Blossoms of Light

By: Amy Reglin, Staff Photographer

Finals are a stressful time, and there is something magical about Christmas lights. What better way to take a study break than at the Botanic Gardens downtown looking at Christmas lights. Each year for the holiday season the gardens are covered in lights for the Blossoms of Light festival. So if you are looking for a study break or just want to go look at lights check out the Botanic Gardens. Just make sure you buy tickets online because they are $5 more at the door.

12 Years of Inspiring Regis Students Through Botany

By: Joshua Lenahan, Practicum Reporter

A classroom full of students learning about plant taxonomy is normally the last place one would expect to find enthusiasm and laughter, but in Introduction to Botany, taught by Catherine Kleier, Ph.D., it’s just another Tuesday morning. As a National Geographic Explorer, and 2015 Colorado Professor of the Year, Kleier’s enthusiasm and infectious love for nature stretches far beyond the classroom. 

Kleier’s achievements during her 12 years teaching at Regis include being named the 2015 Colorado Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. However, one of her proudest achievements was receiving a National Geographic Waitt Foundation grant in 2011, which allowed her to travel to Chile to explore a rare alpine cushion plant called Yareta. 

Botany was not a priority for Kleier during her undergraduate years. She studied Biology and also enjoyed taking humanities courses such as Classics and Film Studies. Her interest in botany wasn’t sparked until she took a plant class her senior year at the University of Colorado Boulder. She then took a few additional botany classes after she graduated before returning to Boulder for more classes, and then headed to the University of Oregon in Eugene for graduate studies in plant taxonomy. Kleier later attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned her Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology.    

Research has taken her across the globe. Her dissertation work in the Andes mountains of Chile was inspired by her love of alpine cushion plants, which she became acquainted with during her time in Colorado. She’s now one of the leading researchers of the Yareta plant. 

“Good teaching is supported by good research,” Kleier said.  

During her time in Colorado after college, Kleier was a trip leader for an outdoor adventure company, where she led teenagers on hiking and backpacking trips in the mountains. It was during these summers —hiking and backpacking in the Colorado wilderness— that she realized she wanted to become an alpine ecologist.  

Kleier believes students can learn from her own late introduction to botany. Her journey to graduate school began with curiosity, but she lacked a clear path toward what she wanted to do or be. She followed her newfound love for botany to see where it would take her, and it led to more academic schooling. Never did she expect her interest in botany to lead her to where she is today – a professor at Regis. Her interest in teaching began as a teacher’s assistant at the University of Oregon. She combined her desire to teach with her appreciation for research, and that’s when she decided to pursue her doctorate at UCLA. 

“It’s important to me that students understand that you don’t always know what it is you’re going to do,” Kleier said.

Discovering your career in this organic manner, rather than setting on a path before understanding it well, is what Kleier brings into the classroom. She recommends being open to learning and changing one’s mind.  

Her students appreciate Kleier’s teaching style. 

“She introduced me to a side of nature that I take with me everywhere I go,” said Noah Garcia, a student in her botany class. “She opened me up to a new appreciation of my surroundings that I never thought I would see before.”  

Kleier’s extensive work in botany evolved alongside her passion for the outdoors. As an avid hiker, her love for the outdoors finds its way into her classrooms.   

“I find when we give attention to nature, it’s very fulfilling. You’re celebrating it and it can be a hobby that is not consumptive,” said Kleier. 

She believes that students introduced to botany learn to appreciate nature wherever they are. Beyond that, it’s a healthy hobby that anyone can enjoy. 

“To be more familiar with your surroundings makes you feel at home wherever you go,” Kleier said.

Kleier’s love of nature and the outdoors resonates with her students. 

“Dr. Kleier has deepened my interest in my already existing passion for the outdoors,” said Nicole Linkowski.

Other students shared similar sentiments. And many could quote a Kleier motto: “Botany isn’t rocket science; it’s much more complicated.” 

Botany is an endless and joyful pursuit, Kleier believes, and one worth sharing with the world. It’ll always be needed and relevant. 

"You can’t climb mountains forever, and you can’t ski black diamonds forever, but you can botanize forever," said Kleier, who, incidentally, does all three.

So, what’s next for Kleier?  

She wants to learn more about genetics, molecular biology, astronomy, and basically all things outdoors. She’s working on another course, in addition to her book/video course, “Plant Science: an Introduction to Botany.”In 2020, she plans to visit New Zealand on sabbatical to research plants. 

A mom, botanist, mentor, and inspiration to many, Kleier proves that botany is much more than a science class; it’s a class about life. She exemplifies how passion can stick with someone for the rest of her life and blossom into a relationship with nature worthy of sharing with the world. 

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Skiing Loveland Pass

By: Joshua Lenahan, Practicum Reporter

As I drive up Loveland Pass after a snowstorm, the mountains in every direction are scattered with carving “S” patterns from top to bottom. About a mile up the pass, a wide sweeping turn is bustling with rad dudes and dudettes walking with skis and boards. In the parking lot, hot dogs are being grilled, people are hanging around their cars, dogs are running around, trucks are picking people up – the stoke level is high, some might say.

If you’re unfamiliar with Colorado ski culture, it probably looks more like a snowy football tailgate, but as you talk to folks, you begin to realize they’re at the pass for the same reason: unlimited, deep, fluffy, snow. And the skiing is free.

As a group of about a dozen or so toss their gear into the back of a truck and pile themselves in, they get ready for the 10-minute ride to the top of the pass. 

Hitchhiking Loveland pass is the easiest and most accessible backcountry skiing near Denver. 

One of the highest mountain passes in the world and at the Continental Divide, Loveland Pass is consistently open during the snowy season – and a significant hub of activity after a snowstorm. 

Sitting on the side of a truck bed, I hear seasoned ski bums talk about skipping work, “escaping the wife,” and reminiscing of winters past. I turn my attention back to the mountains, semi-trucks with chained tires drive past, routing around the Eisenhower tunnel. White-knuckled tourists in rental cars navigate the snow-covered roads. 

At the top, I hop out of the truck and am instantly engulfed in white mountains. Clicking into a pair of beat-up, center-mounted park skis, I am not exactly ready for 2 feet of fluffy powder, but I am complaining either. 

After making a few passes and stopping to catch my breath, I was greeted by the faint swishing sound of a fellow skier in the distance, a dog barking at its owner skiing down the mountain, and even the soft sounds of falling snow. The blissfulness of the mountain is a good distraction from the potentially dangerous terrain below. 

Steep cliffs litter chutes and gullies and are countered by wide-open powder fields on different lines. The variety of the terrain makes it welcoming to more than expert skiers; its terrain and easy accessibility is a fitting introduction to aspiring backcountry skiers.

This same easy accessibility means Loveland Pass draws inexperienced and unprepared skiers into potentially risky avalanche areas. Most Loveland Pass novices stick with someone who knows the area to stay safe. It can be a dangerous place and should be treated as such. There’s no lodge at the bottom with amenities or First Aid gear. You ski here at your own risk. 

The risks don’t stop those who ski it, and it’s a pretty popular place during a decent snowstorm. 

Loveland Pass is a fun getaway from the long, early season lines at neighboring A-Basin. The pass provides a fun change of pace with loads of options. 

Next time you find yourself on the pass, don’t forget to pick up a friendly hitchhiker. We get cold, and appreciate the ride. 

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.