Department of Journalism & Technical Communication Colorado State University, CD1785 Fort Collins, CO 80523 February 19, 2013

Dear Participant, My name is John OConnell. I am a researcher from Colorado State University in the Department of Journalism and Technical Communication. We are conducting a research study on alternative media used by Occupy Denver. The title of our project is The best alternative? The use of alternative media in the Occupy movement . The Principal Investigator is Jamie Switzer, Ph.D. from the Department of Journalism and Technical Communication, and I am the Co-Principal Investigator. You are invited to participate in this research because you are at least 18 years old and have been involved with Occupy Denver. We would like you to take part in a one-on-one interview so we can learn about your experiences using alternative media as part of Occupy Denver. The interview will take place either by telephone or Skype, or in-person at the Denver Public Library or an alternate location of your choice in Denver, CO. The interview will be 30 to 45 minutes in length. Your participation in this research is voluntary. If you decide to participate in the study, you may choose to stop participating at any time without penalty. Your personal information will be kept separate from your interview responses, and your name will not be included in any recorded materials. Your responses will be combined with responses from other participants in this study. We may publish the results of this study, but we will keep your name, other identifying information, and any information that you would like to share off the record private. In other words, your comments or quotes from you will not include any identifying information. The Institutional Review Board of Colorado State University may inspect these records. You have the choice to have your interview audio recorded or not. The researcher will keep the privacy and confidentiality of your responses by deleting all audio files and encrypting all interview transcriptions. The researcher will destroy these files after three years. While there are no direct benefits to you, we hope to gain more knowledge on social movements and alternative media networks. The researcher does not see any risks to you for volunteering in this study. The researcher has taken great care to control possible risks. If you feel uncomfortable at any time or make comments in the interview that you would prefer that we not share, please let the researcher know. If you have any questions, please contact John OConnell at john.oconnell@colostate.edu, (703) 474-0645 or Jamie Switzer at jamie.switzer@colostate.edu, (970) 491-2239. If you have any questions about your rights as a volunteer in this research, contact Janell Barker, Human Research Administrator, at 970-491-1655.

Sincerely,

Jamie Switzer Ed.D, Principal Investigator

John OConnell Co-principal Investigator