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:The UMass Lowell
Connector
is a non-profit student public forum serving theUniversity of Massachusetts Lowellcommunity. The paper is publishedweekly and distributed free to the uni-versity community every Tuesday.Business hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,Monday through Friday.Please be aware that members of theUniversity community are entitled toone free newspaper per week.Additional copies are available at $5each at the newspaper office.All UMass Lowell students, regardlessof major, are invited to join the
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adver-tisements reach an estimated 15,000UMass Lowell students--their friendsand families. To tap this group of futurehigh-income earners, contact ourAdvertising Manager at 934-5009.
DEADLINE for ALL advertising (TOINCLUDE STUDENT ORGANIZA-TIONS and ADMINISTRATIVEOFFICES OF THE UNIVERSITY) isTuesday, 12 p.m. for the followingTuesday’s publication. No exceptionswill be made. Late submissions WILLNOT be accepted.
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Volume 86, Number 26December 11, 2007Published by the students of the University of Massachusetts Lowell
ADDRESS
McGauvran Student UnionSuite 671 Wilder StreetLowell, MA 01854Student Publications Board
ADVISOR
Dennis Shaughnessy
PHONE FAX
978.934.5009978.934.3031The UMass Lowell Connectorcovers issues relevant andinteresting to UML students.Faculty, staff and communitymembers are welcome read-ers, but the newspaper iswritten for students.The Connector strives to bean objective, unbiased andaccurate source for campusnews and events. Should youhave any questions or com-ments, please contact TheUMass Lowell Connector at(978) 934-5009.
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John CoburnBryanne CornellTim DonovanMike GormleyEric HowesTim MahoneyShawn MassakDerek MatiasMatthew McKennaThomas MichaudBridget MittlerJessica ProvanDevonne SuttonAlan Verly
Cougar joins woman in hot tub
DEADWOOD, S.D. -- A relaxing soak in a hot tub came to an abrupt end when Marlene Todd came eye to eye with a mountainlion in her backyard. "I was kind of hidden, sitting with my back up against the side of the tub, and I heard a little rustling soundin the needles right beside me," she said. Todd said she thought it might have been her house cat until she saw "this big, tan, hairybody" just 4 inches away. "I didn't realize what it was until it took a leap and jumped up on the side of my hot tub," Todd said. Thecougar was cornered somewhat because the deck stairs blocked its retreat. It would have to go up and over the hot tub. "It just tooka leap. It jumped on the side of the hot tub," Todd said of the Thursday morning encounter. "We locked eyes, and it kicked off of the hot tub and ran away. When it jumped, it flipped my robe into the hot tub." She summoned Deadwood police, who surmisedthe big cat was stalking some deer in the neighborhood and may have been attracted to the warmth of the hot tub on the frostymorning. "Now I know what a goldfish feels like when the cat is staring in its bowl," Todd said.
Man breaks record for getting hit by car
CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. -- Matthew McKnight hopes nobody manages to top his feat in the Guinness Book of World Records.That's because McKnight holds the record for "Greatest Distance Thrown in a Car Accident" in the book's 2008 edition. The 29-year-old record-holder lived to tell about being thrown 118 feet by a car that hit him while traveling about 70 mph. He was struckon Oct. 26, 2001, while trying to help accident victims along Interstate 376 in Monroeville, about 15 miles east of Pittsburgh.He suffered two dislocated shoulders plus a broken shoulder, pelvis, leg and tailbone. He spent two weeks in the hospital and 80days in rehab before returning to work in April 2002. McKnight is a volunteer firefighter and paramedic, though he wasn't on dutywhen he stopped to help the accident victims. He works full-time as a communications specialist at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Horse survives plunge into pool
DORSET, Vt. – A horse was rescued after accidentally taking an icy plunge in a swimming pool. Jet, a 6-year-old quarter-horse,walked onto the frozen in-ground pool on Thursday and broke through six inches of ice into about 3 1/2 feet of water, becomingtrapped. "It just looked like a meadow to him, and he stepped on the ice," said his owner, Janet Waite. The animal shook uncon-trollably and was losing strength as several rescue attempts failed, according to Vermont State Police Cpl. Gary Shuhart, whoresponded to the incident after being flagged down by a passerby. Finally, rescuers broke the ice in a corner of the pool and got arope around the horse's neck, pulling him to safety and wrapping him in a blanket. He was taken to a veterinarian and treated fora cut to his left hind leg.New Hampshire residentshave long held the phrase “livefree or die” as their state’smotto, but rarely does anynotion of this apply to collegeeducation. This is especiallytrue for those wishing to studyout of state. Soon, however,the financial burden willlessen for certain NH residentswishing to attend school atUML.Under a new ProximityRegional Rate, students livingwithin 20 miles of UML willbe able to receive a discounton tuition and fees starting inthe fall of 2008. This reductionwill result in a tuition of $14,173, as opposed to thestandard out-of-state price of $20,559 (these figures arebased on 2007-2008 rates).Graduate students will alsobenefit, paying approximately$2000 less per semester.“This program also allows usoffer the high quality pro-grams at UML tostudents who right here in our‘backyard’ in southern NewHampshire,” said Director of Outreach and RecruitmentMichael Belcher in a writtenstatement.There are, however, a fewrestrictions to the program.Any incoming student whowishes to benefit from theProximity Program must becommuter students for theirfirst semester. After this point,they are free to apply for on-campus housing. Current stu-dents who are from these com-munities will see the reductionin their bills starting next fall,regardless of whether or notthey were ever a commuterstudent.This discount is available tostudents in the following com-munities: Nashua, Salem,Derry, Londonderry, Hudson,Merrimack, Pelham, Atkinson,Windham, Hollis, Brooklineand Litchfield.Of the aforementioned com-munities, however, afew (Derry,Londonderry,Merrimack, and Litchfield)will only benefit from thereduced rate if they choosedegree programs that are notoffered at UNH Manchester.This scheme may seem famil-iar for students aware of theNew England RegionalProgram, which lets studentsattend out-of-state colleges ata reduced price if no stateinstitutions offer their desiredprogram of study. In fact, it isthe New England RegionalStudent Program which is par-tially responsible for the cre-ation of the ProximityProgram.As part of the effort to attractout-of-state students, UML hascoupled the new rates with tie-ins to local communities.Discussions with guidancecouncilors in the affected com-munities, as well as newspaperand radio advertisements,serve to raise awareness aboutthis new offering. With anyluck, these will be successful,and UML will see a newinrush of out-of-state students.
A proximate education
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Only six nurse practitioners roam the rooms inthe mezzanine of the McGauvran StudentUnion Building, but on any given day there areonly two or three present.There is no PhD on-hand, although there is aconsultant doctor available by phone.Currently there are five nursing students whowork with Health Services, but that varies.Students complain about the time it takes tomake an appointment, the waiting room down-time, and the perturbing immunization holdson academic accounts. But Health Service offi-cials say they do not have much of a choice.They are following state mandates in terms of the immunization holds.As Health Service Director NancyQuattrocchi put it: “The University could befined if we don’t obey the law. Our job is toobey the law.”The services they provide should not be con-fused with an emergency room or even a full-fledged hospital for that matter. Students areencouraged to schedule appointments before-hand, and not just walk in and expect service.The staff follows a rigid, pre-set timelineeveryday.Students filled out a survey last spring.Quattrocchi said hundreds of surveys werecompleted and only one had a dissenting com-ment. That student required a specialist andwanted the University to provide them withone.Health Services closes at 4:30 p.m. onTuesdays though Fridays. They are open until 7p.m. on Mondays. Of the six nurses on staff,two are full-time and salaried (includingQuattrocchi).Total hours of nurses on hand versus the con-stant needs of the students may prove incon-gruous. But the nurses do their best to write outprescriptions, provide GYN services, give outimmunizations, and order X-rays. Quattrocchisays that there are about 20-25 student visitsper day, sometimes more, but rarely less.Maureen McMullen, who has her doctorate innursing, spends about four hours a week at theUMass Lowell Health Services Facility.
The service of Health Services
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The above map shows the towns in Rockingham andHillsborough counties that will qualify for thediscount.
ALEX GINGERICH/CONNECTOR
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