OCTOBER 9, 2019 • VOLUME 90 • ISSUE 7
The official student newspaper of Quinnipiac University since 1929
OPINION: QU DINING IMPROVEMENTS P. 5
ARTS & LIFE: PARENTS AND FAMILY WEEKENDP. 6
SPORTS: MURPHY’S LAW P. 10
Checking in
October kicks off with a motivational speaker and Fresh Check Day By WILLIAM GAVIN AND ALYSSA NAUMANN
Midterms are approaching, classes are getting harder and the air is getting colder. For some college students, this is a time when homesickness is setting in, as well as stress or depression. The week of Oct. 7 through Oct. 11, is Mental Health Awareness Week and with this in mind, Student Health Services at Quinnipiac hosted an inspirational speaker and a Fresh Check Day to help students check in with themselves and ensure they start the second half of the semester on the right foot.
JORDAN BURNHAM Emotions ran high, and all was quiet, as the young man spoke. “If I can’t make anyone happy, what’s the point of being here?” he said. “That was the night I attempted suicide by jumping out my nine-story window.” Jordan Burnham is a motivational speaker from the organization “Minding Your Mind.” He spoke to Quinnipiac students on Oct. 3, about mental health, depression and suicide. Burnham’s mission is to open up dialogue and educate students about mental health and encourage them to speak up about their own issues. “Even though one in four college students will suffer from a mental health disorder, a lot of them won’t seek help, won’t seek treatment,” Burnham said. Burnham was among those who didn’t actively seek professional help, relying on his older sister to be his “rock” throughout his youth. However, when his sister went off to college Burnham found that he was alone and seemingly without anyone to turn to, not even his parents or friends.
Burnham was forced to move twice as a young child as a result of his father applying for, and receiving, positions at different high schools in different parts of Pennsylvania. At these new schools, he said he was treated harshly, not only because of his status as “the new kid”, but also because he didn’t talk or act like the other kids did. Without his older sister, his only confidant, Burnham said he began bottling up his feelings and beginning his descent into depression. Burnham continued his story, illustrating his struggles with opening up to, and seeing, his therapist, his first suicide attempt which launced him into months of counseling in a behavioral hospital and his eventual diagnosis with depression. He recounted his struggles with trusting his therapist how he “lied to her to get out of her office as quickly as possible” and how he doubted that a female adult could understand the thoughts and actions of a young sixteen year old male. In addition to these problems, Burnham said he faced common problems that many teenagers face: keeping up with an older sibling, making his parents proud, struggling with grades and having issues with friends or significant others. However, Burnham didn’t only struggle with suicidal thoughts, but also a dependency on alcohol. His use of alcohol got him in trouble multiple times with the police, his family and his school, and was the inciting factor that lead to his second and more serious suicide attempt — when he jumped nine stories out of the window in his bedroom. Burnham stressed how mental health is a widespread issue and healing is an ongoing commitment that must be worked on. He referenced the numerous sessions of therapy he has had throughout the aftermath of his suicide attempt, as well as the addiction to substances like alcohol
ALYSSA NAUMANN/CHRONICLE
Fresh Check Day included many booths for students to explore wellness and mental health awareness. or anti-depressant pills. Burnham ended the night by answering questions from the audience and giving advice on how to best help friends that are suffering from mental illness by helping them find ways to cope and opening up about his own issues with alcohol abuse. “I honestly felt like it was really beautiful, as in a lot of people go through and they don’t talk about it [depression],” Gabriella Vitelli, a sophomore who attended the presentation, said. “And knowing family members and friends in high school who’ve gone through situations like this, just seeing how he has coped with it and comparing these stories and knowing it’s a reality, it’s something going in everyone’s lives.”
FRESH CHECK DAY Quinnipiac hosted its fourth Fresh Check Day on Monday, Oct. 6, where students had the opportunity to check-in with their emotions and mental health. The Jordan Porco Foundation created Fresh Check Day on college campuses as a way for students to engage in an open dialogue about mental health. The mission of the Jordan Porco Foundation is to prevent suicide and promote mental health. “We’re all going to have some type of stress, we’re all going to have some emotions that don’t See FRESH CHECK Page 2
Triple trouble
EEE outbreak forces Quinnipiac officials to take action
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Quinnipiac University is taking precautions against a type of mosquito virus that causes more than an itch. “It’s a virus that is spread through mosquitoes primarily in the eastern portion of the United States.” Christy Chase, director of Student Health Services, said. “There’s no vaccine for it, and there’s no treatment for it because it’s a virus.” The virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), affects the central nervous system. It can cause symptoms such as high fevers, joint pains and seizures. The mortality rate of people who contract the virus is 33%, due to the brain damage it can cause. Chase reassured the students at Quinnipiac, despite these facts. “The majority of people who are infected will not become ill,” Chase said. “Also, I think it’s important to note that there have been no confirmed cases in humans in this area.” According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there are three to 15 cases per year of EEE. These mosquitoes carry the disease after getting infected by feeding on birds that have EEE. This mosquito species typically feed on birds and horses, not humans. The chance of infection is small — just 5% if a person gets bit —
but if it does occur, it is very serious. “The things to look for are confusion, tremors, comatose-like symptoms,” Chase said. “And at that point, that’s the encephalitis — that’s the inflammation of the brain. If they can’t control it, it can become fatal.” Risk factors for the disease include being over the age of 50, and under the age of 15, as well as living in swampy environments. The mosquito that carries the virus is typically found in the Great Lakes and in southern Florida. The prime time that this mosquito causes infection is from July to early October. Even though the prime season is almost over, a bird that had EEE was found in the town of Bethany, 15 minutes from Quinnipiac. Once this was discovered, Quinnipiac health faculty took certain measures to keep the students safe. “Last Friday, we worked with members from the emergency management team, and our medical director, and came up with the guidelines in the email that came through,” Chase said. “It recommended long sleeves, long pants, socks. Making sure screens are in order. We purchased quite a bit of bug repellent, and we have that available in the health center and I know facilities turned off the sprinkler systems because standing water
Staff Meetings on Tuesdays at 9:15 p.m. in SB123
can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.” The health center sent an email to all the students on campus on Friday, Sept. 27, to provide information about the EEE virus and how to prevent infection. They also stated that they are rescheduling athletic events that take place from dawn to dusk until further notice. This email came as a comfort to students on campus who were wary of the virus. “I think university was great for sending out emails, and notifying students that the virus is
present,” Kerri Sands, freshman biology major, said. “We can get the appropriate resources we need if we’re worried about it.” Although the health center wants to educate the students here about EEE, they want to make clear that it is simply an extreme precaution they are taking. Chase said there are other health risks this time of year that students should be more concerned about. “It’s definitely important to talk about EEE, but the flu is something that students should wor-
PHOTO FROM WIKICOMMONS
The mortality rate of people who contract EEE is 33% due to brain damage it can cause.
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By EMILY FLAMME
Opinion: 4
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Sports: 10