Winter 2012 Vol. 14 Issue 1

Life atA Distance

Meet The Staff

A Valley BrimmingWith Sound

Letter FromThe Editors

Crafting Community

12

04

16

0508

Tableof

Contents

36

22

40

26

44

30AnOcean Away

Beyond All Borders

A Road AwayFrom Home

One VoteAmong Many

1,800 & Counting

A CuttingEdge BodyOf Work

Cassie HeykoopEditor-In-ChiefJuniorMass Comm/Journalism

KatieBockAdvertising DirectorSeniorMass Comm/Public Relations

AshleyFoleyPromotions DirectorSeniorMass Comm/Public Relations

MichaelWongPhotography EditorJuniorMarketing/Mass Comm

MoneeSlaughterDesign Editor SeniorGraphic Design

MichelleMcDowellSeniorGraphic Design

CalebFenskeSeniorGraphic Design

BrittanyChockJunior Mass Comm

ParkerEyrichSeniorGraphic Design

KristinSteeleJunior Public Relations

JennaPennJuniorMass Comm

Public Relations

AllyHaydukSeniorMass Comm

Public Relations

CarolynDeanSeniorMass Comm

Photo-Journalism

NicoleBlakeSophomoreMass Comm

Graphic Design

Charlie BlackmerEditor-In-ChiefJuniorMass Comm/Journalism

Catherine FosterSeniorMass Comm/Journalism

Allison IldefonsoJuniorMass Comm

Not Pictured:

Bryan Wells

Erin Scherb

Prof. Cochran

Audrey MaddoxFreshmanSpanish

SarahRoseSeniorMass Comm

Each person has a story to tell and within those seemingly simple stories are intricate details that tie us to our peers and

community. No matter how big or small you think your surroundings are, you play a part that no one else can fill. We interact on local, regional and global levels. However, these realms are not mutually exclusive. One stems from another and they are all connected. Your neighbor may have started a program that feeds your child’s classmates. Your classmate may have grown up in a different country and a local volunteer has served your country in the U.S. Air Force. Instead of focusing on the CMU campus, this issue of Horizon Magazine is meant for the community in its entirety, whether next door or thousands of miles away. As a staff, we quickly discovered the importance of each person’s role. Early on in the semester, Charlie was confronted with a choice when a family member was seriously injured. While

Pieces Of a Whole By Charlie Blackmer & Cassie Heykoop

she picked up the pieces of her life, Cassie took on her responsibilities as Editor-in-Chief. In her temporary absence, other staff members stepped forward as well. As everything fell together, it became clear to us that the them we wanted to pursue was “Pieces of a Whole.” When crisis hits, whether small-scale or large, everybody has to adjust to reach the end goal (and meet deadlines). Adaptation and inspiration are what keep us moving. Though chaotic and challenging at times, every team member was able to fill a crucial role in the creation of this magazine. As you read these stories, take time to reflect on the pieces that make up your own life and how you, in turn, are an integral component in the lives of those around you. While these stories highlight specific members of our community, they could have just as easily been written about you. You are a piece of the whole.

Thank you for inspiring us. Enjoy!

AshleyFoleyPromotions DirectorSeniorMass Comm/Public Relations

LetterFrom The

Editors

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Lifeat a

Distance

A Family’s Dream toSustain The GreatWide OpenStory by Audrey MaddoxPhotos by Carolyn Dean

Just as the sun starts to rise over the Grand Mesa, Becky Dowd travels on foot across grassy fields to feed her many animals. She starts in

the chicken coop, a wooden room with 11 chickens waiting for their morning sustenance. Roaming through their outdoor pen, the chickens gladly meet Dowd when she enters. She then makes her way over to a rabbit, named Jellybean, waiting in a wire cage right outside. Next, Dowd feeds the remaining animals: five horses, four cows, two pigs, two dogs and two cats. After all this, she’ll get ready to leave for a day of work. This is a normal morning for the Dowd family, which includes Becky and her two children, 17-year-old Kyra and 12-year-old Austin. They live on 45 acres of Dowd’s parents’ farmland, five of which belong to them. The Dowds keep their animals on the surrounding acres and grow mostly alfalfa and grass. “We have had to downsize [our animals] because of the drought, and the problem with

finding places to graze cattle and feed prices,” Dowd said. Eight years ago, the Dowds moved from the Redlands to the countryside just outside of Grand Junction. In their old neighborhood, the close proximity to other houses clashed with the Dowds’ natural desire for open space. “My next door house, I could probably have reached out and touched,” Kyra said. The country experience was something Dowd really desired for her kids, so she bought the five acres from her parents and their family moved. “We have an interest in the agricultural lifestyle, but it’s dying out and we just want to sustain it as long as possible,” Dowd said. Normally, the farm grows alfalfa and grass to feed their animals, but they have also grown corn and winter wheat to sell. Every four years the Dowds rotate their crops to ensure better growth. The required care for their crops includes plenty of irrigation and weed control.

Tending to the animals is a big responsibility for the Dowds. “You don’t get to take off anywhere spur of the moment, because twice a day you have to be here feeding them,” Dowd said. The pigs require some of the most involved care because they need sunscreen daily and their food intake must be carefully regulated. The chickens lay eggs about every other day, and each evening the Dowds collect them. Because many of their animals are show animals, they are walked habitually to make sure the animals are tame. Kyra dedicates a lot of time to showing her cows and pigs in county and national fairs. She works with them daily to ensure they are ready to be judged. “You literally put your cow in a pen and walk around in a circle,” Kyra said. “You set it up all good for the judge to walk around and decide how good it is.” The best thing that can happen at a fair is for her to make a sale of one of her cows or pigs. However, that doesn’t mean she’s lost the animal for good. The businesses pay for the animals, but often will not keep them. Instead, they return them to the owner at the end of the day. They receive tax deductions and advertising, plus the feeling of doing something good. “It’s a way of supporting the community,” Dowd said. “It’s a way of supporting the kids and

supporting a way of life.” The Dowds also share their property with other roaming animals including coyotes, raccoons and bears. “There is a hill where the coyotes will stand and howl at each other at night,” Kyra said. Not only does that interfere with the Dowds’ sleeping, but the coyotes pose a threat to the young calves and other animals.

A few years ago, before Dowd had built a fence for the chicken coop, a raccoon got in and killed some of their chickens. “Walking out to my chicken coop, opening the door and seeing four mangled chickens was a horrible thing,” Dowd said. “But that has only happened once.” Although the safety of some animals is a concern, Dowd has always felt that her children were safer in the country because of the distance from the city.

However, the whole family agrees that distance can be trying at times. “A lot of people are really surprised by how far out we live,” Dowd said. “If you forget the movie in the DVD player, you don’t usually run back home to get it. You say, ‘I’ll pay the fine.’ We’re not all that different from anybody else…” Dowd finished, and Kyra completed the sentence with “We just live a long way from town.” It is true that living far from other houses and businesses concludes a major difference in their

daily lives. From many points of view, the Dowds are an ordinary family, with ordinary jobs and relationships. Their lifestyle differs when it comes to the added responsibilities the Dowds face. Within the varied geography of Grand Junction, there are many families like the Dowds. There is much open space and farming on the outskirts of town, affording many residents a country life. By the numbers, however, the majority of local families live within city limits. The Dowds are very happy with their life on the farm. In fact, if anything, they would love to go even

further away from civilization and farm full time. “I’d pack up and get three thousand cows and live on a ranch, heck yeah,” Kyra said. According to the Dowds, lessons and experiences of the country lifestyle are unparalleled to any others they could imagine. “I think one of the greatest things of living out here and having so much to take care of is the kids learn so much responsibility and about taking care of other things,” Dowd said. “It can be a sacrifice, but the lessons that we’ve learned are pretty wonderful.”

The ManyShapes Of LocalMusicStory by Audrey MaddoxPhotos by Michael Wong & Parker Eyrich

A small desert city seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Grand Junction Colo. is unlikely to be thought of as a flourishing

musical town. Nonetheless, many talented musicians live within its borders. They may blend in during the day, but at night these musicians step onstage and entertain the residents and passersby of this town with powerful melodic force. Within its eclectic mixture, Grand Junction offers music for all tastes.

JACK+JILL Went Up the Hill…Indie-alternative rock group JACK+JILL came together in 2007 when guitarist and lead vocalist Aaron Seibert and violinist and vocalist Jessica Seibert wed. They went from duo to full-on band by adding bassist B Braukhoff and stealing drummer Mike Thornburg from another local group. Over the past few years, the band has bonded over creating great music together. “It is very much like a family,” Jessica said. “Sometimes that can make it 10 times harder to be in a band.” In addition to playing shows in Grand Junction, JACK+JILL spend a lot of time touring across the western U.S. and Colorado. This led them to Creed, Colo. now one of their favorite towns to perform. “People were just crammed in there, jumping all over the place,” Aaron said. “It’s like a recharge of the batteries of your musical self.” At the end of a show, every member heads home to take care of their growing families, but they don’t mind. In fact, they say that having kids

while being in the band is ideal. “[Being a parent] is awesome because our kids look up to us as role models,” Thornburg said. However, it takes a lot of balance. Aaron and Jessica often call their gigs “date nights” because it is their one chance to go out without feeling bad about leaving their toddlers behind. During the day, the Seiberts give music lessons, Braukhoff is a chef and Thornburg is an herbal apothecary. However, there is no work that the members of JACK+JILL are more dedicated to than their band and each other. They stay motivated to work on it from the love of music. “There is something really pure about music,” Aaron said. “You don’t have to understand all the lyrics to listen to the song and think, ‘That makes me feel good.’” The band just released their first music video for the song “Overplay Me” from their second album. They are currently recording their third album, which they expect to release next summer.

Staging Her Future at CMUTalented and dedicated, Kelly Dwyer will be graduating with a degree in Musical Theatre from Colorado Mesa University this spring. She is appearing in her 9th school-affiliated show this year. Dwyer grew up in a musical family – her father played in bands, her sister studied music and her mother encouraged her to try several instruments of her own, such as piano, clarinet and percussion. By the time she reached high school, Dwyer had to choose between marching band and theater. Theater won. “It just slowly happened, and now I don’t really have any desire to do anything else,” Dwyer said. Her first year at CMU, Dwyer performed in The Producers, which ended up being one of her favorite roles.

“I got to play a lot of really funny little bit roles,” Dwyer said. “I’ve never really cared about being the front person, but it felt like I was constantly on stage even if I was in the background, which was really fun.” Studying during the day and performing at night can be intense, but Dwyer has stayed motivated. “Even though it’s hard work, it’s really worth it in the end,” Dwyer said. “I really do want to do this for the rest of my life.” After graduating, Dwyer plans to audition for performance opportunities on cruise ships. “If that doesn’t work out, I’ll figure out what happens after,” Dwyer said. Regardless of what she ends up doing, Dwyer says she will never regret giving into her musical instinct.

China and play in an orchestra there. In her small amount of off time, Bailey likes to perform at fund-raisers with other local musicians. They get together and use their musical talents to do something positive in the community. With all of the projects she participates in, Dr. Bailey has a lot to do. “My dream sometimes is just to be a check out girl so that I don’t have to think about my job when I’m not there,” Dr. Bailey said. “I can just go home and be done with it.” The time spent practicing is always worth it, and as she begins her fifth year in Grand Junction, Dr. Bailey still enjoys her time living here. “I feel like here I have that great balance,” Dr. Bailey said. “I get that wonderful teaching aspect, and then I have the performance side with the symphony as well. I’m in a really great spot.”

A More Classical ApproachDr. Mary Bailey performs in the Grand Junction symphony as principal oboe, the Grand Junction Rockestra as 2nd flute and teaches oboe at CMU as well. She entered the music world as a 4-year-old taking piano lessons. Bailey then picked up the flute in 3rd grade, and by the time she reached middle school band, she was already too good. So she learned a new instrument – the oboe, and that was the one that stuck. “I thought it had a really neat sound to it,” Dr. Bailey said. “It’s sort of mellow and very relaxed and has a very dark sound.” Bailey graduated high school with the intention to continue studying music until she had a Doctorate of Musical Arts. “I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I never questioned it,” Dr. Bailey said. She succeeded with her plan, only pausing briefly to move to

CraftingCommunity

K Tog’s Monday Nights on Main StreetStory by Audrey MaddoxPhotos by Brittany Chock

While most people may head inside for an evening of football and relaxation on a typical Monday night, women

in downtown Grand Junction gather with bags of needles and yarn inside Tangle knitting store. They settle down in a circle of soft couches and chairs, pull out their latest projects and get to work knitting. Laughter and friendly voices fill the room. These are the women of K Tog, short for “knit together”. Throughout seemingly endless stitching and purling, these knitters spend two hours every Monday night dedicated toward the creation of blankets, scarves and friendships. The store plays calm music and the walls are lined with colorful yarn. Tangle is an ideal place to spend the evening on one of the hardest days of the week. It appeals to people from all walks of life, as knitting has long been a popular past time. When the industrial revolution greatly reduced the necessity for knitting in the 1800s, the craft persevered as a hobby and useful skill across the

Western world. In the early 1900s, the American Red Cross and many other organizations released knitting patterns of ski masks and gloves for people to make and send to military forces. Knitting was taught in school up until the 1980s when the craft experienced a major decline, mostly due to cheaper clothing prices. However, a roaring revival arose in the early 21st century, and knitters began to pop up again. Internet sites formed and yarn stores opened. It was then that Tangle opened its doors in 2006. “I loved to knit and the store where I worked closed,” owner and founder of Tangle, Allison Blevins said. “I really felt like that would leave a hole in the community, so I decided to open my own.” It started in a little yellow house downtown and offered classes and knitting supplies. K Tog formed during football season as a Monday night knitting group called Monday Not Football. When the store moved to Main Street two years later, the knitting group instituted year round meetings and

families. When one knitter falls into a problem with her project, another will stop and help her. They share stories, tips, compliments and recommendations throughout the night. “The knitting group is nice because people have a place to go,” Caspari said. “If they don’t have friends that knit, it’s always nice to be around people that do the same thing. They can sit together, they can chat, they can exchange experiences and they can get a little help as well.”Knitting has survived so strongly because it is

a fun hobby. The design choices, the gratification of creating something and the long list of readily available challenges provides a good time. “I learned to knit in college,” Lentz said. “I made a lot of scarves and hats because that’s all I knew how to make. Then I learned to read a pattern; that was the beginning of the end.” “It’s just the greatest thing, I think,” Caspari said. “It’s totally relaxing. After a day of rushing around and

everything, that’s what I look forward to - sit down and knit. I just like to work with my hands and see something come out of it.” Tangle also encourages community beyond the borders of Grand Junction. Blevins incorporates global humanitarianism into the store. “One of my goals was always to carry products that support women,” Blevins said. Community projects supported by Tangle

became K Tog. In the course of the past four years, K Tog has collected a diverse group of knitters. “The knitting scene in Grand Junction is a very mixed crowd,” Blevins said. “There are people of all ages. There are stay-at-home moms, retired people, high school students, college students, everyone.” Many are seasonal knitters who only come during the cooler months. Although the group shrinks in the summer and grows in the winter, there are at least four to five regulars that come almost every week throughout the entire year. “A lot of young people like to learn to knit,” co-owner of Tangle, Christina Caspari said. “Some of them really get hooked.” The time is well spent working on projects that vary from blankets to toys. “It’s a nice two uninterrupted hours of knitting,” knitting teacher, Amy Lentz said. “You get a lot done.” Most of the creations are planned as gifts for friends. The companionship of K Tog is very important. “There is a great group of people that go,” Blevins said. “It really fosters a great sense of community.” Conversation floats through the air as the women discuss the intricacies of their lives and

nights or has never come before, K Tog welcomes all with open arms. Crafters spend the night watching their hands stitch away, talking and helping one another, and realize they are in an environment so friendly that they’ve found their own community. Common interests, no matter what they are, bring people together. The ladies of K Tog have found kinship and unity in Grand Junction and Blevins has developed a global community with the altruistic missions utilized by Tangle. Knitter or not, anyone can take inspiration from these things and find a place where they feel comfortable and at home.

include knitting helmet liners for military troops and preemie sets for the local hospital. Both of these options include a free pattern and a discount on yarn. Tangle also offers locally handmade donated yarn and Be Sweet yarn, which creates jobs for women in rural Southern Africa. Nonetheless, sometimes a local impact can be the most powerful. Tangle develops a comfortable and pleasant place for all crafters and aspiring crafters to go, whether for lessons, supplies or the Monday night K Tog. Locals in Grand Junction, who otherwise may have never known each other, become teachers, students and friends to one another. Regardless of whether a knitter missed a few

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Counting

Battling Child Hunger OneBackpack At a TimeStory by Erin ScherbPhotos by Michael Wong

“I’m hungry and I’m cold. I had to sleep in our car last night and I’m late for school.”

There are words that can touch our hearts and souls, and then there are words that grab and shake us right to the core. We find ourselves being woken up from the routinely tired ho-hum beat that drums the pattern of our comfortable lives from the words of this little girl. A story such as this moves us deeply as it is difficult to be reminded of suffering children. The prevalence and seriousness of the situation is yet to be realized by most individuals. This heart-wrenching condition of life is lived out worldwide every single day. Rarely do we think of hunger affecting the children of our city or town. Many times the need for food is more commonly heard of in third-world countries where poverty is more prevalent or severe. Not only did this story take place right here in Grand Junction, but over half the children in the school district of Mesa County qualify for free or reduced lunch programs. Of those who qualify, there are

many who can’t eat anything during the weekends. This means between lunch on Friday and lunch on Monday, kids go without any food. There are a number of children who don’t qualify for aid, but still suffer from hunger because of indecent parenting. “In October of 2003, my wife and I had just walked our daughter to her first grade classroom”, founder of Kids Aid, Mike Berry said. As we were walking back across the playground, a girl ran up to us crying. We stopped and asked her what was wrong, and her response still echoes in my soul today.” I’m hungry and I’m cold. I had to sleep in our car last night and I’m late for school. Kids Aid’s primary purpose is “helping kids be kids” through community solution and is the main platform of the Feeding Friends Backpack Program. Berry’s idea began as an echo of a program in Denver called Totes of Hope. This organization offers food to hungry students every

Friday to last them through the weekend. After extensive research, Berry found no program similar to Totes of Hope in the Grand Valley and decided to take matters into his own hands. The Feeding Friends Backpack Program is similar to Totes of Hope in that both programs wish to bridge the gap of hunger during the weekends. The Backpack Program does this by sending children home on Fridays with bags full of non-perishable food items. Transporting food home in a backpack offers a discreet advantage to students who might be embarrassed by their situation. The food is incredibly kid-friendly. It can either be very easily prepared or eaten straight from the package. Spaghetti-O’s, ravioli, chicken noodle soup, vegetable soup, boxed macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles, pudding cups, granola bars, and microwave popcorn are just a few of the options. With the help of the First Presbyterian Church in March of 2008, Berry decided to attempt a program at Orchard Avenue Elementary School. “We sent backpacks of food home with 10 needy children for the last 10 weeks of school,” Berry said. “The program was very well-received, and we became known as ‘food angels’ around the school.” The impact that the program had was quickly realized. The first week after Berry and volunteers delivered backpacks to Orchard Mesa Middle School, a girl went skipping into a counselor’s office Monday morning after receiving a backpack the Friday before. “Her counselor commented on how happy she was and the girl said she had a great weekend,” Berry said. “‘Oh really, what did you do?’ the counselor asked. The girl replied, ‘We got to eat.’” The program soon became well-known, and 165 students signed up from five different

schools between the end of the summer and the beginning of the 2008 school year. Canyon View Church started participating and began providing backpacks and food for local schools as well. By the end of the school year, 12 schools and 700 backpacks were being sent out by Kids Aid and Canyon View Church. As time passed, the number of children involved in the Backpack Program grew. The program served 17 schools in 2009 and gave out over 1,260 backpacks of food each week. Today, they send home 1,800 backpacks per week and serve every school in District 51. Distributing the backpacks has become one of the most interesting and detailed aspects of the whole process because there are so many meals that must be assembled and delivered. Bags of food are delivered to the schools on Friday mornings and given to the children in a subtle manner. There are no financial requirements of any kind. The single qualification to join the Backpack Program is for a child and parent to fill out a form requesting the food. One teacher relayed the story of a girl in her

worries for the weekend. Kids Aid offers a wonderful opportunity to start bringing the pieces of our community together by assisting and providing for one another in times of need. Communal support is achieved by helping to raise money, supply food, provide time and spread awareness. With a bit of effort in supplying such elements, an impactful, caring and intentional community establishes itself. It is time to make the difference. It is time to be the change.

class who was in the breakfast and lunch program. Every day the girl would only drink juice for breakfast and take the breakfast bar home in her backpack. When the teacher noticed this behavior she asked the girl why she wouldn’t eat the breakfast bar. The girl told her that she saved the bars every day so that she would have something to eat over the weekends. She began participating in the Backpack Program and is able to eat a nutritional breakfast every morning with no

ACutting

Edge Body

of Work

Inside CMU’s Forensic Investigation ResearchStationStory by Cat FosterPhotos by Brittany Chock

Fans of the TV crime-comedy-drama series Bones are undoubtedly familiar with terms and phrases like “luminol,” “entomology,”

“particulates” and “toxicology.” The show is not for the weak-of-stomach. It shows fake human remains that are still gooey and gross, with scientist characters who don’t seem bothered by examining stomach contents or holding a skull. The show’s main character, Dr. Temperance Brennan, is a forensic anthropologist who can identify the age, gender, height and weight of a murder victim just by looking at a set of bones. You could say that Dr. Melissa Connor is a real-life Dr. Brennan, only she works with actual human remains and not on-set props. Dr. Connor is Colorado Mesa University’s new Associate Professor of Forensic Science and Director of the Forensic Investigation Research Station. In other words, CMU is getting a body farm. A body farm is perhaps academia’s most gruesome facility, where remains (usually human)

are placed at varying stages of decomposition so scientists can study how factors such as climate, soil acidity and wildlife affect the decaying process. The research station, located near Whitewater, Colo., is currently under construction, but is anticipated to be finished early in the Spring 2013 semester. “I don’t want to give a time period for the farm,” Connor said. “We will just take it one step at a time.” The process is highlighted by the towering stack of papers on Connor’s desk: Colorado state laws, legal protocols and healthcare laws that have to fall into place for the research station to accept human remains. “One of the things that drew me to CMU was the interest the university had to start up a body farm,” Connor said. “My job is to get that going and eventually use human remains to teach students about decomposition.” Connor received her undergraduate and master’s degrees in anthropology with a specialty

in archeology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and went on to receive her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She worked as an archaeologist for the National Park Service, digging up and identifying remains at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana. While there, Connor was invited to investigate evidence of genocide and war crimes in former Yugoslavia as part of the Truth Commission with the United Nations. Since then, she has participated in humanitarian efforts in countries such as Iraq, Haiti, Rwanda and Nigeria. “My main field of study is taphonomy, which is the study of human decomposition,” Connor said. Decomposition can answer several key questions about a person’s death, such as approximately when he or she died and what has happened to the body since then, both of which are crucial during a murder investigation. It was the potential to work with human remains in an academic environment that drew Connor to Grand Junction. “There are only four places in the world that actually use human remains,” Connor said. CMU is working to be the fifth university with a body farm. It will be the first decomposition research station that is outside of the humid, low altitude southern states. Connor will use pigs for her research, as she has for the last nine years, until the facility is ready to receive human remains.

“I had a five-acre property outside city limits when I lived in Nebraska,” Connor said. “There were probably about 10 pigs buried out there that I studied with my students.” Her neighbors on either side didn’t mind the fact that there were almost a dozen pig graves nearby. “They thought it was a hoot,” Connor said. “They were never at a loss for dinner party conversations.” In September, Connor put the first deceased swine in the facility and will add one a month for a year, to study the annual variation. Pigs are useful in the study of human decomposition because the fat distribution in pigs and humans is similar, causing them to decompose similarly. Throughout the years, Connor has seen her fair share of gruesome scenes, from mass graves in Rwanda to crime scenes in the U.S. She has been brought in to work on murder cases with police departments in Omaha and Lincoln, Neb. There were times while she was a professor at Nebraska Wesleyan when Connor would leave a crime scene to teach her class. “It was kind of sobering,” Connor said. “You’re doing it for the living people. You’re doing it as

part of a court case that could help keep the bad guys from doing it again, or keep the good guys from going to jail.” Connor said that one of the most rewarding parts of her experiences with victims of genocide is helping to bring

-Dr. Melissa Connor

body farm and lending her expertise to justice systems. She is working on developing a Forensic Anthropology minor, something that could compliment a degree in Criminal Justice, Biology or Chemistry at CMU. A minor could help someone who wants to go into law enforcement in an investigative position, or an archeology student who needs to know the difference between an old and a new burial site. A major in Forensic Anthropology is not likely because the career options for an area so specialized are slim. With a body farm in the works and a Forensic Anthropology minor developing, Connor has a lot to look forward to. “Having these kinds of facilities for students will be a wonderful opportunity,” Connor said. “It’s all just one step at a time.”

closure to the families by finding and identifying a loved one. Connor finds herself and her work being compared to TV shows like Bones and “CSI” regularly, but it doesn’t bother her. “TV shows have been good and bad,” Connor said. “The good part is that they have exposed people to this wide range of sciences. They can understand why things like body farms are important, because of those TV shows.” Sometimes, the shows make it seem like investigations are short, but Connor says that for the most part people understand the shows are meant for entertainment and modern science isn’t quite as advanced. Currently, Connor is juggling the duties that come with teaching an Introduction to Forensic Science class, facilitating the development of the

One Vote

AmongMany

Locals Weigh in On the Democratic ProcessStory by Charlie BlackmerPhotos by Michael Wong

system is losing funding.” In fact, in response to an anonymous survey conducted on the Colorado Mesa University campus and around the city of Grand Junction, only one participant agreed that the onslaught of pre-election political advertisements influenced the way in which--or if-- he or she would vote. “I’d have no problem choosing who to vote for, regardless of political affiliation if they [politicians] stopped that nonsense and put their money where their mouth is,” Robison said. “Only the facts should be stated in advertising without all the negativity.” Another source of great concern, especially among college-aged individuals, stems from the seemingly nebulous role the Electoral College plays in presidential elections. CMU student Evan Linko believes the electoral college to be “an unnecessary step in the process.” “I voted, but I don’t think that vote will count very much in the presidential election,” Linko said, citing electoral votes as an important reason. “You are picking the lesser of two evils, almost always,” Linko added. “How could two people who are on opposite ends of the spectrum possibly represent the whole nation?”

By the time you read this, the presidential election will be over. The citizens of the United States, members of the Electoral

College and-- some could argue--other influences such as big business and lobbyists will have decided who will be inaugurated this January. However, this is not a story about politicians, parties or partisanship. This is a story about you, voters and non-voters alike.

Skepticism on the One HandIn coffee shops and in classrooms, home offices and Home Depot, a sense of disillusionment blankets our community like a mid autumn fog. Of dozens of students and community members surveyed, a large number expressed a strong sense of disenchantment with the way in which our country elects its presidents. “I believe it’s a bit silly,” local business owner, Rebecca Robison said in regards to voting. “I believe it’s important to the big picture, but millions of dollars are being wasted on these political attack ads while people are hungry, homeless, have no healthcare and our educational

Dr. Timothy Casey, professor of political science at CMU, expanded upon Ehler’s belief in the Electoral College by acknowledging that the founders were “nervous about raw democracy” and afraid of the “excesses of public opinion.” “The public is often uninformed,” Casey said. “They can be swayed by a pretty face.” Casey provided more insight into the importance of the Electoral College for states, like Colorado and our neighbors, with lower population densities.

“What would happen to less populated areas [if we didn’t have the Electoral College]?” Casey asked. “The candidates would pay less and less attention to these states. If there were no Electoral College, you could only see presidential candidates by a jet trail going from New York to Los Angeles.”

But, It’s a ThinLine Between the TwoA few weeks before the election, I was surprised to see a group of Democratic volunteers from Utah who had set up in the CMU University Center. Affiliated with the small organization, Utah for Obama, LaVonne Maloney of Salt Lake City and Dan Syroid of Park City spent the weeks prior to Nov. 6 campaigning in Colorado. Maloney cited low voter turnout in Utah, among other things, as a reason why she and Syroid, both Utah residents,

Advocacy on the OtherWhile many in the community convey a sense of uneasiness in regards to the general election, there are many more who believe wholeheartedly in our nation’s democratic process. “I used to be very apathetic,” Mass Communication professor, Eric Sandstrom said. “I didn’t believe one vote could make a difference.” However, Sandstrom’s many years working as a reporter in local government, courts and education instilled in him a greater sense of awareness about the importance of the political process. “As I’ve gotten older and more interested in public affairs and local government, it’s been easier to find my own political beliefs,” Sandstrom said. “I saw how much elections made a difference in a community. Now I find myself obsessed with elections.” As chair of the Mesa County Republican Party, Ruth Ehlers has no qualms when it comes to voicing her opinion about voting. According to Ehlers, voting is not necessarily a right, but a privilege, and one that should be exercised only by those who choose to get informed. “A vote is a precious thing,” Ehlers said. “If you don’t know what you’re doing, you shouldn’t be voting. If you don’t know what you’re voting for, you don’t have any business marking a ballot.” Unlike CMU student Evan Linko, Ehlers also expresses a straightforward confidence in the place the Electoral College has in presidential elections, citing its establishment as a means through which to “give every state a voice in the election”, as intended by the founding fathers.

were campaigning in another state. “Being from Utah, our vote doesn’t count like it would in a swing state like Colorado,” Maloney said, referring to the fact that all nine of Colorado’s electoral votes go toward one candidate based on preliminary results of the popular vote. “There’s not much we can do there [in Utah],” Maloney said. “For this particular election, we came where our efforts really make a difference.” Despite a sense of disillusionment that stems from frustration and confusion, business owner Rebecca Robison added to her remarks about the silliness of voting and political advertisements: “I believe it’s important to be part of this process,” Robison said, “in hopes that one day my children and children’s children will see people working together as one, helping and caring for

one another, regardless of their differences, with an inherent belief that we all deserve to be treated with dignity.” It’s hard to define one person’s political beliefs, let alone those of an entire community. Obviously, it is never as simple as saying, “yes, I vote, and here’s why” or “no, I don’t believe my vote matters.” Every individual interviewed for this story possessed strong attitudes of conviction, skepticism and advocacy. In fact, if there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that each of us embodies the sometimes juxtaposing elements of confidence and cynicism. These pieces make up who were are: emotional, uncertain and strong-willed human beings who ask questions and make stands.

Global

AnOceanAway

StudentsReflect on TheirChildhoods AbroadStory by Allison IldefonsoPhotos by Michael Wong

When students see Stan Schrock walking around campus or playing soccer on Walker Field, the one thing they’ll

probably notice is that he looks like he could be just another kid from Grand Junction. With copper red hair, bright blue eyes and lightly freckled skin, Stan looks like any other American college student…but he happens to be from a country halfway around the world. Shrock was born in Naples, Italy on April 21, 1992 to Steve and Nancy Schrock, teachers for the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity. “They got hired in Houston, Texas to work for one of the American schools on a military base and their first station was in Italy,” Schrock said. After seven years in Italy, Schrock’s parents were transferred to East Asia. At age two, Schrock and his older sister, Helen, moved with their parents to Okinawa, Japan, where he lived until graduating high school. And yes, he speaks both English and Japanese.

“In the schools on the base they offer a Japanese immersion class that I took throughout high school,” Schrock said. “I consider myself really lucky.” Schrock gets a variety of reactions when his peers find out where he is from. “Obviously when they see me they don’t think I’m from Japan,” Schrock said. “It’s kind of funny, actually. Most people are really shocked, others are confused. Some almost look mad, because at first they think I’m making fun of them or something.” Although he spent most of his life in Okinawa, Schrock visited Wisconsin every summer. One of the main differences he was able to observe living in Japan while getting a glimpse into American life, is that the element of respect is significantly different. “The respect thing is huge,” Schrock said. “I think that’s one of the things I miss most, how people act. The level of respect and how you interact and treat other people is completely

different.” Schrock ended up at Colorado Mesa University after a trip to New Mexico. “I really had no idea where I was going to go after high school,” Schrock said. “I was planning on attending the University of Wisconsin, Madison, but I couldn’t get in-state tuition, and out-of-state was too expensive. I met the soccer coach for CMU at the camp in New Mexico. I looked into the Mass Communications and Journalism program and I liked it.” Although he is heavily involved in school and soccer, Schrock manages to go back to Okinawa every Christmas and during the summer. “It’s home,” Schrock said. “I miss studying the language and being immersed in the culture. Flying back and forth, as soon as I get off the plane, I notice the difference.” Growing up in East Asia has also had a significant impact on Schrock’s personality. “I’m really shy,” Schrock said. “I think part of it is growing up in Japan. There are just not a whole lot of loud people.” As far as his future is concerned, Schrock has several options, but is leaning towards one in particular. “I could go back to Okinawa and be a sports reporter for Stars and Stripes Newspaper,” Schrock said. “It’s an American newspaper that serves all of the military around the world. I would love to go back.”

Schrock is almost halfway through his third year in the Mass Communication department at CMU – and his future is looking bright. The same goes for 21-year-old Cat Foster. Foster was born in Bakersfield, California on January 17, 1991, but she didn’t stay in the Golden State for too long before moving to Indonesia at age three. Foster’s father works for an oil company that transferred him and his family to Jakarta, Indonesia in 1994. After two years, Foster moved again, to the

small country of Brunei. She lived there for four and a half years. At age 10 she journeyed back to Indonesia, to the city of Balikpapan. “There was no high school there, so I went to a boarding school called Dalat International School in Penang, Malaysia,” Foster said. “My junior year of high school, my parents moved us from Indonesia to Moscow, Russia.” After graduating from high

school among a class of 35 students, Foster spent her first year back in the states in Greenville, Illinois, “in the middle of a corn field,” as she put it. Foster attended a private school, Greenville College, for one year before coming to CMU. Foster loved many aspects of growing up in Indonesia. She explained that one of her favorite things is how family-oriented the country is. “When you move around that often, family is kind of all you got,” Foster said. At first glance, Foster also looks to be a Colorado native rather than a young adult who

grew up in several countries and speaks Indonesian. Back in Indonesia, however, Foster was considered anything but typical. “I was one of five white people in my high school class, and people know that to be white means you must be rich,” Foster said. “A lot of it is just common sense and being responsible. I never felt like I was in danger.” Contrary to the reactions of her peers in Indonesia, students at CMU have expressed mostly surprise. “A lot of them don’t really know how to react,” Foster said. “Many don’t even know where Indonesia is. The hardest part about first moving here was people expecting me to be normal.” In moving to the U.S. from Indonesia, Foster had to adjust to changes in social norms. In Southeast Asia, lack of eye contact is a conventional practice for women. “One of the biggest learning curves for me was looking people in the eye,” Foster said. “Indonesia is Muslim except for Bali, which is Hindu. As a female I wasn’t allowed to look anybody in the eye. It was illegal along with being a Christian, and you could be punished for that kind of thing.” Although she has visited a total of almost

20 countries on five continents, Foster said in the future she would like to live somewhere completely new. “I’ve been to Indonesia, the U.S., Russia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Scotland, England, Morocco, Austria, and the Czech Republic,” Foster said. “New Zealand is one of my favorites though.” Foster encourages her peers to travel and step out of their comfort zone. “There’s this quote that I love, and it goes, ‘If you speak three languages, you’re trilingual. If you speak two languages, you’re bilingual. If you speak one language, you’re American.’ Language is a muscle,” Foster said. “You’ve got to keep using it.” Although born and raised worlds apart, Schrock and Foster have many things in common. They were both raised in Asian countries, are bilingual and ended up at CMU. Their stories may seem completely unfamiliar, but there are many opportunities available through CMU that enable students to travel the world and experience unique kinds of adventure that are invaluable to most, including Foster and Schrock.

Beyondall

Borders

How a Question of Citizenship Led Sergio Galindo to CMUStory by Bryan Wells Photos by Brittany Chock

License and Registration.”

the officer. His hands fidgeted slightly in his lap. “Was I speeding?” “What are you doing here?” the officer asked, looking up from the license and registration.He gets this question quite often. He has quick and rehearsed answers ready no matter where he is. “We were headed up to the monument for ...” “No,” the officer cut him off, “What are you doing in Colorado?” “Oh, I go to school here, at Mesa, at Colorado Mesa I mean.”The officer remained quiet. “I’ll be back in a second,” he said. He waited in the car, looking straight ahead. “My name is going to be what screws me over,” he said, “I could be anything if it weren’t for the name. I could be Hawaiian or Samoan.” He was right. At six feet tall with a head full

of dark curls that can be put into a ponytail just as easily as an afro, he tries to maintain what he calls an “ethnically nondescript look.” This is rehearsed as well. Getting pulled over is usually enough to make anyone nervous, but Sergio Galindo, a 23-year-old student at Colorado Mesa University, has more to worry about than getting a speeding ticket. He was born in Mexico and made the dangerous trip across the border into the U.S. when he was just eight years old. He is not a citizen in either country. The officer returned. He handed the driver’s license back to Galindo and gave him a warning. His passenger side brake light was out. Instead of continuing up to the Colorado Monument to go on a hike with friends, Galindo went home. “It’s not good to push your luck,” Galindo said. Two days later, on June 15, 2012, Galindo’s luck turned around. President Barack Obama signed an executive order that would allow Galindo, and

“Yes sir, just a second,” he grabbed a small envelope and his license and handed them to

others like him who qualified, to remain in the U.S. and work without worry of deportation for at least two years. “I was excited but also nervous,” Galindo said. “I didn’t know if this was something that a new president could just reverse. I’d spent the last 15 years lying about where I was from and now I was about to sign papers saying I was an illegal immigrant.” For 15 years, Galindo and his family had done everything they could to help him towards a better life in the U.S. He had gone to school, learned English, played sports, made friends, played the trumpet and competed in robotics tournaments. When he turned 19, his family took him to New Mexico where he could get a driver’s license without a social security number. He had saved money from lawn-mowing and other jobs and bought a nearly brand new Ford Mustang. He loved America. During high school, Galindo excelled in mathematics and liked working with his hands. “I wanted to be a mechanical engineer, I wanted to make things,” Galindo said. Wanting, however, would not be enough. Galindo could not qualify as an in-state student without a social security number. He couldn’t afford to pay out-of-state tuition without financial aid. He worked for a year after high school building fences and irrigating fields. “It wasn’t fun,” Galindo said. “I missed school. I wanted to do something with my life.” Galindo tried to find a way to

continue his education. He met with immigration lawyers and would have done anything to become a citizen and go to college. He asked if he should go to Mexico and try to apply for citizenship legally. The lawyer told him that he would sooner be banned from the U.S. for up to 10 years than be granted a visa. Galindo heard that if he joined the armed forces he could become a citizen, also wrong. The lawyer said the armed forces do not accept illegal immigrants. “At that point I was just really disappointed,” Galindo said. “I was screwed because my family had done what they had thought was best for me. I was about to give up and just settle and then everything turned around.” Galindo met a man at a potluck. The man was an engineer himself and he and Galindo began talking about engineering. They were well on their way to becoming friends when the topic of why Galindo wasn’t going to college came up.

“I said I couldn’t afford college. He asked me why I didn’t apply for financial aid. I usually avoid this. Grand Junction isn’t really known for its sympathy towards illegal immigrants. People don’t like us,” Galindo said. “But here I was thinking it couldn’t get any worse even if I did get deported. I told him.” Galindo thought the man might stop talking to him. He hadn’t expected that he would get a call from the man later that night telling him to be at CMU the next day. In less than 24 hours Galindo was enrolled in CMU’s first Mechanical

Engineering program through a partnership with Colorado University and a foundation had been established which would help pay Galindo’s tuition. Today, Galindo is a senior at Colorado Mesa University and expects to graduate in the spring. By then he hopes that his application for Obama’s deferred action work permit will be accepted. “If it works out I’ll have two years to work, hopefully as a mechanical engineer,” Galindo said. “It’s a short time for an entire country to decide if I’m worth keeping. I’ve got to make sure I’m worth keeping.”

From Saudi Police To Hollywood Sets, A Grand Junction local Talks about Her life in the U.S. Air ForceStory by Cassie HeykoopPhotos by Michael Wong

ARoad

AwayFrom

Home

Every evening in Saudi Arabia, practicing Muslims halt their businesses, close up shop and dedicate their time to prayer. It is

required that citizens set their concerns and chores aside to stand before their God. Teresa Black sat on a couch next to Mohamed, a man that she was not married to. Her female lieutenant sat behind Mohamed’s desk. Not only is it frowned upon to do both of these things, but it is illegal not to participate in prayer. They talked, laughed and exchanged ideas about each others’ cultures. This was a normal night off of the Air Force base for Black and her lieutenant, but on this particular night, Mohamed’s receptionist forgot to shut of the porch light. “All of a sudden the religious police came busting in on us,” Black said. “They ushered me and the lieutenant into the women’s parlor and they took the men away. All we could hear was a bunch of yelling and screaming in Arabic.” Soon after, Black and her lieutenant were

rushed out of the parlor by their driver. They were quickly escorted back to the Air Force base. It wasn’t until weeks later that Black found out what kept her out of trouble that night. Mohamed had paid the police $10,000 per person in the room as a bribe to avoid punishment. “They would have immediately taken us to the women’s prison and the men to the men’s prison,” Black said. Since that night Teresa Black has served a total of eight years in the U.S. Air Force and managed to make it back to her hometown, Grand Junction. She has had an enormous impact on the lives of many community members and still serves in the Air Force Reserve. “It’s just home,” Black said. “All of my family is here, or was around when my son was born.” She enlisted in 1994 after graduating from Casper College. Besides her father, who was a part of the National Guard before she was born, Black is the only person in her family to have served in

the military. Right off the bat she enlisted for six years. “One of the real challenges is the first year,” Black said. “You get into it and you realize you’re in it whether you like it or not. It’s not a job you can just quit. There’s that point when you’re challenged or discouraged that you do feel a little trapped.” After testing very highly at the Military Entrance Processing Station in Denver, Black was placed in Russian linguistics, which initiated the rest of her Air Force education. Soon after, she transferred to the Public Relations and Journalism field. She was able to report for the military’s newspaper and work on movie sets in Hollywood as a technical consultant. “That was a chance to get out there and do this once in a lifetime thing and getting to meet Matthew Mcconaughey when he was nobody was cool,” Black said. “That to me was the most fun stuff. They wanted me to come on to their set and

make sure that their military hospital looked right or just make sure they were using the right jargon and everything had the right look and feel.” Besides her nights in Saudi Arabia or her days on movie sets, Black has acquired a number of challenging and rewarding memories. “The most cherished memory I have is the people,” Black said. “You form bonds with people really quickly and you get to meet people from all over. I could go almost anywhere in the country and have a spare bedroom to sleep in and somebody to go out to dinner with and catch up.” After earning her Public Relations degree while serving, she received a Human Resources degree from Colorado Christian and a Master’s in Business Administration from CMU. “I have more degrees than I can count,” Black said. Black returned home and now lives in Grand Junction with her husband and two sons. She serves on the board of directors for both Boy Scouts

and Diabetes Counts and serves as the executive director of Homeward Bound in the Grand Valley. “You learn to really cherish the time you do have with your family,” Black said. “When we get time off work, we go see family because that’s what you do in the military. You don’t just go on vacation. You have to maximize that time together because you never know when you are going to get deployed or sent somewhere.” Black has traveled the world and experienced a life that is far from typical. In the end she managed to make it back to Grand Junction where she has built a home for her family.