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,
Staff Meetings on Tuesdays at 9:15 p.m. in SB123
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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INDEX
News Editor
CONNECT
By EMILY DISALVO
Opinion: 4
Arts and Life: 6
Sports: 10
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
2| News
MEET THE EDITORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bryan Murphy MANAGING EDITOR Alexis Guerra CREATIVE DIRECTOR Janna Marnell NEWS EDITOR Emily DiSalvo ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Stephen MacLeod OPINION EDITOR Toyloy Brown III ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Jessica Simms SPORTS EDITORS Brendan O’Sullivan & Jared Penna DESIGN EDITOR Ilana Sherman ADVISOR David McGraw
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May 1, 2019
Earth Day extravaganza Earth Day festivities inspire Quinnipiac students to embrace sustainability By GARRET REICH Staff Writer
Planet Earth was at the center of the Quad and students’ hearts Wednesday, April 24, in celebration of Earth Day. Sponsored by the Albert Schweitzer Institute and QU Dining and hosted by Students for Environmental Action (SEA), the Earth Day Fair promoted speakers in the Piazza and vendors on the Quad. “We need to make sure that students know what is going on in the world today and they understand that they can make a difference,” said sophomore Anna Marie Ciccarelli, an English and environmental studies double major. “They just need to know how to make a difference.”
SPEAKERS
Speakers included keynote speaker Melissa Goodall, the associate director of the Yale office of sustainability and Dr. Sean Duffy, the executive director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute and political science professor. Duffy highlighted the importance of Earth Day by explaining the history behind the holiday. He started by speaking about Albert Schweitzer and his relevance to Earth Day. “Schweitzer believed human beings should be looking at our place in the ecosystem, a larger ecosystem, and think about how we are willing to live amongst other life forms also willing to live and think of ourselves as interconnected in that way and have a reverence, a respect and an awe for other life forms,” Duffy said. There were also four student speakers including Ciccarelli, senior computer information systems Franklin Ramsay, third-year public relations major Leah Lavin and sophomore film, television and media arts major Tyler Main. “I personally believe that one of the biggest threat facing our planets isn’t our use of plastic,” Main said. “It is our own lack of belief in the butterfly effect. It is our lack of belief in doing small actions to make a big change. There are plenty of things you can do in your everyday life to reduce your use of plastic. Most of them are pretty small.” Lavin introduced and concluded the day’s speakers. She said the goal of the fair was to inform, engage and excite the students. “I hope that students who came to the event took away from it that although the idea of environmental sustainability can be kind of daunting and intimidating at times, it’s also something that can be interesting and exciting,” Lavin said. Also speaking at the event was Ann Gadwah, the Chapter Chair for the Connecticut Chapter Sierra Club, Nancy Alderman, the president of Environment and Human Health, Dr. Courtney McGinnis, an associate professor of biological sciences and medical sciences, Savannah Harik, a municipal partnerships representative for WasteZero, Jesuina Hairston, the regional marketing director
JESSICA SIMMS/ CHRONICLE
Students at the Earth Day fair paint rocks with kind messages to place around campus.
JESSICA SIMMS/ CHRONICLE
The Earth Day fair had a variety of tables for students to visit including Uptown Consignment, Kennedy’s Kitchen and Thyme and Season. at Chartwells Higher Education and Kevin Blaney, an executive chef at Quinnipiac. “I hope they [students] are inspired by the many things, small and large that we can still do to change our culture, our economy, and our society from one that is so wasteful of the Earth’s resources, and so damaging to the ecosystems we rely on to survive,” Duffy said.
QUAD
The Quad featured several sustainable vendors, activities, raffles, collections of reusable items and free food for students. The vendors included Uptown Consignment, Kim Palencia, Kennedy’s Kitchen and Thyme & Season. There, they sold clothing, jewelry and food to support sustainable living. Sociology major Erin LeDrew was at the Students for Environmental Action table, encouraging students to recycle. “I am super passionate about the environment and I went on a study abroad trip
that was focused on environmental action in Costa Rica,” LeDrew said. “They have already been doing Earth Day through the QU Sustainability Committee but they wanted to expand it. Since we just started this club, we wanted to have this opportunity to have people know about our club and recruit people.” The problem, LeDrew said, is that supporting the environment can have an apathetic nature to it. “We wanted to have fun, show people that there are little things you can do when you don’t want to be involved in the bigger steps,” LeDrew added. Among events and tables were yoga on the Quad, free fair trade chocolate and candy, opportunities for planting succulent plants and making blankets for local animal shelters. “The turnout has been amazing,” LeDrew said. “I have heard a lot of people say this was one of their favorite events they’ve seen so far, which is awesome.”
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.
The Quad was covered in trash to make statement about wastefulness and how quickly trash builds up.
GARRET REICH/CHRONICLE
May 1,2019
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
Helping Hamden
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Thursday, May 2 End of the Year BBQ The Pre-Physician Assistant Club will be hosting its final event of the year at the Mount Carmel Sand Volleyball Courts on Thursday, May 2, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Students can enjoy music, free food and a raffle while celebrating the club’s hard work.
Pre-Health Olympics The Pre-Dental Society will host the PreHealth Olympics in CCE 102 on Thursday, May 2, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. Health-science students can create teams of four and compete through a Kahoot to win a variety of prizes.
Self-Defense Class As part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, NAMI will host a self-defense class on April 25, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Students will have the opportunity to learn various skills associated with self defense while being educated and empowered.
Friday, May 3 Moonlight Promotion: Food Trucks The Student Programming Board will sponsor free breakfast-themed food trucks on Bobcat Way Lawn on Friday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students can enjoy food in preparation for the Moonlight Breakfast.
Moonlight Breakfast The Student Programming Board will host the annual Moonlight Breakfast in the dining hall on Friday, May 3 from 9:30 p.m. to midnight. Students can take a study break and enjoy a buffet of breakfast foods.
QU journalism students’ research inspires hunger summit By GARRET REICH Staff Writer
Hunger has been growing exponentially in the town of Hamden and Quinnipiac journalism students are hitting Hamden streets to report on it. “As journalists, we are aiming to share information about food services and write articles about the problem and solutions (coming soon) in partnership with the New Haven Independent,” said assistant professor of journalism Amy Walker. Walker’s JRN-400 Special Topics in Journalism class is specializing this semester in the epidemic of hunger in Hamden. Together, Walker and her 17 students in the class are researching the statistics of the issue and posting it on their website: Hamden Hunger Project. “As Connecticut’s cost of living and income inequality rise, the prevalence of hunger has increased as well,” the Hamden Hunger Project website says. “Some 40% of Hamden residents are struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table, according to the United Way.” As this issue has become locally recognized, the town of Hamden assembled a Food Security Task Force and gathered a year’s worth of research in their report: Facts & Faces: Food Hardship in Hamden. One of the task force’s several town projects was a Hunger Summit last Thursday, where Connecticut’s 3rd congressional district representative Rosa DeLauro, Mayor Curt Balzano Leng and others spoke at the Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum. “The exhibits and space is beautiful and the story is overwhelming,” DeLauro said in a video recording of the Hunger Summit. “It is potent and it reflects why we are here.” DeLauro said that she was leaving shortly after her speech to take a train to Washington, where she works to support bills that fight for food assistance programs. “We need to advance local solutions to oppress hunger,” DeLauro said. “We need to continue to build and marshal support for anti-hunger programs. Congress is an institution that responds to extra pressure. All of you are that extra pressure and don’t take no for an answer.” Walker started the project last August,
The Tap Company will hold their Spring Showcase in Buckman Theatre on Saturday, May 4 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The members will perform various pieces that they have worked on throughout the semester.
Health Fair The university’s health science programs will host a health fair on the North Haven campus on Saturday, May 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The health fair is free and open to the public. It will feature healthy cooking demonstrations, educational carnival games and a food truck.
Monday, May 6 Dog Finals The Psychology Honor Society and the Psychology Club are bringing in Quinnipiac’s favorite dogs, Ben and Tucker. On Monday, May 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in SC 116, students can visit the golden retrievers while destressing from finals.
PHOTO COURTESY OF HAMDEN HUNGER PROJECT
Students in Walker’s class survey locals on CT Transit Bus. when she applied and received a $35,000 grant from the Online News Association. She hoped to use the money to teach journalism as something living and breathing, rather than as a classroom subject. Junior journalism major Jessica Ruderman is one of Walker’s students and has been a pivotal point in the Hamden Hunger project. “A decent amount of the research regarding hunger in Hamden was done before we started the class and that’s pretty much how Amy got the grant because she was able to prove that this was an issue that needed to be covered and no one else was doing it here,” Ruderman said. The grant gave Walker and her students the opportunity to take a standard Special Topics class and create a community program. Throughout Hamden are three billboards, advertising a hotline for residents to find local food banks. “We have a billboard and texting team that helped design the texting platform we use and then we have a mic group (my group) that has been working to set up the listening story booth we now have at the Hamden Public Library,” Ruderman said. Walker’s goal this semester was to inspire her students to look at news reporting
from a different perspective. “We feel like we are getting information out to the community,” Walker said. “Part of my goal will all of this is to get students more interested in local news, innovate a little bit and try to do stuff differently. To not just look at news as stories that we see as important from the outside, but to spend time in a community, to get information to people in the community and build stories based off of that.” Ruderman said this outlook has impacted her perception of the class. “I think we always knew this was going to be bigger than a class,” Ruderman said. “This isn’t something based in Quinnipiac and we aren’t supposed to come off strictly as Quinnipiac students. This class is about being real reporters, real journalists, working on a real project about a real problem affecting real people. And that’s what has made me so attached to it.” Senior journalism and graphic and interactive design major Michaela Mendygral did not need to take the class in order to graduate. She already had all of her journalism credits fulfilled. But, when a friend recommended the class, Mendygral decided to try it. “It was definitely a progression from the beginning of the semester to the second half,” Mendygral said. “It has picked up so much. Initially, it was getting our face into the community and talking to people.” Mendygral said she wants to not just be another broadcaster on air. She said she wants to speak with people and tell the stories that aren’t heard. “Quinnipiac is not in a bubble,” Mendygral said. “It is important that, as journalists, we are expanding beyond the Quinnipiac reach. We are seeing what Hamden really needs and what the people really want, not just shoving news in their face.” Walker isn’t done. She said the summer will be busy and she is working to keep the project going, successfully. “What we are finding is that doing stuff like this first gives us access to more people and more voices,” Walker said. “And I don’t feel as a journalist, you’re not supposed to be an advocate for things. But, I feel like what we are is an advocate for information.”
Yanity: ‘It is really hard to use’
Saturday, May 4 Tap Company Showcase
News |3
WEBSITE from cover Cassidy Anderegg, a freshman political science major from South Dakota, was unable to make the trek across the country to visit Quinnipiac before committing. She said the website was ultimately what helped her make the decision. “I wasn’t able to visit campus before deciding to go to school at Quinnipiac,” Anderegg said. “I used the website to find out information about the school. The website was super easy to use and really illustrated what the Quinnipiac was about and ultimately it was the Quinnipiac website that helped me find a home here at QU.” Faculty have noticed that the website is more for “external” users like prospective students and as a result tend to avoid visiting it. “I don’t particularly use the website since it seems to be externally focused,” said Hilary Fussell Sisco, chair of the department of strategic communication. “I will say that as a member of the search committee for the new Dean of the School of Communications, I was contacted by many potential candidates who were frustrated that they could not find information about the faculty or staff working in the School of Communications as that information is not available on the website.” Rhodes believes the the chances of the new website failing are “about 70 %” because of the inexperience of the team working on it. “I believe Dr. Olian has challenged the team on why things are the way they are with the website itself, what is the strategy behind it and those
individuals aren’t able to articulate the strategy to defend the vision and properly deliver what we set out to do,” Rhodes said. Yanity said since this will be the second massive expenditure on a website in the recent past, it is important this website succeeds. “I understand these projects are complex and cumbersome, but that’s why they are extensive and expensive,” Yanity said in an email. “Because it is such a challenge, the university will fork out another seven-figure number. They need to get it right this time.” In an informal survey conducted by the Chronicle with 66 respondents, 57.6% of respondents agreed that Quinnipiac should redesign QU.edu. “It’s not very easy to navigate and I don’t like the formatting of the scrolling,” wrote one respondent. “I think it should be fixed so that things are easier to find upon entering the website.” Students were more dissatisfied with the MyQ section of the website which includes a hub of resources for current students. “The only part that needs to be redone is the main MyQ page,” wrote another respondent. “That is the only section of the website that doesn’t look as new and professional than the rest. Otherwise, everything else is modern and up to date.” Rhodes left the university before the work on the MyQ branch of the current site was completed and he said this website is a “failure.” He points to MyQ as proof the new website will fail. “They spend closer to $700,000 redesigning
MyQ which desperately needed to be redesigned and they failed because the team that is leading it won’t be able to do it,” Rhodes said. Rhodes said MyQ is outdated and this demonstrates that the team slated to create the new website lacks an understanding of user experience. “MyQ is a disaster,” Rhodes said. “It is like stepping back in time to before your current students were born. That website is based on technology and a look that. MyQ is what you get when an IT team designs a web experience which is a complete lack of understanding of user experience design.” Bushnell said the new website will be designed with input from all aspects of the university. “As we move forward in developing our new university digital ecosystem, we will embark on a highly collaborative process that will include all university stakeholders, (students, faculty, staff and alumni), who we believe will be better served by an improved web experience that can adapt to the current and future needs of the university,” Bushnell said. While the plans to invest in a new website have not yet been disclosed to the student body, Rhodes believes President Olian had no plans of sharing it. He said that in the past she has only disclosed expenditures after they are uncovered by an outside source. “The way that she acts, I think is condescending to the students,” Rhodes said. “I think the students are much smarter that she gives on to.”
4| O p i n i o n
May 1, 2019
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Opinion
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Senior send-offs
Christina Popik, Logan Reardon, Madison Fraitag, Jennie Torres, Amanda Perelli and Jeremy Troetti were the senior members of The Quinnipiac Chronicle. Before graduating, they each wrote a senior sendoff summarizing their own experiences on The Chronicle and as Quinnipiac students.
Remember your roots Christina Popik Former Editor-in-Chief
As I wrap up my time at Quinnipiac, I have spent a lot of time recently self-reflecting on my four-year journey. As a graphic design major, my capstone project is to essentially go back and compile all of my best projects and present them in a print portfolio and website. In anticipation of this project since freshman year, I knew I needed to try very hard to get the best portfolio pieces to succeed in this field. I came across an old poster I made my senior year of high school for the school play “Annie.” I remember spending hours on this poster, sketching and re-sketching to make it something people couldn’t possibly keep their eyes off of. Now, it definitely isn’t my best work but one of
my proudest at the time. Not only that but it was that project that made me realize that I wanted to pursue an education in design, even though I wasn’t really sure what exactly “graphic design” was yet. Fast-forward to college, being overwhelmed by school, jobs, extracurriculars, stress and life in general makes it easy to forget why we are doing something. I love my career path because I get to spend my days making my ideas and visions come to life and share them with the world, but there are times when it doesn’t always feel as rewarding as it sounds. Looking through old projects has reminded me that it is important no matter where you are in your career not to forget your roots because it is that first gleam of passion that helps push you to go earn your success, whatever that may be. Closing this chapter is the most terrifying
and exciting thing I’ve yet to approach in my life. School has always been a safety net from the real world because the failures and the mess ups don’t seem too bad when you’re learning and there are mentors to help you pick up the pieces. One of my most cherished experiences at Quinnipiac has been thanks to The Chronicle, where I’ve gotten to learn so many valuable lessons and prepare the best I can for the whirlwind of things life has yet to throw at me. I truly owe so much of my personal strength and success to student media. It’s given me a place at Quinnipiac and a platform to grow my passion. From the friendships to the work to the leadership, I would not be where I am as a person, leader or designer without The Chronicle. If you are struggling to find your place at QU, just follow your passion. I promise you it will be your best navigation tool.
Something we’re all looking for Logan Reardon Former Web Director
Consistency. In life, there isn’t much of it. That’s especially true in college. Between changing geographic locations, roommates and jobs, most college students are all over the place during their four years. I’m no different. I entered Quinnipiac’s accelerated 3+1 program a little less than three years ago. Since then, I’ve lived in Massachusetts, Connecticut and California. I’ve had different roommates all three years. I’ve worked as a lawn mower in Massachusetts, a newsroom intern at the Record-Journal in Meriden, Connecticut, an editorial intern at NFL Media
in Los Angeles and a digital intern at NBC Sports in Stamford, Connecticut. Throughout all these different life experiences in the last three years, one thing about my college life has remained consistent – The Quinnipiac Chronicle. I joined the Chronicle during my first week on campus in August 2016 and I’ve been at it ever since. Obviously, it seemed intimidating at first, and I probably didn’t do as much as I should’ve my first year. But it was the start of something. After a summer of mowing lawns back home and a shuffle of roommates, I was promoted to associate sports editor. This meant new responsibilities, but also new opportunities. Every deadline day Tuesday brought a different challenge. Whether it was helping my sports
editor (shoutout Justin Cait) lay out the paper or finishing up the weekly rundown, there was always something to do. The next semester, I moved up to sports editor and started interning at the Record-Journal. Being sports editor meant communicating with the athletic department, assigning articles to young writers and staying in touch with the executive board. I spent the summer of 2018 in California and then returned last fall with another different mix of roommates. The Chronicle was still there, though. Finally, in my last semester, I was promoted to web director. This change brought some unknowns. I had to post everything to the website and on social media throughout each week. If you’re still here after reading through my
autobiography of the last three years, I hope you’ve learned one thing. College students go through so many different phases of life in such a short time. Student organizations and clubs on campus are likely the only thing that will remain the same. Some deadline Tuesday’s were better and some were worse – believe me, sometimes it was worse – but the Chronicle was one thing that was always there for me. For the new editorial board, embrace those tough Tuesday’s – because soon you’ll be writing this sad piece about how you’re going to miss them. And whether you realize it or not, those Tuesday’s are the most consistent thing in your college life. For now, I guess I’m going to start searching for another consistency in my life.
Believe it Jeremy Troetti Former Copy Editor
November 2015 – The tears streamed out of my freshman eyes because I thought I couldn’t do it. April 2019 –The tears streamed out of my senior eyes because I knew it was over. The story of how I joined The Chronicle is a little different than most – I actually did not join because of the involvement fair. I joined The Chronicle in late October of my freshman year after finally gaining the courage to do so. My journalism story is also a little different than one you might hear from others. I was never someone who always knew from childhood what I wanted to do when I grew up. In fact, journalism kind of just fell into my lap. After
writing articles about baseball (ask anyone, it’s basically my favorite thing in the world) for my high school newspaper, the thought occurred to me, ‘Hey, I may be good at this.’ Now before I make it sound like some sort of happily-ever-after story, let me tell you, journalism didn’t come to me as naturally as I thought it would upon entering college. Prior to my time at Quinnipiac, I had never interviewed anyone in my life. But as an overconfident freshman, I thought it would be no big deal. I was wrong. I struggled mightily to get student reactions for articles. For whatever reason, I could barely bring myself to walk up to a random person and ask their opinion on whatever I was writing about. After struggling with my first few articles,
I retreated to my cramped freshman dorm. The tears came out. I didn’t think I could be a journalist – I was sure of it. To make a long story short, through the acquisition of a Chronicle press pass and some soul searching, I was ultimately able to conquer my fear. Following my first article using my press pass, I finally felt confident. I remember a little voice inside my head telling me something when I saw that article published: Believe it. However, I was not the only one who believed in me. Throughout my years on the Chronicle, I’ve had the pleasure to work beside the most talented, hardworking and understanding people I’ve ever been around. There was not a time I had a ques-
tion that wasn’t answered, or that I was yelled at for not having a polished article on the first draft. My time working with these folks meant the world to me, and I will forever be grateful for their belief in me. The Chronicle-induced tears returned a few weeks ago. But this time it was not a struggling writer tearing up, but a proud senior who received the greatest gift of all from The Chronicle – the ability to believe in himself. To all those who I have had the honor and blessing to work beside for the past four years, thank you from the bottom of my heart. And if anyone is questioning whether The Chronicle is one of the greatest organizations you can be a part of at Quinnipiac, then I have two words for you. Believe it.
May 1, 2019
Opinion|5
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
Through the good times and the bad Madison Fraitag Former Creative Director
Graduation. How does that word make you feel? When I was a freshman, it was an ambitious goal that excited but scared me. As a sophomore, it was all I wanted, thinking that college was juvenile and that I was ready to move on. As a junior, it became a term laced with anxiety, realizing that my time as a Bobcat was dwindling. And now... Urban dictionary defines “Graduation Goggles” as “The relief and nostalgic feeling one has about a time in their life when it is about to end, even if the time was completely miserable.” Let me tell you, plenty of my time at Quinnipiac was just that: completely miserable. I’d be lying if I said that some of that misery had never rooted from my time on The Chronicle, however, with my goggles strapped on tight, I can’t help but consider all of the amazing things that this organization has given me. While there have been many lessons learned, many late nights full of stressinduced tears, many unbelievable opportunities afforded and even more laughs and
smiles shared with my fellow Chron-afflicted friends, five things stick out in my mind that I would never have had if it were not for The Chronicle.
Leadership If not for the consistent growth and challenges that I’ve received since my first staff meeting in fall 2015, I would never have experienced the leadership roles and responsibility that I have taken on at QU. While this leadership began with The Chronicle, it stemmed to other media organizations including Montage: The Literary and Art Journal and the Greek Life community, where I was able to serve as a chapter president, an Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life intern and a recruitment counselor. These experiences are the ones that taught me the most, and none of them would have happened without The Chronicle.
Mentorship Every student at QU has had great professors. I myself have had the privilege to learn from dedicated, knowledgeable educators both in the School of Communications and out. However, this would have been true
had I joined The Chronicle or not. The mentorship that The Chronicle provided me was neither academic nor professional, but rather personal and meaningful guidance from students who had shared the same experiences as I had and invested their time and energy to help me succeed.
board positions and academic requirements. Because of the regiment and routine cycle of responsibility that The Chronicle taught me to manage, I have grown to hate the feeling of having nothing to do, and can confidently check “time management” off of my list of skills to attain.
Diversity As a Film, Television and Media Arts major, I never expected to learn to write fluently in AP Style, to lay out spreads and content on InDesign or to manage a universitywide social media account. By beginning with writing and having the opportunity to learn from other students in my free time, I was able to grow as a writer, designer, photographer, editor and eventually as a mentor to other students. This range of experience and skills is what helped land me my three internships and what will (eventually) help me attain a full-time position after graduation.
Responsibility I am only 22 years old. Many of my peers can’t keep track of their social calendars, let alone multiple jobs, executive
Connections The Chronicle can be a lot of work. Like, seriously, more work than a 16-credit course load and two jobs. And yes, I originally joined to learn and grow as a student and eventually as a young professional, but I can guarantee you that I would not have stuck around for as long as I have if it weren’t for the friendships and connections that I gained through this unparalleled organization. I have met the most hard-working, dedicated, kind, funny and overall insane people that QU has to offer, and because of The Chronicle, I am privileged to call all of them my peers, many of them my friends, some my sorority sisters and a select few my roommates, confidants and best friends. I have The Chronicle to thank for much of the “miserable” times at QU, but also for all of the amazing times. If I could go back to the beginning, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Become a better you Jennie Torres
Former Associate News Editor This wasn’t supposed to happen to me. I was supposed to just brush past these four years by attending my classes, doing my homework, and repeat. Yet, being a part of The Quinnipiac Chronicle helped me recognize that I could accomplish so much more during my time at college. I came to Quinnipiac telling myself that my purpose for being here was to study and get my degree. Nothing more. I wasn’t open to seeing myself in any other sort of situation that involved exploring anything outside of the classroom. I find it ironic though that my greatest passion in life involves having to share my
voice with other people, that passion being writing. I hope to one day be regarded as a famous novelist who writes creative fictional fantasy dramas. This dream is the main reason why I joined The Chronicle. I figured that since the organization involved a lot of writing that it would give me some tips on how to become a better author. But what I gained after these years offered more than I predicted. Although creative writing and journalistic writing aren’t normally seen as the same type of work, I’ve gotten skillful at addressing stories with a flair that only I can exhibit. I was eager to make my articles uniquely mine, and over time I found myself taking pride in the work I would do. The glee in my heart when I would see
my story make front page, or how I would leave a copy of the issue in my suite for my roommates to read, that’s when I knew that I loved my job. I don’t know what I was thinking though. If I wasn’t comfortable being around other people, why would I chose to stay at a club whose sole purpose was to talk to people every single week? I think my past self would say it was to improve her writing, but my senior self is saying that it was more so to improve myself as a whole. There’s always been this urge inside of me to get outside of my comfort zone that wasn’t fully expressed until I got to college because I felt like there was always someone better and more talented than me. However, The Chronicle helps you see that the work
that you do as is all yours. You are the one who has to search for people to interview and you are the one that is formatting your article into a story worth reading. I have to thank The Chronicle for giving me the confidence to see that I can do great things that could be a benefit to me that doesn’t involve studying for a test, and giving me co-workers that I can leave this university saying that they are my friends. I would advise students to push themselves to do things that they’re afraid of doing because it’s possible that you may just be fantastic at it. After all, with a bit of healthy fear you’ll always be on your feet doing the best you can to improve whatever organization you join and for a lot of people, that’s all they need.
Still learning Amanda Perelli
Former Managing Editor Disclaimer: I still have no idea if these senior send-offs are for ourselves, our staff or for the person reading it. I’ve decided to dedicate my senior send-off to you, the reader, and I hope my trifling life experiences either entertain you or help you learn not to take life too seriously. I’m only 21 (almost 22 though) years old and I actually don’t believe that seniors in college have much wisdom at all, we are quite literally just about to start truly living. But, I have run into some interesting situations as a young professional (ew, I promise I won’t say that again) in the communications field that is, I guess, worth sharing.
*** No one is going to look you in the eye
and say this when you sign the form declaring a major in journalism, but I believe this can really make or break someone: People are going to share their (key word) unwarranted opinions on your work and you need to remain calm. I know you didn’t ask what they thought and–wow you don’t even know that person and they searched your email and decided they could help you with your (and this is a real email I’ve gotten) “number of grammatical and mechanical errors.” Listen up, when you decide to publish something it’s no longer yours, it’s the reader’s and they’ll interpret it however they want. You lose all ownership– except when it doesn’t go over well. Then you need to rapidly grow a thick skin and remember everything you learned in that one PR class you took freshman year. (Sorry that one was super specific to only me, please just keep reading).
I’m sharing this because I thought when I majored in journalism I would live a beautiful poetic life, sitting in coffee shops with a moleskine notebook. After joining The Chronicle, I quickly learned that that is not the case (and if your life is like that please email me). I’m not perfect and chances are you’re not either. I’ll never be a perfect writer and honestly, I could care less about being grammatically correct because, for me, writing has always been an artistic form of expression, not a math equation…sorry. Don’t take every Facebook post, comment or email reaction too seriously and throughout it all, remember who you are.
*** Nine out of 10 times you are going to be completely alone…unless you ask for help. I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to com-
plain about how hard it was to be the managing editor and halfway through help run the news section of The Chronicle, because in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t. But often times when challenging situations surfaced, I found myself struggling to ask for help. I thought people would come running to save…my mess. They won’t and I think this can go for anything in life. If you want help, you can either ask for it or you can wipe your tears and deal with that problem head on. Also remember, if your job isn’t challenging at times then it’s really not worth doing. OK, I think I’ve reached my word count. Special thanks to The Quinnipiac Chronicle for believing in me, teaching me these exceptionally valuable lessons and giving me a platform to write. You can send me off now.
6|Arts & Life
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
May 1, 2019
Arts & Life A bittersweet goodbye
QUCHRONICLE.COM/ARTS-AND-LIFE ARTSLIFE@QUCHRONICLE.COM @QUCHRONARTSLIFE
Journalism professor graciously parts ways with QU By JESSICA SIMMS Arts & Life Editor
Writing has always been a passion of Kevin R. Convey’s and it is evident right when you enter the door of his newly packed up office. Newspapers line the walls, representing each of the news organizations that he has worked for, showing off his past work. “One morning after a long night at the newspaper, I woke up and said ‘this is it, this is so much fun. This is it. I’ve got to do this,’” Convey said, talking about the moment he started to love print journalism. “So I did. At that point, I was thinking that I may go to grad school and get my PhD and become a college professor.” Convey is now finishing up his last year
"I was really lucky and my second career presented me with a whole new set of challenges, a whole new set of pleasures. Something I could really work at and get better at… I leave with a grateful heart.”
– Kevin Convey Assistant Teaching Professor of Journalism at Quinnipiac University as an assistant teaching professor in the department of journalism before retiring from the school in May. However, this recent decision to leave his current position at the university has not ceased his passion for journalism and teaching writing, which is what he has loved since high school. “I had been doing journalism since high school,” Convey said pointing out his high school paper that is hanging right behind his desk. “That’s one that got us in trouble. If you could see there aren’t any bylines there because it was our sex and drugs issue and it got us in trouble and the administration wanted to shut us down and fire our faculty advisor. And when they tried to do that, the Boston papers came and started writing about it and then stopped them. So it was actually a very cool lesson in the power of
the press.” After high school, Convey went to Colby College in Maine and continued writing for newspapers there, becoming the features editor for the Colby Echo. On top of writing for the college newspaper, Convey held internships at other newspapers around the area, which are all represented on the walls of his office. “The Bangor Daily News was the first internship that I had when I was a sophomore,” Convey said referencing the newspaper clippings on his office walls. “Then I went to Ireland my junior year, so I wasn’t around. I studied at Trinity College in Dublin. Then I came back. Then my senior year I worked for Maine Times, which was in Topsham, Maine. Then I went to work for the Times Record, which was in Brunswick, which is where Bowdoin College is. Then I went to New Bedford and worked at the Standard Times and then from there I went to the Boston Herald. I worked at the Boston Herald for many years, probably 25 years maybe.” After taking a break from the Boston Herald by working at Boston Magazine, Convey returned to the Herald to become the features editor and Sunday editor. He also became the editor of a chain of a hundred small dailies and weeklies and decided to work for the Daily News in New York starting in 2010 when his publisher decided to sell those papers off. “In 2012, I parted ways with the Daily News,” Convey said explaining how he started teaching. “I was not getting along with the publisher. He stayed and I left. Then it was kind of like ‘well what am I going to do now?’ Because I hadn’t planned on getting fired. It just sort of happened. So I found that here’s this chance for me to do something else that I might be interested in.” So, Convey decided to go back to graduate school at the age of 56 to get his master’s degree at the City University of New York’s Journalism School to be able to teach journalism at the college level. Convey. Afterwards, he landed a job here at QU. “There was a lot of stuff I liked about [Quinnipiac University],” Convey said talking about why he chose to work at QU. “First of all, it reminded me very much of Colby where I went for undergrad. Beautiful location. On my visits here, I was impressed with how bright and how nice the students were. I think probably the most important thing was that I really felt like this was a department that I liked as a starting point and I was going to come in as the chair [of the journalism department] and I felt like I could help the department improve in ways that it wanted to improve to make it stronger.” Not only that, but Convey also really enjoyed working with the other professors in the journalism department and getting the chance to have a second career. “Honestly, I considered myself just so
JESSICA SIMMS/CHRONICLE
Kevin Convey has an article from each of the newspapers he has worked for. incredibly lucky to be able to work here,” Convey said. “It’s a beautiful place, the students are great, I have great colleagues. There’s hardly a day goes by where I don’t have a big laugh about something with somebody. I just consider myself very, very lucky to have the good fortune to have a second career that I love so much and that’s part of the reason why leaving is bittersweet.” At the end of the semester, Convey will say goodbye to QU after making the decision that it is time to move on and focus more on his family who reside in Massachusetts. “I do love [teaching at Quinnipiac],” Convey said. “I do love this place. My living situation has been that I drive home on Thursday night and I spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday home. I drive back on Monday… If I could drive in half an hour to Quinnipiac, I would be here for the duration.” Despite having to part ways with his job at QU, Convey is not going to stop teaching. He is teaching a single course called Mobile Journalism at Boston College in the fall.
“I consider it a privilege to be in the classroom no matter what I’m teaching,” Convey said talking about his favorite courses to teach. “I’m just really lucky to be able to do that.” With the end of the semester approaching, Convey’s time at QU is ending shortly and he will not forget any of the time that he got to spend working here. “Honestly, the two main things [about his time at QU] is just how very lucky I consider myself to be able to be part of this [journalism] department because I really really love my colleagues,” Convey said reminiscing about his time at QU. “You know, I had a great good fortune to get hired by a place like this with such wonderful students. I was really lucky and my second career presented me with a whole new set of challenges, a whole new set of pleasures. Something I could really work at and get better at… I leave with a grateful heart.”
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
May 1, 2019
Arts & Life|7
‘Go crazy, go stupid’ Recap of the best (or worst) weekend of the semester Ripped jeans, Pepsi cups and alcohol all represented this past weekend, that is (in)famously known as May Weekend. From frat parties to clubs, students across Quinnipiac’s campuses celebrated the beginning of warmer weather and relief from the impending stress that comes with finals. In case you missed out on the May Weekend action, here are some photos that capture all the fun over the course of the four day weekend. – A. Guerra
AMANDA BUSHMAN
HAYLEI COTTON AND LAURA SMULLEN
EMILY DISALVO/CHRONICLE
STEFANI LERCARA
IT’S ‘KILLING EVE,’AGAIN
The second season of the hit TV show returned to BBC America By TIM POWERS Staff Writer
“Killing Eve” has returned to televisions around the world with the start of the second season. The show starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer continues the cat and mouse game that almost ended in shock last season. The show surrounds an MI6 agent, Eve, who becomes obsessed with finding a female assassin, Villanelle. And in return, Villanelle becomes obsessed with her hopeful capture. Last season, after many tense exchanges, both Eve (Oh) and Villanelle (Comer) met and in a startlingly good turn of events, Eve stabbed Villanelle and that is where the season ended. For the past year, fans have been waiting to find out if Villanelle survived and how Eve is reacting to it. This season began directly after a tension-filled moment. Eve is running out of the apartment as agents swarm the place looking to kill Villanelle. Villanelle's employers are no longer satisfied with her work and are firing her. This first episode was great for both characters showing off their acting skills as Eve struggles with her guilt of trying to kill Villanelle and Villanelle struggling to survive on her own with fresh stab wounds. “Killing Eve” has become known for its witty dialogue; a show that knows how to balance comedy in tense situations. The show never seems ridiculous for its sense of glamour and dramatics. It is what makes the show so great. It is a part of its DNA.
Sandra Oh plays the character Eve in BBC America's 'Killing Eve.' The second season saw the rise of a new showrunner for the series with the departure of the show's creator, Pheobe Waller-Bridge. Concerns rose from fans that the writing would not be as smart and cut-throat from fans. However, that is not the case. The writing is smart, funny and as witty as ever. “Killing Eve” is a show that keeps its audience on the edge of its seat every single
PHOTO FROM BBC AMERICA
episode. Similar to “Game of Thrones,” the show could kill off any major character in say, episode three while there are still five episodes left in the season. It is a high stakes show; life or death. Oh, best known for her iconic performance as Christina Yang on “Grey’s Anatomy,” has won a Golden Globe, SAG award and became the first Asian actress
nominated for the lead actress in a drama series Emmy for this role. This first episode makes it clear why she got those titles. Oh gives a tour de force performance, one that balances comedy and drama so expertly. She certainly gives a memorable performance that will be remembered for years to come. Jodie Comer, in addition to Oh, gives a wondrous and magical performance. A performance that is as funny as it is horrifying. Comer’s Villanelle is a menounos but a menounos that the audience is able to sympathize with and care about. Her Villanelle is never the villain, and it is certainly interesting of the show to position a character like her like that. It is even more interesting to see the acting that comes from it. Another standout performance in the show is that by Fiona Shaw, most famous for her portrayal of Aunt Petunia in the “Harry Potter” franchise. Shaw plays Carolyn, Eve’s boss. Shaw radiates, similar to her “Potter” performance, a stern matriarchal figure. However, this character is more caring and less of a villain. Shaw adds layers to Carolyn, who is supposed to care for Eve while also making sure she stays far away from trouble. “Killing Eve” has set up one amazing dynamic between its characters — so desperate for each other that they will stop at nothing to get to each other until it kills them. This is definitely a show to watch out for, especially for the strong writing and superb performances.
8|Arts & Life
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
May 1, 2019
AN ACT THAT ‘PAYS’ TO SEE Brian Regan headlines a night full of laughs
By RYAN MILLER Staff Writer
Rain was pouring down and the skies were gloomy on a spring night in New Haven, but inside the Shubert Theater it was all smiles and laughter. Brian Regan, a veteran stand-up comedian, performed an hour-long set in front of a sold-out crowd on Friday, April 26. Regan, who perhaps is best known for his routines that have gone viral on YouTube on everything from his third-grade spelling bee to little league baseball, performed some brand-new original material. Gary Brightwell set the tone for the night with an impressive opening act. Brightwell, a former aerospace engineer, quit his day job to pursue stand-up comedy full-time and has done quite well for himself since. He is a regular on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, and he has been an opening act for Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno in addition to Regan. Brightwell mostly joked about his girlfriend moving in with him back home in Los Angeles. He mentioned how she wanted to throw out things they no longer needed, but that it skewed towards things she felt they did not need. That included throwing out his bobblehead collection, which came full circle when she expressed her concerns about how she would be able to tell if there was an earthquake. “I used to look at my bobbleheads!” Brightwell yelled to a roar of laughter. Shortly after, Brightwell introduced Regan and stepped aside. Regan was dressed in a button-up covered by a suit jacket and jeans. He gave little to no introduction and did not mention anything about the venue or the area. In fact, if you had seen a recording of the show, you would not even be able to tell it took place in Connecticut. That’s
Brian Regan has a comedy special currently streaming on Netflix. the magical thing about Regan, though. His material plays anywhere and with anyone. Since there was such poor weather on Friday night, a large majority of the crowd arrived when the doors to the lobby had opened. It was not hard to notice the incredible range of ages from middle schoolers to senior citizens. Everyone was buzzing with excitement, as even when we were waiting for the theater doors to open, I couldn’t help but overhear two avid fans debating which of Regan’s YouTube sets was the funniest. Regan covered a variety of topics during his set. The only moment the room was silent the entire night was when he paused to have a sip
JEFFERY GARLAND/NETFLIX
of water on stage. A crowd favorite was when he spoke about the concept of press conferences only mic’ing up the interviewee at the podium and not the interviewer. Regan would mumble to represent the question being inaudible on television to viewers, then respond with a vague answer such as “that was a coaching decision.” This also carried over into police press conferences, where Regan again represented the question with mumbles, then offered up a response of “we believe that’s the neighborhood the suspect is hiding in.” Speaking of criminal justice, Regan also delved into the phrase “crime doesn’t pay.” Regan spoke about the nonsense of the
quote, rattling off reasons why a person would want to commit a crime, but then adding that after “crunching the numbers” it simply did not award them with any money and wasn’t worth it. In addition, he joked about “if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime,” and joked about how some prison sentences would take years to complete but that a person could squeeze in a month in the county jail if they really wanted. Regan, 60, did not shy away from jokes about his age. He also discussed his struggle with sounding relatable on Twitter while also trying to not sound too old and his issue with deciphering emojis of faces people don’t even make in real life. One of the highlights of the night was when Regan discussed how he recently went to get a massage. He talked about the awkwardness of trying to squeeze his head through the donutshaped hole and watching the masseuse’s feet. The crowd got into it when he joked, “part of me wanted to see one foot go one way and one foot go the other so I could turn around and see what was going on up there.” It turns out Regan was at a reiki massage, which is contact-free and about the transfer of energy. Regan quipped back that he doesn’t actually touch his wallet when he pays someone either and that he wished good energy upon her in return. An aspect that makes Regan so appealing to all kinds of audiences is that he stays out of politics and uses clean language. This allows for both the older folks who aren’t looking for yet another aspect of life to be consumed by politics and the family-friendly audience looking to avoid raunchiness to coexist for the evening, and after Friday night it’s easy to see why Regan has been so successful for so long.
Could 'Under the Silver Lake' Reach Cult StatuS? A24 has finally released the controversial film on video-on-demand By MAXFIELD MASCARIN Staff Writer
After a rocky response at last year’s Cannes film festival, indie film powerhouse, A24, has finally released “Under the Silver Lake," a tale of paranoia and pop culture from director David Robert Mitchell, who most notably directed 2015’s horror film, “It Follows." “Under the Silver Lake” follows Sam, a 30-something slacker played by Andrew Garfield, who develops a crush on his neighbor Sarah, played by Riley Keough. Sam is quickly obligated to find Sarah as he is then sent on a wild chase all across Los Angeles to find her. The film is a mile-a-minute thrill and it does not let down after the first act. The whole two hour and 19 minute runtime never leaves the audience bored. In reality, this both aids and hurts the film. While the film starts with a bang and keeps the same energy, the first act seems a little rough around the edges, as the film’s pace is so quick that some time to slow down may have helped the story flow a little bit more organically. Much like “It Follows,” “Under the Silver Lake’s” greatest strength is its sense of style and tone, both of which are fleshed out by the score and cinematography. The score by Disasterpiece is reminiscent of the days of early cinema, 40s noir films and the Hitchcock era. The score ranges from subtle to over the top consistently but this can be excused as it is the real driving force behind the suspense of the film. As a director of photography, Mike Gioulakis
does a fantastic job framing and lighting each shots. The film’s intense, psychedelic themes are exposed through lots of handheld and sweeping camera angles, as some scenes gave me feelings reminiscent of “A Clockwork Orange." In a few words, “Under the Silver Lake” can be best described as a neo-noir. The mystery takes the forefront among other subplots as Sam quickly jumps to the conclusion that he is being watched and followed. In true noir fashion, Sam, the protagonist, is the center of every scene, as he's the audience’s vessel into the story for the entire runtime. While most leading men in any noir or detective driven film are blunt and stoic, Andrew Garfield portrays a very intelligent, yet awkward and disorganized every-man detective. Garfield’s performance as Sam is very down to earth and relatable while dealing with super abstract and bizarre ideas. Besides Garfield, the rest of the cast does a great job feeding into the impending sense of doom and paranoia. Garfield and Keough take center stage as the two primary characters, despite Keough’s character’s disappearance being the driving force behind the film. Supporting actors include Topher Grace, Jimmi Simpson, Riki Lindholme and Callie Hernandez. While none of the supporting characters have that much screen time, their more mellow attitudes play off Sam’s paranoid ramblings very well. For the past few years, A24 has been consistently releasing acclaimed independent
PHOTO FROM A24
A24 just released 'Under the Silver Lake' on video on demand
films such as “Ex Machina,” “Moonlight,” “Lady Bird,” “Hereditary” and “Mid90s.” Each one of the mentioned films have a very unique tone and message but are all similarly inventive films despite their variety of genres. “Under the Silver Lake” continues this trend and is extremely unique and inventive, and while
not every aspect of the film works, I would rather watch a film attempt something in a new way, even if it did not quite work. As previously mentioned, “Under the Silver Lake” garnered a strange response at Cannes, which left most of the audience scratching their head. Because of this response, A24 has been hesitant to release the film. “Under the Silver Lake” had its release date shuffled around multiple dates in 2018, before being delayed to April 2019 in October. On April 19, the film was finally released but it saw no major theatrical release, being dumped on videoon-demand instantly. I understand why A24 had so much trouble releasing the film, as it is very intense right off the bat, and as a director, David Robert Mitchell is not afraid to take any risks. If it got a wider release, I don't think the film would receive very high praise, and that is okay because it is not a perfect film. At the same time, it is an extremely unique blend of neo-noir, paranoia and pop culture. While not every beat of the film hits, “Under the Silver Lake” is very engaging and I cannot praise it enough for how unafraid and strange the mystery behind it all is.
4/5
May 1, 2019
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
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LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER FOR ONLINE SUMMER COURSES As the spring semester comes to an end, take a moment to think about your plans for the summer. If you are looking to earn credits toward the completion of your degree, there is still time to register for Quinnipiac’s online summer courses. Programs are available in a variety of fields and may be completed entirely online. These courses are led by the same outstanding faculty who teach on campus and are designed to allow you the flexibility that you need to complete coursework around any schedule. Visit quonline.quinnipiac.edu/summer to register today. Congratulations to all of our graduating seniors!
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
1 40 | S p o r t s
May 1, 2019
2018-19 SPORTS AWARDS As the school year comes to an end, the players and coaches who were responsible for some incredible seasons deserve some recognition. Sports Editors Brendan O’Sullivan and Jared Penna and Editor-in-Chief Bryan Murphy give their picks.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
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CAM YOUNG
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MEN’S BASKETBALL
ALLISON KUHN
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
MELISSA SAMOSKEVICH
What can I say? Graduate student guard Cam Young was nothing short of phenomenal. He shattered NCAA records en route to unanomously winning the MAAC Player of the Year. He finished the season with 728 points, the most ever by a Quinnipiac Bobcat in Division I history. -B.O.
Senior attack Allison Kuhn put up monster numbers in her senior year. In helping her team match its best record since 2013, Kuhn scored 43 goals and recorded 18 assists to score 61 points on the season. She scored three of her team’s five game-winning goals this season as well. -J.P.
When the Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey team needed a goal, it could rely on senior forward Melissa Samoskevich. She finished first on her team in points (22), goals (13) and game-winning goals (five). She graduates as one of most dominant goal scorers in Quinnipiac history. -B.M.
WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY
COACH OF THE YEAR
MORGAN TENCZA/CHRONICLE
TRICIA FABBRI
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Tricia Fabbri is simply a winner and this season proved this even more. She led the Bobcats to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, five straight MAAC regular season titles and most importantly, the illustrious MAAC Championship three-peat. - B.O.
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ERIC DA COSTA
RAND PECKNOLD
Eric Da Costa led his team to an 8-1-1 conference record this season, good for second in the conference. The team reached its second championship game in three seasons and nearly came away on top. Da Costa deserves a lot of credit for what he’s accomplished with this program. -J.P.
This season, Rand Pecknold improved the team’s win percentage from .421 to .684 in one year. Pecknold guided the team to the regional finals in the NCAA Tournament, a share of the Cleary Cup and a No. 7 final national ranking, and earned his 500th career win. -B.M.
MEN’S SOCCER
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
COURTESY OF QU ATHLETICS
EMILY THOMPSON/CHRONICLE
ALESTER MAGALIT
KAMILLA NELLA
It’s not often that a freshman leads a team in wins, but for the Quinnipiac men’s tennis team, freshman Alester Magalit was that guy. He won 17 games in singles play en route to being crowned the MAAC Rookie of the Year. He also added a combined 11 wins in doubles. -B.O.
Freshman Kamilla Nella finished the season with the most singles wins on the team, recording 15 victories on the season. She also boasted an impressive 5-1 singles record in the MAAC, tied for second on the team. Nella has established herself as a threat from the very beginning of her career. -J.P.
MEN’S TENNIS
COURTESY OF QU ATHLETICS
NICK DIMUCCIO
WOMEN’S TENNIS
MEN’S LACROSSE
As a freshman goaltender, Nick DiMuccio has started in all 14 games for the Bobcats so far, recording an 8-6 record with a MAAC-best 14.43 saves per game. With the regular season over, DiMuccio will be a key piece for the Bobcats to make a run at a MAAC championship. -B.M
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
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AMANDA BLUM
EAMON WHELAN
After losing a combined eight seniors and graduate students, the Quinnipiac field hockey team needed someone to step up. Junior forward Amanda Blum did just that. In 15 starts, she was second on the team in goals (five) and points (13). -B.O.
Last season, junior forward Eamon Whelan finished with two goals and one assist. This year, in just 18 games, he finished first in the MAAC in points (30), points per game (1.67), goals (13), goals per game (0.72), game-winning goals (four), and tied sixth in assists (four). -J.P.
FIELD HOCKEY
MEN’S SOCCER
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ANDREW WORKMAN BASEBALL
In 2018, senior reliever Andrew Workman saw 14 appearances, posting an 8.06 earned runs average (ERA) for the Quinnipiac baseball team. This season, he leads the team in appearances with 19, has five saves and a 1.36 ERA, sixth-best in the MAAC. -B.M.
May 1, 2019
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
BOBCATS BASEBALL
S p o r t s | 1 15
Clockwise from top left: Quinnipiac baseball sophomore pitcher Arthur Correira is about to release his pitch to home, junior infielder Evan Vulgamore slides across home plate to score for Quinnipiac, sophomore infielder Ian Ostberg holds his bat across home plate in preperation to lay down a bunt, junior infielder Dylan Lutz tags out a baserunner at second base.
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The Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse team clinched the No. 2 seed in the upcoming MAAC Tournament. The Bobcats will play No. 3 Detroit Mercy on Thursday.
Junior base Camren Diaz and junior top Melanie Mancini became the 13th All-Americans in Quinnipiac acrobatics and tumbling. history.
Junior forward Nick Jermain was named the next captain of the Quinnipiac ice hockey team. He is the 46th captain in program history.
Alester Magalit
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
BY THE NUMBERS
COURTESY OF QU ATHLETICS
Quinnipiac men’s tennis freshman Alester Magalit finished his first season at Quinnipiac with 17 singles wins, 11 doubles wins and the MAAC Rookie of the Year.
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
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Sports
May 1, 2019
QUCHRONICLE.COM/SPORTS @QUCHRONSPORTS
Mr. Worldwide Aleksa Martinovic is living out his dream of playing tennis in America MORGAN TENCZA/CHRONICLE
By BRENDAN O’SULLIVAN Sports Editor
Living out one’s dream isn’t always simple, especially when that dream is 4,000 miles away. In Quinnipiac men’s tennis freshman Aleksa Martinovic’s case, he made his dream a reality. “Since I started going to high school, my dream was to come to America to play tennis,” Martinovic said. “I didn’t know about any college or anything, I just wanted to come.” Martinovic grew up in Novi Sad, Serbia playing soccer until he was 10 years old when his mother convinced him to take up tennis. His mother feared Martinovic didn’t have the proper build for soccer and might get injured on the pitch. It didn’t take long for Martinovic to develop a strong skill set and passion for the game of tennis. Since turning 14 years old, he began training for five to six hours a day and traveling to different cities and countries to play tournaments. Again, it was Martinovic’s mother who influenced him to partake in these tournaments. “It just was my mom,” Martinovic said. “She was like, ‘You should try to play some tournaments.’ So, I went to some tournaments. My coach was also playing at that time, so I was traveling with him, playing tournaments with him. I really liked it.” Martinovic played in multiple pro tourna-
third in the U14, U16 and U18 tournaments while also winning the Winter State Tournament in Vojvodina four times. In addition, he played in multiple tournaments in Greece, Egypt and Macedonia garnering a high European Tennis Association ranking of No. 299 prior to becoming a Bobcat. “It was a great feeling seeing other guys from all over the world playing,” Martinovic said. “Top 300 guys in the world, you see them playing every day, practicing. You hit with them from time to time. It was a big experience to me, and I would do it again.” Martinovic’s success in tournament play around the globe is what gifted him the opportunity to live out his dream of playing tennis in America. Towards the end of his high school career, he began to look for colleges within a twohour radius of New York, so he could travel back to Serbia easily. Quinnipiac, located in Hamden, which lies within Martinovic’s two-hour radius of New York, was a school that Martinovic had his eye on. In late 2017, Quinnipiac men’s tennis head coach Chris Pappas began recruiting Martinovic to Quinnipiac. The two continued talks through the winter and into the spring as Martinovic was finishing exams. During this recruitment period, Pappas had a chance to watch Martinovic play, and he admired
Freshman Aleksa Martinovic fires a backhand over the net.
ments before attending Quinnipiac. However, in order for him to maintain his NCAA eligibility, he registered as an amateur so he would not receive prize money. This is fairly common in foreign countries since many don’t have a collegeesque development league for amateurs. As an amatuer in Serbia, Martinovic placed
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the way Martinovic competed. Pappas knew that he would fit well in the MAAC. “I like the style of his game,” Pappas said. “I knew that his region had some quality players. I saw his results, and he had some really good, quality results against quality players… So, I thought between the style of his game
and the results he had, he would do really well in our conference.” Along with his style and skill set, Martinovic brings a lightning rod of energy to every match. The competition fires him up which has been problematic with former coaches. Throughout his freshman season, Martinovic has faced the
be ready for next matches for next year. I think I did an OK job.” Despite competing at a high level throughout his tennis career, Martinovic didn’t always believe he was that good. He was surprised to beat some of his opponents in Serbia and would scream on the court to try and throw the
Martinovic returns a shot, starting a rally in his No. 2 singles match.
challenge of transforming his intensity on the court from a distraction into a tool. “It’s something that we have to continue to make sure he understands how to learn from it and not waste energy on unnecessary emotion,” Pappas said. “I think it’s a work in progress. “We just have to keep molding it because the last thing I want to do is take away the fire and emotion he plays with. But we also have to make sure we’re putting it in a way that’s constructive and positive, and that’s part of the growth experience.” This intensity, although seen as negative to some, has been beneficial to Martinovic. He has succeeded at No. 2 singles, finishing 1315, as well as No. 1 doubles with junior Axel Stern. The two finished the season with a 4-1 record in MAAC play and were named Second Team All-Conference. Playing at a high level means a lot to Martinovic. As soon as he stepped foot on the Quinnipiac hardcourt, his game quickly blossomed. “It was an honor,” Martinovic said. “It’s a big thing because I’m a freshman. I tried to adapt to it. I played some older players, some good guys. I tried to see what they are doing to
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opposition off. Although the raw passion is still in Martinovic’s game, he has gained confidence in himself and has begun to focus on becoming a team player, now that he’s playing for Quinnipiac and no longer individually. “Back home, I would lose, and it’s just me,” Martinovic said. “Here, I play for college, so it’s much more than what it used to be at home. So, I’m trying to get 100 percent of myself every time because as I said, it’s for other guys and for me also.” Martinovic, despite being just a freshman in college, is more than just a regular kid that picked up a racket. He’s developed his skills and gained a love for his team and teammates, all while maintaining the passion that makes him so unique. His growth and most importantly, his 4,000-mile dream wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Pappas and his eight other teammates at Quinnipiac. “When I contacted Chris [Pappas], I was like, ‘The college looks so good,’” Martinovic said. “I like him, I like the other guys. They texted me. I talked with them, and I decided that this should be the right place for me, and it is.”