The Rocky Mountain Collegian, Tuesday, February 26, 2013

COLLEGIANT H E R O C K Y M O U N T A I N

Tuesday, February 26, 2013Fort Collins, Colorado Volume 121 | No. 110

www.collegian.comTHE STUDENT VOICE OF COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1891

THE SILENT CRIMEON COLLEGE CAMPUSESDOMESTIC VIOLENCE EXPERTS MAKE NOISE

When it comes to domestic violence, numbers can be deceiving.

According to Sgt. Lonnie Chavez of the Grand Junction Police Department, domestic violence cases do not paint an accurate picture by them-selves, because the incidents are not crimes –– they are crime enhancers. The term refers to a domestic

violence charge that can only be attached to another crime, such as bat-tery, assault or stalking.

In addition, many domestic vio-lence cases go unreported.

“Seven out of 10 [people abused] will say that nothing happened, that it was just an argument,” Chavez said. “It makes it diffi cult, because we can’t do anything, and we know it is happening, but there is nothing we can do [if they don’t report it].”

According to law enforcement and academic offi cials, the statistics fl uctu-ate according to the size of the university.

“Domestic violence is in every eth-nic, socio-economic background,” said Fort Collins District Attorney Emily Humphrey. “It doesn’t matter if you are educated or a male or female, domestic violence has been around.”

“People don’t think that the crime can happen, but it does. It happens all the way up: race, age, education,” Humphrey said. “Whatever work you do, whether you work a six fi gure job or work minimum wage, domestic vio-lence doesn’t care.”

That includes students. “I see a lot [of campus domestic

violence cases]. That doesn’t mean it’s happening any more than anywhere else. It’s kind of a silent thing,” said Casey Malsam, CSU Women and Gen-der Advocacy Center advocate. “People assume you wouldn’t be dating some-one who is violent, so then when you fi nd yourself in that situation it’s hard to be like, ‘This isn’t going well for me.’”

For students on campus, observing

the signs of domestic violence is diffi -cult because of the oftentimes unno-ticeable nature of the crime.

“Students are the most at risk for dating violence, because they aren’t experienced to see what red fl ags there are, and what is dangerous and abu-sive,” said Linda Johnston, director of the Ending of Violence Against Women Project. “It can be subtle. People think it has to be physical, but it can be verbal — it is just a different form of abuse.”

Because students do not always know what is normal in a relationship, according to Johnston, the offenders can make excuses for the abuse with reasons like love, and often blame the victim for bringing on the abuse. For this reason, many domestic violence crimes do not get reported because the victim will be fearful to report or leave the offender.

“Domestic violence is about power and control that a person wants over another person,” Johnston said. “It is diffi cult to get out of because you don’t know how far the offender will go to punish you for leaving or reporting. Many stay out of fear, and they hope that it will change because it doesn’t often start this way. People don’t want the relationship to end, just the abuse.”

Another problem that offi cials like Malsam see is that society does not always judge domestic violence for what it is.

See VIOLENCE on Page 8

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY HUNTER THOMPSON | COLLEGIAN

By KATE SIMMONSThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

The CSU student govern-

ment constitution requires its chief of staff to be a full-time student –– but its current occu-pant is only taking one credit at the university after having graduated in fall 2012, consti-tuting a direct violation of the Associated Students of CSU’s foundational doctrine.

“I’m the glue,” said Chief of Staff Robert Duran. “(The posi-tion) is the backbone of our or-ganization ... I believe strongly in what ASCSU provides the CSU community and it’s be-

cause of that pas-sion and drive I have for the or-g a n i z a -tion that I chose to con-tinue my e d u c a -tion and r e m a i n

on staff despite graduating and receiving job offers. I still com-mit 100 percent to this organi-zation and what it means to be chief of staff.”

See CHIEF on Page 6

Chief of Staff notqualifi ed

ASCSU

By TAYLOR PETTAWAYThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

DURAN

By KATIE O’KEEFEThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

Last week, the Colorado House of Representatives passed four gun control bills, including one that would ban concealed carry on college campuses throughout the state.

Today, the Associated Stu-dents of CSU Government Affairs Department will hold a forum on the Lory Student Center Plaza from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., that will allow students to give their opinion on the bill.

“We kind of want to take a stance on [the issue] as ASCSU representing the body of the students, but we fi rst need to gauge how students feel on it,” said Lindon Belshe, director of governmental affairs for ASCSU.

See FORUM on Page 6

Finish the sentence: Conceal carry is...ASCSU o� cials hosting forum on LSC Plaza

Constitution: student must take more credits

theSTRIPCLUB

� e Strip Club is written by the Collegian sta� .

Dieting fads have become a multi-billion dollar in-dustry over past decades. Most extreme diets come with knowledge that they can have... fascinating results. Here are some from which you should probably steer clear.

Ramen noodle dietPopularized by poor (and busy) students, this diet comes from kiddos complaining about a lack of su� cient funds, which result in a grocery list entirely com-prised of Ra-men noodles.

Extreme diets you should

avoid like the plague

� e alchy diet

While many students complain about never having enough money for food, funds for alcohol never seem to be lack-ing. Morning Bloody Mary’s to cure your hangover, a� er-noon mojitos and the evening case of beer are required for the ever popular, yet highly un-recommended, alchy diet.

� e hip-ster diet

You probably haven’t heard about it, but a hipster diet consists of PBR, organic and fair trade co� ee (black of course), and the occasional American Spirit.

� e alchy

$ $CHURCH AND M O N E Y

PAGE 4 & 5

THE P LEOLITHIC

DIET NEWS | PAGE 3THE ALPHA CENTER: CSU’S PREGNANCY PROBLEM

OPINIONTUESDAY

2 Tuesday, February 26, 2013 | The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Computer science major Matt Rakel starts a video recording in one of the Rockwell West classrooms for the CIS distance course, that offers digital classes to students from all around the world. Rakel is in the control room, which handles all digital feeds to classrooms in Rockwell.

Hunter tHompson | COLLEGIAN

fort collins focus Community Briefs

Expect to see smoke at Hermit Park Open Space near Estes Park

A news release from Larimer County’s Depart-ment of Natural Resources announced Monday that the recent excess of snow-fall on Sunday allowed for early slash pile burning at Larimer County open spaces. Hermit Park Open Space is scheduled to be first on the list of proper-ties that Larimer County will perform slash burn-ing. The burning started Monday, Feb. 25, and will continue throughout the week near Hermit Park and Horsetooth Mountain Open Spaces, in efforts to prepare for the recreational season. The Department of Natural Resources asks res-idents to not call 911 if they see smoke coming from the slash burning areas.

Global Finance Summit

Colorado State Universi-ty’s College of Business will host an impressive panel of speakers at the Global Fi-nance Summit Friday. The keynote speaker of this half day event is Alice Schroed-er, best selling author of the Wall Street Journal bestsell-ing biography on Warren Buffett.

The inaugural Global Finance Summit at Colora-do State University is free,

but limited to 250 people, and registration prior to the event is required on-line through CSU’s College of Business. Friday’s event will take place from 7 a.m.-1:45 p.m., at the University Center for the Arts, 1400 Remington St., Fort Collins. Presented in three inter-active sessions, the distin-guished Summit speakers and panelists will address questions concerning the current global economy, corporate finance, and in-vestment, as well as prom-ise to spark lively debate.

CSU system hacked Recent attempts to

hack students and faculty of CSU through suspicious e-mails have been reported recently. Numerous peo-ple have received and re-ported a spam email sent with the headline “*Sus-pension Of Your colostate.edu Account*”. This spam email is likely a phishing attempt to obtain person-al information from those who click the link provid-ed in the email. Students and faculty have been ad-vised to immediately delete this email if received, and not to proceed to click the link contained in the email text. Academic Computing and Networking Services is aware of this spam email and is taking the measures necessary to block it.

–Collegian staff report

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This publication is not an official publication of Colorado State University, but is pub-lished by an independent corporation using the name ‘The Rocky Mountain Collegian’ pursuant to a license granted by CSU. The Rocky Mountain Collegian is a 8,000-circula-tion student-run newspaper intended as a public forum. It publishes five days a week during the regular fall and spring semesters. During the last eight weeks of summer Collegian distribution drops to 3,500 and is published weekly. During the first four weeks of summer the Collegian does not publish. Corrections may be submitted to the editor in chief and will be printed as necessary on page two. The Collegian is a compli-mentary publication for the Fort Collins community. The first copy is free. Additional copies are 25 cents each. Letters to the editor should be sent to [email protected].

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Display Advertising | 970-491-7467 or 970-491-6834editor’s note:News Editor Andrew Carrera interned with the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C. this summer. He has removed himself from all political coverage including writing, editing and discussions – this includes the paper’s daily editorial “Our View.”

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Bridal Veil

By MARIAH WENZELThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

Some CSU students, pro-fessors and alumni are obey-ing the dietary laws of our ancestors.

Before modern agricul-ture, before the domestica-tion of cows, humans ate only the simplest of foods that they could gather or hunt: fruits, vegetables, fi sh, grass-ranged animal meats, the occasional egg, nuts, healthy oils and seeds.

Walter L. Voegtlin, a gas-troenterologist, introduced the modern Paleolithic diet in the 1970s as “The Stone Age Diet,” focusing on what foods were available to our ancestors.

“What is available in the natural world to eat?” asked

Loren Cordain, a Colorado State professor in the De-partment of Health and Ex-ercise Sciences, and the cur-rent leading expert on the Paleolithic diet.

According to Cordain, humans have not been around long enough to ad-just to changes in our diet. Salts, pure sugars, most grains and other large crops were not part of our original diet.

“If you knock out dairy, processed foods and refi ned sugars, (overall health) will improve,” Cordain said.

Cordain has conducted numerous scientifi c studies on the benefi ts of diet and health changes, including one studying the effects of diet on acne in the college age group.

“The whole idea behind (the Paleo diet) is: ‘What are the good foods that we are programmed to eat?’ Hu-mans have only had roughly 300 generations to consume dairy products,” Cordain said. “Salts are rare in the en-vironment and must usually be mined.”

Even the most popular foods we consume, such as potatoes, pasta, bread and cheese, were not avail-able to our ancestors. These foods require agriculture and animal domestication, not to mention processing in most cases.

Angel Kwiatkowski, a CSU alumna, mother, and Fort Collins resident, attest-ed to the benefi ts of the diet.

“I was having a lot of headaches and not feeling

well,” Kwiatkowski said. “Now my energy is more consistent, there’s no af-ter-lunch crash, and I sleep better.”

Both her husband and 1-year-old daughter also follow the regime. Kwiat-kowski said the diet is more expensive, incorporating mostly organic foods, and takes a lot more planning and time.

For example, for her most recent Sunday meal, Kwiatkowski ate almond fl our pancakes and bacon for breakfast, vegetable soup with chicken meat-balls for lunch and pork green chili with a cabbage salad for dinner.

She also said she tries to eat what is in season and, up until December, she held a share in a community-sup-ported agriculture program, where she was supplied with

products that grew locally.Aubrey Hilte, a sopho-

more fi sh, wildlife, and bi-ology conservation major at CSU, also follows the Paleo regimen, but for different reasons.

Hilte is allergic to soy, lactose and nuts, so watch-ing exactly what she eats is a requirement — not a choice.

“I like to take care of my body,” Hilte said.

For her, the diet can still be diffi cult, if somewhat less expensive than Kwiatkows-ki’s experience.

As a student, she allows herself more leniencies with the rules, focusing less on grass-ranged meats and more on what is available.

In the school dining halls, she often chooses menu items from the grill and eats lots of fruits and vegetables. Even there, how-ever, she must be careful, be-

cause many of the grills use oils with soy in them.

“You get really hungry. You have to eat a lot,” Hilte said.

The idea of eating more on a diet can be counterin-tuitive, but it is important for those on the Paleo diet.

Hilte is part of a small community of students who follow the regimen. Accord-ing to her, they share rec-ipes and sometimes cook together.

Whether the reason is dietary restriction, weight loss, overall health or just re-turning to human roots, the Paleo diet can be a viable op-tion for all age groups.

“I would rather spend money being healthy than being sick,” Kwiatkowski said.

Collegian Writer Mari-ah Wenzel can be reached at [email protected].

So healthy, a Stone Age caveman could do itDiet as old as time makes appearance in 21st century

The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Tuesday, February 26, 2013 3

The Associated Students of CSU is made up of students that are elected and appointed to represent the voice of the stu-dent body. Not only are they an important organization that ad-vocates for student needs, they also provide a lot of essential, re-al-world experience for CSU stu-dents interested in government.

Recently, however, it was dis-covered that ASCSU’s chief of staff is only taking one credit at CSU after graduating in the fall of 2012, in violation of Article VII, Section 703 of the organization’s constitution, which requires that all elected or appointed mem-bers of ASCSU must remain full-time students throughout the tenure of their appointment.

He’s described as an indispens-able part of student government’s team –– the backbone of one of

the most powerful student groups at CSU, that helps keep the $1.9 million operation running. The unsung hero. The problem solver. The one you’d want to have in your corner when all hell breaks loose.

But that doesn’t mean he’s above the constitution. And it states in no uncertain terms that he does not qualify for the posi-tion of ASCSU chief of staff.

The student government Su-preme Court is responsible for en-

forcing the constitution, but can only do so if an individual brings it to their attention by filing the necessary paperwork. It is incum-bent upon responsible members of student government to do just that. To ignore a blatant violation of the ASCSU Constitution would be tantamount to breaking a con-tract with students, who pay $70 in student fees every year with the expectation that ASCSU governs according to its laws.

Why should constituents pay taxes to a government that chooses to follow some rules and not others?

Ask yourself that very ques-tion, CSU. Because in the end, as they so verbosely proclaim, this is “YOUR” student government. And if they won’t govern them-selves, then maybe you should do it for them.

OPINIONCollegian

Collegian Opinion Page Policy

The columns on this page reflect the viewpoints of the individual author and not necessarily that of The Rocky Mountain Collegian or its editorial board. Please send any responses to [email protected].

Letter submissions are open to all and are printed on a first-received basis. Submissions should be limited to 250 words and need to include the author’s name and contact information. Anonymous letters will not be printed. E-mail letters to [email protected]

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 |

our view

ASCSU, follow the rules

“Why should constituents pay taxes to a government that

chooses to follow some rules and not others?”“The legal system in the United

States is not a toy or a joke.”

This is an unscientific poll conducted at Collegian.com and reflects the opinions of the Internet users who have chosen to participate.

yOUr twO CentS

*11 people voted in this poll.

yeSterdAy’S QUeStiOn:

tOdAy’S QUeStiOn:Are you on the Paelo diet?

Visit Collegian.com to give us your two cents.

How did you grieve for the basketball team?

55% Call Me Maybe. 27% Gagnam Style. 18% Harlem Shake.

LSC construction good for student body

AngelinA BAdAli | COLLEGIAN

By HOlly MAyer

By CAleB HendriCH

The Collegian Editorial Board is responsible for writing the staff editorial, “Our View,” and for the views expressed therein. Letters and feedback in response to the staff editorial can be sent to [email protected].

Greg Mees | Editor in [email protected]

Kevin R. Jensen | Content Managing [email protected]

Andrew Carrera | News [email protected]

Emily Smith | News [email protected]

Hunter Thompson | Visual Managing [email protected]

Kyle Grabowski | Sports [email protected]

Kris Lawan | Design Editor [email protected]

Hannah Glennon | Digital Media [email protected]

Caleb Hendrich | Editorial [email protected]

Emily Kribs | Entertainment [email protected]

27% 55%

18%

Trump vs. Maher: An end to frivolous lawsuit

While some of us are still groaning over the approved stadium construc-tion, I am thor-oughly excited for one of the other constructions currently under-way on campus: the renovation of the Lory Student Center.

The building itself is in better con-dition than some of the other build-ings on campus, but the renovation is serving a purpose beyond new floors and bathrooms; it is enabling the stu-dent organizations to better serve our diverse student body.

Right now, the student organiza-tions are spread all around the build-ing, and some of the organizations are in places you’ll never find unless you are well-versed in your way among the hallways. Because of their location and limited signs directing you on the way, these organizations go unseen by many students.

The other day, I went on a quest to see if I could find every student organi-zation listed on the building directory. It took me me almost 20 minutes to locate all of them, and what’s worse is what I discovered on the way. Some of these organizations are stuffed into closet-sized rooms — like the GLBT Resource Center, ironically enough, which was given that space because they are not funded through the state,

and were one of the last organizations to be established.

Tell me, why it is fair to limit a student organization due to seniority or state funding if they are an integral part of the student community?

On top of odd locations, there are also student resources not even listed. For example, did you know if you are a practicing Muslim you have the ability to do your daily prayers in rooms by the Student Legal Services?

That is why the renovation needs to happen. In the new building, the university is placing all of the organi-zations in one place. That way they are easily accessible to everyone, instead of plopped randomly all over the building. This allows everyone to have access to the organization that best speaks to them while also allowing students to venture into other organi-zations they are eager to learn more about.

For some, this may not be a big deal. But there is a reason why we have designated months celebrating different cultures and histories. It is important as a university to recognize the diversity that we have worked so hard to establish, and to have re-sources available to enrich the college experience for students. For many stu-dents, this is their first time away from home, and those organizations serve as a home away from home. But unless they know that they’re there, they serve no purpose.

The new location for the organiza-tions will also do amazing things for

student enrollment. This economy is affecting all institutions, so it’s imper-ative for CSU to be top dog. Imagine the good impression it would leave on prospective incoming students if, on their tour, they saw the impressive ar-ray of student organizations. It would ease the minds of the students, as well as the parents who may be concerned about their child not having a place where they feel at ease.

Although we may not be the most diverse campus in this nation, we can still say we have a pretty diverse stu-dent body. I think the new renovation will allow our student organizations and resources to reach more people than they ever have before and be able to work together in a joint effort. I think sometimes we are too busy complaining about what this univer-sity does not have, and we do not pay enough attention to what the school does have.

No place is perfect, but at least our school is taking an initiative to fix something that has long needed fixing, and is putting in effort to put the stu-dents first. And who knows, perhaps in the future we will see even more organizations pop up because there will actually be space for them. The student center really will be a center for the students.

Holly Mayer is a junior English major. Her column appears every other Tuesday in the Collegian. Letters and feedback can be sent to [email protected].

The First Amendment of the United States explicitly protects five things: religion, assembly, petition, press and speech. The free speech clause in the First Amendment can be considered to be one of the pillars of American civil liberties. It encom-passes our right to protest, our right to express our opinions and our right to say what is on our minds (within reason, obviously).

Free speech also carries with it a thorny mess of litigation through

which the boundaries of what counts as “free speech” and what crosses the line. For instance, I cannot yell “fire” in a crowded movie theater because that would be putting other people in danger. I also can’t make a false claim that harms someone’s reputation (i.e. accusing President Obama of being an axe murderer), as that constitutes slander.

What I can do, however, is make a joke about some-one in the public light. Most people generally under-stand that jokes are not meant to be serious, at least in a defamatory sense.

But apparently, according to Donald Trump, jokes made on late-night television constitute legally bind-ing agreements between the comedian and the target of the joke.

The spark for this bout of legal thinking occurred when liberal comedian Bill Maher offered a rebuttal to Trump’s offer to donate $5 million to charity if President Obama revealed his college transcripts. Maher offered to take Trump up on that, if the real-estate mogul/re-ality TV star could produce records that proved that he was not the offspring of an orangutan.

Trump responded to the joke by sending Maher a copy of his birth certificate, along with a letter from his attorney stating that he (Trump) was the son of Fred Trump, and not an orangutan — clearly not getting the joke.

When Maher did not pay up, Trump initiated litigation. Stating to Politico that, “Bill Maher made an unconditional offer while on ‘The Jay Leno Show’ and I, without hesitation, accepted his offer and provided him with the appropriate documentation. Prior demands for payment went ignored by Mr. Maher, despite the fact that the beneficiaries of this suit will ultimately be the charities … who would share equally the $5 million — something I am certain they can desperately use.”

This suit, if indeed Mr. Trump actually takes it all the way to court, is the very definition of a frivolous lawsuit. Jokes are in no way legally binding contracts, and what Maher actually said was the definition of a parody joke. Maher was lampooning Trump’s efforts during the 2012 election season to push the “Birther” conspiracy as a serious campaign issue.

Trump can argue all he wants about how oral contracts are legally binding — which they are, provid-ed that certain circumstances can be proved. In legal terms, an oral contract is valid if the two parties make an agreement with each other, witnesses can testify to that fact, the credibility of both parties is not in ques-tion, and if the course of conduct between the two parties is proven and accepted (that is Party A made a deal with Party B, and the exchange was carried out).

Trump can’t prove any of this. The “contract” was not made in person — with Maher making the sup-posed “contract” to Jay Leno on the Tonight Show, which Trump was not a guest on that night. This means that there aren’t going to be people that can testify to the validity of the exchange. The credibility factor isn’t hard to throw out, because Maher can claim that he is a comedian and was clearly making a joke.

Trump can claim that a course of conduct trans-pired by stating that he met his half of the “agreement” in proving definitively that he wasn’t the son of an orangutan. This won’t win him any points, obviously, because nobody really thinks that he’s half-ape, and there isn’t much to disprove.

The legal system in the United States is not a toy or a joke. Trying to claim that jokes are contracts wastes valuable time and makes it harder for more legitimate free speech cases to be heard.

If Mr. Trump really wants to file a suit against Bill Maher, he should sue for slander or defamation. He’ll get a lot further and be much less likely to end up as even more of a laughing-stock than he already is.

Editorial Editor Caleb Hendrich is a senior jour-nalism and political science double major. His columns appear Tuesdays in the Collegian. Letters and feedback can be sent to [email protected].

Most women in college do not plan on having children before grad-uation. Becoming pregnant as a full-time student can be a pretty shocking and vulnerable situation for anyone to be in. Luckily there are tons of resources both on- and off-campus to help support preg-nant students and inform them about their options.

And then there is the Alpha Cen-ter, located right across from campus at 1212 South College Avenue.

You may remember the Alpha Center from around campus as the group who drew “a heart for every unplanned pregnancy at CSU this year” in the plaza: The people that attempted to put shame into the souls of anyone who has gotten pregnant at CSU this year by making the student body symbolically step on their fetuses for several days.

Strange messaging strategies aside, the Alpha Center is a religiously affiliated and funded organization. That in itself is not a problem. The problem with the Alpha Center is their misleading information about pregnancy and the fact that they are not always very upfront about their pro-life agenda.

For example, the Alpha Center’s website has a list of information for a person considering abortion. The first “fact” listed about abortion, which they refer to as “fetal demise,” is that you probably do not even need to worry about it! Hallelujah!

To directly quote the webpage, “It turns out that a large fraction of all pregnancies, about 1 in 4, will end naturally without any intervention.” This might be true if you are 45 years old. It is in fact far less likely that the typical CSU student in the 18-22 age range will miscarry. Women under 35 only have a 15 percent chance of mis-carrying. I am confident that the medically trained staff at the Alpha Center knows this.

Pro-tip: don’t count on a natural miscarriage. The Alpha Center is strictly pro-life. They do not give

out any information about abortion clinics even if abor-tion is the decision that you come to after their pregnan-cy counseling sessions. They are lying when they say that they are a “comprehensive support system to help you explore all of your options.”

Just like parenting and adoption are options, abortion is also an option for pregnant women. Whether legal or not, it has always been an option. Abortion will always be an option. Disregarding this fact while simultaneously claiming to be a resource for all pregnant women to explore all options is a deceitful attempt to take advantage of women in vulnerable positions. They are welcome to provide a narrow, religiously-tailored counseling option — which is, in fact, what they provide — but to offer limited advice while promising a comprehensive approach is, to say the least, misleading.

The scariest thing about the Alpha Center is their advertising around campus and the fact that they are not honest about the fact that their services are strictly limited relative to other organizations.

They do a great job advertising. They give out pregnancy tests with their name and phone number. They give out pamphlets. They write their number all over campus. What they do not openly advertise around campus, however, is the fact that they are religiously affiliated and pro-life.

Deception is always a shady way of winning over customers, but it’s especially obscene since the Alpha Center markets directly to pregnant students.

I am genuinely glad that the Alpha Center exists. I am glad that Christian students who get pregnant and do not want an abortion have somewhere to go for support. I am glad that the Alpha Center exists so that people have a place to turn when they feel comforted by praying after an STD test. In this sense, it is a great resource.

That being said, the Alpha Center needs to stop lying to CSU students and Fort Collins residents. When they advertise around campus, they need to be honest and direct about their religious affiliations, their agenda to save fetuses from “demise,” and the incomplete nature of their services.

An estimated 22 percent of pregnancies in the United States end in abortion, and more than one-third of all women will have an abortion at some point in their lives. There is no shame in abortion; don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

If you are pregnant and considering an abortion, do not go to the Alpha Center. Likewise, if you are pregnant and looking for honest and unbiased facts about your options, do not go to the Alpha Center.

Tyanna Slobe is a senior English and Spanish double major. Her column appears every Tuesday in the Colle-gian. Letters and Feedback can be sent to [email protected].

If the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was con-vincing the world he didn’t exist, Jesus may have one-upped him by convincing

the world he shouldn’t pay taxes.

Recent history has been an anomaly for the U.S. in regards to financial matters. We have born witness to market crashes, bank bailouts, historic bud-get deficits, insurmountable

national debt, fiscal cliffs and now the latest frenzy, sequestration.

For those less familiar with this economic kraken, sequestration was agreed upon by Congress to incen-tivize the deficit reduction committee towards finding a fiscal solution. This “incentive” comes in the form of heavy automatic slashes in universal federal funding.

In unsurprising fashion, a viciously partisan U.S. Congress has failed to reach common ground on the $1 trillion in cuts over the next decade. The lack of compromise will therefore lead to an auto-matic, across the board, $1.2 trillion cut in defense and domestic programs starting March 1 if a com-promise is not established.

With the ominous implications that the widespread cuts would bring, possibly shocking the economy into reversing any sort of recovery, it spurs a deeper explora-tion into where revenue can come from, and thus raises the question: Should we tax religious institutions?

This idea is anything but novel, and historically we’ve leaned in favor of allowing churches to main-tain their tax-exempt status.

In the 1970 Supreme Court case, Walz vs. Tax Commission of the City of New York, it was de-termined that the tax exempt status for religious institutions created a minimal connection between government and these organizations, thus best upholding separation of church and state.

The separation of church and state has been a pillar of American beliefs since creation, finding roots in our very First Amendment, and has been reiterated time and time again, such as by the 1954 Johnson Amendment that banned pastors from discussing candidates in the pulpit in scriptural context. But how separate are they really?

Despite various legal and regulatory barriers to prevent the breakdown of this ethos, we frequently see contradictions in our legislature and politics.

The legality of marriage between two people of the same sex is still under question, because it allegedly defaces the sanctity of marriage in cer-tain beliefs. We still have elected officials that seek

outright abolishment of abortion on the basis that pregnancy is allegedly by divine accord. We still have disputes about evolution versus intelligent design in education because of religious convention.

Religion and policy are inherently correlated because of their moral influence. To refute any taxes on churches because it maintains disconnection of legislation and religion is naïve; we have already crossed that bridge.

With concern to tax policy on religious institu-tions, there are several components to contemplate. If all church income and assets were considered, taxing these institutions has potential revenue in the ballpark of $71 billion, according to Ph.D. Ryan Cragun of the University of Tampa.

We classify churches as charitable organiza-tions. While many give generously, the qualifica-tions for some are debatable. For instance, the Mor-mon Church has earned this title, though it spends, roughly, only about 0.7 percent of its annual income charitably. Contrast this to, say, the American Red Cross, who spends 92 percent.

Other organizations tote larger statistics; the United Methodist Church spends almost 30 percent on charity. To put this in scale though, Walmart spends about $1.75 billion annually in charity through foodaid, over 29 times that of the United Methodist Church, and almost twice as much as the Mormon Church has in the last 25 years.

The money that churches, mosques, syna-gogues, etc. spend charitably should remain tax exempt, of course, but where is the line of public in-terest and private activities drawn? Are we creating separation of church and state? Or are we creating lofty and vague loopholes?

Former White House staffer Jeff Schweitzer val-ued church property in America at anywhere from $300 to $500 billion. This could create in excess of $7 billion in property tax revenue.

By excluding religious organizations from consid-eration in property taxation, yet still enforcing their rights to property, we effectively create a subsidy rath-er than disconnection from government and church-es. One cannot possess a benefit of the collective, while not bearing any burden and claim isolation; a relationship of preference has formed by definition.

To tax a religious entity is by no means a move against it or anything that it stands for. To separate and more explicitly identify what gets classified as charitable is to correct an oversight and serve the public of all faiths, or lack thereof.

Bryce Liedtke is a senior finance major. His columns appear every other Tuesday in the Collegian. Letters and feedback can be sent to [email protected].

Collegian

The pregnancy problem at CSU: The Alpha Center

Yays and NaysYaY | to Argo and Ben Affleck, congrats on winning Best Picture.

NaY | to ice. Snow is great, but slipping and sliding to campus isn’t.

Yay | to ski season. It’s been gone far too long. Time to hit the slopes.

NaY | ASCSU. Read your own constitution some time.

YaY | to Spring Break. It’s nearly here; hang in there Rams.

NaY | to the workload. Break can’t get here fast enough.

By BrYce Liedtke

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 |

collegian Opinion Page Policy

The columns on this page reflect the viewpoints of the individual author and not necessarily that of The Rocky Mountain Collegian or its editorial board. Please send any responses to [email protected].

Letter submissions are open to all and are printed on a first-received basis. Submissions should be limited to 250 words and need to include the author’s name and contact information. Anonymous letters will not be printed. E-mail letters to [email protected]

OPINION Tuesday

iLLustratiON BY aNNika MueLLer | COLLEGIAN

Tax ThePuLPit

s

By tYaNNa sLOBe

“Pro-tip: don’t count on a natural miscarriage.”


Continued from Page 1

Belshe said the forum will be the exact same set-up as the one that was held last Friday on the Plaza. Stu-dents will be able to fi ll out a survey consisting of three questions and a comment box. The data from the sur-veys will be compiled into a statistical database, then used to assess student opin-ion on the proposed ban.

According to Belshe, ASCSU will present its fi nd-ings to the student Senate on Wednesday, and an ASC-SU Senate Resolution will be introduced supporting the fi ndings.

Freshman zoology major Amber Hines said students should be allowed to carry concealed guns on campus.

“As a female student and being kind of small, I feel kind of defenseless and I have a lot of late classes and labs,” she said.

It’s not going to be a stu-dent who is concealed car-rying who is going to be the problem. It’s going to be some [person] that doesn’t care about the rules that’s going to come and cause the problem [and] I want to be able to de-fend myself in that.”

While all Republicans in the Colorado House voted against each of the four bills, some Democrats also voted against stricter gun control laws in Colorado. The four bills will now make their way to the Colorado Senate, where their futures will be determined.

Phil Belden, sophomore geophysics major, was also against the concealed carry

ban. “Personally, I believe that

if there’s somebody that is of the mindset that they want to infl ict harm to other peo-ple, we should have an even footing instead of being de-fenseless in that situation,” Belden said. “People who want to hurt people have a bat, a knife, a gun — any-thing like that — and if you take away people’s ability to defend themselves or even give them a disadvantage, it’s the possibility of more harm to innocent people.”

Kelsey Maez said she thought the concealed carry ban is the right decision.

“We are here to learn, not to worry if the kid next to us is carrying a weapon...Keep mace in your bag, a whistle on your keyring, buddy up, all those tips law enforce-ment give. A gun isn’t the answer, especially not on a college campus,” Maez said.

Beth Sonnema, junior art history major, said she thinks banning guns from campus is not the answer.

“It’s a misdirected solu-tion for a bigger problem than just one single cam-pus,” Sonnema said. “And that’s just my personal opin-ion, that we need to look at something beyond saying ‘no to this’ and ‘yes to this.’”

Students interested in giv-ing their opinion on banning concealed carry from college campuses in Colorado, or those who would like more information about the bill, are encouraged to visit the forum today on the LSC Plaza.

Collegian Writer Katie O’Keefe can be reached at [email protected].

FORUM | Bipartisan angst for gun bills

CHIEF | It’s the Supreme Court’s move nowContinued from Page 1

When he originally ap-plied for the position, Du-ran said he disclosed that he would be graduating mid-year. According to ASCSU President Regina Martel, his hiring and the subsequent violation of student govern-ment constitution was an oversight.

“We’re not trying to be shady. This is something we didn’t see,” Martel said. “We don’t want to do some-thing to purposely violate the constitution.”

In a separate interview, Duran maintained that his employment was not in vio-lation of the ASCSU constitu-tion, citing section 305, which states that “all executive posi-tions must remain members of ASCSU as defi ned in Arti-cle I, Section 102, and remain in good academic standing with the University.”

Section 102 defi nes ASCSU members as every CSU student taking at least one credit. Duran argues that this is what allows him to stay in offi ce.

But while the chief of

staff position must be fi lled by a one-credit student, he or she must also be taking at least 12 credits, according to section 703: “Every elected or appointed member of ASCSU must remain as a full-time student in good academic standing through the spring and fall semesters of his or her term of appointment.”

Duran said that section 703 of the ASCSU constitu-tion does not apply to his position and he said the wording in the constitution is up to interpretation.

“The cabinet is not elect-ed –– we’re appointed,” Du-ran said. “I think 305 corre-sponds with my job, not 703.”

Some members of the student Senate may have been under the same as-sumption, Martel said. On Sept. 26, 2012, the legislative body approved Duran’s job description, which required the chief of staff to only take one course credit while in the position –– despite the fact that the constitution re-quires ASCSU members to take 12 credits while serving in appointed positions.

Regulations aside, Martel

said the current chief of staff is an invaluable member of the ASCSU cabinet, and los-ing him would prevent her team from completing their objectives by the end of their time in offi ce.

“We found that Rob is such an asset to the orga-nization, and if we were to let him go, our organization could not function as it is now,” Martel said. “At some point, there can’t be a rule for everything, and at this moment he is a tremendous asset to ASCSU.”

Martel said she would like to take measures to pre-vent this issue from coming up for other administrations.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to make sure the consti-tution can be fl exible,” Martel said. “That’s something I’m defi nitely going to look into.”

The student body pres-ident could not say what re-percussions would arise as a result of the constitutional violation, describing it as largely unexplored territory for ASCSU and a learning experience for its student staff.

“I don’t know the prece-dent for this,” Martel said. “There are rules for a lot

of things, and this is one of those things that we didn’t account for and one thing we didn’t see coming.”

College of Liberal Arts Sen. Halden Schnal said that out of all entities within stu-dent government, the ASC-SU Supreme Court would most likely visit the issue. The judicial body is respon-sible for “interpreting, up-holding and enforcing the ASCSU Constitution ... ” ac-cording to their website.

Schnal added that the court could only act upon the constitutional violation after an individual brings it to their attention by fi ling the necessary paperwork.

“I believe that if a new person would come into this position without that knowledge and experience or those personal and pro-fessional relationships, it will be harder for ASCSU to continue in the direction we’re moving,” Duran said.

Student fees pay for ASC-SU salaries and in his posi-tion as chief of staff, Duran receives $2,500 a semester and $5,000 for the entire year.

Senior Reporter Kate Simmons can be reached at [email protected].

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The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Tuesday, February 26, 2013 7

Daily cartoons and games available at Collegian.com. Send feedback to [email protected].

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

RamTalk compiled by Kris Lawan

Winter: The great equalizer. Turning us all into awkward penguins without discrimination.

The lack of toilet paper at my house has proven to be a stong motive for going to campus.

I’d rather be a good liver, than to have a good liver.

Admit it, we’ve all experienced that awkward moment when you’re Snapchatting in the library and a group of people from across the way start pointing at you and whispering.

Submit RamTalk entries to [email protected]. Libelous or obscene submissions will not be printed. While your comment will be published anonymously, you must leave your name and phone number for veri� cation.

Want more?The fi rst RamTalk Book is offi cially in stock at the Student Media offi ce in the Lory Student Center.

Buy your copy for $10, or get one online for your Kindle or Nook.

Find out if you got in!

Text your rants to 970-430-5547.

Follow us on Twitter @RMCollegian.

“Like” us on Facebook. Search for � e Rocky Mountain Collegian.

Today’s Crossword sponsored by:

Today’s Sudoku sponsored by:

Yesterday’s solution

Today’s RamTalk sponsored by:

Daily Horoscope Nancy Black

Yesterday’s solution

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Across1 Leftover bit6 Kitchen meas.10 Highland tongue14 Thrill to pieces15 Commuter’s option16 Cuts short17 “Understood!”18 Egg on19 Debt-heavy corp. takeovers20 Pittsburgh fan base, collectively23 A pop24 Confi rmation or bar mitzvah25 Tons of, casually27 Philatelist’s pride31 Pet welfare org.32 Tie up loose ends?33 Shed a few tears34 “Bus Stop” playwright37 Radar’s favorite drink40 Butter on the farm?43 Windy City trains45 Solemn promises49 Annual political speech54 Appeared on TV55 Penlight batteries56 AFL affi liate57 Commercial interruptions literally found in this puzzle’s three other longest answers61 Just as you see it62 City near Sacramento63 Young neigh sayers65 Adjust, as strings66 Close67 Slippery as __68 Israel’s only female prime minister69 Nile threats70 Toy bear named for a president

Down1 Line piece: Abbr.2 Places to hide skeletons?3 Dilapidated dwelling4 End in __: come out even5 He refused to grow up6 Faithfully following7 Oil units8 Talk with one’s hands

9 Earnest request10 Nixon attorney general Richardson11 Like some of Michael Jackson’s moves12 Advertiser13 Twisty curve21 DMV certifi cate22 Dr. Mom’s specialty23 “This is your brain on drugs,” e.g.26 Unspecifi ed quantity28 12th century opener29 Deighton who wrote the “Hook, Line and Sinker” trilogy30 40-Across mate35 Prefi x with thermal36 Santa’s helper38 Pet on your lap, maybe39 Author Fleming40 Cape Town’s country: Abbr.41 Being debated42 Bond’s is shaken, not stirred44 Comedy genre46 Got a giggle out of47 Raised, as a fl ag48 Nestlé’s __-Caps50 Movie trailer, e.g.51 Boston summer hrs.52 Nuns’ clothing53 Kernel holder58 Rick’s love in “Casablanca”59 Fireworks responses60 Top-shelf61 Way to check your balance, briefl y64 Sneaky

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (02/26/13). Constant monitoring gets you ahead fi nancially this year. Group efforts advance the fur-thest. Fix your place up for happy times at home until summer, when your playful side gets sparked to pursue art, travel, culture or a romantic adventure. Dream muses inspire.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easi-est day, 0 the most challenging.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) ––8–– Allow yourself more quiet time this month. You may as well tell the truth; it saves hassle. Stick to old rules and your schedule to avoid misun-derstandings. Think before speaking.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) ––8–– Dress for power and prac-tice success. Watch for short tempers if you’re going to be late for a family affair (or just be on time). Group activities go well.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) ––7–– For the next month, it’s easier to advance your agenda, especially by listening to other people’s considerations and taking actions to support them. Work smarter and make more money.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) ––7–– You overcome new chal-lenges and set ambitious goals to further you career. A glitch in the communication could rain on your parade. Don’t take it personally.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) ––7–– It’s becoming easier to save, not just now, but for the next month. It’s also easier to make money. Offer a calming voice to a loved one. Rediscover a gift or talent that you have.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) ––9–– You have superpowers to clean up messes now. Move quickly through your stack of stuff and request promised benefi ts. Reassure one who’s eas-ily upset. Add time for the unforeseen.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) ––7–– The days ahead are good for achieving romantic or creative goals. Take action. Keep checking the quality and integrity of the project without ob-session. Play it cool and easy.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) ––8–– Full speed ahead, you’re in high gear and extra lucky. Watch for opportunities at the top; you can be well-paid. But beware, costs could be higher than expected.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) ––8–– Household chores are more enjoyable. Keep home fi res burning by updating fi nances. Gossip could arise ... it would be wise to avoid falling into that trap.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) ––8–– Get off to a quick start. You’re even smarter than usual. Discover hidden resources. Keep on schedule for best results. Visit a local establishment for supplies.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) ––7–– Be patient with a pas-sionate partner and get rewarded. Re-evaluate your work habits for greater fulfi llment. Start a light-hearted fi re under procrastinators.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) ––8–– You’ll feel especially ap-preciated for the next four weeks. Offer corrections to erro-neous assumptions; you may fi nd some resistance. Defend your position with love. It’s important that they know.

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Continued from Page 1

like that is okay because that is how our society is set up,” Mal-sam said. “It has just become commonplace. We can watch a show and see domestic vio-lence happening in front of us and not recognize it.”

“I think this is a prob-lem everywhere, and the fact that we don’t really talk about it,” Malsam said. “It makes it seem like, ‘Oh there is this one case, how did we not stand up for this before?’ Well it just wasn’t in your viewfi nder that particular day. It is there all the time, if you are looking for it.”

Examples, she said, take place in Disney movies like “Snow White.”

“We look at Snow White, when the prince comes up and kisses her while she is asleep,” Malsam said. “And it’s this big romantic moment, but under the law, that kiss is sexual assault because she wasn’t in capacity to say yes or no. So the prince sexually assaults Snow White, but no-body talks about that. So it’s all around us, but if we don’t talk about, we don’t see it.”

On college campuses, for example, many domestic violence cases that offi cials see are more nonphysical, like stalking, verbal abuse or electronic abuse.

According to Chavez, us-ing electronics — like texting and e-mail — creates a prob-lem, because offenders think that it is okay since it is not face to face and people don’t think that it is as threatening via text message.

Like electronic abuse, stalking can be an issue with domestic violence, because even from a distance, the ac-tions are used to control and create fear without violence, Johnston said.

“I think we see a lot of the mental stuff playing out on

campus, like the jealousy is-sues,” Malsam said. “In dat-ing situations, which some-times jealousy is healthy and normal, and sometimes it crosses a boundary into be-ing over-protective, isolat-ing, and manipulative. It is things that make us a little more uncomfortable, but that isn’t to say that there isn’t physical violence that is happening as well.”

For victims, leaving isn’t always the simplest solution to domestic violence.

The complexity with leaving an abusive relation-ship usually stems from fear of what repercussions may come from it for the victim.

Seventy percent of peo-ple who are murdered by their partner are murdered after they leave the relation-ship, because the offender will often feel as if they lost control and try to get it back with force, according to Lau-ra Williams, volunteer coor-dinator at Crossroads Safe-house in Fort Collins.

“It is more than just a deci-sion [to leave],” Williams said. “We like to ask, instead of, ‘Why doesn’t the victim leave,’ ‘Why doesn’t the offender stop beating or abusing her?’ It is a natural instinct to think why don’t they just leave, and it is hard to understand, but it isn’t just as easy as that.”

Offi cials interviewed agreed that education and awareness are key to recog-nizing and helping stop do-mestic violence.

During orientation when fi rst-year students set foot on Colorado Mesa Univer-sity’s campus, employees hold domestic violence pre-sentations. Resident Assis-tants also plan programs to understand and increase awareness about the issue.

“You would have no problem calling in a drunk driver, but you would think

twice if someone grabs an-other,” Chavez said. “[Stu-dents wonder] is it my busi-ness to intervene?”

“[The other hard thing is] if we are paying attention, and we see that a friend of ours is in an unhealthy re-lationship, what do we do?” Malsam said. “We all have this capacity to put on our superhero cape and swoop in and save the day, making the assumption that your friend wants to be saved. Some-times they don’t, or they ar-en’t ready to accept that part of their relationship yet.”

Victims need to make the decision themselves to leave the relationship, and often it will take about seven times and going through a cycle of abuse before the victim leaves for good, Malsam said.

According to Williams, the cycle takes place in fi ve stages — the healthy rela-tionship, tension building, an abuse incident, the make-up or “honeymoon” and the calm relationship.

The best thing a friend can do is listen, give support and be patient — no mat-ter what decision the victim makes, Malsam said.

“We try to encourage folks,” Williams said. “No one gets to abuse anyone. It is not your fault if you are getting abused by your part-ner; you don’t deserve it. Emotional and verbal abuse is still abuse.”

Malsam said that stu-dents should be cautious about going to the authori-ties if the victim is not in im-mediate danger.

“It can be raise the danger levels for the victim,” Malsam said. “What I mean by raise the danger level is that if the police are called to a domes-tic violence situation, and say the aggressor is removed, they are most likely going to be reunited. Whether it is the

victim who called or not, the aggressor will act out again.”

By educating the public about domestic violence, more people learn about resources that are available, and are able to see the warn-ing signs or the cycle in order to help give support or leave an abusive relationship.

According to Williams, because college students are experimenting and learning to develop adult relation-ships, outside infl uences play a large role in shaping the idea of a healthy relationship.

“We are infl uenced by friends, family, and the me-dia about what is a healthy relationship, or a romance we want to have,” Williams said. “And if we don’t have the education, that is all we end up experiencing. It is important that young peo-ple know that they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and the more

we educate our young peo-ple about what to look for, the better off we will be.”

The WGAC and Cross-roads Safehouse provide many resources for CSU stu-dents and the Fort Collins community, for thowse who are involved in or witnessing domestic violence.

“I think students fi nd themselves dealing with things in college that they need help with,” Malsam said. “We can do crisis in-tervention and help people manage their day-to-day life, because it can be diffi cult. When you are dating, you tend to have similar friend groups, what happens when you are no longer together and the friends chose a side, it gets complicated, things get messy. We are here to help navigate some of that.”

Collegian Writer Taylor Pettaway can be reached at [email protected].

VIOLENCE | O� cials: education, awareness key to preventionBY THE NUMBERS

One in fi ve females report being physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.

People between the ages of 18-24 are most likely to be victims of domestic violence.

One in fi ve couples report violence in their relationship.

Report violence from a current partner.of students

of students

Report violence by a previous partner.

21%

32%

SOURCE: from the Colorado Judicial Branch State Court Administrators Offi ce and the National Center for Victims of Crime

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WORK WITH INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?

ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT INTERCULTURAL EXCHANGE?

Become a Cultural Mentor!

THEN THE CULTURAL MENTOR PROGRAM MAY BE A GREAT FIT FOR YOU!

Cultural Mentors serve as peer advisors to international students in order to help them transition and adjust to life and culture in the US.

To apply and learn more please contact Delma Ramos at [email protected] or Visit

http://isss.colostate.edu/index.asp?url=cultural_mentorsALL students (International AND American) are welcome to apply!

Applications are due March 8th!

The office of International

Programs is currently

accepting applications for

its volunteer leadership

Cultural Mentor Program.

The Rocky Mountain Collegian, Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Documents

Transcript of The Rocky Mountain Collegian, Tuesday, February 26, 2013