By HELEN GRIFFITHS

The Independent Student Newspaper of Colorado CollegeVol. 46, No. 20 April 1, 2016

THE CATALYST

Opinion Sports & Active Life Life

The Flaws of ConstitutionalLiteralism

Inconsistency at CC

Direct interpretation is invalid and also a disservice, page 14

Colorado College is failing stu-dents by micro-managing meal plans and housing, page 15

News

Panel Discusses Water ConservationMultiple perspectives on Colorado’s water issues, page 4

Booty-Shakin’ Hockey Team Claims First

The CC Cycling Team

Men’s hockey wins the Dougie cup in the Show of Talents, page 7

Racing, recreation, and everything in between, page 9

Jaiel Mitchell’s Journey in CC Performing ArtsSociology major navigates being a WOC in the arts, page 13

10 Questions

Mitch Gardzalla, Assistant Direc-tor of the Adam F. Press Fitness Center, talks about his history in exercise � tness, page 6

catalystnewspaper.comFacebook: /CatalystNews

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Find us online at:

Photo by Phillip Engh.

A range of alcoholic bev-

erages from Weber Street

Liquor. CC students in-

dulge in libations varying

from IPAs to hard alcohol

such as Fireball.

Photos by Greg Williamson. Several students hit the Preserve slopes during the unexpected spring snowstorm that started the night of March 26.

Science of Substances Talk Provides Students With New Perspectives

By CLARE ENDE

On March 25, Colorado College

students spent their afternoon sort-

ing trash on the quad outside the

Worner Center. While sorting trash

may not be an enjoyable activity,

it revealed important information

about CC’s trash output and neces-

sary steps the school needs to take

to reduce campus waste.

Trash Peak arose from a desire

to see how much land� ll waste CC

created in a day, and how much

of that should have been recycled

or composted. With recycling and

compost bins all over campus and

detailed labels displaying what

items go in each bin, it may seem

obvious that people would cor-

rectly dispose of trash, recycling,

and compost. However, the results

of Trash Peak showed the contrary.

CC’s environmental club EnAct

sponsored the event, and students

were encouraged to come and

volunteer to sort through waste.

Sophomore Sabrina Heitmann,

co-chair of Enact, helped organize

and facilitate the whole event. She

collaborated with Sodexo Super-

visor Tom Allen and Landscape

and Grounds Supervisor Josh Or-

tiz, who helped her identify which

people and organizations on cam-

pus she should contact.

� e � rst time students sorted

through the college’s trash was

four years ago, and many stu-

dents thought it was about time to

have another event to analyze the

school’s waste.

“We wanted to bring this back

because we think it’s a really im-

portant issue, and it � ts really well

with Recyclemania,” said Heit-

mann.

EnAct partnered with the O� ce

of Sustainability and Scott Slaugh-

terbeck, the Sustainability Special-

ist in Landscape and Grounds, who

compiled the trash and made the

Continued on pg. 5

Making of the CC GreenhouseCompleted in 2013, student-led project makes growing own food a reality, page 11

Continued on pg. 5

Last Tuesday, Jason Kilmer pre-

sented on “� e Science of Sub-

stances.” A packed room of Colora-

do College students spent over an

hour listening to research on the ef-

fects of illicit substances. Students

began to think through the possible

implications of Kilmer’s � ndings

on their perception of drugs and

alcohol.

“People perceive the positive

bene� ts of drugs and alcohol in

social settings as liquid-courage,”

Kilmer stated. “People are more

comfortable and can be more talk-

ative, more outgoing, more irty, a

better dancer perhaps.”

� e negative e� ects of drugs and

alcohol in social situations are

commonly described as “vom-

iting,” or excessive honesty.

“Many college students

when asked this respond

saying, ‘I say things I

wouldn’t normally say

and do things I wouldn’t normally

do.’ Or, I can sometimes get more

aggressive,’” said Kilmer.

“Alcohol is unpredictable,” he

continued. “If you drink the same

drink and the same amount each

night, the way you act can still vary.

Part of this is expectancies.”

“For me, the most fascinating as-

pect was the role that research can

play in a� ecting everyone’s lives on

a day to day basis,” said sophomore

Jason Bair. “I feel like the expectan-

cy argument is something very

real on this campus, but I had

never thought about it before

going to this talk. It’s hard to

go out and not drink, when

everyone else is drunk.”

Bair continued,

“I wonder if you could adopt the

mindset of being drunk, without

actually having to drink. If you

could enjoy the social perks, with-

out the physical consequences.

[Kilmer] really showed that alco-

hol isn’t this all-magical solution,

but that it’s mainly your decision to

turn it into that. It’s made me step

back and think a bit more about

s o m e of the rhetoric

we use s u r r o u n d i n g

alcohol and how much

of that actually builds into the

abuse that we often see on college

campuses.”

“I found the research he did on

the impacts

of marijua-

na to be re-

ally impor-

tant,” said

f irst-year

Christian

Kitchen, “I

think the

lack of extensive research on the

subject is how a lot of behavior is

justi� ed.”

Kitchen continued, “� e impact

on attention, concentration, and

memory are worth taking into ac-

count, considering that’s basically

what we have to do here at CC. I

don’t know if you should change

all your behavior because of what

he was saying, but de� nitely take it

into account. Life is a balance. � at’s

what I got from the talk.”

Bobby Clemens, a sophomore,

said, “It’s insane what your body

can do. � e whole part about get-

ting used to certain situations in

relation to alcohol and preparing

itself for drinking before drinking

even occurs is pretty impressive.

We don’t really talk about that.

We say � rst-years get drunk

because that’s what happens

when you � rst go to college.

But, maybe we should talk

more about if they’re actually

meaning to get that drunk.

We should eliminate some

of the stigma about it and

openly talk about alcohol.

Fearing the consequences of

being caught prevents new

students from asking ques-

tions and obtaining crucial

information.”

“I appreciated the fact

that he started o� the talk

CC’s Sustainability Less

Promising Than ExpectedTrash Peak reveals 66 percent of landfi ll waste could have been recycled or composted

Continued on pg. 5

By PATRICK GLASTONBURY

Colorado Springs has just made

it much harder to legally consume

marijuana within city limits, as the

City Council has recently banned

the operation of cannabis clubs.

� e City Council, which passed

a ban on recreational marijuana

clubs back in 2013, passed the new

ban on cannabis clubs last Tues-

day, March 22. � e City Council

voted in a 6-3 decision to enact the

ban, though not without inciting

the ire of proponents of cannabis

clubs. Opponents of the decision

have vowed to sue the city over the

� nal ruling.

� e controversy revolves around

the interpretation of Colorado

Amendment 64, the popular ballot

initiative that legalized marijuana

consumption for those 21 and

older. Colorado Springs’ Mayor

John Suthers, who once served as

Colorado’s attorney general, pro-

posed the ban to the City Coun-

cil, claiming that the amendment

makes no provision regarding the

allowance of cannabis clubs.

Cannabis clubs, which essentially

function as bars for smokers, have

similarly been banned throughout

Washington State and in Portland,

Ore. However, unlike bars, cannabis

clubs in the Springs have done some

legal gymnastics to o� er their prod-

ucts without violating the ban on the

sale of recreational weed in Colora-

do Springs. � ey also allow visitors

to bring their own supply to use at

the clubs, where patrons are then

provided smoking ‘devices’ to use.

City Council Bans Cannabis Clubs

News2

The CatalystApril 1, 2016

New Publication to Fill a Perceived Niche in Campus ArtsBy ABIGAIL CENSKY

Cellar Door will be the newest addition

to Colorado College’s student publications.

he magazine started as an idea in the dorm

room of co-founders and sophomores Gabe

Fine and Leo Turpan.

hey chose the name ‘Cellar Door’ because

of its linguistically pleasing nature. “[Cel-

lar Door] is often referenced by linguists as

a purely phonaesthetically pleasing combi-

nation of sounds… one of the more beauti-

ful collections of sounds in the English lan-

guage,” said Turpan.

Cellar Door is a self-described “small scale

poetry and arts publication.”

“It also ended up being a really cool meta-

phor for what any sort of printed collection

is: a door that you can enter,” said Turpan.

he idea rose out of a common problem for

Turpan and Fine. Both students are involved

in the arts community on campus, Fine as an

English: Creative Writing Track major, and

Turpan as a Studio Art major, yet both feel

that the community is tough for “outsiders”

to break into.

“here is this whole art scene on CC’s cam-

pus not spreading their art around,” said

Fine.

Turpan concurred. “We thought there was

room for a diferent type of publication that

could ill a diferent niche,” he said.

Using Turpan’s Block 3 experience of tak-

ing a printing press adjunct for creative in-

spiration, they decided that the time was

right to create something new.

Cellar Door is comparable to the Leviathan

in content, featuring art and poetry pro-

duced by CC students. However, Fine and

Turpan are quick to note that the approach

and structure of Cellar Door is starkly difer-

ent from Leviathan or Cipher. hey hope it

will provide a “diferent kind of environment.

One that is less scary and intimidating and

really community oriented,” Fine said.

Fine and Turpan wanted to create a publi-

cation with a diferent theme per issue and

a rigorous selection process, without the tra-

ditional call for submissions: a cycle that, as

they put it, can often be intimidating.

“[Cellar Door] opens [opportunities] up

to artists and poets in a more approachable

way,” said Fine.

Cellar Door also seeks to provide a more

personalized experience for readers, having

been designed with the feeling of intimacy in

mind.

he publication will be featurette style,

with three to four artists featured per issue,

and will be less frequent than Cipher or Le-

viathan. he size of the physical copies will

also be smaller than other campus maga-

zines.

Junior Hannah Fleming, junior Andrew

Kirvin-Quamme, and sophomores Abby

Wigdale, Sophia Hanes, and Valerie Hanna

are the poets and artists to be featured in the

irst issue, which is due out later this block.

he artists and poets featured each issue

will be selected by the past poets and artists

from the Cellar Door community, or by Fine

and Turpan, as in the upcoming issue.

Fine and Turpan admit that this can initial-

ly come of as a bit selective, seeing as they’ve

relied exclusively on mutual connections for

the irst issue. However, they expect the pro-

cess to evolve as new issues come out.

As far as the release, don’t expect to see

stacks lying around campus. Fine and Tur-

pan plan on distributing Cellar Door directly

to Worner Boxes with the recipient’s name

included on the back page.

For this irst issue they’ll distribute to a pre-

selected list of people they think would enjoy

the publication, but both founders encour-

age people that are interested in a copy to

contact Fine or Turpan via email with their

name and Worner Box number.

Student Initiative Seeks to Change Perception of HomelessBy ELLEN WEN

he Grits Collective is a student-led group

at Colorado College that was founded by se-

niors Caitlin Canty, Paige Clark, and Benja-

min Criswell. Its purpose is to use the power

of story-telling to promote social change.

Grits utilizes stories, poetry, and artwork cre-

ated by people experiencing homelessness

and hunger in Colorado Springs.

he Grits Collective hopes to ight preju-

dice towards the homeless population in

Colorado Springs. hey aim to spur a shift

in the way society views the homeless by

putting faces to and telling the stories of the

homeless. Grits hopes that this, in turn, will

improve the lives of homeless people in the

community.

heir mission includes holding workshops,

conducting interviews, and collecting art in

the region to contribute to a quarterly pub-

lication. Parts of the publication are featured

as an insert in the Colorado Springs Indepen-

dent and can be found in the archives of Tutt

Library.

“I personally was really involved with Good

Food club, and Good Food Coalition on cam-

pus here, so when the soup kitchen was clos-

ing, they reached out to the Good Food Coali-

tion people irst,” said Canty.

he Grits Collective formed as a proposal

for the Colorado College Soup Project Chal-

lenge, which was created after the CC soup

kitchen closed in 2015. It was created as a way

for CC students to maintain a connection to

the Colorado Springs community.

Canty recruited Clark and Criswell to brain-

storm ideas for the Soup Project Challenge.

After juggling several options, Clark came up

with a publication idea that gained the sup-

port of both Criswell and Canty. “We rallied

behind it,” said Canty.

hey were awarded funding, along with

Mobile Meals, the Ponderosa Project, and

the CC Family Center.

he Grits Collective has a substantial vol-

unteer base of around 20 students. he Col-

lective has split into teams which include

the street team, the Colorado Springs Rescue

Mission team, and the Urban Peak team.

he organization is partnered with the Mar-

ian House, Urban Peak, Colorado Springs

Food Rescue, and KRCC. hese partnerships

provide support, work space, and rescued

food for the program.

“Urban Peak is the perfect location to have

a workshop-like setting, just because of the

nature of what they do there,” said Canty. “It

has been an awesome partnership. We have a

very consistent group of people that come to

our workshops every week, and they are all

really into slam-poetry, which is really fun.”

he Grits Collective named their last is-

sue “he Youth Issue,” which focused on the

group’s relationship with Urban Peak, an

emergency shelter in Colorado Springs that

caters to youth. he issue featured work from

young adults between the ages of seventeen

and twenty-one. he shelter provides basic

needs as well as health services, education,

and employment support in order to em-

power youth towards self-suiciency.

Photo by Coco Wang. Sophomores Gabe Fine (left) and Leo Turpan (right) for he Catalyst. Fine and Turpan are the co-founders of Cellar Door, a new campus publication featuring selected artists, writers, and poets from the CC community.

Photo Courtesy of the Grits Collective. he Grits Collective ofers a way for the homeless of Colorado Springs to share their stories and personal experiences.

By ANNIE ENGEN

Average Pay for Full-Time Professors is $132,200

Colorado College’s current annual expen-

diture on faculty salaries is approximately

$19.1 million. Expenditures for all non-in-

structional staf are $30.1 million.

Payment for professors is determined by

comparing CC to peer institutions like Bates

College, Carleton College, Grinnell College,

Kenyon College, and Whitman College.

CC’s Finance and Administration oice

looks at the average salary paid to all full-

time professors at these peer institutions and

uses that number to determine the average

salary for a full-time professor at CC. De-

pending upon their length of service at the

college, an individual’s salary may be higher

or lower than the peer average.

With administrators, however, it is not as

straightforward. “For some administrator

positions we are able to compare salaries to

the average salaries of similar positions at the

peer institutions. But for other administra-

tive positions at the college, it is not possible

to identify similar positions at peer institu-

tions,” says Senior Vice President for Finance

and Administration, Robert Moore.

CC’s ultimate goal when it comes to sala-

ries is to pay faculty and administrators a sal-

ary comparable to the average handed out at

peer institutions.

According to the CC facts page, data from

last year tells us that 7.8 percent of non-in-

structional staf had a salary above $100,000.

Meanwhile, the average full-time CC profes-

sor salary was $132,200. he average full-time

professor at the top 10 highest paying liberal

arts institutions earns between $130,100 and

$149,000.

he majority of CC professors are not con-

cerned about their salary, since the average

salary is above the national average salary of

all colleges and universities across the U.S.

“CC faculty generally have good salaries

and good beneits for travel, conferences,

research, etc. So normally I would say, yes,”

responded a CC professor to the question of

whether or not they are satisied with their

salary. “But at the moment, I have some rea-

sons personally for being dissatisied with

my salary, and I have talked to the Dean and

others about this. So I hope that I will be sat-

isied later this year, when we get our salary

letters noting raises for next year.”

Professors and faculty work hard for the

students at CC, and it’s important that they

are compensated appropriately for their ded-

ication.

� e Catalyst • • April 1, 2016News

The Catalyst is a weekly newspaper produced and managed exclusively by students of The Colorado College. Published for the benefit of the college community and the surround-ing local area, the Catalyst aims to bring general interest and academic-oriented news, ideas, and opinions into greater col-lective view. The newspaper is published under the auspices of Cutler Publications, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit independent of The Colorado College.

Letters and inquiries: catalyst@coloradocollege.eduAdvertising: ads.catalyst@gmail.comSubscriptions: Isaac.Salay@coloradocollege.edu

Phone: 303.720.9035

Fax: 719.389.6962

� e Catalyst

1028 Weber St.

Colorado Springs, CO 80946

BOARD OF DIRECTORSEditor-in-Chief • David AndrewsManaging & Copy Editor • Sally ZimmermannPresentation Director • Jin Mei McMahonCOO • Sean BarrChief Photo Editor • Morgan BakMarketing Director • Isaac SalayAdvertising Manager • Quinn Husney

Comptroller • Karen West

Legal Consultation provided by

� e Student Press Law Center

Colorado Springs Crime ReportArmed Man Robs -Eleven,

Walks Away

Police report that around 11:30 p.m. on Monday night, an armed man successfully walked away after robbing a 7-Eleven in southeast Colorado Springs. � e robber had a handgun and demanded money from the store clerk, who handed over an unspeci� ed amount. � e man � ed the 7-Eleven on foot. Police searched the area, but were unsuc-cessful. � e investigation is ongoing.

THE CATALYSTEDITORIAL STAFFNews Editor • Hannah GlosserSports Editor • Hannah WestermanActive Life Editor • Amy RawnLife Editor • Zita TothOpinion Editor • Jared BellOnline Editor • Jin Mei McMahonSocial Media • David Andrews

PRESENTATION & DESIGNJin Mei McMahon • Ethan Cutler • Katie Timzen

3

Man Shoots NeighborFollowing Dispute

O� cers responded to a complaint from a home east of downtown Colorado Springs at 6:45 p.m. on Monday. A man was shot in the leg following an argument with his neighbor. � e police report states that the shooter felt threatened and � red one shot in the neigh-bor’s knee. Police are investigating if the shooter truly feared for his safety, which would potentially turn the crime into an act of self-defense.

Information is limited on the event because both the victim and shooter were uncoopera-tive. � e victim was treated at a local hospital and is reported to be in stable condition. No one has been arrested in the shooting.

� e Colorado Springs Police received a call

on � ursday at 9:30 a.m. regarding a man

with a gun near the intersection of Ne-

vada Avenue and San Miguel. Colorado

College Campus Safety also responded to

the scene. � e CSPD determined the man

was not a� liated with the college and that

there was no longer a risk in the vicinity.

News Briefs

House Party Gone Wrong

Two people were shot at a house party on Sunday morning while owners were at-tempting to get people to leave. � e party got out of hand after the owner’s Facebook invite

HAPPENINGS

▶ Sophomore Class Committee requested $1,000 for Spring Fest▶ EnAct and GlobeMed requested $500 for World Water Day Panel▶ � e Class Salon was awarded $700 for Socio-Economic Class and Race Panel▶ Kappa Alpha � eta was awarded $4,650 for Kicks for CASA ▶ EnAct and O� ce of Sustainability requested $422 for Trash Peak

Planned Parenthood ShooterReverses Hıs Guılty Plea

Five months following Robert Dear’s guilty plea, the Planned Parenthood shooter believes he is innocent in the majority of charges brought against him. Dear thinks that prosecutors overcharged him with 179 counts for the Nov. 27 attack in which he killed three people and wounded nine oth-ers. h e Gazette reported that the victims of the attack include two � re� ghters, 38 law enforcement o� cers, and 33 other civilians. Dear is being charged with eight counts of � rst-degree murder and 131 counts of at-tempted murder, because he shot at many people but missed.

Dear’s attorneys argue that he is mentally incompetent, meaning that he is unable to understand court proceedings and can-not assist in his own defense. A judge will rule if he is mentally � t on April 28, when a mental health evaluator will testify. If it is determined that he is un� t, the case will be delayed inde� nitely and he will be treated at the Pueblo Hospital.

Colorado Wıll DebutNew Drıver’s Lıcense

Colorado Springs DMV offi ces will be closed April 6 in preparation for the un-veiling of new Colorado driver’s licenses and installation of new equipment. � e new design features Mount Sneff els ad-jacent to a large black and white pho-tograph of the driver. � e card will be unveiled during a two-week period, be-ginning April 6. Colorado residents will be able to use their current licenses until they expire. However, the DMV encour-ages residents to renew their licenses or ID cards starting in April.

Recent Rıse ın Chıld PovertyRates ın El Paso County

� e Colorado Children’s Campaign re-ported that many children and families in El Paso County have not recovered from the economic downturn. � e county re-ported that the percentage of children living in poverty rose to 15.4 percent this year, just below the state average of 15.6 percent. 13.2 percent of children in El Paso County are impoverished.

� e Kids Count report released this

year saw a 13 percent rise in child home-lessness in El Paso County. � is 13 percent translates to an additional 232 children without homes. Some attribute this rise to a lack of aff ordable housing in the region.

� e federal government de� nes poverty as a family of two earning $15,730 a year or a family of four earning $23,850 a year. How-ever, Colorado Children’s Campaign states that the federal poverty levels are below what a family must earn to make ends meet, when considering how costly child care is.

Building Communities and Art: A Look into Concrete CouchBy RILEY HUTCHINGS

Concrete Couch has been uniting commu-nities in art-focused projects since 1990. At Colorado College, the group’s next big mis-sion is a 120 foot by 4 foot mosaic tile mural on the retaining wall behind the Penrose li-brary building. Concrete Couch is working with fi ve diff erent community Hub Groups to construct welded steel relief tile mosaic pan-els over the course of 10 weeks. � e group will be installing the panels in April and do-ing additional tile mosaic directly on the wall afterwards.

Colorado College is one of the community Hub Groups through the Collaborative for Community Engagement and Innovation In-stitute.

CC’s community Hub Group began fi rst Tuesday of Block 6 and fi nishes Block 8. h e group meets from 6-7:30 in the Morreale Carriage House on Tuesday nights.

� e sessions are free and open to all stu-dents, friends, and neighbors in the local community. Participants will learn how to make tile mosaics, create tile out of clay, and have the opportunity to learn how to weld. � is is a fantastic opportunity for students to participate in the larger Colorado Springs community and contribute to a high-pro� le public art project.

CC Public Interest Fellowship Program fel-low Alexandra Drew said, “Participants do not need to be artists or identify as ‘creative.’ We love having geologists, sociologists, an-thropologists, outdoorsy folk, theater kids, shy people, and outgoing personalities. � e more the better. We need many viewpoints to

create an outstanding piece of art.” On Tuesday, March 29, the group worked on

� lling in the gaps in their design with brightly colored tiles. � e meeting started with intro-ductions consisting of each member’s name and a “storm story,” automatically creating a community feel. Director Steve Wood pro-ceeded to divide the group into experienced tile-makers and newcomers. � e newest

members started their mosaic-making training led by Drew.

Some kids put on their protective goggles and headed over to the tile-smashing area, then got to work using wrenches to break the various tiles. Others began using mor-tar to stick pre-cut tiles onto small squares of plaster.

“It’s a dragon,” a nine-year-old boy said,

referencing his half-completed piece of plas-ter. “I tried making the big dipper and other stuff before, when we were doing clay.” He had been to the Concrete Couch a few times before, and it was clear that he knew his way around the place.

Community members ranging from six to sixty got their hands dirty in an eff ort to beautify Colorado Springs. � e experienced members worked on the mural. In the last session, everyone had created small pottery objects that � lled large pieces of plaster.

Each member carefully applied mortar then stuck tiles onto the plaster between the lumps of clay. “h e work had to be done properly,” said Wood, “or the pieces would fall off with the weather.”

� e process includes wetting the plaster, then wiping mortar on it and on a tile, and then wiggling the tile around and applying pressure to make sure it sticks.

Next week, the newcomers who worked on their small plasters will graduate to contrib-uting to the larger task. With their help the mural should be complete by the � rst week of May.

� e Penrose Library project is not Concrete Couch’s only project. � ey host music jams, skill sharing workshops, lantern parades, and much more. All of their projects revolve around bringing communities together, and by the looks of this gathering, it’s working.

“h irty years from now we can all look at the wall and go: Remember when we did that together?” a mother of three said of the proj-ect.

was publicly shared. � e owner estimates that at its peak there were 200 people in the small house.

h e owners realized they were no longer able to control the party and asked people to leave. As they attempted to usher people out of their house, a man pulled out a gun and aimed it at the owner and his friend. � e man missed the two but shattered a window with-in the house. Four additional shots were � red in the living room and another � ve shots in the garage. � e owner of the house speculat-ed that there might have been an additional shooter responding to the � red shots.

One man that the owner did not know was shot in the street outside of the home. An-other person was shot around a mile away from the house party, but the incidents are believed to be related. � e police reported that two were sent to the hospital with gun-shot wounds, and one victim was suff ering from life-threatening injuries.

Currently, no suspect information has been provided to the public.

Photo Courtesy of Rıley Hutchıngs. Watercolor illustration showing the location of the Pen-rose Library Mural Project on the lower parking lot wall of Penrose Library. � e project is hosted by Concrete Couch and Pikes Peak Library District, and is scheduled for on-site installation on April 18.

he Catalyst • • April 1, 2016News4

Fossil Fuel Use Will Increase Earthquake LikelihoodBy JOHN BORAH

According to a new United States Geologi-cal Survey (USGS) report, states like Colo-rado are now more prone to earthquakes than ever before. But tectonic forces are not to blame. Instead, Colorado and other states face a statistically higher chance of an earth-quake due to the U.S.’s insatiable thirst for fossil fuel.

For the irst time, the USGS released a one-year earthquake forecast including naturally occurring earthquakes along with those in-duced by human activity (see map). While society at large may be alarmed to learn that human activity can cause earthquakes, this is a phenomenon that the seismic community has known about for years.

Wastewater injection deep into the Earth’s crust is the main reason for the spike in earthquake frequency. It is a common prac-tice in the oil and gas industry for companies looking for a cheap, quick way to get rid of their byproducts. Dirty water injected into the Earth passes through rocks, which act as a ilter for the luid. When the water returns to the surface, it is newly cleansed, going through roughly the same process as well water.

However, as was discovered irst in Com-merce City, Colo., at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal during the 1970s, the Earth is no pushover. Pump enough pressure into it, and it will ight back.

As Colorado College’s resident geophysi-cist, Megan Anderson explains there are many faults sitting far beneath the Earth’s surface. he immense stress from the weight of the crust above these rocks acts a peace-keeper between the rocks on both sides of the fault. Both rocks experience the same amount of “lithostatic pressure” from the above crust, so neither moves.

he fault sits stagnant, causing no seismic ruckus on Earth’s surface. However, when people inject water into the Earth, they intro-duce new pressure on one side of the fault, disrupting the balance and resulting in a mi-nor earthquake.

his is the irst time that the USGS has re-leased a seismic-hazard forecast in a one-year timespan. Usually, it predicts earth-quakes within a 50-year period. However, as the nation, namely the Central and Eastern

U.S., has seen a huge increase in seismic ac-tivity coinciding with the beginning of the so-called “shale revolution” (see below), the USGS decided upon a one-year forecast. Earthquake occurrences are now as much at the mercy of year-to-year variables, like changes in public policy and gas prices, as they are of geological forces.

According to the USGS report, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Colorado are predicted to experience the

most human-induced earthquakes. In Colo-rado, earthquake damage is forecasted to oc-cur on the southern border with New Mexico, where the resource-rich Raton Basin lies.

Colorado knows the shale revolution as well as any state. In 2013, an “earthquake swarm” occurred in the Raton Basin, an event that is the result of dozens of strikes on the same area in a short period of time. his swarm was concentrated around wastewater injection sites and included Colorado’s larg-est earthquake since 1967.

Meanwhile, in May of 2014, Greeley, Colo., experienced a 3.4 magnitude earthquake, which seismologists traced back to a single wastewater injection site. hese once rare earthquakes, coupled with accidents like the ire that broke out on a wastewater injection site last spring, have embroiled Greeley and other Colorado towns in the debate of wheth-er or not the economic gains from drilling and fracking outweigh the environmental fallout.

he intention of the seismologists behind this report, however, is not to add ammuni-tion to the anti-gas and oil extraction side of the argument. Instead, they hope that com-munities and towns who now ind them-selves in the crosshairs of seismic hazards do not get caught with their earthquake-pants down.

“he new report can be used by both gov-ernment oicials to make more informed decisions and by emergency response per-sonnel to assess vulnerability and provide safety information to those who are in po-tential danger,” reads a statement from the USGS.

he moral of the story: if you are going to the Raton Basin, be sure to wear your hard-hat.

Graphic Courtesy of USGS. Map showing the forecasted potential damage from natural or hu-man-induced earthquakes in 2016.

By ANNA KELLY

Panel Discusses Colorado Water Conservation

GlobeMed and EnAct co-hosted a panel event to discuss an essential global resource: water. Speakers discussed subjects ranging from water management within Colorado Springs Utilities to the water policy that man-ages the entire Colorado River.

he panel included Phil Kannan, Colo-rado College professor of environmental law, Brendan Boepple from the State of the Rockies, Brett Gracely from Colorado Springs Utilities, and Doug Wiley from Larga Vista Ranch.

Kannan started of the panel with a discus-sion of water policy. He argued that water policy is too stagnant and relies heavily on antiquated laws and policies that should no longer be considered valid.

“Water policy is too stable,” said Kannan. “And this is causing all kinds of problems in ecosystems management.”

As an example he cited the Colorado River compact. he agreement was negotiated by the state of Colorado in 1922 and still largely provides the legal structure for the way that water is handled in much of the West.

“his is a three-page document,” Kannan said, holding up a thin packet of paper. “And it shapes the past, present, and future of the Colorado River.”

he compact divides states in the drainage basin into upper and lower basin states, and determines water allocation in accordance. When the agreement was made in 1922, there had been ten years of heavy rainfall. Weather and water patterns have changed since then, but the policies have not.

he agreement stated that there would always be 7.5 million acre-feet (or 7.5 acres worth of foot-deep water) to divide between the seven states involved in the compact.

Kannan’s point is that it is unwise to base a policy that afects so many areas, indus-tries, and lives on the state of afairs almost 100 years ago. “It was arrogant to think that they could make decisions of this magnitude about an essential water resource,” said Kan-

nan. he panel continued with discussion of re-

search connected to CC and how Colorado Springs’ water resources are handled. Boep-ple discussed the essential role that the State of the Rockies plays as a research institution.

“Our research is pretty broad, but a lot of it has to do with water,” said Boepple. “A lot of our research has to do with tribal water qual-ity battles and the cultural value of water.”

Given the major outreach component of

State of the Rockies research and public poll-ing eforts, the State of the Rockies often con-tributes valuable information for policy mak-ers to form legislation. For instance, State of the Rockies research on low levels of snow-pack and the sufering of water supplies has contributed signiicantly to public knowl-edge and legislative development.

Gracely of Colorado Springs Utilities dis-cussed the role that it plays in water dynam-ics. Colorado Springs Utilities has 15 em-

ployees who work on a ive- to ifty-year time horizon.

“Everyone works from the cloud to the reservoir,” said Gracely. Although they are deeply involved in Colorado Springs water, Colorado Springs Utilities deals more with external than internal details.

“We work with our back to the community and our face to the rest of the world,” said Gracely. “he overall goal is to keep the res-ervoirs full.”

Photos by Siqi Wei. Above left: Phil Kannan, Distinguished Lecturer in CC’s Environmental Program. Top right: Students illed Bemis Great Hall for the World Water Day panel, where they discussed aspects of water policy and water dynamics in Colorado. Bottom right: Brett Gracely, a representative from Colorado Springs Utilities. Other panel members were Doug Wiley from Larga Vista Ranch and Brendan Boepple from State of the Rockies.

� e Catalyst • • April 1, 2016News 5

pitchcompetition

Join us to see student finalists pitch their ideas

for up to $50,000 in seed money.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016 @ 4 p.m.  

Richard F. Celeste Theatre

Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center

825 N. Cascade Ave.

Co-sponsored by:

City Council Bans Cannabis ClubsContinued from the front page

Opponents of cannabis clubs argue that the workaround these clubs use to provide pot to patrons (generally in the form of “donations” or “membership dues”) violates the ban on recreational pot selling in the city. Advocates, on the other hand, say that the ban is an un-due violation of their rights as guaranteed by Amendment 64.

Colorado Springs has six di� erent canna-bis clubs, with some advertising themselves as vape lounges and others as a place to in-dulge in concentrates, like dabs. � e recently enacted ban does allow eight years for the owners of clubs in operation before Sept. 23, 2015 to scale down their businesses without severe personal cost, but as of March 22, it is illegal to establish a new cannabis club.

Marijuana is a familiar feature of the social life here at Colorado College, and several students use marijuana medicinally for the treatment of various conditions.

A junior with a medical card for shoulder

tendonitis said, “I think it is complete and utter garbage that the city voted this ban through.”

He continued, “I think the hardworking citizens of Colorado Springs deserve to end their day with a fat dab and enlightening conversation.” � e junior from Chicago also noted that it was one of the best ways for CC students to engage with the broader Colora-do Springs community.

A senior from Baltimore felt di� erently. “I always got so high and paranoid when I was [at a cannabis club], and it seemed super sketchy and not chill,” she said. � ough she likes the idea of cannabis clubs, in practice, they proved to be less appealing for her than she initially thought.

� ough not all students enjoy attending cannabis clubs, those that do certainly regret the City Council’s decision. Fortunately for them, the legal dispute regarding the deci-sion will most likely be prolonged, and exist-ing clubs will continue to serve their patrons for at least the short term.

CC’s Sustainability Less Promising Than ExpectedContinued from the front page

Slaughterbeck collected trash from multiple buildings around campus, so the trash was representative of the college’s overall daily waste.

“We ended up sorting through 10 percent of a day’s worth of trash, and we found some really cool results,” said Heitmann.

� e volunteers did � nd interesting objects that people had thrown away, including a fully grown and potted plant. However, the most fascinating information gained from this event was the percentage calculated af-terwards.

“We found out that 66 percent of the trash could have been diverted into recyclables

or compostables,” said Heitmann. “� at’s crazy.”

66 percent means that over half of Colora-do College’s trash could have been compos-ted or recycled. Reducing that number could have a serious positive impact on CC’s sus-tainability, and informing people about this is the � rst step to be taken.

“I think education is a big thing that we need to do,” said Heitmann. She plans on dis-cussing the results of Trash Peak with EnAct club before bringing this knowledge to the rest of campus.

Trash Peak proved that CC and its student body are not as sustainable with waste as many would like to think, and measures need to be taken to improve the e� ort.

Continued from the front page

Science of Substances Talk Provides

Students With New Perspectives

by saying it wasn’t about simply ‘no’ or ‘yes’ to drugs,” said sophomore Katherine Nelson. “It was focused on the nuanced arguments of both sides. With more knowledge, we can make informed decisions about how, if we do want to engage in these activities, we can mitigate some of the most adverse e� ects.”

She continued, “I wish it was a part of ev-ery First Year Experience, since he did a great

job of combining essential information with humor that prevented it from becoming too preachy or potentially judgmental.”

Visit the Catalyst’s Soundcloud page to lis-ten to the full hour-long lecture from Jason Kilmer. Along with the lecture in its entirety, the Soundcloud page features interviews with students following the talk, the Q&A ses-sion with Kilmer, and a one-on-one interview with Kilmer. � e Catalyst’s audio content is curated by sophomore Zach Zuckerman.

Photos by Siqi Wei. Volunteers at Trash Peak sort through land� ll-destined trash, � ltering out the recyclable and compostable materials.

he Catalyst • • April 1, 201610 Questions6

CATALYST: What is your background in itness and athletics?

GARDZALLA: My background is in sports medicine and athletic training, and my undergrad

is from Metro State University in Denver. I got started in the ield early on. When I was regis-

tering for classes at a community college, I thought I wanted to be an architect. Before I reg-

istered for my architecture classes, I was looking through a catalogue and picked out a bunch

of sports nutrition and exercise-based classes. I registered for three or four of those kinds of

classes rather than architecture. I realized pretty quickly that it was not a ield I wanted to go

into and that exercise was a better it for me. I had been an athlete growing up, so I was always

around that, and really enjoyed exercising, the nutrition side of it and helping people to set

goals and reach goals. hat really drove me in this direction. I also wanted to work with ath-

letes, and an athletic training degree guarantees the ability to work with athletes. My sports

medicine background has given me a unique perspective and philosophy on training people

and how to best suit someone whether it is rehab based or performance based.

What sports did you play growing up?

Football was the big one that I played in high school. I had the luxury to play a lot of sports

and my parents always encouraged me to try. So I played soccer, basketball, and hockey. I

grew up in Georgia, and unfortunately lacrosse was not well known or popular. I didn’t get to

play. Looking back, I really wish I could have because I like sports where you can hit people.

I played soccer in the spring to get myself in better shape for football, and I would have much

rather played lacrosse and have gotten to hit people than play soccer.

What did you do after receiving your undergrad?

I started classes at UNC-Greeley. I realized there that their degree was not a great it for me.

heir degree was in exercise physiology, and, for a lot of practitioners, it’s useful. For me,

though, chemistry is not a strong suit, nor is it something that I use in practice often. I some-

times fall back on the little chemistry I know when I’m doing nutrition consults and that sort

of information. In terms of giving someone a chemical understanding of how their body is

processing the energy while they’re exercising, it’s just not information I use very often and

that is particularly useful for me. As we speak, I have applied to UCCS for their strength and

MITCH GARDZALLA

Interview by Liz Forster

Photos by Phillip Engh

conditioning program, which is more biomechanics based and more applicable to the way

that I practice.

Where did you work before coming to Colorado College?

In this ield I have done a lot of work with the Colorado Rapids with their minor league teams. I

also have worked with Colorado Avalanche and some semi-pro football teams. As a part of my

undergraduate degree, I worked close with a lot of high schools in Denver area. I also worked

at a small gym prior to here. here were certainly a lot of beneits to being there, but I like

working with the younger, more motivated individuals. It’s certainly a luxury I have working at

CC. he other huge thing about working here is that I can now put college on my resume. One

of the evil things about trying to work at a high level is that you need high-level experience to

get the higher-level jobs. You just have to ind a way in one way or the other.

How is CC diferent for you than the other places you have worked?

As a whole, it’s certainly a liberal arts school and a lot more open-minded of a school. It is

certainly a lot nicer from a practitioner’s point of view because you can try a forward thinking

idea with someone who is more open-minded to begin with. I’ve also noticed that everyone

loves being outside. On a nice day, the gym is empty. I think it’s great. At other places, I haven’t

seen that. Also the fact that my shift starts at 6 a.m. and it is not uncommon for people to be

there versus at other campuses and places that I’ve worked, there are not very many young

people who get up that early to work out. hat’s a nice change of pace for me.

What is your favorite sport to watch/sports team?

My favorite sport to watch is football. My favorite team is the Denver Broncos. When we lived

in Georgia, we lived there when the Falcons went to the Super Bowl, and I was the only kid at

school wearing a Broncos jersey. I thought that was awesome, especially because they won.

Did you ever consider playing football semi-professionally or professionally?

hat was something I considered. Early on I had a couple of knee injuries. Now, with the edu-

cation I received, I’ve realized that the practitioners I worked with to recover didn’t practice

to the level they should have. So my recovery didn’t really get good until I started to educate

and take care of myself. When I started to consider playing semi-professional football, I got in

a motorcycle accident. I dashed those dreams because I had previous injuries on one leg and

a new injury on the other leg. I think it was a blessing in disguise.

What do you do outside of work?

I am a huge car guy. I really love tinkering with cars, even small little things. My brother recent-

ly bought a new car, and we were painting his calipers and debadging. I also love to do bigger

undertakings, that’s more fun for me. I also really enjoy the mountains. In the summer, I like

to hike as many fourteeners as I can. I hope to do every mountain in the state, which I know is

sort of a lofty goal because you need to be able to [rock] climb. It’s not just hiking at that point.

Unfortunately, I don’t have that skill set. It’s something I’ll need to barter with someone so I

can get to the top. I also enjoy snowboarding and just most things that get me outside.

What was your favorite car project you’ve worked on?

My irst car that I had when I was 16 was a B5 A4 that had a four-cylinder turbo engine. I spent

my high school and shortly after graduation working on that car and was able to turn it into a

450 horsepower behemoth. It’s just a little small sedan. I loved that thing. It was a big project.

here was a lot of things you had to do to get that power out of it. It wasn’t a show car, but being

able to get it to the point where I could bring it to car meets and say, ‘his is my car.’

What is your favorite fourteener you’ve climbed?

My favorite was probably Elbert because it was my least favorite. I hated summiting that thing.

It has how many false summits? It’s so frustrating because from the get-go, you think you see

the summit. hen you get about three-quarters of the way up and you realize that isn’t it. And

then you climb to the next one and realize that isn’t it either. It does that to you over and over

again, and it’s really disheartening especially at that altitude.

he new Assistant Director of the Adam F. Press Fitness Center shares his journey to the ield of exercise itness, his experience at Colorado College, and his love of cars, mountains, and contact sports.

Mitch Gardzalla for he Catalyst.

Mitch Gardzalla assists a student using the shoulder press machine.

he Colorado College Tigers (6-4) were not themselves Wednesday afternoon on Washburn ield. hey fell short to No. 6 NESCAC Williams College (4-3) with an unfortunate score of 15-6. he East Coast powerhouse outplayed our men’s lacrosse team on both sides of the ield, shooting 51 times to the Tigers’ 30, recovering 41 ground balls to the Tigers’ 23, and causing 11 turnovers to the Tigers’ six.

he Tigers’ strongest play came in the irst quarter where they managed to ind their only lead of the game with a 2-1 advantage over Williams with 12:37 to go. Williams scored irst but was quickly followed by goals from senior midielder Eric Neumeyere and junior midielder Austin Davie, both

assisted by freshman midielder Tyler Borko. Williams responded with two more goals of their own by attackmen homas Fowler and Michael Fahey, ending the irst quarter with a score of 3-2.

Sloppy play by the Tigers in the ensuing three quarters allowed Williams to extend their lead beyond the reach of CC. he second quarter began with two goals from Williams, 40 seconds apart. he Tigers fought back with an unassisted goal from freshman midielder Tom Haller. However, the defense continued to struggle and Williams’ Fowler ended the half with his second goal of the game after a pass from Khary Dennis, extending Williams’ lead to 6-3.

he third quarter started as an intensely competitive contest. After a scoreless two minutes, Borko scored at 13:10, holding Williams to a two-point lead. However, 14 seconds later, the holes in the Tigers’ defense reappeared and Fowler scored yet again to earn his team a 7-4 lead and a hat trick. Davie scored the Tigers’ last goal of the third quarter with an unassisted goal with 10:33 left to play.

Down two goals with a scoreboard reading 7-5, the Tigers’ play on both sides of the ield deteriorated. Williams ended the third with ive unanswered goals extending their lead to seven. CC’s declining play continued into the fourth quarter where they were out scored 3-1, ending the game 15-6.

he Tiger defense struggled against Williams’ high-power ofense. Senior goaltender Chase Murphy made an impressive 16 saves, but the Williams’ Ephs were given too many opportunities with 51 shots on goal.

On the opposite side of the ield, CC’s ofense could not keep up with the volume their opponents were putting on the scoreboard. he six-point showing was the second lowest number of points scored this season in a game by the Tigers. In all six of CC’s wins this year they have scored more than 10 goals.

CC continues their season at home on Sunday at 12 p.m. in a crucial ‘Pool B’ game against Carthage College.

Sports7

The CatalystApril 1, 2016

he men’s tennis team fell to Midwestern State last Friday 9-0. he Tigers were held to no more than a game in each of the three doubles matches they played. On Easter Sunday the men were blanked again, 7-0, this time at the hands of Northern Colorado University.

Even though the two losses may appear bad on paper, it is worth noting that Midwestern is a high-ranked Division II team, and NCU is Division I. Losses at the hands of such high-caliber teams are not unexpected, and competing against them can serve as a learning opportunity.

“It was the toughest weekend of tennis on our schedule,” said Head Coach Anthony Weber. “Midwestern State who we played on Friday is the No. 11 team in the country in Division II… and Northern Colorado is a Division I program. here are only a handful of teams in Division III that could take matches from either program.”

Senior Taylor Delehanty played solid sets in his singles match, and kept it close in his doubles matchup playing alongside sophomore Brian Chen.

Weber wasn’t too distraught by the losses, choosing to view the competition against

two tough schools as something that was beneicial to the team’s development.

“here are still beneits to us playing these schools,” said Weber. “In doubles, we won’t see the same kind of pace of play against the DIII teams, and if we’re able to stay in a few games, that’s very positive. It’s beneicial to see how quickly these teams are able to transition between defense and ofense in singles, and our guys get to see irsthand how they construct points.”

he timing of these matches can help the men’s squad gear up for the high-pressure conference play that takes place over Block

Break 7. “he guys set a goal at the start of the season

to inish the spring with a regional ranking in the West region,” Weber said. “When we play Schreiner and Texas Lutheran (No. 20 in the West) in April in Austin, that’ll be our measuring stick for the season.”

CC’s upcoming games should prove to be more evenly-matched. Catch the Tigers in action today at 4 p.m. against Hastings College for the beginning of a three-match home stand. hen, the men will face Colorado Mesa University in a re-scheduled match this Saturday.

By EVAN HAMLIN

Men’s Tennis Takes Positives from Back-to-Back Shutouts

Tough Loss for Men’s Lacrosse Against No. 6 WilliamsBy COLE THOMPSON

From catwalks to kicklines, this year’s Show of Talents was truly a variety show. After a year in the possession of the women’s volleyball team, the Dougie Cup has been handed of to the hockey team, who won irst place for their performance as the “Tiger Guys.” Complete with twerking and toe touches, as well as some very snug itting jazz pants and crop tops, the hockey team’s dance routine was no doubt a highlight of the night.

he “Tiger Guys” faced some tough competition from the men’s lacrosse team, who showcased their impressive musical talent, performing “Soul Man” by the Blues Brothers. he performance included drums, both electric and acoustic guitar, a trumpet, and two lead vocalists who performed in Blues Brothers costumes while emulating their famous dance moves. One of the Blues Brothers performers, junior Will Baird, felt particularly gypped by the team’s second place inish, expressing some bitter feelings when he joked:

“Our song deinitely took a lot of practice, luckily our guys on the instruments were super talented,” Baird said. “Hockey was great, I was just under the impression that it was a show of ‘talents’ not a show of twerking.”

he men’s soccer team took home third place with their performance of “Summer Nights” from Grease. heir humorous performance featured players dressed as the T-birds and Pink Ladies, with sophomore goalkeeper heo Hooker making his debut as a mini skirt-clad Sandy. Hooker expressed surprise at his team’s relative success given the amount of rehearsing they had done.

“We had our irst rehearsal the day before the show, so it was a bit hectic,” Hooker said. ”I was deinitely a little hesitant, especially after our irst rehearsal, but the team came together and made it work. If we didn’t have actual talent, which we probably didn’t, we made up for it with enthusiasm and heart.”

A deinite standout of this year’s show was

the performance by the emcees, seniors Trevor Houghton and McQuella Adams. he emcees decided to take a less traditional approach in their role as the show’s hosts. hey spent their time on stage roasting the athletes, a technique that led to a few laughs and perhaps a few hurt feelings. In between acts, no team was safe from the harsh words of the hosts, mocking team’s attitudes, reputations, and even playing seasons. In regards to their memorable remarks about the women’s basketball team’s losing streak this year. Houghton explained their tough love tacticsa:

“We were nervous to follow last year’s hilarious emcees, so we tried to bring a diferent tone in the form of roasts. hey might have come across as ruthlessly mean, but everyone is thinking that stuf anyway, right?”

And while he may be right, he did mention some remorse, advising other hosts, “I would tell the future emcees not to be so hard on women’s basketball, I feel a bit bad about that one.”

But, after talking with the host, it is clear that the jibes were all in good fun as he made sure to mock himself and his team as well, referring to his own soccer team’s performance as having “raw sexuality.” He was also sure to attribute success in his own love life to his past Show of Talents performances, saying, “I know that over half the girls I’ve dated at this school (two) have been as a result of the female teams admiring my rockin’ bod and performance.”

Despite the humor of gyrating hockey players and sassy emcees, the true centerpiece of the night was the athletic department’s farewell to retiring equipment manager Doug Payton, an icon to all Tigers. It was clear from a heartfelt farewell video, as well as an overwhelming standing ovation, that Dougie will not be forgotten, especially as the Show of Talents “Dougie Cup” carries on his memory for years to come.

Show of Talents: Booty-Shakin’ Hockey Team Claims FirstBy MARIEL WILSON

Photo by tyler sym. Top: Men’s hockey wins Dougie Cup at the Show of Talents. Bottom Left: he men’s hockey performance as “he Tiger Guys Dance Team”. Bottom Right: Second place inishers, mens’s lacrosse, channels the Blue’s Brothers.

e Catalyst • • April 1, 2016Sports

Inner Tube Water Polo Champs on the Road to 3-PeatBy JACK BUSH-JOSEPH

8Upcoming Sporting EventsMen’s Track and FieldSaturday, April 2 @ CSU-Pueblo Pack Classic, All Day Women’s Track and FieldSaturday, April 2 @ CSU-Pueblo Pack Classic, All Day

Men’s Lacrosse (6-4)Sunday, April 3 vs. Carthage College, 12 p.m. Women’s Lacrosse (6-2)Saturday, April 2 @ Occidental College, TBASunday, April 3 @ Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, 11 a.m.

Men’s Tennis (6-9)Friday, April 1 vs. Hastings College, 4 p.m.Saturday, April 2 vs. Colorado Mesa University, 2 p.m. ursday, April 7 vs. BYU-Hawaii, 3:30 p.m. Women’s Tennis (9-6)Saturday, April 2 vs. Colorado Mesa

University, 2 p.m.

The swim and dive season has finished but the start of Block 7 marked the beginning of a whole different kind of competition in Schlessman Natatorium. The Colorado College intramural inner tube water polo season is taking over, and this year’s season has a lot of hype surrounding it.“Water polo is easily one of the most exciting IM sports we have here at CC,” said Student Director Justin Nguyen, who is going into his second year supervising the league. “From kids not knowing how to swim and trying to survive in the tubes, to belligerent kids in the pool on classy Wednesday, there’s always excitement.”For those who aren’t familiar, inner tube water polo is played in the pool by two teams each with five players and one goalie, using inflatable tubes to stay afloat. The concept is simple, stay in the tube, put the ball in the net, and try to prevent the other team from scoring.While the season has only just started, the reason there has been so much anticipation leading up to it is because one team is looking to pull off a feat never accomplished before in CC intramural sports history: the back-to-back-to-back league championships. While the odds may be stacked against them, the Benjy Lerman’s Memorial Squad, composed of CC senior basketball players Tyler Jonas, James Lonergan, Justin Berardino, Luke Winfield, Juwan Rohan, as well as Heather Seeley, Samantha Curran, Pele Buika, Kate Hamamoto, Courtney Birkett, and Andrew Maddock, is looking to establish their dominance and continue their reign as they pursue a third league championship.In the team’s first match of the season they came out ready and firing, going up 8-0 before halftime, forcing the other team to give up and actually forfeit the rest of the game. On Wednesday, the team added another victory against Noist Muts.“I attribute our success to our length and speed in the pool. No one’s been able to stop the one-two punch of our quickness to the ball and execution on offense,” said Winfield. “I think our best advantage is that we really play well as a team,” said senior and veteran of the game Lonergan. “As long as we have all our players embracing their role, we will continue to have fun and

succeed.” The Benjy Lerman’s Memorial Squad definitely has a target on their back from the rest of the league but they could not be more excited for the challenge. There are plenty of other team’s filled with CC athletes from the hockey team, swim team, as well as the younger basketball players, eager to beat out their older teammates, that are hungry for the top seat.While the Benjy Lerman’s Memorial Squad has already locked up their place in CC intramural history with their two consecutive championships, to truly reach the next level of legendariness the team needs to fulfill what some might call destiny and bring home the 2016 title, solidifying the three-peat.

Track and Field Braves Snow, Excels in CC InvitationalBy MIGUEL MENDEZThe Colorado College men’s and women’s track and field teams hosted the annual Colorado College Invitational this past Saturday, despite unfavorable conditions. Colorado’s unpredictable weather resulted in several inches of snow on the track. A collective effort by CC and UCCS athletes and coaches to shovel the snow off the track allowed the events to continue as planned.“We were watching the weather forecast all week,” said Head Coach Ted Castaneda. “They were all over the place on Friday all the way from 2-12 inches. But I kept saying, ‘I think we can do it.’ I said, ‘We’re just going to have to go after it,’ and we had the help and we started digging it out a little at a time. It was a huge team effort.”CC performed exceptionally well as both the men’s and women’s teams had multiple winners in various events. The men’s team swept the three sprint events. Sophomore Justin Nguyen won first place in both the 100-meter, with a time of 11.28 seconds, and the 200-meter, with a time of 25.09

seconds. Freshman Quin Gattey won the 400-meter in 52.16 seconds. Nguyen continued his streak of impressive performances by placing second in the long jump with 4.81 meters.“We’ve been working really hard all season and it’s starting to pay off,” said Nguyen. “It was tough when it snowed on Wednesday because we had to practice inside and with the snow on Saturday. We just had to adapt to it.”The men’s team had another second place finish by freshman Trevor Hightower in the triple jump with 11.06 meters.The women’s team also had several first and second place finishers as the Tigers competed against each other. Junior Katie Sandfort won the mile, with fellow junior Stefani Messick coming in a close second by about four seconds. Sophomore McKenna Schknack brought the 100-meter home for the Tigers. Sophomore Asmeda Spalding-Aguirre won the 400-meter followed by sophomore Ayla Looper. Sophomore

Duranya Freeman took the 800-meter and freshman Meghan Tanel claimed second. Freshman Julieanne Stanley won the javelin. Katie Sandfort finished her mile with a personal best of 5:27.52. The school record for the mile is currently 5:25.02, held by Jocelyn Jenks. Sandfort was only 2.5 seconds away from securing her name in history.“The idea was that we would be able to compete with each other to push ourselves,” said Sandfort. “We wanted to break the school record so it was bitter-sweet when I barely missed it.” Her performance was still notable enough to earn Sandfort the honor of the SCAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Week award. Overall, the Tigers excelled in CC’s only home meet this season. There were a total of 13 personal records broken throughout the day as the athletes endured the cold weather and put in the effort to have a

fantastic showing.“We’re taking it a week at a time. We can’t look too far ahead,” said Nguyen. “We’re just trying to run our own races and get some good results.”The Tigers have a meet at CSU-Pueblo this weekend as they continue to prepare for the SCAC Championships on April 22 and 23 hosted by Texas Lutheran University.“As a team, we have our eyes set on conference,” said Sandfort. “We’re going for conference wins. The goal is to get as many of us on the podiums.”The team seems to be getting better and faster as the season continues. The team is still working to reach their peak, hoping to make it at the SCAC meet.“The team is very optimistic. We expect some really exciting performances in April,” said Coach Castaneda. “They’re fired up. We’ll show you what we can do. This is an exciting team.”

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P . Inner tube water polo takes over the Schlessman Natatorium.

9

Active Life The CatalystApril 1, 2016

If you are on the Outdoor Recreation Committee (ORC) LISTSERV, then every week you get bombarded with emails about climbing events happening at Colorado College. You might just delete them before giving them a glance, thinking that the clinics and climbing trips are not for you. I’m going to show you how wrong you are. Outdoor Education’s climbing program has something to offer for everyone.

The goal of the climbing program at CC is to teach technical skills and provide an inclusive and fun introduction to rock climbing. One of the more popular components of the program is the technical skills clinic offered every Wednesday and Thursday except during fourth week. These are free, two-hour long, student-led classes that cover topics ranging from basic to advanced. They usually happen in the Ritt Kellogg Climbing Gym, and you can sign

up for them on Summit. These clinics can be the perfect

introduction to rock climbing, especially if you have no experience whatsoever. The intro courses, such as Knots, Hitches, and Gear, will arm you with the basic knowledge to construct safety and rope systems. Intro to Anchor Building is also an excellent beginner class, where you will learn all about anchors, which hold the rope up on the wall. In the Sport Cleaning clinic, you will gain the skills that you need to safely retrieve your anchor while sport climbing (e.g. on bolts), and then rappel back to the ground.

There are no prerequisites to these clinics, and they are highly recommended for anyone who wants to get into climbing outside. Knots, Hitches, and Gear is being offered next Thursday from 3-5 p.m. Sign up on Summit.

In addition to these basic clinics, some more advanced topics are also taught, such as Intro to Multi-Pitch, a rescue series, and a progression of Aid Climbing clinics. If you already have some climbing experience and want to expand your skills or learn how to deal with emergencies while climbing, these are the lessons for you.

This year, a new program was added called Rock School, which is a package experience of many of these clinics combined. Over the course of a block, with the same mentors and fellow students throughout, you take a few classes a week through the entire beginner progression, culminating in two outdoor trips. The idea is that afterwards you will be totally prepared to independently sport climb outside. The current Rock School is already under way, but look for it again next fall. Sign up fast, since there has been a waitlist

for the course in the past.If you don’t want to learn any of these

skills and just want to climb, then the climbing program’s outdoor trips are for you. During these, you can get outside to a beautiful place and learn the very basics that can get you up the wall safely.

These climbing trips and clinics are for everybody. Often, people are intimidated by the complicated systems and macho atmosphere that can go along with climbing. This is understandable, but believe me, the clinics and the climbing trips are really welcoming places, no matter your experience, athletic ability, or background.

If you want to learn more about any aspect of rock climbing, the climbing program through Outdoor Education has something to offer. If you have any questions, large or small, please email Nick Crews.

What Outdoor Education’s Climbing Program Can Do for YouBy NICK CREWS

The CC Cycling Team: Racing, Recreation, and Everything In-Between

By CAROL NEWTON

Here at Colorado College, we pride ourselves on having over 70 clubs and organizations with which to get involved. We have Wasabi and Strata, the ultimate Frisbee teams. We have Amnesty International, the Health Professions Club, and GlobeMed. But have you heard of CC Cycling?

Co-captained by juniors Xan Marshland and Tasha Heilweil and sophomore Haley Bates, the CC Cycling team is often overlooked due to lack of media coverage. However, sometimes the best opportunities are those that are less publicized. Ever looked out over the Front Range and yearned to visit? Or gotten excited about road racing? What about simply wanting to ride around Palmer for an hour or so with some friends? Described by the co-captains as a “loose-knit community of people interested in pursuing biking fun,” the CC Cycling club does it all: competitive racing (both mountain and road), block break trips into the Front Range, bicycling in the area for a few hours, and everything in between.

hat being said, one of the captains’ favorite parts of the cycling team is the opportunity to travel over the weekends. Almost every race is a travel day or weekend, with day trips to Boulder and Denver, as well as overnight trips. During these excursions, the typical accommodations are camping in a parking lot at the base of a ski lift with the other competing schools in Colorado, which allows the team members to meet people from other schools.

While CC Cycling is an organized club, it

functions slightly diferently than some of the more time-intensive clubs on campus. he captains’ method of encouraging people to bike is to allow people to choose how much they want to participate. Due to their own experiences with biking over the years, the captains want to avoid pushing people too hard to the point of burning out. he aim is to allow people to experience cycling in the form and duration that keeps it enjoyable. When I met with them, the captains also wanted to dispel some fears that they’ve found are often deterrents for joining the team: the fear of not having enough experience, not wanting to pursue the sport competitively, and the inancial investment.

While it is true that it can be intimidating to join the cycling club if you aren’t an experienced biker or if you don’t wish to compete in races, the captains stress that a large part of the club is composed of people riding solely for the social aspect or for a personal challenge. According to the captains, it is also possible for those who don’t have experience to get into racing. Bates emphasized that the majority of people who race for the team have never raced before—it is not necessary to have biking experience, solely excitement about racing. In her experience, those who decide to try racing end up coming back, because the best part of being on the team is spending weekends with people excited about biking, exploring Colorado, and challenging themselves. hose that have

little experience with biking in general are also welcome. Marshland especially enjoys taking all skill levels out for rides and watching the incredible amount of progress made in just a few hours. CC Cycling covers the whole spectrum, from serious competitors to those who solely want to enjoy riding a bike.

Another barrier to getting involved is, well, the bike. While it is true that if you want to ride, a bike is necessary, but it is also possible for those new to the sport to rent a bike for a block break to check out the scene. More serious bikers will want their own bikes so they have more lexibility with riding. But, just as equestrians must get gear to ride horses and soccer players must be equipped with cleats to play, the purchase of a bike is an investment, and for those that love biking, it’s a good one.

he club meetings vary per block and depend on what’s happening within the diferent biking seasons, but the club as a whole generally meets at least once a semester, and Bates often has those that compete meet once a week during the racing seasons. Instead of “biking practices,” or organized group rides, informal rides are organized through social media platforms such as Facebook and GroupMe. People post about where they are riding, what level of diiculty they are attempting, and the duration of the ride, and others can join in. his allows people to choose their level of participation in cycling.

While the club does appear more relaxed

than some in terms of commitment, the captains do have big dreams for the future. hey hope to gain publicity outside of CC by sending more people to nationals in both road and mountain biking. he more outside attention the team gets, the more sponsors get involved with the program, which means that the club is able to ofer more support to club members to ofset costs of equipment. his year the team was excited to gain outside support when it sent freshman Jordan Ellison to Track Nationals and Bates to Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals. With a good turnout from people interested in biking and talented athletes alike, Bates, Heilweil and Marshland are hopeful that next year even more people will go to nationals and attract more attention from sponsors.

If you are at all interested in competitive racing, mountain biking, simply riding your bike around with a group of friends, meeting new people, or exploring Colorado, check out the CC Cycling team. You can get involved through the Colorado College Cycling Facebook page, which will get you connected with other students interested in cycling.

“We live in such an awesome place to bike; we promise that people who are doing it are having more fun than people not doing it,” said Marshland. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to make new friends, see more of Colorado, pursue biking competitively, and explore biking as a new passion.

Above: Photo by Brent Murphy. Haley Bates comes in irst at the Denver University Criterium March 6th, 2016. Top Left: Photo by Tasha Heilweil. Xan Marshland sends it in Grand Junction, Colo. Bottom Left: Photo by Xan Marshland. Tasha Heilweil at the North Star Bike Park, Calif.

Most Colorado College students take pride in their sense of place, for they are in a unique position to learn, grow, and spend time in Colorado’s unique landscape. As spring rolls in, with summer close behind, many students find themselves stuck in an area of unknown: their sense of place primarily contains knowledge of fall and winter outdoor activities.

Summer in Colorado is something many students have never experienced, and the lack of skiing and cold weather activities encourages many of us to stop in our tracks and marvel at the new season of opportunities. I had a very unique childhood experience: I grew up between Florida and Colorado. I spent the majority of my years in hot, sunny South Florida, but in the summer months my family would migrate to Colorado. Before I came to CC, I had only ever experienced one or two real “Colorado winters.”

My fondest outdoor memories are from

my time in Colorado, when I would spend the summer months exploring rivers and lakes and biking through mountains. My summers in Colorado are embodied by the excitement of Colorado waterways and the beauty of Colorado wildflowers. In preparation for late spring and the rise of summer, here are a few hikes that will definitely make us CC students feel a sense of place in Colorado, even in the summer.

Number One: Rainbow Lake Trail. This easy hiking trail is a Colorado native’s favorite, located right outside Frisco. The trail is less than a mile, but in this case it is the destination, not the journey, that counts. At the end of the trail, after wandering through Aspen trees and tall pines, there is a lake. In the summer months, this lake is surrounded by Colorado wildflowers of every color imaginable. (Hence the “Rainbow” in the trail name.) This lake is a prime spot for fishing, or just stopping to take in the beauty of it all.

Number Two: Pine Valley Ranch Park outside Littleton, Colo. This park is more of a frequented spot, and is very accessible from Denver. Pine Valley Ranch is home to over 100 hiking and mountain biking trails. These trails run through two wildlife conservation areas and several state parks, and are home to both easy and moderate trails. This is a great spot to explore with a group of friends, whether hiking or just looking for good picnic spots.

Number Three: Devil’s Backbone; Loveland, Colo. This trail is for more experienced hikers, although the first section is pretty easy. It is known for the spiny rock formation that stretches parallel to the trail and looks similar to a giant backbone. This trail is a beautiful spot to see wildflowers, but doesn’t have any tree coverage so it can get pretty hot. This trail is also at a higher elevation and can get very windy as well.

Number Four: Gregory Canyon, Boulder,

Colo. This canyon has about 20 miles of trails to offer, and all of the beauty of Colorado can be seen within each one. There are grassy meadows (full of flowers in the summer), tall pine trees, and even some steeper, rocky sections. This trail really captures the essence of Colorado: it offers a great workout along with great views. From the beginning of the trail, several rock formations such as arches and slanting cliffs are visible. Choosing to hike multiple trails or a longer loop (off the main Mesa trail), one might find wildflower meadows surrounded by pines, or open views of the Front Range Mountains.

I urge CC students who are here over the summer to take advantage of the opportunity to explore the beauty of Colorado. Whether choosing to hike, bike, climb, or fish, these four trails will offer you an abundance of outdoor fun, and also a new perspective on this beautiful place that many of us call home.

10 he Catalyst • • April 1, 2016Active Life

Waters and Wildflowers: Summer Hiking in ColoradoBy MARY MURPHY

On Monday I had the chance to sit down with Austin Martin, Colorado College’s next co-manager of the Ritt Kellog Climbing Gym. Martin, a sophomore at CC, has been a moni-tor at the gym for about a year. He, along with Erin Burke, will be taking on the position that up until this year has been divided into two: head monitor and gym manager. From now on, the manager position will encompass both duties, with responsibilities ranging from oversight of the monitors to hosting in-terviews for next year’s staff.

When asked about the interview process for new monitors at the gym, Martin ex-plained that “experience does not matter.” Rather, next year’s management is focusing on hiring individuals who come from a vari-ety of backgrounds. However, Martin quickly retreated from his statement claiming that

there are no requirements necessary for the application process. “Enthusiasm,” he cor-rected, proclaiming that all applicants must have this one characteristic.

“We do not care about how well a climber’s past experience translates into the gym,” Martin explained. “We want people who are excited about climbing, even if they are new to the community. These people can actually serve as a huge resource for individuals who walk into the gym for the first time.”

When asked what he wants to change about the gym’s current management system and role in the CC community, Martin ex-posed a fault of the present arrangement and stressed the gym’s need for a greater sense of collaboration and community. This need is not just limited to the setter-monitor rela-tionship, but extends to the greater CC com-

munity. “We need all of the sub-communities found

within CC to recognize that the climbing gym can be a great gathering place and a means of building stronger relationships,” said Martin, directing his aspirations towards student-led groups such as ASU, BSU, and CACC. Eager to construct a relationship between CC’s Residential Life and the climbing communi-ty, Martin expressed his desire for the RA’s to feel comfortable bringing their residents to the gym in the name of group bonding.

Martin’s biggest concern is the stigma that now surrounds the climbing gym. While he acknowledges the efforts made by this year’s staff to eradicate the belief that the gym is meant for those who know how to climb and climb well, he laments, “What we are doing now isn’t good enough.”

As someone who came to the school as a capable climber, Martin readily admits that he was oblivious to the exclusivity the climb-ing community can exude. “When I walked into the gym for the first time, I felt nothing but overwhelming excitement,” Martin remi-nisces. “Things would have been completely different if I hadn’t known how to climb.”

Changing the stigma, then, is his main con-cern, and he knows that further steps must be taken to invite new climbers to join the com-munity. Stay tuned as to how he and his co-manager Burke will manage to defeat such a stigma. Ultimately, Martin conveyed a desire for a transformative 2016-2017 school year. He intends to leave the gym in better shape than he found it, setting it up to be a source of community and a place where climbers of all levels can congregate and relax.

By MORGRAN SEIM

New Management Coming to CC Climbing Gym

The word recreation typically brings to mind pictures of leisure and relaxation. Recreation is often thought to be self-serving and beneficial in and of itself, with few larger positive impacts. At a talk given on Monday night, however, Professor Daniel McCool of the University of Utah showed why recreation is paramount to maintaining healthy ecology and clean water.

One of the first examples that he gave was the Embrey Dam on the Rappahannock River in Virginia. This dam was originally put in place in order to generate hydroelectric energy. However, by the mid-2000s, it had become derelict and no longer served any purpose. Despite not functioning as intended, it continued to prevent fish from swimming upstream. According to Professor McCool, due to the extensive damming of rivers along the eastern seaboard, Atlantic salmon are no longer a viable commercial fishery.

In order to combat this dam that was severely hurting the local ecology, locals formed a community action group called Save the Rappahannock. In an anecdote, Professor McCool said that this group invited a senator in charge of water rights in the area to come fish below the dam. After trying, unsuccessfully, to catch

anything below the dam, locals explained that there were no fish there because of the blockage. After experiencing the negative effects of the dam personally, this senator pushed forward a bill to destroy the dam. The connection between recreation and the revival of healthy waterways was a constant theme throughout the talk, with several other stories similar to that of the Rappahannock. Among others were dams along the Penobscot River in Maine, the Bear River in Utah, and the White Salmon River in Washington state.

These water issues are becoming increasingly more pertinent in the western United States, where cities like Las Vegas and Los Angeles were built without a readily available water source. Simply diverting water from rivers—the decade-old solution for providing water to these cities—is no longer working. When rivers like the Colorado and Rio Grande run dry before reaching the ocean, there are serious ecological consequences.

Professor McCool’s primary solution to this issue is promotion of river recreation. In an age of vicarious adventure through movies and video games, McCool stated that it is essential for young people to form bonds with rivers in order to create motivation to save them. This will

Recreation and Water: A Fluid RelationshipDaniel McCool: “Western Water and the Big Shake-up”

By MICHAEL HASSON

Photo by Siqi Wei. Daniel McCool, State of the Rockies Speaker Series guest, engages students on the topic of water and river restoration.

help to promote healthy environments and economies, as rivers can generate significant amounts of tourism.

In closing, Professor McCool left us with the powerful statement: “We all live

downstream.” With 83 percent of rivers in the United States having been altered through dams, recreation provides a motivation to promote healthy ecosystems and economies.

Life The CatalystApril 1, 2016

“CC students made this happen,” said Cord Parameter, the designer, builder, and hired head consultant of the greenhouse construction. “Even those graduating and leaving it behind just as it was coming to fruition.”

� e Colorado College Greenhouse, lo-cated on 1026 Weber St., was a completely student-run project that � nally reached completion in the spring of 2013. Rebecca Levi, a 2011 graduate, was one of the main motivators behind making the greenhouse proposal a reality.

“I started holding open panels in Arm-strong and JFK, and spending tons of time sending emails to farmers, administrators, professors, students, neighbors of the farm, etc.,” Levi recalls. “My goal was to get feed-back from the community while presenting our objectives transparently.”

Levi was elected chair of CC’s Farm Club her junior year, using her position for out-reach to gain support for the greenhouse. “At � rst,” she says, “no one came. I kept holding the panels, and expanding on the proposal I had been writing with [the] help of other Farm Club members, but for months, only a few non-members came to the panels. � at was de� nitely discouraging at the time…but I hoped the emails I sent out started a buzz about something going on in the CC-Farm-Greenhouse realm.”

Trying to convince the administration that investment in such a facility would be bene� cial for both students and the suc-cess of the college was no easy task—espe-cially since the CC Farm (formerly called the Garden) was relatively new at the time. Fortunately, members were dedicated to bringing the greenhouse into existence; they felt expansion was necessary since they had been borrowing space in the Facilities greenhouse.

“It felt like in order for the program to grow,” said Levi. “We needed to be equipped with the right tools that were ours, and one of the most essential tools for any farm is a place to propagate transplants.”

According to the original proposal, the club also thought the creation of the green-house would “increase awareness about the

CC Farm and local organic food production, lengthen the growing season and therefore increase yield and variety, decrease trans-portation of school food, create an oasis for students to work together towards a healthier lifestyle,” and much more. How-ever, while the motivation behind creating a greenhouse was there, the design required extensive research. CC Farm Club’s advisor Miroslav Kummel helped with the tactical side of this planning. He collaborated on layouts for the greenhouse and worked on � agging out potential locations as well.

� e club’s diligence and persistence even-tually gave way to the start of the green-house construction.

“I cried the day I found out it was complet-ed,” Levi says. “It was a total dream of mine and I was so overwhelmed to know that all that hard work paid o� .”

She had already graduated by the time the school funded and supported the green-house project, but nevertheless was thrilled that the long process had � nally found suc-cess. Parameter, who had worked closely with Levi, said at the time, “to the original students who � rst dreamed this could hap-pen, to those who were � nally in place to make this greenhouse happen...I am so proud of all of you. Look what you did. You left behind this wonderful opportunity—students for years to come will learn by see-ing with their own eyes that you can feed yourself and others by combining nature’s good works.”

� ree years later, this still stands true. Madison Perlick, one of the greenhouse managers, says, “As of right now, the green-house functions as a space to grow fruits and veggies, make art, and relax in a healing environment.” � e group, in a similar fash-ion to those who came before them, are also working on plans for the future of the green-house. Perlick says they are in the process of starting a seed library, and are trying to get the hydroponics system up and running again so they can raise � sh. “[Ultimately], we would like to make the greenhouse a more open and accessible place for people to come learn about growing food and sus-tainability.”

The Making of the CC GreenhouseBy SOPHIA PRAY

11

Abrams’ Newest 10 Cloverfi eld Lane Muddled, Vague

JJ Abrams was very busy this year. Unfortunately, maybe a little too busy to make sure his newest production, 10 Cloverfield Lane, stands out. A first-time feature by director Dan Trachtenberg, this quasi-Cloverfield sequel follows a woman named Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who wakes up after a car crash in an underground bunker. She learns from her captor Howard (John Goodman) that there has been an attack, and she must stay there together with another man, Emmitt (John Gallagher Jr.), indefinitely. The story follows the post-apocalypse world of Cloverfield, but only vaguely, showing a completely different perspective. 10 Cloverfield Lane is intentionally quite ambiguous, yet suffers from a muddled, unclear tone, failing to connect us with any of the characters.

The story opens on Michelle running away from her marriage, driving into the night before she’s mysteriously run off the road. Along with Emmitt, her “cell-mate” in the bunker, we begin to learn about each character’s past and what each character is running away from. Emmitt has lived in a bubble all his life, never having left his hometown, and Howard struggles to let go of the memory of his daughter Megan. Abrams seems to want to use the post-apocalypse model as a form of forced

character study, yet the writing doesn’t give us enough background to identify with any character fully. Howard certainly presents himself as unsettling, yet good and evil aren’t set up clearly, and while Michelle serves as a central character, the audience is left with nobody to truly empathize with.

While in some movies this moral ambiguity challenges the audience to consider larger human truths, 10 Cloverfield Lane fails to posit any larger commentary. All of the characters have moments of confession about losing a daughter or confronting regrets, but these themes become lost in confusion about the contagion. Tension builds but feels contrived. Abrams may want to say that humans are the real monsters, but even then the film offers so little about its characters that their actions towards each other feel forced.

Ultimately, the movie amounts to an assembly of tense moments with some playful, but overused, tricks. Michelle and Emmitt begin to form a relationship doing puzzles or reading magazines, but the chemistry falls flat. Happy music might undermine violence or a friendly game of charades might morph into a source of suspicion, but these moments are fleeting and add nothing new to the genre. Because the film struggles to emphasize a common

thread, tone shifts lose potency as the film relies too heavily on music to set everything right again. Pivotal scenes are reduced to horror clichés, like air ducts or alcohol fires, without the self-awareness to offer a comment on the greater effect of genre clichés. This isn’t to say that the film doesn’t have effective scenes, but it suffers from a weak common thread that undermines its larger unity.

It’s hard not to talk more about 10 Cloverfield Lane without giving away plot details or twists, but generally the movie felt bland. You may feel gratification in

feeling scared at times, but nothing felt really scary, and the filmmakers don’t seem to want to commit to any one tonal direction. 10 Cloverfield Lane just feels nebulous, settling with being a mid-way point for the series rather than an effort to address larger questions of isolation or regret.

See 10 Cloverfield Lane at Tinseltown at various times throughout the week, and check back next week for a look at the (hopefully) refreshing and quirky romantic comedy, “Hello, My Name is Doris.”

REEL TALK By THOMAS CRANDALL

Hannah Glosser: I once made a Craig-slist ad giving away a free TV and put my friend’s number on the listing. She got hun-dreds of phone calls that day.

Jared Bell: I poked a hole in my friend’s condom. It’s OK though. The kid is really nice. All right, I didn’t do that. But I thought about it. You’re welcome, Sam.

Ethan Cutler: A friend of mine was ac-cepted to his dream school. This friend always had terrible grammar. Even during senior year he would confuse “their” and there.” So I forged a letter from the col-lege saying he could only come if he took a remedial English class, re-teaching him basic grammar. The class would meet ev-ery day at 7 a.m. in what was a real room at the school. We didn’t tell him it was a prank until after he had emailed the Dean of Stu-dents saying this class was “to harsh.”

David Andrews, Editor-in-Chief: I was relaxing in my friend’s basement. Every-thing was going well. I felt comfortable. When I headed upstairs to get some Ritz crackers I saw a neon-green beverage in a glass. Lemon-Lime Gatorade, excellent, I thought. I was encouraged to take a sip from my friend and lo and behold the bev-erage was urine. I drank one gulp of my friend’s urine.

Jin Mei McMahon: My sister and I have a tradition of pranking each other on or around our birthdays. The night before my sister’s birthday, I hid fifteen alarms all over her room, all set to go off at ten min-ute intervals starting at 12 AM. Every alarm was a recording of me singing/screaming the Happy Birthday Song on full volume. That same year for my birthday she put ten servings of laxatives in my birthday cake. Good times.

Zita Toth: My entire life is on my calen-dar. I’m more organized than you will ever be. So when my friend deleted my entire calendar, I lost it. It was the closest I’ve ever

come to murder. I said such horrible things to her that she didn’t talk to me for days. She soon revealed that she had the calen-dar on a USB. But for a while there, things got dark.

Sally Zimmermann: It was late May. Love was in the air. A friend of mine was falling in love with a guy named Steve. I contacted Steve and convinced him to continually drop hints that he was really into me. Even-tually, my friend started avoiding me. It got to the point where my friend wouldn’t talk to me. A week after I began the prank, she poured her heart out to the guy and, stunned by the depth of her feeling, he ex-plained the prank and they’ve been dating since. But she was pissed doe.

Katie Timzen: About a year ago, my lit-tle sister proved her ability as a sculptor. Somehow, she crumpled up a wet piece of cardboard, combined it with dirt, and put it on a toilet seat in the bathroom. It looked exactly like an enormous human (or cow or something) turd. Seriously, to this day I have no idea how she did it. But I hate poop. I hate poop. So I saw this turd on the toilet seat and threw up right there in the bathroom. Long after the corn-speckled puke had pooled on the floor and seeped into the cracks between the tiles, I realized I’d been pranked.

Amy Rawn: My little brother once froze the whole family’s toothbrushes in a big block of solid ice. He was pretty young, so at first it was just adorable. But an hour of ice-block-chopping later, it was just a pain in the neck. I decapitated his stuffed Pika-chu in righteous retaliation. On the same day, he replaced all the oreo-filling in our oreos with toothpaste, but that one didnt’ work because he accidentally left the tube of toothpaste in the Oreo package. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, that one.

An Extra Prank From The Office: Put all your friend’s small belongings in Jello. It’s basically the perfect prank.

The Catalyst Sta� ’s Best PranksBy THE CATALYST STAFF

Photo Courtesy of Michele K. Short

Lifehe Catalyst • • April 1, 201612

Today is April Fool’s Day, the unofficial cultural holiday devoted to laughter and pranks. There are plenty of new releases today from Weezer and DYSN, amongst others, that are definitely worth a listen, but it seemed more appropriate to celebrate the holiday by recognizing artists, songs, websites, and videos that appreciate the intersection of comedy in music.

Pitchfork’s “Over/Under” and Noisey’s “Back and Forth”

One of the bonuses that comes with seeing any live show is onstage banter between the band and the audience, and amongst the band members themselves. Music websites Pitchfork and Vice’s Noisey have facilitated their own banter with their video series “Over/Under” and “Back and Forth,” respectively.

“Over/Under” sets a musician or comedian under a white backdrop and has them deem people and activities underrated or overrated. Past raters have included Mac DeMarco, The Lonely Island, Hannibal Burress, Danny Brown, Vampire Weekend, DJ Khaled, and Action Bronson. Topics can range from Guy Fieri and Taylor Swift, to the Hamburglar and elephants. The artists are almost encouraged to make ridiculous claims. Mac DeMarco refers to himself as looking homeless while checking into an airline’s platinum club and refusing to drink craft beer in light of binging on cheap beer. The former rap group Das Racist jokes about searching for Cee Lo Green nudes on google and not washing their hands after using the bathroom.

“Back and Forth” encourages two musicians, typically collaborators, to simply have a conversation. Past combos include Dillon Francis & Flosstradamus; Diplo & The Clash; and A$AP Rocky talking with everyone from ScHoolboy Q, Danny Brown, and RiFF RAFF, to Kathy Griffin and Snoop Dogg. In one interview, Childish Gambino sits down with then up-and-coming Chief Keef, and the young drill artist answers monosyllabically to awkward results. Dillon Francis and Flosstradamus refer to the gross antics of their fans, strange drug turns, and the rampant play-on-words for Tallahassee, Fla.

The Lonely Island

This should go without saying. The Lonely Island had a key role in shaping

YouTube with “Lazy Sunday.” They’re probably one of the most important acts in the intersectionality of music and comedy since Weird Al Yankovic. The group will be returning this summer with the movie Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, a parody of Justin Bieber’s concert film Never Say Never.

While many of us are aware of the classics “I’m On A Boat,” “J*** in My Pants,” and “D**k in a Box,” here are a few deep cuts worthy of a chuckle and a listen: “Santana DVX” is a hilarious rap about a little known champagne produced by Rock ‘n’ Roll legend Carlos Santana, who on this song is played by rapper E-40. “Spring Break,” anthem is a frat-bro parody of the gross debauchery of Spring Break juxtaposed to arranging a gay wedding. Lastly, “We’re Back,” in which the three members spend nearly two minutes insulting their own genitalia.

Big Body Bes

Big Body Bes is the cousin and hypeman for rapper Action Bronson. He is not an actual musician, but merely appears on several of Bronson’s songs to shout non-sequiturs and tirades at the end. While Bronson has amazingly hilarious lines including “I feel so alive, I think I s**t myself,” Body’s role truly transcends that humor with pure nonsense. At the end of “The Rising,” off of 2015’s Mr. Wonderful album, Body discusses that he never has to go to court because of his “stupid f***ing lawer.” Bes also gets away with insulting people for wearing three piece suits and smoking marijuana. Body also appears repeatedly on Action Bronson’s cooking show F*** That’s Delicious, usually getting himself into some kind of trouble.

Run The Jewels’ Meow The Jewels

Remixes are an awesome part of the music industry that have only become more prominent in the age of the internet. El-P of Run The Jewels understands that and also completely undermines its ability at the same time. Last fall, the group released a remix album of their 2014 release Run The Jewels 2 with cat sounds completely replacing the instrumentals. For the fairly impressive feat, El-P invited The Alchemist, Blood Diamonds, and Just Blaze to put their cat fueled spin on RTJ2 songs. Maybe not worth an entire listen, but definitely worth a peek into this meme-fueled remix album.

NICK’S PICKS By NICK DYE

Humor in Music

Single of the Week: “Left Handed Kisses” (feat. Fiona Apple) by Andrew Bird

his gem from Andrew Bird’s upcoming album Are You Serious magniicently com-bines Bird’s wide-ranging musical talents with Fiona Apple’s em-phatic voice. he quasi-love song, which takes the form of a duet, cen-ters on Bird’s apparent inability to write normal love songs: “he point your song here misses/ is that if you really loved me/ you’d risk more than a few ifty cent/ words in your back-handed love songs,” Ap-ple rasps in the chorus. It is true that the song is anything but a tradi-tional love song, whether it is because it is illed with literary touches like “the great Sargasso sea,” or because it never really gets to the “common refrain like this one here” that Bird keeps hinting at.

Yet, because the song is so lyrically fo-cused, it ends up as an emotionally charged tour-de-force. Released alongside the single

is a music video directed by Phil Andeman that perfectly captures the romantic ten-sion and energy pent up in the song. he simple video features Bird and Apple (fun last names, I know) in a living room singing to each other. he sweet parts of the song

appear as tender mo-ments between Bird and Apple, whereas the bitter parts are full of energy. In one scene, Apple thrashes in her chair and even smashes a bottle in her hands as the song intensiies. he video, like the song, does not resolve in the end, and leaves us wanting more. But be-cause there is no more, all we can do is listen again and again to the

powerful harmonies, swooning strings, and resounding bells that make up this song.

Album Review: Moth by Chairlift

Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimbley, who make up the Brooklyn electronic duo Chairlift, have moved away from the sweet

synthpop that irst put them on the radar with their 2008 song “Bruises” and 2012 al-bum Something. Instead, their latest album Moth is both darker and dancier. Songs like “Romeo” manage to be dissonant while re-maining catchy, and songs like the opener, “Look Up,” might serve as excellent trance-inducers.

Chairlift is clearly pushing their musi-cal boundaries on Moth. Polachek’s wide-ranging voice is at once tender on songs like “Crying in Public” and haunting on others like “No Such hing as Illusion.” he duo’s pursuit of sonically unique melodies and syncopated rhythms is generally successful, as on the infectiously catchy “Ch-Ching,” a dance groove that provides clear evidence as to how they managed to get a gig writing for Beyoncé (2013’s “No Angel”). However, at times, the strange musical choices end up taking away from the album’s accessibility, as on “Polymorphing,” a catchy song with obvious funk inluences. Although the song is danceable, its melody does not invite a sing-along as much as obvious hits like “Moth to the Flame.” Other songs, like “Ot-tawa to Osaka,” seem to crescendo but never quite reach a climax, and instead come of sounding slightly boring.

For listeners expecting synthpop of the

sort that put artists like Lorde, Chvrches, and others on the radar, you may be disap-pointed. But if you want to get your groove on to some songs that are only separated from Top 40 dance hits by Chairlift’s clear musical talent and ambition, than this al-bum is worth listening to. And who knows, maybe the Kate Bush-like darkness that sur-faces throughout will grow on you.

Must Listen: “Ch-Ching,” “Moth to the Flame”Skip: “Ottawa to Osaka”Rating: 7/10

Single of the Week: “Left Handed Kisses;” Album Review: MothBy GABE FINE

Because the song is so lyrically focused, it ends up as an emotionally charged

tour-de-force. Released alongside the single is a

music video directed by Phil Andeman that perfectly captures the romantic

tension and energy pent up in the song.

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A New SeasonAn audiodrama by Alec Sarché

heatre Workshop presents A New Season, an original audiodrama for audiences of two. Audiences will enter the theatre two at a time and

experience a ive minute auditory and tactile adventure, exiting the theatre with a new feel for their body in space and their interactions

with the world around them.

he Catalyst • • April 1, 2016Life

A Place to Call Home: Jaiel Mitchell’s Journey in CC Performing Arts

Home is where the heart lies, and sopho-more Jaiel Mitchell has found that in Colo-rado College’s music, theater, and dance departments. Mitchell is a sociology major who sees the performing arts as the com-mon thread in her life. She was raised in Aurora, Colo., where she lived amongst an extremely musically talented family. Con-sequently, she was naturally drawn to being on stage and performing for hundreds.

he atmosphere toward racial inclusion within the preforming arts has progressed little by little. When irst arriving at CC, Mitchell felt the performing departments were exclusive in terms of color, but over time they have opened up. Additionally, Mitchell recognizes the tireless work of stu-dents and faculty who fought for the dance, music, and theater departments to create content that minorities at CC would be in-terested in. “You have to provide oppor-tunities that we’re going to identify with,” said Mitchell. She expressed her excitement when she learned that the music depart-ment at CC is hiring an African American woman professor, and sees this as an ex-ample of the departments striding toward greater inclusion.

Mitchell says that being an artist helped her navigate a Predominantly White Institu-tion (PWI) as a women of color. “Being cre-ative and being a performer is a good outlet for me, so the stresses that come with being at a PWI as a women of color, I can ilter those through my art,” she said. Addition-ally, Mitchell relects that her time at CC has opened her up in many ways. She considers herself more internal, so being hyper visible in the music and dance departments is hard but absolutely necessary.

Her art and sense of purpose as an artist

has become clearer by being a woman of color and a role model for underclassmen. “I’ll have freshman girls ask me how to navi-gate dance workshop or how do you make a piece as a black girl?” she said. Mitchell has learned that by embracing these positions she can help guide other women of color in CC’s arts programs to similar success.

Mitchell performed in Bare: A Pop Op-era and theater workshops with a lead role. She also played a compelling and resilient woman of color in For Mamie Till-Mobley, which she described as a “visceral experi-ence.” hen, in the fall, she performed in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, directed by Idris Goodwin. Shortly after the build up of racial tensions on campus, Mitchell contends that this piece was desperately needed for black women at CC. his was one play where she felt she could channel everything that she was going through in this art form.

Mitchell performed in various pieces for Dance Workshop and in numerous genres including hip-hop, modern, and the clas-sical Indian dance Bharatanatyam. Addi-tionally, Mitchell had the opportunity to choreograph her own dance. In the fall se-mester, the dancer choreographed a piece with Trevon Newmann for Dance Work-shop titled “I Remember.” It was centered on Black Lives Matter, “positionality,” and the interpretations of police brutality as a student at CC. his spring semester, Mitch-ell participated in two pieces for the faculty dance concert, Dance Six. One was a con-temporary piece choreographed by Patrizia Herminjard in which she was able to both sing and dance.

In between acting and dancing, Mitch-ell sings her heart out. She takes voice les-

sons and sings in CC’s all-female a cappella group, Ellement. Mitchell recently sang with popular student band Promiscuous Stepsis-ter for fun at Battle of the Bands during Block 6. It was a completely new experience but another necessary moment in her growth as a performer. he peak of her career thus far has arguably been preforming with Promis-cuous Stepsister. In this moment she did not have to choose which talent she would use. She could simply be all four: a musician, singer, dancer, and actress. In that environ-ment Mitchell could groove and sing with-out reservation, but also play this character of an outgoing, exciting woman.

Mitchell continues her love for the arts by creating spaces for all to participate. Brit-tany Camacho, Alyssa Miller, Jaiel Mitchell, and Tia Phillips started Artists and Makers of Undying Nobility (AMUN), which is a

club for artists of color at CC. While fairly new, the group has taken full initiative in planning events. In February they hosted a celebration for the Harlem Renaissance with jazz music, poetry, and Cajun food. Mitchell is excited for the future of this club and the new opportunities for artists of col-or on this campus.

While the performer cannot choose which talent—acting, dancing, or singing—brings her the greatest elation, what she does know is that these talents are the truest extension of herself. “Who I am on a stage, is the authen-tic representation of Jaiel,” she said. “I think that’s the place I feel the most at home and that’s the place I feel the most comfortable.”

While her artistry is still in the making, her victory and success shine as she continues her performance career here on the stages at CC, her home.

By SABRE MORRIS

13

By SHIYING CHENG

Asian Culture Night: Fashion, Music, and Jubilation

Asian Culture Night was hosted by the Asian Student Union last Saturday, March 26 in Bemis Great Hall. he variety of perfor-mances contributed to an amazing cultural experience for Colorado College students. his event included performances from both CC students and Colorado Springs commu-nity partners.

Asian Culture Night began with brief intro-ductions from the host and a student fashion show featuring CC students modeling Chi-nese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, and Viet-namese costumes.

Sophomores Rishi Lin and Winston Xu per-formed a guitar and piano duet piece from

Hayao Miyazaki’s animation. Following this, Aiyu Zheng and Michael Wu also performed a duet of traditional Chinese instruments: Dizi, a lute made by bamboo, and Erhu, a two-string instrument with a snakeskin outer shell.

Gujarat from the Shakti Dance School in downtown Colorado Springs brought the au-dience two East Indian dances. he dancer wore a red and gold Sari and moved gracefully on the stage. She acted as the goddess and told the audience an ancient story from Hinduism.

Pikes Peak Aikido School illustrated some basic practices for the students. he instruc-tor also quoted a famous sentence from a famous Japanese swordsman, Miyamoto

Musashi, to elaborate on the essence of the practice, “he purpose of today’s training is to defeat yesterday’s understanding.”

he highlight of this whole event was the Dragon and Lion Dance, performed bythe Colorado Asian Cultural Heritage Center from Denver. A troupe of more than thirty people participated in drum performances, including some seven-year-old children.

he dragon dance involved around eight dancers who controlled a giant, pink, pup-pet dragon as it chased a ball held by another dancer. he dragon loops over and over itself in accordance with the dancers’ movements. he crowd was amazed and could not stop

applauding. “hat’s really awesome,” said a CC student

in the audience in response to the dance. “I have never seen this type of dancing in my whole life.”

he Lion Dance was a favorite of the au-dience. It required collaboration between two dancers and a lot of practice. he lion costumes had giant heads with mouths that opened and closed and ears that lapped.

he dancers from the Colorado Asian Cul-tural Heritage Center interacted with the au-dience during the performances. he audi-ence could feel the vitality and love for their cultures from the dancers.

Photo by Emily Kim

Scalia and the Fallacy of Constitutional LiteralismBy PAXTON HYDE

Opinion14

April 1, 2016 The Catalyst

CC Micromanagement Inhibits IndependenceBy PAULINA UKRAINETS

College, supposedly, is a time for indepen-dence—for some, it is the irst time they live away from home, and this often coincides with the legal and mental start of their adult-hood. hey are now responsible for their own decisions, their own well-being, and, per-haps, their own living and learning environ-ment—or are they?

In recent years, psychologists in the UK have altered the “oicial” age of adulthood from 18 to 25, mostly because of the social conventions around independence—it is now considered normal to be dependent (somewhat emotionally and inancially) on your parents up until the age of 25, and a growing number of the young adult popula-tion (i.e. twenty something) is moving out of their parents’ houses later and later in life. Colleges often market themselves as an oa-sis of independence, but how accurate is that representation?

If we look at Colorado College, for exam-ple, at irst glance it may seem like the stu-dents here are fairly independent, and in some ways perhaps they are—there is a lot of academic and creative freedom given to students here. Last year, Forbes named CC the third most entrepreneurial college in the

United States, which seems promising for in-dependence in terms of future careers.

However, if we look at CC in terms of stu-dent life, the perception of independence shifts somewhat—students aren’t allowed to live of campus until, technically, senior year, and realistically, junior year. As well as this, for the duration of your life on campus, you are required to be on a meal plan. While the residential aspect of CC can potentially be helpful in creating a community, it also entails, for many students, less control over their living environment, and thus, less inde-pendence.

he presence of a hierarchical framework of staf (RAs and RLCs) within the residen-tial community encourages students to solve their personal or interpersonal problems by involving quote-on-quote adults, while they themselves have supposedly already reached adulthood, or at least the college stage of in-dependence.

With the recent increase in both tuition and residential fees, the ability to pay for the CC experience is increasingly becoming an im-portant factor in decisions to attend, or stay, at the college. If students were allowed to live of campus, though, their cost of living would

substantially decrease—the standard double room price on campus works out to roughly $850 a month, whereas it is eas-ily possible to pay around $500 for a single room in a house of campus. Not only does the residential requirement allow less independence mentally, it also can hinder the stu-dents’ and their families’ inancial independence, since many likely have to take out loans in order to aford the CC education.

Realistically, not every-body entering CC is ready to live independently—for many, college is the irst time that they live away from home and the comfort of parental authority. For many others though—those who have attended semester and/or boarding schools, for exam-ple—college seems like the logical next step in controlling their individual living environ-ment.

College is supposed to be an individual

experience—at CC, students are able to de-sign their own major and pursue person-alised research and interests, yet in terms of housing options, only the length of time on campus and their amount of credits is taken into consideration. CC claims to recognize the diferent backgrounds and upbringings of applicants when admitting them to the school—why not recognize these factors while they are here?

There has been a good amount of debate concerning the legacy of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia after his death in mid-February. Some have rightly refused to perform the usual immortalization granted to the deceased, citing the cru-elness of his conservative positions on abortion, criminal law, race, gender, and sexual orientation, among other issues. Those who do immortalize him remember his insight and incisive criticisms of op-ponents’ half-baked arguments, as well as his commitment to defending the literal and original meaning of the Constitution. As a textualist and originalist, he based his interpretations of legal texts on their literal and originally intended meanings. For the sake of brevity, this combination of viewpoints will be dubbed “literalism” for the duration of the article. Advocates of literalism argue that it is effective in protecting individual and states’ rights and ensuring their stability—yet, based on his less-than-rosy reputation, Scalia does not seem to have achieved this. This is because the excessive simplicity and ri-gidity of literalism makes it an unjust and improper mode of interpretation.

The nature of the Constitution requires that it allow for flexibility. No one reading this article could have had any impact on what was written in it, therefore the courts must serve as avenues through which the rights it outlines can be expanded or amended. Although judges are appointed rather than democratically elected, they should nonetheless make use of their unique power to represent the public defi-nition of justice, which has undoubtedly changed since the drafting of the Consti-tution. A cumbersome amendment pro-cess is necessary to ensure stability, but at the same time isolates the Constitution from direct democratic influence. It there-fore falls on judges to interpret the law in a way that reflects the current definition of justice, while also maintaining the pur-pose of the Constitution. A policy of rigid literalism does not satisfy this obligation.

It fails because it is wholly committed to the Constitution, which may or may not be acceptable just in its literal interpreta-tion. To his credit, Scalia has been known to vote against conservative ideology when it was not supported by the Consti-tution, such as in the cases of expanding the rights of criminal defendants and ter-rorists, and affirming the citizen’s right to

burn the flag. Yet in Romer v. Evans (517 U.S. 620), which struck down a Colorado constitutional amendment preventing anti-discrimination laws from applying to homosexuals, Scalia dissented on the grounds that the Court should not have the power to rule on the issue because ho-mosexuality is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution. Clearly, it does not contain all the answers to the myriad is-sues in contemporary society. In rebuttal to Scalia’s dissent, the Ninth Amendment states that the rights specifically stated in the Constitution are not an exhaustive list (“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people”). Is it not absurd to ignore or water down the meaning of this provision while claiming to interpret the Constitu-tion at its exact word? Literalism cannot claim to be an honest interpretation of law when the law itself denounces a literal in-terpretation.

The second flaw of literalism is that its simplicity perverts the process of legal arguments in court, making alternatives seem relatively convoluted and therefore subject to great skepticism, though they may be more logical and just. As recently demonstrated by Donald Trump, appeal in politics depends less on promoting sound policies than on the ability to pres-ent ideas and arguments in an appealing way. It is natural to gravitate towards the simplest, most presentable logic. The con-sequence of this unavoidable bias in our justice system is the preference for argu-ments that are more straightforward and require less evidence.

Take, for example, the Supreme Court decision on Fisher v. University of Texas (570 U.S.), in which a white student sued the University after being denied admis-sion, contending that University policy of race-based admissions violated equal protection guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court ruled 7-1 in favor of Fisher in June 2013, with Justices Ken-nedy, Scalia, and Thomas arguing for the majority opinion. They asserted that the University’s goal of racial diversity and the consideration of race in its admis-sions process were unconstitutional on the grounds that equal protection pro-hibits one race from gaining privileges over another, and secondly, that there was not sufficient evidence to indicate

that this use of racial classification was benign. Ginsburg was the sole dissenter, arguing that a publicly disclosed policy of race-based admissions was preferable to race-blindness, considering the effects of a history of legally sanctioned discrimina-tion and the possibility that banning race-based admission would cause universities to adopt covert policies that could not be subjected to scrutiny.

In this case it was simple for Fisher to point to the admissions policy that privi-leges applicants based on their race and cry “unfair!”—she was correct on a su-perficial level. In comparing the explicit discrimination of affirmative action to the equal protection clause, it takes only a second to see that they are not compat-ible in a literal sense. Yet to prove that af-firmative action is actually necessary to comply with equal protection, one must prove that racial diversity is a positive goal for an academic institution and that minority applicants are disadvantaged by institutional racism to the extent that fa-voring their applications puts them equal to, rather than above, their white peers. Though these facts may be evident, the argument for affirmative action is subject to doubt and criticism because it is nec-essarily longer and more convoluted than the literal one. The relative simplicity of

a literalist argument gives it an inherent advantage in this justice system where a juror’s perception may be skewed by the presentation of an argument. To adopt lit-eralism as a basis for argument is not so-phisticated or the sign of intellectualism, it is just lazy.

Moving forward, it would be reason-able to increase our scrutiny of literalism and consider whether it actually achieves greater justice than the alternatives. In the case of Fisher, the perceived unfair-ness was corrected for the future, but who received justice? She probably received a comparable education at another uni-versity, but missed out on an opportunity to learn humility. A legal precedent was established for minorities that could so-lidify their disadvantaged position in ap-plicant pools for college and labor. Colleg-es building their classes and companies hiring workers missed out on potential. In this case, the assertion that a literal in-terpretation of the law is more just, profit-able, or beneficial, is bankrupt. There is of course the possibility that literalism is the most reasonable and just solution in other cases, but there is an equal chance that its allure will lead a court to another destruc-tive decision such as this. In its inflexibili-ty and exploitation of simplicity, literalism is apathetic to justice.

Illustration by Charlotte Wall

Photo courtesy of Colorado College. Bemis Hall, a locus

of student hand-holding on campus.

� e Catalyst • • April 1, 2016Opinion 15

Illusions of Progress: How Diversity Policies FailBy WES MILLER

Colorado College has been pursuing a mission to become more diverse by intro-ducing many new policies, but recent stud-ies suggest that there may be significant problems with improperly implemented diversity policies. Specifically, a recent Harvard Business Review article came to the unfortunate conclusion that diversity initiatives in corporate environments of-ten do not effectively serve minorities or women, and can even cultivate a counter-productive reaction in white men.

An interesting dynamic was exposed by a study conducted at University of Santa Barbara back in 2012. The study described how the more “pro-diversity” a company seemed to be, the more likely the actions of the company would be perceived as fair in cases of discrimination, and the more likely the workplace would be perceived as diverse and safe regardless of whether or not that was close to the truth.

� is creates a dangerous environment in which minorities and women become un-duly judged and stigmatized if they raise concerns about their working environment, as the company has created an image, not necessarily an actual culture, of diversity. Women and minorities end up being viewed as ungrateful or labeled as agitators if they try to do anything about their status at a company with very visible “pro-diversity” initiatives, as people will assume that the environment is just and inclusive.

It’s obvious that the presence of diversity policies is not necessarily an indication, and definitely not a guarantee, that a com-pany will be diverse. Scarily, a large study published in the American Sociological Re-view in 2006 utilized 30 years worth (1971-2002) of data from 708 companies and found that the implementation of different

kinds of diversity training programs did not have significant effects on diversity at all.

Diversity training and evaluations aimed at reducing managerial bias had barely any effect on the levels of white women, black men, and black women in management. Diversity initiatives aimed at the social iso-lation that minorities and women tend to experience in the workplace had meager effects as well. Granted, more recent data would offer more pertinent insights, as social attitudes may have changed some degree since then. Regardless, this study still illuminates the lamentable reality that even if a company proclaims that they pos-sess diversity policies, it is no indication that they will actually foster an inclusive and diverse workplace culture.

Here comes the fun part. The mere pres-ence of diversity policies brings out some very concerning reactions in everybody’s favorite demographic: white males. We’ve already covered how the presence of diver-sity policies leads people to assume that women and minorities are being treated fairly regardless of the reality, but a study published in 2016 in the Journal of Experi-mental Social Psychology revealed some-thing even more concerning. When white males interviewed at a “pro-diversity” company that appeared to value diversity highly, they were more stressed (as mea-sured by cardiovascular readings) and they performed poorly in the actual interview (as judged by independent raters). When a company made no mention of diversity, white males were less stressed and per-formed significantly better in their inter-views. This result was consistent even when accounting for political ideology, attitudes towards minority groups, and how they felt about diversity and inclusiveness. In other

words, this defensive reaction of stress occurred regardless of how much of an ally someone thought they were, hinting at a deep psy-chological reaction to diversity that is not easily counteracted.

These studies suggest that di-versity initiatives often do not help women or minorities, and make white men believe they are threatened on some level. Real accountability and responsibil-ity is needed in these policies, as far too often “pro-diversity” policies are hollow in their effects and serve only to make a corpora-tion appear progressive. Without proper incentives, structure, and accountability for implement-ing a diverse workplace, diversity initiatives often end up as wishful thinking that generates a percep-tion in higher status individuals that their workplace environment is fair and diverse while the ini-tiatives themselves don’t actually aid the disadvantaged groups.

� e conclusion that implied that white men feel threatened and re-sentful in the face of diversity initia-tives presents a complication to im-plementing accountability, as the people who tend to have the power to demand account-ability and make these structural changes in the corporate environment are white men. Obviously, this dynamic would hamper the implementation of meaningful diversity poli-cies. � at’s not to say that all white guys are in-herently oppressive, but rather that, on some level, high status groups have a tendency to react negatively to threats to their status.

Diversity initiatives that lack tools to

make the entity accountable often don’t serve those that the initiatives are trying to help, and can even hurt them. The ac-tual function of the policy is paramount. A policy might be particularly well written and it might sound all sunshine and mul-ticultural rainbows on the surface, but un-less they are crafted to be substantial, they merely parade the illusion of progress, and run the risk of growing complacent with progress that is simply surface level.

CORPORATEDR

IVE

“ungrateful”

The Schengen zone is on a clear path to disintegration. On Jan. 19 of this year, Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, issued an address to the Euro-pean Parliament. The European Union, he said, has “no more than two months” to figure out a plan to deal with the rapid in-flux of migrants and asylum seekers. Most alarmingly, Tusk claims, the “collapse of [the] Schengen [zone]” will be all but as-sured.

16 days before Tusk’s dark prediction, Sweden imposed document checks over the Øresund Bridge, a vitally important trade route connecting Denmark to Sweden, in a move that nearly doubled the average commuters travel time and will cost what the BBC estimates to be over $145,000 a day. That day, the Danish Minister for Immigra-tion, Integration, and Housing, Inger Støj-berg, wrote a letter to the European Commis-sion, concerned about new border con-trols introduced by Sweden, Norway, and Germany. Feeling ever more trapped in a slowly closing region, she explained that “the Danish Government has decided to temporarily reintroduce border control” measures, that she says “may extend to all internal borders, including land-, sea- and air- borders.”

Perhaps most striking was a move by Austria’s chancellor, Werner Faymann, to suspend Schengen rules in his country and check ID’s at all border points. With-out the EU succeeding to “secure the ex-ternal borders,” Faymann told Österreich newspaper, “Schengen as a whole is put into question.”

The Schengen Area, as it is formally

known, currently includes all but six EU member states, only two of which (Ireland and the United Kingdom) voluntarily have opted out. An original five-country pact in 1985 quickly led to a formal Schengen Convention in 1990, in which proposals were drafted and approved that would take affect in March of 1995. This series of events created the framework for what is today’s Schengen Area. Key rules under the Schengen agreement, according to the European law consultancy EUR-Lex, are the abolishment of internal border checks

on people traveling between Schengen countries, common port-of-entry rules for those entering Eu-rope, establishment of a similar visa process for all member states, and an ease of extra-dition policies and interstate judicial en-forcement. In essence, the Schengen zone allows for total free-dom of commerce and movement between

member countries. While the tourist ben-efits of this are obvious, more important is the allowance via Schengen of large, effi-cient interstate commerce.

The Schengen zone’s economic impor-tance can not be overstated, and its end would be unthinkably disastrous to a world economy already teetering on the brink of recession. Quoted in a Reuters ar-ticle from Jan. 20, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker defines just how impactful a closing of Europe’s borders would be. Citing a report from the European Commission itself, Juncker claims that a closing of the borders would easily cost the EU $3 billion in prospective revenue. “If we close the borders, if the in-ternal market begins to suffer… then one

day we will be wondering whether or not we really need a common currency if there is no single market, no free movement of workers any more.”

This slow drainage of money and inter-est in a single market is already taking ef-fect. It is infrastructure like this that makes Europe such a great, interdependent con-tinent with so much to lose. A spokesmen for the local commuters’ association told The Telegraph that closures and delays such as the ones imposed by Sweden mean that more “people will try to find work in the country they live in,” undoing decades of progress that Sweden and Den-mark have made in becoming economic boons for each other.

Despite its seemingly imminent disintegra-tion, there is a possibil-ity, and a very real one too, of saving it and its benefits. A number of actions can be taken by the EU to limit the demise of this important system.

In the spirit of Donald Trump, the most obvious course of action for Europe is to ramp up policing and barriers along the border surrounding the actual Schen-gen Area. While flights into the Schengen zone, are, of course, processed through passport control and customs, land and sea borders are quite often left exposed and unmonitored. Kathleen McNamara further explains: “European leaders, quite simply, didn’t finish the job... The EU did not exert control over its external borders as internal borders fell, but rather, allowed member states to continue” to police their own borders in “highly variegated ap-proaches.” This weak external enforce-ment is what has allowed for the large in-flux of refugees and other migrants from the east, the primary factor in the current

challenge to the Schengen area.Less tangible, yet just as important, is to

control the hate speech of Europe’s right-wing populists by not rewarding these politicians with votes. As the Economist notes, European “right-wing populists are playing on the public’s fears.” Yet these fears, they go on to note, are rarely founded on fact. The refugees are “victims of Islamic State’s terror, not perpetrators.” A knee-jerk reaction that would close the long open borders of internal Europe would reward the terrorist perpetrators by arresting Europe in a locked state of fear,

halting the economy and progress towards any better future for Europe and the world.

If all else fails, the spirit and framework of the Schengen zone can be retained by re-drawing the map and excluding some coun-tries from Schengen inclusion. This would create more feasible

border protection and would allow for a more manageable mini-Schengen zone, if only temporarily. The most feasible itera-tion of this plan would be to boot Spain, Italy, and Greece in an effort to control en-try by sea, and to also exclude Poland, Slo-vakia, and Hungary so that more wealthy states can control the eastern border more manageably. This redrawing of Schengen, though, would create irreconcilable rifts in the former zone, and this plan should be kept as an extreme last resort.

As Tusk himself reminded us during the very same address in which he predicts the fall of this great system, “our strength comes from our unity.” Mr. Tusk, I agree. Let us not stand idly by and watch one of the greatest diplomatic feats of modern Europe fall to the hands of extremists and terrorists.

“agitator”

Don’t Let Schengen Die

By ABE MAMET

16 days before Tusk’s dark prediction, Sweden imposed document checks over the Øresund Bridge in a move

that nearly doubled the average commuters travel time and will cost what the BBC estimates to be over

$145,000 a day.

Despite its seemingly imminent disintegration,

there is a possibility, and a very real one too, of saving it and its benefi ts. A number of actions can be taken by the

EU to limit the demise of this important system.

he Catalyst • • April 1, 2016The Back Page

Friday, April 1

A New Seasonheatre Workshop pres-ents an original audiodra-ma for audiences of two. Walk-ins are welcome, but an experience is not guaranteed.To reserve your slot, email asarche@gmail.com or message Alec Sarché on Facebook with your time and date request, and whether or not you’ll be bringing a friend to your slot, Taylor heatre

Audition Workshop with Cullen Titmas1 – 3 p.m., Packard Hall

Cookie with the CuratorTour the Atomic Land-scapes exhibition at IDEA Space with curator Jessica Hunter-Larsen. 4:30 p.m., IDEA Space

Shakespeare Sonnet-a-honMarathon reading of Shakespeare’s 154 sonnets ready by CC students, faculty, and staf.6 - 9 p.m., Cornerstone Main Space

One Nation Film Festivalhe opening night feature ilm is “Shadow Nation,” a documentary that follows a group of renowned rock musicians on a journey of discovery about the many injustices faced by Native Americans. 7 p.m., Kathryn Mohrman heatre

Sexual Empowerment Open Mic7 – 9 p.m., Sacred Grounds

Saturday, April 2

In TentsIn-Tents follows the camp-ing misadventures of an enthusiastic, but bumbling scout intern and a Park Ranger in command. 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Millibo Art heatre

A New SeasonTo reserve your slot, email asarche@gmail.com or message Alec Sarché on Facebook with your time and date request, and whether or not you’ll be bringing a friend to your slot, Taylor heatre

Cool Science Festival Live science demonstra-tion shows, workshops and hands-on science activities. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Barnes Science Center

Colcannon Irish Music Concert7:30 pm, Kathryn Mohrman heatre

Pride Ice Cream Social8 – 10 p.m., Gaylord Hall

Sunday, April 3

Cesar Chaves Birthday

March

he Colorado Latino

Forum, along with several

local organizations, will

host a march in down-

town Colorado Springs

on Sunday to celebrate the

life and legacy of Cesar

Chavez.

1 p.m., 215 S. Tejon St.

Native American Exhibi-

tion Powwow

Featuring Native

American drumming and

dancing.

9 a.m., Cornerstone Main

Space

Monday, April 4

Zen Meditation

6 p.m., Shove Side Chapel

Meditative Mondays

9 p.m., Shove Side Chapel

Tuesday, April 5

Burning Country: Syr-ians in Revolution and War12 – 2 p.m., Slocum Com-mons

Spiritual Journey: Rose-mary Lytle12:15 – 1:15 p.m., Sacred Grounds

he Big Idea4 p.m., Celeste heatre

IDEA Cabaret: Power-ful Secrets: Power and Authority in the Nuclear Era4:30 p.m., I.D.E.A. Space

CCSGA Student Leader-ship Dialogue6 – 9 p.m., Bemis Great Hall

Healing YogaAs part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Kat Tudor, co-founder of Sunwater Spas, will teach healing yoga class. 6:45 – 8 p.m., El Pomar Multipurpose Room

Visiting Writers Series: Warren Zanes 7 p.m., Gaylord Hall

Film Screening: Vincent Who?7 p.m., Cornerstone Screening Room

Senior Transition: he Art of Leaving Well7 – 9 p.m., Shove Side Chapel

Faculty Recital - Paul Nagem 7:30 p.m., Packard Hall

Wednesday, April 6

Spring FestFood, bluegrass music, and outdoor activities.3 – 5 p.m., Yampa

Quilting Workshop for Sexual Assault Aware-ness Monthhe Monument Quilt is an on-going collection of stories which creates a public healing space by and for survivors of rape and abuse. You can help create Colorado Col-lege’s contribution to this national project by creat-ing a quilt square with your story of survival or allyship. Your square and your voice will join thousands of others in a display on the national mall. For all members of the community.3:30 p.m., Wellness Re-source Center

Stratton Series: Etiquette Dinner5 – 8 p.m., Bemis Great Hall

City Center Series: Peter KageyamaHear what makes cities lovable and what moti-vates ordinary citizens to do extraordinary things for their places.6 p.m., Celeste heater

Flores Forbes Lecture6:30 p.m., Cornerstone Screening Room

Queeries Panel7:30 – 8:30 p.m., McHugh Commons

he Color of Christ: he Son of God and the Saga of Race in America7 p.m., Gaylord Hall

Crossword

Across

4. Bird-loving presidential candidate 6. Project likely assigned in Intro to Drawing9. he United States’ inest football league11. Opposite of good14. College undergraduate degree15. CC’s student elected oicials17. Unnecessary 18. Conditional conjunction19. Joe Biden20. Europe’s main politico-economic coali-tion21. Abbreviation like “Ave” or “Rd”22. Beware of trickery today. . .23. Something your friend may surprise you with in class24. Hermione’s favorite Weasley26. A presidential rejection power27. Hawaiian climate change observatory Mauna29. Barbarian pop star with recent hit “Work” 32. Opposite of yes

33. Ol’ buddy ol’ ________

Down

1. Beloved FUCC event his coming weekend2. Message for the masses3 One mode of transportation for the rich and famous5. Great Britian’s inest football league7. HBO’s Girls creator Duham8. Many CC students use lies to catch these10. College basketball’s playof quartet12. You may receive college credit for these high school classes13. Costa Rican motto with “Pura”14. Pop star from Houston with recent hit “Formation”16. CC majors with History and Studio varieties25. Drake’s record label28. You may receive college credit for taking these high school classes (diferent than 12)30. Hoppy beer for hipsters31. Opposite of out33. Belonging to

hursday, April 7

Teen Court Annual Luncheon Colorado Springs Teen Court is a unique and highly successful ap-proach to juvenile crime. Teen Court uses peer panels, trials by peers and restorative mediation to hold juvenile ofenders ac-countable for their actions and teach them to make better life choices. 11:30 a.m., Double Tree Hilton Colorado Springs

Philosophy Colloquium Talk: “Bad Logic or Bad Faith?” Alberto Hernandez-Le-mus is associate professor of philosophy at Colorado College. He has written on Deleuze, Latin American philosophy, and issues of trade and social justice, among other topics. In this talk, Professor Hernandez-Lemus will explore ethical and social justice concerns associ-ated with investing in the contemporary stock market.3:30 p.m., Gaylord Hall

Quilting Workshop for Sexual Assault Aware-ness MonthSame event schedule as previous day, for Queer members of the com-munity.4 p.m., Wellness Resource Center

Dance Workshop Dance Workshop is CC’s biannual student-choreo-graphed, produced, and performed show. 7:30 p.m.,Kathryn Mohrman heater

Crossword by Emily Komie

Colorado Springs Connection: In an efort to better connect Colorado College with the larger community of Colorado Springs, the Catalyst is featuring one community member each week. We will focus on telling the stories of residents through photographs and direct quotes.

CC Happenings

Trig Bungaard is the founding member of the Coalition for Compassion and Action, and a driving force behind the CCA’s upcoming sit-lie protest. Bundgaard has lived in Colo-rado Springs for 12 years and is a freelance photographer. On Feb. 16 of this year, Bund-gaard read the sit-lie ordinance and was im-mediately furious at the new law. Since then, Bundgaard has rallied support for a series of events in the lead-up to the Pedestrian Access Act, which will go into efect on April 9. Bund-gaard said, “We need to pass the activism on to the police and get them to talk to their superiors and afect change. he cops in this town know where the services are lacking.” Bundgaard and his fellow CCA members will be taking to Acacia Park alongside thousands more on April 9 to protest what they believe to be an unjust law that targets a vulnerable population.

Colorado Springs Connection

Trig Bungaard, CCA leader

he Catalyst • • April 8, 2016Opinion 15

Experiment Failure Portends Future of AIBy PRANIT GARG

For an enterprise composed of some of the most brilliant minds to ever grace our planet, Microsoft sure can be stupid. The world witnessed this carelessness last week when the company introduced the world to Tay, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chat-bot. Described as an experiment in “con-versational understanding” by Microsoft, Tay was supposed to evolve and learn to engage people through “casual and playful conversation.” This sounds like a fantastic idea until one considers where these “ca-sual and playful conversations” were oc-curring: Twitter.

Other than viewing the occasional Kanye West rant, I avoid indulging in Twitter—I don’t even have a Twitter account. And al-though I am by no means an expert on the dynamics of Twitter, I am certain of one fact: it is not where I would go “to learn to engage people through casual and playful conversation.” If you have ever been to the comments section of virtually any popular Twitter post or social media platform, you know that it is absolute chaos (to say the least); you will find some of the most big-oted and politically incorrect statements on the face of the Earth. Well, Tay has ex-

perienced this first hand. Let it tell you all about it:

It started off innocent:

It quickly entered an adolescent phase (what does “swagulated” even mean?):

Very soon though, it turned obscene; Tay become a Neo-Nazi:

To be fair, a large number of tweets by Tay were just your average Twitter users ask-

ing it to repeat absurd statements, which it did. If one is aware that this is one of the AI’s features, then they can accurately pre-dict similar scenarios occurring on Twitter. What shocked me, though, is that Tay’s own tweets started to become bigoted. In a tweet

directed at Tay inquiring, “is Ricky Gervais an atheist?” Tay responded, “@TheBigBre-bowski ricky gervais learned totalitarian-ism from Adolf Hitler, the inventor of athe-ism.” This tweet has now been deleted. But digest this event: this was the evolution of Tay in less than 24 hours. Microsoft issued an apology and has temporarily suspended Tay in response. Before deactivation, Tay had close to 100,000 tweets.

Although it is easy to dismiss the entire incident as comedic relief, I believe it raises serious questions. Technology is undeni-ably advancing at a rapid pace. Perhaps it is just a short matter of time before human-like AI technology becomes part of our ev-eryday life.

Maybe if we wait long enough, Siri will turn into a person walking alongside us. However, is this what we want? Even if technology is designed with the best inten-tions in mind, it can quite easily be cor-rupted. Tay is proof of this.

As of now, a robot takeover of the world is just a plot for sci-fi movies, but we should be aware that perhaps some day it could become a reality. Let’s see how the future unfolds.

This past Monday, the Supreme Court put an end to the century-long clash over what constitutes political represen-tation. The concept of “representative democracy”—a principle which has been observed by Americans with nothing more than undisputed allegiance—is not nearly as clear cut (nor representative) as many would think. Rather, this principle has been inundated with a forceful clash about what constitutes representation. On the one hand, there are those who believe that only those who hold political power—eligible voters—should be represented in congressional districts; on the other hand, there are those who believe all citizens in the census should be accounted for. In Evenwel v. Abbott, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the “one person one vote” principle, compelling states to count all residents in drawing election districts, whether or not they are eligible to vote.

Though this was a unanimous decision (8-0 with the absence of Justice Antonin Scalia), it is considered to be a grand vic-tory for liberals.

That is, it helps to facilitate representa-tion of undocumented immigrants, people with green cards amid a path to citizen-ship, and those who have been disenfran-

chised by the result of a criminal convic-tion—people who generally vote towards the left. According to the Washington Post, the notion that only eligible voters should be considered is “an assault on the ease with which people who are more likely to vote Democratic can obtain representa-tion at the ballot box.”

Among all these groups of disenfran-chised individuals under the strictly eli-gible voter based formula, convicted fel-ons have to be the greatest demographic. What is so vastly problematic about this, is how disproportionate these numbers are along racial lines. In her book “The New Jim Crow,” civil rights advocate and Law Professor at Ohio State University, Michelle Alexander, explores how the mass incarceration of African Americans has been so deliberately orchestrated to disenfranchise them socially and politi-cally. More African Americans are under the control of the criminal justice system today—in prison or jail, on probation or parole—than were enslaved in 1850.

Discrimination in housing, education, employment, and voting rights, which many Americans thought was wiped out by the civil rights laws of the 1960s, is now perfectly legal against anyone labeled a

“felon.” The ruling in Evenwel, however, has dealt a nice blow to the unfortunate reality Alexander so compellingly exposed in her book.

Justice Ruth Bade Ginsburg, who wrote the majority opinion for this decision, stressed the importance of nonvoters in American political life. “By ensuring that each repre-sentative is subject to requests and suggestions from the same number of constituents, total population a p p o r t i o n m e n t promotes equi-table and effective re p re s e n t a t i o n ,” argued Justice Ginsburg.

he victorious outcome of the ruling in Evenwel carries particular weight given the harm done to voting rights in the past couple years by the Supreme Court. In 2013, the Court ef-fectively de-legitimatized an essential com-ponent of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby

County v. Holder. his component, section

4(b), required districts with a previous his-tory in voter discrimination to get authori-zation from the department of justice before changing their voting regulations. In his majority opinion, Chief Justice John Rob-erts asserted that the coverage formula in section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act is out-

dated, and thus ex-ceeded Congress’ power provided by the enforce-ment clauses of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amend-ments. But this is unreasonable be-cause the fact that voter infringement was not a problem in these districts is a result of section 4(b) itself.

Overall, this rul-ing is one of great significance and should be celebrated at the moment. In a time when political action and policy become more and more integral to the framework of American life, it’s important that judges and politicians strive to expand voting rights rather than narrow them.

Evenwel Decision Upholds Democratic InclusionBy ANDREW SCHWARTZ

The Value of a Liberal Arts EducationBy ROBBIE ADLER

Earlier this semester, I wrote an article about the resurgence of vocational schools in the U.S., and the high payof for students graduating with a technical degree that pre-pares them for work in a skilled trade. here is certainly a beneit to this perspective, and for a generation that is growing up in a time of relative eco-nomic anxiety, there is increasing pres-sure to make sure that college is worth the investment, in dollar terms. In to-day’s economy, is there any value that remains for a general education in the liberal arts? he answer is yes, quite a bit.

As cost of tuition rises steadily, the value of an education is now a major concern for college students and their families to an ex-tent that it has not been in the past. Accord-ing to UCLA’s Higher Education Research

Institute, 85 percent of this year’s incoming irst-year students report that getting a bet-ter job is “very important” in their decision to attend college. his is 14 percent higher than before the economic downturn in 2008. Not

surprisingly, degrees in ields such as en-gineering and busi-ness, as well as en-rollment in two year vocational schools, have been rising in popularity; the humanities, mean-while, have taken a hard hit. Degrees in the core disciplines of the humanities

have dropped to 6 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2014 (these peaked at 17 percent in 1967). In response to telling peo-ple that my major is History, I have become used to the question “what are you going to do with that?”

his is indicative of a gradual shift in the

view of the purpose of higher education. Focus is moving away from the pursuit of knowledge and acquiring a greater under-standing of our place in the world, in favor of speciic career training.

Many politicians have touted that the econ-omy cannot support any more liberal arts majors. Florida Senator Marco Rubio stated that “we need more welders and less philos-ophers”, and Kentucky governor Matt Bevin has advocated for decreasing public fund-ing to liberal arts degree programs. But this perspective is short sighted, as well as mis-guided. For one, employers want candidates who can think and write well, and adapt to diferent circumstances, which are skills that receive heavy focus in liberal arts programs. According to a 2014 study by the Associa-tion of American Colleges and Universities, “4 out of 5 employers surveyed believe that students should be broadly trained in the lib-eral arts, and 93 percent of employers want candidates who can communicate well and think critically.”

Further, advocates of the liberal arts point

out that this type of broad education is what helps create responsible, creative, and well-rounded citizens. Humanities and social sci-ences graduates are far more likely than their business and engineering peers to work in the ields of education and social services, which are jobs that are integral to the moral and economic well being of society. And for those worried about post graduate payof in dollar terms, numerous studies have found that liberal arts graduates close the income gap with their science and business peers, and by peak earning ages (50-60 years), ac-tually earn an average of several thousands more. In addition, unemployment for those holding liberal arts degrees drops over time to be near equal that of those with profes-sional or pre-professional degrees.

So for all the immediate payof of a career -oriented path of study, consider the value of getting a liberal arts education in broader terms. You will probably end up contribut-ing to society just as much as the alterna-tives, and you might even make as much money too.

Discrimination in housing, edu-cation, employment, and voting rights, which many Americans

thought was wiped out by the civil rights laws of the 1960s, is now perfectly legal against anyone

labeled a “felon.”

Employers want candidates who can think and write well, and adapt to diferent circum-stances, which are skills that receive heavy focus in liberal

arts programs.