Courtesy of collegiatelink.net

The office of Student Engagement and Leadership at CSU-Pueblo will be hosting an outdoor screening of the movie “Big Hero 6” on April 24 from 8 to 10 p.m.

The event, which will take place at the Fountain Plaza, is free for everyone. Kids are welcome and will be provided with games and activities starting at 6 p.m.

SEAL will provide face painting, snow cones, popcorn and a bouncy house for the kids at 6 pm.

The mission of the SEAL office is to promote and enhance the student experience at CSU-Pueblo and provide a sense of belonging at the university. Their goal is to promote new and better opportunities for students through activities and events.

Alexis King, coordinator of SEAL, said another goal is to encourage commuter students to feel accepted and think of CSU-Pueblo as their home.

“We are trying to get our commuter students who have families, who don’t always get to participate to attend, which is why we scheduled it on Friday night,” King said.

Since non-traditional students are a large population of CSU-Pueblo’s diverse campus, it is sometimes difficult for them to be included in certain events during the school year.

“We will have more events like this coming next semester to make sure that we are including the non-traditional students,” King said. “We need to make sure that their needs are to be met just as much as the needs of students on campus.”

The SEAL office has hosted a movie night in previous years in a different location.

King said the success of last year’s event led SEAL host it again this year.

“That is what actually spurred this now that we have a commuter student program,” King said. “If it goes well, we will definitely do it again.”

For more information about the movie night, contact Student Engagement and Leadership at 719-549-2151.

2014-2015 ASG President Timothy Zercher
Photo by Christy Wiabel

Colorado State University-Pueblo student Timothy Zercher is stepping down from his position as Associated Students’ Government president April 13 as his term comes to an end.

Zercher, who was sworn in as president on May 1, 2014, served as an active member of four different organizations before he ran for ASG last year. As his term is ending, he plans to move on to new endeavors while still being active on campus. He said he is happy that the incoming administration will be a good fit for the 2015-2016 year.

Zercher said he wants the student body to remember the work he and his vice president Mario Ruiz did in the past year.

“I want people to remember me and Mario, that we did two things. We focused ASG and that 2014-2015 administration set ASG on a good track,” Zercher said.

The next step for Zercher is an internship with El Pomar and working with Enactus over the summer. His dream job is to bring foreign investments to the U.S. as an international business broker.

He also said he enjoys traveling and different cultures.

Zercher, Ruiz, their administration and the ASG senate accomplished more than 20 projects over the year, all of which Zercher went over at the last senate meeting of the year on April 7.

Outgoing ASG president and vice president, Timothy Zercher and Mario Ruiz

For example, the ASG senate and administration reduced spending on ASG stipend by 9.7 percent and redirected those funds towards students. They also more than doubled the Student Discount Program in size and awareness.

They started the push for free textbooks and other course materials and restarted the Student Emergency Fund, which will kick off on April 14.

The administration finished assisting Residence Hall Association in becoming a stronger organization and they began a campaign to increase the awareness of student services on campus.

The ASG also brought national campaigns to campus, including the It’s On Us Campaign the Step Up movement.

They partnered with other organizations in helping to fund Late Night at the Rec, helping to send the Latino Student Union to their regional conference, funding Take Back the Night, bringing funds to the Student Leadership and Involvement Awards, bringing Don McPherson as a guest speaker and putting on Get Out and Vote events on campus during primary elections.

This year’s ASG also bought 200 student tickets for CSU-Pueblo football playoff games.

They represented students in over 80 unique seats on boards, committees, appeal boards and councils across CSU-Pueblo and state of Colorado and sent representatives across the state and to Washington, D.C. to advocate for CSU-Pueblo and its mission.

They helped create and bring into action the Colorado Student Government Coalition and hosted the statewide board of directors meeting of the CSGC. They also presented to the Colorado State Legislature advocating for better IT infrastructure for CSU-Pueblo.

Zercher’s administration also completely restructured the way the ASG operates. Those changes will be carried over into the next year.

“Overall, I think we left a great legacy behind,” Zercher said.

Photo courtesy of dreamatico.com

CSU-Pueblo’s chapter of Enactus will be hosting a community biking event in Pueblo on May 2 with the help of local businesses.

The event, which will be called Tour de Fun, is a community bike ride around the downtown area. The biking will be followed by a celebration with live music, alcoholic beverages for legal adults and a bicycle scavenger hunt in which local students, ages six to 12, can participate.

Enactus is a worldwide organization that uses the business principle of entrepreneurship to help promote the community’s health and environmental and business success. Instead of focusing entirely on profit, they are focused more on building the community through teamwork. The organization’s goal is that all parties involved in their events benefit.

The first half of the day will consist of the scavenger hunt where kids can ride to three to five stations and learn more about healthy snacks, safe bike riding techniques, as well as participate in fun activities such as face painting and bike decorations.

Following the scavenger hunt, the kids can take part in a one to two mile bike ride, which will stay in the downtown area near the Historic Riverwalk. Prizes will be given out to the most creative costume designs and longest bike logs leading up to the event. There will also be concessions during this event for the parents, including food and coffee.

“Safety is a major concern of ours, and we will work with local officials and the police departments to make sure that the students are safe during the entire event,” said Chris Barnet, president of Enactus.

Barnet said he hopes to have an assembly at the high schools so he can bring in local BMX riders to do tricks for the students and get them excited to take part in the event.

Later in the evening, there will be an event for adults, which will consist of an approximately two mile community bike ride downtown near the Historic River Walk. This will be followed by a celebration filled with concessions, drinks and live music.

The majority of the funds raised from the event will go to local District 60 schools. This money will go to help fund an after school athletic program for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

While the businesses allowed to handle concessions will be strictly local, Enactus is also seeking donations for the event from sponsors in the community. They hope to raise a large amount of money for the local D60 schools, all while promoting local business and raising health awareness.

“We also are hoping to generate more interest in biking within Pueblo and bring in revenue to local vendors of Pueblo,” Barnet said.

They are currently looking for sponsors for door prizes and will be talking to local bike shops within the next few weeks to help with donations such as bikes and safety gear, among others.

“We are very excited about this project and hope that the local community will share our enthusiasm,” Barnet said. “We look forward to seeing the overall improvement within Pueblo in terms of bike friendliness, increased local business and most importantly to fundraise for local D60 schools.”

For more information, Barnet can be contacted at 719-334-3354.

File photo

The Colorado Student Government Coalition held a meeting at CSU-Pueblo Feb. 21 in which they proposed and passed two resolutions.

Representatives from schools all over Colorado attended the meeting with the Associated Students’ Government CSU-Pueblo. They included Colorado School of Mines, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Fort Lewis College, Arizona State University, Mesa College, Metro State University Denver, University of Colorado Denver, University of North Carolina and Western State.

Fort Lewis College presented the Resolution 15-001, which in support of HB15-1027, requires all Colorado public institutions of higher education to offer in-state tuition classification to all individuals from federally recognized Native American tribes with ties to Colorado. Representatives voted on and passed the proposal with a 7-2 decision.

Another topic of discussion at the meeting was that Native American students are much less likely to go to college than students from other backgrounds.

“Each additional student who goes to a state school generates new revenue. Not paying taxes and receiving scholarships, Native Americans do not want to be a part of the federal system,” said a Colorado School of Mines representative.

CSU-Pueblo had a similar concern.

“All colleges have to do this with whatever financial concerns are present,” a CSU-Pueblo representative said.

Resolution 15-002, which supports Native American Higher Education, was presented by Fort Lewis College in which the state of Colorado cannot continue to fund this crucial service for the Native American students who represent 46 U.S. states, 191 congressional districts and over 270 tribal governments at Fort Lewis College.

The CSGC voted in favor of the proposal, and by doing so, endorsed the Native American Indian Education Act.

According to Fort Lewis College,  only 36 percent of out-of-state applicants for the fall 2015 semester come from Native American students.

The tuition waiver will cost the State of Colorado $16,011,096.

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CSU-Pueblo Associated Students’ Government members made big changes to their policy manual and constitution March 3 during their weekly senate meeting.

The meeting, which was held in the ASG chambers at 6 p.m., allowed members to address and vote on many changes to become part of the constitution and policy manual.

Major changes that were being approved in ASG include the removal of two senator at-large positions, along with the removal of the speaker position. The vice president will take on the speaker’s duties.

Another change included the creation of a chief of staff position, which is reoccurring. The IT director and internal affairs director positions were also removed.

By cutting two at-large positions, ASG will save a total of $2,800 each year. Originally, there were six members in the senator at-large positions. With the cuts, there are four. Senator at-large members had little to no duties, apart from acting as representatives for the ASG. This was a major factor in the decision to cut these positions.

Some of the chief of staff’s job duties include overseeing a cohesive project that is responsive to student concerns, ideas and needs within the academic year. The chief of staff will also supervise multiple specific projects carried out by members of ASG. The hope is that the position will allow ASG to be much more focused on achieving effective change.

The position, like all positions within the ASG, will also require extensive work to ensure that the student body at CSU-Pueblo is represented fairly. The replacement of the IT director and internal affairs director positions with the chief of staff position will save ASG about $1,000.

By cutting the speaker of the senate, and with the vice president acting in that position at senate meetings, the ASG will save $3,000. Unlike senators, the speaker position was paid over the summer. Shifting the duties of the speaker to the vice president will allow ASG to function more efficiently.

According to Robert’s Rules, the chair of a meeting neither has the right to speak, nor the right to vote, except to break a tie.

The senate also voted on proposals to remove two justice positions, and to move the ASG meeting time to Mondays at 4 p.m. Though there was much discussion on each point, members voted against approving these changes.

All of the savings resulting from the cuts will allow ASG to create a new source of funding for initiatives.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the senate voted to approve ASG President Timothy Zercher’s proposed budget, which reflected these new allocations.

The proposed budget will stay at $70,000 total, which remains consistent with last year’s funding constraints.

“I believe that these changes are actually very significant. Tonight we completely restricted both the executive and legislative branch and increased our savings from salaries, which is something that has not happened in many years,” Zercher said. “I am very proud of our senate.”

“Overall they voted to put less money toward the members of ASG and more back to the students of CSU-Pueblo through initiatives and projects. I am very excited to see how ASG grows next year, and I hope with the changes we have made tonight that they are able to surpass what we have achieved this year,” he said.

Keds designed by artist Ben Warwas

Ben Warwas, an up and coming artist of film, fashion, architecture and sculpture, presented his work to students and the public Friday in the art and music building at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Warwas is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the Southern California Institute of Architecture. He has worked in a variety of mediums including film, fashion, architecture and sculpture, focusing on each individual project and what suits it best.

Warwas took an interest in designing outfits for events, his family and friends, and even bands on tour where he wanted to move the audio experience into a visual realm. His most well-known work was for bands such as The Locusts, Le Tigre and Barr.

He started with the bands in 2002, touring for five years with The Locusts and designing outfits for them. He has designed five distinctly different outfits for the band, fixated on an insect-like, fearing presence.

“I am a big fan of a strangeness sort of fear,” Warwas said. “I was trying to encompass that sort of atmosphere.”

The Locusts have been featured in magazines such as Spin, Paper, CMJ Monthly and Alternative Press. They were also featured on MTV Skate TV in the clothing Warwas designed.

Warwas also created outfits for Le Tigre’s most recent tour in 2005. The band was featured on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” wearing his designs. They told him they wanted to emphasize the color pink in a feminist presence.

“The outfits for Le Tigre were an attempt to create a wearable visual representation of a feminist parade,” Warwas said.

Warwas was given an exciting opportunity when Keds, the American brand of plimsoll-style canvas shoes with rubber soles, offered him a chance to design their shoes. He created two different designs inspired by his artistic interest in geometric patterns.

“I didn’t want people to recognize they were classic shoes. I like the collage part of it,” Warwas said. “And it makes it look more complex than it really is.”

His architectural skills have been showcased in his furniture designs and his 3D modeling sculpture shows.

A CSU-Pueblo press release described his sculptures as reminding the viewer that “walls do not necessarily delineate interior space. The graphic murals he paints bend the walls into alternate realities of false depth and infinite patterns. Each work becomes a kind of foreign object that questions its environment.”

One of Warwas’ biggest architectural projects was designing an apartment building in Los Angeles, California.

“One thing I like to do is push designs off the edge, and taking the same thing and seeing how far it stretches. It’s an attempt to create something that isn’t actually there,” Warwas said.

In his experimental shorts, he questions reality and the accepted tropes of storytelling through unconventional editing and sequencing. He has exhibited at the Torrence Art Museum, Pepein Moore Gallery and in On The Road installations.

Warwas’s creations can be seen on his website at byben.com, and he can also be found on Facebook.

File photo

CSU-Pueblo students have the opportunity to nominate staff and faculty members for the Students’ Choice Awards. Nominations for the awards, which are sponsored by the Associated Students’ Government, are due on Feb. 20.

According to ASG President Timothy Zercher, students will be able to vote by social media and email for the first time in the award’s history.

The ASG will narrow down each category to the three most popular nominees.

The faculty and staff that are nominated display devotion to the students of CSU-Pueblo.

Essential for the award, nominees must present characteristics of advocacy, thoughtfulness, exceptional dedication and responsibility for the atmosphere at CSU-Pueblo.

In order to be nominated, there is a specific criterion that a candidate is required to meet. Though not all of the criterion can apply to one person, it is encouraged.

For example, they must have a relationship with students that encourages and promotes scholastic professional excellence.

The Students’ Choice Award has had a deep significance to the winners who received this award in previous years.

“It was a tremendous honor to receive the Student’s Choice Award in 2011. Working with the students on a daily basis is very rewarding in itself, but being recognized by the students for doing what I love to do was a great experience,” said Gena Alfonso, director of student engagement and leadership.

The most recent recipient was mass communications professor Julie Armstrong, who received the award for academic year 2013-2014.

“This is truly the greatest award I have ever received and I was humbled when I found out I was the recipient.  I was touched by their kind words and was overjoyed that students would actually take the time to reflect and write about their experiences with me as their teacher. I still cannot believe it,” Armstrong said.

“I will be so thankful forever. It means that much to me,” she said.

Armstrong has received several awards in categories like academics, beauty, sports and as a professional, but said being selected for this honor was overwhelming for her. She also said she hopes her impact on students has been positive.

“If I can be a mentor, a motivator and an inspiration to my students in any way, that will be the greatest gift I can give. And if I can have a positive impact on just one student, then I know I am doing the right thing,” she said.

After nomination period ends, all candidates will be carefully looked over by the ASG members.

Once they receive all nominations, they will condense some nominations if necessary so that they fit in one or two paragraphs. Then, they will construct a survey with the names of the faculty and staff nominated along with their nominations.

Once the survey is complete, they send it out for students to vote online for their favorite outstanding faculty or staff member. The voting period will last through March, according to current timelines. The faculty or staff member to receive the most votes will win their respective awards.

The “light/dark” documentary viewing was part of a series of events scheduled to celebrate Black History Month. Photo courtesy of csupueblo.edu.

Staff at the Diversity Resource Center hosted a “light/dark” documentary viewing in the Diversity Resource Center room in the Occhiato University Center on Feb. 12, 2015.

The hosts of the program welcomed all students with refreshments, educational videos about racism and insightful discussions afterword.

The videos featured in the viewing focused on the struggles minorities face when it comes to what society views as pretty and, ultimately, who we should believe when it all comes down to what defines a person.

The documentary program touched on the implications of stereotypes based on skin tones within minority groups around the world. The videos that were shown provided information about how many different aspects of racism have expanded.

“It’s not a black or a white thing,” said CSU-Pueblo student Fredlina Atencio. “Everybody feels a certain way and struggles with their perception of beauty.”

A major theme in the documentary was that self-perception is warped. Victims of racism in the videos spoke about their experiences. They said they were led to believe by society that being white was pretty, and that being black was negative.

Many young black women featured in the documentary said they used skin-whitening cream to make their complexion lighter so they could fit into the social norms of being white. They said the most harmful aspect of this is in the way society perpetuates it.

Young black girls that were interviewed in the video were asked why they didn’t think they were pretty. One girl replied, “Because I’m not white.” Other ethnicities also said they were similarly affected by this sense of racism.

The viewing also followed the idea that society twisted women’s views so that they are not happy with themselves, no matter what they look like. According to the video “Light-Skinned Women on Feeling They’re Not Black Enough,” many mixed women were led to believe by society that they don’t belong anywhere.

The documentary encourages men and women to believe that skin color is not what defines a human. When a girl from the video said, “Pretty is as pretty does,” she enforced the idea that it is not the way a person looks that defines them, but it is what the person does.  Character defines a person, she said.

According to the video, “Light Girls: How to begin the Healing Process,” the healing process starts at home and by healing oneself.

“It’s not just a problem with the black community, it’s a problem around the world. It doesn’t matter who you look like. We are just people on the inside,” said CSU- Pueblo senior Jibrail Dibble.

Students who attended this event said they learned a lot from it.

“It makes me feel better about this issue because it’s something everyone can relate to,” said CSU-Pueblo senior Freddy Correamanrique.

The Diversity Resource Center will be hosting more events like this throughout February to educate students about Black History Month.

High school band members participated in the Festival of Winds in CSU-Pueblo’s Hoag Hall Feb. 5-7. Photo by Jessica Warren.

The seventh annual Festival of Winds brought high school band members to CSU-Pueblo’s Hoag Hall Feb. 5-7.

This program works to enrich high school bands through small group rehearsals and master classes with CSU-Pueblo faculty.

Students were also able to enjoy a weekend series of concerts for free.

A select few of the nominated students were chosen to receive specific awards, in addition to the showcase of talent.

Four students received CSU-Pueblo music department scholarships and marching band service awards. Trumpet player Nathan Gaines-Chyr received $9,700 in awards; trombone player Julian Farmer received $11,700; trumpet player Brennan Pantleo received $9,700; and saxophone player Connor Thomas was awarded with $11,700.

Four students also received CSU-Pueblo academic scholarships.

These included trumpet player and distinguished scholar Jessie Patch, who received $29,700 in awards; saxophone player and distinguished scholar Makenna Green, who was awarded with $31,700; trombone player and distinguished scholar Jake Henderson, who received $33,700; and clarinet player and presidential scholar Isabel Taylor, received $43,700 in awards.

CSU-Pueblo students who attended the Festival of Winds concerts have enjoyed the variety of musical aspects that were played by the students.

“The Festival of Winds concert was a great and unique experience that I remember. The concert really opened up my eyes and made me appreciate the different types of musical literatures,” said CSU-Pueblo junior Trever Hess.

Some students enjoyed the concert because of its relatability and familiarity of song choice.

“There were very well-done solos and the concert was very enjoyable with crowd participation and some very well-known songs, like ‘Tequila’,” said CSU-Pueblo freshman Arianna Armendariz.

Participation in the Festival of Winds have grown in size, expanding to more than 360 high school students, which represent schools across Colorado and in neighboring states.

High school band directors nominated students to participate in the festival. Fifteen students are recommended and then given performance materials to prepare for their audition, which takes place at the start of the festival.

The students who rate highest in the audition process are placed in one of two wind orchestras. Students who are not selected for the wind orchestra are placed in one of two symphonic bands, which are equally weighted in ability based on audition results.

Past performances have included the Fountain Creek Brass Band, The United States Air Force Academy Band, a CSU-Pueblo Faculty Recital and performances by the University Wind Ensemble.

Each year, the Festival of Winds also brings in notable national and international guest clinicians to conduct each of the honor bands. Additionally, participating music teachers can register for one or two graduate credit options and participate in a master class, where they can conduct the University Wind Ensemble.

Outdoor Pursuits hosted slacklining and kayaking in CSU-Pueblo’s Recreation Center Jan. 29. The activities, which are included in tuition costs, are free for students to attend.

Outdoor Pursuit staff provides a safe environment to learn basic slacklining and kayaking skills in a positive environment among students. Participants do not need any prior experience to attend.

Slacklining at the CSU-Pueblo Recreation Center pool with Outdoor Pursuits.
Photo by Jessica Warren

Slacklining is a sport that includes a two-inch webbing that similar to tightrope walking, but more dynamic.

The sport’s dynamic features allow the webbing to sway and bounce while holding a person’s flexibility and weight as they walk across.

“It is a lot harder than it looks. But it is really fun,” said first-time slackliner and CSU-Pueblo freshman Deanna Sanchez.

Slacklining is available to all students on the last Thursday of every month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Kayaking is a unique sport that attracts regulars and newcomers alike to be instructed by Outdoor Pursuits staff members.

Upon arrival, the staff welcomes newcomers to make them feel comfortable. They teach them rules and safety requirements, including the “wet exit,” in which newcomers are instructed to flip over their boats, pull the boat skirt and swim to the top. This task is necessary for emergencies.

Students can then kayak at their own leisure when they feel comfortable enough to paddle. When everyone gets more comfortable with the basics, they can participate in a game of water polo, where they throw a ball into the nets of opposing teams.

“Outdoor Pursuits is really good at making newcomers feel comfortable,” said CSU-Pueblo sophomore and lifeguard Gretel Stockton. “It is really intimidating to start kayaking, but when you do it, it is really fun. Just give it a try.”

Opportunities for students to expand their new learned skills further include learning how to do somersaults under water with their kayak, and go kayaking in a river with staff members.

“Once they learn the skills here, we will take them out to the river. Like any sport, you have to put time and dedication into it,” said Outdoor Pursuits water supervisor Connor Goodwin.

New participants in the program said they enjoyed the event and plan on coming back.

Students and community members kayak in the Recreation Center pool. Photo by Daniel Potter.

Community members can also take advantage of the Outdoor Pursuits kayaking programs Thursday nights.

“We like to kayak,” said two-year community members Don and Jamie Wycoff. “There is a pool available to us for free, while other public pools cost a lot. It costs us only $6 to kayak. It’s a good opportunity to meet people and go out kayaking to the river with.”

They also said they see at least twenty students, more women than men, participate in kayaking every Thursday night. It is not offered on the last Thursday of every month, which is when slacklining is held.

Kayaking and slacklining are just a small part of a much wider Outdoor Pursuits program. They also offer rock climbing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and various hiking, skiing and snowboarding trips.

Outdoor Pursuits also offers Free Friday programs, which are accessible to all students.

“We want to get students introduced to free, fun and different recreational activities without the stress of having (to pay),” Goodwin said. “There’s so much potential for any student who becomes involved.”

Sanchez previously attended a trip with Outdoor Pursuits.

“I love snowboarding. I’ve always been outdoorsy, so this is my thing,” she said.

Outdoor Pursuits said the organization hopes to get wind-surfers soon to add to their programs.