The university email from the Interim Vice Chancellor for Administration, Jeffrey S. Lipton, said that the increase will take effect for the 2013 fiscal year, which runs from July 2012 through June 2013.

According to Jena Cafiero, communication manager, CU’s Parking and Transportation Services is an auxiliary service, meaning that they are completely self-sustaining and receive no money from student fees or taxpayer money.

A CU student parking permit hangs on a rearview mirror outside of the Leeds School of Business. CU parking permits are on average more expensive than other Colorado schools but less than fellow Pac-12 schools. (CU Independent/Robert R. Denton)

In the 2011 fiscal year, PTS took in about $7.5 million, with permits making up just under $2.6 million of that revenue, according to university records. Enforcement fines made up only 11 percent of the total revenue.

Additional funds from the permit hike will go towards paying back money used to build parking structures around campus, including the new auto park beneath the Center for Community.

Current permit parker Leah Hase, a freshman business management major, is opposed to the increase.

“I think it’s unfair that parking permits are increasing along with the future tuition increases,” Hase said. “We already pay enough.”

Comparatively speaking

When stacked up against other Pac-12 schools, CU’s total PTS budget of $7.5 million makes up only about half of comparable parking budgets at the University of Arizona and the University of California at Berkeley.

UC-Berkeley took in nearly $14 million in revenue during fiscal year 2011, according to Berkeley statistics. Of that, more than $7.3 million came solely from parking permits, about equal to CU’s PTS total revenue during the same time frame.

Additionally, CU-Boulder and UC-Berkeley have roughly the same-sized student body, Berkeley with only about 4,000 more students than CU’s 32,000.

While UC-Berkley’s Parking and Transportation staff consists of 100 employees, CU’s PTS has about twice as many people on the payroll.

The biggest difference in the two comes from permit pricing.

According to the 2011 University of Colorado Transportation Master Plan, CU-Boulder’s average cost of a permit parking space is $372, while at UC-Berkeley it is almost double at $654 dollars.

Shared sentiments

The story is the same with fellow Pac-12 school University of Arizona. The university has an annual parking and transportation revenue of $14.7 million, 60 percent of which comes from permits, according to Arizona statistics.

Arizona only has about 3,000 more students than CU-Boulder and charges about $100 more a year on average than CU-Boulder for a parking permit.

Senior Arizona graphic design student Kelly Engle has paid up to $1,000 for covered parking at Arizona and believes that permit prices should be lowered if their revenue is so high.

“Parking on campus sucks,” Engle said. “If you go to school there, you should get free parking.”

Closer to home

Within the state of Colorado, CU-Boulder’s PTS revenue and expenses far exceed other schools in the area.

According to a 2012 Colorado State University Parking Service Peer Institution Survey, the University of Northern Colorado brings in about $2 million in revenue, and CSU generates just over $4.3 million.

Northern Colorado is a much smaller university, with a total student body population about a third the size of CU, and they have nearly 5,400 parking spaces for permit holders compared to CU-Boulder’s 7,500.

CSU is a much more comparable institution, with a student body of 30,000. It also has just about 1,500 more parking spaces for permit holders than CU.

Senior CSU construction management student Mike Utter said that he has had a permit for five years and paid $188 this year.

“It seemed high, but compared to other universities it is affordable,” Utter said.

“Permit prices for CSU are set by our Board of Governors based on information provided by staff,” Dave Bradford, CSU’s Parking Services director, said. “Factors considered include operational, construction and staffing costs.”

CU’s PTS considers the parking pricing of other schools in the Pac-12, and consults with several representative groups including Boulder Faculty Assembly, Boulder Campus Staff Council and the CU Student Government to determine costs.

Contact CU Independent Visual Content Editor Robert R. Denton at Robert.Denton@colorado.edu.

(Courtesy Paramount Pictures/The Dictator)

Among these familiar faces is the always entertaining Anna Faris, the talent behind roles like the lovable stoner in “Smiley Face” and of course Cindy Campbell from the “Scary Movie” franchise. Faris took some time to sit down with the CU Independent to discuss her new film and the uncontrollable madness of Baron Cohen.

What’s working with Sacha Baron Cohen like?

Anna Faris: He’s like a crazy genius. He’s sort of – he’s very intellectual. He’s very thoughtful. You know, he stays in character throughout like the whole movie. And he has reveled in making people uncomfortable. But the other side of him is he’s also really, really sweet. And he’s kind of a gentleman and a total family man. So he’s – even a juxtaposition, I suppose.

So you worked with the Curb [Your Enthusiasm] writers and Sacha Baron Cohen. Would you say that the set was kind of a loose and sort of a lot of improv? Or was it really tight and to the script?

AF: No, it was very, very loose. It took a little bit of a learning curve for me. It was unlike pretty much any filming process I had ever gone through before. And you really didn’t know where the scene was going to go. We had a script and we would do the scripted version a couple of times. And then, the writers and Sacha would collaborate. And then, next thing you know, you would be headed in a completely different direction. So it forced you to really stay on your toes, which was hard, but also, sort of an exciting challenge for an actor. I mean, in a scene like where he was sort of supposed to be charmed by me, he would suddenly be threatening to kill me, or like calling me like a lesbian hobbit, or you know, grabbing me on the back of my head.

Was that just for fun or is that part of the movie?

AF: Well, a lot of it became part of the movie, but … it was just sort of as an actor you’re like, all right, got to be game.  You know, it was improv. It was like improv class in a sense that you just sort of roll with the punches, literally.

What’s your favorite part of doing comedy?

AF: I think that it has made me be able to laugh at myself and a lot easier. I think I used to take myself very seriously. And there’s the reward, too, of when you sneak into a theater, which I rarely do… But on those rare occasions that you hear other people laughing at your movie, it feels amazing. It’s amazing to give people joy and to be a part of a hugely challenging process as well.

What do you usually look for when you’re looking for a film role?  Do you foresee doing any darker films like “May” or “Observer Report” in the future?

AF: Yes, I would love to. I look for just interesting characters. And with this movie in particular, I was really excited to work with Sacha. I knew that that would be sort of, for me, really thrilling, because I’d been such a huge fan of his for so long. And then, as far as sort of the darker movies, I love making those. And I feel just so fortunate that I’ve been able to view some of those sort of odd independent movies playing really interesting darker characters, and then getting to play the very dark character of Cindy Campbell [from "Scary Movie"]. (Laughs) Just kidding.

What is the strangest thing a role required you to do?

AF: Oh. Wow, man, so many.  For “The Dictator,” I had to grow out my armpit hair, which was a new experience for me. And I was very naïve about it. They asked me if I would do it, because they said they could glue some hair on me. And I was like, “No, no, no, I’ll totally do it. I don’t care.” And sort of thinking that maybe it would grow in kind of thin and wispy and maybe even kind of cute. And that was not the case… It was dark and thick. And it defined my whole summer. I was like no tank tops, no swimsuits, couldn’t hail a cab. At a party, I would always, if I’d had a drink or two, lift my shirt and show off my arm pit hair.  And it made people gag. It was amazing. So that’s the first thing I can think of, I guess.

How does your character in “The Dictator” differ from past characters that you’ve played?

AF: She’s got a great heart, and I’ve played a lot of characters that have great intentions and are kind people. And she’s definitely like that. She’s smarter. And she’s naïve. She’s sort of passionately naïve, I guess. She very much sort of stuck in her [niche], you know, she majored in Fem Lit at Amherst. She’s very idealistic, I think, to a fault. So it’s easy for people to take advantage of her. But I think that she definitely had some qualities that some of my other characters have had in the past, you know, that naiveté that I tend to play a lot of. And I’m starting to think that I’m just really naïve in real life.

Do you have any upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

AF: Yes, well, I’m leaving on Saturday for London to do a romantic comedy with Rose Byrne and Simon Baker. And I just adore them both…  So that should be a fun spring. And then, I’m hoping for a margarita and pool-filled life.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sam Goldner at Samuel.goldner@colorado.edu.

Tucked into a shopping mall at the intersection of Iris Avenue and 28th Street; the location, paired with the fact that my friend and I went on a Wednesday at 9 a.m., meant that the restaurant was only about half full and we were the youngest people there.

(Courtesy Tangerine)

Tangerine has a clean, modern design, mixing in bright orange décor everywhere in the restaurant without being overwhelming.

Minutes after we walked in, my friend and I had been seated, handed menus and had our drink orders taken. I ordered the freshly squeezed orange juice, which arrived as quickly as we’d been seated. The orange juice was tangy and sweet, and it was obvious that it was real orange juice.

The first thing I noticed on the menu was the gluten free and vegetarian options. Most of the menu has “veggie” or “gluten free” – or both – written next to its choices, and while I eat both meat and gluten, it seemed very appropriate for the Boulder health conscious crowd.

I ordered the chicken and waffles, and my friend ordered a BLR pancake, or a ricotta and lemon pancake with blueberry sauce. We were crunched for time, as we had gotten up a little later than we’d planned on, and were worried about being late to class if the food took too long. But our food came out not long after we ordered.

The two halves of a Belgian waffle sandwiched the pan fried chicken breast, topped with cashew cream and served with a side of maple syrup and Yukon Gold home fries. I liked the waffles better than the chicken – which isn’t saying much as they were some of the best waffles I’ve ever had – but all together, the food created the perfect sweetness and texture.

I was excited to try the home fries, as they were chunky, golden and looked perfectly seasoned. However, they turned out to be bland and only slightly seasoned, leaving me disappointed. They tasted decent with ketchup and hot sauce on them, but alone they were pretty underwhelming.

My friend’s BLR pancake was sweet, light and lemony, with soft ricotta and blueberries on top. The blueberries were small and there weren’t many of them; however they complemented the lemony pancake and ricotta well.

My friend and I left the restaurant full of good food, only about 30 or 45 minutes after we’d arrived. The service was fast and efficient, although that could be chalked up to a slow Wednesday morning. The employees were friendly, and they chatted with regulars as they worked, creating a welcoming atmosphere.

Tangerine offers a delicious, quick brunch that is worth venturing away from The Hill and 29^th Street Mall for. The extra distance is more than made up for by the food and service.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ainslee MacNaughton at Ainslee.macnaughton@colorado.edu.

A pro-life demonstration from a Christian organization last semester has been the extent of recent public religious expression. This is not surprising when one considers the fact that CU is a state university and therefore religiously unaffiliated.

Students gather around a display discussing abortion in front of the UMC on Oct. 3, 2011. The displays sparked conversation and controversy among students and activists. (CU Independent File/Robert R. Denton)

Yet CU is also home to over forty student groups representing countless religions. At a public university, these groups have every right to gather on campus to hold demonstrations and discussions as frequently and on as large or small of a scale as they’d like.

So, where are these groups?

“Religion isn’t a prominent feature of this student body,” said Anu Reddy, a 21-year-old senior international affairs major. Reddy is a member of Project Nur, a student group that aims to debunk misconceptions about Muslims. “Sometimes it’s hard attracting an audience.”

While religious groups are free to exercise their rights to speech and assembly, they are somewhat deterred by another element of the First Amendment — the separation of church and state, a concept that CU takes seriously.

Matt Boettger, th president of Religious Campus Organizations,  oversees the 40-plus ministries and is also in charge of bringing academic lectures and debates on religion to CU through the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center. He said that the university’s general policy is to tread lightly.

“Colorado has a very strict interpretation of the separation of church and state,” Boettger said. “CU follows that lead and tries to be cautious.”

In 2007, the Federal Court supported the state’s ban on using public funds to financially support religious education in the case Colorado Christian University v. Baker. For a public college like CU, distancing itself from identifying with any religion is particularly important.

“There was talk of having a prayer room in the C4C, but that was shut down at the last minute,” Boettger said. “Legalities prevent these kinds of things. It’s difficult to navigate religion in a school setting.”

Two thousand miles away, at Boston University, a similar proposal is being debated.

Hindu students have asked their administration to build a permanent prayer room on campus. Rajan Zed, the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, released a statement in the students’ favor.

“Universities need to recognize the intersection of spirituality and education,” Zed said.

Boston University is not affiliated with a specific religion, but it is private, unlike CU. Trent Emory, a 25-year-old junior broadcast news major and the president of the Secular Students and Skeptics Society, said that he would be outraged if CU financially sponsored anything religious.

“This is America, so everyone should be able to practice their religions freely and express themselves,” Emory said. “However, if university funds are involved, that’s flat-out unconstitutional.”

But campus religious organizations aren’t completely without support. Because they are student groups, they can appeal to the student government, though they primarily support their efforts from within, often by fundraising.

Despite issues forcing CU to stay mum on religion, there are inclusive policies in place, including the Religious Holidays policy, which states that “The University of Colorado at Boulder has a legal and moral obligation to accommodate all students who must be absent from classes or miss scheduled exams in order to observe religious holidays.”

“There’s a lot of support on campus,” said Paulette Foss, official advisor for the Zen Society. Foss has been involved with the group since she was a graduate student seventeen years ago. “There’s a fair bit of tolerance here. When the Muslim students pray outside of their office in the UMC, people that come around the corner and see them are respectful.”

Carly Coons, a 22-year-old senior international affairs and religious studies double-major, agrees. Coons was this past year’s president of Hillel, one of the Jewish student groups on campus, and said she “absolutely” feels supported by CU.

“At a public university, it’s really important to offer students everything, which CU does,” she said. “The overall presence of religion on this campus is whatever you make it. If you’re looking for a way to find religion, there’s an outlet for that. If you’re looking for a secular college experience, you can find that easily.”

But the answer varies as to whether or not CU provides a supportive atmosphere to religious students.

“It offers unique challenges to those with particular faith beliefs,” Boettger said. “CU isn’t comparatively welcoming, and it has the stereotype of a party school. Overall, [the university] is helpful to us, within the proper limitations. But some students may feel as though they’re the minority, as though they’re slighted or pushed aside.”

Brandon Buckner, a senior Asian studies and international affairs major, is a member of CU’s Christian Science organization. Before moving to Boulder, he attended George Washington University in D.C.

“Should religion be on campus? That’s not for me to say. There’s little support [from CU], but I don’t have any anti-sentiments,” Buckner said. “I don’t lose sleep over it.”

Though groups hold events and gatherings, these occur predominantly within the bounds of that group, reaching out to other students but rarely affecting a wide audience.

“It’s a good thing that people have these resources,” Trent Emory said. “I have a bit of a problem when they proselytize, but that doesn’t happen very often here. Everyone is really relaxed.”

Despite the touchy subject, the simple knowledge that they attend a public university and have the freedom of expression seems to be enough for these organizations.

“I feel as though CU is on the side of being secular, with an atheist bent,” Buckner said. “But I don’t say that with any negative connotations. I’m grateful that they provide organizations with the ability to be as loud or as quiet as they wish to be.”

Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Annie Melton at Anne.melton@colorado.edu. 

Here’s a list of things every senior should have experienced during their time at CU Boulder, from outdoor activities to the fun nights out:

1. 

   The first thing that seniors should do before leaving Boulder is hike to the Royal Arch, possibly to catch the sun rise as it is above. (CU Independent File/Amy Leder)

   Hike the Royal Arch. Peer up into the great Colorado sky while getting a slight tan at this beautiful natural phenomenon.

2. Tuesday Trike Night at the Dark Horse. Enjoy some friendly competition among your peers as you and your teammate try to get the best time and a prize. Also prepare for some entertainment provided by those wicked sharp corner turns.
3. Farmers’ Market. Enjoy some delicious food from local producers while enjoying the Colorado sunshine.
4. Ride the bull at Shooters Grill and Bar. Hang on tight to try not to fall off immediately, or prepare to be laughed at by all.
5. Karaoke at the Outback Saloon on Wednesday and Saturday evenings. This bar is a great place for karaoke, with a dance floor in front of the stage and hula-hoops to play with. There is also a plethora of pool tables for those with stage fright.
6. Friday night Bingo at the Dark Horse. Because everyone loves winning stuff and screaming “BINGO!” at the top of their lungs.
7. Tubing on Boulder Creek. Yes, the water may be freezing, and you may get some cuts and bruises from the rocks as you graze past them in your tube, but it is well worth it. Please tube responsibly.
8. Boulder Reservoir. There is no ocean nearby, so why not go to the reservoir and pretend you’re at the beach with some swimming, volleyball and lounging in the sand?
9. Sumo-suit night at Shooters Grill and Bar. Every Thursday night, everyone gets the chance to gear up in a sumo-suit and wrestle their friends for some prizes. Be careful if you’re short though, because it may be hard to get back up.
10. Trivia night at The Lazy Dog. Prove how many random, awesome facts you and your teammates know and how much that college education has paid off.

Enjoy your time in Boulder and smooth sailing, seniors!

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Claudia Rebora at Claudia.rebora@colorado.edu.

CU students at the Altitude Music Festival in Balch Fieldhouse on April 28. (David Zimmerman File/CU Independent

With so many shows happening every week this summer, how can you make sure you won’t drunkenly purchase a ticket and then totally space on going to the show? Not to worry fellow concert friends, the CU Independent is here to bring you the definitive guide to live music in Colorado, the Summer 2012 Edition™.

The Boulder Theater

Social Distortion w/ Toadies: Thursday, May 10

Grandmothers of Invention: Sunday, May 13

Trampled by Turtles: Thursday, May 17

James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem) DJ Set: Thursday, August 2

The Fox Theatre

Curren$y: Wednesday, May 16

Best Coast w/ JEFF The Brotherhood: Saturday, May 26

The Fox will be renovating its ceiling during June and July, and as such no further shows will be held until August.

Red Rocks

The Fray: Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12

Global Dub Festival (Featuring Flux Pavillion and Datsik): Friday, May 18

LMFAO: Monday, May 28

The Shins: Tuesday, May 29

Bon Iver w/ Feist: Thursday, May 31

Bassnectar w/ Diplo Friday, w/ Flying Lotus Saturday: Friday, June 1 and Saturday, June 2

Michael Franti and Spearhead: Friday, June 8

Big Head Todd and the Monsters w/ The Barenaked Ladies: Saturday, June 9

Ghostland Observatory: Friday, June 15

STS9: Saturday, June 16

Wilco w/ Punch Brothers Fri., w/ Dr. Dog Sat.: Friday, June 22 and Saturday, June 23

Avicii: Tuesday, June 26

Avett Bros: Friday, June 29 and Saturday, June 30

Foster the People: Tuesday, July 3

String Cheese Incident: Thursday, July 5, Friday, July 6 and Saturday, July 7

The Beach Boys – 50^th Anniversary Tour: Monday, July 9

An Evening with Yanni Under the Stars: Friday, July 13

O.A.R. w/ Rebelution: Sunday, July 15

Emmylou Harris/Steve Martin/Arlo Guthrie: Wednesday, July 18

Global Dance Festival: Friday, July 20, Saturday, July 21 and Sunday, July 22

Florence + The Machine: Wednesday, July 25

Tenacious D w/ The Sights: Thursday, July 26

CAKE w/ The Lumineers: Saturday, July 28

My Morning Jacket w/ Band of Horses & Trombone Shorty: Friday, August 3 and Saturday, August 4

Passion Pit and Justice: Tuesday, August 7

Jack White: Wednesday, August 8

Thievery Corporation w/ Beats Antique: Friday, August 10

Pretty Lights w/ Diplo Fri., w/ Flying Lotus Sat.: Friday, August 17 and Saturday, August 18

311 & Slightly Stoopid: Sunday, August 19

Crosby, Stills & Nash: Tuesday, August 21

The Ogden Theatre

Trampled by Turtles: Friday, May 18

The Civil Wars: Wednesday, May 23

Of Monsters and Men w/ Yellow Ostrich: Monday, May 28

Santigold: Tuesday, May 29

Childish Gambino: Tuesday, June 5

Die Antwoord: Monday, August 6

The Bluebird Theater

Curren$y: Thursday, May 17

Xiu Xiu: Wednesday, May 23

Blitzen Trapper: Tuesday, May 29

Destroyer: Saturday, June 9

Danielle Ate the Sandwich: Sunday, June 10

Dirty Projectors: Friday, July 20

Bombay Bicycle Club: Monday, August 6

Westword Music Showcase

Girl Talk, Battles, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis + Tons of Local Bands: Saturday, June 23

Summit Music Hall

Daedelus w/ TOKiMONSTA: Saturday, May 12

Neon Trees: Tuesday, May 29

Balkan Beat Box: Tuesday, June 5

Tycho: Friday, June 29 and Saturday, June 30

Chautauqua

Indigo Girls: Sunday, June 10

Tennis w/ Paper Bird: Saturday, June 16

Josh Ritter: Monday, July 16

Lucinda Williams: Saturday, July 21

Blind Pilot: Saturday, August 11

Andrew Bird: Wednesday, August 15

And last but not least…

The Pepsi Center
Nickelback: Sunday, June 10

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sam Goldner at Samuel.goldner@colorado.edu.

The bear was struck and killed by a car on the southbound lane of U.S. 36 at 5:40 a.m. Thursday about a half mile south of Cherryvale Road.

The bear that climbed a tree near Will Vill falls from that tree after being tranquilized. The next Thursday morning the same bear was hit by a car and killed on U.S. 36. (Andy Duann/CU Independent)

After being tranquilized on April 26 by wildlife officials in a tree near Williams Village on the CU campus, the bear was relocated to the Continental Divide region, west of the City of Boulder. Jennifer Churchill, spokesperson for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, said that the bear had traveled a distance about 50 miles by road back into town since its relocation.

“Bears become habituated to town once they find attractants and they consider town their home range once they start getting food in town,” Churchill said. “I’m pretty sure the bear was headed towards its habitat.”

As to what will be done with the bear’s body, Churchill said that depending on the condition, deceased animals may sometimes be preserved and used for wildlife education. She said that the bear’s death in particular should move the community to properly manage waste so that wild animals will not be tempted to come into town.

“I don’t think it’s up to us,” Churchill said. “I think it’s up to the citizens to clean up their attractants so that we don’t have bears coming into town. We can only manage for public safety and move bears. It’s really a community issue we can only manage bears once they get into town because managing wildlife involves letting them be wild.”

Contact CU Independent Budget News Editor Nora Keating at Nora.keating@colorado.edu.

CUI's Avalon Jacka let's you in on 10 songs you should be listening to as summer break approaches. (CU Independent File/Robert R. Denton)

“In Knowing“ by Swimming in Speakers
With a bouncy electronic melody, intertwining female vocal lines and an out-of-nowhere guitar solo in the middle, Swimming in Speakers will start your summer off right.

“This is What I Said“ by Cloud Cult
Nothing says “happy summertime song” better than hand claps, except maybe syncopated hand claps. Not only does Cloud Cults make you want to clap along, but you’ll be singing along to the “yeah, yeah” section by the second repeat.

“Cardinal Rules“ by Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin
If this song isn’t blaring out of your speakers when you are leaving to go out in the summer night, you aren’t properly prepared to party.

“Over Here, Over There“ by Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog’s acoustic guitar and folky sound, combined with upbeat drums, make “Over Here, Over There” great background music for the numerous barbecues bound to happen this summer.

“Boomerang“ by Miniature Tigers
For a fairly simplistic melody, “Boomerang”‘s various lines are complex in themselves, adding some musical depth to your summer afternoon soundtrack.

“Brothers“ by Tanlines
’80s influenced vocals combined with rhythmic drums and an airy synth make “Brothers” more laid back than danceable. But don’t be afraid to groove along if you’re feeling it — it’s summer; no one will judge you.

“Drinking Problem“ by Surfer Blood
“Drinking Problem” is worthy of that afternoon margarita with friends. After all, you probably have a problem if you start drinking at 2 p.m. But as Surfer Blood says, “at least I know who my friends are.” “Drinking Problem” is sure to solidify your friendships with this truthful tagline.

“Disparate Youth“ by Santigold
The queen of indie grunge dance music is back with her album “Master of My Make-Believe,” out now. Although she’s changed her name ever so slightly, her music is just as infectious as it was in her debut. “Disparate Youth” is the ripe for grooving out after those long summer days.

“Violent Games“ by Polica
Perfect dance jam, “Violent Games” is full of grungy bass and surprisingly aesthetically pleasing autotuned vocals.

“The Expanding Sky” by Pontiak
Maybe it’s just because the name “The Expanding Sky” makes me picture the vast Colorado sky after a thunderstorm at sunset, but I honestly believe there is no better time to listen to Pontiak than sunset on a summer afternoon after a thunderstorm.

Contact CU Independent Entertainment Editor Avalon Jacka at Avalon.jacka@colorado.edu.

CU's Fashion Design Student Association held a fashion show at Absinthe House last Saturday. (CU Independent File/Robert R. Denton)

Some of the members of the club see a future in fashion design. In fact the founder of the club, Rachel Hurst, has gone on to create a successful fashion line in Denver called the Fashion House of Rae Marie. She was even invited to show some of her work at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York as part of a promotion for Diet Pepsi.

For me, however, designing has always been more of a hobby. A stressful, frustrating hobby, but a hobby nonetheless. Designing is challenging. Coming up with ideas is fun, but it also can be hard to come up with something interesting and new. We usually have an overall theme that all the designers have to stay within, like “culture” or “decades” or “fairy-tale.” This time we decided to let each designer take whatever route they wanted. This resulted in a very eclectic show with a variety of inspirations, from thunderstorms to Helena Bonham Carter to animals to angels and demons to geometry.

My own theme was difficult to come up with. I knew I wanted to do something involving nature, particularly flowers. My pieces ended up being tied together with a kind of kitschy quirkiness, exemplified with the unifying feature of bright plastic flower beads that I purchased from Joann’s for about a buck. I realized that the most important element to me is color. In this case, my color scheme told a story of the transition between spring and summer, from light pale pastel colors to brighter, bolder summery hues.

The sewing itself is even more challenging. Conceptually, it’s difficult to work out how all the pieces of fabric fit together, and it’s very easy to get things wrong. You somehow mess up and put something inside out or sew the front to the back or otherwise ruin everything, and then you have to take out a seam ripper, tear out all your hard work and start back at the beginning. Or the sewing machine that was working fine suddenly malfunctions and there’s a snarl of thread where seconds before there were nice, straight stitches. After you work through the setbacks and everything seems perfect, you do a fitting with your model.  And it’s too small.  Or it’s too big. And then you get to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to alter it to make it fit.

The process isn’t helped by the fact that the show always comes right before finals. So I end up staying up until 2 a.m. finishing my collection the night before when I really should be staying up until 2 in the morning writing papers or studying.

Even once I had decided on a theme and finished sewing, the actual day of the show was a slow descent toward a quiet, internal panic session. I’ve been in the club since freshman year and have done six shows, yet I never seem to get less nervous. This year was our first time using Absinthe House as the venue, which presented a new challenge.

I could tell as soon as we got there; however, that it was going to be a great show. The dark, ambient atmosphere lent itself nicely to a fashion show. We all squeezed backstage into the VIP room. It was a bit crowded since there are 10 designers, with between one and 14 models each. The energy and anxiousness began to rise as show time approached. I can only imagine what it must feel like backstage in a professional fashion show during New York Fashion Week.

Occasionally I glanced out at the audience. There was a steadily increasing crowd, filling 80 chairs and then another 20 or so people standing. I went out second to last, so I had to wait and feel even more nervous while everyone else goes and returns, carefree. I shouldn’t have felt so anxious. After all, the models were the ones walking down a catwalk in stilettos. But I knew that I would have to go out and talk about my collection and the inspiration behind it, and I was a little afraid of sounding like an idiot. And the thought of seeing everyone’s reactions to my clothes always makes me nervous.

The moment finally came and went in a rush of adrenaline as I fumbled through my speech and watched my models take off. But when I saw my friends in the audience smiling as my creations sashayed down the runway, I felt a sudden rush of satisfaction and pride.

The show only lasted about an hour. We all were a bit surprised when we realized it was over at 7 p.m. All the long hours sketching up ideas and toiling away over a sewing machine, all the model coaches where they practiced walking and posing over and over again… all our hard work for a few fleeting minutes on the runway.  But those few minutes and the applause that follows are thrilling. Yes, sewing can be a stressful, frustrating hobby, but it’s amazing to be able to share my creative outlet with so many people as part of such an exciting event.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Karyssa Cox at Karyssa.cox@colorado.edu.