Quinnipiac – Page 9

Quinnipiac University’s diversity waits its turn

The university recognizes the need to advance inclusion initiatives in strategic plan proposal.

By Caitlin Fish

Abby Marton experienced a self-described culture shock when she arrived at Quinnipiac University in 2016 and found that the school did not reflect the world she understood.

“Coming here there was a culture shock on every level,” Marton said. “I noticed a lack of diversity right away. When I first got here I worried that I wouldn’t fit in. Everyone seemed tied together from home, there are mutual friends everywhere.”

Marton, a senior marketing major from Manhattan, New York, explained that she attended a diverse high school, The Bronx High School of Science, which exposed her to many different cultures and ways of seeing the world. Quinnipiac, in Hamden, Connecticut, did not reflect that diversity.

“I wouldn’t say white was the minority at my high school but it definitely wasn’t the majority,” Marton said. “I learned a lot about different people’s families and backgrounds, whether that be food, language or religion. It was just so immersive.”

Isaiah Nieves, a senior film major from Manchester, Connecticut, likewise noticed the sharp distinction between what he experienced in a high school teeming with racial and ethnic diversity and what he saw at Quinnipiac.

Nieves explained that he grew up around racial and class diversity and that he compares his experience attending high school to attending Quinnipiac as night and day.

“Considering that this school is a private school, it’s going to attract a certain crowd of people who can afford it,” Nieves said. “There is not much diversity on campus at all.”

Marton and Nieves are not alone in describing Quinnipiac as an institution that is lacking in diversity. The school remains largely white despite efforts to shape the student body into one that reflects the changing demographics of the United States.

According to a U.S. Census Bureau report from 2018, the United States is projected to continue becoming a more racially and ethnically pluralistic society. By 2045 Non-Hispanic whites are no longer projected to make up the majority of the U.S. population.

“By 2020, fewer than one-half of children—49.8 percent—are projected to be Non-Hispanic white,” the report states.

Students find that the troubling lack of diversity extends to the people who teach them and keep the university operating.

An informal survey sent out by email to Quinnipiac students who belong to multicultural organizations on campus revealed that 70 percent noticed that lack of diversity in the faculty and staff.

“I think the professors are less racially diverse than the student body,” Issac Bauer, a junior communications major from White Plains, New York, said. “It makes me happy to see that there are a lot of women professors, but in education, it is important to have teachers of all different backgrounds.”

According to data on racial demographics cataloged on the university’s website, white students make up three-quarters of the undergraduate population, while data obtained by HQ Press from a faculty member who requested to remain anonymous reports that white faculty members make up more than three-quarters.

Pie charts outlining the racial demographics of the undergraduate population and fall 2018 full-time faculty at Quinnipiac.

Bar graph outlining the racial demographics of 2018 full-time faculty members by school.

Students have mixed opinions regarding the university’s attempts to increase diversity on campus. The informal survey of Quinnipiac students reports that 57 percent have noticed efforts by the university to increase diversity while 42 percent have not.

Quinnipiac President Judy Olian references diversity as a transformative element in her strategic plan proposal released in January to build what she described as a “university of the future.”

The plan recognizes that Quinnipiac needs to improve in that area.

“We are not yet where we need to be as an inclusively excellent institution–not in faculty or staff, not in students or alumni, not in programming,” the strategic plan states. “We aspire to be more.”

The university appointed Donald C. Sawyer III as chief diversity officer in 2018. Sawyer, a Quinnipiac sociology professor, is tasked with advancing diversity and inclusion initiatives and putting in place action steps to get there.

“My job is to create a plan that partners with other people on campus to do the work of inclusive excellence,” Sawyer said. “The role is to work as a community, that’s faculty, staff and students, to bring about a campus that is inclusive for all people. Some people assume that my job is just here for students of color. That’s not it. It’s for all people.”

According to Sawyer, one of the ways the university is planning to address this lack of representation in the faculty is by diversifying its applicant pools when hiring for a new position.

“We have to be looking at ways to diversify our applicant pools, he said. “Not necessarily telling people who to hire. But, how do we make sure that when we are hiring for a position that the pool is representative of the diversity that exists in that particular discipline.”

Sawyer explained that not every school has a chief diversity officer, but he expects the position to become more common as it is important for universities to increase diversity and inclusion in order to stay competitive.

“Universities see that diversity is not just about doing it because it’s a good thing and feels good, it is to make sure they’re going to be the universities that survive,” Sawyer said. “To prepare so that they’re not going to be behind the curve. If you look at the students that are coming, you have to prepare for that representative diversity that we’re seeing in the K-12.”

Sawyer explained that a big part of his job is educating students about the differences between the terms diversity, inclusion and equity because a lot of people use them interchangeably.

“When we talk about diversity, we’re just talking about the representative, the numbers,” he said.

Inclusion goes hand in hand, as it is the active engagement with that diversity.

“Getting people here is pointless if you don’t have anything in place to make people feel welcomed and a part of the campus community,” he said.

The equity aspect is more complicated, as it works to remove obstacles and improve access for underrepresented students, according to Sawyer.

Xi Chen, associate professor of sociology at Quinnipiac, said she believes a historical denial of education for underrepresented students and weak points in the U.S. education system both contribute to the lack of diversity at the university.

Chen explained that public schools are funded by local and property taxes, so schools in poor or urban areas do not receive as many resources or as much funding as they do from affluent neighborhoods. In order to become a college student, you have to have been prepared along the way to even be able to apply, and many under-resourced schools do not deliver in this aspect.

“Students from the under-resourced schools are competing against the students in resource schools for the same seats in colleges,” Chen said. “If you have those obstacles in the way the system is set up for some people to be more successful than others.”

Chen said that she believes even with financial aid and scholarships, the cost of tuition prevents a more diverse applicant pool.

“Tuition for this university is very expensive and is geared toward New England North-Eastern upper-middle-class,” Chen said. “There is a huge racial gap in terms of what type of family can afford it due to social inequality in class and wealth.”

Although the university lacks in representative diversity, some students believe it is beginning to make inclusion a priority.

According to the informal survey of Quinnipiac students, 73 percent of respondents said they believe the university supports an inclusive environment.

The university has 17 student-run cultural and identity groups on campus that frequently hold events, open to everyone, aimed at educating students about different cultures, religions and ways of seeing the world.

Christina Ojo, a junior biology major from Providence, Rhode Island, is involved in many of these groups, including the African Caribbean Student Union, Black Student Union, Latino Cultural society and the Asian Student Alliance. However, she said that she does not believe the greater population of Quinnipiac recognizes these organizations.

“I don’t think Quinnipiac does enough to even get at why these organizations are important,” Ojo said. “I appreciate that we are, at the very least, here. I think the responsibility of educating is left to the students of diverse realities. It’s gaslighting.”

Chidi Nwuneli, a junior political science major from the Bronx, New York, has attended many university events put on by the multicultural organizations but does not believe many students respond to the invitations.

“Quinnipiac does try (to be more inclusive) but I feel like students aren’t receptive because it’s not something they grew up around,” Nwuneli said.

Diversity on campus is not just about having students of color, according to Nwuenli. It is also about having students who have grown up around students of color because then there will be more diversity in thought.

“Accepting of change is hard, so I think it more falls upon where they’re recruiting people from,” Nwuenli said. “I heard President Olian said she wants to recruit more people from Florida, Texas and California. When you have more people from urban centers mixing with people who are from mid-sized small-sized towns, people start to become more open-minded and friend groups become more diverse.”

According to the informal survey of Quinnipiac students, 64 percent of respondents said they do not believe the general student population is interested in learning about diversity and inclusion.

Anytime Quinnipiac wants to get something done, such as the Big Event or Qthon, it uses Greek Life, according to Nwuenli. He said that he believes the multicultural organizations should belong in this partnership.

“Greek organizations should work with the multicultural organizations, it’s something that I’ve been saying since freshman year,” he said. “That’s the only way you can have exposure for both of them. If there is an event hosted by a sorority and the African Student Union, both groups will be there and you get to meet new people and create those bonds.”

Julia Miles, a junior nursing major from Oakland, New Jersey, said she believes that a majority of the students at the university do not seek out information about diversity and inclusion because it does not affect them directly.

“I think the school could integrate this type of education into the academic experience because most students who are not underrepresented won’t pay attention unless it is put in front of their faces,” Miles said.

Miles explained that in her nursing classes aspects of diversity and inclusion are incorporated into many of her projects.

“It’s clear that our program wants to create nurses that are aware of the world,” Miles said. “When doing projects, there is a component that requires us to include some cultural or religious factors that may affect treating the patient.”

There are many benefits to a diverse atmosphere and the students at Quinnipiac may be missing out on opportunities to become more aware of the world, according to Marton.

“It’s a huge way for people to connect, to diversify your school of thought even, Marton said. “It’s so unhealthy and ignorant to think that the way you grew up and what you know and what you’re familiar with is the only way to do things. You’re missing out on literally an entire world of different experiences and it’s a shame.”

Increasing diversity on campus is not just about doing something for the greater good, it is necessary for an environment to thrive, Sawyer said.

“It benefits all who are involved,” Sawyer said. “When we have diverse teams we solve more problems. We can attack more issues that are facing us as a society. So it goes beyond just something that feels good. This is important for the future of our institution.”

The university is in the process of putting numbers to the strategic plan, developing a budget and a fundraising goal, according to Sawyer.

“We’re looking at creating different types of admissions and outreach programs to get Quinnipiac on the radar in different parts of the country,” Sawyer said. “We’re looking at different types of student populations, veterans, people who have been historically underrepresented in higher education, people who transfer from community colleges. Diversifying faculty and staff in order to attract more people.”

Quinnipiac has been criticized for catering to its white population while disregarding the needs of underrepresented students. According to Sawyer, the university is on a path to changing this.

“If you want to see if something is important to an organization you look at the budget. So, the fact that inclusive excellence is in the strategic plan is one of the first markers that let you know hopefully were serious about this,” Sawyer said.

Vice President for Public Affairs Lynn Bushnell to retire

Three members of Quinnipiac’s senior management team will be leaving the university, according to an email from President Judy Olian to faculty and staff Wednesday, April 17.

Vice President for Public Affairs Lynn Bushnell, Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs Don Weinbach and Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid Greg Eichhorn announced their intentions to depart from the university following Executive Vice President and Provost Mark Thompson’s decision to leave to become President of Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston.

Bushnell is retiring June 2019 after 25 years with the university.

Weinbach is retiring June 2020 after 24 years at the university.

Eichhorn is leaving June 2019 as well, but with intentions to continue admission efforts for the entering class of 2019/20.

“In the coming weeks and months, we will have many opportunities to express our gratitude to Mark, Don, Lynn and Greg for their dedicated service and impact at Quinnipiac,” the email read. “They have meant so much to our institution, and to our students, staff and faculty. We wish them the very best in the next chapters of their lives.”

President Olian came into her position in July 2018. Since then four total members of the senior leadership team have announced their leave from the university, but Bushnell said this is not surprising.

“I don’t know that it’s a total coincidence,” Bushnell said. “I think that people always expect a lot of turnover when a new president comes in. You know he or she always wants their own people in place. My good fortune is that it coincided with my own plan or that my own plan coincided with her arrival.”

While some of the other departures may have come as a surprise to Quinnipiac community members, retirement has always been in the plans for Bushnell.

“My plan has always been to retire this June,” Bushnell said. “My husband and I, when we first learned when John Lahey was intending to retire, I made the decision that I would see him out and see the new person in for a year and assist in that transition and then I would ‘vamos.’”

In her 25 years with the school, Bushnell has been accredited with advancing the university’s national visibility and overseeing the growth of key units of the school including the Quinnipiac Poll, amongst many other things. Reflecting on her time here, it felt only fitting to see out longtime President Lahey and welcome in President Judy Olian to Quinnipiac and her position.

“I think I’ve done a good job with that [the transition] and get President Olian inaugurated and get through all of the final commencements cause it’s such a crazy season,” Bushnell said. “Then I’ll go off into the sunset at the end of June.”

Before she can go off on her fairytale ending, Bushnell must see through one of her last major tasks – President Olian’s inauguration. Former President Lahey held the position for 31 years so for many, if not all of the administrators, this is the first inauguration they had to plan.

“I’ll feel better when we’re on the other side of the inauguration,” Bushnell said. “That’s a big deal and none of us have done one before cause John was here for so long.”

While Bushnell has spent a quarter of a century on campus, her Bobcat roots run deeper than administration.

“I love this place. I have three children, all three of them have attended at least part of their educational career here,” Bushnell said. “I have very fond memories, not just as an employee, but as a parent.”

With three weeks left of the semester, Bushnell is nostalgic wrapping up her time at Quinnipiac, but looking forward to retirement.

“I would like to travel a lot and I think I’ll probably move to Boston for a year,” Bushnell said. “I posted on Facebook today a memory that I had posted six years ago that ‘I will always be a bobcat.’ So, I will be.”

Man arrested for trespassing on Quinnipiac’s main campus

New Haven resident attempted to sell students bagged energy powder in cafeteria

By Jess Ruderman

Quinnipiac Public Safety stands by the suspicious individual in the cafeteria. (Photo: Cait Fish) — Quinnipiac Public Safety stands by the suspicious individual in the cafeteria.

(Photo: Cait Fish)

A suspicious white male caused a scene in the Mount Carmel Campus cafeteria after attempting to sell bagged white powder to Quinnipiac students Tuesday, April 16. Matthew Allen, a New Haven resident according to his Facebook profile, was surrounded by Public Safety officers in a booth in the cafeteria where they confiscated and searched his bag, witnesses said.

Quinnipiac Public Safety confirmed that the powder was not an illegal substance, but rather an energy powder. Allen was arrested and issued a no trespass order by Quinnipiac that he signed.

“It wasn’t drugs,” Public Safety Officer Lieutenant Don Distefano said. “It was a substance called Bang Energy Powder that he put in different bags and tried selling at $80 a bag.”

A member of the Hamden Police Department Records Division said that the last he heard, the substance was not illegal, and a police report is currently being filed and will be available in five to seven days.

Allen posted Tuesday morning stating his intentions to head to QU and ‘pitch’ to students the substance.

“Getting banged up before heading to Quinnipiac College to “pitch” and con gullible coeds into sleeping with me,” the post stated.

Allen then followed his initial post hours later with visuals of the powder and of himself sitting in the cafeteria.

“If anyone at Quinnipiac University wants to try Bang Energy Powder for free I’m here waiting in the dining hall while everyone ignores me except the coeds in their skintight yoga pants who keep eyefucking me,” the post read. “I’m not actually looking for sex but I am looking to make money off a high quality product I invested in. I’m charging Yale students $80/bag not everyone, fwiw.”

Screenshots of Matthew Allen’s Facebook page in which he mentions attempting to sell Bang Energy at Quinnipiac and explains the substance.

The campus breach comes only months after Uber driver Sean Brozek was arrested with stalking, threatening and trespassing onto the Mount Carmel campus for following a female student to her dorm. At that time, the Public Safety Department issued a ‘timely warning’ regarding the ongoing investigation to students via the university alert system, forwarding students to their MyQ account for more information.

Distefano explained that this was not the case this time around because Allen did not serve the same kind of threat that Brozek had.

“Based on a person’s behavior we do a threat assessment and we determine, ‘Is this an isolated instance we have at this moment or is it a threat to the community?’” Distefano said. “The threat assessment [in this case] was very low. He wasn’t targeting anyone specific, was in one place, wasn’t violent, was very cooperative and clearly had mental health issues.”

The Quinnipiac Annual Security and Fire Safety Report breaks down the specifics of why a ‘timely warning,’ like the one issued last November, would be issued to students, faculty and anyone subscribed to the university alert system.

“The university does not condone actions that are detrimental to the school’s resources, facilities, community members or image, or those that violate applicable laws or school policy,” according to the 2017 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report of the Mount Carmel and York Hill campuses. “A ‘timely warning’ will be issued in the event that a situation arises, either on or off campus, that in the judgment of the chief of public safety or his/her designee, constitutes an ongoing or continuing threat criminal in nature.”

In Brozek’s case, Public Safety was unaware of the situation until after Brozek had entered campus, followed a specified student to her dorm, harassed her and then left without notice. Allen, on the other hand, was sighted and reported immediately by officers who responded with Hamden PD to remove and arrest him in a timely manner that, once detained, was no longer deemed a threat to the Quinnipiac community by Public Safety.

“The past instance he was focusing on a specific student, penetrated the campus in the form of a dorm and left before we were notified,” Distefano said. “This person yesterday wasn’t.”

In wake of these incidents, students have begun to question their safety at the university when it comes to intruders.

“It was odd because there was this older looking man sitting in the cafe, surrounded by public safety officers,” junior biology major Matthew Williams said. “Whether it ended up being cocaine or an energy powder doesn’t matter to me. What was concerning is the fact that this man easily obtained access to our campus, despite the fact that we have Public Safety.”

Allen has been contacted, but has yet to respond with a comment.

Stay with HQ Press for further updates and details as they become available.

Hamden Police Department cracks down on distracted driving

By Sam Bashaw

A Hamden PD officer speaks with an individual in violation of distracted driving. (Photo: Sam Bashaw) — A Hamden PD officer speaks with an individual in violation of distracted driving.

(Photo: Sam Bashaw)

“Black Honda Pilot, AL, white male, texting, right hand, right lane.”

This is the call Captain Ronald Smith makes to four police officers a block away from his undercover position in front of the Hamden Plaza. Sergeant Gregg Curran, of the Hamden Police Department Traffic Division, slows down the traffic on Dixwell Avenue, pulls over the Honda Pilot driver and writes him a $150 ticket for texting while driving.

During the month of April the Hamden PD and the Connecticut Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office are partnering with the United States Department of Transportation for their national “U Drive — U Text — U Pay” campaign, according to a press release sent out by Hamden PD.

This means that a heavier police squad presence around town, namely at the intersection of Sherman and Whitney Avenues, in front of Hamden Plaza and the intersection of Whitney and Mount Carmel Avenues, will be watching and ticketing drivers utilizing their phones.

“(The campaign) is all throughout the state,” Smith said. “We regularly participate because our numbers and the amount of tickets we’ve given out have been enormous.”

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The Hamden PD has been participating in the “U Drive — U Text — U Pay” campaign for several years and its most recent venture in August of 2018, produced more than 600 issued tickets in less than a month’s time.

“It’s been a constant flow,” Smith said of the number of cars his officers have pulled over in the first two hours of their four-hour shift. “(The no texting while driving law) has been on the books for several years and people just don’t abide by it and think it’s not a big problem.”

During the campaign, Hamden PD rotates two, four-hour shifts every day from Monday through Friday. One officer will dress in plain clothes as the ‘spotter,’ who inconspicuously radios a violation to a team of three to four officers in uniforms and police cars about a block or two down from the spotter’s location.

Each officer helping in the campaign is compensated in the form of overtime that comes from a grant provided by Connecticut Department of Transportation.

“The sad thing is that when we don’t have the grant we don’t have the manpower to enforce this specific law,” Smith said. “Officers on the street here have so many other things to do and they don’t have a lot of time to look for distracted driving, they’re going to calls and other things, accidents, etc…. Unfortunately, budgetary constraints and things like that make it difficult. (The grant) is nice because it doesn’t really affect the taxpayers in town.”

Andrew Tran, a 29-year-old from West Haven, was pulled over on April 15 while Smith and his team were doing checks.

“It sucks, but I wasn’t texting,” Tran said. “I was holding it, but I wasn’t using it, but I get why I was pulled over.”

Tran was unaware of the $150 ticket he would receive after getting caught. Under Connecticut’s cell phone and texting law, a second violation doubles to $300 and then to $500 for each subsequent offense, according to the Department of Transportation.

“I think a warning would’ve been nice,” Tran said. “I’ve never gotten stopped before so now I’m aware of it.”

However, Smith thinks that issuing warnings or reducing the fines would not be a smart decision.

“Obviously, the $150 ticket isn’t a deterrent enough,” Smith said. “(For example), if lawmakers decided that if you were to utilize the cellphone while driving, then your license would be suspended for three months or a short period of time.”

This solution wouldn’t solve all their problems, but Smith thinks it is one way to prohibit drivers from breaking the law repeatedly.

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Marlo Wehrer, a 21-year-old Quinnipiac University athletic training major from Pequannock, New Jersey was pulled over on April 10 for texting while driving. She was stopped on the corner of Whitney and Mount Carmel Avenues, having no idea why she was getting pulled over.

“Literally between the time of me pulling out of North Lot and getting to the stop sign at New Road, supposedly there was someone there who had seen me on my phone,” Wehrer said. “When I kept driving toward the light, I thought there was an accident because so many cars were pulled over to the side, there were at least four or five cars already.”

Although she disagrees with her ticket, Wehrer will not go to court to petition it because she is from out of state and does not think the fine amount was unreasonable.
“I was OK with it because it’s not a crazy amount of money,” Wehrer said. “I’ve heard people getting tickets that are much more expensive and as well, sometimes an event like this you would get points off your license, so I’m super thankful I didn’t get points off.”

Wehrer’s biggest quarrel with the “U Drive — U Text — U Pay” campaign is the location Hamden PD is choosing.

“I wouldn’t say that I am against (the campaign), but the fact that they’re sitting (near) a college campus; I feel like that’s kind of dumb,” Wehrer said. “Why are you attacking these kids who are paying so much money to go to that school anyway? We’re not just people who are working who have money to throw around like it’s nothing. So I think that’s messed up and I know a lot of people were upset by that and seeing how many people they had pulled over, they must have made so much money. It was crazy.”

However, Smith sees Quinnipiac students as a large demographic of distracted drivers in Hamden and pulling them over is keeping the public safer.

“For Quinnipiac students, a lot of them are on their phone,” Smith said. “I don’t know what their state laws are but I believe they’re the same, I’m certain. It’s quite a problem with Quinnipiac students and in the past there have been accidents and fatals; people crossing Whitney Avenue, not paying attention.”

Graphics: Aliza Gray

In 2007, Jennifer Herschkowitz, a Quinnipiac University freshman, was walking across Whitney Avenue and was fatally hit by a car while she was on her cell phone. For Smith, it’s not just about making sure the drivers are safe, but the pedestrians are too.

“We’ve been very vigilant about the campaign because it has affected our community,” Smith said. “I consistently read reports where distracted driving was the cause of an accident. A woman was crossing the street at one of our summer concerts last July and a distracted driver killed her. She had a family and kids.”

For Wehrer, getting a ticket has made her more aware of not touching her phone while driving.

“It definitely made a mark on me,” Wehrer said. “It’s a huge problem that people are texting and driving and you see awful things that occur with people being on their phone and getting in these crazy accidents. This definitely showed that to me, and I think other people would be the same way.”

Although the “U Drive — U Text — U Pay” campaign ends April 18, it will start up again at the beginning of August and continue for years to come, according to Smith. Smith’s advice for drivers is to simply obey the law and pull into a parking lot or off to the side of the road if they want to send a text, or even better, put their phone in the back seat of the car.

“There have been people who have been seriously injured and killed, families who have lost loved ones over something as stupid as responding to a text, and that’s very sad,” Smith said. “Our officers respond to scenes like that and it’s something you’ll never forget and it’s for what? To text someone that you’ll be there soon? It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

Quinnipiac SGA elects diverse executive board to advocate for minority students

By Emma Robertson

At 8 p.m., ballots closed. 8:30 p.m. No phone call. 8:45 p.m. The phone rings. Austin Calvo lunges for his cell phone. Just a friend. Not the person he hoped for, not the person he needs. Fifteen minutes pass. No call. Thirty minutes. No call.

9:45 p.m. The phone rings again. This time, it was Quinnipiac University’s current Student Government Association President Ryan Hicks. The moment Calvo was waiting for. His anxiety washed away.

He did it. He won.

Quinnipiac Student Government Association President-elect Austin Calvo (Photo courtesy: SGA) — Quinnipiac Student Government Association President-elect Austin Calvo

(Photo courtesy: SGA)

On Wednesday, April 10, the Quinnipiac student body elected Calvo, a junior political science major, as its next SGA president. Calvo has broken the mold as one of the first openly gay SGA presidents to be elected.

Joining Calvo on the executive board as vice president-elect is a second openly gay member of the LGBTQ+ community, Sophia Marshall. Along with Calvo and Marshall, the student body elected two people of color, Esau Greene, vice president-elect of student experience, and Jamien Jean-Baptiste, vice president-elect of marketing and public relations, making this one of the most diverse executive boards in Quinnipiac history.

“To have two out, proud people of the LGBTQ community and to have two proud black men on this executive board is amazing,” Calvo said. “This is the most unique SGA I’ve ever seen and I’m really excited to see what we can bring.”

The road to the office was not an easy one for Calvo. His sexuality was never something he wanted to hide and with it so openly on display, Calvo experienced slight pushback from members of the Quinnipiac community.

On the day of the executive board debates, one of Calvo’s campaign posters was defaced with homophobic remarks. Calvo received a call from Hicks informing him that the posters had been immediately taken down.

The comments affected Calvo’s confidence during the debates later that day. Calvo said he felt as if he needed to dial back aspects of his personality. He didn’t even feel comfortable bringing up his bright yellow water bottle covered in stickers for fear of appearing gay.

“It’s just something you’re always conscious of,” Calvo said. “You always have to be aware that you’re not the norm.”

According to Lindsey Downey, the sophomore president of Quinnipiac’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance, visibility of the LGBTQ+ community is necessary to eliminate homophobia like which Calvo experienced.

“A lot of hurtful actions that people say or do (come) from a place of ignorance,” Downey said. “They don’t know or they weren’t exposed to (LGBTQ+). If you’re not exposed to people of the LGBTQ community, if you don’t know people of color or what their culture is, the queer culture or any other culture, there’s no way to know what’s appropriate and what’s not.”

But Calvo refuses to let negativity about his sexuality affect him. His passion for student government and advocacy drove him to push through this homophobia.

Hicks explained that it was difficult to make that call and tell Calvo his posters were defaced, but added that Calvo’s tenacity was inspiring.

“It was heartbreaking to see that picture and it was heartbreaking to deliver that news,” Hicks said. “But I don’t think that that should really be the story, I think the way Austin handled that news and said, ‘This isn’t going to be something that I stop fighting for,’ I think that’s what should be focused on … Austin’s rebound to it and his continuation throughout the week.”

Instead of quitting, Calvo learned to adjust his campaign strategies. He made it his mission to seek out the opinions of the heterosexual males with whom he struggled to connect. He began to realize that the student body cared less about his sexuality and more about his ideas and how he could affect the university.

Throughout his first few years at Quinnipiac, even with slight resistance from a very small percentage of the student body, Calvo has been able to embrace every aspect of himself.

“It was just so nice that over these past three years I have unapologetically been myself,” Calvo said. “I have shared every view I have in class, any opinion I have with my friends and people around me, I have never been scared to step down.”

Sophomore Sophia Marshall, the SGA vice president-elect and also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, has faced less resistance than Calvo. As she puts it, she has the benefit of looking straight. There were points when Marshall herself questioned what people would think of her because of her sexuality. But she has ensured that what represents her are her ideas.

Unlike other members of LGBTQ+, she feels that, even among those who do not support her, she at least commands respect.

“I think even in my experience, some of the people who don’t accept the way that I am, which is very, very, very seldom, even those people will respect my work ethic and will come to me regardless because they know that I can get things done,” Marshall said.

Quinnipiac Student Government Association Vice President-elect Sophia Marshall (Photo courtesy: SGA) — Quinnipiac Student Government Association Vice President-elect Sophia Marshall

(Photo courtesy: SGA)

Marshall believes that the results of this SGA election are reflective of the progressiveness of Quinnipiac’s student body, of its faculty and of its community as a whole. The students backed ideas and chose their elected officials based on campaign platforms, not on sexuality.

“I think it kind of goes to show that Quinnipiac is moving in a more progressive way, which is really exciting,” Marshall said. “And I think the other thing is, I’m really proud of the fact that I’m super gay.”

Downey agrees and hopes that Marshall and Calvo can serve as inspirations for members of Quinnipiac’s LGBTQ+ community to feel more comfortable with their sexualities.

“Austin and Sophia are both very open about their identity within the community, which is amazing,” Downey said. “There are so many LGBTQ faculty, staff, students here, but to have them sort of like front and center is nice because people can look at them and be like, ‘they’re here.’”

But how will this diverse new e-board have an impact on the student body?

With new voices and perspectives on SGA’s executive board, the student body population, as a whole, has a voice. According to Calvo, advocacy for minority groups becomes stronger when minority groups have representatives speaking up for them specifically.

“It gives almost every niche community of Quinnipiac a voice in the room,” Calvo said.

The next few years of Quinnipiac’s future will be full of change. With a new president, Judy Olian, and with the introduction of her strategic plan, SGA will need to advocate for the students more than ever.

The newly elected executive board represents members of the LGBTQ+ community, it represents people of color, it represents women and it represents men. But more importantly, the board is full of passion for change and advocacy. It’s full of passion for Quinnipiac’s students. As the current e-board steps down, Hicks said he is more than confident that he’s leaving SGA in the hands of a new group of leaders that has every student at Quinnipiac in its best interest.

“When I look at how eager they are and how enthusiastic they are and how passionate they are, it just shows how much they want this and how much they want to represent and advocate for the students.”

Divine Nine fraternities, sororities look for support, visibility at predominantly white colleges

By Andrew Robinson

The biggest meeting space on Quinnipiac University’s campus in Hamden is nearly empty save for three students, dressed in business attire and brimming with excitement.

The hollowness of the Mount Carmel Auditorium on that cold October evening did not affect three members of race-based Greek organizations as they prepared for their much-anticipated event centered on bridging the gap between white and minority students at their predominantly white institution.

The three students — a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., a black fraternity, as well as two Hispanic students representing Latin Greek organizations — spent weeks organizing the event and days promoting it with fliers on social media. They prepared a PowerPoint with statistics, composed discussion questions and broached ways to discuss the racial tension at a university that recently suspended another fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, after a racist incident earlier in 2018.

Finally, everything is in place.

But, 30 minutes after the event is scheduled to begin, only five students are in attendance.

The disappointment sets in.

As the few students that decided to make the trek across Quinnipiac’s quad settle into their seats, the realization hit that there would be a lot more vacant seats in the auditorium than filled ones.

Despite the dedication and efforts of the members of many of the multicultural Greek organizations, the reality is, these organizations receive little administrative support, and even less general visibility at predominantly white institutions, PWIs, across America.

“I can definitely say it is kind of discouraging. And it makes you think twice if you want to hold another event or if you want to do something like this again because it’s like, your afraid to get the same outcome,” said Bernard Grant, vice president of the National Society for Black Engineers at the University of New Haven. “You don’t want to feel like your time was wasted, like you put in all this effort, and only like three or four people showed up to it.”

Despite the struggles that multicultural greek organizations face at PWIs, things were far worse in the early 1900s when many of these organizations did not exist. African American students searched for something to be a part of in order to give them a sense of belonging at universities.

Fraternities at Cornell University prohibited black members, but African American students wanting to join a brotherhood got creative.

Henry Arthur Callis, for example, worked as a server at Sigma Alpha Epsilon events. George Biddle Kelley did the same for Beta Theta Pi. Others served as tutors — anything to experience fraternity life and see the inner workings of a successful organization.

Callis and Kelley used their experiences and knowledge of the institutional framework to help found Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. at Cornell in 1906 — the first ever historically black intercollegiate fraternity at the undergraduate level.

Over the next 60 years, eight more organizations launched across America. Seven were founded before 1925, with Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. being the latest, which was founded in 1963 at Morgan State University, a historically black university in Baltimore.

These organizations make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council, which is the collective governing body for these organizations, with the goal of “Unanimity of thought and action as far as possible in the conduct of greek letter collegiate fraternities and sororities, and to consider problems of mutual interest to its member organizations” as stated on the NPHC website. Ever since Iota Phi Theta officially became a member of the council in 1997, it has been commonly referred to as the “Divine Nine”(D9).

Jaylan Leon is the chief communications director of students of the diaspora at Yale in New Haven.

“My image of the D9 is black excellence. Black people that are trying to move forward and come together to make an impact in their community. People who are really motivated towards a like goal. It has an impact to really change communities and impact youth, especially,” Leon said.

Members of the Divine Nine across the country in the mid to late 20th Century. Photos Courtesy of Creative Commons/ Flickr.

Three of these D9 organizations were founded at PWIs, with two sprouting up in the midwest when Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. launched at Indiana University in Bloomington in 1911, and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. began at Indianapolis’ Butler University in 1922.

Stephanie McClure, a sociology professor at Georgia College, and author of the book “Voluntary Association Membership: Black Greek Men on a Predominantly White Campus” says students founded the black fraternities as social support and political action organizations.

“I guess I’ve always felt like that was their role,” she said.

In 2019, these organizations look much different now, since they have grown immensely and expanded their outreach.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., chartered at Howard University in 1908, has now initiated upwards of 300,000 members. Alpha Phi Alpha has over 200,00 initiated members at more than 700 chapters across the world.

All of the D9 organizations have established chapters outside of the United States in places such as the Virgin Islands, England, Canada, South Korea, Germany and Jamaica.

Despite the growth of the D9 over the last century, the representation at Quinnipiac is scarce with just one D9 organization on campus. The Sigma Beta chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho has just one active member and has not welcomed any new initiates since Spring 2017.

Sevina Jackson is that lone member.

“I would say that my membership journey is different than other individuals that are in sororities on this campus,” she said. “I know my chapter does struggle to recruit members and maintain a size of five or more. As far as having events and stuff we do struggle to get an attendance.”

Though the chapter struggles to maintain membership, Quinnipiac administrators are committed to the sorority.

“We need to continue to provide support to the sorority that’s here. And we need to be honest with national organizations that want to come here,” said Katherine Pezzella, director of campus life for fraternity and sorority life.

“We need to get to a point where we’re also OK not only accepting the city-wide model but we also need to be OK with groups coming and going on our campus. We need to be OK that we can recognize the AKAs, while the AKAs are kind of in and then maybe they die out but we welcome them back whenever there is interest.”

The city-wide model is a model that is commonly adopted at PWIs in an effort to provide a chapter that can sustain on a campus where there aren’t many black students.

For example Alpha Phi Alpha and Alpha Kappa Alpha are two city-wide chapters that exist in the greater New Haven area and consist of members from Yale, University of New Haven, Southern Connecticut State University and Quinnipiac.

This fusion of universities provides membership numbers to be able to sustain over a long period of time.

The problem is, many universities don’t recognize city-wide chapters due to insurance issues.

Colleen Kazar, assistant director for Greek life and programming at the University of New Haven said, “We cannot monitor or manage what is happening in city-wide chapters, which creates a liability on the university should something happen to one of our students.”

This creates a high hurdle for involved students and handicaps the organizations greatly by creating situations in which members can’t host events or receive financial assistance from the university.

“We had to get a paper signed by our Greek advisor on campus just saying that we meet the requirements — saying that we had a 2.5 (grade point average), we’re in good standing with the school and we’re actually a student there,” said Bernard Grant, a recently initiated member of Alpha Phi Alpha at the University of New Haven. “But the reason they wouldn’t sign it was because we’re not recognized on campus.”

Quinnipiac holds the same policy regarding city-wide chapters, thus limiting options for African American students.

Since Quinnipiac does not allocate any funding directly to Greek organizations on campus, funds are raised strictly via chapter dues, meaning the members determine the budget for the chapter. For Jackson and Sigma Beta, that means just one person is contributing monetarily, deeming it nearly impossible to finance the chapter.

“It’s definitely something that we’re talking about. I think it’s something that we’ll revisit again this summer and just try to think through,” Pezzella said.

Jackson and other members of Sigma Gamma Rho in Connecticut at various events in the community. Photos courtesy of Sevina Jackson.

Another potential solution to the recruitment issue could be revisiting how these organizations appeal to non-African American students.

“…at top-tier universities, black undergraduate populations average 6 percent, a statistic that has remained largely flat for 20 years.” according to a 2015 article that was published by The Atlantic.

Therefore, if on average 94% of the student body is not African American, the D9 organizations need to find other ways to recruit members.

“Diversify the membership. Don’t simply focus on the color of folks’ skin. Focus on whether or not they hold the fraternity’s ideals,” said Gregory Parks, associate dean of research, public engagement and faculty development at Wake Forest.

“Do they care about racial equality? Do they care about high academic performance? Do they care about community engagement? Do they care about collegiality? Getting along with others or brotherhood. You might imagine some progressive-minded White, Latino, Asian American, Native American students on campus who’d be interested in Alpha — they just need to know more about it.” he said.

PWIs have not met the standard that the founders of these organizations envisioned more than a century ago.

“I think we can always do better. The work our fraternities and sororities do should be celebrated on a constant basis,” said Eric Lacharity, associate director of the Office of Student Involvement at Southern Connecticut State. “It’s our job to be advocates for our Greek Life community and create that visibility for them and educate others on their importance.”

Educate — just like the three students in the near-empty assembly room on Quinnipiac’s campus last October were doing. University administrators at PWIs must also bridge the gap to the D9 organizations on their campuses.

“I feel like their presence is getting more and more known by the day as we add more, and I really feel like it’s becoming a really good staple of this community,” said Kyle Lopez, Quinnipiac’s Interfraternity Council president.

“We’re all working together and we’re building this community that’s awesome,” Lopez said. “So, I think if we keep going in the direction that we’re going in now in terms of membership intake, in terms of organizations being added, that we’ll be in a really good place in a few years.”

A Plague of Potholes: Neglect, underfunding and a harsh winter leaves Hamden roads in ruins

Potholes just off of Sherman Avenue Photo by Kristina Mendoza-Cabrera — Potholes just off of Sherman Avenue

Photo by Kristina Mendoza-Cabrera

Dodging, weaving, and swerving left and right. This isn’t the description of race car drivers approaching their final lap on the track– it’s one of Quinnipiac students driving along Mount Carmel Avenue trying to make it to class in one piece. The obstacle in their way? Potholes, which only seem to grow in size and number at the end of every winter.

Superintendent of Streets for Hamden’s Public Works Department Joseph Longobardi said that while potholes are a year-long problem, they occur more frequently during the late winter into spring, due to the change in weather.

“During the winter you have the rain and then it freezes, and it tends to pop the asphalt. That’s when the potholes occur and the complaints start coming in,” Longobardi said. “We’re filling them (the potholes) from then all the way to the fall.”

There are two trucks that maintain approximately 228 miles of road, one in the north end of town and one in the south. With these two vehicles, the public works department has filled 322 potholes from Jan. 3 to April 4 of this year.

The process of filling and refilling these road hazards is a long one and it depends on weather conditions as well as the availability of materials.

While the pothole is preferably filled with hot asphalt mix, which has long-lasting properties, it is often not available in the colder months. If this is the case, as it is in Hamden, repairs are made with other materials like cold patch, a mixture of stone and oil, and then revisited in warmer months.

Longobardi said the department uses the cold patch to maintain the roads for the winter while the asphalt plants are closed. When the plants reopen at the end of May, they can begin using the hot asphalt as a more permanent patch.

Constant maintenance of the roads is not enough to keep the complaints at bay. In fact, they’re a daily occurrence. There are currently 136 pothole reports on SeeClickFix. Yesterday, that number was 122.

Potholes off of Sherman Avenue

Photos by Kristina Mendoza-Cabrera

“I normally drive pretty fast, but that’s all changed since coming to school here,” Quinnipiac junior Jaysa Quinlivan said. “I feel like I have to be so careful to avoid the huge potholes.”

Sometimes, the consequences are more than a little jostling.

“I’ve messed up my car severely– my bumper was all scratched up,” Quinnipiac senior and New Road resident Sarah Foley said. “There are times when I’ve considered walking to school.”

And while the list of complaints is never-ending, the current resources for attending to the issue only go so far.

“There are many roads that we do need to pave, but it’s the budget,” Longobardi said. “The budget and money is the concern.”

Records of the Town of Hamden show the budget for the entire public works department– not just the sector that works on pothole repair– is approximately $10.4 million, or 4.9 percent of the overall budget. For comparison, the Board of Education receives $82.7 million and makes up 39 percent of the budget. Debt services which make-up 9.3 percent of the budget, get $19.7 million, according to the Town of Hamden’s “Citizen’s Guide to the Budget.”

A breakdown of Hamden’s budget

Photo via Town of Hamden

Still, the public works department works with what it has. Along with roads like Todd Street, Shepard Street and Sherman Avenue, the department has been filling potholes along Mount Carmel Avenue since March. The back roads from Quinnipiac’s main campus to the North Haven campus are especially ravaged.

“The back roads leading from Mount Carmel to Hartford Turnpike? We were on that for a week and a half,” Longobardi said. “We laid 20 tons of asphalt on that and it didn’t even make a dent.”

This is particularly bad news for students like Quinnipiac senior Erin Redding, who has classes in North Haven twice a week. The 15-minute commute is one she dreads.

“It’s a horrible road. The potholes are just unavoidable because there’s so many,” Redding said. “I feel like I’m ruining my car every time I drive there, but I don’t have a choice.”

And it’s not only students who are exasperated. Hamden resident James Wise, a mechanic at Firestone Complete Auto Care, says he can’t even count the number of cars he’s seen this month that have tire damage due to potholes.

“A lot of people have been coming in with their tires busted,” Wise said. “We’ve had quite a few people coming in and complaining about potholes here.”

One of those people was his aunt, Valerie Harold, who lives on West Side Drive and busted her tire after hitting a pothole.

“It was crazy,” Wise said. “I had to replace her lower control arm and everything underneath after the whole wheel fell out.”

Nick Froso, another mechanic at Firestone Complete Auto Care, spoke to the cost of repair for tire damage.

“Immediately it’s like $175 just for a mechanic to look at it. A new rim costs an average of $400 to $500 apiece,” Froso said. “Depending on the car, it’s anywhere from that price and the sky’s the limit.”

The same cannot be said for what’s to be done about Hamden’s potholes. With an insufficient budget, there is only so much the department can do for road repair. Most of the efforts seem to go toward preventing the damage from growing worse.

For those like Longobardi, the constant filling and refilling of potholes using cold and hot patch feels like an ongoing battle.

“It doesn’t seem like a lot, but we do what we can for now and hope it holds over,” Longobardi said.

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Quinnipiac Dining introduces new policies in an effort to combat student theft

Quinnipiac University dining is now implementing orange “paid” stickers in an effort to combat student stealing.

“Unfortunately, we have been noticing an increase in the number of students stealing over the past couple of years,” Morgan Watson, marketing manager for Quinnipiac Dining said. “Theft has continued to increase and become a prominent issue at our dining facilities.”

The new policy, which began on April 2, will help staff to identify drinks that have not been paid for.

“The paid stickers are part of our effort to identify who has paid for their beverage,” Watson said.

The cafeteria has experienced a 10 percent shrinkage in inventory due to theft, according to Watson. The stickers are one of a few ways Quinnipiac dining plans to address this issue.

Results out of 200 respondents from survey sent out on HQ Press Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. : (click to scroll)

The university is also considering installing new camera systems in the Mount Carmel and York Hill cafeterias to further monitor stealing, Watson said. The cameras, which are planned to arrive in the fall of 2019, will have a live feed monitored by public safety.

Some students said they believe these new additions will damage the relationship between the university and the student body.

“I feel like that really puts a disconnect between Quinnipiac and the students,” Aryn McClure, a senior at Quinnipiac University, said. “It makes it seem like they can’t trust us and like they’re watching us as we go and eat. I think that just adds more stress to the students knowing that maybe I can’t be comfortable in my own school, in my own environment.”

Some members of the Quinnipiac community suspect that inflated prices are one of the main causes of frequent stealing.

“You can buy this stuff at a store off-campus for half the price that it is here, seriously, it’s crazy,” Christina Lucas, a Chartwells cashier, said. “Every year the prices go up.”

For example, a peanut butter chocolate Gatorade Whey Protein bar at Walmart is currently priced as low as $1.50, however, it is priced at $3.59 in the cafeteria, almost three times more expensive than what it would be at market value.

Cost of peanut butter chocolate Gatorade Whey Protein bar at the Quinnipiac cafeteria versus the cost at Walmart.

Quinnipiac Dining claims that the high prices on food are no excuse for students to consistently steal.

“The majority of the students who remove unauthorized food and beverage from the dining facilities still have money on their meal plan account,” Watson said.

In addition to steeper prices, some students feel like the cafeteria needs to do a better job decreasing the amount of time that it takes to purchase their food.

“I think students steal so often in the cafeteria based off time,” Chelsea Jones, a senior Quinnipiac student, said. “If you go into the cafeteria around 12 o’clock it’s really packed in there and it’s busy, so you’re not going to wait in line to pay for a juice when you can just take it and keep going about your business.”

Jones said she believes opening more registers will allow for a quicker checkout time and keep students from skipping the lines when they are in a rush.

“They probably need to open up more registers around the times that they know they’re going to be busy,” Jones said. “Not just have one or two registers open around those busy hours, because nobody’s going to wait.”

Watson and Quinnipiac Dining understand the student’s concerns regarding the wait time and stated that they try to avoid the backlog during peak periods as much as possible.

“Our standard is to have all registers open at peak periods,” Watson said. “However, there are times when we are understaffed at the moment and a register may not be open for a period. We try to avoid closing any registers at peak time if possible.”

Jones also said that she believes providing discounts on certain items toward the end of the semester will keep students from stealing when their meal plan is running low.

“During the times of the school year where students may be lower on meal plan, I definitely think that the prices should drop on drinks,” Jones said. “Water bottles are around $3, that’s unnecessary. If anything it should be at most $2.”

Even with the new sticker policy, as well as the camera system that is on the horizon for next year, it is safe to assume that students will still steal at least in some capacity despite the efforts of the dining staff.

Student responds to the news of the orange paid stickers on Twitter.

“They just walk right out. It’s like what can you do? I can’t do anything to these people,” Lucas said.

Moving forward, the university will continue to work with the dining staff to come up with the best solution to the theft dilemma. However, some students say the answer might be easier than many would’ve thought.

“I think (the university) should just trust the students a little bit more,” McClure said. “I do understand they need to make profits, but stealing isn’t OK. They should work with the student body and create resources for them to eat in an affordable way. Just trust Quinnipiac because we are one community.”

Students brave the shave as Quinnipiac hosts its 10th annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser

Quinnipiac University’s Burt Kahn court was abuzz with anticipation, excitement and electric razors Monday night as students piled in to watch their friends lose their locks for Quinnipiac’s 10th annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser.

SPB invited students to shave their heads for a good cause as it hosted its 10th annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser.

“Apart from it being a really good cause and a really good organization, I like this look, so if I can do it and do it for a great cause? Yeah, I’m 100% here,” senior John Ferraro said.

St. Baldrick’s is a nonprofit organization that was founded on July 4, 1999, by three entrepreneurs as a way to pay it forward by providing research funding exclusively for childhood cancer.

The foundation’s inaugural event was hosted on St. Patrick’s Day 2000. In just one day $104,000 was raised by 19 shavees.

The past two decades have seen over 4,000 St. Baldrick’s events take place worldwide and nearly 200,000 individuals have “rocked the bald” in solidarity with children fighting cancer. Since its founding, St. Baldrick’s has raised over $258 million, funding extensive research and even breakthroughs. According to the foundation’s website, 2015 research supported by St. Baldrick’s led to the creation of an FDA approved a drug that drastically increased the cure rate for children suffering from high-risk neuroblastoma.

2018-2019 St. Baldrick’s Battle of the Bald Participants

Over 100 campuses across the country are also hosting a St. Baldrick’s event in the 2018-2019 school year. According to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, together they have raised $783,746.

Since 2009 when Quinnipiac’s Student Programming Board (SPB) first teamed up with St. Baldrick’s, it’s held a fundraiser and hosted a head-shaving event as an opportunity for students to get involved and give back.

Three shavees lose their locks at Monday night’s event.

“All students are welcome…we have seats set up so we can watch students get their heads shaved as a little spectacle, but it’s really just an easygoing event,” said Emma Shipton, a member of SPB and chairperson for the event.

Shipton had never taken part in a St. Baldrick’s event before and was relatively unfamiliar with the foundation prior to taking on the role of event chair.

Emma Shipton shortly after she participated in the head-shaving event.

“This is actually my first year hosting it, and it’s also the first time I’ve ever been able to attend, but SPB has been involved all 10 years,” Shipton said. “It’s really exciting to be part of an event that’s become part of Quinnipiac’s tradition.”

Although the head-shaving showcase is the hallmark of the St. Baldrick’s foundation, SPB seeks to remind students that they don’t have to go bald to be involved. From joining a fundraising team to making an individual donation, there are many ways to participate.

A few students took it upon themselves to go above and beyond. In addition to shaving his head, Luke Ahearn was also this year’s top fundraiser.

“I would post on my Facebook page and Instagram to let people know what’s happening and to ask them to donate to St. Baldrick’s foundation,” Ahearn said. “I also would go around and just use word of mouth, ‘Hey, St. Baldrick’s is coming up, please donate or sign up.’”

His hard work paid off as Ahearn was able to single-handedly raise $575 in donations for the organization.

“I thankfully have never felt any direct connection to childhood cancer, but I’ve had friends who’ve been close to people who’ve had to deal with childhood cancer,” Ahearn said. “[St. Baldrick’s] really made me understand that I can do something to help out those kids, and that’s why I got involved.”

Ahearn has been raising money and shaving his head for the St. Baldrick’s foundation since his freshman year. Now a junior, he decided to take on a brand new role by asking SPB if he could assist in the execution of the event.

“I’m glad this year I’ve gotten to play a larger role by putting on the event as well as shaving my head and raising money,” Ahearn said. “SPB does a ton of work to make sure this event runs smoothly, so a ton of credit goes to them.”

Of this year’s dozens of contributors, who collectively raised over $3,000, eight were fundraising teams.

Members of Quinnipiac’s theater group, brothers of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity and residents of Quinnipiac’s York Hill campus, among others, worked collaboratively to fundraise for the event.

New Blue Rugby was the most successful fundraising team, collecting nearly $800 in donations. On the team since his freshman year, Ahearn said that the St. Baldrick’s fundraiser is something he and his teammates look forward to each year.

“Every year [New Blue Rugby] has had pretty good participation,” Ahearn said. “Usually it’s something that everybody who’s new to our team does. They all do it together and it’s a good bonding opportunity for a lot of the guys, both going through the head shaving together and getting to give back to a really good cause.”

Ahearn and his teammates appeared to have no qualms about shaving their heads. Others, like Emma Shipton, were a bit more troubled about trading in their tresses.

“My director is shaving his head and he’s pretty much convinced me that I should be shaving my head too,” said Shipton. “I think I will.”

And she did. Months of effort and fundraising on the part of SPB and dozens of students culminated in Shipton, Ahearn and several others shaving their heads to thunderous applause, proving that bald is, in fact, beautiful.

Safe sex pilot program begins in Commons

Condom dispensers installed in freshmen residence hall

By Kirby Paulson

Condoms.

Now that I have your attention, an accessible safe sex pilot program is underway in Commons.

Quinnipiac’s Student Government Association (SGA) installed new condom dispensers which are now located in the laundry room of the freshman residence hall.

In an email to students, SGA said that if successful, the dispensers may be distributed to other residential halls.

“If the trial run goes well and students treat it with respect, we hope to implement this in other residence halls across campus,” it stated.

Junior Class Senator Julia Schade said that freshmen residence halls could possibly be the first to see the further installation.

“I think the plan is to expand gradually, so maybe implement in other freshmen (residence halls) first and gradually add to the others after that,” she said.

An example of the new condom dispensers that have been installed in Commons.

Christy Chase, Quinnipiac’s director of student health services, stated that a national uptick in sexually transmitted infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhea are one reason for this sexual wellness initiative.

“It has been an increase in gonorrhea, chlamydia, more so chlamydia I would say,” Chase said. “Syphilis has also started to rear its ugly head again and you know, we’re not really sure what the reasoning is behind that.”

Schade and Junior Class President Anna Nardelli assisted in completing this initiative after former representative Hope Estrella got the ball rolling. The two worked with departments on campus including student health services, facilities and residential life to get them installed.

“I think it’s huge,” Schade said in regards to the program getting the green light. “I think it just shows how much power the students have and how much we can make changes happen that’s going to benefit the students.”

Schade said Commons was chosen because of its population.

“I think it was just because they have both guys and girls on the same floor,” she said. “It just kind of made it easy. There’s a large population of freshmen students in there.”

Gonorrhea Statistics – Connecticut

Information from the CDC regarding gonorrhea and age ranges in the state of Connecticut.

Graphic by Emma Robertson

Chlamydia Statistics – Connecticut

Information from the CDC regarding chlamydia and age ranges in the state of Connecticut.

Graphic by Emma Robertson

The discussion for the location started with the idea of putting condoms in the bathrooms of Commons. However, there were concerns of the possibility of vandalism which ultimately led to the final location.

“So, originally we were talking about putting them in the bathrooms, one girl bathroom, one guy bathroom in Commons,” she said. “But then with the vandalism we decided to put them in the laundry rooms.”

Mark DeVilbiss, Quinnipiac’s director of residential life, had reservations about the vandalism when discussing the program.

“My worry was that people would not be respectful of the dispensers or the effort,” DeVilbiss said. “I’ve seen the dispensers, they’re plastic, they can be broken very easily and so that was my whole concern was just the whole student behavior piece.”

However, DeVilbiss stated that he hopes the students will not only use the dispensers, but also educate themselves as well.

“Well I hope that students utilize the resource and I hope they learn something about sexual health along the way,” he said. “Students already have access to the free condoms through the student health services but if this makes it just a little bit easier, that’s great.”

One hope is that due to the easy accessibility of the condoms, Quinnipiac students may be more motivated to practice safer sex. Chase believes in this, but thinks it needs to be in conjunction with education and some programming.

“But then to know, OK, I’m in the moment or whatever I can run down to within the dorm, you know, for those people that it’s accessible,” Chase said. “So I do think I would foresee it being helpful.”

Emma Hunt, a freshman and resident of Commons, echoed the importance of this accessibility.

“I think the dispensers are a good idea,” Hunt said. “Condoms are expensive and having dispensers in the dorm is more convenient than having to walk to the health center which could be closed when you get there.”

She also said that the accessibility of the dispensers could lead to safer practices on campus.

“Because the condoms are free and in a convenient place I think people will feel more comfortable getting condoms so they’ll be used more often which in turn mitigates the spread of (sexually transmitted diseases) around school,” she said.

This is a fact sheet that the Student Government Association has attached to the dispensers.

Austin Calvo, SGA’s vice president for student experience and a former Commons resident, also highlighted the accessibility of the condoms.

“I think it’s just the concept that if people want to have sex, they’re going to have sex and this gives them more of an open, private way to get condoms if they can’t afford to get them, can’t make it to Walgreens to get them, can’t go to the health center when it’s open,” Calvo said.

Kevin Parker, Quinnipiac’s prevention and wellness educator, said it was important to understand the stigma around getting tested for sexually transmitted infections. This includes the asking of the question “when was the last time you got tested?”

“That might not be a question that people right now feel comfortable asking each other,” Parker said.

The program will run until May 3 and if successful, will be implemented in other residential areas around campus.

“If (the program) goes well in Commons and I really hope that it does, I don’t see any reason why it couldn’t be like an across campus thing when we come back in the fall,” Calvo said. “Having access to condoms is never a bad thing, you know?”