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VOLUME 125, ISSUE 16
EDITORIALS PAGE EDITOR CHUCK PLUNKETT RESIGNS
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GOVERNOR POLIS TALKS ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
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KANYE’S MARKETING 5 CONTINUES TO SHOCK pa g e
JOHN MULANEY’S “KID GORGEOUS” HITS NETFLIX
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| NEWS
Polis visits DU to speak on his environmental policy
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n May 1, candidate for governor of Colorado Jared Polis visited DU to talk to students about his environmental policy. The event was hosted by DU College Democrats and the USG Sustainability Committee and took place in Lindsey Auditorium. At the discussion, Polis heavily focused on his plans for getting Colorado 100 percent powered by renewable energy by 2040. To accomplish this, Polis mentioned numerous initiatives that he believes can make this goal a reality. One of these methods includes making the adoption of energy saving projects more financially appealing for the state. The first idea he mentioned was to increase a regulatory incentive for energy efficient construction and lighting. Polis also hopes to expand the state energy savings performance contract. This way, if a state building wishes to implement
a solar project, they will not need to budget a separate fund to accomplish it. Instead, state buildings can pay for the solar project with the savings that it generates over the next couple of years. Making it less expensive for the general public to integrate solar panels or other energy-saving technologies is another method Polis suggests for reaching the 2040 goal. “We also want to encourage rooftop solar by ensuring utilities give homeowners, schools and businesses a full retail rate for the energy that they put back on the grid,” he told students. Financing solar projects at a rate similar to that of a mortgage (around three to four percent) and using the net savings from their payments is another method Polis proposes to make solar affordable. Polis also wants to easily transition those working in the fossil fuel economy into green jobs. He highlighted Pueblo, Colorado for having about 700
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jobs in manufacturing wind turbines for a city of about 100,000 people. He sees Eastern Colorado as the state’s renewable energy corner which will have manufacturing, insulation and ongoing maintenance jobs. His last point for achieving his goal involves maintaining public land and fire prevention. To accomplish this, Polis suggest creating resilience in the land by establishing varied types of agriculture in order to avoid a wipeout of areas that have had only one type of cultivation. The second half of the hour involved a Q&A session. There, a member of the audience asked Polis why he wants to work on a state level rather than at the federal level he is in currently. In response, Polis said that Colorado must do its part and lead the way. He mentioned that the state cannot afford to wait and that “that kind of leadership is not going to come from Washington.” “Frankly, for me to be able
to run on 100 percent renewable energy by 2040 here, I’m only able to do that because counties and cities have lead the way,” Polis continues. “If I was the only one talking about this, people would think I was nuts.” He praised Pueblo, Breckenridge and Longmont for being some of the cities in Colorado that are, according to him, leading the path for Colorado to become more sustainable. Polis’s website has further details on his environmental policy.
Daniela Santos | News Editor
DU Clarion EDITORIAL STAFF
TARYN ALLEN, Editor-in-Chief GRACE CARSON, Executive Editor JOHN POE, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus RYAN NINESLING, Executive Editor Emeritus DANIELA SANTOS, News Editor The Clarion is the official student newspaper of the University of Denver, serving as the “Voice of the Pioneers.” Founded in 1899, it covers campus and local stories with the highest level of journalistic integrity possible. 1000 copies are distributed each Wednesday afternoon (throughout the academic year) across the DU campus, and every article is also published at duclarion.com. The Clarion does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the faculty, staff and/or administration of DU, and the opinions expressed by columnists and contributing writers do not necessarily reflect those of the Clarion. Reproduction of The Clarion in whole or part in any form written, broadcast or electronic without written permission of The Clarion is prohibited. The opinions expressed by columnists and contributing writers do not necessarily reflect those of The Clarion. Weather forecasts are of courtesy of the National Weather Service. The Clarion reserves the right to reject advertising, stories, columns or letters to the editor that it deems graphic, obscene or that discriminate on the basis of race, culture, gender or sexual orientation. The Clarion welcomes letters to the editor. Those who submit letters must limit them to 500 words. Some letters may not be published because of space limitations, overly-libelous content or similarity to past submissions. Please submit letters to duclarioneditor@gmail.com.
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The Clarion is open to contributors of all years and majors at DU, including both undergraduate and graduate students. There’s no application necessary; all you have to do is show up to one of our weekly meetings, which are held every Monday at 6 p.m. (during the academic year) in the Driscoll Underground. Can’t make it to a meeting? Send an email to duclarioneditor@gmail.com and we’ll do everything we can to get you published.
NIKKY JOHNSON, Sports Editor ELIZABETH LOCHHEAD, Opinions Editor KENDALL MORRIS, Arts & Life Editor CAITLAN GANNAM, Photo/Video Editor GRACE HOUSER, Photo/Video Editor MONICA MCFADDEN, Podcast Editor JUSTIN CYGAN, Copy Editor MAYA PINON, Copy Editor ANDREW MATRANGA, Faculty Adviser
CONTRIBUTING STAFF NINA PETROVIC CLAIRE BOGGS LARS BRADY DANIEL LORENZO HANNAH BRANIT AMBER GANTT SARA LOUGHRAN
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NEWS | 3
PocketChange: Putting change in the hands of the people H ello, do you have a second to vote for PocketChange? Whether in the dining hall, the library or Driscoll Green, this refrain echoed ceaselessly throughout campus during finals week of winter quarter, as the team behind
DuVarney believes everyone does have the desire to make change; they just need some help. “90 percent of college students have a good heart and want to make change, but either don’t have the time, brainpower or initial spark to put in the effort to go online, track
Daniel Lorenzo | Clarion
the Daniels-based charity startup tried to garner votes for their entry in the National Geographic Chasing Genius competition. While they ultimately finished fourth in the nation-wide competition, the startup is still making strides: they’ve just released the first phase of their product for public use. Now equipped with a team of student employees and potential investors on the horizon, the three founders, all sophomores in the Daniels College of Business, are hoping to change the world through social media. The Mission “If everyone gives a little, the world would change a lot,” summarizes Christian Dooley, Head of Marketing at PocketChange and a sophomore management major. It’s this mission statement that’s behind PocketChange’s product: a Google Chrome extension that installs a button in the user’s Facebook feed, right next to the familiar “Like,” “Comment” and “Share,” that analyzes shared articles about actionable social issues, then automatically assigns them to a certified influential charity to which the user can instantly donate between $0.25 and $2 through PayPal. “Whenever you see something you care about—whether that’s poverty, climate change, homelessness, animal abuse,” explains Dooley, “you now basically have a ‘Like’ button that does something.” The concept capitalizes on the concept of microtransactions, as well as an idea the founders call “point of emotion” — the user should be able to take a tangible action towards fixing the issue immediately upon learning about it, instead of being momentarily inspired and then forgetting about it. “Most people spend a ridiculous amount of time on social media, but yet we all hate it,” elaborates Jon DuVarney, PC’s Head of Product and a sophomore marketing and emergent digital practices major. “All of the terrible issues we see shared on our feed are just weighing down on us as we scroll past them.” Despite this cynicism, though,
down the best charity, etc. So it’s mind-blowing to be able to remove these barriers to giving.” The Process The charities involved are vetted by PC’s team of 19 volunteer student employees, called “Charity Sleuths,” who work to narrow thousands of charities for each cause down to a single best one, using a five-point philosophy to quantify their scope and impact. “We have to know for a fact that when you click this button, your money is going to actually solve the problem in its entirety, not just a band-aid solution,” says Dooley. It’s an involved process, according to employee and sophomore international studies major Reese Arthur, who was just promoted to a team leader — one of three “Super Sleuths.” The staff meets for two hours each week, with individual teams often putting in more hours throughout the week. “I’ll come to the meetings stressed or tired,” says Arthur, who balances her job with classwork and an internship, “but each week
Daniel Lorenzo | Clarion
I know that I can come in to the meeting and do what I’m passionate about for two hours - I always feel better afterwards.” The Story PocketChange’s genesis was in the Fall of 2016, as founder and CEO Reyn Aubrey, a sophomore international business major, was sensing a shift. “The idea first came to me where all good ideas do: in the shower,” says Aubrey, “but I really got excited about it in the aftermath of the presidential election. I realized that the role of the state is changing in its ability to accomplish things, and that ordinary people are much more so becoming agents of change.” Though he had previously worked for a successful startup, Aubrey had never had any experience with charity work or the nonprofit sector, but he didn’t let this stop him. He researched around until February, when he made what he calls a “terrible” first website. He received a small initial investment from DU’s Madden Challenge to get started, but as he began pitching the idea, he realized he wouldn’t be able to do it alone. That April, his “Writing and Activism” classmate Dooley joined. DuVarney initially made a logo and website and was eventually convinced to officially join the team to live and work with Aubrey over summer of 2017. Fastforward to spring of this year, and the National Geographic competition more or less fell into the founders’ lap. “We first made a video for Chasing Genius last year, but nothing came of it,” recounts Dooley. “But then this year, I saw an ad for Chasing Genius on Facebook five days before the deadline, and without even thinking I submitted the video again.” With about 4,000 entries, Dooley wasn’t expecting anything, until he woke up to an email notifying him that PC was a finalist. So began the notorious voting rush, which was even memorialized by a student in meme form. Due to the timing of the competition, the founders had to embark on a mad
dash to gather votes around campus, as they also had to launch an early version of the product and prepare for a pitch in a few days — not to mention finishing their finals. DuVarney laments the timing of the competition (“If everyone hadn’t left after finals, we would have been in every classroom getting votes”) but remains optimistic about the visibility the voting drive gained for them, as voters “wanted to use the product immediately.” The Future “[The PC team] has an extremely high chance of success,” says Dr. Stephen Haag, Director of Entrepreneurship in Daniels and advisor to PC. “They have the one key thing it takes to be successful - passion, and not about making money, but about making change. They’re an embodiment of the university’s Vision Statement, and I’m a better person because of my work with them.” Haag says the next step for the team is to gather users. They’ve realized that “a big number times a little number makes a big number,” so finding a user base is crucial to making the change they want. The product’s nature as a Chrome extension gives it a unique potential for expansion to other platforms, as well. “It’s basically an invisible sheet over your browser,” Dooley explains, “so the button can hypothetically be added to anything. Our next step is Twitter, but then we could move to YouTube, newspaper articles, anything on the internet.” As of press time, Aubrey is currently in talks with an outside investor and working to secure internship credit for his employees over the summer. The founders repeatedly expressed their optimism and hope to continue doing what Haag calls “bending the business world.” The PocketChange extension can be downloaded in the Chrome WebStore.
Daniel Lorenzo | Contributing Writer
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Good internet proves key for rural communities C indy Dvergsten lives on a ranch in Dolores, a small town located in the southwest corner of Colorado, near the borders of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. Dolores has a population of 936. Dolores is remote, but for Dvergsten and others in rural Colorado, each day is still business as usual. Yet, many of these communities are often dependent on slow and unreliable internet. Dvergsten runs an agricultural consulting firm and also operates a farm full of Navajo-Churro sheep - a rare, hardy breed that was actually raised by the Navajo and other Native peoples in the American Southwest. Navajo-Churro sheep are big and shaggy. The rams can grow up to four thick, spiraling horns. “At first, it would be nice if everybody had internet, but now it’s getting to be almost crucial. In my part of the world, you generally have very little access or no access ... That makes doing a lot of things very difficult,” Cindy said. At the beginning of April, Governor John Hickenlooper signed a bipartisan bill that increases broadband access to “unserved areas”this is mostly unincorporated, small towns with populations less than 7,500. The bill is pretty simple: it mandates the construction of better broadband infrastructure in these areas. Broadband plays a big role in development, but installation is expensive and it doesn’t make sense for telecom companies to bury pricey cable lines out into the country for just a few customers. KC Becker, majority leader of the Colorado House of Representatives, helped sponsor this bill. “Because the subscription base is so much less than in an urban area – just like it was with electricity 80 or 90 years ago – a lot of rural areas aren’t going to be able to finance the cost of bringing service to them,” Becker said. The funding for the subsidy is already in place, too. Before, the Lars Brady | Clarion
Lars Brady | Clarion
subsidy was used to construct landline phones. Now, the funds are being shifted to the construction of something even more useful: highspeed internet. Medical records, school systems, realtime data for law enforcement – these everyday municipal tasks all require a steady connection. Good internet is also key for business development, too. “I’m selling at a distance … My wool and pelts … I need to sell at a distance, I can’t just sell those products locally,” Cindy said. This bill also includes a win for telecom companies. The Broadband Deployment Board, established in 2014, is in charge of implementation and distribution of the actual funding for broadband development. This new bill changes the membership of the board from 16 to 17 members, adding two members representing the broadband industry and removing one member
representing the public. Still, Becker said that without help from the telecom companies, broadband development can’t happen. According to Becker, the membership change adds more expertise to the board. “One of the concerns we heard when the board was created in 2014 was that there wasn’t enough expertise so the little money there was, there were a lot of complaints about those grants,” she said. Governor Hickenlooper has spoken at lengths about the disconnect he sees between Colorado’s growing cities and small towns. When he gave his State of the State address in January, he talked about key issues to rural areas such as the opioid epidemic, education and economic development. As metropolitan cities like Denver grow, Hickenlooper says that rural towns have some concerns about getting left behind. This broadband legisla-
tion appears to be a step in addressing this. Crisanta Duran, Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, also helped sponsor this bill. She says that she prefers to focus on the things that unite Coloradans rather than the things that divide them. Still, she says there are certain investments that need to be made into Colorado’s rural communities, including broadband expansion. “I’m a big believer that there is more that binds us together than divides us,” Duran said. The new grants from this legislation to fund further broadband construction are being distributed over the next four years. In the meantime, rural citizens of Colorado look forward to faster internet.
Lars Brady | Contributing Writer
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SPORTS | 5
DU Women’s Lacrosse falls to Florida in BIG EAST final
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lthough the game started like the regular season game, with Florida quickly securing an early lead in the BIG EAST final on May 5, the Pioneers were unable to turn the flow of the game around and fell 18-6 to the Gators. Junior draw specialist Maddie Baum (Piedmont, Calif.) had eight draw controls in the game, setting a new school record for draw controls in a single season at 94. She was also named to the BIG EAST Second Team, the first league honor in Baum’s career. On March 10, against Niagara, Baum set the Denver program record for draw controls by an individual in a single-game, collecting 16 of the 24 draw controls. Denver’s first goal of the game came at 13:38 in the first half when senior captain Caitlin Derry (Seal Beach, Calif.) scored an unassisted
goal to make the score 7-1. She scored again in the second half at 29:25 off a free position shot to spark the Denver offense. She was followed by junior Julia Feiss, assisted by Kendra Lanuza (Littleton, Colo.). Sophomore Molly Little (Tiverton, R.I.) scored off a free position shot at 21:16, followed by Elizabeth Behrins with another free position shot at 17:28. Senior Riley Eggeman (Mission Viejo, Calif.) scored the final goal for the Pioneers at 12:42 off an unassisted goal. Florida responded to each one of the Denver goals with a goal of their own and closed the game off on a four goal run. The final score was 18-6. Feiss and redshirt junior defender Kennedy Milburn (Whitby, Ontario) earned spots on the BIG EAST First Team, while Baum was joined by BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Quintin Hoch-Bullen
(Severn, Ontario) on the BIG EAST Second Team. Hoch-Bullen was named the Co-Freshman of the Year after a consistent rookie season, scoring 34 goals and making 14 assists. She has recorded a team-high seven hat tricks, with four consecutive hattricks in games from Niagara on March 10 to Colorado on March 29. Hoch-Bullen has scored five goals in two different games and is nationally ranked in goals per game (2.13), shot percentage (0.515), free-position percentage (0.625, 10-for-16), free-position goals per game (0.63) and points per game (3.0). Feiss was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team. She scored a team-high 41 goals and has scored a goal in every game. Feiss has led the team in goals scored in four games and has recorded hat tricks six times this season. She is nationally ranked
in goals scored (41), goals per game (3.13), shots per game (6.0), shots on goal per game (4.25), points (50), points per game (3.13) and free-position percentage (0.560). Milburn has earned a place on the first team after a season in which she has started every game and led the Pioneers with 31 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers. Milburn has had season bests in ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers. She is nationally ranked in caused turnovers per game with 1.31. Despite losing to Florida, the Pioneers were awarded an at-large bid in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse tournament. They will play High Point on May 11.
Hannah Branit | Contributing Writer
Caitlin Gannam | Clarion
Korte selected as #NCAAGOLF Regional Individual
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CAA Men’s Golf Selection Show, which aired on May 2 on the Golf Channel, chose DU’s Chris Korte (Senior/ Littleton, Colo.) as a #NCAAGOLF Regional Individual. Korte will get to continue his Pioneer career in the NCAA Regional in Norman, Okla. “Chris being selected by the NCAA to compete in the regional is a testament to his outstanding season,” Head Coach Erik Billinger said. “Chris had seven top-25 finishes and a 72.57 scoring average this season and was very consistent, and that was with a competitive and
challenging schedule this year. The course in Norman will set up well for Chris, and I’m excited to watch him compete for a spot at NCAA Finals. Congrats to Chris, as there is nothing better than post-season collegiate golf.” Korte helped Pioneer Golf record a runner-up finish at the Summit League Championship on May 1, the highest by the golf squad since winning the team title in the 2014 season. In the Championship, Pioneer Golf held off North Dakota State for as long as they could before falling in the final two holes, fin-
ishing second. DU posted a 1-under 287 as a team during the windy final 18 holes of play. The Pioneers were led by Jake Kelley (Littleton, Colo.) and Korte, who nearly locked up the title for the Pioneers. Kelley golfed incredibly, going low with a 4-under 68 despite tough wind conditions for a third straight day. His final-round 68 was the low round of the tournament and earned him a spot on the all-tournament team. Kelley finished up his final collegiate tournament tied for fourth. Korte’s 72.57 scoring average ranks third in the Summit League
this year. Korte was recognized by the Summit League this past weekend, being named to the All-Summit League First Team. This was Korte’s third time in his career receiving first-team honors. Korte is the first DU player to compete in an NCAA Regional since former golfer Petter Mikalsen competed in 2015. Play for Norman regional site is set to begin on May 14.
Nikky Johnson | Sports Editor
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DU Men’s Lacrosse loses to Georgetown, 8-3
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he Pioneers were held to their lowest goal total since a 12-3 loss at Virginia in 2003 in their 8-3 loss to No. 19 ranked Georgetown. Junior Colin Rutan (Walnut Creek, Calif.) was the lone goal scorer in the contest for the Pioneers, scoring his first hat trick. Rutan scored his first goal, an unassisted goal, at 2:08 in the second quarter. He scored again at 1:31 in the second quarter with an assist from junior attackman Austin French (Danville, Calif.). His final goal came at 8:35 in the fourth quarter, off an assist from sophomore Danny Logan (Upper Arlington, Ohio). This hat trick was the first of Rutan’s career. Senior face-off specialist Trevor Baptiste (Denville, N.J.) was 11-for15. On Denver’s semi-finals game against Marquette, Baptiste broke the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse
record for faceoff wins with 1118 face-off wins. With his faceoff wins, Baptiste’s record now stands at 1,129 face-off wins. Baptiste was also named the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year for the fourth time in his career. He is a three-time United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) First-Team All American, one of 59 players who have earned the distinction three times. If he were to be named to the team again later this year, he would be the sixth person to be named a First Team All-American four times. Baptiste is the first faceoff specialist to be selected first in the Major League Lacrosse draft. This summer, he will represent the U.S. in the 2018 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Lacrosse Championships. Sophomore attack Ethan Walker (Peterborough, Ontario) was named
the BIG EAST Attack of the Year for the first time in his career. In 2017, Walker was named as the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and was named a USILA Honorable Mention All-American. He is currently second in the nation in goals per game, with 3.23, as well as seventh in the nation for shooting percentage (0.525.). Walker set the freshman record for points with 72 points scored, scoring 40 goals and having 32 assists. Junior Dylan Gaines (Baltimore, Md.) was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. He is a leader of a defense that leads the BIG EAST in scoring defense, with 7.46 goals per game, as well as holding BIG EAST opponents to six goals or less. This is Denver’s fewest goals allowed in a five-game stretch since 1970, as well as the first time that the defense has allowed six goals or less to five consecutive
opponents. Gaines has 32 ground balls in 13 games, as well as causing 15 turnovers. Baptiste, Walker and Gains were joined on the BIG EAST First Team by junior midfielder Colton Jackson (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and junior close defender Dylan Johnson (Englewood, Calif.). Two more Pioneers were named to the BIG EAST Second Team: junior attack French and senior midfielder Joe Reid (Petaluma, Calif.). Denver will start the 2018 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament traveling to take on No. 7 Notre Dame. Face-off is set for 12:15 MT, and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Hannah Branit | Contributing Writer
Caitlin Gannam | Clarion
Caitlin Gannam | Clarion
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Chuck Plunkett’s resignation from The Denver Post must not be the end of the fight
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hen Chuck Plunkett, the editorials page editor of The Denver Post, published a series of editorials criticizing the paper’s hedge fund owners in early April, there was cautious hope that the Post’s situation would get better. But instead it has become much worse—Mr. Plunkett resigned from his position at the newspaper on May 3, after earning national recognition and praise for his brave and truthful reporting. This is a major blow to the field of journalism and to the Denver area, but also to the public as a whole—though the newspaper industry is suffering, high-quality journalism remains absolutely central to our social well-being and our democracy. Mr. Plunkett’s resignation is deeply frightening, and it must inspire even more awareness of the devastation the paper’s parent company, Digital First Media (owned by Alden Global Capital), is doing to our community. Mr. Plunkett joined the staff of The Denver Post in 2003 and had been the editorials page editor since 2016. He was the first to write about the problems related to Alden and Digital First Media, which involve significant cuts to newsroom staff and reduced resources even as the owners continue to draw in high profits. In an interview with The New York Times after publishing his initial attack, Mr. Plunkett stated that he was aware that he
was risking his job by doing so, and in another New York Times article on the day of his resignation, he expressed his sadness, as well as anger, at the circumstances. The New York Times provided additional details that the Post’s coverage did not: Plunkett had written another editorial for Sunday’s paper further detailing the paper’s mistreatment by its owners, but the chief operating officer of Digital First Media prohibited its publication. In Plunkett’s words, “[To] sit quietly would have been hypocritical.” Plunkett’s resignation also comes after the editorials page editor at the Boulder Daily Camera, Dave Krieger, was fired for self-publishing his own criticism of Alden Global Capital, which owns the Camera as well. The editorial had been rejected by the publisher, and Krieger chose to instead publish on the blog Boulder Free Press. In the post, Krieger tells a similar story to Plunkett: though the Camera’s problems have come about more gradually than the Post’s, they too have faced major cuts even as Alden profits from them. Plunkett’s resignation, Krieger’s firing and the departure of the large number of newsroom staff members in coming layoffs are terrifying because this means that Alden and Digital First, rather than the journalists committed to excellent reporting, are still getting their way. Mr. Plunkett’s resignation is heartbreaking—just last week,
Photo courtesy of Flickr
he was on DU’s campus for Real News Day where he was presented the award for Journalism in the Public Interest as the entire room rose for a standing ovation. The work Mr. Plunkett has done has been devoted, without fail, to the public interest. Now, we have to do our part: the public has to be interested. Speaking about the current situation of the Camera and the Post, Mr. Krieger explained the difficulty of getting the word out about what Alden Global Capital is doing and why they should care. Many people simply do not know what is happening. This is a story that is making headlines in some of the biggest national newspapers, all concerned about the quality of journalism that directly serves the people of Denver and Colorado. Our stake in this is biggest of all, and we each must ensure as many of our fellow Coloradans as possible are aware of the support the Post needs. Finding a new owner, one of the central pleas of Mr. Plunkett’s editorials, remains the most important step, and a number of Colorado groups are focusing on this. On the individual level, the best possible thing
to do is to continue to subscribe (or to start subscribing) to a local paper, be it in Boulder, Denver or anywhere. Though the reaction may be to want to unsubscribe so as to not support the profit-making of the papers’ owner, this is not the right response; subscribing to the paper shows that we care about high-quality journalism and its place in our city and beyond. Private equity owners like Alden Global Capital that do not value newsroom staff or reporting quality will continue to take advantage of local newspapers and will continue to preside over the firings and resignations of those most devoted to these papers unless serious action is taken. The word is already out in major publications across the country, but the people with potential to have the biggest impact in fighting for the Post are those of us living in Denver and Colorado who benefit each day from quality local reporting. Mr. Plunkett sacrificed his job to stand up for truthful journalism. It is a mission that must be carried on. Elizabeth Lochhead | Opinions Editor
The hypocritical response to Michelle Wolf’s performance
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Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
he White House Correspondents’ Dinner took place on Saturday, April 28, with comedian Michelle Wolf as the featured speaker. Though it is typical for the comedian to do a “roast” at the dinner, Wolf’s performance raised controversy due to some, such as members of the news media, liberal and conservative politicians, commentators and members of the public, perceiving her comments towards the White House staff, media and various other political figures to be too harsh. Even though Wolf’s performance
was seemingly in line with past comedians’, like Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert, she was criticized more by both conservative and liberal journalists and politicians for making comments that were no worse than the current president’s. The comments that many took issue with the most had to do with Wolf’s jokes about White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was present at the dinner. A few notable ones were,“I love you as Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid’s Tale” and “[Sarah Sanders] burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smoky eye.” Some critics, such as MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski and White House Correspondent for The New York Times Maggie Haberman, were upset with the fact that Wolf seemingly took a dig at Sanders’s appearance with the latter comment. However, the joke itself was not directed negatively towards Sanders’s appearance, but towards her pervasive lying and twisting of facts either defending Trump’s statements or claiming he never said them during her press briefings and other media appearances. The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) released a statement on Twitter disavowing Wolf and her perfor-
mance on Sunday, April 29. To invite a comedian to perform and then criticize her for doing her job is ridiculous, especially when the WHCA had ample opportunity to do research into Wolf and her usual brand of comedy. If they did not like what she had to say, then they shouldn’t have invited her in the first place. She was simply doing the job that she was hired to do, and the WHCA should have known what they were getting into when they invited her. Wolf’s jokes are nothing new when compared to other comedians who performed at the dinner, such as Elayne Boosler, who penned an op-ed in TIME commending Wolf for her performance and stating that it was no different than Boosler’s own, and it seems ridiculous that she is receiving so much scrutiny for merely pointing out the truth in a biting way. Some people like MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski who claimed that “all women have a duty to unite when these attacks happen,” but the argument that Wolf was contributing to the culture of women trying to bring other women down is not a valid one. That argument only applies if a woman is being cruel to another woman without warrant. It doesn’t mean that women can’t and shouldn’t hold other women accountable for
their actions. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has consistently lied to the public and defended some of President Trump’s more egregious statements or claimed he never said them, so it isn’t wrong to call her out for that. The truth is that we have a president who has said far worse things about women, their appearances, the press, people of color and even members of his own cabinet, yet there are still some, including Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who argue that he was just kidding and that everyone should learn to take a joke. It’s extremely hypocritical to turn around and vilify Michelle Wolf for much less, especially when her comments were not just mean-spirited and unjustified digs at women who did nothing wrong. She called out women who have been complicit in President Trump’s lies and manipulation of the American public, and she is justified in doing so. It is understandable to be angry if a comment or joke is unwarranted and simply cruel, but that was not the case here. Michelle Wolf was hired to do a roast, and she did just that. She shouldn’t be held to different standards than so many comedians before her, let alone the president of the U.S. Sara Loughran | Contributing Writer
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PIONEER VOICES Question of the week:
What is your favorite Denver restaurant?
“Snarf’s.”
“Jerusalem.”
Britt Luinstra, First Year
DongHoon Lee, First Year
“We did just come from Chipotle, or Five Guys. Other than that I never eat out.”
“I haven’t eaten out recently. But the best place is on Broadway, Good Times, the fast food place with delicious fried food. It’s amazing.”
Miranda Hunt, Graduate Student
Max Michalec, Second Year
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ARTS & LIFE | 1 1
Kanye’s marketing continues to shock
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t has been less than a month that Kanye West has been active on Twitter, yet he has already made quite an obtrusive impact in the cultural and political spheres. His reappearance on Twitter is the first time since his self-reported breakdown and hospitalization during the Saint Pablo Tour in 2016 that he has been a visible force within culture. Recently, he has reignited controversy surrounding statements he’s made regarding Trump, slavery, fashion, music, art, land development, fellow artists and philosophy. On Twitter, he has praised President Trump, a seemingly major departure from his older political messages, and in the same digital breath, called activist Emma Gonzales his hero. During his TMZ Live interview, he made comments surrounding slavery, stating that “when you hear about slavery for 400 years ... For 400 years? That sounds like a choice.” His erratic, sometimes jumbled tweets have become their own memes, usually mocked for either their political nature or their pseudo-intellectual backing. Yet, this is all a symptom of what could be Kanye’s greatest intellectual gift—his
Photo courtesy of Pretty Much Amazing
ability to market in the wildest and most abstract ways his music, art and other pursuits. Kanye is most adept at being able to shift the entire cultural consciousness onto himself and whatever he is creating and selling. Ye seems to follow the “all publicity is good publicity” motto to the utmost degree. For Kanye, controversy is his brand, and branding is everything in keeping people interested in you. From his Katrina statements: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” to the infamous Taylor Swift incident, to his outrageous ramblings at the 2016 VMA’s and on the Saint Pablo Tour— where at one point he begged Jay-Z not to send “killers” at him—Kanye has built a brand image that involves him constantly being an outcast genius, a provocateur. In this image, he is both elusive and celebrated, called erratic, but backed by the idea that he regularly spouts: all geniuses are crazy. Most artists of his caliber and influence tend to either follow established routes of promotion and marketing or are so revered within the mainstream as to simply be able to surprise-drop or lightly promote their
build buzz around him and everything he was creating. Kanye used Twitter Kate Powell | DU Clarion to drum up controversy, as well to tease the album, showing pictures of the handwritten tracklist complete with the signatures of collaborators. He changed the album’s name frequently and without discretion, at one point offering free Yeezy sneakers to whoever could guess the name from an acronym. He debuted the album through passing a literal aux cord among him and his peers, showcased in a live-streamed hectic show at Madison Garden, where at the same time he presented the latest looks from his Yeezy brand fashion line. It was a genius moment of timing, showcasing all levels of his creativity in one location. After the release of the album, he continued to tweak and change it, formatting it as a “living breathing changing creative expression.” To Kanye, controversy is everything, so why not completely delete the established idea of what an album is? He intentionally revamped the preconceived schemas of a music release. For Kanye, keeping a constant buzz around his name is the key to success in all venues of his creative expression. In using Twitter as a launching pad for his unhinged ideas and thoughts, Ye brings us all along on a wild and intoxicating ride through his psyche and process of creation. The controversy is magnetic; “What will Kanye say next?” traps the mainstream into a constant, unpaid promotion of Yeezy. And with his eighth studio album set to arrive this summer, as well as a collaborative album with Kid Cudi, it can be hard to not notice the wave of attention he is mustering as another branch of his spectacle marketing. So whether you love or hate his comments, it doesn’t matter; you’re thinking about him and his work, and that’s all Kanye wants.
albums, as in the cases of his friends and contemporaries, Beyonce and Jay-Z. Or, in the case of artists such as Frank Ocean and to some extent Kendrick Lamar, they are able to maintain interest in their work through their reclusive, mysterious nature. Kanye, on the other hand, has taken another route entirely. Kanye’s marketing of himself, his brand and his art exists within the nature of the spectacle. He presents his work in spectacular, one-of-a-kind fashion, as something for his audience to be submerged in. Examples include his dramatic, artistic forays on Saturday Night Live, which he has used to premiere new music for his last three albums, and his ability to make forays into new creative outlets to support his album, such as the short film he released for “My Beautiful Dark Fantasy,” years before anyone else in popular music attempted such a feat (you can thank Kanye for Beyonce’s “Lemonade”). However, nothing can match his promotion for “The Life of Pablo,” wherein Kanye presented his use of the spectacle as promotion to the fullest degree, using all avenues to Justin Cygan | Copy Editor
The Grind: RiNo’s Call is worth a ring
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new addition to RiNo, Call is a small stop with a lot of potential. The layout feels like a European lunch spot, while the food is much more “downtown hideout.” Beautifully married flavors and trendy dishes come at an affordable price with a menu built for sampling. Call is part one of a two-part project coming to Larimer Street. Its successor will be called Beckon and is planned to operate with a tasting style menu that falls further into the fine dining category. When Beckon is added, Call is envisioned to transition to a lunch spot to get some work done over a craft beverage. For now, you can enjoy the selection of small plates that Call has to offer. You order similarly to how you would at a sushi restaurant, marking on a slip of paper which dishes you want. Pricing is flat rate, with a few options that come with an extra charge. You can build a platter of either four or eight items that is composed of whatever speaks to you. For a party of two, a bill that amounts to around $20 a head can
be expected, sharing a plate of eight items with drinks. While their menu changes from lunch to dinner service, the variety of items stays consistent. A Call bestseller are their tartines, which are basically gourmet sandwiches without the top piece of bread. There are also cheese dishes, veggies spiced and sauced to perfection and small plates to choose from. While the menu at Call is built around bread, there are plenty of gluten-free options. It is worth noting that Call also offers craft cocktails that are distinctly above-average. For dessert, Call offers cakes, pies and cookies dressed to the nines to satisfy a sweet tooth. Aside from tasty, unique food, Call has an uber friendly staff and and a witty atmosphere sure to delight. Playing off of their name, menu items and decor offer wonderful puns and word play. An enormous patio lit overtop with Edison bulbs makes Call a trip worth making to enjoy beautiful Colorado weather and great food.
Claire Boggs | Contributing Writer
Photo courtesy of Call
Photo courtesy of AnnMarie Mar
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John Mulaney’s “Kid Gorgeous” brands him as one of comedy’s best
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omedian, actor, writer and producer John Mulaney saw his fourth comedy special, “John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City,” hit Netflix on May 1. Mulaney has been a rising star in recent years. His resume boasts years of writing for “Saturday Night Live,” multiple stand-up specials, a short-lived Fox sitcom bearing his name, a successful adult animated comedy and more. He has toured his newest show, “Kid Gorgeous,” in 2017 and 2018, and the live taping of it was recently released to Netflix for popular audiences. In true Mulaney fashion, the special began in a bizarrely theatrical way, with Mulaney awkwardly following an old woman behind the scenes at the desolate and supposedly haunted Radio City Music Hall. He then takes the stage, met with thunderous applause, and begins what is potentially his best show yet. Mulaney has a fairly particular sense of humor—one new and welcome in the world of comedy. He’s energetic, witty and self-deprecating in the best way, relying on physical and vocal comedy to supplement his clever punchlines and impeccable timing. His humor
isn’t G-rated, but it refreshingly doesn’t come close to the crudeness of other comedians today. “Kid Gorgeous” is everything a Mulaney fan could ask for, and then some. He shares wild stories from his past—such as one about a grade school guest speaker named Detective JJ Bittenbinder invited to teach “street smarts”—in ways that seem ridiculous and unfathomable but also incredibly relatable. He also comments on his time writing for SNL, on attending church in his youth and on his wife and their spoiled French bulldog named Petunia, who they frequently push around New York City in a stroller. In a particularly smart bit, he criticizes colleges for asking recent graduates for donations and mocks himself for being an English major in college, essentially earning a certificate “for reading books that I didn’t read … strolling across a stage, the sun in my eyes, my family watching as I sweat vodka and ecstasy, to receive a four-year degree in a language that I already spoke.” Although Mulaney has notoriously steered clear of political jokes and commentary in the past, he took a daring step in that direction in “Kid Gorgeous.” It
Photo courtesy of 90.5 WESA
was a potentially risky move, but the political bit was arguably the highlight of the show. Never once using the president’s name, he goes on about how in November of 2016, someone “let a horse loose in a hospital.” “I think eventually everything’s going to be okay, but I have no idea what’s going to happen next. And neither do any of you, and neither do your parents, because there’s a horse loose in the hospital!” The allegory continues, Mulaney astutely and rather ingeniously making fun of not just Trump, but of the nation as a whole and our unprecedented situation. He even goes one to say,
“Then, 5,000 miles away, a hippo was like, ‘I have a nuclear bomb, and I’m gonna blow up the hospital!’” bringing North Korea into the joke. It’s a novel sort of political humor that will induce tears of laughter. “Kid Gorgeous” is an absolute must-see. Binge Mulaney on Netflix, where you can watch “Kid Gorgeous,” “New in Town,” “The Comeback Kid,” “Oh, Hello: On Broadway” and “Big Mouth.” Mulaney’s sense of humor has something to offer everyone; he brings the sort of laugh-out-loud and non-stop comedy that we all need in 2018. Taryn Allen | Editor-in-Chief
“Dear White People” season two digs deeper into Twitter trolls and race Photo Courtesy of Variety
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n Friday, May 4, “Dear White People” returned for its second season. The Netflix series created by Justin Simien is based on the 2014 film with the same name. The show follows a group of black students at Winchester, a fictional Ivy League university that is predominantly white. The series uses satire and parodies to tackle issues of race, politics and cultural appropriation. Last season it was revealed that the student newspaper “The Independent,” was funded by a wealthy, racist family, which led to a protest at a town meeting and Troy (Brandon P. Bell, “Dear White People”), the son of the university’s Dean, was arrested. This season picks up two weeks after the tumultuous protest and a week after Reggie (Marque Richardson, “Dear White People”) almost gets shot by a white officer at a house party.
Like the first season, “Dear White People” does not shy away from covering controversial topics and pop-cultural references in a satirical manner. This time around, the series focuses heavily on the alt-right movement and Twitter trolls. Winchester sees an uptick in the alt-right movement on campus as seen with “Dear Right People,” a countermovement to the Dear White People radio show hosted by Sam (Logan Browning, “Hit the Floor”), the show’s main character. Throughout the series, Sam finds herself in a Twitter storm with an alt-right troll. Although last season’s major characters Sam, Troy, Reggie and Coco stole most of the show, this season we see more character development in Lionel (DeRon Horton, “Burning Sands”) and Joelle (Ashley Blaine Feather-
son, “Glee”). Lionel continues liams (“Everybody Hates Chris”) to explore his sexuality after and Tessa Thompson (“Avengers: revealing that he is gay in the first Infinity War”) from the “Dear season, and he finds a new love White People” movie and Lena interest. He also tries to continue Waithe (“The Chi”). The show his investigative journalism after also hilariously spoofs popular the school newspaper was shut shows like Fox’s “Empire,” VH1’s down last season. Joelle continues “Love and Hip-Hop” and OWN’s to struggle in her best friend Sam’s “Iyanla: Fix My Life.” shadows. However, she does Simeon and his team of writmanage to find love, and we see ers did a great job showcasing the her showcase her singing talents. black experience and taking on Sam, Troy and Reggie are controversial issues like racism, still a major part of this season. cultural appropriation, politics, Sam is depressed and trying to homophobia, sexism and abordeal with the fallout over the tion in a way that was comical protest and her breakup with yet thought provoking. There has Gabe, while Troy tries to escape been no word yet if the show will his father’s shadow and be his be renewed for a third season. own person. Reggie tries to cope with his PTSD from the neardeath experience at last season’s house party. This season also features a few cameos with Tyler James Wil- Amber Gantt | Contributing Writer