COVER STORY: Hawks Defend New Turf Erin Mucha '06 heads downfield as Ashley Carreira '09 looks on. Photo: Steve Kelly. Students, alumni, and friends of University of Hartford athletics all gathered for the first home game of the season on Al-Marzook Field's new all-weather turf. The women's soccer team made it a perfect evening with a 2-0 victory over its opponent, La Salle University. *Observer Reader Survey With the summer 2005 issue we introduced a short reader survey as a way for you to communicate to us what you are (and are not) reading in each issue and whether we've left out anything that you'd like to see in the future. Slightly more than 100 readers took the time to give us their opinions, and we do appreciate their help. In fact, we've already made some changes to The Observer's content, and you'll be seeing more changes in future issues. If you've got something to say about the fall issue of The Observer, please use the link below to let us know. www.hartford.edu/ObserverSurvey And thanks! Trish Charles Editor-in-Chief pcharles@hartford.edu A Hidden Treasure In the climate-controlled atmosphere of the rare book section of University Libraries at the University of Hartford rests a large volume with a somewhat dilapidated binding. Nothing about its exterior suggests its importance. Yet, Humphrey Tonkin, president emeritus of the university and chair of the Mortensen Library board of visitors, has called it a "magnificent work."

Lakota Conversations
	Hartford Students Glimpse Native American Cultures Firsthand Students enrolled in the Summerterm course, Lakota Philosophy and Culture, led by Bernard den Ouden, professor of philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, spent a week in May living with and learning from Native Americans of Minnesota, including descendants of Sitting Bull and Chief Red Cloud. Professor den Ouden sent his account of the trip to The Observer

College Bound
	by Joe Voelker We are now reaching an important day in the life of many American families, maybe as important as a christening, a wedding, or a funeral. It is the day we drop a child off for the first year of college.

Hartford Parents Do Some Heavy Lifting
	From hatchbacks, trunks, and cargo areas of countless vehicles came duffle bags, suitcases, plastic storage bins, boxes large and small, and even trash bags filled with everything from tennis racquets to teddy bears. Family members hoisted loads on their shoulders, stacked them on hand trucks, and filled their arms again and again for yet another long trek to the dorm room. The Observer caught up with these parents on Aug. 27, as they dropped off their sons and daughters for their first year of college. There were many smiles, a few jokes about the spare room, and some teary moments.

Observer Survey Says...

First of all, thank you to all those who filled out The Observer's online readership survey, which asked questions about the summer issue of the magazine. We placed a link in Chapters, the monthly e-mail newsletter sent out by the Office of Alumni Relations. We also provided a link on The Observer's online home page. About 100 readers took time out of their busy schedules to give their evaluation of the magazine.

Editor-in-Chief: Trish Charles Editor: Diana Simonds Copy Editor / Proofreader: Beverly Kennedy Print Design: WondriskaRusso Circulation Manager: Sharon Scorso Contributing writers: Trish Charles; Peter H. Congleton; Bernard den Ouden; Jonathan Easterbrook '87, '90; Mike Jordan-Reilly; Beverly Kennedy; Missy Murphy Pavano '70, '73; Terri Raimondi; Michael Reardon; Diana Simonds; Margaret Withey Contributing photographers: Steve Bamberg; Jonathan Easterbrook '87, '90; Jeff Feldmann; Paul Horton; Steve Kelly; Steve Laschever; Andrew Morris; Lanny Nagler Web Design: Jim Kalambokis Published three times a year for faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and friends of the university. Published by the Office of Communications - University of Hartford 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, Connecticut, 06117-1599. All rights reserved. All contents, unless otherwise specified, copyright 2005 by the University of Hartford.