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Charger Bulletin The official student newspaper of the University of New Haven since 1938. Volume 94, Issue 14 | January 30, 2013
To Pledge UNH Rallies for Newtown or Not to Pledge? Open Forum Discusses Whether The Pledge of Allegiance Should be Recited at USGA Meetings.
CAMPUS Interested in the UNH Honors Program? Isaak Kifle gives readers an overview of this exclusive program and the opportunities that come along with it. SEE PAGE 5 Have you been wanting to study abroad at UNH’s Prato satellite campus? Follow Shannon Livewell’s adventures in Postcards from Prato. SEE PAGE 5
SPORTS UNH Track & Field athletes broke records and beat two of their Northeast-10 rivals when they raced at the Armory in New York City, Friday, January 18. SEE PAGE 12
ENTERTAINMENT Music Editor Katerina Sperl checks out UNH’s own band, The Distant Fourth. SEE PAGE 15
OPINION Trying to make the most out of your college experience? Editor Elizabeth Field tells undergrads what she wishes she would have done! SEE PAGE 8
Hear Katerina Sperl’s story: Confessions of a Hollister Employee! SEE PAGE 9
Text message your news tips and comments to The Charger Bulletin! 1 (270) UNH-NEWS
PHOTO BY NADINE NORTHWAY
By NADINE NORTHWAY OPINION EDITOR PH0TO OBTAINED VIA UNH CHARGER REC
By LIANA TEIXEIRA and JESSICA PENA
–––––––––––––––––––––––––– In the midst of fall semester finals week at the University of New Haven, term paper writing and all-nighters in the library were put on hold Friday, Dec. 14, when students and Connecticut residents learned about the tragedy that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Members of the UNH campus community came together following these unfortunate events. On the morning of Monday, Dec. 17, the UNH Ice Hockey Team and the men’s Lacrosse Team headed to Newtown to play games and talk with the children from Sandy Hook Elementary, as a way of helping them cope with the events that transpired over the weekend. Lacrosse Team Captain Patrick Daniele helped organize the trip. “After my coach had contacted me, I took reign to rally up the troops from the lacrosse team, and the hockey boys (with the support of Ben Borelli) followed shortly
after. It is an organized event in Newtown and should be a good time,” he said. Dave Puglisi of the ice hockey team commented on his time spent in Newtown. “We really made an impact on those kids’ lives. Many of the kids, especially those who had seen the worst, really didn’t want to play at first but by the end of the day they didn’t want us to leave. I had never seen so many smiling faces. More importantly it was good for the parents to see that even after such a tragedy, their kids can still be kids. I love those little guys and I’d go back in a heartbeat,” he said. Almost immediately, a request was sent by UNH graduate Rob Holub to all UNH students, asking for additional volunteers to spend time with the children at the Newtown Youth Academy. Dozens of UNH organizations and students rose to the occasion, and volunteered a few hours of their time in Newtown by playing sports and doing arts and crafts with the kids. For many, this was a rewarding experience.
“Visiting the Newtown Youth Academy during winter break was quite possibly the best thing that I have done in the past year. We were a much needed distraction for the families in the Newtown and Sandy Hook Elementary School communities. The thankfulness they expressed to me and my fellow students was unheard of,” said USGA President Patrick Kelland. “Following our volunteer work, a group of us went to a local pizza restaurant. The owner recognized our University of New Haven garb and instantly welcomed us to his establishment. Every customer who entered was immediately told who we were and what we did that day. Many customers came to us and graciously thanked us for our support. I can confidently say that the students from UNH made a positive impact on a community in distress. I have never been more proud to be a student here and would like to thank everyone who helped out for their support.” “It was an amazing experience; seeing the amount of support for See NEWTOWN page 7
Survivor of the Rwandan Genocide Inspires Theme for Leadership Day By PATRICIA OPREA STAFF WRITER
–––––––––––––––––––––––––– As Jan. 22 came along and winter break was coming to a close, some students were just beginning to prepare for spring semester, but the campus was already abuzz with other students who had moved in early. Tuesday morning was when the annual Leadership Day event was held, spanning half a day and engaging students with different skill-building activities. Shelissa Newball, the Assistant Director of Student Activities, who has been at the university for a mere four months, coordinated it. She knew this was a big event and that there might be pressure to keep standards of the previous year, but everything ran smoothly. Newball reflected, “It was a little nerve wracking, but I’m very glad students had a good time”. Her focus for this year’s Leadership Day was to incorporate a social justice theme; she worked with Rebecca Kitchell, the Associate Director of Residential Education to do so. Using this theme, Shelissa got the motivational speaker Daniel Trust to open Leadership Day. She was interested in “how he translated his experiences to his success as a leader.” Daniel Trust started off his life in a way many of us can not even bear to imagine. He witnessed his mother get killed during the civil
war in Rwanda, and his father and many siblings also passed away. Trust was a lucky survivor of the genocide; he came to the United States at the age of 15 and went straight to high school. On his first day, Trust was in awe that French fries were being served in the cafeteria; he had eaten them only during special occasions back home. Trust was also surprised at how friendly and welcoming everyone was; he soon became captain of his volleyball and track teams. He aims to show students that no one can change the past, but that is no reason to let it affect the future. “You may fall down, but you’ve got to get up, gotta keep pushing,” urged Trust. Students were amazed at how Trust had the strength to overcome
PHOTO BY OLIVER KPOGNON
such unimaginable things. “You have to focus on the positives, kick the negatives aside,” he said while doing a little kicking motion, banishing the past instead of letting it torment him. Trust now has a foundation that raises money to donate school supplies to children in Haiti. He traveled to Haiti last year to volunteer with Child Hope International, which helps abandoned and orphaned children. Trust has been speaking to audiences for five years, and he says that through this, he can learn to accept and reflect on his past while learning to forgive. His ultimate goal is to give back by opening orphanages See LEADERSHIP page 5
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A motion was passed by the Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA) last semester, giving students the option of stating the Pledge of Allegiance before each meeting. For students who are unaware, USGA is open to the entire student body, and everyone is encouraged to attend. This semester meetings will be held on Wednesdays between 1:45 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. After this new option of stating the Pledge was implemented, many complaints were raised by students. The USGA decided to have another vote at their regular meeting to come to an agreement. However, student representatives and senators did not overturn their previous decision to allow the Pledge to be spoken at meetings. Instead, they agreed that the issue should be brought to the student body as a whole. As a result, the USGA hosted an open forum on Monday, Dec. 10, to further address student concerns and questions. The turnout for this debate was incredibly small and disappointing; however; many good points were still brought up. Including the five people on the USGA E-board, only 49 people showed up and a handful left before the debate was over. Of these 49 people, there were some very diverse opinions; some people more ignorant than others about other people’s beliefs. The debate started off very organized, and slowly people became more comfortable expressing their opinions. The first point made was that saying the Pledge of Allegiance is completely optional. If you do not want to say it you do not have to. This brought up many arguments about how people judge you if you do not participate. If you sit down during it, everyone looks at you funny. Some people obviously feel uncomfortable with people withholding from saying the pledge, and some people feel uncomfortable being judged for not saying it. Student Ross Weiner commented saying, “Instead of denying me the right or my colleagues the right to say the pledge, just opt out.” Some people stated that during USGA meetings may not be the time or place for the Pledge of Allegiance. There are many international students who may feel uncomfortable with pledging their full loyalty to a country that is not their homeland. They may feel they fit in better in their original country; “one nation” is not a comfortable thing for them to say. They argued that students See PLEDGE page 6