Thanksgiving is right around the corner and Quinnipiac University is gearing up for students to go home for a week long break.
Starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 22, Quinnipiac will close its residential buildings, cafes and school buildings until Sunday, December 1. According to the Office of Residential Life, Quinnipiac is expecting over 224 students to stay over Thanksgiving break and it can be very challenging for these students to find food, entertainment, and social time.
Even though Quinnipiac closes its doors, many students don’t have the ability to go home for a week. Many international students, athletes, members of the pep band or students who have jobs in Connecticut don’t find it financially or physically possible to go all the way home for a few days and then come back to then just go right back home two weeks later for winter break.
One member of the pep band, Evangelia Markoulis, isn’t a fan of having to stay late or come back early from break because she says it difficult to get things cause you feel trapped and all alone.
“Yea it gets hard to find food, especially if you don’t have a car because then you’re pretty restricted to like the food in your fridge or spending $20+ on food in your own cash,” said Markoulis.
In order to help students on campus who are stuck over the Thanksgiving break we’ve compiled a list of things to do and places to eat.
Many places close down on Thanksgiving in order to give their employees a break, but here is a list of restaurants that stay open for Thanksgiving and that are in close range to Quinnipiac’s campus.
Another issue students face on top of finding food, is being bored. Most of the campus goes home, so the students who stay no longer have their friends to hang out with and pass the time.
“It gets so boring being here alone sometimes,” said Margoulis, “You’re so used to seeing life on the campus and then it’s just pretty dead. If you don’t live with someone from band (like freshman year) you’re all alone and there’s no one else to kind of talk to so yea in a way it feels like you’re trapped.”
Here is a list of different places and activities to keep students busy over the week.
The movie theater never closes for Thanksgiving and there are a ton of great new films being released this week.
If your looking to still have fun, but not spend $13 dollars on a movie ticket then Quinnipiac’s different athletic games are the place to be. All student athletic tickets are free for Quinnipiac students just go to the QU Box office and print out the ticket for the game you wish to attend.
Of course if you’re feeling left out of the holiday festivities because you’re stuck on campus, then these off campus events will get you away from Quinnipiac and surrounded by fun.
All of the lists in this article are just some of the events and food venues that are available in the area, but if there are other places you wish to check out, make sure to call ahead to see if they’re still open over the holiday, and we hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
Kerry Ellington offered her concerns about policing in Hamden and the case of police officer Devin Eaton to the Hamden Police Commission. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
Emotions ran high at the Hamden Police Commission meeting Wednesday night Nov. 14, as one hundred protesters attended the event to voice their concerns about Hamden officer Devin Eaton. Most of the protesters were New Haven residents, Yale students and Hamden residents.
Protesters came to demand that the commission put the officer on its agenda the commission has not heard from the community since the April 16 shooting when Eaton fired 13 shots at an unarmed couple on Argyle Street in New Haven.
As of Oct. 21, Eaton was put on administrative unpaid leave and was charged with one felony and two misdemeanors.
Hamden Police Commission members heard public comments, all of which were centered around the April 16 shooting and police brutality. Left to right: Mitchell Strickland, Raeanne Curtis, Michael Iezzi. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
One by one, protesters expressed their frustrations to the police commission because it has not fired officer Eaton.
The Hamden Police Commission heard public comments during their monthly November meeting. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
“You have the power to act,” said Kerry Ellington, Hamden Action Now activist. “The felony charges presented against officer Eaton provide adequate evidence and just cause to discharge him now, and it did yesterday, and it did months ago.”
Even though Eaton was charged, the Hamden Police Department still has him on the force. That does not sit well with protesters.
“Today I want to say it is unconscionable that Devin Eaton continues to be employed by the Hamden police force. That night he jumped out of a still-rolling vehicle and quickly opened fire, even as the young man is exiting his vehicle arms up,” said Amber Kelly, employee of Quinnipiac and Hamden resident. “With criminal charges against him, he should not be a police officer in any jurisdiction.”
Amber Kelly giving comments to the Hamden Police Commission. Right, Bo Kocak. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
Some protesters described the fear they have for their children if they decide to keep officer Eaton on the force.
“I have children that live in Hamden. I have grandchildren. That behavior is unacceptable from anyone. Any officer especially, an officer of the law,” Marine Hebron a Hamden resident stated.
The protest hit a breaking point when a Yale student Ben Dormus called out the commission for everything they had on the agenda Wednesday night which included, the retirement of an officer, the handling of petty cash and donations to an animal control facility.
Ben Dormus taking a deep breath and collecting himself. He voiced his concerns with the way the Hamden Police Commission runs and how it is treating the protesters. The crowd clapped for Dormus because he didn’t back down when Iezzi interrupted him. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
“It seems to me that you’re not as much of a police commission as you are the social planning committee for the police department,” said Ben Dormus.
Mike Iezzi interrupted Dormus and told him to stop insulting the commission. This led to both of them shouting at each other but neither one could hear each other as other protesters shouted back, “Let him speak!”
Michael Iezzi firing back at Dormus’ comments that Mitchell Strickland can’t look protesters in the eye. Left to right: Robert LaTorraca, Michael Iezzi, and Larry Esposito. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
Hamden Acting Police Chief John Cappiello has until Nov. 20, to bring disciplinary charges against Eaton. If Cappiello brings the charges against Eaton the commission will have to schedule a hearing within 30 days but not sooner than a week.
Acting Chief of Hamden Police, John Cappiello, answering Kerry Ellington’s questions about a timeline for Eaton’s case. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
As the meeting was closing Ellington led a chant as all protesters were exiting.
“Justice for Stephanie and Paul! Discharge the officer now! We will be back!” protesters chanted.
The next scheduled commission meeting is Dec. 13.
The crowd that showed up to the commission meeting. Center of the aisle, people are lined up to voice their concerns with the commission. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
For the first time, QU Dining held an open discussion with Quinnipiac students to talk about the food on campus. QU Dining had seven total representatives in the Echlin Center that welcomed students to come and express any problems, issues and feedback about the food on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
“We don’t like those social media posts,” said Chuck Couture, the Residential District Manager of QU Dining, on why they decided to hold the discussion. “We’re embarrassed when those happen. We don’t come to work every day (thinking), ‘how are we going to get on Barstool today?’ … We’re constantly trying to train and retrain our staff. And we have to do better.”
The most recent incident of “those social media posts” was a picture of uncooked chicken that the infamous Instagram account, QU Barstool, posted on on Nov. 4.
The next day, Nov. 5, Quinnipiac Dining sent an email out to all students and staff, addressing the Instagram post. That following week, on Monday, Nov. 11, the Student Government Association announced a town hall discussion between QU Dining and the student body.
QU Dining sent this email out to all students and staff on Nov. 5, in response to the Instagram post with raw chicken.
Corporate Executive Chef for Chartwells, Joe LaBombarda, reiterated that message from the Instagram comment in his opening statement during the discussion.
“It was a pretty honest mistake with the chicken,” LaBombarda said. “We don’t like to have mistakes. We were pretty embarrassed by it.”
While this is the first time QU Dining has done an open forum, it certainly is not the first time complaints about rotten or spoiled food have been brought about from Quinnipiac students.
Over the 2018-19 school year and through most of the first semester of this year, QU Barstool has had nine posts about QU Dining food. The pictures have ranged from raw chicken to moldy buns to even slugs in containers of food.
However, the forum gave students and staff a chance to discuss a wide variety of topics. From healthier options to late dining hours, anything and everything was on the menu for discussion.
QU Dining staff announced that they would be making some changes to the dining halls. Using the survey that QU Dining and SGA put out for the students, the staff was able to come up with some new ideas that either already are being put in place, or are nearing completion.
Some of those changes include the addition of potstickers to the menu, weekend hours for the acai bowl station in the main cafe, a BBQ concept called Smoked for main campus, daily availability of chicken noodle soup and a variety of pop-ups the main cafe. In addition, Sono will be introduced on York Hill as a zTex-Mex, do-it-your-own station.
One of the concerns of students was having food options, like these vegetables at the salad bar, out and in the open for long periods of time.
Students like junior history and education major Traci Duff, still want to see some other changes made.
“For me, bringing more healthier options like whether it be vegan or vegetarian,” Duff said. “I also think they can change some of their workers’ attitudes, like I’ve experienced their attitudes, I’ve had a worker just disregard my order, so I think that would be good.”
Duff wasn’t the only one to bring up the attitudes of workers. However, in response, QU Dining asked for specific identities of workers and said they would handle it in-house.
That was how most of the questions were answered — either a direct response with the students saying they were satisfied with or a promise from QU Dining to do better.
“I think this meeting was really good, I personally couldn’t sit in front of a whole group of students and face the criticism and answer questions, so I think it was good that they did this,” Duff said.
QU Dining staff also encouraged students to come directly to them – and not social media – in the future.
“If we do make a mistake, bring it to one of us and we’ll fix it,” Couture said. “We have a 100% money-back guarantee (policy). If you’re enjoying something, come and find me. A lot of you have, and I try to make it right. That’s my promise to you, so next time, find a manager, find a chef, and we’ll make it right.”
If students have any questions or concerns in regards to the food, they can text QU Dining directly at 203-889-9123.
Jay Kaye, who ran as a Republican candidate against Mayor Curt Leng, standing in front of Common Grounds, Hamden. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
Growing up, Jay Kaye mowed lawns, shoveled snow and painted houses. Painting stuck with him, and for the past 23 years he’s been at Ferraro’s Painting & Restoration. He worked himself up from painting in the field to production manager. When he decided he wanted to head in a new direction, he got involved in local politics.
He said his political journey began in 2018 when he marched in the Memorial Day Parade with the Hamden Republican Town Committee.
“At that point I had already gone to a couple Legislative Council meetings and kind of figured out what was going on, and how the whole system was working, and how broken the system was,” Kaye said. “I wasn’t really sure how marching in the parade was going to help that, but I felt moved enough to march in the parade. I’ll represent Republicans because I really have lost trust in the Democrat’s ability to manage the town properly.”
> “ I wasn’t really sure how marching in the parade was going to help that, but I felt moved enough to march in the parade. I’ll represent Republicans because I really have lost trust in the Democrat’s ability to manage the town properly.”
— Jay Kaye
After being a lifelong Democrat, Kaye lost faith in the Democratic group running Hamden.
The Republican Town Committee was at the front of the parade. Kaye was standing in the middle carrying the committee’s sign. He said seeing the public’s reaction to the Republican group is when he decided the town needed political change.
“Some people were a little more vocal, but there was a respectful clap, where they’d almost look to see who was watching then decided whether they were going to clap or not,” he said. “Which actually cemented the fact that things need to change here because people are afraid to stand up the regime, or whatever you want to call it, the democratic machine, running the town for so long.”
When Kaye started to attend the Republican Town Committee meetings, he said he saw dedication, but low morale. He took this as an opportunity to get involved and run for public office, specifically for Mayor.
“They really needed somebody willing to go out there and represent (them), and instead of Legislative Council, I picked Mayor,” he said. “I thought that would be the best, most effective use of my abilities and would help the town the most.”
He saw running for mayor as an opportunity to communicate a message to voters.
“Listen there’s an opportunity to make a change here,” he said. “We can change the direction (of the town), things are bad, we all know things are bad, but we don’t have to be stuck there, we can make a difference.”
Though he wanted to run for mayor, he wasn’t sure what kind of a toll running would take.
“At first I was afraid it would affect my family and my job, but my family became more and more supportive and my wife even entered one of the races,” he said.
His family backed him, and he said Ferraro’s was also good about giving him the time he needed for his campaign.
Kaye was determined to change the leadership of Hamden. He says he was confident because he saw people believing in his ideas.
> “I think one of my biggest ideas, and it’s certainly not my own idea, it’s been brought up before, was switching the town from a mayoral council to a town manager system.”
— Jay Kaye
“I think one of my biggest ideas, and it’s certainly not my own idea, it’s been brought up before, was switching the town from a mayoral council to a town manager system,” he said.
A town manager is hired by the Legislative Council and Board of Finance to manage the town’s finances, making the role of the mayor smaller. Kaye said a town manager system makes the mayor a cheerleader and advocate for the town and its people.
He continues, “The benefit of this is that the town manager doesn’t owe anyone any favors, isn’t working for a political agenda, isn’t working for anything other than the taxpayer. Basically, working for the town. It’s designed to get rid of any corruption, get rid of cronyism, get rid of party agendas, get rid of paying back favors, and losing control.”
When it came to election night Kaye says he was feeling confident, but he knew after votes were counted in the sixth district he was going to lose.
“When I saw the results coming in, obviously I was disappointed, but I wasn’t disheartened,” Kaye said. “I went to the headquarters (the Elks Lodge) where we were either going to be celebrating or disappointed. The reaction there was actually quite positive because the numbers were strong and we picked up an extra seat.”
He ended up losing the election to opponent Curt Leng 7,412 to 4,898. While Kaye lost, he did win the 9th district, the only district to go Republican.
The graphic above displays the different voting districts in Hamden. The ninth district was the only district to go Republican. Graphic by Nick Slater.
“I think that was a nice message to the Democratic Town Committee saying ‘Look, it may not have happened this time, but change is definitely coming your way.’” he said.
He might not have gotten the win he was hoping for, but he wants to give the race another shot.
“I’m going to stick with it,” he said. “I’ve already kind of decided that in two years I probably will run again, but right now I just want to focus on what I can do to help the town as a resident.”
In the meantime, Kaye plans to continue spending his time helping Hamden. He said he has a lot of energy left to give to the community.
“I just turned 55,” he said. “I still have some years left in me and I have plenty of energy. I really did want to be the mayor so that I could use that energy to give to the community and really help the town, but I can still do that just as a resident, I don’t necessarily have to be the mayor to do that, and I’m going to continue to do that.”
On Wednesday afternoon, over 175 students and faculty gathered in the Quinnipiac Center for Communications and Engineering auditorium to participate in an open forum regarding the issue of inclusion on campus. This event comes in the wake of multiple negative events occurring in the past few weeks, such as racist language being used in the dorms and a professor tweeting her discontent with Chick-fil-A on campus, which became an outlet for hateful commentary on Twitter.
Pictured (left) Kevin Parker director of health and wellness, (middle) Vice President and Provost Jennifer Brown, (right) Elyssa Wrubel, senior english major.
“I do think it was helpful in the sense of informing students as there were topics discussed today that I know other students didn’t know as well as myself,” said Tyler McNeil a junior public relations major. “Most notably for me was that I was unaware that faculty here did not have ‘clock stop’ with their tenure.”
The “Clock stop” policy that McNeil mentions is when a school allows faculty and staff to stop the clock on their way to achieving tenure. This would be beneficial if professor or staff member fell extremely ill, or had to leave for maternity/paternity leave. Right now Quinnipiac does not have this policy in place so if a professor were to have to leave, their eligibility for tenure would be in jeopardy.
This was the email sent to the entire student body regarding the racist language used in the dorms.
This was the email sent to all students, faculty and staff inviting them to this open forum, discussing the topic of inclusion.
On top of the discussion regarding clock stop, around five students and seven faculty members stood up in front of the room and voiced their concern about different topics of inclusion on campus. These ranged from the LGBTQIA community, racial minorities being underrepresented, religious discrimination, handicap accessibility and more executive support for faculty and staff when it comes to school policy.
Specifically, Austin Calvo, the student government president spoke about the issues when it comes to ADA violations on campus and how the schools SGA has tried in the past to fix inaccessible pathways to buildings and residential halls.
A sociology professor, Jim Buccini, voiced his unhappiness with how unwelcoming this campus feels to students of minority races. He used his son’s experience of touring the campus and how at the end of the tour he absolutely did not want to attend Quinnipiac and was disappointed that his father taught at such an uninviting school.
Another student, Andrew DePass, a junior Biology & Computer Science major also talked about the issues of race on campus and discussed the toxic academic environment many minority students face in class. He said that this feeling is created when professors allow students of the majority to use their freedom of speech to say things that immediately make minorities feel inferior and/or alienated.
This open discussion is a product of Quinnipiac President Judy Olian’s strategic plan, which pushes the importance of diversity and inclusion in a competitive and creative work force, but for the past few weeks, Quinnipiac’s community has not been living up to its ideals.
Over a week ago, an email was sent to the student body from the university’s Office of Residential Life about racist language and actions being used in the dorms. The director of Residential Life, Mark DeVilbiss, stated in his email, “The university is committed to a culture of inclusion, openness and civility and is strongly opposed to discriminatory words and actions.”
Then two weeks before the email was sent, journalism professor Margarita Diaz expressed her discontent on Twitter with the use of Chick-fil-A on campus, due to their non-inclusive beliefs. The tweet blew up and users began attacking her and the community. The school newspaper also published an opinion piece that took her view and twisted it into something very different from the original intent of her comment.
This is the packed CCE Auditorium as faculty, staff and students listened intently.
After the constructive conversation concluded, Don Sawyer ended the discussion by promising there will be more open forums throughout the year and that over time, there will be change.
Vice President Don Sawyer addresses the crowd and helps lead the discussion on inclusivity on campus.
“When changing campus culture an hour is not gonna do it, a year might not even do it, but it will happen over time,” said Sawyer.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health announced on Oct. 25 that a fourth case of measles has been identified in Fairfield County. The report stated that the infected person was a school-aged boy. The child was infected in early October, but was not contagious while in school.
“I feel a sense of uneasiness knowing that measles are in my surrounding area,” Sammi Chauvin, a Fairfield University senior nursing student, said. “I am up to date on all my vaccinations so I personally don’t fear getting measles. However, my concern lies with those who are not vaccinated.”
While the state health department confirmed that the child was not infected with the disease while in school, a process and investigation must be done, according Renee D. Coleman Mitchell, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health. Public health workers have to explore every possible encounter the person with measles might have had, in an attempt get ahead of another diagnosis.
Measles presents as a red, blotchy skin rash. Other symptoms are fevers, sore throat, cough, runny nose and inflamed eyes. The symptoms show up typically 10 to 14 days after exposure. (Credit: Centers for Disease Control.)
“If a cohort of students has a low vaccination rate, they may be susceptible to an outbreak,” said Dr. Brett Lindenbach, an associate professor of microbial biology at Yale. “Vaccination is like an investment, a type of insurance. It is also the right thing to do. Some children may be unable to accept the vaccine for medical or other reasons. They rely on herd immunity.”
Connecticut legislature is working to pass a law that will make vaccinations mandatory for all children entering the school system. Those with medical exemptions will not be affected if the law passes.
The Fairfield measles case is the only one in that county. The other three diagnoses have been in New Haven county, starting in January, with the two other cases in February and April.
“Four reported cases of measles doesn’t sound like a massive burden on health care,” Lindenbach said. “This is because Connecticut has relatively high vaccination rates. If that rate gets too low, outbreaks will occur. This happened throughout New York Orthodox communities. Also, bear in mind that measles kills less than 100,000 people a year, mostly in developing countries, where measles vaccination rates can get low.”
According to the CDC, measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world. The term “measle” is derived from an old German and Dutch word for a spot or pustule on the skin. It is an airborne virus that can cause lack of hearing, vision and brain damage. Those who are not vaccinated are a threat to not only themselves, but those around them.
“The time to get vaccinated for measles is before entering school, as the airborne virus spreads easily in large or small groups of people,” Lindenbach said.
Although the United States combated the first measles outbreak in 1912 and was declared as a “measles free” country, the measles has made a comeback in 31 states since 2019.
“It’s hard for me, as an advocate of health care, to see something that is so preventable resurface in our surrounding communities,” Chauvin said. “All nurses and health care providers in general believe in the importance of vaccinations for preventing diseases like measles. It seems almost selfish that parents are willing to put their children and other individuals at risk for something that has a preventative treatment.”
How the Quinnipiac men’s soccer team recruits from all over the world
The Quinnipiac men’s soccer team celebrates a goal from last season. The Bobcats made it all the way to the MAAC finals in 2018, before losing 1-0 to Rider.
The United States was built by people who came from other countries for new opportunities.
The same can be said for some of the Quinnipiac men’s soccer team.
Take senior defender Conor McCoy for example. He hails from Forkhill, Ireland, and the opportunity to go to school and play soccer at the same time was too good to pass up.
“The whole dream of football and study, I think that was the real selling point,” McCoy said. “Both coaches sold it really well, and this school is really great. I really wanted to get a degree out of it as well. I didn’t want to just finish playing football and whatever age and not have any future opportunities.”
McCoy is one of 13 international players on the Quinnipiac men’s soccer team who has made his way to Hamden.
The teamhas the most international representation of any sports team at Quinnipiac. There are 27 players on the roster, with 13 from outside the United States, representing nine different countries.
Men’s soccer also has the highest percentage of international players at just under 50%. The next highest is the women’s soccer team having 36% of the team from outside the U.S.
“It’s a really complicated process,” Da Costa said. “The first thing that we’re looking for is that first impression. What we get on video from a player, usually it’s some type of highlight reel. You’re really just focused on the technical ability of the player. Then we start to do some digging. We need full matches and we have a couple different scouting software that we use that have a pretty in-depth database globally.”
After the first step is taken, Da Costa said it’s about finding out who the player is as a person. It becomes less about the soccer player and more about the international student trying to come to a new country. When he gets the chance, Da Costa will travel to different countries to meet with his prospective recruits personally.
According to Da Costa, that’s not always the case. Due to budgetary restrictions, there is only so much international travel that Da Costa and his staff can do. So they rely on technology to keep their relationships with these players growing.
“We do a lot of Skype; we do a lot of Whatsapp and Facetime,” Da Costa said. “Just trying to get that face time with these guys and figuring out who they are, what they’re about, what makes them tick and does that fit into what we do here. It’s really important that we bring the right character into this program.”
Da Costa is also looking for players that want to not only be a part of a collegiate soccer program, but want to be a part of his program.
“I want someone who wants to be at Quinnipiac, not because it’s an opportunity to play soccer or there’s a potential scholarship, or it’s an opportunity to come to the United States,” Da Costa said. “That means nothing to me. I want someone who wants to be at Quinnipiac University for all the right reasons. They want to play for me, they want to be a part of this program. They want to help continue to grow and help us continue to win.”
That same “want” that Da Costa looks for in his players, is also reciprocated the other way. Junior midfielder Simon Hillinger, a native of Ditzingen, Germany, felt that as much as he wanted to come to the United States, Quinnipiac wanted him as well.
“I saw that coach had big dreams for the team and big goals, so I was really just like ‘Why not? I want to be a part of this family and this team.’”
-Chrysostomos Iakovidis
“I really felt like the coaches wanted me here,” Hillinger said. “Compared to other coaches I talked to, I always felt like the second choice. But with [Quinnipiac assistant coach Graciano] Brito and Da Costa I felt right away that they really wanted me and really wanted me in their program.”
Hillinger isn’t the only one that feels that way. Senior goaltender Chrysostomos Iakovidis comes from Thessaloniki, Greece, and he also credits Da Costa in why he eventually chose coming to the U.S. to play soccer.
“Coach was really close to me from the first time (we met),” Iakovidis said. “He seemed like he really wanted me to get with the team and be a part of it. …I saw that coach had big dreams for the team and big goals, so I was really just like ‘Why not? I want to be a part of this family and this team.’”
Why they cross the Atlantic
For the players, there is a multitude of other reasons they come to the United States. And that changes from person to person.
In the case of senior defender Jeppe Haehre, it was his older brother, Daniel Haehre, who influenced his decision. Daniel made the choice to come to the U.S. and play soccer in 2011. Coming from Baerums Verk, Norway, the elder Haehre attended Virginia Commonwealth University before transferring to Hawaii Pacific University for his final three years.
“I kind of knew about the whole college experience from [my brother] so I kind of looked into it early,” Haehre said. “Then I reached out to Da Costa and Brito, and they told me a bunch of stuff about Quinnipiac. The people, the diversity that was here, that really pulled me into wanting to come here.”
Haehre first attended a showcase in Sweden, joining other prospective Europeans who wanted to come to the United States for soccer. From there, Da Costa and his staff watched Haehre’s video highlights from the showcase, reaching out to him afterward. It wasn’t long after that Haehre decided Hamden would be his home for the next four years.
“I was really ready for it because my brother did it,” Haehre said. “He always came home and told a bunch of stories about the cool experiences, so I was very open to a new culture and embracing that.”
Quinnipiac sophomore defender Jordon Bennett kicks the ball up the field. Bennett comes from Central Coast, Australia. He is the only non-European international player on the team.
For others, such as freshman defender Henry Weigand, coming to the United States provided an opportunity for additional development. Weigand was playing in the U19 Bundesliga North/North-East league, which is considered to be the highest division in German youth soccer. However, when scouts approached him, they felt he wasn’t quite ready for the next level in Germany.
“A scouting agency came to me and said that they thought I had the potential to play at the high, college level,” Weigand said. “But they didn’t think I could go to next division in Germany. I had to develop a little bit more, and I know that I will be [eventually be] a professional in Germany. So I took the other option [for college].”
Unlike in the United States, it’s not common for people to go to college. Most will go straight into the workforce and never even give a thought about higher education.
“In this country, you raise your kids and they’re going to college,” Da Costa said. “A lot of other countries aren’t like that … at the end of the day, an international kid and their family want to go to a place where they’re cared about. They want to go to a place where they know they can study and play at a high level, which they can’t do in most of their own countries.”
Complications in the process
With that said, it’s not always smooth sailing for these players to come play. They might have the destination, but they now have to get to the U.S., which includes applying for and receiving a visa. Raya Al Wasti, the secretary for Multicultural and Global Initiatives at Quinnipiac, explained how the process can differ depending on where the player is form.
“We have countries that are really easy to get their visas here, but sometimes it’s harder because of political issues in the country,” Al Wasti said.
Weigand was one of the players that experienced some difficulties in getting his visa. After going through all the paperwork, the visa eventually did arrive, but later than expected. As a result, it threw off Weigand’s entire move to the U.S.
“I had a little issue with my visa, so it came three days late,” Weigand said. “I had to cancel my first flight and at that point I really wanted to go [to the U.S.] because when you are focusing on one point to leave and then you have to move it to a second point, it was like I was wasting time in Germany.”
From within U.S. borders
As for the 14 Americans on the team, eight of them are coming from the Nutmeg state. Some are from the local area of Hamden, such as sophomore midfielder Ivan Ramos, and North Haven, such as sophomore midfielder Alex Holle.
“We have a really good pool of talent in Connecticut,” Da Costa said. “Myself and my staff being involved in the local club [soccer] scene, we’re able to identify them early. If the kid’s not leaving the state, then why is he not coming to Quinnipiac? We think that if you’re not going to Yale, then Quinnipiac should be high up on your radar because we feel like we can offer everything else any other Division I institute in Connecticut can offer.”
If you’ve followed the team recently, the name Eamon Whelan is constantly being brought up. The reigning MAAC Offensive Player of the Year and the Preseason MAAC Player of the Year isn’t from across the ocean. In fact, he’s just about an hour away, coming from New Fairfield, Connecticut. But having these players come from all over provides Whelan with something that he wouldn’t have been able to get at home.
“I grew up in a very suburban area where there’s not that much diversity,” Whelan said. “So being able to come [to Hamden] and play and be around kids from all around the globe, it’s been a big eye opener. I think on the field I’ve grown, but socially as well.”
Looking at other student athletes near the area, Glastonbury, Wallingford and Farmington are a few more of the areas that the players come from. Having this close distance to the campus allows for the international players to have a warm welcome when being a Bobcat.
For example, Holle and his family treats some of the international players to Thanksgiving, a tradition most have never heard of, but get that exposure to when in the U.S.
Quinnipiac goaltender Jared Mazzola reaches up to tip a shot away. The Bobcats currently own a 4-4-3 overall record, while they are 2-2-1 in the MAAC.
“The Connecticut guys are massive for us just because those families are here,” Da Costa said. “Again, we recruit good people, so they come from good families. These families open up their doors and their hearts for these guys and they become almost surrogate parents which is really cool to see.”
Regardless of whether a player is from Spain or Norway, Connecticut or New York, at the end of the day, they all are here for a reason – to be a Quinnipiac Bobcat on the men’s soccer team.
“When you come here, it’s not about you,” Da Costa said. “It’s about us, it’s about the program, so we spend a lot of time figuring out ‘Do they have that type of mentality?’”
He continues, “We’ve spent a long time building a culture that we’re all really proud of. I always say culture is people, so the people in our program make our culture. We obviously know what we want to be but these guys have to carry that out. So we try and make that we get the right person to come in and fit in what we do.”
Protesters standing in front of Mayor Curt Leng’s house, Smith Dr., Hamden. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
On a bitter cold Wednesday evening police cars circled the neighborhood as Hamden Action Now stood in front of Hamden Mayor Curt Leng’s house demanding that Hamden Police Officer Devin Eaton be fired.
Protestors shouted.
“Justice for Stephanie! Justice for Paul! Discharge the officer now!”
While Witherspoon wasn’t injured, 22-year-old passenger, Stephanie Washington, was seriously injured but survived.
Though Mayor Leng wasn’t home to see the protest, organizer of Hamden Action Now, Rhonda Caldwell, said he watched the group’s Facebook Live broadcast.
Eight different protesters took a turn with the microphone to give a speech.
“My message for the mayor tonight is that your police disturbed our neighborhood, Newhallville South Hamden, that’s my neighborhood,” said Laurie Sweet, a Hamden resident. “We are here to disturb yours.”
Laurie Sweet speaking in front of Leng’s house demanding justice for the police shooting that took place in April. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
Rodney Williams, Witherspoon’s uncle, showed up to the protest to express his frustration. Eaton was charged with a felony and a misdemeanor.
“If the state found enough evidence to convict him, not convict him but at least charge him, how is he still a Hamden officer?” Williams said. “Our family ain’t going to heal, the community ain’t going to heal, until this officer at least gets terminated.”
Rodney Williams said his family has been wronged by the mayor, the police, and the media. Left to right: Cassi Meyerhoffer, Kerry Ellington, Rodney Williams, Zach Carter. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
On April 16, there were reports of an attempted armed robbery at the Go On Gas Station. The suspect was said to be driving a red Honda Civic. Eaton and Yale officer, Terrance Pollock (who was not charged), investigated the reports.
Eaton pulled over Witherspoon’s car, and Pollock, arrived at the scene.
The two people in the car were later found to be unarmed.
In investigations, Eaton said he saw Witherspoon holding a gun in his hand, but an evidence report showed there was no gun in Witherspoon’s possession, or in the Civic. Hamden Police Commissioner, John Cappiello, stated in a press conference on Oct. 21, that the department will complete its internal investigation by Nov. 20.
On the day of the press conference Cappiello also announced Eaton was being put on unpaid leave from the department, and facing charges of first-degree assault (a felony), and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. Eaton posted bail of $100,000.
Kerry Ellington, a Hamden Action Now activist, says she doesn’t agree with the town conducting its internal investigation.
“The city is giving us the excuse that it needs to do its own internal investigation, even though this officer has been charged with felony charges,” said Ellington.
After her speech Ellington led a chant saying,
“No justice, no peace, no racist police!”
Kerry Ellington said she doesn’t agree with how Hamden’s handled Devin Eaton’s case. Kerry Ellington (left), Zach Carter (right). Photo by Bryan Proctor.
A week prior to the protest at Leng’s home on Oct. 30, protesters walked down Dixwell Avenue holding protests signs and blocking traffic. They walked to Leng’s office demanding justice and action. Protesters said Hamden Police Department contracts state that there must be a hearing about an officer’s unpaid leave status 10 days after the leave is given.
> “We will not ever stop fighting for justice for your family Mr. Williams.”
— Caldwell
On Nov. 5, Eaton pleaded not guilty to his assault and reckless endangerment charges. He’s scheduled to appear in court again on Dec. 10.
Protestors say a lack of justice by the Hamden Police Commission, and an insufficient show of remorse by Eaton continue to fuel their protests.
“You keep saying you’re waiting for the internal investigation to be completed before you can make a decision about the termination, but there is nothing in the union contract that says you have to do that. There is enough just cause to discharge the officer,” Cassie Meyerhoffer, professor of sociology at Southern Connecticut State University, said.
Cassie Meyerhoffer speaking to the crowd in front of Leng’s house. Left to right: Zach Carter, protestor, Justin M. Farmer. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
Protesters say they plan to show up at the Hamden Police Commission’s monthly meeting next Wednesday and will continue to fight until justice is served.
“We will not ever stop fighting for justice for your family Mr. Williams,” Caldwell said.
Rhonda Caldwell, organizer, speaking at the protest in front of Leng’s property. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
Dozier Shields says that he is satisfied with Mayor Curt Leng’s reelection. However, Shields hopes that Leng will lower taxes.
Curt Balzano Leng has been reelected as the mayor of Hamden, the Hamden Town Registrar of Voters reported on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Leng, running for the Democratic Party, won the election by a vote of 7,412 to 4,898 against his running mate, Republican Jay Kaye.
In a Facebook post that Leng posted on his page, Leng said, “Hamden, thank you so very much for your support (and) your trust. You can count on me, always, to have your back and to work to make our home town stronger and safer for everyone.”
Leng won eight of the nine districts, only losing District 9, and he will now continue his role until 2021.
For some Hamden residents, they were happy to see Leng back for another term.
Maria Topitzer says she was happy with the results of the election. She doesn’t have an issue in particular that she hopes to see change, but Topitzer preferred Mayor Curt Leng over Jay Kaye.
“I think (Leng) will do what he’s been doing, which I’m happy with,” Scott Blake, a resident of Hamden, said.
Others, like Eugene Cewe, wanted to see a new face in the office.
“Give someone else a chance,” Cewe said before the election results were released. “See what (Kaye) can do for the next two years.”
This will be the fourth time Curt Leng will be serving as mayor, while also being his third full-term in office. He began his tenure as Mayor of Hamden in May 2015 by winning the Special Election, followed by wins in the 2015 General Election and the 2017 General Election.
This map depicts which District voted for who and the winner from each one.
As for the other positions, Vera Morrison, who ran unopposed in the Democratic Party, won town clerk.
For the Councilman of the Districts, Mick McGarry (Dem.) took District 1, Harry Gagliardi, Jr. (Dem.) won District 2, Athena Gary (Dem.) was elected for District 3 and Valerie Horsley (Dem. 4) won District 4.
In addition, Justin Farmer (Dem.) was elected for District 5, Kathleen Schomaker (Dem.) won District 6, Michael Colaiacovo, Jr. (Dem.) was appointed for District 7, Kristin Dolan (Dem.) for District 8 and Marjorie Bonadies (Rep.) won District 9.
With the Hamden mayoral 2019 election between Democratic Mayor Curt Leng and Republican Jay Kaye taking place tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 5, voters will also be asked to vote for district council members, the legislative council at large and the board of education. Vera Morrison is running unopposed for town clerk.
The voting polls will be open between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. at various locations. The map below displays the voting locations and addresses of each district; you can also look up your voter registration here. For those who haven’t registered yet, you can do so tomorrow during the hours the polls are open at the Registrar of Voters office located at 2750 Dixwell Ave. Quinnipiac students can register only with a photo ID and evidence of address.
Take a look below for a list of the possible Democratic and Republican district council members with a description following each one.
