Sharp Minds and Big Hearts - Southern Connecticut State University

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NEW HAVEN, CONN.
A NEWSPAPER FOR THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
Southern Connecticut State University MAY 2012 • Vol.15 No. 6
inside:
4 Bugging out with illustrations
5 Heaven helps those who eat healthier
Sharp Minds and Big Hearts
Barnard Scholars Excel in Classroom and Community Service
Southern’s quartet of
2012 Henry Barnard Distinguished Student Award recipients
are pursuing careers with the
intent of helping others develop
a keen intellect and/or healthy
body.
Each of this year’s award winners at Southern plans to seek a
career in the education or healthrelated field.
A total of 12 students are
chosen for the award each year
from the four Connecticut State
University campuses, including
Melanie Guillerault
four from Southern. It is con- Christopher Buter
sidered among the university’s
most prestigious awards. Criteria include a
psychological disabilities. He is a registered
3.7 GPA or better and having demonstrated
nurse trained in his native Nigeria.
significant participation in university and/or
William Faraclas, chairman of the univercommunity life.
sity’s Public Health Department, says that
Christopher Buter, a public health major,
Buter won the Public Health Award for Excelhas a 3.79 GPA. He plans to pursue a master’s
lence in 2011, an award that recognizes both
degree program in public health at Southern,
high academic achievement and exceptional
and eventually hopes to become a college
community service.
professor.
“Christopher is a remarkable young man
Buter has served as a member of Zeta
with an indomitable spirit, who has grown
Delta Epsilon, a national honor society focustremendously while a student at Southern,”
ing on service, and Eta Sigma Gamma, a
Faraclas says. “He represents (the university)
public health honor society. He also has been
so well, as a scholar and humanitarian.”
an environmental health intern at the New
Melanie Guillerault, an elementary educaHaven Health Department and a volunteer
tion and psychology major, has a 3.82 GPA.
with Faithcare International, Yale-New Haven
She plans to pursue a master’s degree in
Hospital and the Hospital of St. Raphael. He
reading at Southern.
currently works in the adult daycare center of
Guillerault has been a member of three
the Mary Wade Home in New Haven, where
honor societies – Kappa Delta Pi (educahe assists senior citizens with physical and
tion); Psi Chi International (psychology) and
Christopher Knickerbocker
Jonathan Uhl
Zeta Delta Epsilon, a national honor society
focusing on service. She has earned the
Barbara G. Mastroianni Memorial Endowed
Scholarship for her excellence as an education student. She has been a student teacher
at various elementary schools in Hamden
and has worked at Oakwood Child Care
Center in Hamden as an infant and toddler
teacher.
Laura Bower-Phipps, assistant professor
of elementary education, says Guillerault
worked extensively with her and distinguished herself as an outstanding scholar with
a diligent application of college coursework
to the profession. She notes that Guillerault
has completed more than 80 hours of fieldwork in curriculum courses, as well as having
spent between seven and 10 hours a day in
the classroom as a student teacher and an
additional two to three hours daily preparing
for the next day.
“Throughout my work with
her, I have been impressed by Ms.
Guillerault’s intelligence, commitment to the teaching professions,
communications skills and work
ethic,” she says.
Christopher Knickerbocker, an
exercise science major, has a 3.95
GPA. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in exercise science/
human performance at the California University of Pennsylvania
starting this summer.
Knickerbocker is this year’s
recipient of Southern’s Physical
Education Outstanding Future
Professional (OFP) Award. He has served as
co-president of the Physical Education Club
and as a community adviser for the Office of
Residence Life. He also has been a member
of the National Strength and Conditioning
Association and is a certified strength and
conditioning specialist. He has been selected
to “Who’s Who Among American College and
University Students.” He is a non-traditional
student, having earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in communications/public relations in
2001 from Susquehanna University.
Daniel Swartz, chairman of the Exercise
Science Department, says that Knickerbocker
also has been very active in his professional development. He points to various
conferences and competitions in which
Knickerbocker has participated as examples
as to how he seeks to bolster his ability.
Barnard
continued on page
6.
Former First Daughter to Address Graduates
Teacher, Children’s Author
and NBC correspondent
J e n n a B u s h H a g e r will
UNICEF. During her journey, she was inspired to
write "Ana’s Story: A Jouraddress about 1,200 graduates
ney of Hope," a New York
during the 2012 undergraduate
Times bestseller based on
commencement ceremony at
the life of a 17-year-old
Bridgeport’s Webster Bank Arena
single mother living with
on May 18. The event starts with
HIV and determined to
an academic procession at 10:15
shield her child from the
a.m.
abuse and neglect that
Community leader Chrisriddled her own childtopher J. Korenowsky, the
hood. Hager shares her
executive director of the New
own stories of creating
Haven Free Public Library since
change in someone’s life
October 2010, will speak at the Jenna Bush Hager
and leaves audiences with
graduate commencement, which
a call to action on how
will be held at the same venue the previous
they also can improve people’s lives in their
evening, starting at 6:30.
own communities.
Two graduate commencement ceremoShe is still very involved with UNICEF and
nies were on campus at the Lyman Center
is currently the chair of UNICEF’s Next Genfor the last several years, but there will be
eration, an initiative dedicated to reducing
one combined ceremony at the Webster
the number of preventable childhood deaths
Bank Arena for 2012. The undergraduate
around the world. Hager visited Guatemala
commencement is also moving indoors at
in 2010, when she reported on a product
Bridgeport after being held outside at the
called “Sprinkles,” a home food fortification
Connecticut Tennis Center in Westville
that provides the proper iron, vitamins, folic
since 2001.
acid and zinc required for healthy developHager is a contributing correspondent to
ment in children.
NBC’s “Today,” where she focuses on telling
Hager is a graduate of the University of
the inspiring stories of wonderful people doing
Texas where she received a degree in Enggreat things across America. In 2006, Hager
lish. Passionate about literacy, education and
traveled to Latin America as an intern with
improving inner-city schools, Hager taught
third grade at Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School in
Washington, D.C. She also served as a reading coordinator at the SEED Public Charter
School in Baltimore. In addition to "Ana’s
Story," she is the co-author of "Read All
About It!," a book that encourages children
to read.
Hager and her twin sister, Barbara, are
the daughters of former President George
W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush.
They are also the grandchildren of former
President George H. W. Bush and former
First Lady Barbara Bush. Hager was married
in 2008 to Henry Chase Hager, the son of
former Virginia Republican Party Chairman
John H. Hager.
Speakers
continued on page
If You Build It, They Will Park
Construction of a new parking garage next to the Moore Fieldhouse proceeds
in earnest. The building, scheduled for completion by the start of the spring
semester, will include 1,200 parking spaces.
6.
A Message from the President
President Mary A. Papazian
Dear Colleagues,
I received a most welcome phone call
recently informing me that Southern has been
granted a full 10-year reaccreditation from
the New England Association of Schools and
Colleges (NEASC). I don’t want to comment
at length until I receive the official letter of
reaccreditation, which should arrive shortly. But
suffice it to say that congratulations are due to
all those who worked long and hard to complete our self-study during the last few years,
led by interim Provost Marianne Kennedy. This
reaccreditation is testament to the quality of
education and support services that we provide
and also reflects our ongoing commitment to
student success in the classroom and beyond.
Southern students have been building a reputation for their commitment to volunteerism,
which not too long ago saw the university earn
Shani Small, a psychology major, is the recipient of the 2011-12 Mary A.
Lehman Memorial Scholarship. The award is presented annually at the
Celebration of Philanthropy luncheon sponsored by the SCSU Foundation,
Inc. and the SCSU Alumni Association. Pictured with Small are Michael
Shea, chairman of the English Department, and President
Mary A. Papazian.
national recognition on the (U.S.) President’s
Higher Education Community Service Honor
Roll. The tradition continues with two major
awards from the Connecticut Commission on
Community Service. Stefan Keller, a senior
who will graduate this month with a degree in
social work, was the first student from Southern
to receive the Individual Student Award for
Outstanding Community Service. The SCSU
Service Team, which Stefan was instrumental in
forming, also won the Student Group Award.
This team has grown from a few students in
the fall of 2010 to a strong and growing membership of 25, coordinating a wide range of
community service projects.
Stefan has been a wonderfully involved
student during his four years at Southern, and
off-campus, he has also served as co-chair of
Relay for Life in several nearby towns, volunteered at the Jewish Family Services food
bank, served as an assistant teacher at the
Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services
and provided activities for elderly residents of
the Beacon Brook Health Center! Even with
all this involvement, this outstanding young
man has maintained a 3.81 GPA as a member
of Southern’s Honors College. His passion for,
and selfless dedication to, the service of others
is an example for us all.
Southern has made great strides in its
sustainability efforts since becoming a charter signatory to the American College &
University Presidents’ Climate Commitment
in 2007. These efforts received national recognition recently when the university placed
fourth among 98 schools nationwide during
the Campus Conservation Nationals 2012, a
spring competition measuring reduced energy
consumption.
Southern posted a reduction rate of 20.5
percent during the three-week period from
March 26 to April 16. This equaled 76,251
Campus Conservation is Electric
kilowatt hours and translates to a cost savings
of $11,437 for the university. Executive Vice
President James Blake points out that this is an
exciting development for the university, both
from a sustainability standpoint and in terms
of cost savings.
News just in of another major grant that
will be shared by the university – this one a
seven-year, $31.5 million federal Gaining Early
Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate
Program (GEAR UP) grant to improve college
access and readiness for Connecticut’s students.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced that
the state GEAR UP program will serve 3,000
students attending 12 middle schools in East
Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury through
2019, and will follow these students though
middle school, high school and their first year of
college. The funding will be used to significantly
increase the number of low-income students
prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education, and to provide scholarships for
eligible high school seniors.
The program is a partnership involving
the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher
Education, three higher education institutions
– Manchester Community College, Naugatuck
Valley Community College and Southern – as
well as their local school districts. Starting in
2013, Southern will host about 125 seventhgraders from eight city middle schools who will
participate in science, math and literacy programs during a five-week period. This program
is another notable step in our ongoing efforts
to help bridge the achievement gap and ensure
that higher education is an attainable goal for all. Sincerely,
Mary Papazian, Ph.D.
President
News from the Vice Presidents’ Offices
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
SouthernLife
Published by the Southern
Connecticut State University
Office of Public Affairs
Patrick Dilger, Director
EDITOR
Patrick Dilger
WRITERS
Betsy Beacom
Mike Bellmore
Mike Kobylanski
Natalie Missakian
Joe Musante
Villia Struyk
DESIGNER
Janelle Finch
PHOTOGRAPHER
Isabel Chenoweth
Alisha Martindale
SouthernLife is published
monthly when classes are
in session, from September
through June, by the Southern
Connecticut State University
Office of Public Affairs, 501
Crescent Street, New Haven,
CT 06515-1355. News and
calendar inquiries should be
addressed to Wintergreen 162,
campus mail, or call 392-6586.
Story ideas, news items and
comments can also be e-mailed
to the editor at DILGERP1.
The editor reserves the right
to consider all submissions for
timeliness, space availability,
and content.
2
SouthernLife • MAY 2012
The perennial struggle to find a practical
and effective work-life balance is the focus
of the latest edition of Southern Dialogue, an
online newsletter produced by the Office of
Faculty Development.
The newsletter includes suggestions from
several faculty members on how individuals
can juggle time and energy between their
work life and personal life. It also addresses
the challenge of conducting research and
creative projects with a full teaching load –
generally four courses per semester.
“We decided to make work-life balance
the theme of the spring 2012 newsletter
because more and more faculty members
have expressed a need to develop some kind
of balance in their lives,” said Jennifer Hudson,
faculty development associate and editor-inchief of Southern Dialogue.
The edition also includes an array of
faculty news – such as updates on creative
projects and research, announcements of
grants and upcoming events. Faculty members
who would like to share news items with their
colleagues in future editions are asked to email
them to Hudson at hudsonj1@SouthernCT.
edu . Classroom techniques, practical ideas
for teaching and book reviews that deal with
teaching and learning are among the types of
submissions sought.
The newsletter can be found at: www.
SouthernCT.edu/faculty_development
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
As part of an ongoing effort toward greater
environmental sustainability, Southern has
joined with the state Department of Transportation to encourage greater participation
in ride sharing, Executive Vice President James
E. Blake has announced.
Points can be earned in a rewards system
that enables participants to obtain discounts
at area restaurants, stores and events. Those
who use mass transit, walk, bike or car pool
even one day a week can gain points toward
those awards.
Blake said the NuRide program is a “win-win”
for everyone – helping Southern make strides
toward greater sustainability, while also offering
members of the campus community discounts
and other financial incentives during these challenging economic times. “And those incentives
are on top of the money people can save by
reducing their gasoline consumption,” Blake said.
More information will be forthcoming
about the program, which is purely voluntary.
The program offers to find commuters potential “ride mates” who live close to them or
along their route to work, but only the names
of individuals who want to find a ride mate
will be provided.
“We also recognize that each person’s
schedule and circumstances are different and
the program is not going to be practical for
everyone,” Blake said. “But we would encourage people to find out more about the program
and see if it might be beneficial to them.”
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Embracing a tradition of giving back to the
university and supporting future students, 231
seniors have made a gift to the 2012 Senior
Class Giving Campaign — donating more than
$5,380 to date.
Each senior who gave $20.12 received a
Class of 2012 T-shirt and a commemorative
cup, and had his/her name included on an
acknowledgement banner that will be displayed at commencement. Student donors
also were thanked in an announcement that
ran in Southern News, the student newspaper.
Those who have not yet contributed to the
campaign may still do so by contacting Carrie
Pettit at pettitc1@SouthernCT.edu or (203)
392-6515. Additional information is available
at www.SouthernCT.edu/supportsouthern/2
012seniorclasscampaign/.
In other news, the spring phonathon, which
focuses on parents, generated gifts from 228
parents totaling $5,053; an additional 234 parents pledged $9,587. Conducted on campus
by student callers, the phonathon supports
the Southern Fund, an unrestricted fund that
benefits new programs and areas of great
need, including but not limited to, scholarships, academic programs, and laboratory and
computer equipment.
Southern Nationally Rated for Reducing Energy Consumption
Southern shows off its green side after finishing fourth of 98 schools
in a national energy conservation competition. Pictured are: (front
row) Jenna Retort, director of the North Campus Residence Complex,
and Robert DeMezzo, associate director of residence life. (Back row
– from left) are: students Carisa McLaughlin, Chermele Christy, Jay
Henderson, Suzie Huminski, Joshua Sumrell, and Director of Residence Life Angela Todaro.
Its
school colors may be blue and
white,
but Southern has stamped itself as
one of the up-and-coming green campuses
in the nation.
Southern placed fourth of 98 schools
in the country in reducing its electricity
use during the recent Campus Conservation Nationals 2012, a spring competition
among colleges and universities to reduce
energy consumption. The university posted
a reduction rate of 20.5 percent during the
three-week period from March 26 to April
16. A benchmark usage rate was taken at
each school – generally in the weeks before
the contest began.
The other top five schools in electrical
energy savings are: Bowling Green University,
University of Kentucky, Hofstra University
and Western Technical College. The competition is coordinated by the U.S. Green
Building Council.
The energy reduction posted by Southern
– equal to 76,251 kilowatt hours – translates
to a cost savings of $11,437 for the university.
But as one of the top 10 schools in the conservation contest, Southern also will receive a
credit for 200 megawatt hours of renewable
energy from Sterling Planet, a company that
works with organizations toward becoming
carbon neutral. The 200 megawatt hours of
free energy should be enough to power one
of the university’s smaller residence halls for
about a year.
“This is very exciting for us – both from
a sustainability standpoint and in terms of
cost savings,” says Executive Vice President
James E. Blake. “Students applied their
natural competitiveness toward achieving
an incredibly positive
result. Our university
has really come a long
way in the last five to
10 years in terms of
energy conservation
and this project exemplifies our efforts.”
The money saved from the renewable
energy credit will be used to fund future
sustainability initiatives on campus, according
to Robert Sheeley, associate vice president
for capital budgeting and facilities operations.
“Saving energy and preserving the environment have been and continue to be goals
of the university and this is an example of
what students, faculty and staff can do to
accomplish those objectives,” Sheeley says. “In
particular, our resident students and housing
staff, under the leadership of Housing Director Angela Todaro, have done a remarkable
job. They all deserve to be congratulated.”
North Campus Midrise — the largest
residence hall on campus — recorded the
most significant savings of all nine residence
halls with a reduction of 28.4 percent. Jenna
Retort, director of the North Campus Residence Complex, says several initiatives took
place before and during the competition in
an effort to save energy.
“In our North Campus office, we engaged
in an ‘Operating in the Dark’ effort in which
we kept the lights off as much as possible
during that three-week period,” Retort says.
She also points to a “Caught GreenHanded” program coordinated by students
in that residence hall.
Elizabeth Dishian, a student who spearheaded that program, says it entailed an
interactive bulletin board that displayed the
names of students who were particularly
energy conscious during the three-week
period. Students who qualified for such recognition also received a free T-shirt or reusable
shopping bag.
“It was a lot of fun to see the residents get
involved and active in the process of being
energy conscious,” Dishian says. “And it was
a great feeling when we found out that our
residence hall had the highest percentage of
savings. Many of the students were shocked
because most said all they did were the simple
things – turning off the lights and the TVs
when they left the room. But those small
things truly make a big difference.”
Josh Kwame Sumrell, a student serving as North Campus senior community
adviser, says he participated in a “Discover:
Sustainability” program in which he and other
community advisers advocated sustainable
practices to their peers on campus. “We
wanted students to know the advantage of
being a sustainable community,” Sumrell says.
Suzanne Huminski, an instructor of science education and environmental studies
who helped coordinate Southern’s participation in the national contest, pointed out that
many sustainability initiatives are in progress.
“Southern is a very green university with
•In 2007, Southern became a charter signatory to the American College & University
Presidents’ Climate Commitment, which
calls for schools to bolster their conservation efforts in pursuit of eventual carbon
neutrality.
•In 2010, the university began purchasing
graduation caps and gowns made from
plastic bottles.
•The university adopted a single-stream
recycling program last year.
•Southern last fall installed solar panels on
Brownell Hall, one of the campus residence
halls. The soon-to-be opened School of
Business also will have solar panels.
•The university annually participates in
“Recyclemania,” a national campus recycling competition.
•A community garden and orchard were
created on campus last year.
Huminski notes that next fall, Southern
plans to launch a Sustainable Living Learning Community, in which students can opt
to live in a residence hall with sustainability
as a focus.
:
A Commanding Presence
STUDENT AND UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS
A new orientation program for transfer
students will pay special attention to the particular transition needs of this group, said Peter
Troiano, interim vice president for student and
university affairs.
“We recognize that transfer students have a
different set of needs than the typical 18-yearold first-year student who has just graduated
from high school,” Troiano said. A three-tiered
support program has been designed, based
upon the number of credits that each transfer
student has already earned at other institutions.
Students transferring 15 or fewer credits
are required to attend one of the five New
Student Orientation sessions, while students
with more earned credits will attend one of
several planned sessions in July. Troiano said
that the new transfer orientation will include
smaller groups than those of New Student
Orientation. Students will come to Southern
for a day to meet with an adviser to plan their
schedules and ask any questions they may have
about student life at the university.
New Student Orientation will begin earlier
this year, with the first session planned for
May 31-June 1. Troiano said the program is
essentially the same as last year, with a few
modifications based on feedback received
from past attendees.
All information regarding New Student
Orientation can be found at www.SouthernCT.
edu/orientation.
campuswide efforts growing very quickly,”
she says.
She notes the following programs and
projects are examples of sustainability efforts
at Southern in recent years:
Retired Navy Capt. Mark Kelly,
husband of former U.S. Rep.
Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.),
speaks to an enthusiastic
audience at the Lyman Center
during the recent Mary and
Louis Fusco Distinguished
Lecture. Kelly is a retired
American astronaut and naval
aviator who flew combat
missions during the Gulf War.
He was selected to become
a NASA space shuttle pilot
in 1996 and served as
commander of the space shuttle
Endeavour. He discussed his
career and the challenges
his wife has overcome in her
continued recovery from a
traumatic brain injury resulting
from a January 2011
assassination attempt.
SouthernBrief ly
The latest additions to SCSU on iTunes U include the
Hallelujah Broadway Concert, held recently at Hamden’s
Spring Glen Church. The concert featured internationally
known singers Alfreda Burke and Rodrick Dixon, along
with the University Choir. In addition, a short documentary
has been added on Spanish professor Luisa Piemontese,
as she explains her distinctive silent teaching technique
for learning Spanish. The latest news show from SCSU
TV can be found in the SCSU TV News collection. To
visit SCSU on iTunes U, go to www.SouthernCT.
edu/itunesu and click on the large icon at the bottom
of the page.
English professor Brian Johnson will deliver a
lecture this month at the University of Stuttgart in Germany. The lecture, on the American poet Robert Frost,
is entitled “Frost’s Longings.” Johnson will also be the
featured American poet in the annual American Days
Festival in Stuttgart, a two-week festival of American arts
and culture sponsored by the James Byrne Institute.
The Buley Library’s Tiffany windows brochure
has received the 2012 Publicity Brochure Award
from the Connecticut Library Association. The CLA
Publicity Committee sponsors an Annual Awards Contest in which materials designed by a library to promote
a library concept or event may be submitted. Christina
Baum, director of library services, and Alba Reynaga,
social sciences reference librarian, were honored for their
work on May 7 at the Connecticut Library Association
Awards reception. The brochure showcases details and
elements of the Tiffany windows, which are currently
in storage due to the renovation of the older portion of
Buley. These priceless works of art are treasures for the
university and beyond, and once construction on the
library is complete, they will once again be displayed.
Members of the Office of Public Affairs staff who worked
on the brochure include Barbara Kagan, graphic designer;
Mary Pat Caputo, director of marketing and publications;
Isabel Chenoweth, university photographer; and Marylou
Conley, coordinator of graphic services. Southern will get a boost to its recycling efforts this
summer thanks to a significant grant made possible by The
Coca-Cola Foundation and Keep America Beautiful. The
university will receive a total of 75 recycling bins designed
specifically for placement in classrooms across the campus.
Recipients were chosen by Keep America Beautiful based
on various criteria including level of need, recycling experience and the ability of applicants to sustain their program
in the future. The Bin Grant Program awards recycling
bins directly to recipients and leverages volume buying
discounts. In its seven years of operation, the Bin Grant
Program has placed 29,000 recycling bins in more than
500 communities in 48 states and the District of Columbia. A full list of the spring 2012 Bin Grant recipients and
further information about the grant program is available
at http://bingrant.org/.
A Southern student and a student group were
among the honorees at the Connecticut Commission on Community Service Awards ceremony on
April 24 at Central Connecticut State University in New
Britain. The awards program is sponsored by the Department of Higher Education. This year, 17 Connecticut
colleges submitted 53 nominations for the three award
categories: Individual Student, Student Group and Special
Award for projects led by faculty and staff. Recipients
were selected based on their ability to design projects
that distinctly serve a community, incorporate originality
and unique approaches to community service, substantially raise student participation and address community
problems. The 2012 award recipients included Southern
senior Stefan Keller, who received the Individual Student
Award, and the SCSU Service Team, which received the
Student Group Award. Keller is the Service Team chairman
and service commissioner. When the Student Government
Association recently created a Service Commission to
oversee service initiatives funded by the Student Government Association, Keller was selected as the first service
commissioner.
SouthernLife • MAY 2012
3
SKetChy Bugs
Heaven and Health
M argo C ranston
ket and picking up fresh fruits and vegetables.
Burian Identifies, Illustrates New Species of Mayfly
While the individual
insect dies only a few
days into its adult
phase, the genus has
existed for more than
Professor Steven K. Burian is the
chairman of the Biology Department, but
his office looks like it belongs to an artist as
much as it does a scientist. Intricate pen and
ink drawings of animal life cover the walls.
Across from his main work station is a desk
on which sits a light table and a container
of drafting pens. As an entomologist, Burian
uses the table and pens to draw insects.
He recently used them to draw an insect
no one had drawn before. It was a new
species of mayfly, which he identified and
named “Acentrella rallatoma” in a paper
submitted to the Journal of Aquatic Insects.
Luke Myers, a research associate with
the Lake Champlain Research Institute and
co-author of the paper with Burian, was
sampling streams in a state park on Long
Island when he found mayfly specimens he
didn’t recognize. He sent them to Burian,
who says he recognized immediately that
these samples were something different.
“There’s a lot of undescribed biodiversity
right here in the temperate region, even in
places like this where modern humans have
been occupying for 300-plus years,” Burian
says. “There is a high density of species in
tropical areas, so you’re almost surrounded
with new things everywhere. But the truth is
300 million years.
Steven Burian, chairman of the Biology Department,
displays his illustration of the recently discovered
‘Acentrella rallatoma.’ (Upper left) Mayfly nymphs
undergo microscopic scrutiny.
you don’t have to go to the tropics to find
new, undescribed species.”
Of all those species, it is the mayfly that
most fascinates Burian.
Acentrella rallatoma – the new species
of mayfly discovered by Myers and drawn
by Burian -- distinguishes itself from others
in the Acentrella genus in many ways. The
Latin name "rallatoma" roughly translates
to mean scoop-shaped incisor, which is
derived from its distinctive mouth parts.
Instead of being sharp and pointed like
its close mayfly relative, the parvula, rallatoma’s teeth are more spoon-like, used
for scraping up food. Acentrella rallatoma
also has banded cerci – paired tail-like
appendages -- and bristly hair on its legs.
Like all mayflies though, it spends its early
life in the water as a nymph before reaching a fleeting maturity, when it sprouts
wings and mates. While the individual
insect dies only a few days into its adult
phase, mayflies are quite the survivors.
The genus has existed for more than 300
million years.
Burian says he’s always been drawn
to aquatic creatures. As a boy, his father
would take him fishing on the Quabbin
Reservoir -- the largest lake in Burian’s
home state of Massachusetts. At his childhood home in the town of Hampden, his
yard was bordered by swampland. All
the kids on his street, he says, would play
in the streams that fed into that swamp.
For Burian, water was a playground. He
says he was fascinated by all the life he
found inside it, from fish to algae.
“It wasn’t specifically just the bugs,”
Burian says. “It was the crayfish, the frogs,
Mayfly nymphs in
their watery habitat.
The 'artist's palette'
close to home. The other is the Body and Soul
Project, an education program that works with
African-American churches.
Both programs are being directed by
Marilyn Moore, executive director of the
Witness Project CT, a breast and cervical
cancer education and advocacy program for
African-American women.
Health professionals believe lifestyle
factors are the major contributors to higherthan-average rates of cancer, diabetes and
heart disease among African Americans in
Connecticut and the nation. In Connecticut,
13.3 percent of African-American adults have
been diagnosed with diabetes compared with
6.9 percent of adults overall, according to a
2011 report by the state Department of Public
Health. African Americans also have the state’s
highest mortality rate for heart disease, according to a 2010 DPH report.
The Body and Soul program, which has
been successful around the country, involves
churches because they are a place where
members of the African-American community consistently gather and seek guidance,
Moore says.
She is piloting the program in two Bridgeport churches, English Chapel United Free Will
Baptist and New Hope Baptist, and hopes it
can eventually expand throughout Connecticut. Moore says the pastor of English Chapel
approached her earlier this year, concerned
about the growing number of church members being diagnosed with chronic illnesses.
Pastors of both churches have promised
to emphasize healthy eating in sermons and
activities while members of the congregation
have pledged to identify up to three lifestyle
changes they will make in the next year. They
are also keeping journals of the fruits and
Students in Southern’s Public Health Department have been working with African-American
churches in Bridgeport to promote a healthier diet among residents in the poorer neighborhoods of that community. Pictured are: (Standing from left) Peggy Gallup, professor of public
health; Shajiuddin Faraz Mohammed; Tamara Rissman; William Faraclas, chairman of the
university’s Public Health Department; Nichole Theriault; Shayla Ranmal and Marilyn Moore,
chief executive officer of The Witness Project of Connecticut. Seated, from left, are Margo
Cranston and Shannon Thibodeau.
vegetables served to their families weekly.
The program also asks churches to offer
healthier choices at social functions.
The Southern students have been working on a tool kit to leave with the churches
and which will eventually be used by peer
counselors who will continue the program
and help members of the congregation to
sustain their new healthy habits.
For the gardening project, students have
been planting seedlings for a community
garden at the Ralphola Taylor Community
Center in Bridgeport and helped organize a
community garden fair in conjunction with
the Bridgeport YMCA.
The students said they are grateful for
the hands-on learning opportunity. “I have
learned more working on this fellowship than
in any other semester of my college career,”
says Nicole Theriault, a senior public health
major with a minor in nutrition.
“Health disparity is a really big problem so
it’s great to be trying to tackle it,” says Shayla
Ranmal, a senior.
:
Learning a Language in Silence
a beginning
Span-
ish class, where students
Burian at work in his office.
SouthernLife • MAY 2012
the snakes and all the other things you could
find by scooping stuff up.”
Burian started sketching at a young
age, too. He began with pencil drawings of
fish, though these early sketches were not
quite the scientific reproductions of real-life
specimens that Burian creates now. What he
drew he copied from photographs. He says
the actual fish that he and his father brought
home from lake Quabbin didn’t last long
enough to draw.
“We actually ate them,” Burian says.
“There wasn’t much time to sketch them.
You get them home, they get cleaned, they
went into the freezer, and the next week
you had them for dinner.”
Not until graduate school did Burian
become the artist he is now. While working on his doctorate, he took an insect
morphology class that required students to
complete a series of anatomical drawings.
Burian says that’s when he started to learn
the techniques of pen and ink. Today, he
teaches an illustration class of his own here
at Southern.
He says the clarity and simplicity of pen
and ink give it an advantage over photographs. Photographs show a whole picture
-- both what is pertinent in an illustration and
what is not. They must be touched up electronically, he says. Arrows are used to point
out the important parts of the illustration,
while, with pen and ink, an artist can simply
draw the important part all on its own. Burian
says he can create a pen and ink illustration in
less time than it takes for him to put together
an illustration using Photoshop.
But the part of the job Burian enjoys
most -- even more than the drawing -- is
wading through water on a summer day,
trying to anticipate which bend in the river
Then she took a tour through Bridgeport’s
East End. On street corner after street corner,
she found bodegas selling snacks and processed convenience foods, but there wasn’t
a full-service grocery store in sight.
“That was shocking to me,” says Cranston,
a public health major in her senior year at
Southern. “Living here, you would think that
everyone had access to supermarkets and
fruits and vegetables, but that’s not the case.”
Cranston is one of six Southern public
health students working on a project to
reduce the health disparities that often exist
in inner-city neighborhoods like Bridgeport’s
East End. Health experts describe such
communities as “food deserts” because
wholesome foods options are scarce.
“Some people are at a real disadvantage
for having good health and not through any
fault of their own, but through the larger
world that they live in,” says Peggy Gallup,
professor of public health at Southern and
director of the department’s Health Equity
Project.
The students are being paid through a
fellowship funded by a grant from the U.S.
Health Resources and Service Administration.
The grant was awarded to Yale’s School of
Public Health, which hired the Southern
students as subcontractors. Students were
competitively selected from among undergraduate and graduate public health majors,
according to Gallup.
The students are working on two projects
to encourage healthier eating in Bridgeport.
One is a community garden to provide East
End residents with a source of fresh produce
In
The teeth of the ‘new’ mayflies are more
spoon-shaped than their better-known cousins,
which sport sharper, fang-like teeth.
4
never thought
twice about walking into a supermar-
SouthernProfiles
are expected to learn the
basics of the language, the
teacher typically stands in
front of the room, speaking Spanish words and
phrases, and the students repeat back what
they hear.
Now imagine that same beginning Spanish class, with the teacher standing quietly in
the back of the room, observing the students
busily helping each other with an activity. Or
with the teacher pointing to colored spots on
a board and silently mouthing sounds, as the
students try to make the sounds the teacher
is suggesting. What is going on here?
What is going on is The Silent Way, an
approach to teaching languages developed by
Caleb Gattegno in the 1960s. Gattegno, who
died in 1988, is best known for his innovative approaches to teaching
and learning math, languages
and reading, and for inventing
teaching materials for each of
these approaches.
Luisa Piemontese, professor of world languages
and literatures, who this year
began to use this little-known
method in her introductory
Spanish classes, could be the
only instructor in the country
who is currently using The
Silent Way to teach a foreign
language. She learned of
The Silent Way as an undergraduate at Purchase College,
where all of the language classes were taught
using this approach. Later, at Yale University,
while working on her Ph.D., she became
interested in learning how to teach using
The Silent Way and took two workshops
with Gattegno in New York City. Now she
has brought this unusual teaching method to
her Spanish courses at Southern.
“People are using this approach to
TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of
Other Languages), as an ancillary rather than
primary approach,” Piemontese explains. She
also knows a teacher in the New Haven Public Schools who uses the approach to teach
math and special education, but he doesn’t
use it as his only approach.
How does it work?
Piemontese explains that the teacher is
silent, in part, to focus on the student’s learning. Activities are student-generated, although
the teacher is an active participant in the
class. In her 100-level classes, she says, she
speaks maybe one or two phrases per class.
The students, she says, “need to discover on
their own and with the help of their peers. I
know where I want the students to end up,
but they discover the sounds, the language
and the culture.”
Beginning students start with learning
pronunciation of the language’s sounds. The
instructor might use one of several special
“props” to assist with learning. For instance,
Piemontese has a “Leo color chart,” a black
board with many spots of different colors
painted on it. Each spot of color represents
a different vowel or consonant sound. She
explains that the instructor points to a
color and shapes her mouth as if making
the sound, although she remains silent.
The students then imitate the sound they
understand the instructor is representing.
Another prop – a “Fidel chart” – has
colored letters that the instructor can point
to silently. Yet another tool of The Silent
Way are Cuisenaire rods – small brightly
colored narrow blocks of different lengths.
The colors coordinate with those painted
on the sound color chart and the Fidel chart,
and the instructor can use the rods for anything from introducing simple commands to
representing objects.
The most unusual feature of the approach
– the teacher’s silence – “gets everyone to
focus on the structure of the language,”
says Piemontese. Students have fun with
the boards and the rods, like a game, she
says, but they also retain the structure of the
language. She introduces vocabulary words
later in the semester.
Piemontese admits that The Silent Way
is slower than other approaches and focuses
more on the quality of learning rather than
quantity – it is not focused on
memorizing vocabulary lists,
for instance. But, she says, students are learning the basis and
essence of the language. “You
are building something, and it
stays with you,” she says, adding that it is good for students
who learn in different ways.
:
Luisa Piemontese, far right,
instructs her Spanish students
using common props of
The Silent Way, an unusual
approach to teaching
languages.
SouthernLife • MAY 2012
5
Hitting the Books: A Wise Play for the Owls
Southern’s student-athletes continue to
shine both in the classroom and in pursuit of
their athletic goals.
The Owls have received extensive recognition on the conference, regional and
national levels for both its student-athletes
and its teams during the 2011-12 academic
year.
To date, nearly half of all Southern
student-athletes have been honored in some
manner for their academic prowess this
year. Most recently, the department had 15
selections to the Northeast-10 Academic AllConference teams for the winter season – the
most of any school in the league. A total of
23 Owls have been selected for the year, the
second highest in the league.
To be eligible for selection to the NE-10
academic teams, a student-athlete must have
participated in at least half of the team’s
competitions and be either a starter or significant contributor; earned a 3.3 cumulative
grade point average
and completed at least
one academic year at
their current institution.
During the fall
semester, 178 studentathletes – the second highest total in school
history – were also selected to the NE-10
Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
Student-athletes must maintain a semester
grade point average of 3.0 or higher to earn
this honor.
In addition, Jackie Fede of the women’s
soccer team and Paul Templeton of the men’s
soccer team were also named Academic AllAmericans by the College Sports Information
Directors of America (CoSIDA) this fall.
“First and foremost, our student-athletes
have maintained an individual commitment
to academic excellence," says Director of
Athletics Patricia Nicol. "Our coaches have
identified and recruited student-athletes who
value the importance
of an education, and
are determine d to
obtain a degree while
competing at a high
level athletically.
“In addition, our academic support staff,
both within the department and the campus community, have played a vital role in
ensuring that our student-athletes follow the
appropriate path toward completing their
degree requirements,” Nicol says.
Miguel Nesrala, who recently completed
his senior season with the men’s swimming
and diving squad, enjoyed a decorated
career both academically and athletically.
He was a five-time All-American, a 20-time
NE-10 Conference champion and a fivetime Metropolitan Conference champion.
He was also a three-time NE-10 Men’s
Swimming and Diving All-Academic Team
selection and as a sophomore, was named
the league’s Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winner – given to the top
all-around student-athlete in each leaguesponsored sport annually.
He is a business major eyeing a career in
banking or finance after graduation.
Ashley Bell is winding down her career
as an Owl this spring as a member of the
women’s outdoor track and field team.
She also has compiled an impressive list
of athletic accolades over her career as a
five-time NE-10 Conference champion.
She earned a New England championship
and is a five-time All-Region and four-time
All-New England honoree.
She has also been honored in each of
the past three years as an NE-10 Track and
Field All-Academic selection. And Bell has
been recognized by the U.S. Track and
Field and Cross Country Coaches Association multiple times for her work in the
classroom.
:
All About Business
Southern’s business students competed in
a variety of competitions this spring and
have earned several noteworthy awards.
A
team of marketing students tied
for third place in the American Marketing
Association’s International Case Competition – a contest that pitted Southern against
schools such as the University of Pennsylvania and the British Columbia Institute of
Technology.
The team developed a marketing plan
for an academic publishing company. “Our
students represented themselves and our
university well,” said Robert Forbus, associate professor of marketing who helped
coordinate Southern’s participation in the
competition. The students included: Cassandra Cortese, Emily Burkhardt, Peter Romas,
Nicholas Gallicano, Marina Virgalla and
Daniel Morales.
Two Southern
place awards
Barnard
teams earned first-
at the Connecticut Collegiate
continued from page
1.
“When it comes to academics, there
are few who equal Chris’ achievements,”
Swartz says.
Jonathan Uhl, a chemistry major, has a
3.98 GPA. He plans to attend medical school
this fall.
Uhl has earned the Dr. Harry O. Haakon-
Business Plan Competition – an event that
included 23 teams from 13 schools.
• Petal Post – which includes students
Eric Gabianelli (team leader), Kaitlyn Moran
and Kaitlin Franco – won the Best Personal
Business award. The students developed a
business plan that entails the manufacturing
and distribution of a fence post topper that
doubles as a flower pot. The team earned a
$5,000 grant for its plan.
• Haven Docu-Services – which includes
students Cari Tate (team leader), Mark Fields
and Stanley Lamour – won two awards:
Best Written Plan for a Venture Enterprise and Best Social Enterprise. The plan
involves developing a document storage
and shredding business that would establish
a partnership with Chapel Haven to provide
employment for adults with autism. Each of
the two awards carries with it a $500 grant.
Michael Okrent, an adjunct faculty
member in the School of Business, served
as faculty adviser for both teams.
sen Memorial Award in Chemistry (2011) and
has been the vice president of the Chemistry
Club. He has served as assistant medical
director for Camp Abilities CT, a summer
camp for blind and visually impaired youth.
He has served as a certified nursing aide
for Benchmark Assisted Living and is a selfemployed math and science tutor, as well as
Sporting Equity
Donna Lopiano, a pioneer of gender
equity in sports, suggests ways to ensure
equality between male and female athletic
programs. Lopano, the keynote speaker
at a recent forum at Southern to mark the
40th anniversary of the federal Title IX
legislation, is an alumna of Southern and
a former All-American athlete. She has
6
SouthernLife • MAY 2012
testified before Congress and in more
than 30 court cases regarding equity
in athletics. The ‘Spring Event’ — which
features a different sports topic each
year — is coordinated annually by
the Sports Management Program of
the Recreation and Leisure Studies
Department.
A team of business students has reason to celebrate after its tie for third place in a recent
international competition sponsored by the American Marketing Association. Pictured are
(standing from left): Peter Romas, Nicholas Gallicano, Marina Virgalla and Daniel Morales.
Seated are (from left): Ellen Durnin, dean of the School of Business; Emily Burkhardt, Cassandra
Cortese and Robert Forbus, faculty adviser.
Two Southern teams also competed
in the Association for Operations
M anagement Student Case Competition – an event at which they analyzed an
operations management/supply chain case
and presented their recommendations to a
panel of judges.
“A s a l w ay s , I a m p r o u d o f o u r
students and their dedication to their programs and their workforce preparation,”
said Ellen Durnin, dean of the School of
Business.
a self-employed private piano teacher. He also
is a youth basketball coach in Beacon Falls. He
was home schooled until ninth grade.
Gerald Lesley, chairman of the Chemistry
Department, says that Uhl has earned grades
of “A” or “A-plus” in each of his courses, except
for a lone “A-minus.” “This is a rare feat in a
program that should be recognized as one
of the most difficult disciplines at SCSU,”
Lesley says.
“I nominated Jonathan for the Barnard
Award without hesitation knowing that he has
performed at a level beyond that of almost
every student I have observed graduating
from our program in the past 12 years,”
Lesley adds.
Speakers
continued from page
:
:
1.
A graduate of Kent State University,
where he received his Master of Library and
Information Science degree, Christopher
Korenowsky has almost 18 years of public
library experience gained through his work
at the Columbus Metropolitan Library in
Columbus, Ohio. From direct public services
to administrative management positions, he
played a strong role in helping to shape the
Columbus Memorial Library from 1991 to
2009.
In 2010, the Columbus Memorial Library
was awarded the top prize in the industry
when it was named Library of the Year by
Library Journal magazine. Korenowsky holds
a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature
from The Ohio State University. In February
2009, he became the director of professional
development for the Ohio Library Council,
the statewide organization that advocates
legally and educationally for all 251 public
Christopher Korenowsky
libraries in the state of Ohio.
In addition to leading library teams
through successful fund raising, building
projects and budget-and-revenue generating
initiatives, Korenowsky has extensive experience in working with strategic messaging and
branding initiatives in public libraries.
:
Thank you
to the
Faculty and Staff
who made
donations to
Southern Students
this year!
Your gifts have a real impact on student success at Southern!
Faculty and Staff Honor Roll
Antonio Aceto
Robert Axtell
Jaye Bailey
James Barber
Christine Barrett
Stanley Battle
Christina Baum
Betsy Beacom
Judith Behler
Michael Ben-Avie
Therese Bennett
Denise Bentley-Drobish
John Bergevin
Corinne Blackmer
James Blake
Peter Boppert
Laura Bower
Sharon Bradford
Vincent Breslin
Christine Broadbridge
Dian Brown-Albert
Anthony Brunetti
Sandra Bulmer
Rondell Butler
Judith Buzzell
Terrell Bynum
George Caffrey
Susan Calahan
Conrad Calandra
Edward Calandro
Richard Callahan
Doreen Cammarata-Gilhuly
Mary Pat Caputo
Suzanne Carroll
Vincenzo Cassella
Thomas Celentano
Mark Ceneviva
Xiao Cheng
David Chevan
Sherryl Chin
Karen Christian
Catherine Christy
Nancy Chucta
Shawna Cleary
William Cohane
Marylou Conley
Nicholas Constantinople
Gary Crakes
Holly Crawford
Brad Crerar
Gregg Crerar
Kimberly Crone
Karen Cummings
Thomas Cummings
Diana Dahlman
John DaPonte
Margaret Das
Pamela Day
Richard DeCesare
Robert DeMezzo
Emmett Dennis
Deborah DeSisto
William Diffley
Patrick Dilger
Gaetano Dimicco
Julia Doherty
Giovanni D’Onofrio
Joseph Dooley
Thomas Dorr
Robert Drobish
Suzanne Duke
Jerry Dunklee
Ellen Durnin
Nicholas Edgington
Robert Eldridge
Meg Elliott
Scott Ellis
Marguerite Fadden
William Faraclas
Bonnie Farley-Lucas
Alyson Fedak
Marybeth Fede
Vincent Ferrie
Janelle Finch
Nicole Fluhr
Deborah Flynn
Ellen Frank
Kelley Frassinelli
DonnaJean Fredeen
Betsy Galian
Terese Gemme
Ross Gingrich
Marcia Smith Glasper
Adam Goldberg
Floyd Gollnick
Krystyna GorniakKocikowska
Carolyn Harris
Frank Harris
Martin Hartog
John Hill
William Hochman
Shirin Hollis
Margaret Huda
Jennifer Hudson
Percy Huggins, Jr.
Denise Hunter
Kurt Jagielow
Bethanne Johnson
Michelle Johnston
Jordan Jones
Barbara Kagan
Elizabeth Keenan
Raymond Kellogg
Robin Kenefick
Marianne Kennedy
Paula Kennedy
Hak Joon Kim
Robert Kirsch
Renee Knight
Michael Kobylanski
Philanthi Koslowski
Timothy Krauss
Klay Kruczek
James Kusack
Frank LaDore
David Lake
Lisa Lancor
Cassandra Lang
Susan Larson
Michelle Lawler
Susan Lawrence
Gloria Lee
Yi-Chun Lin
Samuel Lopes
Christopher Lynn
Anthony Maltese
Michelle Mann
Philip Marchese
Doris Marino
Katherine Marsland
James Mazur
Robert McEachern
Hollis Mckenna
Paul Mckenzie
Kevin McNamara
Sharon Misasi
Joyce Moore
Giacomo Mordente
Diane Morgenthaler
Gary Morin
Mehdi Mostaghimi
Bennie Murphy
Joe Musante
James Mutts
Ervin Nelson
Gerard Nelson
Vara Neverow
Dianne Newman
Deborah Newton
Patricia Nicol
Ryan Nobrega
Wanda Outing
Tracey Owers
Jiong Dong Pang
Mary A. Papazian
Timothy Parrish
Cynthia Patterson
Jacqueline Patton
Gregory Paveza
Belinda Pearman
Darnelle Perry
Philip Pessina
Paul Petrie
Laura Pettie
Carolynn Pettit
Christine Petto
Christopher Piscitelli
Francesca Poole
Geraldine Prince
Susan Quagliaroli
Tim Quill
Monica Raffone
Tina Marie Re
Lisa Rebeschi
Tricia Regan
Richard Riccardi
Paula Rice
Lystra Richardson
Anna Rivera-Alfaro
Salvatore Rizza
Linda Robinson
Mary Robinson
John Rochette
Michael Rogers
Nancy Ronne
Heather Rowe
Jennifer Ruggiero
Lee Ryan
Michael Sampson
Theresa Sandifer
Janet Schneider
Jessica Scibek
Stanley Seliga
Joseph Selvaggio
Michael Shea
Cindy Shea-Luzik
Robert Sheeley
Barbara Shiller
Winnie Shyam
Eric Simms
Judith Sizensky-Searles
Louise Spear-Swerling
Ken Spelke
Dawn Stanton-Holmes
Bridget Stepeck-Holt
Brigitte Stiles
Cynthia Stretch
Villia Struyk
Daniel Swartz
Frank Tavares
Susan Tiso
Angela Todaro
Lawrence Tomascak
Jaime Toth
Peter Troiano
David Vance
Michele Vancour
Merryalis Vazquez
Donald Walker
Carol Wallace
Jan Wang
Aaron Washington
Mark Waters
Megane Watkins
Carlton Watson
Deborah Weiss
Colby Whelan
Patricia Whelan
Marvin Wilson
Robert Workman
Kommaly Xayasone
Kathy Yalof
Phyllis Young
Kevin Zibluk
Patricia Zibluk
www.SouthernCT.edu
SouthernLife • MAY 2012
7
a photo essay by leon yacher
Reconstructing
SouthernFocus
KOSOVO
These photographs and accompanying text were contributed
by Geography professor Leon Yacher, who traveled to Kosovo this spring.
In February 2008, Kosovo seceded from Serbia after several years of ethnic
conflict. Most Kosovars are ethnic Albanians who practice Islam, and the
religious practice of Islam greatly contributed to Serbia’s violent attempt to
ethnically cleanse the region of Kosovo. NATO’s intervention in 1999 ended
a year-long period when almost 1 million ethnic Albanians were displaced
and many thousands killed. Violence returned in 2004 when ethnic Serbs
were targeted. Intense negotiations among several European Union countries,
Russia and the United States led to little progress; thus Kosovo declared its
independence in 2008. While Serbia continues not to recognize Kosovo as a
separate political unit, the United States recognized Kosovo’s independence
the next day, one of nearly 90 of the world’s countries that now recognize
Kosovo’s sovereignty.
Though the majority of Kosovars are Muslim, the younger people
seldom observe the tenets of Islam in their daily lives, while older
people are more traditional in their belief system and dress.
Small businesses, mostly in engineering and technology,
are being created with support from the large Kosovo
population residing in the European Union.
Aid from other Muslim countries, particularly from the
oil-rich Middle East, can be found in various parts of
Kosovo.
In the city of Prizren, smaller
privately-owned retail shops
provide a variety of services that
support the truck traffic headed to
the nearby border with Albania.
Introduced in 1999, Resolution 1244 reminds
ethnic Serbians that Belgrade, the Serbian capital,
no longer has jurisdiction in Kosovo.
The highway system in the country is being built
at a rapid pace, with European-made cars replacing the old automobiles.
Military troops from the European
Union and NATO continually make
their presence known in Kosovo.
While European cars can be spotted throughout
the country, servicing methods still lag behind.
The country’s physical landscape includes the Sharr mountain area, which makes for difficult driving, particularly
during the winter months.
As construction demand has increased, the number
of sand and gravel companies has also grown.
Construction projects of all kinds, including those of modern houses, play a major
role in the reduction of farmland, particularly in areas where soil quality is good.
8 SouthernLife • MAY 2012
Near the border in northern Kosovo,
a reminder of how ethnic Serbians
living in Kosovo feel about the country
seceding.
A variety of architectural types are surfacing in many areas.
Pristina, a city of 200,000, is Kosovo’s capital, and construction projects
can be found everywhere.