By Cullen Ronan, with reporting by Paige Meyer and Mackenzie Campbell
Quinnipiac University notified teachers and students of a bear sighting behind the human resources building around noon on Friday, Oct. 5.
This marks the second bear sighting at Quinnipiac in just the past month and the third this year. The last spotting occurred on Sept. 17 in the same location on Mount Carmel Ave.
Before that, a black bear was seen this past May, as witnesses say it was near the Harwood Gate located on the university’s main campus.
Edmund Remillard, a human resources employee, witnessed the animal intruder in September.
“I was greeting a colleague at the HR House. Upon his arrival he pointed to the bear, which was walking on the grass along the back parking lot,” he said. “The bear walked by, stepped over the field stone wall and proceeded up Sleeping Giant.”
Despite seeing what he believed to be a “250 to 300 pound” bear in the wild, Remillard says he wasn’t phased, choosing to admire the the animal.
“It was beautiful and did not seem to notice or have any interest in us,” he said.
These frequent bear sightings haven’t only been isolated to just Quinnipiac University, however, as according to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Connecticut has tallied 7,799 reports of black bear activity across the state within just the last year.
Hamden currently has 85 reported black bear sightings since September of 2017, and the Hamden Police Department took to its Facebook page advising residents of increased local bear activity.
According to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, black bear sightings are becoming increasingly common in Connecticut as the population continues to grow and expand.
Wildlife Biologist Paul Rego wasn’t shocked upon hearing about the two bear sightings at Quinnipiac, also noting the yearly rise in population.
“I was unsurprised because we have a growing bear population that is expanding its range and it wouldn’t be surprising to have a bear in the area. The Connecticut bear population is increasing from 10-15 percent each year.”
Despite Remillard’s relatively tame interaction, Rego advises that residents take some precautions around their home in order to protect themselves and their pets.
“Residents should take time and prepare in order to reduce the chance of bears coming near their homes and around residential areas. My advice would be to move human waste sources such as garbage cans, trash bags and bird feeders from your front and back yards.”
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has also issued a list of black bear do’s and don’ts in order help educate residents on black bear safety, as well as a black bear sighting report form in order to further keep track of bear activity.
Quinnipiac University men’s lacrosse team suspended
By Sarah Foley and Giuliana Grosso
Quinnipiac University announced on Sept. 23 that it was suspending the entire men’s lacrosse team pending further investigation into student conduct violations. This is not the first team incident under head coach Eric Fekete.
“This suspension, which takes effect immediately, prohibits all team activity, including practicing and representing the university in competitions,” Lynn Bushnell, vice president for public affairs, said. “With the well-being of our students being our top priority, the university has zero tolerance for any behavior that endangers any member of the university community.”
A week after the suspension here is what we know and don’t know.
The men’s lacrosse team has over a decade-long record of student conduct incidents ranging from player suspensions to recruiting players with criminal records.
According to the United States District of Connecticut Court, prior to the first day of competition in the fall 2008-2009 season, six players on the team were suspended after providing alcohol to minors at a party. Those players subsequently re-joined the team for the spring season.
Court records also state that in the fall of 2008, Storm Stockstill of Jupiter, Florida, accepted an athletic scholarship from Quinnipiac University to play on the men’s lacrosse team. Approximately three months after the offer, he was arrested and charged with aggravated stalking of a minor – a second degree felony that could result in imprisonment for up to five years – and battery.
According to the United States District of Connecticut Court, Stockstill admitted to police that he and a fellow student at Jupiter High School “fake raped” a younger male student in the gym locker room. Stockstill testified that the incident occurred over the course of three days, and that other students and coaches observed and laughed.
Quinnipiac later rescinded Stockstill’s acceptance for the spring 2010 semester. As a result, Stockstill attempted to file a lawsuit against the university, but it was denied.
Less than two weeks after the team’s recent suspension, head coach Eric Fekete was fired. According to the Quinnipiac Chronicle, Assistant Coach Mason Poli will act as the interim coach. The university also announced that the entire team will remain suspended until December 31, 2018.
Vice president for public affairs Lynn Bushnell said that in addition to the extended team suspension, “Disciplinary action has been handed down to individual student athletes on the team.”
Quinnipiac’s Athletic Director, Greg Amodio, has not issued any statements regarding the recent conduct violations and university spokesman, John Morgan, declined further comment on Sept. 24, regarding the specific allegations involved.
In light of the current incident with the men’s lacrosse team, Quinnipiac students are taking measures to prevent and raise awareness about hazing. Last week was National Hazing Prevention Week and Quinnipiac student organizations such as sports teams and greek life participate in activities that raise awareness about the dangers of hazing college students.
The length of the suspension and investigation are not known at this time.
Six weeks into the academic semester, it was time to check-in on the Quinnipiac student body.
Quinnipiac is just one of 180 campuses around the country that participates in Fresh Check Day, a signature program of the Jordan Porco Foundation.
The Jordan Porco Foundation’s mission is to prevent suicide, promote mental health and create a message of hope for young adults.
In 2011, Ernie and Marisa Porco lost their son, Jordan, to suicide when he was a freshman in college.
Within their grief they were able to learn about the high level statistics surrounding mental health and suicide in young adults.
Source: NAMI
Fresh Check Day, campus wide, includes uplifting mental health promotion and suicide prevention that provides students with interactive booths, peer-to-peer conversations and a chance to communicate with campus departments and groups.
There is a lack of dialogue about mental health, Fresh Check Day works to bridge the gap between students and mental health resources available to students on campus.
Mary Pellitteri, a university counselor, became involved with Fresh Check Day after hearing Jordan Porco’s mother speak at a conference.
Students were asked to write motivational thoughts on the mirrors to remind them that they are more than their insecurities.
In 2015, Fresh Check day was held for the first time on the Quinnipiac campus, starting slowly with a few tables and progressing later into a large event.
“Fresh Check Day is something that students look forward to every year,” said Pellitteri.
“The real main point, other than the education, is to help people feel comfortable when they speak about mental health issues, anxiety, depression or suicide because a lot of times people don’t do things because they feel uncomfortable.”
Pellitteri hopes that Fresh Check Day will educate students on the Quinnipiac campus about mental health and come to an understanding that they do not stand alone.
“There is some shame people feel and we want to take that away,” said Pellitteri. “There is too much shame and that keeps people quiet. When people address it, they see what improvement can be made and it is worthwhile.”
During Quinnipiac’s fourth annual Fresh Check Day, Bobcat lawn was full of informational tables encouraging students to unwind for a moment and focus on their mental health.
A student wrote, “Smiling and laughing all the time so she must not be depressed.”
The elephant in the room table, which the Psychology club ran, encouraged students to express secrets or stigmas that they carry around with them every day that others may not know about. Paper elephants were provided for students to anonymously share what was on their mind.
Angela Walker, professor of psychology, shared the importance of reminding students that they do not have to face their burdens alone.
“We are hanging the elephants up so students can see how many people have these secrets and it becomes visible that we all have burdens,” said Walker.
Among the many informational booths stood Gender Sexuality Alliance, a club on campus providing a safe space for LGBTQIA+ students.
Members of GSA, such as John Ferraro, spoke to students at Fresh Check Day about what it means to be an ally on the Quinnipiac campus.
“We are focusing on promoting positivity between all communities,” said Ferraro. “We are inviting students to write positive messages and what it means to them to be an ally on pieces of paper and linking them in a chain to show how everyone is connected in our community.”
On college campuses, there is a stigma that follows around the topic of mental health. That stigma promotes an environment of fear and shame, and groups on the Quinnipiac campus such as NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, help to combat the stigma.
Celina Carreiro, President of NAMI at Quinnipiac, works to put on events that celebrate everyone’s differences and share mental health awareness on campus.
With the Porco family in mind, Quinnipiac students were invited to sign the 9 out of 10 pledge. Senior Residential Assistant, Emma Downes, tabled to encourage students to be the change and to know the warning signs of suicide on college campuses.
Students sign the 9 out of 10 pledge.
“Each year, one out of ten college students contemplate suicide,” said Downes. “That means nine out of ten students have the opportunity to help and learn the warning signs of suicide.”
Whether students spoke about their insecurities, stuffed bags full of supplies for the homeless or took a moment to meditate, they were spending time focusing on their personal mental health.
As Fresh Check Day drew to a close, Senior Resident Assistant Cynthia Clement emphasized why mental health awareness is so important on campus.
“People are away from home for the first time and as you progress throughout college the stress of everyday life begins to build up,” said Clement. “Fresh Check Day provides students with the education they need to realize it is important to take care of themselves and always realize that they are never alone.”
Students are encouraged to reach out to the counseling center at Quinnipiac for help managing difficult time or if you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800- 273 TALK (8255)
Resident Assistants table at the 9 out of 10 pledge table.
As quickly as the rain came down last week, it left– at least for most areas in Hamden. But some Quinnipiac University students and residents are still dealing with the aftermath of damage from Tuesday’s storm.
Hamden was struck with the highest amount of rainfall in Connecticut on Tuesday Sept. 25 at 8.5 inches, according to Hamden Town Engineer Mark Austin.
“That [rain was] highly, highly unusual, that much that quickly,” Austin said. “All the water came up very, very quickly but it also went away very quickly which, unlike say the Carolinas right now where they had so much water that stayed. Because it came down so fast, the systems had a very hard time trying to handle it when it initially came down.”
The town received quite a few calls on Tuesday, said Austin, and had over 60 road closures due to flooding. Hamden Police Department and Fire Department took care of the closures while the engineering department has been doing basic clean-ups around the area since.
“Our engineering department is in the process and will be over the next week or two of inspecting some of our local bridges to make sure that there weren’t any damage to those areas and receiving calls about sinkholes and other things that may have come up from the storm itself,” Austin said.
Quinnipiac students also experienced damage from the rain storm on Tuesday afternoon.
Chris Sour, a senior finance major at Quinnipiac, had to deal with two leaks in his off-campus house.
“I was on the top floor of my house and [leak] went from my room to my roommates room below me to even flooding the basement,” Sour said.
Sour had a leak through his ceiling and his window because his gutters were clogged. Sour’s landlord said he would come the next day to clean the gutters but he did not and the leak happened again the next day.
Taylor Pitts, a senior physical therapy major had to stay at a friends house because there was nowhere for her to park due to her driveway being flooded.
“I had to stay at a friends because there was nowhere for me to park my car once I got home,” Pitts said.
Pitts’ landlord spent the whole next day cleaning her basement and fixing her washer and dryer as well as her water heater and furnace.
As well as responding to drainage issues and about six phone calls for sinkholes, the department expects to see minor erosion around bridges.
“So far, so good on [the bridges], most of them seemed to fair pretty well – the ones we’ve looked at,” Austin said.
He believes there will be some minor erosion around the bridges, drainage issues and alot of sweeping and debris pick up.
“Nothing we normally don’t deal with, this is just all at once,” Austin said.
If you need to report damage you can contact Hamden Public Works at 203-287-2600, Hamden Engineering 203-287-7040, or go online to hamden.com and use their online reporting program SEECLICKFIX (seeclickfix.com) where your complaint will immediately be dispatched to the department with your concern.
On May 15, 2018 multiple tornadoes hit Connecticut and it left certain towns in the state, including Hamden, in total disarray.
According to the National Weather Service the winds peaked at 95 mph. It destroyed power lines, homes and also destroyed state parks.
Tree Fallen on Garage Photo Cred: Roger Kepler
The storm had a devastating affect on many residents who were in the areas that were hit by the tornadoes.
Hamden resident Roger Kegler said, “My wife texts me ‘where the hell are you’ as I pull into the driveway. I get my wife and three kids into the basement and put on some candles to calm everyone down”.
The storm was intense and knocked down trees and destroyed property.
Destroyed Car and Garage Photo Cred: Roger Kepler
“We heard a thump and then we hear the dishes shaking in our kitchen…. I was the first one up,” Kegler said. “I saw that the garage and car was completely destroyed by a tree.”
After the storm, the state needed assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for aid and to help clean up the areas affected so the residents could live their once again.
Governor Daniel Malloy reached out to FEMA for individual assistance meaning that FEMA would help out individual homeowners but this request was denied, according to a report by NBC CT. This has left homeowners still dealing with the effects of the tornado.
Kegler said, “After the storm the neighbors house was damaged, the guy across the street completely lost his house and the guy next to me didn’t lose anything…you can still see the destruction if you drive around you can see the trees that are still in the middle of the cul de sac.”
Only recently has the town started to clean up the streets again.
According to a recent statement by Hamden Mayor Curt Leng, “The collection of debris from the May 15 tornado will resume on Sept. 24, and will continue until Friday, October 5. It will be immediately followed by bulk trash collection through the end of October. Storm debris collection will occur only in the Mount Carmel and West Woods neighborhoods, which were most heavily affected by the tornado.”
Leng also told all citizens affected to keep all bills and quotas from their damage so that he can appeal the decision by FEMA so that homeowners can get the help that they need.
Sleeping Giant National Park which is Located across the street from Quinnipiac University, was one of the parks damaged from the storm.
Sleeping Giant Park Ranger, Jill Scheibenpflug, said, “All the trees were knocked down and the trails were disrupted and there were some holes in the roof of the pavilion.”
The damage caused the park to be shut down until further notice. The state is hopeful it will open sooner rather than later.
Scheibenpflug said, “We were hoping for fall but now we are leaning more towards spring for when it will reopen”.
According to Scheibenpflug, when it happened there was a lot of debris and trees that caused the park to stay closed. Contractors came fairly soon to clear the trees so it looks better but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. All of the rain that has been falling has prevented the park from being able to plant any trees.
With 40 days until the midterm elections, the director of the nationally respected polling institute at Quinnipiac University gave an inside look into the most critical times during an election period.
Every four years, the United States holds midterm elections, general elections near the midpoint of a president’s four-year term of office.
Federal offices that are up for elections are seats in the United States Congress, and all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
While the participation is not very high during the midterms, they can be very important.
Midterms are capable of changing the political landscape and these changes impact the president’s ability to pursue an agenda during the second half of his term.
Source: VOA News Created By: Mackenzie Campbell
Students, faculty, and staff were invited to join in on a conversation on Tuesday afternoon to discuss what the Quinnipiac University Poll can tell voters about the 2018 midterm elections.
Douglas Schwartz, PhD, director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, and Mary Snow, polling analyst and spokesperson for the poll, presented their work to the students.
They shared a behind-the-scenes look into the nationally acclaimed organization and discussed what students can learn from polling data in the upcoming election.
Dr. Douglas Schwartz and Mary Snow speaking to Quinnipiac students.
Mary Snow is a polling analyst that joined the Quinnipiac University Poll in July.
“I first learned about the Quinnipiac poll when I was a reporter at CNN,” said Snow. “Our political unit had strict guidelines about polls that could or could not be used in our reporting.
“Quinnipiac University was on the select trusted list, and while I am no longer reporting I am still interested on why people make the decisions they do when it comes to electing leaders and voting on issues.”
“As you can imagine there is no shortage of topics for us to ask about in these tumultuous times,” Snow said.
After sharing a personal experience with her first poll, Snow summed up her findings. “The moral of the story is that races don’t always fit neatly into a single narrative or a single tweet. They are complicated.”
Dr. Douglas Schwartz shared his experience of the 2016 presidential election with Quinnipiac students.
“There were several forecasts giving Hillary Clinton high chances of winning, calculating the odds of someone winning an election is not what we do,” said Schwartz. “Polls are considered more of a snapshot in a certain window of time that provides indicators.”
Schwartz believes that another issue is the sheer amount of polls on the scene and who is most reliable. The Washington Post recently reached out to the Quinnipiac University Poll to help determine the reliability of a poll.
Schwartz advises students and the media to look to see how an organization conducts their polls.
“Most surveys conducted online are not scientific. They are based on people who volunteered to participate and therefore the results are not representative to the population, the way a random sample is.”
“While polls are giving indicators, what we can’t know is what will happen between now and November,” said Schwartz. “What headlines may sway opinions but also what the turnout will be and that will be closely watched among you, young voters who are a coveted group for campaigns.”
Schwartz opened the floor to the students and asked why they were motivated to vote in the midterm elections.
“I am motivated to vote [in the midterm elections] because I think that we need change,” said senior Rachel Beaulieu.
Another student added, “I consider voting a civic duty that we all should strive to achieve.” When asked what issue was most important to him going towards the ballet box he said, “I couldn’t tell you an important issue, I am not a one-issue voter.”
In a recent national poll, voters were asked how motivated they were to vote in the 2018 midterm elections.
“Sixty-five percent of the people we polled said that they were extremely motivated to vote in the midterm elections,” said Schwartz.
Some students believed that there are barriers in place that make them unmotivated to register to vote in the midterm elections, such as living in Connecticut and the difficulty registering to vote while at college.
Professor Scott McLean, a political science professor, reminded students that it isn’t too late to register to vote in the midterm elections.
“If you have a cell phone and go to the secretary of state’s website, you can fill out a form on your phone today,” said McLean.
Mary Snow stressed, “It is so important because it is a referendum on the Trump administration’s policies.”
“One thing that I would convey to all of you is to hold off on any predictions,” said Snow. “Use your best judgement.”
Snow thinks that the midterms are important because it is the first time we’ve seen elections to congress after President Trump was elected.
“What about all of these policies that have been put into place, now you, the voter, has the opportunity to weigh in,” Snow said.
“On of the things that we do to reach young people is we call back at least five times over separate days,” said Schwartz. “Because young people are hard to reach and their opinions matter.”
The Quinnipiac University Poll has a standard question asking if voters support or oppose stricter gun control laws in the country. Their experiment simply changed the language used in the question by changing one simple word, control.
“The word control has a negative connotation,” Schwartz said.
“We found that it was different, that if you ask people about gun control they have a more negative reaction,” Schwartz said. “If you ask them about stricter gun laws it is a more positive reaction.”
“Just one word could affect how people feel about an issue.”
Schwartz stressed that when creating questions for polls it is always a team effort, “No one person can write questions for a survey, we all have our own biases and we do our best to keep them out.”
Whether you follow polls such as Quinnipiac’s, Schwartz reminds students that their votes matter. Across the country, 36 states are holding elections for governor, local politicians matter, making students votes in local elections matter.
“There are different issues in different states,” said Snow. “It is a very complex picture.”
Quinnipiac students have been surprised to learn that their reliable TD Bank ATMs and branch are no longer. The Office of Finance announced the change in student banking in May and again in late August when the fall semester began.
With the start of a new semester came the start of a contractual agreement. TD Bank and Quinnipiac had previously arranged a 10-year agreement, which came to a close at the end of the 2017-2018 school year.
Naturally, students became dependent on TD Bank and its services: they’d acquired debit and credit cards, cashed checks, and handled checking/savings accounts through the branch
located in the Carl Hansen student center.
In the statement sent out by Quinnipiac’s Office of Finance, university officials stated, “The first People’s United Bank ATM will be installed in the Carl Hansen Student Center … People’s United Bank plans to open a studio, which will be a lounge area with banking technology that will replace the TD Bank branch in the Carl Hansen Student Center.”
In addition to this, four new ATMs will be installed across all three campuses. It is no doubt that the sudden shift in banking will leave students, faculty and other staff left with no other option than to open a new account with People’s United Bank.
With renovations beginning as soon as Oct. 15, students were advised to think about opening an account with People’s United but some are reluctant to take that step.
“I don’t get why the school would make a drastic change like that. I get that contracts expire but couldn’t they renew it for our [the students] sake?” Vanessa Harris, a senior RA said.
According to a Q30 survey 8.5 percent said they have an account wile 82 percent said they don’t. The ATM swaps are said to go into effect on Sept. 24.
“I never had TD or People’s United Bank, but I do know my friends are having trouble because they now get charged for using the ATMs even though they switched to TD Bank in freshman year. For them, changing it now just created a lot of issues for students who don’t have a lot of money to begin with,” said Kaycie Romanello, a senior at Quinnipiac.
A large majority of the QU student body banks with TD and the consensus around campus is that the swap will cause great inconvenience.
“There’s no going back since they’ve already paid for everything and entered into a new contract but administration should get ready for lots of complaints,” Harris said.
Connecticut students are facing the highest amount of college debt in the United States, according to the 13th annual report conducted by the Institute for College Access and Success.
State averages for students in debt after graduation range from as low as Utah’s average of $18,850 to Connecticut’s $38,500, which is more than twice as much. The following table found on page eight of TICAS’s report, compares states with the lowest and highest averages of student debt.
The findings in the report show that 57 percent of Connecticut higher education graduates in 2017 had some form of debt. However, there was only a one percent growth in the average debt from 2016 to 2017, the only increase since 2012. Student borrowers owed an average of $28,650 in 2017, yet the average Connecticut borrower owes almost $10,000 more. Why is it that over half of student graduates in Connecticut are left with a degree in one hand and piles on piles of student loan agreements and bills in the other?
University of Hartford junior, Ryan Martin
Although the average debt is stable across the country, students like Ryan Martin, a junior at University of Hartford, still have to come to terms with the cost of their education.
“When I took my student loans out for the first time, this crushing pressure set in as I looked at a number that I can’t even fathom being able to pay off,” said Martin.
While the average student debt collects at a steady rate, data shows that the burden is increasingly falling on parents. As students seem to hit their limits on federal loans, Federal Parent PLUS loan debt has increased 19 percent from the 2011-12 academic year to 2015-16, according to student loan expert Mark Kantrowitz.
Martin shares the encumbrance of college debt with his parents.
“I don’t think it’s fair that my own education puts my parents in a tricky spot. My parents have already given me enough. Now they have to jeopardize their credit just to put me through school, so I can end up with a decent job and a fulfilling life.”
Alexis Ferrara, Quinnipiac University senior
Quinnipiac senior Alexis Ferrara chose to attend school in Connecticut based on the success of Quinnipiac’s physical therapy program.
“It’s frustrating to know that Connecticut has the highest average of student debt. I still have another three and a half years and I know the loans are inevitable.”
Ferrara not only has to worry about undergraduate fees, but also will face the financial strain of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
“It’s almost a win-lose situation. You either spend a fortune to go to a school with one of the best programs or you go to an affordable school with an average program.”
The following interactive map, created by TICAS, explores student debt data by state and college based off of the full report, Student Debt and the Class of 2017.
To reduce debt burdens, states are creating policies to moderately alleviate students of financial distress. Some states, including Connecticut, have adopted a student loan borrower bill of rights. This policy properly enforces servicers by requiring them to be licensed in the state, properly inform borrowers and process payments, and allows students to provide feedback.
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) a firm that manages federal loans, sued Connecticut’s department of banking and the federal Department of Education in regard to the state’s student loan laws.
The suit concerns whether or not the state should have jurisdiction over the Department of Education and student loan companies. Student loan companies argue that the contracts are issued with the federal government, and therefore should be overseen by the latter.
PHEAA, which services 100,000 loans in Connecticut, claims that the state has asked the organization to provide data about complaints made to the federal government in order to keep its license. PHEAA claims that the Department of Education bans companies from providing such data, including sensitive information about borrowers; and complying to the state’s request would violate federal laws.
State officials see the regulation of student loan providers as their responsibility.
Matthew Lesser, a state representative heavily involved in enforcing student loan regulation, said, “Connecticut is going to vigorously enforce our laws” in an article for MarketWatch.
The outcome of this case could potentially stretch far beyond the Connecticut state line. The District of Columbia and states such as California, Virginia, and Washington enforce a bill of rights for borrowers similar to Connecticut.
Adam Minsky, a student loan lawyer, believes that state regulation is an integral part of consumer protection.
“The ruling in this case has the potential to affect how other states regulate student loan servicers,” said Minsky in article for Student Loan Hero. “If the court rules against Connecticut, that would hinder the ability of states to regulate the private companies operating in their borders.”
Note to the reader: HQ Press reached out to TICAS for comment and did not receive a response.
Hamden is in the worst financial position out of all of the towns in Connecticut, according to a report by the Yankee Institute for Public Policy.
Lauren Garrett, a representative at-large in Hamden, says she saw the report coming.
“Our debt is crippling us,” Garrett said.
Marc Joffe, a senior policy analyst at the Reason Foundation, did a study that ranked all of the town’s and cities in Connecticut based on each town’s 2016 financial report. Joffe gave Hamden a 25, which was the lowest in the rankings and 19 points below Hartford, which is experiencing a financial crisis of its own. Any town that received a rating below 50 in the study is thought to be in “severe financial distress.” The state announced that it would pay off Hartford’s $550 million debt over a 20-year period.
The Yankee Institute for Public Policy notes on its website that its “mission is to promote free-market solutions and smart public policy so that every Connecticut resident is free to succeed.” The Yankee Institute strives to help inform Connecticut residents about what is going on in their state. It is self-described as a “think tank” and the institute takes many conservative viewpoints on topics.
Brad Macdowall, a district representative in Hamden, called the Yankee Institute, “a political lobbying firm whose endgame is to push conservative agendas and conservative candidates.”
According to its 2016 fiscal report, Hamden has a debt of $784.1 million and much of that debt comes from promises that the town made to retiring employees that went unpaid according to the Yankee Institute report.
With its debt continuing to grow, Hamden took out a $125 million pension obligation bond in order to bolster its pension fund in 2014. If the town does not invest in the bond correctly, then it will only create more stress for itself, according to the Yankee Institute report.
As the debt in the town continues to increase, so do the property taxes as the town looks to minimize its debt anyway possible. Local government officials are not happy about having taxes increase.
“Taxes in Hamden are onerous,” representative at-large Marjorie Bonadies commented on the Yankee Institute’s original report. “There are twice as many houses for sale or in foreclosure than any of our neighboring towns.”
Marc E. Fitch, the author of the Yankee Institute article, believes that it would be easy for a Hamden resident to move one town over to North Haven.
“I think the rising property taxes will have an effect on whether people stay or leave. Essentially, a Hamden resident could move one town over to North Haven and probably save thousands per year,” Fitch said.
Fitch thinks that Hamden will face competition from surrounding towns but that it still has things that attract people to the town.
“Hamden has to compete with other towns in the vicinity. Luckily, it has some attractive qualities and Quinnipiac University,” Fitch said.
The state as a whole is struggling with debt, so Hamden may receive minimal help from the state government.
“Hamden can’t count on any help from the state,” Fitch said in an email. “If anything, they should prepare for cutbacks as the state faces four years of projected budget deficits.”
Quinnipiac University named Judy Olian as its new president this past January and local officials say they are looking forward to working with Olian to help rejuvenate the local community.
“One of the things that I’m really feeling positive about is the relationship with the new Quinnipiac president,” said Macdowall, the district representative.
Hamden will continue to search for ways to end its financial struggle but residents will likely continue to see taxes increase according to Bonadies, the representative at-large .
HQ Press reached out to Hamden Mayor Curt B. Leng for comment, but did not get a return call.
Two years ago on Sept. 19, Quinnipiac University exploded with controversy as a Snapchat circulated the campus. The snap included an image of a caucasian female student with a black-colored face mask on. The caption read, “black lives matter.”
The university faced major backlash as the image hit mainstream news media and officials tried to keep the image from being a representation of the school. The student who took the picture and wrote the caption left the school, and the student in the photo was left trying to rebuild her reputation.
And faculty, staff, and students had to determine how to promote a more diverse culture where this would never be an issue again.
Fast forward to today, university administrators say they have spent the last two years working on different ways to bring a more diverse mix of people to campus and to build an environment where students and staff feel they belong and are respected.
Yet even with the university trying to promote diversity and inclusion, many students and staff still say there’s more work to be done.
Chief Diversity Officer Don Sawyer said whenever people talk about an inclusive campus, people tend to only focus on students of color and that’s not what inclusive excellence is about.
“Inclusive excellence is about making sure that your campus is welcoming to all people,” Sawyer said. “We want to build a campus where everyone feels that they are a part of this Bobcat nation.”
“When we make the campus a welcoming space, it’s not just for those who are underrepresented or those who are marginalized, it creates a campus environment where everyone feels welcomed.”
Sawyer says inclusion and diversity are considered a “hot button topic,” and that people often don’t want to talk about things of that nature.
“Some people are afraid to talk about the topic, because some people think ‘ok if I talk about race people are going to think I’m a racist, you know I don’t want to say the wrong thing if I say the wrong thing people are going to smear my name.’”
“When we talk about inclusion people say we want to increase the number of underrepresented people on campus, but we have to talk about what does it mean once they get here,” Sawyer said. “So if the campus is not prepared for the increase, then I think the increase doesn’t make sense.”
“So we have to work with one another to create a campus that’s welcoming to everyone and then we can actually start talking about inclusion.”
Sawyer also explained that inclusion works when people have dialogue, interaction and perspective taking.
“If we have dialogue and then we have intentional forums, intentional programs, intentional opportunities with people to interact during that dialogue interaction. We are able to understand the perspective of others,” Sawyer said. “Understanding the perspective of others, understanding the reality of others, it broadens our mindset, it broadens our scope. Just because something is not our reality doesn’t mean that it’s not a reality.”
The Quinnipiac Bias Incident Response Team (QBIRT) reviews reports submitted by students online. The team looks at the reports to see if there’s a need for an investigation.
“What we’re going to be doing is to have an online submission portal where you can submit things whether it’s for Title IX, sexual harassment or bias incident or things of that nature where it will be a one stop shop for you to get educated,” Sawyer said. “It will also be a space where you can report anonymously.”
Edgar Rodriguez, chief of public safety, also admits that diversity and inclusion problems on campus still exist, but that the entire university continues to work on these issues.
“I think it’s very important to have those discussions and collaborate with different organizations and different students and get to the bottom of it,” Rodriguez said.
“You have to get people involved. You can’t do it on your own. This is not a public safety issue. This is not a Res Life issue. This is a community issue.”
Rodriguez says he plans to create a Community Partnership Advisory Board, a diverse group that will come together to discuss public safety issues.
“What’s going on out there, and what would you like to see, and are some people being stopped at gates, some are not?” said Rodriguez.
A quote from Chief of Public Safety Edgar Rodriguez
He wants to include faculty, a student, a member of the Student Government Association and a professor from the Criminal Justice program among others to bring a cohesive group together and have all students feeling safe and protected on campus.
“How do we handle that, how do we treat everybody the same, how does everybody be treated equally. It’s not about a color, it’s about being a human being. It’s about treating everybody with respect.”
Rodriguez wants his staff to reflect the school community and has increased the diversity ratio in his department from 4 percent to 25 percent.
Abbie O’Neill in the Department of Cultural and Global Engagement said progress is being made on making Quinnipiac more inclusive.
“There’s a large population of students who do not feel [Quinnipiac is] inclusive. I think it’s making strides to become more inclusive, but it’s not there yet,” said O’Neill, a specialist for student engagement.
She says the school has been starting to support different multicultural groups and events, which could help students feel included on campus.
“I think highlighting the multicultural student organizations as places that students can go and either learn or become a part of something is a step in the right direction,” O’Neill said.
Recent changes the school has made include opening the multicultural suite for the multicultural organizations, creating the multicultural student leadership council and, for the first time, running a multicultural welcome week. Different events were put on by multicultural organizations each day during the week, ending with the culture fair.
Senior Layomi Akinnifesi thinks campus diversity is improving slowly but surely, but that inclusion – and how comfortable students and staff are with their differences – is more of the problem.
“Everyone is in their circles and bubbles and that’s what we need to improve on,” Akinnifesi said.
For example, Akinnifesi said that the Greek organizations don’t really work with the multicultural Greek organizations, and that some students don’t see the black or Latino student unions as being for them.
Some students said they don’t think that Quinnipiac is diverse at all.
“Just walking around you can notice that it’s not a diverse campus,” sophomore Andrea Reyes said.
“This is a PWI (predominantly white institution) so a majority of my classes I’m like one of the only person of color in the class,” sophomore Esau Greene said.
Greene believes that you can see the lack of diversity on campus, but that the school is working to make changes so that all feel welcome.
“There’s a pretty big disparity, but I do believe we are working our hardest to change and create a really diverse campus,” Greene said.
Students anonymously give their thoughts on how Quinnipiac can be more diverse and inclusive
As President Olian has begun her time at Quinnipiac, university staff believes that she will push further to make the school diverse and inclusive of all.
When this school year started freshmen were brought up to York Hill campus for a welcome ceremony where President Olian – as well as Mark Thompson, executive vice president, and Don Sawyer, chief diversity officer – all discussed the administration’s goal to be an inclusive and diverse campus.
“I think with this new administration you’re going to see a lot of changes for the better and I think you’re going to see a big change in the next couple of years. I think everybody’s on board, everybody believes this is the way to go,” said Rodriguez, the public safety chief. “This is a healthy way for us to move forward.”
