By MARISSA JANKOWSKI and SANDI SINNER
LETTER TO THE EDITOR

“If you don’t have this money paid within the next two months, you will not be able to attend the University of New Haven in the fall.” Not only are we all stressed about our grades with midterms coming up, but I have a hold on my financial account in which I was threatened if I don’t have this money paid, I would not be able to continue being a student here at UNH. Throughout high school it is a dream of many to attend this University, but many hopes and dreams are shot down when they find out how expensive it is to attend.

There is a certain line that is drawn in which the school and government looks at, that measures your parents income; and if they make even a fraction over this line, then their child will receive practically nothing in financial aid. But, if one household makes below this line, their child will receive all the financial aid in the world, and it’s not fair to those families who have parents that actually have decent jobs and are what you call, “working for a living.” Nothing for nothing, but what people don’t understand is, in some cases, what if families just above the line, are working so hard to put one or more children through college on top of all of their bills.

Approximately 85% of UNH’s full time undergraduate students receive some type of financial assistance in the form of academic and merit scholarships, grants, and manageable student loans but that still only takes away so much money. They also offer a very small amount of on campus jobs as work study. These jobs are open to everyone and are a first come first serve so people who need these jobs who are struggling with paying for their student loans are cast aside.

The cost of books here at the University of New Haven, is another huge issue within students. Not only do we pay almost 48 grand to go here, every semester we have to drop hundreds of dollars on books that many professors don’t even use throughout the entire semester. We are wasting our money, and when we go to return these books back to the UNH book store, we are ripped off and in most cases will get $10 back on a book in which we spent $90 on, and that’s even if they let us return the books. The only other option is to rent the books but even then the prices are very high and they give very little options to get them as an E-book to lower those fees.

Even after financial aid, and student loans, we are STILL paying an arm and a leg, just to attend the University of New Haven. I am a freshman now and if I continue to attend here, I will be paying back my student loans, for the rest of my life. Though UNH is a private school, there is no in state or out of state tuition difference. Everyone just about, has to pay the same amount to attend. If you live in the same state as the college you attend, you should be able to have at least deference somewhere, whether it is free books or pay less in your tuition. I mean if you’re going to practically give a free college education to the students who live in the city of West Haven, you should do something for those students that live in the same state, or even just attend your college!

A lot of the tuition we have to pay for is for things that do not even go to any of our schooling. This University is using OUR money to pay for their advertisements of the school. The admissions wastes our money to make copies of pamphlets, give away free things to incoming students and the summer books we are required to read. So our money that we pay to attend this school each semester is used to make our school look good and get more incoming freshman. The “general fees” we are charged with provide a partial contribution supporting essential infrastructure, facilities and institutional services necessary to promote student learning. The fees cover access to infirmary and counseling services and supports student government and club activities. These general fees are charged for each semester in which a student enrolls.

A lot of students who come to the University of New Haven pay these absurd prices because of their highly recommended majors like Fire Science, Criminal Justice and Marine Biology. The programs here like the Living and Learning Community, or the LLC, and the hands on classes as freshman draw people’s attention but are these worth the price to go here? I know a lot of people who have left after their first semester here because the prices were too high and their families could no longer afford it anymore. The average indebtedness of 2011’s Graduates was $42,600 and the price of tuition keeps getting higher and higher. How much are we going to owe?

Parents tell their children to be safe while they’re off at college, how to never go out at night without someone else, and to stay out of certain neighborhoods. Many like to joke about their concern and think they are fearless and untouchable, but there is some truth to their precautious sentiments.

On a recent survey by GoLocal Pro that assessed crime rates at universities in New England, the University of New Haven showed up 81 out of 100 on a list titled “The 100 Most Dangerous Campuses in New England.”

It was also joined by some other interesting attendees on the list, including Wesleyan at #15, Yale at #34, and Harvard at #69, with Mount Ida College holding down the #1 spot.

GoLocal used the Clery database, which is organized by the Clery Act that states that any school that offers federal financial aid must document and report crime on and off campuses. The crimes included burglary, property crimes, arson, manslaughter, sexual offenses, robbery, aggravated assault and murder. The data collected was that of from 2009-2011, and calculated an average crime rate per-year.

The statistics are on a weighted per-capita scale, and UNH’s statistics break down like so: burglary leads with 8, sex offenses is a 4, motor vehicle theft is a 3, aggravated assault is a 1, and a 0 for murder/non-negligent manslaughter, negligent manslaughter, non-forcible sex offenses, arson, and robbery.

Dr. Michael Jenkins, a professor at UNH, comments “It’s important that when we look at these types of numbers that we consider issues in victim reporting to police as well as in police reporting under Clery. We also want to be aware of not only the number of students, but also the number of other people who use those same areas for pleasure or business. Both the University of New Haven And Yale campuses are surrounded by heavily trafficked areas that are used for business other than that which involves the university. Each of these individuals is a potential victim of crime around University property, and therefore might report those crimes to university police. A crime rate which does not consider those individuals in the denominator does not give an accurate picture of ones likelihood of victimization on that campus.”

A simple thing to take away from this study is to constantly be paying attention to your safety and that of your peers. If you see or hear something suspicious, report it.

A UNH News Story

WEST HAVEN, CONN. — They gathered together over poems, songs, paintings, photography and improvisational drama, a group of war veterans and UNH students, bridging not only the mile that separates the VA Connecticut Healthcare System from the university but also their age differences and life experiences.

They are part of “Exit 43,” a collaborative project that provides veterans with the opportunity to serve as artistic mentors in the community while raising public awareness about veterans’ issues. Each of the students and the veterans is creating a new work of art based on the experience, and the artwork will be featured in “Exit 43 – An Exhibition” at the West Haven Veterans’ Museum and Learning Center from April 16 through May 4.

The public is invited to an opening reception from 3-5 p.m. at the museum at 30 Hood Terrace in West Haven. The museum is open Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The project takes its name from exit 43 off I-95, the First Avenue-West Haven exit that leads both to UNH and to the VA hospital.

“It is an artistic collaboration, but it is also a lesson in empathy, in understanding, in the ways that loss and grief and hope are universal experiences,” said Janet Zamparo, the project manager of “Exit 43” as well as an artist, educator and director of Arts Connections for Everyone. “Art is disarming. If people build walls, art can help tear them down.”

Roberta Blake, a music therapist at VA Connecticut, said the UNH students took part in one of the VA’s creative arts therapy programs in visual arts, music, writing or drama run by VA creative arts therapists. “The students saw how creative arts can be used to tell a story, express a feeling, connect with oneself and others and communicate,” she said.

The UNH students participating were Samantha Guash, Emily Anne McGinty, Dannielle Gladu, Kristen Leining, Briana Mangiacapra, Kate Saccone, Kristie Patterson, Alexandria Rossy, Keegan O’Connor, Andrea Ortiz, Tannu Singh, Ahjahta McDuffie, Mahoganie Brown, Ashley Guzman, Amanda Blankson, Stephany Parra and Marissa Medina.

Emily McGinty, a UNH junior majoring in liberal studies, said, “I was apprehensive at first because we were a group of young adults entering in on what was a very private experience. When we arrived, we were welcomed with open arms. The veterans were proud of their work and were extremely talented. They also were very forthcoming, sharing as much as they could about their experiences in Vietnam. It was very humbling to see that the men who gave up so much to fight for the country were again giving back, but this time to the youth.”

Angela Cortese, coordinator of UNH’s Office of Community Service, said student feedback on the program “has been just amazing. The students found the experience very moving.”

It is fitting that the pieces of art resulting from the collaboration will be on display along with artifacts dating back to the Revolutionary War, said Beth Sabo, the commissioner of public works for the city of West Haven and vice president of the museum board. “This is an incredible partnership,” she said.

Allan Garry, a Vietnam veteran, said the collaboration was important and that he was struck by how engaged the students were. “The kids were caring, curious, intelligent,” he said. “When we talked with them about what the war was like, they had some real serious, thoughtful questions.”

Garry was just 22 when was sent to Vietnam and assigned to the American Division’s Graves Registration, Search and Recovery unit, identifying fellow soldiers killed in combat. Upon his return to the States, he started college, began to write, had a family and hoped to become a teacher and writer. But he said he began to struggle emotionally and found he could no longer write. Diagnosed with PTSD, Garry has been in the VA’s PTSD outpatient programs for 17 years.

Today he is a published poet, playwright and musician. The creative arts therapy programs gave him back his writing, he said, and, in many ways, his life.

UNH announced last week a partnership with West Haven Public Schools that will provide half-tuition scholarships to high school seniors as well as college preparation programs for middle school and high school students.

Photo provided by UNH Today

The partnership, called the “Charge into the Future” program, will provide a half-tuition scholarship for any student graduating from West Haven High School who is admitted as a full-time student to UNH beginning next fall.

“I applaud the University of New Haven for introducing an innovative new program that will open the door to higher education for so many students,” said Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. “We know that getting a college degree is critical to preparing students for good jobs with good benefits—and helping to ensure bright futures in the new economy.”

Governor Malloy told the students that his own father had to leave school in eighth grade and that he himself struggled with learning disabilities. He said that even by his junior year in high school, he didn’t have a vision for his future. But then, he said, school got better. He went on to college and law school; he became a prosecutor, a mayor and a governor.

“All of this was made possible because my father, who never went to college but made sure all eight of his children went to college,” he said. He urged West Haven High students to take advantage of all aspects of the partnership, as “only a fraction of American students” will have such an opportunity. “Spend the time, the energy; recreate yourself in a different vision,” he said.

The announcement at West Haven High School also featured Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman.

“The connection between earning a college degree and the ability to get a quality job has never been as important as it is today,” Wyman said. “With this scholarship program, the University of New Haven is ensuring that more of our students will be better prepared to attend college and to graduate with the skills needed in this challenging job market.”

The UNH scholarships, which include need- and merit-based awards, will be offered to students in addition to any federal, state or externally funded awards for which they may qualify.

“We would like this program to serve as a major incentive to West Haven students – from middle school right through high school – to strive to attend college,” said President Steve Kaplan. “It is an example of UNH giving back to the local community and providing them the opportunity to take advantage of our high-quality academic programs.”

The “Charge into the Future” program also will allow juniors and seniors enrolled at West Haven High School to take college-level courses at the University at no charge on a space-available basis. Students can enroll in up to two classes per year, which will provide them a jump start on their college education even if they don’t enroll at UNH.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students, and we are thrilled to partner with our neighbors from the University of New Haven in this venture,” West Haven Superintendent Neil Cavallaro said. “This program will allow them and their families to dream big and believe that something they once thought may have been impossible is now achievable: a four-year college degree from an outstanding institution with a reputation for excellence.”

“The city of West Haven remains committed to strengthening its friendship and partnership with the University of New Haven,” Mayor John M. Picard ’87 said. “This important scholarship initiative reflects UNH’s unwavering pledge to reinvest in our community and in our young people. This model program will afford West Haven students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to seek higher education at their hometown university and will add another proud chapter to the longstanding relationship of good will between town and gown.”

UNH also will help high school students prepare for college by providing juniors and seniors free information sessions on the college admissions process and applying for financial aid. In addition, the program will provide support for eighth- and ninth-graders by offering a summer day camp to prepare them for college-level work and admission to college.

The University also will explore creating academic partnerships with the West Haven Public Schools to offer promising high school students opportunities to participate in college-level extracurricular activities such as drama and theater workshops, writing and poetry workshops, engineering projects and competitions and math competitions.

“The ‘Charge into the Future’ program is very comprehensive,” said Kaplan. “It will help motivate students for college success and prepare them to be future leaders.”

Brenda Calderon, a WHHS senior who has been accepted to UNH for the fall, said she is pleased the program is offered.

“The partnership with the University of New Haven will alleviate many of our educational insecurities,” she said. “Free classes and half-tuition scholarships speak for themselves, and in many ways, will impact our education as public high school students.”

After facing difficulties moving forward, UNH has been given the green light to go ahead with their new dormitory project.

The Planning and Zoning Commission gave final approvals last week for the newly- estimated $30 million dollar project. Ground-breaking is expected to start this spring and building construction will begin in September. The dorm will be built near the Dunham and Winchester Halls, on the corner of Ruden and Isador Streets.

Previously approved polices for the University of New Haven’s educational facilities zone were up for reconsideration by the West Haven Planning and Zoning Commission after a January meeting. Residents expressed their concerns regarding the zone since the project would be creating a new title, “the educational facilities district zone,” and because this zone had zero-foot setback policy and lack of a special permit or public hearing requirement. UNH then decided to hold meetings for neighbors in response, showing them designs and taking questions in January.

In addition to holding two informational meetings with residents of the area, UNH had to fill out an additional application for the project to be approved.

Attorney Joseph Williams, who represents the school, agreed that there was further discussion that needed to be held. Some commissioners agreed the zero-foot setback guideline could be problematic and said they may take it up in the future. The current dorm proposal has an actual setback.

The setback, if applied to another area of the city, could be changed by the commission at that time, said Chairman Gene Sullivan.

The commissioners approved “The erosion and sediment control plan”, and a “site plan for the building and resource removal filling and grading plan,” at a February meeting.

UNH has always had good relationships with their neighbors, and Vice Chairman Steve Mullins said, “I’m very impressed with that and hope they continue to be good neighbors.”

Another concern about the amount of traffic was settled. “I feel the traffic generated by the new dorm won’t be detrimental to existing traffic flows,” said Commissioner David Riccio.

The project is a 108-unit residence hall, which will alleviate students facing the difficulty of finding off-campus housing. The facility will also have classroom space and a dining facility. Creating more space on campus will allow students to better participate in on-campus activities and give them the chance to interact with other students. Having more dorm space will also allow for more students.

Rico was quoted in the New Have Register, “for some time now, I have recognized the unique and special relationship here that few other towns and schools share. We both look to improve the quality of life (and) regain the strength of the city’s fiscal status.”

WORCESTER, Mass. – The University of New Haven women’s basketball team hung tough with third-seeded Assumption for 30 minutes in Sunday’s NE-10 Quarterfinal at Worcester, but the Greyhounds pulled away from the sixth-seeded Chargers to claim an 80-66 decision.

Anh-Dao Tran (Webster, Mass./Holy Name) scored a team-high 18 points for New Haven (14-13), which completed its first winning season since 2007-08. The Chargers’ 13 Northeast-10 wins and sixth-place NE-10 finish in the regular season were also the program’s best since joining the conference beginning in the 2008-09 campaign.

Tran knocked down three three-pointers, joining Becky Snow ’00 as the only student-athlete in program history to sink 50 or more treys in a season. Tran’s 52 from distance this winter are fifth all-time behind each of Snow’s four seasons at New Haven. Her 130 career treys through three seasons at UNH rank third all-time behind Snow (234) and Briiana Rende ’09 (140).

Tran also dished out four assists, become the 10th Charger to top 300 helpers (303) in a career.

Bria Moore (West Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Chargers, while Aquillin Hayes (Harlem, N.Y./Wings Academy) finished with 11 points and eight boards. Nikita Reddy (Germantown, Md./Germantown) shot 3-for-3 from three-point range in her collegiate finale en route to 10 points off the bench.

The Chargers jumped out to a 14-11 lead, sparked by seven early tallies from Tran. However, Assumption would put together the game’s first extended run, netting the next nine points to claim a 20-14 advantage midway through the period. New Haven rallied back as a seven-point spurt from Reddy, including two three-pointers, spotted the Chargers a 30-29 lead that they would maintain into the intermission. Hebert followed with New Haven’s fifth triple of the half, and Moore converted an old-fashioned three-point play in the closing seconds to send the Chargers into the locker room with a 36-33 lead.

New Haven maintained its lead after the break to a 40-38 count with 18:02 to go, but the Greyhounds answered with a three-pointer to claim a 41-40 lead that they would not relinquish. Though the Chargers trailed by only eight, 63-55, with 7:28 remaining, Assumption went on a 17-6 run to pull away with just 90 seconds to go. Hayes added two late free throws and Reddy drained the final three-point attempt of her Charger career to round out the final at 80-66 in favor of the Greyhounds.

Gabrielle Gibson led all players with 21 points for Assumption (21-6). The Greyhounds will host 10th-seeded Merrimack in an NE-10 Semifinal on Thursday.

By Karen Grava

Director of Media Relations

If you are interested in attending or are planning to visit UNH, you might want to download the app EXPLORE UNH first.

The app, available through iTunes and Google Play, allows prospective students, their families, friends, returning alumni, and visitors to the main campus to have access to an electronic map, driving directions, walking tour, admissions information, restaurant and hotel information, and information about life at UNH.

“Downloading the app is an excellent way to prepare for a campus visit,” says Kevin Phillips, associate vice president for enrollment management. “We want to make it as easy as possible to help our visitors, particularly our prospective students and their families, get the most out of their time on campus. This app puts all of the information you might need at your fingertips in a very accessible format.”

Admissions information, a self-guided walking tour and UNH wallpaper backgrounds are three of the app’s features.

Published on UNH’s behalf by Smart College Visit Inc., the free app provides a navigational and travel planning guide to campus including turn-by-turn directions to nearly every building on campus, parking lots, athletic facilities and residence halls.

Smart College Visit is a Blacksburg, Virginia-based higher education marketing and college visit planning portal. More information can be found at http://SmartCollegeVisit.com or by email. Smart College Visit is on Twitter at @collegevisit.

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.

By SCOTT CASTELLANO

Many may not know this, but rugby is actually one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. Yet, there are schools and individuals who do not see it as an appropriate sport to play by the young men and women in our country.

This is a challenge that UNH Rugby Club faced when they were going through the enduring process of starting the team on campus. Just ask John Zalocki and Nick Race, two students who put forth a great amount of effort to establish the Rugby Club.

When the two were asked to approximate how many times they heard the word “no” throughout the process of making the Rugby Club official, they responded, “No was probably the one of the only words we heard.”

Without a doubt, each separate “no” was a detrimental blow to their esteem, but instead of giving up, they began to ask “why?” The why was quite simple: many people have problems with the pure violence stigma around the sport of rugby, which Zalocki and Race say they are devoted to change.

With the backing of the Director of Campus Recreation, Mike Schneider, and the Assistant Director of Recreational and Competitive Sports, Jeff Ryder, the young men were able to fight through the early stages of developing their club; but they knew there were still many challenges to come.

Creating a rugby club would increase the University’s insurance expenses, which resulted in the club paying $5,000 to cover the increase, a payment no other club is required to make. They did this through various fundraising efforts. It was a great sigh of relief for the team to get assistance from other students and the administration, as it showed that they were not alone in this grueling process, that people believe there is a place for rugby not only in colleges, but in the United States as a whole.

Once the insurance expenses were taken care of, the Rugby Club was able to officially start up and accept members.

A club that started out as a dream now has 35 active members and is scheduled to play three games on Kayo Field this spring. Furthermore, the club hopes to enter the New England Rugby Football Union’s College Division III in the fall, which will match them up against many other schools in the area.

George S. Patton’s famous quote, “I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs, but how high he bounces when he hits bottom,” truly defines everything that the University of New Haven Rugby Club was forced to endure in order to achieve their goal.