MAY 1, 2019 • VOLUME 89 • ISSUE 26
The official student newspaper of Quinnipiac University since 1929
OPINION: REMEMBER YOUR ROOTS P. 4
SPORTS: SPORTS AWARDS P. 10
ARTS & LIFE: KEVIN CONVEY P. 6
Website wars
Plans to redesign qu.edu shunned by the site’s designer, supported by others
Third-year nursing graduate student passes away By ALEXIS GUERRA Managing Editor
By EMILY DISALVO News Editor
President Olian has approved a plan to rebuild qu.edu, according to the man who designed Quinnipiac’s current website from the ground up. “It made no sense to me when I found out that they were planning to spend $1.3 million to do that,” said Keith Rhodes, the former chief digital officer of the university. “We spent $1.6 [million] to build the website. We built it to be future proof. We built it with a responsive design, scaled over multiple platforms, mobile devices, we built it to be on-brand.” Lynn Bushnell, vice president for public affairs, confirmed the university’s plans to create a new website over the next several months, but would not name a price. She said the new website will be aimed towards a broader audience, rather than just targeting prospective students. “It is really just aimed to prospective students and while that is a very important part since most prospective students make their decisions based on websites I think that we need to make ours more accessible for everyone,” Bushnell said. “In the next year to 18 months that will be a major project that we are working on.” Rhodes said that the website was built after considering all aspects of the university, but he said its appeal to prospective students is why it is so effective. “That university website is a communications flagship,” Rhodes said. “That is the source, the zero moment of truth. That is the truth for you as a student, before you arrive on campus you say is this a place for me? You look at the website, it speaks to you.” Molly Yanity, associate professor of journalism, said the current website has many more
SCREENSHOT FROM QU.EDU
Keith Rhodes, former chief digital officer, designed the qu.edu pictured here. flaws than Rhodes let on to. In contrast, Dever said the CAS360 website “It is really hard to use,” Yanity said in is much more user-friendly. CAS360 was crean email. “Go to the [School of Communica- ated by Rick DelVecchio as an advising website tions] page. Can you find the curriculum from for students and faculty. the links on that splash page to find out about “The Quinnipiac website is more general the classes you will take? No. How about in- whereas CAS360 is more specific but it really formation on the profs you will take? Nope. I stands as a model for easily navigable websites,” try to find phone numbers of colleagues and Dever stated. even that is a challenge.” Rhodes pointed out that when he joined Aileen Dever, professor of modern lan- the university team in 2014, numbers were guages, agrees that the website is difficult to use, down but after working on the qu.edu we see which she said masks the great content Quinni- today, the university experienced tremendous piac has to offer. growth. “I find the Quinnipiac website cumbersome “We would not have been building a new to navigate,” Dever stated in an email. “You dorm in 2014,” Rhodes said. “We are buildhave to be exceptionally persistent to find the ing a new dorm because our brand strategy, stellar programs, students, staff, professors and our brand identity.” opportunities hidden within it.” See WEBSITE Page 3
The Quinnipiac community lost a friend and the nursing community lost a dedicated caretaker last week. Quinnipiac graduate student Erica Seaman passed away on Wednesday, April 24, according to an email from President Olian. Seaman was a third-year graduate student in the Doctor of Nursing Practice– nurse anesthesia program. While at Quinnipiac, Seaman was recognized as the recipient of the Integrated Anesthesia Associates scholarship for the nurse anesthesia program. She planned to begin her position as a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Hartford Hospital after Commencement, according to an email from President Olian to the Quinnipiac community. Seaman was from Suffolk County, Long Island, and attended Seton Hall University where she graduated with a BS in nursing in 2011. Before coming to Quinnipiac, Seaman was a critical care nurse at Stony Brook Medicine, according to the email. “This is a terrible loss for Erica’s family and friends, for her fellow students and for our community,” Olian said in the email. “My heart goes out to all in this terrible time of sorrow.” Donations can be made in her honor to Quinipiac University according to her obituaty. Memories and sympathy for the family can be shared at www.obdavismillerplace.com. Students seeking help can contact Counseling Services at 203-582-8680. For faculty and staff, assistance is available through the Employee Assistance Program, e4health, at 800828-6025.
From Bobcat to Bostonian
Retiring administrator shares her plans for the future and her reflections on the past
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Lynn Bushnell has spent the past 25 years at Quinnipiac, but this June will mark the beginning of a long-planned retirement. “My husband and I had decided several years ago when John Lahey announced he was going to retire last year,” Bushnell said. “We decided I would see John out as president and I would spend a year and help the new president get acclimated. And even though my husband passed away I stuck with that plan.” Bushnell, vice president for public affairs, is responsible for “the outward facing parts of the university” such as the website, social media, the polling institute and Ireland’s Great Hunger museum. Her final year was spent helping President Judy Olian transition. This also included planning her inaugural ceremonies. Bushnell said the transition has been smooth, but also has resulted in a lot of changes.
“I think it’s been a pretty smooth transition,” Bushnell said. “After someone has been here for more than 30 years, there’s bound to be a lot of change when that person leaves, and there certainly is going to be change.” One of these changes is the departure of Bushnell and other administrators. Bushnell is one of many administrators leaving the university in the near future and since this is the first time Bushnell has experienced a presidential transition, she isn’t sure what is normal. “I don’t know what’s normal to be honest because I’ve been here so long,” Bushnell said. “I do know that most presidents generally stay only seven or eight years, that’s the average life of a presidency so I don’t think any amount of change at this point would be surprising.” Bushnell’s plans for retirement include spending time at her lake cabin in Maine. “We’ve owned it for about 12 years,” Bushnell said. “It was a fixer-upper when we first bought it. It didn’t have heat, lights,
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water, bathrooms but over the years we’ve renovated it so now it is year-round home.” After that, Bushnell plans to trade the quaint lake cabin in for the hustle and bustle of Boston–the home of her favorite sports teams. “I have always loved the city but I have never lived in it,” Bushnell said. “I think I would like to take a year or more and get to know Boston on foot and my beloved Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins.” Bushnell said the decision to leave Quinnipiac wasn’t easy because of the close connections she has made here. “I’ve worked with some of these people for 25 years and many of them have become good friends. We spend time together at work but also outside of work,” Bushnell said. “Some of the students have babysat my children when they were little.” Two of Bushnell’s children are Quinnipiac graduates. Patrick graduated with his bachelor’s in 2012 and his master’s in 2017.
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Katharine graduated with her bachelor’s in 2010. Bushnell said watching them graduate was one of her fondest memories here. Bushnell described her other favorite memory as the first time she ever visited Quinnipiac on a bright Sunday morning. “I still remember the first day I came on campus before I actually had the job,” Bushnell said, glancing out the window of the student center. “I came here about 7 a.m. on a Sunday and it was absolutely beautiful and pristine condition. It was a day like this when all of the trees were in full bloom and it was warm and pretty.” It is memories like these that makes her quickly approaching final day more difficult, but Bushnell said she is confident now is the right time. “It’s very foggy for a while and you think ‘Maybe I should hang on one more year,’ but then the sun comes out and you know you’re doing the right thing,” Bushnell said.
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By EMILY DISALVO
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