Jay Kaye: Portrait of a local politician


Jay Kaye, who ran as a Republican candidate against Mayor Curt Leng, standing in front of Common Grounds, Hamden. Photo by Bryan Proctor.

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.”

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“ 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. 

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“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.

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.”

Quinnipiac hosts an open discussion regarding inclusivity on campus

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.

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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 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.

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.

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.

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. 

What does it mean to be an influencer in 2019?

By Olivia Schueller

Caitlin Houston is a 34-year-old Connecticut micro-influencer running the lifestyle and family blog Caitlin Houston Blog, posting about things like mom life, gift guides and clothing.

“There’s a lot of people who don’t understand what a blogger is and what a blogger does,” Houston said.

Houston works 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. like many people her age, but she said a lot of people don’t think blogging is a “real job.”

“They don’t understand it,” Houston said. “The second I say I’m a blogger or influencer, somebody thinks I’m just out there talking about something I was paid to talk about.”

Houston explains influencing as, “Giving people knowledge about an item or a brand or topic and hoping that they take your opinion as worth more than just an opinion.”

She uses many social media platforms to promote her blogs and communicate with her audience.

Houston uses Instagram to spread knowledge about a product or brand. She also uses it to share pictures of her family and form relationships with people.

“So when I do talk about something, they take my word honestly and they believe what I’m saying is organic,” Houston said.

Facebook is Houston’s most active platform.

“I have a large audience on Facebook that doesn’t use Instagram,” Houston said.

For every blog post Houston writes, she also creates a graphic with text and posts it to Pinterest with key words.

“I do it with the hopes that they will click that pin which will ultimately take them to my blog and keep them there for a while,” Houston said.

Houston’s goals aren’t just numbers on social media. One goal was to create a presence in her community.

She loves it when people reach out to her, like one woman who wrote, “I love your blog” and “you helped me through this part of motherhood.”

Houston talking on a panel about influencing along with other Connecticut influencers
Houston talking on a panel about influencing along with other Connecticut influencers.

Through blogging, Houston’s connected with people outside her community.

“I have friends probably all over the country,” Houston said. “People that I talk about daily, talk to daily.”

Houston and her friends run lifestyle blogs, but influencers don’t all have to focus on the same subject.

Some influencers focus on very specific niche-interests.

Marissa Mullen is 26-year-old living in Brooklyn, New York. The Connecticut native left her job as a house band coordinator for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to pursue her passion…for cheese.

“I am a “Cheese Plate Influencer” as they say online,” Mullen said.

As a micro influencer, Mullen is a one-person band. She creates content for three separate Instagram accounts.

@ThatCheesePlate shares her full cheese plate creations. @CheeseByNumbers show’s swipe by swipe directions on how to create each cheese plate and @ThatCheeseClass shows boards created at her workshops.

But Mullen doesn’t just run an Instagram accounts, she runs a business.

“Some days I’m busy working with clients to create content, which means crafting and photographing four cheese plates in a day,” Mullen said.

As the only employee to her company, she spends days answering emails, handling invoices and booking events. Her most recent project is her upcoming cookbook, “That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life.”

But it’s not just family blogs or things like cheese.

Video gamers can also have a career in influencing. They share their content when they post videos to either their social media or YouTube channel. Videos game influencers are unique because they take you through an experience.

“Facebook, Twitter, they don’t allow for the sharing of the experience itself,” David A. Tomczyk, professor of Professor of Entrepreneurship & Strategy at Quinnipiac University, said.

The video itself is a solo experience and the social interaction happens before and after.

Houston and Mullen are a part of a large group of micro and macro-influencers, world-wide.

“Influencers are considered to be thought leaders,” Professor Mary Dunn of Quinnipiac University’s school of communications, said.

Dunn teaches a class called “Strategies of Social Media,” and her research includes influencers. Dunn said that people don’t realize how much production goes into being an influencer.

“It’s beyond a job, it’s a whole industry,” Dunn said.

This “industry” is made up of macro and micro-influencers. Macro influencers often have over a million followers. Micro influencers have a couple thousand followers.

John Powers, who teaches a course called “Social Media in the Digital Age” at Quinnipiac University said, “It’s a natural way to do what you love to do.”

Before social media influencers starting popping up, brands used well-known celebrities to endorse their products or brands. Today, it is more common for a macro influencer to partner with brands.

“LeBron James wore them, so I have to get them, has turned,” Powers said.

MuseFind is a influencer marketing platform. Its data shows that 92 percent of consumers trust an influencer more than an advertisement or traditional celebrity endorsement.

Powers said, he sees that average people with a large following were more trusted by the public then celebrities.

In the late 2000s, American model and reality television star Kendall Jenner endorsed Proactive, a skin care brand. In 2017, she endorsed Pepsi. This shows how she went from a small product to a worldwide brand.

From the outside looking in, this can still look like a glamorous career, but it’s much more complex on the production side than anyone realizes.

Micro-influencers may work independently, while macro-influencers work with their team to produce content.

“Many of what we call macro-influencers, who have over a million followers, but aren’t considered cultural celebrities, those accounts that are posting so regularly often have teams behind them,” Dunn said.

These teams are forming a number of careers for people.

“There are actually supportive creative careers within the industry of influencing,” Dunn said.

Amanda Perelli is an editorial fellow at Business Insider covering YouTubers and influencers. She said both smaller and larger businesses are only growing in popularity.

“I think people think right now that the industry is very saturated, but I would say it’s only going to get bigger,” Perelli says.

In 2019, spending on influencer marketing will…

Parelli said a lot of brands still don’t practice influencer marketing. She thinks that once more brands use this type of marketing they’ll see the success of influencer marketing versus celebrity endorsements or television advertisements.

Powers said the success of “great content” comes from being active on multiple platforms.

The research firm, eMarketer, found that on average, people will spend 3 hours and 43 minutes each day on their smartphones, feature phones and tablets this year. That’s 8 more minutes than they’ll spend watching TV.

“Huge percentages of people are spending vast majority of their time on those social networks, that is where information is being shared,” Powers said. “It’s where messages are shared, it’s where brands and people are expressing themselves.”

Social media also gives influencers the ability to network with others in their niche.

“Instagrammers also do a lot of cross promotion with others of similar interest,” Dunn said.

Cross promotion allows influencers to work with other influencers. This can lead to an increase in followers and the opportunity to partner with more brands.

For example, MAC cosmetics isn’t going to come out with a line of hardware tools. So if you’re a beauty blogger endorsing brands, you’re not going to endorse your “favorite” hardware tools.

“If it feels random, the audience is going to think you’re just in it for the money,” said Dunn.

The audience just wants partnerships to make sense.

“Audiences don’t care that they’re doing partnerships,” Dunn said. We’re seeing that consumers are actually excited for these micro influencers, that they’re getting to make some money.”

However, the audience wants to see disclosures when working with a brand.

“You would think it would put off a bunch of people, but instead if you’re upfront about it then the consumers are like OK, I still value your opinion,” said Dunn.

The brand, influencer and audience ideas have to mesh, but the influencers has to practice transparency in order to be successful.

“That full disclosure is a better business practice for the audience who’s the vulnerable population, the influencer who has to manage this relationship and the brand who’s using all this tactically to support the brand,” Dunn said.

A big change has come to some Instagram accounts.

The social network is testing a feature that will no longer show someone’s “likes.” Account holders can see their likes, but their followers won’t know the amount of likes on a picture or video.

In an article on Instagram hiding ‘likes’, Perelli writes, “By promoting products to followers, Instagram has become a huge source of revenue for many social-media influencers and a major part of their online businesses.”

Instagram likes are often used as measurement for brands.

Adam Wescott, a partner at Drm Select Management Group, told Business Insider that, “”For creators, it’s a big change because likes are the number one tool for tracking post engagement. They know within minutes how their content will do based on number of likes.”

Talking to Lifestyle blogger, Caitlin Houston
Talking to Lifestyle blogger, Caitlin Houston

Houston, the creator of Caitlin Houston Blog, isn’t worried about Instagram’s trial feature.

“Truthfully I feel a sense of relief that they are going to be doing this because I put too much pressure on myself when a picture doesn’t get as many likes as I think it should,” she said.

Houston thinks brands will be able to look at quality and “impressions” instead of quantity. The lifestyle blogger focuses more on her comments than her likes.

“Comments are huge to me and I think more important than likes because people are stopping to engage with the photo,” she said.

Influencers will still be able to make an income from their social media accounts.

“For a lot of people it’s a career because they’re able to make money in so many different ways,” Perelli said.

Wescott told Business Insider that he believes brands will find alternative ways to measure engagement through looking at things like comments, shares, and Instagram stories.

An increase in influencer marketing will also create job growth.

“When mainstream brands and bigger brands start putting money into that, I think it could really become a career for even more people than it already is,” Perelli said.

Fourth measles case reported in Connecticut, this time in Fairfield County

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.


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“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.)

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.”

The Time to Quit Vaping Is Now

By Dante Turo

Quinnipiac senior Dylan Lewis started to vape during his senior year of high school because he wanted to join in on what his friends were doing. Without knowing the consequences, he continued to vape because he enjoyed the act of smoking itself.

After sharing vaping devices with his friends for some time, Lewis would eventually go on to buy his own vape. He purchased a Juul, which is one of the most popular e-cigarettes on the market. It’s known for its various flavors and high nicotine percentages. 

Lewis became addicted to the nicotine.

“When I first started, I did it just because I weirdly liked the act of smoking in general and would join in with my friends when they were smoking,” Lewis said. “The past year or so, however, is essentially just because I’ve become addicted to nicotine.” 

Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical that can increase a person’s heart rate and blood pressure. It can also increase the flow of blood to the heart and can lead to the hardening of the arterial walls. In some e-cigarettes, you can buy pods that have a higher nicotine percentage than most e-cigarettes.


Photo by Vaping360 ( https://vaping360.com/best-vape-starter-kits/pod-mini-vapes/ )

Photo by Vaping360 (https://vaping360.com/best-vape-starter-kits/pod-mini-vapes/)

Lewis didn’t know of the long-term effects of smoking e-cigarettes when he started to vape, but now there are reports of people suffering from mysterious lung illnesses that have been linked to vaping. 

There have been over 1,400 lung illnesses that have been reported from 49 states and one U.S. territory. So far, there have been 33 confirmed deaths from this illness.  

The most concerning part about these reports are how it’s affecting the younger generation, including college students. There are students at Quinnipiac who admit to vaping even with all the news coming out about these illnesses and deaths. Over 65 students were surveyed, and thirty say that they still continue to vape.

Some college students started to vape because of its easy accessibility and seeing others doing it in a social setting. Emily Taft, a health science major at Quinnipiac, has admitted to vaping in the past before she knew the long-term effects it can have on your health.

“I started doing so in the first place due to vaping becoming very popular in a social setting, so I believe that the social influence surrounding vaping is why I had decided to try it,” she said. “I do think that vaping is addicting. The behavior or constantly holding a vape in your hand, or having it in your mouth, makes the behavior easy access and creates addictive tendencies.”

Out of the 66 students that were asked if they believe vaping is addicting, a staggering 61 students said that vaping is addicting.


Graph by Dante Turo

Graph by Dante Turo

A new survey for Health Capsule showed an alarming increase in adolescents who have tried vaping in 2018. More than 44,000 students took part in the survey, which found that about 37 percent of 12th graders reported vaping in 2018, which is a 9 percent increase from 2017. They saw an increase in substances that were being vaped, which included nicotine, marijuana, and flavored liquids. 

Monitoring the Future held a nationwide survey on drug use for college students. The results found that 11 percent of college students had vaped marijuana within a month of taking the survey. They also found that more than 15 percent of college students vaped nicotine within a month of taking the survey.  

With all the deaths and illnesses that have been reported thus far, why do people, and students in general, continue to vape? The numbers keep rising, with a new death being reported not too long after the one before. 

Christy Chase, director of Student Health Services at Quinnipiac, says the epidemic is awful, and students need to be more aware of what they’re putting in their lungs.  

“I think young people have been misled and thought that it was a safe thing,” Chase said. “I think we’re starting to see that that was not true, and I think there’s a lot more that’s going to be uncovered.”  

As a nurse practitioner, Chase would ask students if they smoked or were active smokers. They would say no, but when asking if they vape, she gets a different response because students don’t link the two together. She’s worried about the long-term effects this will have on students.  

“Those (15 deaths) are even immediate,” she said. “I’m thinking long-term.”  

Kevin Parker, prevention and wellness educator at Quinnipiac, agrees this is a problem in the long run. 

“I think the sneaky specter of all of this is the long thing down the road when students who are 18 now are 35, what’re we going to see?” Parker said. “We don’t know, and I don’t think anybody knows.”  

The chemicals in these vapes, more specifically the Juul, is what’s most concerning to Chase. 

“Who knows what these chemicals are going to do. Are they just going to change the surface in the lung? Are they going to change the exchange of gasses?” she said. “Nicotine is so bad for your body. That alone, it narrows the cardiovascular pathways, so it affects the heart, the lung, and the brain.”  

Besides nicotine, e-cigarettes contain harmful ingredients that can be harmful to a person’s lungs. These ingredients include ultrafine particles, diacetyl, volatile organic compounds and heavy metals. The New York State Department of Health found high levels of vitamin E acetate in almost all of the vaping products that contained cannabis. A pesticide that can transform into hydrogen cyanide when burned was linked to bootleg marijuana vapes, as well. 

These ingredients and chemicals may play a role in why people are coming down with these vaping-related illnesses.


Photo by Flickr

Photo by Flickr

Reese Mentiply, a junior at Quinnipiac, still vapes from time to time, but not as often as he used to. He says he stopped vaping as often because of how it made him feel. 

“Mostly I stopped because it made me feel awful,” he said. 

Even though vaping made Mentiply feel “awful,” he believes that vaping is better than smoking cigarettes. He started vaping in the first place to cut back on smoking other products. 

“I started vaping at first to cut down on smoking,” he said. “I vaped for nicotine.” 

Parker added how bad nicotine is for your body. People try to justify nicotine and what it does and play it off as something that isn’t as bad as it truly is.  

“One of the interesting things I’ve seen people make a counter-argument for is ‘nicotine isn’t actually all that bad.’ Actually, there’s significant research as well on what nicotine alone does in your body,” he said. “I think people just don’t see that research pushed out all that often because the public don’t want to think of it.”  

The state of Connecticut is taking note of the younger generation getting their hands on these products. The state raised the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21, which became effective on October 1. The state is also enforcing restrictions on where people can smoke or vape. The use of a vaping device will be prohibited in any state or school buildings, food and liquor stores, restaurants, college dorms and race tracks. 

Senator Richard Blumenthal is calling for the FDA to stop the sale of vapes that are disguised as smartwatches, sweatshirts, backpacks and phone cases.

Sean Patten, a senior at Quinnipiac, says he tends to vape, especially when there’s alcohol in his system, and finds the reports “scary.”  

“I have no reason why. When I am drinking alcohol, my body seems to always want it. That is the only time,” Patten said. “The reports scare me, but I feel as if I am far too gone.”  

Patten said he began vaping in the first place because of the various flavors these vapes have to offer. Because of how addictive it is, he has a hard time turning down the need to vape when he goes out.  

“I started vaping because it tasted good and made me feel good. There are so many flavors, and the taste is all different,” he said. “I have cut down a lot from my previous years, but it is addicting. There are so many pressures. They are all around on a night out, so it’s hard not to.”  

Both Chase and Parker believe flavorings and peer pressure plays a huge part in why adolescents began to vape. 

Parker worked at a high school before working at colleges and said that social media and influence from older siblings played a role in why students started to get hooked on these devices.  

“It was all around the social media piece. It was ‘well I saw people doing this that I know from home, or that I know who aren’t even in my school.’ So, it trickled in through that way,” he said. 

“When they did research around that, 80 percent of students who were in high school or younger were getting it from an older source.”  

Joseph Guido, a senior business major at Quinnipiac, admitted to vaping in the past because of peer pressure and wanting to be cool. He can count on both of his hands how many times he’s vaped in his life, so the reports don’t really scare him. 

“Since I have hardly vaped in my life, these reports don’t scare me, but they make me worry about my friends,” Guido said. “I still have friends that vape heavily. I worry about them more than myself.” 

The idea of vaping was to give people an alternative to smoking cigarettes. Out of 65 students questioned in an in-house survey, 40 believe vaping is better than smoking cigarettes. 

Even if vaping may be deemed safer in their eyes, it can lead to bad habits, like smoking cigarettes in the future. At a recent conference, Parker learned that students who started smoking e-cigarettes were more likely to begin smoking combustible cigarettes later on.


Graph by Dante Turo

Graph by Dante Turo

“We would not be recommending e-cigarettes as a smoking sensation tool based on that research,” he said. “If it’s your primary thing, it’s something you start with; it’s definitely likely that you’re going to be going to combustible cigarettes.”  

Quinnipiac has been finding ways to urge students to quit vaping. 

The Health and Wellness department held an event where students could throw away their vaping devices in return for school gear. Parker said they collected around 40 different vaping devices.  

“For us, that event’s intent was to hit the population who are ready to quit. We know that people hear the media and hear the messages around ‘Juul is bad,’ and some of them don’t believe it, and some of them do,” he said. 

“That event’s intent was not to convince people one way or the other around what was going on of risks but was to be an option for people who were ready to quit.”  

The department is looking to offer more events like this in the future, especially with more news and reports coming out as time goes on. Parker said he had around 10 students who told him that they vaped within the past hour and many more who said they’ve tried to quit before but couldn’t. He’s hoping future events will allow more students to hand in their devices and quit vaping. 

Some students have tried to quit vaping but are having a hard time doing so.

More than 65 college students were asked multiple questions about their vaping habits. One question that was asked was if they had tried to quit vaping, if they even do vape. Thirty-five students say they have successfully or at least tried to stop, but some have not been able to fully quit. One student said he has tried to quit six to seven times but has been unsuccessful in doing so. 

Smoking is one of the hardest addictions to kick, and college students are now starting to learn that.


Graph by Dante Turo

Graph by Dante Turo

Chase and Parker strongly urged students to stop vaping now. When asked if they could give a message to students who do vape, their message is simple: stop now. 

“Don’t be tricked by the fancy devices,” Parker said. “Don’t get tricked, but if you’re addicted, get help for it.”

(Juul Photo by Vaping360 (https://vaping360.com/best-vape-starter-kits/pod-mini-vapes/)

Quinnipiac’s melting pot

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 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 team has 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. 

How they recruit these players is an overt strategy with Quinnipiac head coach Eric Da Costa at the helm. 

“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.



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“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.

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.

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.”

Protests continue over Hamden police officer


Protesters standing in front of Mayor Curt Leng’s house, Smith Dr., Hamden. Photo by Bryan Proctor.

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!”

On April 16, Hamden Police Officer, Devin Eaton, stopped a car while investigating an attempted armed robbery in Hamden. When the driver, Paul Witherspoon, was pulled over in New Haven, he stepped out of his car. Eaton fired his gun at the car 13 times, and a Yale Officer fired at the car 3 more times.

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.

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.

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.

At 4:32 a.m., when Witherspoon stepped out of his car without being ordered to, Eaton fired 13 shots, and Pollack fired three more. 

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.

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.

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“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.

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.

Rhonda Caldwell, organizer, speaking at the protest in front of Leng’s property. Photo by Bryan Proctor.

Chartwells Apologizes For Serving Student Undercooked Chicken

By: Dan Bahl

Quinnipiac Dining parent company, Chartwells, is in hot water.

The reason? Serving something not hot enough.

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the Instagram account “Quinnipiac Barstool” posted a now-infamous photo of a sandwich, with undercooked chicken peering out from under the bread and lettuce.

Quinnipiac Dining responded hours later, sending an open letter to the Quinnipiac community in response to the chicken, which had been served on Monday, Nov. 4.

As shown in the letter, the dining service explains how their supplier had changed the “product” that Chartwells would be serving, without notifying the cooks or managers of any changes in preparation that would need to be made. 

The incident opened up a different conversation around campus, however, as some students are asking for improvements to food quality across the board.


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“We pay a lot of money to go to this school,” a Quinnipiac student said in response to the incident. “I don’t understand why they can’t give us decent food.”

“I wanted to have a chicken Caesar sandwich today, but I wasn’t able to do that because it tasted disgusting, and was freezing cold,” another student said of their experience later that week. “That can’t happen.”

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New year, same old shit food @qudining

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On Chartwells company website, they say that their promise is to “To extend our passion, dedication, knowledge and enthusiasm into serving each student delicious and nutritious meals.” They go on to say that they aim “to nourish the bodies, minds and spirits of our students and pave the way for a lifetime of success and well-being.”