New Parking Program Offered for Move Out

University Transportation Services has introduced a new parking permit to help ease the stress of move out: a free, 2 hour pass which would allow parents and students to park nearly anywhere.

“The 2 hour pass is the result of too many cars being parked in fire lanes along side buildings,” said Dirk S. Timmons, Director of UNH Transportation.

The pass, which is available in the parking office, will state the time and date of move-out as well as the vehicle’s license number. The intention of this new parking pass is to help ease stress during the moving out process as well as avoid excess ticketing.

“During move in my mom got a two hundred dollar fine, just for parking near my dorm,” said Matthew Normandeau, a sophomore. “If this helps avoid such ridiculous fines, then I’ll do it,” said Normandeau.

The parking pass would allow students and parents to park in nearby faculty and staff parking lots, as well as commuter lots, between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. It also will allow students to utilize any nearby resident lots during any hour of the day.

However, as some lots are not open at night, the parking office advises that students plan ahead.

“Because the enforcement hours exceed our office hours, depending on the time of your move-out you may need to plan ahead to get your permit,” said the department in a public notice.

If a student requires more than two hours, then the family may revert to the normal (paid) temporary parking, either at the Visitor Center, West Edge Lot, parking meters or Lot C.

“Honestly, I don’t think that 2 hours is going to be enough time for a lot of students,” said Gail Winsor, a sophomore. “We all have a lot of stuff,” said Winsor.

Another option for students is parking in fire lanes along side buildings. Although it is allowed, parking in a fire lane is strictly limited. It is only allowed if a licensed driver remains with the vehicle at all times. The vehicle must also be in the active process of being loaded.

Unattended vehicles in fire lands, or those lingering longer than it takes to load and leave, risk standard enforcement even though it is move out week.

“This of course is an important safety consideration, so while there is some wiggle-room, it is conditional,” said the parking department's public statement.

Vehicles which are parked without a permit in areas that require them will risk standard enforcement, despite it being move out week. This could potentially mean heavy fines and parking tickets.

“It’s annoying to have to walk to the parking office, but I suppose I will because I don’t want to have to pay for parking, or worse get a fine,” said freshman Kathleen Leahy.

The permits may be picked up at the parking office service counter, which is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 am until 4 pm. The permits require a vehicle number and will be prepared in advance for students.

UNH Parking will not issue successive permits, as students are expected to then move to normal temporary parking if they exceed the 2 hour limit.

“We are hoping this new permit will help the process, not cause more hassle,” said Timmons.

Fellows Lectures: Egyptian Land Reclamation and Water Management

With pictures of Egypt’s deserts turned into grassy, landscapes projected behind her, Professor Jeannie Sowers hosted an informal lecture last Wednesday in the Memorial Union Building sharing her research from her last recent trip to Egypt.

“She has been a major force in the Political Science department for the last four years,” said Professor Lawrence Reardon, who introduced Sowers.

Sowers, an Assistant Professor of Political Science, has traveled multiple times to Egypt to research the politics of water management and land reclamation. She is the recipient of a fellows research grant from the Center for the Humanities and has therefore been able to spend time interviewing Egyptian government officials involved in these projects.

In her lecture, titled "Re-mapping the Nation, Critiquing the State: Narrating Land Reclamation in Egypt’s New Valley,” Sowers discussed how conducting research in a foreign country was at times highly challenging.

“It’s not just bureaucracy, it’s also the way people think that makes [research] a challenge,” said Sowers.

Sowers found that the Egyptian land currently being occupied is confined between the Nile and the Red Sea. The area has become highly populated while the rest of Egypt, which is mostly desert land, remains unused.

“The water management plan is supposed to reclaim 3 million acres,” explained Sowers. Water reclamation would not only allow crops to grow in the desert, but would make the area more suitable for living.

However, so far only 100,000 acres have been reclaimed, and at a very high cost.

“Many commentators saw this as a failed project,” said Sowers, “But there simply isn’t a demand for it.”

The government has tried to encourage people to move to desert areas by exaggerating the pollution in Cairo and other cities, but the Egyptian people have resisted moving. Despite cheap land prices, high temperature, isolation and a lack of amenities has prevented many from relocating.

“I think it’s starting to run up against its limits already,” said Sowers.

Sowers explained that water availability and the deteriorating quality are contributing factors to the failed effort. Additionally, the process has become too expensive for the government to continue funding.

“Many people I think expected greater results by now,” said Sowers. The project was supposed to be Egypt’s big break, which would enable the country to smoothly leave the private sector and establish a market economy.

Despite this vision, many Egyptians were unaware of the effort at all. A lack of accessible, public media prevented much discussion on the project.

“When I was there in the late 1990s the project was conceived in official journals,” explained Sowers. However, when she returned this past year she said that the new independent forms of media have enabled much livelier debates among citizens and even Parliament.

“There are much livelier debates now about water management and how the regime handles it,” said Sowers.

Other areas around Egypt have begun embracing water management and land reclamation as well, also in hopes of expanding livable area. Other such areas include South East Asia, Turkey and Israel.

Sowers' lecture ended with a brief question and answer session where some fellow colleges and students all took an interest in her discoveries.

The next fellows lecture hosted by the Center for Humanities will be in the Fall 2010 semester held by Janet Yount, of the English Department. She will be conducting a lecture entitled “Reading Clarissa under Apartheid: The Enduring Force of an 18th Century Novel.” A specific date will be announced in the fall.

More Than Meets The Eye or Ear

A chamber coach, an accompanist, a private lessons teacher, and an accomplished pianist, University of New Hampshire senior Valerie Peters’ achievements just begin there.

“She is a wonderful human being,” said her piano teacher, UNH Professor Arlene Kies.

Peters, who is pursuing her Bachelors Degree in Music Education, is already considered to be a very accomplished pianist by her peers as well as her teachers.

Not only has she done all of this and more, but she’s done it with only seven fingers and no one would ever know.

“She played so well the first time I heard her that I had no idea,” said Kies, speaking of the first time they met. Kies visited Peters’ high school, Pinkerton Academy, when Peters was a junior. Kies conducted a master class, or a group lesson, and heard Peters play for the first time.

“I was really worried all she’d see me as was someone with seven fingers,” said Peters. But that was not the case. Kies asked Peters to play a certain line for her than tried it as well, also only using seven of her fingers. “No one had ever done that for me before,” said Peters.

Peters said she was touched deeply by Kies empathy and from that meeting onward was set on coming to UNH for music. “I knew I wanted to study with Arlene,” said Peters.

Peters, who was born with an atypical cleft hand, only has her thumb and pinky finger on her right hand. The condition, which is not genetic, occurs during days twelve to sixteen of pregnancy, according to Peters.

“She’s had a hard time believing me, but we’re all missing something,” said Kies. “No person has every single thing.”

Playing piano with only seven fingers is no easy accomplishment. Peters has had to invent new techniques in order to learn music, such as crossing hands and playing two notes with her right thumb. “It’s forced me to be creative,” said Peters.

Kies says when Peters first began studying with her she would try to give her fingerings, but Peters has flourished quickly and now is normally able to discover finger patterns on her own.

Being creative hasn’t always been easy, however. “I’ve always felt I’ve needed to do everything better than everyone else,” said Peters, “I needed to make it so obvious that my hand didn’t matter.”

Peters practices piano around three hours a day every day. During her sophomore year she says she used to practice six hours a day, sometimes putting off sleep in order to squeeze extra practicing hours in.

Peters also gets frustrated on occasion because she feels that she cannot do justice to the music. “I’ve always been hard on myself,” said Peters, “it’s just that good enough is such a relative term.”

Most of her audience, however, can’t notice anything different at all. Instead, they are simply awed by her playing.

“Val’s senior recital was one of the best, if not the best, that I have been to at UNH,” said fellow musician, and long-time friend Luke Miller. “The recital hall was packed for the performance,” said Miller. Miller, also a graduate of the music program at UNH, has known Peters for over ten years.

Peters recently played her senior recital in the Bratton room of the PCAC. She performed for a crowded room of friends and family who became teary-eyed as she gave thanks following the recital.

“She plays with intense emotion and pulls the audience right into the music with her through her precise attention to detail,” said Miller, “[She is] well liked by all of her peers and teachers too.”

Her piano teacher agrees as well. Kies said that many students lack developed musicality, or tone or a certain technique. Not Peters. “She doesn’t lack anything else [when she plays]. Everything else is there,” said Kies.

And Peters accomplishments don’t stop there. Peters is also very involved in a support group for children with upper limb differences called the Helping Hands Foundation.

Helping Hands meets semiannually for a weekend of fun and support. The past few years Peters has organized chamber ensembles for some of the children who also play instruments. “It’s an adorable disaster,” said Peters, “but the parents love it.”

Peters says that every years she gets calls from parents asking if their children will be alright, and what they will and won’t be able to do.

“It means a lot to me,” said Peters, “to be able to tell parents that their kid is going to be able to tie their shoes.”

Peters has put so much into Helping Hands that she has become the youngest person ever to join the board of directors for the New Hampshire division of the foundation.

“I didn’t want the name seven-fingered pianist,” said Peters, “but if I can use it to be a role model I will.”

Peters is not only a role model for children with hand disabilities, but to her fellow classmates as well. Kies said at times she has to struggle to not become frustrated with her other students who do not work as hard as Peters.

“She works very hard,” said Peters, “I think she’ll have a career in music. I have no worries for her.”

Peters hopes to continue teaching piano privately when she graduates from college. First, however, she wants to take a year off from school to live in Germany and teach English to German students.

“She’s excellent at German,” said classmate Nicole Labbe, a junior.

Despite her other talents, Peters’ true love lies in music. She hopes to attend graduate school in conducting upon her return to the United States.

“I tell my students to do something besides piano [for graduate school],” said Kies. “She’d be an ace piano teacher because she has good social and communication skills and is so empathetic.”

Kies has also suggested that Peters pursue a career in vocal coaching. Since Peters is accomplished in German as well as English, learning the signing language of IPA (a system for being able to pronounce German, French and Italian,) should come easily to her.

As a vocal coach, Peters would be able to accompany singers on piano while helping them with their phrasing and pronunciation. “Beginning singers all the way to professional singers on the road use vocal coaches,” said Kies.

Although Peters is not sure exactly what she wants to do besides continuing teaching piano privately, she knows she wants to continue in music. Currently, she teaches piano to a boy who also has a hand difference.

“Half the time I think ‘Why does this poor kid want to play piano?’” said Peters. But then she looks at herself. “I don’t know if I’ll ever just perform [for a living], but I do want to keep practicing.”

Purity of the Catholic Church Put Under Spotlight

The negative spotlight on the Catholic Church involving sex scandals the past two weeks has had varying effects on Catholics at the University of New Hampshire. The recent release of a 1985 letter signed by Pope Benedict XVI supporting an American priest who had sexually abused a boy has shaken the faith and trust of many Catholics throughout the country, and in Durham, NH.

Kyle Frederickson, a sophomore at UNH and a member of UNH’s chapter of Christian Impact, says that the recent news bothers him but has not challenged his faith. “This news is certainly distressing,” said Frederickson, “but I don’t let it interfere with my faith.”

The assaults, which have taken place from the 1960s onward, have occurred in at least six different countries. Victims in the United States as well as Canada, Ireland, Poland, Italy and the Pope’s home, Germany, have all come out to speak against the Pope.

Victims are angry with Pope Benedict, formally known as Joseph Ratzinger, because they disagree with the way that he has handled this situation. Pope Benedict, who was in charge of Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, was in charge of dealing with sex abuse cases at the time. He chose to protect the “good of the universal church,” as he said in his 1985 letter, instead of defrocking an American priest who committed sexual assault against two boys.

“I can understand where the victims are coming from,” said junior Kelly Lynch, an atheist. “It is disgusting that bishops and priests think they can get away with molesting children,” said Lynch, “It’s a crime against humanity and if they should be charged like any other criminal, not protected by the church.”

There have been other activists, like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens who have pushed to create legal proceedings against the Pope. The Church, however, is defending the Pope by saying that he tried to act in the best interest of the church.

Acting in the best interest of the church is what many bishops and priests believe is the most important as it follows cannon law. Cannon law is the church doctrine that states that the bishop must decide which option will create the least amount of scandal.

This decision to protect the reputation of the church instead of children is what has angered activists like Dawkins and Hitchens along with many other Catholics. Local priest Father Barber of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Portsmouth, NH ignored phone calls and declined commenting on the subject.

“It can be embarrassing to hear that people of your faith have behaved in this manner,” said freshman Katie Bell. “However, we all need to remember that one person does not reflect everyone. God knows who is good and who is bad.”

As victims continue to come out and speak against the Pope, more media coverage has helped to give voices to the harmed. While some support the victims, others are more forgiving and concerned with the reputation of their religion.

“People are only human and may be flawed,” said Frederickson, “We must hope they seek redemption in God.”

Wildcat Transit Has New Ideas

UNH students, faculty and staff may soon want to hop on the bus: a recent proposition by UNH Transportation Services could bring big changes to Wildcat Transit as early as October of this year.

If an application for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funding is approved, then UNH and Durham residents will enjoy a new route to Rochester, NH as well as three new low floor transit buses which will run entirely on natural gas or biodiesel. And that’s not even all that UNH Transportation Services has in store.

“The plan is to get COAST to feed into our stop in Rochester,” said Dirk Timmons, Director of UNH Transportation, at a public meeting about their plans last week. The future stop, which is expected to be located at the parking lot across from Lowe’s in Rochester, would be the size of the lot C parking lot at UNH. It would be built through state funds.

COAST, The Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation, currently services the seacoast region of New Hampshire as well as Berwick, Maine. Wildcat transit already has links with COAST in Dover, Portsmouth and Newmarket and hopes to expand to Rochester as well.

“The service will expand transit linkages,” said Timmons in a public statement. It will also be the first Wildcat Transit route that is designed to bring students and employees to campus by 7 a.m.

The new route will offer students and Durham residents more options for shopping as well. One of the stops will be placed at the new Lee Market Basket Plaza. “[T]his additional route may help stimulate the economy by servicing nearby retailers and providing students with additional shopping options,” said Timmons in his statement.

The run from Durham to Rochester will also provide undergraduate and graduate students with new opportunities for cost-effective rental units. “We are open to adding stops as well if new housing units are built,” said Manager Beverly Cray.

“I would definitely consider living in Barrington or Rochester if it were cheaper,” said sophomore Stephanie Perkins, who currently lives in an off-campus apartment in Durham now. “I could save so much money,” said Perkins.

In addition to providing more options, the bus route may help many residents and student save money. Students, faculty and staff will still be able to ride for free as long as they present an ID card. Other Durham and local residents will be able to ride for a low cash fare. “We offer one of the most cost-effective transit services in New Hampshire,” said Timmons in his statement.

Another benefit of the expansion is that the connection will help decrease traffic and thus improve air quality along NH 125 and US4. The buses, which are largely run on biodiesel or natural gas, greatly reduce carbon emissions. “We are one of the cleanest transit fleets in New England,” said Timmons.

Being clean is important when you are also the largest transit fleet in New Hampshire. Ridership in 2009 exceeded 1.1 million passenger trips and has been increasing by 5% each year. In other words, 4.4 million vehicle miles were removed through Wildcat Transit, reducing carbon emission by over 21,200 tons.

If UNH Transportation Service’s request for CMAQ funds is approved, then three new, large buses will be added to the fleet. The buses, which are clean and fully ADA accessible offering audible stop announcements, bike racks and low floors, and are run on clean ultra-low sulfur B20 biodiesel or CNG. These buses will cost approximately $444,000 each, but by replacing these vehicles cost per mile expenditures will drop by $2.05 per mile. This correlates to a savings of $78,365 per year.

However in order for all of this to pass, UNH Transportation Service’s request for CMAQ funding must be selected from a large number of applicants and approved. The Rochester Bus Association, Rochester City Council and town of Durham, among others, have all offered their support via letters to CMAQ. “It helps to have five letters of support,” said Timmons.

UNH Transportation will hear in May whether or not their application will be accepted. UNH Transportation Services encourages local support and suggests writing to the state CMAQ Committee members. “I think the Rochester route has a very good chance of being the number one selected,” said Timmons.

UNH Students Save on Spring Break

Imagine your father moving clear across the country in order to get a better paying job. Now picture finding out that you cannot visit him during spring break because neither of you can afford the five hundred dollar plane tickets.

This is the case for Anna Normandeau, a sophomore at the University of New Hampshire, during this upcoming spring break. Normandeau’s family, like many other families throughout the United States, has been hit hard by the failing economy.

Like others, her father lost his job this past year and had to relocate in order to find work.

“It’s just frustrating how expensive everything is,” said Normandeau, “I can’t even visit him and now I don’t have any spring break plans.”

Normandeau is not alone in her frustrations. Many University of New Hampshire students faced similar dilemmas this year upon deciding what to do during their spring vacations.

Colleen Warburton, a freshman, hoped to travel with her sorority to Panama City, Florida, but quickly realized it would be too expensive. “I’m staying with my cousins in Arizona. I’m only visiting for four days, so that’ll make it cheaper,” said Warburton.

Part of the problem preventing students from taking vacations this year is the price of travel. While hotels and travel agencies offer discounts, airline rates have remained relatively stable.

Travel agent Karen Dawson of Horizon-University Travel in Durham, NH says that she has seen a decline in the number of vacations this year. “Although some airlines like Southwest offer deals, unless you’re a frequent flyer and have built up points, flying can be very expensive,” said Dawson.

“Add some kids and the tickets add up fast,” said Dawson.

Dawson explained that many hotels are offering special deals to try to encourage people to take vacations. “A lot of hotels will offer a third or fourth night free as an incentive,” said Dawson.

Despite the incentives, many college students decided to opt out of hotels this spring break, instead trying to bunk with friends or family. For instance, sophomore Brianne Creedon plans to stay with her grandparents in Florida during spring break.

“If I couldn’t stay at their condo I wouldn’t be able to afford to visit,” said Creedon, who will be gone for seven days.

Florida, says Dawson, is one of the most popular spring break spots among college students this year. Cities such as Miami, Panama City, and Key West are popular vacation spots.

“[The most popular spot] used to be Cancun,” said Dawson, “But now that traveling out of the country has become more of a financial burden, people seem to prefer staying within the U.S.”

Senior Leah Reed is one UNH student who chose to visit Florida instead of Mexico. “My friends and I looked up rates and found a really great hotel in Florida near Jacksonville,” said Reed.

“We’re going to have a road trip and drive down to Florida,” said Reed. Reeds hopes that traveling by car and sharing the cost of gas will help her save money.
Another benefit of road trips is that students can chose to make whatever stops they want along the way.

“We’re planning on stopping in a couple states to visit friends as we go,” said Reed. “It’s nice to be able to work it around our own schedule.”

Although many students seem to have plans, not everyone is traveling this spring break. "I've seen fewer students come in this year," said Dawson.

This is likely because a lot of UNH students plan to either relax at home during the vacation or work at local jobs.

Junior Nicole Labbe, who works at Kohl’s in Manchester, NH, says she hopes to work during break. “I’ll probably pick up two or three shifts,” said Labbe, “I could use the hours.”

Although working isn’t exactly a vacation, many UNH students seem to be glad to have jobs to return to.

Andrea Mitchell, a sophomore, plans to work as much as possible during break. “I called my manager and asked to work every day,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell said that saving money for her is essential. Mitchell has to pay for much of her schooling along with books and spending money. “I feel like I’m always broke,” said Mitchell.

Normandeau, who now has no plans as she cannot afford to visit her father, agrees that working is the best idea for this spring break. “At least I can babysit and make some money while I’m home,” said Normandeau.

Wet, Windy Winds Create Wasteland

Thursday’s sudden storm brought about more than dangerous, heavy winds to Durham, NH: over 50 trees were completely knocked over and uprooted, causing damage to cars and buildings but no people, according to the UNH Grounds and Events Manager.

The storm, which was the result of cold air from Canada mixed with warm air from the southern United States, created a strong low pressure system. This Noreaster came from the coast and produced winds gusts near 68 mph in nearby Portsmouth, NH.

Mary Stampone, of the Department of Geography at UNH, explained that although winds of 68 mph were not the average during the storm, the winds were still high enough to cause severe damage to trees.

“I would be shocked if it didn’t get close to setting a record,” said Stampone of the winds.

Thomas Byron, the UNH Grounds and Events Manager, explained that mostly pines and some hardwoods fell Thursday night and into Friday morning. Falling limbs hit parked cards, causing damage to some vehicles, and even hit the honors dorm, Hubbard Hall.

Although the dorm building was hit, only a window was broken. No other damage or injuries to students occured.

Erika Mantz, director of Media Relations at UNH, explained that UNH decided to delay their opening at 4 a.m. Friday morning. Five hours later, however, the school decided to curtail operations for the entire day.

“Power came back on sometime Friday afternoon,” said Mantz. Despite the return of power, damage throughout campus and the continued lack of power in surrounding towns made normal daily functions impossible.

Meanwhile, the Dimond Library, survived its own share of damage over the weekend. A water damage break flooded the building Friday night. The library, which was closed all weekend, may require a more expensive fix than anything charged by removing trees, explained Mantz.

Although no students were injured in the storm, UNH Maintenance workers were forced to work extra hours starting from 2:30 a.m. until early Friday morning.

Unitil Utility Company, a local power company, explained that while this storm was damaging, the 2008 ice storm hit the area harder. They surmise that everyone should be restored to power within the next day. Unitil, which provides power to many in southern NH, has been participating in specialized training since the 2008 storm.

The local hospitals were unavailable for comment on the storm, but were aware of many calls to the fire department reporting fallen trees and powerlines.