Governor Cuomo chooses not to release his Attorney General records

Sent exclusively to Empire State News

Governor Cuomo chooses not to release his Attorney General records

In his first fifteen months in office, the governor has refused several requests to release records from his time as Attorney General. Cuomo has sent just ten boxes of records to the State Archives, which by state law is required to hold every attorney general's documents.

Cuomo's predecessor Eliot Spitzer sent 919 boxes to the archives after his two terms as attorney general, all of which were made available by the State Archives to the public.

Despite the controversy, Josh Vlasto, the governor's spokesman said, "records are being compiled and transferred as appropriate."

Media requests to review the ten boxes of records have been delayed for reasons not given. The state Education Department, which oversees the archives, is responsible for the delay.

Colorado College on high alert as wildfire nears

Colorado College on high alert as wildfire nears

Sent exclusively for editing to The Denver Post

June 27th, 2012

The Waldo Canyon wildfire continues to rage as students at Colorado College breathe in the fumes of burning homes and trees.

“I can smell the smoke wherever I am on campus,” says senior summer class student Denali Gillespie “We are all just trying to stay indoors and away from the smoke as much as possible.”

Most students and faculty have remained on campus despite the college’s location in a pre-evacuation zone. “We are a 10 minute drive away from parts of the city that have been forced to evacuate,” said senior Nicole Kauffman.

In an email to parents and alumni, the president of the college Jill Tiefenthaler stated Wednesday that “some of [the college’s] faculty and staff have been displaced by the fire and the college has offered them housing and meals on campus.”

“Evacuees are staying at the president’s house, and many of our employees have offered their homes to CC families and their pets,” she wrote.

The college is on high alert and prepared for evacuation. “Bags are packed and many cars are full, ready to drive,” said senior Noah Gallo-Brown.

The college is just 3 miles from a mandatory evacuation zone.

Anti-Semitic Vandalism in Brooklyn Shocks Colorado College's Jewish Community

Published in The Catalyst 

The news this past weekend that vandals had terrorized one of New York City’s largest Jewish neighborhoods came as a shocking reminder that anti-Semitism is alive and kicking in the western world.

The heavily Orthodox stretch of Ocean Parkway in Midwood, Brooklyn was set ablaze by racist protesters on Friday night, as several cars were torched and blown up, dozens of swastikas were spray painted onto the street and sidewalk and the letters “KKK” were written on vehicles. A Hasidic social worker in Williamsburg, another Brooklyn neighborhood with a large Jewish population, had his nose broken by one of the attackers.

The news resonated particularly with Colorado College’s large Jewish community of students and faculty. According to the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, Colorado College has over 100 Jewish students and at least four Jewish studies courses. “As a Jewish American with familial ties to New York City, I find the situation very unsettling and upsetting,” said a junior who wishes to remain anonymous.

Investigators pursued the bigots responsible for the riot-like activity by lifting fingerprints from the dozens of empty beer bottles found near the scene. Brooklyn's elected officials and Jewish community leaders demanded an aggressive police presence in every Jewish community in Brooklyn.

New York City is the safest big city in the world, according to FBI numbers and reports year after year.  New York is also known for having the largest Jewish community in America and second largest in the world after Israel. And yet the attacks happened in New York City, proving that anti-Semitism knows no borders and knows no boundaries.

About 100 residents in Midwood, Brooklyn joined politicians for the walk past four public benches from which 16 swastikas had been removed after the pre-dawn attack Friday. Their message, according to the Washington Post, was “Don’t repeat the kind of attacks that once led to the Holocaust.” State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a Democrat ,who has represented the area for 29 years  said he had never seen this level of violence. "This goes beyond the pale," he said to the Washington Post. .

“There have been many anti-Semitic attacks throughout the Western world in the last 30 years,” said outspoken Jewish Junior Anna Fuchs. “Especially in Europe. It is disturbing to learn about attacks occurring in America, but it’s no secret that there are anti-Semites just about everywhere.”

“These attacks serve as a harsh reminder that no matter where in America you are, anti-Semitism is alive and well,”” said Junior Noah Gallo-Brown. “I think CC’s Jewish community is a strong one, and I think news like this brings pain to lots of people.”.

In a year defined by worldwide protesting throughout Europe, America and the Middle East, hearing about a group of people taking action that is not anti-government or anti-Wall Street, especially in a violent fashion, is disturbing to many. One would hope to remember 2011 as a year of populist uprisings peacefully succeeding to bring change around the globe. “Protests define the free world and make the world more free. Thus, a protest of a different sort is especially unsettling” said Gallo Brown. “These sorts of displays of anti-Semitism are however, an all-too-common occurrence.”

The spray paining of swastikas is a problem New York has already faced this year, and many times in the past decade. But blowing up cars is a new level of violence the city does not often see.  “One can only hope we will not be hearing about these kinds of attacks again anytime soon” said Anna Fuchs.

MLB Taking Action In Response to Fan-on-Fan Violence

Published in The Catalyst 

The violence has reached a boiling point and finally Major League Baseball is trying to do something about it.

On March 31, 42-year-old Giants fan Bryan Stow was assaulted outside Dodger Stadium and left in a medically induced coma. Since then, multiple fans have reported being threatened or assaulted in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Just 8 years ago, Giants fan Marc Antenorcruz was shot and killed by Dodger fan Pete Marron in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium. Major League Baseball remained largely silent on the matter.

In 2004, a young girl was shot and killed by police outside Fenway in Boston. While the incident was reported to have been an accident, it’s clear the police opened fire on a large crowd of Red Sox fans rioting through the streets to celebrate their World Series berth and  defeat of their rival New York Yankees. 

At nearly every Mets-Phillies, Yankees-Red Sox, Cardinals-Cubs, A’s-Angels and Dodgers-Giants game, dozens of videos are uploaded to Youtube and Facebook- all showing the same thing: Mobs of fans, drunk or sober, viciously beating each-other up until security guards intervene to break it apart. Some mobs grow 20 people deep; others are one man versus five. From time-to-time, you will spot a so-called “bi*ch fight”- two female fans going at it, or a guys only showdown- a one-on-one between two men. Occasionally, the fans appear as young as 15 or 16. Sometimes security guards get beat up too. While the videos make local news here and there and get lots of web attention, they remain completely unaddressed by Major League Baseball.

So what is the motive of ignoring such a critical issue appearing to escalate across the country? The NBA has a far more consistent track record of addressing fan-on-fan violence. While many baseball games start with PSA’s from players speaking of “disorderly conduct”, violence itself is rarely addressed.
Many have already questioned the agenda of Major League Baseball. “They want fans to go to games and the intensity of a rivalry draws bigger crowds” argues sophomore Noah Gallo-Brown. “It’s no different from attending a boxing match to see punches thrown or a NASCAR game to see cars erupt in flames. Crowds like drama. Cracking down on this violence can only go so far.”

But finally, after reports of sexist, homophobic and anti-Semitic slurs at Dodgers-Giants hit the news last week, Major League Baseball felt it could remain silent no longer.

            On a rare night when players from both teams addressed fans before first pitch, Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt and Dodgers second baseman Jamey Carroll came together for a joint message. With members of the victim’s family in attendance, Affeldt kept his emotions back as he spoke to the crowd. "We're fierce competitors, but when the last out is made, that rivalry ends upon the field. So please respect that, and in your excitement or in your frustration, don't take it out on another fan if you don't agree with who they cheer for." Carroll went on to add "competitive banter and passion" were honorable, "but there's no room in this game for hatred and violence.” The Dodgers and Giants both enforced strict security and a zero-tolerance policy, but despite the speech, multiple reports of violence occurred during and after the game.

            “In the age of violent video games, school shootings and street rioting, these kinds of things become more tragically unavoidable than many of us would like to admit” said Sara Bodner. “Once a rivalry is intensified and 50,000 people storm a stadium, tempers begin to flare as the sun sets and the game heats up,” she added.

            No matter what the consequences of a heated rivalry may be, its important to notice that Major League Baseball is finally expressing concern. While the commissioner, Bud Selig remains silent to this day, the actions of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants speak loudly to victims of fan-on-fan attacks. In the words of San Francisco native Denali Gillaspie, “knowing that the defending champions are doing something about it can’t hurt. It’s definitely a step in the right direction.” 

NBA Playoff Preview

It’s that time of year, folks. With baseball season getting into its groove, basketball fans are prepping for one of the most hyped-up playoffs in NBA history.

Despite slow starts and major inconsistency, teams like Philadelphia, Miami and New York have emerged as some of the best, hot-streak capable powerhouses in the NBA. Lebron James and Kevin Durant have continued to dominate statistical leader-boards as they guide their teams into the postseason stronger than ever. Cleveland has, most unsurprisingly, fallen to deep last as one of the worst teams in the league. Meanwhile, Blake Griffen’s dunks have studded highlight reels and raised questions about how much longer he can remain on the deplorable Los Angeles Clippers. The San Antonio Spurs, with the best record in the NBA, have proven they are capable of competing with the Lakers, Mavs and reformed Denver Nuggets. 

Other teams with hot starts have fallen to a host of turnovers and injuries, out of contention as the playoffs kick off. Cities like Houston and Phoenix are particularly devastated by trades and hurt players, already looking to rebuild for 2012 as they sit idly by as spectators. It’s a strange and unique situation when both the Rockets and Suns simply aren’t good enough to make a playoffs where the majority of teams get in.

So, where does the NBA stand entering the 2011 playoffs?

It all comes down to three teams- the Chicago Bulls, the Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Perhaps the most consistent team in basketball, the Bulls have won more home games than any other team with the best attendance in basketball to show for it. Their record in Chicago- 35-5. Meanwhile, the Thunder have the best free-throw shooting percentage in basketball with Kevin Durant scoring more points per game than any man in the sport.  As there stellar offense keeps them atop their division, they look to continue beating up on teams like the 56-25 Lakers.  And the Celtics have both playoff experience and a team perhaps best formulated to work together. Centered around Paul Pierce’s jump shot, Kevin Garnett’s power in the paint, Ray Allen’s 3-pointers, Rajon Rondo’s speed and Shaq’s dunks- the Celtics have one of the most dangerous starting 5 in basketball. Sure, the Spurs have the better record- but the Celtics have a fan base so powerful, beating them at home in the playoffs is nearly impossible.

And then there are the Heat. With the hype of the Lebron-to-Miami trade entering the season, the Heat had high expectations they have simply failed to live up to. Sure, they live in basketball’s unpredictable Top 5, but with Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and Lebron James front-and-center, the Heat haven’t lived up to the dominance many expected them to have right off the bat. They at times look unable to play as a team, too concerned with star-power and removed from the simplicity of ball movement and unselfish play.

Lets of course not forget about our boys in Denver. The Nuggets buzz is alive and well. After losing Carmelo Anthony in a multi-player trade, many fans thought the team would sink. But the heroics of Nene Hilario, Raymond Felton and Ty Lawson have given fans reason to believe.

The Cinderella story this year would come from no other place than the world’s most famous arena- New York City’s Madison Square Garden. NYC hasn’t been in the playoffs since the 9/11 attacks and while half the city celebrated a World Series ring in 2009, New York is a basketball city at heart, desperate to unite around the Knicks in glorious celebration. As four massive towers rise out of downtown Manhattan’s new skyline, there would be no better way to commemorate the upcoming 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks than with a championship title- showing the nation that New York is stronger than ever.

            No matter the outcome, it’s time to get pumped. The 2011 NBA Playoffs are here! 

New, Massive Skyscrapers Rising Across U.S

Although it might not be the most spotting sign of America’s fragile economic recovery, there are tall buildings going up across the country. In just a couple years from now, five cities in America will have brand new skyscrapers they can call their tallest- New York, Miami, Oklahoma City, Louisville, and Atlantic City.

New York: Sending a clear message to the world that they are rebuilding a downtown shattered by Al Queda a decade ago, the Port Authority construction team of New York and New Jersey are working to construct what will become the tallest all-office building in the World and the tallest building, period, in the Western Hemisphere of planet earth. The skyscraper, designed by the same man responsible for the architecture of the Denver Art Museum’s modern extension, the London Metropolitan University’s main building and the Jewish Museum in Berlin, will stand at 1,368 feet tall and provide 2.6 million square feet of office space. In addition to the construction of the 105-floor tower, three other skyscrapers will compliment One World Trade Center, the shortest of which will stand 57 stories tall- still bigger than any building in Denver or San Francisco. As three World Trade Center buildings did not collapse in Manhattan on 9/11, the new six building complex will combine to provide a total of 428 floors of office space to be occupied by new as well as old tenants who lost offices during the September 11^th attacks. “We can get back up and have [our city] working again and show people that we are really strong Americans” said New York native Brielle Brilliant. Furthermore, New York City will be constructing five more skyscrapers in different areas throughout Manhattan. Despite being the largest metropolitan area in North America, New York hasn’t had the tallest building on the continent for 35 years. Two buildings in Chicago top the list, with the Willis Tower and the Trump International Hotel constructed in 2000. Now, New York will be back on top.

Miami: Metropolitan Miami, a mixed-use development project, has put up two skyscrapers in the last 4 and half years, both topping 30 stories. A third skyscraper (Met 3), with the help of Shaquille O'Neal's development group, is expected to provide 75 stories of office space, making it the tallest building in the United States south of New York City. In addition to this tower, two skyscrapers, the tallest of which is expected to be 57 stories will rise into Miami's skyline this year. The buildings will be part of a complex known as Capital at Brickell, with condos, offices and retail shops galore.

Oklahoma City: When the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder came to this metropolis of just 600,000 people, they were the first professional sports team ever to enter the state. Moved from Seattle after the Supersonics 20-62 season in 2007, the Thunder couldn’t seem to win two games in a row in their debut year. Questions rose as to weather a small Bible belt city was right for a game dominated by far bigger markets like Miami and Boston. But the Thunder’s 2009 season was an incredible turnaround. They finished 50-32 and forced a Game 6 against the defending Champion Lakers in the playoffs. So far this season, they have sold out every game and Forbes Magazine estimated their worth at $330 million. So what does this have to do with skyscrapers? Oklahoma City has seen a massive population surge due directly to the Thunder’s success. The metropolitan area is inching towards 2 million people and people from all around the region are flooding the city to be part of the Thunder fever. The excitement of having a professional sports team in a state devoid of one for decades is inspiring investments into the future. Set to be complete in 2013, Oklahoma City is adding a 50-story energy tower built by Devon Realty Advisors. The office tower includes a six-story rotunda and a six-story podium structure amassing over 1,800,000 square feet. Expected to cost $750 million by the time it’s complete, the tower will have 50 elevators and provide hundreds of jobs to the city.

Louisville: Perhaps the most interesting story of them all comes from Louisville, Kentucky. The beloved city of will be adding its tallest building ever in 2012- a highly complex, modern and intricate plaza standing at over 700 feet tall. The 62-story skyscraper will contain a public plaza, park, condos, lofts, a hotel, university exhibits, retail shops and a museum- thus the name "Louisville Museum Plaza". The design was chosen by the architecture company "New York City REX" and includes two towers rising from a middle with several smaller towers built underneath this middle. “The building is unique, something that's never been done before. Because it’s structured in such an original, multi-dimensional fashion, it has the façade of legos” said sophomore Denali Gillespie. The design will add spunk to the Louisville skyline and has already added an enormity of construction jobs to the state’s economy.

Atlantic City: With construction to be completed incredibly soon, New Jersey's Atlantic City will be adding two massive, 50-story towers which will be one of the biggest Casino Hotel’s in America. The resort will be home to just under four thousand hotel rooms, 20 restaurants, 40 upscale retail shops and a 5,000-seat arena. It will face the ocean on Atlantic City’s famous Boardwalk Avenue, the inspiration for HBO’s award-winning hit show “Boardwalk Empire”. The towers will provide over 150,000 square feet of gaming space to the public.

In addition to all this construction, Las Vegas will add its second tallest building and Chicago will add its fifth. If there has ever been a time to get excited about tall buildings, it’s now. 

U.S & Allies Invade Libya

Published in The Catalyst 

As CC students return from Spring Break, all political conversations seem to be focused on same topic: The United States is leading yet another military operation in the Arab World. The brand new war in Libya, complex as it is controversial, has dominated the political and humanitarian discourse across the globe, and although you will find a handful of students either passionately for or against the war, the majority of students appear deeply unsure as to where they stand.

The war was sparked by Libya’s government’s tremendously violent response to pro-democracy protests. As it reaches its two-week mark, governments and militaries everywhere have already begun to look back and look forward. The kidnappings of French journalists the release of several New York Times reporters has brought the war alarmingly close to home, spouting fears in the western world about Libyan-grown terrorism and its potential to wreak havoc in European and North American cities (the way Al Queda has wreaked havoc in the last decade).

Meanwhile, both Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Libya’s dictator Muhammad al-Gaddafi have vowed the war will not be a quick one by any means. Gates, claiming that the main objective in Libya is to prevent a “large-scale slaughter” of civilians, does not believe the mission will be over by the end of 2011. Gaddafi has promised the war will be “very, very long”.

The debate raging across all political spectrums over the western world’s invasion into Libya has been complicated by the still fresh feeling that the U.S and its allies failed in Iraq, not to mention the controversy still alive and well as NATO tries to counter Taliban forces in Afghanistan.

The Invasion in Libya represents the largest international war since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, but it cannot be easily compared to previous counter-terrorism missions, as it is in response to a far different crisis than weapons of mass destruction or a hunt for Osama. What separates the motives in Iraq and Afghanistan to the effort in Libya, many are arguing, is that there is a humanitarian cause far greater in Libya than elsewhere. The so-called “femme fatale” of the humanitarian-assistance world, Samantha Powers practically begged Obama to intervene in Libya, as she made the case that if he did not, we would have “another Rwanda on our hands”.

Another factor differentiating the military motives of George Bush to those of Barack Obama, is that the Bush administration wished to fight a war on behalf of the Iraqi people, where as the Obama administration wishes to enable the Libyan people to fight the war themselves. George Bush wished to overthrow Saddam with U.S military force. Barack Obama wishes to overthrow Gadaffi by enabling Libyan rebels on the ground to do so. “One could also argue, or at least hope, that there an absence of an oil-hungry, ultra-corrupt web of lies operating, within the Obama administrations it deals with the situation in Libya”, argues sophomore Nikki Kauffman. “This is something we now know was operating under Bush.”

And while fear accompanies any U.S invasion, it is important that Americans, Obama is arguing, do not worry about American military casualties. The president is not committing any ground troops, and while the NAVY and Air Force are tremendously active in the region, no American soldiers are known to be dead at the moment. As for Libyans, it appears the U.S is targeting only forces backing Gaddafi.

U.S allies include Canada, France, Spain, Qatar, Norway, Denmark, Greece and the United Kingdom. The positioning of these nations allow them to target Gaddafi’s forces from many angles, as submarines, command ships and air forces have all fired rockets and missiles into seven Libyan cities, targeting Gaddafi head-on.

While it is difficult, among all the complexities of the war to define where you stand, it is important to thoroughly examine the facts and come up with a non-bias perspective of the invasion. This, however, is easier said than done. “It seems that the war, no matter what understanding you have of it, is not going to be something we simply talk about once and move on from,” argues sophomore Noah Gallo-Brown. “This will begin to define not only Obama’s presidency, but also the discourse of the American public over the next year or two.”

For now, CC students will continue to go on with life as usual. We can only hope that war does not come to America’s shores and that as we take for granted everything we have, we take the time not only to reflect upon the scarifies journalists across the planet are making to bring this story to us, but we reflect upon the military forces throughout the western world that are attempting to achieve whatever their government’s believe is best for the future of Libya and the safety of the world. Safety from dictatorships, violence, injustice and above all, human rights abuses. 

Historic, Monumental Blizzard Smashes U.S.

Published in The Catalyst 

CC students across campus received phone calls from their family members last week telling them what life through the “Blizzard of 2011” was like. The storm, which slammed 30 states across our nation was the largest ever recorded in human history.  Student’s parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews all had the same thing to say. “We are experiencing something of catastrophic proportions- something we have never experienced before,” my aunt told me over the phone.

An estimated half-a-million businesses shut down as the monster blizzard stretching from New Mexico to Maine lay down sheets of Ice on the Plaines and Lower Midwest, turning to snow as it swept North.

The National Guard was deployed last Tuesday and remained on the ground for a week as reports of homeless people freezing to death soared.

In Missouri, over a foot of snow had fallen by midday Tuesday as days of stronger force approached. “A-lot of my friends in Monroe had over 20 inches. My family was totally snowed in,” said St. Louis native, sophomore Maggie Brockland.  For the first time ever, the state shut down interstate 70 between St. Louis and Kansas City. “This is something Missouri is simply not used to”, Maggie added. “It’s hard to make the argument that climate change isn’t playing a role”.   

Oklahoma City and Tulsa shut down as well. Tulsa’s newspaper shut down for the first time in 100 years. “The whole city has been dead since the storm hit. It’s been a week and they are still getting more snow,” said sophomore Alexa Thompson, who lives in Tulsa. “The University of Tulsa hasn’t had school all week. The kitchen and maintenance staff have been staying overnight in the cafeteria, surviving off campus food and heating.” The situation was even direr on the roads. Whiteout surroundings caused dozens of car accidents as the city had its worst snowfall in history.

 In Texas, thousands of people lost power during the frigid conditions. “My family had rolling blackouts and we never lose power,” said Austin native, sophomore Amanda Scott. “The electricity providers shut down power for selected circuits so while one town had power the one next to it had none. Then 15 minutes later they’ll switch and suddenly the one that didn’t have power was lit while the lights went out just a mile down the road.”  Utility company Oncour reported over 27,000 customers without power statewide, with nearly half of the outages in Dallas. Winds topped 70 miles per hour as snow pounded the state. “A lot of my friends are having snow days in Dallas for the first time in their lives” Amanda added. A catholic high school student in Austin was off for a snow day when his pickup truck by a train, killing him on impact. Authorities claimed visibility made driving conditions throughout Texas horrifying and deadly. 

6,000 flights were cancelled in Chicago as it recorded its second largest snowfall in history- 22 inches. “On the city’s main highway, Lakeshore Drive, the storm paralyzed traffic completely” said sophomore and Chicago native Gabrielle Kaminsky. “People were stuck in their cars for hours. Folks downtown braved the weather and brought them food and water.”  As car accidents and blackouts continued to plague the city, Chicago public schools called the first snow day in 12 years and both major airports shut down for days. The National Weather Service and the mayor of Chicago advised people to not leave their homes as all businesses that remained open were ordered to close. 70,000 people lost power within the city limits alone. At Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, a small section of roof flew off in the high winds.

The president pledged government would respond swiftly as more than a third of the nation was affected. Although no lives were risked to save those snowed in or without heat, many say they owe their lives to the National Guard’s hasty response. “We are dealing with millions of Americans cold and in need of assistance”.  

Over 20,000 flights were cancelled across the country last week. Over 40,000 stores closed down last Tuesday alone.

         The Storm also smashed into New York, Philadelphia, Boston and the cities surrounding states. Boston and New York, which each had their snowiest January's ever, have each been hit with over 65 inches in 2011 thus far. Sophomore Sara Bonder’s family, which has lived in Connecticut for 18 years, got the brunt of the storm. “My siblings have had nine snow days this year. The magnetite of the storm is both frightening and exciting, but it’s created such a standstill that schools are canceling midterms and my Mom can’t leave the house. Oddly enough, It kind of boring after awhile. They just made brownie batter and sat around all day,” Sara said. In the Boston area, hundreds of roofs have collapsed. “New England roofs are built with fragile materials used to create a V-shaped top to the house” said sophomore Kalia Ryan. “They are not meant to withstand six feet of snow”.

            The unthinkable enormity that will always define the Blizzard of 2011 is likely to make it in the history books. It truly speaks for itself. Sophomore Noah Gallo-Brown summed things up perfectly. “Nobody living has ever seen anything like this before. Missing the force of the storm here in Colorado Springs, who knows if we will ever see something like this ourselves.” While the disasters Climate Change has produced have been seen primarily in Asia and the Caribbean, massive droughts throughout Africa and North America have gone largely unnoticed in the Media. It wasn’t since Hurricane Katrina six years ago that America witnessed the power a storm of such brutal force can have on communities. “I hope we recover as a nation and learn from this catastrophe. It’s time governments and people started taking Climate Change more seriously. It may very well be the greatest threat to mankind today”, Noah concluded.

Colorado College Students are Sleep Deprived

Published in The Catalyst 

A major survey of undergraduates on campus has drawn light to the tremendous lack of sleep amongst CC students, while providing some surprising figures on the leading reasons. While it may not shock you that exactly 6 in 10 students get an inconsistent amount of nightly rest, its worth noting that 95% of those 6 claim they receive too little sleep and only 5% allege too much.

Young adults between eighteen and twenty-two generally get less sleep worldwide than they should. This makes perfect sense, as the recommended figure according to the American Sleep Disorders Association stands at nine and a half hours on the average night, and getting this much sleep is “simply impossible”, says sophomore Denali Gillaspie. “There are so many things we want to do that sleep just isn’t high on the priority list”.

 Despite the conscious effort students’ construct to make-up sleep on the weekends, all grades are behind on both weekdays and weekends. In fact, 96% of the 410 students who took the survey receive under 9 hours Sunday thru Thursday. Although a significant drop occurs on the weekend, the majority (56%) still get less than nine hours on Friday and Saturday night.

Since nine is realistically asking too much, consider that 35% of students receive six or less hours a weeknight, with another 35% getting just seven. Far less, only 25% get 8 hours on weeknights. On a brighter note, it’s nice to know that over 70% of participants prided 8 or more hours of sleep on Friday and Saturday night.

Perhaps most alarming is how little sleep students receive on the final week of the block. “It’s the stress week” claims sophomore Noah Gallo-Brown “Why do you think the library is open till 4am?” Nearly 8 in 10 participants receive less nightly sleep on the final three nights of a block than he or she received the previous three weeks.

Next time you’re in class, look around the room and see if anyone is dozing off. This is not always the professor’s fault. Of course homework loads can ruin sleep schedules, but it’s often the undergrad who doesn’t make efforts to get the sleep he or she needs. “CC students push themselves beyond what’s necessary, packing their schedules with clubs and commitments” declared freshman Alyssa Northam. “I know I am often too busy to take a nap I really need”.

While 20% of students say they never or very rarely nap, nearly 2 in 5 surveyed claimed they napped one to three times per week, with 1 in 3 napping just once every two weeks to a month. I personally nap nearly every day, making up for the lack of sleep I get at night.

The reasons behind Colorado College student’s lack of sleep may surprise you.  While 83% of students claim homework keeps them up, 62% claim hanging out interrupts sleep time. More students claimed friends kept them up than parties kept them out. “My roommates have a great time keeping me from sleeping” said Denali Gillaspie. Another 1 in 5 students claimed their surroundings were too loud.

Although the survey was completed by over 20% of the student body, men made up only 30% of participants. And while many studies show women receive less sleep than men nationwide, conclusive evidence has yet to reveal weather male or female college students get the leg-up on sleep. For now, just try and figure out- Are most class time dozers guys or girls?