Public Safety is tracking a significant snowfall that will be arriving in our area late Sunday morning (Jan. 25). It will snow heavily throughout the day and evening eventually tapering off Monday (Jan. 26) with 10-14 inches expected statewide. A sleet and freezing rain mix is also possible along the shore. Temperatures will be in the teens and twenties.
Due to this significant winter storm and the extensive campus clean-up operations that will need to take place, all in-person day and evening classes scheduled for Monday, January 26, 2026 have been cancelled. All scheduled in-person classes will transition to being held online or remotely. Additional information on the virtual format for each class will be provided by your instructor.
Faculty have been asked to prepare for Online or Remote sessions in the event of in-person meeting cancellations. These options will be determined by the Faculty member and all questions should be directed to the Faculty teaching each course section. Faculty also have been asked to be very understanding and accommodating of the individual situations of their students who may have difficulty managing these alternative online or remote class meetings on short notice.
Please note that only essential employees, as previously determined by their respective department leaders, should report to campus. All other employees should fulfill the requirements of their role remotely.
Campus operations for residential students, unless otherwise noted, will operate as scheduled, though hours may be modified or changed based on the conditions. Separate messages will be sent from the Peterson Library, the Beckerman Recreation Center, and Dining Services regarding any changes to their normal hours of operation. The Bergami Center for Science, Technology, and Innovation will remain open for residential students to use for study space and to participate in online classes.
Off-campus students that live in the City of West Haven should abide by the city’s parking ban during inclement weather to avoid having their vehicle tagged and towed. Please check the City of West Haven’s website for further information on their snow parking ban.
The Charger Blog
As part of the University’s 18th annual Holocaust Remembrance ceremony, members of the University community honored and remembered the millions who perished, including six million Jewish people. A survivor from Budapest described how she and her family endured the Holocaust, discussing why it is so critical to share stories like hers.
May 1, 2022
Elle Clark ’25 was one of the many students and members of the University community who attended the recent Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony. It solemnly honors with dignity the millions of people who were killed in the Holocaust.
“A lot of young people tend to forget how important this is,” said Clark, a member of the ROTC program. “It is so important to remember the Holocaust.”
The University’s 18th annual ceremony closely coincided with other ceremonies and remembrances around the world. Held in Bucknall Theater, it began with a solemn candle lighting. Students lit eight candles – six in recognition of each of the six million Jewish people killed, one to remember the millions of other individuals who were murdered because of their identity and/or beliefs, and one to honor the brave people who offered aid or assistance to others at great risk to themselves and their families.
“The Holocaust was so immense in the magnitude of its horror that it commands us as teachers and students to cultivate tolerance and empathy that must be the hallmark of our humanity,” said Danielle Wozniak, MSW, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Also motivating our observance is the lesson on ethical behavior, especially with respect to honoring human life.”
Ira Kleinfeld, professor emeritus who served as master of ceremonies, showed a “sand art” video by Ilana Yahav, an Israeli artist. She created a sequence of images in sand, and, among them, was an image of a boy with his hands raised, which represented a well-known photograph taken in Warsaw.
Prof. Kleinfeld emphasized the importance of reflection and education, key themes of the remembrance. He noted other premeditated and organized genocides that have occurred since the Holocaust, such as those in Cambodia and Syria.
“We have hate even in our own country,” he said. “We see antisemitism and racism. It is imperative to teach students about our shared humanity.”
As part of the ceremony, those who helped assist others during the Holocaust, risking their own lives, were also recognized. Eva Sapi, Ph.D., a biology professor and a native of Hungary, and Adam Lindstrom ’25, a national security major who hails from Sweden, read a tribute to Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who led a successful rescue effort in Budapest.
Among the Jewish families Wallenberg helped protect was that of Eva Brust Cooper, the ceremony’s keynote speaker. Cooper, who was born in Budapest and whose father was a prominent member of the Jewish community, was not greatly affected by the war until the German occupation of Budapest in 1944.
“At my tenth birthday party in 1944, we were eating hot dogs, my favorite food, when we heard a noise that grew louder,” she said. “The adults went to the window, and it was Germans marching into Budapest.”
Initially able to remain in their apartment in a house designated for Jewish families, Cooper saw people living in close quarters and food becoming scarce. Her parents were able to get protective papers from Wallenberg, and they left their apartment, which had bullet holes in it when they later returned to it. They were able to survive the war, though many members of their extended family perished. Cooper and her family moved to the United States in 1947.
For Cooper, it is important to share her story, and she regularly speaks to audiences at schools and civic groups. She hopes it will continue to inform them and inspire them to make ethical choices.
“I am among those who remember what happened and can speak about the experience,” she said. “I never thought something like this would happen again. See what you can do to make the world better.”
Lauren Kempton, Ed.D., a practitioner in residence of sociology, shared several poignant quotes, including a particularly meaningful one from Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, writer, activist, and Nobel laureate who died in 2016.
“He said, ‘When you hear a witness, you become a witness,’” she said. “We’ve just become a witness to Eva Cooper, who encouraged us to share her story. We’ve just heard an amazing memory, and we must tell her story.”
Cooper inspired the members of her audience, including Clark, the ROTC cadet, who was also the student who brought her to the University from the train station.
“It is amazing that she is a Holocaust survivor,” said Clark. “This was a great opportunity to meet her and to listen to her story.”
University News
New University-wide council will advance strategic partnerships, immersive student opportunities, and innovative research, supporting the University’s strategic plan the development of its pioneering Center for Innovation and Applied Technology.
The Charger Blog
Entrepreneur David Sussman, Pompea College of Business Advisory Board Member and chief visionary officer of The Family Security Plan®, is collaborating with University of New Haven students, faculty, and staff to create a program and app that helps Chargers support each other to achieve academic, personal, and professional goals. It’s called Uccountability.
University News
Vice President for Innovation and Applied Technology Paul Lavoie will serve on the Board of Directors and as America’s Chief Manufacturing Officer for the newly launched American Manufacturing Futures Institute.