FEBRUARY 19, 2020 • VOLUME 90 • ISSUE 18
The official student newspaper of Quinnipiac University since 1929
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY ROGER STEFFENS
ARTS & LIFE P.6: Bob Marley
Rogers Steffens, a reggae archivist, discusses his friendship with Bob Marley and how he has honored his legacy.
MORGAN TENCZA/CHRONICLE
SPORTS P.12: Murphy’s Law
Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey has been on a tear lately and the man between the pipes deserves more credit.
Why the Quinnipiac Theatre Department chose to host a musical about a school shooting on P.6
PHOTO FROM FLICKR
OPINION P.4: You can’t stop Bernie
Presidential candidates should have platforms that champion working-class and underrepresented people.
IAN ADDISON/ILLUSTRATION AND CONNOR LAWLESS/DESIGN
Commons struggles with mice
Largest first-year residential hall deals with pest outbreak By EMILY FLAMME and NICOLE MCISAAC
Commons can house over 450 students each semester.
CONNOR LAWLESS/CHRONICLE
Several Quinnipiac University students living in Commons found mice in their rooms when they returned this semester. The first report of a mouse was Jan. 20, according to Jon Terry, assistant director of facilities. Terry also said that the mouse problem is not typical. “We believe there was a broken door sweep that was allowing mice to enter the building, most likely over winter break,” Terry said. Izzy Tomanelli, first-year occupational therapy major, who lives in Commons, said her room had a total of three mice. “My roommates got back to campus before I did and they found a mouse in my room,” Tomanelli said. “I was awake at two in the morning on the first Friday when we got back and I heard the trap snap. I was so scared that I put my headphones in and tried to fall asleep. I was actually scared to get out of my bed because I don’t know what I am going to find on the floor.” First-year interdisciplinary studies major Lauren Yando also had a mouse in her room.
“I was laying in bed late at night at the beginning of the semester and thought I heard my headphones fall off my desk,” Yando said. “It turns out that it was the noise of the trap shifting and the mouse struggling.” Yando said that she felt the mouse problem began at the end of the last semester, as she would hear the sound of mice moving in the vents. “It was really scary and creepy to hear little footsteps running above my head at night,” Yando said. Isabella Amoroso, first-year radiology major, had a total of eight mice in her room. Amoroso and her roommates moved into the dorm building, Founders, due to the severity of the problem. “We ended up moving out of Commons and into another building,” Amoroso said. “(Facilities) helped us carry all of our stuff into our new room.” The people affected by the mice said they felt Quinnipiac Facilities handled the situation poorly. See MICE Page 2
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MEET THE EDITORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bryan Murphy MANAGING EDITOR Alexis Guerra CREATIVE DIRECTOR Janna Marnell NEWS EDITOR Stephen MacLeod ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITORS Emily Flamme Kalleen Rose Ozanic OPINION EDITOR Toyloy Brown III ASSOCIATE OPINION EDITOR Michael Sicoli ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Jessica Simms ASSOCIATE ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Ryan Miller SPORTS EDITORS Brendan O’Sullivan Jared Penna ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR Riley Millette DESIGN EDITOR Connor Lawless PHOTOGRAPHY EDTIOR Morgan Tencza 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. MAILING ADDRESS Quinnipiac University 275 Mount Carmel Avenue Hamden, CT 06518 THE CHRONICLE is distributed around all three university campuses every Wednesday when school is in session except during exam periods. Single copies are free. Newspaper theft is a crime. Those who violate the single copy rule may be subject to civil and criminal prosecution and/or subject to university discipline. Please report suspicious activity to university security (203-582-6200). For additional copies, contact the student media office for rates. ADVERTISING inquiries can be sent to advertise@quchronicle.com. Inquiries must be made a week prior to publication. SEND TIPS, including news tips, corrections or suggestions to Bryan Murphy at editor@quchronicle.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR should be between 250 and 400 words and must be approved by the Editorin-Chief before going to print. The Chronicle reserves the right to edit all material, including advertising, based on content, grammar and space requirements. Send letters to editor@quchronicle.com. The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the Chronicle.
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February 19, 2020
QU grad student honored by Hamden Fire Department By CHATWAN MONGKOL Staff Writer
A Quinnipiac graduate student was honored on Monday, Feb.10, by the Town of Hamden and its fire department after she performed life-saving CPR. Courtney Vander May is a second-year doctoral student in the physical therapy program. Besides being a full-time student, she works as a waitress at Side Street Bar & Grille located on Dickerman Street in Hamden. Vander May has been CPR-certified for almost two years, but she never expected to use the skill for the first time at the bar she works at. The incident happened on Sunday, Jan. 19, according to Lt. Rob Madigosky, one of the first responders. While Vander May was having a conversation with one of her regular consumers, he started to slur his words, fell down and stopped breathing. At first, she thought that he was acting out to try to tell her a story. “He was telling me a story, and so I thought he was just acting funny, like for the story purposes,” Vander May said. “(He was) saying something about the sidewalks not being shoveled cause it had just snowed. I thought he was acting out, falling or slipping or something in the snow.” After he fell down and started turning purple, Vander May realized that wasn’t a joke. She then started performing the skill she was trained in. Vander May looked back to the incident and said that she was terrified, though she felt at the moment that she had to help him. “I was talking to him like ‘come on and keep going.’ Like ‘keep breathing, you’re doing so great,’” Vander May said. Madigosky, Firefighter Larry Bowden and Firefighter Jaime Bonet, the first responders from Hamden Fire Station 5, which responds to the calls from Whitney Avenue and the northside of the town, came two and a half minutes after the man fell down from just across the street. They took over the scene. Madigosky said that without Vander May’s help, the man wouldn’t have survived. “Once he went down, it took us two minutes to get there,” Madigosky said. “And immediate CPR is always, always a benefit to the outcome of the patient.” The man was helped right away. They kept performing CPR, gave him medications and
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY COURTNEY VANDER MAY
Courtney Vander May was presented with a certificate at a ceremony on Feb 10. shocked him with an AED. Vander May appreciated the credit that was given to her, though she felt like it wasn’t only her that had helped. “Yes, I helped. I definitely helped,” Vander May said. “But I think (the first responders) did way more than they’re giving themselves credit for.” Three weeks after the incident, the fire department held a ceremony on Monday, Feb. 10, to swear in new firefighters, as well as to honor Vander May after she saved the man’s life. Madigosky said that the fire department decided to honor her because it wasn’t something that happens a lot in the community. “It was just something great that we need to get out there and let people know more about it,” Madigosky said. Vander May didn’t expect to be recognized at the ceremony. She knew that the fire department was swearing in new firefighters but had no idea her story was going to be told as an example of what the fire department should want and what firefighters should be. “I was really honored to have that,” Vander May said. “It was kind of surreal for a little bit. The news came and so many people, like it was videotaped.” Megan Crane, Vander May’s friend and a second-year doctoral student in the physical
therapy program, said that she was excited that the town brought attention to what her friend had done. “I’m so proud of how brave (Vander May) was and I think it’s so important for everyone to hear her story,” Crane said. “If god forbids something like this ever happened to someone I loved, I can only hope that there is a Courtney somewhere nearby.” As another CPR-certified person, Crane was glad that Vander May was able to prove that being CPR-certified isn’t something only health care providers should do. That’s what Vander May hoped to the public to take from her story. “I definitely appreciate the recognition, but I just want it to reach people to inspire someone to get certified,” Vander May said. Vander May explained that it would take only $86 to get certified. She said it would be silly if people choose not to spend that. “There was never a moment where that I would expect to have to use it in a hospital with medically unstable patients,” Vander May said. “I ended up having to use it in the bar I work (at).” It was the first time Vander May did CPR, and hoped it was the last time she had to do such a thing.
Tomanelli: ‘I’m actually scared to live here ...’ MICE from cover “The first time someone in facilities asked me about the mice in my room was three weeks after we found the first one,” Tomanelli said. “They never actually came to check up on us, even though they might have been checking on the rooms with more recent incidents, they should have also been checking up on us and our room.” Kaitlyn Stoyer, a first-year nursing major, also had a negative experience with facilities while there were mice in her room. “My mom called the day after we found a mouse to complain and they told her that the situation was under control,” Stoyer said. “They came in to collect the mouse and found that the food was gone on another trap that was placed down. The other mice took the food and were still roaming around our room.” Despite facilities setting mouse traps, Stoyer felt it wasn’t enough. “Facilities didn’t do a great job helping us calm down our nerves,” Stoyer said. “They just told us to let them know if we find another one.”
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY KAITLYN STOYER
Students took videos of the mice.
Residents living in Commons received an email on Feb. 10, that gave an update about the mice problem. “Res Life and facilities have been working diligently over the past few weeks to resolve the issue as soon as possible,” said Taylor Troxell, residence hall director of Commons, in the email. “While we are still monitoring the issue, I am happy to share
that we have seen a significant decrease in the number of mice being seen and caught in the last week.” The email also said that if a student finds a mouse in their room, they should submit a facilities work request. “Everyone in Commons received an email about the situation,” Stoyer said. “They never emailed to keep in contact and individually follow up on our specific situation.” Terry said that facilities has made it a priority to continue to respond to work requests about the mice. “We are continuing to work with our pest control service on a daily basis and we are optimistic that the situation has gotten better over the past seven days,” Terry said. “We will continue our preventive measures until we have gone several weeks without any work requests.” The mice problem has been ongoing for over a month for some students, and it still has not been fully resolved. “I’m actually scared to live here and be in my room now,” Tomanelli said.
February 19, 2020
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
News |3
Innovation station
Second speaker series event focuses on solving problems By KALLEEN ROSE OZANIC and COLLEEN FINN
For the second week of the 2020 Spring Speaker Series, Quinnipiac University welcomed back Michael Reynolds, vice president of ideation and innovation strategy at Stanley Black & Decker. Reynolds came loaded with to-the-point tactics that he hopes will revolutionize the future of innovation in the coming decade. The audience was small, but Reynolds was able to impart the wisdom of Bruce Lee and his own knowledge of TikTok — a social media platform that inspired him to motivate his team in new ways, he said. To warm up, Reynolds played two martial arts clips, the second being one of Bruce Lee. This second clip consisted of a man trying to attack Lee, but was knocked down before he could make a legitimate attempt. This clip was the foundation of Reynolds’ presentation. “(Lee) created a completely new martial art,” Reynolds said. “(It) was, in his mind, a way of taking the good stuff, but also maintaining a lot of flexibility and fluidity to say, look, there’s a lot of room to continue to evolve this, and it was based on speed, agility (and) getting a big return on a little effort.”
Reynolds stressed how traditional innovation teams practice a kind of “old-school martial art” that consists of choreographed dances, which waste time and money without getting any valuable return. Reynolds said his proposition, like Bruce Lee, is to cut the tango and get to value with ease and practicality. Reynolds described it as “a relentless focus on moving forward and winning.” This idea of winning does not stand alone, Reynolds said. He usually approaches his audience with the question, “What problems are you solving?” This is where old-school innovation gets lost, he said, as people don’t have a goal in mind, and therefore the goal is never reached. Every successful innovation solves a problem, Reynolds said. He made it a modern application by walking through the evolution of social media. “(It’s about the) overwhelming need to matter,” Reynolds said. “To tell a story and get attention and fame with minimal intellectual effort or skill.” The greater majority has this need to be noticed, so giving them attention becomes the means of encouraging change and innovation, Reynolds said.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY QUINNIPIAC
Michael Reynolds believes social media is the key to modern innovation.
Reynolds offered another piece of advice. “(People need to be) excited about engaging in solving problems organically and getting a real value fast,” he said. “The only issue with this new idea is that it directly translates to change. Age-old, traditional companies or institutions are not likely to open their doors to change.” He then opened it up to the members of the audience and offered them a chance to
reflect on the times where their own innovations had been shot down. Risk seemed to be the underlying factor in each rejection. To remedy this, Reynolds discussed an option to change the given situations. “If you de-risk the change, the change becomes much easier to engage with simultaneous attack and defense,” Reynolds said, describing what he calls the “Bruce Lee method.” Fred McKinney, Carlton Highsmith chair of innovation and entrepreneurship and professor of entrepreneurship and strategy, agreed. He reached out to Reynolds with an idea. “You know, educational institutions, not just Quinnipiac, tend to be very conservative, ‘this is the way we’ve always done it,’” McKinney said. “And we have a ton of bright students here who we almost force into this process, I call it, and I don’t think that we are reaching them and providing them with all the tools that they would need.” Reynolds left the audience with a closing remark. “You have to give to people (and) celebrate people ... inspire people ... get students involved and not just getting credited, celebrate [and] inspire,” Reynolds said. “Faculty and students, be like Bruce Lee, and you have the power to innovate the education experience.”
Quinnipiac student recognized for cancer research Andrew DePass wants to modernize cancer treatment
By WILL GAVIN Staff Writer
Andrew DePass has always been interested in science, which he owes to his childhood surrounded by his scientist father and his colleagues. It’s that interest that resulted in DePass being recognized by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) for his work in the field. DePass is a junior biology and computer science double major from Freehold, New Jersey, and has devoted himself to the fields he specializes in. Last summer, DePass spent his time at the University of Texas Health Center in San Antonio, where he worked alongside immunologists studying T cell immunity. “(The research) really was directed at T cells and T cell regeneration and repopulation following, cancer patients, going through cancer therapy,” DePass said, “So essentially the goal (of) the research was to find a way to make cancer patients less susceptible to things like relapse and opportunistic infection.” T cells are “a type of white blood cell that is of key importance to the immune system and is at the core of adaptive immunity, the system that tailors the body’s immune response to specific pathogens,” according to medicinenet.com. A central goal of their research was to discover a way to supplement the repopulation and regrowth of the T cells in cancer patients. After patients undergo chemotherapy treatment, the immune system is left depleted and lacking in T cells, leaving them susceptible to relapse and opportunistic infections. DePass and his associates were unable to find a way to aid the repopulation of T cells after chemotherapy, however, they were able to make T cells more resistant to radiation treatments. By giving their model organisms (mice) N-Acetylcysteine, a type of medication, they were able to retain more T cells following treatment. “So, what we see is that after mice undergo radiation just like a cancer patient would, (there is) major depletion of T cells. Some of these mice, we would give an antioxidative supplement and (these mice) maintained a higher amount of T cells relative to those that were not
given it,” DePass said, “We saw higher maintenance of T cells, but we didn’t see a rebound in a whole new growth in the population of T cells.” DePass sought to make it clear that their results are not fully confirmed according to common scientific practices of validation and repetition. “Keep in mind that the research was over the course of the summer. Over those few months, you have very little time to generate data. So this was seen in a bunch of mice, but more tests need to be done in order to fully validate the research,” DePass said. DePass’s dedication to the field of biology is made clear, not only through his advanced research but through his focus on even the basic principles of science. DePass also passes on his beliefs on proper scientific practices to other students. “(Andrew) has visited my BIO 150 courses the last two fall semesters to talk to the first year students about how to find research,” said Michael Vieth, a senior instructor in biology. DePass also has a personal connection to the cancers he seeks to help patients defeat, growing up knowing people who have suffered from the debilitating family of diseases. “Going into doing research at that time, I knew cancer was there, folks I know have been affected by cancer, but it sort of came out as being like a passion for doing research and a passion for helping people,” DePass said. “So I saw this as an area where I could, where I had the opportunity to explore that.” DePass claimed that he has been inspired by a great many people in the scientific and Quinnipiac communities, such as his father and Vieth. “Since his first semester, Andrew has challenged himself in his course selection, with a simple goal in mind: get into research,” Vieth said. “He is a great example of what a biology major can be, and what occurs when a student takes control of their own education and selfadvocates: they can accomplish anything.” As a member of the Quinnipiac Science Technology and Engineering Program (QSTEP) DePass presented his findings at a QSTEP event. Additionally, DePass delivered his final pre-
sentation in November at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students in Indiana, where he won the award for “Outstanding Presentation in Cancer Biology.” DePass’s award from the AACR pro-
vides payment for conference fees as well as a stipend for national conferences in San Diego, California, and Washington D.C. DePass plans to attend the San Diego conference, where he said that he will be able to present his research.
Andrew DePass presented his research on T cell immunity.
PHOTO FROM CAS360
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Opinion
Visual arts are gravely ignored at Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac University blatantly neglects art being shown on campus walls By IAN ADDISON Staff Writer
For sale: art students, never used. Quinnipiac University is not an art school, but here I am; a senior graphic and interactive design major with a focus in illustration. I knew this going in, and I knew it would take a few years attending Quinnipiac before the school would be receptive to constructive critique. It has not gotten there yet, so I do what I can. Since the university’s initial establishment in 1929, the performing arts were finally provided with individual buildings for theatre and music in 2017. There is also an art room: a single, small, overcrowded room in Tator Hall, with limited (and often misused) supplies and absolutely no artwork hanging on its walls. There is no artwork hanging on practically any wall on campus (aside from a few I helped put up in the Center for Communications and Engineering rotunda). Actual student work is overlooked for the bland announcements left on the Student Center’s bulletin board. Murals on walls,
ILLUSTRATION BY VICTORIA LORENZ
decorating corridors with curated work and showing any sign of artistic growth at this institution of higher learning would be a solution to the monotonous decor. No one says “Look at the new artwork in that building or on that wall.” Instead, the Quinnipiac community says: A new Starbucks? Yes. A new sushi vendor? Yep. A new Au Bon Pain? Of course. A new incoming pub on York Hill? Soon. Changes to the School of Business? To the Residence Halls? Overcrowded living spaces? Overcrowded parking spaces? Lack of learning spaces? Lack of diversity? Lack of empathy? Lack of acceptance? Art is a universal language, able to bind the ideological notion of feeling fruitful and alive without dismissing the beliefs of another human being. Art is also pure, and it also allows us to feel alive in everything we touch through the disciplined understanding of emotional value. We are social creatures who could be talking about the new artwork on that building or on that wall, instead, we talk about the new drama in a residential building or the new post on a social media wall. Share this on your wall, let the university know you care about the arts. Let the Quinnipiac administration talk about it. I would give Quinnipiac credit for being consistent here if they gave students something other than credits for being in art courses. Artists are the imagination architects with the undying passion to express their emotions, whether or not it is accepted. I acknowledge that this university gravely ignores the visual arts at Quinnipiac. This has my limited attention, the least amount of support I can possibly supply as a student
obtaining a degree from the institution. If Quinnipiac wants to stand on a podium and make themselves feel big, it is not subtle. If Quinnipiac’s lack of creativity helps the school call themselves substantial in the development of innovative thought, then the power is on them. Quinnipiac is effective in their authority, it blacks out all the light. Is it a blackout if the power is on, or is the switch upside down? Are they up above us, or are they standing on a podium? It is not subtle, it is ignorance. The school removed the art outside of the classroom in Tator Hall because it looked like it was done by children. I am unsure what Quinnipiac is looking for, perhaps they could put up reprints of artwork created in the senior design capstone or in higher-level fine arts courses. Students need a designated, prominent area to showcase their artistic work. Alternatively, they could have kept up all of the artwork, as it is completely patronizing to demean someone’s creativity and make them feel like their work has no meaning. Being that they did not keep anything up, let us hope for the best that they take initiative — not soon, but now. A professor of graphic and interactive design (GID) said, “We need the arts. Historically it tells us who we are as individuals and as a society. Where would we be without art?!” They are correct. Vincent van Gogh wrote in a letter, “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” He is also correct. This is my own attempt to have courage and turn the spotlight on something the university has lacked. I am standing up for what I know is correct … and I don’t need a podium to do so.
You can’t stop the ‘Bern’
Bernie Sanders shows that votes overcome money and lies By XAVIER CULLEN Staff Writer
Bernie Sanders has proved his doubters wrong once again. The man who Hillary Clinton said in her upcoming documentary is a “career politician” who “nobody likes” is coming off of an impressive New Hampshire Democratic primary victory and an Iowa caucus finish only 0.1% outside of first place, and his momentum isn’t stopping anytime soon. Coming only four months after Sanders had a heart attack that stuck him in a hospital for three days, it’s unbelievable how he’s the most energetic out of all the Democratic nominees, but the real reason why he has this much of a lead is because of the immense support he has from voters and donors. Sanders has to compete against candidates like Pete Buttigieg, who Forbes estimated to have 40 billionaire donors to his campaign, while relying almost entirely on small donations from everyday Americans. Sanders’ 1.5 million individual donors is almost double than Buttigieg’s 750 thousand donors. In 11 out of the past 15 presidential elections, the candidate with the bigger budget has won, and Sanders is looking to buck that trend. He is showing the world that you don’t need to be a billionaire like Tom Steyer or Michael Bloomberg or have billionaire donors like Joe Biden and Buttigieg to win. What a candidate needs is to have a platform that champions for the working class and the people who have been oppressed by the rich and the government for far too long. It seems that Bloomberg is the exact opposite of Sanders. While Bloomberg uses his vast amount of wealth to buy his way into the election, Sanders has built a strong base of loyal supporters that have stayed with him for years. While Bloomberg hasn’t raised a single dollar from small donations, 56.2% of Sanders’ total money raised is from small donations, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. While Bloomberg supports racist policies such as stop-and-frisk that have ruined minority communities in New York, Sanders has called for an end to the War on Drugs and a heavy investment into affordable housing. These proposals by Sanders’ don’t appeal to the one-percenters, but they do appeal to the common people who might struggle with paying medical bills, working multiple jobs or having debt as soon as they leave college. That genuine commitment to the American people and not just a few special interests is why Sanders is so appealing. But the Democratic National Committee has done everything in its power to stop Sanders. In January, Politico reported that a small group of DNC members have been discussing ways to weaken Sanders’ campaign, and the DNC changed its eligibility rules for the January debate in order for Bloomberg to participate, after he donated over $300,000 to the committee five days before he announced his candidacy. Special interest groups don’t want to see the status quo disrupted, so they will do anything, even lie, so long as their bottom line isn’t hurt — that’s especially true for the mainstream
PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK AD LIBRARY
Bernie Sanders is fourth in Facebook Ad spending among presidential candidates as of the past year. media. Media watchdog group FAIR reported in 2016 that the Washington Post ran 16 negative stories against Sanders in less than 16 hours. Nothing has changed today. On Feb. 8, MSNBC host Chris Matthews appeared to connect the violent regime of Fidel Castro in Cuba to a Sanders presidency. “I have an attitude towards Castro,” Matthews said after the New Hampshire Democratic debate. “I believe if Castro and the Reds had won the Cold War there would have been executions in Central Park and I might have been one of the ones getting executed. And certain other people would be there cheering, okay?” When fellow MSNBC host Chris Hayes stepped in and said that Sanders “pretty clearly” doesn’t support the type of regime that would champion public executions, Matthews rejected it. “How do you know,” Matthews argued. “Did he tell you that?” Of course, it’s absurd to say that Sanders supporting policies like Medicare for All, free public college and higher taxes on the rich is similar to the horrible regimes in Cuba and Soviet Russia, but Matthews clearly doesn’t care about the truth, and neither does MSNBC if it continues to give him a paycheck. In an analysis by In These Times, researchers found that from August to September 2019, MSNBC covered Sanders the least between him, Warren and Biden, with only 36% of episodes mentioning Sanders. Despite the low mention rate, Sanders also had the highest percentage of negative reporting with 20.7% of his mentions being negative and only 12.9% positive. The media also tried to push the faulty narrative that Sanders told Senator Elizabeth Warren that a woman couldn’t win the presidential election. On Jan. 13, CNN reported that Sanders told Warren in a private meeting between the two in December 2018, that a woman couldn’t be elected as president. The problem being, though, is that none of CNN’s sources were in on the meeting and never heard him actually say it. In fact, Warren herself didn’t confirm it instantly. She decided to wait and see if these allegations would work in her
favor, and when she saw support on social media, she finally chose to say that the allegations were true. A day after the report came out, during the Democratic primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa, CNN moderator Abby Phillip asked Sanders if he ever said to Warren that a woman couldn’t win. “As a matter of fact, I didn’t say it,” Sanders said emphatically. Then, directly after Sanders again said that he did not say that, Phillip asked Warren, “What did you think when Senator Sanders said a woman could not win the election,” as if she didn’t even listen to Sanders’ side of the story. CNN and other mainstream media sources don’t care about fairness or objectivity. If they did, they would recognize Sanders’ popularity and wouldn’t try to slander his name based off of a baseless lie. Unfortunately for CNN, voters didn’t bite. Since then, Warren’s numbers have tanked, as she only came in fourth place in the New Hampshire primary, getting only 9% of the votes. Her candidacy seems to be slowly dying, and Sanders is taking a commanding first place among the democratic field. But still, the media won’t acknowledge his victories, with the praise staying with Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar for placing in second and third place in New Hampshire. None of that matters to Sanders, though, as he continues to stick to his same talking points of socialism and populism — and it’s amazing. He chooses to fight for people despite everyone in the Democratic Party trying to stop him. He doesn’t care if his views are unpopular, he just wants everyone to have basic human rights. For his entire political career, Sanders has stood up for what he believes, no matter the consequences. He is honest, caring and unapologetic. Despite what the media and the political establishment want you to believe, Sanders is the best candidate for everyone, and he won’t let anyone down, not after coming this close to success. He has gone through the wringer and hasn’t lost his step. In a field of democratic candidates full of billionaires and corporate shills, Sanders is a breath of fresh air. That’s why he’ll win.
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Opinion|5
The MLB’s ridiculous proposal
Most of the new rule changes aren’t terrible, but this new proposal is By NOAH EPSTEIN Contributing Writer
The baseball season is arriving, and what a crazy offseason it’s been. From free agent superstars Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon signing with new teams to the discovery and investigation of the Astros cheating scandal, this has certainly been one of the wildest offseasons in Major League Baseball history. Something else occurred this past week that added to the madness. The MLB released a proposal for a new format for the playoffs. The proposal includes increasing the total number of playoff teams from 10 to 14, meaning there would be two more wild-card teams in both the American League and the National League. This would result in three division winners and four wild-card teams from each league playing in October. The proposal also states that the first seed in each league would get a first-round bye in the “Wild Card Round,” and the two other division winners would get to pick which wild-card team they play in the round. The selection of the teams picking who they want to play would be nationally televised, in the form of a reality TV show. This proposal is nothing short of preposterous. The current playoff format works completely fine, even after the addition of a second wild-card team to each league in 2012. Why this proposal was even thought of as an idea by anyone, including Commissioner Rob Manfred, is beyond me. All this will do is add teams to the playoffs that don’t deserve to get in. In 2019, for example, the two American League wildcard teams were the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays, with 97 and 96 wins, respectively. Both teams were clearly deserving of a playoff spot, and they both had a chance to make it to the Divisional Round by facing off in a one-game playoff. Under this new proposal, the 93-win Indians and the 84-win Red Sox would make it as well. There is no world in which an 84-win team should make the playoffs unless they win their division. The goal of making the playoffs in baseball is simple: win your division or be better than every other team that didn’t win
theirs. This new proposal is completely redefining that objective, as an average team would be able to walk into the playoffs. The divisional leaders being able to choose which team they play, and the league making it reality TV, is unbelievable. Teams don’t fight their tails off and grind for 162 games in a season just to select or be selected by a team to play in a series. It’s an absolute joke of an idea, and I know exactly why they’re thinking of this. As age and viewership have had a direct relationship when it comes to baseball, Manfred and the MLB have been trying to make changes to increase interest among the new generation, whether it’s trying to speed up the pace of play or creating promotions to relate to millennials. Rule changes were made last year that shortened breaks in between innings, changed up the All-Star Game voting for fans and lessened the amount of mound visits for each game. A rule change that has more of an impact on the game was that pitchers now have to face a minimum of three batters, even relievers. All these rule changes address the issue of how baseball is viewed as “too long” or perhaps “boring” for many people in the country, so this is the route the MLB took. And although I may disagree with some of the rule changes, they’re not terrible. This new playoff proposal is. Putting a show on TV to determine which team plays does not only make a mockery of the postseason, but also takes out so many of the exciting playoff scenarios we see in today’s game. Currently, it is expected that the New York Yankees and Houston Astros will win their divisions and have the two best records in the American League. Therefore, one of those teams will play the winner of the wild-card game and the other will play the third division winner. Toward the end of the regular season, there are always scenarios for what teams would play each other, which makes it exciting and entertaining to watch. With the new proposal, there would be no fun scenarios because the division leaders would just get to choose who they play. As for the show aspect, it would get a ton of viewers, so the MLB would make money off of it, but it’s just not real baseball. Players are also outraged by this proposal. Cincinnati Reds
PHOTO FROM WIKICOMMONS
MLB Commisioner Rob Manfred supports the MLB’s new rule proposal.
pitcher Trevor Bauer tweeted his reaction almost immediately after it was announced. “Rob Manfred. Your proposal is absurd for too many reasons to type on twitter and proves you have absolutely no clue about baseball. You’re a joke.” Bauer also posted a video, riddled with profanity, of himself ranting about Manfred and the MLB because of the proposal. That’s how fired up he is about this topic. Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorious also tweeted in response to the proposal, “Why are we changing this loveable sport so much.” Clearly the players aren’t for this change, and they shouldn’t be. It’s a way for the MLB to make more money and include more teams in the pennant race, even if they’re not deserving. This proposal has a long way to go until it’s a possibility, but hopefully that will never happen. If all goes well, the players’ union won’t hesitate to disagree with the proposal in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement, so the playoff format can stay the same and not change baseball for the worse. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Nationalism fights back
Western nations face internal opposition as leaders forge a path for nationalism By WILL DEAN
Contributing Writer
After more than three and a half years of roadblocks and stonewalling, the will of the British people was finally implemented, and the United Kingdom has left the European Union (EU). At the core of the Brexit movement lies Nigel Farage, the thorn in the side of the EU. His 21-year-long crusade against the EU came to a victorious and bombastic end on the floor of the European Parliament on Jan. 29, two days before the U.K.’s official exit from the EU. Farage’s swan song felt like a lesson in succinctness, with each point driving to the heart of the issue that the British people had with the EU. “No more financial contributions! No more European Court of Justice! No more being talked down to! No more being bullied!” Farage said as he waved a British flag, an act banned on the floor of European Parliament. His microphone was then cut, but Farage likely could not have asked for a better example of EU anti-nationalist censorship to prove his case. The internationalist fanatics in the EU hate everything to do with national sovereignty, which is causing a nationalist resurgence across the West. At the center of the European experiment lies a burning hatred for the idea of the nation-state. Ridiculous rules allow for just 55% of the nations to impose their will on the rest. The Union’s buildings — scattered across France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium — feature flags, a president and anthems. In fact, there have been talks of the EU forming its own army. The most anti-democratic part of the EU is that Europeans never agreed to it. No one ever voted for it. In fact, the European Constitution was rejected by popular referendum in the Netherlands and France, according to the country’s election administration. To avoid further embarrassment, seven countries canceled their referendums. Democracy was abandoned. Instead, the rulers of Europe would sign the Lisbon Treaty, allowing them to circumvent the will of the people. Although Britain may have just left the largest governing body in Europe, it is not alone in its fight against political centralization. Countries like Austria and Italy have elected strong Eurosceptic parties to power in recent elections. Meanwhile, Eastern Europe is seeing a rebirth of old friendships, according to theduran.com,
PHOTO FROM NEEDPIX.COM
Brexit showed the importance of national sovereignty.
with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia considering strengthening the Visegrad Group, a centuries-old alliance. America has also made the same decision to turn back toward policies that benefit the nation, rather than continue to focus on an abstract idea of the global good. At the State of the Union on Feb. 4, President Donald Trump said, “Three years ago, we launched the great American comeback.” Since his inauguration, Trump has rebranded the Republican party as an “America first” party. This rebranding has forced the Democrats to adopt a ludicrous opposition to Trump. They claim that in order to be on the right side of history, the American people must oppose what is beneficial to the nation and instead follow the Democrats’ detrimental policies. On the floor of the House of Representatives is the New Way Forward Act, a radical piece of legislation endorsed by 44 Democrat representatives. If it became law, this legislation would entirely eliminate the ability for Americans to control the borders of their own country. Title VI of the act focuses entirely on ensuring that migration in and out of the country (authorized or unauthorized) be completely legal. It repeals Sections 275 (“Criminal Penalties For Entry At Improper Time Or Place”) and 276 (“Criminal
Penalties For Reentry”) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. In practice, this would allow anyone from anywhere to enter and exit this country at any time. The bill is full of other radical proposals, including one it calls the “right to come home.” This would give anyone deported since 1996 the right to have a free ride back to the United States. That’s right, the bill states that Homeland Security “shall provide transportation for aliens … at Government expense.” Under this bill, there will no longer be any crime that mandates deportation. This includes crimes like robbery, murder and child sexual abuse. Additionally, illegal immigrants who falsify a passport are immune to deportation. Those who do not see the issue with this proposal are willfully blind. If the American government is unable to control its own territory as well as who enters that territory, it forfeits its sovereignty over the territory. If this bill becomes law, it would be akin to slamming on the accelerator as you approach a red light at a highway intersection. In other words, guaranteed disaster. America’s immigration system is already a disgrace. A study by three researchers affiliated with Yale University estimates that there are more than 22 million illegal immigrants on American soil. Alongside this, America admits over one million legal immigrants each year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Increasingly, it seems that America is no longer for Americans and is instead a piggy bank for developing countries to plunder. The Center for Immigration Studies details the cost of immigration, and it could not find a single case in which illegal immigrants did not cost the government more than they gave back. If the recent devastation of the Labour Party in the British election indicates anything, it must be this: the people of the West are tired of being bullied. They are tired of being called racist and xenophobic for supporting their country over someone else’s. In endorsing leaders like Trump and Boris Johnson, they are signaling that they don’t care about these labels anymore. Those liberated from the self-righteous overlords follow a new set of rules in politics: we win, you lose. Come November, don’t expect acting like a petulant child and calling Trump and Johnson names will change any votes. It didn’t work across the pond, and it won’t work here.
6|Arts and Life
a ns
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Arts & Life The road to
'Rage'
ILLUSTRATION BY IAN ADDISON
A panel on ‘Rage’ and gun violence was the first in a series of events at QU meant to start important conversations
These are versions 15 and 16 of the playbill for 'Rage,' with the final version still in the works. By ASHLEY PELLETIER Staff Writer
Discussions at Quinnipiac University about gun violence and its causes began on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at a panel for “Rage,” the upcoming spring musical. The panel, comprised of Elizabeth Dinkova, the writer and director of “Rage,” Don Sawyer, vice president for equity and inclusion at Quinnipiac, Kalfani Ture, an assistant professor of criminal justice, Scarlett Lewis, founder of the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement and Thomas Pruzinsky, a professor of psychology . To start off the panel, Kevin Daly, assistant professor of theatre at Quinnipiac, discussed how the theatre program chose Dinkova to produce its spring production and why “Rage” is the show that it is performing. When Daly reached out to Dinkova, she sent him the script she had been working on, “Rage.” Daly felt as though he was not “equipped personally” to guide the theatre program through such a production, but Dinkova had no other passion project. “I felt conflicted, because that’s the type of artist that I want our students introduced to,” Daly said. “I want our students to work with someone who, despite perhaps needing work and wanting work, has an integrity to what she’s doing and has a vision for what she thinks is important.” Lewis was the final convincing factor that led to the decision for Quinnipiac to put on “Rage.” Lewis, whose son, Jesse, was a victim in the Sandy Hook shooting, was passionate about the idea of the production and was there to start difficult conversations surrounding gun violence. “I realized it is actually all of our responsibilities to keep out kids safe in schools, including mine,” Lewis said. “And so I wanted to do something to be part of the solution. So, I did not want to be against something. I wanted to be for something.” As the group came together, it acknowledged that a “play with music” was a choice that does not really fit with the content of the production. Dinkova said the choice to incorporate music
into the story was made in order to increase the connection with its audience. “We have this saying in Bulgarian: ‘Whoever is singing can think no evil,’” Dinkova said. “I do truly believe that there is something about the act of sharing our emotion, sharing our stories together in the room, especially through the power of music can be the antidote to lack of connection, that can be the antidote to violence. Maybe that is naive of me, but I do believe it.” All of the members of the panel agreed that a lack of connection was a significant factor in the cause of gun violence. The hope it shared was that theatre was an avenue to build connections and start conversations in order to break the cycle of violence. “People think people snap, but they don’t,” Lewis said. “It’s a long, slow, steady lifetime of all these things that lead somebody to do what they would eventually do.” Sawyer discussed the idea of a “brave space” and how such a space was necessary in order to have conversations about gun control and violence, especially on college campuses. “I think this play is crucial right now. When you think about the political climate that we’re in, you think about the fact that it seems that we’ve lost the ability to have civil disagreements,” Sawyer said. “We’ve lost the ability to connect to one another. I think this gives us an opportunity again to connect and understand that we all have this common thread that binds us together, which is our humanity, right? And those connections are things that make our campus a better place and it makes our nation a better place. And it makes our world a better place. I think we can do that through theatre.” Audience members received a sneak peek at a song from the musical performed by Michael Pemberton, who
"... those connections are things that make our campus a better place and it makes our nation a better place. And it makes our world a better place." — Don Sawyer vice president for equity and inclusion at Quinnipiac is portraying the writer in the show. The song is about the struggle of an artist whose works have led to violence, much like the history of the actual novel. While Stephen King had no involvement in the creative production of “Rage,” the story is based on the history behind the novel and the fictionalized events in the novel. The novel was taken out of print due to several copycat attacks inspired by the story. Despite his previous worries about copycat incidents, King gave Dinkova the rights to produce the musical based on his story. This panel and the production will not be the end of the conversation about gun violence at Quinnipiac. Other events are being planned so that people who cannot see “Rage” will be able to take part in these conversations that began at the panel. “Rage” will be performed from Thursday, Feb. 27, to Sunday, March 1, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 to Feb. 29, and performances at 2 p.m. on Feb. 29, and March 1. All five performances have already sold out, but people interested can be put on a waitlist the night of the show for any seats that may open up.
CONNOR LAWLESS/CHRONICLE
The Rage panelists were Quinnipiac professors and administrators, the writer and director of the musical and the founder of the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement.
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Arts and Life|7
Join the Ru-volution!
Start your engines, a new season of Drag Race is about to commence By DAVID MATOS Contributing Writer
Life’s a drag, but the queens set to compete in the newest season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” provide a new meaning to the phrase. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has been a national phenomenon over the last decade of the show’s reign. The reality competition show allows drag performers from all over the country to showcase their art on a national platform. The series is a definite fun and fabulous escape from the harsh realities of the world. I mean who doesn’t love some shade and good-ole reality TV drama on their Friday nights? The drag phenomenon has given many of the most beloved queens from past seasons a platform to “sissy that walk” all around the globe and continue the new tradition of acceptance and love of this once strongly underrepresented community. Behind all the glitter and wigs is a person with a story, a story that can be heard from millions across the globe. Plus, playing judge and critiquing drag queens in the comfort of your own couch is a perfect way to start up a weekend. Our Friday nights are about to get fiercer as the Emmy awarded reality show competition, “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” debuts its 12th season in just a few short weeks. Thirteen contestants will sashay into The Werk Room and battle it out through a unique variety of challenges and lip sync battles on a weekly basis. Only one will be awarded the title of RuPaul’s next drag superstar as well as a crown, a oneyear supply of Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics and the much more sought after grand cash prize of $100,000. The newest contestants are serving red, white and blue American flag “realness” in the latest series promo, where they were introduced for the first time to the world. The drag queen contestants set to compete this season include Gigi Goode, Brita, Crystal Methyd, Dahlia Sin, Aiden Zhane, Jackie Cox, Jaida Essence Hall, Nicky Doll, Jan, Rock M. Sakura, Heidi N. Closet, Widow Von’Du and Sherry Pie. Host of the reality competition, RuPaul, has had a very eventful start of the decade. He kicked off his year with the premiere of his Netflix Original Series, “AJ and the Queen,” that premiered in early January. RuPaul also recently acquired a Las Vegas residency, directing “RuPaul’s Drag Race LIVE!” The show is the live counterpart of the
Season 12 of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' will premiere on Feb. 28, on VH1. hit reality competition in which many drag race alumni showcase their talents live and on stage in front of a paying audience. RuPaul also hosted “Saturday Night Live” this month alongside musical guest, Justin Bieber. Nicki Minaj, “Queen of Rap”, will sashay into the competition as the premiere guest judge. This will continue the more recent tradition of premiering the newest season with a commonly known celebrity female singer joining the judges’ panel. Lady Gaga evoked the tradition with season nine but stars Christina Aguilera, season 10, and Miley Cyrus, season 11, continued the now much-anticipated custom. The show recently confirmed, in the released super trailer, many more of our nation’s stars that will guest judge this season. The celebrity guest judges that were confirmed are: Minaj, Whoopi Goldberg, Leslie Jones, Winnie Harlow,
PHOTO FROM VH1 PRESS
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Normani, Chaka Khan, Robyn, Daisy Ridley, Olivia Munn, Rachel Bloom, Daniel Franzese, Jonathan Bennett, Thandie Newton and Jeff Goldblum. Individual videos of the cast of celebrity guest stars pledging “allegiance to the drag" surfaced on social media following the release of the super trailer. Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter, “This was absolutely, 100% a peak experience. I am SO excited for the new season. Thank you RuPaul’s Drag Race for having me!” and followed the quote with the hashtag “you betta vote” and the video of her pledging “allegiance to the drag.” Will you join in the phenomenon? The race commences on Friday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. only on VH1. Do it for your country and mark your calendars. You don’t want to miss the experience that is “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
The ‘Changes’ in Justin Bieber Justin Bieber’s new album is disappointing
By TIM POWERS Staff Writer
Justin Bieber has had an interesting five years since the release of his last studio album, “Purpose.” Besides having more than a handful of chart-dominating hits, Bieber has had a lot going on in his personal life. He canceled the remainder of his tour in 2017, experienced a break up with Selena Gomez in 2018 and then married Hailey Baldwin later that year. Bieber has been through a lot of major moments, so it’s apt that his new album, released Feb. 14, is titled “Changes.” The first sounds of an album release from Bieber came when he released the lead single, “Yummy,” which is the song, which has a repeating chorus that goes like “Yeah, you got that yummy, yum/That yummy, yum/ That yummy, yummy.” This song is about Bieber’s sex life, as he told to Ellen DeGeneres on her show. The track often feels overproduced and under-written. The lyrics are too repetitive and disinteresting. It feels as if Bieber and his team are trying to be attention-grabbing, but they don’t know what is actually attention-grabbing. After listening to the song, it feels as if nothing happened. It’s forgettable. The most memorable aspect to come out of “Yummy” was Bieber's constant promotion for the song. Bieber and his team posted multiple photos and videos urging fans to stream and buy the track in order for the song to debut at No.1 on the Billboard charts. Some of these pleas included ways to manipulate the charts by creating playlists on streaming services that only featured “Yummy,” and using a VPN to stream and buy the song if you’re outside the United States. This caused controversy because many found that to be unfair to other artists. “Yummy” would later debut and peak at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. In addition, to the promotional campaign for “Yummy,” Bieber took the same path many pop stars from Taylor Swift to Demi Lovato have been taking recently to promote their albums — creating a documentary about their life.
“Justin Bieber: Seasons'’ is a YouTube documentary series that features short 11-minute episodes each detailing an aspect of Bieber’s life. Topics covered in the series range from the creation of “Yummy” to Bieber’s reluctance to return to music due to his mental health. However, this documentary never goes beyond the surface level of Bieber’s life. I believe the life of a person that’s been a popstar since the age of 12 is an interesting starting point, but the creators never seemed to realize that and really dive in. You could replace Bieber’s name with any other pop star, and the documentary wouldn’t be any different. It never shows us why Bieber is interesting, all it does is tell us how great he is. This seems to be a common theme because the album feels the same way. “Changes” often feels forgettable in the sense that every song feels like the last. The best song on the album is “Get Me” which features guest vocals from Kehlani. The song talks about a partner that is understanding and supportive. It is a serviceable pop song that is made better by Kehlani’s presence. Other guest vocals on the album come from stars like Post Malone, Travis Scott, Quavo, Clever and Lil Dicky. The song featuring Post Malone and Clever, “Forever,” is also one of the better cuts on the album. It is catchy and sounds refreshing. Overall, “Changes'’ is a disappointing album from one of pop’s most reliable hitmakers. The album is often one-note, talking of personal growth and love without actually showing any of it. “Changes’’ seems like it’s the perfect album to have on when you just want the quiet to go away, rather than actually listening to the music.
2/5 stars PHOTO FROM DEF JAM PRESS ROOM
Justin Bieber's album, 'Changes,' was released on Feb. 14.
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Looking back at the life of
bob Marley
A lifelong reggae historian reflects on the life of the reggae icon, whose 75th birthday anniversary passed on Feb. 6 By PHIL AKRE Staff Writer
Author, lecturer, editor and archivist Roger Steffens has lived life in the friendly, distinct grip of reggae music. Steffens, 77, has been a champion of reggae culture and its preservation since the mid-1970s. He has interviewed hundreds, including a diverse palette of music icons such as Bob Marley, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Ray Charles and Nina Simone. Steffens published his book, “So Much Things to Say: An Oral History of Bob Marley,” in 2017 to critical acclaim, featuring years of interviews with Marley’s closest associates and family. His Los Angeles home houses the world’s most extensive archive of Marley and reggae pieces and memorabilia. Steffens became close friends with Marley and his band, the Wailers, in 1978. He became immersed in the world of Rastafarian culture, Marley’s personal life and his ascension to international stardom. In 1979, Steffens became the co-host of the radio show, “Reggae Beat,” which the L.A. Weekly called “the most popular non-commercial radio program in Los Angeles.” Since then, he has dedicated his life to the preservation of reggae history, with a lifelong goal of moving his archives to Marley’s home country of Jamaica. On what would have been Marley’s 75th birthday, Steffens spent the day honoring his friend throughout Los Angeles. Over the weekend, I spoke to Steffens on the phone to hear his memories of the life of a global icon, nearly 40 years after his death from Melanoma. Here, he discusses Marley’s enduring ideals, his own reggae endeavors and how Marley’s impact will stretch forever into the future.
Celebrating Marley’s 75th birthday “We had three separate events. (Marley) has a star on Hollywood Boulevard, and every year at noon we meet there. The people who come have dwindled over recent years, but because of the 75th anniversary, it was a much bigger crowd this year. Ras Michael from The Sons of Negus was there, and people
"
who knew Bob at different points of his life showed up. Barbara Barabino, who started the campaign to raise money to put the star on Hollywood Boulevard, attended. At 3 p.m., I gave a talk at the Hollywood Library, the Goldwyn Library, just off Hollywood Boulevard. Then, that night, at the Mr. Musichead rock photo gallery on Sunset Boulevard, was the opening of a major exhibition of various photographers, with pictures of Bob, including one of mine. That had a big crowd. We really paid a proper homage to him in L.A.”
Bob’s enduring qualities “I think I was struck most by his humility and how open he was to everybody. The generosity was overwhelming. He gave away most of the money he made. He became a moral figure. It is now absolutely clear that he was the most important musical artist of the 20th century, the man whose work will reverberate further into the future than any other person — and I include Bob Dylan and John Lennon in there. But, Bob stood for so many different things. The head of Amnesty International always said that wherever you go in the world today, Bob Marley is the symbol of freedom. I was interviewed last year by Phil Keoghan, who is a 10-time Emmy-winning producer and host of ‘The Amazing Race,’ and has been to 130 countries. He said that in every single country he’s been to, he found evidence of Bob Marley. He wanted to talk to me about why that was so, and it was one of the best interviews I’ve ever done.”
What would Marley have regarded his most important work? “Well, I think as far as the songs go, it might have been ‘War.’ They were Haile Selassie’s words directly set to music, and they were the words of the person he considered to be God incarnated on our planet right now, a living man. So, that had one of the deepest effects on him. I also think ‘Redemption Song,’ being one of the last songs he wrote, if he did in fact write it. The keyboardist claims that he wrote it, but who will ever know?”
It is now absolutely clear that he was the most important musical artist of the 20th century” –Roger Steffens
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY ROGER STEFFENS
Bob Marley's 75th birthday passed on Feb. 6.
The future of Steffens’ reggae archives “The archive fills seven rooms of the house, floor to ceiling. I’m on the verge of transferring it all to Jamaica. I finally found the proper buyer for it, and they want to build a museum to house it in Montego Bay. It’s taken almost 40 years to find the right deal. It’s perfect. He promises to keep it intact forever, which has always been my bottom line, and why I wouldn’t sell it to the Jamaican government. They laughed in my face and said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous, once it’s ours we can do whatever we want with it.’ I figured it’d all be on eBay in six months. I think I’ll keep copies of my own writing (at home) and will it to the museum when I pass. I’d like to keep my own library for a little longer.” Steffens wound up backstage with Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1978, after meeting guitarist Junior Marvin at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium’s mixing boards. “I didn’t recognize him, but he had little dreadlocks popping out of his head, and I figured he had something to do with the band. I struck up a conversation with him, said the right thing to the right guy, and next thing I know I’m back in the (Wailers) dressing room with my wife, meeting the band. I was pretty speechless. I had gone to Jamaica in ’76, and I think I ran into Bob there, but he was off on tour. I had my pocket picked in Bob Marley’s record shack, by one of the big reggae stars at the time, so it was a very different experience from what I had anticipated. Then in ’78 when I met the band and Bob, well, Bob was very, very stoned that night. I asked him if he was gonna sing ‘Waiting in Vain’ that night, and he just kind of looked up drearily and said,‘Oh, maybe.’ It turned out he would never sing it live, because the I-Three’s wouldn’t sing the song because they thought it was about Cindy Breakspeare. Rita (Marley) didn’t want to sing it, and Judy sat out in solidarity, so there was no point in performing it. It’s a shame, because his most beautiful love song, and it really never got played live.”
Personal aspirations Marley left behind “I really think he would have gone forward to Africa and established a town, maybe in Ghana, which was much safer. The infrastructure was much stronger than it was in the time he went to Ethiopia in 1978. I think he was shocked by what he saw in Ethiopia. Of course, the Derg had taken over the country, and they would throw anybody even with a picture of (Haile) Selassie into prison. So, that is not what Bob wanted to go back to, or forward to. I think, truly, he would have established a community for repatriating Rasta. I think Ghana would have been agreeable to that.”
Marley’s everlasting presence
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY ROGER STEFFENS
Roger Steffens took photos of Bob Marley backstage at the San Diego Sports Arena in 1979.
“Last year, the Marley clothing company alone made $100 million. It’s unbelievable, and that’s 40 years after his death. What young people look for, too, is a rebellious hero. A lot of them came to him for his promotion of the legalization of herb, but it goes further than that. It’s the respect for mankind's human rights, and everywhere in the world Bob is still the symbol of freedom. It’s wonderful to see. I’m still learning new things after all these years. He is the gift that keeps on giving.”
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An Exciting Emancipation
‘Birds of Prey’ skates into theaters and the hearts of Harley Quinn fans By ASHLEY PELLETIER Staff Writer
A cop, a pickpocketer, a singer, an assassin and one Harley Quinn take Gotham by storm as they face sexism and criminals in order to save their own skins. “Birds of Prey,” released Feb. 7, is a film centered around Quinn, portrayed by Margot Robbie, and her newfound freedom after her breakup with the Joker following the events of 2016’s “Suicide Squad.” “Birds of Prey” is an incredibly fun movie to watch. It has fun action sequences, great character chemistry and has strong representation. The characters refer to themselves as the Birds of Prey, crack jokes and tie up their hair as they take on the Black Mask’s goons, making typical comic book movie action sequences more fun and dynamic. The film continues to add depth to Quinn’s character through her narration and back-and-forth storytelling. In the beginning of the film, Quinn retells different parts of the story multiple times but from different perspectives, which I find particularly unique. Viewers get an idea of Quinn’s madness However, the in-depth characterization that Quinn receives often overshadows the secondary female characters, who I believe deserved more screen time. In particular, Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s character, Huntress, who I believe is the most interesting and entertaining character in the movie, has less than 10 minutes of screen time. Another qualm I have with the movie is Roman Sionis and his lack of realism. While Ewan McGregor is a fantastic actor, his character is written as a stereotypical, sexist man whose only motivation is his resentment for Quinn and women in general. While the plot of the film is that of a generic action movie, I do not feel that I was bored with it or I had seen it before because of the unique storytelling through Quinn as well as the fun dynamic of the “Birds of Prey.” “Birds of Prey” was set to make around $50 million on
Margot Robbie portrays the character Harley Quinn in 'Birds of Prey.'
PHOTO FROM WARNER BROTHERS
40opening byweekend 40 butorthogonal maze underperformed, making only $33 statement to The Verge, a Warner Brothers’ representative said million. Some believe that the reason for this underperformance was sexism. However, the movie was R-rated, cutting out Quinn’s teenage audience. In a ploy to get more people into theaters to see it, Warner Brothers changed the title of the movie to “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey” from the original title, “Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).” In a
MAZE
the title change was done in order to optimize search engine results and to tell audiences this movie was centered around Harley and not the Birds of Prey. If you are looking for a fun movie to watch with your friends, “Birds of Prey” is the way to go. Although it has not performed well in the Box Office, the film has an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from certified critics and audience members.
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
10|Sports
February 19, 2020
Attorney. Professor. Coach.
Quinnipiac men’s tennis head coach Chris Pappas has done it all By BRENDAN O’SULLIVAN Sports Editor
From Connecticut to Kentucky to Florida, Chris Pappas has experienced diverse cultures in unique states. What remained unchanged, however, was his love for the courts — the tennis courts and the legal courts. His passions are present in Hamden, Connecticut, where Pappas not only coaches the Quinnipiac men’s tennis team, but also owns a law firm and teaches LE 101: Intro to American Legal System. To say he’s busy would be an understatement, but he finds a way to manage his jam-packed schedule. “My running joke is that I’m always 30 minutes late and should be somewhere else,” Pappas said. “I’m very busy, but I enjoy it being that way. I go from one thing to the next but everything I do, I love doing, and I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t. I really enjoy what I do, so it doesn’t seem as chaotic as it does to the outside.” Finding free time amid his three jobs is challenging, but he said he carefully maneuvers through his day, especially with spring approaching. Spring is tennis season and since the 2013-14 season, Pappas has been a part of the Quinnipiac tennis program. In his inaugural year, he served as the men’s assistant coach under Quinnipiac and New England hall of fame head coach Mike Quitko. Quitko was ill in Pappas’ first season, so Pappas took most of the head coaching responsibilities, making his transition to head coach in 2014-15 seamless. And since that point, there have rarely been bumps in the road. He’s been named the MAAC Coach of the Year twice (2014-15 and 2015-16) and possesses a 26-8 MAAC record. More importantly, however, he maintains a strong relationship with the players on and off the court. “He’s a cool guy,” senior captain Axel Stern said. “He’s a type of guy that you’d go out to hang out with, not just you’re forced because of the tennis relationship. I could see myself coming back a couple years from now and going out for lunch with Chris. He’s a guy I like to hang out with. He has interesting opinions and is a smart guy.” Pappas is more than a tennis coach to the players. He serves as a role model, and his role as a professor is a major reason why. He stresses academics heavily and holds his players to high academic standards. He expects in-class success just as much as, if not more than, on-court success. This past semester, the men’s tennis team led all Quinnipiac men’s sports programs with a 3.51 GPA. “He’s very understanding about circumstances,” Stern said. “If you have a huge exam the next day, he may let you go from practice a little early.” Pappas teaches an introductory law course at Quinnipiac and has an immense pool of knowledge of the American legal system from his experience as an attorney. Teaching the course is different, though. Pappas explained that it’s one thing to understand the material, but it’s another thing to convey that information to a class. This, of course, challenged Pappas in his first year teaching the course. Still, he thought he managed to do an effective job despite being thrown into the fire. A few of Pappas’ players have taken the course in the past, but only senior captain Austin Yannone took Pappas’ first class. “I was kind of like the guinea pig,” Yannone said. “It was fun. It was weird to have a familiar face behind the podium teaching, but it was good … He said that the class has come very far since I took it. He used to just sit behind the podium and have no visuals and just talk about it.” When he’s not teaching law or coaching tennis, Pappas is working as an attorney specializing in real estate. He graduated from Quinnipiac School of Law in 2003 and started his own law firm — Christopher Pappas Law Office — in 2005 in Hamden. Initially, he worked with couples going through divorces but found himself unhappy with it since partners fought throughout the process. He switched over to real estate in 2008 which didn’t have the same negative connotation and instead, dealt with transactions and contract law. It also allowed Pappas to work on his own time rather than work around someone else’s schedule. At this point, Pappas wasn’t the Quinnipiac men’s tennis head coach nor was he a professor at Quinnipiac. Still, he was busy.
COURTESY OF QU ATHLETICS
Quinnipiac men’s tennis head coach Chris Pappas is an attorney and professor, along with his tennis responsibilities. Pappas was working full time as a tennis instructor at the North Haven Health & Racquet Club. He taught students of any age, from 5-year-olds to adults. He also ran the highlevel junior program which was designed for high school athletes that were looking to play collegiate tennis. He even returned to Cheshire High School to coach the boys’ varsity tennis team in 2012 before joining the Quinnipiac men’s tennis staff. Pappas coached the Cheshire girls’ varsity tennis team from 1998-2003. Tennis was, and still is, a constant in Pappas’s life. He started playing competitively in junior year of high school after giving up hockey. When he graduated, he briefly played Division I tennis at the University of Rhode Island before injuring his knee. Quitko, who had been Pappas’ instructor as a kid, wanted Pappas to play for the Bobcats at the Division II level. Pappas turned it down because it was Division II, and he wanted to branch out from Hamden. “I actually regret it — seeing what the school’s become,” Pappas said. “I’m really grateful to be a part of the journey now.” In being a part of Quinnipiac’s present and future, he’s established himself as one of the top Bobcat coaches. His impact in the classroom, weight room, courtroom and tennis courts is felt by not only his players and students, but the
Quinnipiac student body, too. Senior captain Patrick Cachapero felt Pappas’ impact immediately his freshman year. Cachapero traveled from Loma Linda, California, to play Quinnipiac tennis — 2,834.4 miles away. Still, Pappas made him feel welcome in the community. “I definitely went through some struggles off the court,” Cachapero said. “He became more of a father figure for me. He was always checking up on me, inviting me to things and always made me feel included when I’m homesick which is, to me, what’s really important as a coach, so I always felt like I could have gone to him for anything. And I really appreciate that.” Between each job in Connecticut, his one-year stint as an oil company’s regional manager in Louisville, Kentucky, and his short stay in Orlando, Florida, working for Disney World, kindness, consideration and fairness has shined through more than any achievement or accomplishment in the classroom, courtroom or on the tennis courts. “The opportunity arose three years ago to teach the LE class. That was my first experience,” Pappas said. “I truly enjoy just dealing with students, student-athletes at this age level. I think I communicate well with them at that point in time so when that opportunity arose, I took advantage of it, and I really enjoyed it.”
A timeline of Chris Pappas’ career 1990 Tranferred to Southern Connecticut State University
1994 Graduated from SCSU
1993 Interned and worked at Disney World through SCSU
1994 Became an oil company’s regional manager in Kentucky
2014 Became the QU men’s tennis head coach
2005 Opened his own law firm in Hamden
1994 Moved back home to Hamden
2003 Graduated from Quinnipiac University School of Law
2013 Became the QU men’s tennis assistant coach BRENDAN O’SULLIVAN/INFORGRAPHIC
February 19, 2020
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
Sports|11
Troy Williams: ‘He was good at both, so I just wanted him to be happy’ WILLIAMS from Page 12 the coaches was like, ‘Nah, he’s good. Let him play,’ and then I just gradually grew up with those guys. One of them became my best friend.” He spent most of his time on the field as a center defensive mid, but like most young players, he moved around a decent amount. In his later seasons, he made the transition to forward and became a goal scorer. His height, a key characteristic of a natural striker, only made the decision to switch positions easier. By the time he reached eighth grade, Williams had to make the decision between basketball and soccer. As he began playing in more competitive leagues, the two seasons started to overlap and interfere with one another. But for Williams, the decision was not hard to make. Though he loved soccer and had played for years, basketball was his most profound passion, and he wasn’t willing to give up. “I have always been around (basketball),” Williams said. “Where I’m from, all there is are parks, and all we do is play basketball from sunup to sundown.” Williams praises his parents for allowing him to decide which sport to focus on in eighth grade. They supported him throughout the transition, and, “pushed (him) to be better and to take on (his) own goals and just create (his) own path,” according to Williams. “I just wanted him to be happy at whatever he chose,” Williams’ father said. “He was good at both, so I just wanted him to be happy.” On the other hand, Williams’ soccer coach and teammates were not as thrilled to hear he was leaving the sport to focus on basketball. Though they were supportive of his decision, they were sad to see him go and lose a teammate they’d played with for years. “It hurt my coach more,” Williams said. “My teammates already knew that I was going to be a good basketball player. Once I hit eighth grade, they were more supportive of it.” Even though he left the sport, the time he put in and the skills he developed playing soccer did not go to waste. Though they are not compared often, soccer and basketball have some commonalities when it comes to footwork and vision of the playing field. Williams sees the impact of his soccer career translating to his play on the basketball court as well. “It was kind of easy because soccer is a lot like footwork, a lot of up and down, running and pace, stamina and all of that, so it was kind of an easy transition,” Williams said. “It’s just
Sophomore guard Tyrese Williams began playing soccer when he was 5 years old. now I have a ball in my hand. If I come off a down screen, knowing the right way to plant and pop out to catch the ball. Or even stamina wise, just knowing that it’s an up-and-down game, to pace yourself and you’ll be good.” Even Williams’ father, who has been fieldside and courtside throughout his son’s athletic career, has noticed what soccer has done to Williams’ basketball skill set. His quickness and court vision are two of the many skills Williams’ father believes his son has gained from his years as a soccer player. Even though soccer does not play as big of a role in Williams’ life as it did before he stopped playing, Williams still actively follows the sport. As a fan of the Spanish league La Liga, particularly the teams FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, Williams has followed stars like Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo throughout their playing careers. He continues to keep up with soccer through social media and claims to be a “Big, big FIFA guy.” So, where would the Bobcats be without Williams on the court? Well, the sophomore guard has played in every game so far during his time at Quinnipiac, putting up a total of 529 career points and averaging 9.6 points per game. He is a strong defensive player as well, averaging three de-
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY TROY WILLIAMS
fensive rebounds per game. Not only is Williams a key player on the court, starting 53 out of 55 games and averaging 28.3 minutes per game, but he is essential to the team’s mentality off the court. “(Williams is) a really unselfish guy off the court,” Quinnipiac men’s basketball head coach Baker Dunleavy said. “He’s a fun-loving guy that the guys like to be with, and (he’s) really smart and takes care of business in the classroom. Just a guy overall you can depend on, and I think, when you’re a coach, you want to find as many of those guys as you can.” Junior guard Rich Kelly agreed with Dunleavy’s view on Williams’ importance to the team. “He leads by example,” Kelly said. “He is a very key piece to what we do on the court and is a great overall piece to the team.” Williams has been a key piece to the Bobcats’ success since he first put on the Gameday Gold jersey. His personality has been a staple in leadership, both on and off the court. It is something that he has been known for his whole life. “He always had a real big smile on his face,” Williams’ father said. “His attitude and his outlook on life has always been really positive.”
Petruzzelli: ‘I think we have the right components on this team to (make a run in the playoffs)’ LAW from Page 12 But enough with the negatives. That’s all in the past. Let’s look toward the future. Quinnipiac has sole possession of third place in ECAC Hockey. With a sweep this weekend over RPI and Union the Bobcats would lock up a first-round bye in the conference playoffs. Catching Cornell or Clarkson for the No. 1 or 2 spot seems a bit out of the question as both are six points ahead, so Quinnipiac will have to duel for the No. 3 spot with Harvard who is one point behind. In addition, Quinnipiac is still fighting for a prime Pairwise ranking to be eligible for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The tie to Brown a couple weekends ago hurt Quinnipiac a lot — two spots in the Pairwise rankings — in addition to the Clarkson loss. It’s going to need four wins to close out the year and needs teams like UMass Lowell,
Western Michigan and Minnesota to pick up a loss or two to have a chance. Petruzzelli is going to have to continue his stellar play. He has given up a grand total of six goals in four games against the remaining opponents, so goals against should not be a problem for the Bobcats. And it’s been evident all season that the Bobcats are going to ride or die with Petruzzelli. He hasn’t received any help from his fellow goalies. He has started every single game all year, with freshman Evan Fear and junior Josh Mayanja combining to see just over 62 minutes in the 30 games the Bobcats have played. “He’s been good on this run we’ve had so we just need him to keep playing like this,” Pecknold said. The question is when will he burn out, if at all? Petruzzelli has already more than doubled his single season start
Sophomore defenseman Peter DiLiberatore fires a shot at the Clarkson goal.
CONNOR LAWLESS/CHRONICLE
totals (previous was 14 in 2017-18). At this rate, Quinipiac can’t afford him to begin to slip up. Four games, then the ECAC Hockey playoffs start. The bottom line is the Bobcats need Petruzzelli to stay sharp the rest of the way if they want to win in the ECAC Hockey playoffs and make a run in the NCAA tournament. And Petruzzelli thinks it is something that can definitely happen. “I think we have the right components on this team to (make a run in the playoffs),” Petruzzelli said. “Guys are just willing to block shots and do whatever it takes.”
ECAC Hockey standings as of Feb. 19
3 4 5 7
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12|Sports
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
February 19, 2020
Sports
@QUCHRONSPORTS
Murphy’s Law: Heart and soul
MORGAN TENCZA/CHRONICLE
Keith Petruzzelli has been the ‘rock’ of Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey By BRYAN MURPHY Editor-in-Chief
It’s argued that the most important player in hockey is the man behind the mask — the goaltender. While it takes a couple loose screws to be willing to prevent a hard piece of rubber whistling 80-90 mph from entering the net, a goalie can make or break a game. For the Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team, the man in the crease all season has been junior goaltender Keith Petruzzelli. After two inconsistent seasons in Hamden, Petruzzelli has found his groove this year and has been a huge reason why the Bobcats can clinch a first-round bye for the ECAC Hockey playoffs this weekend. It’s also very easy to say he is one of the top goaltenders in the conference. The stats speak for themselves. Petruzzelli has risen to third in ECAC Hockey in goals against average (2.21), wins (18), win percentage (.633) and total saves (699). He probably would like his save percentage to be higher, as he has a .914 percentage, seventh in ECAC Hockey, but Petruzzelli remains in the top tier of goaltenders in the conference and in the nation. “Keith’s our rock,” sophomore forward Michael Lombardi said after this Friday’s 3-2 loss to Clarkson. “He plays so well every night, he works so hard. Obviously, he’s a really likable guy off the ice too, so guys wanna play for him. He brings so much for us … he’s our rock, he’s the heart and soul of this team.”
The most important thing is that Petruzzelli has answered the bell, especially as of late. Since winter break, he’s given up more than three goals only once in 15 games. In that span, the Bobcats have compiled an 11-3-1 record. The highlighted of that run was the shutout of Cornell, who was ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time. The 5-0 loss was Cornell’s worst of the year, and Petruzzelli had 22 saves, earning his second shutout of the season. “He’s been playing great the whole season,” senior forward Alex Whelan said after the Cornell win. “It’s easy for us to play in front of him when he plays (this) good.” As mentioned, things haven’t always been so smooth for the Wilbraham, Massachusetts, native. When Petruzzelli first came to Quinnipiac in 2017, the expectations were set high. Maybe a bit too high. Fresh off being selected in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, many thought Petruzzelli would come in and follow in the footsteps of an elite path of goaltenders like Eric Hartzell (’13) and Michael Garteig (’16). His first two seasons didn’t quite go that way. Petruzzelli’s freshman season, he sat behind Andrew Shortridge for most of the season, until Shortridge was injured late in the year. Petruzzelli took over in early February 2017, finishing the regular season and seeing his first collegiate playoff action. However, he finished his freshman campaign with a dismal .892 save percentage and a 2.88 GAA.
His sophomore year, Petruzzelli was the starter to kick off the season. He played in four out of the first five games of the season. Then conference play started and well … it didn’t go great. Petruzzelli gave up three, four and five goals in his first three ECAC Hockey games of the season. And with Shortridge getting shutout after shutout after shutout, Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold was left with no choice but to ride the hot hand of Shortridge for the rest of the way — and rightfully so. Shortridge would go on to win the ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Year. He lead the nation in save percentage and GAA and was arguably snubbed of the Mike Richter Goaltender of the Year award for the NCAA that went to Northeastern’s Cayden Primeau. Petruzzelli didn’t exactly take advantage of his slim opportunities he was given once Shortridge got hot. After the winter break, Petruzzelli was given the start in the Jan. 4, contest against Colgate, a team the Bobcats had shut out twice already that season. Petruzzelli gave up four goals on 21 shots and was yanked from the game. He didn’t start for the rest of the year, only making two more appearances, both against St. Lawrence when the game was well out of reach. Even then, Petruzzelli gave up a combined three goals on 11 shots in the two total periods he played. He finished the year with a 2.40 GAA and a .904 save percentage. See LAW Page 11
Dual threat
From the pitch to the hardwood By MORGAN TENCZA Photography Editor
Quinnipiac men’s basketball sophomore guard Tyrese Williams had a successful freshman season and is on track to have another good one this year. But, what would the Bobcats be like without Williams on the court? Well, if Williams stuck with his first love, he could be on a whole different team, maybe not even at Quinnipiac. “Soccer was his first sport,” said Troy Williams, Tyrese Williams’ father. “We put him out on the soccer field, and he just took to soccer like a fish to water.” Williams started playing soccer for his local travel team at 5 years old, doing so until ninth grade. “My godmother lives across the street from where they had this rec league for soccer,” Tyrese Williams said, explaining his first memory of the sport. “My mom took me over, and I ran on the field. There were a bunch of other soccer players and one of Sophomore guard Tyrese Williams attempts to knock down a jumper.
MORGAN TENCZA/CHRONICLE
See WILLIAMS Page 11