With nationwide guidelines in place, several Quinnipiac students found a way to stay in shape while staying home.
Quinnipiac University third-year student Zane Parise has transformed his garage into a personal home gym. Fully equipped with a bench press, squat rack, deadlift station, and a variety of stationary weights, Parise is committed to keeping his friends and him in shape during the COVID-19 crisis.
“It was an idea that I’ve always wanted to do and I was able to take advantage of it in a way because of the Shelter-In-Place. I’ve always been committed to staying in shape, so I grabbed a few things and set it up.”
Parise is an Entrepreneurship Major at Quinnipiac, and has been staying in Hamden to finish out his semester online. He plans to open his own gym after he graduates.
The weights range up to 500 lbs. including dumbbells and plates varying from 5-45 lbs.
Senior Daniel Namkung has taken advantage of the gym they are referring to as Parise Powerhouse.
“You don’t need that many things to start up your own home gym. There’s such a wide variety of exercises with even the most basic weights.”
Many who have stopped by Parise Powerhouse while in Hamden are members of Quinnipiac’s 1,000 Pound Club. This one day event is a liftoff between members of the Quinnipiac community who compete to lift a combination of 1,000 lbs. In a combination of bench press, squat, and deadlift.
Parise is a competitive powerlifter as well as a CrossFit athlete at CrossFit North Haven, and does not seem to be planning on letting the COVID-19 pandemic affect his progress anytime soon.
Quinnipiac University has decided to postpone their graduation until further notice.
Quinnipiac’s decision to postpone the Spring 2020 Commencement Ceremony was made aware to students Tuesday morning. The choice to move it back came down to the COVID-19 virus pandemic, the Center for Disease Control’s guidelines and Connecticut Governor Ned Lemont’s recommendation to limit public gatherings.
Students will be contacted within the next few weeks regarding how they will be reviewing their diplomas. Quinnipiac will be acknowledging the successful completion of undergraduate academics for students. Many will need their transcripts and diplomas when entering the workforce or graduate school in the coming months.
It is stated that the COVID-19 virus provides too many uncertainties to announce a new date for commencement. Although a date has not been tentatively set for students, Quinnipiac University President Judy Olian wanted to assure students that there will be a ceremony.
“I want to provide you with clarity about our commitment to still hold an in-person event,” Olian said in her email to students.
Olian also went on to assure students that they will be notified with fair amounts of time to prepare.
“We will give you adequate notice so that you will be able to plan your travel and schedule.”
Quinnipiac senior Zack Brooks shared his thoughts on the postponement, “I am very sad, but not shocked by the outcome. I am happy that the school is assuring us it will be held in person at a later date.”
Brooks and others will be looking forward to an email regarding their updated commencement schedule in the future. President Olian hinted that a possible commencement may take place in the Summer or Fall.
The COVID-19 virus swept students right out of their routines and onto their computers. Quinnipiac, like many universities and colleges around the country, converted their classrooms into an online format that started on March 18, 2020.
Students now use an online video conferencing application called zoom where they can meet with professors at normal class times. Classrooms have become a different experience, but an experience that attempts to closely mirror everyday academic student life.
One of the larger concerns for Quinnipiac students was their inability to access resources from the University physically.
Arnold Bernhard Library provided a news update for March that outlines specific resources they are making available for their students throughout the rest of the semester.
Arnold Bernhard Library has confirmed that there will be access to many resources including book loans, helpful librarian outlets, eBooks, streaming videos, and more.
Many eBooks and other content have been made available for free by publishers and vendors temporarily.
University Librarian Robert Joven mentioned that online resources shouldn’t be affected by the transition or the recent shelter-in-place order from Connecticut Governor Ned Lemont.
“There shouldn’t be any interruptions to online resources despite [the] ‘shelter in place’ order,” said Joven.
Arnold Bernhard Library will continue to move forward, and will provide updates for any interruptions to their online resources.
Patrick Harewood, pictured, is an adjunct professor of biomedical sciences at Quinnipiac University. Courtesy: John Morgan
Patrick Harewood, an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University, received a patent for his mouthwash that combats Xerostomia on Jan. 7. Xerostomia is a health condition that is also known to many as dry mouth. This condition occurs due to a lack of saliva production from one’s salivary glands.
Harewood earned his bachelor’s degree in natural sciences at the University of the West Indies in Barbados. He then attended the University of Rhode Island to obtain his masters and doctorate degrees.
His studies at the University of Rhode Island in the master’s program centered around food and nutrition. He would go on to complete his doctorate in biological sciences.
Harewood, who has been a professor at Quinnipiac for nearly twenty years, was first approached about the mouthwash creation process several years ago. As Harewood’s son was in for a routine check-up, Dr. Jeralyn Fantarella, his primary dentist, approached him about his father’s educational background in microbiology and food chemistry. Harewood himself also spent about a year and a half doing research with the Food and Drug Administration.
It was not an easy process for Harewood and Fantarella. Most of their work was done in various dental hygienists’ rooms. Bouncing from room to room, they ordered the necessary lab equipment and developed their product at Fantarella Dental Group in North Haven.
When asked about the driving force of this invention, Harewood speaks about how he was able to get the ball rolling.
“Dr. Fantarella had noticed an upsurge in the number of people visiting her office who had this condition of dry mouth,” Harewood said.
Harewood also highlighted the importance of saliva and how his mouthwash will benefit consumers when it hits the market.
“In addition to containing enzymes which play a role in the digestion of food, [saliva] also contains antimicrobial components along with enzymes, which destroy bacteria associated with tooth decay,” he said.
Harewood and Fantarella will be going through the process of approval through the FDA. This process entails areas of overview such as device performance, health risks, a summary report, and biocompatibility results. For more information on the FDA and their oral rinse approval guidelines, click here.
Approval from the FDA for certain products differs based on its uses. Some commonly used mouthwash products may never actually need to be approved by the FDA.
“There are some mouthwashes on the market that do not have to go through the regulatory process because they are just used for simple things like to freshen breath,” Harewood said.
“If all goes well, (the mouthwash) should be approved as an over the counter drug,” he continued. “It should probably take, if all goes well, about three months to a year to be approved.”
Harewood teaches courses at Quinnipiac revolving around biomedical sciences, specifically in the field of biomedical marketing. He encourages his students to build off of what he has accomplished.
“I hope people can see me and my work as a source of inspiration,” he said. “If I can do it, they can do it too.”
HAMDEN, Conn. – With only about three months left, first, second and third-year students at Quinnipiac University are nearing the end of their living situations this school year. Many questions will appear in the coming months, but the most important one on everyone’s mind seems to be centered around differing living experiences.
Many Quinnipiac students trek off-campus for housing in their collegiate career. Quinnipiac offers several housing options, and two for their second-year students located on the Mount Carmel and York Hill campuses.
“Then there’s a bunch of them [student houses] in the neighborhood which could bring up some negativity with families,” local property manager Ari Gorfain said. “The Washington Avenue, School Street, and Whitney Avenue areas are [student] populated, and those are the better places for them.”
Students that choose to remain on campus are entered into a lottery system hosted by the school. This lottery system randomly assigns a number that leads to priority choosing when housing is made available. Students who receive a higher lottery number may be added to another student’s room who holds a lower one.
Quinnipiac recently sent out housing contracts that need to be completed by March 6, 2020. The Quinnipiac lottery for housing opens March 27, 2020, which although an early date, doesn’t deter landlords from acting sooner than the school.
Gorfain was able to touch upon his process of filling up off-campus houses.
“Most of the time it’s friends of friends, and if friends have been at the house and like it, they reach out the sooner the better,” Gorfain said. “It starts all the way from day one of school.”
Some students are reached out to well before the second semester even begins. First year student Matteo Naclerio remembers when he was first approached about off-campus housing.
“I remember seeing a group chat notification about housing,” Naclerio said. “An upperclassmen I met in early September was reaching out to fill houses in the beginning of October. It put me in a weird spot because I was just taking my first exams and didn’t know anything about housing at that point.”
Current third-year Student Justin Arrichiello was extremely opposed to living on main campus. His situation differed from most, as he transferred to Quinnipiac University in the Spring semester of his first year. Arrichiello took shelter at Aspen Glen Apartments with some friends who were renting.
“When housing selections came, they came pretty quick, and that was before I made a bunch of connections with people that lived on my floor,” Arrichiello said. “I would much rather take living with people that I know over having a good housing situation.
A look at the “Hill” living option on Quinnipiac’s Mount Carmel Campus | Photo by John Morgan
“I slept on his couch instead of sleeping in my dorm room. I brought all of my clothes to Aspen, parked my car at Aspen, kept my toothbrush in his bathroom. I did everything there.”
Gorfain had this to say regarding the benefits of off-campus housing, “I feel like they like their independence more. Kids are growing up a lot faster when they hit their sophomore or junior years, and they want to be in a house with their friends.”
Students that live off campus seem to share similar concerns about transportation. Cars seem to be the main concern, and students seem to rarely be in favor of testing the shuttle system. Third-year students Michael Trezza and Stephen Brisman had several comments regarding the convenience.
“We really wanted to be on our time with driving to campus. We didn’t want to have to wait for shuttles,” Michael Trezza said.
A look at the “Village” living option on Quinnipiac’s Mount Carmel Campus | Photo by John Morgan
“I had five of us on York, and thirty of us on the main campus. We just didn’t want to take the shuttles,” Stephen Brisman said. “I didn’t want to hike to the garage [to get my car], when I can just get an apartment and park right next to my door.” Many off campus houses run through a funnel of students. Those who graduate in the upcoming year and/or are moving on from their residence work with their landlords to find possible replacement tenants.
The previous students living in that house attempt to build a level of trust with their landlord, and their landlord a level of trust with those who follow.
Many students are pulled from social media groups, athletic teams, and on campus organizations. The commonality of these demographics revolves around numbers. Landlords have the opportunity to take common interests and put them under one roof.
Whether regarding early activity, random roommates, or transportation and convenience issues, some Quinnipiac students are pushing to get off campus. To them, this appears to be the safest bet when it comes to playing the lottery.
