the oredigger issue 16 - february 11, 2013

7/29/2019 The Oredigger Issue 16 - February 11, 2013

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T H E O R E D I G G E RVolume 93, Issue 16 February 11, 2013

The student voice of the Colorado School of Mines

Pole vaulting

does well at

track meet

Sports 10

w w w . O R E D I G G E R . n e t

Opinion 11

Features 5

News 2

Satire 12

Be prepared

for Spring

Career Day

BCM helps

inner city kids

through hikes

How much

warmer will the

Earth get?

Beef, its whats

for dinner.

Or is it?

Mines alumnus Benjamin Tes-chner was featured in the Henne-bach-MIPER guest lecture serieswith his presentation surroundingthe effects of large-scale geologicexploration efforts in undevelopedareas of the world. MIPER, orMaster of International PoliticalEconomy of Resources, is a Colo-rado of School of Mines exclusivedegree, and this degree focuses

on offering engineers and scientistsspecialized knowledge surroundingan intricate global economy.

Teschner graduated from Minesin 2008, and achieved his mastersin 2011. Since that time he hasworked for the international min-ing and resources company, GoldFields. The company has opera-tions on nearly every continent, but

Teschne r was sta tioned in Mal ias a geological consultant for theresources development program.I use both of my degrees fromMines on a daily basis, said Te-schner. Part of his responsibilitiesas an expatriate in Mali includedinteractions and leases with thelocal village leaders and govern-

ment officials. Gold Fields andTeschner worked to establish sus-tainable relationships with localsthrough community developmentand shared value. Sanitation andfarming projects were initiated inthe rural areas of southern Maliwhere Teschner worked.

Additiona lly, Teschner was in-volved with the building and reno-

vation of schools for the YanfolilaProject of Southern Africa, whichis explicitly an exploration endeavorat the present time (currently nomining). Thousands of meters oftesting samples have been drilledso far, said Teschner. Despite this,the infrastructure is pretty poor inthis area. Medics in Mali are he-roesthey do a lot with very little.

Teschner refers to the time pe-riod of building the community andexploratory drilling as the GoodOld Days, referring to the time

beginning around June 2011. How-ever, on March23, 2012, every-thing changed.In Mali, there isa rebel groupin t he no r t hknown as the

Tu a re g , whohave wrestled for independencesince the 1960s, said Teschner.Rebellions of the Arab Springand the fall of Muammar Qadda

resulted in the Tuareg receivingarmaments and thus some power.President Amadou Toumani Tourexperienced a non-violent, almostaccidental coup dtat led by a lowranking Amadou Sanago of the

Malian military. Sanago believedthat the president was not ad-equately addressing or dealing withthe Taureg. Tour left the country,and Sanago assumed full power,despite his inexperience.

The situation complicated evenfurther as radical Islamic groupsaligned with the Tuareg, and thisrebellion, although highly unstable

and factioned, gained some mo-mentum and began taking overcities, such as Timbuktu. Theydeclared their conquered land Aza-wad, and again there was very littlebloodshed, as the Malian militarywas seen removing their uniformsand eeing in some cases, said

Teschner.This turmoi l was occurr ing in

the Northern part of Mali, while theGold Fields operation is situatedin the very south of Mali, sepa-rated from Guinea by only a river.

However, this turmoil and strugglefor power didaffect the proj-ect. Safety ofthe emp loy-ees, explora-tion licenses, incountry capi-tal, and new

government all became majorconcerns, said Teschner. Also,the withdrawal of internationalaid in the country stressed non-government organizations andlocal government officials. Hos-pitals and police stations wereunderfunded. The importance ofmining escalated to produce rev-enue to sustain the functionality in

the area. At this point, Gold Fieldsdonated $50,000 to the End Fund,which combats tropical diseases,said Teschner. And to prove theirdedication to the community, GoldFields continued their sustainabledevelopment programs, ratherthan eeing the fragile conditions.

However, there was a need toupdate crisis management plans

and to evacuate expatriates asthe conditions are threatening forforeigners, as demonstrated by afatal hostage event in Algeria, justnorth of Mali.

As the Tuareg and rebel groupsadvanced the borders of Azawadeven further south, the Frenchmilitary began to intervene, and theFrench efforts pushed the Tuaregback north. The French managedto recapture Timbuktu, which dras-tically changed the perspective andlong-term situation in Mali.

Despite all of the conicts inMali, Gold Fields was able toremain successful, and arguablyflourish during these desperatetimes. None of their operationswere adversely affected directly,with their keys to success beinga large portion of the reason why.We trained and hired local staff,maintained positive relationshipsand full transparency with ourethics policies, said Teschner.He and the company now look tothe future for Mali. There are manyquestions in play: Will the Tuaregutilize guerilla tactics in the south?Will the French gain full control ofthe North? Will democratic elec-tions continue in July? Will hostage

events become common? Thereis a lot of uncertainty and specula-tion, but Teschners delayed returnto Mali suggests the country andthe area still has many issues toaddress. However, positive effortslike those from Gold Fields andemployees like Teschner work toenhance the state of affairs in thispart of the world.

Developing Gold Fields in MaliEvan Ford

Staff Writer

Infrastructure is pretty poor

in this area. Medics in Mali

are heroesthey do a lot

with very little.

COURTESY ROMSKI

Despite raising political conicts with rebel groups, Gold Fields has been able to continue their exploration of Mali.


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Oredigger Staff

Katie Huckfeldt

Editor-in-Chief

Deborah GoodManaging Editor

Steven WooldridgeWebmaster

Barbara AndersonDesign Editor

Lucy OrsiBusiness Manager

Ian MertzCopy Editor

Taylor PolodnaAsst. Design Editor

Connor McDonaldAsst. Web Master

Arnaud FilliatAsst. Copy Editor

Trevor CraneContent Manager

Stephen HejducekContent Manager

Katerina GonzalesContent Manager

Jared ReimerContent Manager

Emily McNairContent Manager

David TauchenFaculty Advisor

Headlines from around the worldLocal News

Josh Kleitsch, Staff Writer

Josh Kleitsch, Staff Writer

Stony Brook, New York - A deepstudy into mammal physiology and ge-netics revealed the ancestor of all pla-cental mammals. Placental mammalsare mammals that give birth to youngin much the same way as humans. Theresearch group responsible for the studybegan by assembling a massive data-

base of genetic traits from 86 differentspecies of placental mammals, thencompared the various species-specic

traits in an effort to nd common threads.

Wallingford, United King-

dom - Ants are commonlyknown to communicate viapheromones, or special scents,that inform other ants about theirsocial status, alert them to apredator, or guide them to food.Until recently, scientists believedthat ants did not communicateany other way than by the use ofthese pheromones. A few yearsago, however, scientists study-ing various species of ants foundthat they make noise.

Bonn, Germany - Coral reefs, built of calcium carbonatedeposits excreted by tiny organisms on the ocean oor, are in

danger of being dissolved away by the increasing acid contentof the oceans. There is hope, however. New studies performed

by a group from the University of Bonn, Germany, show thatthere is an ancient microbe that generates signicantly more

calcium carbonate per square foot of ocean oor than the coral

microbes, and are much more resistant to the increasing acidity.

Cambridge, United Kingdom - Humans are notthe only species capable of knowing what another oftheir kind is thinking. A group of researchers from Cam-bridge, England, who have been studying Eurasian

Jays have come to the conclusion that they must sharethe same type of intuition that denes human relation-ships. The male jay, when feeding his mate, appears tosense that she wants to eat some other type of insect,and will thus provide her with those instead.

United Nations refugee agencyofcials are conrming that over

5000 people are leaving Syria

every daynow, which is a massiveincrease from the numbers in De-cember. Some 260,000 already re-side in Lebanon. The total number ofpeople who have ed Syria has now

topped 780,000, with many moreto come as a result of the ghting in

and around Damascus.British food supplier Findus has

been selling frozen horse meatlabelled as beef. Others have com-mitted similar offenses over the past

few months, but none to the extentof selling something entirely made ofhorse meat. The British public hasraised a strong outcry against theaction, due to deep cultural inhibi-tions against eating horse.

After many weeks of difcult ne-gotiation, the European Union hasnally agreed to a new budget forthe next seven years. The EU coun-tries have vast differences to over-come in reaching any agreementas to a budget, and in light ofthe signicant economic peril

that faces Spain, Greece,and Italy, countries such asGermany had consider-able motivation to reacha consensus.

High-ranking of-cials in the Obama ad-ministration are stand-ing before a Senatecommittee to explainhow the Central Intel-ligence Agency usesdrones in targeted

strikes against ter-

rorist groups andknown militants. Thecommittee seeks to de-

termine the legality of the way thesedrones are used, and the secrecy inwhich they operate.

Deep divisions in opinion overhow to approach the Syrian rebelsituation is making decision makingdifcult for the Obama administra-tion. Senate Armed Services Com-mittee members are not approvingmilitary action on the behalf of theSyrian rebels. Senator John McCainhas repeatedly advised sending mili-tary support to groups of rebels whohave been carefully screened byU.S. military ofcials.

The U.S. Postal Service posteda $1.3 billion loss for the rstquarter of the 2013 scal year, adrop from the $3.1 billion loss overthe same quarter of last year. Postalservice authorities hoped that the

holiday season would curb the loss-es that they have been facing, butrising fuel cost and lower overall mailvolume due to the faltering economyhas forestalled their progress.

Tunisian opposition leaderChokri Belaid was murdered byan unknown gunman last week, re-sulting in widespread protests anddemonstrations. Opposition partymembers claimed that the Islamistparty ordered the killing, an allega-tion the Islamists denied.

A recent study that shows only18 percent of Zimbabwe children

passed the nations standard-ized test. President Robert Mugabeblames the deplorable passing rateon the years of turmoil and nancial

problems that resulted from the po-litical tension of the last decade.

The Dolores County SchoolBoard voted unanimously to al-

low a district superintendent andthe Dove Creek High Schoolprincipal to carry rearms at the

school. The administrators areto complete a concealed carrycourse and receive a permit fromthe county sheriffs ofce and will

receive an extra $1 salary.Experts predict a 60% in-

crease in trafc on Denver roads

by 2035. The Denver metro areapopulation is expected to balloonfrom 2.3 million people to 4 mil-lion people by that year, which isexpected to drastically increasetrafc and air pollution. Experts

recommend carpooling, biking,or using public transit.

Water experts report it is

nearly impossible for Colorado torecover from its current droughtthis year. 2013 is already worsethan the monumental 2002drought, and 9News quotes oneexpert as saying, Coming out of2012 we cant have another yearlike that on 2013 because therewill be some severe impact. Thesame expert continues, Do yoursnow and rain dances and letshope it gets better from now on.

The Denver HarlequinsWheelchair Rugby Club, CraigHospital, and the City of Engle-wood hosted a Wheelchair Rug-by Tournament this weekend atEnglewood High School. Theevent included two bronze medal

London Paralympics athletesamong the more than 60 com-petitors.

The trial of Frederick Mueller,accused of rst-degree murder in

the death of his wife, came to astand-still as the jury was unableto come to a verdict. Muellerswife, Leslie, was found dead in2008 in a Lake City creek. SheriffRon Bruce contested that Shedrowned.


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Stony Brook, New York -By doing this, they were able toinfer that the ancestor of thesemammals was likely a furry, tree-climbing, insect-eating creatureno larger thana large rat.

The ancestorprobably camearound rough-ly 400,000years after themass extinc-tion event thatwiped out the

dinosaur pop-ulation. Theresearchers speculate that theperiod beginning with this mam-mal was likely the time when newspecies categories were appear-ing rapidly, perhaps on 200,000year intervals.

Wallingford, United King-

dom - At rst they did not know

what the noise meant, but theyhave gradually begun to under-

Students may soon be assured

that they will have their gradeswithin two weeks of assignmentsubmission. USG Sophomoresare spearheading a resolution tothis effect. The resolution, on be-half of the student body, wouldencourage the Faculty Senate tocreate a policy requiring profes-sors to have materials graded andreturned to students within twoweeks of their submission. Theresolution is expected to be unani-mously approved at the next USGmeeting in two weeks. This matterwas brought up by a student pe-tition on the Class of 2015 Face-book page which received over200 names requesting this policy.

This semester, students could

have a say in taxing themselves$165 for a parking garage to beginconstruction immediately, accord-ing to Matt McNew, USG Presi-dent. By popular request fromstudents, the executive council ofUSG has been busy working onobtaining information to push theschool to build a parking garagenear the Green Center, effectiveimmediately. The committee iscurrently researching the mat-ter and plans on educating thecampus about the expected $11million dollar endeavor later thissemester. Students can expectto see a campus-wide survey lat-er this semester to express theiropinions on the matter. Addition-

ally, USG is looking into fundingand the process of installing lightson the north intramural eld.

$40 million has been donatedto the school this year to fundresearch. This amount is doublethe amount from three years ago.Stephanie Bonucci, Board of

Trustees Rep., also announcedthat the Board of Trustees is

campaigning for $35 million indonations this year and obtainedroughly $27 million last semes-ter. These funds go directly back

to the campus to help fund con-struction and academics at Mines.

The Board would also like to put$5 million more towards need-based scholarships for studentswith an ACT score of 32 or higher,above the current Mines averageof 31. Mines also received $14million from the Department of En-ergy for the efforts of a researchgroup in the Materials Departmenton reducing the supply waste forclean energy and recycling materi-als. They will now be working withnational labs on the project.

OrgSync membership forMines is up for renewal and BSOis looking for clubs opinions asto what is good and bad about

OrgSync or if the website shouldbe exchanged for another sys-tem. Additionally, BSO is currentlylooking into the logistics of creat-ing a prayer room on campus forstudents and staff to be able topractice their religious beliefs in aprivate space.

Riding on the Pedestrian Plazamay soon be a legal reality, cour-tesy of the Junior Class. Sam Coo-per announced that Greg Bohlenof Public Safety may support ameasure to allow skateboards andbicycles to be ridden through thepedestrian plaza in off peak hours.

The committee will next meetwith Gary Bowersock of FacilitiesManagement. Numerous students

brought up this matter on USGsWhats Your Beef opinion forum.

RTD fees will not go up forthe next school year, announcedDerek Morgan. An increase wasexpected in light of the new RTDsystem that Mines will be enjoy-ing this April. However, RTD hasno metric to measure how muchstudents will use the new system,

Colorado School of Mines cel-ebrated the second annual GEEEIndustry Panel with impressive in-dustry representation. Companiessuch as Olsson Associates, CH2M-HILL, ARCADIS, and Milender WhiteConstruction were invited to presenttheir company mission statementsand what they look for in job can-didates. Students were able to askthese industry professionals specic

questions regarding work environ-ments, rsum renements, and

were even given the opportunity tonetwork.

GEEE catered specically to ca-reers in Mining, Geology, Civil and

Environmental. A light dinner wasprovided before the companies pre-sented. The rst business to pres-ent was Olsson Associates. Olssonhas 22 ofces in seven states, and

over 600 employees. The companywas founded in Nebraska in 1956.Engineer Chance Uhrich and EmilyHaney from human resources werethe speakers for Olsson, and theyfocused on the integrity and cross-coordination of the Olsson ofces.

Haney said when choosing a job,Focus on the t of a job, not the sal-ary. In regard to Olsson, she added,People want to stay here, and theyhave stayed here.

The next company was CH2M-HILL, which is a global enterprise.

The company name comes fromthe initials of the founders. CH2M-HILL employs 30,000 people in 60countries worldwide. The companyis a client based rm, and their ser-vices span from accounting, humanresources, engineering, and con-struction. Brenden Hedez, Minesalum, was joined by Glynis Williams-

Thompson from human resourcesto inform the students about CH2M-HILL. We are looking for mobilegraduates, and employees will never

be doing the same thing twice, said

Williams-Thompson. Even thoughthe company receives 2000-3000resumes a day, Mines studentshave an advantage in being consid-ered for a job, said Hedez.

Richard Murphy, another Minesalumnus represented ARCADIS.Like CH2HMILL, ARCADIS is alarge international company. Thecompanys US headquarters arelocated in Highlands Ranch, Colo-rado. ARCADIS has catered tomany commercial enterprises sincethe 1800s. ARCADIS breaks downtheir company into four pillars, in-cluding TKI (Technical KnowledgeInformation) and safety. We stresssafety at ARCADIS, and this leadsto a complete reduction of injuries

at work, said Murphy. When look-ing at candidates for a job, Murphyalways asks, What res you up?

The answer to this question shouldbe used to guide an engineers ca-reer search.

The nal presentation came from

Milender White Construction, asmaller Colorado based company.Milender White hires ofce as well as

eld engineers, and employees 70-

90 individuals at a time. Dawn Hartfrom HR and Lou Primak visited forMilender White, and their enthusi-asm and humor was well acceptedby those in attendance. Primak em-phasized that an employee mustbe well-rounded and intelligent tosucceed in the job market.

A common theme from all of thepresentations was a focus on work-life balances and nding the job that

was the correct t for an individual.

The night presented an uncompro-mised learning experience for thestudents in search of internshipsand specic careers in geology and

civil engineering.The companies that attended

this years GEEE Industry Panel pre-sented nearly endless opportunitiesto the students in attendance.

EVAN FORD / OREDIGGER

USG urges real timegrading and more parking

so a fee likely will not occur untilthe 2014 academic school year.Only 2800 students have pickedup RTD passes this semester

from the Student Activities ofce,despite the fact that every studenthas paid for one with their studentfees.

Into the Streets will mostlikely be working with the City ofGolden History District to helpclean up the park and HistoryMuseum this year. Community-at-Large Representative KaitlinHedberg reported that the eventis tentatively scheduled for March23 at 10 am. Participants will likelyreceive free burritos, t-shirts, andfree admission to the museum ata later date.

A senior barbecue in con-junction with the Senior M-Climbwill be happening this spring an-

nounced Aaron Pfeifer, SeniorClass President. The Senior Classis currently looking for help spon-soring the event and for individu-als or groups willing to play music.

Their goal is to make the SeniorM-Climb a huge celebration and alast hoorah for Seniors preparingto graduate.

USG currently has money leftover from reallocations last se-mester. USG has since allowedstudents and organizations torequest money from this fund.

Thus far, students have submit-ted requests to Budget Com-mittee ranging from money forconferences to $20,000 for a sa-loon on campus. After analyzing

the requests, budget committeerecommended two requests tothe USG: $150 was granted tothe Student Alumni Associationto help fund snacks for DiscoverMines Day and $285 was grantedto help offset registration fees forthree students attending an ACSconference in New Orleans laterthis year.

Aaron Pfeifer

Staff Writer

stand the behaviors of the antsand how they appear to commu-nicate using this noise. By rubbingtheir legs against a spiky ridgealong their abdomen, the ants areable to produce a sound that canbe used to communicate withother ants. More recent studies

have alsos h o w nthat ma-ture antp u p a ecan alsocommu-n i c a t elike this,and that

commu-n ica t ion

is likely critical to their survival.Bonn, Germany- As the wa-

ters of our oceans continue towarm, these microbes spreadfarther north and cover morecoastline. As they spread, theybuild reefs along the coasts,providing the same type of eco-logical protection that coral reefsprovide, but in a much more ro-

bust way. The end result of thisnew-old microbe remains to beseen, but it may have a positiveimpact on the planets variousmarine ecosystems.

Cambridge, United King-

dom - In addition to this behav-ior, the jays appear to have someconcept of planning for the future,and not just satiating their imme-diate appetite. To identify whetheror not this behavior was actuallycaring for the other bird, the re-searchers placed the birds in acage and gave them mealwormsand wax y larvae. The Jays pre-fer the wax y larvae to the meal-worms, so if they are purely act-

ing out of their own desires, theywill both eat the wax y larvae.

The male, rather than feeding thefemale a mixture of the two or

just mealworms, fed her the waxy larvae. This would indicate that

he was considering her desiresover his own. Whether this studycan be taken to prove that jaysare capable of some higher intel-ligence or not must still be deter-mined.

Continued from page 2

As the waters of our oceans

continue to warm, these mi-

crobes spread farther north

and cover more coastline. As

they spread, they build reefs

along the coasts

Second annualGEE Panel talksmultiple industries

Students network with company representatives from civil,

mining, geology and environmental industries.

Evan Ford

Staff Writer

EVAN FORD / OREDIGGER


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To stand out at career day, one

should follow a few simple and help-

ful steps provided by the Career

Center to make a better impres-

sion on possible employers. These

tips are not only limited to the the

obvious, like dressing well and pre-

senting oneself professionally, but

are also about doing research on

the company and having a strat-

egy when approaching the various

companies. Just follow these simple

steps to make a good impression at

career day.

The rst step to making a good

impression is doing a little back-

ground work. This consists of look-

ing through the list of employers that

will be present at the fair, which can

be found in the Career Day pam-

phlet. Pick out a list of companies

that would be interesting to talk to

and that t degree specications.

After getting this list, put together a

spreadsheet that organizes informa-

tion about each company.The rst thing to do is to go to

each companys website, apply on-

line, and then research the company

in order to get some general infor-

mation. Record information about

each company in the spreadsheet in

order to later reference it at the fair.

That way, when talking to the recruit-

ers about their own company, they

will see a motivated individual who

cares about their company. Prior to

the fair, print off enough resumes in

order to give two copies to each em-

ployer you intend to talk to. Organize

According to Debbie Behneld,

the recruitment coordinator atMines Career Center, When you

graduate from Mines, 75% of

students who are getting their un-

dergraduate degrees report that

they have had technical experience

in their major. That would include

internships, co-ops, research,

or other opportunities. This trait

benets both graduates and their

employers, as it provides students

with experience beyond just class-

room and theoretical knowledge

about their chosen profession.

There are many systems in place

at Mines intended to help students

nd this highly sought-after techni-

cal experience. Behneld explained

that while talking to companies and

representatives on one of the twoCareer Days during the controlled

recruiting seasons on campus

tends to be the most well-known

method of seeking an internship,

there are other ways students can

nd companies who will give them

this sort of experience. Behneld

recommends Diggernet as the

go-to page for internship, co-op,

and on and off-campus job open-

ings, as well as information about

workshops and information ses-

sions. Events (besides Career Day)

such as company information ses-

sions and on-campus interviews

during the recruiting seasons are

also good ways of getting in touch

with companies who are looking

for interns from Mines. The CareerCenter also has links to further op-

portunities and search engines

designed to look for internships.

Additionally, Behneld pointed out

that one always has the option of

pro-active job searching, which

includes going above and beyond

the systems in place at Mines to

seek a position. Behneld also rec-

ommends undergraduate research

as another method by which stu-dents can gain experience. While

research positions are not usually

advertised on Diggernet, students

can go to the www.inside.mines.

edu website and search centers

and institutes to nd links to all

of the research institutes at Mines

where students can apply for un-

dergraduate research

Behneld then turned the oor

over to the Career Centers assis-

tant director, Lin Sherman, to dis-

cuss co-op opportunities. Co-ops,

which are similar to internships, but

generally last longer, are, accord-

ing to Sherman, a chance to get

greater responsibility and integrate

more with the company, as well as

earn a fairly competitive wage.Co-ops differ from internships

in that they are required to be

equivalent to at least six months

of full-time work, so they usually

take place over at least one se-

mester of a school year. Students

who participate in a co-op can earn

three hours of academic credit

through both their performance

and a technical paper on their ex-

perience. Students can continue

to take academic courses during

their co-op experience, though it

is highly recommended that stu-

dents take a reduced class load,

as their employers will expect them

to spend a lot of time on the job.

Requirements for a co-op include

at least three completed semestersat Mines for most students and two

semesters for transfer students, a

minimum 2.0 GPA and good aca-

demic and disciplinary standing.

Students who are interested in tak-

ing this route are cautioned to plan

CSM students often wonder

why the campus calendar does not

include a holiday for Labor Day, or

why students do not get a full week

off for Thanksgiving. Lara Medley

of the Registrars Ofce answered

these questions at the USG meet-

ing last week as she explained how

the campus calendar is created.

First and foremost, the calendar

is outlined by federal guidelines.

One such guideline requires one

hour of classroom time and twohours of out of class work per

credit hour for fteen weeks per

semester for classes. Labs require

three hours of classroom time for

the same time period. Mines cur-

rently meets this requirement only

by also including times spent dur-

ing nals week.

Second, as employees of the

State of Colorado, the staff of the

campus are required to have 10

holidays throughout the year. New

Years Day, Independence Day,

Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, and

Christmas are holidays recog-

nized by the school. The other ve

holidaysMartin Luther King Day,

Presidents Day, Labor Day, Co-

lumbus Day, and Veterans Dayare all moved holidays that Mines

faculty recognize on the days be-

tween Christmas and New Years,

which gives staff an extended holi-

day and allows the school to save

on utilities costs.

Third, the faculty contract allows

faculty members 75 days a year in

which they are allowed to work on

their research or other endeavors

outside of teaching students.

Finally, the school recognizes

traditional non-class days such as

M-Climb and E-days. Once all of

these criteria have been satised,

the calendar committee looks into

giving students as many conve-

nient breaks as possible.

Medley went on to answer com-

mon questions about the calendar.

Q: Why does Mines not recog-

nize Labor Day?

A: Students voted in 2007 that

they would rather have Fall Break

for two days and therefore have

a longer break and a chance to

catch up on homework than haveLabor Day so early in the year.

Q: Why is Spring Break so

early and not matched with Jeffco

School District?

A: Jeffco schools continually

push their break later in the year.

Students voted they would rather

have spring break during weeks

8 or 9 to break up the semester

evenly.

Q: Why dont we get a full week

for Thanksgiving like some schools

do?

A: The criteria listed above just

dont allow Mines to have this ex-

ibility.

The calendar committee,

which consists of an undergradu-

ate member, a graduate member,three faculty, the Associate Dean

of Life, and the Director of Human

Resources meets every Septem-

ber to discuss the calendar three

years in advance. Additional non-

voting members include the Regis-

trar and the Executive Assistant to

the Provost. Once the committee

approves the calendar, it goes on

to the Provost, and then the Presi-

dent for nal approval.

For students wanting to get

an internship or full time job dur-

ing the upcoming Career Day, the

Colorado School of Mines Career

Center offers a large amount of

helpful advice.To get tips and advice for Ca-

reer Day, The Oredigger talked

with Jean Manning-Clark, the Di-

rector of the Mines Career Center

and Employer Relations, to dis-

cuss Career Day.

Having a successful Career

Day begins beforehand with re-

search and planning. The Career

Centers The Mines Strategy

guidebook says, One of the

most common complaints from

recruiters is that students dont

research their company before

an interview or when they meet

them at Career Day. Research-

ing a company before meeting

with them can be done through

the companys website, as wellas through Diggernet and the Ca-

reer Day Program Guide, which

features all the employers coming

to Career Day. Additionally, the

program guide shows the ma-

jors and years each company is

looking to hire for internships and

jobs.

Company research can be

kept in the pages of a padfolio

for quick reference before talking

with a company representative. A

padfolio can also be used to keep

extra rsum copies. This can be

very useful as it may be neces-

sary to hand out multiple rsums

at a companys booth. Manning-

Clark recommends that if you

plan to talk with fteen compa-

nies, bring twenty-ve copies ofyour resume.

The last item to prepare is

what the Career center calls your

30-second commercial, which

is essentially a vocalized cover

letter.

During Career Day itself, dress

professionally, be prepared, and

act condently. Appearance is a

large part of ones rst impres-

sion, so it is important to be

dressed appropriately, be well

groomed, and be hygienic. Men

should wear either business at-

tire or business casual. Matching

socks, shoes that either match

the outt or are darker, and neck-

ties are encouraged.

For women, wear a blouse orscooped neck shirt, dress slacks

or a skirt no shorter than three

inches above the knee, a suit,

ats or low heels, no open toed

shoes or overly high heels, and

minimal jewelry.

During Career Day, it is a good

idea to lead with a company and

position of lower interest or even

a company of no interest to gain

some practice and condence. It

30 seconds to shinenotes about the companies and re-

sumes in a folder that can be carried

at the fair.

At the fair there are a few point-

ers to follow. The rst pertains to

attire. Men should be dressed busi-

ness casual, meaning a long sleeve

shirt, a tie, and slacks. Ladies should

be dressed conservatively, and be

aware of possible wardrobe mal-

functions. Secondly, have a strategy

on how to approach each booth. If

uncomfortable about approaching a

booth, practice the approach on a

booth that does not hold much in-

terest. When approaching a booth,

one should be condent and know

what they want to say. It is helpful to

have a 30 second commercial pre-

pared to give to the recruiters. After

completing the 30 second commer-

cial, try to get the recruiters to take

a resume and carry on conversation.

After leaving the booth take a few

notes about the recruiter and any

contact information they may have

given.

If during a talk with a recruiter,

a slip-up or embarrassing momentarises, do not sweat it. Move on with

the point, and act like nothing hap-

pened. Showing performance this

way in a stressful situation is also a

good quality to a prospective em-

ployer.

After the fair, it is key to follow up

with recruiters. If a good conversa-

tion took place with the recruiters,

send them a thank you for their time.

This is a good way to stand out and

make sure to still stay on their mind

and to potentially gain an interview.

Bradley Wood

Staff Writer

How to use the

campus calendarAaron Pefer

Staff Writer

Discover internship andco-op opportunities

their remaining semesters after the

co-op, as the experience is likely to

delay students in terms of graduat-

ing on time.

Sherman then let several Minesstudents who have gotten intern-

ship and co-ops share their expe-

riences. Many of them cited the

importance of being yourself both

when talking to and interviewing

with companies and when working

for them, though as senior Andrea

Switzer pointed out, it is a good idea

to be prepared with prior knowl-

edge about the company before

going to talk to its representatives.

Additionally, as both Switzer and

freshman Dilan Orrino proved, it is

entirely possible to get an intern-

ship as a freshman when, as Swit-

zer points out, students do not yet

have the detrimental Mines GPA.

Several of the students recommend

making oneself stand out by follow-ing up with companies and sending

them some sort of thank you after

interviews and discussions. Junior

Madeline Tarasar advised students

to get to know people [at the job]

on a more personal level than just

a working relationship, a senti-

ment backed up by Switzer, who

said that someone who spends

part of the work day talking to their

co-workers stands a much better

chance of being remembered and

offered a job than someone who

stays hidden away and works all

day. Junior Ryan Peck added that

it was important that one work

hard, ask questions and [not] be

afraid to take responsibility. All

of the students who shared theirstories about internships and co-

ops agreed that their time with the

companies had provided them with

valuable experience, a new set of

knowledge, and were worth the ef-

fort.

Jordan Francis

Staff Writer

Career Day tips and tricksis also important to keep in mind

that mistakes will happen. Do not

get discouraged by any sort of re-

jection , especial ly if the rejection

is because the recruiter explains

that the company is not looking

for that major or year. When this

happens, it is important to keep

in mind that almost a third of therecruiters are changed out for

different recruiters for that com-

pany and may or may not be the

people who created the listing. If

this happens, just keep showing

interest, leave a resume, and ap-

ply online.

Many of the companies com-

ing are government contractors,

and as such, are required to have

online applications for their posi-

tions under Ofce of Federal Con-

tract Compliance Programs and

the Americans with Disabilities

Act of 1990.

Even more important than Ca-

reer Day are the days that follow.

Many companies hold interviews

during the week following CareerDay. These can be conrmed

during Career Day itself, found on

Diggernet, or through company

information sessions.

It is also recommended to

send a thank you letter with a re-

sume attached to the recruiters

who came to Career Day. Their

contact information can be found

in the Career Day Program Guide

under the listing for the company.

Ramiro Rodriguez

Staff Writer


5/12

f e a t u r e sfebruary 11, 2013 page 5


Animated shows and movies

have been stereotyped as chil-

drens fare since the 1960s. As

such, few animated lms try tocater to an adult audience even

though adults in the United States

are slowly accepting them. Heavy

Metal is one of those adult lms,and it is an interesting ride from

start to nish.The movie starts with a space

shuttle releasing a car from its car-

go hold and an astronaut piloting

the car to Earth. This is a prime and

well-done example of the trope

Rule of Cool. This establishes themovies tone: just sit back and en-

joy the ride. The astronaut arrives

at a house with a container. He

opens the container in front of his

daughter and the green orb inside,

Loc-Nar, promptly melts him. Loc-

Nar then tells the terried daughtera series of stories that tangentially

relate to him.

The rst story follows a taxi cabdriver named Harry Canyon, who

tries to make it in a dystopian New

York City. He gets involved in a

mobs attempt to acquire Loc-Nar

from a museum curators daughter

and they get sexually involved. The

lm makes heavy use of the roto-scoping technique that make the

sex scenes go right into the un-

canny valley. They stop being sexy

and start being a little creepy after

a while. Despite this, this story is

very engaging with excellent music

from classic rock artists from the

time. The rest of the movie also

has excellent heavy metal and rock

music that ts the atmosphere.The second story follows a

teenage nerd who gets caught up

in another world thanks to Loc-Nar.Once there, he saves a woman

from being sacriced and she re-pays him sexually, which helps

establish how the writers view

women. To be fair, these stories

are based on classic stories from

the magazine Heavy Metal. From

there, Den, the protagonist, em-

barks on a journey to defeat the evil

and perverted leaders of the sec-

ond storys world. Once again, the

uncanny valley makes a comeback

and makes the sex scenes slightly

uncomfortable. Despite that, the

scenery is simply gorgeous, like

with the rst story.Captain Sternn of the next story

is on trial for numerous crimes such

as rape, murder, and a moving vio-

lation. Sternn bribes a witness to

praise his character, but Loc-Nar

interferes and puts Sternns free-

dom, and life, on the line. This story

stops being funny when Sternns

true nature emerges. For once,

Loc-Nars evil machinations try to

do some good. Alas, these good

deeds are for naught. This storys

moral is that sometimes things do

not work out and it presents thatmoral depressingly well.

The next story is by far one of

the best. It involves a B-17 bomber

that takes heavy damage and ca-

sualties during a mission. Thanks

to Loc-Nar, the dead crew turns

into zombies and attacks the pilot.

This story presents the horror of

being on a damaged airplane quite

well in addition to showing how

bad war is with the dead bodies

strewn around the plane. The mu-

sic, done by Cheap Trick, ts thescene well and enhances the story.

The second-to-last story seems

to take up space. It is funny in its

own right, but it distracts from the

narrative ow. It follows a govern-ment agent espousing his belief

that extraterrestrials do not exist

despite strange mutations hap-

pening to the populace. When he

sees a stenographer, Gloria, hav-

ing a piece of Loc-Nar, he attacks

her. Extraterrestrials recall him for

repair, but they abduct Gloria as

well. The agent was placed there

by aliens for no given reason. Then

the story engages in more antics

such as a drug trip and Gloria sex-ing a robot. This bizarre story re-

quires an extensive suspension of

disbelief.

The last story deals with Loc-

Nars ultimate confrontation. First,

he strikes a planet as a giant me-

teor. He corrupts a local tribe of

humans who turn into murder-

ous barbarians. They massacre a

nearby city, and the elders try to

recruit a warrior race, the Tarraki-

ans, to help. They are all extinct ex-

cept for one. Taarna, the silent last

member of the Tarrakians, goes

to help them, but is too late. She

then strives to avenge them and

confronts Loc-Nar and his murder-

ous band. This competes with the

B-17 story for quality and actually

has a strong female lead. She has

gratuitous nude shots, but she still

is a strong presence and gives the

impression that she is very power-

ful despite her demure frame. The

music and the scenery are both

excellent. This story, however, ups

the lavish detail in the movie to cre-

ate something gritty and impres-

sive.

Heavy Metal is a mixed-bag.It has some excellent stories and

some okay ones. It has beauti-

ful scenery but the rotoscoping

makes the characters look odd

even though nothing is wrong with

their designs. The music is excel-

lent and improves the movie signi-cantly. Heavy Metal is an overall

fun romp and a great way to spend

an hour and a half, as long as the

stories are not taken too seriously.

Kyle Santi

Staff Writer

Heavy Metal not to be taken seriously

The saying paying it forward

is one most everyone has heard.

According to Wikipedia, to pay it

forward means to ask the ben-

eciary of a good deed to repayit to others instead of to the origi-

nal benefactor. It is a good theory,

but how many of us actually take

it to heart? Well, for myself and 25

other students here at Mines, this

saying has made a huge impact

on our lives. The pay it forward

concept has been started, and it is

now an experiment of some sort, to

see how far it can spread. The two

people responsible for this spread

are Mines alumnus Hugh Harvey

and his wife, Michelle.

When the Harveys decided to

create a scholarship fund in 2009

with their rst gift of $10 million, itwas important to the couple that

this fund be sustainable. We all

know that no fund is truly endless,

but the idea here is that the legacywill catch on among the scholars

themselves. Through spreading

their unique outlooks on philan-

thropy and humanity, the Harveys

are effectively creating an epidemic

of pay it forward syndrome that is

transmitted through a small group

of students known as the Harvey

Scholars.

I remember receiving the appli-

Amy Ackerman

Guest Writer

cation through email and just get-

ting excited at the thought of it. I

had already applied to so many

scholarships that my patience was

wearing thin. But as I read through

the description of the program, it

seemed perfect for me. My family

is a huge part of my life, and when

my aunt in New York heard that the

prompt was about paying it for-

ward, she sent me a copy of the

movie Pay It Forward. The basic

idea was that a little boy helped

some people, and when they

asked what he would like in return,

his response was, Just pay it for-

ward. Three big favors for three

other people. Thats it.

It seems like a simple concept,

but these things are easier said

than done. The movie gave me a

great starting point, a real under-

standing of what it truly meant to

pay it forward. Fast forward to

April 2011 when I got a phone call

informing me that I had been cho-

sen as a Harvey Scholar. I was ec-

static, to say the least. I would notgraduate with student loans! That

was my rst thought anyway, butafter having met the Harveys and

having been a part of the program

for about two years now, my whole

perspective has changed. I realize

now that the program is equipping

me with more than nancial secu-rity. I have learned so much about

selessness and the contagious-

ness of philanthropy.

Through monthly luncheons and

weekly chair meetings, the program

has become an integral part of my

life at Mines. Each scholar brings

something new to the table. Every

scholar is encouraged to use an

enrichment grant to add to the aca-

demic, professional, and personal

aspects of our college experience.

Whether that be through research

opportunities, study abroad, or

philanthropy in remote parts of the

world, the opportunities are vast.

The program also has a big focus

on service. Different service events

happen every month. Recently, the

scholars served food at the Denver

Rescue Mission and volunteered

with Habitat for Humanity. The

scholars are also establishing a

book scholarship to assist their fel-

low students at Mines.

The book scholarship itself

came about in a very unique fash-

ion. Every student has experi-

enced the painful process of pur-

chasing textbooks. We recognizehow signicant such a scholarshipcan be on an individual level. At

the beginning of the year, an orien-

tation event was held for the new

freshman (all scholars were in at-

tendance), to introduce them to the

program. Towards the end of the

event, Mrs. Harvey surprised all of

the scholars, new and old, with a

gift of $100 each, tasking each of

us with the challenge of using the

money to pay it forward in our

own way. Her emphasis on the

importance of responsible giving

inspired some scholars to contem-

plate pooling their money together

to increase its impact. A group of

us then decided to use our money

to create a book scholarship for

other students on campus. We

used the money from Mrs. Har-

vey in order to establish the initial

funds, but we will continue to keep

the fund sustainable by contacting

local businesses and engineering

rms to sponsor the scholarship forfuture years

By processing applications and

fundraising for future years, we

hope to be truly involved in the

nitty-gritty of philanthropy. It is

amazing to see the program con-

tinue to grow and develop. I came

into the program when there were

only eleven scholars; ve fresh-men, four sophomores and three

juniors. Each year only a few schol-

ars were selected, but with anotheramazingly generous contribution

of $11.2 million dollars, the largestgift in Mines history, the Harveys

expanded the program to accept

about fourteen new scholars each

year. The program jumped from

having twelve scholars to twenty-

six in one year, and fourteen more

will be accepted this spring. This

will support 300 scholars over the

Jonathan Gering has remixed

the Electric Dream, by Mord

Fustang, and the product is an ex-

ceptional, melodious experience.

The odd song title and artist, as

well as the fact that this song is

a remix, may be unappealing to

most. However, it is a feel-good

song that has variety and up-

beats, making it very stimulating.

The origina l song by Mord Fus-

tang is signicantly different fromthis version, but denite similaritybetween the two songs can be

drawn. The title accurately re-

ects the mood and atmosphereof the song, as at times it feels

very dream like, which leaves the

listener in a state of reverie.

The song is seven minutes

and 47 seconds long, which is

long, but far from boring. The

Electric Dream begins as any typ-

ical dance or techno songwith

bass. As the song progresses,

the listener is introduced to a

cheerful and enticing melody.

This serves to segue the song

into the rst drop, which comesafter about two minutes. At this

point, some high pitch beeps are

presented, which are brief, but

somewhat distracting and annoy-

Electric Dream a feel-good remixEvan Ford

Staff Writer

next 25 years, with 60 enrolled at

Mines at any given time.

As the program grows, the

group is capable of doing more.

This year, we became an ofcialstudent organization and have de-

veloped chair positions held by

student members that are geared

toward expanding our reach within

the community. The chairs work

together to keep the program run-

ning smoothly and help develop the

program for the future. The chairs

coordinate internal affairs, commu-

nity service events, scrapbooking

and documentation, alumni/fresh-

man relations, and organize the

book scholarship. The goal of the

program is to keep each scholar

involved and to form a community

of support for one another. As the

program continues to grow, keep-

ing everyone involved is essential,

but difcult. The scholars are work-ing to put a system in place that al-

lows the Harvey Scholar Program

to continue paying it forward.

It is an exciting time to be a partof the program as it continues to

grow and develop. The Harveys

have truly done something amaz-

ing. They have created a legacy of

paying it forward at Mines and in-

spired each scholar to promote the

pay it forward attitude.

Learn more and meet the

scholars at giving.mines.edu/har-

veyscholars.

Harveys pay it forward through scholarship

ing. The song progresses past

this stage after a bit, and returns

to the introductory melody which

functions as a build up of more

to come.

At the halfway point of the

song, at about 3 minutes and

50 seconds, comes the most

interesting and signicant drop.Here, the song almost takes a

different direction, but it seems

to t the style and cadence previ-ously established. Now, the song

becomes dubstep-like, but not

the typical sounds associated

with this genre. The sounds are

unique and strikingly positive,

and are sure to get the listener

into a good mood. A pumping

bassline is still present, and to be

truly enjoyed a listener should be

sure to have quality speakers or

headphones.

After a minute or so of this

sequence, the song pulls back

into a somewhat trance like state,

with a muted melody and an am-

bient glow of sounds. But the

song comes right back with an

accelerated buildup that leads to

a point that can catch the listen-

er off-guard. For a split second,

it seems as though the song is

over, but this only leaves the lis-

tener wanting more. What makes

this song great is that it delivers

with more danceable sequences

that tie directly to the main melo-

dy of this song, now enhanced to

fully energize the audience. After

an unforgettable series of beats,

the song takes the time to curtail

the established energy and ends

by slowly eliminating these ele-

ments.

Overall, The Electric Dream

by Mord Fustang, remixed by

Jonathan Gering, is a feel-good

song chock full of exciting drops.

The song will be well accepted by

techno, electric, or dance music

enthusiasts, but anyone with an

open taste in music will be sure to

nd the song engaging.


6/12

f e a t u r e s february 11, 2013page 6


Steam is laden with many

games. As a result, it can be difcult

for a certain game to stand out in the

crowd. If one looks hard enough,

though, it is possible to nd a gem.

FTL: Faster Than Light is one ofthose gems. It is an independent

game developed solely from Kick-

starter money. Many invested in this

game, and they got a fun and very

challenging game that is well worth

the expense.

FTL is a rogue-like game created

by Matthew Davis and Justin Ma,

the creators of Subset Games. The

premise of the game is that players

are the captains of a Federation star-

ship with vital information to end the

rebel uprising that is tearing the gal-

axy apart. Armed with their wits and

whatever scrap they have to get by,

players must traverse eight randomly

generated sectors of space to ren-

dezvous with the Federation eet.

Players start out with a basic shipbut can unlock more as they play

though the game. Along the way,

players collect scrap to purchase

upgrades, weapons, fuel, missiles,

drone parts, drone schematics, re-

pairs, subsystems, and new crew-

members. Players only have one life,

so to speak, and must survive until

sector eight and take on the Rebel

agship. Once it is destroyed, the

Rebel eet crumbles and the Fed-

eration wins the war.

Within a sector, there are bea-

cons connected to each other, but

some do not connect to ones that

allow players to move forward. Each

beacon has a different environment.

Open space has no environmental

maladies. Asteroid elds damageshields and eventually the hull. Suns

give out solar ares that start res

which damage the ship and crew

over time. Nebulae obstruct sensors

and may reduce the ships power

capacity. However, this never seems

to affect enemy ships. It is recom-

mended to visit every beacon to col-

lect supplies and scrap to buy more

supplies, but the amount of time a

player spends in the sector is lim-

ited since the Rebel eet can move

into the sector and take over the

beacons. In order to escape, play-

ers must reach the exit beacon to

move to the next sector. Each sec-

tor has three categories: green, red,

and violet. Green sectors have fewer

battles and have more opportunities

to resupply. Red sectors are hostileand have more battles and fewer

opportunities to resupply. Violet sec-

tors are nebulae and have a mix of

hostiles and resupply opportunities.

Each sector and galaxy is random-

ized so there is no memorization

involved, just skill in navigating the

ship and luck.

Also, each bea-

con has a ran-

dom event that

requires choices.

These choices

have no bearing

on the rest of the

game, but players

can never be sure

what each choice

will yield.There are

many compo-

nents to the

ship. Weapons

are divided into

six categories.

Burst weapons

re several laser

shots that are effective at taking

down shields. Beam weapons dam-

age several rooms (areas that hold

the ships subsystems) of the ship

at once but shields block them. Ion

weapons take down shields and dis-

able a ships subsystem for a while.

Heavy lasers deal heavy damage to

rooms and are moderately effec-

tive at taking down shields. Missile

weapons bypass shields to dealheavy damage but are inaccurate.

Finally, bombs are more special-

ized and can be used for a variety

of tasks.

The ships can handle other sub-

systems as well. Shields protect the

ship from hull damage and regen-

erate after a time. If the shields are

manned, then the shields recharge

faster. Hull damage can only be re-

paired at stores. Engines allow the

ship to travel from beacon to beacon

within a sector and evade enemy re.

If the engine subsystem is manned,

the ship is more likely to evade ene-

my attacks. The piloting subsystem,

which must be manned, allows the

FTL drive to power up so the player

can move onto the next beacon.

The weapons subsystem keeps theweapons armed. If manned, weap-

ons charge faster. The other subsys-

tems cannot be manned. The doors

keep out res, intruders, and keep

oxygen in the room. The oxygen

subsystem ensures that the crew

has air to breath. The sensors illu-

minate the ships rooms and enemy

ships rooms when upgraded. The

drone subsystem powers up drones

that are used for a variety of tasks

such as offense, defense, repairs,

and more. The teleporter sends the

crew to board enemy ships. Cloak-

ing dramatically improves the ships

evasion. Finally, the medbay heals

injured crewmembers. The reac-

tor powers each subsystem, but itonly has so much power for every

system. Part of the game is know-

ing how to prioritize the power needs

of the ship. This system can get in-

credibly complex, and that adds to

the games challenge. All of these

subsystems can be upgraded to

be more effective, but the price for

upgrading requires more scrap each

time and upgrading the reactor to

provide more power to match the

Kyle Santi

Staff Writer

Brighten your day with Faster Than Lightgreater power demand of the up-

graded subsystem.

The nal aspect is the crew.

There are seven species in the

game. The humans are balanced

and have no strengths or weakness-

es. The Zoltans have less health but

are able to provide extra power to a

subsystem. Rockmen are very slowbut they are immune to re and have

the most health. Slugs can see into

adjacent rooms when the sensors

are down and are incredibly useful

in nebulae. Engi repair subsystems

quickly but are less effective in com-

bat. Mantises are very good in com-

bat and are faster

than the other spe-

cies but they repair

subsystems slowly.

The Crystals are

a unique species

that is very rare and

they are more resis-

tant to suffocation,

a little faster than

the Rockmen, have

slightly less healththan the Rockmen,

and are able to

freeze rooms and

prevent the room

from being used.

Depending on the

crewmember, play-

ers can get blue

choices that provide alternatives to

random events that require choices.

Blue choices often have a more

positive outcome than standard

choices. Even having particular or

upgraded subsystems can yield blue

choices. Each crewmember can

gain prociency in six areas: weap-

ons, which allow faster recharge of

the ships weapons; engines, which

allow greater evasion; piloting, whichallows greater evasion; shields,

which allow faster recharge of the

shields; repairs, which allow faster

repairs; and combat, which allows

more damage to be dealt in hand to

hand combat. It is important to keep

the crew alive by preventing res

and keeping the oxygen levels high,

which makes the game even more

challenging.

Despite its simplistic appearance,

FTL is extremely complex. Players

need to keep track of so much at

once that it can get overwhelming at

times. Fortunately, players can pause

the game and give orders while the

game is paused. This allows for

more complex strategies to be en-

acted. However, this does not mean

that the game gets easier. The en-emies are hard to defeat and look for

every way to cripple your ship. They

can even divide the players attention

with boarding parties while the en-

emy ship keeps ring. Their weapon

arrays are diverse and will keep play-

ers frazzled trying to defend against

them. Another major component

of this game is luck. Players do not

know what they will encounter. Un-

like most games where this is cheap

difculty, this is designed to make

players work with what they have

and learn how to use it effectively.

Even on easy, this game is very dif-

cult and it makes players work hard

and learn how to strategize properly

just to make it to the nal boss, and

even then the boss is incredibly hardto take down. Players will lose many

times before beating the game, but

that just makes the sensation of

victory all the more rewarding. The

story is nothing special, but it does

not need to be. The gameplay is

engaging enough that the simplicity

of the story can be ignored. Still, it

has enough backstory to keep the

players interest. This game is also

very addictive and players will want

to play it over and over to rene their

strategies and intimately know what

each weapon does and how it can

be used most effectively. In addition

and most importantly, this game has

a lot of intrinsic reward for victory and

is a lot of fun.

FTL is a unique game with a lotof challenge involved. It is very com-

plex and requires a lot of strategy.

Players will want to play it over and

over again as each playthrough is

different from the last. Players can

only formulate strategies by experi-

ence from each ship, sector, system,

and many other factors. This game

will keep players entertained for a

long time as they try and try again

to achieve victory for the Federation.

This light and uffy cake can be

made at home quite easily as long

Angel food cake easy bakeBradley Wood

Staff Writer

This angel food cake is light, uffy, and delicious.

BRADLEY WOOD / OREDIGGER

Taco Dip is an easy to make ap-

petizer as there is no cooking re-

quired. This delish dip is sure to

please any crowd.

Ingredients

1 can of refried beans

1 can of black beans, strained

3 avocados, peeled and pitted

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

8 oz salsa

1 package of taco seasoning

cup white onion, chopped

cup green bell pepper,

chopped

cup toma-

toes, chopped

1 cups

shredded let-tuce

Directions

1. In a bowl

mix sour cream,

m ayo n n a i se ,

and taco sea-

soning. Set

aside.

2. In another

bowl, mash

avocados and

Whitney Welch

Staff Writer

lime juice. Set aside.

3. Spread refried beans over the

bottom of a 13x9 baking dish.4. Next, top the refried beans

with black beans.

5. Spread the avocado mixture

over the black beans.

6. Spread the sour cream mix-

ture over the avocados.

7. Then, pour salsa over sour

cream mixture.

8. Finally, top with lettuce onion,

bell pepper, and tomato.

9. Cover the dish and let chill

in refrigerator for 2-4 hours before

serving.

10. Serve with tortilla chips and

enjoy. Serves 10 -12.

as the required equipment is avail-

able. Most of the ingredients are

easy to nd at the grocery store

except for cream of tartar, which

can be found in the spice aisle.

Ingredients:

1 cups egg whites (10-12

eggs)

1 cups powdered sugar

1 cup sifted our or all purpose

our

1 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

In large mixing bowl allow the

egg whites to sit for 30 minutes.

While the eggs are sitting, sift

the powdered sugar and our to-

gether three times. Preheat the

oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add the cream of tartar and va-

nilla to the egg whites. Beat them

with an electric mixer until soft

tips peaks from in the mixture.

Slowly add the granulated sugar

2 tablespoons at a time, repeating

until all 16 tablespoons have been

added. Beat the mixture until rm-

er tipped peaks form. Remove the

electric mixer and fold the sifted

our mixture into the batter with

a rubber spatula. Pour the batter

into an ungreased 10-inch tube

pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.

When removed from the oven the

cake should be inverted in the pan

while it cools.

Delish taco dip

This taco dip is sure to draw a hungry crowd.

WHITNEY WELCH / OREDIGGER

COURTESY SUBSET GAMES


7/12

f e a t u r e sfebruary 11, 2013 page 7


Its no secret that geeks popu-late the Mines campus. This weeks

geek, Chemical Engineering major

Chris Thiebaud, attaches himself

to a nearly permanent xture of

gamers who gather around tables

in Digger Den, laughing, compar-

ing strategies, and shooting any-

thing that gets in their way ex-

cept the lag, of course. This week,

Thiebaud took time between run-

ning and gunning for a virtual ma-

a and covering lanes with online

heroes to prove to the Oredigger

that the gamers in Digger can and

do say more than hax!

[Oredigger]: What about

Chemical Engineering inter-

ests you?

[Thiebaud]: Ever since I wasyoung, I watched Bill Nye. [That]

kinda got me into Chemistry. That

and I like the explosions.Whats been your favorite

class?

Oddly enough, its been Music

Technology [because] it was a lot

of fun. That and we made a guitar

and electrocuted the person using

it for one of our projects.Are you a geek and why?

Yes, I am a geek. I play vid-

eogames, [watch] anime, video

games again, [play] role-plays, I

created a weird, mutant alien thing

Geek Week...Chris Thiebaud, Sophomore: Chemical Engineer

ofthe

in one of my role-play games. That

was actually really fun, despite

what [one of my players] says.

How do you spend your freetime?

Video games. This week, were

watching the League of Legends

tournament.Whats been your greatest

accomplishment thus far?

In a video game, I got a good

deal on liquor from a rabbi and

I dont feel bad because an actual

Jewish friend approved this.

While a swallow probably

cant carry a coconut, if we

gave it wings, could a one

pound coconut carry a fve

ounce bird?

By the simple matter of ratios,

yes, if it can nd a way to hold the

bird, which is always a problem,

isnt it?If you could be dropped into

any fctional universe, what

would it be and why?

Id actually go to the League

of Legends universe so I could

watch real life League of Legends

and meet the champions in real

life, especially the Yordles.Whats your favorite thing

about Mines?

I just like the people here.

I dont feel out-of-place being

geeky here. Id feel out-of-place

being normal here.

Whats your best nerd story?

[I ran] a Dark Heresy campaign

where I created this mutant squig

that would not die and would ha-

rass one of the players, which hedid not like. They would throw the

squig out into space and it would

reappear next to the guy. That, or

the time when Deadpool invaded

that game, riding a squig and an

Alaskan.How would you face off

against a group of angry orks?

[For] the Warhammer variety,

Id just paint myself purple be-

cause theyd never see me. Id

be invisible because youve never

seen a purple army. That, or Id

paint myself red and run away be-

cause red is fast.Do you have any plans for

the future?

Go into the FBI as an explo-

sive forensic specialist, whichmeans I can show up in court and

say, Yeah, this is the bomb they

used.

Do you have any advice for

fellow geeks and Mines stu-

dents?

Stay geeky! That, or take your

roommates soul because youll

need one.Do you have a favorite

quote?

I am evil! Stop Laughing!

Veigar, League of LegendsWhich would make a better

pet: a fre-breathing sea drag-

Jordan Francis

Staff Writer

on, or an undead minotaur?

Being from New Orleans, I think

Id go with the sea dragon be-

Geek of the Week, Chris Thiebaud enjoys anime, role-play-

ing games, and League of Legends.

cause theres water everywhere.

A re-breathing sea dragon would

be a hit at Mardi Gras.

JORDAN FRANCIS / OREDIGGER

Sometimes, it can be easy to

ignore the daily struggles faced

by inner city children. They have

to deal with drugs, gangs, broken

homes, and the hopelessness that

can result from it. Many groups try

to help inner city children, but one

group with a unique approach is

the Big City Mountaineers (BCM).

BCM takes inner city children on

hikes through the mountains. Their

philosophy is based on the heros

journey created by Joseph Camp-

bell, as they take students on a life-changing journey to self-discovery

and greater condence in them-

selves. More often than not, this

approach works very well. The fol-

lowing is a narrative of the authors

experience on a recent BCM trip.

Upon arrival, the rst thing the

organizers did was divide us up into

groups based on our hometowns.

People north of Golden were in

one group, people south of Golden

were in another group, and so on.

Twelve people not counting myself

were involved. Elizabeth Williams,

the Rocky Mountain Program Di-

rector, said the purpose of the

activity was to learn more about

our backgrounds and gain an idea

of how diverse we are. We eachtalked about our backgrounds to

help gain a better understanding

of each other and where we came

from.

After the activity, we moved to

a conference room to listen to a

presentation on the goals of the or-

ganization. BCMs goal is to instill

critical life skills in underserved ur-

ban youth through transformative

wilderness mentoring expeditions

as said in their charter. They serve

under-resourced and racially di-

verse students in partnerships with

community agencies, professional

instructors, and adult volunteer

mentors. BCM does this through

mentoring expeditions that last

for between one day to one week,

depending on the age of the kids.

The intent is to instill critical life

skills, integrity, conict resolution

skills, and positive self-esteem.

Going on these experiences, they

will have more condence to suc-

ceed, said Sherry Manning, one

of the volunteers. They even pre-

sented a video narrated by Taylor,a student who had experienced

the program, in which he explained

how his life got better as a result

of the program. They taught me

about responsibility, said Taylor.

BCM uses surveys based on the

Search Institutes 40 Developmen-

tal Assets Prole to measure the

programs effectiveness, and the

youth involved in the program con-

sistently show long-term growth in

positive values, social competen-

cies, and positive identity. In addi-

tion, BCM youth are more likely to

stay in school and have the con-

dence to avoid drugs, violence,

and delinquency. Williams and

Manning insisted on volunteers to

join and that they want a diversearray of volunteers. Sometimes it

takes a certain volunteer to con-

nect with a certain student.

Manning gave one example of

a youth who did not make friends

easily. The student couldnt con-

nect with any of the volunteers,

but she was able to connect with

one volunteer, said Sherry. It can

take only one volunteer to connect

with a student. We consider our

volunteers gatekeepers of knowl-

edge, Williams added. The slide-

show then focused on the various

mountain climbs BCM does. Some

climbs are professionally guided

and are fundraisers for BCM to en-

able youth to go on BCMs expe-

ditions. More details can be found

at http://www.summitforsomeone.

org.

The second and nal activity

was a trust-building exercise. The

object was to prevent a rolled-up

sock from striking your posterior.

As a result, everyone had their

backs to each other to prevent the

socks from having a clear target.It was a subtle way for disparate

people, to learn to trust and rely on

each other. This is so we can get

people to open up, even shy indi-

viduals, said Williams. That way,

we can move them from low-trust

to high-trust activities.

There are

single-day pro-

grams for children

and week-long

expeditions for

teenagers. BCM

partners itself with

after-school pro-

grams, residential

foster care agen-

cies, educational

institutions, andsummer youth

programs to iden-

tify children who

could benet from

the BCM pro-

gram. The expedi-

tion team consists

of an instructor,

youth agency

leaders, volunteer

mentors, a peer

leader, and the youth. The expedi-

tions consist of teambuilding, hik-

ing, BCM rituals, camping, lessons

in the backcountry, and a peak

climb. This is often their rst time

in a tent, Elizabeth commented.

The entire expedition follows the

heros journey. BCM structures the

expeditions like the stages of the

heros journey so the participants

are changed by the experience for

the better. They gain skills such

as decision-making, responsibility,

integrity, self-esteem, communi-

cation, resilience, honesty, car-

ing, and conict-resolution. The

overnight camps are for kids 8-12years old and teach many of these

skills.

Towards the end, Manning told

a success story of one teenager

who was very small-statured. She

claimed she was pregnant and that

she needed to marry someone and

Big City Mountaineers recruits volunteersKyle SantiStaff Writer

join a gang in order to stay safe.

While on her journey, she opened

up about herself and realized

that she was stronger than she

thought. She decided she did not

need to get married or join a gang

and realized that she could take

care of herself.

The Big City Mountaineers

have a unique program for uplifting

troubled youth. They send youth

on expeditions into the mountains

to learn vital life skills to help them

succeed in life. The presentation

was to recruit people interested

in joining and teach them about

the program as a whole. The suc-cess rate for this program is very

high and many teenagers leave the

program and are successful later in

life. This program is always look-

ing for volunteers, and more infor-

mation can be obtained at http://

www.bigcitymountaineers.org.KYLE SANTI / OREDIGGER

BCM uses team-building exercises to build trust within the group.


8/12

F E A T U R E S february 11, 2013page 8


Disclaimer: This column is

an opinion formed by an author

who does not have an omniscient

knowledge of comics. It also con-

tains a fair number of spoilers for

the titular comic. You have beenwarned.

Flashpoint was, appropriately

enough, a relatively quick event

(only ve issues in the main se-

ries) that managed to have a fairly

massive effect on the DC Uni-

verse. Though there were several

tie-ins and crossovers, this re-

view will focus on the main series,

which was written by one of com-

ics more well-known and highly

talented writers, Geoff Jones,

and which centers around Barry

Allen, the Flash : fastest man alive.

Courtesy of some wibbly-wobbly,

timey-wimey events at the end

of the series, this story wound

up leading directly into the New

52 relaunchin 2011. (For

anybody un-

familiar with

this event,

New 52 was

essentially a

reboot of the

entire DC Uni-

verse. Most

of the same

c h a r a c t e r s

are still there,

but with vari-

ous changes

made to them

and with less

personal his-

tory in their

new continu-ity.) A lot hap-

pens in this

comic, so I cannot describe too

much of it outside of the main plot

points, so while there will still be

spoilers, I suggest purchasing the

collection to appreciate the nu-

ances and more minor moments

in the series.

The story begins with Barry Al-

len waking up at his job as a fo -

rensic scientist and hearing about

a crime in process. He dashes out

to go stop it as the Flash (a hero

with the power of super-speed)

only to nd that he is missing

both his costume and his super-

speed. Before he has time to

process this revelation, he makesan even more amazing discovery.

His mother, who he thought

was murdered when

he was a child, is

alive and

w e l l .

Moreover, when

he starts to question his

mother and the surrounding peo-

ple about these inconsistencies

in his memory, no one seems to

have any idea what he is talking

about. Barry drives to Gotham to

ask Batman for some help, since

nobody seems to recognize the

names of any other superheroes

he mentions. Barry enters the

Batcave, calling out to Bruce.

However, Batman does not rec-

ognize him and reacts violently to

being called Bruce, which leads

Barry to realize that it is not Bruce

Wayne beneath Batmans cowl,

but his father, Dr. Thomas Wayne.

At this point, Barry notices that he

has what seems to be the ring forhis costume, though upon further

examination it is revealed to con-

tain the costume of his enemy,

Reverse-Flash. Barry also starts

to experience some memory al-

teration as his memories start to

synch up with this new world. He

learns that this world is caught in

a war between the forces of Won-

der Woman and Aquaman and

realizes that this is not some illu-

sion or alternate dimension, but

his world, altered by some previ-

ous interference in the timeline.

Since super-speedsters are some

of the only people capable of time

travel at will in this universe (to re-

ally over-simplify, Ill just say that

they can runso fast that

they can run

through time

on occasion)

he assumes

that the cos-

tume means

that Reverse-

Flash is re-

sponsible and

begs Thomas

to help him

regain his

speed so

he can help

restore the

world before

he loses his

memories ofhow it should

be. Thomas

still seems skeptical until Barry

mentions that in his reality, Bruce,

not Thomas, had survived the

robbery that created Batman.

Wayne then agrees to help and

reluctantly lets Barry attempt to

re-create his origin not once, but

twice. For any readers unaware

of how the Flash got his pow-

ers, this involves Barry allowing

himself to be struck by lightning.

The second attempt is success-

ful and with his powers restored,

the Scarlet Speedster sets out

with Batman to try and assemble

a new Justice League from the

shambles of this world.The two of them

r e -

c r u i t

C y b o r g ,

who in this

world is the most

prominent American superhero

and together, the three of them

set off to free Superman, who

was apparently captured by the

government when he rst arrived

on Earth as a baby. However,

when he sees the sun for the rst

time in his life, Superman runs

away. The trio begins recruiting

other heroes and along the way,

Barry comes to grips with the

fact that he needs to make a

plan to deal with reality in case

he is unable change the time-

line back. He decides

to take the group of

heroes to directly

confront Aqua-

man and Wonder

Woman beforetheir war makes

things any worse

for the planet. The

battle goes poorly,

even with the return

of Superman. Heroes

are losing and dying left

and right when suddenly,

Reverse-Flash shows up

and forces Barry to see

the memories he had

not been able to ac-

cess yet. Through

these memories,

Barry realizes that

R eve r se - F l a sh

did not mess up

the timelinehe

did. When thetimeline shift-

ed, Barry

lost the

m e m o r y

of the mo-

ment he

had gone

back in

time to save his mothers

life. In saving her life when she

should have died, Barry inadver-

tently set off a chain of dominoes

that caused this entire catastro-

phe. Thomas then kills Reverse-

Flash, hands a note to Barry,

and tells him to run into the past

to save the millions who have

died because of this alteration.

Barry travels to a time before allof this to explain the situation to

his mother and try to gure out

a way to save both her and the

world. Eventually, she tells Barry

that he has to let her go and that

one way or another, the life they

did have together still happened,

no matter what. He hugs her one

last time and then jumps into

the time stream and with tears

streaming down his face, stops

his younger self from saving his

mothers life, allowing her to die

and the universe to right itself.

As he races home, he notices his

timeline in the time stream seems

to split into three, which was later

revealed to be the lead-in to the

New 52. Upon returning home,Barry races to Batman to check

that reality really is back, then re-

lays the story and reveals that for

some reason, his memories of

his time in that timeline, par-

t icu- lar ly those with h is

mother,

h a v e

not yet

f a d e d

as he expects.

Bruce tells him to think of

it as a gift to ease the pain and

Barry hands him the note from

Thomas. Upon realizing who

wrote the note, a shocked Bruce

sits down to read it, then, in a

rare display of emotion, lets a few

tears escape as he thanks Barry

as the story ends.

This story i s absolutel y brea

the oredigger issue 16 - february 11, 2013

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