By Feruz Tewolde

With summer just around the corner, Coloradans are beginning to prepare for the possible fires and flooding that have become the main concerns of the season.  

No one ever wants to be caught in a flood or fire, but knowing how fast weather conditions can change in Colorado, it’s always important to stay one step ahead of it and to be prepared if you are ever caught in one of these two situations.

According to the emergency planning website, www.ready.gov, there are some guidelines for being prepared that everyone should follow when dealing with flooding or fires.

Keeping up with radio and television, having an emergency kit stocked and ready and having a family communication plan in place are three of the most important tips to remember in any emergency situation, especially floods and fires because they can move quickly and happen with very little notice.

The website also gives specific instructions about each type of disaster.

When dealing with a possible flash flood, some important reminders are to move immediately to higher ground, and be aware of stream and drainage channels, canyons and other areas known to flood suddenly. Flash floods can happen in these areas without warning and without significant rainfall. Waiting for instructions to move is the last thing you should do.

Fires are just as destructive according to the same website because they “spread quickly, igniting brush, trees, and homes.”

When preparing for fire season, it is important to follow some guidelines that can help make your home safer and easier for firefighters to protect.

Make sure to clear items that will burn from around the house including dry brush and trees, wood piles, lawn furniture, barbecue grills and tarp coverings.  Have a garden hose that is long enough to reach any area of the home and other structures on the property.

Keep handy household items that can be used as fire tools such as a rake, axe, handsaw, bucket and shovel, and have a ladder accessible that can reach the roof.  Teach each family member how to use a fire extinguisher, and show them where it’s kept.

Arrange temporary housing at a friend or relative’s home outside the threatened area in case you need to evacuate.  If evacuation orders are given, don’t stop to pack valuables.  Get out immediately, and leave lights on inside and out to make your home easier for firefighters to see in smoky conditions.

Taking the proper precautions during fire and flood season can save lives and property.  These are just a few of the helpful tips available at www.ready.gov, so visit the website for more information.

Timothy Zercher (left) and Mario Ruiz (right) of TNT won the president and vice president positions in the ASG elections, as announced on April 23. Photo courtesy of Christy Wiabel

Together Never Torn members Timothy Zercher and Mario Ruiz won the president and vice president positions of the Associated Students’ Government election, prevailing over incumbents, Michael Weiner and Michael Linsenman, as announced on April 23.

TNT candidates took the largest number of votes, and several senators with Redefine Initiate, Strengthen, Evolve took their positions while running unopposed.

Along with Zercher and Ruiz, the following senators were also elected.

Damilola Ogunbayode and Rebekah Hathaway will represent the College of Education, Engineering and Professional Studies.

Megan Seley and Andrea Casados will represent the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Juan Rodriguez and Anthony Schievelbein will represent the College of Science and Mathematics.

Taylor Voss and Sam Glawe will represent the Hasan School of Business.

Senators at large will be Sarah Zarr, Denys Frolkov, Paul Martin, Jared Brown, Yessennia Estrada and Jordan Carrillo.

The inauguration of the newly elected ASG members will take place in the ASG chambers, room 201 in the Occhiato University Center, on Friday, April 25 at 5:15 p.m. There will be a reception following the ceremony.

The Associated Students’ Government elections at Colorado State University-Pueblo will be held next week, and candidates are gearing up for their campaigns, which will be conducted across campus from April 14-18.

On the ballot are several veteran ASG members and a few who will be new to student government, but all are heavily involved and connected on campus.

This year, competition for these positions is divided into two parties: Redefine Initiate, Strengthen, Evolve and Together Never Torn. Although there are a few independent candidates running for senate seats, most of the students on the ballot are associated with one of the two parties.

During the campaign, candidates will be set up in various locations around campus, visiting with students informally, passing out information on their agendas and asking for votes. Students are encouraged to ask questions and get to know the individuals that aim to represent CSU-Pueblo.

Each of the candidates for president and vice president bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table. They have been planning their campaign strategies for months, working on a platform of ideas for the upcoming school year.

RISE party candidates Michael Weiner and Michael Linsenman are both currently serving as members of the ASG. They look to work together as president and vice president.

“We have a full 16 member party. We have transfer students from Boulder and PCC who bring valuable experience with them. We have the best of the current active ASG senators. The other half of our party is aligned around freshmen because we’re trying to really build student involvement on campus for everyone including commuter students,” said Weiner. “We want to improve the overall culture here.”

“Getting involved is a huge part of the college experience,” said Linsenman. “Mike and I want to hit the ground running over the summer, working with faculty and administration because we already know them well. That way when fall rolls around, all we have to do is brief the senators and get busy.”

In addition, since they are already active in the ASG, Weiner and Linsenman believe they have an advantage over the other party.

“If the other party wins, they will have to establish relationships with campus administration and start from scratch. They failed to get any senate candidates from the College of Science and Math or the College of Humanities and Social Science, so they aren’t running with a full ticket,” explained Weiner. “If they win, they will have to rebuild before they start work.”

Representatives of the RISE party bring a variety of experience to the ticket. This includes previous student government membership, working as campus ambassadors, fulfilling administrative duties, athletic participation, involvement in Greek life and numerous club affiliations. Weiner and Linsenman feel that having such a level of involvement within their party will be one of the keys to winning this election.

They hope to accomplish a number of initiatives next year including a more visible ASG presence on campus, expansion of club involvement and Greek organizations and working more closely with the provost to encourage students to take ownership of their school.

When the campaign kicks off on Monday, Weiner and Linsenman will capitalize on their pairing as “Mike and Mike.” They, and the other candidates on their ticket, will be available across campus to chat about their current and future plans for CSU-Pueblo. They hope to meet as many students next week as possible.

TNT, and its executive candidates, Tim Zercher and Mario Ruiz, are no strangers to involvement on campus.

Although Zercher has not served in the ASG yet, he has been in numerous leadership roles during his time at CSU-Pueblo. These include serving as president of the Rotaract Club and the Marketing Club, as well as founding chair of the Hasan School of Business Student Leadership Council.

While Zercher is technically an undergraduate, he will soon be taking master’s level classes, getting a jump-start on his graduate work.

“I like to take organizations and turn them around,” said Zercher. “If there was no room for improvement in ASG, I wouldn’t run. I don’t like to be captain of a ship just for the sake of being captain.”

Ruiz has student government experience and has served as a senator and speaker pro-temp for ASG. He is currently serving as president of the Chicano cultural organization, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan. He won the Emerging Leader of the Year award in 2012.

Zercher and Ruiz have similar goals for their tenure as president and vice president of the CSU-Pueblo ASG, and reformation of the organization is one of their priorities.

“Our plan is to restructure the ASG and get more input from students through surveys and voting,” said Zercher. “We are focusing on equal representation. Our ticket isn’t full, but those that we have in place are diverse.”

“We’re being very selective,” he said. “I’m a marketer, and I’m all about brand strength. If I’m putting my ‘brand’ on you, you’ve got to be good. Even if we don’t have all the seats filled initially, I’m good with that.”

Zercher is confident that, even though his ticket has a few open senate seats, the quality of the students running with him makes his party the strongest contenders. He also feels the other party has some capable senators who are running unopposed that will work well with his team.

Both Zercher and Ruiz want the ASG to expand in diversity. Having representatives from all backgrounds and those who have different club and academic affiliations will represent the whole student body more thoroughly.

“Promoting and protecting diversity within our school is a key part of our identity,” said Ruiz.

Enhancing diversity, along with tackling some specific issues such as technology and food options on campus, gives TNT a strong platform for their campaign.

One of their campaign strategies will include a Bucket List for CSU-Pueblo. They plan to ask for students’ ideas about what they would like to see happen on campus and with student government next year. They will ask for opinions about what’s wrong and what’s right, using these as a reference when they begin work in the fall.

“I have a vision for CSU-Pueblo and for what ASG can become,” said Zercher. “The TNT party is made up of students from diverse backgrounds who believe in CSU-Pueblo and its students as strongly as I do.”

Throughout the week, Zercher, Ruiz and the other members of the TNT party will be focusing on hearing students’ concerns and getting to know the people they hope to represent.

Voting will occur on April 21 and 22.

Photo from the CSU-P Confessions page (https://www.facebook.com/CsuPConfessions).

A jilted girlfriend, a crush-worthy professor, an offer of money for a completed assignment and a detailed description of someone’s spring break exploits. What could these things possibly have in common? They were all anonymous declarations posted on the CSU-Pueblo Confessions Facebook page.

A number of recent complaints and time constraints have forced the administrator, a female student who remains anonymous, to pull the plug on the page.

“It was very sad for me to see it go. I felt like I was losing a piece of me. I put so much work into this page, and I don’t think people really understood how much upkeep this page took,” she said.

“I also chose to end it because completely unoffending posts were being reported, and it would shut down all my access to Facebook. This happened over and over in a matter of a couple days.”

She started the page in Feb. 2013, with some inspiration from the University of Colorado in Boulder. CU Boulder, like many other large universities, has an anonymous confessions Facebook page. She was intrigued by the idea and decided to start a page for CSU-Pueblo.

The large schools participate in a wider network called college-confessions.com. The administrator of that site contacted CSU-Pueblo Confessions and offered to help moderate the new page.

“Many large schools do their confessions pages through this site,” she explained. “Using their site was much faster and convenient. Students would easily submit their confessions, and then I could go through and batch-approve them.”

“The biggest challenge was the magnitude of confessions I had to go through,” she said. “Both submission sites had to be checked multiple times. I received over 100 confessions a day, and had to read through each and every one. I wanted to keep everything current and post students’ confessions as quickly as possible.”

Over the last year, the Confessions page has seen everything from the explicit and disturbing to the comic and bizarre. Few rules governed postings, allowing nearly every scenario except those that included names, phone numbers or other identifying information.

“I’ve seen funny confessions, sexual conquests, hate confessions, rants, relationship posts and people just simply wanting feedback and advice from their peers,” she said. “I think the most scandalous confessions I have read were ones when people were trying to anonymously tell another individual that their significant other was cheating. I could not post some because they would call out the person by name. I have no way of knowing whether these are fact or fiction, but either way they could have ruined reputations.”

While many saw the confessions page as a place for spilling dirty secrets, others have used it to voice a cry for help.

“I had a few people write in to confess that they were planning suicide. Some were so heartbreaking, because these people would pour their emotions and their pain into a paragraph. It was so difficult to read,” she said. “However, the hardest thing was that all of these confessions are anonymous, so it was very hard to deal with the fact that there was no way to help the person. I wanted more than anything to be able to reach out and comfort them.”

“A while back, I actually posted a heartfelt letter on my page to all of those out there in this position. I wanted to let them know that I was reading their submissions and that I cared. I also wanted others to chime in with comments to show these individuals how many students cared as well. It was amazing to see the community that CSU-Pueblo has. It is so rewarding to see my fellow students come together to help each other and give one another advice.”

Anonymity has been the key to the success of the confessions page. Even though some of the posts were completely outrageous, it was a forum for free expression.

“I know personally, it is so much easier to express myself without the fear of being judged. I think many others could say the same. It’s easier to ask questions without being afraid that others will think they are dumb,” the administrator said. “I really hope others benefited from this page. That was my main goal.”

Although the CSU-Pueblo Confessions page is now officially silent, the administrator would still appreciate feedback on her year at the helm. She also hasn’t overlooked the possibility of opening the page again with another person in the admin role.

“My email is csupconfessions@hotmail.com if any students have any follow up questions, comments or complaints. I would love to hear feedback. The page is currently unpublished, and I would possibly consider turning the admin permissions over to someone else.”

Photo from the CSU-P Confessions page (https://www.facebook.com/CsuPConfessions).

A jilted girlfriend, a crush-worthy professor, an offer of money for a completed assignment and a detailed description of someone’s spring break exploits. What could these things possibly have in common? They were all anonymous declarations posted on the CSU-Pueblo Confessions Facebook page.

A number of recent complaints and time constraints have forced the administrator, a female student who remains anonymous, to pull the plug on the page.

“It was very sad for me to see it go. I felt like I was losing a piece of me. I put so much work into this page, and I don’t think people really understood how much upkeep this page took,” she said.

“I also chose to end it because completely unoffending posts were being reported, and it would shut down all my access to Facebook. This happened over and over in a matter of a couple days.”

She started the page in Feb. 2013, with some inspiration from the University of Colorado in Boulder. CU Boulder, like many other large universities, has an anonymous confessions Facebook page. She was intrigued by the idea and decided to start a page for CSU-Pueblo.

The large schools participate in a wider network called college-confessions.com. The administrator of that site contacted CSU-Pueblo Confessions and offered to help moderate the new page.

“Many large schools do their confessions pages through this site,” she explained. “Using their site was much faster and convenient. Students would easily submit their confessions, and then I could go through and batch-approve them.”

“The biggest challenge was the magnitude of confessions I had to go through,” she said. “Both submission sites had to be checked multiple times. I received over 100 confessions a day, and had to read through each and every one. I wanted to keep everything current and post students’ confessions as quickly as possible.”

Over the last year, the Confessions page has seen everything from the explicit and disturbing to the comic and bizarre. Few rules governed postings, allowing nearly every scenario except those that included names, phone numbers or other identifying information.

“I’ve seen funny confessions, sexual conquests, hate confessions, rants, relationship posts and people just simply wanting feedback and advice from their peers,” she said. “I think the most scandalous confessions I have read were ones when people were trying to anonymously tell another individual that their significant other was cheating. I could not post some because they would call out the person by name. I have no way of knowing whether these are fact or fiction, but either way they could have ruined reputations.”

While many saw the confessions page as a place for spilling dirty secrets, others have used it to voice a cry for help.

“I had a few people write in to confess that they were planning suicide. Some were so heartbreaking, because these people would pour their emotions and their pain into a paragraph. It was so difficult to read,” she said. “However, the hardest thing was that all of these confessions are anonymous, so it was very hard to deal with the fact that there was no way to help the person. I wanted more than anything to be able to reach out and comfort them.”

“A while back, I actually posted a heartfelt letter on my page to all of those out there in this position. I wanted to let them know that I was reading their submissions and that I cared. I also wanted others to chime in with comments to show these individuals how many students cared as well. It was amazing to see the community that CSU-Pueblo has. It is so rewarding to see my fellow students come together to help each other and give one another advice.”

Anonymity has been the key to the success of the confessions page. Even though some of the posts were completely outrageous, it was a forum for free expression.

“I know personally, it is so much easier to express myself without the fear of being judged. I think many others could say the same. It’s easier to ask questions without being afraid that others will think they are dumb,” the administrator said. “I really hope others benefited from this page. That was my main goal.”

Although the CSU-Pueblo Confessions page is now officially silent, the administrator would still appreciate feedback on her year at the helm. She also hasn’t overlooked the possibility of opening the page again with another person in the admin role.

“My email is csupconfessions@hotmail.com if any students have any follow up questions, comments or complaints. I would love to hear feedback. The page is currently unpublished, and I would possibly consider turning the admin permissions over to someone else.”

College life is usually full of history and traditions. These practices are passed down from year to year and contribute to the rich heritage of a school. They are unifying forces that promote campus spirit and keep students of all ages and backgrounds engaged with their school.

Colorado State University-Pueblo has 80 years of history and celebrations to draw from, but there are no real traditions to reflect that valuable past.

Richard Joyce, a journalism professor at CSU-Pueblo, has been on campus for years as both a student and an instructor. He remembers when the campus hosted local bands and enjoyed large annual gatherings with lots of food, drinks and music.

“We had bonfires before games. There was one event called ‘Keggers on the Prairie’ and another called ‘Rock on the Bricks.’ There was no budget, so they were all used as fundraisers, and they drew a lot of people. I think these events stopped for a variety of reasons,” he said.

Looking back at CSU-Pueblo’s past, Joyce said there were a few faculty members and students who took the initiative to plan events and carry them over from year to year. But when those individuals left the school, the events left with them.

Joyce feels that CSU-Pueblo’s status as a commuter school is another part of the problem. Because the majority of students live off campus, there is a disconnection between those who are invested in the school and those who just come to class and leave.

“Without an emotional connection, there can be no traditions. It’s the changing culture of the country as a whole. Traditions are failing even within families,” he said.

Some students believe that CSU-Pueblo needs traditions to attract new freshmen and transfer students.

“We need an overpowering unified force,” said one student who requested to remain anonymous. “Traditions are upheld by people who care, and we have to start caring to make things good on our campus.”

This semester, Maya Rugg is trying to start a simple tradition called “Ugly Sweater Wednesday.” She is a senior mass communications student and a member of the ThunderWolves track and field team. She came to Pueblo from Mesa Community College in Arizona, where a group of students took part in a similar activity.

“When I came to CSU-Pueblo, it’s more like sweater weather here, so I tried to spread the word. I could only get a couple of people to participate, but I’m not going to give up,” Rugg said. “Once it gets warm, we are going to try for “Hawaiian Shirt Thursday” to see if we can get more people involved.”

It doesn’t cost a lot of money, and Goodwill always has a decent selection of sweaters and shirts, according to Rugg. She feels this is a simple way to connect students on campus. But without participation and support, traditions like these will never get off the ground.

Rugg and her friends believe that CSU-Pueblo would really benefit from traditions that bring people together, even ones as simple as wearing an ugly sweater on Wednesdays.

Have you been to a school where students take part in traditions? What types of traditions would you like to see at CSU-Pueblo? Do you think it’s possible for a commuter campus like CSU-Pueblo to embrace traditions and keep them active?

Leave a comment below.

The HSB Student Leadership Counsel is the inspiration of Marketing Club President Tim Zercher who realized the need for an umbrella organization that could serve as a networking tool for students in the business school as well as other areas of the university. Photo from colostate-pueblo.edu/

There are five distinct organizations that represent majors within the Hasan School of Business at Colorado State University-Pueblo. They are the Marketing Club, the Accounting Club, Business Minded Individuals, the Association for Computing Machinery and the entrepreneurial group, Enactus. In the past, these clubs have operated independently of one another, and the student members rarely got to know those in other majors.

Last week, a new organization was formed that joined the five clubs into a collaborative unit called the HSB Student Leadership Counsel.

The HSB Student Leadership Counsel is the inspiration of Marketing Club President Tim Zercher who realized the need for an umbrella organization that could serve as a networking tool for students in the business school as well as other areas of the university.

“The leadership counsel is my dream child,” said Zercher. “In school, we tend to stay within our groups, marketing students with marketing, accountants with accounting. In the real world, that’s not the case. Accountants work together with marketing and all other areas of a business for it to be successful.”

This real-world collaboration is just one main focus of the new HSB Student Leadership Counsel. It will also benefit those students who need help with professional development.

“We will focus on adding internship opportunities, resume building and networking outside the HSB,” said Zercher. “We want to involve all majors on campus.”

To start the ball rolling, the counsel will be hosting its first club social this Saturday night. The event will include free drinks, hot wings and music. All students are invited, and the intention is to develop connections within the student population and the community.

Zercher hopes the formation of the HSB Student Leadership Counsel will also call attention to the business school and help with recruiting and retention. He feels the new counsel will help increase the presence of the business school on campus and draw more students to CSU-Pueblo.

“We are launching the HSB Student Leadership Counsel at the social, and we hope to see students from every major at CSU-Pueblo get involved,” he said.

Everyone is welcome to attend the social, which takes place this Friday, March 15 from 7-10 p.m. in the OUC Underground.

Dustin Cox, chair of the campaign commission, has been working to ensure that the election code is upheld and that five commissioners are hired to help enforce it. File photo

The Associated Students’ Government elections at Colorado State University-Pueblo are quickly approaching. The actual polling will take place on April 21 and 22, but a great deal of work must be done in the mean time to prepare for the election on campus.

Dustin Cox, chair of the campaign commission, has been working to ensure that the election code is upheld and that five commissioners are hired to help enforce it.

“Because of spring break, the timing will be challenging,” Cox said. “Once we have five commissioners, we’ll be planning the Election Code Interpretation meeting that will happen March 21.”

Once the commissioners are in place, they will perform several specific duties including the advertisement of the election. These advertisements will show the various deadlines and dates of poling, the offices to be filled and the eligibility requirements of those offices.

They will work with the on-campus media to make sure the election dates and other important information are made available to the student population.

Commissioners will also help the chair to certify that those wishing to run are eligible and that all the signatures on their petitions are valid.

This year’s election is called the ASG General Election. The offices to be filled include president, vice president and several other leadership positions.

According to Cox, some students run as individuals, while others run in groups much like a political party with an agenda. It is also possible to run as a write-in candidate. Write-ins are bound by the same regulations as official candidates, but their names do not appear on the ballot.

Once all the petitions are received, the election commission will begin the verification process, which will culminate in the announcement of the candidates and the beginning of campaign planning.

Prospective candidates who want to be included on the ballot must attend the Election Code Interpretation meeting where they will complete a declaration of candidacy and be given instructions for submitting their petition to run.

The Election Code Interpretation meeting will be held Friday, March 21 from 6-8 p.m. in the Aspen Leaf room on the third floor of the Occhiato University Center. Attendance is mandatory for those wanting to run for office.

Anyone wishing to view the election code and the eligibility requirements for office may do so on the CSU-Pueblo website at www.colostate-pueblo.edu/ASGelections.

In a recent interview on REV 89, CSU-Pueblo Provost Carl Wright said, “There is a possibility that some select classes will be a little larger which is not unusual for universities in this day and time.”
File photo.

One of the main selling points for students who choose Colorado State University-Pueblo over other universities is the low student-to-teacher ratio and small class sizes.

Due to the recent budget crisis and cutting of faculty positions, these attractive numbers are in jeopardy.

In a recent interview on REV 89, CSU-Pueblo Provost Carl Wright said, “There is a possibility that some select classes will be a little larger which is not unusual for universities in this day and time.”

These larger class sizes would mean a heavier workload for faculty and less individual attention from professors. This could have an impact on students who attend CSU-Pueblo for its more personal approach to education.

Wright doesn’t believe that the quality of education will decrease due to these changes.

“There will be more tenured track faculty in front of the classes. They are motivational and this will help with retention and education quality,” Wright said.

Mario Gernazio, transfer counselor for CSU-Pueblo, agrees with Wright.

“We’re still looking good compared to other universities. People who are familiar with other schools will compare our numbers and see that we sit better than most,” Gernazio said.

Gernazio spent two years as a recruiter for CSU-Pueblo and is familiar with what prospective students are looking for.

According to Gernazio, one advantage that CSU-Pueblo has over some other schools is the larger number of tenured faculty.

“There’s no comparison when it comes to the quality of our professors,” he said. “The bulk of the teachers at UCCS are adjuncts. They come in and teach for a couple of years and then are cycled out. Here at CSU-Pueblo, we have instructors who are long term and this makes a difference.”

“I invite prospective students to sit in on classes at other universities and then come to CSU-Pueblo. What we have is a world of difference,” Gernazio added.

Kellee Rassau, a transfer student at CSU-Pueblo, has a different view. She feels that most students don’t differentiate between tenured faculty and adjuncts, and that smaller class size is what sets the school apart.

“Every professor I’ve had at CSU-Pueblo has been wonderful. I’ve taken classes in English and business, from tenured instructors and adjuncts. It doesn’t matter as long as they are good instructors,” Rassau said.

Although Gernazio, Wright and many others on campus believe the increased class size won’t have a significant impact at CSU-Pueblo, many students aren’t convinced.

Francesca Morrone, a junior in mass communications, feels larger classes are going to be a problem for students.

“Having a smaller class size gives you the opportunity to develop relationships with your professors. When your instructors know you, learning is easier,” Morrone said.

Rassau feels that larger classes will make a big difference in the way students view the school.

“Larger classes will take away from the charm of the school which is the reason most people choose to come here,” she said. “Teachers and students won’t be able to get to know each other. Professor won’t even know their student’s names and that takes away the feeling of being part of a team in the classroom.”

Both Rassau’s parents were educators and saw firsthand what happens when class size increases.

“Classes with big numbers of students detract from the quality of instruction. Why do you think people in K-12 complain about the huge numbers? It limits the time a teacher can spend with their students,” she said.

No matter the opinion now, the consequences of increased class size will be difficult to measure until the changes take effect in the fall of 2014.

During these recent events, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s office had an increased presence, not only on campus, but also in the nearby community. Photo courtesy of http://www.colostate-pueblo.edu/

Students at Colorado State University-Pueblo may have noticed that the police presence on campus has been intensified lately.

Anyone who attended the rally and budget meeting last on Jan. 17 may have felt the tension in the air as people discussed the controversial budget cuts and layoffs of faculty members.

During these recent events, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s office had an increased presence, not only on campus, but also in the nearby community.

According to Cora Zaletel, executive director of external affairs at CSU-Pueblo, the increase in police presence was a routine response for large-scale events.

Because the Pueblo County Sheriff’s office provides the security for the campus, the university allows the sheriff’s office to determine how much police presence is necessary for campus events and situations.

“Because of the potential number of individuals attending the rally and the meeting, the sheriff’s office did increase its usual coverage in an effort to cover the rally, the forum, and its regular security duties on the remainder of the campus,” Zaletel said.

At CSU-Pueblo, trained law enforcement officers are on campus at all times. These officers are not security guards or campus police; they are seasoned members of the Pueblo County Sheriff’s office and are trained to handle any situations that might arise on a college campus.

Sgt. Tom Proud, a member of the sheriff’s department for 22 years, is one of the 11 officers assigned to CSU-Pueblo. He has served in many capacities throughout his years on the force including patrol officer, internal affairs and investigative detective.

According to Proud, there are a number of officers on campus at any given time. When the university is in full swing, there are at least four or five here to respond to any issues.

When large events occur that number is increased, and as a precautionary measure, there are usually groups such as SWAT stationed nearby to be reactionary should the need arise.

Although the school did not request the extra police presence, the sheriff’s office did notify the administration at the university of the increased presence they would have during the rally.

“The administration did not request the SWAT but was notified by the Sheriff’s office that a SWAT is standard operating procedure in the operations plan for a large scale event or multiple events such as occurred on campus on Friday,” Zaletel said.

According to Proud, many of the officers stationed at CSU-Pueblo are students on campus as well and they take their job of protecting their fellow students very seriously.

“Everything the agency does is proactive,” Proud said. “The university is our home, it’s our community and we have the backing of 316 fire, police and first responders to help us keep it safe.”