April 2019 – Page 4

More than 400 job seekers attended Hamden’s Keefe Community Center’s first job fair

The Keefe Community Center, located just off Dixwell Avenue in Hamden, welcomed hundreds of job seekers on Saturday April 6, as it hosted its first job fair. Armed with their resumes and an entrepreneurial spirit, eager attendees arrived in droves. They were met by dozens of equally eager local employers excited to meet new potential employees.

The event was arranged by community service coordinator Y’Isiah Lopes, who less than a year ago was tasked with managing the Keefe Community Center and overseeing outreach projects in Hamden.

“I’ve been employed for seven months now with the town of Hamden, and when they brought me in they wanted me to do some outreach in the community,” Lopes said. “I thought it’d be a great idea to find some of the local employers along Dixwell….and get these jobs together and these employers together for the community.”

Unemployment is currently at an 18-year low nationwide, and Connecticut’s unemployment rate is similar to the national average at 3.8 percent. However, according to a 2019 study conducted by the Connecticut Department of Labor, thousands of individuals in Hamden and the greater New Haven area remain jobless. Both employers and job seekers agree that events like the Hamden job fair are an effective way to close that gap.

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“I think unemployment is an issue everywhere, unfortunately. I don’t think it’s just in Hamden,” Angela Vey, an officer with the Hamden Police Department said. “But I absolutely see a lot of benefit with functions like this…I know that the town of Hamden does do a lot to help people try and get jobs.”

The Keefe Community Center has long played a critical role in the town of Hamden. For years it’s served the community through its food bank, by providing shelter for displaced families and by giving assistance to individuals facing heating emergencies during the cold winter months. After taking the position of community service coordinator, Lopes sought to expand the center’s role.

“It’s great being a charitable organization, but we also have to offer something else,” Lopes said.

With this goal in mind, staff from Keefe and Hamden Adult Education organized a job fair featuring mostly employers from businesses located along Dixwell Avenue. From Marshall’s and Stop and Shop to the Hamden Police Department, dozens of organizations participated in Saturday’s event.

TJ Maxx was one of the event’s most popular employers, with over 150 candidates filling out applications.

“Bringing employers in, especially employers like Home Depot, ShopRite, Starbucks, these national employers, I thought it would be great for the community to have the opportunity to work for them,” Lopes said.

For New Haven resident and job seeker Jatajia Copeland, the vast array of employers was a major factor in her decision to partake in the event.

“I go to CT Works in New Haven, and they told me about the job fair in Hamden today,” Copeland said. “When I saw the list of companies I decided to come. I’m not applying anywhere particular, I just applied everywhere.”

In addition to companies looking to hire, the job fair also invited representatives from employment resource organizations like the American Job Center (AJC) to participate.

“My role here today is to find qualified candidates to fill eligible jobs for local employers,” AJC representative Kevin Lawrence said. “People come to me and I register them for a job screening event at our facility. It takes place every week on Tuesday and Thursday.”

Based on attendance, there should be no shortage of qualified candidates. Lawrence explained that in the dozen or so job fairs he’s attended across the state, the usual turnout is around 75 potential employees. In just three hours, the Keefe Community Center had already drawn in 400 participants.

“A lot of employers really love the turnout,” Lopes said. “TJ Maxx and Marshall’s, they said they only came with 75 applications and they already have 150 filled out. They asked us to make more copies because they weren’t prepared.”

When asked why they thought the job fair was such as success, both employers and job seekers came to the same conclusion: it provided an opportunity to make a first impression.

“I think it gets people in and talking to people one-on-one and it gets the ball rolling really quickly because they’re accepting resumes and filling out applications right on the spot,” Vey said. “When you fill out an application online you miss that.”

Lopes echoed her sentiment, adding that taking part in a job fair also lets an applicant stand out from the throngs of online competition.

“When you go online and fill applications out, you have the challenge of 300 other people filling that same application out. By having employers here, you get more of a preferential treatment because you’re actually here,” he said.

Though this was the Keefe Community Center’s first time hosting a job fair, it certainly won’t be the last. Due to its success, Lopes hopes to make the Hamden job fair a semi-annual event.

“Six or seven employers are already committed to coming back next year,” he said. “I may actually do this twice and make it semi-annual, maybe do another in September with other employers in the Dixwell area.”

Bomb Wings and Rice maximizes social contribution to Hamden community

An inside look of Bomb Wings and Rice’s menu.

Bomb Wings and Rice, a new restaurant in Hamden, opened its doors March 16 and gives a margin of every purchase to an organization called Change the Play, making it much more than your typical wing spot.

Owned by Jason Teal, 39, and his partners Ray Guilbaut and chef Stephen Ross, Bomb follows a social business model that emphasizes a contribution to the surrounding society.

Teal built the restaurant so that a portion of every purchase goes to an organization called Change the Play, a nonprofit organization that strives to help at-risk youth by creating programs around education, healthy lifestyle choices and identity.

The idea was partly inspired by a friend of Teal’s who was running a nonprofit in Virginia that fed 2800 children a day. As a former member of the NAACP, Teal realized he could tackle issues of at-risk youth in his community more directly. He decided to launch his own nonprofit version of the program in Connecticut in 2013.

He founded Change the Play, a nonprofit organization that strives to help at-risk youth by creating programs around education, healthy lifestyle choices and identity.

“I partnered with a local church in Meriden in the summer of 2017 and we were feeding 200 kids a day at the time,” Teal said. “I had maxed out the capacity of the kitchen and so I was looking for commercial kitchens or spaces around, and people were charging me a crazy amount of money for only like four hours. So I was like, I could start a restaurant for this.”

Chef Stephen Ross, left, and co-owner Jason Teal, right.

That is when Teal reached out to Stephen Ross, a friend and board member of Change the Play. Ross also happened to be well-known in the New Haven culinary scene for his work at restaurants such as Cast Iron Soul and Anchor Spa. Together with Ray Guilbaut, they conceived the idea of a fried rice bar with wings.

“This restaurant serves as a central kitchen for the food program, so in the morning and on the off days, we make all the meals for kids, free, and at 11 o’clock we kick into the forward-facing business which is Bomb Wings and Rice Bar,” Teal said. “A portion of every meal goes back to the food program to feed kids.”

Teal is planning a grand opening for May 1, 2019 and has much more in store for the restaurant, located at 2373 Whitney Ave., for the future.

“I’m looking to build a franchise and open up a few more locations,” Teal said. “Once we prove that this is a successful model and it does great, then we’ll be looking to open up some more.”

Humans of Hamden

Gus Eliopoulos, 48 years old

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Gus Eliopoulos is a co-owner of Fat Wedge U, a new restaurant on Whitney Ave. Eliopoulos said he believes the most important aspect of running a food business is making sure that their food is fresh. “We thrive on freshness and good quality,” he said. “We make all our own sauces and grind our own meet for burgers in house. We get product shipments in every morning, and we marinate our own chicken. If we don’t use all the chicken that was marinated for the day it goes in the trash and we start a fresh batch the next morning.”

Hamden celebrity of the week

Jonathan Quick

Jonathan Quick, National Hockey League Goalie

Quick is currently the goalie for the Los Angeles Kings and won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014. At age 33, he holds the record for the most appearances and starts for Los Angeles and has the winningest record in a single Kings season with 40 wins and 23 losses. Quick grew up in Hamden and attended Hamden High School before transferring to Avon Old Farms, a preparatory school known for its hockey program. Ray and Mike’s Deli, a local favorite, named one of their sandwiches the ‘Quickwich’ in honor of Quick’s first Stanley Cup win.

University of Hartford Stabbing

A group project at the University of Hartford went horribly wrong this past Sunday when two students were stabbed. University of Hartford student Jake Wascher has been accused of stabbing two classmates in a dorm room while practicing for a drama class assignment. After stabbing the two students Wascher then ran into the campus woods but was later found by police.

Lieutenant Paul Cicero said in a statement, “One of the victims, a 21-year-old male suffered one punctured wound to the chest and four to the back. A second victim, 19-year-old male suffered from a single puncture would to the chest as well as the back.”

Students although shaken by this incident are taking it well-said Hartford student Matt Frasier. “Students seem to be very relaxed I don’t mean accepting but more safe and secure then they would after something like that,” said Frasier.

The university sent out an email to students saying that if they need counseling or assistance the university is providing services to help the campus community. The university stated, “While there is no ongoing threat to campus, we recognize that this isolated incident is frightening and unsettling.”

According to court documents, when Wascher was found he told police that we was just interested in what it was like to stab someone and that he was not provoked or endangered.

Quinnipiac student Rob Tammaro said there should be more focus on mental health in college campuses to permit events like this from happening. “I think mental health is an issue amongst college students whether it’s at Uhart or across the country and I think colleges could change the stigma of it by maybe sending emails or making it more accessible for students to access help”.

Uhart commuter, Jake Wascher is now being charged with two counts a criminal content to commit murder and two counts of assault first degree. His bail is being held at $1 million dollars.

Quinnipiac students brave the shave for childhood cancer awareness

By Emma Spagnuolo

It’s the season of giving at Quinnipiac University. This semester, Quinnipiac students have organized many philanthropic events to give back to the local community, including QTHON, The Big Event and this past Monday’s St. Baldrick’s event.

This annual event, hosted by the Student Programming Board (SPB) and the Irish Club, is an event to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research. This year, seven Quinnipiac students “braved the shave” and shaved their heads to stand in solidarity with children diagnosed with cancer.

Emma Shipton, one of the event coordinators, was one of the shavees. She explained what makes the St. Baldrick’s event so special compared to other cancer awareness events.

“It’s showing your support by more than just providing a donation,” said Shipton, “It’s changing something about yourself that you’re so used to having that these kids are losing that you have the opportunity to reach out to them besides just giving them money.”

Event coordinators, Luke Ahearn and Emma Shipton, “braved the shave” on Monday night.

This year, the goal was to raise $10 thousand as Quinnipiac celebrated its tenth annual year of working with St. Baldrick’s. Despite falling short of their goal, event coordinator, Luke Ahearn, was still happy with how it all played out.

“I think everybody really gets behind this event,” said Ahearn, “Everybody really loves coming to it. It’s a good event even for people who aren’t shaving, just to donate or even show up and watch their friends get their heads shaved for a good cause.”

Around 100 Quinnipiac students attended the event, including many supportive friends, like Ahearn suggested. It’s no surprise that on this ten year anniversary, Quinnipiac students once again continued to show they care about the local community.

Hamden gym owner’s story of loss and resilience inspires others to live powerfully

by Kristina Mendoza-Cabrera

“We are more capable than we can even fathom or understand. We are more resilient than we know.” — Christa Doran, founder of Tuff Girl Fitness

Dumbells and kettlebells. Sweat and signs. Chaos and accomplishment. This is the scene at Hamden’s Tuff Girl Fitness gym, and inspiration bleeds from Christa Doran, the gym owner and fitness trainer who had to learn her own lessons in the worst way imaginable.

The gym Doran built with her inspiration and commitment forged into a community. But in 2018, a personal tragedy rocked Doran to the point she would need that community to survive.

Tuff Girl Founder and Fitness Trainer Christa Doran instructing a client. Photo by Rachel Liu Photography.

The rise of Tuff Girl Fitness

Doran, a 39-year-old wife and mother, founded Tuff Girl in 2011, just after the birth of her second child.

Originally from West Springfield, Massachusetts, Doran has been in the fitness field for a long time. She went to school for occupational therapy with the mindset that the two were similar.

“But (OT) didn’t fill me up in the same way fitness did,” she said.

Though she earned her Master’s of Science in OT, she found satisfaction running classes at the gym during her graduate years.

“I just felt super lit up in that space,” Doran said. “My true love is fitness. It has been since I was a little girl, but growing up you don’t say that you want to be an aerobics instructor.”

When she realized where her true passion lay, she began pursuing that path even when her professional life was momentarily put on hold.

After marrying her husband Mike Doran and giving birth to their first of three daughters, Livia, she left her job in OT to become a stay-at-home mom. It was not long before she missed working.

“I didn’t want to work when I had kids because I wanted to focus on my children, but I couldn’t help but feel like something was calling my name,” Doran said.

Three months after Livia was born, she decided to try something different. Being new to Hamden at the time, she didn’t have friends in the area.

“I wanted a community and a connection with women,” Doran said.

She started running group classes for women at East Rock Park in New Haven. She bought simple equipment and led group workouts. Women were even free to bring their babies.

“I thought it’d be a great way for me to meet people while also providing this service and building them up in a way that I didn’t see happening in gyms,” Doran said. “It was clearly filling a need that these women wanted. I wasn’t recreating the wheel, I was just delivering exercise in a way they had never seen before, which was from a place of positivity, support, love and empowerment.”

Through word of mouth, the unofficial business of Tuff Girl grew over the next 18 months.

Christa and some members of the Tuff Girl family. Photo by Rachel Liu Photography

Christa Doran. Photo by Rachel Liu Photography

With the help of her business-savvy husband, Doran set to work on this new goal. Mike, who has experience in business as well as a degree in exercise science, helped her to find a physical space, get the lease, licensing and registration.

When Doran, who had been pregnant during the whole process, was ready to have her second child, Mike decided to leave his job in surgical sales to join the Tuff Girl team full time.

Together, they have been growing the business since 2011. Doran has hired and trained a number of coaches and Mike now leads co-ed barbell classes and programming.

“Throughout the gym, strength is our foundation,” Mike said. “It’s about finding the joy that comes with being strong, living life to the fullest and using strength as a way to do things that are important to you whether it’s playing with your children, or lifting a weight you never thought you could.”

A gym becomes a community: ‘People really support one another here’

It was this atmosphere of never-ending support and empowerment that drew in coaches like 26-year-old Hillary Maxson. Having started as a Tuff Girl intern three years ago, Maxson is now a full-time coach.

“I feel so grateful for finding her and this place,” Maxson said. “Christa’s taught me that I don’t have to become somebody I’m not, that I can just fully be my own authentic self and not mold myself into what people think a typical fitness coach and trainer should be.”

Maxson is just one of the hundreds of lives Doran has changed through her hard work and dedication.

Barbara Esposito of Hamden is a Tuff Girl member who has been going to the gym four to five days a week for the past nine years. As someone who has trained with Doran since 2010, a year before the gym’s opening — Esposito has come to know her on a more personal level.

Tuff Girl Fitness Member Barbara Esposito lifting kettlebells. Photo by Brigid Hect Photography.

“I love Christa. She’s inspiring, she’s brave and she’s kind,” Esposito said. “She and I have known each other for nine years and we’ve grown a lot together in terms of loving our bodies.”

Esposito credits Doran for teaching her that being beautiful doesn’t come in the form of skinny.

As someone who battled anorexia from a young age, Doran knows all about the difficulties of self-love and acceptance.

“I did not love or respect or appreciate my body,” Doran said. “I was so consumed with trying to change my body in a way that I thought would bring me happiness. No matter the weight or size I got down to, I was not happy, and I had no idea what I was capable of because I was letting food and obsessive exercise consume my thoughts.”

This image is a far cry from the Doran, chiseled and fit, many people know today.

“The girl who was 15 and starving herself could never have believed that she had built something like this,” Doran said. “I did not realize how strong, or capable or powerful I was, and I think that looking back — that’s my mission. It’s to help women realize how amazing they are.”

Clients like Esposito can attest to this.

“There is a thread of empowerment and feminism that’s weaved through here,” Esposito said. “It’s not a competitive environment. People really support one another here,” Esposito said.

Tuff Girl has more 550 clients that train regularly and sees approximately 4,000 visits a month.

Needing Tuff Girl in the face of tragedy

Despite the success of Doran’s business and career, the past two years have brought her personal life an insufferable amount of pain and hardship.

The horrific reality hit in May 2018 when Doran’s 6-year-old daughter, Lea, lost her battle to brain cancer. She died just nine months after her diagnosis August 2017.

Doran leaned on her immediate and Tuff Girl family during this time of extreme grieving.

“They [her clients] really supported us through Lea’s sickness and afterward,” she said. “They would cook, come to every fundraiser, bring cards, wine, chocolate, hugs. They were really there.”

Nearly a year has gone by since Lea’s death and Doran continues to be a pillar of courage.

”Christa is strong, of course in the physical sense, but also in the mental sense,” Mike said. “Even with everything we’ve been through, she still shows up every day as a strong mom for our girls and as a strong leader here in the gym.”

Returning to work just three months after Lea’s death, Doran said her work has given her a small reprieve from the pain.

“Pushing the sadness to the corner of my brain for an hour because I’m fully invested here was a nice distraction,” she said. “It’s because I love it and because I feel it’s really important work.”

In addition to her job, Doran found solace in other ways. Around the time of Lea’s diagnosis, she started a blog called “Lessons from Lea,” where she could pour her heart out in an honest and unfiltered fashion.

”It was so therapeutic and healing for me,” Doran said. “I realized every time I hit send, I felt better. It was like a mini-therapy session.”

The reactions the blog received shot far beyond her expectations. People were grateful for letting them so deep into her soul.

“I literally put the ugly out there and the response was really incredible,” Doran said. “I got so many emails saying ‘Thank you for saying how I’m feeling because, me too. You made me feel not alone.’ And that’s powerful when you can connect with people in pain.”

“Lessons from Lea” may have started as a way to cope with Lea’s death, but it has since become an outlet for Doran when she feels the need to write.

“When I have something to say or when I have a story to tell that I think could help somebody, I want to say it,” Doran said.

Doran hopes to one day write a memoir about her family, her work and of course, Lea, from whom she said learned so much.

“She taught me how to love, and she taught me how to be brave because she faced really horrible things as a 6-year-old. And she did it bravely,” Doran said through tears. “If she can go through all that, I can certainly show up to life every day however I am, whether it’s mad, sad, angry or awesome, and give the best I have on that day.”

Even through her devastating loss came a lesson about herself and her own strength.

“I endured something I never thought I could,” she said. “Pain changes you. It shapes you. But then we also have a choice about how we continue to live our lives.”

Doran has made the choice to continue living her life in the most meaningful way she knows how.

By being there for the people and the things that matter the most.

Messages about love, strength, empowerment and self-worth are all ones she relays to both her clients and her girls on a daily basis.

“We have to give ourselves permission to be wherever and whoever we are today and let that be enough,” she said. “It has to be enough.”

For more information about Tuff Girl Fitness, click here.
To read Christa’s blog, go to Lessons from Lea

Students brave the shave as Quinnipiac hosts its 10th annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser

Quinnipiac University’s Burt Kahn court was abuzz with anticipation, excitement and electric razors Monday night as students piled in to watch their friends lose their locks for Quinnipiac’s 10th annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser.

SPB invited students to shave their heads for a good cause as it hosted its 10th annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser.

“Apart from it being a really good cause and a really good organization, I like this look, so if I can do it and do it for a great cause? Yeah, I’m 100% here,” senior John Ferraro said.

St. Baldrick’s is a nonprofit organization that was founded on July 4, 1999, by three entrepreneurs as a way to pay it forward by providing research funding exclusively for childhood cancer.

The foundation’s inaugural event was hosted on St. Patrick’s Day 2000. In just one day $104,000 was raised by 19 shavees.

The past two decades have seen over 4,000 St. Baldrick’s events take place worldwide and nearly 200,000 individuals have “rocked the bald” in solidarity with children fighting cancer. Since its founding, St. Baldrick’s has raised over $258 million, funding extensive research and even breakthroughs. According to the foundation’s website, 2015 research supported by St. Baldrick’s led to the creation of an FDA approved a drug that drastically increased the cure rate for children suffering from high-risk neuroblastoma.

2018-2019 St. Baldrick’s Battle of the Bald Participants

Over 100 campuses across the country are also hosting a St. Baldrick’s event in the 2018-2019 school year. According to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, together they have raised $783,746.

Since 2009 when Quinnipiac’s Student Programming Board (SPB) first teamed up with St. Baldrick’s, it’s held a fundraiser and hosted a head-shaving event as an opportunity for students to get involved and give back.

Three shavees lose their locks at Monday night’s event.

“All students are welcome…we have seats set up so we can watch students get their heads shaved as a little spectacle, but it’s really just an easygoing event,” said Emma Shipton, a member of SPB and chairperson for the event.

Shipton had never taken part in a St. Baldrick’s event before and was relatively unfamiliar with the foundation prior to taking on the role of event chair.

Emma Shipton shortly after she participated in the head-shaving event.

“This is actually my first year hosting it, and it’s also the first time I’ve ever been able to attend, but SPB has been involved all 10 years,” Shipton said. “It’s really exciting to be part of an event that’s become part of Quinnipiac’s tradition.”

Although the head-shaving showcase is the hallmark of the St. Baldrick’s foundation, SPB seeks to remind students that they don’t have to go bald to be involved. From joining a fundraising team to making an individual donation, there are many ways to participate.

A few students took it upon themselves to go above and beyond. In addition to shaving his head, Luke Ahearn was also this year’s top fundraiser.

“I would post on my Facebook page and Instagram to let people know what’s happening and to ask them to donate to St. Baldrick’s foundation,” Ahearn said. “I also would go around and just use word of mouth, ‘Hey, St. Baldrick’s is coming up, please donate or sign up.’”

His hard work paid off as Ahearn was able to single-handedly raise $575 in donations for the organization.

“I thankfully have never felt any direct connection to childhood cancer, but I’ve had friends who’ve been close to people who’ve had to deal with childhood cancer,” Ahearn said. “[St. Baldrick’s] really made me understand that I can do something to help out those kids, and that’s why I got involved.”

Ahearn has been raising money and shaving his head for the St. Baldrick’s foundation since his freshman year. Now a junior, he decided to take on a brand new role by asking SPB if he could assist in the execution of the event.

“I’m glad this year I’ve gotten to play a larger role by putting on the event as well as shaving my head and raising money,” Ahearn said. “SPB does a ton of work to make sure this event runs smoothly, so a ton of credit goes to them.”

Of this year’s dozens of contributors, who collectively raised over $3,000, eight were fundraising teams.

Members of Quinnipiac’s theater group, brothers of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity and residents of Quinnipiac’s York Hill campus, among others, worked collaboratively to fundraise for the event.

New Blue Rugby was the most successful fundraising team, collecting nearly $800 in donations. On the team since his freshman year, Ahearn said that the St. Baldrick’s fundraiser is something he and his teammates look forward to each year.

“Every year [New Blue Rugby] has had pretty good participation,” Ahearn said. “Usually it’s something that everybody who’s new to our team does. They all do it together and it’s a good bonding opportunity for a lot of the guys, both going through the head shaving together and getting to give back to a really good cause.”

Ahearn and his teammates appeared to have no qualms about shaving their heads. Others, like Emma Shipton, were a bit more troubled about trading in their tresses.

“My director is shaving his head and he’s pretty much convinced me that I should be shaving my head too,” said Shipton. “I think I will.”

And she did. Months of effort and fundraising on the part of SPB and dozens of students culminated in Shipton, Ahearn and several others shaving their heads to thunderous applause, proving that bald is, in fact, beautiful.

Safe sex pilot program begins in Commons

Condom dispensers installed in freshmen residence hall

By Kirby Paulson

Condoms.

Now that I have your attention, an accessible safe sex pilot program is underway in Commons.

Quinnipiac’s Student Government Association (SGA) installed new condom dispensers which are now located in the laundry room of the freshman residence hall.

In an email to students, SGA said that if successful, the dispensers may be distributed to other residential halls.

“If the trial run goes well and students treat it with respect, we hope to implement this in other residence halls across campus,” it stated.

Junior Class Senator Julia Schade said that freshmen residence halls could possibly be the first to see the further installation.

“I think the plan is to expand gradually, so maybe implement in other freshmen (residence halls) first and gradually add to the others after that,” she said.

An example of the new condom dispensers that have been installed in Commons.

Christy Chase, Quinnipiac’s director of student health services, stated that a national uptick in sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhea are one reason for this sexual wellness initiative.

“It has been an increase in gonorrhea, chlamydia, more so chlamydia I would say,” Chase said. “Syphilis has also started to rear its ugly head again and you know, we’re not really sure what the reasoning is behind that.”

Schade and Junior Class President Anna Nardelli assisted in completing this initiative after former representative Hope Estrella got the ball rolling. The two worked with departments on campus including student health services, facilities and residential life to get them installed.

“I think it’s huge,” Schade said in regards to the program getting the green light. “I think it just shows how much power the students have and how much we can make changes happen that’s going to benefit the students.”

Schade said Commons was chosen because of its population.

“I think it was just because they have both guys and girls on the same floor,” she said. “It just kind of made it easy. There’s a large population of freshmen students in there.”

Gonorrhea Statistics – Connecticut

Information from the CDC regarding gonorrhea and age ranges in the state of Connecticut.

Graphic by Emma Robertson

Chlamydia Statistics – Connecticut

Information from the CDC regarding chlamydia and age ranges in the state of Connecticut.

Graphic by Emma Robertson

The discussion for the location started with the idea of putting condoms in the bathrooms of Commons. However, there were concerns of the possibility of vandalism which ultimately led to the final location.

“So, originally we were talking about putting them in the bathrooms, one girl bathroom, one guy bathroom in Commons,” she said. “But then with the vandalism we decided to put them in the laundry rooms.”

Mark DeVilbiss, Quinnipiac’s director of residential life, had reservations about the vandalism when discussing the program.

“My worry was that people would not be respectful of the dispensers or the effort,” DeVilbiss said. “I’ve seen the dispensers, they’re plastic, they can be broken very easily and so that was my whole concern was just the whole student behavior piece.”

However, DeVilbiss stated that he hopes the students will not only use the dispensers, but also educate themselves as well.

“Well I hope that students utilize the resource and I hope they learn something about sexual health along the way,” he said. “Students already have access to the free condoms through the student health services but if this makes it just a little bit easier, that’s great.”

One hope is that due to the easy accessibility of the condoms, Quinnipiac students may be more motivated to practice safer sex. Chase believes in this, but thinks it needs to be in conjunction with education and some programming.

“But then to know, OK, I’m in the moment or whatever I can run down to within the dorm, you know, for those people that it’s accessible,” Chase said. “So I do think I would foresee it being helpful.”

Emma Hunt, a freshman and resident of Commons, echoed the importance of this accessibility.

“I think the dispensers are a good idea,” Hunt said. “Condoms are expensive and having dispensers in the dorm is more convenient than having to walk to the health center which could be closed when you get there.”

She also said that the accessibility of the dispensers could lead to safer practices on campus.

“Because the condoms are free and in a convenient place I think people will feel more comfortable getting condoms so they’ll be used more often which in turn mitigates the spread of (sexually transmitted diseases) around school,” she said.

This is a fact sheet that the Student Government Association has attached to the dispensers.

Austin Calvo, SGA’s vice president for student experience and a former Commons resident, also highlighted the accessibility of the condoms.

“I think it’s just the concept that if people want to have sex, they’re going to have sex and this gives them more of an open, private way to get condoms if they can’t afford to get them, can’t make it to Walgreens to get them, can’t go to the health center when it’s open,” Calvo said.

Kevin Parker, Quinnipiac’s prevention and wellness educator, said it was important to understand the stigma around getting tested for sexually transmitted infections. This includes the asking of the question “when was the last time you got tested?”

“That might not be a question that people right now feel comfortable asking each other,” Parker said.

The program will run until May 3 and if successful, will be implemented in other residential areas around campus.

“If (the program) goes well in Commons and I really hope that it does, I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t be like an across campus thing when we come back in the fall,” Calvo said. “Having access to condoms is never a bad thing, you know?”