A frozen frenzy in Madison Square Garden
By AMANDA DRONZEK Sports Editor
Quinnipiac men’s hockey normally plays Cornell twice throughout the ECAC slate.
This year, nestled between its two annual matchups, was a third — the sixth installment of The Frozen Apple at Madison Square Garden in which Cornell pulled out a shootout win in a 3-3 tie.
The Big Red selects opponents to host every other year in late November to recognize alumni and present players at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
Picked from the crop this season were the Bobcats, who haven’t skated at the venue since 2016 where they defeated Harvard 5-4 in overtime.
“It was excellent,” Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold said. “We played here before in 2016 that was an interesting game too. It was crazy, but it was awesome and really appreciative to Madison Square Garden and Cornell for inviting us.”
Eight years later, Quinnipiac has a national championship banner and currently holds the longest streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament berths in college hockey. And Cornell isn’t anything to sneeze at either. It’s also been a consistent powerhouse in the ECAC under head coach Mike Schafer, who is retiring in 2025 after 30 seasons at the helm.
The Big Red has been on the Bobcats’ heels for over a decade, making seven NCAA Tournament appearances in 14 seasons, as well as taking home the Whitelaw
Cup this past March in Lake Placid.
“Cornell is a really good team,” Pecknold said. “I mean, I think they have a great chance to go to the Frozen Four.”
So yes, the draw was there. In fact, it brought in a record 16,593 people, the largest crowd college hockey has seen this season.
“I think it’s a big deal,” junior computer information systems and business analytics major Maeve Sullivan said. “(Quinnipiac) doesn’t even play with this amount of people at (its) home rink.”
Despite it being a non-conference bout,
the matchup was a measuring stick for Quinnipiac, who delivered a 3-1 victory over Cornell on Nov. 22 and a discouraging overtime loss at Colgate the next day.
For a lower-ranked team to take out a stallion like the Big Red — despite recent inconsistent performance — on the road no less, and then do the exact same thing one week later in an arena that holds 19,500 spectators, is an extremely tall order.
An order Quinnipiac came oh so close to delivering on.
Cornell on the other hand was right at
“ Everyone who’s in line should be super thankful, super happy. You’re part of something special. ” – Quinnipiac University alumn Jack Mendato ‘23
ease, holding a four-game winning streak at MSG — where it’s played 29 times prior — coming into Saturday night’s puck drop.
“I guess it’s just another home game when you’re sitting on the blue line for the national anthem and you hear “red” echo through the stadium, you know, it’s going to be a good night,” Cornell’s junior forward Dalton Bancroft said. “So just a really cool atmosphere, really cool venue to play in.”
And yes, a loss is a loss and the less fortunate team is forced to remember the spectacle at MSG as a red ‘L’ on paper.
But the atmosphere? The rink? Unbeatable.
“MSG is magical,” Jack Mendato ‘23 said. “It’s special. Everyone who’s in line should be super thankful, super happy. You’re part of something special.”
It’s the perfect opportunity for the league, the conference and the individual teams to be recognized on a larger scale.
“I was very excited,” said Robert Gorsline ‘05. “I couldn’t wait. Marked it down on the calendar immediately, just excited to see (Quinnipiac) play on a big stage and get some recognition.”
Not everyone watches NCAA hockey on ESPN+ on the weekends, or at all for that matter, but heads turn when teams besides the New York Rangers or the New York Knicks call The Garden home for the night.
“I mean, where do you get a sporting event like that from college hockey?” Cornell head coach Mike Schafer said.
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‘One Pill Can Kill’ campaign raises awareness of opioid crisis
By AVA HIGHLAND Associate News Editor
Quinnipiac University’s Department of Public Safety committed to raising awareness about the dangers of counterfeit or illicit drugs that could be laced with deadly substances through the “One Pill Can Kill” campaign.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) created “One Pill Can Kill” in 2021.
“DEA created this campaign to encourage the use of social media to help raise public awareness of a signifcant nationwide surge in counterfeit pills that are mass-produced in labs, deceptively marketed as legitimate, and are killing Americans at an unprecedented rate,” according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration offcial website.
“One Pill Can Kill” launched at Quinnipiac in 2022 to help fight the ongoing issue.
The campaign was brought forth at Quinnipiac in response to the tragic death of a 20-year-old senior student in 2021 from an accidental fentanyl overdose.
“It was created as part of a broader effort to combat the growing opioid crisis, particularly focusing on fentanyl overdoses, which have been a significant contributor to the rise in drugrelated deaths,” wrote senior criminal justice major John Cielo in an email to The Chronicle.
As a Public Safety intern, Cielo works to aid in launching and raising awareness of the initiative and its efforts to the Quinnipiac community.
“We are responsible for supporting the campaign’s outreach efforts and our goal is to ensure that students, faculty and staff are informed about the dangers of counterfeit drugs and fentanyl,” Cielo wrote.
The initiative aims to highlight the deadly consequences that can come from taking only one laced pill. In many cases, they are disguised as medications or recreational drugs.
“The main message is that the use of unregulated pills is extremely risky, and even one pill can be fatal due to the presence of fentanyl or other potent substances,” Cielo wrote.
The inspiration for the campaign came from a significant rise in deaths related to counterfeit prescription pills that contain fentanyl. In a recent test done by the DEA, “5 out of 10 pills tested in 2024 contain a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl.”
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is much stronger than heroin.
“In recent years, fentanyl has been increasingly found in street drugs, such as counterfeit prescription pills, heroin, methamphetamine, and even cocaine,” Cielo wrote. “The goal of the campaign is to warn the public that even one pill, potentially unknowingly consumed, could lead to death due to fentanyl’s potency.”
The American Medical Association (AMA) explains that recent data shows, “decreases in drug-related mortality, but as the 2024 report shows, there are many actions that still need to be taken to save lives and improve outcomes for individuals with a substance use disorder or pain.”
The initiative additionally works to fight the spread of misinformation of lack of understanding within younger people who are
not aware of the dangers.
Bringing “One Pill Can Kill” on campus not only spreads awareness to students, but also encourages students to take action in fighting the growing crisis.
“By educating students about the risks of taking unregulated pills, the campaign aims to prevent overdose deaths and promote safer choices,” Cielo wrote. “It also provides resources and support for students to better understand the impact of substance misuse. This will help foster a culture of awareness and responsibility, helping to ensure that (Quinnipiac) students are equipped with the knowledge to protect themselves and their peers.”
The initiative’s advertisements can be seen on social media with informative posts, infographics and testimonials about the dangers of fentanyl-laced pills.
They also host workshops and presentations featuring experts educating the public of the risks and dangers. The campaign utilizes posts, fyers and QR codes for links to additional information as well as support services.
Not only does the campaign have a great impact on the Quinnipiac community, but it is fulfilling for all those involved.
“Being a part of the ‘One Pill Can Kill’ campaign has been a meaningful and impactful experience, as it feels rewarding to contribute to such an important cause that directly addresses the safety and well-being of our peers at Quinnipiac,” Cielo wrote. “From this experience, I will take away a deeper understanding of the opioid crisis and the importance of community involvement in raising awareness to prevent future tragedies.”
Quinnipiac alumni gift $5M in scholarships for School of Medicine students
By ALEXANDRA MARTINAKOVA Editor-in-Chief
Quinnipiac University President
Judy Olian announced a $5 million matching gift commitment from two members of Class of 1971 to support scholarships for students at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine Monday night.
In an university-wide email, Olian thanked Quinnipiac alumni Barbara and Bill Weldon for “their continued generosity.”
“Their $5 million gift is offered as a 1:1 match to encourage other donors to give, and by doing so, enjoy the satisfaction of seeing contributions doubled,” Olian wrote. “With the support offered through this consequential gift, QU Netter students benefting from the Weldon’s groundbreaking commitment will be substantially less burdened by the cost of their education and will be able instead to focus on their passion and purpose in achieving a medical degree.”
and his wife have been among Quinnipiac’ most steadfast supporters, according to the university’s press release.
Their aim is to empower future doctors, especially those who plan to enter fields such as family medicine, rural medicine, general internal medicine and pediatrics.
“The first goal when people talked about creating a medical school at Quinnipiac was to support general practitioners because there’s a tremendous shortage of them right now in our country,” said Barbara Weldon in the press release.
In 2021, there were 268,297 primary care physicians in the U.S. In 2022, the number only rose up to 270,660 alongside the 26,455 physician assistants also working primary care, according to the 2023 State of Primary Care Workforce document by the Bureau of Health Workforce.
To put it in perspective, the U.S. population in 2022 was 333.3 million. On paper, that constitutes about 1,121 people for one primary care worker.
fairs in the press release. “It will also change the lives of the patient they will treat.”
In the press release, Quinnipiac offcials invite its community to participate in the Weldons’ campaign. As this is a matching gift campaign, every contribution will be doubled.
“The generous matching gift from the Weldons is already making a significant impact by reducing student debt and enhancing our ability to engage with supporters across Connecticut and beyond,” said Phillip Boiselle, dean of School of Medicine in the press release. “Together, this support enables us to cultivate diverse cohorts of future physicians who are empowered to pursue their passion for patientcentered, compassionate care, transforming the health and well-being of the communities they serve.”
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Matching a donation is when someone matches the original gift contribution to a specific cause, therefore increasing the gift, per Kindful.
Bill Weldon is a former chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson and he
Beyond addressing the shortage, the Weldons also acknowledge that medical school is “incredibly expensive.”
“Their gift won’t just change the lives of future doctors,” said Nick Wormley, vice president for development and alumni af-
This is not the first time the Weldons have made a significant donation. In 2013, they donated $1 million to endow the William and Barbara Weldon Chair in Rehabilitation Medicine, now the Dean’s Chair in Medicine, and in 2019 they donated $15 million to “advance the university’s strategic priorities, including academic innovation, inclusive excellence, lifelong learning and community impact,” according to the press release.
Students for Social Justice brings advocacy platform to campus
By CARLEIGH BECK Associate News Editor
A new student organization, Students for Social Justice,was created to highlight social issues, human rights violations and political movements starting spring 2025.
SSJ made its frst post under the organization’s name on Nov. 18 on Instagram, posting its mission statements and that the organization was “offcially in motion.” However, this was not always the name of the organization.
In spring 2024, a group of students created a branch of “Students for Justice in Palestine” at Quinnipiac to promote awareness of the IsraelPalestine conficts.
Two months later, the organization was not approved by the Offce of Student Engagement because of “offensive language in their Day of Resistance toolkit” and the use of “paragliders in a poster,” according to the then SJP Instagram account, which has since become SSJ’s account.
“(OSE)’s entire reasoning was just that SJP was a very controversial organization, and they don’t want anyone to feel not included in that organization,” said Xiomara Saavedra, a sophomore journalism student, former president of SJP and current public relations offcer of SSJ. “In reality, my viewpoint of it was just like, ‘Well, the people of color on campus (is) such a small group of people, I feel like there should be a space where we feel like we can talk about what we want to talk about.’”
Saavedra decided to take a different approach to bring an organization to campus that gave a space for students to talk about the Israel-Palestine confict and other humanitarian and social issues. Over the summer, she created the foundations of SSJ and rebuilt the executive board, making herself the public relations offcer to accommodate her schedule as a commuter and to try a new role.
The executive board made a constitution,
found an advisor and met with the Offce of Engagement, a process that was “a lot smoother,” than SJP’s process, according to Saavedra.
“We’re looking forward to starting up in the spring, that’s something that we’re really excited about,” Saavedra said. “It takes a while for things to come to gether, and for us to figure out what we’re going to do and how the meetings are going to be structured.”
Two other for mer SJP members, sophomore economics major Mariam Saad and junior behavioral neuroscience and flm, televi sion and media arts double major Marjae Beasley are the co-presidents of the organization.
“I came up with the idea to have co-presidents, because there are a lot of commuters on the EBoard, and we wouldn’t be able to be there all the time,” Saad said. “So it’s much better to split up the work between two co-presidents, rather than have a president and a vice president.”
Beasley became involved in activism and SSJ because she wanted to use her experiences to help others.
“I’ve always been the type of person (that) wants to give a voice to the voiceless and really seek to uplift those who maybe can’t uplift themselves,” Beasley said. “I am marginalized myself. I’m black, I’m queer, disabled, a woman like I’m all sorts of marginalized across the board, and I feel like having that experience as somebody who is marginalized has sparked a sort of empathy for such communities in Junior mechanical engineering major Tahira Jilu serves as the creative coordinator. In collaboration with Saavedra, she hopes to make SSJ more wellknown across campus when the organization’s meetings start up.
“We’ve been working on our (social media) posts, and we’ve been working on ways we can really get people into our organization,” Jilu said. “We’ve really just been trying to fgure out how to get our name out there and see people who are interested in us.”
SSJ is waiting to receive funding from Quinnipiac for future events. With no funding, sopho-
more health science major and treasurer of SSJ Hana Elmaghraby is taking a different approach to her role, such as giving her input into social media posts.
“(The executive board) really discusses things before putting things out because we know that we’re going to represent something on campus, and we really want to be careful with what we put out,” Elmaghraby said. “I try to give my input and help with planning. We’re all kind of just trying to pitch in and do what we can to just set things up and lay the groundwork.”
The executive board aims to bring social justice topics to meetings so students can learn about issues across the world, even if it doesn’t impact them directly.
“I hope that we can educate more people on social justice.” Saad said. “I think at Quinnipiac, there are people that are interested in social activism, but there’s not really a way to channel it, and there’s people that aren’t really educated on global situations and even local instances of social injustice and (I hope) to educate students and be able to bring people together to talk about things like this.”
College students are frequent advocates for social justice, with 40% being regularly involved in activism or social justice work, according to a survey conducted by the United Way of the National Capital Arena. SSJ’s goal is to foster an environment where students feel comfortable to learn more about these issues but to also participate in conversations.
“We really want to make sure that every member of SSJ feels included and supported,” Beasley said. “I feel like as a group, we want to host a very safe and very collaborative environment where people feel free to to really fght for what they believe in and fght for positive change and impact in the world.”
First-year business students promote their faux fower business
By CHLOE GRANT Contributing Writer
Three Quinnipiac University frst-year business majors created a new small business, Perfect Petals, focusing on the creation of handmade faux fowers with the use of simple materials.
Individuals can purchase their products online for anything from room decor to gifts.
Vyhan Nguyen, Melissa Flores and Adrianna Zinzi initially met through their Business Environment 101 class while learning about the responsibilities that come with managing a business. However their newfound friendship evolved into a passionate business venture.
“What began as a group project quickly blossomed into a close friendship,” Flores said. “We all share a deep appreciation for creativity and art, which led us to choose fowers as our product. We have thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and we feel it would be a shame to stop now.”
“Selecting a name for the business was challenging, but we were inspired by the concept of artifcial fowers that never wilt, symbolizing timeless beauty,” Zinzi said.
The team spoke a little bit about their own personal roles as founders of Perfect Petals and what some of their duties entail in handling the business.
“In terms of responsibilities, we ensure that tasks are distributed evenly amongst the three of us,” Nguyen said. “Each of us contributes to fnancial discussions, crafting the fowers, and promoting the business. This shared workload allows us to collaborate effectively and address any challenges that arise.”
The students expect to experi ence some diffculties regard ing managing the work load their business requires. However they plan to work through these chal lenges by work ing together. This shed some light on the responsi bilities that come with maintaining a successful small business all whilst balancing their own busy schedules.
“We believe that stepping out of your comfort zone and having strong support systems are key factors in the success of a small business.” Nguyen said.
experience and the fears they had in creating it, the team began to describe what they think it takes to create a small business.
“Gaining visibility can be daunting, but it’s essential to building a brand,” Nguyen said.
Once providing a little insight on their own
“The experience may be intimidating at times, but the rewards are undeniable.”
After learning a little bit about their experience in building their brand and what they hope to accomplish, the team explained how one of their biggest goals is to develop a deeper understanding of the business world and the process of starting and running a small busi-
“There’s a lot of care and effort involved, but we believe it’s a highly rewarding jour-
The team looks to spread
joy, positivity and kindness to everyone around them while achieving strong sales growth.
“Bringing smiles to others is incredibly
meaningful to us, and knowing we’ve made someone’s day is so inspiring,” Vyhan said. “We believe that art should be shared with the world for this very reason.”
”
Prices for both currently sit at $2 for individual fowers and $10 for bouquets.
“We offer a broad range of colors and are always open to customizing fowers based on customer preferences,” Flores said.
Perfect Petals products can be purchased through the Google form linked on their Instagram @perfect_petals_28. They currently accept Zelle, Venmo and Cashapp for payment and are only selling to students located on campus. Zinzi hopes they will sell outside of campus one day.
Although starting your own small business may be daunting as the team described, here are some words of wisdom from Perfect Petals.
“Perfect Petals has become something that holds great signifcance for us and for anyone considering starting their own business, we encourage you to take the leap,” Zinzi said. “We’re excited to see where Perfect Petals will go, and we look forward to continuing this adventure.”
ILLUSTRATIONCONTRIBUTED BY XIOMARASAAVEDRA
ILLUSTRATION BY KATERINA PARIZKOVA
Why NBA Christmas is superior to NFL Thanksgiving
By COLIN KENNEDY Managing Editor
As I was getting ready to sit on the couch this past Thanksgiving, I was excited to watch 10-straight hours of football — as I usually do every year. I was truly looking forward to eating some turkey and stuffng, drinking a couple beverages and drifting in and out of sleep as the NFL played on the TV.
Too bad the games sucked. And — news fash — they suck every year.
It seems like each year, Americans get geared up for what are the most-watched games of the regular season, but most times the matchups are just plain bad — and it’s the NFL’s fault.
The Detroit Lions (since 1934) and Dallas Cowboys (since 1966) are Thanksgiving mainstays every year, matching up against a divisional opponent, and then a third game is played in primetime with rotating teams.
Because the NFL restricts itself to these two teams, it really hurts the overall product on the biggest viewing day of the regular season. The day should be a showcase of the elite teams in the NFL like the Kansas City Chiefs or the Philadelphia Eagles — not a slugfest between two below-average teams.
I didn’t need a plate full of turkey to fall asleep for the Drew Lock vs. Cooper Rush showdown.
But you know who gets their marquee day right? The NBA on Christmas Day.
Each Christmas, the NBA runs fve games with the best-of-the-best facing off for a day of playoff-caliber basketball. While many of the historic franchises like the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers fnd themselves scheduled on the big day, it is never guaranteed.
Only the cream of the crop plays on Christmas, if you are an elite NBA player and aren’t on a good team, you probably aren’t getting a slot. Playing on Christmas is an honor and a sign of respect that these teams are the best the league has to offer.
It’s something the NFL should learn from.
It’s OK to stray away from tradition and move away from these divisional matchups that always involve the Lions and Cowboys. It takes
away the opportunity to show off the best product possible with a rotating cast of characters.
I know I would much rather watch Patrick Mahomes battle Josh Allen than I would the horrible product that the league showed off last week. It should be a simple solution, but the league still seems to think the Cowboys give off the same mystique they did in the 90s.
Meanwhile, the NBA continues to showcase its best players and the best matchups. I
remember as a kid watching LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers facing Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in an NBA Finals rematch. You don’t get Super Bowl rematches on Thanksgiving. Instead, you get the lowly Chicago Bears who were forced to fre their coach following their Turkey Day game.
Last year, the NBA delivered with the Celtics going against the Lakers in LA. Boston sporting a red and green combo against the vintage Laker white and gold was a classic matchup that felt worthy of its primetime position.
I don’t even think I could recall many awesome Thanksgiving games besides the ones the New England Patriots played in (long live the butt fumble) and the Randy Moss game. It just bewilders me that the NFL won’t get out of its own way and put the games on that everyone wants to see.
The league constantly fexes games out of primetime slots like Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football to deliver the best matchup it can each week — why don’t they do it for Thanksgiving?
Last weekend alone, the Eagles played the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills played the San Francisco 49ers. These games were both much more intriguing matchups that I would’ve loved to watch. Not to mention the level of play would have been much higher.
So, this Christmas after the presents are opened, I know I’ll have a day chock-full of elite matchups like the Celtics against the 76ers and the Lakers vs. Warriors to look forward to. It’s time for the NFL to move away from Thanksgiving tradition because if there is anything worse than dry turkey — it’s bad football.
Don’t dull my sparkle
By AMANDA MADERA Opinion Editor
Self-expression is essential to me. Whether it be through the music I listen to, my clothes, or my hobbies, I love being authentic. It’s important to me that how I present myself refects who I am inside, and I value embracing the things that make me feel like me.
Part of that self-expression includes poking holes in my ears. It might sound strange to some, but I love how jewelry looks on my ears. While I may not be very artistic in the traditional sense, piercings give me a way to express myself creatively. They’re like tiny, wearable pieces of art that refect my personality and style.
So far, I have 18 piercings — and counting. It all started in July 2022, and I’ve been adding more ever since. There’s just something comforting about getting a new piercing after a rough week. The process itself feels therapeutic, like a reset button for my mood. Once I leave the studio with a fresh piece of jewelry, it’s like my problems temporarily drift away, Of course, not everyone shares my enthusiasm for piercings. The amount of unsolicited comments I get about them is absurd. I’ve lost count of how many times people have said things like “Those are so unnecessary” or “You need to hide your piercings.” These comments almost always come from adults over 40 years old, which makes me wonder if it’s a
generational difference.
Still, I don’t get it. If it’s my body and my money, how does it affect their lives? My piercings don’t harm anyone, so why do some people feel the need to pass judgment?
My friends and others my age always compliment my piercings and jewelry. It makes me happy being able to talk to others about it especially if they want piercings too, but are scared of the pain. I think of it as the pain is temporary and the joy the piercing will give you is long-term.
Piercings are for everyone. They’re not more feminine than masculine and have nothing to do with your sexuality either (I’ve heard that before too). They’re simply a form of selfexpression that anyone can enjoy.
Life is too short to live by someone else’s standards, especially when it comes to your own body. Piercings and tattoos may not appeal to everyone, but that’s the great thing about individuality.
I understand that some people have more traditional beliefs or values, and that’s perfectly fne. But it’s important to recognize that not everyone shares the same perspective. Just because someone expresses themselves differently doesn’t mean they’re wrong or misguided.
“When you’re 70 years old are you going to still have your belly button pierced?” You bet your bottom dollar I will. And anyway,
that’s about 50 years from now. I’m not worried about how my piercings will look at that time. That’s a future-me problem.
Even though I don’t have any tattoos (yet), the same philosophy applies. Tattoos are a way to commemorate signifcant things in someone’s life, or they could just be for fun. Either way, you should be able to do what you want
without the judgment of others. If you think something looks good, what’s the issue? It’s about choosing what feels right for you and celebrating the things that make you unique. So, whether it’s 18 piercings, a full sleeve of tattoos or none at all, everyone deserves the freedom to express themselves without judgment.
ILLUSTRATION BY TYLER MIGNAULT
By NEVE WILSON Staf Writer
I have a confession to make: I love emojis. I usually have to physically restrain myself from putting an emoji after every sentence I write when I text. If it weren’t considered unprofessional to include them in my emails to professors, I would do that as well.
Emojis help to portray the tone of a message. With the technological and cultural shift from calling on the phone to texting as the primary mode of communication, we have lost out on the added context of body language, facial expression and vocal infection in messages. Simply looking at plain blue and green text makes it hard to tell what the other person is feeling.
Emojis can help with that. Shigeta Kurita created them in Japan in 1999. In 2010 the Unicode Consortium, a nonproft organization that determines how text is represented across computers, added emojis to their code so that they could be standardized across devices and languages. In 2011, Apple added an emoji keyboard, which made it easier to send emojis, as previously people had to copy and paste them into messages from separate apps.
In 2014 the effort began to make emojis more inclusive, such as adding more ethnically diverse food, female professionals and an option to change an emoji’s skin color. As of September, there are 3,790 emojis in the Unicode Standard which includes the previously mentioned changes. The Unicode Consortium has an emoji subcommittee that actively approves concepts for new emojis.
Emojipedia stores information about emojis. You can learn the offcial names of emojis, when they were created and compare their designs on different phones (Ap-
Opinion
The pros of emoticons Bobcat
By GINA LORUSSO Arts &
ple, Samsung, Android, etc).
I use emojis to distinguish between when I’m being sarcastic and when I’m being sincere. They supplement my words or stand alone as a message, sometimes even as the punchline of a joke. If my friend sends me a confusing message, all I need to do is send a confused emoji and they’ll know to explain.
Granted, today some of the emoji faces
don’t clearly express one simple emotion such as the “melting face,” “face with spiral eyes” or “star-struck” but I fnd that my generation has assigned meaning to them anyway and that we can all somehow understand it. Another example is how we collectively decided that the “rolling on the foor laughing” emoji is actually sarcastic, and the “loudly crying face” replaced it.
The code may have been written for us but we have given it its own meaning. Arielle Pardes, former senior writer at Wired, lovingly refers to emojis as “the frst language born of the digital world.” They transcend traditional language barriers as a unique form of communication.
Artifcial intelligence has also picked up on the fact that emojis help show emotion. In my frst-year seminar class we were experimenting with Microsoft’s Copilot and the chatbot was including emojis after every thought without being prompted to. I have seen ChatGPT send emojis too. The idea of chatting with a computer rather than a human may seem impersonal to some, so it’s possible that chatboxes use emojis to seem more human and form a connection.
Emojis also serve as digital decorations. They are bright, colorful and fun to look at like ornaments on a tree. They breathe and personality life into text, like when I wish people happy birthday and include celebratory emojis.
The frst thing I look for when I update my phone are new emojis. The pink heart was one I waited for for years because there were hearts in all of the other colors of the rainbow. Other times new emojis are added that I didn’t realize I was missing in my life, like the “face holding back tears,” which I immediately add to my vocabulary.
I also love how Apple creates emoji easter eggs where emojis incorporate the smaller version of other emojis. For example, the “shallow pan” has a drumstick in it, the shortcake has a strawberry on top, the juice box has an apple on it, and so on.
Overall, life would be so boring without emojis. If you’re feeling inspired and have a great idea for a new emoji, Unicode always accepts new submissions.
Gym etiquette has no clock
If there’s one thing I love most, it’s an early-morning workout to start my day.
Not only can I get my workout over with, but I enjoy the gym’s quieter atmosphere and I can do my exercises undisturbed by machine hoggers, grunters and weight-slammers.
Or so I thought.
The Quinnipiac Recreation and Wellness Center’s gym is nothing short of amazing. There are a variety of machines, free weights and cardio equipment that fulfll almost everyone’s needs. I thoroughly enjoy having such a great space to exercise in, but the company in the early morning is not what some of us want or need to get a good start to the day.
Because the gym is so empty at 6:30 a.m., some people think taking up multiple machines at once is OK, assuming nobody else needs to use it.
One of the most frustrating things I witness is when someone is using one machine but puts their stuff by two or three others to reserve them, even though they aren’t
at that part of their workout. There are maybe a total of 10 people in the gym when it frst opens — the machine you want will most likely be available when you get to it. The gym isn’t private and it isn’t fair to take up space you aren’t actively using.
News fash — gym etiquette still applies no matter how quiet or busy the gym is.
right, it shouldn’t come as a shock to you to clean up after yourself and have spatial awareness — this is college, not kindergarten.
However, these are not the only factors to consider while working out. One of the biggest issues — overlooked by a select few — is noise level. Sure, some grunting is understandable especially if you’re lifting heavy (I’m guilty of it too sometimes). But, do you really think it’s acceptable to be so loud that you can be heard from the second foor, even over the music playing in someone’s headphones? It’s disruptive and undoubtedly makes people uncomfortable. We’re all there for the same reason — to work out — so let’s be mindful. We all know how frustrating it is to wait for a machine to open up when a person is sitting there on their phone or to have their workout interrupted by unwanted noise. Don’t be that person.
Whether it’s peak hours or a quiet period, gym etiquette is an ongoing expectation that should remain at all times. It doesn’t matter who you are, respect the space and those around you.
Life Editor
ILLUSTRATION
Quinnipiac 'sleighs' annual quad lighting
By AMANDA DRONZEK Sports Editor
Quinnipiac University students and faculty kicked off winter fesivities with the ffth annual Mt. Carmel Quad lightning outside of the Arnold Bernhard Library on Dec. 3.
Students gathered on the quad to sip hot chocolate, customize paper snow globes and take photos on a sleigh. There was also four different contests such as best original sweater and most school spirit, as well as holiday trivia.
"I'm so excited," junior business major Amarri Monroe said. "I'm gonna be right here counting down from 10 (seconds)."
As the sun fnally set, glistening white lights erupted around campus, illuminating Quinnipiac's buildings for the holiday season.
Following last year's tradition, the clocktower also featured projcted colors and snowfakes.
TRIPP MENHALL/CHRONICLE Snowfakes project on the Arnold Bernhard Library clocktower.
TRIPP MENHALL/CHRONICLE
First-years 3+1 business analytics major Taylor Reed (right) and bio-chemistry major Nashla Burgos (left) sit with Boomer the Bobcat on a sleigh.
TRIPP MENHALL/CHRONICLE
Quinnipiac biology professor Allison Pilotte and her son, Colin sit by the fre.
TRIPP MENHALL/CHRONICLE
Quinnipiac University President Judy Olian addresses the crowd before counting down the seconds until the lighting.
TRIPP MENHALL/CHRONICLE
Students gather in front of the Carl Hansen Student Center to enjoy the lights.
AIDAN SHEEDY/CHRONICLE
Frosty the Snowman makes an appearance at the quad lighting.
TRIPP MENHALL/CHRONICLE
Attendees decorate snowglobes to kick off the holiday season.
'Arcane' season two is a tragic masterpiece
By ALEXANDRA MARTINAKOVA Editor-in-Chief
There isn’t a lot that can make me cry, but it is safe to say that the second season of Netflix’s and Riot Games’ “Arcane” is currently at the top of that list.
Where do I even start? There’s so much that could be said about it — which is impressive considering the season only has nine episodes ranging from 39-50 minutes in length — from the visuals, voice acting, story lines and music.
It is kind of incredible how much they could pull off in terms of character and plot development in such a short runtime, even if there was a time skip involved.
The story essentially picks up right where season one left off, after Jinx (Ella Purnell) bombed the council just as they voted to declare peace between the upper, rich Piltover and the lower, run-down Zaun. The season is separated into three acts (three episodes each) and with a week in-between releases, they might as well be three different seasons.
Technically there are four separate storylines to follow. One focuses on Jinx and her relationship with her sister Vi (Hailee Steinfield), her newly adopted sister/daughter Isha and their father Vander turned monster called Warwick (JB Blanc), while Jinx serves as a rebellion symbol for the Zaunites.
Another one follows Jayce (Kevin Alejandro) and Viktor (Harry Lloyd) after Viktor almost dies in the explosion Jinx causes. Jayce’s decision to fuse Viktor with the Hexcore results in Viktor becoming a robotlike entity and man essentially goes from Jesus
to Antichrist in a span of a few episodes.
Tied with the previous one is the story of Ekko (Reed Shannon) and his travel to an alternate universe which makes him live up to his “The Boy Saviour” nickname.
Last line focuses on Caitlyn (Katie Leung) who goes through her own dictator arc supported by the warmonger Ambessa (Ellen Thomas), who has her own struggles when her daughter Mel (Toks Olagundoye) is kidnapped by an organization that is after Ambessa’s life and ends up turning into her League of Legends game champion format.
Of course all of these overlap at one point or another.
That was the least complicated way to explain the plot, I promise.
While all that sounds fun, it gets a bit more sad once all the bodies start piling up. I am still a strong believer that Jinx managed to escape the final explosion and that Isha’s death was absolutely unnecessary.
Ambessa on the other hand had it coming, argue with the wall.
“Arcane” loves to play with the audience's emotions. It is hard to remember sometimes that the characters on the screen are just strokes of a pen, that’s how realistic the voice acting in this series is.
Do not, and I repeat, do not be one of the people who are already calling for a live-action remake of this masterpiece. The reason “Arcane” works so well is very much credited to the incredible visuals and details that went into it.
About 450 artists worked on this season in the Fortiche Production’s creative team, and it shows.
I could sit here and break down every
single detail in every single frame, but were I to do that, this thing would be 250 pages long. Not because I was obsessing over said details in every episode and have already watched an insane amount of break-down videos, but because there are just that many of them.
Even the opening sequence features little spoilers that you can’t see at normal speed, but are a cool little easter egg once you real ize.
Every frame, every mili-second of each episode is so carefully thought out. From barely-there frames that you have to pause the episode just right for, through the mixture of various animation styles used, the hours and hours of work that went into this make up for the three years we had to wait for the season to come out.
That is even more supported by the soundtrack. There isn’t a single song that is
bad. “Enemy” by Imagine Dragons stayed as the intro — great decision in my opinion — and it is supported by songs from artists ranging from Ashnikko to Twenty One Pilots. Woodkid, the artist behind “Guns for hire” from season one returned with “To Ashes and Blood” and d4vd’s “Remember Me” might just be the most emotional song when you watch the scene it accompanies. My top three, though, have to be “Come Play” by Stray Kids (and yeah maybe it is because it’s my favorite group and the song plays in a scene with my favorite character), “Sucker” by Marcus King and “Ma Meilleure Ennemie” by Strommae and Pomme.
It is kind of sad to think that there won’t be another season. While multiple series’ about other parts of the League of Legends lore have been confirmed, “Arcane” really is over.
And it was a tragic masterpiece.
The party's fnally over Juice WRLD's final album falls short in its debut
By MICHAEL PETITTO Copy Editor
Juice WRLD’s estate released his final album “The Party Never Ends” Nov. 29, closing the door to a discography that has reached and impacted millions of lives.
This is the third posthumous album for Jarad Higgins, better known as Juice WRLD.
“The Party Never Ends” has been in the works for over three years, but the final product just doesn’t feel like it.
It’s difficult to get a posthumous album
right because it’s impossible to know what the artist would have wanted. Higgins died in 2019 with just two albums to his name. Over the last five years, his family and label have attempted to build his catalog to a full-fledged discography.
Back in 2022, the Chicago native’s label, Interscope Records, estimated that the late rapper had over 3,000 unreleased songs left in the vault. Yet the latest installment in Higgins’ discography not only feels empty, but downright disrespectful.
The album cover itself was designed by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. It features a cartoonish version of Higgins seemingly in a drug-infused state of mind. This would feel fine, if not normal for Higgins, if he was alive, as a majority of His songs mention his drug use. But the fact that Higgins died of a Percocet — an extremely addictive narcotic — overdose makes this cover seem distasteful.
The tone deafness continues beyond the album’s cover and seeps into the music itself.
The man behind all of this is Lil Bibby, Juice WRLD’s manager who became responsible for Higgins’ music after the rapper’s passing. During the rollout for “The Party Never Ends,” Bibby took to Instagram messages to reveal that the album was planned to have a specific feel to it.
“(The) album is made to sound like you’re at a Juice WRLD concert,” Bibby said. “Let’s party one last time!”
For a body of work that’s supposed to feel like a concert, the album is exhausting and at some points depressing. At 18 tracks long, most songs towards the middle of the project all blend together which causes a lack of cohesion.
The concert-like elements that Bibby promised are quickly thrown out the window by the fourth track “Lace It” which
features both Eminem and Benny Blanco. During his verse, Eminem speaks on the vices of addiction and vents his frustration about the drugs that caused Higgins to have an overdose.
Eminem raps, “Then you murdered Jarard, didn’t you? Piece of shit/ With prescription Vic's, addiction's like a fucking vicious cycle/ Juice, we will forever miss you.”
The mixing and mastering of the album is far from perfect. It feels like most of the songs have been left untouched since 2019. With both Interscope and Bibby having a three-year gap between album releases, the poor mixing on “The Party Never Ends” is unacceptable.
Unlike Higgins’ first posthumous album “Legends Never Die,” this album feels like a bunch of throwaway tracks put together and released without any sense of cohesion.
Despite a lackluster product, there are some diamonds in the rough. “Misfit” and “Celebrate” featuring Offset serves as a bittersweet reminder of the talent that Higgins possessed.
“The Party Never Ends” is a disservice to the fans who held their breath for years waiting for this album. It serves as a glaring reminder about the ongoing moral questioning of whether or not a posthumous album should be released without the involvement of the artist who inspired it.
MAC DOWNEY/FLICKR
Juice WRLD's posthumous album, "The Party Never Ends," addresses his drug addiction.
'Wicked' defes expectations
By GRACE CONNEELY-NOLAN Associate Arts & Life Editor
In 2024, more than half of the flms scheduled for release are sequels, spin-offs or additions to existing franchises.
But the key to a successful adaptation is to have something more to add, more to say beyond the existing story.
Released on Nov. 22, Jon M. Chu directed Part 1 of the 2003 Broadway classic “Wicked” and transformed it into a musical fantasy flm.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo star as Glinda and Elphaba in the wonderful world of Oz. The movie takes off from the ending of the classic 1939 flm, “The Wizard of Oz,” as munchkin villagers rejoice at the death of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Glinda the Good Witch travels by bubble to visit Munchkinland, and when asked about her past, reveals the story of her and Elphaba’s unlikely friendship.
We travel back in time to understand how all of this started.
Young Elphaba and Glinda meet at Shiz University, where they room together and endure initial clashes that eventually give way to a close bond.
Grande’s and Erivo's vocals are incredible. It is clear they care about their craft and put their all into the movie. According to NBC, they sang all of the songs live while flming in London.
Even though their performances were memorable, social media has reeled in on the costars' dynamic.
Throughout the “Wicked” press tour, Grande and Erivo have gotten very emotional several times. Tears shed and hands held, every question brings back intense feelings from flming.
One interview, in particular, has gone viral. Journalist Tracy Gilchrist shared that people are “holding space” for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity.” Erivo responded with her hand on her heart, saying that she didn’t know people were doing that. Grande wrapped her hand around
Ervio’s fnger for support.
While somewhat oddly dependent on each other, their intimate dynamic and deep reactions stem from how meaningful this production is.
For months now, “Wicked” has been highly anticipated, all thanks to its marketing team.
The campaign, an almost aggressive promotional tactic, started in February. Since then, Universal has partnered with over 400 brands to help launch the big-screen musical — the efforts alone cost $150 million.
From themed clothing, nail polish shades and Lego sets to Starbucks drinks (Glinda’s pink potion and Elphaba’s cold brew topped with matcha foam), “Wicked” has touched every aspect of mainstream culture.
Even the buildings obliged. In October,
a look around.
It is, if not the only, Broadway musical that holds a place in my heart. I wasn’t necessarily holding space for it, but I looked forward to seeing the adaptation.
One of my favorite parts of the movie was a nod to the original cast of the 2003 Broadway show. Toward the end of the flm in the Emerald City, Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel cameo in Glinda and Elphaba’s iconic duet, “One Short Day.”
Each gets their moment in the spotlight as they sing about a prophecy involving the ancient book of dark spells, the Grimmerie.
Chenoweth and Menzel stand next to Grande and Erivo, looking affectionately at the actors playing the roles they originated in. Menzel even adjusts Erivo’s hat, a subtle but
Through Life” showcase a carefree, live-inthe-moment mindset. The sequence explores the allure of freedom and the consequences of avoiding responsibility in cinema.
Bailey's Fiyero has a boyish charm, but his initial shallow outlook on life evolves as he becomes more self-aware and emotionally invested in others. Like Elphaba, he sees the evil in Oz — the hateful treatment of those who are different.
"Wicked” offers escapism in a fun, colorful fantasy. Still, it acts as a sharp reminder of how to navigate a world full of challenges and discrimination with empathy and kindness.
Though these beloved leading characters are impactful, Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero can not
His vocals, energy and electric choreography in “Dancing
The last scene is the most powerful and is saved for the long-awaited and iconic song, “Defying Gravity,” with an incredible performance by Erivo. The original is fast-paced, but this number is more signifcant than just a song. It is broken up by moments and dialogue the musical doesn’t include.
The turning point marks the start of a new journey for Elphaba. As she sings a powerful anthem about defying expectations, she rebels against the regime in the Emerald City, showcasing a newfound sense of strength and independence.
As the almost three-hour flm ended, we're left on a cliffhanger. Glinda and Elphaba believe the other is making the wrong decision about their future and are forced to go their separate ways.
Because the flm is divided into two parts, it allows for an expansion and deeper look into the characters' backstories and relationships. It will be interesting to see how the flm navigates all these elements for Part 2, which will hit theaters on Nov. 21, 2025.
I am, though, excited for a more haunting and dark story, which will further divide Elphaba and Glinda as they align themselves in opposite directions.
One year isn't so bad. If Part 2 matches the magic of Part 1, I’m willing to wait.
The Rockettes: An overlooked holiday tradition
By GINA LORUSSO Arts & Life Editor
As the last days of autumn fade away, the holiday season begins to worm its way in.
The exciting, yet bittersweet transition between seasons brings holiday cheer and, of course, cherished traditions.
When it comes to Christmas, people start to put up lights and decor and play their favorite holiday songs. With holiday music, however, there is an overlooked aspect of the entertainment side of Christmas: dance.
Often seen as a tourist attraction, the Radio City Rockettes are more than just a symbol of classic American entertainment — they are a cherished tradition that has brought joy, inspiration and timeless enchantment for nearly a century.
Russell Markert founded the Rockettes in 1925 as the Missouri Rockettes in St. Louis, Missouri. He was inspired by Manchester, England’s Tiller Girls, a dance troupe that originated in 1889, known for their eye-high kick routines, according to Springer.
In 1932, Samuel “Roxy” Rothafel acquired the Rockettes in New York City and renamed them “Roxyettes” before offcially becoming the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes in 1934, according to Rockettes.com.
The Rockettes have performed on many stages, including Broadway and the Super Bowl Halftime Show in 1988. Their annual appearance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is surely anticipated as it has become a beloved tradition marking the beginning of the holiday season.
This year, the Rockettes danced to a medley of holiday songs including “Deck
the Halls,” “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” To finish off their segment of the parade, they completed a series of their high kicks in perfect unison.
Today, the Rockettes are most popular for their Christmas Spectacular, a spectacle of holiday cheer featuring iconic numbers like “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” “Christmas Lights” and “Living Nativity.” During World War II, The
Christmas Spectacular held an even deeper significance since it was performed to boost the morale of soldiers and civilians suffering from the Great Depression.
I’ve had the privilege of going to see the Rockettes perform many times during the holiday season and it’s a must for everyone.
The precision of the dances and dazzling costumes that complement each number is unlike anything I’ve seen before. Each year, the show incorporates new choreography
and production to keep the show fresh while still including the classic numbers that fans have come to know and love.
As a frequent follower of the Rockettes on social media, the training they must go through to achieve such perfect positions and timing is incredible. The audition process is in April with over 800 dancers looking to fill limited spaces. In an interview with The Post, director and choreographer Julie Branam said she not only looks for how a person dances, but also how a dancer pays attention to detail, takes notes of criticism and applies it and their confidence on the floor. This year, there were only 14 openings between the 84 positions in the Christmas Spectacular, according to The New York Post.
After the final cast is selected, for six hours a day, six days a week for six weeks, the Rockettes are rehearsing to perfect the complex visuals and numbers we see on stage, according to Parade. The Rockettes’ signature eye-high kicks are paramount to the performance as they are representative of unity and their dedication to excellence throughout time.
Now that the holiday season has finally arrived, timeless traditions are shining through — one of which is the Rockettes. Each year, their performances leave an imprint on Christmas magic, delivering an unforgettable experience and remaining significant in history.
ILLUSTRATION BY KATERINA PARIZKOVA
The Chronicle's picks for 'Bests of the Year'
GRACE CONNEELY-NOLAN
Associate Arts & Life Editor
Favorite movie: "We Live In Time"
Favorite movie: "Wicked"
Favorite album: "Eternal Sunshine" by Ariana Grande
Favorite artist: Tate McRae
Favorite TV show: "Young Sheldon" season four Favorite pop culture moment: Henry Danger memes
Favorite pop culture moment: Celebrity look-alike contests GINA LORUSSO
KATERINA PARIZKOVA Design Editor
Favorite movie: "Wicked"
Favorite album: "GNX" by Kendrick Lamar
Favorite artist: Billie Eilish
Favorite TV show: "Monstrum" season six Favorite pop culture moment: Beyonce pushing
TYLER RINKO
Associate Photography Editor (Fall 2024)
Favorite movie: "Deadpool & Wolverine"
Favorite album: "Drugs n' Lullibies" by Isaiah Falls
Favorite artist: West 22nd
Favorite TV show: "Outer Banks" season four
Favorite pop culture moment: Chill guy
AVA HIGHLAND
Associate News Editor
Favorite movie: "Wicked"
Favorite album: "The Tortured Poets Departmet" by Taylor Swift
Favorite artist: Taylor Swift
Favorite TV show: "Outer Banks" season four
Favorite pop culture moment: Costco guys
AMANDA DRONZEK
Sports Editor
Favorite movie: "Wicked"
Favorite album: "The Tortured Poets Department" by Taylor Swift
Favorite artist: Zach Bryan
Favorite TV show: "Dancing with the Stars" season 33
Favorite pop culture moment: Symphony dolphins
Favorite album: "Hit Me Hard and Soft" by Billie Eilish
Favorite artist: Noah Kahan
Favorite TV show: "Love Island" season six
TRIPP MENHALL
Creative Director
Favorite movie: "Sidelined: The QB and Me"
Favorite album: "The Great American Bar Scene" by Zach Bryan
Favorite artist: Zach Bryan
Favorite TV show: "Cobra Kai" season six
Favorite pop culture moment: The Rizzler
QUINN O'NEILL Multimedia Editor
Favorite movie: "Quiet Place: Day One"
Favorite album: "Plan A" by Lil Tecca
Favorite artist: SZA
Favorite TV show: "Baby Reindeer"
Favorite pop culture moment: P. Diddy
AMANDA MADERA Opinion Editor
Favorite movie: "Twisters"
Favorite album: "HARDSTONE PSYCHO" by Don Toliver
Favorite artist: Post Malone
Favorite TV show: "Nobody Wants This"
Favorite pop culture moment: Serving Saddam Hussein hiding spot
RYAN JOHANSON
Associate Sports Editor
Favorite movie: "Transformers One"
Favorite album: "F-1 Trillion" by Post Malone
Favorite artist: Post Malone
Favorite TV show: "Receiver"
Favorite pop culture moment: Big Justice, AJ and The Rizzler's social media takeover
SAMANTHA NUNEZ
Copy Editor (Fall 2024)
Favorite movie: "Deadpool & Wolverine"
Favorite album: "ORQUÍDEAS" by Kali Uchis
Favorite artist: Kali Uchis
Favorite TV show: "Cobra Kai" season six
Favorite pop culture moment: AI song covers
ALEXANDRA MARTINAKOVA
Favorite movie: "Challengers"
Favorite album: "ATE" by Stray Kids
Favorite artist: Gracie Abrams
Favorite TV show: "Arcane" season two
Favorite pop culture moment: "The Eras Tour" (And yes, it is because I went this year.) COLIN KENNEDY
EMILY ADORNO
Favorite movie: "Challengers" Favorite album: "Charm" by Clairo
As The Chronicle releases its final issue of the semester, members of the editorial board shar e their favorite media and pop culture moments from this calendar year. ILLUSTRATION BY KATERINA PARIZKOVA
Favorite movie: "Dune: Part Two"
Favorite album: "The Great American Bar Scene" by Zach Bryan
Favorite artist: Zach Bryan
Favorite TV show: "The Penguin"
Favorite pop culture moment: Derrick White Ale
Favorite artist: Sabrina Carpenter Favorite TV show: "Nobody Wants This" Favorite pop culture moment: Brat summer TYLER MIGNAULT
Eras Tour"
CARLEIGH BECK
ELISABETH MCMAHON Associate Multimedia Editor
Favorite movie: "Wicked"
Favorite album: "The Secret of Us" by Gracie Abrams
Favorite artist: Lana Del Rey
Favorite TV show: "Nobody Wants This"
Favorite pop culture moment: Barron Trump saying "I like my sootcase."
BEN BUSILLO Opinion Editor
Favorite movie: "The Bikeriders"
Favorite album: "The Great American Bar Scene" by Zach Bryan
Favorite artist: Zach Top
Favorite TV show: "Curb Your Enthusiasm" season 12
Favorite pop culture moment: WrestleMania 40
CLAIRE FRANKLAND
Associate Sports Editor
Favorite movie: "Deadpool & Wolverine"
Favorite album: "Short n' Sweet" by Sabrina Carpenter
Favorite artist: Sabrina Carpenter
Favorite TV show: "Outer Banks" season four
Favorite pop culture moment: Talk Tuah
CHARLOTTE ROSS
Copy Editor (Fall 2024)
Favorite movie: "Challengers"
Favorite album: "The Tortured Poets Department" by Taylor Swift
Favorite artist: Noah Kahan
Favorite TV show: "Nobody Wants This"
Favorite pop culture moment: The Rizzler on Jimmy Fallon
News Editor Favorite movie: "Trap"
Favorite album: "Clancy" by Twenty One Pilots
Favorite artist: Taylor Swift
Favorite TV show: "Emily in Paris" season four Favorite pop culture moment: Saquon Barkley's backwards hurdle
LILLIAN CURTIN
Associate Opinion Editor
Favorite movie: "The Tearsmith"
Favorite album: "Hit Me Hard and Soft" by Billie Eilish
Favorite artist: Sabrina Carpenter
Favorite TV show: "Maxton Hall"
Favorite pop culture moment: Brooke Schofeld vs Clinton Kane
MICHAEL PETITTO
Copy Editor
Favorite movie: "Deadpool & Wolverine"
Favorite album: "The Auditorium Vol. 1" by Common and Pete Rock
Favorite artist: Kanye West
Favorite TV show: "The Penguin"
Favorite pop culture moment: Drake vs Kendrick
The ‘Fab Five’
Men’s basketball’s largest class in six seasons
By RYAN JOHANSON Associate Sports Editor
The term “Fab Five” became synonymous with the University of Michigan basketball program in the early 90s, when freshman Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson joined together to lead the Wolverines to two-straight national championship appearances in 1992 and 1993. Now, that nickname may start brewing in Hamden soon.
Quinnipiac men’s basketball welcomed fve freshmen this offseason — guards Samson Reilly and Jaden Zimmerman and forwards Grant Randall, Braylan Ritvo and Spence Wewe.
In a time where the transfer portal and NIL deals are easily accessible, it’s rare to see fve freshmen join a team simultaneously. This is the frst class since the 2018-19 season — that featured six freshmen and one redshirt freshman — that it had fve or more frst-year players.
“We are always recruiting freshmen and looking at the portal,” head coach Tom Pecora said. “But now so many of the schools, especially the big ones, they want men. They want guys that are 20, 21 years old, that have played a couple of years of college basketball.”
Recruiting players is one challenge, but retaining them is even harder.
“The next step in (the recruitment) process is, can we keep them for two years or three years or God forbid four years,” Pecora said.
After losing two valuable pieces to last year’s record-setting team — guard Matt Balanc ‘24 and sophomore forward Rihards Vavers to graduation and the transfer portal respectively — the young class has stepped in to contribute.
Three out of the fve, Randall, Zimmerman and Wewe, are registering top minutes off the bench with Zimmerman sliding into the starting lineup the last three games.
Zimmerman has been a mainstay in Pecora’s rotation, playing the most minutes among the freshmen. The Bronx native models his game after Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, showcasing a similar ability to score from all three levels.
Zimmerman sits as the No. 4 scorer on the Bobcats seeing an uptick in minutes after playing 11 minutes against Yale in the season opener.
“I was prepped well being at Cushing Academy by (head coach) James Cormier,” Zimmerman said. “He really showed me a lot because his dad coached the Boston Celtics. I was really familiar with the way Coach Pecora talks and everything.”
Randall, also a New York native, has been a key player off the bench for the Bobcats, racking up 15.5 minutes per game. At 6-foot-9, he has been a key in Quinnipiac’s zone defense, being able to crash down low while also being able to guard the three-point line.
“Defense has always helped me,” Randall said. “That’s what’s going to keep me on the foor, as long as I stop the other team from scoring, and I’m showing that I’m willing to do that, then I’m going to stay on the foor and coach Pecora loves defense.”
While he may not shoot the ball as well as Zimmerman as of publication —hitting 22.6% from the feld — his presence in other facets of the game is where he shines. He’s been a top rebounder for the squad, averaging 3.5 RPG.
The tallest of the group, Wewe, stands at 7 feet and has been the backup big man to graduate student forward Paul Otieno. Out of the ‘Fab Five,’ Wewe started playing basketball the latest — at 16 years-old — and earned offers from George Mason and the University of Albany after his performances at Toronto Terror Prep.
“I think it was really helpful being out there,” Wewe said. “Being able to put my name out there and develop myself as well as a player, and just what it took to understand what I needed to do to make it at this level.”
When Otieno was caught in some early foul trouble against St. John’s on Nov. 9, Wewe was able to play an extended role, playing 15 minutes more than he has all season. Wewe has become another defensive replacement for Otieno, earning fve steals to go along with two rejections.
“He’s defnitely playing better than I thought he would be this early in the season,” Pecora said after the 96-73 loss to St. John’s. “I think he continues to grow every day in practice and become better tonight with the lights on. I thought he was a force at times. He did some really good things.”
The remaining freshmen, Reilly and Ritvo, have not seen the court yet and are trending toward redshirt seasons.
Ritvo has dealt with injuries, including a back issue, since arriving in Hamden. But before stepping on campus, he was a top player at Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, New York, ranked as a three-star by ESPN. The Harlem, New York native models his game after New York Knicks center Karl Anthony Towns, who stretches the foor as a big man.
He may not have been able to crack the rotation, but he’s pretty confdent he’ll be up to the task when his No. 13 is called.
“I’m trying to work on my player development as best I can right now,” Ritvo said. “Getting in the gym extra, doing what the team needs me to do right now. And then, when it’s my time to play, I’ll be ready to play for sure.”
Reilly, the frst player to sign with Quinnipiac’s 2024 class hails from Manchester, Connecticut. The Reilly name is well-known in Connecticut basketball. Three of his brothers Luke
(Florida Southern), Rocco (East Catholic high school) and Joey (Sacred Heart University but now plays in Spain) play basketball and his dad (East Catholic high school), grandfather (South Catholic and Bloomfeld high) and uncle (Wesleyan University) all have coached basketball.
“It shaped who I am as a player as well as a person,” Reilly said. “So my earliest memories are at a basketball game, on a basketball court, anything really basketball related.”
Like Ritvo, Reilly may not see the foor for the Bobcats this season. But what he has given to the frst-year group comes off the court with four wheels, his blue 2011 Honda CRV.
Whether he drove it to get food, go to orientation, do hot yoga or just roll windows down during the summer, the freshman class was able to bond using Reilly’s car. While there are many different places they traveled during summer training, one moment stood out.
“The Gunna (rapper) concert was probably the highlight of the whole thing,” Randall said.
The group’s relationship grew after that, but they’ve still had to adjust to college life as Divison I student-athletes.
Luckily, all fve are going through the same thing at the same time.
“Being international, it can be scary going to a new country to embark on a new journey like this,” Wewe said. “Even just the college piece on its own, just having those people to support you as you’re going through, people you know you can count on and depend on, it makes that whole thing that much easier.”
While this crew likely won’t match what Michigan accomplished in the early 90s, the nickname still has merit at Quinnipiac.
“We’re all super talented,” Reilly said. “We’re all great players. We compliment each other, so yeah, I consider us a ‘Fab Five.’”
PHOTOS BY QUINNIPIAC ATHLETICS/TRIPP
Photo: Moments from The Garden
Quinnipiac bested by Fairfeld in MAAC Championship
By ALEXANDRA MARTINAKOVA Editor-in-Chief
LOUNDONVILLE, N.Y. — Three hundred and seventy-eight days ago, Quinnipiac volleyball fell at the hands of Fairfeld in heartbreaking fashion as the Stags ripped the title of MAAC Champions from the Bobcats’ claws.
Last week, they experienced that heartbreak yet again, watching with tear-flled eyes as the Stags raised the conference championship trophy, beating the Bobcats 3-1 on sets — once again.
It felt like deja-vu.
And what a painful loss it was.
While Quinnipiac kept up with Fairfeld in terms of kills (57 to 58) and digs (60 to 61), the Bobcats let up 22 attack, six service, one block and six reception errors — while Fairfeld only totaled 15 errors across the board.
“We didn’t play anywhere close to one of our good matches, let alone the best match,” head coach Kyle Robinson said. “I don’t think it would’ve taken our best match to beat these guys but we needed to play our type of volleyball, which we didn’t do today. We missed a ton of serves and we passed awfully.”
Quinnipiac entered the game with a huge boost of confdence after its win yesterday against Rider in the semis, but an early run from Fairfeld in the frst set seemed to shake that and the Bobcats couldn’t keep up.
MAAC Player of the Year graduate student opposite Elena Giacomini still led the game with 24 kills, followed by junior outside hitter Yagmur Gunes with 14.
Sophomore
Giusta boasted the worst numbers on the team
with her .056 hitting percentage, bested even by junior setter Damla Gunes and her two successful setter dumps.
For a brief moment, it seemed like the game could turn around. An ace from freshman libero
Carolan Negron Diaz opened up the third set, giving Quinnipiac the lead it needed to avoid a sweep — which could’ve been thanks to the several players that didn’t see a lot of playing time this season making an appearance on the court.
Junior middle blocker Milena Silva, for example, seemed to be what the team needed to fnd their second breath, recording four kills and two block assists.
Robinson also put in sophomore opposite Cynthia Skenderi and junior middle blocker Tuana Turhan for a bit, as well as switching in seniors setter Chloe Ka’ahanui and opposite Alexandra Tennon for the last few points, just to “fnd something that’s going to work because what we had did not work.”
“(We needed to) fnd spark, someone to step up and bring something more than what we were bringing at the time,” Robinson said. “I had a lot of faith in (Silva), she’s got a big arm. (Turhan), she might be lacking technically but she has a lot of heart. And at the end, it was to give (Tennon) and (Ka’ahanui) time on the court together again for the last time.”
After the game, Giacomini and Yagmur Gunes were both honored into the MAAC All-Championship Team, in very familiar fashion to junior outside hitter Ginevra Giovagnoni and former opposite Aryanah Diaz last year.
Despite the loss, Robinson is nothing if not
proud of his team.
“They’re amazing, I love them,” Robinson said. “When you lose (Giovagnoni) early, a key player, it’s really tough. To see a lot of people step up, to see (Giusta) and (Yagmur Gunes) carry us the whole season on the left side was a defning moment. Great volleyball players, great women.”
The Bobcats had a good season, going 15-3 in the conference and fghting tooth and nail despite many injuries and obstacles. And yet, it just wasn’t enough.
“To get here, it’s not good enough, we gotta get here and fnish the job,” Robinson said. “I’m not sure we’ve spent most of this season focused enough on volleyball. You wanna beat good teams, you gotta be laser-focused, that means, putting everything else aside and focus on being a really good volleyball player. Hopefully they take the pain and the lessons learned here and be better for next year.”
And with that, the 2024 season comes to an end.
outside hitter Leilani-kai
TRIPP MENHALL/CHRONICLE
Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold walks off the ice after Cornell takes The Frozen Apple in a shootout.
TRIPP MENHALL/CHRONICLE
Junior forward Victor Czerneckianair after Cornell wins the shootout on Saturday night.
TRIPP MENHALL/CHRONICLE
Graduate student defender Cooper Moore celebrates a go-ahead goal against Cornell.
TRIPP MENHALL/CHRONICLE
Quinnipiac senior forward Travis Treloar and Cornell sophomore forward Ryan Walsh faceoff in The Frozen Apple at Madison Square Garden Nov. 30.
TRIPP MENHALL/CHRONICLE
Junior outside hitter Yagmur Gunes and head coach Kyle Robinson after the MAAC Final Nov. 24.
Men’s hockey falls to Cornell by shootout in tumultous Frozen Apple
By AMANDA DRONZEK Sports Editor
NEW YORK — One week ago, Quinnipiac men’s hockey upset then No. 6 Cornell 3-1 on the road — a feat it hadn’t achieved since 2018.
Saturday evening, 16,593 people — likely the most attendance of a Quinnipiac game to date aside from Frozen Fours and the most in college hockey this season — saw the No. 11 Big Red take a shootout win in a 3-3 tie at Madison Square Garden in the 2024 Frozen Apple.
And it was largely determined by penalties.
THE SHORT-HANDED MISHAP
Things looked bleak from the beginning for Quinnipiac, mirroring six of its previous losses this season and being forced to come from behind.
Ignoring Saturday, the Bobcats were 2-6 when surrendering the first goal and 0-4 when trailing after the opening frame.
And for a period and a half, The Frozen Apple checked both of these boxes as senior left wing Sullivan Mack put Cornell on the board just two minutes following the first faceoff.
But that wasn’t really the problem.
Quinnipiac forwards junior Jeremy Wilmer flopping over sophomore Mason Marcellus on the power play and leaving a loose puck for Cornell to scoop up was.
“The short end goal was embarrassing,” Pecknold said. “We just need to get better, we lack urgency at times.”
The collision gave the Big Red a 2v1 breakaway over freshman netminder Dylan Silverstein which eventually ended in a
goal from junior forward Dalton Bancroft. 2-0 Big Red going into the locker room.
THE POWER PLAY NUGGET
Quinnipiac’s second period was arguably its strongest and most cohesive of the season.
“There were a ton of positives tonight,” Pecknold said. “A lot of guys played really well, (we) just have to mature.”
Fourteen seconds in and with the manadvantage, senior wing Travis Treloar fed a wrap-around pass to sophomore forward Andon Cerbone to open the floodgates and cut the deficit to one.
The Bobcats have had a relatively strong power play unit thus far, clocking in at No. 9 across the league.
Saturday wasn’t much different as they capitalized on the man advantage when necessary. Ultimately it wasn’t enough and a poor shootout determined a high quality outing of Quinnipiac hockey.
THE DELAYED PENALTY
What really turned the momentum was freshman wing Aaron Schwartz and his backdoor dump-in on a delayed penalty just minutes later.
It was a nearly perfect set up, and the Parkland, Florida, native was able to complete the sequence to give Quinnipiac a clean slate.
“It was huge being down to nothing and believing that we can come back,” Pec -
knold said. “I mean, that’s the best period we played all year.”
DOWN A MAN, UP A GOAL Graduate student defenseman Cooper Moore has not played up to expectation through the first 13 games. If there was a time to notch his first goal of the season, MSG was the place to do it.
Schwartz came in clutch once again with a pass to Moore who smacked a one-timer past Cornell senior goaltender Ian Shane.
“He was excellent,” Pecknold said. “I thought that was (his) best game of the year. Great kid, great leader and a big time goal.” 3-2 Bobcats to end the second.
In the final 20 minutes, the only thing Quinnipiac should’ve been worried about was defense. To little surpise, the Big Red matched the Bobcats’ third goal early. But after a relentless second period, play slowed considerably on both ends. A gassed Quinnipiac surged just enough to bring the game to overtime and ultimately, a shootout.
FINAL THOUGHTS
There hasn’t been much to say about Quinnipiac so far. Through 13 games, it sits at .500 — a jarring 180 from the last two seasons where it’s had a combined 14 losses.
The Bobcats haven’t played complete hockey since the jump — and it’s December.
But to give credit where it’s due, they held their own at MSG, clawing back from being down 2-0 to forcing a shootout that has no effect on standings in a 3-3 tie.
“It was like a seesaw,” Pecknold said. “You gotta play 60 or 65 minutes if you want to win championships.”
TRIPP MENHALLCHRONICLE
Freshman forward Aaron Schwartz fghts for the puck at The Frozen Apple on Nov. 30.