Meiser in the Courant, NBC Connecticut Covers “Our Campus, Our Planet” and More

The launch of “Our Campus Our Planet,” the University’s new environmental initiative, was covered by both NBC Connecticut and WFSB-TV Channel 3 in their Monday, Aug. 30 evening newscasts. NBC Connecticut joined Assistant Professor of Biology Bin Zhu and a group of first-year students who were exploring “Water Quality and Invasive Plants” by gathering and testing water samples from the Hog River. To see their interviews (done from a spot under the footbridge that crosses the river), and the story, click here.

As more than 1,600 new students moved into their new homes on the University of Hartford campus this past weekend, the activity was chronicled by NBC Connecticut and WTIC Radio. The NBC Connecticut footage, which aired on its Saturday, Aug. 28, 6 p.m. newscast and repeated on its Aug. 29 and Aug. 30 morning newscasts, included an interview with a member of the Class of 2014 talking about the supportive environment of the University, as evidenced by Howie’s Helpers carrying suitcases and supplies. The WTIC story, which aired on newscasts throughout the day on Saturday, Aug. 28, featured statistics on the number of states and countries represented by members of the Class of 2014.

Pat Meiser, director of athletics at the University, recently spent a week as a counselor at the late Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall camp in Ashford. “I guess I just got tired of being boss and wanted to do something different for a short while,'” she told Hartford Courant columnist Owen Canfield. “I wanted to be one of a group of people who were doing something,” she said of her time helping children with a variety of activities, from horseback riding to stage acting and singing. To read the column, which is in the Aug. 20 “Sports” section of the Courant, click here.

Jeff Bagwell, former Hartford Hawk standout, Major League Baseball All-Star and now hitting coach of the Houston Astros, talked about the possibility of being elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in an Aug. 29 column by Hartford Courant baseball writer Dom Amore. “Making the Hall of Fame is not going to make or break my life. What my family, my daughters think, and what these kids in this clubhouse think, that’s all that matters to me. What kind of teammate am I?” Bagwell told Amore. To read the full column, click here.

Two of Bagwell’s former teammates, Greg Centracchio and Brian Bushwell, were highlighted in an Wednesday, Aug. 25 New York Times story because their new web-based company, based in Alpharetta, Ga., called Youth Sports Live, provided all the postgame news conferences from the Little League World Series on its website for a monthly access fee. The story noted that “in an ambitious plan, Youth Sports Live is striking deals with local leagues around the country to make [it possible to watch Little League games on a laptop computer] by installing and maintaining webcams at local baseball and softball fields. Games can be replayed on demand.” To read the full story, click here.