Latest news with #MetropolitanStateUniversityofDenver
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
19-year-old MSU graduate pursuing career as air traffic controller
DENVER (KDVR) — Graduating from college is a massive accomplishment and a stepping stone in the lives of young academics everywhere. In most cases, it is usually one of the first steps for 20-somethings in starting their careers and entering a new stage of independence, but for one graduate from Metropolitan State University of Denver, that day came when she was only 19, a year removed from when her peers would be graduating from high school. Actor on 'Ted Lasso' reacts to the Denver Broncos in London For Adelaide Britton, her path to quick graduation and the pursuit of her ideal career was the one she had always dreamt about. While she endured the pressure of college swimmingly, she faces a new form of pressure and begins her life in a field that has come under heavy scrutiny lately. Britton is on the path to become an air traffic controller. To get a head start on her plans, she leaned heavily into concurrent enrollment classes while she was in high school, which allowed her to build up an arsenal of credits that she used to transfer to MSU upon graduation. To fast-track her progress even further, Britton said she attended summer school and had a semester where she took 18 credit hours, all while working two jobs at Urban Outfitters and a restaurant near Union Station. That type of workload would put most people in a rut, but she said that because all of her classes revolved around aviation, none of the homework felt like homework. It was just her immersing herself into something she was really interested in. Her interest piqued when she was a junior in high school and had to research a career. Her mother suggested that she look into air traffic control, and from that moment, Britton has never looked back. She recently applied for an air traffic controller position in the spring and received a 'Well Qualified' result on the Air Traffic Skills Assessment, and in return, received a tentative offer letter from the Air Traffic Organization. From here, the next step would be to enter the Federal Aviation Administration's training academy. All of that work sounds rigorous, but the biggest challenge may be after her hiring, as the air traffic control field is enduring plenty of issues and criticism. High-profile aviation crashes have thrust the issues into the eyes of the public, and according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there is a shortage of air traffic controllers amid a natural decline in the position and a large number of layoffs. The department is working on rapidly increasing the population of the workforce and upgrading outdated technology used by air traffic controllers to bring it to a more modern standard. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Air Traffic Controllers Association are offering limited-time incentives for hiring, including: $5,000 award for academy graduates who successfully completed the initial qualification training $5,000 award for new hires who successfully complete the initial qualification training $10,000 award for academy graduates who are assigned to one of 13 hard-to-staff air traffic facilities Certified professional controllers eligible to retire but under the mandatory retirement age (56) will receive a lump sum payment of 20% of their basic pay for each year they continue to work Is it legal to put furniture on the curb for people to pick up in Denver? Britton is facing another challenging obstacle in her journey, but with a steady head on her shoulders, she offers advice to any students following a similar path. 'It's not for everyone,' said Britton on the MSU website. 'Know yourself. Follow the best course of action for you.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Auraria Campus Police violated First Amendment rights during Denver protest arrest, claims new lawsuit
Eight Coloradans, including a college professor, are suing the Auraria Campus police chief and several officers almost a year after they were arrested during campus protests over the war in Gaza . In the spring of 2024, protestors descended upon campuses across the country and the world, including the Auraria Campus in Denver , which houses campuses for the University of Colorado Denver, Community College of Denver, and Metropolitan State University of Denver. They set up an encampment on the Tivoli quad, which violates campus policy. On April 26, Auraria Campus Police started arresting people for trespassing. Alex Boodrookas is an assistant professor of history at MSU Denver. He says he was leaving a meeting when he saw the scene unfolding. He says he sat with the students to try to deescalate the situation but was arrested. CU Boulder alumni Sarah Napier was also arrested. She says she was protesting but not camping. They're two of eight people now suing Auraria Police Chief Jason Mollendor and six other officers, with the help of lawyers from Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC, accusing the officers of violating their First Amendment rights. "You should be able to peacefully protest," Napier told CBS News Colorado. You should be able to, you know, have your First Amendment rights." They say that Auraria police didn't adequately warn protestors that they would be arresting anyone and, even if they did, their arrests were unjustified because they weren't camping. They allege the arrests were an attempt to silence voices campus officials didn't like. "The mass arrests that we saw at the encampments last year, like they very much laid the groundwork for what we're seeing today," Boodrookas said. Both Boodrookas and Napier ultimately had their charges dismissed and their records sealed, but they say the damage was done. They've both faced professional repercussions, but they say this lawsuit isn't about them; it's about making sure free speech is protected. "I want to make sure that armed riot police don't arrest peaceful student demonstrators on my campus again," Boodrookas said. On Wednesday, the Auraria Campus released the following statement: "The Auraria campus has not been served with any civil rights lawsuit related to the events of April 26, 2024. Based on available media reports, it appears that the individuals involved chose to engage with the press prior to notifying either the Auraria Campus administration or the Auraria Campus Police Department. We are also aware of several misrepresentations reported in today's media coverage. As with any legal matter, Auraria Campus remains committed to following the appropriate legal processes and protocols. We will be prepared to respond accordingly if and when we are served. Our priority continues to be transparency, accountability, and the safety and well-being of the Auraria Campus community." The lawsuit was filed at 9 a.m. on Wednesday in Denver District Court and asks for a jury trial, as well as punitive, compensatory, and economic damages. "Rather than respecting the constitutional rights of those gathered, Auraria Campus Police Department officers abrogated well-established First Amendment rights through intimidation and mass arrests," it states, in part. "Protesters who peacefully linked arms in solidarity were trapped and encircled by riot police, physically prevented from leaving before officers began making arrests." "If we fail to challenge this now, we risk normalizing the suppression of speech whenever it becomes inconvenient," Azra Taslimi, one of the attorneys representing the protesters, said at a news conference on Wednesday. "Student protest is not a disruption of education, it is a reflection of it. It is civic engagement, it is democracy in action, and it is why we must protect it."
