ILLUSTRATION BY TRIN BONNER THE COLLEGIAN

SERIOUSLY

Hey, out-of-staters, here are 3 tips for mountain etiquette

By Callum Burke @burkec0621

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

Well, folks, it’s that time of year. The mountains are constantly dumping snow, the temperatures are remaining brisk and, as a result, nearly every resort is now officially open to snowboarders and skiers for the 2022-23 season. Let us rejoice in the good news!

For most Colorado locals, this is a sacred time of year full of possibilities on the slopes. Maybe it’s a new trick in the terrain park or a new run at a favorite resort begging to be shredded, but nothing but positive thoughts should be streaming through hopeful minds — well, besides the obvious fact that the out-ofstaters are also aware the slopes are now open.

For years, out-of-state snow sports enthusiasts have tainted the beauty of this pastime and gotten away with it. Now is the time to teach you, out-of-state students, how to avoid taboos on the slopes.

1. Be smart on the drive up

For starters, the drive up to the mountains for a day of fun in the snow is no walk in the park, especially when some sophomore from Colorado State University is attempting to maneuver up Interstate 70 in their 2004 champagnecolored Honda Civic with a cracked

windshield. Although plausible, it’s very risky.

They are more than likely sporting a Texas license plate, blatantly proving they’ve never seen snow before, but what’s scarier is the fact they somehow always make it to the slopes without a scratch on their car. Please, for the safety of the community, plan ahead.

to the trunk and we can’t open it. Not to mention the culprit’s car is probably sporting a southern license plate.

Even worse, they won’t be back to their car for hours because they have never been to a resort before, let alone snowboarded, and insisted on beginning at the complete top of the mountain. So we can kiss that serene lunch break goodbye. Don’t be that guy.

3. Be mindful of space on the slopes

Don’t run anyone over or cut anyone off on the slopes. Most insulting, it’s not just regular Colorado locals that deal with the out-of-state clowns, it’s also some fairly commendable names in the community who do not have time to sacrifice a day in the mountains for some clueless ne’er-do-wells.

“I am sick and tired of these lowlife kids not from here effing up my weekends with their tomfoolery,” snowboard enthusiast and beloved CSU mascot CAM the Ram said. “I’m a damn busy guy and don’t have time to deal with newbies cutting me off and clogging up lines with their lack of talent and manners.”

2. Don’t park like a psychopath

Everyone’s been there. About four or five runs deep on the day, our stomachs begin rumbling with hunger, so we decide to go grab a sandwich and beverage packed in the car. We make it back to our vehicle safely only to find some jerk parked too close

It is clear that out-of-staters have ruined one too many days on the slopes for locals. From causing pileups on the highway to risking the well-being of others on the slopes with rented skis a foot too long, now is the time for all nonlocals to take a step back and reassess your next visit to the mountains. Avoid these taboos, and enjoy the snow carefully.

Reach Callum Burke at letters @collegian.com.

Skiers and snowboarders ride up to the Overlook Restaurant at Breckenridge Ski Resort Nov. 24.

PHOTO BY LUCY MORANTZ THE COLLEGIAN

“From causing pileups on the highway to risking the well-being of others on the slopes with rented skis a foot too long, now is the time for all nonlocals to take a step back and reassess your next visit to the mountains. Avoid these taboos, and enjoy the snow carefully.”

Wrapping up a striking 2022 volleyball season

By Karsyn Lane @karsynlane1

After delivering an unforgettable and heartfelt three months, the Colorado State University volleyball team closed out its 2022 season with a killer turnout.

The Rams took Moby Arena by storm this season, finishing with a 1911 overall season record and a 12-6 conference record and placing third in the Mountain West Conference. Compared to this season’s competitors, Colorado State led the Mountain West in hitting percentage with an outstanding .267 with 1,449 total kills. Outside hitter Kennedy Stanford delivered 354 of those kills, dominating the leaderboard.

During a total of 30 matchups, the Rams managed to maintain a five-game winning streak from Sept. 20 to Oct. 6. After getting into the stalwart groove, Colorado State became unstoppable. Notably, the Rams walked away with a couple of unforgettable wins against the state’s biggest rivals right in Moby, from a 3-1 victory against the University of Colorado Boulder Buffaloes Sept. 15 to sweeping the University of Wyoming Cowgirls once — as well as beating them 3-1 this season — and shutting down the United States Air Force Academy 3-1 Nov. 12.

This season was a first-class performance to bid head coach Tom Hilbert farewell, as he will officially retire following the end of the season.

Hilbert announced his intention to retire after nearly 39 years of coaching collegiate volleyball, with 26 of those dedicated to Colorado State. He was inducted into the Colorado State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, leaving behind a powerful legacy in Moby Arena.

Hilbert isn’t the only Ram leaving behind a legacy, as there are three senior spotlights this season: Jacqi Van Liefde, Ciera Pritchard and Annie Sullivan. These three Rams contributed in countless ways to the court and achieved season-high stats along the way.

Outside hitter Van Liefde created a dangerous territory, as she delivered a total of 183 attacks this season. She isn’t afraid to bring down a strong swing: a consistent kill that opponents have dared to challenge. Not only did she have a lethal arm on her, but her height made getting beyond the net nearly impossible. On top of her court performance, Van Liefde was awarded the 2021-22 Mencimer Memorial Award. The Mencimer Memorial Award was established in 1976 and is awarded yearly to the most outstanding female studentathlete at CSU.

As for the team setter, Pritchard prioritized supporting her fellow peers this season. With an outstanding 1,044 assist total, she dominated the leaderboard and placed fourth in the Mountain West. Additionally, she accomplished a major milestone by reaching 100 career aces during her time with Colorado State.

Last but not least, Sullivan stood side by side with both seniors protecting the court. Overall, she accomplished 311.5 points, 63 blocks and 749 total attacks.

With a possible need for a rebuilding season and looking for a new head coach, the Colorado State Rams will carry on the team legacy and look to come back even stronger next season. To stay up to date on any information regarding the Rams, tune into their Twitter for daily highlights @csuvolleyball.

Reach Karsyn Lane at sports@ collegian.com.

This is a special feature on the homeopathic alternatives to better your all-around health! Every feature, there will be a suggested plant or vitamin that research and my personal experience has shown to be an effective alternative to pharmaceutical medicine or just an addition to your daily wellness.

LIONS MANE Hericium erinaceus

Lions Mane is rare mushroom that is most commonly used for brain function and focus. It is an important factor of Chinese medicine and goes by many strange names like monkey head mushroom and bearded tooth mushroom, due to its peculiar shaggy appearance. It can be bought in forms of tea and extract tablets or powder. Eating raw or cooked is also beneficial. You can find it raw in the wild but it is a very rare fungus.

It can help fight symptoms of depression and anxiety, and it can boost natural immunity. There have been studies on mice that prove Lions Man can help improve the state of memory and potentially dementia. Overall, if taken daily, it has shown to significantly improve your brain function, focus and energy. I suggest adding it to your coffee to avoid the 2 o’clock crash.

References

The Colorado State University volleyball team huddles after winning their game against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at Moby Arena Aug. 26. The Rams won 3-1 after a 25-17 win in the final set.

PHOTO BY GARRETT MOGEL THE COLLEGIAN

After a 3-9 season, what’s next for Jay Norvell’s football team?

By Braidon Nourse @braidonnourse

Head coach Jay Norvell’s inaugural season with the Colorado State University football team is over. After going 3-9 on the season and 3-5 in conference play, there may be more questions now than there ever were before the season. But there’s also more to look forward to.

The schedule

Nobody expected the Rams to go into The Big House of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and escape with a win. But what did come as a surprise was the Rams’ winless nonconference schedule, which included a loss to Football Championship Subdivision team California State University, Sacramento. Following the 0-4 start to the season, the transfer announcements came in like a flood.

As Norvell said during the Jay Norvell Coach’s Show before CSU’s first conference game against the University of Nevada, Reno, the departure of several strong starters “got a lot of nonsense” out of the program. However, the team ended up winning that game due to one of the best defensive outings of the season against Norvell’s former team.

The Rams only won two more games after that: one a comefrom-behind victory against the

University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and the other a shutout victory against The University of New Mexico on CSU’s Senior Day. The 17-0 victory over New Mexico was the program’s first shutout since the 2016 season, when the Rams blanked California State University, Fresno 37-0.

The stars

The less-than-impressive season for the Rams had its standout moments and performances throughout the season by their best players on offense and defense. Redshirt freshman quarterback Clay Millen, who played his first full season as a starter this year, broke the all-time season completion percentage record for a freshman, completing 169 of his 234 attempts for a 72.2% mark.

Wide receiver Tory Horton received two All-Mountain West honors for his efforts on the field. Receiving for a conference-best 1,131 yards this season, he secured himself a spot on the All-Mountain West First Team for offense. He also received an honorable mention as a punt returner. His punting return average over the season was 15.5 yards, with his best moment as a returner being a 72yard touchdown return against the University of Wyoming.

What’s next

For players and coaches alike, the conclusion of the season means back to the drawing board and, more importantly, to the

recruiting board. Following the Rams’ season finale, Norvell said the biggest recruiting focus would be on the graduating seniors of the program who have not exhausted their eligibility.

Another recruiting avenue the staff plans to take is through the offensive line. That unit was subpar this year, allowing a college football-high of 59 sacks this season. This is the one area the

team has the most opportunity to build up for next season, as allowing that many sacks heavily limits offensive opportunities.

Reach Braidon Nourse at sports@ collegian.com.

Members of the Colorado State University football team enter the field for their game against California State University, Sacramento Sept. 24. CSU lost 41-10. PHOTO BY SARA SHAVER THE COLLEGIAN

Fall break sports recap

1. Colorado State University volleyball players Malaya Jones (1) and Naeemah Weathers (9) celebrate a block against San Diego State University during the quarterfinals of the 2022 Mountain West Volleyball Championship tournament Nov. 23. The Rams lost 3-2 in five hard-fought, close sets.

2. Graduate student Josiah Strong (3) prepares to make a free throw against Mississppi Valley State University at Moby Arena Nov. 26. Colorado State University won 88-45, bringing their season record to 5-2.

3. Senior John Tonje (1) dunks the ball during the Rams’ game against Mississippi Valley State University at Moby Arena Nov. 26. The Rams won 88-45.

4. The Colorado State University Golden Poms perform before kickoff at the CSU football game against The University of New Mexico Lobos Nov. 25. CSU won 17-0 to end head coach Jay Norvell’s first season with the Rams.

5. Colorado State University wide receiver Tory Horton (14) falls into the end zone to complete a touchdown during the CSU game against The University of New Mexico at Canvas Stadium Nov. 25. The Rams beat the Lobos 17-0, leaving UNM with zero Mountain West Conference wins in the 2022 season.

VISUAL ARTS

BY MICHAEL MARQUARDT THE COLLEGIAN

Annual Student Art Exhibition is now open

By Barnaby Atwood @csucollegian

Students’ art pieces are featured in the Curfman Gallery in Colorado State University’s Lory Student Center for the Student Art Exhibition.

The gallery, ran by the LSC Arts Program, rotates through different exhibits every few months — from solo artist shows to their annual Student Art Exhibit.

This exhibit will be open through Jan. 27,  featuring art made exclusively by students.

“I think the gallery is a fantastic way to get to know the creative minds we have at CSU,” said Alice Newman, LSC Arts Program colead installer and docent. “Spaces like this are such a good way to see how people are combining their research with art and seeing how people work through their process.

I think it’s just such a cool place because we really do show a lot of different things.”

you. I wanted it to be very hard to look at.”

Galier was accompanied to the opening by her friend  Jaycee Cameron.

“I think (the exhibit’s) pretty cool,” Cameron said. “It gives students the opportunity to feature their artwork that they worked on rather than it just being like a class project.”

“What I like about the gallery is that you can come in here and you can confront ideas in a way that involves our emotional experience,” said Doug Sink, the LSC Arts Program manager. “I don’t think there’s a lot of room for that in our academic experience, so it’s a way that we can kind of be more fluid people in the way that we think about contemporary issues and the way that we go through the world.”

Another displayed work, “3-Piece Combo,” was submitted by Dylan Barber. Barber grew up surrounded by art, with his grandmother being an artist as well as drawing guidance from his grandfather. The piece was heavily inspired by Barber’s own childhood growing up homeless and in poverty.

“To me, (the piece) represents the lifestyle of poverty as an American,” Barber said. “The country dangles a lot of these things towards poor people. And we want them; we go for them — it’s a trap though. Painting and creating art is something that means a lot to me. So I’m trying to put that into the painting but also keep the childlike sense of creativity and passion for art that I had since I was a kid.”

Newman and other LSC Arts Program staff nominate the jurors, who then select the pieces of artwork displayed in the gallery.

Sophia Galier is one of the artists whose work is featured in the exhibit. She originally heard of the opportunity through the LSC Arts Program’s Instagram and was encouraged by her mom to submit. Her piece “Still There” depicts the aftermath of sexual assault.

“The red hands, they’re not actually there, but even though the assault has already happened, the victims can still like feel it,” Galier said. “It kind of just represents how sexual assault is not something that goes away easily, and it sticks with

The jurors nominated to select the pieces to be displayed were artists from the Colorado area and had to be unaffiliated with CSU to avoid conflicts of interest. This year’s jurors were JayCee Beyale, an artist and co-curator at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, Colorado, and Mamiko Ikeda, an artist and faculty member at the Art Students League of Denver.

The jurors looked through 260 submissions and chose the final pieces based on what they thought would work best in the show. After that, the LSC Arts Program’s staff received the pieces from the artists and decided on where they would be placed in the gallery.

The submissions can be any combination media, the only restriction being it has to be a recent piece made in the last 18 months.

at entertainment@collegian.com.

Reach Barnaby Atwood

“What I like about the gallery is that you can come in here and you can confront ideas in a way that involves our emotional experience.”

DOUG SINK LSC ARTS PROGRAM MANAGER

Colorado State University freshman Sophia Galier shares her artwork at the CSU Student Art Exhibition Nov. 29. “This is one of my pieces from my senior (Advanced Placement) art portfolio,” Galier said. “My art portfolio focused on sexual assault and the aftermath of it. This piece specifically is focusing on directly after the sexual assault and how the red hands, they’re not actually there, but even though the assault has already happened, the victim can still feel it. It kind of just represents how sexual assault is not something that goes away easily,

and it sticks with you.”

PHOTO

Soccer Mommy uses her inside voice in the outside world

By Dylan Tusinski @dylantusinski

Through passionate lyricism and bedroom-pop production, alternative rock star Soccer Mommy captures raw emotion in a uniquely modern way.

Melancholy music is having a bit of a moment right now. Through pensive lyrics and low-key production, musicians like Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski and Soccer Mommy have become prominent figures in Generation Z’s musical mainstream.

Sophia Allison, who makes music under the name Soccer Mommy, released her latest album, “Sometimes, Forever,” in summer 2022 to acclaim from critics and listeners alike. While most of her music focuses on her own emotional realities, “Sometimes, Forever” turns Allison’s gaze primarily outward for the first time.

The album is still introspective in many ways, but Allison spends more time facing her newfound fame than she has in prior projects.

As “sad-girl indie” music gains more and more popularity, many musicians within the genre are figuring out how to balance being famous for making sad music with feeling the full spectrum of human emotion, including happiness and joy.

Over a phone interview, Allison said it’s a skill she has learned to balance.

“I don’t feel personally locked into anything,” Allison said. “There’s probably a lot of people who do because it’s definitely something that’s very hip right now.”

In her song “Unholy Affliction,” Allison doubles down on that notion, making it clear that her music comes from true artistic expression, not from a need to fill any kind of a musical persona. She sings, “I don’t want the money/ That fake kind of happy/ I’d sink in the river/ Before I let it have me.”

Much like other artists in the so-called sad girl subgenre, Allison prides herself on authentic vulnerability. Being truly vulnerable, she said, includes writing songs about

joy as well as songs about sadness.

“I also write plenty of stuff about being in a good headspace — being happy or driven by something — or just straight making shit up, making stories and stuff,” Allison said. “I guess for me, I couldn’t ever write something that wasn’t honest to how I was actually feeling.”

When sitting down and listening to Soccer Mommy, that emotion shines through. Even her pop-rock single “Shotgun” has a palpable emotional weight behind its catchy beat and brief, easily singable lyrics. In the chorus, Allison sings, “Whenever you want me, I’ll be around/ I’m a bullet in a shotgun waiting to sound.”

It’s easy to find yourself filling in the emotional blanks with your own experiences. Allison’s lyrics leave a lot of room for the listener to interpret, digest and insert themselves into the storyline, and that’s intentional.

“I think vagueness is good,” Allison said. “You’re not writing a novel. You’re not writing a character. You’re just trying to weave together something.”

Allison said creating connection with listeners happens when you don’t say precisely what you mean. Throughout her career, Allison has strongly believed that sometimes what you don’t say can connect with an audience more than what you do say.

“It’s easy to say exactly what you’re saying,” Allison said. “I think it’s much harder to paint something that has all of this opportunity for understanding in different ways.”

The ability of listeners to interpret and read into music is a large part of why Soccer Mommy and the entire “sad-girl indie” subgenre are as popular as they are. Each lyric means a different thing to each person in a unique way, giving listeners a closely personal connection with the music.

Allison intends to build on that connection with her listeners as she continues her tour Touring, Forever. Soccer Mommy will perform Dec. 2 at Washington’s in Fort Collins alongside TOPS. Tickets are available at Washington’s website and box office.

Reach Dylan Tusinski at entertainment@collegian.com.

By Abby Flores

Sudoku

Last edition’s sudoku solution

Last edition’s crossword solution

OVERHEARD AROUND CAMPUS

ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 19)

This week is all about collaborating with others on a project. Trust your creative ideas and speak out, but also let others contribute. Their ideas may help

take things to the next level, and the end result will be beautiful.

TAURUS (APRIL 20 - MAY 20)

Set goals for yourself this week, and you will notice how balanced you become. Finances may be a little difficult to handle at this time, but if you plan and budget, you will be rewarded for your efforts later.

GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20)

The last couple weeks may have felt chaotic. There could have been an issue with people and confrontation. For now, keep your peace, stay calm and let the storm pass. Trust that karma will work itself out on all ends.

CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22) Love is in the air this week, and

but drink some hot chocolate, and you will see yourself bounce back into action.

LEO (JULY 23 - AUG. 22) You are being stopped in your tracks this week, but look at this as a blessing. You are finally realizing what you want and where you want to go next. Manifestation power is high for you right now, so dream on.

VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEPT. 22)

Certain situations were coming up fast in your life, so you needed time to work things out. With this phase done, you are finally stepping into your professional power. Remember to have fun and not work too hard.

(SEPT. 23 - OCT. 22)

language, and with the sun in Sagittarius, you will notice you are feeling much more happy and adventurous.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23 - NOV. 21)

As extroverted as you are, you may find yourself getting into comforting hobbies such as cooking or drawing this week. The energies are allowing you to relax and enjoy the beginning of this holiday season.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22 - DEC. 21) Happy birthday! You are ruled by our luckiest planet, Jupiter, so prepare to feel aligned with your highest self. You are in a period of self-love and cheerfulness. There is something you have been working on for a long time, and you will receive recognition for it.

(DEC. 22 - JAN. 19)

You were going through a period of reflection in the last couple

weeks after some heartbreak. You may still be in the healing process, but spending time with friends who care about you has been helping. You will be blessed with more spontaneous energy.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18)

You are the sign most likely to put up a Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving dinner. This week is all about friendship and putting time into your relationships after a period when everything felt the same. Joyful energy and new experiences are in your favor.

PISCES (FEB. 19 - MARCH 20)

You may be looking to take a break from social media in order to connect with yourself for the next couple weeks. If you choose to embark on this journey, your intuition and spirituality will bloom by spring.

“I’m a second-class citizen because I’m lactose intolerant.”

“I’ve just decided to stop following the laws that don’t make sense.”

Have you overheard something funny on campus? Put your eavesdropping to good use. Tweet us @CSUCollegian and your submissions could be featured in our next paper!

“There’s all sorts of weird economic activity going on in elementary school cafeterias.”

“Why go to Amsterdam when you can just go to Dutch Bros?”