Fashion: Grandma knows best See page 21
Local police honor late officer See page 3
Delawares opens conference play with win See page 28
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Tuesday, September 27, 2011 Volume 138, Issue 5
Admissions director to retire after spring BY LINDSEY TRIBA Staff Reporter
University, city celebrate annual Taste of Newark
See pages 6, 22
Lou Hirsh, director of admissions at the university, announced he will retire at the end of this academic year, after more than 25 years of service. A part of the university since 1984, Hirsh has worked with students in the Honors program as an academic adviser and later as an assistant director of the program. He went on to work exclusively in the admissions department in 1986 and was named director in 2003. He said the opportunity to work with students, parents and colleagues has made his job memorable. “You’ll learn that you touch people’s lives in this job in a way that not everybody is privileged to do,” Hirsh said. “That kind of memory is just something that will stick with me for the rest of my life.” Although he said he will miss working at the university, Hirsh looks forward to enjoying free time in place of 70-hour work weeks, a full appointment book and hundreds of emails in his inbox. “It’s a very demanding job, and you’re working very long hours for a good portion of the year,” he said. “I’d like to have time when I’m simply not as pressured by the sheer volume of it.” Hirsh said he plans to stay involved in academics in his retirement with part-time work, particularly tutoring.
“Education is what I care most about,” he said. Peggy Bottorff, associate provost for administration and enrollment services, has worked with Hirsh for 10 years. She said his enthusiasm for admissions has assisted him in continuously building a quality student body. “He has a very thoughtful and principled approach to everything he does,” Bottorff said. “He thinks all the time about what is best for students and what is best for the university.” Hirsh’s ability to consider an issue from all angles has allowed him to make valuable contributions to the university, she said. During Hirsh’s tenure as director of Hirsh admissions, the university eliminated the early decision process and became Common Application-exclusive. Bottorff said Hirsh played a large role in making these changes. “He doesn’t just give a quick answer, he doesn’t just change his mind depending on which way the wind is blowing,” she said. “I really respect that he thinks hard about
See HIRSH page 12
Recent football game attendance lowest since 1998 BY TIM MASTRO Managing Sports Editor
Saturday’s paid attendance of 16,789 marked the lowest crowd for a regular season football game at Delaware Stadium in 13 years. The last time the Hens’ had such a meager attendance was Nov. 28, 1998 against James Madison when 16,371 were in the stands. Saturday’s number came after 18,011 attended the Sept 10 game against Delaware State. Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler said at his Sept. 19 press
1 News
conference he just wanted to see the stands full again. He could only describe his feelings of attendance for the Old Dominion with one word Monday at his press conference. “Being an alum I’m disappointed,” Keeler said. “Being the head football coach I’m disappointed. For the kids, I’m disappointed.” It was Old Dominion’s first CAA game since resurrecting its football program in 2008 after it had not played since 1941. Monarchs’ head coach Bobby Wilder said he was looking forward to his team finally
14 Editorial
15 Opinion
getting the experience of playing on the road in front of a tough crowd. Wilder had past experience playing at Delaware Stadium as both a player and a coach for Maine. He was very surprised at what he saw on Saturday. “I was really shocked by the crowd, I’ve never seen a Delaware crowd like this,” Wilder said. “I’ve never looked at an attendance sheet and seen 16,000. I’m amazed by that.” Saturday’s game was an early
See SEATS page 30
17 Mosaic
File photo
Saturday’s game at Delaware Stadium saw a paid attendance of 16,789 people.
21 Day Trippin’
27 Classifieds
28 Sports