With DACA in Limbo, Students Fear Deportation

By Emily Summers, Practicum Reporter

Denise Maes, public policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, visited Regis University in November to discuss the current issue of immigration in our country. Maes addressed Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), as well as the Zero Tolerance Policy, with hundreds of students, faculty, and community members in the St. John Francis Regis Chapel. 

Maes first shared the stories and experiences of a few DACA students, and explained the situation many students of similar circumstances are facing: the fear of deportation. She discussed the changes the United States has faced under the current administration and described DACA as “in limbo.” Maes stated that she is not confident that the Supreme Court will rule in favor of DACA. 

She went on to further discuss immigration, specifically surrounding the Family Separation Policy in the U.S. After Trump’s executive order for a Zero Tolerance Policy, about three thousand children who had crossed the border into the United States were separated from their families. Maes explained the effects this separation had on these children.

“Every single child advocacy group … agrees that we have caused irreparable harm and trauma to these kids,” Maes said.

Following Maes, Regis faculty member Allison Peters read an anonymous story on behalf of a current Regis student. This student’s story depicted her life as an undocumented student in the United States. Growing up, this student explained her life, as an undocumented immigrant was full of fear and uncertainty. During her time at Regis, the student had received multiple threats, including death threats. Despite these obstacles, she has remained fairly optimistic.

“My story is one of thousands, but we are here, working for a better life, allies for those who stand for what is right. I, too, am a Regis student,” said Peters, reading the student’s remarks. 

Two Regis alumni also spoke to the group about their experiences as undocumented students. Each person had a unique story.

The event soon turned toward questions and answers between the speakers and the audience. 

The event, which was part of Social Justice Week on campus, stimulated conversation within the Regis community. Hearing the true, first-person stories from former undocumented immigrants themselves shed light on an incredibly relevant issue in our world today.

National Climate Assessment Paints Bleak Future for America

By: Paul Hunter, Practicum Reporter

Despite years of scientists’ warnings, the United States has neglected to make combatting climate change a priority. According to the National Climate Assessment, a report released by the government, the United States is headed for economic, health, and environmental disaster by 2100. The report also clarified the role of humans in climate change and highlighted recent events that were exacerbated by the effects of climate change. 

For the past 12 years, scientists have measured the effects of climate change to predict the outcomes of current degradation. The report is released every four years. This year, the report, which was commissioned by the Administration, paints a bleak picture. In the first paragraph of the report summary, it states, “Climate change creates new risks and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in communities across the United States, presenting growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth.” The following section highlights the ways climate change disproportionately affects the poor and marginalized around the world. 

Released on the popular American holiday called Black Friday, the report has been scrutinized by some as having been buried. Al Gore, former Vice President and creator of the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” called out President Donald Trump on Twitter saying, “The President may try to hide the truth, but his own scientists and experts have made it as stark and clear as possible.”

The release of the report follows comments by Trump claiming that forest fires in California are happening more often because the National Forest Service fails to rake its forests. 

Just before the release of the climate assessment, Trump posted on twitter, “Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS - Whatever happened to Global Warming?” The tweet has close to 30,000 retweets and 115,000 likes. 

The climate assessment describes climate change’s effects on communities, the economy, water, health, indigenous peoples, ecosystem services, agriculture, infrastructure, oceans and coasts, and tourism and recreation. It links them all together in a final section titled “Interconnected Impacts.” In this section, the report shows how all effects are not singular; they are all interconnected and affect one-another.

The report predicts that annual deaths due to climate change will rise to the thousands by 2100. It also calculates the economic impacts of climate change on the United States, claiming that losses due to climate change will increase from the current $280 billion to $500 billion per year if we remain on the current path. On a local level, the report predicts detrimental impacts on the water supply for the West. Lake Meade has already witnessed a 60 percent loss in volume since the turn of the millennium. 

The National Climate Assessment ended the report with recommendations on strategies, claiming that local governments will be the primary drivers of the green movement and adaptation. It addresses perceived challenges with potential solutions. From much of the content, it’s clear the biggest challenge for policy-makers will be getting taxpayers to agree to costly, but necessary adaptation policy. 

Holiday Spirit Fills Regis’ Northwest Denver Campus

By: Traci Wuerstl, Practicum Reporter

“God bless us everyone.” - Tiny Tim

As the sun began to set on Thursday, Nov. 29 around 5 p.m., Regis University students began to gather around as a community as they awaited the annual tree lighting on the Northwest Denver Campus. 

Regis has been bringing the campus community together in the essence of the holiday for more than 25 years. For some students, this event marks the beginning of their Christmas season. 

As the night progressed and cold set in, students and community members shared hot chocolate to warm their hands. 

The Griswold family Christmas lighting made an appearance at Regis during the ceremony. Father John P. Fitzgibbons, S.J., re-enacted the iconic house lighting scene in the movie “Christmas Vacation” for the cameras, which included a 9News video photographer, giving the audience a good laugh. 

Students made their way to the quad and gathered around the nearly 80-foot-tall white fir tree. Students rolled their tongues to create a drumroll that was heard throughout the quad before the University student choir led those in attendance in singing Christmas songs. Smiles were seen all around while “Noel,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Jolly Old St. Nicolas” and many more treasured Christmas tunes were sung. 

Some of Regis’ leaders said a few words about the history of this seasonal tradition.

“They wanted to promote religious and racial unity,” said Barbra Wilcox, the vice president of Student Affairs.

For 109 years, the tradition of the Christmas tree lighting has continued in the United States. Tree lightings were used as a way to strengthen communities and bring people together after the rise of urbanization and industrialization. 

“As we come together tonight on this campus, it’s fitting that we return to the roots of this tradition as it honors our core values and serves the most vulnerable among us to discern the greater good to glorify God,” said Wilcox.

The excitement began to rise as the countdown from five began: “5-4-3-2-1,” then everyone cheered as the tree was illuminated with blue and yellow lights top to bottom. 

Some students have been coming to Regis’ annual tree lighting since their freshman year and have made it a tradition to begin their Christmas celebrations.

“I enjoy coming to the Christmas tree lighting every year because it marks the beginning of my holiday season,” said student Virginia De La Torre. 

“It’s great to come together as a community and enjoy this special moment because everybody enjoys moments like this, so we can all join together on campus and enjoy it together,” said student Dani Starks. 

After the tree was lighted, students gathered in Walker’s Pub to enjoy sweet treats and cookie decorating. 

The night came to an end and students made their way home, but the blue and yellow covered tree continues to light the campus for the remainder of this holiday season. 

Vartabedian, the Kindly Philosopher Professor

 By: Emily Summers, Practicum Reporter

Beginning in kindergarten, Becky Vartabedian attended 59 consecutive semesters of schooling, culminating in a Ph.D. from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. This was no easy feat, and stands as an accomplishment not shared with many others. Among Vartabedian’s many schools and universities is Regis University, where she is currently an assistant professor. 

Vartabedian teaches in the Philosophy department, the Honors Program, and the Integrative and Foundational Cores. In both attending school and teaching at Regis, Vartabedian has been well respected, according to students and colleagues.

Vartabedian found her love for philosophy while attending Regis. In high school, it hadn’t been a subject she particularly enjoyed, but during her time at Regis, things unexpectedly changed. 

As a first-year student, Vartabedian took a philosophy class from Professor Karen Atkins, Ph.D., also her adviser. 

Vartabedian recalls it was in Atkins’ classroom that “it just started to make sense.” 

After graduating from Regis, Vartabedian attended Denver Seminary and the University of Colorado Denver before earning her Ph.D. at Duquesne University. She then taught at several universities as an adjunct faculty member before coming to Regis in 2012. 

For four years, Vartabedian served as a term instructor before becoming an assistant professor, the title she currently holds. She teaches many subjects, such as philosophy and peace and justice, saying she has no particular favorite. As a professor, Vartabedian enjoys learning with her students versus merely lecturing in front of a class. 

“As a teacher, I want to learn with my students and a lot of what we’re able to teach here at Regis gives us that opportunity,” Vartabedian says.  

Vartabedian is well liked among her students, who used the following words to describe her: “engaging, intelligent and inspiring.” She focuses her classes on a more dialogic approach, rather than lecture-based, which has proven to be an effective and engaging method. 

“I feel as though Dr. Vartabedian’s class opened my eyes to other perspectives and worldviews. Her class really showed me what Regis is all about,” says Paul Lenz, a third-year Regis student. 

Although Vartabedian’s class was requirement for the third-year business major, Lenz explains that he would take the, Writing for Social Justice, class again. Despite the fact that the class had nothing to do with his major, Lenz found Vartabedian engaging. 

Vartabedian’s colleagues also speak highly of her. Professor Eric Fretz, Ph.D., department chair of the Peace and Justice Studies, has taught alongside Vartabedian for several years and describes her as “brilliant, yet humble.” He explains that despite her exceptional intelligence, she carries herself with a deep level of humility, which he called rare. 

“Every time I talk to Becky, I learn something I didn’t know. In addition, she just makes me feel good as a friend; I never feel talked down to,” says Fretz. 

Vartabedian’s reputation extends beyond Regis’ Northwest Denver campus. She belongs to several professional organizations, including the American Philosophical Association and the Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary World. Through these and other organizations, she speaks at conferences and contributes to literary journals. 

 Vartabedian enjoys writing; her first book was released last year. The book, “Multiplicity and Ontology in Deleuze and Badiou,” is about “a dispute in contemporary French philosophy about the nature of being.” 

 She explains that the book developed from her dissertation and took about 18 months to complete. Following the release of her book, the American Philosophical Association featured her work in their “Early Career Scholar Spotlight.” 

 Beyond Vartabedian’s professional life, she enjoys weight lifting, baseball, and spending time with her husband, Andrew, whom she met when they were students at Regis. She met her husband while visiting a classroom for a school project. He was student teaching in that classroom.

 Her husband is her greatest inspiration, Vartabedian says. He’s an artist – working in photography and ceramics – as well as an art teacher at Northglenn High School. Their relationship is full of curiosity and excitement, she says.

 “He is the most interesting person and also the most curious person,” Vartabedian said. “That’s what really inspires me – curiosity.”

 Another of Vartabedian’s inspirations is French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, whose work is the basis of her master’s thesis. Merleau-Ponty’s work focuses on the meaning of human experience. Vartabedian explains that her philosophical thought, along with her worldview, closely aligns with Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy. In a similar way, Vartabedian provides inspiration to her own students.  

Professor combines her passion for teaching with love of the outdoors

By: Traci Wuerstl, Practicum Reporter

Lea Stenerson continues to leave her legacy on Regis’ Northwest Denver campus through her teachings of anatomy and physiology to future nursing students. 

Stenerson grew up in a city outside of Portland, Oregon, and said she had a fortunate childhood with loving parents as well as several friends. She grew up loving sports and teaching, roles that influenced her current professions as a personal trainer and a professor here at Regis. 

 As an alumna of Witworth University in Spokane,Washington., Stenerson knew that working in a similar small, Catholic setting would be important. She was drawn to apply for a position at Regis after a close friend introduced her to the idea. She admired the community and its overarching notion of living and working in service to others.

Besides her Witworth undergraduate degree, Stenerson holds a master’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Colorado. She’s a certified personal trainer, which allows her to incorporate her dual loves for sports and teaching. 

 Though she is passionate about her profession, Stenerson explained some of the daily challenges she faces. With a busy academic and professional schedule, she finds it difficult to balance everything. 

 “Your job is never done,” she said. 

 As the years have progressed, she’s had to consider the best way to get certain content across to her students to provide the best learning experience for them. She adds humor and incorporates youthful jargon to help students make connections regarding the content. She added that although this is challenging, it’s also the best part of her job. 

 “I love teaching and I am so fortunate for what I get to do and love passing that on, so my students can find that same kind of passion for themselves,” Stenerson said. 

She has always had a passion for teaching. Throughout her life, teaching has been incorporated into what she does. As a young woman, she was an outdoor counselor and along the way found various other teaching opportunities that eventually led her toward formalized teaching at Regis. 

Nearly nine years ago she became the anatomy and physiology professor for the lecture classes. Once she applied and received the job, she continued to teach both. Along the way, she has altered her teaching methodology and the course itself to ensure that students learn the material.

After nearly nine years of teaching, Stenerson has developed her own way of making learning more enjoyable for her students. She is adored by many of her pre-nursing students for her teaching style.

“She loves anatomy and teaches in a way that makes me want to love it too,” says Emily Pennylegion, one of Stenerson’s current anatomy students. 

Stenerson says she’s fortunate to have the opportunity to help students enjoy learning through the process of making connections and finding motivation to learn more. She wants her students to enjoy the progression in learning to inspire them to keep educating themselves. 

“It’s not just about knowing where the femur is, it’s about wanting to expand on it and learn everything you can about that particular bone,” Stenerson said.

Another current anatomy student explained how much she envies Stenerson and her teaching methods. Kristen Macmillan, a second-year pre-nursing student, explained how she enjoys the constant excitement and energy that is included in every lecture. “It can be difficult to find a professor who cares as much as she does,” said Macmillan, adding that Stenerson clearly cares about her students and their success. 

Stenerson stated how professors are often seen as brilliant people with so much authority, although they have faced hardships in life as most people have and more than students may realize. As a professor for future nurses, Stenerson has an empathetic understanding of what her students go through and can better comprehend how they could feel if, by chance, they do not get into the program they desire. 

She has faced a similar hardship of not being accepted into her desired program while she was attending school. 

“Keep trying and it’ll happen,” she advised.

Stenerson applied to the athletic college at her university, and although she met all the qualifications, she didn’t get accepted. While it was difficult to understand why she didn’t get accepted, she knew she wouldn’t stop trying. To quit would’ve been the moment that she failed, and she would have never reached this point in her life. Through her perseverance she managed to accomplish many things, including getting into her chosen program.

Every professor has a life outside of teaching. Beyond coaching and teaching, Stenerson raises her three young boys with her husband. Taking care of her boys is a full-time job within itself, but Stenerson still manages to make time for other activities. As a Boulder resident, she spends a lot of time outdoors. In the summer she loves trail running, biking, swimming and camping with her family. She also leads a trail running group in the summer. Her love for sports at a young age helped her reach this career path. Coaching and personal training allows her to incorporate her passion for sports into her love of teaching. Now, with winter here, she and her family will spend more time on the downhill slopes at ski resorts. 

 “I love teaching and am so fortunate for what I get to do, and the legacy I hope for is to leave knowing that people enjoyed the classes and hopefully they gain more inspiration for their careers,” Stenerson said.