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Charger Bulletin The official student newspaper of the University of New Haven since 1938. Volume 95, Issue 17 | February 19, 2014 | West Haven, CT
New Semester Brings Changes to Math Zone
Panelists Discuss the Prison Industrial Complex
By LIANA TEIXEIRA
CAMPUS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LTEIX1@NEWHAVEN.EDU
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This week in Prato staff writer Samantha Higgins learned how to make gelato. Read more about her time abroad. SEE PAGE 2 Professor Christina Zito chases a dream she has had since she was five-years-old of being a scientist and finding a cure for cancer. SEE PAGE 3
OPINION Have you had enough of winter? Read why contributing writer Kaitlin Mahar chooses to give winter the cold shoulder after its many storms. SEE PAGE 6
SPORTS Junior Aquillin Hayes of the UNH women’s basketball team lead the chargers to a win over pace, even after falling three times and briefly being pulled out of the game. SEE PAGE 12
ENTERTAINMENT
PHOTO OBTAINED VIA WWW.NEWHAVEN.EDU
By LIANA TEIXEIRA
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LTEIX1@UNH.NEWHAVEN.EDU
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Cindy Kern recognizes the difficulties faced by first-year students when it came to Math Zone. “It was really difficult to transition from a high school environment where you have a very structured math experience to an experience where [the students] felt they were on their own,” said the new interim coordinator. Since beginning in the Fall semester, Math Zone has received negative reviews from many students. The program is designed to be a non-traditional approach to mathematics that allows students to learn at their own pace. However, several freshmen expressed they were not receiving the adequate help they needed to complete the course in a timely manner. Therefore, going into the Spring semester, Kern, the Math Zone instructors and tutors worked to implement improvements and changes to better cater to student needs.
One main concern was the lack of one-on-one interaction in the classroom between students and teachers. In response, a mandatory lecture has been added to supplement the online portion of the course. Students are required to attend a lecture for one hour, one day a week, where they can meet and learn from a professor. The professors discuss specific content, answer students’ questions, as well as monitor their progress so they do not fall behind. Getting more information out to the students in terms of their progress was also a big priority for the Math Zone. According to Kern, the Math Zone has developed pacing calendars designed for students to monitor where they should be within a given course throughout the semester. So far, the calendars are available in print form, and will soon be available online. The North Hall Math Zone headquarters is also receiving improvements. Several students, Kern said, find it difficult to take tests and exams when there is noise from other test takers, students and tutors around them. Now, Kern is work-
ing with facilities to create a quiet testing room; six to eight computers will be set aside within the new room, and students can take their tests in a calm environment. Mathematics faculty member Harvey Paulin is also fostering a classroom environment by making YouTube videos for each section of the M103 course. A YouTube review zone within the Math Zone is in the works, where students can plug in headphones and listen to the online lectures on specific sections. So far, only the M103 course is fully available for students to access, but other courses and sections are in the process of being added. As a former high school science teacher for 16 years, Kern holds a PhD in science education and has expertise in blended online and face-to-face learning environments. She hopes with the new changes, students will see Math Zone as a social environment where they can seek the help they need. “These people [tutors in the Math Zone] care…I have watched them bend over backwards to try See SEMESTER page 3
Have you seen American Hustle? Read staff writer, Jordan Schonberger’s review of the movie he considers one you can’t stop talking about when you leave the theater. SEE PAGE 13 When planning which concerts to attend this year, music editor Ashley Winward lays out the details, comparing outdoor festivals to indoor concerts.
SEE PAGE 15
PHOTO BY SAMANTHA MATHEWSON
Oregano Joe’s Pizza Accepts UNH Charger Card By SAMANTHA MATHEWSON
ASSISTANT EDITOR SMATH3@UNH.NEWHAVEN.EDU
–––––––––––––––––––––––––– Oregano Joe’s pizza, located on 531 Boston Post Road, Orange, CT, across the street from the Raymour & Flanigains and DSW plaza, now allows University of New Haven students to pay using
their Charger Card. “We have been in the process of getting the charger card since the winter break. The owner and I decided that it would be a good investment,” said Matthew McCollough, manager of Oregano Joe’s Pizza. The restaurant has been open for about a year and a half now, and since they are located close to UNH, McCollough said, “We
know students are not always interested in the same cafeteria food on a daily basis. We also believed it would be somewhat of a convenience catering to students who may not have a vehicle on campus, yet still want to enjoy great food.” McCollough explained that there have been a few UNH students that have come into the restaurant, and See OREGANO page 3
On Feb. 11, 2014, the Political Science Organization hosted a discussion on the Prison Industrial Complex in the Alumni Lounge, led by assistant professor of political science Chris Hayes. Director of Experiential Education William Carbone, English Department professor Dr. Randall Horton, Psychology Department professor Dr. Amory Carr and Department of Education assistant professor Dr. Amanda Bozack responded to a series of questions about the United States’ prison industrial complex and offered their views on the controversial topic. The discussion was split into sections, in which the faculty and audience could respond and ask questions to the panel. The first question inquired as to what a prison industrial complex is. As Hayes explained, the prison industrial complex refers to the rapid expansion of the U.S. inmate population in relation to the political influence of private prison companies and businesses that supply goods and services to government prison agencies. This includes corporations that supply prison labor, construction companies, surveillance technology vendors, lawyers and lobbying groups, to name a few. Carbone expanded on this description, stating that the current prison industrial complex in the U.S. stems from an unprecedented growth in prison population during the 1980s and 90s following the war on drugs. This led right into the second and third questions, which asked how the U.S. compares with other countries on their incarceration rates and the causes of the prison industrial complex. “I don’t think this happened by accident,” Carbone said. “It was by deliberate policy choices.” According to Carbone, drug arrests prior to 1980 were only about 200 for every 100,000 people. By 2000, the number of arrests jumped to 500 or more. Carbone attributes this increase to the policy choices adopted by the nation, stating that the U.S. could have treated drugs as an education or health issue, but instead turned it into a public safety war. Additionally, by cutting things like good time and introducing mandatory minimums for drug convictions, inmates are staying in prison longer, resulting in overcrowding, the need for more facilities, and the opportunity for the private sector to benefit from high crime rates. One need only look at Connecticut for an example. Carbone See PANELISTS page 2
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