Bartels addition, Henry C. Lee building, and Maxcy quad construction updates

By now, everyone has seen the amazing work that the UNH campus has received over the summer. From the big projects, such as the Henry C. Lee building, to the smaller projects, including power washing buildings and sidewalks, Tom Beebe, the Vice President of Facilities, has kept himself and everyone he works with busy. To any students who question the final destination of their tuition, rest assured that it is being utilized very well to make life on campus better.

The new and improved Maxcy quad!

The largest and most obvious construction projects of the summer are the Bartels Hall expansion, the Henry C. Lee building, the landscaping of the Maxcy quad, the repair and painting of Bixler and Botwinik Halls, and the renovation of the Psychology building.

The goals of the Bartels expansion were to increase the seating capacity, create space for student activities, create more of a college dining hall feel, and to streamline both the kitchen and dining areas to accommodate the greater numbers eating there. With everything from digital displays to the new cashiers’ stations, the new dining hall is beautiful; it even has a view of Long Island Sound!

Just in front of Bartels, the Henry C. Lee building is nearing completion, with its ribbon cutting scheduled for October 15. This building will house classrooms and cutting edge forensics equipment, allowing UNH students to learn with the best. One of the most interesting features are the crime scene rooms downstairs, where projectors are used in conjunction with props to create a virtual crime scene for students to collect evidence from. Despite being primarily for Forensic Science students, one feature of the building that can be enjoyed by everyone will be the museum area inside the main entrance.

With all construction in and around the Maxcy quad nearly finished, it has become a focal point of the campus, centered around the new yellow concrete circle with UNH spelled out in large letters. In addition to new, more sensible, sidewalks and beautiful landscaping, steps were taken to prevent the flooding issues that everyone dealt with every rainy day when walking past Buckman Hall. Another feature of the quad is a large seating area in front of Bartels where tables and chairs will be placed.

Switching locations to the Bixler- Botwinik quad, a new paint job can do wonders for the look of both the interior and exterior of buildings, case in point, the new beige paint replacing the former pink glory of Bixler and Botwinik. The new color definitely helps both buildings fit in to the surrounding area much better. In addition to painting, maintenance was performed to the exterior of both buildings to prevent costly damage in the future.

To this point, the only building in the Bixler-Botwinik quad that had not received any attention was the Psychology building; however, this is no longer the case as the interior is being completely renovated in order to house campus offices, and the area directly in front of the building is being turned into seating areas and a small stage.

In addition to all of the listed big projects, a great number of small repairs and improvements have been made. On the fourth and fifth floors of Dodds, new cabinets and lab tables have been installed and ducts have been repaired to keep the labs cleaner. Drainage was improved in the Bixler-Botwinik quad, in an effort to prevent water pooling. Additionally, there are plans to improve the pavilion next to the German Club, the first step of which has already been completed: the demolition of the old concrete block building. The new Center for Learning Resources (CLR) is in progress in the lower floor of the library, and where the CLR was in Maxcy, a new center designed to help freshmen succeed is being built. Also, in progress in Maxcy is an ESPN library to house historical ESPN materials for reference, by students. One of the most interesting improvements is the introduction of proximity card readers throughout campus, including dorms. Another great technology being introduced is a large video display board that will be placed in the score board at DellaCamera Stadium, and will be coordinated with cameras to display football games.

UNH has taken great strides over the summer to improve its campus and provide better service to all of its students. While construction work can be an eyesore, it is a necessity for improvement, and there will be less with the completion of all the projects near the Maxcy quad. With so many improvements, it is clear that the university wants students to feel at home while on campus, while still fostering education.

Do you have any feedback on the construction on campus? Let us know by sending an email to chargerbulletin@newhaven.edu.

Move in Day 2010 was probably the one day hundreds of incoming freshman looked forward to the most, all summer long. Sunday, August 22, proved to be an exciting day as the freshman class of 2014 moved into their residence halls and finally began college life. The Office of Student Activities and the Office of Residential Life worked hard to make sure that the move in flowed smoothly for all students and their families. Opening day is one of the busiest days on campus every year, but it is filled with a lot of fun and interesting things for students to do. After check-in, ranging from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m., students had the chance to visit informational booths, grab lunch, attend convocation, take their class photograph, and have dinner with their orientation groups.

Students on move in day.

Not all of the freshman class moved in on Sunday however. Those students who chose to apply to live in the Living and Learning Communities moved in on Friday, August 20. About 500 LLC students moved into the various buildings, which included New Hall, Botwinik, Bixler, and the Ruden Street and Campbell Ave apartments. All students then had dinner with each of their respective LLCs, which were followed by community builders. On Saturday, they participated in Orientation activities, evening games, and an ice cream social.

As always, to help the freshman class move in, the Welcome Wagon crew was on campus with their red shirts and orange bins to make unloading cars quick and easy. Working both on Friday, to help the LLC move in, and on Sunday to help the rest of the Freshman Class, the Welcome Wagon volunteers helped unload cars and helped students bring their belongings up to their dorm rooms, even while working in not so cooperative weather on Sunday. They are a tradition of Opening day, especially since they are the first people a new student meets when they first arrive on campus.

The rest of the returning undergraduates moved in on Monday, August 22, and that means that Welcome Week has officially begun.

Losing the familiar faces of the Class of 2010 to the feat of graduation may have touched hearts in May, but the new faces roaming our campus this week are sure to make up for the loss.

Despite a slight drop in enrollment from last year, the class of 2014 is sure to still make itself known.

Like most of the freshmen classes in the past, first year students are confined to the walls of Bixler, Botwinik, New Hall, and Bethel halls, with some residing in Savin Court, Living Learning Communities, or apartments across campus. Caitlin Mota, an incoming English education major from Kearney, New Jersey, is part of that handful of students.
“I’m really happy that I’m in the academic service [Living Learning Community],” Mota said. “I’ll be able to meet people that have something in common with me.”
With the increased number of applicants this year, admissions staff had to get selective in their choices for acceptance. However, the faculty and staff of the university were not the only people being picky in the selection process. Mota said that there were specific reasons why she chose UNH.

“… I liked the campus and the surrounding area. I feel like UNH offers a lot of great things that will benefit me in the future and keep me busy while I am here,” Mota said. “I’m always up for a challenge, so I’m hoping the classes I am taking will push me to work my hardest.”

This need for specific qualifications seemed to be a common theme among this year’s freshmen. Stacey Frizzell, an incoming Music Industry and Psychology major from Acton, Massachusetts, agreed that the campus was important in enrolling here.
“I had a gut feeling to visit New Haven,” Stacey said. “… I fell in love with it instantaneously.”

The new students also have high hopes and expectations for their years at UNH. Jenny Tanski, an incoming Criminal Justice major and commuter from Milford, Connecticut, is optimistic about college.

“College will be a new experience and [it will get] tough but it’ll be worth every minute,” Tanski said. “The bonds you build and lessons you learn are going to last forever and will mean so much; I can’t wait.”

New students experienced a new type of orientation program, unlike the “SOAR” from years past.

The program was based on communication between upperclassmen and new freshmen via social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter. Frizzell noted that she did not participate in the new “Connection Days,” but is still hopeful to make new friends, while being a little nervous to leave home.

“I’ve never really had trouble making friends,” Frizzell said. “Hopefully this won’t be a problem and I’ll be able to manage a different social life, academics, and new freedom together.”

Welcome Week events are planned for the first week of school in order to help freshmen grow accustomed to UNH’s campus. The week consists of jam-packed days of events and resources; these events range from comedians to hypnotists while the resources include Laundry 101 and a campus safety forum.

Schedules and more information on Welcome Week events can be found on the Student Life section of the New Haven website (www.newhaven.edu/student-life/)

Have a great week on campus everyone!

Welcome to all freshmen, returning students, and faculty. Fall 2010 Welcome Week has arrived. This week has been planned for your amusement and enjoyment at absolutely no charge!!! Welcome Week is the kick-off event for all students and faculty. Everyday there will be something new and exciting happening on campus.

For all arriving new students, seek out those individuals wearing yellow, All Day Q &A t-shirts for the start of classes, Wednesday – Friday, for any questions you may have.  They will be able to answer your questions all around campus.

On Wednesday, be sure to pick up the first edition of this year’s The Charger Bulletin, and be on look out for the golden ticket to which you could have a chance of winning $50 or $100!
Some of the events happening this week range from, Make your own Aquarium – Bixler/Botwinik Quad to a Flag football tournament on Kayo Field. There are a few unique events this year such as: Duckpin Bowling, K-9 demonstrations, NASCAR, Laundry 101, and the Supermarket Sweep. Don’t forget to sign up for some of the off campus trips during the week as well. See the Welcome Week schedule for dates and times. (www.newhaven.edu/studentlife)

This Welcome Week and its events would not have been possible without the help and dedication of The Welcome Week Committee. A special thanks also goes out to the hard working Director of Student Activities, Greg “Grego” Overend, and the Assistant Director of Student Activities, Lisa Saverese, along with representatives from Residential Life, Athletics, the Dean of Students’ Office, Student Activities, and The Charger Bulletin.

Enjoy and have a great time during Welcome Week 2010 and good luck throughout the Fall Semester.

Effective August 1, 2010, the UNH Administration welcomed a new member to its family of dedicated faculty and staff. Dr. Margaret Jablonski was appointed vice president of student affairs. Having nearly 30 years of experience in high education, she is ready to begin to get to know the culture of the university, while also getting to know all of the leaders of the organizations and the many students that have newly arrived on campus for the start of the fall semester. Originally from Massachusetts, she is ready to return to her New England roots.

Having served as the vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Jablonski is not a stranger to her current responsibilities here at the University of New Haven. At UNC-Chapel Hill, Jablonski oversaw student life for 17,500 undergraduate and 10,000 graduate students. Here at the University of New Haven she will be responsible for all aspects of student life. Many of these include providing leadership opportunities out of the classroom and improvements in student life such as housing, athletics, residential life, health services, campus recreation, career services, and disability services.

With this position now being filled, the university community can now expect some big changes to occur. Some of these plans will focus on career development and improvements for housing. Jablonski stated that she is currently developing a model of career development and is planning on creating a new career center in the psychology building, which is being renovated. This will allow her to enhance all of the internship programs, allow for more employers to come to campus, and help more students develop their career goals and resumes.

As for housing, any student on this campus can say that that is an issue that needs to be looked into. Jablonski plans to continue to work on the housing situation and come up with a plan that will help meet the future enrollment goals of admission as well as meet the expectations of the students present. The Living and Learning Communities also fall under this category, since they play a major role in freshman living. Questions that will need to be answered are: have the right LLC’s been created and what more can they do to meet the needs of the students?

The Vice President of Student Affairs is the advocate of all of the students within the administration. Dr. Jablonski is here for all of the students and she is ready to listen to any and all issues that students may have. Her office can be found on the third floor of Bartels. If anyone needs to contact her, open office hours will soon be established and posted. Also, students are welcome to send her an email at mjablonski@newhaven.edu. Having already had a warm welcome from the few faculty and students that were on campus in the summer, Dr. Jablonski deserves a true UNH welcome. Let’s all try to make her feel a part of the UNH Community as she strives to make student life better for those enrolled.

… there was a Bixler Parking Lot?

…The Charger Bulletin/Chariot Yearbook offices were in the Office of  Student Activities?

…there was no football/homecoming?

…there was no Rec Center?

…the class photo was taken in Dodds, not from the top of a
building?

…Bartels had a patio?

…the C-Store was in Botwinik?

…you could stand outside Bartels and see the Rec Center?

…there were trailers in the Rec Center parking lot before there was a Rec Center?

…the info desk didn’t exist?

…the stairs to nowhere existed?

…Forest Hills was the furthest dorm from campus?

…DSA existed?

…Spring Weekend was held in the parking lot where Soundview is now?

…New Hall was only for upperclassmen?

…there were only 2 LLC’s?

…Communications Board governed the Media Heads?
…WNHU was a part of USGA?

…USGA wasn’t bicameral?

…freshmen had the chance to live in doubles in Bixler and
Botwinik?

…Kayo did not have turf?

…midnight breakfast was actually at midnight?

…the “grassy knoll” existed between Sheffield, Winchester, and Dunham?

…Bartels didn’t have a fireplace?

…there was not a Sandella’s?

…New Hall had a game room?

…there was a gym in Botwinick?

…there was “Naughty Bingo?”

…Botwinik flooded at the first rain?

…Zack Rosen didn’t live in The Charger Bulletin office?

…“The Price is Right” existed?

…Winchester had a game room?

…the Maxcy Staircase was still blue?

…the awkward stairs existed near the old C-Store?

…there was a giant orange sculpture next to the bookstore?

The annual drive-in movie for spring weekend was The Book of Eli. The movie was about life after the nuclear war and provided great entertainment for those sitting on blankets across the quad. Eli, played by Denzel Washington, has been walking across the United States to the west because a voice inside his head told him to. Along the way, Eli meets Solara and they end up making it all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Along the way they run into tons of trouble at every turn. The movie was full of action and surprising moments.

The drive-in got off to a rocky start with some technique difficulties, but after those were fixed the movie went off without a hitch! Also, before the movie, the first 150 or so people got a keepsake blanket and a giveaway ticket. The giveaway prizes included t-shirts and footballs from the bookstore. Overall the night was a great night!

ESPN’s senior football analyst, Chris Berman, visited the University of New Haven on Apr. 15 for a question and answer forum. Chris first attended a lunch with potential sports management students, then made his way to North Campus for questions.

ESPN’s senior football analyst, Chris Berman, visited the University of New Haven on Apr. 15 for a question and answer forum.

Craig Mortali asked Berman various questions, which he then answered in front of a gym fill of students and faculty. Students had an opportunity to ask some of their own questions as well.

I had the fortunate opportunity to interview Chris with a few questions of my own before the event began. Most of the questions asked were asked again in front of everyone, but some of his answers are a little different.

At the end of the event, Chris was presented with his very own UNH Chargers’ football jersey and helmet.

Me: What are the pros and cons of working at ESPN?

Chris: Well the pros are that if you like sports, there’s nowhere else to work. Not many cons. There is something different every day. You never know what the day is like when you’re going to cover a game. So I mean, those are the pros, but uh…cons? Phhtt. I don’t think I have any cons. If I had cons, I would have been gone by now – believe me.

Me: Outside of ESPN, outside of your job, what are your hobbies?

Chris: I like peace and quiet, but I also like rock and roll music. I um…you know what I enjoy? I enjoy reading the paper. I read a few of them. USA Today, Hartford Current, Boston Globe, wherever I go, I always pick up a paper in the airport. And uh, I mean I know that’s boring. I don’t fly a plane, I don’t sky dive, I don’t uh, jump off cliffs, but you know, I like my rock and roll music, but I also like sitting on a beach and thinking. I like playing golf! I’m alright.

Me: You ever play golf with anyone important?

Chris: I play in these Pro Amateur tournaments sometimes. I played at Pebble Beach like 5 times.

Me: You meet all of these people, but have you ever been star struck?

Chris: You’re always star struck in the early days. I remember interviewing Jack Nicholas at about one year in. At about 5 years in, I interviewed this fellow who was named Walter Payton. And of course, my two idols, the reason that I do what I do: Joe Namath in football, and Willie Mays in baseball. Both of them I’ve become very friendly with so I kind of forget what it was like the very first few times I met them, you know? But I’d have to say Bill Clinton. We sat there for 10-15 minutes. Invited my wife and me to a steak dinner seven months later. Interviewed Obama and McCain before the election, but that was on satellite.

Me: NBA Playoffs, what’s your prediction?

Chris: Oh. I don’t care. NBA? Eh. I don’t care.

Me: Well, do you care about Hockey?

Chris: Oh yeah.

Me: What about your prediction for hockey?

Chris: I haven’t watched it that much this year. I’m interested to see how the two Olympic heroes, Crosby and Ryan Miller, and how they continue. (Pittsburgh won the series). But I know Washington and St. Jose are the two best teams. They’re out. (Washington was eliminated in the first round) So you’ve got to pick two of the other 14 teams. I’ll pick Pittsburgh even though they’re the defending champs.

Me: What do you predict is going to happen in the NFL Draft?

Chris: Sam Bradford. Because the lions took Stafford last year. The rams are wondering if they don’t get one now, what are they going to do.

Me: Do you think he’s going to be the biggest impact player?

Chris: In his first year? No. In his career…maybe.

Me: Favorite sport to watch?

Chris: Probably football. When you get up on Sunday, I get up at 6:00am. I know it is Sunday, it’s a different day, and you’re going to play football all day. It’s like, we’re going to go to the playground – we’re going to have recess all day.

Thank you to all
2010 Charger Bulletin Employee of the Month
nominees!

Lisbell Rivera, Becca Kitchell, Gil Rogers,
Lisa Saverese, & Mary Carraway

Final Winners

Based on a panel of student judges, the top three are:

First Place: Lisa Saverese
Second Place: Becca Kitchell
Third Place: Gil Rogers

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Marty O’Connor, The Charger Bulletin Professor of the Year!

Charger Bulletin Editor-in-Chief Zack Rosen presents Professor Marty O’Connor with The Charger Bulletin Professor of the Year Award on Monday, Apr. 26, 2010.