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UN I V E R S I T Y O F D E N V E R 1 2 . 2 0 1 0

CAMPUS | NEIGHBORHOOD LIFE | RESEARCH ARTS | EVENTS | PEOPLE

Inside
• DU iPhone app

• Jamba Juice closes

• Injured hockey star

• B angladesh research

• Green report card


Rich Clarkson and Associates

Welcome to the WAC


The University announced Nov. 11 it will move into the Western
DU football
undefeated since 1960
The University of Denver
played its last football game
Athletic Conference (WAC) beginning in the 2012–13 season. Men’s — a 21–12 win over Colorado
and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s golf, gymnastics, women’s State University at Hilltop
Stadium — on Thanksgiving
soccer, women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis and Day 1960. The University
announced its decision to
volleyball will move from the Sun Belt Conference to the WAC. Peg terminate the program the
Bradley-Doppes, vice chancellor for athletics and recreation (pictured following January. Attendance
had been declining for years as
left with WAC Commissioner Karl Benson, Chancellor Robert Coombe hockey competed for attention
and DU Board of Trustees Chair Trygve Myhren), said during an as DU’s flagship sport.
Chancellor Chester Alter
announcement at the Ritchie Center that this was a day everyone in believed that expenditures on
football were taking funding
athletics had envisioned for years. Coombe talked about DU’s 10-year- away from other programs
climb to new athletic heights — rising to NCAA Division I status in all including scholarly projects and
even intramural sports. The
sports and winning three Director’s Cups, the trophy given to the best University’s Board of Trustees
overall athletics program without a football team. agreed and voted unanimously
to end the program.
>>Read the full DU Today story at http://blogs.du.edu/today/?p=17036 —Steve Fisher
DU launches iPhone app
International study
Don’t have DU on your iPhone? There’s an app for that. abroad stats
The University of Denver launched its first iPhone application in November. The program is
compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. DU ranks 4th in the nation
The app gives users access to the latest campus news and an events calendar. It also allows among doctoral and research
users to access DU videos and photos, the athletics website and maps and polls. There’s even a institutions in its percentage of
link to the DU fight song. undergraduate students who
“The app is a way for us to use technology to communicate about DU to the various
study abroad, according to the
audiences that we are trying to reach,” says Jim Berscheidt, interim vice chancellor for university
communications. “It is internal and external, reaching not only faculty, staff and current students, but 2010 Open Doors
alumni and prospective students as well.” report by the Institute of
The app also includes a checklist option International Education. During
for prospective students, which will help them
with the application process. It was developed
the2009–10 academic year,
in cooperation with the DU admission office. DU sent 61.4 percent of its
Akash Jain, a computer science grad undergraduates abroad. DU’s top
student, says the app looks great. destination was Spain. The number
“I really like the event section, and the
of international students studying at
campus map will come in handy to all the
students, because it is sometimes hard to find DU increased from 6 to 7 percent
certain buildings on campus,” Jain says. this year. International students
He says the tab that shows the hours hail from 18 different countries
of operation of various offices — such as the
bursar’s office, the library and the recreation
and make up approximately 9.5
center — is really useful as well. percent of the total population
The app has found its way to DU at DU. China is the top country
alumni, too. represented at DU. The University
“I like the fact that DU is trying new ways
to reach out to students and alumni, and the
offers more than150 study-abroad
fact that it isn’t just sports information,” says alumna Mila Morgese. “I would love to see this used as programs in 58 nations.
a means to advertise for events on campus, and to let us know what is going on with policies and
administrative changes.”

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Morgese (MA higher education ’10) graduated in June and is looking for work. She says the UN I V E R S I T Y O F D E N V E R

app hopefully will give her an edge because it will give her mobile access to DU’s employment
page. University officials are in the process of developing an Android app compatible with other
w w w. d u . e d u / t o d a y
smart phones and tablet devices.
Volume 34, Number 4
The application is free and can be downloaded at iTunes.
—Katie Feldhaus Interim Vice Chancellor for
University Communications
Jim Berscheidt
Editorial Director
Jamba Juice closes store near DU Chelsey Baker-Hauck (BA ’96)
Managing Editor
Kathryn Mayer (BA ’07, MLS ’10)
Jamba Juice, a familiar food and beverage business in the University Lofts building at University
Art Director
Boulevard and Evans Avenue since 2007, has peeled its last pineapple and whipped up its final Craig Korn, VeggieGraphics
smoothie.
The store at 2076 S. University Blvd. closed Nov. 16 and by midday Nov. 17, crews were Community News is published monthly by the
University of Denver, University Communications,
removing lights and ripping down the sign. It is one of two corporate-owned stores to close, a 2199 S. University Blvd., Denver, CO 80208-4816.
The University of Denver is an EEO/AA institution.
spokesman says, leaving 15 other corporate stores in the Denver area.
Jamba Juice, a California-based restaurant chain that features healthful food and beverages,
operates 432 company-owned stores and 311 franchises, according to a press release. In June
2009, the company launched a refranchising initiative for up to 150 company-owned stores by
Contact Community News at 303-871-4312
the end of 2010. The DU-area store closing is related to that effort, the spokesman says. or tips@du.edu
University Lofts owner Pat Barron said he didn’t expect the 2,000-square-foot space to be To receive an e-mail notice upon the
vacant for long, noting that he’s already received inquiries from potential new tenants. publication of Community News, contact us
with your name and e-mail address.
—Richard Chapman

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Injured Pioneer Martin ‘lucky to be here, happy to be here’

Online reader
comments
to Jesse Martin

All of our best for a safe recovery


and plentiful future. Your
unfortunate injury reminds us
of what is really important in
life and is inspiration for all.
Although rivals on the ice we are
all in this together.
—U of M Gophers

Best wishes from Canada; hard


work and dedication that got you
to DU will get you through your
Chase Squires

rehab and a full recovery. All the


best Jesse.
Jesse Martin, with Coach George Gwozdecky (pictured left) and his father, Terry (right), spoke to —Rod Mackenzie
reporters Nov. 16.

For University of Denver hockey standout Jesse Martin, the biggest difference in his life may have Jesse, as you look back on this
been made by a tiny sliver of bone. over the years I believe you will
Martin, 22, was looking to get the puck out of his own zone in the second period of an Oct. 30 find that this moment will be the
game at rival North Dakota when the puck started to come off his stick. He tried to corral it, looked direct source of so many good
down, and was slammed by onrushing North Dakota forward Brad Malone. things that you have coming
On Nov. 16, less than three weeks after the collision, Martin spoke at a press conference at Craig to you. Harness the energy
Hospital. that surrounds you and take
“I just lost [the puck] a little bit and then it ended up kind of sliding to the slot,” Martin recalled. “You everything that you can from
know as a center the last thing you want to do is give that opportunity up so I kind of reached for it, and this situation. Thank you and
left myself in a very vulnerable position, and I didn’t see Malone coming at all.
your team for everything you
“All of a sudden I’m on the ground, on the ice, and I’m in this position that is like, it’s one you would
have given me over the years!
never find yourself in, like your arm is bent, kind of in a weird way, and that surprised me that I’m still in
that position and why am I not moving out of this position? So I thought maybe I was winded. I ended Godspeed my friend!
up realizing that I wasn’t winded and I started to get a little bit concerned that I can’t move my arms, and —Whit Matthews
I tried to move my legs to get up and that didn’t happen.”
Martin had suffered three fractures to the C-2 vertebra in his neck. Doctors told him most people Get well soon; there are many,
who suffer that kind of injury in a high-speed accident die. Of those who don’t die, most are paralyzed. many people following your
Of those who aren’t fully paralyzed, many never fully recover. progress and keeping you in their
For Martin, the saving grace may have been a tiny sliver of bone. thoughts.
“The way they described it is like a cigar cutter, your two vertebrae, and the only reason they didn’t —Shram
just go across [and sever the spine] is because when it fractured, a chip of the vertebrae came down and
was stuck in the vertebra and didn’t allow it to go across,” Martin said. “That would be the reason I didn’t Great to see that you are up and
end up in another situation.”
walking already. Just take it easy
Martin said he asked a doctor if his luck was like winning the Powerball lottery drawing. The doctor
— no need to get on the ice any
told him no, it was like hitting the Powerball twice.
“For [the doctor] to say it’s like winning it twice, you can’t even come to grips with how lucky you time soon. Your teammates will
are … It’s overwhelming.” have your back.
Looking ahead, Martin says he plans to head back to his home in Edmonton, Alberta, to continue —Joe
his physical training. Then he plans to come back to DU for the winter quarter, continue his studies and
support the Pioneers. Post your own comment and view
>>http://blogs.du.edu/today/?p=16698 others at http://blogs.du.edu/
>>http://blogs.du.edu/today/?p=17184 today/?p=16906
—Chase Squires

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The ‘Bangladesh Miracle’
Professor receives grant to study effects of good health in Bangladesh

I n the United States, television shows

Karen Kasmauski, National Geographic


like “The Bachelor” and “Keeping
Up With the Kardashians” suggest
that to attract a man, women need
only be sexy, fashionable and fun. So
it might surprise some to learn that
in developing nations, the first step
toward better marriage prospects is —
wait for it — eliminating diarrheal and
respiratory diseases.
That’s the theory, anyway. Randall
Kuhn, director of the Global Health
Affairs Program at DU’s Josef Korbel
School of International Studies, is
about to test it with his colleagues
— and 24,000 study participants —
in Bangladesh. Kuhn believes that
better health can have far-reaching
social and economic effects, like
enhanced education, job and marriage
opportunities.
“If you had measles as an infant and
it had gone encephalitic and affected
your brain, arguably your marriage A Bengalee baby receives a dose of polio vaccine.
prospects would suffer,” Kuhn says. “But
an even more nuanced story would be that repeated episodes of disease, which tend to intersect with each other and with malnutrition,
tend to compromise your human capabilities and affect how others see your capabilities.”
Kuhn and his team at DU just netted $240,000 to prove it. It’s part of a larger $3.2 million grant from the National Institute on
Aging, which will be shared by researchers from CU-Boulder, Brown University and the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease
Research. “To receive U.S. government funding for a project of this magnitude, in a place as far away as Bangladesh, during a recession
is a major achievement for DU,” Kuhn notes.
But the real beneficiaries are likely to be people in developing nations throughout the world, as Kuhn tries to answer the overarching
question: Under what circumstances does better health lead to better development and human security — and when does it not?
Kuhn’s project builds on work done earlier, in what is now the world’s longest-running health research project. In 1963, researchers
set up a field office in Matlab, Bangladesh (then called East Pakistan), distributing cholera vaccines to villagers, who had the second-
highest rate of cholera in the world. By 1966, the fatality rate had plummeted to 1 percent. In the 1970s and 1980s, health workers
began “doorstep delivery” of contraceptives there, as well as vaccinations for mothers and children against devastating illnesses like polio,
measles, mumps, rubella, tuberculosis and tetanus. In a 15-year period, fertility rates declined dramatically, from 6.5 to three children,
on average.
“The latest UNICEF health study [showed that] the leading cause of death for Bangladeshi children ages 1 to 5 is now drowning. The
real message is not what kids are dying of, it’s what kids are not dying of,” Kuhn adds. “That’s a huge victory.”
Some have called it the “Bangladesh Miracle,” Kuhn says. But the real measure of the program’s success will be whether Bangladeshi
people have better lives, not just longer ones, he adds.
So perhaps it was serendipity: Right around the same time the cognitive effects were observed, another type of intervention was
gaining widespread attention: microcredit — or making very small loans to help impoverished people finance a small business. So in
1996, Matlab researchers set up a multifactorial study, investigating the effects of microcredit, singly and jointly, with the effects of
health interventions. It seemed logical, Kuhn says, that “the two points of cognitive function would be a lot more useful if someone were
offering you a loan.”
Kuhn and his team propose to find out. They spent two years developing a survey, which will be administered to every woman and
child involved in the 1996 research, as well as their descendants. With questions about marriage, earnings, social networks and more, it
attempts to assess the impacts the health and credit interventions have had on Bangladeshi lives. In March 2012, Kuhn, his team and
about 200 fieldworkers will begin collecting the surveys from all 24,000 people — whether they’re still living in Matlab or have migrated
somewhere else in Bangladesh in search of a better life.
—Laurie Budgar
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DU students rate education experiences higher than students at peer
institutions, survey shows
Eighty-six percent of surveyed first-year University of Denver students reported a favorable image of the institution, and 79 percent of surveyed
seniors would choose DU again if they could start their college career over, according to the 2010 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).     
NSSE’s annual survey results provide diagnostic, comparative information about effective educational practices at participating colleges and
universities. The 2010 report details results from a survey of 362,000 students attending 564 U.S. colleges and universities. 
For the sixth consecutive year, DU students rated their education higher than students at peer institutions in four of five benchmark categories:
level of academic challenge; active and collaborative learning; student-faculty interaction; and enriching educational experiences.
The survey provides a comparison between individual schools and peer and national institutions based on surveys of first-year and senior
students. The survey measures DU against three different comparison groups, including all 2010 NSSE participants and a group of institutions with
the same Carnegie Foundation classification. 
The final comparison peer group consists of schools within the Carnegie Foundation’s “engaged campus” classification — more than 150
universities whose institutional missions are focused on “curricular engagement” and “outreach and partnerships” with the community.
Student respondents gave DU high marks on the level of academic challenge. Eighty-three percent of first-year respondents felt the
University places substantial emphasis on academics, and 55 percent said they frequently work harder than they thought they could to meet
faculty expectations. 
Respondents indicated that they are actively involved in their learning, both individually and working with others inside and outside the
classroom. First-year and senior students reported making frequent presentations in class. According to the NSSE, 62 percent of first-year students
frequently discuss readings or ideas from course work outside of class, and by their senior year, 63 percent of students have participated in some
form of practicum, internship, field experience, co-op or clinical assignment.
Students also reported a high level of engagement with faculty members. Of seniors who responded, 88 percent said they at least occasionally
discuss career plans with faculty, and 70 percent of first-year students indicated that they frequently receive prompt verbal or written feedback
from faculty members. In regards to educational experiences, 76 percent reported participating in community service or volunteer work.
—Jordan Ames

Clothing can help boost kids’ esteem, alumna says


Mary Overington (MSW ’98) is eager to talk about why her

Courtesy of Clothes to Kids


work for the Denver-based Clothes to Kids organization means so
much to her.
“When I hear the stories about kids who come in [to our store]
and their eyes say, ‘Wow. I get to shop and pick out what I like,’ that’s
the greatest part of this,” Overington says.
It’s a story Overington and the other founding members of
Clothes to Kids of Denver Inc. hear often. Kids who can’t afford new
school clothes visit the Clothes to Kids store, browse the racks, try on
clothes and leave with a week’s worth of clothes — for free. That’s
the mission of Clothes to Kids, a nonprofit providing low-income
school-aged children clothing to encourage school attendance and
self-esteem.
“The kids have said when they are in school they see other
people that bully the kids that don’t come well dressed,” says
Overington, a social worker with Denver Human Services. “They
are isolated and ostracized, and they don’t tend to join school
activities.
“These clothes make them feel good about themselves, make them feel accepted. In these particular struggles — like grandparents raising their
grandkids — and in this time of economic disparity, how do you chose between feeding your children and clothing them?”
The clothing — donated by retailers, individuals and clothing drives — goes to the organization’s store at 2890 S. Colorado Blvd. Those who
qualify — families must live in Denver county and be on a need-based financial assistance program such as a free or reduced school lunch plan — can
visit the shop twice a year. They come home with new underwear and socks as well as five tops, four bottoms, shoes, a jacket and other accessories that
are either new or gently used on each visit.
In the years since its 2008 founding, the nonprofit has served more than 4,000 children.
“I’ve been a social worker for my whole career, but this has been the most rewarding thing I’ve done,” she says.
To volunteer or get involved with for Clothes to Kids, e-mail ctkdenver@gmail.com
—Kathryn Mayer
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[Events]
December

Around campus 18 Rocky Mountain School of Dance DU earns good grades for
presents A Christmas Story.
9 Soul and Role. 4 p.m. Fireside 6 p.m. Gates Concert Hall. $25. going green
Room, Driscoll Center North. Free.
19 “Hark! Brass & Angels Sing”
12 12th annual Holiday Carillon presented by Denver Brass. 4 The University of Denver goes to the head of the
Concert. 3 p.m. Williams Carillion, p.m. Additional performance Dec. class when it comes to sustainability, a national survey
Ritchie Center. Free. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Gates Concert Hall.
$27.75–$47.75. finds.
14 Blue Holidays. An event to honor The Sustainable Endowments Institute of Cambridge,
and remember the loss of loved
Mass., surveyed the 322 institutions of higher education in
ones. Noon. Evans Chapel.
Sports
25 Winter holiday break. Campus the United States and Canada with endowments of more
closed through Dec. 31. 1 Men’s basketball vs. Utah State.
7 p.m. Magness Arena. than $160 million and graded them on its annual College
4 Men’s basketball vs. Cal State Sustainability Report Card. With a grade of A-, DU was
Arts Northridge. 4:30 p.m. Magness among the top 52 schools in the country to receive an A.
1 Friends of Chamber Music Piano Arena. The institute, founded in 2005, is a project of
Series presents Jeremy Denk. 5 Women’s basketball vs. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and is funded by the
7:30 p.m. Gates Concert Hall. Vanderbuilt. 2 p.m. Magness
$33.75. Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the United Nations Foundation
Arena.
and other groups.
3 Classical Dance Arts Foundation 8 Women’s basketball vs. Air
presents International Youth Force. 7 p.m. Magness Arena. “It’s a really good benchmark and reference point
Ballet’s The Nutcracker. to see what we’ve been doing in these areas,” says
7:30 p.m. Additional performances 11 Women’s basketball vs. San Jose
Dec. 4 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. State. 1:30 p.m. Magness Arena. geography Professor Rebecca Powell, chair of the DU
Gates Concert Hall. $21. Intra-squad Pioneer Gymboree. Sustainability Council. “It is really exciting.”
4 Granny Dances to a Holiday 2 p.m. Hamilton Gymnasium. Powell says the report is a valuable overview of DU’s
Drum by Cleo Parker Robinson Men’s basketball vs. Portland. efforts provided by a third party. DU has raised its grade
Dance Ensemble. 7:30 p.m. 4 p.m. Magness Arena.
Additional performances Dec. 5, 11, from a B+ last year and a B two years ago, with the
12, 18 and 19 at 2 p.m., Dec. 10, 14 Woman’s basketball vs. improvements coinciding with the rise of the Sustainability
11, 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. Byron Northern Colorado. 7 p.m.
Magness Arena. Council and concerted, campus-wide efforts to reduce,
Theatre. $38.
reuse and recycle. Over the past two years, the University
5 Young Voices of Colorado pres- 18 Men’s basketball vs. Northern
ents “A Season of Peace.” 4 p.m. Colorado. 5:30 p.m. Magness has initiated a robust single-stream recycling program,
Gates Concert Hall. $14–$25. Arena. added food composting in dining halls, reduced the use of
6 “Making Spirits Bright” by Lorie 21 Men’s basketball vs. Arkansas- air conditioning in the summer and replaced lighting with
Line. 7:30 p.m. Gates Concert Hall. Pine Bluff. 7 p.m. Magness Arena. more efficient systems, among other programs.
$49.75. 22 Women’s basketball vs. In this year’s survey, DU scored “A” grades for
7 “A Night in Bethlehem,” Holiday University of Texas at El Paso.
7 p.m. Magness Arena. dining services and the purchase of locally grown foods,
Jazz Trio featuring Solveig Slettahjell
on vocals, Tord Gustavsen on piano environmentally friendly building policies and greenhouse
29 Women’s basketball vs.
and Sjur Miljeteig on trumpet. 7:30 Louisiana-Lafeyette. 7 p.m. gas reduction efforts.
p.m. Gates Concert Hall. Free Magness Arena.
behind the curtain lecture at 6:30 Of the five schools surveyed in Colorado, DU was
p.m. $32–$48. 30 Men’s basketball vs. Louisiana- the highest scoring research institution, sharing the top
Lafeyette. 7 p.m. Magness Arena. grade of A- only with Colorado College. Colorado State
10 It’s a Wonderful Life pre-
sented by the Rocky Mountain 31 Hockey vs. Northern Michigan. University and the University of Colorado both received
Conservatory Theatre. 6 p.m. 6:07 p.m. Magness Arena.
Additional performances Dec. 11, grades of B+, and the Colorado School of Mines received
Hockey: $18–$27; $5 for DU students. Men’s
12,18 and 19 at 2 p.m. and Dec. basketball: $9–$15; free for DU students. a C.
11, 12, 17, 18 and 19 at 6 p.m. Women’s basketball: $8–$11; free for DU The DU Sustainability Council meets monthly,
Hamilton Recital Hall. $16. students.
bringing together faculty, staff and students interested in
11 Sound of the Rockies presents finding sustainable solutions to everyday energy needs.
“Christmas in Colorado.” 2 p.m. For ticketing and other information, including a
Additional performance at 7:30 p.m. full listing of campus events, visit www.du.edu/ The council meets monthly, and all are welcome to
$19–$27. calendar. attend.
>>www.du.edu/green
—Chase Squires
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