QUChronicle.com March 28, 2012 Volume 81 Issue 21
arts & life
Opinion
Overcoming alcohol addiction, page 10
sports
Atypical spring breaks, page 6 #KONY2012 commentary, page 7
Sliding and diving, page 15
LET’s DANCE
Students, staff compete in Dancing with the QU Stars By Shannon corcoran | Staff Writer
M
usic blasted from speakers in Burt Kahn Court as a group of ballroom dancers – students and staff – showed an energetic crowd what it had learned over the past few weeks. As each performance came to a close, the crowd erupted into thundering applause. See page 9 for full story and check out quchronicle.com for gallery lesly alvarez/chronicle
Cindy Long Porter (left), associate dean of student affairs and diretor of residential life, and her partner Ethan Pandolfi ties Stanley Rothman, professor of mathematics, and his partner Danielle Martin for first place in Dancing with the QU Stars.
Lender dies at 81 By katherine rojas Associate News Editor
Murray Lender, the man whose name you see as you walk toward North Lot, whose generosity to the university is honored with the name of the School of Business, died last Wednesday in a hospital in Miami from complications from a fall 10 weeks ago, according to a report in the Associated Press. “I am deeply saddened to report to you that Murray Lender ’50, vice chairman of the University’s Board of Trustees, passed away,” QuinnipSee lender Page 5
Quinnipiac replaces 6 shuttles with newer, better-equipped models By Bridgette fossel Staff Writer
lesly alvarez/chronicle
Six new shuttles replaced older models on the York Hill route.
What is white, shiny, has arm rests, air conditioning and can be seen cruising between Mount Carmel and York Hill? That would be the new shuttles transporting QU students from campus to campus. There are a total of six new shuttles, four big and two small, which replaced the old shuttles that had outlived their life spans of four to six years, Chief of Security & Safety David Barger said.
“There is a great deal of more mileage on these shuttles because they will just be going on a continuous route between the two campuses,” Barger said. “These shuttles are nicer, the seats are better appointed, more fuel efficient, which not only benefits us but DATTCO as well, especially with the average price of fuel in Connecticut.” The new shuttles will not be going to New Haven from Thursday through Saturday at night. They are strictly for transporting students from Mount Carmel to York Hill and
back, according to Barger. Through the annual contract that Quinnipiac has with DATTCO, new shuttles become available when they get older and replacements are necessary, Barger said. Although the new shuttles do have spacious room for long-legged students, they consist of 36 seats, which is 18 seats fewer than the old shuttles. Students are impressed with the new shuttles, but do not find them necessary. “The new shuttles are nice, but
I didn’t think the old ones needed changing,” junior Brien Slate said. “We need bigger shuttles and less small ones.” Another addition featured on the new shuttles is a digital rectangle board that has “Quinnipiac University” in flashing in and out in yellow lettering. “I like that they have air conditioning, but I think they should utilize the digital banner on the outside of the shuttles to say York Hill or See shuttles Page 5
Fire safety catches on at York Hill By CASSIE COMEAU Copy Editor
When a fire starts, it spreads to anything and everything. It doesn’t distinguish between books, clothes or furniture. Fire devours everything in its path until all that’s left is destruction. That is what Saturday’s “York Hill Puts Out” event, sponsored by the Student Government Association’s Junior Class Cabinet, demonstrated when it lit a fake dorm room on fire in the Westview parking lot. The room was destroyed in just five minutes. “We felt as though it is important to have an event that focuses on fire safety because of the amount of fires that have increased in college residence halls recently across the country,” junior class representative Heidi Hitchen said. “Fire is always a very real threat when you have students who may not be the best
chefs with access to a kitchen, so our cabinet wanted to inform the student body of that fact.” An estimated 3,800 fires occur annually in residence halls across the U.S., according to a 2010 report by the U.S. Fire Administration. Eighty-three percent of those fires result from a cooking incident. “The junior class cabinet wanted to host a fire safety event after the amount of fire alarms that went off first semester,” Hitchen said. “We’ve heard that the fire alarms going off were results of misuse of the kitchen units in the Crescent, so in the case of a more serious reason for the fire alarms going off, we wanted to be sure students would know how to react in the case of an emergency.” The demonstration also illustrated how certain items prohibited by the university can lead to starting a fire. In the student handbook, Quinnipiac prohibits any items that could
potentially start a fire, such as candles, incense, grills, hot plates and string lights. “There’s rules in the buildings for a reason, but people just kind of disregard them, like put up lights, put candles out, because they don’t think anything will happen,” junior Anna McAvinchey said. “But it can happen, and this demonstration was a really good example of that if you disregard these rules, this will happen.” Along with the fire demonstration, the junior class provided residents with the opportunity to explore the fire trucks and learn how to use a fire extinguisher. Students could enjoy free food, music and raffles. “I think the demonstration for this event was amazing,” junior Ryan Scanlon said. “It’s so important for the student body to know and be aware of what can happen if you don’t take proper precautions and live a healthy lifestyle.”
photo courtesy of caitlin enright
The model room at York Hill Puts Out was engulfed in flames in approximately five minutes.