NEWS FEATURES SPORTS SCENE Weekend crime spree hits Tour de Wings in the Risky Disc-ness: Ultimate DreamWorks’ Dragon soars campus Springs Frisbee gains popularity to unprecedented heights Hunter Lea 2 Rich Perkins and 6-7 Aaron Patterson 9 Elena Ketelsen 5 Ben Cronin Volume 40 No 22 @KiefferKatz THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF COLORADO COLLEGE Drops knowl- edge on his Tweeps Page 9 CC cuts student research program that helped drive federal legislation > April 30, 2010 catalystnewspaper.com Elizabeth Findell News Editor hen Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) intro- Wduced a bill this past week that would ex- Budget cuts tend compensation benefits for people exposed to radiation from uranium mining, it ignited an immediate reaction in the West as some cel- in Colorado ebrated the move and others questioned its ne- cessity. It is a little-known fact that CC students Springs claim have had a prominent role in influencing this federal legislation through a summer research their first life program collecting data on the health problems of former uranium miners and millers. However, Ben Quam the Southwest Studies department has discon- Staff Writer tinued the program in an effort to reallocate its resources to other areas. t appears that some of the worst potential Uranium, a necessary nuclear material for Ieffects of Colorado Springs budget cuts both weapons and power plants, was long mined are already coming true. A 62-year-old man in the United States without public awareness of identified as Esteban Garcia was shot and killed the health consequences associated with direct last Sunday in a botched robbery as he left his contact with the radioactive substance. Workers son’s business. The parking lot in which the in western New Mexico describe working in the incident took place has been dark ever since the mines in a time when they would sit on piles of streetlight above it was turned off by city official ore during break times and eat lunch, their food as part of the city’s money saving plan. Garcia’s sprinkled with yellow dust. son, Saul Garcia, is the owner of El Ranchito, a In 1990, Congress passed the Radiation Expo- Photo: Carol Earnest local market and taqueria. The adjacent business sure Compensation Act (RECA) to acknowledge Cleanup crews work on uranium contaminated land along the Grants Mineral Belt in owner, Gaspar Martinez, blamed the darkness the dangers of radiation and offer help to those New Mexico. for the incident, as well as other increased crime harmed by it. The RECA law, however, does in the area. He says the robber jumped Garcia not extend benefits to anyone who worked after summers, six CC students entered data from his lungs. when he was going to his car, demanding money. 1971, when the federal government stopped handwritten notes on thousands of surveys, “It was personal to me,” she said. When Garcia didn’t have money, he was shot. buying uranium and increased safety standards assessed medical conditions and researched Speaks and other fellows Joey Glick and Sarah Colorado Springs has now turned off over began to be imposed. relevant legislation. Rice spent June through August living in Grants 10,000 streetlights in an attempt to save $1.2 In January 2007, former uranium workers in “Post ’71 is a great story. Navajo grandmoth- where they continued the work of the previous million out of the city’s budget. City spokes- the town of Grants, New Mexico met to discuss ers, wives of miners, et cetera knew they were summer, analyzing data from the surveys and person John Leavitt said, “To what degree light uranium radiation in Cibola County. The region getting sick and the [Center for Disease Control] looking for more specific health information was a factor in this particular crime, I couldn’t had noticed health problems in former miners said, ‘You’re too small of a population; We don’t from reconducted surveys. The students used comment on that other than to say we’re work- and their families, even in those who worked care,’ so they created their own survey,” said a CDC data program to analyze results of the ing hard to try to turn off the streetlights in an only after 1971. At that meeting, residents orga- history professor Anne Hyde, who served as surveys, which Speaks described as challenging effective, efficient and safe manner.” The effect nized to form the Post ’71 Uranium Exposure director of Southwest Studies at the time. “[As a because many members of the community had a the lack of streetlights had was very clear to Committee to represent mill workers, miners CC project] that just kind of fell out of the sky. difficult time identifying their specific conditions. Gaspar Martinez, however, who says he now and transporters. It was data no one else would touch.” The Post ’71 survey received 1,302 responses sees groups of people gathering at night below However, the group lacked the education and Junior Kelsey Speaks served as one of the from uranium workers who mined only after the darkened lamp. “Being that it’s dark, people experience to analyze the data from surveys they three research fellows in Grants last summer af- 1971. According to the data collected, half think they can do whatever they want,” Martinez created. That year the group met Maria Varela, a ter learning of the program through Varela’s En- of the former workers reported having heart said. “People who do crime are noticing it’s dark visiting professor at CC who had a background vironmental Justice class. Speaks took particular problems and 68 percent reported respiratory out there.” in environmental justice activism. With the help interest in the issue because her grandfather, a problems. One-quarter had chronic skin blisters. Streetlights have a direct impact on crime. In of the Southwest Studies department, Varela former uranium ore hauler in Arizona, had long In all, 72 percent of respondents reported at a 2001 study by Kate Painter Ph.D. and David organized a summer student research program suffered from radiation-related health problems least one medical condition consistent with Farrington Ph.D., both from the slacker school to assist in the effort. Over the course of two and died from renal failure and silica disease in uranium exposure as recognized by the federal Continued on page 10 Continued on page 3 2 April 30, 2010 News Cornerstone celebrates Gold status in LEED certification Cobun Keegan construction process used a number of sustain- Guest Writer able practices. Most notably, Cornerstone was constructed using entirely low or no VOC building materials and Mortenson Construc- On April 26 the Cornerstone Arts Center tion recycled 70 percent of its construction hosted a celebration in honor of receiving waste. The building uses 17.5 percent less LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green energy than the average building of its size as Building Council (USGBC). LEED, which well as 30 percent less water. The permeable stands for Leadership in Energy and Envi- parking lot allows rainfall to filter into the ronmental Design, was created in 1994 to be ground rather than running into gutters. a comprehensive measurement tool for green As the celebration kicked off on Monday, the building in the United States, taking into ac- Cornerstone main space filled with well dressed count energy efficiency, water use, greenhouse community members and the occasional gas emissions, indoor air quality and other student. In honor of the event, all of the food factors. LEED certification now represents the was green both environmentally and in color. industry standard for sustainable design and Even the drinks were green: leftover melon construction practices. agua fresca from lunchtime at Rastall. Cornerstone is the second Colorado College A video montage, created by sustainability in- building to be awarded LEED status; Tutt Sci- tern Zoe Isabella, was looping in the screening ence received LEED silver certification after its room. It was a sampling of the many art instal- completion in 2003. The Cornerstone project, lations that have been put on recently, including which took more than 15 years to execute, was performance pieces and shots of a woman in a originally budgeted for $25 million. It began to black dress with a conical straw hat. hit major setbacks when bids for the comple- The CC Bluegrass Ensemble provided tion of the building came in at $33.4 million. background music for the event. At a pause Because of this, a number of design features in the music Clay Benson, chair-elect of the were eliminated from the plan including the Colorado chapter of the USGBC, took to the extra cost of striving for LEED certification. podium and presented a large round etched- When CC students learned of this, however, glass plaque to President Dick Celeste. The they “had something to say,” President Dick plaque was engraved with the gold LEED Celeste said with a chuckle. status awarded to the Cornerstone Arts Center Photo: Ben Mackall After much pressure from the student body around the triple oak leaf emblem of the the project committee was able to revise the es- USGBC. The CC Bluegrass Ensemble provided background music for the celebration of timates for sustainable design and construction After posing for a photograph with the receiving Gold status in LEED certification. practices to less than a third of their original plaque, President Celeste addressed the gather- of the project, was also in attendance. leges in the country last week, he said, and the expected price, prompting the board of trust- ing, first thanking all the people in attendance The President emphasized his belief that college is serious about sustainability.