HORIZONS

Horizons
HOUSATONIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Housatonic Community College

http://hccperspective.blogspot.com Summer 2011

News

Can School
Save Students
From Personal
Adversity?
H&S

Global
Warming’s
Impact
Opinions

Ready To Die

A&E

Annual Faculty
Art Exhibit

Sports

Students Protest Budget Paying Student

Cuts At Hartford Capitol Athletes
2

Hor i z o n s Contents
Nursing Students Learn About Transfer Options.................................3 Calling All Mothers..................................................................................18
By Brandon T. Bisceglia By Dana Souza
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Staff Writer

False Alarm Raises Concerns Over Safety............................................3 How to Pitch Your Story to Sell..............................................................18
By Brandon T. Bisceglia By Tina M. Eckart
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Staff Writer

South Africa Group Visits HCC.............................................................4 How Will Global Warming Impact Connecticut?.................................20
By Chad Fisher By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Staff Writer Editor-in-Chief Emeritus

Students’ Message to Legislators “Cut YOUR Budget!”.....................4 Health and Science Tidbits......................................................................21
By Tori Centopanti By Horizons Staff
Editor-in-Chief
A Piece of Paper.......................................................................................23
More Than Just Teachers........................................................................9 By Brandon T. Bisceglia
By Bobbi Brown Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
Staff Writer
When God Infiltrates Government Institutions, It Hurts Everyone...23
Trash Does NOT Belong Here!...............................................................10 By Brandon T. Bisceglia
By Bobbi Brown Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
Staff Writer
Ready To Die.............................................................................................24
An HCC Success Story............................................................................10 By Whitley-Ann Grant
Housatonic Graduate and His Team Win Emmy Staff Writer
By Chad Fisher
Staff Writer Tips on ArguingbAvoid Hypocrisy / Genetic Fallacy...........................25
By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Student Senate Updates...........................................................................11 Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus Losing My Cool: How a Father’s Love and 15,000 Books Beat Hip Hop
Culture......................................................................................................26
Getting Ready for Graduation................................................................12 By Rondale Williams
By Lovanda Brown Staff Writer
Editor-at-Large
HCC Faculty Exhibits “Evolution” of Their Artistry...........................26
Can School Save Students from Personal Adversity?..........................12 By Tori Centopanti
By Travis Owens Editor-in-Chief
Staff Writer
Celebrity Tattoos: Miscellaneous Edition..............................................29
Too Many Nurses?...................................................................................13 By Michael Bednarsky
By Whitley-Ann Grant Arts & Entertainment Editor
Staff Writer
Key Players for Contending Teams........................................................32
Five Candidates, Five Voices, One City.................................................14 By T.J. Mallico
By Eric Bjornson Staff Writer
Staff Writer
What If These NBA Players Went to College?......................................33
Statway Offers Alternative to Developmental Math.............................16 By John Francis
By Tori Centopanti Staff Writer
Editor-in-Chief
Heat Looking to Nail 16 More Victories................................................34
Letters to the Editor.................................................................................16 By Jose A. Rosas
Senior Staff Writer
Course Evaluations: Waste of Time or Just What The Students Ordered?.
17 No Pay for Play for Student-Athletes?...................................................34
By Elisa Byrdsong By Rondale Williams
Staff Writer Staff Writer

Remembering Mothers On Mother’s Day.............................................17 It’s Back to the Future in the Bronx.......................................................35
By Jennifer Claybrook By Patrick J. Beach
Opinions Editor Staff Writer

Horizons Staff
Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Claybrook Eric Bjornson Mimi Williams
Tori Centopanti Tiana Bridtter Rondale Williams
News You Can Use Editor Bobbi Brown Carolyna Zarate
Editors-in-Chief Emeritus Susan Smith Elisa Byrdsong
Brandon T. Bisceglia Stephanie Castillo Senior Staff Writer
Victor Rios Arts and Entertainment Editor Tina Eckart Jose Rosas
Michael Bednarsky Chad Fisher
Advisor John Francis Art and Design Staff
Prof. Steve Mark Editor-at-Large Whitley-Ann Grant Andrzej Piechocki
Lovanda Brown Keri-Ann Jackson Janeivy Hilario
Outreach Editor T.J. Mallico Tara Shepard
Deb Torreso Web Developer Anthony Moran
Adam Bello Jessica Nomack Design Advisor
News Editor Travis Owens Prof. Andy Pinto
Vincent Altamirano Staff Writers Marysol Rodriguez
Patrick Beach Myranda Sinkler
Opinions Editor Mark Bein Dana Souza
 HORIZONS • News 3

Nursing Students Learn About Transfer Options
By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
ews
within ten years, they’re heading that di- classes or withdraws from too many, they said, but added that she wanted to expand
rection.” can be rejected, even with good grades. the options that were available.
Marrone also pointed out that nurses “I’m going to be honest with you: if “Right now there’s a bottleneck, be-

A
bout 20 Nursing students got a
chance to find out about the trans-
fer program offered by St. Vin-
cent’s College on Sunday, April 17 in the
lecture hall in Lafayette Hall.
Joe Marrone, Director of Admissions
at St. Vincent’s, extolled the benefits of
the associate’s degree program to an all-
female crowd. He also had them fill out
cards listing their transfer information and
the program they were looking to get into.
Marrone contrasted his college with the
certificate program offered by Bridgeport
Hospital.
“You do not have a degree from Bridge-
port Hospital—they can’t offer them,” he
said.
In January, St. Vincent’s added a four-
year Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing
(BSN) program. Marrone stressed that
nursing students should pursue the longer
program in order to ensure that they would
maintain their jobs.
“Right now, the state has not said that
nurses need to have the four-year program.
But they are talking about it. Sometime
with a bachelor’s could go farther in their
jobs.
“If you have an associate’s degree in
nursing and you’re an RN [registered
nurse], then you’re probably going to be
working on a floor for the rest of your life.
It’s only when you get your bachelor’s
degree or your master’s that you can start
being in a supervisory or an administrative
position—or teaching,” he said.
Although St. Vincent’s only accepts a
maximum of 18 transfer credits for its as-
sociate’s program, Nursing students who
finish with a grade point average of 2.67
are automatically guaranteed a spot in the
BSN program. At that point, they’re al-
lowed to transfer up to 80 credits.
The criteria for being accepted at St.
Vincent’s are rigorous but fair, according
to Marrone.
“We don’t just look at your grade point
average—we look at your entire academic
history,” he explained. The reason, he said,
is so that the college can understand how
a student has progressed through their col-
lege career. If a student retakes too many
you’ve taken biology or chemistry or anat-
omy and physiology or microbiology two
or three times, then we’re probably not go-
ing to take you, unless you’ve gone from
something like a D to an A,” he said.
“My personal recommendation is that
if you haven’t done well in those classes,
then you should probably look for another
career than nursing,” he added.
Marrone said St. Vincent’s also has
general studies and other medical-related
programs aside from nursing.
The information session was the second
in a series arranged by Professor of Biol-
ogy and Director of HCC’s Nursing Pro-
gram Sandra Barnes. The first session, also
with Marrone, was on April 14.
A third session was held on April 28
with Gayle Barrett, the nursing admissions
specialist for the statewide community col-
lege nursing programs.
Barnes said that most of the transfer
sessions that HCC used to host for Nursing
students were for Bridgeport Hospital.
“Most people have much better chances
of getting in to Bridgeport Hospital,” she
cause there aren’t many Master’s-level
nurses to teach all the students who are in-
terested,” she said. “We have 880 people
here in pre-nursing. A lot of students at
Southern [Connecticut State University]
come to Bridgeport Hospital, and it pushes
our students out.”
Barnes was skeptical that St. Vincent’s
would be the best choice for all students,
though.
“If you’ve only been at Housatonic a
semester or two, I could see transferring,”
she said. “But beyond that, you might be
better off here.”
Either way, Barnes agreed with Mar-
rone that a student’s academic performance
would determine his or her long-term suc-
cess in the field. In particular, she empha-
sized that it was important to have strong
math skills to succeed.
“If you’re not good at math, you’re not
going to go anywhere in Nursing,” she
said.

False Alarm Raises Concerns Over Safety

By Brandon T. Bisceglia “Since it went off, we sat back down. We hansson was completely
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus didn’t leave until the third one.” thrown off by the alarm. “I
Some were critical of the disorderly was a nervous wreck,” she

T
he fire alarms in Beacon Hall were
activated three times on the morn-
ing of April 4, leading to an evacua-
tion of the building.
The cause of the alarms, which began at
approximately 10:40 a.m., was not imme-
diately known. Director of Security Chris-
topher Gough said his department was in-
vestigating.
The Bridgeport fire department did not
come to the college, suggesting that there
was no fire to report.
The high-pitched buzzing and flashing
strobes of the alarms interrupted classes.
Students, professors and staff members
way in which the evacuation was handled.
Theater Arts major and Student Life
employee Theresa Giorgio was working in
the Wellness Center at the time. “When the
alarm went off, the students tried to grab
their stuff from their lockers,” she said. “I
think we’re all old enough to know we’re
supposed to leave if there might be a fire.”
She added that the conduct of students
leaving the building was “sheer chaos.”
Director of Student Activities Linda
Bayusik was also disappointed at the slow
reaction to the alarm.
“There were students playing table ten-
nis in the Game Room, so I told them to
said.
Although there is a se-
curity office across the hall
from the office where she
works, she said could not
find any security personnel
to assist her. When she re-
alized what was going on,
she retreated to the patio
connecting the third floor of
Beacon Hall to the parking
garage.
It was there that Bayusik
found her along with other Students mill about outside Beacon Hall, waiting for security to allow
students, and redirected them them back inside.

poured out of the building into the court- leave. They hadn’t noticed. Then I went to back into the building and out Photo by Brandon T. Bisceglia

yard and other areas near the entrances.
The first time that the alarms were acti-
vated, they lasted only a minute before be-
ing abruptly halted. This caused confusion
among some students and teachers.
“We were about to leave when it
stopped,” said Adriana Cedeño, a Criminal
Justice major at HCC who was in the mid-
dle of her Criminology class at the time.
the TV Room and the lounge [on the third
floor], and found people there, too,” she
said.
“Students were on their cell phones,
wandering around. Some of them had ear-
buds – I had to tap one on the shoulder to
tell him to get out,” she said.
“You cannot treat the alarm as a joke,”
she added.
Women’s Center employee Shirley Jo-
the door on the ground floor.
The patio is not considered across one of the streets from the campus.”
a safe option in the event of an emergency. Yet students who exited through the main
“It is your responsibility, wherever you doors in the courtyard remained within
are, to know the evacuation route,” said feet of the building for the duration of the
Bayusik. evacuation.
According to the evacuation procedures After about ten minutes, people were
published on HCC’s website, once people allowed to reenter Beacon Hall.
are outside the building, they are supposed
to proceed to a designated area “at least

Got some news you want covered?

Let us know!
Write to housatonichorizons@gmail.com
4 HORIZONS • News
South Africa Group Visits HCC
By Chad Fisher
Staff Writer
O
n March 19 a group of six South
Africans—four pre-school teach-
ers, one college student, and one
school director—traveled to Bridgeport
in order to learn from our culture and our
ways of teaching.
The group’s main concern was how to
better approach early childhood education.
The trip was part of a program Housa-
tonic’s Early Childhood Education (ECE)
School laboratory started between HCC
and South African preschool teachers. The
goal of the program is to share ideas for
Students’ Message to Legislators “Cut YOUR
Budget!”
By Tori Centopanti
Editor-in-Chief
S
tudents cut classes and called out of
work to rally together at the Hartford
Capitol the morning of April 27 to
protest Governor Dan Malloy’s proposed
budget cuts to higher education.
Only 35 people showed up to the ral-
ly from Housatonic Community College
(HCC), Three Rivers Community College,
and Gateway Community College. But
what they lacked in numbers was compen-
sated by their enthusiasm and passion for
their cause.
During the rally, it was announced that
Students hold up protest signs while Housatonic Community College alum and Women’s Center student-worker Kaitlyn Shake is interviewed by NBC news.
improving early childhood education in
both countries.
Dr. Laurie Noe, director of Housaton-
ic’s ECE program, said the South African
group from the Royal Bafokeng Nation
stayed in Connecticut over a period of
three weeks.
One of the main points of their visit was
four days that were spent at HCC. During
their time at HCC the group learned about
the ECE program.
They learned important aspects of ECE,
such as how to set up an ECE environment,
early childhood language development,
how to set up licensing for teachers, and
what the standards should be for teaching
the cut to the Connecticut Community Col-
lege (CCC) system was reduced from 13
percent to 11.3 percent, which is in line
with all the units of higher education, add-
ing about $4.7 million back to the budget.
Students were not satisfied with the re-
duction though, and began chanting “still
too high,” and “cut your budget.”
If the budget is passed, up to 380 fac-
ulty and staff are going to be laid off. 180
of them would be full-time professors, put-
ting a majority of the community colleges
at risk of losing their accreditation.
NEASC will be evaluating HCC for re-
accreditation in 2012. At HCC alone, up
to 32 full-time professors would be laid off
Photo by Tori Centopanti
children.
“They spent a lot of time observing
the Early Childhood Education labora-
tory,” says Noe. Their visit also included a
symposium that over 120 people attended
in which they discussed their plans for
improving early childhood education in
South Africa.
Noe said the group was amazed by
Housatonic’s collection of African Art. The
group also attended the United Nations In-
ternational Teacher’s Day while they were
here. The rest of their visit was spent tak-
ing in American culture.
“They ate a lot of pizza,” says Noe. Ac-
cording to Noe, every time the group met
when there are only 71 currently—because
two years ago the state forced many of the
full-time faculty into early retirement.
Housatonic was informed April 20
about the potential lay-offs. A petition was,
and is still being, circulated around cam-
pus. By the morning of the rally a week
later, almost 1,000 student signatures had
been collected. That number is still grow-
ing.
Later that day, Governor Malloy’s of-
fice issued a press release announcing the
consolidation of the state’s community
colleges, the Connecticut State Univer-
sity System (CSUS) and Charter Oak State
College.
someone new, that person would suggest
another pizza place for them to try. “Some
of the pizza places they visited were Pepe’s
and Two Boots,” says Noe, noting that the
list of restaurants is longer than that.
Noe and members of the Bridgeport
Alliance for Young Children visited South
Africa in January as part of the exchange.
While the group was here they were
housed with different Rotarians. According
to Noe, two of the South Africans stayed
with HCC President Anita Gliniecki, who
is a Rotarian.
The group departed Connecticut on
April 10.
Effective July 1, this will create a Board
of Regents for the four CSUS colleges
(Eastern, Central, Western and Southern),
the CCC colleges and Charter Oak, as well
as an Advisory Committee to work with
the Board of Regents to create and imple-
ment a strategic plan for higher education.
The release also states that while com-
munity colleges, regional universities and
Charter Oak will remain separate with
distinct missions, each “unit” will have “a
lead individual designated by the Board of
Regents.”
For the full story and more photos visit
hccperspective.blogspot.com
 HORIZONS • News 5

Connecticut Community College students rally at the Capitol in Hartford.

Photo by Tori Centopanti

Students hold up protest signs while Three Rivers Community College student Abby Cobb is interviewed by Housatonic Community College alumni Kevin Green (left) and Chad Hunter (right).
NBC news. Tori Centopanti
Photo by Tori Centopanti

Visit HCC Online!

Curious about the services, courses, and programs at HCC?
Go to http://www.hcc.commnet.edu, the college’s home page.
From there you can navigate the various departments, search for courses,
or follow links to other useful sites, such as MyCommnet and the HCC
Foundation.
6 HORIZONS • News

Students speak with State Senator Anthony Musto, who represents Bridgeport, Monroe and Trumbull.
Photo by Tori Centopanti

Protest sign reads “They say cut back, we say fight back.”
Photo by Tori Centopanti
 HORIZONS • News 7

HCC students speak with State Representative Tony Hwang, 134th Assembly District Representative (Fairfield Housatonic Community College alum Chad Hunter said, “I have a very hard time wrapping my brain
and Trumbull), member of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee. around the fact that Malloy is proposing a budget that would detract from our educational system when we
Photo by Tori Centopanti need one better than it’s ever been, now more than we ever have.”
Photo by Tori Centopanti

Students wore T-shirts with the slogan “Democracy is not a spectator sport.” Housatonic Community College student and Student Life Office student-worker
Photo by Tori Centopanti Theresa Giorgio said, “We’re working together, we need to mesh together, we
need to integrate because that’s what we need right now.”
Photo by Tori Centopanti

Want Horizons on Your iPod?

Listen to

Continuum
Horizons’ weekly companion podcast

Your source for

News, Events, Interviews and Commentary
About HCC and the community.

www.housatonichorizons.podbean.com
8 HORIZONS • News

Attention Students: Save Our College

Act Now!
The SGAs of all 12 Community Colleges want you to flood the Appropriations Committee, Educa-
tion Committee and State Representatives with emails addressing how cuts to the Community Col-
lege Budget will negatively impact students. They will listen to us!

What to say?

It does not have to be long. A few sentences or a paragraph will be fine.

Write about your personal experiences and how the Community Colleges have helped you;
Write about how more tuition increases would affect you; and
Write about how cuts in services would affect you, etc.

Include your name and your school.

Remember, Democracy is NOT a spectator sport.

Let them know that they CANNOT balance the budget on the backs of
students!!
Higher Ed Committee Appropriations- Higher Ed. Subcommittee
beth.bye@cga.ct.gov andrew.maynard@cga.ct.gov
roberta.willis@cga.ct.gov roberta.willis@cga.ct.gov
gary.lebeau@cga.ct.gov Joe.Markley@cga.ct.gov
Juan.Candelaria@cga.ct.gov Terrie.Wood@housegop.ct.gov
Toni.Boucher@cga.ct.gov Catherine.Abercrombie@cga.ct.gov
Tim.LeGeyt@housegop.ct.gov Andrew.Fleischmann@cga.ct.gov
Mike.Alberts@housegop.ct.gov edwin.gomes@cga.ct.gov
Patricia.Dillon@cga.ct.gov Gregory.Haddad@cga.ct.gov
Janice.Giegler@housegop.ct.gov Bryan.Hurlburt@cga.ct.gov
Gregory.Haddad@cga.ct.gov gail.lavielle@housegop.ct.gov
Bryan.Hurlburt@cga.ct.gov Pamela.Sawyer@housegop.ct.gov
Claire.Janowski@cga.ct.gov Jack.Thompson@cga.ct.gov
Douglas.McCrory@cga.ct.gov bill.wadsworth@housegop.ct.gov
Selim.Noujaim@housegop.ct.gov andrew.maynard@cga.ct.gov
Danny.Rovero@cga.ct.gov Peggy.Sayers@cga.ct.gov
Pamela.Sawyer@housegop.ct.gov Toni.Walker@cga.ct.gov

HCC State Representatives

Themis.Klarides@housegop.ct.gov
len.greene@housegop.ct.gov
DebraLee.Hovey@housegop.ct.gov
Christopher.Lyddy@cga.ct.gov
David.Scribner@housegop.ct.gov
Kim.Fawcett@cga.ct.gov
john.shaban@housegop.ct.gov
Andres.Ayala@cga.ct.gov
Terry.Backer@cga.ct.gov
Charles.Clemons@cga.ct.gov
Linda.Gentile@cga.ct.gov
Auden.Grogins@cga.ct.gov
Jack.Hennessy@cga.ct.gov
Laura.Hoydick@housegop.ct.gov
Tony.Hwang@housegop.ct.gov
brenda.kupchick@housegop.ct.gov
Lawrence.Miller@housegop.ct.gov
jason.perillo@housegop.ct.gov
Kim.Rose@cga.ct.gov
TR.Rowe@housegop.ct.gov
Richard.Roy@cga.ct.gov
Ezequiel.Santiago@cga.ct.gov
 HORIZONS • News 9

More Than Just Teachers

By Bobbi Brown
Staff Writer

C
amar Bell is a Nursing major at
HCC, and with the amount of
classes he takes for Nursing, it has
allowed him to build relationships with
professors. Such bonds have made them
not only his teachers, but shoulders to lean
on, and better yet, professors he will never
forget.
“I’m from Jamaica and I often speak
very fast. This past semester, I took a pub-
lic speaking class and fell in love with [it].
[I also] gained a greater respect for my
teacher,” says Bell. “Whenever I had an
issue about my assignment or felt uncom-
fortable with presenting, my speaking pro-
fessor would root me on. She encouraged
me to keep going.”
Wherever you go, students bear witness
to the support certain teachers on campus
are providing for the student population.
HCC has a rising number of more than
6,000 students, but this doesn’t count the
dedicated teachers who help students on a Professor Rizzi, a Math teacher at HCC, helps a student out with math in the tutoring center.
everyday basis. Photo by Bobbi Brown
“I’m so grateful for HCC and its profes-
sors because when I came to HCC, I had
just left a school which offered no support
from my professors, [and] to be honest,
this is why I left that school,” says Kim-
berly Wright.
“I was shy, afraid, and kind of intimi-
dated by my teachers because if I got some-
thing wrong, they would look at me as if I
should have known it, but HCC professors
are such great teachers,” she adds.
There are so many majors at HCC and
there are supportive teachers in each of
these majors. What used to be a barrier
between students and professors has now
become a safe haven for most students.
“I understand teachers have their own
personal lives, but I remember when I was
pregnant with my son, and I was going to
be out for a few classes, my professor en-
couraged me to hold out and reminded me
that HCC will always be there when I re-
turned back,”says Randal Givens, Human
Services major.
No matter what a student may face,
whether it be academic or personal prob-
lems, students feel that a positive relation-
ship with their professor goes along way.
“I feel that being able to talk to my pro-
fessors about school [and] also about is- English teacher spends a little extra time explaining an assignment to one of her students.
sues that affected me academically, helps Photo by Bobbi Brown
me see the value of my teachers in a dif-
ferent way,” says Kory DeVonawick, also
a Human Services major.
“I know where my struggle is academi-
cally and it’s in my math, so I go to tutoring
and it’s kind of crazy that my professor is
my tutor. He not only sees my desire for
help, but also sees what areas I need to
work on the most,” adds DeVonawick.
What used to be a stigma among many
students at HCC has caused more students
to be open and also depend on their profes-
sors for help.
HCC has created an environment that
welcomes so many students from so many
different backgrounds. From registering
for classes, down to getting more support
from the Dean’s Office, students have seen
the hand that keeps on giving.
“I’m excited to be a student at HCC and
would not trade my experience for [any-
thing], from day one-- I was able to speak
and interact with my professors and gain
the help I needed. So yes, my professors
are more than just teachers [to me]!” says
Jah’lyn Kemp.

Teacher explains assignment using blackboard.

Photo by Bobbi Brown
10 HORIZONS • News

Trash Does NOT Belong Here!

By Bobbi Brown is in for every day, but sometimes he gets myself,” says student Kyle Mason. “I think the message Bridgeport is
Staff Writer upset at the little things people do such as “I feel the same way,” says Jenna Co- showing has help me take action whenever
leaving their trash on the table when a gar- hen, a Business major, as she her picks up I see trash or, better yet, I refuse to leave

E
ven with countless hours of hard
cleaning, trash seems to be ending
up in places that it should not be.
Students seem to neglect to put trash where
it really belongs.
Every day, as you enter HCC, you may
stumble upon people dressed in brown or
blue uniforms. These people are not just
paid janitors, but some are students, and
the majority are people who have dedicat-
ed their time to keeping HCC clean. They
want to keep the campus presentable to any
student who walks in.
“The way you keep your school clean is
a direct reflect[ion] on how you keep your
home clean,” says Tyrell Pettway, a student
and janitor at HCC.
He comes to work knowing what he
bage can is sitting within walking distance.
“I know my job is a janitor, and my job
is to clean,” says Pettway, “But I have seen
students drop trash on the school grounds
and walk away as if they didn’t know they
dropped it.”
There are over 6,000 students that at-
tend HCC, and these students go from Bea-
con Hall to Layafette Hall. In each building
there are two major cafeterias where many
students eat and wait for classes. However,
students don’t seem to pay close attention
to the areas around them.
“I’m going to be outright honest. When
I finish eating, I often leave my trash on
the table. I’m not proud of myself because,
although we have janitors here, out of re-
spect it really wouldn’t hurt to pick up after
her trash and dumps it in the bin. “I have any trash after I have finished eating,” says
worked as a waitress before in a restau- Kim Dean.
rant and also as a janitor in a local hotel. I There are trash cans located in each
have seen people walk over or leave simple building as well as each classroom. The
trash on the floor or table, when all they need is great for those HCC students to
had to do is pick it up or throw it away!” respect not just themselves, but the area
Trash has been seen in the courtyard around them.
and even as far as the restrooms. Where “What makes a clean school is the stu-
trash does not belong it most often seems dents who attend it, so lets keep our school
to appear. This is not only a bad look on the clean,” says William Issac, Forensic Sci-
students, but even as far as guests who may ence major.
be visiting the school.
“HCC had a visitor who came on cam-
pus to talk about a book he had written
and it made me really wonder would he
ever come back if HCC was decorated in
trash,” says Dana Mackin with a disgusted
look on her face. “With all the guests we
get on campus, I feel our school should not
only be kept clean by janitors but us as stu-
dents.”
Projects such as “Go Green,” which
has been an ongoing project for the city
of Bridgeport, has inspired local cities and
schools to create a program, such as HCC’s
Friends of the Environment (FOE) club.
FOE informs students on the need to
keep their environment clean as well as
their school. One key component is re-
cycling and picking up after each other.
They have been working towards getting a
garden on campus to grow fruits and veg- One of these recycling bins are placed in every class-
etables in order to help give away food to room and building in HCC.
Photo by Bobbi Brown
those in need. This project will also help
beautify the HCC campus.

Student places her trash in the correct trash bin, recycling the right item. Photo by Bobbi BrownThis is the correct place for trash. Labels are on the trash bins so its easier to know
Photo by Bobbi Brown where trash goes.
Photo by Bobbi Brown

An HCC Success Story

Housatonic Graduate and His Team Win Emmy
By Chad Fisher
Staff Writer
Richard Stabile, a 2003 HCC journalism
graduate, won an Emmy with his News 12
team—comprised of Tom Appleby, Dave
Feuerman, Amy Packham, Louis Mataraz-
zo, Heather Kovar and Amelie Wilson—on
April 3 in New York, NY.
The team won the Emmy for Best
Morning News Cast. The award was given
to them for their breaking coverage of the
May 4, 2010, FBI raid on Faisal Shahzad’s
apartments in Bridgeport and Shelton,
Conn. Shahzad was a suspected terrorist,
and was charged with terrorism and mass
destruction.
Stabile, who grew up in Shelton and
is now producer of the News 12 morning
show, was actually covering for a co-work-
er the morning of the raid.
During his two years at Housatonic he
was a part of the student newspaper, Hori-
zons, every semester. Stabile’s hard work
eventually lead him to become an editor
for the school paper.
He credits much of his success as a tele-
vision producer to his time spent writing
for Horizons.
“Horizons offered me an opportunity
to practice and hone the writing style as I
was learning about journalism,” said Sta-
bile. “It gave me an immediate opportunity
to compare my work to other, more estab-
lished students in the field and with other
published pieces.”
During Stabile’s time at Horizons, Pro-
fessor Steve Mark was the instructor and
advisor, and still holds the position today.
When asked about Stabile’s success, Mark
smiled and said how it makes him very
happy to see a past student succeed. Mark
had nothing but good things to say about
Stabile’s time spent writing for Horizons.
“Rich had a real knack for collaborating
with and supporting his classmates, which
is one of the reasons I asked him to become
an editor for Horizons,” said Mark. “These
qualities have clearly been put to good use
in his work for News 12. To have a former
student go on to meet with success is one
of the greatest rewards an educator can en-
joy.”
Some may think writing for a school
newspaper and producing an Emmy win-
ning television show are worlds apart;
however, Stabile believes he got his cur-
Continued on Page 11

Continued from page 10
rent job due to his background in journal-
ism.
“Sure it took time to adapt to a different
writing style, but that foundation, created
by Horizons and HCC, got my foot in the
door. That was the single most important
skill I could have,” he said.
After graduating in 2003, he moved to
Florida, working different jobs, none of
which were in journalism, and eventually
moved back to Connecticut. Three years
ago he got the job at News 12, originally
working as an associate producer, writer,
line producer, to now having the sole title
of producer.
When asked how he was able to become
a producer at the young age of 28, Stabile
replied it took hard work. “Everything
doesn’t work out to plan. Just work hard
and it will pay off. Hard work is 90 percent
of it,” he said.
He also recalls many times when he felt
like all hope was lost and that he should
give up.
“When I started at News 12, I was way
out of my league. I can think of at least two
times when I wanted to give up and very
nearly did,” he said. “But looking back I
learned more in those moments than I ever
did winning an Emmy. In fact, I very liter-
ally wouldn’t have won if I let myself give
up.”
According to Stabile’s co-workers, it
also takes hard work to stay a producer
and he has all the qualities a great producer
needs.
“Rich and I have worked together for
three years on the morning shift,” said
Amelie Wilson, News 12 morning anchor.
“He is an excellent producer with timely
and sensitive judgment of the news. Some-
By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
Access and Liability Subject of
Equipment Proposal
T S
he Student Senate tabled a motion
at its April 7 meeting that would
make cameras available to photog-
raphy students on campus.
The discussion between the senators
revealed how tenuous the balance can be
between providing equipment and main-
taining responsibility for it. Questions of
equality and cost also surfaced.
The Student Senate had taken up the
proposal to purchase cameras after learn-
ing that there were students taking Digital
Photography classes who lacked the abil-
ity to acquire the equipment on their own.
Students taking those classes are required
to have access to a camera.
Originally, it was thought that the cam-
eras might be held in the college’s library.
Director of Library Media Services Lois
McCracken had been asked about the fea-
sibility of the arrangement, and had pro-
vided a written statement prior to the meet-
ing detailing how her department would
handle circulation of the cameras.
“I strongly suggest you limit the usage
to the students enrolled in the photography
class,” she wrote.
“If the student senate wants to be re-
sponsible for damage or lost cameras, that
is their decision,” she wrote, “but we will
not be responsible for carrying out that pol-
icy. We will simply let student government
know…that a camera has gone missing or
is broken.” She added that it would be dif-
ficult to prove that a student had broken a
camera, because they could simply claim it
was damaged when they’d received it.
“The library has heard them all and we
HORIZONS • News 11
Professor Steve Mark, advisor to HCC’s journalism program (left) and Richard Stabile (right).
Photo by Chad Fisher
how he’s able to keep his cool while stack- about hard work. alumni, Stabile’s message was: “Failure
ing a show, talking to anchors, reporters “You don’t have to go to a four-year happens, mistakes happen but if you ac-
and photographers in the field and directors school as long as you work hard and put cept that, pick yourself up and don’t quit,
in the control room.” She added that pro- your all into everything you do,” said Sta- success will come.”
ducing is a juggling act, and Rich makes it bile, adding that a four-year degree doesn’t To check out more information on Sta-
look effortless. hurt, but there is hope for a hard working bile and his Emmy award winning team
When asked about whether it made a community college student. check out nynatas.org.
difference for a person to have a four-year When asked what one thing he want-
degree, Stabile reinforced his statement ed to share with Housatonic students and
Student Senate Updates
then generally the matter. tied to the committee meetings. She also
have to absorb advocated for funding to depend in part on
the costs,” she Clubs Given the clubs’ participation in various annual
wrote. New Budget school-wide events, including Club Day,
Senator Ryan Rules the Welcome Back Party, the New Student
Leidy questioned Orientation, and the Open House/Infor-
why students tart- mation Session. The Student Senate has
were signing up ing in had trouble securing volunteers for those
for the classes the Fall events in past semesters.
in the first place 2011 semes- “They should all have a representative
if they couldn’t ter, clubs will at Club Day—that’s their day,” she said.
afford the equip- once again “To have empty tables, and people looking
ment. HCC’s Student Senate. From left to right: Treasurer John Paul automatically for clubs, and no one’s there, sends a bad
“I have to Keleman, Mariah Smith, Vincent Schiavone, Miyanda Mudin- get two thou- message. We have the sign-up sheets there,
pay for my own gayi, President Konrad Mazurek, Scott Day, Priscilla Mathew, sand dollars to and buttons on the tables, and they’re emp-
Ryan Leidy, Keira Haller, Parliamentarian Dave Koch.
books, note- Photo by Brandon T. Bisceglia work with. ty.”
books, pens and The Stu- “Maybe we shouldn’t allocate any mon-
pencils...I’m dent Senate voted at its April 21 meeting to ey to the clubs,” Keleman wondered aloud.
sure you know – I’m sure it’s written right reinstate the old policy of automatic fund- “One way we could get them involved with
there,” he said. ing after a protracted debate over how to the Activities [Committee] meetings is to
He also criticized the notion that only a hold clubs accountable for using the mon- make them essentially have to go to the
select portion of the student body would be ey responsibly. meetings for any money.”
given access to the cameras. The current policy, which requires each “We could even get rid of the whole
“If the decision is made to purchase club to submit budget requests a semester idea of club budgets and just have a gen-
them,” he argued, “I think that every stu- ahead of time, was dropped because many eral Student Activities Fund,” he added.
dent should be allowed to use these cam- of the clubs had problems complying with “That’s all it is in the school administration
eras.” the deadlines and procedures. anyway—they don’t have the club budgets
Treasurer John Paul Keleman agreed. The policy was adopted a year ago in an recognized anywhere.”
“To buy something with the general attempt to give clubs more flexibility with “I think it’s a good idea to have them
Student Activity Fund and say that only their funds, as well as to encourage them to more involved,” said Senator Priscilla
students in certain classes can participate plan for events further ahead of time. Mathew. “But if we didn’t give them a
in using them—that’s not right.” The automatic allocation will have budget, our Activities [Committee] meet-
President Konrad Mazurek said that he some strings attached to it. The clubs will ings would be ten times longer.”
saw the virtue of Leidy’s and Keleman’s be required to have a representative at the Senator Vincent Schiavone suggested
position. Activities Committee meetings, or lose one an alternative approach.
“At the same time, we’re concerned hundred dollars each time they miss one. “Why don’t we give them one thousand
about the students damaging the equip- The final proposal was amended mul- [dollars], and see what they do with it, then
ment,” he said. “If we’re going to go for- tiple times, after stricter measures failed to decide if they deserve another thousand?”
ward with that concern as a justification garner sufficient support. he asked. “If they want another thousand,
for not buying any equipment, we might Treasurer John Paul Keleman first rec- we could give it to them. Then if they want
as well stop ever buying anything, period.” ommended that the Student Senate revert another [third] thousand, we could take it
Although other Senators agreed with to the two thousand dollar rule. from one of the other clubs and give it to
Mazurek, the pricing of cameras was un- Assistant Director of Student Activities them, if they’re making something that’s a
known. Without an exact amount to vote Kelly K. Hope urged that club budgets be
on, the Student Senate was forced to table Continued on Page 12
12
Continued from page 11
big change.”
“I don’t think we could fairly judge how
useful an event is to the campus,” replied
Senator Scott Day.
Keleman also objected, pointing out
that they were making things too compli-
cated for themselves.
Getting Ready for Graduation
By Lovanda Brown
Editor-at-Large
G
raduation is around the corner, but
wait, it’s not over yet.
For some, it is a time that has
been long awaited, remembering when
pre-conceived notions of successfully ob-
taining an associate’s degree in two years
was deemed a distant hope after the first
two semesters of their experience here at
Housatonic. For others, it is the beginning
of a new chapter, a transitional period that
commences the start of one’s adult life. For
all, it is the beginning of the end; the final
“hoorah” which expresses the half-pointed
demise of one’s college experience.
HCC’s graduation is finally here, and
yes, it’s about time.
Still, the process to finally “tie all loose
ends” is more than just the purchase of an
awkwardly squared hat and a uniformed
robe. Graduating from HCC requires a sta-
ble grounding of “ducks” carefully placed
in sequential order. Preparation is key.
While the anticipation can be found
dwelling inside eager peers, it seems they
are not the only people excited about the
upcoming ceremony. “We are expecting
the highest number of graduates this year;
500, that’s phenomenal,” said Anna Cruz,
administrative assistant for the Dean of
Students.
Cruz advises that a student expecting to
graduate must be sure to check inside of
his/her active email address for an “Impor-
tant Commencement Information” notice.
“This letter was sent out to everyone [ex-
pecting to graduate]. Any questions that a
student has about [graduation] should be
on there.”
But before a student can fully inves-
tigate how the ceremony will be taking
place, one must first ensure that he/she is
eligible to participate. One must also un-
derstand what this means. So I had a word
with Jim Connolly, HCC’s very own Reg-
istrar located in Lafayette Hall.
Q: So Jim, exactly what is it that
By Travis Owens
Staff Writer
M
ost students attend college be-
cause of their desire to gradu-
ate and begin a career that falls
under the major of their choice. However,
every student undergoes moments of strug-
gle, whether academically or personally.
Some of these students do a better job of
hiding it than others, with school not only
serving academic purposes, but other mo-
tives as well.
There are some students who aren’t
here necessarily because they want to be.
Some may be here because the college
environment serves as a means for escap-
HORIZONS • News
“I have a fear that what we’re doing
here is building a bureaucracy. We’re es-
sentially creating the kinds of things we
complain about,” he said. “If we do it, we
need to make it simple—we need to make
it point-blank.”
Keleman said that he understood the
validity of creating penalties for missing
Want to learn more about the Graduation Ceremony? See Anna Cruz, Assistant to the Dean of Students.
Photo by Lovanda Brown
should be done by a student in order to
be able to walk in the ceremony?
A: Well,first off all, they have to com-
plete all academic and financial responsi-
bilities to the college.
Q: Okay, so then what?
A: Then,they need to complete a gradu-
ation application and I review the submis-
sions. If there’s a problem, I send out a let-
ter stating that.
Q: Can you suggest one thing to make
the process that much easier?
A: I think it’s important to apply before
the semester [a student] graduates so that
way, if you’re missing a class, you have an
extra semester to make it up.
Q: So any words on what to expect at
the ceremony?
A: I just get everyone lined up at the
ceremony. Any information on speakers
and that whole process would all come
from Anna (Cruz).
Still, there comes a time when a student
reflects upon all that is to happen; ponder-
Can School Save Students
from Personal Adversity?
ing the stress that life and a dysfunctional
home brings.
These students are often seen outside
of class, having a good time and trying
to compensate for the lack of enthusiasm
at home. The issues they face outside of
school could possibly have an adverse ef-
fect on them mentally and emotionally.
The hardship of having a dysfunctional
family can be very depressing for many
students. HCC student Salvatorae Fequiere
can recall moments when stress was at its
highest in his life.
“About five months ago, I was threat-
ened to get kicked out of my home. School
was my biggest concern; subsequently,
finding a place to live became my biggest
concern,” he says.
Activities Committee meetings, as well
as Club Day and Orientation, but said that
“they have to be concrete.”
“There are so many ‘if’s’ and ‘and’s’
that we can make our lives very difficult
and make them very angry,” he argued.
Mathew concurred. “I think we should
just flat-down give them two thousand
ing upon graduation is another process in
itself.
“The thought of passing, or not passing,
all of my classes to graduate is the most dif-
ficult part of the graduation process,” says
Julian Gordon, an Early Childhood Educa-
tion major who plans on attending “Sacred
Heart or UB (University of Bridgeport),
whichever has the best business program.”
“Actually passing and graduating will
be the most rewarding,” says Gordon. She
also advises that the best time to look at
other schools is now. This will better a stu-
dent’s chances of getting into fall classes.”
This is true; the earlier, the better, as
Connolly suggests. Nonetheless, once all
obligations are fulfilled, the proud parade
across the stage can now be executed.
According to the Commencement In-
formation notice, “Housatonic Community
College’s 44th Commencement will be
held on Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 7:00
p.m at the Arena at Harbor Yard, 600 Main
Street, Bridgeport.”
So for expecting graduates, please don’t
Students with these issues find school
as a means of getting away from all the
pain and negativity at home.
Students also deal with the issue of un-
derestimating their academic potential. A
lot of students say they don’t think they’re
capable of getting good grades because of
prior poor results on tests or exams. More-
over, some say their parent or guardian at
home never really showed them much sup-
port in school, but criticized them when
they got bad grades.
Former HCC student Mark Eccleston
says, “My family always [found] fault in
my school work. It was never good enough,
even if I had a good grade.”
This feeling of discouragement weighs
heavily on students and prevents them
[dollars] like we’ve been talking about,
and the deductions if they don’t come to
the Activities Committee meetings, and
then just call it a day.”
Although her suggestion was eventual-
ly carried out, twenty more minutes passed
as other versions of the budget policy were
proposed, voted on, and defeated.
hesitate to mark your calendars!
The notice also describes other valuable
information for the graduates of Spring
2011. For those of you who neglected to
check your e-mails, here’s a run down of
what the notice entails and what to expect
at this year’s ceremony:
First, the ceremony begins promptly
at 7:00 p.m. The doors will open an hour
before for all participants and guests. (Stu-
dents are urged to enter the Arena using
“the Guest Services Entrance only.”)
Qualified representatives of HCC will
then usher you to your designated area.
After which, you will be immediately
directed to stand in an alphabetically orga-
nized line of your graduating peers.
During the ceremony, you will receive
a welcome from HCC President, Anita Gli-
niecki as well as a few words from a list of
undisclosed speakers.
Next, the real show begins, as you “as-
cend the stairs to the stage to receive your
diploma” from Gliniecki herself.
(Students should also understand that,
“the actual diploma [not just the cover
handed to you on stage] may be picked up
in the Registrar’s Office (B109) starting
Friday, July 1, 2011.”)
And at approximately 8:30, when the
possible “wave” rolls through all graduates
in attendance and you are pronounced the
triumphant class of 2011, a few emotions
might finally settle in. Whether it’d be a
burst of excitement, a tranquil feeling of fi-
nality or the delightful thoughts of celebra-
tions occurring post commencement; it is
a moment most people hold on to, and one
most of you will never forget.
As much as some students would ne-
glect to admit, HCC offers a great deal of
opportunity to develop in almost any field
of interest. And as time goes by, some fail
to realize, just how much impact this cam-
pus can have on a person and just how fast
life progresses forward.
So, for pending graduates of tomorrow,
Gordon offers one nugget from the wise,
“Time waits for no one; [please,] be sure to
spend it wisely.”
from devoting one hundred percent of their
ability towards school.
Professor of Psychology Madeleine
Burbank says, “For some, they just simply
come and say, ‘I’m having personal issues,
so I’m dropping the class.’ Very often they
try to stick it out until the end; but ulti-
mately, attitude is the biggest factor with
students who struggle with personal issues
at home.”
A great number of students are familiar
with the words, “You either go to school,
get a job or get out.” While this may not be
completely negative for some students, it
can raise emotional fear and sadness of not
meeting these requirements.
Continued on Page 13
 HORIZONS • News 13

Continued from page 12 house to live with my grandparents be-

“My mom was always telling me, ‘Go
get a job, you’re lazy,’ which was stressful
for me at times,” Accounting major Javar
Latibeaudiere said. This form of belittle-
ment makes the idea of getting kicked out
of a parent’s house even worse.
Another personal problem students face
is financial issues.
“I had to take a semester off because I
lost my job and I couldn’t afford to sup-
port myself with food and transportation
daily,” Criminal Justice major Brandon
Slade says.
Computer Science major Gemel
Dawkins says, “I got turned down for fi-
nancial aid and I had to pay out of pocket,
which was very hard to come by.”
At some point during a semester, some
students suffer from psychological issues,
such as the loss of a loved one, family
member or friend. Unfortunately, this emo-
tional stress often isolates a student from
school, which causes them to withdraw or
suddenly drop out.
Other students experience the emotion-
al pain of not having a stable home while
attending school. “I moved out my mom’s
cause the relationship with my mom wasn’t
working out, but it didn’t last long before
my grandfather told me I had to leave; this
caused me to move back in with my mom
because I had nowhere else to go,” HCC
student Jermaine Brown says.
Hernan Yepes, director of Student De-
velopment and Services at HCC, feels that
“students come in with various personal
and life obstacles, which cause some to un-
fortunately stop attending.”
“However, the counseling staff is avail-
able here, and we do our best to help stu-
dents with all types of issues,” he adds.
“But the important fact is, they’re here in
school, and they took the first step to do so,
which is admirable considering how many
out there are not in school.”
There is no student who lives a stress-
free life. Some students may have issues
that are more emotionally stressful than
others, but most students come across
some sort of pain or adversity outside of Is there a reason one of these HCC students’ smile is not as vibrant as the others?
Photo by Travis Owens
school that affects their school perfor-
mance in some shape or form. with the overwhelming stress that school As Burbank said, it’s all about the atti-
While some students find ways to cope brings sometimes, it’s difficult to carry the tude a student has and the support they get
with such adversity, others suffer the hard- weight of the challenges from home and from home, school, or anywhere else that
ship with no support or help. In addition, life at the same time. determines their future.

Too Many Nurses?

By Whitley-Ann Grant need as great as the quantity? can continue their education at any of the Johnson attends school four days a
Staff Writer Driving on the highways seeing bill- schools linked with HCC. week and says she is dedicated to her stud-
boards or flicking through your channels This career is not just based on your ies. “I don’t mind,” she adds. “I love sci-

W
alking into the ambulatory care
unit, you see a lot. From pa-
tients anxiously awaiting sur-
gery, to those in need of recovery, a nurse
must attend to every ailment. As a nurse,
you meet and greet patients constantly,
relaying to them all the vital information
they need, from what they should do pri-
or to their surgery and what medications
they should take, to how to deal with the
discomfort, pain, or overall attitude about
their medical experience.
In this profession, ever minor detail is
imperative, especially when those details
involve discovering a medication or food
allergy, that might change a routine surgery
into a fatal experience. For an example, if
a patient is allergic to seafood they cannot
receive iodine. Also, the countless bits of
medical history and health stats that are re-
corded (blood pressure, pulse rate, respira-
tion, and temperature).
Anyone who has had a nurse tend to
them becomes easily convinced that a
nurse is among one the most stressful, tir-
ing, and necessary positions. But is the
watching TV, you can see that the differ-
ent degree programs for nursing are highly
advertised. Due to this, the influx of nurs-
ing students over the past several years has
been intense. With almost 6,000 students
enrolled in HCC and 880 of them advised
for the nursing program, people are begin-
ning to question the reasons. Some say it
is because of the money, or because you
will always have a job. But are these rea-
sons alone worth the process? And are they
even true?
Miranda Givens, 20, Human Services
major, once desired to enter the Nursing
program. She switched majors when she
started taking the required science classes.
“I think a lot of people are in it for the mon-
ey. I couldn’t focus on the science courses,
the highest grades I got were Cs,” she said.
It is required to pass all the course re-
quirements for nursing, which includes
much science and math. Some of the re-
quired classes include anatomy, chemistry,
biology, nutrition, psychology, and micro-
biology. These courses require much of
your time to study to do well. After these
courses are complete, nursing students
grade point average and completion of the
required classes. Nursing programs are
interested with your skills and personal-
ity too. Nurses are usually compassion-
ate, witty, independent thinkers, patient,
have common sense, and are able to handle
stress well. These skills are important be-
cause nurses have to be able to make pa-
tients and families feel comfortable while
doing their job. You have to-by your own
nature- love and care about taking care of
people, while still professionally fulfilling
your duties.
According to Sandra Barnes, the Advi-
sor to the Nursing program, students from
HCC will usually start at a “nursing home
with their associates.” She also says, “It’s
the only career in the medical field that’s
most talked about. People are unaware of
other options. What most students don’t
know is that, you earn your money. You
earn every penny.”
Kimoy Johnson, a Nursing major, knew
she wanted to be a nurse because she is
“passionate about people,” she says. “I
notice that a lot of people are in it for the
money, and that’s not good. I am not.”
ence. I feel sorry for those who don’t love
it as much as I do, we do a lot of science.”
Unlike Johnson, however, many Nurs-
ing students have alternative motives for
a Nursing degree. If the coursework is so
strenuous, however, how is the number of
those students increasing? According to the
U.S. Institutes of Labor, “the main reason
for the growth is because the U.S. popula-
tion that is moving into elderly homes is
growing to record levels and is in greater
need of physical and long-term care.”
Furthermore, as science develops new
technologies everyday, there are far more
people entering hospitals for routine sur-
geries. All, of course, possible because of
the job of a nurse.
As far as the question of the existence
of “too many nurses,” it seems Givens put
it the most clearly. “The best thing about
nursing is that wherever you go, you will
always have a job.”
Statistics from: http://nursinglink.mon-
ster.com/benefits/articles/132-nursing-sal-
ary-projections-for-2011

Horizons is on Facebook!
Visit the Housatonic Horizons Facebook fan page to read the latest
about what’s going on at HCC as well as articles you won’t find in the
paper, and to send us links, comments, and suggestions.
14 HORIZONS • News
Five Candidates, Five Voices, One City
By Eric Bjornson people, to arouse them from inactivity.
Staff Writer Issues like the flagging economy, trans-
parency of municipal government, Bridge-
W
ith the municipal election for port’s budget problems, and plans for seri-
the office of Mayor coming in ous business endeavors to stimulate growth
November, candidates are gear- in the city will all be heavily addressed by
ing up by gathering support, fundraising, the active candidates. Foremost, at this
and reaching out to the community through early point in the campaign, is the issue of
meet-and-greets, word of mouth, and rigor- jobs and turning around the prospects for
ous advertising. Incumbent Mayor Finch, a city nearly bereft of manufacturing and
Mary-Jane Foster, Charlie Coviello, Jeff industry, but which once had a strong eco-
Kohut, and John Gomes, all but one who nomic base that made Bridgeport a focal
are Democrats, will be vying for the high- point of production and commerce in the
est office in the city of Bridgeport. nation.
Facade of City Hall on Lyon Terrace.
Photo by Eric Bjornson
Facade of City Hall Annex on Broad Street.
Photo by Eric Bjornson
The list of contenders hoping to topple But who are the candidates and what do
they propose for the city of Bridgeport?
incumbent Finch are fresh up-and-comers
as well as two practiced fighters/partici- All of the active candidates—besides
pators in the game. Foster and Kohut are Finch—agree that Bridgeport’s municipal
newcomers in municipal politics, while government is currently lacking. Luckily,
Charlie Coviello has run in the past two their approach is more than just smearing
municipal elections, and John Gomes is the incumbent—as is often the case in the
Finch’s former deputy chief administrative grueling game of politics—and they seem
officer, to be in accordance over the fact that the
But there is no time to waste. With Finch economic situation is dire.
fortified in office with $300,000 amassed A stagnating economy compounded by
for campaign purposes and assured of a a diminishing number of jobs and opportu-
sizable Democratic vote, the candidates nities and an air of hopelessness which re-
are going to have to hit the streets hard. Ul- sounds during hard economic times makes
timately, it is the people who will make or the city of Bridgeport in need of a carefully
break their candidacy. orchestrated intervention.
With the Sept. 13 primary only a few Multi-mayoral candidate Charlie Covi-
months away, it will be essential for these ello, a man with deep familial roots in the
candidates to make connections with the city and who is a social activist and realtor,
citizens of Bridgeport. In a city known believed: “One of the biggest problems is
for an exceptionally low voter turnout rate that outsiders are running our city. These
(23.3 percent during 2007 municipal elec- guys are milking the city dry.” Coviello
tion, according to CT.gov website), great said that without any personal stakes in
efforts will have to be made to reach the the city, the management would be greatly
flawed, without incentive to truly improve
the situation.
Candidate John Gomes, a former
member of the Finch administration who
worked as Director of the CitiStat pro-
gram, has similar sentiments. “I live in the
city of Bridgeport, I pay taxes in
Bridgeport, I invest in Bridgeport,” he
said. “How can you manage a city which
you’re truly not a part of?”
Mary-Jane Foster has been actively
involved with the city for years. “I’ve in-
vested time and my heart in this city,” said
Foster, candidate and vice-president of
University Relations at UB (University of
Bridgeport) and co-founder of the Bridge-
port Bluefish, “I’m unwilling to sit back
and see this city poorly managed.”
Jeff Kohut, an independent candidate
and a social justice and environmental
activist and Member of Lake Forest Asso-
ciation Block Watch and North End Com-
munity Council, spoke of a new alternative
to the Finch administration and its prede-
cessors and the role he believes the city
has been relegated to. “We cannot allow
ourselves to accept a lesser role, a lesser
situation, than we need to have a truly vi-
able city.”
Gomes, who has lived through and wit-
nessed a vapid economy in Bridgeport for
years, questioned the lack of a strong eco-
nomic base.
“Why is every city around us going
through economic development?” Gomes
asked. “…Fairfield, New Haven-all these
towns around us have an economic boom.”
Kohut believes it is because Bridgeport
has been given a role, that which is used to
the benefit of surrounding cities and sub-
urbs, like Stamford, Trumbull, etc. “…We
have to stop all this influence, this subur-
ban gold coast influence, that will basically
entrap our development prerogatives into
being defined in terms of being a housing
hub and a transit center, which is just re-
ally being a service center for prosperous
suburbs and gold coast.”
Kohut wants to break free from the con-
straints of Bridgeport being solely used for
housing and transit-oriented purposes. He
feels that the current and past administra-
tions have perpetuated the use of Bridge-
port’s workforce outside of the city, bol-
stering other cities and town’s economic
initiatives, never focusing on bringing
industry and manufacturing to Bridgeport
itself.
The fact is Bridgeport, once a bustling,
thriving hub of economic development, is
now a shadow of its former self.
Throughout the country jobs are an is-
sue. According to statistics divulged by the
National Conference of State Legislatures,
national unemployment rates were 8.8 per-
cent in March. During the same month,
according to the CT Department of Labor,
Bridgeport’s unemployment rate was 14.5
percent.
But what can Bridgeport do to play
game-changer, to stimulate an economy
and bring back the sense of prosperity
which once made citizens and business
owners proud to live and work in Bridge-
port?
While formally announcing her candi-
dacy in a speech she delivered at the Holi-
day Inn in downtown Bridgeport, Foster
spoke of the success with the addition of
the Bridgeport Bluefish and Harbor Yard
which she fought for twelve years ago:
“The ballpark and arena are perfect exam-
ples of what can happen when people have
the vision and will to put words into action:
Create an idea, nurture its development,
and shepherd it to completion through a
private-public partnership.”
According to Foster, the endeavor she
spoke of eventually created hundreds of
jobs in Bridgeport and continues to bring
500,000 people to the city every year for
the sporting/entertainment events at Har-
bor Yard. She believes it can happen again,
even to a greater extent.
With her unshakable foundation in
business, Foster wants to help bring back
industries to the city and to once again
garner interest in Bridgeport. “We need
economic development with a plan to ag-
gressively promote the city across the state
and country.”
Gomes also sees great potential. “There
are components in Bridgeport that just
need the right person to give a push,” he
said. “We need to compliment many of the
resources we have here.”
Gomes looks to restore activity and
commerce to the deep-water harbor, an-
other neglected resource facing prolonged
inactivity. He wants to foster the growth of
jobs, in construction and in other perma-
nent positions, while keeping the doors of
city Hall opened to work with small busi-
nesses. Being a Bridgeport business-owner
himself, as the owner of the Red Rooster
Deli on the East Side, Gomes believes he
can garner the kind of relationships which
will be beneficial for the community, the
workforce, and city Hall.
He also criticized the lack of efficiency
and follow-through exhibited by the cur-
rent and former administrations regarding
the fruition of other programs which could
stimulate greater job-development.
“For 30 years we have been sitting on a
program called Steel Point,” Gomes said,
“What happened?”
For Mayor Finch, Steel Point is a prior-
ity. “We received the largest grant in the
history of the city of Bridgeport,” he said,
regarding an $11 million dollar Tiger grant
which will help move development for-
ward. The Mayor wants the construction to
occur in various phases, spreading out the
work over a period of time, so that it will
be “easier for the tax payers.”
Steel Point, a plan for waterfront prop-
erty to be developed for commercial and
residential development, has been stalled
time and time again, though. In February,
a Republican spending plan that would de-
prive the city of an $11 million dollar grant
for Steel Point was approved by the U.S.
House of Representatives, putting the grant
at risk.
Candidate John Gomes.
Photo courtesy of Johngomes.com
But Kohut thinks Steel Point would be
counterproductive anyway. “Steel Point,
that’s just workforce housing for Stam-
ford…Again, the tax benefits are mini-
mal,” he said, “And its going to occupy
land that could be used for industrial pur-
poses, which could provide thousands of
new jobs and millions, many millions in a
new tax base.”
Kohut proposes a new approach—or at
least one revitalized to modern standards.
“Bridgeport needs to be reindustrialized.
That is our blue print back to prosperity,”
he stated. “P.T. Barnum had a vision that
worked. All we need to do is retrace our
steps and give it a modern twist, in terms of
alternative energy, equipment manufactur-
ing technology.”
“We have all the ingredients that we
Continued on Page 15
 HORIZONS • News 15

Continued from Page 14 was once situated. Kohut is currently pe- prospect. “I don’t vote because there is no
need to reestablish Bridgeport as a major titioning politicians and GE chairman Jef- point,” he said. “I don’t vote. I don’t gam-
industrial center,” he said. “We have the frey Immelt in regards to this matter. ble.” For Alvin, the concept of voting can
industrial land; we have connections to Kohut wants to actively pursue “green- be compared to playing roulette, except the
companies such as G.E., DuPont, Harvey energy-independence” for the city. Produc- odds of winning seem even more minute,
Hubble, and the machine tool industry. tion and manufacturing of alternative-en- since he has seen minimal change over
We have access to world class institutions, ergy-equipment, including wind turbines the years but has heard many repetitious
with world class technology programs.” and solar panels, will create myriad jobs promises and rhetoric about the betterment
as well as allow Bridgeport to be self-sus- of the city.
taining, returning to its viable, prosperous Other students, like Dana Daniels, have
position of former years. Mayor Bill Finch. no intention of registering to vote. A sim-
An economic boost would surely im- Photo courtesy of Greenwichtime.com ple curt “no,” exhibited a disinterest which
prove the city. But Gomes also focused is not uncommon in younger students.
on another idea to improve Bridgeport, politically connected who have been hired But HCC Student Senate Treasurer
focusing heavily on municipal government by a mayor who is beholden to the political John Keleman said there are plenty of rea-
itself. process,” she said during her speech at the sons why students should participate in the
Gomes looks to the initial CitiStat Holiday Inn. political process. “One, they are our public
model, which was based upon the suc- “We have a looming fiscal crisis on servants, they work for us, so we have to
cessful endeavor proposed by the city of our hands,” Foster said in an earlier inter- tell them what we want. Second, off the
Baltimore in order to fight corruption, bad view. “Our rainy day fund is additionally bat, we are human beings and whatever
practices and negligence in government, depleted.” She mentioned a “tremendous legislation they create affects our lives, our
which was implemented during his time amount of wasteful spending” by the Finch livelihoods,” he said.
Candidate Jeff Kohut.
with the Finch Administration. As the Di- administration in various areas. “This ad- The candidates also believe that par-
Photo courtesy of CT Post; Photo by B.K. Ange-
rector of that program, Gomes apparently ministration does not have the vision for ticipation in the process is vital. They urge
letti
looked into every minute facet of the city’s revitalizing the city. There is no room for students, community members, to get out
services. These included everything from economic development. Revitalization has there and vote.
Also thinking in the green-scheme of
the use of parking meters for revenue in to begin with growth.” Calling upon students and members of
things, Coviello proposed another idea;
certain areas to the consumption of gas by But Mayor Finch sees progress, es- the Bridgeport community to strive for a
one he said would ultimately bring about
city vehicles which eventually ate away at pecially in regards to “stabilizing city fi- better Bridgeport, John Gomes said, “You
the creation of jobs and help citizens save
the budget. nances.” He believes he has shown fiscal can be a part of the difference by taking
money. “We’re going to create a green city
CitiStat, according to Gomes, can responsibility in a considerable way with an active stand, because the decisions you
in the truest sense. Not just putting rain
stop wasteful spending and can ultimate- tangible proof to back it up. “For three have made have impacted where you are
barrels beneath somebody’s gutter and
ly save millions, like the $100 million years in a row, we have lowered spending,” today. We can change the dynamic of ev-
calling it green,” he said.
saved overtime he said, while erything in Bridgeport.”
He wants to see the creation of heating
by the O’Malley also pointing out “The slogan that every vote counts is
districts, based upon a model developed
administration in the fact that he real,” Foster said. “If you don’t participate
for commercial use in Sweden, which
Baltimore. It em- has not raised there’s no hope things will change.”
have been utilized by municipal authori-
phasizes synergy taxes, a move Coviello spoke about his time with the
ties throughout the Scandinavian country
between depart- that is anomalous Young Democrats, an activist group which
and were first discovered in 1945, accord-
ments, precision when compared sought voter participation and pushed for
ing to Svensk Fjarrvarme, a member of
in allocating funds to other cities in the issues they saw affecting the American
the Swedish District Heating Association.
as well as creating Connecticut and people. “We affected every convention we
Such districts utilize waste water—the
new, more efficient throughout the went to. We had votes,” he said. “This is
by-product of steam/heated water emitted
methods of gener- nation. a participatory democracy. If you don’t
from power plants—to provide heating for
ating revenue. It is an early participate that democracy won’t be here
communities.
Although the point in the race. much longer.”
Heating districts would also compli- Candidate Charlie Candidate Mary-Jane
Finch administra- Coviello. Foster. But contention and “We have to make sure that we give
ment Coviello’s plan to create “urban gar-
tion continues the Photo courtesy of CT Photo courtesy of Onlyin- debatable issues are them the right message in an understand-
dens” using hydroponic facilities, which
would grow fresh produce with heated CitiStat program, Post; Photo by Christian Bridgeport.com already blooming, able way and convince them that, if they
Abraham
Gomes claims it has just waiting for the simply get out and participate in the pro-
water fortified with a nutrient solution,
deviated from its original format. He be- right venue for the chosen mayoral candi- cess, their lives will get better overtime,”
without the use of soil. Coviello said
lieves he was removed from his position dates to do battle. Kohut said.
these facilities could be set up in many of
because his recommendations were out of But one thing the candidates understand “Politics is great. Unfortunately, since
Bridgeport’s derelict factories and proper-
line with the current administration’s pri- and are in firm agreement upon is voter the Reagan-era, there’s been a media drum-
ties owned by the city and would create a
orities. participation. With Finch most likely feel- beat to show politics in its worse light,”
new market for such commodities.
“As Director of CitiStat, my job was ing somewhat comfortable in his incum- Finch said, hoping students would not be
“The secret is that waste water we were
to study the city, to learn what was wrong bency, with a clear monetary advantage, disheartened and continue to participate.
throwing away before, but now we get to
with the city,” said Gomes, who, through backed by the Democratic party which is He also spoke about being engaged, not
use it, and it saves us money, and we’re not
his work as Director of CitiStat, had a the majority in Bridgeport, the contenders just in terms of voting for the President, but
burning oil, we’re not burning gas,” he said
“hope of bringing a sense of transforma- know reaching the masses is integral. In a in participating in the other tiers of govern-
during a meet-and-greet speech at White’s
tion to the city.” city where participation is limited, there ment as well. “You got to get involved on
Diner, focusing on the costless waste water
But the Mayor said the CitiStat program are thousands upon thousands of potential all those levels,” he said.
which can fuel the heating districts as well
is effective. Along with the new develop- voters, waiting to be tapped by a candidate The prospects are real. The issues have
as provide heated water (at 85 degrees, ide-
ment of QAlert, a web-based program that with the right message and the determina- a great bearing on the lives of the citizens.
al for use with hydroponics) for his urban
keeps tabs on citizen’s service requests and tion to reach the people. The fact remains that the people are still
gardens.
helps gauge effectiveness of the depart- According to the State of Connecticut’s the greatest conduit for change.
“As we recover from this recession, the
ments in charge of mollifying any prob- official website, during the Nov. 6 munici- For students, those possibly disinterest-
transition to clean energy has the potential
lems identified in a timely manner, the pal election in 2007, which then Senator ed with the process or facing generalized
to grow our economy and create millions
Mayor seems genuinely pleased with the Bill Finch won, only 23.3 percent of the indifference, this is a chance to be knowl-
of jobs,” President Obama once said dur-
results. 56,620 of the registered voters turned out. edgeable, to use that knowledge to make
ing his speech in response to the BP Oil
“Through CitiStat,” Mayor Finch said, There is undeniably a large, potentially un- a decision which might profoundly affect
Spill in the Gulf on June 15, 2010.
“we can continue to do more with less.” touched mass of citizens not casting a vote. the city of Bridgeport. Voting is about tack-
Kohut believes that Bridgeport should
But Foster also challenged the Finch That’s one of the challenges. It is mak- ling the future, taking the initiative to help
be the epicenter for that green revolution.
administration and spoke of a need for ing the people care, and making them be- implement a better system to represent the
Currently, he is fighting to get GE to “come
change in the management of government. lieve in a candidate. people, to foster the development of fami-
back home,” to build their largest solar-
“The sad reality is that the only job cre- For Alvin “Smilez,” an HCC student lies and further generations who will be
panel manufacturing plant in the U.S. at
ation we’ve seen in Bridgeport is for the and Bridgeport resident, that is a tough empowered by such change.
the Boston Avenue site where the company

Visit HCC Online!

Curious about the services, courses, and programs at HCC?
Go to http://www.hcc.commnet.edu, the college’s home page.
From there you can navigate the various departments, search for courses,
or follow links to other useful sites, such as MyCommnet and the HCC
Foundation.
16
Statway Offers Alternative
to Developmental Math
By Tori Centopanti
Editor-in-Chief
I
f you’re enrolled in a degree program
that requires no math beyond fresh-
man-level statistics, Statway may be
right for you. It’s a new, alternative math
course for students who are non-STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics) majors, or who are other-
wise not required to take calculus.
Every student’s mathematical path has
been the same: you either place into a
college-level math course on a placement
test, or you take up to three developmen-
tal courses before even entering a college-
level math course.
Well not anymore.
Statway is two semesters of college-
level math and worth four credits, unlike
developmental courses, which are not
worth any credits. The goal of Statway is to
offer a direct path to college-level math for
students who would otherwise be placed in
developmental math.
Statistics also has more practical appli-
cations in everyday life than algebra or cal-
culus does, unless you’re a STEM major,
of course.
However, there is one stipulation stu-
dents should be conscientious of when reg-
istering for Statway. It is a full-year course,
which means that students are required to
Myranda Sinkler,
The article that I am writing about, that
is interesting to me, talks about wanting
to lose weight on campus. I would like to
see more students have motivation to go
to the gym four times a week, instead of
being lazy and not wanting to do anything
with their self. There’s always time to eat
food but people choose to eat fatty foods,
not healthy foods. It’s good that HCC
have machines that can help limit body fat
to keep you in shape. I would like to see
more activities on campus. For example:
Zumba, dancing, kickboxing, karate, and
maybe a sauna. These things will help the
students to do more but it’s hard for student
to attend to these sessions. Because of the
stress of homework and the deadlines, they
might forget to take care there body. All I
can say for people that have trouble with
their weight problems is they should take
advantage of the fitness program that HCC
has on campus. Here are some facts why
being overweight isn’t good:
If you’re an overweight young adult,
you probably eat too much. By “too much,”
we mean more than you need.
Your body needs a certain amount
of calories to keep it going, and if you
eat more than that amount, you will gain
weight.
3. If you consume fewer calories than
you expend, you will lose weight.
It’s that simple, and you must not allow
charlatans and mountebanks to persuade
you otherwise. Unless you have some sort
of illness, this method will work for you.
So if do not want to be obese then I suggest
that all students should join the gym and be
happy instead of miserable.
Jahronn Ross
Jennifer Claybrook,
In reference to your recent article “Be-
HORIZONS • News
Image courtesy of http://www.carnegiefoundation.org
take the two-part course over two sequen-
tial semesters, or back-to-back, in order to
earn the four credits.
HCC is only offering the Statway I
(MAT 092) in Fall semesters and Statway
II (MAT 122) in Spring semesters to ensure
that students take the two courses back-to-
back as intended, and to give students the
best chance possible of retaining what they
have learned.
This innovative course has received
funding from the Carnegie Foundation for
the Advancement of Teaching.
“A majority of developmental math
students who do complete the develop-
mental courses end up taking statistics
anyway,” the Carnegie Foundation’s web-
site explains. “Statistics, because it is not
the same math students have failed be-
fore, may avoid the motivational pitfalls
brought on by activation of traumatic math
memories.”
An alternative path to developmental
courses may be just what the doctor or-
dered, especially since studies have repeat-
edly shown that the developmental math
Letters to the Editor
coming An Adult,” becoming an adult can
be a pretty smooth ride if you are aiming in
the right direction. If you are responsible
and have a steady mindset goal, in the end
you will end up just fine. I agree with the
editors of this article because I truly be-
lieve that young adults do not need permis-
sion from their parents if they to leave their
home. By the age of 15 or 16, I felt like I
can make my own decision. I felt I did not
need approval from my parents to go out. I
felt this way because I am responsible and
I always know the situation I am getting in-
volved in and how it pertains to my health.
To this day, I have ended up to be okay be-
cause I knew what I was doing. By the age
of 18, parents should realize that their child
is an adult. In order for them to branch out
and possibly make a career or set up some
sort of path for their life, they need to leave
their home. I believe the permission is not
necessary to do so. By the age of 18, the
thought of asking my parents for permis-
sion to leave my home has never crossed
my mind. Out of respect, I let my parents
know where I am going. There should be
a certain level of respect parents give their
kids. Trust is an important aspect to have in
a family. Developing this trust can lead to a
healthy family relationship. In conclusion,
young adults shall not have to ask permis-
sion to leave their residence.
Thank you,
Angelo Cecere
Dana Souza,
I’m writing this letter in reference to the
“Keep It Simple Or Tat, Tat, Tat It Up?”
article. I liked your article about tats. I’m a
person that has a few tats. I think they are
nice if they are in good taste. When I finally
decided to get one, I was excited and afraid
all at the same time. But when it was over
my tat was just what I expected, very nice
sequence is part of the problem.
According to multiple Community Col-
lege Research Center (CCRC) studies,
“students either do not sign up for the first
recommended developmental course or do
not take a sequential course than are lost
due to failing a course. The more courses
in the sequence, the more opportunities
students have to disappear.”
If you think Statway may be the bet-
ter mathematical path for you, meet with
your academic advisor to determine if the
course meets your degree requirements. Be
mindful of whether or not the credits will
transfer to the four-year university of your
choosing.
Statway currently satisfies the math re-
quirement for graduation in General Stud-
ies, and may be incorporated into other
degree and/or certificate programs in the
future.
Math prerequisites for the Statway pro-
gram are placement into Elementary Alge-
bra Foundations (MAT*E095), Statway I
(MAT*E092), or higher, or a grade of B or
better in Prealgebra (MAT*E075).
and attractive to the eye. For some time I
waited and waited, then decided to have
another done, then another and another.
I’m finally done with it all, but it’s a per-
sonal choice that one makes to cover their
body, so I don’t think anyone should judge
what someone else decides to do with their
body. Tats are a beautiful thing and person-
ally I would tell anyone to try it out; they
may come to love them also. My tats have
meaning they are of love and beauty and
that’s significant to me. I would never do
anything that didn’t have any significance
to me because they are permanent and I
have to live with them for the rest of my
life. I just want to say thank you for having
someone write an article of this magnitude
so that others can see the advantages and
disadvantages of this thing called body art.
Torisene Blank
Elisa Byrdsong,
I have read your article «When is
Enough Enough?» I really just want to
let you, know that, I have never been in a
bad relationship, but I think that this is a
topic that needs to be acknowledged. To-
day there are a lot of young girls that are
victims of a domestic violence, but they are
too scared to break the silence. Domestic
violence is a very serious situation and by
you taking the time out to write and publish
this article about it, that can help can help
young students in this situation to come
forth. This article can be a reason for them
to search for a new lease on love and life.
Domestic violence is a cruel way to treat
someone you are in a relationship with,
however, some people sees it as a way of
feeling loved, appreciated, and self-pity.
News broadcasts, books, and articles such
as the one you have written are ways to
open doors of freedom for the victims, and
educating others of what is going on right
Reading prerequisites are an exemp-
tion from reading, or a passing grade in
Academic Reading (ENG*E073). If place-
ment is Academic Reading (ENG*E073),
it must be taken concurrently with Statway
I (MAT*E092).
While Statway may be rather new na-
tionwide, it is a growing movement.
Nineteen community colleges across
the United States, called the Collaboratory,
are implementing Version 1.0 of the Stat-
way curriculum beginning in the upcoming
Fall 2011 semester.
HCC is part of a four-college coali-
tion within the Connecticut Community
College (CCC) system to both develop
and offer Statway, including Housatonic
(Bridgeport), Naugatuck Valley (Water-
bury), Gateway (New Haven), and Capital
(Hartford).
The initiative and hard work it took to
incorporate Statway into the HCC curricu-
lum was undertaken by Instructor of Math-
ematics and Statistics Theodora Benezra,
Associate Professor of Mathematics Ma-
rina Philips, Assistant Professor of Devel-
opmental Math Eddie Rose, and Director
of Institutional Research Janice Schaeffler.
For more information, contact HCC
Statway Coordinator Theordora Benezra
at Tbenezra@hcc.commnet.edu or (203)
332-8577.
in front of our noses. Domestic violence
victims are very discreet with what is being
done to them, but at least now they know
that others have been there, done that, and
has re-established themselves from that.
Sarita Crawford
Elisa Byrdsong,
I do agree people should be happy when
it comes to relationships. You’re also right
about people in relationships who idealize
each other. My saying is if you don’t like
it now you’re not going to like it later. I
see this stuff happen all the time to almost
all of my friends. They date guys and its
great in the beginning and then it’s all tears
and depression. I feel bad for them. They
lose who they are when they’re in rela-
tionships. I try to make them feel better
by having a girl’s night out. We go out for
drinks and food, and meet new guys. This
usually takes their minds off it and rebuilds
their self esteem. I think everyone should
be single until they figure out who they are
and what they want out of life before giv-
ing all of their time and energy to some-
thing that may not work out. Also, stay
away from those stage-5 clingers and live
for yourself not someone else. I think col-
lege students are just developing as adults
and figuring out our lives. I personally am
single, and I got out of a nine-year relation-
ship before I started school. It was one of
the best choices I ever made. I can do what
I want when I want and focus on my work
and school and being free. I love being
single; why have one when you can have
them all when you’re young? I’m content
where I am now. Maybe later I will think
about settling down.
Deneane Abed

ews you can use
Course Evaluations: Waste of Time or Just What
The Students Ordered?
By Elisa Byrdsong
Staff Writer
A
t the end of the semester, students
will hear professors constantly re-
minding students to fill out their
course evaluations. Even though students
hear about them, many will either forget to
fill them out or just don’t understand their
importance.
General Studies major Dana Freeman
says he has never filled out a course evalu-
ation. “I don’t even know what that is,” he
said. Freeman has been at HCC for two
semesters and says he doesn’t remember
any of his professors talking about course
evaluations.
HCC student Lauren Reed, on the other
hand, says she always fills out her course
evaluations.
Remembering Mothers On Mother’s Day
Her Death May Be Hard To Deal With, But You’ll Get Through It
By Jennifer Claybrook
Opinions Editor
T
his will be the third Mother’s Day
I will spend without my mom. I
try to handle it as best as I can, but
sometimes I’m unable to control my feel-
ings and emotions. It hurts beyond belief
to know that I will never, for the rest of my
life, spend another Mother’s Day with her.
Each year, other motherless children
are also reminded of the mother-daughter/
mother-son relationships, and it can be
very complicated for them.
Just knowing that they can’t shower
their mom with gifts or even give her a
simple hug to show their appreciation cuts
deep.
“When my mother died April 18, 11
years ago, I took it hard because Mother’s
Day was just a month away. I remember
feeling terrible and rather depressed,” Al-
lison Kirk, a mother of one child, said. “I
usually feel a lot of emotions on Mother’s
Day. But honestly speaking, I feel more
aggravation than I do anything because I
can’t converse with her, hug her, or smell
her.”
Yannii Scott, a Northampton Commu-
nity College student, feels similar. “On
July 9, my mom will be gone six years and
I hate knowing that I’ll never see, talk, or
feel her again,” she added.
Marquis Bergman, who recently lost
his mother, said, “I get emotional. Really
emotional, like I’m going into a depressive
state. I don’t want to be bothered with any-
one or anything. I start to feel like nothing
in the world matters at that time because
truthfully it doesn’t.”
Around this time of the year, everyone
talks about what they’re going to buy their
mom, or where they’re going to take her
for Mother’s Day, but it can make those
who are unable to do those things unhappy.
“I guess everyone whose mom is still
alive I’m kind of bitter towards because I
feel like my mom was taken too soon and
HORIZONS • News You Can Use
“It’s so easy and it’s right on Black-
board now,” she says. “I figure if teachers
can take the time to correct all those papers
and pass out grades, the least I can do is
to fill something out about their work ethic
and teaching methods. It is their job, you
know.”
HCC Nursing student Gina Donofrio
says, “It just slips my mind.” Donofrio
has heard of course evaluations and under-
stands that they can be helpful to the teach-
ers, but she admits she never has the time
and forgets.
In an interview with HCC Academic
Dean Elizabeth G.Roop, she said the return
rate was higher when the old process with
pen and paper was used. The new online
course evaluation completion rate for fall
semester of 2010 was 12.8 percent.
“It is very important to get students’
My mother and me (The photo that I use for my memorial).
Photo by Jennifer Claybrook
it’s a holiday,” Scott said.
Bergman added, “I cry a lot. It seems
like that’s the only way to feel better,”
Some motherless children don’t even
bother to celebrate Mother’s Day because
they feel as though things have changed
since the death of their mom.
“Mother’s Day just isn’t the same. I re-
ally just don’t celebrate it,” said Scott.
Mother’s Day may be hard to get
through, but it doesn’t have to be a painful
memory.
“I feel kind of depressed and sad, but
with my son being there I feel great,” Sa-
lihah Williams, who lost her mother at a
young age, said. “[It] makes me want to
show him everything my mother never
showed me”
Even though coping with the fact that
input on their course experiences, and the
school takes it very seriously,” Roop says.
“Students’ input is anonymous and the re-
sults are given to the faculty after the se-
mester has ended. All faculty gets a copy
so it is beneficial to them on a individual
basis.”
English instructor Drew Denbaum ap-
preciates the course evaluations and be-
lieves all students need to take part to
help become more efficient. He feels that
“student feedback is invaluable, as I am
pleased to discover during every class I
teach. To make the online system equally
beneficial, however, I think a way must be
found to include the opinions of every stu-
dent in each class.”
Denbaum continues, “These individual
responses are almost always insightful
about my teaching methods and syllabi, as
your mom is not there, there are so many
things you can do to lift your spirit and cel-
ebrate the life of your mother. These are a
few things that I do to honor my mother
on Mother’s Day. Hopefully they can work
for you.
Think of all the good times you and
your mother shared, whether it’s the walks
you used to take in the park together, or
even the television shows the two of you
used to watch.
For example, I still watch some of my
mom’s favorite cooking shows on the
Food Network because I remember when
she and I would watch them all day on the
weekends.
Talking to friends and family mem-
bers about the life of your mom could also
help too. Hearing stories about your mom
17
well as the students’ perceptions of their
progress. On the other hand, if only a few
members of a class of 25 students complete
the anonymous online evaluation, the re-
sults will always be intrinsically distorted.
“
For students who are unaware of how
to access course evaluations, the following
quick and easy five steps will help get the
evaluations completed:
1) Access the main myCommNet web-
site (my.commnet.edu)
2) Log in with Banner ID and password
3) Click on “Banner Self-Service”
(found in top-right corner before Black-
board vista)
4) Click on “Evaluate Your Courses”
and looking at her pictures could possibly
make you feel a lot better.
“Now that I am older, it helps to look at
photos and talk about all the good times we
(my mother and I) shared, with family and
friends,” Kirk said.
Writing your mother a letter or poem
can also help too. This way, no one will
know how you are feeling, especially if
you aren’t good with expressing it with
others.
Every year, I find it very helpful to
write letters to my mom, telling her what
I’ve been doing and how much I miss her.
Before she died, she made me promise to
continue with all of my successes and be
happy, so writing the things that I’ve done
and how I feel makes me feel closer to her.
Having your own memorial session for
your mom by lighting a candle near her
photo is a simple but great way to honor
her. This can be done alone or with others
depending on your comfort. I personally
light candles near my favorite photo of
my mom. I even play some of her favorite
songs. It’s like she’s there in spirit, but not
physically.
Visiting your mother’s burial site to
leave flowers or even to just say you love
her is a great way to honor her as well as
cheer yourself up.
“My brothers and I get together and go
visit her grave,” Bergman said.
Mother’s Day is one of the many holi-
days that I find hard to deal with without
my mom, but over the years I have found
ways to make it better. I know that my mom
would have wanted me to be happy every
day, even on Mother’s Day. So, I cherish
all of the memories that we shared together
on this special day to remain happy, just
how my mom wanted me to be. I know
your mom would have wanted the same.
You may not be able to see, hug, kiss, or
talk to her, but she’s still there watching
over you.
18
By Dana Souza
Staff Writer
I
t comes around once each year in May,
and is celebrated by many. That’s right,
Mother’s Day is approaching shortly.
This year, the day lands on Sunday, May 8.
Mother’s Day began in the United
States nearly 150 years ago and is a day to
honor and express appreciation for moth-
ers everywhere! It usually falls on the sec-
ond Sunday in May.
In fact, according to Mothers-
day@123Holiday.net, did you know that
the second Sunday in May has become the
most popular day of the year to dine out?
Telephone lines record their highest traf-
fic, as sons and daughters take advantage
of this day.
There’s no particular way to spend the
holiday. However, some families have tra-
ditions. For example, some families con-
sider cooking mom her favorite dish, or
serving her breakfast in bed.
In my family, we enjoy going to brunch,
usually one that offers a buffet. One thing
that is crucial for my mother is ham! My
mom must have her eggs and ham on
Mother’s Day!
Tayna Etienne, 20, a first-year Nursing
Mother’s Day sign at Hallmark.
Photo by Dana Souza
major at HCC, celebrates the holiday with
a church tradition.
“It is like a family reunion. All my fam-
ily goes to the same church and we always
go to church on Mother’s Day!” she said.
“Mother’s Day is a day to show apprecia-
tion and to recognize mothers for all the
hard work they do. This year I am going to
How to Pitch Your Story to Sell
By Tina M. Eckart
Staff Writer
I have a great story with eye catching
graphics. So how do I convey my idea as
different - how do I pitch my story to sell?
It’s not enough to merely write a great
story; there are thousands of writers do-
ing exactly the same thing. My success
depends on more than just quality writing.
The key thing for every writer, whether his
or her passion is feature stories, sports, or
in my case, a novel, is to remember these
words: “So what?” Why should readers
care about my story?
As winner of an Editor’s Choice Award
for Outstanding Achievement in Poetry,
author of The Silent Serenade, an inspira-
tional book of poetry and photography, and
my newest novel, Dantalion Of The Goe-
HORIZONS • News You Can Use
Calling All Mothers
Today is Your Day to Shine
Mother’s Day sign at Hallmark.
Photo by Dana Souza
treat my mother and aunt to get their hair
and nails done in Manhattan, and possibly
buy them a new outfit.”
Why go all the way to Manhattan for
hair and nails? Manhattan is home for
Tanya who commutes from Manhattan to
Bridgeport every day for work and school.
Some families plan the entire day
out with church, activities and tradi-
tions. As for others, a lovely card or
sweet phone call is just enough.
Carolyna Zarate, General Stud-
ies major at HCC, will be calling her
mother who lives in Florida, and will
most likely send her a card.
“My family doesn’t have any
traditions. [We] basically treat my
mom like a queen and take her out
for dinner and shopping,” said Za-
rate. “Last year I took my mom out
to lunch, then we got our nails done
and at night my brother came down
from New Jersey. We [then] had a
family dinner in which my brother
and I cooked.”
Mother’s Day is extra special to Ja-
von St. Clair, 25, who is also a General
Studies major at HCC. “I celebrate Moth-
er’s Day with my mother, grandmother and
aunt. Even though my grandmother and
aunt didn’t give birth to me, they played
just as important of a role as my mother
did,” he said.
This year Javon plans to bring his mom
to church. “She’ll love that. Last year I in-
tia, a gothic romance about unexplainable
love, obsession, and redemption between
a condemned demon of an ancient seven-
teenth century grimoire and a young col-
lege girl, I can only hope success finds its
way into the heart of every young adult the
story was written for.
I know the years that went into the cre-
ation of the story and its characters was a
huge undertaking, but I believe in my story
and the message it communicates. People
are sometimes presented with something
or someone in their lives that becomes an
obsession - a feeling so strong they don’t
care about anything els. We can all identify
this in everyday life to people of all ages,
backgrounds, and religions who cross is-
sues of love, addictions and other uncon-
trollable behaviors. Not everyone wants to
be saved, but all are offered the chance at
vited her to my church, she cried, she re-
ally enjoyed it though,” he said. “I plan on
surprising my grandmother and aunt with
dinner at a restaurant--on me.”
Javon is very passionate about celebrat-
ing Mother’s Day. Some people are not too
A wide variety of Mother’s Day cards to choose from
at Hallmark.
Photo by Dana Souza
sure what day the holiday falls on, but Ja-
von knew exactly the day.
So what if you haven’t gotten your
mother a gift yet? No worries! As many of
us put things off until the last minute, there
are lots of gifts we procrastinators can buy,
even up until the actual day!
One of the best things during this holi-
day are the specials. There are countless
amounts of companies discounting and set-
ting special prices for the occasion.
Yankee Candle has a Mother’s Day
sale. It offers a 50 percent discount when
you buy any large jar or tumbler candle.
salvation.
Helping me convey my story were three
things every writer should live by, (besides
caffeine, nicotine and alcohol - in mod-
eration, of course): The Writers Market,
which offers tips on not only helping to sell
a story, but in educating on the creation of a
“writing platform;” Webster’s Dictionary, a
vocabulary must-have and a writer’s Bible;
and The Associated Press Stylebook, one of
the most useful weapons against cut-throat
book critics.
According to Aaron Shepard, author of
Aiming at Amazon, a gracious network-
ing tool is the site’s cross promotion and
tags to help boost sales of your book. If a
person’s sales patterns showed a specific
genre of book, such as science fiction, Am-
azon would automatically start promoting
your book with other similar titles. “More
Macy’s has Mother’s Day designer fra-
grance sets on sale, and Edible Arrange-
ments has dozens of assorted fruit-filled
arrangements; they offer everything from
dipped white or dark chocolate strawber-
ries to arrangements with balloons, teddy
bears, and personal notes.
Bobbi Brown, 21, and a Journalism ma-
jor at HCC, shops at Walmart for her Moth-
er’s Day gifts. “My mother loves flowers
and loves the color purple. Walmart always
has a flower section with purple flowers
and the prices are low.”
If you are looking for the perfect card,
personally I feel that being creative and
hand making one is the best way to go!
However, if you aren’t into that, CVS
Pharmacy and Hallmark have a wide va-
riety of amazing heart touching cards and
the prices are affordable on any budget.
Hallmark offers many Mother’s Day
gifts with great prices. It is the first place
on my list when I am shopping for gifts,
especially Mother’s Day. They even wrap
the gifts and put them in gift boxes for your
convenience!
Many restaurants have dining specials
as well. Marisa’s Restaurant of Trumbull,
Ruby Tuesdays, Outback Steakhouse, and
many more, all offer Mother’s Day spe-
cials.
According to Mothers-day@123holiday.
net, the top ten gifts include flowers, trip
to the spa, perfume, jewelry, candles, dia-
monds, chocolate, gift baskets and gour-
met gifts.
It’s never too late to shop for gifts. Most
Yankee Candles
Photo by Dana Souza
of the Mother’s Day specials and promo-
tions don’t end until the actual day, which
is great for last-minute shoppers. As Moth-
er’s Day is only days away, make your
mother or loved one know they are special
to you. It’s never too late to show apprecia-
tion.
items to Consider” pops up on a purchas-
er’s profile.
As a writer, I think this is by far the best
promotional tool one can ask for. You may
not be Stephen King, but why shouldn’t
your topic be promoted in the same genre
if you write the same subject matter?
“Whether you’re creating your ebook,
setting up your web site, writing a blog or
joining a group on the Internet, hyperlinks
are what make things happen. The more
clicks, the more chances of your success,”
reports Self-Publishing Review.
Several independently published au-
thors have reached success selling their
stories, and who would have known they
did this without walking in the footsteps
of big-name publishing houses? Cross-
Continued on Page 19
 HORIZONS • News You Can Use 19

Continued from Page 18 worldwide success selling their stories. destiny and creativity, and find ways to paperback at www.amazon.com, www.
The last thing a writer needs after reach their target audience independently, barnesandnoble.com, www.xlibris.com;
ing Over, by John Edwards (Jodere Group
weeks, months, and in many cases years of selling their own stories. Dantalion Of The Goetia is available in
and Princess Books) sold 177,000 copies
working on a piece is to receive a comput- To pitch a story to sell, the readers must paperback and e-book at www.amazon.
in 2002, Dr. Atkins New Diet Cookbook,
er-generated form letter from a big-name answer the question of “So what?” with an com and www.createspace.com/3506579.
by Robert C. Atkins (M. Evans), and Cold
publishing house saying the story is not automatic response: “I find the story com- Please visit the author’s website at www.
Mountain by Charles Frazier (Atlantic
right for them. Maybe their idea of a best pelling!” Plain and simple. fantasyromanceoccult.com and check out
Monthly Press) were a few of the other
seller is a standard how-to book, but writ- the Book Trailer on Youtube, http://www.
well known independent books reaching
ers today must take control of their own The Silent Serenade is available in youtube.com/watch?v=gg644Ee6sZM

PRESS RELEASE
Demon Summoned in Seventeenth Century
Courtyard Religous Site
By Tina M. Eckart Courtyard of the Undead, creating an unexplainable rela- its passionate young readers (altpress.com).
Staff Writer tionship of love, obsession, and redemption. Join the author for her special book signing scheduled
The novel goes deeper than any typical gothic ro- in the courtyard on May 15 from noon to 4 p.m. (rain

E
veryone has skeletons in the closet. Some refer to
them as demons, clawing, controlling, obsessing.
In a real-life seventeenth century courtyard-
turned-religious-site, among its mysterious Druid circle
and rock-built altar, lies the origin of local fiction author
Tina M.E.’s Gothic novel, Dantalion of the Goetia.
The site is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior. It is con-
sidered by some “vaguely disturbing,” according to Ar-
chitectural Historian Elizabeth Mills Brown.
Dantalion, an immortal angel of God, has fallen from
grace and is condemned as one of 72 demons of an an-
cient seventeenth century grimoire referred to as The
Goetia, meaning “sorcerer” or “mage.” He seduces a
mortal college girl and practitioner of the occult named
Laurel, who summons his true demonic form in the
mance. “Sometimes we face something so strong it
blinds us, sometimes to the point of obsession, and there
is strength in the human spirit to see us through,” says
the author.
Please visit the “Dantalion of the Goetia” website at
fantasyromanceoccult.com for an excerpt. You can get a
peek at the book trailer and future event listings on You-
tube at youtube.com/watch?v=gg644Ee6sZM. You can
pre-order books online at createspace.com/3506479 or at
amazon.com. Limited bookmarks and live strong bands
come free with each book purchase, redeemable at book
signing events.
The Dantalion of the Goetia summer book campaign
begins with a listing in the May 3 summer preview of Al-
ternative Press, a trend-setting, music-driven magazine
devoted to new bands, tour dates and most importantly,
date May 22, noon to 4 p.m.), Boothe Memorial Park,
5774 Main St., Stratford; Stratford’s Main Street Festival
on June 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and continuing at New
Haven’s Arts & Ideas Festival on June 18 from noon to 6
p.m. and June 19 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
About the Author
Tina M.E. is a recipient of Editor’s Choice Award
for Outstanding Achievements in Poetry, author of The
Silent Serenade and Dantalion Of The Goetia, an advo-
cate for young adult creative writers in her community, a
Journalism/Communications student and a Literary Club
member at Housatonic Community College.
20
ealth and
How Will Global Warming Impact Connecticut?
By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
O
ver the past few decades, climate
scientists have refined their abil-
ity to collect and analyze data to
the point where they can now make fairly
accurate predictions about how carbon di-
oxide and other greenhouse gases impact
global temperatures.
Much less clear, however, are what
those changes will mean at the local level.
And that’s what people really care about.
After all, unless you live in Tuvalu or Baf-
fin Bay, rising sea levels and melting arctic
ice doesn’t impact your day-to-day life-
style much.
Or does it?
A report released by the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration (NOAA) in late February suggests
that melting sea ice in the north may be
linked to the unprecedented snowfalls on
the East Coast over the last two winters.
The phenomenon, known as the “warm
arctic-cold continent” pattern, begins with
the fact that ocean water absorbs more
heat than ice. With larger areas of exposed
ocean during Arctic winters, relatively
more heat is pulled in by the water, which
then transmits some of that heat to the air.
Normally, a strong convection wind
carrying frigid air, called the “polar vor-
tex,” circles tightly around the North Pole
during the winter months. But in 2009 and
2010, enough warm air was produced to
disrupt the polar vortex, breaking the cycle
and shoving the colder air south.
Some of it spilled across the eastern
United States. There and in Eurasia, ac-
cording to NOAA, average temperatures
during the autumn of 2009 dropped be-
tween 3 degrees and 18 degrees lower than
the normal monthly average. Meanwhile,
the Arctic rose up to 7 degrees higher than
normal.
The report hints at the possibility that
this disruptive trend might accompany the
long-term reduction of sea ice in the north,
noting that “loss of sea ice pushes in the
right direction for sub-Arctic impacts.”
However, NOAA points out, natural
variability can also account for changes in
temperature patterns. Other factors, such
as El Niño, can mitigate or overshadow the
effects of the Arctic.
“One would not expect a sub-Arctic im-
pact in every year,” the report says.
Regional climate is a tough nut to crack,
because so many factors go into shaping
the profile of a given area. To get an idea
of how quirky these patterns can be, take
out a map of the world, and locate Con-
necticut. It’s about 40 degrees north of the
equator. Now look at the other places in the
world at approximately the same latitude:
the Mediterranean coast of Europe; the
Gobi Desert in Mongolia; the southern tip
of Hokkaido, Japan.
Even though they’re all approximately
at the same distance from the North Pole,
every one of these places is starkly unique.
Take a winter vacation to southern Italy,
and you’d never mistake it for Connecticut.
Climatic patterns vary even at a smaller
scale. Bridgeport benefits from its prox-
imity to Long Island Sound with milder
HORIZONS • Health & Science
cience
weather than inland. That’s why summers School of Mines, come in. Shorey spe- to put such locally observed affects into a
are hotter in Hartford, and why rain in Mil- cializes in cave formations known as spe- global context.”
ford often means snow in Torrington. leothems, which include stalagmites and “Not impossible, but very hard,” he
“One of the most challenging and un- stalactites, as well as certain types of cave adds.
certain aspects of present-day climate re- crystals and other objects. Speleothems Nevertheless, the past has a direct effect
search is associated with the prediction of are particularly useful for studying ancient on the present, even at the local level. Geo-
a regional response to a global forcing,” climate, because they’re composed of the logical processes that occur over thousands
writes chemicals (including CO2) that seep into or millions of years directly shape every-
Norwegian Meteorological Institute the cave from the surrounding environ- thing about a region’s unique makeup, in-
Physicist Rasmus E. Benestad on the ment, and last for hundreds of thousands cluding the flora and fauna that can exist
website RealClimate.org, a collaborative of years. there.
project by climate scientists to provide the “Paleoclimatology can probe past pat- Connecticut, for instance, was covered
public with resources for learning about terns of temperature and/or precipitation, by mile-high glaciers until approximately
climate science. and with a large enough set we may be able fifteen thousand years ago. Glaciers are
The problem partially stems from the to tease out global patterns of past climate,” not pristine “ice cubes”—as they grow or
fuzziness of our records of the past. Hu- says Shorey, noting that it was this kind of shrink, they carve up the land and carry
mans have only been measuring weather contextualized data that was used to gener- huge amounts of debris with them. As the
patterns for a few hundred years. During ate the now-famous “hockey-stick” graph. last of these monstrous ice flows melted in
most of that time, we have used relatively “The obvious advantage of this procedure the area, they deposited much of that sedi-
crude instruments that collected data re- is to compare modern changes to those of ment in the state’s lowlands and river val-
stricted to locations where human popula- the recent past to evaluate the idea that any leys as stratified sand and gravel.
tions were high. change we are seeing today is ‘within natu- The sand and gravel itself was largely
Most of the planet went unnoticed un- ral variability.’” made up of the same material that form
til the last few decades, when weather re- Paleoclimatological data has been a Connecticut’s bedrock, which can be split
cording stations and satellites were set up boon for climate modeling on a global roughly into four areas. U.S. Geological
to capture information from thousands of scale, since there are so many sources to Survey data reveals that the eastern and
western parts of
the state are formed
mainly of acidic
metamorphic rocks,
such as gneisses and
schists. The Con-
necticut Central
Valley is composed
of much younger
sedimentary and ig-
neous bedrock. And
the valleys in the
northwest corner of
the state have mar-
ble underneath.
The large vari-
ability in land types
is part of the reason
that such a small
state contains so
much biodiversity.
Forests account for
1.8 million of the
total 3.2 million
acres of Connecti-
cut’s land. Different
types of trees domi-
nate different areas,
Over the past two decades, the proportion of cold-water marine species in Long Island Sound has declined, while warm-water species
have become more numerous. with hardwoods
Graphic by Brandon T. Bisceglia. Data from the annual Long Island Sound Trawl Survey up north, oaks and
maples throughout,
spots around the globe. As our instruments collect from, and each type can be checked and scattered local patches of hemlock and
have become more sophisticated, we’ve against others to reduce the chances of er- white pine. The types of trees and vegeta-
learned many more details about the quirks ror. tion that grow in different areas are depen-
and trends of individual areas. On the local scale, however, making as- dent both on local temperature and soil
But a handful of years is not enough sessments is much more difficult because conditions. Across the state’s six hundred
to say anything about long-term trends, the range of data tend to be much more miles of shoreline, tidal wetlands form
which is what climatologists try to under- limited. some of the most ecologically productive
stand. For that, it is necessary to construct “Using isotopes of carbon and oxygen habitats on Earth, and are home to numer-
a historical context through which they can in stalagmites in Iowa, we were able to see ous rare and endangered species. Long
compare today’s patterns. forests changing to prairies and back as Island Sound itself is a unique geological
Fortunately, there are ways to find out gulf moisture advected to the region (for- phenomenon, with an ecology to match.
what the world was like before we started est) and then would migrate away to the According to a report from 2005 by
watching it. The atmosphere has a direct east (grasslands). But it is hard to tie that Connecticut’s “Comprehensive Wildlife
effect on the makeup of all kinds of longer- local effect into the exact global changes Conservation Strategy,” 84 species of
lasting things. It influences the chemical going on around at that time,” says Shorey. mammals, 335 species of birds, 49 species
composition of glaciers, tree rings, lake “We can see changes in physics or chem- of reptiles and amphibians, and 168 spe-
and ocean sediments, and a whole host of istry of ocean currents from ocean cores cies of fish live within the state’s borders.
other structures. which give something of a local effect, but In general, a warming climate and ris-
That’s where paleoclimatologists, such again, it would take a very large and con- ing sea levels will force many of these
as Dr. Christian Shorey of the Colorado temporaneous paleoclimatological data set Continued on page 21
 HORIZONS • Health & Science 21

Continued from page 20 ty, “where the understory has been denuded tion with the marine sciences department
of vegetation, with the exception of highly at the University of Connecticut’s Avery
plants and animals to migrate northward invasive plants such as garlic mustard and Point campus in Groton, released a new
or inland, while introducing new species Japanese stilt grass.” report that showed that the remaining lob-
that were formerly restricted by the cold The adelgid, on the other hand, has so ster population has begun congregating in
winters. There will be winners and losers far been checked in its destruction of hem- the deeper, cooler waters of Long Island
in that process. lock because of the cold winters. But, the Sound.
Trees may be one of those losers, ac- report warns, “as the climate warms, the “In the 1980s we used to catch them in
cording to a major assessment released impacts to hemlock forests will progress less than 30 feet,” said CTDEP Fisheries
by the Connecticut Department of Envi- northward.” Biologist Penny Howell in an interview
ronmental Protection (CTDEP) in March Exact changes in forest distribution are for The Day. “Now, it’s rare to find them
2009 titled “Facing Our Future: Adapting necessarily speculative. A given species in depths less than 90 feet. We’ve looked at
to Connecticut’s Changing Climate.” of plant may not be able to migrate fast the commercial catch, and it tells the same
The report notes that although Con- enough to keep up with trends in warm- kind of story.”
necticut’s forests contain a diverse array ing, especially if seeds have to cross some The lobster industry has already been
of species, they are “old, in the sense that of the mountains and ridges that make up decimated by the die-off; since the late
C o n n e c t i c u t ’s 1990s, the number of full-time and part-
complex land- time lobstermen in the state has fallen from
scape. If they en- approximately 445 to 130.
counter the wrong Now the Atlantic States Marine Fish-
type of soil, they eries Commission’s Lobster Management
may not be able Board, a multi-state panel that overseas the
to germinate or industry, is considering further restrictions
could suffer from that could reduce harvests south of Cape
ill health. Add to Cod by half or more, as well as limit the
this the segmen- seasons during which lobstermen could
tation of habitats operate in an attempt to give the animals a
caused by human chance to recover.
development, and Lobsters may be the most obvious crea-
the journey can ture disappearing from Long Island Sound,
be a rough one but it’s hardly the only one. For the last 25
Lobsters are unable to survive in waters warmer than 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Long indeed. years, the Long Island Sound Study has
Island Sound is at the southern boundary of their range, and the population has Other changes conducted an annual “trawl survey” that
been in serious decline since the late 1990’s. A new study has found the remaining
lobsters retreating to deeper, colder waters.
are more straight- estimates the numbers of various species
Graphic courtesy of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection f o r ward—and in the waters off Connecticut’s coast.
some are already According to the “Facing Our Future”
a majority of the individual forested acre- staring us in the face. In Long Island Sound, report, the trawl surveys “now encounter
ages are filled with mature trees.” for instance, lobster fishing has been a ma- an average of 10-12 warm-water species
“As the health and the resiliency of the jor industry for centuries. But in the late per sample...compared to just seven to nine
forest often depends upon both species di- 1990s, the lobster population plummeted, species per tow when the survey began in
versity and a diversity of age classes, the and hundreds of fishermen were put out of 1984.”
ability of Connecticut’s forest to respond to business. Since then, the numbers of lob- The increase in warm-water species has
climate change is mixed,” the report says. sters have continued to decline. been accompanied by a steady decline in
Contributing to that problem are two Because the Sound represents the cold-water species. The report notes that
likely winners in the coming climate sce- southern boundary of their range, lobsters the declines cannot be chalked up entirely
nario: the white-tailed deer, and the hem- have become a sort of “canary in the coal to overfishing: “cold temperates in decline
lock woolly adelgid, an exotic pest that mine” for local climate change. They’re include the longhorn sculpin, sea raven and
has only recently established itself in Con- unique because they have what is known as cunner—species experiencing very little or
necticut. a “threshold tolerance” for water tempera- no recreational or commercial harvest.”
Deer will likely continue to thrive as the ture. They’re highly adaptable to anything The report also lists a multitude of chal-
winter temperatures drop in severity. But below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. But as soon lenges for Connecticut’s infrastructure as
they can be devastating to young saplings, as the water gets warmer than that, they climate warming continues. For residents,
inhibiting the regeneration of forests. Ac- have trouble breathing and quickly begin the most dangerous of these may be flood-
cording to the report, this has already be- to die off. ing, which already accounts for most natu-
come a problem in parts of Fairfield Coun- In March, the CTDEP, in conjunc- ral disasters in the state and is expected to
worsen because of a projected increase in
precipitation coupled with an acceleration
in the sea level rise that is already taking
place.
People living downstream of Connecti-
cut’s 5,500 dams may suffer the most. Of
these dams, 239 are presently classified
as “high hazard,” meaning that if they
fail they could cause loss of life and ma-
jor damage to structures and highways.
Another 264 are classified as “significant
hazard,” and 692 as “moderate hazard.” All
of these will face increasing stresses in the
coming years.
Even if you don’t live behind a dam,
though, shifts in sea level and precipitation
could lead to problems with wastewater
and septic systems. “Currently,” the report
says, “subsurface systems are designed
with a minimum of 18 inches between the
leach trenches and high ground water to
protect the ground water and nearby sur-
face waters from contamination. As hy-
drology changes occur, particularly in low
lying shoreline communities, the rising
water table may not allow for adequate soil
treatment travel times to remove pollutants
and protect surface and ground water qual-
ity.”
Contamination of Connecticut’s water
supply could have wide-ranging conse-
quences, including the spread of deadly
diseases.
Not all of these projections will result
in catastrophe. One of the benefits of be-
ing able to predict the effects of climate
change, even imperfectly, is that it allows
us time to prepare. There are already ef-
forts underway among state agencies, mu-
nicipalities, and individuals to shore up
Connecticut’s infrastructure and wildlife
against the worst of the foreseeable im-
pacts.
There are also climate mitigation efforts
going on across the state. Although some
warming is inevitable, reductions in energy
consumption and greenhouse gas release
can slow the feedback loops that lead to a
warmer environment.
All scientific predictions are based on
statistics, and all statistics have wiggle
room. That has been the history of climate
science at both the global and regional
scales—and it will continue to be the fu-
ture as long as we remain vigilant.

Health and Science Tidbits

By Horizons Staff
Adapted from “Complex life hit
freshwater early,” by Susan Milius.
Science News, April 15, 2011:
arisen in the seas a billion years ago. But
fossil eukaryotes from freshwater mean
that “our models of how life evolved on
this planet should no longer just include the
idea that everything was floating around in
the ocean.” Strother says. “We really have
experiments with terrestrial life. Bacterial
mats had colonized land by a billion years
ago, but what else might have lived there
remains a matter of debate.
Hungry judges dispense rough justice,
authors found. This declined to almost zero
by the end of a session, and leaped back to
65% after a break.
The severity of the crime, the time
served in prison, any previous incarcera-
tions, and the availability of rehabilitation

T
iny fossils a billion years old — the
earliest ones yet found of complex
to consider the [nonmarine] environments by Zoë Corbyn. Nature News, April 11, programmes were not enough to explain
as a cradle of evolution.” the effect on the probability of parole, and
2011:
These freshwater eukaryote fossils the nationality or sex of a prisoner made no

cells outside the sea — give the first
direct evidence that evolution in freshwa-
ter had already expanded beyond bacte-
ria long before the first trilobite skittered
through Paleozoic muck.
Fossilized bits less than a millimeter
long from Scotland suggest that cells with
nuclei were flourishing beyond the oceans,
says Paul K. Strother of Boston College.
Such cells distinguish one of the three ma-
jor domains of life, the eukaryotes, which
today range from elaborate microbes
such as the schoolbook paramecium to all
plants, fungi and animals.
The fossilized cells or masses of cells
look eukaryotic because of features not
known from bacteria, Strother and his col-
leagues report online April 13 in Nature.
For example, one fossil appears to be
a mass with three lobes. Other finds show
evidence of cell coverings splitting along a
preformed biological zipper, or cells with
protective coverings bearing complex pat-
terns.
Equally complicated eurkaryotes had
are the earliest by a lot, says paleontolo-
gist Susannah Porter of the University of
California, Santa Barbara, who mused
about which example from 500 million
years later would count as the runner-up.
In Strother’s find, she says, “It’s exciting
to see the cast of characters and to see they
are pretty diverse and, in some cases, pret-
ty complex.”
Some of these fossils had been sit-
ting for decades on prepared slides at the
University of Sheffield in England. Ear-
lier interpretations dismissed them as more
bacteria, Strother says. Inspired by the
slides, he and his colleagues returned to
the swath of ancient rock where the fossils
were found along the northwest coast of
Scotland, called the Torridonian, to collect
more samples.
Some of the microfossils may even
have survived exposure to air, Strother
says. The rock shows signs of drying out,
such as patterns of cracks and raindrop div-
ots. And what look like fossilized protec-
tive cysts for cells may have allowed early
A
prisoner’s chance of parole de-
pends on when the judge hearing
the case last took a break, say re-
searchers who have studied decisions in Is-
raeli courts. As judges tire and get hungry,
they slip towards the easy option of deny-
ing parole, say the researchers.
The bias could apply in any situation in
which people make sequential decisions,
such as doctor’s consultations, university
admissions or grant-review panels.
Jonathan Levav of Columbia Business
School in New York and his colleagues an-
alysed 1,112 parole hearings for inmates of
four Israeli prisons, made by eight judges
over a ten-month period.
Judges’ days were divided into three
sessions broken by two meal breaks — a
morning snack and lunch. Judges decided
when to break, but had no control over the
ordering of cases, which was determined
by when a prisoner’s attorney arrived.
At the beginning of a session, a prisoner
had a 65% chance of being parolled, the
difference. The findings are published this
week in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.
“The work shows the consequences of
mental fatigue on really important deci-
sions even among excellent decision-mak-
ers,” says Levav. “It is really troubling and
quite jarring — it looks like the law isn’t
exactly the law.”
Levav thinks that decision-makers
gravitate towards the easier, default option
as they tire. In a judge’s case, this would be
to deny parole.
Whether the effect is caused by a lack
of food, rest or both remains unclear. And
the study draws no conclusions about the
quality of the decisions made. “We can’t
say without a shadow of a doubt that there
is a causal link here, but the data are ex-
tremely suggestive of one,” says Levav.
The bias could “happen anywhere
where there is sequential decision-making
and some kind of status quo or default that
Continued on page 22
22 HORIZONS • Health & Science

Continued from page 21
allows people to simplify those decisions”,
Levav says.
“Even if the effect is half the size it
appears to be it is still enormously im-
portant,” says David Schkade, an expert
in judges’ decision-making at the Univer-
sity of California, San Diego. The methods
used to reveal the bias are sound, he adds:
“They have done the things you have to do
to run it to ground.”
“It is hardly the first empirical demon-
stration of ‘extra-evidentiary bias’ in judg-
es’ decisions, but it is a particularly striking
one because the biasing factor is seemingly
innocuous and so patently irrelevant to the
case at hand,” says Robert MacCoun, who
studies law and public policy at the Uni-
versity of California, Berkeley.
But Jeffrey Rachlinski, who studies
judges’ decision-making at Cornell Uni-
versity Law School in Ithaca, New York,
thinks that the finding is too neat to be
of bacteria not previously reported, includ-
ing those that cause dysentery and cholera,
Timothy Walsh of Cardiff University in the
UK and his co-authors said in Thursday’s
issue of the journal Lancet Infectious Dis-
eases.
The samples were taken between Sep-
tember and October 2010 and tested for
the presence of the NDM-1 gene. Bacteria
isolated from the water samples were also
tested for susceptibility to antibiotics.
As a comparison, samples were also
taken from a water treatment centre in
Cardiff. No NDM-1 genes were found in
those.
The rate at which the gene was copied
and transferred to other bacteria was high-
est at 30 C, a temperate that falls within the
city’s daily range from April to October.
The time period includes monsoon season,
which could potentially disseminate resis-
tant bacteria, the researchers said.
Oral-fecal transmission of bacteria is a
problem worldwide, particularly in places
coding NDM-1 is real and should not be The research team used state-of-the-art
ignored…coordinated, concrete, and col- CT scan technology to examine the skulls
lective efforts are needed, initially to limit of dinosaurs and extinct birds to determine
their widespread dissemination, and finally the size of the creatures’ olfactory bulbs, a
to combat this emerging threatening resis- part of the brain involved in the sense of
tance problem.” smell. Among modern-day birds and mam-
The emergence of NDM-1
is “worrisome” but it is dif-
ficult to forecast what could
happen, said Guenael Rodier,
director of communicable dis-
eases at the World Health Or-
ganization’s office in Copenha-
gen. He noted resistant strains
can mysteriously disappear.
The European Union paid
for the study.
“Birds inherited sense of
smell from dinosaurs … and
improved it,” by the Faculty By comparing the location of olfactory bulbs in dinosaur fossils
of Science. University of with those of modern birds, Dr. Darla Zelenitsky demonstrated
that the avians’ sense of smell has improved over time.
Calgary, April 13, 2011: Image courtesy of Ryan Ridgely and Lawrence Witmer, Ohio
University

plausible. He suspects that the judges
might have in fact ordered their cases with-
out the researchers’ realizing it. “I would
like to see something similar in another
group of judges before I really believe it is
a finding of general importance,” he says.
But Levav says the secretary of the pro-
ceedings confirmed that the order of cases
was arbitrary, and that judges did not list
timing as one of the factors influencing
their decisions. He now plans to look at
doctors’ sequential treatment of patients.
“Superbug turns up in Delhi drinking
water.” CBC News, April 7, 2011:
with poor sanitation. It represents a serious
problem in India, where 650 million citi-
zens do not have access to a flush toilet and
even more probably do not have access to
clean water, according to the study.
“International surveillance of resis-
tance, incorporating environmental sam-
pling as well as examination of clinical
isolates needs to be established as a prior-
ity …and cover Pakistan and Bangladesh,
because these are also source countries for
exported cases,” the study’s authors con-
cluded.
Indian health officials called the study
“unsupported,” citing a random sample of
nearly 2,000 women in a New Delhi hospi-
P
igeons may not instill
the same aura of fear as a Tyranno-
saurus rex, but they inherited their
sense of smell from such prehistoric kill-
ers.
Birds are known more for their flying
abilities and their senses of vision and bal-
ance than for their sense of smell. Accord-
ing to conventional wisdom, the sense of
smell declined during the transition from
dinosaurs to birds as the senses of vision
and balance were improved for flight. But
new research published by scientists at the
University of Calgary, the Royal Tyrrell
Museum and Ohio University suggests that
millions of years ago, the winged critters
mals, larger bulbs correspond to a height-
ened sense of smell.
“Of course the actual brain tissue is long
gone from the fossil skulls,” says study
co-author Dr. Lawrence Witmer, Chang
professor of paleontology at the Ohio Uni-
versity College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“But we can use CT scanning to visualize
the cavity that the brain once occupied and
then generate 3D computer renderings of
the olfactory bulbs and other brain parts.”
The study of fossils revealed interesting
details about the evolution of the sense of
smell among early birds.
“The oldest known bird, Archaeopter-

A
gene that makes bacteria highly
drug-resistant has been found in
drinking water supplies in New
Delhi, scientists say. NDM-1 or New Delhi
metallo-beta-lactamase 1, makes bacteria
resistant to almost all antibiotics. Since it
was first identified in 1998, infections have
occurred in Britain, Canada, Australia, the
U.S. and Sweden.
The gene was found in two of the 50
drinking water samples and 51 of 171
street samples.
It was also found in 11 different types
tal which they said showed no sign of the
NDM-1 gene.
“We know that such bacteria with genes
are in the atmosphere everywhere,” said
V.M. Katoch, director-general of the In-
dian Council of Medical Research. “This
is a waste of time,” he said. “The study is
creating a scare that India is a dangerous
country to visit. We are condemning it.”
In a commentary accompanying the
study, Mohd Shahid from Jawaharlal Ne-
hru Medical College and Hospital in Uttar
Pradesh, India warned “the potential for
wider international spread of plasmids en-
also boasted a better sense for scents than
their dinosaur ancestors.
“It was previously believed that birds
were so busy developing vision, balance
and coordination for flight that their sense
of smell was scaled way back,” says Dr.
Darla Zelenitsky, assistant professor of pa-
leontology in the geoscience department
at the U of C and lead author of the pa-
per published in the journal Proceedings
of the Royal Society B. “Surprisingly, our
research shows that the sense of smell ac-
tually improved during the dinosaur-bird
transition, just like vision and balance.”
yx, inherited its sense of smell from small
meat-eating dinosaurs about 150 million
years ago,” says co-author Dr. François
Therrien, curator of dinosaur palaeoecol-
ogy at the Royal Tyrrell Museum. “Later,
around 95 million years ago, the ancestor
of all modern birds evolved even better ol-
factory capabilities.”
The combination of a keener sense of
smell, good vision and coordination in
early modern-day birds have may proved
advantageous to orient themselves when
flying and to look for food, mates, or suit-
able habitats.

Want Horizons on Your iPod?

Listen to

Continuum
Horizons’ weekly companion podcast

Your source for

News, Events, Interviews and Commentary
About HCC and the community.

www.housatonichorizons.podbean.com

By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
I
graduated high school 11 years ago
without any intention of going to col-
lege.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t done well in my
classes. Since the fourth grade I had been
placed on the advanced track, and breezed
through those classes so easily that I hadn’t
even developed a so-called “studying strat-
egy”; I’d never needed one to ace tests or
understand concepts.
I had, however, been entirely disillu-
sioned by my experiences in public school.
I hated the arbitrary rules, the lack of
choice when it came to the topics I wanted
to pursue, and an administrative environ-
ment that seemed more concerned with
avoiding controversy than encouraging
freedom of thought and expression.
By my senior year, I had skipped so
many classes that I had to sign a contract
agreeing not to miss any more in order to
graduate. I had dropped from first in my
class as an incoming freshman to twelfth
(not bad, considering how little effort I was
putting in by then).
I thought at the time that I would be fine.
I rejected the notion that a person needed
some piece of paper with a college’s name
on it to succeed in the United States. I
would fashion myself after other great self-
taught men, like Benjamin Franklin.
I did all right for myself after a few
years. I got a job, and moved up in the
company. I got my own apartment. I began
acquiring a personal library from which I
planned to conduct an intense and diverse
personalized education. I spent most of my
free time at home, reading and writing.
But the truth, as I came to realize more
and more, was that I was falling behind.
The company I worked for was small;
there was nowhere else to go there. Any
other job that would have suited me re-
quired that piece of paper I so loathed. I
had no network of professional contacts.
When God Infiltrates Government Institutions,
It Hurts Everyone
By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
P
op quiz: which of the following Con-
stitutional principles comes from the
Bible?
A) The right to vote for your govern-
ment representatives
B) The right to bear arms
C) The right of protection from unwar-
ranted search and seizure
D) The right to free speech
Okay, time’s up. The answer is…E)
None of the above.
It may be surprising to learn this, espe-
cially when certain religious and political
leaders advocate the view that the United
States is a nation based on so-called “Ju-
deo-Christian values.”
In truth, though, the nation’s govern-
ment underpinnings owe much more to
HORIZONS • Opinions
pinions
A Piece of Paper
I had learned a great deal in my informal
way, but nobody cared. There was no room
on a resume to list the number of books I’d
read, or the stories, poems and essays I’d
self-published.
So in the fall of 2004, I took my first
class at Housatonic. I started off with the
basics: English 101. I became the de fac-
to editorial consultant for my classmates,
helping them to correctly format their per-
suasive essays and organize their thoughts
on paper. After reading my final essay for
the class, which argued that the debate
between determinism and free will was a
false dichotomy, my professor asked me
why I was there instead of at Yale.
Yet it still felt too much like high
school, squared. I was not at all invested
in HCC—I’d paid for my semester out-of-
pocket, and owed them nothing more. And
(I admit this was ignorantly selfish of me)
it took time away from my home studies.
It wasn’t until late 2006 that I finally re-
solved to put my nose to the grindstone. I
was a part-time General Studies major with
no clear direction, so I started picking out
classes based on whether they seemed in-
teresting.
One of the classes I signed up for in the
Spring 2007 semester was called “Publica-
tions Workshop.” I thought, “Maybe this
will help me learn about the publishing
business.”
It was the best mistake I ever made.
As I sat there on my first day of class
and realized that the course consisted al-
most entirely of writing for the student-run
newspaper (the very one you’re reading
right now), I grew horrified. I detested the
thought of being a member of the “media.”
What was worse, they actually expected
me to go out and talk to people I had never
met!
I could have dropped the class, of
course. But something—I’m still not sure
what—stopped me.
Instead, I decided to treat it as I treated
all of my other classes: I would go above
concepts pioneered by the ancient Roman
Republic and the eighteenth century En-
lightenment movement than any religious
text.
Some rights enumerated by the Consti-
tution would not have imaginable to Bib-
lical peoples. Guns, for example, simply
didn’t exist at the time of Jesus or Paul.
Other rights are flatly contradictory to Bib-
lical thought. The Second Commandment,
which tells believers that they cannot “take
the Lord’s name in vain,” is plainly at odds
with the First Amendment, which says that
no law can be made “abridging the free-
dom of speech.”
The U.S. Constitution is, in fact, one of
the most overtly secular government docu-
ments of all time. It never mentions Chris-
tianity or God. In the only two instances
where religion is mentioned, it is to make
it clear that religion cannot encroach on
government.
The first is in Article VI, Paragraph III,
and beyond what was required of me. If I
stuck it out, I could come away with a good
grade and only some minor scars.
My earliest articles were ham-fisted. Al-
though I had been writing all my life, news
stories forced me into a counter-intuitive
style that posed a new challenge for me.
I found out quickly that I loved that
challenge, as well as the fast-paced envi-
ronment. Seeing my name in physical print
was rewarding. By making contacts around
the college and delving into the research
required of investigative reporting, I dis-
covered that there was a practical benefit
to having background knowledge about the
school. I could navigate other facets of my
education with more confidence.
I signed up for the course again the fol-
lowing semester, and changed my major to
communications. I kept pressing the pro-
fessor, Steve Mark, to let me know more
about the “nuts and bolts” of producing the
paper.
I got my first glimpse when former Edi-
tor-in-Chief Cody Hill asked me to become
the Opinions Editor. Then I added Online
Editor to my titles. Finally, I became his
replacement. I was thrilled by the prospect.
I also took my job seriously. The first
and foremost responsibility of a newspaper
is to inform its audience. In the case of Ho-
rizons, that meant telling the students what
was happening at the college, good or bad.
Over the last few years, I have wit-
nessed plenty of both. I’ve seen screaming
matches between Student Senators. I’ve
seen the pride of professors when they cre-
ated novel programs for the school. I’ve
seen caring teachers and staff pummel fu-
tilely against intransigent administrative
forces. I’ve seen students in tears, and stu-
dents beaming with the prospects of new
possibilities.
Many times now, I have had to report
on complex and delicate matters that deep-
ly affect the people around me. It hasn’t
been easy, but I’ve been fortunate. Steve
has been an invaluable beacon in times
and states that “no religious Test shall ever
be required as a Qualification to any Office
or public Trust under the United States.”
The second instance is the so-called
“establishment clause” of the First Amend-
ment: “Congress shall make no law re-
specting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
These two clauses form what is com-
monly called the “wall of separation” be-
tween church and state that Thomas Jef-
ferson wrote about to the Danbury Baptists
shortly after the Constitution’s ratifica-
tion. Jefferson made it clear in numerous
writings that such a wall was the intent of
himself and the other drafters of the Con-
stitution, and more than two centuries of ju-
dicial precedent have consistently agreed.
Imagine my shock, then, when I found
out that Connecticut’s General Assembly
opens each session with a religious invo-
cation.
23
of confusion, a painstaking mentor, and a
thoughtful, considerate friend.
The committed editors and reporters
I’ve shared the newsroom with have also
been indispensable. It’s been my distinct
pleasure to participate in the development
of their talents, to have helped them grow
into their roles and beyond. They, too, have
helped me grow.
It was years ago that I stopped earning
class credit for my work on the paper. The
reasons I have stayed so devoted boil down
to three things, all of which are reflections
of my feelings for HCC more generally.
First, Horizons has been an outlet for
the conversation and creativity that I still
don’t get enough of in structured class-
room settings. The informal education it’s
provided has been at least as elucidating as
anything I’ve received a grade for. Along
with other voluntary extracurricular activi-
ties, it’s kept me from becoming disillu-
sioned again.
Second, by writing about HCC’s many
strengths and weaknesses, I’ve become a
“citizen” of the college, serving others in
the vital capacity that the press performs,
and in the process helping to improve the
campus for everyone. I am personally in-
vested in HCC to an extent that I have nev-
er been in any other institution—certainly
much more than I ever expected to be.
Finally, I’ve stuck around on Horizons
because I’ve developed a deep attachment
to the people there. With every new group
that comes in, I have heard the same obser-
vation from one staff member or another:
“It feels like you’re part of a family.”
It’s inexplicable, but it does feel like
that.
Leaving will be bittersweet. For once
in my life, I want that piece of paper with
the word “diploma” etched on it. Wrapped
up in that symbol will be years of struggle,
achievement, and friendship. I’ve earned
every letter on it, and I’m excited to move
on to the places it will take me.
But boy will I miss this place.
Institutional Sectarianism
It was “Bridgeport Day” at the State
Capitol in Hartford, and I was there to
represent HCC along with a cadre of other
students. As part of our “tour,” we we able
to sit in the balcony to watch a legislative
session in progress. It seemed it would be
like any other governmental proceeding I
had witnessed.
Out of the blue, we were asked to bow
our heads to listen to a prayer by a pastor. I
glanced at one of my friends who was sit-
ting next to me.
Since when was I required to go to
church to be involved in state affairs?
I didn’t know it at the time, but this
is not by any means an unusual practice.
School boards, town committees, and state
governments all over the nation open their
sessions with prayers, despite the fact that
Continued on Page 24
24
Continued from Page 23
it violates the spirit – and in many cases,
the letter – of the law.
Prayers have been allowed at these
kinds of sessions for years, as long as they
meet certain criteria. They’re not supposed
to invoke a particular deity; “God” is okay,
but “Yahweh” is off-limits.
Alternatively, some governing bodies
will cycle through religions: this week, it’s
a Catholic priest, and next week it will be
a Jewish Rabbi. The idea behind “cycling”
is that you give everyone a chance to have
his or her chosen sect represented, thereby
avoiding offending any group.
There are problems with both of these
methods of prayer. With cycling, there is
simply no way to hit every denomination of
every religion that exists. In practice, mi-
nority religions usually get ignored. Quite
often, Christianity goes through multi-
meeting strings, with the only real variety
being in which denomination speaks from
session to session.
Either way, though, prayer of any kind
ignores the fastest-growing minority of all
A sample of the pregnancy information obtained
from HCC’s Health Services office. There was a
heavy preponderance of anti-abortion literature,
most of it produced by Evangelical Christian orga-
nizations. Some of the pamphlets were non-medical,
and others contained inaccurate medical informa-
tion. There was no information whatsoever for
students wishing to obtain legal abortion services,
or for students of non-Christian religions.
Photo by Brandon T. Bisceglia
– those who do not belong to any organized
religion, including atheists, agnostics, de-
ists, and a whole host of other people who
do not pray. These citizens are forced to en-
dure a practice they do not believe in just
so that they can participate in their own
government.
Such disenfranchisement is not limited
to legislative sessions, either. At HCC’s
last two graduation ceremonies, explicitly
Christian invocations were given. This is
despite the fact that HCC is a state-run
institution supposedly serving the entire
community, no matter religious preference.
Non-Christian graduates should not have
the celebration of their achievements sul-
lied by being forced to perform someone
else’s religious rituals.
If you are Christian, and you don’t see
this as a problem, imagine sitting at your
By Whitley-Ann Grant
Staff Writer
A
s the 2012 prophecy sweeps
throughout the world, encouraged
by Internet sites, books, television,
videos and films; people have become con-
fused, anxious, and fearful. Natural disas-
ters such as Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami
in Japan, and the earthquake in Haiti has
only caused students to wonder what else
is going to occur. These world issues are
something that no man can control or stop.
As students, attending each class, study-
ing, writing papers, or preparing for finals
causes a huge amount of stress to our daily
HORIZONS • Opinions
graduation and being told to bow your
head for a prayer to Zoroaster. Would you
feel comfortable with that?
In other ways, HCC does a fairly decent
job of avoiding proselytizing for any reli-
gious view. There are no references to a re-
ligious position in the Student Handbook,
and no “Blessed are the faithful” posters
on the walls. Students who do wish to in-
ject Christianity into their school day have
the option of joining the Christian Studies
Club, a voluntary student organization that
does not attempt to convert other students
in the halls. Students of other religions can
also create their own groups, as the short-
lived Pagan Attitudes and Life Studies
(PALS) club did.
Yet institutional sectarianism has crept
into some facets of the college occasion-
ally. When it’s happened, it’s been in a
subtle, quiet fashion.
One place where a particular religious
viewpoint has gone unchecked is in HCC’s
Health Services Office. There, students
looking for medical information on preg-
nancy may be surprised, both by what is
available and what isn’t.
Tucked into a nondescript cubbyhole
is a plethora of pamphlets. Some are what
you’d expect to see: fact sheets on Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome, diet recommendations
for pregnant women, information for deal-
ing with AIDS while pregnant.
Some of them, however, are poorly
disguised anti-abortion propaganda. One
purple pamphlet proclaims on its cover,
“Legalized Abortion: Safe & Simple for
Whom?” The pamphlet was produced by
an Evangelical Christian advocacy organi-
zation called Victims of Choice – a group
that seeks to minister to women through
a “ten-session therapy model built on a
biblical foundation and administered by a
trained professional or lay/peer facilitator.”
Even if a woman at HCC was interested in
the program, she would have to drive to
Maine to find the nearest “facilitator.” The
pamphlet has zero medical use.
Another religious post-abortion “coun-
seling” organization called Hopeline
shows up multiple times in HCC’s preg-
nancy literature. One pamphlet contains
only a letter highlighting a “client story.”
There is not one iota of medical informa-
tion on it, though there are plenty of refer-
ences to “God’s work” and “discipleship.”
It finishes with, of all things, a request for
monetary donations.
Almost every piece of “medical infor-
mation” related to abortion in the Health
Services Office was generated by an an-
ti-abortion religious front organization:
Focus on the Family, Lumina, Heavenly
Bounties, Life Cycle Books, and the inapt-
ly-named Medical Institute.
This kind of under-the-table preaching
is wrong for a state institution to endorse,
even tacitly. But what’s worse is the fact
that the office offers nothing else. If you
Ready To Die
lives. This prediction has caused fear for
students, and has lead them to panic when
thinking about it. Does that mean that we
are going to lock ourselves in the house, or
throw away most of our priorities that we
stress over?
Kadeem West, 20, a Business major,
sometimes questions whether or not all the
struggles he goes through are worth it, if
the world is expected to end in the year of
2012.
“Of course, sometimes when I think
about it, if it is true, I should just pack up
and travel, have fun, do whatever...I want,”
he said. “I’m just prepared for whatever
comes.”
Clayton Council, a Business major, be-
are a woman seeking abortion services
(which, it should be pointed out, are legal
and at times medically necessary), then
you will find no guidance from the infor-
mation provided. If you’re not a Christian,
you’re also out of luck.
For that matter, if you’re a male, don’t
bother looking in the Health Services Of-
fice for condoms; when I asked, I was told
they didn’t carry them. You will, of course,
be able to find Focus on the Family’s “ex-
pert” advice on how to tell the difference
between infatuation and love, and Hope-
line’s “Abstinence Until Marriage Presen-
tation.”
Judeo-Christian Nation?
In recent years, various Christian groups
have attempted to spin-doctor American
history to further a notion that codifying
their particular interpretation of “God’s
will” into law somehow represents a re-
turn to our Constitutional roots. The term
“Judeo-Christian nation” has grown in
popularity among politicians and advocacy
groups to describe what they consider the
true underpinnings of American culture.
It’s an easy trap to fall into. The major-
ity of people in the United States have for a
long time been some of the most religious-
ly fervent in the Western world. We’re all
familiar with the strict Calvinism of the
Pilgrims who landed in Massachusetts dur-
ing the early 1600’s.
Unfortunately, that view of history
misses a great many things. It forgets the
religiously open Dutch territories that orig-
inally spanned from New York to Mary-
land. It forgets the freethinking of Benja-
min Franklin, the Enlightenment Deism
of Thomas Jefferson, and the rejection of
all religions by the pamphleteer who gal-
vanized the American Revolution, Thomas
Paine.
If anyone ever had any question about
the religious roots of our early govern-
ment, they need look no further than the
Treaty of Tripoli, signed by President John
Adams and ratified unanimously by the
United States Congress in 1797. Article 11
of the treaty begins, “As the Government
of the United States of America is not, in
any sense, founded on the Christian reli-
gion...”
Our governmental institutions have not
always lived up to their own standards.
During the 1950’s, the United States be-
came so swept up in anticommunist fervor
that investigations into unfounded suspi-
cions of “communist sympathies” by both
the House and Senate resulted in the ruin of
many citizens’ livelihoods.
During that time, members of govern-
ment sought to distinguish themselves
from the officially atheist Communist re-
gime in Soviet Russia. It was then that a
series of laws were passed injecting God
into official government policies. The na-
lieves, “You are not capable of knowing
what’s going to happen, but with all that’s
going on, I believe it might happen.”
Another student, Mary Moales, 20, a
Criminal Justice major, is also convinced
that the world is going to end due to the
rare happenings that Bridgeport itself has
faced.
“This past year, Bridgeport had a tor-
nado and a mini earthquake. To me, that’s
just crazy because things like that just do
not happen. This world is getting scary!
The world is coming to an end!” she ex-
claimed. “I would love to have a family.
I’m too young to die. I am very afraid of
2012.”
Yes, not only Bridgeport, but the world
tion’s motto was changed from “E Pluribus
Unum,” meaning “Out of many, one,” to
“In God We Trust.” The new motto was
required to appear on the dollar bill. The
words “under God” were inserted into the
Pledge of Allegiance. And the National
Day of Prayer was established, during
which the president would for the first time
be required to explicitly endorse a religious
ritual.
So what? If you’re a Christian, you
may be thinking that more people should
be coming to your faith anyway, and that
government is a perfect vehicle for driving
them there. Even if it goes against found-
ing principles, we could always hold a
Constitutional convention to change the
document so that it reflects a religious
viewpoint.
If you believe that, though, then you
haven’t experienced the joy of belonging
to the “wrong” Christian denomination.
Consider, then, John F. Kennedy, the
first Catholic ever to be elected to the of-
fice of president. Despite the promise of
our Constitution that no religious test could
be required for holding the position, long-
standing anti-Catholic fears roiled among
some Protestant groups. Rumors spread
that Kennedy would become a puppet for
More religious pamphlets obtained from HCC’s
Health Services office.
Photo by Brandon T. Bisceglia
the Pope in Rome.
In response, Kennedy delivered one of
the most eloquent defenses of the separa-
tion of church and state ever given. Speak-
ing before the Greater Houston Ministe-
rial Association – a room full of Protestant
preachers – in 1960, he said:
“I believe in an America that is official-
ly neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish;
where no public official either requests or
accept instructions on public policy from
the Pope, the National Council of Church-
es or any other ecclesiastical source; where
no religious body seeks to impose its will
directly or indirectly upon the general pop-
ulace or the public acts of its officials, and
where religious liberty is so indivisible that
an act against one church is treated as an
act against all.”
That, also, is the America I believe in.
has faced many changes throughout the
years. Just recently, Japan has faced two
devastating earthquakes in which many
people lost their lives. People are still af-
fected by the earthquake in Haiti, Hurri-
cane Katrina, and evidently, people are still
killing each other.
Ever since we were introduced to the
world, people have died. There have been
wars between countries that went on for
years, but that does not mean that we
should worry enough to throw our future
away. Y2K, a prediction that in the year of
2000, the computers would shut down, and
as a result, we will go back to living as if
Continued on Page 25

Continued from Page 24
we were in the Stone Age. That prediction
came and went, but we are still here.
Although Mary Moales is terrified, she
will not let that stop her from continuing
with her daily patterns. “Although I’m
scared, I continue to go to school, just in
case.” she said.
Tips on Arguing
Avoid Hypocrisy / Genetic Fallacy
By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
I
t’s a tough world. Every day, you are
barraged by advertising schemes, sta-
tistics, and political rhetoric. Every
day, you must express your own views to
friends, family members, teachers, and em-
ployers.
If you want to hack your way through
all that material or convince others of your
opinions, it is essential to develop criti-
cal thinking skills. These skills are rarely
taught in the classroom, yet they often
make the difference between getting your
way and being ignored.
The editors at Horizons are committed
to helping you develop these tools. Each is-
sue, we bring you one tip to increase your
arguing power, and one hint to sharpen
your critical eye.
Avoid Hypocrisy: Hypocrisy is gener-
ally defined as saying one thing while do-
ing something that contradicts it. It can be
summed up in the phrase, “practice what
you preach.”
Safeguarding against hypocrisy is a
boost to any argument you make. When
you profess to believe in something, peo-
ple will look for concrete examples of
that belief. If they see that you aren’t fol-
lowing your own example, then they may
conclude that you have some other motive
for what you say, such as getting money or
support from a certain group.
Just because someone acts hypocriti-
cally doesn’t mean that his or her argument
is invalid. A smoker who discourages her
children from smoking has good reasons
for doing so. Those reasons are not can-
celled out by the smoker’s habit.
Hypocrisy does, however, tend to un-
dermine the arguer by complicating his or
her claims, and that’s why it helps to avoid
acting contradictorily.
Avoiding hypocrisy can be more diffi-
cult than it sounds at first. In the course of
our lives, we frequently change our posi-
tions on multiple issues. Someone who is
a heroin addict at 18 but becomes a drug
counselor at 28 might be accused of hypoc-
risy. Strictly speaking, though, the accusa-
tion would be wrong—the former addict’s
change of action would be consistent with
his change of opinion.
There are also different levels of hy-
pocrisy. For example, the Connecticut Post
published an assessment of Bridgeport
Mayor Bill Finch’s “greenness” on Earth
Day. Finch was quoted as saying that he
liked taking the train to keep his carbon
footprint low. Yet according to the article,
Finch had opted to fly (a much less fuel-
efficient method of travel) on three out of
five trips over the past year to Washington,
D.C. He only took the train twice.
If this is a major hypocrisy, consider
another note from the article: Finch’s fam-
ily composts most of their biodegradable
waste. On the day that the reporter was in
his home, though, there were some corn-
husks in the trash.
If the occasional item misses the com-
HORIZONS • Opinions
Thinking positive is the best way to
overcome anything. Their shouldn’t be a
“just in case” because we have no proof
of anything. The truth is, no one knows
what’s going to happen tonight, tomorrow,
next week or next year. The only thing
promised is death for every living being.
We just don’ know when, where or how.
Death is something that we all have to face
post pile, does it negate the vast majority
that makes it in?
Finch admits that he’s “not perfect.”
Perhaps in the quest to eliminate hypoc-
risy, it’s best to realize that his statement
applies to all of us.
Genetic Fallacy: The genetic fallacy
is a form of misdirected logic in which a
claim is supported or refuted based on an
irrelevant aspect of its origin. In this con-
text, “genetic” doesn’t refer to biology - it
refers to any source or point of origin for
an idea.
Partisan political battles are often
fought using generous doses of the genetic
fallacy. In early April, for instance, Presi-
dent Barack Obama made a speech unveil-
ing his overall strategy for deficit reduc-
tion. The policies he outlined were drawn
largely from the results of a study by a
bipartisan commission formed specifically
for the purpose of lowering the deficit.
In response to the speech, though, Re-
publican and former Massachusetts Gov-
ernor Mitt Romney issued a statement
saying that Obama had “dug deep into his
liberal playbook for solutions highlighted
by higher taxes.”
Romney was speaking to his base. Im-
plicit in his statement was the suggestion
that Obama’s plan could not be credible
because a “liberal” had uttered it.
Obama’s status as a liberal, however, is
irrelevant to the question at hand, which is:
would these fiscal strategies work? That
25
whether we like it or not. Regardless if the the world does not end in 2012, it will be
world ends in 2012, someday our individu- another Y2K, and you have continued on
al worlds will end. We can die even before with your priorities. You will be prepared
2012, but that shouldn’t make anyone put for success.
their priorities away. We should all want
to accomplish meaningful goals that will
make us happy.
Living life for the moment will never
prepare us correctly for our futures. So if
Photo by Brandon T. Bisceglia usually based on grouping people with
similar genetic profiles together. But this is
a classic case of confusing correlation with
question would have to be addressed on its
causation: just because people with cer-
own merits - something Romney’s state-
tain genes tend to have certain conditions
ment failed to do.
does not mean that the genes caused those
Romney is hardly the only person to conditions. That’s as silly as saying that
employ the genetic fallacy on policy is-
because most redheads live in Europe, that
sues; both sides of the aisle are guilty of
red hair causes people to live in Europe.
substituting labels as substitutes for logic.
Scientific understanding of how genes
The practice extends well beyond Wash-
interact with other risk factors, as well as
ington, too. Comments on blogs and news
how they interact with one another, is still
articles are frequently peppered with dis-
in its infancy. A few diseases have definite
sent of a position because such-and-such
genetic origins, but the number remains
person is a “socialist,” a “tea partier,” or a
small.
“RINO.” Even if such claims are true, they
Nevertheless, demand for genetic risk
have little bearing on whether a given idea
testing is growing, and some people take
is good or bad.
the results to heart. That can lead to a false
The genetic argument is not always a
sense of dread—or security. And it all
fallacy. After all, origins do sometimes
feeds on the assumption that who we are is
matter. Literal genetics do determine your
solely determined by our origins.
hair color, your eye color, and so forth.
Whenever someone justifies or discards
But this can easily be overextended into
a claim because of where it originated,
the territory of irrelevance. This kind of
always ask yourself: would they feel the
false attribution has become particularly
same way if the same claim had come from
dangerous in the field of genetic risk test-
somewhere else? If not, then they’re prob-
ing. Companies (and sometimes, doctors)
ably committing the genetic fallacy.
can now generate genetic profiles that pur-
port to tell a customer his or her risk for Get involved in the debate! If you have a
this or that ailment. Yet even when the tests
suggestion for a tip, a question about criti-
are legitimate, they actually provide little
cal thinking, or a comment about arguing,
useful information. Most diseases and dis-
please send it to housatonichorizons@ya-
orders arise from a complex interplay that
hoo.com. And for quality news, including
includes such non-genetic factors as envi-
a healthy dose of arguments that challenge
ronment, history, and lifestyle.
the norm, be sure to read Horizons!
Beyond that, determination of risk is
26
rts and
Losing My Cool: How a Father’s Love and
15,000 Books Beat Hip Hop Culture
By Rondale Williams
Staff Writer
L
osing My Cool by Thomas Chatter-
ton Williams, is an alluring memoir
about Williams, a skinny boy who
grew up acting the part of a bad boy hip
hop artist. But behind closed doors “Pap-
py,” his father, would force Williams and
his brothers to indulge in books. His father,
a man who as a young boy used to hide in
closets to read, never wanted his son to
lose sight of how important being educated
was and how lucky Williams was to be able
to read without fear of being caught.
Williams wanted no part of it but more
so wanted to play basketball, and wore
huge chains like the rappers he saw on TV.
His image in high school was even increas-
ingly perpetuated by his girlfriend Stacey,
a dime piece girl, who was running game
around town on drug dealers, and who he
had to slap down to prove his blackness.
Losing My Cool isn’t about a black man
losing his temper because of the influence
of hip hop but more about how Williams
followed the words of Jay-Z and Tupac to
HCC Faculty Exhibits “Evolution”
of Their Artistry
By Tori Centopanti
Editor-in-Chief
R
ome wasn’t built in a day, and nei-
ther is masterful artwork. The only
difference is that works of art are
not set in stone. Art is a creative process
that constantly flows and changes.
This concept of artistic progression is
the theme of this year’s HCC faculty art
show, aptly titled “Evolution,” which was
featured in the Housatonic Museum of Art
(also known as the Burt Chernow Galler-
ies) from April 4 to 22.
Rather than focus solely on the final
product of an artist’s work, this exhibit
“Cluster” by Shuzan Shutan. Paper sculpture wall
installation.
Photo courtesy of Suzan Shutan
HORIZONS • Arts & Entertainment
ntertainment
other than the likes of Coogi, or Rocawear.
This is the first opportunity Williams has
to realize people of another skin color are
lames like hip hop tells us but that we can
like these people if we give everyone a
chance.
In his interactions with international
students and people of other nationalities
at Georgetown, Williams teaches us that
college changes us and that because so
many people live with each other, the lines
of race, culture, and class become blurred
so much, so that we can not let hip hop tell Thomas Chatterton Williams and “Pappy.”
Losing My Cool: How a Father’s Love and 15,000
us to sidestep these people as irrelevant be- Photo courtesy of georgetown.edu
Books Beat Hip Hop Culture.
Photo courtesy of amazon.com cause they are different. Throughout the book, the line “Pap-
It takes a lot for a former hop hop en- py” tells Williams when he is young that
fit in with the crowd.
thusiast to admit he had to correct his ways he “doesn’t care if he sees another black
In his memoir Williams challenges the
in the way Williams did in Losing My entertainer or athlete” resonates with Wil-
social norms of African American students
Cool. Even more so, Williams’s memoir liams all his life, reminding him and us
and asks us to rid ourselves of what hip hop
shows that knowledge and a education is that love, books, and education is what will
tells us we should be. He had to when he
what wins in the end, not what TV or our push us forward, not hip hop, a culture he
went to Georgetown, a place he describes
peers tells us can get the hottest chick or feels has dumbed down “Black America.”
as the place international and white stu-
guy in school, the knowledge that his fa- This is definitely a book I recommend
dents went to. He is awed, though, by a
ther instilled through summers of SAT prep all college and Afro-American students
rich white student nicknamed Playboy who
courses and reading, not because he want- read!
opens him up to the world of baguettes, fine
ed to torture young Thomas but because of
dining, and expensive clothing with names
love and a desire to see his son succeed.
goes beyond that and digs deeper, provid-
ing insight into the inner workings of an
artist’s mind.
Webster’s dictionary defines evolution
as “a process of continuous change from a
lower, simpler, or worse to a higher, more
complex, or better state.” But Lecturer in
Art Tom Brenner doesn’t believe the defi-
nition applies to his work.
“My images of the Devon Bridges have
followed the opposite course, towards
simplification. My focus has not grown in
its scope, it has narrowed,” says his artist
statement. “I have come to agree with An-
toine de Saint-Exupery, who said: ‘Perfec-
tion is reached not when there is nothing
left to add, but when there is nothing left
to take away.”
Brenner’s process for his exhibited
works included drawing preliminary
A downward view of the ground. “Iron Cross” by Tom Brenner. Pastel on paper.
sketches of the scenes and recreating them Photo courtesy of Tom Brenner
using pastel on paper. Over time, the cre-
ative direction he envisioned for the works the essence of an object, and remake the through college in a Bridgeport factory as
also developed and changed. known into something uncommon and inspiration and motivation.
“In the process, my work has evolved transformative,” she says. “I would locate a building or an area
from what could be described as conven- Her exhibited work, “Cluster,” is made that held visual promise and go there to
tional pictures of a scene into more ab- of paper looped and attached to each other. view it, smell it, listen to it, and watch what
stracted images imbued with a vital living It’s open to interpretation and references the light did as the day passed,” he says,
force and energy emitted by their archetyp- everything from knitting to headaches, adding that he photographed the site for
al shapes,” his statement continues. computer files, populations, atoms and the factory painting featured in this exhibit
In a different, practically opposite man- molecules. “over a period of six years before finding
ner, Lecturer in Art Suzan Shutan utilized “My structures multiply into sweeping something I thought expressed my feelings
the simple to create complex work. She de- patterns that spatially interact with archi- about it.”
scribes her work as “wall relief, suspended tecture and invite touch, movement and Pinto, who took hundreds of photos for
and free standing installations that active viewer participation,” Shutan says. “They his work, advises to always use more than
with viewer participation.” illustrate life’s colorful and quirky mo- one photograph as a source when painting
She begins with found and manufac- ments.” from photographs. “A great photograph
tured materials, but the end product is not When Instructor of Art and Graphic De- has only one perspective [and] represents a
simple, in either a material or symbolic sign Advisor Andy Pinto began his series moment in time,” he says. “Working from
sense. “I try to illustrate an idea by using of factory and mill paintings, he used his
its intended form as a springboard to evoke firsthand experience of working his way Continued on page 27

Faculty artwork featured in “Evolution” exhibit in Housatonic Museum of Art. Works in photo by Ernest Lopez, Judith Corrigan, Lizbeth Anderson, Lydia Viscardi, Maggie Sullivan, and Lisa Greenberg.
Continued from page 26
a photograph is always limiting.”
Working from the multiple photo-
graphs, however, helped Pinto “resolve
color issues” by enabling him to create a
distinct pallet of color. To start on the raw
canvas, he would loosely sketch and then
slowly build detail and composition. Color
was added last and takes three layers of
paint to achieve.
His goal was to capture more than just
one moment in time on canvas and to “re-
cord the existence” of the factories.
“When all of my needs are met and
inspiration strikes I attempt to create an
expression that transcends the data and
employs all of what I have learned about
design, color, and light to create an original
expression that is more than a moment in
time,” says Pinto.
Not all artwork is created intentionally
though. A work of art, or any creation for
that matter, can take on a life of its own.
Sometimes inspiration creeps up on an art-
ist when they least expect it, usually in the
most unlikely places and ways.
The work exhibited by Lecturer in Art
Maggie Sullivan originated as a drawing
that was part of an exercise in automatic
drawing – the artistic equivalent to stream
of consciousness in writing – which is
meant to tap into the unconscious.
Her drawing uses symbols from cro-
chet diagramming and color sequences
taken from space-dyed yarn, and follows
a series of rules such as pre-establishing
the color sequence, building the drawing
from strands of marks and following a pre-
existing edge.
The sketch was never intended to be the
basis for another piece, but she was “com-
pelled” to remake it after the initial draw-
ing suffered water damage.
“I preferred the running, blurred col-
ors in the water-damaged portions to the
original drawing,” says Sullivan’s artist
statement. “I thought I’d remake it big-
ger, messier, and more saturated, discard-
ing the original color restrictions and using
gouache instead of fine-tip markers.”
If one looks closely enough, the faces
of Yoda, E.T. and Gizmo (yes, the movie
characters!) can be identified in both the
preliminary drawing and finished piece.
“It is meant to be a joke about the content
of my unconscious mind,” her artist state-
ment explains.
Lecturer in Art Lisa Greenberg inter-
preted the exhibit concept not as the evolu-
tion of her work, per se, but as the evolu-
tion of herself.
“My pastel work depicts a fictional X-
ray of my right knee,” says her artist state-
ment. “I am reminded that it is the difficult
journeys in life that allow us to grow. They
instill us with wisdom and help us to put
things in perspective.”
27
HORIZONS • Arts & Entertainment
Photo courtesy of Terri Smith
A downward view of the ground. “Vertigo” by Tom “Subway” by John Favret. Oil on canvas (left) and preliminary sketch (right).
Brenner. Pastel on paper. Photo courtesy of Terri Smith
Photo courtesy of Tom Brenner
The faculty art show won’t return until
the Spring 2012 semester, in its annual tra-
dition, but there are always exhibits on dis-
play throughout campus. The student art
show is being exhibited in the Housatonic
Museum of Art through the month of May.
Visit the Housatonic Museum of Art’s
website - http://www.hctc.commnet.edu/
artmuseum - for gallery hours, upcoming
exhibits, exhibit archives and more!
Additional “Evolution” (2011) Artist
Statements
Professor of Graphic Design and Coor-
dinator of the Art Program John Favret
In New London there is an annual street
fair called the Sail Fest where people gath-
er to enjoy street performances, live music,
food, fun, and fireworks. This painting is
based on a memory from several years ago
when my family enjoyed an evening at the
festival. The crowds flowed down the side-
walks and pavement past many food and
street vendors. The energy and excitement
inspired me to make the initial drawing.
In the next few years I started a small
study that was painted on a spare canvas I
had in my studio. The canvas frame did not
fit the proportion of the sketch and I never
felt it was going in the right direction. I
put it away for several years and recently
decided to begin a new painting with pro-
portions true to the original drawing. This
new piece evolved many different times
through the creative process. My goal was
to capture the mood of a dark evening on a
busy street with the light cast from a street
vendor.
Lecturer in Art Lizbeth Anderson
My work is informed by having been Faculty artwork featured in “Evolution” exhibit in Housatonic Museum of Art. In front: “Maquette for Sculp-
ture” by Matthias Alfren. Sculpture. In back: “Ecclesiastical Parade” by Gus Moran. Oil on panel (left) and
preliminary sketch (right).
Continued on page 28 Photo courtesy of Terri Smith
28 HORIZONS • Arts & Entertainment

Continued from page 27 and color in all my work. It is exhilarating

to communicate ideas and emotions with
both an art historian and a professional tat-
too artist for the past fifteen years. It is im-
paint on canvas, paper, and wood that may
engage the viewer.
Introducing the Artists of 2011
possible for me to separate considering the
historical and social climate of America Annual HCC Faculty Exhibition:
“Evolution”
and their affect on the visual arts and cul-
ture with my students from the making of
my own work. Additionally, working with
individual clients who choose to indelibly
mark themselves with various symbols Matthias Alfren Gus Moran
and images provide me with many new Lecturer in Art Lecturer in Painting, Art
ways of perceiving the body and identity. No official website www.gusmoran.com
Tattoos are just as much a part of modern
American visual culture as anything we see
hanging in museums, in advertising, on the Lizbeth Anderson Andy Pinto
Internet, television or in simply walking Lecturer in Art Instructor of Art
down the street. I emphasize with students www.lizbethanderson.net Graphic Design advisor
the impact of how the specific materials of No official website
an artwork affect its form and content. I at-
tempt to relate in my own work the charac-
Tom Brenner
teristics of living skin with the use of natu- Lecturer in Art Carmine Picarello
ral beeswax and organic handmade papers No official website Lecturer in Photography
and simulate the processes of tattooing and www.picarellophoto.com
various medical procedures with a variety Matthew Capezzuto
of printmaking techniques, collage, stitch-
ing, and incisive line work.
Lecturer in Art Peter Rembetsy
“Transubstan” by Lizbeth Anderson. Silkscreen
As an art historian, I am interested in print.
www.matthewcapezzuto.com Lecturer in Art
the visual history of alchemy, anatomy, Image courtesy of www.lizbethanderson.net No official website
medicine, chemistry and tattooing. They Judith Corrigan
are all related. All of these disciplines are Lecturer in Art Thomas Scippa
in intrinsic part of my life and studies, and
come through in my work via a synthesis
www.judithcorrigan.com Lecturer in Art
of verbal and visual language. No official website
“Quilting Frolic” evolved out of a di- John Favret
rect experience of teaching at HCC, tattoo- Professor of Graphic Design Suzan Shutan
ing clients at Studio Zee, and considering Coordinator of the Art Program Lecturer in Art
how I fit into the “History of American
Art” myself.
www.johnfavret.com www.suzanshutan.com

Lecturer in Art Judith Corrigan Lisa Greenberg Maggie Sullivan

My intent when painting is to reach Lecturer in Art Lecturer in Art
a level of the collective unconscious to No official website No official website
create deeply honest images with acrylic
paint, oil stick, charcoal, and collage ma-
terials. Usually horse and human figures Ernest Lopez Lydia Viscardi
evolve onto and within a scene to express Lecturer in Art Lecturer in Art
the mysterious ways animals and humans “Quilting Frolic” by Lizbeth Anderson. Silkscreen No official website No official website
communicate. Dance and music always print.
greatly inspire a sense of movement, sound, Image courtesy of www.lizbethanderson.net

Share Your Thoughts!

Write a review about an art show featured in The Housatonic Museum of
Art for the museum’s blog by e-mailing Curator Terri C. Smith at
tcamillesmithhcc@gmail.com

Visit The Housatonic Museum of Art Online!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Housatonic-Museum-of-
Art/121841171170524

Blog: http://housatonicmuseum.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.hcc.commnet.edu/artmuseum/index.html

Celebrity Tattoos: Miscellaneous Edition
By Michael Bednarsky
Arts & Entertainment Editor
T
his is the last installment of Celebrity Tattoos! This
one features individuals from professions that are
outside of sports, music, and acting yet may inter-
twine with any of these focuses as well.
1. Christopher Nicholas “Criss Angel” Sarantakos
Currently the most notable American illusionist in me-
dia, Angel has turned his role as a magician into a con-
glomerate. His bravado not only made way for the mer-
chandise he sells, but also cemented the importance of
Criss Angel Mindfreak, his
television show that pre-
mieres live performances of
his tricks (and explanations
of some that he decides to
reveal). Before that merit,
he was featured in“World of
Criss Angel’s own logo is embla- Illusion,” a 1998 Madison
zoned on his right arm, as shown in Square Garden concert. He
this picture with a fan. has won the Magician of the
Photo courtesy of www.vegasblog.
latimes.com Year award in 2001, 2004,
2005, 2007, and 2008. He
also has turned magic into a fashionable art form by sport-
ing large chains and accessories to go along with his com-
pany attire. Angel brought the profession into relevance
from the age range of 18-30 years. He has a tattoo of his
own logo on his outer right bicep, in red color.
2. Guy Ramsay Fieri
Sporting sunglasses on the back of his head, retro
bowling shirts, and a spiked hair/goatee combo, Fieri has
been a Food Network staple since the mid-2000s. Upon
winning the second season of The Next Food Network Star
in 2006, his own television show Guy’s Big Bite debuted.
Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives followed, touring food hot
spots all over the country.
The show has proven to be
incredibly successful. He
bleeds originality (in terms
of fashion style) and has an
overwhelming desire for
the best food dishes from
all cuisines/locations ever.
Guy Fieri shows his love for Evil His tattoos perpetuate his
Knievel.
persona. He has spoken
Photo courtesy of www.guyfieri.
about his “Culinary Gang-
blogspot.com
sta’” tattoo as an passionate
ode to food professions, but
he has also expressed love for legendary daredevil Evil
Knievel with a right inner forearm tattoo of a large number
1 in a patriotic color scheme, and the word Fieri below.
3. Robert “Bob” Harper
Despite his com-
mercial success on the
reality show The Big-
gest Loser, the essence
of his credibility is from
his impact as a personal
trainer. Harper did not
compete in high school
athletics, but became
heavily interested in the
fitness field during col-
lege when he attended
Austin Peay State Uni-
versity (Clarksville,
Bob Harper, a man of physical prowess.
Photo courtesy of www.accessholly-
Tennessee). He soon
received certification
wood.com
for a fitness instructor
Got some news you want covered?
Let us know!
Write to housatonichorizons@gmail.com
29
HORIZONS • Arts & Entertainment
position from the American Fitness Training of Athletics ment in which he lived. He attended the High School of
(AFTA) and Aerobics and Fitness Association of America Art and Design in New York City, and began working for
(AFAA). He then relocated to Los Angeles, California Charivari after he graduated. Although only a stock-boy
and generated a roster of celebrity clients (which include for the boutique, he was allowed to design sweaters in be-
but are not limited to actor Ben Stiller and actress Selma tween his merchandise set-up obligations. This perpetu-
Blair). In 2004, he joined fellow trainer Jillian Michaels ated a placement in the Parsons School of Design. When
on The Biggest Loser. Harper has not been publicly verbal he graduated in 1984, he was awarded the Perry Ellis Gold
about his tattoos, but on his lower left forearm he has an Thimble Award and Design Student of the Year merit.
exotic purple and yellow fish. After designing the pieces for films Amadeus and Purple
Rain, he became the women’s wear designer for Perry El-
lis in 1997. After living a glamorous life, he got caught up
4. Stephen Gilchrist “Steve-O” Glover
This stuntman of Jackass’ fame started his profession- in the drug availability to the point that he needed to go to
rehab. After doing so, he returned to fashion by releasing
al career by dropping out of the
University of Miami to attend Marc Jacobs collections. On his right outer bicep, he has a
red character from the M&M’S brand.
the Ringling Bros. and Barnum
& Bailey Clown College. He
graduated in 1997. Although he 7. Jesse Gregory James
was close to successfully being He founded the motorcycle shop/company West Coast
selected to join the staff of cir- Choppers in 1992, created the Motorcycle Mania docu-
cus performers (10 of 33 people mentary series, and spearheaded the vehicle modification
were chosen out of a 2000-plus show Monster Garage in 2002. Whether or not he is re-
list of applicants), he ultimately lated to the infamous
was turned down. He performed outlaw Jesse James (he
stunts at the Fort Lauderdale claims he is on the side
Swap Shop and documented of his great grandfa-
them. Glover then moved to ther’s cousin), he is still
Steve-O loves to reveal his
Albuquerque, New Mexico and notorious for his rugged
iconic back tattoo.
Photo courtesy of www. filmed himself yet again. He sent persona. His tattoos are
dpchallenge.com his compilations to skateboard- only one aspect of the
ing companies. Big Brother said image he embraces,
magazine propelled his status when editor Jeff Tremaine but nevertheless are the
contacted Glover and recruited him for the Jackass line- most enjoyable to see.
up. Steve-O has a plethora of tattoos that further generate He has recently been
the intensity of his already reckless persona (such as an relevant to a mainstream
arm tattoo of male genitals), and a lot of those tattoos are Jesse James intimidates as he takes a media degree because
supposedly covered up now. However, his back tattoo is rest. of the scandal involv-
the magnum opus of his collection: the piece features a Photo courtesy of www.tattoosilove. ing ex-wife movie star-
portrait of Steve-O himself giving a thumbs-up sign and
com
let Sandra Bullock and
the words “yeah dude, I rock!” followed by his own sig- model Michelle “Bombshell” McGee. In January 2011, he
nature. became engaged to tattoo artist Kat Von D. He has a tattoo
of a red octopus on his right outer bicep.
5. Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth
Grimaldi (Princess of Monaco, 8. Katherine “Kat Von D” von Drachenberg
Countess of Polignac) Every tattoo artist should be commended for their
Being born in royalty was the work/talent, and while putting Kat Von D on this list gives
catalyst of Monaco’s best and more credit to an individual with already a large list of suc-
worst experiences respectively. Her Princess Stephanie has a cessful feats, I still believe she should be introduced. The
mother died in 1982 when traveling dainty tattoo to match her Nuevo Leon (Mexico) native moved to Colton, Califor-
femininity.
on a mountain road in Mexico. This nia when she was four years
Photo courtesy of www.
devastated Stephanie, and assisted fimho.com old. In the beginning of her
the reputation she began to shape. career, the surroundings of
She became entrepreneurial in her efforts: creating a per- her Inland Empire habitat
fume, pursuing a career as a pop singer, and also remained (Greater Los Angeles region)
in the spotlight by dating high-profile men such as actor influenced her work. Her first
Rob Lowe and race car driver Paul Belmondo. She has a tattoo at 14-years old was a
tattoo of a sun in a bracelet form on her left wrist. “J” in an Old English style
on her ankle (an ode to a
crush who is out of her life).
6. Marc Jacobs
This infamous fashion In 1996, her friends asked
her to use a tattoo machine
designer drew early inspi-
ration from his childhood on them, and her first tattoo
work was the Misfits band
days. Marc was 7 years old Kat Von D misses her mother
when his father died, and dearly. logo, used with a homemade
Photo courtesy of www.zimbio. rig. She was offered a job at
that demise allowed his com
living situation to go awry. 305 Ink (as featured on the
reality television series Mi-
He moved from New Jer-
sey, Long Island, and the ami Ink) and became a household name after leaving that
shop and creating L.A. Ink, which follows her own tattoo
Bronx before moving in
with his paternal grand- shop High Voltage Tattoo in West Hollywood, California.
She has a black and gray portrait tattoo of her deceased
mother on the Upper West
Marc Jacobs has a large collection of mother Sylvia Galeano, located on her left upper back.
Side. It was then that he
whimsical tattoos.
Photo courtesy of www.newfaces. pursued his passion, due
com do the comforting environ-
30

Horizons Wants to Hear from You!

Write to us at housatonichorizons@gmail.com to:

- Share your opinions

- Submit ideas, articles, and information about upcoming events
- Request interviews or other information from the Horizons staff

Visit our companion blog at www.hccperspective.blogspot.com to:

- Read additional articles

- Find out about upcoming events
- Leave comments that will be immediately viewable

Listen to Continuum, our weekly podcast feature at

www.housatonichorizons.podbean.com.
 31

Gain Some
Perspective
Visit www.hccperspective.blogspot.com
32
Key Players for Contending Teams
By T.J. Mallico
Staff Writer
I
n Major League Baseball (MLB), it
doesn’t matter if you are on the Pitts-
burgh Pirates or the New York Yan-
kees. Every single team has the same goal
in mind: Make it to the World Series.
In order for teams to get there, a lot of
things have to truly go their way, from calls
made by the umpires to certain players car-
rying teams on their backs. Everything has
to be perfect.
Key players for contending teams that
will only go as far depending on how
these said players, from starting pitchers to
catchers, produce.
American League
New York Yankees Offense: We all
know how consistent A-Rod, Cano, and
Teixeira are, but that is not the key. The
Yankees need somebody else to step up
this year if they want to get past the ALCS
(American League Championship Series),
and I believe they are one hitter away.
Curtis Granderson (Outfield): Last
year, Granderson didn’t really have the
year everybody thought he was going to
have. In 2010, Granderson’s hits, average
and home runs were down from the year
before. If Granderson can stay healthy
throughout the year, hit 24-35 home runs
and bat around .275, then the Yankees can
go places.
New York Yankees Pitching:
The Yankees don’t have a deep start-
ing rotation. Some analysts might say that
this is one of their weakest rotations in re-
Gavin Floyd delivering a fastball on a 1-1 count.
Photo courtesy of http://thegoldensombrero.com/
cent years. The Yankees are going to need
someone to step up, and I don’t think it’s
going to be A.J. Burnett.
Curious about the services, courses, and programs at HCC?
Go to http://www.hcc.commnet.edu, the college’s home page.
From there you can navigate the various departments, search for courses, or follow links to other
useful sites, such as MyCommnet and the HCC Foundation.
HORIZONS • Sports
ports
Casey McGehee drives the ball to the left-center gap.
Photo courtesy of http://blogredmachine.com/
Ivan Nova (Starting Pitcher): Nova is
good, and I do not think he gets enough
credit from fans. Last year in Triple-A
(highest level for minor league baseball
players in the USA), the rookie went 12-3
with an ERA of 2.86. Last year he saw
some time with the Yankees and pitched at
an average rate (in terms of numbers). In
spring training, he pitched above expecta-
tions and one should expect more of the
same throughout the year. I believe Nova
is going to be the Yankees number 3 starter
by the end of this year and I expect Nova to
win 9-14 games and have an ERA around
4.14.
Chicago White Sox Offense:
The White Sox have a powerful lineup
consisting of Paul Konerko, Carlos Quen-
tin, and Adam Dunn, all of which are going
to put up lots of home runs and RBIs. But,
the franchise is still lacking talented hitters
and they are going to need somebody to
play that role.
Alexei Ramirez (Shortstop): Ramirez
may be the most underrated shortstop in
professional baseball today. He hit over
.280 last year and had 18 home runs. I ex-
pect those numbers to be a little bit better
by the end of the year. Ramirez is the best
all-around hitter on the White Sox, don’t
be surprised if he bats .284 with 23 home
runs and 85 RBIs.
Chicago White Sox Pitching:
Visit HCC Online!
Gavin Floyd (Starting Pitcher):
The White Sox’s starting rotation has
some depth to it. Mark Buehrle, John
Danks, and Jake Peavy are all household
names by now. Then again, Gavin Floyd
is the missing puzzle piece. He has shown
signs of being a number 2 starter and at
worst a number 3. For some reason, Floyd
can never have a consistent season, but this
might be his year. If Floyd can get run sup-
port, I expect him to win around 14 games
with an ERA in the range of 3.78 - 3.98.
Oakland Athletics Offense:
The one weakness of the Athletics is
their offense. They lack a guy in the lineup
that can hit for power and RBIs. They do
have some small role players like David
DeJesus and Kurt Suzuki, but they need
more.
Josh Willingham (Outfield): If the Ath-
letics want to win the American League
West (I think they will), then they need to
have someone provide big numbers. Josh
Willingham might be the man. He is prob-
ably their best power hitter, and I think he
can hit over 24 home runs and 75 RBIs
National League
Atlanta Braves (Pitching):
The Atlanta Braves have a good lineup.
That’s not their problem. Last year in the
playoffs the Braves were completely out-
pitched. If they want to get past the first
round this year, they are going to need
great starting pitching
Tommy Hanson (Starting Pitcher): Last
year, Hanson threw over 200 innings for
the first time in his career, posting an ERA
of 3.33 and had one of the lowest WHIP in
the Majors. I expect more of the same this
year and with a very potent offense, Han-
son has the intangibles to win 15-20 games
and make the All-Star Team.
Milwaukee Brewers Offense:
The Milwaukee Brewers have a deep
lineup. They have potential MVPs in Ryan
Braun and Prince Fielder. Corey Hart and
Rickie Weeks also had very legitimate sea-
sons. If they can get production from an-
other player or two, they can contend with
the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardi-
nals.
Casey McGehee (Third Base): McGe-
hee has been one of the most underrated
hitters in baseball the past two years. Last
year he had a career high in homeruns (24),
RBI’s (104), and hits (174). If McGehee
can build off his last two seasons, I expect
him to hit around ,290, with 20 homeruns,
and maybe 115 RBI’s. If McGehee deliv-
ers, the Brewers will be legitimate.
Colorado Rockies Pitching:
In 2010, Ubaldo Jimenez had a break-
out campaign, and along with Jorge De La
Rosa they combine for a respectable one,
two duo. The Rockies are in need of one
more legitimate starter in their rotation if
they want to make a run at a ring this sea-
son.
Jhoulys Chacin (Starting Pitcher):
This former shortstop converted start-
ing pitcher had a very solid 2010 cam-
paign. Chacin threw 137 innings averag-
ing a strikeout per
inning and had a solid
3.28 ERA. Chacin
is off to a quick start
this season with a
1.64 ERA in 22 in-
nings pitched. I think
Chacin will keep it up
throughout the year
and win 14-18 games
Jhoulys Chacin throw-
an have an ERA in the
ing a strike to start the mid-3’s.
game off right.
Photo courtesy of
Those are some key
http://vivalavidro.
wordpress.com
players for each team
for the 2011 season. If
these guys don’t step up, then their team
might be in some trouble for the postsea-
son. We’ll see over time if they produce
or not, but I have a feeling if they do, then
most of these teams will be in the postsea-
son.

What If These NBA Players Went to College?
By John Francis
Staff Writer
W
ith the University of Connecti-
cut’s Men’s basketball team still
fresh off their national cham-
pionship win and some of today’s biggest
basketball stars gearing up for the NBA
playoffs, the sport is on the minds of all its
fans. Some of today’s best players such as
Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwight
Howard didn’t go to college, so they never
had a chance to feel what Kemba Walker
and his teammates are feeling right now.
Today, the NBA has a rule set in place
that does not allow high school athletes to
enter the NBA directly, leaving at least a
year of college basketball as the best op-
tion for even the best prospects high school
basketball has to offer.
What if that rule was set in place ages
ago? Where would LeBron, Kobe and
Dwight have gone to school? Where would
Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady and the
New York Knicks’ own Amar’e Stou-
damire have played their college game?
Many HCC students are opinionated
about the subject. AJ Pires, for one, seems
to like the idea.
“A lot of people may not like him now,
but LeBron (James) would have been so
good in college. He stepped right into the
NBA and dominated. He would have been
even better in college,” he said. “Even if
he went to like a small school he could do
something like what Butler did the last few
years. He’s that good.”
Would history have been different?
Would our brackets from all those years
have had different outcomes? Would there
have been a different national champion?
Here are some of the more intriguing
“what if” stories from the list of the NBA’s
high school draftees.
Kevin Garnett - 1995
Although he was not the first person to
be drafted right out of high school, Kevin
Garnett really started the trend for players
to skip college in the 1990s and 2000s that
eventually led to the rule change. In Gar-
nett’s case, he did want to go to college,
but he never got a high enough score on
the ACT (similar to the SAT) to play in col-
lege. Luckily for him, he had the option of
going to the NBA. After he was drafted to
the Minnesota Timberwolves, he found out
that he had scored high enough on the SAT
to attend college.
It was clear to many scouts that Garnett
would not be attending college due to his
poor academics, so there are no records of
where he was being recruited, although he
has since shown a liking for UCLA.
Some believe, however, that because of
his very close relationship with Stephon
Marbury at the time, that he would have
attended Georgia Tech with him. Garnett
played his later years of high school bas-
ketball in Illinois, but he is originally from
South Carolina which is only a state away
from the school.
The following year, Marbury led Geor-
gia Tech to a three seed in the NCAA Tour-
nament and a sweet sixteen birth, which
they lost to Cincinnati. Had Kevin decided
to go to Georgia Tech, could he, teamed
with Marbury and fellow NBA players
Matt Harpring and Drew Barry, have led
the team beyond the sweet sixteen? Garnett
averaged 10.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per
game his rookie season in the NBA, stats
that would have been far better against in-
ferior opponents in college.
Fun Fact: In the following draft, Ste-
phon Marbury was drafted by the Timber-
wolves and Garnett’s stats jumped to 17
HORIZONS • Sports
Athletically talented basketball star, Kobe Bry-
ant, a proud Lakers team member.
Photo courtesty of Benchwarmersunited.com
points per game and 8 rebounds per game,
giving another reason to believe that the
chemistry between the two players could
have flourished in college.
)Kobe Bryant - 1996
Kobe Bryant’s situation was much dif-
ferent than the aforementioned Kevin Gar-
nett’s. Bryant was actually an excellent
student, though his superiority on the court
shadowed even that. Duke University,
known for both its academics and college
basketball, would have been the recipient
of Bryant’s talents had he decided to attend
college.
In what would have been his freshman
year, the Duke Blue Devils were a two
seed in the NCAA tournament, however
they were upset in just the second round by
Providence. In his rookie year in the NBA,
Bryant scored 7.6 points per game, but he
was only seeing the floor for 15 minutes
per game. In college his stats would have
easily been inflated from that, as well as his
minutes. Even without inflating his points,
had Bryant been given just 35 minutes per
game he would have scored 17.7 points per
game, which, in college, would be enough
to get his name called in key moments.
That year, Arizona won the national
championship as a four seed, and had sev-
eral NBA players on their roster including
Mike Bibby. Could Kobe Bryant have been
able to lead the Blue Devils to the promise
land that year? We can only wonder.
Fun Fact: In what would have been
Kobe Bryant’s senior year, the Duke Blue
Devils won the national championship.
Tracy McGrady - 1997
Rick Pitino, one of the best and most
renowned college basketball coaches, had
just won a national championship in 1996
and lost in the championship game in ‘97
with Kentucky. Clearly wanting to head to
a great program, Pitino was able to recruit
McGrady, but when the former decided to
try and coach in the NBA and left Ken-
tucky, McGrady clearly had no intention
of staying with the Wildcats and headed
straight for the NBA as well.
Though McGrady’s career has really
fallen off, for close to a decade he was con-
sidered one of the best players in all of bas-
ketball. It took him several years to launch
himself into stardom, so it is difficult to
judge how his career could have been ef-
fected by a college stint.
Kwame Brown - 2001
Listed after some of the NBA’s best
players, some people may not even know
who Kwame Brown is. Brown will be re-
membered for two things: being one of the
biggest busts in NBA history and being
the first draft pick Michael Jordan made as
the president of a basketball franchise. A
lack of maturity doomed his professional
career, which makes some people wonder
if he would have been better had he gone
to college. Brown actually signed a letter
of intent to play for the University of Flori-
da. However, he changed his mind shortly
thereafter, deciding to head directly to the
pros.
Florida was a five seed in the NCAA
tournament in what would have been his
freshman year, followed by a two seed the
year after that. In what would have been
his senior season, Florida won the national
championship. The most intriguing part
about Kwame Brown however, is what he
could have done in the NBA had he been
given the time to develop and mature in
college.
Amar’e Stoudemire - 2002
Amar’e Stoudamire’s troubling past
is no secret, and both colleges and NBA
scouts knew it, especially considering
HBO aired a segment on him while he was
still in high school. Though Stoudamire
states he would have liked to play for John
Calipari, who was the head coach of the
University of Memphis that year and is
known as one of the best recruiters in all of
college basketball, his sights were always
Amar’e Stoudamire, one of several pros that made it
without the help of a college Basketball team.
Photo courtesy of Zimbio.com
set on playing in the pros.
Calipari’s team was a five seed entering
the tournament that year, yet Stoudamire’s
addition piques the curiosity of many. He
was the very first high school draft pick to
earn the rookie of the year honors, and in
that year was never given the overly physi-
cal “welcome to the pros” message that
many veterans often give to rookies. Stou-
damire’s physical play was outstanding his
rookie year, which could have made him
a dominant presence in college basketball.
New York’s own Amar’e Stoudamire
was an MVP candidate when he had the
Knicks on his back the first half of the year.
It is pretty easy to see that he could have
had that same presence in college had he
decided to put Calipari’s Memphis Tigers
on his back for the 2002-2003 season.
Fun Fact: In what would have been
Stoudamire’s rookie year, his current
teammate Carmelo Anthony historically
led Syracuse to a national championship.
Could you imagine a championship game
that featured Amar’e Stoudamire versus
Even as a rookie, Dwight Howard
showed impressive skills on the court.
Photo courtesy of Wordpress.com
Carmelo Anthony?
LeBron James - 2003
LeBron James was one of the best high
school basketball players of all time. Be-
cause of this, it was clear by his junior year
that there wasn’t a chance he would be go-
33
ing to college. James’ athletic abilities were
off the scale, which made it obvious that
he would be heading directly to the NBA.
Though schools didn’t even bother trying
to recruit James, he has since joked on The
Daily Show with Jon Stewart that he would
have attended Ohio State University. This
is most likely because of his ties with the
state of Ohio, which, as we all know, have
been broken.
Ohio State wasn’t even on the map the
following year, failing to reach the NCAA
tournament and finishing with a record of
14-16. Despite this, LeBron has time and
time again carried teams on his back. In
the NBA that year he averaged 20.9 points,
5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game,
numbers which would clearly have sky-
rocketed in college. Though it is way too
hypothetical to predict what his point to-
tals would have looked like in college, it is
pretty easy to see that they would finished
much better than 14-16. How many wins
would LeBron have been worth that year?
We just witnessed Kemba Walker carry
UConn to a national championship, and we
saw New York’s own Carmelo Anthony do
it for Syracuse. Could LeBron James have
done the same for Ohio State?
Fun Fact: LeBron James has a good
relationship with John Calipari. In this fic-
tional world where high school players had
to attend college back in these days, could
Amar’e Stoudamire, who said he would
have attended Memphis, have stayed for
his sophomore season as well knowing
LeBron James would be joining him there?
It is mind boggling to know we were this
close to having two of the NBA’s best play-
ers on the same team in college.
Dwight Howard - 2004
After he was drafted to the Orlando
Magic, Dwight Howard said that the three
schools he had been looking at were Uni-
versity of North Carolina, Duke and Geor-
gia Tech. It is known that he is one of the
more intelligent athletes to skip the college
level, leading some to believe that Duke
would have been his choice of school, but
others believe he would have stayed closer
to home and attended Georgia Tech.
Howard has dominated competition his
entire life, even in his rookie year in the
NBA where he scored 12 points per game
and averaging 10 rebounds per game. Had
he played in the SEC, regardless of which
of those three teams his allegiance really
lied, he could have arguably been their best
player. Now, after his third consecutive de-
fensive player of the year award, it makes
us all curious how scared his college oppo-
nents would have been to try a shot in the
paint when he lurks there.
34
Heat Looking to Nail 16 More Victories
By Jose A. Rosas
Senior Staff Writer
W
e have all witnessed the three
amigos (Lebron James, Dwy-
ane Wade, and Chris Bosh)
spend their very first season together
(2010-2011). Many believe that this team
would begin to dominate the NBA in the
first season as a unit. They did not finish
with the best record in the league, but they
were able to clinch the second seed in the
Eastern Conference and finish with a win-
ning record (of 58 wins and 24 losses).
Before the season even started, hatred to-
wards the roster superstars grew faster than
their chemistry as teammates.
Many had high expectations for this
team. The new and improved Miami Heat
began their journey with a record of 9-8
from late October through late November
2010. This was a huge surprise to many.
They were not able to eclipse the 72 wins
the Chicago Bulls had in the Michael Jor-
dan-era (95-96 season) , nor did they have
a a 30+ game winning streak like ABC an-
alyst Jeff Van Gundy believed. “They will
break the single-season win record,” said
Van Gundy. “And I think they have a legit
shot at the Lakers’ 33-game streak, as well.
And only the Lakers have even a remote
shot at beating them in a playoff series.
They will never lose two games in a row
this year.”
No Pay for Play for Student-Athletes?
By Rondale Williams
Staff Writer
W
ould paying a high star college
athlete such as Terrelle Pryor
stop him from selling his jerseys
for free tattoos? Or would paying Reggie
Bush in college have stopped him from ac-
cepting money and gifts from pro agents.
Could it really be a possible solution to all
of the NCAA’s problems concerning play-
ers taking illegally taking benefits from
boosters and agents?
The answer is never, and there is no way
schools should start now. Why? Doing so
will not stop college athletes from taking
benefits they know they shouldn’t take.
Now I’m not saying that college student
athletes don’t have it hard. I know firsthand
as a former college student athlete myself,
my schedule was full of classes and daily
practices. It is because of schedules like
this that athletes are not able to work a
job, therefore they cannot make money the
same way the average college student can.
So in effect, they take gifts and money
from boosters or agents who are looking to
financially benefit from them in their fu-
ture pro careers. We’ve seen this issue in
many stories stemming from Reggie Bush,
who reportedly took a Range Rover and a
home for his family while in college from
a agent, to accusations of Cam Newton’s
Got some news you want covered?
Let us know!
Write to housatonichorizons@gmail.com
HORIZONS • Sports
Let The Heat Begin!
(Courtesy of The Palm Beach Post)
The Heat actually experienced more
consecutive losses than simply “two games
in a row.”
During the month of March, they went
through a devastating four-game losing
streak, which left the team very emotional.
“This is painful for every single one of us
going through this [losing streak]” stated
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, after
the Chicago Bulls sent them to their said
fourth straight loss. “There[‘s] a couple of
guys crying in the locker room right now. It
is not a matter of want, it is a matter of do-
ing and continuing to put ourselves in this
position until we break through” he added.
We stay together, were brothers. We win
together we lose together. How sad the Mi-
ami Heat are is exactly [what] everybody
wanted, “said Miami Heat player Dwayne
Wade. The World is better now cause the
Heat is losing”, he added.
father asking for payments from Auburn
University in order for his son to sign with
the school.
Many experts like Dr. Boyce Watkins
of Syracuse University claim that poverty
is the contributing factor that causes this,
stating, “I’ve seen student-athletes won-
der how they can help their mothers after
they were evicted from their apartment in
the projects.” If we just paid them, Watkins
argues, they can help their families and do
things for themselves.
The aforementioned idea is bogus be-
cause student athletes aren’t the only ones
struggling to make it through college. I’m
pretty sure that anyone who has gone away
to college can share stories such as having
to eat Top Ramen noodles because they
didn’t have enough money to eat real food.
What about college students that work
full time while taking classes full time?
Do they really have the time to focus on
school as much as a student athlete does?
I would argue that they don’t and prob-
ably suffer academically because of their
full-time job. If college athletes are go-
ing to get paid, then non-athletes with a
packaged daily schedule give reason for a
university to pay that student so they can
concentrate on school and excel academi-
cally. This could raise the academic prow-
ess of a school, which in turn would attract
more students to a university if it is known
“I have been a Heat fan since the
Shaq[uille O’Neal]-and [Dwayne] Wade
era” said HCC student Adam Hass. “Many
people expected a lot from us this season.
When we would lose two or three games
straight, everyone would be right on our
back, but if you look at the Atlanta Hawks
or the Orlando Magic, nobody would real-
ly care when they lost more then two game
straight. We are the most hated team in the
NBA, but despite all that, we are going to
rise to the top come playoff time.”
Some improvements that were made
during the season was in the point guard
spot. On February 28, 2011, Mike Bibby
and the Washington Wizards agreed to a
buyout in which he was acquired from a
trade with the Atlanta Hawks just five days
before.
Though they couldn’t begin their very
first two games of the season with a state-
ment, they sure began the post season on a
strong note. During there first experience
together in the playoffs, the team began
with a 2-0 (2 wins and 0 loses) record.
There first playoff victory as a team came
with the final score of 94-73, cruising by
the Philadelphia 76ers. The big three com-
bined for 63 points as Chris bosh lead the
team with 25 points.
“Miami is going to go strong in the
playoffs,” mentioned HCC student Ricky
Christie, who is fan of the club. “All the
negative talk about us not being ready for a
as a great scholarly university like the Ivy
Leagues of the world. This could have the
same effect as a national championship in
a sport would to a potential student athlete
because then the student athlete has more
reason to come to that school.
Then we hear the usual, “Well, these
kids are poor and so the money would
help” speech. In reality, there are lots of
kids who are poor while in college and
struggling just as much as any poor student
athlete; as a matter of fact, the athlete prob-
ably has it better. Not only may the athlete
have a full ride athletic scholarship to a
university, but also free tutoring and free
meals at the expense of the college. The
poor college student will probably gradu-
ate from college with a mountain of debt
and struggle to find a job to pay it off.
Then athletes whine, “Well, the NCAA
and universities makes millions off of our
likenesses in video games and ticket sales
of games.” This may be true is some but
not all cases. For example, this football
season the UConn football team went to
their first BCS bowl game, a game that
would pay out $3.1 million to the univer-
sity, but because of low ticket sales the uni-
versity had to pay back the Fiesta Bowl $2
million dollars for unsold tickets. In return
the university only made $1 million, which
reportedly was only enough to cover the
team’s travel costs.
title this season is garbage. Maybe the sea-
son did not go as many planned it would,
but the playoffs and regular season are two
different things. We will leave a strong
statement this postseason.”
If the Heat have any hope of bring a title
to South Beach this season, they are going
to have toi stay focused. They still have to
go through the surprising team this season,
the Chicago Bulls, and possibly the Boston
Celtics in the second round if they can de-
feat New York.
This team has made a few adjustments
since the trade deadline. Not only did they
gain a veteran point guard which they were
desperate for in Mike Bibby, but they have
also made him a starter and have replaced
Mario Chalmers, the younger point guard.
This team is filled with veterans, and most
importantly, lots of talent. Mike Bibby may
not be the guy he once was in the Sacra-
mento Kings, when he would average
about 18 points a game, but his presence
to the team can defintely help boost up any
hope these guys have at a ring this year.
Even if they don’t come out as the best
team this season, these guys still have lots
of years to spend together. Not to mention
that as years process, the more comfortable
these guys will get with each other. This
team will not be taken lightly for many
years to come.
If the NCAA does decide to pay college
athletes, they run into the issue of figuring
out how much to pay them. Do you pay
the star players more than a bench player
because of the exposure they provide to a
university? Or do you play a football play-
er more than you play a volleyball player
because football brings in more revenue
for a school? Or do you set all wages to the
national minimum wage or a state mini-
mum wage? Then who’s to say that players
still won’t accept gifts from college boost-
ers because they are greedy for more than
what they’re getting?
The situation gets complicated when
considering the amount of pay. So many
things about it make it unfair to the aver-
age college student, especially one that
is struggling probably greater than any
student athlete. The NCAA doesn’t need
to pay athletes but instead needs to regu-
late how to handle and punish agents and
boosters looking to pay college athletes.
Paying anyone never stopped anyone from
wanting more and if agents or boosters can
offer more than the NCAA can, the ath-
letes will be there to take it. As far as I’m
concerned athletes are paid, they get a free
education, and entrance into universities
many of them couldn’t afford or get into if
it was not for their athletic ability.
The NCAA should say no to paying ath-
letes. That’s what’s the pros are for!
 HORIZONS • Sports 35

It’s Back to the Future in the Bronx

By Patrick J. Beach a 45-save season last year with the Tampa October comes around. requiring a solid pitching staff after pitch-
Staff Writer Bay Rays. It would be naive to make World ing great Andy Pettit chose to walk away
One optimistic indicator of early Series predictions at this point. When you from the game earlier this year. There were

“I
t’s at the warning track, it’s...
GONE!” Get used to hearing
this Yankees fans, because the
New York Yankees offense is off to yet an-
other promising start in the 2011 regular
season.
There has been a fair share of
speculation towards the 2011 roster due to
some of the failed acquisitions in pitching
and clinch hitters that never happened, and
the so-called “plan b” moves they ended up
making.
It looks as though it’s only a mat-
ter of time until this new-look Yankees
team gets clicking on all cylinders. Wheth-
er it was being scorned by Cliff Lee going
to the Philadelphia Phillies or missing out
on Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez to
the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees are show-
ing all of us that they can still move for-
ward with the players they’ve got. These
players include, new catcher Russell Mar-
tin and Pitcher Rafael Soriano coming off
success for this team, is the comparison in
Mark Teixeira this season to previous sea-
sons in pinstripes. Speaking to ESPN’s
Rob Parker, Teixeira said, “When you have
that bad of a start, and last year overall for
me wasn’t good. I expect a lot out of my-
self.” Batting a .136 with only 2 home runs
in 81 at bats in last April, was exactly what
the Yankees didn’t want to see out of a key
part of their offense. This season seems
different for the Bronx Bomber, as he hit 4
home runs in the first 4 games of the season
including a three-run blast in the Yankee’s
home opener. He is now hitting .226 with
six homeruns, and 16 RBI’s (Runs Batted
In), and the month is not even over yet.
He’s even leading the AL in home runs cur-
rently with no signs in slowing down. The
sky seems to be the limit as Teixeira seems
to have came out of the off-season having
done all the right things. It’s nice to see
the Yankees being able to use this impor-
tant weapon to get ahead of the game, and
relieve the team with some wins for when
really look at how the Yankees are playing
thus far even with all the adversity of this
past off-season, one can only be happy at
what they’re seeing. Wins this time of the
year translate into resting time for the start-
ers at the other end of the season. We all
know how much that’s needed, seeing how
the Yankees have been to the post-season
14 out of 15 years dating back to the 1995
Yankees.
Are you cringing at the fact of
not seeing Jorge Posada behind the plate?
Well, you shouldn’t be because new Yan-
kees catcher Russell Martin, who was re-
cently acquired this past off-season, seems
to be getting more comfortable with the
starter job while Jorge settles in as this
years DH(Designated Hitter) in the bat-
ting order. Martin is currently hitting .292
with four home runs and 11 RBI’s, while
veteran Posada is sitting 2nd in the AL in
homers with five and nine RBI’s.
Many New York fans were scarred
by the efforts made this past off-season in
rumors of Cliff Lee possibly signing a con-
tract with the Yankees, only to find out he
was going back to the Philadelphia Phillies
to be with a team that never wanted him in
the first place. Have no fear though, the
Yanks were able to sign Rafael Soriano to
help fill the gap in the rotation. Soriano had
a career best 45 saves last season pitching
for the Tampa Bay Rays. Now it’s time to
see what the Pin Stripes have in store for
the new pitcher. Joba Chamberlain seems
to be over his slump coming out of the bull-
pen pitching a 3.6 ERA, adding the final
part for Girardi’s new pitching formula for
the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. And as usual,
Mariano Rivera is still with out a doubt as
solid and good of a closer as you’ll ever
see.
So, gear up, Yankees fans, be-
cause we’re off to another great season of
Major League Baseball. Throw your favor-
ite jersey on, grab some refreshments, and
PLAY BALL!

HCC Student Calendar

May 5 – August 29, 2011
PM – 8:30 PM / Doors open at 6:00 PM for students and guests
Thursday, May 5 Final Exams Spring 2011 / Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard – 600 Main Street, Bridge-
port
Association of Latin American Students Club Meeting / 11:15 Photography Club Meeting / 11:45 AM – 12:45 PM / Lafay-
AM – 12:15 PM / Student Club Offices (BH-317A) ette Hall Room B221 A reception for graduates, guests, and college staff will be
held in the Atrium at Housatonic Community College (900 La-
Table Tennis Meeting / 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM / Student Recre- Thursday, May 12 fayette Boulevard, Bridgeport immediately following the cer-
ation Room (BH-315) emony.
Final Exams Spring 2011
Music Club Meeting / 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM / Student Recre- For more information visit www.hcc.commnet.edu/student/
ation Room (BH-315) Association of Latin American Students Club Meeting / 11:15 graduation, or call the “graduation hot line” in the Dean of Stu-
AM – 12:15 PM / Student Club Offices (BH-317A) dents Office at (203) 332-5182.
Student Senate Meeting / 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM / Student Club
Conference Room (BH-317D) Table Tennis Meeting / 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM / Student Recre- Friday, May 27
ation Room (BH-315)
Preventing Bullying: discussion about the different aspects Last day to register for Summer Sessions I & II
of bullying and prevention of bullying at the college level; three Criminal Justice Club Meeting / 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM / Stu-
speakers will be on campus / 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM / Events Center dent Club Offices (BH-317A) May 28 – August 21
(BH-214)
Music Club Meeting / 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM / Student Recre- The college will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays dur-
Literary Club Meeting / 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM / Student Lounge ation Room (BH-315) ing the summer.
(BH-318)
Student Senate Meeting / 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM / Student Club Tuesday, May 31
Saturday, May 7 Conference Room (BH-317D)
First day of Summer Sessions I & II
NYC MOCCA Museum bus trip / $10 for students; $15 for 2011 Alpha Beta Gamma Induction Ceremony / 3:30 PM –
non-students / sponsored by Graphic Design Club / to sign up or 5:30 PM / Events Center (BH-214) Friday, June 24
for more info visit the Student Activities Office (BH-317)
Literary Club Meeting / 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM / Student Lounge Last day to register for Summer Session IV
Monday, May 9 (BH-318)
Monday, June 27
Last day of classes Spring 2011 Friday, May 13
First day of Summer Session IV
Gay/Straight Alliance Club Meeting / 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM / Final Exams Spring 2011
Student Club Offices (BH-317A) Friday, July 1
Saturday, May 14
Tuesday, May 10 Last day to register for Summer Session III
Final Exams Spring 2011
Final Exams Spring 2011 Tuesday, July 5
Sunday, May 15
Psychology Club Meeting / 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM / Student First day of Summer Session III
Club Offices (BH-317A) Final Exams Spring 2011
Wednesday, August 24
Christian Studies Club Meeting / 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM / Stu- Monday, May 16
dent Club Conference Room (BH-317D) Last day for Fall 2011 placement testing
Final Exams Spring 2011
Music Club Meeting / 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM / Student Recre- Friday, August 26
ation Room (BH-315) Wednesday, May 18
Deadline to enroll in payment plan / 4:00 PM
Biology Club Meeting / 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM / Lafayette Hall Final grades due by faculty
Room C206 Last day for 100 percent tuition refund / 4:00 PM
Thursday, May 19
Student Activities Committee Meeting / 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Saturday, August 27
/ Student Club Conference Room (BH-317D) ACE Mentor Presentations / 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM / Events
Center (BH-214) Fall 2011 weekend classes begin
ECE Greater Bridgeport Director’s Group / 6:30 – 8:30 PM /
Events Center (BH-214) Thursday, May 26 Monday, August 29

Wednesday, May 11 2011 Housatonic Community College Commencement / 7:00 Fall 2011 weekday classes begin
36
HORIZONS • Sports

Horizons is on Facebook!
Visit the Housatonic Horizons Facebook fan page to read the latest
about what’s going on at HCC as well as articles you won’t find in the
paper, and to send us links, comments, and suggestions.