Technical difficulties marred what was otherwise a proud and lively display of black excellence last night at the Quinnipiac Black Student Union’s Black History Month Showcase.
The showcase in Buckman Theater was just the latest in a series of events Quinnipiac University planned to commemorate both Black History Month and the 200th anniversary of Frederick Douglass’ birthday.
The event saw its first technical setback during this opening video when the sound feed was cut three minutes in. The video played on in silence. Awkwardly at times of black triumph, yet harrowing at any of the many instances of horror in the history of African-Americans. The sound continued to be resurrected and subsequently cut throughout the night.
Despite the difficulties, the crowd still enjoyed multiple performances that included poetry from students, a performance from Quinnipiac spirit group Step to Perfection, and a series of intermittent hip-hop, spoken word and beatbox performances from proverbial warm-up guy/hype man Frank E. Brady (affectionately referred to as The Hope Dealer).
Though the members of the Black Student Union who organized the event were clearly disappointed, they still had a vision for what the night meant to them and their fellow black students. The organization’s director of public relations Kerri Gravesande described the event as a celebration of black excellence.
“The point of this event was to show the different aspects of black history,” she said. “It’s not like slavery is forgotten but that’s not the point of this, it’s not a pity party and it’s not a cry for help, it to show everybody that we are resilient people and we always come back stronger and that we’ve done amazing things.”
When asked what black excellence meant to her, Black Student Union Secretary Coralie Joseph said, “I would say it begins with just loving yourself and accepting yourself… and realizing you are useful to society whether you see it or not. It doesn’t matter the adversities that you’ve faced throughout your life you are a very valued person in society… and taking that and using that to help other people, not keeping it to yourself and sharing it with the rest of the world.”
When asked the same question, Gravisande simply said “Us.”
With Judy Olian set to be Quinnipiac’s ninth and first female president, it may be worth looking back to see what the other presidents were like over the almost 90 years of Quinnipiac history. (Unless otherwise specified, all information and photos are from the archives of the Quinnipiac Chronicle)
Erica Udén Johannson, former captain of the Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team, is lacing up her skates in the 2018 Winter Olympics for Team Sweden.
For many, this is a once in a lifetime experience, but for Udén Johannson, this is her third time representing her country at the games.
The 28-year-old, who graduated from Quinnipiac in 2015, played in both the Vancouver Olympic games in 2010 and in Sochi in 2014. She got a commemorative tattoo after each Olympic appearance.
During the 2013-2014 college hockey season, Udén Johannson took a year off from playing for the Bobcats to go back to Sweden and compete for a spot on Team Sweden’s roster.
To play a third year for her team, especially as one of the expert players on the roster, was something that has always been her goal, her former coach said.
“She takes so much pride in representing her country and that was always really clear,” Quinnipiac head coach Cassandra Turner said. Turner served as an assistant during Udén Johannson’s Bobcats career.
“The ability to put that jersey on and be able to represent Sweden meant a lot to her, continues to mean a lot to her, now as one of the veteran players on that team.”
In the ECAC, Udén Johannson was known for her quick shot off a pass, and helped her team to its first ever NCAA tournament appearance in her senior year.
With 42 goals and 54 assists for 96 points in 125 games as a Bobcat, Udén Johannson was someone who didn’t need a lot of words to be a leader on the ice.
“She was quiet, but she was still a very strong leader,” former teammate and current NWHL player Cydney Roesler said. “She just had this maturity about her and stuff like ‘oh my gosh, like she’s a big deal’ kind of thing.”
Sweden has finished in the top four in both of Udén Johannson’s appearances and she has scored two goals and one assist in 11 games over the two Olympics.
Udén Johannson plays professionally for Brynäs IF in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League and has racked up nine goals and six assists in 31 games.
When Turner saw Udén Johannson two years ago, she was coaching the under-22 team in Canada against team Sweden. After the game, Udén Johannson gave a Team Sweden shirt to Turner’s then two-month-old son.
“It finally fits him and I think she bought it on purpose ready for him to wear it in the Olympics,” Turner said. “He actually had it on yesterday, so it’s pretty neat that he knows somebody who is playing in the Olympics.”
As an athletic training major, Udén Johannson practiced taping her teammates ankles and brought her books to all her away games, according to Roesler.
Turner echoed these memories, noting this type of character rubbed off on other players.
“She just really could demonstrate what it’s like to balance your time and really be at your best through all elements of a student athlete’s life,” Turner said. “That maturity and approach and her experience has really helped our culture and helps it today.”
Sweden plays in the preliminary rounds from Feb. 10 to Feb. 13.
Danny Glover sat down with members in and around the Quinnipiac community Tuesday night to discuss the start of Black History Month and how he’s using his platform to speak about change.
Known for his roles on camera from movies such as “Lethal Weapon,” “The Color Purple,” and “Angels in the Outfield,” Glover said he and his mom both agreed his fame was meant to go beyond the movies he performed in. This agreement was what brought him to Quinnipiac’s campus.
Glover discussed how his passion didn’t come from acting, but by identifying and looking up to people like his parents, Bob Moses, and several civil rights movements.
“I want to be of some use,” Glover said. “At the beginning, I felt that I was of some use and the idea of being a child of the civil rights movement and how much I identified with those moments.”
He discussed using his acting, like in “Master Harold,” as a way to start a discussion not just about black people, but about the world.
“It gave me a path, it gave me a way,” Glover said. “Not only could I talk about the system of Apartheid in the most brilliant writing. At the same time I could express about how I feel about the world and the justice of the world.”
Don Sawyer, the interim associate vice president for academic affairs and chief diversity officer at Quinnipiac, spoke on the importance of having someone like Glover, who’s had a strong presence on TV, talk about ways he’s reaching out to help others.
“I mean a lot of people know him as an actor but not a lot know necessarily about his activism,” Sawyer said. “You don’t have to just be an actor or just be an activist but you can blend your career with also the support of the local community.”
“She is a tireless and effective fundraiser,” UCLA distinguished professor Steven Lippman said.
Olian spearheaded a fundraising windfall that saw $400 million come into the school.
Lippman added, “Dean Olian has shown herself to be incredibly energetic and hard working with unsurpassed attention to detail. Her entrepreneurial bent is ideally suited to help Quinnipiac University excel in general and ascend the rankings in particular.”
Before Olian officially becomes president on July 1, here are some facts you may not know about her and her journey to Quinnipiac.
1. She had a unique upbringing
Olian’s parents escaped the Holocaust — a disaster that separated the couple for seven years before they were reunited. They moved to Australia, where Olian was born. She “ping-ponged” between Australia and Israel during her childhood, and also spent time as an au pair in Switzerland, according to a website run by UCLA assistant dean Dylan Stafford.
That same website revealed that Olian had cancer in her 20s and left her unable to have children. She said her experience is part of the reason why she loves working with young people and being involved in their education.
3. Her education has an international flair
Olian earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. After traveling to the United States with her first husband without a work visa, she entered grad school. She earned her master’s and doctorate in industrial relations from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
4. She teaches an extremely popular class at UCLA
Olian teaches “Critical Milestones in Preparing for Life in Leadership” with Peter Guber. Guber is CEO of Mandalay Entertainment and owns the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.
5. She is more than just a professor and dean
Olian is also the author of a weekly syndicated newspaper column and host of a monthly television show on current topics in business. She is a much sought-after speaker and consultant for major corporations. In addition she serves on the board of advisors for Catalyst, a nonprofit organization with a mission of creating better workplaces for women.
With the amount of coverage and hype emanating from the Super Bowl every year, it could be considered a national holiday.
For Matt Lussier, the game brought a different holiday to his family when he was growing up.
“Every year, the day after the Super Bowl, it was ‘new TV day’ in my house,” recalled the 21-year-old Connecticut resident. “My dad would go to Best Buy and bring home a new TV.”
Buying a new television set, a day late of catching the most watched broadcast on television, seems inopportune. But Lussier explained that his dad was actually taking advantage of something in retail that is commonly known as “wardrobing.”
Seen most with clothing, hence its name, wardrobing is when a customer purchases an expensive item that they only plan to wear once, like to a fancy party, for example. Then, the customer goes back to the store to the return the item and receive a refund.
A clever trick, given that you don’t accidentally damage what you buy, wardrobing is more inconvenient for companies than some may like to believe. Returning a product does not mean it can be simply returned to the shelf, especially when it comes to large electronics.
“People would buy bigger, nicer TVs for their Super Bowl parties, and then return them the next day with the packaging open”, said Lussier. “And my dad would buy those TVs for a discount because their packaging was damaged.”
A box opened just enough that a TV can be placed right back in it to be returned.
I took a trip to my local Best Buy in North Haven on the Monday following Super Bowl LII, to see if I, too, could benefit from the Lussier family tradition. Although the store did have several items available for discounted price, mostly headphones and Bluetooth speakers, I did not see any open TVs.
Perhaps wardrobing with television sets has faded like childhood memories, or perhaps Mr. Lussier got lucky. Nevertheless, “the big game” of the National Football League does garner other connections to the television industry, apart from its highly anticipated commercials.
According to an interview with The Star Tribune, B-Stock Solutions, an online marketplace for retailers’ returns and overstocks, “2016-2017 customers returned twice as many TVs between January and March”.
At first glance, this appears to be evidence supporting TV wardrobing, and it lines up with the Super Bowl time slot. But companies and analysts claim that this period is important for consumer electronic sales for other reasons.
In the early months of a new year, companies hold off from unveiling new TV models until February or March, predicting that many consumers need a recovery period following purchases during the holiday season and Black Friday.
According to CNN, many higher-end models of TVs of the previous year do not go on sale until the start of the next year. These models were not even included in Black Friday sales, but many companies are eager to clear inventory for, “the next wave of 2018 TVs.”
Coincidentally, this means getting a TV for the Super Bowl party becomes a more affordable option – one that fortunately excludes any abuse of a store’s return policy.
“TV Day” might not make it to the calendar, but holding off your purchase of a shiny new 4K television until after the holidays for a bigger discount is definitely something to celebrate.
As Sunday creeps closer, America steadies itself for an annual Sunday ritual. Super Bowl Sunday stands as an essentially religious holiday for most of the nation, from the most zealous of fans to the newest sheep in the gridiron flock. While the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots prepare for battle in Minneapolis, another sort of preparation is made some 1,052 miles east.
“You could make football pancakes,” Linda White said.
“I could do that,” said James Ford with a hint of curiosity. “I could do that (Sunday morning).”
Hungry yet? (Graphic by Andrew Weiss)
White and Ford are a tag team duo behind the Breakfast All Day stand at Quinnipiac University’s Café Q, the main source of on-campus food for students. The two coworkers have different plans for Sunday, as well as different teams.
“I believe Philadelphia is going to win by three,” Ford said.
White delivered a look of disgust.
“The New England Patriots are going to win, and we’re going to beat (Philadelphia) by 14 points,” she said. “That’s my opinion.”
The two aren’t the only ones around campus, or Hamden, readying for Sunday.
The area is split among those rooting for New England, those for Philadelphia, and those that are simply rooting against one team for their own reasons.
“Eagles,” Austin Fraser said. “I don’t like the Patriots.”
“Our one rule,” Patriots fan Pat Pitts said, “is that (my roommates and I) are only watching with people (that support New England). We don’t mind if you don’t like the Patriots, just don’t say it out loud. Keep it to yourself.”
Game day planning for students and Hamden residents alike remain similar: what is the best place to watch the game?
Quinnipiac student Brianna Robinson is looking for a good spot to enjoy the atmosphere. “I heard of a party. I might go and hop around (some) parties.”
“There’s going to be a riot at the Bobcat,” said Lauren Shanley, referring to the statue near the residence halls on Quinnipiac’s main campus. “We’re going to break s— down again. I know of a few parties though.”
Fandoms may be split, but the one thing anyone watching the game Sunday can agree on is that preparation is key. Preparation, of course, meaning party food.
Nachos, chicken wings, pizza. Find it on tables, couches, and laps around Hamden as Sunday evening approaches. Per thedailymeal.com, all three rank in the top five most commonly eaten foods on Super Bowl Sunday.
(Graphic by Andrew Weiss)
The same ranking has chicken wings reigning supreme among Super Bowl snacks, and the numbers back it up. In the United States this year, more than 1.35 billion chicken wings are expected to be served, hor d’oeuvre’d, and eaten over the course of Sunday’s main event, per the National Chicken Council. That is enough wings to put 625 wings on each seat in every NFL stadium, or enough to circle the Earth three times.
Even with an increased number of wings and food being prepared for the weekend, Ryan Currier of the Quinnipiack Valley Health District is confident Hamden can chow down without concern.
During times like the Super Bowl or around certain holidays, the number of people dining out or ordering take-out increases, and as such, the possibility of illness extends further,” Currier said.
“Interestingly enough, the food-borne illnesses I have seen through the years have largely not been linked to these busy times as one might expect, and have rather been sporadic. This is a credit to the food service establishments, that they are able to continue to operate safely while dealing with the dramatic increase in traffic.”
Most people interviewed for this story recommended the same three restaurants in Side Street, Eli’s and Droogies.
Side Street is commonly referred for its wings, Eli’s for its nachos and Droogies for its pizza and ability to deliver.
Quinnipiac students are more likely to spend their cash instead of their meal plan, despite a food service that tailors the game-day menu.
“Our sales are half of what we usually (get on a Sunday) during the Super Bowl,” said Leann Spalding, the director of dining services at Quinnipiac. “They don’t come to the cafeteria because we’re not set up for (watching the game).”
However, Spalding said there are options in place for students looking for some Super Bowl goodies on campus.
“At the Bobcat Den, from four to five on Super Bowl Sunday, we’ll be giving away free appetizers,” Spalding said. “I know it (will include) wings, among others.”
Side Street will crank out tubs of wings, while Droogies will toss dough more than Tom Brady and Nick Foles will toss footballs. There won’t be a coin toss to see who gets their food first, just a battle for placing orders earlier and earlier. There is no Lombardi Trophy for eating the most food, but come Sunday, America will be consuming.
