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Volume CXV No. 20

Friday, September 24, 2010

www.dailycampus.com

» INSIDE

By Jay Polansky Associate News Editor

Low bidder on $17M contract faces civil suits
continue to be the lowest bidder. “The university almost always goes with the lowest responsible bid,” said UConn spokesman Michael Kirk. Kirk added the university conducts a “line-by-line” review of the lowest bidder before deciding whether or not to award a given contract. The planned facility will recycle water from the university’s waste water treatment plant. Water from the plant could be used for non-potable applications like process water for the co-generation plant and irrigation. The facility would be next to the existing water pollution control facility on the Storrs campus, according to university documents. Suits filed in Middletown Superior Court allege that Kleen Energy Systems and some of its contractors failed to take precautions to prevent a February blast that killed six workers and injured 50 others. Following the explosion, OSHA imposed $16.6 million in fines against Kleen and its contractors, according to NBC Connecticut. On Thursday, Gov. M. Jodi Rell issued an executive order to ban the “gas blow” procedure that the construction companies used at the time of the explosion. “It has become clear that no one entity or policy – at the local, state or federal level – had singular jurisdiction over the ‘gas blow’ process,” Rell said in a press release. “This needs to be remedied and until it is, I am banning the practice to protect workers and citizens.” The lawsuits have not changed the university’s decision to

‘LaST CHaNCe’ IS kINg’S FIrST
author discusses first published book at Co-op. FOCUS/ page 7

A contractor who has been named as one of the defendants in civil lawsuits over the Kleen Energy Project explosion is currently the lowest bidder on a nearly $17 million dollar UConn contract. Torrington-based O & G Industries recently submitted a base bid of $16,740,000 for a reclaimed water facility. The university is likely to award O & G the contract if they

review O&G’s bid. “The charges are alleged,” said Colleen Schuh, associate director for Capital Projects and Contract Administration. “It wouldn’t preclude the university in reviewing the bids for them being the lowest responsible bidder.” Four other contractors are vying for the contract. O & G’s bid is the lowest bid by a margin of approximately $300,000, according to the document.

Storrs Center signs with developer

» CONTRACTOR, page 2

rUNNINg wITH THe BULLS UConn takes on Buffalo without leading rush or Todman. SPORTS/ page 14 eDITOrIaL: rULeS TO FIgHT aLCOHOL aBUSe are UNeNFOrCeaBLe Bans on drinking would lead to dangerous underground partying. COMMENTARY/page 4 INSIDe NewS: DININg HaLLS TO BegIN USINg paper prODUCTS Drought forces UConn to cut back on using water. NEWS/ page 2

JIM ANDERSON/The Daily Campus

A sign on Storrs Road near the University of Connecticut campus alerts passers-by about the upcoming Storrs Center development project. The first phase of the project is planned to be completed by 2012.

Town to add graduate apartments and see commercial development by 2012
By Hina Samnani Staff Writer
Students love UConn for its competitive academics, nationally ranked athletic teams and diverse student body, but the one thing most students say the Storrs campus lacks compared to other university campuses is a “college town” within walking distance where students can go to shop and socialize. That is about to change in the upcoming years. The Mansfield Downtown Partnership, a nonprofit organization consisting of members from UConn, the Town of Mansfield and local businesses, has taken one step further in its plans to complete the Storrs Center, a town center that will be adjacent to UConn, across from Storrs Road. Leyland Alliances LLC, the master developers of the plan, and Education Realty Trust Inc., a business that specializes in collegiate housing, have agreed to develop the first two phases of the Storrs Center, which is estimated to cost $60 million. The first two phases will consist mainly of apartment housing to accommodate UConn graduate students and staff members. It will include approximately 290 studio, one-bedroom to three-bedroom apartments with private laundry, wood floors, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and Internet, among other features. These first two phases are expected to be completed in 2012. “It’s about a 5-to-7-year built out, and so depending on when it starts, we’re hoping to break ground in the spring of next year—the spring of 2011—and have the first phase, which will be apartments as well as retail and commercial development, open up in the fall of 2012,” said Cynthia van Zelm, the project manager for the Mansfield Downtown Partnership. “And then the second part of phase one will open up in September of 2013 so the construction site holds about a year for each phase.” The Storrs Center Project has been an ongoing plan since the Mansfield Downtown Partnership formed to coordinate the project in 2001. “The idea’s been around for 40 years, the idea of trying to create

» weather
Friday

a town green,” said van Zelm. “It really took off in 1999. The former mayor of Mansfield started to get the ball rolling and started meeting with the local businesses to find out what engaged their interest. There was always an interest in doing something to create more of a college downtown. The university has always been a partner with the town in doing that.” Van Zelm said the funding for this project comes from a variety of sources.

Sunny

High 86/ Low 62
SaTUrday/SUNday

By Brian Zahn Staff Writer

EcoHusky has new goals for this semester
resent Connecticut and will be engaging in cleaning and clearing trails at the Hillside Environmental Education Park,” Stewart said. The event will take place on Oct. 2, which is National Green Volunteer Day. “We hope to generate a lot of volunteers, and welcome anyone willing to help,” Stewart said. EcoHusky may be aided down the road by ConnPIRG, according to Willy Tobelman, a 5thsemester psychology major and president of ConnPIRG. “In the spring semester, I’d like to team up with EcoHusky to help promote Recyclemania,” Tobelman said about the 10-week long program to increase recycling and decrease waste on campus. Among the ideas that EcoHusky has brainstormed are a bike parade to advocate bike usage instead of cars and a glow-in-the-dark Frisbee tournament to encourage students to turn off their electronics and get outside and play. EcoHusky will also still be running EcoMadness this semester, a contest that pits residence halls against one another in an effort to conserve energy and water, according to EcoHusky’s website. Students interested in joining EcoHusky can email the club at [email protected] or go to its meetings, Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Student Union 303.

» COST, page 2

High 81 Low 48

High 66 Low 46

» index
Classified 3 Comics 10 Commentary 4 Crossword/Sudoku 10 Focus 7 InstantDaily 4 Sports 14

EcoHusky, a UConn club with the goal of making UConn a greener place, has begun to think of effective ways to reach its goals for this semester. Their first initiative was on Sept. 11 at Rentschler Field before UConn’s game against Texas Southern, where they held their Green Game Day in an effort to reduce waste during pre-game tailgating and to make the stadium more sustainable. Fiona Stewart, a 7th-semester agricultural resource economics major and president of EcoHusky, has several ideas. “As a commitment to Green Hands USA, we agreed to rep-

FILE PHOTO/The Daily Campus

[email protected]

Representatives of EcoHusky hand out CFC light bulbs at the Co-op on Aug. 30, 2009 while students purchase textbooks.

What’s on at UConn this weekend...
Saturday: UConn vs. Buffalo 12 p.m. to 3:30 pm Rentschler Field
Tailgate beforehand or take the Husky Roadshow bus over to the game to cheer on your Huskies.

The Daily Campus 11 Dog Lane Storrs, CT 06268 Box U-4189

Sunday: Free Practice Tests All day Bishop Center
Receive score reports and learn testtaking strategies in preparation for your GRE, MCAT, or LSAT.

Sunday: Philanthropic Dance Party 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Huskies Restaurant and Bar
The $6 cover charge goes to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Sigma Alpha Epsilon is hosting the event.

Sunday: Homecoming Parade 1:30 p.m. Outside SU
Pick your favorite float, then head over to the carnival at South Quad afterward. - VICTORIA SMEY

The Daily Campus, page 2

DAILY BRIEFING
» STATE

Conn. State University approves salary freeze
HARTFORD (AP) — The Connecticut State University System has approved a one-year salary freeze for management and nonunion staff for the budget year that begins July 1, 2011. The Board of Trustees said Thursday it also intends to avoid tuition increases at Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Connecticut state universities for the school year that begins next fall. More than 36,000 students attend the four universities. The board said it may need to take another look at its plans depending on how much the university system receives in next year’s state budget. Gov. M. Jodi Rell called the trustees’ decision proper and necessary. In July, university officials rescinded proposed pay raises after strong criticism by Rell. But they approved cost-of-living increases for the system’s chancellor and university presidents.

By Amy McDavitt Senior Staff Writer

Dining halls to use paper products due to Stage III drought
and Massachusetts state line, so weather conditions in Storrs do not directly affect campus water resources. Students at South Marketplace expressed misgivings about the benefits of using paper goods instead of running the dishwashing machines. “I think it’s a waste of paper. Not eco-friendly,” said Rob Tobin, a 5th-semester finance major. Other students concurred. “It seems like one wasteful product to another,” said Sarah Walberg, a 5th-semester human development and family studies major about swapping increased trash production for water usage. Walberg suggested the university should find a new method of serving in the dining halls that is “altogether more eco-friendly.” Pierce acknowledged the drawbacks of generating more waste, but spoke to the necessity of the switch. “You have to look at the big picture,” he said. “When you have two resources and one is limited…what are your other alternatives? You do what you need to do to get that resource back up to where it needs to be.” Pierce also noted that Willimantic Waste, which handles the university’s trash, employs a method called “single stream recycling” in which recyclable products can be commingled and sorted out later at their facility.

News

Friday, September 24, 2010

McMahon defends JFK footage in Conn. Senate ad
HARTFORD (AP) — Linda McMahon, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Connecticut, is defending an online ad that uses footage of John F. Kennedy talking about the importance of tax cuts. Kennedy’s nephew, Edward Kennedy Jr., had urged McMahon to pull the 30-second ad from YouTube. The spot features 1963 footage of the late president. Kennedy Jr. says it misleads voters into thinking JFK would have supported McMahon’s position on tax policy. In letter to Kennedy, released Thursday to The Associated Press, McMahon say she believes JFK would have supported her stance on extending the soon-to-expire Bush-era tax cuts for higher income earners.

All eight residential dining halls will begin serving meals on paper products Monday in an effort to save water during the continuing Stage III drought. The measure has become a necessary step in the university’s attempts to conserve water during the drought, according to a report in UConn Today. The drought was initially announced in June, upgraded to Stage II Aug. 13 and changed to Stage III a month later. It is uncertain how long the use of paper products will last, according to C. Dennis Pierce, the director of dining services. “Can you tell me tonight’s lottery number?” Pierce joked. “We may do it for three or four days, or we may do it for five weeks,” he said, adding that Dining Services takes direction from the Office of Environmental Policy on the issue. The last time UConn faced similar drought conditions three years ago, paper products were used for “six or seven weeks,” Pierce said. But, the swap was made two weeks earlier in the semester than this year, so it is hard to say how long this switch will last. To add to the uncertainty, the university relies on a water cable that originates in an area around the Connecticut

JESSICA CORDON/The Daily Campus

Dishes, silverware and cups pile up at the tray return of the Towers Dining Hall. The University will be switching to paper products beginning Monday due to the drought.

“In essence, there is recycling going on,” he said. Dining Services is the second-largest consumer of water on campus after Residential Life, according to Pierce. Despite that, and the fact that the dining units serve 180,000 meals per week, the switch to paper will fall in the depart-

ment’s budget, and will neither result in any extra costs to students nor affect student employees who will need to fulfill other duties related to the increased trash production. “There is no other way,” Pierce said.

[email protected]

Bill Clinton to stump for Blumenthal in New Haven
NEW HAVEN (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to headline a rally and fundraiser in New Haven for Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who is facing a competitive race for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. Blumenthal’s campaign confirmed on Wednesday that Clinton, an old classmate of Blumenthal’s at Yale Law School, will appear at Wilbur Cross High School for a rally on Sunday morning. Last week, President Barack Obama headlined a fundraising event in Stamford for Blumenthal and the state Democrats. About $400,000 was raised, to be split between the campaign and state party. Blumenthal and Republican Linda McMahon are vying for the seat currently held by Sen. Chris Dodd. McMahon, a former wrestling executive, has said she’ll spend as much as $50 million on the race.

Health Education promotes oral hygiene
By Brian Zahn Staff Writer
Representatives for Health Education gave out free samples and pamphlets of information related to dental hygiene for Oral Health Awareness Week. “Oral Health Awareness Week started with the interest of a student going into dentistry,” said Joleen Nevers, the health education coordinator. The week, which was started in 2005 according to Nevers, stresses good oral hygiene habits. Many students were able to grab a free sample of toothpaste and stick it in their bags before eating at their dining halls. Tables were set up at Northwest on Monday, Towers on Tuesday and South on Wednesday. Each day, the tables of free samples and pamphlets were set up between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. On Tuesday, Health Education had already run out of toothbrushes and dental floss by 12:15 p.m., while the informational pamphlets were still stocked. An Oral Health Awareness Week edition of Stall Street News was popular among students who looked at the table. “It’s a pretty good deal,” said Jordan Mann, a 1st-semester ACES major, after grabbing a free sample of toothpaste. Kelly Turner, a 1st-semester undecided major, agreed. “Oral health is important. I’ve already had strep throat while I was here, so I have to be healthy here,” said Turner. According to Nevers, about 340 students stopped at a table during the three-day campaign. Several others stopped by Health Education’s office, located in Rome Commons, to get free samples. The pamphlets, put together by Oral-B, were “Tips and tools to promote better oral health” and information about “Keeping clean in between.” They contained coupons for products that promote dental hygiene, which expired June 30, 2003.

» NATION

They instruct the reader to limit sugary foods to mealtimes only, brush twice a day for at least two minutes and to floss. Additionally, Health Education had a “Health Ed Handout” which contained facts about dental hygiene that many students probably haven’t heard from their dentists. According to the handout, kissing can help to reduce plaque, as it stimulates saliva, flossing after oral sex can leave tears in the gums, which make them vulnerable to viruses and microbes, and lemonade is more harmful to teeth than soda.

NEW YORK (AP) — First Lady Michelle Obama urged international development organizations to engage military veterans and spouses in their work, telling her audience Thursday at the Clinton Global Initiative that the skills of service members are “woefully underutilized.” Former President Bill Clinton hosts the CGI, an annual summit of business, government and nonprofit leaders who make financial commitments to development projects around the world. Clinton sat on a stool nearby as the first lady spoke at the closing session. Obama has worked extensively with military families and used the high-powered gathering to champion their interests. “This issue may seem too uniquely American in scope for such a global audience here at CGI,” Obama said. “But right now, the human potential of America’s veterans and military families is both vast and woefully underutilized.” Veterans, she said, often struggle with the transition to civilian life and have trouble finding jobs, especially in a weak economy. She said veterans and their spouses are highly trained and are used to shouldering great responsibility but that their skills are not always recognized by the civilian world. “America’s servicemen and women are resilient, so they don’t always show it. And they’re proud, so they don’t always talk about it. But it’s hard to spend years serving your country, only to find that the value of that service isn’t fully understood,” Obama said.

First lady urges nonprofits to engage veterans Cost of town project estimated at $220 million
from COST, page 1
“It’s largely private—both equity funding from firms such as Education Reality Trust and Leland Alliances, our master developer. And then they will go and get bank financing,” she said. “The partnership working with the town of Mansfield has brought in $23 million in grants from the federal and state government to do mainly public infrastructure for the project and detailing for Storrs Road.” The whole project is estimated to cost $220 million, and the initial concept plan includes a market square, town square and village street. The market square will consist of various restaurants,

[email protected]

Contractor facing suits has long history of work with UConn
from CONTRACTOR, page 1
C.H. Nickerson’s base bid is $17, 060,870, Carlin Contracting Co.’s base bid is $17,177,000, Daniel O’Connell’s Sons base bid is $17,545,000 and R.H. White Construction’s base bid is $18,525,000, according to records posted on the Capital Projects and Contact Administration’s office website. O & G has completed major projects on the Storrs campus including the construction of the Central Co-Generation Chiller Based Energy Facility, the Information Technology Engineering Building and the renovation of the Music and Drama buildings. The contractor also served as the construction manager of the Waterbury campus, which was completed in September 2003, according to O & G’s website. “O&G has brought that dedication to safety to all of the work it has performed for the University,” Dan Carey, a spokesman for the company, said in a statement to The Daily Campus. “We have worked on multiple UConn projects for more than a decade, including over 14 projects at the main campus at Storrs, all completed without any serious safety issues.” The Office of Environmental Health and Safety at UConn declined to comment on O & G’s on-campus safety record, referring questions to the university spokesman.

www.dailycampus.com
The Daily Campus is the largest college daily newspaper in Connecticut with a press run of 8,500 copies each day during the academic year. The newspaper is delivered free to central locations around the Storrs campus. The editorial and business offices are located at 11 Dog Lane, Storrs, CT, 06268. To reach us through university mail, send to U-4189. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday. The Daily Campus is an equal-opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. All advertising is subject to acceptance by The Daily Campus, which reserves the right to reject any ad copy at its sole discretion. The Daily Campus does not assume financial responsibility for typographical errors in advertising unless an error materially affects the meaning of an ad, as determined by the Business Manager. Liability of The Daily Campus shall not exceed the cost of the advertisement in which the error occurred, and the refund or credit will be given for the first incorrect insertion only.

shops and offices. Many local businesses, including Wings over Storrs, Storrs Automotive and Select Physical Therapy, have already signed letters of intent to lease portions of the 70,000 square feet of street buildings. “We already have some of the current businesses, like Storrs Automotive, the hairdresser, Wings over Storrs, and then we have several potential new businesses, like the Vanilla Bean,” said van Zelm. “They’re exactly the type of businesses we’re looking for in terms of casual appeal to students, and to residents and visitors.” As of 2009, the estimated completion date for the whole project is scheduled to be in 2015.

[email protected]

[email protected]

Corrections and clarifications
Front Desk/Business: Fax: Editor-In-Chief/Commentary: Managing Editor/Photo: News/Sports: Focus/Online: (860) (860) (860) (860) (860) (860) 486 486 486 486 486 486 3407 4388 6141 6119 6118 6110 This space is reserved for addressing errors when The Daily Campus prints information that is incorrect. Anyone with a complaint should contact The Daily Campus offices and file a corrections request form. All requests are subject to approval by the Managing Editor or the Editor in Chief.

John Kennedy, Editor in Chief Russell Blair, Managing Editor Valerie Nezvesky, Business Manager/Advertising Director Nancy Depathy, Financial Manager
Amy Schellenbaum, Associate Managing Editor Joseph Adinolfi, News Editor Jay Polansky, Associate News Editor Taylor Trudon, Commentary Editor Cindy Luo, Associate Commentary Editor Caitlin Mazzola, Focus Editor Melanie Deziel, Associate Focus Editor Mac Cerullo, Sports Editor Matt McDonough, Associate Sports Editor Ashley Pospisil, Photo Editor Jim Anderson, Associate Photo Editor Sarah Parsons, Comics Editor Brendan Fitzpatrick, Associate Business Manager Kara Miller, Marketing Manager Laura Carpenter, Graphics Manager Nadav Ullman, Circulation Manager

Friday, September 24, 2010
Copy Editors: Michelle Anjirbag, Ryan Tepperman, Cassie Schmidt News Designer: Victoria Smey Focus Designer: Brian Zahn Sports Designer: Matt McDonough Digital Production: Ed Ryan

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