Volume 89, Issue 24 | April 21, 2010
the
Charger Bulletin The official student newspaper of the University of New Haven since 1938.
www.ChargerBulletin.com
ASME Students Create Car High in Power
Dinner and a Mystery in Bartels Hall
By LINDSAY LYNCH STAFF WRITER
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Last Friday night a group of UNH students piled into the UpA CHARGER BULLETIN FEATURE sentatives from Vespoli USA, a organized by the Society of –––––––––––––––––––––––––– manufacturer of world class rac- Automotive Engineers (SAE). per Student Lounge for ing shells. The group will be dis- Held in Marshall, MI, the varidinner and a cussing the creation of a custom ous teams run their vehicles show. What 7:30 in the morning. A typi- carbon fiber shell to be used in around a 1.6 mile track of hills they didn’t cal time at UNH where the quad the University of New Haven’s and turns, each team striving to know, howis empty, Bartels is just wak- super high mileage vehicle com- achieve the highest possible fuel ever, was ing up, and classes have yet to petition. This shell will play a efficiency. The fuel efficiency of that each begin. But for students in the key role in the success of this the competition, which is meastudent was an integral part of the show. The m u r d e r mystery dinner, hosted by SCOPE, allowed everyone to be in on the fun! It was an evening full of laughs and excitement around every corner. As we enjoyed our three-course meal, the actors put on a show. The theme to the murder mystery dinner was western, titled, “The Good, the Bad and the Not Very Smart.” The actors did a bunch of scenes that allowed the audience members to attempt to determine PHOTO COURTESY ASME the murderer amongst the crowd. All audience members were giv-
en the chance to guess who the murderer could be. Once the results were in the actors marched back into the room and revealed
Creators include Chuck Diguglielmo, Michael Ingmanson, Clay Barrocales, Walter Torres, Pete Smith
ASME organization, 7:30 has an entirely different meaning. Senior Michael Ingmanson and sophomores Matt Zwilling and Charles DiGuglielmo are on their way to meet with repre-
year’s cutting edge vehicle. The UNH student chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers competes annually in the supermileage collegiate design competition,
sured in miles to the gallon, is the primary focus of the building engineers. Ingmanson, the team’s captain, recalls how “the
A CHARGER BULLETIN FEATURE
es to emerge later this week. “They both were very good people, but he has a problem,” said Kavanagh, who explained that Ratchford and Young stayed with her family for several months. The couple was known to have severe marital problems and loud fighting was completely common. Young seemed okay initially following the blow, said Kavanagh, but she grew worse as the night went on. The initial 911 call came in at 10:40 p.m. Thursday. It was reported as chest pains and the police department reports it did not jump to immediate reaction. “This came in as a medical call and there wasn’t any obvious or overt sign of trauma that would initiate a police response,” said police spokesman Sgt. Martin Garcia. The incident was not handed over to police investigation in New Haven until hospital personnel contacted the department regarding bruising and sustainable damage. “We made a mistake by letting them stay here,” said Kavanagh. Her children had played with Young’s family and Ratchford, although violent, had al-
By HEATHER BROWN
Possible Homicide is Under Investigation
–––––––––––––––––––––––––– A middle aged woman died in an apparent domestic violence related homicide at the Regency Apartments late Saturday, Apr. 24. Her husband, Jim Ratchford, was arrested for the incident. Ratchford turned himself into police shortly after his wife’s death and is currently sitting in prison. His bail is reported to be approximately 500,000 dollars. Ratchford, 51, had a history of beating Roxanne Young, 47, during their many alcohol-fueled fights, according to the couple who let Ratchford and Young stay at their third-floor apartment at 200 Elm St. Long after the beating initially took place, friend Erin Kavanagh decided to call an ambulance for Young, because she “didn’t look right.” Young was transported to YaleNew Haven Hospital, where she later died. Her death has since been ruled a homicide due to blunt force trauma to the abdomen. Ratchford has been arrested and charged with second-degree assault, although police expect more detailed and serious charg-
See REGENCY page 5
See CAR page 5
A BRICKROAD PRODUCTIONS PHOTO
how the murder took place and the identity of the murderer. The cast handed out a few awards throughout the evening. The person who came closest to solving the murder received a little poster showcasing their great job. A few others were also awarded, not for their genius in solving the case, but for not even See MYSTERY page 3
Text message your news tips and comments to The Charger Bulletin! 1 (270) UNH-NEWS 1 (270) 864-6397
Alumni Scholarship Ball Gives Back Over $450,000
three Distinguished Alumni Honorees. James V. Cassella, –––––––––––––––––––––––––– Ph.D., the Senior Vice President in research and development at The University of New Ha- Alexza Pharmaceuticals Incorven Alumni Scholarship Ball is porated, Lawrence P. Flanagan, an annual event sponsored to help raise money for the UNH Scholarship Fund. This year’s ball took place on Apr. 17, 2010 in the Beckerman Recreation Center here on campus. The theme for the ball was Give L o c a l l y, Impact Globally. The event attracts alumni, the Chief Marketing Officer at faculty, staff, administration, MasterCard Worldwide, and and students in an effort to not Janice K. Sussman, the Presionly raise money, but to recog- dent of Dance Writers Associnize the accomplishments of dis- ates. These honorees are all past tinguished members of the UNH graduates of the university who community. This year there were have impacted their companies STAFF WRITER
and the world around them in a positive way. This year’s President’s Award went to The Louis Tagliatela Family, including Mary and Louis Tagliatela, Sr., Deborah
PHOTO COURTESY DAN KALMANSON
and Louis Tagliatela, Jr., Viola and Stephen Tagliatela, and Patricia Tagliatela. This award was given to the Tagliatela family for their continued support See BALL page 6