‘SPIDERMAN’ 2 SWINGS INTO THEATERS | Page 10 University of Denver student newspaper since 1899
Vol. 121, Issue 14
May 7, 2014
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DU faces federal inquiry Trans Pioneers DU is one of 55 schools under federal Title IX investigation related to sexual assault complaints by sarah ford Managing Editor
DU is under federal investigation for possible violations in the handling of sexual assault complaints, one of 55 schools nationwide named in a list released last Thursday by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The possible violation falls under Title IX, a 1972 Education Amendment banning discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. “The University takes each claim seriously and works to ensure that all claims involving Title IX or similar laws are handled fairly, judicially and
expeditiously,” said a DU press release. “The University of Denver follows the guidelines for incidents of sexual assault and provides for the prompt and equitable resolution of sexual discrimination complaints.” Under Title IX, campus community members hold a right to file a complaint on the outcome of a sexual assault investigation with the OCR if dissatisfied. In the statement, the University said this investigation comes because one person chose to file a complaint on the outcome of an investigation, and that DU responded to the OCR several months ago. DU is one of four Colorado colleges on the list of investigations, along with the University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Colorado at Denver and Regis University. “We are making this list available in an effort to bring more transparency to our enforcement work and to foster
better public awareness of civil rights,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon said in the OCR press release. Women’s Council Co-President Aly Higgins, a sophomore international relations major, said she saw the announcement of the investigation as both a negative and as an opportunity. “It’s always concerning when you see your school in that framework,” said Higgins. “But I’m happy that it’s in the news and that we have a public push to work on the issue.” Higgins said the Women’s Council intends to allow women on campus to discuss personal experiences, campus legislation and promote education on sexual assault. “I hate to see DU’s name associated with this issue,” Higgins said. “But I think it can reunify campus to think about the way we handle sexual assault and be more diligent about the way these issues are handled.”
world to stop investing their endowment funds in companies that produce or profit from fossil fuel, according to junior environmental science major Evan Swaak, a member of Divest DU. “We are one part of the divestment movement, which is an international movement happening at hundreds of colleges and schools across the country,”
said Swaak. “We want our school to stop investing its endowment in fossil fuels.” The group’s petition states that, “It is unethical for our university to invest in companies that will condemn the planet to climate disaster.”
Divest DU delivers petition by alex johnson Editor-in-Chief
Disney lets stereotypes go in empowering film depictions OPINIONS | Page 14
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Last Wednesday, April 30, Divest DU organized an event called “Stand Up for Climate Justice” on the Carnegie Green. The event included music, speakers and the signing of a divestment petition. The goal of the event was to show student interest SEE students, PAGE 2 about divestment, and to that end, the group delivered their signed petition to DU Chancellor Robert Coombe. About 50 students attended Stand Up for Climate Justice, which lasted from 4-5 p.m. The goal of the divestment movement is to force u n i v e r s it i e s photo courtesy of erin smith across the Students present a petition with around 1,000 signatures to DU Chancellor Robert Coombe.
confront barriers This story is part two of a three-part series. Some identities have been altered to protect privacy. by sarah ford Managing Editor
At the beginning of the school year, Kristen Powell, a Resident Assistant (RA) in Johnson-McFarlane Hall, received an email from one of her residents who would be arriving at DU in a couple of weeks. In the email, the student explained that they are genderneutral, meaning they do not identify with a specific gender, preferring to be referenced using pronouns such as “them” and “they.” Concerned about the provisions for the student in the residence hall, particularly around the bathrooms, Powell spoke to the building’s Resident Director, who told her the process would be “a lot of conversation.” “What upset me about that response is that we had weeks before the residents came in and we weren’t prepared like we should have been,” said Powell. “To have this resident come in with needs that aren’t being met isn’t fair, particularly when it’s such a major part of your identity, to not be able to express that or participate in the way that you want is really hard.” As Powell found, bathroom use is one of the most common difficulties faced by transgender students. According to the Transgender Law Center, over 50 percent of gender-variant people report harassment or intimidation in using the bathroom, often because they do not have the gendered appearance of the bathroom they are using or are using the bathroom of a sex they do not identify as. There are now over 150 schools that have genderneutral bathrooms, according to the Transgender Law Report. While DU has nearly 20 bathrooms open for use by
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both genders, they can be difficult to find. “There is a lot of fear around going into a bathroom, especially if you’re not totally dressed as what the other gender dresses as, or have fears about whether or not you can pass successfully or not,” said Kerr. “That breeds a lot of stress and anxiety.” Each time a transgender person enters a bathroom labeled with a specific gender, DU female to male transgender student Mike says, they face an uncomfortable choice. It is one he’s battled with himself many times. “You have to choose between affirming your own identity and feeling safe. And I feel like nobody should have to give up feeling safe to validate themselves,” he said. Campus bathroom use stands as one of the most discussed concerns for transgender students on campuses across the country, and just one of many concerns that create feelings of discomfort for these students. According to the most recent National School Climate Survey, only four percent of transgender students nationwide reported feeling safe at their school. Recently, there has been more action both on the federal and state level to attempt to address some of these concerns. In April, the Department of Education released guidelines clarifying that transgender students are also protected under Title IX, a federal law protecting against discrimination based on sex in schools. The announcement was received as a major victory for the community, and a mark that there is still work to do. DU is also under investigation by federal authorities for alleged Title IX violations. Like DU, schools nationwide are beginning to look at barriers within their own policies. There are now more than 623 schools that have non-discrimination policies that address gender identity and expression, including DU. SEE contention, PAGE 6
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Men’s Lacrosse seed in the NCAA tournament
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Final dean candidates interview for Relay for Life raises over $14,400 Engineering and Computer Science by logan baker Assistant Editor The Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science Dean Search Committee has invited two candidates to visit campus for a formal interview during the weeks of April 28 and May 5. Last Monday, April 28, Keith Bowman, professor of Materials Engineering and chair of the Department of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering for the Illinois Institute of Technology, visited campus to interview. On Wednesday, May 7, Behrooz Shirazi, professor and director of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Washington State University, will be on campus to interview. The website dedicated to the new dean search said, “The successful candidate will possess the leadership, vision and skill set necessary to advance the tradition of excellence and quality in research and instruction within the School.” Some of the position responsibilities listed by DU on their application include: leading the faculty and department chairs in developing undergraduate and graduate programs that meet the needs of the industry; building ties with industry to support the instructional and research mission of the school in the form of research collaborations, internships, co-op experiences and entrepreneurial partnerships; and championing the disciplines of engineering and computer science within the mission of the University. The position qualifications include: an earned doctoral or terminal degree in engineering, computer science or a related field; an understanding of the needs of industry and the ability to promote entrepreneurial collaborations with faculty; strong organizational, administrative and interpersonal skills; exceptional oral and written communication skills; and at least five year academic administrative experience or senior management experience in industry.
Keith J. Bowman In a letter to DU explaining his interest in the position, Bowman states that as he visited the Front Range the past few years, he has kept an attentive eye on the Denver area and DU in particular as they both grew to their current heights. In the past few years; he has worked at Purdue University leading one of the fastest growing
materials science and engineering programs in North America. In 2012, he moved to the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he became their Duchossois Leadership Professor of Materials Engineering. Professor Bowman’s Curriculum Vitae includes over 170 publications, including the textbook, “An Introduction to Mechanical Behavior of Materials.” He also received his Ph.D in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1987. Bowman ends his letter to DU with the following statement regarding his goals as DU’s new dean of engineering and computer science. “My goal is to broaden the impact of my current efforts at helping promote engineering as a set of disciplines for and about people. I hope to have the chance to further share my skills, ideas and dreams for engineering and computer science education, research and engagement and how they could be realized in the Front Range,” Bowman said.
Behrooz A. Shirazi Shirazi received his Ph.D from the University of Oklahoma in computer science in 1985. Since then he has worked at many universities across the country, including Southern Methodist University, University of Texas at Arlington and his current employer, Washington State University. In a letter to DU, Shirazi states that his leadership strengths at DU would include “defining and carrying out a far-reaching, yet attainable, vision and strategic plan for the Ritchie School; relating to and working with all the School stakeholders; promoting interdisciplinary activities with other colleges and units; fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between industry and the School; and engaging in marketing, fundraising and development efforts for the benefit of the School and the University.” Shirazi believes that private universities have proven that historically their engineering programs are the most prestigious and of the highest ranking. Schools such as MIT, Stanford, Princeton, USC and Cal Tech prove this theory. Shirazi has experience at a mid-level private university during his time at SMU so he believes he will be “familiar with the culture and operations,” according to his letter. In his career Shirazi has been published over 180 times and received more than 11 million in grants.
Corrections From April 30, 2014 On last week’s front page, the “big number” read 4.2 miles on the Cherry Creek Bike Trail. This number reflects only one segment of the trail.
From April 23, 2014 In the article, “Clyfford Still Museum hosts Curatorial Practicum students,” it said that, “Roche was highly intrigued by Still’s drawings in particular, especially one that is thought to be a self-portrait of the artist crossdressing.” It is not actually known if Still was crossdressing in the aforementioned drawing. This was Roche’s personal interpretation. We sincerely regret these errors.
Readers wishing to submit corrections, or those concerned about the paper’s journalistic integrity, may contact Editor-in-Chief Alex Johnson at alexander.johnson@du.edu.
by makayla cisneros Contributing Writer
The DU chapter of Colleges Against Cancer held their annual Relay for Life from 7 p.m. - 7 a.m. last Friday and Saturday in the Gates Field House. According to their Facebook, Colleges Against Cancer fundraises year round for the American Cancer Society, and Relay for Life is their biggest fundraiser of the year. Relay for Life is a 12-hour event to celebrate, remember and support those suffering from cancer. “The idea is that cancer never sleeps, so for one night neither do we,” said Jessica Wright, president of Colleges Against Cancer and event chair of Relay for Life. Wright added that the event slogan is “Celebrate. Remember. Fight back.” “One of the main purposes for it besides fundraising is to honor and show support for survivors and caregivers,” said Hayley Zulkoski, a committee member of Colleges Against Cancer. According to Wright, Colleges Against Cancer raised more money and had more Relay for Life participants this year than they did last year. So far they have raised over $14,400 from their events, mostly from Relay for Life, and there were 33 teams registered with a total of 188 participants. Last year, Colleges Against Cancer raised $12,355 and there were 155 participants in Relay for Life. The theme of Relay for Life also changes every year, and this year the theme was superheroes. Event activities included volleyball tournaments, dodge ball tournaments, superhero trivia, giant Twister, self-defense classes from Rape Agression Defense (RAD) and yoga classes. There was free food from the DU Grilling Society (DUGS) and music from a DJ who is a cancer survivor. According to Wright, everything for the event is donated, so Colleges Against Cancer does not have to pay for anything. The event also featured survivor speakers, including a ten-year-old leukemia survivor and his sister. In the evening, there was a luminaria ceremony where people could write the name of a loved one they have lost or someone who is fighting against cancer on a paper lantern. Then the lights were turned off and the lanterns were lit while people took turns walking around the track for the people they were relaying for. “For me the best part of the night is always the survivor speakers and the luminaria ceremony,” said Wright. “We
get to meet [the survivors], hear their story and let them know that we are there to support them. And the luminaria ceremony is just such a powerful, moving experience, getting to see all of the bags lit around the track and seeing people walk for who they have lost or are supporting.” Most people register for Relay for Life as a team, according to Wright. The idea is for each team to fundraise on their own before the event. Each member of the team also has to pay a registration fee of $10 and to get a t-shirt they have to fundraise $100 each. Wright said that on a small campus like DU, teams usually consist of about six people, but Greek chapters sometimes have more. “One of the main ideas behind Reaelay is for at least one of the people from your team to be doing laps around the track at all times,” said Zulkoski. “Cancer patients never get to rest. Having someone always walking around the track is a reminder of that.” According to Wright and Zulkoski, Colleges Against Cancer plans for Relay for Life all year, and they start having team captain meetings in winter quarter to talk about fundraising ideas. There are also resources for fundraising available on the American Cancer Society website. Colleges Against Cancer hosts several other fundraisers throughout the year, including the bi-annual Burritos for Boobs night at Illegal Pete’s; Think Pink Week in October, which promotes awareness and support of breast cancer; and All Cancer Week, which will be new on campus this spring and is intended to promote awareness and support of various cancers. “We are an organization that is doing so much good and creating a public image of giving back to the community,” said Zulkoski. “We get overlooked because we’re not a big organization, but I think it’s something everyone should know about.” Wright agreed and emphasized the statistics related to cancer. “One in three people in their lifetime will be diagnosed with cancer, and one in 100 college students is a cancer survivor. That means how many people on our campus are survivors?” she said. “I think if we keep doing these things we won’t have to have those numbers anymore. Nobody should ever have to hear the words, ‘you have cancer.’” People interested in getting involved with Colleges Against Cancer or Relay for Life can email durelay1@ gmail.com.
Students promote divestment Continued from page 1
ate Student Government Sustainability Committee. DU Environmental Team and Students for Sustainable Food also helped promote the event and had tables there, with the latter providing food from Ted’s Montana Grill. Smith says the group has a meeting with the Board of Trustees later this month.
According to Swaak, the petition had garnered around 1,000 signatures at the time it was delivered to Coombe. “We have about 1,000 signatures now, which is about 20% of the undergraduate population,” said Swaak. He believes that showing the document to Coombe will highlight student support for the divest movement. “[We’re going to] show him that we’re more than a number, and that will make more of an impact,” he said. Divest DU president Erin Smith, a sophomore strategic communications major, said that the event cost around $400 and was funded gusto kubiak|clarion by the Undergradu- Members of Divest DU pose with their petition before delivering it to Coombe.
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Sodexo employee marries man AHSS alumni offer career advice pardoned by President Obama by gigi peccolo Contributing Writer
an individualized nature to that education where you’re not lost in a lecture hall,” said Craig. “You’re not evaluated on a black and white system of the hard sciences solely.” Fagan said he has developed an appreciation for how big ideas fit together after earning a degree in liberal arts, in his case political science. “Being inquisitive and problem solving, I feel like that’s an important thing in a lot of different kinds of jobs,” said Fagan. “You ask, ‘Where would I go to find the answers to this and how would I evaluate different pieces of information to put together a solution to a problem and try different things,’ and that’s something that one learns in a lot of different disciplines in the liberal arts.” Gohl agreed with Fagan. “As a liberal arts student, you don’t get honed in on one specific thing,” said Gohl. “You’re challenged to kind of broaden how you approach the world and that helps you to kind of fit the puzzle pieces together.” With regards to finding a job after graduation, Fagan and the other alumni cited the importance of doing internships before heading into the workplace. “Pick some areas that you’re really interested in doing but try a few things while you have the opportunity in college or as a recent graduate and then once you get to the interview process, that’s where your liberal arts background and the organization and the connecting and the connecting with people really comes into play,” said Fagan. “I think it’s just getting started, and just involved in something you like.” “I think there is a challenge connecting liberal arts to jobs,” said Craig. “I think if people start to think about their internships or their club activities and enrichment opportunities in a similar fashion and use those as bullet points on a resume, I think that’s very helpful.” Overall, Gohl said it is important to be yourself when interviewing. “It doesn’t have to be a show, it just has to be honest about who I am,” said Gohl. “If it’s a fit, it’s fantastic; if it’s not, there will be another opportunity. Being real about who you are and being real about what you bring to the table, that’ll get your foot in the door more times than not.”
never got into fights. During his time in jail, Last Wednesday, Arts, Humanities and he worked as a cook and educated himself, Social Sciences (AHSS) hosted an Alumni taking every course he could. and Employer Tell All to discuss how to Berna Lang, a Sodexo employee at “He survived because of his refusal navigate the workplace with a liberal arts the Cyber Café in Ben M. Cherrington to get into fights and his ability to stand degree. Three alumni spoke about their Hall, was recently married to Billy Ray above the fray,” said Gilbert. “Because if experiences: Katy Craig, who works as the Wheelock, who was serving a life sentence you don’t, you’ll be punished by the system director of innovation and strategic initiain prison until President Barack Obama or you’ll die.” tives for the Boettcher Foundation; Renny recently granted him clemency. Gilbert met Lang last fall when he was Fagan, president and CEO of the Colorado Wheelock was imprisoned in 1993 for running a speaker series on religion and Nonprofit Association; and Matt Gohl, possession of and conspiracy to distribute violence and he was looking for someone to financial analyst for Castle Rock. 99.62 grams of crack cocaine. According cater the event. He said he became friends Craig, who received her B.A. in French, to the Denver Post, this was during the with Lang and started talking to her on a communication and creative writing before war on drugs, when crack was perceived as daily basis. pursuing a master’s in English, said students more addictive and dangerous than other “Out of that, I learned her story, and she works with through the Boettcher drugs, so crack-related sentences treated I found it incredibly compelling,” said Foundation often wonder how their liberal one gram of crack the same Gilbert. “I personally knew arts degree will transfer to the workplace. as 100 grams of powder that I would never agree to “So many of the students I work with cocaine. In 2010, Obama marry someone who was are almost apologetic about being a liberal passed the Fair Sentencing a lifer without possibility arts major,” said Craig. “I think there’s sort Act, which now treats one of parole. She committed of a need for owning your own space and gram of crack as 18 grams before there was any hope and stepping into the strengths that you of cocaine. of getting out of jail.” bring to the table as a liberal arts major.” On Dec. 19, 2013, Lang said that WheeGohl, who received his B.A. in English Obama granted clemency lock’s family had been send- and philosophy, pointed out the benefits of to Wheelock and seven ing letters to Congress for a liberal arts education when he was workother non-violent drug years, but they kept hearing ing towards his M.B.A. offenders sent to prison in that they had to wait, and “Philosophy is about creating arguthe late 1980s and 1990s, in there was never a date for ments and supporting arguments, while an effort to address the dis- Berna Lang, when to expect anything English literature is about understandparity in the law. Wheelock Sodexo employee until last December. ing language and how to use language in was immediately released “We don’t know how powerful ways,” said Gohl. “Being able to from the Federal Correctional Institution Obama picked him. I would love to know express yourself, particularly through a in Florence, Colorado to a halfway house how he found his name,” said Lang. “Billy written method, is very important.” in Denver. never thought he should not have been Craig shared a similar view. “When he called, I was just getting punished, he just thought it was overkill. “The humanities are human-centered, off of work,” said Lang. “I thought he was That’s what Obama said too. He said, here’s and any job that you have at whatever level playing a joke on me. I kept saying, ‘Billy, a man who’s spent two decades of his life will always have interacting with humans at stop playing,’ and he said, ‘I’m not playing. locked up for a crime that didn’t warrant its core,” said Craig. “I do remember when Haven’t you seen the news? Obama par- the punishment.” I was coming through at my orientation, doned me.’ I was at a loss for words. When I Gilbert has been teaching a class at someone said that most of the major corgot home I went on the Internet and saw for DU on the international and domestic con- porations were interested in hiring commumyself and I just couldn’t believe it.” sequences of the drug war since the early nications majors because they could teach Wheelock was officially released on 1990s. He said he became interested in why them the business, but they couldn’t teach April 17, and he and Lang were married on the U.S. has the largest percent of prison them how to communicate.” April 19 at the Northeast Denver Islamic population in the world. Craig also discussed the differences Center. Wheelock and Lang, both Muslim “We have over two million people in between liberal arts classes and others. converts, had met about a year and a half jail, mostly people of color, mostly for drug “The small classes that you tend to before on a Muslim marriage website called charges, with sentences that are obscenely find in liberal arts colleges and universities Muslima. They had been engaged for about long,” said Gilbert. “The image of democ- and the very intense conversations, there is a year when they found out Wheelock racy is floating on the substrucwould not have to finish his life sentence. ture of a huge prison industry.” “I read his profile and I thought, ‘What Lang said now that Wheelock an interesting profile.’ It was unbelievable is out, they have been adjusting to to my ears that he was such an upstanding having each other there. She has brother to be incarcerated,” said Lang. “I also been helping him adjust to think within three months I said okay, I’ll life out of prison. marry you, even under the conditions that “Teaching him how to go he was given a life sentence. He always had from a prison lifestyle to a freedom the faith that he wouldn’t be in there long.” lifestyle, it’s like teaching a child,” Lang said that she had felt she was said Lang. “He’s still amazed at difreaching retirement age, and she didn’t ferent things that he sees, but he’s Cleaning your dorm room or university apartment can easily consume your entire day, want to be by herself, so she told her two adjusting and he loves it. Every grown daughters that she was looking to day when I get home he has a taking time away from studies and other university activities. get married again. story about something.” A clean environment helps you stay healthy, focused and allows you to entertain “I said once I find a husband I’m gonna Gilbert also highlighted the company without feeling embarrassed! retire and just be a wife,” said Lang. “What difference between being impriswas so amazing, and what made me accept oned and free. [Wheelock’s] hand in marriage, was that “Those of us who have never We provide routine or one-time cleaning services to Dorm rooms; Apartments; Single he never saw what I looked like before he been to jail don’t have a clue about family homes and Townhomes/condos. asked me to marry him. He said, ‘It don’t what it must be like,” he said. “It’s matter. I can tell you’re the kind of person I a world that you don’t know and I OUR SERVICES INCLUDE: could fall in love with.’ He told his mother don’t know.” • Vacuuming/Sweeping/Mopping he thought he had found his wife.” According to Lang, Whee• Dusting Wheelock grew up in Temple, Texas, lock now wants to become an • Bathrooms and his family still lives in Texas, but Lang inspirational speaker. He wants to • Changing out Linen told him she could not move there because help people avoid the temptation • Laundry* she had to finish working here. In addition of money and drugs, and if they to working at the Cyber Café, Lang bartends get locked up, he wants to help • Dishes* at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and runs them learn how to use that time *details provided at on-site consultation her own cheesecake business. According positively. Wheelock is also workto Lang, Wheelock said he wanted a fresh ing on his memoirs, which he has Rates start as low as $60 $39! (Per cleaning) start and he would love to come to Denver. titled “Faith Without a Date.” That was when he put in for a transfer to Wheelock will be speaking to We also offer deep cleaning services, so be sure to ask about those. Florence, his fourth federal prison. Gilbert’s class, The Domestic and “I think it was October 8, 2013 [that International Consequences of Let us help take care of the cleaning while you focus on your studies, and all other I met him in person], and boy was that the Drug War, on May 14. something,” said Lang. “He was immacu“They will be able to meet university required activities. To set up an appointment for a free on-site consultation late. A gentleman. You know how you meet someone who is a process of jus- please send us an email (info@ayeayecaptainclean.com) or call us at (850) 466-8373. somebody and you try to find something tice in America,” said Gilbert. “I wrong? I couldn’t find anything wrong with am so proud to be friends with him. We had a great time, we had lunch and someone who has one of the Aye Aye Captain Clean I spent seven hours with him.” greatest stories to tell about faith According to Arthur Gilbert, professor and love and the horror of the Focused on providing students with affordable quality cleaning. at the Josef Korbel School of International drug war. It’s got everything. It’s www.ayeayecaptainclean.com Studies, Wheelock kept clean in jail and like a movie.”
by carli hansen News Editor
“I said okay, I’ll marry you, even under the conditions that he was given a life sentence.”
DO YOU NEED HELP WITH CLEANING?
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Soul food celebrated in AAC Cedar of Lebanon transplanted by khadijah james Contributing Writer Last Thursday, May 1, DU hosted A Celebration of Soul Food in the Anderson Academic Commons, featuring guest speaker Adrian Miller, author of “Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time.” According to Andrea Howland, the community relations manager of University Libraries, the event focused on various aspects of AfricanAmerican history, geography, tradition, economy and customs. Howland said she felt the event went very well, with about 100 people in attendance. The event was one of those funded by the Campus Climate Fund. “With the goal of fostering inclusiveness and collaboration, I was pleased that we had planning help and event participation from a variety of people, including undergrads, graduate students, faculty and staff,” said Howland. “While the focus was African-American cuisine, history and culture, we had participation from many people who were not African-American.” Along with Miller’s talk, the event had authentic soul food catered by Two Sistahs Eats-n-Treats, recommended by Miller. The menu included fried chicken, creole broiled fish, mixed greens, black eyed peas, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, sweet potato pie, peach cobbler, sweet tea and hibiscus aid. There were also performances by Amber Bush and Idiosingcrasies. Bush, a senior majoring in jazz vocal performance and biology, sang “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” which is sometimes referred to as the black national anthem. The student a cappella group Idiosingcrasies sang “Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke, which was a popular anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. “I called the event a celebration and I think having the music and the food helped make it festive, and allowed the audience more ways to experience African American culture,” said Howland. During his talk, Miller described how he traveled around the country researching the history of soul food in AfricanAmerican culture for his book. According to Howland, Miller used the Husted Cookery Collection in the DU library for some of his research, which includes 10,000 historic cooking-related items and community published cookbooks. Miller also said he sampled soul food from restaurants
all over the country, traveling to 33 cities in 15 states. Miller said that before he wrote this book, he originally went to law school, but he decided that it was not for him and sought a different career path. In 2000, he realized that there were numerous cookbooks from different cultures, but a book about soul food did not exist, so he sought to learn as much about its culture and origins as possible. The book includes chapters on the most popular, basic elements of an authentic soul food meal, along with recipes for traditional, healthy and gourmet soul food dishes. According to Howland, Miller sold all of the books he brought to the event, which were priced at $32. On Friday, May 2, Miller also won the James Beard Foundation’s book award. The day after the Celebration of Soul Food he traveled to New York for the ceremony as one of three finalists. According to Howland, James Beard was a famous chef, and the award is a high honor within the food industry. On Friday, Howland said she also had a DU staff member stop by her office to thank her for the event. “She said that an African-American student said to her last night that the Celebration of Soul Food was the first thing she had experienced at DU that acknowledged her race and her history,” said Howland. “Hearing that made my day.”
heather kraft|clarion
Two Sistahs Eats-n-Treats serves a soul food buffet.
by carli hansen News Editor
the spade hit some old unused cement foundation,” said Aguirre-Wong. “Our grounds personnel spent three hours breaking out the concrete with a jackhammer so the spade could dig down into the soil.” The Cedar of Lebanon has a dense root system that makes it ideal to dig up with a tree-spading machine. Aguirre-Wong said
Last Wednesday, April 30, the Chester M. Alter Arboretum transplanted the 40-foot Cedar of Lebanon from the west side of Cherrington Hall to the northeast side of Mary Reed in order to make way for the Anna and John J. Sie International Relations Complex, which will begin construction this summer. The transplant was the biggest the arboretum has ever done, according to Arboretum Curator Francesca Aguirre-Wong. “There were a lot of students and faculty that stopped to watch and gawk during the transplant,” photo courtesy of francesa aguirre-Wong said Aguirre-Wong. Columbine Tree, Inc. digs up the Cedar of Lebanon with a tree-spade machine. “Since the transplant, the facilities guys have been staking the tree it is important to dig up as much of the down and watering it to ensure its survival, root ball as possible so the tree has a better and lots of students have stopped by to chance to survive in its new location. She express their interest in the transplant and added that the past and present location of the Cedar of Lebanon was also easy to get their hope for its survival.” The Cedar of Lebanon is a species of to with the tree-spading machine without cedar native to the mountains of the Medi- destroying underground utilities or surterranean region. According to Aguirre- rounding infrastructure. The Cedar of Lebanon was one of seven Wong, the tree was bought from a nursery in Oregon in 2003 when it was 12-feet tall. trees the arboretum transplanted from the Now it is the second largest Cedar of Leba- west side of Cherrington Hall. According to Aguirre-Wong, the trees were chosen non in the state of Colorado. “Since the Cedar of Lebanon was a because they were interesting specimens prized specimen in the collection, it was and their root balls were small enough to be worth saving,” said Aguirre-Wong. “Plus, captured by the spade. They were moved to it was less money to move it than replace various locations on campus depending on it with a new Cedar of Lebanon that would where there was space and where was accessible for the tree-spading machine. have to be special ordered and shipped.” The Persian Parrotia and Japanese According to Aguirre-Wong, Columbine Tree, Inc. transplanted the tree using White Pine were planted near Evans Chapel, a tree-spading machine, which has four while the Chinese Fringe Tree, White Fringe giant blades that encircle the tree, dive into Tree and Sycamore Maple were planted the soil and lift the entire tree, including its near the Buchtel Memorial Tower. The Male roots and soil, out of the ground. Colum- Gingko was planted near Centennial Halls bine Tree, Inc. had two people operating and the Female Gingko was planted near the machine and three DU grounds people Craig Hall. Of the seven trees, the Japanese assisting them. The machine dug a hole in White Pine and Female Gingko were small the new designated location, dug up the tree enough to transplant manually, while the and root ball, carried the tree to the new rest were transplanted by the machine. “Right now is the ideal season to plant location and inserted it into the new hole. Aguirre-Wong said it took about two days trees in Colorado,” said Aguirre-Wong. “Now the most important thing for these to transplant the tree. “There were some unexpected compli- trees is to nurture the remaining roots with cations with the Cedar of Lebanon because enough water so they can survive.”
DU law professors discuss “Whaling in the Courtroom” by naomi forman Staff Writer On Wednesday, April 30, three professors of Sturm College of Law presented a discussion called “Whaling in the Courtroom” to an audience of about 50 people. Annecoos Wiersema, Justin Marceau and Justin Pidot spoke about whales, whaling and resistance to whaling in the context of national and international legal systems. Whaling is the practice or industry of hunting and killing whales for their oil, meat or whalebone. The ethics and legalities of regulating this industry have been contested both domestically and internationally. The discussion was provoked by the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) landmark ruling in the Japan v. Australia case involving allegations against Japan claims that they have scientific precedent for continued whaling in the Antarctic. As a consequences of this ruling, the special research permit Japan was initially granted has now been revoked. Wiersema is an associate professor of law and director of the International Legal Studies Program at Sturm Law. Currently, Wiersema’s most significant teaching and research experience is in international environmental law, and environmental and natural resources
law. Marceau is a professor, as well as a litigator and consultant for the leading animal welfare non-profit, the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Pidot is an assistant professor of environmental and natural resources law. The discussion began with Japan. Marceau began the event by demonstrating the gravity of this issue with a graphic video of a Japanese whaling expedition. He stated that Japan has a twelve-million dollar industry capturing and killing Minke, fin and humpback whales. Though whaling of these species is illegal under the International Whaling Commission, there is an exception under Article VIII that says it is permitted “to kill, take and treat whales for the purpose of scientific research.” Japan’s whaling industry was officially known as the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic (JARPA). The goals listed were monitoring the ecosystem and observing interspecies competition. As a means of conducting this research they declared the need to kill a certain number of each of these species. A number was determined, but Wiersema said they have been harvesting less than the specific numbers they demanded. Though Wiersema acknowledged that it may seem this was positive, it demonstrated that either their goals did not
actually require such numbers or that they were not determining the numbers of whales based on their supposed research goals. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international nonprofit marine wildlife conservation organization whose mission is to “end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.” Marceau explained that allegations of piracy were brought against them due to Captain Paul Watson’s belief in direct action in the issue of whaling. This action includes sailing the seas and physically intervening in the hunting of whales by various international industries and producers. Though they were being sued through the Ninth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals, they diverted these allegations by re-establishing as an Australian organization. As Marceau said, at that point the Japanese were attempting to ask the U.S. to make a judgment on Australian non-profit that would undermine the international judgment on the legality of whaling and would enable Japan to continue its whaling practices. The SSCS has disregarded any legalities and continues to physically intervene in international waters. In
the case of the Japanese hunting in the Antarctic, this involved launching their flagship, Farley Mowat, from Australia and intercepting Japanese ships, ramming the bodies of the ships and fouling the propellers. The SSCS has also taken a stance on the final issue of discussion highlighted by the three professors, Native American rights to whaling. They recognize that the issue is not about small tribes of indigenous peoples catching a handful of whales each, but allowing a case by case consideration that would allow the entire issue to become a grey area. Nevertheless, issues have arisen from small tribes on the coast that have documentation of the U.S. government guaranteeing rights to whaling as a stipulation of a trade agreement. The example presented by Pidot was of the Macaw tribe in Washington state. They are requesting permission to begin whaling again as their communities are suffering from immense unemployment. It would be a means of economic development as well as a revival of heritage. Wiersema stated that she hoped the audience gained, “new insights about the conflicts of whaling and the role it is playing in the courts” and encourages interested students to start by getting involved with the environmental groups on campus.
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Clarion tradition links up with DU history by clarion staff
As spring dawns on DU, the Clarion staff is hard at work on one of our end-of-theyear projects: The Best of DU magazine, a publication aimed at poking fun at our favorite— and least favorite—aspects of campus culture. The 2014 edition is the fourth volume of the publication, and it will focus on the university’s sesquicentennial, campus culture, resident life and some of those quirks that us love, and sometimes chastise, DU. The tradition began in 2011 and continues today. The Best of DU not only highlights our favorite happy hours around campus and around Denver, but also sheds light on little-known clubs, student organizations and tells the stories of unspoken frustrations on campus that we all think about but don’t always vocalize. Take PioneerNet, for example. The categories and topics in Best of DU are phrased in a way that tries to make the best of our campus quirks. For example, instead of writing “The worst campus Internet,” we will write “The best Internet
to use if you don’t want to connect.” Readers can look forward to this new snarky publication to be released during the week of DU May Days, the week of May 19, 2014. sarah ford Manging Editor
At the end of the May, as we look back on a long and arduous year of accomplishments, struggles and defeats, the Best of DU serves as the culmination of the year’s best and worst offers to students. Not only does the Best of DU provide a chance to acknowledge the “hot and not” hits on and near campus throughout the year, but it is a chance for us to reflect on another year of changes, to highlight underappreciated aspects of the campus and city that will be remembered as important parts of the 20132014 school year. Last year’s “Best email signatures destined for greatness” served as a particularly wonderful send-off to some of our most prominent Pioneers. It honored those among us who have what it truly makes
the
2014
I arrived a little earlier on Sunday to catch the highly-buzzed to make it in the professional lanna giauque about duo, TWRK, who have come out of nowhere in the past world—a lengthy and digniEditor-Elect few months as benefi ciaries of the mega-DJ Diplo and are now fied email signature. From two of the brightest stars in the rising trap scene. They played Student Comptroller to ProjI look forward to the Best a shorter set of about 45 minutes that left the crowd wanting ect Ava to USG to the Dragon of DU every year. It provides a supposed to lead into, more. Unfortunately, the DJ they were Boat Festival, these Pioneers for theto Clarion WHAT creative SO NOT,outlet was unable make their set time so I was cast had done it all, and were ready staff frustrafree, out intototheexpress packedtheir day three atmosphere. I had originally to test their accumulated planned tal- tions, to stayobservations at the Grooveand Tentpasall day, but I eventually wanents in the real world. There sionstoabout anything related to dered over the Heat Hut and discovered the duo, Keepers. are certainly more than a They fair had campus, andbut it’sdedicated a fun waycrowd for in constant movement, a small, share of strong signatures this the Clarion to have a presence year as well, some of which After at May Days.ended at 5:30 p.m. I ended up back at the Keepers may get a shoutout in Groove this During the school year, he was able to get the Tent for KapSlap. Although year’s Best of DU. the and Clarion strives to be an a little rough around the hype built the party started, he felt of DJ, profesedges important compared tosource the next Clockwork. Clockwork ended sional on-campus newssetforof the whole festival. He perhaps my favorite alex johnson up playing students, but the Bestwith of DU Editor-in-Chief blended slow melodic sounds thunderous bass drops that EDM Group GRiZ headline givesthethe staff a chance entranced huge crowd and gottoeveryone raging harder The Best of DU is a grand show the fun and snarky sides of aforementioned their writing as PLM well. house party was up next. Smith took the front of the undertaking, but one we’re The The 2013 Best ofSupervision DU was and Eliot Lipp, surrounding him. This was an happy to perform as a service Michael Menert, Paul Basic, my favorite, becausetheir both the sounds off one another, they created a unique to our readers and the at DU the same time, bouncing distinct “Most Dreamy ProfStadium ” and “Most community. During a timethis ofweekend at Mile High really was a special time and place to be. Attractive from the 9:45 p.m., the hundreds of people crammed at finals and celebration, we enjoy After the PLMTA” partywere ended around Geography department. contributing to the campus was notDU a big fan of GRiZ before his headlining set but he really brought his A-game Su As light a show Geography majorLights from yesterday. He played songs mostly conversation and lendingdrops a and his rivaled Pretty myself, was very highlights proud to of the weekend were the walls set up for Den touch of humor and lightheart- Some of theI non-music department repreedness to the conversation.being asee lot ofmy high-quality work that almost everyone ended up checking out. Other coo not pens only being for itshanded excel- out left and right. From satirizing campus and thesented free vapor lentof the teaching, outstanding tradition to challenging Most complaints I heard over the weekend were focused on the spacing o opportunities and down-toaspects of DU, our duty to you, much once you got to raving. There were also a number of people complaining about it earth attitude, butthe also forhand, more people were able to enjoy the fest a the readers, is to bring the a best money-making move. On other its apparent ability to recruit possible stories that are both SnowBall was an amazing experience, and I urge anyone who is able to attend and retain very attractive interesting and perform a levels ser- of mind-melting awesome. Thanks to SnowBall for hosting an incredible weeke vice to the campus; the Best of students, professors, faculty, staff, etc. DU does both.
Look for the 2014 Best of DU magazine on May 19!
Some 2014 categories include: ~Best professorial tattoo ~Best new student org ~Best way to spend $700k
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Contention over transgender campus facilities continues Continued from page 1
Last fall, University of North Carolina students marched to demand more gender-neutral housing options, while schools such as the University of Wisconsin at Madison and University of California at Riverside have rolled out new technology allowing students recognition based on their preferred, rather than legal, names. These are some of the main areas DU’s TransAllies group is targeting as well in their assessment of campus policies. But in assessing the depth of institutional and departmental barriers facing transidentified students; staff and employees, the group has found the task to be similar to slaying a multi-headed hydra. “My experience has been that most of the offices and the individuals that we work with on different issues, its more of a lack of knowledge,” said Walker. “And so what we are trying to do is say ‘other schools have done this, we’re not reinventing the wheel.” Due to facility restrictions, Walker says, adding all-gender bathrooms to every residence hall may not be possible. However, TransAllies and housing have already begun to look at structural changes involving not only bathrooms, but housing. Rooming is another issue that brings stress to transgender students, who must live with someone of a different gender, making an uncomfortable situation for both roommates. This is was a major reason behind Mike’s withdrawing from the university in spring of 2011. When he applied for housing for his sophomore year, he found he would not be allowed to live with his male friends because the university still recognized him by his birth gender of female. The only other option available to him was to live in a single room in Centennial Towers, sharing a suite with a female. “That was not a very good option for me,” said Mike. “I didn’t want to feel isolated from all my friends. I felt like I wasn’t allowed to have the college experience that I wanted.”
Struggling in school and frustrated by his lack of options, Mike withdrew and moved to a house near campus, giving himself about a year to work through everything before returning to school. Across the country, there are 149 colleges that offer gender-neutral housing options for students, according to a running count kept by the Campus Pride Index. DU has no current plans to build housing facilities for gender-variant students, according to Walker, but he hopes to see the university begin to offer inclusive housing options in other ways. For example, Walker hopes the university will begin to experiment with allowing mixed-gender rooms in university suites, a move he says could benefit more than just transgender students. “This actually frees up some of the housing stock, because we don’t have a bed sitting empty because we don’t have a member of the correct sex to put there,” said Walker. Though the issues facing the group are multifaceted, these and numerous concerns highlighted by TransAllies circle back to a single systemic problem: the Banner System, the record-keeping system used on campus. “As a faculty member, as a student, who you are in Banner defines everything else,” said Walker. A major step for many transgender students is changing their name to one matching their gender. However, Banner records cannot be altered without matching a student’s Social Security information. Therefore, student IDs, medical records and class rosters will continue to show their birth name and gender. Even when their name is officially changed, altering the student records in the system will erase all the student’s existing data, including financial aid and tax information. In classrooms, students can be called by names and genders by their professors with which they don’t identify. Former DU graduate, Karen Scarpella, who runs the Gender identity Center for trans-identified people, found while teaching a class last year that she could not use online grading resource Blackboard for this very reason. “I couldn’t use Blackboard for my class
because it was so traumatizing for a student. A few people are aware that this is an issue and have taken a stab at it, but I don’t get a sense that it’s a high priority and that [DU] is really committed to it,” said Scarpella. It is a difficult situation for many colleges to address. According to the Gender Law report, there are currently 70 colleges out of the approximately 4,000 colleges nationwide that have a process in place for students and staff to change their name on campus records, and 44 that have a process for gender changes. Mike avoided being called by the wrong name in classes by using the “nickname” section of Blackboard to give the name he now identifies with. He says the importance of finding a way for students to present their preferred name is not only important to validate their identity, but is a matter of safety. “For a lot of students, it can be really anxiety-causing and sometimes potentially unsafe for that to be revealed as public knowledge,” he said. Walker acknowledges that altering the system to allow name changes is a potentially difficult and costly process. But he feels it is necessary.
“It’s not a matter of its impossible to change. It could be hard to change, it’s going to take some staff time and those sorts of things,” said Walker. “If we are not going to discriminate, and are in fact going to be inclusive, then as with so many other things we need to put our resources where our words are, and figure it out.”
sarah forD|clarion
A student enters a JMAC gender-neutral bathroom.
Number of universities nationwide with gender inclusive policies Gender identity/expression nondiscrimination policies
Gender Neutral Bathrooms
Gender Neutral Housing
Name change option on campus records
Gender change option on records
Students get proactive to receive paid summer internships by kellsie brannen Contributing Writer
Moments after senior journalism major from Texas, Mireya Saenz’s email buzz went off, she looked down to check it and her face immediately lit up. “I got it!” she cried excitedly. After applying for a slew of summer internships, she had just received news she had been hoping for—KVITV in El Paso, Texas had offered her a paid summer internship. Internships are a great way to get experience and make connections that will help students start a career once they graduate. According to DU Career Services, employers gave 58.6 percent of their interns full-time jobs once the internship ended, and students who interned typically received salaries for their first jobs that are 10 to 20 percent higher than non-internship-holding counterparts. Saenz has had several paid internships during her time at DU. These include time at Telemundo Denver and Denver Promo Studios. Her internship experience gives her a knowledgeable perspective from which to offer advice to other students at DU. “There are more unpaid than paid, so students need to be extremely proactive and apply with a lot of time in advance,” said Saenz. “Especially
with the quarter system, you have to remember that while we may have a lot of time until summer, other students get out weeks earlier.” Saenz got most of her paid internships through recommendations from her mentor, Larressa Watlington, a professor in the Media, Film and Journalism Studies department. While a student in Watlington’s class, Saenz approached her and explained her career goals, and Watlington helped Saenz get on the right track. “Really try to make connections to the staff and faculty in your department. They have a lot of great connections and a lot of tips for successfully landing a good internship that is also paid,” said Saenz. “Also make sure to coordinate a lot with the internship coordinator. That’s what they’re here for.” Jen Lee, junior hospitality major from Beverly Hills, California, also emphasized the use of networking when looking for an internship. She worked at the Beverly Hills SLS Luxury Collection Hotel and has an internship this summer at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver. Lee got them both from connections she made at the Hospitality Restaurant and Tourism Management Career Fairs she attended. “If they are interested, they are going to contact you first,” said Lee. “If
they don’t, but you are still interested in working for them, you should follow up and contact them to see if there are any opportunities.” Although making connections at career fairs helped Lee get her internships, the DU faculty also played a part. When an internship offer fell through, Lee’s advisor was able to contact the hotel chain and get her another one. “It’s important to have a supportive advisor. Even though you may get opportunities from career fairs, you never know if you will work for the property until you get into a contract,” said Lee. Paid internships are always preferable, of course, but also sparse. For some students, especially underclassmen, the pool of unpaid internships will be far more accessible. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. “Payment is important, but for freshman and sophomores, experience is the essential thing that you are looking for. Try to find out what you are really passionate about,” said Lee. “Paid internships generally aren’t going to hire someone with no experience. It’s all about practical experiences, not necessarily the knowledge you get from a textbook.” Lee completed two unpaid internships before she received her first paid one. For some students, full-time unpaid internships may not work due to work conflicts. However, Saenz overcame this
by seeking opportunities that fit around her schedule. “Because I’m a working student and I have to work, I found unpaid internships that are really flexible with me. They allowed me to continue working while also getting that experience. It’s all about hands-on experience and wherever you can get that is where you should go,” she said. DU also has a program by which students partaking in unpaid internships can receive money through the school for their work. The program is called University Career Center Summer Internship Award Program, and students can apply to receive payment for working 200 hours or more at an unpaid internship. The DU Career Center suggests identifying the type of internship that you are looking for and then searching databases and websites to try and find opportunities. Reaching out to contacts or even pitching an idea for an internship that doesn’t yet exist may also provide unique opportunities, according to the Career Center. Overall, students must be proactive and conduct their search through various techniques in order to have the best chance at a paid internship. As for Saenz’s summer internship, she has yet to make a decision. But at least she has this decision to make.
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Explore five secret spots on campus this spring by connor davis Assistant Editor
Admit it. You wish you went to school at Hogwarts. Flying around on brooms through secret passageways and chambers would have been real cool. Yet for the time being, DU has some astonishingly secret spots of its own. This campus may seem small at times, but there are a lot of breathtaking nooks and crannies waiting to be explored. Visiting any of these five will bring a greater appreciation for the DU campus, something we could all use while hastily struggling through the final weeks of the academic year. Photos and map by Connor Davis. Compass at Mary Reed
Law School parking garage
On the west side of Mary Reed is a beautiful patio facing the Rockies, and on the edge of this patio is a wonderfully unique compass that provides vast geographical information about DU and its surrounding area. What makes this compass so unique is that it includes specific Coloradan locations, such as fourteeners and surrounding towns, with arrows pointing accurately towards them. For example, Boulder is to the north of DU, so the compass features an arrow pointing to the right that says “BOULDER - 34 miles”. Blossoming bushes and the flowing water will make this navigational adventure a very peaceful one.
For views of Driscoll Green, fraternity row, Sturm Hall and the Rockies, head up the Law School Parking Garage elevator to the very top. Parallel with the law school clocktower with visibility all the way from the Anderson Academic Commons to Centennial Halls, this is one of the best views on campus. It’s also a great place to simply catch some fresh air amongst the spring quarter stress. Smack dab in the middle of campus, there’s no reason not to check this out. Top of Mary Reed To find what is quite possibly the best accessible view on campus, peer out of the staircase at the top of Mary Reed. Follow the flights all the way up and take a glance out the building’s north side for stunning views of Carnegie Green, Anderson Academic Commons and the Denver skyline. This is simply a magnificent angle to look at our campus and appreciate its beauty. Top of Sturm
Driscoll roof Everyone walks over Driscoll Bridge, yet almost no one hangs out on the north side’s incredible rooftop patio. Head through the silver doors of Student Life, and the entrance will be straight ahead. This area, full of tables, chairs and umbrellas, is big enough to fit 100 people, and offers great views down Evans into the Rockies. When there’s extra time between classes or just an urge to study outdoors, this is the place to be.
Sturm’s many brick walls and utterly confusing layout often make it hard to find a good view, but on the top floor right next to room 483 is a giant window that looks north over DU’s athletic fields and the gold-crowned Carl M. Williams Tower. It’s a rare sight amongst the Sturm’s stressful design, serving as a refreshing pit stop on a day full of classes. There are also multiple comfy chairs and tables for catching up on those last minute assignments.
College is hard, and sometimes students don’t like it one bit. Yet when the beauty of a campus can be fully understood, that attitude can change drastically. Take full advantage of this university by truly exploring it. Try to visit every building at least once before it’s time for the cap and gown, and don’t forget to stop at these five spots along the way.
Denver Art Museum showcases the greats by julia mason Contributing Writer
Colossal modern paintings grace the walls of a special exhibition at the Denver Art Museum (DAM), like one of Jackson Pollock’s most famed drip paintings, entitled “Convergence,” a swirling mass of shades of orange, blue and striking black. This painting is almost overwhelming to the viewer, but the drips of paint flow and swirl seamlessly through the gigantic canvas, roughly 95 inches tall and 157 inches wide. According to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery website, this piece evokes Pollock’s dissatisfaction with traditional art and his struggles to express himself through it. According to the Albright-Knox website, Pollock explained his deviation from tradition as follows. “It seems to me that the modern painter cannot express his age, the airplane, the atom bomb, the radio, in the old forms of the Renaissance or any other past culture. Each age finds its own technique.” From March 2 to June 8, “Modern Masters: 20th Century Icons from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery,” is on display at
the DAM. As acknowledged by the DAM website, these pieces are from one of the nation’s the most respected collections of twentieth-century. According to the DAM website, the exhibition is curated by Dean Sobel, director of the Clyfford Still Museum across the street. Modern Masters is a collection of 68 artworks by over 40 influential artists including Pollock, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keefe and Salvadore Dalí from artistic movements spanning the century. According to the DAM website, the exhibition displays Post-Impressionist works from the late 1800s, as well as Cubist, surrealist, pop art and minimalist works of art. Upon entering the gallery, a quote by French realist painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau met viewers, setting the stage for the modern exhibition. “A new art. But what for? We do the best we can, and when we do as well as our masters that’s all we can hope for,” the quote reads. Around the corner is a Futurist oil painting by Giacomo Balla, “Dinamismo di un cane al guinzaglio,” or “Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash” from 1912.
According to the Tate Museum website, futurism was an artistic movement launched by the Italian poet Filippo Marinetti in 1909, its members radical Italian artists who rejected the old and embraced technology, speed and violence in their art. According to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery website, the dynamism advocated by the futurists is reflected in both the title and the composition, in which every detail works toward the ultimate goal of representing motion. The viewer’s eyes frantically try to follow the hectic movement of the dog and the woman in the painting. Both figures in the work are buzzing with motion, but only their feet art moving. The result is an almost humorous depiction of the activity of walking the dog. According the Metropolitan Museum of Art website, less than thirty years later, Dalí further experimented in his art through the movement of surrealism, which began under the influence of the poet André Breton. According to the Metropolitan Museum website, surrealist artists were highly concerned with the subconscious and dreams, influenced by the psychological theories
and dream studies of Sigmund Freud and the political ideas of Karl Marx. According to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery website, Dalí considered his paintings to be “hand-painted dream photographs,” recreations of the dream atmosphere— trying to rationalize the dream amidst the distorted sense of objects, time, and space. Dalí’s “The Transparent Simulacrum of the Feigned Mind” from 1938 features a beach with angular cliffs, a bowl, fabric and almost hidden from view, the tilted face of an African-American woman, which evoke this dream-like quality surrealists are known for. This painting has a dreamy quality and ambiguous title which allow each viewer to have a more personal and unique interpretation of it. According to the AlbrightKnox Art Gallery website, pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s “Head—Red and Yellow” from 1962, a radical shift from Balla and Dalí, is a reinterpretation of a vacation newspaper advertisement in which a smiling woman throws a beach ball. Lichtenstein appropriated just the woman’s head and depicted it using flat, bright colors, the dots seen on her skin replicat-
ing the printing industry’s Benday process, developed by Benjamin Day in 1879, according to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica website, The Benday Process utilizes a series of celluloid screens bearing raised images of dot and line patterns. According to the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation website, the inclusion of this pop artist in the “Modern Masters” gallery was highly important because it elevated his work, which is often criticized for not being “real” art. However, walking into this section of the gallery and being faced with his monumental works was breathtaking. Students that are interested in Marvel Comics, pop art or even just modern art should definitely pay this exhibition a visit. This exhibition is a mustsee as it houses over 40 of the most influential modern artists and highly varied works that are guaranteed to please. “Modern Masters” and all other galleries at the DAM are discounted for college students, costing $16.00, and at the end of the exhibition is a gift shop with everything from art prints to Picasso mugs.
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s r pic you rind g a T G #DU ith us e w rion r a Sh UCla @D
The Grind: The Show your thanks this Mother’s Day
Green Russell
The Clarion staff reviews bars, restaurants and coffee houses, attempting cultural mutiny on all things hipster.
by adam lujan Contributing Writer
Mother’s Day is just around the corner—Sunday, May 11—and it can be hard to find the perfect way to honor the mothers and mother figures in our lives. But don’t panic! Here are some easy and/or extravagant ways to honor mothers near and far.
Afternoon tea at the Brown Palace Hotel
courtesy of eatDenver.com
This bar is one of the classiest in town with its glossy wood panneling and leather seats.
The Green Russell: 4.29 beans
The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa downtown is famous for its daily afternoon tea. This option is a little on the pricey side (about $30-$50 per person), but it is definitely worth it. Along with the tea, delicious sandwiches, decadent sweets and divine scones are served. Live piano in the majestic lobby adds to an all-round fancy, regal vibe. Spots are generally full this close to the holiday, but it will be just as special any day of the week. For moms out of town, pick out her favorite tea from the gift shop and send it to her with a couple of souvenirs.
Run the Denver Mother’s Day 5K
The Green Russell invites prohibition era revelry. by connor davis Assistant Editor
Beneath the countless hip places to eat, drink and shop around LoDo’s Larimer Square is The Green Russell, a speakeasystyle cellar-bar offering a unique experience for even the most avid bar-hoppers. This spot has a sophisticated atmosphere and elaborate menu that make it a prime place to drink in Denver. Entering The Green Russell is an incredible experience in itself. It appears to be diner-themed upon walking in, but the bar actually lies behind a discreet swinging door, which seems to lead to a kitchen. After slipping through this clever second entrance, the mood changes entirely. Lit almost completely by lanterns and candles, The Green Russell is dim, intimate and quiet. Classical music assists the mellow mood, and the roaring twenties-style interior confirms this bar as a completely awesome place to grab a drink. Feast your eyes upon the gold-framed mirrors, old school phone booth and leather seats while sipping on a classy cocktail from your bowtie-wearing waiter. Even the walls, made of rock and brick, capture this speakeasy style magnificently well. Everything about this place screams oldschool authenticity. The Green Russell is a fantastic place for couples. Nearly all the tables seat two, and there are even a few curtains for ultimate privacy. There are, however, three booths in the back that seat about six each, so don’t be afraid to bring a crew too. Make sure to call ahead of time to see if a reservation is necessary because this space is small and fills up quick. Business people make up the crowd’s majority, so make sure to wear something decent unless you don’t mind some guy in a custom suit smirking over your t-shirt. Smirk back, however, because he’s probably missing college big time. Seriously though, it’s fun to dress
up a bit and pretend to be classy for a drink or two. Bar menus tend to be fairly bland and repetitive, but the same cannot be said at The Green Russell. They offer a crazy variety of cocktails with fantastically unforgettable names, such as the “I shaved my legs for this”, made with gin, orange juice, lemon juice, black pepper simple syrup and apricot liqueur. Or perhaps go for the “You’re killin me smalls”, made with a tornado of ingredients such as, gin, egg white, creme de violette, lime juice and lemon juice. You’ll be sipping better than most places near DU. For a totally custom beverage, ask for the bartender’s special. They’ll ask you what kind of tastes and spirits you’re into and make you one heck of a libation. One cocktail alone will cost you about twelve bucks, so don’t plan on hunkering down for a full night of drinking. The food is equally expensive and should probably be avoided if you’re on the average college budget. However, if you do grab a bite to eat, there’s a fantastic variety of small plates such as the Brisket Sliders with taleggio, onions, peppers ($10) and the Potted Smoked Trout with tarragon, pesto and toasted baguette ($12). For those trying to grab a real meal, the main entrance has a more obvious door into Russell’s Smokehouse, an all Americanfood restaurant under the same ownership as the Green Russell. They have good old-fashioned comfort dishes for a much more affordable price, and it’s a low-key spot to get grub downtown. When it’s time to leave The Green Russell, it feels like you’re sneaking back into prohibition. Walking out of the cellar and back into the real world is a strange feeling that points to how distinctive the bar’s atmosphere really is. This place offers a fun experience that’s hard to match elsewhere in Denver, and it’s a must-see spot when wandering LoDo.
For those more athletically inclined, this holiday would be the perfect opportunity for a family workout. The Mother’s Day 5K is an annual event at Denver City Park. Participants can run, walk or crawl; there is even a children’s race for runners under 12. A portion of the registration fees ($35 a person, or $115 for the whole family) go to HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation, which works to raise awareness for ovarian cancer. There are only 2000 spots, so register soon.
Go for a hike
If the 5K sounds a little too expensive, a cheaper option would be to go on a hike or walk around town. Take her on a Mile High adventure; Denver is a fit city, and there is always somewhere to be active. There are beautiful spots in nearby Golden or Castle Rock. Red Rocks Park in Morrison is gorgeous any time of year. For the moms back home, do the hike in her honor and take fridgeworthy pictures she’ll love. Chat with her on the phone along the way and still get that quality time.
Take her shopping
Cherry Creek Mall, Park Meadows Mall or the 16th Street Mall are the most accessible places to find wallet-friendly deals on Mother’s Day. Even if it is just window-shopping, the mall is an ideal place to hang out, chat and try on silly and stylish clothes together. And for those still struggling to find the perfect gift, pick out a gift for her together. For a less “mainstream” shopping experience, check out Antique Row on South Broadway or the eclectic shops on South Pearl. Online shopping is also a treat; pick out a gift on Amazon or Etsy and send it home to her.
Get artsy
Another way to spend Mother’s Day is soaking up some of Denver’s rich art culture. This city has a plethora of art galleries, museums and performing art centers. The Art District on Santa Fe is always exciting place to explore—check their website for hours first, since some galleries are not open on Sundays. There is also the Golden Triangle Museum District
downtown, home to the Denver Art Museum and the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art. There is also the Denver Botanic Gardens, a popular venue for Mother’s Day celebrations. If the budget allows for a splurge, go the Denver Performing Arts Complex to see Bizet’s “Carmen” at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House or “Once,” the Tony-Award winning musical, at the Buell Theatre.
Send her a care package
Many of us might be far away from our mothers on the holiday, but there are still ways to celebrate from afar. Put together a care package: Write her a handwritten letter, fill a box with all of her favorite things, send her DU swag and even just pictures of day-today life. Maybe she has sent her share of care packages over the years, so now is the perfect time to return the gesture. For the artsy folk, make her something special or write her a poem, a story or a funny note. For the artistically challenged, log on to YouTube or Pinterest for ideas of fun and easy-tomake gifts and trinkets. Mother’s Day is a special day to honor very special people. Mother figures come in many forms: They can be biological, adopted or foster. They may be our siblings, our friends, our coaches, our teachers, our extended family members or our spiritual guides. Take her for a hike, let her get her fancy on at the Brown Palace, have a stroll around a museum, send that care package—in the end, it does not matter how we choose to celebrate; it only matters that we take the time and love to do so.
May Madness Playlist by anaelia ovalle and logan baker Clarion Staff
With summer just on the horizon, it’s time get in the groove and see what the next season has in store. Here’s a collection of tunes to get you in that summery feel.
“Messiah”- Heavenly Beat Heavenly Beat is the solo project of Beach Fossils bassist, John Pena. This summery track is an experiment in repetitive, twingy beats and sun-spotted vocals. It’s the soundtrack to a perfect day at the beach with a loved one or a day spent in the garden. Let this “Heavenly Beat” carry you during your sweet, sweet summer months.
“Stay Ready (What a Life) [feat. Kendrick Lamar]”- Jhene Aiko Jhene Aiko is a known temptress. Her good looks and sweet, succulent voice have drawn many in the music industry to her such as Childish Gambino and Drake. This
track is a reflection on her life so far, who she has met and what she has done lead her to where she is now. This is something DU students can reflect on as the year draws to a close. Aiko creates a vision and shares it with her listeners. Peer in and maybe you can capture the feeling of reflection Aiko is intent on representing in this piece.
“When a Fire Starts to Burn”- Disclosure
This song will cause you to dance uncontrollably. Whether you’re out and looking for great track to keep the crowd pumping or jamming in your dorm, trust me, you’re going to want to put this song on. Let the fire burn, Pios.
“Heart’s a Legend”- Zoo “The Pulse of Impulse”Brazil Dude Plays Saxophone Dude Plays Saxophone has the remarkable ability to take the listener by the ear and lead them throughout many phases of their song. They play with instruments and dynamics to create an experimental jazz and chillstep track that can evoke numerous emotions within the listener. With an ethereal foundation, heartfelt vocals and excellent original instrumentals, one is bound to go down nostalgia lane. While the end of the school year is around the corner, it is important to reflect upon our accomplishments and experiences. Let this track allow you to tap into that stream of consciousness with its one-ofa-kind composition.
Give April a gentle kiss goodbye. As May chimes in, so do new experiences and opportunities to give and take love. Every heart is a legend, and although people come and go, the memories will resonate forever. The soft repetitiveness of this track will help ease the transition into June and give you a soundtrack to memories of a great school year and hopefully an even greater summer. This school year has been hectic but as it comes to close we can look forward to new experiences and growth. Hopefully when listening to this playlist you take the time to enjoy the music and the moments that come with it. See you next year, Denver.
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Lamont features music majors’ original compositions by katerina arzhayev Contributing Writer
On Tuesday, over a hundred people attended “New Music Concert” at the Gates Concert Hall. A collection of four new compositions by Lamont students CJ Garcia, Nathan Carnelius, Brian Goetzinger and Katerina Therianos, and a “Soundpainting”, composed and led by Conrad Kehn were performed. The concert was in conjunction with Orchestra, an ensemble class required by all string musicians, and some woodwind and brass musicians. Lior Doddemeade, the principal english horn player, described the event as being hurried, but successful. He is currently a freshman majoring in oboe performance, with minors in Hebrew, Russian and linguistics, and is part of the orchestra, wind ensemble, woodwind quintet and oboe trio. “We didn’t have a whole lot of time to prepare,” said Doddemeade. “We got the music last week and we had to learn it fast enough to perform it tonight, which is really difficult.” He and 72 other musicians delighted the audience with pieces titled “Curios-
ity of an Introvert,” composed by Garcia, who is currently in his third year, pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Composition at Lamont. This lively arrangement built anticipation and excitement, taking the gallery on a journey through the mind of a solitary individual. The following work, “Berg un Tal,” named after the beauty of the San Juan Mountains experienced by the composer Cornelius, was described by Doddemeade as the most difficult piece. “Just Passing Through: A Vagrant’s Adventure,” composed by Therianos, a composition and business major at DU in her third year, took the audience on a perilous journey through the world of music, never resting on one melody for too long. The composition was beautiful and certainly held its place among the others. A piece by Goetzinger, called “A Waltz for Mom,” tied the evening together as Mother’s Day approaches. A modern style of music, called “soundpainting”, was also performed by the group for the first time. Instead of having a piece of music in front of them, the musicians had a series of photographs of Conrad Kehn, an instructor at the music school.
Spring Quarter Bucket List by clarion staff
1. String a hammock up between two shady trees on the South side of Wash Park. 2. Visit all of the Clarion’s 5 Secret Spots of DU. 3. Eat at one of the spots that the Clarion staff has reviewed for the Grind. 4. Day drink. ‘Nough said. 5. Have a watermelon seed spitting contest. 6. Skinny dip in one of the many decorative water elements around campus. 7. Go to St. Mary’s Glacier and jump in the lake after sliding down the ice. 8. After Memorial Weekend, rent a boat on Lake Dillon. Split the cost with friends and hone your fishing skills while enjoying the scenery. 9. Read the 2014 ‘Then and Now’ edition of DU’s literary journal, Foothills Visual and Textual Journal. 10. Head over to Little Man Ice Cream for a tasty treat on an especially warm night. 11. Get your jazz fix at Flo’s Underground, a night of free jazz by fellow DU students that is held every Friday in the basement of the Lamont School of Music. 12. Frolick in the backyard with a puppy. If you don’t have a backyard or a puppy, borrow them. 13. Attend Beans After Dark in Beans Cafe on campus for a selection of good wine and good company. Head over there on May 21 for a poetry reading hosted by English Honors fraternity Sigma Tau Delta. 14. Volunteer at a community or urban garden and help keep DU and Denver sustainable. 15. Read the Best of DU magazine on May 19.
When Kehn first took the stage and started waving his hands around in a manner not typical of a conductor, many in the audience exchanged nervous glances. This atypical style of conducting, led the orchestra through fluctuations of sound, using hand gestures to indicate how and when he wanted individual musicians to play their respective instruments. At one point, one of the percussionists started saying letters, at another, Kehn signed for the orchestra to laugh. He then promptly turned around and directed the audience to do the same, after a slight pause, a nervous laugh resounded through the auditorium. “Some of [the audience] had their eyes closed,” said Doddemeade. “Some of them were like ‘I don’t know what’s going on and I’m scared’ and some of them seemed ecstatic.” The composers were all part of the audience, including the subject of Goetzinger’s composition, his mother. Erin Goetzinger’s personality was captured through the fast tempo, unexpected pauses and boisterous melody, all of which were laced together with explicit intention.
“[The musicians] could all see the composers in the audience, and them hearing their piece that they wrote, the expressions on their faces were pure joy and it was so beautiful. It’s like seeing your child growing up and it was so touching for us to play,” said Doddemeade. Doddemeade also commented on the importance of collaboration in a world of modern music that is now being occupied by new talent. “I consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to collaborate at my age,” said Doddemeade. “The times are really changing in the music industry and collaboration is a necessity now, but I am so glad I get to do that because they might be famous someday and I could say ‘I played their music when they were in college, before any of you.’’’ Just recently, Doddemeade and other musicians from Lamont were chosen to play for a soundtrack composed by Hannah Greene, a Lamont graduate, for the project of two senior theater majors. More events are being held at Lamont; a full schedule can be viewed at the Lamont website at du.edu/lamont.
Now Leasing for 2014-2015!
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‘Spider-Man 2’ spins tangled web
photo courtesy of fanpop.com
In the new film, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” the web-slinging superhero must protect New York City from a super villain called Electro, who can manipulate electricity. The film was released in theaters May 2.
by meg mcintyre Entertainment Editor
Last Friday, May 2, the Marvel cinematic universe expanded once again with “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” the newest installment in the rebooted film series devoted to fans’ favorite webslinger. In this sequel, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield, “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”) delves once again into the mystery of his parents’ disappearance while also juggling relationship problems with his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone, “The Help”), and protecting the city of New York from constant threats. The relationship between Stacy and Parker plays a much more vital role in this film than in its predecessor and often acts as the catalyst for many of Parker’s decisions in his personal life and as Spider-Man. The prevalence of this relationship actually turns out to be an asset for the film, as it adds an emotional dynamic that was not as present in the first installment. Fans will certainly be rooting for the relationship
a villain, Electro’s character receives little development and is tossed aside unceremoniously as a new villain takes the stage. Though there may be too many storylines at play in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” the film is worth seeing if only for the dazzling special effects. The most captivating scenes come during Spider-Man’s battles with Electro. As Spider-Man weaves through the skyscrapers of New York, tendrils of pulsating electricity splay out around him like the roots of a radioactive tree, making him seem more miniscule than ever before. Electro himself is also very impressive, as Foxx has been transformed into a being essentially made of light. Another positive aspect of the film is its use of comedy. This reboot’s version of Spider-Man is the sassy, sarcastic Spider-Man of the original comic books rather than the morose, tortured Spider-Man of the Tobey Maguire era. His interactions with villains are full of puns and one-liners that are sure to make audiences chuckle. This helps to
make Parker’s character more likable as well, as it makes Spider-Man seem more human. Garfield’s performance stands out as the most captivating acting in the film. Near the end of the film, Parker must cope with severe emotional trauma, and Garfield delivers such a convincing performance that audiences may find themselves shedding a tear or two. DeHaan is also notable as Parker’s friend Harry Osborn and especially later as the Green Goblin. He is able to convey a level of desperation that allows the viewer to truly understand his motives and even feel sorry for him at times. His depiction of the Green Goblin is sinister and unsettling: a perfect combination for a villain. Though many aspects of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” could be improved, at its core, this film is an enjoyable experience. Those unfamiliar with the SpiderMan storyline may find themselves confused by the many interwoven plots, but even so, the comedy and special effects of the film can still be appreciated.
singer-songwriters, whether illusory Allen expresses her anger best, in the or real. Although much of the female jaunting line, “Second best will never pop-vocalist rivalry is created by the cut it for the divas / Give me that media, the pressure to be better, prettier crown, bitch, I wanna be Sheezus.” and more successful is never-ending for In “Hard Out Here,” the vocals women in the industry. reflect Lily Allen’s disThe lyrics talk of “She retains her gust with modern beauty several of the bigger standards, and the pop stars, Allen sing- crown as British idealization of certain ing “Ri-Ri isn’t scared dichotomies of beauty pop royalty in of Katy Perry’s roaring as she sings, “If you’re / Queen B’s going back ‘Sheezus,’ because not a size six, then you’re to the drawing / Lorde not good looking / Well, smells blood yeah she’s this album fits her you better be rich, or about to slay you / be real good at cooking We’re all watching Gaga, style but pushes / You should probably L-O-L, haha,” commentlose some weight ‘cause ing on the competition past her usual we can’t see your bones / each must face in order You should probably fix to stay popular. But like glass ceiling.” your face or you’ll end past hit singles, Allen’s up on your own.” newest video proves that satirical This is Allen’s first album since the commentary need not make a boring birth of her two children and recent record. Even though the song includes marriage, and her unhappiness with some of Allen’s personal input about unrealistic beauty standards is clearly social structure and what it means still a theme in her work. Just like the to be a star today, “Sheezus” might song “22,” from “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” be exactly the kind of single that the she reflects on fleeting youth and the music industry desperately needs. ridiculousness of aging about which
many young women worry about. The chorus is a catchy tune, and the entire song is upbeat despite the seriousness of Allen’s vocals. The cover of the album features Allen in the center of a staircase with the latin phrase, “Divide et Impera,” displayed behind her, which can be directly translated to “Divide and Rule.” She retains her crown as British pop royalty in “Sheezus,” because this album fits her style but pushes past her usual glass ceiling. “Air Balloon” and “Our Time” are far less serious, and both feature an uplifting chorus and typical catchy Allen vocals. The blend of dance-like, feel-good tunes and intensely-driven vocal performance provides the glue that makes this album work well as a whole. One of the last lines in “Hard Out Here” is the perfect culmination of the attitude reflected in this album: “And if you can’t detect the sarcasm you’ve misunderstood.” This album is proof of Allen’s staying power. For anyone curious on how a pop star can evolve gracefully and keep growing creatively, look no farther than “Sheezus.”
to succeed, despite the many obstacles that face the couple. The on-screen chemistry between Garfield and Stone is also undeniable, especially considering that the two are in a relationship off-screen, which makes their fictional relationship all the more endearing. While the execution of the romantic storyline is commendable, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” may include one too many plotlines overall. Over the course of the film, three separate villains are introduced, including Electro (Jamie Foxx, “Django Unchained”), the Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan, “Chronicle”) and Rhino (Paul Giamatti, “Sideways”). Though each of these villains is dynamic and interesting on his own, the film is simply not long enough to pay each of them the attention they are due. This is especially true for Electro, who is driven to villainy, not by inherent evil, but by mental illness. Despite his evil deeds, Electro is a character that audiences will feel sympathy for because he is more lonely than he is evil. Yet, after his original transformation into
‘Sheezus’ tackles sexism in music industry by maddy meredith Contributing Writer
If Lily Allen’s age means anything in the music industry, it is that with experience comes fearlessness. “Sheezus,” released May 4, is a much needed social commentary on her competition, social constructs and feminism in her own satirical twist. “Sheezus” is Allen’s third studio album and features two already popular tracks, “Hard Out Here” and “Our Time.” But while lightheartedness is present in this newest album, so is frustration. In what seems to be a reflection of the recent sphere of pop culture, Allen gives fans a unique perspective on what it means to be “relevant.” In the eponymous single “Sheezus,” a bold-faced Allen transforms into something of a monster, with added help of the backbeat and creepy vocal hook. Her usual cute voice becomes dark and focused, and the soft chorus in the background contributes to the melodramatic and theatrical sound of the song. The theme of this particular song has to do with the rivalry often felt by female
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MTV ‘faking it’ when it comes to being progressive by adam lujan Contributing Writer
It is the same old story: two outcast girls trying to become popular by doing whatever it takes. In MTV’s new comedy “Faking It” that means pretending to be lesbians. Set at the ultra-progressive (and obviously fictional) Hester High School in Austin, Texas, the show follows best friends Amy (Rita Volk, “The Hungover Games”) and Karma (Katie Stevens, “American Idol”) as they masquerade as the school’s newest lesbian couple in order to achieve social status. While the show paints itself as a post-modern, progressive project, it fails in its mission by creating caricatures of its characters and using important issues as bad punch lines. At Hester High, being different is the key to being popular. At the top of the food chain is openly gay Shane (Michael Willett, “G.B.F.”), who commands an open and accepting student body. Feeling invisible for being so “normal” (#WhiteGirlProblems), Karma is desperate to climb the social ladder. After Shane mistakes her and Amy for a lesbian couple, Karma seizes the opportunity. Shane befriends the two “girlfriends” and helps catapult them to instant popularity. Amy is uncomfortable with the lie but goes along with it for the sake of her friend. At the same time, Karma falls for dreamboat art student Liam (Gregg Sulkin, “Avalon High”). Like most comedies, the show relies on familiar stereotypes. Shane is a flamboyant, button-up gay student who is as
beautiful as he is shallow. Early in the episode, he remarks about always wanting “lesbian friends,” as if they are an accessory to his outfit—this is very ironic considering the long-standing tradition on television to have gay men as female protagonist’s “pets” (see: Stanford Blatch in “Sex and the City” or Jack in “Will & Grace”). In another fun stereotype—this time about lesbians—the show makes use of the idea that girl-ongirl action only exists to please straight men. With a premise that already sounds like the beginnings of a porno, Karma is not photo courtesy of trbmig.com shy to use her fake lesbian relationship to draw the The new MTV series, “Faking It,” is about two high school girls who pretend to be lesbians in order to gain popularity. attention of Liam, who be okay, much less broadcast on television could look like nice, accepting people. finds the whole situation extremely sexy. The idea of pretending to be gay to under the guise of “progress.” The most disappointing aspect of Sure, there are plenty of television the show is how it takes advantage of gay achieve something is also cringe-worthy. identity. The term “cultural appropriation” Just because the show takes place in a shows and films about girls completely comes to mind in the way “Faking It” school accepting of difference does not changing who they are to become poputakes issues actual gay teens have to deal mean people’s differences and identities lar. But “Faking It” takes it to an entirely with and makes a joke of them. In the first should be used to become popular and different and offensive level. It has its episode, Shane outs Amy and Karma to obtain a hot boyfriend, like Karma hopes genuine laugh-out-loud moments, and a receptive student body, going so far as to do. Imagine if all of the black students the acting is not nearly as terrible as other to get them nominated for homecoming at the school were the most popular, so MTV shows, but it makes a mockery of queens. Instead of being a personal deci- Karma adopted blackface in order to fit gay identity with stereotypical characters sion, coming out is forced upon Amy and in. It is the same idea; taking on someone and situations. “Faking It” airs Tuesdays on MTV at Karma (who are not even gay), all so Shane else’s cultural, racial, sexual or gender and the rest of the progressive school identity for personal gain should never 10:30/9:30c.
Lykke Li completes trilogy ‘Vikings’ strike true in finale
photo courtesy of josepvinaixa.com
The cover of Lykke Li’s new album, “I Never Learn.”
maddy meredith Contributing Writer
“I Never Learn,” the third album in a series by Swedish vocalist Lykke Li, challenges what it means to be in love. Beautiful, semi-tragic and thought-provoking, this album is the third of a trilogy of albums. “Youth Novels,” “Wounded Rhymes,” and now “I Never Learn” is the evidence of five years of artistic development. In a recent interview about the album, Li discussed the mature themes of love and loss, stating, “It’s always about me and the guilt and shame and the hurt and the pride and the confusion of being a woman.” The most prominent example of the vocal emphasis in this album presents itself in “Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone.” The acoustic guitar, softly strummed in the background, is the only barrier between the listener and lyrics. This creates an intimate feeling in the song, in which it feels like the listener is right there with her. The atmospheric quality of the song and the sadness of the singer’s simple utterances prove Li’s soft, ache-y style is here to stay. Lyrics like “Even though it hurts / Love me like I’m not made of stone / Devil’s hand across my heart / As we dance through the dark / Go ahead love me deep until you can’t,” tell of the emotional and physical challenges of a mature love. Taking the risk to love someone, Li thinks, must surely be worth it. Accepting the flaws of another
person, realizing who they are and loving them anyway, is part of the growing process—and we should love them no matter how badly it hurts. In “No Rest for the Wicked,” the soft piano intro and demonstration of Li’s vocal range transform this song into an almost theatrical number. This is Li’s first-love-lost song, and it comes across in every one of the lyrics. “There’s no hope for the weary / You let them win without a fight,” croons Li, asking us all to “Hold on a little longer / Don’t let them get away.” Her depression comes through clearly, but despite the song’s dark meaning, it is far from what fans have heard from Li in the past. Themes of lost love and romance are usual, but this song goes above and beyond in the overall schema. This song is styled differently than the two previous albums, but Li’s voice is still the highlight, and the chorus is the kind of entrancing magic that holds audience interest. The background piano is haunting, melodic and almost hollow—the kind of muted, ethereal noise that allows for Li’s vocal edginess to be the true focus. But where this song truly shines is in taking the sadness of a lost love and transforming it into a kind of amazing, quietly understated remembrance. And perhaps the most emotionally charged song on the album, “Gunshot,” will remind you what heartbreak feels and sounds like. “Gunshot,” which some have connected to the introduction of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” is Li’s antithesis to the slowed-down “Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone.” It’s easy to connect to the drum and guitar in the back, perfectly timed with the agonizing sentimentality of Li’s voice: “I was dreaming about you honey / I was hoping you’d take me / And the shot goes through my head and back / Gunshot, I can’t take it back.” Her angst and frustration over the break-up are as translucent as this song’s highs and lows collide. Fans of Lykke Li will view this album as a move away from “Youth Novels” and “Wounded Rhymes,” but in the best possible way. The themes of this trilogy, break-ups, heartbreak and emotional longing, are still present, but the actual styling of the songs are reminiscent of the growth and experiences that have brought Li to this point since 2008.
by kaitlynne birkett Copy Chief
It was a rough season for the characters of the History Channel show “Vikings.” With a first season cliffhanger, the second season promised to kick up its intensity—which it did to the highest extent. This season, in addition to dealing with Jal Borg (Thorbjørn Harr, “Reprise”) and Rollo Lothbrok’s (Clive Standen, “Hammer of the Gods”) betrayal, Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel, “The Baytown Outlaws”) battled with the local King Horik (Donal Logue, “Grounded for Life”), as well as the kings across the sea in England, where the warriors of Kattegat have been raiding. Ragnar also faced the fact of his infidelity to his wife, Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick, “Love and Other Drugs”)—and she, in turn, decided how to respond. The second season was a captivating adventure full of twists and turns. Who would have guessed that the first scene of a battle between Borg and Ragnar would eventually lead to so many different paths? The finale episode, entitled “The Lord’s Prayer,” is an excellent encapsulation of all the things viewers love about “Vikings.” Horik, who has decided that he wants to wipe out the entire Lothbrok clan, hires a variety of allies who have orders to kill anyone, even children, that have the last name of Lothbrok. Luckily, Ragnar, Lagertha and everyone else already have a plan to deal with Horik’s suspected betrayal. It was interesting choice by the show’s creator, Michael Hirst (“The Tudors”), to keep the finale close to the warriors’ home. A majority of the preceding episodes found the raiders spending a lot of time on the English shores, both fighting and making truces. The decision definitely worked to “Vikings”’ advantage though— instead of switching between locations, the finale episode allowed everyone to interact on their home ground. By choosing to bring all the characters to Kattegat, it both provided a sense of finality for the season, as well as potential for the third. As usual, the acting is impeccable. Athelstan (George Blagden, “Les
Miserables”), former priest, ex-slave to Ragnar and his eventual friend, has the most powerful scene this season. After being left behind by his fellow raiders, he is crucified by some members of the church, because he had converted to the Viking religion. Hands nailed to a cross, blood streaking down his face, the look in Blagden’s eyes is one that is hard to forget. More great acting also comes from Winnick, the actress that played Lagertha. Her character faced a variety of difficult choices this season—after leaving Ragnar on account of his infidelity, she eventually gets married to another man, who abuses her and eventually tries to kill her. Lagertha spent the majority of her marriage to him trying not to anger him, in an effort to protect Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig, “The Hunger Games”), her and Ragnar’s son. Things eventually become too much for her, so allied with members from her town, she kills her abusive husband and takes over his earldom. “Vikings” has been confirmed for a third season, which will come out next year. It will be difficult to predict what exactly will happen next season, as the second season covered a great expanse of plot in ten episodes. Obviously, some of the people of Kattegat will move to England, where they have been promised land, as well as mercenary work. This precludes problems, as the king that gave them land, Ecbert (Linus Roache, “Batman Begins”), undoubtedly has something up his sleeve. Since the first season and second season saw a jump of several years, it would be possible that Ragnar and his current wife, Aslaug’s (Alyssa Sutherland, “The Devil Wears Prada”), sons to grow up and become a vital part of the story as Bjorn did this season. Though Lagertha’s ascension to earldom seemed relatively easy, it will be interesting to see how that pans out—does everyone approve of her leadership or her support of Ragnar? Though it will be a long and arduous year of waiting until Vikings returns and answers these questions, the recent announcement of its renewal is great news to all fans. Vikings is shown Thursdays on the History Channel—look out for it in 2015.
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Superhero films depict troubling trend
photo courtesy of hitfix.com
“Guardians of the Galaxy” is one of the many superhero films set to be released in the near future. Marvel has film releases planned until 2028
by kaitlynne birkett Copy Chief
In addition to the rapid rise of dystopian movies in the past four years, the film industry’s production of superhero movies has soared— both in number of films and money made from each film. Companies like Marvel and DC have begun planning years in advance for the number of upcoming superhero-based films (Marvel has even planned until 2028 with their films). All of the upcoming films are based on comics, with some of them being reboots. Most obvious is the recent (and better) remake of “Spider-Man,” as well as the plans for a Ben Affleck Batman. In the next two years, Marvel’s plan for films is the summer releases of “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” 2015 releases of a rebooted “Fantastic Four,” “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Antman,” and 2016 releases of “Captain America 3,” “X-Men: Apocalypse” and “The Amazing Spider-Man 3.” Potential
2016 releases also include “Sinister Six” and “Doctor Strange.” Though Marvel appears to be the highest grossing superhero-centric company, DC is still trying hard to make its way in the market, with expected releases of “Batman vs. Superman” in 2016, “Justice League” in 2018 and “Wonder Woman,” with no anticipated release date. The rest of 2014’s comic bookbased films include “Godzilla,” “Jupiter Ascending,” a new “Transformers” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” in addition to many others. The expansive film plans will be exciting for any fans of action or superheroes, but it demonstrates a very troubling trend in the Hollywood sphere. Nearly no high-budget, high-income films are based off of original work. Sequels, reboots and translations seem to be the only thing major Hollywood companies want to produce at this point in time, all in the name of making money. Sadly, even though a vast number of movies were previously books or movies, society is still buying tickets and feeding the frenzy. Out of the top 10 overall grossing
films in the world, seven of them were sequels to previous films; in addition, two of the films were based off books, two were reboots of previous franchises and five were comic book translations to the silver screen. From where is this troubling trend coming? Some speculate that this is a subconscious reaction to 9/11 and the following war on terror. These superheroes in the films viewers pay so much to watch provide both a distraction from internal fears and hope for a better world. Another reason could be the drop in movie attendance, with admissions falling by 20 million between 2012 and 2013. This causes a rise in ticket prices to keep the theaters functioning (as well as a rise in refreshment and concession prices); in turn, the industry has to churn out a mass market film that will help them actually make money. The cost of creating a movie in most cases has soared past the revenue actually gained. Finally, another reason is accessibility. Nowadays with the influx of Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime, it has become
much easier and affordable to buy a membership and wait for the film to hit laptop screens everywhere, instead of having to drive to a theater and then deal with the potential for loud patrons, while forking over ten dollars. Yet Hollywood’s ability to pull from comic books is pretty selective, as it is with books and reboots. All these superhero movies? Nearly no people of color. The inclusion of women? Laughable. The industry has been overcome by the need for race normativism, which is unrealistic and close-minded. For all the upcoming films, this trend shows no slight chance of change. The industry seems to believe that the inclusion of a single minority character hits an internal quota, therefore allowing the rest of the cast to be white. One specific example is the upcoming “Star Wars VII.” Out of the seven newly cast characters, only one is female and only one is not white. Another example is the racism fiasco that occurred during the casting of “The Amazing SpiderMan” back in 2010. Donald Glover (“Community”) was initially poised to take over the part of Peter Parker, yet an utterly astounding backlash against a black Spider-Man ultimately led to Andrew Garfield (“The Social Network”) getting the part (though Marvel claimed the casting decision was not due to racial biases). Though there are a variety of problems with the industry of superherodom right now, that does not diminish the fact that a good many of these newly released films are enjoyable and, in some cases, great. With each passing film that makes millions, each following film has a vast amount of money at its disposal. Even in the past five years, film technology has immensely improved as an asset to both production companies and viewers. Representing more minorities in films does not look to be a change that will be happening soon, just as the film industry does not seem to be backing off its gigantic superhero output. If indie movies look to be more your type, make sure you go out and support them in theaters, lest the blockbusters engulf films everywhere; if you are a lover of action and big hit movies, you have definitely got a busy and funpacked couple of years in front of you.
‘Bad Teacher’ spinoff is not all bad by daniel muzi Contributing Wrtier
Most of the time, television programs are turned into movies and not the other way around. Yet in recent years, we have seen several high profile movie franchises make the transition to the silver screen, including “The Avengers” (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) and “Terminator” (“The Sarah Connor Chronicles”). Even fewer single, non-franchise movies make the jump, and CBS’ “Bad Teacher” is one such show. Based (extremely) loosely on the Cameron Diaz movie of the same name, “Bad Teacher” tells the story of a recently divorced woman, Meredith Davis (Ari Graynor, “Fringe”), who is left with no settlement from her wealthy husband due to a comprehensive prenup she did not read. As a result, she must move in with her friend and her family. Her friend’s step-daughter Lily, played by Hollywood newcomer Sara Rodier, suggests that Meredith pose as a teacher to meet a rich single dad. While the plot of the pilot seems like a carbon copy of the movie, there are several key differences. The most glaring difference from the Diaz movie is that Graynor’s character was never a teacher beforehand. While Diaz started as a teacher and returned to her old job when her rich boyfriend dumped her, in the show Davis receives her job at Richard Nixon Middle
School on the back of a fake resume. This subtle change creates a wealth of opportunities for plot points later on, as characters may find out about the fraud and threaten to expose her. It is also a genius move on the part of CBS, who can pull the plug on the series at any time, wrapping it all up with an episode where Davis’ resume is exposed as a fake and she is fired. Most of the other differences in the pilot are small, such as changes in names and personalities, a required step when moving from film to television, especially given that a sequel to the movie is also currently in production. After getting hired by the clearly smitten Principal, Carl Gaines (David Alan Grier, “In Living Color”), Davis becomes reaquainted with high school classmate Joel Kotsky, played by Ryan Hansen (“2 Broke Girls”), who knows her personality from high school but is attracted to her nonetheless. Once at the school, the second major difference from the movie becomes clear: Davis may be a golddigger on the surface, but her heart is gold underneath. Diaz’s character was entirely self-serving throughout the movie, as her only motivation for actually teaching her students was monetary. Graynor’s character, on the other hand, sets aside her monetary ambitions at many points in order to help out her students and fellow teachers. She is still a bad teacher, but she does help her
photo courtesy of latimes.com
The new series “Bad Teacher” is based on the film of the same name and stars Ari Graynor.
students learn valuable life lessons, which can be just as important as book smarts. Graynor’s acting provides for quality comedic moments, but it is not an overwhelming outstanding performance. Some of the best moments, however, come from Graynor’s co-stars, not from the lead, which could prove to be problematic later in the show. While the premise of the show is just as bad as that of the movie, the series does show promise that it could be better. The pilot’s plot is similar to
the first part of the movie, which allows viewers to overlook the poor writing and clichéd scenes. The times where the show diverged were the best moments in the episode, so one can only hope that as the series gets further from the movie, the episodes will improve. If you find some free time, you may want to watch an episode or two, but waiting and checking in towards the end of the season might be the best option. “Bad Teacher” airs Thursdays at 9:30/8:30c. on CBS.
May 7, 2014
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Actually read the Pio-Net terms and conditions by katerina arzhayev Contributing Writer
It is a typical occurrence for the average DU student to be sitting at their desk in their dorm room, surrounded by dirty plates and various clothing items that have been scattered with precision, browsing the Internet. Perhaps your location of choice is in the JMAC lobby or maybe you like sitting in an unreserved room in the library, secretly hoping someone will come and kick you out so that you can finally get some human contact. Regardless of where you enjoy browsing the Internet, one thing holds the entire student body together: the network (and, let’s be honest, even that only works half the time). In order to connect to the network, the user must read the terms and conditions and agree to them. While I am sure that all of us are model citizens and have done so, I have decided to analyze the policy to which we are all agreeing to, and found that it is very open-ended and prone to interpretation. In order to create a safer network environment for the school, it is crucial the policy be rewritten. The new network, released in 2013, features many options that have not been previously available. For example, guests no longer use the same network as students and staff, and when they do, their bandwidth is limited. With the rise of game consoles, the Information Technology (IT) staff has added a new connection for gamers to use.
This connection features very fast speeds in order to support heavy traffic and is hidden from Wi-Fi detectors. In order to access the connection, called “DU Game Consoles ONLY”, manually add the SSID, no log in required. Unfortunately, this network does not boast the fastest DU Internet speeds. A ping of 15 - 20 milliseconds (ms), download speeds of 40 – 45 megabytes per second (Mb/ps) and an upload speed between 25 and 30 Mb/ps it is lower than that of Pioneernet, which, according to many tests from student internet users around campus using speedtest.net, has ping speeds of 4 – 8ms, download speeds of 85 – 90 Mb/ ps, and upload speeds of 63 – 68 Mb/ps. To those knowledgeable in computer jargon, you will know that even this increase means nothing as Google Fiber boasts speeds up to 1GB, but we won’t complain. What does cause lament are DU’s new policies regarding network usage. From the University Technology Services website, we learn that “users found to have violated any of the … policies will be subject to disciplinary action including, but not limited to reprimand, suppression, discharge, denial of access privileges, probations, academic expulsion and/or legal action.” The page goes on to list a variety of different rules that, in essence, say the following: 1) The university is in compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. This means that watching copyrighted videos on Youtube, Hulu, Cucirca
and Project Free TV is punishable. It also entails that torrenting of any kind: programs, ebooks, music, tv shows, movies, etc, is likewise illegal. 2) Using excess bandwidth is condemned. Outlined in the policy, “sending unsolicited bulk electronic mail or distributing unsolicited material through group communication channels” and “running grossly inefficient programs when efficient alternatives are available” is heavily frowned upon. A lot of USG candidates (who sent out unsolicited bulk emails) and Internet Explorer (which is extremely inefficient) users I know are in trouble. 3) Abusing the network and computer privileges is bad. Word for word, the clause says, “Abuse of networks to which the University belongs or computers at other sites connected to those networks will be treated as an abuse of University computing privileges.” Open to interpretation, this little clause is a loophole for the administration to be able to do what they want if they needed. 4) If you don’t report a problem with the network to administration, you will face legal penalties (how many times did you not click “send error report?”). 5) If need be, the University’s Vice Chancellor for University Technology Services or a designate, can authorize the inspection of all data, including monitoring of messages that go through the server. This person also has the power to authorize random, general inspections of the
network. These inspections come up with reports about what ID numbers are going where and whether the administration should be concerned. Remember when, as a high school student living at home, your mom would come and stand behind you when you were using the computer? Even though you were probably not doing something bad or, god forbid illegal, you would still open up Google and stare at it intensely until she left. Or maybe open up an already open Wikipedia article and pretend to be reading it or doing homework. Anything but what you were actually doing. Now, your Mommy doesn’t have to stand over your shoulder — she can read a report on your internet activity, and “Incognito Mode” won’t save you this time. Even though there are some arguments that could be made for this policy to persist, the amount of vague points and open-ended statements warrants worry even from informed users. The policy, in its current form, allows the administration a lot of leeway in determining what is and isn’t reasonable cause, without letting the student body know. Even the information provided does not completely outline what is and isn’t “honorable” according to university policy. By creating a more transparent network usage policy, students, faculty and guests will be able to know what actions warrant discipline and will be able to better refrain from such actions.
radius from your current location. Students are primarily privy to anything generated on DU’s campus. You can find just about anything on there. As of Friday, May 2nd at 1:30 p.m., I learned that “ZBT sleeps in their socks,” everyone agrees “this new snapchat is absurdly complicated” and someone “spent the entire Nagel fire alarm fully erect.” These posts, or what is now also called “yaks,” range from mildly amusing to utterly stale, yet others are not so tame. Whether the comments contain sexually-explicit, violence-oriented or conflict-generating content, many of DU’s yaks are hurtful, offensive and unacceptable. An NBC Today segment reported that there has been an explosion of cyberbullying conducted through this app from middle schools to universities. The danger of this system is the lack of accountability; nameless equals blameless. In a Fox News article, Parry Aftab, an attorney who specializes in Internet privacy and security law, stated that in her opinion, “If people know what they’re doing is being monitored, they tend to think twice.” There-
fore, Yik Yak is providing people with anonymity that, in turn, incites more inappropriate and insensitive comments. Think back to the movie “Bambi.” What did Thumper’s father tell him? “If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.” Regardless of anonymity, it is critical to consider the necessity and implication of our words. Our generation has recently, more than ever before, taken to heart one of the founding principles of the United States of America: freedom of speech. In other words, freedom to speak any and every trivial thought that flickers into the mind. Freedom to anonymously bully members of our community. Freedom to cross the line. In trying to protect individuals from personal harassment or verbal abuse we need to recognize that it is not about censorship, it is about consideration. There is, however, a community building factor to such negativity; finding mutual frustrations or “enemies” can create solidarity. One recent yak read, “Why do I even bother going to Sodexo when I’m hungover. I can’t stomach any of this
s**t.” Even if you do not drink, most students could relate to the dissatisfaction with dining services. Nevertheless, most other criticism, especially when directed at individuals, can have unforeseen consequences once beyond the confines of your friend group. There is currently a poster hanging in the Nelson Dining Hall that reads, “Words will never hurt me … ya right.” This does not lead to the conclusion that Americans need thicker skin, it is telling of our culture of criticism and an urgent need for some schooling in compassion. I am not requesting the university ban Yik Yak; I am not demanding students delete it. I am asking students to recognize that their comments can be cruel, that objectifying people is offensive and demeaning and that there are so many reasons to highlight the positive over the negative. It is my hope that students volunteer to maintain a filter of consideration for their posts or delete the app and help DU’s community take a step towards cultivating compassion by becoming a bully-free zone.
Yik Yak’s anonymous comments are too insensitive by naomi forman Staff Writer
The disease of the 21st century: word vomit. Yuck … or more like Yik Yak. Yik Yak is a new social media platform where individuals can post anonymously in location-based feeds. This smartphone app has become a major contributing factor to an increase of word vomit nationwide. This affliction rivals concerns of a zombie apocalypse; forget your flamethrowers and pitchforks and instead pick up some brown paper bags and screen protectors. Yik Yak is rampaging around our campus and needs to be reined in or altogether removed. The structure of this app fosters increased verbal abuse; as an institution that emphasizes inclusivity, we should not condone any form of cyberbullying. Launched this past December, Yik Yak currently has an estimated 250,000 member following and is active on nearly one hundred college campuses. It is a social media platform, similar to Twitter, but entirely anonymous. It generates a feed based on a 1.5-mile
Pioneer Voices:
how do you feel about the title ix investigation at du?
connor smith Freshman California
“I think it’s a very serious issue that a lot of students don’t know enough about.”
alex aghishian Freshman California
“I’m not sure, but I’d like to know more about it.”
timbo agee Sophomore Colorado
“I’ve heard we’re one of 55 schools, but I don’t know enough about it so I can’t have a real opinion”
scarlett jimenez Freshman Colorado
“I don’t think it’s something DU should necessarily be ashamed of, but we should rather take pride in trying the fix the issues.
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Disney film is finally realistic Remember to celebrate by emma mckay Opinions Editor
It’s relatively easy to pick out the lessons to be found in every Disney movie - Hakuna Matata and respect your elders (“The Lion King”), beauty is within (“Beauty and the Beast”), understand cultural differences (“Pocahontas”), or don’t let your gender define you (“Mulan”), but “Frozen” has reached a new level of morality. Past Disney movies certainly present kids with valuable life lessons (perhaps with the exception of “The Little Mermaid” … “change yourself for a man,”) but you can practically hear the Disney executive saying “Hmm, what could make us look good? Oh, a black Disney princess? Let’s check that off the list.” It’s great that Disney has been making the effort to be inclusive and address important social justice issues, but until now, it has seemed a bit staged. With “Frozen”, the important message isn’t being thrown in your face, but rather subtly included as a regular part of life. We don’t walk away feeling like Disney had an agenda, but rather that it is beginning to conform to modern social norms that are important for Disney to support when millions of children will watch and learn from its films. “Frozen” is a film about love, but not in the way you might think. Yes, there are romantic interests for our Disney princess
Anna, but the key to the story is sisterly love, not finding a man to marry. At first as viewers, we expect the story to go in the typical direction: Anna finds a handsome prince, saves the town from an evil curse and then marries the love of her life to live happily ever after—all while only knowing this handsome prince for upwards of a few days. But that’s not what happens. Anna does find a handsome prince and she wants to marry him. In most other films, the entire town would rejoice at this news. Their wedding would become the most important part and, to prove that everyone lived happily ever after, the ending scene would show Anna and her prince on their wedding day, googly-eyed and in love. But instead, her older sister Elsa knocks some sense into her saying “You can’t marry someone you just met.” Disney has introduced a smidge of reality into its films, and it’s refreshing. The concepts of “love at first sight” or “marrying your one true love the second you’re old enough” are nice, surely, but it’s great to be reminded that love isn’t always so easy—and that’s OK. Better yet, once the viewer is convinced that Disney’s little life lesson of the day has already passed in the film, it throws a curve ball. Anna’s love interest—her picture perfect prince who she didn’t know well enough to marry—turns out to be bad. He only wanted to marry her for
her princess status so he himself could take over the throne. The lesson becomes more apparent — love isn’t always what it seems. Even after all of this, another love interest pops into the picture as it is revealed that another man, Kristoff, is in love with Anna, and only he can break a curse that requires an “act of true love.” Modern day viewers are certainly already satisfied with Disney’s point that love isn’t always so easy, so it seems like the film will wrap up as Kristoff saves the day, and Anna still gets her happily ever after. She does indeed get her happy ending, but Disney couldn’t have ended the film on a better note. Instead of Kristoff saving her, she saves herself with an act of love towards Elsa by saving her from her evil-handsome-prince-ex-boyfriend. Can you say “badass?” Anna and Kristoff end up kissing, but that detail is hardly important to the end of the story or Anna’s happily ever after. Viewers don’t even know if they end up getting married, or if it doesn’t work out and Anna’s search for love continues. The point is it doesn’t matter. The kingdom is saved and Anna can now spend more time with the real love of her life—her sister. It’s adorable and contradicts every norm we’ve come to expect from all films, Disney or not. Finally, a film that points out the reality of life and doesn’t teach kids to expect a fairy tale.
Sustainability, whose mission is to facilitate the collaboration of DU’s “go Green” efforts and provide a supportive home base for those involved. This central office, headed by Chad King, is responsible for the mobile bike shop that is student maintained, as well as the recent establishment of the Nagel basement bike shop. DU is a certified Bike Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists. Beyond bikes, the Center has taken personal sustainable initiatives such as constructing a “living wall” that is enabling them to grow lettuce in and for their office. There are opportunities to work for and intern with this Center, which students can learn more about by contacting chad. king@du.edu or following them on Facebook. Some of DU’s sustainable efforts are less visible, such as the Office of Internationalization’s program to offset students’ air travel by planting trees, or Daniels College of Business’ group, Net
Impact, whose mission is “raising awareness for and promotion of socially responsible and sustainable business practices.” The Graduate School of Social Work also has an organization called EcoConscious, which “aims to promote conservation and environmental justice within the social work profession and to demonstrate such principles in the classroom and community.” More recent go green developments on DU include last year’s founding of Students for Sustainable Food (SSF), DU Vegan and Vegetarian Society (DUVVS) and Divest DU. Through co-programing with organizations like DU Environmental Team and dedicated efforts to expand DU’s gardens, SSF has been attempting to bring more local, organic and real food to campus. According to a CNN article, a typical American meal travels about 1,500 miles to reach the dinner table. This results in about twenty percent of our coun-
Mom’s day this weekend Mother’s Day weekend. At a time when most college students are just wrapping up their academic year and heading back home for the summer, here at DU we still have another month of hard work ahead of us. In the bustle of finishing up midterms and working on projects that always seem to pop up around this time, it can be far too easy to let any meaningful recognition and celebration of Mother’s Day slip through the cracks. This, however, is a tragedy to be avoided. Everyone comes from a different situation at home: Some of us come from traditional American two parent households, some were raised by single parents, some were adopted and some lie along the diverse spectrum in between. While different upbringings create different expectations and traditions for Mother’s Day, everyone should make some effort to recognize and honor their biological or spiritual mother sometime this Sunday, May 11. For those students from Colorado where a trip home is feasible, there is no better way to show that you care than by spending the day with your mother. Showing up by surprise before the
sun comes up to make breakfast in bed would undoubtedly impress, even if it requires some advance planning on Saturday night. For those of us hailing from out of state where a trip home would involve great expense and hassle, there are plenty of ways to express how we feel from afar. Something that is truly representative of you and your talents will go much farther than sending a pre-bought card or arranging a flower delivery. This is a chance to show that, even from a distance, you are willing to take time out of your day to send something back home. Think about writing a heartfelt poem expressing your feelings and how lucky you are to have an amazing, thoughtful and special woman in your life. Or maybe making a bracelet or other small craft to send to her with a letter of gratitude. Think outside the box. It is your mother, and no one knows better than you what will make her day. In the end, it is all about how much you care and how much time and effort you are willing to put into making your mother feel special. A call and a card may be nice, but are stereotypical. A visit, poem or unexpected surprise will go a lot farther in showing your mother that she means a lot more to you than any store bought item ever can.
try’s fossil fuel consumption being allocated to the food chain. You can contact SSF at dustudentsforsustainablefood@gmail.com or find them on Facebook. DUVVS is also a student organization that emphasizes a dietary approach to sustainability. They have recognized the immense environmental benefit to leaving animal products out of our diets. According to Peter Singer, author, professor and well-known moral philosopher, “We are, quite literally, gambling with the future of our planet—for the sake of hamburgers.” “Scientific American” highlighted the results of a 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that said “the meat in [our diets] cause more greenhouse gases … than either transportation or industry.” Meat’s not green, so DUVVS is trying to minimize our consumption. To get involved, find them on Facebook. Lastly, Divest was founded during the initial months of
our current academic year and is attempting to convince the University to reallocate its investments. As stated on their website in an open letter to Chancellor Coombe, “it is unethical for our university to invest in companies that will condemn the planet to climate disaster.” Therefore, their current campaign is surrounding the promotion of a petition to encourage DU to stop supporting companies and practices involving immense utilization of fossil fuels. They have received immense support from other organizations, and it is clear groups new and old are interested in collaborating. The common goal is to promote sustainable living in order to prevent environmental degradation and preserve an inhabitable world for ourselves and future generations. With so many avenues for action, there is no excuse for not getting involved. And it might just land you a tree -hugging hottie.
by danny zimny-schmitt Contributing Writer
No more excuses: It’s time to go green by naomi forman Staff Writer
What did the tree-hugging hottie say to the person in the SUV? … Turning off your engine gets my motor humming. It may be cheesy, but sustainability is certainly getting people excited here at DU. Efforts to go green on campus have become bigger and more common. From the success of our fifth Annual Earth Day Summit, held on Friday, April 25, to the fast-growing support for new campaigns like Divest, the DU community’s demands for sustainability are strengthening. To keep this movement going and continue our journey towards a campus greener than its grass, students need to become and remain involved. Whether you are into composting, outdoor activities or education, you can find an organization, program or campaign that suits you. Since 2012, DU has had its very own Center for
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Staff Writers
Editorial Board
Sawyer D’Argonne Naomi Forman
alex johnson lanna giauque
Editor-Elect
carli hansen
News Editor
camilla sterne
Lifestyles Editor
logan baker
Assistant Editor paul heinen
Web Editor
Editor-in-Chief
kaitlynne birkett
Co-Copy Chief
sarah ford
Managing Editor Digital Director
emma mckay
Opinions Editor
breanna demont
meg mcintyre
Contributing Editor
Entertainment Editor Social Media Director
gusto kubiak
Photography Editor calvin jouard
Sports Editor
connor davis
Assistant Editor
maddy meredith
Copy Editor
Contributing Photographers Heather Kraft
Staff Photographers Emily Krebs
Faculty Adviser
Andrew Matranga
Senior Reporters
Kaitlynne Birkett Isabel McCan Jillian Queri Brandon Tate
Contributing Writers
Katerina Arzhayev Kellsie Brannen Mae Birtch Makayla Cisneros Adam Lujan Courtney Luster Julia Mason Maddy Meredith Gigi Peccolo Danny Zimny-Schmitt
Online and Digital Sales Lead JD Arora
Advertising Representative Isa Almy
Advertising Manager
Adrienne Leonard
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May 7, 2014
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A less than Keeping all eyes on the prize Sterling stance Pios eyeing NCAA tourney following first MPSF Championship by jillian queri Senior Reporter
On Sunday, May 4, the Pioneers received their opponent for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Selection Show was broadcasted live, making the Pioneers selected opponent a surprise. Denver will be facing the Jacksonville Dolphins on May 9 in Gainesville, Florida. The winner of this game will then move on to the No. 4 Florida Gators.
“It’s going to be another battle next weekend. We’ve talked a lot as a squad about playing our best lacrosse in May and it looks like that is happening. ” Meredith Harris, senior midfielder “Jacksonville is a good opponent,” said senior Meredith Harris. “I’m looking forward to facing them. It’s going to be another battle next weekend. We’ve talked a lot as a squad about playing our best lacrosse in May, and it looks like that is happening for us. We’re looking forward to playing another week.” gusto kubiak|clarion This will be the second Senior attacker Jenn Etzel eyes the goal during the Pioneers’ 18-9 win over Oregon. Etzel had three goals and four assists in the game. consecutive year that the Pioneers Sports Federation Confer- pionship’s final game. University of Oregon Ducks will face ence ChamWith the win against and came away with an 18-9 Meredith Harris the Dolp i o n s h i p s Stanford, DU broke their win. phins in (MPSF) and record for longest winning Seniors Etzel and Harris »6 goals, 6 assists the first walked away streak with 16 victories. led Denver with a combined last weekend round of victorious. “We played well. We played 15 points against Oregon. games. Last E ar n i n g really good lacrosse against Stan- Harris had a hat trick, along year, Denver the con- ford. Going on to Florida is just with sophomore Christa Resse won 14-7, but f e r e n c e another opportunity for us to and junior Kiki Boone. Senior fell to Florida in the title, the continue to improve as a team,” Sonorah Vineyard recorded a second round, 16-5. Pioneers said Head Coach Liza Kelly. team-high of seven total draw “We need to earned The MPSF All-Tourna- controls on the day. take it one game at an auto- ment Team was revealed after USC, CU Boulder and a time. We need to m a t i c Denver’s win and consists of San Diego State were also in focus on Jacksonville. s e l e c - four Pioneers: Harris, Hannah attendance, but all fell short to Jacksonville is a great tion to Hook, Annabelle Gilbride and winning the title. team and they have had the 2014 Jenn Etzel. an awesome season. NCAA Denver Our focus is going Wo m e n’s redshirt junior to be completely on L a c r o s s e goalie, Hook, them,” said Kelly. T o u r n a - received the Championship ment. This MPSF Tournaweekend (semiwill be Den- ment MVP finals and chamver’s second con- honor after pionship game) secutive NCAA recording nine will be held at appearance. saves against the Johnny Unitas Defeating No. 18 Stanford. Hook Stadium in Towson, Stanford University is also a nomiMaryland on May 23 14-11 in the champion- nee for the and 25. ship game, the No. 20 2014 TewaarLast weekend, Pioneers extended their ton Award. the University of winning streak to 16 games. In the Denver’s women’s This is the sixth time in s e m i - f i n a l lacrosse team hosted school history that Denver has game, the Piogusto kubiak|clarion the Mountain Pacific advanced the conference cham- neers faced the Junior attackman Jill Remenapp cradles the ball during a game.
The Clarion sports staff dives into the world of athletics. by saWyer d’argonne Staff Writer
Recently, the city of Los Angeles was shaken by scandal as Clippers owner Donald Sterling was implicated with racist remarks. TMZ broke the news with a recording in which Sterling was heard berating his assistant and mistress, V. Stiviano, for associating with African Americans publicly, stating that he would prefer if she not bring them to his games. These shocking remarks landed Sterling in the hot seat, as widespread outrage began to extend through the sports world, the public, and inevitably to new NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. While Silver’s response to the news was somewhat controversial and will likely end up being contended in court, his decisiveness was a breath of fresh air. After confirming that the voice in the tape did indeed belong to Sterling, Silver handed down his punishment: a lifetime ban from the NBA and a 2.5 million dollar fine. Punishments may continue as the NBA has the right, with a three-fourths majority vote of the other 29 owners, to force Sterling to sell the team. While support for Silver’s decision amomg NBA owners is widespread, it seems that barring a long legal battle with the league, Sterling may well have to sell his team and sever all of his ties with the NBA. This would undoubtedly represent a much improved league, as the choice to ban Sterling for life was a clear message to the rest of the NBA, but has also set a precedent for all of professional sports that racism will no longer be tolerated. It seems like just yesterday that we were reading headlines and listening to ESPN segments about the Philadelphia Eagle’s wide receiver Riley Cooper, as he shared his own racist remarks. While Cooper received only a fine from the league, clearly the NBA is sending a message by dealing out the most deliberate and severe punishment they could. There are some that argue his punishment may have been too harsh, considering the fact that these sentiments were said in private and leaked presumably by his exassistant who is currently in a legal battle of her own with the Sterling family. No doubt the means by which the tapes were revealed were somewhat perfunctory.
SEE sterling, PAGE 16
May 22, 7, 2014 2012
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Pioneers seeing déjà vu in playoff matchup www.duclarion.com
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May 7, 2014
Men’s lacrosse to play UNC in quarterfinals for third straight year by calvin jouard Sports Editor
The men’s lacrosse team can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Sunday night’s 2014 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship Selection Show removed all doubt, as the Pioneers were seeded fifth in the field of 18 and will take on the unranked University of North Carolina Tar Heels this Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. It is a familiar matchup considering recent history. Saturday signals the third consecutive meeting between DU and UNC in the NCAA tournament. “I can rattle off their whole team because we know them so well,” said head coach Bill Tierney. “Amazing attack, big strong midfielders, they’re playing great defense now, and [they have] a wonderful young goalie.” Denver proved to be the victor in both previous games. In the first round of the 2012 tournament, the Pioneers outlasted the Tar Heels 16-14. It was in this game that senior midfielder Jeremy Noble set Denver’s Division I record in individual game points with 10 on three goals and seven assists. “If you were to tell me before I came here to DU that my last game here
would be a playoff game against UNC under the lights, I don’t think you can ask for much more,” Noble said. Last year’s contest saw the crimson and gold erase a six-goal deficit to win 12-11 in the quarterfinals. Denver would later lose 9-8 to Syracuse in the semifinals. It will be the Pioneers’ fifth straight tournament appearance. For Tierney, it was a fate that was in question before his team’s Big East Championship. In other words, Denver was no shoo-in. “Our guys have known in the back of their minds that any one of those losses along the road could have knocked us out of that tournament,” Tierney said. DU defeated host Villanova last Saturday by a score of 14-7 to win the Big East tournament championship, and ultimately solidified its spot in the tournament, claiming the conference’s automatic qualification bid. Despite being tied 6-6 at halftime, the Pioneers used a second half surge to squelch the Wildcats’ chance for revenge. The Denver defense held Villanova scoreless for more than a half, while the offense scored eight goals in the final two periods, five of which came in the third quarter. “We were nervous going into that Rutgers game [and later] going into the Villanova game, because you never know how the numbers work,” Tierney said. “We honestly thought we could have been out had we lost one of those games.”
kim nesbitt|clarion
Attackman Wes Berg celebrates a goal during last year’s first round win over Albany. Denver won 19-14.
Tennis player Rocha impressing in first collegiate season by jillian queri Senior Reporter
With the dream of pursuing collegiate tennis, freshman Diogo Rocha made the move from Lisbon, Portugal to Denver. One of the nine players on Denver’s men’s tennis team, Rocha’s first season with the Pioneers has been one for the books. In the Summit League Championships on April 27, DU took home the first place title and Rocha was the first to gain a singles win, 6-0, in this tournament. This year, Rocha’s individual singles record was 18-6 and for individual doubles, Rocha’s record was 16-7. “We just won our conference tournament last weekend and with that we have qualified for the NCAA Tournament. We are hoping to have some very good weeks of practice to be ready to go and play our best tennis of the year at the NCAA tournament,” said Rocha. Taught by his father in Portugal, Rocha began playing tennis at the age of six and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. With his career at Denver underway and off to a strong start, Rocha has big plans for the future. “My biggest dream is to become a
emily krebs|clarion
Freshman tennis player Diogo Rocha.
professional tennis player and I think DU is giving me the best preparation for that,” Said Rocha. “With the team, we work very hard every day and that’s the kind of practice you need if you want to become a professional.” Starting his career last fall at DU, the transition from Rocha’s native Portugal to Denver was challenging, but has proved to be successful. “It wasn’t easy in the beginning,” said Rocha. “Portugal and the United States are two very different countries.
First, I had the language adaptation, which wasn’t easy in the beginning. Also, being away from my family and friends for a long period of time required an adjustment. Besides that, it has been a great experience and I am really enjoying my time in Denver.” While in high school, Rocha played for a local club team in Lisbon, as his school, Escola Secundaria de Miraflores, did not have any sports teams. While growing up, Rocha did not think that he would be able to continue playing tennis into college, but when Denver offered him the opportunity, Rocha was happy to make the move and pursue the sport that he loves. “In Portugal, we don’t have college sports, and it’s very difficult to conciliate both a university and a high level sport. With these situations, coming to the United States was the perfect option for me because here I can do both at a very high level.” Adjusting to his new life in the United States, Rocha is grateful for the relationships he has made on and off the court this year. “We have six freshmen on the team and we try to help each other a lot. We also have a couple of older guys that did a fantastic job helping us every
time we needed it. I definitely have to say thank you to all of them and also our coaches for really supporting me and making my adaptation to a new country so much easier.” Studying business, Rocha is happy that DU provides him with more than just tennis-related opportunities. “I think Denver is a really nice city,” Rocha said. “Then DU is just an amazing combination of both very well-recognized academics and also very high-level athletics. In the winter, we have the snow (something that never happens in Lisbon) and it’s beautiful in the spring. Having a beautiful campus and the mountains as a background, I just felt that DU would be the right place for me to be, and I was definitely right.” With three more seasons with the Pioneers ahead of him, Rocha is excited to play the sport he loves and to continue college career in the United States. “I grow watching and playing tennis almost every day,” said Rocha. “It’s something that I love to do and I couldn’t imagine my life without it. In tennis, we have the chance to compete from the first to the last point which is something that I really enjoy about the sport.”
Silver’s protestation of prejudice should be example for all Continued from page 15 The words in the tape, however, are difficult to forget, and impossible to turn away from. While Sterling has had a wellrecorded history of racism, a fact of which all of his players were well aware of, this certainly represents the low point of his archaic viewpoints. Being that this was his first big crisis in his short time as NBA commissioner, Adam Silver handled the situation perfectly. With pressure mounting from other owners and the public the decision may have proved an easy one for Silver, but regardless of the circum-
stances in which the decision was made, the impact remains an irrefutably positive one. He simultaneously bettered the league by removing a bigot, proved that he was ready for the position and could be the strong leader that the league needs and set a new standard for dealing with racial intolerance and ignorance in the world of professional sports and beyond. This new bar will unavoidably spill into the college world as well. I am happy to say that I have never encountered even the slightest racist sentiment during my time at DU, but I can only hope that if any similar situation were
to arise it would be handled with a similar decisive and strict manner. With colleges, universities and even high schools so much more widespread and lacking in public attention compared to the world of professional sports, it is all the more important that situations of this nature be handled with a ferocious dedication to vigilance and tolerance. The Clippers themselves took to protesting their owner’s remarks, wearing black socks and armbands in Game four against the Golden State Warriors and donning their warm-up gear inside out. In the end, without support even from his own players, Sterling is seemingly alone in this mess, emphasizing
the fact that racism is something that has fallen into the past, for the better. While we are yet to, and may never in our lifetimes see a world without prejudice or intolerance, every step is an important one in the process. The shaming of a large public figure and the amount of damage done to his reputation is at the very least a warning to others who share his sentiments: It is time to join the rest of us in the real world where race, gender, sexual orientation or any other distinction says nothing about the strength of one’s character or their intellect. Either that or they will at least learn to keep it to themselves.