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Quinnipiac’s first ever pub night

By Charlene Torres & Sarah Foley

The line was out the door on Thursday night for Quinnipiac’s first ever Pub Night on campus. The senior class cabinet hosted the event on York Hill’s Rocky Top to initiate building a pub on campus for students 21 years or older. Senior Vice President Allison Kuhn said that she has been working on this proposal since January.

“We planned this Pub Night in September. It was originally only going to be beer and a two drink limit, but we wanted to have the effect of a real pub so we added wine and mixed drinks,” Kuhn said.

SGA hosted the event in the Rocky Top Den with a line leading almost past the cafeteria.

Students said they were excited to come out and see what SGA could put together. They came for the drinks, games and free food. SGA handed out refillable plastic cups that said “Pub Night” to the first 100 students who arrived. Beers were $4, wine was $5, mixed drinks were $6 and drinks on the rocks were $7. There was no tipping allowed for the bartenders.

SGA decided to cap the event at 300 people, because of limited space in the Rocky Top Den. Students recommended finding a larger space to make it easier to dance.

“I think the event is pretty successful so far,” senior Caroline Accardi said. “I just wish there was more room to move and a shorter line for the bar. I saw the line and decided to just not get a drink.”

Others came to see if the event would go smoothly.

“I came to see how tonight would go and if SGA would do a good job and if it got out of control. So far I’m having a great time,” senior Maggie Sweeney said.

To make sure this event didn’t get out of control, SGA invited public safety officers and police officers, and patrolled the event themselves.

“We are trying to prove to administration that students not only want a pub, but are also responsible enough to have one,” Kuhn said.

Schools such as UConn and Fairfield University have campus bars for students to drink responsibly. If it follows certain protocols it is possible that Quinnipiac will be able to have a bar on campus too.

“On campus bars are just a guaranteed great time. You don’t have to worry about the bar getting shut down and you’re safe. I can literally walk down the street to my dorm whenever I’m done for the night,” said Anynha Phelmetto, a junior at UConn.

Huskies Restaurant and Bar is an on-campus bar at UConn that hosts college students all week long. Many students spend their weekends there, including weeknights for a quick bite.

“We’ve been the preferred bar on campus for more than 20 years and have more space and better specials than any other bars in the area,” general manager, Kevin Lavallee said. There are a few other bars on campus like TEDS and Grille 86, but UConn students prefer Huskies.

“If you are looking for an upbeat vibe and all around good time, Huskies is the place to be, especially after a stressful day full of classes”, Tyvonna Bradley, a senior at UConn, said.

Many students from around Connecticut want on-campus bars because of its benefits. These bars keeps students safe, and students are more inclined to spend their time on campus on the weekends.

“Our goal is to keep our students safe. We always have Public Safety officers patrolling the area and on guard. I think students would rather come here than wander the different areas of Fairfield, especially when students aren’t from around here,” said Todd A. Pelazza, Director of Public Safety at Fairfield.

Similar to UConn, The Levee is Fairfield University’s on-campus sports bar that is located across the main entrance of the student center. This bar hosts many events like concerts, dances, comedy shows, etc. that provide a variety of gatherings for students.

Catherine Ruiz is a senior at Fairfield University and enjoys going to the bar on campus.

“I think more schools should invest in on-campus bars. Students don’t want to spend money on ubers and always watching over their shoulders late at night. I want to be in a safe place that will bring more students together,” Ruiz said.

Like many schools, Quinnipiac’s first ever Pub Night on campus could be a fresh start to safe drinking and partying for students. The night was short, but many students came out to support in hopes of this on campus bar becoming permanent.

“I hope the university appreciates the turn out and really makes this a thing for students. I’d love to see what it could become before I graduate in May, “ Stephanie Martinez, senior at Quinnipiac, said.

Hamden voter evolution: what the midterms told us

By Aron Fried

Six years of Hamden voting: By the numbers

Go to the story

Photo by Max Slomiak

Connecticut and Hamden election results

Connecticut and Hamden saw a lot of big wins for Democrats last night. After a tight gubernatorial race, Ned Lamont (D) narrowly beat Bob Stefanowski (R). Incumbent Representative Rosa DeLauro (D) bested challenger Angel Cadena (R). DeLauro is now entering her 15th term representing Connecticut’s 3rd district in Congress. Incumbent Senator Chris Murphy (D) beat Matthew Corey (R) and now enters his second term in the Senate.

See the full results below:

2018 Hamden election guide

By Scott De Bell, Aron Fried and Ryan Ansel

The deadline to register to vote in Connecticut has passed, but Quinnipiac University students who haven’t yet are not out of options.

According to the Hamden Department of Registrars and Elections, all students, even those registered in another state, can register to vote in Connecticut on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 6 by bringing their student identification to the Registrar’s office at 2750 Dixwell Ave. If they are off-campus students, please be advised you are required to also bring a proof of residency.

For Hamden residents, polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 10 locations. To find your polling station, visit vote.org.

Hamden sample ballot. Click to see the full size image.

Here is a simple guide to learn more about the candidates.

2018 Election Results:

George Logan, Jorge Cabrera debate local issues

By Nora Scally and Ryan Ansel

Candidates for Connecticut’s 17th senatorial district debated in front of a filled Thornton Wilder Auditorium on Wednesday night.

Incumbent State Senator George Logan (R-Ansonia) and Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden) discussed issues such as gun laws, the declining state economy, tolls, minimum wage, and recreational marijuana legalization.

The League Of Women Voters sponsored the debate and Ray Andrewsen, of WQUN-AM, served as moderator.

Citizens and town officials alike were present in the auditorium to see the candidates debate and answer audience questions.

Local Hamden resident, who chose to go by the name of Christine, was impressed with both candidates during the debate.

“Compared to what Hamden used to be years ago, to now with both candidates being qualified, it’s going to be a good race,”said Christine, “I think the state’s going to be good, whichever one wins.”

One topic that garnered a response from the audience was minimum wage. The candidates had very different viewpoints on the issue. Logan is not in favor of raising the state’s minimum wage.

“Our minimum wage is higher than the federal standard. I’m in favor of raising wages, raising everyone’s wages. Raising the minimum wage is going to cost jobs to the people we’re trying to help. Particularly in our district, when you look at minimum wage, there are a lot of young people that are working at minimum wage,” said Senator Logan, “There’s going to be fewer of them working these jobs. It’s going to be problematic, they’re going to hire less people.

Cabrera disagreed with this; he said he felt he handled the question much better than his opponent.

“I challenge anyone to make it on $10.10 an hour. The reality is we need to pay our workers better. If they have a more disposable income, they’re going to spend more, this creates more jobs and stimulates the economy,” said Cabrera, “He is not in favor of that and he clearly does not understand that. “

After the debate, both candidates had messages to give to the young voters hitting the polls in November.

“We need to turn the state around and get more jobs in Connecticut, so that young people will want to be here, get a job here and raise their families in this wonderful state of ours,” said Senator Logan, “It has to be affordable for them. That is one of my main priorities.”

Cabrera emphasized the importance of this election and that everyone should go out and vote.

“I think it’s important that every single person comes out to vote, that they talk to their neighbors and students. This is a very important election,” said Cabrera, “This senate seat has the potential of tipping the balance of power in the state senate.”

Local town officials were in attendance to show their support for their respective candidates. They want to emphasize the importance of this election and make sure that young voters hit the polls on November 6.

“You have to vote for what you believe in. Don’t be a one issue voter. Look at all the issues. Look locally, what are your issues personally, how does it affect you?” said Frank Ladore, Republican Town Chair of Hamden, “Just don’t vote on one issue. Vote on what is going to help the whole community.”

HQ Press live-tweeted this event and will continue to follow this political race as it continues.

Family weekend activities and insights

By Max Slomiak

Every year, the Student Programing Board (SPB) hosts Family Weekend. The weekend provides parents of Quinnipiac students an opportunity to visit their children and all of the resources Quinnipiac has available.

The Mount Carmel campus comes to life as families begin to arrive on Friday. Events on campus are held to spark conversation and interaction, such as the Quinnipiac Sustainability Farmers Market or sporting events.

It gives student’s a chance to see their families who have a major influence on their college success.

“Family plays a big role in my college success. They push and encourage me to be the best that I can. Family will always be important to me”, said Ryan Ditcham a junior.”

On Friday parent’s had the opportunity of going to the student performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream or they could head to the auditorium and take part in Night on the Boardwalk where students and their families can play games and eat food.

On Saturday is when the parents get to tour the entire campus. They get a full tour of the learning commons and have the opportunity to go into a classroom and hear from professors about the teaching style of Quinnipiac and what the students are learning in their classes.

There’s also a market held in the Burt Khan gym where local businesses set up tables for the families to shop. Saturday night is headlined by the Rocktopia performance. Which is a performance that puts together all generations of music for an experience that both parents and students can equally enjoy.

Family Weekend is also a great time for all friends and families to get together. College can change a family dynamic since a child is no longer living at home in most cases. So there is no longer the constant connection of seeing each other everyday.

Inge Ameer who has two children in college. One at Quinnipiac and one at Bay Path University. Talks about the changes that occur when your children go off to college.

“Some of the connections are weaker, like knowing what is going on in their day to day lives – their favorite hangouts, restaurants, etc. But some of the connections are stronger like talking about adult matters like their future and the coming choices they will have to make”

It also gives parents a chance to see their kids blossom and become independent.

Inge said, “When they leave for college, they are still young, just out of high school. But you watch them mature, make some mistakes and have some successes. You watch them fully move into adulthood and your relationship with them changes.

Family also plays a huge role in a college students as the relationship changes between a student and their family since they’re maturing and making decisions on their own.

“My relationship has changed for the good they trust me to make the right decisions and they’re more open about talking to me about family business”, said John Hughes.

One thing that every college student has to deal with is not having that support of your family all the time

Robert Weinfeld uses the Family weekend to visit his parents in Massachusetts.

“Since I’ve been in college my family still plays a major role in my life, but I’m not as close with them since I’m away and don’t get to talk often ”, said Weinfield a junior.

Family will continue to play a major role in students life even after college. Even if the relationship has some changes.

Sign Welcoming parents to the York Hill Campus

The climate of sexual assault and why victims find it hard to report it

By Aaliayah French and Randy Del Valle

Quinnipiac University’s most recent annual Clery report came out in the middle of the Kavanaugh hearings. The report documented two formal reports of rape on campus and one instance of fondling. But, the report doesn’t provide the full picture of sexual harassment and violence on campus.

The numbers documented in the Clery report are low, but there’s a reason why they’re are like that.

Screen Shot 2018-10-13 at 8.44.31 PM.png

“More students deal with cases of sexual harassment and intimate partner violence, but don’t formally report them to the school,” according to Megan Buda, Quinnipiac’s director of student conduct.

“I think students are concerned about coming forward for sexual assault for obvious reasons,” said Buda. “Sometimes we receive complaints about intimate partner violence maybe from their friend group or from their family and they’re too concerned to come forward on their on own.”

Senior Stephanie Martinez said going through the long, formal process is one of the reasons that stop people from reporting sexual harassment.

“Sexual assault can sometimes be traumatizing so maybe somebody doesn’t want to go through that again, live through that again,” Martinez said. “Going through that long process of being asked questions, ‘What happened?’ ‘Where did it happen?’ ‘What were you wearing?’ ‘What was he wearing?’ ‘What were you doing?’ It’s just something that people don’t want to go through.”

Researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia recently reported some of the biggest barriers people face when it comes to reporting rape and sexual assault.

According to the research, “Students rated ‘shame, guilt and embarrassment,’ ‘confidentiality concerns’ and ‘fear of not being believed’ as the top three perceived barriers in reporting rape among both men and women. However, students rated shame, guilt and embarrassment as a much larger barrier for men than women.”

Barriers that impact women than men were lack of resources to get help, language barriers to obtaining help and “financial dependence on perpetrator/perpetrator interference in seeking help.”

In light of the recent Kavanaugh hearings and the latest verdict convicting Bill Cosby of sexual assault and rape charges, the “#MeToo” movement and #WhyIDidn’tReport has given women the courage to come forward and speak out on their experiences, including women college campuses.

While many Quinnipiac students have not wanted to publicly share their stories about being a victim of sexual assault, one staff member at Quinnipiac shared on Twitter why she didn’t report her experience of being sexually assaulted in high school.

Courtney McKenna, Quinnipiac’s director of student affairs, was in high school when her relationship became “increasingly violent.”

“For me, it’s hard a lot of times to separate out the difference between where were the pieces interpersonally, emotionally and sort of physically the violence were and then also some of the sexual violence that was in the relationship,” McKenna said. “I can remember sort of snapshot pieces of it, but it’s not this like chronological movie of memories of specific things, because a lot of it for me was all entangled together.”

“I think for me some of those pieces were not listening in terms of boundaries. I think then the other pieces were going along with things further in some places because of fear of the physical violence on the other side if I didn’t move forward with certain different things,” McKenna said.

Reporting her situation was never something McKenna thought to do as she was focused about her safety.

“In a partner violent relationship there’s this cycle. There is this part of the relationship where its really good and it’s happy and then the tension builds and there’s some type of episode whether its some type of violence or emotional outburst,” McKenna said.

“Once that happens there’s usually some type of ‘I’m sorry’ pieces in whatever that looks like and then its happy and then it cycles. Looking back for me I was really focused on ‘how do I stay in that like really good part’ and ‘how do I make sure that I can be as safe as possible in those bad parts.’”

Another reason why McKenna didn’t report the behavior was because she wanted to keep what happened to her quiet.

“It because of that shame of disappointing others or not being the person who knew better,” McKenna said. “It was even until probably years later that I recognized some of the sexual violence in the relationship as pieces because to me its all together. Even at the time I categorized all as dating violence.”

Kayla McQuade, an alumna of Quinnipiac, thinks reporting something so personal like being sexually harassed leads people to not want to report.

“People don’t want to relive it again. They might be embarrassed that it happened so they would rather just hold it in instead of telling people,” McQuade said. “Then there’s also the issue of sometimes when you’re a victim of an assault like that, there’s a lot more questioning going into, ‘Are you sure that really happened?’, there’s a lot of victim blaming.”

“A lot of people are afraid of what people may say about them,” Martinez said. “Especially women being told ‘oh you’re asking for it’ just because of what they’re wearing or of the way they’re acting.”

Some organizations at Quinnipiac have been trying to educate their members by holding trainings, but also by making resources available to anyone who experiences an assault.

“Every organization goes through formal training where we have speakers come in, we have presentations,” President of Alpha Sigma Phi, Robert Martinez said. “A lot of it is the day- to- day interactions with your members on a personal basis.”

“When people talk about their private matters and things of this nature, I think it’s better to shut that down right away, because if you don’t tolerate it on a private basis then it’s not going to be tolerated with anyone. I think it’s should be taken more away from the formal training and a lot more just personal you know bystander intervention, just don’t tolerate that personally.”

Senior Kappa Alpha Theta member Hannah Meyer noted that her sorority has resources available to its members if something ever happened to them.

“I know that I have resources if a friend or I were to encounter a situation in which we needed help with an assault,” said Meyer. “My sorority has a hotline and crisis text line that I can reach out to. My sorority has been through sexual assault prevention awareness education which is the first step.”

“I do believe that the Kavanaugh hearing has struck a chord for many victims at Quinnipiac and in our community,” said Meyer.

Conversations about mental health in Hamden

By Sarah Russell and Amanda Perelli

Out of the Darkness Community Walk held in Hamden, Conn. on Oct. 7, 2018

For the last decade, Hamden residents have gathered to raise money and awareness for suicide prevention at the Out of Darkness Community Walk. On Oct. 7 participants met at Hamden Town Center Park and walked along the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in Hamden.

“[The event] also is a public memorial for people’s grief and a place they can share with others their grief, which is hard to come by in the society,” event director Sean Heather McGraw said.

Over 600 people registered for the event and McGraw estimates about 450 people showed up.

The $53,394 raised will help programming in schools, churches and the community.

The money is also used to help support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and support survivors.

Vice President of the Student Veterans Organization (SVO) at Quinnipiac, Michael Strahl, walked with members of SVO. As a veteran, he said he walked to help fellow soldiers who struggle with mental illness.

“I think it’s incredible,” Strahl said. “It brings attention to one of the most important tragedies we face. Most importantly, it shows people that they are not alone in their fight against suicide or in their grief of a loved one or friend they have lost to suicide.”

Suicide is a sensitive topic, but should still be talked about, said Stahl. Events like the Out of the Darkness walk let people know they have support in their community.

Signs at the Out of the Darkness walk in Hamden, Conn.

“[The walk] makes me think about the people that made it through multiple tours and survived just to come home and take their own lives because of their struggles that we aren’t aware of,” Strahl said. “If we can prevent just one suicide a month or year, we were successful in our efforts.”

Other than this event, Strahl believes it’s important that everyone knows the signs of and feels comfortable discussing mental health with peers.

“Just talk about it more,” Strahl said. “Don’t be afraid to bring it up and learn the signs so you can be there for someone contemplating suicide. I think Quinnipiac University did an amazing job with Fresh Check Day. More of that. Students as well as the community need to know it is alright to speak about suicide.”

For resources, people can refer to 2-1-1, an online and phone service available for those in need, concerning issues of housing and shelter, utilities, employment, healthcare, mental health and addictions.

“We are a free, confidential, information referral service that services people across Connecticut– 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Annie Scully, a research analyst and community outreach coordinator at United Way in Connecticut.

The service has 54 contact specialists, who have six weeks of rigorous training to be able to handle crisis situations from callers. 2-1-1 is funded by the state.

When looking at the statistics of calls in Hamden, callers reached out 1,126 times for mental health and addiction problems between Oct. 1, 2017 and Oct. 1, 2018. This is the second highest amount of calls behind those for housing and shelter.

Statistics of callers seeking help for crisis intervention and suicide from ct.211counts.org

Of mental health and addiction calls, 680 were about requests for mental health services and 382 were for crisis intervention and suicide.

While the ‘under 18’ demographic is the smallest in the mental health services category, it is the largest in the crisis intervention and suicide, with 237 of the 382 calls coming from those in high school or younger.

“While under 18 callers might represent one of the smallest percentage of callers across the state it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have the least amount of need,” Scully said.

Scully hopes that people in the younger age demographic will turn to their website for help, which has programs such as Mobile Crisis, which is a service that dispatches clinicians that are trained to deal with people under 18, who are dealing with emotional crisis at school, home or in the community.

“We hope that in 2018 there’s people under 18 that are much more likely to jump on a computer than they are to make a phone call, so we also monitor our web traffic,” Scully said. “So in [fiscal year] ‘18 we had almost two million visits to our website, www.211ct.org, which we’ve made some pretty big enhancements recently to make that as user friendly as possible and to replicate a phone call as much as possible so people can really find the help they need on our website.”

So, why is the number of calls for mental health services so low for this demographic? Scully says that if school-age people knew about their resources they might be able to receive better help when dealing with mental health. In the past they have tried different strategies, such as creating a page on their website geared towards youth and young adults in collaboration with a local youth group.

“I think that the more people who know that 2-1-1 is a resource and that more people that know the kind of help and referrals 2-1-1 can provide by either calling or visiting our website the more people that will use it,” Scully said. “So if there is a class or opportunity for us to talk about 2-1-1 or market 2-1-1 in school systems across Connecticut I think that would be a great way to get the word out.”

Incorporating mental health awareness in the public schools is something Scully thinks could benefit students. In New York, mental health classes have already been implemented, requiring public schools to educate students on the signs and symptoms of mental health issues. The new law mandates these courses in hopes to educate students about resources and better understand mental health as a whole.

Connecticut has not made public any plans of incorporating these mandatory courses into the public school system. HQ Press reached out to Jody Goeler, superintendent of Hamden public schools, but did not receive a response.

Raising money for Hamden’s rescue animals

The Where The Love Is Animal Rescue hosted the annual Hamden Fall Festival, on Oct. 6. This festival has been run for six years now.

The purpose of the festival is to raise money for the nonprofit’s animal rescue services. Since its creation in 2011, Where The Love Is Animal Rescue has saved over 600 animals, according to its website. The organization has no shelter and is run completely by volunteers.

The annual fall event had games, vendors, dogs and a K9 display by one of Hamden’s own K9 police officers, Peter Conti and his dog Maverick.

Interactive map: View the lack of sidewalks surrounding Quinnipiac’s main campus

By Amanda Perelli

The roads leading up to and surrounding Quinnipiac University’s main campus are lacking sidewalks. On Sept. 18 a Quinnipiac student was injured in a hit-and-run on Whitney Ave., which prompted HQ Press to investigate the safety of walking along these roads.

With a variety of bars and places for students to go, like Andale Mexican Restaurant, Odie’s Place, and Side Street Bar & Grill, there is an inconsistency of safe walking paths around them.

Click the interactive map below to watch GOPRO clips taken along the streets surrounding main campus.