NEWS
Vol. 127, No. 113 Monday, March 26, 2018
GOVERNOR CANDIDATE DISCUSSES ELECTION PAGE 4
OPINION
HOW ASCSU CAN RESTORE CREDIBILITY PAGE 6
SPORTS
RAMS ADD TRANSFER QUARTERBACK PAGE 9
CSU hires Niko Medved as men’s basketball coach By Colin Barnard @ColinBarnard_
Fort Collins rallies for gun control
Students, teachers and community members filled Old Town Square during the March for Our Lives rally on March 24 to call for gun reform. PHOTO BY ASHLEY POTTS COLLEGIAN
By Meagan Stackpool @MeaganStackpool
Protesters filled Old Town, Fort Collins March 24 to advocate for gun reform, following the Parkland, Florida shooting in which 17 people were killed. Fort Collins for Progress hosted the event, with groups like Moms Demand Action and the League of Women Voters showing up in support. Hundreds of people held signs protesting the National Rifle Association, assault rifles and Sen. Cory Gardner. A variety of speakers took to the stage in Old Town Square. Freshmen in high school, teachers and parents pushed for the crowd to take action with chants like, “No more guns in schools,” and “Resist, persist, agitate.” Ella Jensen, a freshman at Rocky Mountain High School
and a speaker at the event, emphasized the power each individual has to sway the government if they get involved. “Thoughts and prayers do not stop bullets,” Jensen said during her speech. ollowing her speech, she urged students to get involved. “(They) have the ability to do so much more than (they think) they do,” Jensen said. “(They should) seize every opportunity (that they) have.” Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) was heavily discussed at the event. At one point, the crowd chanted his phone number in hopes more people would call and raise their voice. Protesters expressed heavy frustration with Sen. Gardner’s affiliation with the NRA and campaign funding from gun lobbyists. The rally coincided with rallies all across the country, as well as the march in Denver. Saturday was the Democratic
Assembly for Larimer County, so rally officials decided to host a secondary event in Northern Colorado to allow for more people to come.
“(Students) have done more in five weeks than we have voted on in years.” PAULA MONTGOMERY FORMER TEACHER
Andrew Boesenecker, a speaker at the event, father and former teacher, expressed the need for conversations. “For folks in Northern Colorado, this is a really present issue and it’s important that we have events that reflect what our community values,” Boesenecker said. Fort Collins was not the only town in attendance. Veterans
for Peace chapter contact Nancy Sindelar from Laramie, Wyo. said she came in support of common sense gun reform. “Every country we have gone to war in, we have destroyed schools, we have killed children (saying they’re) collateral damage,” Sindelar said. “It’s coming home.” The League of Women Voters had a booth in the middle of Old Town Square urging those 16 years of age or older to register to vote. Linda Thomas, a voter registration organizer for Larimer County, said she just wants kids to vote. “We really want to make sure they know have a place they know they can go ... (to get) information about the candidates ... to learn more and get educated,” Thomas said, also saying her organization was nonpartisan. “It empowers them.” see GUN CONTROL on page 5 >>
The next chapter of Colorado State basketball has begun, and a familiar face is at the forefront. Former assistant coach Niko Medved will be the next head coach of the men’s basketball program after Larry Eustachy’s resignation on Feb. 26, athletic director Joe Parker confirmed Thursday afternoon. Medved will become the 20th coach in the program’s history. “It’s really surreal for me. Everybody knows how special this place was to me and (my wife) Erica,” Medved said. “Some of the best personal and professional memories I have in life happened here in Fort Collins ... As I walk through Moby Arena today, I’m just having these flashbacks of the huge crowds, the energy, students waiting in line to get into the games.” Medved’s ties to Fort Collins date back to 2007, when he joined former men’s basketball coach Tim Miles’ staff as an assistant coach. Medved maintained the position through the 2012-13 season. During his first tenure with CSU, Medved helped the Rams to an impressive turnaround. The Rams evolved from a seven-win team in 2007-08 to a 22-win squad that made an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011-12 and 2012-13. CSU improved its record during every year of that stretch. “It was absolutely clear from the first time I met (Medved) that character to him matters,” Parker said. “It was clear that he’s got the right vision for the program, he has the right constructs to what’s important to him as far as core values. I had no hesitation bringing him on board to this program.” After the success, Medved see MEDVED on page 9 >>