By KATE WINKLEThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

Steve Leslie was watching the Bronco’s game in his home Sunday when police, SWAT, fi refi ghters and a K-9 unit swarmed his neighbor’s home across the street in Woodland Park –– a subdivision about 15 minutes south-east of CSU.

Authorities were responding to reports of the smell of natural gas coming from the home of Leslie’s neighbor, who was also reportedly displaying suicidal behavior, said Matt Johnson, a Fort Collins Police Services spokesman.

The fi rst call came in at 11:09 a.m., and offi cers responded within minutes. It would be more than fi ve hours before the standoff ended with the man in an ambulance.

“None of us knew him... (he was) pretty secluded,” Leslie said.

The man had shut himself inside his home at 3227 Yellowstone Circle and fi lled it with natural gas, police said.

Emergency personnel barricaded and cut off power and gas to part of the neighborhood, and prompted neighbors like Sean Roberts to evacu-ate their homes. Roberts said that a sniper and spotter were taking po-sition in his backyard when they urged him and his family to evacuate around noon.

Meanwhile, police were trying to establish communication with the

man via megaphone. They eventually shot volleys of tear gas canisters into the home, broke into the basement and smashed through the front door with a battering ram.

According to Johnson, the indi-vidual ended up voluntarily exiting his home at around 4:25 p.m. Police may release the man’s name after further investigation.

Upon exploring the building, offi -cers discovered that the man had fi lled it with gas using his car and stove, ac-cording to police radio traffi c.

Radio traffi c also revealed that the home may be inhospitable for some time due to the amount of gas in the building.

That is not the case with neigh-boring homes, Johnson said. The area is safe for families and most have re-turned.

A neighbor, who insisted on ano-nymity, said that the man, his wife and young son are “really nice.” But the neighbor added that they rarely see the

See GAS on Page 3

theSTRIPCLUB

With Black Friday over, and Cyber Monday underway, turn your thoughts to the other days of the week. Days that are bere� of both atten-tion and titles during the con-sumer frenzy following � anksgiving. Today, we turn our thoughts to:

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

Monday, November 26, 2012Fort Collins, Colorado Volume 121 | No. 74

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

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

Finishing StrongFootball wins three of its fi nal fi ve games for best record since 2008

PAGE 8

ASCSU working toward improved relations with students | Page 3

� ri� y � ursday

� e � ursday a� er Black Friday, � ri� y � ursday should be a day where the American consumer visits their local thri� stores to make donations of their old stu� for those in need: all in the name of the

holiday spirit!

Wasted WednesdayShopping is stressful, and everyone usu-ally needs a break a� er-wards. What better time for local pubs and bars to attract customers! Celebrate the holidays with a pint!

Other Consumer

‘Days’

Fort Collins SWAT look on as snipers set up in a nearby neighbor’s backyard to get a good vantage point of the suspect’s house in Southeast Fort Collins Sunday afternoon. The standoff ended in a peaceful arrest.

KEVIN JOHANSEN | COLLEGIAN

SWAT team, fi re dept. deploy 15 min from CSU

Fort Collins Police arrest a man who had shut himself inside his house and fi lled it with natural gas on Sunday afternoon. The threat forced nearby neighbors to evacuate their homes.

KEVIN JOHANSEN | COLLEGIAN

By KATE WINKLEThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

Waking up at 3 a.m. to pre-pare for an all-day competition is typical for CSU’s Horse Judging team, whose history of success continued in the 2012 season.

The team, which has ex-isted since 1978, has won 13 National Championships and 13 Reserve National Champi-onship titles since 2002.

Most recently, sophomore Meghin Kiernan won the over-all individual competition at the U.S. Arabian Nationals horse judging contest Oct. 26, and senior Kortney Bahem won the overall individual judging com-petition at the American Quar-ter Horse World Show Nov. 16.

CSU’s Quarter Horse Judg-ing Team placed third at the American Quarter Horse World Show Nov. 16 in Oklahoma City, Okla., and the Arabian horse judging team won the U.S. Arabian Nationals judging contest by almost 100 points Oct. 26 in Tulsa, Okla.

Many students become accredited judges after gradu-ation, according to David Den-niston, who teaches the intro-ductory horse judging course and is head coach for the Quarter Horse team.

The teams judge a number of classes, each comprised of four horses, against an ideal standard. Competitors rank the horses based on confi rma-tion, movement or rider perfor-mance, and later have two min-utes to justify their rankings to a reasons taker, according to Kate Auchmoody, coach for CSU’s Arabian judging team.

“People judge you on how you judge horses, yes that is how it works,” Auchmoody said.

In real-world situations, judges often must rank 30 to 40 horses at a time, according to Auchmoody. Judging horses allows owners to have their horses ranked in competition, and judges often help defi ne breed standards by looking for humane training methods and more natural animals.

See HORSE on Page 3

By AMAND ZETAHThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

CSU’s retention rates of freshmen and transfer stu-dents have slightly increased from previous years.

According to the Offi ce of Institutional Research, CSU saw a dip in the freshman re-tention rate of about 1 percent last year. Since then, CSU has recovered the loss.

“This is the highest reten-tion year ever,” said Laura Jen-sen, director of the Offi ce of Institutional Research at CSU.

Non-residents are also be-ing retained at a higher per-centage. According to the Of-fi ce of Institutional Research, the retention rate for non-resi-dents increased 3.9 percentage points to 83.3 percent.

“We can expect fi rst year retention and other years to be strong,” Jensen said.

Andee Dow, an undeclared freshman, is one of the many that plans to stay at CSU.

“Some freshmen might transfer,” said Dow, “but I’m defi nitely going to stay here for another three years.”

Freshmen are not the only ones planning to stay at CSU. Of the 1,135 students that trans-ferred to CSU in 2009, 74.7 per-cent stayed at the university to fi nish their degree in four years.

Matthew Gorenc, a senior political science major, puts a face to this statistic. After a year at CU-Boulder, he decid-ed to transfer to CSU.

“Transferring is the best decision I made in college,” Gorenc said.

CSU is competitive with its retention rates. It had nearly the same retention rates as

CU-Boulder in 2010, despite the fact that CU serves a much larger student population.

“Boulder had an 84 percent retention rate and CSU had an 83.7 percent retention rate,” Jen-sen said.

Either way, CSU is retaining more students. It has been on the rise since 1991, with an in-crease of 5.5 percentage points.

City Beat Reporter Amanda Zetah can be reached at news@collegian.com.

CSU Horse Judging Team trots to success

Freshman and transfer student retention rates on rise

ANEQ 352 Intro to Horse Evaluation

ANEQ 353 Advanced Horse Evaluation

CSU CLASSES

Percent of freshmen that stayed four years:

2001: 69.9 percent 2005: 68.9 percent 2008: 71.0 percent 2009, 2010, 2011: no data yet

Percent of transfer students that stayed four years:

2001: 69.0 percent 2005: 71.1 percent 2009: 74.7 percent 2010, 2011: no data yet

CSU RETENTION RATES

Sleepy Saturday

Black Friday begins in the early hours of the morning and/or very late on � anksgiv-ing Day. Given that many peo-ple stay up late, and � ght their way through hordes of other shoppers, they ought to have a day to sleep in really late.

FoCo neighborhood evacuated when man � lls home with gas

2 Monday, November 26, 2012 | The Rocky Mountain Collegian

fort collins focus

Kevin and Kathleen Michie make small talk with shopper

Alicia and cashier Jacinda Rodriguez as Black Friday

sales opened up at Kmart on Thursday evening. As stories

of Black Friday violence sweep the news, friendly

conversations and comments were still seen among a few

shoppers, giving some hope back to mankind. (Photo by

Kevin Johansen)

Community Briefs

Presentation and speaking skills workshop

For some, the thought of delivering a presenta-tion or speaking publicly is terrifying. That’s why the Institute for Learning & Teaching (TILT) is hosting a presentation and speak-ing skills workshop today in TILT 221.

From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., join TILT to learn easy steps to manage nerves before, during and after a presenta-tion. TILT will also provide insight for connecting with an audience — no matter the size.

For more information, visit www.tilt.colostate.edu.

Get a wreath for the holiday season

Thanksgiving break is over, which means that the next round of holidays is right around the corner. The Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architec-ture is ready to help with the December decorations by holding a wreath sale today at 6 p.m. in the Shepardson Building.

The 12 inch wreaths feature Douglas fir, and rev-enue from the sale benefits

club activities and scholar-ships. Prices are $15 for un-decorated wreaths and $20 for decorated wreaths. Pick ups for ordered wreaths will be Nov. 29 and 30 and Dec. 6 and 7.

Interdisciplinary Water Resources Seminar

Things like statistical-dy-namical hydrologic water balance models and prob-abilistic framework for vul-nerability analyses are really confusing, so it’s probably a good thing that professor Jorge Ramirez is presenting a speech on how they helped him and other researchers to project an overall decrease in the U.S. water yield for the 21st century.

Join Ramirez today in Natural Resources Building Room 109 at 4 p.m. for a dis-cussion on how future cli-mate variability and chang-ing demand will affect the country’s water supply. Early spoiler: the Southwest (in-cluding California) and the Great Plains look to be the most vulnerable regions of the country.

— Collegian Staff Report

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

Lory Student Center Box 13Fort Collins, CO 80523

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 10,000-circu-lation 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 4,500 and is published weekly on Wednesdays. During the first four weeks of summer the Collegian does not publish. Corrections may be sub-mitted to the editor in chief and will be printed as necessary on page 2. The Collegian is a complimentary 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 letters@collegian.com.

EDITORIAL STAFF | 491-7513

Allison Sylte | Editor in Chiefeditor@collegian.com

Nic Turiciano | Content Managing Editornews@collegian.com

Hunter Thompson | Visual Managing Editordesign@collegian.com

Andrew Carrera | News Editornews@collegian.com

Elisabeth Willner | News Editornews@collegian.com

Kevin Jensen | Editorial Editor & Copy Chiefletters@collegian.comcopy@collegian.com

Emily Kribs | Entertainment Editorentertainment@collegian.com

Cris Tiller | Sports Editorsports@collegian.com

Kyle Grabowski | Assistant Sports Editorsports@collegian.com

Kris Lawan | Design Editordesign@collegian.com

Nick Lyon | Chief Photographerphoto@collegian.com

Annika Mueller | Chief designerdesign@collegian.com

ADVISING STAFFKim Blumhardt | Advertising Manager

Michael Humphrey | Journalism Adviser

KEY PHONE NUMBERSNewsroom | 970-491-7513

Distribution | 970-491-1146Classifieds | 970-491-1686

Display Advertising | 970-491-7467 or 970-491-6834

Editor’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 include’s the paper’s daily editorial “Our View.”

$8.49 6pk

Aggie Discount Liquor 429 Canyon Ave. 482-1968

LagunitasBrown Shugga

Barley Wine Style Ale

By Emily SmithThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

Student government of-ficials at CSU want students to know what they stand for.

So for the past month, the Associated Students of CSU (ASCSU) has been working on its Campus Outreach Initiative Team (COIT) as a conduit to reach out to the rest of campus, according to Brian Roling, director of community de-velopment for ASCSU.

“One of the current ad-ministration’s goals was to create tangible relationships between the rest of campus and student organizations with us,” Roling, a fifth year senior construction man-agement major, said.

The bill which created COIT was passed on Oct. 17 by ASCSU, and was pre-sented by the Department of Community Development.

Since its creation, COIT members have start-ed working towards their goals by hosting a Greek Life-ASCSU mixer and a “Prez on the Plaza” event with student body presi-

dent Regina Martel. “Some of them have

been hard to get students to, but I think the more we do it the more people will come to things,” Roling said.

Roling said the Greek-ASCSU mixer, where both groups voiced concerns and talked about being pres-ent at each other’s events, was the biggest success so far, with about 50 people attending. COIT members hope to get Greek Life to have a better relationship with ev-erybody on campus and be supportive of each other’s groups, Rolling Said.

COIT is working on ar-rangements with the Res-idence Hall Association to hold a panel of ASCSU cabinet members for first and second year students at two residence halls, which have not been specifically determined yet. They hope to make this happen by the end of this semester or the beginning of the next.

Another of COIT’s goals is reaching out to college councils is to get more sen-ate positions filled for each college, Roling said.

The team will also in-crease the ASCSU presence at sporting events. Roling said it would be an attempt to get ASCSU in front of that crowd of people and give away prizes, advertise for senate and host question and answer sessions.

“Something so they know who we are,” Roling said. “Because a lot of peo-ple don’t know what ASCSU even stands for.”

COIT members also plan to get involved with student organizations and SLiCE, helping out with things like community ser-vice, Roling said.

The bill, which passed with a 24-0-5 vote, also cre-ated a COIT team leader position filled by Tim Me-dearis, assistant director of community development for ASCSU.

“COIT is looking to en-gage the student body by creating more awareness about the student govern-ment here at CSU,” Me-dearis, a sophomore en-vironmental engineering major, said in an email to the Collegian.

“COIT is open for any-one to join … The program is a great way to start actually doing things as part of ASC-SU and learn a bit about your student government.”

Medearis said he was excited about reaching out to students who might not be very aware of student government at CSU.

“We’ve got a long ways to go. Brian is still trying to recruit people to join and we’re still trying to work on communications with ath-letics,” Medearis said.

“We’re making good progress though,” Medearis said. “And I think it’s all go-ing to pay off.”

Collegian Writer Emi-ly Smith can be reached at news@collegian.com.

By Emily SmithThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

Editor’s Note: Bayley En-right is a former Collegian columnist.

Bayley Enright, a senior at CSU and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat-ter-Day Saints, has wanted to go on a service mission since her early teens, but un-til about a month and a half ago, that dream would have had to wait until she turned 21 at the end of next year.

On Oct. 6, LDS Church President Thomas S. Mon-son announced that, effec-tive immediately, men may begin serving missions at age 18 instead of 19 and women may begin serving at age 19 instead of 21, ac-cording to a press release from Jessica Moody, public affairs associate for the LDS Church.

Enright, who is majoring in English, was raised in the LDS Church and intends to go on a service mission this spring after she graduates, thanks to the new age change.

“LDS missionaries are young men and women who choose to set aside other concerns such as work, dat-ing and school and devote up to two years of their lives to teaching people about Je-sus Christ and His restored church,” Enright wrote in an email to the Collegian.

Enright said both male and female missionar-ies spend time in person-al study, meeting people, spending time in service to others and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ all over the world.

“Any difference that may exist between male and fe-male missionaries is practi-cal,” Enright said. “Such as, in some areas, women – who wear skirts – will drive a car rather than bike everywhere.”

Enright said she is thrilled with the opportunity for young women and men to serve missions at an ear-lier age and better plan for their lives.

According to a press re-lease from the LDS Church, the Church anticipates that lowering the age require-

ments will significantly in-crease the number of mis-sionaries who will serve.

Since the LDS Church was founded in 1830, more than 1.1 million men and women have served full-time missions in countries around the world. Missions are an expectation for young men in the LDS Church, and young women are encour-aged to serve as they feel moved to do so, according to the release.

“I do not think that the age change affects the equal-ity or role of women in the church at all,” Enright said. “Women have always been welcome to serve missions and that remains true even with the age change.”

Enright’s parents sup-port her desire to serve on a mission.

Her mother, Shannon Enright, said she wouldn’t say Mormon families envi-sion their daughters going on missions as much as they do their sons.

“When announcing the new mission ages for men and women, President Mon-son reiterated that missionary service is a priesthood duty, and therefore we hope that all our sons will choose to heed the mandate to serve mis-sion,” Shannon Enright said.

“However, we are equally proud of any of our daugh-ters who make that same choice to volunteer their time and money and ded-icate themselves wholly to this service,” she added.

Bayley Enright’s father, Dr. Kris Enright, said he agreed that in some Mor-mon families it appears a mission is an expectation for sons and an option for daughters.

“But in our family, we want each of our children to have the option to go on a mission if they feel it is the right thing to do,” Kris En-right said.

“We do this because we love our God,” Bayley En-right said. “And we love our gospel and our church and we want to share that with others.”

Collegian writer Emi-ly Smith can be reached at news@collegian.com.

ASCSU’s work to bridge the gap

LDS church lowers missionary-age

“COIT is looking to engage the student body by creating more awareness about the student government here at CSU.”

Tim Medearis | Sophomore environmental engineering major

“To become a lasting group dedi-cated to educating campus about ASCSU and providing resources for CSU by reaching out to first and second year students, being present in/at campus events, and conducting student feedback measures each school year.”

miSSion StAtEmEnt

Student gov’t attempting to create tangible relationship with students

Continued from Page 1

All competitors on CSU’s Horse judging team are currently enrolled in the Advanced Horse Judg-ing class, after first taking the Introduction to Horse Evaluation class, where stu-dents learn judging criteria and practice reasons.

“[Reasons are] such an important component of the class and judging in general because you’re held accountable,” Auchmoody said, “and when you get out into the real world and you start judging breed shows and that sort of thing, some of these people are paying thousands of dollars to be there and compete and if you’re not paying attention, they get a little upset.”

Competing for CSU was an important factor for Ki-ernan in joining the team, and taking the courses were good preparation for com-petition. She said she used her compiled knowledge of

horse criteria to focus on the big picture when rank-ing the horses and explain-ing her decisions.

“While we were there it was really cool to see how much I’d learned and ac-tually judging the horses,” Kiernan said. “For me it was kind of easy, and so I think that was a real test of my knowledge and what I’d learned.”

Members of the horse judging team are motivat-ed, “Type A” personalities, according to Auchmoody. The students practice three days a week judging videos of past shows and working on reasons for their rank-ings. They also have a num-ber of weekend practices where they attend local horse shows.

The most important skill in horse judging is dedication, according to Kiernan. Although she nev-er judged horses before attending CSU, she was a rider for 12 years. Horse

judging knowledge, com-munication and teamwork are valuable skills in com-petition.

The horse judging class-es train students to be con-fident and well-spoken, skills they can apply to oth-er CSU classes and eventu-ally their careers, according to Auchmoody.

“It does have applica-tion and I think it’s more a mental exercise to think logically through some-thing, and you can use that in anything you do,” Auchmoody said.

The Quarter Horse team practiced judging hors-es competing in the main show in the days leading up to the collegiate judg-ing competition, according to Kim Nettleton, a senior equine science major.

Competitors judge horses from about 8 a.m. to noon, get a break to eat lunch and formulate and practice their reasons, and then give reasons until

around 8 p.m., according to Nettleton.

“I do get tired,” Net-tleton said, “but I feel like pushing yourself and get-ting tired makes you bet-ter the next time… I do get tired, but I enjoy it.”

Although the students are split into two teams, they support each other and work to represent CSU well, according to Kiernan.

The process of horse judging requires a lot of ef-fort and long days of com-petition, but is rewarding and a positive reflection of CSU and the Equine Sci-ence program, according to Auchmoody.

“It is a high stress sort of thing,” Auchmoody said. “You don’t do it unless you love it because it’s a lot of pressure, a lot of stuff going on through your brain. It’s a lot to handle but it is very, very fun.”

Senior reporter Kate Winkle can be reached at news@collegian.com.

horSE | Judging class breeds competitors

GAS | Resident: ‘This doesn’t happen around here’Continued from Page 1

three of them.“They’re a quiet-as-a-

mouse family,” the neighbor said.

Fort Collins resident Ally Wertz was visiting her moth-er who lives on Yellowstone Circle. Before the incident started, Wertz, her husband and their son left the area. While they were gone, emer-gency personnel set up bar-

ricades, leaving the family unable to return to their car.

Wertz grew up on Yellow-stone Circle, describing it is a nice neighborhood that is mostly home to families.

“This doesn’t happen around here,” she said. “Es-pecially on this side of town.”

Senior Reporter Kate Winkle can be reached at news@collegian.com. News Editor Andrew Carrera con-tributed to this report.

your daily fix

The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Monday, November 26, 2012 3

A little imagination can go a long way. I have always believed that if one deliber-ately commits to introspec-tively altering their percep-tion of varying phenomena — from humanity, to abstract ideas, to histories — one can mature in a profoundly lib-erating way. Within that be-lief is the benefit of personal nourishment: a deep grati-tude for every passing mo-ment of a person’s life.

Long after having quelled a temporary egoistic desire to make this idea self-ishly beneficial, I’ve realized that I cannot claim own-ership of it, since it is sim-ply one of those rare ideas which seem to claim power over its captor. An idea that bellows from the depths of one’s being which shatters judgmental tendencies and leaves only indescribable, viscerally known innocence and compassionate love.

I’d like to invite the read-er to try a thought experi-ment with me. It’ll be a little lesson in considering the context of your human per-ceptions. The context I’d like to place you in, dear reader, is one of mortality aware-ness — I’ll expand upon this idea in a moment.

First, sit somewhere near a crowded space on campus. Look around you for a mo-ment. Observe the people going about their lives.

Surely you know that their identities are wrapped up in a complex mixture of deliberate and unintentional transfor-mations. Surely you know that there’s a causal relationship between one’s experiences and their mind-state.

The inescapable, almost deterministic causality in-volved in the formation of po-litical, religious and other core views must be acknowledged if we are to deal with one an-other, and ourselves, soberly.

If you can isolate one hu-man within your field of vi-sion, who would presumably stay visible, do so. Now, make an honest attempt to fathom him or her comprehensively, using your imagination.

Understand, first, that this human was once a help-less infant, utterly clueless, clumsy and capricious. This human in front of you un-derwent a series of social-ization processes, a series of experiences which brought them to where they are, and this person will continue to inhabit this lifelong trans-formative process.

If this is done honestly, all self-serving compari-son will fall away from your mind, as would all preten-

tious posturing. Resist the temptation to imple-ment terms like “human nature” into this thought experiment: see this indi-vidual human for his/her own unique complexity.

Every day this vulner-able human ages, strug-gles, triumphs — and fails — often, consuming culture and heading to-ward an inevitable end.

Ask anyone to stand still: from age 1 to age 100, there’ll always be a little unsteadiness in posture, always a lack of perfect balance. So it often is with peoples’ composure.

What is the inevita-ble end? Death. This in-dividual’s heartbeat will one day end. Preceding that moment will likely be intensive pain, regrets, bittersweet realizations, a stunning confrontation of cognitive dissonance; and if one’s friends and fam-ily are around, repressed revelations uttered late to one’s loved ones.

Ask yourself: do the people I resent warrant my hatred? In under-standing the causal rela-tionship between one’s environment and the progression of each indi-vidual’s mind-state, can I liberate myself from pet-ty hatreds? What’s the use of continuing to build up these needless cerebral defenses against the re-alization of what our deaths produce in our loved ones?

Nearly every human being you encounter will be mourned for by loved ones. Friends and family will be unprepared for the devastatingly unpredict-able end. Perhaps you’ve experienced this near-ly visceral shock in your own lifetime, or known someone else who has.

In considering this, is it possible to alter one’s narrative of a long-re-sented rival? “I hate him because of what he did to me long ago. Yet when he dies, his loved ones would probably, painfully, recall insular moments of his benevo-lence, or his smile, or his dedication to some ad-mirable ideals, and other such things. Why persist in treasuring a merely marginal understanding of your enemy?”

None of this is advo-cating that bringing jus-tice through punishment to those that have earned it should be eliminat-ed, traded for unfettered compassion. Yet, the con-text I’ve provided (infant; now; dead) might im-prove nearly every pass-ing interaction we have with our fellow human beings. The unassuming compassion and empa-thy that results from it is unspeakably liberating.

Vivek Upadhyay is a freshman education ma-jor. He can be reached at letters@collegian.com.

People waited in lines outside of Best Buys and other retail stores through frigid fall nights for days, camping out in anticipation of Black Friday. The shiniest new goods on the shelf and mythical deals drove mobs of people to shopping strips; it was rampant aggressive consum-erism at its finest.

If you didn’t want to brave the potential dangers of Black Friday, today is Cyber Monday, where you can virtually splurge on all those gifts you forsook on Friday.

In Fort Collins on Friday, how-ever, a much different feeling was in the air. A different type of shop-ping fever was taking hold, but over

the hearts and minds of Fort Collins residents, rather than their eyes. The cause? Plaid Friday.

On Plaid Friday, rather than Black Friday, you wear plaid to Fort Collins’ great local independent business-

es in return for great deals and free goodies from various establishments.

Apart from the sales, it was an amazing opportunity to share in some of the local flavor of Fort Col-lins and come together with other members of the community.

More importantly, it was a great way to raise awareness of all the great local businesses that are close and truly have quality prod-ucts. And with everything you buy, your money is directly going to neighbors and friends in your im-mediate vicinity.

Get into the real spirit of the season; support local independent businesses.

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 letters@collegian.com.

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 letters@collegian.com

Monday, November 26, 2012 | Page 4

our view

‘Tis the season to shop local

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 letters@collegian.com.

Allison Sylte | Editor in Chiefeditor@collegian.com

Matt Miller | Content Managing Editornews@collegian.com

Hunter Thompson | Visual Managing Editorphoto@collegian.com

Andrew Carrera | News Editornews@collegian.com

Elisabeth Willner | News Editornews@collegian.com

Kevin Jensen | Editorial Editorletters@collegian.com

Nic Turiciano | Entertainment Editorverve@collegian.com

Cris Tiller | Sports Editorsports@collegian.com

Kris Lawan | Design Editor design@collegian.com

By vivek uPadhyay

“Get into the real spirit of the season; support

local independent businessess.”

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

*81 people voted in this poll.

yesTerday’s QuesTiOn:

TOday’s QuesTiOn:How many 5-Hour Energy drinks do you think it’s ok to consume in one day?

Log on to http://collegian.com to give us your two cents.

What are you doing over fall break?

15% Going out of state. 32% Going home in state. 30% Staying in Fort Collins. 24% Halo 4 and Call of

Duty: Black Ops 2

An exercise in compassion

By allisOn sylTe

In defense of my journalism major

This Thanksgiving break, in be-tween getting beaten during the Turkey Trot by a nursing home running club, impulsively buying P90x after the worst food coma of my life and seeing “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2” three times (and realizing that I will die alone), I perpetually heard different variations of the same three questions: “You’re graduating in May? You’re a journalism major? Um... what are you going to do with that?”

I’m not going to act like I’m special. During break, everyone gets interrogat-ed by their relatives/parent’s friends/random high school acquaintances (that you had no desire to see again) about their post-college plans.

But I do think that journalism gets a bad rap, since journalists, being the narcissists we are, are perpetually writing about how hopeless our live-lihood is.

I want to set the record straight: Yes, the industry is suffering, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t jobs.

According to an April article by the Poynter Institute, experienced journal-ism graduates (meaning those who did student media or got internships) have

a 6 percent unemployment rate, com-pared to the average 8.9 percent unem-ployment rate for recent graduates as a whole.

Sure, some of those graduates might be living with their parents and working at Starbucks, but I know recent graduates who are working at the Fort Collins Coloradoan, the Greeley Tri-bune and even the Denver Post.

Journalism majors make an aver-age of $50,000 a year, according to the 2010 Census. The average salary for Americans is $42,979.61, according to the National Average Wage Index. Sure, it might be lower than the aver-age of $56,415 a year that people with bachelor’s degrees make, but journal-ism still didn’t crack Time magazine’s list of the 20 lowest paying college majors.

While I personally want to be a re-porter, it definitely doesn’t mean that’s the profession you’re locked into with a journalism degree. According to Mon-ster.com, journalism graduates can be book editors, content producers, grant writers or public relations specialists (a.k.a. joining the dark side), just to name a few options.

Anyway, I’m not in it for the money. As cheesy as it sounds, I stuck with my journalism degree because I love it.

As a kid, I never really knew what I wanted to do. Some days I wanted to work in the stock market, others as an astronaut and others still selling used cars (I was a weird kid). During my short journalism career, I’ve gotten the chance to do something new every single day, from riding the cyclocross course at New Belgium to wading my way through the CSU budget.

Sure, I’ve spent a large portion of college unnecessarily stressed about Board of Governors meetings, but I

can’t say I’ve ever been bored.I’m not the best writer, nor am I

the most creative person on the plan-et, but that’s not what journalism, at its core, is about. It’s about finding those stories that no one has told, and perpetually talking to interesting people and learning new things...not to mention occasionally sticking it to authority.

I get paid to be curious, and even though I might make less than the av-erage college graduate, in my mind, it’s still the coolest job on the planet.

Am I perfect at it? No, as anyone who has read any of the stuff I’ve written in the Collegian can attest, but half of the fun of journalism is the fact that there’s always a chance to improve.

Last week, while I was giving a friend a friend of mine who works at a newspaper in town a ride to the air-port, we chatted about the merits of our journalism degrees.

“I could probably have majored in something else, and not be broke,” she said, “but I feel like I sound cool when I tell people at bars that I’m a reporter.”

Let’s be real — sounding less like a total nerd in bars is the real reason why I majored in journalism. Kidding aside, what I really wish I told people who questioned me about my major over Thanksgiving Break is that I’m doing what I love, and that my degree might not be the highest paying, but it’s pretty awesome.

And no... the journalism depart-ment did not pay me to write this.

Editor in Chief Allison Sylte is a se-nior journalism major. Her column ap-pears Mondays in the Collegian. She can be reached at editor@collegian.com or on Twitter @AllisonSylte.

15%

32%

30%24%

“I want to set the record straight: Yes, the industry is suffering, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t jobs.”

Starts the week of January 28th Saturday Morning Games with 2 practices per week Volunteer (Flexible Schedule!)

GREAT FUN! Contact Tom at 221.6385

BOYS BASKETBALL COACHES WANTED

Please call 224-6027, TDD/TTY 224-6002, for accessibility assistance.

On Campus Daily

By CAROL J. WILLIAMSThe McClatchy Tribune

A multifront campaign to prevent Iran from devel-oping a nuclear weapon has been stalled for months by the distractions of a U.S. presidential campaign, Tehran’s stop-and-go nego-tiating tactics and its role in deadly clashes in Syria and Gaza. Now that Pres-ident Barack Obama has been re-elected and Iran’s infl uence with Middle East neighbors seems to be fad-ing, Tehran is expected back at the negotiating table soon and, some observers believe, in a more construc-tive mood to resolve the nu-clear standoff.

The Obama administra-tion now has wider latitude for tackling one of its most complicated relationships. No longer shackled by the hawkish politicking of Re-publican presidential can-didate Mitt Romney, Obama could make an overture to Tehran to get negotiations back on track at a time when Iranian leaders need a face-saving escape from withering sanctions.

Multinational talks with Iran on its nuclear ambi-tions have been idle since June, as Tehran has refused to accede to the demands of foreign diplomats that it cease enriching uranium even for peaceful purposes like power generation and production of medical iso-topes. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Cather-ine Ashton, met Wednesday with diplomats from the six powers involved in the talks—the United States, Britain, France, Russia, Chi-na and Germany—and was exchanging missives with Tehran about a possible re-sumption of talks in Decem-

ber, EUobserver.com report-ed Friday.

“If Obama wants to cre-ate a legacy in foreign poli-cy, he has an opportunity to do that if he can resolve the Iran dilemma,” said Iranian exile Najmedin Meshkati, a USC engineering professor and former adviser to the U.S. State Department offi ce responsible for technology issues. Even as Iran may be pushed by sanctions that have halved oil exports and sent its currency into a free fall, the all-stick and no-car-rot approach to negotiations isn’t likely to succeed, Mesh-kati said.

The ruling elite in Iran is untouched by the food short-ages and soaring prices mak-ing life for average Iranians miserable, Meshkati said of his homeland, where he has maintained ties with fami-ly and academic colleagues during 30 years in exile.

“Iran’s pursuit of nuclear technology and its advance-ment of enrichment are not based on calculated econom-ic study,” he said. “It’s based on very complicated security calculations and other fac-tors, like national pride.”

Tehran is unlikely to en-gage in direct talks with U.S. diplomats without some in-ducement, he said. For ex-ample, he said, Washington could suspend the sanction preventing Iran from buy-ing spare parts and main-tenance services from U.S. suppliers for its aging fl eet of Boeing aircraft. That would make civilian air travel safer, boost U.S.-made compo-nent sales and keep Iran as a U.S. aviation customer rath-er than driving it to convert to an Airbus fl eet.

“Iran has said some el-ement of enrichment is nonnegotiable, that it’s per-mitted under the Nuclear

Nonproliferation Treaty for civilian uses,” Meshkati said. “They feel if they let that chip go that they will lose face. What do they have to show the Iranian people, who are struggling, if they come to the table to negoti-ate away something that is their right?”

It’s been three months since the International Atomic Energy Agency gave up on its separate effort to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program remains peace-ful. IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts expressed frustration after the last meeting in August failed to secure access for United Nations inspectors to the Parchin facility. Satellite surveillance of the base sug-gests Iran has been trying to clean up traces of a nuclear bomb test there nearly a de-cade ago. The Vienna-based agency reported this week, though, that Nackaerts would be meeting Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator on Dec. 13.

The moves to resurrect negotiations may have been spurred by recent reports that Tehran has doubled the number of centrifuges for uranium enrichment, though not all are opera-tional. It has also stepped up processing to accumulate 110 kilograms of the nuclear fuel enriched to 20 percent putting Iran about halfway to the 200-250 kilograms that nuclear experts say would be needed to make a single bomb.

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said in a re-port last week that the harsh economic sanctions im-posed by the United States and the European Union appeared to be having no effect on Iran’s pace of fuel production.

Opportunity for U.S., IranThe Rocky Mountain Collegian | Monday, November 26, 2012 5

6 Monday, November 26, 2012 | The Rocky Mountain Collegian

By Kyle graBowsKiThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

Balanced scoring and timely three-point shooting propelled the CSU basket-ball team to its best start since 2005 after defeating Washington 73-55 Saturday night in Seattle.

The Rams made 6-of-10 shots from behind the arc in the second half, after shoot-ing 25 percent in the first frame.

CSU took its biggest lead of the game 69-49 with 2:27 remaining after sophomore Daniel Bejarano stole the Huskies’ inbound pass and drained a long three pointer that sent Washington fans for the door.

The Rams used a 15-0 run to take a 47-38 lead with 12:37 remaining in the sec-ond half after trailing 38-32 shortly after halftime.

“We really challenged them, and said we could fi-nally turn the corner with an attitude that we know what it takes to win; and that’s stop after stop,” CSU coach Larry Eustachy said.

CSU held Washington scoreless for more than five minutes, until the Huskies finally broke the run with a free throw by senior center Aziz N'Diaye at 12:06.

Seniors Greg Smith and Dorian Green keyed the run, combining for 12 of the 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting.

"They made a run, and we didn't rally up. And that's my job," Washington senior guard and captain Abdul Gaddy said.

CSU dominated the boards by out-rebounding the Huskies 45-21, including a 24-7 edge on the offensive glass. This led to a 22-8 edge in second chance points for the Rams.

"The number one key was going to be rebound-ing," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said, "And we failed miserably in that area."

Senior Colton Iverson

leads the team with 12 re-bounds to go along with 13 points for his second con-secutive double-double.

N’Diaye had 8 rebounds for Washington, but no oth-er Husky grabbed more than four.

Smith scored 15 points to lead CSU, and was one of four Rams in double digits.

CSU shot 43.3 percent from the field and 54.8 per-cent in the second half.

“When we shoot like that we can hang with anybody," Eustachy said. "I think we are an exciting team. We are in the infant stages still but we are only going to get better."

Washington guard C.J. Wilcox scored a career-high 28 points to lead the game, but took 25 attempts to get there.

Neither team shot the ball effectively from the free throw or three-point line in the first half, combining for four made free throws out of eight and four made threes out of 17.

CSU avoided the slow start that plagued it earlier in the season against Montana and Denver, opening up an early 4-2 lead and never fall-ing behind by more than five in the first half.

“This is a different team than last year," Eustachy said. "It’s just a stronger team depth wise. We have been good on the road so far with these guys."

The Rams will look for their fifth straight win Mon-day at Moby Arena against Northern Colorado tonight at 7 p.m.

Assistant Sports Edi-tor Kyle Grabowski can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

By Kyle graBowsKiThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

The NCAA Tournament will send the CSU volleyball team east for the first time since 2008.

The Rams will play Pur-due in Tallahassee, Fla. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Nov. 30 at 2:30 p.m.

ACC champion Florida State will play Hofstra in the site’s other match, and represents the likely second round opponent for CSU should the Rams advance.

“It’s a really fun cluster of teams because they’re good, but not ridiculous,” CSU coach Tom Hilbert said.

Purdue finished the season 21-10 overall, and placed fifth in the Big 10 conference.

Senior outside hitter, and Colorado native, Ariel Turner leads the Boilermak-

ers with 4.43 kills per set, which led the Big 10.

Turner was a first team All-American and Big 10 Player of the Year in 2011.

“She gets a ton of at-tempts. Being able to block her is very important,” Hilbert said. “They have some other dynamic athletes, and they play in a great conference.”

At least one other Boil-ermaker will be familiar to CSU, as senior Breion Paige played with Purdue setter Rachel Davis over the sum-mer during the USA Volley-ball A2 program.

“She’s good at locating the ball, she knows where the hitters are and how to get it out to their position,” Paige said. “Working with her and seeing her tenden-cies helps a lot, and I feel like I can tell some of the other girls and keep them posted.”

CSU knows full well

what Purdue is capable of in the NCAA Tournament. The Rams hosted the Boil-ermakers in 2004, and were heavily favored, but lost 3-2 in the opening round.

“When you play in the Big 10 you’re used to bat-tles night in and night out,” Hilbert said. “They’re go-ing to be very ready for the NCAAs.”

The Rams enter the tournament in as good of shape as they can on an eight game winning streak that included the team’s fourth consecutive Moun-tain West championship.

CSU clinched the title Friday night in Moby Arena defeating New Mexico 3-1, avenging an earlier loss in Albuquerque, N.M.

The Rams did not fare well away from home early in the season, dropping all three games in their only neutral site tournament in Wichita, Kan. in early September, but the team learned from that experi-ence, and feels good about its chances in Tallahassee.

“In past years we’ve had room to lag and let games go, but this year it forced us into getting better be-cause we had to in order to do what we wanted,” senior outside hitter Dana Cran-ston said. “I think it put us in the best spot possible for the rest of the season.”

Assistant Sports Edi-tor Kyle Grabowski can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

When/Where: Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in Tallahassee, Fla.

Game 1: No. 9 Florida State vs. Hofstra

Game 2: Colorado State vs. Purdue

NCaa BraCKet

Offensive rebounds: CSU 24, Washington 7

2nd chance points: CSU 22, Washington 8

Free throws: CSU 7–10, Washington 8–15

Hustle stats

rams play Purdue in NCaa first round

Men’s basketball

volleyball

CSU storms passed Wash. on the road

The CSU volleyball team made the NCAA Tournament for the 16th season in a row. The Rams travel to Tallahasse, Fla. to play Purdue in the first round.

NiCK lyoN | COLLEGIAN

“I think we are an exciting team. We are in the infant stages still but

we are only going to get better.”Larry Eustachy | CSU head coach

Continued from Page 8

“(The second half) was a little bit (frustrating),” Smith said. “I’d like to come out the second half and kind of close it up right there, but it didn’t happen like that. We responded and got the W, so that’s what counts.”

New Mexico scored 13

unanswered points to seize a 20-17 lead before CSU’s game winning drive. The Lobos gained just 58 yards of offense in the first half, and ended up with 342 be-fore it was all said and done. Despite their best effort, the Lobos fell short.

“I thought they kicked us in the mouth,” New Mex-

ico coach Bob Davie said after the game. “We never could get any rhythm on of-fense. We’re not going to win if we can’t play defense.”

With Saturday’s win, CSU avoided a fourth straight 3-9 season, and sent its seniors out with a win.

“Guys, obviously that was a lot of fun. It was a

great way to end it,” CSU coach Jim McElwain said. “I’m really proud of our se-niors. I thought a couple of those guys really gut-ted their tails off out there. You can see it really meant something to them.”

Sports Editor Cris Tiller can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

fBall | Survives late push from Lobos

$14.49 12pk btls

Aggie Discount Liquor 429 Canyon Ave. 482-1968

Sam AdamsWinter Classics

Variety Pack

FOODGREAT FOOD Until midnight. 7 days. Cafe Vino. 1200 S. College. Close to campus. www.cafevino.com.

FOR RENTRoommate wanted $450/mo: Male/Female. Private bedroom/ bath. Two bedroom, two bathroom apt. Near campus. Washer/dryer. Small pets ok. 970-599-4935 as-ctl@aptsbycsu.com

Two rooms , $300/month. South of vet school. Nice house, 2 bathroom. Contact Marc 970-282-9099

WANTEDSTUDENTPAYOUTS.COM Paid Survey Takers Needed In Fort Collins. 100% FREE To Join! Click Surveys.

HAPPENINGSTWO CHICKS PAINTBALL Challenge your friends, rivals, or co-workers! CSU Student discount www.twochickspaintball.com 970-221-3176.

COCKTAILS ANYONE Daily fruit, herb, vegetable inspired specials. Fort Collins’ fi nest bartenders. Cafe Vino. 1200 S. College. Across from CSU track.

Help employ chickens! Eat an omelette at: THE EGG & I 2809 S. College Ave.

EMPLOYMENT!BARTENDING! $300/day potential. No experience necessary. Training provided. Age 18+ ok. 1-800-965-6520 ex167.

Earn $1000-$3200 a month to drive our brand new cars with ads. www.VehiclePay.com

CLASSIFIEDSwww.collegian.com

970-491-1686

Deadline to submit classi�ed ads is 4pm the day prior to publication. To place an ad call 970-491-1686 or click “Classi�eds’ at Collegian.com.

CLASSIFIEDSwww.collegian.com

970-491-1686

Deadline to submit classi�ed ads is 4pm the day prior to publication. To place an ad call 970-491-1686 or click “Classi�eds’ at Collegian.com.

Daily cartoons and games available at Collegian.com. Send feedback to design@collegian.com.

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

RamTalk Compiled by Kris Lawan

‘Tis the time of year where going to the gym was for nothing because all progress is lost on Thanksgiving

You know it is too cold when you take your beer out of the fridge and put it outside

Short, skinny white girl: “If we weren’t in public right now, I’d be saying some real racist s*** right now”

That awkward moment when you break your girlfriend’s nose during sex #howtotellhermom

Submit RamTalk entries to ramtalk@collegian.com. 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:

Last Monday’s solution

Today’s RamTalk sponsored by:

Daily Horoscope Nancy Black and Stephanie Clement

Last Monday’s solution

Brew

ster

Roc

kit

Tim

Ric

kard

Won

derm

ark

Davi

d M

alki

Ctr

l+z

Chel

sea

Lond

on#

Room

-Ant

ics

JADE

Meh

Com

exRo

chel

le P

eele

r

Across1 Ed of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”6 “Mystery solved!”9 Spear13 Picked14 Artist’s studio site16 “Arsenic and Old __”17 Mischievous girl in classic comics19 Fairy tale menace20 Display for the fi rst time, as a product21 Rajah’s spouse23 Until this time24 Grilled fi sh in Japanese unadon26 “Exodus” actor Sal28 Florida NBA team, on scoreboards31 Jack LaLanne, for one35 Tries to make it alone37 Funereal stacks38 Unaccompanied39 Baggage handler, e.g.42 Actress Amanda43 Put the kibosh on45 Idle47 1984 South African Peace Nobelist50 Williams with a .344 lifetime batting average51 High-altitude nest52 Lavish bash54 Slap-on-the-forehead cry56 The “height” part of a height phobia58 Dress to the nines62 __ hygiene64 “Star Trek” role for George Takei66 Late-night Jay67 Genesis garden site68 Scrabble pieces69 Bustle70 Big name in ice cream71 Monica of tennis

Down1 Rights protection gp.2 Knee-to-ankle bone3 Misbehaving child’s punishment4 Makeup maven Lauder5 Raised sculptures6 Musketeer motto word7 Time of day8 On fi re

9 __-mo replay10 Cry that starts a kid’s game11 Ranch division12 Borscht ingredient15 North African capital for which its coun-try is named18 Mama Cass’s surname22 Clouseau’s title: Abbr.25 D-Day city27 Nile Valley country28 Eyed lewdly29 TV sports pioneer Arledge30 Pitches in32 Cry that confl icts with 10-Down33 Christopher of “Superman”34 “¿Cómo está __?”36 Boss’s “We need to talk”40 Suffi cient, in slang41 Too violent for a PG-1344 Nickelodeon explorer46 Figures made with scissors48 Ornamental wall recess49 Put down53 Cow on a carton54 Birdbrain55 After-school cookie57 Gave the green light59 Quiet spell60 Beekeeper played by Peter Fonda61 Kisser63 Lav of London65 “__ questions?”

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (11/26/12). Pluto enters Capricorn (until 2023) today, bringing foundational transformation. Focus on personal goals this year, especially around family fun, work and self-renewal. Romance spices up the holidays. Balance work with exercise, as career kicks into overdrive.

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

ARIES (March 21-April 19) ––7 –– Work and moneymaking have your focus. Meet a new friend through an old one. Love’s easier to express for the next few weeks. Listen to your feelings.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) ––9 –– Take advantage of the creative bursts of energy all throughout the day. Circum-stances put you in the right place. Focus on team projects. Just do it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) ––5 –– Avoid gossip at all costs. Now it’s time to stick together and pull through. There’s a les-son here somewhere, and you’re getting better at learning. Follow the rules.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) ––8 –– Compromise builds a strong foundation. Make positive changes after considering the consequences. You’ll make mistakes, but you’ll also make money. It’s easier to take charge for a few weeks.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) ––7 –– Get your papers in order, and benefi t fi nancially. Something doesn’t pencil out at fi rst. Tak-ing action is the best solution. You can fi nd the money.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) ––8 –– Someone needs to put some order into the chaos. Help them play by the rules. Make up a plan for an imaginative but rather spacey friend. For the next three weeks, it’s easier to concentrate.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) ––6 –– Don’t go public yet. Now is time to replenish depleted reserves. Creative accounting may not work out well. For the next ten days or so, it’s easier to make romantic plans.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) ––8 –– Pay close attention to a master, and accept their challenge. Concentrate in the mes-sage you want to deliver. Take a friend along to assist you during challenging times.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) ––7 –– You’re an inspira-tion to the world, if you really think about it. Concentrate on the projects you’re most proud of. Find people with similar goals. Together, you’re all stronger.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) ––7 –– Encourage criticism so that you can clean up an old mess the best way possible. A relationship undergoes abrupt change, but the perfect solu-tion appears. Think about the future.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) ––9 –– Creative work pays well. Pay close attention to your target market. Don’t forget about the older folks. Accept a challenge and get a boost. The two of you enjoy the moment.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) ––7 –– It’s easy to get distract-ed with your own goals and projects now, but don’t overlook a loved one’s needs. You’ll spend more for the next few weeks. Stick to your priorities.

The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Monday, November 26, 2012 7

1335 W. E l i zabeth • 970-4 82-94641335 W. E l i zabeth • 970-4 82-9464

Monday NightFootball

Monday Night

49¢ Wings on

Mondays

Burgers + Beers - Starts @ 6pmBOGO 1/2 off

Burgers

www.Tapsftc.com

TONIGHT!NFL!!!

WED TRIVIA @ 7 Karaoke @ 9

FRI !! Ladies Night !! Wells and SelectO’Dells beers$1

TUES

THURS

SUN

$1 Domestics + $2 Micro PintsPint Night - Starts @ 6 pm

$3 MonsterMugs of DOMS

Mugs of Bud & Bud Light (25 oz)$4

Carolina Panthersvs Philadelphia Eagles

165 BOARDWALK DRIVE • 970.449.4462

off select New Belgium

during ANY game!$1 Register to win a New Belgium

Cruiser Bike!

Register to win a New Belgium Cruiser New Belgium Cruiser New Belgium

400 — that’s a rather large number.

It’s big enough to pay the rent for most students, outnumber the Facebook friends you never talk to and become the most successful coach in the history of a uni-versity that is over 140 years old.

Tom Hilbert’s rent is probably more than $400 per month. There’s also a chance that he doesn’t even belong to Facebook. However, he is CSU’s winningest coach of all time, thanks to the 400th victory he led his volleyball team to this month.

But the milestone was hardly highlighted any dif-ferently than the other 399 wins Hilbert has come away with.

If 400 wins doesn’t seem like much of a big deal, con-sider the fact that there are only 28 games in an entire volleyball regular season — and that Hilbert has only been teaching CSU to bump, set and spike for 16 years.

After posting up an av-erage of 25.47 wins per year, it’s safe to say that Hilbert has acquired some notewor-thy titles in his day.

That wall of fame is com-posed of 16 Coach of the Year

Awards from four different classifi cations that include: Mountain West, Big Sky, WAC and the AVCA.

Earning a Coach of the Year Award would be wor-thy of a frame and some wall space in any coach’s offi ce. If Hilbert exercised this prac-tice for each of his achieve-ments, there might not be enough room to display his Business Administration de-gree or any family pictures.

When asked about reaching the 400th win that most coaches will never get to experience, his response was worthy of a nickname more like Humble Hilbert, rather than Titanic Tom.

“I feel like I’m not pay-ing the type of respect to it that maybe it deserves, and I rather it be done at the end of the season or at the end of my career or when I’m dead,” he said.

Certainly there are bigger fi sh to fry with the Rams now headed to the NCAA Tourna-ment, but their coach’s mile-stone is worthy of a high fi ve at the very least.

Tom Hilbert is now wear-ing a 403-103 title at CSU, which puts his winning per-centage at 80 percent. Break these stats down into simple English and it translates into coming out on top of four of fi ve battles he goes into.

I’m no math whiz — but I think anybody has to like their chances with those numbers.

It’s safe to say that the CSU volleyball team is in good hands.

Congrats, Tom.Quentin Sickafoose is a

junior Journalism & Tech-nical Communications ma-jor and can be reached at sports@collegian.com.

SPORTS MONDAYCOLLEGIAN

Monday, November 26, 2012 | Page 8

OUT WITH STYLE

CSU freshman running back Donnell Alexander bursts past the goalline for a touchdown Saturday at Hughes Stadium. Alexander led the Rams with 112 yards rushing in a thrilling 24-20 win to close out the season at 4-8.

NICK LYON | COLLEGIAN

By CRIS TILLERThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

On paper, a four win season is far from impressive, but in reality it meant everything for the Rams.

CSU beat New Mexico 24-20 Saturday to earn its fourth win, one more victory than the Rams had been able to muster in three con-secutive seasons.

“It was a great win because most of the guys that have been here right now, those seniors, have been 3-9, 3-9, 3-9, so it was cool just to break that,” senior wide receiver Marquise Law said. “It was cool just to go out with a win. It’s just awe-some”

Much like the Rams’ season, Saturday’s game was hard to pro-cess. CSU started off strong, jump-ing out to a 14-0 lead, but faltered for most of the game.

In the end CSU pulled it out, narrowly, leaving a glimmer of hope for the future.

The Rams had only four posses-sions in the third and fourth quar-ters, and punted on three of them.

But trailing 20-17 with 3:05 left on the clock, redshirt freshman Conner Smith led the Rams down the fi eld, and hit a wide open Joe Hansley for a 30-yard touchdown, and a 24-20 lead.

“We practice that two-minute drill every Thursday, so I just tried, myself, focus on staying calm and

doing what I’ve been coached to do,” Smith said. “We executed as an offense, and got it done, and it was a good feeling.”

New Mexico didn’t go away quietly, driving down the fi eld to the CSU 16-yard line, but couldn’t punch it in the end zone as time ex-pired, sealing the victory.

Young players for CSU proved to be the difference in the game. Smith completed 19-of-26 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns, while freshman running back Don-nell Alexander led the Rams in rushing with 112 yards on 24 car-ries and one score.

It was his third 100-yard game of the season, and five games in a row for CSU. Hansley was the Rams’ leading receiver with five catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns.

“That’s defi nitely something that’s very important from the sim-ple fact that a lot of us will be back,” Alexander said of the freshman standouts. “So if we’re contributing now, hopefully in the future we’ll grow on that and continue to get better as a football team; take the next step to success.”

The Rams opened the game on a long drive highlighted by a 22-yard run by junior running back Chris Nwoke, and fi nished one play later on a 29-yard touchdown strike to Hansley.

The six-play, 75 yard drive

marked the fi rst time all year the Rams scored a touchdown on their opening possession.

CSU followed up its impres-sive opening drive with an even more dazzling second possession, driving 61-yards and eating up 4:23 worth of clock, before finish-ing it off on a 3-yard run by Alex-ander.

Over their fi rst two drives, the Rams moved the ball 136 yards on 17 plays for two scores and 7:05 of the fi rst quarter.

New Mexico responded to CSU’s strong start on defense, pick-ing off Smith and returning the ball 35-yards to the CSU 3-yard line. Running back Kasey Carrier fi n-ished off the short drive on a 1-yard touchdown run, cutting CSU’s lead to 14-7.

Other than the turnover, CSU made very few mistakes in the fi rst half, and defensively stifl ed the Lo-bos. New Mexico punted on four of its fi ve offensive possessions, and crossed the 50-yard line just twice other than the interception.

Offensively, the Rams proved to be explosive in the fi rst half, gen-erating big plays for a 6.7 yards per play average on 253 total yards in the half, including 168 in the fi rst quarter alone.

The second half went far less smoothly for CSU.

See FBALL on Page 6

Seniors leave CSU on winning noteBy QUENTIN SICKAFOOSE

400 win milestone did not receive deserved attention

“I feel like I’m not paying the type of respect to it that maybe it

deserves, and I rather it be done at the end of the season or at the end

of my career or when I’m dead.”Tom Hilbert | volleyball head coach

COLUMN

Don’t have time to grab the paper?

Luckily the Collegian has

a website!www.collegian.com