The activity planners could have picked a better theme for the school’s spring concert, which will be held on April 18. File photo.

The artists who brought you the songs “Baby got Back” and “Ms. New Booty” are now the headliners for Colorado State University-Pueblo’s upcoming booty-and-butt themed concert.

The activity planners could have picked a better theme for the school’s spring concert, which will be held on April 18.

For one thing, many college students have never even heard of the featured artists, Bubba Sparxxx, Kirko Bangz and Sir Mix-a-Lot.

Kirko Bangz, whose song “Drank in my Cup” was No. 1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart as recently as 2012, is the only one of the three artists who might appeal to a college-aged demographic.

The other two artists haven’t had much recent success.

Sir Mix-a-Lot was famous for a song released in 1992, when many current college students weren’t even born, and Bubba Sparxxx had some success with his album “Charms” in 2006, but hasn’t had a big hit in the seven years since.

And the artist’s popularity isn’t the only thing about them that’s old-fashioned.

The theme of the concert, not to mention the lyrics of the featured songs, is outdated and sexist. The lyrics focus on the female anatomy, and not in a respectful way.

The first verse to “Ms. New Booty” starts: “Girl, I don’t need you, but you need me/Take it off, let it flop, shake it freely.” The lyrics don’t improve from there.

If CSU-Pueblo wants to present itself as in line with these outdated and sexist ideas, then this concert is a great idea.

Otherwise, next time  Patty Witkowsky and the student activity board are planning an event, they should consider inviting artists who college students have actually heard of – and whose lyrics are respectful toward everyone.

Di Mare presented the State of the University Address to approximately 200 faculty members, employees and students who gathered in the Occhiato University Ballroom for the event on Sept. 25. File photo.

In her State of the University Address, Colorado State University-Pueblo President Lesley Di Mare discussed the difficulties of paying for college in today’s economy and the university’s plans to meet the challenges of having fewer students. 

Di Mare presented the address to approximately 200 faculty members, employees and students who gathered in the Occhiato University Ballroom for the event on Sept. 25.

Di Mare began the address with the question, “How will America pay for college?” She pointed out that public college tuition has increased by 71 percent between 2000 and 2012, while in the same time frame, the median household income dropped by 9 percent. This makes it difficult for many students to afford college.

CSU-Pueblo’s full-time student enrollment has decreased by 3 percent from last year’s 4,800 students. Di Mare said that the drop in headcount was within the margin of management’s expectations.

Di Mare was quick to point out, however, that because graduate and international student enrollment is up, the university’s revenue is actually up because of the higher tuition rates for these types of students.

The university plans to address the decrease in enrollment by increasing the retention of first-time, full-time freshmen.

CSU-Pueblo has a retention rate of approximately 63 percent, but hopes to increase that number by 2 percentage points each year over the next five years to meet their long-term retention targets.

Di Mare specifically mentioned continued recruitment of Hispanics, who represent more than 31 percent of CSU-Pueblo’s registered students this semester. This is the highest Hispanic representation in the university’s history.

In addition to the difficulty of affording college, there are many other issues that are causing the decrease in enrollment at CSU-Pueblo.

“The population of southern Colorado is declining and there are fewer students graduating from high schools in the state,” Di Mare said.

Di Mare then addressed the issue of student debt default rates. Colorado has the fourth highest default rate in the country at 17 percent, with CSU-Pueblo standing at a 15 percent default rate.

“One of the factors driving high student debt and default rates is that many students who enter college need remediation which prolongs their education by a year or more,” Di Mare said.

In order to help reverse this trend, CSU-Pueblo is using the services of an organization, SALT, which provides financial education to students to help control student debt and overall life finances.

Despite hard budget times, decreased enrollment and high default rates, Di Mare defended college education by quoting projections from the Georgetown center on education and the workforce.

“The nation’s education system will not be able keep up with the rising demand for educated workers. By 2018, the country’s system of higher education will produce 3 million fewer college graduates than the labor market will demand,” she quoted the study as saying.

In order to help CSU-Pueblo students pay for tuition in these tough economic times, CSU-Pueblo is raising $25 million for their “On the Move” campaign, $15 million of which will be dedicated to scholarships for students.

“Despite these efforts, there will be some difficult times ahead for universities like ours. We must all continue to contribute,” Di Mare said.

Angela Giron, whose recall election has drawn national attention, spoke to CSU-Pueblo students on Aug. 29. Photo courtesy of coloradosenate.org.

When Democratic State Sen. Angela Giron spoke on Colorado State University-Pueblo’s campus on Aug. 29, she noticeably avoided any mention of her imminent recall election.

In a presentation titled “Challenges and Opportunities: The Political Landscape in Colorado,” a listener might expect some of the “challenges” discussed to include Giron’s recall election, scheduled to take place Sept. 10 against conservative George Rivera.

The CSU-Pueblo alumnus’ hour-long presentation included a lengthy personal biography of herself, discussion of college interns she has had and discussion of staying connected to the community.

Giron spent a large part of the presentation focusing on the large grants she has helped procure for CSU-Pueblo, before ending with a plea for the students attending to register to vote because they are an “underrepresented” voter block.

The topic of the recall election was not brought up until Giron’s presentation was over, and the floor was opened for audience questions.

“I purposely didn’t talk about the recall because I knew I would get asked questions about it here at the end,” Giron said.

Giron faces recall due to the fact that she supported several gun bills in the Colorado Senate last March.

The gun rights group Basic Freedom Defense Fund is one of the main forces behind the recall, though other notable groups such as the National Rifle Association have also shown support for and funded the recall effort.

The gun laws which Giron helped pass included requirements for background checks for private gun sales and transfers, limits on firearm magazine capacity, background check fees, in person classes for concealed carry licenses and a ban on domestic violence offenders owning firearms.

Even when the floor was opened for questions, the students in attendance seemed mostly uninterested in the topic of the recall.

Only two students asked questions directly pertaining to the recall, with one of those questions being more of a statement about wasting taxpayer money.

When Giron was specifically asked about her vote on the ban of concealed carry permits on college campuses, she gave an answer which might surprise some, given the anti-gun publicity she has received as part of the recall effort.

“I was not a sponsor of that bill,” Giron said. “After doing a little research, I felt comfortable (supporting it). I supported it in committee, but then some things came up that I didn’t expect. I spoke to ASG (Associated Student Government) representatives of the CSU system, and they didn’t like it.”

Giron claims speaking to ASG was enough to make her question her support of that particular bill.

“I went to the Senate president and said, ‘I cannot vote for this bill,’” Giron said.

According to the Denver Post, the bill’s own sponsor, Sen. Rollie Heath, asked that the bill be postponed until two days after the session ended. This effectively killed the bill, due in part to Giron and other Democrats withdrawing support.

“I believe there is violence on campus, and I am willing to work with others to find alternative ways of dealing with the problem,” Giron said.

Even in the face of the upcoming recall, Giron said she would not change any of the decisions she has made.

“If I never got to serve another year, I’ve still done incredible things. I’ve changed lives,” Giron said.

The Colorado State University- Pueblo Foundation is making two substantial grants available to the four colleges at CSU-Pueblo in hopes of strengthening relationships with the community and alumni. Photo courtesy of https://csupueblo.thankyou4caring.org.

The Colorado State University- Pueblo Foundation is making two substantial grants available to the four colleges at CSU-Pueblo in hopes of strengthening relationships with the community and alumni.

The grants to be awarded are between $7,000 and $10,000, and this is the first time they have been offered. The funds must be used within the fiscal year in which they are awarded.

“Colleges (will be) encouraged to utilize the funds to strengthen the bond between the specific college and its respective alumni to increase membership and involvement,” said Tracy Samora, Director of Alumni Relations at CSU-Pueblo.

One college can win both awards, or the awards may go to different colleges as the foundation board members see fit.

In order to be awarded the grant money, a college must address the opportunities described by the foundation.

The first opportunity a college has to be awarded a grant is to provide a description of an innovative program, strategy, offering, or service which allows the faculty to engage with the community as a gesture of goodwill.

The second opportunity includes providing a description of a program, strategy or event that will strengthen the bond between the specific college and its respective alumni to increase membership and involvement.

The number one priority of providing these grants is to support and encourage the faculty’s involvement and engagement with the Pueblo community, Samora said.

“We want to build the university’s visibility and engagement with the Pueblo community,” Samora said.

The colleges who are awarded the grants will report back to the CSU-Pueblo Foundation regarding their use of the funds, specifics about the project or event they are using the funds for, the number of alumni or community members impacted, and follow-up plans to continue the program or event.

The grants are intended to assist in strengthening the relationships between the alumni and community members and the college by encouraging the colleges to reach out to their alumni to promote alumni involvement and engagement with the institution.

“Alumni often feel an affinity for the college or department from which they graduate. It is our hope through this program to continue to build and strengthen those relationships,” Samora said.

In-state tuition will now be available to people who are not legal citizens of the United States, as long as they graduated from a Colorado highschool. Photo courtesy of braintrack.com.

The state of Colorado has joined 12 other states by passing laws allowing in-state tuition to apply to undocumented immigrants.

On March 8, the Colorado House of Representatives passed this measure, which will allow for in-state tuition to apply to undocumented immigrants.

In order to qualify for the in-state college tuition, a person who is in the country illegally must have attended at least three years of high school in Colorado and have either graduated or obtained a GED. They must also apply to a college and be accepted within a year of graduating, according to an article in the Huffington Post.

According to an article in Fox News, the person must also sign an affidavit stating that they are pursuing legal United States citizenship.

Before the law was passed, students residing illegally in the country had to pay out-of-state tuition, which can be up to three times higher than in-state tuition rates.

Those who opposed the bill were concerned that college degrees would do little good to people who couldn’t legally obtain a job in the United States because of their immigration status.

“(Republicans) said the bill would give students false hope because they would be saddled with college debt, but unable to get a job because of their immigration status,” said a Fox News article.

Students do not qualify for the lower tuition rate, until they prove they are pursuing citizenship.

Another concern voiced by Republican Rep. Nancy Spencer is that the bill is indicating that illegal activity is now endorsed by the state.

“The message is that it is okay to commit felonies in the United States,” Spencer said.

Several Republicans also supported the bill, including Rep. Kevin Priola.

“For all intents and purposes Colorado is their home state, and there is no country to go back to. They’re bright, energetic hardworking kids,” Priola said.

Before the bill even came to the Colorado Senate, Colorado State University System Board of Governors voted to support the bill.

“This isn’t about immigration status–this is about ensuring that the pathways to opportunity are open to all Colorado’s children,” said Mary Lou Makepeace, a member of the CSU System Board of Governors, in a prepared statement.

In a news release written for the CSU System Board of Governors mentioned the impact of the new law on CSU-Pueblo, which is a Hispanic Serving Institution, as well as the CSU System’s dedication to serving underserved populations such as undocumented immigrants.

“There is no downside to expanding the pool of qualified resident high school graduates who are eligible to attend one of Colorado’s public colleges or universities,” Makepeace said. “At a time when Colorado needs to do a better job of growing its own high-quality workforce, it just makes sense to offer the opportunity of higher education to as many qualified Colorado high school graduates as possible, regardless of immigration status.”

Ryan and Jennifer Moreno are one army couple who would have been greatly impacted by the military tuition cuts. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Moreno.

Congress has restored the military’s tuition assistance which would have been cut due to the automatic budget cuts that took effect March 1.

According to the Boston Globe, the elimination of tuition assistance would have affected nearly 300,000 members of the Army, Air Force and Marines nationwide.

The program paid as much as $250 per semester hour for active duty personnel, which comes to as much as $4,500 per year. The sequester would automatically have cut this assistance.

Many people were upset about the tuition being cut. A petition to restore the tuition aid reached over 100,000 signatures, and there were thousands of phone calls and letters to congressmen asking them to bring it back, according to an article in the Boston Globe.

On Thursday, March 21, Congress did just that, voting to reverse the budget cuts which would restore at least most of the previous military tuition assistance.

Jennifer Moreno, a Colorado State University- Pueblo student whose husband is in the military, said that the cuts would have directly affected her entire family.

The tuition assistance helped not only her husband, Ryan Moreno, go to school for free, but also allowed Jennifer Moreno to receive military spousal tuition to pay for her own education.

The tuition has allowed Ryan Moreno to save his GI Bill benefits for after he graduates from college, and has kept him from having to take out student loans.

“This program was an inspiration for many military spouses to go to school and get their education and degrees while their soldier was serving in the military. Without these benefits many soldiers and spouses (would no longer have been) able to afford to go to college and attain degrees,” Jennifer Moreno said.

Although the tuition has now been brought back, Jennifer Moreno says the military is being cut back in other ways which hurt military families.

“Commissaries are feeling the pinch having to close for at least one day during the week, civilian employees are working four day work weeks, and part time or temporary contract employees have been given pink slips,” Jennifer Moreno said.

Moreno also expressed displeasure over financial aid given to foreign countries and in-state tuition being given to illegal immigrants when funding for the military is seemingly expendable.

“I think this is totally disrespectful to our nation’s military service members and their families,” Jennifer Moreno said. “We are supporting everyone else in the world (except) the people that truly need to be supported by all the programs we have available.”

Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, agrees with Jennifer Moreno’s sentiment.

“Find somewhere else to cut. Cut the Easter egg roll. This is just stupid.” Rieckhoff said.

Hundreds of jobs are potentially leaving Colorado due to the recently passed gun legislation. Photo courtesty of ammoland.com

While many students were focused on the senate bill which would have banned concealed weapons on Colorado campuses, another law was passed which could potentially have an even greater negative impact on students.

Every student who graduates from college wants one thing: to find a job in their degree field.  House Bill 13-1224, which limits magazine capacity to 15 rounds, could move 900 jobs out of Colorado.

Magpul is a production company in Erie, Colo., which manufactures gun accessories. The products available on their website include magazines which hold, 20, 25 and even 30 rounds of ammunition.  The new bill would make these products illegal in the state of Colorado.

Democrats amended the bill to say that Magpul and other magazine manufacturer’s can still manufacture magazines of any size, as long as they are sold out-of-state, to the military or law enforcement.

Magpul’s founder and president, Richard Fitzpatrick, does not find that an acceptable compromise. He said even the bill’s requirement that all magazines have serial numbers will add enough to production costs to make it worth leaving the state.

In an open letter Magpul wrote to the Colorado legislature, the company noted that if they do indeed leave Colorado, 200 jobs will directly leave the state, with 700 more jobs potentially leaving at the supplier and sub-contractor level.

The National Bureau of Labor and Employment has said that Colorado’s job outlook is already more unstable than the rest of the nation, with unemployment sitting at a solid 8 percent compared to the national average of 7.8 percent.

Finding work after graduating college is hard enough without the legislature sending hundreds of jobs out of state for a bill which even some Democratic senators recognized as a mistake.

“I think we really need to address that problem (mental health). Look at the cause, not the tool,” Democratic senator Lois Tochtrop, who voted against the magazine capacity bill, said.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Magpul is not the only major business to begin cutting ties with Colorado.

Michael Bane, the executive director of the Outdoors Channel, wrote an open letter to the senate president Steve King, expressing his displeasure with the gun bills which were, at that time, still under consideration.

The letter which Bane wrote expressed his intent to leave Colorado should the bills become law.

“My series focus on guns, hunting, shooting and the outdoors,” Bane wrote. “I met with my three producers, and we made the decision that if these anti-gun bills become law, we will be moving all of our production out of Colorado.”

Bane estimated that moving the production out of state will cost Colorado nearly $1 million in revenue in 2013.

Bane isn’t satisfied with simply leaving Colorado, however. He has expressed his intent to steer others in his profession away from the state. He has already convinced other producers not to base new shows in Colorado, costing the state the revenue the shows could have brought in.

“Colorado is going to pay a huge price for laws that will do nothing,” Bane said.

Fitzpatrick said that it is possible to string magazines together to create magazines that will shoot up to 60 rounds, making the magazine restrictions pointless.

Magpul representatives also argue that limiting magazine capacity will not reduce gun violence in Colorado because criminals will find ways around laws, such as by going to other states to buy larger magazines.

The only way to prevent more gun violence is to change the hearts of the people using them.

“They want to talk about this physical piece of equipment that’s not inherently evil. It’s not inherently good. It’s a tool like anything else. It can be used for good, and it can be used improperly by people who have evil in their hearts,” Magpul director Duane Liptak said.

The law does nothing to make the citizens of Colorado safer, or prevent another theater shooting. All it prevents is hundreds of people keeping their jobs in Colorado.

Senator Kevin Grantham (R) reads testimonies against the gun bills in the state senate on March 8. Photo courtesy of Anne Vinnola.

On March 8, the Colorado legislature passed five out of seven proposed new gun control laws.

The Senate passed the bills which will extend background checks to private sales, limit ammunition magazines to 15 rounds, requires gun buyers to pay for background checks, ban obtaining a concealed carry permit online and require domestic-violence offenders to relinquish their guns, according to an article in the Washington Times.

The two bills, which did not pass the Senate, would have held gun manufacturer’s liable for crimes committed with weapons sold by them, and the ban on carrying a concealed weapon on a college campus. At least three Democrats sided with Republicans to defeat these two highly controversial bills, according to the Huffington Post.

Colorado has received national attention over the proposed gun laws, with Vice President Joe Biden calling Colorado legislators in February to promote the bills, according to a Washington Times article.

“Cleansing a sickness from our souls doesn’t come easy. It’s gruesome,” Democratic Senate President John Morse, whose gun liability bill was among the two that failed, said.

The Democrats claim victory in the recent drawn-out gun debate, but they do not want to be perceived as anti-gun.

Democratic Sen. Mike Johnston of Denver says he has been a gun owner since the age of 12.

“What is before us is not a constitutional question but a policy question,” Johnston said.

“I’m not in any way an anti-gun person,” Gov. John Hickenlooper said, though he plans to sign all the Senate’s recently passed bills into law.

Republicans, on the other hand, perceive the new gun laws as an infringement on their constitutional liberties, and argued instead for better mental health treatment, according to the Huffington Post.

“We can make as many laws as we want. Until we change the hearts of man, they’re going to continue to do evil things,” Republican Sen. Scott Renfroe said.

Another concern that Republicans had about the bill was the possibility of losing hundreds of Colorado jobs.

Magpul, Colorado’s largest manufacturer of high-capacity ammunition magazines has vowed to leave Colorado if lawmakers pass a measure limiting high capacity magazines, according to the Denver Post.

If the company does indeed leave Colorado, officials with the company say it could cost Colorado hundreds of jobs and more than $85 million in potential spending this year.

“If we’re able to stay in Colorado and manufacture a product, but law-abiding citizens of the state were unable to purchase the product, customers around the state and the nation would boycott us for remaining here,” Doug Smith, Magpul’s chief operating officer said, according to the Denver Post. “Staying here would hurt our business.”

Democrats see the possibility of lost jobs as a price worth paying for the new gun legislation.

“I respect their right to make a business decision and understand they’ve been seeking incentives from a variety of states,” Sen. Mary Hodge, a Democrat, said. “I hope they respect our right to increase the safety of our citizens.”

“Losing Ground,” an I-News at Rocky Mountain PBS production, will be coming to Colorado State University- Pueblo on March 21. Photo courtesy of rmpbs.org.

I-News at Rocky Mountain PBS will be presenting their study, “Losing Ground,” on Colorado State University- Pueblo’s campus on March 21.

Officers Thurston (left) and Brown (right) answer questions after the active shooter training in the Library and Academic Resources Center, room 109. Photo courtesy of Tyler Shomaker.

The Active shooter training, which was held on campus, encouraged students to “get out, hide out or take out” in the case of shots being fired on campus.

It is interesting that students were encouraged to “take out” an active shooter on the very same week in which Democrats in the state legislature are pushing through a bill, which could ban concealed carry weapons on campus.

After the active shooter training, those in attendance asked many questions. They wanted to know about security of the buildings, who to call if they heard shots and many other issues. But not a single person mentioned the elephant in the room; the issue of weapons on campus carried by someone other than a mass shooter.

The video shown at the training showed a room full of helpless people throwing books at a gunman before running at the gunman and taking him down as a group. It is a nice thought, but how much easier would it be if one of them had a weapon to fire rather than a book to throw?

On the Colorado State University- Pueblo campus, that question may never be answered, due to the possibility of the state legislature illegalizing the most effective form of self-defense; concealed weapons carried by law-abiding citizens.

Banning weapons at CSU-Pueblo campus is nothing new. In 2010, the Faculty Senate voted unanimously to ban possession of weapons on campus, including students who had concealed and carry licenses.

Later that same year however, the Colorado Supreme Court overturned the ruling, saying that the school (among others) was “operating above the law,” according to an article in the Huffington Post.

Now, the ban on concealed and carry licenses on campus could become law. The bill has passed the house and is expected to be passed by the State Senate within the next couple of weeks, according to an article on campusreform.com.

Democratic State Senator Joe Salazar defended the bill with some comments that have offended many gun-carrying women.

“It’s why we have call boxes, it’s why we have safe zones, it’s why we have the whistles. Because you just don’t know who you’re gonna be shooting at. And you don’t know if you feel like you’re gonna be raped, or if you feel like someone’s been following you around or if you feel like you’re in trouble when you may actually not be,” Salazar said, according to a Denver Post article.

Apparently, women cannot be trusted with guns, so they should carry whistles. Call boxes might come in handy, for the fast runners.

Many female students from around the state are not satisfied with whistles and call boxes.

“[T]here has not been a single incident of a Colorado student with a concealed carry permit using a handgun to kill or commit an act of violence on campus,” Katherine Whitney, a spokeswoman for the Colorado chapter of Students for Concealed Carry, said.

“On the other hand there have been numerous rapes and murders that have occurred on or near campuses that could have been prevented had the victim had a concealed handgun,” Whitney said.

“I am offended that the senate president wants to increase my vulnerability to rape and assault as I walk home from class late at night,” Whitney said.

An active shooter or any other person, who is committed to hurting other people, will not follow or respect a gun-free zone on campus. Only the law-abiding students with no intent to hurt others will be left weaponless, defenseless and at the mercy of an “active shooter” or other violent person, if this becomes law.