The Leechpit Says Goodbye Again Amidst Conflicts with College
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LIFE 10 QUESTIONS COMDEB Student-written and directed Relations runs Beekeepers Sarah Hamilton, Celia McLean, and Alex Langstaff talk about why bees are dying, their In response to “The Boys Want to Play Too” throughPage 17 Sunday. favoritePage 5 bees, and why we should care. andPage OrgasmiCC. 12 FRIDAY May 3, 2013 Week 2, Block 8 catalystnewspaper.com THE CATALYST Volume 44 • No. 23 News: CAMPUS Do you know how old your mattress is? Page 2 - Local Senator fac NeighborhoodsOFF-CAMPUS PARTIES: THE STORY FROM BOTH SIDES boastNEIGHBORHOOD close es recall over gun COLORADO SPRINGS community POLITICS Jesse Paul control support Editor-in-Chief Ansel Carpenter City Editor State Senator John Morse, the- President of the- From his house on the Colorado Sen 300 block of San Rafael ate and the Colorado Springs’s rep Street, Jeff Neal has seen resentative in the body, is facing a- some unusual behavior recall effort from groups angered- over his support of recent gun con from Colorado College- trol bills that he introduced or sup students– be it public- urination, public intoxi ported over the past several months.- cation, or the public py In the wake of the much-publicized romania of a Christmas shootings that dominated news cy tree in the middle of a city cles across the country, the Colorado street. General Assembly, along with many Neal, who has lived in legislatures across the nation, began- to consider gun control restrictions. his home near the college A life off campus, from top: The residents of 1101 and 1105 Weber St. pose outside of 1101 on their for the last three years, front porch. Photo by Sam Zarky. Jeff Neal poses on his front stoop outside his home on the 300 block of Morse, a Democrat, either intro- says he tries his best to San Rafael St. Photo by Jesse Paul. duced or supported seven gun bills, get along with his student some of which were labeled “sweep- neighbors. Sometimes it’s ing” by pundits. - a bit much to bear. The bills include expanding back- “I knew what we were ground checks, increasing legal li getting into living in this ability for firearms sellers, and limit neighborhood and that PartyCAMPUS housesLIFE frustrated with ing round numbers. there would be students Jack Sweeney been a “nightmare.” A recently formed non-profit- administrative response called the Basic Freedom Defense and that occasionally it News Editor For the houses at 1101- would be loud and there and 1105 Weber St., the Fund, formed shortly after the leg would be parties,” he said. - “drama” with the CC Ad islature passed five of the measures, “We thought that it would ministration, neighbors, describes itself as “a small group of concerned private citizens who were be OK, that it would be- This year has been diffi- and CSPD all started this distraught” at the bills’ passage. In manageable.” cult for those seniors who- past summer, they say. - response to the measures, which While it has been man- spent their entire under 1101 Weber is a large- ageable for Neal and his classmen careers at Colo white house on the cor they consider to be infringements on family, others are strug rado College dreaming ner of Weber and San Ra the Second Amendment, the group started a petition to remove Morse gling with the noise, trash,- of hosting an off-campus fael Streets. It is home to- and general disruption house party. 10 seniors and boasts a from office. - that sometimes accom Student renters, like the rich history of past own Colorado, like all states in the- union, has mechanisms for remov pany CC students looking- tenants at 1101 Weber ers dating back to the late - to party. St., who were interested 1800s. ing legislators from office in a pro But what are the neigh in opening their doors A porch with cracked cess called a recall. In order to offi borhoodsContinued: around News campus page 7 to students looking for a sidingContinued: wraps Newsthe house,page 6 cially begin the process and force a good time, will tell you vote on whetherContinued: Morse may News remain page 3 that living off-campus has LEECHPIT - Eliza Carter The Leechpit’s lease came from a need for more space for- Leech said. “I think she’s a liar. I think TheStaff Writer Leechpitwill not be renewed, says student goodbye activities. Robert Moore, again CC’s she’s amidst self-serving. She neverconflicts once at with college immediate plans to Vice President for Finance and Admin tempted to talk to me directly. She let relocate have been- istration, stressed that the decision was me know that the decision was final, and abandoned, and, for motivated primarily by the interests of that they didn’t care who thought it was the first time in 10 years, a quirky pur the students. a bad idea.” chase won’t be just a stroll away. “The building is owned by the College President Jill Tiefenthaler maintains- The Leechpit, a small business and it was decided that a better use for that the decision to end the lease was- owned and run by Adam Leech, has- the building would be to provide needed not a malicious one, and one that in served as an influential resource to CC space for student activities rather than volved an appropriate amount of com- students, whether for artistic inspira produce rental revenues for the College,” munication. tion or theme parties. Though the store Moore said. “We have honored our lease agree has not always been a CC tenant since Leech sent a candid email to members- ment with Mr. Leech,” Tiefenthaler said.- inhabiting its current space, the end of of the CC community in an attempt to- “When we decided not to renew the its lease means that Leech must close clarify the sequence of events that oc lease…the property manager commu or relocate. curred and certain issues that arose re nicated with Mr. Leech.Continued: I responded News page to 7 The Leechpit. File photo by Veronica Spann. According to school administrators, garding the administration’s conduct. theConnect: decision to discontinueNews about the thelease greater “I think CC communityTiefenthaler’s is full available of shit,” all day on Twitter. Tweet @catalystnews to join the stream now. 2 N May 3, 2013 FROM THE EDITOR STAFF REPORT It’s not exactly COMMENTARY a match made in CCJesse and Paul the neighborhood heaven. - Editor-In-Chief Colorado College is heading up a new paNELISTS INCLUDE: panel series aimed at addressing prob This is the first CClems in the to Pikes Peakhost Region. new- community forum series time in my three The quarterly public forum, called • Suzi Bach, the wife of Mayor Steve Bach years at Colorado- “Community Conversations: The Home • Richard Skorman, co-owner of Poor Richard’s stores and College that I’ve less Divide,” will be co-hosted by The restaurants heard about seri Gazette, the city’s newspaper of record.- • Bob Holmes, executive director of Homeward Pikes Peak ous, persistent The first conversation, next Thursday • Members of the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Homeless complaints from- from 6-8 p.m. in Armstrong Hall, will fo Outreach Team neighbors in the cus on homelessness in the downtown- • Sarah Stacy, director of the Resource Advocate Program, Springs community sur area. Small Rescue group Missiondiscussions will follow the bigger forum in order to let attendees dis- rounding campus.- President Jill Tiefenthaler will moder cuss the issues at greater length. Some houses have ate next week’s event which will include- been on the receiv- less.voices from local community leaders ing end of upwards who work specifically with the home of a dozen noise complaints this aca- demic year. Non-students living in nearby resi dences aren’t looking to party – they- want peace and quiet. - But why now? CC isn’t exactly a new in stallment in the Old North End of Colora do Springs, and parties have been a part of the college for decades, if not forever. There have been some significant changes to CC nightlife, though. With the re-appropriation of student- housing on the 900 block of Weber St., two of the most ubiquitous, and argu able infamous, CC party houses became tame residential life entities. No longer are there nightly all-campus parties at 922 or 928. Many have argued that the shuttering of these two houses, where students- looking to dance and drink could always find an oasis, has pushed partying fur Talking as a community, from left: A woman in a homeless camp site in Colorado ther and further away from campus. Springs. File photo courtesy of The Gazette. An ad for the upcoming conversation series More foot traffic heading to the north in which local leaders will meet to discuss homelessness. Illustration courtesy of The Ga- and east means more interactions with zette and Colorado College. Colorado Springs. Those houses on the west side of Weber bordered some- pretty forgiving neighbors, including the- grass on Yampa and other student resi dences, which tended to be more accept- ing of noise and public urination. It doesn’t look like those homes are go ATTEMPTED RESTAURANT ROBBERY ing to become student romping grounds - again anytime soon, so it might be time short time later,” the motorcyclist, which had its telltale safety orange to start searching for a real solution. identified as Taylor Tollie, got into an cap removed, at another unnamed - A local woman walked into a bar- - Let’s be honest, though: CC students- becue restaurant, opened the cash accident on Briargate Parkway near- man as he was driving by the 2200 probably aren’t going to stop having par Coloradoregister, and removed an undis Springsthe Airforce Academy, north crime, of cam block of E.in Dale St., threebrief miles east of ties and partygoers probably aren’t go closed amount of money before being pus.