Regis University Hero: Tanner

Glam shots with Tanner! Available on Fridays from 2:00-2:45pm. //Frances Men-Frecker

By: Rose Ferrie, Staff Reporter

For those of you who do not know, we have an amazing hero here at Regis University, one I am very close with and always brings a smile to my face. Tanner is a therapy dog here on campus and truly calms your soul. You can’t help but smile when in his presence. He is an 8 year old golden retriever who is full of love and a keen intuition, making him a perfect therapy companion. He is great at reading people’s moods and being present with students when they are stressed, sad, tired or just need a furry friendly creature in their lives. His owner Rebekkah is a counselor here at Regis and commented that the healing power of an animal is powerful, it is evident that everyone who comes to see Tanner is better for it. I, and many others, believe he is a key part of Regis University, particularly in the midst of the intensity of being a student. You can see Tanner every Friday from 2:00-2:45 pm in the fitness center in the small workout room. No matter what mood you’re in when you arrive, you will leave feeling happier and smiling. You will not regret visiting with this golden pup!

A Spectacular Snow Ball

Snowball 2018 at the Denver Broncos Mile High Stadium //Tyler Delgado

By: Emily Lovell, Beat Editor

Snow Ball, Regis’ annual winter formal, was held at Mile High Stadium on Friday November 16 this year. Tickets could be picked up in the Student Center throughout the week and were $7 a piece and $10 for a pair. Guests rode charter busses from Clarke Hall to the event and stopped at a coat check before entering the East Club Lounge. 

The theme was “Snowed in at Mile High” and the decorations were appropriate. Snow-covered Christmas trees in glass bottles topped the tables added to the venue’s winter wonderland ambiance. Hors d’oeuvres such as macaroons, raspberry oat bars, and cheese plates were provided along with ice water. A beer garden was available for twenty-one year olds and up, and unlike previous years, cocktails were also available. Each guest could buy a maximum of three drinks. Cozy tables and chairs in the bar area were situated around a fireplace creating a great place to chat with friends and enjoy the evening. 

The music ranged from classics like “Stayin’ Alive” by Bee Gees to “Idol” by k-pop band BTS. Aside from dancing the night away on the dance floor, guests could capture the night’s memories through a photo booth and a caricature artist. If you worked up a sweat on the dance floor, or just wanted a breath of fresh air, you could go outside and sit in stadium seats overlooking the Broncos football field. 

Students generally seemed to think that this year’s Snow Ball exceeded last year’s due to its spaciousness, added activities, and awesome venue. The fairytale-like evening commenced at nine o’clock and ended at midnight. What a fantastic way to end the week!

Drag Show Realness

Performers flaunt the stage in creative drag while lip-syncing for their lives in Mountain View Room //Frances Meng-Frecker and Tyler Delgado

By: Rose Ferrie, Staff Reporter

This past Thursday, November 15, we had a fabulous event here on campus, I had the pleasure of attending the Regis Drag Show. For those of you who do not know, drag is a very old practice that has been a source of empowerment and expression for LGBTQ+ since ancient times where people perform as the opposite gender and get to express their more feminine or masculine selves.

There were both drag kings and queens on the stage, speaking their truths and entertaining the many who came. There was a discussion afterwards about why drag is important and what it meant to the performers. They came from many different backgrounds, many are apart of the LGBTQ+ community and said this was a powerful and peaceful defiance to hate against this community as well as other marginalized groups on campus. People came out to support love and to fight hate in a beautiful way, a great night with amazing people.

At the end of the evening, there was a performer panel and an open floor for commentary. Many students shared their amazement and pride in Regis University for hosting this event and for the administration being so compassionate and supportive.

Recently, the Archbishop of Denver criticized Regis for hosting a drag show on campus. This comment has been a source of tension for the campus in the wake of the event. However, Regis both publicly and at the event stood strong and the Regis values of human dignity blazed on. Janet Houser, Regis University provost, was in attendance on Thursday, along with other faculty and directors. The presence and support of administration inspired students and affirmed the path that Regis chooses to walk as a social justice campus, in support of all humans regardless of sexual or gender identification.

List of performers in order:

Sir Gay Lebaronski (Alana) performing “Bet On It” by Troy
Carsino Royale (Marley) performing “Kiss” by Prince
Angelica Aftershave (Sam) performing “One Night Only” by Beyonce and Sharon Leal
Mad Dog Malone (Madison) performing “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield
Izzy Adams (Isaiah) performing “Fantasy” by Alina Baraz and Galimatias
Starr De La Mar (Shannon) performing “Grace Kelly” by MIKA
Claudia Mercury (Clyde) performing “Waterloo” by Cher

Is Hate Speech a Necessary Part of the Truth?

By: Marley Weaver-Gabel, Editor in Chief

On Wednesday, November 14, Romero House welcomed students and friends into their home for a hospitality night titled Freedom of Speech, Hate Speech & Crimes. Dr. Rob Margesson joined the group as the guest speaker for the evening to guide discussion and provoke thought and commentary throughout the night.

The night started out with a delicious meal of traditional ethiopian cuisine, cooked by three of the Romero House residents. As guests arrived in pairs or alone, friends greeted each other and sat together to share a meal. After getting hands deep into spicy lentils and well prepared potatoes, the group of roughly 15 students hushed themselves and started discussion.

Dr. Margesson started the discussion by sharing the theory of the marketplace of ideas, which proposes that the only way to understand the truth and the good, we must come into confrontation with the false and the bad. This theory also explains that in order to engage in critical inquiry, we must have access to an abundance of ideas, including those which we may find wholly repugnant. So if we believe in this marketplace of ideas, does hate speech aid in the search for truth?

This was the question that students engaged in throughout the night with thoughtful commentary and inquiry. In discussion, the conversation touched on topics regarding the meaning of truth, the role of the oppressed, and the invitation of hate speech on to college campuses.

“Truth is not only known, but it is felt too,” comments Veronica Postit. With this comment, students faced what the truth is and how it can be defined, either as subjective or objective. There is no clear cut answer of the truth, which is one of the reasons it becomes so important that we are participants in the marketplace of ideas. The free sharing of ideology creates a space to understand truths that can be subjective to each individual.

Through the evening, the conversation transitioned towards the question of obligation. Nick Aranda asks, “Who carries the obligation of understanding the others truth?” The question guided students to reflect about the roles of the oppressor fighting for their own humanity. If not the oppressed, than who will stand up? Does it then inherently become the marginalized to confront the oppressors? While this is a compelling argument, Isaiah Pramuk suggests, “It can really hurt us if we push too far into it.” In many ways, there is a certain level of self care that we must consider when confronting discrimination. Context matters and each person can only do their best, based on their abilities in the moment.

Another large theme addressed the invitation of hate speech into our spaces. Considering the marketplace of ideas, one could say that inviting hate speech into our spaces is a necessary evil to be able to confront those volatile ideologies. Students were hesitant to embrace this idea, instead cautioning that these ideas could become more polarizing and for those who are under informed, it could become their truth.

Leaving Romero House, I had more questions than I came with and more thoughts that I continue to organize. In this safe, comfortable space, with well educated and thoughtful young justice seekers, I found myself comforted by this community. This conversation did not address specific actions, nor did it address our multitude of grievances in response to the hate that has infiltrated our school. Instead, it brought together truth seekers and gave us a space to not react with hate, but react with thoughtfulness in the face of those statements we fundamentally disagree with. THIS is what it means to me to be part of a social justice university.

Hate Crimes Community Forum

By: Sally Andarge, Social Media Editor

On November 9, Regis hosted a Hate Crimes Community forum in Claver Hall, room 315. Guest speakers at the forum included a panel of law enforcement officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the Denver Police Department.

Tensions across our campus are high given the recent white supremacist notes that found their way around campus and the March Against Hate to rise against them. In a moment like this, question of hate crimes are inevitable.The forum was timely following the acts of extreme hate that have occurred on our campus in the past two weeks, impacting community members on and off campus.  

The forum kicked off with a few words from Father Fitzgibbons. He called the Regis community to put political difference aside in order to eradicate hate and recognize one another for who we really are.

After his speech, Father Fitzgibbons called the Assistant District Attorney of Denver to give a quick introduction to the history of hate crime law and what exactly constitute a hate crime.

He started by explaining to the audience that there are a series of federally protected classes. Those classes are race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, and ability. Luckily, Colorado is one of the few states that considers sexual orientation a protected class even though federal law does not. Colorado added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected classes in 2009.

He then moved on to what constitutes a hate crime. He explained that criminal acts are usually deemed hate crimes when there is evidence of hateful ideology. The example that he gave was the Charleston church shooting, where 21-year-old white supremacist, Dylann Roof, killed nine African American church goers during a prayer service. He explained that it wasn’t deemed a hate crime just because all of the victims were people of color, the evidence that made it a hate crime were his personal journal and social media posts where he had openly racist and white supremacist statements. This allowed them to link his targeted attack on people of color to white supremacist ideology.

It is so unfortunate that in 2018 we still consistently see hate crimes and hate speech. In a time where we find so much progress, alarming events like these still shock us to the reality of deeply founded fear and hate. When faced with these acts as a community, it is critical we understand the law and protections against hate. These events are not isolated to just our campus, in fact, in 2015 there were 107 hate crimes that took place in Colorado alone. We hope that as a community (and eventually as a society) that we will be able to overcome hate.