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CAMPUS | NEIGHBORHOOD LIFE | RESEARCH ARTS | EVENTS | PEOPLE

Inside
• ‘Millionaire’ contestant
• Tuition increase
• Helping Kenyan children
• Library renovation
• Pearson Prize
• DU astronomer
Wayne Armstrong

Gold standard
Three DU skiers took home

Stirring things up
gold medals in the alpine skiing
competitions at the 25th annual
winter World University Games
Aspiring chefs from DU’s Ricks Center for Gifted Children received a weeklong held in Erzurum, Turkey, Jan. 29–
series of cooking lessons — including spending time with a professional chef Feb. 6. Jennie VanWagner
(pictured), a sophomore from
— during a special week called “intersession” for 5th–8th graders. During Traverse City, Mich., won gold
intersession, teachers create classes designed to encourage students to pursue in the women’s giant slalom
event; Sterling Grant, a freshman
a passion or discover a new one. Instructing the chefs-in-training was Dan from Amery, Wis., earned a
Witherspoon from Denver’s Seasoned Chef Cooking School. Besides mixing gold medal in the women’s
slalom event; and Seppi Stiegler,
and measuring, the students learned about the regional Mediterranean
a junior from Wilson, Wyo.,
cuisines of France and Italy. Witherspoon helped the students prepare finished first in the men’s slalom
event. Second in importance to
panna cotta with raspberry sauce, penne pasta with creamy blue cheese and
the Olympics, the international
mushroom sauce and stuffed chicken breasts with rice pilaf. There even was a sporting event for university
student-athletes is held every
banquet for parents.
two years.
 Alumna donates ‘Millionaire’ winnings to
Women’s College
DU’s Women’s College will receive
$25,000 for scholarships thanks to alumna
Carter Prescott (BA English ’71).
Prescott was selected as a contestant on
Courtesy of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”
DU’s Morgridge College of
Education is partnering with
the Rocky Mountain Prevention
Research Center on the “Healthy
Eaters, Lifelong Movers” project,

which is estimated to improve the

the syndicated game show “Who Wants to
Be a Millionaire” in late 2010 and pledged her
health of more than 11,200
winnings to the college. K-12 students by October 2013.
The episode featuring Prescott aired The partnership received a $1.8
Feb. 17. million grant from the Colorado
While she was hoping for a longer run
Health Foundation, which says
on the show, she was excited to get as far as
she did. Colorado ranks 23rd out of
“It was a great experience,” Prescott says. “I knew going into it that it could go either way. I 50 for childhood obesity. During
had fun and raised money for scholarships. That means a lot to me.” the first year of the project, the
Prescott attended the Women’s College on scholarship.
research team will begin work with
“I couldn’t have gone to college without the scholarship,” she notes, “so it means a lot to me
to be contributing to scholarships and making a difference in the lives of women.” 19 elementary schools in the San
The question that stumped her: In 1961, there was a contest to give Mr. Clean, the household Luis Valley and 10 elementary
cleaner, a first name. Prescott was given four name choices: Veritably, Rollo, Gently and Wink. schools in Eastern Colorado. They
The answer? “Veritably.”
will expand the program to middle
“I am thrilled with Carter’s success on ‘Millionaire’ and her commitment to the Women’s
College,” says Women’s College Dean Lynn Gangone. “Through this scholarship gift, we can help and high schools spanning 14
more women advance into leadership positions through education. We are grateful to Carter for school districts in the San Luis
giving back to the college in such a significant and meaningful way.” Valley in winter 2012 . By 2013,
—Kim DeVigil
the project will have reached 57
schools across both regions.
Tuition increases by 3.74 percent for 2011–12 year

[ ]
The DU Board of Trustees has approved a 3.74 percent tuition increase for the 2011–12
UN I V E R S I T Y O F D E N V E R

academic year.
Effective fall 2011, full-time undergraduate tuition will be $36,936. Room and board charges
for students choosing standard double-occupancy rooms and the premium meal plan is set at w w w. d u . e d u / t o d a y
Volume 34, Number 7
$10,184. The mandatory student fee will remain unchanged at $321 as will the student health fee
of $432 and the technology fee of $144. Interim Vice Chancellor for
In total, the cost of attendance for DU undergraduates will increase by 3.68 percent to University Communications
Jim Berscheidt
$48,017.
Editorial Director
Graduate student tuition will rise to $1,026 per credit hour effective fall 2011. Some graduate
Chelsey Baker-Hauck (BA ’96)
students enrolling in 12–18 credit hours per quarter will be charged a flat rate (tuition equivalent to
Managing Editor
12 credit hours), or $36,936 for the academic year. Kathryn Mayer (BA ’07, MLS ’10)
DU students and parents were notified of the tuition hike in letters sent by Provost Gregg Art Director
Kvistad Feb. 24. Craig Korn, VeggieGraphics
“At the University of Denver, our careful planning and actions in the last three years have not
Community News is published monthly by the
only preserved but enhanced the value of a DU education,” Kvistad wrote. “Building on a budgetary University of Denver, University Communications,
2199 S. University Blvd., Denver, CO 80208-4816.
and fiscal discipline that was already in place, the University restructured its non-academic staff and The University of Denver is an EEO/AA institution.
reduced its expense budget.”
The University has continued to invest in its “core mission” of promoting learning by recently
adding 16 faculty positions with plans to add 23 more next year. On the financial front, the
University added $10 million in aid last year and intends to add more than $8 million next year. Contact Community News at 303-871-4312
or tips@du.edu
Those two investments, Kvistad wrote, “are the most important the University can make for a To receive an e-mail notice upon the
student’s education.” publication of Community News, contact us
—Kathryn Mayer with your name and e-mail address.

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 Starting small
Alumna’s microlending initiative sends Kenyan children to school

W hen mothers with HIV/AIDS asked Karambu Ringera (PhD human communication studies ’07) for help to send their children —
who would soon be orphans — to school, she didn’t just listen. She made a plan, rallied friends, raised funds and has since sent
nearly 1,000 children to school in her home country of Kenya. In 2010, three college students supported by Ringera’s education fund for
orphans graduated with bachelor’s degrees.
But the staggering number of orphans in Kenya continues to rise.
“There are 1.4 million orphans in Kenya and 2.4 million adults living with HIV/AIDS who will leave orphans when they die,” says
Ringera, who spoke about “Emancipating Marginalized People From Dependency” at the 2010 TEDxDU event. “We can’t institutionalize
all of those children in orphanages. So I’ve started thinking, ‘What would be a proactive response?’”
The devastating news of infection, combined with the overwhelming
challenges of poverty, make many women want to give in and give up, Ringera
explains.
“How do we keep them alive longer so they don’t leave their kids too
early?”
To Ringera, the solution meant addressing their poverty.
She began helping women make jewelry out of recycled paper and watched
as the projects created sustainability, confidence and possibilities for the
women.
“The cottage industries help create income to have good food and greater
access to medication,” she explains. “Once a woman gets nutrition, medication
and income, she thrives. It builds her self-esteem — and her confidence. HIV/
AIDS is no longer the killer disease that it was.”
When Mary came to Ringera in 2004, she was a single mother with AIDS
who couldn’t afford to put her daughters through primary school. Ringera
taught her to make laundry detergent to sell and pay for their education.
Mary also joined the jewelry-making group. With the money she made on
the jewelry, she bought chickens. She sold the eggs and a few of the chickens
to buy a beehive. With the income from her successful detergent and chicken
projects, she bought a bicycle to increase her distribution. Then people started
asking her for bar soap, so Mary learned how to make it and added another
product to her growing enterprise.
“Now she has become this awesome entrepreneur, and women’s groups
are inviting her to come and talk and inspire them to start their own projects,”
Ringera says.
Community-sponsored initiatives like Mary’s have long been a part of the
grassroots work Ringera does through the nonprofit she founded, International
Wayne Armstrong

Peace Initiatives.
But last fall, Ringera upped the ante and created a more formalized
microlending program called Friends of Amani that will enable more women to
support their families through cottage-industry projects like jewelry-making, weaving, soap-making, beekeeping and raising chickens,
goats, rabbits and fish.
“Friends of Amani is my way of creating a fund that can give these women loans to develop the kind of initiatives that will take them
to the next level of financial security and enterprise,” she says.
Instead of “reinventing the wheel,” Ringera decided to use KIVA, a Web-based nonprofit that specializes in microfinance loans.
Through the KIVA website, people can donate directly to the Friends of Amani fund. Women write proposals and submit loan applications,
and KIVA approves loan requests that meet the requirements. Loans are issued to the women and then repaid back to KIVA, which then
transfers the money to the lender.
Lenders can also give a “donation” instead of a loan. The entrepreneur still repays the “loan,” but instead of the repayment going
back to the lender, it will go into the Friends of Amani portfolio to support other projects.
“It is a way to support these women so they live longer and so that we stop this ‘churning out’ of orphans,” Ringera says. “There is
no nation that has developed through a welfare system. People need to create their own solutions. Otherwise, ideas from outside will
not change the circumstances of their life. If the poor have access to small loans, they can take charge of their lives and create their own
sustainability.”
>>www.kiva.org/team/friends_of_amani
—Janna Widdifield
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 academic commons, south elevation rendering

Penrose Library to be updated for 21st century

Plans are under way for DU’s Penrose Library to get a new look and feel. The project is called the Academic Commons and is intended to support
the needs of library patrons in the 21st century.
“When Penrose Library was built in the early 1970s, library spaces were designed to support individual study,” says Penrose Dean Nancy Allen.
“Now, the needs of students and faculty are changing. We have a wonderful opportunity to anticipate the way library patrons of the future will interact
with information, materials, books and each other.”
The project, which will cost approximately $32 million, will update the inside and outside of the current building. Updates will be designed to offer
areas where students can work in groups, develop team projects and collaborate with faculty and other students. The library also will allow faculty to
combine research based on books and journals with online scholarly communication and digitized primary resources.
Renovations are expected to begin in summer 2011 and take 14–18 months. Preparations for the work are already under way. It’s expected to take
a few months to remove everything from the library, which should be ready for construction this summer. All books and collections will be moved to a
climate-controlled off-site annex and most employees will be moved to Aspen Hall. Most of the transition will occur after Commencement.
During renovations, the Driscoll ballroom and gallery space will serve as the library’s public space. All materials will be picked up and returned there
and visitors will be able to access academic services such as the Technology Help Desk, the Writing Center, the Research Center and the Math Center.
The Quickcopy Center will move to the DU Bookstore.
“We will retrieve and deliver collections during construction, aiming for only an hour or two between request and delivery,” Allen says. “We play
such a vital role for students and faculty at DU and will continue to provide all those services.”
In the renovated library, active collections will be housed on the lower level with low-use collections located off campus in a new collections
annex.
“I often get asked if we’re getting rid of the books,” Allen says. “I can assure you that books and other materials will continue to be as valuable to our
collection as our digital resources.”
While dates could change, the target date for re-opening the library is December 2012.
—Kristal Griffith

DU student receives $10,000 Pearson Prize for higher education

A University of Denver student has received one of the first-ever Pearson Prizes for Higher Education.
Felipe Vieyra, a junior political science and international studies major from Morelia, Mexico, was one of 10 recipients chosen for the $10,000
fellowship, which recognizes undergraduate students who are active in community service.
Vieyra, a member of DU Students for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and a volunteer for El Centro Humanitario, organized a community
event called Noche Cultura to encourage involvement with the nonprofit and build relationships between day laborers and the Denver community. He
was selected for his efforts to reform the American immigration system.
“Being an immigrant myself, I wanted to help immigration day laborers who are not easily integrated into the Denver community,” Vieyra says. “I am
passionate about reforming the faulty immigration processes and wanted to do something about it.”
Vieyra says it took 14 years to obtain his American citizenship. Because of the experience, he says, he wanted to work on immigration reform in
college.
“The immigration community in Denver has a mix of many different races and colors, but we all share struggles,” Vieyra says. “It is important to me
to build community bonds to help break barriers and address important issues.”
The Pearson Foundation is the nonprofit arm of Pearson PLC, an international media company whose holdings include The Financial Times and
Penguin Publishers. The foundation supports community service and educational leadership that address key social challenges.
—Katelyn Feldhaus

4
Eye in the sky
DU astronomer earns a view from space

U niversity of Denver Professor Toshiya Ueta deals in the big picture, looking at what’s not visible to human eyes from a platform
cloaked in shadow high above the Earth. His quest is to understand the life cycle of stars.
As an astronomer, he studies the very biggest questions of how stars — and their subsequent solar systems — die. How are the next
generations of stars born from the ashes of these dead stars? What keeps the cycle continuing?
His work has earned him a coveted block of time as lead investigator to collect data from the Herschel Space Observatory. Like the
Hubble Space Telescope, the space-borne platform operated by the European Space Agency in cooperation with NASA has the ability
to peer into distant reaches of cold space. Unlike Hubble, Herschel can detect faint heat signals in the far-infrared light generated by
remote clouds of “dusty” particles that are believed to be the raw material of stars. The platform allows Ueta to view these clouds through
their slight warmth. The Earth’s atmosphere, which

Courtesy of NASA
is much warmer than cosmic particles, obscures that
warmth.
The need to detect even the faintest traces of
warmth is why Herschel is stationed permanently
behind the Earth’s shadow of the Sun, to keep its
ability to investigate the cold universe. When Ueta
says “warm,” that term is relative to surrounding
space, as in about minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
“I’m interested in stars that are like our sun,
but older and larger versions of them,” Ueta says.
“As they get past ‘middle age,’ stars start losing
their surface matter and become a major source of
material in space.”
Because he is looking into such distant regions,
some 3,000 light years away, everything Ueta sees
actually happened at the dawn of the Iron Age,
around the time when David was ruler of the ancient
Israelites in 1000 B.C.
“When stars get old, they swell up and the
gravity gets lower and things start flying off,” Ueta
says. “Those will be the building blocks for the next
generation of stars. When I talk about this story, I
always use the term reincarnation. This is the cosmic
reincarnation cycle.”
To make things more complicated, the data Ueta
is looking for is heat that isn’t actually visible to
the eye. Instead, he will design a series of computer
scripts detailing the data he is seeking, which will be collected and translated as numbers. Then, all of that data must be examined
and interpreted for him to develop findings. With hundreds of terabytes of data expected, the process will take the volume of funding
through NASA and at least three years to complete. It will involve as many as 30 scientists working with Ueta scattered around the globe.
Of the project’s $414,000, about $309,000 will be directly under Ueta’s management.
Ueta’s research — dubbed the Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey, or HerPlaNS, for short — uses roughly 3 percent of all the available
observation time on the Herschel Space Telescope in 2011, representing what’s believed to be the largest block of time awarded to a
researcher from the United States.
To even submit the proposal to access the telescope’s limited time window, Ueta had to learn how the instrument worked and
understand how to design computer scripts that will collect the data that will make his work meaningful. Each step of the way has
involved intense study. The result, Ueta says, should be scientific evidence that will help us understand the intricate and monumental
workings of space, time and matter.
“This is all part of a very long, very complex cycle,” Ueta says. “We are trying to understand the chemical and physical evolution of
the universe on a very large scale of space and time.”
—Chase Squires
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[Events]
March
Around campus
1 Labryinth Meditative Walk. 9 a.m.
Iliff Great Hall. Contact Barbara Gish at
bgish@du.edu.
I Shot Andy Warhol, film screening in
conjunction with Warhol in Colorado
exhibit, with introduction by Museum
of Contemporary Art Denver Director
Adam Lerner. 7 p.m. Myhren Gallery.
Free.
4 Michael Ondaatje, reading by The
English Patient author. 7:30 p.m. Davis
Auditorium, Sturm Hall. Free.
6 Documentary screening of 9500 Liberty,
with directors Annabel Park and Eric
Byler. 1 p.m. Cherrington Hall. Free.
7 “China and the Middle East: Islam,
Energy and Ethnic Relations,”
lecture by Professor Dru Gladney. Noon.
Cherrington Hall. RSVP to ccusc@du.edu
or call 303–871–4474. Free.
8 Book discussion with Chaplain Gary
Brower. Talking about America’s Four
Gods, by Paul Froese and Christopher
Bader. Noon. Driscoll Center South, Suite
29 Conference Room. Free.
“Popular Resistance in Palestine,”
lecture by Palestinian-American human
rights activist Mazin Qumsiyeh. 6 p.m.
Cherrington Hall, Arthur Gilbert Cyber
Café. Free.
9 Ash Wednesday services. 7:45 a.m.,
noon, 4:45 p.m. and 9 p.m. Evans Chapel.
“Photographing Warhol,” forum in
conjunction with Warhol in Colorado
exhibit. 6:30 p.m. Myhren Gallery. Free.
10 “ Yankee Whalers and the Russian
Avant-Garde: Tracing a Family Tree
Through Theater,” lecture by Allison
Horsley, assistant theater professor, 4 p.m.
Sturm Hall, Room, 286. Free.
21 School Days Off. Through March 25;
also March 28–April 1. Ritchie Center. $50
per day. For information and to register,
call 303–871–7728.
Daniel Handler, Denver Post Pen and
Podium Series. 7:30 p.m. Gates Concert
Hall. $39–$52.
22 Music and Meditation: “Storms and
Calm.” Noon. Evans Chapel.
Bridges to the Future Lecture Series
— 9/11: Ten Years After. Featuring
journalist and poet Eliza Griswold. 7 p.m.
Gates Concert Hall. RSVP at www.
du.edu/bridges or call 303–871–2360.
Free.
Exhibits
1 Warhol in Colorado. Through March 13.
Myhren Gallery. Gallery hours: Noon-4
p.m. daily. Free.
Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame
Exhibit. Through March 30. Iliff School of
Theology. Hours: 8 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday-
Thursday; 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Friday;
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and 2-6 p.m.
Sunday.
31 Jennifer Karady: Soldiers’ Stories from
Iraq and Afghanistan. Opening reception
5–8 p.m., through May 1. Myhren Gallery.
Free.
Arts
1 First Tuesday Student Concert. Noon.
Hamilton Recital Hall. Free.
2 Lamont Chorale and Lamont Men’s
and Women’s Choirs. 7:30 p.m. Gates
Concert Hall. Free.
3 Lamont Steel Drums Ensemble.
7:30 p.m. Hamilton Recital Hall. Free.
4 Side Show, a musical. A co-production
of the Lamont School of Music and the
DU theater department. 7:30 p.m. Byron
Theatre. Also 7:30 p.m. March 5 and
2 p.m. March 5–6. $15–$25.
Flo’s Underground, vocal jazz combos.
5 p.m. Williams Recital Salon. Free.
5 Piano Trio Faculty Concert. Featuring
Richard Slavich, cello; Linda Wang, vio-
lin; and Alice Rybak, piano. 7:30 p.m.
Hamilton Recital Hall.
Sound of the Rockies, “Letters to
America.” 2 and 7:30 p.m. Gates Concert
Hall. $19–$27.
6 Guest Artist Recital. Svet Stoyanov,
percussion. 5 p.m. Hamilton Recital Hall.
Lamont Composers Series. Leanna
Kirchoff, director. 7:30 p.m. Hamilton
Recital Hall. Free.
8 Lamont Guitar Ensembles. 7:30 p.m.
Hamilton Recital Hall. Free.
Master Class. Svet Stoyanov, percussion.
1 p.m. Hamilton Recital Hall. Free.
9 Lamont Wind Ensemble. 7:30 p.m.
Gates Concert Hall. Free.
10 Lamont Symphony Orchestra.
Featuring Madoka Asari, piano, and works
by Beethoven, Part and Strauss. 7:30 p.m.
Gates Concert Hall. Free.
11 Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell.
7:30 p.m. Byron Theater. Free behind
the curtain lecture at 6:30 p.m. Also
March 12. $35.
12 Mike David’s Spirit of Adventure,
featuring photos, stories and music from
around the world. 7 p.m. Gates Concert
Hall. $41–$69.
16 Olga Kern, Friends of Chamber Music
Piano Series. 7:30 p.m. Gates Concert
Hall. $12.25–$50.25.
18 Denver Brass Presents: Brass,
Bagpipes & Co: Sláinte! 7:30 p.m.
Gates Concert Hall. Also 2 and 7:30 p.m.
March 19, 2:30 p.m. March 20. $12–$43.
19 Lemon Sponge Cake Contemporary
Ballet, world premiere of “SHIRO
SHIRO.” 8 p.m. Byron Theatre. $28.75–
$33.75.
24 Faculty Recital. Duo Esprit, featuring
Basil Vendryes, viola, and AnnMarie Liss,
harp. 7:30 p.m. Hamilton Recital Hall. 
25 Like Father, Like Son? Piano, song and
more featuring Jeffrey Kahane and Gabriel
Kahane. 7:30 p.m. Gates Concert Hall.
Free behind the curtain lecture at 6:30
p.m. $32–$48.
27 Mendelssohn Trio Faculty Concert.
Featuring Theodor Lichtmann, piano;
Barbara Thiem, cello; and Ronald Francois,
violin. 3 p.m. Hamilton Recital Hall.
Unless otherwise noted, prices are $18 for adults, $16 for
seniors and free for students with ID and DU faculty and staff.
Sports
4 Men’s tennis vs. UNLV. Noon. Gates
Tennis Center.
Women’s lacrosse vs. St. Mary’s.
Noon. Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
Women’s tennis vs. Colorado. 5 p.m.
Pinehurst Country Club.
Hockey vs. St. Cloud State. 7:37 p.m.
Magness Arena.
5 Men’s lacrosse vs. Jacksonville.
1:30 p.m. Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
Hockey vs. St. Cloud State. 7:07 p.m.
Magness Arena.
6 Men’s tennis vs. Nebraska. Noon.
Gates Tennis Center.
Men’s lacrosse vs. Manhattan.
1:30 p.m. Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
7 Women’s lacrosse vs. North Carolina.
4 p.m. Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
9 Women’s lacrosse vs. Vermont. 4 p.m.
Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
12 Gymnastics vs. Arkansas. 6 p.m.
Hamilton Gymnasium.
Men’s lacrosse vs. Notre Dame. 7 p.m.
Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
19 Women’s lacrosse vs. Boston. 1 p.m.
Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
26 Men’s lacrosse vs. Air Force. 1 p.m.
Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
31 Women’s tennis vs. Oklahoma State.
1 p.m. Stapleton Tennis Pavilion.
Hockey: $18–$27; $5 for DU students. Gymnastics and
men’s lacrosse: $9. Tennis and women’s lacrosse: Free.
For ticketing and other information, including a full listing of
campus events, visit www.du.edu/calendar.