DU Clarion Volume 126 Issue 6

SEE PAGE 6

VOLUME 126 ISSUE 6

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DU CLARION

| NEWS

FEB. 20, 2019

USG Weekly Update: 2/18/19

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n Feb. 12 the weekly Undergraduate Student Government (USG) meeting took place. Bills and funding for student organization events were discussed. Here are the highlights of that meeting.

DU Information Technology’s (IT) assistant vice chancellor, Gary Starling, and the assistant vice chancellor of Campus Partnerships, Theresa Hernandez, came to the meeting to discuss technology use on campus. They addressed printing and on-campus WiFi and asked that students submit feedback to IT by emailing (IT@du.edu) them.

The two bills discussed at the meeting were the Finance Committee Manual bill and the Transitions bill. The first bill expressed concerns with the Finance Committee’s current lump sum allocation funding model for Registered Student Organizations (RSOs), claim-

ing a lack of regulation or accountability. “The Finance Committee needs an explicit manual written into the Undergraduate Student Government Bylaws,” suggests the bill which can be reviewed in full here. At the meeting, the bill was tabled. The second bill aimed to incorporate a direct structure for how the transition process should be. This is in response to concerns of there not being a fluent role transition that would be helpful for those newly elected in their positions. The bill was passed and can also be viewed by the public.

The meeting also reviewed events occurring throughout the week including Valentine’s Day celebrations such as Drag Against Humanity, Thrive Peer Health Sexual Health Outreach and the Vagina Monologues.

Students wishing to learn more details about their meetings can visit USG’s weekly

ABOUT US

recorded minutes. Below are upcoming DU events: • Feb. 19: 4-5:30 p.m., AAC 290: DU Grand Challenges Forum on Workplace Equity • Feb. 20: 5-10 p.m., Sie Complex, Maglione Hall: Bridge: Worship and Waffles • Feb. 21: 6-7 p.m., Nagel Classroom 102: Tenants’ Rights

Info Session • Feb. 22-24: DU Parents and Family Weekend • March 9: 5 p.m., Shwayder foyer: Community Art Show

Daniela Santos | News Editor

Photo courtesy of DU USG

DU Clarion EDITORIAL STAFF

TARYN ALLEN, Editor-in-Chief GRACE CARSON, Executive Editor DANIELA SANTOS, News Editor HANNAH BRANIT, Sports 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. 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.

HOW TO JOIN 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 Hub. 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.

ELIZABETH LOCHHEAD, Opinions Editor JUSTIN CYGAN, Arts & Life Editor NINA PETROVIC, Arts & Life Editor CAITLAN GANNAM, Photo/Video Editor VICTORIA VALENZUELA, Photo/Video Editor SARA LOUGHRAN, Copy Editor MAYA PINON, Copy Editor CHELSIE FINCHER, Illustrator LAWSON MONTGOMERY, Paper Delivery Person HALEY BIRT, Paper Delivery Person SYDNEY KAPP, Business Manager ANDREW MATRANGA, Faculty Adviser Cover design: Victoria Valenzuela | Clarion

CONTRIBUTING STAFF LAWSON MONTGOMERY

SKYLAR NITZEL

BEN ROSSI

ROBERT CORL

HALEY PAEZ

MADALYNE HEIKEN

CAMERON ELDER

JAKE GLOTH

RACHEL KUNZI

REBECCA SHAGRIN

FEB. 20, 2019

DU CLARION

NEWS | 3

Denver schools’ first teacher strike in 25 years

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eginning Monday, Feb. 11, Denver School District teachers engaged in a three-day strike to demand a new pay agreement from the district. When meeting to discuss new contracts for teachers, the district disagreed with the teachers on pay increases and the size of bonuses for teachers working in high-poverty and priority schools. The teachers’ goal for the negotiation was to lessen bonuses in order to generate more funds for overall salaries, but the district views the bonuses as a way to boost academic performance.

Meetings over the weekend made little progress, and the bargaining team tweeted, “We can do better,” which resulted in the strike at the beginning of the week as teachers picketed around schools within the district.

This strike was backed by 93 percent of participating members in the teacher’s union. Due to the support from the teachers, the district was required to bring in administrators and substitute teachers to fill the empty classroom to maintain class as scheduled for the students. Not all of the schools were able to remain open, as the preschools did

not receive enough support to care for all of the students there.

The strike ended on Thursday morning, as an all-night bargaining session resulted in a new compensation deal for the teachers. This deal included an additional $23.1 million toward teacher compensation including 11.7 percent raises next year and new salary beginning at $45,000 a year, topping out at $100,000 annually. Also supporting teacher retention is an increased $3,000 bonus for teachers in the 30 highest-priority schools on the condition of a collaborative study to determine the

effectiveness of the incentives’ work.

The teachers and district hope this new deal will encourage teachers to keep educators from leaving the city due to the increasing cost of living and create a more even, predictable pay for those working in the district.

Cameron Elder | Contributing Writer

Photo courtesy of David Zalubowski | AP

Photo courtesy of Michael Ciaglo | Getty Images

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| SPORTS

DU CLARION

FEB. 20, 2019

Gymnastics notches second-highest score

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he women’s gymnastics team, currently ranked No. 6 in the nation, earned a 197.625 in front of a sold-out crowd in Hamilton Gymnasium, a score that is the highest of the season and the second-highest score in program history.

In the all-around, sophomore Lynnzee Brown (Kansas City, Mo.) tied the program record, scoring a 39.775. This matches Nina McGee’s score from Feb. 27, 2016.

Denver began the meet on vault, where they scored a season-best 49.325. Senior Kaitlyn Schou (Orlando, Fla.) led the team off with a 9.825.

Her score was matched by fellow senior, Diana Chesnok (Charlotte, N.C.). Sophomore Mia Sundstrom (Boulder, Colo.) placed third in the event with a score of 9.850, junior Maddie Karr (Stillwater, Minn.) was second with a 9.900 and Brown took the event title with a career-high tying 9.925.

On bars, Brown scored a new career-high with a 9.975, contributing to Denver’s 49.400. Sophomore Emily Glynn (Longmont, Colo.) tied her season-best, scoring a 9.900 which was good for second in the event. Karr scored a 9.875, finishing DU’s sweep on the event. Freshman Alexandria Ruiz (Lake Mary, Fla.) scored a 9.850

and senior Claire Kern (Charlotte, N.C.) and Sundstrom both scored a 9.800.

Denver scored their second-best beam score in program history, earning a 49.475. Freshman Alexis Vasquez (Arcadia, Calif.) and Karr split the beam title with a pair of 9.925s while both

Ruiz and Brown set careerbests with 9.850 and 9.900 respectively. Schou contributed a 9.875.

On the final event of the night, the floor, Denver matched their season-best score of 49.425. Sundstrom led the Pioneers off, scoring a 9.825, followed by Ruiz with a 9.875.

Photo courtesy DU Athletics | Brittany Evans

Schou added a 9.850, Karr had a 9.900 and Brown finished the night off with a 9.975.

“It was a fantastic performance from Lynnzee tonight,” Head Coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart said after the meet. “I know no one would be prouder than Nina [McGee] herself. However, it was a complete team effort, and our goal is to keep getting stronger with each and every meet.” She continued, “We’re not concerned with scores or rankings or [Regional Qualifying Scores]. We’re exactly where we want to be.”

“I’m feeling confident because I’m doing in competition what I’ve been practicing. And it’s good to keep that consistency in pressure situations,” Brown said of her career night in the all-around.

“I’ll just remember the environment. The team is finding that we’re most [successful] when we’re together and supporting each other.”

Denver finishes up its three-meet home stand on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. MST against No. 10 Boise State and No. 23 Iowa State in Magness Arena. This meet is Denver’s annual pink meet, in honor of breast cancer awareness and fans are encouraged to wear pink.

Hannah Branit | Sports Editor Photo courtesy of DU Athletics

No. 6 Pioneers fall late to No. 10 Duke Blue Devils

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he No. 6 Pioneers fell to the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils as the Blue Devils used a lucky bounce from a missed pass that led to a wide open shot for Duke. Joey Manown for Duke scored the game-winning goal with 6.9 left in the game.

On a soggy surface, the Pioneers and Blue Devils split the first quarter 1-1 with junior Short Stick Defensive Midfielder Danny Logan (Upper Arlington, Ohio) getting the lone goal for the Pioneers. During the second quarter, the Pioneers were able to make a 2-0 run with goals from sophomore midfielder Jack Hannah (Milford, Ohio) and sophomore Ted Sullivan (Tucson, Ariz.). The Blue Devils were

able to get one back on the Pioneers and make the score 3-2. With five seconds left in the shot clock, senior Colton Jackson (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) launched a shot from downtown through Blue Devil defenders to make it 4-2 in the second quarter.

The Pioneers would enter into the locker room with a two-goal advantage and only allow the Blue Devils three shots on cage in the first half.

The second half would intensify as the Pioneers would go up to a 6-2 lead in the third with goals from senior defenseman Dylan Johnson (Englewood, Colo.) and Sullivan’s second of the game. The Blue Devils had other plans as they began their 7-1 run that spanned

into the fourth quarter to take a 9-7 lead behind Joe Robertson’s hat trick.

Freshman Ellis Geis (Tustin, Calif.) had the lone goal for the Pioneers during the Blue Devil run. Geis was able to get his second of the game with only 2:55 left to play to help get the Pioneers within one. After a crucial ground ball off a faceoff scrum and Pioneer timeout, freshman Alex Simmons (Smithville, Ontario) was able to level the score at nine with a screamer just over the stick of the Blue Devil netminder.

On the ensuing faceoff, the Blue Devils were able to get the ball and push down the field. An errant pass to the middle of the field left the ball bouncing straight for

Duke’s Joey Manown who had a wide open look at the Denver goal and capitalized on his opportunity.

The Pioneers will look to bounce back at home against newly-minted D1 program Utah on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 1:30 p.m. MST and on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 1:30 p.m.

MST against Cleveland State in the 2019 Faceoff Classic.

Update: In the latest rankings, released Feb. 18, Denver dropped down to No. 9 while Duke moved up to No. 5.

Lawson Montegomery | Contributing Writer

FEB. 20, 2019

DU CLARION

SPORTS | 5

Denver splits weekend series with Minnesota Duluth

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oming off a bye weekend the No. 7 ranked Denver Pioneers headed to Duluth, Minn. with a chance to make a gain on the fourthranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. Denver took an early lead 2:50 into the first period on a one-timer from senior defenseman Les Lancaster (Ypsilanti, Mich.). That first goal was quickly followed by a rebounded shot from the Bulldogs Justin Richards.

After that goal there was no looking back for the Bulldogs as Nick Swaney (Lakeville, Minn.) scored the go-ahead goal at 10:20 in the second period followed by a

pair of goals in the third by Justin Richards (Columbus, Ohio) and Tanner Laderoute (Edmonton, Alberta) to put the game away for the Bulldogs winning 5-2 on Friday night.

After a rough Friday night for freshman Flip Larsson (Stockholm, Sweden), the Pioneers tried sophomore Devin Cooley (Los Gatos, Calif.) in goal. The change ended up paying off on Friday night as Cooley got his second career shutout as a Denver Pioneers blanked the Bulldogs 1-0. This was despite being outshot 27-16 on Saturday night. The lone goal of the game came off of freshman Emilio Pettersen (Manglerud, Norway)

advancing the puck up in front of the blue line for freshman Slava Demin (Cypress, Calif.) to score his fourth goal of the season. The strong showing of freshmen scoring has continued to dominate DU scoring, showing potential for the future of DU Hockey.

Minnesota Duluth made several last-minute pushes towards the goal only to see several shots just ricochet off Cooley to seal the deal for a Pioneers team that looked like they were skating on thin ice late, at a crucial time in the season.

“I’m really proud of our guys’ effort and their resilience to be able to stick together and gut out a tough

road win,” said Head Coach David Carle. The split this weekend moves the Pioneers to sole possession of fourth place in the NCHC standings as they look to start annihilating the opposition in these next few crucial weekends in the season. This stretch will start with next weekend for the Pioneers as they head back to Magness Arena to take on Miami Ohio (10-16-4) for two games on Friday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. then on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.

Ben Rossi | Contributing Writer Photo courtesy DU Club WIH

Celebrating women in sports: WIH edition

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fter Olympian Kendall Coyne-Schofield took to the ice in the 2018 NHL All-Stars Skills competition, Twitter went crazy and Coyne-Schofield quickly became a trending topic. Almost overnight, the national focus landed on the world of women’s hockey.

On DU’s campus, a group of women meets at the Joy Burns Ice Arena every Monday and Wednesday night. They are DU Club Women’s Ice Hockey, affectionately known as Club WIH, and they are leaving their mark on the campus.

Club WIH plays in the women’s DI league in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). The team is a relatively young one, with the 2018-2019 season being their fifth season in the league, but they are growing quickly and competing at a high level; they qualified for the Western Women’s Collegiate Hockey League (WWCHL) regionals held in Las Vegas in their fifth year of play. With 18 women on the roster, Club WIH is growing and making its presence known.

President Kathleen Reiling has been with Club WIH for four years, and through them, she has seen the jumps

that WIH has taken. From her freshman year where “we had about nine to ten girls.

It was our first year playing in the league,” to this year, where they have expanded to 18 players, the growth has shown exactly how strong this team is and how much they are capable of. Reiling says that the first steps weren’t always the easiest, as they began instituting things such as starting dryland and off-ice training and increasing the number of games, going from 12 games to the 23 games that they played this year. The changes brought in more girls that had experience playing at the high school level, and to Reiling, this team is “night and day from where we started four years ago.”

Reiling has served as an officer for the club for three years and served as president for two years. Through that time, she has helped grow the team to what it is and encouraged greater competition.

Teammate Claire Knowlan says, “I’m lucky to get to play on a team that’s so well organized but our due to Kathleen and Sarah [McDonald].”

One of the things that Reiling and Knowlan are passionate about is the team’s outreach to the community.

This year was the second year that they hosted the Colorado Select Girls U10 and U8 teams for a meet-andgreet. Reiling has also seen “a handful of emails from parents in the Denver, and they’ve got young daughters and are like, I really want to get my girl into hockey but she thinks that girls can’t play hockey. She thinks it’s more for boys. Can you send me your schedule, can I bring my daughter to one of your games?” They want to show girls that hockey is for anyone and the myth that only boys can play hockey is just that, a myth. Part of their passion for this stems from their own experiences as young girls who played hockey.

To girls who are on the fence about continuing hockey, Knowlan encourages them to “keep playing, keep doing it.”

Reiling adds, “It’s a lot of fun, you make a lot of friends.”

In the future, Reiling hopes to see the team continue to succeed, “to gain that higher level of competition.” Stepping out of the transitional period that has not been an easy process, but for a team that has been in the WWCHL for just five years, they have already gained plenty of respect.

Those who are interested in joining Club WIH are encouraged to email the club at duclubwih@gmail.com.

Hannah Branit | Sports Editor Photo courtesy DU Club WIH

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| OPINIONS

DU CLARION

FEB. 20, 2019

Trump’s national emergency will set a poor precedent for future presidents

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n Friday, Feb. 15, Trump declared a national emergency over the border wall, invoking emergency presidential powers that he intends to use to fund the wall, as a direct response to the most recent spending bill proposed by Congress that did not provide him with his desired funding. However, many are calling the legality of his decision into question as to whether or not he is allowed to bypass Congress in the intended way and as to whether the wall situation is worthy of a national emergency. Trump’s use of emergency powers, should it be deemed legal by courts, will set a poor precedent for future presidents and will show that presidents are allowed to abuse checks and balances in order to promote personal agendas.

But first, it’s important to understand what a “national emergency” is. In 1976, Congress passed the National Emergencies Act, which formalized special powers for the president that could be used in times of crisis when immediate, procedural action is required. Historically, most presidents have invoked the powers designated by the act for national security threats such as 9/11, foreign military threats, human rights violations, cyber attacks, election tampering and the like. The act has even been utilized for domestic issues like when, in 2009, Obama declared a national security emergency over the H1N1 flu virus epidemic in order to activate disaster plans to set up proper patient treatment.

In this context, Trump’s use of the act over the border wall is incongruent with past uses. The rhetoric that Trump has built up over the border situation is hyperbolic and has been used to manufacture a crisis. Regardless of one’s views on immigration, illegal or not, the “very dangerous southern border” that Trump described in his most recent State of the Union Address simply isn’t true.

If anything, as shown by the graph from BBC, illegal immigration at the Mexican border has been dropping significantly since the early 2000s. If the numbers of people attempting to enter through the southern U.S. border back in 2000 weren’t worthy of a national emergency, then why are the relatively very low numbers of today suddenly so pressing?

Additionally, NPR analyzed that the majority of illegal immigrants don’t even enter through the southern border at all; in fact, most illegals merely overstay their visas. By their estimates, the number of people who overstay their visas is more than double the number of people apprehended at the border.

While the number of individuals at our southern border is nothing to completely ignore, it doesn’t qualify the use of the National Emergencies Act. If there has been anything the past few years that has been worthy of emergency powers, it would have been the opioid epidemic or the escalations with North Korea. In 2017, more Americans died from prescribed opioids than illegal immigrant

Image courtesy of BBC

related crimes. Back in June of 2018, Trump made a false claim that since 2001, 63,000 Americans have been killed by undocumented immigrants (this was disproved several times over and actual ICE criminal reports show numbers not even close to that—closer to only one or two thousand). Comparatively, 70,237 Americans died in 2017 as a consequence of the opioid epidemic, a number up by 7,000 from the previous year. The Trump administration has blown the undocumented immigrant problem out of proportion and is focusing on the wrong crises; his definition of a “national emergency” is skewed.

In reality, Trump’s use of his emergency powers is only being used to forcefully squeeze money out of Congress and the military in order to fund his wall. The bipartisan spending bill recently presented to Trump only provided him with $1.38 billion for 55 miles of border bar-

riers, nothing close to the $5.7 billion he initially demanded.

Now, he will take roughly $6.7 billion from military and other sources, without the approval of Congress. By doing so, he undermines one of the most important constitutional powers provided to Congress, the power of the purse.

Should this use of the National Emergencies Act be deemed legal, which it likely won’t be, it will demonstrate to future presidents that it is possible to abuse legal powers in order to promote personal political agendas. The border wall is merely an early campaign promise that Trump will try to attain by any means necessary, even if it means circumventing Congress completely. By no means is the border wall a national emergency, and Trump’s attempt to undermine the system of checks and balances should be stopped.

Robert Corl | Contributing Writer

The border isn’t the real national emergency

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n Feb. 15, 2019, President Donald Trump signed the 2019 fiscal year budget. Many of his supporters are frustrated with not enough funding being dedicated to the border wall, while many of his opponents are frustrated with education and welfare cuts. Both sides, however, seem to agree on one thing: the deficit. For yet another year, the U.S. is spending more than it brings in in revenue. The new budget adds $984 billion to the national debt, which is $22.703 trillion (108.1 percent of the U.S. GDP). This is a $151 billion increase in spending from last year’s budget. If the U.S. wants to stay as a functioning government, then it must cut spending.

Military spending is by far the U.S.’s greatest discretionary expenditure with what will be $597.1 billion, which is a $73.9 billion increase from last year.

If the U.S. is going to survive, it needs to seriously consider cutting back on military spending. Defense spending, however, is not alone in the cuts that are needed to put the U.S. back on track. Mandatory spending on big programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid also need a reduction. These areas mark the U.S.’s largest mandatory expenditures, and

if we continue to overspend in these sectors, the consequences will be dire. As the interest on our loans slowly increases over the years, the U.S. could find itself in a situation like Greece’s except without an EU to bail us

the U.S. is going to eliminate the deficit and began to pay back its $22.703 trillion debt, then it must decrease not increase the defense budget.

Speaking of decreases, the $2.59 trillion in mandatory

Photo courtesy of The Washington Post

out. The debt crisis argument is a battle between instant gratification and future prosperity.

Security is something that is very dear to the hearts of Americans. The U.S. has the largest defense budget in the entire world, and if you exclude Russia and China, that budget is greater than the combined budget of all other countries. The U.S., however, cannot realistically keep this overly large budget going. If

spending needs to be looked at. The majority of this comes from Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Social Security takes up the largest chunk, with $987 billion being dedicated to it. Since mandatory spending is required by law, it will be much more difficult to decrease this large expenditure, but it must be done if the U.S. is going to operate in the future. Cuts in these areas will obviously be very

unpopular, but the people must understand that the government should not be spending money that it does not have.

Spending money that the government does not have has become a trend that will soon have dire consequences. By 2034, it is projected that Social Security benefits will need to be slashed by 21 percent or payroll taxes will need to be raised by 31 percent to keep the program alive. Interest payments on the debt are expected to reach $915 billion by 2028. This means that our budget will consist mostly of interest payments instead of defense and mandatory spending. The government would have to make extreme cuts along with large tax increases. In an extreme case, the government may even need to default on its loans, which would mean rapid devaluation of the dollar and a complete economic breakdown. The economic ramifications would likely create a global crisis with a magnitude that would make the Great Depression look like a minor recession. That, however, is an extreme case. If the U.S. wants to have a sustainable future, then it must make some hard and unpopular decisions.

Jake Gloth | Contributing Writer

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Clarion or of the DU community.

FEB. 20, 2019

DU CLARION

OPINIONS | 7

Will Colorado commit to public education?

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hile growing up in the Aurora Public School (APS) system, I saw firsthand what a lack of educational funding does for the classroom.

For Spanish and social studies classes, students worked from old, worn and torn books; the science department often did not have enough materials for all students to participate in labs; teachers who were favored by students were constantly let go by administrators. All of these things impacted the classroom environment, in addition to the sense of school community and morale.

It was clear to my classmates and me that we needed funding, and it wasn’t just our school.

Colorado spends roughly $7,662 per pupil per year, while the national average for public education is approximately $12,526 per pupil per year. As a student, this statistic scares me. Do Colorado lawmakers and voters not care about public education?

In the final months of my senior year of high school, I dressed in red and rallied with thousands of educators, parents and students at the Denver capitol building. Picket signs waved, thousands of voices chanted in unison and car horns sang support all in hopes that Colorado legislators and voters would recognize the need for more educational funding. Less than a year after the national teacher walkouts and rallies, I witnessed the Denver Public School (DPS) teachers strike, which included my high school theatre teacher, Ryan Hill.

“Teacher pay in general is lacking around the country, particularly in Colorado,” Hill

explained. “We’re kind of always on the lower end in terms of teachers, especially after losing Amendment 73 in November.”

Last November, Colorado voters rejected Amendment 73, which would have increased income, corporate and property taxes to raise money for Colorado’s public schools.

Many teachers were in support of Amendment 73, and it was a disappointment to see the amendment fail. APS passed a ballot measure that would directly impact the classroom.

Additionally, the ballot measure would help retain high quality teachers, which is something DPS has struggled with for a while because of their pay scale.

It is Ryan Hill’s first year at DPS, and he has felt welcomed and appreciated by the district; however, he thinks the pay scale needs to be reevaluated to better benefit teachers and students.

“There’s a lot more support for theatre arts in DPS as compared to my old district, but the very top-heavy approach that Denver has always had in terms of the crazy number of administrative positions in the central office really takes its toll on the classroom. DPS in particular has a pay scale that’s very unpredictable and not transparent when compared to many other districts in Colorado.”

The pay scale was one of the main points of the strike, which is why the Denver Classroom Teachers Association pushed to lower incentives for working in high-poverty and high-priority schools to free up money for overall teacher pay. There was also concern over the district allocating too much money for administrative positions. Mean-

while, DPS sees bonuses as key to boosting the academic performance of poor and minority students. The non-traditional pay system that Denver has adopted leads to high turnover, which ultimately hurts students.

Anna Gebhardt, friend and previous colleague of Hill and a DU alum, mentioned her support for the DPS strike: “It is not easy to strike, especially without pay, and it isn’t easy for [teachers] to be out of their classrooms, but they are doing it because their requests have been ignored and they want their voices heard.”

After 15 months of negotiations and being put on hold due to the state intervening, the Denver teacher strike began Monday, Feb. 11. Teachers showed up to their schools before students entered classes, and they picketed outside their school buildings in below freezing temperatures. Tuesday, teachers gathered outside the central Denver Public Library as negotiations took place inside.

However, an agreement was not made that afternoon, and the strike continued with 58 percent of teachers not reporting for work on Wednesday. Thursday marked the end of the strike as a tentative agreement was made, and teachers were back in the classroom Friday morning.

The agreement helps ensure educators have a transparent salary schedule that is less dependent on unpredictable bonuses. It includes a 20-step salary schedule, clear increases of between seven percent and 11 percent in base salary and cost of living increases. For the agreement to take effect, it must be ratified by a majority of members of the teachers association.

Colorado Public Radio reports that the union’s offer agreed to $3,000 retention bonus for high priority schools—so long as a study could prove their effectiveness—$2,000 incentive for hard to fill and hard to staff schools and a salary structure that starts at $45,800.

While this tentative agreement is great for DPS, its teachers and its students, Colorado has a lot more to do for other districts. Rural school districts, such as Kit Carson, aren’t receiving adequate government funding, and their educators and administrators have to pick up that slack by teaching multiple subjects and playing multiple roles. The implementation of arts education programs and curriculum continues to face controversy even though it has seen significant achievements.

While teachers and districts have guides to offer mental health support for students, schools still don’t have the funding for counselors and other mental health professionals.

Public education is the foundation of students’ lives, and it’s critical that we are properly funding school districts, teachers and classrooms. As a future educator, I am happy to see DPS reach an agreement, and I am even more proud that teachers were able to practice their right to strike even though it was hard to leave their students. Colorado’s education system is not something that can be fixed overnight, or even within a couple of years: we must be adamant about changing the system to better support our students and their teachers, and the DPS strike was a step in the right direction.

Madalyne Heiken | Contributing Writer

CU Boulder graduate students protest fees

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t the University of Colorado Boulder, graduate students working as teachers and researchers for the school have started protesting paying student tuition fees in a rally that attracted hundreds of supporters on Feb. 5 at Farrand Field.

The Committee on Rights and Compensation (CRC), a graduate student advocacy group and labor organization on campus seeking a collective bargaining agreement with the university, organized its largest action in its history with the walkout and rally. Faculty members and undergraduate students also joined.

According to the Daily Camera, the estimates for CU graduate students fees average between $1,552 and $1,764 per year, though they can be higher.

These fees include everything from (mental) health fees, career services charges, computing fees, capital construction fees to fund new buildings—basically everything tuition or the state should pay for—but instead has been added to student fees.

The nearly $2,000 that is racked up in yearly graduate student fees equates to nearly

10 percent of an average graduate worker’s annual wages.

Although it may not seem like much, that could provide four months of groceries for some, or one month of rent.

Graduate workers endure some of the most labor-intensive work at universities, and it’s unfair that they they are being forced to essentially pay for their work. Already severely underpaid and likely drowning in debt, graduate workers should not be taking on extra stress as they teach for their school, support families and attempt to support themselves, but the unjust financial burden placed on their shoulders has caused many to get second jobs, which takes away from their own research projects for CU. According to The Denver Post, in the months leading up to this, the CRC collected over 1,600 signatures supporting a graduate student fee waiver, which included more than 1,000 from current graduate students, according to organizers.

“It is not fair that, by the time I get my Ph.D., I will have given up over $10,000 to this university, which amounts to about 10

Photo courtesy of The Daily Camera

percent of my total take-home pay,” said Janet Ruppert, a CRC member and doctoral student in information science.

The push for graduate student unions has been debated for decades. Graduate students who work for their universities should be entitled to the same rights as any other U.S. employee under our nation’s labor law. Many unions nationwide regained hope when the National Labor Relations Board legally recognized graduate assistants as employees in 2016, but more still has to be done for there to be any substantial financial impact.

It’s easy to see why so many graduate students have joined unions. Their continuing education is not only impacted, but many are also struggling simply to make ends meet. With the increasing efforts overall, protesting student fees is a step in the right direction towards receiving better pay for their work and it’s notable that, despite opposition from school officials, the movement to unionize by teaching has gained substantial momentum nationwide.

Skylar Nitzel | Contributing Writer

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Clarion or of the DU community.

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DU CLARION

| OPINIONS

FEB. 20, 2019

PIONEER VOICES Question of the week:

Is there any place you would rather be right now?

“I would probably be in Europe right now because I love traveling and I love the culture there.”

“Yes, absolutely anywhere else.”

Jules Korman, Fourth Year

Andrea Macias, Second Year

“Home. I’m from Egypt.”

“I’d like to be in Indonesia right now because it’s probably warm and not freezing and not stressful.”

Muhammad Kolila, Graduate Student

Aziz Syammach, Third Year

DU CLARION

FEB. 20, 2019

OPINIONS | 9

Green New Deal invokes Great Depression strategy

L

ast week, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) unveiled their outline for a broad plan known as the Green New Deal. The plan does not only focus on dealing with the effects of climate change as its name would suggest, but also tends toward social and economic topics such as universal health care and simple living working wages.

The Green New Deal parallels the original New Deal not only in terms of names, but by way of their boldness and last-ditch effort strategies. When Franklin Delano Roosevelt unveiled the original New Deal in 1933, the Great Depression had wrecked the U.S.’s employment levels and economy overall. In modern days, climate change has caused catastrophic damage to the country as a whole. The introduction of a Green New Deal at this point in time signifies a return to Depression-era blueprints for getting back on track: frantic plans to remedy damage that has the potential to become irreversible if not dealt with properly and in a timely manner.

In noting this, one must also acknowledge the fact that the original New Deal wasn’t necessarily exemplary at fixing the problems that the Great Depression brought about, and leading economists believe that America’s eventual recovery from the Depression wasn’t due to the policies the New Deal set up, but rather European arrangements for war supplies and

expansionary monetary orders on a macroeconomic level. In fact, it actually harmed much of the American population, rais-

suggests that the Green New Deal’s goals may not be fulfilled as quickly as it promises—having net zero greenhouse emissions

Photo courtesy of Time Magazine

ing taxes through the roof and causing many poor Americans to become even more financially unstable. The fact that the New Deal itself didn’t actually accomplish what it was intended to do

from the U.S. by 2030—and that its potential success may very well come from outside sources, not the American government.

The Green New Deal has also already been received as divisive,

given its more liberal tendencies, and the New Deal’s policies only passed because Congress in the 1930s agreed upon the urgency of the situation, whereas today, our government doesn’t seem to embrace the idea of bipartisan policy. Even though 81 percent of Americans appear to support the concepts backing the Green New Deal, the question is whether or not lawmakers will be cooperative enough to make tangible progress where the Deal aims to do so, be it environmentally, economically or otherwise.

The utilization of a recognizable name was likely not an unintentional decision, though, and support for it during its implementation was vast. Many Americans associate the New Deal with economic progress.

Viewing the Green New Deal causes audiences to not only question whether or not the its broad plans will work given its schismatic nature in regards to the government, but also if its goals will be executed on American soil or via outside sources.

While it holds the potential to mend some of America’s most alarming concerns, the U.S.’s circumstances still appear dim, as both parties will need to compromise and set some of their differences aside in order to do so. The Green New Deal could very feasibly end up becoming nothing more than a symbol of fleeting hope, should lawmakers not cooperate with each other.

Rachel Kunzi | Contributing Writer

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10

| ARTS

DU CLARION

& LIFE

FEB. 20, 2019

Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next” album is her most personal

A

riana Grande has certainly become one of the most talked-about pop stars during 2018 and into 2019. From her public engagement to and breakup with comedian Pete Davidson to the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, Grande has had a tumultuous year filled with love and heartbreak. Although one would think that a broken engagement and the death of a loved one would not allow Grande to find love again, Grande argues she has found love, this time in herself, in her latest album, “thank u, next.” “thank u, next” is Grande’s most personal album, as she addresses her past relationships and ends with singing about acceptance of her past and looking forward to the future where she loves herself and chooses time with her friends over finding a new relationship. This can be seen in the single “7 rings,” where Grande talks about buying expensive things for herself and her friends and how she has turned into a “savage” as a result of the challenges she faced in 2018.

The album begins with

“imagine,” a song Grande stated was about denial that a relationship had ever ended, as she sings about a scenario where her and her lover are together in bliss.

Many believe the song was written for Miller, as one line from “imagine” references Grande’s love of stir-fry that mirrors a line in Miller’s song “Cinderella” that Grande previously confirmed was about her. “ghostin” stands out as one of Grande’s best, if not saddest,

songs of all time. Fans believe the song references both Miller and Davidson, as Grande talks about having to apologize to someone for still crying and possibly still being in love with someone else. Grande herself confirmed that the song was about feeling sorry for the person you are with because you’re still in love with someone else, and that the relationship should end. There has also been speculation that “ghostin” sampled

Photo Courtesy of Republic Records

Miller’s “2009” from his last album “Swimming,” leaving fans to confirm that Grande addressed both men in her song.

Grande ends the album with three of her most self-confident songs, “7 rings,” the hit single “thank u, next” and “breakup with your girlfriend, i’m bored.”

Through these songs, Grande shows that she has reached selflove and acceptance. Grande released a music video for “breakup with your girlfriend, i’m bored,” on the same day the album dropped, and though many fans enjoyed the video, others accused Grande of queer-baiting and depicting a same-sex relationship to create a hit, not because she identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Overall, Grande showed the most personable and vulnerable side of herself in “thank u, next.” Grande has also managed to break streaming records with her latest album, as “thank u, next” had the biggest streaming week ever for a female artist’s album or a pop album. Grande seems to be the most talked-about pop star since she released the album, and time will reveal how she will keep rising in stardom.

Nina Petrovic | Arts and Life Editor

Date a Beta: “Do it for the kids”

B

eta Theta Pi threw their annual philanthropy event, Date a Beta, to benefit the Gabby Krause Foundation on Friday, Feb. 15. Since their partnership with the Gabby Krause Foundation in 2008, Beta Theta Pi has raised over $80,000.

Date a Beta is Beta’s annual philanthropic event, through which brothers are packaged with dates for people to bid on.

According to sophomore Adam Snow, Beta’s vice president of programming, last year, Date a Beta raised over $14,000 for the foundation with dates such as a night out at the hit musical Hamilton, a tour of the Denver Zoo and more. This year, dates up for auction included dog sledding, a showing of the musical Wicked and a date to Ariana Grande’s tour. The goal of this event was to raise financial support to and raise awareness of the Gabby Krause Foundation.

However, Beta does not just raise money for the foundation; brothers have volunteered with the Gabby Krause Foundation to distribute the Bags of Fun. The Gabby Krause Foundation was started in memory of six-year-old Gabby Krause, who passed away in September 2004 after battling brain cancer.

Her dream was that every child in the hospital could receive a bag filled with toys and fun activities to pass the time while in the hospital. Her dream became

the root mission of the Gabby Krause Foundation. Volunteers fill backpacks with fun toys and games to distribute to children staying at hospitals. Several Betas, including junior President Bryan Tanigawa, junior and Vice President of Brotherhood Ryan Baca, sophomore Ellis Stice, sophomore Evan Prechodko and sophomore Philanthropy Chair Luke Srsen, recently volunteered with the foundation to both fill and distribute Bags of Fun at the Children’s Hospital.

Co-founder and Executive Director Tammy Krause said, “What I’ve watched for seven years […] is this group of young men, from Luke [Srsen], to Arie [Feltman-Frank] to Matt [...] to Zane and on and on and on, making a difference in your world and your community.” She continued saying, “Not only have I watched the Betas making an impact on the DU community and come back in an amazing way to be a presence here, but in the community around you. And the amount of money you raise and the amount of bags you’ve helped fill is truly unbelievable and unbelievable to the point that tonight, one of your brothers has his own personal story about how Bags of Fun impacted him and his family.”

Srsen, a sophomore at DU and current philanthropy chair, has a personal story about Bags

of Fun. “Dane, my younger brother, was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma. Dane was given a bag during one of his treatments.

I still remember the look on his face and pure excitement when he first opened his bag. I realized as a sibling, just how special organizations like the Gabby Krause Foundation are to the families that are directly affected by illness. Dane spent hours and hours by the Kindle Fire watching movies, as well as using every single toy included in the bag.

“For a kid that was in a hospital bed for 20 of the 24 hours of the day, this really changed the game. With my position as philanthropy chair, I have been able to work closely with the foundation and see what the ‘power of play’ can do for those diagnosed. As of today, Dane is three and a half years cancer free.

I cannot stress to you enough how much this charity means to me and my family. Ultimately, this has been an opportunity for me to give back and make a difference with a charity that I know from my own experience changes lives.”

For those interested in donating to the Gabby Krouse foundation, details can be found on bagsoffun.org.

Hannah Branit | Sports Editor

Photo Courtesy of Beta Theta PI

FEB. 20, 2019

DU CLARION

ARTS & LIFE | 1 1

2019 Grammys feature ground-breaking winners

T

With Drake’s “God’s Plan” winning Best Rap Song, Childish Gambino’s “This is America” winning Record of the Year, Dua Lipa winning Best New Artist and Kacey Musgraves’s “Golden Hour” winning both Country Album and Album of the year, the 2019 Grammys Award show was full of many surprises and milestones for these talented musicians. Despite the negative reviews of the show, it is reported that the performances yielded a 480 percent sales gain for several artists, including Lady Gaga, Kacey Musgraves, Brandi Carlile and H.E.R. The Staples Center was on fire with the excitement, The show opened with an drama and record-breaking winexciting performance from Ali- ners that filled the famous LA cia Keys, who was accompanied venue.

by Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Jada Pinkett Smith onstage. This group went on to discuss the unification and Rebecca Shagrin | Contributing Writer power of music, each expressing the impact that music has had on her life. Later in the show, Alicia Keys belted out various parts of her hit songs, showing fans her true talent and the reason for her extensive recognition in the music industry. Between “Empire State of Mind,” “Killing Me Softly” and even “Lucid Dreams,” Alicia Keys showed us the diversity of her songs while she shocked fans with her instrumental talent by playing two pianos at once. Being the first woman to host the Grammys in over a decade, she made a statement for women everywhere with this show-stopping performance.

Cardi B being awarded Rap Album of the Year for her album “Invasion of Privacy” was a dream come true for the ex-stripper turned famous rapper, who performed her famous single “Money” during the show. After hearing her name announced for this award, the camera turned directly towards Cardi B and her husband, Offset, who are apparently back together. He accompanied her onstage to retrieve the award and comforted her when her nerves got the best of her, claiming that she “needs to start smoking weed.”

After the award ceremony, critics began reporting that she did not deserve the award, and Cardi B later responded by posting a picture of Chance the Rapper’s Instagram comment hyping her up. After showing her fans Chance the Rapper’s support, she decided to delete her Instagram account after all the ruckus her extraordinary Grammy achievements had caused.

Lady Gaga, once again, made a jaw-dropping performance singing her and Bradley Cooper’s hit song from “A Star Is Born”, “Shallow.” Time after time, this song brought tears to people’s eyes, but with the energy that Lady Gaga brought to the show that Sunday night, fans were more emotional than ever.

This song ended up winning the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammy, which was much deserved, since this song, and the movie as a whole, made a huge impression on viewers. his year was the 61st Annual Grammys Award show.

Grammys are awarded to artists from The Recording Academy to recognize their outstanding achievements in the music industry. The show always features famous performers, top-of-the-line outfits and cringe-worthy thank-you speeches. Being recognized at the ceremony is a huge honor. So in the music world, once you are awarded a Grammy, you’ve made it. Many viewers believe that this year’s show was a complete mess, but it was really just as entertaining as most of the people receiving the awards.

Photo Courtesy of Consequence of Sound

Photo Courtesy of TimesNow

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| ARTS

DU CLARION

& LIFE

FEB. 20, 2019

Chook will leave you shook

I

t’s fast, casual, cheap and serves chicken. If the image of newly bronzed Colonel Sanders, with his pristinely white beard and jet black bolo tie, popped into your mind, I beg you to think again. Instead, I offer you the image of a corner restaurant with a wall that looks as if it were constructed from magazine clippings, basically the epitome of what a third grader’s art project would strive to be, but edgy and sleek. It’s pretty unsuspecting as it hides ever so slightly behind a black awning with the word “Chook” written as its title. The pop of color from their walls boldly contrasts the white hexagons placed in a perfect puzzle on the floor. Counter seats, high tops, a communal long table or the classic round kitchen table are what bring customers into the family mentality offered by this newest gem on Pearl Street. The entire restaurant looks as though it were cut from a contemporary kitchen design magazine because, although elegant, it can’t help but feel like home. While the whole aesthetic

They are known for their Piri Piri sauce, which is an electric Portuguese sauce made of red peppers with a hint of spice. You can leave ketchup to the McDonald’s fries and the orange sauce to Panda Express because we don’t need those artificial messes drowning this masterpiece. Their menu is á la carte, so take a bit of this and Chook is taking the reigns as mix it with some of that to get the the neighborhood lunch place, best combo bucket available. so other Pearl Street restaurants Chicken being their defining better beware. Adam Schlegel— dish, they have proven themthe founder of Snooze—and his selves as masters of vegetables as partner Alex Seidel, creator of well. If meat is not your or your Fruition and Mercantile, have friend’s style, no worries, because hatched a farm-to-table vision their side of delicata squash could that is suitable for all. Chook sucker punch any steak out of this means chicken in Australian world. The brown butter adds a lingo, so you better believe they sense of holiday warmth, while are making the humble bird the the fresh parsley adds brightstar of the show. With options of ness and color, a must order. just white or dark meat and half Then the celery-apple slaw has or whole chickens, the succu- the much needed crunch factor lent bird will be put before you while the vinegar adds acidity after being kissed by the heat strong enough to cut through the of burning coals. Their cooking richness in the rest of your meal. technique takes these chickens to Coming here and ordering sides a new level, but it’s their sauces would be a vegetarian paradise. that really change the game. Even though they aren’t made in will have you coming back for a comfortable seat, it is the food that makes you feel warmer than toasting up by a fire. Interestingly enough, the air conditioning might need to be turned on because with the exposed kitchen, they end up proudly displaying their glorious chickens roasting above red coals on the spit.

house, the Hawaiian rolls provided by Fudmill Bakery are fluffier than a teddy bear and taste like the ideal sweet bread.

After finally narrowing down your order, which can take a bit, all that’s left to do is wait for your bird to stop spinning, but in the meantime they will hand you a token. But this one won’t get you a ticket from the arcade. It will, however, donate a portion of your meal to one of their three local organizations of the month. Not only do you get to rejoice in what feels like a home cooked meal, but someone else benefits from your decision to dine at Chook. At Chook you can even satisfy your chicken fix on Sundays, so thank God there is no need to sit sadly in your room waiting for Monday to roll around once more.

Haley Paez | Contributing Writer

The Clarion Crossword: Week 7 Need some help? Visit duclarion.com for the answer key.