rangeview spring 2009 first issue
TRANSCRIPT
A Publication by the Students of the FRCC-Larimer Campus
VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1 JAN. — MARCH 2009
CHANGE ON THE RANGE
BY TRAVIS CHATFIELD , RANGEVIEW REPORTER
Front Range Community College is currently in the
process of selecting a new president. The interim president,
Michael Kupcho, took up the post in July of 2008, when Karen
Reinertson retired. Kupcho, who was brought out of retirement
and who was previously the vice president of finance at the
Westminster campus, said there was “no delay as of yet in the
selection process.” The goal of having named a new president for
the college has been set for some time in mid-May. “Before then,
you would have the final three to four candidates come through
the different campuses, and meet with different groups on
campus,” said Kupcho. “There would also be a public forum
where the candidates would have a chance to answer questions,”
he added.
When asked about the candidates who were applying, or how
many candidates there would be, the director of the committee to
elect the president offered no comment. No one on the committee
would offer opinions or comments on the upcoming decision.
Kupcho, however, will not be applying for the job and will be
returning to retirement when a new president is hired. Kupcho
stated that Andrew Dorsey, the vice president at the Westminster
campus, or James Butzek,
vice president at the Larimer
campus, may apply.
Kupcho commented on
President Obama‟s stimulus
package‟s call for tripling the
amount of undergraduate
programs in science by say-
ing, “I am meeting with two
oil and gas companies over
the next two weeks regarding
energy-type training.” How-
ever, as far as Front Range is
concerned, “You‟re going to
see some benefit there,” said
Kupcho, referring to the
stimulus package. Kupcho,
who worked in the oil and
gas industry before he worked at Front Range, knows the impor-
tance of community colleges and going back to school. “I can say
this, having gone back to school, the community college fits
really well with what I‟ve done,” he said.
Amendment 50, which passed last fall, allowing casinos to
increase gambling in order to create more funds for community
colleges, means that Front Range should see direct benefit from
those funds sometime after July 2011. “The intent for that money
(Continued on page 4)
D IVERSITY UNIVERSITY:
THE INTERNATIONAL FAIR
BY PAT KERNAN , RANGEVIEW REPORTER
With four continents and 22 countries represented, Front
Range Community College‟s third annual International Fair was
poised to be well represented and well received. With more than
1,000 students and faculty attending the two previous fairs, English
as a Second Language (ESL) instructor Andrea Heyman has her
hands full. Heyman has been in charge of putting on the Interna-
tional Fair for the past two years and headed up the operations
again this year. Along with Heyman, several others helped to make
the International Fair a success, including Erin Smith of Student
Life, Diana Ragin of Admissions & Records (who also works with
international students), and Margie Wagner of the Learning Oppor-
tunity Center.
The International Fair provides foreign-born students the venue
to showcase their culture and heritage, while Front Range students
get to learn about these diverse and fascinating ways of life.
“It is really a win-win situation!” said Heyman, with much
fervor and enthusiasm. An ESL instructor at Front Range for the
(Continued on page 4)
The Colombian Dance Troupe performs at the Longs Peak Student Center to help celebrate FRCC’s third annual International Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Photo by Whitney Weber
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MEET OUR EDITORIAL TEAM
MEET OUR PHOTO TEAM
Faculty Advisor &
Managing Editor………...… Kate Tarasenko
Editorial Team…….…...….Travis Chatfield
……………………………………Katie Groy
…………………………………..Maggie Hull
……………………………………Pat Kernan
………………………………Ingrid Lehmann
……………………………………....Aly Pax
……………………………….Brianna Savino
………………………………...John Seaberry
………………………………...Tamara Smith
Photo Editor.………….Michelle Motherway
Photo Team…………...Michelle Motherway
……………………………..James Neuhalfen
……………………………....Whitney Weber
Layout…….. ..….……...……Kate Tarasenko
Publications Board….... .…….Karl Dukstein
………………………….David Murphy, SGA
………………………………..….Blair Oliver
………………………………...Rachel Rambo
………………………………...…..Erin Smith
……………………………….Kate Tarasenko
FREELANCE SUBMISSIONS POLICY:
We welcome feedback, letters to the
editor, original articles and op-ed
pieces (as well as story ideas and
tips) from all members of the FRCC
Larimer Campus community.
Please do not exceed 600 words.
The Rangeview also accepts photos
and artwork in jpg format.
All submissions must be emailed
directly from your FRCC account as
a Word.doc or jpg attachment, and
must be accompanied by full name
and local phone number, to:
All submissions are subject to final
approval by the Editorial Team and
Publications Board, and may be edited
for length, clarity, and potentially libel-
ous content.
Please direct your calendar event inquiries to
ALL CONTENT © 2009 RANGEVIEW
left to right: James Neuhalfen, Whitney Weber and Michelle Motherway
Photo by Joey Pratt
JOU-106 students, left to right (rear): Eric Bustillos, Travis Chatfield, Chelsea Moreland,
Ingrid Lehmann, Katie Groy, Pat Kernan, (foreground, left to right) Aly Pax,
Tamara Smith, John Seaberry, Maggie Hull and Brianna Savino
Photo by Michelle Motherway
MISSION STATEMENT:
The Rangeview provides a voice for FRCC’s Larimer campus. We strive to give our readers accurate and balanced coverage on a variety of news and events in an effort to keep our campus well-informed about its college community. We approach our responsibilities with the goal of maintaining the highest journalistic standards to the best of our abilities.
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ALSO
IN THIS ISSUE:
Scholars’ Square
Annaliese Bonacquista…...5
BT Huntley……....……….6
How We Serve
Will Chambers..………….8
Snowshoeing…………….9
Campus Wellness
Kelli Naibauer......………10
Meditation...…………….11
Mark Sobeck..…………..12
Front Range Faces
Peter Beal…..…...………13
Elham Musa…………….14
Lance Scoggins..………..15
Carol Reyes……………..15
Medium Cool
Student Art Show....…….16
Paintbox Project.. ...........17
Jazz Vocal Group……….18
Be Our Guest
Canadian Geese......………4
GSA…..............................19
AROUND THE FORT
The Rangeview is funded by Student Life
using student fees, and by the
Department of Arts & Letters.
Reporting for The Rangeview
is provided by the journalism
students of JOU-106,
the Fundamentals
of Reporting.
Photography is provided by
the students of FRCC-LC.
FALL 2009 Register for JOU-106,
the Fundamentals of
Reporting,
and write for
The Rangeview!
3 transfer
credit hours!
Also offered as an
Honors Institute class!
Starting on Monday, March 9, Fort
Collins’ bus system, Transfort, will
introduce Route 19, a new, direct-
service link between FRCC and CSU,
which will travel on Shields Street.
Route 19 will run every 60 minutes,
Monday through Friday, year „round.
When Poudre School District is in
session, operations will increase to
every 30 minutes during peak morning
and evening times.
Student ridership on Transfort in 2008
topped 600,000. In 2009, as gas prices
fluctuate, on-campus parking becomes
more limited and expensive, and
environmental awareness continues to
rise, it is hoped that improved services,
such as the addition of Route 19, will
prompt even more people to consider
giving Transfort a try.
New bus schedules which include
Route 19 will be available on March
9. Updated route maps will also be
posted to the Transfort Web site at
www.fcgov.com/transfort.
For additional information, please
call 221-6620.
Holly Reynerson
Transfort Marketing
City of Fort Collins
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
BY DAVID MURPHY
SPECIAL TO THE RANGEVIEW
Featured Student: Jason Jimenez, Accounting major
What was the last movie you saw in a theater?
“Tropic Thunder.”
What did you like about it?
It was a funny movie that actually turned out to be funny.
What was the last book you read?
I read “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.”
It was very good.
What is your favorite class that you’ve taken at here?
Accounting 2. The teacher was very good.
Mustard or mayonnaise? Why?
Mustard, because you can put it on everything.
Do you have any wacky superstitions?
No, I don‟t think so.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be
and why?
I would be invisible because sometimes I just like to mind
my own business.
What is the most exotic place you have visited?
Daytona Beach.
Did you go to the Daytona 500?
Yes, I did.
What is in your iPod right now?
Everything from hip-hop to rock; mostly popular songs. ®
Jaso
n Ji
men
ez
P
hot
o b
y M
ich
elle
Mot
her
wa
y
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(FRCC PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH continued from page 1)
is for instructional purposes,” says Kupcho, “and to create new
programs. It was very
important that the amend-
ment wasn‟t specific
about where we had to
spend the money.”
Amendment 50 funds
will not affect the Boulder
campus‟s lease agree-
ment, however, which is
set to expire on July 31,
2010. This issue is just
another in a slew of others
that the new president will
have to contend with
when he or she takes
office this May.
The Student Government
Association President
Hana Shatila had this to
say about the upcoming
changes: “I‟d like to see…
continuous success [that]
our college has had, and
making sure we are
always excelling.” Shatila has been SGA president since August
2008.
Front Range Community College will have to wait until
May for its new president. However, students at the Larimer
campus can get involved with the SGA right now. There are
spots open now. For more information, contact the SGA in the
Student Life office in the Longs Peak Student Center. ®
(INTERNATIONAL FAIR continued from page 1)
past 12 years, Heyman works with students from different
countries every day, saying, “They‟re all kind of in the same
boat. They deal with homesickness, culture shock, and possibly
limited English skills.” The International Fair can be a “voice”
for the foreign-born students of Front Range and, according to
Heyman, that voice is getting louder.
The first fair had 18 countries represented. The year
after that, it dropped down to 15 countries. This year, however,
Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican
Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Russia, Poland,
The Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, Nepal, India, China, Japan,
Thailand, Ghana, Jordan and Lebanon will all be in attendance.
Each country will have a vendor table with food, music, clothing
and other representations of their culture on display. The high-
lighted events of the day include a slideshow and soundtrack
about Poland, a Colombian dance and music performance, then
a Mexican Aztec dance troupe for the finale.
Alberta Adiku, a Front Range student from the West
African country of Ghana, is one of the International Fair‟s
participants. Adiku has been in Colorado now for eight months,
She and her husband and their youngest son came to Colorado
when her husband got a job here. She is currently enrolled in
the GED program at Front Range. Adiku plans on serving
peanut butter soup at the fair, as well as displaying many pieces
of clothing customary to Ghana. “I would like to give a taste of
Ghana,” said Adiku.
The International Fair has been evolving and improving
from year to year. “The first year we had open flames; wasn‟t
the best of ideas,” was Heyman‟s recollection of previous fairs.
The International Fair promises to be a worldly taste
with a Front Range flavor. All the vendors are either students or
faculty at Front Range. All the vendors at the International Fair
do it voluntarily, as well. They can be reimbursed up to $50 for
supplies, but many go above the reimbursement cap to put on
the best display that they can to highlight their home country.
Many instructors at Front Range take their classes to the
International Fair, and incorporate whatever their course of
study is with the fair.
Another member of the International Fair committee is
Student Activities Coordinator Rachel Rambo, who, in her first
year with the International Fair, is bringing a lot of energy and
excitement. Rambo is passionate about the International Fair.
“We get the opportunity to spotlight international students here
at Front Range for the entire student body to learn about and
enjoy.” ®
FRCC Interim President Michael Kupcho says he will return to retirement following the selection of the new college president. Photo courtesy of Jay Demore
THE GOOSE IS LOOSE
BY JON MAYER , GUEST COLUMNIST
There is a menace stalking the campus of Front Range
Community College, a frightening, and unpredictable creature,
capable of bringing a jet airliner down into the Hudson River. The
malice, however, does not end there. I have witnessed numerous
unprovoked attacks on students while on the FRCC campus. I
have seen them choose one person in a group of many, then charge
at this innocent person with the ferocity of a feathered blitzkrieg. I
have even seen these creatures using crosswalks, no doubt a testa-
ment to their intelligence. They do all this while under the pro-
tection of the federal government. Some consider them a menace,
while others consider them a thing of beauty, and reason enough to
live in Fort Collins. What I‟m referring to is, of course, the Cana-
dian goose.
Until about 50 years ago, Canadian geese were on the
verge of extinction due to over-hunting, damaging of wetland
habitats, and the harvesting of their eggs. However, conservation
efforts and the lack of natural predators have brought their
numbers into the millions.
Colorado is not the only state that the geese call home.
BE OUR GUEST
Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Virginia and New
York have the highest numbers of resident Canada geese. The
book “Urban Wildlife Management” argues that “the major
factor that influenced the distribution of geese was the migratory
patterns that include the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and
Pacific flyways. However, resident Canada geese do not
migrate and, in fact, probably recruit additional non-migrants
among migrating flocks by acting as living decoys.” The
methods of determining the number of Canada geese within
each state vary depending on the census techniques used by
different agencies collecting the data. Moreover, the numbers
collected are at best an estimate, since the geese do not line up
(Continued on next page)
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5
SCHOLARS ’ SQUARE
(GOOSE continued from previous page)
for a head count.
I must admit that I enjoy hearing their honking, and am
a bit hypnotized by the pleasant way they walk around and hunt
for insects. However, there has been a movement recently to try
to control the local population of Canada geese. The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service issued a permit to the Colorado Division of
Wildlife to control the activity of the geese. Before you get too
frightened about the welfare of our feathered friends, activities
outlined in the permit strictly prohibit harm to the birds.
Along with attempts to control populations, FRCC has
created an Urban Wildlife Education Project, which is designed
to conserve, through research and education, the Canadian geese
population at FRCC. Students are monitoring geese on campus,
and keeping record of the number, species and movements of
the geese. Two nest sites from last year that are in close contact
with students have been fenced off, and two other sites are
flagged with orange flags to encourage the geese to find a more
suitable habitat. The GIS students will map the location and
movements, and the wildlife students will record the success of
the “hazing.” Hopefully, these efforts will help us to find a way
to better co-exist with our feathered friends. ®
ANNALIESE BONACQUISTA :
HISTORY NERD
BY ALY PAX , RANGEVIEW REPORTER
A new young teacher sits on the table, legs crossed, in
front of a Western Civilization class of about 30 students.
Annaliese Bonacquista starts the class with a joke. She has a
certain style, “comfy and professional,” is how she puts it. She
has on jeans and a black shirt. As she sits on the table, one can
see her black and white fuzzy socks. She gets comfortable in the
two- hour, 45-minute class. A smile spreads across her face as
she jokes with her Western Civ class.
Laughter echoes throughout the room. The lights are
turned off and there is a picture of a caveman on the SMART
Board. She asks the students how they would describe a cave-
man. The answer, “Geico,” comes from all angles of the room.
None of Bonacquista‟s students raises their hands, and instead
they yell out the answer.
Bonacquista is a 27-year-old history instructor at Front
Range. When in the classroom, she prefers “noise and chaos.”
She explains this is why she would rather her students not raise
their hands. She believes her students learn more with opinions,
discussions and questions, so she wants them to speak up instead
of waiting for her to call on them. Bonacquista considers her
students to be her equals, so instead of just talking at them, she
has them bounce ideas off of each other. “I navigate where to
go,” she says, “instead of running the whole class.” She also adds
alternative materials to everyday classes such as clips of a song
or pictures. She says this is so the students have different ways to
learn.
Bonacquista‟s parents were both teachers, so she has
learned different types of teaching, and they had an impact on
her choice to teach. Her family would go on trips that were more
educational. Bonacquista says, “We wouldn‟t go on trips to
Hawaii… We would just drive out in the middle of no where in
the Colorado mountains.” She was “always on the end of
thinking [history] was important.”
As she attended college at Fort Lewis College in
Durango, Bonacquista felt “the little mountain town” was a
“la-la-land” with a “fun mixture of people.” She said that after
having the popular history teacher at Fort Lewis, history came
back to her. “I thought it was really, really cool to read a text-
book and to understand the little details,” Bonacquista explains.
(Continued on next page)
Barb Patterson’s urban wildlife students (background) huddle together for safety against flocks of Canadian geese that have taken over the campus, stalking and attacking unsuspecting passersby. (But, seriously…) Student Jon Mayer writes that, despite threats to their habitat, the resurgence of Canadian geese over the past 50 years has prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to initiate state programs which will track the birds’ nesting habits and migratory patterns. Photo by Michelle Motherway
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SCHOLARS ’ SQUARE
(BONACQUISTA continued from previous page)
She graduated from Fort Lewis in 2005 with a Bachelor of
Arts degree in U.S. history and a minor in sociology.
After school, Bonacquista slowly figured out that
she wanted to be a history instructor. “I would just talk
about random history…and I thought it was so cool…. I
would always try to fit into a conversation with some
pointless information about history.” She realized she
enjoyed talking about it and wanted to do something that
she was really excited about. After finishing her under-
graduate degree, Bonacquista followed the family tradition
of getting a teaching degree and went to the University of
Northern Colorado in Greeley. Bonacquista graduated
from UNC in 2008 with a teaching degree and a master‟s
in U.S history.
She currently lives in Greeley and commutes to
Front Range a few days a week. When asked if she
enjoyed living in Greeley, she responds, “Greeley helped
me grow [but] I am very excited about Fort Collins. It fits
my niche.” Bonacquista is planning on moving to Fort
Collins as soon as possible. She enjoys the social scene of
Fort Collins.
Being younger, however, can have an effect in the
classroom. Bonacquista feels she can sometimes relate to
her students because she is closer to their age, although,
she says, “It‟s almost sometimes a curse because I am not
older and not always viewed as an instructor.”
When Bonacquista is not at Front Range, she
teaches at Aims Community College. She says, “Two part
-times equal a full-time.” During the time she is not teach-
ing, she is working on writing a history book. “I like
factual detail,” she explains. She wants to write textbooks. Work-
ing as a part-time instructor at two different schools, Bonacquista
enjoys talking to
students about U.S
History and Western
Civilization. Western
Civ is a “huge, huge
exciting part of
history…The older the
better,” she explains.
Bonacquista has
found her niche in Fort
Collins. She enjoys
talking about the past
every day at Front
Range and Aims
Community Colleges.
History may seem like
a class a student may
put off till their last
semester. Bonacquista
adds with excitement,
“Take my class and
become history nerds.”
®
L IFETIME LEARNER : BT HUNTLEY
BY KATIE GROY, RANGEVIEW REPORTER
Sometimes we forget that historians, who tell the life stories of others, have their own stories to share. Walking into BT
Huntley‟s office, she greets you with her soft-spoken voice and, looking around, one instantly gets a sense of her cultural and
political interests. With a poster of President Obama, photos of women from around the world, and a Mexican blanket
displaying the Aztec calendar, one also gets a sense of where she has been. Huntley, 51, is an instructor and the department chair
of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and has been through her own trials and tribulations to end up in the leadership position that
she‟s in today.
Huntley‟s parents didn‟t save money for her to go to school, but she knew that she never wanted to be dependent on
someone else. She said the only advice her parents gave her was, “Learn to type in case you don‟t get married.” In high school,
she became the senior editor of the school newspaper. After graduating, she earned her degree in journalism from Drake
University in Des Moines, Iowa. One of her inspirations to pursue her education was “The Women‟s Room” by Marilyn
French. After graduating, she got a job as a journalist and became the editor of the Aspen Daily News. Later, she received her
master‟s degree from New York University in Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
While living in New York, she married and had her first daughter, now 22. Later, she moved back to Colorado when she
was pregnant with her second daughter, now 18. Her youngest was born with a heart ailment called Wolf-Parkinson-White
Syndrome. Her heart rate would reach up to 250 beats per minutes. This was a hard period in Huntley‟s life, not only dealing
with her ailing daughter, but because she was also unable to work on her dissertation for her Ph.D. After her daughter‟s surgery
at the age of 3, Huntley started working five part-time jobs, most of which were at Front Range. These included teaching part-
time, working as a faculty advisor, working in the Testing Center and as a faculty mentor. In 1999, she started working as a full-
time faculty member. Working full-time at FRCC was what she had worked toward since graduating, and after receiving that
(Continued on next page)
Instructor Annaliese Bonacquista eases into her U.S. History class with a joke. Photo by James Neuhalfen
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SCHOLARS ’ SQUARE
(HUNTLEY continued from previous page)
position, she successfully climbed the ranks. She was faculty
for only one year before she earned the position as chair.
Working as an instructor and department chair is a
“cerebral occupation,” so
in her spare time, she likes
to travel. Traveling has
given her a way to leverage
her education in multicul-
tural feminism. She
considers herself a
“lifetime learner.” Her
travel is related to her work
as a historian, but she pays
for it out-of-pocket and
uses her vacation time.
Huntley said her favorite
places that she has traveled
to are the Galapagos
Islands, Egypt and Cuba.
She became
interested in Cuba because
women are very prominent
in leadership positions and
the people there are
willing to talk openly about
the problems facing all
Cubans. “Cuba… became trade partners with the U.S.S.R. and
received a great deal of oil and other credits from them until
the early 1990s, when the dissolution of the U.S.S.R.
occurred,” said Huntley. “With the loss of that foreign aid,
Cuba had to engage in a nationwide discussion about how to
survive and adjust their economy. They held discussions at a
grassroots level throughout the country, which led to a more
sustainable economic plan, including the revitalization of urban
gardens and more sustainable agricultural practices, such as
using animals to plow, rather than fuel-consuming tractors,
and so on.” Huntley continued, “Cuba has one of the higher
rates of women in government or elected positions. The rate
has continued to improve throughout the 1990s to the present.
Women make up about 36 percent of the national assembly
now, which puts Cuba seventh in the world.”
Outside the classroom, some of Huntley‟s major
contributions have taken place abroad, with her doing most
of her work with
refugee camps in
Central America. One
of her major contribu-
tions was helping the
Mothers of the
Disappeared. These
are women in
Argentina who join in
peaceful marches to
re-unite with their
abducted sons and
daughters. This took
place during the
“Dirty War” from
1976-1983 under
Jorge Rafael Videla‟s
military dictatorship.
Huntley helped these
mothers write to U.S.
politicians so they
would become aware
of the situation.
Of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that President
Obama signed into law on Jan. 29, Huntley said, “I believe
that anything we can do to address that issue in our culture is
critical, and we‟ve changed culture in the past through legisla-
tion.” Huntley is teaching Colorado history this semester, and
she believes, “We have fabulous women in our history.” She
tries to incorporate women and race issues into her classes.
“They learn about George Washington, but I also want to
incorporate the average person and their story.” Her main
message is, “Being a feminist doesn‟t mean that you hate
men. It simply means the equality of men and women.” ®
(SCOGGINS continued from page 15)
Scoggins household. Scoggins went on to say that besides the
money aspect, his family does “support the fact that I want to
get a degree.”
With attending school and working two jobs, Scoggins
found it hard to add in a vigorous social life. While in high
school, Scoggins had the freedom to “party and stay up late,”
but now, with the added tasks of work and school, Scoggins said
that he saw his old ways “fly out the window.” When class was
over and work was completed, he maybe had time to hang out
with his roommates or attend the occasional get-together, but
nothing like he was used to only a few years ago. “[I‟m]
constantly working or going to class. . . I have class early and
studying at night,” he said. Though Scoggins is receiving an
education that many are not fortunate enough to even dream
about, in social aspects, he said that he “kind of feels like I‟m
missing out.” But with the constant avalanche of bills and
payments, he is quickly back to feeling overwhelmed instead
of reminiscing of easier times. “It can be overwhelming if I
don‟t work enough at one of my jobs,” he said, “or take a
day off of work to study. I feel more nervous about making
bills.” With the unvarying certainty that bills will continue to
pile up, and the added pressure of going to college, Scoggins
still finds ways to look on the bright side. “Even though the
odds are stacked against me, I‟ve pushed through the hard
times and still look forward to graduating and doing some-
thing that I love.” ®
History instructor BT Huntley has traveled the world as part of her research and political activism. Photo by Whitney Weber
"No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence." — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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HOW WE SERVE
the day-to-day happenings. “Pam‟s awesome. She does a
little of everything, but mostly she just keeps thing running
ship-shape!”
Chambers has one older brother who is a graduate
of Fort Lewis College, where his father is also an alumnus.
His mother attended St. Mary‟s Catholic University in
Indiana, and his older sister is currently a junior at CSU in
the veterinary program. Chambers lives with his sister and
her two friends for now, but plans on getting his own place
with some friends next semester. He explained how when he
was a little kid, his parents set up bonds for him that would
mature when he was getting ready to go to college,
emphasizing the vital role education plays in his life.
Chambers, like many 19-year-olds, is just feeling
his way through this new journey that are college, working,
and responsibility
on the whole. He
is finding out
what works well
and what
doesn‟t, like most
students at Front
Range, only his
days include a bit
more campus life
than the rest of
us. ®
Ya Hungry at Front Range Community College is
buzzing with students coming and going from class, and right
in the thick of the action stands 19-year-old Will Chambers.
On an average day, 50 to 60 students and faculty members
come through Ya Hungry, but on a busy day, that number can
easily eclipse 100, according to Chambers.
He works 16 hours a week at Ya Hungry and is taking
13 credits this semester. He has not declared a major and is
currently working on his general education classes. His classes
include Astronomy, Environmental Economics, English
Composition I and Western Civilization. Was he working and
going to school to utilize the work-study program? “No.
There are employees doing work study at Ya Hungry, but I
chose not to, because I plan on transferring to Colorado State
University and I would rather have just classes on my
transcript.”
When asked what he perceived the benefits to be of
working and attending school on the same campus, Chambers
emphasized the convenience of having work and school at the
same location, as well as the relatively low amount of gas
money needed to make only one trip. He then added, “Plus, I
get to meet a few more people than most students on campus,
so that‟s pretty cool.” When asked about the work atmosphere
at Ya Hungry, the large grin on his face made it evident that
Chambers enjoys where he works, and he commented on the
fun and open atmosphere at work. He stays busy and claims
they‟re never short of work, which makes the shifts seem
faster, “and I just really enjoy working with the people that I
do, which always makes a job more fun.”
According to Chambers, Pam Daniels, dining director
at Ya Hungry, does a wonderful job fitting students‟ work
schedules and school schedules together, all while maintaining
NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH
BY PAT KERNAN , RANGEVIEW REPORTER
Student Will Chambers serves up customers at Ya Hungry. Photo by Whitney Weber
TOO BEAUTIFUL TO EAT: Fruit is meticulously carved into intricate flowers by artisans at the International Fair, organized by ESL instructor Andrea Heyman (at right). See story on page 1. Photo above by James Neuhalfen ~~ Photo at right by Michelle Motherway
8
9
HOW WE SERVE
Living in Colorado, many Front Range students know
the Rocky Mountains pretty well. Other than snowboarding and
skiing, there is plenty to do while playing in the snow. Snow-
shoeing, for example, has become a part of FRCC. Signs in the
Longs Peak Student Center advertise the “Snowshoeing
Adventure.” Front Range students have the chance to explore
their abilities in the snow with a different type of activity.
Michelle Campbell, a CSU intern working in the FRCC
Fitness Center, has planned this event for all Front Range
students and faculty. Campbell, 22, works as the assistant to
Fitness Center Coordinator
Elaine Milligan, who asked
Campbell to set up winter
events as part of her intern
project. The upbeat Camp-
bell explained, smiling, that
she wanted to do “activities
that students would want to
go to.” The snowshoeing
event, for example, is some-
thing she, as a student, has
always wanted to try, and
now she gets the chance to.
The snowshoeing
event on Feb. 21 was a trip to
Colorado‟s Rocky Mountain
National Park. “I think, in
the past, it was a way to get
students active,” Campbell
explained.
Front Range student
Evan Miller, 22, is another employee at the Fitness Center and
believes it to be “a different form of exercise other than
resistance and weights.” Miller, with a laid-back personality,
explained that it is a great way to see the “panorama views of
elevation.” This is a way to help the students at FRCC not only
to get involved with their peers, but also a way for them to get
involved in the Fitness Center.
Students and faculty interested in the upcoming events
should go to the Fitness Center located in the Longs Peak
Student Center to sign up. When signing up, participants are
asked to sign a waiver of liability in case of injury. Campbell
explained it would be difficult to bring friends who aren‟t a part
of FRCC because of the whole “legality and waiver thing.”
Campbell and Miller met the snowshoeing participants
at 9 a.m. in the Longs Peak Student Center on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Once they met those who live in Fort Collins, they headed off to
Loveland to meet the people who live there.
Miller explained, “There are two pick-up places,” so
they can accommodate everyone.
Campbell assured the drivers that they “will reimburse
for gas.”
Once they gathered everyone up in the cars, they set off
to rent snowshoes at Estes Park Mountain, which was on the
way. Campbell did research and found that it was only $5 to
rent.
“This trip [was] a good intro and good for all levels…
something to enjoy for everybody,” Miller explained. He grew
up with activity so Campbell asked him to be the leader or guide
of the group once they got to the trail.
They started at the trailhead at Bear Lake, and decided
where to go from there. Miller lead the pack as Campbell and
the other participants followed behind. Campbell explained,
while moving her arms in a
running motion, that, “We…
just [trucked] along behind
[Miller].”
“[It‟s just] one foot in front
of the other,” Miller said,
showing his leadership as the
guide.
This was Miller‟s first time
on an event with the Front
Range Fitness Center. He
believes this is going to be
“a great way to meet new
people….what a lot of commu-
nity colleges are geared
towards.” Following the
experience, Miller was thrilled
to lead the pack of snowshoers
through Rocky Mountain
National Park. These events
are a way to “encourage FRCC
students to do things,” Miller explained. He said the Fitness
Center needs more attention from the students. “We are there
to serve the students and will adapt to what the students want.”
Miller explained that if the students get involved in these
activities, they can plan them around to what they want. If they
like snowshoeing and want to keep doing it, they will plan more
snowshoeing events.
Campbell stated, “The day was a complete success.”
They ended up with nine people snowshoeing around Bear
Lake. They also walked around Emerald Lake. Campbell was
thrilled with the day. “The trip was amazing,” she explained.
After the hard day of snowshoeing, they went to dinner at The
Rock Inn Mountain Tavern. Campbell explained, “[They] all
stopped for some dinner and laughs.”
The participants got to see Colorado in a different
perspective by traveling on foot. Even when Colorado is
covered in snow, hikers still get a chance to do what they love.
It is a new experience for people who enjoy being in the snow,
and they got a guide to help them follow the trail.
It was a learning experience, Campbell said. “Take a
Saturday and do something you have never done before and you
finally get to do it… [It was] fun.” ®
WALKING IN A W INTER WONDERLAND
BY ALY PAX , RANGEVIEW REPORTER
Evan Miller and FRCC students pause while on a snowshoeing excursion at Bear Lake. Photo by Michelle Motherway
9
10
CAMPUS WELLNESS
and several other states, DAs are not required to be certified to
practice dental assisting so they can be hired with no experi-
ence and taught on the job. Naibauer injects that this is very
difficult and she could never learn on the job because there are
just too many things to learn without going through a course.
Since dentists rely on assistants to be their second set of hands,
they usually look for someone dependable, flexible with their
schedule, and genuinely friendly.
In the future, this field of work is supposed to increase
29 percent till 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, and the likelihood of obtaining a job should be
excellent. Even Naibauer believes, “They will always be in
demand, if you want to know the truth.”
This remains true because many dental assistants use
the program as a stepping stone to advance, so jobs left behind
are filled easily. Dental
assistants have many options
for advancement, such as
going back to school to
become a dental hygienist,
becoming an instructor,
being an office manager, sell-
ing dental products, or taking
the Expanded Functions
Dental Auxiliary (EFDA)
Program, which requires one
to perform more responsibili-
ties but pays more per hour.
After running into
her past DA instructor at a
convention, Naibauer learned
about an opening for a DA
instructor at Front Range and
was asked to fill it, which she
decided to do. Although not a
teacher, she was asked to
instruct the class on the basis
that she had completed the
course and was a practicing
DA in the community, which
enables her to instruct her
students in all aspects of the
job to prepare them for
reality. This new job allowed her to hold onto her passion and
also spend more time with her two kids, a son, 10, and a
daughter, 13.
Patients become like family when you are so used to
routinely seeing them, and Naibauer says this is what she
misses most about dental assisting.
Her students, in some sense, re-
place her patients as she makes
differences in their lives. “It makes
it worthwhile when students come
back and are happy,” she remarks.
“To finish and succeed makes it
worthwhile.” ®
FLOSS ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM!
BY TAMARA SMITH, RANGEVIEW REPORTER
Clean white teeth, free toothbrushes, happy smiles,
and friendly attitudes—this is the family environment that stole
Kelli Naibauer‟s heart as a child. “I loved it. I had such a great
experience,” she explains. For Naibauer, a 37-year-old part-
time dental assistant instructor at FRCC, her childhood
experience at the dentist‟s office is one of the reasons she
decided to become a dental assistant. “Just the field fascinated
me. Working in people‟s mouths…I just liked it.”
Naibauer decided to become a dental assistant instead
of a hygienist because there is less repetition to the job. Being
an assistant requires you to perform many different functions
so it doesn‟t get boring.
Some of these tasks
include: assisting the
dentist in procedures;
crowning; bridging;
extractions; taking casts
of teeth; obtaining a
patient‟s dental records;
making patients comfort-
able while in the dental
chair; and preparing them
for treatment. When asked
how she felt touching
people‟s mouths all day,
Naibauer responded,
“Doesn‟t bother me at all.
It‟s almost a fascination.”
The program
only takes 12 months to
become certified if
attending school full-time.
It prepares students
through classroom,
laboratory, and pre-
clinical instruction. “I like
the program as a whole,”
says Naibauer, who
completed the course in 1992.
Naibauer insists that, in the beginning, transferring
instruments, taking impressions, and radiology are the most
difficult, but being required to wear scrubs to work makes the
difference because, “You don‟t have to think about what to
wear.” While on the job, dental assistants are required to wear
scrubs, masks, and gloves for safety, to protect themselves and
patients from contagious diseases.
Starting out in Fort Collins, dental assistants (or DAs)
make about $10 to $12 an hour, depending on experience.
However, the middle 50 percent of people working in the field
in 2006 made anywhere between $11.94 to $17.44 an hour, so
the wage range is different, especially according to where you
live and how much DAs are in demand in the area. In Colorado
Dental Assistant Instructor Kelli Naibauer is a walking advertisement for good dental hygiene. Photo by Michelle Motherway
10
11
CAMPUS WELLNESS
OM. . .MEDITATION AT FRCC
BY INGRID LEHMANN, RANGEVIEW REPORTER
Stress is known to cause serious health issues such as
insomnia, hypertension, high cholesterol and even cancer.
Luckily, Front Range Community College students have free
access to an outlet for all of that stress: meditation.
The meditation seminar is open to all Front Range
students in the Longs Peak Student Center‟s small conference
room every Thursday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The class is led by
Michelle Campbell. She helps to guide students through the
many different elements of meditation to help them attain a less
stressful outlook and more peaceful lifestyles.
Campbell uses techniques such as guided imagery,
deep breathing, and
sitting meditation. In
guided imagery, students
are taught to calm their
minds and consciously
make an effort to move
toward a more relaxed
state of being. Deep
breathing is a technique
in which students can use
breathing in order to
calm their bodies and
minds. Deep breathing is
helpful to many
practitioners because it is
a technique that can be
used at any time and
place. Campbell has
found that it is especially
useful for her to use
throughout her day. She says, “For instance, when I am on my
way to an interview and I feel myself getting wound up, deep
breathing helps me to relax and achieve a better state of mind.”
Samantha Noble is an example of what has become the
norm: the highly stressed college student. She recently lost her
job and, because of this, finances are a continuous concern for
her. She says she is constantly in a high level of stress.
Knowing the negative effects of stress, Noble has looked for
outlets to relieve it. What she found were things like yoga and
exercise classes, which can run at least $10 a class. In today‟s
economy, some find that hard to justify. Noble says, “I would
like to start being proactive about my health, but feel guilty
about spending the money.”
That‟s when Noble heard about the free meditation
classes offered on campus. Having experienced meditation
through yoga previously, she could attest to the benefits and the
positive feelings that she experienced. “I found it incredibly
relaxing,” she says, and she left in a much better state of mind.
Noble says that it is not only the pressures of school
and work that cause her worry. “Every time I turn on the news,
there is something horrible that has happened, and with the state
of the economy, everything just begins to weigh me down
tremendously.”
This is were Campbell and her meditation class
comes in. Campbell became interested in meditation through
her experience with running. Having run cross-country in
high school and as a runner still, she understands the impor-
tance of a relaxed state of mind. She says that when she is in
the middle of a run and is able to clear her mind instead of
having her mind racing as well, her runs go much smoother.
She began to seek that calm state of mind outside of her runs.
Following a run, she would sit down and try deep breathing
to calm her mind. Campbell calls it “just being as you are.”
She has a history of anxiety and she finds this technique
extremely effective.
Campbell sees the tremendous stress that today‟s
students are under and that it is important to find a way to
relieve it. Stress can
literally eat away at
your body. When the
body responds to stress,
it releases chemicals
that are supposed to
help people respond
quicker, also known as
fight or flight. The hu-
man body has evolved
to respond to stress as if
preparing for a battle.
The American Institute
of Stress lays out a
couple of these
responses: heart rate
and blood pressure rise;
blood sugar rises to
provide more fuel for
the body; and clots occur more quickly to prevent blood loss
in case of injury. These response tactics were developed in
the days of the caveman, when stress involved running from
a saber-tooth tiger. Unfortunately, in today‟s world, these
responses are often detrimental. When the body is constantly
in this state, the chemicals meant to protect one‟s body can
turn deadly.
“Students are under a lot of stress. Finals and mid-
terms are toxic times,” Campbell says.
Noble is planning on attending the Thursday
meditation classes from now on. “I have some free time on
Thursdays so I will do this instead of getting my second
coffee,” she says. She believes that stress brings out the very
worst in the people around her. She says that the only times
that she and her boyfriend fight is when they are feeling
stressed. “Nowadays, stress is floating around everywhere
and people need to look for a healthy outlet.”
Meditation is not as hard as it may sound to some
people. It is merely the practice of controlling your mind,
and mind over body. So do not stress, and remember, until
next Thursday, just breathe. ®
11
12
CAMPUS WELLNESS
been in the room when a life was saved, or lost. “It‟s nothing
like TV,” he says. “Organized chaos is really what it‟s like.
You get tunnel vision.” But Sobeck explains that you can‟t get
caught up in the moment. You need to remain focused on the
doctor. “If you‟re not doing that, the patient might suffer.”
Sobeck explains that doctors and nurses have to evaluate the
situation. “If the patient is not doing well, then you have to
ask the question: „Are you able to bring that person back?‟
You have to determine that while doing CPR,” says Sobeck. If
you aren‟t able to bring them back, it‟s “emotionally draining,
not only comforting their family and friends, but it is hard for
you [as a person] as well.”
It‟s crucial to have a “good support system, and
friends who can empathize with you. Those people in that
room with you” are another crucial base of support, explains
Sobeck.
He agrees that it‟s a good idea to make friends where
you work so that if you have a hard day, you can talk with
them about it. And, if not, “There are always counselors
there.”
But, Sobeck points out, “There are some days you
have an easy patient load. And you say to yourself, „This isn‟t
what I signed up for.‟” So it‟s days like that Sobeck says that
you need to find your niche in the hospital. He had a friend
who wanted to be a chemotherapy nurse, so she went and
became one. “You‟re not stuck in one position,” explains
Sobeck. Getting bored at a hospital isn‟t something many of
us would think is possible, but nurses doing the same
procedures day in and day out would likely disagree. That‟s
why nurses switch niches or fields every few years. “This
field is not limited,” says Sobeck. For most nurses, they can
switch between fields easily.
Sobeck also says that, “Doctors will show you what‟s
going on with certain things,” like how to comprehend a
patient‟s telemetry or something that you may not have seen
before. And if you want to observe a procedure you‟ve never
done before, a fair amount of doctors will understand your
enthusiasm and let you observe.
Observation, attention to detail, drive, and organiza-
tion are critical to success as a nurse. But, Sobeck explains,
“When you‟re out there, don‟t be afraid to ask questions. It‟s
better to ask than not at all.” The Nursing Program isn‟t for
the timid. Sobeck is a survivor of the program because of
hard work, dedication, and support from his family and
friends. ®
NURSING A DREAM
BY TRAVIS CHATFIELD , RANGEVIEW REPORTER
Mark Sobeck is a 31-year-old nurse at the Estes Park
Medical Center. A December 2008 graduate of the Front Range
Nursing Program, Sobeck has “always been interested in
medicine.” “It took a long time, but I would recommend it,”
says Sobeck. “You
have to be dedicated
and your family has
to respect your dedi-
cation.” Family sup-
port is a necessity to
success with the
program. “You
need family
support,” says
Sobeck. Hard days
are not uncommon
in the medical field.
As a nurse, Sobeck
has seen his fair
share of “difficult
patients.” Not
unlike difficult
patrons a bar maid
might see at a night
club, Sobeck says
this is why you need
comfort from those
around you at the
end of a hard day.
Sobeck recalls
his first day at the
Estes Park Medical
Center as a mix-
ture of “excitement and terror.” Before working there as a
nurse, Sobeck worked there for three years as a clerk. How-
ever, as a nurse, he said, “I‟m responsible for this person, you
know? The average first job is not going to be extremely life-
altering, like a busboy, but nursing is different,” says Sobeck.
Drive is important; you need to “dedicate your time to
work the really tough days.” Sobeck goes on to point out that
organization is equally important, emphasizing, “If you‟re in
disarray, how do you help?” Tasks such as getting medication
and listening to the doctor‟s instructions at the same time are
critical, and they need to be prioritized.
Thinking outside the box is also crucial to success in
this field. Sobeck gives a scenario: “If a patient is sleeping and
there is a grimace on his face and he has trouble breathing, there
could be a million different things it could be. But,” says
Sobeck, “you take the worst one first.” Staring down the
problems and overcoming obstacles are vital to the patient‟s
success and success as a nurse in the field.
As anyone might in the field of medicine, Sobeck has
FRCC Nursing Program graduate
Mark Sobeck recalls his first day
at the Estes Park Medical Center
as a mixture of “excitement and
terror.”
FRCC Nursing Program graduate Mark Sobeck checks the vitals of a patient at the Estes Park Medical Center. Photo by Michelle Motherway
12
13
FRONT RANGE FACES
BOULDERING BEAL
BY JOHN SEABERRY , RANGEVIEW REPORTER
Art historian Peter Beal is what you might call a true
Renaissance man. Beal, 44, an art history and humanities
instructor at FRCC‟s Larimer campus, is also a writer, artist,
father, Ph.D. candidate at CU-Boulder, and an outstanding
athlete. Beal‟s well-groomed appearance—replete with smart
glasses, wispy bangs and button-down shirt—conceals the
sturdy, sinewy torso of a lifelong rock climber. When he is not
teaching, writing or spending time with his wife Caolin and
2-year-old daughter Sophia, Beal climbs and authors two blogs
dedicated to bouldering.
“Climbing has always been a part of my life,” said
Beal, who began climbing coastal cliffs and boulders near his
house in southern Maine at age 10. He earned a B.A. from
Bowdoin College in 1987 and a master‟s from the University
of Colorado in 1998, all the while pursuing rock-climbing with
feverish enthusiasm. In fact, the climbing scene along the Front
Range was part of the reason Beal chose Colorado for graduate
school. “This was probably the best way of combining these two
aspects of having a somewhat normal life,” he said, “and also
having a lot of rock nearby and a critical mass of other
climbers… really good climbers.”
Beal‟s concentration switched from traditional sport
climbing to bouldering when his daughter was born. “It‟s some-
thing I can do solo,” he noted, “because my wife and I are
constantly swapping off child care.”
Bouldering is a style of rock-climbing that focuses on
individual movements or short sequences of moves and
emphasizes strength, power and dynamics. Boulder routes,
commonly referred to as “problems,” are found to exist on large
boulders, low cliffs, or man-made artificial boulders. “It offers
the most direct and creative way of interacting with the rock,”
said Beal. “You create the experience as you go along.”
Bouldering is normally limited to short climbs, and
falls typically do not result in serious injury, so it is usually done
without a rope or belay. Beal noted, “You don‟t have a bunch of
things you have to keep in order or manipulate to be safe.” He
added, “Focusing narrowly and tightly on a small problem—that
aspect of creativity and directness—has always been a really
strong draw for me.” Beal will spend anywhere from half an
hour to a full month on a problem, if he ever completes it at all.
“In recent years, I‟ve been focusing on areas in Boulder
Canyon or Flagstaff Mountain, on finding new problems and
focusing on some of the formations there that move past the
previous consensus,” Beal said. “I‟m finding high-quality
problems in a decent order of difficulty in an area that has been
climbed on since the 1950s.” Beal created and maintains two
blogs that chronicle his climbing experiences. The Boulder
Canyon Bouldering blog
(bouldercanyonbouldering.blogspot.com) is a guide to routes
and problems near Boulder which includes descriptions,
difficulty levels and links to external video and photos. Beal
dedicates his other blog, Mountains and Water
(mountainsandwater.blogspot.com), to his personal progress in
bouldering. He uses it to record the problems he is working on
or has just completed, with vivid descriptions of his feats, often
accompanied by video.
Beal started blogging around the same time he began
concentrating on bouldering. “The climbing media, as it stood
at the time, was very limited. Its focus was on marketing the
sport or marketing personalities within the sport,” Beal
observed. “I figured it would be more interesting for me to do
something with a blog and comment on ideas, trends, events…
whatever.” He regards Internet technology as a boon for the
climbing community. “The information networks that were out
there prior to the Internet were very primitive and very closed,”
said Beal. “You would have to know a guide book author or be
in a certain social scene. You don‟t have to do that anymore.”
The title of Beal‟s Mountains and Water blog reflects
his interconnected view of art and the natural world, as it is a
description of a particular style of landscape painting. “It talks
about the ingredients for a certain kind of landscape in Chinese
art,” Beal explained, “a landscape [that] is essentially
(Continued on page 19)
Art History instructor Peter Beal works a “problem” on Monday, Feb. 23 at Rotary Park along Horsetooth Reservoir.
Photo by Whitney Weber
13
14
FRONT RANGE FACES
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
BY CHELSEA MORELAND , RANGEVIEW REPORTER
War is one of the last things on most Front Range
students‟ minds. For one student, war is a reality back in her
home country. Civil war erupted in the southern region of
Sudan in Northern Africa in 1993. By 2001, over 150 aerial
bombings had ravaged the region and killed hundreds of
civilians. Elham Musa (pronounced eel’-hahm) lost her brother
in one of these aerial bombings. Musa, 39, immigrated to the
United States seven years ago, following her husband to Fort
Collins. “It was very, very hard,” she says.
Musa spotted her husband-to-be during her college
years in Sudan, when they caught the sight of each other in a
library. Soon after, he immigrated to the United States to
continue his education and begin a career. For nearly three
years, Musa and her future husband communicated by sending
letters back and forth. They then decided to marry and her
husband returned to Sudan to wed her. Shortly after, Musa
gave birth to twin boys. After nearly two years, Musa and her
two 14-month-old boys packed up what they could carry and
left for the United States.
Musa grew up in a large family, including her mother
and father, plus eight younger siblings. She grew up around her
mother, learning the responsibilities of women as heads of the
household. Musa took care of her eight siblings during her
senior year in high school while her parents were away in
different cities. Her responsibilities were to cook, clean, and
discipline her brothers and sisters. “It was a lot of responsibil-
ity,” she says. “[It was] hard, but I did it. I am proud of that.”
All eight of her siblings eventually attended college. Six have
graduated, and the youngest will start college in the fall.
Musa graduated from college in Sudan and taught
English to high school students for three years, and for six
months in a college setting, before she immigrated.
“[It was] very, very hard…We never got separated.”
Musa explains that she had never even been to another part of
her country. “I even refused to go to another city for school.”
For Musa, leaving Sudan was a very difficult transition. “But,”
she says, “I had to do it for my kids. They should be with their
father.”
Starting over in a new and strange place was a
challenge. Musa knew nothing of the United States, saying,
“I have to listen, and I have to be part of this culture even if I
disagree.” Her first language is Arabic. She studied and spoke
English in high school and throughout college. “I always got an
„A,‟” she says. “What you study is different from how you talk
now. [I was] taught more formal English,” Musa explains. “I
was okay. When you have a desire for something, you learn.”
A friend of Musa‟s husband suggested to him Fort
Collins as a great place to go to school and get a job. Musa
expressed the desire to further her education and her husband
recommended Front Range Community College to start. Front
Range offers a program for international students to help them
with English as a second language (ESL).
Although Musa and her family live in Fort Collins,
they maintain connections with their heritage, religious beliefs,
and family. Musa maintains Sudanese dress. She wears a head-
dress or “higab,” and a “tobe,” which is a piece of cloth that
wraps around the body. The Musa family attends mosque every
Friday. They are homebodies. They may go out to a Chinese
restaurant once a month, but they mostly prefer a home-cooked
meal. They have a lot of family time, watching the Arabic
channel, movies, and “Oprah.”
“How do I like it here? Still missing home,” Musa
says. She calls her family back home regularly. Musa has two
twin boys, now age 8, and two twin girls who are 6. Musa
plans to return to Sudan with her husband after her kids have
grown and moved out of the house. “I don‟t know if I can
persuade them, especially the kids.” She says her boys want
to stay in the United States. Musa admits, “Life here is easier…
but I‟d rather be with my family.”
Musa writes short stories and poetry. She is finishing
her general education classes in hopes of transferring to
Colorado State University by the fall of 2009. She is planning
on working towards a degree in English literature, after which
she hopes to move back and reunite with the family that she
left behind in Sudan. “I am too attached to my family,” she
says. ®
War is one of the last things on
most Front Range students’
minds. For one student, war is a
reality back in her home country.
Sudanese student Elham Musa hopes to one day return to her native country, despite its ongoing civil war. Photo by James Neuhalfen
14
15
JUST A STOP ALONG THE WAY
BY MAGGIE HULL, RANGEVIEW REPORTER
Carol Reyes, a student at Front Range Community
College, is an exchange student from Colombia. It would not
be astonishing if an individual did not believe that she was an
exchange student from another country because she speaks
perfect English. Unlike some college students, she does not
have the luxury to fly home when she gets homesick or when it
is a loved one‟s birthday. She says, “Not having a way to turn
to anyone, and my parents being continents away, was nerve-
wracking.” Reyes has been in Colorado for a mere three years,
and had only visited Colorado for two months before she
decided to further her education here in the United States. Prior
to attending Front Range, Reyes attended Colorado State
University.
It was Reyes‟ father‟s idea for her to continue her
education in the United States. A friend made the suggestion
for her to consider a university in Colorado. Several students
believe that they must go through a demanding application
process. However, Reyes lucked out because she had
previously obtained a green card; she only had to go through
the normal online application process.
The higher education enrollment for foreign exchange
students in the United States as of the 2004-2005 academic
year was over 565,000 international students.
Reyes flew from Saudi Arabia to Frankfurt, Germany,
which was a six-and-a-half-hour flight. After arriving in
Germany, she endured a seven-hour layover. When finally
continuing her journey to the United States, the flight was
between 10 and 11 hours to Denver.
Reyes was naturally
intimidated, as many might be, but
she found that everyone was quite
welcoming and very understanding,
even her freshmen-year college room-
mate. “I‟m used to not exactly fitting
in due to the many times that I‟ve
moved,” stated Reyes. Although she
has moved several times throughout
her life, she still had to go through
“an adjustment period where I felt
especially out of place.” Coming from
a graduating class with only 13
students made her feel anxious,
especially attending such a big school
compared to what she had been
accustomed to.
Being in a completely
different environment was some-
what easier for Reyes. She says,
“I‟m one of those random third-
culture kids.” She has been on the move since the age of 4 and
has lived in five different places since then, “so the term
„home‟ for me is subjective.”
Reyes left behind her mother, father and little brother.
Her mother teaches and her father commutes to Saudi Arabia
as a chemical engineer working for the oil and cement industry.
Reyes must settle for communication with her family through
means of online messages, e-mail and webcam.
Reyes is majoring in political science and hopes to
one day work for an embassy abroad. She says, “I can never
stay in one place for too long.” ®
FRONT RANGE FACES
SQUEEZING SCOGGINS
BY BRIANNA SAVINO, RANGEVIEW REPORTER
One semester at Front Range Community college could
run a student upwards of $3,869. Though that price is consid-
erably less than the $4,424 paid at Colorado State University, it
still burns a hole in one‟s wallet. Add to that tuition, fees, rent,
utility bills, gas and grocery money, and you have the reality
for one FRCC student. Third-year Front Range student Lance
Scoggins has been paying for his schooling since his parents
could no longer do so almost two years ago. “I paid for three
semesters. Before that, my parents paid.” Along with paying
for school, Scoggins works “two-and-a-half” jobs to help pay
for the other bills he has every month. Since he started at Front
Range, Scoggins has always had more than one job, ranging
from working at King Soopers to a part-time gig at Elitch
Gardens during the summer. Though those jobs have since
passed, Scoggins helps ease the load of his bills by working at
the Budweiser Events Center doing prep work, and teaching
the Longmont High School drumline. The “half” job pertains to
private lessons he offers to his drumline students a few times a
week, which could earn him about “$20 dollars a lesson.”
Though the events center mainly helps pay for bills and school-
ing costs, Scoggins hopes that his work with the drumline will
somehow help him with his major at Front Range. “Teaching the
DL is probably the only job I have that‟s conducive,” he stated.
“I‟m looking into sound design or teaching.”
Even with two paychecks coming in from two separate
jobs, Scoggins still struggles to make ends meet from time to
time. Scoggins then joined the 38 percent of students at Front
Range who have financial aid. In order to receive additional
funds, Scoggins applied for a loan through Wells Fargo, though
doing so was far from simple. Scoggins laughed and said,
“Between qualifying for the right loan and finding a reasonable
amount for my parents to agree on . . . $7,500 was the max
amount for my parents.” Though he managed to get a slight
hold on his financial woes, Scoggins still feels overwhelmed due
to another cause: he is the first of his family to attend college.
“None of my brothers has gone to college; they‟ve either
stopped at high school or dropped out.” With neither parent
holding a college degree, education isn‟t entirely valued in the
(Continued on page 7)
Colombian student Carol Reyes Photo by James Neuhalfen
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16
MEDIUM COOL
FEEDING THE STARVING ARTISTS
BY TAMARA SMITH, RANGEVIEW REPORTER
How do you know if you are any good at creating art?
Kathryn Dokter, a part-time student at Front Range Community
College, should know. After having her artwork in the school‟s
Student Visual and Media Arts Show, she was asked if the
school could buy her piece. Dokter submitted “Ghost Rider” a
black-and-white silver gel motion shot of a bicycle that she
created during her Photo 1 class.
This is not the first time a piece
has been purchased by the school
from a student. Many have been
bought to preserve articulate and
meaningful art and are hung
around the campus to show
students‟ creativity.
In March, FRCC will be getting
ready for another Student Visual
and Media Arts Show. Karl-Heinz
Dukstein, the lead faculty of
Visual and Media Arts at Front
Range, along with other instruc-
tors, will be selecting pieces from
talented individuals in their class-
rooms to submit to show at the
exhibition. The show will be held in the Study Art Lounge at the
Longs Peak Student Center, just as it has been for the last four
years. All Front Range students are encouraged to check it out.
Graphic design, digital photography, and various types of art
will all be showcased. Dukstein, who has worked at FRCC for
almost 10 years, explained that because they would like a lot of
variety at the show art-wise and student-wise, they will probably
choose artwork from this semester and last semester. However,
since the gallery is somewhat small, not every student‟s work
will be shown.
Anyone in these art classes may have their work chosen to
be in the show, no matter how little or how much experience one
possesses, because it is not a matter of experience—it‟s a matter
of learning and creating something beautiful. “The opportunity
to see students grow” is why Dukstein enjoys teaching so much.
It‟s that “wow” factor of discovering something new and
supremely enjoying it at the same time that makes it all worth it
for him.
Dokter admits that she was “totally surprised” when
Dukstein asked her if the school could buy “Ghost Rider” from
her, and added that the school has a budget for buying about
four or five student pieces every year. “I think it‟s great! Some-
one thinks it‟s good enough to be displayed. It‟s rewarding,”
comments Dokter on how she feels about her personal work
being publicly exposed for anyone‟s leisure viewing. “I do it
because I have a passion to do it.” Her piece being purchased is
“just a bonus.”
How is artwork chosen to be showcased at the exhibition?
Essentially, the instructor will choose, but Dokter says she and
her classmates were instructed to compile a couple of their best
assignments so the process would be somewhat less frantic and
the students would have a say in what they wanted others to
see.
“I liked the photo,” comments Dokter. “To really do it
well is a real challenge.” Taking Photo 1 and Photoshop at the
same time, Dokter admits she couldn‟t have mastered a third
class the same semester. Art classes are difficult and
considerably demanding, and there‟s a lot of skill and learning
taking place. Having a good teacher in a class you really want
to learn and excel in is key to getting a good education. Dokter
says Dukstein is “very helpful” in class and is more than will-
ing to help anyone, especially if they take
the class seriously.
Nowadays, since Dokter‟s three
children (Alyssa, 19, Justin, 16, and
Jonathon, 14) are all getting to the point
where they can take care of themselves,
she has been blessed with free time to
continue pursuing her passion in photog-
raphy. “I pushed myself to do many
things as a result of taking classes at
FRCC,” says Dokter, who proves her
point by explaining a photo book she is
going to self-publish in the near future.
The idea was conceived through a project
in her Photo 2 class and is going to be a
book containing “ghost ads” that she
photographed of the sides of old build-
ings. She also does some commercial work photographing
weddings, taking senior portraits, and the like. Right now,
Dokter is enrolled at FRCC in an Independent Study that
Dukstein supervises so she can further her love of learning
and experiencing photography.
This year‟s Student Visual and Media Arts Show is
expected, as always, to be a very interesting artistic showcase.
Come by to show support of fellow FRCC students, check out
what the art classes are doing, and see if maybe an art class is
for you. ®
Aztec dancers in full costume perform at the Longs Peak Student Center during the International Fair (story on page 1). Photo by James Neuhalfen
“Ghost Rider” by photography student Kathryn Dokter was recently purchased by FRCC. Courtesy of the artist
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17
MEDIUM COOL
GREASEPAINT IN A PAINTBOX
BY JOHN SEABERRY , RANGEVIEW REPORTER
When class begins, it becomes immediately apparent that
theater instructor John Hill‟s enthusiasm for his new project
had already spread across his students like ripples on a pond.
As Hill flits between cast members during the blocking session
of the story of “The Country Mouse and the City Mouse,” stu-
dents call out ideas that flow around the room, communal and
unreserved. In turn, Hill takes every inspiration from his pupils
and uses it to teach a little more about theater production. This
troupe is rehearsing the Paintbox Theater Project, a half-hour,
three-act play produced by students enrolled in Theater Produc-
tion, THE-132. Highly interactive and improvisational by de-
sign, the Paintbox Pro-
ject is an adaptation of
three classic Aesop
fables, modeled into a
language-learning proto-
type for children grades
K-4. Hill and his stu-
dents plan to perform at
libraries and local
schools this spring.
“Theater 132 is an
initiative we started this
year,” Hill said. “In the
past, we had a reader‟s
theater in the spring,
but… we wanted to try
something new.” Hill has
charged his band of
seven students with the
task of producing an
educational community
outreach program from
the ground up. “The concept was three actors, a trunk full of
costumes and props, a simple background and PowerPoint,”
Hill explained. “The production is just the vehicle,” he contin-
ued. “The goal is to associate language in a fun way without
them realizing they‟re learning stuff.”
FRCC student and Paintbox player Ian Beutler, 38, sees the
Paintbox Project as vital to the community. “I like the idea of
more art and theater into schools,” Beutler said. “The way
schools are going, we could potentially raise a couple of gen-
erations of kids who have no exposure to the arts whatsoever.”
A thespian since the age of 10, Beutler is completing an
Associate of Arts degree at FRCC with aspirations of going
into elementary education. The Paintbox Project has been an
enlightening experience for him. “I‟ve never done any
children‟s theater, and I never really thought of it as educa-
tional. I always thought of it as sort of an entertainment
proposition,” Beutler observed. “I want to integrate it as a part
of what I continue to do, whether that be education or doing
shows in the theater.”
Beutler says the class has been exciting so far. “It‟s taking
shape and getting a life of its own. People are starting to get into
their characters.” Beutler says of his classmates, “They‟re all
really enthusiastic. Everybody comes from a slightly different
background, so everyone brings something a little bit different
to it.” Beutler is excited about the idea of showing educators a
new model for teaching reading skills through storytelling and
theater, and getting the children to “associate [reading skills]
with using their imaginations.”
Hill describes the Paintbox Project as a collection of
“Fractured Fairy Tales,” but also hopes the Paintbox Project will
inspire teachers to look at teaching in a less traditional way. “If a
teacher wanted to create this kind of storytelling in their own
classroom, they could have kids write stories,” Hill said. “They
could illustrate it them themselves. They could do plays for each
other‟s classes.”
Prior to each performance, the students of THE-132
send a classroom study guide to the
schools containing background informa-
tion on Aesop and his fables, the theater
and how it works, and other relevant
details. Hill, 50, and Paintbox playwright
Tom McCabe have been collaborators
since they met almost 20 years ago when
Hill worked as the resident designer at
Mount Holyoke College. The Paintbox
Project was developed as a children‟s out-
reach program for the New Century
Theater, a professional theater company
in Arlington, Mass. “He takes liberties in a
fun way,” Hill remarked of McCabe. “He
makes traditional fairy tales accessible to
a contemporary audience.”
For FRCC students interested in the
theater, Beutler says that Front Range is a
great place to start. “It‟s very laid back.
It‟s not at all intimidating. They want
everyone to come out and they will
explore what you can do.”
Hill agrees. “We‟re a very accessible group here on campus.”
Each summer, Hill teaches a summer stock internship class that
produces more of McCabe‟s original work. The playwright has
penned a series of five plays based on the work of L. Frank
Baum, author of the “Oz” books. The class started last summer
with a notably McCabe-styled production of “The Wizard of
Oz,” free and loose with myriad opportunities for improvisation.
The play ran for one week on the Oval outside the Longs Peak
Student Center.
This summer, Hill will continue the series with “Journey
Back to Oz,” which is based largely on Baum‟s book, “The
Marvelous Land of Oz.” There will posted notices for a general
interest meeting for the summer show in late March or early
April. Auditions are held in late April. Rehearsals start at the
beginning of the summer semester, and the show runs the week
after July 4.
“Last year, in seven performances, we had 2,800 people here.
We averaged over 600 people per performance,” Hill noted.
“Just be courageous and come on out.” ®
Theater instructor John Hill (center) puts on a frightening rehearsal of “Fable of Lion and Mouse” with students Ian Beutler and Alisa Shargorodsky. Photo by Michelle Motherway
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18
MEDIUM COOL
HITTING THE HIGH NOTES
BY BRIANNA SAVINO, RANGEVIEW REPORTER
“How do I like my quarter notes? Fat!” This phrase is
entirely normal to the students who auditioned for 26-year-old
Amy Nelson‟s Jazz Vocal Group on the Front Range campus.
Along with warm-ups consisting of hitting a high F while saying
the word “ma,” students soak in the sound of jazz as taught by
Nelson, voice and music history instructor. She‟s been
surrounded by music her whole life, since high school, and
recently decided to offer the group on campus after seeing that it
was seriously
lacking in
musical outlets.
“[There were] no
ensembles. What
a shame! It isn‟t
fair for kids who
were in choir in
high school to
come here and
find nothing
similar,” stated
Nelson. Though
she had been
brought up on
classical music,
she found some-
thing “new and
exciting” about
jazz and decided
to hold auditions
for anyone who
felt her same
passion.
Among those who auditioned was 21-year-old Alex
Rangel, who came across the jazz group from a flyer posted in a
hallway. “I have been in choir all my life, since sixth grade,”
Rangel said. He joined the 11 other students, male and female,
in teaming up with Nelson to create the vocal group.
With the group being a late-start class, Nelson had little
time to get a group together. After finally settling on a time the
group could meet (Tuesdays from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and on
Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:00), students got right to work on
pieces such as “What a Day for a Daydream” and “Around Us.”
Though most choirs consist of more than 15 vocalists, Nelson
didn‟t want a huge choir. “[I‟d like] as little as four people.
Small is preferred,” she stated.
She also arranged a few pieces of music herself with
some instrumentalists she met at UNC where she attended
college. The energetic, pixie-haired instructor gushed about how
she was so excited to be back in jazz. “[I had] been away from
jazz. . . I had gotten into opera very heavily.”
Though jazz is the preferred style of the group, not all
of its participants have sung jazz. Rangel, the curly-haired bass
singer of the group, had never before experienced singing in a
jazz group. “I was in the All-State Choir [in high school], the
Honors Choir, Show Choir and Section Choir,” he said. Rangel
also attended many competitions while in those choirs.
Though the group is fairly new to the campus,
Rangel was quite impressed with how it has turned out. “It‟s
only our third time meeting. I think it‟s working out pretty well
for being so new,” he commented.
Even though the meeting times were few, Nelson got
right into rehearsal, playing piano along with the parts that she
assigned to the singers. She also spends quality time with each
section, asking if they had questions or concerns about the
music they were singing. Even when some students had to
leave early due to schedule
conflicts, Nelson kept the
beat going, walking around
her group, snapping along
and often contributing her
own voice. When asked if she
herself is in a group, she said,
“No, not on campus, but I am
in Kantorei Chamber group
in Denver. I also am currently
in the Loveland Opera.” With
the opera in its “tech week,”
her schedule is extremely
demanding, though she still
finds time to meet with her
group twice a week and enjoy
the sounds they produce.
Though the group is
viewed as extracurricular to
some and a late-start class to
others, the students still get
credit if they choose. Next
semester, though, the group
will be offered as a course,
and the auditioned group will be able to receive credit for the
time they put in. As a new addition to the campus activities,
Nelson wanted to get the word out about her jazz ensemble by
participating in as many events as they could.
Rangel, who had attended previous competitions and
events, was excited about the events that he would be present at
with his group. “We are attending the Jazz Festival in Greeley
on April 23 just to soak it in. We are also singing at
graduation,” he said.
Along with those outings, students will be attending
a vocal jazz solo night which will be held at a local bar or
restaurant, where they get to pick out their own song to sing
with a rhythm section. And after the current semester is
finished, the vocal group will put on their end-of-the-year
concert on campus. Even though little has been heard about the
Jazz Vocal Group, Nelson and her students hope that the
campus will soon listen for their sounds. ®
Amy Nelson (at left) leads her Vocal Jazz Group in a rehearsal. Student Alex Rangel (third from right) joined the group following years in student choirs. Photo by Michelle Motherway
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19
BE OUR GUEST
THE GSA WELCOMES ALL
BY SHAWN SUMMA, GUEST COLUMNIST
Front Range Community College‟s Gay-Straight
Alliance (GSA) welcomes you back. We want you to know
who we are, what we do, and why we are here.
First of all, the mission for the GSA at FRCC is “to
promote equality and to maintain a safe and inclusive environ-
ment on campus for everyone, regardless of their sex, gender,
identity or sexual orientation.” Gay Straight Alliances haven‟t
always been around. In fact, GSAs really only began to emerge
in the 1990s as a way for GLBT teens and their allies and
friends to connect, find support, and provide education.
The FRCC-GSA hosts several events throughout the
school year, and we invite you to attend. Watch the Vista
monitors and look for flyers throughout the campus for more
information. Our events don‟t cost anything to attend, so what
do you have to lose? This year will offer guest speakers,
national events and other great things to help you get involved.
Also, our club has officer spots open, as well as general
members. Again, it costs nothing to join, and on top of the
events we host all year, we have bi-weekly meetings at coffee
shops, and have pizza parties and bowling tournaments. We are
set to have a ton of fun this year.
Our next sponsored event will be the National Day of
Silence. The Day of Silence is a student-led day of action when
concerned students take some form of a vow of silence to bring
attention to the name-calling, bullying and harassment—in
effect, the silencing—experienced by GLBT students and their
friends and allies. This year‟s Day of Silence will be held on
April 17 in memory of Lawrence King.
Lawrence King was a 15-year-old student from
Oxnard, Calif., who was shot and killed in class on Feb. 12 by
a 14-year-old classmate because of King‟s sexual orientation
and gender expression. The hate crime received little media
attention. The goal of the Day of Silence is to inspire change so
that this tragedy and others like it don‟t continue.
If you have any questions, feel free to drop by any of
our meetings, or e-mail me at [email protected], or
pick up a GSA flyer at
Student Life. ®
First-year student and GSA President Shawn Summa, 26, is majoring in Sign Language Inter-pretation. He says, “I came on board with GSA last semester and haven't looked back.”
Photo by Michelle Motherway
LOOK FOR OUR NEXT ISSUE ON APRIL 14,
AND WATCH FOR FLYERS ANNOUNCING FREELANCE DEADLINES.
PRINTING BY THE IMPRESS TEAM AT OFFICEMAX IN FORT COLLINS , COLO.
(BEAL continued from page 13)
mountains and water. The landscape is formed by the interac-
tion of these two forces. That aspect of movement and energy
is important to understand when you‟re looking at nature.” In
time, Beal plans to try his hand at traditional publishing,
perhaps in the form of guide books.
For FRCC students interested in bouldering, Beal
suggests beginners start by climbing problems near their home,
like he did years ago. One of the key attractions of bouldering
is its relatively sparse equipment requirements. “You can pick
up a decent pair of climbing shoes for anywhere from $80 to
$100,” Beal said, “maybe some chalk, and if you want to be
more safety-conscious, a bouldering crash pad for about $120.”
As the sport increases in popularity, bouldering areas are
becoming more common at indoor climbing gyms, and you can
always give it a try for free at popular local hotspots like
Rotary Park at Horsetooth and the 420 Boulders in Poudre
Canyon. ®
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