By Amanda Perelli
Quinnipiac University, in Hamden Connecticut, claims to be committed to “building one of the most environmentally friendly campuses in America,” according to its 2018-19 Student Handbook. But, the private institution still has a long way to go–with more steps taken back than forward from the university.
How does Quinnipiac stack up?
READ MORE: At shorthand.com
By Sarah Foley
Debt in America has reached an all time high of $1.5 trillion, forcing people to put their lives on hold. Of course, the more known debt is credit card debt but what is the real underlying reason for this crippling debt in our economy? Student loans.
There are more than 44 million Americans with student loan debt, owing a total amount of about $1.5 trillion. Americans owe almost $600 billion dollars more in student debt than in credit card debt.
Quinnipiac University marketing professor Maxim Polonsky says that this debt is due to students being uninformed about student debt while picking the school that they want.
“It is unfortunate that student are in this situation. A lot of students don’t know what they are signing up for,” Polonsky said. “So, there can be a lot more blame put on the consumer for not knowing what they are signing up for. Students are financially illiterate and they think it can just be dealt with tomorrow.”
There are many different types of loans that students can apply for if they are looking at a school that is out of their financial reach. Yet, of course these loans come with interest rates which can seriously change the amount expected to pay after graduation.
Last July, the Federal Board of Education decided to increase the interest rate on federal student loans from 4.45 to 5.05 percent this year.
To put this in perspective, say a student owes an average student debt of $30,000 after graduation. This debt will become an extra $3,195 instead of $2,800. To calculate your loans, click here.
Interest rates are rising because the Federal Reserve has been increasing interest rates on the Federal Funds rate. This influences the interest rates on other major loan indexes, especially Treasury rates and the LIBOR index. The interest rates on most private student loans are based on the 1-month and 3-month LIBOR indexes.
Federal student loans come in many forms to fit different needs.
These loans consist of:
Financial guru Mark Kantrotwitz, a writer for Private Student Loans, said, “Since we are in a rising interest rate environment, you can expect the interest rates on student loans to continue increasing by about 0.5 to 0.75 percent per year.”
Federal education loans increase their interest rates once a year — on July 1 — based on the last 10-year Treasury Note auction in May. Private student loans, on the other hand, can change their interest rates as frequently as monthly.
Private Student Loans.guru provides unbiased and objective information about private student loans. Private student loans are offered by private lenders such as Citizens Bank, College Ave, LendKey, Sallie Mae. Private student loans can be fixed or variable.
Students are well educated about needing to take loans out for college but the concept of interest rates usually flies under the radar. Students are delaying life decisions such as purchasing a house or car, furthering their education and getting married.
Although this is a huge struggle for most graduates there are ways to reduce this financial burden. Sofi is an online loan company that offers student loan refinancing options to students suffering from debt.
“We found over 60 percent of respondents reported that student loan debt is one of the top two financial concerns in their lives. While student loans are clearly a stressor for millennials, there’s a way to prevent them from causing students so much anxiety,” said a Sofi representative.
The loaning company holds events such as cocktail parties, cooking classes and yoga classes to help their clients feel more comfortable speaking out and connecting with others suffering from student loan debt. Sofi is the leading student loan provider refinancing over 250,000 people and has spent $18 billion in refinanced student loans.
Graduates can also qualify for student loan deductions through taxes but these deductions come with limitations. Loans can only be deducted if they were loaned from a qualified source, such as federal loans and private loan lenders. It is possible to deduct interest on student loans even if you don’t itemize your deductions.
This is helpful especially since grads are unlikely to own a house right away.
Offered to all is Public Student Loan Forgiveness. The program offers full student loan forgiveness to anyone who works in the public sector, which includes non-profit employees, Peace Corps volunteers, public school teachers and staff. The Pay as you Earn forgiveness program allows those struggling with student debt to make 240 payments of $65.92 a month. Once those 240 payments are complete, the rest of the debt will be forgiven.
Golden Financial services, a debt settlement company warns that, “thousands of qualified consumers won’t be getting student loan forgiveness on the public service program even though they believe they will because they forget to submit the form for it.”
The company blames this on the Department of Education and loan services for not clearly disclosing this to students. The application for student loan debt consolidation is here.
Working with a student loan attorney can be a serious next step when suffering with student debt. An attorney can help a grad navigate the complicated world of student debt and shed light on the concept of fixing it. They can help grads get out of default and on to a better repayment plan.
Student debt attorney Kevin McCarthy says he has seen an exponential growth of graduates coming for help.
“Most people come to us when they are living off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, not being able to help themselves whatsoever. Credit card debt allows people to to go bankrupt while student loan debt has to be paid off. This is causing a lot of pain for families and isn’t allowing people to live a better life,” he said.
An attorney can provide guidance regarding your legal rights and options, represent your interests by negotiating with your student loan holder, help you resolve defaults and apply for a discharge, and handle credit disputes. Attorneys can only help if the loans are from a private student loan lender. They cannot help if the student loans are federal.
Being well educated about loans and their interest rates can allow avoidance of crippling debt. Families struggling to understand student loans can hire a college funding adviser to help them work through the finances.
Central Mass college funding advisor Dave Landry said, “Many families feel overwhelmed with the college financial aid system. In my view, the system can also be unfair – especially if you make mistakes while navigating through the process.”
These advisers will stay with you throughout your time at school and help assist applying for loans to find ones that fit you best.
Although student loan debt sounds intimidating to most, it is also considered “good debt” because of its importance. Without an education, people struggle to increase their income opportunities. A recent study from Georgetown University found that those with a college education earn over $1 million in earnings in a lifetime compare to those without an education.
Although a college education is crucial to living a better life, it has also been damaging not only those in debt, but also the economy. Attending school is beneficial, but students need to be more aware of their financial abilities when attending school.
Polonsky noted it is possible to deal with this debt when keeping on top of it.
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“It is possible for people to live in this developed economy which allows people the basic level of survival to create debt. That’s the beauty of capitalist economy. The blame is on college here. College is very expensive and causes a very debatable proposition. The idea that a $60,000 private college is going to lead you to a better degree then a $30,000 public school is just a marketing technique used by the university.”
Student loan debt will always be an issue, and will worsen with the rise of interest rates. Students aren’t surprised about this debt until they are exposed to it after graduation.
By Ana Grosso and Paige Meyer
The longstanding unrest between Quinnipiac students and the town of Hamden culminated into a written petition on change.org.
“It is part of growing up. Maybe because Hamden is such a small city and wants to remain small, residents may be less tolerant of the youthful behavior which is going on here no matter if we like it or not,” said Akanji Bola, a resident of Hamden.
Three weeks ago, Tony Pereira of Hamden wrote the petition that demands Mayor Curt Leng create reasonable regulations for student housing in residential neighborhoods. Although Pereira’s first motivation is a better quality of life for Hamden residents who are affected by student housing, his secondary motive is protecting taxpayers.
“Students are a little rowdy to say the least,” Hamden native John Wilonski said.
“They are loud with parties and all that crap. Most of them park all over their lawns and could care less.”
Pereira seeks 500 signatures on the petition, which details Hamden residents’ struggles and gripes over the ever changing climate in residential neighborhoods. Some changes that Pereira suggests include limiting housing permits and student housing locations and enforcing stricter rules with student residents in terms of speed limit, house parties, vandalization and pollution.
“Absolutely, no question about it, beyond a shadow of a doubt,” Wilonski said, when asked if student housing is devaluing hamden.
Pereira also asks that house owners regulate parking and provide sufficient and legitimate parking spots for students because street parking is obstructive and unsightly.
289 people have signed the petition as of Thursday, Dec. 6.
“College is the first time they are out of the home. Students are trying to experience college life and experience life in full. I do not have an experience but I have heard it been said around town in many cases,” Bola said.
Pereira ended the petition by writing, “Student rental housing should supplement the high tax bourdon [sp] on residents with diminished quality of life as a result of student neighbors.”
In the comments section of the listed petition, some residents detailed exactly why they signed this petition.
By Sarah Foley and Nora Scally
The town of Hamden is home to around 61,000 people, but during the school year, Quinnipiac University adds about 10,000 more to the population of Hamden.
Many of the vehicles owned by Quinnipiac students are registered out of state, causing Hamden to take a loss on motor vehicle taxes.
Connecticut Conference of Municipalities has noticed that many out-of-state vehicles are not registered within towns and has been a problem throughout the state. Towns such as Waterbury, Bridgeport, Danbury, New Haven and Stafford have also tried contacting companies to help track down tax invaders.
A study done by the city of Waterbury in 2016 uncovered more than 4,000 vehicles registered out of the city. The study estimated that the cost of those lost registrations approached nearly $450,000.
Chief Assessor, John Gelati, said the tax is being put in effect to have equalization in the town of Hamden and it will include students who live off campus and drive cars with out-of-state plates.
“This is a part of a comprehensive revenue initiative that we are launching which includes an audit of personal property and real estate as well,” said Gelati.
The assessor’s office is currently selecting a request for proposal to implement car registration in Hamden under the law. The assessor’s office is hoping that this will be done at the end of the month and hopefully be put in effect for this coming year. Gelati believes the implementation of this tax will be a slow process but hopes that everyone will be in compliance with it
Gelati said the tax will not affect any specific motor vehicles in particular, regarding students in the Quinnipiac community, it requires notification to the vehicles insurance. Gelati said that the process would be much easier if everyone contacts their vehicle insurance company to register their car in Hamden.
Not only out of state cars will be taxed but students that reside in a different part of Connecticut will also need to register their car with Hamden.
If a car is seen in the same area for a couple of months, that car will need to be registered in Hamden. The assessor office will be monitoring theses cars that are out of state and are seen on a lawn or driveway for a few months.
“The tax will affect students who reside in Hamden or have moved here after college and have not yet registered their car in the town,” said Gelati.
Depending on how long the car stays in Hamden will determine whether or not the car needs to be registered. Those who are here for a visit will not be taxed but for students living in off-campus housing, this may create a problem.
The town and assessor’s office have an obligation to discover taxable property in the town. They are allowed to scan license plates over a period of time if they suspect a person to be living in Hamden with an unregistered vehicle.
Gelati said that he has received positive feedback from residents of Hamden and believes that this might even bridge the gap of Quinnipiac students and Hamden residents. He believes that it is a positive move for the university and the students to be in compliance and pay their appropriate taxes.
Gelati is not sure how this would affect on-campus residents because Quinnipiac is private property but he is sure that students living in off-campus housing will be affected.
“I would like to add that, should the university students want to have more information about this process we would be more than happy to attend a meeting and help students learn more about the process to register their cars in Hamden,” said Gelati.
Gelati understands that the process of registering a car can be quite intimidating and is happy to speak with the school and students to makes the process easier for all.
By Ryan Ansel
Six months after the Hamden tornado severely damaged the roof of the Dickerman House, restoration is underway.
During a Hamden Legislative Council meeting last month, the council waived a $2,707 permit fee in cooperation with community efforts to restore damage left from by devastating tornado on May 15. The storm knocked over trees which demolished building structures throughout Connecticut, including several houses in the northern Hamden area.
The Dickerman House was no exception. A fallen tree in the front yard tore through the middle of the roof, punching a gap in the structure and creating residual damages along the siding.
The roof structure was shattered in multiple different places, so roofer and longtime Historical Society member Bob Zoni is being paid to restore the roof by substituting a few wood beams as possible in order to to maintain the house’s historical distinction.
Roofer Bob Zoni gathers his tools underneath a tarp where the house’s roof once was.
Zoni conceived the restoration plan that passed by the Legislative Council two weeks ago. In his plan, Zoni said that he will repair the roof’s head beam section, the rafters, and the overhang using timber frame joinery and splicing techniques. Other minor repairs were also included in the plan.
“It’s something I’ll be proud of in the end, but it’s very stressful,” said Zoni. “It’s almost like it’s my own house.
In the driveway are stacks of lumber that Zoni plans on using to hold up recycled roof slates. He works under a tarp he propped-up, himself, as well as a lights that hang on a piece of wood in place of a roof beam.
The main struggle of restoring the house, according to Zoni, is something out of his control.
“The weather has been killing me. I can’t get anything done,” Zoni said. “This might be the rainiest year I can remember. Every month I say, ‘well, maybe the weather pattern will change,’ and it doesn’t. “
The exterior damage of the Cider Mill Barn.
The Cider Mill Barn, which sits beside the house on the property, is also damaged. During the tornado, one of the barn’s sides detached from the rest of the structure, creating a massive gap. Wood beams keep the barn from completely toppling during high winds, but Zoni said that another heavy snowfall could cause the barely-standing structure to implode.
Interior damage of the barn.
“People who work outside live and die by the weather,” Zoni said. To his gratitude, forecasts for the remainder of this week show little signs of any substantial precipitation.
The last time that Zoni said he saw a storm as disastrous was during the 1989 Northeastern US tornado outbreak, when 200 homes in Hamden took the brunt of the tornado’s impact. The New York Times reported that cars and industrial cranes were tossed through the air, and rows of houses, as well as an industrial park, were flattened.
The Hamden Historical Society avoided damage during the 1989 tornado, but wasn’t as lucky this past May.
“The Hamden Historical Society is attempting to restore these reminders of our town’s heritage, but to do so it needs to raise $25,000,” says the main page on the society’s website.
Yet, the total cost of the restoration of both the house and the barn may be much greater, according to Zoni. He said that the entire restoration process may cost up to $200,000.
The house dates back to the 18th century. Jonathan Dickerman built the farmhouse for his wife in 1792 and it became state property before the Great Depression. Ownership was then passed on to the Hamden Historical Society in 1961.
The society remodeled the house to resemble as it did in the 18th century, which is a testament to the sound techniques of historical carpentry, according to Zoni.
Had the Dickerman House been a modern, stick-framed house rather than a timber frame structure, the damages would have been more severe, according to Zoni. To a person unfamiliar with historic structures, the damage appears much worse than it actually is. It can be repaired by qualified people.
On the building permit fees waiver for the Dickerman House, Mayor Curt Leng said, “The Town and the Hamden Historical Society have maintained a mutually beneficial relationship that supports the value Hamden’s historic properties bring to our community and quality of life.”
A ladder leans on a wall beside an upstairs hallway window that peeks out unto Mount Carmel Ave. Zoni’s ladder and other work tools take up some of the space upstairs during construction.
By Ana Grosso and Aron Fried
In the wake of Quinnipiac University finance professor and Thomas Coe’s exposure as a sexual predator, the sting operation, planned and filmed by “POPSquad”, raises one question: If police were at the scene, why wasn’t Coe arrested?
Members of “POPSquad” confronted Thomas Coe and published the sting operation in a video on Nov. 11. In the video, the group included sexually explicit messages that Coe had allegedly sent to what he believed to be a 14-year-old-boy who he was attempting to meet up with.
Section 53a-49 of the Connecticut Penal Code outlines criminal attempt as an offense.
According to the statute, a person is guilty of criminal attempt if he or she, “intentionally engages in conduct which would constitute the crime if attendant circumstances were as he believes them to be.”
There was no actual 14-year-old boy involved, but the video and subsequent released private messages clearly show that Coe believed there to be, and that he knew exactly what he was doing.
After exchanging messages, Coe arrived at the sting house just before midnight on Sunday, Nov. 11.
Police arrived to the sting house about an hour later and spoke with both Coe and members of the “POPSquad” team, but despite what looks like a very clear violation of the criminal attempt statute, they did not arrest Coe.
Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Kevin Lawler would not comment on the specifics of an investigation or even confirm the existence of one, but he said, “There are requirements for cases where officers believe that on site they have probable cause to make an immediate arrest and other cases where they go out and seek a warrant.”
Although Bristol police arrived an hour after “POPSquad” exposed Coe, they did not make an arrest because they were not involved in the investigation. In the video, Coe made indirect suicidal threats and the “POPSquad” team feared for his life and called police for precautionary measures and legal reasons.
According to the video, Coe will absolutely be arrested, especially with such detailed and documented evidence, however police must investigate the crime for themselves before making an arrest. “POPSquad” members said in the video that an arrest will take “forever” because the criminal justice system is in their opinion, “broken.”
Lawler touched on that as well.
“Prosecuting sex crimes is not easy,” he said. “That is something that requires substantial investigation in order to successfully prosecute them. I don’t see this as being any different. They are difficult to prosecute.”
Coe lives in Meriden, in close proximity to Francis T. Maloney High School. HQ Press reached out to the Meriden Public School District and they have not responded.
Coe lives in an apartment complex right across the street from a high school in Meriden. Source: Google Earth. Graphic by Ryan Ansel
The Connecticut Sex Offender Registry laws outlines specific rules involving schools. However, registration as a sex offender requires a conviction, so until that happens, if it happens, Coe can legally continue living at his current residence.
Sgt. John Mennone, police spokesman in Meriden, said the video was not recorded there, and city police are not investigating the incident.
In a similar sting operation in January of 2018, Guilford police arrested five men and charged them with second-degree criminal attempt to commit sexual assault and criminal attempt to commit risk of injury. Police arrested 24-year-old Gregorio Rafael Diaz, of Putnam, 30-year-old Robert Prece, of New Haven, 29-year-old Sergio Bordonaro, of Boston, Ma. 41-year-old Marvin Gay Dunkley, of New Haven, 44-year-old Kevin Millen, of Ellington, according to News 8.
What sets this sting apart from Coe’s is the fact that Guilford police were involved with the initial investigation and setup. The Veterans 4 Child Rescue Foundation launched a collaborative initiative called “Not in my Town,” which combines the foundation’s efforts with Guilford police and the New Haven State’s Attorney.
“The operation was also filmed as part of a documentary by the Veterans 4 Child Rescue Foundation and was designed not only to arrest sexual predators that are lurking literally a text message or mouse click away, but to also raise awareness to the realities of child sexual exploitation and the importance of internet safety in “keeping our children safe while on-line,” police said.
This podcast was deemed powerful for a reason.
Inspired by the Kavanaugh hearing and confirmation, Paige Meyer, Ana Grosso and Sarah Foley sat down with Quinnipiac students to hear their concerns and their perspectives on sexual assault in our society and its impact on college students. While creating this podcast, the goal was to capture the perspectives of sexual assault in our society and the impact that gender and politics have on college students in the Quinnipiac community.
Listen to hear five powerful females explain their take.
On November 15, 2018, President Judy Olian announced that Quinnipiac will become a tobacco-free university starting on Jan. 1, 2019. In an email sent to students, Olian said that tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, will be banned.
Both the Mount Carmel and York Hill campuses are following suit after the North Haven campus, which became tobacco free in 2012. The Quinnipiac North Haven campus received the CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation from the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.
“It’s important for students to take into consideration what they are putting in their bodies (so) Quinnipiac deciding to push this to other campuses besides North Haven is great,” said Cassandra Reyes, an Occupational Therapy student. “Why not really take care of the students by making a huge health decision like this?”
This new policy prohibits the use of all tobacco products on campuses from regular cigarettes, to hookah-smoking products. Students on campus use a variety of smoke products that, according to experts, have negative effects on the body.
These negative effects can have deadly repercussions. Tobacco use is the “single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States,” according to the CDC. Nearly a half-million people die a year from smoking cigarettes and 41,000 die from secondhand smoke.
“Honestly, I hate the smell of cigarettes or any kind of smoking. I grew up watching my uncle gradually get very sick because of his smoking addiction and he lost his life to it,” said Andres Baez, sophomore. “When I see people my age walking around campus smoking so much it disgusts me and saddens me at the same time.”
According to the American Cancer Society, “Cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) in tobacco smoke damage important genes that control the growth of cells, which causes them to grow abnormally or to reproduce too rapidly. More than 70 such cancer-causing chemicals have been identified in cigarette smoke to date.
“The research is unequivocal on the deleterious health consequences of smoking and nicotine products,” Olian said in the email. “We have an obligation to all members of our community to support a healthy learning, working and social environment for our students, faculty, staff and visitors.”
The U.S Department of Health & Human Services conducted research approximating that 2.6 million high school and college students were currently tobacco users in 2017. This figure, however, is much smaller in proportion to adolescent tobacco use forty years ago. Only one in 25 teens smoked tobacco products in 2017.
But considering the smaller, yet still-living presence of college students smoking in the 21st century, not everyone is on-board with the new policy.
“President Olian made a strong decision. I vape all the time, that’s a way for me to destress myself. I know the harm it has to my body, but that’s the thing, it’s my body. I understand the betterment as a whole, but this is just a bit annoying,” said Quinnipiac freshman, Leo Thomas.
Although the decision to become a tobacco free university stirred-up different opinions from students and faculty, the main goal of implementing this new policy is to assist students, faculty and staff while quitting smoking. Ultimately, this will assist in creating a healthier community at Quinnipiac University.
By Aron Fried
HAMDEN, Conn. — South of Quinnipiac University, Whitney Avenue is lined with restaurants and shops and is considered Hamden’s central hub.
Green areas are connected to the sewer. On the map on the right, the area north of “Mill River” is all on septic.
Drive north, past Quinnipiac and Sleeping Giant State Park, and sidewalks disappear a few miles out. Businesses become scarce, and the spaces between buildings start to resemble football fields.
Charles Hague, a business owner on that stretch of road, thinks sewers, of all things may play a role in creating those stark differences. Specifically, the fact that there aren’t any.
His restaurant and bar, Aunt Chilada’s, has been there 25 years. It’s a popular spot among Quinnipiac students and like almost every other business and home in northern Hamden, it has a septic tank.
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“It’s an extra burden and an extra cost”
“It’s an extra burden and an extra cost,” Hague said.
Cement lids of Aunt Chilada’s septic tank.
Buried underneath Aunt Chilada’s front lawn, the septic tank doesn’t look like much above ground, just nine cement disks in a row. Hague calls it ugly. For a restaurant owner, he knows an awful lot about how septic tanks work. He needs to.
Septic tanks are domestic wastewater treatment systems, built underground and usually made of concrete, fiberglass or plastic. The tank collects both liquid and solid waste and filters the water to the surface.
The water moves through a pipe and into to a leaching field where it disperses. The solid waste is pumped out periodically and transported to a treatment facility. The diagram below shows the basic functionality of a septic tank.
Septic systems differ from the more common sanitary sewer, which is an interconnected system of underground pipes that carry sewage directly to a wastewater treatment facility.
Sewers are generally publicly owned, while individual septic tanks belong entirely to the property owner, and — as a result — he or she is forced to face the entire cost of maintenance and repairs.
“It’s costly, and you basically put people that are not in the sewer business in the sewer business,” said Tom Sgroi, the director of engineering at Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority (GNHWPCA), the wastewater treatment facility that has served Hamden since 2005.
It’s a predicament that could be unattractive to potential new business owners, especially those who want to open restaurants, which produce a lot of waste.
A standard septic tank for a three-bedroom home holds about 1,000 gallons and the solid waste needs to be pumped every three to five years, according to EPA recommendations. Hague’s tank holds 5,000 gallons and it gets pumped four times a year by different private companies.
Hague said it costs him thousands of dollars annually, but he would not be specific.
By comparison, pumping a standard 1,000-gallon tank generally costs between $150 and $300. In the case of complete system failure, the cost to replace the tank also falls entirely on the owner, which could be anywhere between $3,000 and $7,000 or sometimes even more, depending on a wide variety of factors.
While the cost of the septic tank didn’t deter him from opening Aunt Chilada’s on Whitney Avenue, Hague said most businesses would rather not have to take the risk.
Brad Macdowall, a district representative in Hamden, is concerned about the town’s ability to recruit new businesses, especially considering its current economic situation.
A 2018 report by the Yankee Institute for Public Policy, a conservative think tank, found Hamden to be in the worst financial condition of all Connecticut towns.
Macdowall acknowledged Hamden’s struggles, but made sure to point out the partisan nature of the organization. He also stressed the importance of turning Hamden into a place that could sustain business growth.
“We’re not going to see the kind of new business expansion that we need to see if we’re not offering the kind of infrastructure that those kinds of businesses need,” Macdowall said. “Why would a business expand there if they can go elsewhere with the sort of infrastructure that they’re looking for?”
Apart from the lack of sewers, the location — just minutes away from Quinnipiac — which has grown tremendously in the past couple of decades, couldn’t be better for business.
Despite that, the area remains largely underdeveloped — much to Hague’s surprise.
That section of Whitney Avenue hasn’t changed much since Hague has been there. He has begun to believe it will not change.
Aunt Chilada’s exterior and interior.
Hamden resident Paul Ferraro feels similarly and thinks new businesses could liven up the town.
“Businesses have been in and out, which is strange considering the amount of traffic from the school,” Ferraro said. “I’d like to see more come to stay.”
Macdowall wants more business in this area. To do so, he believes the Town of Hamden must expand the sewer system to cover at least Whitney Avenue all the way north to Cheshire.
The expansion is part of Macdowall’s vision to reduce the long-term financial burden on business owners and residents and allow them to forget about their sewage.
However, it’s a lot more complicated than Hamden just signing off on new infrastructure development since the GNHWPCA owns the sewers and would have final say on any new additions to the existing system.
Right now, Hamden is having early discussions about putting together a plan, according to Mark Austin, the town engineer.
“I heard some chatter going on about it recently,” Austin said, but chose not to elaborate.
Macdowall confirmed that the Town of Hamden administrators are taking some of the first steps.
“We’re doing the research and we’re doing our due diligence so that we can show the water authority why this would be beneficial,” Macdowall said.
According to Section 4 of the GNHWPCA’s Sewer Ordinance, the governing body of the municipality has to approve the project before proposing the expansion.
Sgroi calls it a “chicken and egg” situation, because the GNHWPCA generally doesn’t care if a town wants to connect or add to its sewer system as long as it has the capacity at the plant, everything works properly and it doesn’t impact any of the existing system or its existing customers.
This puts the pressure back on Hamden, which, though it does not own the sewers, would have to ensure any new infrastructure meets the requirements of the treatment facility.
The uneven terrain makes matters more difficult. Running into rock, for example, presents a real risk and, Austin said, “that gets really expensive really quick.”
Hamden is already deep in debt, and while Austin said the Town of Hamden would have to pay the initial cost for installation, Macdowall is confident Hamden wouldn’t end up paying for anything. In reality, he said, the cost would show up in residents’ water bills.
Austin added, “As people connect to the new sewers, they pay their portion of the cost to put it in. So ultimately, the cost goes to the user.”
In the long run, connecting to the sewage system could still be cheaper.
Hague, for one, would welcome the change.
For him, it would mean no longer having to worry about the upkeep of a septic tank, and he would appreciate not shouldering that burden as, he said, business owners do prefer sanitary sewers.
Macdowall doesn’t think projects with the potential to stimulate the economy can wait, either.
“Quite frankly, I think we can’t afford not to do it,” Macdowall said. “If we keep using initial cost as a reason to not continue to develop, then we’re going to stay behind. We’re going to continue to fall behind and stay behind.”
By Nora Scally, Cullen Ronan and Aaron Robinson
Following the incriminating video of a Quinnipiac University finance professor who appears to be looking to have sexual relations with a 14-year-old boy, an online sting operation has been brought to light.
The sting netted Dr. Thomas Coe, an associate professor and chair of the finance department.
Coe, who has been suspended pending an investigation, but not arrested, began teaching at Quinnipiac in 1999.
After extended online conversations posing as a minor, the head of an organization known as “PopSquad (Prey on Predators Squad),” who goes by “Incognito,” lured Coe into meeting up with what he believed to be an underage boy, only to greet Coe with a camera upon his arrival.
Leading up to the interaction, he had canceled his classes after November 1 due to travel and out of town conferences.
Above: An e-mail Coe sent announcing his travels.
He sent out an e-mail hours before his interaction with “PopSquad” as well.
Above: An e-mail Coe sent before his confrontation with “PopSquad”.
“PopSquad” is dedicated to luring and exposing child predators in Connecticut, in an effort to help protect children and “raise community awareness around the issue in hopes of toughening laws and legislation” according to the “PopSquad” website.
The videos taken of unsuspecting predators, including the one featuring Coe, are then posted to the “PopSquad” website, where they join the ranks of the other 129 individuals that Incognito has caught on camera.
Incognito told Fox 61 that the mission of “PopSquad” is to change Connecticut legislation regarding how the state handles sex offenders.
“Technology has outgrown our laws and that’s a huge loophole that a lot of the guys I catch get,” Incognito said. “If they go online and they talk to your child and they don’t say anything sexual, they technically aren’t breaking a law,”
HQ Press reached out to Incognito regarding “PopSquad”, who says he has stopped talking to news outlets because he feels as though they are also part of the problem, but did not elaborate on the issue.
“PopSquad’s” Instagram direct message to HQ Press
The “PopSquad” method of exposing sexual offenders bares a resemblance to Dateline NBC’s “To Catch a Predator,” a program aired from 2004 to 2007 that used similar means of convincing offenders to meet up with underage boys and girls through online chat rooms.
However, those who were caught by the operation would leave in handcuffs after the executors of the sting were temporarily deputized by the local police department throughout the length of the sting.
Despite not having an affiliation with law enforcement, the efforts of “PopSquad” have gained plenty of traction online, tallying thousands of views and leading to 14 arrests, nine pending trials and five convictions throughout its two-year history.
However, questions still remain about the future of the 104 other predators caught in the “PopSquad” sting.
Above: Timeline of the events surrounding Thomas Coe.