The fall 2014 issue of the CSU-Pueblo Today magazine was named Best Student Magazine at a recent student journalism competition.

The Today received the award during the April 25 Mark of Excellence luncheon at the Society of Professional Journalists’ Region 9 conference, held in Denver. The luncheon honored student journalists from throughout SPJ’s Region 9, which includes Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Other finalists in the Best Student Magazine competition included Horizon magazine from Colorado Mesa University and College Avenue Magazine from Colorado State University.

The judges selected the Today as best magazine “because it covered a wider variety of topics and people. It was fun to look at and to read the magazine.” The judges also noted that the Best Student Magazine competition was close this year, stating that it was a “(d)ifficult category to judge because all of the entries had a different focus. All entries were well-designed, with clean, consistent layouts.”

The award-winning CSU-Pueblo Today magazine can be viewed here: CSU-Pueblo TODAY – Fall 2014 Edition

Photo Gallery

Today videographers Ivan Dorcey and Dale Adade asked students on campus about Valentine’s Day.

CSU-Pueblo students on Valentine’s Day from CSU-Pueblo TODAY on Vimeo.

The Second City Hits Home

Submitted by Jodi Schlossberg and Katrica Everett-Miller

If you like laughing, classic comedy, Saturday Night Live, or just need a little chuckle, then you aren’t going to want to miss The Second City Thursday at CSU-Pueblo. The traveling group, Second City Hits Home, will perform Thursday at 7 p.m. in Hoag Hall, and the event is free for students.

According to the group’s website, Second City sketch comedy groups specialize in improvisation comedy,  which was originally a game created to expand on a performer’s stage presence and “on the spot” dialogue. It quickly became a favorite with younger audiences, and now Second City has groups that tour the states, and companies in Chicago and Toronto.

Second City has been delighting audiences for more than 50 years and has launched the careers of such comic geniuses as John Belushi, Bill Murray, Steve Carell, Amy Poehler, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Martin Short, John Candy, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Tina Fey and countless others.

The Second City shows consist of short scenes, songs, and improvised comedy sketches that have audiences crying with laughter.

Spending an evening with The Second City is something you won’t regret. The groundbreaking comedy group provides audiences with a chance to see the latest talent, hilarious satire, and improvisation. No topic or subject is off limits.

It’s possible that these talented people who perform Thursday will be on the big screen in the near future, so don’t miss your chance to see these amazing performers up close and personal before they get their big breaks.

Here is a little about the Second City Hits Home comedians who will be on stage at Hoag Hall Thursday.

Lisa Barber is a graduate of The Second City’s Conservatory and Writing program, Lisa has her own web series called “Growing Alice.”

Jo Feldman attended college in Israel and Chicago and became a Second City intern at 19.  Jo has toured with Second City and also performs with Sears Tower at the iO Theater and Mike Marunowski in Feldmanowski.

Julie Marchiano has toured with Second City Theatricals and performs with “Storytown,” “American Standard,” “That Just Happened” and “Gunner.” Check Julie out at www.juliemarchiano.com

Chucho Pérez has a rap group named “Handsome Naked” and also performs with Pimprov Friday nights.  You can follow Chucho on Twitter at @TheChuchoPerez

Nick Rees is a University of Missouri, Second City Conservatory and iO graduate.  Nick has performed with “The Playground” and at iO.

Adam Schreck graduated from Denison University.He is an ensemble member of The Second City Improv All-Stars and Go, Improv, Go as well as one half of the duo”Sweethearts.”

A young oriole gets fed by a volunteer at Pueblo’s Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Courtesy: Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

Anyone in the CSU-Pueblo community who would like to help local wildlife can do so by participating in the upcoming Second Chance Wildlife Third Annual Walk for Hope on Sunday, Sept. 15 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Nature and Raptor Center of Pueblo.

Individuals wanting to participate in the walk will pay a $25 donation. Walkers can choose to do the 3-mile walk or a 1.5-mile kids’ walk.

Everyone is welcome to check out the exhibits set up to benefit the wildlife center for free. Exhibits will include an arts and crafts sale, a silent auction, a bake sale, face painting and displays of local wildlife rehabilitation.

Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit specializing in the rehabilitation and release of injured and orphaned wildlife. The center is run solely on donations from the community and small grants.

These bats were rescued and rehabilitated at Pueblo’s Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Courtesy: Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

Operating costs for the center during the past year equaled $40,000, which helped to pay for electricity to run the warming lights and incubators, water for animal use and sanitation purposes, specialized species diets, veterinary/medical expenses for the animals and related costs to facilitate the healthy release of each animal.

To sign up for the Walk for Hope, contact Nancy Allen at 719-543-1946 or email secondchancewildlife@comcast.net.

Donations can also be sent to: Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, 2730 Colfax Ave., Pueblo, CO 81003 or made online through PayPal at secondchancewildlife.net. A PayPal account is not necessary to donate online.

The University Budget Board’s evaluation of all of Colorado State University- Pueblo’s administrative and academic departments was given to President Lesley Di Mare, who will make the final decisions concerning the university’s best budgetary plan. File photo.

The University Budget Board’s evaluation of all of Colorado State University- Pueblo’s administrative and academic departments was given to President Lesley Di Mare, who will make the final decisions concerning the university’s best budgetary plan.

The goal for this process is to enhance the financial capacity of the university’s programs while still retaining strength in these programs, according to the Program Review to Establish Priorities website.

To strengthen the productivity of the budget, all administrative programs and academic departments have been evaluated based on the effectiveness, relevance and relationship to the university’s mission, according to the PREP website. Any reductions, allocations or reallocations that will occur will be based upon thorough data analysis.

According to Dr. Rick Huff, the chairman of the University Budget Board, going into the process of evaluation there were no specific areas that were targeted to be cut. Dr. Huff said that the process was to be “purely as objective” as it can be, and that all programs and departments were evaluated on equal terms.

According to the PREP website, the first step of this process was establishing evaluative documents which were given to every program and department on campus during the spring semester of 2013. The forms examined the effectiveness and relevance of each program and department.

According to Logan Gogarty, former president of the Associated Students’ Government, there were different forms and criteria for each template of programs: instructional programs, academic support, student services and enrollment management, institutional support, operations and maintenance or self-supporting programs. The criteria on each template are essentially the same.

The criteria for the forms can be found on the PREP website under the document tab. For each criterion there is a scale of four to one, four being the best rating, while one being the worst.

The first criteria examined whether a program displayed a strong direct link to the university’s “mission, vision and strategic goals.” The second criteria examined which “quartile in terms of number of degrees awarded” the retention and graduation rates fit into.

Criteria three examined if jobs in the United States would have a strong demand for certain programs. Whether programs provided “general education and service courses” used by other majors was the emphasis for criteria four.

Criteria five is looking for assurances that all program and administrative faculty and staff are in possession “of terminal degrees in their discipline and that they possess years of experience in post-secondary and relevant non-academic work.”

The sixth criteria ensured that the programs have clear educational objectives that tie in with the university’s mission, internal and external constituencies’ needs and learning outcomes for graduates.

Criteria seven examined whether the “overall program costs per student averaged at or near the lowest cost quartile and that there was funding from varied sources such as fees, grants, endowments and donations,” according to the PREP website.

The evaluation forms have been completed by all the departments and programs and sent to President Di Mare. According to Dr. Huff, the president will make final decisions based on recommendations from the University Budget Board.

President Di Mare agreed to give an interview to the CSU-Pueblo Today staff about the budget story, but later requested the interview be given after May 6. According to the president, she would like to comment on any budget situation after the Board of Governors approved it. Photo courtesy of colostate-pueblo.edu

President Di Mare agreed to give an interview to the CSU-Pueblo Today staff about the budget story, but later requested the interview be given after May 6. According to the president, she would like to comment on any budget situation after the Board of Governors approved it.

“It would be better to interview me after May 6, as by then the Board of Governors would have posted their final decision on the upcoming year budget, and then I will be able to speak about it,” President Di Mare said.

Bruce Gifford, the interim dean of Student Services and Enrollment Management, supported Di Mare’s statement and said that until the Board of Governors approved the budget by May 6, she was not in the position of giving any statement.

“The president has to get her prepared budget approved from the Board of Governors, and once she hears their decision, then she can talk about it,” Gifford said.

Vanessa Emerson, the newly elected president of the Associated Students’ Government at CSU – Pueblo, believed that President Di Mare has definitely worked very hard in order to be as fair as possible with this budget.

“I know that our president has put a lot of thought into the new budget and I am extremely pleased with the fact that she has reached out to every department in order to make a well-developed decision,” Emerson said. “It will be interesting to see the final result.”