Name, image, opportunity

By Justin Jenks
The Today

The NCAA has made many changes to its policies throughout COVID. One of its changes, and perhaps the most important to date, is the Name Image and Likeness (NIL) policy. This policy will have a drastic impact on not only the student athletes competing in collegiate sports but also the NCAA itself. 

The NIL allows student athletes to make money off their image. They can now have sponsorships that help support them financially. Student athletes across the nation have been wanting this implemented for a very long time.

A case study 

Sponsorships before the NIL were deemed a breach of eligibility. That meant that if an athlete was caught accepting money for promoting a product, they would be suspended from playing sports. This has impacted many athletes in the past, notably Reggie Bush.

He was a running back that competed at the University of Southern California (USC) and was drafted second overall by the New Orleans Saints in 2006. During his career at USC, he claimed two All-American honors and the Heisman Trophy. 

A year after Bush left the university, allegations showed up saying that he received improper benefits. This led to an NCAA investigation where they ended up imposing sanctions on USC and suspended them from the playoffs for the next two years. USC also had to give up their 2004 national championship.

Bush decided to voluntarily return his Heisman Trophy and went on to have a successful career in the NFL.

When the NIL was introduced in August of 202, there was an outcry from people begging the NCAA to return Bush’s Heisman to him. The NCAA declined. 

New opportunities

With the NIL now in place, many student athletes have had success with finding sponsorships for their sport and are eager for the future of the NCAA.

One of those athletes is CSU Pueblo’s Nate Miller, a senior track star. Miller competes in the throwing events such as shot put, discus and hammer. He has recently been sponsored by Velaasa, a weightlifting brand that just recently started making throwing shoes. 

“I have been throwing in Velaasa shoes for two years now and it is nice to be sponsored by them,” Miller said. 

With his sponsorship came a lot of questions that were left unanswered. 

“At first I didn’t know if I was able to promote Velaasa while I was competing for CSU Pueblo,” he said. “I wanted to make sure that if I promoted Velaasa in a CSU Pueblo uniform that it would not breach my eligibility.” 

Miller never got an answer about that topic. With the NIL being as new as it is, it is still in its early development phase. The only rules that have been specifically laid out is the fact that students can not have sponsorships by alcohol or tobacco companies. 

Despite not having the answers Miller was looking for, he is excited to compete for CSU Pueblo and is ready to promote Velaasa in any way possible.

Miller is grateful for the impact the NIL has already had on his life and is excited about the future of the policy moving forward. He wishes every college athlete has as much success as he has in finding a sponsor that will treat them fairly and give them opportunities that they did not have previously.

“I think it is about time that us college athletes get the recognition we deserve,” he said.  “For years we have been ‘working’ for free and I am glad that I am finally able to be compensated for my athletic abilities.”

Impact in flux

Perhaps the biggest question surrounding the NIL is recruitment: How will this affect college recruiting? CSU Pueblo Throwing Coach Scott Murray has an idea. 

“I think it will make it a lot harder for [Division] 2 and D3 schools to recruit good athletes. Everyone wants to make the most money possible, and the best chance of doing that is going to a big D1 school,” Scott explained. “Those big schools get the most funding and the most attention nationwide, so trying to build your brand would be the easiest at those schools.” 

Despite this, Murray remains hopeful that people will still want to come to the smaller schools if their programs are better than those big Division 1 schools. 

“It will definitely make recruiting harder, but our track program is one of the best in the nation and I believe that will help us get the good athletes that we need to continue to let this program thrive,” Murry continued. 

CSU Pueblo’s head Track coach Matt Morris weighed in. 

“I think this is the best thing to happen in college sports to this day,” he proclaimed about the NIL. “It is good to see the kids that I coach everyday get rewarded for their hard work and determination to their sport.” 

Morris was very excited to share the news with his athletes when he found out about the decision to let them have sponsorships. With that came some ground rules.  

“Obviously the first thing I told them is to not let their sponsorship get in the way of our sport,” he said. “If we have practice and you need to do a photo shoot or something for your sponsor, wait until after practice to do so.” 

The NIL will bring about great change to college athletics. While there is still a lot of progress to be made, athletes and coaches alike are eagerly waiting to see what this will bring in the future. Until then, they will be grateful for the changes and prepare for their upcoming season.

The post NCAA policy change opens sponsorship doors for student athletes first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

“Our broadcasters have been a constant driving force at the station and I’m grateful to see their hard work being recognized on a global level.” — Rev 89 Station Manager and Faculty Advisor Jenna Lovato

By Regan Foster
The Today

The Revolution has once again lived up to its name.

The CSU Pueblo college radio station, more commonly known as Rev 89, was one of just 10 college stations from around the globe to earn the coveted Spirit of College Radio Award. The honor is presented, “in recognition of truly outstanding and spirited efforts made by college radio stations on World College Radio Day,” according to the World College Radio Day website.

“We are so honored to receive the Spirit of College Radio Awards for 2021,” Station Manager and Rev Faculty Advisor Jenna Lovato said in a statement. “I’m incredibly proud of our student broadcasters being a living representation of this year’s theme for World College Radio Day, ‘In Tough Times, We Thrive.’”

More than 600 stations from across the globe threw their frequencies into the ring for consideration. A College Radio Day Task Force voted on the honorees, with an eye toward “[shining] a spotlight on stations that not only go above and beyond to celebrate the annual CRD event, but also embody the passion and mission of college radio,” the radio day website reported.

“Every year, across the country, so many stations join together to showcase the talents and accomplishments of college radio,” College Radio Day past-president Sean McDonald (2016) said in a statement on the website. “These stations took it to the next level.”

Of the 10 global winners, seven are from the U.S., one broadcasts from Coast Rica, one is based in Greece and one is in Philippines.

This is the first time in the 12-year history of the honor that the Rev has won, Lovato said.

“Our broadcasters have been a constant driving force at the station and I’m grateful to see their hard work being recognized on a global level,” she said.

World College Radio Day was Oct. 1. The other honorees were:

• Aggie Radio 92.3 KBLU LP Logan: Utah State University (Logan, Utah)
• RADIO-E: Universidad de Costa Rica (Costa Rica)
• UPFM: University of Patras Radio (Greece)
• UST Tiger Radio: University of Santo Tomas (Philippines)
• WKNC 88.1 HD-1/HD-2: North Carolina State University (Raleigh, North Carolina)
• WLMC Landmark College Radio: Landmark College (Putney, Vermont)
• WMSC 90.3 FM: Montclair State University (Montclair, New Jersey)
• WOLF Radio: University of West Georgia (Carrollton, Georgia)
• WWSU 106.9 FM: Wright State University (Dayton, Ohio).

 **See related content: Rev 89 is number one in the nation **
** CSU Pueblo’s radio station ranks nationally **

The post Rev 89 earns international accolades first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

As managing editor, I am acutely aware of every penny we bring in and that which we send out; as faculty advisor and professor, I want nothing more than to provide our amazing students with even more opportunities to grow the formidable skill sets they will need to be the next generation of great newsroom leaders.

By Regan Foster
Faculty advisor

I’ve never been particularly good at asking for help.

Let me rephrase that: I’ve never been particularly good at asking for financial help. I spent 18 years in newsrooms across the country; I can pester a source for information until I’m blue in the face.

But asking someone to pony up their hard-earned cash is anathema to me. Nonetheless, that’s what I’m doing today.

HOW TO HELP:
To learn more about the Colorado Media Project’s #newsCOneeds matching grant opportunity, or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit www.thisisnewsconeeds.com.

First, a little context: Four months ago, I met for the first time with a small-but-scrappy team of six student journalists and four senior staff members to talk about resurrecting and operating a print edition of Colorado State University Pueblo’s 50-year-old student newspaper. Like so many other things, The Today had been a victim of the pandemic and economic downturn and, through no fault of the paper or its prior staff, turned to a digital-only product to stay alive and cut costs.

Now there I was, a first-time faculty advisor in my first year as a full-time professor, facing the uphill battle of not only generating noteworthy content but completely redesigning and relaunching a print publication that would interest both the campus community and the larger Pueblo audience.

I told the students we must deliver a product worthy of the printing bill. They not only heeded the call, they exceeded even my standards.

In their first edition, the Today team produced a multi-piece retrospective on the 20^th anniversary of Sept. 11 and America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. In their final editions, they delivered a gut-wrenching one-two punch, looking first at the history of food insecurity in the Steel City and then offering a very personal tale of one student-athlete’s journey after a career-ending injury.

In between, they:

• Tackled the hardest of hard news;
• Took a team-building trip to one of Southern Colorado’s most iconic destinations;
• Got fully credentialed to attend and report on one of the nation’s largest comic and pop culture conventions;
• Donned their media passes to interview stars at PackFest and to be on the ThunderBowl sidelines for Pack football; and
• Took thousands of award-worthy pictures.

They delivered real-time election-night coverage, in print and online, that rivaled any in the region. They interviewed candidates, attended watch parties and asked some really tough questions to our community’s top elected official.

These students stepped up, stepped out of their comfort zones and, frankly, kicked butt. Our band grew, with volunteer writers wanting to know how they could contribute and a world-class illustrator joining the team. Each edition got better, and I got prouder. I can’t wait to see what the new semester, under the leadership of yet another fearless and gifted editor-in-chief, will bring.

But here’s the rub: Each edition of our information-filled student newspaper comes with a price tag. The Today’s senior staff members are paid a stipend for their work (we’ll be growing by at least one paid position this spring); and as much as we appreciate the incredible support and mentorship of our friends at the local press, they didn’t run 4,200 copies of the paper for free.

Everything from our reporters’ notebooks, pens and AP Stylebooks to new digital equipment has to be budgeted, and we have line items for things like our newly re-established membership with the Colorado Press Association.

As managing editor, I am acutely aware of every penny we bring in and that which we send out; as faculty advisor and professor, I want nothing more than to provide our amazing students with even more opportunities to grow the formidable skill sets they will need to be the next generation of great newsroom leaders.

We can do it — and I assure you we will — but we need your help.

In September, The Today was welcomed into the prestigious Colorado Media Project (CMP), a collaborative of newsrooms from across the state geared at creating and sharing content of critical importance to Coloradans’ health and wellbeing. We are the only college newsroom to be credentialed as a fully fledged news outlet, and with that we are positioned to work alongside the likes of the Colorado Sun, NewsLine and our friends and distinguished alumni at The Pueblo Chieftain.

That in and of itself is huge, but we were also accepted into the the #NewsCONeeds class of 2021. We were one of 26 newsrooms from across the state selected to participate in this matching-grant challenge that aims to raise more than a quarter-million dollars in tax-deductible donations for local journalism.

For our part, we are shooting for $5,000 in donations of $999 or less by the end of December. If we can hit that mark, we will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by CMP’s underwriters, including the venerable Rose Community Foundation.

That $10,000 total would be an absolute game changer for The Today, as it would pay the entirety of our salary and printing costs for the duration of the calendar year. That means all additional grant, underwriting and other revenues would go straight back to student enrichment, such as:

• Sending our team to Colorado Press Association or Society of Professional Journalists conventions;
• Investing in new equipment and training, like podcast-worthy mobile recorders or user-friendly video cameras;
• Developing a guest-speaker series wherein students could hear from industry experts who aren’t their (boring) professor;
• Growing our product, both in terms of size and in terms of frequency of distribution

If 200 boosters were to pledge one week’s worth of 16-ounce lattes (roughly $25 at your local drive-through caffeine hut), we would be at our goal and our students would benefit greatly!

Now, I know $5,000 seems daunting, but here’s another way to look at it: In lattes. (I’m a journalist, I think of everything in terms of the opportunity costs of caffeine.)

If 200 boosters were to pledge one week’s worth of 16-ounce lattes (roughly $25 at your local drive-through caffeine hut), we would be at our goal and our students would benefit greatly! Sure, you may be a bit more sleepy in the afternoon than you otherwise would, but it’s a small price to pay. And let’s be honest, there’s still that boring old drip-brew coffee maker in the corner.

Plus, all donations are tax-deductible, so if you’re still looking for a place for those end-of-year charitable donations, here’s your chance. To learn more, or to make a donation, visit www.thisisnewsconeeds.com/.

Please be sure to mention the CSU Pueblo Today in the comment section, and thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your generosity will enhance our students’ education and, in turn, rewrite the future of journalism.

Regan Foster is the CSU Pueblo Today faculty advisor and a lecturer of journalism in the Media Communication Department. 

The post Opinion: Help us shape the future of journalism first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

For the past 15 years, I have dedicated myself to the research and practice of serving the underserved.” — Prof. Alegría Ribadeneira

The face of joy

Dr. Alegría Ribadeneira is a full professor of Spanish and director of world languages at Colorado State University Pueblo. Ribadeneira actively researches and presents on issues of language instruction, assessment and program development focusing on heritage and second-language learners in mixed classrooms.

She was born and raised in Ecuador and was encouraged to develop her superpower of bilingualism at a very young age. Her father brought her and her siblings to the U.S. to have greater access to advanced education and to further their linguistic abilities.

Earlier this semester, Ribadeneira was awarded the Distinguished University Professor Award from the president of Colorado State University Pueblo, Dr. Timothy Mottet. This is the highest award a professor can earn at the university, and Ribadeneria is the second award recipient since the honor was introduced. 

She presented a seminar on best practices for reaching all students Nov. 10. Ribadeneria “has tailored her teaching methods to inspire students from a variety of countries who speak a multitude of languages,” according to a university press release.

“Alegria is a teacher scholar; she enriches her teaching and the student experience by incorporating her research process into her instruction activities,” Mottet said in the release. “Her research-infused teaching methods can now be shared with her colleagues and community members to better serve and engage students, especially those who come from diverse backgrounds.”

Her students are, without a doubt, the beneficiaries of her talent and love. They have said that she cares for every single individual who she meets and she sees the potential in all. 

Additionally, Ribadeneria has been on the forefront of making language, culture and everything in between fiscally attainable. She creates all the textbook content in her spare time so her students do not need to spend unnecessary amounts of money on their studies. She also creates a program specially designed for each and every student with a wide range of classes that range from well being and studying the history of the Spanish-speaking world to cooking and film.  

“When I was fresh out of grad school and came to teach at CSU Pueblo, I quickly realized that much of what I had learned about being a teacher did not apply to our student population,” Ribadeneria said per the university press release. “For the past 15 years, I have dedicated myself to the research and practice of serving the underserved, and I can’t wait to share some of the lessons I have learned!”

Her recognitions include the 2020-21 Students’ Choice Award Winner for Faculty and the 2020 International Individual Educator Award for Excellence.

But it’s the students’ responses that show the true extent of her impact. In December of 2020, after a tough fully online semester in the midst of COVID, all students in her class held up notes of appreciation for all the work she does.

If you have any questions regarding the World Languages Program here at CSU Pueblo, contact the professor at alegria.ribadeneira@csupueblo.edu.

** See related content: Faculty Friday: Steve Henson **
** Varlea brings servent’s heart to campus vets, community **

The post For Prof. Ribadeneira, teaching is a labor of love first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

Beat the finals-week blues

By Alorah Saldana-Vigil

Finals week is quickly approaching and so are those deadlines! 

It is very easy to quickly be consumed in course work and studying, but it’s also important to take care of your mental and physical health. The cliche of college finals week consists of slamming mug after mug of coffee while throwing in a shot of espresso to help with the midday crash, but what if there were some healthier ways to cope with stress? 

Here are some tips to help you during one of the most stressful weeks of the year: 

• When studying, make sure you are in a well-ventilated area and take deep breaths every so often, especially if you are feeling frustrated. This will allow oxygen to your brain to help with absorbing content. Also, chewing some gum and staying hydrated helps you focus and stay on topic. 
• Stay organized by using a planner or writing all your assignments out and completing each one with a check mark. This is a great way to get ahead and lead with clarity, and it’s an easy task if you are a visual person and love to see things get checked off the list. 
• Make sure to use all of the resources given to you by your professor, as well as many of the resources around campus, such as writing labs. 
• Listen to some non-lyrical music to help absorb content and make studying a lot more bearable. 
• Do not procrastinate! Doing so will only set you more behind and more stressed out! Avoid that by being proactive, even if it is just a quick study session. 
• Above anything else, make sure you have a support system, whether that is your family, a pet or even an inanimate object on your desk you repeatedly talk to during your most frustrating scholarly moments. 

All of this studying time will soon pay off, and just remember that this too shall pass. 

The post Our tips for managing the pressure of final exams first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

We have these dreams and goals that we prioritize so much that everything else fades into the background until it becomes non-existent. 

Dreams Cut Short

By Cal Neubert

Student athletes live a hard life. 

If you read that first line and shook your head in disbelief, then you do not know what they have to go through or how much their sport means to them. How much hard work it takes; the constant beating of your own mind, body and soul to try to compete at the highest level possible. So, speaking as a former student athlete here at Colorado State University Pueblo, I’d like to share with you a short story.

When I was growing up I played little league sports like many of you. I picked basketball because I come from a family of basketball players. However, when middle school came around, I took a liking to football. I tried out and at the very moment I put the helmet and shoulder pads on, it was like love at first sight. 

Until the 10th grade, I played it as a game, never took it too seriously and just thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my friends. Then, during the spring semester of my sophomore year in high school, my dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. I began to spiral out of control mentally and honestly had nothing to fall back on, except for the sport of football. 

I ended up putting all of my time and effort into the sport and grew about three sizes. (Seriously, in one summer I went from being 6’2” and 220 pounds to 6’7” and 315.) 

The point was that during that extremely horrendous point in time for my family and I, we all had stuff we threw ourselves into to ease the pain. I spent every morning in the gym or on the field trying to perfect my craft, trying to think about anything else. Trying to take the anger out on something. 

And it worked. 

My love for football turned into something more. Almost an obsession. Something to survive. A drug to stop the constant anxiety attacks and depression. 

And while I threw my entire soul into the sport, my dad got better. 

He beat cancer and I ended up receiving nine Division 2 scholarship offers. My family celebrated, as it seemed our bad luck had ended. 

My dad understood the feeling of obsession with a sport. He grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. His life was hard and the only thing he had was basketball. 

Every single day that he spent shoveling six feet of snow just to shoot hoops paid off when he got a scholarship to the University of Nebraska. He played for about three years and then tried out for the football team. 

After a year he was drafted by the New York Jets and played in the NFL for a few years before having his career cut short due to broken disks in his back.

So, yeah, he understood the feeling and he came with me to every official visit I had.

My senior year of high school, I had my first fight with an injury — a left shoulder posterior labrum tear. It hurt, but wouldn’t stop me from playing, and I got the surgery to repair the tear after the season. 

When my freshman year of college rolled around, I tore my right one, got the surgery and knew I’d be back the next fall. But that’s when things got really complicated.

During fall camp of my sophomore year, I felt an insane series of pops in my left shoulder. I was down for a second and my trainer Devin Hart came to check on me. 

I told him: “Oh, it’s fine. It’s another labrum thing, I’m good.” 

So, I took off a couple drills and headed back in there for team play. And when our quarterback hiked the ball, and my hands shot up into my opponent, I noticed only my right arm was up. My left arm didn’t move. I tried again next play, but the same thing happened. 

Afterwards, I told Hart and he believed it may be something nerve related.

And so began the end of it all. For the following two years, I went to doctor after doctor, specialist after specialist, and had test after test done. I had been shocked, stabbed, pinched and x-rayed but to no avail. Not a single person had an answer for me.

It finally became clear that I was not going to be able to continue my passion of playing football. I now had to worry about my future and whether I could do something simple like put my arm over my head or even play catch.

Going into head coach John Wristen’s office and crying as I told him was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. And when I got into my car, I was hit with a feeling of disgust. I was anxious and alone, depressed and empty. I felt as though I had nothing.

I dedicated my life to football. I felt as though I was built for it. I didn’t care about school and had no other passions, so I was left with nothing. I had no answers as to where to go next, but I still had some nerves in my arm that were very pissed off. 

That’s how it goes for some unfortunate student athletes. We have these dreams and goals that we prioritize so much that everything else fades into the background until it becomes non-existent. 

And when the thing you love the most in this world is stripped away from you in a matter of moments, it can be truly hard to find yourself again.

However, as time passes, you begin to realize that there is more to life than the sport you play. It took me a full semester of anxiety, depression and a lack of motivation to eventually realize that I enjoy writing. 

I became so passionate about writing that I changed my major to media comm with an emphasis in journalism so I could keep writing. I’m finishing up a book now, too, that I will attempt to get published. 

The point is that the world is your playground. And although some dreams are cut short, there are other opportunities and experiences out there waiting. You just have to learn how to let go of one thing and allow yourself to connect with another. You can do anything you want to; you just have to try. 

** Related content: Pack football tops rival in double OT thriller **

The post The inner battle of an ex-student athlete first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

“Colorado Promise means that the cost of tuition should not be the reason any student decides a four-year degree is not for them.” — Chrissy Holliday, CSU Pueblo vice president of enrollment management, communication and student affairs

By Regan Foster

A pair of scholarship and housing initiatives announced Wednesday should help break down the cost barrier for some students wanting to attend Colorado State University Pueblo.

Dubbed the Colorado Promise, the scholarship program is slated to offer free tuition to in-state students whose annual family earnings total no more than $50,000. The scholarship assistance requires full-time enrollment and is guaranteed for at least one year, but can be extended to up to four, as long as the recipient student maintains eligibility.

“CSU Pueblo knows that college is an investment for our students and their families, and this new scholarship program is our investment in the future of Colorado residents,” Chrissy Holliday, vice president of enrollment management, communication and student affairs, said in a statement. “Colorado Promise means that the cost of tuition should not be the reason any student decides a four-year degree is not for them.”

To receive the tuition support, a student must:

• Be a Colorado resident;
• Have a total gross family income of $50,00 or less;
• Be a full-time, first-time undergraduate student pursuing their first bachelor’s degree; and
• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by June 1 in order to qualify for the fall 2022 semester.

The promise scholarship program is expected to pick up the remainder of the student’s in-state tuition costs after all state, federal and institutional grant and scholarships have been awarded.

During the 2020-21 academic year, a full-time student carrying a 15-hour academic load could expect to spend $10,664 on tuition and fees, according to the Student Financial Services webpage. That did not include housing and meals, books and supplies, transportation or other expenses.

“CSU Pueblo is doing what it takes to become the people’s university that we promised to become as part of our visioning process,” Holliday said in the statement. “That means putting college within reach for Colorado residents and making sure the opportunity to earn a university degree isn’t reserved for the wealthy.

“More than 90 percent of our students receive financial assistance to attend college, so the work to make college more affordable isn’t new to us. Colorado Promise is our latest effort to make sure Colorado families know the opportunities available for their students.”

Concurrent with the new scholarship program, the university on Wednesday unveiled a housing initiative for some scholarship-qualified students.

Starting in Fall 2022, the university will offer free on-campus housing for a year to students from Las Animas, Alamosa, Otero, Crowley, Bent, Prowers, Baca, Huerfano, Custer, Costilla, Fremont, Pueblo and El Paso counties. Students from Southern Colorado often choose to commute to campus in order to save on housing costs, according to a press release. But, the release indicated, research has shown that students who live on campus tend to have stronger academic outcomes.

The housing offer is designed to cover $4,950 per year cost of a triple-room rate, but it can be applied to other on-campus housing if a student opts to upgrade. It will be limited to the first 150 eligible students who accept the award and make their enrollment deposits and housing applications by July 1.

For more information, check out the Colorado Promise page on the CSU Pueblo website.

The post Scholarship, housing program makes big Promise to low-income students first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

In September, we were honored to be accepted into the prestigious Colorado Media Project, a coalition of local news producers and nonprofit content creators dedicated to providing consumers with that critical news they need. 

By Regan Foster
The Today faculty advisor

Hello, dear Today readers. 

It’s hard to believe another semester, another year, has come and gone. It feels as though we blinked and seven hard copies – and thousands of words – of papers have made it out the door. 

In the course of our semester, we covered the November election (before, during and after Nov. 2), attended candidate forums and government meetings, covered intense breaking news more often than I would ever have dared imagine, cheered our Pack athletes through triumphs and tragedies, and even took in the iconic State Fair duck and pig races. (For the record, piggies can be persuaded to run around a short track for chocolate sandwich cookies – something with which I personally can relate.)

In November we hosted an event to pardon a turkey. (Thanks, President Mottet!)

We did all this because it is the media’s job. There is a coveted role that news outlets play in a community, which is the task of serving as its watchdog. 

We know, and copious amounts of research has shown, that communities that have a reliable, regular source of in-depth news and analysis are fiscally, culturally and governmentally healthier than those that, well, don’t. Simply put, democracy depends on local news.

If people don’t have that reliable source of local news, fewer candidates make bids for local office, political polarization increases, government is held less accountable and, in turn, local economy can decline. 

So that’s why we do what we do. It’s all for you. 

And on behalf of the Today team, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for your support these past several weeks. Whether you’ve picked up the paper and read our work, found our pieces online, shared our stories through social media, contacted us with story ideas or just dropped us a note encouraging our student staff to keep up the great work, you have given us the fuel to keep on track. 

On CSU Pueblo Give Day, you exceeded our expectations — and personal goals — by donating more than $3,000 to help us keep the presses running. 

Now we’re asking for one more show of support. In September, we were honored to be accepted into the prestigious Colorado Media Project, a coalition of local news producers and nonprofit content creators dedicated to providing consumers with that critical news they need. 

In addition to the incredible honor of being accepted as a fully credentialed newsroom, we were accepted into the #newsCOneeds cohort. This is a fundraiser that could be a game-changer for The Today, as the first $5,000 in small-dollar donations would be matched by CMP and its underwriters. 

That would not only cover our printing costs for the year, but our staffing expenses as well. That means any underwriting, grant or other revenues would be dedicated to things like conventions, seminars, equipment upgrades and other educational enhancements. 

Like I said, a game changer. 

To learn more about the #newsCOneeds grant, or to make a tax-deductible donation to The Today, visit www.thisisnewsconeeds.com.

The post Opinion: Proud to be #newsCOneeds first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

By Bill Redmond-Palmer

November is Native American Heritage Month, and in its honor we consider facets of education — past, present and future — as it relates to Native American, American-Indian and Alaska Native peoples. 

Past

In 1634, the English Province of the Society of Jesus opened the first European-style school dedicated to the education of Native Americans in Maryland, whose purpose was, as it was described to a tribal chief, “to extend civilization and instruction to his ignorant race and show them the way to heaven.” Other schools followed through the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the 1800s, politicians pursued policies intended to “civilize” and assimilate Native Americans into European-American culture. They believed assimilation would allow Natives to best survive conflicts arising from European-Americans usurping their territories. The Civilization Fund Act of 1819 provided the first government funding, mostly to religious missionaries, to set up schools to educate Native children. 

As tribes were pushed further west by settlers, and eventually forced onto reservations, government treaties included promises of education. These promises, bolstered by the belief that assimilation was essential, prompted the government to create American Indian Boarding Schools and Indian Day Schools on reservations. Under the management of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the system eventually included as many as 350 federally funded schools.

Charged with “guarding against the further decline and final extinction of the Indian tribes, adjoining the frontier settlements of the United States, [and] introducing among them the habits and arts of civilization,” per the Civilization Fund Act, the schools drastically altered students’ lives. Boys were forced to cut their hair short, something considered shameful to some tribes, students were assigned English names and speaking their tribal languages was a punishable offense. No expression or practice of their tribal cultures was allowed, and church attendance was mandatory.

Often children were boarded far from their families, and parents had no right to refuse attendance. Some students were allowed to visit family during the summer months, while other students were boarded year-round. Most were unable to communicate with their families while at school.

While some schools required uniforms, other children reported they were provided only the bare necessities in shoes and clothing; one set for Sunday, and another for the rest of the week. Many students were fed the same meals most every day, year-round. Students also served as cheap farm and manual labor, and corporal punishment was common at BIA schools, sometimes turning into documented abuse.

In the late 1960s the U.S. government took steps to provide tribes more self-determination, including replacing the boards of AIB schools with members of their communities. The number of schools and enrollment, however, continued to increase, and by 1973, an estimated 60,000 Native American children were enrolled in BIA schools. 

In 1978 the federal government passed the Indian Child Welfare Act giving Native American parents the right to refuse their child’s placement into a school. Many of the larger schools closed by the 1990s, and by 2007 enrollment had declined to 9,500. Today, 15 boarding schools and 58 day schools still operate, though funding has greatly decreased.

Some government Indian schools in Canada made news recently, after more than 1,300 children’s graves were discovered on their grounds. This news had the unexpected benefit of making people in the U.S. more aware of the existence of these schools. 

Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American Secretary of the Interior, in response to the attention, announced a Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, tasked with reviewing “the troubled legacy of federal boarding school policies.” Part of that review will attempt to assess the scope of the number and, where possible, the identities of children buried at American Indian Boarding Schools across the U.S. 

It is unknown how many children may be buried on the sites of former U.S. schools; however, one researcher, Preston McBride, estimates that the number of graves to be potentially as high as 40,000.

While the intent of these schools may have been at one point nobly inspired, many Native American people consider them to have been tools of cultural genocide. In 2009, the U.S. Congress passed a joint resolution apologizing to Native American families for, “The forcible removal of Native children from their families to far away boarding schools where their Native practices and language were degraded and forbidden.” 

If you go: 

Who: Center for International Programs and Inclusive Excellence
What: An evening of traditional dance and drumming
When: 5 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Occhiato Student Center
Info: The presentation, in celebration of Native American Heritage Month, will feature information from members of the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Tribe, a Pueblo people who lived along the Rio Grande River Valley in Las Cruces, New Mexico. For more information contact Victoria Ruiz at (719) 549-2210 or Victoria.ruiz@csupueblo.edu.

Present

In Colorado, a unique college with a unique history exists at Fort Lewis College in Durango. Any enrolled member of an American Indian Tribal Nation or Alaska Native Village recognized by the United States government, or the child or grandchild of an enrolled member, may be eligible to attend Fort Lewis tuition free. No other institution in the U.S. has this opportunity. 

This stems from the college’s unusual history. The land Fort Lewis was built on was initially a U.S. Army post, which was decommissioned in 1891. The site was then converted to house a federal off-reservation American Indian Boarding School. 

In 1911, when ownership of the school and its surrounding 362 acres of land was transferred to the state of Colorado, it came with the requirement that the site house an educational institution that would not charge tuition for Native American students. 

Today, about 45 percent of its students are Native American or Alaska Native, representing 185 nations, tribes and villages. Fort Lewis also hosts numerous clubs, programs and other opportunities intended to create a welcoming and nurturing space for Native American students.

The benefits offered by Fort Lewis are the exception, however, not the rule; and Native American enrollment in all Colorado higher education institutions overall is low. While none offer fully free tuition, at least two schools, Colorado State University Fort Collins and University of Colorado Boulder, have policies granting in-state tuition rates to some tribal citizens and their descendants, as well as programs to recruit and retain them.

According to the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs, there are 48 tribal nations with a history based in Colorado. Today, only two tribes remain in the state, the Ute and the Mountain Ute. 

To help remedy this, the Colorado state assembly passed legislation with bipartisan support in 2021 that requires all public universities to offer in-state tuition classification to any students who are members of one of those 48 tribal nations. The Colorado Opportunity Fund aid provided to residents will also be available to those students to reduce their tuition costs.

Future

Currently, the recruitment, retention, education and program support for Native American students at Colorado State University Pueblo are limited. To help remedy this, steps are being taken to shape how CSU Pueblo interacts with tribal communities, potential Native American students and the current faculty, staff and student community.

A new Land Acknowledgment Committee has been formed under the auspices of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, a part of the Center for International Programs and Inclusive Excellence. The goal of the committee, according to Victoria Obregon, director of that office, is to develop policies and practices, “as a way for this university to honor the indigenous peoples whose lands we occupy.” 

Membership on the committee is open to all interested students, staff and faculty; it meets at 4 p.m. on Thursdays in room 104 of the Occhiato Student Center. 

The potential policy recommendations the committee will consider include making Native presenters feel more welcome on campus; opportunities to attract, support and make welcome Native American students; land, plant and animal stewardship; stewardship of Native American artifacts under university control; cultural educational opportunities for all students, staff and faculty; and ways to enhance existing curriculum and develop new curriculum. 

For more information about the committee contact Obregon at (719) 549-2402 or Victoria.obregon@csupueblo.edu.

The post Special report: Native-American education, past, present and future first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.

Humankind steps in to feed its people

By Natashia Gebre-Zion

During the 1960s, the Brown Berets stood by Cesar Chavez to protest better working conditions. A Puebloan identified as Mrs. Garcia would drive every day from Salt Creek to Colorado Springs and Denver to make sure those demonstrators were given a warm meal. 

Despite living just miles from the heart of Colorado’s agricultural hub, Pueblo residents are experiencing food insecurities. According to FeedingAmerica.org, 19.1% of children in Pueblo are experiencing food insecurities, and 16% are ineligible for nutrition programs. 

Dr. Marissa Prince, who has a degree in psychology, said: “Food insecurity is experienced by more than 100,000 Colorado young people every day. This issue is not just about food, it is about the health and well-being of young people who are missing at least one meal a day and often going to bed hungry.”

People have called Pueblo poor, dangerous, outdated, even the Elephant Graveyard of Colorado; but despite all the negative labels, Pueblo citizens are known for being heroes.   

Mothers take action

In 1968, The Casa Verde Mothers came together after a young girl was hit by a cargo truck while riding her bike. The volunteer group wanted a better community for the children and neighbors in Pueblo. 

The Casa Verde Mothers consisted of Donna Herreram Mary Herrera, Lola Lovato, Prudencia Medina, Eva Montoya, Peggy Rodriguez, Bea Roybal, Josie Valdez and Helen Pacheco Young.

They held bake sales, huevo ranchero brunches on Sundays and businessman luncheons on Wednesday to make money. They would go and buy groceries for families who were experiencing food insecurities, said Carmen Arteaga, the daughter of original Casa Verde Mother Roybal. 

“Some of the families couldn’t pay their rent, and the ladies would use that money to pay their rent. But buying food was one of the things they would do,” Arteaga said. 

According to the National Education Association (NEA), “Missing meals and experiencing hunger impairs children’s development and achievements.”

“Food insecurity doesn’t stop at just being hungry. It impacts their present and future health and educational outcomes,” Dr. Prince said. 

“A lot of people don’t have access to fresh produce and things that they need, or they don’t have a car to get to the other side of town. … It’s not a single person problem, it’s a systemic problem.” — Megan Moore, Pueblo Food Project social media manager.

Mission on the road

Another group that worked side by side with the Case Verde Mothers were the Brown Berets. They encouraged Chicanos to walk out of school and fight for social injustice after experiencing discrimination in school.

“They were very instrumental in organizing against [Pueblo School District 60] to make a lot of educational reform,” Arteaga said. 

During the time of labor and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, the Brown Berets joined the Pueblo farm workers after they were not given proper working conditions. 

“The farm owners would spray the crops with pesticides, and the farm workers were breathing in all these toxins causing their children to be born with deformities,” Arteaga said. 

This encouraged The Brown Berets and farm workers to lead a protest  march from St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Pueblo to the Denver State Capital. The march took five to six days. 

In the midst of Pueblo experiencing food insecurity and farmers protesting, a Casa Verde Mother, Mrs. Garcia, would go home every day, make more than 100 burritos for the marchers and drive the burritos to them. 

“That was always a real inspiration to me. She did this on her own and she was just an amazing woman! She was just unselfish, and she just wanted to help the cause,” Arteaga said. 

“Food insecurity doesn’t stop at just being hungry. It impacts [students’] present and future health and educational outcomes.” — Dr. Marissa Prince

Fighting for the future

Women in Pueblo have long been an inspiration for change-makers. One of them is Monique Marez.

In January 2020, Marez began working with the Pueblo Food Project (PFP). The Pueblo Food Project is a community coalition dedicated to providing nutritious and equitable food systems in the Pueblo community. 

“Monique has great energy, she is intelligent. She is well versed in what she does. A lot of people appreciate getting to learn from her,” said Megan Moore, social media manager with PFP.

It’s no secret that Puebloans have different access when it comes to fresh, healthy food. 

“There is no grocery store on the East Side right now,” Moore said. “A lot of people don’t have access to fresh produce and things that they need, or they don’t have a car to get to the other side of town.

“It’s not a single person problem, it’s a systemic problem. … The point of the Pueblo Food Project is to close these gaps.”

Among the project’s goals is to bring more food from the county into the city. They plan on doing this by getting a food hub going. The food hub will transport food downtown, making it more accessible for those who take the bus. 

PFP has also created the Edible Food Project, an undertaking similar to a community garden, only the PFP plants food instead of flowers. Anyone is welcome and they have four locations: Central Plaza, Mineral Palace, Sister Cities Plaza and at the Pueblo Courthouse. 

From the fundraisers of the Casa Verde Mothers, to the educational reforms of the Brown Berets, to the community gardens of the Pueblo Food Project, Pueblo residents have always stood by their community’s side. 

The best way to be known as a leader in history, is to have the courage to do something right now. 

PFP welcomes everyone who is interested in helping with the Edible Food Project. They meet every fourth Wednesday of the month. For more information, please contact them at info@pueblofoodproject.org

** See related content: Inaugural food summit tackles tough questions about scarcity, sustainability **

The post SPECIAL REPORT: A history of food scarcity in Pueblo first appeared on CSU-Pueblo Today.