Tobacco Paying For Shelf Space In Stores

So I work at a convenience store, where we have to keep some tobacco products on the shelves because the company pays for the shelf space. But there in the almost 2 years I have worked there I have never seen anyone express any interest in the brand. In fact the brands, that include Klondike and Longhorn smokeless tobacco, Lucky Strikes cigarettes, Doral cigarettes, as well as other brands of cigarettes and smokeless tobaccos. But our store has to keep them on the shelves because the company pays for the space. But even if someone wanted to try and buy them one day, some are out of code/out of date. Because some retailers are afraid to take the product off shelves to send back to the company for new product. It costs money all around for a non-selling product (at least in that store/area). But why still carry the product? Why still pay for the space?

In an article published by US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, entitled

Tobacco point‐of‐purchase promotion: examining tobacco industry documents, states, "Tobacco companies pay financial incentives to encourage retailer cooperation in three major areas: posting point‐of‐sale advertising and signage; providing point‐of‐sale product displays; and providing pricing and promotional incentives to consumers. According to the Federal Trade Commission's Cigarette Report for 2003, tobacco companies in the United States had a total combined advertising and promotional budget in excess of $15 billion in 2003, and the largest proportion of this spending was allocated to the retail setting. Tobacco companies allocated 1.1% ($165 million) to point‐of‐sale advertising and 8.1% ($1.2 billion) to promotional allowances for retailers (that is, to encourage retailers to carry specific brands as part of their product inventory and to encourage point‐of‐sale product displays of these brands). A whopping 71.4% ($10.8 billion) was allocated to retail price discounts. A further 4.5% ($677 million) was allocated to providing bonus cigarettes as part of retail‐value‐added promotions, and 0.1% ($20 million) was allocated to non‐cigarette bonuses as part of retail‐value‐added promotions. In total, this means that 85.2% of all advertising and promotional spending in 2003 was allocated to various types of incentives at the retail level (compared to only 65.6% of the $5.6 billion expenditure in 1997).

In order to secure prime display space for a product, it is a relatively common marketing practice among all types of manufacturers to pay slotting allowances or slotting fees to retailers. Tobacco companies engage heavily in this practice and commonly pay slotting allowances or slotting fees in order to obtain preferred point‐of‐sale display space in retail stores, more enticing displays, and more competitive retail prices.

Several studies have examined the use of tobacco point‐of‐sale ads and displays at the retail level in the United States, and have found both advertising and product displays to be highly prevalent. In a 1991 study of 61 stores in Buffalo, New York, the average number of product displays varied from 4.3 per store for privately owned grocery stores to 7.8 per store for chain convenience stores selling gasoline. A state‐wide study of 590 stores in California in 2001 found that 85% of all product displays were within 4 feet of the checkout counter and 11% of all stores had exterior signs that exceeded the size limit specified under the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). A Massachusetts study found a shift toward signage on retail exteriors after the MSA. A study of 3462 stores across the United States found significant increases in the use of tobacco advertising both inside and outside of retail stores in 1999, when compared to the situation before the MSA implementation of the billboard tobacco advertising ban, indicating that point‐of‐sale advertising had grown in importance.

Given the large number of people that have intentions to quit, retail outlets may provide a means for tobacco companies to provide timely product purchase cues to would‐be quitters. Consequently, the retail setting may present relapse challenges for quitters. This suggests that the point‐of‐sale environment may be important to tobacco companies as a means of reaching would‐be quitters with a tempting reminder.
Several studies have found that cigarette point‐of‐sale advertising and marketing materials are more prevalent in stores where adolescents shop frequently.  Youth who are “experimenters” with tobacco are more likely than other youth to report exposure to tobacco marketing in stores. The use of self‐service tobacco displays appears to increase youth access to tobacco, both through shoplifting and through illegal sales to youth. The type of cigarette advertising found at the point‐of‐sale has the potential to influence adolescents to view users of particular cigarette brands in a more favorable light. This suggests that the point‐of‐sale environment presents a place where youth are exposed to tobacco marketing to a significant and influential degree." (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2563651/)


In fact Phillip Morris' website, they offer intensives "Retail Leaders is a merchandising program that is designed to create retailer alignment with PM USA by offering incentives to best present our brands to adult smokers. Retail Leaders is developed on the following category management principles, each of which is designed to help retailers best meet the preferences of adult cigarette smokers:

• Present PM USA’s brands in the best positions
• Allocate merchandising space according to the company’s share
• Clearly communicate price and promotional offers
• Prevent cigarette access to underage purchasers 

Our trade program has a variety of merchandising options for retailers to choose from. These options are designed to offer retailers flexible choices to best meet the needs of each store. Retail Leaders includes several features to help prevent underage access to tobacco products and to manage the category in a responsible manner. The Food and Drug Administration regulates the marketing and sale of cigarettes at retail, including requiring retailers to merchandise cigarettes in a non-self-service manner.

However, in addition to requiring that retailers comply with applicable laws and regulations, the Retail Leaders program also requires retailers to take additional measures that are not mandated by federal law, including:

• training store personnel who sell tobacco products using We Card^® or equivalent training;
• displaying We Card or equivalent signage;
• using an age verification tool;
• placing retail signage that tells adults not to buy tobacco products for kids; and
• adhering to the Master Settlement Agreement.

To encourage retailers to take further responsible retailing measures, we offer additional financial incentives to retailers who refrain from placing any cigarettes, cigarette signs or brand imagery associated with cigarettes on top of or below the front of the selling counter that is closest or in front of the primary location in which cigarettes are merchandised. The Retail Leaders Program also includes limits on the location, size and the amount of PM USA interior and exterior signs at retail." (http://www.philipmorrisusa.com/en/cms/Products/Cigarettes/Marketing_Sales/Retail_Stores/default.aspx)

Despite all of that, I don't think if a product sells, at all, not one tin, pack, etc, it is just taking up space on retailers' shelves.

Stalking linked to social media

Imagine this scenario: A group of students meet at a friend’s house looking at every inch of someone’s Facebook page, scrutinizing every detail while sending unwanted messages. It’s not the first time this week. In fact, they have read through this person’s profile and have contacted them on multiple occasions this month.

Many adults, college students and even teenagers, do not realize that the Internet and use of websites, such as Facebook can be used as tool for stalking.

The Women’s Center at Southern has resources and connections available for students, faculty and staff to help if they think they have fallen victim to stalking and are in need of support.
“A lot of people have Facebook, Myspace and Foursquare pages, but they don’t even know that it could be used in a form of stalking,” said Maayra Nieves, a student worker for the Woman’s Center.
Stalking doesn’t have to be confined to simply following the person and taking pictures of them. In fact, according to the National Victims of Crime’s website, it recognizes that technology is used as a tool to stalk a person.

“One in four victims report being stalked through the use of some form of technology [email or instant messaging]” according to the National Victims of Crime’s website.

A good amount of students on Southern’s campus file through the Woman’s Center doors in a given month for various support with various topics, according to Nieves.

“You’ll be surprised, since it is such a big campus. About four or five students come to the Woman’s Center per month,” said Nieves

At an information table set up in the Adanti Student Center on Feb. 1, pamphlets, signs and posters lined the table for those who are interested in the Women’s Center and its events this semester.
Nieves, one of those working at this table, said there are upcoming events to make students aware of subjects such as stalking, eating disorders and sexual assaults.

She said most of the students that come through the Women’s Center’s doors for help are usually handled solely by the supervisor of the center. The staff of the Women’s Center does keep information confidential if a student requests it, such as in a case of a sexual assault. Nieves said the staff cannot violate someone’s word if they expressed certain feelings.

“If a woman comes in for a sexual assault, we contact our supervisor,” said Nieves. “If the student doesn’t want us to contact, our supervisor handles it on her own.”

The Women’s Center website giving suggestions and steps for friends, family members, and those surrounding people who have fallen victim to stalking, as well as other crimes.

“Tell someone. It is important that family and friends are aware of the stalker’s behavior for your safety and theirs,” according to Southern’s website.

Stalking, sexual assault, as well as other crimes and conditions, can safely be reported. The Women’s Center also has resources to help a student who reaches out.


http://thesouthernnews.org/2012/02/09/stalking-linked-to-social-media/

Students on campus learn about Karma

What a person puts out into the world, karma always pays back to that person. As the saying goes, “what goes around, comes around.”

During Gear Up For Life Series: Gear Two–life decisions and the concept of karma were addressed. The program is the second installment in a “life series” hosted by Southern’s Counseling Center. It is designed to help show students how to approach different life situations.

“Paying those choices–paying our dues. Every action has a reaction,” said Denise Zack an LPC in the Counseling Center.

Zack, with some help from an intern, started the program to “send a message” to Southern students about life, relationships and coping skills. The karma workshop is part two of 11. One point made in the workshop is that karma is made up of choices people have made in life, which broaden the horizons for future choices.

If something negative is put out, one thing a person can expect is negative karma in return. In fact it can come in all forms and will pay a person back when the situation is fitting.

“Karma isn’t always immediate,” said Carly Weiland, an intern counselor in the Counseling Center. Weiland also helped Zack put together and carry out the series about life.

Sir Isaac Newton had a law that stated that every action has a reaction. The choice a person makes has its consequences. Choices like what school you go to, what major you choose, even the choice to live on campus as opposed to commuting-they all have different outcomes. Others may believe that karma is about living life a specific way as opposed to specific actions and their subsequent consequences.

“Karma is about how a person goes about living their life that makes a difference, not so much about what you get in return, as opposed to a specific lifestyle,” said Brian Harris, a student at Housatonic Community College.

Harris spoke about how people’s goals and aspirations are acquired either on their own or from friends, family or society, and these goals and aspirations dictate how they fulfill their lives. He was also talking about how some people, in modern western society, make certain choices, like what major to go into or even a college choice because that person may want a specific outcome from his or her life. Thus, people are living their lives a certain way while expecting certain outcomes.

Harris’s point correlates to Weiland and Zack’s presentation because when a person makes a decision he or she should “take a step back and see if it makes ‘me’ happy.” In other words, if a choice makes a person happy or those around them happy, then the person can usually tell whether that is the right choice.

“You are a result of your choices,” Weiland and Zack both agreed.

http://thesouthernnews.org/2012/02/16/students-on-campus-learn-about-karma/

SCSU adopts gender-neutral housing

Southern recently adopted a new form of housing for students. Gender-neutral housing is for any student who identifies within the LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning and Intersex) community.

President of Southern’s Prism Club (or Gay Straight Alliance), Kelsey Christian, supports gender-neutral housing. Christian said she thinks it is better than some of the other “alternatives” for student housing. Russ Smith of Residence Life at Southern petitioned to get the housing started, and it’s the second semester it’s been at Southern, according to Christian.

“It’s safer than having someone who identifies within the LGBT community to be in the ‘straight-line dorms,’” Christian said. “Sharing the bathrooms with a bunch of people who are the same ‘birth sex’ as you are—you [the student] will feel uncomfortable, and you couldn’t really be you in the bathrooms.”

There is currently only one room set aside at Southern; it is located in Schwartz residence hall. However, Christian said that “all the upperclassmen residence halls like Neff, Brownell, Schwartz, and the townhouses are eligible to have gender-neutral housing.”

Smith, hall director for West Campus and advisor of Southern’s Prism, and Robert Demezzo from Residence Life started gender-neutral housing.

Christian said iif a student is interested in gender-neutral housing they can’t be in straight-line dorms like Farnham Hall because each floor is just one sex. For example, the second floor in Farnham Hall is just for women and everyone on the floor shares the same bathroom.

“A situation may arise where a person who identifies as transgendered or even lesbian, gay, or bisexual may have a ‘safety risk’ using the bathrooms,” Christian said. “Also in straight-lines you’re assigned to the floor with people who are the same ‘birth sex’ as you, even if you are considered to be ‘transgendered.’”

There are also three other colleges/universities in Connecticut that offer this type of housing: Wesleyan University, UConn, and a pilot program at Yale. Some of the other colleges and universities run their gender-neutral housing programs very differently than Southern does.

Nikki Cole, a representative for UConn’s department of Residential Life, said that for “whoever is eligible to reside on-campus at UConn who indicates interest in this option, we ask students on the housing application if they’re interested in gender-free housing.”

In contrast, Southern requires a student to talk to Counseling Services. If Counseling Services approves the student, they then have to go through a few people in Residence Life to start the housing process.

“Gender-free housing [at UConn] is located in a group of rooms located near each other within Garrigus Suites on-campus,” Cole said. “These suites are comprised of two bedrooms linked together through the bathroom. Three students reside in each room and all six residents share the bathroom in the suite.”

However, this year is Southern’s first year having housing designated for LGBTQI students, or anyone who feels they need the space.

“UConn has had this type of housing since 2007-2008,” Cole said. “Department of Residential Life started this option with one suite for a group of five students who were interested in gender-free housing. This pilot was a success and we expanded our gender-free housing option.”
One of the restrictions set forth by Southern’s department of Residence Life and Counseling Services is that Southern students cannot choose who they prefer to room with if they want gender-neutral housing. All other Southern students who are not interested in this housing get to pick who they want to room with.

To contrast, “Students [at UConn] submit their interest in gender-free housing on their housing application. We’ll pull a list of continuing students who have expressed interest in this option and ask them if they have any specific roommate requests,” Cole said. “We’ll assign them in gender-free housing according to their roommate requests, and they’ll receive the assignment information in gender-free housing prior to housing selection. Students do not need to identify within the LGBTQI community to reside in gender-free housing on-campus.”

Wesleyan is also one of the few universities across the country that offers some type of gender-neutral housing.

Fran Koerting, the director of housing at Wesleyan University, said students can “choose who they would like to live with,” but it has to be on the university’s “housing preference form.”

“Students are able to choose who they want to live with regardless of gender after their first year. It is only necessary for first-year students,” Koerting said. “On the housing preference form, we explain that students will be paired with a roommate based on legal sex. If they prefer to not be paired according to this policy, all they need to do is check a box that says they are requesting an exception. Students may be placed in any of our first-year housing; we have not designated specific rooms for students who have requested gender-neutral housing.”

http://thesouthernnews.org/2012/03/19/scsu-adopts-gender-neutral-housing/

SCSU resources offer women’s health information

Planned Parenthood’s funding hangs in the balance as some adults, both young and old, may choose to use alternative methods and resources to ensure that their needs are taken care of if Planned Parenthood can no longer offer the services at its current or previous rates.

Southern’s campus offers a Women’s Center, the Men’s Initiative, and the campus health center to assist students. But how many students take advantage of these on-campus resources verses Planned Parenthood or their own doctor?

“Being a student here for the last four years, I can honestly say the only resource I’m aware of that deals with anything medically is the Health Services building,” student Kelsey Christian said. “I’m not certain if they offer any options towards pregnancies, and in the event that they don’t, I think that’s when I’d go to Planned Parenthood. I know the Women’s Center exists but I’ve never been to any programs.”

Christian also said while Planned Parenthood gained a “bad reputation” in association with abortions, she praised the organization for what else they do, such as STI and HIV testing.

“Planned Parenthood is an incredible organization that surprisingly offers more options besides abortions,” she said. “I think they’re fighting to gain their light back as a respectable organization on campus and that the support for them and funding from the university needs to increase.”
Maayra Nieves, a student as well as a worker in the Women’s Center, explained how the Woman’s Center handles student pregnancies versus how Planned Parenthood may handle the issue.

“All the information they have at Planned Parenthood we have at the center,” she said. “We have all the resources and contact information for different situations. If a girl gets pregnant or a guy gets a girl pregnant, we set them up with counseling free at SCSU for students, give them information and contact information and work with them to make appointments. We do not have birth control; however the health center on campus provides it with a co-pay if you have SCSU insurance. We work closely with Planned Parenthood so we try our best to do what we can.”

In addition, Southern’s website states that the Women’s Center and the Men’s Initiative “aim to empower and educate the campus and local community on gender issues.”

Cory Sharnick, a 21-year-old Southern student, said he thinks that places like the Women’s Center are a good thing, but may be more useful if they had multiple locations around campus.

“I think that SCSU offers excellent resources for students to understand STDs and how to prevent sudden parenthood,” Sharnick said. “Both the Women’s Center and D.A.R.C. [Drug and Alcohol Resource Center] in Schwartz Hall are educational and effective in my opinion. They may become more effective centers if multiple locations are offered around campus.”

Planned Parenthood as well as campus resources, like the Women’s Center, are there to assist students if the issues of STIs, sudden pregnancies and sexual assault should occur. Students are not alone and not without resources from the campus or the surrounding community.

http://thesouthernnews.org/2012/03/28/scsu-resources-offer-womens-health-information/

Social media creates new career opportunities

In a society where Facebook now has millions of active users and Twitter has recently come onto the map as a social networking tool, many alumni and current students from Southern have made a career in marketing and advertising through various social media mediums.

Some jobs alumni currently have simply did not exist upon their graduation approximately five or more years ago.

On March 28, a panel was held, compiled of Southern alumni whose careers currently have something to do with social media, as well as a panel of current students who already get paid somehow for their social networking experiences. This event was entitled “Nuclear Explosion of Social Media & Advertising.”

Danielle Consiglio, who is a graduate from Southern with a degree in communication, now is a social and mobile implementation manager at Madison Square Garden. She was on the event’s “professional panel.”

Consiglio said, “Five years ago my job didn’t exist. But I made a career out of social media.”

Social media has evolved and changed drastically in past years, from having websites and services, such as, America Online (AOL), Myspace and now Facebook and Twitter. Some of the websites and services, much like Myspace, have become more obsolete in recent years, giving way to other social networking websites.

For example, in 2011 alone, Facebook reported that it “had 845 million monthly active users at the end of December 2011.”

In other words, social networking has become a daily existence in the lives of many across the globe, now creating jobs that didn’t exist in the past five years.

Consiglio said, “Five years ago I would have rolled my eyes and laughed in your face if you had told me I would make a career in social media.”

Justin Leslie, who is also a graduate from Southern and now holds a sports and entertainment position at Mohegan Sun, was also on the “professional panel.” He does press releases, schedules interviews, as well as monitors clips for the Casino.

“Even in a bad economy, we’re creating positions for this kind of industry,” Leslie said.
Leslie also said how important he believes having a “good, strong resume” is important in today’s economy.

“In the past month we added five new positions to our social media department,” Leslie said. “That’s in addition to the thirty we already had.”

On the other hand, Kierstin Pry, also an alumna from Southern, graduating with a communication degree, was on the “professional panel.” She is the executive sales planner for TLC for Discovery Communications.

“In the past month we grew two times the rate of Facebook, keeping up with social media,” Pry said.
Pry also said how in today’s economy, those in the marketing and advertising departments want to spend “the same or less ‘ad dollars’ with the same or greater bang for their buck.” As a result, those advertisers will turn to social media.

While Facebook has 845 million users, according to an article on techland.time.com, “Twitter has finally revealed how many people actively use its micro blogging service worldwide, and it’s significantly higher than the 21 million estimated by Business Insider earlier this year. According to CEO Dick Costolo, Twitter has 100 million active users currently.”

http://thesouthernnews.org/2012/04/22/social-media-creates-new-career-opportunities/

Students sleep in boxes for homeless

Waiting lists, shelters, programs, food banks, as well as applications for jobs, apartments and grants are still not enough to help those in desperate need. Thousands across Connecticut, as well as in New Haven, are currently homeless.

Students lined the residential quad, making houses out of cardboard and tape to sleep in overnight on April 9. Though these are college students and not the homeless, raising awareness about homelessness was at the forefront of these students’ minds.

The residential quad is located between Farnham Hall, Wilkinson Hall, Chase Hall and the Police Station. The lights along the sidewalk and from the residential halls were enough to light the quad as students made houses. Others played volleyball, some were laughing and chatting with their friends, some students sat on rocks to read a book and some students stopped to watch what was going on in the quad.

According to Sarah Petela, a project coordinator at The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, guests spoke at Southern on behalf of the Habitat for Humanity club and the Service Team’s program, “Sleep Out for Homeless”—A program that was set out to raise awareness on Southern’s campus about homelessness both within the New Haven community, the state of Connecticut, and the United States.

“New Haven is one of the leading communities dealing with homelessness,” Petela said adding how because of the “lack of Federal and other grants, the programs can’t provide enough recourse for people in need.”

Petela gave an example of an “Emergency Security Deposit,” which the government gives a person in need money for their apartment or house.

“There is limited money for programs like this,” Petela said, who also majored in social work.

“We won’t get as many people this year as last year,” Stefan Keller, 21-year-old social work major, said. “Last year this program was part of homecoming and all the Greeks helped.”
Petela also said that New Haven, while being one of the most expensive places to live also has the highest “disparity rate.”

“New Haven has a good housing authority and is good with merging with other programs,” she said.
Some programs Petela mentioned include Section 8 and Shelter plus Care. These programs are aimed at getting people out of shelters and into homes. However, the downfall for a majority of these programs is that a person has to have a minimum income per month, according to Petela.

One fact that Petela kept stressing is that a lot of homeless people are part of a category called “chronic homeless.” She described chronic homelessness as a situation where a person is homeless for over a year, or three times in a span of five years; homeless before going to jail; or homeless before going into a program for psychiatric care.

“Some people are reluctant to help [the homeless] because they think that the homeless are lazy, unkempt, and don’t want to go get jobs,” Anna Smith, education major, said.

According to Petela, most of the homeless she said she interacts with are filling out applications and are on the phone contacting potential employers all day.

http://thesouthernnews.org/2012/04/22/students-sleep-in-boxes-for-homeless/

Locals scouts strike 'Gold' in community service

Kiernan Black with students (above): Contributed photo

Ann Marie Guzzi with project (above): Photo taken by Anne Marie Lagnese

Kiernan Black wrote a children's book, "Margaret Feeney Had a Farm," about a Fairfield farmer who gathers excess produce from around the state and gives to the needy.

Ann Marie Guzzi taught classes at Wakeman Boys and Girls Club in Southport, on how to make bracelets and collages out of recyclable materials such as hangers, puzzle pieces, and old shirts.

Both community-service projects have earned the two high school juniors the Girl Scouts Gold Star Award -- the organization's highest honor, equivalent to Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts.
Community service projects are the capstones of both the Gold Award and Eagle honors, with one major difference.

"The Girl Scouts' project is about sustainability and how (it) will continue when they're at (college) or no longer in Scouts, while the Eagle Scout's project is usually a one-time event," said Roisin Black, Kiernan's mother and the girls' troop leader.

The two Fairfield girls attend the Academy of Our Lady of Mercy, Lauralton Hall in Milford and are members of troop 32472, which meets at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School.

The troop currently has five members, and Guzzi and Kiernan Black bring to three the number with Gold Awards -- 60 percent of the troop. The other is Erin McCurley, who received the Gold Award last year.

Nationally, about 5 percent of Scouts earn the Gold Award, according to the Girl Scouts of America's website.

Community service projects typically take months to complete and require more than 500 hours of work. It is recommended that Scouts spend at least 80 hours on each of nine phases.
The steps include: To identify an issue, investigate it thoroughly, get help and build a team, create a plan, present the plan, gather feedback, take action, educate and inspire others.

The real Mrs. Feeney

Kiernan Black's book was about Margaret Feeney's "farm" in Fairfield. The farm in reality was a vegetable garden in Feeney's back yard, but in the book, the woman gives her ailing father fruits and vegetables she has grown to make him feel better.

As word about what her produce had done for her father spread, friends, family, and neighbors, started asking Feeney for things from her garden.

Feeney then went to grocery stores and bigger farms around Connecticut and asked for extra produce they didn't need to help feed the needy. According to the book, Feeney helped out those in need around the state.

"I ended up working with farms throughout Connecticut gleaning their excess produce and donating it to food shelters and food banks throughout the area," Feeney said. "Right now, I'm still active in the community but don't grow anything."

Kiernan Black taught classes at a few locations in Fairfield and Bridgeport on healthy eating and where to get healthy foods, such as local farmers markets. She said her classes were attended by both parents and kids, most of them low-income families

"Some of the kids never saw and didn't know some of these fruits and vegetables were," Kiernan Black said. "A lot of the kids asked `is a zucchini really purple,' and were really surprised because they've never seen these (fruits and vegetables) before. A lot of their vegetable experience is with just what comes in a can."

Kiernan Black also demonstrated how to use some of them in recipes that are in the back of her book. She also had kids and parents participate in making "ants on a log" (celery stuffed with peanut butter and topped with raisins).

Feeney attended some of the classes, too, proving to attendees that the character in the story was a real person.

"She came to some of the classes with me, and it was good for them to see that she was real and not just a character in my book," Kiernan said.

The book sells for about $6 and is available through Amazon.com. All profits from sales benefit Caroline House, an education center for low-income women and children in Bridgeport.
It was in a coffee shop, not a garden, where the Blacks met Feeney.

http://www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/default/article/Locals-scouts-strike-Gold-in-community-service-4503412.php

Fresh Air Fund seeks host families for the summer

Isaiah Foster, left, a Fresh Air Fund child from Brooklyn, N.Y., plays with Nicolas Blanco of Westport at Westport's Compo Beach last summer. Blanco's family hosted Foster for a week last August and plan on taking him in again this summer in late July. Photo: Contributed Photo


Isaiah Foster, a Fresh Air Fund child from Brooklyn, N.Y., wearing baseball cap, stands last summer with members of the Blanco host family from Westport in their front yard: Lucas in front, Nicolas to the left of Foster, and Kristian to Foster's right. Photo: Contributed Photo

Donte McKenzie, a 9-year-old boy from Brooklyn, N.Y., and Tobey Sappern play on a tire swing last summer on the playground at Fairfield's Roger Sherman Elementary School. The Sappern family of Fairfield hosted McKenzie for a week last August through the Fresh Air Fund program and plan on taking him again for another week this August. Photo: Contributed Photo

Donte McKenzie, a Fresh Air Fund child from Brooklyn, N.Y., right, and Tobey Sappern of Fairfield stand with the Harlem Globetrotters mascot before a game last summer at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Sappern family hosted McKenzie for a wek last August and plan on hosting him again for another week this August. Photo: Contributed Photo


The Fresh Air Fund is looking for Westport families to host children from New York City for one to two weeks during the summer.

Line Blanco, a Westport woman with three young children, said her family eagerly awaits hosting 7-year-old Isaiah Foster of Brooklyn, N.Y., for the second year in a row. Isaiah spent a week with them in August, and they expect him back for another week in late July.

"As he gets older, we hope to have him longer, and when he becomes a teen, we hope to have him all summer," Blanco said. "I would encourage (hosting a child)."

The Fresh Air Fund was founded in 1877 as a nonprofit organization by the Rev. Willard Parsons, a minister from rural Sherman, Pa., according to the agency's website. Today, the program provides needy city kids with vacations in suburbs ranging from Virginia to Canada.

Martha Mintzer, the fund's Fairfield County coordinator, said she hopes 35 families in Westport and Fairfield will host children this summer.

The children come from families who receive help from community outreach programs based on family needs, according to Bonnie Dubson, the program's Westport coordinator. To be considered, the child must qualify for free or reduced school lunch, and a family of four cannot have annual income of more than $60,000.

In 2012, about 4,000 kids were hosted in suburban areas, referred to as "friendly towns," on the East Coast and Canada, according to the website. Since its founding, the fund has hosted 1.7 million children.

"About 75 percent of kids are expected to be invited back to the family they were hosted by last year," Mintzer said.

First-time host families are paired with kids from 6 to 12 years old, Dubson said. Families that have hosted before may host the same child until he or she reaches 18, she said.

"I think people decide to host for a variety of reasons," Dubson said. "But the most rewarding aspect of hosting is by far the friendships that are built, some which can last a lifetime."

The organization also runs five summer camps in upstate New York for children who cannot get placed with a host family because of certain medical conditions or special needs.

A family interested in hosting a child must apply and go through a detailed screening process, which includes background checks for family members 18 and over, Mintzer said.

Children have physical exams before leaving home, and host families are informed in advance of any allergies or dietary needs children may have, she said.

Rianne Sappern, of Fairfield, said she is looking forward to hosting 9-year-old Donte McKenzie, of Brooklyn, for the second time this summer. Her family took in McKenzie in August and hopes to have him back in early August this year.

"I loved the idea of it, since I grew up in Brooklyn," said Sappern, who has a son the same age as McKenzie and a daughter three years older. "It's great for the family and the child."

Blanco's children are 3-1/2, 6 and 8 years old -- a good fit for their guest Isaiah, who is 7. She recalls Isaiah last year being puzzled by the idea of walking around barefoot. When they went to Compo Beach, it was the first time he had felt sand squishing between his toes.

She called hosting him "a positive experience" for her family.

"It's not all about what we gave him, it's about what he gave us. It made us come back to what's important, like friendship," Blanco said.

Her kids did not want Isaiah to leave last summer and could not wait for him to return this summer, Blanco said.

"There wasn't a dry eye on the day he left," she said. "My 3-1/2-year-old always asks `When's Isaiah coming back?' "

For information on hosting a child through the Fresh Air program, call 1-800-367-0003 or visit www.freshair.org.

http://www.fairfieldcitizenonline.com/default/article/Fresh-Air-Fund-seeks-host-families-for-the-summer-4523633.php

Greek Life, sports teams, and other social situations and hazing

Many of us deal with the snooty stuck up people who think they're better than everyone else. But for many away from home for the first time want to fit in. They turn to clubs, sports, and the sororities and fraternities. There's booze, parties, practices, and people. So there are people who turn to them in order to try and fit in. But what happens when impaired judgement and the hazing even pledging goes to far? Lawsuits and academic ramifications, amongst other things. In fact some colleges have made the news for hazing, from sports teams to Greek Life.

In fact an article from USAtoday.com on December 19, 2012 "Some members of a Northern Illinois University fraternity have turned themselves in on hazing-related charges in connection with the death of a freshman after a night of drinking. Those who surrendered to police this week will appear in court Jan. 8, Lt. Jason Leverton of the DeKalb, Ill., police department said. Arrest warrants were issued Monday for 22 members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Five were charged with felony hazing, and 17 face misdemeanor charges. The charges stem from the death of David Bogenberger, 19, a freshman who was found dead Nov. 2 with blood-alcohol content five times the legal limit for driving. The coroner said Bogenberger died as a result of cardiac arrhythmia, with alcohol intoxication as a contributing cause. The night before, Bogenberger had participated in a non-sanctioned event called "parents' night" that involved fraternity pledges going from room to room, answering questions from fraternity members and being provided alcohol. NIU spokesman Paul Palian said the fraternity and 31 of its members have been accused of violating the student code of conduct. Pi Kappa Alpha, known as PIKE, could forfeit its status as a student organization, and the students face penalties that could include expulsion. Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity Vice President Justin Buck says the DeKalb school's chapter has been administratively suspended. The 17 students facing misdemeanor charges face up to a year in jail and $10,000 fines, Leverton said. The five fraternity members charged with felonies could be sentenced to one to three years in jail and $25,000 fines." (http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/18/illinois-fraternity-hazing/1776939/)

In many places, Duke University made headlines for their hazing incident. According to WRAL.com on May 23, 2008 (and updated May 24, 2008): "Student Daniel Klufas, of Easton, Conn., and his family have hired a lawyer and private investigator since the incident. Klufas said brothers in Alpha Delta Phi, the fraternity he was pledging, made him take off his clothes while they threw cold water on him, according to attorney, Stephan E. Seeger of Stamford, Conn.Seeger said the combination of cold water followed by warm water meant Klufas had to be taken to the hospital. Seeger said that when Klufas tried to report the incident to Durham Police, officers told Klufas he stood to be arrested as well because a state statute says that anyone who engages in hazing can be charged. A Duke spokesman said the university can’t comment on these types of situations due to federal law. In general, if a hazing complaint is filed, the university investigates and determines if students should be punished. Duke has a policy against hazing, with the maximum penalty being expulsion." (http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2935181/)

These are two examples. Colleges and universities should crack down more on these hazing incidents. Hazing can be found anywhere. Greek Life, sports, clubs, etc. There are a lot of students who want to fit in, endure it just to have a friend or two.