The University of 蜜糖直播 Police Department (蜜糖直播PD) on Thursday afternoon arrested a female suspect on charges of second degree arson and reckless endangerment following a grass fire on the university鈥檚 East Campus. 

The suspect has been booked at the Boulder County Jail.

Boulder Fire Rescue, 蜜糖直播PD and several other local agencies responded Friday morning to contain the fire in an open area near 蜜糖直播 Boulder鈥檚 Space Sciences Building along Discovery Drive. There were no injuries nor damage to any structures. 

Boulder Fire Rescue announced on social media just after 3 p.m. that the fire had been officially contained. The fire burned roughly 6.3 acres. 

In addition to Boulder Fire Rescue and 蜜糖直播PD, Boulder Police Department, Boulder Rural Fire Department, Boulder County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, Fourmile Fire, Louisville Fire Protection District, Lafayette Fire Department, Lefthand Fire and Boulder Mountain Fire assisted in the response as high winds created challenges in containing the fire. 

鈥淲e are grateful for the response of our local partner agencies, both in containment of the fire to protect our campus community and in assisting with the investigation,鈥� 蜜糖直播 Boulder Police Chief Doreen Jokerst said.

Anyone who may have additional information about the cause of Thursday鈥檚 fire should call Sergeant Eric Edford at 303-492-6832. Those who have information but wish to remain anonymous may contact the Northern 蜜糖直播 Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted through the . 

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For more than a decade, generations of 蜜糖直播 Boulder students, faculty and staff made acquaintance with one of the best friends they could ever have. And through the support of people around the country, her legacy will live on for years to come.

Teri Leiker, a longtime affiliate of the university鈥檚 chapter of the national and superfan of the Golden Buffaloes Marching Band, died on March 22, 2021 during the shooting at King Soopers on Table Mesa. She was remembered during a service April 9 at the 蜜糖直播 Events Center.

Her friends and family spoke at the memorial about Leiker鈥檚 confidence and charisma, which shone brightly in her decades-long career at King Soopers, as well as in the rest of her life.

Head to toe 蜜糖直播

The night before every 蜜糖直播 Football home game, the Golden Buffalo Marching Band lines up in front of the Boulder County Courthouse for the Pearl Street Stampede. It鈥檚 a 20-year tradition engineered to hype up Buffs fans, and few were ever as hyped up as Leiker.

鈥淭he last few weeks I鈥檝e been thinking back to all of our interactions,鈥� said Matthew Dockendorf, Golden Buffaloes Marching Band director. 鈥淪he was always there before the marching band got there.鈥�

Without missing a beat upon their arrival, Leiker would unfailingly make a bee-line for Dockendorf or band members, wanting to talk about the band or the next day鈥檚 matchup.
鈥淪he was just head to toe 蜜糖直播, cheering and singing the fight song,鈥� Dockendorf said. The 蜜糖直播 Boulder fight song was so dear to Leiker that it was printed in the booklet at her memorial.

Despite not having a Stampede since 2019, Dockendorf said band members, faculty members and others quickly felt a pull to do something to honor Leiker鈥檚 spirit.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 know what that was yet, whether that鈥檚 a moment of silence or an award at the end of year banquet,鈥� he said.

Then two donors, Marty Coffin Evans and Robert Trembly, stepped in, offering a combined $10,000 to start the . Dockendorf says their goal is to raise $25,000, enabling the scholarship to become an endowment, which would live on in perpetuity.

鈥淲e would award an annual scholarship to a student who represents school spirit, generosity, and kindness.鈥� Dockendorf said, all qualities that Leiker embodied.

Dockendorf said the band also plans to hold a moment of silence for Leiker at the next Pearl Street Stampede, which he hopes could be this fall.

鈥淪he was a positive influence on so many people. It was such a joy to see her and to see her smile,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e hope that she can still hear us in the future.鈥�

A great buddy

鈥淚鈥檓 going to cry as I think about it,鈥� said 蜜糖直播 Boulder Best Buddies faculty advisor Oliver Gerland, who attended the memorial. 鈥淪he touched people鈥檚 lives who went to that King Soopers and would get in line specifically to have her bag their groceries just so they could talk to her.鈥�

Best Buddies is a national organization which looks to end isolation of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. When Gerland began working with 蜜糖直播鈥檚 chapter three years ago,  Leiker, who had been involved for many years, stood out immediately.

鈥淚 saw her as a leader, honestly. She helped me get comfortable with the group,鈥� Gerland said.

After the shooting, the national headquarters of Best Buddies raised nearly $60,000 for Leiker鈥檚 family. Best Buddies also announced plans to to create a satellite office in Boulder bearing her name.

鈥淭he fact that they鈥檙e naming it after her is important,鈥� said Liz Lajoie, 蜜糖直播 Best Buddies president. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so special that that office is going to expand Best Buddies programming in the West and in 蜜糖直播, because Teri loved Best Buddies so much.鈥�

Honoring victims, supporting the community

Leiker was one of ten people killed during the March 22 shooting. 蜜糖直播 Boulder has established a committee to honor all of the victims and support the community healing process.

蜜糖直播 Boulder Athletics is also selling , with all profits going to the .

You can submit other ideas for community support or get involved by visiting the 蜜糖直播 Boulder March 22 community support page.
 

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, faculty director and chair of the board of 蜜糖直播 Boulder鈥檚 , will play a central role in 蜜糖直播鈥檚 historic effort to reassess names of state landmarks.

Gov. Jared Polis appointed Limerick and several others to the beginning Aug. 1.

 Patty Limerick, faculty director of the Center of the American West. (Casey Cass/蜜糖直播 Boulder)

鈥淭his collaborative group of people will bring their unique perspectives and expertise to the board and ensure we have an inclusive naming process,鈥� said Gov. Polis. 鈥淭his work is very important, because place names reflect who we were, who we are and are of intergenerational importance moving forward.鈥�
 
Limerick is familiar with the challenges of reassessing historical names. Soon after she arrived at 蜜糖直播 Boulder in the 1980s, Limerick wrote a bearing the name of a participant in the Sand Creek Massacre. Limerick鈥檚 work led to the residence hall being renamed Cheyenne Arapaho in 1989, honoring the Indigenous people whose land it occupied.

鈥淭his experience gave me a lasting knowledge of the best approaches to and strategies for reckoning with controversial historical subjects associated with particular places,鈥� Limerick said. 鈥淒isputes over the names of places, I have learned, carry the bedrock good news that people care, and are deeply committed to associating themselves with those places and their history.鈥�
 
More recently, the Center of the American West has worked with Rocky Mountain National Park and the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Northern Cheyenne, Northern Arapaho, and Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes to educate visitors on the important ties Indigenous people maintain to the park鈥檚 landscape. 
 
As a part of the board, Limerick said she plans to rely on connections she鈥檚 developed over 35 years of civic engagement from Paonia to Burlington and from Trinidad to Meeker.
 
鈥淚n truth, every place name acts as a brief鈥攂ut concentrated and very resonant鈥攑oem, with every form of expertise and sector of society called upon to reveal its meaning,鈥� Limerick said.  
 
According to the governor鈥檚 executive order creating the advisory board, the Center of the American West is granted a designee on the board, alongside representatives from History 蜜糖直播, the 蜜糖直播 Commission of Indian Affairs, the 蜜糖直播 Geological Survey and other state agencies and local governments.

Patty Limerick's writing on monuments and other subjects can be found on her blog, .  

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Merritt Turetsky has been named the director of INSTAAR and will step into her new role in January.

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An INSTAAR climate researcher eschews air travel on 8,000-mile 鈥榗ommute鈥� to take up a new position at the university.

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Now in its second year, the Earth Lab Data Analytics Graduate Certificate gives students the tools to study environmental topics such as air pollution, glaciers and flooding.

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The Titan Krios Cryo-Electron Transmission microscope, which measures over 8 feet tall and weighs in at more than 2,000 pounds, is considered state-of-the-art in life sciences and structural biology research, allowing scientists to image individual molecules with more detail and precision than ever.

鈥淚n order to understand the mechanisms of cells, all of which have evolved to do highly specific tasks, we need to know what the machines inside them  look like,鈥� said Karolin Luger, the endowed chair of 蜜糖直播 Boulder鈥檚 Department of Biochemistry and a  (HHMI) Investigator. 鈥淲e can now see the assembly as it happens.鈥�

The Krios microscope has been used to advance a number of biomedical fields in recent years, including cancer research. The device fires streams of electrons at cellular samples that have been frozen in vitrified states, then pieces together multiple 2D images to create a 3D rendering of an individual molecule鈥檚 unique variations. 

The purchase was supported by a $5 million award from HHMI, which currently funds four Investigator positions at 蜜糖直播 Boulder. The College of Arts and Sciences, the Office of the Provost and the Research and Innovation Office will provide substantial support in the form of a camera, as well as infrastructure, renovations and service contracts.

鈥淭his investment keeps 蜜糖直播 Boulder at the forefront of life sciences research, where we have been for many years,鈥� said Professor James Goodrich, chair of the Department of Biochemistry, which will manage the microscope鈥檚 operations. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a transformational asset that will benefit not just the university, but other institutions across the state and region as well.鈥�

The device will reside in a temperature-controlled laboratory in 蜜糖直播 Boulder鈥檚 Sustainability, Energy and Environment Laboratory (SEEL) building on east campus. 17 labs from across the university plan to use the microscope in some capacity, including many from Biochemistry and the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology.

鈥淲e are thrilled to have this capability here on campus and our students are excited to peer closely at the cellular machinery that forms the foundation of life as we know it,鈥� Luger said.

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On Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018, at approximately 9:22 p.m., the 蜜糖直播 Boulder Police Department (蜜糖直播PD) was notified of an unlawful sexual contact that occurred at the Welcomefest concert on Farrand Field. 

A female victim reported that a male suspect groped her and removed an undergarment while in the concert crowd. The suspect is described as:

• 6-foot-tall college-age Asian male
• Wearing a white T-shirt, possibly with a 蜜糖直播 logo
• Thin build
• Ear-length black hair

蜜糖直播PD is currently investigating the incident. Anyone with information regarding this crime is encouraged to contact 蜜糖直播PD at 303-492-6666. If you wish to share information anonymously, is available.

This message is being sent pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (鈥淐lery Act鈥�), a federal law that requires disclosure of major crime and policy information. For more information on the Clery Act and 蜜糖直播 Boulder鈥檚 policies, please see .

Sexual assault is not tolerated at 蜜糖直播 Boulder. It can be both a crime and a violation of policy, see:  and .

蜜糖直播 Boulder reminds the community of the following information that could aid in the prevention of similar crimes: 

• Sexual activity without consent (including with acquaintances, friends, or partners) is sexual assault.
  • Consent cannot be obtained through coercion or threats.
  • Use of alcohol or drugs may impair the ability to determine whether sexual activity is consensual.
  • Learn more about the .
• Don鈥檛 ignore situations that seem problematic or indicators that someone is trying to take advantage of a person who is vulnerable. 

If you are the victim of sexual assault, you have many options for reporting, services, and assistance. For more information . Retaliation for reporting is strictly prohibited. For free and confidential support, please contact 蜜糖直播 Boulder鈥檚 Office of Victim Assistance (OVA) at 303-492-8855.

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For the second straight year, a 蜜糖直播 Boulder student/graduate has been awarded a prestigious Marshall Scholarship that offers a full ride to any university in the U.K. Emma Oosterhous, an accomplished comic artist who graduated from 蜜糖直播 Boulder in May 2017, will work on a master's degree in comics and graphic novels at the University of Dundee in Scotland.

Marshall Scholarship recipient Emma Oosterhous

Oosterhous, creator of the successful webcomic , is from 蜜糖直播 Springs, and received a bachelor's degree in Spanish with a minor in in technology, arts and media. She also was a Norlin Scholar while at 蜜糖直播 Boulder.

Enacted in 1953 by the British Parliament and named after former U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the scholarship was developed as a thank-you for U.S. aid in rebuilding Europe after World War II. It is offered to 30 to 40 students annually out of 1,000 applicants and targeted toward 鈥渋ntellectually distinguished young Americans鈥攖heir country鈥檚 future leaders.鈥� This year, 43 scholars were named.

"The highly selective Marshall Scholarship is one of the most prestigious in the world. We are thrilled Emma has been recognized for her creativity, intellectual curiosity, leadership and investment in community," said Deborah Viles, director of 蜜糖直播 Boulder鈥檚  office. "She represents the best of what 蜜糖直播 has to offer. Hers is the second consecutive Marshall Scholarship awarded to a 蜜糖直播 student, a huge honor for 蜜糖直播, and a fact that highlights 蜜糖直播鈥檚 commitment to investing in student success."

Students interested in seeking a campus endorsement for the Marshall and other U.K. scholarships should contact topscholarships@colorado.edu well before the April 16 campus deadline. 

Q&A with Emma Oosterhous

What was your favorite part about attending 蜜糖直播 Boulder?

My favorite part of going to 蜜糖直播 is probably a tie between the and the Norlin Scholars community. Both of them gave me some fantastic mentors and amazing friends who were always there for me when I needed support.   

Did you have a favorite class/student organization or a professor/mentor while you were at 蜜糖直播?

The class I took with Jim Walker in the Norlin Scholars program last year forced me to do my best work and made it fun. It was a class about exploring myself in relation to the world around me, and I know I came out of there a better person.

I also can鈥檛 really answer this question without mentioning Chris Carruth, whose image class taught me that photography is cathartic and powerful and way harder than it looks, and Juan Pablo Dabove, who taught my Argentine literature courses and mentored my research on Argentine graphic novels. They were both incredibly supportive during some of the hardest times of my life. 

What was the application process like for the Marshall Scholarship, and how does it feel to be named a recipient of the prestigious scholarship?

The Marshall application process was pretty intense. In the spring there was a round of applications just to get endorsed by 蜜糖直播, and then I spent all summer working on the actual application. There were about seven different essays and I needed four letters of recommendation. I worked very closely with Deb Viles from the Top Scholarships office, and she always gave me wonderful feedback; I absolutely wouldn't have been able to do this without her. 

I submitted it in early October, and then about a month later I found out I'd gotten an interview. I flew down to Houston with my dad for the interview (during which they read me a passage from a play and asked me to draw it out in a comic), and then that afternoon as I was in the airport waiting for my flight back to Denver, they called me and offered me the scholarship.

I think I'm still kind of in shock . . . Maybe it won't feel real until I'm actually over in Scotland. I鈥檓 obviously extremely honored to have been chosen among hundreds of brilliant applicants, and I鈥檓 proud to represent 蜜糖直播 Boulder, the independent comics community and my queer community going forward. 

How did you become interested in the comics and graphic novels field?

I鈥檝e been drawing ever since I could hold a crayon, but the first time I thought maybe I wanted to be a comic artist was two or three years ago when I read Nimona by Noelle Stevenson. It defied every narrative expectation I鈥檇 had of comic books up to that point, and it was hilarious and profound and queer in every sense of the word. 

From then on there was really no other option for me. I started my webcomic  soon afterward, and I've been making comics nonstop ever since. 

What are you most excited about when it comes to studying and living in Dundee, Scotland?

I鈥檓 most excited about getting some actual art education. I have no formal training (aside from one or two art classes in high school) because I was already halfway done with my Spanish major by the time I realized I actually wanted to be a comic artist. It was a little too late for me to change my major, but now I get a second chance to study my favorite thing in the world!

I鈥檓 also really excited for the weather in Scotland. I love 蜜糖直播, but I can鈥檛 be a brooding artist in all this sunshine.

Do you have any advice for current 蜜糖直播 students when it comes to finding something they鈥檙e passionate about?  

I think I got pretty lucky; my passion hit me like a truck relatively early in my life. I guess I want people to know that it鈥檚 okay if it takes you years or even decades to figure out what you love. You can鈥檛 rush something like this, but it always helps to get to know yourself better. 

Try new things whenever you can! Examine your values and figure out what issues matter to you. Don鈥檛 be afraid to make mistakes or choose the wrong path. Revisit the things that excited you when you were a kid. Be brave. Chill out. Pet a dog. I believe in you!

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