Jack Dowling

Auraria campus is a diverse, unique, and wonderful place to attend University. Within the myriad of students who pass through the campus on a daily basis there exists a multitude of beliefs, ideas, attitudes, and opinions about the world at large. The campus itself, and the three educational institutions that call the campus home, do a top notch job of providing avenues for students to explore and express their beliefs. The University of Colorado at Denver provides student groups representational of almost every faith. The college's website has links to associations for Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, and Atheist students. However one faith is notably missing. I am referring of course to Satanism. Despite Auraria's seemingly open attitude towards religion, and despite Denver's reputation for being an open minded city, students who wish to heap praises upon the Prince of Darkness have little outlet for their wicked ceremonies. Satanism's history is long, illustrious, and replete with figures who have contributed to the world and its impending demise. From Alister Crowley, the first Satanic priest, to the plethora of Blues guitar players who have sold their souls for fame, to George W. Bush, Satanists have long held an important place in American history. Auraria campus is doing itself and its students a disservice by not providing adequate representation to the wicked ways of Devil worship. Satanists have often been demonized by their detractors. People of other faiths criticize followers of Lucifer for their blood sacrifices, open practice of witchcraft, and general furthering of the Apocalypse. Students who wish to revel in the perverse and heinous ceremonies of darkness find themselves confronted with everything from insults to exorcisms. These kinds of attacks would be inappropriate against members of other faiths, so why should they be accepted against those who pledge their souls to the Archdevil? The First Amendment to the US

Constitution guarantees freedom to practice any religion, regardless of whether or not that religion strives to bring about the end of days. It should be noted that James Madison, the author of the First Amendment, made no caveats about freedom of expression, even when that expression manifests in a sulfurous rain of brimstone. Providing an outlet for Demonic worship on campus would provide students with a plethora of benefits. Currently, practicing Satanists at Auraria are confined to attending Metal concerts, selling their souls in the library for a stronger thesis, and smoking marijuana down by the creek bordering Speer. With open representation for Satanic worship, these misshapen monstrous students can come out into the light of day (not too much light though, it tends to sear their flesh) and express their love for evil openly. I therefore propose a sweeping change of Auraria's outward face. An obsidian temple, representative of the unhallowed halls of Pandemonium, would provide a beautiful contrast to the churches already present on campus. A pen of goats would open opportunities for students to study sustainable agriculture, while at the same time providing a steady flow of the precious goat's blood that is so crucial to many Satanic rituals. A resident coven of witches could set up at Campus Village to give students access to all the hexes their hearts could desire. The new influx of pledged souls could result in a thriving Blues scene on the campus. The benefits to openly devoting worship to the Betrayer, Devourer of Worlds are so numerous, it seems unfathomable that nothing has already been done. There may be some who feel that Auraria is not the proper location to engage in wicked and perverse devil-worship. They would claim that an embrace of Satanism would make the campus look bad at a national level. They may even go so far as to suggest Auraria would be subject to Divine punishment! And unfortunately, many of these critics get a lot of the public spotlight. Presidential candidates like Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum openly decry America's

descent into evil while our nation has never had an openly practicing Satanic President. Tables endorsing Christianity are found daily in the Tivoli, openly warning students that they are on their way to Hell. The local campus breakfast nook the Cimeron won't even serve deviled eggs! But do these critics really have the right idea? Can Hell really be that bad? Eternity in a lake of fire with the whore of Babylon just sounds like a jacuzzi party to me. Other detractors may ask where the campus will come up with the funds to pay for an unholy alter of blasphemy. This is understandable, considering the constant battle our university has to fight with the state budget. However these critics are not considering one of the greatest sources of wealth available, a source that would be more than willing to pay for our hall of sins. I am referring of course to Satan himself. For centuries wayward and impoverished folks have pledged their souls in exchange for fame, talent, and fortune. Surely there exists within the evergrowing population of hell-bound scoundrels that already attend school here at Auraria a few who would devote their own immortal souls for this most noble cause. With the tribute of their very life essence they could easily provide enough money to realize our dreams of providing for dark and perverse ceremonies, likely with a bit left over to be spent at the campus's discretion. There really is no excuse for Auraria campus to not openly embrace Satanism. For too long have warlocks, demonists, witches, young Republicans, and all other devout worshipers of the Beast been swept under the rug. It is time to spread the bat-like wings of darkness over this campus, to bathe every man, woman, and child in rosy goat's blood. It is time to let the everburning fires of Hell warm the lives of the student body. Because of a fear of persecution, the manic and insane cult of Satanists has been relegated to lurking in the shadows (well, persecution and general preference) but no more. We, as a student body, must make our desires known. We must erect a blasphemous temple of darkness. We must establish a cult for the damned. We must

ensure religious liberty for all so that Satanic students may respectfully worship and conspire towards Armageddon in peace. Lets face it, finals week already feels like the end of the world, lets come together this year and make that statement literal.

Reflections on Writing Generally, my approach to the writing process begins with understanding the subject I am going to write about. Be it a story or more frequently an analytical paper, getting a good grasp of what I want to say is crucial to my writing. I typically plot out an outline, usually in my head but sometimes written down, and get a good sense of how I want my paper to flow. As I begin to write I take the idea of what I want to say from the outline and solidify it and make it as exact as I can. One of my favorite quotes, from the eminently quotable Mark Twain is integral to this process and has helped shape my writing for years. The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. I always try to keep this in mind. The minute differences between want and yearn and dingy and decrepit are what I focus most upon. There really is nothing comparable to choosing the perfect word for a sentence and it is this in which I find my greatest enjoyment of writing and also my greatest efficacy. Once the skeleton has been hammered out, I sleep on it. This step too is crucial, because I want to come back to my paper with a fresh head and fresh ideas. When I begin my revision I look for clarity and flow, making sure that my paragraphs lead into each other while staying true to the initial premise introduced in the beginning. I also tweak my word choice, although I must confess sometimes I am never entirely happy. In the end I make sure that everything makes sense, that I didn't throw any thoughts out naked onto the page where they will shrivel under any real scrutiny. I make sure that my sentences are properly weighted and that the words inside of them dance and delight. I make sure my conclusion concludes, although depending on the circumstance I may leave it more open ended to inspire reflection from my readers. And then I call it done.