Today at CC Digest

A Daily Digest for Colorado College

Pikes Peak Poet Laureate Featured at Inauguration

On Monday, Aug. 29, L. Song Richardson will be inaugurated as Colorado College’s 14th president. As part of the ceremony, Pikes Peak Poet Laureate Ashley Cornelius will recite a spoken word poem based on President Richardson’s inauguration speech.

Cornelius is a nationally recognized and award-winning spoken word poet. She has performed her poetry at TEDx Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Community College, the Colorado Springs Women’s March, Denver Public Library, and more. A winner of multiple poetry Slams in Colorado Springs, Cornelius was the Colorado Springs Independent Best of Artist in 2019 and was recognized by the Colorado Springs Business Journal as a Rising Star in 2021.

As Poet Laureate, Cornelius works closely with the Pikes Peak Library District to build a literary arts community through poetry by developing an appreciation of written and performance poetry, as well as inspiring and celebrating poetry and poets in the Pikes Peak region with dynamic programs of engagement, advocacy, and education.

The inauguration ceremony will take place on the Mainstage at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. Doors open at 8 a.m. and the ceremony begins promptly at 8:45 a.m.

A limited number of tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve tickets, visit the front desk at the FAC and show your CC Gold Card. Once tickets for theatre seating are gone, you can pick up tickets for limited seating in an overflow space at the FAC. You can also tune into the livestream of the inauguration ceremony, or watch a recording after the event concludes.

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Today at CC Digest for Students

A Daily Digest for Colorado College

Today at CC Digest

A Daily Digest for Colorado College

Don’t Miss “Chicanx Landscapes” Exhibit at the Fine Arts Center

ID: a garden plot with a young child in a coral dress with her back to us, an older person of color in the background, turquoise fence surrounding the garden plot.

Desert ArtLAB Eco-Installation/Edible Landscape, Pueblo Colorado, Phase One (detail). Courtesy the artists.
The art exhibit “Chicanx Landscapes” opens today at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College.

This exhibition explores landscapes as a system of ecology, history, culture, and belonging from a Chicanx perspective with new works presented by the interdisciplinary artist collaborative, Desert ArtLAB. Desert ArtLAB is an interdisciplinary artist collaborative co-directed by April Bojorquez (she/her) and Matthew Garcia (he/him) whose work promotes Indigenous perspectives on ecological practice and climate change. Bojorquez and Garcia were the 2022 Mellon Artists-in-Residence for the Fine Arts Center.

As part of the events and programming celebrating the inauguration of CC’s 14th president, L. Song Richardson, admission to this exhibit is free on Sunday, Aug. 28, for Community Day.

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Around the Block Campus News – Welcome Back!

Welcome, Class of 2026!

Photo by Lonnie Timmons III
Colorado College welcomes 553 incoming members of the Class of 2026 and 31 transfer students.
The on-campus portion of the New Student Orientation began Saturday, Aug. 20, and concluded Wednesday, Aug. 24. From Thursday, Aug. 25 through Saturday, Aug. 27, students embark on their Priddy Trip Experience, the off-campus portion of NSO.
The Class of 2026 was selected from 11,026 applicants, a record-number, and had an admittance rate of a little over 11 percent.
Twenty-five percent of the Class of 2026 identify as students of color. There are 41 dual citizens.
The incoming class comes from 47 states and 15 countries. Seventeen percent of the class are from Colorado, 24 percent are from the Northeast, 16 percent are from the Midwest, 24 percent are from the West, and 15 percent are from the South.
The Class of 2026 includes musicians, athletes, entrepreneurs, activists, and scientists. One student was part of Andrew Yang’s mayoral campaign, while another canvassed for Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign. The incoming class contains competitive horseback riders, ski racers, and a whitewater guide. One student interned at the ACLU and another student traveled to Israel to teach lacrosse to kids.
Classes begin on Monday, Aug. 29, as Colorado College starts its 149th academic year. The official inauguration of L. Song Richardson, the 14th president, will take place during Opening Convocation.

Journalism Students Shine in KRCC Internships

By Julia Fennell ’21
Colorado College students Eli Jaynes ’24 and Will Taylor ’23 have spent the last nine weeks interning with KRCC. Jaynes, a political science major, took a radio journalism class last fall with Peter Breslow, a Griffis Journalist-in-Residence and former Weekend Edition senior producer for NPR. This class is where Jaynes discovered his love for radio journalism and is what inspired him to apply for the KRCC internship.
Taylor, a sociology major, and Jaynes had the opportunity to tour the Colorado Public Radio station in Denver and talk to CPR staff members. KRCC is operated by CPR and the internship is technically a CPR program, but Jaynes and Taylor were hired by the KRCC team and work primarily with KRCC staff.
Jaynes and Taylor co-authored a story on a neighborhood’s opposition to turning Platte Avenue into a one-way street. The two journalism minors attended a community meeting to talk to sources for the story.
KRCC was started in 1951 by Professor Woodson “Chief” Tyree and is operated by CPR. You can visit the KRCC website to check out the stories by Taylor and the stories by Jaynes produced during their internships.

New Pre-College Course Focuses on Critical Race Theory

Photo by Lonnie Timmons III
By Julia Fennell ’21
A new Colorado College Pre-College course focused on critical race theory receives praise from students. Critical Race Theory and the Law, taught by Heidi R. Lewis, associate professor of feminist and gender studies, is aimed at students who are considering majors in the history, political science, pre-law, or humanities fields.
“I do not think there was a more perfect class for me than Critical Race Theory and the Law,” says Kate Levinson, a rising high school senior from Breckenridge who attends boarding school in California. “I find learning about race and racism in America incredibly interesting, especially in our current political and social climate.”
The Pre-College program is a two and a half week-long course for rising high school juniors and seniors. Of the 144 students who applied, 57 are enrolled in six courses this summer. Most of the students who apply to the Pre-College program are high-achieving academically and are considering applying to Colorado College for college, says Jim Burke, director of Summer Session.  “I was exceptionally excited to have this course,” Burke says. “You cannot ask for a better educational experience than having any face time with Heidi Lewis.”
This is the third time Lewis has taught in the Pre-College program. Lewis prepares her Pre-College courses differently than her regular undergraduate courses at CC, she says. For Pre-College students, Lewis provides a “Homework Grid” that clarifies what students need to do each night, in addition to their syllabus, course calendar, and Canvas page. “I have never — and probably would never — do that for my undergraduates,” Lewis says.

Students Conduct Plant-Pollinator Research in Alaska

Photo by Hayes Henderson
By Julia Fennell ’21

While some people spend their summers enjoying the warm weather, three CC students spent the last two and a half months in Alaska studying the effects of climate change on the plant-pollinator community.
Caroline Brose ’22, Zach Ginn ’23, and Luca Keon ’25 were at Toolik Field Station with about 100 other researchers and students, most of whom were also focused on climate change research, says Ginn. Toolik Field Station is an international field station north of the Arctic Circle, on Alaska’s North Slope.
The students were conducting research for Dr. Roxaneh Khorsand, a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Organismal Biology and Ecology. She and her collaborators, Dr. Steve Oberbauer (Florida International University) and Dr. Jeremy May (Marietta College) quantify plant physiological and reproductive responses to climate change. This research is part of the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX), a consortium of scientists that carry out long-term studies of climate change in arctic, Antarctic, and alpine sites.
In addition to conducting research for Khorsand’s lab, Ginn is collecting data for his thesis on plant-pollinator networks. Once the school year starts, Ginn and Keon will analyze hundreds of insect specimens for pollen content to determine which types of insects transport pollen most effectively.
“We have been training OBE students in the Arctic since 2019 and we continue to be impressed with their knowledge, work ethic, and genuine passion for fieldwork,” says Khorsand.

 Collaborative for Community Engagement Accepting Applications for Civic Leadership Programs 

  • Engage with your community in meaningful ways!
  • Broaden your definition of community engagement
  • 300 hours of documented community engagement 
  • Deepen your critical understanding of how and why you engage
  • Option to move into the Community Engaged Learning track your junior year

 Rolling application, orientation once a block. Apply in Summit.

  • Join a nationally recognized, developmental, cohort based civic leadership program. 
  • 4-year developmental trajectory
  • 24 hours of paid community engagement per block
  • Developmental workshops
  • Community building
  • Senior Capstone project

Application closes Sept. 26. Apply in Summit.

*Bonner primarily provides access to community engagement opportunities for students of financial need.

Email CCE if you have any questions.

Photo of the Week

Photo by Lonnie Timmons III
On Saturday, Aug. 20, New Student Orientation leaders Lucia Daranyi ’24 and Sam Treat ’24 (with sign) welcomed students for their first Priddy meetings where students met with Priddy Experience leaders and fellow trippees to learn about the week ahead and get to know each other during NSO.
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Today at CC Digest for Students

A Daily Digest for Colorado College

Today at CC Digest

A Daily Digest for Colorado College

President Richardson’s Favorite Karaoke Song

In the days leading up to her inauguration on Monday, Aug. 29, we’re helping you get to know a little bit more about President L. Song Richardson.

One of President Richardson’s favorite things to do is sing karaoke. Her go-to karaoke song? “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.

Make sure to check out the events and programming leading up to and after the inauguration ceremony. We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate this historic moment for the CC community!

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Today at CC Digest for Students

A Daily Digest for Colorado College

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