Photography at this event was not allowed. Photo courtesy of iehillel.org.

Around 100 people showed up to see Second City. The crowd was a mix between students and the Pueblo community. Some of the audience picked up a small handheld megaphone at the entrance so the improv group could hear their voices. The audience gave Second City a big welcoming to CSU-Pueblo.

Second City warmed up the crowd by performing a short series of various scenes. The first scene was in an airplane where a flight attendant warned the passengers to buckle up and woke up two men sleeping.

“Captain we need you to wake up to land the plane.”

There were multiple short scenes like this and the crowd cracked up in laughter.

These short scenes were followed by an improv skit that involved each cast member but they weren’t allowed to speak until they were pointed at by the lead cast member. Their objective was to tell a story about Taco Bell. The audience chose this story. They decided the story was a drama and then later as if it was written by Stephen King.

Six more skits followed this scene, which were of a variety of topics. Two of them were songs, one about a break up the other about ironic situations. Second City had an improv scene that involved a bell that could rewind the story back and they had to make up new jokes. The scene picked by the crowd for this improv was in a Jamaican dormitory.

After a short intermission, Second City came back with 10 more skits. These skits changed periodically from a scene of a doctor and a patient imitating each other to a political song with a Tea Party member and an “Occupy Wall Street” advocate. These skits ranged from short snippets to lengthy scenes.

There were 23 skits and the final skit was of a man who sat center stage and wrote the scene on the stage as it happened. It was set in the 1930s. The cast grabbed an audience member and incorporated him into the skit. Second City gave him a Pepsi at the end of the bit as a reward for being part of it.

The crowd gave Second City a standing ovation and seemed to have really enjoyed themselves.

 “I really don’t have a favorite bit,” said Trevor Swank, a freshman at CSU-Pueblo, “Collectively, the show was good.”

The Second City comedians will perform for the Pueblo community Thursday, Feb, 2. Photo courtesy of comedyboost.com.

“Students have been enjoying comedy and we (Student Activities) wanted to bring more types to them,” said April Yost, student events coordinator.

Second City specializes in sketch and improv comedy, according to their website. It was founded in 1959, has produced some of the greatest comedians in history such as Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert, according to the university’s website.

“No topic or subject matter is off limits for The Second City.  If your parents asked you not to speak about it at the dinner table, chances are it will be made fun of in an evening with The Second City,” according to a press release. “Parental discretion is advised.”

The event is free of chage and open to everyone.

For more information, contact the Office of Student Activities at 719-549-2151.

 A 2010 Pueblo Centennial High graduate, Solorio lived in Culebra Residence Hall, was a lifeguard, and worked for his father’s painting company, Pro Painting, according to an email sent out by Cora Zaletel, director of External Affairs.

Viewing will be held from Thursday, 6 to 8 p.m., in the Montgomery & Steward Chapel, located at 1317 N Main.  A funeral Mass is scheduled for Friday at 9 a.m., at Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, located at 11th and Grand Ave. Memorials may be made to the Pueblo Suicide Prevention Center. Online condolences may be submitted at www.MontgomerySteward.com.

 Dylan Frank Wayne Solorio died as a result of asphyxiation by ligature, according to Pueblo County coroner James Kramer. Kramer said the death is consistent with a suicide, but there is still an on-going investigation, according to a Pueblo Chieftain article by Gayle Perez.

“Pueblo County sheriff’s deputies responded to Culebra Hall at the CSU-Pueblo campus about 5:56 p.m. on a welfare check of a possible suicidal man, said Laurie Kilpatrick, sheriff’s spokeswoman. Kilpatrick said when deputies arrived, they found Solorio, who was unresponsive,” according to the article.

Solorio graduated from Centennial High School in 2011, where he participated in cross country and wrestling.

*The TODAY staff’s attempt to contact Zaletel was unsuccessful, and the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office would not release additional details to the TODAY, stating the case was still under investigation.

John Wark, a photographer, presents his aerial photography to a crowd of about 50 people Thursday, Jan. 26. Photo by Ye Ming.

PechaKucha, which is Japanese for “chit-chat,” is a forum for enthusiasts to share their interests with others using a 20 by 20 format. Meaning, each presenter uses 20 slides and has 20 seconds per slide to discuss their knowledge on a chosen topic. The format allows for each presentation to be six minutes and 40 seconds long.

Pueblo County clerk Gilbert Ortiz and election supervisor Dena Abeyta presented on the importance of voting, registering to vote and updating addresses to vote in Pueblo County. Their 20 slides included photos of first time voters in other countries, which they said should inspire the Pueblo community to vote.

“I wanted to show you the pride in these people’s eyes as they vote for the first time,” Ortiz said. “That’s how important it is for us. So go vote every time you have the opportunity.”

Ellen Mueller, CSU-Pueblo artist in residence, presented a satirical slideshow about preparation for the end of times called “Apocalypse.” Mueller went through eight scenarios pertaining to how the world might end in 2012 and offered advice on survival tactics. The instances included zombie attacks, projectile from space and aliens.

“Begin praying now,” Mueller said as she offered advice for the possibility of a ‘deity-induced’ apocalypse.

The presenters also included two photographers, Ye Ming and John Wark.

Ming presented, “City life, Homesick, Nostalgia,” which detailed the lifestyles in Shanghai and Beijing through photography.

As a CSU-Pueblo international student from China, Ming told the crowd of about 50 people that she is often asked what China is like, and her aim was to illustrate that life through photographs.

Photos included the streets of China and people in their daily routines, such as a man window washing and a woman peering down from her apartment.

Wark presented his aerial photography called “Floor of the Sky.” Wark, a pilot, explained his process of taking photos and that as he is flying above an area, he opens the door to his plane and shoots, Wark said.

Photos included aerial shots of the Pueblo Steel Mill, the Colorado State Fair and local livestock and farming fields.

Artist Brian Spillman, founder of B.Vant.Garde, a Pueblo art studio, presented on the live art format of his studio. Spillman’s team of artists create live art by painting on-the-spot at shows and in the studio, he said.

“All we do is paint,” Spillman said. “A whole lot of art built literally from the ground up is in the gallery.”

Burlesque performer ‘Str0ker Ace,’ of the Pueblo burlesque troop Harlequin Aces, spoke on the history of burlesque, detailing its roots from its arrival in the U.S. in the early 1800s where skirts above the knee were risqué to its loss of popularity when strip clubs became legal in the ‘70s.

Ace credited Dita Von Teese, a burlesque dancer who premiered in the ‘90s, with bringing back the art form.

Ace’s photos primarily included barely-dressed women. Concluding her presentation, she told the audience, “You can uncover your eyes now.”

Sam Sumeracki, self-professed “waiter/bartender/to-go specialist” and a CSU-Pueblo mass communications major, read aloud a comical poem about his life as a waiter as photos from the movie “Waiting” appeared on the screen behind him.

“Waiting is all about the Benjamins, or scratch that, it’s more about the Alexander Hamiltons. They really add up. But I’d really like a Jackson every now and then, too. But usually it’s a Lincoln or a Washington,” Sumeracki said about earning tips in his poem.

David Bemis, a graduate student in CSU-Pueblo’s chemistry department, presented on his work with gold nanoparticles called “Fabrications of Gold Microstructures.” Bemis included pictures of his work with gold at a microscopic level.

Using gold, Bemis creates objects, such as the Venus de Milo, on extremely small scales using lasers. He used fractions of the human hair as the point of reference for the size of his creations. Bemis made a PechaKucha logo at this microscopic level, which was on display at the event.

Mathias “Mo” Valdez, who owns LastLeaf Printing, told the audience about creating posters through the process of silk screening. Valdez explained the process through a series of photos, which showed the hand-labored method. The posters shown in Valdez’s slideshow were made for the Pueblo band “The Haunted Windchimes” tour.

 Emily King, the event organizer, is proud to host an event where people of all walks of life can share their interests in a unique and quick way, she said. King is also enthusiastic about having CSU-pueblo students join in the PechaKucha nights and would like to see it happen more often, she said.

Jeanne Gibson, an audience member and director of the English Language Institute at CSU-Pueblo, was impressed with both the variety of topics and the quality of the presentations, Gibson said.

“Anybody would have found at least one thing they really liked tonight,” she said.

“As a follow up to last evening’s email, the university has confirmed the death of a student in a Culebra Residence Hall room yesterday at approximately 6:05 p.m.  We will not release the name of the student or the cause of death at this time to respect the privacy of the family and to insure the integrity of the investigation by the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office and the county coroner,” according to the email sent by Cora Zaletel, executive director of External Affairs.

“Counselors will continue to be available to faculty, staff and students, 549-2830, for those who are struggling emotionally with the situation.  Details about a local memorial service will be released at the discretion of the family when available.”

Once again, the TODAY will not publish any information until confirmed.  The TODAY will continue monitoring this event and will release more information as it becomes available.

“With regret and sadness, I share news of a death on campus earlier this evening. Details of the incident are still under investigation by the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, but no foul play is suspected,” according to a mass email sent by Cora Zaletel, executive director of External Affairs, and signed by Lesley Di Mare, CSU-Pueblo president.

“Because the university is committed to providing a safe and supportive working and learning environment for students, faculty and staff and will keep you informed as additional information becomes available.  Counseling will be available tomorrow, 549-2830, for those who need extra assistance coping with the incident,” according to the email.

An attempt by the TODAY staff to contact the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office was unsuccessful and the sheriff’s office will not be releasing any information until further notice. 

There have been rumors circulating campus about who was involved in the death and what caused it, but the TODAY will not publish any of this information until these rumors can be confirmed.

The TODAY will be monitoring this event and will release more information as it becomes available.

Distinguished speaker Phil Plait illustrates his point about misconceptions in the field of astronomy during his speech Wednesday, 25. Photo by Tyler Shomaker.

The purpose of his speech is to show people the misconceptions in astronomy are where he finds his interest and why these ideas are nonsense and reveal “reality,” he said.

Plait started by talking about the legend of standing an egg on its end during the spring equinox. This myth has been around for a while and resurfaces in popularity in the news around March, he said.

“This wound up being my introduction into debunking myths and misconceptions about astronomy,” Plait said.

Plait’s lines of eggs that he had standing up in the middle of October proved that the legend is false. Plait also spoke about his troubles during the process of balancing the eggs.

“Make sure that the space in between (the eggs) is more than their combined diameter or you’ll end up playing a game of dominoes with eggs,” Plait said.

He also explained in detail why people believe this only happens during the spring equinox and why most people think eggs will only stand on end during the spring equinox because the sun and earth align up

“What has this to do with astronomy? The correct answer is nothing,” Plait said. “Somewhere on Earth is always aligned with the sun every day.”

Plait researched where this myth came from and found it actually comes from an article in “Life Magazine.” The article was about a ritual in China where they stand an egg on end during the first day of spring.  This article, printed in 1948, formed the misinterpretation that has become popular today, he said.

 “The worst source of misconceptions about astronomy, Hollywood,” Plait said. He points to many examples in the movie “Armageddon,” which bring in misinformed details about astronomy.  This “bad science” leaves misconceptions in people, he said.

Plait then passed around an asteroid that he acquired from eBay that impacted in South America. The idea behind “Armageddon” is false because asteroids hit the earth all the time and the earth takes care most of them, Plait said.

He then clarified by pointing out that all the asteroids in the asteroid belt are about the size of the moon. The sciences in these Hollywood movies are not what we want to follow. Instead, Plait wants the audience to focus on real science because, “Good science can save us all.”

Leticia Steffen talks about social responsibility in journalism at the 20/20 series Jan. 20. Photo by Sam Acar.

Two professors each give 20-minute presentations on a topic based on the theme of the lecture. The theme of this lecture was “Social Responsibility in the 21^st Century.” Students were encouraged to come to this series because it gives them a chance to speak to professors out of the classroom.

“The most important goals of the 20/20 series is to emphasize the importance of life-long learning and to help everyone realize that even though we work in different disciplines or majors, there are common themes in what we teach and learn,” Steffen said.

Steffen used the example of Hurricane Katrina and how images or discussion about it can bring out certain emotions. She talked about how people reacted to the news coverage on it, as well as some photos from the aftermath of the hurricane. Coverage of news topics can have an impact on many people in various ways, ways that not everyone likes, she said.

 “Sometimes I feel like the news can overdo it with some of the stories that they cover. It’s on one channel, then 30 minutes later it’s on another one,” said Desaray Johnson, senior mass communications major.

Sam Ebersole, a professor in the mass communications and center for new media department, does not like the news trying to draw specific feelings out of him.

 “I don’t want news to direct my emotion. I really don’t want much anger from it,” Ebersole said.

The next example that Steffen used was someone who tried to bring out emotions in people with all of her work.

Steffen spoke to the audience about Nellie Bly, an investigative journalist in the late 1800s, who went to extreme measures to expose wrongdoings. Steffen pointed out how Bly went undercover in an insane asylum, as well as how she worked in a sweatshop to show cases of child abuse. Steffen also read an excerpt from the book “Inside Reporting” about how Bly behaved while she was in the asylum.

Jonathan Poritz talks about the ethical use of mathemtics in education. Photo by Sam Acar.

Steffen also explained the extent to which Bly acted as though she was mentally ill in the asylum.

Poritz used various aspects of math to get his point across to the audience.

The title of Poritz’s lecture was, “Is there a such thing as mathematical ethics or ethical mathematics?” Poritz used slides, stories and information from his background to develop his point. One of the slides showed math word problems used in elementary schools.

“Each basket has 56 oranges. If eight slaves pick them equally, then how much would each one pick?”

The professor had another slide that elementary school students used as a word problem.

“Frederick had six baskets filled with cotton. If each basket held five pounds, how many pounds did he have all together?”

The word problem referred to none other than the man who escaped slavery, Frederick Douglass.

“I don’t know if there’s a lesson here besides don’t write word problems,” Poritz said.

Poritz went on to explain how irresponsible it was to represent mathematics how it’s been in the examples he used.

Poritz wrapped things up by talking about how math, like journalism, can carry an important role when it comes to social responsibility. The professor also used a quote from the movie “Spiderman” to express the power of social responsibility in math.

“With great power, comes great responsibility,” Poritz said.   

Trevor Grant, a sophomore at 174 pounds, competes against Nabraska-Kearney Thursday, Jan. 26. Photo by Tyler Lundquist.

After getting out to a quick start winning the first two matches in the 125 and 133 weight classes, the Pack saw a string of defeats losing their final seven out of eight matches.

The Pack knew it would be a challenge, especially when it came to the 149, 157 and 165 weight classes. Kearney’s three duelers were ranked No. 2 in the nation and two of them were facing below .500 wrestlers for the Pack.  Although the Pack fought hard, all three fell short by hefty margins.

Even after a string of Kearney wins, the Pack was still in a position to take the lead. CSU-Pueblo sophomore Trevor Grant was faced with taking on the fourth straight nationally-ranked Loper in his 174-pound duel against eight-ranked Mark Fiala.

In one of the tightest matches of the night, Grant scored a late take down to seal a three-point victory for the Pack, inching them back in the hunt for an upset.

With Grant’s upset win, Pack coach Dax Charles must have been feeling good about their chances going forward. Pack junior Adam Carey, in the 184-pound weight class and ranked seventh in the nation, took on Ross Brunkhardt with a chance to bring the Pack within two points of the powerhouse Lopers. 

The match went into two sudden death overtimes, the second in a row for Carey, when Brunkhardt finally completed the upset with a take down.

Though it would be a long road back, the Pack still had two chances to make a comeback with their final two wrestlers, 197-pound freshman Cody Johnson and heavyweight Bill Gray.  But it just wasn’t the Pack’s night.  Johnson and Gray were both defeated, sealing a 25-10 Nebraska-Kearney win.

After a three-match win streak, CSU-Pueblo has dropped the last two.  With the loss, the Pack’s record drops to 7-5 overall.

CSU-Pueblo takes to the road in their next two conference duels when they take on Colorado Mesa and Western State before returning to Massari Arena against Oklahoma City University Feb. 8, at 7 p.m.