WEST HAVEN–When goalie James Hilaire stepped onto the soccer field at Merrimack College one day in September, the thought never crossed his mind that he would be leaving the game in a helicopter.

The senior Criminal Justice major from Haiti suffered a critical head injury on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008 when a Merrimack player accidentally broke his jaw. The player’s knee slammed into Hilaire’s jaw as they both raced toward the ball. The impact caused a vein to pop in Hilaire’s brain, putting him into an eight-day coma. Five months later, Hilaire is still struggling to put together the pieces.

“Everything’s coming back little by little,” he said, “I remember the game though. I remember the first half but not the second half.”

Memory loss seems trivial when compared to the list of side effects doctors expected Hilaire to experience-if he even survived in the first place. “Two doctors at the first hospital said ‘no way he’s going to make it,’” Hilaire said. Coming out of his coma and getting back on his feet, Hilaire’s recovery has been nothing short of a miracle.

Hilaire doesn’t hesitate to deny that he shouldn’t be alive right now. Most people that suffered the same injury also died from it. “To have that recovery is just amazing,” he said, “I almost lost my life.”

After his coma, Hilaire remained at the Boston Medical Center for three weeks. While he was there, he received nothing but support from his friends, family, teammates, and schoolmates.
“I still haven’t finished all the e-mails and cards that people sent me,” he said, “I’m really thankful and may God bless everyone that’s been praying for me.”

The largest group affected by Hilaire’s injury was undoubtedly his teammates. With eight games completed and eight left in the season, the UNH men’s soccer team struggled to play confidently. “The injury hit them big. [It] was hurting them while they were playing…they played scared,” Hilaire said. After a heart-wrenching season, the team was in for a surprise when Hilaire and his family made an appearance at the Senior Day game at Kayo Field.
“My teammates are incredible,” he said, “I love them all.”

With Hilaire attending physical therapy sessions three times a week and taking great strides with his condition, the question of everyone’s mind is when will he be back on the field?

“After therapy, I would say a year or so,” he said grinning.  The 25-year-old can’t wait to step back onto the field on his own terms. “I want to get back on the field,” he said, “I don’t want people to say ‘he’s not playing because he was injured.’”

Hilaire plans on returning to UNH in the fall to finish his degree, which gives him one more season where he wants to be most: the soccer field.

To mark the beginning of Lent the campus ministry office has scheduled a brief prayer service that will be followed by the distribution of ashes.

The prayer service will begin at 12:15 P.M. on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 in Bartels Hall, Rooms A&B and should last approximately 15 minutes.
All are welcome.

Kate finally takes home a statuette

After five much-deserved nominations, Kate Winslet has finally won an Oscar after five nominations! I was overjoyed when he name was announced as the winner on Sunday and I must admit I am still ecstatic.

Kate Winslet is one of the most under-the-radar actresses in Hollywood right now in my opinion. She has been fantastic ever since her first film role, Heavenly Creatures, for which she won three awards. At the mere age of 17.

Since then, she has appeared in numerous award-winning film roles and has never compromised her interest in quirky characters. She brought the neurotic Clementine to life in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Of course, her biggest role was Rose in the blockbuster Titanic. However, fame never got to her head and she has remained one of the most down-to-earth actresses today.

She came out of the woodwork late in 2008, suddenly appearing in two of the most critically-acclaimed movies of the year: The Reader and Revolutionary Road. She swept the awards season with a string of nominations, but her eventual Oscar win was definitely the icing on the cake. Good work Kate! My love for you is officially set in stone!

LOS ANGELES–The big guns–Angelina Jolie, Kate Winslet and Sean Penn among them–went with black at Sunday’s Academy Awards, but light colors and asymmetrical gowns topped the broader fashion trends.

Jolie and Brad Pitt looked very much the part of the red carpet’s golden couple at the Kodak Theatre in classic, almost retro, styles. She wore a black sweetheart-neck strapless gown by Elie Saab, accessorized with green drop earrings, and he wore a classic bow tie.

Penn, in Giorgio Armani, also perfectly matched his wife, Robin Wright Penn. Vanessa Hudgens, in a black Marchesa gown with black and white tulle flowers on the bodice and dangling platinum, diamond and vintage coral earrings by Cathy Waterman, and Zac Efron, in Dolce & Gabanna, were the next-generation supercouple.

Winslet also went with dark and sophisticated in a gray satin and black tulle dress by Atelier Yves Saint Laurent by Stefano Pilati. She looked “flawless,” said stylist Mary Alice Stephenson. “Everything is right!”

But Jolie, Stephenson added, was disappointing. “Angelina Jolie is always beautiful but boring and ho-hum in that black dress. It is just too drab, dour and depressing for the Oscars. I really hoped she would step it up and have some fun with color and take a chance with wearing something unexpected.”

Leading the charge of light colors was Mickey Rourke in his Jean Paul Gaultier suit without a tie.

Anne Hathaway sparkled in a strapless champagne-colored Armani Prive gown covered in crystals and circular pailettes with a jeweled dragon brooch on the back. Evan Rachel Wood was in a strapless ivory-tone number by Saab, and Jessica Biel was in a sleek Prada strapless column gown in shiny white satin with a bow detail on the front.

Penelope Cruz wore a white 1950s Balmain gown, with a strapless neckline and hand-embroidery with gold treads, she got from top vintage curator Rita Watnick’s Lily et Cie. Miley Cyrus’ beaded Zuhair Murad dress was mostly white but had tiers of midnight-blue beaded petals.

“She looked old Hollywood,” observed Suze Yalof Schwartz, executive fashion editor at large for Glamour magazine. “It looked like something from the ’40s — and it was on the youngest person there.”

“I couldn’t believe how much white there was,” added designer Pamella Roland. “Most times we’re told that actresses want color … but I also was amazed how glamorous everyone was.”
Alberta Ferretti put Meryl Streep in a light gray empire-waisted gown for one of Streep’s most stylish turns at the Oscars — which she so often frequents.

Marisa Tomei’s one-shoulder, dove-gray gown by Versace was covered with dramatic fan pleats.

Taraji P. Henson made her big style statement with an oversized 19th-century diamond flower necklace by Fred Leighton, paired with a cream-colored strapless dress with uneven tiers of fabric and a train by Roberto Cavalli.

“Taraji Henson knocked it out of the park,” said Lisa Rinna, fashion commentator for TV Guide Network. “She and all the other nominees really looked like nominees.”

Rinna noted, however, that from her perch she saw fewer stars than she had expected. It was a tactic to keep some stars off the red carpet so they’d be a surprise during the ceremony. Jennifer Aniston and Tina Fey were among those kept under wraps until the telecast.

Amy Adams stood out thanks to her chunky Leighton necklace — a colored gemstone and diamond bib from the 1950s — complementing a crimson bustier dress with black spider web-piping by Carolina Herrera.

“Even though we’re in a recession, I’ve never seen as many luxurious fabrics on the red carpet, and the jewelry — the bling — is bigger than ever,” Schwartz said.

Heidi Klum designed the ruby red-dress charm on one of her funky bracelets that fit the vibe of her fashion-forward asymmetrical Roland Mouret gown with a high slit that showed off her model figure. The charm aims to raise awareness about heart disease.

Fashion star Sarah Jessica Parker wore a light green strapless gown by Dior Couture with gold waves decorating the bodice, and Natalie Portman had flashes of gold beading on her orchid strapless gown by Rodarte.

Beyonce’s body-hugging black gown was also jazzed up with gold floral embroidery, and Queen Latifah’s navy one-shoulder gown by Georges Chakra was dotted with crystals.

In full-on gold lame was Viola Davis in a Reem Acra gown with a plunging V-neck. Melissa Leo wore a copper-colored chiffon gown with ruching and beading by Badgley Mischka.
Freida Pinto provided a pop of electricity in a beaded blue John Galliano gown with one bejeweled lace sleeve.

Her pint-sized Slumdog Millionaire co-stars wore custom-made outfits by Brooks Brothers.

NEW HAVEN -Sophomore Shannon Gagne and freshman Kevin Downing both swept the 55- and 200-meter dashes at the Northeast-10 Indoor Track and Field Championships that were held Saturday afternoon at Southern Connecticut State University. Gagne made herself a three-event champion as she also captured the long jump title, while Downing was named the Men’s Freshman of the Year.

Downing was named the NE-10 Track & Field Freshman of the Year. To the right he’s receiving his award from NE-10 Commissioner Julie Ruppert.

As a team, the women totaled 57 points for a fourth place finish while the men finished with 40 points for sixth place.

After being seeded first for the 55-meter dash in a time of 7.27, Gagne ran past the field and three-time defending Northeast-10 Champion Symone Wong of Southern Connecticut State to win the event in a season-best time of 7.24.

In the 200-meter dash, Gagne cruised to the victory in a time of 25.88, more than half of a second faster than her closest competition. Entering the meet, she had the 10th fastest time in NCAA Division II (25.01) that she posted earlier this season at the Yale Giegengack Invite.
Gagne also set a season-best in the long jump, where her mark of 5.50 meters (18-0.50) provisionally qualifies her for the national meet. She has already provisionally qualified in both the 60- and 200-meter dashes.

Downing entered the 55-meter dash seeded fourth, behind first-seeded teammate Tyrone Sawyer. That did not faze the freshman as he captured his first of two championship titles in a season-best 6.39 seconds, the third fastest time NE-10 Championship history. Sawyer finished third (6.42) and also placed sixth in the 200-meter dash (22.90).

Entering the 200-meter dash, Downing had the 17th fastest time in NCAA Division II (21.96), and he nearly bettered that mark as he finished in 21.99. That time is the second fastest in NE-10 Championship history behind the 21.91 mark posted by Hafiz Greigre of Bryant University in 2007.

Downing narrowly missed three first place finishes as he also finished third in the 400-meter dash (51.21).

WEST HAVEN -Men’s indoor track and field student-athlete Kevin Downing and women’s indoor track and field student-athlete Shannon Gagne have been named the Charger Bulletin Athletes of the Week, for the week ending February 22, 2009.

The Chargers men’s and women’s indoor track and field teams competed at the 2009 Northeast-10 Conference Championship at Southern Connecticut this past Saturday.

After being seeded first for the 55-meter dash in a time of 7.27, Gagne ran past the field and three-time defending Northeast-10 Champion Symone Wong of Southern Connecticut State to win the event in a season-best time of 7.24. In the 200-meter dash, Gagne cruised to the victory in a time of 25.88, more than half of a second faster than her closest competition. Entering the meet, she had the 10th fastest time in NCAA Division II (25.01) that she posted earlier this season at the Yale Giegengack Invite. Gagne also set a season-best in the long jump, where her mark of 5.50 meters (18-0.50) provisionally qualified her for the national meet. She has already provisionally qualified in both the 60- and 200-meter dashes.

Downing entered the 55-meter dash seeded fourth, behind first-seeded teammate Tyrone Sawyer. That did not faze the freshman as he captured his first of two championship titles in a season-best 6.39 seconds, the third fastest time NE-10 Championship history. Entering the 200-meter dash, Downing had the 17th fastest time in NCAA Division II (21.96), and he nearly bettered that mark as he finished in 21.99. That time is the second fastest in NE-10 Championship history behind the 21.91 mark posted by Hafiz Greigre of Bryant University in 2007. Downing narrowly missed three first place finishes as he also finished third in the 400-meter dash (51.21).

It has been a whirlwind of a month since Jan. 20, 2009 when Barack Obama was inaugurated as the nation’s first African-American President of the United States.

It is undisputed between both the left and the right side of the aisle that President Obama has inherited one of the worst national crises since the Great Depression. The bar has been set almost impossibly high when not just the American economy is in collapse but the global economy as well. The sub-prime mortgage crisis and stock market failure has only deepened the catastrophe that we are in currently. The sudden job loss that has crippled the country, together with the bailouts of the banks and auto-industry has brought the nation’s moral down incredibly. The problem with the economy currently is that people are saving, not spending. The public is wary of the economy and so logically they save rather than what will help save the economy, spend.

President Obama’s is also embarking on a brand new surge in Afghanistan, (also known as the forgotten war) of 50,000 troops starting a new war which will cost just as much as the current one. The nation is in for an extremely tumultuous period of time. But that is just it; it is a period of time.  

Within only one month President Obama has made several incredibly vital decisions that will start the process to getting our nation to a stable point again.

In one month President Obama has approved the imperative bailouts for the nation’s banks as well as the auto-industry. If he had let either of those institutions fail we would face job losses and economic anarchy like never seen before.

Another crucial step President Obama has made to right the economy is the stimulus package. President Obama has created and passed a crucial, much needed stimulus package. The stimulus package will be made up of 60% spending and 40% tax cuts.

The bottom line is that in his first month President Obama has taken the necessary steps to creating stability within our nation. Fixing the economy, diplomacy in Iraq and finding and destroying Al-Qaeda will happen. Change isn’t here yet, but the Obama administration is on track to make it happen.

Let’s say my name was George Baldwin, and I was a 19-year-old irresponsible, masculinity-proving teenager. Let’s continue this story, and assume that I went to see my good friends, the Pfeifer sisters, at their home. And of course being this irresponsible teenager, I had a bit to drink while I was there. Afterwards, I got into the car with my intoxicated friend William Klairmont. Since we were morons and drove while under the influence, we got into a crash and, as a result, I was paralyzed. Of course, even though I was an idiot and got into the car with Klairmont, if my family were to sue somebody it would be William’s family, correct?
Wrong. This feebleminded ignoramus (ha!) actually sued the mother of the two sisters, Lauralee Pfeifer, $2.5 million in damages.

Okay, so the mother must have known that the boys were driving home drunk, right? That would be a good reason to sue her.

God dammit, wrong again!

According to an article released in the Chicago Tribune, “unlike other lawsuits alleging that adults played a role in teenage drinking parties, Pfeifer did not buy the alcohol for the teens or know they were drinking in her home.”

According to Pfeifer’s lawyer, Michael Borders, Pfeifer did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement.

Instead, it has been argued that Pfeifer should have better monitored the teens and suspected they were drinking – especially considering the daughters had been caught drinking in the past.

“Ridiculous” is really the only word that I have for this. I sincerely hope that the judge in this case decides to throw it out due to the circumstances. Sure, if the mother TOLD the guys to drive home knowing they had been drinking it would be a different story. But judging from what I’m reading, it seems that she didn’t know. they had been drinking. And not in a “I didn’t know because I’m a useless and neglectful parent” kind of way. If that were the case, once again, that would give Baldwin’s family the right to sue Pfeifer. But in no way is it evident that Pfeifer was acting as an irresponsible adult.

What would truly be nice is if Baldwin, who is certainly old enough to understand that this series of events was his fault, grew up and realized that he should take responsibility for his actions.

In the words of famed psychologist Robert Ellis: “The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own.  You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president.  You realize that you control your own destiny.”

Unfortunately, this lawsuit is going to mess up Baldwin’s acknowledgement of what is wrong.
The fact of the matter is that you really need to take responsibility for your own actions. If you’re one of those tough guys who thinks they can have 4 drinks then go driving, then play Crash Bandicoot on your freakin’ Xbox. You’re not as much of a man as you think, so stop trying to prove you can drive while intoxicated. Grow up, and have a designated f%*&ing driver.

WEST HAVEN–The University of New Haven has been selected for the 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. More than 500 colleges and universities received this honor throughout the nation, yet UNH is one of only nine institutions to have received this award in the state of Connecticut. Service learning has become increasingly popular among college students and UNH continues to maintain its commitment to community service.

The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, launched in 2006, recognizes colleges and universities nationwide that support innovative and effective community service and service-learning programs. The Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and is sponsored by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, the USA Freedom Corps, and the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development.

The university offers more than 80 undergraduate degrees and more than 25 graduate degrees.

USGA applications for next year have been out for about a week now! I would like to share some important dates with you related to elections so that you can make an informed decision when it comes time to vote!

-Candidate/Campaign Team Meeting: Monday, Mar. 9 at 10:00pm-Programming Space
-Meet the Candidates Night: Tuesday, Mar. 10 at 4:00pm-Programming Space
-Campaigning Begins: Monday, Mar. 23
-Debate #1: Thursday, Mar. 26 at 6:00pm-Programming Space
-Debate #2: Monday, Mar. 30 at 8:00pm-Programming Space
-Elections: Monday, April 6-Wednesday, April 8

Also, keep an eye out in the Charger Bulletin for profiles and platforms of all of the candidates. The power to choose is yours!