HQ Press – Page 27

Hamden native wins Oscar at Academy Awards

Two people with ties to Connecticut have won an Oscar at the 91st Academy Awards.

Hamden native Anthony Rossomando took home an Oscar for Best Original Song for “Shallow.” He co-wrote the song with Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt.

Receiving this Oscar was the third award the four of them have won from the popular song from “A Star is Born.”

Rossomando was raised in Hamden and is the son of Quinnipiac University music professor, Fred Rossomando.

“I also had Anthony Rossomando’s as a professor and he was a really cool guys,” Sean Raggio, a junior at Quinnipiac University said. When talking about “Shallow” Raggio said, “I think the beauty’s in how it’s simplicity. Not saying it’s simply written. Just how you can take a simple strong structure and make something so intricate.”

This win shows students that even growing up in a small town can lead to success.

“It’s very, I should say securing, because I’m not from a big town either. I’m from a very small town in New Jersey and I go to school in Hamden which is a small town as well,” Taylor Sniffen, a film and journalism double major at Quinnipiac University, said. “You don’t have to be in LA or be in New York City to be big.”

Another Oscar winner, who happens to be a Quinnipiac University alum, is David Rabinowitz. He won Best Adapted Screenplay for Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman.”

These Oscar wins come from people who started out in similar positions as Quinnipiac University students, which sends some inspiration to the bobcat nation.

“If you want to go do something make it happen, if you have an idea pursue it,” Raggio said. “I’m sure they both had many ideas that were shot down and they got one that worked.”

Quinnipiac will spend estimated $135,000 to replace faulty soccer and lacrosse field

By Ross Lager

Quinnipiac lacrosse and soccer teams haven’t always enjoyed a home-field advantage over the last year — in fact, they haven’t always had a home field to play on at all.

When the university built the $28 million lacrosse and soccer stadium two years ago, it chose to use a crumbly cork material to cushion the field and help the field’s artificial grass to stand up.

According to the Vice President of Facilities and Capital Planning, Sal Filardi, the university chose cork because it thought the material would have less impact on the wetlands bordering the field than the crumb rubber alternative. What it didn’t count on was that the cork would freeze in the wet winter weather, rise above the grass and create a slippery, unplayable surface.

“When the field freezes, the teams are not able to practice,” Filardi said. “Last year they missed roughly two dozen days of practice. Several games have also had to be rescheduled or moved to a different site.”

Quinnipiac Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium turf

The setbacks didn’t affect the soccer teams during their season (which took place in the fall). In October, the men’s soccer team hosted the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) finals on their home field. The issues with the turf are affecting the teams in the spring.

Now, the university wants to replace the cork material with synthetic rubber at a cost of $135,000, Filardi said.

“The cork infill gets wet and freezes,” he said. “The rubber doesn’t absorb water and the black color absorbs the heat of the sun even on below freezing days.”

The work must be approved by Hamden’s Inland Wetlands Commission, which is concerned about the impact of the potentially toxic runoff from the rubber on the wetlands to the south of the facility.

Filardi acknowledged the negative impact the field has had on Quinnipiac’s teams.

“Coaches have clearly expressed their dissatisfaction with the frozen field,” he said.

Sophomore soccer defenseman Simon Hillinger agreed.

He said when the team came to school in January, they practiced for two weeks inside because they couldn’t practice on the turf — it was too icy and slippery.

“I still think it affects us a lot,” Hillinger said. “Now in spring season, you can work on the details but when you practice inside, it is smaller and all we can do is play five on five, we can’t do any tactics.”

The wetlands commission has voted that it will approve the change, but only under three conditions.

First, Quinnipiac must pre-wash the rubber in a way that meets the approval of the commission.

Second, the university must provide an annual inspection report about the level of synthetic rubber particles in the wetlands and to ensure proper drainage from the stadium.

Finally, the university must change its snow plowing procedure so that snow is pushed to the northern side of the field, opposite the wetlands to the south.

Filardi said the biggest condition is that the infill needs to washed before it gets installed.

“The thinking is that washing removes some of the chemicals that may leach out over time,” he said.

In any case, Filardi said he did not think the work could be done until spring at the earliest.

“We are still identifying the process to wash the infill and determining next steps,” he said. “I don’t believe we will address the field until after the current athletic seasons are over in April.”

School of Communications Dean Mark Contreras leaves QU

By Hannah Feakes

Outgoing School of Communications Dean Mark Contreras says he “had no intentions of leaving” the job after only 18 months, but the position offered at Connecticut Public Broadcasting was just too tempting to resist.

“The opportunity to lead Connecticut Public is to me one of the great opportunities in media today,” he said. “It’s both NPR and PBS and there is a lot of opportunity with digital. I am replacing someone who has been there for thirty some years,” he said.

Connecticut Public is a media company creating diverse Internet, TV, radio and print content for the state’s local communities, according to their website.

Contreras is leaving campus only a year and a half after being dean. He says that this is the shortest amount of time he has ever spent at a job.

Terry Bloom will take over as interim Dean for the School of Communications (SoC) at Quinnipiac University in March.

Although journalism professor Richard Hanley has a close professional relationship with Contreras, he says that it would not be productive for the school if a person who is unhappy in a leadership position stuck around just to adhere to the academic calendar.

“There’s a saying that states: once a person decides to leave a leadership position, that person should leave because the focus on the job will be lost even if appearances are maintained,” Hanley said.

Hanley said that when Contreras accepted the dean position he announced that he wanted to raise money for the School of Communications and assemble an advisory board of executives from the communications industry.

According to Hanley, Contreras achieved those goals.

Contreras was able to get the Hearst Foundations to donate half a million dollars for scholarships, to help promote diversity within the school and connect the university to notable executives from top media companies.

This Hearst Foundation scholarship grant will help the School of Communications attract and recruit students who otherwise could not afford to enroll.

“That alone will make for a truer reflection of the national community and serve as a catalyst for continuing efforts to make sure Quinnipiac’s stated goal to diversify its student body is not an empty gesture,” Hanley said. “That will have a lasting effect on students and faculty.”

Contreras and Hanley agree that Contreras’ most important accomplishments include the advisory board and the $500,000 scholarship granted to SoC by the Hearst Foundations.

The advisory board was created to help students and faculty connect with leaders in industry on closer level.

Hanley emphasized that the SoC will continue to grow during the process of hiring a new dean.

“We are fortunate to have a strong administrative team and exceptional faculty department chairs in place to shoulder the additional leadership burdens as the search for a new dean gets underway,” Hanley said.

Communications student Stephanie Ambrosio, a member of the 3+1 program, wishes that Contreras would have made himself more visible to all SoC students.

In her opinion, students would have valued more opportunities to meet with Contreras and get to know him and his connections.

“I hope that the new dean will make it a point to formally introduce his/herself to the students and be a greater presence in their time at QU,” Ambrosio said.

Contreras said that the timing of these things are never convenient and that he has always had a love for public media.

“I wouldn’t say I am running away from anything at Quinnipiac, it’s just that this opportunity to lead Connecticut Public is so compelling,” he said.

As a previous board member for Cincinnati public radio, he says he has gotten to know many people in the public radio world, which he says could benefit Quinnipiac students in the long run.

“I don’t want to say goodbye because I think there are lots and lots of ways that both QU, particularly the School of Communications and Connecticut Public, can continue to work together far more closely than we have in the past,” Contreras said.

Contreras already has plans to bring Connecticut Public and Quinnipiac together. He says spoke of putting together a strategic plan and will deliver that plan to the board of Connecticut Public in November.

Hanley said that Contreras had no experience in higher education leadership roles upon his arrival at Quinnipiac.

Hanley and Contreras had many discussions on both the practical and philosophical levels as to how to approach issues with transparency and a sense of inclusion among faculty, staff and students, according to Hanley.

“It wasn’t an easy transition from corporate executive to academic dean by any stretch,” Hanley said. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Hanley plans to stay in touch with Contreras in order to explore the possibilities of a collaboration between Connecticut Public Broadcasting and Quinnipiac. Hanley believes that such a collaboration would help SoC students achieve their goals.

Contreras said his favorite part of working at Quinnipiac was engaging with students. He expressed how moved he was by the dedication of faculty to their students.

“I am still struck by how most of the faculty have had some experience in their lives in the world of media and I’d say the vast majority of them could be out doing that today,” he said. “The fact that they are dedicating their lives to helping develop the minds of the next generation in media speaks to their character and to me, that is very inspiring.”

High school seniors gear up for life at Quinnipiac

By Emma Spagnuolo

As National College Decision day quickly approaches, high school seniors are scrambling to make the big decision: where they are going to spend their next four years.

Last week, Quinnipiac University hosted many admissions events, including the Communications Preview Day, to give prospective students a taste of what life is like here.

One prospective student, Dylan Wojdyla, from Byram, New Jersey, was most excited to get a look at student life on campus.

“I was able to see people in classrooms and people casually hang out with other people in their major,” said Wojdyla, “It just looked like a good atmosphere.”

Many faculty members and students in the Quinnipiac School of Communications worked to put this day together, including Kirby Paulson, who is a student and the co-founder and coordinator of the School of Communications Peer Mentoring Program. He explained why the university holds value in these admissions events.

“What kids really want to hear from is students that have done it before,” said Paulson, “Parents want to hear that these students are having a positive experience.”

Emma Robertson and Dan Bahl showcase all that the Quinnipiac Bobcats Sports Network has to offer to future students.

Prospective students were given the opportunity to tour the School of Communications, the student media suite and WQAQ, the student-run radio station. They were also able to meet and talk with current student media leaders to get their questions answered about all that Quinnipiac has to offer.

Paulson expressed the importance of taking into consideration the entire student experience before high school seniors make their final decisions.

“The value of your degree is beyond what your GPA [is,]” said Paulson, “It’s the extracurriculars that you have, it’s the experiences and the skills that you’re able to gain and everything that you’re able to bring in as a whole. By getting to know some of these leaders, you can almost see your future a little bit.”

Although Wojdyla hasn’t made his official decision yet, he is still excited about the possibility of becoming a future Bobcat.

“I’ve always been excited to come to college, but seeing this college, I like the atmosphere and I’d be excited to come here.” said Wojdyla.

Hamden traffic light cameras not for ticketing drivers- state

By Jeremy Troetti

The operation is simple. A driver runs a red light and in an instant, a camera flash records the incident. The driver then receives a ticket in the mail.

Despite a Feb. 11 report by NBC Connecticut detailing mayor Curt Leng’s plan to have new traffic light cameras catch red light offenders on Whitney and Dixwell avenues, the use of cameras for that purpose is not permitted by Connecticut state law.

As of December 2018, 21 U.S. states, along with the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, have some form of red light camera detection systems, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

According to Connecticut Department of Transportation spokesman Kevin Nursick, the traffic cameras in Hamden are being used to monitor traffic flow.

“These are not enforcement cameras,” Nursick said. “They are not to scan people’s license plates or taking pictures or anything of that nature. They are detection cameras.”

Nursick explained that the cameras are being installed all across the state to replace loop detectors – aging in-ground traffic signal technology that is no longer able to operate adequately.

“We have been moving toward installing cameras in place of the loop detector systems across the state, and we’ve got a lot of work to do still, but we’re slowly making headway in terms of transitioning from loop detector systems to the camera systems,” he explained.

Although the cameras are not being utilized for detecting red light offenses at this time, 22-year-old Quinnipiac student, and Connecticut resident, David Gassel, does see potential in using the cameras for more than just managing traffic.

“If they used them to monitor potential accidents, and they catch a drunk driver running a red light, they could use that in the case against them,” Gassel said. “I think that could be a good use for (the cameras).”

As for why loop detector systems are being replaced statewide at this time, Nursick explained that a string of recent complaints has expedited the camera installations.

“The loop detectors are probably the single biggest failure issue that we have with traffic signals across the state of Connecticut,” Nursick said. “We’ll get complaints from people… they’ll call us up and say ‘Hey, I was out at this traffic light at 11 p.m. and there’s no traffic and it’s making me sit there for two minutes before it turns green’ or ‘Hey, in the middle of rush hour, we’re getting off the exit ramp and this light just isn’t turning for us.”

Nursick also raved about the new technology’s ability to offer real-time access to the Connecticut Department of Transportation – allowing the department to monitor potential traffic issues, something loop detectors cannot do.

“They are much less prone to failure and the technology is really improving on these things – you can access them remotely and make adjustments,” he said. “You can remotely monitor them to make sure they are functioning properly.”

Gassel feels that having the Department of Transportation monitor the cameras can have additional benefits beyond traffic management.

“If they’re using them like they say they are, it gives someone a job… someone has to check that camera. It puts money on someone’s table.”

While loop detectors are able to sense vehicle movement through an underground wiring system, the new traffic light cameras allow for easier digital detection of traffic flow due to 360 degree viewing capabilities.

“If you looked at one of the screens from these things, it basically sets up a customized grid for each location and it digitally sees vehicles at the intersection and it sends that information to what we call the control cabinet, which typically looks like a metal cabinet somewhere near that intersection,” Nursick explained.

In addition to regular traffic jams, Nursick explained that other factors, such as construction, could impact the capabilities of loop detectors.

“You still have the traffic signal there operating with the loop detector, even if you mill the thing out when you’re ready to pave, but you have to go to a pre-programmed, one-size-fits-all setting on the traffic signal – and that doesn’t work very well,” he said. “It is not dynamic, it is not live, it is not real-time, dynamic capability. So it causes problems. And that contributes to congestion.”

While the new camera systems have been installed at locations across the state, the cameras in Hamden are maintained by the town’s Department of Traffic.

The Hamden Department of Traffic has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the matter.

Hamden residents welcome plastic bag ban

By Michaela Mendygral

Shoppers leaving ShopRite on Dixwell Avenue in Hamden on one recent Saturday afternoon generally supported Hamden’s new single-use plastic bag ban, saying the reduction in litter and damage to the environment outweighed any inconvenience or expense the new law may impose.

“(Plastic bags) blow all over the place, people throw them around and it is a litter nuisance for sure,” Hamden resident, Jerry Gogliotto said.

In a meeting Tuesday evening, Feb. 19, Hamden’s town legislative council passed an ordinance with two abstentions, introduced in January and to be in effect come fall, banning single use plastic bags at checkout.

The new ordinance “will allow paper checkout bags, but only those that are 100 percent recyclable and are made from at least 40 percent recycled material,” according to the New Haven Independent.

Jerry Gigliotto and his wife Barbaraare just two of several shoppers to leave ShopRite with recyclable bags in hand.

The Gigliottos said that reusable bags have been easily acquired over the years. They are usually a dollar to purchase, but many are often given out for free.

The Gigliottos found out about the plastic bag ban from the news. However, not everyone using recyclable bags is even aware of the ordinance passed by Hamden.

New Haven resident Lydia Santiago uses recycled bags because it makes sense.

“I keep them in the car in a bag and I take the whole thing into the store,” Santiago said.

Santiago was unaware of the new ordinance Hamden recently passed, but welcomes it openly.

“[The plastic bag ban] is so cool,” Santiago said. “I went to Washington [D.C] a few years ago and they have no plastic bags. In Washington D.C. they would ask you if you would want a plastic bag and you would have to pay for it.”

Several shoppers expressed concern over the lightweight plastic bags.

North Haven resident Ellen Perrotti saidd, “I don’t want plastic bags anymore, I never did want them. I was mad when they took paper away and they don’t offer it anymore.”

One Quinnipiac student agrees. “Paper bags are more recyclable and wouldn’t be as much of a harm if it gets into the ocean,” said Destiny De Jesus, 21..

However, the change expected to take place come fall may be an adjustment period for some.

“I think it’ll be a little inconvenient for people that aren’t prepared for it, but I do think it’s a good thing in the long run,” Barbara Gigliotto said.

The ban came as a surprise for 68-year-old Hamden resident, Jack Allen.

“To tell you the truth I use plastic bags for everything,” said Allen. For him, reusing plastic bags within the home has become routine and the plastic bag ban means purchasing more reusable bags.

Mayor Curt Leng asked Hamden residents their thoughts on the ban back in January, posting on Facebook a call for opinions on both a plastic bag and straw ban.

Residents are quick to weigh in on the topic, with the majority in favor of the new ordinance. The post is currently at a total of 455 comments.

Blackbear to headline Quinnipiac’s 2019 Wake the Giant concert

By Marissa Davis

Rapper Blackbear will headline Quinnipiac University’s annual spring concert, Wake the Giant on April 13, the Quinnipiac Student Programming Board announced on Monday afternoon.

Blackbear is known for songs such as “Idfc” and “Do re mi.”

HQ Press asked students on Instagram what their thoughts were on the chosen performers.

One student responded “A big let-down,” while another student wrote, “The artist selection has gotten worse every single year.” In another, a student said, “Not well-known. Seems like a low budget copout compared to past years and other schools.”

The cost for booking an event with Blackbear is around $65-75,000, according to “Events Resources Presents, Inc.”

The University of Massachusetts Amherst had rapper Lil Yachty perform at its spring concert last year, which costs anywhere between $75-125,000. Tory Lanez performed at the University of Connecticut’s 2018 spring concert and cost the university approximately $75-80,000.

Some students said they will not attend Wake the Giant this year because of the selected performers.

“I’m not going. None of my friends are going,” one student said. “I know a lot of people who aren’t going. Very disappointed this year.”

Barstool Quinnipiac tweeted “Classic let down for the Spring Concert once again.”

Bryce Vine, known for his single “Drew Barrymore,” will serve as the opening act.

Wake the Giant 2019 tickets will become available to undergraduate students on March 3.

So he is most known for a song from 2017 that at its peak, was #40 on US billboard charts….GOOD QU!!!! https://t.co/5UokWabdwC

— #5 Barstool Quinnipiac (@BarstoolQU) February 25, 2019

Hamden town leaders approved to ban single use plastic bags on Tuesday night

By Elisa Ruiz Martinez

Hamden residents have won a hard fought battle against plastic bags. The town council met on Tuesday to whether a ban for plastic bags should be approved or not.

Connecticut towns and cities continue to push towards a ban on single use plastic bags. The latest it’s Hamden where the town leaders voted in approval for the ban on Tuesday night.

“A lot more people are becoming more environmentally conscious, a lot more people are trying to save the Earth, and I myself already don’t really use plastic bags unless I absolutely have to, so it’s a good thing that now Hamden is forcing me to not use plastic bags,” Quinnipiac student Nhung An said.

Some council members say the ban will save the town money from cleaning up plastic bags and help the environment at the same time.

“Everyone starts to do it, especially is forcing people instead of making them make the choice so if everyone starts to get rid of the plastic bags it makes for better environment,” Quinnipiac student Kyle Gaughan said.

“Just in general plastics are very bad for the environment, plastics in any kind of way, and we also use a lot of plastics bags…” An said.

The ban applies to plastic checkout bags of any thickness or size. Some stores in Hamden started this initiative like Tyme & Season Natural Market which stopped using plastic bags six months ago. They offer paper, but encourage customers to use reusable bags.

Most stores have 6-9 months to ditch plastic bags and Quinnipiac students see this as a step forward in the community.

“I think it’s a good idea, I think that it’s a step in the right direction towards going for more green and environmental process and I think that it’s a good start because if Hamden does it then who knows maybe some towns around Hamden would start to adopt the same idea,” Gaughan said.

How safe is the town of Hamden?

By Shayla Colon

Recent reports of a Citgo gas station robbery where the victim was pistol whipped and another armed robbery last Sunday, Feb. 17, has left Hamden residents wondering about their safety.

An employee at the Shell gas station on Whitney avenue, Grishma Shah of Hamden, shared her concern for safety in Hamden.

“Gunpoint is scary, I wouldn’t be able to work here if it happened to me,” Shah said.

The most calls for service made to police in January 2019 were for burglaries, according to Hamden Police Department statistics. In January alone, of the 493 emergency calls made to police, 294 were regarding a burglary. The other 199 calls were about holdups, fires or false reports.

Photo via Hamden Police Department statistics

But the amount of calls made to police this January was significantly smaller than the total calls made to police in January of last year. Since last January, some crime rates have risen. Recently, the Hamden police have reported that drug arrests and seizures for weapons or drugs are up, and so are motor vehicle infractions.

While some residents said they were concerned about their safety in light of the recent robberies, others still believe Hamden is a generally safe town. Local small-business owner of the Whitneyville Food Center, Patrice Notarfrancesco, finds Hamden to be a safe town and she is not alone.

“I feel safe here in Whitneyville,” said Notarfrancesco. “I think it’s a pretty safe area and we always have police presence coming back and forth.”

Results from a Twitter poll by HQ Press revealed that of the 36 responses, only half of participants say they feel safe in Hamden. Of the rest who participated, 11 percent said they did not feel safe, while the remaining 39 percent said they only feel safe sometimes.

“I’m not overly concerned, I still feel like Hamden is really safe and still proud to be residents of Hamden,” Hamden resident Jessica Hazan said.

President Olian discusses her strategic plan with students

By Marissa Davis

President Judy Olian held an informal town hall discussion Thursday, Feb. 21, to discuss her strategic plan as well as recent news that Quinnipiac is spending nearly $1 million dollars renovating her new estate.

“…We have to think of the acquisition of this land as something that is a critical investment priority for the future of the University,” Olian said. “This is an investment in the future.”

News of the renovations broke Tuesday, Feb. 19, when the New Haven Register published an article describing the renovation plans. By Wednesday, Quinnipiac student Nicole Giordano had started a petition to ‘Get Quinnipiac President Judy Olian Fired,’ charging that the money for renovations was taken from the pockets of students and that the money could have been used for “dorms, classrooms, dining programs and shuttles.”

Giordano subsequently closed the petition Thursday. In a statement on the petition’s webpage she said, “I was brought into a meeting with President Judy Olian and the Student Government. My questions were taken openly and I was given answers. This investment to renovate the house is for good cause.”

Quinnipiac Student Government Association emailed the academic community inviting them to the informal town hall discussion “in response to the confusion and frustration among some students regarding the recent news about Quinnipiac.”

At the discussion students expressed concerns about the lack of air conditioning in dorms while the school is seemingly spending money elsewhere.

“Every year we invest $30-$40 million in facilities improvements on an ongoing basis,” said Olian.

As for the renovations on the estate Olian said, “It needs to be renovated if someone is going to live there and the board wants the president – whether its Judy Olian, or the next president, or the next president after her or him – that’s where the president is going to live and be expected to conduct the work of the university.”

During the meeting, student Lauren Mcgrath said that the expected renovations, including smart lighting and a catering kitchen, seemed superfluous.

“I don’t know what the lighting is,” said Olian. “The catering kitchen is in there because we expect to have donor events in there, student events, parent events of 200 people, you cannot do that out of a regular kitchen.

Olian told those in attendance that the president’s house is not an unnecessary investment and will be beneficial to the university.

“This is planned space for the uses of a president’s house, this is not my house, this is the president’s house today, in 10 years, in 20 years, in 30 years, in 80 years,” Olian said. “This is an investment that represents the future expectations of how presidents will be occupying their role and serving the future of the institution.”