Month: October 2017

By Conor Roche

Quinnipiac University released its Annual Security and Fire Safety Report last week that contains data of offenses that occurred at the school in 2016.

The report shows that while criminal offences were down, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) offenses and arrests and referrals for disciplinary action were up from 2015.

 

The Annual Security Report is completed by the school each year to comply with federal law (Clery Act, Higher Education Act and VAWA), the school said in its report.

The school saw a drop in hate crimes in 2016, making it the second-straight year that the school saw a drop in the statistic. Hate crimes include larceny-theft, simple assault, intimidation and vandalism.

The one reported incident of intimidation in 2016 was race-related and the one reported incident of vandalism was due to religion. In 2015, the reported incident of intimidation was due to sex orientation, while the reported incident of simple assault was race-related and the incident of vandalism was due to religion. Of the four reported incidents of intimidation in 2014, three were religion-based bias and one was race/sex orientation related.

The security report “drug law” violations were the only disciplinary actions that led to an arrest in 2016. However, the number of drug law violation arrests doubled from 2015 from nine to 18. 

Referrals for disciplinary action, which is just punishment from the school, showed an increase in referrals for illegal weapons possession and liquor law violations. The amount of drug law violations went down by one in 2016.

2016 is the first time in three years that the school had any referrals for illegal weapons possession. 

The Clery Act was created in 1990, and it requires institutions to publish and distribute their Annual Campus Security Report by October 1 of each year. The act also requires schools to release statistics on reported crimes within their campus, offenses such as (but not limited to) murder, robbery and assault.

In 2014, it became required for schools to release data on reported domestic violence, dating violence and stalking within their campus.

Quinnipiac’s Department of Public Safety, Department of Human Resource, Department of Residential Life and the Office of Student Affairs provided the statistics to the report, according to the report.

Karoline Keith, who is Quinnipiac’s Clery compliance officer and investigator, believes that while some of the numbers are good, the report shows that there’s still some work to do at the school.

“Overall, I think these statistics show the continued effort by the entire Quinnipiac community to foster a safe and healthy academic environment,” Keith said in a brief comment. “However, any statistic other than zero in every column of the Clery Crimes Activity Report is a notice that efforts by our entire community need to continue.”

By Shauna Golden

Walking along the paths that criss cross over Quinnipiac University’s lush green quad, a pair of navy and tan plaid Sperrys sat unoccupied. Attached to the shoes was a laminated card with text on it. The card told a story about an anonymous individual. This specific story was about Amber, who works at an institution and teaches students self-love through events that engage students in the positive side of mental health.

Further down the stone paths, there was another pair of blue and white striped shoes with another story. And another. And another.

In total, there were 50 pairs of shoes with 50 personal stories scattered across the quad.

The shoes and the stories attached to them were part of a project put together by Quinnipiac’s Residence Hall Council, otherwise known as RHC. The project was called S.H.O.E.S., which stands for Students Honoring Other’s Everyday Struggles. S.H.O.E.S. was organized by sophomore Morgan Mattil and graduate student Liz Monroe.

The girls were first introduced to the idea for this project when they attended a national residence hall conference at Purdue University in May. They went to the program of the year, which was S.H.O.E.S.

 “So basically, there’s shoes that have a card attached to them that explains stories about people struggling with issues. It could be mentally, it could be physically, it could really be anything, just any type of struggle. And then it is tied off with what kind of shoe you would, like, say the person would wear,” Mattil explained.

Mattil and Monroe took this idea and implemented it onto Quinnipiac University’s Mount Carmel Campus. RHC, which usually puts on more fun and less serious events, decided that it wanted to put together something with a deeper, more serious tone.

“We mostly just have fun events where we have a budget and we buy the students food and we give them them prizes, we have some sort of entertainment…but we wanted to bring something meaningful back to QU, something that would be deeper. There’s more to it now,” Monroe said.

The event itself didn’t take that long to plan, as they already had the idea from the conference they attended. The longest and hardest part, however, was gathering stories that they could share.

Mattil and Monroe ultimately made the decision to collect stories for S.H.O.E.S. during RHC’s first event of the year, Hall Brawl. Participants of the event, if willing, were asked to fill out a sheet of paper.

“There was a sheet of paper that said S.H.O.E.S. and had the acronym about what it was and it said ‘I would like to honor this person’ and then it said you could make up a name if you felt more comfortable and then it said ‘their story is’ or something and you wrote their story and what shoes would best represent them,” Monroe said, “So that was the hardest part and the longest part.”

Mattil added that she believed students were more likely to share their stories with the anonymity factor. She shared that the names were not the meaningful part of the project, but rather, the stories that were being told were the most important part.

“It’s not about who it is, it’s more about the idea that you’re not the only one out there struggling with certain issues,” Mattil said.

Once they had collected stories, 50 of them to be exact, RHC’s PR chair went to Goodwill to gather shoes that could be spread out along the quad. She purchased 50 pairs of shoes for 50 cents each, each pair matching the style of the individual that had been written down on the sheets of paper.

Though some responses to the project varied, the event was successful overall. Several immature comments were made, though most individuals appreciated the project and understood the deeper meaning toward mental health awareness and recognizing you are not alone in your struggles.

“For all of our events we talk about how it’s quality over quantity, so those few people who really did get the message and saw these shoes and appreciated the message, that’s what we wanted. We wanted a true connection to reach out to those people who felt alone and felt like they needed support,” Monroe Said.

S.H.O.E.S. was used as an advertisement for Quinnipiac’s Fresh Check Day that will happen tomorrow, Oct. 5, on the Bobcat Way lawn from 12-3 p.m. The event is meant to raise awareness surrounding mental health and suicide prevention.

“Fresh Check Day is mental health awareness day and suicide prevention and they have free activities, free food…but it’s to promote mental health awareness,” Monroe said.

RHC will put on their next ‘bigger meaning event’, Fall in the Halls, during Parents’ Weekend. The meaningful event that will promote a generational discussion will take place in Complex Courtyard on the Mount Carmel Campus.

Both Mattil and Monroe expressed they, as well as all members of RHC, hope that these bigger picture events will start a movement on campus.

“Hopefully these small changes Quinnipiac will be receptive to, these big meaning events, because there’s a lot going on and we should be aware and support,” Monroe said.

By Dorah Labatte and Shauna Golden

Following the mass shooting in Las Vegas that happened on Sunday night, people nationwide are looking toward safety precautions that can be made to prepare for such events in the future. Quinnipiac University is doing just that.

Quinnipiac University will require the incoming freshmen class, the Class of 2021, to participate in a mandatory active shooter training before coming to school. According to Executive Vice President and Provost Mark Thompson, the training will be online.

“Basically, it’s a training video that, I can’t remember which police department it was….I think it was one in Dallas or Houston, I don’t remember exactly, but it’s a training video that’s used nationwide […] It gives specific examples of, you know, situations and when each of those three would be appropriate and how to do that effectively,” Thompson said.

In September 2014, the Public Safety department armed their retired sworn officers. The first active shooting training happened soon after when about 20 public safety officers were armed. The department is working to release the program “Alert Us.” The technology will allow public safety officers access to all screens on campus to warn students of any immediate danger that is on campus or in Hamden.

“It’s sad that we even have to teach classes like this,” training officer, Bradley Bopp said.

Officer Bopp has worked for years as a Connecticut State Police Trooper, and is one of the armed officers on campus. He hosted open active shooter training for faculty, staff members and students throughout the school year.

“I teach run, hide and fight,” Bopp said.

The retired trooper said situational awareness is very important in active shooter situations.

“Run…where does that stairwell take me out to? You need to be cognizant of your surroundings.”

Thompson further explained the Run, Hide, Fight training, saying, ” If something happens where you become aware of an active shooter, your choices are first, if you can safely, run. If not, attempt to hide somewhere. The third option, which is the least you know…where you confront someone physically and engage with them.”

Bopp urges everyone to be familiar with all areas on campus. It is easier to run when you know exactly where every door leads you to.

Quinnipiac University’s campus is easily accessible, a feature that must be addressed in these types of situations.

“I think we just have to be aware that [these] things do happen and be as best prepared as possible. We have a very easily accessible campus, it’s not like we’ve got huge walls that people have to climb over or anything like that,” Thompson said.

According to Officer Bop, because of this, “you need to think outside the box.”

If you find yourself close to the shooter and don’t have much time to run, hide. If you are in a room, lock the door, turn the lights off and hide behind/under an object.

“I’d like to think the last thing to think is give up. I’d hope nobody gives up,” Bopp said.

Bopp suggested fighting is the last resort. If there are many people in a room, the shooter will not be able to take out every single person if everyone attacks at once.

Looking forward, incoming freshmen will participate in active shooter training presentation and answer questions in addition to the alcohol awareness and Haven program training.

Above all, being prepared is the most important element that Quinnipiac University is trying to convey to students. 

“So, just a preparedness, making sure people understand it could happen. And if it does, this is what you should do,” Thompson said.

***In the situation of an active shooter, please call 9-1-1 right away***