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The struggle to stay awake

The old normal

Katy McNicol stands outside of her house in Hamden every weekday morning with her thirteen-year-old daughter. It is a dark cold Thursday, with young students wrapped in scarves and coats. Students can be seen rushing down the sidewalks carrying backpacks to catch the bus at 7:25 a.m. The bus monitor steps off to ensure the children all get on. This scene is typical for many parents of young students, however, it soon may be changing.

Like many parents, McNicol works a full-time job and relies on the bus to bring her daughter to and from school. As an associate librarian at the Blackstone Library, her hours of work tend to be the same as her daughters.

“I’m able to have her take the bus and then go about my normal work day,” McNicol said. “It just works out well and everyone is where they need to be.”

Connecticut is one of just four states in America with an average school start time before 7:45 a.m. – the earliest in the country.

Across the United States, families and school administrators have been debating whether or not the start time for adolescents needs to be adjusted. California has moved all school district start times, with individual towns following.

In 2019, California became the first state to require middle and high school to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The state has since been closely monitoring the change, as the first year with the new policy is coming to an end.

The Boston School Committee voted three years ago to push back school start times, but the later times were not put into effect after many parents expressed issues with the changing schedule.

Parents within the town of Hamden and extending throughout Connecticut have begun discussing whether school districts need to change the times.

For many districts, considering moving the start time for school has been difficult, especially with many parents working until 5 p.m.

“I work full-time, and any change in me or my son’s schedule forces us to change everything. I really think parents just need to be more on top of having their kids go to sleep at a reasonable hour,” said Hamden parent Anna Meckler. “If that means lights out at 10 on a school night that’s what we need to do.”

Earlier this year, Guilford made the move to have school start at 8:30 a.m. which is fifteen minutes later than the district’s previous start time. Residents from the district said that they are happy with the change.

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“It’s the difference between a granola bar and a home-cooked meal.”

For many, fifteen minutes may not be a lot, but for a parent of young children like McNicol, extra time in the morning is valuable.

“Everyone felt better in the morning,” said McNicol. “It made the morning less stressful, with my daughter being able to get ready faster. I could make sure everyone in the house was ready for the day. There’s less running around, and more time for things like breakfast.

Senator Christine Cohen addressing the Education Committee. Credit: CT Dems

Senator Christine Cohen of Guilford testified earlier this month in front of the legislature’s Education Committee in support of House Bill 5217, which requires the state Department of Education to study the possibility of later school start times in Connecticut.

“As a former Board of Education member in Guilford, and as the mother of three school-aged children, I can tell you from firsthand experience that, yes, kids need their sleep if they are to perform well in school and if they are to maintain some sort of emotional and behavioral equilibrium throughout the day,” Cohen said. “I served on the Guilford Board of Education’s School Start Times Task Force. The science is there. The biology of adolescent sleep is well-known. Now all we need to do as a society is to recognize the benefit of later school start times and act on it. Change is always difficult, but our priorities must rest with the mental health and well-being of our youth.”

The bill requires the Commissioner of Education to establish a group to study issues relating to school start times. Some of the issues included are the effect of the start time of school instruction on child growth and development, and whether there is a correlation between school start times and educational outcomes in student productivity.

The group would include members who represent school boards, superintendents, teachers, administrators, and the parents of students. Findings from the group would be due by January 1, 2021.

The Education Committee has since passed the bill and a group is currently being put together.

The struggle for sleep

Sleep Calculator

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, teens are recommended to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night. The academy found that 59 percent of sixth to eighth-graders and 87 percent of high school students in the United States were getting less than the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep on school nights. High school seniors reported getting less than 7 hours each night.

“We just moved to Hamden from Guilford, where after years of trying to move times later, they finally were successful in doing so — by about 15 minutes. I’m all for going as late as possible,” said McNicol.

The study also states that enrollment and attendance improves and students are more likely to be on time when school starts. Parents and teachers report that teens are more alert in the morning and in better moods; they are less likely to feel depressed or need to visit the nurse or school counselor.

Dr. Elizabeth Lange, a pediatrician who worked with the American Academy of Pediatrics, believes that the change is necessary.

“There has been a continual trend in students not getting enough sleep,” said Lange. “Getting enough sleep during this time is crucial in terms of brain growth and function. We need school districts to consider how moving the time for homeroom will greatly impact students’ ability to succeed.”

Even mild sleep deprivation, meaning losing an hour or two on a regular basis, has been associated with significant health and educational concerns: increased risk for accidents and injuries, impaired learning, aggression, memory loss, poor self‐esteem, and changes in metabolism.

Hamden Board of Education meeting. Credit: Hamden Public Schools

For years, scientific studies have shown that starting school early does more harm than good. Evidence shows later school start times have a host of benefits for students, including higher graduation rates, lower truancy rates, and better mental and physical health.

The future for Hamden

The town of Hamden currently has no plans of changing the start time.

“While Hamden does not have any plans to change the start time, it is something that can be considered,” said Hamden Superintendent Jody Goeler. “ Given many schools switching and towns accommodating the change, we could reconsider. It is something that the community would need to realistically be able to adjust to.”

Members of the Hamden Board of Education shared similar reactions.

“I first got on the board in 1995 so the topic has come up a few times but not lately,” said Lynn Campo. “Sports and jobs usually have made a different high school start time impractical.”

However, the members have taken notice to neighboring districts like Guilford.

“As many other districts Hamden’s BOE has discussed this a few times over the past few years. We have been monitoring Gilford’s effort in implementing a change. It has been some time since this was discussed,” said Arturo Perez.

Looking forward, members of the community are waiting to see if other districts start to move forward in pushing the start time. School officials in Bridgeport, Cheshire, Ridgefield, Westport and West Hartford have held various levels of discussion about starting later.

“I also have an 11-month-old son, and maybe things will change for him,” said McNicol.

The pandemic

Since then, the coronavirus has paused all events until at least the beginning of May. The pandemic has forced schools across the United States to close for the rest of the academic year. Students are now expected to take online classes from inside their homes.

According to Education Week, nearly 55 million public schools have closed.

With the closure of schools, many students and parents have more flexibility in their schedules. Some however, are finding the extra time to be disruptive.

“It’s been a difficult transition for us,” said Meckler. “The classes are not being held, and students are just given work to complete everyday. Getting to bed has been a struggle since there’s no real start time for classes anymore. Children need more structure and unfortunately this situation doesn’t really allow a lot of that.”

Hamden Public Schools distributing Chromebooks for students. Credit: Hamden Public Schools

While some districts chose to have live virtual classes, Hamden public schools are utilizing Google Classroom. The program allows teachers to create a page for their class with assignments, digital resources and assessments. The program takes attendance by recording when the student logs onto a classroom. Assignments are posted every morning by 9 a.m. with students completing them for the assigned due date.

For some families, following their old routines has proven to provide some normalcy.

“We’ve had to readjust our lives,” said Hamden parent Elizabeth Cadwell. “At first it was a little difficult, especially since the classes aren’t physically meeting anymore. My children have been sleeping in a little more, but we’ve been really trying to maintain the schedule that they’ve been following since August.”

Some parents however, are taking advantage of the change.

“My house has really enjoyed the virtual school experience,” said McNicol. “My kids can sleep longer, and school work is still being done. My daughter is finally able to have a healthy sleep schedule. It’s unfortunate that it took a global pandemic for it to happen.”

Homeless during a pandemic: New Haven groups, volunteers work to keep those without shelter safe, fed

Stay-at-home messages blare from surrounding televisions and cell phones. Rows of school buses line the streets neighboring homeless shelters throughout Connecticut. Hands of volunteers move quickly, alternating between serving food and threading sewing machines to pump out as many face masks as possible.

The goal?

Keep those without a home healthy and safe during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH), 409 adults and 94 children experience homelessness in the Greater New Haven area in 2019. The coalition is federally required to count the number of homeless people on the streets and in shelters each year in January.

Kelly Fitzgerald is a director at the United Way of Greater New Haven, which oversees the CCEH. There, her role is to coordinate, develop and implement resources to improve advocacy work around ending homelessness in the area.

“I think that homelessness is an issue across the country, and Connecticut is not immune to people who are experiencing a housing crisis,” Fitzgerald said. “It sometimes just takes a $300 unexpected expense that can propel a family into homelessness.”

The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness creates Point-in-Time (PIT) data each year. This data is analyzed to see how well Connecticut is doing to improve the homeless situation in its state. Courtesy: CCEH.org

Connecticut has seen a consistent decline in homelessness over the years, dropping five percent in the last year.

Alice Minervino, behavioral health program manager for housing and homelessness in Connecticut, said the “Housing First” philosophy adopted by the state is one reason for the decline.

“The main message of the Housing First approach is to shift the conversation in the housing community from “What can we do to help you?” to “What can we do to get you housed?” Minervino said.

This approach encourages shelters and service centers to treat homelessness as first and foremost a housing problem rather than an issue of mental illness, poverty, joblessness, or disability.

Another policy that has helped with the decline of homelessness is Connecticut’s Homeless Person’s Bill of Rights.

The bill, passed in June 2013, depicts homeless people as a protected class who can’t be discriminated against in employment, housing, or public accommodations. It also includes protections for homeless people to move freely in public spaces, such as parks and sidewalks, without being singled out for harassment by law enforcement officers.

However, given all the progress, there is still a big need in the community. To help, Fitzgerald says that the Coordinated Access Network is taking appointments for those struggling.

“If somebody is having a housing crisis, they call 211. The 211 officials do a quick assessment, and if they think this person needs to meet with a CAN specialist, they’ll set them up with an appointment,” Fitzgerald said. “We had around 2500 appointments attended in Greater New Haven alone.”

While there are programs in place to help those in need, the lack of housing is the prevailing issue.

As of February, 140 people sit on a shelter waitlist.

A message from Columbus house via its Instagram. Courtesy: @columbushousect on Instagram

“One of the things we say to legislators and city officials around budgets is that we want more money for housing, to help people to get out of shelter…not more shelter,” Fitzgerald said. “We don’t want to build another shelter, we want the resources to help get these people out of shelters.”

Protecting the Homeless During a Pandemic

Coronavirus has impacted basically every aspect of life in the United States. Shelter in place orders across 42 states have halted daily routines, as people find themselves without jobs and unable to leave their homes. With a “Stay Home” message being pushed across the nation, what does this mean for the homeless population?

John Brooks, the chief development officer of New Haven’s Columbus House said the formation of a plan to protect their clients came well before Governor Ned Lamont issued a shelter in place order.

“We took matters into our own hands and started making changes at the shelter right away,” Brooks said.

Columbus House utilized school buses to transport shelter clients to nearby hotels. Courtesy: Columbus House

“We have one large, main shelter in New Haven where we serve 101 people. Right across the street is what we call the Winter Overflow Shelter, and there’s 75 people in that building. So, as you can imagine, with 101 in one and 75 in another, paired with social distancing is really difficult.”

Brooks and his team began to take steps in mid-March to protect their clients.

They broke meals into shifts to ensure large groups of people didn’t congregate in the dining room. They also eliminated all volunteers and visitors from entering the shelter. In addition, handwashing stations were created from public drinking fountains, placed in the lobby and the dining room in the main shelter.

“It was convenient because we already had the plumbing and the drain there,” Brooks said. “It became mandatory to wash your hands as soon as you came into the building.”

However, as April approached and more serious orders were issued by Governor Lamont, Brooks and his team knew they needed to relocate their clients.

“We started working with the city to begin moving the most vulnerable clients out of the shelter, so people over 60, people with compromised immune systems, and people that we knew had health issues,” Brooks said. “They were the first grouping of people to be relocated out of the shelter and into the hotels.”

These hotels include those local to the Columbus shelters, including New Haven, Middletown and Wallingford. To satisfy social distancing guidelines, clients were given hotel suites to live in. Each suite houses two clients as they are able to abide by social distancing guidelines within the room.

By April 6, every client at every shelter was removed and placed in a hotel.

“All of our large shelters have all been emptied, which include the two in New Haven, a Warming Center in Middletown and an adult shelter in Wallingford,” Brooks said. “Every one of those clients are out and in a hotel. We continue to provide services for all of them. Our staff, instead of providing service at the shelters, are now providing it in the hotels.”

Throughout the relocation of all clients, Columbus House took extreme precautions to protect and avoid infection. These precautions have paid off, as not a single homeless person under the care of Columbus House has tested positive for the virus.

“We’re really proud of the fact that not one client has contracted the virus,” Brooks said. “We’re really, really proud of that fact.”

Brooks travels to different schools and companies to speak in an effort to break the stereotypes surrounding the homeless population. With the coronavirus outbreak, Brooks believes another one has come to the surface.

“I think one of the things people thought of right away was ‘All of those homeless people are going to make everyone sick’ when in reality, it’s the exact opposite,” he said. “We weren’t worried about them getting us sick, we were worried about us getting them sick.”

The data within his own organization proves this stereotype has no validity. While zero of his clients have contracted the virus, three members of his staff have tested positive.

“That proves the idea that we’re the ones going to the grocery store, going out places where we are going to be exposed to the virus, and bringing it back to them,” Brooks said. “That was always our fear.”

Another stereotype that has surfaced due to the pandemic is the idea that the homeless population is without healthcare.

“It’s estimated that around 75 percent of the clients we serve have healthcare,” Brooks said. “Part of our job is, if they come to us and they don’t have what they’re entitled to, our case manager will connect them with benefits like Medicaid and Medicare.”

Volunteer Eva Scopino utilizes her sewing machine to help make face masks for the clients. Courtesy: Columbus House

Like most other parts of the nation, Brooks says his organization is seeing a huge shortage in personal protective equipment (PPE) in order to keep his staff safe. Although donations are greatly appreciated and accepted, there simply is not enough coming in.

“I had a plastic company that donated 100 plastic face shields, but I mean, we’re so short,” he said. “We’re so, so short. Same as in the hospitals, here we are dealing with 50 to 60 people at a time, and we’re short on masks and gowns and gloves.”

Brooks took the time to highlight the unsung heroes of his organization. The sacrifice and dedication of his staff, as they work on the front line with their clients everyday, is something he believes the media should shed more light on.

“You don’t hear anything about them in the media,” Brooks said. “The hospitals, of course, are right on the front line, and absolutely should get all of the applause in the world. But you hear more about the grocery store workers than the social workers.”

While the around the clock efforts of his staff are applauded, this change in operation is taking a toll on Columbus House financially. Instead of providing just overnight services, staff is required to take care of their clients 24/7. Therefore, Columbus House is required to pay their staff for these new hours.

“The city is helping us, the state is helping us, there are federal dollars coming in that have kicked in to help with this…but we’ve put up a lot of money,” Brooks said. “We’re paying our staff, and hopefully someday we get reimbursed, but we’re incurring a lot of additional costs.”

A volunteer from East Rock collected 80 supply kits for Columbus House clients. Courtesy: @columbushousect via Instagram

However, Brooks applauds Connecticut for its efforts to help the homeless population during this time. In comparison to other states, Connecticut has made positive efforts to protect some of its most vulnerable.

“Other states are having a lot of issues with this,” Brooks said. “I saw an article from a newspaper in Las Vegas, and they literally have people sleeping outside in the parking lot. How many hotels are there in Vegas that are closed right now? Instead, their homeless people are sleeping in parking lots with lines drawn to keep them six feet apart.”

In addition to hotels, the majority of universities across the country have opted to finish the spring semester online. With students not moving back into dorms, other states have utilized these vacant buildings in order to house the homeless. Suffolk University is one university transforming their dorms into shelters.

“We stand ready to help in any way,” Suffolk University President Marisa Kelly said in a statement. “Boston is our home, and the University takes very seriously its responsibility to be a good citizen at a time when we are all being called upon to pitch in and help.”

Suffolk University has provided an additional 172 beds to house the homeless while also practicing social distancing guidelines. Boston Public Health Commission will manage the dorms.

The rise of social media influencers: Digital platforms have created a space for new employment, creative gigs

By Kailee Heffler

From interviewing WNBA players to creating tutorials with college athletes, Arielle Chambers covers it all. She travels the country working events such as NBA all-star games and modeling, but Chambers also finds work in the influencer world.

Arielle Chambers at the Bleacher Report where she works as the talent, producer and programmer. (Photo courtesy of Arielle Chamber’s Instagram @ariivory) — Arielle Chambers at the Bleacher Report where she works as the talent, producer and programmer. *(Photo courtesy of Arielle Chamber’s Instagram @ariivory)*

“I’d like for people to view me as a journalist with influence, but the title ‘influencer’ is sufficient. I love it,” Chambers said. “I love that I can touch lives with my work and relay my passion.”

Chambers works at the Bleacher Report in a hybrid role.

She is the talent, producer and programmer all in one.

Her main focus is women’s sporting events, diving into features, profiles and cultural angles. Chambers’ experiences lie heavy in journalism-editorial, making writing her strength. But over the years she has developed strengths within the digital world.

Arielle Chambers on the House of Highlights Twitter show. She spoke about the deep rivalry between the football teams at Auburn University and the University of Georgia in November of 2019. (Photo courtesy of Arielle Chamber’s Instagram @ariivory)

With a following of over 17,000 between her Twitter and Instagram accounts, Chambers uses her platform as an influencer to profit off content she posts.

“I make anywhere between $250-1,000 per post that’s sponsored – $250 is the absolute minimum for me and those are the clients I’ve worked with often, have shot a campaign prior, and that are recurring,” Chambers said. “My average is about $700/post. I negotiate based on my familiarity with the client and how the client aligns with my brand.”

Two-thirds of social media consumers desire to be paid influencers, a 2020 survey by IZEA Worldwide revealed. Just over half the consumers have made a purchase based off an influencer’s post.

Influencers hold power over social media and are able to sway consumer beliefs.

The survey also found that 63% of consumers say they find the content created by social media influencers to be more compelling than scripted advertising written by a marketing professional.

Chambers said, “We touch lives. People fall in love with your voice/style, so you don’t have to change for a larger company. Companies hire you to be you.”

But, the lifestyle has its downsides, too.

“The cons are the fact there’s never any down time,” she said. “Because of the consistency it requires, being an influencer can be very demanding. You have to stay on top of things to maintain your audience.”

Chambers has experienced firsthand how demanding maintaining an audience on social platforms can be.

“The travel to all of the games to get content with the players is most demanding. Two seasons ago, the (WNBA) had a condensed schedule and I had to travel with the Los Angeles Sparks. I’m not sure how many time zones I was in within four days, but I was exhausted,” Chambers said. “All for content. All for the interview.”

The life of an influencer has an allure to it, but it takes more to be an influencer than it appears.

Amanda Perelli seen here with Dr. Mike, a doctor, internet celebrity. Dr. Mike went viral in 2015 after he was featured in Buzzfeed and People. He also maintains a Youtube channel. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Perelli) — Amanda Perelli seen here with Dr. Mike, a doctor, internet celebrity. Dr. Mike went viral in 2015 after he was featured in Buzzfeed and People. He also maintains a Youtube channel. *(Photo courtesy of Amanda Perelli)*

Amanda Perelli covers the business of influencers for Business Insider.

“The people who are actually doing it – and actually making money doing it successfully – they are not sitting around on Instagram all day,” she said. “They are putting so much effort into it with their team. It is more than what you think it is.”

Some influencers work with teams that consist of managers, agents, publicists, assistants and editors.

“It is a weird word,” Perelli said. “People think of it in a weird way. People tend not to like them or people think they think they are better than everyone or they are just rich for doing nothing and they don’t have real jobs.”

Yet, influencers who consider what they do as a full-time job are not the only people who can be influencers. Influencers can be anyone, from someone posting tutorials with a small following to someone promoting brands with a large following.

Influencers who have a following are called macro-, micro- or nano-influencers.

Macro-influencers are people who have anywhere from 100,000 followers to over a million. These are the influencers who make a profit off the brands or products they promote to their followers.

Micro-influencers have a smaller following than macro-influencers. They have between 10,000 to 100,000 followers. These influencers can make a profit off brand promotions, but they are not promoting as often as macro-influencers.

Then there are nano-influencers who have less than 10,000 followers. These influencers may be promoting smaller company brands, but provide a value to their community.

“Many nano- and micro-influencers are working alone so they can work towards building their community and voice online,” Karen Freberg, associate professor of strategic communications at the University of Louisville, said.

“However, we are seeing more influencers hire agencies, talent managers and others to help them get more opportunities, help with the logistics and other elements so influencers can focus on creating their content.”

Macro-, micro- and nano-influencers establish trust within their communities which lead to higher engagement rates.

“We are seeing micro- and nano-influencers getting more engagement and trust associated with their work than others that are viewed to be doing it just for the money,” Freberg said. “I think people listen and look at what they are doing – but those who take the time to build trust over time, they will be successful in this area.”

One imperative quality about an influencer is that they are able to add value to the community they engage with.

“An influencer is on social media whether it is Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest or even LindedkIn – any social media platform that has an audience of any size giving tips or advice, giving some sort of value,” Perelli said.

An influencer is not a career path that developed overnight, but a career path that has developed because of the expansion of social media.

Susie Khamis is a senior lecturer in public communications at the University of Technology Sydney.

“Due to the growth of social media platforms that are easy to use, popular, aesthetically pleasing, like Instagram, it’s motivated amateurs to ‘have a go’ – since the rewards are pretty obvious: fame, influence and profit,” she said. “So we are seeing more people cultivate an online presence in smart ways – with a view to catching people’s attention and building up a loyal and sizable following.”

Social media evolved from the internet, but long before the arrival of the digital world, the internet was a government entity that first became public around the 1990s, James Curren wrote in his 2012 book, Misunderstanding the Internet.

Digital spaces have opened new career possibilities.

Khamis said, “It can be argued that social media has opened up & extended opportunities for ‘ordinary’ users to become influential & popular, and bypass traditional media gatekeepers.”

The internet and apps today are not only used for communication, but as a tool to target audiences and promote products.

“Influencer marketing has to be strategic in nature – it’s all about understanding where you stand, what voice you have to offer, and how you can provide value and benefit to your community and others,” Freberg said.

Influencers are responsible for engaging with the community they have built and instilling trust in them.

Caitlin Houston’s main page on her blog. She often blogs about recipes, marriage, motherhood, fashion and life in general. (Photo courtesy of Caitlin Houston’s blog at caitlinhoustonblog.com ) — Caitlin Houston’s main page on her blog. She often blogs about recipes, marriage, motherhood, fashion and life in general. *(Photo courtesy of Caitlin Houston’s blog at* *caitlinhoustonblog.com*)

For Caitlin Houston, a Connecticut blogger, she connects with her audience, but finds value in connecting with other bloggers as well.

“Many of my followers are long time fans and have read my blog for years. My Instagram followers are mostly new. My blog slowly found its way to Instagram, however I didn’t use it the way I should for marketing purposes until 2016,” Houston said. “My Instagram audience grew slowly at first, then quickly when I moved to Connecticut and became involved in the CT Blogger Babes. The more connections I make to other bloggers on social media is another way I grow as they introduce me to their followers.”

Houston’s audience consists mostly of women, but she tries to cater to everyone.

“When it comes to my audience, I hope to make myself appealing to anyone at any age, male or female. I cover a variety of topics just so that everyone has something to read. However, my audience is primarily women, at different ages and stages of their life,” Houston said. “I know I have dedicated readers who’ve been around since the beginning and then new readers every day who find me through a friend, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.”

Houston also finds it imperative that she stays engaged with her audience.

Caitlin Houston sitting in her living room. Caitlin is a Connecticut native, mother of two and has blogged for the last 11 ½ years. (Photo courtesy of Caitlin Houston’s blog at caitlinhoustonblog.com ) — Caitlin Houston sitting in her living room. Caitlin is a Connecticut native, mother of two and has blogged for the last 11 ½ years. *(Photo courtesy of Caitlin Houston’s blog at* *caitlinhoustonblog.com*)

“One of my main goals as a blogger is to stay relevant and to always ask myself, ‘What question am I answering with this content?’ I often feel it is hard to be seen with the always changing algorithms on Instagram. To compensate for the inevitable, I’m resorting to the tactic I used when I first started blogging: engaging with other bloggers,” Houston said. “Engagement is truly the secret – talking to new people, talking to your audience, and a constant effort to connect,”

And through engaging with other bloggers and her audience, Houston is able to listen to what type of content her audience wants to see.

“There is definitely a group of people who prefer my Instagram versus my blog, and they’ve let me know before! Some people would rather watch my life through IG and stories, while others enjoy reading full articles about a given topic in depth,” Houston said. “My followers comment on my blog, send me emails or DMs, and many are vocal regarding the topics I discuss.”

Houston has been blogging full-time since 2017. Before 2017, she blogged for nine years, only beginning to make a profit off her blog in 2015. She now has partnerships with brands that she promotes within her blog. It is now her full-time job.

“As a mom with two daughters, one in part-time preschool and another in elementary school, I have to block off certain times of the day to dedicate my attention to my work while the children are gone,” Houston said. “I take 90% of my own photos for content and write 100% of the content on my blog. There are many nights I stay up late working to meet a deadline or consulting new bloggers (I offer blog consultations on the side).”

But even when she is not promoting products on her blog, she still views herself as an influencer.

“Even on the days I am not talking about a product, I consider myself an influencer – mainly because I could be making an impact on someone while talking about the way I parent my daughters, shop for spring clothes, or cook chicken parmesan,” Houston said.

“My followers often ask for advice regarding specific topics – motherhood, home decor, mental health – and my replies can be considered influential if they take my advice.”

Being an influencer is not only someone who endorses products, but someone who contributes to a community they have built.

“An influencer is someone who has the power to motivate their community and others to take action based on what they have shared on and offline. These individuals have built forth a community based on an area of expertise, passion, or interest over time,” Freberg said. “Influence takes time and effort – and investment – into how you present yourself is key.”

QU softball players staying in shape during quarantine

The United States is in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Americans with a world that is unlike anything this generation has seen before. Public gatherings are prohibited, which means no sports, but what does that mean for the athletes?

On March 12, the NCAA cancelled its remaining sports seasons due to the virus, followed by Quinnipiac closing university housing on March 18. Along with that, more of society began to shut down. Including gyms.

@QU_Softball players staying in shape during quarantine! pic.twitter.com/Hj5o6Q5xTz

— HQ Press (@hq_press) April 17, 2020

For these collegiate athletes, their respective seasons are over. But for many, there is still a lot of sport left to play throughout the rest of their careers. Many of them are finding ways to keep in shape despite losing all the resources once at their fingertips.

One place to go to find inspiration for a workout? Their fingertips.

“Through Instagram my friend Brooklyn, who’s one of my teammates, she posted a workout she did and tagged a couple of us teammates,” sophomore second baseman for the Quinnipiac softball team Bridget Nasir said. “We’re like, ‘oh, let me see you do it, like you do this exercise do this workout like it’s really good.’ So we kind of stay entertained like that and connected through that.”

Sharing workouts using social media and trading workout ideas is key for athletes who now have limited resources at their disposal.

For many collegiate athletes, odds are they aren’t going to have a home gym stocked with all the equipment that they would be having at a regular gym or back at their facilities on campus, so they have to improvise.

Utilizing what’s available in the app store has helped sophomore catcher Lo Yarnall. Yarnall doesn’t have access to weights at home, and the Peloton app has been her go-to.

“Running audios, bodyweight exercises, it’s just stuff that you can do at home,” Yarnall said. “That’s easy. On my off days I do yoga or something. It’s just basically to make sure I’m moving every day.”

The players aren’t the only ones putting in work during this newly extended offseason. Coaches, such as strength and conditioning coach Megan “Coach Meg” Kudrick.

“We made a point as a staff to reach out to all of our teams, offering our support for whatever they needed,” Kudrick said. “We sent out some workouts just in case. Our thought is, you know, that’s an outlet for a lot of people, especially athletes, to be able to move and train and do something.”

Yarnall uses working out and exercise as a healthy escape, and says that now she can use this time to focus on what aspects of working out she finds work best for her.

“I guess it’s weird because we’re all trying to fill that gap,” Yarnall said. “We kind of rely on exercise to clear our minds and let us calm down and usually we get like four hours of it a day, but now that we don’t, it’s like we’re trying to fill that gap with whatever we can do.”

Kudrick interned with Quinnipiac from August to December, 2015 before coming on full-time in March, 2016. She works with Quinnipiac’s softball, baseball, track and field, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s soccer and acrobatics and tumbling teams. Previously working with tennis and golf until 2018.

Some of the workouts include a “one by twenty” program and a full body isometric program that can be completed without any equipment, making it good for those who don’t have equipment available at home.

Something making this more difficult on Kudruck is that this graduating senior class was her first class as a full-time member of Quinnipiac Athletics.

“It’s tough, I’ll be honest,” Kudrick said. “I mean I know it’s tougher for the sport coaches and for the athletes… to see it abruptly come to a stop and they don’t get to see all the hard work they put in all year. You don’t get to see them in their element and see them succeed and all the improvements that they’ve made and it’s really unfortunate.”

While utilizing these workouts can help give the athletes a sense of normalcy, it just isn’t the same as being in-season and really training hard with your team.

“You put it in a good word, surreal,” Nasir said. “I kind of wake up and I’m like ‘I shouldn’t be here,

I shouldn’t be in California, I should be playing.’ I think the worst is on weekends. Saturdays and Sundays so I’m like ‘dang I should be playing a game right now.’ I just miss it a lot…it breaks my heart for the seniors.”

It is unknown when the sporting world will get back on track, but these athletes are staying dedicated to ensure that when it does, they’re ready.

Staying in shape during lockdown: Hamden’s home gym

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.

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“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.

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Quinnipiac University adopts pass or fail option for students.

Quinnipiac University announced in an email Thursday it would be adopting a pass or fail grade policy for eligible courses for the remainder of the 2020 spring semester.

On Tuesday, the faculty senate approved having pass or fail options for classes in a 16-0 vote.

According to an email sent out by Quinnipiac University to the students, there will be no limit to the number of courses or credits students may select as pass or fail for Spring 2020 and grades of “pass” will not affect financial aid eligibility.

This new policy does not apply to School of Medicine or School of Law. Those schools will be administering their own, independent grading system for students.

The eligibility of courses to become pass or fail was based upon the basis of accreditation requirements, academic program progression policies, and industry standards.

Undergraduate students in specific programs will also not be eligible to take pass or fail for specific courses in their programs, even if the course itself is eligible.

Students are pleased to know the University has adopted this policy.

“I think it’s a good option because online learning is drastically different especially when you don’t have access to a library or study room to do your work,” said third-year Anna Buonomo. “Some people don’t have the proper area to focus so if your grades don’t turn out how they normally would in a regular environment, you now have the option for the grade to not affect your GPA.”

Students will receive a regular letter grade at the end of the semester and will have the option then to turn their grade into a pass or fail. A minimum of a C- is required for a “passing” grade, unless a higher grade is noted for a specific course.

Students can then consult their advisor and download a pass grade request form from MyQ under the Registrar’s tab. Then, they can submit the form by emailing it to the registrar’s office. The deadline to submit is Monday, May 18, 2020 by 5 p.m.

“I think considering the circumstances the University did what was best for students. I think being able to have the option of pass or fail will be beneficial because we can decide at the end of the semester,” said third-year Kevin Higgins. “So it is not like we need to decide right now if we want a pass or fail for a specific class.”

Professors are also understanding of the choices the University is making in regards to its students.

”We’re in new territory, an extraordinary semester. No question that faculty and the university as a whole has to respond with flexibility and understanding,” said Marc Wortman, part-time faculty.

But Wortman does not believe pass or fail should only be an option due to the circumstances.

“Grading should be optional for all courses no matter what the circumstances. That will encourage students to explore and take courses outside their areas of strength. Not everything in life has to have a grade,” said Wortman.

And some professors do not think implementing the pass or fail will be fair to all students.

“Looking at it from my perspective, I would say pass or fail is either you come or you don’t. So pass or fail to me is what about that student if they are really doing everything and then you have one student who you haven’t heard from but you know they turn in their work on the last day possible,” said Zachary Smith, part-time faculty. “It is really taking away from the students, not the professors because you are giving a student who does nothing versus the student who does everything the same grade, a P or F.”

But Smith also can see why the University made the decision.

“It is a reasonable understanding of what they have been thrown into. I am not saying it is bad or it is good,” said Smith.

Even now with the option to have a course be pass or fail, some students do not think they will use it.

“Though I think it is a good option the University is letting us decide if we want to pass or fail a course, at the end of the day I think I would rather see a letter grade on my transcript, especially if it was a course pertaining to my major,” said Buonomo.

Students can find a full list of eligible courses here.

Social distancing remains a top priority

With the COVID-19 outbreak, one of the many precautions that needs to be taken in order to eliminate the virus is social distancing. Social distancing is a measure taken to prevent the spreading of highly contagious diseases, in which people need to maintain a physical distance from one another to prevent mass-spreading.

In order for social distancing to be effective, you need to stand at least six feet away from each other and not participate in any physical gestures; as in handshakes, hugs, etc. Some examples of tactics would consist of working at home, closing schools or taking classes online, cancelling meetings and events, and video-chatting instead of physically meeting up.

As of March 30th, President Donald Trump announced that social distancing will be extended until the end of April. Originally, Trump wanted to ease the guidelines by Easter, but with the increase in cases of COVID-19 in the United States it’s making that goal virtually impossible. This announcement comes as a shock to some considering that Easter is on April 12th. All churches are currently closed and families will have difficulties having an actual easter celebration due to social distancing.

After speaking with several students here at Quinnipiac University regarding plans for Easter, it is clear that normal plans have been altered in a negative way due to COVID-19. Tyler DeGenennaro, a senior studying computer science, is resorting to a different celebration than usual.

“ This year for Easter my family will not be doing our usual tradition. Every year friends and family come to our house to celebrate, but this year it will just be my family and I,” DeGennaro said. “It’s sad that we can’t celebrate how we usually do, and I really hope that things start to get better soon.”

Another Easter tradition of many families is going to a restaurant with their family members and due to social distancing and other precautions, all restaurants can only do takeout or pickup. Avery Hayes, a senior management major, is also having a different easter this year compared to past years

“My family usually goes out to eat at a restaurant every Easter,” Hayes said. “ Because of Coronavirus, we have to do Easter dinner at my house now with just myself, two brothers, mom and dad.”

Another alternative to this year’s Easter would be re-scheduling to a different date, which Senior Jessie Sorebella’s family is doing.

“My whole family is postponing Easter,” Sorebella said. “ This decision came about because it’s not worth risking the health of my grandmother and others.”

Students remaining in Hamden during COVID-19 pandemic

Senior Kevin Fuller getting his haircut in the comfort of his Hamden home. Photo Credit: John Morgan

With the spread of COVID-19 increasing in pace, twenty-eight states including Connecticut have issued shelter-in-place orders. Although Quinnipiac did not allow students to resume living in on-campus housing following spring break, some students living in off-campus housing have decided to stay in Hamden.

“I think a lot of people that stayed at school are put under a negative light, but most of us are doing it for the right reasons,” senior Kevin Fuller said.

Fuller decided to stay in Hamden after a spring break trip to Mexico. Although he and other students were taking precautions during travel, like wiping down seats and washing their hands, they weren’t entirely sure if they had become infected because it takes a couple of weeks to show symptoms.

“I personally didn’t want to risk infecting my mother or friends’ parents, so I felt it was best to stay in my house in Hamden during the quarantine and stick around the people I had been traveling with,” Fuller said.

While avoiding the spread of the coronavirus was the main reason as to why he decided to stay in Hamden, a more personal reason also came into play.

“I’m a senior, so I guess I was holding on to the last bit of college I had,” Fuller said.

For students such as sophomore Barbora Hrinakova, staying in Hamden was their only option.

“I’m an international student from Slovakia, and I wasn’t able to go home,” Hrinakova said.

Hrinakova was allowed to remain in her on-campus housing due to the pandemic.

“I think it is a interesting and unknown time that we are in right now,” Hrinakova said. “You can really notice the decrease of people around Hamden.”

QU community member dies from COVID-19

A member of the Quinnipiac community died early Friday from complications from COVID-19. Marie Cusano worked in the People’s United Center as an usher.

Those who knew Cusano described her as an avid sports fan, especially for Quinnipiac’s hockey and basketball teams.

“To know Marie was to love her,” said Lori Onofrio, the men’s and women’s ice hockey secretary. “Whether you knew her from the hockey teams she supported, she was the most loyal friend and fan. Always a smile for everyone and a good word.”

Students who attended the hockey games remembered her kindness.

“Anyone who has gone to QU games on York knew Marie Cusano and Mike Cusano,” said John Opie, first-year health science major. Marie was so kind and definitely brightened up the arena.”

Hamden currently has thirty one cases of COVID-19 with the national total reaching 200,000.

Quinnipiac cuts pay for faculty and staff

Pay cuts for faculty and staff at Quinnipiac University are another effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an email sent by QU president Judy Olian, she announced that the university will be cutting all faculty and staff members’ pay.

“Because of the unprecedented magnitude of the impact,” Olian wrote in the email, “we will need to make budget cutbacks, and even sacrifices.”

Employees earning less than $50,000 a year will see a 3 percent reduction, while those earning more than $50,000 a year will see a 5 percent reduction. The reduction in pay is currently set to only apply through June 30, 2020.

The university management committee, which includes Olian and five vice presidents, are taking larger pay cuts. Vice President for Public Relations John Morgan, himself not a member of the management committee, would not disclose the extent of those cuts.

Olian wrote that the pay cuts are due to additional expenses caused by COVID-19, lost revenue from canceled events, and uncertainty over future enrollment numbers.

Other universities and colleges in Connecticut are making similar decisions. In an email to faculty, staff and students, University of New Haven president Steven Kaplan announced pay cuts. These cuts were in $50,000 intervals.

Employees, “will have the first $50,000 reduced by 3 percent; the next $50,000 reduced by 5 percent; the third $50,000 reduced by 7 percent; and all earnings beyond $150,000 reduced by 9 percent,” Kaplan wrote. His email did not include a scheduled end date to the pay cuts.

Professors at QU have mostly accepted the pay cuts.

“I’m not actually too upset by them,” David Tomczyk, an associate professor of entrepreneurship & strategy, said. “I knew QU would need to ‘tighten its belt’ to accommodate the changes and loss of revenue. That’s understandable and expected. The fact that it affected pay was always a possibility, and I’ve seen other companies have to do similar things during this time.”

Students are somewhat concerned with the effect faculty pay cuts will have.

“On the one hand it doesn’t seem fair,” Greta Stroebel, a fourth-year Quinnipiac student, said, “because teachers are still expected to teach and from home over video chat with likely a bunch of distractions so it’s probably really hard. But on the other hand these are crazy times and people gotta move money around.”

Students, administration, faculty and staff all agreed that they saw these changes as temporary.

“This also isn’t an on-going thing,” said Tomczyk. “It’s for this year, and next year we should be back to normal.”