da.james@colostate-pueblo.edu

“Back on Track,” a new summer school program, aims to help students focus academically and will be offered at CSU-Pueblo this summer, May 16 through June 13. 

The program provides students the chance to re-take courses they failed, said Rick Kreminski, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. Students can enroll to earn better grades for their classes, he said.

“Sometimes they do fine their first semester, and maybe they’re hit with financial issues or issues in their personal lives, or maybe more extended family concerns come up. Maybe they just aren’t motivated,” Kreminski said.

Kreminski said he thought of the “Back on Track” theme randomly.

“The problem is there are some students fall off track. I came up with the ‘Back on Track’ metaphor when I was jogging or something, thinking ‘that’s a real Colorado thing,’” Kreminski said. “Lots of people like to hike in Colorado, and you wander off the track.”   

Students can attend weekly counseling to help boost their GPA and go to Student Support Services for tutoring, he said. Professors will also help students pass their classes, said Derek Lopez, director of first-year programs.

The program offers incentives for students in order to boost its enrollment, Lopez said.

Students will get tuition discounts on certain general education courses, such as English 101 and 102, psychology 100, biology 223 and math 121, he said. Some freshmen and sophomores seem to fail or struggle with these classes, Kreminski said.

In addition, there will be discounts available for textbooks in the university’s bookstore, and for housing and dining, Kreminski said.

“We were able to pay for faculty time through some grant funding we had that helps us to pilot new programs to help students,” Lopez said.

The incentives would also fund the university and generate revenue, Lopez said.    

“Back on Track” also gives students the opportunity to help them catch up on their college credits and do well academically, Kreminski said. The tutoring services and academic counseling with faculty are a couple services to help students catch up, Kreminski said. The program tries to prevent students from dropping out, Kreminski said.

Kreminski researched and sent mail and emails to freshmen and sophomores on GPA alert and academic probation this spring semester, he said. There are students who might not be able to enroll in “Back on Track” because of financial problems, Kreminski said.   

Students are placed on academic probation for the fall and spring semesters if their cumulative GPA is below 2.0, according to the university’s online catalog. Moreover, they have the fall and spring semesters to raise their GPA above a 2.0, the catalog stated.

To find out more information about “Back on Track,” call the First Year Center at (719)549-2584 or Kreminski at (719)549-2340, or visit the Occhiato University Center, Room 214.

da.james@colostate-pueblo.edu

A training session, “Workplace Bullying,” which educates students on how to handle discrimination in the workforce, will be held 9 a.m., Monday, April 4 in the Diversity Resource Center at CSU-Pueblo.

The free training session also will be at 9:30 a.m., Thursday, April 7, and at 3:30 p.m., Friday, April 8 according to a flyer provided by the DRC.

“The training is about educating our campus community on how to prevent any form of discrimination on campus and to help students as they approach graduation and move into their professional careers,” said LaNeeca Williams, affirmative action administrator for CSU-Pueblo. “I hope that they may use this training to help them in their professional careers.”

Photo courtesy of www.hrblunders.com.

Williams will teach the session because she wishes to educate students about discrimination before they go into the workforce, she said. Also, she wants students to “understand what workplace bullying is and what it looks like, and how to stop it.”

Williams will present this topic to show students their rights in a professional setting, she said.

“I truly feel that it is important that students are aware of their rights when it comes to different types of discriminatory behaviors,” she said. 

Williams has conducted preventing discrimination seminars since she started working at CSU-Pueblo, she said.  

“Workplace Bullying” is a “special topics session” that supplements other training sessions during the spring semester, she said. Other “special topics sessions” she will present are about racism and disability in the workplace, Williams said.

She is inspired to do the first campus-oriented “Workplace Bullying” seminar because of its overall message, she said.

“This motivates me because I believe that the more informed that we are about these types of issues, the less that we will have to worry about loss of productivity, jobs or morale on campus,” Williams said. “Overall, I believe training campus members will make a better working and school environment for everyone on our campus.”

All students are welcome to attend that training session and are required to fill out a registration form in the DRC, Williams said, and the training session should last about 45 minutes to an hour.

Students can find out more about “Workplace Bullying” from Williams by visiting her in the DRC, Room 031 of the Occhiato University Center, or by calling her at 719-549-2210. Williams also said students can find out more from flyers posted around campus or by e-mails sent to their student e-mail accounts.

da.james@colostate-pueblo.edu

The “Making Sense of Consent” presentation held Wednesday at CSU-Pueblo’s Occhiato University Center covered details about consent and sexual assault.

About 20 students from Jacqueline Stroud’s women’s studies class attended the presentation which was open to everyone.

In order for people to give their consent to engage in sexual activity, they must pursue the act intentionally, said Michelle Kratz, community liaison and case manager for Pueblo Rape Crisis Services.

“For somebody to consent, they have to be excited about saying ‘yes.’ It has to be very willing,” she said.

Photo courtesy of victimempowermentsa.wordpress.com.

However, there are people who doubt themselves and their actions if they engage in sexual activity, she said. Kratz conducts presentations of this nature at schools because children in school and college students tend to be involved in sexual assault, she said, and she informs students about the rise in sexual assaults.

“I like to try to educate the community, especially in the schools,” Kratz said. “I think there are a lot of myths about sexual assault.”

Sexual assault is the essence of rape because they are similar in terminology and they both involve sexual penetration, she said.

“In Colorado, those two are one in the same,” Kratz said.

Unlawful sexual contact is another term that is considered sexual assault, however it does not include sexual penetration, she said.

“It can be touching in a sexual nature of any kind that’s unwanted,” Kratz said.

Victims have contacted Kratz and informed her they possibly consented sexually, but they felt uncomfortable with their actions, she said.

“Personally, with the victims that I spoken to, they knew that they weren’t really comfortable with what they were doing,” she said.

The PRCS works closely with Parkview Medical Center as another resource for victims, Kratz said. Parkview conducts an exam that checks on victims’ health and finds evidence of sexual assault, called a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. The exam can be taken within 72 hours of being sexually assaulted, she said.

Kratz encourages victims to stay in contact with their families and PRCS, she said. She conducts presentations to keep people of the community informed and get their moral support, Kratz said.

Victims who experience sexual assault could experience signs of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism, Kratz said. However, victims can seek moral support and professional help from therapists to maintain healthier lives.

“It’s very important to get help and support from people you trust,” she said.

Elizabeth Woods, a junior majoring in psychology and social work, said the presentation and the facts were informative. She felt surprised about the rise sexual assaults on college universities, she said.

Two of her friends that are CSU-Pueblo students experienced sexual assault, Woods said, and that is why she attended the presentation.

Sexual assault statistics Kratz stated in the presentation:

• Nearly 50 percent of victims don’t realize they were assaulted
• More than 50 percent of assaults are associated with alcohol consumption
• More than 80 percent of attackers are an acquaintance
• 78 forcible rapes every hour are of women older than 18 years old
• 66 percent of rapes involve alcohol and/or drugs
• 56 percent of girls and 76 percent of boys believe forced sex is acceptable
• 57 percent of rapes happen on dates
• College students are 4 times more likely to be assaulted
• About 20 percent of victims are men
• 5 percent of college students report of being assaulted
• Less than 30 percent of victims report of being assaulted

da.james@colostate-pueblo.edu

Originality could come from the ear of the beholder. 

Spitting beats and rhymes maybe easy for recording artists and rappers, but this CSU-Pueblo student believes his rap songs are original.

LaTerelle Burrows, a sophomore majoring in mass communications with an emphasis in advertising, has a passion for creating and performing rap music. In addition, he has had experiences while he still tries to establish a place in the realm of rap and hip-hop music, he said.

LaTerelle Burrows, a sophomore majoring in mass communications with an emphasis in advertising, believes his music is original. Photo by DaMarkus James.

Burrows views himself as a unique music artist, he said, and does not choose to emulate other rap artists. “I feel like I’m all original. I don’t feel like nobody in the industry raps like me,” Burrows said confidently. “I feel like I have a place in the industry because I’m no one else in the industry. I’m my own breed of rapper.”

His motivation for songs comes from his life experiences, he said. “I tell stories when I rap, I’m not all about trying to be a punch-line rapper,” Burrows said. “My life, just me.”      

Burrows realized that he had to make a name for himself by telling people about his music. “I mainly just try to get my music on the streets,” he said.  

Burrows’ interest in performing rap music began after experienced a football injury in his freshman year at the university. He said that he tore ligaments in his left foot.

Although he went through the injury, he has heard comments about his music from students.

“I’ve just been really focusing on my music lately, and it’s been turning out really good for me because I’ve been getting a lot of feedback from the students on the campus,” Burrows said reassuringly.

However, he has experienced rejection too. In his freshman year, Burrows tried to send his music to Mike Atencio, station manager for Rev 89. However, Atencio did not broadcast his music on the station, Burrows said in a disappointed tone.

“I tried to get my music on there my freshman year hard with them, but he kept giving me loopholes and B.S. excuses I felt,” he said. “I took another route.”

 A disc jockey produces the beats of his music on mix tapes, Burrows said. Moreover, he said that he recently completed a new mix tape, “The Box State is my State.” He performed songs from it last Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo., Burrows said, and he received good feedback from people. Additionally, he said people asked him more about his music.

The positive overwhelming feedback seemed to affect him. “A lot of people wanted to know more about my music like if I had anymore upcoming shows,” Burrows said then laughed. “It was pretty cool man.”

Merriam Webster online dictionary defines mixtape as, “a compilation of songs recorded (as onto a cassette tape or a CD) from various sources.”

Burrows tries to perform at venues that allow him to perform his music, he said. 

Burrows first gained an interest in rap music at about 9 years old from his cousin, whose nickname is Yadidi YunG Ro, he said. Eventually, Burrows said the hobby turned into a business, as his cousin, who became the founder, started a record label called YunG Assassins, and he is on the label’s roster. 

Recalling from his experiences, Burrows started recording music when he was about 14 years old, he said. However, Burrows took recording rap music seriously at about 17 or 18 years old, he said.

It took him a while to establish his compassion for rap music. “My first love was football, I wanted to play football. As soon as I came to college, college football really wasn’t what I thought it was going to be,” Burrows said. “I enjoyed it and I was good, but I felt like my passion started to fade away for some reason. My love balance shifted more toward the music side.”

 When it comes to his favorite music, he listens to instrumental beats, Burrows said. “I don’t listen to music, I listen to myself,” he said reassuringly. “I don’t listen to the industry per se, like the people in the industry because I feel like if I listen to them I don’t want to copy them. Ever since I was young I would constantly rap in my head.”

da.james@colostate-pueblo.edu

CSU-Pueblo’s women studies program will conduct a presentation on rape and sexual assault, at 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 16 in the Diversity Resource Center of the Occhiato University Center.

“Making Sense of Consent” is a presentation created to inform students about rape and sexual assault, said Fawn-Amber Montoya, assistant professor of history, Chicano studies, philosophy and political science.

Photo courtesy of www.womenselfdefensefederation.com.

“The presentation will be about the complexities of consent, specifically in regards to what is and what is not rape,” Montoya said.

One important point students should be aware of is promiscuous sexual activity that is non-consensual.

“I’m emphasizing to students that students that are under the influence of alcohol or drugs and have sex that is not a consensual sense, then that is considered to be rape,” she said.

Dena Rodriguez, executive director of Pueblo Rape Crisis Center, will present information on sexual assault and rape at the presentation, Montoya said. Michelle Kratz, a community liaison and case manager for PRCC, might also attend, she said.

Montoya became a part of the presentation because she is an interim women studies coordinator, she said, and she works with the women studies program to raise awareness about rape, sexual abuse and sexual assault at least once a month, Montoya said.

The women studies department is in the process of possibly making the presentation a frequent activity on campus, Montoya said. She would like to make rape presentations a recurring activity because a few students reported being sexually assaulted a couple months ago, Montoya said. Most of the reported incidents occurred off campus, she said.

Fawn-Amber Montoya, assistant professor of history, Chicano studies, philosophy, political science, discusses the complexities of rape.

Sexual assault might sound like it is similar to rape but terms are in context, Montoya said.

“Sometimes the terms are interchangeable. Sexual assault doesn’t always imply intercourse,” she said. “Sexual assault can be any touching, in any shape or form, and I think assault adds to the degree of severity.”

What is considered rape might change in terms of how people perceive it.

“Rape can come in all different forms. It could be oral, it could be vaginal, it could be anal,” Montoya said. “It’s not always just that traditional view of men raping women and strangers raping women.”

Not many students attend presentations on sexual assault and rape, she said, however, some students majoring in women students might attend the presentation.

To find out more information about rape and sexual assault, visit www.pueblorcs.org or contact Rodriguez, at (719) 544-1191. For questions concerning “Making Sense of Consent,” contact Montoya, at 719-549-2620, or Rodriguez.

da.james@colostate-pueblo.edu

The process of canceling or delaying classes because of snowy weather might not be as simple as people at CSU-Pueblo may think.

Students, staff and faculty might wonder how dangerously cold weather caused a recent campus closure and a few delays last month. Surprisingly, there is no rules or guidelines for school closures and delays, said Jason Turner, environment health and safety officer of CSU-Pueblo. It is difficult to determine just by snow accumulations, he said.

Photot courtesy of ripakpost.edu.ms.

“It’s very hard to come up with a policy that says when we get three inches of snow, we’re going to cancel school or when we get six inches of snow we’re going to cancel school, because that doesn’t really get to the main issue,” Turner said.

It is also difficult to issue closures or delays because of how dangerous road conditions could become, and also the safety of people walking on campus, he said.

“The main issue is whether or not the roads are safe to drive on, and whether or not it’s safe for students, faculty and staff to be outside,” Turner said. 

High accumulations of snow do not cause a closure or delay because commuting may not become an issue, he said.

“We could get 6 to 7 inches of snow and the roads still be safe, depending on what the weather was like when the snow started falling, and how the city, county and university crews have responded to the weather,” Turner said.

A sudden change in snowy weather might change the status of possible closures or delays and make it challenging to form a policy, he said.

“What I mean by that is if when it starts snowing, it’s warmer out,” Turner said. “The snow’s going to melt, it’s not going to stick and then later in the evening it’s going to hard freeze and that’s going to create a sheet of ice under the snow.”

To research information concerning possible delays or closures, Turner said that he looks at weather forecast updates, watches and warnings from the National Weather Service.

“If there is a watch or warning in effect, we’ll go ahead and keep checking the weather through the day, and I’m talking the day before the closure and the night before the closure,” he said.

He implements decisions to cancel or delay classes the evening before at about 8 p.m., Turner said. Students, who have signed up to receive text messages, will receive one the night before a delay or closure, he said. E-mails are also sent out for students who do not receive notifications from the school.

However, he said that if the weather is not terribly bad then students will not receive any kind of notification.

At times, if the weather is bad he will check the weather forecast the morning before classes start and decides if students and staff should be notified of closures or delays, Turner said.

Cold reporting status is another factor when canceling or delaying classes, Turner said, and the state patrol and the country sheriff and city police departments get involved with cold reporting status. 

“The reason that’s important is when they go on cold reporting, it’s because there are more accidents than they can handle with their available resources,” he said.

 If the state patrol, county sheriffs or city police department do not issue cold reporting then that means they can handle the weather and it may not be too bad to accommodate car accidents, Turner said.

 da.james@colostate-pueblo.edu

Ray Nagin, former mayor of New Orleans, talked about Hurricane Katrina, the most powerful hurricane to ever hit Louisiana and its destructive aftermath Wednesday in the Occhiato University Center Ballroom at CSU-Pueblo.

 A speaker’s agency, Keppler Speakers Bureau, offered Nagin an opportunity to speak about the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, he said. However, Nagin said he also heard about a flood that destroyed Pueblo in 1921 and of a Department of Homeland Security program in Pueblo. About 70 CSU-Pueblo students and community members attended the event.

Ray Nagin explains the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Photo by DaMarkus James.

Nagin thought it was important to talk about his experiences with Hurricane Katrina, he said, but also wanted to inform the audience about preventing natural disasters from hitting Pueblo.

“I thought it’d be a good opportunity to share some lessons that we learned and hopefully you won’t have another flood in the future,” Nagin said. “What I was finding was there was so much misinformation out there.

“This is a little different because now I can come out and have some time to really reflect on what happened, and I can really give people a better perspective on what was going on right before, what happened during and how we approached our recovery.”    

Some members of the audience laughed at some of Nagin’s jokes about his daughter and pet fish, Fishy, and applauded some of the facts and data Nagin presented concerning Hurricane Katrina.

After Nagin concluded his speech and presentation, he talked formally to members from the audience. He said he thought the devastation created by Hurricane Katrina created a sense of unity among many Americans, Nagin said.

“One of the things that Katrina did is people that have either lived, loved or visited New Orleans became New Orleanians through this episode,” he said. “I think most Americans were watching this, and it just caused them to think about a relative or times they’ve been to New Orleans. There’s this really unique affinity for New Orleans.”

Nagin, who left the mayors office last year, is now a business developer and political consultant for Green Energy Management. Nagin is compassionate about energy conservation, he said, and is always trying to think of environmentally friendly ways to keep the Earth healthy.

“I think it’s the future of the country and probably the world,” Nagin said. “As I look at power costs because I’m working in the Caribbean right now, and their powering costs, their electric costs, is 350 percent higher than what we have in New Orleans.

“And it’s killing, it’s killing their economy. And if we can come with some solutions whether it be wind, solar, LED lights or a combination of all three, it’ll put them on equal footing with places around the world.”

He did not have prior experience in political science before he ran for mayor, he said. Nagin served as sixtieth mayor of New Orleans in May 2002, he said, but then stepped down after his second term.

Journalist A.J. Dome contributed to this report

aj.dome@colostate-pueblo.edu

Hurricane Katrina facts Nagin stated in his speech: 

• 80 percent of New Orleans flooded
• There were manual pumps for the floodwaters
• First city-wide evacuation in city’s history
•  $100 billion worth of damage
• Schools and hospitals were destroyed
• Economy plummeted
• The infrastructure was destroyed
• Took more than 170 town hall meetings to rebuild city
• New Orleans has highest growing population
• Upgraded housing above the national average
• Gained more charter schools
• Job wages have increased 40 percent
• $26 billion worth of construction
• Implemented an advanced pet evacuation

da.james@colostate-pueblo.edu 

While playing music may seem like a hobby to some people, Zahari Metchkov appreciates the aspects of music.

Zahari Metchkov, an assistant professor of music and piano theory at CSU-Pueblo.

Metchkov is an assistant professor of music and piano theory at CSU-Pueblo. He has been working at the university since last summer where he instructs applied piano courses, piano literature and piano-related courses, he said. 

A teaching music course, especially music theory, has technical aspect, Metchkov said. “Music theory is the practical, mathematical approach to music. It explains some of the more mechanical aspects of music composition, and in general the elements,” he said.

The piano is a unique instrument that creates distinct sounds, Metchkov said. “But the piano has the ability to be somewhat more of a stand-alone instrument, because of its wide capacity to produce complete musical thought,” he said.

Playing music for the first few years of his life was important to him, Metchkov said.

“Perhaps the most important step in my development as a musician was my first couple of years in music, because I lived all my childhood, until I was 18, in Bulgaria,” he said. “I attended a music school that was specifically designed with the curriculum that specializes in the development of classical musicians.”

To gain more experience when he was younger, Metchkov said he played music with other musicians, and took classes specializing in music theory.      

Metchkov started playing the piano at 4 years old in his hometown of Sofia, Bulgaria, he said. The practice he experienced at 4 years old was what helped him gain the experience playing music, Metchkov said.

During his primary education, Metchkov attended the National House of Music “Liubomir Pipkov” in Sofia, he said. He appreciated that the institution taught him a lot on a high level of critical thinking, he said.   

“Basically I would say the formula is like a college for kids, college education for music but on a kid level,” he said jokingly. “I think that was important because that’s not always available in every country.”

When he was 5 or 6 years old, he said that was the point he first experienced the challenges of playing the piano.

In 2008, Metchkov created a CD with an orchestra that consisted of more than 50 people, and containing two concertos and two solo works, he said.

A concerto is, “a musical composition for instruments in which a solo instrument is set off against an orchestral ensemble,” according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Recording the compositions with an orchestra was challenging because it took about 40 minutes to record a 10-minute composition, Metchkov said. Additionally, there was not enough time to record one song in half a day, he said.

He also worked the audio engineers produce the CD, Metchkov said, and his knowledge from an audio recording class helped during the production. His help saved a lot of time and he felt rewarded because of it, he said.

“I knew how things will be done, so therefore I didn’t waste time,” he said. “I enjoyed the process both as a pianist but also as from the production side.”   

According to the CSU-Pueblo music faculty website, Metchkov attended the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland for college, where he majored in piano performance and earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees with a minor in music theory.

Metchkov learned the critical aspects of music while attending the Cleveland Institute of Music, he said. Metchkov also credits the school for his knowledge of music. “I think my intellectual growth in music certainly took place in college, as I matured more, of course,” he said.      

 Metchkov also has played the organ since he was in college, he said.

In 2009, the license plate campaign became a non-profit fundraiser said Tracy Samora, who is director of alumni relations and annual fund for the alumni association. She said she began working at the university in September 2009, she and members of the alumni board implemented the campaign.       

Employees in the alumni association office started on the campaign because many people requested the university sell and create university license plates. The university was one of a few statewide institutions that did not sell license plates, Samora said.

Photo courtesy of the CSU-Pueblo Website

The process to get the university license plates approved was time consuming, Samora said. “It was a pretty cumbersome process acquiring signatures and going through the process to actually get the plate approved and designed,” she said.   

Alumni or people who want license plates have to fill out the license plate donation forms, pay a one-time $50 donation and return them to the alumni office, Samora said. She said when people return the forms, Samora signs them and they will receive certificates to show at a local county motor vehicles office or local county courthouse.

She said undergraduates are required to fill out the license plate donation forms and pay $10 donations and return them to the alumni office. Then, she said, undergraduates will get certificates signed by Samora to take to a motor vehicles office or county courthouse for approval and pay a $50 one-time fee to get the license plates.

“They (people who buy the license plates) actually have to have this plate to show that they have made their donation to CSU-Pueblo,” Samora said. It shows the students, alumni or people who live in Colorado contributed to the campaign, she said.

The people who donate money to the campaign also get a free T-shirt. The T-shirt is designed with a thunder plate on front and a slogan on the back, Samora said.

The alumni association promotes license plates discounts from time to time, she said. Employees of the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce receive a $10 discount, which means they donate $40 to the campaign. Other discount opportunities happen at events and the prices for plates are marked at $25, Samora said.

She also promotes the campaign by advertising in activities and events held on campus, she said. Samora said she  talks to staff members of Office of Student Activities to promote the campaign and increase recognition. A few of the activities and events are the Distinguished Speakers Series, the President’s Gala and football tailgate parties, Samora said.  

“I think with this particular campaign, it’s very word of mouth driven,” she said. “It’s something that people see.”

Photo courtesy of the CSU-Pueblo Website

She worked with James Bowman, arts professional III for external affairs, she said, which he created posters to use as a method of promotion on campus.

On March 1, 2012, the alumni association has to sell 500 license plates to continue the campaign. The campaign will not continue if, she said, 500 license plates are not sold by the required date, Samora said.

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, she said, there were 74 university license plates that were on cars in Colorado. The number of license plates continues to increase because 140 people donated money and received the certificates to get license plates, Samora said. 

There are about 20,000 alumni in Colorado though, talking to the alumni, who live statewide, would be a challenge but it could help increase the sales of the license plates. The goal by March 2012 is to sell 500 license plates, Samora said.   

She said university administration, staff and faculty members support the campaign.

 “There’s a lot of support from administration to see this program succeed,” Samora said. Joe Garcia, president of the institution in the president’s office, who has a thunderplate and supports the campaign, and he speaks about it at events, she said.

Nicky Damania, director of student activities for the office of student activities, said he anticipated that there would be a good turnout. “So I’m hoping for a good attendance tonight,” he said.

He also said a partnership with Thumbs Up Entertainment, which is an organization that helped coordinate the dance, with intentions of get more students to attend.

Damania said he encouraged students to attend because they would have fun. “It’s something that students should experience as an undergrad,” he said. It is an event for students to remember while they are in college, Damania said.  Attending the royalty dance shows school spirit, he said.

“You’re supporting your other peers and you’re supporting, especially, the royalty court,” Damania said.

The crowns were awarded to Homecoming Queen Amy Stilson, 23, a sophomore majoring in exercise science and Homecoming King Adam Herrara, 20, a junior majoring in sociology and criminology.

Stilson said she got encouragement from friends, family and professors to run as a nominee and eventually was nominated. “I have a really supportive group of people in my life,” she said. “I really wanted to do it and represent the school.”

Herrara said he did not intend to become a nominee; however as a joke, he was nominated by a member in Kappa Sigma. Shortly thereafter, he said he was notified by e-mail that he was a nominee.

“I wanted to give out stuff because one of my friends suggested it,” she said.

Stilson said she used the event as an opportunity to meet students because she did not know many students who attended them.

Herrara said he worked with another nominee, Daisy Mendoza, a junior majoring in Spanish, to promote themselves for the election. He said they created posters and fliers for promotion since Mendoza wanted to use them.

Stilson said she earned the crown because she met new people, promoted herself and told a lot of her friends, family and co-workers about her nomination.

“I have a good line of friends and family that told people as well,” she said. “So it helps when you have a good support system because they help get your name out there.”

Herrara said he felt he earned the king’s title because he gets involved on campus. He said he is in the Kappa Sigma fraternity and the motorcycle club. “I like to be involved,” Herrara said. In turn, he said he wants to promote Greek Life on campus.

Stilson said she feels grateful for getting the opportunity to be a homecoming nominee. “With this experience, I feel more honored than anything,” Stilson said. As Homecoming Queen, she said, she aspires to be a role model to girls in the community. She also said she wants girls to realize they can reach their full potential. “I definitely want to be a good example,” Stilson said.

Herrara said he talked to a lot of students and thought it made the experience enjoyable. “I had a lot of fun,” Herrara said. Students should get involved on campus because “it makes your college career,” he said, and students will learn to enjoy their lives at the university.

When she earned the crown, Stilson said she was shocked, nervous and excited.

Herrara said, he did not expect to earn the Homecoming King crown, “it was actually really awesome,” he said.

As for the homecoming football game’s halftime crowning ceremony, Herrara said he liked the red robe and thought it was cool. “I wish I could have kept the robe because that was a really awesome robe,” he said.

Stilson said as a point of advice that future queen nominees should work hard, think positively and not give up, and remember that some things are out of their control. “And I always remember to not stress out about anything you can’t control,” she said. “Remember that no matter what, it was a good experience.”

Herrara said that future king nominees should be involved with activities and events on campus and meet new students. “The more people that know you, the easier it’s going to be for you to get elected,” he said.

The application process was easy to complete, Stilson said, because it required she answered questions about herself and her GPA. She also said that getting 50 signatures to petition in the royalty elections from students on campus was easy because she is sociable.

Herrara said filling out the application was easy as well. He said he is sociable and that it was easy to convince students to get students’ signatures. “For me it wasn’t too much of an issue,” Herrara said.

Stilson said some of her hobbies are exercising, which includes running, turbo kick and toning classes. Stilson said that turbo kick is a form of choreographed kickboxing. In addition, she said she instructs turbo kick classes on Mondays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in the recreation center on campus.

When he is not in class, Herrara said he enjoys playing paintball and drag racing on sports bikes and cars. “I love my toys and I love speed,” he said. He bragged that he has a car that can beat other cars in drag races, which is a Mazda Speed6 and it has been worked on to improve its speed, Herrara said.

Stilson said she can be shy at first when she meets new people but loses inhibitions after a while. “I love meeting new people but I’m shy at first,” she said. She also said she enjoys laughing and likes to have fun.

As for Herrara, he said he is active, outspoken and enjoys being outdoors. He said he does not mind if people like or dislike him. “People either love me or hate me,” Herrara said.

The dance between the newly-crowned Herrara and Stilson seemed normal until it took an unexpected turn. Herrara requested the disc jockey play a song that sounded upbeat. Then the song “Imma Be” by Black Eyed Peas played, and then the students continued to dance.