…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 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.

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.

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!

“I am thrilled that Peggy Jablonski will be joining the University of New Haven,” said UNH President Steven Kaplan. “She has worked at some of the leading universities in the nation and will be a great asset to UNH.  She is passionate about working with students and will be an excellent advocate on their behalf.”

“I am excited to be joining UNH at this time in its history,” said Jablonski. “I found the students and faculty to be very engaging, interested in real world issues, and focused on the future. I look forward to becoming part of the UNH community and returning to my roots in New England.”

At UNC-Chapel Hill, Jablonski oversees student life for approximately 17,500 undergraduate and 10,000 graduate students. Her areas of responsibility include housing and residential education, campus health services, counseling and wellness services, student judicial affairs, Greek life, the LGBTQ Center, disability services, the student union, new student and parent programs, campus recreation, career services, and leadership development.

Prior to joining UNC-Chapel Hill in 2004, she served as dean for campus life at Brown University, the associate vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Connecticut, associate dean for undergraduate education and student affairs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and assistant dean for residential services at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her doctorate in education at Boston University.

The show was edited in HD by Andrei Pop, a senior communications, film, and theatre student, and received rave reviews by MyTV9 producer Sandy Potter. UNH also received production credit at the opening of the show. In addition, a 3-D animated UNH graphic was produced by students in the 3-D Computer Animation and Modeling class, and a 30-second UNH commercial played at end of the show.

The winner of the A Star is Born, competition will receive a one-year paid job on television, appearing in commercials, station promotions, at live events, and will report on events happening around Connecticut. The contestants, ranging in age from their 20’s to 70’s, spent several minutes in front of a camera to prove that he or she should be the MyTV9 Star.

The final show will be rebroadcast at 4 p.m. on Apr. 24.

A leader in experiential education, the University of New Haven is experiencing a historic and nationally recognized surge in enrollment. Founded in 1920, the university provides its students with a unique combination of solid liberal arts and real-world, hands-on professional training. UNH is a private university with an 80-acre main campus. The University has an enrollment of more than 5,700; approximately 1,700 graduate students and more than 4,000 undergraduates, 70 percent of whom reside in University housing.  The University offers more than 80 undergraduate degrees and more than 25 graduate degrees through its five colleges, in fields such as sports management, nutrition, forensic science, music and sound recording, engineering, computer science and criminal justice. University College at UNH develops programs and courses to meet the emerging educational and training needs of educators, businesses and public and social agencies, focusing on academic excellence, convenience and flexibility. University of New Haven students study abroad through a variety of distinctive programs.

In the last issue of The Charger Bulletin, a writer by the name of Anonymous decided that it was his or her responsibility to shed some light on the “behind the scenes” activities that take place in the Greek community here at the University of New Haven. The information contained in the article titled “The Truth About Hazing on Campus” offended many members of the Greek community not only because the writer chose not to share his or her name, but because the information contained in the article was grossly inappropriate. In addition to our traditions that are far from acts of hazing, we all support and raise money for charitable organizations and perform countless hours of community service each semester. This response is not an attempt to begin an editorial war between the Greek and Non-Greek members of this campus community, but to inform people of the real truth about our organizations.

In the aforementioned article, a specific organization was referenced as having “demonstrated their ability to orchestrate the public hazing of their associate members.” The truth about the “coming out” event for the brothers of this fraternity is that the men involved in the “public hazing” were already initiated members of their organization. Their participation in this event in the quad is an honor for all of them because they are sharing their success in becoming a new member of a truly elite organization. If Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous were to confront one of these newly initiated members, they would become educated in the fact that the men were not only participating voluntarily, but that it was one of the proudest moments in their lives.

At this moment, many people who dislike the idea of Greek life and may or may not have been outspoken about it in the past would most likely be saying something along the lines of how pathetic they think it is that the participation in the coming out event is such a highlight in the lives of these young men. In my organization and all other Greek organizations, becoming an initiated member is something that we have all worked very hard to accomplish. The style that traditionally ethnically diverse organizations, such as the one exemplified in the last issue of The Charger Bulletin, use to show their pride in their organizations may not be something that outsiders understand. This should motivate you to ask questions, not give you the license to assume that you know what is going on from the outside and voice your opinion about it.

In the future, this non-anonymous, proud pro-Greek would like to ask that everyone on this campus take the time to learn the true facts and benefits about being a member of the Greek life here at UNH. We are a small and diverse population as a school, let alone the size of the Greeks. This makes us unique as compared to the traditional Greek life image seen on larger campuses that is wrongfully bestowed upon us. Finally, if you still choose to dislike Greek life on this campus and don’t wish to learn about the values and traditions that we’re proud to share, we respect that it’s not something you’d like to become involved in. With that, we request that you respect that it’s something that has made college life so much better for most of us and that we wouldn’t go back in time to change our decision to join, even if we could. The Greeks don’t deserve bad publicity.

Beanhouse is a place where regulars can sip coffee and connect with other musicians while waiting to perform their own songs or songs of those they esteem to be like. The audience plays their role as a sound board to gage what UNH students are interested in.

Once the microphones are turned up and the guitar strings are tuned, the crowd turns its attention from the tasty but dry cake being served to the makeshift stage. This area serves as a spotlight for aspiring artists. (And a solid strategy to distract from the dryness of the cake).

The quality of the artists is not in question: the acts performed well and proved that UNH is not just for CJ students. But each act seemed like it was stretched out to make the program longer, and there is not a time limit on the performances. Also, some attendants said they would like to see variety at Beanhouse. Guitar is a staple in acoustic performances, but what happened to piano or flute or rap or jazz? What happened to comedy or skits or poetry? When asked about other Beanhouses, students often said this event was their first this semester.

Hearing a variety of performances might be more entertaining than the same Dave Mathews Band covers.

Beanhouse may seem like a festival for guys with long hair, button downs, and acoustic guitars, but it should be open for every kind of performance.

On Sunday, Apr. 25, the 5-6-7-8 Dance Team displayed their Spring Showcase, “Fame”, to a large gathering of friends, family members, and students.

The 5-6-7-8 Dance Team is comprised of 21 dedicated UNH dancers. All of the routines were choreographed by girls on the team, and ranged from lyrical to contemporary and from jazz to hip hop. Guests Emanon and the Elite Step Team performed pieces in each act of the show. Audience members clapped and cheered along with the show and the large crowd seemed excited to see the hard work of the 5-6-7-8 Dance Team come to fruition.

Pieces in the show were incredibly wide ranged. “Boston”, an uplifting piece with two solo performances, showcased the contemporary and lyrical styles of the team. “Feeling Good”, a piece choreographed by sophomore Krystal Pelaez, was a fast paced intricate piece that showcased the “puppeteers” of the dance team while performing on chairs. “Music in Me” showcased more “pop” tap steps while “Why” stuck with traditional ballet styles.

The spring showcase also had two team member solos, performed by freshmen Marianne Boyd and Lindsay Bugryn. The 5-6-7-8 Dance Team also performed their award winning competition piece “This is How a Heart Breaks” and their title piece “Fame.”

During the show, President Kristin McElheny and Vice President Marissa Gori stepped on stage to thank those who had helped make the dance show possible. A senior presentation, which included seniors Kristen Saunders and Erin Ennis, was dedicated to those who would not be returning the following year. At the end of the show, the 5-6-7-8 Dance Team bowed and said goodbye to the audience, but not before thanking those leaders who had made their team successful throughout the 2009 and 2010 school year.

Overall, the 5-6-7-8 Dance Team Spring Showcase “Fame” was a wonderful combination of dance talent and entertainment. If you missed it, check out the 5-6-7-8 Dance Team at the Emanon Showcase on Wednesday, Apr. 28 or look out for their show next year!