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20072007200720072007Norwich University NorthfNorwich University NorthfNorwich University NorthfNorwich University NorthfNorwich University Northfield, Vield, Vield, Vield, Vield, Vermont Vermont Vermont Vermont Vermont Vol. 89 No. 7ol. 89 No. 7ol. 89 No. 7ol. 89 No. 7ol. 89 No. 7

By Valerie KnightNorwich Guidon Staff Writer

When Norwich sophomore PaulNajarian returned to campus lastfall, he didn’t realizethat the gradingsystem he was usedto his freshman yearhad dramaticallychanged. For the 20-year-old sophomorecriminal justicemajor fromRockland, Mass.,the new plus/minus grading systemtook him, and much of the studentbody, by surprise. Once he knew the gradingpolicy was inching closer as finalexam week approached, Najariansaid he was bracing for the worst. “At first I wasn’t lookingforward to it because I onlythought of the bad side,” Najariansaid, adding that the new system,however, “works out pretty goodbecause it gives you a betterbreakdown, like more specificallyon what your grades are andwhere you stand.” In 2006, Norwich Universitystudents were informed that achange to the academic gradingpolicy could take effect,according to the NU Director ofStudent Records Robert Schmidt. “The new plus or minus gradingwas implemented for summerschool. It started with the secondsummer session in July,” Schmidtexplained. Students were introduced to thenew plus/minus grading systemduring the second 2006 summersession. The university administrationdecided to introduce and test thenew grading system with a smallgroup of students so that if therewere any problems the staff couldfix them prior to implementing the

plan for an academic school year. Until recently the registrar’soffice, or student record’scomputers, were not capable of

of The Norwich Guidon,Professor Paula Gills, NorwichUniversity’s Director of LearningSupport Services, said that aslong as the new system results

in fewer students onprobation,

standard is very common tocolleges and universities,”according to the NorwichUniversity website, (http://www.norwich.edu/academics/registration.html.) “Under thecurrent system, a student canearn a class average of 88 percentand receive a B. Under the newsystem that 88 percent willbecome a B+.” “The implementation of thischange in grading will producegrades that better representstudent performance than thecurrent practice,” the websitesays.

notified the student what had tobe done and what the deadlinewas, and it was left in theregulations for the registrar’soffice to enforce. There were occasions whenfaculty did not submit a finalgrade for incompletes issuedearlier. In that case the registrar’soffice was supposed to do anadministrative action and thestudent was to receive an F grade.“I think that is a terrible move,”Schmidt said, explaining that thenew program corrects thisproblem. Under the new plan, if thestudent fails to complete thework by the instructor’s deadline,the student will receive the gradethe instructor deemed they wouldearn if they did not turn in thework. Instead of receiving anautomatic F grade, the studentwould earn the grade the facultymember felt they deserved. Approximately 30 facultymembers, however, did not send

completed administrationforms for fall

s e m e s t e r2 0 0 6studentswho hadincompleteg r a d e s .T h e

registrar’soffice had to

return theincorrectly filed forms to theinstructors for completion. Theforms must be filled out correctlybefore the registrar’s office canchange the incomplete grade to aletter grade for the student. Norwich students wereevaluated concerning the newgrading system during the fall2006 academic semester. Manybegan the spring 2007 semester

Norwich implements new grading systemNorwich implements new grading systemNorwich implements new grading systemNorwich implements new grading systemNorwich implements new grading system

Minus-See GRADING pg. 8

accepting the plus/ minussystem. The new grading systemincludes plus or minus grades,which provides students withmore exact grades such as A, A-,B+, B, B-, and so on, but there isnot a grade of F- or F+. Norwich faculty recommendedthe grading policy change aboutfour years ago, which thenrequired approval by NorwichPresident Richard Schneider andsubsequent implementation bythe registrar’s office. Schmidt explained that the“faculty decided this is the waythey wanted to go because theybelieve it is a more fair evaluationof a student’s work.” In an story written by ScottCraven in the Oct. 31, 2002 issue

promotes more students to thedean’s list, and helps morestudents to feel good aboutthemselves, “then maybe the newsystem should be given achance.” Schmidt pointed outthat there is a little irony in thenew plan because NU ProfessorEarl Fechter was one of the maincatalysts behind promoting theplus/minus system. Fechterretired in the spring of 2006 beforethe system was implemented. “The plus or minus grading

With the coming of the newgrading system, another changehas been made in the academicgrading policies at Norwich. The “I”, or incomplete grade,which is reserved for studentswho failed to complete a class forreasons beyond their control, willno longer earn an “F” if they failto complete any faculty-requiredwork assigned before thedeadline. In the past, the faculty haveissued the incomplete grade and

“At first I wasn’t looking forward to itbecause I only thought of the bad side.”

Paul Najarian, a 20-year-old sophomore criminal justice major from Rockland, Mass.

After launching the plan during summer 2006 session:

TheTheTheTheThePresident’sPresident’sPresident’sPresident’sPresident’s

CornerCornerCornerCornerCorner

Faculty Advisor: Professor Ken BushManaging Editor: Aaron WardCampus Editor: Geoff AnkudaAsst. Campus Editor: Amanda Sugai

COMCOMCOMCOMCOMMENTMENTMENTMENTMENTARYARYARYARYARY22222

The Norwich Guidon is a twice-monthly student newspaper distributed at Norwich University. It provides laboratory experience for students in the Communications program. claims asserted byadvertisers, letter writers, editorials and other articles do not represent the positions of Norwich University. The Norwich Guidon welcomes signed letters to the editor. They should be no longer than300 words. Unsigned letters will not be printed, but names may be witheld upon worthy request. All letters are subject to editing for length and good taste. Mailing address: The Norwich Guidon,Communications Center, Norwich University, Northfield, VT 056632. www. norwich.edu/guidon.

Photo Editor: Marissa LuczkowPhoto Editor: Akhan AlmagambetovBusiness Manager: Garrett WashburnAd Staff: Garrett Washburn

Managing Editor: Aaron WManaging Editor: Aaron WManaging Editor: Aaron WManaging Editor: Aaron WManaging Editor: Aaron Wardardardardardguidon@norwich.eduguidon@norwich.eduguidon@norwich.eduguidon@norwich.eduguidon@norwich.edu

Asst. Campus Editor: Robert CovertEntertaimnent Editor: Luis Morales Sports Editor: Cody HattAsst. Sports Editor: Amanda Benson

The Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonFFFFFebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007

Letters toLetters toLetters toLetters toLetters tothe Editorthe Editorthe Editorthe Editorthe Editor

It is my pleasure to share with you some newsfrom the Board of Trustees meeting held January25-28 in San Francisco. The major issueaddressed by the Trustees was the constructionof the new civilian residence halls. Our strategicplan NU2019 initially called for us to be primarilya residential community. Our goal is to have 1,250cadets all living on the Upper Parade Ground and toconstruct new civilian housing on middle and upper Disney field so that the civilianstudents have a quad of their own. The plan calls for a total of 2,000 cadets and civilian residentialstudents and one or two hundred commuter students. That plan was approved in May 2004 and several feasibility studies have occurred since that pointin time. We are now planning a 280-bed facility to be occupied no later than 2010. Currently Norwichhas 450 commuter students, the majority of whom will eventually be brought on campus to have a fullresidential undergraduate Norwich experience. The construction of this residence hall will be the firstmajor step towards accomplishing that objective. This is a complex financial endeavor, however, and so the Board has asked for a complete plan whichensures that the building will pay for itself. The Board has also asked that Norwich consider otherways of increasing enrollment without building additional bed space, such as having more studentsstudy abroad, increasing the number of internships, and reviewing what some have called the“Dartmouth Plan,” which provides an alternative way of delivering our curriculum and co-curricularactivities. These are all very challenging as well as exciting ideas. Right now you are probably wondering, “How does this all affect me? In a year or two or three I willbe out of here, and I will not care what happens at Norwich.” I could not disagree more. While youmay not think you care about what happens to Norwich after you graduate and go on with your life,trust me, when you become an alumnus or alumna of this University, that will change. You will care.Maybe not immediately, but down the road. Just listen to the alums who come back for Homecoming,or some of the staff here who went to Norwich, and you will know exactly what I am talking about.And, believe it or not, once you are an alum, what you do will directly affect the Norwich of tomorrow.I mean that sincerely. Twenty-five years from now, some of you will be the Trustees making thedecisions that will affect the Class of 2032, while others of you will be Class Agents, Club Presidents,Norwich Ambassadors, or members of the Board of Fellows, all doing important things to help ensurethat Norwich University is still around for your children and grandchildren. So keep studying, keepon learning, and keep Norwich in mind when you go out into the world. Norwich forever!

As WAs WAs WAs WAs WeeeeeSee ItSee ItSee ItSee ItSee It

Dear Editor: Your column “As We See It” in the1 Feb. edition of the Guidon appalledme. In reference to the institution of+/- grades, it said in part, “Under thenew grading system it is harder forstudents to obtain a passing grade.”Also, you stated that under the newsystem, a “C” grade required a mini-mum of 75% and an “A” required95%. All of these statements are blatantlyfalse. The new grading policy has an“F” (ie. a failing grade) at a percent-age below 60, which is identical tothe previous system. To receive a “C”in a course, a student must earn be-tween a 73% and 76.9%. To receivean “A”, 93% or above is required. Istrongly suggest you research thefacts surrounding issues you havestrong opinions about, prior to pub-lishing lies.

You go on to state: “in the long run(the new grading system) has a greaterimpact on individual GPAs.” This is not true! Assume you are a“B” student and that your grade isgoing to be somewhere between 80and 89.9%. By the old system, youare guaranteed a 3.0 GPA, and assum-ing that your grade can fall randomlyin that range, under the new system,your average GPA remains 3.0. The only people this new policyaffects are those who put in mini-mum effort. You should have speci-fied that the only students affectedare the bottom-feeders. Now, in or-der to get the GPAs they’re accus-tomed to, they’ll just have to work alittle harder for the extra 3%. Yourarticle is an insult to an institutionwhose motto is “I Will Try.”Sean Wolf

Dear Editor: What really gets me these daysare the ultra liberals who thinkthey know everything there is toknow about our government andwhy things are out of whack. Ifyou were to turn on the news yousee a bias or a news anchor per-suading his/her audience by pre-senting the subject a certain way.And most of that has to do withour President. What gives youthe know it all to bash our presi-dent? The man we put in power,not once but twice. Sure he hasmade some mistakes but everyleader makes mistakes. AndPresident Bush just two weeksago on his address to the nation

admitted to those mistakes he hasmade on the war in Iraq. But westill continue to pull him down. I remember when John Kerrymade the remarks about our sol-diers and apologized the next dayfor his outrageous comment andnews anchors across Americasaid well he apologized and wecan move on. But when our Presi-dent admits to his wrong doingswe have Americans saying, evenhe knows he doesn’t do a goodjob. And about Iraq, have we forgot-ten what took place almost sixyears ago? I truly think that a lotof Americans have. We were onenation at that time and we stood

by Bush and his administrationbut now it is getting old. A warlike this isn’t going to be wonovernight or in a year, so relax andthank God that you have men andwomen willing to sacrifice theirlives to make you feel safe andthat you have a President withthe confidence to stand againsta lot of people and do what hefeels right. What this countryneeds to do is come togetheragain and stand by our leadersespecially during hard times. Icould not imagine waking up ev-ery morning in the White Houseand having to make decisions asPresident Bush does.Brendan Recchia

The decision made by the registrar’s office to postthe final exam schedule early this semester was a greatidea. In the past the final exam schedule wouldsometimes not be posted on CLIC or the registrar’swebsite until after midterm grades were posted. Thiscould pose problems for students. Unlike last semester when the final exam schedulewas posted late in the semester, the schedule for spring2007 was available early, within the first few weeks ofschool. This early posting gives students an opportunityto plan ahead and make end-of-semester travel plans ina timely fashion. This is also appreciated by parents,who often foot the bill for those flight plans. We also applaud the way the schedule is laid out thissemester, which appears to be more efficient. Weencourage the registrar’s office to continue earlyposting of the final schedule in the future.

33333

“In what way hasthe new plus/minus

grading systemaffected you”

Wesley Michael ’10 “It made it easierfor me to get a higherGPA.

Frances Jackson ’07 “It made me have towork harder. I actu-ally have to read thestories now.”

Shawn Piner ’08 “I hate it. I’m thebottom of the barrelgrade getter, so myGPA dropped.”

Michael Fortunato’08 “It made me in theclass of 2019.”

Dan Field ’09 “It stabbed my GPAin the face. I wantrevenge.”

Micah Lieberman ’07 “It’s about time theygot it right.”

Scotti Hargrove ’10 “It hasn’t affectedme because it is thesame way my highschool graded.”

FFFFFeb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007 The NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidon

Greg LaPlume ’08 “It improved myGPA.”

Erin Chaffee ’08 “Most of myprofessors ignore it.”

Joe Tricomi ’07 “It kept me fromgetting a gold star.”

Jeffrey Keefe ’09 “It doesn’t matterto me. An F is an F.”

Zac Conway ’07 “It improved myGPA because Ireceived morepluses.”

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44444 CCCCCAMPUSAMPUSAMPUSAMPUSAMPUS CCCCCampus Editor: Geoff Ankudaampus Editor: Geoff Ankudaampus Editor: Geoff Ankudaampus Editor: Geoff Ankudaampus Editor: Geoff Ankudaguidon@norwich.eduguidon@norwich.eduguidon@norwich.eduguidon@norwich.eduguidon@norwich.edu

The Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonFFFFFebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007

LCW offers high school students military experienceLCW offers high school students military experienceLCW offers high school students military experienceLCW offers high school students military experienceLCW offers high school students military experienceBy Zeberiah M. SnowNorwich Guidon Staff Righter

Kevin Clarkson wanted to getfirst hand experience of life at amilitary college before he actuallydecided whether to apply toNorwich. And the way he chose to do sowas by participating in theNorwich University LeadershipChallenge Weekend (LCW) inFebruary 2002. “I heard about it from a senor atmy high school when I was afreshman,” said Clarkson, a 22-year-old junior communicationsmajor from Springfield, Mass. “Iwanted to know everything Icould about (Norwich) so Idecided (LCW) was the best way.It made me want to come toNorwich even more.” Students from over 300 highschools across the nationparticipate in the LCW to get abetter feel for the Norwichexperience and to build selfconfidence, according to the NUAssociate Director ofRecruitment Alan Chandler. “(LCW) has a two-stageapproach,” Chandler said. “LCWis run through the admissionsoffice as a recruiting tool, but wealso do some serious work withthe students who participate inorder to build their leadershipskills.” That was true for Paolo Wayan,a 21-year-old senior, businessmajor from Springfield, Mass. “Itmade me more interested injoining (the corps) lifestyle. I wasmotivated by the physicaltraining. That’s what got me moreinterested in (Norwich).” Wayan attended the LCW as aparticipant in the spring of 2003.Then in the fall of his freshmenyear at NU he volunteered to helpwith the LCW. “(LCW) is designed to exposehigh school students to a militarycollege,” according to the NUadmissions website(www.norwich.edu/admissions).“Participants also receivebriefings on college admissions,financial aid and the ROTCscholarship processes.”

“We learned the real basics ofmarching, and some of thefreshmen showed us what eatinglike a rook entailed,” Clarksonsaid. “I remember before we wentto sleep some of the freshmentold us stories about what theirlife was like and what rook weekwas all about. Typically, when students areinvestigating a university theywill attend an open house or doan overnight visit. But the LCWgives potential students“instruction on effectivecommunication and leadershipskills,” as well as immersesparticipants in student lifeactivities, the web site says.

Olympic challenge course, rockclimbing instruction, watersurvival class, team buildingexercises, and plenty of Q&Aopportunities for the prospectivestudents, the web site lists. “One of our favorite LRCchallenges is called the CanyonCrossing,” Chandler said. “Thegroup is given a distance thatthey have to cross using only afew concrete blocks and somewooden planks. It’s organized sothat there is only one way thedistance can be traversed.” The purpose is to extract thenatural leaders from the group,get them to take charge, and thenattempt to coach their respective

over the weekend.” Clarkson recalled that he had tomarch his group of participantswithout knowing exactly how todo it. “They just whispered whatI had to say as I marchedeveryone, so that I could buildthe confidence it takes to be incharge of a large group.” “Junior ROTC commanders fromhigh schools around the countryare sending their students on theLCW not just as a recruitmenttool, but because they want theirstudents to learn aboutleadership and skills incommunication andparticipation,” said NorwichAssociate Director of

“I saw how much of acommitment it was; howphysically tired I could expect tobe,” Clarkson said. “That was thefirst time I ever had an ‘in yourface’ experience at 5:30 a.m., Iwasn’t able to just roll over.” Wayan agreed. “(LCW) helpedme prepare for the physicaltraining. I didn’t realize it wasgoing to be so tough. I had to getin shape over the summer beforeI came (to Norwich).” “I didn’t think anything wasmisleading, it was actually prettystraightforward,” Clarkson said.“I went home with a positiveattitude about Norwich.” Weekend activities include aleadership reaction course (LRC),

group through the obstacle. “At the end (of the LRC) thereis a large group discussion as towhat the strengths andweaknesses of the leaders and thegroup were,” Chandler said.“(The students) have an idea asto what is expected from them asa leader or as a participant,should they be part of a groupproject in the future.” This fully packed and highlycreative curriculum can beoverwhelming, however, for analready anxious participant. “Even with all the explanationthey gave as to what to do, I stilldidn’t always know how to do it,”Clarkson said. “I had never doneanything like the activities we did

Recruitment, Guy Boucher. Some students who participatedin an LCW and then attendedNorwich choose to volunteer asleaders during an LCW. “I volunteered by helping set upthe obstacle courses and thenhad fun with physically trainingthe participants,” Wayan said.“As a group leader I helped thehigh school kids go whereverthey had to throughout theweekend, marching them andgiving them direction to areas oncampus.” “We look for cadets to have hadexperience as a participant onLCW,” Boucher said. “MostlyFreshmen volunteer; because itoffers them an opportunity to get

away form the (corps) for aweekend.” The freshmen help withoperations, setting up theactivities and transportingequipment. The upperclassmenare the counselors, leading thegroups to their respectiveactivities, answering the majorityof the participants’ questions,and running the morningphysical training. Clarkson didn’t volunteer withthe LCW but he fondly recalls theLCW experience. “After reflecting, I would be ableto see past the really tough partsof recruit year,” Clarkson said. Chandler said he observespositive changes in theparticipants by the end of theexperience. “I see a change in thestudents who are shy and quitewhen they arrive. By the end, theystep up, whether it is simplyfacing a fear or leading the marchto dinner.” “I also see a change in thestudents who come and act likethey are something special or thebest out of the group, by the endthey see that things are seriousat Norwich and that theuniversity does not respond tothat sort of attitude,” Chandlersaid. “The majority of students whoattend LCW leave with a clearerperspective on how tosuccessfully attend a four-yearcollege, whether it is Norwich ornot,” Boucher said. “LCW endswith a class on what militaryschools and universities ingeneral are looking for from highschool students. They learn howto make themselves a betterapplicant for the schools they’relooking at.” Chandler said the biggestchallenge is collaborating withthe university calendar. “Duringthe March LCW the wholefreshmen cadet class is going tobe on a field training exercise, soall the students who help withoperations for the weekend willbe gone.”

“I saw how much of a commitment it was;how physically tired I could expect to be.That was the first time I ever had an ‘in

your face’ experience at 5:30 a.m., I wasn’table to just roll over. I didn’t think anything

was misleading, it was actually prettystraightforward. I went home with a positive

attitude about Norwich.”-Clarkson-

FFFFFeb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007 55555The NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidon

CareerIt’s your future we’re

talking about....

Corner Facebook.com, myspace.com, and their ilk can be a fun way tomeet people, talk about issues or advertise events, but it can alsoaffect your career – positively or negatively. You can certainly use your accounts to highlight information youwish to share with employers, such as, job experience, volunteeractivities, academic accomplishments and so on. But most studentsare concerned about how these sites can adversely affect their jobopportunities. Brian Krueger, President of CollegeGrad.com, says that althoughsome employers are looking up potential candidates onFacebook.com and similar sites, even more are “googling” potentialemployees. Employers are also using the resume page of a candidateand then backtracking it to the person’s primary page, which maybe filled with all sorts of interesting tidbits about the potential hire. Because searching about a potential hire is so easy, Mr. Kruegerrecommends that any new job seeker clean up the personal websitesthey control. He also suggests you “google” yourself to see ifinformation or photos (yikes!) are posted on someone else’s site. Ifsomething less than professional is posted, politely ask theindividual to remove the information. Your future employer viewsyou as an extension of the company, a public projection of the typeof workers that the company employs. You need to make sure yourbackground is spotless. In the end, as Mr. Krueger says, “The rule is simple: If you don’twant information known about you (by an employer or anyoneelse), don’t post it online.” By taking personal responsibility foryour account(s), you can enhance your future career and make themost of this new opportunity.

See RING pg. 6

Confusion, contention arise over civilian ring design changesConfusion, contention arise over civilian ring design changesConfusion, contention arise over civilian ring design changesConfusion, contention arise over civilian ring design changesConfusion, contention arise over civilian ring design changesSTOLEN?

By Stephen RobitailleNorwich Guidon Staff Writer

It was just another day atNorwich for senior GregoryEstevez until he met up with PaulTrono, Balfour representative forthe junior class ring, and wasshown the pamphlet depictingthis year’s civilian class ring. “I was looking at (the pamphlet)and I saw the 1819 side was theexact side as the corps side,” saidEstevez, a 22-year-old criminaljustice major from Pelham, N.H.“The only difference was a ‘NU’symbol replacing the rook piece.” Estevez, a representative of theclass of 2007 corps ringcommittee, did not agree with the

civilians having the same 1819side as the corps. He objectedspecifically to the NUCC scroll,which represents the NorwichUniversity Corps of Cadets. As the civilian junior ringpamphlet circulated throughcampus, students wondered ifthis design was intentional or amiscommunication with thedesign team. “Some people are jumping toconclusions and gettingeverybody riled up,” saidNorwich Alumni Relations OfficerBill Passalacqua. “There is noneed to send out an alert toalumni or get the blogs going.” Starting last year, the civilianring committee worked on the

design for their ring and wantedto adopt a side similar to the corpsuniversity side. According to civilian ringcommittee member JohnWalthour, a 19-year-old computerengineer major from Grafton, N.H,there was an attempt to adopt asimilar version, but different.There was no rook piece or MCVgate on the civilian design of thering. “That symbolism wasintentionally removed to give thecorps their space,’ he said. “Whyit remained the NUCC, I do notknow.” Despite the oversight ofkeeping the NUCC scroll on thecivilian university side, thecommittee was unaware of thecorrect procedure, according toGen. Michael Kelley, VicePresident of Student Affairs andCommandant of the Corp ofCadets. “One of the things we failed todo was communicate to both thecivilian and corps ringcommittees that basically theuniversity owns the universityside,” Kelly said. “Any proposedchanges to the university sidehave to be vetted through(President Richard Schneider). Heis the only person who has theauthority to make that change.” The policy miscommunicationextended from the students onthe committee to their advisor

Martha Mathis, Norwich Dean ofStudents. Mathis said that since 1995 thecivilian students always wentwith their traditional 1995 design “The dean of students admitsguilt for the first time since 1995for not paying enoughattention,” Mathis said. “I ownup to it and it will not happenagain.” But the question still remains asto why this problem wasn’taddressed sooner since thecivilian ring committee decisionto adopt the corps university sideon their ring was made last year. “We have had this design forawhile and no one said anythingfor the longest time. This becamea problem for people a week agowhen the (civilian class ring)brochure came out,” said civilianring committee member GeoffreyAnkuda, a 21-year-oldcommunications and politicalscience double major from EastCalais, Vt. “That is when it wasbrought to our attention that wewould not be allowed use thatand that option is now off thetable.” Kelly said nobody knew of thecivilian intentions to change theuniversity side of the ring. “Sowhen the pamphlet came out, itwas opened and the changeswere observed and somebodysaid ‘how did we get there’?” Estevez brought this

Passalacqua’s attention as wellas to some members of theadministration “Friday, after this came to ourattention, Gen. Kelley met withcorps and civilian ring committeemembers and he said that thecadet 1819 side of the ring wouldnot be used for this year,”Passalacqua said. Kelley pointed out that it wasn’tthe disapproval of some corpsmembers that resolved thesituation, but rather the fact thatSchneider has the sole authorityto grant permission for changesto the university side of the ring. Kelley also distributed a writtenstatement which outlined thepolicy for making changes to theuniversity side of the ring so thatthis situation will not occur again. He further stressed that thedesign process was haltedbecause of improper procedureswhich had occurred. “The civilianstudents did not know theapproval process. This is (theadministration’s) issue for notkeeping them informed.” The civilian ring committee hasa meeting with Schneider onFriday to propose some moderatechanges to the 1995 version ofthe ring, according to AkhanAlmagambetov, a 19-year-oldcomputer engineer major fromSyracuse, N.Y.

66666 FFFFFeb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007The NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidon

RING from pg. 5

“We are looking to add an honor scroll on the eagle and ‘I Will Try’under the university seal to more closely reflect the university,”Almagambetov said, adding that such a change “is a fairapproach.” “This event has actually brought it to the table, andthat’s probably a good thing,” Passalacqua said.“And now it’s up to the corps members andcivilian students to come together and talkabout it.” What Kelley promotes is a universaluniversity side of the ring. “I do believe Norwich is oneuniversity with multiple lifestyles,”Kelley said. “So I want toembrace the fact that we haveone university and celebratethat with a university side.” Even though he is not acorps member, Ankudamaintains that “this isstill one university, andwhat is important are thechallenges and guidingvalues that arepresented by theuniversity. We havegone to school here forthree years and anyonewho goes to school herefor three years knowsthat it’s a challenge,regardless of your lifestyle. Almagambetov has a tightbond with corps members andhe said having one side is moremeaningful because he will recallhis corps fellow classmates andcivilians as being the same.However, he still understands thatcorps members may feel differentlybased on their experiences. But not all civilians and corpsmembers share the same enthusiasm forthe civilians adopting the corpsuniversity side of the ring. “I do not think (civilians should have thesame side) because 1819 is for the corps thathas been here the entire time,” said MichaelKiser, a 22-year-old communications major fromFly Creek, N.Y. “The civilians have only beenhere for a short amount of time, so why wouldthey put something on the ring that they did notdo?” To 21-year-old senior Raymond “Ray” Ferro, it is amatter of personal pride. “I think the ring is just a symbol,” he said. “What’smore important to me is my memories and knowingwhat I went through to earn it. It’s all what you wentthrough to earn it, not what other people did not gothrough.” For some, the ring should represent their experiences atNorwich, based on their choice of lifestyles.

“On the civilian side, having the NUCC would not work becausethey’re not in the corps,” said Mark Goldey, a 20-year-old

environmental science major from MontgomeryCounty, Md. “They do not deserve that side

because that is our side and we have workedfor that image.”

For David Whitworth, a 21-year-oldcriminal justice major from North

Andover, Mass., having to deal withrookie hair cuts, wearing a rook

cover, being yelled atthroughout freshman year,

and just the day-to-daystruggles of the corps is

why the two sides shouldbe kept separate.

“I think there is aNorwich experience.

The class that isgoing to graduate isthe class of 2007,but they sharesimilar and differente x p e r i e n c e sdependent upon(their) lifestyle,”said Passalacqua,who is a member ofthe class of 1988 andwas in the Corps of

Cadets. “When itcomes to the ring, the

ring should reflect yourexperience. The corps

experience is certainlydifferent from the civilian

experience and so the ringshould reflect that.

“So I as I look at the 1819 sideof the ring now, not only does it

have NUCC, but it has a lot ofmilitary iconic things on there; it is

very military oriented,” Passalacquasaid. “I do not think that quite reflects

what the civilian student bodyexperiences.”

Kelley and Passalacqua agreed thatthere were no bad intentions for the

civilians adopting more of the corpsuniversity side of the ring.

“I think we need to have an open discussionabout it,” Ankuda said.

“What I want to see is all of us to be respectfulof each other, realizing that there is tremendous

passion that is involved in both sides,” Kelleysaid. “But be respectful of each other as we work

our way through this process and realize that thereason we put a halt to the civilian ring process was

because the idea they came up with had not beenproperly vetted and a decision reached by the president

and that same stoppage would have occurred had thecorps adopted a change to the university side.”

FFFFFeb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007 The NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidon 77777

Norwich hosts Vermont high school studentNorwich hosts Vermont high school studentNorwich hosts Vermont high school studentNorwich hosts Vermont high school studentNorwich hosts Vermont high school studentbridge building competitionbridge building competitionbridge building competitionbridge building competitionbridge building competition

The Norwich Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers hosted the 13th

Annual NU Popsicle Stick Bridge Building Competition Feb. 3 in Cabot 85 for Vermonthigh school students. There was no limit to the number of teams that could represent eachhigh school. There was, however, a $20 entrance fee per team with a maximum of fourpeople per team. According to Norwich Engineering Professor Tom Descoteaux, the purpose of thecompetition is to “get high school students excited about engineering and to exposethose student to NU.” Student teams built bridges our of popsicle sticks, toothpicks, dental floss, and whiteglue with a maximum bridge weight of seven pounds. Each bridge was then tested forstrength. The bridges were judged on resistance factor, workmanship and originality.

BRIDGES!BRIDGES!BRIDGES!BRIDGES!BRIDGES!

Almagambetov photos

88888 FFFFFeb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007The NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidon

with mixed reactions to thegrading change, but theregistrar’s office has not receivedany positive or negative feedbackfrom students so far regarding thenew grading scale. There have, however, beenquestions raised by the faculty,“who realized that students got aC- and that wasn’t a C, so theydidn’t meet the thresholdrequired in some of theircourses,” Schmidt said. Under the new grading system,students must now earn a gradeof C or C+ in order to earn transfercredit and credit for core courses,those courses required for astudent’s major course of study.Students who earn a C- will notreceive credit for the requestedtransfer class or for their coreclass. This is a significant changefrom the former system where aC- grade did not exist. The change within the gradingsystem affects all students, but itcertainly impacts students whoare part of the Reserve OfficerTraining Corps (ROTC). If a student enrolled in ROTCreceives a grade of C-, thestudent can be given a“conditional event,” which isexplained on the Air Force ROTCINSTRUCTION 36-2019 (http://www.uc.edu/afrotc/documents/

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These two charts show the differences in grade distribution from calculations completed in fall 2005 and with the new plus/minussystem, which was implemented in 2006.

GRADING from pg. 1

This chartshows whatgrades and

grade pointsshould be

awarded underthe new syste.

AFROTCI%2036-2019.pdf.) “A conditional event must begiven when a scholarship/contracted cadet fails to meet

retention standards,” accordingto the website. “It may also begiven any time the commanderdeems it necessary. “A conditional event is amanagement tool used by thedetachment commander todocument substandardperformance by a contractedcadet,” the website explains. “If I get a C- and it is for a coreclass then I don’t (technically)pass the class,” said Keith

Peskosky, a 21-year-old juniorelectrical engineering majorfromEast Winter, N.J. “Then Iwouldn’t be graduating on time

and I’d have to make it up duringthe school year or stay up here.” In addition to being required toretake the class, an ROTC cadetcould put their commissioninggoals at risk. If the student receives more thanone conditional event, thedetachment commander candetermine that the cadet is unableto maintain retention standardsand may the commander maydisenroll them from the ROTC

program, according to thewebsite. Schmidt said he hasn’t made adecision yet about whether the

change in the grading systemgenerally helped or hurt studentsat Norwich. The registrar’s office has notbeen able to compile a list ofstudents on the Dean’s Listbecause there are still studentsin the system with “I” grades.

“It seems the negative affectis hurting me more than it’shelping me because I didn’t getany pluses,” said Ryan

Williams, a 20-year-old biologymajor from Hardwick, Vt. “I gotone minus and it kept me fromgetting theGPA that I wanted.” In Williams’ case, it was one-tenth of a point difference thatkept him from his GPA goal.

FFFFFebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007 ENTERTENTERTENTERTENTERTENTERTAIAIAIAIAINNNNNMENTMENTMENTMENTMENT 99999Entertainment Editor: Luis MoralesEntertainment Editor: Luis MoralesEntertainment Editor: Luis MoralesEntertainment Editor: Luis MoralesEntertainment Editor: Luis Moralesguidon@norwich.eduguidon@norwich.eduguidon@norwich.eduguidon@norwich.eduguidon@norwich.edu

The Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich Guidon

Activities sponsored by NUAC and S5

Feb. 16-17

Feb. 23 Meredith LeVandeCoffee House PerformerMilano 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 24 Meredith LeVandeLecture to kick-off Women’sHistory Month Dole 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 2 Mission ImprovableInteractive Comedy ShowDole 8 p.m.

Mar. 3 Comedian Rachel FeinsteinDole 8 p.m.

Mar. 23 Sigma Tau Delta JeopardyGameshow Dole TBA

Bobby

Feb. 23-24

What’What’What’What’What’s Happening At NU?s Happening At NU?s Happening At NU?s Happening At NU?s Happening At NU? Movies on CampusMovies on CampusMovies on CampusMovies on CampusMovies on Campus

Post-apocalyptic Shakespeare planned for Post-apocalyptic Shakespeare planned for Post-apocalyptic Shakespeare planned for Post-apocalyptic Shakespeare planned for Post-apocalyptic Shakespeare planned for Pegasus Pegasus Pegasus Pegasus Pegasus ProductionProductionProductionProductionProductionBy L A MoralesGuidon Entertainment Editor

This semester the NorwichUniversity Pegasus Playersare performing an unusualproduction of Shakespeare’sTwelfth Night. Instead of doing a moretraditional rendition of aShakespeare classic, Pe-gasus is shifting the timeperiod from one where thecharacters wear the funnyclothes most people arefamiliar with when they thinkof Shakespeare to leatherand other scraps scroungedin the desolate remains ofsociety. The reason for this depar-ture from the norm is the factthat students are responsiblefor constructing the scriptthis semester. In the class“Shakespeare for the Stage,”taught by English ProfessorHelen Caudill, students are

responsible foradapting the originaltext into somethingto be performed onthe Norwich stage. Modern adapta-tions ofShakespeare andother older worksare nothing new tothe world oftheater. Most ofsociety often has adifficult timerelating or under-standing the eventsor plot lines in olderworks. During discussions in thebeginning of the semesterinvolving the accessibility ofthe play and the Norwichaudience two options pre-sented themselves andalthough the class wasdivided once the propositionof a post-apocalyptic modernadaptation of the arose the

class eventually decided itwas the best route to go. There have been othersuccessful adaptations ofShakespeare, the mostsimilar to the Pegasusproduction being the filmShe’s The Man starringAmanda Bines. In that film

the story remainsalmost exactly thesame. Their method ofadaptation involvedcompletely redoing allof the language andcompletely changingthe setting from aforeign country at warto a High Schoolcampus. Because many peoplehave tried and failedmiserably when itcomes to changing thewords of the greatplaywright, the class istaking the direction of

the Baz Luhrmann Romeoand Juliet starring LeonardoDiCaprio and Claire Danes. The dialogue is stayingmostly in tact with the majorchanges being in cutting outirrelevant material andreplacing strange contractedwords to their non-con-tracted counterparts.

Part of the reason thatTwelfth Night has greatpotential for working in apost-apocalyptic version isthat it is Shakespeare’sdarkest comedy. Most of the comedy in theplay draws from the factthat a woman has disguisedherself as a man. Shesubsequently falls in lovewith the Duke while winningover the heart of the Duke’slove Olivia. To Furthercomplicate things Olivia alsohas two more suitors whoare trying to court her aswell. One of Olivia’s potentialhusbands is the character ofMalvolio. Malvolio is aPuritan and as such is hatedby the other characters inthe play for his puritanicalviews towards life as well ashis hatred of Olivia’sdrunken uncle Sir Toby. Toby, among a few others,tricks Malvolio into thinkingOlivia is in love with him.The ensuing events lead tohis being held in confinementfor lunancy and be the endhe is completely expelledaltogehter. It is unsure as of yet howthe Pegasus production willend and the set and cos-tumes also have yet to bedecided upon but the playseems to be progressingwell. The class is finding itdifficult trying tocollaboratively get a goodworking script done by thetimes the different acts arerun in rehersals but so farthey are managing very well. To fill out the rest of thesemester, after the show isperformed on April 12-14,the class is also working ona video project documentingthe process of turning ascript into a live show.

1010101010 Sports Editor: CSports Editor: CSports Editor: CSports Editor: CSports Editor: Cody Hatt &ody Hatt &ody Hatt &ody Hatt &ody Hatt &Amanda BensonAmanda BensonAmanda BensonAmanda BensonAmanda Benson

SPORTSSPORTSSPORTSSPORTSSPORTSThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonThe Norwich GuidonFFFFFebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007ebruary 15, 2007

By Jason HenikaNorwich Guidon Staff Writer

The All-Academy WrestlingChampionships were held at theAir Force Academy in ColoradoSprings, Colorado on Feb. 3. Norwich, Army, Navy, Air Force,Citadel, Virginia Military Institute,Coast Guard, and MerchantMarine attended and competedin the day-long sporting event. Richard Hasenfus, HeadWrestling Coach at NorwichUniversity, said that all of theacademies are prominent in theirown right. “Traveling to each one of themto wrestle is exciting,” Hasenfussaid. “All of the wrestlers get toexperience another militaryschool every year and wrestlepeople they might not normallyface throughout their regularseason.” According to the CitadelAcademy Website(www.citadelsports.com), “the

“You are out there and there isno pressure on you, so any

win you get is good,”Zane said. Michael Conklin, 23,a senior physicaleducation major fromTom’s River, NJ,agreed that it was atough tournament. “For a lot of ourwrestlers, it wastheir first time int h a t

environment,”Conklins a i d .

“It was quite a shock, but theyounger kids really liked seeingwhat it was all about.” Assistant Wrestling Coach PatHoward explained that themilitary events are the toughesttournaments Norwich competesin all year. “No other tournament we’vewrestle in had Div. I wrestlers init,” Howard said. “The opposing

wrestlers at the tournament arethe top 10 guys from everymilitary school in the wholecountry. So, since we are Div. III,we usually struggle to place inthe tournament.” Rick LaGrega, 22, a seniorcriminal justice major fromColchester, Conn., said that he“went to the tournament last yearand loved the experience becauseyou get to wrestle people who area lot better than you are.” “The actual technical andconditioning levels of opponentsat the tournament are much betterthan we are used to,” LaGregasaid. “Some of the wrestlers areranked top in the country for Div.I,” added Justin Perry, 19, afreshman criminal justice majorfrom Altoona, N.Y. “There was abig difference in wrestling styles,and referees were very lenient onpenalties. These teams were a lotmore physical and basically getthe job done.”

By Sean BurgessNorwich Guidon Staff Writer

The Norwich Women’s Rugby Team is going to the National Elite Eight Tournament.The team will be flying to Sanford, Fla., which is located outside Orlando, and competingon April 21-22. “Personally, it was a pretty awesome season for me being my final year,” said seniorcaptain Stephanie Hurley, 21, a criminal justice major from Brookfield, Mass. “Beingcaptain was an extra added touch to all the success we’ve been able to have.” The women’s team finished at the top of northeast bracket with a record of 9-1, theteam’s only loss coming from rival Bowdoin College, which also made the Elite Eightand will be going down to Florida as well. “We have the Elite Eight in Florida and depending on how we do, we can go to theFinal Four, which is held in California,” Hurley said. Never before has the women’s rugby team made it to the Elite Eight. To prepare, theteam has started an intense off-season program. “We just started a really intense lifting program and running twice a week,” Hurleysaid. “The coach is still going to add onto that.” The team is lifting four days a week, running twice a week, and practicing once aweek. As the weeks go on, more practices are going to be added, so the team can beprepared for upcoming scrimmages and tournaments. “We are going down to the Cherry Blossom Tournament two weeks before the EliteEight tournament,” said Ashley Lally, 20, a sophomore studies in war and peace major

from Sparta, NJ. “I think what coach wants us to do is focus on Div. I teams becausewhen you play better teams, you play better yourself.” The Cherry Blossom tournament is one of the biggest tournaments in the country.The team has a lot of preparing to do for the tournament. They will be playingseveral Div. I schools, and they are doing everything they can to get ready for it. “This is our first time lifting four days a week,”Lally said . “It’s good how we arestarting off slow and building our way up.” The biggest focus right now seems to be on the weight room and conditioning inorder for players to become stronger and faster for competitive play. “We haven’t had this much lifting in a while, but everyone is getting pumped aboutit,” said Charity Lake, 21, a senior biology major from Grantsburg, Wy. According to players, one of the problems that the team had last semester wasbeing able to make a good first initial hit when making tackles during the game. “The biggest thing that we have to work on is hitting harder,” said Sybil Taunton,20, a junior criminal justice major from Brentwood, Calif. “Hitting opponents firstand automatically letting them know who we are and slamming them from the get gois going to be huge.” Coach Austin Hall was very enthusiastic about his team the Elite Eight, especiallysince he has only been with the program for three years. “We are going to take it easy and slowly to get the ball rolling again,” Hall said.“Our first match is against Providence College, a Div. I team”.

NU Women’s Rugby prepares for Elite EightNU Women’s Rugby prepares for Elite EightNU Women’s Rugby prepares for Elite EightNU Women’s Rugby prepares for Elite EightNU Women’s Rugby prepares for Elite Eight

tournament featured eight militaryacademies and is rotated betweenthose schools each season.Preliminary rounds werescheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.and the finals were set for 5p.m.” Hasenfus said that thetournament was done in a firstclass manner. He said thatwrestling took placeall day, and wasthen followed bya formal banquetwith a speaker. “It was probablyour most relaxedtournament of the year and therewas not a lot expected of us,” saidBrian Zane, 22, a seniorpsychology major fromFranklinville, NJ. “You know youare going up against NCAADivision 1 wrestlers, which willbe tough, so it was mostly justabout experience,” Zane said.“The tournament was a goodtime.”

Norwich wrestling team competes at All-AcademyNorwich wrestling team competes at All-AcademyNorwich wrestling team competes at All-AcademyNorwich wrestling team competes at All-AcademyNorwich wrestling team competes at All-AcademyWrestling Championships at Air force AcademyWrestling Championships at Air force AcademyWrestling Championships at Air force AcademyWrestling Championships at Air force AcademyWrestling Championships at Air force Academy

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experienceexperienceexperienceexperienceexperienceanother militaryanother militaryanother militaryanother militaryanother military

school and wrestleschool and wrestleschool and wrestleschool and wrestleschool and wrestlepeople they mightpeople they mightpeople they mightpeople they mightpeople they mightnot normally facenot normally facenot normally facenot normally facenot normally facethroughout theirthroughout theirthroughout theirthroughout theirthroughout theirregular season.”regular season.”regular season.”regular season.”regular season.”

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1111111111FFFFFeb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007 The NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidon

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“We try to meet as many players“We try to meet as many players“We try to meet as many players“We try to meet as many players“We try to meet as many playersas we can so we can helpas we can so we can helpas we can so we can helpas we can so we can helpas we can so we can help

develop interest in ourdevelop interest in ourdevelop interest in ourdevelop interest in ourdevelop interest in ouruniversity.”university.”university.”university.”university.”----- McDougal-McDougal-McDougal-McDougal-McDougal-

Football Friday introduces new recruits to NU experienceFootball Friday introduces new recruits to NU experienceFootball Friday introduces new recruits to NU experienceFootball Friday introduces new recruits to NU experienceFootball Friday introduces new recruits to NU experienceBy Jason HenikaNorwich Guidon Staff Writer

Every Friday at 10 a.m., footballrecruits show up to the NorwichUniversity admissions office forFootball Friday. This is the designated weekdaywhen recruits are asked to visitcampus. Recruits have the opportunityto understand academics,athletics, and the university as awhole. The intent of Football Friday isto make the day for the recruit justlike it would be if he were astudent on campus, according toAssistant Football Coach LeoFanning. The entire recruiting process fora specific student begins aboutone year before the visitationevent occurs. This is a majorevent in getting the recruit tocommit to the school. It is thepinnacle of the entire recruitingprocess. “Football Fridays is really acombination of all the initial workand research. By now, we haveevaluated the young man’s gamefilm, and we have evaluated thepossibility of his acceptance intothe university,” Fanning said. “We now want to bring therecruit on campus so he can reallysee everything that we have beenmarketing to him, and that is thekey thing about Football Friday,”he said. “The recruiting process for thisyear started last year duringJanuary and December,” addedHead Football Coach ShawnMcIntyre. “The early processesare a lot of mailing questionnairesout and dealing with admissionsrequirements. There are a lot ofdifferent services where we areable to find the names of possiblerecruits.” According to Assistant CoachJason Lewis, after the footballseason ends, the coaches spenda month on the road visitingdifferent high schools. “It helps us put a name to a face,”Lewis said. “We get to physicallysee the player and possibly seehim play.”

“The big push for us is whenthe season ends, each coach hitsthe road for different regions ofthe northeast, and we go fromschool to school about four tofive schools a day,” addedAssistant Coach Bo McDougal.“We try to meet as many playersas we can, and learn as muchabout the region so we can tohelp develop interest in ouruniversity.” The states in which recruits aresought by the coaching squadi n c l u d eMaine, NewJ e r s e y ,Vermont, NewHampshire ,Massachusetts,Rhode Island,Connecticut,New York,Florida, Texas,Ohio, andothers acrossthe country. AssistantCoach David Roberson said that,after being on the road, thecoaches then work on gettingrecruits to apply to the university. According to the NorwichUniversity Website(www.norwich.edu), “once yourapplication has been submitted,the following items (unlessotherwise noted) must bereceived by the admissions officebefore your application can beconsidered for acceptance:transcripts, test scores, personal

essay, and recommendations allby the semester deadline whichwas Feb. 1.” “Recruits need to have acompleted packet to getaccepted to the university,”McIntyre said. “We then inviteall the young men that we areactively recruiting to camp tocome over to the university for afull day visit.” “Football Fridays usuallyinvolve the recruit coming up tothe university at 10 a.m. to

admissions with their parents, butsome kids come alone,” Lewissaid. “We do a presentation withthe Vice President of Enrollment,Dean Karen McGrath, as well asMike Yesalonia, the Director ofAthletic Recruiting.” The next step of the day is forPaula Gills, the Director ofLearning Support Center, whoexplains the role of the LearningSupport Center. After the presentations by theadministrators, coaches take therecruits to dine in the cafeteria.

“After lunch, we take them on atour of the campus, during whichwe try to get them to meet withthe department head or aprofessor from the departmentthey want to major in,” Robersonsaid. “The department headsand professors sit down andexplain what the demands are forthat major and what kinds ofthings will be ahead in thefuture.” “Our professors do a wonderfuljob, and we are very fortunate that

they will sit downand talk to arecruit about theirparticular interestin that particulararea,” McIntyresaid. “Theydescribe thea c a d e m i cprogram, therequirements forit, what youwould need to doto graduate from

that program.” Roberson explained thatfollowing their academicmeetings, the recruits and their

families have a meeting withMcIntyre. He said that the meeting is anopportunity for the recruits andtheir families to ask questionsabout any aspect of theuniversity. In addition, the recruits spendtime with student-athletes whoare current members of the CadetFootball program. Lewis explained that recruits andplayer hosts are paired up basedupon similarities, such aspossible high schoolconnections, academic majors,and personality traits. “A big part for us is getting themto spend time with the players,”Lewis said. “I think it is importantfor them to talk to the players.” “When recruits actually comeup, take the school in, meet thepeople who have an actual impacton the school, and meet the guysthey could potentially play withand live with, that’s where it allhappens,” McIntyre said.“That’s where your decisions aregoing to actually be made.”

1212121212FFFFFeb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007eb. 15, 2007 The NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichThe NorwichGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidonGuidon

By Andrew DaltonNorwich Guidon Staff Writer

The NU women’s hockey teamwill officially be a varsity teamnext season and look to finishthis season strong. A birth to thenational tournament among clubteams will help their team nextyear against varsity teams.

Shana Ahearn was a standouton the ice last season forNorwich University’s WomenIce Hockey Team. This year sheearned an “A” on the jersey foran Assistant Captain because ofher stellar performance last year.

Through the first half of theseason Ahearn was unable toplay in all except one game.

The 20-year-old sophomorepsychology major has comeback strong in the second half

of the season. Her presence alongwith two other starters has beennoticeable, through the first eightgames of the season NU was 2-5-1 looking for their identity. Sincereturning from Winter Break,Norwich has won 10 in a row, andare looking for more.

The Ashburnham, Mass. nativeis attempting to lead theWomen’s Hockey team into thepost season and a nationaltournament which the NUWomen missed last year.

“Hopefully we keep playinghard and winning games andmake it to the post season andgo as far as we can,” she said.

Currently the NU Women’sHockey Team stands at 12-5-1according to www.norwich.edu/athletics/whockey and as of thelast poll on www.achahockey.org(ACHA) updated Feb. 2, 2007they are number 14.

Kate Barrett, a 20-year-old juniorcommunications from Northfield,Vt., was another player whomissed most of first half of theseason.

“I’m glad to be part of the teamagain and playing,” she said.“While we could not play ingames we were able to practice,and [not playing] made me feellike an outsider to the team, soit’s great to be back in thatatmosphere.”

Elisa LaRoche, a 19-year-oldfreshman athletic training majorfrom Westford, Mass., said thatAhearn’s presence in the line uphas been essential to the defenseof the women’s team.

“We’ve now won 10 games in arow, and that is great for theteam,” she said. “When therankings came out we werecurrently 14th in the nation. Afterplaying Penn State and winning

both those games it should moveus up in the rankings,” said KateLeupp a 19-year-old freshmanpsychology major from SouthBurlington, Vt.

“Winning 10 in a row hasboosted our confidence, andshown us what we can do. Wework hard and focus and I thinkour team chemistry has improvedtremendously especially amongall the lines,” LaRoche said.

Ahearn and Barrett both saidthe team has come together. Theycite the chemistry on the icewithin the lines, especially the lineof Sophie LeClerc, Annie DeVitoand Katie Leupp.

“I cannot take any credit for myrecent play. I have to give thecredit to my team for playing suchincredible defense and creatingso much offense to keep the puck

out of the opponent’s hands.They have made my job reallyeasy,” LaRoche said.

With four games remainingbefore the national tournament,NU controls their future.“Hopefully, we’ll make thenational tournament, becausethey take the top 12,” Leuppsaid. “I think team has reallypulled together during thesecond half of the season and Iexpect us to keep winninggames.”

“Hopefully we’ll keep winningand make the nationaltournament. I think we’re goingto end up strong and win goinginto nationals,” Barrett said.

LaRoche agreed with herteammates, but emphasizedwinning the remaining games onthe schedule to help theirchances to get in the top 12.

NU women’s hockey fights to becomeNU women’s hockey fights to becomeNU women’s hockey fights to becomeNU women’s hockey fights to becomeNU women’s hockey fights to becometop-ranked varsity team for 2007 seasontop-ranked varsity team for 2007 seasontop-ranked varsity team for 2007 seasontop-ranked varsity team for 2007 seasontop-ranked varsity team for 2007 season

Norwich women’s hockey player #24, Melissa Bocash, goes for the goal against Bates College on Feb. 11. Norwich won 7-1. (Luczkow photos)