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THE OREDIGGER

The student voice of the Colorado School of Mines


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Volume 93, Issue 25 April 29, 2013
RAMIRO RODRIGUEZ AND CHASE TYREE / OREDIGGER

News

Groundwater sustainability for produce

Features 5

Donkey Kong 64 an underrated retro treat

Sports

The grand opening of the RTD W-line was attended by much pomp and circumstance, including speeches by Senator Michael Bennet and Governor John Hickenlooper. Golden residents eagerly anticipated the new transportation option.

W-line brings Morality FOCUS light rail to JeffCo


Sean Lopp Staff Writer Ramiro Rodriguez Chase Tyree Staff Writers
The Regional Transportation District (RTD) bus and light rail transit system is the main public transportation system of the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area and last weekend, the long-awaited W line of the light-rail opened. Its route goes from Golden to Union Station in downtown Denver. Looking back at the history of Denvers public transportation system, bus services in Denver started as far back as 1924 with the Denver tramway that had a route from Englewood to Fort Logan. As the city grew, the buses took over the streetcar system but because of a decline in ridership, in 1971, the Denver Tramway Company transferred all its assets to the Denver Metro Transit. Three years later in 1974, the Denver Metro Transit became part of RTD, which was created to provide public transportation to the surrounding counties of Denver, and sparked ridership with the new banner of transportation. The light rail system of Denver started with the D Line in October of 1994. Since then, several other lines opened spanning miles of Denver and allowing citizens of Denver, Lakewood, and now Golden to ride trains and buses all over the city. On Friday, April 26, the W Line began operations, connecting Golden to Denver through the RTD light rail system. The light rail expansions includes 12.1 miles of light rail, 11 new stations, 6 Parkn-Rides, and 3 new Call-n-Rides, one of which is located in Golden. To celebrate the opening of the W Line, riders get two days of free rides, entertainment, and food. The jefferson County government center, also the location of the new Golden station, held the grand opening ceremony and celebration. The opening ceremony included a speech by Senator Michael Bennet and Governor John Hickenlooper, who said, This is an example of how fast-moving Colorado is. We will see little villages all along the FasTracks corridor where people will live and shop and all that time we will be eliminating congestion and using less carbon and less energy. The ceremony concluded with playing by the Colorado School of Mines Band as the first train was boarded by VIPs attending the speech.

Winning week for the Orediggers

Opinion 11

Minds at Mines: Advice for younger self

Satire

12

Light rail goes cross-country!

be proven. Now think about that again. That statement itself can not be scientifically proven. Relativism Students gathered on Tuesday, is self-contradicting. Stefanick also discussed the to listen and debate moral relativism, a philosophy that denies the exis- impacts of relativism. For example, tence of absolute truth. The lecture he argued that relativism takes away invited students to redefine toler- the meaning in life. He said, When ance, to seek absolute truth with you dont have anything else to compassion, and to find purpose believe in, you end up with bumper stickers that say, volleyoutside of themselves and their When you dont ball is life. No, it is not. F i n a l l y, S t e f a n i c k desires. The question and answer have anything else challenged students to rethink what it meant session afterwards briefly touched on to believe in, you to be tolerant. He said, relativists cant tolerate, a diverse range of subjects including end up with bum- because to tolerate you first have to disagree. I homosexual marr i a g e , a b o r t i o n , per stickers that dont tolerate a sunny, day, I tolerate and religious acsay, volleyball is beautiful snow in April. He stated ceptance. that acceptance does Chris Stefanick, life. not mean agreeing that a popular catholic everyone is entitled to blogger and author from the Denver-based Augustine their own belief, and disagreeing Institute, came to mines on Tues- with them, but instead it is about day, April 23 to enlighten students tolerating and loving them anyway. and help them find purpose. The He argued that believing in truth Fellowship of Catholic University does not make a person a bigot Students (FOCUS) invited Stefanick. or a hater. He also encouraged Craig Soto, the president of FOCUS students when he said, dont at Colorado School of Mines, said, judge people, but we must judge it was a great talk, and we were peoples actions so that we know excited to see such an incredible how to act. Students reacted in a variety of turnout. Stefanick argued that people ways to Stefanicks message, and cannot create their own objective many remained in Metals Hall aftertruths. He said, the argument goes, wards to debate issues amongst only scientifically verifiable facts can eachother.

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n e w s

april 29, 2013

Arnaud Filliat, Copy Editor


Lund, Sweden - According to a study at Lund University in Sweden, drinking coffee could decrease the risk of breast cancer recurrence in patients taking the drug Tamoxifen. The team followed over 600 breast cancer patients from Sweden for an average of five years with about 300 of them taking Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen, a common hormone therapy applied after breast cancer surgery, reduces the risk of new tumours by blocking oestrogen receptors. According to the study, patients who took the pill along with two or more cups of coffee per day, reported less that half the rate of cancer recurrence when compared to patients who took Tamoxifen without drinking coffee.

Lleida, Spain - According to a variety of case studies, scientists determined that the European Union (EU) is undermining its competitiveness in agriculture due to its agricultural policy of not not using genetically engineered crops (GMOs). According to the researchers from the University of Lleida-Agrotecnico Center in Spain, the EU agricultural policy is inconsistent and obstructs what it sets to achieve. Boulder, Colorado - A new study from researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder indicate that forced exercise can reduce anxiety and depression just like voluntary exercise. Past studies demonstrated that people who exercise generally have less stress related disorders and the perception of control over ones body when they exercise can benefit that persons mental health. But according to this new study even a person who is forced to exercise, thus eliminating the perception of control, still reaps the benefits of reduced anxiety and depression.

Orlando, Florida - Researchers from the University of Central Florida demonstrated that species can evolve over generations regardless of whether they have to compete for food, habitat, or other factors. They used a computer model to mimic how organisms evolve and their results indicated that competition is not necessary for evolution to take place. According to Kenneth Stanley, a professor with the research team, evolvable organisms separate themselves from other less evolvable organisms over time simply by becoming more diverse. Their results do not correspond with commonly held beliefs and indicate that the traditional selective and adaptive explanations for increasing the ability to evolve deserve more scrutiny.

Oredigger Staff
Deborah Good Editor-in-Chief Emily McNair Managing Editor Taylor Polodna Design Editor Connor McDonald Webmaster Lucy Orsi Business Manager Arnaud Filliat Copy Editor Katerina Gonzales Content Manager Jared Riemer Content Manager Karen Gilbert Faculty Advisor

Headlines from around the world


Jared Riemer, Content Manager
On Sunday April 21, the London Marathon went off without a hitch. The story of the marathon was the touching tribute paid to those who were killed by two bombs at the Boston Marathon. A moment of silence preceded the race and the organizers of the race donated two British pounds to the One Boston fund for each runner who crossed the finish line. This effort raisd around $100,000. An eight story garment factory located just outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed on Wednesday and the death toll reached 359 people as of Saturday night. Rescuers are working around the clock trying to free those trapped in the rubble. Over 2400 survivors are accounted for and 29 more people were pulled from the wreckage Saturday. Police arrested four people, two factory owners and two engineers, associated with the collapse on Saturday. A day before the collapse, cracks were found inside the building and police had asked the buildings owners to close down. They refused to close leading to the collapse on Wednesday. The New York Jets traded their star all-pro cornerback, Darrelle Revis, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a conditonal pick in next years draft and the thirteenth overall pick in this years draft, which they used to select defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson from Missouri. The NFL draft took place at the famous Radio City Music Hall and attracted all eyes of the football world from Thursday night until early Saturday evening. The first overall pick was bestowed upon the Kansas City Chiefs who chose offensive tackle Eric Fisher of Central Michigan. The Broncos chose defensive tackle Sylvester Williams of North Carolina with their first round pick and acquired Wisconsin running back Montee Ball in the second. The NBA playoffs started their first round and an injury to the Oklahoma City Thunders Russell Westbrook may derail their chances of winning the title this year. George Jones, aka the Possum, a country music legend and one of the greatest country music artists of all time, passed away Friday morning at the age of 81. Born in 1931 in Saratoga, Texas, Jones lived a tumultuous life. In becoming one of the most respected and revered stars in country music, he overcame poverty and an alcoholic father, four failed mariages, alcohol and drug abuse, and served in the United States Marine Corps. Some of his best known hits include, He Stopped Loving Her Today, She Thinks I Still Care, White Lightning, Golden Ring (A Duet with Tammy Wynette), and If Drinking Dont Kill Me. Jones was a living legend and will live on through his songs and his influence on countless artists still alive today. A fire at a psychiatric Hospital in Russia killed 38 people on Friday, and police launched a criminal investigation into the cause at the request of president Vladimir Putin Three people escaped the fire that, according to authorities, may have been started by an electric shock. Israel and Gaza fired rockets back and forth over the weekend. The Israeli military claims to have struck a Hamas target after a Gaza rocket was reportedly fired at Israel the night before. In Pakistan, four people died and dozens were injured when two separate bombs exploded including three children and three women

Local News
Fort Collins police used tear gas to disperse a party near Colorado State University last Saturday. The police reported that officers were called to the neighborhood after complaints about the 300 revelers. The police also reported that officers asked the attendees to leave, but the crowd became belligerent and began throwing bottles. Ultimately, the police used tear gas and pepper spray to break up the party. Three attendees were treated for minor injuries. Joanne Albertson, a 61 year woman from Loma, Colorado, was planting potatoes when she discovered a cooler containing two rusted handguns and 2.5 pounds of cocaine, worth about $50,000. The Mesa County sheriffs department says they do not believe the weapons belong to Albertson, and the spokeswoman recalled a SWAT raid at the property prior to Albertsons occupancy. Two were arrested in connection with a shooting outside a Denver Dennys Saturday. Police report that a fight began inside the restaurant early Saturday morning, ending when a male victim was shot outside the restaurant. He ultimately died at the hospital. Late Saturday night, a CU Boulder student escaped a scissors-wielding attacker. She was returning from a party when an unknown man, believed to be about 50 with a scruffy beard and crooked teeth, held her down, put the scissors at her throat and started to remove her clothes.

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april 29, 2013

Arnaud Filliat Copy Editor


Lleida, Spain Studies show that the due to the effective ban in Europe on the cultivations of genetically modified crops such as cotton, maize, and soybeans, there are insufficient resources and capacity to produce the crops by conventional means in Europe and the same products are imported from other nations. Furthermore, the EU banned farmers from using certain pesticides and restricted some other nonchemical methods of pest control while still allowing the importation of products produced using those techniques. In their paper published in Trends in Plant Science, the scientists said, EU farmers are denied freedom of choice -- in essence, they are prevented from competing because EU policies actively discriminate against those wishing to cultivate genetically engineered crops, yet exactly the same crops are approved for import. Lund, Sweden The researchers do not know how exactly coffee interacts with the drug but one theory is that coffee activates Tamoxifen and makes it more efficient. In the past, the researchers linked coffee consumption to a decreased risk of developing certain types of breast cancer and demonstrated that caffeine hampers the growth of cancer cells.

Boulder, Colorado The study involved a lab experiment using rats. During a six week period, some rats remained sedentary while others exercised by running on a wheel. The rats that exercised were divided into two groups that ran a equal amount of time but one group ran whenever it chose to, while the other group ran on mechanized wheels that rotated according to a predetermined schedule. After the six weeks the rats were exposed to a laboratory stressor and their anxiety levels were tested the next day. The anxiety or stress was quantified by measuring how long the rats froze, when they were put in an environment they had been conditioned to fear. The longer they froze the greater the residual anxiety from being stressed the previous day. Another group of rats was also tested as a control group without being stressed the day before. The study demonstrated that no matter whether the rats were forced to run or chose to run they were protected against stress and anxiety. The sedentary rats on the other hand froze for much longer periods of time than any of the active rats. The implications for humans dictate that those that perceive exercise as being forced such as some athletes or patients following a doctors exercise prescription still garner benefits in terms of reducing their anxiety and depression.

Inside Environmental Engineerings depths


Christopher Higgins
Eric Hake Staff Writer
Mines owes much of its excellent reputation to its faculty and their research. One faculty member with the most prestigious of backgrounds is Professor Christopher Higgins, whose wall displays degrees from both Harvard and Stanford. Higgins started his undergraduate degree in chemistry and chemical Biology at Harvard originally thinking he would continue with biochemistry and maybe pursue an MD. But Higgins said, After my sophomore year I had this kind of, what am I doing moment. I didnt do so well in some of my classes my second semester sophomore year and I did a lot of traveling that summer and I asked myself. What do I really want to do? Later Higgins elaborated and said that he spent eleven weeks of his summer touring Europe in an acapella group. They sang at several embassies as well as some large concert venues. At the end of the trip they had covered the trip expenses with gigs along the way. During that same summer, Higgins recalls that he read an Old book about public health called The Coming Plague. He recalled thinking, Oh this sounds really interesting and realized that A lot of the people doing public health were chemists and microbiologists. He also recognized that there were a lot of opportunities to delve into the field of public health while at Harvard due to the plethora of people doing that type of work in the area. Higgins decided then that when he went back to school he would go see what this public health thing was about. Higgins said, Environmental health is a big component of public health and in fact the early public health work was situated around environmental engineering. He elaborated saying, So i got really interested in this environmental, public health linkage even though I was a chemistry student and I took a lot of electives related to public health and the environment and when I graduated I went to go work for a public consulting firm. So I was basically a consultant to the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) doing regulation development work. Higgins became further motivated to pursue environmental studies after a friend suggested a class at MIT. He said, Someone I ran into said, You know what, youre a chemistry student and you like this environmental chemistry stuff, you should really take this class if you can, called environmental organic chemistry. It was offered at MIT and I was working in the Boston area and my company said, Yeah we will pay for you to go take that class because it was somewhat related to what I was doing. So I took it and within two or three lectures I was like, This is what I want to do. Higgins said that he loved the environmental aspects of chemistry as well as teaching. So he went on to obtain both a Masters degree and a Ph.D. at Stanford in civil and environmental engineering. From there he went to do a postdoc at Johns Hopkins where he worked in the school of public health. Finally Dr. Higgin decided to come to Mines. When asked why he decided to teach here he said, Of all the places I interviewed, Mines was one of the places I clicked. I saw what people were doing, and I felt that the research I did and the teaching I did would be valued, and in terms of reputation Mines has really a fantastic reputation, I mean its known for engineering, but in the environmental chemistry arena its actually really well known. He went on to praise the students for their intelligence and work ethic At Mines, Higgins teaches two graduate classes Principles of Environmental Chemistry, an introductory graduate level chemistry course that covers inorganic chemistry and a little organic chemistry, and Environmental Organic Chemistry, which Higgins described as modeled after the class I took at MIT and as the class I always wanted to teach. Additionally, Higgins just started teaching the environmental engineering lab class, which is a team taught class (lead by Higgins). This lab class is aimed at Taking the book of knowledge that students develop and translating that into hands on, practical knowledge. Higgins also does research on campus. Some of his current research involves examining bioaccumulation of organic contaminants such as pharmaceuticals. He also looks at personal care products in food crops and reclaimed water, perfluorochemicals in groundwater systems, and organic contaminants in wastewater treatment plants.

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Growing problem
Groundwater Sustainability
Eric Hake Staff Writer
Dr. Graham E. Fogg of UC Davis, visited the Colorado School of Mines campus and presented about groundwater sustainability. Fogg started by talking about the importance of California farmland. He said, California produces 50% of the nations fruits and vegetables with irrigation. Regarding water, its sustainability, and the reason for his research into the subject, he added, Its going to take centuries for this to play out and for me, the call to arms was: Well, we better figure this out. Is an entire resource going to be lost? Shouldnt we know about it and warn somebody and rethink our regulations and whether they are effective and working? According to Fogg the groundwater in most systems is hundreds to thousands of years old yet the pollutants that humans are adding to the water are only fifty to sixty years old. Fogg says, Highly mix and molecular ages typically range greatly within a single sample. As a result, in many systems the quality of the groundwater is likely to decline in the near future. Fogg went on to ask what is the evidence that the water quality is getting worse? Historically, data from city wells is often limited because after the detection of high levels of contaminates, the city will shut down that well and discontinue testing the well for contaminates. Recently though, cities are gathering data from these shut down wells and from rural and suburban areas where most non-point sources exist. Fogg also said, The question is, How long is it going to take the contaminated water to move down and to gradually contaminate more and more ground water? Fogg believes the answer to this question depends on the contamination sources. The main sources that Fogg outlined were farmland runoff and cattle manure runoff. The fertilizer used on crops contains many contaminants that adversely affect the groundwater. Fogg believes that if farmers drill shallow wells they could reuse the contaminated groundwater to water the crops. The nutrients in the contaminated groundwater would supplement the fertilizer and allow farmers to use fertilizer in more sustainable amounts without decreasing their crop yield. Fogg ended his lecture by informing the audience what needed to be done to sway public opinion. He said, We need to be able to answer the question, If we reduce nitrogen loading by fifty percent is that going to amount to a profit or not? If you cant tell people when positive effects will occur then youre not going to get anybody to change their practices. Unfortunately, Fogg also said that models that can accurately predict how groundwater interacts and moves in order to determine requirements for keeping contaminants at a steady state, have not even come close to being produced. Solving this problem, like many modern public health issues is going to be no easy task and requires lengthy research before public interest is swayed.

Slacklining Club hosts contest


Eric Hake Staff Writer
CSM Slacklining Club presented their annual Spring Thaw event last weekend. The event took place on Kafadar Commons and featured music, free food, and free drinks. Additionally, there were two slacklining competitions held on Kafadar. Slackline members arrived at seven Saturday morning to start setting up the equipment that would be used all day. In total, eighteen slacklines were set up. These lines varied in difficulty from beginner lines under fifteen feet in length and under two feet above the ground, to lines as long as 180 feet in length, to a variety of one, one and a quarter, and two inch tricklines. Less conventional lines were available as well. These included rodeo lines and a space anchor. Rodeo lines are classified as non-tensioned lines. At this years Spring Thaw, the rodeo lines had about ten feet of sag in them. The space anchor refers to a system where three or more lines are anchored in space to an O-ring. This system allows multiple slackliners to walk separate lines and feel actions of the other slackliners through the line, but without being too difficult to walk because the motions of the slackline (especially side to side motions) are greatly dampened by the other slacklines attached to the space anchor. At noon burgers and hotdogs were grilled and served for free to anybody attending or passing through the event. Throughout the day two contests took place.The first was the long line speed challenge. In this competition competitors had to walk the distance of the 180 foot long line as fast as they could. If the competitor fell off, their time did not count and they had to start over. Competitors could attempt this contest all day and the only proof they needed was a witness and a timer. The winner was Seth Brown a slackliner from CU Boulder. He won 150 feet of flowline webbing. The other contest was the yoga slackline contest. This event took place on any line that was tensioned using a primitive set up, excluding one beginner line that was deemed too short. In this event slackliners had all day to perform yoga tricks listed on a trick sheet. Tricks on the sheet included tricks involving flexibility, strength, and balance in order to hold difficult positions on the slackline. The winner of this competition was Spencer Roberts, also from Boulder. The climax of the event occurred during the trickline competition. This event brought nationally and internationally ranked slackliners to compete at CSM even though the competition would score them no points in the national circuit. Prominent names included Mickey Wilson, CSM physics alumnus and second place USA national champion as well as the UK national Slackline Champion Jake White. As is common in the Spring Thaw, many inverted aerials and some of the newest and most innovative tricks were being put down by the competitors. The judging panel consisted of two CSM juniors, Marcus Nelson, who being an avid trickliner himself would likely have competed if not for a recently dislocated elbow, and Vinny Delaney, a long time veteran in the slackline club, as well as Michael Bross, an avid slackliner from UC Boulder, and Teresa Rohde, the former faculty adviser for the slackline club at Mines. Unsurprisingly, Wilson won the contest with Travis Brown, another student from CU Boulder, taking second and Zack Duckworth taking third place. After the final competition people slowly started to disperse. The slackline club frantically tried to finish up and give away the bbq supplies they had left. Around 6:30 they started taking down their lines and Kafadar was empty again just as the sun began to set.

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Geek Week
of the

f e a t u r e s

april 29, 2013

Jordan Francis Staff Writer


Some students rush to get out of Mines as fast as possible, while other students choose to meander and take in everything they can possibly get from their education at Mines. Ben Johnson, a chemistry major, tends to fall into the latter category. When not hard at work with his endeavors to graduate, Johnson is gaming, discussing the various aspects of elements in culture, and occasionally, interviewing with the Oredigger newspaper. [Oredigger]: Why Chemistry? [Johnson]: Id like to take the title of Master of Molecular Manipulation at some point. Its just so cool to manipulate the very foundation of the universe. Whats been your favorite class? Qualitative Organic Analysis because its that class that you go into the lab, they give you a random chemical sample and say what is that? and you go out and find out using the lab materials and methods they taught you. Its like being Sherlock Holmes for chemicals. Are you a geek and why? Yesbecause I over-analyze every aspect of our culture and science where a normal person would be like yeah, we just accept that. [For example,] in Bio-

...Ben Johnson: Chemistry

shock, when you kill Andrew Ryan, why doesnt he regenerate in a Vita-Chamber? I know theres one in the next room and whos to say what the range is on those things? How do you spend your spare moments? Video games, Netflix, cooking. What are your greatest accomplishments? Almost getting out of this school. Also, becoming a shaman. Who would win in a fight between Yoda and Darth Vader? Well, as Red Letter Media pointed out, Yodas greatly diminished stature is offset by his use of the Force. Also, Darth Vader is the Chosen One, so I think hed be about equal in Force powers to Yoda. However, because of his stature, I think he could beat the crap outta Yoda. If you could be dropped into any fictional setting, what would it be and why? Batman. Definitely Batman. As long as you live in the right place, you get to see a lot of action and you know that Batmans got your back, unless he shows up too late. Plus, you might end up with super powers by the end of it. Whats your favorite thing about Mines? Probably the community. Its nice to have good friends around when your course load is encumbering. Whats your best nerd story?

A couple summers ago I actually made some thermite with some friends. It took awhile to get the right mixture of aluminum powder and iron oxide, but when we did, man it lit up well. Also, we found that cinder blocks are really good to stop thermite. Which would you rather have: a functional sonic screwdriver, or a working teleporter? That depends. I dont like travel that much, so I think Id go with the teleporter, assuming I wont end up like Jeff Goldblum [in The Fly] or some other teleporter accident. Do you have any plans for the future? Get a job. Get a Nobel Prize. In Chemistry, preferably. If you could get a team of scientists and engineers to pour all of their effort into research and/or development of one thing or area, what would it be and why? Fusion power and space flight because we need unlimited energy and we need to get outta here. Do you have a favorite quote? You cant fight fate and you cant survive aloneI cant help but notice that almost seems like a definition of who I ama person whos trying to do both. - Batman Do you have any advice for fellow geeks and Mines students?

I would like to quote [The] Red Green Show: The handymans secret weapon: duct tape, were

all in this together, and If women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
JORDAN FRANCIS / OREDIGGER

Video game flashback - Donkey Kong 64


Ian Mertz Staff Writer
When it comes to gaming, few developer-publisher partnerships produced more great games than Rareware (now just Rare) and Nintendo. The duo was prolific through the 1990s, releasing highly acclaimed titles like Donkey Kong Country for Super Nintendo and Golden Eye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, and Perfect Dark for Nintendo 64. Many of their games are still revered today over a decade after their release. One title that does not get mentioned that frequently among Nintendo and Rares games is Donkey Kong 64, (DK 64) an expansion on the previous Donkey Kong Country series and Donkey Kongs first and only 3D platformer. The game opens in the beautiful DK Isles, a sunny and peaceful paradise, until the games reptilian villain King K. Rool rolls in on his massive floating fortress. His goal is to destroy the DK Isles with a powerful, albeit generically named weapon the Blast-O-Matic. Fortunately for Donkey Kong, K. Rool hits a large rock and both his ship and the BlastO-Matic break down. To buy himself time to fix the weapon, K. Rool steals all 200 of DKs golden bananas and kidnaps four of his relatives, the Kongs. To beat the game, the player must progress through eight levels, rescue the four trapped Kongs, and collect the stolen golden bananas before facing K. Rool in a climactic boss fight. This is no small feat. Perhaps the greatest asset of DK 64 is that it is a long and challenging game. Within each level, each Kong has five golden bananas to collect, The massive kinetic sculpture that playing it. alongside the additional task of is the Production Room of Frantic Despite all of the positive aspects finding 100 color coded regular ba- Factory is most definitely the hard- of DK 64, there are a few issues with nanas and a blueprint which will buy est, while the inside of the lighthouse the game. While they are not game the player time in the final level, Hide- from the Gloomy Galleon level bears breaking, they do detract from the out Helm. The levels are expansive, and almost uncanny resemblance to overall experience. with many Kong-specific areas and the top of Whomps Fortress from The first of these issues is the varied methods for collecting the Super Mario 64. Each Kong has camera. Often times the camera will golden bananas. Often these take great jumping ability and even the get confused and bump, slide, or the form of mini game barrels placed large Kongs are very floaty to aid pass through walls. It also has the in areas that must be reached us- with precision in areas where jumps habit of turning at the most inopporing a specific skill, but other times are key. tune times such as when the player involve mine cart races, puzzles, or A final area in which the game must cross narrow walkways, caustimed doors. The variety in the tasks excels is music. Most of the tracks ing Kongs to fall off and get injured or needed to find the golden bananas from DK 64 run about two minutes plunge into bottomless holes. Odd keeps the game fresh throughout its in length and are filled with inter- camera behavior is not unexpected COURTESY NINTENDO with games from the length. The levels also keep Nintendo 64 era, as esthe game fresh, as sentially every 3D game each level has a spefor the console has the cific theme and is vastly same problem. With different from the next. careful planning, the From the lush Jungle player can easily avoid Japes to the mechanifalling from ledges. cal Frantic Factory, Another issue with every level presents its the game are the mini own challenges. game barrels discussed As one might exearlier. Most provide an pect, the difficulty of adequate level of chalthe levels increases lenge appropriate for through the game, but the golden banana renot in a linear fashion. ward for beating them. The general progres- Original Nintendo 64 Donkey Kong 64 game cartridge. Others, especially tosion from least to most challenging ludes and turnarounds that create a wards the late stages of the game, is interrupted by the third level, Fran- seamless transition when the music are insane. There is no reason it tic Factory, whose mess of floors loops. Caves and indoor areas use should take 20 tries to complete a and dark corridors puts it only a step variations on the main level themes. simple task like collecting 10 coins in behind the penultimate level, Creepy Even though all of the music in the a barrel full of water or stopping four Castle, in terms of difficulty. In gener- game is produced via synthesizer, slot reels on the same shape. These al, the level design of DK 64 is one of the music design is done in such a tasks, however, pale in comparison the games best aspects, as there is way as to provide very realistic trom- to something called Beaver Bother, great satisfaction in exploring every bone, saxophone, and pizzicato vio- but there is neither time nor space to last corner for every collectible item. lin sounds for example. The tracks explain why that mini game should As far as the platforming aspect are catchy and it is not uncommon never have been created. Suffice it goes, there are plenty of gaps and to hum or sing a song from a level to say, the title of the mini game is timed jumps to test the players skill. after having spent several hours accurate.

Ben Johnson embraces being a geek and aspires to someday take the title of Master of Molecular Manipulation.

A final, minor complaint is that at times the game slows down. With such massive levels and a remarkably high draw distance, the Nintendo 64 cannot always handle the number of objects it must render in a given scene. The game is actually only one of three Nintendo 64 games to require the Memory Expansion Pak (the other two being The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask and Perfect Dark) which doubles the consoles memory and allows for the scale of the game. This requirement may be a concern for gamers looking to play the original cartridge version, as OEM Memory Expansion Paks sell for $20 on eBay. To check, open the door labelled memory expansion on the top of the Nintendo 64. If the module inside has a red top, it is good. Overall, Donkey Kong 64 gives a great impression. The game is long, varied, and challenging, which adds to its replay value. Every level is unique and the levels have many areas to explore. The collection aspect means there is always something to find, whether it be golden bananas, regular bananas, or blueprints. Well-produced music enhances the games levels and its impressive-forthe-time graphics. Despite a few minor camera problems, a nearly impossible mini game, and some framerate issues, this is a solid game. Anyone who enjoyed Banjo-Kazooie or Super Mario 64 will also enjoy Donkey Kong 64. Play the console or an emulated version and discover why one of Nintendo and Rares less talked-about titles deserves just as much acclaim as Banjo-Kazooie.

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april 29, 2013

Aliens: Colonial Marines doesnt live up to hype


Kyle Santi Staff Writer
A few months ago, Sega released Aliens: Colonial Marines for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Everyone expected great things from this game, and the previews were promising as well as the demos. The hype shaped this game up to be the definitive Alien game. Unfortunately, those hopes proved false. The game has received negative reviews by critics and players alike. A Wii U port was canceled as a result of the backlash. Now that the price has gone down, is it worth a purchase? The campaign is where most of the problems lie. For starters, the game must be played on full brightness or else it is too dark to play. The campaign is a standard firstperson shooter where the player just goes straight (with occasional turns) from point A to B while shooting bad guys. This linear style of gameplay is similar to Halo or Call of Duty, and the great height the player character can jump is similar to how high Master Chief of Halo can jump. This is odd since Master Chief is a superhuman while the player in this game is just a human. There are hidden objects in the game for anyone who looks hard enough. The objects include dog tags from fallen marines, audio logs, and legendary weapons used by the heroes of the movie Aliens. Finding these objects nets the player experience points. Like Call of Duty, collecting experience points and leveling up gives the player upgrades for the weapons to make them more powerful. Completing challenges also nets the player experience points and completing them can unlock skins and decals for the weapons and the marines armor for multiplayer matches. These upgrades are useful, but the weapon can only have a few, so the player is encouraged to mix and match weapon configuration to fit his or her style. Not all of these upgrades are useful for the campaign, however. There is little strategy to be had in the campaign. The xenomorphs, the titular aliens, just run towards the player and attack. There are no tactics involved in their attack. They do not try to flank, divide and conquer, or even ambush. The entire campaign could be played by running and shooting at whatever alien shows up in front of you. They never attack from behind. The player also fights humans from the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, the antagonists of Aliens. This may come to some disappointment to those who just wanted to fight the xenomorphs, especially since half of the levels in Aliens: Colonial Marines are dedicated to fighting Weyland-Yutani. Unfortunately, the humans are not that smart, either. They just hide and shoot, and sometimes run at the player only to be gunned down with ease. Basically, the best strategy is to take cover and fire when there is an opening. Again, there is little strategy involved. The best level of the game is by far level five where the player is stripped of his or her weapons and forced to be stealthy. This is a tense, fear-inducing part of the game and it feels just like what the game should have been. Unfortunately, it is dulled by the xenomorphs waddling around like penguins. It is ridiculous to behold, but that is offset by the fear of being detected. When the xenomorphs approach, they detect the player through sound instead of sight so staying perfectly still is how to make them go away, though it seems odd that they cannot see or even smell. Sadly, this stealth part is short and then it is back to the mindless shooting. The xenomorphs themselves have little variety. There are the xenomorphs who run and then attack, those who spit acid from a distance, and those who run faster and then attack. Monotony can set in quickly especially with the repetitive stages on the ships. The scenery improves once the game switches settings to the planet and there is more variety in the stages, so the game improves a little after the ship levels. Speaking of the settings, the graphics feel outdated. The colors befit the setting and the lighting is conducive to the atmosphere, but the graphics do not t a k e advantage of the Xbox 360s power. The humans seem like CGI puppets and move awkwardly. The running motions are okay, but the characters feet do not always hit the ground. Even when characters die, and that includes the xenomorphs, they can be hovering a couple of feet off of the ground. Other glitches pop up throughout the game and are a much too common. Most of the glitches are graphical and the environments take a long time to render and look cheap. Additionally, the environments are not impressive when fully rendered and in one part of the game, a ship is only half puttogether with a lot of empty space. The sound is passable. It is nothing special but it is not annoying. The music is bombastic but forgettable for the more exciting parts. What is truly annoying is when the game is paused the music keeps going as loud as before. Even when in the Xbox home menu, the music is still playing as loud as in the game. This is extremely irritating as pausing the game should imply that everything is paused, including the music. The player character is Corporal Christopher T. Winter attached to the USS Sephora to investigate the disappearance of the USS Sulaco and its crew. The crew finds the xen-

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Greeks scramble to prepare for final exams


Hannah Rossi Ross Peters Guest Writers
As finals week steam rolls towards Mines students, even the most diligent are frantic to prepare for exams. The houses on greek row are no different in feeling this pressure. While most houses have academic/scholarship chairs, members are charged with the difficult duty of keeping other members on track in their classes, greek members of every kind are scrambling to prepare for upcoming tests. A few of those greek members shared their habits and advice to get through finals. Mines junior and Alpha Phi scholarship chair, Katie Poffenbarger, said, I color a lot when Im starting to feel stressed out, Katie also refuses to study at all the day of the test. According to her, it makes me feel like I have a better grip on things. When asked about the Alpha Phi GPA she said, I redid our study this year and added white boards with new study resources. Its my job to check up on girls to make sure they are doing everything they can to do to get good grades. I have to help them pull it together when their test scores suffer. The greek GPAs, which are posted online annually, is a constant source of competition between houses. Sigma Kappa Sophomore, Leah Marshall, offered advice to students with upcoming tests, Staying focused for five straight days is the worst, try to take little breaks throughout the day so you dont go crazy. The Pi Phi house is also hard at work in their endeavors to succeed during finals. Kaylin Berry, a Pi Phi Sophomore, said, Its a network of people that have already taken the classes and are willing to help you, so that has really benefited me, of the help she received from her sisters. Berry also has an interesting ritual for the day of her tests, The morning of the test, I get up early and study my butt off then watch an episode of TV before I go to my test. As for her advice to new finals takers, she says simply, dont underestimate them. Students in fraternities are also buckling down for the final stretch. Kyle Heser is one of those students. He balances impressive academic performance with leadership roles in organizations all around campus. Kyle, a junior in Metallurgical Engineering, is currently a lead peer mentor, the vice president of Blue Key, and is the president elect for Sigma Alpha Epsilon in the fall. Sitting down with him for a few minutes, he looks stress-free for the amount of involvement he takes on within the community. Kyles hardest final of the semester, according to him, will be modern physics, and his studying style is bunkin down with a couple of classmates, a couple of textbooks, a large cup of coffee, and studying long into the night. When asked about his finals week stress relievers, one of his tips is to [read] a good book before going to sleep, instead of studying up until bedtime. He also enjoys playing roofball with friends during study breaks, a wall-ball type game played inside the courtyard at Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Roofball is not the only benefit of being greek during finals week. Everybody is studying for the same finals, so you always have study partners in your house, Kyle says. The advice and help that upperclassmen can give is also helpful. Overall, Kyle is a perfect example of a greek student who knows how to finish strong and stay relaxed in the process.

omorphs infesting the ship and fall under attack. In the meantime, mercenaries from WeylandYutani attack the Sephora and her crew to cover up their misdeeds. Now, Winter needs to fight for his life against xenomorphs and Weyland-Yutani and save his fellow marines. This story is sub-par. The characters are completely one-dimensional. There is nothing to them except their basic personalities. As a result, it is hard to connect to them. When one dies, it is hard to feel sad or vengeful because all of the characters are so flat. In addition, the story explains plot points too poorly for proper emotional investment so it feels like random events happen in the game with little explanation. The over arching theme is that no marine is left behind. This is a great theme, but is hammered in so much that it becomes annoying. Happily for Aliens fans, this game contains a lot of callbacks to earlier movies which fall flat to people unfamiliar with the movies. There is a lot of fanservice for the fans but nonfans are confused and lost. After a while, the player forgets about the story and just focuses on getting through the game. The final aspect of Aliens: Colonial Marines is the multiplayer. There is little to say except that it is fun. It pits xenomorphs against marines in deathmatch and survival modes. For

CO those UR who enjoy on- TESY S line multiplayer, it is EGA great and challenging. Players can upgrade the xenomorphs in multiplayer and have more variety. The campaign is multiplayer as well, but it is poorly done. The split-screen is surprisingly awkward with neither player having a great view of the area and in multiplayer the game runs slower. The drop-in drop-out co-op is tough for the game to handle. Still, the multiplayer is well done and provides a lot of enjoyment. Fortunately, the PC scene is working on modifications to improve the game. The purpose of these mods is to improve gameplay and add to the game in terms of game modes, gameplay, stability, and more. This is great for PC gamers, but not console gamers. The mods cannot improve the story, but can improve the gameplay. Overall, Aliens: Colonial Marines is a mixed bag. The campaign is awful gameplay and storywise with dumb AI, flat characters, and little narrative flow. The multiplayer truly feels like an Alien game and brings great challenges. Unfortunately, there is little to attract those who are not already fans of Alien and hook them to the other media. The sad thing about this game is that it had so much potential. It could have been better, but that did not happen. Fortunately for the true Alien fans, the mods that are coming for PC will provide a rich game experience to reward fans of the movies.

COURTESY ORLANDO MARTINEZ

CSM Greeks are quite frantic to prepare for upcoming exams.

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Eric Hake Staff Writer

Beginners This week in CO history Notable demises slacklining guide


Deborah Good Editor-in-Chief
major movements and at home was a member of the postal service and a forest ranger. This week in 1921, a fire beGolden lost a war hero this week in 1921, as Harry Brown gan in H.M. Perrys meat market. died of complications from severe The cause was unknown, though poison gas exposure received in a cigarette was suspected. Perry France during World War I. Brown had some insurance, but not was 31 years and 10 months old. enough to cover his loss, he said. The meat market He had attempted to enlist when the He had attempted to was housed in Avenue Hotel United States enenlist when the United the Building, and thus tered World War I, but was rejected. States entered World some of the hotel rooms were filled Undeterred, he made three more War I, but was rejected. with smoke. The residents of these attempts and was rejected each time. He ultimately rooms were forced to flee in their was drafted and trained at Fort night clothing. Two boys were nearly sufDeming before heading to France with the Old Hickory division. focated by the smoke, and one He was a member of the 114th Herbert Petrie had a close shave machine gun battalion, and it was after entering the burning buildduring this battalions drive on the ing, believing someone trapped Sambre Canal he was gassed. inside. The Colorado Transcript Brown fought admirably in six reported, Unseen by anyone,

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april 29, 2013

other anchor point, reducing the amount it can wobble. The exception to static lines in Summer is just around the cor- two inch ratchet tension systems ner and it brings with it many out- are the Gibbon jib and surf lines. door activities that everyone enjoys. These are made from an elastic For those considering getting into material specifically for the user to slacklining the type of line a person perform tricks on. In fact recent buys can have a large influence on developments in slackline elasticity the type of slacklining they will be created tricklining. Tricklining is a able to do. As with many sports, competitive sport where competislacklining has several genres such tors are judged on amplitude, creas, long lines, high lines, trick lines, ativity, trick difficulty, and style. and primitive set ups. The only difference between For those just learning to slack- the jib line and the surf line are the line, becoming familiar with all the length of the line and ratchet arm. genres is imporThe surf line is the tant, even if they For [beginners], be- longer of the two and will not be partakhas the longer ratchet ing in them any- coming familiar with arm. The length altime soon. Long lows one to achieve lines are classified all the genres is im- larger bounce amas any line over plitude and the long 80 feet in length. portant, even if they arm allows one to These lines need will not be partak- tension the line to a pulley system high levels, further in order to tighten ing in them anytime adding to the bounce them. The cost of height the user may pulleys, a brake, a obtain. While these soon. multiplayer, rope are not beginner and webbing, can cost upwards of lines, athletic and ambitious beginsix hundred dollars depending on ners should not rule out these lines. the quality of the equipment. High It is easy for a beginner to set them lines (often also long lines) are de- up between short distances and fined as any line sixty feet or higher learn the basics before attempting above the ground. These lines re- their first tricks on these lines. The quire all the same equipment but surf line, more expensive than the also require line lockers, a harness jib lines, is long enough, about 100 for the slackliner, back up webbing, feet, to provide a beginner with a and other back up equipment. good introduction to long lining. These systems can cost upwards of Other ratchet systems that fifteen hundred dollars. Besides the should be considered by a begininitial cost, the equipment knowl- ner are the Gibbon flowline and edge required to set up these lines tubeline. They behave like their 1 and advanced skill level required to in long and high line counterparts, walk these lines makes these lines but are easy and cheap to set up. impossible for beginners. Sometime these lines, as well as The other types of slacklining are primitive setups, are criticized by more cost efficient and easier for the beginners as hard to walk due to beginner to learn on and to set up their thin width. This is kind of a in a safe manner. A variety of begin- misnomer. The difficulty in walking a ner slacklines can be bought from slackline comes from an inability to companies like Gibbon, Slackstar, keep ones legs and body steady on Singing Rock, and others. Normally the line and rarely from an inability these lines are 2 inches in width, to place ones foot on the slackline use a ratchet system to tension the itself. slack line and can range in length The last slackline setup is called from 10 to 30 meters, though Gib- a primitive setup. Appropriately bon sells some one inch lines, and named, climbers created this setother line varieties. Because of their up in the early 1980s. This setup, easy setup and relative cheapness, sometimes viewed as the purest ranging from about 50 to 140 dol- form of slacklining, uses one inch lars, these lines are the most con- (though sometimes 11/16 and 1/2 ventional lines. Unfortunately, most inch) webbing. The tensioning sysof these lines, excluding some of tem is created with carabiners using Gibbons lines, cater too much to a pulley with the line wrapped back the beginner, and prevent progres- through the pulley system such that sion once the slackliner is ready to the friction of one tensioned line on move onto more advance slacklin- the other keeps the system from ing. un-tensioning. This setup is still the The concerns slackliners have cheapest one can buy. The only with these conventional entry level downfall with this system is that a slacklines are threefold. First off, friend is required to help tighten the these lines are static and non- system to an appropriate amount. elastic, making the line difficult to When a beginner is buying their perform tricks on, excluding some first slackline it is often recomyoga maneuvers. Additionally, the mended that they first buy a primiclassic line does not behave like the tive setup. This system allows them webbing used in other advanced to familiarize themselves with some systems like highlines and long- of the equipment and setup techlines, making the transition to more niques that are used later on in long advanced slacking difficult. Fur- line and high line systems. Additionthermore, the heavy ratchet used ally, these lines have the same elasto tighten the line dampens the line tic qualities as long and highlines. and gives the lines an awkward deThe beginner slackliner should layed wobble. This ratchet problem avoid static, two inch wide, ratchet can be reduced in two ways. One tensioned systems, such as the way is by further tensioning the Gibbon classic line. These lines, line, but high tension in a static line while they work well for a while, makes the line almost immobile and will be quickly outgrown by an frankly kind of boring. The other is avid slackliner. Instead the Gibbon by finding a tree wide enough that surfline, or a primitive set-up is recthe ratchet is close to the tree or ommended.

Petrie crawled into the room and got as far as the partition door when a stream of water was turned in [sic]. He was knocked against a corner and painfully hurt. Luckily, he was able to call for help before passing out. Colorado pioneer Anthony Tripp died at St. Lukes hospital from pneumonia this week in 1921. He had lived in Jefferson County for 50 years. Tripp was born in Cornwall, England in 1853, and came to Baltimore as a boy. Later, he moved to Central City and engaged in mining in Gilpin County until 1879, when he moved to Jefferson County, taking up a ranch near Guy Hill. He retired in 1919 and moved to Golden, where he was active in the Golden Masonic lodge and affiliated with the Methodist Church. He was survived by his wife and five sons.

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april 29, 2013

Baseball secures three straight wins over CCU


Katerina Gonzales Content Manager
The CSM Orediggers started the weekend off great with three straight wins against the Colorado Christian University Cougars at home in Golden at Darden Field. Friday nights game was a nail-biter, and the game lasted 10 innings, spanning three hours and nineteen minutes. Red-shirt sophomore Ben Gilman took the ball for the first eight innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out five. Junior Eric Shannon came on in relief in the ninth, but two singles, an error, and an intentional walk brought freshman Nate Olinger in to finish. Mines scored one run in the third inning from sophomore third baseman Zach Bothwells double, but found themselves down 2-1 after the fifth. After CCU tacked on another run in the top of the ninth, Mines needed to score two runs to keep the game going, and they did. Senior infielder Garrett Schirmacher and senior outfielder Bobby Egeberg got it going with consecutive walks and both advanced on a wild pitch. Bothwell came up and singled Schirmacher to home, bringing the score to 3-2 for CCU. Olingers fly to deep left brought Egeberg home and sent the game to the tenth inning. In the end, it was another wild pitch that sent redshirt junior Kyle Wallace to the plate and the Diggers walked off with the 4-3 win. Wallace had walked and advanced on a Schirmacher single and another CCU error. Nate Olinger took the mound again Saturday, and started off the game by working through a jam and leaving the bases loaded in the first. The Cougars and Orediggers were scoreless heading into the bottom of the third, but back-to-back singles by freshman shortstop Travis Ramos and Schirmacher gave Mines a 4-0 lead. Olinger dominated the rest of the game, picking up the complete game and scattering eight hits over eight innings. Mines never gave up the lead in their second game of the doubleheader Saturday. Freshman lefty Christian Rooney picked up his fourth win of the season as he went the full seven innings, giving up three runs on eleven hits. Bothwell, Olinger, Ramos, and Schirmacher continued to lead the offense as the Orediggers won 5-3. Mines will play a doubleheader Tuesday evening against CCU to make up for the snowed-out games earlier in the year before traveling to Grand Junction to face Colorado Mesa in their last regular-season series of the year. With the wins Saturday, Mines record is 18-21 overall and 15-16 in the RMAC, at No. 5.
MICHAEL RODGERS / OREDIGGER

s p o r t s

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Lady Orediggers Golf achieves 2nd at continue to win RMAC championships


Jared Riemer Content Manager
the RMAC for the third consecutive year, the lady Orediggers will look to finish the year strong with their final The No. 12 Colorado School games of the year on Sunday. The Lady Orediggers hit four of Mines softball team squared off against the CSU-Pueblo Thunder home runs to tie a season high in the Wolves in game one of their double- win, and Courtney Derus had two header. The lady Orediggers took a of those herself and has eight this 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third year, going two for three from the plate with two RBIs. inning when Elise Colorado School of Macy Jones hit her Dugwyler scored fourth home run on a wild pitch, but Mines softball team of the year to start CSUP answered game for the in the top of the squared off against the the Orediggers and affourth with a two ter Duncan walked, run home run and CSU-Pueblo. Springer hit her first tacked on four more unanswered runs in the fifth to take home run of the year to give Mines a 6-1 lead. Molly Thiebaut drove in a a 3-0 lead after just one half inning. Those three runs would prove to run in the sixth after Sami Springer and Cassie Ford had back-to-back be more than enough of a cushion as Kelly Unkrich pitched, giving up singles. Ford, Springer, and Gianna Dun- only one run on six hits. It was Uncan were two for three in the game krichs thirty second consecutive from the plate, and Thiebaut was complete game and she recorded one for three with an RBI. For the six strikeouts while walking none, first time in eight starts, pitcher Ash- improving to 21-1 on the year. While ley Goletz (13-4) took the loss, giving three runs were enough to get the up six earned on 10 hits with four win, the Lady Orediggers scored six more on the day including four runs strikeouts and four walks. In the second game of the day, in the fourth inning. Duncan was one for one on the donning pink jerseys, the CSM softball team overcame just their fifth day with three walks and Jones also loss of the year to drub the home had three walks to go along with team UC-Colorado Springs Moun- her second inning homer. Kamee tain Lions 9-1 in five innings. The win Vessey and Dugwyler were both one brings Mines to 35-5-1, and 25-3 in for three from the plates each scorthe RMAC. Having already clinched ing a run.

The Orediggers solid pitching deserves credit for an important series win over CCU.

Jared Riemer Content Manager

The No. 22 Colorado School of Mines golf team, led by junior Michael Lee, finished second at the RMAC championship last Monday and Tuesday in Goodyear, Arizona. After day one, Mines sat in second place out of nine teams with a total of 590, 12 strokes back of leader UC Colorado Springs. Lee sat in second after posting rounds of

72 and 68, three shots back of the overall lead. Day two was much the same, with Mines finishing second place out of the nine teams.The defending champions of the event simply could not overcome their day one deficit of -12. Mines finished 17 strokes back (886) of champion UCCS who finished with a team total of 869. Lee shot a 76 on day two to come in third and earn all-tournament honors. Sophomores Jordan Arndt

(73-79-69-221) and John Ahern (71-77-74-222), Junior Kyle Grassel (78-74-77-229) and senior Chad Herges (76-79-77-232) rounded out the scorecards for the second place Orediggers. Respectively, Arndt and Ahem finished seventh and ninth and Grassel and Herges finished twenty second and thirtieth. The next stop for the Orediggers will be the NCAA West/South Central Super Regional May 6-9 in Dupont, Washington.

Eric Hake Staff Writer

Track and Field travels to Hillsdale Gina Relays


a personal record with a time of 4:30.95 giving her 10th place out of a field of 28 competitors. Over the weekend the track In the 10,000 meter Gina Van team competed in the 47th annual Laar Lanser Senior Hannah Cooling Hillsdale College Gina Relays in Hill- became the second ever woman sdale, Michigan. in Mines history to run the 10,000 In the first event Senior Tyler meter under 40 minutes. Hannah Curtis broke the school record Cooling beat the 40 minute mark by and placed second overall out of a large margin, running the distance 35 competitors in the in 36:43.62 granting Tyler Curtis 3000 meter steepleher 9th place out of chase finishing with a broke the school a field of 21 runners. time of 9:50.00. The Marty Andrie, a redmens 1500 meter was record...in the shirt freshman, placed a close race with five 8th out of 30 with a racers finishing within time of 14.23.71 in the 3000 meter the same second inter5000 meter. steeplechase val. The most eventful Senior Russell race of the day was Drummond placed 3rd out of 26 the mens 10,000 meter. In the in the 1500 with a time of 3:50.78. mens 10,000 meter sophomore He was closely followed by Junior Phil Schneider ran an impressive Frank Socha who placed 6th with 29:37.99, placing 3rd in the field of a time of 3:52.39 who was also 24 runners and breaking a personal followed closely by red-shirt fresh- record for himself and making his man Drew Kerschieter who took 9th way into third place in the school place with a time of 3:52.90. record books. Junior Andrew EpSenior Hannah Schuster ran the person was close beh`ind Schneiwomens 1500 meter and broke der and placed 9th with a time of 29:52.15. He also broke his personal record and placed 5th in the school records. Hardly a second behind, sophomore Derek Alcorn placed 10th with a time of 29:53.16 breaking yet another personal record and making 6th in the school history books. The history books had to be rewritten once again the following day when Hannah Schuster broke the Mines school record in the 800 meter race. This is the second time she has broken the 800 meter record this year. Senior Tyler Curtis followed up his record breaking run the day before with a 13th place out of 50 runners in the 1500 meter with a time of 4:00.78. His team mates Marty Andrie and Rick Davey took 22nd and 25th respectively. In the 800 meter senior Russell Drummond and junior Frank Socha took 11th with a time of 1:53.17 and 18th with a time of 1:55.00; these were their best times of the season. The next event for Mines track and field is in Golden on May 5th.

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o p i n i o n

april 29, 2013

Katerina Gonzales Content Manager

Minds at Mines Computers forced to speak English Advice to younger self


Katerina Gonzales Content Manager
The end of the year is a time for many things, including frantically getting projects done, studying for finals, and cleaning out the room for the summer to move back home for a little while. The end of the year also provides a time to look back and learn. This week, Minds at Mines asked, What would you say to the incoming freshman version of yourself? For years, computers have advanced and thrived all over the globe, but starting Fall 2015 at Colorado School of Mines, computers will now be required to speak English. There are thousands of programming languages and dialects, such as C++, Java, and Fortran which are all offered as courses at CSM. Many students must learn either C++ or Java, but with the development of English-speaking computers and the new bulletin change, only Computer Science students will be required to take programming concepts. Computers have developed enough that it is time to take the next step, said a CSM official. We are recruiting some of our top graduates from the CS department to program this new language and begin implementing it into the major computing we do here at Mines. Instead of the structure that most languages have, programming in English will be structured much in paragraph form. The language will not be much different to simple commands. For example, Take the average of this list of numbers will replace having to loop through each element of an array and return the sum divided by the length of the array. The English language will also be helpful in the realm of graphics as the programmer will only need to explicitly describe what he or she is trying to display. There will be no need to set colors and styles, but rather a simple Make a tic-tactoe game with a pink background will suffice. Others are skeptical on how well both the computers and the students will be able to communicate with each other. It is a known fact that Mines students and any student majoring in a technical field across the country are unable to communicate effectively, both orally and written, said one critic. I fear for our future. The LAIS department is excited, and the Writing Center will begin to extend hours in anticipation of students needing help on the programming homework. Overall, CSM officials are excited about what the new change could bring in the coming decades as the language spreads to other technology.

Dont trust anyone, and if youre sick for more than a month, go to the health center! Antonia McMullan

Get as much sleep as you can. If you can take a nap, DO IT! Andrea Christians

Study Break
Sudoku Puzzle - Medium

Study hard, trust yourself, dont give up, and ask for help. Mengyuan Yu

Never take 19 credit hours! Corbett Crook

College can be stressful but not everything has to be about homework, you can do other stuff too. Nohemi Almaraz

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Editorials Policy The Oredigger is a designated public forum. Editors have the authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval and may edit submitted pieces for length so long as the original meaning of the piece is unchanged. Opinions contained within the Opinion Section do not necessarily reflect those of Colorado School of Mines or The Oredigger. The Oredigger does not accept submissions without identification and will consider all requests for anonymity in publication on a case-by-case basis. Submissions less than 300 words will receive preference.

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