September 28, 2011 Volume 81 Issue 5
arts & life
Opinion
Meet the freshman class Alumni need to keep president, page 10 their distance, page 7
Sports
Ex-Bobcat star makes his return, page 16
Men’s basketball pair pleads not guilty Attorney: Azotam misidentified, Johnson was assaulted By Lenny Neslin & Phil Nobile
Quinnipiac men’s basketball players Ike Azotam and James Johnson pled not guilty to assault and breach of peace charges in Monday morning’s arraignment at Meriden Superior Court, defense attorney Thomas Lynch said outside the court. They are due to return to court Oct. 24 for a judicial pretrial, Judge Philip Scarpellino said. Lynch said he thinks Azotam, 20, was “misidentified” in the police’s report and that Johnson, 21, was assaulted the night before the incident in which Azotam and Johnson were charged with third degree assault and breach of peace to the second degree. The two basketball players allegedly struck students who were attempting to break up a fight early in the morn-
ing of Sept. 18, according to the police report. “This is just one of those situations where there’s two sides to every story,” Lynch said. “Everyone knows the events that happened Saturday night of that weekend, but bottom line is James Johnson was assaulted on Friday night and it spilled over into Saturday. “We’re also confident once the university’s investigation is completed, it’ll show that Ike Azotam had no involvement whatsoever in this incident. I think he was misidentified, he was charged accordingly, but once the university completes its investigation I think it’ll come to light that he really had no involvement at all.” The university had no further comment since releasing a statement Sept. 20 that said the university is See Court Page 5
Anna Brundage/Chronicle
Ike Azotam raises his hand, identifying himself to Judge Philip Scarpellino, and is flanked by defense attorney Thomas Lynch (left) and James Johnson at Meriden Superior Court Monday morning.
QU to host media conference
First paid, first serve for senior housing By Phil Nobile
By Marissa Himbele
News Editor
Quinnipiac’s senior housing will be decided this year based upon deposit order, according to Melissa Karipidis, associate director of Residential Life. Students who wish to live in Quinnipiac owned houses, Whitney Village, Eastview or Westview will be required to submit $500 to Residential Life prior to selection. Deposits will be accepted at the Residential Life office at York Hill starting Oct. 14. Selection will be made on the basis of first deposits made. “To honor the part that the students like, which is not a lottery but first come first serve, will take some of the pressure off,” Karipidis said. “So if you deposit first, you’ll pick first.” “I think this way is the fairest way,” said Stephanie Woods, a junior. But students still feel some pressure trying to make decisions by Oct. 14., Woods said. “Getting the deposit in by Oct. 14 is still kind of tough because we still don’t know if we want to stay on campus or go off,” Woods said. Unlike Junior housing, Senior living has See Housing Page 4
Staff Writer
Anna Brundage/Chronicle
Students walk by the foundation of a statue that will be placed within the next few weeks.
Pine Grove to get statue By Samantha Epstein Design Editor
There will be a statue in Pine Grove, according to Joseph Rubertone, associate vice president for facilities and administration. The statue was donated to the university by an unidentified benefactor. The university could not be reached as of press time to find out the donor and further information about the statue. Crafted by a well-known artist, the statue is a modernistic piece made of cast bronze, Rubertone said. It will be 11 feet by 6 feet and 5 feet high and weigh about 3,800 pounds. The statue will be placed on the walk be-
tween the Carl Hansen Student Center and the College of Arts and Sciences, a place that was previously home to art projects of Quinnipiac students in the art program. “I personally think that this sculpture will work very well in that area, and I think when you see it, you’ll agree that it works well,” Rubertone said. “Truth, beauty and art are in the eyes of the beholder, so we’ll leave all the judgements on whether people like it or not to their opinion.” The statue will be under repair due to a steel support on the bottom that started to corrode and will be ready for placement within the next few weeks. Cassie Comeau contributed reporting to this story.
POLL: Should Ike Azotam and James Johnson be given preferential treatment by the university if proven guilty?
Students will have a say in who and what they will find at Quinnipiac’s first-ever media conference in the spring. Quinnipiac senior film, video and interactive media major Brian Reilly said he has long awaited a media conference at Quinnipiac. “I understand that networking is very important and it is probably most important for communications as it is one of the more competitive fields,” Reilly said. “This will be a great opportunity to network for juniors and seniors and also for freshmen and sophomores to ask professionals what their careers are like and how they got there.” Sydney Russell, a senior studying broadcast journalism, said she is glad there will be a networking event solely for communications students. “I’m constantly seeing business students and others going to fairs focused on their majors,” Russell said. “Although QU offers many opportunities, this is a step in the right direction for networking.” The event is scheduled for April 21at Rocky Top Student Center and the conference See conference Page 4
MULTIMEDIA: Check out the photos from Sunday’s field hockey game against Maine.