2017-2018

By Rina Dishman (A special thank you goes to Professor Joan Ericson, GREAL Dept. and Marianna McJimsey, Education Dept. for the information used to write this article) The Asian Language House on campus has an interesting backstory despite being the newest Language house at CC. In March of 1994, Paul Maruyama, Armin Wishard (German Department), Marianna McJimsey (Education Department and Asian Studies), Bob McJimsey (History Department) and nine CC students were hosted in Fujiyoshida, Japan, the sister city of Colorado Springs, during spring break. The faculty members listed above were invited by Mr. Omura Sakae, a retired English teacher and high school principal, who expressed great interest in reviving the sister city connection between Fujiyoshida and Colorado Springs. As an acti...

By Yizheng Wang As part of the very first group of students who took professor Christian Sorace’s course, I got the chance to interview with Christian, a man with lots of interesting experiences and stories. Q1: Hi Christian, do you want to introduce yourself to all CC students? I really enjoy the little stories you shared in class. So maybe you can share some interesting experiences with us as an introduction? A: Yes, I actually lived in many different parts of Asia. I went to Beijing for the first time after two semesters of Chinese class. Back then, I was completely frustrated using Chinese in my daily life. After that, I went to Taiwan for a year-long language immersion, where I met my wife. One of the reasons I can still speak Chinese decently is because we speak Chinese...

By Yizheng Wang We had a brief interview with Huimeng Zhou who is the new Chinese CPC this year. Huimeng is a tall girl with long hair. My first impression of her is shyness. However, when the topic came to Chinese language and culture, her talkative figure really surprised me. “A girl with her own thoughts could indeed spread her own culture,” I thought. Q1: You study at Fu Dan University right? What year are you? A: Yes, I’m junior this year. Q: So we are about the same age! Were you born in 1997? A: Yeah (smile) Q2: What is your major? In what sense does it related to Asian Culture? A: Chinese Language and Literature. I mean this is part of the Asian Culture(laugh). Q3: What brings you to CC? A: I always want to experience a different college life other t...

By Risa Seu Meet our new Japan CPC! His name is Ryota Sakurai. Ryota is born and raised in Machida (Tokyo, Japan). Ryota got his undergraduate degree at ICU (International Christian University) in education philosophy. he then proceeded to work as a special education teacher from 2001 until 2015 until he realized his passion for Japanese literature. he went back to ICU where he got his masters in Japanese literature, specifically in poems. He met his wife, who lives with him right outside of the CC campus, at ICU where he approached her extensively until he got her to turn her head for him. She studied English Education during her undergrad and taught English to high school students. She then went back to school to get a bachelor of arts degree in theology and then came to Co...

By Anika Grevstad Could you briefly introduce yourself and your field of study? I came here via Philadelphia and New York, but I grew up in India, in Calcutta, on the east coast of India. I worked in film and television production in Mumbai, the film capital of India, for a while. I am now a film and media studies scholar, and I study global media and how it relates to social movements, Indian cinema, global documentary film, experimental film, film festival cultures, among other areas of interest. Do you have a favorite film? I have so many – I don’t think I’ll be able to choose one! I grew up in between so many cinemas, Bollywood, Hollywood, but also independent/art cinema from around the world, that it is really hard to choose one film or one genre. But some of the films tha...

By Sunny Chiu Over half a million Rohingya escaped their home country, Myanmar, into Bangladesh. The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic group living mostly in the Rakhine state in Myanmar. Myanmar has an overwhelmingly Buddhist population and has systematically persecuted the Rohingya for decades by regarding them as illegal migrants from Bangladesh and restricting their citizenship rights. The oppression and communal hatred between Rohingya and Buddhists in Rakhine exploded on August 25 when Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar’s military posts and killed 12 people. The army retaliated by targeting armed insurgents in small controlled areas of Rakhine. UN investigators reported that during these military operations, Rohingya women were gang-raped by soldiers and their babies were slaughte...

By Yizheng Wang The North Korean Nuclear problem has been around for a long time, and as time goes by, tension not only appears in the Korean Peninsula but also in other parts of the world, namely in the two biggest world powers: the United States and China. The U.S. and South Korea announced that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) would be deployed to counter the frequent movements of North Korea in July of 2016. The deployment of THAAD has a huge impact in East Asia since it would negatively influence the “bilateral military ties and mutual trust” between the United States and China. China expressed additional concern about the ballistic missiles in North Korea being used as an excuse for America to deploy the THAAD system, which China believes is more than just an a...

By Ashley Kim Peter is a fourth-year, chemistry major at CC from Denver, Colorado. Currently, he is in Pyeongchang, South Korea for the Olympics working with the United States Olympic Committee! Q1. Hi, Peter! How long has it been since you’ve been to Korea? What excites you most about being in Korea again? A1: It’s been three years since I’ve been to Korea, right before I started my freshman year at CC. I normally visit every two years, and it’s remarkable to see the sceneries/cities change so much in that brief time span. I was excited about this trip since I was not expecting to visit Korea for a very long time. I just did not have the time being occupied with school and internships throughout college, so this internship opportunity was a pleasant surprise for me. As always, I ...

By Sunny Chiu New types of ultra-strong timber and materials made out of word are driving the trend for wooden buildings. The current tallest timber building is a 164 feet (18-story) student residence at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. However, the Japanese wood product company, Sumitomo Forestry is set to build the world’s tallest wooden building called the W350. The skyscraper is planned to be 1,148 feet tall (70-stories) and made from 90% wooden materials. It is scheduled to be completed in 2041. The building plans to improve biodiversity in an urban environment, as well as the mental health of employees by having foliage connecting the bottom to the top floor and surrounding open balconies.   One of the main goals of this project is to celebrate the compa...

By Ashley Kim In light of current events, the proposition to strengthen gun laws has resurfaced. Regardless of which side of the debate you are on, it is inarguable that the United States has one of the most lenient gun control policies in the world. As many are aware, the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right to keep and bear arms. Of course, there are restrictions: at the federal level, the Gun Control Act of 1968 regulates who can own firearms based on age, criminal history, history of mental illness, etc (ATF). Each state also has its own regulations in addition to the federal laws. In spite of these restrictions, however, there is a large loophole that undermines the laws: not every gun seller is required to possess an FFL (Federal Firearms License), so not e...