Feb. is the dedicated month to celebrating Black heritage and culture and how it has positively impacted American society.  It is easy to see the reminders on social media and in the public sphere about the celebration of Black History this month, but do we take the time throughout the year to actively appreciate the impact Black Americans have had on our society as a whole? 

When shopping around Fort Collins, you might have noticed that stores now charge a disposable bag fee in an effort to reduce the environmental impact of plastic bags. The city of Fort Collins is trying to do its part to bring America down from being ranked number two as the worst global polluting country in the world, second to China.  Experts are pointing to a drastic decline in environmental health, so much so that Earth’s environment and weather are already visibly changing. We are feeling the effects right now, which has eroded many folks' hope that any significant environmental change will ever occur. 

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 offers governmentally regulated protection from sex-based discrimination in schools and programs that are provided with federal financial assistance. It covers both educational and athletic activities, and you are more likely to hear about it when speaking of athletics. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Title IX impacts “approximately 17,600 local school districts, over 5,000 postsecondary institutions and charter schools, for-profit schools, libraries and museums.”

Social media can be utilized as a tool to stay up to date with friends and family, but it can also be used to perpetuate one’s views on issues around the world. How often have we gone on social media only to find an opposing opinion that makes us upset or angry? There is an appeal to finding these posts and joining in on the argument.  The social media sphere holds the opinions of many of our friends and family, and in an era of political divisiveness and significant decision making, there are always differing opinions to be found. Conversations that would not be had in person are written out online under the shield of a profile picture. There is a particular thrill to being angry, and this anger is extremely easy to find on any social media platform. 

A recent tweet by Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) rose to infamy with a claim about “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” The tweet initiated a storm that has stripped Ye of a deal with Adidas and alienated his main fanbase while also inspiring others to either agree with or take up his opinion on the Jewish community. Kyrie Irving has also entered a similar state of controversy after tweeting a link to an antisemitic film.  Ye is not unique in his opinion of the Jewish community but a byproduct of the ever-growing antisemitic movement. It is always easy to assume that this rhetoric and mentality are not present in our own communities, but the truth is sometimes surprising. The Anti-Defamation League recorded a 61% increase in antisemitic incidents in Colorado from 2017 t0 2021, with 32 more incidents recorded than in 2020.

The days of Mariah Carey and ancient recordings of Christmas jingles on a loop in every store and restaurant are on the horizon. Momentarily, the fear of the holiday season can be pushed aside for the more fun, self-inducing fear of Halloween. Halloween is the best holiday. Some folks are not connoisseurs of fear, which is totally understandable, yet one does not need to be scared to enjoy the season of spook thoroughly. There are plenty of things to enjoy about the holiday that both include and exclude the scares and raised hair. 

The season of political ads is upon us with the midterm election in November. This brings back the era of televised insanity on behalf of politicians and their teams. Whatever goes through their minds when they storyboard these crazy ideas is truly enigmatic.  An advertisement put out by Alex Walker, former Democratic candidate for Colorado’s third Congressional district, portrays a literal fecal storm raining down upon Colorado citizens as a result of Lauren Boebert’s policies. It certainly catches the eye, triggers the gag reflex and overachieves the point it is trying to make with a not-safe-for-life cinematographic depiction that rivals “Sharknado” in quality. 

Complacency sucks. It creeps up on you right after you say you are going to make a change, and then before you know it, nothing changes. You get stuck in a situation that you and only you can get yourself out of, but it is simply easier to remain as is.  What is complacency? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, complacency is “self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.” Essentially, this means you are comfortable even when things are not necessarily great.

Parking passes are not a cheap expense at Colorado State University. The annual cost for a Z permit pass, allowing the permit holder to access the Z, R and ZR parking spots, is a whopping $584. That kind of money is enough to buy a PlayStation 5 — so you would also expect, at the very least, to be able to park in the lot you paid for.  Like airlines oversell tickets, CSU oversold parking passes. Instead of figuring out where to put the excess cars before the semester started, CSU waited until Sept. 8 to send out an email detailing additional parking locations for pass holders. 

Walking through campus, you may sometimes notice the American flag is positioned at half-staff. It seems to be that way everywhere, all the time. In the past, it was easy to identify why the flag was positioned this way — a time of mourning across America or a state — but it never seems to rise back up into its official position.  Now, call me a pessimist (I already know), but why not just keep the flag at half-staff permanently? Sure, we grieve over the deaths of politicians and important figures, but are we not also grieving over inflation, unaffordable housing, lack of workers' rights, division among our people and daily injustices committed by and against our own people?

Colorado State University students over 21 years old should take some time to check out Fort Collins' New Belgium Brewing. If somehow you have not yet ventured to the locally beloved brewery, you will be pleasantly surprised by the upbeat culture of both the employees and the local beer drinkers. The brewery’s story begins in 1988, when Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch went on a bike trip through Belgium, taking note of the different brewing processes the Belgians used. Jordan and Lebesch went on to install brewing equipment in their home in Fort Collins in 1991, and their beer grew in popularity, not only becoming a local favorite but also being put on the shelves of stores all around the country.

The last few days of the semester are coming to an end, and summer break is on the horizon. The days of grinding away at term papers and cramming for finals are coming to a close, and for some, the result is receiving a degree. For the rest of us, the struggle will continue when the fall semester rolls around. If there is any time to not take classes during the summer, this is it. COVID-19 restrictions are lifting as vaccination totals continue to go up and the number of cases goes down, resulting in plenty of activities to partake in. Go to a concert or a ballgame; just enjoy the sun.