Volume 96, Issue 3

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Ever since Amendment 64 passed, the way that college

campuses deal with marijuana has come under scrutiny.

The newest club on campus, Students for Sens ible Drug

Policy, has made it their goal t o not only talk about campus

policies regarding drugs, but to potentially change them.

“Here at CSM, our end goal is to promote fair and

sensible drug policies on campus that promote

student well-being through educational and harm

reduction techniques,” Jacob Warnke

president and co- ... founder

.of the Mines SSDP chap ter,

said.

“We aim to accomplish

this by establishing a working

re la t ionsh ip w i th the s tuden t

organizations on campus and with the

administration so that we can update and

reform the current polices to better suit the

needs of CSM students.”

“From a national standpoint, the goal of the

SSDP organization is to mobilize and empower

students to participate in the political process,

pushing for sensible policies to achieve a safer

and more just future while fighting back against

counterproductive Drug War policies, particularly those that

directly harm students and youth. SSDP neither condones nor

condemns drug use, rather we respect the right of individuals to

make decisions about their own health and well-being, and we

encourage honest conversation about the realities of the drug war.

We promote youth civic engagement as a critical tool in reforming

drug policy and we develop leaders who advocate for policy changes

based on justice, liberty, compassion and reason.“ Warnke said.

The current approach to drug use on campus tends to be a

stance focused more on help and education rather than an

immediate punishment.

“Our philosophy is that we’d rather modify a student’s

behavior. We focus on education rather than an immediate

punishment,” said Chief of Police Gren Bohlen. “We don’t want

students ruining their opportunity to come to school here. The

opportunity is there, we just want people to play by the rules.”

“We work collectively with the pol ice towards more of a community

policing model, which is to educate and talk about behaviors before

it becomes a ticketable offense as opposed to a more punitive

approach,” Jenn Mazzotta, the Director of Student Activities, said.

“However, if you’re a repeat offender, that’s when it becomespunitive and takes a more judicial approach because the educational

approach isn’t getting through.”

In order for the school to continue receiving federal funding, there

are requirements that the school must meet.

“Since 2013, there have been changes to freshmen orientation.

However, the focus has shifted more towards alcohol. The more time

I have spent with students the more I have heard the undertones of

drug use on campus and this coming fall there is going to be a more

layered approach regarding drugs,” Mazzotta said.

“There’s going to be more of a conversation regarding drugs

because it has been brought to my attention that there isn’t much

of a di scussion.”

Policies regarding drug use on campus are very clear and are

outlined in the school’s Student Code of Conduct, which states:

“Although possession and use of marijuana consistent with the

requirements of the Colorado Constitution is not a crime in the State of

Colorado, the possession and use of marijuana remains illegal underfederal law. Consistent with federal law, including the Controlled

Substances Act and the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act,

the use and/or p ossession of marijuana continues to be prohibited

while a student is on Mines owned or controlled property, and/or

attending any function authorized or supervised by Mines.”

“The policy is in place because it is required by law,” Chief Bohlen

said.

“Law enforcement policies on campus and then state policies

all regulate intoxication. Coming on campus under the influence is

a violation of the Code of Conduct and sometimes we have to send

students to detox.”

With respect to SSDP and their goal to change campus policies

Chief Bohlen said, “it’s not a local fight but rather a national one.”

On October 28, Mines’ students gathered in the

Steinhauer Fieldhouse for the campus’ first ever After

Dark, a national event that travels to twelve campuses

a year and is aimed at getting the word out about

Christianity.

The event consisted of performances from Tedashii

and Matt Wertz, with a speech from Joe White titled

“Is Jesus Relevant Today?”

“It is basically a one night event where music

and message meet,” Caleb Waitsman, leader of the

event, said.

“It is about opening the doors to a fun event so wide

that an entire can feel included in something bigger

than themselves. We want to look past darkness and

hate to experience love in a new way, while also hav-

ing a great time surrounded by people on campus,”

Ben Eigner, a student who helped to advertise and

coordinate the event, explained.

Given that the demand for After Dark is relatively

high with only a few campuses hosting the event per

year, Waitsman explained that Mines was chosen as

a host after a few students got together and called

the After Dark Team in Missouri to throw Mines’ name

into the hat for After Dark’s 2015-2016 tour.

Opinion

Resident Assistantsand their role oncampus

-Page 8

Oredigger THE“The student voice of Mines

since 1920”

November 13, 2015

Volume 96, Issue 3

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

INSIDE

Evangelical Event Takes Place on Campus

Arts and Entertainment

Mines Little Theaterperforms Boeing Boeing

-Page 11

Sports

Men’s basketball startstheir new season

-Page 14


Continued on Page 2

INDEXSSDP ..................... .............. 2After Dark ............................2John Lockridge ....................2Econ Seminar ...................... 3Space Society...................... 3Humans of Mines................. 3Fuel Cell Research .............. 4Asteroid Mining .................... 4Heart Tissue ....................... . 4

Candidate Profiles ............5-6Voter Turnout ....................... 6Guns ..................... ............... 7RA ..................... ................... 8Lazy Day............................ .. 8Mines Internet Radio ......... 10Boeing Boeing ................... 10A Midsummers Night’s ....... 11

Electronic Duo ................... 11Days of Ruin ...................... 11High Grade ....................... . 11Martian............................... 11Marvel ...................... .......... 12Creative Arts Club..............12Flash ........................ .......... 13Creative Writing ................. 13Sports ...........................14-16

Policy, Federal Law Inhibit Club’s Goal

Taken by: Jessie DavisTedashii and Matt Wertz perform at After Dark on October

28th in Steinhauer Fieldhouse.

By: Grant DeShazer

By: Grant DeShazer

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The Students for Sensible Drug Policy

welcomed Patrick Nightdale, formerprosecutor and current criminal defense

attorney, to speak on behalf of the Law

Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)

organization this past Thursday, October

29th.As a member of LEAP since August

2010, Nightdale speaks publicly on

behalf of the organization, especially on

the failings of federal drug policies to

contain and reduce the prevalence of

drug use. He is originally from Pittsburg,Pennsylvania, where he has been

practicing law for over 17 years, and is

also a founding member of the Allegheny

County Domestic Violence Unit.

“Coloradans, Oregonians,Washingtonians have said in at least

some limited aspect that, when it comes

to marijuana use and possession,

consumption and distribution, this

policy has absolutely failed, ” Nightdale

asserts. He explained that there are

more incarcerated Americans (2,000,000incarcerated, 10,000,000 with federal

infractions) in the United States than

there are incarcerated Chinese in China,

a country with approximately 1.038 billion

more citizens. “[This policy] needlessly warehouses

hundreds of thousands of Americans,”

Nightdale declared. He furthered by

asserting that these “wasted” tens of

billions of taxpayer dollars could have

better been utilized elsewhere, perhaps inreducing the 50% homicide arrest rate. In

addition to wasted dollars, he argues that

police departments have lost invaluable

time that could have been spent on more

urgent and ultimately more importanttasks.

“It is the prohibition that has resulted

in the creation of such a lucrative black

marketplace, ” said Nightdale. He

illustrates this idea by explaining how the

war on drugs failed to contain the spread

of Heroin in Pittsburgh, but gave rise tothe efficient production of the substance

in greater yields and with higher purity.

Nightdale also spoke about the

reduction in legal rights for those who are

punished for crimes relating to conspiracyto distribute drugs, and forfeiture of

personal effects.

Mandatory minimums are sets of

state or federal laws that remove a

judge’s ability to tailor a sentenc ing to

the circumstances of the crime; it setsa mandatory sentence as a “one size

fits all” solution to certain types of case,

including illegal drug charges.

Most charging prosecutors use these

mandates to force defendants into pleabargains, even if their chances of lighter

punishment are good. This then strips

the defendant of valuable legal and

It was estimated that there wouldbe approximately 800-900 people whowould attend the event and within thefirst half hour there were well over 700attendees. In total, Waitsman estimatedthat “over 900 people attended fromacross the West Denver Area” despitethe fact that “Mines is one of the smallerschools to have ever hosted an AfterDark event.”

The turnout at the event can mostlybe attributed to a significant amountof advertising, which consisted ofnumerous flyers that could be found in

almost every classroom on campus. “Theadministration at Mines was super helpfulin allowing students to advertise for theevent,” Waitsman said. “We did all wecould to make sure every student knewwhen and where the event was beingheld, and we feel like we accomplishedthat goal.”

Despite some of the negativeresponses to the advertising, BrittanyMarshall, the other student to havehelped bring After Dark to Mines said,“Mines never has lots of advertisingfor events. So when there is lots ofadvertising, nobody really likes it.”

Although the advertising succeeded

in its goal of attracting students tothe event, it also generated negativeresponses claiming that the event wasnot advertised honestly.

“The advertisements were supposedto be visually appealing so there was anaspect to making them look cool. If youread the posters it said what the talk wasabout. It isn’t true to say that the eventwas falsely advertised.” Brittany Marshallsaid.

Eigner and Waitsman both said theywere thankful that the event came toMines this year.

“The response was incredible. I feltlike everyone had a great time and

walked out knowing they made the mostof their Wednesday night,” Waitsmansaid.

It terms of lasting effects on campus,Marshall said there has already been asignificant impact.

“After Dark won’t be here again, themost they visit a single campus is once ina four year period. But what’s cool is thatthis Friday there is going to be a hugeministry wide worship night. After Darktied the community together and helpedto bring religions discussion to campus.I think it is good for people to talk aboutreligion in general,” Marshall said.

NEWSFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 PAGE 2


Students for Sensible Drug Policy Hold First Event

By: Joeseph Hunt

Friends, family, and members of the

Mines community gathered in the Lock-

ridge Arena at the Mines Student Recre-

ation Center in mid-October to pay their

respects and commemorate the arena’s

namesake.

John P. Lockridge, who passed away

September 7th this year, had the Lockridge

Arena named after him for his commitment

and continuous contributions towards the

Colorado School of Mines. Mr. Lockridge

was a highly respected member of the

Mines community who brought great pres-

tige to the school with his work in the local

petroleum industry.

John Lockridge was accepted into the

Colorado School of Mines in the late 1940s

with an academic scholarship. During his

time at the school, he played as number

16 on the varsity basketball team and com-

peted as a member of the swim team. He

would later be inducted into the Mines Ath-

letics Hall of Fame in 2003.

Mr. Lockridge graduated from Mines

in 1952 with a degree in Geological Engi-

neering and began his career working for

a subsidiary of Mobil Oil. After 17 years,

he founded his own company, Mountain

Petroleum Corporation, with the aid of co-

founder Clyde Thompson.

In addition, Mr. Lockridge was formally

accepted into the American Association of

Petroleum Geologists and Rocky Mountain

Association of Geologists, where he was

lauded as an exceptional lecturer and ex-

plorer.

He served as president for the Rocky

Mountain Association of Geologists and

additionally served as vice-president in

both organizations. He was decorated with

numerous awards from both organizations

for his outstanding service and writing con-

tributions.

Mr. Lockridge gave back to the Mines

community by helping establish the Blast-

er Basketball Scholarship Fund, which is

available to out-of-state, Varsity basket-

ball players, in 2001. He also helped fund

the construction of the Student Recreation

Center in 2005 with the help of his wife,

Erika.

Mr. Lockridge passed away at home in

Pebble Beach, California and is survived

by his wife and his children Nancy, Laura,

Monica, Eric and Nick. His fame as a re-

nowned geologist, winning personality, and

helpful attitude towards peers has created

a lasting legacy that brings great pride to

Colorado School of Mines.

In Memory of John P. Lockridge (1931 - 2015)

constitutional rights. More immediately,

“If a mandatory is invoked, the defendant

has absolutely no judicial reviewwhatsoever,” asserts Nightdale. “These

mandatories are employed in such a way

as to do anything other than seek true

justice . “

Nightdale was strongly opposed to theuse of these mandatories, claiming that

they violate the basic rights of defendants

as well as their civil liberties, especially

since they revoke a defendant’s right to

appeal their case. However, Nightdale

has noticed that on a national level,awareness of the brutal use of drug

mandatories is becoming widespread.

“One of the shifts we’re having in

conversation right now is that simplywarehousing Americans for non-violent

drug offenses has been bad public

policy,” he sais. “We’re having bi-partisan

agreement that drug mandatories for

non-violent drug offenders are notworking.” According to Nightdale, courts

are looking for alternative policies to

incarceration, including drug courts,

to target the higher-ups in charge of

manufacture and supply instead of low-level users.

According to asset forfeiture

laws, police officers can confiscate a

suspicious individual’s personal effects

or other assets, including cash, vehicles,

and even homes, with the burden ofproving innocence, rather than guilt, is

given to the individual who had assets

seized. While this law was designed

to give police officers a tool to damage

the infrastructure of upper level crime,Nightdale contends that it is a violation

of civil rights for individuals, as police

can abuse this power against individuals

who are too afraid to return to regain lost

assets due to possible criminal activity,even if there was no warranted reason

for the search or seizure.

“This is what happens to me when I’ve

got a case with a drug mandatory, and

a potential suppression issue – that’swhen the police obtain evidence that may

or may not have been unconstitutional,”he explains. The prosecutor will often

provide a plea deal, which is tempting for

defendants.“They’re taking that deal and running,

because otherwise the prosecutor will put

them in prison for three years,” explains

Nightdale.

By: Joeseph Hunt

Continued from Page 1

The Students for Sensible Drug Policy had a criminal defense attorney come and speak about drug policies inAmerica.

After Dark

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NEWS PAGE 3

WANT YOUR CLUB OR EVENT COVERED? EMAIL [email protected]

Econ Graduates Return to Speak of Experiences

Humans of Mines

By: Katrina San Nicolas

While the Economics Department at Mines may be verysmall in size, graduates’ career paths cover a wide varietyof industries and applications. Four recent Economicsgraduates returned to campus last week to discusseconomics-related career opportunities, the courses thatthey found to be most useful in the workforce, and theunique value of obtaining a non-engineering degree from

a school lled with engineers.“I thought I wanted to be an engineer,” recalled Nick Van

Gundy, who graduated in 2013 with a B.S in Economicsand M.S in Mineral and Energy Economics. “Then I tookPhysics and Chemistry and decided that I didn’t want to bean engineer anymore.”

Van Gundy is now a Senior Quantitative Analystat Source Gas, a company that sells natural gas to

households. In addition to modeling demand and price forthe company, he also manages some of the budget and

nancial operations.“My company liked that I’m not an engineer but I speak

engineer,” contends Ana Ochoa, who currently works asa Contract Surety Writer for Liberty Mutual Surety. Ochoa

graduated in 2012 with a B.S. in Economics and frequentlycommunicates with construction contractors to evaluateinvestment stability.

“Initially, the Mines name really made me stick out,” sheshares.

While a number of economics graduates end upworking in the private sector, 2013 graduate Lisa MartinezTempleton found rewarding work at the Ofce of EconomicDevelopment at the City and County of Denver. She

is currently working in a team of four to develop furtherdata connections between government aid programs likeSNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and

disability.

“I have a team of data analysts that work under me,”Martinez Templeton explains. “I had no idea when I was inschool that I would be doing what I am now.”

Overwhelmingly, the graduates have found computerprogramming and data analysis classes to be the most

valuable in the work force, but also recognize the distinctionprovided by a strong math and science background.

“Not only is it the math that drives everything, but itis that overarching conceptual framework that we use tosolve problems,” expresses Martinez Templeton.

Because Mines is such an academically challengingschool, several of the speakers mentioned that the learningcurve also becomes incredibly apparent in the work force.

“One of the things that you get really good at here is

learning things fast,” says Jim Soiland, who graduated in2011 and now works at Square Two Financial. “

The graduates also highly recommended the Mineraland Energy Economics M.S. program, in which studentsstudy the interactions between markets, policy, and themineral and energy industries.

“There are not a lot of schools where you can learnthat,” Van Gundy commented about the unique focus ofthe master’s program.

After spending some time in industry, the graduates

additionally shared lots of advice on being successful inthe workforce and nding the appropriate career t.

“Keep in mind other factors, not just the paycheck,”advised Soiland. “The environment that you are in willmake a big difference.”

Ochoa, who has enjoyed interacting with constructioncontractors and now has several years of involvement inthe eld, suggests picking an industry and using that togain experience.

“Really, it is all about where you want to go and how yousee yourself,” concluded Van Gundy.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015

Alumni Nicholas Van Gundy, Lisa Martinez Templeton, Ana Ochoa and Jim Soiland all come back to speakabout their experiiences in the feld with an Economics Degree. Photo by Ronald Kem

From the quiet student in the back of class, to the facultymember researching a passion, each member of theMines campus has a unique story to tell. Deirdre Keating,

Information Specialist for the College of Engineering andComputational Sciences, recently set out with a camera andan idea to share them all.

Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s well-known “Humans

of New York” Facebook page, Keating created a similar“Humans of Mines” page that features photographs ofvarious members of the Mines community along with briefstories and quotes.

“The ultimate goal is to create a sense of community on

campus,” she explains. “There are so many people we passby and we don’t necessarily know their stories.”

When Keating began the Humans of Mines project lastsummer, she knew its success would depend on a teamof collaborators. The team has grown to include MarkRamirez and Agata Bogucka (Information Specialists forthe other two colleges on campus), Kathleen Morton (MinesCommunications Manager), and Anna Ristuccia-Glancy

(Geological Engineering student).“Our page is really unique in that i t’s successful,” contends

Keating. “If you look at the other universities that have triedit, they usually fade out after a few months. I think what isreally unique is the team that we have. We each do one dayof the week.”

The Humans of Mines Facebook page has grown toover 1,600 likes and is generally visited over 10,000 timesa week. Even though the page’s main audience is currentstudents, alumni and prospective students also frequentlycomment on the posts.

“I think we hit a nerve where there was a need to have abigger picture,” Keating expresses. “There is a stereotype ofMines students as super bright but super narrowly focused,but this project taps into a diversity of interests and talents.”

Humans of Mines interviewer/photographers ask open-ended questions to get unique responses from students.

“Each of us has our own go-to questions, but a lot of it is just about taking the time to listen a little bit more,” Keatingexplains.

Since the project began in June, the most rewardingpart to Keating has been watching a community grow on apage. For instance, several Mines alumni wrote encouragingcomments to a rst year student nervous about succeedingat a challenging school like Mines. Another post featuring

a student torn between the Physics and Computer Sciencemajors received multiple comments with advice andinformation about ways to study both.

“It’s a really positive community,” expresses Keating. “Iam really impressed with the comments that we get.”

As the project grows and students graduate, the Humansof Mines team is looking for more students to becomeinvolved with the project.

“If we have that kind of diverse engineering student wholoves their science and math but also has this artistic side,I would love to see them participate,” explains Keating. Tokeep the quality of photography high, student participantsshould have their own camera and basic photographyexperience.

“My favorite part of the program is that it opens my eyes

to all of the different facets of Mines,” asserts Keating. “It is areally unique school and people don’t know how many greatthings are being done by students here.”

While many Colorado School of Mines

students dream of one day working forlarge aeronautical companies, JonathanGoff of Altius Space Machines decided to

take a leap of faith and start his very own.“Sometimes the best way to learn

about a business startup is to jump inand learn the hard way,” said Goff duringa guest lecture coordinated by the CSMSpace Society. Goff is the founder and

CEO of the Broomfield-based company,and received his Bachelor’s and Master’sdegrees in Manufacturing and Mechani-cal Engineering, respectively. Prior to

starting Altius Space Machines in 2010,Goff worked for the California-basedcompany Masten Space Systems.

“I am a big ideas person, so if I see

an opportunity that I like, it’s nice to beable to go and take it,” expresses Goffin regards to company projects. Altius is

currently working on developing orbital

propellant depots for space refueling and

reusable space vehicles. Additionally, thecompany conducts research on human

hypogravity with the hope of determiningthe minimum amount of gravity neces-sary for human life.

The small company, however, is bestknown in the aerospace world for StickyBoom, an extendable robotic arm. Altiusis currently doing similar research to de-

velop International Space Station (ISS)assistive robots to reduce the enormous

amount of time that astronauts spendsimply maintaining the system.

“We spend $3-4 billion per year on theISS, and get approximately 2,100 man-hours of research in return,” explainsGoff. The MAGE (Mechanical Assistant

for Glove-Box Experiment) robots wouldbe controlled from the ground, which al-lows earthbound researchers to manipu-late and control their own experiments.

Altius similarly landed a contract from

NASA to design an asteroid boulder re-trieval system. The company’s design,“The Prospector,” can land on the sur-

face, pry a boulder free, leap off, and

wrap the boulder up for a safe return toearth. With only eight employees, Altius

was the smallest company by far to landthe prestigious contract.

“Plasma decelerator development is

the one non-technical thing that we aredoing that I think will make a huge dif -ference,” asserts Goff. Because slow-ing spacecraft down uses a tremendousamount of energy, plasma deceleratorsaim to utilize a protective plasma shield

to divert the spacecraft’s kinetic energyinto the surrounding atmosphere.

While owning a business yields free -dom and rewards, Goff outlined some ofAltius’ greatest challenges as well.

“You get to control your own destiny,which is actually the best and the worstpart,” said Goff with a laugh. Becausespace contracts tend to be of short dura-tion and operations are very expensive,

finding the money to keep things movingforward can be difficult. In this way, thetradeoff of more business control is finan-

cial stability.

As Altius Space Machines continues

expanding over the next few years, thecompany is searching for interns and stu-dent engineers for the future. Goff has

numerous recommendations for students

looking to work in the aerospace industryor even start their own aerospace busi-nesses.

“Do your research and go and trysomething big,” Goff suggests. “Projectsoutside of class show initiative and are of-ten differentiators in the hiring process.”For instance, Goff’s first hire for Altiuswas a student who built a bowling-balltrebuchet in high school. Even thoughthe project was completely unrelated toaerospace, it demonstrated the problem-solving process necessary for research.

Goff also points out that the aerospaceindustry is currently going through a pe-

riod of changing attitudes and research,which can be beneficial for scientists.“When you have a lot of change going on,

there are more opportunities for individu-als to make a difference with innovation.”

CSM Space Society Brings in a CEO Guest Speaker



8/20/2019 Volume 96, Issue 3

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ResearchFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 PAGE 4


Since 2006, Mines has been the home of theColorado Fuel Cell Center (CFCC), which is located in

the General Research Laboratory building. Accordingto their website, the “CFCC seeks to advance fuel-cell

research, development, and commercialization.”“Fuel cells take the chemical energy within a fuel

and convert it directly into electricity. A lot of folkscompare fuel cells to batteries,” explains Professor

Neal Sullivan, the director of the CFCC. “The maindifference is that a battery is going to die sooner or

later and then we’ve got to recharge it. Fuel cells will just continue to operate so long as the external gas

tank stays full.”These traditional fuel cells, however, are not the

only application of cells researched at the CFCC.

“Of course a fuel cell center is going to study fuelcells. But what we also try to do is study how the same

fundamental principles that make fuel cel ls work can beused to do other things,” says Professor Sullivan.

For example, one new area of fuel cell research isenergy storage.

“We’ve got all these wind farms, all these solarpanels, and everybody loves them. There’s no denying

they’re great. But supply is intermittent. So while we alllove those solar power generated electrons, they’re a

hit or miss,” Sullivan explained.

One way to remedy this issue is to find a way tostore the excess energy. The CFCC is working on this

type of research.“If you run a fuel cell in reverse, then they become

energy storage devices. Instead of taking the chemicalenergy in fuel and turning it into electricity, we’ll take the

electricity and turn it into chemical energy,” ProfessorSullivan furthers. “So we do energy storage by making

chemicals, using the excess capacity of renewableenergy sources, like wind and solar.”

Running the fuel cells in reverse, however, is notan automatic process.

“Fuel cells don’t just run the same when reversed.You’ve got certain material sets that make fuel cells

run well and if you just go and run them backwards,they don’t work as well,” states Professor Sullivan. “So

really you need a material set that does both forwardand reverse.” For this reason, the CFCC is set up tocreate and test new materials.

Additionally, faculty at the CFCC are performingresearch on geothermic fuel cells, which are used to

turn oil shale into oil by heating the surrounding rock.The CFCC lab actually makes Mines home to “the

world’s only completely operational geothermic fuel cellsite.”

Professor Sullivan explained that obtaining andimplementing the fuel cell stack during the initial month-

long trial for the geothermic fuel cells provided valuabledata and research to the CFCC.

“When you have nine stacks, what you find is

that the constraints for one stack led to an oppositeconstraint for a stack on the other end,” Sullivan said

of that the main lesson the researchers learned. “Yourun into a problem with one fuel cell stack and the way

you would go about fixing it would destroy the stack atthe other end. Figuring out operating conditions is a

big deal.”The CFCC will continue to apply fuel cell technology

to new problems as they arise.“If there’s one thing that I’m probably proudest of

for this Fuel Cell Center, it’s the range of study – therange of the size and scale of what’s being studied,”

Sullivan stated.“We’ve got the fundamental stuff on ionic

conductivities and things like that and then we’ve got bigsystem stuff – complete fuel cell systems with pumps

and blowers and fuel processors, data acquisition andgiant 30 foot tall stacks of assemblies – all in one place,”illustrates Sullivan proudly. “And you don’t just see that

anywhere. In the whole count ry, you’re not going to seethat anywhere else.”

Professor Sullivan recommends that studentsinterested in being involved in on-campus research get

to know their instructors. The CFCC has both graduateand undergraduate student researchers, as do many

other labs at Mines.“A lot of students reach their goals by working in

the Fuel Center and it’s great to help them get there,”explains Professor Sullivan.

Restoring Hearts: International Research on Heart Tissue Regen

Colorado Fuel Cell Center Research

Asteroid Optical Mining Research

While mining on earth is the focus of

most Mines students, easily extractingresources in space may soon be a reality.

NASA has awarded grants to two Minesresearchers, Assistant Research Professor

Christopher Dreyer and Director of theCenter for Space Resources Angel Abbud-

Madrid, to further investigate optical miningtechniques.

“The optical mining concept is veryexciting because it is a large-scale approachfor producing resources in space,” Dreyer

stated for Mines Newsroom. “We arecontributing experimental evidence for

the conditions under which intense lightwill disassemble carbonaceous chondrite

asteroids.”Students Alex Lampe and Travis

Canney are working alongside Dreyer andAbbud-Madrid. Lampe, the head research

assistant, got involved with the project inearly 2015.

“The goal of this research is to showthat extracting volatiles (H2O and CO2)

from asteroids can be accomplished withoutthe use of highly complicated mechanized

systems,” Lampe explained.“Our hope is to demonstrate that, by

using focused sunlight, the asteroid regolith

will de-volatilize at a high enough rate that

it not only releases the chemically boundwater and carbon dioxide, but also causes

the regolith to spall,” Lampe furthers.Spalling is desired because it will cause

fresh regolith to be exposed, allowing forcontinued extraction.

Another important focus of the researchis to verify the practicality of trapping all of

the vaporized volatiles. These extractedmaterials could theoretically be used as

spacecraft propellants.“After many years of dead-end

investigations trying unsuccessfully toadapt terrestrial mining techniques toextract resources from asteroids in the

future, we are excited to finally participatein the development of what we consider

the most feasible and effective techniqueto recover valuable volatile elements, such

as space propellants, from asteroids,” Dr.Abbud-Madrid stated in an interview with

Space.com.Currently, there is a variety of work

being done in the lab to test optical miningmethods more effectively. For example,

at the beginning of the project, Lampewas responsible for reconditioning two

vacuum chambers needed for high vacuumexperimentation. Following that, he was

tasked with designing and constructing thechassis for the ISRU Experimental Probe.

Because some of the mined resources

can be used for fuel, the optical miningresearch project has the potential to

revolutionize space travel.

“Imagine sending up payloads withonly the outbound leg’s worth of fueland refilling your tanks from resources

already in space,” Lampe describes. “Incomparison, if you think about taking a long

road trip, it’s silly to consider bringing all of

the gas with you. This could also soon betrue for space travel.”

“If [optical mining is] proven to befeasible and applied properly, this techniquecould change the way humans approach

space exploration forever,” Lampe asserts.

Heart attacks, even when not

fatal, cause irreparable damage. After

a heart attack, the healthy tissue dies

and is replaced with scar tissue, whic h

greatly reduces the heart’s ability to

pump blood effectively.

Recently, there have been a

variety of research experimentscompleted around the world to combat

the detrimental effects of heart

attacks. Scientists hope to provide

solutions that will help patients return

their heart functions back to pre-heart

attack levels.

Hydrogel ScaffoldKaren Christman, a Bioengineering

professor at UCSD, and her team are

working on developing a hydrogelthat would serve as a scaffold for newheart tissue to grow on.

Unlike other similar technologies,the hydrogel could be injected usinga catheter, eliminating any need forsurgery or anesthesia.

The hydrogel is made fromconnective tissue from the heart.The muscle cells are removed, andthe remaining tissue is crushed intopowder. From there, an enzyme is

used to liquefy the powder. Whenthis liquid is injected into a patient, itreaches body temperature and turnsinto gel.

Throughout its research,Christman’s team has performednumerous animal trials using thehydrogel. The team reports that whenthe gel was injected into pigs withheart damage, it partially solidifiedand the pigs saw an improvement inheart function.

Bioengineered “Velcro”Scientists at the University of

Toronto are leading another researcheffort to combat heart damage. Theyhave bioengineered an asymmetrical,2D protein mesh that actually has theability to attach to itself like Velcro.

The material, formed from flexiblepolymer, has microscopic posts thatmimic the small hooks on Velcrostrips.

Milica Radisic, the lead researcher,

explains that when the meshes makecontact with one another, they start tobeat. When electrical field stimulationis applied, the meshes even beat insynchrony.

This Bioengineered “Velcro” couldbe grafted onto the heart, promotingnew tissue growth in a matter ofmonths.

Over time, the mesh structureswould be absorbed by the body,leaving only a repaired heart.

Protein PatchPilar Ruiz-Lozano, a professor

from Stanford University, began hisresearch endeavor by examiningthe heart’s epicardial cells. Throughcareful study, his team discoveredthat these cells actually cause existingmuscle cells within the heart tomultiply.After narrowing down the 300proteins found in the epicardial cells,the Follistatin-like 1 (FSTL1) proteinwas identified as the one responsible

for causing the muscle cell growth.FSTL1 was then incorporated into acollagen patch that can be attached tothe heart. The patch slowly releasesthe protein over time, stimulatingtissue generation.

In animal trials, pigs’ pumpingcapacities were increased from 30%after a heart attack to 40%. Thisimprovement was seen over thecourse of the first week. The Stanfordteam expects to transition to humantrials in 2017.

By: Abby Zimmerman

By: Abby Zimmerman

By: Abby Zimmerman

Mechanical Engineering Assistant Research Professor Christopher Dreyer and Directorof the Center for Space Resources Angel Abbud-Madrid in the Center for SpaceResources Laboratory. Photo courtesy of the Colorado School of Mines Newsroom

8/20/2019 Volume 96, Issue 3

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OPINION

The preliminary election season has so far been denedby outsider politicians. These candidates all promise toreign in the crippling inefcacy of the federal governmentresulting from the last eight years.

Former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has beenplagued by mistakes made during the Obama administrationand discredited by many for being too disconnected fromprogressives. I am not advocating that Clinton is a perfectcandidate for the democratic nomination, but she is thebest option available this election season.

There are two serious issues, however, with hercampaign that may prevent her from being elected:Clinton’s email scandal is admittedly a hurdle in her secondattempt for a presidency. There is no acceptable reasonfor her to have used private email servers to communicatepotentially classied information. However, it has gotten tothe point where these emails are dening the democraticprimaries and providing fodder for the GOP in the upcomingelection. If the Republican-led Benghazi committee foundany actual wrong doings, appropriate action would, andshould, be taken. But as it stands, it has been merely apartisan attack on Clinton with little interest in nding thetruth of what happened in 2012.

Additionally, Clinton is devaluing the idea of a womanpresidency by attempting to make her gender a reason tovote for her. While a woman serving as president is longpast-due, she is ignoring other aspects of her campaignin doing so. She is campaigning as the best woman

candidate rather than the best candidate all together, andit is inappropriate to scavenge for votes solely becauseshe is a woman, rather than votes based on principle. It is

unfortunate that when asked how her campaign would differfrom that of President Obama at the rst CNN DemocraticDebate, her immediate response was that she would be awoman in the White House. Instead of highlighting policydifferences throughout the debate, Clinton wasted severalopportunities by explaining to viewers that she is a female.

Some opponents have called Clinton weak andunaggressive regarding Wall Street, but she is beingrealistic. Reality tends to rear its ugly head, and it is moreimportant to have some legislation in effect than none at all.What Clinton proposes instead, is to empower regulators

overseeing shadow-banking institutions coupled withstrengthening transparency and disclosure requirements.These moderately-aggressive policies would curb riskynancial rms to prevent another economic disaster similarto 2008.

During her position as Secretary of State, Clinton hasdemonstrated what effective foreign policy is. She was ableto successfully get China to sign its rst ever climate controltreaty. Serving as Secretary of State has much more weightthan what any senator has voted on in the past 30 years.Bush’s irresponsible foreign policy left President Obamain a difcult position internationally, and former SecretaryClinton is most likely to continue his legacy.

It is important to note how Clinton’s presidency would be

different from Obama’s last term. The GOP-led Senate andHouse have been unwilling to fully cooperate with someof the progressive legislation put forth by the Democraticparty. Unless Democrats hope to regain the majority onboth oors, compromise will need to be made for anyprogress to occur in the federal government. Both partiesshould expect a productive administration, and Clinton isthe only candidate that will make that happen.

Political insiders this season have been portrayed ascronies, and any positive legacies left behind have beenignored. Clinton has the commitment and experience ofa lifetime, and a political background unseen anywhereelse in this election season. Knowledge of foreign policy,cautious but responsible nancial ideas, and modern socialvalues leave no uncertainty about her qualications to bepresident. Clinton deserves consideration in the democraticprimaries and, hopefully, in the election season in 2016.

Bernie Sanders has been ghting forAmerican working class families for hisentire political career, since he was rstelected as mayor of Burlington, Vermont.Prior to his election, he was involved inthe Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s,where Sanders participated in the Marchon Washington in 1963, and workedto organize student-led desegregationmovements while a student at the Universityof Chicago.

From his early days of student-activismhe moved onto political ofce, and won hisrst term as mayor in 1981, where he was

elected by a margin of ten votes. Duringhis rst term as mayor, the ruling class ofBurlington tried to thwart every initiative hecreated in an attempt to limit him to oneterm as mayor. After being reelected for asecond term, the city also elected a moreprogressive city council that would workwith Sanders to achieve his progressiveideals. His successes in Burlington includedcreating and protecting affordable housingfor working class families, and focusingsmall business towards pro-community andpro-employee policies.

In 1990, Sanders ran successfully for theUnited States House of Representativeswhere he was elected as an independent.Sanders worked across party lines toachieve reforms. As a U.S. Representative,

he vocally opposed the repeal of Glass-Steagall, the law which prohibitedinvestment banks from merging withcommercial banks. In 2006, Sanders ran forthe U.S. Senate, also as an independent,and defeated a better-funded opponent.

In 2010, Sanders made history bylibustering for more than eight hours tooppose the extension of the Bush-eratax cuts for the wealthy. This became thesubject for his book: The Speech: A HistoricFilibuster on Corporate Greed and theDecline of Our Middle Class.

In May 2015, Sanders announced hisbid for the Democratic nomination. Being acomparable underdog to the Hillary Clintonpolitical-machine, his candidacy wasinitially viewed as one to just push her left

on issues and keep her honest.This view was further reinforced byhis refusal to have a Super PAC and rminsistence on running a positive, issues-oriented campaign. Many were dubiousthat he would be able to stay competitive,however, after the rst fundraising deadline,the FEC ling revealed him as a viablecompetitor.

By the second deadline, he was onlyshort of Hillary Clinton’s fundraisingamount by $2 million. The majority of hisdonations come from small-dollar donorsand the average donation is just $35.Having raised almost $41 million from650,000 contributors, it is easy to arguethat Sanders’ campaign is truly about thepeople.

On issues such as healthcare and WallStreet reform, Sanders is the most left-leaning member of both major parties.He is regarded as the most ideologicallypure member of the United StatesSenate, and has a record of passing themost amendments to legislation duringhis tenure in the United States House ofRepresentatives. This has helped Sandersto effect reforms in small pieces.

He favors people-centric policies thatare sometimes viewed as opposition tobusiness interests. He favors a single-payerhealthcare system, so seeking medicalattention doesn’t lead to the potential ofbankruptcy.

The Wall Street Journal originally postedan article breaking down his tax plan and

claimed that it would cost $18 trillionover ten years, with themajority coming from hissingle-payer Medicare-for-all plan. However, othereconomists chimed in,stating that the plan wouldactually save almost $5trillion over that samedecade. Former LaborSecretary Robert Reichhas spoken very favorablyof Bernie Sanders’economic plan andchampioned his cause forincome equality.

While domestic policyis Sanders’ strong-suit,

it was evident in the rst Democraticdebate that his biggest weakness is hisinexperience with foreign policy.

His lack of military service and lack ofservice on foreign affairs committees inCongress demonstrates his inexperience.Several responses to debate questions onforeign policy were shaky and denitelyunrehearsed. In comparison, Hillary Clintonhad strong answers to these questions,given her history as Secretary of Stateunder the Obama Administration.

Despite the tough race he nds himselfin for the presidential nomination, BernieSanders is surging and creating anunprecedented grassroots movement thatcan help to push him to win the nomination.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 PAGE 5


2016 Presidential Candidate Overview

By: Tyler Jones

By: Eric Dattore

Democrat: Bernie Sanders

Brett TuckerEditor-in-Chief

Katrina San Nicholas

News Editor

Katharyn Peterman

Opinion Editor

Erica Dettmer-Radtke

Arts and Entertainment Editor

Alisha EskewSports Editor

Ronald Kem

Design Editor / Photojournalist

Kyle DiSandro

Design Editor

The Oredigger seeks to informits readers accurately as to items ofinterest and importance.

The staff strives to uphold theprinciples of journalism and all itsproceedings. Unsigned editorials arethe opinion of The Oredigger Staff anddo not necessarily represent the opinionof the Colorado School of Mines.

Please send letters to the editor [email protected]. Lettersmust include the author’s full name andthe use of pen names is not permitted.

Unsigned letters will not be printedand letters will be edited for length,clarity, taste and accuracy.

Please send advertising questions [email protected].

2015-2016 The Oredigger

Democrat: Hillary Clinton

These following articles are intended to simply be candidate “snapshots” togive an overview of some of the leading candidates in t he race. That being said,if you want to know more about a given candidate don’t let these be your onlysource. Go to their websites, read news articles, get informed.

If you want to write an opinion article about one of these candidates, or acompletely different one, feel free. Email [email protected] with thecandidate’s name in the subject line. We want to hear your voices and opinions!

8/20/2019 Volume 96, Issue 3

6/15

OPINION

Marco Rubio (R-FL) was born in Miami, Florida, in1971 to Cuban immigrants. He grew up in Florida, earning

his B.A. in political science at the University of Floridaand his J.D. degree cum laude from the University of

Miami School of Law. Rubio began his career in politicswith his election to the West Miami City Commission in

1998. In 1999, he won a seat in the Florida House ofRepresentatives, eventually becoming the Speaker in

2006, where he served until 2008. After his time in theFlorida House, Rubio ran for and won a seat in the U.S.

Senate, where he currently serves. In recent polls, Rubiois in a shaky third place at roughly 11%, behind Ben

Carson and Donald Trump by roughly 12 and 17 points,respectively.

Here is a brief and basic summary of Rubio’s stanceson the basic issues of scal policy, education, and foreign

policy: the three main topics found on his website.On scal policy, Rubio’s tax code reform includes the

following changes:

Reduce the marginal tax code from 7 brackets to 3:

Marginal Tax Rate, Individual Filers, Joint FilersA 25% tax rate for all businesses and eliminate Capital

Gains, Dividends, and Estate taxes.

On education, Rubio opposes Common Core and

wants more exibility with state-chosen education,bringing education decision-making to a more local level.Rubio supports school-choice and empowering parentsto send students to the school that best ts their kid’s

educational needs. He also promotes high-skill vocational

programs. In addition, he wants to implement a way to let

students know how much they are expected to make witha certain degree before they pay tuition, as well as adjust

the rate at which students pay back their loans according

to how much they actually make after graduation.Finally, on foreign policy, Rubio has laid out the

Three Pillars of the Rubio Doctrine: American Strength,American Prosperity, and American Values. American

Strength means building and maintaining a strong militaryas well as empowering our “intelligence community by

permanently extending Section 215 of the Patriot Act.”As Rubio said in an interview on the O’Reilly Factor, “the

world is a better place when America’s the strongestcountry in the world.” American Prosperity means

completing the Trans-Pacic Partnership (TPP), Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), as

well as oppose “any violations of international waters,airspace, cyberspace, or outer space.” American Values

means spreading American ideals of freedom andDemocracy throughout the world, such as demanding

China remove its new “Two-Child Policy” and calling outradical Islam as the source of atrocities in the MiddleEast.

Again, this is a basic overview of Marco Rubio. If youare interested in learning more about him, marcorubio.

com/issues should give you a fairly direct sense of whathe believes are relevant issues should he be elected

president.

The success of Donald Trump’s

presidential campaign has taken boththe country and media by storm. An

appearance by Trump has proved to bea major ratings booster for networks. He

has easily been one of the most quotable

candidates thanks to his blunt mannerwhen handling questions. Many peoplefeel that being politically correct does more

harm than good, as it encourages notdirectly dealing with issues.

In an effort to “Make America Great

Again,” Trump has focused mainly onimproving the health and legitimacy of

American businesses. According to hiscampaign website, foreign nations are

able to use the country’s large debt anddecit as negotiating tools, forcing the

U.S. to relinquish too many jobs to foreignnations. Trump has issued a broad tax

plan as a solution to thedecit. Highlights of this plan

include increased taxes onthe extremely wealthy, as

well as demystifying the tax

code so that it can be moreeasily understood by anaverage U.S. citizen.

Despite some goodideas, several problemswith Trump’s campaign are

evident. First, Trump haslittle political experience.

Additionally, althoughTrump is responsible for

helping to build successful

companies, the fact still remains that

several were driven to le for bankruptcy.These bankruptcies raise questions about

his ability to successfully enact his tax plan.A major part of his plan to make America

great again is to further increase bordersecurity by building a wall along the U.S.-

Mexico border. Trump intends to keep

immigrants out, because, in his opinion,they are stealing American jobs that belongto natural-born American citizens. In the

end, this wall is simply unfeasible. Evenmore unreasonable is his belief that Mexicowill provide the funding for the construction

of this wall. Despite the ridiculousness ofthis idea, however, it has been one of his

only true solutions to the many problems hesees in America today. All too often Trump

favors generalized, surface-level answersthat avoid the issue at hand, leaving many

to wonder what all he would really be ableto accomplish as president.

Dr. Ben Carson, one of the leading

Republican presidential candidates for2016, was born and raised in Detroit,

Michigan. Carson attended Yale University

for his undergraduate education and thenwent on to The University of MichiganSchool of Medicine. He completed his

residency training at the Johns HopkinsUniversity Medical Center. Carson thenremained at Johns Hopkins for 29 years as

the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery.Dr. Carson gained nationwide

recognition for his skill after successfullycompleting several risky procedures. In

1987, he became the rst to separateSiamese twins that were connected by

the back of their head. In addition to hismedical accomplishments, Dr. Carson

has received high levels of recognition—including the highest honor given out by

the NAACP, the Spingarn Medal, in 2006.In 2008, Former President George W.

Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal

of Freedom, the most prestigious award aU.S. civilian can receive.

As an outsider to the Washington

scene, Carson has the ability to bring adifferent perspective to issues than theother Republican candidates. During

debates, his answers seem unrehearsed,unlike the other potential candidates which

is truly refreshing.Carson also holds a unique position

on minimum wage. He argues that we

should enact a “two tier” system, so that

recently employed workers are paid lessthan long-time employees. This is intended

to encourage longer employment, as eachyear worked provides the chance to have

an increased salary. In addition, Carsonwants to end the discussion about the

minimum wage being as only a starvation

wage. In order to do this, he wants to indexthe minimum wage to ination so that itrises proportionally.

The best quality of Carson is alsoone of his biggest drawbacks—he has had

no meaningful experience in Washington.

Since he is relatively new to the scene, heis going to be easily swallowed up by thepoliticians in Washington. It is hard to t rust

what he promises in his campaign becauseit is very likely that his opinions will changedepending on his biggest donor at the time.

Lastly, Carson is deeply religious,and while this is typically a good thing for

candidates in the Republican Party, it cantend to dissuade many moderates and

independents.


Republican: Donald Trump

By: Braden Egtvedt

By: Chad Tucker

Republican: Ben Carson

By: Katharyn Peterman

Republican: Marco Rubio


We tell ourselves the political systemis broken, but, is it really? There's a fa-mous quote, whose origin is unknown,that says, "decisions are made by thosewho show up." When we take a look atvoter turnout, the largest voting bloc is the45 and older group. They show up, they

get to make the decisions, so, is the sys-tem failing us, or are we in fact failing thesystem?

The elections in 2014 had the lowestvoter turnout in 72 years. Only 36% ofthe voting age population turned out tovote. The total eligible population in 2014was almost 246 million people. Although,2014 was a midterm election and turnoutis generally lower for midterms, to get thelowest voter turnout in 72 years denitelysays something about the state of Ameri-

can politics. In comparison, 2012, a presi-dential election year, saw almost 54% ofeligible voters cast ballots. The eligiblepopulation was around 5 million smallerat the time, though.

Of these numbers, which age grouphad the largest turnout? According toCIRCLE (The Center for Information andResearch on Civic Learning and Engage-

ment), in 2014 only 19.9% of eligiblevoters aged 18-29 showed up to cast aballot. Of those, they generally preferredDemocratic candidates. Had a larger per-centage of the demographic shown up,the Senate and House might not haveswung so wildly to the right.

In 2012, the numbers were a bit moreoptimistic during presidential elections,but they still left something to be desired.According to CIRCLE in 2012, 45% ofthose aged 18-29 turned out to vote. Of

those people, they favored IncumbentPresident Barack Obama over GovernorMitt Romney by a 23 point margin. In con -trast, 66.3% of those 30 and older turnedout to vote. Our parents and grandparentshad had almost 150% larger voter turnoutthan our generation.

In general, younger people tend tovote for progressive candidates over con-

servative ones, and older people gener-ally vote for conservative candidates overprogressives.

According to Pew Research, a largepercentage of the population becomesmore conservative with age. Given thelow voter turnout of the youth, and thehigh voter turnout of the older and elderly,the policies and the politicians typicallyelected set out to gut social safety nets,and other guarantees, that help peoplegain a foothold in the modern economy.

As a result, our parents and grandparentsare electing candidates that will only makeour lives harder for decades to come.

It is simple: if we don't show up, wedon't get represented. Our political apa-thy sends a message that we're ne withother people making decisions for us. Isthat something we really want? Do wewant to continue to allow others to make

decisions about the way the country oper-ates, or do we want to seize control andelect politicians who represent us?

Government once was the solution. Itwas the great equalizer of opportunity. Itgave everyone an equal shot at successand didn't benet one group of people.In that time, we had the strongest laborunions, the largest (and healthiest) middleclass, and the fastest rate of innovation(funded largely in part by the govern-ment).

Citizens Need to Exercise the Fundamental Concept of Democracy: The Vote

By: Eric Dattore

8/20/2019 Volume 96, Issue 3

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OPINIONFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 PAGE 7


A month ago in Oregon, a massshooting on a college campus was thecatalyst that reignited the conversationregarding gun control. In the end, itis usually only empty rhetoric aboutwhat we should do, but there are thefew times that reforms are actuallyenacted. This was the case in Coloradofollowing the Aurora theater shooting.Policies were created on the statelevel that included bans on magazinesexceeding certain capacities, andrequiring universal background checks.Even with states having varying levelsof gun control, nationwide policy is stillmixed. The primary argument is thatyou should not punish law-abiding gunowners by creating reforms that make

it harder for them to o wn a gun, despitethe fact that research has shown thatthe majority of shootings are done bypeople who obtained their guns legally.

Some people believe that everytime a mass shooting occurs, we mustdo something, usually involving newlegislation, to make society safer bymaking it harder for people to commitcrimes with guns. Although thisargument is valid and we should do

something about gun-related crimes, itdoes not mean we should necessarilybe passing new laws.

Gun control continues to bea misunderstood issue with noclear consensus. On one hand, wehave predominately liberal groupsadvocating for more control andrestriction on gun ownership. On theother, we have the National RifleAssociation (NRA) that claims there isa war on gun owners every time guncontrol is simply debated. Both sidesare toxic to the debate. It is true thatthe Founding Fathers guaranteed aright to bear arms in the Bill of Rights.A literal interpretation, however, wouldreveal that citizens were only allowedto bear arms for the purpose of havinga well-regulated militia; however,our modern view of gun ownershiptends to leave out that clause. This is

perfectly understandable, but somepeople believe that the right should becompletely unfettered.

A sane approach to gun control wouldbe to restrict avenues to acquire a gun,and not on the types of guns you canactually buy. A majority of Americanssupport universal background checksfor both private and gun show sales.This is a simple reform to enact, butinterest groups like the NRA restrict

passage of legislation because theyview any restriction as a grave assaulton their “freedom.” A majority also

supports restricting people with mentalillnesses from purchasing guns. Thepast few major mass shootings werecommitted by mentally ill individuals,but how would we have restricted theiraccess to a gun? Should we requirepeople to go through a psychiatricevaluation prior to being allowed topurchase a weapon? In my opinion,that would put an undue burden on thesystem and delay gun purchases anunreasonable amount. It sounds goodin practice, but I don’t think you canreasonably implement such a system.

Another popular issue is the creationof a federally administered databaseof registered firearms. This is a morecontroversial issue, but Americanssupport it 67-30 (Department of

Justice). This database would allowfor the tracking of gun ownership andpurchases, and make it easier for lawenforcement to track down how andwhere someone purchased a weaponand the legality of the sale. Anotherbenefit of this database is that it couldhelp to absolve gun owners from beingthe subject of an investigation if theirgun is stolen. However, opposition tothis issue usually claim that the federal

government could use the databaseto alienate, oppress, or discriminateagainst gun owners. While this is an

unfounded concern, a compromisecould be to have a third partyadminister the registry and require lawenforcement to get a warrant to obtainrecords from it.

Despite having some majoritysupport on certain aspects of guncontrol, the issue is still sharplydivided and passing increasinglyrestrictive regulations on acquisitionand ownership is not the answer. Weneed more meaningful reforms, but wealso need further research into howcriminals obtain guns and what kinds o fpeople they are.

There are millions of law-abiding gunowners in America that don’t deservetheir right to own and purchase firearmsto be infringed upon. It’s important to

protect the rights of gun-owners whilealso protecting the public from gunviolence. The path towards doing thatis unclear, but if we can all come to thetable and have a sane conversation,we might be able to come up with asolution. It is necessary to set asidethe partisan entrenchment, and specialinterest groups, in order to reach thisconsensus.

By: Wyatt Vidmar

Rash Decision Making Violates 2nd Amendment

New Approach Must be Taken to Combat Gun Violence

By: Eric Dattore

Since the founding of the United States, the fundamen-tal right to bear arms has been instrumental for U.S. citi-

zens. With the evolution of social norms and technology,the public perception of firearms has changed drastically.

The controversy that revolves around firearms in Americatoday is whether or not they should be privately owned and

how easily obtainable they should be for any one individual.Currently, the Department of Justice reports that one in

three Americans owns at least one firearm, a percentagemuch higher than in any other country. Having an environ-

ment where firearms are commonplace creates a uniqueatmosphere for the U.S. The role firearms serve for private

citizens can be boiled down to three main components:fundamental rights, personal protection, and recreation.

The right for citizens to keep and bear arms is given by

the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and it is

explicit that this right shall not be infringed. However, aswith all written law, there is room for interpretation and abalancing act must be performed to maintain this inherent

right for the people. Firearms cannot be as easily acces-sible to the public as a candy bar, but law-abiding citizens

willing to purchase a firearm should not have to bend over

backwards either.The legalities of firearm possession is one of the more

complex issues that exists in our society. Proponents of

gun control want to make the process of obtaining firearmsmuch more strict, but unfortunately, there is not a simple

solution to the problem. According to a Department of Jus-tice Survey, 77 percent of criminals involved in gun-related

crimes obtained their weapon(s) either illegally or from afamily member.

Every individual has the right to their own self-protec-tion. Whether someone is in their own home or in a public

space, people should not be restricted in their own abilityto protect themselves. In a life-or-death situation, a person

has seconds to respond in order for their actions to havean impact on the situation. Considering the time it takes tocall 9-1-1, discuss the scenario with the operator, and wait

for a response, it is clear that there are much faster ways toact in a situation. While it is obvious that we should not con-

done murder as a society, we cannot tell an individual that

they cannot act out in self-defense if a perpetrator meansthem harm. It is important to consider that Individuals whowish to protect themselves with a firearm every day must

go through specific training before they can legally carryconcealed.

Since the dawn of mankind, the hunting of animals forfood and supplies has been a part of our survival, and the

tradition of hunting both for sport and subsistence is stillcarried on today across the globe. Although we like to think

of humans existing in a realm separate from that of wildlife,

this is simply not the case. We coexist within the same en-

vironment, despite the fact that we live inside a structurethat the animal does not. Being a part of that ecosystem,our role as a hunter has always affected the population of

wildlife, for better and worse, over the history of the planet.Today, it is crucial for humans to continue to play a role in

regulating species populations with regulated hunting and

other means. In the past few decades another form of rec-reation involving firearms has emerged. Leisure and com-petitive target shooting has become increasingly popular,

especially in the U.S., and ranges from a family pastime toan Olympic event. Civilians should have the ability to en-

gage in these sort of activities on their own accord, assum-ing that they have the legal capacity to own the firearms

needed to partake in these types of recreational events.Specifically, a controversial issue worth discussing

is the perceived rise in mass shootings in our nation. Intruth there has not been a rise but a decrease in gun vio-

lence over the past ten years, even with the rise of gunownership in the United States. Gun owners and oppos-

ers both agree something needs to be done surroundingthese mass shootings, but their reactions are very different.Politicians often make “knee jerk reaction” laws to these

events in an attempt to prevent further shootings, and whilethis intention is valient, the response is possibly misplaced.

Every law made as a reaction to mass shootings has not

prevented any more from occurring, and the topic needs tobe debated extensively rather than acted upon rashly.

There is substantial controversy surrounding firearms,

especially within the past decade, and there will always beroom for improvement in the legislation that regulates and

restricts firearm distribution, ownership, and use. However,firearms have been a part of our country’s ways since its

foundation and we must consider the ramifications of thedecision to remove firearms from our lives altogether.

8/20/2019 Volume 96, Issue 3

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OPINION



Resident Calls for Change in RA Program to Combat Trend

Watching as your parents leave you on your own for the

first time inevitably involves a lot of heartache as you partways and transition into adulthood.

College is revered as a time of self-identification, whereyoung adults can figure out who they are, what they want to

do, and how they are going to do it. Students suddenly gainthe freedom to shape their future. There aren’t many other

times in life where there is an easy excuse to begin anew.It takes considerable amounts of work to begin going to

school here, and some students live hundreds or thousands

of miles away from their home. Naturally, Mines has aninterest in ensuring that these students easily adapt, but the

way the school approaches this transition is not in the bestinterest of students arriving here each fall.

Mines has built an extensive network to assist studentsin adjusting, but what they are experiencing is literally a

glorified babysitting service for freshmen. Each floor of everyresidence hall on campus has at least one resident assistant,

in addition to hall directors and residence life coordinators,that all work to supervise students every day and night of

the school year.I understand that there is a lot that goes on behind the

scenes for residence life to be successful, but the wayfreshmen are treated is wrong on a basic level as it actively

stifles the potential for student growth. There is a seriousdisconnect between what RA’s think they do, what they

actually do, and how many students see what they do. Evenif RA’s worked to the full capacity of their job description,residence life fails to fulfill its purpose because constant

supervision is simply not an appropriate way to help

teenagers become adults.

If a student can’t make decent decisions on their own,then they will quickly learn from the consequences. Mistakes,

and how they are handled, provide the most powerfulopportunities for growth as a person. Not every mistake can

be prevented, but more importantly, you can’t be afraid tomake them. This artificial safety net freshmen are caught in

prevents the very college experience that everyone benefitsfrom.

There is little accountability to ensure that theexpectations of residence life aligns with what their purposeis and what students pay for. Resident assistants are being

compensated for acting like an authority figure and, in somecases, acting like friends born out of convenience. It is easy

enough for somebody to roam the halls at night and unlockpeople’s doors.

College is becoming simply an extension of high school.Students are being led every step of the way through their

education via unnecessary and undesired services. Highereducation is not magically becoming more affordable, and

students are being forced to shoulder the cost for all of thesestaff members regardless of benefits they receive.

If Mines wants to seriously commit to assisting studentswith the transition to college, there are more effective

ways of building communities. Money can be spent moreresponsibly to enrich students’ education and lives for the

duration of their college career.Freshman Success Seminar already exists to foster a

group of students under the guidance of a faculty memberand peer mentors. Most of the freshman, however, see itonly as a half-credit “A.” This is due to severe limitations

placed on the scope of the program.

Providing legitimate funding for CSM 101 would remove

these restrictions and create experiences unique to eachgroup of students, transforming it into a program of their

own. Peer mentors and faculty members should be able toteach what matters to them on this campus. Actual lessonscould be taught rather than gibberish designed to make the

school appear better to potential students and their parents.Mines should reinforce the idea that students are

responsible for forging their own memories during

college, and respect their ability to do so, without constantsupervision.

By: Vishnu Kadirisani

By: Tyler Jones

How to Have a Perfect Lazy Day: Tips for the Day You Deserve

In order to combat the stress of going

to Mines, one must have “The PerfectLazy Day.” Some of you may think you

know what you are doing, but you do not.Not even a little bit. The perfect lazy day

actually starts the night before the actuallazy day.

The Night Before

Now, there are several ways to spendthe night before. Many Mines’ students

will probably enjoy the Netflix option.This event allows for a complete mental

snooze except for the little amount ofcomprehensive ability necessary to

process the show or movie you arewatching.

The other option is board game night.Board game night works well if you have

a group of people looking to all have acollective lazy day the next day, so games

like Risk, Monopoly, and Settlers of Catancan take up all night and set you up for

the morning!Obviously, if you are utterly exhausted,

feel free to pass out on the couch with theradio blasting your favorite tunes. Which

leads us to the next part of the day…The MorningThis is pretty simple. Do NOT get out

of bed until 10:00 AM. No matter whatproductive urge tugs at your gut, resist it!

Go back to sleep, dream a little longer,and let the early morning rays shine on

your face. Go ahead and stretch like yourcat, roll around, jump on the bed…JUST

DO NOT LEAVE THE BED. Enjoy it foronce in your Mines career!

The BrunchBrunch. Man’s gift to himself. Brunch

is a meal best served between 10:00 AMand 1:00 PM. There are many options for

brunch, you could go out, cook at home.Regardless, the standard items are:

pancakes, bacon, eggs, bacon, orange juice, bacon, toast, bacon, hash browns,

bacon, and a small side of bacon. Thekey lies in bacon. Now, once you are

sufficiently stuffed and ready for a superproductive day…

Locate the Couch

I am going to level with all of you, myreaders. Apparently there was a futon in

my living room that I did not even knowabout until I took my first lazy day a few

weeks back. Make sure to locate thecouches in your home, and pick your

favorite. Now, turn on the television, andstart browsing. Find something good, lie

down on the couch, and let yourself fallasleep for your afternoon nap or sip on

some root beer or apple cider, and if youwant to be that person,…go fetch your

pumpkin spice latte, for no one can judgeyou on this day

The Grand FinaleThe best part of the day is the end. I

know some of you groan at the aspect ofhaving to go back to work the next day,

but if you do lazy day right, you actuallykind of look forward to it. But, make sureyou end it on a high note. Watch another

movie, eat another big meal, go get thatice cream sundae, maybe even call your

mom! Do something to put yourselfto sleep one more time before you get

cranking again with your work the nextday.

In short, eat, sleep, repeat for onewhole day! And know that you have

earned the right to do so. You really havebeen working your butt off.

What’s Your Beef?

You know what grinds your

gears, but USG doesn’t.

Come to a meeting onThursdays at 7:00PM to

voice your opinions.

Mines Without Borders

Interested in working

on community-

centered humanitarianengineering projects in

rural Nicaragua? Email

[email protected]

High Grade

Call for Submissions!

Email your submissions [email protected] by

November 30th!

8/20/2019 Volume 96, Issue 3

9/15

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Q u a k e r S t

8/20/2019 Volume 96, Issue 3

10/15

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT



Mines Little Theater Presents:

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

By: Anonymous

After a period of confusion due to a love potion, the couples nally fall back in love with the right person. From left to r ight:

(Meridith Peel, Chase Harms, Daniel Rose and Abby Hentges). Mines Little Theater put on their rendition of Shakespeare’sMidsummer Night’s Dream.

After much hard work and

preparation, Mines Little Theater isready to perform once again. The

actors have been rehearsing for weeksto bring “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

to life on stage in Bunker Auditorium.The Shakespeare comedy may be well-

known to most audiences, but regardlessof the average student’s experience withthe works of the Bard, this interpretation

of the classic is marvelously entertaining.“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” features

a lively cast of characters, includingfour unluckily love-struck teenagers, a

ragtag group of inexperienced playerspreparing to perform at a royal wedding, a

troublemaking fairy named Puck, and thequarreling King and Queen of the Fairies.

All of them spend one raucous night ina nearby wood, after which nothing will

ever be the same. The beloved becomeforgotten, the fair become bewitched,

and poor Bottom the Weaver ends upwith the head of a donkey. Everythingabout this play promises a comical

adventure that is anyone’s perfect break

from their studies.The play is directed by Mines studentJordan Brothers, who shared some

of her thoughts on her time bringingShakespeare’s wild language to life.

“From the directorial side, because

Shakespeare is so well known, there’s apressure to focus on the language while

also trying to bring in fresh ideas.”Brothers also mentioned, “In contrast

to modern plays, which are less flexiblein the manner in which they can be

performed, Shakespeare is adaptableand may be put on in a variety of ways

while still maintaining the core of thestorytelling through the original words.”On her time spent as director, she

reflects,“My favorite part about directing was

simply directing it! Previously, I havebeen the actress on stage listening

to the instructions and suggestions ofmy directors. This time, I’ve been able

to work personally with my 20 actorsto help them discover and shape their

characters and performance whiledrawing upon my own knowledge and

experiences of stage acting.”The acting itself for this performance

is certainly energy-packed. Meridi th Peelconjures a lovely Hermia, while ChaseHarms as Lysander and Daniel Rose

as Demetrius are perfectly cast. Abby

Hentges’ Helena is sure to dazzle, andDylan Thierry’s performance as Puck isproperly mischievous. Bottom’s hapless

yet obnoxious amusement is spot on asplayed by Dalton Metz.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is

actually one of two plays Mines LittleTheater has prepared for this semester.

The other, “Boeing Boeing,” is directedby Josh Hoffman, and will perform

in the same weekend time frame as“Midsummer.” Both plays showcased

talented Mines students.Richard Sebastian-Coleman, the

President of Mines Little Theater whoalso plays Egeus in “Midsummer,” offeredhis impressions on what it was like to

have the club feature two simultaneousperformances:

“Hosting two plays relied mostly uponthe teamwork between the tech directors

and the director. It is usually tradition tooffer two plays in the fall because of the

good timing; we typically have enoughinterest to do it.”

Given the amount of dedicationand time that has gone into

these performances, Brothers isunderstandably excited about Mines

Little Theater’s accomplishments:“I look forward to having one of

Shakespeare’s comedies be performed at

Mines and sharing it with the community

here. I am very proud of my actors andhow they have brought the characters tolife and applied their own interpretation

and style to their performances.”

Brothers and electronic duo Disclosure just released their

sophomore effort, “Caracal” on Sep. 25.This album features collaborations from Lorde, The

Weeknd, and Kwabs. Colleague and close friend Sam

Smith also makes an appearance on this album. Smith haspreviously worked with Disclosure on Latch from the “Settle”

album, which was released in 2013.

Disclosure has developed into an established electronic/ R&B crossover band, combining the best of dance pop withstrong alternative R&B beats and lyrics.

Since their breakthrough in 2010, Disclosure receiveda Grammy nomination for their debut album and have been

on a worldwide concert and festival tour since 2013, playingprominent American festivals such as Coachella, Sasquatch,

and Lollapalooza.Disclosure also played at the Apple Music Festival with

LION BABE and NAO, two new and prominent artists on theindie R&B scene who are also featured on “Caracal”.

Hailing from Surrey, England, Guy and Howard Lawrenceare just 21 and 24 years old respectively. Using their age to

their advantage to reach more fans, Disclosure has a hugesocial media presence on Twitter, Instagram, and S napchat.

The group hyped the release of “Caracal” with a midnightdrop counted down on their Twitter account.

Disclosure has consistently used their trademark ‘face’

for album artwork. For those who are unfamiliar with theband, this involves Guy and Howard or the artist they are

featuring with a white stenciled face depiction overlaying the

photo or illustration of the artist.There is even a mobile application where fans can

‘Disclosure’ their own face by uploading a photo.

New listeners of Disclosure should definitely check out afew songs that happen to be my personal favorites including,

Help Me Lose My Mind (feat. London Grammar), When a FireStarts to Burn, Holding On (feat. Gregory Porter).

For old fans of Disclosure, give “Caracal” a listen and fullyembrace the transition from pure dance music to an artfully

crafted, and matured synthesis of edgy pop and smooth R&B.

Electronic Duo Disclosure release their new album “Caracal”

By: Sarah Dew

Documents

Volume 96, Issue 3