Ernest Crimm III is a Black history application specialist who uses Black history to empower and educate families and train educators on how to best reach their students in a culturally compliant manner. Crim is a former high school educator of 12 years, who now teaches Black history to the world through social media with a reach of nearly 500,000. Additionally, he is the CEO of Crim’s Cultural Consulting LLC, an international speaker, an author of two bestsellers and a passionate progressive education activist, who has been featured on PBS, CBS, NBC, and Newsweek, among other outlets.

Crim will facilitate an engaging virtual conversation on Feb. 28 at 3:30 p.m. The conversation will focus on past and present-day occurrences that show how Black history is repeating itself. Topics include affirmative action, policing, black history bands, and more. Crim will provide a vivid account using his own lived experience to provide a captivating and insightful dialogue that illuminates how Black history is, in fact, American history.

By Julia Fennell ’21

Students in Topics in Chemistry: Snow Science Half Block course spent four days at Wolf Creek Pass, digging snow pits and collecting data to test their hypotheses. How can students afford this much time away from class? The Block Plan.

During the first two days of the class, the students started very small, with the molecular shape of water, and used that to rationalize everything from snow meteorology to the six-fold symmetry of snowflakes. “Then we zoomed out to consider metamorphism, physical and chemical evolution, of snow on the ground. We discussed how distinct layers form in the snowpack, how they change, and how those layers interact via stress and strain relationships to yield large scale hazards like avalanches,” says Eli Fahrenkrug, assistant professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. “By the end of the week, we moved from theoretical understanding to learning practical skills of evaluating snowpack stability in the field.” A snow meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also spoke to the class during the first week.

“I think this class is absolutely a testament to the strengths of the Block Plan and I cannot imagine it being taught on a semester schedule. There is something so very special about immersing yourself in a subject, and when you’re out in the field and can give 100% of your time and thought to a subject for days on end, it leads to a deeper and richer style of learning that I don’t see as possible in most other colleges,” says Matthew Silverman ’23, one of the teaching assistants for this course.

Colorado College is committed to raising our focus on mental health on campus to the highest level. Only when all our students, staff, and faculty can learn, work, and live in an environment that fosters mental wellness can we provide students with outstanding liberal arts education experiences and the skills and habits to live healthy lives. Based on consolidated review of feedback from students, faculty, staff, and parents, CC has developed a plan of action that is organizational and structural.

Since the issue of mental health is impacting colleges both regionally and nationally, CC representatives at the leadership level will learn from peer institutions. Some will meet with Denison University representatives in Ohio, and others will visit Pikes Peak State College, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and the University of Denver.

While the conversation around mental health continues, help is available on campus now. The Wellness Resource Center offers direct support to students, referrals to other campus resources, and workshops and programs to help build coping skills and resiliency. Initiatives provided by the WRC focus on supporting students with mental health challenges, building resilience and coping skills, and educating the campus community about mental health literacy, culture change, and harm prevention.

Please join us for a moderated discussion, followed by an audience Q&A, with a CC faculty panel: 

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Nominations for the Just World Awards are open and being accepted through March 3. These five awards recognize CC alumni, students, staff, faculty, and retirees who are dedicated to actions and principles that create a more just and equitable world.

Read more about each award and submit your nominations.

The Just World Awards are named for five inspiring members of the CC community who exemplify change-making actions, qualities, and characteristics that help build a world with more equitable access to health, safety, education, and opportunity:

Just World Award winners will receive a physical award and $3,000. The winners will be announced at Honors Convocation in May.