The Southern Colorado Press Club presented “From Soldier to Student; perspectives on the transition” Monday, and the presentation featured speakers Craig Staley and Paul Hendricksen. Both men are students at CSU-Pueblo and officers of the campus chapter of the Student Veterans of America.

Staley is a senior mass communications major who joined the Navy in January 2000. While in the Navy, he worked as a journalist, television news producer and radio personality.

During his time on active duty, Japan and Italy are among the places he was stationed, before he was honorably discharged in 2004.

As a CSU-Pueblo student, Staley is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and has made the dean’s list in 2013 and 2014.

Hendricksen is a senior majoring in computer information systems. He joined the Army in June 2005 and worked as a scout sniper, heavy weapons squad leader, assault squad leader and a platoon sergeant.

He was deployed to Iraq and then to Afghanistan, each time for 15 months. He was honorably discharged in 2012.

The Student Veterans of America is a nonprofit professional association, and the CSU-Pueblo chapter was able to get its nonprofit status because of its membership with the Pueblo Veterans Council.

Hendricksen said that this semester, enrollment of veterans was roughly cut in half from approximately 500 to 250 students. He feels that there is not a real support base on campus.

“We would like to see the faculty and staff educated to identify with veterans and to understand the issues related to the military. Some issues are sensitive and related to deployments and the veteran’s personal experiences. Think of veterans as a race of people, there are sensitive subjects and reasons that we are how we are,” Hendricksen said.

Hendricksen has experienced problems getting his military experience to translate into credits that can be applied toward his degree. He would like to see university personnel educated on how to better translate military experience into college credit.

He would also like professors to be trained on how to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and social anxiety in the classroom.

Hendricksen has personal experience with PTSD that causes severe test anxiety in the classroom. Working with his professors, he has found that if he takes the tests at a different time, separately from other students, his anxiety lessens, and he does better on the tests.

“We’re not asking for special treatment, we are just asking for support,” Staley added. “We think there is a lot of potential for CSU-Pueblo to become even more military friendly. But we need more communication between the president’s office and the faculty. We definitely need the veteran student body to be more proactive in the direction of their own education.”

Enrique Rodriguez and Alisa Proffer

King Enrique Rodriguez

Senior exercise science major Enrique Rodriguez, Jr. is CSU-Pueblo’s 2014 homecoming king. Rodriguez partnered with Alisha Proffer to campaign for homecoming royalty together.

“I was surprised to win,” he said. “I’ve had my 15 minutes of fame, now it’s back to reality to continue working toward my degree.”

Starting as a freshman, Rodriguez made a bucket list of the things he wanted to accomplish while in college, and he’s already completed the list.

“Homecoming wasn’t on the list. But this being my last year, I figured go big or go home.”

Rodriguez, the fourth of five children, is a first-generation college student. He has been mentoring his brothers about education and the future in general. His mentorship motivated one of his brothers to pursue a degree in nursing.

“I’m very close to my family,” said Rodriguez. “One interesting fact about me is that I’ve been an uncle since I was 8 years old. I now have several nieces and nephews.”

Rodriguez is from Aurora. He was impacted by the 2012 Aurora theater shooting as several of his friends were in attendance. Fortunately, none of his friends were seriously injured in the shooting.

When exploring potential colleges, Rodriguez said he had become overwhelmed with city life and wanted to go to school in a smaller community. He is very active in the campus community.

“If it wasn’t for CSU-Pueblo, I wouldn’t be the individual I am today,” he said.

Rodriguez is a member of the Health Promotion Club and Leadership Academic Community and has also participated in the YMCA Corporate Cup.

He is currently interning for USA Field Hockey and has helped with logistics at a national tournament for players under 19 years of age.

“They are a great organization. They are very organized. The internship has been a great experience for me,” he said.

They have invited him to spend Thanksgiving break in California, and USA Field Hockey will cover all the costs, except for souvenirs. Although he has great interest in the field hockey organization, he has never actually played the sport.

After graduation, Rodriguez is considering working in sports administration, but he said it’s a broad field. He is ultimately interested in sports performance and is considering continuing his education to earn a master’s degree in kinesiology, which he explained is the ‘study of movement.’

Rodriguez said he wants to be influential, and it’s his desire to leave a good trail for those who want to follow it.

Queen Alisa Proffer

Sophomore nursing student Alisa Proffer is CSU-Pueblo’s 2014 homecoming queen. She agreed to campaign with newly elected homecoming king Enrique Rodriguez and said she was very surprised when she won.

“The competition was very strong. I would have been happy with a sash and as a member of the homecoming court,” she said.

Winning has involved much more than she expected. After being crowned, children approached her for pictures and autographs.

Proffer said the crowning has been a very humbling experience. She said she is honored that people have wanted to meet her. A local 104-year-old woman had asked to meet her, so she wore her dress and crown to visit the woman at an assisted living facility in Pueblo. The woman is a former Silver Queen, which is equivalent to a homecoming or prom queen for the older generation.

After the game, Proffer celebrated her victory with her family. She continued to wear her gown and crown at home that evening because “it was a once in a lifetime experience.”  The gown she chose to wear was the same one that she once wore to her prom.

Born and raised in Pueblo, Proffer chose CSU-Pueblo because of its big family atmosphere.

As a child, her dream was to become a veterinarian. It wasn’t until high school that she realized she would rather work with people.

Proffer graduated from Pueblo County High School. While in high school, she was involved in the Step Program, which allowed her to shadow nurses and doctors in labor and delivery at Parkview Hospital. While in the program, Proffer was privileged to be able to assist in delivering a baby. It was at this time that she felt called to pursue a career as a nurse.

Proffer has always been very involved in sports. In high school, she swam and played volleyball, basketball, soccer and softball. She enjoys trying new things and considers herself an adrenaline junkie. She would also like to do more with Outdoor Pursuits, and keeps a close eye on their calendar.

After graduation, she plans to continue her education and earn her master’s degree. Her goal is to become a nurse practitioner, and she is most interested in working in an emergency room.

Proffer believes winning homecoming queen will help  with her resume as well as job interviews.

“It illustrates my campus involvement,” she said.

Proffer has run for CSU-Pueblo’s student government, and she enjoys participating in a wide array of campus activities.

“I’m on campus far more than I’m at home,” she said.

She also volunteers with Paws for Life and is a Foundation Scholarship winner.

Becoming homecoming queen wasn’t on her bucket list, but she says it ended up on there.

“It was an adventure,” she said. “My favorite quote is ‘Adventure is out there’ from Pixar’s movie Up. I want to put the point across that if you think of something you really want to do, dream about it, question it and then do something about it. Get yourself to try it, it’s worth it.”

Germany
courtesy of Open Source Maps

Last month, Lower Saxony became the last state in Germany to completely stop charging any public university tuition.

Yes that’s right. According to an article published by the Slate Group, all state-run universities in Germany are now free to attend.

You might be thinking how awesome this is for the Germans, but what about cash-strapped American college students?  Germany didn’t just stop charging tuition for the German students. The free college education is for international students as well.

Ready to learn German and relocate?  You might want to check into it further.

While it’s true that we are green with envy to see a country put importance on higher education for everyone, the Slate Group article points out there are several reasons that German universities either cost close to nothing or nothing at all.

The German college experience is very different from the American idea of college, and you should consider the differences before packing your bags.

There isn’t much campus life in Germany compared to what we have in the U.S. There are no luxuries to speak of, and the few dorms that exist are minimalistic by American standards. Most German students don’t live in dorms; they usually live with their parents until graduation.

Fraternities, clubs and other campus activities are few and far between. Universities are for learning, not to maintain a social life.

German students typically apply, test for and then are accepted into specific majors. They apply for engineering, law, etc. and take the required classes until they graduate. None of this ‘undecided’ business that many Americans go with.

We are also fortunate to have great guidance counselors to help us figure out which classes to take to make sure we graduate in a timely manner. German’s don’t have advisers. They are expected to know what their education requirements are and take the appropriate classes.

Class structure is also completely different. In Germany, students come and go from classes as they please. Professors aren’t expected to learn the names of their students, which is good considering that the class size can fluctuate up to several hundred students per course at any given time.

And there typically aren’t any assignments, just a test or a paper due at the end of the term. Some students don’t even register for classes until finals, if they register at all.

Finally, Germans may not pay tuition now, but they make up for it with the extreme taxes they pay. So the money has to come from somewhere, and one way or another, it ends up coming from the people who are getting their educations “free of charge.”

Rev89 remote broadcast on campus

It’s something that fans have always thought, but now it’s official.  The Broadcast Education Association has named the Revolution, Rev89, CSU-Pueblo’s student-run radio station, the Best College Radio Station in the nation.

The station began broadcasting October 12, 1970, and launched a modern rock format on July 4, 1995.  Rev89 is now a contemporary hits/Top 40 format and is run entirely by CSU-Pueblo students.

Jenna Mangino, media manager for Rev89 and the CSU-Pueblo Today, explained that the station applied for the honor and won, beating out 471 other college radio stations in the U.S.  The competition invites submissions of superior protocol and practices at student-run, faculty-advised college radio stations.

“It’s an honor to receive the BEA Signature Station award. This represents the highest level of achievement in college radio”, said Mangino.  “I’ve always believed that we are a precedent-setting station. We’ve had a long legacy of success beginning with [Sam] Lovato’s management of the station in 1993. Since then, we’ve been blessed to have amazing students as part of the Rev89 team.”

The professional panel of BEA judges noted that Rev89 received the award because “[Rev’s] imaging and positioning are professional. Air talent is well above average in this group. Production is outstanding.”

Many listeners are not surprised by the recognition the station has received.  Debriel Gonzales, a freshman at CSU-Pueblo, said she listens to the station because she likes the current music they play.

Most of the on-air talent comes from the mass communications department, and students are able to work on Rev89 by taking a short course in radio operations to learn the basics.

The station is successful because of the enthusiasm and talents of these students.

Kathleen “Kat” Hund is one of several students that keeps the radio station running smoothly from public service announcements to “5@5” news briefs.

“CSU-Pueblo has a lot of untapped talent, and we are fortunate to have some of that talent in our Mass Communications department and as Rev89 on-air personalities,” she said. “Success comes from hard work, dedication and self-motivation.  We are lucky to have that from the media manager to the new students of Rev89.”

Students in hybrid classes participate in interactive Blackboard discussions.

Hybrid classes are taught as a mixture of in classroom and online learning.  This semester there are 42 hybrid classes being taught at CSU-Pueblo.

They are offered in accounting, bilingual/bi-cultural education, business administration, economics, education, marketing, mass communications, nursing, philosophy, sociology and women’s studies.

“I like the idea of them,” said senior Jessica Walters. “But in my experience, they consist of a lot of discussion posts, which I think get really monotonous and repetitive.”

To make up for the lack of face-to-face instruction, hybrid classes function through discussions and posting on Blackboard.

Sophomore Lindsey Scott said hybrid classes were hard as a freshman.  At the time, she was getting accustomed to the college life, and she found hybrid classes a tad overwhelming.

Because students must be more disciplined and spend extra hours on work outside the classroom, hybrid classes can be more difficult.

Associate professor Sam Lovato of the mass communications department is currently teaching the largest number of hybrid classes with four.

“Hybrid courses are more demanding on students and professors,” said Lovato. “I like the scheduling flexibility, the pace of the course, using technology to deliver content, the mix of face-to-face and virtual interactions, and the level of student commitment.”

The number of hybrid classes continues to grow each semester. Although they offer more flexibility, they are much more demanding than a regular, face-to-face class. Students must be self-motivated and determined in order to succeed when taking hybrid classes.

Photo courtesy of morguefile.com.

Do you have a spare dollar? You might if you start asking for your CSU-Pueblo student discount. Many local businesses offer discounts to students who show their student ID. Be sure to ask for your discount when visiting any of these businesses. Going somewhere that isn’t on the list? It never hurts to ask if they offer a student discount.

A current list is available in the OUC at the Student Life offices or the office of the Associated Students’ Government.

Here is a list of discounts to get you started:

• Arbys: 10% off
• Best Buy: $100 off select Apple products. Discount on select software.
• Bingo Burger: 15% off
• Charlotte Russe: 10% off
• Cold Stone: Discounts on Tuesday nights. Inquire within.
• Colorado Tire: Students pay 4% above invoice
• Epic Entertainment: 10% off
• Euphoria Salon: 10% off
• Forever Tan: 30% off
• Great Divide Ski, Bike and Hike: 5% off
• Kuan’s Kitchen: 10% off
• Little Caesars: Free order of Crazy Bread with any $8.00 pizza purchase
• New Horizons Thrift Store: 10% off
• Rocco’s Deli: 10% off
• Supercuts: 10% off
• Taffy’s Confectionary: 10% off
• The Edge, Paddle and Pack: 10% off
• Transitions Clinic: 50% off
• Tubby’s Dinner: 15% off
• Wendys: 10% off

CSU-Pueblo senior Autumn Black undertook a special project for her internship with the President’s Leadership Program that is going to help many in our campus community.  She is creating and coordinating a food bank that will be available for anyone enrolled or employed by CSU-Pueblo.

“Hunger does not discriminate,” said Black.

The food bank, named the Grub Hub, will be located in the downstairs of the OUC near the Veteran’s Community Resource Center.

“A lot of people are struggling,” added Black.

She said that services will be confidential and discreet for those in need.

The kick off for the food bank will be a campus wide food drive which is expected to start before Halloween, but financial donations are welcome any time.  Initially, the food bank will be financed solely through donations, but eventually Black hopes that it will partner with the Associated Students’ Government for additional funding.

The Grub Hub has 501-C3 nonprofit status, which will also make it eligible for a partnership with Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado.  As an extension of Care and Share, the Grub Hub will be eligible to purchase nonperishable food at drastically discounted rates.

Black is extremely passionate about this project.  Her goal is to have the support of the campus and for the food bank to flourish long after she is gone.  She hopes that a group or club will become so involved that it will naturally take over the coordination of the food bank when she graduates.

Those wanting to volunteer or donate should contact Black at autumn.black11@gmail.com.

Chartwells Food Fair, Sept. 2, 2014

Chartwells Campus Dining Service held a food fair Wednesday, Sept. 3 in the Pavilion outside the Hasan School of Business. They gave away a variety of food and drinks, including the very popular buffalo wings, quinoa salad and Starbucks coffee.

The event was held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and was busiest between classes and at lunchtime. Rev89 provided music for the crowd.

Alec Kerr, a freshman at CSU-Pueblo said he was there “because of the free food.”

Cacharel Jan-Baptise, a sophomore, said the samples were “terrific, so far,” and both students said they enjoyed several of the food choices that were offered.

Annette Shepard, marketing manager for Chartwells said the main reasons for today’s event were to create a positive experience between the dining services and the campus community.

She said Chartwells wants to let people know what they have to offer, and they have changed several things this year. Due to frequent requests, they have developed a commuter meal plan with several options. Students living off campus can take advantage of the new plans.

To advocate their healthier lifestyle dining options, they have developed “Balanced U.”   It will provide students with a wide variety of food options and nutritional information. On and off campus catering is available. Some of the catering options were available at the food fair. There is also a menu pamphlet available with the a la carte and meal options and pricing information.

Also, Café Libro, located in the LARC, is now featuring Starbucks coffee.

Chartwells is hoping to have a successful social media presence. Claudia Walters, director of campus dining, wanted to encourage students and staff to like Chartwells on Facebook. After liking Chartwells, they could spin a game wheel to win a prize. Prizes ranged from free cookies to Chartwells dollars, which help pay for food at the dining halls.

Not everythings has changed. “Truck on the Go” will still be in the Pavilion during lunch Monday through Thursday. The Pavilion also offers pizza and grab-and-go snacks and beverages. Dining options will also still include the Occhiato University Center Dining Hall, La Cantina on the lower level of the OUC, Café Libro, located in LARC, the Coffee Cart, located in the Life Science building, and the Bistro at Culebra Hall.

File photo.

The IT department at CSU-Pueblo has started transitioning to a new and shorter domain name.  The change in the domain name will not only affect the web page (from colostate-pueblo.edu to csupueblo.edu), but also the email addresses of students and faculty.

Current email addresses will work until February 2, 2015.  However, everyone is encouraged to start giving out the new email address.  Both the current and the new email addresses should work throughout the transition.

Student emails will now end with @pack.csupueblo.edu.  All faculty and staff emails will end with @csupueblo.edu.

“The transition is a process,” said Jim Wiley, IT director for the CSU-Pueblo Associated Students’ Government.  “This is a positive change for the university because it brings us up to the technical standard by getting rid of the hyphen.”  Wiley also stated that it removes the possibility of confusion caused by the hyphen.

The new web address, www.csupueblo.edu, will redirect to the existing website.  The redirect allows the campus to start adding the new domain to stationery, business cards, new publications and advertising.

Chief Information Officer, Erich Matola, estimates that the cost of the change will be minimal and will mostly consist of labor.

A press release dated Aug. 14 was issued and is available from the External Affairs office for those seeking additional information.