THE OREDIGGER

The student voice of the Colorado School of Mines

2
Volume 93, Issue 20 March 25, 2012
TYREL JACOBSEN / OREDIGGER

News

Coastal erosion on the Alaskan coastline

Features 5

Slackline Club travels to Moab over break

The 35th Annual International Mining Games were held over the last weekend of Spring Break at the CSM campus.

Mines hosts annual mining games

Tyrel Jacobsen Staff Writer
The 35th Annual International Intercollegiate Mining Games were held over the last weekend of Spring Break from March 13-17, 2013, in the Q parking lot at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. The CSM Ladies did very well, earning the title of world champions in the womens division. The Mens A team also did well, placing seventh in the mens division, and the mens B team came in 13th place. The teams were made up of many people from many majors in the graduate and undergraduate programs. The CSM ladies were composed of Paige Cybulski, Chelsea Pomeroy, Jordan Rutledge, Sarah Holmes, Patty Capistrant, and Cosima Theloy. Jordan Oxborrow, Devin Weekley, Mike Berger, Matt Wilson, Eric Levonas, and Wade ORourke made up the Mens A team, while the Mens B team included Charles Smith, Mason Kreidler, Marcell Silveira, Adam Murray, Doug Simpson, and Fausto Moraes. Hosting the mining games is a huge undertaking, and with no official governing body, is completely a student-led venture. The mining games began in 1978 and originally served two purposes. One purpose was to honor the 91 miners that were killed in the Sunshine Mine Disaster in Kellogg, Idaho in 1972. The second was to foster a sense of fraternity and competition between the many schools with

Sports 11

Mines golf takes team title at invitational

Opinion 12

CSM visits the Canyonlands over break

a heritage of mining and mining was used in the games, and Ames event is still student run and orgarelated majors, such as geology Construction provided gravel. nized, an element of the games that and extractive metallurgy. This year Capistrant was a primary orga- keeps them so intriguing. Since it there were 42 teams that competed nizer of this years event and when is an international event, the games from four countries including the asked about what goes into host- move from country to country. The United States, the United Kingdom, ing the games she said, An entire games are different in other places, and Australia. years worth of work. It stated all much like the way that the history Teams competed in seven the way back at the 2012 games, of mining in the United States is events involving both skill and getting information to anybody that different than the history of mining speed, including Track Stand, Ore wanted to compete this year. Then in the United Kingdom, Australia, Muck, Swede Saw, Gold Pan, we got sponsors and organized the Brazil, and South Africa. single jack Hand Steel, Jackleg, rules. We were the first to institute The hosting of the games this and Survey. Track Stand is a timed an online registration system. In the year was definitely a success, due event requiring a team to put a end the turnout was great, pretty in no small part to the tenacity and section of rail onto an existing rail. much a success in every way. drive for success that the students Ore Mucking involves quickly filling The games would not have been of the Colorado School of Mines all an ore cart and running it down a possible without the sponsors. share. As an added note, a large track for the best time. A team of The gold sponsors were S.M.E., number of both the CSM Ladies five takes turns cutting through a Newmont, and Freeport. The larg- and the CSM Mens teams are 6 x 6 piece of timber in Swede est support came from diamond graduating this year, and anyone Saw. Hand Steeling is composed of level sponsor, Hecla Mining. As interested in joining the team and a team alternating in single jacking a permanent diamond sponsor, participating in the games next year for 10 minutes in order to drill the Hecla will insure that the games should contact Jordan Oxborrow at deepest hole. The Jackleg compe- are completely facilitated. However, joxborro@mines.edu. The team will tition involves using a pneumatic they want to make sure that the welcome anyone from any major. TYREL JACOBSEN / OREDIGGER drill to advance the greatest number of holes in a concrete block in three minutes. Finally, the Survey event tests the knowledge and use of a theodolite in order to turn angles and determine the distance between different points. Mines did not have a permanent field to host the games, so one had to be constructed from scratch in Lot Q during the week of spring break. After the games, it had to be completely torn down. Facilities Management was an integral part of the creation of the field. Wood Resources The Mens A team placed 7th and the B team came in 13th place. provided all the wood that

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march 25, 2013

Stockton, California - According to a study by researchers from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, energy drinks may increase blood pressure and disturb the hearts natural rhythm. The team examined the QT interval of 93 people who had just consumed one to three cans of energy drinks. The QT interval is a segment of the hearts rhythm on an electrocardiogram and if elongated, it may cause serious irregular heartbeats or cardiac arrest. The findings indicated that energy drinks could prolong the QT interval. They also found that the systolic blood pressure, the highest number in a blood pressure reading, increased by an average of 3.5 points in a pool of 132 participants. According to lead author Sachin Shah, The correlation between energy drinks and increased systolic blood pressure is convincing and concerning. The study included healthy patients 18 to 45 years old.

Arnaud Filliat, Asst. Copy Editor

South Bend, Indiana - In 2011, researchers from the United States Department of Agriculture found a crabapple tree that had been infested by a fruit fly they could not identify. Many feared that the fruit fly was the invasive apple maggot fly, known as Rhagoletis pomonella. If this was the case, it could trigger a quarantine process affecting three counties in the state of Washington. The larvae were sent to a team of researchers from Notre Dame that identified the fly as Rhagoletis indifferens, which is not known to infest apples. The group demonstrated that it was possible to genetically identify the correct fly species within two days, compared to the four months required to raise and visually identify the fly. According to Wee Yee, a researcher at the USDAs Yakima agricultural research laboratory in Washington, The correct identification of the larvae infesting crabapple trees saved the local, state, and federal agencies thousands of dollars in monitoring, inspection, and control costs. The cost to growers if the apple maggot had been found to be established in the region would have been very substantial (easily over half a million dollars), but the rapid diagnostic test developed at Notre Dame suspended the need to proceed with the rulemaking process, saving staff and administrative costs.

Malmo, Sweden - By regularly exercising, people may be preventing fractured bones when they are older. Researchers from Skne University Hospital in Malmo, Sweden, conducted a population-based study of 362 girls and 446 boys who received 40 minutes of daily physical education at school. The control group of 780 girls and 807 boys received 60 minutes of physical education per week. Researchers followed skeletal development annually and registered fractures in all participants. Over the course of the study, there were 72 fractures in the group that exercised daily and 143 in the control group. According to the study, the group that exercised daily had higher spine bone mineral density. Lead researcher Bjorn Rosengren said, Increased activity in the younger ages helped induce higher bone mass and improved skeletal size in girls without increasing the fracture risk. Our study highlights yet another reason why kids need to get regular daily exercise to improve their health both now and in the future.

Oredigger Staff
Deborah Good Editor-in-Chief Katie Huckfeldt Managing Editor Steven Wooldridge Webmaster Barbara Anderson Design Editor Lucy Orsi Business Manager Ian Mertz Copy Editor Taylor Polodna Asst. Design Editor Connor McDonald Asst. Web Master Arnaud Filliat Asst. Copy Editor Katerina Gonzales Content Manager Jared Riemer Content Manager Emily McNair Content Manager Karen Gilbert Faculty Advisor

Headlines from around the world

Arnaud Filliat, Asst. Copy Editor
A Congolese warlord, Bosco Ntaganda, also known as the Terminator, turned himself in at the US embassy in Kigali. He is being tried at the International Criminal Court and is accused of murder, rape, recruiting child soldiers, ethnic persecution, sexual slavery, and other atrocities. Ntaganda had a 15year career that spanned a series of rebellions in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was most recently a commander in the M23 rebel movement. His removal from the conflict creates an opportunity to secure a peace agreement to end the year-old rebellion in the region. Wars in Congo have killed about five million people in the past 15 years. Many of the eastern areas are still afflicted by violence from a number of rebel groups despite a decade-long U.N. peacekeeping mission. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Turkish Premier Tayyip Erdogan on Friday to apologize for an Israeli raid that killed nine Turkish activists. The activists were on a boat attempting to go through Israels naval blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2010 when they were boarded by Israeli marines. Netanyahu admitted operational mistakes and apologized to Erdogan. In return Erdogan accepted the apology. President Obama, who took part in the half-hour call, said, The United States deeply values our close partnerships with both Turkey and Israel, and we attach great importance to the restoration of positive relations between them in order to advance regional peace and security. Police fired tear gas in downtown Caracas, Venezuela, on Thursday as anti-government student protesters clashed with supporters of late President Hugo Chavez. Several hundred students were marching to the election boards headquarters to demand a clean vote when they were blocked by government supporters who threw stones, bottles, and eggs. According to one law student, the protesters were holding a peaceful march to support democracy and untampered elections. Police fired tear gas toward the supporters and formed a blockade between the two sides. This is the first outbreak of violence since an April 14 election following Chavezs death. Both candidates Nicolas Maduro and Henrique Capriles are trading personal accusations as they attempt to rally support. In two recent polls, Maduro was ahead by 14 percentage points. Maduro is running on a socialist platform and Capriles is running on a centrist platform and wants to use Brazils free market economy as a model for Venezuela. North Dakota lawmakers approved measures that would ban abortion in the state, including a referendum that would let voters declare that life begins at conception. Republican governor Jack Dalrymple, who must sign or veto the bill, has not yet signaled where he stands on the bill. The bill would ban abortions after 20 weeks, except in medical emergencies and requires doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. According to a clinic in North Dakota, Admitting privileges are not easily come by under any circumstances. Opponents said the measures would force the state to spend millions of dollars on legal challenges after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many state restrictions on abortion in Roe v. Wade.

Local News
In Aspen, Colorado a skier died after hitting a tree at the Snowmass ski area. The skier was wearing a helmet and was at the ski resort to compete in the NASTAR National Championships. The 42-year-old man was unconscious and unresponsive when ski patrol arrived on the scene. Once the man reached the base of the ski area he was pronounced dead. A proposal to repeal the crime of adultery from Colorado has been signed into law. The bill aims to remove an outdated 19-century statue and would also repeal the rarely-used law of contributing to sexually immorality by providing a place, such as a hotel room, for unmarried people to have sex. The bill is trying to keep governmental control out of peoples bedrooms. While adultery has been illegal in Colorado, no criminal penalty is specified. In Grand Junction, Colorado residents were told to leave their homes last week after a natural gas leak caused a home to explode. The explosion happened last Tuesday; three people were injured, the flames spread to a home next door, and nearby homes and schools were evacuated. In Denver, Colorado, a hit and run accident left two young boys dead and the mother seriously injured. The mother, Zu Mar Bee, came to the United States from Myanmar to visit her aunt and grandmother. Bee was hit while walking home and pushing a stroller with her sons. The vehicle hit the family and sped away, dragging the stroller behind the car. Police are still looking for the driver, and doctors are waiting until Bees condition improves before telling her that her sons are dead.

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march 25, 2013

Coastal erosion disturbs

Esther Lowe Staff Writer
Along the coast of Alaskas north slope, a record decrease in 2007 of the extent of the Arctic sea ice and an annual increase to 14 meters of coastal erosion spawned research funded by NOPP (the National Oceanographic Partnership Program) that is just now coming to a close. Dr. Irina Overseem of the University of Colorado and the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research presented at Mines on her teams findings. Sea ice naturally recedes and expands annually as a function of wind, temperature, and radiation. NASA GISS data indicates that the arctic region is warming and Overseem worked with other scientists to determine whether and how the arctic warming influences the Alaskan bluff coastline. Alaskan permafrost bluff surfaces are extremely flat in the area studied, with melt and heave polygon formation of slightly contoured boundaries all over the surface. These polygon boundaries are preferential failure planes, or weak planes where melting and erosion occurs. Height-wise, the unexposed mass far exceeds the exposed bluff face. About 35 centimeters of concentrated sediment comprises the very top layer of the bluff followed by about five meters of exposed ice, and approximately 250 meters of solid permafrost ice submerged beneath the exposed face. Overseem described the bluff coastline as a dirty iceberg coast. The bluffs dirt layer composition is mostly fine muds on the north slope where erosion is greatest, a result of the areas deposition in alluvial fan and delta formation from tertiary sediments. The absence of sand in these muds is critical because sand plays an important role in coastal protection and retention. It is interesting to note that other areas of the coast experience less drastic bluff erosion due to the presence of sand particles in the sediment layer. The research team was able to show a correlation between the decrease in the Arctic sea ice extent and increase in coastal bluff erosion rate. Variables such as the distance the wind blows, wind shear stress, wave height, along shore water velocity, torque balance, and temperature change are all sources of coastal erosion. The two logical suspects, those that seem to provide the most intense impacts on the bluff, are temperature rise and wave impact. The Arctic sea does not produce significant waves consistently around Alaskas northern slope. Waves do cause some coastal erosion, but they are not the main cause. Water level rises by an insignificant amount except when wind blows water into the coast from farther out at sea. Video footage of the coast erosion taken by continuously running cameras showed that at times when the water level does not visibly change, coastal erosion is still quite dramatic. Huge chunks of coast broke off the bluffs and dissipated into the Arctic Sea in only a weeks worth of footage. Temperature was then investigated as the primary source of most bluff erosion. The team used the minimal data available from their collection at Drew Point, Alaska and found it could be combined with meteorological records collected at Barrow, Alaska between 1979 and 2001. The data indicated that as temperature increased, retreat of the sea ice caused more waves with greater height to hit the coast in the exposed water phase of the annual sea ice cycle. In the 1980s, the high end of wave height was 250 meters. Now, that maximum is at 500 meters. The increase in wave size has enabled decrease of

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Amendment 64 no change for CSM policy

Emily McNair Staff Writer
With recent changes in Colorado Law, Mines has updated its Alcohol and Other Drugs Education and Prevention Policy. However, due to Mines status as a federal contractor, these new laws do not significantly change anything on campus. The Drug Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989 requires universities to have programs that prevent the use of illegal drugs on campus. However, the definition of illegal drugs comes from the federal government, not the state. This poses a major dilemma in Colorado. Until recently, possession of marijuana was a crime in Colorado. Amendment 64 allows people 21 years and older to grow and possess small amounts of marijuana. However, this is only an amendment to the state constitution. Although the state has power in these matters, it cannot overcome federal law. Even though marijuana is legal in Colorado, the federal government says otherwise, as marijuana is considered a Schedule I controlled

the ice extent. The smaller the ice extent, the farther away the wind can blow water towards the coast. Wave height and force increases the more time and distance the wave has to build up before hitting the coast. Despite this increase in wave height, the team did not find that greater wave impact was directly correlated to increase in coastal erosion. What they did find was a seasonal variation in the number of big erosion events. In the summer, a large amount of radiation hits the sea and the bluffs, warming them. In the fall, sea ice has not yet expanded to cover the waters and reduce wave size, but coastal erosion is reduced. If the ice is present, one might think that temperature is quite variant. Overseems team supposes that less radiation in the fall causes the sea temperature to fall significantly. If more funding were available, a more advanced camera that could take readings of thermal radiation could prove the hypothesis. Ramifications of coastal erosion are extreme. First, coastal erosion is destroying towns such as Shismaref, Alaska. In Shismaref, 565 people need to be relocated and have requested government support without much response as their houses are washed into the Arctic Sea. Additionally, the area is a breeding ground for many species of rare birds. As wave height increases, freshwater bodies on shore are being salinized by the sea. Humans, deer, birds, and other beings living in the area are at risk of running out of potable water. There are also unmitigated oil wells that were abandoned many years ago. Because they were never properly sealed off, the Arctic Sea is eroding the land around the wells and poisonous chemicals are being leached into the sea. Engineers are working save the bluffs before the northern slope of Alaskas coast is washed into the sea.

Detonation physics booms

Eric Hake Staff Writer
Dr. Jonathan Mace described detonation experiments and the High Fidelity Mobile Detonation Physics Laboratory (HFMDPL) as part of last weeks physics colloquium. He outlined the capabilities of the HFMDPL and what he hopes to achieve through its use. Mace holds a position at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Here, he typically works on defense, technical, and economic security related issues, and often times on a large scale. Compared to equipment Mace used in the past, the HFMDPL is nearly the best available. It consists of two 32-foot trailers, the command trailer and the instrumentation trailer. The instrumentation trailer is equipped with a 40 kW diesel generator to power the equipment, eight shock-isolated equipment racks, PS system + 20 amp circuit breaker per rack and Dual HVAC systems. The command trailer is equipped with much of the same equipment, but only contains a 20 kW diesel generator. The technical equipment contained in the trailers includes a high speed fast framing camera capable of capturing frames of up to one per nanosecond, another 12,500 fps color video camera, external remote CDU systems, a lighting system, and an array of accelerometers, electromagnetic radiation sensors, stress gauges, and an array of other measurement devices. The main purpose of the HFMDPL is to measure experimental detonations. Some areas of measurement include the electromagnetic radiation produced by the explosion, wave propagation through the land and the air, deformations in the land, and energy release. Mace explained that doing experiments like this involves balancing a lot... there is a lot of physics that needs to be considered. He also said, You have to balance measuring all this complex physics with being practical, because all of this is being driven by government programs and business cases. Detonation physics has a large array of industrial applications. Mace explained that it is used in mining and engineering, in welding as technique to cut through metal and in actuation devices like the airbags in your car and astrophysics. But for CSM, the primary sponsored objective of this research is to invent deployable custom high energy density explosive systems that can be utilized to create significant permeable rubblization fields in situ within geologic formations. Other research applications involve rock fragmentation, explosive properties, explosive welding, explosive synthesis, and the effect of explosives on structures and humans.

CSM Seniors design lasers

Eric Hake Staff Writer
mining compositions. Nazarro and Sleegals research involves experimenting Tate Nazarro and Zack Slee- with novel techniques of fregal are two Colorado School of quency tone generation. This Mines seniors in the Engineering involves setting up a ring of laPhysics department. Together sers and using an acousto-optic they are working on their senior modulator to change the index of design project, which is focused refraction in a gas. This gives a on laser design construction. frequency spectrum using only a They are working on a number single pump beam, but in a recurof laser designs sively changing ring and the primary We are working with kind of thing, said one is an exterthe external cavity. Nazarro. nal diode laser. When asked Nazarro deBasically what that why he chose this scribed this projresearch topic, ect as construcdoes is it allows us Nazarro said that it tion-based and stemmed from an not the most to tune the laser and interest in waves experimental and the prestige of research. He alter its wavelength the optics program went on to say, at Mines. Next year, We are working of operation while its he wants to continwith the exterue studying waves, running. nal cavity. Basibut this time from cally what that an acoustic perdoes is it allows us to tune the spective. He hopes to go to Penn laser and alter its wavelength of State, the home of one of the most operation while its running. This prestigious acoustic programs in is opposed to a static laser cavity the United States, to obtain either which produces only one wave- a Masters or PhD. Then Nazarro length of light. According to Naz- hopes to work in the music inarro, experiments may require dustry designing audio systems, lasers more accurately tuned to The ideal goal would be to work certain wavelengths. The advan- for Apple, Bose, Sony on headtage of this laser is that it allows phones and home audio systems one to sweep over frequencies and things like that, he said. I of light... [to] find an obstruction hope to combine my professional spectrum in spectrometry appli- skills and interest in physics with cation. This is useful for deter- my personal interest in music.

substance. Schedule I controlled dicinal uses for cannabis. Marijuana substances have no accepted also has the potential to impair a medical use and high potential for students academic abilities and abuse. This is the highest designa- thus will not be tolerated on camtion a substance can have under pus. However, current policies are the Controlled Substances Act of under review and may be changed 1970. Thus, the federal government in the future. still classifies marijuana possession For now, federal laws prevent as a crime. any use of mariAlthough The Colorado School of juana on the Mines President campus, however, Obama has Mines is a federal con- there are some efexplained forts being made to tractor and must abide change these laws. that the federal governHouse Represenby federal law, and as a tative Jared Polis ment will not pursue mari(D-CO) recently juana users result, all marijuana is still introduced a bill to in states marijuaprohibited from campus. declassify where the na as a Schedule substance is I controlled sublegal, the laws classifying marijuana stance. Although this bill is unlikely as a controlled substance are still in to pass, it may be the beginning the books. of change in Washington. As other The Colorado School of Mines states follow Colorados lead, Conis a federal contractor and must gress and the House of Represenabide by federal law, and as a re- tatives will need to act on this matsult, all marijuana is still prohibited ter. Until then, the Colorado School from campus. This includes medical of Mines must adhere to federal law marijuana since the federal govern- and will continue to maintain a drugment does not recognize any me- free campus.

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Renewables
Global Futures 2013
Esther Lowe Staff Writer
Last week Dr. Eric Martinot, Senior Research Director at the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies in Tokyo, presented Renewables - Global Futures 2013. The report, which took two years to write, is an enormous and multifaceted synthesis of the present and projected developments in renewable energy technology. Analysis of 50 recently published scenarios by major market players such as ExxonMobil and GEA are a backbone of the publication. Additionally, over 1000 pages of handwritten notes from interviews with international experts in finance/ industry, research/academics, and policy (as well as public representatives), have been analyzed and used in the report. Internationally, governments and corporations have recognized Martinots work as a new standard for global technology reports of this kind. So whats the big deal? Why is this 74 page report worth reading from cover to cover? Dr. Martinot used the lecture at Mines as an opportunity to summarize chapters of the report and provide copies to attendees. His lecture focused on the following key topics. First, what is the present situation around the world? Second, what do corporations and experts say (after considering numerous scenarios) about the future of renewable energy? Third, how will R&D for renewables be financed? Fourth, how and will the business and consumer worlds develop in light of changes in energy supply? Lastly what are the present great debates and areas of research? Based on his analysis, Martinot believes about 17% of the energy used in the world by humans is presently acquired from renewable energy sources. He explained that renewable sources supply 20% of global electricity consumption, or 500 gigawatts of the total 5000 gigawatts produced. To get a sense of just how much growth in power capacity is derived from renewables, consider the following: In 2011, 80% of all new power capacity in Europe was renewable. World-wide, investments in new renewable energy development are tremendous. From $39 billion in 2004, the world now invests annually over $257 billion in renewables. Despite rapid growth in renewable R&D investment, there remains disagreement about the future of renewable electricity supply. Moderate projections for development between 2030 and 2050 by IEA ETP, and others, anticipate that heavily investing countries will have around 40% of their electricity supplied by renewable sources. Liberal projections such as Greenpeace, GEA, IEA ACES, EREC, and WWF, anticipate around 80% to 95%, while conservative reports, published by ExxonMobil, IEA WEO, BP, EIA, and others, project about 20%. Most industry experts interviewed were of the option that a reasonable projection be between 30-50% for the world and 50-70% for Europe. Variations in these estimates are due to a number of different assumptions between report scenarios, a primary difference being finance. Based on the interviews conducted, it has been made clear by the experts that investors are beginning to see renewable energy as equally risky and less risky than the standard industrial risk. For example, many investors are now choosing to invest in renewables as opposed to coal because there are coal utilities going bankrupt. In 2011, worldwide investment in all fossil fuel and nuclear power capacity combined, was less than the investment in renewable power capacity. Experts in economics, business, and finance claimed that by 2020, private investment in renewables may exceed $500 billion. Oil and gas companies believe the investments will be substantially less. Some of these companies are investing minorly in renewables but many have not made any investment in renewable R&D. The reason for the conservative finance estimate being lower seems to be linked to the perceived lack of comparative advantage for such investments. Other energy companies, such as Iberdrola and NEER, have over half of their production supplied by renewables. Likely, the difference in investments between power companies stems from a difference in their anticipation of market and business model developments. Traditionally, utility companies have supplied the public with a commodity. Wide access to solar and other renewable technologies has resulted in the institution of policy such as net-metering, by which the public can sell energy back to the grid. The utility companies have decreasing control of the market as power becomes less of a commodity. Business models that worked for the distribution of power as a commodity no longer best fit for the market. Many companies investing in new renewable technologies are also investing in developing new business models for their distribution. Rather than supplying energy on demand, utility companies are slowly changing consumer perceptions and consumption of power based on price fluctuation. End users in many countries are learning to adjust their demands to drain power from the system during peak production from renewable sources and utilities are beginning to see power supplied during off hours as a commodity with comparative advantage. Another opportunity for developing utility company business models rests in the ability to treat energy distribution as an IT matter. With energy being produced at different times, with different source, by different people, effective distribution is key. Utility companies can develop as the market middle, the centralized receivers and distributors of production. Despite the lack of anticipation of future funding and comparative advantage for renewables by oil and gas companies using the traditional, commodity oriented business models, most are conducting research on renewables of their own. BP, Chevron, Petrobras, and others have recently funded wind, solar, and geothermal based developments in their supply. In other words, there is some degree of discontinuity between the reports released by conservative companies regarding the future of renewable energy and the actions of some of those companies to integrate renewable production. Continued at oredigger.net/news

Greek life updates

Where weve been and where were going
Ross Peters Staff Writer
C.S. Lewis once said, The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are. Students have always sought friendship, lifelong memories, and guidance in their college experience, and students at CSM are no different. Many seek to fill this requirement by joining Greek organizations. With most fraternities growing well past their centennial year, sororities well-established and thriving, and Mines Greek participation on the rise, it is difficult to imagine this school without the existence of these social organizations. Most fraternities at CSM formed in the first decade of the twentieth century, at a time when the school was comprised almost exclusively of male students in the mineral industry. These students did not have much time to develop their organizations, though, as World War I soon broke out. During World War I and World War II, Mines looked much more like a military academy than an engineering college. It was known as the West Point of the Rockies. Student had a structured day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., in which most of their time was spent studying, practicing military drills, or exercising. Between these wars, CSM had a period of time to develop some interesting traditions, including the M-climb, the freshmen whitewashing of the M. However, it would take another war to redefine womens role in the workplace and at Mines. After World War II ended, the number of women attending CSM increased greatly. Nine female students founded Alpha Delta in 1974, which became Sigma Kappa in 1980. Pi Beta Phi and Alpha Phi followed in 1986 and 2000 respectively. Sororities at Mines today, despite their somewhat recent establishment, have become so intertwined with campus culture that it feels as if these organizations have always been around. On Friday, March 29, Greek Week will kick off with an Egg Hunt for the ages. Though it may sound playful, this will be no childs sport. These Greek eggs (Greggs) will be hidden around campus and contain tickets for some fantastic prizes, to be given away at the All-Campus Greek Week Barbecue the next day (they contain candy too, for your inner child). The Greek Olympics will be held on the IM fields at 1:00 p.m. Saturday and the barbeque will be at 4:30 p.m. on the South IM Field. The barbecue is free and open to the community and will feature refreshments and a dirty word spelling bee. Prizes for the bee and raffle include Nuggets Tickets, $50 and $25 gift certificates, E-Days Packages, and more. Greek Week is a way for fraternities and sororities to connect with the campus community.

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march 25, 2013

Alternative lighting solutions in developing countries

Eric Hake Staff Writer
A simple solar powered rechargeable light does not sound like a revolutionary invention in Western culture, as they are frequently seen lining suburban driveways and walkways at night. However, in the developing world, a world where 1.75 billion people have no access to electricity, this type of lighting can be the only light source for cities without power or with unreliable power grids. More importantly, rechargeable solar lights allow people to move away from kerosene-based light sources. Last Thursday, Steve Katsaros, owner and founder of Nokero, presented on an alternative light source designed for residential areas in developing countries. Katsaros describes his company as a social venture. This differs from a commercial venture in that the companys objective is to solve a social problem instead of making profit. Katsaros said, You cannot donate your way out of poverty, describing the way that a non-profit organization could not sustain production of these lights in the same way that a social venture could. Nokeros light is designed to be hung outside during the day to charge its battery in the sunlight and the design allows the solar panel angle to be adjusted for maximum sun exposure. Other features include a reliable battery, waterproof circuitry, a shutoff that keeps the light off when exposed to the sun in order to save battery power, brightness control, and a rugged, yet cheap housing. The retail cost of this product is close to $12 in many developing countries. Still, that amount of money is often daunting to those who live in these countries. Two billion people on Earth live on less than two dollars a day. These people often use lighting sources such fits, there are also health benefits as kerosene, candles, or other from using solar lights. Unlike dangerous or unsustainable light- kerosene, they do not produce ing alternatives. According to fumes that irritate the eyes, cause Katsaros, kerosene lamps burn headaches, and have been corforty liters of kerosene per year, related with cataracts and tuberwhich is approximately $40 worth culosis. Additionally, A lot of the of kerosene. Comparing Nokaros shanties in places like south Aflight to annual fuel costs, it begins rica or South America get burnt to look like a good investment. In down because someone kicks Mexico, the break even cost for over a kerosene lamp, said Katcurrent light sources (normally saros. candles) occurs after 15 days. In Rechargeable solar lights have Haiti it is 45 days and in Pakistan proven to be useful outside of the is 21 days. In some countries, home as well. Nokeros lights have rental agreements have been cre- been modified into a collar worn ated and at the end of the rental by cattle in Venezuela to ward period the off vampire renter gets bats. In Katsaros said, You cannot to keep the Africa they donate your way out of pov- have been light. As Katsarmodified os continued erty, describing the way that into a flashthrough his ing light presentation a non-profit organization could that wards he stopped lions. not sustain production of these off at a particuBy night, lar slide of lights in the same way that a N o k e r o s a Pakistani solar powgirl. He said, ered cell social venture could. This girl, p h o n e when she gets to the end of her chargers have been modified to day she is there without electricity charge many other battery-powstudying and trying to make her ered devices. life better, but the cycles of poverRight now, Nokero is trying ty continue because without ac- to revise their business model cess to electricity you dont have to create a supply system in delight... and this is a big issue when veloping countries where the init come to education, security, habitants can create their own and advancing your well being. Nokero lights and distribute them Katsaros described how the small effectively while increasing deamount of money and time freed mand. up by inexpensive solar lights alKatsaros ended by giving the low families to afford schooling listeners some advice. He said, and children the opportunity to Less talk, more action. So many study during the nightan impor- ideas die in a boardroom, in endtant asset to many children who less meetings, or on a dry erase must spend a large portion of board. Talking through the comtime during the day helping with panys future is important, but their parents line of work. Studies you cant let it drag on. Once a done by Nokero have shown that decision is made youve got to children in developing countries be fearless and move it forward. increased their study time by 45% It may fail. If it does, you wipe off when using solar lights. the dust and go out there and fail Apart from the social, eco- again. Keep going until you sucnomic and environmental bene- ceed.

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march 25, 2013

Jordan Francis Staff Writer

Many geeks at Mines struggle and toil in their studies in the hopes that, one day, they will be able to graduate in one piece and leave to seek their fortunes out in the real world. Others, perhaps very wisely, decide that life outside of the school is not all it is cracked up to be and choose instead to jump back into the Mines graduate program. These students, like Steven Kuhlmeier, are not so different from the other geeks at this school. They are only really separated from the undergraduates by more experience, more stress, more debt, and more people who have no idea what anything they are studying actually means. [Oredigger]: Why did you choose Civil and Environmental? [Kuhlmeier]: I made a promise to my stuffed animals when I was a young man that I would do everything in my power to improve the lives of their counterparts in the real world. Whats been your favorite class? Advanced Water Treatment. Are you a geek and why? I believe so. Aside from my passion for the environment, one of my strongest passions is for Legos. I like to construct series of historical scenes. They usually take up a couple yards. I also like to mix genres. Instead of William the Conqueror

...Steven Kuhlmeier, Grad Student: Civil / Environmental Engineering

leading the Normans at the Battle of Hastings, its Captain Kirk. I like that mixing ofthe future and the past. Do you have any time unoccupied by academia and, if so, how do you spend it? Aside from my passion in the Lego constructing arts, I enjoy shuffleboard, disk golf, ultimate frisbee, lawn darts, curling, stargazing, freelance photography, and some accounting. What are your greatest accomplishments to date? When I got picked by the fifth graders (as a fourth grader) to be on their dodgeball team. That was the year we beat the sixth graders. I was a rising star. Im definitely putting that on my headstone, right above when I saved my family from the sinking of the Lusitania. Which fictional weapon would you most like to have? Michelangelos nunchucks. And his headband. And his shell. If you could be dropped into any fictional universe, what would it be and why? An alternate universe where instead of thirty-one days, thered be thirty-two days in a month and February would drop back to twentyseven on leap years. Whats your favorite thing about Mines? The weather. I always feel like Im at the beach because you can always catch a good tan and I can recharge my solar panels really easily. Whats your best nerd story? When I was little, we used to build forts out of hay bales and, somewhere near us, there was an aggressor who kept knocking down our forts. To improve our structural integrity, we put rocks in the forts. I imagine they got quite a surprise when they tried to kick it over. How would you handle an encounter with an army of angry dwarves? Its well-known that dwarves are deathly afraid of maple syrup. Thus, the best course of action would be to dig some sort of trench of maple syrup. Wed probably have to hold up in Quebec. Or, we could send an emissary to see what they want. Theyd probably want our gold and treasure, which we couldnt give, so wed give em pyrite. Or, we could send the witch after them. Shes good at handling dwarves. Or [use] magic tricks. Dwarves are easily amused by magic tricks, especially failed magic tricks. Do you have any plans for the future? No. Do you have any advice for fellow geeks and Mines students? Velcro shoes: because tying your shoes sometimes is just too hard. Do you have a favorite quote? If you dont do it now, youll be a year older when you do. Shane McConkey Whats the coolest thing youve ever built out of Legos? Aside from re-creating that whole [Battle of Hastings] scene, when the starship Enterprise landed on the battlefield. That landing scene was just perfect. It was really sublime. When I set that piece down, I was the starship Enterprise. I felt like I really transported myself back in time, but also forward thousands of years. I was outside of time.
JORDAN FRANCIS / OREDIGGER

Geek Week
of the

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Deborah Good Editor-in-Chief

MYSTERE - D A YS P R E VI E W
the casino night, Sigma Kappa will present the annual Mr. Big Digger competition, a male beauty pageant hosted by Miller. Events will resume early on Friday, April 5 with the Ore Cart Pull. MAC described it as one of the oldest E-Days traditions... that every student needs to experience at least once. Students will walk 7.5 miles to the Colorado State Capitol in Denver and be awarded a free t-shirt and Chipotle for their troubles. Friday afternoon will feature a Tesla Coil Demonstration by the CSM chapter of IEEE. The day will conclude with the MasqueRAVE dance, featuring the Catalina Rhyme Mixers and Connor Cruise as DJs. Saturday will begin with the Cardboard Boat race in Clear Creek, as boats made entirely of cardboard and tape float down Clear Creek. The engineering competitions will continue with the Soap Box Derby. MAC explained that entrants have to propel their car down the hill and to the finish line with only gravity. Saturday events will also include a car show, a carnival, trebuchets, and the annual Undie Run. MysterE-Days will conclude with a concert featuring AWOLNATION, with Air Dubai as the opener. Gilsdorf said of the concert, people are really excited about AWOLNATION and Air Dubai is also pretty awesome. MAC and Gilsdorf encouraged students to enjoy MysterE-Days responsibly, and with this in mind, there will be an alcohol awareness event prior to MysterE-Day, and a piece of free swag will be given for attending. Speaking on safety, Gilsdorf said, Be sure to go to alcohol awareness, be safe, dont drive drunk, always have a sober

GOTW, Steven Kuhlmeier, choose to become a Civil and Environmental engineer to improve the lives of his stuffed animals he had as a young man.

person around... We just ask everyone uses common sense and good judgment.
COURTESY THE AGENCY GROUP LTD

April 4-6, MysterE-Days will be A really unique weekend where the Orediggers let loose and have fun, according to E-Days publicity chair Karen Gilsdorf. The event features T.J. Miller as the comedian Thursday night and AWOLNATION as the headliner of Saturdays concert. MAC is particularly excited about this years theme. Gilsdorf explained MysterE-Days sounded like a fun one where you could do a lot with it, and it was fun for the reveal. She hoped the theme will be one that everyone enjoys. Gilsdorf also said, The shirts are so awesome were worried about running out. MysterE-Days events will begin Thursday, April 4 with a comedy show featuring Nick Vatterott and T.J. Miller. Vatterott was named as a break-out at the New Faces showcase at Montreals 2010 Just for Laughs Comedy Festival by The Hollywood Reporter. Miller is a Denver native, with film credits including Cloverfield, Shes Out of My League, and Get Him to the Greek. He was named one of Varietys 10 Comics to Watch and one of Entertainment Weeklys 12 Rising Stars of Comedy. Gilsdorf said of the event, The comedian should be hilarious. After the comedians, the Residence Hall Association will host the annual Casino Night, featuring a chance to redeem free chips for prizes. During

SAIL

AWOLNATION is set to headline Saturday nights concluding concert for MysterE-Days.

COURTESY WHAT JUICE WORE WHAT JUICE LOVES

Air-Dubai will open for AWOLNATION at Saturdays concert.

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CSM Slackers spring break in Moab Vegan banana bread, a healthy sweet treat
Eric Hake Staff Writer
Two weeks ago, the CSM Slackline Club along with other Mines students spent their spring break in Moab, Utah. While the treeless landscape of Moab might seem like an unlikely destination for a group of slackliners, Moab is a well-known destination among the slacklining community. About half an hour outside the city of Moab along meandering dirt roads lies one of the best kept slacklining locations in the world, a location famously known as the Fruit Bowl. Despite the seemingly nonchalant name, the Fruit Bowl is hardly a walk in the park. The Fruit Bowl is the one of the many beginnings to the canyons of Moab. It begins with sheer sandstone walls no more than 15 feet across and empties into the rest of the canyon at a distance of about 300 feet across. Over this cliff edge, CSMs own slackers set up their slacklines at distances exceeding 350 feet above the canyon floor. In this situation, the slackline set up is a little differently than usual. To ensure the equipment will not fail, slackliners make sure that everything has a backup. They use bolts previously drilled into the rock as anchor points. Often as many as four bolts are used for anchors though only one bolt is sufficient. Two lines are used, with one taped to the bottom of the other as a backup line. The backup line has minimal tension. Slackliners wear a harness with a leash attached to a steel ring that slides along the slack line. Marcus Nelson a CSM Junior and a Gibbon sponsored athlete described the trip. We left Saturday morning, Vinny Delaney, Alex Bray and I. We trained for a day at Terrys (Terence ONeill is another gibbon athlete) house. He has got some really good long lines and cables and chains to walk on so that was really good. And then we went to Moab that night and woke up early morning to rig the cherry (a 22 foot line over the canyon), a trainer line that was just over the dirt like for slackers to train who didnt want to high line and then we drove back to Moab to pick up the rest of the crew and came back to rig the Chiquita line (a 45 foot line over the canyon). When asked how many people from Mines attended the trip Nelson said, The whole Mines crew including the climbers, hikers, and backpackers there was probably 40 people. Not everyone came to slackline. There were a lot people from Mines that were just camping out in the area that werent high lining, they were rock climbing, hiking, and stuff like that. They would go out to Arches for a day or go out to cannon lands for a day, but everyone camped out at the fruit bowl, so that was pretty cool, Nelson said. Rowland Chen, a CSM freshman described the week as eventful not only for the students at the Fruit Bowl, but also for the slacklining community. A lot of people tried highlining for the first time, he said. Even if they did not actually know how to slackline, many people rolled in, traversing the highline via a roller attached from the line to the harness. Seven CSM students walked their first highlines and many more broke personal records for highline distance walked including a 194-foot highline known as Big Melons. The highlight of the trip was when Mickey Wilson, pro slackliner, former CSM student, and founder of the CSM Slackers became the second person ever to land the Luke Skywalker. This trick involves hurtling oneself off the highline and then using the leash to rotate in full circle around the highline before landing back on the highline. Nelson said in conclusion, You know, it was a lot of fun. We had a big group of people, big fires and stuff. Moab, Utah is the place to be, plenty of strong bolts and sheer rock faces. I cant wait to do it again next year.
ALL PHOTOS ERIC HAKE / OREDIGGER

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Whitney Welch Staff Writer

Banana bread makes a great, sweet treat. This bread is moist and rich, but it is also healthy. This recipe is dairy free, egg free, whole wheat, and has no added sugar. Be sure to give it a try. Ingredients (Makes one loaf): 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup white flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup Truvia sugarless sweet ener* 2/3 cup rice milk (or another non-dairy milk) 2 large ripe bananas, mashed 2 cups vegan chocolate chips* Note: *Truvia and vegan choc-

olate chips can be found in the baking aisle at your local grocery store. Directions 1. Preheat oven to 325 F and grease a 4x7 loaf pan. 2. Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl: flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. 3. In a separate bowl mix together wet ingredients: vegetable oil, Truvia, and ricemilk. 4. Beat wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes or until well mixed. 5. Gently add in mashed bananas. 6. Fold in chocolate chips. 7. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 35 minutes or until the center is thoroughly cooked. Enjoy.
WHITNEY WELCH / OREDIGGER

Dairy and egg free banana bread is a rich and sweet treat.

Colorado History: insurance fraud

Deborah Good Editor-in-Chief
newspaper man, hearing of him, went to investigate and the whole conspiracy was brought out. The scheme began no later than May, 1914, though The Colorado Transcript speculated it might have begun before the Turleys even came to Golden. Davidson said, The whole deal was crooked... Turley and I were friendly. He came to me and said he was hard up and needed money. Turley told me of insurance policies amounting to $19,000. The two men discussed a number of plans before settling on the one they executed, from which Davidson was to gain $2500. Davidson was in fact the Jefferson County coroner and was thus able to easily acquire a cadaver to stand in for Turley at the funeral. Up until this point, the men had executed their plan masterfully. However, after Turleys alleged death, he foolishly allowed himself to be seen in Denver between the second and third of September. Therefore, the insurance company discovered the conspiracy and Davidson confessed it to them at that time. The company agreed to ignore the incident so long as the claims were dropped. According to The Colorado Transcript, This was done, but Turleys visibility in Kansas interested the press and from there the police ended the great Golden insurance conspiracy of 1914-1915.

Marcus Nelson, of the CSM Slackers, traverses across one of the many monumental arches of Arches National Park over Spring Break 2013 in Moab Utah.

Mickey Wilson, also of the CSM Slackers, crosses an iconic span in Arches National Park.

According to The Colorado Transcript, in April, 1914, Val Turley moved to Golden along with his wife. On September 1 of that year, Turley died of heart disease a mere ten miles inside the Jefferson County line, in Golden citizen and former city council president J. Lofton Davidsons car. Davidson reported the death to Dr. Pate and had a death certificate made. He then placed a call to Golden, asking that Mrs. Turley be notified of Turleys death. Turley was cremated on September 3. All seemed normal, if a bit tragic. However, when Turley was located in Kansas, still alive, the case took a sinister turn. Two days later, Davidson confessed to insurance fraud and three days after that Mr. and Mrs. Turley were arrested in Kansas. Henry Duffenbaugh and Mines alumnus Harper Orahood were also arrested as co-conspirators. Turley, at the time of his death held a $19,000 insurance policy. As the company holding it felt the circumstances of his death were suspicious, they launched an investigation. Davidson apparently confessed to insurance investigators some time before the fraud was publically discovered. Unluckily for the conspirators, Turley went to a small town in Kansas where he was known. A Denver

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Club spotlight: InterVarsitys spring break tradition

Katerina Gonzales Content Manager
After a tedious first half to the semester, spring break is always a welcome time to catch up on rest, go on a trip with friends, take a stab at homework, or even serve others. Nineteen Mines InterVarsity Christian Fellowship students spent the first half of their Spring Break reaching out to the Denver community. The InterVarsity chapter has made its Spring Break Trip an urban missions trip into the heart of Denver, a memorable tradition for seven years. I love the Spring Break trip that IV puts on because I think it inspires college students to volunteer, said Krista Pekarek, student and intern for InterVarsity at Mines. It helps them to realize that they dont have to wait until they graduate to do awesome things to help the community. Throughout the four days of the trip, the students planned to volunteer with Hospice of St. John, Extreme Community Makeover, Food Bank of the Rockies, and the Ronald McDonald House. The InterVarsity volunteers arrived in Denver on Friday, and soon they were informed that they would not work at Hospice of St. John on Saturday due to snow. The students then thought of ways to serve the needs in the community. You dont have to go somewhere else to help. We shoveled the sidewalks and driveways of people in the neighborhood of where we were staying, said Pekarek. They also baked cookies and handed them out to the homes where they shoveled. In recalling the most impactful moments of the trip, sophomore Andrew Towe said, I remember when I took cookies up to this door; a mid-fifties gentleman answered the door. I explained to him what we were doing and gave him the plate of cookies I had with me. His only response was asking if he could pay us. When I politely refused, he looked at me, said Thanks, and shook my hand. He was genuinely grateful for what we had done. The students spent Sunday with Extreme Community Makeover (ECM) going door-to-door taking surveys on ECMs past work. ECM works with volunteer groups that serve at-risk communities in Denver by doing yard work, removing graffiti tags, and more. InterVarsity split their time Monday and Tuesday between cooking and serving breakfast at Ronald McDonald House and assembling supplementary boxes for Food Bank of the Rockies. The boxes help families and the elderly who are below the poverty line and are filled with supplementary items to a familys meals. The students built and packed up the boxes of food, forming an assembly line going at a rate of 33 boxes per person for two and a half hours. The most satisfying part of the whole trip was finishing 800 food boxes at the food bank, knowing that we were not only helping families but that also we doubled the output of the food bank for the week, said Pekarek. Towe continued, I remember thinking that I was tired during the whole experience, but I still wanted to work, partly because of the funny banter that was going on between those on my end of the line and also because it felt right to be working with my hands for the work of the kingdom. Although the four days of the trip were intense and tiring at times, not all of the trip was spent working or learning. The students still managed to find time to have fun together. The trip was exhausting but it was a lot of fun, said Pekarek. You get a lot closer to the people youre working with, and you learn a lot about them in that short time.

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Added Towe, I remember having many deep conversations, some that took a comedic and slapstick tangent that will stay with me for a while. I look forward to next year and serving again.

ALL PICTURES KATERINA GONZALES / OREDIGGER

Continue YouR Climb

InterVarsity club members help the Denver community through the Food Bank of the Rockies volunteer trip.

Youve established strong roots

Join us for dinner as the alumni community celebrates your accomplishments and welcomes you to your lifelong family.
Friday, April 26, 2013
6:00 p.m. cocktails; 7:00 p.m. dinner

Student Recreation Center

lockridge arena, 16th & Maple streets golden, Co business or Cocktail attire requested. this event is free for graduating students to attend and $45 for each guest.

InterVarsity club members shoveled snow and baked cookies for a local neighborhood during Saturdays storm.

Please RSVP online by April 12, 2013

visit minesalumni.com/celebrate_graduates

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President
Samuel Scoop Cooper Noah Langford Alyssa Brown

Vice President
Kaitlin Hedberg

Hometown: Oak Ridge, TX Current Class: Junior Department: Engineering Physics Campus Activities: - USG Junior Class President - Weaver Towers Resident Assistant - Mines Club Rugby - Leadership Summit Planning Committee Why are you running for this position? I am running for student body president president because it will allow my to combine my diverse leadership within the School of Mines. My experience as the Junior Class president has familiarized me with USG, and prepared me for the transition to student body president. My knowledge of the School as an RA and various planning committees will allow me to be an efficient leader and representative of the student body. My previous positions on campus include: - Social Chair for the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers. - Junior Class president - Resident Assistant - Future Peer Mentor What makes you a standout person for this job? I am a unique candidate for this job because I represent and associate with diverse groups in the campus community. As an RA I understand the point of view of the freshman class, as well as the student life departments of residence life. Ive interacted with different groups of students like the ORC, Multicultural Engineering Program, and Slackline Club. I also currently have good relationships with administrators and faculty of Mines through my councils various campus intiatives. What would you like to see USG accomplish in the upcoming year? In the upcoming year I would like to see USG tackle the big issues that the students are truly concerned about. The student body, through USG should have a close deciding relationship with Administration so that the changes on campus benefit students in the best way. I understand that retention of the incoming students is a problem, as well as the diminishing parking, and I believe that by USG continuing its current vision we can engage these changes. If you were a superhero, which superhero would you be? Why? If I were a superhero, I would be Hiro Nakamura from the show Heros. His attitude and power, the control over the space time continuum, allow him to be the most helpful to the most people. I would use time travel and instantaneous transport to get an infinite amount of good accomplished so that I could enjoy the beautiful outdoors of Colorado! Yatta!

Hometown: Divide, CO Current Class: Sophomore Department: Mechanical Engineering Campus Activities: - Sigma Nu - Interfraternity Council - Board of Student Organizations - Rocket Club Why are you running for this position?: Mines can be a stressful place at times, and the least of any students worries should be that the school itself is restricting their ability to be a student. USGs job is to find issues in this vein and eliminate or reduce the scholarly roadblock it presents. Personally, I feel that there is an additional problem found in the disconnect between having a stress free environment and applying significant academic burdens. The solution can be found in a mix of easy access to classes and academic resources (Maple plaza and parking ring any bells?) and staying involved by having a non-academic stress release in the form of on campus organizations. My previous positions on campus include: - Freshman Class President - Treasurer - Sigma Nu - BSO President - Rocket Club Founder - Interfraternity Council President What makes you a standout person for this job? As a student leader from the time I stepped onto campus through the present, Ive led a lot of meetings and set a lot of direction for clubs and councils. Ive gained a lot of valuable insight into student/administration relations including organization related polices and more individual student perceptions and impressions. Many students on this campus have expressed some confusion or lack of knowledge about USG and BSO as well as IFC. What would you like to see USG accomplish in the upcoming year? USG oversees the Student Activity Fee, the source of funds for everything from MAC to student organizations to USG itself. I would like to streamline and simplify our allocations process by working closely with the treasurer and budget council to move to a structured system in which various groups such as BSO, MAC, and various other student governing bodies to make simple group requests that leave the USG council and budget committee free to make directional decisions about where the campus should go with its money rather than which events can we fund. I would of course also continue current efforts to voice the everpresent parking problem in a meaningful way as well as the grade response time reduction conversations currently underway with faculty and administration. If you were a superhero, which superhero would you be? Why? Did anyone else watch Sky High, that movie about the superhero high school? No, just me? Well, I would be the technopath from that movie.

Hometown: Woodland Park, CO Current Class: Sophomore Department: Mining Engineering Campus Activities: - Society for Mining - Metallurgy, and Exploration - Student Ambassador Why are you running for this position? I am running for this position because I would like to see USG not only change in structure to include the various groups of students, but also to see USG aid the average student in their endless endeavor to enjoy their time spent at Mines. USG should not only serve each and every student, but should be made up of a variety of involved students ranging from small clubs to Greek life. My previous positions on campus include: -RHA Secretary Freshman Year -USG Freshman Rep Freshman Year -USG At-Large to Faculty Sophomore Year What makes you a standout person for this job? I feel I am a qualified person for this position because not only do I genuinely care about what USG accomplishes, but I am also driven to make USG a much more effective and efficient governing body for the students who need a voice in the various changes and decision this campus will be facing in the coming years. Furthermore, I have been in USG since my freshman year and therefore know how to enact some form of change that will better help the average student. What would you like to see USG accomplish in the upcoming year? More than anything, Id like to see USG accomplish two main things: The first would be to come up with a better method of taking students concerns to the correct parties. Whats Your Beef is a great stepping stone, but a more efficient process could be developed. The second thing would be to restructure USG to include voting positions for the various parts of campus directly influenced by the decisions made by the school such as Greek Life, IM/ Club/Varsity Sports, International Student Council, etc. If you were a superhero, which superhero would you be? Why? I maintain that a superhero is some form of creature with super powers that help others. That being said, Id totally be Cosmo or Wanda from the Fairly OddParents. They fly, they have cool wands, they have brightly colored hair and most of all, who wouldnt want their own Flipsie. Hometown: Boulder, CO Current Class: Junior Department: Electrical Engineering Campus Activities: - Undergraduate Student Government - Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers - Rocket Club - Womens Rugby Why are you running for this position? This past semester I have been the AtLarge Community Member on USG and I have really enjoyed trying to help improve relations between Mines and Golden. I have also enjoyed representing the undergraduate students in their visions of what they want the school to be. I feel that being the Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Government would provide me a better opportunity to serve the campus. My previous positions on campus include: - Junior Class representative - Fall 2012 - At-Large Community Member on USG. What makes you a standout person for this job? I feel that I am an easily approachable person that has the ability to lead our USG and assist the president in anything that they need. I also have a passion for trying to improve the Mines experience for the current and future students and this will help me in making the best decisions for our campus. What would you like to see USG accomplish in the upcoming year? I would like to see USG get more people involved in campus activities and issues. I want to help inform the students of issues that are going to affect their futures such as possible fee increases, construction, parking and regulations. If you were a superhero, which superhero would you be? Why? I think I would be Iron man because he doesnt have any powers other than being really, ridiculously smart and he uses that to create new ideas and inventions. I also think he has some pretty sweet cars.

Dont forget to

Polls opens on Monday, April 1 on Trailhead. Your vote matters!

ote!

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Board of Trustees
Kylie Herzik Carissa Homme Chris Pacher Sydney Rodgers

Hometown: Houston, TX Current Class: Senior Department: Applied mathematics and statistics this year; will be a graduate student in economics and business next year Campus Activities: - Board of Student Organizations - Order of Omega - Pi Beta Phi - Math Club - Relay for Life Why are you running for this position? I want to continue to stay involved when I start graduate school. I also think this position provides a unique opportunity to interface with a completely different part of the school in the Board of Trustees rather than just with students or faculty. The viewpoint they have is so unique and they have such a different way of looking at Mines future than we do. Detail any other offices or positions that you have held on campus. I am currently finishing out this academic year as the Tier Structure Director for the Board of Student Organizations and Secretary for Order of Omega. In 2011 I was VP of Finance for Pi Beta Phi, and in the 2011-2012 academic year I was Secretary for Math Club. What makes you a standout person for this job? I have plenty of leadership experience in different clubs interacting with diverse groups of students, and in these leadership roles I have both accomplished good things and made mistakes. I have learned a lot during my four years at Mines and would like to bring my skills to a new arena, including making Community Days and Legislative Days a success. What would you like to see USG accomplish in the upcoming year? I would love for students to want to participate in USG, since lately Ive been hearing a lot of, Oh, Ive never voted in a USG election Positive steps have definitely been made this year with class representatives reaching out to their constituents, but I think theres still ground to be covered. USG cannot represent the students if they will not connect back with USG, and I think inspiring this is important. If you were a superhero, which superhero would you be? Why? Elastigirl from The Incredibles. Im not sure she counts, but shes really awesome at protecting the people she cares about. And shes so stretchy. I could do some really cool stuff being stretchy like reach the top shelves.

Hometown:Monument, CO Current Class:Graduate Student Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering Campus Activities: - Advisor to the Student Committee of Civil and Environmental Engineering - Environmental Learning for the Future Volunteer Educator

Hometown: Littleton, CO Current Class: Junior Department: Geophysics Campus Activities: - Sigma Alpha Epsilon - Intervarsity Christian Fellowship - Undergraduate Student Government - Member of SSG (Society of Student Geophysicists) - SEG (Society of Exploration Geophysicists) Why are you running for this position? I am running for the Student Board of Trustees position because I would like to know what the long term goals and aspirations of CSM are for the future, and I would like play a part in the decisions that impact it. This institution is well recognized within industry, so understanding the direction that CSM is taking is very important. I would love to be a part of the process that determines these decisions. Detail any other offices or positions that you have held on campus. This past year I was on USG as one of the junior class officers. For two years now I have been associated with Intervarsity as a bible study leader. I have also been on the executive council of SAE for two years holding the positions of scholarship chairman, pledge educator, chaplain, social chairman, and have been an IFC representative. I also received a scholarship to attend the John O. Moseley Leadership School last summer. What makes you a standout person for this job? I have an extensive background in leadership and involvement since being at CSM, which is essential to holding an executive role in student government. I am also able to present myself professionally and communicate clearly, a quality important when presenting myself amongst the trustees and administration. What would you like to see USG accomplish in the upcoming year? A parking resolution is in the works right now. However, if the resolution does not pass this year, it needs to pass next year. Also, the RTD Light Rail system is extending their services to Golden. However, the last train leaves relatively early on the weekends. Therefore, I would like to try and extend their services to a later time, if possible. If you were a superhero, which superhero would you be? Why? If I was a superhero, I would definitely want to be Captain America. He is the only superhero who is super human as well as super patriotic. He fights crime and defends our freedom all while wearing Americas home colors: the red, the white, and the blue.

Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO Current Class: Sophomore Department: Chemical Engineering Campus Activities: - UGS: Sophomore Class President - Residence Hall Association: President - Mines Ballroom Dance Club: Advertising Coordinator - Desk Assistant - E-Days Committee: Casino Night Chair - National Society of Leadership and Success Why are you running for this position? The position is partially a planning position, since the Board of Trustees plans Legislative Days and Community Days and my experience in planning E-days and various programs and events for RHA. I enjoy providing services and events to the students. The other part of this position requires being able to represent the students in various committees on campus. I love being a resource for students and having the ability to represent them. Detail any other offices or positions that you have held on campus. - Sophomore Class President - RHA President - Mines Ballroom Dance Advertising Coordinator: - E-Days Casino Night Chair What makes you a standout person for this job? I have found a home in USG and I am driven to improving the life of students on campus. If elected, I will be working on a student discount card for students for local Golden businesses (ex: Free Drink with Meal and Golden City Chinese, etc.). I have made it a goal to focus my time on the issues students have with the school and fix them to provide a better campus environment. What would you like to see USG accomplish in the upcoming year? I would like to see USG provide more services for the students, like the discount card. I would also like to see USG to become more social in the sense of having the members go bowling, mini-golfing, etc., after meetings or during the week to be seen as a less exclusive club. Then, we can better hear the ideas and problems with students in a more casual atmosphere. If you were a superhero, which superhero would you be? Why? I would be Superman. I would use superhuman hearing to listen to the issues and desires of the students. His X-ray vision is similar to my ability to completely see through a problem and be able to fix the issue. My superhuman speed would allow me to get more things done for the student body. My goal to improve the life of the students on campus reflects Supermans pursuit of justice for a better tomorrow.

Why are you running for this position? I believe I am an excellent fit. This representative is relied on to be a voice for the students. I am conscious of the accomplishments made and challenges faced during both graduate and undergraduate education at an institution as demanding as CSM. The position also requires the execution of specific events. I have relevant event experience and genuinely enjoy working outside the classroom/lab in order to improve students experiences at CSM. Detail any other offices or positions that you have held on campus. I served as Vice President and President of my departments student committee and currently advise the current officers. Many of my past responsibilities are similar to those required by this position. What makes you a standout person for this job? Im a people person. Thoughtful communication is a delight to me. I enjoy learning from others and professionally sharing my own thoughts when appropriate. I honor obligations, dress appropriately, show up on time, and respect authority figures. I have spent over 3 years at CSM and am familiar with its current goals, events, community, and flaws. I believe this constellation of qualities will make me an effective student representative to the Board of Trustees. What would you like to see USG accomplish in the upcoming year? Provide the best support possible for CSM students at academic, financial, and social levels. The primary responsibility of USG should be serving the students and bettering the institution that they have chosen for higher education. If you were a superhero, which superhero would you be? Why? Irena Sendler. This amazing woman and her companions smuggled ~2500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto during WWII. She survived Nazi torture and lived until 2008. I marvel at her courage, selflessness, and resilience in the face of cruelty. What brilliant things could we all do if we possessed a mere fraction of Irenas qualities?

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page 10

Track pads, meet your demise An oral history of

Chase Tyree Staff Writer
If the Digger Den is any indication, there are a lot of gamers at Mines. PC gamers make up a large demographic, and all of them know that a good mouse is essential for competitive games like Counter Strike and Team Fortress 2, among others. Razer understands this and designs specialized gaming mice just for these kinds of gamers. This week, gear review looks at one of their newest mice, the Ouroboros. The mouses slogan is Hold infinity in the palm of your hand. Infinity is a good fit for the Ouroboros. It is an ambidextrous mouse with a customizable arched palm rest and back so that it can fit into any hand and support any game style. The mouse has an infinite number of possibilities when it comes to coded game play and changeable parts. The Ouroboros took three years to develop and was inspired by high-end automobiles like the Lamborghini Reventon and even the Batmobile. The mouse even For charging, the mouse has looks like a mini Batmobile. The two modes, wireless and wired. customized sides were created While in wired mode, it will charge for the three types of mouse grip an included AA battery. In wiretypes, palm, claw, and fingertip. less mode, the Ouroboros will go The back tilt and changeable for 12 hours between charges. sides allow anyone to use the A final feature is for the precimouse since palm players prefer sion players out there. The DPI to use a larger mouse while fin- clutch located on the side of the gertip players like to use a smaller mouse will reduce the mouses mouse. resolution, COURTESY RAZERZONE.COM A s making far as its the mouse sensor less seng o e s , sitive and the Ouallowing roboros the player has a to get a 8200 dpi perfect 4G dual headshot. sensor U n f o rwith a t u n a t e l y, laser and this amazan optiing mouse cal sen- A good mouse is essential for gamers. is still in its sor. It can pre-order calibrate to any surface, so this stage, with limited beta stock bemouse will match the speed of ing tested, but it will be out soon. any play style. The mouse has a Those interested can keep up one millisecond response time to with its release on Razers webinputs, allowing the user to turn site. http://www.razerzone.com/ on opponents with ease. store/razer-ouroboros

f e a t u r e s

march 25, 2013

the zombie war

Chase Tyree Staff Writer

New Bioshock to release soon

Chase Tyree Staff Writer
This week in gaming, one of the top sellers on Steam is Bioshock: Infinite, making the mark even before its March 26, 2013 release date. In honor of the release Bioshock: Infinite, it seems only fitting to look back at the two previous games in the Bioshock series, Bioshock and Bioshock 2. The original Bioshock is a survival horror first-person shooter released for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC and is one of the most unique games of the last decade. The game is set in the underwater city of Rapture in the year 1960. In the game, character Andrew Ryan created Rapture as a haven for artists, doctors, and anyone who wanted to be free from the tyranny of the world. In Rapture, there are no limitations to science, art, and music. People are free to do what they want. Then came the discovery of ADAM, a strange material that gave people superhuman powers. People changed their bodies to shoot flames from their hands or send bees after others. This led to the downfall of Rapture, which is not populated by people craving ADAM who will do anything to get it. These splicers, as they are known, are the main enemy that the hero faces. Now enter Jack. He was a simple man on an airplane flight over the Atlantic when his plane crash-landed coincidentally right at the entrance to Rapture. After entering the underwater city, Jack finds himself in the middle of a battle and is saved by Atlas, who decides to help him escape. From there, Jack gains ADAM powers and must fight the splicers for his own life. Along the way, Jack meets the Big Daddy, who protects his Little Sister as she collects ADAM from the dead splicers. If you dare touch the Little Sister, prepare for a large fight with a Big Daddy. The sequel, Bioshock 2 according to a 2K-entertainment developer is part of a prequel and at the same time is a sequel. Agreeing with that, Bioshock 2 opens in 1958, two years before the first game. After numerous events, Subject Delta, the main protagonist and one of the first Big Daddies, is frozen for 10 years and wakes up in 1968, eight years after Jack visited Rapture. Subject Delta then goes on a search to find the Little Sister that he was paired with 10 years ago because that is what he was brainwashed to do. The main villain, Sophia Lamb, sends splicers and the new Big Sisters to kill him before he can find his Sister, Eleanor. Both of these installments for the Bioshock series are fantastic. The first game received 10/10 ratings and scores in the 90 percent range, winning Game of the Year by Game Informer and X-Play. Bioshock 2 scored a little lower, receiving mostly 8/10 and 9/10 ratings. This author agrees, giving the series a 9.5/10 and definitely recommending Bioshock over Bioshock 2. Be sure to pick up Bioshock: Infinite this week as it looks fantastic. All that is left to ask is, Would you kindly play some Bioshock?
COURTESY 2K GAMES

The sequel, Bioshock 2 according to a 2K-entertainment developer is part of a prequel and at the same time is a sequel. COURTESY 2K GAMES

The first game received 10/10 ratings and scores in the 90 percent range, winning Game of the Year by Game Informer and X-Play.

It goes by many names: The Crisis, The Dark Years, The Walking Plague, as well as newer and more hip Titles such as World War Z or Z War One. I personally dislike this last moniker as it implies an inevitable Z War Two. For me, it will always be The Zombie War. Max Brooks, World War Z Many people are sure that the zombie apocalypse is going to happen, especially Max Brooks, author of the Zombie Survival Guide, who also wrote World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. In it, the narrator who works for the United Nation Postwar Commission (UNPC), submits the book as part of an even larger report detailing accounts and information about the war a decade after Z-Day was declared. Afterwards, the UNPC cuts out most of his stories from survivors along with the emotional crap to get only the cold hard factsnumbers and strategies for future generations. After arguing with his boss with the UNPC explaining how the human factor is the only true difference from us and them, Brooks boss goes on a tangent and yells at him saying Whos stopping you from keeping these stories alive in the pages of your own [expletive] book? World War Z is set up in a way that is different from most books. The book is separated into different sections, from Warnings and The Great Panic to Home Front U.S.A. and Good-Byes. In each section, there are stories from people who fought, ran, and survived the war. The stories are set up in an interview fashion, just like a newspaper, but to keep the focus on the interviewee, Brooks only puts in questions that the reader may also have, keeping his influence out of the tale. Some memorable interviews involve more normal people in their fight to survive. One involves a teenager, Saladin, whose family was not expelled from Kuwait City when Arafat sided with Saddam. After watching news reports of Israel offering shelter to COURTESY THREE RIVERS PRESS any Jew, foreigner of Israeli-born parents, and Palestinian family that once lived in Israel (which applied to Saladins family) from the new African Rabies, his family jumped on the opportunity and headed for Israel. The entire time Saladin expressed to his family that this was a Jew trap and that they would be killed if they went, and kept saying that, even to the moment that his family found themselves in a firefight. Wanting to join in the rebellion (or so he thought) he jumps into battle, but notices that there are Jews fighting other Jews and that people were being eaten. He then understood what World War Z is a great read for anywas happening. Another memo- one, even for those who do not like the rable story that hits idea of zombies.

closer to home involves a Japanese college student, who sits on his computer all day, browsing forums and playing internet games. Once the Great Panic started, he quickly used his internet skills to get as much information as he could about the new virus. But as quickly as he was getting info, the people who posted started leaving, dying, and being eaten alive. Eventually, after three weeks of staying in his apartment alone, the internet goes out. After the panic attack of losing his information and hearing moans and scratches at his door, he decides that he needs to leave. As he attempts to escape the apartment complex, he finds the weapon some dream of having in this situationa katana. The book is fantastic, but do not go see the new movie coming out expecting to avoid reading the book. While they do share the same title, the look and the plot are completely different. Instead of the interviews expressing the human factor of the war, the movie description goes like this: Brad Pitt stars as Gerry Lane, a worker at the United Nations, as he searches the globe for information that can stop the zombie outbreak that is bringing down nations. Who is Gerry Lane? The narrators name is never actually mentioned in the book, but to pick a strange name like that is strange. Second, in the trailer, it shows the zombies almost like a 28 Days Later movie, and even with that, it is like a wave of bodies compared to a more realistic horde of multiple people. Finally, the movies focus is on Gerry trying to stop the zombie infection, which is implying that it is happening during the Great Panic or the war. The book has the narrator interviewing the people 10 years after the war is over, and even then we do not know what he did during the war. World War Z is a great read for anyone, even for those who do not like the idea of zombies. It is sure to be a repeat read, as there are many details to catch on the second or third time through the book. Pick it up at any bookstore or online with Kindle or any tablet reading device.

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march 25, 2013

Baseball splits snow-shortened Athletic admins announce resignation series against Metro State
Katerina Gonzales Content Manager
Despite it being spring on the calendar, snow seems to just not want to go away, making playing baseball difficult in Golden. Forecasts of snow Saturday led to Sundays game being moved to a Friday doubleheader. There was no play on Saturday, as the snow had accumulated almost eight inches at Darden Field and temperatures barely reached 20 degrees. The Colorado School of Mines won the afternoon game against the Metro State Roadrunners 9-1, but lost the nightcap 3-1, on Friday at Darden Field in Golden. Christian Rooney held the opposing batters in check before the Mines bats warmed up. The freshman allowed one run on five hits in four innings and nearly went the five innings required to pick up the win. However, Blake Dunham relieved him to pick up the win as he shut out Metro for three and one third innings. Michael Tanner closed the game out, also not allowing any runs. Metros offense struck first in the second with one run, but Mines countered in the third as Zach Bothwell scored on a wild pitch. A series of a single, double, groundout, and another single led to two runs being scored in the fourth inning, giving Mines the lead for good. The Roadrunners defense fell apart in the fifth, and Mines took advantage of that, scoring one run on a hitby-pitch, one on a wild pitch, and another on a passed ball. Mines added two runs in the eighth inning to make it a 9-1 game. Both teams bats cooled down as the snow rolled in for the late game. Ben Gilman started for the Orediggers and kept the game within reach, scattering five hits and four walks, giving up three earned runs. Peter Herrin pitched a perfect seventh, but the Mines offense could not take advantage, as they ended the game two runs short of their first series victory. Mines scored their lone run in the second as catcher Jonathan Williams reached on an error, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Rey Chavarria, advanced to third on a passed ball, and finally scored on a single by Bobby Egeberg up the middle. The offense looked like it would get something going in the sixth, as Kyle Wallace walked and Nate Olinger singled, but a bunt foul out and a double play ended any hope for a rally. Both teams worked quickly to get the game in as the cold and wind crept in and the snow came down, evidenced by the fact that the second game took only 1:45 to play. The split brought the Orediggers record to 4-8, tied with Metro and Adams State for fifth place in the RMAC. Mines will travel down to warmer New Mexico next week to face 10-4 New Mexico Highlands in a four game series.
KATERINA GONZALES / OREDIGGER

s p o r t s

page 11

Katerina Gonzales Content Manager

Mines takes team title at Bob Writz Invitational

Courtesy CSM Athletics Mines battles Metro State in the second game amidst the snowy weather.

Mines fans, student athletes, and the community have all been affected by Tom Spicer and Brandon Leimbach, but opportunities for the athletics administrators has led to change in the Department of Athletics. Spicer, Colorado School of Mines Director of Athletics, announced Monday that he has resigned his position with CSM. Leimbach also announced that he has resigned as associate athletic director. Both Spicer and Leimbach have taken opportunities with other Division II athletic programs. Spicer will become Colorado Mesa Universitys new athletic director in Grand Junction, Colorado, while Leimbach will move back to his home state of California and take the athletic director role at Dominican University of California in San Rafael. It is my hope that the students, student-athletes, coaches, support staff, administrators, faculty and all those associated with Colorado School of Mines continue to enjoy success on all fronts, Spicer said. I feel privileged to have had this opportunity, and I want to wish them all the very best life has to offer.

Mines Athletics experienced great success under the leadership of Spicer over the last nine years, not only in winning, but also in the development of the Student Rec Center, the Clear Creek Project, and extensive renovations to the CSM sports fields. Spicers position is now held by former athletic director Marv Kay, who will serve in the interim role until the search for Spicers replacement concludes. Kay was Mines athletic director for nine years, and head football coach for 24 years. Leimbachs resignation is effective May 31. Leimbach echoed hope for continued success at Mines in his statement to the press saying, I have loved working at Mines and with our outstanding student athletes, but I am looking forward to moving my wife and kids closer to family and building a premiere NCAA Division II athletics program at Dominican University. I have had the privilege of working with great coaches, athletes, and donors and I believe Mines athletics will continue to be an outstanding RMAC program for years to come. Leimbach worked as associate director for the past five years, and at the end of May will conclude 11 years with CSM Athletics.

GRADUATE STUDIES

The best of both worlds

Enhance your technical undergraduate degree with a Master of Science in Engineering and Technology Management (ETM). A growing number of engineers and scientists have taken advantage of this unique graduate business education program. Join us for an Info Session & Reception to learn about the benefits of the ETM Program and to meet the ETM faculty and students. Wednesday, March 27th at 6:00 p.m. Student Center, Room 236 Refreshments will be served Please RSVP to kmartin@mines.edu

Engineering and Technology Management

Led by an even-par round by sophomore medalist Jordan Arndt, the No. 17 Colorado School of Mines golf team took top honors at the Bob Writz Invitational by eight strokes on Friday at Bear Creek Golf Club in Denver. The win was the third of the season by the Orediggers, who also captured team championships at the CMU Invitational (RMAC No. 1) and Ryan Palmer Invitational earlier this season.Fridays opening round will be the first and final round of the tournament after snowfall in the Denver Metro area caused Saturdays final two rounds to be cancelled. All five of Mines scoring golfers finished in the top-13 overall, including Arndt, who notched his first career victory with his 72 on the 7,609yard course. The win was Arndts fourth top-10 finish of the season. Freshman John Ahern and senior Chad Herges tied for fifth overall with matching 75s on Fri-

day to earn Ahern his second topfive finish of the year and Herges his fourth top-25 finish and first top-10 finish of the season. Junior Michael Lee finished tied for eighth with a score of 77, and much like the rest of the squad, saw his score rise during the back nine after battling bitter cold, gusting winds and snow flurries over the final holes. Kyle Grassel closed out the scoring golfers for Mines with a 79 to finish tied for 13th overall for his third top-15 finish of the season. Freshman Nick Berry, competing as an individual, finished his round tied for second after carding a 74. Senior Elliot Feng finished tied for 17th with a score of 80 and freshman Conrad Smith closed out Mines individual scores with an 86 to finish in 28th place. The Orediggers will next be in action on April 1-2 when the squad again serves as the host school, this time at the CSM/Regis Invitational at Fox Hollow Golf Course in Lakewood.
COURTESY CSM ATHLETICS

lable Fellowships Avai

Join us!
http://etm.mines.edu/
Division of Economics and Business Colorado School of Mines

The Orediggers will host the CSM/Regis Invitational on April 1st and 2nd at the Fox Hollow Golf Course.

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page 12

o p i n i o n

Minds at Mines Spring Break

Katerina Gonzales Content Manager
Spring Break is a welcome oasis in the middle of the semester. Some CSM students head to warmer lands, some head home, and most forget about homework. This week, Minds at Mines asked, What did you do over Spring Break? I went to Moab, Utah with some slackliners and high-lined in the middle of the desert over canyons. We all camped out and explored the desert. Jake Larson

Jarrod Sparks Staff Writer

Grinds my gears
You know what really grinds my gears? Easter. Now, I have no problem with celebrating and recognizing the resurrection of Jesus. It is the pivotal event in Christianity and it should be celebrated as such. I have a problem with the secular Easter. First, when did a bunny become a symbol of purity? Around Easter, every single stores display will have white bunnies or chocolate bunnies aplenty. Are we forgetting that these animals live in holes in the ground? I would expect a rabbit to be at about the same cleanliness level as a Geico caveman; hardly a pure, diseaseless creature. Furthermore, as children, we were all educated to believe that a white rabbit was the cunning varmint that would steal your cereal when you werent paying attention. We would then have to respond, Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids! as we took our cereal back. Not only are rabbits not clean, they are also addicted to cereal larceny. Also, I have an issue with the chicks that are also always represented with Easter. These creatures are even more disease-prone than rabbits. An amateur engineer with an opinion recently quoted, I estimate that over 50% of Asian Bird Flu and SARS contractions by humans occur as a direct result of handling Easter chicks. With credentials like that, you had better heed his opinion. Also, these animals may be cute when you first buy them around Easter, but they will inevitably grow. So instead of a cute little chick, many people will be stuck with a smelly, clucking chicken, who will make noise every morning once the first hint of sunlight is visible. I hardly expect that people would be as enthusiastic about buying chicks if they knew that they had bought an alarm clock that they could not turn off. The secularization of any religious holiday is virtually unavoidable in todays society. There is too much of a chance for economic gain to let

march 25, 2013

this holiday be sole property of the church. However, whoever secularized this holiday obviously did not think this through. The two mascots obviously do not fit the bill of the purity represented by this holiday. Yes, both chickens and rabbits reproduce like the plague, and reproduction is a symbol of springtime, but that is not necessarily something to be celebrated. When the world found out people like Snooki, Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, and Flavor Flav were reproducing, the first emotion that ran through everybodys mind was fear. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what grinds my gears.
Editorials Policy The Oredigger is a designated public forum. Editors have the authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval and may edit submitted pieces for length so long as the original meaning of the piece is unchanged. Opinions contained within the Opinion Section do not necessarily reflect those of Colorado School of Mines or The Oredigger. The Oredigger does not accept submissions without identification and will consider all requests for anonymity in publication on a case-by-case basis. Submissions less than 300 words will receive preference.

I went to Utah with a bunch of friends. We went to Canyonlands and Arches and my camera broke. Vanessa Ramos

Study Break
Across 1 Religion of which Hinayana and Shingon are types (8) 5 Norse god of thunder (4) 8 Additional (5) 9 Cattleman (7) 11 Fabled mirage (4,7) 12 Old French coin of low value (3) 13 Conwy seaside resort overlooked by the Great Orme (9) 15 Contagious skin disease (3) 16 Something unspecified (4,4,3) 19 Put up (7) 21 Paragon (5) 22 Without legal force (4) 23 Imperial (8) Down 1 Complaint (4) 2 Obedient (7) 3 School principal (4,7) 4 Bovine utterance (3) 6 Commotion (3-2) 7 Cistercian abbey ruin in Yorkshire (8) 9 Presidential retreat near Washington (4,5)

I just went up to other colleges and partied. Jayln Yates

10 Experienced (7-4) 12 Confrontation (4-4) 14 Luxurious (7)

17 Terrible (5) 18 Alliance of countries (4) 20 Hard furniture wood (3)

I went skiing near Aspen with my family. Jeffrey Young

I went downtown to play guitar with my pal Jared. We were seeing if we could make some money. Walking down the street playing guitar, I was approached by a homeless man. After talking and singing to him a little bit, we all became friends and played guitar/ sang/rapped in praise for a half hour. Elijah Thomas

ALL PHOTOS KATERINA GONZALES / OREDIGGER

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