The Quinnipiac Chronicle, Volume 91, Issue 6

OCTOBER 14, 2020 • VOLUME 91 • ISSUE 6

The official student newspaper of Quinnipiac University since 1929

ILLUSTRATION BY MICHAEL CLEMENT

Athletic training program may shut its doors to students earlier than expected

By JESSICA SIMMS Managing Editor

Quinnipiac University’s athletic training (AT) program may not accept new students after the fall 2021 semester due to COVID-19 financial pressures and the accreditation process the program must follow.

According to Janelle Chiasera, dean of the School of Health Sciences and professor of biomedical sciences, the program may have to close its doors to a new class after the fall 2021 semester due to the COVID-19 related budget planning. This is instead of its original plan to wait until fall 2022.

ILLUSTRATION BY CONNOR LAWLESS

OPINION P.5:

We should be concerned about rising COVID-19 cases on campus

Universities that have shut down started in the same position we are: with a small spike in cases. We need to follow Quinnipaic’s safety guidlines if we want to stay on campus for the rest of the semester.

“Due to the very challenging financial pressures of COVID-19 across the entire university, we made the difficult decision to initiate the phase-out process of the program one year early,” Chiasera said. “We will follow university policy.”

However, in 2013, the AT Strategic Alliance, under the leadership of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) and the Commission of Accreditation Athletic Training Education (CAATE), re-examined the type of degree that best prepares future athletic trainers.

“In 2015, the decision was to shift the professional de-

gree to the master’s level, which was described as essential to ensuring the future ability to meet the healthcare team, to continuing to improve patient outcomes and to keep the AT profession sustainable for future generations to come,” Chiasera said.

According to Chiasera, when this decision was made, the announcement that was added to the CAATE 2012 Standards stated that: “Baccalaureate programs may not admit, enroll or See AT Page 3

COURTESY OF NAOMI GREY

ILLUSTRATION BY MICHAEL CLEMENT

A&L P.6-7:

SPORTS P.10:

Quinnipiac student business-owners

Women in sports media

Some students have followed their passions into the business world by creating their own companies. They balance school, co-curricular activities and their social lives while being business owners.

Women in sports media deal with tension in the workplace due to stereotypes that they do not understand sports. Robyn Brown and Naomi Grey challenge that by pursuing careers as sports journalists.

2| News

MEET THE EDITORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Brendan O’Sullivan MANAGING EDITORS Jared Penna Jessica Simms CREATIVE DIRECTOR Connor Lawless NEWS EDITOR Emily Flamme ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITORS Chatwan Mongkol Kalleen Rose Ozanic OPINION EDITOR Toyloy Brown III ASSOCIATE OPINION EDITOR Michael Sicoli ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Emily DiSalvo ASSOCIATE ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Ashley Pelletier SPORTS EDITOR Riley Millette ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR Peter Piekarski DESIGN EDITOR Mike Clement

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

October 14, 2020

Students react to Quinnipiac’s surge in COVID-19 cases

By EMILY FLAMME and MELINA KHAN

Quinnipiac University has had 21 total confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 this semster, causing some students to be concerned about their health and safety.

“I am a little worried, mostly because there is a higher possibility of me bringing it home and not knowing and having other people on campus potentially having it but not being chosen for random testing,” said Leea Cotter, a first-year political science major, on Oct. 9.

The slight increase in cases has caused the university to shift the alert level from “green” to “yellow.” Under the “yellow alert level,” the university will increase how many non-residential students it tests. This is because most of the confirmed cases were off-campus students.

“The best plan for the spike in cases is to increase regular testing and make sure that the tests are getting an equal representation of the student body,” said Sheralyn Burke, a firstyear health science major, on Oct. 9.

Dr. David Hill, professor of medical sciences and director of Global Public Health at Quinnipiac, said in an email, that students who are selected must attend or they will face consequences.

The first time a student misses their scheduled test, they will be put in the following week’s testing pool automatically. If a student

misses two tests, and they live in a residence hall or a university-owned house, they will be removed from campus housing within 48 hours, according to an email from Tom Ellett, chief experience officer. Students who are sent home can return to campus after receiving a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test at their own expense.

“If we don’t have tests from a comprehensive sample of our community, we run the risk of uncontained contagion, very quickly,” Ellett said in the email. “That’s why we need 100% compliance from everyone who is contacted for testing — we cannot leave it up to chance.”

Burke said she feels the policies the university has in place are fair and that they should remain strict for the safety of the student body.

The school also has rigid policies regarding visitors and guests. Maximum occupancy of suites and dorm rooms is either 10 people or double the number of residents within the dorm or suite, depending on which number is fewer. All guests and residents must practice social distancing and proper mask-wearing.

Outdoor gatherings have a maximum of 16 people, but all guests must wear masks and social distance.

If a student violates one of these policies, the first offense results in disciplinary probation and a second offense results in suspension

for the rest of the semester.

“Although some people feel that they are harsh, it is important that they put the health of the students and staff before our ‘wants,’” Burke said. “As long as the school continues testing and holding all students to the same standards, they are doing their best to prevent this virus from taking control at our school.”

If cases continue to increase, the alert level will shift to “orange,” and there would be an increase of restrictions on campus. More classes would become fully remote to reduce the number of people meeting in person. Dining would become take-out only. Recreational spaces would close. Student and university-organized gatherings would pause until the rate of positive cases decreased.

If the university reaches a “red alert level,” all classes will meet remotely and students would not be allowed to leave campus.

If the cases cannot be contained after two weeks, students would be sent home to finish the semester online.

Although cases have increased recently, Burke said she feels safe on campus knowing that the university has a plan if cases were to keep increasing.

“I feel that our school, compared to other schools, is doing very well at controlling the virus the best they can,” Burke said.

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Morgan Tencza PODCAST PRODUCER Xavier Cullen COPY EDITOR Nicole McIsaac THE QUINNIPIAC CHRONICLE is the proud recipient of the New England Society of Newspaper Editors’ award for College Newspaper of the Year in New England for 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2015-16.

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Alumni reconnect virtually

By CHATWAN MONGKOL Associate News Editor

Quinnipiac University put together nine events last weekend to bring alumni back to campus, virtually.

Under normal circumstances, the university would host alumni weekend in person with several events and activities including a university tour, bounce house, tailgate party and a hockey game. But this year amid the pandemic, the event turned fully virtual on Oct. 9-10.

The weekend consisted of nine Zoom sessions including panels from the administration and student leadership, a discussion with the Quinnipiac Poll director, conversations about the pandemic, a tour of On the Rocks, a pub on the York Hill campus, and the 20th anniversary celebration of the School of Communications.

As one of the event’s organizers, Dean of the School of Communications Chris Roush said he was happy with the turnout of the celebration.

“We had 125 students, alumni and faculty who attended the Hall of Fame induction ceremony,” Roush said. “I’m very pleased with that given that it was online, and it was the first time we have done something like this.”

Because the celebration was originally planned to be in person, Roush’s expectations were different.

“While it’s always good to see people in person and interact, the engagement between the inductees and those who attended was more than what I expected,” Roush said. “The inductees came across as authentic and genuine, and I am so glad that we honored them.”

The first School of Communications’ Hall of Fame’s inductees were Molly Qerim Rose, David Rabinowitz and Jeffery Chernov. All of them graduated from the School of Communications.

While some chose to spend the weekend virtually with the university, Lisa Zarcone, a class of 2013 alumna and a current part-time math faculty member, said she normally at-

tended the events in previous years as a way to reconnect with her old friends, but she decided not to this year.

One reason was because of her schedule, and another reason was because of its online approach.

“I think that Quinnipiac did the best they could with the venue that they had since it had to be all virtual, but I did not have much interest in participating in the Zoom talks because to me, as a teacher myself, I’m behind a computer screen all day and on Zoom meetings all the time,” Zarcone said.

Zarcone also said most of the events were just to provide information, in which she already has access to as a Quinnipiac professor.

“I’m not really sure how they could’ve done any better because doing it virtual has a lot of limitations,” Zarcone said. “I’m glad they still had offerings to those who wanted to participate.”

Asia Moundraty, a class of 2020 graduate, also did not attend the event because she said she did not feel as if it was a good way to reconnect with friends and the university, despite still missing them.

“I imagined it would be like a Zoom session where you can only see your friends in a corner or on the chat list,” Moundraty said. “Anyone can FaceTime to see old friends, but that’s not the same like being on the campus and reliving the memories in person.”

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October 14, 2020

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

News |3

Straub: “It’s just a little bit nebulous about when it is when we actually go ahead and close it down” AT from cover matriculate students into the athletic training program after the start of the fall term 2022.”

Since this announcement was made, Chiasera said that the athletic training faculty, the dean of the school of health sciences and the office of admissions discussed the possibility of transitioning Quinnipiac’s athletic training program into a master’s program.

“The program formed two working groups to outline plans to go forward with a master’s program or to end the program and teach out the cohorts,” Chiasera said.

However, at the time, former Provost Mark Thompson and Dean of the School of Health Sciences William Kohlhepp decided it was not possible for Quinnipiac to offer a master’s athletic training program.

“It was an extra year of school, it’s a fifth year of school,” said Stephen Straub, program director of athletic training. “What we found from (other health sciences programs), is that when clinicians got that extra year of education, they typically didn’t get paid any more, so we were going to be asking students to come to Quinnipiac for a fifth year and their starting salary was basically going to be the same.”

Quinnipiac’s athletic training program is a bachelor’s degree-granting program that started in 2000 and was officially accredited in 2004, with approximately 350 graduates over its time at the university.

The next decision that had to be made in regards to the future of the program was when Quinnipiac’s program had to wrap up — fall 2021 or fall 2022?

“We’re still getting in good numbers,” Straub said. “We still have a lot of students who have interest in the program.”

According to Straub, this decision is still up for debate. Quinnipiac cannot accept new students after the fall of 2022 due to the CAATE statement, but the university must follow through with the process if it wants to end a program early.

“If the university wants to stop a program early, there’s a process that they have to go through where the faculty senate actually reviews the program in addition to the dean and the provost” Straub said. “The faculty senate makes a recommendation on what would happen. The dean has not yet brought that to the faculty senate … The dean’s recommendation is going to be to close it down, so our last class would be the fall of 2021, but that has to be approved by the faculty senate and it has to be approved by the provost. It’s just a little bit nebulous about when it is when we actually go ahead and close it down.”

Straub said the current athletic training

students should know about the accreditation process since it affects them professionally.

However, the athletic training students refused to comment on this matter.

“Our current seniors, I’m not going to guarantee, they do (know about the program),” Straub said. “They should understand that we can’t bring in students past 2022.”

The discussion about shutting the program’s doors early to new students has not been formally discussed with the students in the program.

“As a program director, I have been hesitant to tell students that because what message do I tell them?” Straub said. “That sandwich you’re eating might be a good sandwich, but there’s a chance maybe you shouldn’t eat that sandwich.”

Straub stressed the idea that this possible change in when the program will stop accepting students will not affect the current and future Quinnipiac athletic training students.

“As a program and as a university, we have a commitment to whoever we bring in to finish them out,” Straub said. “Even if the last class that we bring in will be the fall of 2021, we’re

“I have been hesitant to tell students that because what message do I tell them? That sandwich you’re eating might be a good sandwich, but there’s a chance maybe you shouldn’t eat that sandwich.”

— STEPHEN STRAUB

PROGRAM DIRECTOR OF ATHLETIC TRAINING

committed to making sure that those individuals are ready to graduate.”

Regardless, the discontinuation of this program after fall 2021 or 2022 will have an effect on the university through its relationship with Quinnipiac’s athletics department.

“There will no longer be the connection between the program and university athletics as students in the AT program will oftentimes work with our athletic teams and staff,” Chiasera said.

Straub also said that the change in the School of Health Sciences can also impact the university as a whole due to its effect on other majors, like physical therapy. Right now, Quinnipiac is one of the few universities that allows students to get two degrees — one in athletic training and the other in physical therapy.

“The program has also been an undergraduate major for many PT students,” Straub said.

“They’ll go on and get certifications in both athletic training and in physical therapy. So that opportunity is going to go away unfortunately … It’s one of the things that makes Quinnipiac a little distinctive. It was a unique opportunity.”

Despite when the athletic training program will have to stop accepting new students, Straub said that while it is hard when changes like this happen within a school, he is proud of what his graduates have done.

“It’s hard when things change,” Straub said.

“It’s hard when things go away like that. The program itself has really been a good portion of the school of health science. It’s provided a great undergraduate experience for students who wanted to go on and just be athletic trainers, and we’ve had folks that graduated from our undergraduate program and gone off and have done some really great things.”

Indigenous Student Union shines light on its culture

By EMILY FLAMME News Editor

The Indigenous Student Union at Quinnipiac University celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 12, by hosting an event on Zoom during which it educated students about the history of the day.

“The importance of celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day in a way we are now (is) just recognizing it instead of Columbus Day,” said Kiara Tanta-Quidgeon, a junior health sciences major and founder and president of the organization.

Tanta-Quidgeon said the union’s purpose is to acknowledge, educate and celebrate Indigenous culture.

In the event, Tanta-Quidgeon discussed the history of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day. Columbus Day became a national holiday in 1934, and in 1977 at the United Nations conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Oct. 12, was declared as an “international day of solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas.”

Today, 14 states recognize “Columbus Day” as Indigenous Peoples Day, but Connecticut is not one of them.

The importance of Indigneous Peoples Day is about celebrating the resiliency and strength of Native Americans, Tanta-Quidgeon said.

“The day also recognizes the impact of colonialism on Native communities and celebrates the cultures, stories and history of Indigenous peoples,” Tanta-Quidgeon said.

The event also included a Kahoot game where students answered trivia questions about historical facts about Christopher Columbus, Indigenous culture and the university.

One thing Tanta-Quidgeon asked about was Quinnipiac’s namesake. She said a lot of students are unaware that the university got its name from

the Quinnipiac tribe that occupied south-central Connecticut prior to the 18th century.

“A lot of students who go here don’t know that,” Tanta-Quidgeon said. “I think as a university, we need to be doing a better job of acknowledging the land and acknowledging the presence of the people who once occupied the land. Also, using what we have now at this institution that we built to educate these people about the history of the Quinnipiac people.”

Abby Blackmore, a sophomore film, television and media arts major, said she feels Quinnipiac can do a better job educating its students about Indigenous culture, especially considering its namesake.

“I also think it would be better for the university to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day,” Blackmore said.

“When we were younger, we used to learn about Columbus and him ‘discovering’ America. It would be more historically accurate to instead use this day to teach students about Indigenous people and the land.”

Blackmore suggested that the university can use first-year seminar (FYS) classes as an opportunity to educate students about the local and global Indigenous community.

If people want to be allies to the Indigenous community, they should keep educating themselves, Tanta-Quidgeon said.

“I’m not blaming anyone for their lack of education, but you should research and listen (because) when you educate yourself you can be a better advocate,” Tanta-Quidgeon said.

“One thing that we want to do as the Indigenous student union is celebrate the diversity that exists across Indigenous populations.”

The Indigenous Student Union is hosting events on Zoom every day from Oct. 12-15, to educate Quinnipiac’s student body about Indigenous culture and experiences.

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October 14, 2020

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Opinion Biden voters: Here’s what to say to your Trump-loving friends

BY EMILY DISALVO Arts & Life Editor

If you’re a Democrat, chances are you hate President Donald Trump and would love for him to lose the election that is now less than a month away. Chances are, not everyone in your life agrees with you.

For Democrats (and anti-Trump Republicans and Independents), it is often difficult to have a conversation with a Trump-revering friend, family member or acquaintance, especially as the election gets closer. As someone who has had some of these painful discussions myself, here are some tips for conversing with a Trump supporter that will allow you to share your opinion and debunk falsehoods in a civil and well-researched manner.

“But Trump has done so much for the economy!”

Under President Barack Obama in 2014, the rate of economic growth was higher than it is now. During the Trump administration, the best quarterly number in terms of growth was 3.8%. In comparison, Obama’s best quarterly number topped out at an average of 5.5%, according to the BBC, so Trump actually just inherited Obama’s economic recovery after the financial crisis of 2008.

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered the largest economic setback in history. One way for Trump to help the economy recover is to help Americans feel safe about wanting to go out and about. But with more cases in the White House than all of New Zealand, it is hard for Americans to believe that the virus is in the past and that it is safe to go out and spend money again.

Biden hopes to ban the manufacture and sale of assaultstyle weapons, but those people that already own such weapons will not have their guns taken away. Biden will offer a “buy back” program for those interested in selling their guns back to the government, if they wish.

“The Democrats believe in socialized medicine.”

While some Democrats believe in a single-payer healthcare plan, similar to those in other major countries like Canada, Biden does not believe in a plan like this. His healthcare plan would not remove any private insurance and would allow anyone who wants to remain on private insurance to do so.

Additionally, a higher number of Americans are uninsured under Trump than Obama.

“Trump is a man of faith.”

Several protests occurred in Washington, D.C. after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. Trump tear gassed the protestors outside the White House and stood in front of a nearby church he never attended and held a Bible, upside down for a photo shoot.

“He used violent means to ask to be escorted across the park into the courtyard of the church,” Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington said to NPR’s Morning Edition on June 2. “He held up his Bible after speaking (an) inflammatory militarized approach to the wounds of our nation.”

“What about the deficit?”

Government spending helps the country, especially in times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important for governments to spend money when it comes to life or death matters like acquiring personal protective equipment or giving Americans stimulus checks. When there are budget surpluses, less money circulates in the economy ­— ­­­ for this reason, many investors actually prefer a deficit.

Secondly, one main way we can reduce the deficit is to cut back on military spending. Trump’s military budget, submitted to Congress in February 2020, is the largest since World War II. Since we are not in World War II, this amount of spending is absurd and merely adds to the deficit.

Thirdly, according to reporting from the New York Times, Trump paid $750 in taxes in 2017. This sort of evasion is not helping the deficit.

In previous interviews, when asked what his favorite Bible verse was, Trump could not come up with one. He has even mocked Vice President Mike Pence for his highly religious stance. According to a piece in U.S. News and World Report, Trump would ask people who just met with Pence, “Did Mike make you pray?”

Biden is a practicing Catholic.

“I am pro-life, so I have to vote for the Republican.”

The notion of pro-life would insinuate that the party you support is anti-death. The “pro-life party” supports several policies that lead to more deaths of human beings than abortions do. Whether you consider the fetus to be a person or not, you cannot ignore the numerous Trump policies that have led to the death of already-born human beings.

In 2017, 15,549 people died from gun violence, according to thetrace.org (in 2016 the National Rifle Association donated nearly $30 million on behalf of the Trump campaign according to Fortune Magazine).

In 2019, 1,099 people were killed by police, according to mappingpoliceviolence.org (Trump opposes police reform).

A catastrophic 8.5% of Americans were uninsured in 2018, which was an increase from the year before. It is estimated that 45,000 people die each year because of a lack of health insurance. USA Today reports that the number of uninsured Americans grew by 2.3 million under Trump.

Over 212,000 people have died of COVID-19 as of Oct. 8.

NPR reported that Trump could have saved an estimated 36,000 lives if he had put social distancing in place just one week earlier.

These are some interesting statistics for someone who claims to be in favor of the living. If you want to be anti-abortion because you care about saving lives, then hold your vote for a candidate who is anti-abortion and also cares about living human beings outside of the womb.

“I am a Proud Boy and a white supremacist.”

Do not engage in conversation with this wing of the Republican Party. To attempt to argue with a racist is to give credence to their opinion and acknowledge it as a valid alternative to anti-racism. Discussing topics like healthcare, abortion and the economy is appropriate.

White supremacists do not deserve one second of your attention. Devote the time you would have taken on this conversation to donate to Black Lives Matter or another organization actively working to push anti-racist policy initiatives.

If your friend is still not sold on your arguments, they may be too far gone.

Something frightening about Trump followers is their slow resistance to accepting the truth as the truth. Don’t get yourself worked up. You tried.

“The Democrats just want to take away our guns.”

Joe Biden has no plans to take away anyone’s guns. However, he does intend to regulate them to help prevent instances like the Sandy Hook and Parkland school shootings that shook the nation and stole innocent lives.

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October 14, 2020

Opinion|5

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Opinion

Midterm mental health check

In an incredibly stressful year, make sure to take a step back and assess yourself

BY MICHAEL SICOLI Associate Opinion Editor

Normally around this time of year, students are nervous about doing well on their exams. They worry about the semester-long projects with suddenly approaching due dates.

Maybe they take a look at their wallet and realize that weekto-week college life can be quite the expense.

All of those factors are still constant in our lives today, but 2020 added many additional hurdles that trip us up. COVID-19 is the glaring one, of course, robbing us of friends and family. Social events were canceled and freedoms were

restricted, and we find ourselves in just as bad a spot as we were several months ago.

The rising issue of climate change is incredibly obvious with California on fire once again. There’s a stressful election on the horizon with our country at the breaking point. Unemployment is still rampant and families are suffering as the country works through the economic depression COVID-19 has caused.

Bringing all of that up is not to add any more stress but rather to emphasize the importance of taking care of your mental health right now. There are a lot of things you can do to feel stable and healthy during what should be the most

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Quinnipiac University students can go to Sleeping Giant State Park to reduce their stress and anxiety.

chaotic semester you will experience.

First things first: take inventory. Recognize what you can control and what you cannot. The things that are out of reach tend to be the most frustrating, but accepting the limitations around you allows for a greater vision and focus. This is incredibly difficult to do given that these limitations are often important or personal. Maybe you bombed a test, or perhaps you are upset that you played poorly in a game. Either way, do your best to realize that it’s in the past and that giving it your all is the best one can ask for.

Another good stress preventative measure is to keep a schedule. Everyone is prone to procrastination and you know what? That’s OK. It’s fine to allow yourself to go deeper and deeper into the water — just don’t let it rise above your head. Being on top of those due dates for the big projects handed out a month ago can go a long way toward aiding your mental health.

Those two tips were more preventative — here are some that help you deal with those stressful moments.

Everyone is told at some point or another that exercise is another great way to ease the stress in life. But at the same time, the gym can be an intimidating arena. Luckily for Quinnipiac University students, we happen to live next to a mountain. Hiking Sleeping Giant State Park has been an invaluable part of my college experience. It’s provided me with the perfect atmosphere to clear my head when I need to. It’s also a great bonding experience with friends, which creates some great memories.

According to a study conducted by researchers at Stanford University, “spending quality time in the great outdoors reduces stress, calms anxiety and can lead to a lower risk of depression.”

I am fully aware that a big cause of stress is a lack of time, whether it’s due to a sudden change in schedule or a lack of scheduling altogether. People think they don’t have time to go for a hike, hit the gym, take a walk. Well, you do — it might just take a shred of that aforementioned scheduling. Every student can find some time to do it, and I assure you that your mental health will thank you for it.

Your mental health should be absolutely paramount, especially throughout a stressful year like 2020 and even more so during midterms. Do what you can to take care of yourself — you deserve it.

Forcing normalcy

Recent COVID-19 surge should remind Quinnipiac students to continue following health protocols

BY NICOLE MCISAAC Copy Editor

Doesn’t it feel great to be back on campus engulfed in classwork, reunited with your roommates and back in your usual element?

Now imagine if all of that gets taken away, once again, because your fellow peers won’t take COVID-19 seriously anymore.

Quinnipiac University has officially moved to a yellow alert level after COVID-19 cases skyrocketed up to 16 positive infections in the past week, with a 0.8% positive testing rate over that span. It brings the positive case numbers up to 21 over the entire semester. Although those students are currently isolating away from the rest of the Quinnipiac population, the rapid increase of cases should immediately spike your concern.

I know what some people are probably thinking: There’s only three positive case on campus out of almost 15,000 tests that were performed, so there’s no need to panic just yet.

That’s where I disagree. Our actions will ultimately have a direct effect on whether we stay on campus or gather our belongings and head back to our hometowns. It’s quite simple: We NEED to follow university guidelines if we want to stay for the remainder of the semester.

Look, I get it. You want your life back. You want your Saturday nights at Toad’s Place. You want to be able to catch up with your friends and live your life to the fullest.

You want a world without COVID-19. But here’s one question I have for you: Do you understand the full consequences that come with forcing life to just go back to normal?

Lives are on the line while being back here in Hamden.

People are putting others’ safety and well-being at risk because they can’t follow new protocols and guidelines.

To put things in perspective, a 19-year-old student at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, died from neuro-

logical complications that stemmed from COVID-19, according to Sheri Everts, the school’s chancellor. Sadly, we need to live our everyday college lives with this story in the back of our minds in order to ensure that this doesn’t happen here.

There are already colleges and universities across the

country that have been in our position before, and regrettably, students are facing the consequences by sitting home in their bedrooms instead of their dorm rooms on campus.

Look at the State University of New York at Oneonta or University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for example, and how students were immediately sent home after cases spiked when they returned for the fall semester. Even K-12 schools in a closer proximity to us, such as Environmental Sciences Magnet School at Mary Hooker in Hartford or Eastern Middle School in Greenwich, found going fully virtual would be the safest option for students and faculty after cases kept rising.

Where did they start off? Exactly in the position that we are in right now — except we have the disposable tool of looking at their mistakes to ensure the same thing doesn’t occur here.

People need to realize just how easy it is to contract the virus and how easy it is to spread it. According to an online article from Web.MD, researchers say that every person who has COVID-19, whether they are asymptomatic or not, will likely go on to infect 2-2.5 people.

Someone can become sick by simply touching a door handle, not wiping down groceries, having a conversation with another person or sharing drinks with others among many other possibilities. This can all simply be avoided though, if everyone in the Quinnipiac community acts smart.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends people wear masks when in public settings and around those who don’t live in the same household as you, while also following proper 6-feet social-distancing guidelines. Masks prevent the spread of respiratory droplets from traveling from one individual to another — conclusively protecting everyone involved from COVID-19.

It’s simple. Social distance, clean your surfaces and belongings, wash your hands frequently, get tested and please, just wear a mask.

GRAPHIC BY CONNOR LAWLESS

6|Student Businesses

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

October 14, 2020 GRAPHIC BY MICHAEL CLEMENT

Introducing Quinnipiac's entrepreneurs Students balance classwork with creativity and consumers

Being a college student is difficult. There are assignments to focus on, extracurriculars to be involved in, jobs to allot time for and social lives to manage, but some students have even more to focus on — owning a business. Here are some businesses run by Quinnipiac University students who followed their passions, while still being a student.

-Jessica Simms, Managing Editor

SEAAV Athletics www.seaav.ca @seaavision McKenna Haz, a junior 3+1 advertising major and a member of the Quinnipiac rugby team, created her business, SEAAV Athletics, as a result of her final business project in one of her entrepreneurship classes, ENT 210, Intro Entrepreneurial Thinking.

“I knew I wanted to combine my passion for athletics with my love for the ocean,” Haz, who is from Vancouver Island, Canada, said. “Living on an island my entire life, I’ve always grown up by the sea. Unfortunately, (there is an) ever-growing single-use plastic pollution problem. I thought, ‘How cool would it be to turn these recycled bottles into something functional I can wear?’”

SEAAV, short for "Sea a Vision Athletics," creates and manufactures ethical and sustainable apparel for “adventurous people,” according to Haz. “We upcycle single-use materials that would otherwise contest landfills or destroy coastal habitats,” Haz said. “From leggings to

Designs by Suzanne @designs_by_suzanne After making and selling her own jewelry in high school, junior occupational therapy (OT) major Suzanne Hall realized her hobby could be something more.

“In my sophomore year of high school, I wanted to find a creative hobby that I could share with other people and one day tried to make jewelry,” Hall said. “I started selling my jewelry to my classmates at school and word spread quickly because so many girls liked my products. I had no idea how successful it would be.”

Her business, Designs by Suzanne, sells homemade necklaces, bracelets, anklets, rings and earrings made from different materials such as tassels, chains, charms and beads.

“I wanted to create jewelry that was affordable and in a style customers would like,” Hall said. “I spend hours searching for the best quality products and materials that are also reasonably priced to create fashionable and trendy merchandise.”

Hall found it difficult to dedicate a lot of time to her business

WaxingCrescent Wax Melts @waxingcrescentmelts Senior OT major Jessica Winstanley recently created her wax melts business, WaxingCrescent Wax Melts, after wanting to find something fun to make.

“I saw a candle maker on Tik Tok,” Winstanley said. “I loved how relaxing it was to watch the wax melt and how beautiful the wax looked when it was formed into different shapes and styles.”

After Winstanley collected all of her materials, she experimented with different fragrances and color styles.

“I had a tragic fail with dye that turned out to be for soap, not candles,” Winstanley said.

When she was pleased with her products, she set up her Etsy shop and started advertising on Instagram. When starting her business, Winstanley used her personal Instagram account for

sports bras, everything in our collection has post-consumer water bottles spun into each piece.”

SEAAV started out as a “passion project” for Haz. “When I wasn’t at practice or doing school work, I’d be creating my website and doing design work on the side,” Haz said.

The company officially launched this year on Feb. 29, right before the COVID-19 pandemic. Haz said that SEAAV products have been sold in over 10 different countries, and it has approximately 150 ambassadors from around the world.

“We have gotten orders pretty much every day on our online store since we launched,” Haz stated in a direct message. “We have partnered with boutiques/yoga studios in New York City, New Jersey, California, Florida, Connecticut and Boston.”

According to Haz, SEAAV’s first collection diverted over 68,000 recycled water bottles from entering landfills into apparel and has ordered its second collection that will launch in the spring.

In the future, Haz hopes to continue to make a difference and expand the business.

“My future goal is to have multiple collections, participate in ocean cleanups all around the world and divert millions of post consumer single-use plastics into our products,” Haz said.

All SEAAV athletic wear is made using water bottles.

until the pandemic hit, so in April, she started selling jewelry on her Instagram page.

“I created my Instagram account with pictures of some of my inventory,” Hall said. “Now I have nearly 3,000 followers.

Many of my friends from school encouraged me to create an Etsy page so I could have my business on another platform.”

According to Hall, she has made about 130 sales on Etsy, an e-commerce website that focuses on handmade, vintage and craft items, and hundreds others through Instagram and word of mouth. Other organizations have reached out through Instagram to do giveaways.

“I also teamed up with organizations such as Penn State Alpha Delta Pi, Quinnipiac Circle of Sisterhood and Quinnipiac Tri Delta to help fundraise for their charities,” Hall said.

Eventually, Hall hopes to expand and sell in local stores and continue to fundraise with organizations. She also hopes to “have workshops to show younger girls how to make their own jewelry.”

“What started as a hobby for me and a way to make a little extra money as a teenager became a small business that I’m proud of,” Hall said. “... This has all been a life experience and lessons that I will be able to use when dealing with OT patients or if I ever start my own practice someday.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Suzanne Hall started selling jewlery on her Instagram account.

her promotions, but recently, she created a business instagram account, @waxingcrescentmelts.

Winstanley uses soy wax, liquid candle dye and fragrance oils to make her melts that will be used in wax melters. She offers two different shapes — dinosaurs and cacti/succulents — and two colors — purple and green. Her two offered scents are strawberry and sage-citrus.

Since recently starting her business, Winstanley has made a handful of sales, mostly to people on campus. She just about broke even on her return on investment, meaning she made up what she spent on supplies through her business’s profit.

“I would love to have more people find my business and get the chance to enjoy my products,” Winstanley said. “I love making these wax melts and want to spread that love to others.”

Winstanley said that students living on campus can order her wax melts through Instagram and those living off campus can order through her Etsy shop.

“Candle wax melts are relaxing, smell delicious and add great ambiance to a room,” Winstanley said. “I hope people will see the joy and love I put into this craft.”

Jessica Winstanley's inpsiration for her wax melt business came from Tik Tok.

PHOTO FROM INSTAGRAM

PHOTO FROM INSTAGRAM

PHOTO FROM INSTAGRAM

October 14. 2020

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Student Businesses|7

Kaloukian Calligraphy @kaloukian_calligraphy

COURTESY OF MEGAN KALOUKIAN

Over the summer, Megan Kaloukian opened up a sticker shop.

COURTESY OF MEGAN KALOUKIAN

Megan Kaloukian started her business when she was in high school and continued it in college.

Art has always been a huge part of senior physical therapy major Megan Kaloukian's life, so she eventually decided to make something more out of it.

“I’ve been passionate about art since I was little and I used to take art classes every week after school in addition to normal schooling,” Kaloukian said. “When I was in elementary school, one of the units we did in class was on

calligraphy and I remember immediately loving it.”

In high school, Kaloukian rediscovered this love and created an Instagram page to showcase her work. Eventually, she turned this into a business — Kaloukian Calligraphy.

“I began doing wedding calligraphy and making custom calligraphy-related gifts for clients,” Kaloukian said.

Kaloukian took this business a step further during quarantine and opened up a sticker shop on July 2.

“I spent weeks coming up with unique designs, researching how to cut stickers with a special machine and gathering up all of the materials I needed,” Kaloukian said. “The night before the launch, I stayed up all night printing hundreds of stickers.”

Since July 6, Kaloukian has made over $1,600 in sales from her sticker shop and $700 from calligraphy-related work.

“I’ve made wedding signs and decor, designed tattoos, created custom stickers for other businesses,” Kaloukian said. “... I have a wedding booked for May 2021, and I’ll be making table numbers, invitations and a seating chart … I am currently working on more large-scale projects with other companies.”

Along with those products, Kaloukian realized that by owning a business, she has a responsibility to help shed light on issues

COURTESY OF MEGAN KALOUKIAN

Megan Kaloukian has a wedding booked for May 2021 that she will make table numbers and invitiations for.

going on in the world. She has sticker designs that are donated to certain organizations.

“I have ‘Black Lives Matter’ stickers that will be donated to a BLM fund as well as many Armenian-themed stickers that’s profits are all being donated to help rebuild Armenia’s border villages,” Kaloukian said. “We’ve raised over $500 in just a few weeks for these charities, and I’m so happy I can help make a difference.”

Scrunchies by Katie @scrunchiesbykatie

PHOTO FROM INSTAGRAM

Katie Dansereau is consdering expanding her srunchie business to include masks, but for now her focus is on schoolwork.

Katie Dansereau, a senior 3+1 media studies major, owns Scrunchies by Katie, a business that sells homemade scrunchies and headwraps.

Dansereau created this business after she tried sewing. It officially launched in July 2019.

“I was trying to learn how to sew, and I started with easier tasks like making scrunchies,” Dansereau said. “Over the summer, I decided to try and sell scrunchies for some extra cash and to use up some of the fabric I had.”

According to Dansereau, most of her customers are from her hometown, Cromwell, Connecticut, but she also has received support from Quinnipiac students. She’s also collaborated with Club Hole in the Wall.

“We sold scrunchies in the student center and a third of the profits went to a camp benefiting terminally ill children,” Dansereau said.

As of now, Dansereau’s main focus is on her schoolwork, but she is considering working with new materials and making masks.

In March, Dansereau made masks and gave them to customers for free to help keep them safe amid the pandemic.

“I would definitely consider restarting selling masks when thinking of the state of our country right now,” Dansereau said.

People interested in buying a product from Scrunchies

by Katie should message her on the business’s Instagram account, @scrunchiesbykatie.

Bulldog Beading @bulldog_beading Jazmyn Illes-Rivera, a senior health science studies major, launched her business after she found a love for beading.

“When I was a kid, my aunt gave me all of her old beading supplies, and I recently found them all in my basement and started to pick it up again,” Illes-Rivera said. “After realizing that I really enjoyed it, I decided to open an Etsy shop.”

Her business, Bulldog Beading, which is named after her American bulldog, opened up on Etsy in July, but Illes-Rivera has been making her products since last fall. According to IllesRivera, the pandemic helped her with her business as she had more free time.

“A lot of my first sales were from family and friends, which was nice for the support, but I needed to get out there to people I didn’t know,” Illes-Rivera said.

Illes-Rivera started to advertise on Instagram and Facebook more to reach a new audience and has since been averaging two sales a week. She spent time taking photos of her products and buying a mini scale and bubble mailers for the shipping process.

Jazmyn Illes-Rivera advertises on social media and averages about two sales per week In the future, Illes-Rivera is hoping to participate in craft shows and help with fundraisers for organizations by donating a percentage of her business’s earnings.

“For me, this has been an awesome opportunity to express

PHOTOS FROM ETSY

some creativity, occupy time and even make some extra money while I’m in college,” Illes-Rivera said. “I can’t wait to see how it takes off in the future.”

8|Arts and Life

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

October 14. 2020

Arts & Life

QUCHRONICLE.COM/ARTS-AND-LIFE ARTSLIFE@QUCHRONICLE.COM PHOTOS FROM TWITTER

M anaging Mental Health

No matter how you are feeling, there's a podcast for you

By KELSEY PAUL Staff Writer

Midterms week happened to align with Mental Illness Awareness week (sometimes dubbed Mental Health week) this year, which ran from Sunday, Oct. 4, to Saturday, Oct. 10. It’s safe to say that tensions are heightened right now — so what better time than now to find a resource to help you unwind and de-stress?

Oct. 10, is dedicated as World Mental Health Day, and with the pandemic and the upcoming election this year, it is particularly important to check in with your emotions.

Before COVID-19, college students were already facing many mental health struggles. According to a study carried out by the American Psychological Association, anxiety affects over 41.6% of college students, while depression afflicts 36.4% of the same group.

“Ten Percent Happier” In this podcast, ABC news anchor Dan Harris shares his experiences with anxiety based on the time he had a panic attack live on “Good Morning America.” Exploring the concept of happiness, he discusses the powers of meditation for the mind and putting the past behind you. This is a great podcast to listen to if you are interested in the psychology of “training the mind.”

“Tiny Leaps, Big Changes” It’s challenging enough navigating college through a hybridlearning model, never mind the fact that it becomes increasingly difficult to visit friends and family because of the pandemic. This can take a serious toll on your overall well-being, and it can even affect your academic performance as well.

It’s essential to take some time to focus on de-stressing and balancing the mind. Podcasts, which are widely available on multiple platforms and are easy to take in, are a relaxing and stress-free way to learn more about mental health. Here are some podcasts focused on various areas of mental health that I found helpful, and that I hope will help you, too.

Host Gregg Clunis talks about day-to-day behaviors and how they affect our mental health and personal growth in this podcast. The episodes explore strategies for viewing the “little things” you do every day as “tiny leaps” that actually produce “big changes” in pursuit of our long-term goals.

“The OCD Stories” With host Stuart Ralph, this podcast includes over 240 episodes documenting various experiences with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) from listeners who sent in personal stories. In addition, he interviews medical professionals to educate the audience about how to treat and overcome OCD slowly but surely.

“Just Eat Normally” This podcast, hosted by Dr. Rachel Evans, focuses on the challenges presented by eating disorders and how to clear these obstacles in a healthy way. The National Eating Disorders Association reports that over two-thirds of people between ages 18-24 treated for eating disorders, on average, showed signs of concurrent mood disorders previously (such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, OCD or substance abuse disorders). In short, college-aged students are affected greatly by eating disorders. In this podcast, Evans speaks with eating disorder survivors, shares their inspiring stories and additionally provides advice for those seeking to shift their mindset and develop a new idea of what “normal eating” is.

“ADHD reWired” This podcast, which focuses on the challenges AttentionDeficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) presents, is especially helpful for those who are seeking to learn strategies about how to maintain control and focus during difficult situations. It is also useful for those who are simply looking to create better habits in terms of productivity, as well as suggestions for balancing work, school and relationships.

“Hurry Slowly”

“Terrible, Thanks for Asking” Hosted by Nora McInerny, author of multiple mental healthoriented books, this podcast makes light of the usual, “How are you?” answer many of us give without a second thought: “I’m fine.” It also discusses breaking the stigma around bottling up our emotions and learning how to deal with the discomfort of opening up to someone. If you’re looking for some top-notch advice about openly talking about common, everyday struggles combined with humor, check this one out.

The title may sound paradoxical, but the message is essential.

For many, some stressors can cause a feeling of needing to work quickly in order to fulfill all obligations, especially if someone has overcommitted. In this podcast, host Jocelyn K. Glei creates new ideas for navigating life at a slower pace in order to become more resilient and productive. If you want some advice on how to meet your goals as well as how to budget your time for mental breaks, this is a podcast you should look into.

“Happier” Hosted by Gretchen Rubin, author of the 2009 bestselling novel “The Happiness Project,” this podcast dives into healthy habits to adopt in order to maintain positivity. Recognizing that happiness is not always easily achieved, Rubin discusses tips, tricks and changes you can make in your everyday life to boost morale in these episodes.

“The Mindset Mentor” The mindset you attain has a powerful influence on your personal growth. In this podcast, host Rob Dial gives suggestions for improving your mindset and how to find motivation to be the “best version of yourself.” It also covers methods to overcome unconscious limitations that hold us back.

Even if it’s only for a few minutes a day, remember to take some time to focus on your well-being — maybe even check out one of these podcasts, all of which are available on the predownloaded Podcasts app on iPhones or on Spotify. Finding mental balance amid stressful times should be a priority, and advocating for openness about mental health brings us one step closer to breaking the stigma around mental health struggles.

October 14, 2020

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Arts and Life|9

Real RepresentatIon LGBTQ Quinnipiac students see themselves in all forms of media

By ASHLEY PELLETIER

Associate Arts and Life Editor

In 1997, Ellen DeGeneres and her sitcom character, Ellen Morgan, came out as lesbian. Morgan was the first openly LGBTQ main character in a television show. Since then, the LGBTQ community's representation has grown and acquired a positive connotation.

According to the the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), 23 years later, roughly 10% of regular characters in current television shows identify with the LGBTQ community. About 18% of films released in 2018 featured at least one LGBTQ person and several authors have written books about LGBTQ characters.

In 2020, with one out of three LGBTQ Americans facing some form of discrimination (which increases to three out of five transgender Americans), according to American Progress, good representation in the media is more important than ever.

While there are several archetypes that the media uses to portray the LGBTQ community, President of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) and senior psychology major Athena Cuttle said the best representation comes from characters who are more than their sexuality.

“I mean in the past, if you watched older TV shows, it was very stereotypical LGBT(Q) representation, and it was almost like a slap in the face to see some of the representation they were showing,” Cuttle said. “It just put the community down, which wasn’t ideal. Now, they’re starting to make it a little bit more normalized, which is nice.”

One show in particular that Cuttle thinks helped normalize the LGBTQ community was the show “Queer Eye.” The show initially ran from 2003-2007, with a group of five gay men doing makeovers on other men, who mostly identified as straight.

Netflix rebooted the show in 2018 with a new “Fab Five.”

Cuttle also recommended one documentary to help people educate themselves on the LGBTQ movement, “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson.” Marsha P. Johnson was a Black transgender woman who was at the forefront of the New York City LGBTQ movement and the Stonewall riots. In 1992, she was found dead in the Hudson River. This documentary explores the independent investigation of her death and the legacy she left behind.

The riots began when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village, in June 1969. For six days, protests, demonstrations and brawls ensued. This uprising is one of the main ignition points for the LGBTQ liberation movement.

If nonfiction media is not really your style, another show with great LGBTQ representation is “Sex Education” on Netflix. One character in particular, Eric Effiong, played by Ncuti Gatwa, is an example of a well-rounded gay character.

Despite Effiong’s character featuring some hallmarks of a stereotypical gay man, he is far more than his sexuality. One of his major plot arcs surrounds his lack of talent in playing the french horn, which he loves.

It is important to note that LGBTQ representation goes far beyond the United Kingdom and the United States. Mary Vidallon, a junior nursing major, recommended the South Korean film “The Handmaiden.”

PHOTOS FROM NETFLIX

Marsha P. Johnson was a Black transgender woman who spearheaded the New York City LGBTQ movement.

“I feel like the writers put great care in their characters’ development,” Vidallon said. “Any piece of media that puts in a conscious effort in the creation of the world and how their characters interact (with it), results in a well-rounded story.”

She also recommended the book “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

It is a coming-of-age novel about two teenage boys as they overcome repression and come to terms with their sexualities.

Another novel that features a complex LGBTQ character is “Symptoms of Being Human” by Jeff Garvin. The book is about Riley Kavanaugh, the gender-fluid child of a conservative politician. Kavanaugh vents about their struggle with their gender identity on a Tumblr-esque blog. When the blog gains a sudden following, Kavanaugh realizes that they have more power than they thought.

“Symptoms of Being Human” handles tough topics such as suicide, so not all readers may enjoy it. However, it has a complex and realistic portrayal of the gender-fluid experience.

Overall, it is a story of acceptance and connection with others.

All of these forms of media representation have aided in the acceptance of the LGBTQ community into society. However, it is important to remember the struggle that it took to get to this point.

Members of the LGBTQ community have faced discrimination, violence and murder for loving in a divergent way.

PHOTO FROM NETFLIX

Eric Effiong is a gay character that is portryaed with more depth than some other LGBTQ characters in mainstream media.

Although it has been 51 years since the Stonewall Inn riots, violent acts against members of the LGBTQ community continue. One example of such atrocities was the murder of Matthew Shepard. The documentary “Matthew Shepard was a Friend of Mine” explores Shepard’s life through the memories of his friends and family.

Organizations such as GLAAD are dedicated to ensuring that acceptance of the LGBTQ community continues to progress.

Each year, GLAAD conducts studies recording LGBTQ presence in the media. According to its website, it also gives out awards to “fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and the issues that affect their lives.”

There are about 10 million members of the LGBTQ community in the U.S. alone. Chances are, you know one yourself. Good and fair representation is vital to the acceptance of them both in the U.S. and across the world.

“Having LGBTQ characters become part of nuanced processes and stories can be a validating and self-affirming experience to the LGBTQ community,” Vidallon said. “With every piece of media including LGBTQ characters that wholly represent the diversity and range in artistry in the community, more people can understand and even find connections to LGBTQ people.”

ASHLEY PELLETIER/CHRONICLE

Understanding the Stonewall riots, which occured in New York at the Stonewall Inn, is crucial to understanding LGBTQ history.

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

10|Sports

October 14, 2020

Women in sports media

Robyn Brown and Naomi Grey are two Quinnipiac graduates who have flourished while facing unique challenges

By TOYLOY BROWN III Opinion Editor

Women in sports media often have the dual challenge of doing the work that is expected of any journalist as well as the tension that comes from being a female sports reporter in a maledominated industry. That has been a major aspect in the careers of Quinnipiac graduates Robyn Brown and Naomi Grey.

It is not uncommon for people who decide to pursue sports journalism to have played sports themselves growing up. That is certainly the case for Brown.

“I actually was the first born and felt like my dad wanted a boy so the first sport I ever played was baseball,” said Brown.

“That’s what he loved. He didn’t care that he had a girl. She was going to play baseball.”

Her passion for sports led her to play college basketball at the University of Mount Union in Ohio, she but knew her next chapter was in sports journalism.

Grey was also involved in athletics growing up. She turned that passion for sports into a career in sports media.

Both Brown and Grey earned a Master’s of Science in sports journalism at Quinnipiac. Grey felt she needed more education since the undergraduate program at Brooklyn College did not have a sports division.

“They didn’t have any type of sports focus so every time I was given an assignment, I went out (of) my way to try and turn it into a sports story,” Grey said. “I kind of taught myself sports journalism for four years. By the time I graduated, I felt like I still needed more, so I found out about the one-year master’s degree program at Quinnipiac, and I jumped all over it right away because a short 365 days just to focus on sports journalism is something I definitely needed to kickstart my career.”

Similarly, Brown couldn’t resist the educational offerings Quinnipiac had for those interested in a master’s in sports journalism. Both would quickly realize that not only would they receive the necessary education but also, a network of people that could provide opportunities that directly assisted their professional endeavours.

Brown’s first job search was a bit tumultuous. She initially wanted to intern with the Washington Mystics of the WNBA. But, after six months of interviews, nothing materialized. She was able to get her foot in the door when her advisor provided an important phone number.

“We were coming up on summer, I didn’t have anything locked down and Molly Yanity was my advisor and I was just saying ‘I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do,’ and she said ‘I know a woman, take this phone call and see what comes up from it,’” Brown said. “The woman on the other end of the line happened to be the vice president of the Connecticut Sun.”

Quinnipiac alumna Naomi Grey attributes her success as a reporter to her time at Quinnipiac.

After a 30-minute phone call and an exchange of video reels showing her work from student organizations, like Q30, the school’s main news TV outlet, and QBSN, she earned a sideline reporting internship with Connecticut’s WNBA team.

The job would later turn into a career as the team reporter and marketing coordinator.

Yanity, an associate professor of journalism and the director of the sports journalism master’s program, was instrumental as an advisor to Brown who needed help landing her first job after graduating.

“The role of the professor is ... kind of twofold,” Yanity said. “On one hand, we have skills and theories we need to teach. And on the other, you’re a mentor and an advisor.

They’re both truly important roles.”

Brown is also the reporter for the New England Black

Racial and gender report card

For 75 sports desks from across the nation by the Associated Press Sports Editors

B+

Racial diversity

D+

Racial and gender diversity combined

F

Gender equity GRAPHIC BY CONNOR LAWLESS

COURTESY OF NAOMI GREY

Wolves of the National Lacrosse League and most recently went into the WNBA bubble, nicknamed the “Wubble,” in Bradenton, Florida, for the Sun’s regular and postseason. In the Wubble, she was one of a small number of content producers allowed and the only member on the campus for her team. That said, she took on more responsibilities. “(For the Sun) I was our videographer, I was our photographer, I ran point on pretty much any ounce of media that took place inside of the Wubble,” Brown said. “I filled ice baths, it was kind of a little bit of everything just to make the season happen.”

Brown credits much of her success thus far in her career to Quinnipiac, specifically its clubs and professors.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the reason I got my job is because of Q30, and I will go to the grave saying that,” Brown said.

Professors like communications professor Barry Sacks were equally influential in Brown’s education as well as her confidence as a reporter.

“Barry changed my life,” Brown said. “I almost feel like he’s an uncle to be honest. Aside from my teacher, he was my first ever producer because he was also the game time producer for the Connecticut Sun.” Once when she was more anxious than usual prior to a Sun game, Sacks managed to assist her by explaining why he was encouraged that she was nervous.

“He could see that I was kind of freaking out,” Brown said. “He goes ‘I’m glad you’re nervous because that lets me know that you care. If you weren’t nervous that would mean that you didn’t care.’”

Although Brown and Grey have carved a niche for themselves as female sports reporters, the reality is that there are still challenges that exist such as the added pressure of being a woman in sports media.

“I think all women in this industry enter this industry with an automatic chip on their shoulder because they know that men are going to look at them and expect the least from them unfortunately,” Grey said. “There are men in this industry that look at us and question our abilities.”

The tendency to doubt women in sports media is because of the stereotype that they generally do not understand sports. When Yanity was a sports writer who covered college football, the NFL and MLB, she had experiences of men testing her knowledge. She would be asked things like what team Barry Bonds played before the San Francisco Giants. This aspect of challenging a woman’s sports knowledge is significant for Grey. Men have asked questions like who won the 1965 Super Bowl.

She believes that these frivolous tests of her knowledge do not diminish her talent and ability as a sports journalist. She knows that for the past six or seven years, she has dedicated her entire life to knowing sports, citing she had to teach herself everything about all the popular American sports.

Brown also notices that a female reporter’s appearance is analyzed to a greater extent than their male counterparts. She understands how it is natural to take in account someone’s looks but said it should not take the foreground and leave knowledge and ability in the background.

“I think people put these limitations where you want to be beautiful but not too beautiful and look professional but See SPORTS MEDIA Page 11

October 14, 2020

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

Sports|11

Grey: ‘I think all women in this industry enter this industry with a chip on their shoulder’

COURTESY OF ROBYN BROWN

Quinnipiac University alumna Robyn Brown was a major contributor for the Connecticut Sun in the Wubble.

SPORTS MEDIA from Page 10 not too over the top professional,” Brown said. “It’s like, what’s that happy medium? I think the best thing women can do is to be overprepared. Know that you are valuable and that the subject that you’re covering and the story that you’re telling matters.”

Yanity stresses to all her students that the industry isn’t easy and for women in the field, there are going to be challenges.

And because of the advent of social media, there are more places for women to receive criticism.

“I try to be realistic about the business with all my students,” Yanity said. “The job market is very competitive. And for women, they do need to be ready for an onslaught of criticism about their looks and a healthy dose of skepticism about their knowledge. They just have to work that much harder.”

Yanity realized that when she left full-time sports reporting in 2009, Twitter was still in its relative infancy, and is where many women in the field face criticism.

“I never had to deal with the social media onslaught that I know women in the field right now do have to deal with,” Yanity said. “And it is brutal, and I don’t think there is any amount of preparation that can really get you completely ready for that.”

Because part of Brown’s job is to present in front of a camera, she receives some unflattering messages on social media.

“I probably will not show my (direct messages) to a lot of people because I do get a lot of not kind messages,” Brown said. “They only see my appearance so I try to filter those and so I’m not looking at what messages are coming in. I can’t imagine what Maria Taylor receives daily compared to little ol’ me and what I receive on some game nights.”

As a reporter and producer for the FOX and NBC affiliate in Rochester, Minnesota, Grey was heavily involved in covering the city’s local sports and spent time covering the Minnesota Vikings in a beat reporter capacity.

Although Grey is fortunate not to have any notable experiences receiving hate on social media, she agrees that there is a greater burden on women to look a certain way to satisfy viewers as well as their employers.

“Some days I don’t want to walk into the office with a tight dress on and heels,” Grey said. “That’s uncomfortable for me and would be uncomfortable for anybody. God forbid I was shooting a game and not looking the best, people are going to give me an extra look. There definitely is a heightened level of expectations for females, and I would love for that to eventually to dim down a little.”

At Grey’s first job, there was a no v-neck shirt policy for women and she disagreed with that policy.

“If I feel like I look professional still and the majority of people feel that I look professional, I’m not changing my clothes,” Grey said. “Your eyes should not be at the v-neck at my shirt, it should be on my face, listening to what I am saying.”

Now, as a job hunter, she is even more conscious of the absence of diversity in the workplace.

“Sometimes I do look at these newsrooms and I see the lack of culture, the lack of diversity and personally it makes me feel like — is there a place for me in this newsroom because there is nobody else who looks like me?” Grey said. “Are they willing to take someone who looks like me, or is there a certain standard they have quietly?”

As a Black woman, Grey is cognizant of how her race and gender are not the predominant makeup of most TV stations, newsrooms and media outlets. Sports desks at the nation’s top 75 newspapers and online news sites earned a “D+” grade for gender and racial diversity combined, according to the 2019 Racial and Gender Report Card, commissioned by the Associ-

ated Press Sports Editors.

“That is something I battle with a lot now that I am in the job search because there is a lack of diversity,” Grey said.

“You go to a job and see 100 men and no women at all, you’re going to think ‘Should I work here, am I able to work here?’

If I look in the newsroom and there is nothing but non-Black people, I’m going to feel like ‘Hey they’re not going to hire me, so should I even waste my time in trying to apply?’”

Yanity knows how stressful it can be for a young female reporter looking for a job when the COVID-19 pandemic has made openings for positions scarce and diversity is already a prevalent issue. However, she feels that Grey is not in a bad place.

“On one hand that makes me worried for everybody, but the thing is that I also think on the other side of that we’re really in this national awakening of how important diversity is,” Yanity said. “We’re seeing we need more voices in a newsroom, and that we can’t just keep hiring the white dude. And Naomi’s in a really good place as a Black woman who really knows what she’s doing, she can bring in all kinds of diversity especially to a sports newsroom. The jobs right now that are available are going to be seeking diversity because that’s what the nation is screaming for right now.”

Being a female sports reporter presents unique challenges that men and those outside of the field will never fully comprehend. For Brown, she knows that self belief is what is necessary for her and other women who are hopeful of breaking into the industry.

“If you don’t believe in you, how will you be able to convince someone else to believe in you?” Brown asked.

Grey seconded that notion and knows that nothing could have fully prepared her for the challenging moments she faces because of her identity. From being asked about her looks and her knowledge ad nauseam, she knows that through her commitment and confidence she can prosper.

“I think the only way to get through this industry is by motivating yourself and not giving up on yourself,” Grey said.

“Always look at the light of the end of the tunnel because it gets dark, so dark in between but you have to just keep thinking about what got you here, and ask ‘Why not you?’”

When Yanity was asked why Brown and Grey have reached such success, her response was simple.

“They’re driven and focused, and they were willing to sacrifice,” Yanity said. “Naomi moved to Rochester, Minnesota.

Robyn just spent three months in Bradenton, Florida, without getting to see people. When you’re driven, you make sacrifices, and they’re doing that and they are succeeding. I’m super proud of both of them.”

Naomi Grey is a former reporter for the FOX and ABC affiliate in Rochester, Minnesota.

COURTESY OF NAOMI GREY

12|Sports

The Quinnipiac Chronicle

October 14, 2020

Sports

@QUCHRONSPORTS

Walk-on wonder COURTESY OF QU ATHLETICS

Destiny Henry embodies what it means to play larger than your size QUINTON HAMILTON Contributing Writer

After touring Quinnipiac University, the decision to come was almost a no-brainer.

Senior scrum half Destiny Henry fell in love with the campus and the rugby program. As a Tennessean and avid hiker, having Sleeping Giant State Park in the background was just icing on the cake.

“It popped up and then I saw an opportunity,” Henry said. “I emailed (Quinnipiac rugby head) coach (Becky) Carlson and things just kind of fell in place and I was like, ‘I think this is just where I’m supposed to be.’”

Henry arrived on campus as a walk-on standing 5-foot-3-inches tall. Despite her frame, she immediately impressed coaches.

“She came in and our strength and conditioning coach was like pound-for-pound, Dez is the strongest person coming in as a first-year,” Carlson said.

Henry came into the program surrounded by All-Americans and helped the team claim its most recent national championship in 2017. She’s seen everything in her time here at Quinnipiac from a position change — moving from wing to scrum half — to earning her scholarship and new role as a leader. Her four years have been a learning experience as she gained more knowledge of the program and was asked to step out of her comfort zone.

“It’s definitely been a growing process,” Henry said. “(It’s) had ups and downs, but I wouldn’t be able to be the leader I am if I didn’t have the leaders that were before me.

My upperclassmen helped me out my freshman year, and I think that’s what I’m trying to do this year.

“I just think I’ve gotten more comfortable with being able to step up into a role and trust that I know what I’m doing and I know what needs to be done and be able to communicate that with my teammates.”

Her stats aren’t outstanding, but she plays one of the most important positions on the field.

“The scrum half, offensively, is literally involved in ev-

PHOTO COURTESY OF QU ATHLETICS

ery single play,” Carlson said. “She has a vital role and the skill to kind of control the game and be the link between the forwards and the backs and work with the fly half and the eight man in the pack and that’s what her role is.”

Henry is a leader both on the field and in the classroom.

As a 3+1 business major, she is working toward earning her Master of Business Administration (MBA) this year in addition to practicing with her teammates. Last season in her final year of undergraduate studies, Henry was one of nine Quinnipiac players to earn National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) All-Academic honors.

“I think being selected for that team was a really big accomplishment for me because I was like, ‘Alright, the work I’m doing off the field that’s not rugby related is still being recognized and especially with my program and stuff,’” Henry said. “To have that reassurance I’m doing well in a program that is challenging with the environment I’m already in, it’s just something that gives you a confidence boost when you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m slammed with work, what am I doing,’ you’re like ‘Well we’ve done this before, we got it.’”

COVID-19 has affected student athletes around the country, and the Quinnipiac women’s rugby team is no exception.

The team usually plays games in the fall and while it is able to practice, the season has been suspended. As it stands, this means Henry and her classmates will not compete in their senior season.

Henry looked at this unfortunate situation in a way that only she could. She took a lesson from James Kerr’s “Legacy,” a book about the New Zealand national rugby team, and applied it to her life. She made it a point to foster the next generation of Quinnipiac student-athletes so they too can experience what a national championship feels like, even if she may never be part of it.

“It was really awesome to see that, and that’s not something that you see out of a first-year or second-year,” Carlson said.

“That’s something that you see out of someone who has given their evolution a lot of thought.”