The Rocky Mountain Collegian, Wednesday, October 3, 2012

By ALLISON SYLTEThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

In response to CSU Presi-dent Tony Frank’s conditional go-ahead for the on-campus stadium Monday, billionaire philanthropist and Bohemian Foundation founder Pat Stryk-er released a statement con-fi rming that she has not com-mitted any fi nancial support to the project.

“Instead, I am focused on other philanthropic activities through Bohemian Founda-tion’s programs and initiatives,” Stryker said in the statement.

In a campus-wide e-mail ex-plaining his reasoning about the stadium, Frank said he hopes for the university to raise $125 million of the estimated $250 million needed for the project through private donations.

Stryker, whose net worth

is currently $1.4 billion, is one of the heirs to medical device and software com-pany Stryker Corp., which was founded by her grandfather, Homer Stryker.

She has donated more than $30 mil-lion to CSU for past projects, including an engineering re-search laboratory, an endowed professor-ship in mathematics and the University Center for the Arts, according to Forbes.com.

In 2003, Stryker donated $15.2 million to the CSU ath-letic department for improve-ments to Hughes Stadium, according to an article on RamNation.com.

In appreciation of her sup-port for the university, Stryker

was conferred an honorary doctorate by CSU in May 2011.

“From the Uni-versity Center for the Arts, to Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Sta-dium, to Engineer-ing, to the communi-ty in which so many of our faculty, staff, and students make their homes, Pat Stryker's generosity has funded facilities and programs that have fostered edu-

cation, nurtured research and discovery, entertained us, and made our spirits soar,” Frank said in a 2011 news release.

“With her characteristic grace and humility, she has, quite simply, made Colorado State University a better place for those of us here today and generations to follow.”

To many Fort Collins resi-dents, Stryker is best known for the Bohemian Founda-tion, which provides a variety of grants to a variety of com-munity projects, most notably, those focusing in the arts. The Bohemian Foundation is also responsible for NewWestFest, which this year was headlined by Michael Franti and Spear-head.

Last year, Stryker was named one of the most lib-eral billionaires in the coun-try by Forbes. She has given $2,225,600 to liberal causes since 2005, according to an ar-ticle on Forbes.com.

Nine months ago, when the discussion surrounding the sta-dium was in its infancy, Stryker released a statement that did not mention any commitments to funding the project.

“Whether the Rams stay an-

chored at their current off-cam-pus stadium or ultimately move to a new home on-campus, I look forward to cheering them onto victory and I have faith in the future success of the pro-gram,” Stryker said in January.

Despite not offering fi nan-cial backing to the project, in her most recent statement, Stryker did offer support for Frank and the process surrounding how he came to his stadium decision.

“... I trust that Dr. Tony Frank is proposing a plan he believes is in the best inter-est of CSU,” Stryker wrote. “I have no doubt he thoughtfully weighed all concerns present-ed by both sides, and will con-tinue to take those issues into account as the process moves forward.”

Editor in Chief Allison Sylte can be reached at [email protected].

theSTRIPCLUB

Debate season has arrived, and for the first time we, the American public, will get to see the prover-bial political fistfight between President Obama and Gov-ernor Romney live. This is it, nobody will be pulling any punches. But the debates are stagnant; these alternatives would liven it up.

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

Wednesday, October 3, 2012Fort Collins, Colorado Volume 121 | No. 41

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

The Strip Club is written by the Collegian staff and designed by Design Editor Kris Lawan.

Space Changer CSU builds non-traditional classrooms for Aylesworth

PAGE 3

Stadium would be funded by private donors and bonds | Page 8

Drinking Contest

Since the two candidates are only a measly hour away from the beer capital of Colorado, (Nay! The Country!) they should come up here. They could get all situated and psyched up at Road 34, have a giant crowd gather to watch, and then drink up for freedom! Last one standing wins!

Jousting CompetitionAn age old tradi-tion dating back to the Middle Ages, jousting was both a tourna-ment and a true spectator sport. The pageantry of the election season would be very appropriate to the pomp and circumstance of an old fashioned joust.

Things That Should

Replace the Debates

To be social or not to be social

Round one: Presidential Debate in Denver

Pat Stryker currently not comitted to donate to stadium

STRYKER

By KATE WINKLEThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

Requests for a "Hide political posts" button on Facebook are rampant this election season, but in spite of the an-noyance to users, political campaigns will likely continue using social media as a strategy.

Political campaigns experiment with old and new forms of outreach to involve people in politics, according to Jennifer Stromer-Galley, a University at Albany professor who specializes in po-litical communication.

“By now, everyone is a little tired of the campaign, including students and so campaigns have to fi nd new, clever ways to energize supporters,” Stromer-Galley wrote in an email to the Colle-gian. “I also suspect campaigns tend to go a bit overboard with their social media messaging, and sort of like the TV ads playing in swing states, people get a bit tired of being hammered ev-erywhere they turn with political mes-

saging.”Politicians traditionally commu-

nicated with the public directly or through the media, but technological advances allow candidates to interact with citizens in a more casual and daily forum.

“Much of the strategy in using so-cial media for campaigning is untested. Campaigns have had 60 years to get TV advertising right. They’ve really only had fi ve presidential election cycles to experiment with digital communi-cations, and only four years to fi gure

out how to use contemporary social media,” Stromer-Galley said. “In many ways they don’t really know what works and what doesn’t.”

What does resonate with the public is previously untouchable politicians are now more relatable and available to interact with constituents, according to Rosa Mikeal Martey, a journalism and technical communications professor.

"One of the most important charac-teristics of what we’ve been seeing over

See SOCIAL on Page 3

Political campaigns explore new avenues of reaching the public

37.3 -- average age of a Twitter user3:2 -- ratio of female to male users of Twitter and Facebook 35 -- percent of Facebook users younger than 3540.5-- average age of a Facebook user20,382,129-- number of Obama’s followers on Twitter

1,207,402-- number of Romney’s followers on Twitter1,193-- number of tweets from Mitt Romney6,458-- number of tweets from Barack Obama7,903,813--number of likes for Mitt Romney’s Facebook page29,064,339-- number of likes for Barack Obama’s Facebook pageStatistics from www.pingdom.com,Twitter.com, Facebook.com

SOCIAL MEDIA STATISTICS

By KATE WINKLEThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

President Barack Obama and Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney will engage in their fi rst battle of wits at the Presidential De-bate in Denver Wednesday.

The 90-minute debate will begin at 7 p.m. at the Univer-sity of Denver. Half of the six 15-minute segments will fo-cus on the economy, while the other three will touch on health care, the role of gov-ernment, and governing, ac-cording to a release from de-bate moderator Jim Lehrer.

“We haven’t ever seen them one-on-one going back and forth with each other responding to answers that I think will really highlight those differences,” said Kelsey Maez, president of the CSU College Democrats.

Approximately six miles of Interstate 25 near the Uni-versity of Denver, from Santa Fe Drive to Hampden Avenue, will be closed from 5 to 10 p.m. because of the debate, according to the Colorado De-partment of Transportation.

The debate’s location may be important for Colorado, but it will not have a large ef-fect on the rest of the nation, according to John Straayer, political science professor. Still, holding the debate in Denver highlights Colorado’s swing state status.

“Colorado plays a ma-jor role in this election and I don’t think I’d be going too far to say that depending on how Colorado goes in the election is probably how the rest of the election will go,” Maez said.

Obama and Romney have both practiced against stand-in opponents and worked to anticipate possible questions and attacks. Not only do they have to know their informa-tion, but they trained them-selves to show smiles and hu-mor and suppress any instinct

See DEBATE on Page 7

GRAP

HIC

BY H

UNTE

R TH

OMPS

ON

Lightsaber Duel

It is so poetic: Red for the Republi-cans, Blue for the Democrats, an epic sunset over the Rockies and enough tall build-ings in downtown Denver to force jump on. Let’s have something that the American public can really relate to! If some-one loses a limb, all the better!!

standing wins!standing wins!

2 Wednesday, October 3, 2012 | The Rocky Mountain Collegian

FORT COLLINS FOCUS

Owner and personal trainer Lacey Lisitza (center) runs through a pole fi tness class routine that exhibits upper body and core strength at her recently opened studio Limelight Fitness. The chic studio is located on the southwest corner of College and Prospect and offers classes in pole fi tness, hooping, dancing and more.

KATIE THOMPSON | COLLEGIAN

Community Briefs

Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Results

Almost six hundred pounds of pills have been incinerated as of Saturday as part of a regular event held by Fort Collins Police Services.

All of the drugs were turned in for Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which brings attention to controlled substance abuse and encour-ages proper disposal methods.

FCPD collected a total 594.4 pounds of unused, unneeded and expired over-the-counter and prescrip-tion medications.

In its four previous events, the Drug Enforcement Ad-ministration took in over 1.5 million pounds of pills. Last April, over 276 tons of pre-scription drugs were collected at over 5,600 sites. Area drop off locations included Fort Collins Police Services and CSU’s Green Hall.

Items not accepted in-cluded intravenous solutions, injectables, syringes, mercu-ry, chemotherapy substanc-es, pressurized canisters, and illicit drugs. These drugs are a potential health hazard.

Fort Collins receives bronze medal for being walk-friendly

The City of Fort Collins was promoted to the bronze level of being a walk-friendly com-munity, awarded by the Walk Friendly Committee (WFC).

The award puts Fort Col-lins, one of 33 cities to earn the award, in the forefront of healthiest cities in the Unit-ed States. It is given to com-munities who demonstrate commitment to pedestrian safety and walking.

“This award shows the commitment the City of Fort Collins has for creating a community that works well for everyone,” said Aaron Iverson, the interim trans-portation planning director.

The committee men-tioned that Fort Collins has room for improvement. They suggested working on reducing vehicle crash rates, starting an adult crossing guard program and incorpo-rating evaluations for ongo-ing projects. If Fort Collins accomplishes this, it could-jump to a higher level.

“The WFC assessment will give us a better understanding of how best to promote walking in our community, so that the healthy choice is the preferred choice,” said Kristin Kirkpat-rick, a Built Environment Work Group (BEWG) member.

— Collegian Staff Report

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What is urgent care? Just like in the human medical �eld, urgent care is a more a�ordable alternative to the

emergency room for minor ailments only -- like ear infections, limping and vomiting.

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IN THE COLLEGIAN TOMORROW

HOMECOMING

2012HOMECOMINGHOMECOMINGHOMECOMINGHOMECOMING

20122012

Look for special coverage of

Homecoming events around campus

HomecomingSpecial Edition

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 offi cial 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 fi ve 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 fi rst 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 fi rst copy is free. Additional copies are 25 cents each. Letters to the editor should be sent to [email protected].

EDITORIAL STAFF | 491-7513Allison Sylte | Editor in Chief

[email protected] Miller | Content Managing Editor

[email protected] Thompson | Visual Managing Editor

[email protected] Carrera | News Editor

[email protected] Willner | News Editor

[email protected] Jensen | Editorial Editor & Copy Chief

[email protected]@collegian.com

Nic Turiciano | Entertainment [email protected]

Cris Tiller | Sports [email protected]

Kyle Grabowski | Assistant Sports [email protected]

Kris Lawan | Design [email protected]

Nick Lyon | Chief [email protected]

ADVISING STAFFKim Blumhardt | Advertising Manager

Michael Humphrey | Journalism Adviser

KEY PHONE NUMBERSNewsroom | 970-491-7513

Distribution | 970-491-1146Classifi eds | 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 this summer. He has removed himself from all political coverage, including writing, editing and discussions, as well as the paper’s daily editorial, “Our View.”

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By AUSTIN BRIGGSThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

The days of sitting in class in neatly organized rows, staring at the front of the room may soon go the way of bellbottom pants.

A cutting edge lab space nestled in Aylesworth Hall will be completed at the end of the semester for interi-or design students at CSU, marking an end to a semes-ter of being moved from classroom to classroom and years spent using outdated equipment.

The new space is a “pro-totype” for new classroom environments, said Katha-rine Leigh, an interior design professor in the department of design and merchandis-ing

“We haven’t had reno-vations in here for over 35 years,” Leigh said. “Once this is completed there won’t be anything else like it at CSU.”

Leigh said the renova-tion is being paid for with $385,000 from the University Facility Fee Advisory Board (UFFAB) –– a student group which votes to fund con-struction projects –– which comes out to about $14.50 per student.

CSU students pay $15 dollars per-credit hour in fa-cility fees –– a minimum of $60 a semester –– to UFFAB.

About $15,000 came from the Dean of Applied Sciences.

It took two proposals

before UFFAB approved the renovations.

“The fi rst time they came to us, we felt that initial project wouldn’t serve that many people and it would only benefi t a select few,” said UFFAB President Vin-cent Crespin. “The second proposal satisfi ed our crite-ria that it would serve more people.”

Junior interior design major Erika Sanchez said the old space wasn’t very inspiring, something that’s vital for design students. She’s looking forward for the renovations to be com-pleted and getting out of the cramped classrooms stu-dents have been using this semester.

“I like being able to spread my paperwork out to do my work,” Sanchez said. “In the classrooms right now you can’t even fi t a water bottle and piece of paper on the desk.”

The interior design de-partment hopes this won’t be the case after the renova-tions.

The new design layout bears little resemblance to a traditional classroom. The space, a research collabora-tion with furniture retailer Herman Miller, is designed to increase creativity and collaboration among stu-dents.

The 2,500 square foot space, scheduled for com-pletion in December, will boast a design lab, team

work area and conference area or “chat box.”

The different sections, separated by transparent screens, will allow students to see what’s going on in adjacent work areas. Tables and seating are on casters, meaning the entire space can be opened to accom-modate up to 90 people for a lecture.

Instead of standard

classroom seating, students are organized in clusters with the layout encouraging group work and interaction with other students.

Student can be wired into two 60-inch LCD screens in the central area, allowing them to share proj-ects with classmates.

“That’s part of the col-laboration, to look across and compare and say ‘oh,

what are you doing on that, what’s your solution?’” Leigh said.

She added the sleek, contemporary furniture and new technology will mim-ic what could be found in any modern design offi ce, allowing students to get a feel for working in the pro-fession.

In addition to new fur-niture and technology, se-

curity and service features will be added to the space as well. This includes key card entry and a café.

“Everybody’s excited about the café,” Leigh said. “Right now, if students want a cup of coffee they have to trudge over to the student center.”

Senior Reporter Aus-tin Briggs can be reached at [email protected].

Cutting edge classroom and lab opens in Aylesworth

Professors Katharine Leigh, left, and Robert Work, right, discuss their vision for the design student studio space in front of their planning board Monday. Aylesworth C 102, which will include work stations for students and a coffee shop, will be renovated with University Faculity Advisory Board money.

ERIN MROSS | COLLEGIAN

SOCIAL | Campaigns target undecided voters though Facebook, TwitterContinued from Page 1

the last fi ve years with can-didates and businesses us-ing social media is how they integrate it across these different platforms,” Mar-tey said. “So it’s not really just they use Facebook or they use Twitter, it’s the way these things are integrat-ed together that are really where that powerful shift has come.”

Managing social media varies daily and takes time and effort, according to Kimberly Sorensen, CSU’s Social Media Director. Social media is an integral part of a communications strategy and setting goals and paying

attention to the audience is crucial.

“There is no quick and easy way to create content that people like, share and discuss, but through experi-ence and time...” Sorensen wrote in an email to the Col-legian. “A key to managing social media for any organi-zation is to be fl exible and ready to roll with the punch-es.”

Social gaffes are just as likely with social media as other types of media, and controlling the campaign message and supporters mobilized through social media is challenging, ac-cording to Stromer-Galley.

The extreme amount of

free speech afforded to us-ers of social media can help further a campaign, but is also risky because of the po-tential for negative publicity, according to Martey.

“The openness that makes it such a powerful tool also allows for the voic-es of so many that may abso-lutely go against what you as a business or politician want associated with your name,” Martey said. “That kind of vulnerability that comes with allowing anyone to speak in a kind of egalitarian platform is the diffi cult one to navigate.”

The ability to profess political affi liations online gives participants a sense of

community and reinforces political ties, according to Kyle Saunders, professor of political science. Campaigns learn from others’ social me-dia strategies and often hire consulting fi rms to improve a social media presence, striv-ing for the “next big thing.”

Using media like Face-book to convince the 10 to 15 percent of the electorate who have not yet made up their minds can have an ef-fect, according to Saunders, but it is not a huge one.

Brittany Wetzel, a sopho-more biological science ma-jor, sees at least three posts from friends advertising candidates when she checks her Facebook, but she said

that although political posts are prevalent, they are easy to ignore.

“I usually don’t read them when they’re long and rambling, but people can say what they want. I don’t care— I know who I’m vot-ing for and I’m pretty set on that so it really doesn’t have an infl uence on who I’m go-ing to vote for,” Wetzel said.

Martey and a former graduate student, Katha-rine Van Wyngarden, ex-plored Facebook’s affect on politics in a 2011 research project comprised of a sur-vey of 1,300 CSU students and 20 in-depth interviews. They found that Facebook is a great platform to pro-

mote discussion, but not for changing attitudes.

“What was very import-ant to (those surveyed) was that they did not want peo-ple in general to use Face-book as a platform to be pushy or insist that other people see their own views,” Martey said. “There was a little bit of this balance between ‘I want to express myself and I want to sup-port things that I think are important, but please don’t use this as a space to say you all should believe this and if you don’t believe this then you’re stupid.’ ”

Politics Beat Reporter Kate Winkle can be reached at [email protected].

By KATE WINKLEThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

The economy comprises half of the topics for the fi rst Presidential Debate in Den-ver, according to a release from the moderator Jim Lehrer. Both President Obama and Gov. Romney plan a national turnaround in job creation, and have experience with inherited economic diffi culties during their terms of offi ce. Under Romney, Massa-chusetts had a net employment gain, although it ranked 47th in job creation. During Obama’s presidency, 4.6 million new private sector jobs were created, although the un-employment rate is 8.1 percent as of August 2012.

BACKGROUND

*Information provided by each candidate’s campaign offi ce, speeches and public records

WHAT THEY PROMISED*

“Those of us here tonight can’t solve all our nation’s woes. Ultimate-ly, our recovery will be driven not by Washington, but by our businesses and our workers. But we can help. We can make a difference. There are steps we can take right now to improve people’s lives,” Obama said to a joint session of Congress Sept. 8, 2011.

Create jobs by out-educating, out-innovating and out-building the glob-al competition

Invest in education, small business-es, infrastructure and research

Eliminate tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas and create tax in-centives for businesses bringing jobs back home

Double exports and create 1 million new manufacturing jobs

“Business and growing jobs is about taking risk, sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, but always striving. It is about dreams. … It’s the genius of the American free enterprise system – to harness the extraordinary creativity and talent and industry of the American people with a system that is dedicated to creating to-morrow’s prosperity...” said Romney in his Aug. 30 Republican National Convention acceptance speech.

Amend the National Labor Relations Act to protect the right of business owners to use money as they see fi t, and guarantee a secret ballot in all union certifi cation elections

Reverse executive orders that tilt the playing fi eld towards organized labor

Consolidate federal retraining pro-grams and funding and return manage-ment to the states

Raise visa caps for highly skilled workers and grant permanent residency to eligible graduates with advanced math, science, or engineering degrees

ROMNEY OBAMA

ISSUE

A LOOK AT ECONOMY

CandidateContrast33ELECTION COUNTDOWN

Romney vs. Obama

The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Wednesday, October 3, 2012 3

At this point in the process of CSU building an on-campus stadi-um, we can likely rule out that it’ll be called Stryker Stadium.

A mere 24 hours after President Tony Frank green-lit CSU’s on-cam-pus stadium, local billionaire philan-thropist Pat Stryker released a state-ment saying that she hasn’t —and might not — help fund the project.

This isn’t good news for Frank’s massive undertaking, and a bad omen for the future of CSU’s on-campus stadium.

Stryker is a Fort Collins resi-dent who is on the Forbes list of the richest Americans (her net worth is a cool $1.4 billion) and just so hap-pens to be one of CSU’s biggest pri-vate financial backers.

Her list of donations — that add up to more than $30 million for CSU — is huge. In 2003, she pledged $15.2 million to help spruce up

Hughes — the very stadium Frank wants to retire.

Essentially, Stryker’s influence

on this university and this commu-nity is immense. One could even ar-gue that she runs this town.

In Frank’s email on Monday, he

made it clear that an on-campus stadium wouldn’t be in the cards unless he could get a minimum of $125 million in funding from private philanthropists. It would be a pretty safe bet to say Frank was hoping to knock on Stryker’s door.

Stryker’s choice to possibly not give money to a university that she has historically doted upon could have a long list of implications. Does she not approve of the proj-ect? Does she want to see Hughes stick around? We may not know — Stryker is known to stay out of the limelight.

What we do know is that this statement doesn’t bode well symbol-ically — as well as financially — for the future of an on-campus stadium.

Hopefully we won’t start catch-ing Frank at plasma donation cen-ters around town as he makes up for the loss.

Let me begin this column with an apology to my readers: This was not what I intended to write for my column this week. For this, I am sorry.

The column that I had spent the past week collecting information and working hard to so beautifully and rhetorically craft for my audience’s en-joyment and informational purposes was regarding the proposal to build an on-campus stadium.

Monday afternoon, shortly before my submission deadline of this column, Tony Frank sent an email informing the CSU community that he will indeed be advocating to move forward with build-ing the proposed on-campus stadium.

My original column suddenly be-came moot. I do not wish to waste time beating a dead horse. The decision has been made and I can no longer have power in swaying such a big decision.

I have already expressed my opinions regarding the issue in various settings; including through public input forms, surveys and forums hosted by the Center for Public Deliberation. I believe with all my heart that my opinion on the matter was actually heard by the right people and was taken into serious consideration

in this decision making process.I greatly appreciate being given an

opportunity to voice my opinion at all, and hope others realize what a gift it was that these opportunities were made available at all. I hope they took advantage of them as I tried to.

I cannot believe that, after such a process, this decision has been made lightly. I do believe that, by green-light-ing this project, Tony Frank is doing what he truly believes to be the abso-lute best choice for our fine university. As football coach Jim McElwain said, “It’s not just about football, but a com-mitment to excellence.”

I hope that as a community, we take those words to heart. A commitment to excellence should not only be applied to our athletics, but to many facets of our university:

A commitment to excellence in our academics.

In recent years, there have been hir-ing freezes, making departments dev-astatingly short staffed.

There have been suspensions in raises, causing instructors to be uncer-tain of their jobs.

There have been classes cut from the registrar, often making it impos-sible for students to graduate in four years as they have been promised.

A commitment to excellence in our facilities.

Last winter, the ceiling in my third floor classroom in Clark-C collapsed due to water damage. There were about three or four weeks of classes left to the semester. There was not a single emp-ty room on campus to put us in, so we finished up the semester with the desks all being crammed up against the walls in order to avoid any potential health risks from the falling skies.

This semester I have another class

in the third floor of Clark-C. The dam-aged ceiling tiles have still not been replaced. It has almost been a full year since they originally collapsed.

A commitment to excellence in our safety.

I heard from a friend of mine who is getting her degree in the visual arts that last fall the ceilings in the Visual Arts Building started leaking. The plumbing in the building ended up being shut down because of it.

As is common with many visual art mediums, the students within the building were using dangerous chem-icals. According to my friend, leaks in the ceiling caused these chemicals to splash upon students.

One student had to run outside and throw himself into the snow to prevent chemical burns, as the water in the building had been shut down.

This could easily be an urban myth, I wouldn’t know because I did not wit-ness this first hand. But I’ve been in the Visual Arts Building, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this were not the only way it is not up to code.

A commitment to excellence now, and not just to excellence in the future.

I truly do hope that the up and coming stadium promotes nothing but positive changes to the CSU communi-ty. I cannot imagine why anyone would support the project if that were not the ultimate goal.

Let us hope that the investments being made for the future of our fine university do not come at the cost of losing sight of what things we need in the present.

Anna Mitchell is a junior liberal arts major. Her columns appear Wednesdays in the Collegian. Letters and feedback can be sent to [email protected].

The first presidential de-bates will be held at Denver University this Wednesday, bringing the final stretch of the race into the spotlight in Colorado.

The narrative of this campaign has been long es-tablished. The parameters of the debate is already known. You'll only hear a reitera-tion of talking points and campaign promises on that stage, comfortably free from any third party challengers.

All debates this year (and every debate for the past two decades) has been hosted by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), which is current-ly headed by former RNC chairman Frank J. Fah-renkopf, Jr. and Clinton's former press secretary — though it's reportedly a nonpartisan, non-profit corporation.

And the CDP is non-partisan — if by nonparti-san you mean they don't discriminate against either Republicans or Democrats; they’ve teamed up to keep out third parties.

A Gallup poll released on Sept. 12, 2012, asked, "do the Republican and Democratic parties do an adequate job of representing the American people, or do they do such a poor job that a third major party is needed?"

The poll revealed 46 percent of Americans feel that a major third party is needed — yet no third par-ty candidates participate in the debates. Has this always been that way?

No. Before 1987, the League of Women Voters moderated the presidential debates and featured numer-ous third party candidates.

That all changed when the two major parties an-nounced plans to sponsor their own series of debates. The Republicans and Dem-ocrats set up a commission, thanked the League for all they'd done, and urged them to step aside.

Read League of Wom-en Voters President Nancy M. Neuman's statement on Oct. 3, 1988, where she announced the League of Women Voters "have no intention of becoming an accessory to the hood-winking of the American public," and would no lon-ger be a part of the debates due to the CPD. The state-ment is chilling.

Since the CDP took over, only one third party candidate, Ross Perot, was invited to participate in the debate by the Commission in 1992. After Perot, the CDP enacted the now infamous

15 percent requirement for a candidate to appear in the presidential debate that has prevented a third party candidate from par-ticipating ever since.

On Aug. 20, 2012, Gov. Gary Johnson, Liber-tarian party presidential nominee, sent a letter to the CPD. The letter ar-gued that any contending candidate (a candidate who has the mathemati-cal chance to win, being on all 50 states’ ballots) should not be excluded from the debates.

"In all due respect," Johnson's letter reads, "it is not the proper role of an nonelected, private and tax-exempt organiza-tion to narrow the voters’ choices to only the two major party candidates – which is the net effect of your arbitrary polling re-quirement."

Gary Johnson meets all of the Constitutional requirements to be presi-dent, he is a two term gov-ernor with more executive experience than Obama, Biden, Romney and Ryan combined — yet he's not allowed into the debate.

Is it because Gary Johnson has radical views? The Libertarian party is both fiscally re-sponsible and socially accepting — I'd say the same can be said about the majority of the Amer-ican population.

Is this radical? Not ideologically, but if the question is whether Gary Johnson and the Libertar-ian party is a stark alter-native to Republicans and Democrats, the answer is unequivocally yes.

The American peo-ple deserve an alternative to the Democrats' and Republicans' stimulus plans, subsidies, bailouts and crony capitalism.

The presidential de-bate needs a voice raised in opposition to Repub-licans' and Democrats' War on Terror, NDAA, warrantless data mining, War on Drugs and global interventionism.

I believe Gary Johnson is that voice — all he needs now is a spot in the debate.

There is a way you and I can fix this monop-oly that the two parties have on the presidential debates: The polls.

Help Johnson get the 15 percent he needs to be included in future de-bates. Even if you aren't going to vote for Johnson this November, there's no harm in telling a tele-phone pollster your vote is for Gary Johnson.

Let's expand the pa-rameters of the debate and give America a real choice this election rath-er than the lesser of two evils. I choose no evil. I choose Gary Johnson.

Editorial Editor Kevin Jensen is a senior English major. His column appears Tuesdays in the Collegian. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @kevinrjensen.

OPINIONCollegian

Collegian Opinion Page Policy

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

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

Wednesday, October 3, 2012 | Page 4

our view

Stryke one for the stadium

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

Allison Sylte | Editor in [email protected]

Matt Miller | Content Managing [email protected]

Hunter Thompson | Visual Managing [email protected]

Andrew Carrera | News [email protected]

Elisabeth Willner | News [email protected]

Kevin Jensen | Editorial [email protected]

Nic Turiciano | Entertainment [email protected]

Cris Tiller | Sports [email protected]

Kris Lawan | Design Editor [email protected]

By Kevin jenSen

By anna mitChell

Gary Johnson vs. presidential debates

“Essentially, Stryker’s influence on this university and

this community is immense. One could even argue that she

runs this town.”

A so-called commitment to excellence

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

*56 people voted in this poll.

yeSterday’S QueStiOn:

tOday’S QueStiOn:

Who is Pat Stryker?

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

How will the new stadium affect your attendance?

47% Increase normal attendance

27% Decrease normal attendance

26% No effect

47%27%

26%

The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Wednesday, October 3, 2012 5

6 Wednesday, October 3, 2012 | The Rocky Mountain Collegian

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

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

RamTalk compiled by Kris Lawan

What a wonderful time of year. The leaves are changing, the campus looks beautiful, and the freshman start gaining their 15 pounds and not going to the gym

In case anyone is wondering, the bathrooms in the study cube are NOT sound-proof.

I think the bookstore should offer an extra book for BMS 300 students entitled: ‘ How to Read Your Professors Handwriting.’

To they guy in Engineering: next time lower your voice when telling your friend you haven’t changed your underwear since Saturday.

Submit RamTalk entries to [email protected]. Libelous or obscene submissions will not be printed. While your comment will be published anonymously, you must leave your name and phone number for verifi 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 The Rocky Mountain Collegian.

Today’s Crossword sponsored by:

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Yesterday’s solution

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Daily Horoscope Nancy Black and Stephanie Clement

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TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (10/03/12). You’re thirsty to discov-er new horizons this year, and boundaries keep expanding. Study, travel and great teachers grow your perspective, espe-cially in philosophy and spirituality. Grow career skills as well to maximize opportunities. Less is more.

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GEMINI (May 21-June 20) ––6––There’s really a light at the end of the tunnel, but you could bypass the tunnel alto-gether. Or wander around in it and discover hidden treasure. Bring a fl ashlight and plenty of water.

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) ––8––Take a fi rm stand, and heed the voice of experience. For the next month, it’s easy to make money. Your partner demonstrates compassion. Provide support.

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) ––6––Take advantage of abundant imagination. Make sure you know what’s required. Romance may be involved at times, but also quiet time in solitude.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) ––8–– Continue to build assets, and get public. Balance family and social activities carefully. Your reputation precedes you. The fi rst reaction may seem negative, but don’t give up.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) ––7–– Friends help you advance. Level up at work over the next three weeks. Be prac-tical. It’s easier to advance your agenda. Forgive a foolish misunderstanding.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) ––9–– The next month’s good for setting goals. Costs may be higher than expected. Ask for more and get it; an angel’s watching over you. Get lost in your studies.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) ––9–– Stay focused. The foreseeable future is good for saving money, so go over the numbers. Demonstrate compassion for partners, even if you don’t always agree.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) ––8––You’re gaining skills and confi dence. Compromise comes easier. Avoid temptation and assumptions. Self-discipline enables creativity. Female magnetism plays a big role.

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CSU Discount DaysWednesday & Thursday

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By Kate SimmonSThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

CSU students pay $15 dollars per-credit hour in facility fees –– a minimum of $60 a semester. This money funds on-campus construction projects de-termined by the University Facility Fee Advisory Board (UFFAB).

UFFAB meets once a se-mester to review proposals for new projects.

“The board really works to ensure the funds from the facilities fee support as large a population of the student body as possible,” said Lindsay Brown, student administrative assistant in design and construction and staff support to the UF-FAB board.

Projects proposed this fall include an Anat-omy Building renova-tion, expected to cost $5,499,910 and Microbi-ology Room B120 remod-

el, which is projected to be $184,572.

Fall 2012 proposals will be reviewed Oct. 4.

UFFAB’s advisory board includes students, faculty and staff. Currently, there are 17 members, nine of which are students. The board would ideally have a student representative from each of the colleges on campus, including a representative from the Undeclared Leadership Council and ASCSU.

UFFAB’s bylaws dictate projects are evaluated by how the project directly benefits CSU students, the degree to which the plan enhances the academic and research environment, aesthetics of the architec-ture and how easily that architecture would be sus-tained, maintenance costs and availability of funds and justification of the project.

According to Steve

Hultin, director of facili-ties management and UF-FAB faculty advisor, the most important areas of focus are “the degree the project directly affects the students and enhances ac-ademics.”

UFFAB funded projects include the Animal Sci-ences Building, Visual Arts Building, Eddy Hall, Forest-ry and the Early Childhood Center. The total amount of these projects equal $14.4 million.

UFFAB also contributes funding to larger projects like the Engineering Build-ing, a project that costs $65 million total and is partial-ly funded with $30 million of UFFAB funds. The Mor-gan Library renovation, café and cube addition was also partially paid for by UFFAB. The entire project cost $17 million, $16.8 of which was paid with UF-FAB funds.

According to Mike Da-

vis, other projects under-way include a renovation on the Engineering Re-search Center, occupational therapy and classrooms in Aylesworth and Shepard-son.

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

Engineering Building: $65 million, $30 million paid for with UFFAB funds

Morgan Library: $17 million, $16.8 paid for with UFFAB funds

Animal Sciences Building: $4 million, all paid for with UFFAB funds

Visual Arts Building: $3.2 million, all paid for with UFFAB funds

Eddy Hall: $3 million, all paid for with UFFAB funds

Forestry: $2.8 million, all paid for with UFFAB funds

Early Childhood Center: $1.4 million, all paid for with UFFAB funds

UFFaB at worK

Junior Liz Torrez rides her bike through the construction filled sidewalk outside of Braiden Hall Tuesday afternoon. There are multiple large construction projects going on through campus this year.

HUnter tHompSon | COLLEGIAN

$61.2 million student fees pay for construction

Greeks ‘Stroll’ the Plaza

Continued from page 1

to show disinterest, disre-spect or anger, according to John Straayer, political sci-ence professor.

“Obama’s challenge will be to stay with his normally cool demeanor and comfort-able smile and not drift into lecture-style responses,” Straayer wrote in an email to the Collegian. “Romney’s challenge is a tough one – he needs to show the stature, strength and forcefulness of someone who can take charge and lead, but also show a relaxed and com-fortable side to counter the widespread sense that he’s disconnected from ordinary folk.”

Obama experienced a presidential debate in 2008, which may leave Romney at a slight disadvantage. Brad

Dick, president of the Col-lege Republicans at CSU, hopes Romney will go on the attack and that Obama will have to answer tough ques-tions about the economy.

“Every eye is going to be on them. It’s hard to prepare before actual debate; it’s big-ger than what Romney has done,” Dick said. “You prac-tice as much as you can and hope for the best.”

Although important, there isn’t much room to make gains with the debate, according to Straayer and a widespread shift in voter preference is unlikely.

“There is a risk of a fac-tual or stylistic screw-up, though, and both will want to get through this without a stumble,” Straayer said. “It is important for voters to be able to see them together, rather than one at a time at

rallies or in attack ads — after all, one will be our president for four years and we deserve to see them in action.”

Both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are interesting figures, according Brandon Hicks, a senior communi-cations major who plans to watch the debate. He is most interested to see what the candidates say about their philosophies.

“I hope to get a better understanding of each par-ty’s stance and get to see a bit more about who the can-didates are as people,” Hicks said. “I’m interested to see how they interact with one another on a political stage … I hope they’re interesting and I hope they spark some good conversations.”

Politics Beat Reporter Kate Winkle can be reached at [email protected].

deBate | Opinion shifts unlikely

“I hope to get a better understanding of each party’s stance and get to see a bit more abot who

the candidates are as people.”Brandon Hicks | (senior, communications)

Freshman Civil Engineering student Schuyler Pagenstecher, middle, points to people in the crowd as he prepares to dance for his fraternity at the Stroll on the Plaza. The Stroll is an annual dance competition for CSU Greek Life.

HUnter tHompSon | COLLEGIAN

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The Rocky Mountain Collegian | Wednesday, October 3, 2012 7

8 Wednesday, October 3, 2012 | The Rocky Mountain Collegian

By Kyle GraBowsKiThe Rocky Mountain Collegian

Experience and con-tinuity are typically traits that define CSU’s volley-ball team, but the Rams are preparing to face a team on Friday that exemplifies both –– Wyoming.

The team won its last two matches following a three-game losing streak and swept CSU-Pueblo on Mon-day, so the Cowgirls should have some more spring in their step Friday.

“Hopefully, with back-to-back wins it gives our team a little more confidence going into a huge match against CSU,” said Wyoming coach Carrie Yerty after the victory. “It does not take our team a lot to get ready against CSU, but I think these matches will give us some more con-fidence.”

The Cowgirls plan to beat CSU by running a complex, fast offense built to confuse

and blow by opponents.“They run double quick

attacks in every rotation,” said CSU coach Tom Hilbert. “They always have a chip on their shoulder, especially when they play us, but al-ways they do.”

In a “double quick,” both the middle and outside at-tackers will shift from their original positions and make the blockers choose which one to defend.

“You have to be real-ly fast in each movement that you do. I need to pret-ty much be off the ground before the ball gets to the hitter’s hands,” said senior middle blocker Breion Paige.

Preparing for that type of offense can be difficult for a bigger, more athletic team like CSU, but that’s when the Rams call in the Bomb Squad.

It isn’t a crack team of experts –– it’s just a more affectionate name for the scout team. But they help

get results.“It’s good so that when

you go into a game you’re not caught off surprised at how it looks,” said redshirt sopho-more setter Deedra Foss.

Assistant coach Matthew Botsford typically handles the setting for the Bomb Squad due to his experience and fluency with many dif-ferent offenses.

“He can set any offense, which is really the most key component,” Hilbert said.

Sometimes CSU’s start-ers will play on the Bomb Squad as well in order to get a feel for what the op-ponent’s offense does and better understand how to

defend against it.“When you’re actually

simulating them it helps a lot because you see ‘this is how fast it’s really going to be,’ ‘this is how fast I need to get up.’ It makes it more real,” Paige said. “I know what I need to do because I know what they’re going to do.”

The only aspect of Wyo-ming’s game that CSU can’t really simulate in a practice environment is how much the Cowgirls cheer for each other during a match.

“Sometimes that can take people out of the game. We’re more of a composed team, so when we play teams that are like that it’s a different look for us,” Foss said. “We can kind of do it in practice, but I think we more deal with it in the games.”

Assistant Sports Edi-tor Kyle Grabowski can be reached at [email protected].

Who: Wyoming vs. CSU When: Friday, Oct. 5, 7:45

p.m. Where: Moby Arena Coverage: Listen live 90.5

KCSU

The MaTch

CSU celebrates during last week’s match at Moby Arena. The Rams begin preparation for Wyoming this week.KaTie ThoMson | COLLEGIAN

Bomb squad helps Rams prepare

volleyball

By MaTT MillerThe McClatchy Tribune

In CSU President Tony Frank’s email announcing his support of building an on-campus stadium, he reiter-ated that, “state general funds, student tuition or fees, or pro-ceeds from any tax shouldn’t be used to finance the stadium.”

In other words, Colora-do and CSU students won’t be footing the bill, which business experts say restricts Frank to only two options to fund the project.

So if that’s the case how will the university pay the $250 million needed for an on-campus stadium?

Based off of what Frank wrote in his email Monday, the funding for such a sta-dium would come from two sources — the first of which would be private donations.

“It would be difficult for me to justify any financing plan that didn’t fund at least 50 percent of the cost ($125M) via philanthropic gifts,” Frank wrote in his email Monday.

The other $125 million will come from either univer-sity loans or bonds, which will be paid back from the revenue of seats and concession sales once the stadium is built.

“His main concern was how much revenue can seat sales and concession actu-ally come off that stadium, because that would be cov-ering the debt,” said Ronald Throupe, an assistant pro-fessor at DU’s Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Manage-ment. “He’s basically guess-ing the debt amount of $125 million based on what he guesses concessions will be.”

Since Frank excluded the general fund, student tuition or fees and taxes, Throupe said the only likely way the university can pay for the stadium would be by taking a loan or bonds

for the other $125 million.“He’s sort of in a box,”

Throupe said.Moving forward with this

outline of a plan, the next step is for the university to raise the necessary funds from private donations, which Throupe said could take multiple years.

Once the half in philan-thropy is raised, CSU will have to decide who will guarantee the debt of the other half: the university, the state or the stadium itself.

“You’ve got a state univer-sity there so the state could back the funding or at least be the creditor of last resort for the bond, which would mean their credit rating would be used to determine the inter-est rate,” Throupe said. “Or it could be the university itself and that would come out of the university’s revenue ac-count — mostly student tui-tion — or it could be isolated to the stadium itself.”

Since CSU would then pay back this loan or bond using the stadium revenue, Frank would not be folding on his promise not to dip into taxes or tuition and fees, Throupe said.

Once the guarantor is fig-ured out, a rating agency will look at the loan and poten-tial cash flow to pay it back. Then, a loan will either be issued directly or a bond will be issued, which will then be sold to individual investors.

Throupe said this is a common process of funding a project this large, called a public-private partnership.

“There’s always the risk of cost overruns to build it and you’ll have to address that when it comes up,” Throupe said.

For now, the fate of an on-campus stadium hing-es on if the university can raise the $125 million from private donors.

Managing Editor Matt Miller can be reached at [email protected].

How will CSU pay for the stadium?

on campus daily