HQ Press

By Ross Lager

With another snow squall predicted for Wednesday evening, the Facilities Department at Quinnipiac University is gearing up to ensure the safety and accessibility of all three campuses for students and faculty.

Though meteorologists predicted another large storm earlier in the week, a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain blanketed the Hamden area Sunday evening into Monday morning. This messy mix caused Quinnipiac University to delay classes until 10 a.m.

Regardless of the amount of snow, the Quinnipiac Facilities Department has to be prepared to meet any challenge.

Associate Vice President of Facilities Operations, Keith Woodward finds the key to storm preparation is equipment management.

“We talk, prepare and communicate well in advance of any storm, and trying to be prepared for anything that happens. As an example, a day after the storm we are checking our supplies, evaluating our equipment and (making) sure we are ready for the next one,” said Woodward.

The morning following a snowstorm, students and faculty find roads and lots “magically” clear and free of snow. Yet, it is the preparation of the Facilities Department that makes that magic happen. Last week, a sudden drop in temperature caused dangerous sub-zero conditions that forced the cancellation of all classes on Tuesday, Feb 12. The following morning, roads and lots were cleared so that students and faculty could proceed with business as usual.

Woodward understands the responsibility the Facilities Department has in keeping all Quinnipiac campuses safe for everyone, regardless of the weather.

“We are fortunate to have a group of dedicated employees and making sure they are prepared as best as they can be for when winter conditions arrive.

“We have our groundskeepers and mechanics working to make the campus safe for the community… (members of the facilities department) combined with some contractors are roughly 50-60 people,” Woodward said.

Woodward also said that one of Hamden’s top priorities is to clear the roads surrounding the university for the safety of commuting students and Hamden residents.

“The Town of Hamden does great work and has a dedicated staff in their Public Works area,” Woodward said. “I’m sure we help a little… but between the State of Connecticut trucks and the town, they do a great job.”

Even with the drastic changes in weather, Quinnipiac students seem to be pleased with the job the facilities department has done to clear up remnants of past storms. Senior psychology and sociology major Destiny DeJesus watched the clean-up efforts last Tuesday at the York Hill campus from the comfort of her dorm room and was impressed.

“My room’s window on York gives me a clear view of the Eastview parking lot and the path to the parking garage,” she said. “I saw custodians cleaning out there before, during and after the snow, so I think they did a good job.”

Quinnipiac needs to be ready to thoroughly clear the snow from roads, walkways and parking lots, and is a task the department is ready well in advance.

“The preparation is a year-round process, from equipment evaluation at the end of the season, to the time spent in August or September when we are purchasing magnesium chloride (salts that help with traction) to help with sidewalks and roads,” Woodward said.

The university keeps students, faculty and staff informed via email, phone calls and texts about delays, early closings and cancellations.

Last week, members of the Quinnipiac community received a notification the night before the impending storm, sparking excitement and surprise. Unlike the usual notifications that have typically gone out in the early morning hours. The day after the storm had passed through the Hamden area, students received an alert around the expected time (5:39 a.m.) announcing a delayed opening due to inclement conditions.

Junior marketing major Luke Ahearn getting to class in inclement weather causes problems for more than just those working with the Facilities Department.

“The weather has been rough for students, faculty and staff,” Ahearn said. “Other than the obvious inconveniences that come with weather like this, students’ commute and even the walks to class become dangerous.”

Ahearn said he thinks facilities personnel do the best they can working through the night to clear the snow.

“Facilities have done a wonderful job clearing snow,” he said. “Their job is under-appreciated as they are out in the cold in the middle of the night making sure the campus is as safe as it can be. They are always well prepared for inclement weather.”

By Sam Bashaw

Hamden and its surrounding neighbors are once again at the mercy of Mother Nature.

Starting at 9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, New Haven County is expecting a mix of snow, sleet and rain as temperatures drop down to just under freezing, according to the Weather Channel. Ice is expected to follow, making roads dangerous until Monday morning when temperatures will still be hovering below 32 degrees. A Winter Weather Advisory, issued by the National Weather Service, is in effect during the hours of 9 p.m. Sunday night and 10 a.m. Monday morning.

The morning of President’s Day could see some hazardous conditions impacting the morning commute and those going to school despite the federal holiday. Be cautious of slippery roads and limited visibility and check your local Department of Transportation services for the most up-to-date road conditions.

Contact Hamden’s Department of Traffic at 203-287-2636 or visit the Weather Channel’s interactive Hamden weather map for more updates.

By Jeremy Troetti

Quinnipiac University students have expressed disappointment over the unsettled status of the university’s overall connection to the Irish-American community and the university-owned Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum.

The uncertainty arose following an announcement that QU would not march in or continue to sponsor the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City.

“I’m especially passionate about not distancing ourselves from the Irish experience, because I chose Quinnipiac to take advantage of the Irish connections,” senior history major Alice Valley said. “I decided on this place because it had connections. It seemed to be going someplace because I’m interested in Irish studies.”

While the museum is not closing at this time, university president Judy Olian outlined a plan for the museum to become financially self-sufficient by June 2020 in an email sent Monday, Feb. 4.

The museum, located at 3011 Whitney Ave. in Hamden, opened in 2012. It features the world’s largest collection of art related to the Great Famine, according to the museum’s website.

Former Quinnipiac President John Lahey, who was instrumental in the museum’s opening, described the university’s decision not to march in or sponsor the parade “perplexing” in an article published by the New Haven Register.

Valley, who spent spring semester of her junior year studying abroad in Ireland, explained that, while she approves of many of the actions Olian has done during her time at the university, distancing Quinnipiac from the Irish community would be a disappointment for her.

“Irish Studies (are) a big part of my identity as a QU student. I love the ideas that President Olian is implementing – I am not school spirited at all, but I am beginning to feel a sense of pride that I go to QU… it’s not a shameful thing anymore,” Valley said. “The changes that I’m seeing now are great, but if the changes mean I’m going to lose my connection to the Irish studies, I don’t know if I can really pride myself in being a QU student anymore.”

Junior political science major Kelly Reynolds spent last spring studying in Cork, Ireland, and is also disappointed with the uncertain status of the museum.

“I definitely think it’s a little disappointing because the school has a great relationship with UCC in Ireland and they really encouraged us to go visit the museum before our trip abroad, and a lot of us did,” Reynolds said.

“It helped us because a lot of us were taking Irish history classes, so I got a good idea of the culture and history I was about to become a part of for four months of my life.”

Reynolds said she, like Valley, feels a sense of personal connection to the museum.

“I’ve gone with my family… my grandma is first-generation, her parents are from Ireland, and they left during all the troubles Ireland was having. So I know it means a lot to the people and the families who send their kids here, and it was beneficial for me and my friends before we went abroad to Ireland.”

Despite the uncertain future of the museum, Reynolds feels that it does not necessarily correlate to the university as a whole distancing itself from Irish culture.

“I don’t think it’s an attack on Irish culture in any way,” Reynolds said. “I just think (Olian is) trying to see where Quinnipiac’s resources would best be put, and I don’t think she has as much of an appreciation for Irish culture as President Lahey definitely did, so I think (being) a different president, she’s trying to make her own mark on Quinnipiac.”

Junior physical therapy major Rob DePeppo studied in Ireland last spring and feels the university should not cut all ties with the museum and its representation of Irish culture.

“I feel like separating themselves completely from each other is not the best idea. Maybe they should try ­– even if they don’t fully support (the museum) – do something to help support them. (The university) shouldn’t cut them off completely,” DePeppo said.

As far as financial self-sufficiency for the museum goes, Valley feels as though the museum has a tough task ahead of them in raising the necessary funds.

“Museums are generally not ever self-sufficient,” Valley said. “When you go down Whitney Avenue and look at the parking lot, there’s not a lot of cars there. If (Olian) wants to get (the museum to be) self-sufficient, she has to put some money in at the beginning before tapering off at the end.”

Reynolds also feels that the museum will need to have community backing in order to meet its financial goals.

“I think they would have to get a lot more of the community support. Right now, I feel that it is definitely visited by mainly Quinnipiac students,” Reynolds said. “I think for the museum to become self-sufficient in a year would be hard, but they would need the community’s support to get the revenue they need to stay open.”

DePeppo offered ideas for the museum to gain the support it needs.

“Maybe if they had some fliers or some kids going around Hamden, just to have the name around there, so (the museum’s name) not just that building you pass on Whitney, that you’re not really too sure what it is. Maybe have some fundraiser or something, just to get the name out there – get it known that they want to stay.”

Valley feels that the key to driving revenue for the museum could come from attracting a younger target audience.

“(The museum) needs to be more interactive. They need younger people there. They should have some college-age (presence),” Valley said. “There’s no buy-in for younger people… It’s not a young person’s museum.”

Overall, Valley fears what Quinnipiac could stand to lose if the museum is not able to stay open. She believes that history is a key component of keeping a culture alive, and that the museum does just that for the Irish culture.

“Public memory is only of the victors. We lose the quieter aspects that would never come to being (without museums),” she said.

Valley believes that, despite the museum having become an established part of Quinnipiac for years, its presence has just begun to scratch the surface in keeping Irish history alive.

“You’re killing something that’s just a bud,” Valley said. “It’s going somewhere… let it go somewhere.”

Despite addressing the museum’s uncertain future, Olian stated that the university remains a place that encourages students and citizens to be well-rounded and culturally aware – values that are present in the lessons the museum offers through its various exhibits.

“The board and I have an unwavering commitment to educating our students and the general public to be enlightened citizens and champions of excellence,” Olian said in the email. “The lessons embodied in the art of the museum – lessons about hunger, oppression, political repression and immigration – are a reflection of Quinnipiac’s values.”

By Marissa Davis

The general manager of the Quinnipiac student-run radio station has accused the university of “turning its back” on students interested in the field in moving to close its community radio station, AM-1220 WQUN.

General manager of WQAQ Emma Spagnuolo tweeted “Right now it seems like @QuinnipiacU is turning its back on so many students who are interested in radio or other forms of audio journalism. I hope this doesn’t discourage students from pursuing this field. Radio isn’t dying. It’s evolving.”

I hope so. @judyolian’s remarks earlier proved it’s unlikely she’ll change her mind on closing the station. Right now it seems like @QuinnipiacU is turning its back on so many students who are interested in radio or other forms of audio journalism… (1/2) https://t.co/FDBiYRuLAC

— Emma Spagnuolo (@emmarosespags) February 7, 2019

I hope this doesn’t discourage students from pursuing this field. Radio isn’t dying. It’s evolving. (2/2)

— Emma Spagnuolo (@emmarosespags) February 7, 2019

“I’m incredibly upset about it,” Spagnuolo said. “This semester, WQAQ has 60 radio shows that air every week and there’s one hundred DJs that broadcast. We also have more members on top of that who are more behind the scenes production people…so there’s a lot of students that are interested in radio.”

Spagnuolo said that she thinks there are questions going unanswered.

“I had a lot of members really express their frustration to me,” she said. “Which is why I finally decided to take to Twitter to just try and demand some answers.”

Spagnuolo is not the only one who is disappointed with the university’s decision.

Long-standing member of the Hamden Regional Chamber of Commerce and 30-year resident of Hamden Lew Nescott shared Spagnuolo’s disappointment.

“Her [President Judy Olian] decision to close AM 1220 lacked substantive inputs from the communities who are also active listeners and consumers of the products and services advertised on the station,” Nescott said. “Dr. Olian needs to understand that she is the Chief Steward of a great university where full disclosure and open-debate are the ways in which you conduct business.”

Quinnipiac University vice president for Public Affairs Lynn Bushnell, released a memo regarding the future of Quinnipiac’s Greater New Haven community radio station–AM-1220 WQUN on Jan.11, 2019. The memo stated that the radio station will cease operations June 30, 2019, and that the building and property located on Whitney Avenue will be “retained and repurposed as part of the strategic planning process.”

Bushnell cited changes in the radio industry, specifically AM radio, saying that the number of students who consider careers in radio or want to intern at WQUN has dropped. Bushnell said that the closing will, “shift resources to more closely match the ever-changing needs and interests of our students.”

The decision comes as a surprise to members of the Hamden community. WQUN has been operating since 1997 and has become a source for news, weather and community updates. It acted as a link between the Hamden community and the Quinnipiac student population.

According to ‘News Generation’ 93 percent of people listen to AM/FM radio over the airwaves. This is higher than TV viewership (88 percent), PC use (50 percent), smartphone use (83 percent), and tablet use (37 percent).

Olian held a ‘State of the QUnion’ address in order to respond to students’ questions and listen to their feedback and ideas Wednesday, Feb. 6, during this, she addressed students’ concern about the station.

“When we established WQUN we did it because of the learning objectives of our students in communications that they were doing internships and really preparing for careers in AM broadcasting. For the last few years we’ve only had one or two interns that have actually applied for the role” said Olian.

“Dr. Olian generally asserts that only one to two students applied for internships at the station over the last few years.” But Nescot disagreed, “I can tell you at last report, if you get on their Facebook page, there are currently three students at AM 1220.”

The Hamden community utilizes WQUN when there are emergencies in the town or when residents lose power.

“When Hamden had a tornado that touched down this past May, AM 1220 WQUN was providing updates, literally tactical updates about where to go, where not to go and those can have sometimes life-bearing consequences,” said Nescott. “In terms of serving as a critical community link in the best of times and in the not so best of times, they’ve been there.”

While many of the station members are not Quinnipiac students, there are a few students who have interned and continue to work at the station. Dan Bahl is a Quinnipiac student that works as a fill-in color commentator for Quinnipiac hockey games and as a studio producer for WQUN.

“I love it,” Bahl said. “The people that I’ve met there have been fantastic. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences there. It’s a great group of people. I’m lucky to be able to work there for the short time that I have.”

Bahl suggested that the university could use WQUN to its advantage.

“I think that they should be using it as more of a tool for the journalism department here, I mean, I work for WQUN but that was just because I got lucky. I think it should kind of be the next step after doing student radio.”

There SHOULD be a pipeline between @QUJournalism/@WQAQradio and @wqunnews. Deserving students SHOULD be actively interning, producing and even anchoring at WQUN.

But instead, there's no pipeline, and little student presence. That's not on WQUN. That's on Quinnipiac. https://t.co/BjZ5jJP27q

— Dan Bahl (@danbahl) February 6, 2019

In response to Quinnipiac’s decision, another life-long Hamden resident decided to take to the community to express her disappointment. Holly Masi created a petition to save WQUN on thepetitionsite.com. The petition currently has over 800 supporters.

“I really hope that the outcry from the students and the public and the business community and the town leaders would actually make them rethink the decision and try to find a different way to make it work,” Masi said.

Masi knows firsthand the benefits that working and interning at a radio station can provide.

“I myself am a product of college radio,” said Masi. “I learned a lot from working both at college radio and I did internships and I worked in a radio station. And I learned so much from that experience that I still have those relationships to this day.”

The decision to shut down WQUN has caused public outcry, within the university community as well as within the Hamden town community. The university administration has until June 30 to reverse its decision and save a radio station that for many, is much more than just a radio station.