The Quinnipiac Chronicle, Volume 91, Issue 20

Page 1

APRIL 21, 2021 • VOLUME 91 • ISSUE 20

The official student newspaper of Quinnipiac University since 1929

lonely

anxiety

depressed

stress

burn out

bad

failure

disapointment

April

Quinnipiacipsum

ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY DISALVO

ILLUSTRATION BY EMMA KOGEL

NEWS P.3: COUNSELING DURING COVID-19 How Quinnipiac counseling services operate during the pandemic

p. 6-7 ILLUSTRATION BY CONNOR LAWLESS

OPINION P.5: ACADEMIC BURNOUT The lack of spring break contributes to students’ declining mental health

CONNOR LAWLESS/CHRONICLE (2019)

SPORTS P.11: PETE’S POND: TRANSITIONING Graduate transfers and incoming freshmen revamp the Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey roster

Entirely male SGA executive board emerges on a primarily female campus By EMILY DISALVO Arts and Life Editor

Quinnipiac University’s undergraduate student body is over 60% female, but the group of five students leading the executive board of the Student Government Association (SGA) are all male. Of the 2,052 students who voted, 72.08% were women. Additionally, all five of the executive board members are white. Quinnipiac is 75% white. The majority of the students who voted, 81.92%, were white. “One thing about student government is we can’t really control who gets elected,” said Caroline Mello, a junior entry-level masters physician assistant major, who ran and lost the campaign for student body president. “I honestly believe the women campaigned just as hard. It must have just been who the students wanted.” Of the five executive board positions up for grabs — president, vice president, vice president for inclusion, diversity and engagement, vice president for finance and vice president for public relations — all had at least one woman who ran for the position and lost. Both vice president and vice president for public relations had two women who challenged the male candidate. Even if some of the women had won, the

executive board would have been entirely white. Mello lost to Nick Ciampanelli, current vice president for student experience and junior political science and economics major. Ciampanelli said that the turnout for the election was low — 2,052 students. This accounts for roughly 29% of the student body. Bobbi Dynice, a junior occupational therapy major and unsuccessful candidate for vice president, said this campaign and the turnout exemplified the fact that many students are not aware of the SGA and its efforts. “Students don’t know about SGA and don’t know what’s going on,” Dynice said. “Many of the students I talked to did not know any of the initiatives that were worked on in the past year. A lot of them didn’t know the structure of SGA ... The number of students who vote that don’t know anything about the candidates is slightly concerning.” In the past, Ciampanelli has seen high female participation in surveys and other elections when compared to men. For example, a survey that went out about recreation garnered 336 responses, 259 of which were female, 73 males and four non-binary/non-gender conforming students. Likewise, this election was dominated by female

voters but still led to male victories. “There definitely is a level of sexism and patriarchy that comes into play here,” Ciampanelli said. “Something that is very common in social studies is that we often see men in positions of power rather than women.” Research from the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University confirmed Ciampanelli’s assessment. “Women who want to be leaders, therefore, run into two problems,” the study read. “The first is the ‘double standard:’ A female candidate for a powerful role has to put her agentic side on display to reassure people that she can take charge, which is hardly ever an issue for men. The second is the ‘double bind:’ When women in leadership roles do act tough, there is a backlash against them for being too tough.” The United States House of Representatives is 27.4% women and the U.S. Senate is 24% women. There has never been a female president of the United States and Vice President Kamala Harris is the first female vice president. Mello said that on the campaign trail she felt as though sexism did play a role in the loss, even if it was unintentional. “There were times I was like ‘OK I can’t

campaign in the pink suit,’” Mello said. “I had to wear a more powerful color. I am also a 5’1’’ female. If I was standing behind a podium I don’t necessarily look as powerful as a 6’1’’ male. People want someone who has that confidence level that males traditionally get. I had to think about how I could counteract that stigma because it is present.” Mello, and the other women who lost their races, affirmed that the men who won are all qualified for the position. Karenna Downs, who ran for vice president for public relations, said despite the loss, she knows the executive board will continue to listen to her ideas. “I am always making sure my opinions are being heard,” said Downs, a sophomore nursing major. “I will not be afraid to vocalize my opinions to them when I don’t think they are going smoothly or there are some things we can advocate for for our underrepresented students.” Both Downs and Mello will serve on the general board as senators for their respective classes. The males on top are not reflective of the board as a whole. The general board is primarily female. Including the executive board, Ciampanelli said there are 10 men on SGA, plus See SGA Elections Page 2


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