By AVA FRICKE
The Ramspondents
This Nov 7 and 8, Colorado State University students will have the rare opportunity to participate in two of the most sacred Colorado pastimes back-to-back: winter sports and football.
CSU Snow Days will be a two-day-long celebration of recreation and all of the outdoor opportunities Colorado has to offer. Part of camps will be turned into a winter wonderland, with snow being brought in to create terrain for the highlight of Snow Days: Rail Jam.
Snow Days is a collaboration between two student organizations, CSU Snowriders – the ski and board club on campus – and the Associated Students of Colorado State University (ASCSU).
Noella Merrell, the communications chair for the CSU Snowriders, said she is very excited for the introduction of this new tradition.
“For years past, we’ve had such a hand in the events leading up to hosting our RailJam, and this year we’ve been supported by the school in such a new way,” Merrell said. “It's helped us redefine how we’re able to show up for this event and hopefully rallies student support and engagement like never before.
“As for the students, I hope Snowriders is able to share a side of the club that some might not be as fortunate to see,” Merrell said. “The winter sport industry is so incredibly expensive, and by bringing that experience to CSU's front door, hopefully students will be able to absorb this part of the great state of Colorado and enjoy seeing something fresh on campus.”
ASCSU brought the Rail Jam tradition back to campus last year, and it was a huge hit with students, and they are hoping to expand it majorly this year. Rail Jam is a ski and board trick competition open to CSU students who want to show off their winter sports prowess. There have been many additions to the event, including hosting various winter sports vendors, screening ski movies and a Rail Jam integrated with the usual pre-game tailgating festivities.
Vendor partnerships include Alterra Mountain Company, which owns the IKON Pass and OEDIT (Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade). For winter recreation lovers, there will be many special offers to take advantage of.
The schedule for Snow Days is as follows:
Friday, Nov. 7
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Vendor Village (West Lawn)
3–4 p.m.: Presidential Executive Chat (LSC Theater)
6–7 p.m.: Snow movie TBA (doors open at 5:30 to the LSC Theater)
7–8 p.m.: Snow movie #2 TBA (LSC Theater)
Saturday, Nov. 8
Activities begin 4 hours before kickoff:
Vendor Village (IM fields)
Rail Jam (IM fields)
Ram Walk & President’s Tailgate opens
TBA: Football game kick-off (Canvas Stadium)
Ava Fricke is a political journalist focusing on written media.
Free film screening hosted by Jewish Voice for Peace and NoCo for Palestine at the Lyric Cinema
By Kaileen Gruber
The Ramspondents
The Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and NoCo4Palestine are hosting a free community movie screening of an Isrealism documentary. The film will be screened at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, at the Lyric Cinema.
JVP is an organization that stands in solidarity with Palestine in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The movie follows the moral journey of two Jewish-Americans who were raised to follow and support Israel, and the growth of their awareness to the conditions of Palestine under Israeli occupation.
After the film, a multi-generational panel will host a discussion with other anti-zionist members of the community. They will share their personal reflections on what led them to join the pro-Palestine movement and their critiques on the state of Israel.
JVP describes themselves as the largest progressive and anti-zionist organization in the world. They are dedicated to spreading peace, justice, and equality for all.
For more information on the film and discussion panel, go to the RSVP site.
Kaileen Gruber is majoring in Journalism and Media Communication as well as minoring in Music Business at CSU. She is the vice president of the Music Business Collective.