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
Students taking a unique investigations course at the University of New Haven reflect on the opportunities they had to conduct research and explore the impact of organized crime around the world.
May 23, 2023
As part of an exciting investigations course, students of various majors had the opportunity to explore the impact of organized crime. They researched the role of mafia groups in various countries, such as Ireland and Nigeria. The course, ‘The Code: Blood, Honor, and the Rules of the Mafia,’ was taught by Declan Hill, D.Phil, an investigations professor and journalist whose research has focused on organized crime, sports corruption, and match-fixing.
Below, two students reflect on their experiences in the course.
The Honors program course, “The Code: Blood, Honor, and the Rule of the Mafia” had a lasting and powerful impact on my personal and professional development. As a criminal justice major, I found that this course added to my knowledge on how criminals operate and the grasp that they hold worldwide.
Throughout the course, we learned of the many organized-crime groups that are providing illegal business to millions of people around the world. We discussed the values, traditions, sources of income, and enablers within government that protect them from being brought to justice.
At the beginning of the course, we were tasked with researching and creating a presentation about a transnational group, along with their origin, source of income, and code of the group. The organized-crime group I examined was the Black Axe Mafia in Nigeria, which is known for their highly skilled business in cyber crime and human trafficking. The presentation consisted of speaking for 30 minutes while giving a full investigation of and providing videos and pictures of what we found.
This course and the presentation gave me the reassurance and confidence that I need to have in order to be in the field of law enforcement. Professor Hill taught me and everyone within the course using an approach that most students do not receive until their last year of undergraduate or graduate school. Even as a first-year student, I always felt like I was an equal with my other classmates, who were either juniors or seniors, despite my lack of experience.
This class, I feel, was able to give a perfect introduction to the real and gruesome side of organized crime and international crime, which is a field I hope to work in the future. It reassured me that I was strong and brave enough to stand on my own two feet and that I am able to present myself without feeling the need to get praise from others.
I want to thank Professor Hill and everyone in that course for making me feel safe and confident in myself, along with the Honors program for allowing students to experience such an eye-opening course as this one.
‘The Code’ with Professor Declan Hill was an incredible experience for me this semester. At first, I was somewhat hesitant about the course because of Professor Hill’s energy and extravagance while teaching, but I am extremely glad I stuck with the course until the end.
The course was unlike any I had ever taken before, and I feel like I have benefited greatly from it. The course was hyper-focused on organized crime and the set of principles that guides these groups, which is something I had never really thought about.
At the start of the course, we were given a term-long assignment to research a specific organization. I was the last student without a group, so Professor Hill reached out and asked what sort of things interested me. I told him I was a forensic science major, and a light bulb immediately went off in his head. He suggested researching tattoos rather than one specific organized-crime group because of their potential use in criminal investigations.
I was on board with this idea from the instant he mentioned it, and I knew that I could make a great presentation on this topic. I got to work researching the many tattoos that organized-crime groups use and some of the primary reasons that the practice of tattooing is so prevalent in organized crime.
Through this research, I was able to identify some of the more common and famous examples of tattoos belonging to crime groups, both here in the United States and internationally. I was particularly interested in some of the designs used by the Japanese Yakuza because of their extremely intricate and nuanced designs rooted in tradition and mythology. Doing work in this field was such a great experience because it allowed me to stay connected to my interest in forensic science more than any other project would have allowed, and I think what I have learned can be applied to my investigative work in the future.
I am super thankful for Professor Hill and the support he provided me throughout the semester. He was always telling me how excited he was to see my presentation, which inspired me to do the best work I possibly could.
Melina Pachot ’26 is a criminal justice major at the University of New Haven. Angelo Ritacco ’24, ’25 M.S. is a forensic science major.
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.