THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FOCO EVENTS TOP STORIES
NEWS: Presidential Ambassador Program creates legacy of leadership, philanthropic impact PAGE 5
LIFE: Rams for Rescues volunteers socialize, find forever homes for animals PAGE 6
SPORTS: CSU softball rallies around young core PAGE 9
SCIENCE: Engineering students address health care accessibility by developing sustainable menstrual pad inserts PAGE 11
ARTS: Art Lab Fort Collins features ‘Expanding Into Space’ student photo gallery PAGE 14
OPINION: How I found my place at CSU as a marginalized student PAGE 17
MEDIA: A year in review PAGES 12-13
CLory Student Center, Suite 118
Foothills Symphonic Band Presents: “Americana” at the University Center for the Arts 7-8:30 p.m. May 2
NBB PROM at New Belgium Brewing 8-11 p.m. May 3
Star Wars Trivia at the Slyce Pizza Co. Speak Cheesy Lounge 7-9 p.m. May 4
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.
Anthony Tamayo, an employee at LNL Marketing Agency and host of the event, takes photos of Colorado State University students posing with their personalized Coke cans April 24. “My goal is to get as many cans out as possible with everybody having a smile on their faces,” Tamayo said.
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 3,000-circulation student-run newspaper intended as a public forum and is printed on paper made of 30% postconsumer waste. It publishes every Thursday during the regular fall and spring semesters. TheCollegian 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.
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THE COLLEGIAN
EDITORIAL STAFF
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PHOTO BY LAUREN MASCARDO
CHANGE-MAKER
Raising student voices: Ella Smith helps amplify new chapter of activism at CSU
By Riley Paling @rileypaling
At Colorado State University, student activism has long been a powerful force for change. From antiwar protests in the 1960s to calls for racial equity in the 2020s, CSU students have continuously used their voices to challenge policies and push for campus and community change.
Today, that spirit is alive and well, and one of the students at the forefront is Ella Smith.
A senior majoring in women’s and gender studies with minors in American sign language and ethnic studies, Smith has become a leading figure in the latest generation of campus activism. Their work focuses on protecting and expanding CSU’s diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts, particularly as those programs have been threatened by federal and state guidelines.
Smith has been an advocate for change since they were very young, all the while remaining cognizant of their privileged upbringing.
“I’ve been organizing since I was 12 or 13,” Smith said. “I care about other people because they
are other people and because they’re dying or they’re being hurt, or this thing is affecting them, and I, as a white person, as you know, someone who comes from a middle class family, as someone who has a lot of privileges, I’m able to affect change in a lot of different ways, and so I can use that privilege to uplift and highlight different people’s voices.”
Smith’s activism doesn’t stop at DEIA issues. They are also involved with the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at CSU through participating in peaceful protests, advocating for a ceasefire of the Israel-Hamas war and urging the university to take a stance on the conflict and financially divest from Israeli industries. According to Smith, their activism is intersectional, connecting global struggles with local campus movements.
On Nov. 10, 2023, students held a protest on the Lory Student Center Plaza, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the violence. Led by Smith and other student activists, dozens gathered with signs and chants to demonstrate solidarity with Palestinians. A small group of Jewish students staged a counterprotest, waving Israeli flags nearby, but the demonstration remained peaceful
while students voiced opposition to the ongoing conflict.
Similar demonstrations continued through May 2024, resulting in the delivery of a formal letter of demands to CSU President Amy Parsons and the placement of symbolic body bags on the steps of the Administration Building.
Ella Smith organized another movement that was carried out by CSU’s SJP chapter Oct. 6, 2024. During this large-scale protest, students walked a 9-mile route across Fort Collins, along which were chalked outlines of Palestinian children killed in Gaza and their names.
On Feb. 19, 2025, approximately 300 people gathered on the Lory Student Center Plaza and then marched to the Administration Building, with students chanting, “No DEI is unjust; education for all of us.” The protest, organized in part by the CSU Student Coalition for DEIA, aimed to hold university administration accountable for promises that CSU would continue to support marginalized communities on campus despite changing federal policies. Smith and others emphasized that even if federal pressure forces policy changes, the student community would remain united.
Smith said they believe student activism is vital to foster change and a healthy campus environment, touching on past movements that have affected American policy outcomes.
“I believe that it’s incredibly important and that student activism is one of the ways that students can not only have a voice but can really enact change here within our university and within our further society,” Smith said. “We’ve seen student activism be something really, really important and effective in many, many cases, one instance being around the Vietnam War movement, with antiVietnam War protests really being sparked and continued by students, and we’ve seen it more recently with a lot of university students organizing around Palestine and, specifically, the areas of Gaza that are being affected by their horrendous genocide being perpetuated by Israel right now.”
Today, as political pressures reshape conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion on campuses across the country,
students continue to remain active and involved. Smith said their activism is not about creating division but about protecting a sense of belonging for all students.
“Students using their First Amendment right has been and always will be an important part of our country’s democracy and of our university community,” the university said in a statement to The Collegian. “Universities are places for the exchange of ideas, discourse and debate. Land-grant universities like CSU were founded to democratize higher education — to ensure that anyone who had the talent and desire for a higher education could achieve it — it’s foundational to who we are at CSU to learn from different views, experiences and knowledge of other people, including those with whom we disagree.”
Reach Riley Paling at news@collegian.com.
Protester Ella Smith holds up a microphone for a kid to speak through during the “Hands Off” protest in Fort Collins April 5. PHOTO BY GARRETT MOGEL THE COLLEGIAN
Colorado State University student Ella Smith smiles for a portrait in Fort Collins April 26. PHOTO BY ERICA PICKERING THE COLLEGIAN
STUDENT CELEBRATION
Pride Resource Center to host annual Lavender Awards Ceremony
By Chloe Waskey @csucollegian
The Pride Resource Center will host the annual Lavender Awards Ceremony May 2 to celebrate the accomplishments of graduates apart of Colorado State University’s LGBTQIA+ community. The ceremony is open to all who wish to attend.
Six awards will be presented, including the Morris Price Jr. Outstanding Alumnx Award, the Pride Legacy Award, the Rainbow Inspiration Faculty/Staff Award, the Sascha J. Franzel Ally Award, the Shining Star Award and the United in Action Award.
“It gives us an intentional moment to celebrate joy and community,” said Maggie Hendrickson, the PRC director. “This is a way for students to feel pride as a family, invite who they want to, use their chosen name and just kind of be their authentic self. Everyone deserves to be celebrated authentically.”
The awards ceremony stems from a long history of LGBTQIA+ discrimination, which led the community to carve out spaces where it could exist more freely. The color lavender has historically been used
as a covert way for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to recognize each other without risking prosecution.
Lavender awards ceremonies, sometimes referred to as lavender graduations, have been practiced across the nation for decades.
“We’ve kind of carried on that tradition of not having a separate graduation ceremony but just another celebration for folks to feel like they don’t have to hide a part of who they are in order to be celebrated,” Hendrickson said.
ASCSU Accessibility Caucus Chair
Morgan Snyder, who graduates in May, said it is important to remember the history of LGBTQIA+ subjugation, especially given recent actions by President Donald Trump.
“We’re currently having (an) administration in the federal government that wants to take us back to not even the ‘50s (but) to like pre-Teddy Roosevelt times,” Snyder said. “An event like this, where the community can come together in resilience, is a great opportunity to help show that we are here, we are strong, we are together and that no matter how hard they try, they can’t kill us in a way that matters.”
Another graduating student, McKenna Waldrop, said community is
important for graduating students who are nervous to enter the world.
“We want to be able to celebrate each other in ways that historically might not have happened,” Waldrop said. “Especially, like, nowadays, we just like to lift each other up and recognize that even though we’re moving into the next phase of our lives, we’re not losing community at all with the people we went to college with or the people who we share identities with.”
The PRC has been an integral source of community for many students at CSU, providing a variety of resources and support to anyone in need.
“I came there when I first got to CSU, and I’ve gone there, like, almost every day I’ve been here,” Snyder said. “It basically connected me with a community, provided resources and basically helped me on my journey to help better understand what to do with my life and what to think about for post-grad.”
Waldrop said the PRC helped them accept their changing identity and feel more comfortable as an adult.
“For me, it’s played a huge part in trying to figure out who I am as an adult,” Waldrop said. “The Pride Center specifically kind of helped me
STAY IN TOUCH
realize that (identity) is always going to change, … and that doesn’t have to be scary or threatening. It can be really fun to find out who you are over and over and over again.”
As someone who attended last year, Waldrop said students can expect an inviting and emotional ceremony where graduates and members of the PRC can express their mutual appreciation and well wishes.
“Expect a lot of cheers, a lot of happiness, probably some people who are crying because they’re going to miss their friend who’s going to be graduating, or they’re excited for where they’re going
to go,” Waldrop said. “It’s usually just very warm and loving and kind when we’re all together taking photos, sharing old stories with one another (and) eating cake.”
The event will be held in Lory Student Center Theater, and anyone planning to attend is encouraged to RSVP prior. Graduating students who cannot attend but want a lavender graduation cord can pick one up at (the) Pride Resource Center during hours of operation.
“We’re here to celebrate everybody, no matter how they identify,” Hendrickson said.
Reach Chloe Waskey at news@collegian.com.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY PRIDE RESOURCE CENTER
STUDENT CONNECTIONS
Presidential Ambassador Program creates legacy of leadership, philanthropic impact
By Allie Seibel @allie_seibel_
When Phoenix Espinoza joined the Presidential Ambassador Program her first year at Colorado State University, she was terrified of public speaking.
Three years on the job later, Espinoza, a senior biomedical sciences student, laughs recalling how the skills she has learned through the PA program have allowed her to walk up to strangers and happily and confidently introduce herself.
“I didn’t know how to talk to people when I started this program,” said Espinoza, who currently serves as the PA membership chair. “I was a little baby freshman, and I mean, this program has given me everything from self-confidence to poise. I’m now fine with public speaking, which I was terrified of doing before.
... I really owe so much of who I am today, professionally and personally, to this program.”
Espinoza is one of 16 presidential ambassadors — highly motivated and involved students from every corner of campus who represent the university administration team and Office of the President to celebrate the impact of philanthropy and personally represent positive student impact at CSU.
Sreya Karumanchi, a second-year presidential ambassador and incoming membership chair, was inspired to join the program by a former presidential ambassador who came to speak about
the impact of interacting with donors and university alumni.
Karumanchi, a chemical and biological engineering major with a biomedical engineering minor, had the opportunity through the PA Program to interact with a donor who personally impacted her as a firstyear and confirmed her dedication to philanthropic gratitude.
“It’s a gift to pursue an education, and so having a donor or a foundation be so passionate about investing in the future of our generation through education is very powerful,”
Karumanchi said. “I’m very lucky where the foundation that has been a part of my life really lives by its values and really integrates it into how they tell us about how we can use our time and opportunities as a young adult to really contribute and give back.”
A large component of the PA Program is interacting with donors and university alumni at campus events to show the impact of the student experience at CSU.
“For donors and alumni and all the university staff, ... they’re all people who really stick behind what they believe in, and they really root for their cause,” Karumanchi said. “They want to give back their time and talent to the things that they think are important. And it’s very important to be around that and see that that never really dies out.”
As membership chair, Espinoza — and next year, Karumanchi — is in charge of organizing events, putting together schedules and planning PA engagement behind the scenes during the week.
“I have so much that I do behind the scenes with emails and coordinating and receiving our event requests and emailing out our agendas to our (presidential ambassadors) and making sure everyone has everything they need and answering all the questions,” Espinoza said. “I also am in charge of team bonding and recruitment. ... It’s a lot of fun stuff.”
Part of the membership chair’s team-bonding experiences involve excursions and activities like pumpkin patches, pottery classes and hikes, inspired by Espinoza’s desire to enhance group camaraderie.
“Finally, after years of trying to perfect (team bonding) and sculpt it, we got funding at the beginning of this year for team bonding,” Espinoza said. “It has been absolutely amazing, and for me, it’s been a game changer because I feel like I’m way closer to this team than I have been my other teams just because we’ve had that outside experience. And I hope that the other (presidential ambassadors) feel the same way.”
As part of summer presidential ambassador training, each student participates in an activity called share your story, where each member can take as much time as they want to share about themselves with the group, which both Espinoza and Karumanchi cited as their favorite memory from the program.
“For some people, that’s just ... a couple of things that (they) like to do,” Espinoza said. “And for others, it’s 30 minutes of, ‘Here’s everything
I’ve ever been through and how I’ve overcome it.’ And every single time that we have done that exercise, it has been so eye-opening because I realized that every single person on this team is so incredibly and uniquely beautiful, and every person has a story that is just as sculpting and powerful as my own.”
Joseph Godshall, a junior studying political science with business administration and legal studies minors, is a first-year presidential ambassador who got involved in the program after hearing former presidential ambassadors speak. For Godshall, the team has been the most impactful part of the experience.
“It’s hard to, like, articulate it, but I would say what’s impacted me the most, and therefore would be my favorite part about being in the program, is the people specifically,” Godshall said. “Just being able to bond with my team outside of the normal scope of, like, campus leadership, it’s been really awesome. I’ve grown a lot from the program, but I’ve grown more from being around these people.”
Godshall, who serves in leadership in the Associated Students of CSU and in other areas of campus, said the leadership experience he has gained through the PA Program has instilled a sense of service leadership in him.
“I fill a lot of leadership roles across campus, but I’ve really learned what it means to be, like, a humble leader and serve,” Godshall said. “Our mission is revolving our own gratitude and philanthropy, and I think I’ve really
learned what it means to be a leader without being in charge. Having accountability and integrity, those are values that we really put forth, and then also just operating with kindness is something that we try to do here, and that’s been really impactful in my own life.”
As a returning member of the PA Program, Godshall said he hopes to continue the development of the group’s impact.
“My hopes would just be to make sure that I can give back to the program the way that it’s given to me,” Godshall said. “I’d really like to invest more time into kind of growing it ... a little more ... to just be able to invest in the people the way that they’ve invested through me.”
As Karumanchi enters her role as one of the student leaders of the PA Program, she said she hopes to continue the group’s personal connections to CSU.
“The power of our group is that we all have different connections to the university, different parts that connect us to CSU,” Karumanchi said. “Why do we love being here? What brought us here? Every voice and every perspective is so important, and it’s so individualistic that it (becomes) a group where all those voices are put together. And the beautiful part is that it changes every year, who all comes and who all has different perspectives.”
Reach Allie Seibel at news @collegian.com.
Presidential Ambassadors Robert Lamm, Maddie Hutson, Ryan Yoe, Elena Crooks, Sreya Karumanchi, Shayna Ross, Phoenix Espinoza, Andrea Donlucas, Hannah Gilliard, Ben Gregg, Charlie Beelaert, Joseph Godshall, Lorenzo Alfonso and Andrew White gather for a group photo on the steps of the Administration Building April 29. The PA Program is comprised of student leaders representing university philanthropy and giving.
PHOTO BY ALLIE SEIBEL THE COLLEGIAN
SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
CSU students, FoCo residents reflect on tabling on The Plaza as outreach tool
By John Vu @john_vu10
Colorado State University’s Lory Student Center Plaza has become a hot spot for clubs and organizations to interact with the local community. One key way to connect is through tabling, which allows groups to promote their messages and mission to a diverse demographic.
However, the question remains: Is this form of community outreach effective, or do these social interactions make individuals nervous?
Cecilia Smith, a Larimer County Department of Health and Environment intern, is one of the many individuals who gathered at CSU’s annual Earth Day Festival to echo the importance of climate care.
“I’m learning as I go and (specifically) how to best engage with people,” Smith said.
Smith is joined by many eager and anxious students, all trying to make their voice heard and educate a crowd about their organization or club’s mission. Smith isn’t the only one who feels nervous about approaching students.
“(I’m nervous) almost every time,” said Owen Spaulding, CSU Outdoor Club member. “I mean, talking is scary, especially when there’s people that you don’t know.”
CREATURE CARE
Although Spaulding echoed the sentiment of many students who find themselves getting nervous, there are many who aren’t as timid.
“In situations like this where, like, I’m sitting at the table and ... people are coming up to me, I feel a little less nervous,” said Kayla Vigen, a CSU Outdoor Club officer.
Even though many volunteers on The Plaza are students, there’s a large number of individuals who aren’t. Yet, many still find themselves feeling nervous.
“I get nervous if I have to approach people, but I’m not nervous when they come to me,” said Kim Miller, FoCo Trash Mob volunteer.
While tabling has become one of the most popular ways to engage with the local community, it differs for each individual organization. Each group may seek to attract a specific audience, but it’s likely that they reach a variety of people, which can ultimately lead to uneasiness.
But people may ask, why tabling? Is this form of outreach effective?
“Tabling is a really great way to, like, get more people involved with our club, you know, regular students that are walking by,” Vigen said. “And the only other way that we really have to reach out is social media. So this is definitely more like a more personable way to do it. You get to see them face to face. You get to interact
with them, and I think that works a lot better than just, like, seeing a post on Instagram.”
Despite social media’s widespread influence, tabling has become a major form of outreach for clubs and organizations, as it builds deeper connections. With many students walking through The Plaza or the Lory Student Center, tabling allows groups to connect with potential members on a deeper level than a social media post does.
While organizations like the CSU Outdoor Club can utilize tabling as an in-person connection to supplement the use of social media, other organizations like FoCo Trash Mob don’t and ultimately depend on in-person-oriented forms of outreach, specifically tabling.
“This has been really helpful today to be here,” Miller said. “We’ve got a lot of people who signed up for our newsletter, so that gives us a broader reach, which is a goal that we have.”
But more importantly, do the volunteers even enjoy the work they’re doing?
“It’s just really fun,” Miller said. “We talk to people about recycling, and they have an ‘aha’ moment. … It’s also just really fun to talk to people about their ideas, (along with) giving exchange of ideas and interacting with students who definitely want to help us out.”
This type of outreach can be very difficult to staff, as it’s often unpaid and strictly volunteer work. However, the people who are involved take the work they’re doing to heart. Rather than viewing it as a job, most view it as an opportunity.
“It’s really important to, like, expand your social circle and meet as many people as possible because that’s how you learn,” Vigen said.
In the end, whether individuals are nervous or not, many embrace this type of outreach and are making an
impact on their local communities. While they may be educating their audience, they’re also learning lessons themselves.
“I’ve definitely learned a lot,” Vigen said. “Given the fact, like, being an officer in this club, I’ve met so many people. I think that really has kind of changed my perspective. You know, like, different people with different perspectives are what’s going to teach you the most about life.”
Reach John Vu at life@collegian.com.
Rams for Rescues volunteers socialize, find forever homes for animals
By Janaya Stafford @csucollegian
Starting the year with an entirely different set of officers, Rams for Rescues is a collaborative organization that helps local animals. This organization focuses on helping three main rescues: Animal Friends Alliance, Colorado Kitty Coalition and Cavies and Canines
Animal Rescue. These rescues give members the chance to volunteer and work with cats, dogs and guinea pigs.
“Our focus is to create a bridge between the students at CSU who are hesitant, or they don’t have a ride to get to the place, or they don’t have the resources to volunteer each week,” said Stella Chalex, Rams for Rescues vice president. “We wanted to create a bridge to basically make it easier to volunteer, particularly with animals.”
To become an official member, Rams for Rescues asks those
interested for $10 per semester, which goes toward training costs and rescue fees while also funding the snacks and activities provided at meetings.
Meetings are typically held on the first Tuesday of each month, during which members participate in productive activities.
“We try to do beneficial projects for our partner rescues,” said Quinn Gill, Rams for Rescues outreach officer. “In October, we made a bunch of fleece kitty beds for the Colorado Kitty Coalition. They were Halloween themed, of course. Our most recent meeting was a little keychain craft where people made keychain Shrinky Dinks of adoptable animals at our partner rescues, and then we gave those to the partner rescues to go home with the animal to their forever home.”
Outside of meetings, there are a variety of volunteer opportunities that people can sign up for. Some focus more on cleaning and keeping things tidy, while others are more involved with the animals.
Volunteers help socialize animals that may not be comfortable around humans, better preparing them for adoption.
“It can be kind of demoralizing sometimes,” Chalex said. “When we
first bring people into our club and put them through basic training, we do try to preface that not every animal (is) going to like you, and not every animal is going to be comfortable with cuddles, and that it’s just really important to pay attention to the animals’ needs and not focus on what you want.”
Members of Rams for Rescue all share a love for animals by helping them find comfort in the world around them. The boundaries of both animals and humans are respected to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
“There is a risk of injury and someone making things worse,” Gill said. “We generally don’t have untrained volunteer members of the club working with feral cats or spicy cats that might scratch them or get themselves more traumatized.”
Anyone is welcome to join the organization. Rams for Rescues President Claudia Yerian said that regardless of experience level, involvement is greatly encouraged; there is a place for everyone, and the organization welcomes any help it can get.
“It’s a great way for people to get their foot in the door with things they might not have tried before or they might be unsure of how to start,”
Yerian said. “We’re kind of there to help organize people and get them to where they want to go.”
With many potential experiences and opportunities, the organization has built a strong community. Traveling with those who love animals makes it easy to connect with people from all over.
“Networking and getting out of the campus bubble and going to Loveland to hangout with people who went to a different college or something like that is important and part of the college experience,” Gill said.
After welcoming new officers, Rams for Rescues said it is eager to recruit more members. The organization is located within the Lory Student Center, and more information is available on its various social media sites.
“(When) we started, it was like 15 members after we kind of reset everything, and by the end of this year, we have over 40,” Yerian said.
The rate at which Rams for Rescues is growing can be expected to increase, as the group plans to offer even more volunteer opportunities in the near future.
Reach Janaya Stafford at life @collegian.com.
Delta Chi fraternity members get pied by participants who donated to support cancer research on the Lory Student Center Plaza at Colorado State University April 27. “I enjoy it, and I think it’s fun now,” Ethan Valdez said.
PHOTO BY ERICA PICKERING THE COLLEGIAN
Rams for Rescues meets in the Lory Student Center at Colorado State University April 27. “When you’re stressed out with classes, it’s nice to volunteer with other people and be around the animals,” said Claudia Yerien, Rams for Rescues president.
PHOTO BY ERICA PICKERING THE COLLEGIAN
Pride Resource Center hosts night of unconditional love, belonging at Queer Prom
By Sophie Webb @sophgwebb
For some, prom was a night filled with laughter and friends and a time to dress up and dance the night away, but that was not the reality for everyone. Others could not dress up the way they wanted to, nor were they able to go with the person they wanted.
But the Pride Resource Center at Colorado State University was determined to reset the clock and offer a safe space, a second chance — as attendee Jade Szette put it, a “healing” experience — at their event: Queer Prom.
Friday, April 25, the PRC decorated the Lory Student Center Theater to match the theme of Night at the Museum, where anybody — so long as they were older than 18 — could have a safe and fun night.
“There’s a lot of anti-LGBTQ stuff happening around the country right now, and so this is just a way of celebrating queer joy and community and dancing,” said Maggie Hendrickson, the director of the Pride Resource Center. “It’s not just LGBTQ people who come; everyone’s welcome. We’re just here to celebrate and be in community.”
But an event this large required a solid undertaking, and planning began over a
year ago when the Lory Student Center Theater was first booked. With time, the event was planned piece by piece.
Yet, the dance truly began to come together about a month in advance when tickets were handed out free of charge, and decorations and music were finalized just days before.
“We just really want it to be a space that’s open to everybody that feels like a safe, authentic place where people can just bring whoever they want, wear whatever they want, dance however they want,” Hendrickson said. “It’s just our way of bringing our community together to celebrate the end of the year and just let people dance and have fun and be themselves.”
Although there were several logistical components settled by the PRC, it was the students who gave the event life.
Hendrickson and Josh Mack, assistant director of the PRC, were joined by event coordinators and students who helped decide the theme, and students sourced the DJ after recommendations via Instagram.
But in the end, it all came together in time to put on a meaningful event.
“I just love seeing people dance and have a good time,” Hendrickson said. “Some of the events we do can be more serious and more educational. And this is just people (getting) to just leave some stress and have some fun.
And so I just love seeing students joyful and being their authentic self.”
“We just really want it to be a space that’s open to everybody that feels like a safe, authentic place where people can just bring whoever they want, wear whatever they want, dance however they want. It’s just our way of bringing our community together to celebrate the end of the year and just let people dance and have fun and be themselves.”
MAGGIE HENDRICKSON, PRIDE RESOURCE CENTER DIRECTOR
Even before the event officially started, eager participants began rolling in. They were met with the
opportunity to take pictures in front of a purple and white backdrop — colors often seen on LGBTQIA+ flags to recognize identity and expression.
Attendees also took home stickers designed annually by the PRC for Pride Month, and if they wanted to relax or just mess around, they could submerge their hands in a bucket filled with Orbeez.
“People have some internal wrestling of, ‘Am I queer enough? Do I even know my identities? What if I’m not out?’” Hendrickson said. “We wanted to make sure everyone knows we love you, and we welcome you no matter where you are in your journey. … There’s no such thing as being queer enough. … The stickers are our way of reminding people of that.”
The PRC created a safe environment for people to relax and be who they want to be, but what is an event without a little competition?
Employees of the PRC assessed and later presented awards for categories such as best dancer, best dressed and best on theme.
Enock Monanti, an attendee and someone who has worked with the PRC, was one of many who took the event as an opportunity to display their fashion skills, wanting to show the crowd that he was “looking good and getting on that dance floor,” Monanti said.
Monanti also recognized the significance of the event to those in the LGBTQIA+ community.
“It allows them to come out as them, who may not want to dress the traditional masculine way, such as how I am, how I’m dressed ... a little bit more wonderful,” Monanti said. “And it lets them go to prom and come and present themselves as how they want to be presented.”
Queer Prom has been a tradition for several years, and former CSU student Kailarae Lilly has been coming for the past four. But this year held more significance, as it was the first time their childhood best friend was also able to attend.
Lilly is a testament to the fact that Queer Prom is a safe space for many. The event was nothing short of a success and is not only an event anyone can attend, but it will consistently be a place of safety and enjoyment.
“There’s a lot of struggle to be found by being part of this community, especially now, and there’s no denying that it’s hard,” Lilly said. “The thing that makes us strong is our togetherness and our sense of community.
“Be here, be participative, make friends, talk to people,” Lilly said. “Even if you’re nervous, even if you’re shy, because those people are the people that are going to be with you through thick and thin — through the rest of your life.”
Reach Sophie Webb at life @collegian.com.
Attendees of the Pride Resource Center’s Queer Prom event dance in the Lory Student Center Theater April 25 PHOTO BY CAIT MCKINZIE THE COLLEGIAN
FUTURE LEADER
Discipline, attention sets up CSU linebacker Owen Long for success on field, in life
By Michael Hovey @michaelfhovey
Coachability is a valuable skill in every aspect of life.
The ambition to learn and the ability to mindfully listen comes naturally to Colorado State football linebacker Owen Long. At only 19 years old, he’s expected to step up and help fill vacancies left by the departing players from the 2024 defense while trying to maintain his Mountain West All-Academic standing and progression in a degree in finance. A solid foundation comprised of discipline and effort has served the athlete well so far, but his opportunity to progress only increases now.
Even though Long’s one of the younger players on the team, he doesn’t take things for granted.
“Nothing in this life’s easy, so you got to go work hard for everything,” Long said. “And I think my mom and my dad really installed that in me and all my siblings at a young age. And then, honestly, just (having) the ability to go have fun and enjoy what we’re doing out here. I mean, at the end of the day, I’m 19 years old, playing football, having fun, getting school paid for. What could I really be upset about?”
The appreciation he has for life seems to stem from his upbringing, and his coach — linebacker coach Clint Sintim — echoed that.
“You can tell he’s got a foundation,” Sintim said. “I think that’s a testament to how he was raised with his mom and his dad. Outside of football, Owen will be successful in whatever he does because he comes to work and he does the right thing.”
Long talked about the biggest thing he inherited from his parents: discipline, which tends to serve athletes and students well.
“My parents are awesome,” Long said. “Those are my heroes. So, you know, I still talk to them every day, and it’s one of the brightest moments of my day, talking to my parents. Because, shoot — I would not be here without them, so I definitely could thank them for everything, and hopefully I’m as good of a parent one day as they are.”
From a young age, Long and his siblings learned how to excel through dedication, and it amalgamated in high school.
As a two-sport athlete, he had the opportunity to play baseball with three of his brothers while also claiming a state championship in football. The emphasis in athletics was evident in his family, but that’s just how they are.
“The way that we attacked everything and just the mindset of always trying to outwork everybody really is something that I think me and my brothers really are into,” Long said. “And I think it really shows with our careers.”
Long’s father played baseball at Azusa Pacific while two of his brothers also played at the collegiate level, and that supportive competitiveness seems to have benefitted everyone involved.
For the linebacker, that competition transitioned to the football field at CSU, and he’s stepping up to improve as a player but also as defensive field general.
“He’s grown as a leader,” Sintim said. “He’s improved his craft and his techniques, and he’s just developing. Man, I think what’s really special about Owen is (he’s) super coachable, and he wants to do well. So it allows you to challenge him, and, to his credit, he’s responding.”
Spring camp brought new personnel, new schemes and a new practice format. Long is among those handling the shift well, and he’s shown promise in Tyson Summers’ new defensive philosophy.
The sophomore commented on the increased emphasis on meetings and mental work before getting on the field, and it’s helped players adjust to the fast-paced nature of the aggressive new defense. Defenders have more opportunity to make plays, but it comes with an increase in responsibility in coverage and assignments.
Despite that, Long is enjoying himself all the more.
“The energy we had this spring was off the charts,” Long said. “You
probably heard it today — we were going at it a little bit. And I’ll tell you what, it makes it so much more fun, and you want to compete at such a higher level.”
There’s still a long time before the first game of the fall season, so the work isn’t close to over.
For now, Long gets the chance to reflect on a good spring camp after receiving an individual shoutout from head coach Jay Norvell following the green and gold scrimmage. If he can continue to apply what he’s learned to his game, Long could find himself as a key contributor to a new-look CSU defense.
“Everything he does, he tries to put his best foot forward,” Sintim said. “And I believe, if I’m not mistaken, he’s 19, you know, so he’s a younger guy, but that’s the foundation of who he’s been, you know. I think that’s why he’s here now. He’s always playing a pivotal role. I think that’s why he’s doing well in school. I just think that’s who he is as a young man, so we’re fortunate to have him. We’ll keep coaching him up and hopefully help him reach his dreams — whatever they are.
Reach Michael Hovey at sports @collegian.com.
New voice for CSU volleyball: Maria Brun sets tone for 2025 fall season
By John Vu @john_vu10
After a season ending with a Mountain West Championship, the Colorado State Rams are aiming to replicate their success. However, the roster looks significantly different going into the fall, with notable departures of Malaya Jones, Naeemah Weathers, Kennedy Stanford, Karina Leber and Kate Yoshimoto.
In the midst of all the departures, Maria Brun, a sophomore out of Barcelona, Spain, decided to stay and has emerged as the team’s new star player.
“I think she could be one of the Ram greats by the time she’s done,” head coach Emily Kohan said.
Even on a star-studded roster, Brun made her presence known, recording 156 kills in 101 sets played as a true freshman. This upcoming season will look notably different, as Brun enters her sophomore year as the most experienced player on an already young and unproven Rams’ roster that is looking to make a jump in touches and impact.
“Last year, (Brun) only played three rotations, and when the season was over, in our meeting, she was like, ‘How do I play all the way around?’ And she honestly said, ‘How do I get set like Malaya?’” Kohan said.
With a complete roster turnover, the Rams’ 2025 fall roster will consist of
nine new additions between the transfer portal and incoming freshmen. Kohan and the team have looked to Brun to be a new voice and leader to fill the void of former players.
It isn’t easy and can ultimately be a lot of pressure for young players to become a team’s vocal leader on top of trying to adjust to a different style of the game, but Brun doesn’t fear the pressure. She’s embraced it, saying, “I actually was so excited — I was not afraid.”
Brun’s vocal impact was palpable as the Rams finished their home spring exhibition games April 19 against Rocky Mountain rival Colorado, beating them 3-1. Brun’s leadership played a crucial role in the team’s success.
“Sometimes when things don’t go good, we say, ‘OK, let’s hold it higher, and let’s take a breath; let’s get the next ball; let’s get a good pass,’ and with that, we can work,” Brun said.
With high roster turnover comes growing pains. Even with the Rams’ early spring success, the team looks to continue building their CSU winning culture going into the fall.
“The mission never changes,” Kohan said. “We’re going to go win conference. We’re going to go to the NCAA Tournament, and for the players that were on this team last year, let’s go win that first round and go make a wave.”
Brun is no stranger to a winning culture. Before finding herself at CSU,
her team won the Queen’s Cup in the Spanish First League in 2023 and 2024, along with making playoff appearances in 2021 and 2022 and winning the Spanish First League MVP title in 2022.
However, the style Brun was used to looks a lot different here in the U.S. Even with her stellar first season, she seeks to make a great jump this upcoming fall while still adjusting to the U.S. style of volleyball.
“Here, everything (is) more fast,” Brun said. “You need to go for all the balls, even if you don’t arrive — you need to.”
Even with the challenges that come with adjusting to a new style of game, Brun sets her sights high.
“My goals are ... (to) keep playing hard (and) improving (on) back row,” Brun said.
Along with Brun’s self-aspirations, Kohan echoed these high expectations for Brun as she heads into her fall campaign seeking to defend the Ram’s throne, aiming to go back-to-back in a competitive MW conference.
“Just keep getting 1% better every single day,” Kohan said. “It doesn’t happen overnight, but you just got to keep climbing and being patient and getting a little better everyday.”
Reach John Vu at sports @collegian.com.
Colorado State University linebacker Owen Long (40) finishes a play during a spring football scrimmage April 26.
PHOTO BY CAIT MCKINZIE THE COLLEGIAN
Maria Brun (26) attempts to hit the ball onto San Diego State University’s side of the court Nov. 2, 2024. Brun and her teammates defeated SDSU by a score of 3-0. PHOTO
BY KATELYNN ORTEGA THE COLLEGIAN
By Alex Graser @alexgraser5354
Since the 2024-25 softball season started, Colorado State softball went from 15 upperclassmen to only seven on this season’s roster.
Even though some may view this as a setback, the Rams are using it to build around a young core of players who hope to bring success to the program. Four players stand out among the rest with their individual success, as they’ve spent the season settling into their roles and improving their talents.
As the season nears the end, each of these players have grown since their first appearance at the plate this year. It’s been a journey full of learning experiences that will be sure to help the Rams in the future and might help to create success — all the while players are still settling in and developing chemistry in the lineup, which is extremely important as some team leaders gear up for graduation.
“It’s definitely flown by, which is sad because we only have so much time left with some of our teammates,” said Kaylynn English, a second-year player.
“But it’s been a really fun year. A lot of us have played together before — probably five of us on our travel team
CSU softball rallies around young core
— so it was fun to play with those freshmen again and rekindle that relationship on the field.”
This young core for CSU softball has shown signs of leadership and skill that has the potential to sprout and aid in future wins as time goes on.
One of the most impressive players on the entire roster is English, an infielder from Parker, Colorado, who is already one of the best players on the team. She’s second on the team in batting average, with a .349 average, and is third on the team in OPS, with .859. She’s also hit 16 RBIs this season. English plays the role of speedster when she gets on base, as this season she has had eight steal attempts and grabbed all eight successfully — the most on the team.
She’s the type of player who can place balls on the ground and beat them out to grab first base.
Kyra Smith, a true freshman from Puyallup, Washington, has been playing lights in her first season with the Rams. Hitting a sixth-best .288 batting average on the team, she has also hit the most home runs of anybody this season with four. Pairing that up with 20 RBIs, it’s clear she’s been productive with every at-bat she has taken. She ranks third on the team in slugging percentage with a .477 average, which backs up her ability to play good offense.
“I came in with no expectations,” Smith said. “I didn’t know what I was coming into. I was just trying to get it day-by-day, and I just think the guidance from everyone on the team and from the upperclassmen, it’s just super helpful (and a) super welcoming community that just helps us all thrive together and thrive as a team.”
Autumn Rutherford, from Longmont, Colorado, is the other true freshman who has been tearing it up on the field as of late.
She leads the team in RBIs with 24 and ranks third on the team in batting average with a .288. Rutherford plays like she’s been at the college level for years now, and she sees the ball extremely well. That pairs up with great plate discipline, as she’s only struck out seven times this season. Only one player has fewer strikeouts than her — senior Brooke Bohlender.
“It was a rough month at the very beginning, but it definitely got easier as the season went on,” Rutherford said. “Everybody was really welcoming, and so transitioning and getting to know each other better definitely helped me ease into it.”
Lauren Stucky, a redshirt freshman from Parker, has been a solid key in the lineup and has developed into a role player who can be placed either as a leadoff hitter or play in the middle of the line up due to her consistency. She can get hits and stretch out atbats when needed. Stucky’s stats on paper might not immediately wow people, but in games, she can be a player who creates game-changing moments that the team rallies around.
These players are the building blocks for a brighter future for CSU softball. They will soon be team leaders who will head the program and be the rallying point for success.
Reach Alex Graser at sports @collegian.com.
Autumn Rutherford celebrates her home run with her teammates April 5. Rutherford hit her home run against San Diego State University and led her team to a win with a score of 2-1. PHOTO BY KATELYNN ORTEGA THE COLLEGIAN
AMPUTEE INVENTIONS
Biomedical engineering seniors create patented 3D-printed prosthetic foot
By Katie Fisher @csucollegian
After having his left leg amputated from pediatric osteosarcoma at 6 years old, Colorado State University student Garrison Hayes adapted to wearing a prosthetic limb throughout his childhood.
While the biomedical and mechanical engineering senior adjusted over time, receiving gold and bronze medals at the 2014 USA Paralympic Track & Field National Championships, Hayes’ ambition to assist fellow amputees never wavered. This dream came to fruition after assembling a team for his senior capstone design project.
The team, composed of four other undergraduate engineering students, included Hayes, Thomas Leachman, Eric Gutierrez-Camacho, Lily Lindstrom and Justin Rudrow. Together, they set out to address a gap in the current prosthetic limb market.
“There’s the low-end feet, midtier feet and then the high-end feet,” Gutierrez-Camacho said. “(Low-tier) feet can cost $150 to $200, which is very accessible relative to the market, but it can create a wide variety of issues like spine problems or hip deterioration because of that low-quality press setting. And then high-end feet can range from $5,000 all the way up to $50,000.”
The team saw an opportunity to generate prosthetics at a more consumerfriendly price while also enhancing customization levels.
“We kind of saw an opening where we could use 3D printing and be able to make a more comfortable foot for the day-to-day person, for the price of $2,000 to $2,500,” Rudrow said.
Relying on their combined background of biological and mechanical engineering — a five-year program that awards dual degrees in each specification — the team was able to translate evolutionary results into mechanical marvels.
“There’s all these design choices that, like, Mother Nature made that (are) just so intuitive, and it’s really cool to learn about, and then trying to replicate — (that’s) the hard part,” Leachman said.
Together, the team began to conceptualize a foot design they coined The Goldilocks Foot. This design differs from the rigid foot inserts currently on the market, which are created for compatibility with regular shoes.
“All (current foot shells) do is protect the shoe from the insert,” Leachman said. “They offer no support and no sort of active response like a normal foot would. So we’re trying to create a shell that can replace what’s on the market today that’s going to offer better comfort for the user.”
To further increase comfort for users, the team landed on a Voronoi lattice design for the foot’s structure.
“We went with a lattice structure to hold it all together, and it’s lattice so we can reduce weight as much as possible while also maximizing the amount of support for the energy return,” Leachman said.
The lattice shell is formulated from a carbon fiber and nylon blend that is 3D printed around an internal carbon fiber skeleton insert. The customizability offered by 3D printing originally drew the group to the production medium.
“With the 3D-printing technology that we’re using, we can put it onto any insert,” Hayes said.
To 3D print their initial designs, the team partnered with Corona Prosthetics Inc., a local prosthetics manufacturing company located in Pueblo, Colorado. The partnership granted them access to powder bed fusion printers that can print the entire structure in eight hours.
“So basically it lays down (a) powder form of the filament and then a bonding agent goes on top of it and it sticks it all together, and then it layers it, layer by layer,” Rudrow said.
The team received their first prototype in early January — a moment GutierrezCamacho recalled fondly.
“When we received it and we all looked at it for the first time, that was just a huge moment,” GutierrezCamacho said. “I felt really proud that we were able to manufacture this.”
Hayes’ unique perspective as an amputee also allowed the group to hear immediate feedback.
“It was incredibly beneficial, you know, because we’re able to get firsthand advice on what we should change, how it feels, what we could do to address it, and we would just all brainstorm based off of (Hayes’) feedback,” Gutierrez-Camacho said. “So that was incredibly valuable. And him
having a technical background as well also helps us to communicate.”
The group also reached out to gather other amputees’ opinions of the project on various Facebook groups. One piece of feedback still stands out to the group because it illustrated the adaptability of the technology.
“One of the amputees I interviewed was a woman who said that she would love to have a solution where she could wear (a) high heels prosthetic,” Gutierrez-Camacho said. “And so using that CAD approach that we have for our manufacturing, we can create that contoured S-shape that would fit into a heel.”
Further testing was performed in the Center for Gait and Movement Analysis at Children’s Hospital Colorado, which hosts floor platforms capable of capturing movement measurements.
“It shows when you step on the force plates, like, how much force you’re applying to the plate and at what direction it’s going,” Lindstrom said. “So you can capture … (a) person walking across and seeing the force distribution. And it’s important to see. There’s certain biomechanics on the natural gait.”
The foot’s longevity was further tested by Leachman at CSU’s Orthopaedic Bioengineering Research Laboratory. The prototype underwent the wear and tear experienced over a normal day’s use.
“We got really nice stress relaxation curves from that, which show that after a certain amount of time with the same stress applied or the same weight, the deformation stays the same,” Lindstrom said. “So it shows
that it’s viscoelastic, meaning it returns back to its original shape.”
The team’s accomplishment was recognized March 28 at CSU’s Multicultural Undergraduate Research Art and Leadership Symposium, during which they were declared the winner of the entire event.
“I was a little taken back, for sure, but it was really rewarding,” Lindstrom said. “It was really, like, beautiful to see all the work that we had been doing for a year ... kind of be, like, impactful.”
Together, all five students received a provisional patent for The Goldilocks Foot, which they have registered under their newly established startup company, Mediflex Prosthetics LLC.
“The fact that we have a patent and all of our names and the company name is pretty cool,” Rudrow said. “I’ve never been a part of anything like that, so it’s really cool to see it, see a product from scratch, until we’re at a point where we can have a patent and that it’s a new design that no one’s thought of before.”
While all five seniors are graduating at the end of the spring semester, they remain committed to the original mission that inspired the creation of The Goldilocks Foot.
“(We’re) just getting more in contact with (amputees) and seeing if we can branch out and get more people to give us their feedback,” Lindstrom said. “That’s what we plan to do, is try and take this and make it a reliable and comfortable product for amputees.”
Reach Katie Fisher at science @collegian.com.
The Goldilocks Foot is a prosthetic developed by a senior engineering design team consisting of Garrison Hayes, Thomas Leachman, Eric Gutierrez-Camacho, Lily Lindstrom and Justin Rudrow April 25. The lattice design was created using 3D-printing technology to decrease costs to consumers and increase customization.
PHOTO BY KATIE FISHER THE COLLEGIAN
PERIOD INGENUITY
Engineering students address health care accessibility by developing sustainable menstrual pad inserts
By Hannah Parcells @hannahparcells
The first conversation Colorado State University engineering student Samantha Preuss had with faculty member and political science alumnus Robert Serunjogi was about the importance of education.
Preuss was studying in the engineering building on campus where Serunjogi works when they met. After Serunjogi encouraged Preuss to keep working and studying, the two became friends — a friendship that evolved into a partnership built on their shared passions. Improving access to education by providing community-based solutions is one of these passions.
A senior design team made up of Preuss and fellow engineering students Kelli McGuire, Shelby Ardehali, Lauren Brainard and Monte Kalsbeek spent the past academic
year developing a disposable menstrual pad made from agricultural waste, aiming to offer a sustainable solution for people in lowresource communities who often lack access to menstrual hygiene products.
The idea was inspired by a conversation Pruess had with Serunjogi. They discussed Robert’s Village, a school and orphanage that he founded in his home country of Uganda to feed, house and educate hundreds of students.
Serunjogi said the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the work being done at his school and asked Preuss if she’d be interested in helping him.
“I was like, ‘I wonder if there’s an engineering project here that we can do,’” Preuss said. “I asked Robert to write down the biggest things at his school that were in need of help — what were the biggest issues that he was seeing?”
The first thing on Serunjogi’s list was sanitary pads. Without reliable menstrual products, many girls miss school during their periods or drop out entirely.
Sixty-four percent of woman students are unable to attend school because they don’t have access to affordable menstrual care products in Uganda, ultimately limiting their educational opportunities.
“Education should be a human right,” Serunjogi said. “Education empowers people. So when I went back home, I said, ‘You know, we have to do this. I have to find some way I can do this.’”
The Kasooli senior design project was born out of Serunjogi’s answer to that initial question. Preuss spent the summer discussing the project with her peers. By August 2024, the project had been approved, and Preuss had a team of biomedical, chemical and biological and mechanical engineering students working alongside her.
During the research process, the team came across Days for Girls, a nonprofit that provides reusable pads to girls in developing countries who don’t have access to proper menstrual hygiene care.
“We first started with reusable products,” Preuss said. “And then as this project has evolved, we’ve transitioned it into locally sourced and locally manufactured disposable pads. ... Our goal was to reduce the need for a washable insert.”
Recognizing that consistent access to clean water for washing posed a significant barrier, the team decided to develop a disposable insert for a reusable base in order to serve the needs of communities facing water scarcity.
Taking inspiration from organizations like Sustainable Health Enterprises in Rwanda, which manufactures menstrual pads from banana fibers, the team focused on creating inserts using corn husks, which is the most commonly available agricultural byproduct in the area surrounding Robert’s Village.
Unlike many traditional senior design projects, which partner with established companies and industry clients, this project was venture funded. That meant the team wasn’t just solving an engineering problem; they were also building a model for economic sustainability.
“It was very important to try and figure out how we’re going to make it viable,” Preuss said. “We want this to be locally sustainable, so we look at how we can employ local labor and local materials to have a community solution.”
The creation of the insert began with chemical engineering students Brainard and Ardehali, who got to work washing and breaking down the corn husk, but the process wasn’t simple.
“We started with chemicals, but then we didn’t have the proper equipment for them because it’s a little hazardous,” Brainard said. “Then we realized, ‘Oh, people in developing countries aren’t going to be able
to access hazardous waste properly and dispose of it properly.’”
So the team adapted and switched to a mechanical approach to breaking down the corn husk, but this wasn’t easy either.
To make the corn husk fibers absorbent, safe and nonirritating, they would have needed access to equipment more advanced than they would be able to feasibly reproduce for local manufacturing. Luckily, they discovered they would be able to source the fibers externally.
Once they had the proper fibers, the team began testing the absorbency of the material.
“We made this viscous liquid, just corn syrup and food dye, that is supposed to mimic the viscosity (of period blood),” Ardehali said. “We would titrate that for 15 minutes, and we would do that for two intervals to see how much it can absorb in total in that amount of time.”
Throughout the testing process, the students focused on accuracy, ensuring that the final product could actually work reliably in the real world.
With this in mind, they began calculating how long they would need to titrate the liquid in order to mimic average flow rates so they could test the absorbency and capacity for those amounts.
“We tried to make it more accurate because it’s not like when you’re on your period, you just suddenly dump a bunch of liquid on the pad and it just has to absorb,” McGuire said. “So we wanted to do the titration so it would be slower and a little more realistic.”
Throughout the development process, the team tested their design against comparable products to ensure the functionality of their product, and they were able to develop an insert with the same absorbency.
For the students behind Kasooli, their goals extend beyond the senior design project. They hope to continue testing on the product itself and establish a sustainable manufacturing site in Luweero, Uganda, in the next five years.
Two of the team’s members, Preuss and McGuire, will be traveling to Uganda through the President’s Leadership Program this summer to connect with students at Robert’s Village and the local community to get design feedback. They also plan on meeting with organizations to discuss workforce development and possible manufacturing collaborations in Uganda.
“Engineering as a profession is really about service,” Preuss said. “That’s not how everybody sees it, but I think it’s about improving the world around you and asking how you do that using the science we have. I think it’s one of the most rewarding things I could do with my life.”
Reach Hannah Parcells at science@collegian.com.
“Engineering as a profession is really about service. That’s not how everybody sees it, but I think it’s about improving the world around you and asking how you do that using the science we have. I think it’s one of the most rewarding things I could do with my life.”
SAMANTHA PREUSS CSU BIOMEDICAL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING STUDENT
Shelby Ardehali demonstrates absorbency, testing the team’s biodegradable pads by using a dropper filled with a corn syrup, water and food dye solution April 25. Ardehali talked about how she got involved with Samantha Preuss’ project without Preuss even having to pitch it to her. “She was honestly just telling me about it,” Ardehali said. “I was glad we were able to find out ... how a chemical engineer could approach the same type of problem that would be more mechanically based.”PHOTO BY CAIT MCKINZIE THE COLLEGIAN
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1. Members of Ram Catholic gather for a Eucharistic Procession around the Colorado State University campus April 23.
BY GARRETT MOGEL THE COLLEGIAN
2. Khrys’taaal opens her first performance at the CSU Drag Show April 6.
PHOTO BY CAIT MCKINZIE THE COLLEGIAN
3. Students Oliver Milles, Reese Good and Torin Monthathong show off their homemade signs on the Lory Student Center Plaza at the start of the Stand up for Science rally March 7. “Standing up for science means standing up for underrepresented communities and protecting the Earth,” Good said.
PHOTO BY ABIGAIL BURNS THE COLLEGIAN
4. Third-year Ph.D. student Grissy Sime Mora works in CSU’s Human Performance Clinical Research Laboratory as part of the sleep and metabolism program Dec. 2, 2024. Mora works on planting down skeletal muscle cells, specifically looking at clock gene expression.
PHOTO BY RUBY SECREST THE COLLEGIAN
5. Nique Clifford (10) dunks the ball following a fast break in CSU’s Mountain West semifinal game against Utah State University March 14. CSU won 83-72.
PHOTO BY PAIGE MOLENKAMP THE COLLEGIAN
6. Kenny Schlosser hits a clean grab at RailJam Feb. 13. Schlosser was the only skier on telemark skis — a type of ski with toe-only bindings, rather than heel and toe bindings.
PHOTO BY LAUREN MASCARDO THE COLLEGIAN
7. CSU football players and fans raise the Bronze Boot, celebrating a victory in the football game against the University of Wyoming Nov. 15, 2024. CSU won 24-10.
PHOTO BY AVA PUGLISI THE COLLEGIAN
PHOTO BY JULIA PERCY THE COLLEGIAN 6 7 8 9 10
8. Emily Adams bends over the bar during the pole vault event at the Jack Christiansen Invitational in Fort Collins March 29.
PHOTO BY ERICA PICKERING THE COLLEGIAN
9. Eric McRae performs with a local Fort Collins band, Ash Redhorse & The Midnight Suns, at the Aggie Theatre during FoCoMX April 18. According to the Fort Collins Music Association, while most of the band’s work is in the folk rock and indie genres, they produce a multi-genre sound inspired by growth and love.
PHOTO BY RUBY SECREST THE COLLEGIAN
10. CAM the Ram celebrates his birthday at the CSU Student Recreation Center Feb. 1. The event was organized by the CSU Alumni Association.
PHOTO
PICTURE PERFECT
Art Lab Fort Collins features ‘Expanding Into Space’ student photo gallery
By Sofia Raikow @csucollegian
Art Lab Fort Collins hosted the three-day public art show, “Expanding Into Space,” for Colorado State University photo image-making students from April 25-27, which explored the relationship between photography and three-dimensional spaces.
Nine students who are enrolled in ART 331: Photo Image Making III were expected to prepare installation artworks for their final projects of the semester, all of which pushed the physical boundaries of photography.
The nine student artists showcased in “Expanding Into Space” were prompted to contextualize interdisciplinary artworks with fundamental photography concepts for their final project of the semester, which they completed over a two-week work period. The resulting exhibition highlighted the way individuals interact with photographs and how engaging with photographs affected them.
Many of those enrolled in ART 331 are third-year students with little experience installing work in a gallery setting. “Expanding Into Space” taught these students how to hang their artworks in a gallery setting for the first time, helping better prepare them for their senior thesis projects.
“Typically, students don’t have experience hanging work until they’re forced in that last semester to figure it out,” said Justin Carney, assistant professor of photography. “So
doing this, you get the students some experience being in a show that they can then take into their final year.”
On the opening day of the exhibition, many of the participating photo image-making students were present to discuss their interdisciplinary photography projects with viewers.
Providing students a realworld audience at Art Lab Fort Collins served as an opportunity to gauge the interactivity of photographic projects. For many of the students, as firsttime exhibition artists, the event expanded their skill sets and revealed a deeper understanding of the function of photography.
The gallery encouraged students to grasp the principles of photography by engaging with personal narratives in a uniquely sculptural manner. From Fey Brundige’s cyanotypes hanging on the ceiling as an alternative representation of portraiture to Macie Jungmann’s projector-lit ink prints that call attention and the confusing mental experience of dissociation, the installations on display varied widely in medium, form and process.
“I feel like the actual point of a portrait is to learn about the person the portrait is of,” Brundige said. “So what better way is there than to go into their space and see what is important to them? All of the photos were taken in the person’s bedroom, like, on their bed. It’s all the things that have some sort of importance to their life.”
Pieces like Walking Past Your Street by Emily Congdon and Passing Through by Gibson Sisson encouraged viewers to engage
ONE-OF-A-KIND
Meet this year’s CSU MFA graduate: Claudia Bokulich
with the artworks by looking closely, as both projects featured miniature forms that required close examination. Congdon’s Walking Past Your Street points to the social presuppositions people make about each other based on internal experiences, and Sisson’s Passing Through critiques the lack of interaction between students passing each other as they walk outside, with miniature 3D figures made of photographs.
“With this one, I was focusing more on having a photographic quality because I didn’t actually take any pictures for this,” Congdon said. “But I feel like each window in itself is a photograph. … When you’re driving past an apartment building, you only see in the window for a split second, especially if you drive pretty fast, and then that’s all you have.”
Miniatures such as Congdon’s Walking Past Your Street and Sisson’s Passing Through were engaging for families who brought children to view the exhibition, as well as the interactive piece that Hannah Redmon created as part of her installation, Corrupted Reflections, which explored the role fear plays in people’s lives. Redmon’s project included shattered and rearranged mirrors covered in handwriting, with one mirror that asked viewers to write their own fears on it.
“I love it,” said TJ Tomlin, an exhibition viewer. “Every work is so immersive, and I just love engaging with art and then reading the reflection of the artist.
Reach Sofia Raikow at entertainment@collegian.com.
By Angelina Hamlin @csucollegian
Claudia Bokulich, who blends historical perspectives with a variety of mediums to create paintings showcasing the human figure, is Colorado State University’s only Master’s of Fine Arts graduate this year. Her paintings are on display at the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art until July 27.
Bokulich comes from an artistically inclined family. Her parents met in art school, and her brother also attended art school before she did. Bokulich received a bachelor’s in fine arts from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University in her hometown of Philadelphia. She began her art school journey by studying metalsmithing, as she was planning on becoming a metalsmithing teacher. However, her true passion lied elsewhere.
“I took a painting elective and fell in love with it,” Bokulich said.
Bokulich changed her major, graduating from Temple University in 2015. In 2017, she did a residency at Elsewhere Studios in Paonia, Colorado.
“I just really fell in love with it over here,” Bokulich said when reflecting on her move to Colorado.
Being from the East Coast, she said she was fascinated by Colorado’s unique culture and history. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bokulich was working for a nonprofit in
Philadelphia until she decided she needed a change. One of the teachers at the nonprofit had participated in the MFA program at CSU and spoke so highly of it that Bokulich decided to make the move.
The MFA degree program takes three years to complete, and the final thesis is overseen by a committee of art and art history professors as well as one out-of-department faculty member. Bokulich’s out-ofdepartment faculty member was Maricela DeMirjyn, an associate professor in the ethnic studies department, and her other advisers were Aitor LajarinEncina and Erika Osborne.
Being the only person in her graduating year of the MFA program has been bittersweet for Bokulich. She was sad to miss out on the connections with other students but is excited about her exhibition in the Griffin Foundation Gallery, located inside the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art.
“I’m proud to have my own solo show at a museum,” Bokulich said, noting that, normally, several MFA graduates share the space.
Before her show at CSU, Bokulich’s paintings were featured in exhibits from Philadelphia and Paonia to Rome, where she studied abroad during her time at Temple University. As for her artistic style, she enjoys painting the human form in all its beauty and imperfection, with many of her paintings showcasing nude figures.
“The human figure should be celebrated,” Bokulich said.
In addition to oil painting, which she began doing in
high school, Bokulich has become interested in silkscreen printmaking during her time at CSU. She has begun to paint using a combination of both techniques as well as others, such as pastels and ink. She is fascinated by history as well, often finding inspiration for her paintings in old photographs. That fascination has led her to challenge the male gaze. Throughout history, women have been painted by men in vulnerable, sensual ways. Bokulich changes that by painting woman in strong, masculine stances while painting men in more vulnerable positions.
For example, her painting, “Looking Back,” depicts a woman standing next to a horse, looking determined and confident, whereas her painting, “In Front the Headlights Shine,” illustrates a group of nude men with blue flowers growing in front of them. Both paintings are on display as part of her exhibition.
“It is the way that she brings (history and artistic mediums) together on a singular surface to address cultural constructs related to gender norms and how they have been perceived through time that (makes) her work unique,” Osborne said. Bokulich is currently working as the assistant manager of the Lory Student Center Arts Program. She said she plans to work there through the summer before getting a residency or job in the arts closer to Denver — a city she has grown to love during her time in Colorado.
Reach Angelina Hamlin at entertainment@collegian.com.
Photo image making student Trinity Corney’s large-scale photo composites featuring her self-portraits in color and black and white are on display at the “Expanding Into Space” three-day student exhibition at Art Lab Fort Collins April 25. PHOTO BY SOFIA RAIKOW THE COLLEGIAN
Claudia Bokulich talks about her paintings during her graduate showcase artist talk at the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art in the University Center for the Arts at Colorado State University April 24. “I’m looking for materials that demonstrate cultural construction of femininity and gender in America and also consumerism and vanity,” Bokulich said.
PHOTO BY ERICA PICKERING THE COLLEGIAN
BEAUTIFUL KEYS
Melodies in passing: Students play campus pianos to weave music into everyday life
By Hannah Parcells @hannahparcells
On any given weekday afternoon, as students pour through the Lory Student Center on their way to classes, study sessions or to get caffeine refills, a few notes of music might float above the noise.
The sound comes not from a speaker but from a student seated at one of the public pianos nestled around campus, their fingers moving across ivory and black keys like they’ve done it a thousand times — even if it’s only their third.
These pianos have become quiet companions to the campus experience. Tucked into corners of busy campus life, these instruments are far from being center stage. There are no spotlights or scheduled performances. And yet, they host music every day, often performed by students with homework in their backpacks and earbuds in their pockets, taking a musical break from their daily routine. Some study music, but most don’t.
Some took lessons growing up and stopped, others learned from YouTube tutorials and some just sat down one day to see what might happen.
The piano just outside the south entrance to the LSC — a weathered upright piano with a vibrant mural painted in 2022 by local artist Kris B. Mendonça — is part of the Pianos About Town program in Fort Collins. Perched just to the left of the doors inside, this piano is rarely silent for long.
Creative writing student Katya Opitz stops at the piano any time she’s able to. Like many before her, she sets her backpack down next to the metal chair, lifts the fallboard and begins to play.
kid, but I don’t really know what I’m doing,” Opitz said. “I mainly play guitar, but I love piano, and this is one of the ones that’s easiest for me to get to, so I play it whenever I can.”
Opitz doesn’t have a specific song in mind when she stops to play, she explained.
“Whenever I play, I just do whatever is in my heart and see what happens,” Opitz said.
Unlike formal concerts, these impromptu performances aren’t announced or scheduled, and that unpredictability is part of their charm. A student walking past might suddenly find themselves listening to a soft rendition of Chopin. Ten minutes later, it could be Elton John or a jazzy improvisation with no name. No two days sound alike.
The two pianos located inside the LSC offer a different musical atmosphere. Two sleek, black baby grand pianos sit tucked away inside, one on the third floor, just before the exit to the stairs down to the West Lawn, and another that moves between a corner outside LSC Theater and the space next to the stairs at the southern edge of the Diane Warren Kindness Lounge.
Unlike the outdoor pianos, the baby grands inside can be locked and are not always available to play. When they are unlocked, it usually doesn’t take long for someone to sit down and begin filling the space with music.
student Saloj Abbas, a self-taught pianist who began playing around seven years ago, said he usually stops to play one of the pianos around campus twice a week.
“I play mostly from memory,” Abbas said. “Sometimes I play something and it sounds nice, so I just go with the flow and it becomes a tune on its own.”
At a time when student life is often fast paced and screen saturated, the public pianos offer something analog, unexpected and deeply human. For some, they’re a way to process stress. For others, they’re an invitation to connect, even for just a few fleeting minutes.
For Abbas, playing the piano is part stress relief, part self-expression.
“I feel like it’s my way of chilling, you know, like, we all need something,” Abbas said. “People like my music, so I play for them a little bit and for myself a little bit.”
Even in the brisk and unforgiving Colorado weather, it’s not unusual to find someone seated at the tucked-away outdoor piano — fingers moving with quiet certainty over cold keys as students pass on their way to their cars, trying to escape the cold. Some slow down without meaning to, caught for a moment in the sound. Even in the sharp chill of late afternoon, music finds a way to soften the edges of the day.
On a snowy Friday afternoon, graduate systems engineering student Felix Kuklinski sat down at the piano while he waited for the bus. The air had gone still with the kind of muffled quiet that only snow can bring. Footsteps were softer, voices lower.
The usual hum of campus life disappeared
His fingers landed on a few chords, then a gentle melody emerged as snow continued to fall, softening the world around him as the delicate notes filled the space it left behind.
“I was honestly just trying to kill time, right now,”Kuklinski said.“I haven’t played in a while.”
The notes were slow and deliberate, rising through the air and catching on the wind. Nearby, a few students paused mid-stride, their heads turning toward the music as they left campus. No one spoke as the snow kept falling, and Kuklinski kept playing.
Kuklinski doesn’t stop to play one of the pianos on campus as often as some do and hasn’t played regularly since he was younger.
“I took lessons when I was somewhere in my mid-teens, like 14, I think, for two years,” Kuklinski said. “Since then, I’ve just been kind of meandering and playing every now and again.”
In a university culture that often emphasizes productivity and performance, the public pianos invite a different kind of interaction. They aren’t about perfection; their very existence offers students a rare space to just be. Whether it’s five minutes between classes or a stolen hour before a midterm, the students who play aren’t doing it for applause. Most don’t expect anyone to notice.
There’s no plaque that explains the purpose of the pianos. No sign-up sheet or waiting list. Just an instrument, placed where someone might need it. And every day, someone does.
Reach Hannah Parcells at entertainment @collegian.com.
Pianist Saloj Abbas plays an outdoor piano in front of the Lory Student Center April 28. Abbas played a rendition of “My Heart Will Go On.”
PHOTO BY ALLIE SEIBEL THE COLLEGIAN
CAMPUS TRUTHS
Imperfect pamphlets: CSU hides information from prospective students
By Emma Souza @_emmasouza
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.
Universities across America are never pamphlet-perfect; students often lack the twinkling smiles as seen on the cover page. The acclaimed diverse school, featuring the same photoshopped student of color on multiple pages, is actually not diverse. The campus grass is never that green — merely oversaturated, like a sickly Willy Wonka movie.
The truth, prospective students, is that the college you committed to is not accurately advertised. It is the tour guide’s job to sell the school spirit, the tailgates, the lively clubs, the dazzling study abroad programs, the one-to-nine student-teacher ratio and the gourmet dining halls. It is also their job to deliberately exclude the safety alerts, the alcohol poisoning, the club defunding, the abroad costs, the limited lecture times and the incessant complaints of food poisoning.
Colorado State University is an ostensibly good school. We rank high
in the nation’s top public universities, we are one of the most affordable schools in Colorado, we are sustainable, we offer a multitude of different learning paths and we genuinely have staff who care deeply about the success of their students.
We also have a four-year graduation rate of 47%, our student body is overwhelmingly white and I have witnessed our class sizes reach upward of 200 students, depending on the major.
“If you’re reading this as a prospective student, then welcome: It’s time to start your deep dive.”
Most of this information is all readily available online to both the CSU student body and prospective students alike. None of this knowledge is necessarily hidden nor is it unique to CSU; many public universities across America have identical issues. Issues that, if one were to ask about, would be readily acknowledged — though,
the CSU administration won’t go screaming about their class sizes from the rooftops.
But the most crucial details to know about CSU are rapidly and silently being dismissed, defunded or dismantled. These details will not be directly posted on our websites or mentioned on a tour. No ranking site or college representative will fit them into a statistic because the administration will not echo the voices of students who can speak on such information.
These details include the rapid dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion at CSU, including the renaming and removal of DEI-related staff training, majors, classes, clubs, scholarships, research and student services; the lack of protection, solidarity and acknowledgement of undocumented students despite repeated protests and petitions; and the overall inability to clearly and effectively communicate with affected students at each step of the way.
As a federally funded institution, CSU is, in many ways, legally bound to abide by federal legislation regarding public universities. The CSU administration continually uses this fact
to justify the aforementioned decisions when, in fact, multiple other universities have proven that institutions can legally follow the rules and advocate for their students simultaneously.
So when prospective students conduct research on CSU, they will not receive a comprehensive depiction of our school — and that is not their fault. It is the fault of our administration for not clearly, extensively and publicly communicating the recent
developments and dismantlement of our key, founding principles.
The most accurate depiction of any institution comes from the mouths of its students. You can find endless student opinions and news about CSU, both good and bad, right here at The Collegian If you’re reading this as a prospective student, then welcome: It’s time to start your deep dive.
Reach Emma Souza at letters@collegian.com.
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY KAYLEE MADSON THE COLLEGIAN
CAMPUS ACCEPTANCE
How I found my place at CSU as a marginalized student
By Nevaeh Greene @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.
I identify as a Black, queer woman with autism and PTSD. Some people are a bit confused as to why I’m so open about all of that, and I have no other explanation other than wanting to be myself. I hate hiding myself for fear of what others will think or how they will react. Luckily, Colorado State University is generally accepting in many ways, even in light of recent executive orders.
I love the Cultural Resource Centers. Specifically, the Pride Resource Center and Black/African American Cultural Center represent two things I identify with strongly and openly. The Pride Resource Center has all kinds of things that are not only useful but make me feel considered and valued, like the Lavender Cabinet, which offers binders, hygiene products and so much more. For me, using deodorant for “women” — the ones that smell like lavender and
whatever sweet pea is — makes me feel a lot more feminine, even if people are using the right pronouns.
The B/AACC has a strong community, which is something invaluable. They organize many retreats and events, and it’s always a joy to be around people who look and talk like me. Another thing that all of the Cultural Resource Centers have in common is an environment where one can be in community — in a place that feels safe and affirming. And to me, that’s something no president could ever take away from us. If our space is removed, we will simply make a new one.
There’s probably hundreds of clubs across this campus, each one catering to a different group of people. A lot of these groups comprise marginalized students, like the drag community, which is housed under our House of Ovis Drag Club. I’ve only recently joined this club, and I already feel like I’ve found my people. There are also intersectional clubs, such as ones specifically for Black women or queer people in STEM. I’m not in STEM, and I only ever consider myself a woman maybe 60% of the time, so I don’t really feel like I’d fit in at these clubs, but it’s wonderful that they exist.
The problem with being marginalized at CSU is that even with all these resources, it’s really easy to feel like you don’t belong or that you don’t deserve the spot you hold. For example, with the Associated Students of CSU, it’s incredibly easy — especially if you’re not a business major or political science major — to feel like you have no place. However, that feeling can be quickly redirected by the many people who are in support of a marginalized person’s legislation that passes through ASCSU. This reminds people that they are making a difference and that they do have a seat at the table.
It’s important to remember that we as marginalized students are paving the way by just being ourselves, even if that upsets people. The CSU Land Acknowledgment is a prime example of paving the way for those behind you to become something great — maybe even greater than you. But marginalized students may never know what they can accomplish if they don’t pave the way in the first place, which is why it’s important to just exist as you are.
Reach Nevaeh Greene at letters @collegian.com.
“It’s important to remember that we as marginalized students are paving the way by just being ourselves, even if that upsets people.”
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CADEN PROULX THE COLLEGIAN
LEGACY DESK
Thanks for everything, Collegian
Life & Culture Editor Christian Arndt
By Christian Arndt
Editor’s Note: Traditionally, graduating seniors working at The Collegian are given the chance to write a farewell note at the end of their tenure at CSU. When I first joined Colorado State University, I came in as a psychology major with ambitions to become a school counselor or therapist. When I very quickly realized I couldn’t do math at all, which is a requirement for the psychology major, I switched my major to journalism.
I never enjoyed writing — hated it, even. It was in high school when my English teacher, Lisa Harris, helped me find my voice, and that’s eventually how I found my love of writing as well as literature.
I joined The Collegian in January 2023 as an arts & entertainment writer. I specifically remember
timidly pitching my first idea to the editor at the time, Alex Hasenkamp, to review some small horror movie titled, “Skinamarink,” and riding the bus back home calling my mom, excitedly telling that I was working on my first assignment.
After a semester of writing for A&E about movies, music and art, I applied to be the editor of the life & culture desk. This desk has meant more to me than can be expressed in words.
The story behind this desk is that it was spearheaded and run by a certified badass journalist named Ivy Secrest. After she was promoted to content managing editor, the editing position was given to me. That makes me the second editor to manage this desk, and I take great pride in doing so. Thank you, Ivy, for entrusting me with your baby.
It’s been a whirlwind ever since. One of the greatest joys of being an editor is seeing reporters grow and
develop their voices through their writing. During my last desk meeting to assign stories, I looked around at my fellow coworkers and realized nearly all of them had been a reporter for me at one point. It genuinely warms my heart looking back on meeting all of you for the first time and now seeing you all work right alongside me.
A huge shoutout to every single copy editor who has dealt with my mistakes and caught the most critical errors. There’s nothing more I can say aside from thank you, thank you and thank you.
Thanks to the stellar superdesk crew, Aubree Miller, Sam Hutton, Katie Fisher and Ruby Secrest, for making this semester so much fun. I have learned so much from you all. Being around each and every one of you sincerely brightens my day, and you all have such incredibly promising futures ahead of you.
I’m going to miss the group banter in the bullpen; I’m going to
miss eating lunch and chatting with everyone about their days and stories that are being written; I’m going to miss looking through photos and joking around with Cait Mckinzie and Garrett Mogel; I’m going to miss talking sports with Michael Hovey and Sophie Webb; I’m going to miss nopes and dopes; I’m going to miss updating Willow Engle, Claire Vogl, Hannah Parcells and Allie Seibel on the 10 plus things that are happening with my stories. But most importantly, I am going to miss this job immensely. Being around all of my wonderful coworkers on a daily basis and getting to know all of you personally has been an incredible joy. Thanks for the memories, experiences and laughter. Long live journalism.
Christian Arndt was the 2024-25 life and culture editor of The Rocky Mountain Collegian. He can no longer be reached at life@collegian.com.
PHOTO BY CAIT MCKINZIE THE COLLEGIAN
LEGACY DESK
Thank you for letting me be part of your history
Illustration Director Trin Bonner
By Trin Bonner
Editor’s Note: Traditionally, graduating seniors working at The Collegian are given the chance to write a farewell note at the end of their tenure at CSU. I started as illustration editor at The Collegian in my second year at CSU, and over these past four years, this newspaper has grown and developed alongside me, and I have had the honor to experience the talents of so many illustrators and designers who often make me question how I’m in this position — in the best way possible. The illustrators we have
on our team are truly some of the most determined and creative people I have ever met. They make this newspaper so beautiful and make it feel so personal, as everyone’s style shines through.
Being the illustration editor for this paper has been such a unique experience. Stepping into this position and carrying the legacy given to me by Falyn Sebastian was very daunting, and I hope I have done it justice. The design desk is such an interesting pool of creativity and a rare opportunity to grow alongside so many designers as they get stronger and stronger every year.
Leaving The Collegian is very hard, and I will never stop spending every
day brainstorming new cartoon ideas and sketching every second I can. Making cartoons in a newspaper every week has always been my dream, and I am eternally grateful to this newspaper for letting me live it. I will miss working with such great people, but I cannot wait to see what the illustration desk will become. I know that those ahead of me will transform it into a hub of creative minds beyond my imagination, and I am so thrilled to see all of the new artists and all of the new work they will create. I, of course, will also miss every editor whom I have created something for, and I hope they have found the work of our team to represent their wonderful writing
well. I will miss getting messages reminding me to upload illustrations on Sundays, and I will miss the fun of seeing the behind-the-scenes of so many artists’ different processes.
To The Collegian, I am, and always will be, so grateful that I can be a part of your history. I cannot wait to see how you develop. To the readers, I deeply hope that my cartoons have made you laugh or smile at least once. My characters exist thanks to you.
Trin Bonner was the 202425 illustration editor of The Rocky Mountain Collegian. She can no longer be reached at design@collegian.com, but she can be reached on Instagram @gauche.galaxy.
PHOTO BY CAIT MCKINZIE THE COLLEGIAN
LEGACY DESK
A journey of truth — my sincerest farewells to The Collegian
Opinion Editor Dominique Lopez
By Dominique Lopez
Editor’s Note: Traditionally, graduating seniors working at The Collegian are given the chance to write a farewell note at the end of their tenure at CSU.
If you would have told first-year me that four years later I would be assuming job roles of opinion editor, assistant manager and full-time student, I would have laughed and thought you were lying. But I wouldn’t change a thing about how these last four years of college have gone.
I remember being a freshman during move-in week, getting my first copy of The Collegian and reading out Bella Eckburg’s bio on the phone to my parents, knowing that that was who I would work under as soon as I was able to complete my training and join The Collegian . Joining this paper was the first thing I knew I had to do after I moved in and got comfortable at Colorado State University because I knew more than anything that I wanted
to keep writing and sharing my opinions with the world.
But that quickly halted during my first meeting, where I sat in Ramskeller with the opinion desk and couldn’t come up with a single idea. I was so excited and so nervous to join, but I couldn’t think of anything clearly because I had just withdrawn from my first class and was going through an internal crisis of thinking that maybe CSU wasn’t where I wanted to be anymore. I remember sitting there unsure while Eckburg and fellow opinion editor at the time Cody Cooke asked me questions about what I was experiencing and how my first year was going. The second I mentioned that I had just withdrawn from a class because the professor racially profiled me, they asked me to build on it more, and that had ignited the fire in me once again to continue to use writing as an outlet.
I wrote about almost everything I could think of for about a year and a half straight before taking a step back and falling into a slump my second year. The writing had stopped, and I was unsure again — unsure of myself. But as I began writing again in my
second semester of my second year, I remember seeing the job posting for opinion editor go up and wondering if I truly had the qualifications to do the job.
I fought with my mind nearly the whole time the job was posted. I had conversation after conversation with my mom about how I may have been good enough to do it, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. Then a Slack message from Allie Seibel alerted my phone, encouraging me to apply and saying I had the endorsement of my current editorial staff. That one message changed the course of my career with The Collegian entirely.
I came into this role maybe promising more than I could give, but I knew I had the opportunity to change the desk by encouraging people to lean into their controversial opinions. I also wanted to take the opportunity to diversify the desk, hoping that I could be a person who our reporters of color could look at for reassurance that they didn’t need to sell themselves short. I wanted to create a community within the individual desk while I found my own community with the editorial staff.
Those connections have been built, and if I am being honest, that makes it harder for me to know that I am leaving The Collegian and won’t be easily writing stories for publication about the decisions CSU makes and the political issues plaguing our world. But the biggest challenge is leaving the people and community that I have built with my reporters and the editors.
If you told the scared and confused freshman me that I would be where I am now — a guru for other firstyears, as my reporters called me the other day — I wouldn’t have believed it. But I owe it to myself to not see leaving The Collegian as a loss but as a step toward growing into the person I have become. And I owe that to the challenges, what I have learned and the people who I have been able to meet at this paper. So it is goodbye for now, and hello to my future.
Dominique Lopez was the 2024-25 opinion editor of The Rocky Mountain Collegian. She can no longer be reached at letters@collegian.com, but she can be reached on Twitter @caffeinateddee6.
PHOTO BY CAIT MCKINZIE THE COLLEGIAN
LEGACY DESK
Yay journalism
Photo Director Garrett Mogel
By Garrett Mogel
Editor’s Note: Traditionally, graduating seniors working at The Collegian are given the chance to write a farewell note at the end of their tenure at CSU.
With a day left until the deadline for these farewell columns, I find myself staring at a blank page, wondering how to sum up 1,369 days. How do you compress a college career into 500 words? But I guess that’s the job of a journalist, isn’t it? So, like many of the back-breaking assignments I’ve grunted my way through while sleep deprived, slightly unhinged and armed with a questionable sense of humor, I’ll find a way, and that way is likely Advil and caffeine.
Like most Collegian staffers, I didn’t exactly find The Collegian. Rather, it
found me, and dangled a shiny object in front of my eyes and whispered, “This way.” It lured me into the basement of the Lory Student Center, where I found a group of people who, for some inexplicable reason, take socially awkward misfits and turn them into reporters whose entire job is to talk to strangers. They locked me down there in a dimly lit room, roughed me up and made me part of the family.
At first, I was just a stubborn photographer chasing good light and pretty colors. But slowly, they molded me into a storyteller who still chases good light and pretty colors. I learned how to speak with people about sensitive subjects, how to build bridges between communities and how to make something out of nothing on a deadline. Using these new skills, I embedded myself in
long-form stories, stood on the front lines of wildfires, hung over the edge of the halfpipe at X Games and took cover in a BearCat during a barricaded suspect incident — and those are just the moments they would let me talk about. Seriously, ask me about the bear or Frozen Dead Guy Days if you see me hunched over a cup of black coffee at 2 a.m., waiting for a photo.
The best part is, I got to do a lot of it alongside my best friend — another poor soul who fell for the shiny objects and promises of California Burritos and horchata. We competed with one another, made each other better and eventually served as co-photo directors until another publication tempted him away with a shinier keychain. But that’s the beauty of The Collegian; while he and I will become little more than a Collegian file photo that occasionally
pops up as the “something out of nothing,” the friendship we forged in a delirious state endures like many of the relationships made at The Collegian do.
Even with 500 words and a day to write this, I still can’t fully explain how this place manages to turn chaos into camaraderie, or how it made someone like me feel at home in a newsroom that has no windows. Perhaps it was the chance for cool photos, the shared desire to create or the noodles and doodles. But I know that when I look back, I’ll remember the late nights on deadline, the people who made the basement feel alive and the laughter.
Garrett Mogel was the 2024-25 photo director of The Rocky Mountain Collegian. He can no longer be reached at photo@collegian.com, but he can be reached on Instagram @m0unta1in_man.
PHOTO BY CAIT MCKINZIE THE COLLEGIAN
PUZZLES
Sudoku
WEEKLY HOROSCOPE
By Sophia Masia
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (05/01/25)
ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 19)
Are you ready to let your freak flag fly? Authenticity is your secret weapon this week. You’re on top of your to-do list, all your jokes are landing and everyone wants a piece. Come as you are; your audience will be receptive. Get weird with it, Aries.
TAURUS (APRIL 20 - MAY 20)
Your attention shifts to your career this week. Maybe you’re looking for a summer gig or grappling with fears of entering the workforce postgrad — unless I’m just totally projecting. Either way, when the world gets to be too much, opt for a quiet retreat home, Taurus.
GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20)
Whether you’re planning a protest or sharing lip gloss in a bar bathroom, community is the basis of any movement. Gather your closest confidants this week, and explore unconventional pathways and quirky subjects. Create understanding, Gemini.
CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22)
Over the coming weeks, you might feel ready to step into the spotlight. Trust your instincts to fuel your impromptu elevator pitch, and satisfy the urge to take charge. Embrace unexpected shifts, and dive deep into the ways you share and control, Cancer.
LEO (JULY 23 - AUG. 22)
If there’s an outdated belief set or stale life story holding you back, look to the wild thinkers and punk heretics in your life to inspire change. Address any unhealthy power struggles or unchecked boundaries this week. Invest in what uplifts you, Leo.
VIRGO (AUG. 23 - SEPT. 22)
Why do you do the things you do? Are your routines truly aligned with your values, or are you running on autopilot? You may be more self-sufficient than most, but now is not the time to go it alone. Pencil in time with your beloveds, Virgo.
LIBRA (SEPT. 23 - OCT. 22) Now is not the time to keep your cards close to your chest. Over the coming weeks, you’re being urged to shake up how you flirt and fraternize outside of your inner circle. Intimacy flourishes when you refuse to
play it safe, so stop censoring yourself, Libra.
SCORPIO (OCT. 23 - NOV. 21) Big breakthroughs are coming this week, but they won’t arrive any faster if you burn yourself out trying to control them. You can’t rush this process, so replace your need to control with intentional joy. Give your impatient heart some grace, Scorpio.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22DEC. 21)
You might realize something you said didn’t exactly come out as intended. This week, revisit old ideas, continue past conversations and shift the ways you speak or connect with those around you. Better to endure awkwardness now than regret later, Sagittarius.
CAPRICORN (DEC. 22 - JAN. 19) Are you investing in things that genuinely support you, materially and otherwise? You’re digging into topics of money, things you own and your self-worth this week. Use this time to revisit what makes you feel safe, Capricorn.
AQUARIUS (JAN. 20 - FEB. 18)
Pluto’s first retrograde cycle in your sign makes this an excellent time to confront your public persona and core identity. Feeling a new tat? Maybe a big chop? However you’re called to ditch old ways of showing up, embrace the change, Aquarius.
PISCES (FEB. 19 - MARCH 20)
Hidden fears, unresolved emotions and past baggage are ready to surface this week. Let the emotional detox pass you by as you subconsciously process recent events. Invest in your happiness unapologetically this week, Pisces.
Last edition’s crossword solution
Last edition’s sudoku solution
“I get hungry when I think about STIs, too.”
“Honey, I am not baby booming for you.”
“Don’t other people cry in this office? Where are the tissues?”
“Sometimes I just wanna throw a pie at you or something.”
“I just drink some paint thinner in the morning and shit on company time.”
“I’m a ball knower.”
