Media Watch (Oct. 30 – Nov. 6, 2006)

"Media Watch" is a round-up of recent stories in the media about the University of Hartford, as well as significant stories about other local and peer institutions and news about trends and issues in higher education.

The news that the University of Hartford exceeded its fundraising goal for phase I of the Home Field Advantage campaign and successfully met the goals needed to earn a Kresge Challenge Grant was highlighted in the Hartford Business Journal’s daily email newsletter, HBJ Today, and in its printed publication. (Hartford Business Journal, Nov. 6; HBJ Today, Nov. 1)

Stories about a gun being discharged in a University of Hartford residence hall and the bullet narrowly missing hitting a student on the floor above were carried in newspapers, television and radio reports across the region. Later stories carried news about a 17-year-old male, who was visiting his sister at the University, being arrested on a variety of charges related to the incident. (NBC 30, Nov. 1 and Nov. 2; WFSB-TV Channel 3, Nov. 2; WTNH-TV Channel 8; Nov. 2; Fox 61, Nov. 2; New England Cable News, Nov. 2; WTIC-AM, Nov. 2; WDRC-AM, Nov. 2; Hartford Courant, Nov. 3; Associated Press, Nov. 3; Newsday, Nov. 3; Boston Globe, Nov. 3; Norwich Bulletin, Nov. 3)

The “Education Briefs” column in the Hartford Courant noted that the University of Hartford was recently honored as the 2006 Multicultural Institution of the Year during the 11th annual Connecticut Conference on Multicultural Education. The conference was hosted by the state Department of Education and the National Association for Multicultural Education. The University, cited for hosting two public magnet schools on its campuses, was honored for its diverse curriculum, student body and faculty and for its “deep and abiding interest in students and citizens of the city of Hartford.” (Hartford Courant, Oct. 31)

In its “Arts” section, the Hartford Courant highlighted an upcoming talk by George Michael Evica, associate professor emeritus of English and host of “Assassination Journal,” a public-affairs radio program on WWUH-FM (91.3) that is now in its 30th year. Evica will read from his latest book, A Certain Arrogance, and answer questions at an event on Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Woodland House Community Room, 31 Woodland St., Hartford. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 5)

Wisconsin Public Radio's Kathy Stahl did an interview with Richard Freund, director of the University’s Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, for the station’s “Spectrum West” program. Freund was speaking at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Nov. 2 and there was an opening reception for the photographic exhibition, “Burials, Baths, and Beyond: Archaeological Sites from Israel and Spain,” which featured the work of University of Hartford students. (WHWC-FM, Oct. 26)

The “Cal” section of the Hartford Courant highlighted a performance by indie rock artist Melissa Ferrick as part of the MUSIC for a CHANGE benefit concert series. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 2)

A letter to the editor in the Hartford Courant referenced an Oct. 25 story and photographs of a visit by Democrat Ned Lamont, who is challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, to the campus of the University of Hartford. (Hartford Courant, Oct. 31)

Artist Ben Fain, a graduate of the Hartford Art School, was profiled prior to the opening of his one-night-only performance-art extravaganza, Gemini's Brine. “Fain eventually found an outlet for his mischievous impulses by studying art at the University of Hartford. Since moving to Atlanta, Fain has become a well-regarded local artist who has exhibited his works at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Saltworks Gallery and in the many shows curated along with his humor-infused, four-member arts collective, Dos Pestañeos,” noted the article. (Creative Loafing Atlanta.com, Nov. 1)

University President Walter Harrison was quoted in a news story about the NCAA drafting a proposal to distribute nearly $1 million a year among schools that have failed to meet the NCAA’s minimum academic standards because of lack of money and other resources. The NCAA’s proposed grants, which would come from the organization’s TV contracts, might be allowable for both administration and classroom use. (Birmingham News, Nov. 4)

Jeff Bagwell’s $18 million option was declined by the Houston Astros, who will give their career home run and RBI leader a $7 million buyout to complete a five-year, $85 million contract. Bagwell, 38, a Killingworth native who played at the University of Hartford, missed last season because of an arthritic right shoulder, and the Astros tried to recoup about $15.6 million in insurance. Bagwell hasn’t said whether he will retire. Bagwell’s agent, Barry Axelrod, said Bagwell is “a long shot” to play again, but that Bagwell isn’t ready to officially retire. (Associated Press, Nov. 1; Hartford Courant, Nov. 1)

There was a feature story in the “Sports” section of the Hartford Courant on new Hartford Hawks men’s basketball coach Dan Leibovitz and the new approach he is bringing to the program. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 1)

The Hartford Courant ran an article about the Hartford Hawks women’s basketball team being chosen as the preseason favorite to win the America East Championship. Coach Jen Rizzotti also was a guest on the “Dan Lovallo Show” on WDRC-AM and on “Sports Talk” with Kevin Nathan on WTIC-AM. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 2; WDRC-AM, Nov. 1; WTIC-AM, Nov. 1)

Other News

If 18-to-24-year-olds actually do what they say they'll do on Nov. 7, they could sway the results in close races and set a record turnout for young voters in a midterm election, a new national poll suggests. The survey of 2,546 young people, all U.S. citizens, found that 32 percent “definitely” plan to vote next week. The previous record turnout for a mid-term election was set in 1982 when 26.6 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds voted. (USA Today, Nov. 3)

A racial slur scrawled on Shantell Scott’s message board at Trinity College on Oct. 28 has forced a discussion of campus polarization. She and about 150 students and faculty marched from Gallows Hall to the dining room in Mather Hall to confront what they see as an entrenched racism on campus. (Hartford Courant, Nov. 3)

For many members of the Black Students Union at the Johns Hopkins University, there is reportedly an overall feeling of discomfort that the university does not fully accept them. Such feelings came to the surface amid reaction to a Sigma Chi “Halloween in the Hood” party that included a skeleton pirate dangling from a rope noose - a symbol, most students agreed, of a lynching. The incident has served to ignite a larger debate on race relations on campus, while also fueling a student movement with high ambitions. (The Baltimore Sun, Nov. 2)

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Southampton in Britain plan to start a joint research program in Web science. Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the Web’s basic software, is leading the program. Berners-Lee is a senior researcher at MIT, a professor at the University of Southampton, and the director of the World Wide Web Consortium. Web science shifts the center of gravity in engineering research from how a single computer works to how huge decentralized Web systems work. (The New York Times, Nov. 2)

George Washington University announced a legal settlement with Jordan Nott, a former student who sued after he was barred from campus because of potentially suicidal behavior. Nott's case, filed last fall, opened a national dialogue about how colleges should handle troubled students whose conduct could pose a threat to themselves or others. Nott said, in a joint statement with the university, that he hoped his experience “will result in positive changes in how student mental health issues are handled at campuses across the country.” (The Washington Post, Nov. 1)

Colleges and universities should find ways to become more accountable and to reduce their costs, Charles Miller told educators at the University of Houston. Miller led a federal commission on the future of higher education. His campus visit came a month after the panel recommended sweeping changes, including streamlining the process of applying for financial aid, increasing spending on need-based Pell Grants and creating a federal database to track students. (Houston Chronicle, Nov. 1)

Protesters at Gallaudet University, the world’s premier university for the deaf, prevailed in their battle to oust the incoming president, but now have new demands, saying students must have a greater say in the search for a new president, and the next choice should be a more forceful advocate for deaf culture and a strong deaf identity. (The New York Times, Oct. 31)

Towson University launched an innovative program to try to admit more males by accepting students with low grades but high SAT scores—a combination found far more often in males. The university’s decision to tinker with its admission standards to help men comes amid growing national concern about declining enrollment of males, who make up only 42 percent of the U.S. college population. (The Baltimore Sun, Oct. 31)

Despite significant gains in minority undergraduate and graduate enrollments at the nation’s colleges and universities, the rate at which black and Hispanic students attend college continues to trail that of white students. Minority enrollments rose by 50.7 percent to 4.7 million between 1993 and 2003, while the number of white students increased 3.4 percent, to 10.5 million. (USA Today, Oct. 31)

Stanford University is preparing a plan to offer financial aid to international undergraduate students, an expensive and ambitious move that would open up a whole world of new applicants. The university does not know how much the plan will cost or how soon it will be implemented. (Inside Bay Area, Oct. 31)

Five students at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania are documenting their lives in a series of audio podcasts that are downloadable from the school’s Web site. Between 400 and 500 people in the U.S. and 25 countries are now downloading the podcasts each day to hear the latest in the students’ lives. (The Newport Daily News, Oct. 31)

With the cost of tuition and fees soaring, parents face a daunting task in trying to figure out how to finance their children’s college educations. The College Board, which tracks college pricing trends, has reported that tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose more than 6 percent, to an average of $5,836 this fall. The cost at private four-year colleges increased just under 6 percent, to an average of $22,218. (Associated Press, Oct. 31)

Upcoming

Darryl McMiller, assistant professor of political science in Hillyer College, is working with MSNBC network on its coverage of the Nov. 7 mid-term elections, providing analysis of the congressional and senatorial races in Connecticut, as well as providing context for the election nationally. McMiller was also interviewed by NBC 30 for an Election Eve story.

Hartford Hawks women’s basketball coach Jen Rizzotti will be making three radio appearances this week, prior to her team’s first round game in the pre-season WNIT tournament on Friday, Nov. 10. She will be on WTIC-FM twice, on their afternoon show on Nov. 8 and on the morning show on Nov. 8, 9 or 10 (the exact date and time has not been confirmed). She will also be on WHCN-FM, live, at 8 p.m. on Nov. 9.