And The Devil Writes His Requiem

By: AC Covarrubias

 The devil is one of the most if not the most infamous figure in religious culture. His effect seems to be ever present in all forms of media. This reigns in art, film, drama, and literature. However it is in music where his presence reigns supreme.

         The prince of darkness presence in music can be dated back in the Middle Ages. One of the most superstitious times in European history. During the 5th century the musical interval called the tritone, which was also known as "the devil in Music" or the “Devil’s Interval”, was banned by the Catholic Church due to the belief that playing the interval could summon the Devil himself. Later on the devil would strike again in 1773 in the mind of Giuseppe Tartini. One night Tartini had a dream where he sold his soul to the devil to make satan his servant and teacher. During this dream the devil would then play a song which is what he consider the most beautiful melody he has ever heard of. When he woke up he attempted to recreate that same melody he has heard in his dream. However in Lalande's Voyage d'un François en Italie, where he tells his story he states “The music which I at this time composed is indeed the best that I ever wrote, and I still call it the "Devil's Trill", but the difference between it and that which so moved me is so great that I would have destroyed my instrument and have said farewell to music forever if it had been possible for me to live without the enjoyment it affords me.”

         But Tartini was not the only violinist to have some relations with the infernal and unholy. Niccolò Paganini was a famous Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. During his career there have been rumors that his skill was given to him by the devil. The evidence to support this was claims that when he played the violin his hand would contort and move in an inhuman way. One person claimed to leave after witnessing the devil helping Paganini play. To rop it all of it was said that when the priest came to perform last rites it was said that he refused this sacrament. Whether this was real of not is up for debate.

         In the later years new genres of music emerged called Jazz and the blues. This genre of music is not directly linked to the devil but rather it was made linked to the devil. Because most of the jazz musicians are mainly African American in a still racist America people have been linking jazz with satan just to make the blacks look bad. During the time jazz was considered “Devil Music”. However, just because people linked jazz to the devil did not mean he did not have his hands on helping musicians master the blues. Some musicians such as Tommy Johnson and Robert Johnson (the two are not related) where said to sell their souls to satan. Tommy was said to be a terrible guitar player until he sold his soul and just like that he became a master in an instant.

         The devil would leave the would and jazz and the blues into something more fitting for a violent entity such as him: Rock. Like jazz and the blues, rock was viewed negatively as satanist, but there main target was not on the minorities, but on children. During this time Rock was the cool thing to listen to as a kid, so parents use this as a way to scare their children. Saying that rock will lead you to a life of sin. This, like jazz, is not true, but instead of ignoring these claims rock embraced those claims and became what those things parents back then where afraid off. Black Sabbath, the founding fathers of metal, have a lot of references to the occult and the demonic. One of the band members Geezer Butler was fascinated with the occult, which lead Ozzy Osbourne to give him a black book written in Latin with pictures of the devil. He put the book in his shelf and went to bed. He would wake up to see a black figure at the front of the bed, staring at him. Some say it was the devil, others claim it was the grim reaper, however one thing is certain, when the figure vanished Butler searched for the book only to find that it was vanished. This would lead to Black Sabbath’s song Black Sabbath which is about the experience Geezer when through with the first line being “What is this, That stands before me? Figure in black, which points at me”. With metal coming to exist the link to music and satan have been exclusively linked to metal rock exclusively.

         Modern music seem to not discuss about the devil, with rock as the exception. The link between the devil and music is bizarre. With tales general consisting of encounters with the prince of darkness where it is meeting him face to face or committing to Faustian bargains. Whatever it is there is something fascinating about discovering the relations between music and the infernal.

Meet Our New Mascot: The Fox

By Emily Lovell, Associate Editor

Paw prints have been appearing around campus. Signs were put up promising free donuts but none could be found. Rumors starting spreading that Regis was changing its mascot to a fox instead of a ranger named Roamin. Then, we all received the emails that confirmed it: Regis University will be making a complete switch from Roamin to the fox, but we will still be the Regis Rangers.

For clarification, the “Roamin’ shadow” logo will be retained on all athletic materials, uniforms, and the Field house, but the fox mascot is set to appear at athletic events and to be featured on Regis athletics apparel. Regis University’s school colors will stay the same.

But why the switch? Surveys and polls were conducted within the Regis community over the past year, and the responses to Roamin were quite negative overall. So, Marketing and Communications came up with the goal of creating a new mascot that represented the Regis spirit. They decided upon a fox because foxes are “fun, inquisitive, intelligent, and full of cura personalis.” The fox is also a unique choice for a mascot; not many other schools have it. Furthermore, not only do they call Colorado their home, but the Regis University campus as well. So next time you find yourself walking around campus in the evening hours, keep your eyes open for a glimpse of one of these beautiful creatures.  

You may have noticed that the fox was referred to as a “she” in the emails and may be wondering about the significance of this. Historically, Regis has had all male mascots, and there are very few standalone female mascots in general. Our Marketing and Communications team originally wanted the mascot to be gender-neutral in order to be inclusive of everyone, but decided to make the fox a female because it is something that almost no one else has done. As a sort of compromise, however, the costumes that she wears will be more masculine.

As of right now, she has yet to be named. But, members of the Regis community will have the opportunity to vote on names during Ranger Week which is April 8th-13th. Come cast your vote and welcome the fox into our community!

The Anti-Oppression Council Circle

By: Kamil Wojciak, Staff Reporter

For Anti-Oppression week at Regis University, the Anti-Oppression Council Circle convened; this event was held on March 26th, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, at the St. John Francis Regis Chapel.

This event gave Regis University students and faculty the opportunity to disclose information on the social issues and personal thoughts that they have about our community here at Regis. To discuss about these social issues, we started the event with a large group, then split into small groups, and reconvened at the end as a large group once again.

At the beginning, all participants of the event found a place to sit in the circle of seats. Several coordinators first explained the premise and reason for the event, and then let the members think about their personal biases that go against social justice. Every participant was given a paper and a writing utensil, to write their biases. After the participants wrote down their biases, they put their bias-written paper into a compost bag. Participants were encouraged to reflect on and distinguish their personal thoughts that deviate away from social justice, and throw away those thoughts to further reach social peace and justice.

After removing the ill thoughts and biases of the participants, the event followed up with a ceremonial practice of smudging. Smudging is the method of burning sacred herbs, usually sage, to purify the negative energy around and in individuals. For the event, two sage wands (sage that is wrapped in a bundle) were used for the smudging, and were passed around the circle by the partakers of the event, allowing themselves to be spiritually cleaned. After throwing away their biases and smudging themselves, the participants were mentally and spiritually ready for the small group discussions.

For the small group discussions, people were divided into groups of roughly eight people. These small groups were meant to personally access an individual’s perspective on social justice and how to change the community of Regis University to accommodate comfort and security for everyone in the community.

Reconvening back again as one large group, the coordinators discussed the importance of these kind of events; these events based off discussion on personal insight and perspective, gives people the opportunity to more openly discuss issues. The Anti-Oppression Council Circle allowed the participants to gain greater understanding on the issues surrounding our community, learning through themselves and others. Because of this event, the participants of the event now know some of the underlying issues of our community that are able to be solved, creating a better community for all.  

City Council Candidates Bring Answers and Awareness to Regis

Photo Source // Amy Reglin

By: Catie Cheshire, Co Editor- In -Chief

Even though many people are already thinking about the 2020 presidential election, Denver’s municipal elections are just around the corner on May 7, 2019. With that in mind the Regis Community Council, RUSGA, and Berkeley Regis United Neighborhood along with many other sponsors brought the District 1 City Council candidates to Regis on March 20.

The event served as a way for community members to learn about all the candidates and ask questions relevant to the District 1 area, which includes Regis. The candidates are Mike Somma, Amanda Sandoval, David Sabados, Prajwal Kulkarni, Scott Durrah, Sabrina D’Agosto, and Victoria Aguilar. Dominic Dezzutti, station manager at Colorado Public Television, served as the moderator. He guided candidates through one-minute opening and closing statements and asked them questions submitted by sponsors of the event and the audience.

Jenna Farley, a community member and part of Regis Community Council, kicked off the night with an introduction. Farley was one of the original organizers of the event. She discussed how city policies affect people’s daily lives and argued that City Council elections are important because they give people a chance to elect people who have a say over what happens in their neighborhoods. She introduced Father John Fitzgibbons, Regis President, who shared welcoming words and wisdom.

“They say all politics is local,” he said. “That’s true. What we do here affects everything else. What we do here is make democracy work.” After Father Fitzgibbons’ concluding remarks, Dezzutti was ready to kick off the night. He began by inviting each of the seven candidates to give an opening statement.

Most candidates spoke about their time in the district, their experiences that led them to run for office, and why they would be good advocates for people in District 1. Candidates range from Somma, a firefighter, to Durrah, a dispensary owner to Aguilar, who works at Denver Human Services.

Though the candidates are a diverse group, they all identified the same primary issue District 1 faces: housing amidst a changing neighborhood. Each candidate offered unique ideas for what should be done to make housing more affordable and preserve the character of the neighborhood. Their ideas ranged from overlay zones, to repurposing old buildings as temporary housing, to giving residents a voice in city planning.

Along with concerns about development, one question asked about transportation. Once again, all the candidates agreed that transportation is a major problem in District 1. Across the board, the issue of sidewalk maintenance arose. Currently, homeowners are responsible for the sidewalks outside their residence. Several candidates said they would like to appropriate money, or alter that policy, so that the city would fix sidewalks instead of individuals.

Another important theme throughout the night was community involvement. Each candidate said they had ideas for how to involve the community more in decision-making with D’Agosta and Aguilar emphasizing the importance of asking people how they would like to be included in decision-making and Sabados describing how technology could be used to have digital town halls that are accessible to more people. Every candidate spoke about how city council, more than any other pathway in our current government, gives people in the community a voice.

To return to Father Fitzgibbons’ theme that politics is local, having the District 1 candidate forum at Regis is just one way the university promotes political engagement and becomes a better neighbor to others in the community.

The event was streamed on FacebookLive and offered Spanish translation, ensuring more of District 1 could be included in the forum. To update your voter registration click here. For information about how to vote in the upcoming municipal elections that City Council is included in click here.