Pathfinder Magazine 2018

YEAR IN REVIEW VISUAL ARTS CREATIVE WRITING

From our Editors

Dear Readers, Welcome to this year’s edition of Pathfinder! Between these covers you’ll find stories and poems exploring the baking sand of the desert, traveling amongst Mesa Verde, and reflecting on the complexity of student identity, among many excellent other pieces. All of this exceptional work is written and produced solely by members of the student body.

We’ve greatly enjoyed cultivating this space as literary editors. We’d like to thank the design team, who has worked hard in cultivating their own artistic space as well as helping make our pieces visually pleasing. We’d also like to thank Terri Murphy, Dr. Hiscox, Dr. Todd, and the rest of our literary editing team for all your hard work. This magazine wouldn’t exist without you.

Finally, we’d like to thank you, readers, for picking up Pathfinder and letting it take you on a journey.

Enjoy!

Sincerely, Managing Literary Editors, Marlida Mear and Kennedy Sievers

CONTENTS vOL 25

Poetry & Prose/Literary Editor Showcase................................................................................................2

-7 Gallery/3-D & Graphic Design............................................................................................................... 8 - 17 Year in Review/Bat Boy: the Musical.................................................................................................. 18 - 19 Year in Review/KWSB Celebrates 50 Years...................................................................................... 20 - 21 Year in Review/Omnicron Delta Kappa.......................................................................................... 22

- 23 Celebration of Scholarship.............................................................................................................. 24 - 29 Gallery/Photography & Painting........................................................................................................ 30 - 41 Poetry & Prose/Kiss of a Scorpion's Stinger.................................................................................. 42 - 43 Poetry & Prose/They Say... ............................................................................................................................ 44 Poetry & Prose/She Is... .................................................................................................................................. 45 Poetry & Prose/Paper Boat............................................................................................................... 46 - 47 Poetry & Prose/Handprints on the Walls....................................................................................... 48 - 49 Poetry & Prose/Carnis........................................................................................................................................50 Year in Review/ BSA Hosts Kai Davis................................................................................................................ 51 Year in Review/Trout Tank................................................................................................................. 52 - 53 Year in Review/Ethics Forum........................................................................................................... 54 - 55 Year in Review/Climb for Heroes.................................................................................................... 56 - 57 Gallery/Drawing & Printmaking.......................................................................................................58 - 67 Poetry & Prose/How to Wrestle Alligators......................................................................................68 - 69 Poetry & Prose/Queen of Belly Aches............................................................................................................. 70 Poetry & Prose/Can Still Stand Up.................................................................................................................... 71 Poetry & Prose/Crimson & Chianti................................................................................................... 72 - 73 Gallery/Mixed Media.......................................................................................................................... 74 - 79

MARION COTTY

Marian Crotty is the author of the short story collection,

, which won the 2017 John Simmons Award for Short Fiction and is a semi-finalist for the 2018 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction. She is an assistant professor of writing at Loyola Maryland and an assistant editor at

GLENN SHAHEEN

29 2

|| Vol. Vol. 25 1 2017-2018 2017-2018

Glenn Shaheen is the author of four books, most recently the flash fiction collection , published by Gold Wake Press.

KIERSTIN BRIDGER

A Colorado writer who divides her time between Ridgway and Telluride.

She is author of two books: (Lithic Press) which won the 2017 WILLA Award from Women Writing The West and her full collection, (Urban Farmhouse Press). She is a winner of the Mark Fischer Poetry Prize, a Fortnight Prize, an ACC Writer’s Studio award, a 2017 silver Charter Oak Best Historical Award. Bridger was also short-listed for the Manchester Poetry Competition in the UK. She is editor of Ridgway Alley Poems and Co-Director of Open Bard Poetry Series. The podcast, “Poetry Voice,� with Kierstin Bridger and Uche Ogbuji is her latest endeavor.

She earned her MFA at Pacific University. She is a writing instructor at both the Ah Haa School and Weehawken Creative Arts.

SHOWCASE Corporeal Confetti Kennedy Sievers

Black asphalt screams, complains

about the hot friction of rubber against rock;

a woman’s voice joins the fray in a deadly

cacophony. Together, the woman and road haphazardly discover

a discordant tune of dismay and dissonance.

Metal twists into complicated contortions, screeches against itself, white coated steel

meeting silver, two more tones making known

their discomfort at meeting this way. Soon,

the sharp spatter of shattering glass brings

the soprano layer to the sounds.

The frozen conductor waves its hand,

steering the steel into further disfigurement.

Red rain coats the choir, a voice suddenly removed

from the disharmony, corporeal confetti covers the singers. And just as suddenly

as the singing started,

it stops.

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

3

SHOWCASE

KNOCKIN' on heaven's door Kennedy Sievers

Charlie scuttled around his house, tidying every last thing.

An Anthology of Mystical Creatures by Aleen Bolregart went before her other novel Garden Gnomes and What to do with Them. He had been brushing up on mystical creatures because his hedges seemed to be depleted lately, and he suspected that an unwelcome unicorn had been invading his garden. Ugly creatures they were, tight, red skin that showed their ribs, glowing gold eyes, black hooves sharp enough to gouge holes into his neatly trimmed grass. Charlie had been taking extensive notes on how to get rid of the things when the persistent growling of his stomach forced him to call it quits and eat something. He couldn’t make dinner with the place such a disaster, though. Charlie picked up his notes written in beautiful calligraphy and gently placed them next to the front cover of his Mystical Creatures novel.

Charlie had taken notes on all of his novels, from Garlin Aaswell novels to Portia Zemin. He worked at the library as a janitor, and used his break times to read legends that he would never find in stores. Books about monsters, about far off places, whole other worlds that existed by coming to life in his head.

Charlie finally finished cleaning and started on his dinner.

Two eggs, one English muffin, a single slice of bacon, and a tall glass of orange juice. He ate meticulously, three bites, sip juice, rotate plate, three bites, sip, rotate, and so on. As Charlie was clearing the dishes from his supper, a sharp rap rap rap resonated through his door. He scuttled over to the door, and stretched on his toes to see through the peephole only to find a dark, smoky haze wavering in front of his door. Hesitantly, he unlocked the door and opened it just enough to poke one eye and his nose out.

“H-hello?”

“Charlie Hazzlebomb?”

“Yes?” “I need to come inside. I’m Death.”

4

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Charlie blinked, then blinked again. It didn’t help clear his vision like he had hoped. The haze didn’t take a solid form, just kept shimmering between male and female, tall and short, fat and thin. “What are you?”

“I’m Death.”

“Yes, I gathered that. I mean, are you a man? A woman?

Anything in particular?”

“Yes and no. Every life I take changes my form slightly, so all the time I’ve spent keeping the natural order changed me into a formless thing.” In his shock, Charlie opened the door and welcomed in Death.

65“Can I get you anything?”

“Coffee would be nice, thank you.”

Charlie poured some and sat across the table where Death had already made itself at home. They faced each other quietly, the silence building until Charlie finally had to break it.—“Why are you here?”

“I think you have an idea already.” Death left it at that, letting Charlie stew in his questions.

“Well I’m assuming you’re here to kill me.”

Affronted, Death put a hand to its chest. “Do I really have that bad of a reputation? I don’t kill people!”

“But you’re Death. I thought you said earlier you have to keep a natural order.”

“I do. By making sure that souls cross over to the proper side.

I appear when their life is at an end, and guide them to the right afterlife.”

Thankful that he didn’t have to endure a brutal murder, Charlie relaxed a little. “Am I sick? I feel fine.”

“Actually, you don’t feel fine. Your neurotic tendencies have gotten worse lately, haven’t they?”

“I like to think that I’ve just been extra clean…”

“You’re actually being slowly poisoned. I know you suspect unicorns have been eating your bushes lately.”

Charlie bristled with annoyance. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to get rid of them.”

“Yes, I noticed your copy of An Anthology of Mystical Creatures. Aleen Bolregart is a lovely author, isn’t she?” Charlie looked puzzled, and Death added, “I do read when I have free time.”

“Well, yes, she is great. I started following her instructions on how to rid my garden of unicorns by spritzing the garden with her homemade removal spray recipe.”

Death sat silent for a while, again causing Charlie to come up with more questions than answers. Death got up and refilled its coffee, this time adding some cream and sugar. He walked while he stirred his cup, looking over Charlie’s extensive anthologies.

“And where, Charlie, do you keep the spray bottle?”

“In my windowsill, next to the back door so that I remember to spray the hedges when I go outside.”

“Well Charlie, one of the side effects of spraying your bushes with this mix is that it encourages plant growth. Which is great on your bushes, but bad when your spray bottle is leaking on to the sill. Then, it encourages mold growth.”

Charlie’s eyes widened. “Mold?”

“The deadly kind. You’ve been breathing in the spores for a

couple of weeks now, and you should be feeling the effects here soon.”

Charlie barely heard the last few words from Death. His vision started to blur, and he could feel his heart beating too hard. He started coughing, and soon his spit turned bloody.

Charlie blacked out and fell to the floor, and when he woke up Death was still there, but this time he could see his body lying on the ground.

“You look disappointed, Charlie. I know you’re dead, but now you have nothing worldly to worry about! No more mold, no more unicorns, no more problems, just a trip to heaven.”

“Actually, I do still have worldly worries. What about my house? My hedges? That unicorn is going to destroy my bushes without me!”

Death looked at Charlie sympathetically (or at least what Charlie hoped was sympathy, Death still didn’t totally have a face) and said, “Tell you what. I’ll do you a favor.”

Death disappeared for a minute. When it returned, it said, “You don’t have anything to worry about anymore.” Death reached his hand out to Charlie and took it comfortably, knowing that his hedges would be safe without him.

'Why are you here?'

'I think you have an idea already.'

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

5

SHOWCASE Hernandez

Samuel Ferrara like an incessant nagging in one ear pulls us out there is a way legs are supposed to feel at the close of a day and fresh is not the word where is the dirt between your toes under your nails disdain at the sight of a torso pale as fresh snow when last did these trails taste an overcast day stark abstract desperate plants a scrapped knee gravel sliding under unsteady feet and we can only envy a storm hovering like an antagonistic mothership over peaks in the distance but in this place we know it is better to understand every time moonrise brings it the temporality of reprieve every cross reminds us. the sky encompassing you my friend is an awfully big place to get lost

6

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Tetherball

Annabel Lewis A half-pint red-head girl’s playing tetherball alone. Screeching like an animal, clawing pleas for help into the yellow leather face hanging from the pole.

Smack Revolve Smack Revolve

She hopes it screams on the inside, hopes it

shivers, remembers when there ain’t

no one there, when the lights are out, when

mama’s gone, when. When.

When.

Smack Revolve

Scream Revolve He said, what’d he say? That you better not tell your mama, that it’ll only be a second, that then he’ll go away, that it’ll only be this time, that the next time will be the last time he Punch Revolve Ache Revolve He didn’t say I’ll always be behind your eyelids, on top of you for your first time, the reason you shutter, possessed, beating your head against the wall, half-naked. You’ll try

to

force me

out of the bedroom I haven’t been in for fifteen years, out of the head I’ll be in until you die, out of the relationships I’ll ruin and the eyes of boys who’ll wonder Who did this to This child that plays games alone, claws at her skull, rips at the golden head hanging from a rope just to see what it feels like to destroy something that can’t fight back.

Design & layout by Aaron Bauer Pathfindermagazine.com

|

7

3 DIMENSIONAL

Brianna Austin Floral Lapel Bronze, Copper, Enamel 3½”x2”x1”

Matt Smith Oracle Ceramic 18”x5½”

8

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Ticah Burrows Boys will be boys Brass 2¼”x4¼”

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

9

Brianna Austin Flowers for Their Sorrows Silver 1”x¾”x¼”

Lauren Bramhall Bind and Bestow Rings Leather 1”x1”

10

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Aleesia Haverdink Tropical Kitten Copper, Silver 5�x5�

Ticah Burrows My Eyes are Up Here Leather, Wood 7cm x 5 cm

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

11

Cierra Redding Self Portal Installation Photo by Bobbie Hamblin

12

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Brianna Austin Memory Box Copper with Patina 1.5”x3.5”x2.25”

Matt Smith Graveyard Ceramic 16”x13”

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

13

Molly Costanza Wet Octopus Graphic Design

|

LIVE MUSIC CASH PURSE

| JUNE 22-24

Gunnison River

Festival

Kathleen Kasel Gunnison River Festival Poster Graphic Design 19”x14”

Celebrating Our Rivers

www.gunnisonriverfestival.com

14

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Designed by: Kathleen Kasel

z

Lane Sherman Full Throttle Logo & Package Design 20�x16�

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

15

Hannah Hyde 6 Word Story Graphic Design 11”x17”

Cierra Redding The Greatist Unknown Calligraphy 20”x16”

16

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Lane Sherman Downhill Micron Pen 17”x11”

Erin Diller Patterns Graphic Design 6”x8”

Photography, design & layout by Shane Sides

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

17

YEAR IN REVIEW

Bat Boy: The Musical

Above: Music director Lauren Ryals (left) watches the cast rehearse.

Left: Three leads practice a scene from the first act.

18

|

Vol. 25 1 2017-2018

In 1992, the tabloid Weekly World News printed a story with the headline, “Bat Child Found in Cave!” The strange “Bat Boy” quickly rose to fame within the Weekly World News’ cult following, but it also caught the eye of writers Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming who would turn the strange, fictional story into an off-Broadway rock musical in 1997.

Western’s Director of Theatre, Scott Little, found the musical to be an eclectic mix of genres with a strong underlying message, and thought it would be the perfect show for Peak Productions to put on.

Bat Boy: The Musical will open Nov. 8 and continue through the 12, with shows at 7:30 p.m. and a matinee on the 11th and 12th at 2 p.m. as well. Tickets are $7 for students and $12 for general admission, and can be purchased with cash at the door. Tickets can also be purchased online through a link on the Peak Productions Facebook page.

The musical tells the story of the Bat Boy as he adapts to normal life, after he is taken in by Meredith Parker and her husband Thomas.

“It’s the strangest show I’ve been in, in a good way,” said Bella Lewis, who portrays Meredith, said. “You can’t see where the story is going and it takes a lot of different approaches. It’s funny at times, messed up at times. It’s cool to see something so unconventional.”

Lewis added she enjoys exploring the many different sides of her maternal

character, as she tries to show that Meredith is not just a “mom.”

Tristan Buss acts in his first lead role as he tackles the character of Bat Boy. Buss said that he too has enjoyed the challenge in digging into his complicated character.

“The character’s arc throughout the musical is incredibly transformative,” Buss said. “I start in a cage in the first act and by the end of the first act I’m serving tea like a proper English gentleman.

So, it’s been hard to convey this epic transformation that character takes in such a short amount of time.”

The musical aspect of the show has been among the most challenging thing for Lewis and Buss in production.

Despite her musical training, Lewis admitted that it can be tough singing, dancing, and keeping her character in check all at the same time. Buss added that learning the music has been the biggest challenge for him.

Bat Boy: The Musical director Little explained that putting together a musical can be a “slog” at times, with all of the different pieces that go into it. However, he praised his dedicated cast for their commitment and continued enjoyment of the show.

According to Little and Buss, there will be something for everyone in the show. Fans of the bizarre, comedy, and drama will enjoy the story. As for the music, Buss added there is a variety of music genres that everyone can enjoy.

It's the strangest show I've been in, in a good way.

Noah Grutel-Hoyt (right) rehurses a scene as Dr. Thomas Parker.

Tristan Buss (right) portraying Bat Boy

Design & layout by Hannah Twiddy

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

19

YEAR IN REVIEW

KSWB Celebrates 50 years student workers to thank for continous programing assistant editor roberta marquette strain

Historical photographs were on display outside the station

An eclectic mix of music and talk shows await radio listeners when they turn their dial to KWSB 91.1 FM, Western’s student-run radio station.

On. Jan. 26, KWSB celebrated a milestone of 50 years on the air. Current staff members and volunteer DJs were joined

by Gunnison Valley community members at the station, located in Taylor Hall, to enjoy birthday cake and beverages, and to reminisce on 50 years in the radio business. The main event, however, is planned for Homecoming 2018. KWSB staff anticipates hundreds of alumni for a packed weekend that includes events special to the station.

Since it first hit the airwaves Jan. 26, 1968, KWSB has never stopped broadcasting, which is no small feat for a college radio station with a small staff and limited budget. Communications Arts Professor and Supervisor of KWSB Terry Schliesman credits the dedicated group of student managers for keeping KWSB afloat.

It was a group of students who first approached a professor with the idea of Western having a college radio station.

According to Schliesman, college stations were on the rise during this period after the government opened up the non-

20

|

Vol. 25 1 2017-2018

profit sector of radio and Western students were eager to get involved.

The original station was housed in the basement of the University Center, at the time known as the Student Union.

The student workers took their positions as managers and DJs seriously as they all dressed in formal business attire.

Nevertheless, as culture began to shift throughout the 70’s and 80’s, so did the station and its employees.

KWSB would also move to two different locations from the Student Union. In the 1980’s, the station moved to the first floor of Taylor Hall, where IT Services currently is. It wasn’t until the 2013 renovation of Taylor Hall, however, that KWSB had a station that was built properly.

“Nothing was ever designed to be a studio,” Schliesman recalled, explaining that the main problem was that the music being played could be heard outside the station. “You get a lot frustration back then when you can’t hold in the sound. What we have now is entirely built for broadcasting purposes. It’s wonderful, it’s come a long ways.”

Schliesman explained that at the end of the day, however, KWSB is not about the music they play. It’s about the people.

UPDATE

KWSB the "hottest cool spot on campus," was still rocking the valley when this picture of Station Manager Ed Elliott, standing at the board, was taken.

KWSB logo designed by Maya Jones

“It’s about making memories, building friendships that last a lifetime, having a role that is larger than just being an anonymous student on campus,” he said. “All of this is in the KWSB experience. Music and radio is just a small part of it. This is about hanging onto something at Western that is very special, and then pouring your heart into it.”

Former KWSB Music Director and 2017 graduate Luke Marshall agreed with Schliesman. Marshall said that he hasmanaged to keep in contact with many of his former co-workers and looks back on his time at the station fondly. “[KWSB] meant everything when I was there,” Marshall said.

“I was always in the station when I was between classes, hanging out listening to music. I made some great friends there and I met my girlfriend there, it had a big impact on my life and it reinforced my idea of what I wanted to do and what I want to do is music and KWSB helped me realize that.”

Schliesman has no major plans for the station in the next 50 years, but hopes it continues to be an “organic, natural experience” for the students involved and, most importantly, that those students are able to keep the station’s unique sound.

KWSB added a few more awards to their impressive collection this year at the Colorado Broadcasters Association (CBA) Awards of Excellence. On March 10, members of the KWSB team took home four awards: Best Morning Show, Certificate of Merit: Sunday Morning Coming Down Show hosted by Dr. David Hyde; Best Public Service Announcement, Certificate of Merit: Don’t Drink and Drive PSA by Katarina Seibert; Best Sports Coverage, Award of Excellence: Western’s Mountaineer Basketball hosted by Christian Saez, Marissa Manzanares, and Eddie Berta; and the inaugural CBA Future Broadcasters Award: Christian Saez.

KWSB competed with small-market and commercial stations across the state at the awards. Station Manager Saez credited KWSB’s youthful energy and passion in their programming that set the college station apart.

“We’re up against people who are in the middle of their careers and have been doing this forever, so I’d imagine it’s not as exciting for them,” Saez said. “But here, we’re just starting out and I think having that energy translates.”

Saez added that KWSB also competes with other college radio stations, from institutions such as the University of Denver, Colorado State University Pueblo, etc., and is thrilled to see Western represented in that way.

Saez also took home the first award for Future Broadcaster, an award he calls an “honor.”

KWSB is the most decorated college station in Colorado and has won a total of 47 CBA awards in 50 years of broadcasting.

“It’s awesome to be a part of something that takes pride in being the best at what we do,” Saez said.

Station manager Christian Saez (left) speaks with party attendees Design & layout by Hannah Twiddy Pathfindermagazine.com

|

21

YEAR IN REVIEW

The Val ue of Student Involvement in Public Lands Service Projects WESTERN’S

CIRCLE OF OMICRON DELTA KAP PA VOLUNT EERS TO REVIVE A MEADOW

On October 7, Western’s circle of the National Leadership Honor Society, Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), met bright and early to embark on a service project. The service project was planned to coincide with Public Lands Day, a day that calls people to get outside and work to protect and nurture the land.

The circle is in its second year at Western. In order to join Western’s circle, one must be nominated and interviewed.

Students nominated to the circle are selected because they demonstrate the virtues of superior leadership and exemplary character. Members are also expected to adhere to the highest standards of service, scholarship, integrity, fellowship, and character.

In order to uphold those standards, the group headed out to work on a section of Gunnison’s public lands. The goal of their work was to dam up some trenches in a meadow that kept water from flowing throughout the whole meadow. The trenches made it so that water was diverted away from the meadow, causing a majority of the meadow to dry up.

Andrew Breibart, a Hydrologist at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), was one of the people that led the group from ODK and instructed them on how to dam the river effectively. When the group arrived at the location where they would work, Briebart, along with a number of other people involved in land restoration, instructed the students on how to dam the foot-deep trenches with rocks and soil in order to plug up the trench with natural materials.

The ODK circle split into two groups to dam two different trenches. Within the groups, the students divided themselves into specific roles that ranged from collecting rocks to placing the rocks in the trench in ways that blocked the flow.

22

|

Vol. 25 1 2017-2018

by Zoe Henderson

When Breibart was asked about the value of student involvement in restorative projects on the land he said, “Having students involved in environmental service projects is critical to students and the project proponents. First, our organizations stay connected to the youth and learn from them. Students have a different perspective on how to accomplish tasks and have valuable ideas that we may not be privy within our bubbles.

Students also provide a vibrant energy and also help energize us, too. It's exciting for everyone involved to work with a diversity of people: ages, race, gender, etc.”

He also went on to say that students getting involved and working with their hands makes it so that they can leave their cell phones and other forms of quick satisfaction that come from technology and instead learn stewardship for nature. After that point he said, “This type of stewardship connects students to the issues they may learn about on the radio, newspaper, and class. Recreation, hunting, endangered species, abandoned mines, water scarcity, and climate change become more real when students work on service projects within these areas.”

Gay Austin, Riparian & Monitoring Coordinator for the Gunnison Field Office for the BLM, said that student involvement helps students find a sense of place in Gunnison: “I think it also gives them a sense of place and belonging in the community when they know what they are doing really matters to the community.”

When asked about further opportunities for student involvement in volunteering Austin said, “A few projects I can think of: cheatgrass monitoring, local native seed collection, trash collection, noxious weed inventory, water quality monitoring, macroinvertebrate sampling, climate change high

elevation plant community change monitoring, climate adaptation Zeedyk riparian restoration, etc., recycling, relocating old transects with a GPS, etc.”

Briebart said, “There are so many organizations looking for new blood.

There's Crested Butte Land Trust, CBMA, Gunnison Climate Working Group, Native Plant Society, GOATS, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Trout Unlimited, to name a few.” He added that students should reach out to these organizations to find specific needs. He also added that students should check with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, National Park Service, US Forest Service, Coal Creek Watershed Coalition, and Lake Fork Valley Conservancy.

In the words of Briebart, “Be active. Don't be a spectator.

Become involved. Volunteer.”

Design & layout by Hannah Hyde

TOP: THE RESTORATION CREW WAS MADE UP OF WESTERN STUDENTS. RIGHT: CREW MEMBERS BUILD A DAM. BOTTOM: CREW MEMBERS POSE FOR A PHOTO AS THEY WORK PICTURES BY ANNIE WESTBURY EDITOR ZOE HENDERSON

Don't be a spectator.

Become involved.

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

23

CELEBRATION OF SCHOLARSHIP A word from director Lance Dalleck: As a multidisciplinary event, this semiannual "Celebration of Scholarship" provides an opportunity for students to be exposed to the practices of communication and critical inquiry across disciplines. Exposure to inquiry across disciplines supports our commitment to the Liberal Arts and builds the "foundation and appreciation of values appropriate to a liberally educated individual."

Alex Lambro

is a senior student receiving a degree in the clinical track of Exercise and Sport Science. For her senior internship project, and with firm vision and past service experience abroad, Alex chose to independently conduct a hands-on research into the measurable effects of total cholesterol and glucose levels while implementing Western’s Wellness Elevated program in the heart of Southeast Asia Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Exercise Sport Science Project Get Fit Siem Reap

Taking small steps to make a big impact; Exploring the culture of exercise in Southeast Asia.

Purpose: The purpose of Get Fit Siem Reap (GFSR) was to raise awareness by sharing the American College of Sport

Medicine concept that “exercise is medicine.” With a unique opportunity to explore the culture of exercise in Southeast Asia, this project helped an impoverished community recognize that the #1 killer worldwide are non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases have a devastating impact globally, and are the top 20 most common causes of death in Cambodia. The average life expectancy in Cambodia is approximately 65 years, for both the rich and poorer communities. Using exercise as a means for primordial prevention, participants of GFSR were provided an opportunity to participate in an 8-week research project to learn the importance of heart health, and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

24

|

Vol. 25 1 2017-2018

Method: 25 participants in an experimental group were exposed to family

medical history questionnaires, physical baseline measurements (pre and post project), skill-related fitness components, exercise testing, health screenings (total cholesterol, and glucose), a urinalysis (pH, leukocytes, proteins, glucose, and bilirubin), and blood pressure and oxygen saturation monitoring throughout exercise sessions. 10 participants in a controlled group were exposed to everything but the fitness portion.

A series of aerobic and resistance trainings were implemented in the gym, with outdoor yoga sessions to enhance flexibility and balance, and soccer scrimmages at a local soccer pavilion to finish off week. Using the FITT principle, I designed each prescription detailing frequency, intensity, time or duration of the exercise, and type of exercises. About 5 of the participants wanted to lose weight, so I used the High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) principle, while integrating low intensity intervals of exercise for recovery to initiate their weight loss. Took 2 days determining BMI, and target heart rates for all 25 participants.

Results: After investigating the effects of an 8-week exercise program on total cholesterol and glucose levels, I was able to coordinate numerous data collections by summarizing exercises that can be used as medicine. Results indicated an increase in oxygen saturation with a decrease in resting heart rates for 90%. Findings also suggested that out of 25 volunteers, only 2 participants showed signs of frequent high blood pressure, 150/100, and 145/ 92 mmHG which only increased with exercise and never changed. Both of these individuals presented me with a degree of difficulty due to age (48), and a possible genetic component (twins). Looking at the trends from both graphs, there is a decrease in glucose for both males and females from increasing physical activity. During the second trial, 8 of the 13 females, and 8 of the 11 males show a significant lowered glucose response to prescribed exercise. While 22 of the 25 urinalysis tests were clear, 3 showed a trace amount of glucose or a bit higher during trial 2. Insisting on at least 15 minutes of cardiorespiratory fitness for each participant 3 times a week, I was able to recognize the value of exercise for this Asian population. Although human error could have contributed to inaccurate numbers, such as timing of food intake or errors with the Accutrend displayscreen, the results I obtained for total cholesterol shows an overall decrease. The graphs separating males from females show that while most of the men who added cardiorespiratory fitness had a decrease in total cholesterol, the women had a varying degree of results (whether due to communication barriers or the result of consuming food or beverages before testing). The women's graph shows a trend of 8 of the 13 women had lowered their cholesterol level. These successes are due to using treadmills, stationary bikes and elliptical machines.

Conclusions: After an outstanding experience sharing the idea and techniques

of primordial prevention, I successfully finished GFSR primary objective by taking small steps towards influencing individuals to gain personal control of their health through personalized exercise prescriptions, enhancing the health and wellness of community members in the province of Siem Reap, Cambodia.

25

CELEBRATION OF SCHOLARSHIP

Compost Your Leftovers Bios:

Dr. D. Scott Borden is a Graduate Faculty in the Masters in Environmental Management Programs. Dr. Borden lectures and conducts research on the use of marketing techniques to promote socially beneficial behavior.

Professor Scott I. Cohn is an Associate Professor of Psychology. Professor Cohn has worked as a consultant on several behavioral change initiatives at universities and commonly engages his students in case studies and research promoting pro-environmental behavior at Western.

Christopher Gooderham is the Sustainability Coordinator of Western State Colorado University. He specializes in zero waste initiatives, including the composting program.

Christopher is also a Master’s candidate in Western’s Masters in Environmental Management Programs and recipient of several campus grants and awards for his efforts in promoting sustainability.

Brief Description:

Results: Over the five weeks of surveying, a total of 8,862 observations were recorded. Prior to intervening, a 14.05% Purpose: Composting reduces methane gas production and rate of composting by patrons was observed. Interventions of creates productive soil for local farms in the Gunnison Valley. modeling behavior (18.76%) and educational tri-folds (21.7%) This research aims to discover opportunities for encouraging on dining tables did not significantly increase composting students to compost their leftovers at the University dining hall. behavior. Additionally, as the week progressed with the Methods: Patrons were first surveyed on their knowledge, educational intervention, composting participation decreased attitudes, stated behaviors, and barriers to composting. Cluster on each subsequent day (Monday= 25%, Tuesday= 24.16%, analysis revealed three distinct types of composters: ‘engaged,’ Wednesday= 21.45%, Thursday= 20.65%, Friday= 17.17%) ‘needing assistance’ and ‘uninterested.’ Subsequent interventions indicating that the intervention may have had a diminishing were developed, primarily targeting the cluster, ‘needing return. The last intervention, an individual asking patrons assistance.’ to compost during week four, yielded a significant increase in composting (62.9%). Note that only 0.2% of the 1,713 observations during this week declined after being asked directly to compost.

26

|

Conclusion: An individual sitting at the compost bin asking others to participate and answering questions significantly increased composting behavior among patrons at the University dining hall. Cost savings from waste diversion of compostable food were higher than the cost of providing a free meal to a compost ambassador. Due to these two findings, Sodexo and the LEAD Sustainability office have agreed to continue to support compost ambassadors by providing them with a free meal while encouraging others to compost. If you would like to be a compost ambassador, please contact the LEAD Sustainability office.

Vol. 25 1 2017-2018

Ethics Forum Five students from the Honors 397 Giving Voice to Values class at Western State Colorado University organized an Ethics Forum open to the whole campus community and Gunnison residents on Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at Western’s Ballroom.The response was immense with 240 people filling the Ballroom.

The students succeeded in bringing Mr. Weston Smith, a national speaker on organizational ethics, as a keynote speaker to campus. According to Mr. Smith’s own bio: ‘Weston Smith began his career as a CPA with EY, specializing in audit and healthcare consulting. He was hired by HealthSouth Corporation during its infancy, and ultimately became CFO of the company with over 2,000 locations in all 50 states and five countries. However, underneath the persona of success, Mr. Smith was a participant in a financial statement fraud that ran for over 15 years, with an earnings overstatement of over Three Billion dollars. Weston eventually voluntarily exposed the fraud, and accepted the consequences of his former actions. He was one of the few people who stepped forward to cooperate

Smith with students at dinner

in the case and was a testifying witness in the government’s case against HealthSouth’s former CEO, Richard Scrushy.

Today, in addition to working as an accountant for small businesses, Mr. Smith is a lecturer and trainer with an emphasis on fraud prevention and ethics promotion. He has been published in Issues in Accounting Education, and has spoken for universities, corporations and professional groups across the country and internationally. He has also appeared on CNBC, Fox Business Network, and other media outlets’ (Smith, 2017).

Based on first-hand examples, he shared credible advice regarding ethics in organizations and lessons he learned from his own wrong doings. He shared with the audience how easy it was to start with a small mistake of $4,000 in the first year and that he was convinced that this would be easily fixed in the next fiscal year. Instead, the amount grew over the years and it became impossible to fix the problem without some very drastic effects on many people. He admitted that he pushed his concern aside for a long time while living the fast life. He finally saw collaborating with the FBI as the only

way out and paid for his wrongful actions with a prison sentence in an Alabama federal penitentiary.Following the keynote speech, the students had organized a six-member panel of Western faculty members from different departments and representatives of the Student Government. Gunnison business leaders present also gave the audience an opportunity to ask questions. A lively discussion kept most of the audience late into the evening.

This successful evening demonstrated that interdisciplinary collaboration across the Western campus works. The five students were from completely different departments, as were the faculty members on the panel. Additionally, funding came from across campus, from the School of Business, the Honors Program, the Student Government, the Convocation and SOURCE funds at Western, as well as funds by the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative at UCCS. The success of the forum supports that the topic of Ethics has relevance across all disciplines and that Western should continue to support similar events for the campus and town.

Whole team with poster

27

CELEBRATION OF SCHOLARSHIP

Tarissa Zeigler is a recent graduate (December 2017) of the Exercise and Sport Science and Biology programs at Western. Ryan Weatherwax has been a lecturer of Exercise and Sport Science since 2013 and was the faculty advisor on the research project.

The research project examined the effect of standing desk use in classrooms on cardiometabolic factors such as HDL, LDL, Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol, and Fasting Blood Glucose.

Tarissa received funding for the project through SOURCE and presented all of the findings at the Fall 2017 Celebration of Scholarship.

Introduction: The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of standing during university courses on cardiometabolic factors (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and fasting blood glucose) and to understand the difference in the metabolic cost between sitting and standing.

Methods: Ten (7 men and 3 women) participants (Age: 20.6±1.6 yrs; Height: 176.4±6.6 cm; Weight: 80.1±14.2 kg) were randomized to either sit for 3 weeks and then stand for 3 weeks or vice versa in their university courses. Weekly fasting blood lipid profiles were analyzed using a Cholestech LDX system. A metabolic cart (TrueOne 2400) was utilized once for each participant to measure gas exchange data between standing and sitting in the High Altitude Performance Lab to understand metabolic differences between the activities.

28

|

Results: It was found that diastolic blood pressure was significantly decreased (p<0.05) following the standing intervention (84.2±5.4 mmHg vs. 78.8±5.3 mmHg). There was not a significant interaction for the other cardiometabolic variables or differences in metabolic cost between standing and sitting. However, there was a moderate effect size for resting heart rate and HDL cholesterol levels.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a 3-week standing intervention in a university classroom could improve cardiometabolic health with significant reductions in diastolic blood pressure. Furthermore, we found trends indicating possible improvements in resting heart rate and HDLcholesterol. Future research should investigate this topic with varying lengths of standing vs. sitting and have a larger sample size to understand whether these preliminary trends are more recognizable.

Liz Grindle

Hometown: Union Grove, WI Degree: B.F.A. in Printmaking, B.A. in Art History; Minor in Business Administration Title of Thesis: Agency in Art After Postmodernism: A Transdisciplinary Examination of the Art Object.

Abstract: This thesis seeks to examine that rapidly changing conventions surrounding ontology that occupy the disciplines of art, philosophy, and economics. Through the contemplation of the philosophical past, Heidegger and Baudrillard provide insight into the consciousness of future art viewers and their relationships with art objects as well as a fundamental basis for to discuss contemporary discourse. By juxtaposing Graham Harmon’s Posthuman perspective of Object-Oriented Ontology and Metamodernism’s mode of Speculative Thinking coined

by Timotheus Vermeulen and Robin van der Akker, I create a collective consideration of the interactions between humans and art objects and the ability for spatial installation to alter an artwork’s ontology. Following these examinations, I speculate on the future of agency in art while considering the effects of the emerging online art market and the potential for a new hybridized reality system.

Vol. 25 1 2017-2018

Erin Twaddell

was born and raised in Lafayette, Colorado. She is currently a senior at Western State Colorado University, majoring in both biology (Environmental Biology & Ecology) and art (Printmaking). During her time in the Gunnison Basin, she has not only interned for several biological studies for professors and federal agencies, but also has performed her own research under the Thornton Biology Grant Program in 2017. Through these research experiences, she has gained an understanding of, and interest in, the human impact on the natural world. As demonstrated in her most recent B.F.A. exhibition â&#x20AC;&#x153;Anthropogenic,â&#x20AC;? her interest in biology unmistakably impacts her art, and allows her to effectively demonstrate biological concepts through the visual arts. After graduating this upcoming spring, she will study art abroad in Florence, Italy, then continue to assist various biological studies upon return. Ultimately, she intends to continue her studies in biological research and art, with the overall goal to attain a Ph.D. and remain in academia.

Abstract for CES:

Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is an invasive winter annual native to Eurasia that has been expanding into higher elevations, including the Gunnison Basin, due to its prolific nature and the presence of increasingly favorable climate in previously marginal habitats. Many federal agencies, such as the BLM, are highly concerned with this spreading invasive as it outcompetes many native plant species (e.g. sagebrush and milkvetch) that comprise the habitat necessary for the survival of endangered species like the Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus). The BLM uses various management techniques to treat cheatgrass, but their effects on both cheatgrass and native plant species are still not fully understood. The primary goals of this study were 1) to examine the effectiveness of past cheatgrass control efforts in the Gunnison Basin and to document their effects on native plant species, and 2) to collect baseline data within existing cheatgrass populations to be used for later assessment of native seeding treatments. We constructed transects through previously treated and untreated cheatgrass populations and used the AIM pointintercept method to determine cheatgrass percent cover and species diversity. The Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test examined any relationships of these measurements to control methodology and aspect.

Design & layout by Kathleen Kasel

Control methodology had a significant influence on the % foliar cover of cheatgrass in treated plots (p = 0.07), while aspect significantly influenced the % foliar cover (p = 0.06) and % coverage (p = 0.00061) of cheatgrass. A singlefactor ANOVA test showed no significant difference between the species diversity of treated and untreated sites (p = 0.36). We concluded that BLM treatments do influence cheatgrass cover, but not to the extent that they cause significant differences in species diversity.

Overall, this study will contribute to the increasing number of investigations devoted to finding the most successful combination of cheatgrass control methods with the least amount of negative impacts on the surrounding ecosystem, which is home to many valuable, native flora and fauna species.

29

PAINTING

Jamie Thompson Space Bound Pachyderm Oil 16”x32”

30

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Jamie Thompson An International Contemplation #1 Oil 12”x24”

Nia Morales ELS Enfarinats Acrylic on Watercolor Paper 7”x14”

Kora Gibson The Lovers Oil 36”x31”

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

31

Colin Borner Untitled Watercolor 18”x24”

Sheya McIlrath Colour Harmonics Acrylic

32

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Brittany Pratt Fly Away Eagle Acrylic 12”x16”

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

33

Carley Clegg The Agility of a Barrel Horse Digital Photograph

McKenzie Conradson Sublime Digital Photograph

34

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Shane Sides Rainbow Digital Photograph

Tim Malloy Almost Home Digital Photgraph

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

35

Collen Mozena Back to the Bronco Digital Photograph

36

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Molly Costanza Keeeebler Film Photograph 7”x5”

Shelby Deutsch Waves don’t lie Digital Photograph

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

37

Shelby Deutsch Divine Dance Digital Photograph

Delaney Adrian Untitled Rawlins oil print from wet plate collodian negative 5â&#x20AC;?x4â&#x20AC;?

38

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Meghan LaHatte Overwhelmed Digital Photograph

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

39

Sean McCune Shock Digitally modified film print 11” x14”

40

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Shane Sides Incoming Digital Photograph

Dustin Crowner The Sea Within Digital Photograph

Karrie Butler Aspen Beauty Digital Photograph

Photography, design & layout by Shane Sides

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

41

POETRY & PROSE

Kiss

of a Scorpionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stinger BY: Isabella Perugini

42 |

Vol 25. 1 2017-2018

Death rides her motorcycle through desert and if you look closely enough, sometimes you can catch a glimpse of her disappearing into the next mirage. I know that when the sun dips below the horizon, and night cools the ground, the desert comes alive. Even Death must sleep. I refuse to be called a desert girl. I loathe the tickle of sweat as it stains my shirt and drips down my spine and long for the smell of wet pine. However, the desert calls my name. Sometimes, I long for the broken-down towns that line Highway 285. My skin cracks under the pressure of the Sun’s judgement, but at least I can feel the light bursting through the tears in my composure.

The sand just slides through my fingers, leaving behind a dusty residue of the past. I can feel the grains in my hair and in my ears. I’m dirty, but I’m free. I want to be the wolf that leaves behind nothing but carcasses and footprints, but really, I’m the scorpion that stings when threatened, and all too often, hides under stones to avoid the harshness of the bright, accusing light. The towns that couldn’t take the heat have long since collapsed in on themselves, and I don’t know how I’m still standing but I manage to put one cracked, leather boot in front of the other.

I have never seen such pure white sand in my entire life. The crisp white stands out sharply against the cloudless blue sky as we enter White Sands National Monument. The sand is cool to the touch. I can feel the sun cooking my skin, but my bare toes are unaffected. Beautiful things have tainted hearts; I know this. And yet, White Sands National Monument can do no wrong. A group of people

were hunted down by Death, a week

before we arrived. I heard she opened a whole lake of fresh water for them in the heart of the desert. White Sands holds the nuclear debris of the first bomb tests, and yet I sift my fingers through it.

I lay back and put my head against the sand squinting at the vast blue sky, laughing in the face of perfection,

for like a mirage, it too is an illusion.

My dog was with me. He took off, a ginger speck against the white, and after the promise of goodies and much coaxing he came back, only to be distracted by a lone scraggly plant.

As a dog with a habit of pooping in the irises at home, he managed to find the only plant in all of White Sands.

He backs his butt over the poor plant, which was clearly wishing for the sweet release of death, and drops the biggest, steamiest, turd. Things were perfect. The sweat dripping down my spine had cooled and Camden was able to poop for the first time in a few days. Even then, the sand will forever be tainted by my dog’s shit, even long after we are gone.

I know this, the desert is harsh.

Only strong people with nothing left to lose survive there. The sun truly has bleached the soul right out of New Mexico.

Design & layout by Barclay Weyhrauch

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

43

POETRY & PROSE

They Say...

She talks like a girl who does not know the color of her skin.

The mixture of earth, molasses and honey forgotten like a Sunday paper in the rain.

They say she is “one of those” trying to abandon where she came from a Choctaw and disremembered Nubian goddess, with no idea who paved the way for her feet.

They say she is uppity, for the eloquence of her rhetoric.

The enunciation and articulation of words, alien to those held slave to the incapacity of their minds.

They say she will not be as great as Wilma Rudolph or breathe her soul on paper like Zora Neale Hurston, or mirrorless like Ysaÿe Barnell.

They say her worth is captured, sand trickling in an hourglass never to be turned over again.

Say they Nothing of the gold ring encasing her eye speckled with air and water dancing, not regarding them.

Khayla Doublin

44

|

Vol. 25 1 2017-2018

She Is...

From the origin of a tailor, meaning she fits individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs.

She is a friend of a friend, the daughter of those two seeds.

She is so-and-soâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister, and that Barista that pours your coffee.

She is short, and she is mighty At times, she is kind of bossy.

She is a lover and a teammate, a fine musician too.

She is a scholar, she is a writer, not unlike me or you.

She is a co-survivor of cancer, Something she knows through and through I bet you did not know, she is a victim of abuse She trips over empty spaces, and cries to every gloomy lyric.

She has happiness in her soul and wants everyone to hear it.

She is not just supplementary to her name, She is Taylor

Taylor Sumners

Design & layout by Hannah Hyde Pathfindermagazine.com

|

45

POETRY & PROSE

pAPER BOAT Donielle Carr

It has been said that there is one moment in our lives that has been impressed upon our minds as the first day we became worthy of mentally filing away and cataloguing our thoughts.

That moment shapes our understanding of the world. * * * * * —My earliest memory; I am three years old. The streets are wet. The lights gleam streaks of illumination across a river of asphalt. Our little white car is a paper boat sealed with paraffin, we stay afloat and drive past the memories of places that used to be as real as my life seems now. The shine of it distracts and entertains, just as my brother steals the fofo from my mouth and I scream from the car seat I’ve been strapped to. My tears can’t compare with my mother’s as she tears down the street, a woman on a mission. She is upset; I can understand that much as our eyes lock in the rearview mirror. One green eye, one blue; they are glazed but not red. Mothers have a look that is capable of stopping you dead in your tracks. My mother is no exception.

Her icy glare freezes my vocal chords as my brother quickly reaches over and shoves the pacifier back in my mouth.

We float on. * * * * * —Our paper boat continued to float downstream. The water puddled in places causing our course to become stagnant.

Sometimes the stream narrowed and we gathered speed, our little boat cruising swiftly through the water. Occasional eddies caused us to circle back more than once, but they never broke our stride. There was really only one direction we could go: downstream…we had to be carried downstream. Still, we swayed with the temperaments of the current as it rocked our boat from side to side. We never lost our way, though the waters became turbulent. My mother was the navigator and she always seemed to know exactly where we were going. She knew how to get there, she knew when we would arrive, she knew where we needed to stop along the way. I knew to trust her completely.

—When we reached the base, I finally took notice of where we were. The sense of sadness that enveloped the car was dispelled

46

|

Vol. 1 2017-2018

by my own excitement. Dad was here! We were here to pick up Dad! We stopped suddenly; my mother flung open the door and thrust herself from the car. “I’ll be right back!” She ran through the rain, but she hated to get her hair wet. Patsy Cline was singing, “I fall to pieces. Each time I see you again…” Her warbling call reflected the sorrowful strain of my mother’s voice before she ran into the barracks. My brother held my hand; we were close then. Patsy’s voice faded in and out. She had gone out walking after midnight when my mother wrenched open the door to the car and slammed it shut behind her. Her mind was somewhere else as she strangled the steering wheel. We floated on.

—Our paper boat continued to float downstream. It gained momentum, but had become weathered now and the paraffin wouldn’t last much longer. The waters were choppy, signs of a building storm. As the stream narrowed, we picked up speed and nearly crashed into a rock, but the current carried us away just in time. I feared for my mother’s ability to navigate the treacherous waters that had attempted to overtake our paper boat and streaked my mother’s face with a glistening sheen. The sky was black and there were no stars to help guide her way, only the occasional lighthouse of a lamp post. In the dark, the stream felt like an endless ocean. For a moment, I thought we might have been lost at sea. We stopped suddenly; the anchor had dropped, nearly tearing our paper boat in two.

—Brilliant white street lights puddled into neon shades of blue and pink. My mother ran into an unknown place, once again exposing her hair to the elements. An electric woman flashed in the window, a mirror image that bounced from left to right. We waited. Patsy was singing “and I’m crazy for loving you” as we watched our mother leave the building and walk calmly, but quickly, through the rain and over to a large military truck parked across the lot. My thoughts immediately returned to, Dad was here! We were here to pick up Dad! …At this point, I wish that the story could be over. I wish that when we hadreached that unknown place, he had been there waiting for

us. We could have just picked him up and gone home. It could have been as simple as that, but this is a story after all and so there must be an ending. My mother opened the passenger door of the large military truck…

—Dad was here! We were here to pick up Dad! He leapt down from the truck and fell to his knees before forcing himself up. He moved towards her; she turned away. Her expression was empty; she was a ghost in the darkness. He reached for her; she pulled away. Refusing to look at him, she walked briskly back to the car.

He stumbled after her as a third party climbed down from the truck. Who was she? I didn’t know her. The mystery woman scurried back inside of the unknown building, dropping articles of clothing along the way. My parents stood faceto-face outside of the car, drenched in the cascade of a neon waterfall. I could hear their muffled shouts and sense their feelings, but could not yet grasp the language of the situation. She was upset, I could understand that much. She turned to open the door of the car. We could have just floated away.

He reached for her elbow and spun her around, slamming the door shut. She was pressed up against the driver’s side window, her body formed to the contours of the car. My brother and I ushered cries of hurt and confusion. The sound of our screams drew their attention. It was as though they had only just noticed that we were there. With their eyes upon us, they stood silently for a moment. My

dad was the first to move; he took a step back from my mother whose body sunk with the release. It was as though she had been puffed full of air, but a puncture had deflated her. He walked slowly around the hood of the car, leaning against it for support, before opening the door of the passenger seat and throwing himself down. My mother, in turn, opened the driver’s side door and slid in before taking the wheel.

—No longer did our paper boat continue to float downstream. Instead, we drove in silence. The paraffin that had once made our boat impenetrable had worn too thin. We were no longer protected from the elements, but instead, exposed. The damage done was irreversible. We took on more and more water before it became too much. Our paper boat flooded and sank to the bottom of the stream where it slowly dissolved over time. I was helpless. Surrounded by the storm, it was impossible to dry the boat, even if we could have, there was no paraffin for protection. The water would have only flooded it once more. Without our paper boat, we were just a little white car driving though the rain down a wet road on a stormy night. * * * * * —I’ve heard it said that there is one moment in our lives that has been impressed upon our minds as the first day we became worthy of mentally filing away and cataloguing our thoughts. That moment shapes our understanding of the world.

Our paper boat continued to float downstream

Design & layout by Aaron Bauer Pathfindermagazine.com

|

47

POETRY & PROSE

Handprints on the Walls Jason Slaughter

With most adventures, we look to see what we can gain to increase our human experience, but rarely look to see what we have to offer the places we venture. While taking experiences is beneficial, only what we leave behind can be remembered. I have been fortunate enough to encounter many great adventures in a short time and gain many great experiences for myself. On one journey, I traveled through four of the U.S.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national parks eventually ending in Mesa Verde of Colorado. I was looking to see a glimpse into the past of an ancient people.

The Ancestral Puebloans started living on the green mesas in Southwest Colorado as early as 1 AD. The ancient ones built a very successful civilization in this area. They started out building pit houses out of clay and pitch on top of the mesas.

These buildings eventually evolved into more complex multistory buildings that were developed with advanced masonry skill. However, Mesa Verde isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t known for the buildings on top of the cliffs but rather the well-preserved, intricate structures in the sides of the cliffs. The structures in the alcoves of the cliffs had multiple rooms and were built up multiple stories.

My exploration of this park brought me into an alcove that held the largest of these communities named Long House. The structure consisted of 150 rooms that could have housed 175 people. Even though not completely intact from 700 years ago, the sight of these ruins was incredible. The front of the alcove had a large open area with pits going into the ground. These pits were once covered and used as ceremonial centers, known as kivas. With the kivas closed off, Long House would have once had a fair-sized courtyard in front of the buildings. The buildings consisted of small square rooms. At one point the

48

|

Vol 25. 1 2017-2018

Left means arrival and right means departure. buildings reached the top of the alcove, being 5-6 stories tall. The back of the alcove is a dark tunnel that provides a way to walk around the back of the buildings.

With the help of the enthralled tour guide, one could really visualize the scene that was taking place several centuries ago.

Long House is in the shadow of the alcove as the sun is setting. The evening sun casts colors of bright orange and purple in the sky as it sets. A group of men with dark skin from working under the hot sun are sitting in the center of the courtyard. They tiredly share water from a black and white pot, as they wipe sweat from their foreheads. A little girl is running by them happily chasing a terrified turkey. Two little boys, also on the courtyard, are making balls of clay and seeing how high they can throw them on the brick buildings. The sounds of laughter, conversations, and cries echo in the side of the cliff, making 100 people sound like 1,000.

In the back of the alcove there is a woman grinding corn with a metate. The burden of providing for her family lies

heavy on her shoulders. There is another woman, in a second story room, weaving a basket out of the broad-leaf Yucca plant.

She is contentelly singing some song, but her tone shows distress. She looks out the window at the dimly lit courtyard and watches the smoke rise from openings in the kivas.

A mother is gently talking to a little boy in a firelit 5th story room of Long House. The boy’s face gets red as tears fall out of his eyes. Later, the boy colors his right hand with dye. He makes a handprint on the side of the cliff that makes the ceiling for the room.

I bring my thoughts back to the present at the sound of a thunderstorm rolling in. I am intrigued at my thoughts of what life might have been like here, and can only imagine it as something extremely special. I continue listening to the guide as he explains that the Puebloans begin leaving the Mesa Verde soon after building in the sides of the cliff. Most people believe that the Puebloans left this area after a 27-year drought. They left the mesas to join other Puebloans in the Four-Corners

region. By 1300 AD all the people had left Mesa Verde.

As the tour ended and we left Long House, our guide was pointing out handprints on the walls of the cliff. Then I heard him say something that maybe only two or three of us caught.

“Left means arrival and right means departure.”

Up high on the cliff where there was no longer a structure, there was a righthanded print from a child. I could only imagine this child’s thoughts as he was forced to leave the only home he knew to go into the unknown.

This boy and his people left behind an outstanding creation on these mesas. It’s a creation that is still appreciated seven centuries later. I thought about how I was taking this intense experience as a result of what a great culture left behind them. This experience would have never happened if these Puebloans were only focused on what they were taking from the mesa. This life is more than the experiences we can take, but the ones we can provide as well.

Design & layout by Hannah Twiddy

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

49

POETRY & PROSE

By: Zoe Henderson Someone you barely know hangs himself by the river and you find yourself looking for his face among strangers.

You never find him. Instead you teach yourself the bones and muscles of the collum.

Teach yourself the feeling of breakage.

Your mother tells you eat the meat off and then break the bone and suck the blood out of it.

She tells you to be careful with your tongue, lest a stranger pull the sinew from your biceps brachii.

He will make it so you can never flex your elbows again. He will make you learn what it means to be nothing.

Your first love rests his hand on your iliopsoas. Even after he is gone you squeeze your skin until you feel bone.

The man by the river created you. Taught you that life and love are both a fear of absence.

Your lover on his last day leans close and whispers into your ear time isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t real, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to die anyway.

50

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

bsa hOSTS sPOKEN wORD pOET

KAI DAVIS : / BY bethany eveleth On Thursday, Feb. 15, students and community members alike gathered in the Quigley Concert Hall for the Black Student Alliance (BSA) Black History Month Keynote Speaker, Kai Davis.

Davis is a recent college graduate who writes, performs, and teaches poetry in Philadelphia. Much of her work focuses on race, gender, power, and sexuality.

Although her poetry was goosebumpinducing and serious in nature, Davis bantered back and forth with the audience between poems, even making them sing “Row, Row Your Boat” in an on-the-fly set change. She kept the audience laughing and was quick to think on her feet.

“One thing [Davis] kept mentioning was the altitude, which definitely takes adjusting to,” said Taja’Mir Butler, Western student and BSA member.

“I had picked her up some Aclimate about 20 minutes before she went on.

She was so humble, kind, and extremely welcoming throughout her entire time [in Gunnison].”

In honor of Black History Month BSA hosts several on-campus events

Senior staff writer

to have someone from Philadelphia,especially Davis’s performance was one of many this past week in honor of Black History Month, which included an African dance and drumming workshop. A group of performers and some of Western’s own students were able to showcase their skills in a dance and drumming performance, which started the evening’s event.

“A lot of work went into planning not only Kai Davis, but also the workshops that took place all this week, such as Mecca, who aided in the African dance workshop the night before and starred in the beginning of Davis’s performance,” Butler said.

Following Davis’s performance, the BSA presented a slideshow featuring some of the key figures in the fight for

a queer black woman, shakes things up

equality. Davis stayed to speak with students and had several copies of her book, Black Chronicle, for sale. The next morning, Davis hosted a poetry workshop for a group of students, where she discussed techniques for writing poetry and took questions from aspiring poets.

“I think it’s important to have events like this one because Western can be somewhat isolated from a lot of things.

So, to have someone from Philadelphia, especially a queer black woman, shakes things up,” said Western alumni, Conor Curtis. “More people should go to events like this one, that’s what college is about: finding new things and embracing new points of view.”

Design & layout by Barclay Weyhrauch

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

51

TROUT

YEAR IN REVIEW

TANK THE EVENT CENTERED AROUND THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

Trout Tank Succeeds in Community Support By:Roberta

Marquette-StraIn / Assistant Editor

The University Center Theater buzzed with anticipation on the evening of Monday, Nov. 6. The theater was packed with individuals, all of whom were about to get a firsthand experience of the entrepreneurial spirit that resides in the many small towns of the western slope, as five local business owners were planned to take the stage for Trout Tank.

Trout Tank was the first major event for the ICELab Accelerator Program, which aims to give local early-stage businesses the tools and support to grow. The event allowed the entrepreneurs to share their individual stories and goals for their businesses, in hope that they might secure any investors that were in attendance.

The five business owners worked closely with the Accelerator Program’s staff and mentors for 12 weeks to prepare for the event, after they were chosen through an application process that reached Delta and Gunnison Counties.

“I want to thank our accelerators for being bold enough to

52

|

VoL 25. 1 2017-2018

share their ideas,” Delaney Keating, Accelerator director, said during her introductory speech at the event. “It has been an honor to work alongside them.”

Before the five pitched their projects, a variety of speakers opened up the event with their own conversations on entrepreneurship and the importance of community.

“It takes a village to make a start-up,” said Marc Nager, the managing director of the Telluride Venture Accelerator, who spoke on the wave of start-up communities that have grown in small, mountain towns throughout the state.

Later, Keating and Nager sat down with Scott Reamer, the co-founder and chief financial officer of Jackson’s Honest Chips. The Crested Butte based company was recently granted a $1.25 million investment after appearing on the ABC show “Shark Tank,” which was the inspiration for Trout Tank.

Reamer emphasized that he and his wife and co-founder, Megan, could not have made the company what it is without

It takes a village to make a start-up.

the support of the community in Crested Butte.

The final speaker for the first half of the event was Jon Wilson. Wilson traveled to Gunnison from Manchester, Vermont to deliver the keynote address that focused on the importance of trusting in oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community. Wilson drew from his own experience of learning to redefine himself after losing his leg to cancer in 2006, and how his small community supported and accepted him.

When the time came for the pitches, the crowd was eager and inspired to hear what the five business owners had in store.

Marc Drucker, of Crested Butteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Ascent Coffee Roasters, pitched their hand-crafted instant coffee that Drucker claimed would remind people that there can be a high-quality, on-the-go coffee mix.

Ken Richards, from Orchard City, presented on his software, Sympli4, which would assist accounting firms in correctly pricing their services, instead of doing the dreadful task on their own.

Gunnisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rachel Alter pitched The Kitchen Project, which would allow

the many local food entrepreneurs to work together in one local commercial kitchen, instead of moving from kitchen to kitchen to sustain their independent businesses, as Alter has been doing for two years.

Western business student Ty Long created Elemental Drying Solutions, which would advance the drying technology firefighters use to avoid injuries.

Former teacher Merrily Talbott from Paonia pitched a texting service for college students, Savvy, that would connect them to trained coaches to support them through the everyday

challenges they face as students.

By the end of night, the individuals had proved that there is no limit to the entrepreneurial spirit in small, mountain towns. Trout Tank is just the beginning of the economic change that the ICELab hopes to inspire, and they are certainly headed in the right direction.

Design & layout by Barclay Weyhrauch

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

53

YEAR IN REVIEW

Climb for Heros

Western’s 9/11 Workout of the Day Western community climbs 110 flights of stairs for first responders lost in 9/11 tragedy Bethany Eveleth / Staff Writer

The Gunnison Police Department participated in the event, honoring the fallen 9/11 first responders.

Background image: Climb for Heroes attendees climbed multiple flights of stairs for the Climb for Heroes event.

56

|

Vol. 25 1 2017-2018

On Monday, Sept. 11, Western students, faculty, and staff, as well as several Gunnison firefighters climbed 110 flights of stairs to honor the 412 first responders who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Western student and veteran, Andrew Huntsberry, organized and led the first annual Climb for Heroes event. He designed a course in Taylor Hall because it has the most flights of stairs with minimal walking in between flights. Participants completed 37 laps, totaling 110 flights of stairs in Taylor Hall on Monday, many carrying backpacks weighing 45 pounds to honor the weight of the gear that firefighters carry with them.

Huntsberry was deployed to Afghanistan twice during his four-and-a-half year service to the Army, and discussed knowing the tragedy of losing people in action firsthand.

“I got to come back, but not everyone does. Whenever someone doesn’t come back, we do a Hero Workout of the Day (WOD) to honor them,” Huntsberry said. “I started thinking about how those in 9/11 deserve their own WOD. And doing stairs seemed like the best option.”

As a Resident Assistant at Western, Huntsberry has experience planning events and making posters, but he knew it would be a tough sell to get people excited about climbing stairs. With the help of administrators like Gary Pierson and Chris Luekenga, Huntsberry got the go-ahead to plan the event in Taylor Hall. He also enlisted Director of Residence Life Shelley Jansen’s help, and help from the Resident Directors to make announcements in the residence halls. Hunstberry knew that planning an event would take a lot of time and energy, but also said that his passion for the event made it important to him to organize it exactly as he had imagined.

“This was very much something that I didn’t want to make any level of compromise on. I knew how I wanted it to be done,” Huntsberry said. He also distributed posters with his contact information, something he doesn’t normally do. “I actually got a

lot of emails, particularly from faculty to get more information so they could make announcements in their classes,” he said.

Huntsberry’s dedication to marketing the event worked because there was a large turnout, which surprised even Huntsberry. Many participants showed up alone or with a friend or two, but bigger groups including Western’s Men’s Hockey team and a group of Gunnison firefighters also showed up to take part in the event.

“I hadn’t even considered the diversity of people that would come,” Huntsberry said. “Seeing the firefighters made me feel so awesome. I was grateful they came, and they were so thrilled to have the opportunity. It really validated the event [for me].”

Before everyone took off on their climbs, Huntsberry ensured that everyone had a piece of paper with a hero’s name on it. He had a stack of the 412 names of first responders who died responding to 9/11, and he personally wrote each name, a task that he said really changed the gravity of the lives lost for him. Each first responder’s field was specified by a different color: police officers were written in blue, firefighters were red, and search and rescue and EMS responders were written in orange.

“I wanted people to hold on to the name and realize that it represented a person. I hoped the gravity of that would really sink in,” Huntsberry said.

Educating participants about the lives lost was a big motivation for Huntsberry, but he also wanted to build awareness as Western gets closer and closer to the first freshman class that will have been born after 2001. Already, many students are too young to have any memories of the event.

One Western student who participated, Kyra Long, recounted a family friend and dog who helped in the aftermath of the attack, which increased her awareness, even though she was so young when 9/11 happened.

“I chose to participate [in the Climb

for Heroes] because I feel both in touch with the horrible tragedy and out of touch [at the same time]. I don’t remember when 9/11 happened, I was only two,” Long said. “Growing up however, I did have a dog friend, and his dad, who had help[ed] in the aftermath.”

Huntsberry said that he noticed how little many of the students remembered during the event. As the firefighters competed flight 78, they began ringing a bell to signify that first responders were stopped at the seventy-eighth flight because the South Tower collapsed, something that some of the participants didn’t know.

“It hadn’t occurred to me that people wouldn’t know that,” Huntsberry said.

“Soon students won’t have been born before [9/11]. This seemed like a great way to really put it in their face and show them the heroism.”

Huntsberry also discussed the importance of maintaining that first responders are heroes, no matter what one believes about 9/11. With the rise in conspiracy theories and negativity, especially in recent years, Huntsberry felt it was important to impart on everyone that what first responders did was heroic, no matter what.

Long recounted feeling the importance of honoring the lives lost, “I thought the event was really great. It was nice to have a way to show my respect for all of the men, women, and dogs that were a part of this day.”

Excited by the awareness he raised and the large turnout, Huntsberry was already making plans to improve the event in the future.

“Next year, I imagine that there’s going to be a bigger turn out because [this year] was a success. I would like to come up with two routes with minimal overlap because the turnout was so big. I don’t know if we could have had any more people this year.”

The volume of people in the stairwells was something that student participant Erin Diller noticed, but she said that

the number of people didn’t detract from the experience, but rather helped her keep her energy up, “It was easy to keep going because everyone else was too,” Diller said. “I felt a sense of pride that I completed the Climb [for Heroes] and was also humbled when I thought about the lives lost on 9/11 and those who [would be] willing to do the same today,” Diller said.

Huntsberry said that he was humbled by the turnout and the intent that participants demonstrated throughout the climb. He discussed receiving a lot of gratitude from people directly following the event, and even received messages later thanking him again. Western showed up, raised awareness, and got a great workout in on 9/11 this year in an event that is set to create an annual tradition. “[Climb for Heroes] was a great event honoring America’s heroes. Thank you to all of the first responders and military for your service to the American people” Diller said.

Climb for Heroes organizer Andrew Huntsberry addresses the crowd on the steps of Taylor Hall before the event.

Event organizer and Army veteran Andrew Huntsberry (right) took part in the event honoring the 9/11 first responders.

Design & layout by Kathleen Kasel Pathfindermagazine.com

|

57

DRAWING

Mary Alice Stanberry Change Pen & Ink 12”x9”

Sheya McIlrath Dinner at Dawn White Charcoal 19”x25”

58

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Nia Morales Global Warming Charcoal on paper 24â&#x20AC;?x48â&#x20AC;?

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

59

Erin Twaddell Binary Part 1 Graphite, Charcoal, White Charcoal 24”x18”

Paige Brevard Mistakes Conte 20”x26”

60

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Owen Carver Dali Master Study Graphite 28”x18½”

Cassandra Grigware Caught in Wonder Graphite & Color Pencil 24”x18”

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

61

Nia Morales Metamorphosis Pen & Ink on Paper 13”x16”

Colin Borner Lonely Night Graphite, Watercolor Pencil 18”x24”

62

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Molly Costanza Tails Intaglio Print 4”x6¼”

Sean McCune Shell Shock Dry Point Etching 7”x5”

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

63

Margaret Chavez Bear Reductive Relief 20”x15”

64

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Kora Gibson Sing me to Sleep Intaglio Print 9¾”x8”

Portia Wassick Cat’s Cradle Relief Print 22”x30”

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

65

Erin Twaddell Avem femina Intaglio Print 12”x24”

66

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Zach Goering Walking Man Mixed Media, Printmaking 24”x31”

Kathleen Kasel Breathe Collagraph Print 12”x9”

Photography, design & layout by Shane Sides Pathfindermagazine.com

|

67

POETRY & PROSE

How to Wrestle

Alligators

By Shaye Gerrity

Stanley was excited for his family’s upcoming vacation to Florida. He couldn’t wait to play in the waves at the beach, and squish the soft sand between his toes, but all Stanley really wanted was to see a real live alligator.

“I’m going to build a giant sand castle! One as big as me!

And it will have a moat where the alligators can swim, so they can guard my castle!” He told his dad on the plane ride from Colorado. “Will you help me find an alligator, Daddy?”

“Well, son, alligators are not like dogs. They do not make very friendly pets, and they may try to bite you if you get too close to them.”

“I’m not afraid!” Stanley said, puffing out his chest.

“There are alligators at the zoo, Stanley. Would you like to go to the zoo?”

“Oh, yes, please!” Stanley could hardly sit still; he was so excited.

68

|

Vol. 25 1 2017-2018

At the zoo, Stanley and his parents took their seats around the arena where a man dressed in khaki was talking into a microphone.

“My name is Steve, and this here is Sampson.” Stanley watched as Steve circled wide around a flat, pointy log, which turned out to be Sampson the alligator basking in the sun.

“He is an American alligator, which is one of the most common types of alligators here in Florida. They can grow to be as long as fifteen feet and can weigh more than 1000 pounds. Sampson here is about nine feet long and weighs just over 600 pounds. Now it is very important to note that alligators live in fresh water, such as lakes, swamps, and slow-moving rivers. So, when you are out in wilderness areas, do not try to swim unless it is known to be alligator-free.”

“You can see here that Sampson is unbothered by my movements because I am keeping a lot of distance between us.

If I start to move closer to him, though, he’s going to react, because I’m coming into his territory. Alligators tend to be more scared of us humans, and most of the time they will move away from us.

However, if we push the boundaries too far they will attack us. Alligators are very dangerous because their jaws clamp down hard on whatever they’re biting. Sampson and I are going to show you how to stay safe around alligators, and what to do in case you encounter one in the wild.”

Stanley stared wide-eyed as the man in khaki slowly inched closer, and Sampson opened his wide jaws to reveal his huge, sharp teeth. “You can see that as I approach Sampson, he starts to tell me when I am too close for his own comfort.” Sampson began to spit and hiss as Steve moved closer. He whipped his massive tail around, trying to knock Steve off his feet, but missed. “Whoa!

Did you just see Sampson try to trip me with his tail? That’s where most of his muscle mass is located—in his tail there—so I really have to be careful, and make sure he can’t take me out with it.

I’m also watching his head to avoid those massive teeth.”

“Sampson here was raised in captivity, so he is used to being handled by me. I don’t want any of you folks to try this

on your own. Now, if an alligator tries to charge you, run away as fast as you can, in a straight line.”

Steve cupped Sampson’s snout in his hands and tied it closed with some rope.

He turned Sampson’s head to the crowd and pointed to Sampson’s nose. “If an alligator bites you, make a fist with your hand and hit it as hard as you can in its nostrils. Aim right for the tip of their nose, hitting it over, and over, and over until it stops biting. The tip of their nose is where alligators are the most sensitive.”

Steve made a fist and acted as if he was hitting Sampson square in the nose.

Sampson stared blankly at the crowd, not at all fazed by the motions of Steve’s fist. “The eyes are another sensitive spot, so if hitting the nose doesn’t seem to be working, then you can aim for the eyes.

You also want to move as much as you can to make the gator think you are hard to catch.” Steve patted Sampson on the top of his head before removing the rope from the gator’s snout, and backing slowly off his huge scaly back. “And that concludes our demonstrations for today folks. Thank you for coming out to see the show!”

The next day, Stanley and his parents packed a basket and walked down to a park near their hotel. Stanley kept lagging

behind to look at all the interesting plants. As he was bending over to smell a flower, his leg began to sting all over, as if he had walked into a cactus.

“AAAHHH!” he screamed, violently shaking his leg, trying to free himself from the razor-filled mouth of a tiny alligator that was biting his right leg!

The alligator let go for a second, but then leapt right back up and latched onto Stanley’s right arm. Stanley couldn’t shake it off again, but he remembered what Steve and Sampson had shown him.

Stanley made a fist with his hand and started hitting the gator straight in the nostrils! After three hard hits, the baby alligator let go of Stanley’s arm. Stanley turned and ran as fast as he could toward his parents, who came running back to him as soon as they heard Stanley scream.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

Stanley’s mom bent down, frantically examining the tiny puncture marks on his body.

“Mommy, I did it! I wrestled an alligator!”

“You were very brave, son.” Stanley’s dad gave him a stuffed alligator from the gift shop of the hospital. Stanley hugged his new pet alligator, Sampson, all the way home to Colorado.

Design & layout by Kathleen Kasel Pathfindermagazine.com

|

69

POETRY & PROSE

Queen of Belly Aches

The sickly yellow stitches that line the soles of her Dr. Martens with the good abrasion and slip resistance, reminds her of the sutures holding Frankenstein’s head closed so that his jumbled thoughts don’t pour out unfiltered from his crown of mediocracy.

Dusty thrift store yarn haphazardly strangles her heart confined by the plush web of false comfort; crocheting the spider’s trap of a love doomed to feed her inner demons.

A lumber jack flannel stained red with the blood of paper-cut fingers held closed by buttons with entangled strings like the loose roots of a wiggly baby tooth falling out the mouth of a child on the cusp of their kingdom and the violent silence of society.

The pin prick of a doll’s hair hacked by an apprehensive teenager to reveal a personal attraction; a dangerous combination under the scrutinous eye of the gods.

The reflective mirror of silver stuffed on stubby fingers with the nails chewed so that the crescent moon of femininity is confused with the hands of her father.

Frail chains around her neck like the collar of the wild bitch who bit the wrong person and was dumped on the harsh streets all alone with her dirty paws and thoughts.

70

|

Vol. 25 1 2017-2018

Isabella Perugini

Can Still Stand Up At the drop of a hat

he unleashed his fury Head between knees he sprang and put in his fight He rolled and slammed me as best as he could Whinnying and thrashing to throw me from his back Keeping hold of the reigns was the only thing to be done Panting, lathered, tired Still able to buck He twisted and turned, kicked and wailed I still held on determined not to fail He crashed into the fence He begged for my defeat I hung on and stirruped my boot So he laid down all covered in sweat I was forced to kick out my leg Not seeing what came next He leaped up ready to fly Spun around, showing that so could I Thud, crack, bang I went Sprawled on the ground my only thought â&#x20AC;&#x153;Just as many tricksâ&#x20AC;? as I tried to regain my step Dust swirling in the air Frustration blinding the pain as I had to get back on

Michael Schmidt

Design & layout by Hannah Hyde Pathfindermagazine.com

|

71

POETRY & PROSE

CRIMSON and C H I A N T I

By Madison Manning Perspectives on winning the genetic lottery varies: through the lens of evolution, or the sheer accumulation of cells, my odds do not get better, millions, no trillions of moments in time have to achieve coincidental perfection just for a human to exist.

All it takes is a mistranslation of DNA or one additional replication and I am inhibited for life, or worse, aborted before I am exposed to the glorious sunshine of day. One small error and I cannot differentiate the color red, my reality is constructed of hallucinations, or my lungs would have never contracted and fallen into a lifelong marriage with oxygen, but those errors didn’t happen. Instead, I taste bitterness and soap and once I learned to adapt my taste on account of being a supertaster, I was able to recognize the lingering orange rind on the back of the palate after a swig of brandy or the quality of feed fed before the lamb was led to slaughter.

It is a gift enough I suppose, in exchange for the utter lack of pleasure in any meal, I get the rare

72

|

Vol 25 1 2017-2018

...no man likes a woman with opinions.

Sometimes I succumb, I let them correct me over the meal, and later in bed...

qualification for a job that provides stable pay and high-end carbohydrates. It comes at a cost though, there is some kind of primitive bonding formed over breaking bread, over the mutual enjoyment of a meal, and criticism of the meal may as well be criticism of the relationship. Of course, sending a meal back is of questionable taste in any company, but that extends; when “the gnocchi could be more pillowy” or “I do not find the pasta as equally delectable as you,” I face empty beds and silent phones.

I hypothesize that this why many food and wine critics eat alone, either way you lose that simple connection.

That’s not to say there are not exceptions, I find few consumable things more satisfying than the simplicity of a pint of cherry vanilla Häagen Dazs, a perfectly proportioned peanut butter cup, or a glass of creamy, warm, scarlet chianti. Sometimes even the act of the bite itself arouses me, vegetarian or not, sinking canines into muscular slabs that are reminiscent of the same elasticity as flesh is pleasurable.

I knew tonight was going to end that same way, between our disagreement over the “meltingly tenderness” of her ribs and

...I remained transfixed on the gash, the hotter Her retinas burned into my own eye, staring at the type O fluid coagulating amosgst the steak blood.

my absolute insistence over a bottle of a bloody red rather than white, I had more or less solidified my night concluding in the tub with merlot and fantasies of the red fluid in my goblet slowly turning a chocolate brownâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;besides, Cosmo says no man likes a woman with opinions. Sometimes, I succumb, I let them correct me over the meal, and later in bed as punishment for my glaringly superior preference and expertise in food, but knowing I am obviously right is enough to deter from the sensation of any moment. Nonetheless, I hoped that despite my autonomy maybe there was a chance this meaty woman might look beyond our unshared taste in food and remember our mutual savor of claret wrapped up in burgundy sheets as we established in the chat room prior to our meeting.

By the time we were waiting on the Sambuca and cholate mousse (a commonly fucked up dessert despite its simplicity), I knew no crimson lip, slinky LBD, or suggestive display of

moisturized skin would compensate for my unfiltered and nonnegotiable opinion, as it is my trade, nor, again, did I really care to dig my teeth into this one. Now you might think: surely this is melodramatic at its least, afterall, this is commonly fucked up dessert despite its simplicity), I knew no crimson lip, slinky LBD, or suggestive display of moisturized skin would compensate for my unfiltered and nonnegotiable opinion, as it is my trade, nor, again, did I really care to dig my teeth into this one. Now you might think: surely this is melodramatic at its least, afterall, this is the digital era: surely globalization and the internet demonstrates that there is a place, and community for everyone, and this is true. Fulfilling companions were at least plentiful enough online to silence my pondering late at night about whether when my readership or the New York Police Department catches on to my preferences in taste if I will still have to eat my last meal alone, but it was not enough. I craved intimacy, I

craved my monogamous and consuming other half, I craved the connoisseur who refined my tastes between positive and negative, to tell me if tapping into the leg translated to the spidery crawls of fluid down crystal. My history if displeasure in both sustenance and sex is what left me absolutely stunned when meathead sliced her finger. I could feel her gaze, attentive to my own focus on the pour from her phalange. I starred, waiting for her to react and the longer I remained transfixed on the gash, the hotter her retinas burned into my own eyes, staring at the type O fluid coagulating amongst the steak blood. I was motionless, despite, ironically, knowing full well the steak could not possibly taste good so rare. I am relishing, I have never found someone, and here I was when she swiped her bite around the blood mixture and mouthed: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Would you like a taste?â&#x20AC;?

Design & layout by Barclay Weyhrauch Pathfindermagazine.com

|

73

Cassandra Grigware Naive as the Smell of a Rose Oil & Mixed Media on Canvas 24”x18”

Emily Woods Heartbreak Graphite & White Charcoal 78”x36”

Nia Morales The Dance of the Metal Head & His Muse Collage 11”x8½”

74

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Mary Alice Stanberry Orange Collage 10â&#x20AC;?x9â&#x20AC;?

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

75

Hannah Twiddy Dead or Alive Mixed Media

Bobbie BellaDonna See Me Ink & Tea 18”x24”

76

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

Cassandra Grigware Enlightened in Death Oil and mixed media on canvas 50”x40”

Cierra Redding Self Portrait Watercolor, Mixed Media 14”x10”

Pathfindermagazine.com

|

77

Jack Thibodeau Untitled Acrylic and Ink 28”x22”

78

|

Vol. 25 2017-2018

L. Maile Scheib Chaos Collage, Acrylic, Rubber Cement 5”x7”

Molly Ege Untitled Mixed Media, Collage 8”x10” Photography, design & layout by Shane Sides Pathfindermagazine.com

|

79

The first magazine was released as “Highlander,” but the name was changed the next year after the “Pathfinder” bear sculpture donated by Gene and Rebecca Tobey.

Twenty-five years ago this spring,

Pathfinder Magazine was the phoenix that rose from the ashes of two former Western student publications: the Currecanti student annual and the Mountain Thought Review student literary journal. The former had no students willing to serve as editors, and the latter had just lost its advisor and felt at loose ends. So, Young Guns Terri Murphy and Mark Todd schemed to combine the two former publications into a new single magazine, Pathfinder, which promised to showcase both fine and literary art by students while still including year-in-review highlights of student life for each year of publication.

The rest, as they say, is history – our history.

Below: “Young Guns” Todd & (Lennon) Murphy

Design Staff

Literary Staff

Art Director Shane Sides

Managing Editors: Marlida Mear

Aaron Bauer

Hannah Hyde

Kennedy Sievers

Kathleen Kasel

Specialist Associate Editors: Jennifer Cirkovic

Barclay Weyhrauch

Aaron Goettel

Hannah Twiddy

Faculty Advisor Terri Murphy Front Cover Design: Barclay Weyhrauch Back Cover Design: Shane Sides Page design elements borrowed from cover design by Hannah Twiddy

Top O’ the World Contributors

Roberta Marquette-Strain:

Bat Boy: The Musical

KWSB Celebrates 50 Years Trout Tank Succeeds in Community Support

Shaye Gerrity

Zoe Henderson:

The Value of Student Involvement in Public Lands Service Projects

Orevaoghene Koka

Lillian Leaver Jay Ytell

Associate Editors: Josiah Miranda-Troup

Jake Wener: Western Ethics Forum

Bethany Eveleth:

Western’s 9/11 Workout of the Day, BSA Hosts Spoken Word Poet Kai Davis

Elizabeth Ramsey

Assistant Editors: Taja’Mir Butler Wyatt Ewert

Brooke Gilmore Melanie Gray

Zoe Henderson Shelby Herbert Haley Horvat

Melissa Leckemby Abigail Van Kirk

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Elizabyth A. Hiscox Dr. Mark Todd

All rights reserved. First copyrights belong to the original author/poet/artist. The Western Pathfinder Magazine is published by the Council of Creative Expression of Western State Colorado University Student Government Association and is solely funded through student fees. The views and opinions stated herein are not necessarily those of the staff. All submitted work is judged anonymously by the staff. Submissions are assumed intended for publication in whole or part and may therefore be used for such purposes. The staff disclaims all responsibility for return of unsolicited material. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission from the publisher. Printed for the 2017/2018 academic school year.

30% RECYCLED PAPER 10% PC RECYCLED PRINTED WITH SOY BASED INKS

2017/2018

Creative Writing Visual Arts Year in Review