Steve Anderson | The Metropolitan

Comcast employees and Metro students spread mulch in a parking lot island April 22 on Auraria. Metro students and faculty teamed with Comcast employees to help with landscaping and trash clean up around Denver. Metro State participated in the Roadrunners Give Back Day in conjunction with the 3rd Annual Comcast Cares Day and Earth Day around the country.

Metro’s “One World One Water” campaign has spilled into many campus projects and organizations this year, the most recent being Auraria’s third annual Roadrunners Give Back Day April 21.

In the past, Roadrunners Give Back Day was organized outside of Metro and in partnership with Comcast for their annual Comcast Cares Day, which began in 2001.
Metro took over planning the event for its students this year by appointing new director of special events in Student Activities, Brooke Dilling, to tailor the project to more campus-specific goals. Dilling and her committee choose to tie the project to the OWOW campaign to commend the opening of Metro’s new OWOW Center for Urban Water Education and Stewardship.

“We reached out to a variety of community agencies that have a focus on water to see if they had any projects that we could partner with,” Dilling said. “Some of the direction came from Tom Ceck, director of One World One Water here in Denver.”

Ceck got Metro involved in The Greenway Foundation’s national trash inventory campaign, which several independent organizations participated in April 21 in Confluence Park and the South Platte River in Englewood.

“You literally pick up the trash while someone is recording how much trash is in different places along the river,” said Erika Church, assistant director for Metro’s OWOW center. “The idea is to figure out where people are hanging out and where there may need to be more cleanup.”

Volunteers combed the banks of the river, picking up anything inorganic and recording what it was, how much of it was found and where the greatest concentration of pollution was found.

“For example, if they find that the majority of refuse they pull out is cigarette butts along the river and in the water, they would target their marketing toward smokers in that area,” Dilling said.

Alicia Hamilton is the Colorado state coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s trash collection project. She has worked on the campaign for the past three years and was in Confluence Park recording collected debris April 21 with a group of volunteers from the Downtown Aquarium-Denver, the Deep Blue Sea Foundation and the Ocean Conservancy in Washington D.C.

“[The records] go into a data collection report, which allows the EPA to track what kind of activity is leading to what kind of debris,” Hamilton said. “For Colorado, they’re able to identify that a lot of the debris that makes its way into waterways is from recreation.

Approximately 200 Metro students were split into three site groups, two along the river and one onsite at Auraria doing general landscape. According to Church, the most popular projects for students were cleaning the rivers.

“We just wanted to help out, it doesn’t really matter what we do,” said Metro junior Canaan Lee, who was doing landscape work around campus with his girlfriend and sister. “I wanted to give back to the school because it’s given me so much and I wanted to show my gratitude.”

The proposed ordinance, CB12-241, is sponsored by council member Albus Brooks (District 8) and is currently set for a vote May 14.

If passed, the ban would make it illegal to sleep overnight on public or private property without a permit, although it is still unclear exactly how it would be enforced. Overnight camping in Denver public parks was previously made illegal several years ago.

More than 150 people packed the city council chambers and one overflow room at the hearing for a chance to speak on the proposed ban.

Opponents, many wearing buttons saying “homes not handcuffs,” attacked the ban for what they say criminalizes homelessness instead of solving problems.

Supporters, however, many of them owners of downtown businesses, cited safety concerns and praised the ban as a “positive first step” in ending homelessness.

Although the final vote isn’t scheduled until May 14, council members took a preliminary vote at the end of the hearing. Nine council members were in favor of the proposal and four against.

If passed, the ordinance would take effect May 29.

Brian McGinn | The Metropolitan

Metro Student Government Assembly presidential candidate Jeffery Washington (right) and vice presidential candidate Scott Hirsbrunner.

The results of Metro’s 2012 general elections are in question after a presidential and vice presidential candidate were disqualified from the race.

“Jeffery Washington and Scott Hirsbrunner have been disqualified. That [decision] is currently going through appeals through the student court,” said Election Commission Chair Amy Murlowski.

The election commission found Washington and Hirsbrunner had committed violations by:
• Campaigning in the Student Government Assembly office
• Campaign posting violations
• Campaigning at a table they had not reserved from Auraria Campus Event Services

“We won the election by a margin of 24 percent,” said Washington who received 582 votes. “I just don’t see how those alleged violations could make up for 136 votes.”

According to Murlowski, the election commission reviewed numerous other alleged violations by the pair, but only held them responsible for three. The others were dismissed.
After last year’s race, the election commission rewrote the codes and bylaws for this year’s election. Included was a “3-2-1” policy to regulate campaign violations.
The code dictates that if a candidate commits three separate violations, a repeat violation, or a single major ethical violation, the candidate will be disqualified from the election.

Murlowski explained that if a candidate is indeed disqualified for violations, they “are either incapable or disinterested in following the rules.”

This senate, of which both Washington and Hirsbrunner serve as senators, approved the election commission’s new codes and bylaws in January 2012
Other candidates also received violations, but only Washington and Hirsbrunner received the minimum three needed to prompt the election commission to disqualify the two executive hopefuls, Murlowski said.

“I’m not saying there is, but there’s enough evidence to suggest that there could be some bias based on their reasons,” Washington said. “I don’t know whether it’s race, or whether it’s gender, or whether it’s religion, or political views or what it is, but there is enough evidence to suggest that there is the possibility of a bias in this election.”

Hirsbrunner said the personal attacks started more than a year ago during his run for a senate seat when, he alleges, attempts were made to keep him from running.

Asked if the candidates were being disqualified for any reasons regarding their race, gender, political views or religious beliefs, Murlowski said, “Absolutely not.”
“It’s not that the commission may have a responsibility to deal with any violations found, the commission has a distinct responsibility.” Murlowski said.

Washington and Hirsbrunner are appealing the latest violation for posting campaign materials, as it is the only one that is within the five-day window to file appeals. They can’t appeal findings of fact, just that the election commission acted within its codes. In essence, the violations will stick as long as the election commission did not act outside of its codes and bylaws.

The appellate pretrial begins May 2, and Murlowski hopes the court rules as soon as possible.

“Right now it’s a 50-50 chance [we win the appeal],” Washington said.

In preparation for the trial, Washington and Hirsbrunner filed a motion May 1, asking to court to issue a summary judgment.

“This is a case of ‘respect the vote,’” Washington said. “The students voted. We won. Respect it. The fact that they disqualified us after they already knew the results — I mean, I just don’t know where else that would happen.

Brian McGinn | The Metropolitan

Manuelo Monteon, right, leads custodial workers in protest on April 25 in the *laurence plaza.

A group of Auraria custodian workers marched at Lawrence Plaza April 25 to protest the unfair way they believe they are being treated by their supervisors and the Auraria Higher Education Center.

“Si se pude. Yes, we can do it,” the workers and their union allies chanted around campus. Protestors held signs demanding, “respect now” and proclaimed that “all labor has dignity.”

It’s been a little over two months since custodian workers decided to unionize. At the heart of this unionization effort lies what custodians have described as unfair and degrading working conditions.

Manuel Montes, one of the most vocal advocates for his fellow custodians, claimed that, “they scream at us, they intimidate us, there’s no respect.”

Custodians are voicing their grievances through a drafted bill of rights. The custodian’s bill of rights identifies seven of their most important issues, including a recent change in working hours for employees who work the graveyard shift.

“I’m indignant, they treat us like mops,” Berrta Ribota told her fellow workers during their work break. “I’ve worked here for 18 years, and just like that they told me, that if I didn’t sign the shift change form, that they would move me from the evening shift to the graveyard. After I signed, they still changed my shift.”

The workers allege that in a meeting last November, Auxiliary Operations Director Tara Weachter presented the custodian staff with a form that effectively changed their work schedules from the graveyard shift of 10 p.m. – 7:30 a.m. to a shift that ran from 5 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.

“Tara Weachter gave us a paper to sign, but they never explained it or gave us copies in Spanish, we didn’t know what we were signing. This change in hours shaved 7 percent of their pay,” Rosario De Baca, a union organizer said.

Custodians are demanding the right to refuse to sign any document that they do not receive a copy of.

“[The custodian staff] had time to take [the notice] home, review it with their families and there was no pressure to sign anything,” Weachter said. “When we have employees sign documents, they are not signing it to acknowledge that they agree, it’s acknowledging that the information has been presented to them.”

She also said that the difference in pay was incorrect, and that the actual difference is about 2.5 percent.

“Typically in a state classified system, employees need to be given two week’s notice that their schedule is changing,” she said. “The folks within these work units were given over a month to adjust their personal and home life schedules and things of that nature.”

Weachter said that she prefaced the changes in working hours to the custodian staff with statistics suggesting that graveyard shifts are unhealthy for the workers, causing problems like heart disease, digestive problems and insomnia from unnatural sleep and work hours.

“I felt very strongly about bringing them into the environment,” Weachter said. As a former custodian worker, she believes that graveyard shifts alienate workers from the community and their own families.

Weachter said the allegations on not translating the letter are also untrue, and that department director Edward Hinojosa translates for them regularly.

In the short time that the custodians decided to unionize, they were able to collect about 700 student and staff signatures in support of their effort.

They believe that through a strong labor union they will be able to fix their working conditions, which is why they are asking for the right to join a union, and the right to be free of intimidation and harassment for union activity.

AHEC’s own policy on unions protects the workers from harassment and allows them to talk about union activity during their own time (breaks and lunch).

“They gave us a paper that said that we had the right to talk about the union during our lunch and breaks, but the supervisors tell us, that we weren’t allowed to talk about it,” Montes said.

According to Weachter, the discussion are fine before working hours, after working hours and during lunch — as long as they have scheduled and booked a room that is away from the rest of the workers.

Currently, AHEC is drafting a response letter to address the concerns of the handful of workers who presented their bill of rights to the department.
“We’re going to keep up the pressure,” De Baca said.

Additional reporting by Megan Mitchell and Brad Roudebush.

When the Sasquatch Music Festival started in 2002, one of its strongest selling points was its setting. The Gorge is a beautiful outdoor amphitheater perched on a grassy hill overlooking the Columbia River in the small town of George, Wash.

Unlike the harsh, desert-like conditions of Coachella or the hellish, sweaty environment of Bonnaroo — which happens later this year — Sasquatch takes place in the Northwest, where the weather is at least mild.

Being just two hours outside of Seattle, Sasquatch typically features an indie-rock centered line-up with a few folk, hip-hop and electronica acts thrown in for good measure.

At the same time, a handful of slated comedians will help keep the festival diverse and, hopefully, pretty damn funny.

This year’s Sasquatch festival will take place across five stages over the course of four days. Compared to the roster at Coachella or Bonnaroo, there aren’t as many acts at Sasquatch. Still, plenty is offered on this year’s line-up.

Among the marquee headliners who will be gracing the main  (a.k.a. Sasquatch) stage, Jack White will be showing off his new solo project and Tenacious D will be playing in support of their brand-new release, Rise of the Fenix. Otherwise, The Shins, Pretty Lights, Bon Iver, Beck and Feist will be present.

What the festival lacks in, say, a performance by Radiohead or a hologram of Tupac, it makes up for in multitudes of rising “buzz” bands like Kurt Vile, Deer Tick, Gardens & Villa and The War on Drugs.

At this point, tickets to Sasquatch are as elusive as the fabled creature itself. This festival is completely sold out. Those with passes can enjoy an expanded version of the decade-old festival by seeing more performances on a new stage. For those without passes, a steep ticket price might be worth it. After all, the festival will continue into Monday night, allowing for more performances.

For anyone attending a festival, it is almost impossible to avoid the overlap between set times. After finding the funds and organizing the logistics of a trip, the real challenge for most festival-fanatics lies ahead: they must study the schedule carefully and plan out exactly what they want to see, as well as where they need to be. Any scheduling conflicts at Sasquatch this year will depend on one’s taste in music. Undoubtedly, festival planners will do their best to catch overlapping sets by both Bon Iver and LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy.

While this year’s schedule probably won’t go down as one of Sasquatch’s greatest, it should be a memorable chapter in the festival’s already rich history.

Enrique Jimenez, left, and his bandmates are hungry to play some new tunes and tour around.

When the Sasquatch Music Festival started in 2002, one of its strongest selling points was its setting. The Gorge is a beautiful outdoor amphitheater perched on a grassy hill overlooking the Columbia River in the small town of George, Wash.

Unlike the harsh, desert-like conditions of Coachella or the hellish, sweaty environment of Bonnaroo — which happens later this year — Sasquatch takes place in the Northwest, where the weather is at least mild.

Being just two hours outside of Seattle, Sasquatch typically features an indie-rock centered line-up with a few folk, hip-hop and electronica acts thrown in for good measure.

At the same time, a handful of slated comedians will help keep the festival diverse and, hopefully, pretty damn funny.

This year’s Sasquatch festival will take place across five stages over the course of four days. Compared to the roster at Coachella or Bonnaroo, there aren’t as many acts at Sasquatch. Still, plenty is offered on this year’s line-up.

Among the marquee headliners who will be gracing the main  (a.k.a. Sasquatch) stage, Jack White will be showing off his new solo project and Tenacious D will be playing in support of their brand-new release, Rise of the Fenix. Otherwise, The Shins, Pretty Lights, Bon Iver, Beck and Feist will be present.

What the festival lacks in, say, a performance by Radiohead or a hologram of Tupac, it makes up for in multitudes of rising “buzz” bands like Kurt Vile, Deer Tick, Gardens & Villa and The War on Drugs.

At this point, tickets to Sasquatch are as elusive as the fabled creature itself. This festival is completely sold out. Those with passes can enjoy an expanded version of the decade-old festival by seeing more performances on a new stage. For those without passes, a steep ticket price might be worth it. After all, the festival will continue into Monday night, allowing for more performances.

For anyone attending a festival, it is almost impossible to avoid the overlap between set times. After finding the funds and organizing the logistics of a trip, the real challenge for most festival-fanatics lies ahead: they must study the schedule carefully and plan out exactly what they want to see, as well as where they need to be. Any scheduling conflicts at Sasquatch this year will depend on one’s taste in music. Undoubtedly, festival planners will do their best to catch overlapping sets by both Bon Iver and LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy.

While this year’s schedule probably won’t go down as one of Sasquatch’s greatest, it should be a memorable chapter in the festival’s already rich history.

The conspicuous building stands out, not only in appearance, but in function as well. Surrounded by wholesale warehouses and construction scrap operations, Balistreri Winery has been producing some of Colorado’s best wines since 1998.

The winery is family-owned and operated with John Balistreri acting as head wine-maker with help from his wife, Birdie, and daughter, Julie.

Julie Balistreri, “ the wine maker’s daughter,” as she refers to herself, greeted the crowd of Metro Hospitality, Tourism and Events students April 7, and gave some background on the history of the vineyard before starting the tour.

While filling glasses with some of the vineyard’s less recognized wines — Muscat and Viognier — Julie Balistreri told the history of the family business, stressing her father’s love of the land.

“My father loves this place and we’re not going anywhere,” Julie Balistreri said.

The land has been in the Balistreri family since the early 1900’s when it was originally used as a farm, until 1965 when they began focusing on selling flowers.

When the flower market dried up in the mid 80’s, John Balistreri began to focus on something he had been doing all his life — making wine in the traditional Italian way, which was passed down to him by his Sicilian born father.

What stands today is a testament of the Balistreri family’s perseverance and dream that has grown alongside with Metro’s HTE department.

Dr. Michael Wray, professor in the HTE department, was pleased with the large turnout of students and their guests. The first year he took a class on the tour of the winery, only seven students attended. This year, 40 students went on the tour.

Following the reception, Julie Balisteri led the group down to the cellar. She stressed the importance the winery places on outsourcing as few grapes as possible while keeping the entire process organic adding little to no preservatives.

Compared to the size and equipment used at other commercial wineries, the Balistreris’ equipment is minimal, consisting of a single press and no steel holding tanks.

Julie Balistreri talked about the obstacles they face in producing wine in Colorado’s dry climate.

“Colorado wine angels are more thirsty than California wine angels,” Julie Balistreri said, explaining that they lose 6-7 barrels of wine yearly to evaporation, or, as she calls it, “wine angels.”

Thanks to what they have learned in class, students of Wray’s Wine Fundamentals section, in addition to other sections, seemed to have a better understanding of what was being discussed.

“It’s a lot more interesting when you actually are familiar with some of the terminology that is being used,” said student Sarah Buchanan, touching on the skills and vocabulary that she had picked up in class.

John Balistreri stressed the importance of the mutually beneficial relationship between Metro’s HTE department and his winery.

“It’s good to have any kind of connections you can,” John Balistreri said. “These guys from Metro have always come out to see what we are doing. We are close enough to give the students an opportunity to come out and see what they have been learning about and hopefully they will return with family and friends.”

After the tour of the cellar, the group made it’s way back upstairs into the massive tasting room to sample some of their more popular varietals — Cabernets and Merlots — which were accompanied by different types of salami, cheese and bread.

Making the rounds while pouring, Wray was excited about how much his students were enjoying the experience.

“Anytime you get the public into a situation where we are able to use private resources, it becomes more relevant and real to the students,” Wray said. “I can talk all day about theory and show them something or demonstrate something, but until they see things in the real world it doesn’t provide much of a context. I can’t replicate this in the classroom.”

The Balistreri Winery is open seven days a week from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is located on the outskirts of Commerce City at 1946 E. 66th Avenue, Denver, CO 80229.

“Don’t Hook Up with the Dude in the Next Cube,” a book full of career advice for young professional women, aims to help new graduates land jobs and keep them.

“Don’t Hook Up” contains over 200 tips on everything from how to clean up your online presence to how to make sure everyone in the office adores you, in a strictly professional way, of course. Co-authors Nancy Shenker and Lindsay Brown want 20-somethings to get started in the right direction and be ready for some of the common pitfalls of the business world.

For example, tips number 19: “Google yourself before someone else does,” urges readers to make sure they have a positive online presence. Using social media to make business connections is just one of many tid-bits on how to use tech skills to your advantage.

“Socializing and building relationships is a fundamental part of job hunting and marketing,” Shenker said.

Personal branding is key, according to “Don’t Hook Up,” as well as making sure you actually enjoy what you’ve chosen to do for a living. The book contains a handy “passions pin-pointer worksheet” to map out your interests and align them with possible careers. There’s no point in making big bucks if you’re miserable doing it.

Shenker was inspired to write the book when her own daughters, ages 19 and 23, started asking her for career advice. After witnessing a few of her young, female interns behaving foolishly, she realized that not all women have a business-savvy mother to guide them.

“I don’t want to be sexist as a woman,” Shenker said. “But I do find that a lot of women, when bad stuff happens in the workplace, they tend to take it personally.”

Learning to separate what happens in business from personal feelings is important for women, according to Shenker.

Agreeing to take overtime is a must, as long as it’s not every day, according to “Don’t Hook Up.” Dumping your slacker friends for more business-minded folk might seem cold, but Shenker and Brown say it’s helpful on the road to success.

A 30-year veteran in the marketing world, Shenker hopes that “Don’t Hook Up” can help young women avoid some of the mistakes she made while working her way up in the business world.

“Yes, I did hook up with the dude in the next cube, at one of the points in my career.” He dumped her, started dating someone else, and she still had to see him all the time in the cafeteria.

“We women are still learning how to hold on to our feminine side while being taken seriously in the working world,” Shenker says in the book.

“Don’t Hook Up” is stocked with fresh and sound advice for 20-somethings looking to start or advance their careers.

You can find more information about the book and authors at www.2booms.com

Brian McGinn | The Metropolitan

Artist inspired fashion by Yves Saint Laurent at "The Retrospective" exhibit in the DAM April 25.

The Denver Art Museum is the only place in the United States where people can check out the fashions of revolutionary designer Yves Saint Laurent firsthand.

Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective, an extensive collection of Saint Laurent’s designs, has traveled from Paris to Madrid to Denver, its only stop in the United States.
Although financially struggling students might think haute couture (high fashion) has no bearing on their lives, most women have worn clothing influenced by Saint Laurent’s fashions.

“We all dress like this now,” said Tara Moberly, communications associate at the Denver Art Museum. Any woman who’s ever worn a pantsuit to a job interview or donned a pea coat on a cold day has dressed in something inspired by Saint Laurent.

“A lot of these outfits, you still see variations of them today,” said Karen Macfarland, a Parker resident.

Full of soft lighting and quiet music, the exhibit immerses the viewer in tranquil ambiance. In addition to Saint Laurent’s fashions, the collection features photographs of the artist, drawings of his designs and videos showing his rise in the fashion world.

Brian McGinn | The Metropolitan

"Paris rose" 1983, long evening dress displayed "Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective" at the DAM April 25.

The exhibit chronicles 40 years of fashion, from the beginning of Saint Laurent’s career as head of the House of Dior to his retirement in 2002.

Saint Laurent became the head designer for Dior in 1958 when he was only 21.

His collection of 1940s-inspired garb was not well received by the press. Displayed with a backdrop of its negative newspaper reviews, “The Scandalous Collection” was inspired by WWII-era dress in France. During this time, prostitutes were the only women who could afford the styles Saint Laurent was inspired by, according to Moberly. This didn’t stop everyday women in the early 1970s from falling in love with his designs.

One of the first to use non-white runway models, Saint Laurent also made waves by clothing high-class ladies in pants.

“He really took the pants suit and made it a feminine staple,” Moberly said.

Before Saint Laurent began designing pantsuits for women, it wasn’t generally acceptable for females to wear pants for formal occasions.

A narrow room lined from floor to ceiling in a rainbow of fabric swatches is named “The Shock of Colors.” The walls are covered with pages taken from the designer’s old notebooks.

Brian McGinn | The Metropolitan

Shades of bold fabric samples from Yves Saint Laurent's folders cover the walls in the shock of colors section of the exhibit at the DAM April 25.

Saint Laurent found inspiration in the works of artists like Vincent Van Gogh. A sequined evening jacket covered with flowers looks uncannily like a Van Gogh painting.

Although not a world traveler himself, the exhibit’s “Imaginary Journeys” shows that Saint Laurent traveled all over the world in his mind. He designed outfits inspired by traditional clothing from many countries including Spain, Russia, and Japan. Saint Laurent often feminized men’s clothing like his Torero (bullfighter) outfit featuring a pink cape and a gold and pink bolero tie.

Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective is presented by the Denver Art Museum in partnership with the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent. Curator Florence Miller and designer Nathalie Criniére put the exhibit together.

The Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent was founded to preserve thousands of Laurent’s designs and sketches as well as to organize exhibits of these treasures. Pierre Bergé was the designer’s partner in business and life until Saint Laurent’s death from cancer in 2008.

The exhibit began in March and runs through July 8. Admission is separate from the museum and costs $18 for students. It has seen a high volume of visitors since its opening.
“I think it’s about time some high fashion comes to Denver,” said Jessica Montour, a Denver resident.

J.K. Rowling created a generation of magic-lovers with the Harry Potter saga. Ginny DiGuiseppi and Dana Ritterbusch, creators of Not Literally, are part of that generation.
Not Literally produces Potter-themed music and comedy videos.

“A year ago, I was a member of this Tumblr Hogwarts group, and in order to gain Ravenclaw house points I decided to make a video,” DiGuiseppi said. “I figured that just a talking video was too boring, so I decided to do a ‘Friday’ [by Rebecca Black] parody.”

DiGuiseppi wrote, filmed and edited the video in one day, and it went viral.

“It got like a bazillion views — that’s not an exact count,” DiGuiseppi said. “People started asking for other house parodies.”

DiGuiseppi teamed up with Ritterbusch, who she knew from a singing group at the Colorado Renaissance Festival, and Not Literally was born.

“We were very familiar with each other musically and it was just very natural for us to continue doing them and pair up, and it ended up being really great,” Ritterbush said.

A month later, the golden trio was completed when they met Erik Tande at a 24-hour film festival. Tande liked the idea of doing Potter videos and became their director and editor.

“He spontaneously agreed to devote hours and hours of his time, which is valuable because he does independent work,” DiGuiseppi said.

In July 2011, Not Literally premiered a Slytherin house video, “We R Slytherins” — a Ke$ha parody. They recently finished filming the video for Hufflepuff, which they hope to release in June, at the Old Studio in Denver.

Every couple weeks, DiGuiseppi and Ritterbusch post “Ask Hogwarts” videos, where their personas for each Hogwarts house answer questions sent in by fans.
They tailor the answers based on the archetypes for each house, which they know from the Potter books and films.

“It’s sort of like writing fiction,” Ritterbusch said. “The characters, as we progress, are really developing personalities of their own.”

While the “Ask Hogwarts” videos take a couple of weeks to produce, the more elaborate music videos for each house are time-consuming. The Slytherin video took a month to finish, but Hufflepuff has been in the works for four months now.

“It takes a lot of planning and hard work to produce a video, and Ginny, Dana and I all put in a lot of hours writing, brainstorming [and] scheduling,” Tande said. “It’s a fun process, though, especially when an idea clicks and takes off.”

To fund the Hufflepuff video, they turned to Kickstarter, a website where people can raise funds for creative projects. DiGuiseppi and Ritterbusch have also received help from companies like Alivan’s, which makes wooden wands and other magical props.

“We talked to them about maybe giving us some discounted merchandise,” DiGuiseppi said. “And they actually donated us a couple of Hufflepuff sweaters and robes for our music video.”

With more than 1,000 fans on Facebook, more than 2,000 subscribers to the Not Literally YouTube channel and more than 200,000 views on their videos, their fan base continues to grow.

DiGuiseppi and Ritterbusch said they are surprised and grateful to have so many fans, and they are certain it would not happen without social media.

“The amazing thing about the Internet is that you can reach an enormous audience,” Tande said. “Our goal is to gain a new fan every time someone finds a Not Literally video.”
After the music videos for each house are done, DiGuiseppi and Ritterbusch hope to expand Not Literally to include other films, television shows and novel sagas like Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games and Firefly.

“We are so much more than just Harry Potter,” Ritterbusch said. “We have many nerdy loves.”

In honor of Mayday, I thought it appropriate to discuss what it means to be an “employee, as opposed to a “worker.” You may be asking yourself what’s the difference? And there very well may be none, nonetheless I will try and make my case.

Labor and worker’s rights could have never come about without first questioning the legitimacy of authority inherent in most work environments throughout history. The relationship between those who own the means of production and those who don’t must be reexamined in today’s globalized, hyper-capitalist society. What is the importance of language in relation to authority in the work place? And what does it mean?

In today’s world, products are released sooner and sooner — as is the case with Apple and their very successful IPhone. People anxiously wait for the arrival of the new generation as soon as they have bought the last. And this, of course, comes with a cost.

This phenomenon reveals to us the nature of capitalism; that profit trumps all. Safe working conditions, autonomy, self-determination, creativity, innovation, respect, and dignity are all disregarded once profit becomes the sole purpose of existence.

The use of terms like globalization can be misleading. Any sensible person would conclude that globalization alludes to a state of interconnectedness between people throughout the world, I believe Anthropologist David Graeber phrased it the best “the free movement of people, possessions and Ideas”. But this is not what globalization has come to be. As it stands now corporations are able to freely move across borders, move capital, have unlimited political power, rights that most of the world’s peoples don’t have.

So what does it mean to be an “employee?” It means you are part of the machine, a gear working in synchronicity with millions of other gears. Mindlessly repeating a task over and over until your will is broken; the “employees” at Foxconn know this feeling all to well. These conditions can help explain why some people at Foxconn have resorted to suicide. But instead of responding to the problem like any compassionate person would, Foxconn thought it best to put up nets around the factory to catch the would be jumpers.

The nature of corporate power creates hierarchy, pitting worker against worker to fight over the crumbs of the 1%. And in this harsh world it is easy to understand why many will take jobs that they hate.

The hierarchy created in many work places is seen as a way to maximize efficiency, but ultimately it creates to distinct types of “employs”. Depending on where you were born, the color of your skin, what gender you identify with, sexual orientation, environment, and quality of education you got, there is a difference of what type of “employee” you will become. The first type of “employee” is the one that will take the low paying job because it is the only job he is “qualified” for.

The other is the type of “employee” who can choose which job to take, and more often than not they will choose a high paying job, over a job he has passion for, because they are so hopelessly interdependent on the system. They take jobs they hate to pay for material things they don’t need. In any of these cases the “employee” has lost autonomy and self-determination, instead of spending their limited time on earth pursuing passions they spend their time pursuing $ymbols.

How can someone busy surviving create or innovate when most of his time is spent working jobs that do not challenge the mind, which end goals are not to develop critical thinking but instead are repetitive. And then there is the “employee” who is armed with an education, who has a network of influential people, and accesses to capital he able to “create or innovate.”

Thus the myth of “pulling yourself up from your bootstraps” is perpetuated. I often hear examples of creators and innovators from people in power. I hear Steve Jobs and Bill Gates both dropped out of school, and went onto have successful futures. Because this is America and with hard work you too can be successful. However neither Steve Jobs nor Bill Gates started from zero; neither were working minimum wage jobs, both came from upper middle class homes and both dropped out from prestigious schools, Bill Gates from Harvard University and Steve Jobs from Reed College; to say they pulled themselves up from nothing is ridiculous.

To give someone the title of “employee” is to automatically relegate the person to a subjugated position. Like anything in life there are exceptions, but more often than not without proper checks and balances hierarchies produce a loss of dignity and respect therefore the dynamics of this relationship become exploitative.

The word “employee” to me just brings to many negative connotations. But as a “worker” I don’t need to report to any authority. I can do work and keep my intellectual curiosity, and dignity. So on this Mayday think about what category you fall in, what you can do to move the world, in order to unite all workers.

Yes, we know there’s an app out there for everything. From keeping up with your NFL draft picks to keeping track of your–um, well, monthly “gift” if you’re a lady. But did you know there’s now an app to help you decide if your mundane relationship with your boyfriend is worth sticking out because he could be the one or it’s time to move on?

Thinking about breaking up with your boyfriend? Feeling restless, but not sure if he’s the reason why? Should I break up with my boyfriend? gives you two weeks to reflect on your relationship and helps you decide whether you’d be better off staying with him or calling it quits.

Sarah Gray and Daniel Stanford of MercuryApp have created this app to help users visualize their ups and downs with a graph during a relationship during those two weeks. At the end, it will give you some advice based on the percentage of the time you were recorded as being happy. Most of us have been there, the relationship where one day your boyfriend will just know when you need a good dark chocolate and a cuddle date indoors, but then the next day he’ll push every button you have (and then some) and you’ll question why you’re even still together. But not every relationship has so many extremes; things could be going “alright” or “fine” and you’ll occasionally question whether your love life is missing some passion. Shouldn’t your relationship resemble the couple in that romcom!? (Though I hope you realize finding a man like Jason Segel is like winning the lotto). But what if relationships don’t have to be that crazy and entertaining? Is he actually the one in disguise because there’s little drama? Am I just expecting too much?

If you’re asking yourself these questions, maybe you should just let that little graph help you decide. Download it for iPhone here.

Seth Baca | The Metropolitan

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signs Metro's name change bill into law April 18 in the Student Success Building's lobby. After more than four years of research, Metropolitan State University of Denver was chosen to be the new name of Denver's newest university.

Metro students graduating this spring will receive the first degrees donning the new name: Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Gov. John Hicklenlooper and several supporters and sponsors of the name change bill made history April 18 in the Student Success Building by granting Metro the long-awaited title of university. The governor signed SB-148 amid a crowd of hundreds of enthusiastic Metro students, faculty and alumni just after 3 p.m.

“Metro State is a remarkable asset to the entire state of Colorado,” Hickenlooper said. “Currently, there are over 24,000 students enrolled in Metro and over 75 percent of the Metro alumni live in metropolitan Denver. Clearly, Metro deserves to be recognized as a university.”

In his red Metro State T-shirt, Hickenlooper amused the audience when he used half a dozen pens to sign the two bills. Metro President Stephen Jordan estimated that it was about three letters per pen.

“Good thing I have a long name,” Hickenlooper joked.

Steve Anderson | The Metropolitan

Metro President Stephen Jordan speaks at the signing of SB-148 April 18.

As he signed the last letter of his name, a Roadrunner banner with “Metropolitan State University of Denver” was unfurled from the top of the main staircase.
“This is the beginning of a new era for Metro State,” Jordan announced to the explosive crowd.

The name change legally goes into effect July 1.

Metro administration will now begin the process of changing the university’s signage across Auraria over the summer. One of the first items to be addressed is Metro’s website, MetroConnect and student emails.

Cathy Lucas, associate to the president for marketing and communications, said that a committee of students, faculty and alumni will be formed and appointed to discuss the new logo for Metro including typeface, design and even options for nicknames for the university.

A mass email was sent to Metro students and affiliates April 23 to poll for the most popular domain name for the new website, which will launch July 1. The three choices are msud.edu, metrostatedenver.edu and msudenver.edu. The survey closes April 30.

According to Lucas, the appointed committee is nomination based and will work closely with the Board of Trustees and Metro administration to develop a new logo and seal for Denver’s newest university.

Metro alumni who are interested in having their diplomas reprinted with the new name will need to wait a little longer.

“The alumni association will be working on a marketing campaign for that,” Lucas said. “There’s a cost involved in printing new diplomas, so they’re looking at potentially a fundraiser that would allow for alums to maybe pay for the diploma if they choose, and then maybe donate to a scholarship.”

Hickenlooper also signed SB-045 at the celebration April 18. The bill requires that the Colorado Commission on Higher Education collaborate with colleges and universities to notify eligible students that they can receive an associate’s degree while earning their bachelor’s degree if they’ve fulfilled certain curriculum requirements.

“I always have been a supporter of Metro and I always will be,” Hickenlooper said. “This is one of the greatest schools, not just in Colorado, but in America, and we appreciate how hard you all work.”

Rachel Fuenzalida | The Metropolitan

Gov. John Hickenlooper congratulates Metro President Stephen Jordan with one of the pens he used to sign SB-148.

Steve Anderson | The Metropolitan

Metro student government assembly presidential candidate Jason Dirgo checks the results of Metro's 2012 general elections April 23 in Tivoli.

The preliminary results for Metro’s 2012 general elections have been released with a record number of students contributing their votes and voices. Nearly 8 percent of Metro’s 24,000 students voted this year, more than tripling the turnout of the 2010 general election, when only about 600 voted.

Last week, 1,912 students cast online ballots to elect a new Student Government Assembly president, vice president, three Student Trustees, two Student Advisory Committee to the Auraria Board representatives and 10 senators. Students were also able to vote on fee increases to extend the RTD pass and to reopen the Phoenix Center at Auraria to Metro students.

The election commission is in the process of verifying the results of election.

“As of right now, it is all unofficial,” said Election Commission Chair Amy Murlowski.

There were several alleged campaign violations committed by candidates, and investigations and hearings are ongoing. Any appeals of the results must be made to the election committee within five days of the end of the election.

“The issues [with violations and complaints] are not consequential,” Murlowski said. “They were mostly posting violations and it wasn’t anything major. There were some posters up in the wrong spots.”

She said the elections went well, but were not without issues.

Results of the referendum regarding approving changes to the SGA’s new constitution will be thrown out. The wrong constitution was posted on the SGA’s website for the first two days of the election. According to Murlowski, the first two days saw the largest number of votes cast.

It is currently unknown when the new constitution will be voted on.

The $2 fee allowing Metro students to access the Phoenix Center unofficially passed with 991 votes. The Phoenix Center’s services were not available to Metro students this semester after the SGA did not act on a similar fee increase last year.

Students will still have use of RTD services after all three institutions on campus voted resoundingly in favor of a fee increase. The fee increase will be capped at $74 per semester for the next year.

Metro students did vote down a referendum which would have raised the intercollegiate activity fee by $5.45. The increase would have helped launch a women’s golf team at Metro.

There were concerns among some that without a fee increase for intercollegiate athletics, Metro would not be in compliance with Title IX. According to Metro Sports Information Officer Andy Schlichting, Metro’s reinstatement of women’s softball in 2008 fulfils the requirement, but another women’s sport must be added soon.

Executive ticket
Jeffery Washington/
Scott Hirsbrunner 582

Laura Noe/
Anthony Sylvester 446

Jason Dirgo/
Munique Bozeman 281

No Response 582
Write-in 21

Student Trustee
Jesse Altum 508
Andrew Murray 333
Simon Ayesse 290
No response 757
Write-in 24

SACAB
Nina Dadabhoy 887
No response 992
Write-in 33

Senators
Clair Tralles 619
Britta Hurula 616
Erienne Romaine 616
Ian Brown 594
Tonne Elliot 577
Brogan Davy 560
Patricia Ordaz 550
DeAngelo Liberatore 522
Fabien Vivier 505
Joe Boss 490

Phoenix Center
Yes 991
No 640

Intercollegiate Athletic
Department Fee
Yes 636
No 1018

RTD fee increase
Metro Voters
Yes 2866
No 383

Seth Baca | The Metropolitan

Denver sculptor Rik Sargent pauses to connect with his 1.5 ton bronze “One World One Water” sculpture moments after its permanent installation in front of the Student Success building April 18.

The massive piece was commissioned and donated by Valerie Gates. It spent six months on display at the Bozeman Public Library in Montana before moving to Auraria in time for the Metro name change bill signing ceremony.

The water drop shape is engraved with hundreds of tiny details that depict 20 habitats, 100 animals and industrial water users. The ground around the installation will be shaped like ripples from its base.

“The thought on the piece is one world one water, it’s unity through diversity,” said Sargent. “This is the thing that I love so much about Metro University — the unity of your student population. I think that piece represents, for me, a real respect for the Metro community and the diversity that’s there.”

In conjunction with the opening of Metro’s OWOW Center for Urban Water Education and Stewardship, a new Pilot Water Studies minor will be introduced in the curriculum this fall.

“It’s a symbol the represents that realness of this program, Sargent said. “This isn’t just a fly-by night opportunity, this is a real commitment that the school has made to a program that will last for many years and hopefully enrich a lot of lives. The whole water renaissance is quite extraordinary of our time.
The sculpture will be formally dedicated May 2 at 4:30 p.m.

“It’s the fulfillment of the circle. It finally came home and I couldn’t be happier,” Sargent said.

Most of time, I didn’t listen much.

The other week, I was watching Dateline on NBC, which featured a segment entitled “My Kid Would Never Do That.”

In this particular segment, NBC news reporter Natalie Morales took unsuspecting children and tested how they would react in dangerous situations with strangers using actual scenarios convicted child predators have used to target children.

Dateline recorded the scenarios and screened them while the children’s parents watched via hidden camera. Hired actors try to trick their cherubs in setup situations using the known tactics of child predators.

You all know the tactics I’m talking about, too. Enticements that include candy or a trip in a white unmarked van with dark, tinted windows to Disneyland.

And let’s face it: kids are easily tricked. Especially when promises of puppies, candy and ice cream are involved.

The children in the show were usually tested in groups, all by the same actor who is persistent at trying to trick them. Sometimes, the groups of targeted kids were all the same age, sometimes they were mixed ages.

When the children were tested in the company of a child who was older than they were, the older child would usually recognize the “stranger danger” and remember the lessons their parents had taught him or her.

However, when the test was conducted with only the younger children (ages 7-10) present, they would sense that something wasn’t right, but were still easily duped by the actor.

In one of the scenarios, 8-year-old twins Maya and Dallas are working on a poster supporting U.S. soldiers inside a canopy-style tent, rigged with cameras, in front of a building, with no adult supervision.

Then, they hear the unmistakable sound of an ice cream truck headed their way. Just as any child would, the twins are immediately excited upon hearing the alluring music. Soon, an actor pulls up in an ice cream truck and begins to ask the children what they are doing.

The kids explain their task and the actor tells the children that he usually gives out free ice cream to kids who do nice things for the troops.

The children’s ears and faces perk up at the mere mention of free ice cream, like a dog that hears its master shaking the bag of dog food in another room of the house.
Both kids seemed reluctant at the actor’s first attempt to ruse them, but then he offered to let them to check out the inside of his ice cream truck and let them turn on the music.

Maya and Dallas follow the actor to the back of the truck and hop right in, then begin to check it out.

The parents stare in disbelief as their children do the unthinkable.

All this got me thinking about how dumb kids are and how many times a parent or another parental figure needs to tell a child not to do something. Otherwise, chances are the parents will be ignored and do exactly what their parents thought they would never do. You hardly need a Dateline special to tell you that.

Dick Clark selects a 45-record in his station record library in Philadelphia, Pa. on Feb. 3, 1959.

“…Rock ‘n’ Roll is here to stay/it will never die
It was meant to be that way/though I don’t know why
Rock ‘n’ Roll will always be/it’ll go down in history…”

—Danny and the Juniors, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Here to Stay” (1957)

Last week, Dick Clark, often called “America’s oldest teenager,” died of a heart attack at age 82.

Thinking of Clark made me nostalgic for 1957 — the year Clark’s “American Bandstand” was one of TV’s hottest shows and must-watch fare for teens while introducing Rock ‘n’ Roll to a huge and mainstream American audience.

For most Americans, “Bandstand” was the first place they saw rock artists like Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and the Comets, James Brown, Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers. Years later, Clark’s “Bandstand” gave major boosts to the Mammas and the Papas and Madonna. And if the performers were lip-syncing their records on the show, nobody cared.

The heyday of “Bandstand” was 30 years before most students on this campus were born, but the magic of YouTube can help bring back the music, clothes and feel of a simpler time of innocence that some of us can actually remember.

Guys danced in jackets and ties on the show — with hair that featured “ducktail” cuts or piled-high pompadours. Girls, who were not called rapper-tag “hoes” and “bitches” — wore tight wool skirts with pony tails and pointy sweaters to stoke already-racing teen hormones. Tunes about teen romance were often sappy, but at least showed some respect for women that’s mostly missing now. And if Ricky Nelson was a sanitized version of Elvis — whose risque touch of white trash was part of Elvis’ appeal — squeaky-clean Dick Clark convinced lots of wary parents that Rock ‘n’ Roll couldn’t be all that bad for their kids.

Clark had a long career after Bandstand, that included hosting Times Square soirees on New Year’s Eve from 1972 on. For me, though, Dick Clark will always be preserved in the amber of early American Bandstand.

Tunes from that era buzzed in the back of my mind when, last January, I walked into Dr. Gregory Walker’s “Real History of Rock ‘n’ Roll” class (PMUS 3852) in the Tivoli. It seemed less a historical perspective than a memoir of music that took in the ‘50s Rock ‘n’ Roll I listened to as a teen. The class, still in progress, exceeded expectations. Most of it turned on what I thought I knew, but didn’t. As legendary Baltimore Orioles coach Earl Weaver once said, “it’s what you learn after you already know it all that matters.”

Tracing the roots of rock from turn-of-last-century blues and jazz to “Swing” era sounds (Glen Miller and Bennie Goodman in the 1940s, along with young Frank Sinatra) to “hillbilly” music that was the forerunner of “country” all set the stage for ‘50s Rock ‘n’ Roll. It was followed by the “British Invasion” of Beatles, Stones and others, prior to late ‘60s Psychedelia/Acid Rock and subsequent musical genres. From the “Folk music” era onward, Walker’s class covered a chronology of my own life.

I spoke to the class about rock “festivals” I’d been to: Woodstock II in 1993; the “Summer Jam” that drew nearly 500,000 to Watkins Glen, New York in 1972 and even the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 when Bob Dylan was jeered for abandoning unamplified guitar in favor of singing with a backup band. Scanning the class of 20-something students, I could see the window shades of interest closing. Some had barely heard of Dylan; maybe the Beatles. Elvis was as ancient as Sinatra.

I felt seriously old and “out of time,” to use a Stones’ line, and even more so in later classes when I noticed that — during musical clips played on the big screen – I was the only one tapping my feet. Out of time and out of sync. Disco I recall vividly – and not simply because the 1978 “Saturday Night Fever” movie with John Travolta took place in my Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, neighborhood. But when we moved from Punk and Heavy Metal to Post-Punk and Hip-Hop; to rappers like Snoop Dog, and Dr. Dre, I grew less and less in touch while the students got more and more into it and began showing some passion that had been missing all semester.

With their new enthusiasm, the kids instructed me. Among other epiphanies, I began to think of Rap and Hip-Hop as maybe a bit more than noise blaring from the next car when I’m stopped at a red light.

The affable Walker’s class also repeated a lesson I’d learned in many other Metro and UCD classes as a late-in-life academic freeloader milking what I call “the GI Bill for seniors.” For all of their short memories, minimal attention spans and addiction to communication toys, “the kids” – to borrow a line from The Who’s Roger Daltrey, – “are all right.”

And maybe that process of continued learning, even after you know it all, is the whole point of education — higher or not.

But the team will have to take its chances without Brian Dawkins.

Dawkins, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, has decided to retire. And even though Denver/I will be sad to see him go, it’s probably the right decision.

Dawkins is a 38-year-old NFL safety, which is ancient when compared to the average age of the other players in the league. But that doesn’t mean he can’t deliver a hit at his age. Dawkins has always been known for being a ferocious hitter, as well as a player who could take a ferocious hit.

The 16-year veteran told The Denver Post that he wanted “retire one year too early rather than one year too late.”

I’m sure the thought of playing one more year toyed with his mind during the past couple of months, especially after Denver signed future Hall of Fame quarterback, Manning.
With Manning behind the ball, the chances of the Broncos winning the Super Bowl is even greater. And that’s just one title that Dawkins doesn’t have.

But Dawkins did come close in the 2004 season while he was playing with the Philadelphia Eagles, but the Eagles ended up losing to the New England Patriots 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX.

The occupation of being a professional athlete has its limits. The main one being the massive amounts of wear and tear on the human body. All too often a player’s season or career can change in a second because of an injury.

That is something Dawkins is all too familiar with and sometimes it’s best to know when to quit while you’re ahead and on top. That’s what Dawkins has done.

Throughout his career, Dawkins has been selected to the Pro bowl nine-times, All-Pro six-times, 2004 NFC Champion (2004), a member of the 20/20 club (20 sacks and 20 interceptions in a career), as well as NFL 2000 All-Decade Team.

Although few safeties have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dawkins should have no problem getting his name immortalized in Canton, Ohio.

I hope his retirement is as enjoyable for him as watching him play was for me.

Christopher Morgan | The Metropolitan

Metro junior pitcher Aubree Maul is having a tremendous season pitching with an 18-7 record including 17 complete games. She can also handle the bat, hitting .272 with 11 homeruns

Metro junior Aubree Maul has accomplished a lot this softball season. Maul was named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference softball Pitcher of the Week three times and was named to the second-team Academic All-RMAC.

In the classroom, Maul has a 3.44 grade point average. She is seeking a degree in hospitality, tourism and events and says that after graduation she would like to go to culinary school.

On the field, Maul has a 18-7 pitching record this year with a 3.34 earned run average. She has complied 118 strikeouts in just under 150 innings, and she has held batters to a .256 batting average.

Maul has also does damage as a batter this season, hitting 11 homeruns with a .270 batting average. She also has 30 RBIs.

“Aubree is a quiet leader and I think she leads by example on the field,” softball head coach Kristi Lansford said. “I am excited that she is coming back next year. She is one of those ‘yes coach’ players that will do whatever we ask her to do.”

Maul attributes her work ethic to her father.

“My dad taught me that if you are not working hard it is not going to pay off,” Maul said.

Maul has taken that lesson and run with it. When Maul started her career at eight-years-old, she was the only girl on her baseball team. She then switched to softball when she was 10 and began to play competitively.

Maul played firstbase on the varsity team her freshman year at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, Colo. During her sophomore season, Maul moved to left field where she helped her team win the 5A state championship.

“I have always been a pitcher, but when I got to high school the team already had some good pitchers, so I worked hard where they put me,” Maul said.

In 2010, Maul was recruited by then Metro head coach Jen Fisher to play firstbase. She was one of the top freshman softball players in the RMAC, batting .311 with 28 RBIs, 20 runs scored, and four home runs.

It was a big year for the young player, and it all came to fruition when she had two hits against No. 19 Angelo State at the College World Series.

“That was probably the biggest day of my life and is something I will never forget,” Maul said.

For Maul, that game was both the best and worst memory of her career because they played in the College World Series, but lost.

In 2011, Maul was named Academic All-RMAC honor roll and preseason All-RMAC. Her highlight on the mound that year was a complete game shutout, including eight strikeouts, against New Mexico Highlands.

She has continued her dominance on the field and in the classroom by again being named to the RMAC All-Academic team in 2012.

Metro sophomore catcher Kelsey Tillery has known Maul since middle-school and agrees with Lansford that Maul has a quiet way of leading the team.

“She doesn’t really say much, she comes in when we need her to, she hits when we need her to hit,” Tillery said. “She is by far the best hitter on the team and the best pitcher.”

Whether she’s verbal or not, clearly Maul’s skill set and leadership have won over her teammates and coaches, and have helped win numerous games for the ’Runners over her remarkable career.

Rachel Fuenzalida | The Metropolitan

Metro junior Gabriel Vlahos backhands a shot April 20 at Gates Tennis Center during the RMAC tournament as his doubles partner, senior Lucio Cangiano looks on.

Metro men’s tennis defeated Montana State University-Billings 5-1 and earned third place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament April 21 at Gates Tennis Center. The women fell 5-2 to Colorado Mesa in their third place game and ended the tournament in fourth.

The Roadrunner teams started off the tournament strong, both winning over Colorado State University-Pueblo.

On the men’s side, the Roadrunners came out on fire. The doubles matches were first, and Metro swept CSUP 3-0 before getting the 5-0 shutout. The women mimicked their male teammates and got the 5-0 sweep over CSUP.

“This is my senior year, so this is it for me,” said senior Lucio Cangiano after the sweep. “I was motivated. This is my last tournament.”

Rachel Fuenzalida | The Metropolitan

Roadrunner sophomore Jonathan Evangelista focuses on a shot during the RMAC tournament April 20. Metro took third place at the event and Evangelista helped his team by recording victoires in both singles and doubles play in first round matches against Montanna State Billings.

In the second round, both teams again ended with the same result, but this time the ’Runners were on the losing end of 5-1 matches. The Lady ‘Runners lost to University of Nebraska-Kearney while the men’s team lost to Western New Mexico.

The women started off leading in doubles but couldn’t hold on for the win. Metro’s No. 1 doubles team junior Alicia Holm and senior Nadia Khamis lost a 7-6 lead to Vanessa Gunawan and Heather Connolly who came back to win 9-7. Holm met top-ranked Gunawan again in No. 1 singles and lost 6-0, 6-2.

“It was hard for me to get my motivation up after doubles because I’ve played her before and she’s tough, but you have to forget the loss and refocus,” Holm said.
The men’s squad lost two out of their three doubles matches to Western, and the rest in singles, to conclude the 5-1 loss.

“[Western’s] a great team,” said head tennis coach Beck Meares. “We knew it was going to be tough, but we just had to go out there do what we could do, and control what we could control.”

After those matches, both teams fell into the losers bracket where third place would be the best they could finish. The men took advantage and won the match 5-1, and the women settled for fourth place in the 5-2 loss.

“This was a tough tournament and this [Mesa] loss puts us in a tough spot because now we don’t control our own destiny,” junior Marianne Evangelista said. The men’s team, however, had a polar opposite reaction after their third place match.

“It was a big result for us to beat Montana State,” junior Jonathan Evangelista said. “It looks good for us right now because it puts us in a good spot for regionals.”
Both of those statements proved to be prophetic, as the teams found out April 24 that the men’s team would be advancing to NCAA Tournament’s Central Region to pursue a national title while the women would not.

The men earned the No. 3 seed in the central region and will play UNK in the first round, April 30 in Kearney, Neb.

Paolo Bacigalupi, who recently spoke at Auraria, has a new novel, "Drowned Cities" appearing May 1.

With the “Hunger Games” movie, based on Suzanne Collins’ young adult novel, now ensconced as one of the hottest cultural phenomena of the year, future “dystopias,” or the bad-dream opposites of idyllic utopian societies, have become all the rage, at least for the moment.

This makes the work of Colorado science-fiction author Paolo Bacigalupi, who spoke at Auraria April 4, and whose new novel, “Drowned Cities,” appears May 1, quite timely.

In lieu of relationship angst, Bacigalupi presents a future world whose younger citizens must use cunning strategies to survive and cope with ongoing shortages of water and basic services. City infrastructures have gone to hell, suburbs are in ruins and rural food production serves to profit the few. Meanwhile, unchecked global warming is the cause of the “drowned cities” running from Washington, D.C. to New York coastal areas. And anarchy is only avoided through sinister security forces who appear in different guises, but all assure that the ruling-class “haves” maintain control while “have-nots” barely get by.

The dystopias he describes in two previous novels and a short story collection could come to pass if we persist with the same policies while ignoring very-evident realities, Bacigalupi said in Tivoli Turnhalle during a talk sponsored by the Metro and CCD English departments and several other campus groups.

“We can anticipate consequences,” he said. “But if we stay on our present path, we will see these scenarios.”

Ignoring realities in favor of half-baked superstition or theology has now spread to high levels of American government, Bacigalupi said during a Q&A session.

“Last year, I was in Austin, Texas, for a book-signing event while Texas was in one of its worst droughts — more than 100 days of no rain — in its history,” he related. “But, while dismissing climate change as barely a ‘theory,’ there was Texas governor Rick Perry (an early front runner among Republican presidential candidate hopefuls this year) taking part in a group praying for rain at the Texas capitol.”

Bacigalupi, 39, lives in the Colorado Western Slope town of Paonia; home to the High Country News periodical that has been an environmental voice for decades. After graduating from Oberlin College in Ohio, he lived in China, New York City and elsewhere to gain a worldview that’s hardly local.

Success as a writer, which didn’t come until his 2009 book “The Windup Girl,” didn’t come easily.

“My wife was beyond supportive,” Bacigalupi said. “She didn’t even laugh after my first four novels were rejected by publishers.”

Published by Night Shade Books, “Windup Girl,” which deals with bio-engineering in a world where fossil fuels are no longer available, was named one of the ten best novels of 2009 by Time magazine. It won the coveted science fiction Hugo, Nebula, Crook, Campbell and Sturgeon Memorial awards. His subsequent “Pump Six” collection of stories also drew critical accolades, while his young adult novel, “Ship Breaker, “ was nominated for the National Book Award.

In the “Pump Six” story, Manhattan is threatened by a sewage-overflow epidemic because no one can fix failing pumps that are more than a century old. The technology and repair manuals are long forgotten and bureaucratic incompetence makes matters far worse.

Meanwhile, students at Columbia University only want hedonistic pleasure. Books are crumbling to dust and an elderly widow of a deceased faculty member observes that students seem to be “getting dumber all the time.”

The landscape of “Pump Six” recalls a future world seen in British sci-fi master H.G. Wells’ 1895 “The Time Machine,” where books in libraries have also crumbled and civilization has devolved to a surface race of passive, pleasure-seeking “Eloi,” who are bred like cattle — to be eaten — by the brutish underground race of “Morlocks” who do all the work.

Often entertaining and with a wry sense of humor, Bacigalupi’s work builds on a long tradition of future dystopias. Aldous Huxley’s 1932 “Brave New World,” presents a caste society — Alphas on top, Epsilons at the bottom — where unpleasantness can be avoided by taking a drug called “soma.” George Orwell’s “1984,” written in 1948, has a need for constant citizen surveillance, extending to thought control by “Big Brother,” for political entities always at war. The enemy can change overnight and the fruits of technology are deliberately withheld as an additional control device by the ruling classes.

Robert Heinlein’s 1961 “Stranger in A Strange Land” describes a theocracy ruling America.

“Solutions,” said Bacigalupi, “won’t come from technology, but from social change.” He’s also hopeful that needed change will come from young people who haven’t bought into the “techno-fixes” earlier generations have failed with.

Jessica Cuneo | The Metropolitan

Mike Carlin prepares breakfast on Auraria campus in the mobile restaurant, Mikes 2, April 19.

Avocados aren’t usually considered a breakfast food, but local food truck Mikes2Kitchen and importer Avocados from Mexico are trying to change that.

“We want to help incorporate vegetables into the most important meal of the day,” said Mike Levine, co-owner and manager of Mikes2Kitchen. Although avocados are technically a fruit, many people think of them as a vegetable.

Mikes2Kitchen and Avocados from Mexico are partnering up for a contest to get people excited about pairing avocados with their coffee in the morning.

Levine met fellow co-owner and head chef of Mikes2Kitchen, Mike Carlin, while working in La Jolla, Calif., in 2000. Carlin is from Kansas and Levine grew up in Texas. They both wanted to put down roots somewhere with more approachable people.

“We wanted to get back to where people are a little more down to earth and friendly,” Levine said.

Levine and Carlin had friends living in Denver and had their food cart made in Parker in 2010. They’ve been operating in Denver 12 months a year ever since.

They try to keep their operation sustainable. Carlin and Levine are hoping to convert their truck so they can use old fryer grease to run their generator. They currently recycle their old grease. Carlin and Levine use disposable containers for the customers, but all of their prep and cookware is reusable.

Avocados from Mexico came up with the idea for the contest, but Mikes2Kitchen is assisting with the promotion through social networking.

To participate, contestants must tweet a picture of their avocado torta, a kind of Mexican breakfast sandwich, from Mikes2Kitchen to @Guacgrl with the hashtag #GoodMorningAvocado and they’ll be entered to win. A representative with Avocados from Mexico will randomly select three winners per week throughout April to receive a prize of $100.

Jessica Cuneo | The Metropolitan

Mike Levine hands off breakfast as Mike Carlin cooks in the background in their mobile restaraunt, Mikes 2, at Auraria campus April 19.

“We wanted to work with a great restaurant that could easily add an avocado breakfast item to their menu,” said Samantha Coacci, a representative from Avocados from Mexico.
Mikes2Kitchen serves tortas and tacos for breakfast as well as po’ boys — baguette sandwiches — and tacos for lunch. Their locations throughout the day are listed on their website, mikes2kitchen.com, and on their Twitter and Facebook pages.

“Mikes2Kitchen is one of the most popular food trucks in Denver,” Coacci said. “They have a mouth-watering menu and a large fan base.”

Jennie Grimes, a grant writer at the Colorado AIDS Project and one of the prize winners, said she enjoyed her meal at Mikes2Kitchen.

“I had a delicious veggie taco with fresh avocado on top,” Grimes said.

Ryan Smith

Savannah Powell advertises a fundraiser for the student abroad trip to Japan next month.

Attending college has traditionally been seen as the presumed way for a person to advance their potential to find success. Although success is a relative term, it is most often linked with money and personal achievements.

Savannah Powell, however, measures success by the positive effects she has on other people’s lives.

Powell is the acting field supervisor for an upcoming study abroad program led by Dr. Rebecca Forgash, a professor in Metro’s anthropology department. The class, Cultural Communication and Identity, consists of a two-week trip in May and June to several locations in Japan — Tokyo, Kyoto and Okinawa — designed for students to explore a wide variety of topics, from cultural identity studies to supporting education in the face of discrimination.

“Travelling always expands people’s awareness. This particular trip is interesting because of [a few things like] the ongoing debates over the presence of the U.S. military in Okinawa, which people there are very divided over. We’re going to get to see both sides of it authentically; it’s not going to be my view or Dr. Forgash’s view,” Powell said, contrasting this experience with a typical classroom experience.

Powell says the trip and the chances for interactions with Japanese people will give students an “honest, unbiased representation of the culture and the people. It’s going to be a very genuine experience. It’s not going to be touristy — it’s going to be very real, and it’s those kinds of trips that are meaningful.”

Powell plans to make a short documentary film, to be titled “Journey Japan,” following the students’ journey through the country, their volunteer work there, and their interactions with Japanese college students. She said that some of the students who will participate in the trip speak Japanese to some degree, but some don’t speak the language at all.

Originally planned for last year, the trip was delayed by the tsunami that hit northern Japan March 2011. The tragedy has given the trip an added purpose, especially for Powell.

“We’re not going to be in the area the tsunami hit, but there’s still work to be done in [other parts of Japan] as far as helping rebuild,” Powell said.

Although the details aren’t yet set, she plans to incorporate several volunteer projects into the trip. She also plans to give a presentation about community involvement and volunteer work at several stops on the trip, “because that’s something that has always been a big part of my life and education.”

Powell, 27, is a 2009 Metro graduate, and was one of those rare students who knows exactly what they are interested in studying before enrolling. With the help of Metro’s Individualized Degree Program, Powell tailored a major that fit her specific interests: Social Justice and International Cross-Cultural Awareness, with emphases in women’s studies, Asian studies, and indigenous studies.

Having done service work prior to enrolling at Metro, Powell knew what she wanted to study but not how to study it.

“When I came to college, I had already been in AmeriCorps in the [Volunteers in Service to America] program for two years, so I knew I wanted to do something involving social justice and community-oriented work,” Powell said. “But I didn’t know how to translate that academically.”

Powell now works as Forgash’s research assistant in the anthropology department’s Ethnography Lab. She’s particularly thrilled to be helping lead this study abroad trip, because she shares Forgash’s exact research interests and hopes to someday teach at the college level and lead study abroad trips just like the one she’s helping lead now.

A Japan-themed fundraiser for the trip will be held at 7 p.m. April 28 at the Back Hall Social Club, located at 23rd Ave. and Clay St in the Higlands neighborhood.
Additional reporting by Kate Rigot.

Jennifer Redfern meets with Dr. Vincent Piturro and Academy Award winning director Daniel Junge before screening "Sun Come Up" at Auraria April 18.

Independent Filmmaker Jennifer Redfearn visited Auraria April 18 to screen her Oscar-nominated short documentary, “Sun Come Up.”

The film tells the story of the Carteret islanders, the world’s first environmental refugees. “Sun Come Up” follows a group of young  islanders as they journey to the nearby Bougainville Island to plead their case and find new homes.

Displaced from their remote island home off the coast of New Guinea by rising ocean levels, the native population of roughly 2,500 people must look for land on nearby islands.

The documentary was screened in the former Starz Theatre, and was sponsored by the Metro English Department. Redfearn followed her Auraria showing with an engagement at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, where the film was shown with commentary from curators.

Redfearn was first alerted to this story through a humanitarian alert about the Carterets.

“It was the first time I’d heard of the Carteret Islands,” Redfearn said. “I couldn’t believe that people were being displaced by climate change. It struck me as an incredibly important story to tell.”

Redfearn and her filmmaking partner, Tim Metzger, shot the film in six weeks. An additional year was needed to translate the dialogue and edit down the nearly 100 hours of footage into a 38-minute film. When the film was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Short Documentary category, it focused some much-needed attention on the plight of the Carteret islanders.

“When it was nominated, we put together a [fundraising] campaign in between the nomination and the Academy Awards,” Redfearn said. “We encouraged people from around the United States to throw screening parties with the intention of raising funds for the islanders. Those went through Oxfam New Zealand, and they used them for the relocation sites.”

While the funds raised for the islanders have been hugely beneficial, Redfearn insists that she didn’t make the film with the express intention of aiding their cause.
“That wasn’t my initial intention. My initial intention was to educate, to tell a story,” Redfearn said. “It wasn’t until later that I realized the film could be used to give back to the community.”

Dr. Vincent Piturro, Metro’s cinema studies professor, introduced the screening, and praised Redfearn’s film.

“Film scholars tend to separate films into two categories: great films and important films,” Piturro said. “It’s rare that a film can be both, but ‘Sun Come Up’ is both great and important.”

Redfearn is hard at work on her next project, which will document a blind cinema club in Havana.

“The film follows the growth of the cinema club, but also three remarkable blind people whose stories intersect at the cinema,” Redfearn said. “It’s a story about art and cinema and imagination and perception.”

This week’s featured ingredient, posole, involves a process invented by the Aztecs, called nixtamalization, that converts ordinary corn kernels into something much more extraordinary. The end product, which looks like giant mutant corn kernels with no skins on them, is a dense, chewy treat with an almost meaty texture that will fill the emptiest of bellies. Usually called “hominy” by English-speakers and “posole” (poh-SOH-lay) by Spanish-speakers, in Colorado you tend to see “posole” favored, even by English-speakers.

In addition to being delicious and comforting, posole is also easy to prepare, healthy, and generally super-cheap. While some cooks insist on cooking dried posole for hours until it becomes the soft, edible chunks required for eating, I find that canned posole is really not bad at all, and doesn’t taste “canned” like many canned vegetables do.
Although there are many different variations, in traditional Mexican cooking, you generally slow-cook posole with pork or other meats, onions, and chilis for a while, but I find that you can whip up a pretty decent posole stew out of canned posole and a few vegetables and beans in under 40 minutes (or less if you’re really in a hurry).
You can also try adding posole to chilis and other soups and stews. It’s a great value — one 30-oz. can usually runs about $2, and it can be pretty filling.

Quick-and-Easy Posole Stew
Serves 4-5
This recipe is a take on authentic Mexican posole stew, but with a few shortcuts to make it quicker.
1 lb. leftover pork roast or other pork meat (not ham), or chicken meat
2 – 3 oz. dried red chilis – preferably ancho, guajillo, or pasilla
2 cups hot water
1 T. vegetable oil or bacon grease
1 medium yellow onion, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
1 tsp. cumin (opt.)
1 30-oz. can of posole, or about 2 ½ cups cooked dried or frozen posole
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water
3/4 tsp. salt
1. Shred the meat or cut into 1-in. cubes and set aside.
2. Place the chilies in the hot water and soak for 20 minutes, while preparing the next ingredients.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan until sizzling. Add the onion and sauté until translucent and somewhat browned. Add the garlic, oregano, and cumin (if using) and sauté for 1 minute more.
4. Drain the posole and add it to the pot, along with the 4 cups of stock or water and the salt. Strain off about one cup of the soaking water from the chilies and add it  to the pot as well. Add the meat.
5. If you have time, simmer the stew for up to 3 hours to let the flavors meld, but a half an hour will get it done.
6. While the stew is cooking (but at the beginning of the cooking time), puree the chilies with the rest of their liquid in a blender, or drain and mince them very finely with a sharp knife. Add the puree or the chopped chilies to the stew.
*If you don’t have time to deal with dried chilies, mince one to three canned chipotle chilies (depending on how spicy you want it) and add in with the garlic. Or, substitute a few chopped fresh red chilies and sauté with the onions.

Posole One-pot Meal
Serves 6-7
True story: I once made a version of the following recipe, for a dozen shivering people, over a campfire at the top of a mountain, using equipment and cans of food that had been carried up by mules — and all while under a severe budget. Needless to say, it was a hit, even among the uninitiated. You can vary the amounts of vegetables or beans in here, or just use up some of your leftover vegetables.
1 T. vegetable oil or bacon grease
1 medium yellow onion, chopped finely
1 poblano pepper or green bell pepper, cut into strips
½ zucchini, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 – 4 canned chipotle chilies, minced
2 T. dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
1 tsp. cumin (opt.)
1 15-oz. can whole or stewed tomatoes
½ 15-oz. can corn (or ~1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels)
2 15-oz. cans black or pinto beans (or one of each)
1 30-oz. can of posole, or about 2 ½ cups cooked dried or frozen posole
1 tsp. salt
4 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled (opt.)
chopped cilantro (opt.)
crumbled queso fresco (opt.)
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the pepper strips and zucchini and sauté until vegetables are starting to brown, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, chipotle chilies, oregano, and cumin (if using) and sauté for 1 minute more.
3. Add the tomatoes, corn, beans, posole, and salt, and about 5-6 cups of water (enough to cover all the other ingredients plus about an inch extra). Simmer partially covered for about 45 minutes (more if you have time, to let the flavors develop), until the liquid is somewhat reduced and the stew is less soupy.
4. Serve topped with bacon, cilantro, or queso fresco.

Where to find posole

King Soopers
canned:  30 oz. – $1.99
dried:  12oz. – $2.29
frozen:  32 oz. – $2.19

Lowe’s Mercado (1320 S. Federal Blvd., the old Avanza Market)
canned:  29 oz. – $1.49
frozen:  32 oz. – $2.28

Sometimes you also see fresh homemade posole at farmers’ markets. Ocassionally, you even see it at Metro’s food bank.

Also, if you want to try to make your own raw posole from scratch, try the recipe in “Wild Fermentation” by Sandor Ellix Katz.

I also want to mention that my classmate Leza Frazee, who is a culinary nutrition major here at Metro, has a culinary endeavor that involves making and selling fresh posole, masa (corn dough), and corn tortillas from several different colors of corn. Right now she has frozen red corn posole for $5.00 per pound. Check out her facebook page, Fresh Eats by Leza.

Member changes, stolen equipment and difficult recording sessions might cause the break-up of some bands, but for the oddly punctuated Portugal. The Man, it seems like these are the tumultuous conditions under which the band thrives.

While their style of music would be classified as indie-rock, few bands have explored as many facets of the genre.

To hear bassist Zachary Carothers tell it, one would think that the group — which signed with Atlantic Records in 2010, has toured the world and released six full-length albums and nearly as many EPs — is just warming up.

“We’re just now starting to figure out where we really want our band to go,” Carothers said. “But we’re concentrating a lot more on song structure, on progressions, melodies, and really being very intricate as far as what we choose to do.”

In March, Carothers and the rest of his bandmates started recording new material in a secluded studio located on a pecan orchard in El Paso, Texas. Currently, the group is taking part in the “Jagermeister Tour,” which will bring them to Denver’s Ogden Theatre May 3.

The day before Portugal. The Man’s tour began, the group announced the departure of its keyboardist, Ryan Neighbors, who had been with the group since 2008. Just a few days into tour, the band abruptly fired their new drummer mid-show, leaving Carothers, and guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, John Gourley, as the only original members. The group has seen more than six members come and go since Portugal. The Man began in 2004.

Portugal. The Man has built a large fan-base across America and Europe by touring endlessly and releasing a steady stream of ever-improving albums. Denver fans have consistently supported the group.

“Oddly enough we have more friends in Denver than anywhere else in the country — in the world I guess — besides Alaska and Portland, our two homes. Every time we roll through Denver, it’s pandemonium there,” Carothers said.

The group is still touring in support of their latest effort In The Mountain In The Cloud, their first release on Atlantic. Writing and recording the album didn’t come as easy as the group’s previous albums.

“I don’t know what was going on, but we weren’t playing well, we weren’t writing well, and we weren’t getting along with each other. Every difficulty that you could possibly imagine, we were going through. It was a struggle,” Carothers said.

After recording sessions in El Paso, N.M., New York, San Diego, Los Angeles and Portland, Ore., the group finally finished the album in Seattle with producer Casey Bates. Though Atlantic never put pressure on the group, the members wanted to live up to their own expectations.

“We look at their roster and see names like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin and stuff. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves and we knew [recording] was a pretty pivotal moment in our career and it still is,” Carothers said. “It was good for us to have a taste of difficulty in there.”

After performing at Lollapalooza in 2011 — a highlight for the group — their van and trailer, which contained all of the bands equipment, was stolen. Some of the equipment was later recovered with the help of fans, through social media and the group received a fair amount of support from various musical instrument companies.

The group has seen its share of ups and downs. Apart from equipment thefts, member changes and recording challenges, the grueling tasks of the music industry have posed a challenge to artists for years.

“I never see friends anymore and you can’t keep a girlfriend to save your life,” Carothers said. “My grandpa’s funeral was a few days ago and I couldn’t make it. It’s a lot of sacrifice and that’s a thing that a lot of people don’t get.”

While it looks like a glamorous lifestyle, the reality for most bands trying to garner a fanbase as they travel along America’s highways is far more humbling. Portugal. The Man’s early days were no exception.

“I love the fact that I rolled around with a 30 lb. bag of rice and we would pull over at rest stops and unplug the soda machine to plug in a rice cooker, because that’s all we could afford for months on end, [but] it’s really nice to see all that stuff is starting to pay off,” Carothers said.

The life of a touring musician can be a struggle, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t also have perks.

“At Bonaroo last year, John [Gourley] and I got to hang out and listen to music with Neil Young in his Cadillac for about an hour. I have to say that’s about the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” Carothers mused. “I grew up listening to Neil Young all day in my house, so I was texting my Dad, [he] was proud.”

It’s hard to imagine Neil Young inviting every budding musician that he meets into his car for impromptu listening sessions. Rather, it would seem likely that Young sees that Portugal. The Man has a promising career ahead.

Fans may get to see new material performed live on the upcoming tours, catching a glimpse of what lies ahead for the ever-changing and always-morphing group.

“We still want to make pop records but we want to make interesting pop records. With any material we’re doing it’s going to be a little punk-rock, a little bit thrashy, but catchy [with] a lot of energy,” Carothers explained, mentioning that, when it comes to the new album and the future of Portugal. The Man, he’s really excited. “They’re the best songs we’ve ever written,” Carothers said.

On The Right Now’s self-released album, Gets Over You, which dropped April 10, frontwoman Stephanie Berecz sounds so strong. With hints of the best ’90s R&B singers (Erykah Badu, Mary J. Blige) and a big helping of Joss Stone, Berecz is a literal powerhouse of sultry soulfulness.

The effort’s intro track, “I Can’t Speak for You,” has Berecz crooning out some empowering advice to women everywhere: “I know what he has done, curtains have been drawn, been treating you cruel, acting like a fool, girl you should be gone.”

The rest of this album’s mainstay material conveys more emotional, relationship-based drama. Little tales about lies and betrayal are woven throughout this 11-track effort, as backdropped by the seven, funky-ass instrumentalists that carry this Chicago-born band.

In “Tell Everyone the Truth,” Berecz belts about calling out an unfaithful lover — one who has been cheating on his wife to be with Berecz, which is clearly uncool.

Throughout that track specifically, the guitar is snappy, the organ is entrancing, the horns are fluid and the rhythm section is tight as ever. So, while Berecz’s voice is damn alluring, The Right Now is the type of full-on band that can draw any middle-of-the-road pop fan to the dark, sexy side of neo-soul.

Trampled By Turtles have been bringing us excellent bluegrass since 2004, but their sixth, most recent release, Stars and Satellites, is an exception to their great body of work.

Compared to the past fiddle-filled albums, this effort is a gloomy mess.

The first track, “Midnight On the Interstate,” starts out slow and rather sleepy. Speed is a tricky element with string bands. It can be their greatest asset or their worst enemy. Fast songs are easy to like, because they are what listeners gravitate toward — an uptempo song just easily grabs an audience’s attention. And although a slow song can give a string band some substance, the majority of the songs on Stars and Satellites are too sluggish.

It appears that frontman Dave Simonett sacrifices the usual boot-tapping tempo in the name of composition. On most tracks, Simonett is trying to advance the subtly of the quintet’s composition. In a sense, the songwriting is deeper throughout this album, but it takes some time to get into.

Yes, admittedly, the songs that are slow aren’t horrible, it’s just that the majority of these tracks are riddled with sadness, not an interesting level of energy.

Every third Saturday in April, music fans and record collectors all over the world celebrate Record Store Day, a sort of musical Easter, complete with a hunt for vinyl.

As its online bio states, Record Store Day started in 2007, “as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA and hundreds of similar stores internationally.” The first official year of Record Store Day was celebrated in 2008.

This year, I made it out to five local record stores before I depleted my allotted budget. I’d love to say that my search for vinyl ended when I found everything on my list, but unless one has an extremely short list, it’s likely a few items aren’t going to get crossed off.

Like thousands of others, I woke early April 21 (9 a.m. on a Saturday is early for the average record collector) and headed out to brave the crowds in search of the limited vinyl records and CDs being released throughout the day. Most of these special records were released by some of my favorite musicians in support of independent record shops all over the world.

What most audiophiles were looking for couldn’t be found at Wal-Mart or a Best Buy. For instance, you can’t buy the White Stripes’ single 7-inch called “Hand Springs” inside Target and you can’t download the mp3 on iTunes.

Instead, only record stores that meet the Record Store Day requirements can participate. According to the Record Store Day website, a participating store is defined as a “stand alone brick and mortar retailer whose main primary business focuses on a physical store location, whose product line consists of at least 50 percent music retail, whose company is not publicly traded and whose ownership is at least 70 percent located in the state of operation.”

My first Record Store Day was in 2009, and it was a paralyzing affair. Having studied the list of scheduled releases beforehand, I set out with realistic expectations but, as a student, I didn’t have much cash and I had to choose when I found too many rare records. In the end, I had to decide which ones I could afford.

This year, my plan was different and so was Record Store Day. Having set aside a larger budget and more time to browse, I was prepared for the challenges of years past, but this year was a whole new beast. In 2009, the smaller the record shop, the smaller the crowd. Such was the case with Atomic Records on South Broadway. The masses at Twist and Shout, Denver’s largest independent record store, had swelled up dramatically from last year and the whole store had a different vibe.

It took me a while to place it, but something felt different about Record Store Day 2012. The event itself seemed commercialized — less like a celebration and more like a “Black Friday” for record collectors.

In years past, free champagne was handed to patrons who smiled excitedly as they browsed the shelves to the tune of exclusive live performances or DJ sets. Now quickly diminishing supplies were worsened by long waits in line. And this year, there was little fanfare like stickers or slip-mats for record players.

Not that I went for the freebies, but the extras made me feel like it was a holiday.

This time around I was excited to see families with children that cried in line as they waited with handfuls of 7-inches. I was happy to see the older baby boomers, picking through the exclusives before eyeing the costly LPs that sat up on the wall.

I hope I see people like this next year, but I also hope to see the things that I missed this year. Record stores have a chance to take back some of the territory they’ve lost to digital retailers. They shouldn’t focus on profit, they should just focus on luring in vinyl-centric shoppers. Of course, they only have one day out of the year to shine, so they better spin it right.

Christopher Morgan | The Metropolitan

April 13. Dr. West’s presence brought the building to a silent awe as overflowing masses of people came to watch him preach his message of love.

Harvard professor and social justice luminary Dr. Cornel West came to speak at Tivoli Turnhalle April 12. The turnout was so large that Student Activities organizers turned crowds of people away and sent them to Tivoli food court to watch a live feed from a projection monitor.

West, referred to by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as “the preeminent African-American intellectual of our generation,” spoke as the keynote speaker for part of the Art of Social Justice. ASJ was a three-day conference sponsored by the Collective for Social Justice, which ended with West’s address.

The Art of Social Justice convention was designed to break down “barriers towards a common goal of social justice,” according to the Collective’s website.

A reading from Dominique Ashaheed, whose passionate poems about police brutality, racial injustice and profiling stirred the crowd to its feet, preceded West’s speech.

Dr. West was greeted by a standing ovation from the enthusiastic audience. He began his speech by showing his support for the Occupy Denver movement, then honored some of the professors and students who brought him to the campus.

His speech touched upon a variety of social ills, with topics ranging from America’s treatment of its indigenous peoples to the excessive power granted to corporate entities. His speech maintained a positive tenor throughout, with the Socratic idiom, “An unexamined life is not worth living,” framing his inspirational call to action.

West’s speech conveyed his message of tolerance and justice with his trademark energy and humor. Claiming that our culture is too focused on the superficial, West quipped, “We’ve got to shift from the bling-bling and the G-string to the ‘let freedom ring.’”

West addressed the slaying of Florida teen, Trayvon Martin, an issue that has been igniting racial tension across the country. West paid tribute to Martin’s parents, comparing their strength to the mother of Emmett Till, and said that Martin’s death will, “generate a national discussion about how lives of young black brothers have little weight.”

He also stressed that Martin’s murder was “the peak of the iceberg,” and people of all colors are being persecuted by “arbitrary policing.”
West fielded questions at the end of his speech, and was met by yet another standing ovation. The event seemed to have a profound effect on several Auraria students, like CCD’s Deidra Pittman.

“It was very powerful,” Pittman said, “It really touched me, and reminded me of why I am the way I am.”

Dr. West is an acclaimed scholar who has taught religion, philosophy and African-American studies at both Harvard and Princeton. He’s the author of 19 books, including the best-sellers Race Matters and Democracy Matters. He’s also a Grammy-nominated spoken-word artist who has released albums with Talib Kweli, Jill Scott, KRS-One and Andre 3000. He’s even appeared in Hollywood films, making cameo appearances in both of the “Matrix” sequels.