Times Log

Tuesday: I really enjoyed the article about wealthier students being looked at more favorably by colleges. While colleges claim that admitting more students that can pay the full price, they can also admit more that need scholarships. However, "the inevitable result is that needier students will be shifted down to less expensive and less prestigious institutions." Given the current economic crisis, I wasn't surprised to see this article. It will be interesting to see how the statistics of admissions vary next year. For instance, although colleges will probably accept more students that can pay the full rate, how many students could this possibly be? I mean, more and more people are affected by the economy everyday so less and less families are going to be in that group of "wealthier students" that can pay a full college tuition. My guess is that next year each state will see a dramatically higher rate of in-state admissions versus out of state due to the faltering economy.

Times Log

Monday: Today's excercise in class made me realize that a fair amount of stories in the Times can be made local to relate to Durham and UNH. For instance, the article on guns potentially being allowed on campus, what GM dealers are doing considering the current state of the economy, the drug cartels in mexico- what drugs are most prevalent around UNH?, and of course any sports stories could be done.

Profile

After six years, three consecutive appearances at the state championship, and bringing home the state championship title, Brian Doyon is taking his leave from Battle Mountain High School in Vail, CO.

When Doyon first arrived at Battle Mountain, the volleyball program was little more than a faint blimp on the state's radar. For their first two seasons in the league, they had gone winingless.

But Doyon was about to change all that. He quickly whipped the program into shape, each season seeing more and more success and attracting more and more attention.

However, everyone was shell shocked when the Battle Mountain Huskies made it to the state championships in 2005. Everyone, except Doyon. People were even more blown away when the team snatched the third place title.

But the best was yet to come, the following year, the determined Huskies went undefeated, losing their only match all season to 5A Doherty. This loss only fired the team up further as they went on to completely sweep states, not dropping a single game despite their underrated ranking of fifth. This season was later dubed the "dream season" by a reporter for the local newspaper.

Indeed, after capturing Battle Mountain volleyball's first and only state title and recieving a college coaching job offer, Doyon returned to Battle Mountain. Although he didn't experience the same amount of success, his team did manage to make it back the the Denver Coliseum for the third time, claiming fifth place.

Alas, the time has come for Doyon to climb the next rung on the ladder of success. When the University of Utah offered him an assistant coaching position, Doyon simply couldn't resist.

"It just felt right- it's a good fit," Doyon says of his new opportunity.

While Doyon isn't looking back, he will surely be missed by the entire Battle Mountain community.

"We're all going to miss him, but we wish him the best," said Rich Houghton, Director of Athletics at Battle Mountain.

Undecided About Future of Journalism by Alexa Corcoran

Although some believe newspapers aren't going anywhere anytime soon, I'm not 100% sold. I'm also more interested in broadcast journalism vs print. Therefore, my commitment to journalism is going to be geared more towards the broadcast aspect. I definitely see myself working in this industry, but at this point I have no idea if it will be as a writer/ reporter, an editor, or an anchor. There's so many options I honestly have no idea how I'm going to narrow them down. Still, I plan to learn as much as I can about the industry and hopefully find a place in it that I can thrive in.

Times Log

Thursday: Not a lot grabbed my attention in today's Times. One article I did find interesting was the one about Fargo racing to build up sandbags as a river threatens to flood over the town. A couple of my friends found themselves in a similar situation last year in the town Newmarket, just down the street. While they spent about a week preparing the town for the ever rising river to flood, no real damage was done. While the flood hasn't come yet in Fargo, weather reporters issued a discouraging report that the river would continue rising to its highest point in history.

Times Log

Wednesday: I love how the word "crisis" appears in not one, but TWO headlines on the cover of today's Times. That definitely gives me a positive outlook on the nation. I liked the article about teacher's switching from As and Bs to 4s and 3s. While I've been graded on a number scale for certain projects throughout my educational career, letters have always shown up on my official report cards and transcripts, with the exception of my GPA. While this new number scale allows the teachers to evaluate a variety of skills, I agree with parents that say it's confusing and unnecessary. Seeing as how letter grades have sufficed just fine up until now, I really don't see any point in switching to a more complicated number system.

Times Log

Tuesday: I enjoyed two specific controversial articles in the Times today. The first regarding the strip searching of a 13 year old in middle school. Although the search occurred five years ago, the case is just now reaching the Supreme Court. The girl was an Honors student and the suspected prescription pills that she was supposedly carrying were nowhere to be found. Now, the Supreme Court must review exactly how far a school should be able to go to enforce a drug policy. The second article features Courtney Paris, an all-American center for the University of Oklahoma vowing that if Oklahoma doesn't win the national championship, she will pay back her scholarship. While some might view such a statement as cocky or arrogant, Paris simply meant it to be a reflection of the confidence she has in her teammates and the pride she has for herself. She claimed the university had given her so much that nothing less than a national title would make her feel likes she truly earned her scholarship.

Times Log

Monday: It was interesting coming back and reading the Times after not having done so for a week. Partly because some of the same stories were in the news. For instance the Mexican drug cartels and the effects of the stimulus. Also, it was neat to see all of the different stories that have developed such as the tragic and coincidental plane crash in a cemetery in Montana, the deaths of three police officers during a routine traffic stop, Obama's exit strategy from Afghanistan, and the story on Jane Goody. There was definitely a lot to keep me busy today.

Times Log

Tuesday: The Times today was ok; limited in articles that piqued my interest. The story on the slaying of the president and the general of West Africa particularly intrigued me. Normally stories about the killings of political and military figures are met with anguish and sorrow, yet this particular story offers hope. While the two men were enemies, they both had negative influences upon those surrounding them. After all, those that were interviewed were anything but depressed to see them removed from authority. This article made me question all of the corrupt governments and militaries around the world that I'm not even aware of. Definitely an intriguing and eye-opening concept to think about.

Times Log

Monday: I was horrified to read the article about secret Chinese jails. These "black houses" as they're called, are a means to scare and silence petitioners. What's more about these terrible establishments, is that they're set up and supported by the government. For instance, the government makes sure they're hidden and funds them. I was also interested to learn about the civil unrest in Northern Ireland after members of the Irish Republican Army gunned down a group of British soldiers. Usually it's military conflicts in the Middle East that we read about every day. It was enlightening and definitely disheartening to learn that problems are occurring in other places around the world, particularly Europe, as well.

Five percent increase to dining fee will hail lots of improvements

By Alexa Corcoran

The students of UNH can breathe easy knowing that the Wildcatessen will remain open until four in the morning on the weekends next year. This is just one of the positive results of the new Dining Fee increase.

In their weekly meeting two weeks ago, Student Senate ruled that a five percent increase in next year’s Dining Fee is crucial to keep the dining halls running efficiently in addition to making the necessary improvements for the following year. Some of the factors responsible for this increase include fuel and energy costs, salary increases, loan payments, property investments, equipment replacements, a significant credit increase, and essential repairs.

“We want to make sure the students love dining and we also want to stay competitive in the market,” said John Plodzik, director of dining at UNH.

While this increase does raise the prices for meal plans, it offers some benefits as well. For example, the price for block plans consisting of 50-75 visits to the dining halls significantly decreased. This is good news for commuters and faculty members that pay for a certain number of entrances to the dining halls. Also, all Gold Plan holders will receive an additional twenty five dining dollars. Furthermore, the five percent increase allows for longer hours of operation for retail locations such as Wildcatessen, Zeke’s Café, and the Dairy Bar.

“For students to reap the benefits of the things they appreciate, like the long hours of operation and things like the Mug Club, this increase is important,” said Harmony Abrams, Student Senate’s dining liaison.

As for the dining halls themselves, this increase means lots of improvements. For example, Stillings will be getting new glasses, countertops, sneeze guards, and a tray collector among several other additions. Holloway Commons is redoing the kitchen flooring, lighting, re-carpeting both the upstairs and downstairs eating areas, as well as rearranging the entire downstairs seating area. Booths will be incorporated into this seating arrangement, making it easier to move around in and not to mention making the dining hall more aesthetically pleasing.

However, the dining halls aren’t the only places getting makeovers. $170,000 is being spent to undergo repairs for the Dairy Bar, while $ 920,000 will be removed from the dining department’s reserves to fund all of the improvements that will be seen next year.

Plodzic is especially excited about this increase because it creates some slack in the dining department’s extremely tight budget. Although this year’s budget was the most challenging he has ever worked with, Plodzic managed the money well. According to Nick Wolfe, the speaker for Student Senate, the dining department does a good job of stretching their money.

“They get a lot for a little,” said Wolfe.

Indeed, the dining department made the decision to stick with the universities guidelines by only allotting for a five percent increase. Given all of the repairs and replacements needed around campus, the department could have easily requested more, said Abrams.

“I’m really not surprised the fee went up. School gets more and more expensive each year. But I mean, if these changes really need to happen and I’ll benefit from them then I guess I’ll pay the extra five percent,” said Dan Cox, a junior at UNH.

While many students will most likely not be thrilled about removing more money from their pockets, some understand that these improvements are for their interests.

“If Wildcatessen wasn’t open so late on the weekends I don’t know what I’d do,” said Jordan Pennels, a freshman at UNH. “Going there at two in the morning is like a weekend ritual.”

While all students probably won’t be as understanding as Pennels and Cox, most will hopefully realize that these improvements will save years of work in the upcoming years, benefiting future generations of students at UNH and avoiding costly future repairs.

Idea of Saturday School stirs up opinions

The threat of Saturday School for kids that break the rules was discussed by the Portsmouth School Board last night. Tim Steele, a member of the board, presented this controversial idea.
Saturday School would require students that break the rules during the week to attend a mandatory session from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

Although this new program would result in a $3,000 allocation for staffing, Steele argued that Saturday School would benefit faculty members. Not only would it alleviate disciplinary measures during the school week, but it would hopefully decrease the need for such measures as well.

“I know this isn’t good news for parents, but I hope the threat of Saturday classes will make the students think twice before breaking the school rules,” said Steele.

In addition to affecting the school faculty, if approved, Saturday classes will greatly affect parents and students as well. Peggy Bacon, one parent at the meeting, disagreed with the proposal, arguing that it would place unnecessary time constraints on parents that already have trouble getting their kids to school as it is.

“I know my son isn’t perfect, and I know he’ll probably wind up on the Saturday list at some point, but I’m not going to force him to go. I just don’t think it’s going to make any difference,” said Bacon.

As opposed to the current detention situation, this new proposal allows the students to not miss any class time. For instance, in house suspensions are now given to students who break the rules. In house suspension places a student under the supervision of a faculty member, alleviating them from a full day of schoolwork. However, Saturday school ensures that the student would not be missing class.

Lisa Gallagher, a senior at the high school, insisted that this was a measure to make things easier for the faculty.

“What if someone skips the session? What are they going to do, make them stay all weekend?” she asked.

Steele explained that any student who skipped a Saturday session would be banned from school until the detention was made up.

After about 30 minutes of discussion, the board voted 5-3, postponing the decision until next week. Steele will then present in-school detention figures from this year. With so many sides to the issue, it will be interesting to see how the concept of Saturday school plays out.

Times Log

Friday: The Times was decent today, I mean I didn't find any of the articles overwhelmingly boring. I was shocked to read the article about Ghandi's possessions being sold. The buyer, Vijay Mallya, who owns an Indian beer company, bought the simple belongings for 1.8 million. Among these belongings were his spectacles, sandals, a bowl, a plate and a pocketwatch. As one can imagine, India's reaction to this auction was not a positive one. After all, the sale of his accessories contradicts his philosphy against materialism. Apparently some things aren't considered priceless anymore.

Times Log

Thursday: I liked today's Times. I especially found the article about Mr. Obama's graying hair quite funny. I honestly don't know if there is a real difference, but according to experts on his pictures, over his past 44 days in presidency, some gray patches have sprouted up. I thought it was just really funny, given all the economic and political stories that are out there, the New York Times decided to write on the president's hair. It was a nice break from all the horribly terrible things happening around the world. I also read a follow up article about a terrorist attack on a Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan. Six police men and two bystanders were killed while members of the team were injured. The Pakistani police have 20 individuals in custody that are said to be linked with the ambush, however 12 are still at large.

Wednesday: While many of the articles in today's Times caught my eye, I really focused on the article that explained the terrorist attack on a Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan on Tuesday. The attack was considered an embarrassment for armed forces of Pakistan since the terrorists got to the scene of bustling Lahore carrying big bags. None of the gunmen were shot or caught. It is presumed that the gunmen were from Mumbai based on the characterisics of their training and their gear. Six police officers and two bystanders were killed while six members of the cricket team were injured. In a country that already has it's hand full with Al Queda and the Taliban the last thing Pakistan needs is more attacks.

Times Log

Tuesday: I found the article about Obama's secret letter extremely interesting. In this letter, Obama vowed to halt an intercepter system if Russia helped prevent Iraq from builing nuclear warheads. Moscow had yet to respond to the letter. This article is interesting to me because it's a reminder of how clueless US citizens can be of the government. For instnce, how many other secret letters are being sent out right now? Or how many secret meetings are being held right now? Just something to think about I guess.