The University of New Haven’s fire science program provides an advanced technical background for students, but are they not preparing them enough?

Although the city says it has no plan on following through with a new measure that would require potential employees to pass a Candidate Physical Ability Test, the New Haven Fore Union, Local 825, supports the proposal.

“The CPAT is an agility test that measures ones ability to perform the essential job functions of a firefighter.”

Other organizations say it is a racist tactic used to deny city residents opportunities, especially communities of color.

The test is recognized by the Justice Department as job related, but not everyone agrees. Victor A. Bolden, the city corporation counselor, said, “From the outset, the City’s Fire Department intended to ensure that candidates for the entry-level firefighter positions had sufficient physical agility skills to do the job, but not by using Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT).”

The CPAT is viewed as a “racial controversy” after the union agreed to support a measure introduced by the Fire Commission to require a CPAT as a perquisite at time of application, and it is now being debated on whether to use or not based on the promise of equality among all applicants.

“This test will deny many New Haven residents the opportunity to be firefighters, especially women and communities of color,” said Lt. Gary Tinney, who is first assistant director of the black professional firefighters. Tinney believes in a diverse workforce and advocated that this career has gotten inner city youth off the streets, reducing both crime and gun violence.

After ensuring that the union would make sure a potential applicant was not discriminated against based on their economic status, they made a unanimous vote at last months meeting in favor of the CPAT. They also voted to send a letter to the mayor recommending that all new employees of the city be required to take it.

Union officials support their claim by stating, “We can’t find any documented case where a candidate failed out of any training academy in the nation for lack of physical fitness once they passed CPAT and that the applicant after passing should be confident that they can meet the physical fitness level necessary to complete the academy.”

In addition to ensuring that no discrimination will take place, Frank Ricci, union vice-president said the union is “providing preparation classes and transportation to take the practice and final tests,” and the costs of the application process will be covered. This is an attempt to settle citizen’s claims of “hardship.”

The rebuttal for his argument, made by Mike Neal, president of the New Haven Fire Birds Association, is that the city cannot afford such costs. The test costs $150 per person. It is not state mandated, and Neal thinks that the city will not be able to provide the adequate amount of services for all New Haven applicants.

The CPAT is going to have many who either agree or disagree with it, but Rev Boise Kimber, pastor of First Calvary Baptist Church, stated an alternative option, “no one is afraid of the CPAT, but allow the CPAT to be done during the training academy after people have been hired.”

Kimber, against the CPAT, said “this is an old trick; you change the game when it appears that a large numbers of blacks are applying.”

As times change and new standards are set, there are going to be more prerequisites necessary. Citizens who have commented on the issue have stated, “the most effective workforce is one that is educated, able, competent, and diverse, which is what this will test, and question how a ability test is viewed as racists.”

A comment on the New Haven Register article concerning the topic stated, “In my opinion it is to easy. We replaced our physical agility test with the CPAT many years ago. Since then, the failure rate in in our recruit academy has jumped to almost 30%. I have served as a training officer, and I can definitely say, that we have hired candidates only to release them due to a lack of physical strength.”

The education level of police is constantly changing. A couple of decades ago, few police officers ever attended college. Today, the large amounts of criminal justice majors contribute to having more disciplined, obedient units. What is in the future for pushing education levels even higher?

New Haven now has the answer. The New Haven Police Department has teamed up with the University of New Haven and Yale University to create a college that will give the department even more tools to do their job. This summer, 50 police chiefs and hopeful executive officers will attend the first session of the “Command College.” While an entire department does not have time for the training, training the heads will hopefully transfer the knowledge down to other officers.

The focus of the program, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, is to apply the academics to real-life situations. John DeCarlo, who will serve as the primary investigator, pointed out that there is “no mandatory certification program specifically for police chiefs.” Well, now there is!

Connecticut is taking the opportunity to be a role model for police departments around the country. The goal is that other states will take up similar programs, making policing even more effective with the right education. This program will also emphasize the same goal that the New Haven Police Department emphasizes: community policing.

Yale University in New Haven, Conn., made the decision that they want to help contribute to nearby schools to improve local education. They announced on Tuesday that they would invest $100,000 in West Haven public schools. West Haven school administrators are very grateful for the University’s investment.

This $100,000 will mainly fund reading materials for elementary school students. A smaller portion of the funding will go toward purchasing computer and Smart Board software. West Haven Public Schools Superintendent Neil Cavallaro stated, “Improving early literacy is one of the most important items on the district’s agenda. It is very difficult for third-grade students behind their appropriate reading level to make up the different with their peers. To prevent such reading level setbacks, the new funding will target young elementary school students and attempt to bring all students to reading at grade level.”

Reading levels and topics of school books need to be wide-ranging so students are reading at their individual level on topics that actually interest them. The $100,000 donated by Yale will fund books of all genres, from non-fiction to poetry. Now that West Haven public schools will have access to a whole new variety of books, this will be the chance to improve their students’ reading abilities.

In 2007, Yale University purchased the Bayer Healthcare Complex and founded West Campus. Since then, Yale has invested more than $1 million in the city of West Haven, with the determination to reach out and improve the West Haven community. Neil Cavallaro commented, “Yale administrators have been very generous to us. When they purchased West Campus, they made it clear that they wanted to be a part of our community. We hope it continues for a long, long time.”

It was said that Yale’s donation will fund programs such as the Daily 5, which is a West Haven elementary school program in which students rotate positions throughout five different reading activity stations, such as “read to self” and “listen to reading.” Daily 5 allows teachers to work with individuals or small groups, showing the students that they are not learning alone, which will benefit and help them in the long run.

In any city, there are citizens that are homeless and looking for a place to stay warm during the coldest months of the year. It is a problem that plagues every urban area, as there is never enough space or beds to accommodate all those who are suffering from severe poverty.

In New Haven, one shelter is trying to change this by encouraging local churches to increase their support of shelters, and perhaps incorporate their own shelter as a part of their mission.

Emergency Shelter Management Services Inc., previously known as Immanuel Baptist Shelter, is the oldest and largest black church in New Haven and believes that it is their spiritual and moral duty to lend a giving hand to those who are poor and disadvantaged.

“Our shelter is the only black shelter in the city, and at last count, there are 44 shelters in the state,” executive director Holmes said. “We have to raise $30,000 each year to keep our contract with the city to make sure we do our part with assisting the homeless population.”

The problem is that one shelter is not going to be able to house all those that are homeless. In 2011, New Haven had more than 600 people who identified themselves as homeless, including 251 school-aged children. While there is another overflow shelter operated by the Columbus House, it still only has a capacity of 75 people.

While Emergency Shelter Management Services believes that churches need to do more to address the problem of homelessness in New Haven, other churches, including mosques and Islamic centers, are acting within their means to address the crisis.

“This time of year we do collect food and we donate to the local food banks, and because we are so visible within the community, folk come to our church and we provide whatever food or assistance we can,” said Jean Bowen, chairperson of the Deacon Board at Dixwell Congregation United Church of Christ. While they are seriously thinking about opening their own shelter, they said that sometimes finances do not permit them to do so.

Other churches and mosques are also having these problems. President of the board at Masjid Al-Islam on George Street said that they have been working with the Columbus House for over 25 years by donating coats, hats and gloves, but he also stated that they do not have the resources to provide shelter. This mosque is not the only one that is suffering from a financial burden, and many other churches also indicated that while they try to provide for the homeless, they do not have the means to give them shelter.

However, due the mounting problem of homelessness in New Haven, the city has collaborated with more than 12 churches to start a program called “Abraham’s Tent.” This will allow the churches to host up to 25 people for a week instead of indefinitely. This will be less of a financial burden on the churches, but still allow them to help those who are homeless. In addition, one church leader said, “I’m open to make that connection with the shelter and provide any assistance that’s needed.” He added, “Awareness and open dialogue is key for all of us to aid the needs of the entire community life.”

In the coming winter months, Marshall Brooks stated that three city-funded shelters would be operational. This includes Emergency Management System, Life Haven, and Martha’s Place. Life Haven is a shelter for homeless, pregnant women and women with young children. They have the capacity to serve 20 families at a time. In addition, Martha’s place is a shelter for 24 single women with children under the age of 18. They have a minimum 60-day initial stay that can be extended up to five months if needed.

In addition to the homeless adults, the 251 schoolchildren that are homeless also need help. Susan Weisselberg, director of wraparound services for the school district, said support services that address needs of homeless children are offered through a partnership with New Haven Home Recovery. Those services include making sure they have access to meals, school supplies, clothing or a school uniform. “No child should have to experience what it’s like to be without a home or to come to school hungry,” she said.

While homelessness is a serious problem in New Haven, local churches and organizations are doing all that they can to rid the city of this problem. With additional churches doing their best to help others, there is no doubt that this goal could one day be accomplished.

CINCINNATI (AP) — President Barack Obama is counting on former President Bill Clinton and Bruce Springsteen, top surrogates for his campaign, to carry his message. But he also has enlisted an army of A-list performers and public figures — from Lady Gaga to Billie Jean King, from Jay-Z to Crosby, Stills and Nash — to promote his re-election.

The Obama campaign provided a who’s-who of 181 actors, musicians, authors, athletes, mayors, Congress members, and more that fit any and all demographic groups in the president’s target zone. All are being deployed to carry his message to television and radio in the waning days of a nip-and-tuck campaign.

On Saturday, Stevie Wonder played an unannounced concert for voters waiting in line to vote early in Cleveland. Wonder opened a rally for Obama by rocking the arena at the University of Cincinnati with a rendition of “Keep on Running.”

Songwriter John Legend, actor Laurence Fishburne, and congressman and civil rights hero John Lewis, D-Ga., were among those who went to Ohio to lead a “Souls to the Polls” effort with local churches.

The list includes some of Hollywood’s big names — Samuel L. Jackson, Anne Hathaway, and Scarlett Johansson — who were talking to Top 40 radio stations. Jackson and comedian Chris Rock were on stations with primarily African American audiences urging voters to go to the polls Tuesday.

Danny DeVito and members of the FX sitcom “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” have canvassed neighborhoods in Wisconsin, made phone calls and visited colleges in the state.

Others on the Obama list include Black Eyed Peas’ front man Will.i.am and rock band leaders such as Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco.

Celebrity sells. Now it remains to be seen if voters buy.

Yale’s World Fellows Program hosted a panel, “How to Nurture Women Leaders: A Global Conversation,” at Yale university on Tuesday, Oct. 9, to discuss the need for women to adopt leadership roles in the economy and public life.

Panelists included four women who are all World Fellows from different career backgrounds: politics, non-profit, business and academics. Mi-Hyung Kim, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Kumho Asiana Business Group; Marlene Malahoo Forte, Senator of Jamaica; Sisonke Msimang, Executive Director of Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa; Ruchi Yadav, Senior Program Officer of The Hunger Project India; with moderator Priya Natarajan, Yale Professor of Astronomy and Physics and Chair of Yale Women Faculty Forum.

Discussion surrounded the decrease of female leadership in industry and solutions to this growing problem. “The question is no longer why we need women leaders,” said Natarajan. “Rather, [it is] how can we nurture women leaders.”

All panelists agree that a cultural change needs to occur in order to spark a social and political change in biases toward the female population. Perhaps the biggest controversy is what many women feel to be the eventual choice between a career and a family. One solution offered to the problem was child care initiatives in the workplace.

Msimang noted that employers are surprised to learn when a women employee is expecting. “You have to build into the model of your company or institution that women are going to have babies,” she said. This could help bridge the gap between which sectors of the economy women can hope to take leadership roles in.

Men are not rendered useless. They also need to play an active role in supporting women. Malahoo expressed that it’s not about challenges women face but the society that she’d like to see created. She said, “We need men to be a critical part of women’s empowerment.” Kim agreed stating that men need to be sat down and educated into changing their thinking.

All this talk of empowering women naturally leads to the discussion of the role of feminism in culture. Many female students don’t consider themselves feminist but as Natarajan explains, when a woman learns that a male, doing the same work, is earning more money “she immediately becomes a feminist.” This change in mind tends to occur later in life, after women enter the workforce and see biases firsthand.

With influential women like these, culture is sure to receive a shove toward new thinking. Who knows when you will wake up to the first female president of the United States?

The discussion was held in the Yale University Art Gallery auditorium and co-sponsored by the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum, the Yale Women Faculty Forum (WFF), and the Yale Women alumni group.

New Haven residents are outraged with the escalating violent activity that is happening in their neighborhoods every day.

The recent shooting of a toddler in the middle of the afternoon has infuriated the city’s citizens, especially those living in the neighborhood of Edgewood and Kensington Avenue. Fortunately, 18-month-old Tramire Miller survived the shooting and is currently doing better.

Violence in New Haven has not just become an issue, however the drive-by shooting that almost cost a child his life has put the city in a recent state of panic. Miller’s shooting is a prime example of how the innocent can be unnecessarily affected gang violence. Area residents have also complained of other fowl play which they believe leads to the large homicide count.

Residents are happy that Miller’s shooters have been arrested, but are still furious about how the violence has gotten out of control and want to take measures to improve safety their neighborhoods. Communities reach out to the police, anti-violence groups such as Ice the Beef, and public officials such as Mayor John DeStefano and Alderman Frank Douglas for support in helping to keep their city safe. Alderman Frank Douglas suggests that a community center should be opened, such as the former Dixwell Q House, as place that gives the youth refuge from the streets.

Since the shooting, the violence has only gotten worse with retaliation attempts. New Haven police officers are patrolling the area as a safety precaution in hopes to help de-escalate the hostility. Volunteers and outreach workers have gone through the high-crime activity neighborhood and encourage residents not to react violently.

Keeping the neighborhoods safe is an ongoing process that requires all community occupants’ participation. Residents must report any seen violent activity that could possibly lead to other shootings and homicides, as a step to fight against violence.

In 1843, the first collegiate crew organization in the United States was created by a group of Yale students, and competitive rowing soon became a fundamental part of New Haven’s culture.

The George Adee boathouse was built for the varsity Yale crew team in 1911.

The George Adee boathouse was built for the varsity Yale crew team in 1911. It was located along the Long Wharf side of New Haven Harbor. It was used until 1923, and members of the 1924 Olympic Gold Medal winning 8-man team practiced out of this boathouse. The boathouse was sold, renovated and eventually demolished in 2007.

Now a blank patch of beachfront lies in its place. On Wednesday, Sept. 10, the city began evaluating construction bids for the new platform of a new boathouse in the harbor. This boathouse with be called the Canal Dock Boathouse, and it aims to reconnect New Haven residents with their once flourishing and bustling waterfront.

“We’re such a lucky community to have this kind of a facility,” said Donna Hall, the project manager employed by the city. “We’ve been trying to have some kind of a destination at our waterfront for years and years and years.”

The boathouse will be a landmark commemorating its history, and welcoming the future. It will have a museum incorporating some of the original structures from the George Adee boathouse. In addition, it will have available spaces to kayak, canoe, sail and row.

The new boathouse will also be at the disposal of the University of New Haven’s marine science program. UNH’s marine biology students may specialize in areas such as coastal resource management, marine biotechnology, marine pollution, aquaculture, marine organisms and urban estuarine studies. This additional resource will propel student’s academic research.

The $30 million project will primarily be funded by the federal government because the interstate construction hindered access to the waterfront and required the original destruction of the George Adee boathouse. Federal stipulations require the city to preserve the historical significance of the Adee boathouse, and the city is eager to cooperate. Construction is scheduled to begin this November.

Early this month, authorities detained 360 pounds of marijuana and tens of thousands of dollars worth of growth equipment in West Haven, Conn.

Police had achieved a search and seizure warrant on Wednesday, Oct. 3, for an apartment located at 737 Third Ave. Arrested for the crime were two Bronx residents named Eliezer Sanchez-Diaz, 44, and Manuel Imbert, 40.

The West Haven Narcotics squad and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency seized the marijuana plants, as well as growth equipment such as lights, fans and humidifiers. Diaz and Imbert are charged with numerous felonies, including operating a drug factory, possession of marijuana, intent to sell and conspiracy.

A West Haven resident who lives nearby Second Avenue and North Street said she noticed “at least 15-20 kids with book bags on bikes about every two weeks,” and came to the conclusion that they were selling drugs.

Police spokesman, officer Bret Schneider, said that an investigation is still going on, and that an arrest warrant has been applied for a third suspect. This case also led the DEA to another location, which was out of state, with two arrests made there and 140 more plants confiscated. Police said for now that they would not release any more information, pending an ongoing investigation.

With the 2012 presidential election literally just weeks away, the American public faces a very important choice between two very different men. The first presidential debate between President Barack Obama and his GOP challenger Mitt Romney, occurred on Oct. 3 in Denver.

The second debate of the election season was between Vice President Joe Biden and Mitt Romney’s running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan. It was on Thursday, Oct. 11, in Danville, K.Y., and the two gentlemen discussed many of the foreign and domestic issues that will come up in the next four years.

The first and only Vice Presidential Debate lasted for an hour and a half and was moderated by the Chief Foreign Correspondent of ABC News, Martha Raddatz. Raddatz asked questions of the candidates that spanned topics such as the economy and national security, as well as personal character and issues such as abortion. The candidates naturally differed on nearly every topic; an example being when the war in Afghanistan should end, Biden said 2014 and Ryan did not offer a definitive answer.

Preliminary CNN polls released shortly after the debate suggested that Ryan won the debate by a very slim margin, 48 percent to Biden’s 44 percent. Preliminary CBS polling, however, suggests that Biden won by a large margin of 19 percent. Although it may not become clear who the winner of the debate is, many are agreeing that Vice President Biden did better than President Obama’s first debate performance, about which he said, “I had a bad night.”

Both candidates had strong presences in the Vice Presidential debate, with Biden laughing and Ryan maintaining a more serious composure. According to preliminary figures released by the Huffington Post, the debate drew approximately 43 million viewers. In 2008, when Biden debated John McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin, nearly 70 million people tuned in.