MISSION STATEMENT:
The Star, Community College of Denver’s student run Journal of
Excellence, incorporates visual and written media to provide a platform
of expression available to all CCD students. We adhere to Associated
Collegiate Press guidelines.
The Star is a student run publication and does not represent the
official opinions or views of the Community College of Denver.
EDITORIAL
Editor-n-Chief Theresa J. Cole
Senior Editor Claudia Graham
Editors Zane Johnson
Jerusha Kamoji
Christina Knight
Page Mendoza
Linh Phuong
Ciara Tate
ART & PHOTOGRAPHY
Photo Editor Christopher Empson
Contributing Artists Cassie Alfaro
Christopher Empson
Avery Fanton
Rigo Gavino
Michael Halberg
Phu Le
Joshua Mascolo
Jordan Scott
DESIGN
Creative Director/ Catherine Thomas-Wagner
Graphic Design
Contributing Richard Olguin
Designers Ealasha Vaughner
FACULTY ADVISERS
K. Strother, Chair
English/Journalism
Faculty Adviser, The Star
Lisa Erickson, English Instructor
Faculty Adviser, The Star
John Kjos, Chair
Multimedia Graphic Design Program
Douglas Ekstrand, Instructor
Multimedia Graphic Design Program
COVER PHOTO AND THIS PHOTO BY RIGO GAVINO

The Star Fall 2015 5
CoNTENTS
30 All Points Radiant
8 I Can’t Stop
11 First Friday: An Event Worth Attending
15 Top Ten Travel Tips From an Insider
18 Color Of My Eyes
20 Butterfly
23 Jane Goodall
24 Love Over Matter
While We Wait For Trains 28
Q&A With Tim Gelt 38
Silly Snapchat 44
An Accessible World At CCD 46
Laurie Lynch 48
Bleacher Report:
The Fans’ Favorite News
The President, The Editor
and The Symphony called CCD
Professor Brian Dickson shares
his views on poetry, education
and living a creative life.
CCD President Dr. Everette Freeman
sits down with Editor Theresa J. Cole
to discuss jazz, student life and his
vision of higher education.
PHOTO BY CASSIE ALFARO
42
54

STAFF
Linh Phuong
“It’s never too late to do anything
you wanted to do.”
(Michael Jordan)
Ciara Tate
“You must be the change you
wish to see in the world.”
(Muhatma Gandi)
Page Mendoza
“Either write something worth
reading or do something worth
writing.” (Benjamin Franklin)
Zane Johnson
“Do I contradict myself? Very
well, then I contradict myself, I
am large, I contain many multi-
tudes.” (Walt Whitman)
Jerusha Kamoji
“You have to be odd to be
number one.”
(Dr. Seuss)
Christina Knight
“Standing in the middle of the road
is very dangerous; you get knocked
down by the traffic from both sides.”
(Margaret Thatcher)
Theresa J. Cole
“There is no greater agony than
bearing an untold story inside
you.” (Maya Angelou)
Christopher Empson
“We must use time wisely and
forever realize that the time is
always ripe to do right.”
(Nelson Mandela)
Catherine Wagner
“An idea can turn to dust or
magic, depending on the talent
that rubs against it.”
(Don Draper)
Claudia Graham
“Vitality shows in not only the abil-
ity to persist but the ability to start
over.”
(F. Scott Fitzgerald)
PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER EMPSON

I
was sober for a year. Technically speaking, I stayed
“sober” through those hellish six months, but I was,
despite my own denial, behaving like an addict. Not a
drug and alcohol addict, as I had been before my lat-
est stint in rehab, but a food addict. I was convinced that I
wouldn’t be one of those people on Intervention, perpet-
ually recovering and relapsing. I was different. I thought I
had kicked it for good this time around. Even when full-
blown food addiction had set in, I still told myself that I
was clean and sober, that I wasn’t an addict anymore. I was
wrong. Fortunately, I realized I was wrong before it killed
me. This is the story of my last day of bulimia.
The day started like any other – with an aching throat,
swollen cheeks, bloodshot eyes, and an internal vow to
finally stop. It was Spring Break, and my usual twice-a-day
binge had changed into four, six, ten times a day. Today is
different, I thought. Today I really mean it; I’m just going to
eat healthy. This renewed enthusiasm for healthy eating,
a balanced lifestyle, and just one day of not smelling like
vomit only lasted about two hours. The hunger, which I
nicknamed “The Beast” later in recovery, began to make
his demands. It wasn’t just a physiological hunger, with a
rumble in my stomach, a vague empty feeling in my abdo-
men, and a bit of light-headedness. It was also a psycho-
logical hunger: an all-consuming craving for cookies and
cake, donuts and ice cream, cereal and peanut butter.
The desire was so overwhelming that I began to shake with
anxiety. My heart pounded, tiny beads of sweat started
to form around my temples, and my thoughts became
a torturous broken record. I have to eat, I have to eat, I
have to eat, I have to eat, i have to eat. I tried to tell myself
that I was stronger than this, but the thoughts and anxiety
were rapidly becoming exhausting. The longer I tried to
abstain, the more intense the symptoms became. Whilst
pacing through my living room, from glass balcony door, to
thin aluminum front door and back again, I finally broke. I
snatched my car keys from the filthy, crumb-covered coffee
table and bolted to my Nissan.
During the drive to the local Walmart, my anxiety trans-
formed into cheerful anticipation. Now that I had made the
decision to give in, I was elated. Fantasizing about the foods
I would buy was the first step in the ritual, and it made
my heart swell with excitement only comparable to the
excitement of driving to meet my old drug dealer. I men-
tally reviewed the stores I had already visited this week, and
assured myself that I hadn’t been to Walmart in a while.
I rotated between about ten stores to soothe my fear that
my behavior would be noticed by employees. I didn’t want
anyone to know how much I was eating. A tiny thought
entered my head – I am acting like an addict – but I quickly
pushed it aside. It was too late for that kind of thinking, I
had committed.
I arrived at Walmart, walked as quickly as possible through
the sliding glass doors, and headed straight to the bakery
department with glee. The possibilities used to be over-
whelming, but by now I had a system. First, I would get
tiny vanilla cupcakes with sweet, thick buttercream frosting.
They were small enough to swallow in a single bite, expe-
diting shoveling and minimizing wasteful crumbs. Next, a
baker’s dozen of sugary glazed donuts. Only $2.50 for what
would be nearly a quarter of a binge. Then I moved on to
the packaged foods section, a wonderland of bright, color-
ful plastic packages and cardboard boxes arranged in neat
stacks that allowed me to view all of my options with lust. I
couldn’t decide between fudge-striped shortbread and birth-
day cake flavored Oreos, so I threw both in my cart. Next,
I hustled toward the beverage aisle to pick up two 2-Liter
bottles of Diet Coke alongside a carton of vanilla almond
milk. Plenty of liquid was necessary or it would be impos-
sible to get it all back up again. Finally, before heading to
the checkout, I made a brief detour into the frozen foods
section and scanned the rows of glass doors for my favorite
ice cream – Blue Bell Dutch Chocolate – to help coat the
dense lumps of cake and donut that would form in my
stomach. Every food decision was made with the inevitable
vomiting that followed in mind but, somehow, this didn’t
bother me in the least.
I surveyed my selections with satisfaction; feeling pumped
about my upcoming binge, but then began to feel ashamed.
Warmth rose into my cheeks as I pushed my cart to-
ward the checkout. I was far too hungry to wait for the
self-checkout line, which meant I had to face a cashier. I
averted my eyes while I loaded my food onto the belt,
praying that she wouldn’t talk to me.
Please, just let me leave, please don’t say anything. God, this
looks so bad. I’m disgusting. Please don’t say anything.
“I’ve been wanting to try these, are they good?” she asked,
holding up the birthday cake Oreo package.
I don’t know, I don’t taste them.
“Oh yeah, they’re great,” I mumbled.
“I’ll have to get some. Having a party?”
No, just being a pig.
“Yeah, just a small one.”
“Well, have fun! Your total today is…”
I tried my best not to visibly sigh in relief. I swiped my
card, gathered my bags, and began power-walking to my
car. I glanced around the lot as I walked making sure that
nobody I knew had seen me. The shame and anxiety was
back in full force, but I knew that it would be over soon.
I sped home, wrestling with the urge to tear open the bags
and eat as I drove, and my anxiety rose. Before long I ar-
rived at my apartment complex, ran up the stairs, tore open
the door I always forgot to lock, let it slam behind me, and
began unpacking.
Among the ripped plastic packages, empty cereal boxes,
drained soda bottles, and other evidence of bulimia was
by Catherine Fitch
Can’t
Stop!
It was also a psychological
hunger: an all-consuming
craving for cookies and
cake, donuts and ice cream,
cereal and peanut butter.
Winner of CCD’s Excellence
In Journalism Award

a clear circle of carpet in the middle of my living room.
It was my spot. I sat down cross-legged in the circle and
began arranging my foods, tearing open packages as I went,
until each were in order of consumption from left to right
in a semi-circle in front of me. I reached behind me and
grabbed my sticky blue tray and the last clean aluminum
mixing bowl from the coffee table, fished a plastic spoon
out of a half-empty box on the floor, took a deep breath,
and began. First, I dumped the entire box of Oreos into the
mixing bowl, covered them with milk, and set them aside
so they could soak into mush. Meanwhile, I shoved mini
cupcakes into my mouth one by one, barely chewing before
I swallowed. I rotated between cupcakes, Oreos and milk,
shortbread, ice cream, donuts, and soda over and over again
as my emotions faded into nothing and I became numb.
The numbness was blissful. My mind was blank. I was a
robot, hand going from tray to mouth to bowl to mouth
without even a second’s pause. There was no sense of time,
no tasting the food, just the act of consuming.
Oh God, what have I done?
Only the incredible pain of fullness beyond measure shook
me from my trance. I ate until I felt my stomach would
literally tear open, and I was overcome with horror and
disgust toward what I had just done. The remaining food
no longer looked welcoming and comforting, it looked
repulsive. The murky brown Oreo milk with chunks of
cookie mush floating about, bits of slimy frosting stuck to
the inside of the donut box, and near-empty gallon of ice
cream with a sticky plastic spoon covered in chocolate as-
sorted saliva at the bottom were a disgusting sight. I looked
down at my swollen, aching belly, distended beyond any-
thing I would have thought possible, and groaned in pain.
I hated this so much. I hated myself for doing it. Why can’t
I just stop? I asked myself. Because I’m an addict, I answered.
I again pushed this thought aside. I had to purge before I
could think about that kind of stuff. I had to get rid of it.
I stumbled to the bathroom, unable to stand upright due
to the pain in my belly. The first few heaves were easy, not
even requiring a finger down my throat, due to the volume
in my stomach. The pain and nausea began to fade and I
prepared myself for the task ahead of me, feeling a mixture
of dread, self-loathing, and panic. I put my first and middle
finger in my mouth, gently poking at the back of my raw,
aching throat. Nothing was happening. I had been binging
and purging so much that my gag reflex had completely
lost sensitivity. My feelings of panic intensified as I realized
that I may not be able to rid myself of the 5000+ calories I
had consumed. I shoved my entire hand toward the back of
my throat, burying my other fist into the space underneath
where my ribs merged into my chest bone, pushing on my
stomach with all of my strength while I desperately tried
to trigger my gag reflex. My eyes watered from the effort,
and eventually turned into tears of frustration. I audibly
whined from the pain as my left fist moved from massaging
to punching. My ribs were already covered in multicolored
bruises of various ages from this behavior, but I didn’t care.
Finally, just as I was about to give up, I found relief. I hit
the sweet spot and slimy lumps of donut and cake mixed
with the frothy combination of ice cream, milk, and soda
came pouring out into the vomit-spackled toilet bowl.
Each heave afterwards became easier as I began to relax,
and soon the purge was complete. I was calm again, I felt a
little buzz in my limbs, and I felt light and satisfied as my
emotional journey finished in a sick sense of pleasure. This
was what made it all worth it. I had become reliant on the
endorphin high of the purge, and was willing to go through
any means necessary, no matter how painful, humiliating,
and disgusting, to achieve it. This was the true mark of
addictive behavior.
I strolled back into the living room and saw, for the first
time, what my life really looked like. Crumbs were every-
where, the carpet was stained beyond repair, and empty
boxes and bags littered the entire space. I felt repulsed
again. The dreaded thought came back once more, and this
time, I listened. I am behaving like an addict. I needed help
again. I had the phone number for my preferred psychiat-
ric hospital saved into the contacts on my cell phone, and
I made the call I had made twice before. Only a few rings
later, a woman with a kind voice answered.
“Hello, you’ve reached Carrollton Springs Behavioral
Health, how may I help you?”
“Hi, my name is Catherine Fitch. I’ve been a patient there
before, and I need an intake evaluation.”
“Okay, when would you like to come in?”
“Today.” n
On the first Friday of every month, Denver cele-
brates the city’s creative community in the Art District on
Santa Fe Drive. Within the art scene, the public can find
restaurants with an eased atmosphere, free admission gal-
leries, free food and beverages, live entertainment, artists
and their work and self-expressive personalities looking to
be social.
A celebration indeed, this is not an experience to drag along
personal and work stress. This is a place to be almost child-
like in the best way. There are no judgments, no aggression
and no worries. Aside from the usual essences of down-
town’s weekend action, First Friday revolves around the art:
drink around the art, talk around the art, eat around the
art, laugh around the art, play around the art, or buy the
art. There is so much to do and appreciate within the three
hours of operation.
Each gallery has its own theme that it presents. Some
galleries characteristics are imaginative and others are more
formal and not so abstract with their presentations. The
variety of galleries is endless and if you were to have any
questions, there is always someone around the corner to
answer them for you.
There is no need to roam the businesses on Santa Fe Drive
clueless or lost as the atmosphere is inviting to anyone who
is willing to be open to the community. Wander the streets
with eyes of wonder because you will be sure to come across
something so appealing it will be hard to resist.
During the hours of First Friday, you will see people moving
back and forth and up and down. There is always action on
the streets of the art walk. The attendees could be directors
organizing the gallery space, artists working, performers put-
ting on a show outside of the attractions and even models.
There are constant details to observe when taking the time
to thoroughly look at each individual and exposition.
Action is happening all around you, if you choose to look
closely. Skimming the atmosphere does not allow for the
full experience of the art walk so involve yourself with the
food, contemplate art, talk with artists, and most impor-
tantly, enjoy your time.
The best experiences are shared with other people. This
event brings together not only the creative community
but also the community you come from. It is a unity of
communities from all over the globe. First Friday is beyond
sharing art, food and drinks and talents, it creates opportu-
nity to share memories and contentment. n
First Friday: An Event
Worth Attending
by Aysha Sam
graphics by Joshua Mascolo

BY MICHAEL HALBERG BY PHU LE

by Alex Hopkins
photo by Cassie Alfaro
THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING is the biggest travel
day of the year in the airline industry. With the weeklong break
we have during Thanksgiving, I’m guessing most of you will
be going somewhere to celebrate with your families. Here are a
few tips to keep a cool head during your travels.
from an insider
traveling tips

1. Time management
First things first, when you are book-
ing your flight make sure that you
give yourself plenty of time between
flights, if you’re making a connection.
Discount travel sites give you a thirty
minute turnaround between flights,
that may seem like plenty of time, it
is not when you’re in a large airport.
If you are making a connection in a
large city try for an hour connection
time at the least. If you plan to travel
internationally, two hours is preferred,
but three is best because customs may
take a while.
2. Money management
Snacks, snacks, snacks, I can’t say this
enough. Please bring your own food,
the Transportation Security Adminis-
tration (TSA) will absolutely allow you
to bring all the food your heart desires.
Paying ten dollars for a sandwich that
has been sitting out all day is just a
scam. The airlines are worse: you may
have to pay six dollars for a quart bag
of trail mix.
Another fantastic piece of advice I
can offer here is to bring an empty
water bottle with you. The TSA will
make you throw away anything that
has over three ounces of liquid. This
does include any beauty products,
toothpastes, shaving creams, and water
bottles that are full. Every airport now
has a place where you can fill your
water bottle with filtered water, and it
is better than paying four dollars for
a sixteen ounce bottle of water. After
all, you probably spent quite a bit of
money on your ticket. Save some cash
while traveling to have more to spend
at your destination.
3. Airport attire
Layering your clothes is very import-
ant when traveling. You may leave
Denver and it is a chilly sixty degrees
out, but the airport may compensate
for that by being sweltering. Airplanes
tend to stay on the colder side in
flight, so making sure you’ve got layers
that are easy to remove and put back
on is key. I have a standing rule of
always having my four “S’s” with me.
Socks, scarf, sweater, and sunglasses/
sleeping mask.
First of all socks are necessary if you
are wearing flip-flops or any other
type of footwear that you are not
already wearing socks with. These will
come in handy right off the bat when
you go through security at the airport.
Instead of walking barefoot on the
ground in the security area, you’ll be
excited you remembered socks to put
on for this process.
Scarves are a blessing, particularly
large scarves that can be used in warm
or chilly weather. They can double as
an extra layer as well as dress up any
outfit without effort. I also suggest
a sweater, so men who don’t want to
bring a scarf have an extra layer as
well. Even if you are a person who
“runs hot,” there is such a change in
climate throughout your journey,
you’ll be glad you have it.
A pair of sunglasses/sleep mask is
pretty self-explanatory, but did you
know that at night when an airplane is
flying they are required to keep lights
on during the flight? This is because
people have sued the airlines over the
fact that they’ve injured themselves
trying to walk to a lavatory in the
dark. If you want a decent amount of
sleep on an airplane, and light bothers
you, bring one or both of these items.
4. Staying organized
If you know that you want your snack,
book, iPod, headphones, magazines,
or anything else, please keep it in one
place that is easily accessible so that
you can get to it before you take your
seat. There is nothing more frustrat-
ing than watching a person holds up
the boarding of an airplane because
it took him ten minutes to figure out
where his laptop is in his bag. It’s also
frustrating to watch someone get up
and down six times before takeoff just
to get every little thing out of their bag
in the overhead bin. I suggest carrying
a smaller backpack or satchel filled
with your travel items and putting it
underneath the seat in front of you for
easy access.
5. Listening to Flight
attendants
Please, please listen to your flight at-
tendants during their announcements.
Take your headphones off and pay
attention. Whether you are a seasoned
or novice traveler, it will bode well
for you to know what is going on
around you. Yes, they make the same
announcements about how to fasten
a seatbelt and how to use the oxygen
masks on every flight, but they also
make sure you know where to find
the lavatory on board, or what types
of drinks will be served on the flight.
If you happen to be running behind
because of a maintenance or weather
issue, they will have information on
what may happen to your connec-
tions, or which gate you will be park-
ing at so that you know how far you
have to go to get there. Don’t ever feel
stupid asking them for information.
They have quite a bit of knowledge
about most airports or how delays
work, talk to them; they are absolutely
there to help.
6. Traveling with Children
Traveling with kids can be a night-
mare, especially if it’s a child that
can still be in your lap, but is already
mobile. Buying the extra seat and
bringing a car seat is the best option.
You won’t get tired of holding the
baby, and the baby will be less fussy
if they know they can’t get down.
You would never forget to put them
in a car seat while you drive and an
airplane can have an incident on the
ground just the same as a car. Always
bring something for your child to play
with, whether it’s coloring books, toys,
or a stuffed animal. You do not want
to pay twenty dollars at the airport for
small-stuffed animals.
This being said, if you are not travel-
ing with a child, be kind to those that
are. A baby cries, that is what they do.
Instead of giving parents a dirty look,
try offering to help, or at the very least
put your headphones on and make the
best of the situation.
7. Traveling with animals
For the sake of your pet, whether you
choose to bring the animal on board,
or check it underneath the plane, go
to your vet for something to knock the
animal out. I know this sounds harsh,
but airplanes are loud and can be a
really scary place for an animal that
is not familiar with the scene. Please
ask your vet for advice on what to
give your pet so that you don’t harm
it, but giving your pal a break during
a stressful situation to them is better
than not.
8. Drinking and flying
You may have thought to yourself that
you should bring some mini bottles of
liquor to save yourself money on the
plane. This is the one time I will tell
you to not save yourself the money. It
is upward of five dollars for a light beer
on the plane, and drinking on board
can add up, however bringing your
own liquor and drinking it on board
can be more expensive. It is against fed-
eral law to ingest your own liquor on
an aircraft. You would never bring your
own beer into a brewery, right? The
same laws apply in the sky, and you
could potentially be arrested or fined
for such offense, so leave it at home.
9. Be attentive
Pay attention to your surroundings.
I know it can be confusing running
through the Chicago O’Hare airport
looking for a gate when you have no
idea where you are going or coming
from. When you get to the airport,
stop for a second, but please, not in
a walkway; take the signage in, there
are signs everywhere telling you all
the information you need: where the
terminals are, where to find what gate
your flight is leaving from, where
baggage claim is located. The signs
are usually above your head; so don’t
forget to look up. If all else fails, look
for someone in uniform, even if they
don’t know exactly where your flight is
departing, they can certainly help you
find where to get that information.
10. Be considerate
If you heed nothing else from these
tips, please remember this one. Be
kind always. Be kind to your fellow
passengers. You are all connected by
the fact that you are going to the same
place. If you don’t feel like talking to
someone, don’t just ignore him or her;
a polite, “I really just wanted to rest on
this flight” is fine. Be kind to all the
workers you come across. The airline
industry can have some of the most
stressful situations occur through-
out any given day. Please be patient
with the customer service agent who
is trying to reroute you because of a
tornado watch over Omaha. I assure
you, airline workers, including aircrew,
are not trying to make your situation
worse. Just remember to breathe. We
understand your frustration; we are in
this with you. Kindness is key and will
get you everywhere. Always remember
there is someone that can help you
with any questions you may have.
Be kind, and safe travels. n

F
or me, the image was always the same. I was always waiting by the tracks
for a train or on the sidewalk looking for a car big enough to kill me, but
also big enough to ensure no major damage to the car. For some reason,
if I was going to jump I wanted to make sure the bystander’s car was not totaled
on my behalf.
Through out the years, the image stayed the same in my mind, the only
changing factor being myself. For individuals who have never experienced
depression before it is easy to brush aside the signs of this sickness as merely a
“rough patch.” Depression is treated not as a minor illness or a bad situation,
but as a nuisance that needs to be shaken off ones’ sleeve, like a fly or fallen
leaf. Individuals who suffer from depression are viewed as attention seekers,
looking for a little more response to their actions than usual. Through the
eye’s of others the depressed eye’s are muddy brown, dirty, and need cleaning.
Their eyes are a dull yellow. The color faded from the wear and tear of life, no
longer beautiful. It is easy to believe that ignorance is bliss and if you ignore the
problem it will go away or solve itself. If you ignore it, the color will shift from
brown to a transparent gray. Allowing one to look through a person as though
they are no longer there. In my case, my ignorance colored me transparent,
and almost cost me my life.
My depression never showed its true colors until this past summer. Before
that I had fooled myself into believing that I was just going through a rough
part in my life. A really, really, long part of my life was rough. It began shortly
after I had graduated from high school. My friends and I were inconsistent with
hanging out. We were all too busy being “adults,” and my mental state was too
dependent on their companionship. When we parted ways for different schools
we lost touch. The silence that followed was louder than anything I had ever
heard before.
Going into CCD, I had no friends and no sense of purpose. I went through
the year with cookie cutter friendships and a pile of work to rival my above-aver-
age grades. I buried myself in my schoolwork and my job, spending my free time
on my computer. Life had not gone how I had hoped and I was too focused on a
future I was never meant to have.
As my first year of college came to an end, so did many of my friendships.
I wondered if any of my old friends would try to reach out, a few of them did.
But, it was a rare occurrence. I became lonelier than ever before. While I worked
forty hours a week the summer between my first and second year, I sunk deeper
into a state that I can only think to describe as… defeatism. I had begun therapy
for help, but I had given up on my dreams and myself: I was ready to go. After
a few tough weeks, I had written my suicide letter, a desperate last attempt to
reach out to my family; I told my therapist what I had done. I’m still not sure
what made me try and reach out, but I just wanted someone to understand how
badly I was hurting.
I’m in my second year of college now and things are looking up. I’m on med-
ication to help control my depression; it seems to be working well. All I ask of
you, as a reader is to find that transparent individual and help breathe the color
back into their body. I have found the person I used to be and that person looks
at me with different eyes than the ones I have now. I once was black and white;
any color scale or guide cannot confine what I am now. The color of my eyes are
not transparent, but iridescent, and from them emerges a blank canvas. n
by K. Irene
graphic by Richard Olguin
Color Of My Eyes

Some want
to be scientists and some want to be presidents. My dream
was to become a professional and famous dancer. I was
born in a small town in China. I was short because I did
not get enough nourishment in my childhood. My parents
could not afford nutritious food for me due to the low fam-
ily income. However, everyone in town knew I had dancing
talent. I could not help dancing when I heard music. The
rhythm caused me to dance anywhere. I got the nickname
“Butterfly” because when I danced I was like a butterfly in
the wind. Dancing was in my heart. When my dream was
shattered, I felt I had fallen to the ground from the sky. But
over time I learned that I could not change the world, but I
could change myself.
I have enjoyed dancing since I was two years old. To
meet my desire, my mother sent me to a small dancing
school with low tuition. For a family that is not rich like
mine, I knew it was very tough to pay the tuition, so I
worked very hard in the classroom. Not only did I practice
every dance movement I learned from my teacher in the
classroom, but also I repeated them when I was at home.
Even though it made my muscles hurt, I was very happy. I
had to frequently change my wet T-shirt due to my sweat in
the summer time. In contrast, my classmates just repeated
one time in the classroom. My dancing was the most grace-
ful in my school. The high strength exercise meant I needed
of plenty of nutritious food; however the food I paid for
could not keep up with my age. Since I lacked nutrition in
my childhood, I was the shortest in my class. Despite that,
my dancing made my teacher and my mother proud. I did
not sweat in vain. In my memory, I used to be the first in
the dance competition each year in my town. The dancing
honors were like my best friends, they were always with me;
dancing made me joyful and happy. I became accustomed
to cheering and applause when I finished my dancing. One
day, after two years of study in the school, my dancing
teacher asked my mother to send me to a higher dancing
school at state because I could not get more professional
dancing instruction at that school.
When I was fifteen years old, I got a chance to apply
for a famous and higher dancing school. I had to take
an admission test in order to obtain entrance. The night
before the test, I could not fall asleep because I was excited.
I wondered what kind of dancing skills I would learn and
what kind of teacher I would meet. I was not afraid of the
test at all because I had rich stage experience in dancing. I
believed my dancing honors, which were my best friends,
would accompany me again. I looked like a beautiful
peacock when I was dancing during the test. My dancing
caught everyone’s attention. I showed my perfect side to
the audience and judges. Like every one of my previous
dancing shows, the audience gave me cheering and applause
when my dancing finished except the judges. They were
talking and shaking their heads. I was afraid I did some-
thing wrong. Nobody talked to me about my dancing. My
heart was going to jump out. I was upset and embarrassed.
Standing on the stage like a fool, I did not know what to
do. In the meantime, the audiences were yelling and gave
me the thumbs up; they did not know what happened.
Five minutes later, a judge asked me, “Can you tell me
how tall you are?”
utterflyby Zhengjia Huang
graphic by Catherine Wagner

“About 4 feet.” I knew my height was my weakness, so I
did not give an exact number.
“Please give me your exact height!” Another judge asked
me the same question. I really did not want to tell them,
but I had no choice. I lowered my voice. “3.5 feet.”
Nobody asked me anymore. The time seemed to stop.
It was very quiet in the crowded testing room. Everyone
held their breath because they did not know what would
happen. The time went so slowly that, I felt as if I stood
there for a year. Soon, the judges gave me a result. I was not
accepted to the higher dancing school due to my height,
even though my dancing was great. A judge told me that
the school’s height requirement was at least five feet. The
height would impact the aesthetics of the group dancing
and would destroy the overall image. I felt I was sentenced
to death. It was a blank in my head. I shuffled my feet and
left the testing room.
When I returned home, my mother was cleaning the
house. She stopped and smiled.
“How was the test going? Did the judge tell you what
date you can go to the new school? Did someone tell you
how much tuition would be?”
“Mom, could you please leave me alone?”
I went straight into my room and closed the room
door, while I answered my mom. I could imagine how
disappointed the look was on my mother’s face, but I really
could not attend to it. Since I had learned dancing, I had
never encountered such a failure. More than 10 years of
working all day and night were in vain. I lay down in my
bed. Tears filled my eyes. My feeling was as if a knife were
piercing my heart. I could not understand. I could not ac-
cept being rejected. I felt I was a loser. My dream was shat-
tered and the world seemed to be dark after the admission
test. For the next three months, I stayed at home and did
not want to go out because I was afraid people would laugh
at me. The smile disappeared from my face. Of course, my
mother understood what happened from what other people
in the town told her.
One day, my mother asked me, “Why don’t you try an-
other higher dancing school in another city in China? One
school turning you down does not mean all others would.
You should not give up your dream.”
My mother’s tears were running down her cheeks. I did
not give any answer right away. I just looked around my
house and went to my room. I said to myself, my family
has supported me to realize my dream and spent a lot
of money for it. My mother sold her jewels to tide over
the financial difficulties. I cannot remember how long
since my mother has bought new clothes for herself. Like
mother said, I can choose another school to pursue my
dream, but I still have to face the same problem, which
is my height, and very likely I would fail again. In Chi-
na, minimum height is required everywhere, even when
someone looks for a job and when someone dates another.
It would waste my time and my parents’ money if I were
stubborn enough to continue pursuing the dancing career.
I realized that my height couldn’t change; the judge’s
decision couldn’t change. However, my dream could
change. My life is under my control. I should set up other
new goals and pursue them. I should not be selfish and
use my parents’ limited money to pursue dancing, which
is unrealistic. I thought that changing and improving my
family’s current poor financial situation were more import-
ant because I would not let my future child have the same
problem I had now.
I believed knowledge could change my life so I set a new
goal and pursued it. When I graduated with a bachelor’s
degree in computer science in China, I got a very good
paying job and my family moved to a large town in China.
Now, I am married and have a two-year old baby girl in the
U.S. My new dream is to train my daughter to be a little
butterfly. As the US is a country with equal opportunities,
the little butterfly should not have the obstacle I had in
China. She’ll be able to fly anywhere she wants in the free
country. A smile comes back on my face now and I feel the
sun is shining and the world is bright. Although I took a
wrong turn in the past, I have learned that if I encounter
an unchangeable actuality which conflicts with my desire,
I should adjust myself instead of being stubborn enough to
fight the reality, which would be impossible to win. Let it
go if necessary, although it might be very painful. All roads
lead to Rome. n
Recently, members of the student club STEM Discovery (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Math) had the privilege of attending the 50th George Gamow
Lecture with guest speaker Dr. Jane Goodall.
Dr. Goodall is best known for the research she conducted on chimpanzees in
Gombe, Tanzania. Although she dedicated most of her life to that study, she
now spends most of her time touring the world and spreading her message of
hope to others. In her speech, she shared her experiences in conservation work
for chimpanzees, and how others influenced her during her remarkable journey.
However, she also spoke of the dangers facing the natural world and the human
race, dangers that are the result of humanity’s unsustainable practices.
Despite all the destruction that has been done, and will come if our lifestyle is
left unchecked, she showed us a way to solve the imminent problems, and coex-
ist with the natural world. She reminded us that we are still apes, and that our
health is deeply linked with the health of biosphere. Her lecture was inspiring
and touching, and it was a remarkable experience for us all.
“Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we
care, will we help. Only if we help shall all be
saved.”- Jane Goodall
by Logan Schwartz
graphic by Catherine Wagner

“Let’s not worry about my family right now, okay?”
“Okay,” I replied timidly, not wanting to leave the solace of his Creed cologne,
it prickled my nose every time I nuzzled at his scruffy, thick beard. Saying our
goodbyes as we leaned against his car, like an old, cliché movie scene. My body
molded perfectly onto his stature in the heat of the night. What if I never got their
approval? I felt like a dirty little secret, to say the least. Numerous doubts and
questions started swirling around in my head. Would his family ever accept me?
He was such a marvelous person. He owned a charisma that would play out like a
sensual melody. Falling over my body like a honeyed, fairy dust. Sparkling down
over my physique. Daily, he reminded me of his admiration for my eyes and “cute
little giggle”. I was in love. The kind of love that makes you want to cry from the
happiness it brings and makes you miss the person even when you’re with them.
The kind where you find yourself staring at them and thinking, “Good God, I am
lucky...” I was in love with a being that showed me a whole new realm.
We embraced where we came from. “I could listen to you speak Spanish all day,
he’d say. “Your accent is charming,” I’d say back. Some would say it was perfect.
We would’ve been perfect…
I believed in a God too. I followed a set of moral values. Why was my way of
life so shrewdly viewed? How does a way of faith justify whom you can and
cannot be with? It’s prejudice. Prejudgment. “Hypocrites,” I thought sharply
to myself. “I want to be with you,” I’d tell him. But he always needed a cover.
I knew the drills. Keep hush when his father would call asking where he was.
Giving up swine, a creature so harshly put down. Not having a bottle touch
my lips for weeks. He never asked me or ordered me to do these things. I did
them willingly, in hope of a greater acceptance than his. If he didn’t like it,
neither did I.
I found his religion very interesting. It was an entirely new perspective for a girl
like me. “We are the most hated people in the world.” My lungs felt heavy, hearing
him confess such a raw realism. My heart pulsated as flashbacks of rotten stories
of racism and ignorance clogged it up. “No,” I told him. “What’s happened in the
past isn’t fair, to either side. But your people shouldn’t be viewed this way.” Racism
stems from nothing more than hatred and ignorance.
If only they could understand, that I understand them. I have stepped into their
world, with love. I show no hatred. It is a blessing to thrive in a world kissed by the
beauty of diversity. I only ask for open arms, for I have bared my heart to one of
your own. I cannot take it back. I am enthralled in the sanctity of his compassion.
Love does not know this kind of separation. n
LOVE
MATTER
OVER
BY PAGE MENDOZA

BY CHRISTOPHER EMPSON BY JORDAN SCOTT

WHILE WE WAIT FOR TRAINS
I
charged into Union Station like I was a member of a SWAT team. The
air-conditioned lobby was a shock compared to the too-hot-for-October
afternoon and put a new connotation to me diving head first into the pool
of this project. I had two hours. I picked a couch deep within the lobby,
immersing myself in the atmosphere; it was cool calm, and collected, a reflec-
tion of the people inhabiting it. Next to me were two casual hipsters; the kind
with messy haircuts, practical backpacks, nice jeans, and even nicer shoes (art-
fully made to look well worn of course). To top it all off, they were animatedly
protesting over a spread of what looked to be home grown carrot sticks. They
paused their conversation only to eyeball the employee weaving around the
lobby. She was well polished with a finely ironed slacks and white button down
combo, well poised with her chin
held high as she admired her work of
bussing tables. She stalked slowly, ob-
serving her work with the pretense of
indifference towards the conversations
she eavesdropped on. The secrets she
could tell purely from waiting around
long enough for people to leave. I was
a little jealous of the nature of her
job. My attention followed her as she
nonchalantly eyeballed the screen of a
woman’s laptop.
It was this woman, whose dark hair
sat crafted into a professional looking
bun on top of her confidently bal-
anced head that caught my eye next.
Maybe it was the way she approached
her laptop, which seemed so familiar
to me, that caused me to focus on
her. I watched the way Serial Typist
worked; with slow blinks and piano
fingers that found fulfillment in the
art of digital calligraphy. At one point
she paused, put her hand on her face
in a moment of visible stress. It was a
small moment and seconds later she
resumed with the same diligence; the
air of never-ending movement buzzed
around her statue still shoulders. How
well I know what it is to find a space
where those moments aren’t ques-
tioned by the surroundings. A space
where one can put their head in their
hands with thinking about how to
answer the every following, “Are you
okay?” or “Can I help?” This woman
found a space where she can just have
her moment of pause. I left her to her
work with empathy and checked my
watch. I had an hour left.
I backtracked a little in search of
a new perspective and found myself
at the entrance. I sat on a bench
that echoed itself military style; in
one row on each side of the double
doors, saluting each visitor. As I
watched handfuls of people cross the
threshold of the heavy double doors
I noticed how people slowed down
almost immediately; as if something
had physically kept them from
marching right on through. It wasn’t
outlandish that the pure physicality
of the lobby slowed people down.
Three chandeliers worthy of their
own orbits drew eyes upwards and
mouths open as the gaping stares
followed the sweeping ceiling back
down the now comparatively mun-
dane lobby. The beauty of the archi-
tecture is by all means awe worthy,
but what might also be halting is
the general hush that was swept over
Union Station, despite the number of
occupants filling the hall with lunch-
time chatter. The heavy door closing
behind visitors is the gavel sentencing
them to a small shelter from the life
that always has something to say and
somewhere to go.
An older gentlemen, one with
laugh lines, wise eyes, and a charm-
ing gait yanked on one of the doors
only to find, in slight frustration,
that it was locked and he would
have to change course to find hope
in the door directly next to it. I
moved to help him but was too late
as he urged hwis suitcase over the lip
and the door had said its piece after
him. I smiled at him as he stopped
in front of me to comment, “Have
you noticed it’s like that everywhere?
You go into a tavern and they’ve got
two doors but one is always locked. I
don’t know why that is. I guess I don’t
have to know.” He chuckled at his last
remark and walked away with a polite
goodbye and left me thinking; maybe
it’s locked just to make people stop
and think about where they’re going
next. I checked my watch. I had 30
minutes left.
I ended up in the middle of the
lobby on raised platform remarking
to on the indefinite choices of sitting
and waiting space. I looked towards
the strip of restaurants running its
course on one side of the lobby; their
open entrances beaming with life
at mid afternoon. I watched people
enter them with eager hesitation, and
find comfort in the orderly structure
of a line. People don’t stand still in
lines. It’s a patient movement made
up of stretching limbs, adjusting body
weights, and heel to toe dances; but
never ending movement. I turned
away to find that Serial Typist was still
pouring time into her laptop, every
hair still in place on top of her head.
As I took note of her consistency of
perfect posture however, she began to
shut down, pack up, and move on to
her next destination. Her shoulders
relaxed, she blinked for what I can
only assume to be the first time in
minutes, and stood up. I openly gaped
at her as she pushed her chair back
to reveal that she was pregnant. Her
early moment of heaviness now spoke
a thousand more words as she was
very pregnant. Her belly yelled “extra
serving of ice cream and overnight
hospital bag sits next to the front
door”. If the miracle of life was a
point A to point B train ride, she was
experiencing the greatest wait time
anyone could imagine and she carried
it like had no doubt in her mind what
train she was getting on. I check my
watch. It was time to move on.
Life moves. Humans live within in-
tricate sets of point A and B. Wheth-
er it be physical location, dreams
and aspirations, or before and after
images, we as humans never cease
movement. Sometimes though, the
irony of a life in transit is overlooked;
the irony of how much time is spent
paused and waiting for the next
move. The stop and go of traffic, the
intervals between trains, the bumps
in the road, and bad days that inhibit
the movement of life. Often are those
moments overlooked, as they become
gray areas of frustration, impatience,
and compulsive watch checking.
However, it pays off to stop and see
the life in between trains. n
by Claudia Graham
graphic by Ealasha Vaughner

“I WANT CREATIVITY IN my everyday, no matter
what that is,” said CCD professor and chair of the Col-
lege Composition and Reading program Brian Dickson,
a self-described writer, educator, and creator. “Every-
thing has to filter into that vision, or else I cut it off.”
He sits at a round table in his third-
floor office overlooking the courtyard
of the Cherry Creek building, and re-
trieves a small journal from his desk. It
looks as if it has begun to outgrown its
binding, brimming with inserted pages
and semi-cursive script. He glances at
my long list of questions.
“Prepare for some meandering,”
Dickson warns with a warm, stacca-
toed laugh.
In early October 2015, Cherry
Grove Collections will be releasing
his latest collection of poetry entitled
All Points Radiant, a series of poems
reflecting on the loss of his mother.
by Zane Johnson
photos by Christopher Empson
Professor Brian Dickson shares his journey through
poetry and education on the road to publication.

When describing the process of transforming
a series of poems into a collection, he cites an
interview with celebrated New York poet John
Ashberry, in which the latter admitted that he
didn’t know how people “did projects,” or set out
to create something with a specific vision of how
it will be in the end. “You can get stuck pretty
quickly that way,” Dickson says. His process is
somewhere between setting out with a project in
mind and letting the material coalesce organically.
All Points Radiant was a work in progress for
nine years. In his view, the biggest roadblock to
publication was trauma.
“For so long I could only focus on the last
four months of my mother’s life which obviously
sells anyone’s life short. Depending on some-
one’s traumatic experience with a loved one, the
removal of said trauma could take longer. For
me, nine years, and then I had a deluge of poems
(around 20 in one month).”
Dickson then undertook the long process of
editing, revising and compiling—laying them all
out in front of him and deciphering which po-
ems were “speaking” to each other. But publish-
ers still would not take the manuscript. It took
one critical suggestion from a colleague to order
the collection based on the aesthetics of the po-
ems rather than where their subjects occurred in
time to shape it into the form that Cherry Grove
Collections accepted and published.
“My writing group [the Visceral Realists] were
a tremendous help with the revision process and
another friend, Jennifer Moore, pulled me out
of the temporal rut I was in with the ordering of
the poems. By the end of that process I was a re-
searching publisher where the manuscript spoke
to their sensibilities.”
Cherry Grove Collections’ description on its
website of All Points Radiant reads: “all points—
sites of intersection and redirection, forming
infinite wholes—are indeed luminous, and
magnificent. No point is too small for contem-
plation and celebration.” It is evident that the
publication of All Points Radiant is the culmina-
tion of several intersections in a life dedicated to
creativity and communion, and a site of intersec-
tion in itself.
This journey through poetry and creativity
began where many journeys do: with a broken
heart. In his senior year of high school, he wrote
“saccharine, maudlin” Shakespearean sonnets to
girlfriends, and unwittingly sparked a lifelong
passion that outlived the high school heartache.
He became enamored with language. He contin-
ued to dabble in poetry in college, writing inter-
mittently—or, simply “vomiting on the page.”
After transferring several times in undergraduate
school, and eventually landing at the University
of Texas at San Antonio, he met his mentor.
“It took a poetry class with a professor named
David Ray Vance. I remember going in there
on the first day of class and not knowing what
to expect—only knowing my excursions into
poetry in high school and whatever I had read
after that,” he recalls. ”But here walks in this guy
with Doc Martins, thick hiking socks, torn jean
shorts, a T-Shirt untucked, a flannel shirt on and
a shaved head and a pony tail and glasses, and
I immediately thought: this has to be the guy.
He was a grunge rocker and I was entering my
grunge phase.”
He would go into Vance’s office hours two or
three times a week with a rough draft of a poem,
looking for instant gratification.
“Just tell me that its ok!” he implores the
professor in his memory and laughs. “Luckily, he
had enough patience with me.” After that point,
Dickson decided that it was time to reignite an
old passion and get serious.
His first poem was published in Texas Luther-
an University’s undergraduate literary journal, a
liberal arts school just outside of Austin. It was a
simple poem documenting an interaction with a
honeybee.
“If I look back it now I can still have a few
good laughs: ‘O honeybee why do you torture
me? / I am the guzzling slurper of every drop!’”
he quotes the poem. “It was an homage to Emily
Dickinson, in a way, but definitely not full blown
Emily Dickinson.”
Dean Rader was the faculty advisor of the
journal at the time. Now a professor of hu-
manities at the University of San Francisco, he
recently called on Dickson to letterpress one of
his poems to promote a new book. Both this
occasion and the meeting with his mentor, David
Ray Vance, were pivotal intersections of his
career of writing and educating. He says that the
somewhat awkward mentor-mentee relationship
between he and Vance has progressed into col-
leagueship and friendship. Last year Dickson was
able to write a letter of recommendation for a
substantial amount of grant money for Vance,
which he won.
“The conversation keeps going. It’s so wonder-
ful to have people enter your life that come back
and want to continue the connection in some
form. It came back full circle,” Dickson says.
In beginning a creative pursuit, there are
people along the way that continually show
up for support and community. To him, it’s all
about finding out where your content fits in to
the broader conversation of poetry—that is, the
sum of all poetry written—as well as where you
fit into a circle of colleagues. He cites the New
York school of poets, including Dianne DiPrima,
Anne Waldman, Ted Berrigan and many oth-
ers, who collaborated and cross-promoted, as a
microcosm of the conversation.
When beginning his writing career, the big-
gest struggle that Dickson faced is how to know
what to read and where to find it. The first ques-
tion that beginning poets must ask, in Dickson’s
view, is “who am I in the conversation?” and sub-
mit to journals based on where you fit within the
conversation. And the best way to find journals is
to ask professors.
“[When beginning to write poetry] you don’t
know exactly what your poetry is, or what your
vision is, and professors can probably articulate
that better than you can. That’s just a develop-
mental thing, and there’s nothing wrong with
admitting that. David Ray Vance and Wendy
Barker, a woman in grad school that I met at San
Antonio after I went back there, gave me direc-
tion. Then, I started exploring what was being
put into the library.”
He also notes looking into small press distri-
bution lists to enter into the conversation. But
pertaining specifically to Denver-area students
and poets, he adds that there are many resources
in the Denver area already for writers to take
advantage of.
“Just this past weekend there was the small
press festival in Five Points,” he says. “It was
like, holy crap, there’s so much happening in the
region! There were so many people exchanging
ideas and creative energy all located in one spot.
It was so fantastic to see that.” He advises that
the next step be engaging in the conversation
that is living and ongoing in your community.
But keeping up to date on the current “con-
versation” is not the most important part of writ-
ing. In fact, it can become what Dickson calls the
“keeping up with the Joneses” of writing: getting
caught in the current trends and curbing creativi-
ty. Dickson tries, in his own writing, to take risks
and step out of his comfort zone, most recently
by dabbling in political poems, a genre that he
does not typically write in.
Nevertheless, he suggests inquiring, “What is
the conversation out there?” and letting the writ-
ing come organically. “It is a discovery, and often
a discovery of what you are writing about.”
Despite the community and support he
received while pursuing his undergraduate ed-
ucation, he began to hit roadblocks in graduate
school. Dickson received an assistant coaching
job, which required him to be on the road re-
cruiting for days at a time. It was lonely, and kept
him too busy to write. Another critical intersec-
tion, this isolation was the impetus to set out
pursuing poetry again, and to pursue an import-
ant creative pursuit in his life now: education.
“I fell in love with the college atmosphere,” he
says. His career in education is something that
came as organically as his writing. It came to him
as an avenue to continue to be curious about the
world, to explore the constant, exciting flow of
ideas that occur on college campuses. “You just
have to know where to look,” he says.
Now Dickson’s main struggle with his
“It was like, holy crap, there’s so much happening in the region!
There were so many people exchanging ideas and creative energy all
located in one spot. It was so fantastic to see that.”

writing career is keeping up the momentum in
writing and publishing new works. In his words
“whatever [a poet’s] daily grind is, keep it up.” In
his poetry classes, he emphasizes learning how
to write under any circumstances, whether that
is writing on the train, in between meetings, or
while at a comfortable, orderly writing desk. He
has trained himself to adapt to his surroundings,
whatever they might be, whenever inspiration
strikes. In his busy life, this is the key to writing
regularly. However, he warns to find the balance
between writing with intention and treating
writing as a job.
“Be happy with what you can do, but still
intentionally carve out time along the way for
writing and structuring and reading journals. It
becomes another part of the job, but don’t treat
it as a job. Treat it as a passion that you can’t live
without. Which is a tricky thing to do,” he adds
laughingly, “because you don’t want to have that
amount of attachment to where you’re causing
yourself suffering!”
He also recommends taking up a second
hobby for when you hit a poetic dry spell. In
keeping with his life vision to invite creativity
into all parts of his life, he has no trouble finding
things to do when there’s no time—or inspira-
tion—to write.
For example, his letterpress printing. He
opens his small journal, each page full of elo-
quent semi-cursive scribbles. About midway
through the journal is a small, square piece of
ivory cardstock with a short poem printed on it,
with glossy, royal purple, raised ink. “WIsh,” by
Jenny Morse, dedicated to the state of Wisconsin,
is part of a larger project of Morse who wrote a
poem in each state of the Union (granted, this
was before Hawaii and Alaska were ratified, he
adds). It reads:
“You still;
You blush
You raise one finger to your lips to sign
hush and when you blow; all the lights in
the town go out.”
He explains to me the “Zen-like” process of
placing each letter in the typeset: examining the
letter for any impurities, setting the galleys, and
retrieving all of the necessary instruments and
finally, creation. Dickson took up letterpress
printing eight years ago, trying to figure out how
to slow down his life in this fast-paced society,
and make sure that he was totally present for it.
“It’s a complicated process of decision-making
that I don’t quite understand,” he tells me. Like
writing, it is a process of awareness, exploration,
and immediate attention.
So just how does one with multiple creative
pursuits, albeit important to the writing process,
find time to sit down and engage in the writing
process? Dickson walks me through his routine
in the past week. He tells me he wrote in his
journal a total of four times, one of which was
while waiting for a friend at a bar and another for
15 minutes while commuting on the light rail.
Another hour was spent editing, for a total of
two hours of writing. But to him, intentionality
means much more than the availability of time.
“It’ll work itself out,” says Dickson. “Discour-
agement will rear its ugly head along the way.
So what?”
One of Dickson’s mantras is a quote from
Kurt Vonnegut: “Write a shitty poem for some-
one. At least you have created something.” For
him, the “for someone” component of this
mantra is the most vital. All of the work put into
a project—be it letterpress printing, cooking, or
writing—converges when the work is shared.
“Many times I can say this poem is not done,
its just the best it can be right now, and it may
be better ten years later,” he says. “The letter-
press printing project is all coming together
till the point it is a tangible project… and so,
there we are! [In reference to poetry], I can say
these poems are now going out into the world,
whether its being published or I’m sharing it with
a friend. It’s not just for me anymore… There’s
a certain amount of courage and vulnerability
with sharing, and I think when we’re ready to
make that step, that’s when we’re making those
connections with people.”
He recounts a gathering at a colleague’s home
last year to promote All Points Radiant. Dickson
did not want to read at first, but did eventually
at the insistence of his colleague, whose son was
in attendance during the reading. Inspired, the
son dictated a poem to his father and shared it
with Dickson.
“I was so touched, you know?” Dickson says.
“It wasn’t a sad poem, it was just about this desire
of the kid. It was so touching. [I said,] ‘Oh man,
you’re comfortable enough to share this with me?’”
In Dickson’s view, getting to share a piece of
yourself with the world is where all the work and
inspiration alike converge.
“That’s the thing, man. That’s the thing.”
Little else matters in maintaining a creative
pursuit other than staying creative and continu-
ing the exploration. Dickson urges writers to
simply “keep writing if you realize part of your
purpose is to write. Or, as I have quoted Vonne-
gut so often, ‘Write a shitty poem for someone.
At least you have created something.’”
Dickson offers this final summary of the
wisdom he gained along his poetic journey to
aspiring poets: ”Discouragement is a part of the
process. Keep writing. Keep up another creative
path. Publishing is only one aspect of this jour-
ney. Remember your community. And don’t take
yourself so damn seriously.” n

BY AVERY FANTON BY CHRISTOPHER EMPSON

ALL SPORTS TEAMS HAVE a media relations department. I recently
sat down with Tim Gelt, the Director of Media Relations for the
Denver Nuggets to inquire about the demands of his job. While
the work is challenging and constantly changing, Gelt maintains
his strong work ethic with the Nuggets and the media reinforc-
es his passion for sports and public relations. Gelt provides a
unique lens into the world of a professional basketball organization.
MALUTH: When and how did you start working
for the Nuggets organization?
Tim Gelt: I first started during the 2000-2001 season, around August
of 2000. I had previously interned with the Sacramento Kings for a
summer, then interned here with the Nuggets in the suite sales
suite service department. I did the Nuggets internship for a year while
I was at Metro State. The Nuggets offered me a full-time job in suite
sales after my internship, but I turned it down, much to my parents’
disappointment. I turned it down because I wanted to be in the PR
department. I then got a call not too long after I turned down the
suites job for an interview for an internship with the PR department.
We went to Brooklyn’s for lunch, and they offered me the job and I
accepted immediately.
MALUTH: What is your job title with the team?
Tim Gelt: I am the Media Relations Director, which entails a lot of
different things. For example, we produce the media guide, send out
press releases, and do the game notes, which are what we give to
the media who are broadcasting each game, so that they can have
all the information that they could possibly want before each game.
We are info providers, we are service people. We try to make people
well-informed if they’re going to be writing about the Nuggets or
broadcasting the Nuggets, so we want them to have all the accurate
information that they could have. I am also the middle man between
the media and our players, coaches, front office. I set up all inter-
views and I kinda connect the two sides.
MALUTH: Please provide some examples of the
day-to-day work that you do.
Tim Gelt: Every day is kinda different. For exam-
ple, today we’re having the Denver Post come and
interview Emmanuel Mudiay for a Sunday story in
the Post. Next week we have Media Day, which
is on Monday, which is basically everything from
local media interviews to things they show on the
Jumbotron during the games to Altitude Network
promos. We’re also working on finishing this year’s
media guide, getting all of the credentials for the
media in order, and other housekeeping things to
get prepared for the start of the year.
MALUTH: What does game day look like? What
does a non-game day look like?
Tim Gelt: On a game day, we’ll have a shootaround
in the morning. The media covers the end of the
shootaround, and then we do interviews after that.
Then the rest of the afternoon we get our game
notes printed off for the media, we get rosters
printed off, and we just get everything prepared for
the game that night.
Coach Malone will be available to the media after
shootaround, before the game, and after the game,
which gives the media three different access times.
Players are around either after shootaround or
pregame, and then after the game. There’s a lot of
access, so we’re kinda always around, making sure
things go smoothly and making sure that the media
gets the players that they need to talk to.
On a non-game day, we usually practice or trav-
el, or both. We usually practice here at the Pepsi
Center, which is around a two-hour practice, and we
open the last 15-20 minutes of practice to the me-
dia. We then we do all of our interviews and things
after they’re finished practicing.
MALUTH: What kind of communication do you
have with players before after games?
Tim Gelt: I monitor media sessions media avail-
ability. I see them in the locker room. I want my
players to know that I’m there for them at all times.
MALUTH: What kinds of things warrant a
press release?
Tim Gelt: Things that are considered major news,
which can be anything from re-signing players to
trades to injuries to hirings, etc.
MALUTH: What types of journalism entities do
you work with? If you have breaking news, who
do you contact first?
Tim Gelt: We work with online (such as ESPN.com
Nuggets-related blogs), the press, the Denver Post,
TV, and radio. We’ll usually tell the beat writer first,
and then he usually takes the information to other
sources.
MALUTH: Tell me what it’s like to travel on the
team plane and to stay with the team in a hotel
on the road.
Tim Gelt: Unbelievable. Some of the things I’ve
been able to see and the places I’ve been able to
go. For example, we went to Beijing Taipei in the
preseason in 2009. I probably never would have
gone to either of those places otherwise. I’ve gone
to Mexico. We play once a year in Toronto. Plus,
getting to go all the states that have basketball
teams is pretty cool as well. The season is a grind,
but this is what I chose to do, and I love it.
MALUTH: I’m sure there have been ups and
downs in your years with the Nuggets.
Could you tell me about one of your
favorite years with the team?
Tim Gelt: I think there’s no question it was the
2008-2009 season. It was the year that we got
[past] the 1st round in the playoffs. We beat the
New Orleans Hornets in the 1st round. We beat
the Dallas Mavericks in the 2nd round. And we
gave the Lakers all they could handle in the West-
ern Conference Finals. That was just a magical
season. A couple bounces of the ball and we
could have been in the NBA Finals that year. It was
an incredible experience to go that far. The grow-
ing intensity throughout each round was amazing
to experience. n
QA with Tim Gelt
Director of Media Relations
for the Denver Nuggets
BY SAM MALUTH

BY MICHAEL HALBERG BY MICHAEL HALBERG

Thanks to the speed and accessibility of the Inter-
net today, our media and journalism world has become
more competitive than at any other time in history. When
it comes to competition, no one is faster or fiercer than in
the arena of sports. With the advent of fantasy sports and
Internet based gambling, it has become more important
than ever to have instant access to the most up to date
sources. Not only is sports news available generally on every
major media outlet, there are Outlets designed just for
sports news. When looking for a sports news destination,
The Bleacher Report rises above other websites with easier
navigation, quality content, and consistently streaming of
accurate updates.
Have you ever traveled to a destination, and thought to
yourself, “wow that route was entirely too complicated.
Why did I take four different roads when I could have
taken one?” In some cases when people are searching for
news they want, they can feel exhausted by the time they
reach the article containing the information they seek.
When it comes to sporting news websites, people want to
be able to find the news they covet with ease and speed.
Instead of browsing through many stories, and having to
search for news, people want immediate access to the ones
that appeal to them or contain information about their fa-
vorite team. This can be complicated with the hundreds of
different sports and thousands of different teams. Bleacher
Report exemplifies this notion by providing users with up
to the second access to any and all athletics based infor-
mation. Users pick a sport, pick a team, and are rewarded
with tweets, articles, blogs, and updates. The menus are
intuitive and clickable, visible and clear. No confusing
menus, no misleading pop-ups, and (mercifully) no click
through articles. Not only does Bleacher Report make it
extremely easy to follow the newsreader’s desire, the web-
site allows one to connect to his or her favorite news with
social media. For example, with a click of a button news-
readers can share their favored news with friends on Twit-
ter, Instagram, Facebook and even Google plus. Usability
and interactivity stand out as the core of the website. For
example, if a reader can’t find the news he or she is looking
for on Bleacher Report, they have a section called Out of
Bounds that will smoothly navigate the reader to the article
on a different website.
However, if navigation of use was the only stand out com-
ponent of the website, it would quickly become lost in a
sea of increasingly quality content on their websites. Users
now have access to countless opinions and talking heads,
from YouTube vlogs to ESPN updates. The amount of
information is endless on the Internet, which makes accu-
rate, relevant, and up to date content the very core of any
successful mainstream media source. Bleacher Report again
rises above, with access to some of the best writers, blog-
gers, and media outlets, consolidating them into an easy to
comprehend stream of valuable and digestible information.
They also provide un-biased information, which is crucial
in the world of sport driven news. They also have strict
content standards which include; no off topic content,
non-original content, unverified content, offensive content
and discreditable content. These standards make sure the
reader is getting the most precise information by filtering
out all the unnecessary, untruthful, inaccurate, and biased
content. Not only do they provide the reader with end-
less sports news, Bleacher Report also provides footage of
games, in depth stats and replay of sports footage. Subse-
quently fans trust and prefer the sports news that Bleacher
Report provides.
In addition to having quality sports news that’s easily
accessed, people want news fast. As Americans we want
instant gratification, we want the news first, especially
with the technology advances of today. Bleacher Report
instantly has the news available within seconds of a 90-
yard return touchdown in football, or fight winning KO
in boxing, or a game-winning goal in major league soccer.
Aside from just providing the most breakout performanc-
es, they also constantly provide updated standings, scores,
and sports forecasts. As a reader, having the fastest sports
news is essential. For example, if a person is playing fantasy
football and his quarterback was suspended or injured he
needs to know immediately to make the right accommo-
dations for his fantasy team, not hours later when it’s too
late to adjust his team or pick up another player. Bleacher
Report often beats other sports news to the punch with its
speed of information.
America’s eminent obsession with sports has caused media
outlets to be invented that cover only sports news. Resulting
in sport media outlets to be just as competitive as the sports
themselves. The Bleacher Report is not only one of the
most trusted, easy to use and navigate sports news websites,
but it is filled with extensive and up to the minute content,
making it a stand out choice for any sports fan to access
their desired sports news. n
by Liana Yeoman

O
ur generation is obsessed with constantly letting
people know what we are up to, no matter how
insignificant. It’s because of this, that telephone
based apps such as Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat have
thrived, with billions of users worldwide glued to their
smart phones. Conversation has become strictly electronic
and the simplicity of reading a book, going on a walk or
even enjoying a meal with a close friend somehow only
seems to have actually ‘occurred’ when we have taken a
photo and shared the experience with the rest of the world.
In fact, we have become so comfortable sharing our lives on
social media we rarely stop to consider the risks involved.
Snapchat is a photo/video app that was created by former
Stanford University students, Evan Speigal and Bobby Mur-
phy in 2011. The app allows its users to take photos and
very short videos, which can then be sent to their friends.
The images can only viewed for about 1 to 10 seconds,
before it is no longer assessable.
Despite its global popularity, Snapchat has many downfalls,
including it appeal to minors. In a world where children as
young as 10 can own a smart phone, it is quite frightening
to think about the type of content they are exposed to via
this app. Spiegel and Murphy have said that the applica-
tion originally started as an enhanced form of sexting. Us-
ers were able to share intimate images that would ideally be
deleted from the Internet forever. Since then, it has evolved
into something much larger and more mindless.
According to the terms and conditions of the application,
children as young as 13 are allowed to subscribe. This is
disheartening given the fact that it was created as an outlet
for adult content. We know that middle school children
are ruthless and are not mentally or emotionally equipped
to handle the responsibility of such an application. These
kids are susceptible to bullying, shaming, and exploitation.
Although the founders have argued that there is an age
restriction incorporated in the app, this medium has no way
of telling if the birthdate entered during the registration pro-
cess is accurate and users can constantly lie about their age.
Furthermore, Snapchat lacks security. One of the main
factors that made Snapchat such a successful and popular
app is the fact that the pictures shared disappear from the
Internet after 10 seconds. Users tend to be very comfortable
with the fact that significant figures in their lives, such as
family members and employers will never have access to the
images that have been shared, which allows the user to be
less inhibited than they would on other social media sites.
Almost all smart phones allow their users to screen shot
any image that they desire. The image is then automatically
saved to their photo stream and can be pulled up or shared
on other types of social media at any time. With Snapchat,
if a user receives an image that they would like to save, they
can simply screen-shot it. Despite the fact that the sender
is informed of when their image has been captured, the
sender has no way of knowing if the receiver has deleted the
specific image from their photo stream.
Serious news on Snapchat can be inaccurate and unreliable
due to the limited amount of time allotted for each clip.
In order to attract younger audiences, The Huffington Post
and The Verge have begun using this application as a means
to deliver news stories. Snapchat video posts only last up
to ten seconds, which is hardly enough time to properly
tell a news story. This not only increases the probability of
misleading or false content, it ultimately affects the credibil-
ity of the news source. Other forms of social media such as
Facebook have also been using their application to deliver
news, however, these are normally substantial articles or
videos that includes links in which the user can find the
original or additional sources. This not only makes the
reports more reliable but it requires the public to actively
engage their minds as they must read the articles in order
to understand what is happening instead of just viewing
images or short clips of the news.
Snap chat collects its users email, phone number and cho-
sen password, which in most cases is the same as their other
social media accounts. This is quite normal and can make
remembering passwords for specific accounts much easier;
however it also makes the collection of personal informa-
tion more attainable for possible hackers.
Snapchat, like any other application, has a direct purpose
and audience, however, its users will continue to be at risk
until its developers find a way to accurately verify users age,
guarantee that shared images cannot be duplicated, and
establish a more effective outlet for serious news organiza-
tions to deliver their stories. Until then, be cautious of the
images that your share on this or any application, better
yet, don’t use applications to chronicle your life. Go live
your life.
Chat instead of snap. n
by Jerusha Kamoji
Spiegel and Murphy have said that
the application originally started
as an enhanced form of sexting. Us-
ers were able to share intimate images
that would ideally be deleted from
the Internet forever. Since then, it
has evolved into something much
larger and more mindless.

ACCORDING TO the U.S. Census Bureau, one in five Americans or
56.7 million (19 percent of the population), has some type of disability, with
more than half that number having a serious disability (Lucas, 2014). With
nearly 20 percent of the population being affected by a disability it is im-
portant that businesses realize that this could be a significant and important
portion of their customer base. Recognizing that people with disabilities
are part of your customer base is just the first step. Training your employees
on how to best serve them and making any reasonable accommodations for
them is the next and most important step.
How The Community College of Denver
Accommodates Students With Disabilities
The Community College of Denver has an entire department,
The Accessibility Center, dedicated to helping students
receive the accommodations they need to be successful
in college.
I took a tour and spent some time with Jan Murray, who
is one of the accessibility specialists, and was amazed at all
the different services that they provide at the accessibility
center. While some of these services are required under the
federally mandated ADA law, I was pleased to find out that
many of the services they provide are not required under
the ADA law. The Community College of Denver values
their students/customers and wants them to succeed so they
are willing to go above and beyond the ADA requirements.
The accessibility center helps students with both physical
and mental impairments and their services range from basic
testing accommodations to the use and training of advanced
assistive technology. They also provide Sign Language
interpreters, note takers, and work with the professors to
help the students be successful.
Assistive Devices Used In The Accessibility Center
There were two devices that I found very interesting and
helpful in the accessibility center. The first device is called
a Zoomtext, which not only enlarges everything on your
computer screen for the visually impaired, but really
enhances it. A magnifying glass can sometimes make text
blurry and may only cover a few words at a time where
this makes it crisp, clean, and can be displayed on a large
computer screen or even what appeared to be a TV monitor.
I felt this would even be helpful for those who are not
visually impaired but are at a computer screen all day. The
second device that I thought was really interesting was what
they call Dragon. Dragon is a software program that allows
students who are unable to operate a keyboard due to
mobility issues, to have papers typed and all they have to do
is speak into a microphone. So instead of a student needing
to rely on someone to help them type a paper, they can just
go into the lab and verbally relay what they want typed and
the computer will do it for them. This is such a great program
which allows students to have the independence to be able
to do their own work.
Personal Experiences With Peers With Disabilities
I have known fellow students receiving assistance from
the accessibility center every semester since I started at the
Community College of Denver. One student is in a wheel-
chair and the other learned that the professors are very good
at working with the students that have been to the accessibility
center and have documentation of their disability and the
accommodations that are needed. I have also learned that
if the students do not go and get the documentation the
professors are very limited on what they are able to do to
help them. In talking with Jan I learned that if a student
needs special furniture accommodations there is a special
team that is supposed to set that up in every classroom the
student will be in, however if it is not set up correctly it is
the student’s responsibility to notify the accessibility center
so it can be rectified. Many people with disabilities have
learned to work around things and do not want to cause
extra work or stand out and just want to be treated equally.
(Lucas, 2014) My one classmate who is in a wheelchair
definitely fits into this category! We have had four classes
together and the room has never been setup correctly, yet he
does not want anyone to fix it and will not say anything to
the accessibility center.
Conclusion
I found the accessibility center to be an amazing resource
for students and a very important way for the college to
show that customer service is very important to them. It is
also important for any business to keep in mind that although
accommodations for people with disabilities may be expensive
it shows that they care and value all their customers and it is
the right thing to do. There are various accommodations that
are used for people with disabilities that would also benefit
people without disabilities. If a business was to put in a
wider and lighter door not only would this benefit a
customer in a wheelchair but it would also benefit a mom who
happens to be holding one child on her hip while trying to
push a stroller through the door. Businesses need to look
outside the box and find ways to show that they value all
their customers equally. n
AN ACCESSIBLE
WORLD AT CCD
by gina volpe-beasley

A Community College of Denver Professor and
Theatre Director sat down with The Star to discuss
Social Darwinism, her latest project.
by Ciara Tate
photos by Christopher Empson

STAR: How long have you been directing?
LAURIE LYNCH: I’ve been directing for a long time.
I graduated from California State Los Angeles in 2004
with a degree in theater. I directed a few shows during
my undergraduate program. I’ve always been a filmmak-
er.
STAR: What was your favorite show to direct?
LAURIE LYNCH: I don’t know! Every show is so differ-
ent. I don’t think I can really label one. I think it’s an
in the moment thing. So right now this is my favorite.
In the moment they were all my favorites.
STAR: Who inspires you?
LAURIE LYNCH: … I am really inspired by… oh
gosh that is a good question. One of my mentors Leigh
Fondakowski, she was the head writer for the Laramie
Project. I often go to her for advice and tips on how I
can be better in my career. There is something about
watching a female have ambition. There are a lot men in
theater and it’s nice to see a women take charge of her
career, making a difference. She has really done some
amazing stuff. She’s a huge influence for me.
STAR: Have you ever written a play?
LAURIE LYNCH: I have actually, I’ve written a couple
of plays. I come from a background of devised theater.
Basically, it’s taking a theme or story line and creating a
show from scratch. It’s a kind of writing from a different
angle. I tend to write shows in a studio up on my feet,
actually doing things instead of sitting at a computer. I
wrote a show called Charismatic Megafauna. It is about
the history of the gay rights movement through the eyes
of people who were alive during the 1950s. It’s a really
fun show!
STAR: What advice do you give your actors/actresses?
LAURIE LYNCH: The thing about being an actor is
self-discipline. There is no boss who’s going to say you
have to be here at this time. You have to be a go-getter
and go for the auditions. As an actor you have to be
able to take rejection, there is a lot of rejection in the-
ater. It’s one of those weird things where you have to
realize it’s not about you; they just didn’t feel you were
right for the part. I have a love hate relationship with
that. The reason I didn’t go into film is because there is
very specific type I would be casted as. I know that in
theater I have more range; I have the freedom to play
different types of roles.
STAR: What is your favorite aspect about theater?
LAURIE LYNCH: What I really love about theater is
that every performance is different. As an actor what
I like, is that there’s such a wonderful energy between
the audience and you. As a director what I like the
most is seeing the actors develop. I guess it depends on
what side of the curtain I’m on.
STAR: What’s your next project?
LAURIE LYNCH: Next, we have a big festival com-
ing up here (CCD) in February, called The Kenne-
dy American College Theater Festival. It will be on
campus and I’m on the regional selection committee
for our region. This is, from the Pacific Northwest all
the way to Colorado. It’s like seven states, so it’s going
to be huge. I’m also on the chair for The Diversity
Initiative and I do an amplified theater workshop. It’s
myself and other faculty in our region. We work with
students to create theater that has a social justice angle,
like what’s relevant in their lives. I also have a baby
boy, whom I haven’t put to sleep in awhile so; I will be
spending a lot of time with him!! n

BY MICHAEL HALBERG BY PHU LE

Dr. Everette Freeman, CCD’s President is seated at a fairly
large work table in his L shaped office wearing a traditional
navy sports coat with coordinating necktie. The space is
typicalofacollegepresident,spacious,impeccablyorganized,
while offering unadulterated views of the downtown
Denver skyline. He sits with his right leg crossed over the
other with his hands crossed, resting behind the back of his
head. Offering a warm smile he settles back in the chair as if
he’s going to have a conversation with an old college buddy.
COLE: Tell me something about yourself that most of your students/staff
don’t know.
DR. FREEMAN: I’m a shameless jazz buff…and once had a jazz radio show
while serving as the Provost of The University of Indianapolis, called Jazz
Juxtaposition. I’d play two versions of the same song for comparison.
THE PRESIDENT
THE EDITOR
THE SYMPHONY CALLED CCD
A conversation with Dr. Everette Freeman
AND
by Theresa J. Cole
photo by Christopher Empson

COLE: What were you like as a college student?
DR. FREEMAN: I was curious, very curious. Here’s where
the curiosity comes from. My mother would take us to the
museum on Sundays. After we went to church we would all
be collected up, my four brothers, my sister, and I and off
we’d go downtown to Washington, D.C. to some museum.
My mother wanted to inculcate in us a sense of curiosity.
With me she succeeded
COLE: Do you think community college should be free?
DR. FREEMAN: Yes and no.
Everything has its cost. The real question with regard to
community college is: How can we bring down the barriers
that prevent students from completing? One of the major
barriers is the dollar and cents cost. We know when students
complete college their lives economically and otherwise, are
changed forever. So yes I’m for it.
Equally, I see the value in students being responsible and
sharing some responsibility for their education. That’s the
American heritage in so many ways…that individuals do
provide for their own uplift.
What I’d most like to see is for there to be an increase in
Pell (grants), increase the amount we provide students, and
to reinstate summer Pell. Those things would go a long way
toward the same objective of reducing and eliminating some
of the obstacles to completion.
COLE: What makes CCD stand out when compared to
the other metro area community colleges?
DR. FREEMAN: Our diversity!
Clearly, we are an enormously diverse campus. That makes
for some of the most fascinating interactions in classes that
one could ever imagine. I’ve stuck my head in classrooms
and witnessed the richness of conversation that arises from
students being from all walks of life, different ages, and
different parts of the world. That’s what makes our gradu-
ates far more sophisticated in their outlook as they go on to
four-year institutions.
COLE: Who are your role models, current or past?
DR. FREEMAN: When I was in college, Antioch Col-
lege there was a man named Morris Keeton. He was the
vice president of the school and had an enormous impact
on my life. His whole abiding interest was in providing
education for those who were traditionally disenfranchised.
He was the creator of The Council for Adult and Experi-
ential Learning. That council was designed to provide the
opportunity for students to get credit for life experience.
So, today when we talk about students getting credit for
the things they’ve done in their lives, it is a direct result of
Morris’ work in creating that model for higher education
in this country. I was enormously influenced by Morris
Keeton and his insistence that education could me made
democratic.
COLE: Tell me something new and exciting that’s com-
ing up on the horizon at CCD. Can you give me some
breaking news?
DR. FREEMAN: One of the most exciting things that’s
going on is we are embarking upon college wide customer
service training for all faculty and staff. The idea is to create
an institution where students are regarded as the people that
matter most. Our whole approach to education is centered
on student success. That’s our calling card and it will dis-
tinguish us as a premier community college. In order to do
that, we’ve determined that we want to do some customer
service training amongst ourselves.
COLE: When do you see this happening?
DR. FREEMAN: It’s happening now. In the last two
weeks twenty of our staff and faculty went through intense
training to be customer service champions. As champions,
they will then become the trainers for all other CCD Staff.
I couldn’t be more excited about it because the twenty are
the best customer service champions you’d find anywhere
on earth. The training they are bringing is equal to the
training that is received at any five star hotel or Disneyland.
COLE: What’s on your playlist and who’s on it?
DR. FREEMAN: Henry Butler is at the top of my play
list right now. He may very well be… the most incredible
inventive contemporary jazz pianist on earth. He is abso-
lutely amazing and he lives in Denver! WHO KNEW! He
lives in Denver.
COLE: What are you currently reading?
DR. FREEMAN: I’m reading Edward O. Wilson’s The
Meaning of Human Existence. It’s a very thin book, only
about 170 pages. Wilson explores why is the human species
here and what has happened over the millennia that allow
this homosapien to emerge and why is that such an in-
credible story? He also talks about the religions that have
emerged in an attempt to make meaning of this human
existence and ultimately the need of humans to come
together, not around religious camps, but as members of
the same human family. It’s such an incredible story that we
should never tire learning about.
COLE: Are you on social media?
DR. FREEMAN: You know I’ve got a Facebook (Everette
Freeman-CCD) and Twitter (@EveretteCCD)
I understand that twitter is old now with students.
COLE: What is the legacy that you want to leave at
CCD?
DR.FREEMAN: I don’t think it’s the duty of the president
to be occupied with his or her legacy.
A president is like a symphony conductor. More often than
not, we are not on the stage playing an instrument. The
faculty, staff, and the students do that. A conductors role is
to keep the timing right, to keep the pulse right, to soften
the sound if it’s too loud, raise it if it’s too soft, and to turn
that whole aggregation of men and women who are doing
great things here into a symphony. That’s what I see my job
as.
So very often people say a president should call more atten-
tion to himself. No, it’s the music that we call attention to
the music. Those students who are completing their certifi-
cates and their degrees, that’s the music. That’s were we call
attention, not to the conductor. n

WINNER OF CCD’S JOURNAL OF
EXCELLENCE IN PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTO BY CASSIE ALFARO
PHANTOM

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