Spring is here and it is time to commemorate and celebrate. Maverick Days is a weeklong celebration of Colorado Mesa University’s birthday as well as a hub of several educational events.
First, the 19 Annual Holocaust Awareness Series will take place from April 4 to April 8. On Monday, there was a moment of silence starting at 10:50 am. There are over 2,000 flags that represent groups and individuals targeted by the Nazi Party during World War II. The flags will be on display throughout the week’s entirety.
Additionally, there was a screening and subsequent discussion of Stephen Spielberg’s Schindler’s List in Houston Hall 129.
“My presentation [was] at 4:30 on Monday afternoon, showing Schindler’s List. What few people know is that we have an actual original poster signed by one of the producers of the film, which is now framed, and we showed it at the session. It is now part of the Tomlinson Archives,” Associate History Professor and Director of the Holocaust Awareness Series Dr. Vincent Patarino said.
Bari Weiss is a prominent writer and award-winning Jewish journalist and will be hosting a panel discussion along with Colorado Mesa University (CMU) President John Marshall and Trustee David Foster on April 5 at 5:30 pm. Tickets for students and faculty are free while community tickets are $10; both must be reserved beforehand.
Political Science Professor Dr. Holly Oberle will be presenting Gendercide: A Comparative, Historical, and Global Discussion which will occur in Houston Hall 139 at 4:30 pm on April 6. Oberle hopes to incorporate gender into how we view and analyze historical conflicts such as the Bosnian Genocide and China’s One Kid Policy.
Directly after at 6:30 in the same room, history instructor Pamela Krch will delve into the long-term ramifications of U.S. violence towards the Navajo people in her discussion “The Long Shadow of The Long Walk.”
Language, Literature, and Mass Communications Department Head Barry Laga and famous Holocaust author Art Spiegelman will host Representing the Holocaust: Art Spiegelman’s Maus/.
Spiegelman will address increasing censorship pressures Maus has experienced in public libraries as well as the difficulties of writing and covering the Holocaust.
To conclude the Holocaust Awareness Series, Associate History Professor Adam T. Rosenbaum will present Totalitarian Teetotalers and Inebriated Exterminators: Nazis, Alcohol, and the Holocaust. Rosenbaum will tackle how the Nazi Party championed themselves around temperance while simultaneously employing alcohol as a means of facilitating violence. The lecture will begin at 6:30 pm in Houston Hall 139 on April 7.
There will be an Author Showcase in Tomlinson Library where CMU students and staff will display exhibits from their own artistic and educational creations. The event will be from 3 pm to 5 pm on April 5.
This week will also include happenings not related to the Houlocaust awareness events. The CMU Rodeo Team is throwing the Maverick Stampede Rodeo on April 7 and 8. On the first day, the team will be herding livestock across campus complimented with music, food and beer. The kickoff will be from 5 pm to 7 pm in The Plaza.
Then, the Rodeo Team will take to Mesa County Fairgrounds for Alumni Night. General tickets are $10, but kids of CMU Alumni (12 and under) get in for free.
Next, the university will celebrate CMU’s 97 Birthday and Day of Giving in the Plaza with cake and the signing of a comically large birthday card. The event will take place on April 8 from 11 am to 1 pm.
The Alumni Association, CMU Hamilton Rec Center and HealthyU are hosting a 5K run around campus on April 9 at 9:30 am. The Mavericks’ Unite 5K will support the One For All, All for Mavs Scholarship.
The Bergman Sports Complex will be hosting the Keg-A-Thon Beerfest later that same day from 12 pm to 4 pm. Local breweries will be offering a selection of beers for 21+ CMU students and staff. The event will be taking place during a CMU Softball double-header.
Support CMU and have some fun during the Maverick Days festivities!
