The Associated Students of Colorado State University met April 20 for their 26th senate session. ASCSU heard 12 pieces of legislation.

The meeting began with Bill 5118, “Supporting the Bike Security Package,” which seeks $14,062.50 from the Senate Discretionary Fund to support funding of the bike security proposal, which would provide free U-locks for students and a camera outside the Academic Village Engineering building.

Kevin Clark, ASCSU parliamentarian, presented changes made by the Budgetary Affairs Committee. The Budgetary Affairs Committee added a sunset clause for May 31, 2023. Ariadne Athey, chair of the Internal Affairs Committee, presented changes made by the IAC. The bill passed. 

ASCSU then heard Lex 5102, “Constitutional Amendment in the Absence of a Senate Officer,” which adds specific guidelines to the ASCSU constitution for the elections of senate officers if there is an abdication. According to the lex, elections shall be held within three regularly held senate sessions after the abdication of the previous holder of the position.

Some senators raised concerns during the debate about this lex.

“I have concerns about setting a limit for when elections need to be because it can easily end up limiting the time too much and therefore preventing people from outside of our organization from joining,” Athey said. “Which is going to eliminate the (Student Diversity Programs and Services) offices and make this space go back to a very privileged organization.”

Robert Long, president-elect and co-author of the lex, spoke about the importance of setting a precedent for these types of elections in the constitution.

“I feel like four years down the road, when none of us are here, it’s important to set that precedent,” Long said.

The lex passed.

Lex 5103, “Ensuring Adherence to Section 207 Sub-section E of ASCSU Constitution and the Amendment of the Same,” would add a clause to section 207, subsection V of the constitution that states that if the senate bylaws aren’t passed in the senate’s first session of the fall semester, the senate will operate under the previous bylaws. The lex will be sent to the University Affairs Committee.

ASCSU moved on to new legislation, beginning with Bill 5120, “Establishing the Constitution Caucus and the Adoption of its Bylaws.” Because there was only a 6.17% voter turnout for the ASCSU elections this year, all the constitutional amendments made by the 51st senate will be nullified once the 52nd senate begins.

The bill aims to create a constitution caucus that would create a lex including all constitutional amendments made by the 50th and 51st senates to present at the first session of the 52nd senate. The caucus would then work on writing new amendments to the ASCSU constitution. The bill passed.

ASCSU heard Bill 5121, “Request to use (Board for Student Organization Funding) General Fund to Fund the Computer Science Building Water Fountains.” This bill seeks to move $16,000 from the BSOF budget to the senate general fund to fund the Facilities Management Computer Science Student Lounge and Hallways Remodel project. The bill passed.

ASCSU also heard Bill 5122, “The Legacy Act: Establishing a CSU Coordinator for Immigrant Services and Programs,” which seeks $126,720 to fund two years of salary, as well as benefits, for a coordinator for Immigrant Services and Programs position in the CSU Office of Inclusive Excellence. The bill passed.

ASCSU then heard Resolution 5110, “Supporting Students in Break Housing.” This resolution states eligible students will be able to use the Rams Against Hunger meal swipe program during the fall, winter and spring breaks. The resolution passed.

Bill 5124, “Funding for SDPS Offices,” seeks $2,000 each in funding for the seven Student Diversity Programs and Services offices for a total of $14,000. The funding would help pay for events and office improvements. The bill will be sent to the Budgetary Affairs Committee and University Affairs Committee.

Long and Elijah Sandoval, vice president-elect, presented Bill 5125, “Approval of the 2022-2023 Executive Job Descriptions,” which seeks to approve ASCSU’s executive job descriptions for the upcoming school year. Bill 5126, “Changes to the Elections Manager Job Descriptions,” was also heard. The bills will be sent to the Budgetary Affairs Committee, Internal Affairs Committee and University Affairs Committee.

Bill 5127, “Support for Vehicle Purchase: Revamping Transportation Services for CSU’s Disabled Community,” seeks $50,000 for a vehicle to serve CSU’s disabled community. The bill will be sent to the Budgetary Affairs Committee and University Affairs Committee.

The last piece of legislation ASCSU heard was Bill 5128, “Approval of the 2022-2023 ASCSU Budget.” The bill will be sent to the Budgetary Affairs Committee, Internal Affairs Committee and University Affairs Committee.

The month of April notoriously welcomes springtime to Virginia, fitting for the celebration of Earth Day. 

Marked by the blossoming of daffodils, azaleas and bluebells, the countdown has finally completed. On Friday, Apr. 22, nations across the globe will coalesce to celebrate the 52nd annual Earth Day, themed “Invest In Our Planet.” But the festivities won’t cap off after 24-hours: April has already seen a vast array of cleanup efforts across Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and more are sure to follow as Virginia’s sultry summer inches closer and closer.

“To me, Earth month is mentally refreshing,” says ODU biology student and climate activist, Meagan O’Donnell. “It’s a time when many people are actually paying attention to and caring for the environment and the world around them, compared to other months.”

From the Surfrider Foundation to Virginia’s Sierra Club Chapter, there are no local shortages of volunteering opportunities across Hampton Roads for students, faculty and family alike. Yet, many will rally on Earth Day only to rebury their enthusiasm by sunset. For climate activists like O’Donnell, it’s a disappointing reality.

“The meaning behind this holiday is incredibly important and I wish the energy that people had for the month of April was carried out all year long,” she urges. 

Such concerns are not uncommon and are often discussed among international climate activists, dating back to the first Earth Day in 1970. In an article titled “After Earth Day,” published that same year by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Dael Wolfle claims that one honorary holiday does not allow the permanent attention required to reverse the effects of climate change. He argues that education is the only way to keep the momentum going. 

Half a century later, this goal remains the same.

“I’ve been trying my best this month to have the hard conversations more often,” O’Donnell explains. “[I want to] spread necessary information to bring attention to climate change and other environmental issues, such as fast fashion and endangered species.”

O’Donnell’s gusto is nearly identical to the pioneers of Earth Day, who channeled their fervor into educating the public about the protection of natural resources. 

On Apr. 22, 1970, just eight years after Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” around 20 million Americans (10 % of the population at that time) rallied for increased environmental protections, the majority being college-aged students. This gathering resulted in the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the passing of several environmental protection laws that citizens had never seen the likes of before, including a ban on DDT, a harmful chemical that Carson advocated against. 

By Earth Day 2000, nearly 5,000 environmental groups across 184 countries called upon millions of civilians to build up the movement. Ever since, Earth Day has come to inspire conversations for over one billion individuals across the globe each year. And yet, the threat of climate change has only magnified over time.

“I think the majority of people our age are handling climate change in the best way they can,” O’Donnell continues. “Despite all the uncertainty and anxiety, our generation has done an amazing job at making their voices heard.”

Just this month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report detailing that we already have the technological means to reduce our impact on the climate.

IPCC Working Group III Co-Chair, Priyadarshi Shukla, argued that “Having the right policies, infrastructure and technology in place to enable changes to our lifestyles and behavior can result in a 40-70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This offers significant untapped potential.”

Such news offers a rejuvenated sense of enthusiasm for young activists like O’Donnell. But the realization remains that 2022 is the most vital Earth Day yet, as so much is riding on decisions currently being made. 

“Climate change is absolutely exhausting in all aspects of life,” she conveys. “At times it’s so hard to be an activist all the time. But I feel that despite all the negativity surrounding climate change, we are able to still find joys in life to get us through.” 

For more information on climate change, Earth Day and how to celebrate it, be sure to check out the following resources:

The Solutions Project:

https://thesolutionsproject.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw3v6SBhCsARIsACyrRAk1JSZLkTgdXqM9prL4IGE527LmqzF4SJXwXKX_u5CZo62nVDOKbrgaApQtEALw_wcB 

The Sunrise Movement:

https://www.sunrisemovement.org/ 

The Official Earth Day Site:

https://www.earthday.org/ 

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC):

https://www.ipcc.ch/ 

Black Climate Activism:

https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/young-black-activists-remaking-climate-movement 

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

Following this year’s election, the Student Government Association recognizes its failure to raise awareness of its campus presence. This new administration plans to tackles this with transparency.

Founded in 1934, the SGA has served as UH’s student body government. However, as many students find themselves preoccupied with academics, SGA often struggles to distinguish itself from the numerous other student-led organizations and clubs on campus. 

In the most recent election, the office of the President was decided by a mere 2,000 votes, representing only 5 percent of UH’s over 39,000 student population. 

Previous elections paint a similar picture, with the 2021 and 2020 elections both tallying in the mid to low thousands in terms of votes. 

Despite low voter turnouts, student government does matter, said SGA director of public relations and strategic communications junior Caitlyn Foret. 

“When I was campaigning one thing that took me by surprise was how many people didn’t even know what SGA stood for,” Foret said. “But SGA is here to magnify students complains and concerns, we’re here so that students can actually have a voice in the way the university they pay to attend is run.” 

The apparent lack of engagement on behalf of the student body isn’t the fault of the students, Foret said. For her, the biggest issue preventing students from actively participating in SGA has to do with the voting and election process itself. 

“One thing we have seen is students seem to struggle with the ranking system we use for voting,” Foret said. “You have to actually rank each candidate from who you would most like to see get the position, to the least. It’s a long process.”

Foret also pointed to problems in the legislative process as being a factor contributing to the lack of student participation. One practice Foret found particularly problematic is the usage of secret ballots for senatorial votes. 

A secret ballot is a process by which senators vote for a piece of proposed legislation or appointment entirely anonymously. This leaves no way for voters to ensure that their elected representatives are actually voting in line with their values. 

“Senators should be transparent in their voting,” Foret said. “Why shouldn’t someone who’s in the college of liberal arts not know how their representative is voting?”

Foret explained the intention behind using a secret ballot is to avoid potential issues of discrimination and harassment that could arise from a controversial vote, but she has seen very little cause for concern in this regard.

In the recent SGA senate meeting, a new bill was introduced that would strip the senate’s ability to call for a secret ballot, with many senators in disagreement.

However, even outside of secret ballots there isn’t a way for interested students to verify how their representatives are voting unless they attend the SGA meeting like Foret suggests. Though she did emphasize the importance of transparency and student participation and said the administration would be open to all suggestions. 

“One of the primary goals of this administration is to improve SGA transparency and visibility,” Foret said. “We will continue to do everything in our power to improve accountability and listen to the concerns of students.”

Students remain unconvinced however, with many citing issues of campus security and deteriorating infrastructure as being concerns that remain unresolved.

Some students like English literature junior Ellen Bergener think while SGA is a good idea, they’ve seen little of substance come as a product of the organization’s efforts.

“I don’t really see a whole lot of impact in my day-to-day,” Bergener said. “I have honestly yet to see a student representative actually asking their constituents about their concerns.” 

Bergener went on to describe several examples of broken tables and doors that have gone unaddressed throughout her time at UH.

Voter skepticism aside, Foret said that herself and the 59th SGA administration are excited to face the challenges of serving the students of UH and will do everything in their power to ensure every student has a voice in SGA. 

“We’re here for you, if you ever have a concern or question please reach out,” Foret said. “My door is always open, as are those of my colleagues.” 

news@thedailycougar.com

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“SGA recognizes struggle to engage students” was originally posted on The Cougar

Despite Dolly Parton becoming an icon for the LGBTQIA+ community and Lil Nas X’s attempt to bring country influences into this music, there remains a void of queer artists in the contemporary country genre. 

Orville Peck, a Canadian-based South African artist that hides his identity behind a fringed mask and a cowboy hat, is attempting to change that. 

Peck officially arrived on the country scene in 2019 with his freshman album “Pony” which introduced Peck’s heavy cowboy ethos and crowd crooning guitars. 

“Pony” was later amplified in 2020 with the release of Peck’s EP “Show Pony,” which featured an impressive collaboration with Queen of Country Pop and fellow Canadian Shania Twain.

Despite Peck’s infancy in his solo music venture, he has been recognized by drag queen all-stars and Grammy Award-winners alike for major projects. 

Trixie Mattel, one of the most successful mainstream drag queens to roll off of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race,” teamed up with Peck to cover Johnny Cash and June Carter’s iconic country duet “Jackson.”  

In 2021, Peck was invited to contribute to the 10th anniversary celebrations of Lady Gaga’s album “Born this Way,” releasing a robust, country version of the title track. 

Peck even opened for Harry Styles during his 2021 Madison Square Garden shows, providing more evidence of the wide range of affection the biggest names in today’s music feel for Peck’s talents.

Peck continues his up-and-coming legacy with the release of his sophomore album “Bronco.” Released on April 8, the album serves asPeck’s strongest step into the country music scene. 

With his best booted foot forward, Peck fully explores his identity and challenges the confines of the country genre. 

The album visuals alone show Peck’s transition from freshman pup to full-fledged cowboy artist, trading in his pastel “Show Pony” imagery for his newest album’s imagery that shows a muscled up Orville Peck, clad in golden chaps and standing in front of a bucking black stallion. 

“Daytona Sand,” the album’s introductory track, continues this strong imagery of Peck as the roaring instrumentals draw visions of a herd of mustangs galloping across Peck’s voice. 

The lyrics, depicting a tumultuous relationship between Peck and “big blonde,” mark the beginning of Peck’s exploration of his identity as a gay man navigating the conservative country music landscape. 

Perhaps the album’s greatest lyric, “I’ve been around long enough to know you can’t trust a man,” stems from this solid first track that signals the final departure of Peck’s lingering uncertainty as an artist.

Peck’s developing confidence as an artist is evident throughout his vulnerability on the album. “The Curse of the Blackened Eye,” a track that illustrates the effects of an abusive relationship, serves as the pinnacle of candid crooner ballads on “Bronco” with Peck’s deep voice evoking the aforementioned signature cowboy ethos he is known for. 

Peck’s superpower is getting listeners who would not classify themselves as country music fans to pay attention to him. 

At 2021’s Shaky Knees music festival, hosted just a little over a mile from Tech’s campus in Atlanta’s Central Park, Peck was a mid-day performance that garnered the attention of many festival-goers. 

Many gathered around the main stage of the festival in response to Peck’s powerful singing voice that boomed across the park, attracting many with his Cracker Barrel chic aesthetic that heavily differed from the festival’s typical indie alternative lineup. 

This superpower is evident in the album’s title song, which offers a dance-inducing track about breaking free and letting nothing hold you back, a message from Peck that is pervasive throughout the album. 

Peck continues to push back on elements of toxic masculinity and provides listeners with proud references to his sexuality on “C’mon Baby, Cry.” 

While some country adjacent artists, such as Lil Nas X, may beat around the bush or sweep their queer identity beneath the lyrics, Peck offers himself in full in a genre that traditionally lacks LGBTQIA+ representation. 

The album’s secret superstar song is “Kalahari Down.” Released early as part of Peck’s “Chapter 2” delivery of the album’s singles, “Kalahari Down” is a personal ode that depicts Peck’s upbringing in South Africa. 

Starting off with a whimsical harmonica solo, the nearly flawless song perfectly combines Peck’s soulful voice, a sorrowful guitar soundtrack and references to the cowboy lifestyle to create a painful tale of losing your way. 

Peck’s performance of the song summons the “gothic Elvis Presley” characterization given to him by Pitchfork’s review of the album. 

Sitting at nearly an hour-long, the album may seem like a long haul at first, but Peck’s ability to get listeners to lose themselves in his cowboy tales makes for an easy listening experience. 

The album showcases Peck’s talents that prove his deserving upcoming superstar status. 

Representing a culmination of Peck’s newfound confidence and desire to break into the country genre as a queer artist, “Bronco” provides a successful case argument as to why Peck should be considered one of the top new music artists of the year.

Search and rescue teams across Colorado have seen an increase in the number of calls in recent years, and Larimer County Search and Rescue is no exception. In 2020, the team responded to 67 calls, and there were 73 in 2021. This year, 26 new trainees began the 11-week Basic Search and Rescue Training, working to be part of the LCSAR team. Eight weeks into training, the students, or BASARTs, have learned essential knots, CPR, basic first aid, geography, tracking, navigating, working around canines and have completed a mock search. The BASARTs will also learn anchors, rappelling, ascending, rescue systems, moving across scree and then take a final that, if passed, will make them fully active LCSAR team members.

The team has operated under the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office with a memorandum of understanding since 1979, covering 2,640 square miles of land as a nonprofit and volunteer-staffed with graduates of the BASART program. As a charitable organization, LCSAR does not charge the subject of a search or the LCSO for their services, covering their $70,000 operating costs through fundraising events, grants and donations.

Consisting of 85 members, LCSAR responds to a number of missions consisting primarily of searching for missing outdoor recreationists, escorts back to the trailhead and evidence searches. According to the mission statement on their website, in any search, LCSAR’s objective “is to find the lost, rescue the stranded and injured, recover the deceased and educate the public on wilderness and mountain safety.” To fulfill their missions, LCSAR utilizes a customized truck for hauling gear and reaching more difficult areas, a converted pop-up camper from 2008 donated by a past member that acts as a command center and the members’ personal vehicles to get to staging areas.

Recently the team applied for a $170,000 grant to purchase a four-wheel drive van to act as a more suitable command center with $58,000 granted, and they hope to have it completed by 2023. As summer recreationists return to Larimer County, LCSAR prepares for more searches in popular areas, like the Greyrock and Horsetooth mountains, as well as Rocky Mountain National Park. With only 24% cell coverage even in popular areas, recreationists should be prepared and remember cell phones are not always reliable. The Preventative Search and Rescue program recommends people always hike with the 10 essentials: water, food, headlamp, navigation, first aid, a shelter (or even just an emergency blanket or tarp), fire, knife, extra clothes and sun protection. 

Reach Garrett Mogel at photo@collegian.com or on Twitter @MountainManGman.

The Daily Free Press spoke to 51 individuals, 39 of which are current and former students. Many allege Cavalieri sexually harassed and verbally abused them.

Every student journalist reaching out to sources, contacting Title IX experts and editing late into the evening is a physical reminder of the inadequacies of universities when it comes to sexual misconduct occurring on their campuses.

The Lory Student Center Plaza once again became a frenzy of protest, debates and conversations with the return of campus preachers who have long stoked controversy on campus, especially in an instance last fall, when their demonstrations were met with a sizable student counterprotest.

“Once the weather gets nice, these preachers decide to just come back to campus,” said Leora Greene, a fourth-year student at Colorado State University studying psychology. Greene was one of the many students who gathered on The Plaza Monday. 

First-year computer science major Matthew Schimmel said the Monday stir was started by two preachers who frequent college campuses as a public forum to preach the Christian gospel. While some students like Schimmel viewed the campus preachers as a form of evangelism, others believed the actions of the preachers were discriminatory in nature.

“(The preacher) has been picking out people … and harassing them, basically,” said Caroline Distel, a first-year zoology student.

While it is difficult to tell why, Monday drew in a large crowd from the student body — a reaction that repeated itself Tuesday. While some gathered out of curiosity, others joined in and objected to the evangelical notions expressed by the campus preachers, which included ideology that goes against the LGBTQ+ community.

“There’s a bunch of people going around protesting, kind of having debates, asking him questions and everything about his beliefs,” Distel said.

Distel, along with another first-year zoology student Jake Byrd, donned LGBTQ+ flags as a form of protest. Others, like first-year computer science student Ian Lucht, had more unorthodox methods of objection. Lucht carried around his saxophone, playing short tunes to drown out the words of the preachers.

The theme of counterprotest from the student body continued through the next day, when preachers once again drew a crowd. Students also frequently engaged the preachers with humor and jokes about sex in response to comments from the preacher that college women would lose value as they aged as well as antagonistic comments about the LGBTQ+ community.

“I know that evangelism, the spreading of Christianity, is a positive thing. However, I think this particular format of it has brought out a lot of ugly behavior.” –Matthew Schimmel, first-year computer science major

But students have mixed feelings about the preachers and how the University should address them. Raegan Sisk, a first-year equine science student, believes the actions of The Plaza preachers shouldn’t be sanctioned because they’re not actions of free speech.

Byrd also followed this notion when he spoke of the personal impact The Plaza preachers have had on his experience at the University, saying part of the college experience was having the opportunity to escape bad situations at home, only to realize the CSU campus also isn’t safe from these actions and ideologies.

Schimmel, who is Christian, also had conflicting thoughts about the event.

“I know that evangelism, the spreading of Christianity, is a positive thing,” Schimmel said. “However, I think this particular format of it has brought out a lot of ugly behavior.”

Despite the conflicting opinions — from students who believe the preachers’ actions should be condemned as hate speech to those students who believe it should receive the same protections as free speech — many students are eager for the University to respond, especially as these incidents become more frequent.

Reach Cat Blouch at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @blouchcat.

Columnist Ethan Biddle previews four top prospects in the NFL Draft.

Juana Garcia/The Cougar

Many people are now quicker to discuss how problematic they deem certain media to be. Some may push back against this and say media doesn’t need to conform to morals or automatically influence people to do bad things. While it’s understandable not to want to critique the movies you like, it’s important to acknowledge media can affect people, and therefore is not above relevant criticism. 

The idea that media can affect behavior shouldn’t be a super radical claim. In American schools, students study how Nazi Germany used media to convince the public to believe false propaganda. Students also often study propaganda from the USSR.

Believing that propaganda works may imply that media can affect behavior. While not all media is straight-up propaganda, it can still influence someone’s beliefs. 

A major argument of media’s influence in the past two decades has been in regards to video games causing violence. Every time there’s a mass shooting in this country, which is unfortunately all too often, some elected officials try to pin the blame on violent video games.

There have been 33 school shootings between 1980 and 2018 where more than one person was murdered. Out of all the shooters for those events, four of them liked video games. Teenage boys are the main audience for many video games, especially ones with guns. So, many people assume video games are the reason why these events occur. 

However, the scientific association between violence and games isn’t really there.

Violent art, in general, seems to be a common theme among mass murderers. A Secret Service and Department of Education report researched a number of school violence incidents. 24 percent of the perpetrators were interested in violent books, 12 percent liked games and 37 percent used writing to express their interest in violence.

Video games alone clearly do not cause violence, but there may be a connection between violent media, whether it be books or video games or real-life violence.

If Americans grow up in a world where they see violence all the time in media, it may desensitize them. This is especially true in younger children who, if desensitized at a developmental age, can end up becoming more aggressive if they see that as normal. 

This doesn’t mean video games always cause violence but violent media shouldn’t be totally dismissed as non-influential. That said, the aggressive claims that video games are harmful have led media influence discourse to become non-nuanced. Now people are quicker to be defensive about problematic media.

Some people may claim others can tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not. Therefore, it won’t necessarily buy into every problematic message in a piece of media. Most people probably can process fiction as it is and won’t have it affect their morals. But, that doesn’t mean media can never affect real life.

For example, Samsung claimed the Galaxy Tablet was influenced by the film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” “Jaws” led to people seeing sharks as inherently dangerous, which led to shark hunting that decimated populations. “Free Willy” influenced people to want to free the actual whale in the movie.

There are a lot of contentious discussions online as to whether certain problematic relationships in media can be harmful to show. This also applies to adults being romantic with minors, like in the film “Licorice Pizza.” 

While depicting a problematic relationship isn’t automatically bad, it can be questionable if a film acts as though it’s perfectly normal, as “Licorice Pizza” supposedly does. It sends a message to the audience that this kind of relationship between minors and adults is okay when, in reality, it’s not. 

Many people will still argue that a piece of media portraying a relationship with problematic dynamics as good is fine because viewers should be able to distinguish what is real and what isn’t. 

While in a perfect world, people shouldn’t be so easily influenced, it’s clear that media can have an effect. If a movie or game is pushing a heavily problematic message, then it should be allowed to be criticized because of the possibility to be influential. 

While the discourse has been poisoned by non-nuanced takes like “video games cause violence,” this doesn’t mean that people should act like media has no effect whatsoever. It’s important to acknowledge the power of media on society and critique it appropriately. 

Anna Baker is an English senior who can be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com

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“Media is influential, not above criticism” was originally posted on The Cougar