As flu season approaches, Quinnipiac University is being proactive again this year by offering free flu shots to students, faculty and staff.
As a part of the Quinnipiac nursing program, senior nursing students administer the vaccination to the university community. Nursing student Julia Johnson thinks students should think beyond themselves when deciding whether to get the vaccine.
“What I often tell people who are reluctant to get their flu shot is to think of their grandparents. The older we get, the more immunocompromised we become, meaning our bodies are less capable from fighting off infection.”
Senior student Kristen Altmeyer getting her flu shot at Quinnipiac on Thursday.
Photo: Leah Sutherland
The CDC reported that between 70% and 90% of seasonal flu-related deaths have occurred in people 65 years and older.
“Our healthcare works on the basis of herd immunity, the idea that those whose immune systems are strong enough to fight off an infection are vaccinated to protect those who aren’t,” Johnson said.
Quinnipiac is offering free flu shots for all students and faculty at the university who have a QCard. The flu shot is also being offered at many pharmacies and doctors’ offices around the country.
“Being able to offer that service to Quinnipiac students, free of charge, creates more awareness and a community effort toward eliminating cases of the flu,” Johnson explained. “And we’ve had record breaking numbers getting their flu shot so far this year.”
Used vaccination containers used throughout the day at Quinnipiac.
Photo: Leah Sutherland
Although the CDC recommends everyone over the age of 6 months gets their flu shot, it’s estimated that over half of the adults in America do not get the vaccination.
Senior Kayla Hoesly has never gotten the flu shot.
“I don’t get it because I’ve never gotten the flu before, so I just feel like it’s not necessary.”
According to the CDC, last year’s flu season was the longest in 10 years. As a part of the2018-2019 US flu season report, the CDC reported that the flu season started October 1, 2018, and ended May 4, 2019.
The CDC also reported that there were 42.9 millioncases of flu, up to 647,000 hospitalizations and up to 61,200 flu deaths last year.
Health professionals say that influenza is unpredictable from season to season. The flu is recurring every year but the timing, severity and length of the season vary from one season to another.
Vaccinations prepped for students at Quinnipiac.
Photo: Leah Sutherland
The CDC recommends people get their flu shot by the end of October. Students who missed the clinic can attend the second round of free flu shots on campus next Tuesday October 15, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or Wednesday October 16, from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Students can also receive a flu shot at local pharmacies like Walgreens located at 1697 Whitney Ave. and CVS located at 2045 Dixwell Ave.
At 8 p.m., ballots closed. 8:30 p.m. No phone call. 8:45 p.m. The phone rings. Austin Calvo lunges for his cell phone. Just a friend. Not the person he hoped for, not the person he needs. Fifteen minutes pass. No call. Thirty minutes. No call.
9:45 p.m. The phone rings again. This time, it was Quinnipiac University’s current Student Government Association President Ryan Hicks. The moment Calvo was waiting for. His anxiety washed away.
He did it. He won.
Quinnipiac Student Government Association President-elect Austin Calvo
(Photo courtesy: SGA)
On Wednesday, April 10, the Quinnipiac student body elected Calvo, a junior political science major, as its next SGA president. Calvo has broken the mold as one of the first openly gay SGA presidents to be elected.
Joining Calvo on the executive board as vice president-elect is a second openly gay member of the LGBTQ+ community, Sophia Marshall. Along with Calvo and Marshall, the student body elected two people of color, Esau Greene, vice president-elect of student experience, and Jamien Jean-Baptiste, vice president-elect of marketing and public relations, making this one of the most diverse executive boards in Quinnipiac history.
“To have two out, proud people of the LGBTQ community and to have two proud black men on this executive board is amazing,” Calvo said. “This is the most unique SGA I’ve ever seen and I’m really excited to see what we can bring.”
The road to the office was not an easy one for Calvo. His sexuality was never something he wanted to hide and with it so openly on display, Calvo experienced slight pushback from members of the Quinnipiac community.
On the day of the executive board debates, one of Calvo’s campaign posters was defaced with homophobic remarks. Calvo received a call from Hicks informing him that the posters had been immediately taken down.
The comments affected Calvo’s confidence during the debates later that day. Calvo said he felt as if he needed to dial back aspects of his personality. He didn’t even feel comfortable bringing up his bright yellow water bottle covered in stickers for fear of appearing gay.
“It’s just something you’re always conscious of,” Calvo said. “You always have to be aware that you’re not the norm.”
According to Lindsey Downey, the sophomore president of Quinnipiac’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance, visibility of the LGBTQ+ community is necessary to eliminate homophobia like which Calvo experienced.
“A lot of hurtful actions that people say or do (come) from a place of ignorance,” Downey said. “They don’t know or they weren’t exposed to (LGBTQ+). If you’re not exposed to people of the LGBTQ community, if you don’t know people of color or what their culture is, the queer culture or any other culture, there’s no way to know what’s appropriate and what’s not.”
But Calvo refuses to let negativity about his sexuality affect him. His passion for student government and advocacy drove him to push through this homophobia.
Hicks explained that it was difficult to make that call and tell Calvo his posters were defaced, but added that Calvo’s tenacity was inspiring.
“It was heartbreaking to see that picture and it was heartbreaking to deliver that news,” Hicks said. “But I don’t think that that should really be the story, I think the way Austin handled that news and said, ‘This isn’t going to be something that I stop fighting for,’ I think that’s what should be focused on … Austin’s rebound to it and his continuation throughout the week.”
Instead of quitting, Calvo learned to adjust his campaign strategies. He made it his mission to seek out the opinions of the heterosexual males with whom he struggled to connect. He began to realize that the student body cared less about his sexuality and more about his ideas and how he could affect the university.
Throughout his first few years at Quinnipiac, even with slight resistance from a very small percentage of the student body, Calvo has been able to embrace every aspect of himself.
“It was just so nice that over these past three years I have unapologetically been myself,” Calvo said. “I have shared every view I have in class, any opinion I have with my friends and people around me, I have never been scared to step down.”
Sophomore Sophia Marshall, the SGA vice president-elect and also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, has faced less resistance than Calvo. As she puts it, she has the benefit of looking straight. There were points when Marshall herself questioned what people would think of her because of her sexuality. But she has ensured that what represents her are her ideas.
Unlike other members of LGBTQ+, she feels that, even among those who do not support her, she at least commands respect.
“I think even in my experience, some of the people who don’t accept the way that I am, which is very, very, very seldom, even those people will respect my work ethic and will come to me regardless because they know that I can get things done,” Marshall said.
Quinnipiac Student Government Association Vice President-elect Sophia Marshall
(Photo courtesy: SGA)
Marshall believes that the results of this SGA election are reflective of the progressiveness of Quinnipiac’s student body, of its faculty and of its community as a whole. The students backed ideas and chose their elected officials based on campaign platforms, not on sexuality.
“I think it kind of goes to show that Quinnipiac is moving in a more progressive way, which is really exciting,” Marshall said. “And I think the other thing is, I’m really proud of the fact that I’m super gay.”
Downey agrees and hopes that Marshall and Calvo can serve as inspirations for members of Quinnipiac’s LGBTQ+ community to feel more comfortable with their sexualities.
“Austin and Sophia are both very open about their identity within the community, which is amazing,” Downey said. “There are so many LGBTQ faculty, staff, students here, but to have them sort of like front and center is nice because people can look at them and be like, ‘they’re here.’”
But how will this diverse new e-board have an impact on the student body?
With new voices and perspectives on SGA’s executive board, the student body population, as a whole, has a voice. According to Calvo, advocacy for minority groups becomes stronger when minority groups have representatives speaking up for them specifically.
“It gives almost every niche community of Quinnipiac a voice in the room,” Calvo said.
The next few years of Quinnipiac’s future will be full of change. With a new president, Judy Olian, and with the introduction of her strategic plan, SGA will need to advocate for the students more than ever.
The newly elected executive board represents members of the LGBTQ+ community, it represents people of color, it represents women and it represents men. But more importantly, the board is full of passion for change and advocacy. It’s full of passion for Quinnipiac’s students. As the current e-board steps down, Hicks said he is more than confident that he’s leaving SGA in the hands of a new group of leaders that has every student at Quinnipiac in its best interest.
“When I look at how eager they are and how enthusiastic they are and how passionate they are, it just shows how much they want this and how much they want to represent and advocate for the students.”
“It was very much the spot of my town and is a very laid back, happy environment to hang out, dance, party and just let loose with your friends,” Quinnipiac University freshman and Thousand Oaks resident Lauryn Yarnall said.
“Everyone around my age absolutely loves Borderline,” she added.
The Borderline Bar and Grill located in Thousand Oaks, California was known as a popular spot for nearby colleges. On Wednesday, the bar was hosting line-dancing lessons for college students ages 18 and up when gunfire stunned the crowd. A night filled with celebration quickly turned to a night of heartbreak.
“I just felt so bad for those kids. The shooter totally knew Wednesday nights were a big night for Borderline,” Daniel Madnick, Borderline regular and Thousand Oaks resident, said.
“It had to be very planned out at least that is what I think because Wednesdays are a huge draw for young kids,” he said.
At about 11:20 p.m., a veteran of the U.S. Marines tossed a smoke bomb and began to open fire. The shooter was a machine gunner in the Marine Corps and has had recent run-ins with the law. In April, officers had to respond to an incident reported at his mother’s home, where he lives.
“My brother was supposed to go to the bar that night and at the very last minute his friend bailed and he didn’t go, he very well could have been there last night and not have made it like the rest of them,” Madnick said.
As bullets flew, terrified patrons and community members fled the scene as fast as possible. According to the Los Angeles Times, the shooter was found dead on the scene and is suspected to have committed suicide, but due to the amount of blood in the Borderline Bar, it is unclear to whether he took his own life or was shot down by officials.
“There are always big bouncers who throw out drunk kids but none that are ready to take on smoke bombs and a gun. I have only seen police activity maybe once at that bar and I go all the time. For the most part it is a very secluded little spot and I can see why he targeted it,” Madnick said.
Sometimes the security at bars, clubs and events can only do so much.
“There are times where I walk into an environment and can smell the tension in the air and I just can tell that something is going to happen,” said Jared Allen, a protection specialist, high profiled celebrity bodyguard and Connecticut club security guard.
“While providing security I have been sliced, shot at, had bottles broken over my head, and attacked. This only comes once in a blue moon,” Allen said.
After the Sandy Hook shooting back in 2012, there have been 1,895 mass shootings affecting people and communities around the world.
Below are some of the hotspots in Hamden where many Quinnipiac students spend their free time. The fear of a possible invasion is setting in close to campus for many students.
“I didn’t go out in Hamden or New Haven this weekend and I tried to convince my friends not to go out either. It was too soon for me and it is still too soon for me. Unfortunately, it is very unlikely that I will be able to go to a club or bar again without thinking of the shooting and considering the possibility that I could die,” Yarnall said.
Yarnall set up a vigil on the Quinnipiac University Quad to honor the lost lives in the Thousand Oaks shooting. She set up 12 candles with the name of each victim on them in front of the student center on Quinnipiac’s main campus.
“I set up the vigil for a lot of reasons,” Yarnall stated. “The main one was to help me feel not so useless, all the way on the East Coast. I’ve wanted nothing more than to go home and be with my family and stand with them to help my community.”
A new batch of student reporters are starting in the HQ Press newsroom. Before reporting, we went around Quinnipiac and asked members in our community what they want to see in our coverage. Check us out on social media @hq_press on Instagram and Twitter. Send tips to hqpress.org@gmail.com.
