The opinions herein do not represent the staff of CU Independent or any of its sponsors.

News Editors Avalon Jacka and Bethany Morris present their views on this week’s news in WTF News.

Contact CU Independent News Editors Avalon Jacka at Avalon.jacka@colorado.edu and Bethany Morris at Bethany.morris@colorado.edu.

The opinions herein do not represent the staff of CU Independent or any of its sponsors.

Editor’s note: Tom Clements is the executive director of Coloroado prisons, not the police chief.

News Editors Avalon Jacka and Bethany Morris present their views on this week’s news in WTF News.

Contact CU Independent News Editors Avalon Jacka at Avalon.jacka@colorado.edu and Bethany Morris at Bethany.morris@colorado.edu. 

The opinions herein do not represent the staff of CU Independent or any of its sponsors.

News Editors Avalon Jacka and Bethany Morris present their view on this week’s news in this week’s Weekly Wrap-Up and WTF News.

Contact CU Independent News Editors Avalon Jacka at Avalon.jacka@colorado.edu and Bethany Morris at Bethany.morris@colorado.edu.

According to a CU News Release, the campus will be closed to “unauthorized non-affiliates” for the second year in a row for this year’s 4/20 which falls on a Saturday.

There will be a police presence on campus that will check faculty and students’ Buff Cards and anyone who is not an approved visitor and who is caught will face the risk of tickets. Officers stationed on campus will also carry informational cards that explain police protocol for the day of.

Unlike last year, fish fertilizer won’t be spread on Norlin Quad, although the Quad will be off limits, and a concert will not be held.

CUSG released a statement that said: “We agree with administrators that any 4/20 event focused on the active consumption of marijuana has no place on our campus because of the disruption it causes and the safety concerns of such a large gathering. However, we disagree with many of the tactics used in the previous year. We heard from students about a number of concerns and negative impacts from the previous year and brought those concerns directly to the CU Boulder administration. The campus leadership listened to our concerns and acknowledged the impacts of the approach last year. They have started to address some of these concerns, which is greatly appreciated, however, we continue to ask them to do more to minimize the negative impacts of proposed solutions.”

CUSG has created a task force that works with administrators to plan for 4/20.

Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Bethany Morris at Bethany.morris@colorado.edu.

The opinions represented in this podcast do not represent the staff of CU Independent or any of its sponsors.

CU Independent News Editors Avalon Jacka and Bethany Morris present this week’s news updates on the Weekly Wrap-Up and WTF News.

Contact CU Independent News Editor Avalon Jacka at Avalon.jacka@colorado.edu and Bethany Morris at Bethany.morris@colorado.edu.

Radio 1190 board. (Robert R. Denton/CU Independent File)

Every year, student government decides the amount of money to afford CU’s cost centers, or on-campus departments. The first department to make its case on Wednesday was Radio 1190, Boulder’s student-run station. Director Mikey Goldenberg and the entire managing staff pled their case to various campus representatives, multiple of whom had proposed days prior to cut funding to the program.

After making their appeal and hearing support from a few, outspoken representatives and Aslinn Scott, who was sitting in as a proxy for Rep. Juliette Bourdier, Radio 1190 was allotted $137,204. It is a $248 increase from the $136,956 they received last year.

The station submitted a formal request in February for the amount they eventually received alongside a request for reorganizational costs of $12,752, which was denied.

Student government representatives did not attempt to defund any other department in the budget hearings.

Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Bethany Morris  at Bethany.morris@colorado.edu.

The death of a young student left the CU community in shock.

On the evening of Feb. 26, a CU student, later identified as 20-year-old Nicolas Osorio, was found dead in Libby Hall. Nico was an RA in Libby and also a member of the band.

Nico’s friendly personality, love for music and warmth were just some of the traits that were shared in remembrance of Nico by people who knew him.

“I suppose all I can really say right now is the last time I saw and talked to him, at least he was happy being around friends and having fun. Everyone he’s impacted will miss him dearly.” –Chelsea Watson, sophomore studio arts major

A CU Boulder police car sits outside Libby Hall Tuesday night, Feb. 26 after a body was discovered. (Ryan Tibbitts/CU Independent)

“I didn’t know him [very] well, but he was always a really nice guy and fun to be around. He also stuck through and did drum line even though he didn’t make his first or second choice of instrument, which deserves a lot of respect. It’s the same thing I went through my first year, so I was able to empathize with him on that one.” –Chris Taylor, senior aerospace engineering major.

“Nico constantly renewed my love for music. Every time I think about music, it just goes back to Nico. He was inspiring, he was everything that was good [and] he had priorities. I know something good will come of his passing. Nico had a connection with everyone he met and it always meant something. I’ll miss him, but he did what he could to be at peace.” –Tyler Klopenstine, junior music education major.

“I was on drum line with Nico when he was a freshman and I was a junior. He was definitely the most mature freshman that I had ever met. He could play any instrument he wanted and had a passion for music that helped enthuse everyone else. He was a master of sarcasm, however, if he wasn’t teasing or telling jokes to you he probably wasn’t too close to you, so it was almost a rite of initiation. He told me he wanted to compose for the big leagues when he grew older. He had great passion for everything he did and I greatly enjoyed the time I got to spend with him.” –Tyler Adams, senior accounting major

Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Bethany Morris at Bethany.morris@colorado.edu.

Hoo-haas, vajayjays, muffs, lady caves and, of course, your run-of-the-mill vaginas are being celebrated all around the world in V-Day events. The play has increased in popularity in recent years and has become a worldwide phenomenon that has women and men loving and embracing the ever-seductive honey pot.

“The Vagina Monologues” is a play written by Eve Ensler that ran for the first time in New York in 1996. The play is based on over 200 interviews that Ensler conducted that asked women about their relationship with their vaginas. From the plays humble beginnings in ’96 that starred Ensler in all the roles, the play has grown and evolved. It has been translated into 48 different languages and performed in over 140 countries. Despite its popularity, the play faces criticism.

Lilly Grisafi’s performs in the 2012 Vagina Monologues. (David Zimmerman/CU Independent File)

With its harsh language and touchy subject matter, the monologues range from a rape victims perspective to the sounds that women make during sex. The play has been called anti-feminist, has been accused of reducing women to their vaginas and has been labeled outdated. To these accusations, I not so humbly say: you’re wrong.

The play features women’s stories from all around the world and strives to provide a forum for a subject that has been labeled taboo in our society. Ensler’s play never claimed to tell a universal story about women and their vaginas. Rather, it celebrates a diverse group of women’s stories and makes them public so that a greater understanding and appreciation of women can be reached.

“The Vagina Monologues” has sparked a worldwide phenomenon known as V-Day. V-Day is Feb. 14, where worldwide, people get together for the sole purpose of ending violence against women. Due to its popularity, V-Day has gained over 1 billion activists. According to the site, 1-in-3 women will be either raped or beaten in their lifetime. One woman is too many, and one-third is unacceptable.

The world is working towards equality.The United States made it legal for women to be in combat, and some states have made gay marriage legal. However, there’s still a long way to go to break down walls and talk about sexuality. We’ve all seen the commercials of the woman on her period who is buying tampons so she can be liberated from her period and outsmart mother nature, playing soccer or going swimming instead. Your period is nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to all women, yet we think we have to hide it or “beat” it.

In fact, the shame towards vaginas can go to extremes such as surgery. Labiaplasty is a surgery growing in popularity. The goal of labiaplasty is to reduce either or both the inner labia and outer labia–folds of skin surrounding the vulva. WTF? Your vagina is awesome the way it is, and no one, no not even your partner, should make you feel ashamed about the appearance of your vagina. Self-love, not surgery, is the answer. Your vagina isn’t a problem to be fixed, and it certainly shouldn’t make you want to spend thousands of dollars so it can be “pretty.”

In defense of vaginas and all they have to say, I think that as long as women are still beaten and raped, as long as our bodies are considered taboo and as long as we think that we have to fix our bodies, “The Vagina Monologues” and its message of self-acceptance are still very relevant. Love yourself, and love your vagina because it’s not going anywhere. It’s here to stay.

Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Bethany Morris at Bethany.morris@colorado.edu

The opinions represented in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the staff of CU Independent or any of its sponsors.

CU Independent News Editors Avalon Jacka and Bethany Morris present this week’s news updates on the Weekly Wrap-Up and WTF News.

The Boulder County Coroner’s Office has identified the male body that was found dead in Libby Hall as 20-year-old Nicolas Osorio. The autopsy has been completed and the manner of death has yet to be determined.

According to his Facebook page, Osorio worked as an RA at Libby Hall.

More information will be released as it becomes available.

Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Bethany Morris at Bethany.morris@colorado.edu.