Parking Rumors Raise Issues For Students Searching For A Spot

THE OREDIGGER
The student voice of the Colorado School of Mines

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Volume 93, Issue 12 December 3, 2012
BARBARA ANDERSON / OREDIGGER
News
Fighting continues across the Gaza Strip
Features 6
Astor House Museum is holiday ready
Downtown Golden embraces the holiday spirit with a festive sign and lights placed throughout the town.
Sports 10
Parking rumors raise issues for students searching for a spot

Aaron Pfiefer Staff Writer
Parking at the Colorado School of Mines has seemingly always been a big issue. Many rumors have been spreading about more parking lots going offline, increases in parking fees, changes to freshmen parking, and the ever popular question of a parking structure. Parking permits available to freshmen will be capped starting next year. While not finalized, it is currently expected that the cap will allow up to 200 freshmen students to receive parking permits. These will at first be given out on a need basis and then extra permits will go through a lottery process. Further, the students that live on campus will be required to park in the very back of the commuter lots, such as the Q and Ford lots. This requirement prevents having cars that rarely leave their parking spot from taking away close parking from commuting students. This is expected to relieve roughly 250 parking spaces in commuter lots. Mines Park residents starting next year will also no longer have the option to purchase parking passes. This comes with the new CallnRide system that will begin in April. This RTD system will pick up students from Mines Park and drop them off in the center of campus in front of Guggenheim, along the bus regular route. it also requires the fraternities to pay The parking permit rate is also for all maintenance of the spaces, expected to increase next year. The such as repaving and painting. parking permit price has not inWest Campus Road, the only creased for the last three years. As street owned by the school, will a result, there is a gap in the amount undergo some maintenance, inof money Facilities Management cluding repainting this summer. This needs to properly maintain the lots. will include the entire road from Elm It is expectStreet and ed that next Despite the loss of some parking 18th Street years parkto the C i n g r a t e s lots in the next year, the total lot and the will be $95 amount of parking spots on cam- parking lots, for a Mines except for Park Permit, pus is expected to increase over the sections $100 for a maintained Commuter the next two years. Additionally, by the fraPermit, ternities. $ 2 0 0 f o r fewer permits are expected to be Lot B is a General expected to Permit, and sold by limiting the number of go offline $325 for in mid-April E m p l o y e e passes available to freshmen and t o m a k e Reserved way for the restricting Mines Park Permits. construcThese rates tion of a would be an increase of $20, $45, new residence hall and cafeteria. $75, and $50 from last year, re- The loss of B lot is expected to lose spectively. roughly 115 spots. Additionally, the There is currently no discussion north half of the E lot will be closed on creating a Greek Parking Permit. for the construction of a Welcome There are currently two fraternities, Center. Ultimately this is expected Kappa Sigma and SAE, who main- to lose about 200 general spots. tain their own parking lots. These The construction of these buildings fraternities own the land that the is expected to be completed by parking lots are on and therefore re- Summer 2014. serve the right to manage their own As a result of the loss of the lots. This allows the fraternities to general lots, lot J, currently a comticket nonmembers that are parked muter lot located by the CTLM, will in their designated spots, however, become a general lot, which will relocate roughly 120 parking spots to general parking passes. The commuter spots will be made up through the addition of 100 spots behind the Ford lot and by paving the Jones Road parking area for another 100 or so spots. The increased number of students parking on the south side of 19th street may prompt the City of Golden to install a crosswalk or street lights at the intersection of 19th and Elm Street. Admissions are expected to grow between 2.2 and 4.2% annually. As a result, it is expected that by 2016, construction of a parking structure will become necessary to ensure enough parking for the students and faculty. Currently there is no money set aside for a parking building and no plans for its construction. The increasing cost of permits will initiate a savings for the parking structure. The building would also almost certainly be built on the outskirts of campus in a location such as Q lot or Ford lot. Despite the loss of some parking lots in the next year, the total amount of parking spots on campus is expected to increase over the next two years. Additionally, fewer permits are expected to be sold by limiting the number of passes available to freshmen and restricting Mines Park. Overall, there will be much more available parking on campus, just located in less desirable places.
Mines volleyball ends historic season
Opinion 11
A season of holiday shopping begins
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Josh Kleitsch, Staff Writer

Boulder, Colorado - New information from mineral samples in the Grand Canyon may indicate that popular estimates of its age are incorrect. Geologists at the University of Colorado in Boulder have been studying the concentrations of helium in calcium phosphates in the native rock of the canyon, which allows them to approximate how long the rocks have been there.
Geneva, Switzerland - Nile Crocodiles do not actually have scales on their heads, even though they have what appear to be scales. While the bodies of these creatures are covered with hard, angular plates of armor, the scales on the head are actually part of the crocodiles skin, and the cracks that makes them look like scales are just expansion cracks.
Atlanta, Georgia - Among the most recognized sleeping disorders in the United States is insomnia, which is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep as long as intended. Most insomniacs are treated with a drug that dampens neural activity. There are some people that have the opposite of insomnia, though, and this has been much more difficult to treat.
Princeton, New Jersey - Facial expressions are often considered the most precise indicator of emotion in a person, but new studies indicate that our reliance on the face to read emotion in another person is likely to lead us astray. Hillel Aviezer, neurophysicist at Jerusalem University, conducted a study of Princeton University students, which involved showing them pictures of a group of professional tennis players right after they had either won or lost a tennis match.
Oredigger Staff
Katie Huckfeldt Editor-in-Chief Deborah Good Managing Editor Steven Wooldridge Webmaster Barbara Anderson Design Editor Lucy Orsi Business Manager Ian Mertz Copy Editor Arnaud Filliat Asst. Copy Editor Trevor Crane Content Manager Stephen Hejducek Content Manager Katerina Gonzales Content Manager David Tauchen Faculty Advisor
Headlines from around the world

Josh Kleitsch, Staff Writer
President Mohamed Morsi of Egypt granted himself the power to make any decision he sees fit. The power cannot be revoked by any agency or judicial authority until a new constitution is ratified and a new parliamentary election is held. The decree caused riots and protests in Tahrir Square in the capital city of Cairo last week, and tens of thousands of Egyptians are rallying to call for the fall of the regime. The World Health Organization has announced that a fifth person has died of a coronavirus infection, similar in nature to the SARS virus. So far the origin of the virus is unknown and there may be human-to-human infection potential, according to recent tests. As of writing it is not known whether there is a serious potential for a widespread viral outbreak. Last week, the United Nations upgraded the nation of Palestine to non-member observer status, giving their cause global credibility. Israel has committed to build another 3000 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem, as well as pushing through permits for another 1000 in the near future. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has requested that Israel cease building settlements in Palestinian lands and resume peace talks. Israel has given no indication that it intends to do either. Talk of the so-called fiscal cliff continued, as president Barack Obama said that this season we will experience a Scrooge Christmas if tax cuts for working families and the middle-class are not renewed by years end. Economists are concerned that the tax raises set to take effect January 1 could send the U.S. back down into a recession if Congress and the White House do not reach a better deal soon. Finnish anti-piracy group Copyright Information and AntiPiracy Center (CIAPC) forced the father of a nine-year-old girl to pay 300 euros for attempting to access the torrent website The Pirate Bay, which she was unable to use. The report said that the girl searched for the site, but found that it was blocked and bought the album she wanted the next day from a legitimate source. The search for The Pirate Bay was traced to her ISP from her laptop, which tipped off the CIAPC. A couple from Missouri held one of two winning tickets to the Powerball lottery last week, winning the second-largest lottery payout in United States history at $587.5 million. The size of the jackpot prompted massive ticket sales, at one point nearly 130,000 a minute.
Local News
Black Forest Section 16 held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Saturday morning for a new toilet at a Trailhead. The modern version of the classic outhouse, as The Denver Post called it, opened in early November and has been appreciated by park users ever since. Jefferson County Sheriffs deputy killed a man, not identified at press time, outside of the King Soopers at Belleview Avenue and Kipling Street last Saturday. Deputies notice the man had a handgun in his back pocket and was talking to himself. When the man emerged from King Soopers, the Sheriffs spokesman report they asked him Hey can we talk to you? and that He responded by drawing a gun. The Sheriffs department reports they do not know who fired first. The Colorado Department of Transportation is reportedly considering automated avalanche control for Berthoud Pass. The automated system, similar to others in the U.S. and Europe would involve triggering frequent, but low intensity slides. The goal would be to reduce the amount of time U.S. 40 through Berthoud Pass is closed. Weld County DA, Ken Buck, has announced he will not drop marijuana cases before Amendment 64 takes effect. Boulder and Denver Counties have already ceased prosecution for low-level marijuana cases. The DAs spokesman says that of the 120 people facing marijuana charges, 90 would still face charges if their small possession charges were dropped.
E D U E
M B Z Y A P
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M Z Q Y O
M C P B
Q M C M T
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Continued from Page 2 Princeton, New Jersey-The students were split into three groups of 15 each, and were then showed pictures of the tennis players. The first group of students saw the head-to-toe pictures of the tennis players, the second just the bodies, and the third just the faces. Each student was instructed to rate the emotions in the players from 1 to 9, with 1 being negative and 9 being positive, and 5 neutral. The third group of students, who only saw the athletes faces, had trouble correctly identifying the emotion of the player, while the other two groups were correct nearly every time. While this does not mean that facial expressions are not useful in determining emotions, it does indicate that body language plays a significant role in determining the mental disposition of an individual. Boulder, Colorado - When rock is hot, it releases helium to the atmosphere. When the rock cools, it stops releasing helium. This gives a timeframe for when the rock was deposited on the surface of the Earth by comparing how much helium is currently present to how much helium is typically present in a newly formed rock. The geologists studying these rocks have now estimated that the Grand canyon is closer to 70 million years old, than 15 million years, which is
the popular belief. While this new of hypersomniacs creates a type method of measuring the age of of sedative that dulls their neuthe exposed rock is legitimate, it rotransmitters, causing daytime does not automatically discredit sleepiness. They are constantly previous research, and the age producing a compound that beof the Grand Canyon will likely be haves similarly to the active ingrehotly debated for some time to dient in drugs like Valium, which come. is a calming, sedative-like drug. Geneva, Switzerland - For a Having discovered this, Rye scale to be a scale, it has to be a decided to try using a drug that hard layer on top of the skin. Usu- counteracts Valium. The drug, ally scales fit together in a recog- Flumazenil, is typically adminisnizable pattern, oftentimes form- tered to people who have overing symmetric patterns on either dosed on Valium. Rye adminisside of the body. In the case of tered the drug to a test group of the crocodile, the scales on the those suffering from hypersomhead have no symmetry and no nia, and they immediately imclear pattern. Upon close exami- proved to near-normal levels of nation, the researchers involved alertness. The results have been in the study of crocodile scales positive and now Rye is pursuing determined that the thick skin on more funding to continue his rethe head of the crocodile forms search and make this treatment a hard, scale-like shapes through viable option for anyone with hysimple expansion cracking. As persomnia. COURTESY MATHKNIGHT the crocodile grows, the thick armored skin cracks and fissures, giving the appearance of scales. Atlanta, Georgia - The disorder, now known as hypersomnia, is a condition where people have a general sleepiness throughout the day and caffeine does little or nothing to affect their ability to stay awake and alert. Even after 10 hours of sound sleep they can take a nap after drinking a cup of coffee. A new study conducted by neurologist DaThe scales on the head have vid Rye at Emory University in Atlanta suggests that the brain no symmetry or clear pattern.
Peace in Gaza not likely to come anytime soon

Josh Kleitsch Staff Writer
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in Gaza said that she dreamed of peace forever and a better life, and hoped to stop this war. Her parThe eight days of fighting in ents were less optimistic, realizing Gaza in October marks the latest that centuries of political, ideologievent in a long history of violence cal, and religious tension do not and tension between Israel and evaporate because of a ceasefire. Following the ceasefire, Israel the Hamas-controlled territory of the Gaza strip. The region has not has locked down its borders to seen peace in decades, and while prevent Gaza militants from obtainthere is currently a ceasefire being more rockets and war materitween the two nations, every day als. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels is a reminder that peace is not Prime Minister, is concerned that assured, and any day could mark any move to open the borders another volley of rockets, another again would reawaken the conflict neighborhood bombed, and more and cause further bloodshed. Part of the underlying tension lives lost. Palestinian militants in Gaza be- between Israel and Gaza lies in gan firing large numbers of rock- the fact that Hamas controls the ets into southern Israel toward the province. Hamas, a militant orgaend of October, killing four Israeli nization, has been branded a tercivilians and one soldier. Israels rorist organization by Israel, the response to the attack was the United States, and the European largest offensive in over four years, Union due to its failure to renounce with an estimated 158 Palestinians violence as a legitimate means to killed, some military and many ci- achieve its political ends. In addivilians. Much of the Western world tion to being ideologically opposed has showed its support of Israel to much of Western and Israeli defending itself, with those not beliefs, Hamas also refuses to acknowledge the supporting the miliHamas, a militant organiza- legitimacy of Israel as a natary action condemn- tion, has been branded a ter- tion and government. ing PalesIn additines at- rorist organization by Israel, tion to ideotack. the United States, and the logical differSince H a m a s European Union due to its fail- ences between the two states, took over was c o n t r o l ure to renounce violence as a Hamas founded with of Gaza in 2007, legitimate means to achieve its the intention to destroy Israel there has political ends. as a nation. been perWhile the modp e t u a l fighting of some kind near the bor- ern organization has down played der of Israel, with regular threats that goal, it still functions as a considerable attraction to many terrorfrom both sides of the fence. With the ceasefire in place, ists with similar goals. Hamas has many are wondering how long it made little effort to eradicate the will last and what, if anything, will destruction of Israel from its charcome of the truce. Most involved ter, and in the process has lost a in the situation do not expect the great deal of credibility in the eyes ceasefire to last long at all, and are of the rest of the world. Any acquestioning whether it will make tion by Hamas that directly targets any real difference. One man in a of indirectly endangers civilians is Gaza hospital was quoted as say- seen as an act of terrorism. Israels withdrawal from Gaza ing that the Jewish people do not want a ceasefire and it wont work in 2005 encouraged Hamas to rewith them at all. There wont be a double their efforts against Israel, huge difference, with or without a because they had control of a border nation. They saw it as a major truce. Many older families in Gaza and victory in their fight against Israel. southern Israel are concerned that It remains to be seen if sustainable their children will not have a real fu- peace will come to the region and ture ahead of them. A young child what form that peace might take.
COURTESY NASA
The Gaza strip region has not seen peace in decades. w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t
Thanksgiving Morsis actions remind of Day Nightmare a Mubarak regime claims two lives
Josh Kleitsch Staff Writer
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140 vehicle pileup in Texas

Josh Klietsch Staff Writer
which continued until it slowed traffic enough that people were able to stop before hitting the At 8:45 am Central time on cars in front of them. some were November 22, Interstate 10 near able to swerve to the median or Beaumont, Texas, was a sea of the shoulder right before hitting fog with visibilities of less than the cars in front of them, but 10 feet in most cases. With more many just plowed on in before vehicles traveling down that road they even had time to react. than on any other single day durI-10 was closed for eight hours ing the year, the probability of as a result of the incident, causan incident was ing mashigh. Texas Deputy Rod Carroll sive traffic Texas Depjams that uty Rod Carroll took many called the scene he witcalled the scene h o u r s nessed on Thanksgiving he witnessed to clear. on ThanksgivEven in ing Day the Day the Thanksgiving Day light of the Thanksgiving massive Nightmare. More than Day Nightmare. damage More than 140 140 vehicles were involved caused by vehicles were inthe crash, volved in a mas- in a massive pileup on I-10 it is resive pileup on markable I-10 Eastbound, Eastbound, an accident that that more an accident that p e o p l e killed two people killed two people and has were not and has left at killed and left at least 80 people in- many are least 80 people injured, 10-12 thankful of whom were jured, 10-12 of whom were they made in critical condiit out alive. in critical condition. tion. Carroll, The accident after the happened due to the exceed- incident, said that it was the most ingly dense fog, which meant haunting, surreal thing he has that people could not see a situ- ever experienced in over 25 years ation developing in time to stop of service as a police officer. He and protect themselves. The first is hopeful that it is a once-in-acrash started a chain reaction, lifetime event.
Last week Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi issued a broad decree that gives him the power to do as he pleases until the Egyptian parliament ratifies a new constitution and another parliamentary election is held. His power cannot be revoked by any authority, and his decisions cannot be stalled or overruled by any judicial authority in place. Facing possible dissolution, Morsi granted himself the powers in order to provide a smooth transition to a constitutional democracy and has said that the power is temporary. Tens of thousands of protesters have filled Tahrir square in Cairo in opposition to the move by the president, saying that they want the regime to fall. The last time these phrases were used in mass protests was before the fall of Hosni Mubarak last year and they are surfacing again due to fear that Morsi is positioning himself to become the new strongman in Egypt. Following the announcement by Morsi that he had assumed his new power, upper level judges in the supreme constitutional court have been locked in a standoff with the president, in order to force him to drop his power. In addition to legal action by the judges, some 43 lawsuits have been filed against Morsi, saying he has no legal, constitutional right to the power he now holds. Meanwhile, the constituent assembly responsible for the new constitution has been working around-the-clock to draft the constitution and had finished voting on
the document early Friday. The next step is to forward the constitution to Morsi, at which point he will call for a referendum to ratify the constitution. After the constituent assembly completed its task, Morsi called for a new parliamentary election. Contained within the new constitution is a limitation on the amount of time any president can serve. If the document is ratified and accepted, then the president will be limited to two four-year terms, after which he is ineligible for reelection. The difficulty with the new power that Morsi now holds is that he can veto the constitution until it fits his agenda and no judicial body or assembly can challenge his decision. Another considerable concern for Egyptians is that with Morsi pushing so hard for the new constitution to move through, there has not been a proper vetting period to prove the new constitution is a good idea. With the Islamist-dominated constituent assembly doing the drafting, there is little input from
others in the formation of the new constitution. Human right organizations familiar with the situation in Cairo have said that the new constitution is filled with holes and has several ambiguous sections. The new document would theoretically accomplish much of what last years revolution set out to do, namely limit the power of the presidency, create a powerful parliament that will do the governing, and give more freedom to the people. The difficulties with the new constitution is that it gives the military much of the power that it had under Mubarak and there is fear that more power to the military would result in another Mubarakstyle regime. Morsi has been adamant that this is a very temporary measure to ensure the success of the democracy, but the general feeling of the populace is that his actions are far too close to the regime they fought hard to depose.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE STATE
Mohamad Morsi is pictured with Hillary Clinton, taken this past November.
UN concerned with new US laws

Kyle Santi Staff Writer
take all the necessary measures to ensure that marijuana possession will remain illegal throughColorado and Washington out the United States. Indeed, have recently passed legisla- Colorado and Washington are tion legalizing the use of limited still awaiting a proposed lawsuit amounts of marijuana for those from the United States federal over 21 years of age. Raymond government, according to Kristen Yans, President of the United Wyatt of the Associated Press. Nations International Narcot- Colorado Governor John Hickenics Control Board (INCB) voiced looper has said that Colorado will grave concern about the out- respect the wishes of the voters come of recent referenda in the of Colorado, but will wait to see United States of America that what the federal government will would allow the non-medical say about this. use of cannabis by adults in the For now, both states are holdstates of Coloraing off The INCB has no authority on plans do and Washington, according to reguto the United or ability to force the United late and Nations InforStates government to over- taxr uthe mation Service. d g Yans said that turn the legislation in Colora- until the these developJustice ments are in vio- do and Washington, but their Departlation of the inm e n t ternational drug decides concern remains. control treaties, whether and pose a great or not to threat to public health and the assert federal authority over drug well-being of society far beyond law.The INCB has no authority or those states. ability to force the United States Yans later told the Associated government to overturn the legPress of Vienna on that he hopes islation in Colorado and WashingAttorney General Eric Holder will ton, but their concern remains.
President Scoggins explains lower state funding and increases to student costs
Lucy Orsi Business Manager
Colorado School of Mines President Bill Scoggins recently dispelled what he called misinformation that the university paid for construction projects through higher tuition prices, pointing to private funding sources and attributing the year-over-year tuition rise to cuts in state funding for higher education. Last year, tuition at Mines was $13,590 for residents and $28,620 for nonresidents. Most people on campus are probably aware of these numbers and take heart in the high average starting salaries of graduates. However, if these prices are compared with those from past years, they have been steadily rising. This year, they are up 8% and 5%, respectively from the 20112012 school year. Tuition inflation is a nationwide trend. In fact, since 1995 tuition at public universities has risen by around 30%. To keep pace with rising costs, students have had to take on more debt and according to a report from the Institute of College Access and Success, students of the class of 2011 graduated with a national average of $26,500 in student loans. Just one year before, this number was about a thousand dollars lower. Legislatures nationwide are cutting funding for higher education and individual universities have therefore had to shift these costs to their student bodies. These numbers far outpace the rate of inflation and they tend to puzzle both parents and students. Instead of tracing these increases to the changing dynamics between state schools and state governments, some incorrectly trace the increases to concrete additions around campus. It is not out of the ordinary to hear students and parents complain that new buildings are behind the tuition hikes. This assumption makes sense given the correlation between the increases in tuition and the construction of new buildings. In the past two years alone, the school built a new dorm, a new wing for the Brown building, a student wellness center, and a Petroleum Engineering building (Marquez Hall). The old wing of Brown and the Weaver towers have also been renovated and, on top of all this, the school recently announced plans to construct a football stadium and athletics complex, another student dorm, a dining hall, a building for the Foundation and Alumni Association, and renovations to the student center. It is an ambitious and pricey list and, in the absence of other explanations, it makes sense to assume that students will foot the bill. However, President Scogginss recent interview with The Oredigger clarified that increasing tuition is not related to new projects on campus. In response to concerns that projects like new dormitories or dining halls would affect tuition, Scoggins explains that these are called auxiliaries [and] are separate from the academic enterprise. Therefore, instead of raising general student fees, these buildings are paid for by the fees associated with the use of them. That means that students who did not get to experience the luxury of Maple Hall did not actually have to pay for it. Instead, the school takes out 30year bonds and pays them back with the revenues generated from housing and meal plan fees. These types of projects tend to bear the brunt of negative comments, given their lack of academic focus. Fancy dorms and dining halls are nice, but they do little to increase the value of a students degree upon graduation. However, Scoggins disagrees and believes that these projects are key to making the Mines education more worthwhile for students. He claims that University is a balance of academic projects [and] nonacademic projects andweve probably focused more in the last six or seven years on the academic side. Scoggins sees student life and academic success as intrinsically connected and he hopes that by improving the quality of life on campus, he will also improve graduation rates and student retention. As to the construction of new academic buildings, these projects actually do affect tuition but only in maintenance costs. Tuition is a reflection of the operating cost of the school and usually does not include the capitol costs of new projects. For example, the recently completed Marquez Hall was almost entirely funded by private donations. Student fees were only used to subsidize part of the building used for campus computing. Similarly, the new athletics complex will also be completely paid for by outside support. Student tuition, will only be used to maintain and staff the building after their construction. Instead, Scoggins traces the rise in tuition to increased faculty needs as well as inflation and indicates that they are customary increases. We want to add more faculty, says Scoggins [and] weve got infrastructure needs including maintenance of existing facilities. These are far more reasonable sources of tuition inflation and they are issues that schools across the country are attempting to tackle. Recruiting top students often means increasing tuition as well. For example, hiring top ranking professors means offering higher compensation. Hiring more faculty members in order to decrease class sizes and make the institution more alluring to prospective students means financing more salaries with student tuition. Finally, keeping the education on campus up to date by upgrading labs and teaching technologies is often reflected in the yearly tuition increase. Probably the biggest reason for tuition inflation, however, resides in the changing relationship between state governments and state schools. State schools have been forced to deal with the effects of decreasing state funds. According to Scoggins everyone is seeing this transition in the States ability to fund higher education. In 2010, the University signed an agreement with the state of Colorado, that Scoggins said, gave our board tuition autonomy in exchange for pledging that any revenues from the state would go to discount resident student tuition. This year Mines received 15 million from the state and had an operating budget
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CSM finds ways to reduce fees for students

Lucy Orsi Business Manager
Mines is in a bit of an awkward transition phase. Faced with the reality of decreased state financial support, the school has been forced to pass some of these costs onto students while they search for alternative solutions. Finding these alternatives has become one of President Scoggins main priorities and the charge of the Colorado School of Mines Foundation. Scoggins explains that the area in which we have trouble competing with [private institutions] is our ability to discount tuition. Thus his administration has focused on a few areas that promise to bring in added revenues and relieve tuition burdens from students. One of the things we are focusing on in the [upcoming] capital campaign, says Scoggins, is building up our endowments to enable financial aid to [allow] us to discount tuition and be more competitive in the future. This is where the Colorado School of Mines Foundation comes in. The foundation was founded in 1928 and incorporated in 1951. According to Scoggins, all of our gift money and endowments go to the foundation[which] makes a distribution each year to the financial aid department. This is where the aid administered to students in the form of scholarships comes from. It is obvious then, that this organization is critically important individual and corporate donors to ensuring the future affordability helped ensure students would not of Mines. see dramatic rises in construction Brian Winkelbauer, the execu- fees or tuition. tive vice president for University The big buildings and facilities Advancement, agrees that Mines is may attract the most attention to [looking] more and more like a pri- the foundation, but their role in the vate institution and points out that average students life extends far from a public institution stand- beyond this. In fact, Winkelbauer point, our endowment per student points out 72% of [the CSM] enis very good. In fact, Mines ranks dowment provides scholarships, 21st among public institutions fellowships, and faculty support. for the size of its endowment per As state funds decrease, this role student. Additionally, the Mines becomes even more important. Foundation Winkelbauer All of our gift money and says in orseems to be on an upward der to conendowments go to the trend for fundtinue to get raising, which foundation[which] makes the best and Winkelbauer the brightest backs up with a distribution each year. students, we the point that need to confive of the top seven gifts ever giv- tinue to have substantive financial en to Mines have come in the last aid packages for them. For this six or seven months. In fact, last reason, he identifies scholarships fiscal year was the schools largest and faculty endowments as the fundraising year in school history schools largest needs. with a record $32.6 million raised. Despite this belief, the foundaThe foundations recent suc- tion does not push donors toward cess is seen in the lack of impact any one option for giving. Instead to student fees and tuition from they adopt what Winkelbauer new campus projects. The only calls a donor-centric approach increases have come about as a in which the foundation tries to result of fees approved by USG. match the desires of donors with This is all because the foundation material benefits for the school, has brought in support from out- whether it is a building, an athletside donors. While Tim Marquezs ics facility or a scholarship. It has large donation created the impe- been a successful strategy, one tus to build the new petroleum which some of the schools largest engineering building, numerous donors really appreciate. smaller contributions from private Peter Konrad, the managing consultant for the Harvey Family Foundation, worked with the CSM Foundation to help create the Harvey Scholars Program. He speaks favorably of the CSM Foundation in comparison with other state schools he has worked with. Konrad claims that Mines acts much more like a private university than a state school. When asked about how their role changes as Mines becomes less dependent on the state, Winkelbauer said that the foundations main goal right now is to create a culture of giving, a culture of philanthropy. The goal he says is to keep [students] engaged, to [remind them] that Mines is doing a lot for [them] and its important to continue that legacy. The importance and challenge of this seems to be recognized across the Mines campus. Jill Robertson, the director of financial aid believes that the larger private schools tend to have big endowments because their alum[ni]are expected to give back. This is not quite the case at Mines. Thus, the foundation is in a position where much of its work is centered on creating the basis for future gifts. According to Robertson, this is going to be our answer to that whole [private-public] issue. Ideally, as the foundation continues to bring in more donations that support students, this culture will form from a sense of obligation to pass this gift onto future stu-
of around $230 million, meaning the state only provided about 6.5% of the budget. The rest of it was paid for by Mines. The benefit of becoming less dependent on the state is that Mines has gained increased flexibility and control over its own finances. For example, since Mines no longer uses government money to construct new buildings, the administration does not have to seek approval from the state to increase tuition or build newer buildings. However, the downside is that students are forced to compensate for the lack of state support and while Mines financial independence is making them look more and more like a private school, they still lack the large endowment that enables private schools to survive outside of the government. Schools like Harvard and Princeton actually cost more to attend than Mines at first glance, but their large endowments mean that the majority of this price is covered by financial aid in the form of grants and scholarships. Scoggins explains that the fact remains today, it is cheaper for a Colorado resident to go to Cal Tech than it is to go to Colorado School of Mines because they have such a huge endowment. As state funds decrease, Mines will become increasingly reliant on its ability to bring in money from outside donors. This is a problem that Scoggins hopes the school will be able to tackle with increased fundraising efforts, ultimately making the institution both more autonomous from the state and more affordable for students.
dents. In fact, the schools largest donors, Hugh and Michelle Harvey, are a perfect example of this. Hugh Harvey says that his desire to give came out of [his] experience of when [he] came to Mines and was awarded the Newmont Mining Company Scholarship. The Harvey Scholars Programs emphasis on a personal relationship with the Harvey family was a direct result of Mr. Harveys realization upon graduation from Mines that he had never heard from anyone at Newmont Mining Company. Furthermore, the Harveys themselves are hoping to aid in the creation of a culture of giving by making their scholarship a term scholarship that ends in 25 years. Mr. Harvey says hopefully, that willbe an inspiration[for current scholars] to scrape up more money and keep it going. One of the key components of the foundations plan, however, requires that they be able to interact with students and donors simultaneously. This requires them to have adequate resources, a problem that they are beginning to solve. Additionally, the foundation will soon move out of their current headquarters in the trailers next to the traditional dorms and into a new building that will give them the support to truly excel. The success of these ventures is what will determine the future of Mines and ultimately its affordability to students.
Holiday mint serving tray Holidays at the Astor House

Whitney Welch Staff Writer
For those who seem to always leave their serving trays behind at parties, this recipe makes that no longer a problem. The mints melt together to make an adorable tray for the holiday season that is sure to impress everyone. Ingredients 1 package of red or green hard candy mints Wax or parchment paper Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. Cover a cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. 3. Arrange the mints in a festive design (candy cane, circle, square, etc.) Be sure that the mints are touching each other.
WHITNEY WELCH / OREIDIGGER
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december 3, 2012
4. Place pan in the oven for approximately 8 minutes. 5. Let the tray cool. Once it has cooled, what is left is a great serving tray.
WHITNEY WELCH / OREIDIGGER
Evan Ford Staff Writer

The Astor House was built in 1867 and served as a functional boarding and rooming house until 1971, preserving over a century of Goldens rich historical influences. Each year, as part of a long-standing tradition, the Astor House Museum in downtown Golden decorates and prepares for holiday festivities. The goal of this event, and the museum in general, is to educate and provide entertainment for all ages. Holidays at the Astor House runs through the entire month of December, and is a great place to take friends or visiting family members. Tour guide and history enthusiast Caitlin Lewis said her favorite part of the Astor House experience is the ability to walk into all of the unique rooms and being enveloped in the past. Prior to Thanksgiving, the Astor House decorated itself in traditional turkey day fashion, but now the walk through museum has decked the halls with poinsettias, ribbons, and decorated trees. Each trimming and embellishment adds to the quaint and cozy feel of the house. In the parlor, there are several tables where guests can engage in enjoyable Victorian games or make arts and crafts. There are also stations for Christmas cards and popcorn
Bananagrams: a fun and fast-paced word game

For those who love the idea of games like Scrabble and Words with Friends, but hate the slow pace and limited creativity of these games, Bananagrams is the game for you. Bananagrams comes in a zipup pouch conveniently shaped like a banana and features 144 lettered tiles. Unlike Scrabble, there is no board to play on, and no point values associated with the tiles. Alternatively, a player will individually form words as they acquire different letters throughout the duration of play. Bananagrams improves upon Scrabbles rules by making the rules more lenient and it also allows for groups of people to decide their own game experience. The primary game mode has the players begin with an equal amount of letters depending on how many people are playing. With four people, each player takes 21 letters face down while the remaining tiles sit in the center of the table in a pile referred to as the bunch. When someone says split, everyone scrambles to create words with their tiles. If a player is stuck with a pesky Z or Q, he or she can say dump, and get rid of that tile at the price of taking in three more tiles from the bunch. After a player correctly uses all of his or her tiles to form words, he or she declares peel, and at that point each player grabs another letter from the bunch. This process continues until a player says bananas. This means that the player believes he or she has used all of his or her letters properly to form words and that there are fewer tiles left in the bunch for the people still playing. Often times, not all the words are correct, so it is beneficial to double check the placement of tiles before saying bananas, because if a player is wrong, then all of those tiles are reintroduced into the bunch. Groups can change this rule at their leisure, as well as the words that qualify as correct. Deciding whether proper nouns and abbreviations count is an essential first step. This game mode is fun, but limits the possibilities of the words that a player can create. In a game mode called Banana Smoothie, all of the tiles are equally distributed to the players face down. There is no peeling or dumping in this game mode, only bananas at the end. Players must take the large amount of letters they are dealt to create words. Because resources are somewhat limited, rearranging and restarting is common. Again, be sure to double check the validity of words or at least prepare to defend odd words before calling bananas. Winning is not the important part of Bananagrams, because there are no points, only bragging rights. There are also ways to mix up the gameplay by having the winner decide categories for the words the players must make. For example, one round might have the category ocean, where three of a players words must relate to the ocean. While engineering students may tend to stay away from word-related games, Bananagrams is surprisingly fun and a great way to learn new words. You can find the game for about $12 at stores like Target, and while it is somewhat expensive for just some lettered tiles, it is entirely worth it. Who knows, you may even be able to sneak some nerdy science words into the game, such as aulacogen.
EVAN FORD / OREIDIGGER
Once the mints have melted together, let it cool and enjoy your new serving tray!
necklaces. Visitors can help decorate the main Christmas tree with ornaments and knick-knacks. Next to the tree is an antique wood stove for decoration a reminder of the warmth of simpler times. Donations and memberships from the community help keep the Astor House open, said Lewis. Without the generosity of the Golden community, irreplaceable museums like the Astor House would cease to exist. In the kitchen there is a water pump at the sink, which provides a humbling perspective to all the luxuries enjoyed in modern times. The well-preserved elements of the Astor House serve to remind individuals of yet another reason to be grateful during the holiday season. The entrance fee is only $3, and the proceeds go to help Golden History Museums. Golden History Museums is dedicated to protecting the past, as well as provide entertaining events in the present. Last Friday, Golden History Museums hosted the ageless Candle Walk tradition where attendees toured all three of the museums in the Golden area whilst appreciating the holiday spirit. Holidays at the Astor House continues for the rest of the month and making some time to attend this event will surely provide an unforgettable experience just in time for the holidays and winter break.
The Astor House Museum has decorated both outside and inside for the holiday season.
Bananagrams is a great game to play in a group and it has many different variations.
The Astor House transforms into a holiday-themed museum for the festive winter season.
december 3, 2012
SF Debris provides a unique twist on science fiction TV and movie reviews

The Internet is full of entertainment by independent artists and reviewers. Some are good, but some are terrible. Occasionally, a rare gem sparkles enough to be noticed. One gem is SF Debris, short for Sci-Fi Debris. Although it is yet another review show among many on the Internet, SF Debris is unique enough that it stands out from the pack. The website is run and operated by Charles Chuck Sonnenberg, a teacher from Wisconsin who is a long-time member of various Star Trek and Star Wars fan communities. The man himself is not that well known. Sonnenberg started out doing written reviews of episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, eventually moving on to Star Trek: Enterprise. He is also well known for his two-trilogy, 250 chapter fanfiction Unity, which brings the people of Star Trek and Star Wars together in an epic story. In 2008, Sonnenberg moved on to a video format for his reviews and started reviewing other Star Trek series. At first, Sonnenberg posted his video reviews on YouTube, but was forced to take them down in 2011 after CBS, who owns the rights to Star Trek, forced YouTube to take down videos pertaining to Star Trek. In addition to Star Trek reviews, Sonnenberg reviews other science fiction and fantasy TV shows and movies, such as Avatar the Last Airbender, Red Dwarf, Babylon 5, The Matrix, Ghost in the Shell, and Doctor Who. Sonnenberg has a rating system for his Star Trek reviews. He rates them on a scale of 1-10 with 5 being the average, 10 being a shining example of the best of that series, and 1 being the absolute worst of that series. 0s are reserved for episodes that shame the entire Star Trek franchise by mere association. As of this writing, Sonnenberg has given three 0s, one for Voyager, one for Enterprise, and one for Star Trek: The Next Generation. A 0 rating is implied for one episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Each episode is compared to others within the same Star Trek series and not to other episodes of another series. This way, episodes are properly compared within their own series and do not conform to some subjective ideal of good. Sonnenbergs reviews are in a semi-vitriolic style. He constantly makes fun of everyone and everything, leaving very few punches pulled. I am not afraid to kick a man while he is down, Sonnenberg once said in his review of Non Sequitur of Voyager. But I do feel bad if he is constantly pushed back down to the ground. Nothing is sacred to him, which has raised ire from die-hard fans of Star Trek, much to his amusement. Sonnenberg has great comedic timing and his jokes are very spot on. He insists he is not someone to be taken seriously. To remind you all I am not anyone special, he said in his analysis of Star Treks Prime Directive, which forbids captains from interfering in civilizations not as advanced technologically as the
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Federation, I shall use the term magnetic balls. Though he can be irreverent and fun, Sonnenbergs reviews are opinionated and he gets into serious discussions. What prompted Sonnenberg to start his reviews was the Voyager episode Unimatrix Zero, a bizarre and contradictory twopart episode that made him realize that the people who wrote Voyager had no idea what they were doing, a situation that distressingly amplified with Enterprise. Sonnenberg truly laments that Voyager and Enterprise had so much potential, but that it was squandered by many forces that squelched the writers and actors. He obviously loves the earlier series for their stronger writing and acting, but that does not mean that he will not go off on them for asserting infuriating positions or actions. For example, he has stated that nothing is sacred, so he often criticizes Gene Roddenberry, the late creator of Star Trek, like when he wrote lyrics for the theme to the original series of Star Trek with no intention of using them so he could pocket royalties meant for the original composer. Sonnenberg also dispenses heavy criticisms on the characters when they are behaving naively, idiotically, or unintentionally evil. He is a huge critic of the aforementioned Prime Directive as, in later series, it was used as justification to not help a civilization destined for extinction from non-self-destructive reasons. He gets into a rather angry rant over Doctor Phlox from Enterprise declaring it is immoral to save one species from extinction because they may be holding back anothers evolution and even declares that the former species is evolving into extinction because their disease is genetic. He has a strong belief in preserving human, or sentient, life and rails against Starfleet officers, who should have the same attitudes, for not practicing such beliefs. Sonnenberg often takes positions opposite to the majority and the viewers, and thats exactly how he wants it. He believes that personal opinions are one of the last vestiges of individuality in our modern society and should be respected. That will not stop him from disagreeing and snarking about it. SF Debris is a special review series. It is an often perfect mix of humor and thoughtful discussion. Sonnenberg is very impassioned for Star Trek other fantasy shows and movies and thoughtfully considers what their messages are whether those messages are conveyed intentionally or unintentionally. He accepts donations and takes requests with each donation within the fantasy genre. Some may not agree with Sonnenbergs opinionated reviews, but he is perfectly okay with that. His discussions are well thought out and his jokes are spot-on. Watching his review series will leave any viewer amused and thoughtful, which is what he truly wants for his audience.
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Save money with Lincoln a holiday gift for a book exchange history buffs
It is the end of the semester and many CSM students have books they do not need anymore. Students want to get rid of them, but the books cost so much money that simply giving them away seems wasteful. There is always the bookstore on campus, but there are also alternative ways for students to exchange textbooks. Set up by two Mines student who needed something to do, the Colorado School of Mines Student Textbook Exchange (CSMSTEx. com) is one alternative to the bookstore and will assist any student with his or her needs. CSMSTEx is set up like craigslist. Students can access the website to search for books they need or offer books for sale. Students can search by book title, author, version, department, and even condition. Students can also search by username in the Mines email address. To post offers, students enter their Mines email address and present an asking price. If a student finds a desired textbook, he or she can email the poster using his or her Mines email address and negotiate sales. CSMSTEx was created by Tyrell Frame and Andrew French as a way for students to exchange textbooks without having to deal with the bookstore. As such, it is not affiliated with the Colorado School of Mines or the bookstore. French wanted to make a website one day, and Frame recommended a textbook exchange service after seeing flyers promoting textbooks for sale. Soon after, the duo started on the website in April 2012 and finished at the end of the summer. French created the website and Frame assisted. In addition, Frame pays for the server costs completely out of his own pocket to ensure that using the website is completely free. CSMSTEx is not very well known yet, so the offerings are few. Nevertheless, it is a good place to get rid of unneeded textbooks and make a little money at the same time. Furthermore, once more people begin to use it, it is likely to become a great resource to find books for upcoming classes. CSMSTEx has its own Facebook page, so students who like the website can also like it on Facebook. The website is completely free, so students might want to check out CSMSTEx and look to fulfill their textbook needs.
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december 3, 2012
Deborah Good Managing Editor

Steven Spielbergs newest work, Lincoln, is not a Civil War movie. It is also not a complete account of the life of the sixteenth president. Viewers looking for either will likely be disappointed. The movie is, however, a generally historically accurate, sometimes humorous, and sometimes dark study of Abraham Lincoln, the 13th Amendment, and Lincolns efforts to get the House of Representatives to pass that legislation. The movie traces a four month period, from January 1865 to April 1865, focusing primarily on Lincolns month long effort to obtain the necessary votes for the House to pass the 13th Amendment (20 Democrats need to be recruited, while all Republicans must stand together for abolition.) Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) approves any method short of direct bribery, and sends Secretary of State William Seward (David Strathairn) off to find unsavory characters to offer patronage jobs to lame-duck Democrats. Meanwhile, he strives to keep his own party and his own cabinet from falling into chaos. This means orchestrating peace talks for the Conservative faction, led by Preston Blair (Hal Holbrook), who just want the Civil War to end without alienating the Radical faction, led by Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), who want to see the South punished. Though the political juggling forms the plots background, the movie would be severely lacking without its side-plots. The Lincoln family still struggles with the death of young Willie Lincoln in 1862. Mary Todd Lincolns (Sally Field) continued grief is especially visible, but the youngest Lincoln boy Tad (Gulliver McGrath) and the president himself also grapple with the situation. The eldest Lincoln boy Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) desires to leave his education and enlist, over the strenuous objections of his parents. The Civil War is still in full swing, and Lin-
Use the Force in new Angry Birds

Katerina Gonzales Content Manager
helmet. Bonus levels include pigs based on Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. The Death Star level Lovers of Rovios popular An- very much resembles Angry Birds gry Birds game unite with fans of Space, as birds are launched into the Star Wars saga. Released gravity fields, but the characters on November 8, Angry Birds Star and level maps make it even betWars combines the addictive- ter than before. Each level has ness of eliminating the pigs and its own challenges, from blasters their structures with gravity-free being fired at birds as the birds launched bird-slinging Star Wars fans and non- are the air to into and the Force. The gist fans alike will both enjoy having to control Obi-Wans of previous Force or Han games in the this version of Angry Solos blaster. Angry Birds Angry Birds franchise is still Birds simply because of Star Wars was there. Players slide their fin- the added action and fea- released initially with Tatooine gers on their tures of the characters. and the Death device, launchStar, combining birds from a slingshot into the air and destroy- ing for 80 levels. The game broke ing structures in the hopes of get- records in its initial release on the ting all the pigs. In Angry Birds iTunes store, hitting the top spot Star Wars, the birds are mod- in 2.5 hours. The game was upeled after Star Wars characters. dated November 29 to include Red Bird is now the lightsaber- 20 new levels on the ice planet of wielding Red Skywalker, Yellow Hoth. More levels are expected to Bird is Ham Solo, Big Brother be added in further updates. Angry Birds Star Wars is Bird is Terrebacca, Pink Bird is Princess Stella Organa, and available in iTunes for $0.99 and Black Bird is modeled after Obi- for free on Google Play. Star Wars fans and non-fans Wan Kenobi. As in previous Angry Birds games, each character has alike will both enjoy this version special abilities including light- of Angry Birds simply because sabers, blasters, and the Force- of the added action and features push that add to the fun and po- of the characters. Not only does it still have the virtue of killing time tential for damage in each level. The game retells the original in boring lectures or meetings, Star Wars trilogy and starts off in but it also presents challenges in Tatooine where Sandpigs are the its new terrain and characters. It target. As the levels progress, the truly is the best of all worlds, or villains become Pigtroopers, pigs galaxies in the Angry Birds franprotected by a hard stormtrooper chise.
coln haunts the War Department telegraph office and pardons deserters at 3:40 am. The film is a testament to everyone involved in the 13th Amendments passage and the Unions victory. The film creates suspense and connects viewers to the characters. By the time Lincoln heads for Fords Theatre, the viewer wishes he would simply stay at the White House and keep working. The films screenplay, written by Tony Kushner, is based off of Doris Kearns Goodwins acclaimed book Team of Rivals, focusing on Lincolns success at establishing political compromise. Fitting for a movie based on a history book, the film paid attention to detail with respect to historical accuracy. From Abraham Lincolns voice to Robert Lincolns mustache, the movie worked hard to be accurate. Of course, as in any biopic, the greatest burden rests on the stars shoulders. Day-Lewis fills Lincolns considerably sized shoes quite well, bringing even relatively small details to life. The viewer rather feels Abraham Lincoln has walked onto the screen. He succeeds in balancing the many paradoxes of Lincoln a man who was intelligent, but only minimally educated, a man who told funny stories, but also grappled with depression, and a man who had opposed the Mexican War in the 1840s, but then led the country into its bloodiest war to date. The supporting cast deserves accolades as well. Field provides Mary Todd Lincoln with a sympathy and depth not always found in accounts of the first lady. Jones portrayal of Thaddeus Stevens, and the lengths he too will go to pass the amendment sometimes threatens to steal the show. Likewise, Sewards men from Albany offer a bit of light comedy to an otherwise serious situation.
Lincoln does not, however, completely ignore the darker aspects of the period or its subjects. Most of the characters may be abolitionists, but that does not mean they support equal rights for COURTESY African-Americans. NEW MILLENIUM In fact, most all save STUDIOS the Radical Republicans are vocally against this and even the president is rather hesitant. For the modern viewer, this aspect can be distinctly uncomfortable. Much of the plot pertains to Honest Abes efforts in exploiting the spoils system. Lincoln is also shown to be far from perfect at home, especially in his relationships with his wife and sons. Though Lincoln has many positive points, it is not a perfect film. Most of the material after the House passes the amendment is unnecessary and detracts from some of the films focus, probably with the goal of generating more emotion in the viewer. Additionally, some viewers may agree with Secretary of War Edwin Stantons (Bruce McGill) complaint Youre going to tell another one of your stories! I cant stand to hear another one of your stories!
Lesser known Extract is quality entertainment

Extract, a relatively unknown movie, casts many well-known stars including Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, and Kristen Wiig. Despite being lesserknown, the 2009 comedy offers many laughs. The films director, Mike Judge, creator of King of the Hill and director of the films Office Space and Idiocracy, delivers a unique sense of humor and undeniably rich comedy. Extract follows the life of Joel (Jason Bateman), the successful founder of a flavor extract factory. As his personal and professional life begin to take turns for the worse, he seeks help from his long time friend and bartender Dean (Ben Affleck). Joel takes advice from Dean, but this foolish mistake makes the situation even worse. Mixed into this scenario, a slanderous con artist named Cindy (Mila Kunis) develops a mix of misdeeds to threaten Joels well being. Because of this, everything he has ever worked for is at risk of being lost. On top of this, a highly unusual work related injury and potential lawsuit makes his life even more complicated. The plot may seem a bit grim, but the entire movie develops a good amount of humor, creating a laughable rather than unfortunate situation. Ben Affleck as a supporting character rather than the main character in a film creates an interesting change from his usual roles in movies. With this role, he expresses his sense of humor rather than his current stint as a more serious director and actor. Jason Bateman is natural in his usual role as a funny man, and fans of his other movies like Horrible Bosses, or television shows like Arrested Development will feel right at home. The major issue with this film is its slow paced story progression. This makes the movie unappealing to some, but the wait for plot lines to intertwine creates a good satisfaction at its conclusion. Character development really brings out the zany circumstances that are outrageous to everyday life. Despite the negative events that occur throughout the movie, it ends on a very uplifting note. For those looking for a smart comedy with an all-star cast, Extract is an underrated must see.
december 3, 2012
Geek Week
of the
ty cool. What makes you a geek? I know 100 digits of pi. Seriously? Yeah. [Demonstrates]. I think thats like 50 or something. I collect rocks and I like LEGOS. One time I built an entire town of LEGOS, and one time I engineered a staircase palace it was really cool. My next project with LEGOS is doing a scaled design of the Eiffel Tower. Ill do that when I go back home, because I dont have LEGOS here, which is depressing. Im looking forward to The Hobbit coming out. Ive read most of the books. What are involved in on campus? Im in the Space Society, SWE, Society of Student Geophysicists, and my new own club, Horticulture Club! We plant stuff around campus and we garden. Next Spring youre gonna see tulips by Guggenheim, and we helped plant those. If you could have a superpower, what would it be? This is hard, I want like all of the superpowers. No, actually I wouldnt want all of the superpowers because the superpowers would overtake me and control the world. But I would probably read minds. No, wait, fly. No, read minds. Yeah. How do you like the people at Mines? The people at Mines are pretty cool. I have friends, which is good. Theres some awkward people here, but Im one of those, so its okay. Our geophysics class is all cool. Were the second smallest major on campus, so were going to be real close. Were like to most social people on campus, so come party with us! Just kidding. What do you do in your spare time? Well when Im stressed, I online shop, which is pretty bad. I read a lot. Im re-reading The Hobbit, and I read The Godfather recently, which was really good. Where do you see yourself in the future? I see myself discovering life on other plants, you know, maybe living on another planet going to Europa and discovering the ocean water that exists underneath the ice layer that surrounds the planet. Maybe going to Titan too. Mostly I dont see myself in the vicinity of our earth, but Ill live in my vacation house in Venice. Yeah, I like to travel. Are you planning on studying abroad? Yeah, I want to study abroad in France of my Senior year. I really want to be bilingual, because theres a joke, What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone who speaks one language? American. I took five years of French, but Im losing it, so I really want to become fluent in French and study there fall of senior year. Do you have any advice for Mines students? They should take time, and go on a spontaneous trip some-
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As the semester starts wrapping up and getting hectic, most students are in a frenzy completing assignments with just minutes to spare, but Rosie Leone remains calm. She does this through the balance of being a sometimes mildmannered geophysicist, having light-hearted humor, and finding time to do what she loves. The Oredigger found time to sit down and talk with Leone about her form of geekiness. [Oredigger]: Why did you decide to come to Mines? [Leone]: Well, Im originally from New York, and I like to travel, and Ive been living in the Northeast my whole life, so I thought Hey, why not go to Colorado? And I really wanted to study Geophysics and I heard Colorado School of Mines was the best place to do it. Why Geophysics? I like how you can basically do anything with it. The two things that interest me the most are energy and space, especially space, because my life goal is to discover life in other planets. I like Geophysics so far. Its pretty cool. Im taking Intro to Geophysics now. What has been your favorite class this semester? I really like Geologic Principles and Processes with Humphrey. I like learning how the Earth was made and created. And I like math, so basically all my math courses. My math teacher is pret-
where, and they should travel, because the world is very different, even across the United States. Whats your favorite thing about Mines? I like how my teachers know
...Rosie Leone: Geophysics
my face, how Im just not a random person in a lecture hall full of 400,000 people. And I like how everyone here is smart because I dont like stupid people. [Laughs.] Just kidding.
KATERINA GONZALES / OREDIGGER
Geek of the Week, Rosie Leone, enjoys geophysics, wants to travel to France, and can name 100 digits of pi.
Deaths in the 1890s

Deborah Good Managing Editor
This week in 1900, the Colorado state board of health made its biennial report and also presented data from 1893 to 1900. The report found that from January 1 to October 1, 5,608 people had died in Colorado. One occurred in the 100-110 age bracket, 19 in the 90-100 age bracket, 117 in the 80-90 age bracket, and 1233 in the birth to age two bracket. This year, the report showed that three men died for every two women who died, although there were three females under eighteen to every two males under eighteen. The report also noted 1,150 more males had died than females.
This week in Colorado history
The report also noted causes of death. Suicides had almost doubled from 1895 to 1900, with poisoning being the predominant method. In the first nine months of 1900, 63 Coloradans had taken their own lives, with about one third of these unfortunates utilizing poison. However, the report did show that in comparison with other states in the Union Colorado is particularly free from disease. In an odd bit of news, Secretary of State Elmer F. Beckwith was notified by letter this week in 1900 that an entire colony of over 100 Connecticut natives would be coming to Colorado as soon as they could secure detailed information as to business opportunities in Colorado.
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s p o r t s
december 3, 2012
The Football Informant Sixty Minutes Away

James Kergosien Staff Writer
The end is in sight. As the final seconds ticked away from the Georgia Bulldogs, the race for the crystal ball122 teams strong, at least in theory, at the start of the fallhad dwindled to two. Notre Dame and Alabama, the ultimate blue-blood slugfest, on the biggest stage with everything at stake. The strange thing is not the identities of the finalists, but how they got there. In college football, teams are never more than one glorious run away from greatness. The monumental rise and fall of Auburn should attest to this: two years ago, the Tigers, led by the near-supernatural brilliance of Cam Newton, raced from #21 in the preseason polls to claim an improbable national championship. Two years of spectacular collapse following Newtons departure now has coach Gene Chizik out on the street. It could happen to anyone. But no one expected it to happen to Notre Dame, not this team, not in this day and age. Many arguments were made as to why the Irish could not succeed, from academic standards to the crushing weight of tradition to the bad weather. No matter the incredible turnaround of Stanford, a similarly elite academic school, or the continued dominance of Ohio State, a fellow tenant of the frozen north. Notre Dame was lost in the past, and its glory days were over. The echoes were wakened unexpectedly and gradually. Much was made in the beginning of the season about the brutal schedule the Irish had in front of them; indeed, hopes were so low that Notre Dame began the season unranked. There was an air of disbelief that grew stronger and stronger over the course of the seasoncould this actually be happening? There was no way that this Irish team is special, right? As the ranked wins piled up, the voices of disbelief grew louder and louder. Beat Michigan and Michigan State? The Big Ten is weak. Beat Oklahoma on the prairie? Kansas State did it better. The Irish had a defense of stone, a get-by offense, and a lifetime supply of luck. The Irish played it close in game after game, but they simply continued to win by narrow margins. Three points against Purdue. Seven against Michigan, locking Denard Robinson out of the end zone as convincingly as Alabama had done two weeks before. Overtime against Stanford, with a still-controversial finish at the goal line, before the Cardinal went on their late-season run of invincibility. Three points against BYU, then three overtimes (and more goalline magic) against Pittsburgh, easily this seasons most schizophrenic team in college football. Then finally that magical night in Los Angeles, where the Irish pulled a goal-line stand for the ages, unseating preseason number-1 USC and claiming their own hold on the top spot. It hasnt been pretty or dominant, but that game convinced me. This is a team that will not take command, but they could beat absolutely anyone. Alabama is no slouch, of course, and although the Tide have taken something of a step back from their unstoppable-juggernaut form of last season, they are still a powerful force. The Tide are, on paper, a more complete team than the Irish. They are the champions of the mighty SEC, the conference that holds the past six crystal footballs (except for the one that some high school player broke on a recruiting visit to Florida). They are the defending champs, going for a threeout-of-four run and a claim for utter domination. As online columnist Shane Ryan put it, instead of watching the Georgia game, one could just as easily listen to a four-hour loop of the Imperial March from Star Wars. The ending of that game was inevitable; Nick Saban, the Dark Lord himself, knew it was Alabamas destiny. So there you have it. On the one hand, ruthless efficiency. On the other, the team that simply finds a way. Good against evil. Have faith against I find your lack of faith disturbing. Notre Dame, of course, is not being given a snowballs chance in hell against the overwhelming Tide. I get the feeling that the Irish have the Tide precisely where they want them. And if anyone has been paying attention to the hopeless underdogs of college football this past decade (hello, Boise State!), their eyes will be glued to the screen this January 7. I know that mine will be.
No. 12 Mines historic season ends in NCAA South Central Region Semifinals
Courtesy CSM Athletics
Second-seeded and ninthranked West Texas A&M used 28 blocks and a .273 attack percentage to top third-seeded and 12th-ranked Colorado School of Mines by a 3-1 score in the NCAA South Central Region Tournament semifinals on Friday evening at the Regis Fieldhouse in Denver. The loss puts Mines final record at 26-7 and closes the books on the most historic season in program history. Senior and RMAC Offensive Player of the Year Jackie Stabell led the team with a game-high 21 kills on a .294 attack percentage while adding four digs and two blocks defensively. The Tomball, Texas, natives 21 kills in the match pushed her past Elizabeth Serra-Hsu (2007-10 - 1,508) for first on the Mines all-time kill charts with 1,516 in her storied career. Her 434 kills during the 2012 campaign also give her the fourthhighest season kill total in program history, while her season average of 3.74 kills per set gave her the fifthbest average for the category in program history. Junior Melanie Wannamaker followed with 14 kills while adding four digs and four blocks defensively. She closed out her All-Region season with 376 kills while setting a new program record for attack percentage with a .355 mark in 2012. Sophomore Laura Beckmann added 12 kills on a .219 attack percentage in addition to a pair of blocks, while senior Holly Hutchison added nine kills and three blocks to finish her season with 271 kills. Freshman Danielle JohnsonHazlewood posted a season and career-high 55 assists while adding 11 digs for her 14th double-double of the season. The Cypress, Texas, product finished with 1,050 assists for the fourth-highest total in school history. Her season average of 11.7 assists per set is the second-highest average in school history. Junior Hannah Margheim led the defensive efforts with 22 digs to bring her season-total to 452, which is the fifth-highest total in school history. Her average of 3.90 digs per set is the sixth-highest total for the category in program history. Freshman Corrine Din added 10 digs while sophomore Sarah Pekarek notched 12 to round out the Mines defensive totals. WTAMU opened the match with a 6-2 lead in the first set, and after the Lady Buffs increased their lead to 19-14, head coach Jamie Skadeland was forced to use her first timeout. A quick kill by Beckmann following the timeout turned into a 5-3 run by the Orediggers that brought the score to 22-19, forcing the Lady Buffs to use a timeout. WTAMU would close the first set on a 3-0 run to take the opener by a 25-19 score. After WTAMU opened the second stanza with a 4-2 lead, Mines rallied to tie the score at 8-8. A long volley on the next sequence resulted in a kill by Hutchison that fired up the Oredigger faithful, and that point was quickly followed by another Hutchison kill that gave Mines a 10-8 lead. WTAMU answered with a 9-5 run that put itself back in the lead by a score of 17-15 which caused Mines to call a timeout. Mines battled back to tie up the score at 19-19 on a combo block by Hutchison and Johnson-Hazlewood, and consecutive kills by Hutchison and Stabell pushed Mines up front 21-19, causing a WTAMU timeout. After the Lady Buffs tied up the score at 21-21, Mines answered on another kill by Stabell already her 14th of the contest before moving the lead to 24-22. A kill by Wannamaker closed out the second set a 25-22 Mines victory. The Orediggers carried the momentum from the second set into the third by opening up the stanza with a 6-4 lead, but unforced errors by Mines quickly brought the score back to 8-8. A kill by Beckmann and a combo block by Wannamaker and Pekarek moved Mines up front at 10-8, but WTAMU battled back to tie up the score at 12-12. A 3-1 run by WTAMU after the tie score forced Skadeland to use a timeout. Mines battled back and pushed a lead to 18-16 on consecutive kills by Hutchison and a ball handling error by WTAMU increased the Oredigger lead to 19-16 causing the Lady Buffs to call a timeout. Mines continued to battle pointfor-point and pushed its lead to 2220, but consecutive points by the Lady Buffs again tied up the set at 22-22. With Mines up 24-23, the Lady Buffs poured in two consecutive points to take a 25-24, set-point lead, but a combo block by Beckmann and Wannamaker tied up the score once more at 25-25. WTAMU would record a kill and a block in consecutive points to take the third set by a score of 27-25. Set four opened up with WTAMU posting an 8-6 lead, which was pushed out to 15-10. After the Lady Buffs pushed the lead to 18-12, Mines was forced to use its second timeout of the set. The stop in play wouldnt stop WTAMU, who posted a 7-4 run down the stretch to capture the set, 25-16, and the match, 3-1. The loss closed the books on the most accomplished senior class in program history. Seniors Stabell, Hutchison, Alese Madenwald, Betsy Hansing, Anna Padget-Shields and Grace Bol concluded their careers with four-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, the 2012 RMAC Championship and a record of 86-38 for a winning percentage of .694. The 2012 senior class led the squad to a school-record 26 victories during the 2012 campaign, as well a school record 17 conference victories.
december 3, 2012
o p i n i o n
Emily McNair Staff Writer
The season of shopping

the insanity. Companies use Santa Claus as a marketing ploy to capitalize on the season. The man himself probably would not endorse what Christmas has become. At a time when people should take a moment to appreciate what they have, they stand in lines just to get their hands on big screen televisions. Sometimes even families get overlooked. This was especially true this year when the holiday shopping season started only a few hours after people had Thanksgiving dinner. It was even worse for those who had to work on the holiday. Sadly, this is the growing trend. Who knows, next year the sales may start on Thanksgiving itself. The holiday season is one of the few times of the year when entire families can get together. However, shopping overshadows the importance of family.
page 11
Minds testingMines at routines Pre-test and

With an abundance of tests during finals time, many students have developed rituals to get them through the ordeal. To celebrate all of the different things students at the Colorado School of Mines do before their finals, this week, Minds at Mines asked What is your pre-test or testing routine? I chug a Mountain Dew, drink a Red Bull, grab my pencils, and walk extremely fast to my test. Brandon Storm
Todays material society has all but forgotten the meaning of the holiday season. A time once meant for giving and helping others has become the biggest commercial holiday of the year. People stand in lines for hours to get the perfect gifts while ignoring the roots of this all-important time of the year. Ever since its beginning, the Christmas holiday strove to help the less fortunate. Saint Nicholas himself spent his fortune helping the poor and yet, today, that message has been lost. Although charities often get a lot of support at this time of the year, this support does not come anywhere close to what businesses make. The commercialization of the holiday season destroyed its meaning. Even Saint Nicholas has become part of
In todays fast-paced society, time for family is short and far between. The holidays should be a time to take advantage of seeing cousin Jimmys adorable little girl and catching up with Uncle Rob. It is a time to relax and spend time with the people that may be forgotten during the rest of the year. Nowadays, it is rare to get a large family all in one place, so the holidays really should be about connecting with people we infrequently see. The gift lists, the shopping, the headaches those are all problems with the modern definition of the holiday season. Family, giving, and cheer those are all missing, or at least, nowhere close to the top of the list. These are the real meanings of the holidays; not the sales, not the gifts. It is a time to enjoy the company of others and give back to the community.
Study Break
I try to study one to two weeks which ends up being two days before. But as Im walking there, I just pray and dedicate the results to God. Colton Bigler
Before exams, ideally if I could, I would go to the gym for like a half hour and then eat dinner. Im always paranoid about running out of lead, so I bring like four pencils to the test. Carly Conely
I dont study the hour before a test. I like to take a mental break where youre just sitting on a couch watching TV going blehhhhh. Kelly Whittlesey Across 1 C? C-Z? (5) 4 Drab (7) 8 Encyclopedia (7) 9 Friendless type (5) 10 Guesses (12) 13 Have in mind (6) 14 Increase (6) 16 Jonson was one (4,8) 18 Kind of lizard (5) 19 Losing ones cool (2,1,4) 21 More than muchness (7) 22 Norse demon (5) Down 1 Of sound (8) 2 Possess (3) 3 Question of Shakespeare (2,2,2,3,2,2) 4 Repeatedly teach (6) 5 Swollen-headed (4-9) 6 Tongue of land (9) 7 Unlit (4) 11 Vehicle for Bill? (6,3) 12 Worldwide crime fighters (8) 15 Xenophobic (6) 17 Yonks (4) 20 Zodiac sign (3)
COURTESY UKPUZZLES.COM
I dont hyperventilate. Hyperventilating is bad. I focus. I get it done. Shane Johnson
ALL PHOTOS KATERINA GONZALES / OREDIGGER 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.
page 12
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
december 3, 2012

Parking Rumors Raise Issues For Students Searching For A Spot

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THE OREDIGGER

The student voice of the Colorado School of Mines

Fighting continues across the Gaza Strip

Astor House Museum is holiday ready

Parking rumors raise issues for students searching for a spot

Mines volleyball ends historic season

A season of holiday shopping begins

Josh Kleitsch, Staff Writer

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The Football Informant Sixty Minutes Away

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I dont hyperventilate. Hyperventilating is bad. I focus. I get it done. Shane Johnson

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