HQ Press – Page 31

College students dance to save kids

By Kerry Golden

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Each year, colleges and universities across the state of Conn. host 10-hour dance marathons to benefit the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and the Children’s Miracle Network. By raising money to increase the financial capabilities of the hospital, these college students are helping to save the lives of children everywhere.

Cole Halvax, now a senior at Maple Hill High school in upstate New York, never thought that he would live until the age of 17. That’s because just two weeks after he was born, he was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, more specifically, Delta 508. Cole and his family looked to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for help and hope.

“He had significant failure to thrive early on…he was not gaining weight,” said Cole’s mother, Tara. “He was not growing and that’s because CF affects your pancreas so he doesn’t break down fats and proteins.”

Within 24-hours of being diagnosed, Cole was admitted to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center where he remained a patient for the next four years of his life.

“I think they gave me a good head start on life…they set me off to living a good life. They gave me enough medication and enough surgeries to help me proceed to get to where I am today,” said Cole Halvax.

Located in Hartford, Conn., The Connecticut Children’s Medical Center(CCMC) is the only hospital in the entire state that focuses primarily on children. The hospital provides for more than 30 pediatric specialties, and each year the hospital sees more than 100,000 children with various types of conditions.

Students from The University of Connecticut, Quinnipiac University, Wesleyan University, Trinity College, the University of New Haven and Eastern Connecticut State University not only recognize the need to raise money, but have responded in huge ways.

Last year the University of Connecticut’s HUSKYthon crushed their goal of $1 million raising $1,021,485, the highest total for any dance marathon to date. Ranking second was Quinnipiac University’s QTHON, which also surpassed their goal of $150,000 raising a total of $265,431.79. But where exactly does this money go and how is used to help children?

In 2018, money from dance marathons helped purchase a machine called a vein illuminator which is used to help find patients veins when they need an IV. Money also goes to the Children’s Greatest Need Fund, a fund that disperses money to the area of most need at the time money comes in. Such money can be used for technology, research or patients. This fund assesses the needs of every aspect of the hospital and responds accordingly.

“Every dance marathon is a little bit different, depending on when the money comes in,” said Marissa Troiano, Associate Manager for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. “Last year they (QTHON) had some money go to the cardiology department…they did some fundraising for our new fusion and dialysis centers which just broke ground a month ago.”

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These dance marathon events involve much more than raising money, they also raise awareness of the necessity to help others. By actually visiting the hospital and seeing first hand its current needs, students can work cooperatively with the hospital to set goals and plan the event.

“We got to see the cardiovascular room that about three years ago the money went towards. Push day we were able to fundraise for a vein illuminator that the hospital can now use. Also, a lot of our funds went to the fusion and dialysis center that the hospital has built for these patients because they are having an increase in patients that need this element, so that’s where our money is going towards,” said co-recruitment chair of QTHON, Victoria DeLarosa. “ And we are still working with the hospital now to see what our total is going to be, and actually seeing that this is benefitting people, it could be a room or just an Ipad.”

Fundraising for equipment and research is crucial to every patient, those that receive care in the hospital, and those that receive it as outpatients.

Quinnipiac freshman, Rachel Houlihan, knows the value of these dance marathons as she, like Cole, has ties to the hospital. As a freshman in high school, Rachel was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This disease required her to see a specialist at CCMC to learn about and adapt to living with her condition.

“I felt lucky because a lot of the kids who are there are young and they are going to face a lifetime of whatever they are there for,” said Houlihan. “Not only are they (the kids) be getting the best care, but they are getting the best emotional support as well.”

Dance marathons do more than raise money, they establish connections. These connections make the need and struggles of sick children real and helps strengthen college students’ awareness of the need to take action. One way this is accomplished is through “Miracle Children,” patients from the hospital who trade their time with doctors to attend a fun evening with college kids. Each year patients, along with their parents, attend these dance marathons, meet the students, and realize there is a whole community who supports them.

Miracle Child, Bianca, shows off her gymnastics skills at the 2018 QTHON dance marathon

“The fundraising is amazing…but the impact is real,” said Troiano. “The event itself -the experience for the patients-is life changing. We have a patient whose family will tell us QTHON changed his life. It made him come out of his shell. It made him able to go to Disney, to fly on planes, go on vacations…things they never thought he would be able to do.”

Quinnipiac sophomore Jonathan Sweeney has been dancing for two years now and feels that dancing for people who can’t is extremely important, especially living close to Sandy Hook, Conn.

“I dance because I faced childhood illness first hand and I know how helpful organizations like QTHON are,” said Sweeney. “And I also dance because I was immensely affected by the tragedy at Sandy Hook- they never got to live their childhood, so I feel this is a way to honor them by helping other kids.”

Cole’s mother believes the Children’s Miracle Network does indeed perform miracles. When asked if she Cole’s good health is the direct result of CCMC, she replied, “Well definitely. I mean you take somebody like Cole.To be honest, 17-years ago with his diagnosis, at this point we thought he would be getting a lung transplant and a liver transplant. Playing varsity soccer and going to sectionals and going to college, that wasn’t even on our scope of thinking at 4 years old,” she said.

“Getting early treatment and early medicine, and good medicine, makes a huge difference…some of these kids don’t have the means to do so, that’s why it’s important to raise money, so that they can have a future…because 17-years ago, I didn’t think he would be here, and that’s a miracle,” said Tara Halvax.

This year’s QTHON will take place on March 23, 2019. If you would like to participate or donate to a dance marathon near you, vist https://dancemarathon.childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org

Pressure to perform: Mental health and student-athletes

By Sierra Goodwill

Wake up, lift, go to class, attend practice, study, eat, sleep. Rinse and repeat.

That’s the hectic lifestyle of a college student-athlete. These rigorous schedules leave limited time for socializing, alone time, or extracurricular activities. The pressure to excel at everything and be everywhere for teammates, family and friends can serve as the perfect storm of conditions leading to mental health problems.

According to the NCAA, 30 percent of student-athletes self-report that they are consistently overwhelmed. The head coach of the Quinnipiac University women’s soccer team, Dave Clarke, said he sees the psychological impact on over scheduled and overwhelmed athletes all the time.

“It’s always been there, but it’s become more and more of an openly discussed topic,” he said. “It’s not like all of a sudden there’s more players or people being diagnosed with mental health problems, but it’s just more acceptable to talk about and discuss.”

Clarke, who has an educational background and has taught special education courses at Quinnipiac, said that there’s only so much he can do for a player who is struggling mentally. However, he makes sure there is always someone around his team who has the ability to identify and treat his athletes.

“You notice differences in moods, but I’m not qualified to pinpoint anything in particular,” Clarke said. “We do have people on staff who are more trained in that area, so I think there are people who are constantly looking out for red flags – whether that’s observational, on social media or their behaviors.”

Becky Carlson, the head coach of the three-time national champion women’s rugby team at Quinnipiac, takes discussing mental health issues with her team seriously to ensure their comfort in disclosing whether or not they’re struggling.

However, she doesn’t necessarily see the same initiative from other coaches at the university.

“I always ask, ‘Do we just talk about this more than everybody else?’ I just don’t hear about it from other teams,” Carlson said. “But it’s not a thing that coaches want to share because I think they feel like that means they’re failing if they do talk about the fact that they have a kid who’s struggling.”

Carlson has observed the benefits of an open dialogue about mental health, and that’s why she favors collaboration with her colleagues about it.

“Then I would know that I’m not by myself,” Carlson said. “I know that there are athletes on other teams that are struggling for a fact, but nobody talks about it. Addressing it in a group setting would be fine, but a team is only as responsive as a coach is willing to follow up on it.”

The NCAA reports that just 73 percent of student-athletes believe their coach cares about their well-being. That means 27 percent of student-athletes aren’t getting the support they need from a person they are seeing nearly every day.

“The role has evolved so much from being a coach to being so many more things now,” Carlson said. “I have kids that would rather come in my office to talk rather than go over to the counseling center and talk. They want to talk to people they can trust and that they’re around all the time.”

An athlete at Quinnipiac who did not want to be identified, said coaches often fail to realize that there may be more than a physical issue with an athlete.

“We’re human. Mental health issues affect more than just our performance; they affect our day to day lives and our ability to function,” the student-athlete said. “It’s very important that the coaches understand that the players might be dealing with something and that needs to be taken into account at all times.”

Carlson said the protocol for self-reporting mental illness makes it difficult for players to understand why coaches may not be aware or even know how to handle such conditions. She wants to do what she’s taught and told to do, but without giving her players the cold shoulder and coming across unsupportive or not understanding.

“Their protocol is to pick up the phone and let someone know,” she said. “If someone comes to me with a major issue, the last thing I’m going to do is pick up the phone and turn my back on them. You can’t actually create solutions for what the athletes are dealing with if you don’t know what they’re dealing with. And the people that create the rules and training don’t deal with the athletes directly, so you’re missing a crucial piece.”

Clarke pointed to the importance of familiarity with an athlete when that athlete exhibits unusual behavior that may suggest a mental health issue is emerging.

“Ultimately, they want to trust somebody,” he said. “A lot of the time they just want someone to listen to them. But it comes to a point where it’s not my area of expertise and when a player needs help, guidance and input, they need it from a professional.”

When it comes time for that professional help, Quinnipiac relies on mental health experts who are able to assist athletes.

Kerry Patton, Executive Director of Health and Wellness, is a licensed therapist who also oversees the counseling center at the university. She has noted some trends amongst student-athletes seeking help for mental health issues.

“Transitioning as a freshman, transitioning as a Division I athlete, and our athletes are also from all over the world so managing the stress and emotions they may be feeling with the change in their culture or environment,” Patton said. “I think it’s an extremely challenging job that they have to balance being a student-athlete and managing their personal needs, academic rigors and their travelling.”

Anxiety is a mental disorder that is not only becoming more prevalent in society in general, but also among college athletes. According to the NCAA, data from national surveys show that more than 30 percent of student-athletes have experienced overwhelming anxiety.

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Patton said she thinks much of that is related to the pressure to perform.

“Some of the athletes’ anxiety is coming from their performance or because they’re coming from being number one on their team for so many years and then they come here and they’re with everyone else who is top notch,” she said.

That is why she is working diligently with the university to create a position for a counselor who works solely with the athletic department. That way, the players can get advice from a therapist with expertise in handling the types of situations that student-athletes go through.

“We are in very deep discussions about hopefully having someone just for athletics, like a sports psychologist, and someone who has the experience working with student-athletes because they do have some different needs,” Patton said. “I think more student athletes might utilize that if they know it’s just for them.”

This personalized treatment option aims to give coaches and players confidence in knowing that a trained therapist is available to discuss issues that are specific to athletes.

But there is still work to do beyond hiring a therapist.

“I think it’s just continuing education and trying to stay ahead of the times,” Clarke said. “And that’s not just with mental health, that’s also strength and conditioning and technology. You want to be progressive and know how to approach certain situations. Maybe there’s a trigger there with the sport – the expectation, the relationship – you just don’t know. So the more we continuously get educated on that then we’re doing the right thing.”

Ending the stigma around mental health is something that is talked about often, but Carlson wants to see it put into action.

“It comes down to societal expectations and athletes have always been raised and told to suck it up because they’re here to play a sport,” she said. “We’re looking it as more of a whole and how you play on the field also has a major correlation with how you’re doing off the field.”

Another student-athlete who did not want to be identified said the pressure to be strong is intense, but the ability to be honest and comfortable in sharing concerns would be useful.

“It’s overcoming that stigma and being able to come out as a student-athlete and say ‘I’m dealing with a mental health issue and I need help,’” the athlete said. “And that’s the challenge that we face.”

Both Clarke and Carlson said they see social media as a driver of mental health issues because of the elevated expectations these applications generate to present perfection.

“It’s no different than we see in everyday life where people talk about what they post on social media – the great cars, nice houses and vacations. If you don’t post that, is your life worthwhile?” Clarke said. “It’s the same with sports. Very rarely do we see people posting about bad performances, losses, goals given up or sitting on the bench. We never see a sticker that says ‘My daughter is a B student and I’m proud of her!’ It’s always honor student or A student. So there’s a perception of what a good player is based on social media versus the reality of actually performing on the field.”

Physical requirements aside, one in four student-athletes report being exhausted from the mental demands of their sport. A less judgmental and a more relaxed competitive space outside of social media for athletes to find release is imperative.

“It’s easier to not talk about it,” Carlson said. “I think mental health has to do with ego, too. It’s very hard to admit that you have a problem or are struggling with something. We work really hard to create an atmosphere that we’re all in this together.”

The selfie generation

The term selfie is defined as a photograph that is taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media. All over the world, the word ‘selfie’ does not just stand for an image. It is embedded in the mind that this single image acts as an expression of thought and identity. The emphasis on media in today’s society has added additional pressures to this generation based off of the need for approval.

Rebecca Kauten, who holds a doctorate in psychology, said narcissism plays a key role in selfie proliferation. ”From the narcissism lens, I would suggest that people take (and post) “selfies” to garner positive feedback that bolsters their ego.”

What used to be a fun photo technique has transformed individuals to constantly seek approval and strip them from their personal identity. “99 percent of the time, people do not post the unflattering outtakes and only share those that will lead to positive feedback and admiration from peers,” Kauten said.

Social media provides multiple outlets for individuals to post, share, discuss, comment and even “like” their followers respective posts. An informal study that the author, Paige Meyer conducted consisting of 105 individuals between the ages of 18 and 51 said that Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter are the main platforms they use.

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Some individuals have no shame in their selfie game.

“If we are being honest, I will get out of bed, put a full face of makeup on and one of my nicest tops paired with pajama pants on a Sunday if I think the lighting is good enough and can get a good selfie to spice up my instagram,” said Rose Piscitelli, a Quinnipiac University senior from East Haven, Conn.

Social media has endless boundaries and is coupled with the power to make or break an individual’s day depending on the pressure they imply on themselves for feedback. What happens is simple: One takes selfie, edits selfie, posts selfie, waits, and repeatedly checks phone for feedback.

Allan Metcalf, author of a book on selfies, said the shot serves as the connective tissue of social life.

“The selfie is so prominently known in this generation because everybody uses it and it enables them to be both introverted and extroverted at the same time, as if by magic. It connects them with the world,” said Metcalf, author of “From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words of the Generations,” a book that documents teen behavior.

Mackenzie Campbell

“I take selfies because they help me to capture my confident moments,” said Mackenzie Campbell when taking the conducted survey.

This constant routine is produced by dopamine. As seen in a recent study posted by the American Marketing Association, whenever one gets a like on social media, dopamine is released within the brain giving a natural “high” which the body craves constantly over time. This conditioned stimulus can be compared to the feeling of a hug, dinner date or even completing a killer workout, thus causing an endless cycle of questioning one’s self, being overly concerned with external opinions and ultimately leading to mental health issues.

Marcus Retegues

“I take selfies to show people where I am and what I am up to. I also share them when I think I look fine. My friends call me the selfie king,” said Marcus Retegues.

Metcalf added, “A selfie fulfilled a need that could not have been previously satisfied except maybe by taking lots of time with photographs.”

Luke Meyer

“I think taking selfies is great because I can remember some of my favorite moments and memories in life. Selfies also make it easier to help people catch up with one another. I take a selfie and send it off so easily,” said Luke Meyer.

The timely fashion in which selfies can be taken make it quick and easy to capture moments in time. On average, 93 million selfies are posted per day and 10 selfies are posted to instagram every 10 seconds. That is over 2,583,333 rolls of film that would be used daily for the purpose of a self taken photo.

In the recent study conducted, out of 105 participants, 39.4 percent of people said the take 1-5 selfies a day, thus including the use of the Snapchat app. 14.4 percent of people said they take 30 or more selfies on the daily.

Let me take a #SELFIE taken to another level.

There is no limit to the type of selfies that have been posted. There are group shots, solo shots, kissy faces, smiling poses – and the list goes on.

Josh Ribeiro

“I am not a huge selfie guy, I take them sometimes with friends and family. I think people over estimate the impact a selfie can cause on someone. People go through crazy lengths to get a good pic,” said Josh Ribeiro.

Jealousy, depression, anxiety, comparison bias, low self-esteem and what’s known as Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO, are all side effects of posting selfies to social media. The selfie acts as a positive way to share moments and capture memories but can ultimately be hurting the individual as a whole.

“If Person A views Person B’s selfie, they may negatively compare themselves to this person,” Kauten said.

“There’s a quote I love: ‘with social media, you tend to compare your “behind the scenes” to the other person’s “highlight reel.’” This type of misperception can lead to all kinds of distorted thoughts based on a strong focus on physical appearance, likes/feedback from others, and social media presence,” said Kauten when asked about the biggest problem with the “selfie.”

Meanings differ among photographs that appear to be similar in composition and intent. Alicia Eler, the author of the book “The Selfie Generation,” believes that the self expressing photo technique can lead to scandalous actions or even danger.

If not monitored and taken responsibly, some individuals are even voluntarily sexualizing themselves for an internet public or in many cases attention.

“We are all sexual beings. The selfie is one mode of self expression, and it may be sexual, ” Eler said.

Selfies can easily erode privacy because in that world, secrecy isn’t part of the calculation.

“Even if you do not add location to your picture, it is geotagged with a location by your phone, who you are with, and what you are doing. Then these posts become searchable within social networks and Google which makes your life more visible and public online,” Eler added.

The locator aspect when posting photos adds to the danger component while posting online. The selfie gives people the option to post images of themselves to social media, which in many cases include the marked location leaving nothing a true secret .

All of that has led to a new vocabulary of destruction. One word that has emerged from the selfie generation is the term Selficide. That refers to a person who is killed while taking a selfie in a dangerous manner.

The addiction of the selfie can cause distraction and harm towards the photographer as well as society. The selfie itself can compel people to take risks they wouldn’t ordinarily consider, bringing out one’s riskiest behavior.

The next best thing

“Everyone’s chasing the next best thing – the coolest selfie and going to extremes to get the most “likes.” As in the “In My Feelings” challenge, people try to keep up and up the ante, just so that they can get recognition and praise”, said Rebecca Kauten.

According to a study conducted by Agam Bansal, Chandan Garg, Abhijith Pakhare, and Samiksha Gupta and published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, more than 250 people around the world have died taking selfies since 2011. Although snapping the perfect selfie can be an award-winning feeling, can be fatal. The study showed that there were more deaths caused by selfies for men than women. Although women generally take more selfies than men, researchers found that men were more likely to take risks — like standing at the edge of a cliff — to capture any dramatic shot.

The United States leads in death by selfies with a firearm. These tend to occur when individual pose with guns and accidentally trigger them. The results of this study lead to the idea of implementing “No selfie zones” across tourist areas such as bodies of water, mountain peaks and over tall buildings to decrease the incidence of selfie-related deaths. Yes, you heard it right. We are living in a generation where “no selfie zones” have to be implemented.

Selfies are affecting people both positively and negatively in cities across the world. Coming in at the number one hottest spot to take selfies is Makati and Pasig City in the Philippines with 258 selfie takers per every 100,000 with a population of 1,127,684. As for number two, another one of the “selfiest” cities is Manhattan with 202 selfie takers per 100,000 with a population of 1,487,536.

The first known selfie took place in 1839 when an American, Robert Cornelius, produced a photo of himself. Of course, this selfie being a little different than the type of selfie we see scrolling through our feeds today.

Robert Cornelius

An American pioneer in photography who produced a photo of himself, which was recorded as the first self- photograph of a person.

Over the years, the advancement in technology has readily changed the value of a photo. Today, everyone can be a photographer. At the palm of one’s hand, they have a high-megapixel camera lens that allows for front and back facing photos to be taken.

“I interned with the North Shore Navigators this summer and was able to produce, edit and broadcast all of the baseball games with the players. I used my iPhone camera, with a cheap plug-in hand-held microphone and the footage turned out just as clear as any camera could have done,” said Emma Carman, a Quinnipiac University junior from New Hampshire.

As for the future of the selfie, Kauten thinks the trend may stick around. “ If you think about it, we’ve been taking selfies forever – even back when they had to be painted or people sat for portraits. Society will find some other way to measure worth, but the selfie will probably be around forever in some way or another.”

Hamden forcing out-of-state cars to register in town

By Sarah Foley and Nora Scally

The town of Hamden is home to around 61,000 people, but during the school year, Quinnipiac University adds about 10,000 more to the population of Hamden.

Many of the vehicles owned by Quinnipiac students are registered out of state, causing Hamden to take a loss on motor vehicle taxes.

Connecticut Conference of Municipalities has noticed that many out-of-state vehicles are not registered within towns and has been a problem throughout the state. Towns such as Waterbury, Bridgeport, Danbury, New Haven and Stafford have also tried contacting companies to help track down tax invaders.

A study done by the city of Waterbury in 2016 uncovered more than 4,000 vehicles registered out of the city. The study estimated that the cost of those lost registrations approached nearly $450,000.

Screen Shot 2018-12-07 at 3.39.14 PM.png — Chief Assessor, John Gelati, said the tax is being put in effect to have equalization in the town of Hamden and it will include students who live off campus and drive cars with out-of-state plates.

Screen Shot 2018-12-07 at 3.39.32 PM.png — “This is a part of a comprehensive revenue initiative that we are launching which includes an audit of personal property and real estate as well,” said Gelati.

The assessor’s office is currently selecting a request for proposal to implement car registration in Hamden under the law. The assessor’s office is hoping that this will be done at the end of the month and hopefully be put in effect for this coming year. Gelati believes the implementation of this tax will be a slow process but hopes that everyone will be in compliance with it

Gelati said the tax will not affect any specific motor vehicles in particular, regarding students in the Quinnipiac community, it requires notification to the vehicles insurance. Gelati said that the process would be much easier if everyone contacts their vehicle insurance company to register their car in Hamden.

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Not only out of state cars will be taxed but students that reside in a different part of Connecticut will also need to register their car with Hamden.

If a car is seen in the same area for a couple of months, that car will need to be registered in Hamden. The assessor office will be monitoring theses cars that are out of state and are seen on a lawn or driveway for a few months.

“The tax will affect students who reside in Hamden or have moved here after college and have not yet registered their car in the town,” said Gelati.

Depending on how long the car stays in Hamden will determine whether or not the car needs to be registered. Those who are here for a visit will not be taxed but for students living in off-campus housing, this may create a problem.

The town and assessor’s office have an obligation to discover taxable property in the town. They are allowed to scan license plates over a period of time if they suspect a person to be living in Hamden with an unregistered vehicle.

Gelati said that he has received positive feedback from residents of Hamden and believes that this might even bridge the gap of Quinnipiac students and Hamden residents. He believes that it is a positive move for the university and the students to be in compliance and pay their appropriate taxes.

Gelati is not sure how this would affect on-campus residents because Quinnipiac is private property but he is sure that students living in off-campus housing will be affected.

“I would like to add that, should the university students want to have more information about this process we would be more than happy to attend a meeting and help students learn more about the process to register their cars in Hamden,” said Gelati.

Gelati understands that the process of registering a car can be quite intimidating and is happy to speak with the school and students to makes the process easier for all.

The lack of female representation in economics and how it is affecting the field

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By: Rachel Borntrager

The feminist movement and other social advancements have contributed to women entering fields that have been traditionally male-dominated. Despite this, women continue to be consistently outnumbered by men within the field of economics.

Since the 1980s, female representation within economics at the undergraduate level has hovered around 30 percent.

This podcast attempts to investigate the reasons behind this gender imbalance by interviewing a variety of people in the field, including students, professors and professionals.

Read the full story below.

Despite the fact that economists pride themselves on avoiding, or fixing, inefficiency, they fail to observe a potential inefficiency directly within their field. According to a 2016 study conducted by the NCES, National Center for Education Statistics, economics majors are 70 percent male. At a higher level, 85 percent of full-time economic professors are male, The Economist reported.

There are multiple theories as to why women shy away from the field of economics. One of those theories is that women, on average, do not have as much of a natural aptitude towards math as men.

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Both Donn Johnson and Linda Fisher, Quinnipiac University professors of economics, have not experienced proof of this within their classes.

“In my classes it’s not like I see a discrepancy in math skills between our female students and our male students,” Fisher said.

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“I don’t buy into the old stereotypes about math because the women that I have in classes are just as good, if not better, of students — and sometimes, disproportionately, (they are) the top of my class,” Donn Johnson, chair of the economics department at Quinnipiac, said.

Within the past few decades, other quantitative subjects have seen increases in female representation.

Accounting, a major that used to be primarily male, is now more than 50 percent female. Economics, however, has experienced a plateau in terms of the amount of females entering the field.

After a minor increase in the 1990s, female representation has remained nearly the same within the field, the New York Times reported.

Since then, female representation at a colligate level has consistently hovered around 30 percent. This lack of representation also fails to take into account approximately 270,000 more females than males receiving bachelor’s degrees nationally, the Digest of Education Statistics reported.

With this considered, the inequality within the field of economics is even more drastic.

“So a lot of people think economics is just about making money and that appeals more strongly, it seems, to men than women, but, economics is about a lot more than that and people just don’t know it,” Linda Fisher said.

Fisher is not the only one that attributes the imbalance within economics to a lack of understanding of the subject. Londyn Zografakis, a senior economics major at Quinnipiac, agrees.

“People, especially females, don’t understand what economics is and when I say economics is my major I always get the question, ‘what is that?’ They are not able to see that you can help people knowing these theories,” Zografakis said.

This lack of understanding could be a result of the misconception that economics is a business discipline. In 2015, Quinnipiac moved economics from the School of Business to the College of Arts and Sciences. Many colleges are now making that switch because economics is nationally recognized as a social science.

Fiona Scott Morton, the Theodore Nierenberg Professor of Economics at the Yale University, believes that the debate-heavy nature of the field of economics is a potential factor that contributes to the imbalance.

“In economics, the way research works is you write a paper and you take it on tour, you visit different departments and you go to conferences and you present it orally and they ask you questions and you have to defend everything in your paper,” Scott Morton said. She then added that this expectation of economists does not fit into the societal boundaries that often restrict women today.

“In our society, it is really hard to be an assertive female because women are supposed to be nice and so being assertive and nice at the same time is a lot harder—men can be assertive and be jerks and nobody cares,” Scott Morton said. Scott Morton also served as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Economics at the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and the wage gap are arguments that seem to arise whenever there is an obvious gender imbalance in any field. However, most women that were interviewed have not experienced blatant discrimination, but many, like Zografakis, did say that they have been treated differently based on gender.

“Prior to this one male getting to know me, he just assumed that I was an airhead and I wasn’t given a fair chance to show that I was smart,” Zografakis said.

As a young female economist, Scott Morton also experienced similar treatment.

“I would go to seminars and ask a question and the speaker would kind of blow past my question […] and five minutes would go by and an older man would raise his hand and ask another version of the exact same question and get a long, detailed, and thoughtful answer from the speaker,” Scott Morton said.

Groups for female economists have emerged within the past few decades to combat the imbalance and make women feel more comfortable as a minority in the field. One group that is recognized nationally is CSWEP, the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession, which was founded in 1972 by the American Economics Association. Judy Chevalier, who will chair the committee in January, discussed her plans for the future of the group.

“I think the low representation of women in the undergraduate major is actually something I am really concerned about and something I want to work on in my term as CSWEP chair,” Judy Chevalier, who was also a former co-editor of the American Economic Review, said.

Although the reason why women shy away from economics remains a mystery, economists have proposed a few ways to attract women into the field.

“We can teach our intro classes, our big classes, and our micro classes with women instructors, so that it is abundantly clear to all the women sitting there that you can do this and this is a women’s profession,” Scott Morton said.

“I think if more women understood that we could use economics to change the world, then we would draw more women into the field,” Fisher said.

Although there is no explicit way to know whether the gender imbalance is negatively affecting the field of economics, a 2013 survey of American economists showed that women were more likely than men to support higher minimum wages, regulations, and redistribution (“Women and economics”). This survey demonstrates that women, on average, have different opinions than men.

“If we had more women economists submitting essays regarding certain public policies that affect women the most, maybe women wouldn’t be such a minority in so many different areas,” Jessica Hernandez, staff assistant for US State Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, said.

Many parts of the gender imbalance within economics remain ambiguous, such as the causes and effects of that imbalance. However, it is clear that the female voice, and opinions, could potentially be overpowered if the imbalance persists.

Rooftop restoration begins for historic Dickerman House

By Ryan Ansel

Six months after the Hamden tornado severely damaged the roof of the Dickerman House, restoration is underway.

During a Hamden Legislative Council meeting last month, the council waived a $2,707 permit fee in cooperation with community efforts to restore damage left from by devastating tornado on May 15. The storm knocked over trees which demolished building structures throughout Connecticut, including several houses in the northern Hamden area.

The Dickerman House was no exception. A fallen tree in the front yard tore through the middle of the roof, punching a gap in the structure and creating residual damages along the siding.

The roof structure was shattered in multiple different places, so roofer and longtime Historical Society member Bob Zoni is being paid to restore the roof by substituting a few wood beams as possible in order to to maintain the house’s historical distinction.

Roofer Bob Zoni gathers his tools underneath a tarp where the house’s roof once was.

Zoni conceived the restoration plan that passed by the Legislative Council two weeks ago. In his plan, Zoni said that he will repair the roof’s head beam section, the rafters, and the overhang using timber frame joinery and splicing techniques. Other minor repairs were also included in the plan.

“It’s something I’ll be proud of in the end, but it’s very stressful,” said Zoni. “It’s almost like it’s my own house.

In the driveway are stacks of lumber that Zoni plans on using to hold up recycled roof slates. He works under a tarp he propped-up, himself, as well as a lights that hang on a piece of wood in place of a roof beam.

The main struggle of restoring the house, according to Zoni, is something out of his control.

“The weather has been killing me. I can’t get anything done,” Zoni said. “This might be the rainiest year I can remember. Every month I say, ‘well, maybe the weather pattern will change,’ and it doesn’t. “

The exterior damage of the Cider Mill Barn.

The Cider Mill Barn, which sits beside the house on the property, is also damaged. During the tornado, one of the barn’s sides detached from the rest of the structure, creating a massive gap. Wood beams keep the barn from completely toppling during high winds, but Zoni said that another heavy snowfall could cause the barely-standing structure to implode.

“People who work outside live and die by the weather,” Zoni said. To his gratitude, forecasts for the remainder of this week show little signs of any substantial precipitation.

The last time that Zoni said he saw a storm as disastrous was during the 1989 Northeastern US tornado outbreak, when 200 homes in Hamden took the brunt of the tornado’s impact. The New York Times reported that cars and industrial cranes were tossed through the air, and rows of houses, as well as an industrial park, were flattened.

The Hamden Historical Society avoided damage during the 1989 tornado, but wasn’t as lucky this past May.

“The Hamden Historical Society is attempting to restore these reminders of our town’s heritage, but to do so it needs to raise $25,000,” says the main page on the society’s website.

Yet, the total cost of the restoration of both the house and the barn may be much greater, according to Zoni. He said that the entire restoration process may cost up to $200,000.

The house dates back to the 18th century. Jonathan Dickerman built the farmhouse for his wife in 1792 and it became state property before the Great Depression. Ownership was then passed on to the Hamden Historical Society in 1961.

The society remodeled the house to resemble as it did in the 18th century, which is a testament to the sound techniques of historical carpentry, according to Zoni.

Had the Dickerman House been a modern, stick-framed house rather than a timber frame structure, the damages would have been more severe, according to Zoni. To a person unfamiliar with historic structures, the damage appears much worse than it actually is. It can be repaired by qualified people.

On the building permit fees waiver for the Dickerman House, Mayor Curt Leng said, “The Town and the Hamden Historical Society have maintained a mutually beneficial relationship that supports the value Hamden’s historic properties bring to our community and quality of life.”

A ladder leans on a wall beside an upstairs hallway window that peeks out unto Mount Carmel Ave. Zoni’s ladder and other work tools take up some of the space upstairs during construction.

QNN Newscast – Nov. 15

On this semster’s final episode of QNN, we give you a live update on the first snow of the season, causing Quinnipiac to close early. Also, hear from students about how they felt when they heard that a university professor was caught in a child pornography sting. Health, national and entertainment news updates close out the show.

Homelessness in New Haven: Optimistic for the future

By Nora Scally

The city of New Haven, Connecticut is home to a world-class university and one of the top medical research hospitals in the United States. Yet, amid the center of academic excellence, homelessness for hundreds of city residents continues to baffle even the brightest academic and political minds there.

The city’s intractable problem with homelessness emerges in the math. A recent count put the number put the number of homeless at 529 people , 97 children, experiencing homelessness in New Haven. The problem persists despite decreases from its high of 625 people since 2016.

New Haven will look to two success stories toward ending homelessness. One is the elimination of homelessness among military veterans, which was a goal of the state’s outgoing governor Dannel Malloy.

Aggressive programs found homes for 766 veterans listed as homeless in 2016.

New Haven is looking at its own successful programs, which led to the decline in homelessness over the past two years, according to a state official who heads the effort to end homelessness.

“It’s probably a result of the work coming from statewide leadership,” said Robert Pulster, the Connecticut director for the United States Interagency on Homelessness, “New Haven being a community that kind of adopts and really takes advantage of that process and moves forward.”

Pulster works for the state providing materials and information on how to prevent homelessness and help with the rapid rehousing process. The state helps with creating and administering programs and finances to help within different cities all over Connecticut.

Laurence Grotheer, the director of communications for the city of New Haven, agreed with this. Grotheer said, “ The city is working with its partners, both at the state level and its network of private sector providers to address the root causes of homelessness.”

State government provides funds to towns and cities such as New Haven to help. Emergency Solution Grant (ESG) is one such program that places people in homes who have recently become homeless.

Allison Champlin, Manager of Community Development Programs in New Haven, administers these grants within the city. She said that the city has found great success with this. She said,

“The City provides funding to agencies that provide services to those who are low income and/or in jeopardy of becoming homeless. Last fiscal year, we funded services such as prevention, rapid re-housing, and shelter, said Champlin, “Prevention services is used to ensure that individuals or families don’t become homeless. This can be through security deposits, rental assistance, utility assistance, moving costs, etc.”

Homelessness is an issue that touches all New Haven government departments, even the police department is involved with the problem.

David Hartman, a police officer who serves as the department spokesperson, said he and colleagues participate in forums seeking to address the issue.

“The NHPD is not directly involved in advocacy, social work or programs to mitigate homelessness,” said Hartman, “ We do, however participate in forums that do and are participants in community solution processes administered by such advocates and program coordinators.”

One of the major services within the city of New Haven are shelters. The Columbus House in New Haven shelters the homeless in New Haven, offering 81 beds every night. The Columbus House relies heavily on volunteers to help prepare and cook meals for the people who come through their doors.

The Columbus House works along with the city to help with prevention and rapid re-housing. “We have a very good collaborative relationship with the City of New Haven,” said Hebe Kudisch, Chief Program Office of the Columbus House, “We work in different initiatives sharing the same goal of ending homelessness. Lead, HOPWA, ESG, Overflow are some of the many programs that we are working in collaboration.”

New Haven cares about the homeless within their city and created the Homeless Advisory Commission to help coordinate all of their efforts in re-housing and prevention. Last year alone, the city provided over one million dollars for this council.

Velma George, the Coordinator for Homelessness in New Haven, said, ““The goal of this office is to improve the quality assurance and evaluation process for emergency shelter providers and other organizations with a core mission to support the elimination of homelessness in New Haven, and to go beyond sheltering / housing, to supporting self-sufficiency in individuals, families and youth,” said Velma George, the Coordinator for Homelessness in New Haven, “ The City General Fund allocated 1.4 million dollars exclusively for homeless shelter services and support services. “

George went on to say, “The City of New Haven provides a safety net of supports and services for the City’s most fragile or vulnerable citizens – homeless singles, families and youth.”

Every year, the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness issues a Point-in-Time in cities to count the homeless population. The count takes place every January and is always looking for volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, please sign up here.

If you are interested in volunteering with the Columbus House please look at their volunteer page on their website. They also offer internship experiences for students. If you are interested in an internship with the Columbus house, please email info@columbushouse.org .

The city of New Haven looks ahead and hopes that through all of their programs and efforts, that they may continue to re-house and that they will continue to see a positive decrease in the homeless population.

QNN Newscast – Nov. 8

This week on QNN we give you a live update on the recent bar shooting in Thousand Oaks, California. Also, information on the recent email scams targeting Quinnipiac students and midterm election headlines.

QNN Newscast – Nov. 1

On this week’s episode of QNN we give you a live update on the man who escaped the Cheshire correctional facility, how Hamden residents feel about voting in the upcoming election and and an interview with a Quinnipiac student about his capstone project regarding protests and college athletes.