The Hartford Informer

The Hartford Informer http://hartfordinformer.com University of Hartford Student Newspaper Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:13:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Rizzotti and Hawks on three game win streak http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:34:13 +0000 Zach Parker http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860784

[/caption] Since the start of the spring semester Hartford’s women’s basketball team has won two home games, with one road victory in between, this past week. Last night Rizzotti coached her Hawks evened teh season score against New Hampshire with a 64-46 victory at home. Before coming home Hartford won 65-57 against and at the home of Albany. The Hawks managed to improve by this time getting four scorers in double figures while shooting 49 percent from the field and holding Albany shot 44 percent. Hartford’s leading scorers were Daphne Elliot with 17 points adding 3 three’s and Ruthanne Doherty with 13 points. Amber Bepko and Nikkia Smith added 10 points each to help in the victory. At home and against Stony Brook before going on the road Hartford began their three game win streak with a 63-44 victory over Stony Brook The Hawks were able to convert six of 12 three point shots en route to victory. Hartford’s leading scorers were Ruthanne Doherty with 14 points, Cherelle Moore with 12 points and Daphne Elliot with 11 points going 3 for 4 from long distance. Stony Brook’s Whitney Davis reached double figures with 12 points of her own. The Hawks will remain on the road and next play on Saturday Feb. 4 against Vermont. ]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/feed/ 0 Caged Crew to replace Red Army http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/the-caged-crew-to-replace-the-red-army/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/the-caged-crew-to-replace-the-red-army/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:31:39 +0000 Tim Rizzo http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860781 [/caption] When one thinks of NCAA Division I basketball cheering sections there is an immediate image of students cheering wildly with their entire bodies painted school colors, with the stands roaring with school spirit. Setting the tone of the building as the opponent enters hostile territory, there isn’t that at the University of Hartford. Junior Gabriel Lim has began to make efforts to change that with a new plan of attack he is putting together to bring students in the stands to cheer for the Hawks. That same impact in the stands as the Cameron Crazies that the Duke Blue Devils’ basketball cheering section has, where opposing players can always feel the breathe of the screaming fans down their necks, is desired. “I think that it’s something important that other schools have that we really don’t have, our fans deserve it,” Lim said. Lim hopes to bring fans to the stands and replace The Red Army, the name of the Hawks current student cheering section, to something students can enjoy the games even more with. “I like the name of The Red Army, they had a good run but I think we have a new idea for a name that a few students put together, ‘The Caged Crew’,” Lim said. Lim gathered some ideas for chants off of Youtube that he plans on incorporating into the new cheering section and wants to incorporate all freshman as well to get them to continue the “The Caged Crew” tradition after his graduation. “I want a good foundation of students to continue the tradition and culture that comes with college sports, but it’s going to start with the students becoming informed during Freshman Orientation,” Lim said. Upon freshman putting their first steps on campus, Lim wants them to know of the tradition of “The Caged Crew,” and the responsibility that each student has to continue the fan base and help it grow. Right now, Lim currently doesn’t have a large enough body of committed supporters for the SGA to be able to properly fund the creation of the club nor appropriate funds themselves for apparel such as t-shirts, sweatshirts and other clothing items to help spread the word. SGA President, Ben Accardo, used to head The Red Army the last two years but has become too busy to be able to properly give it the attention it deserves. “The last year and a half we had a really strong following, but I became busy with becoming SGA President this year that we haven’t found anyone interested in heading it,” said Accardo. To no fault of his own, the student cheering section wasn’t able to continue thriving without a head of the section and club, but Accardo likes where Lim is going with his idea. “I think it’s great, he loves sports and is very involved in clubs so, I think, he’d do well heading it,” Accardo said of Lim’s proposition of heading the new cheering section. The only obstacle holding back Lim from getting the funding and attention he needs to start “The Caged Crew” for good is the lack of members he has right now. Accardo said SGA is more than welcome to fund any club that has a lot of interest and support behind it, but there just isn’t that large amount of structured support yet for Lim’s cause. Gabriel is seeking any and all students who are interested in helping start the Caged Crew to contact him via email at lim@hartford.edu to hopefully bring his aspiration for a crazy college cheering section to come true before he graduates. With the help of all the students on campus lending their support, it can happen.]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/the-caged-crew-to-replace-the-red-army/feed/ 0 Civic apathy widespread at UHa http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/civic-apathy-widespread-at-uha/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/civic-apathy-widespread-at-uha/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:57:34 +0000 Sarah Wilson http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860774 If you didn’t watch the GOP debate last week, here’s a boiled-down version of what happened: everyone wants to repeal Obamacare, and Newt Gingrich thinks building a colony on the moon before the Chinese do is essential to the stability of our nation. The problem that arose is not necessarily the fact that I think most of the remaining candidates are, for lack of a better term, idiots. It’s the fact that front-runners, such as Rick Santorum, can be insensitive enough to say pregnant rape victims should make the “best of a bad situation,” and hardly anyone on this campus would realize the atrocity and frequency of such statements. It wasn’t until the day following the debate when speaking to an unregistered friend that the lackadaisical attitude that overwhelms this campus was brought to my attention. The unfortunate norm among Hartford students is a very apparent civic apathy. While I will say I think the attitude this school emits is somewhat of a liberal one, the diverse backgrounds of students lend the Hartford community to the potential for a healthy political divide. But very rarely can somebody with enough interest to pay attention be found, and if they can be found, odds are they don’t care enough to share their thoughts. When looking from the outside in at other government-oriented universities, this problem doesn’t seem to arise. UCONN, for example, although a much larger institution has at least three major student political groups including the College Democrats, the College Republicans as well as an Alternative Political Parties group, all of which actively work to educate and attract students. At University of Hartford, the Hartford College Democrats were once a small organization, but if they are still active their presence surely isn’t felt. In a study conducted by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), college students were divided into six categories of political activity. Among those, 14 percent were found to be registered to vote, but not actively participate, while 23 percent were found to be “civically alienated,” meaning they were hardly engaged at all. But in this average of college students across the country, it’s the minority that aren’t involved whatsoever. It presents the question as to whether the lack of political clubs and groups on this campus lowers engagement in politics, or whether the lack of interest is what results in such few groups. Despite the “what came first” question, the absence of political discussion exists because of the contagious nature of apathy. In another study conducted by CIRCLE, it was found that youth are more apt to vote if they’re influenced by friends and family. If nobody who has the ability to politically influence others does, the indifference here can only grow. Upon asking my friend why he wasn’t registered to vote (and really, it’s less effort that signing up for a Facebook account), he said, “I just don’t feel like I know enough to make an educated decision.” It’s not the first time I’ve heard that sentiment among twenty-somethings, though the reality is, being uneducated is no excuse to not care, it’s not caring that results in ignorance. Educating yourself takes nothing more than paying attention to the news a bit more closely. And it’s important to do, because failing to vote out of lethargy is only going to result in an excess of ignorant votes. And frankly, I’d rather not spend my first post-college years struggling in a failing economy because the money was spent on frequent flyer miles to space. But ridiculous notions like that run the risk of becoming a reality if apathy lets ignorance get the best of the country. Then again, maybe there’s more employment opportunities on the moon.]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/civic-apathy-widespread-at-uha/feed/ 0 Facebook Timeline: A change to embrace http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/facebook-timeline-a-change-to-embrace/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/facebook-timeline-a-change-to-embrace/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:54:41 +0000 Kaitlyn Schroyer http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860771 http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/facebook-timeline-a-change-to-embrace/feed/ 0 Diabetes: It’s what’s for dinner tonight http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/diabetes-its-whats-for-dinner-tonight/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/diabetes-its-whats-for-dinner-tonight/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:49:48 +0000 Danielle Huppke http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860623 It’s fair to assume no one is looking to the queen of all things fried and greasy, food network chef and restaurateur, Paula Deen for medical advice, unless you’re looking for the tastiest way to successfully develop acute angina. For a woman who has spent the majority of her life pushing 12,000 calorie Krispy Kreme bread pudding, and fried chocolate covered cheesecake, her recent confession of having been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes over 2 years ago doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Of course Deen has diabetes. How could she not? During the 2-year span while the butter-loving darling of southern cuisine was hiding her disease, she managed to pump out her fourteenth cookbook, "Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible: The New Classic Guide to Delicious Dishes With More Than 300 Recipes." Just holding her cookbook can clog your arteries, however that hasn’t stopped people from buying them. What’s hard to accept is that in the same interview on the “Today” show where she announced her Type 2 diabetes, Deen announced she’s the new spokeswoman for the diabetes drug manufacturer, Novo Nordisk. Not only is she endorsing her fat laden recipes, once you develop diabetes from eating her fried butter and cream cheese sticks, she’s got you covered too. I happen to agree with Deen's explanation, "You've got to be responsible for yourself." You and you alone determine what to put on your plate at every meal. If you live on a diet of fried foods, you have to deal with the consequences. Deen continued, "On my show, I share all these yummy, fattening recipes, but I tell people (to eat) in moderation." She then reminds us, "I'm your cook, not your doctor." She evades any sort of responsibility for the fat content of what she’s selling. She continued to add blocks of Velveeta into recipes that are hardly improved with the additional ingredient, all while knowing the consequences of her edible actions. Is she being helpful in the slightest while suggesting we take a hamburger, fried egg and bacon and slap that between two donuts and call it the “Brunch Burger?” Don’t forget one of Deen’s favorite salad recipes, which calls for onion, pepper, a few tomatoes, a loaf of corn bread, two cups of cheddar cheese and an entire bottle of ranch dressing. Now that sounds like a meal for someone counting calories, the more the better. Meal after meal it has become apparent that Deen has little to no consideration for her viewers waistlines or overall health, maybe this was the plan all along, fatten ‘em up and then pump ‘em full of drugs. The sheer timing lends itself to this conclusion. The latest addition to the Food Network line up is Deen’s son, Bobby’s show “Not My Mama’s Meals,” which was shamefully pitched on the “Today” show by his Mama. The new show is geared at those wishing to avoid the life of a Type 2 diabetes sufferer. The bottom line is Deen did a disservice to her fans. She continually pumped out buttery, greasy delectable’s without acknowledging her first hand experience of how a person can be burned by it -cc]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/diabetes-its-whats-for-dinner-tonight/feed/ 0 Winter X Games provide fresh sports during Super Bowl build up http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/winter-x-games/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/winter-x-games/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:35:09 +0000 Charles Paullin http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860646

[/caption] You probably have no idea, do you? You so called “sports fan.” The Super Bowl build up was only thing that mattered in your eyes this weekend. Unfortunately for you, the Winter X Games in Aspen, Col. that aired from Jan. 26 through Jan. 29, were not part of your watched sports entertainment as a result. Eli Manning’s answers to reporter’s questions were worth more of your TV watching time than the gracious, gravity-defying displays. Some of the truest athletes in the world, across all sports, participate in the Winter X Games, such as Shaun “The Flying Tomato” White. White entered the tournament with an existing left-ankle injury before participating in any of his events. To train for his events, with the injured ankle, he took to his snowboard. With the X Games being the most extreme sporting events, hence “X” games, it should be no surprise that he aggravated his injury more than it already was. Still cleared to ride, White took to his snowboard the morning before his Snowboard Slopestyle for more practice. During which, the White declared the injury to be too severe for competition in the later event, thus he withdrew. As the reigning four-time Snowboard Superpipe champion, White did not sit out of a particular event of his that still remained. The competition’s final evening event, the Snowboard Superpipe. Amidst all the 2012 Winter X Games storylines, the what was thought to be impossible, was possible and was achieved. Not the first snowmobile front flip, that’s right, front flip, landed by Heath Frisby, the first Winter X Big Air triple cork tricks, landed by both Mark McMorris and Torstein Horgmo or even Colten Moore, the 22-year-old snowmobilier from Texas, who crashed during his Freestyle run and came back to his first Winter X gold. No. Shaun White totaled the first Winter X Games perfect score to win the Snowboard Superpipe for the fifth time in a row. All with a sprained ankle. It is all these things, the death defying circus stunts named with kitchen utensil jargon to the ability to fight through injury and be the best performer possible while doing so. Don’t ever be opposed to watching the X Games, winter or snow, for you will see the impossible become possible.]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/winter-x-games/feed/ 0 Countdown to the Super Bowl Poll Results http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/countdown-to-the-super-bowl-poll-results/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/countdown-to-the-super-bowl-poll-results/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:27:22 +0000 Spencer Allan Brooks http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860753

[/caption]]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/countdown-to-the-super-bowl-poll-results/feed/ 0 Beta Alpha Psi comes to University http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/news/beta-alpha-psi-comes-to-university/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/news/beta-alpha-psi-comes-to-university/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:59:39 +0000 Kristen Regula http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860604 Barney School establishes chapter of national business organization. [caption id="attachment_3860697" align="alignnone" width="460" caption="The Barney School of Business recently installed their newest chapter of Beta Alpha Psi which contains 77 members ranging from undergrad and grad students, alumni and faculty. Courtesy of Prof. Pamela Weaver"]

[/caption] The Barney School of Business recently installed their new chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, a national business organization. In the world of business, innovation is the key to success whether designing a new product or forming a new organization at a college campus. Such is the case with Beta Alpha Psi. Historically an honors organization for accounting, finance, and information systems students nationwide that excel in their chosen major, the chapter at the University of Hartford is the fourth chapter in the state of Connecticut. 77 members, students, alumni, and faculty, were officially inducted into the fraternity Thursday night in a ceremony at the 1877 club after a successful petitioning process that began in December of 2009 to have the chapter recognized at the national level. “You have to go through a two-year petitioning period where you in effect form the chapter and then you have to do all these different activities,” said Professor Carl Smith, “after two years they come and evaluate you.” Beta Alpha Psi has three faculty co-advisors from the Barney School of Business that oversee the activities conducted by the fraternity: Michelle Bertolini, Smith and Donald Warren. An interesting fact about the chapter at the University is the level of membership among the graduate students at the Barney School. This is reflected in the current setup of Beta Alpha Psi’s executive board of students, which consists of two co-presidents that are at the undergrad and graduate levels. Other board positions are also filled by undergrad and graduate students. “Other chapters liked our model,” said Warren. “The fact that we use co-presidents with one for the graduate and one for the undergraduate because I don’t think anybody ever thought of that before.” The graduate student members of the Barney School’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi make up 40 percent of the student membership. This is a unique characteristic not just on campus, but also at the state and national levels for Beta Alpha Psi. “We’re one of the few chapters that have successfully mixed both grad and undergrad,” said Smith. “What we’re finding is we’re rewriting some of the policies at the national level because they were definitely undergraduate centric.” “What happens at a lot of universities is that they’ll have an undergraduate Beta Alpha Psi and then when the students move to graduate level, they kind of drift off,” said Warren. “We keep them involved and I think one of the ways we keep them involved is that we have a co-president from the graduate program.” In addition to a strong involvement from graduate students at the Barney School, there are other ways this chapter of Beta Alpha Psi has set itself apart from chapters formed at other schools in the past. While only one service event a year is mandatory for the organization at the national level, the Barney School chapter has done two or three in a single year. The chapter members have also utilized the current multimedia technology available at the Barney School to have meetings with other Beta Alpha Psi chapters at other schools without ever leaving the University. “It’s a major milestone for the Barney School of Business and for the accounting department to be installing a Beta Alpha Psi chapter,” said Warren.]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/news/beta-alpha-psi-comes-to-university/feed/ 0 ‘Casablanca’ double cast a healthy balance http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:59:36 +0000 Brandon Goncalves http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860684 [/caption] With the start of a new semester, comes the promise of lavish performances implemented by the talent and range of those Hartt School students who have worked diligently to bring their craft to life. Although we’ve been accustomed to the many productions, successfully executed by the Hartt School’s musical theater and acting divisions that have maximized last season’s repertoire, the vocal performance majors kick off this semester’s line-up of thespian magic with the comedic opera “The Hotel Casablanca.” “Hotel Casablanca” takes place in 1948 where the discovery of oil in Texas catapulted desperate farmers to new money. After being introduced to a plethora of eccentric characters ranging from a retired comedian turned butler to a Spanish bull breeder and an aspiring actress, we learn the opera surrounds a couple who gets themselves into quite the predicament through a series of hilarious mishaps and misunderstandings. Tallulah Carter, a former vaudeville dancer, is led to believe her husband, Tom, is engaging in adultery after a mysterious package is delivered to their home. With the help of her friend Lucy, the two write a letter to Tom under the alias of a mysterious woman inviting him to the Hotel Casablanca, a seedy establishment where men go to cheat on their wives. However, when Tom receives the letter, he assumes it was meant for his ranch manager, Tobias, and sends him to the infamous hotel instead. The remainder of Act I consists of additional story lines that excel into Act II, inducting more characters whose actions result in energy, outrageousness and a ton of laughs. With such a large assemblage of vocal performance majors, the production has been divided between two casts: one presenting on the Thursday and Saturday performances and a second cast operating Friday and Sunday. Thanks to Miguel Vasquez and Dean Murphy, both starring in the upcoming opera, we were given a better look into how the two casts were able to advance throughout the rehearsal process. Murphy, a sophomore who plays the “simpleton” Tobias, believes having the show double casted is a great thing. “It’s really nice to be able to talk with someone else who is studying the same role,” Murphy said. “It makes collaborating to make character decisions much easier when staging the opera.” It also helps that both casts have been rehearsing about five hours daily since Jan. 9, which continued well into the beginning of classes and start of the semester. Vasquez, a senior tackling the coveted role of Tom Carter for the Friday and Sunday performances, agrees with the idea of two casts especially when rehearsals vary from musical aspects, to coaching, staging, a review of the show and honing in on character development. “As they say, two heads are better than one,” Vasquez said. “Every performer has a different take on the same character. We each bring a different feel which makes both the characters and the process more interesting, not to mention our director really helps us get into characters and layering them up like an onion.” He also goes onto say, “It’s also helpful in terms of resting. Singing opera is an athletic acoustical form of art and listening is just as vital as actually practicing. A night off from performances will be a good thing during the show’s actual run.” Directed by phenomenal visionary Ron Luchsinger and conducted by Doris Lang Kosloff, “The Hotel Casablanca” runs from Feb. 2 to Feb. 5 in Millard Auditorium. ]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/feed/ 0 Book startup hits Hartford http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/the-caged-crew-to-replace-the-red-army/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/the-caged-crew-to-replace-the-red-army/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:31:39 +0000 Tim Rizzo http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860781 [/caption] When one thinks of NCAA Division I basketball cheering sections there is an immediate image of students cheering wildly with their entire bodies painted school colors, with the stands roaring with school spirit. Setting the tone of the building as the opponent enters hostile territory, there isn’t that at the University of Hartford. Junior Gabriel Lim has began to make efforts to change that with a new plan of attack he is putting together to bring students in the stands to cheer for the Hawks. That same impact in the stands as the Cameron Crazies that the Duke Blue Devils’ basketball cheering section has, where opposing players can always feel the breathe of the screaming fans down their necks, is desired. “I think that it’s something important that other schools have that we really don’t have, our fans deserve it,” Lim said. Lim hopes to bring fans to the stands and replace The Red Army, the name of the Hawks current student cheering section, to something students can enjoy the games even more with. “I like the name of The Red Army, they had a good run but I think we have a new idea for a name that a few students put together, ‘The Caged Crew’,” Lim said. Lim gathered some ideas for chants off of Youtube that he plans on incorporating into the new cheering section and wants to incorporate all freshman as well to get them to continue the “The Caged Crew” tradition after his graduation. “I want a good foundation of students to continue the tradition and culture that comes with college sports, but it’s going to start with the students becoming informed during Freshman Orientation,” Lim said. Upon freshman putting their first steps on campus, Lim wants them to know of the tradition of “The Caged Crew,” and the responsibility that each student has to continue the fan base and help it grow. Right now, Lim currently doesn’t have a large enough body of committed supporters for the SGA to be able to properly fund the creation of the club nor appropriate funds themselves for apparel such as t-shirts, sweatshirts and other clothing items to help spread the word. SGA President, Ben Accardo, used to head The Red Army the last two years but has become too busy to be able to properly give it the attention it deserves. “The last year and a half we had a really strong following, but I became busy with becoming SGA President this year that we haven’t found anyone interested in heading it,” said Accardo. To no fault of his own, the student cheering section wasn’t able to continue thriving without a head of the section and club, but Accardo likes where Lim is going with his idea. “I think it’s great, he loves sports and is very involved in clubs so, I think, he’d do well heading it,” Accardo said of Lim’s proposition of heading the new cheering section. The only obstacle holding back Lim from getting the funding and attention he needs to start “The Caged Crew” for good is the lack of members he has right now. Accardo said SGA is more than welcome to fund any club that has a lot of interest and support behind it, but there just isn’t that large amount of structured support yet for Lim’s cause. Gabriel is seeking any and all students who are interested in helping start the Caged Crew to contact him via email at lim@hartford.edu to hopefully bring his aspiration for a crazy college cheering section to come true before he graduates. With the help of all the students on campus lending their support, it can happen.]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/the-caged-crew-to-replace-the-red-army/feed/ 0 The Hartford Informer http://hartfordinformer.com University of Hartford Student Newspaper Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:13:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Rizzotti and Hawks on three game win streak http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:34:13 +0000 Zach Parker http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860784

[/caption] The Barney School of Business recently installed their new chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, a national business organization. In the world of business, innovation is the key to success whether designing a new product or forming a new organization at a college campus. Such is the case with Beta Alpha Psi. Historically an honors organization for accounting, finance, and information systems students nationwide that excel in their chosen major, the chapter at the University of Hartford is the fourth chapter in the state of Connecticut. 77 members, students, alumni, and faculty, were officially inducted into the fraternity Thursday night in a ceremony at the 1877 club after a successful petitioning process that began in December of 2009 to have the chapter recognized at the national level. “You have to go through a two-year petitioning period where you in effect form the chapter and then you have to do all these different activities,” said Professor Carl Smith, “after two years they come and evaluate you.” Beta Alpha Psi has three faculty co-advisors from the Barney School of Business that oversee the activities conducted by the fraternity: Michelle Bertolini, Smith and Donald Warren. An interesting fact about the chapter at the University is the level of membership among the graduate students at the Barney School. This is reflected in the current setup of Beta Alpha Psi’s executive board of students, which consists of two co-presidents that are at the undergrad and graduate levels. Other board positions are also filled by undergrad and graduate students. “Other chapters liked our model,” said Warren. “The fact that we use co-presidents with one for the graduate and one for the undergraduate because I don’t think anybody ever thought of that before.” The graduate student members of the Barney School’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi make up 40 percent of the student membership. This is a unique characteristic not just on campus, but also at the state and national levels for Beta Alpha Psi. “We’re one of the few chapters that have successfully mixed both grad and undergrad,” said Smith. “What we’re finding is we’re rewriting some of the policies at the national level because they were definitely undergraduate centric.” “What happens at a lot of universities is that they’ll have an undergraduate Beta Alpha Psi and then when the students move to graduate level, they kind of drift off,” said Warren. “We keep them involved and I think one of the ways we keep them involved is that we have a co-president from the graduate program.” In addition to a strong involvement from graduate students at the Barney School, there are other ways this chapter of Beta Alpha Psi has set itself apart from chapters formed at other schools in the past. While only one service event a year is mandatory for the organization at the national level, the Barney School chapter has done two or three in a single year. The chapter members have also utilized the current multimedia technology available at the Barney School to have meetings with other Beta Alpha Psi chapters at other schools without ever leaving the University. “It’s a major milestone for the Barney School of Business and for the accounting department to be installing a Beta Alpha Psi chapter,” said Warren.]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/news/beta-alpha-psi-comes-to-university/feed/ 0 ‘Casablanca’ double cast a healthy balance http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:59:36 +0000 Brandon Goncalves http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860684 [/caption] With the start of a new semester, comes the promise of lavish performances implemented by the talent and range of those Hartt School students who have worked diligently to bring their craft to life. Although we’ve been accustomed to the many productions, successfully executed by the Hartt School’s musical theater and acting divisions that have maximized last season’s repertoire, the vocal performance majors kick off this semester’s line-up of thespian magic with the comedic opera “The Hotel Casablanca.” “Hotel Casablanca” takes place in 1948 where the discovery of oil in Texas catapulted desperate farmers to new money. After being introduced to a plethora of eccentric characters ranging from a retired comedian turned butler to a Spanish bull breeder and an aspiring actress, we learn the opera surrounds a couple who gets themselves into quite the predicament through a series of hilarious mishaps and misunderstandings. Tallulah Carter, a former vaudeville dancer, is led to believe her husband, Tom, is engaging in adultery after a mysterious package is delivered to their home. With the help of her friend Lucy, the two write a letter to Tom under the alias of a mysterious woman inviting him to the Hotel Casablanca, a seedy establishment where men go to cheat on their wives. However, when Tom receives the letter, he assumes it was meant for his ranch manager, Tobias, and sends him to the infamous hotel instead. The remainder of Act I consists of additional story lines that excel into Act II, inducting more characters whose actions result in energy, outrageousness and a ton of laughs. With such a large assemblage of vocal performance majors, the production has been divided between two casts: one presenting on the Thursday and Saturday performances and a second cast operating Friday and Sunday. Thanks to Miguel Vasquez and Dean Murphy, both starring in the upcoming opera, we were given a better look into how the two casts were able to advance throughout the rehearsal process. Murphy, a sophomore who plays the “simpleton” Tobias, believes having the show double casted is a great thing. “It’s really nice to be able to talk with someone else who is studying the same role,” Murphy said. “It makes collaborating to make character decisions much easier when staging the opera.” It also helps that both casts have been rehearsing about five hours daily since Jan. 9, which continued well into the beginning of classes and start of the semester. Vasquez, a senior tackling the coveted role of Tom Carter for the Friday and Sunday performances, agrees with the idea of two casts especially when rehearsals vary from musical aspects, to coaching, staging, a review of the show and honing in on character development. “As they say, two heads are better than one,” Vasquez said. “Every performer has a different take on the same character. We each bring a different feel which makes both the characters and the process more interesting, not to mention our director really helps us get into characters and layering them up like an onion.” He also goes onto say, “It’s also helpful in terms of resting. Singing opera is an athletic acoustical form of art and listening is just as vital as actually practicing. A night off from performances will be a good thing during the show’s actual run.” Directed by phenomenal visionary Ron Luchsinger and conducted by Doris Lang Kosloff, “The Hotel Casablanca” runs from Feb. 2 to Feb. 5 in Millard Auditorium. ]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/feed/ 0 Book startup hits Hartford http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/civic-apathy-widespread-at-uha/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/civic-apathy-widespread-at-uha/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:57:34 +0000 Sarah Wilson http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860774 If you didn’t watch the GOP debate last week, here’s a boiled-down version of what happened: everyone wants to repeal Obamacare, and Newt Gingrich thinks building a colony on the moon before the Chinese do is essential to the stability of our nation. The problem that arose is not necessarily the fact that I think most of the remaining candidates are, for lack of a better term, idiots. It’s the fact that front-runners, such as Rick Santorum, can be insensitive enough to say pregnant rape victims should make the “best of a bad situation,” and hardly anyone on this campus would realize the atrocity and frequency of such statements. It wasn’t until the day following the debate when speaking to an unregistered friend that the lackadaisical attitude that overwhelms this campus was brought to my attention. The unfortunate norm among Hartford students is a very apparent civic apathy. While I will say I think the attitude this school emits is somewhat of a liberal one, the diverse backgrounds of students lend the Hartford community to the potential for a healthy political divide. But very rarely can somebody with enough interest to pay attention be found, and if they can be found, odds are they don’t care enough to share their thoughts. When looking from the outside in at other government-oriented universities, this problem doesn’t seem to arise. UCONN, for example, although a much larger institution has at least three major student political groups including the College Democrats, the College Republicans as well as an Alternative Political Parties group, all of which actively work to educate and attract students. At University of Hartford, the Hartford College Democrats were once a small organization, but if they are still active their presence surely isn’t felt. In a study conducted by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), college students were divided into six categories of political activity. Among those, 14 percent were found to be registered to vote, but not actively participate, while 23 percent were found to be “civically alienated,” meaning they were hardly engaged at all. But in this average of college students across the country, it’s the minority that aren’t involved whatsoever. It presents the question as to whether the lack of political clubs and groups on this campus lowers engagement in politics, or whether the lack of interest is what results in such few groups. Despite the “what came first” question, the absence of political discussion exists because of the contagious nature of apathy. In another study conducted by CIRCLE, it was found that youth are more apt to vote if they’re influenced by friends and family. If nobody who has the ability to politically influence others does, the indifference here can only grow. Upon asking my friend why he wasn’t registered to vote (and really, it’s less effort that signing up for a Facebook account), he said, “I just don’t feel like I know enough to make an educated decision.” It’s not the first time I’ve heard that sentiment among twenty-somethings, though the reality is, being uneducated is no excuse to not care, it’s not caring that results in ignorance. Educating yourself takes nothing more than paying attention to the news a bit more closely. And it’s important to do, because failing to vote out of lethargy is only going to result in an excess of ignorant votes. And frankly, I’d rather not spend my first post-college years struggling in a failing economy because the money was spent on frequent flyer miles to space. But ridiculous notions like that run the risk of becoming a reality if apathy lets ignorance get the best of the country. Then again, maybe there’s more employment opportunities on the moon.]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/civic-apathy-widespread-at-uha/feed/ 0 The Hartford Informer http://hartfordinformer.com University of Hartford Student Newspaper Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:13:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Rizzotti and Hawks on three game win streak http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:34:13 +0000 Zach Parker http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860784

[/caption] The Barney School of Business recently installed their new chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, a national business organization. In the world of business, innovation is the key to success whether designing a new product or forming a new organization at a college campus. Such is the case with Beta Alpha Psi. Historically an honors organization for accounting, finance, and information systems students nationwide that excel in their chosen major, the chapter at the University of Hartford is the fourth chapter in the state of Connecticut. 77 members, students, alumni, and faculty, were officially inducted into the fraternity Thursday night in a ceremony at the 1877 club after a successful petitioning process that began in December of 2009 to have the chapter recognized at the national level. “You have to go through a two-year petitioning period where you in effect form the chapter and then you have to do all these different activities,” said Professor Carl Smith, “after two years they come and evaluate you.” Beta Alpha Psi has three faculty co-advisors from the Barney School of Business that oversee the activities conducted by the fraternity: Michelle Bertolini, Smith and Donald Warren. An interesting fact about the chapter at the University is the level of membership among the graduate students at the Barney School. This is reflected in the current setup of Beta Alpha Psi’s executive board of students, which consists of two co-presidents that are at the undergrad and graduate levels. Other board positions are also filled by undergrad and graduate students. “Other chapters liked our model,” said Warren. “The fact that we use co-presidents with one for the graduate and one for the undergraduate because I don’t think anybody ever thought of that before.” The graduate student members of the Barney School’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi make up 40 percent of the student membership. This is a unique characteristic not just on campus, but also at the state and national levels for Beta Alpha Psi. “We’re one of the few chapters that have successfully mixed both grad and undergrad,” said Smith. “What we’re finding is we’re rewriting some of the policies at the national level because they were definitely undergraduate centric.” “What happens at a lot of universities is that they’ll have an undergraduate Beta Alpha Psi and then when the students move to graduate level, they kind of drift off,” said Warren. “We keep them involved and I think one of the ways we keep them involved is that we have a co-president from the graduate program.” In addition to a strong involvement from graduate students at the Barney School, there are other ways this chapter of Beta Alpha Psi has set itself apart from chapters formed at other schools in the past. While only one service event a year is mandatory for the organization at the national level, the Barney School chapter has done two or three in a single year. The chapter members have also utilized the current multimedia technology available at the Barney School to have meetings with other Beta Alpha Psi chapters at other schools without ever leaving the University. “It’s a major milestone for the Barney School of Business and for the accounting department to be installing a Beta Alpha Psi chapter,” said Warren.]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/news/beta-alpha-psi-comes-to-university/feed/ 0 ‘Casablanca’ double cast a healthy balance http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:59:36 +0000 Brandon Goncalves http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860684 [/caption] With the start of a new semester, comes the promise of lavish performances implemented by the talent and range of those Hartt School students who have worked diligently to bring their craft to life. Although we’ve been accustomed to the many productions, successfully executed by the Hartt School’s musical theater and acting divisions that have maximized last season’s repertoire, the vocal performance majors kick off this semester’s line-up of thespian magic with the comedic opera “The Hotel Casablanca.” “Hotel Casablanca” takes place in 1948 where the discovery of oil in Texas catapulted desperate farmers to new money. After being introduced to a plethora of eccentric characters ranging from a retired comedian turned butler to a Spanish bull breeder and an aspiring actress, we learn the opera surrounds a couple who gets themselves into quite the predicament through a series of hilarious mishaps and misunderstandings. Tallulah Carter, a former vaudeville dancer, is led to believe her husband, Tom, is engaging in adultery after a mysterious package is delivered to their home. With the help of her friend Lucy, the two write a letter to Tom under the alias of a mysterious woman inviting him to the Hotel Casablanca, a seedy establishment where men go to cheat on their wives. However, when Tom receives the letter, he assumes it was meant for his ranch manager, Tobias, and sends him to the infamous hotel instead. The remainder of Act I consists of additional story lines that excel into Act II, inducting more characters whose actions result in energy, outrageousness and a ton of laughs. With such a large assemblage of vocal performance majors, the production has been divided between two casts: one presenting on the Thursday and Saturday performances and a second cast operating Friday and Sunday. Thanks to Miguel Vasquez and Dean Murphy, both starring in the upcoming opera, we were given a better look into how the two casts were able to advance throughout the rehearsal process. Murphy, a sophomore who plays the “simpleton” Tobias, believes having the show double casted is a great thing. “It’s really nice to be able to talk with someone else who is studying the same role,” Murphy said. “It makes collaborating to make character decisions much easier when staging the opera.” It also helps that both casts have been rehearsing about five hours daily since Jan. 9, which continued well into the beginning of classes and start of the semester. Vasquez, a senior tackling the coveted role of Tom Carter for the Friday and Sunday performances, agrees with the idea of two casts especially when rehearsals vary from musical aspects, to coaching, staging, a review of the show and honing in on character development. “As they say, two heads are better than one,” Vasquez said. “Every performer has a different take on the same character. We each bring a different feel which makes both the characters and the process more interesting, not to mention our director really helps us get into characters and layering them up like an onion.” He also goes onto say, “It’s also helpful in terms of resting. Singing opera is an athletic acoustical form of art and listening is just as vital as actually practicing. A night off from performances will be a good thing during the show’s actual run.” Directed by phenomenal visionary Ron Luchsinger and conducted by Doris Lang Kosloff, “The Hotel Casablanca” runs from Feb. 2 to Feb. 5 in Millard Auditorium. ]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/feed/ 0 Book startup hits Hartford http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/diabetes-its-whats-for-dinner-tonight/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/diabetes-its-whats-for-dinner-tonight/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:49:48 +0000 Danielle Huppke http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860623 It’s fair to assume no one is looking to the queen of all things fried and greasy, food network chef and restaurateur, Paula Deen for medical advice, unless you’re looking for the tastiest way to successfully develop acute angina. For a woman who has spent the majority of her life pushing 12,000 calorie Krispy Kreme bread pudding, and fried chocolate covered cheesecake, her recent confession of having been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes over 2 years ago doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Of course Deen has diabetes. How could she not? During the 2-year span while the butter-loving darling of southern cuisine was hiding her disease, she managed to pump out her fourteenth cookbook, "Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible: The New Classic Guide to Delicious Dishes With More Than 300 Recipes." Just holding her cookbook can clog your arteries, however that hasn’t stopped people from buying them. What’s hard to accept is that in the same interview on the “Today” show where she announced her Type 2 diabetes, Deen announced she’s the new spokeswoman for the diabetes drug manufacturer, Novo Nordisk. Not only is she endorsing her fat laden recipes, once you develop diabetes from eating her fried butter and cream cheese sticks, she’s got you covered too. I happen to agree with Deen's explanation, "You've got to be responsible for yourself." You and you alone determine what to put on your plate at every meal. If you live on a diet of fried foods, you have to deal with the consequences. Deen continued, "On my show, I share all these yummy, fattening recipes, but I tell people (to eat) in moderation." She then reminds us, "I'm your cook, not your doctor." She evades any sort of responsibility for the fat content of what she’s selling. She continued to add blocks of Velveeta into recipes that are hardly improved with the additional ingredient, all while knowing the consequences of her edible actions. Is she being helpful in the slightest while suggesting we take a hamburger, fried egg and bacon and slap that between two donuts and call it the “Brunch Burger?” Don’t forget one of Deen’s favorite salad recipes, which calls for onion, pepper, a few tomatoes, a loaf of corn bread, two cups of cheddar cheese and an entire bottle of ranch dressing. Now that sounds like a meal for someone counting calories, the more the better. Meal after meal it has become apparent that Deen has little to no consideration for her viewers waistlines or overall health, maybe this was the plan all along, fatten ‘em up and then pump ‘em full of drugs. The sheer timing lends itself to this conclusion. The latest addition to the Food Network line up is Deen’s son, Bobby’s show “Not My Mama’s Meals,” which was shamefully pitched on the “Today” show by his Mama. The new show is geared at those wishing to avoid the life of a Type 2 diabetes sufferer. The bottom line is Deen did a disservice to her fans. She continually pumped out buttery, greasy delectable’s without acknowledging her first hand experience of how a person can be burned by it -cc]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/opinions/diabetes-its-whats-for-dinner-tonight/feed/ 0 The Hartford Informer http://hartfordinformer.com University of Hartford Student Newspaper Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:13:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Rizzotti and Hawks on three game win streak http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:34:13 +0000 Zach Parker http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860784

[/caption] You probably have no idea, do you? You so called “sports fan.” The Super Bowl build up was only thing that mattered in your eyes this weekend. Unfortunately for you, the Winter X Games in Aspen, Col. that aired from Jan. 26 through Jan. 29, were not part of your watched sports entertainment as a result. Eli Manning’s answers to reporter’s questions were worth more of your TV watching time than the gracious, gravity-defying displays. Some of the truest athletes in the world, across all sports, participate in the Winter X Games, such as Shaun “The Flying Tomato” White. White entered the tournament with an existing left-ankle injury before participating in any of his events. To train for his events, with the injured ankle, he took to his snowboard. With the X Games being the most extreme sporting events, hence “X” games, it should be no surprise that he aggravated his injury more than it already was. Still cleared to ride, White took to his snowboard the morning before his Snowboard Slopestyle for more practice. During which, the White declared the injury to be too severe for competition in the later event, thus he withdrew. As the reigning four-time Snowboard Superpipe champion, White did not sit out of a particular event of his that still remained. The competition’s final evening event, the Snowboard Superpipe. Amidst all the 2012 Winter X Games storylines, the what was thought to be impossible, was possible and was achieved. Not the first snowmobile front flip, that’s right, front flip, landed by Heath Frisby, the first Winter X Big Air triple cork tricks, landed by both Mark McMorris and Torstein Horgmo or even Colten Moore, the 22-year-old snowmobilier from Texas, who crashed during his Freestyle run and came back to his first Winter X gold. No. Shaun White totaled the first Winter X Games perfect score to win the Snowboard Superpipe for the fifth time in a row. All with a sprained ankle. It is all these things, the death defying circus stunts named with kitchen utensil jargon to the ability to fight through injury and be the best performer possible while doing so. Don’t ever be opposed to watching the X Games, winter or snow, for you will see the impossible become possible.]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/winter-x-games/feed/ 0 The Hartford Informer http://hartfordinformer.com University of Hartford Student Newspaper Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:13:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Rizzotti and Hawks on three game win streak http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:34:13 +0000 Zach Parker http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860784

[/caption]]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/countdown-to-the-super-bowl-poll-results/feed/ 0 The Hartford Informer http://hartfordinformer.com University of Hartford Student Newspaper Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:13:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Rizzotti and Hawks on three game win streak http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:34:13 +0000 Zach Parker http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860784

[/caption] The Barney School of Business recently installed their new chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, a national business organization. In the world of business, innovation is the key to success whether designing a new product or forming a new organization at a college campus. Such is the case with Beta Alpha Psi. Historically an honors organization for accounting, finance, and information systems students nationwide that excel in their chosen major, the chapter at the University of Hartford is the fourth chapter in the state of Connecticut. 77 members, students, alumni, and faculty, were officially inducted into the fraternity Thursday night in a ceremony at the 1877 club after a successful petitioning process that began in December of 2009 to have the chapter recognized at the national level. “You have to go through a two-year petitioning period where you in effect form the chapter and then you have to do all these different activities,” said Professor Carl Smith, “after two years they come and evaluate you.” Beta Alpha Psi has three faculty co-advisors from the Barney School of Business that oversee the activities conducted by the fraternity: Michelle Bertolini, Smith and Donald Warren. An interesting fact about the chapter at the University is the level of membership among the graduate students at the Barney School. This is reflected in the current setup of Beta Alpha Psi’s executive board of students, which consists of two co-presidents that are at the undergrad and graduate levels. Other board positions are also filled by undergrad and graduate students. “Other chapters liked our model,” said Warren. “The fact that we use co-presidents with one for the graduate and one for the undergraduate because I don’t think anybody ever thought of that before.” The graduate student members of the Barney School’s chapter of Beta Alpha Psi make up 40 percent of the student membership. This is a unique characteristic not just on campus, but also at the state and national levels for Beta Alpha Psi. “We’re one of the few chapters that have successfully mixed both grad and undergrad,” said Smith. “What we’re finding is we’re rewriting some of the policies at the national level because they were definitely undergraduate centric.” “What happens at a lot of universities is that they’ll have an undergraduate Beta Alpha Psi and then when the students move to graduate level, they kind of drift off,” said Warren. “We keep them involved and I think one of the ways we keep them involved is that we have a co-president from the graduate program.” In addition to a strong involvement from graduate students at the Barney School, there are other ways this chapter of Beta Alpha Psi has set itself apart from chapters formed at other schools in the past. While only one service event a year is mandatory for the organization at the national level, the Barney School chapter has done two or three in a single year. The chapter members have also utilized the current multimedia technology available at the Barney School to have meetings with other Beta Alpha Psi chapters at other schools without ever leaving the University. “It’s a major milestone for the Barney School of Business and for the accounting department to be installing a Beta Alpha Psi chapter,” said Warren.]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/news/beta-alpha-psi-comes-to-university/feed/ 0 ‘Casablanca’ double cast a healthy balance http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:59:36 +0000 Brandon Goncalves http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860684 [/caption] With the start of a new semester, comes the promise of lavish performances implemented by the talent and range of those Hartt School students who have worked diligently to bring their craft to life. Although we’ve been accustomed to the many productions, successfully executed by the Hartt School’s musical theater and acting divisions that have maximized last season’s repertoire, the vocal performance majors kick off this semester’s line-up of thespian magic with the comedic opera “The Hotel Casablanca.” “Hotel Casablanca” takes place in 1948 where the discovery of oil in Texas catapulted desperate farmers to new money. After being introduced to a plethora of eccentric characters ranging from a retired comedian turned butler to a Spanish bull breeder and an aspiring actress, we learn the opera surrounds a couple who gets themselves into quite the predicament through a series of hilarious mishaps and misunderstandings. Tallulah Carter, a former vaudeville dancer, is led to believe her husband, Tom, is engaging in adultery after a mysterious package is delivered to their home. With the help of her friend Lucy, the two write a letter to Tom under the alias of a mysterious woman inviting him to the Hotel Casablanca, a seedy establishment where men go to cheat on their wives. However, when Tom receives the letter, he assumes it was meant for his ranch manager, Tobias, and sends him to the infamous hotel instead. The remainder of Act I consists of additional story lines that excel into Act II, inducting more characters whose actions result in energy, outrageousness and a ton of laughs. With such a large assemblage of vocal performance majors, the production has been divided between two casts: one presenting on the Thursday and Saturday performances and a second cast operating Friday and Sunday. Thanks to Miguel Vasquez and Dean Murphy, both starring in the upcoming opera, we were given a better look into how the two casts were able to advance throughout the rehearsal process. Murphy, a sophomore who plays the “simpleton” Tobias, believes having the show double casted is a great thing. “It’s really nice to be able to talk with someone else who is studying the same role,” Murphy said. “It makes collaborating to make character decisions much easier when staging the opera.” It also helps that both casts have been rehearsing about five hours daily since Jan. 9, which continued well into the beginning of classes and start of the semester. Vasquez, a senior tackling the coveted role of Tom Carter for the Friday and Sunday performances, agrees with the idea of two casts especially when rehearsals vary from musical aspects, to coaching, staging, a review of the show and honing in on character development. “As they say, two heads are better than one,” Vasquez said. “Every performer has a different take on the same character. We each bring a different feel which makes both the characters and the process more interesting, not to mention our director really helps us get into characters and layering them up like an onion.” He also goes onto say, “It’s also helpful in terms of resting. Singing opera is an athletic acoustical form of art and listening is just as vital as actually practicing. A night off from performances will be a good thing during the show’s actual run.” Directed by phenomenal visionary Ron Luchsinger and conducted by Doris Lang Kosloff, “The Hotel Casablanca” runs from Feb. 2 to Feb. 5 in Millard Auditorium. ]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/feed/ 0 Book startup hits Hartford http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:59:36 +0000 Brandon Goncalves http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860684 [/caption] With the start of a new semester, comes the promise of lavish performances implemented by the talent and range of those Hartt School students who have worked diligently to bring their craft to life. Although we’ve been accustomed to the many productions, successfully executed by the Hartt School’s musical theater and acting divisions that have maximized last season’s repertoire, the vocal performance majors kick off this semester’s line-up of thespian magic with the comedic opera “The Hotel Casablanca.” “Hotel Casablanca” takes place in 1948 where the discovery of oil in Texas catapulted desperate farmers to new money. After being introduced to a plethora of eccentric characters ranging from a retired comedian turned butler to a Spanish bull breeder and an aspiring actress, we learn the opera surrounds a couple who gets themselves into quite the predicament through a series of hilarious mishaps and misunderstandings. Tallulah Carter, a former vaudeville dancer, is led to believe her husband, Tom, is engaging in adultery after a mysterious package is delivered to their home. With the help of her friend Lucy, the two write a letter to Tom under the alias of a mysterious woman inviting him to the Hotel Casablanca, a seedy establishment where men go to cheat on their wives. However, when Tom receives the letter, he assumes it was meant for his ranch manager, Tobias, and sends him to the infamous hotel instead. The remainder of Act I consists of additional story lines that excel into Act II, inducting more characters whose actions result in energy, outrageousness and a ton of laughs. With such a large assemblage of vocal performance majors, the production has been divided between two casts: one presenting on the Thursday and Saturday performances and a second cast operating Friday and Sunday. Thanks to Miguel Vasquez and Dean Murphy, both starring in the upcoming opera, we were given a better look into how the two casts were able to advance throughout the rehearsal process. Murphy, a sophomore who plays the “simpleton” Tobias, believes having the show double casted is a great thing. “It’s really nice to be able to talk with someone else who is studying the same role,” Murphy said. “It makes collaborating to make character decisions much easier when staging the opera.” It also helps that both casts have been rehearsing about five hours daily since Jan. 9, which continued well into the beginning of classes and start of the semester. Vasquez, a senior tackling the coveted role of Tom Carter for the Friday and Sunday performances, agrees with the idea of two casts especially when rehearsals vary from musical aspects, to coaching, staging, a review of the show and honing in on character development. “As they say, two heads are better than one,” Vasquez said. “Every performer has a different take on the same character. We each bring a different feel which makes both the characters and the process more interesting, not to mention our director really helps us get into characters and layering them up like an onion.” He also goes onto say, “It’s also helpful in terms of resting. Singing opera is an athletic acoustical form of art and listening is just as vital as actually practicing. A night off from performances will be a good thing during the show’s actual run.” Directed by phenomenal visionary Ron Luchsinger and conducted by Doris Lang Kosloff, “The Hotel Casablanca” runs from Feb. 2 to Feb. 5 in Millard Auditorium. ]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/casablanca-double-cast-a-healthy-balance/feed/ 0 The Hartford Informer http://hartfordinformer.com University of Hartford Student Newspaper Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:13:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Rizzotti and Hawks on three game win streak http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/ http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/sports/rizzotti-and-hawks-on-three-game-win-streak/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:34:13 +0000 Zach Parker http://hartfordinformer.com/?p=3860784

[/caption] To combat the steep textbook prices imposed by the University Bookstore, one student is offering relief in the form of a helpful website he created called BooksatHartford.com. Think of it as a virtual bargain hunter where prices are compared in real time and displayed in front of you for each class subject you look up. Searching and price checking are a thing of the past because Books @ Hartford does the work for you, for free. “It is a lot easier than Amazon alone because it’s unique to our University,” creator Jordan Haberman said. The sophomore and soon to be Business major is excited about the Hartford edition of the comparative website. “I got the idea from a mutual friend of Sean Haufler, the creator of Books @ Yale. He created the original and I wrote the code for the course catalog for Hartford, putting in the individual classes and books,” Haberman said. Aimed at simplifying the way students at the University search for and purchase their books, the website is an innovation that can prove to be a valuable resource. Comparing the Bookstore price with prices at Barnes & Noble as well as Amazon, the majority of the time it makes practical sense to order a book via the web versus surrendering extra cash to the Bookstore. A clean and simple concept, Books @ Hartford was created by students for students. “I want students to realize you can get books cheaper than the Bookstore and that our website is a good alternative to that,” Haberman said. Still in its early stages since being installed here at the University, Haberman launched the Hartford edition just two weeks before the start of the spring semester. Although the website bears the claim that it is not responsible for the accuracy of what books are required for any given class, a quick glance confirms that there are a few anomalies in the system such as the omission of a required text for a given class, information that Haberman gets directly from Self-Service Center. The website provides the gap between having one option and having the best option when it comes to pricing out the cheapest required text. Haberman hopes to spread his version of Books @ Hartford to as many students as possible to maximize the savings students can get. As far as University intervention into Haberman’s project, there has been none but he believes it should be the individual’s choice to use whatever means necessary to get the best deal, especially since the Bookstore mark up is so large.]]> http://hartfordinformer.com/2012/02/entertainment/books-at-hartford-saves-students-money/feed/ 0