Basketball Season Recap

By: Hannah Ury, Staff Writer

The men’s basketball season recently drew to a close, and although people were not allowed to watch the games live, there was still plenty of action to be seen on the court. Although their record of 6-10 was a bit underwhelming, they put together a strong season defensively and certainly look to be promising in years to come. 

There were some struggles with shooting, as the Rangers trailed their opponents in all statistical categories for the season overall. Rebounding was also a weak point, and it is clear that a strong forward would significantly improve the team. Freshman forward Alex Cartwright, who rebounded well and is on the right track to becoming a high-scorer, should be a step in the right direction for the team. 

Although there were some offensive struggles throughout the season, the team played consistent, strong defense. The Rangers had almost twice as many steals per game as their opponents, and scored well on turnovers. Not only did they score well on turnovers, but Regis was able to limit their own turnovers as well, as turnovers were consistently low throughout the season. 

Point guard Brian Dawson had a very strong season and eclipsed 1000 points in his tenure at Regis, leading the team in free throws, steals, and scoring with 327 points scored, surpassing the second highest scorer by 164 points. His strong performance this season earned him 2 RMAC Offensive Player of the Week awards, as well as All-RMAC First Team honors. This is Dawson’s last year with the Rangers, and his presence on and off the court will surely be missed. The future looks bright for the team as recruitment for the 2021-2022 season has already begun. 

Morgan Wallen’s Racial Slur and the Culture Behind It

By: Hannah Ury, Staff Writer

In case you haven’t heard, Morgan Wallen said the N word. There are many words society deems to be unacceptable, such as asking a woman how much she weighs or telling someone they should go on a diet, but almost everyone can agree saying the N word tops all of them. So why do people continue to say it? As soon as the video surfaced, Wallen was taken off of most radio stations, dropped by his label, and effectively cancelled by the internet. At least, that’s what we all thought. 

There is a valid argument to be made that a person can be separated from their art. People who find The Cosby Show entertaining do not necessarily support the actions of Bill Cosby, and people who enjoy Morgan Wallen’s music are not necessarily racist. Even the most objectively horrible people can have talents. However, it must also be considered that listening to someone’s music and watching their show is what pays their bills and allows them to have a platform they do not always use responsibly. 

After the video surfaced and the internet was cancelling Wallen, his streams were going up. It was no small increase, over 1000% to be exact. This is a significant increase for anyone, but it is especially remarkable for an artist who had already been referred to as the face of country music. One could argue that people continue to enjoy his music while condemning his behavior if his streams had remained constant or even gone down. Such a sharp increase, however, cannot be defended. Not only are people tolerating his behavior, they are supporting it. This is obviously concerning on the surface, but as you go deeper it has even more significant political implications.

The Black Lives Matter movement gained traction throughout 2020, but was met with significant backlash. Many people claimed that Black people have nothing to fight for, they’re already equal, and at this point they’re just seeking special treatment. Yet, how can we say Black people shouldn’t ask for more than they have when celebrities are shouting racial slurs in their front yard, and their music gains popularity as a result? Additionally, an increasingly large number of celebrities and influencers are getting cancelled for racist behavior, and these are only the ones who got caught. Racism runs rampant in America, and it’s time we acknowledge the problem. Sure, we’ve come a long way, but we certainly cannot call the current state of race relations good enough. 

Morgan Wallen is a 27-year-old white man with a mullet from a small town in Tennessee, and while many people were not surprised by his racist remark due to his appearance and hometown, it’s no excuse. However, his upbringing also raises an important point. Our culture condones, and in this instance supports, racism. Whether or not Wallen takes this opportunity to educate himself is something we may never know, but what we can do is continue to support initiatives to end racism, and stand up to those who deny its existence. This is only the most recent in a long line of incidents that prove time and time again racism exists, and we must stand up to stop it. 

Travel Guide to Colorado

With our campus being in such a beautiful state, we thought that we should share some of our favorite places to go in Colorado. You might want to add these places to your Colorado bucket list. 

Sarah Gomez: 

A personal summer favorite of mine is Breckenridge, it's an hour and a half drive from campus but it is absolutely amazing. This is an autumn must see for the changing leaves, and if you're looking for a fun halloween activity, there are ghost tours offered both during the day and evening. 

Amy Reglin: 

If you are looking for a weekend getaway or a quick day trip then Leadville is the place for you. Once an old mining town, the feel is still there. I love Leadville for the fact that it is just over 2 hours from campus, and an easy drive. Mountain High Pies has some of the best pizza and wings I have ever had. Leadville is also home to the world's largest saloon. Check AirBnB for some super cute tiny homes, too. 

Photo Credit: Carly Compesi One of the lakes on the trail to Sky Pond.

Carly Compesi: 

One of my favorite hikes that I did this year was Sky Pond, which is part of Rocky Mountain National Park. We arrived early enough to see some amazing stars in the morning and watch the sunrise while on the trail, which I highly recommend for those of you with headlamps. To get to the very top, you have to climb up the side of a waterfall, but even as someone with a fear of heights, I consider the view to be worth the climb.

Photo Credit: Morgan Jacobus

Morgan Jacobus: 

A fun place my roommate and I went to is the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. It is a beautiful area, and there are different trails and hikes you can go on depending on how far you want to hike and what you want to see. It was about an hour and a half from campus, so it is not too far, but makes for a fun day adventure. Bring some water and snacks, and enjoy the beautiful scenery. 

Amy Coney Barrett and Religious Conservatism

By: Hannah Ury, Staff Writer

Photo credit: Susan Walsh, AP Photo

In just four years, the Trump Presidency has selected two highly controversial Supreme Court nominations, and it is looking more and more like his second nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, will be confirmed and become a member of the Supreme Court. Thankfully, Barrett does not have any allegations of sexual assault, a rarity in today’s politics, but she does have her fair share of sources of controversy.

When taking a look at her past, it’s easy to like Barrett. She has seven children, two of whom are adopted from Haiti. She is a woman of faith, and she has done extensive work as a judge and a professor, and her students at Notre Dame say she is a great professor who never brought politics into the classroom. It is also refreshing to see a woman rise so easily to power in a career field dominated by men. However, do not expect the rights of women to advance at all should Barrett be confirmed.

Barrett would overturn Roe v. Wade if given the chance, and organizations like Planned Parenthood would be weakened even further than they already have been. Although Americans have little say in the process of picking Supreme Court Justices, the process certainly impacts the American people. To overturn Roe v. Wade would be a significant step backwards, and it would not accomplish the conservative goal of putting an end to abortions. Women would not stop having abortions, they would simply have illegal abortions, but conservatives don’t care. While their message is that they want to save lives, they disregard the millions of children in foster care, the women who will die from dangerous abortions, and so many other lives in the process. This disregard shows that their agenda is not truly about life at all, it is about controlling women’s bodies. If Barrett will not stand up against the control of women’s bodies by the government, what will she stand up for?

One thing Barrett certainly advocates is marriage between a man and a woman, and a man and a woman only. It is fair to assume that given the chance, she would undermine LGBTQ rights, and expand religious freedom to discriminate against LGBTQ people. In our legal system, it is perfectly fine to believe in one’s religion that marriage is between a man and a woman, or a woman and a woman, or whatever else your religious text may say. However, personal beliefs are just that, personal. It is fundamental to our Constitution that religion and state remain separate, and as an originalist interpreter of the Constitution, Barrett should be more than familiar with the concept. However, despite her familiarity, the rulings she has made as an appellate judge and will make on the Supreme Court reflect her religion nonetheless. 

The United States is not an anti-religious country, but we are, or at least claim to be, a country without an official religion. While it is okay for Supreme Court justices to have religious beliefs, it is unconstitutional for their religious views to leak into our legislature. Americans can expect to see a wave of religiously-driven decisions made by the Supreme Court in the future. Gay marriage, the right to choose, and many other landmark decisions could be impacted or even overturned under this new vehemently conservative Supreme Court. While Amy Coney Barrett might be a nice woman and an abundantly qualified candidate, she will leave a lasting impact on America, and it won’t be a good one.

Red Flag Campaign and Women's Issues

By: Hannah Ury, Staff Writer

On Sept. 23rd, the Office of Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention set up a display on the quad with a sign that read, “Say something when you see warning signs (red flags) for sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking. Put a flag in the ground to show your support!”

Photo by Morgan Jacobus

Last week, the Red Flag Campaign was featured on campus outside of the Student Center. They hosted a Zoom discussion regarding relationship violence and sexual assault, but aside from that it did not receive a whole lot of attention on campus. The Red Flag Campaign is a part of the Intimate Partner Violence/Sexual Assault Research Development Group in the Institute for Women’s Health at Virginia Commonwealth University, designed to bring awareness to the issues of relationship violence that can be prevalent on college campuses and beyond. While it can feel like the topic gets beat to death, it is ultimately more important now than ever to bring attention to women’s issues. 

With the recent Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, it is clear that women’s rights are under attack, and if Barrett is approved, they could be for decades. Not only would she restrict a woman’s right to safe abortion, including cases of rape, she would also restrict access to helpful organizations like Planned Parenthood. While the Red Flag Campaign is doing incredibly important work, it is ultimately a team effort that will achieve the necessary results for women in America. 

Already President Trump has taken significant action against sexual assault survivors on college campuses. Title IX, a rule concerning sex-based discrimination and sexual assault on college campuses, has been severely limited by his administration. While the goal of the Red Flag Campaign and other survivor advocacy groups is to make it as easy as possible for survivors to report instances of sexual misconduct, the Trump administration has done its best to ensure survivors do not report what happens to them. What had previously been a broad definition intended to allow for ease of reporting has now been narrowed to “severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive” actions of sexual misconduct, according to his new version of Title IX. This definition is extremely harmful to survivors trying to report sexual misconduct because it is entirely subjective. As a result of the subjectivity of the rule, administrations who want to lower their school’s sexual misconduct statistics can simply decide that instances of clear misconduct were not actually severe enough to justify investigation. Rather than giving power to victims who simply want to see some sort of justice, President Trump has given power to the abusers and college administrations. 

While attacks such as these can make college students feel powerless, it is important to remember why an extremely conservative Supreme Court nominee is being pushed through at the last hour. Conservatives know the power young people hold. Young people have the ability to sway elections, and for the first time we can have more impact on this election than the Baby Boomer generation. Sexual assault survivors are counting on us to preserve their rights, and for that reason along with a billion others, voting is more important now than ever. The Red Flag Campaign is an example of what survivors of relationship violence and sexual misconduct deserve: someone to stand in their corner. Vote this November and do your part in standing with survivors.