Environmental Impacts of The Eras Tour. Pg. 05
A University of Colorado Denver Student Publication
Cover by Song Tran
CONTENTS 3
VOLUME: 09 ISSUE: 1
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
H eyyy Sentry people, guess who’s back? Back again??? And with a brand new page and a brand new headshot (soon to be changed again because you can’t see my eyes and I want to dye my hair soon)? It’s me, Chloe, Ms. Ragsdale, former News Editor and current Editor-in-Chief! I’m super excited to be Edi- tor-in-Chief this year and am ready to lead the troops through whatever obstacles we haven’t already encountered. But first, before I reveal all the secrets of Editor-in-Chiefing, I have to give a recap of the summer. This summer was an important one for me: I hit a lot of major life milestones that I wasn’t necessarily ready for, but, as with everything in life, pretty much just had to take it. And take it I did. I made up for the lack of on-campus job security by working at my favorite local restaurant in my hometown of Durango, called Fired Up, as a server, who
got a spectacular amount of free pizza. I spent most days that I wasn’t working at the river (or on the river with the strangest niche of people I’ve ever met—raft guides), at the lake, at the best Goodwill I’ve ever been to, and on my mom’s couch, watching my new inspiration for life: Sex and the City . Let me just take a moment for Sex and the City . Carrie Bradshaw is my new journalism icon and I’m about to spend $300 on shoes just because she did every single episode. Anytime I feel bad about spending my very limited writing money, I think, W.W.C.B.D (what would Carrie Bradshaw do)? But the real question is, can Denver fulfill my Sex and the City fantasy? Luckily, that’s just another thing I’m looking forward to about being Editor-in-Chief. We’ve got a great staff, a great first issue, and many great things to come. Stay tuned for how I plan to make The Sentry the new Sex and the City .
STAFF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Chloe Ragsdale chloe.ragsdale@ucdenver.edu
Kinzey Gill kinzey.gill@ucdenver.edu
MANAGING & FORUM EDITOR
Jackson Campbell jackson.campbell@ucdenver. edu
NEWS EDITOR
Isabel Benneyworth isabel.benneyworth@ ucdenver.edu
SOUND EDITOR
• PG. 5: "Environmental Impacts of the Eras Tour" (Jackson C.), "The SGA Wants to Hear From You!" (Omar A.) • PG. 8: "The CU Denver Budget Crisis" (Kinzey G.) • PG. 10: "Ranking Different Thrift Stores Around the Metro Area " (Kitty L.), "Baldur's Gate 3: A New Age of RPGS" (Coleman C.) • PG. 16: "Songs of August" (Haley B.) • PG. 17: "Album Review: Unreal Unearth " (Haley B.), "Single Review: Vampire Empire " (Haley B.) STAFF PICKS OF THE WEEK:
Mazie Neill mazie.neill@ucdenver.edu
DESIGN EDITOR
Isaiah Mancha isaiah.mancha@ucdenver.edu
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
Coleman Conley coleman.conley@ucdenver.edu
COPY EDITORS
Jeremy Mare jeremy.mare@ucdenver.edu
Jacob Guerrero, Divinity Ham
Omar Arevalo, Haley Barrington, Sienna Ferguson, Juniper Horton, Cymber Lebahn, Kitty Luke
PHOTOGRAPHERS
WRITERS
Illustration By: Haley Barrington
Haley Barrington, August Blackmer, Al Bowen, Maya Rae Taylor, Song Tran
ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT:
ILLUSTRATORS
Addison Lemons addison.lemons@ucdenver.edu
JuJu Spray juju.spray@ucdenver.edu
PROGRAM COORDINATOR & ADVERTISER
Teague Bohlen teague.bohlen@ucdenver.edu
FACULTY ADVISER
"RANKING DIFFERENT THRIFT STORES AROUND THE METRO AREA" BY: KITTY LUKE
FORUM: 4
The Sentry
TOP 10 UNDER $25 RESTAURANTS YOU’RE BROKE—WE GET IT. NOW GO GRAB SOME GRUB FOR CHEAP.
A staple of Denver with one outpost situated in the Highlands neighborhood and another near Washington Park, Fire on the Mountain is Gra - teful-Dead-themed and known for their wide selection of varying wing flavors. With happy hour drinks costing anyw - here from $5–7 and a basket of nine wings for only $15, this restaurant is the type of place you’ll want to enjoy your food from the bar and pick up a conversation with the person next to you. Choose between 15 wing flavors—some favorites inc - lude the classic medium buffalo, the jamaican jerk, and the lime cilantro. If wings just aren’t calling your name though, they have a wide variety of alternative options such as burgers, sandwiches, salads, and a great selection of vegan dishes. Whether you go alone or with a group of friends, you sit inside or outside, Fire on the Mountain is sure to leave you and your wallet happy. —Kinzey Gill FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN
BON AMI BISTRO
O ne may be fooled trying to find Spanky’s, as it’s located next to the college we always get confused with, the University of Denver. Regardless, it is well worth searching for. This restaurant is known for its pub favorites and some of the best burgers in town. Try their classic Monte Cristo, a beer battered sandwich with fire-braised ham, smoked turkey, swiss cheese, and raspberry jam to dip it in, which may sound gross at first, but trust me on this one. If the experimental donut sandwich isn’t up your alley though, try the All American Burger with applewood smoked bacon and a fried egg sandwiched in there. Matched with one of their cheap happy hour drinks that occurs everyday from 3–6p.m. and you’ve got your - self a nice buzz and a full stomach. —Kinzey Gill Wynkoop Street, between 17th and 18th Street, sits what looks like a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant from the outside; but once you walk in, it’s an atmosphere that is welcoming and vibrant that brings homage to Mexi - can culture. Each taco costs around $5 depending on the type of meat, but don’t let that scare you. This is because there’s different forms of beef, pork, chicken, and fish you can choose from. Cow meat can be cooked differently depending on what part of the cow is being used. There’s Lengua (cow tongue) and Tripa (stomach). Other meat choices include Costilla (pork rib meat), and Al Pastor (marinated pig meat). Rotisserie chicken, lobster, and salmon are other great options. If you wanted to try different types of meat, you could order a variety or stick to what you like. With each meat cooked, seasoned, and marinated differently, Machete brings a vast variety of flavors to the table. —Isaiah Mancha SPANKY’S ROADHOUSE T hough it’s one of the most recognizable stoner hubs in Den - ver, Cheba Hut does more than just cure the munchies. With weed-themed sandwiches, treats, and appetizers this is the place to go, whether you’re strolling down Champa or Colfax. Every hut is decked out in local art, and you’re sure to receive your favorite cartoon character as a placeholder for your food. Not only do they offer an array of munchable meals, but they continue the theme at the bar, with drinks such as the cottonmouth cure, the Hash Can, the Bloody Mary Jane, and Spiked Kool-aid. Pro tip: the cheesy bread is the same size as a sandwich and a lot cheaper! —Chloe L ike one of the other options mentioned on this list, this restaurant is a train ride away from campus. However, even with the E Line stopping at Yale and Mika Sushi III being a 10-minute walk from the station, it is worth the travel for some good sushi. Located in a little plaza, the atmosphere of the restaurant is cute and inviting. During the day, they offer dollar sas - himi—octopus, smoked salmon, squid, yellowtail; the list is endless. Besides the occasional Philadelphia and California Roll, there are specialty rolls that are packed with flavor like the Godzilla Roll—eel, avocado, tempura, a special sauce; tasty! They also have Lunch and Box specials that only cost around $15. A hidden gem in this Sentry writer’s opinion. —Isaiah Mancha MIKA SUSHI III T ired of the Denver heat? Take a trip to the backstreets of a summery Paris, only a 10-minute drive from campus. Mature your palate with a plate of escargot and mussels, or some duck rilletes and saumon gravlax. Satisfy your French craving with a variety of savory or sweet crepes to start or end your day with. Their brunch favorite includes an omelet of your choice paired with a single mimosa for $14, or bottomless mimosas for $19 (the choice is obvious). Feel the French ambience in both their indoor and outdoor seating areas: dim and sultry lighting awaits you inside, while the vined and shaded outdoor patio will remind you of a summertime abroad in Nice. While this destination does make it on the under $25 list, you may have to pick your poison—fancy cocktails or flavorsome French food. —Chloe Ragsdale Y es, this place has a plethora of tequilas for us drinkers of the mar - garitas—hence the restaurant name—but you definitely want to go here for the street tacos. Right across from Union Station on MACHETE TEQUILA + TACOS CHEBA HUT
KINZEY GILL MANAGING EDITOR
A hhh… My last first day of college. Or at least of my undergrad. I’m feeling all the things, like the anxiety of my impending job search, the nostalgia of campus, and a little bit of dread— well ,maybe a lot of dread. I assume you’ve all heard the saying that college isn’t the real world, but it sets you up for the real world and to that I have to say I’m really not feeling that last part. I feel in no way prepared for what is next. I thought I wanted to go into journalism but after my summer in- ternship, I realized how much journal- ists work and how little they get paid. I love writing stories for publication and all the things that go into that, but not when I’m researching 24/7 and always catering to a source’s schedule, which is a reality in this profession. When people now ask me what I want to do when I graduate, I tell them I want to work a job I don’t hate and get paid a decent wage for doing it. That’s all we can really ask for, right? Regardless of what comes next, I know I enjoyed most of the last four years, especially this past summer. Since it was the last, my boyfriend and I went all out. We went to three concerts, two weddings, an offroading trip, a few hikes, checked out the art museum and the nature and science museum, went to Water World, went to the Barbie pre- miere, celebrated his birthday, watched the fireworks in Civic Center Park, and maybe went out for a drink… Or two. By far, the highlights consisted of the two weddings we went to. One was in Cape Cod, Massachusetts for my boyfriend’s cousin’s wedding. We went to the beach almost everyday and I was able to finally meet his dad, and I think I may have won him over after I brave- ly slurped the slimy oyster he offered me. The other wedding was my sister’s wedding in Montrose, Colorado (my hometown). Her and her (now) hus- band have been together for nine years. That means he came into my life when I was just a measly 13-year-old. Even though he’s felt like my brother for a while now, it’s official and I gained not only one brother but three sisters and THREE MORE brothers. All these summer shenanigans were, in a way, to make up for last summer. If you’re new here, I had knee surgery at the beginning of last sum- mer and could not walk or do much of anything. This summer totally made up for the lack of adventures the year prior and I couldn’t be more thankful to him for getting me out of the house this summer regardless of the fact that we were both working full-time. Even though I’m nowhere ready for what’s to come, at least I can rem- inisce on the past and hopefully it will all work out in the end. Right? RIGHT? KRACKIN’ WITH KINZEY We’re Back! But Not for Long!
CURTIS PARK DELICATESSEN
T he order-at-the-counter model of Dragonfly Noodle makes for a quick bite on 16th Street. Only a 10-minute walk from campus, there’s not a thing on the menu more than $20 (except for the butter lobster ramen, but what college student is ordering lobs - ter anyways). With a great list of specialty noodle dishes, ramen, and housemade bao, you’ll still have some change leftover to spend on a $7 bottle of sapporo or a $5 delicious thai tea. It’s just close enough to grab when you’ve exhausted all of the food options on campus and need a walk underneath the high rises between classes. —Kinzey Gill J ust across the bridge from Commons Park is the hidden gem of Platte Street, offering endless combinations to build your own perfect poke bowl. Not feeling particularly creative enough to choose between squid salad or seaweed salad, cucumbers or avacado? Decide from a variety of signature poke bowls, including a spicy tuna bowl, spicy salmon bowl, or sweet ginger tofu bowl. While the space itself is small, they offer some shaded outdoor seating and the park is only a couple minutes down the road. Help yourself to poke in another great potential picnic spot. —Chloe Ragsdale DENVER POKE COMPANY DRAGONFLY NOODLE T his made fresh daily deli has two locations near Congress Park and another in Five Points. They are dedicated to local and fresh ingredients with their bread delivered every morning—each sandwich sliced to order, and homemade pickles—you can truly taste the difference between these delicious sandwiches and the one you packed for lunch. Try the classic American with turkey, smoked gouda, mixed greens, tomato, purple onions, and their house-made ailoi or if you’re feeling a little more fancy, the caprese might be the way to go with proscuitto, mozzarella, a balsamic glaze, tomato, and arugula tossed in lemon juice. While it is a little ways from campus, you can make a whole day out of your visit by setting up a picnic in Congress Park or grabbing a bite before walking the five blocks to the Cherry Creek Mall. —Kinzey Gill L ocated on 20th and Blake, right across the street from the great Coors Field, Cherry Cricket Ballpark is a great place to customize your own burger, enjoy a cold brewski or cocktail (if you’re of age), and enjoy some chill, quality time with friends before, during, or after a game or whenever in general. A variety of burger toppings can be picked—from green chile, bacon jalapeno jam, and garlic aioli to an egg, queso, and pork belly. Cherry Cricket Ballpark offers a plethora of different local IPAs and hoppy drinks as well as a full open bar to create your own concoction if one choo - ses not to order one of their specialty drinks off the menu. If these options don’t tickle your fancy, they also offer wings, salads, chilis, soups, and a few good Mexican options—tacos, enchiladas, and burritos—and don’t forget the shakes! —Isaiah Mancha CHERRY CRICKET BALLPARK
FORUM: 5
AUG. 30 – SEPT. 5
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE ERAS TOUR WILL TAYLOR SWIFT’S TOUR AROUND THE WORLD END UP KILLING IT? Jackson Campbell | News Editor
M odern pop sensation Taylor Swift is without a doubt known internationally for her musical prowess, innovation, and genius marketing skills. No one sells out a venue quite like Taylor Swift— which is further encompassed by the Eras tour, a seven-month journey across the globe meant to enlighten audiences with three hours of hits from all 17 years of her musical career. So far, the tour has been a wild success commercially, yet has raised concerns about the environ- mental impact of equally extravagant concerts and tours Concert tours, by nature, are destined to deal with a heavy carbon footprint by means of travel between the artist, crew, and equipment, as well as the traffic and trash brought to the stadiums via fans. But Taylor Swift is already known by the Greenly Institute as having the largest carbon footprint of any celebrity, estimated to emit over 8,000 tons of CO2 every year. This is largely due to her frequent self-use and renting out of her private jet as a means of trans- portation. The Greenly Institute’s website also notes that “the average American emits a little over 16 tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year,” and Time Magazine states that the average single-day outdoor concert is responsible for up to 500,000 tons of emissions. There is no doubt that
Taylor Swift is already responsible for a surplus of CO2 emissions, just by the massive scope of the tour. The Eras tour will be taking Tay- lor Swift to 146 shows across North and South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe in this seven-month time span. Along with just the artist and her jet, there is also an excessive convoy of vehicles and equipment that are to be transported from show to show. There are an estimated 50 trucks and drivers involved in equipment transportation alone, according to nme.com. And although diesel vehicles like the trucks used in the tour are more efficient than gasoline vehicles, a fleet of this many vehicles traveling this frequently for half a year will certainly burn an unprecedented amount of fuel. As the tour is not yet complete, there is no exact calculation of the emissions burned just yet. With the Eras Tour having already amassed over 300 million dollars with three months to go, it is on track to becoming one of the biggest tours ever, and the finances have been very beneficial to the GDP of the surrounding cities. Her week- end at Denver’s Mile High Stadium brought in over 140 million dollars to the state’s GDP, which could prove to be greatly beneficial to the state. The employees in charge of transporta- tion also reportedly received 100k
MAZIE NEILL ILLUSTRATION EDITOR
MAZIE’S MUSINGS Scotland is the Best!
G ood tidings and welcome back my friends! Another school year is upon us, and for me this will be my last! I’m so excited to finally be graduating this spring. It is the summers in between the semesters that I will miss the most about university. This summer I made incred- ible memories that I will remember for years to come. This summer I traveled to a far land, a land that I have always wanted to jour- ney to. I WENT TO SCOTLAND! Yes, the real Scotland, where bagpipes are quite literally on every corner and the sum- mers are windy. The green stretches on forever, and the mountains are tall and gentle. Dottings of red highland cows and white sheep amongst the moorlands and emerald forests. I’m not exaggerating in how mystical it felt, especially for the fact that my family and I traveled by train. We were able to watch the rural landscapes pass us by, small villages cropping up ev- ery so often. The cities were ubiquitous, the landscapes even ancient. We started in Glasgow, headed north to the mountain biking capital of the world: Fort William, with the tallest mountain in Scotland, Ben Nevis, loom- ing over us. Traveled the Glenfinnan Via- duct on the Jacobite Steam Train to the western coast. We hopped on a ferry to the Isle of Skye, a place where my family once hailed from and climbed the age-old stones and visited my clan’s land. I was able to attain my Clan MacLeod tartan, a cul- tural artifact that I have been wanting for years. Dunvegan Castle was the first castle I have ever been to. A twelfth It was an incredibly powerful experience being a place where my family had lived. I’m not usually a spiritual person, but there was something about that land, and how I was connected to it, that made me feel like I had returned home in a way. Once leaving Portree on Skye, we took the train to Loch Ness and Inver- ness. This was another place that I felt a deep sense of connection to. Not only the immense grandeur of the loch, but the history that had occurred in this area of the country was something that definite- ly had an impact on all people that vis- ited. The conflicts that the Scottish had amongst themselves, the Norse, and es- pecially the English was definitely felt in these mountains. From the Jacobite revo- lution to the conflicts of the 13th century. The castle Urquhart ruin was an example of the medieval spirit that still existed in the land to this day. We finished the trip in Pitlochry, a small village nestled in the eastern Cairngorm Mountains, and the capital city of Edinburgh amongst the medieval skyscrapers. A dramatic change of scen- ery that definitely felt like an appropriate close to the two week trip. This trip was definitely the best one I’ve taken, and I can confirm now that Scottish people are simply the best and English people do in fact… exist.
Illustration by: Song Tran • The Sentry
bonuses per truck driver. Taylor Swift clearly puts in great effort to improve lives through the Eras Tour. The scope of the situation is difficult to grasp entirely as the tour stretches on, but
one can only hope that Taylor Swift acknowledges her effects on the environment and is willing to lower her carbon footprint over time.
A GUIDE TO DENVER VIA RTD AND WALKING WE KNOW YOU FRESHMAN HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO GET OFF CAMPUS AND SEE MORE OF DENVER, SO WE MADE THIS JUST FOR YOU Juniper Horton | Writer M any Coloradans may not be wild about their state’s public transport—and “I like to walk mostly,” they said. “Denver’s not a walkable city, but I treat it like it is.” They aren’t the only one that
10. “It’s so convenient,” they told a Sentry reporter. “The stop is right by my apartment, so I only have a few-minute walk in the morning to get to my bus stop.” Reilly Hamilton, who is twen- ty-three, also says that the 10 is one of his favorite RTD bus rides. “It’s usually kind of one of the more chill routes,” he explained, “and it goes everywhere—well, not everywhere, but a lot of places that I personally need to go downtown. It goes by Cheeseman Park, which is really nice, like if I wanna just hop off and go to the park I can, which is really great.” The 10 does indeed give
riders easy access to a variety of destinations, from the art museum to Cheeseman Park to the Botanic Gardens. Plus, it offers a scenic view of East Denver, cutting through 12th avenue, which is a more peaceful street than Colfax or sixth avenue. All three offer a wide array of businesses and city life, so there’s unlikely to be a boring ride. Aris Buchman, a freshman at CU Denver, also reports using the bus as his primary way of getting to and from campus, as well as his job at Dominos. He mainly uses the 31, which runs down Federal. Outside of getting to work, he enjoys taking the 31 to Ruby Hill, a park that offers a stellar view of downtown Denver. Ruby Hill also offers a range of activ- ities, from the Levitt Pavilion to the bike park Aris frequents. Despite his enthusiasm for Denver’s public transit, biking is still Aris’s favorite way to get around Colorado. “Denver is a super bikeable city,” he explained, “and I own an eBike, so I can take the Cherry Creek trail all the way down to the reservoir and back in one charge, or I can go all the way to Golden on the Clear Creek trail.” Gaydos also admits that they prefer to walk over bus to places like the grocery store.
for good reason. The buses are fre- quently late, they only really lead to downtown Denver, and some lite rail lines have been canceled for months on end with little notice. Some students report only using public transit to get to and from school. But there’s no reason to not make the most of your RTD bus pass. There are plenty of slow-paced routes that will take riders to many destinations besides campus. Enzi Gaydos, a carless student at CU Denver who is 20 years old, says their favorite RTD route is the
feels that way. Around 3 percent of Denver residents report walking to work—a hair more than the 2.8 percent that reported taking public transit. Funnily enough, this means more Coloradans walk to work than the national average, despite how large the Denver-metro area is. Still, Denver’s public transpor- tation is certainly not the worst in the country. Many riders, like Reilly, find the $6/day fee to be doable. There are also discounted fare pro- grams for the elderly, the young, people with disabilities, as well as people who are experiencing eco- nomic hardship. RTD’s discount for Auraria students is extremely steep, with the college pass costing $30 per month instead of $200. Even though Denver’s public transit is extremely underfunded, the Denver-metro area is tightly connected by bus and lite rail routes. So while Red Rocks might be off the table, many venues, such as The Blue Bird, The Ogden, and Levitt Pavilion can be reached via bus. So, next time you’re thinking of calling an Uber, save some money and use your stu- dent bus pass instead.
Photo by: Divinity Ham • The Sentry
NEWS: 7
AUG. 30 – SEPT. 5
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR CU DENVER NOW? Chloe Ragsdale | Editor in Chief STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS PLAN BLOCKED
The conservatives on the Supreme Court who challenged Bidens’ plan also used the Antideficiency Act to justify their decision, which means that an Act of Congress overrides the Executive Branch in power, says Sav- ing for College. In this case, Congress has the “power of the purse.” While Biden reasoned that his student loan forgiveness plan was justifiable using the HEROES Act of 2003 (which “authorizes the Secre- tary to waive or modify statutory or regulatory provisions applicable to federal student financial assistance programs,” according to congress. gov), the majority Supreme Court opinion argued that the HEROES Act was not broad enough for widespread debt cancellation, says AP News . Whether Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan is protected under the HEROES Act or not, the lack of financial support provided to college students in a time of unprecedented college costs raises concerns for many. “As a film major, I’m really nervous to leave college with debt. The writ - er’s strike in Hollywood really puts organization. In agreement, Senator Burns states that “Seeking and gath- ering feedback and information from students on their concerns,” such as food insecurity, the lack of prayer spaces (formally known as “reflection rooms”), and poor infrastructure in student housing, is “instrumental to the process of coalition building solutions.” Numerous budget cuts have recently plagued Auraria Campus, which act as one of the most glaring obstacles in the path of addressing these concerns, as there’s been a subsequent shortage of resources for select departments. The SGA, with the input of Vice President Brooks, plans to navigate these issues “by advocating to getting more money for our school through lobbying at the capital.” Brooks further states that they “want to get more funds directed to our student government so that we can get that money back out to our student organizations so that they can continue to throw events and so we can continue to advocate for stu- dents and expand our reach, for the purpose of shielding our students as best as we can from the brunt of these budget cuts.” It is a long and tumultuous road ahead, so when it comes to the mark that the SGA’s administration would like to leave behind at the end of the school year, President Combs “plans to build an administration that can be remembered for setting up a foun- dation where students can say ‘We actually know student government
a damper on people’s perspectives because we’re never gonna get paid enough. That, on top of student loan debt, is really concerning. If I could get the 10 grand back and use it for something in my future that would definitely help out a lot,” says Isaiah Mancha, the Photography Editor at The Sentry. The dissenters of the court, as well as the 26 million people who had applied for relief and the 43 million would have been eligible for relief, are now pressuring Biden to use the Higher Education Act to begin a new program, says AP News . In the meantime, the Education Department announced that loan repayments are now scheduled to resume in October, although interest will begin accumulating in Septem- ber, says AP News . Students on campus who are struggling with financial fears and mounting student debt should con- tact the Financial Aid office for help with applying, understanding, and receiving the most supportive aid they can in a time of uncertainty. for one, and two, we actually feel comfortable going to them for every- thing that we need.’” This sentiment is echoed by Chair Valdez, who also seeks to collectively build a base for “a more seamless transition between finishing and arriving administra - tions to avoid gaps in representation for the different departments.” Every student’s perspective on how the institution in which they learn should be run matters, hence the closing message that Vice Presi - dent Brooks has for the student body being: “Come to our senate meetings! We love to hear our student voices and we are very open to anybody that wants to come and share concerns with us, and we’d love to see students at our student organization events too. A lot of our members will also be attending those events so be on the lookout for us there.” The Student Government Asso - ciation meets every Friday from 1–3p.m. in either room 640 of the Tivoli Student Union building or room 2500 of the Student Commons building. For more information, stu- dents can reach out to their officials via their Instagram and Facebook accounts under @CUDENVERSGA, drop by the SGA Office in room 301 of the Tivoli, or catch up to them at upcoming student organization events such as the Fall Fest event on Sept. 20. Your Student Government wants to hear from you!
JACKSON CAMPBELL NEWS EDITOR
T o whom it may concern, If you are reading this, it means I am probably alive and eating chips somewhere. But I’m not necessarily that alive right now. I just finished a season of Drum Corps, which is essentially marching band if it were run by angry military officers. You spend the three months of your summer with the same group of 164 other kids, sleeping on the floor of high school gyms, auditoriums, and sometimes large buses. You spend 14 hours a day rehearsing in order to bring an 11 minute show to life. You eat four-thou- sand calorie diets, drink about three gallons of water per day, and are still more likely to lose weight throughout the season due to just how hard you are working. It is, from all perspectives, a physically exhausting ex - perience that stretches so far from societal norms that its hard to comprehend just how difficult it is. And boy, do I miss it. Going back home after getting phys- ically and mentally warped into a proffes- sional marching machine is surreal. I have a bed again. I can shower for more than two minutes without getting yelled at to hurry up. And the water is warm. And when I lean over in my sleep, there’s no trumpet player next to me to attempt to push me into the aisle of the bus. The easiest part of drum corps should very well be going home. Why isn’t it? It’s the same reason you enter Drum Corps. You know it’s gonna suck, physi- cially, emotionally. But you perform over 20 shows in some of the biggest stadiums in the country. You make some of the best friends you’ve ever had and ever will have (trauma bonding, baby). And 14 hours of work a day for 78 days straight has this mag - ical ability to show you that you really can do anything, and no amount of work will ever be enough to take you down. So when I’m walking to class, trying to finish up my English degree, I’m usu- ally gonna have a few double-takes on the way there. I think I see a friend I marched with until I remember, oh yeah, he lives in WIsconsin, I probably won’t see him again. Drum Corps is gonna follow me around for a long time. Being a part of a corps is the hardest part, but so is missing it. The ad- justment period is gonna take some time, that’s all. Jackson Says Words, and You Can Read Them! Is There Life After Drum Corps? (I Don’t Think So)
Photo Courtesy of: Bearsky23 via adobestock
T he average college student faces the same daily problems: how to dress for class, how much money to spend on their coffee, how to make friends, and how to deal with the crippling costs of modern education. The price of college has risen 180 percent since the 1980s, says Forbes , and is paralleled by a stag- gering 72 percent increase in the total federal student loan debt balance between 2006–2023, says the Education Data Initiative. In response to these rises in costs, the average public university student borrows $25,969 to attain a bachelor’s
degree, says the Education Data Initiative. In a combative effort, President Joe Biden proposed a student loan forgiveness plan in August of 2022 that would provide up to $20,000 of debt relief per borrower (with stip- ulations such as grant status, family income, and family background). Most recently however, on June 30, the Supreme Court blocked President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan on the grounds that it is an “unlawful attempt to erase an estimated $430 billion of federal student loan debt under the guise of the pandemic,” says CNN .
A STUDENT GOVERNMENT MEETING RECAP AND GROUP INTERVIEW Omar Arevalo| Writer THE SGA WANTS TO HEAR FROM YOU!
I t’s the start of a new year at the University of Colorado Denver! Moreso, it’s a year full of excit- ing experiences and fresh sets of challenges following every new and returning member of the CU Denver student body on their way to class. CU Denver is a vastly diverse campus, bearing a student population consist- ing of multiple distinct backgrounds. Therefore, every student is entitled to the right of having their own unique voice recognized. That way, and their individual or represented commu- nity exigencies to be acknowledged with both respect and action so that everyone attending CU Denver can have access to a comfortable expe- rience during the school year. The collection of people entrusted to speak on behalf of the student body are formally known as the Student Government Association. On Friday, Aug. 25, this Sentry
writer had the chance to speak with SGA’s elected officials: President Bria Combs, Vice President Savannah Brooks, Chief of Staff Cade Bach - mann, Civics Senator Sean Burns, and Chair of the College Council Committee Jessica Valdez after their first official Senate meeting to dis - cuss the SGA’s biggest priorities for the 2023–2024 school year. Accord- ing to Chief of Staff Bachman, “A lot of the things that our students are dealing with are very nuanced and so we want to be able to understand that nuance.” As such, a key objective for the administration this year is to fur- ther student outreach in order to educate all students on the power of their own voices when speaking out about certain issues on campus whilst simultaneously strengthen- ing the relationship between the student body and the governmental
Got comments on the News Section? Questions? Pitches? Send me an email at jackson.campbell@ucdenver.edu
Photo by: Kelsi Miles Dew
CU Denver’s Student Governement Association
NEWS: 8
The Sentry
HOW THIS WILL AFFECT STUDENTS AT CU DENVER Kinzey Gill | Managing Editor THE CU DENVER BUDGET CRISIS
faculty and staff continue to have confusion regarding the specifics tied to the loss of these funds; the email is one of the few they received on the matter, although Saliman provided resources to further communicate if any questions arose. So where will students and faculty start see - ing budget cuts? They’ve loomed over student and faculty’s heads for over a semester now, but there doesn’t seem to be a strategic plan for mitigating the effects on students and teachers. While there isn’t a definitive answer, it sounds like it will hit the departments the hardest—especially the small ones—by reducing their funding by a large quantity in some areas. This could mean fewer degree options or a reduced course selection for students. In somewhat good news, Student Life (the veil that The Sentry is under) won’t see many effects as the department is funded entirely by student fees. On the flip side, this means that the organi - zations under Student Life won’t see much more funding regardless of minimum wage increases, constricted budgets, and a skyrocketing cost of living. Students then may raise the question: Where can we take money from instead of students and departments? Many anonymous CU Denver faculty and staff have mentioned the massive “administrative bloat” worsening in recent years. Due to the influx of hiring high level administra - tion, money has been directed to their salaries, which can be over $300,000 or more annually. For example, the Provost and Executive Vice Chan - cellor in 2019 made $376,716 a year, compared to
the average salary of a political science professor (just under $90,000) and an instructor (just under $50,000). These statistics are sourced from a col - lage pasted on the door of CU Denver political science professor Sasha Breger Bush, with the added sentiment, “Our Work Environment is Your Learning Environment.” While students and faculty may want to do something to mitigate the burden put on them, it’s not looking like there’s much they can do at this point. The university is still very much in the planning phase of these cuts and the UCD community won’t be sure how they’ll be affected directly. Even though there’s not a single direct action, the students, faculty, and staff can take, they can continue to advocate for themselves and maintain their voices in the conversation surrounding where these cuts will happen. The Student Government Association has Senate Meetings every Friday from 1–3p.m. in Student Commons 2500 and to find the schedule of CU Denver Regent Board Meetings click here. *Many of the sources The Sentry spoke to for this article—including student organizations, student employees, faculty, and lower-ranking administrative staff—wanted to remain anony - mous and The Sentry respects those wishes.
Photo Courtesy of: Foto RaBe Pixabay
L ast year, students heard through the grape- vine many mixed stories about the hundreds of millions of dollars that mysteriously went missing from the entire CU System’s budget. CU Denver students were told everything from a vague story about a finance employee putting a large sum of money in an account and it magically disappearing, to confusing stories about the rise in inflation and cost of living. While low enroll - ment may be a factor for CU Denver-specific budget cuts, it is not the reason the university is soon to see drastic effects.
On Dec. 15 2022, Todd Saliman, the Presi - dent of CU Denver, sent an email to all university faculty and staff, excluding students and student employees. Saliman describes the finance inci - dent to have occured due to a strategic plan put in place to invest the university’s slush funds: “At this time last year, we thought we could realize signif - icant gains from the strong financial market.” He then announces the loss of $120 millon, caused by “market decline and a disconnect in information the administration received from the university treasurer,” Saliman said. The majority of UCD
FLORIDA'S "DON'T SAY GAY BILL" AND IT'S EFFECT ON EDUCATION POLICIES Cymber Lebahn | Writer AP PSYCH BANNED IN FLORIDA
sexual orientation. The class includes a section on gender development during and before puberty, differ - ences in gender devolopment and sexual orientation. Other subtopics of psychology, especially at the col - lege level, have an extremly wide range. These can include cognitive, behavioral, developmental, etc. While there is not a specific subtopic of psychology that purely focuses on gender or sexuality, it is certainly an important aspect to the study as a whole. Over the past few weeks, state - ments have been released from the College Board, The Florida Department of Education, and the American Psychological Association regarding the possible ban. Essen - tially, removing topics of gender and sexuality from AP Psychology for students in Florida would deem the class not credible at the college
taught in its entirety, many school districts have pulled the class anyway. The removal of the class is unfair to Florida students as it is one of the most popular AP courses in the state and import - ant for those interested in pursuing a career in psychology. Future students planning to major in psychology will be set a year back by being unable to complete those credits in highschool. Florida students who take an alternative intro to psych class will likely miss out on foundational course content, which could have lasting educational impacts. It is beyond clear that the exploration of these topics within the scope of AP Psychol - ogy are essential to the course, its credibility, and student learning. Additionally, students in Florida will likely be uneducated as a whole on topics of gender and sexulaity, which promotes a climate of intolerance. Gender has been studied for over 50 years, to censor such content now seems to be a step backwards. With the potential ban of AP Psychology, future students coming from Florida may have less opportunities as well as a general intolerance for the LGBTQ+ community. Rulings such as this one could change previous standards for K-12, higher education and the field of psychology. This could mean a change in standards even at CU Denver, in an extreme gender and sexuality would be removed from all areas of study. The removal of gender and sexual orientation from education standards at any level could hinder growth as a nation.
Illustration by: August Blackmer • The Sentry
L ast year, Florida Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis signed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill'' into law, which banned top - ics of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms up to third grade. In accordance with the Florida Department of Education, the bill has now been expanded to encompass all grades. This change would ban all teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity (except
in cases of optional reproductive health instruc - tion that aligns with state standards). Although this change may seem minor, it could just be a glimpse of what’s to come if DeSantis is elected president. The law is already seeing a ripple effect, with several laws proposed to the House with anti-LGBTQ+ agendas. In addition to this, AP Psychology is on the verge of being banned in Florida due to its exploration of gender and
level. The American Psychological Association states, “APA opposed such censorship on the grounds that its National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula—which Florida has followed—have included the topics for some 25 years, based on a large body of science.” While the Florida Department of Education is now seemingly reversing its original decision and has stated that AP Psychology will be allowed to be
LEISURE: 10
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RANKING DIFFERENT THRIFT STORES AROUND THE METRO AREA Kitty Luke | Writer Photo by: Isabel Bennyworth • The Sentry W hen moving to a new city for school, getting second-hand items and clothing is almost a must when you need to scrimp and save everything. When looking where to shop, look no further, as here are some of Denver’s best thrifts. Garage Sale Vintage 8/10 Stawberry Mountain 10/10 Hidden in the Santa Fe art district, Strawberry Mountain is for all the strawberry lovers out there. The smell of strawberries is the first thing that hits shoppers when they walk into the door, and if someone makes a purchase, they can get a strawberry candy. Strawberry Mountain has a great selection of both men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories. In fact, they’re the only one on this list that sells vin- tage fanny packs. Strawberry Mountain’s clothes can be as low as $10, and they even have some designer brands like Coach, which have been marked down. Even though this store isn’t located near campus, it’s near a lot of other fun things to do afterward. Strawberry Mountain’s the best store on this list, 10/10. While this is just The Sentry ’s list, these aren’t the only ones in Denver—adventure to some of the other stores on this list before committing to a favorite.
60s, 70s, 80s, 90s—these neon signs greet anyone walking into one of downtown Denver’s most well- known thrift stores—Garage Sale Vintage, located conveniently near campus in Larimer Square. Those signs aren’t a lie; Garage Sale Vintage really does have clothes from all different eras, from all different vendors. If a shopper is looking for 60’s mod clothes, but their friend is looking for a 60’s psychedelic out- fit, they’re likely to be in luck here. Any thrifting fan knows that having a dressing room in downtown is rare and always a positive, which luckily they have. Plus, with a combination of their music taste, seating, and drinks, Garage Sale’s atmosphere makes it a great place to hang out with friends. However, this thrift store is hindered due to its high prices and relatively small selection of men’s clothes. The Common Collective 9/10 While The Common Collective is much further from campus (located at 613 East 13th Avenue), their prices are more reasonable for the average college student, as almost all clothing is between $20–$40. Their accessories, which include eclectic earrings like Barbie heads, are all around $10. The Common Collective has a nearly equal amount of men’s and women’s clothes, slip dresses, lingerie, and a dressing room! As mentioned though, they’re far from campus. It’s a 40-minute walk or a 30-minute bus ride, but if you have a car, it’s only nine minutes. However, the biggest thing hurting it is its small size. Deja Blue Boutique 8/10 Everyone knows Goodwill, but what about Deja Blue Boutique? Located in Cherry Creek, Good - will’s Deja Blue takes the best of local Goodwill donations, giving you designer second-hand brands for much cheaper in a boutique-style shop. Deja Blue has both men’s and women’s clothing and accessories. However, even though these brands are discounted, they are still higher prices than somewhere like The Common Collective. Deja Blue is the perfect size, too. While big places, like Garage Sale Vintage, can be great, they can also be pretty intimidating, and depending on your schedule, you might not be able to look around the whole store. Deju Blue on the other hand is the perfect in-between of the two formers.
The Ten Penny Store 250 N Broadway UNIT 110, Denver, CO 80203 Gone For Good 101 Kalamath St, Denver, CO 80223 Garage Vintage 772 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204 The Learned Lemur 2220 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80206 Annex Antique’s and Interiors 1534 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80210
COLLEGE STUDENT’S GUIDE TO GETTING A JOB ON CAMPUS A s the new academic school year starts, the presence of impending tuition payments weighs heavily upon every- one’s shoulders. Money can be incredibly tight for the on the user’s specific campus and picks out jobs that are catered to your major, year, and experience. Not only does it find paying jobs, but students can also find work study openings and internships on it as well. Communication with employers and past employees is also easily accessible through the app, sparing employees the mis- ery of making awkward phone calls.
Finn Vosicky | Former Leisure Editor
campus, are catered more towards juniors and seniors looking to start internships and make connections in their fields. While most of the openings presented are more intense and located off cam - pus, there is the possibility of finding internship opportunities on campus as well. It’s still a great resource, and it never hurts to try! As with any job search, especially in the current market, it will take some time to secure a position. Remember to give yourself some grace and try not to stretch yourself thin with exhaustion from constantly looking; your own mental and physical health come first. The Sentry wishes fellow students luck with the job hunt!
average college student, and as our educations are the reason why it is tight in the first place, locating jobs that are understanding of the gruesome college schedule can be difficult. A great alternative for the daunting job search through the Denver metro area is find - ing an opening on campus. Any position one finds on campus is a great way to make friends with others in your predicament while also working in an environment that values your responsibilities as a student first. The majority of postings on campus are interesting as well, and don’t necessarily involve getting screamed at by cus- tomers in retail, which is an added bonus. Actually finding these jobs can be difficult for new students though, so here are a couple tips from a student who went through the same search themselves. While job board websites like Indeed and Linkedin are useful in general, one of the most valuable sites college students can visit to find openings on campus is Handshake. With its own accessible app available on all app stores, Handshake gathers listings located
Asking the internet to find on-campus jobs is very time-effi - cient, but another reliable way to find listings is walking through buildings on campus and simply looking at the flyers on bulletin boards. There are plenty of boards on campus, especially in the library, Tivoli Station, and the Student Commons, that are filled to the brim with information about work study and job openings. These flyers outline general information about the listing, and will sometimes provide a QR code that will take you to the job posting online. Generally, the bulletin will also provide you with the job location on campus, or the contact information of the employer. All you need to do is stop by and take a look! Career fairs are another great way to find job openings that are major-specific. Most of these fairs, especially ones held on
CU DENVER’S FALL 2023 INTERNSHIP AND JOB FAIR WILL BE HELD ON SEPT. 19. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!
Image Courtesy of: calendar. ucdenver.edu
LEISURE: 11
THE POLITICS OF BARBENHEIMER ONE OF THE HIGHEST GROSSING FILM WEEKENDS OF ALL TIME SPARKS CONTROVERSY
Kitty Luke | Writer
O n July 21, 2023, two movies came out. One had caused an international short- age of pink paint—according to Lauren Proud, the VP of Rosco Paint—while the other spends a fourth of its runtime in black and white. In spite of this, or maybe because of the contrasting plots of Barbie and Oppenheimer , these movies became tied together when their release dates were announced. These two movies are both incredibly dif - ferent, both in plots and in aesthetics, and maybe this is why they had such a big releases and advertisments. It’s hard not to see the irony of these two polar opposite movies coming out on the same day. “Barbenheimer,” as it’s been dubbed, was, and still is, a popular meme online once people realized they would be released on the same day, which encouraged people to dress for both Barbie and Oppenheimer in one outfit, or merge promotional photos for each movie. Because both of these movies were already being heavily marketed, especially Barbie , the memes just hyped people up for the films even more, even if not all the hype was in earnest. Even Warner Brothers, the studio behind Barbie , got involved in Barbenheimer, but this actually backfired on them. Since Oppenheimer’s plotline follows the man behind the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs during World War Two, the Barben- heimer jokes offended many Japanese people, including WB’s Japanese distribution branch, which caused WB U.S. to issue an apology via Variety. In Japan, many people agreed, even trending the hashtag #nobarbenheimer. Some even made Barbie / September 11 jokes in retal- liation, such as Barbie with Osama Bin Laden, as an equivalent to Barbenheimer.
Aside from the marketing, as mentioned earlier, these movies are obviously very dif- ferent. Barbie is a devout feminist film that’s ultimately about how the patriarchy hurts everyone, just told in a pink, plastic world (and also LA). Oppenheimer , on the other hand,is about the politics of WW2, spies, the making of the atom bomb, and the aftermath of the bomb - ings. Neither of these movies really has much to do with the other—in fact, Oppenheimer doesn’t even pass the Bechdel test, as there’s only one conversation between two women and it’s about Robert Oppenheimer. One of the only female characters’ names, Jackie, is barely remembered. But, that’s not the point of the movie. Oppenheimer is not the most PC film; he refers to Native Americans as Indians, is a womanizer, and kills between 90,000 and 166,000 people according to the Atomic Heri- tage Foundation. The point of this movie is to be historically accurate, and that’s just not what Barbie is. Of course, there aren’t going to be many women in the Oppenheimer story. How- ever, there are still some female scientists that were shown to have been involved in making the bomb and had even gone to Harvard, which is not something that was common in the 1940s. That is the only real connection between both parts of Barbenheimer: screentime for a female scientist. Barbenheimer was great kismet for mar- keting, even if caused some outrage marketing too. Barbie has made over $1 billion at the box office and Oppenheimer has made over $600 million, and while yes, that’s because they’re just good movies, Barbenheimer likely didn’t hurt their chances.
WHAT SIDE ARE YOU ON?
Photo Courtesy of: IMDb
Photo Courtesy of: IMDb
BALDUR’S GATE 3: A NEW AGE OF RPGS Cole Coleman | Copy Editor N ever has the gaming industry been challenged as heavily as it is right now. With breathtakingly refreshing games like Elden Ring breaking the mold
much like in the critically acclaimed tabletop-RPG. A core part of the experience is creating a character from a variety of ancestries, ranging from elves, dwarves, demon blooded Tieflings, to even scaled Dragonborn. Then, players choose a class (a “role”) to play within a party of adventur- ers (friends), such as spellcasting wizards, music-playing bards, or axe-swinging barbarians. In these roles, players can deceive, battle, ally, or negotiate with monsters and people in the world, shaping and creating a story together. Pick up a goblin and throw him into a river; argue with a devil that his infernal contract shouldn’t be legally-bind- ing—anything is possible. “I played a dragonborn sorcerer,” says CU Denver Student Mingi Webber. “I threaten people with my magic spells, and I look like a dumb lizard. It’s great.” The truly incredible thing is how much unique dialogue and choices players have that have serious ramifications for their story further down the line. For instance, a poor, pick-pocketing street urchin may be scolded or helped back to their feet financially—and depending on which choice is made, the poor child may appear dozens of hours later
in a completely different city, either working for a villain or thanking the player for their kindness and paying them back with special magical items. According to IGN , the long-awaited Baldur’s Gate 3 seems to have shaken AAA developers, who have come out to speak against “raised expectations” for such a “high caliber of game.” Contrary to what has been stated by these jealous AAA devs though, Larian’s game has reached the ninth most bought and played game on Steam (according to Steam Database), all with their own budget and ingenuity. That’s right, a game of this scale and scope completely came out of pocket—not even D&D owner Wizards of the Coast helped fund the enormous game, according to Larian’s Director of Publishing. Perhaps the lesson here is that AAA publishers hold back the creativity of their developers and always play it safe, resulting in games that could never com- pete with incredibly intricate games like Baldur’s Gate 3 . A world of classic adventure awaits; gather a party of friends and venture forth!
for action role-playing games (RPGs) and even winning Game of the Year in 2022, industry professionals at EA or Ubisoft are panicking as gamers are now realizing that games can be far more than what they’ve been fed. With a recent all-time peak of almost one million consecutive play- ers according to Steam Database, Larian Studio’s Baldur’s Gate 3 has opened the eyes of many to what video games can really be—especially in what many assumed to be a niche genre with RPGs. The vast success of the title isn’t a freak accident either—the game is genuinely one of the most well-crafted, carefully constructed titles to date. Players can expect hun- dreds of hours of fully-voice and motion-captured story, dungeon-crawling, romance, and action-packed turn- based tactical board game combat with friends. Given that the game uses the simplified Dungeons & Dragons ( D&D ) 5e system, it’s even more surprising that Baldur’s Gate 3 cap- tures the feel of being able to do anything one can think of
Photo Courtesy of: Steam
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