The Quinnipiac Chronicle, Volume 95, Issue 18

Seventeen straight wins over the school down the road p. 10

Nursing professor earns spot in competitive national program

By AVA HIGHLAND Associate News Editor

On Feb. 10, Quinnipiac University’s associate Professor of Nursing Carolyn Bradley, began her position in the National League for Nursing (NLN) 2025 LEAD program.

LEAD is a competitive year-long program that selects 22 leaders in nursing from across the country. The cohort works together on key advanced leadership, development and reflection. Members submit an extensive application and find out in November if they are accepted. Leaders hold their position in the program until Dec. 31.

This year, leaders from 16 different schools are in the program. They range from professors at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The program appealed to Bradley for its opportunities in professional development and growth.

“There’s always a need for development for something new,” Bradley said. “It’s a matter of learning more about yourself as a leader and harnessing those key leadership skills, bringing them to the next level, strategically to impact my own work here.”

LEAD follows six key objectives, according to their website. They focus on enhancing leadership skills, develop strong negotiation and communication tactics and examine issues in organizational processes.

During their time in the program, leaders also get one-on-one executive coaching, a week-long intensive in June at the

NLN headquarters in Washington, D.C., as well as journaling and networking throughout the year.

Bradley will also be doing work to directly benefit the nursing department at Quinnipiac.

“We all have major project work associated with attending the program that develops our leadership skills further and gives back to the university that is sending us,” Bradley said.

The project work will be disseminated at the national level once it is completed.

With just over two weeks of being in the program, Bradley has been getting to know

her new colleagues. Bradley and the other 21 leaders met in Washington D.C. at the start of the program.

“It was exciting to see everyone else’s background and where they come from,” Bradley said. “And I know that we’re going to learn from each other.”

With a love for networking, meeting new people and learning from them, Bradley was thrilled to meet her colleagues.

Though the leaders only see each other a handful of times throughout the year, they are constantly busy working and remain in contact.

In September, the cohort will attend the

annual NLN Education Summit.

Every year the conference has a theme, this year’s being centered around artificial intelligence and its challenges.

With the rapid emergence of AI, Bradley and the Quinnipiac Nursing Department have begun examining appropriate use of AI classrooms.

“My concern as faculty is that there’s good use for AI, but we just want to make sure that it’s used appropriately by faculty and students,” Bradley said. “So many of us are still obtaining education and determining best practices for that.”

Prior to Quinnipiac, Bradley held several leadership roles in her career. In the late 90s Bradley worked as a nurse manager. She has also worked in staff development and held a nursing leadership role in the Heart and Vascular Center at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Bradley joined Quinnipiac in 2022, and was soon appointed to the director of the undergraduate programs in the School of Nursing.

“I applied for the director of the graduate programs because it better aligned with my teaching backgrounds,” Bradley said.

In her year in the NLN LEAD program, Bradley is looking forward to learning new skills to better herself and her teaching in the nursing department.

“This is just an amazing opportunity,” Bradley said. “It’s almost unheard of to have this kind of support from national leaders and leadership and connect with colleagues across the country.”

The official student newspaper of Quinnipiac University since 1929

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY CAROLYN BRADLEY

Quinnipiac University Associate Professor of Nursing Carolyn Bradley joins a cohort of 22 leaders from across the country.

MEET THE EDITORS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Alexandra Martinakova

MANAGING EDITOR

Colin Kennedy

DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR

Emily Adorno

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Tripp Menhall

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITORS

Carleigh Beck

Ava Highland

OPINION EDITOR

Ben Busillo

ASSOCIATE OPINION EDITOR

Lillian Curtin

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

Gina Lorusso

ASSOCIATE ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

Grace Conneely-Nolan

SPORTS EDITOR

Amanda Dronzek

ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITORS

Claire Frankland

Ryan Johanson

DESIGN EDITOR

Katerina Parizkova

ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Tyler Mignault

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Quinn O’Neill

ASSOCIATE MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Elisabeth McMahon

COPY EDITOR

Michael Petitto

The views expressed in The Chronicle’s opinion section are those of the respective authors. They do not reflect the views of The Chronicle as an organization.

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Aaron C. Trump becomes new general council for Quinnipiac

By COLIN KENNEDY Managing Editor

On Jan. 8, Quinnipiac University President Judy Olian announced in a press release the appointment of its new general council, Aaron C. Trump. Along with his appointment it was also announced he will serve on the university’s Management Committee.

“Aaron brings extensive legal and higher education experience to this critical role,” Olian wrote in the press release. “His broad expertise in the law across higher education and in the private sector will be tremendous assets to the Quinnipiac community.”

Trump began his journey to Quinnipiac back when he was an undergrad at Indiana University where he was pursuing a degree in psychology.

“I worked in student affairs,” Trump said. “So I had a master’s in higher education student affairs. So started out as an RA as a lot of people do when they get into that. And then worked my way through housing as a housing director and a residential college coordinator, and then went to law school.”

Trump stayed at Indiana after earning his Bachelor of Science degree to get a Master of Science in higher education and student affairs.

At Indiana, he has established a relationship with his mentor, Dave O’Guinn, who worked in housing at Quinnipiac for over 20 years.

“O’Guinn kind of got me to switch from student affairs to law school,” Trump said. “He worked at housing here at Quinnipiac 20 years ago, so it was already on my radar for quite a while.”

Once he made the switch to law school he enrolled in Washington University in St. Louis where he currently holds a Juris Doctor. It was at Wash U where he met his wife, who is originally from Connecticut.

After finishing his education, Trump joined Southern Indiana University in 2019, where he became the institution’s first general council.

“I was at the University of Southern Indiana as their vice president of government affairs and general counsel for six years,” Trump said. “Really enjoyed that work. Headed up that office as their first general counsel, and also handled all of the interactions between the university and elected officials in the state.”

But after six years with SIU, Trump and his wife decided to move closer to home, but only for the right opportunity.

“I knew we wanted to come to Connecticut, but we didn’t want to just move here for the sake of moving here,” Trump said. “We wanted to find the right place, and a univer-

sity that I knew we’d both be happy at.”

Once the position of general council opened up at Quinnipiac it was a no brainer for Trump to make the move, both professionally and personally.

“It was exciting to find a place that I thought was a good professional step for me in growth, but also a place where I feel comfortable and thought I could contribute and hopefully help the institution to continue to move in a positive direction,” Trump said.

Trump also knew he’d be making the jump to a larger school, giving him more opportunities to be involved.

“It’s a more complex organization, the operating budget, the endowment, the medical school, the law school, some of the research programs,” Trump said. “There’s a lot going on here at Quinnipiac.”

Since starting at the end of January, Trump’s duties include dealing with all legal matters regarding the university and making sure the university is following all federal compliance issues.

“Essentially, I’m the chief legal officer for the university, and so I’ll deal with any legal matters that come to the institution,” Trump said. “Will come in through this office, at least to start. And then we’ll address, you know whose expertise, whose area will deal with it best.

“There’s obviously a lot of federal compliance issues going on right now with what’s changing with the administration, so a lot of them come through that office,

and I’ll help to advise both the president, the Management Committee, Board of Trustees and other campus leadership on how best to address that.”

Trump is also serving on the Management Committee, working with other senior administrators to address larger issues that the school faces on a daily basis.

“The Management Committee is essentially the group of the most senior administrators on campus,” Trump said. “We meet at a minimum weekly, but we talk almost every day to collaborate on different issues that university is dealing with on a day to day basis, and either deal directly with the departments that are handling those matters and or advise President Olian out of the institution. Let’s address that from a more global strategic operations perspective.”

Despite only being on the job for a little less than a month, Trump already has some goals, both in the long term and short term.

“I think the broad goal is to just make sure I’m contributing value to an institution,” Trump said. “I bring a student affairs background and a decent amount of higher legal experience, and so I just hope, more than anything, I’m bringing value to the Management Committee, and value to Quinnipiac.

“As far as specific initiatives, I think we’re looking at how we can start to centralize federal compliance a little more out of this office to make sure everybody’s on the same page and ensuring the university is doing what’s best to protect the institution.”

Staff Meetings on Tuesdays in SB 123 at 9:15 p.m.

Trump refers to himself as “the chief legal officer for the university,” helping the Quinnipiac School of Law and other facets of the university.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY JOHN MORGAN

Aaron Trump advises the president, Management Committee, Board of Trustees and several other campus leadership roles.

Student Philanthropy Council’s scavenger hunt aims to teach students about university’s donors

By CARLEIGH BECK and HANNAH DIMAURO

The Quinnipiac University Student Philanthropy Council is celebrating a month of Donor Recognition through a scavenger hunt to educate students on the impact of donors.

The Student Philanthropy Council chose to highlight the charitable acts by strategically placing bows throughout the Mount Carmel, York Hill and North Haven campuses. They are in spaces that students use frequently. With the bows, is a card with information about the building and donor who made it possible for the building to be constructed.

“We wanted to be able to educate the student body around philanthropy and why giving back is so important,” wrote John Shepherd, the assistant director of Next Generation and Affinity Giving, in a statement to The Chronicle.“There are so many spaces that we take for granted every day and we wanted to be able to recognize the generosity of individuals and recognize that these spaces may not exist without the philanthropy of our alumni donors.”

Although there are no prizes for those who find all the bows, it serves as motivation for students, faculty and visitors to learn more about donors across campuses and. They can read their factual notes to learn more about the history of building across the Quinnipiac campuses.

The Student Philanthropy Council worked with the Donor Relations team at the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, who gave SPC information about the buildings and its’ donors. This allowed SPC to highlight the donors’ impact on students, faculty and staff over the years.

“The facts are a bit of both and have some historical information around the specific donor and some fun facts about them.”

Shepherd wrote. “We wanted students to understand more about the spaces and why giving is important and how much giving impacts their day to day lives.”

There are 17 spaces on the campuses where students can find bows. This scavenger hunt will continue until March 4.

ALEXANDRA MARTINAKOVA/CHRONICLE

In a few places, such as Echlin Center on Mount Carmel Campus, the bows have fallen

Nationwide egg shortage hits Quinnipiac

By CARLEIGH BECK Associate News Editor

The national egg shortage that Chartwells and other food service management companies across the country are experiencing has impacted dining services across Quinnipiac University’s campuses.

A disease called Avian Influenza, also known as bird flu, has killed a large portion of the egg-laying chicken population. This continues to cause the decrease of eggs being produced across the U.S.

The disease spreads quickly across flocks with symptoms in chickens ranging from loss of appetite to sudden death. Bird flu cases increase during the winter months.

As of Feb. 24, 80 chickens across two flocks in New Haven county have been impacted by the disease. The most recent flock, containing 30 chickens, was reported on Jan. 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although rare, humans can contract bird flu if proper hygiene is not followed when handling birds that contracted the disease.

“We have worked with both of our broadline vendors to bring in as many cases of

eggs when we can,” said Timothy Pratt, the campus executive at Quinnipiac University.

“We can utilize liquid egg(s) as a replacement for the periods when whole shelled eggs are not available if applicable.”

Liquid eggs are whole eggs that are cracked and deshelled. Citric acid is added to the egg and acts as a preservative.

The bird flu is causing a rise in egg prices nationally in the past year. Since October 2024, the price of eggs has increased over $1.50, according to NerdWallet. This month, the average price for a dozen Grade A eggs is $4.95.

“Every morning, I usually get a sausage, egg and cheese (sandwich),” said Connor Coleman, a first-year data science major. “And so having scrambled eggs is just not the same.”

Prices of eggs are likely to rise more due to the disease.

“Currently the market is continuing to trend upward as the outbreak continues,” Pratt said. “We will continue to monitor pricing and availability and continue to provide the best food and customer service that we can.”

QUINN O’NEILL/CHRONICLE

A sign at Breakfast & Co. in Cafe Q on Mount Carmel Campus informs students of the whole egg shortage.

QUINN O’NEILL/CHRONICLE

The Quinnipiac University Student Philanthropy Council hosts a scavenger hunt of 17 bows across campus to inform students of the various donors.

off.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN SHEPHERD

Different places around the campuses don different styles of bows.

Opinion

How to fix NBA All-Star Weekend

By BEN BUSILLO Opinion Editor

This year’s NBA All-Star Weekend festivities were — to put it bluntly — terrible.

The All-Star Game has become a glorified layup line with zero effort, zero stakes and a growing disconnect from what made it great in the first place. From the failed experiment of this year’s All-Star draft to the uninspiring Dunk Contest and the desperate attempts at gimmicks, the event has strayed far from what fans actually want: real competition.

The league’s constant tinkering — whether it’s the draft format, the target score, or the endless celebrity cameos — has made the game feel more like a content factory than an actual basketball event.

Here’s where they went wrong and how to fix it.

RETURN TO EAST VS WEST

In seven of the last eight All-Star Games, the NBA deterred from the long-standing tradition of the Eastern Conference playing against the Western Conference and instead implemented a draft system to pick teams. In most of these drafts, the top vote-getters from each conference became captains and selected their teams, similar to how teams are chosen at the YMCA or on the playground. Well, that’s where it should stay.

This year’s draft was not dictated by two team captains but by NBA on TNT analysts and former NBA players Shaquille O’Neal,

event, turning it into 10 players chucking up uncontested threes and cherry-picking wide-open dunks.

With the success of the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off, many fans and pundits have suggested a matchup between NBA players from the U.S. and those from other parts of the world.

However, this wouldn’t work the same way. In hockey, there is a level of pride and competitive fire that just doesn’t exist in the NBA.

Let me put it this way: the most popular basketball player on the planet, LeBron James, pulled out of the All-Star Game 90 minutes beforehand due to “left foot and ankle discomfort.” In the round-robin game of the 4 Nations Face-Off, when the U.S. played Canada, there were three fights in the first nine seconds of play.

That’s the difference.

I don’t blame James for sitting out of this pointless All-Star tournament. He’s 40 years old, and has nothing left to prove. It just represents a larger problem: the lack of importance placed on the All-Star Game.

The solution is to return to the East vs. West format. To incentivize players to compete, the winning conference should receive home-court advantage in the NBA Finals. This used to be in place in the MLB, and was largely successful in making players compete. Stars on contending teams would have no choice but to play competitively, especially if it impacts their championship aspirations.

“The league’s constant tinkering has made the game feel more like a content factory than an actual basketball event. ”

Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith. Former WNBA player and TNT analyst Candace Parker took ownership of a team comprised of the winners of the Rising Stars Game. Just like virtually every NBA fan, I adore the “Inside the NBA” crew, but having them draft teams is too gimmicky.

The All-Star Game was also split into a three-game tournament with no running clock, and games ending at a target score of 40.

Also why do the Rising Stars get to play in this tournament? They are not AllStars. If they needed a fourth team, they should’ve just picked more All-Star caliber players — there sure wasn’t a shortage of those who were snubbed. Domantas Sabonis and LaMelo Ball were for sure more deserving than rookies like Dalton Knecht and Zach Edey.

From the moment NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced this tournament, some NBA players knew what was in-store. “I absolutely hate it,” Kevin Durant said. “We should just go back to East-West. Just play a game.”

The draft format and the absence of a game clock strip all identity from the

– BEN BUSILLO OPINION EDITOR

I wonder how James’ ankle would feel then.

The drafts were fun for the first couple of years, but fans are tired of gimmicks. They just want competitive basketball.

THE DUNK CONTEST

The Dunk Contest has reached an alltime low in recent years due to a lack of creativity, actual All-Star participants, and overall entertaining dunks.

Mac McClung, who plays in the NBA GLeague, is the only reason the Dunk Contest has been somewhat watchable in recent years.

To put McClung’s participation into perspective — he has more Dunk Contest titles than actual in-game dunks in the NBA.

Yes, you read that correctly.

That’s like if no MLB All-Stars wanted to participate in the Home Run Derby, so they brought in a minor leaguer who crushes balls in batting practice.

Despite McClung bringing back some excitement to the Dunk Contest, one key element is still missing.

Star power.

In the past seven Dunk Contests, only one All-Star has participated: Jaylen Brown in 2024. Brown, however, had arguably the most

pathetic dunk in recent memory.

In his attempt to advance to the final round, Brown brought out teammate Jayson Tatum and streamer Kai Cenat as props. Tatum tossed an alley-oop, which Brown caught and dunked while jumping over Cenat — who was sitting in a chair. For reference, Cenat is about 5-foot-4. Just imagine how short he was while sitting.

Is that really the best the league’s top players can of fer? Jumping over a short guy sitting down? Not to mention Brown actually missed the first attempt. That dunk just em bodies what All-Star Weekend

has become.

The Dunk Con test used to be a rite of passage for All-Stars, but with superstars like LeBron James never lacing up, a precedent was set: that the con test is beneath them.

If McClung is just going to dominate no bodies for the next de cade, the event should be scrapped. However, NBA stars like Giannis Ante tokounmpo, Ja Morant, and former back-to-back Dunk Contest champion Zach LaVine have expressed inter est in challenging McClung.

NEW/OLD BUSINESS

Beyond the Dunk Con test and the game itself, there is more work to be done to make All-Star Weekend more enjoyable.

First, there needs to be a crackdown on pointless gimmicks and excessive commer cial breaks. Why does Kevin Hart have to be involved every year? Why did we need MrBeast doing a 10-minute YouTube vid eo in the middle of the program? These are questions we shouldn’t have to ask, yet here we are.

Beyond the poor basketball, simply watching the program was a struggle.

on-one tournament.

The buzz around this would be insane. And if All-Stars won’t do the Dunk Contest, why would they participate in a oneon-one tournament?

The answer: cash prize.

A prize of maybe $5 million would be more than enough to court multiple All-Stars into throwing their name in the hat. It’s a large sum of money, but the return on in-

Enough with the skills competition. They tweak it every year, and every year it falls flat. It’s time to replace it with something fans will actually watch.

What All-Star Weekend needs is a one-

The one event that doesn’t need fixing is the Three-Point Contest. However, the matchup between Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu during the 2024 festivities was electric. Ionescu even tied the all-time points record for a ThreePoint Contest while shooting from the NBA line, nearly two feet farther than the WNBA

Each year, the winner of the NBA ThreePoint Contest should face off against the WNBA winner. Or, the league could set up special matchups, such as Klay Thompson vs. Caitlin Clark or James Harden vs. Diana Taurasi. This would be great for growing the WNBA and boosting All-Star

If the NBA wants to salvage All-Star Weekend, it needs to return to what made it great: real

The last true competitive match was in 2020, after the death of Kobe Bryant. When both teams were encroaching on the target score of 157, it truly felt like the NBA finals. They were running plays, taking charges and even ar-

Part of me thinks the players were honoring Bryant by leaving it all on the court. A salute to one of the most competitive juggernauts

Man — I wish they would play like that all the time.

ERIK DROST/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Opinion

Posting hate and deleting ethics White House PR has lost all credibility

By LILLIAN CURTIN Associate Opinion Editor

President Donald Trump’s growing administration has taken America by storm in the little over one month that they’ve been in office.

We’ve known Trump to be unethical, spoiled and socially inept. Every day I look at the news and social media and say “well … it can’t possibly get worse.”

I’m proven wrong every single time. The White House PR is unethical and embarrassing. To say I was caught off guard by the White House Instagram would be a dramatic understatement.

If you haven’t taken a look, I suggest you do.

On Valentine’s Day, the administration posted a threatening “valentine,” stating, “Roses are red, violets are blue, come here illegally, and we’ll deport you.”

Still on the topic of immigration, the White House posted an “ASMR: Illegal Alien Deportation Flight.” It was a satirical ASMR video, making fun of the deportation process. They used metal chains and handcuffs, and put them on someone who appeared to be an undocumented immigrant. The immigrants were chained up by their wrists and ankles.

Both posts weren’t just dark humor, they were a disgusting and unethical use of a professional platform. I haven’t seen such an out-oftouch approach and use of a digital platform this bad since Logan Paul’s infamous forest video.

What’s worse is that this isn’t some random

vlogger trying to grow a following, this is the White House Instagram account. It’s meant to provide easily accessible information about current events of the country to its citizens. It’s not meant to be a page for hate and dehumanization,

but that’s what it’s turned into. So many people have been traumatized by their family members being deported. It’s a horrific experience that should be treated with sensitivity and decorum. If not for the people

you deem criminals, then their children, friends and family.

As if tasteless parodies mocking pain wasn’t bad enough, our president then referred to himself as a king.

The Instagram account posted a poster-like photo with Trump wearing a crown. “LONG LIVE THE KING.” is written in the bottom left corner.

All of these posts are morally and ethically wrong — especially from a public relations standpoint. Believe it or not, like almost every other profession, there is a widely followed code of ethics for PR.

The Public Relations Society of America’s code of ethics focuses on so many of the things that the White House ignores. It’s meant to maintain professionalism, and limit harm. Quite the opposite result that the page has.

If this was a normal celebrity, this would be a PR nightmare. That celebrity would also get canceled right after they posted something like that. I cannot logically grasp how a PR team could allow for this.

I get it, “Trump isn’t playing by the rules!” I’ve heard it a million times. I know it can be a shocking concept to some, but rules are OK sometimes. No one’s going to suffer because someone said “Don’t make fun of this group’s pain” Sometimes common sense comes in the form of rules.

If this was my PR team approving this, I would tell them, “You’re fired.”

NHL struck gold with 4 Nations Face-Off

By CLAIRE FRANKLAND Associate Sports Editor

Everyone loves international competition. I, for one, love watching athletes don their nations’ colors and compete against one another.

So when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced Feb. 2, 2024, a tournament where professional ice hockey players would compete against one another for their nation, I was counting down the days until the first game.

And coming from a die-hard hockey fan, who watched every game of the week-long tournament, the 4 Nations Face-Off was a great addition to the NHL.

The 4 Nations Face-Off played from Feb. 12-20, consisting of six round-robin games and a championship game.

Starting with the rules of the tournament, the NHL decided to incorporate new rules that enhanced the excitement of each game played.

For round-robin games that went into overtime, teams would play a 10-minute sudden-death 3-on-3 overtime, followed by a three-round shootout, if necessary. While none of the games went to a shootout, doubling overtime to 10 minutes increased the tension of fans and players, waiting for the game-winning goal.

Additionally, a new point system was added to the tournament rules, which determined the rankings of teams. For a win, a team would receive three points, or two points would be rewarded for an overtime or shootout win. When it came to a loss, an overtime or shootout loss gave a team one point, while a regulation loss resulted in no points. When it came to the game action, watching each game ignited a part of my childhood, getting to watch my favorite athletes play alongside one another.

Watching Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sid-

ney Crosby, Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid and Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon was eye-opening seeing them from all different eras skate with each other in Canada’s red and white.

Watching the games, especially the championship game, I have never felt so much nationalism in one room at once. Anyone who walked by my friends’ common area would have thought we were crazy blasting the “Miracle on Ice” speech on repeat.

This heightened sense of nationalism was also felt by every fan of every team during the game. Watching fans fill the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada and TD Garden in Boston, rooting on their home nations was a touching sight. Fans put the name on the front of the jersey before the names on the back, pushing aside their fan base’s

dislike for certain players.

Being a “New York or nowhere” Rangers fan, I definitely had to put my fan base feelings to the side to root for players like New Jersey Devil forward Jack Hughes or New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson.

The feeling of nationalistic pride was not only present in the fans but could be seen in the athletes as well. When Canada played the U.S. in the round-robin game, three fights broke out in the first nine seconds of the game, ending with Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk dapping up his brother, Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk as he joined him in the penalty box.

With the U.S. and Canada being rivals since the early days of international competition, every athlete on the ice felt that fire and drive to be the one bringing the trophy home.

With NHL athletes not playing in the Olympic games since 2014, many athletes have not represented their country since World Juniors or younger, intensifying the pride they had wearing their nations’ colors.

On Feb. 12, the NHL announced that The World Cup of Hockey would be returning in February 2028 — a massive step for the NHL and hockey community.

The World Cup of Hockey had previously run three times before the last tournament of its kind was played in 2016. The tournament also featured a greater variety of teams with eight teams.

Expanding the 4 Nations Face-off back to the World Cup of Hockey is an amazing move by the NHL, as it showcases more best-on-best hockey that fans have shown love and appreciation for. My only hope is they expand the number of teams participating in the tournament.

International competition can’t be played with only four teams, whose country is the most represented throughout the NHL.

Expanding the tournament to more teams allows more players to play for their country, increases fan engagement and makes the tournament longer.

Players like Edmonton Oilers forward, and the 2014 third overall draft pick, Leon Draisaitl should not lose the opportunity to participate in the tournament simply because the professional world isn’t largely composed of German hockey players.

These expansions will make international tournaments even more exciting for the fans, while also bringing in more revenue for the NHL. But for the time being, I’ll be counting down the days until international hockey returns in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

ILLUSTRATION BY KATERINA PARIZKOVA

ILLUSTRATION BY TYLER MIGNUALT

Arts & Life

It’s OK, just OK

Tate McRae’s ‘So Close To What’ is underwhelming

By JOHN PILATO Contributing Writer

On Feb. 21, popstar Tate McRae released her third studio album “So Close To What,” featuring 13 brand new songs on top of three singles she previously released.

Full disclosure, I heavily gravitate towards songs with a slower melody. It’s just what I fall for. I like the aesthetic. For reference, my two favorite songs from McRae are “stay done,” and “messier,” both of which appear on her previous album “THINK LATER.”

This entire album is something new for McRae. She has been in the music scene since 2017, when she released her original songs on YouTube to gain a following. It wasn’t until her first big hit “you broke me first,” that she elevated herself into mainstream pop music. The song is still her most popular on Spotify, as it blew up on TikTok and fans became accustomed to her soft vocals.

McRae’s first studio album was “i used to think i could fly,” which was released in May 2022, and featured “she’s all i wanna be,” a very catchy and relatable song.

She then released the aforementioned “THINK LATER,” that featured her megahit “greedy,” as well as “exes” and “run for the hills.” This album was my introduction to McRae, which I am grateful for, as I think this is her strongest bit of music. She was able to seamlessly blend upbeat pop with messy breakup songs and I think it worked really well.

This album, on the other hand, has a very clear theme. McRae really embraces her promiscuous side, often hinting at, or overtly singing about sex. She seems to have followed in the footsteps

of other superstars like Sabrina Carpenter, which will hopefully play to her benefit.

The first song McRae released from this album was her single “It’s ok I’m ok,” which has surpassed 200 million streams on Spotify. I do like this song, but I think in a ranking of the album, it falls towards the bottom half.

The second song she released was “2 hands,” which was my favorite of the singles, and still is after the release.

The final single was “Sports car,” which has blown up as one of the most popular on the album, nearing 100 million streams almost a month after its release. The whispers on this song initially drew me away from it, but I have warmed up to it a bit.

The opening track, “Miss possessive,” was OK and will likely become more known as the name of her world tour, which begins in March and ends in November.

Currently, the most streamed non-single is “Revolving door,” which definitely seems like it will be her next hit. McRae released a music video for this song coinciding with the album in which she dances in a white room, presumably over and over again, like a revolving door. I really like this song, it stands out as one of the strongest on the album with a great bridge and catchy chorus.

McRae has two features on this album, an uncommon occurrence for her, as her previous two had none. The first being Flo Milli on “bloodonmyhands,” and the second being her boyfriend, The Kid LAROI on “I know love.”

ILLUSTRATIONBYTYLERMIGNAULT

As someone who doesn’t particularly care for Flo Milli, I think her and McRae’s voices work well together. The chorus on this song is what makes it work, and it is one of my

Her feature with The Kid LAROI is alright at best. I think it is cute that she has a song about love with her boyfriend, but I just don’t think it has much substance.

The middle to back half of this album all blends into one for me.

“Signs” stands out as a strong tune, but I couldn’t find much I liked in both “Like I do,” and “No I’m not in love.” Neither of them caught my attention on a first or second listen, and they will likely be my least streamed of the album. I did like “Means I care,” though, as it fits more with her old style.

McRae saved the best for last, with “Nostalgia.” Not only the slowest song on the album, but definitely the most meaningful as well, McRae sings about how quickly time can pass and how it can be gone before you know it. She shouts out both of her parents and her brother Tucker, who plays Division I hockey for Dartmouth. For an album that has a clear crude tone throughout, this song is an excellent ending and a nice switch up.

For a final roundup, my five favorite songs on the album right now are “Nostalgia,” “bloodonmyhands,” “Greenlight,” “Revolving door” and “2 hands,” but that is bound to change as I listen more.

While my headline might be a bit harsh in hindsight, I don’t think this is McRae’s best work. The album's overtly sexual nature doesn’t resonate well with me, and I think it is a far cry from the successes of “THINK LATER.”

McRae’s ability to create catchy lyrics undoubtedly carry this album, however to me, there seems to be something missing. Whether it be another slow song, or something in the ballpark of her old albums, it just seems like it needs something else.

All that to say that “So Close To What” is not my favorite bit of discography from McRae, but it is by no means a bad album. Considering all the build up to it, I was just a bit underwhelmed, but hopefully time will do it justice.

The last few tracks are McRae at her best. “Greenlight,” seems like it could have been featured on one of her previous works, but I think it fits in nicely at the back of this album. McRae surprisingly re-released the album on Feb. 24 with a different cover, altered track list, and “siren sounds (bonus),” a song originally meant for “THINK LATER.” This is one of my favorites on the album, and I am happy she released it so I don’t have to search for it elsewhere.

‘Cobra Kai’: How Netflix butchered the show with no mercy

By NICOLE GEMMATI Contributing Writer

If you have a Netflix account, or are stealing a Netflix account, you’ve probably heard of their Top 10 hit, “Cobra Kai,” — a spinoff of the 1984 classic “The Karate Kid” — which has recently concluded its seven year run.

“Cobra Kai,” originally a series on YouTube Red/YouTube Premium, had its first few seasons primarily focusing on Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), the antagonist from the original film. Johnny attempts to get his mediocre life back on track by reopening the Cobra Kai dojo, in all of its “strike first, strike hard, no mercy” glory.

Of course, the show wouldn’t be complete if it wasn’t for Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), the protagonist of the trilogy. Daniel’s life has turned out considerably better than his high school arch nemesis — despite what Johnny thinks, and after he sees the grand opening of Johnny’s new dojo, he struggles adhering to the peaceful way of life that his mentor, Mr. Miyagi has taught him.

The first couple of seasons framed Johnny’s experiences in a new light, making him a sort of antihero — a choice that would have greatly pleased Barney Stinson, for all you “How I Met Your Mother” fans. Netflix’s acquisition of the series took away all ambiguity, once again framing the Cobra Kai dojo as the enemy.

Along with one dimensional characters, short lived plots and a lack of focus on characters, “Cobra Kai” managed to lose the heart and

message of the original film in favor of more suspense and drama.

But that doesn’t stop people from watching.

The show's fight scenes — specifically the choreography involved with them — are hard to look away from, and it’s hard not to root for the characters, especially when the person they’re fighting is evil just for the sake of being evil.

These fights are not meant to be grounded in reality, however, as the Cobra Kai dojo, and its rival, Miyagi-Do, often break out into full blown wars, which result in home invasions and a brawl at the school. The latter of which, results in a major character, Miguel (Xolo Maridueña), becoming paralyzed.

Despite this major injury, Miguel learns to walk again and becomes a better fighter than ever after only a few weeks. Miguel also goes on to live with Robby (Tanner Buchanan), the guy who paralyzed him in the first place, with little to no resentment.

The writers often have a hard time fleshing out their characters, mostly because we hardly get to see what their lives are like outside karate. It's not uncommon for villains in the show to suddenly choose to be good during the middle of a fight, and others constantly switch back and forth between what’s right and wrong.

Multiple plot lines are also abandoned despite there being loads of opportunity within. Johnny and Robby’s tumultuous father-son relationship is hardly touched upon, and Johnny’s obvious

favoritism towards his student Miguel, is sure to throw a wrench in their bond. But the two hardly share any moments together, and despite their absence in each other's lives playing a huge influence on the other, their relationship is less than resolved by the time the series concludes.

Other potential plotlines include, but are not limited to: Robby’s sexual assault, Tory’s (Peyton List) emotional and physical abuse from her senseis and Tory grieving from her mother’s death and struggling to become the primary caregiver of her little brother, all while barely being comforted by her boyfriend Robby.

That being said, the show, regardless of if the characters know it or not, knows where it stands, and many jokes are made about their ludicrous circumstances. A few characters serving as the “straight man” of the group are eager to point out how the rest of the group needs to come back down to Earth and touch grass, as opposed to slamming someone down on it.

The Miyagi-Do way is all about balance, and while “Cobra Kai” struggled to apply that to its character and plot development, the show managed to come through with a heart of its own, albeit one that is more light-hearted. Its use of nostalgia-based references helped it appeal to older fans, and its flashy battles helped engross younger audiences.

While many fans were let down by the series finale, the writers managed to bring everything to a close in a full circle moment, sending off the majority of major characters with a happy ending, while still leaving room for another saga.

A comeback is promised, after the announcement of the upcoming 2025 film “Karate Kid: Legends” starring both Ralph Macchio (LaRusso) and Jackie Chan, who played a Mr. Miyagi type character in the 2010 reboot. Now it's just time for Hollywood to find a good balance between what's a good story, and what is just blatant nostalgia bait.

ILLUSTRATION BY KATERINA PARIZKOVA

Becoming a breadwinner: My first attempt at sourdough

By

If I could eat only one food for the rest of my life, it would be bread.

Not just any type of bread though — specifically sourdough.

Ever since sourdough began trending on social media, my sister and I were so eager to give it a shot and see if we could pull off the seemingly difficult and tedious process.

Our favorite sourdough creator Gigi, @ okaycoolgigi on TikTok, has made hundreds of recipes with her sourdough starter she named Eloise. From bagels to focaccia and different flavors of bread, Eloise has made her rounds and is probably the most famous live culture on the internet with 1.7 million followers tracking her every move.

The thousands of different recipes on social media inspired us to purchase a 200year-old starter from Amazon and begin our sourdough journey. My sister has made a few loaves so far but I had a special request this past weekend: for us to make a sundried tomato and basil loaf.

Making sourdough certainly isn’t for the weak. It’s time consuming and the process is so delicate you have to make sure you put in exact measurements or else you risk a bad batch. We found it’s easiest to use a scale and weigh your ingredients so you can be as precise as possible.

We began by feeding 100 grams of our starter, Doughlores, with equal parts flour and water using the 1:1:1 ratio. Then, we let the starter rise for 4-6 hours before putting the dough together.

Next, we performed one set of stretches and folds every hour for three hours.

Stretches and folds are a method used during bread making to develop the gluten in the dough which strengthens the overall structure and results in a better rise while baking, according to You Knead Sourdough. After completing the third set of stretches and folds, we covered the dough tightly and stored it in the fridge overnight.

The next morning, we removed the dough from the fridge and let it sit for

two hours before baking and performed a “jiggle test” to ensure the dough was the right consistency and left it in the banneton, or proofing, basket for two hours. A wellfermented dough will have a jiggly, slightly bouncy texture when shaken lightly, according to The Fresh Loaf.

When there’s about 30 minutes left in the dough’s final rest period, we preheated the oven to 500 degrees and placed our empty dutch oven inside to let it reach a consistent, high temperature.

While the oven was warming, we turned the dough out of the bowl and added our sundried tomatoes and basil to the center of the rolled out dough. Next, we shaped the dough into a round loaf and scored it — which helps the bread prevent cracking while baking — and placed the dough with parchment paper inside the dutch oven. We baked the bread for 25 minutes with the lid on, then took the lid off for the remaining 20 minutes.

As the bread baked, it filled the entire

house with the savory smells of olive oil and tomatoes. I was so excited to cut into the bread that I barely waited the hour it needed to cool before trying it.

The texture and flavor of the bread was immaculate, but unfortunately, all of our inclusions stayed in the middle of the loaf so not every bite actually had sun-dried tomatoes in it. The pieces that did though, were superior to the plain parts.

Over 24 hours later, with sore arms and a generously floured kitchen, we had the final product. Despite seeing the massive failures on TikTok, I didn’t find the process all that difficult — you just need to pay attention to detail and be patient with yourself and the recipe. I was expecting to learn a lot from our mistakes, but we didn’t actually make any. Other than spreading our inclusions throughout the dough next time, I wouldn’t change a thing.

If my future loaves come out just as good as this one, I think I can consider myself a true breadwinner.

GINA LORUSSO Arts & Life Editor

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After letting the dough chill in the fridge overnight, we perform a “jiggle test” to make sure it's the right consistency before baking.

GINA LORUSSO/CHRONICLE

We spread the dough before adding the sun-dried tomatoes and basil.

GINA LORUSSO/CHRONICLE

After the inclusions are added, we roll the dough into a log shape before molding it into a round loaf.

GINA LORUSSO/CHRONICLE

The final step before baking is scoring the top of the loaf to prevent the loaf from cracking as it bakes.

GINA LORUSSO/CHRONICLE

The rise and fall of a wellness empire

‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ exposes Belle Gibson’s fraudulent treatments

By GRACE CONNEELY-NOLAN Associate Arts & Life Editor

Earlier this month, Netflix released a sixepisode limited series inspired by “a true story based on a lie,” targeting Australian wellness influencer Belle Gibson.

“Apple Cider Vinegar,” reflects Gibson’s strong belief in wellness cure-alls, including homemade remedies, miracle balms and healthy recipes that she claimed cured her terminal brain cancer.

In the 2010s, Gibson started to gain traction online when she falsely posted that she was diagnosed with a stage four brain cancer — glioblastoma. She fed people lies that she was only given between six weeks and four months to live but that alternative wellness therapies had cured her.

She was a beacon of hope for people struggling with illness, portraying herself as a sick mother who decided to take matters into her own hands and, against all odds, recovered.

Gibson began to encourage those who actually are sick to abandon traditional medical treatments.

While the series fictionalized some aspects, including several characters, the show intentionally dramatized real-life moments, making the story much more unusual, tragic and memorable.

It has you praying for the inevitable downfall of her wellness empire.

Kaitlyn Dever plays Gibson and perfectly

captures the manipulative nature of her character, painting herself as a victim in every situation to gain sympathy from everyone in her life.

A self-proclaimed wellness guru, Gibson used her “brain cancer” to monetize her fame with an app called “The Whole Pantry,” which offered recipes claiming to cure cancer.

exploits patients who feel like a number in the healthcare industry. Those seeking someone to fight for them and remind them they’re not alone. Someone who has been through what they have and survived.

This show blurs the lines between belief and scientific fact, between perceived wellness and health — showing how

Gibson also breached the consumer law. Of all the money she made, only 2% of it was donated to charity, according to ABC. Her platform takes advantage of, and

anyone feels qualified to give advice, whether promoting an extreme detox diet or unregulated supplements that will “heal” the body.

Throughout her fame, Gibson recommends countless medical treatments to her trusting followers despite having no medical qualifications.

To help decipher the online noise from reality, Liza Osagie-Clouard, a medical expert, has called for stricter regulations around health-related content to prevent influencers, whether intentional or not, from misleading impressionable followers.

Regulations, she said, should simply require “scientific evidence for healthrelated products while being held accountable for misinformation.”

Gibson caused irreparable harm within the wellness community, damage that she still hasn't paid for. In 2017, Australia's federal court found her guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct and fined her over $410,000.

To this day, Gibson has never faced any criminal charges, though authorities have said they’re still pursuing her.

The wellness industry offers real benefits, from encouraging mindfulness about mental health to reshaping how we prioritize self-care. Our well-being is so important, but the key is distinguishing evidence-based wellness practices from pseudoscientific claims.

It is even clearer now with “Apple Cider Vinegar” how easily misinformation spreads and how vital it is to demand accountability in an industry that thrives on trust.

The (Horror) House of My Mother: Shari Franke’s memoir

By NEVE WILSON Staff Writer

The Franke family stumbled into fame when the mom, Ruby, began posting videos of the family — which included her husband Kevin and their six children — on YouTube in 2015. People gravitated towards the wholesome content of Ruby baking homemade bread, kids playing instruments and all of the siblings getting along perfectly.

The channel, “8 Passengers,” gained an impressive two million subscribers, and people praised Ruby for how well behaved her kids were and looked to her for parenting advice.

However, beyond the video frame lay dark secrets: Ruby was a cold mother who withheld her love and abused her children emotionally, physically and financially.

Viewers of “8 Passengers” began to notice red flags in 2020 and later effectively “cancelled” the channel when Ruby stopped posting and deleted all of the videos in 2022.

Ruby didn’t care though, since she had already taken on a new endeavor: being a high ranking member in the cult-like life coaching program ConneXions, run by Jodi Hildebrandt.

At Hildebrandt’s insistence, Ruby kicked Kevin and their oldest son Chad out of the house and moved with her two youngest children into Hildebrandt’s house. It was from that house that her youngest son later escaped, tied up and malnourished, and went to a neighbor for help.

In August 2023, Ruby and Hildebrandt were arrested for child abuse and found guilty on four counts, each one with a prison sentence of one to 15 years. On the day of the arrest, her eldest child, Shari, posted an Instagram story with the caption, “Finally,” which was the start of her publicly

sharing her side of the story.

In January, Shari released a memoir titled, “The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom,” where she gives a first person perspective on Ruby’s harsh oppression and what caused the family to disintegrate, along with sharing personal and familial secrets.

She reveals that Ruby had always been abusive, even before the fame or meeting Hildebrandt, hitting Shari for making small mistakes as a child, particularly when learning the piano. Shari blames some of Ruby’s behaviors on her upbringing and generational curses, such as her perfectionism and belief that motherhood was the only path to fulfillment.

was against her getting treatment. In middle school her father stuck up for her and she was allowed to go to therapy, but that ended abruptly when Ruby decided she didn’t need it anymore. Now, as an adult, Shari is back in therapy and trying to unlearn the toxic mindset Ruby instilled in her.

The Franke’s practice Mormonism, which means that girls and women are raised in preparation to be wives and mothers. Ruby got engaged to Kevin after knowing him for two weeks, and she dropped out of college after they married three months later.

Shari, now 21, also discloses how she has struggled with her mental health since middle school, largely due to Ruby’s parenting, and Ruby

Speaking of her father, who has taken a lot of blame from the media for failing to protect his children, Shari defends him by saying he was also manipulated by Ruby and Hildebrandt, although she wishes he had protected his children better.

The two women convinced Kevin that he was a danger to the family because he had a pornography addiction and predatory thoughts about young girls.

Former male ConneXions clients said they were also “treated indiscriminately for porn addiction,” according to testimonies from NBC News. Other clients spoke out and said that Hildebrandt ruined their marriages. Kevin was sent out of the house and told not to contact the family.

Shari suggests that Hildebrandt’s discrimination towards men stems from her being secretly attracted to women and hints at Ruby and Hildebrandt having a romantic relationship,

stating that they “condemned queerness very publicly in their ConneXions videos, while embodying it privately.”

Throughout the book Shari only refers to Ruby by first name, and Kevin for the most part as well. She shares that she has actually given the titles of “Mom” and “Dad” to a new couple, her former high school math teacher and his wife, the Haymonds, who supported her for many years and let her stay with them after she was cut off from her biological family during college. She thanks them at the end of the book, stating that “family can be more than just blood.”

Shari concludes by saying that she is proud of the person she has become “in spite” of Ruby and that she is healing and looking forward to the future. In an Instagram post in December she announced that she is engaged but will no longer be sharing her private life online.

Yet she hasn’t left the public eye completely, in fact she plans to continue to advocate against family vlogging, currently drafting a bill, HB322, to protect child influencers in Utah, her home state.

If you were a fan of “8 Passengers” like myself or interested in the effects of child influencing, I would recommend this book as it provides a lot of details about the Franke’s that are not in the news and serves as a cautionary tale for how seemingly innocent family vlogging can easily turn into exploiting child labor.

On Thursday, Feb. 27, a documentary about the family called “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” is set to premiere on Hulu, featuring Kevin and Chad sharing their side of the story for the first time in detail. Shari will also be in the film.

ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY KATZ

Formula One changes tradition with F1 75

By RYAN JOHANSON Associate Sports Editor

In preparation for one of the most anticipated and historic seasons — Formula One’s 75th season changed its way of showing the sport to the world in F1 75.

In previous seasons, each team had their assigned dates for releasing their liveries — the designs on the cars — with their own, unique way of showcasing their car. This helped build excitement and anticipation for the season with the dates being spread out for the separate teams.

But for this year's Diamond anniversary, Formula One changed how the cars were shown. Instead of one by one on separate dates, they brought all teams to one celebration of the sport a week before preseason testing on Feb. 26-28.

This change adds to other new developments in the sport, with races in American cities like Miami, Austin, Texas and Las Vegas being the new norm, a movie called “F1” starring Brad Pitt releasing in June and the ongoing popularity of the “Drive to Survive” series on Netflix.

The event took place at the O2 Arena in London, England, where six of 10 teams are based. It was abundantly clear that the sport wanted to showcase the 75th anniversary, as the opening video featured the many decades of cars and drivers that made this sport one of the most well-known in the world.

It kicked off with singer-songwriter and rapper Machine Gun Kelly opening the whole event with a four-minute set with fire spraying in the background, which was the most interesting musical performance of the night as the three

other performers — Take That, Kane Brown and Brian Tyler — were based on different teams.

Then, the event begins with introducing the host of the show, London-based comedian Jack Whitehall, who was by far the best host for this because of his comedic abilities.

His monologue joked about the biggest storylines coming out of last season and into the new season. It all started with the beef between Mercedes driver George Russell and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen after a feud began following the Qatar Grand Prix when they both got tangled up with Russell ending up in the gravel during qualifying.

Then Whitehall gets into the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton moving from Mercedes to Ferrari, McLaren dominance last year, and McLaren’s team principal Zak Brown bet to his team about having to get a tattoo of every race win.

After his monologue, the main event started with an opening video to the history of the sport’s 75 years, going from the beginning with drivers such as Juan Manuel Fangio, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher, just to name a few.

After we saw the first team come out, Kick Sauber, who finished last in the previous season, opened my favorite part of the entire setup. There were big video boards that dropped down to portray a hype video for each team, which had me hooked right from the beginning.

Some groups included comedians like Munya Chawawa for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls or used one of the musical acts like Haas — the only American team on the grid — had Brown in their

video right after he performed “Miles On It” to the fans. For being the only American team, having one of the most popular country artists be a part of it fit the theme their video was going for.

While a lot of the well-known and historic teams — Red Bulls, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Williams — stick to their historic liveries, I was fixated on their hype videos.

While I liked Mercedes’ video, I enjoyed the mixup of their mock pit stop even more. A pit stop is when a Formula One car stops in the pit box during a race for a quick change of tires and maintenance during the race, but during the reveal, they mess up putting on the front right wheel. While it doesn’t mean this will happen on

race day, it doesn’t look great for Mercedes.

In terms of a media aspect, this was a big hit with some teams, Visa, Cash App, Racing Bulls and Haas and Alpine stood out with their significant changes to their cars, and others had a chance to make a video that would be memorable. There hasn’t been a race since Dec. 8, and it has been a long offseason with little to no news, but what Formula One did with F1 75 made the wait worth it. With 18 days to go until the season starts on March 16 in Australia, I am now eagerly waiting to see the cars on the track.

Congrats, Formula One; you have succeeded in bringing me back into the sport after a dull offseason.

‘My Fault: London’ outdoes the original

By LILLIAN CURTIN Associate Opinion Editor

If you’re just a movie-watcher, you’re probably tired of hearing “The book was better,” from us readers. I’ve always said that cliche. I shut my mouth after watching “My Fault: London.”

In order to understand this movie, we have to go back a bit. “My Fault: London,” is the British version of the movie adaptation of Mercedes Ron’s “Culpables” trilogy.

The books were originally released on Wattpad, an online platform where anyone can write and post their stories. A lot of the time it’s cringy fanfiction or taboo stories, but it’s become a phenomenon for these books to become famous movies, such as “After” or “Fifty Shades of Grey.” “My Fault” was no exception.

Since it came from Wattpad, it’s really no surprise that the love story is as crazy as it is, but this one has to be the most unsettling and strange. The main protagonists are step-siblings — we have to remember that these books and movies were meant to give off a telenovela vibe — with drama and forbidden romance, as weird as this one is.

In the book, Noah’s mother marries William Leister, a rich man with a spoiled son, Nick. In all versions, it’s an enemy to lovers, “will they, won't

they" trope. The books were originally in Spanish, along with the original two movies.

The only real changes from the English and Spanish versions of the books were made for the sake of the readers’ and viewers’ culture. For example, in the English language version of the book, Noah moves from Toronto to Los Angeles, since it makes more sense from a language perspective. In the English movie, Noah is American and moves to London.

In all versions, Noah’s father was abusive and her testimony put him in prison, which is a key factor in the climax. He was also a racecar driver that taught Noah how to race. As fate would have it, Nick is involved in illegal activities, including street racing.

In the English version of the movie, “My Fault: London,” they don’t give much detail into Nick’s bad habits.

What was much more shocking though, was that the British version of Nick (Matthew Broome) was actually nice. That caught me off guard — not that I’m complaining by any means. It was refreshing to have Nick be a caring and lovable character.

In the books and Spanish movies, Nick is a self-absorbed criminal with mommy issues, while the first book and movie have action and

romance, the rest are just dramatic and petty. His mommy issues are genuinely the whole plot of the second book and movie, and the third book is just him dodging Noah and not taking accountability, per usual.

Needless to say, the Spanish version of Nick is toxic, childish, arrogant and overall just annoying. But besides the needless over-the-top familial drama, I wasn’t really complaining. The movies and books were good, or so I thought.

I didn’t know the potential they could’ve had until I watched “My Fault: London.” The original movies were missing so much depth that “My Fault: London” used to their fullest capabilities.

When Noah is sent a photo of her best friend and boyfriend kissing, Nick comes up with a plan to kiss her and send a photo of it back to the anonymous sender. In a scene that is supposed to be their first kiss, the original movie kept it a bit cooler than the English version. The English version makes the viewer feel the passion and emotion between them. The original misses the “uh oh” moment when they realize they like each other, and instead just makes you a little tense.

Then, right after, there is an iconic race scene where Noah sneaks into Nick’s car and races one of the antagonists, Ronnie (Fran Berenguer). This was extremely different from the original. Not just the race itself, but the aftermath. In the original, Ronnie takes Nick’s car as a consolation, in the London version, Ronnie says he wants to fight Nick instead.

The respective fight scenes make it easy to spot the differences between the two versions of Nick. Noah is afraid of violence to the point where it will send her into a panic attack. In both movies, she goes to the fight between Nick and Ronnie. However, in the Spanish version, Nick ends up winning the fight. They get into an argument and he grabs her aggressively. Immediate turn-off.

In the English version, Nick is so afraid of losing Noah that he forfeits the fight even

though he is winning, because he watched Noah walk out.

Throughout the movie, Nick is yearning for Noah in a way he never did in the original. It allowed viewers to feel the emotions that can usually only be presented in the books.

When Noah gets kidnapped, we get a better look at Nick’s reaction in the London version. We see a vulnerable side we don’t see in “Culpa Mia.” Nick (Gabriel Guevara) in the original, helped save Noah (Nicole Wallace), but it was nothing like the epic scene in “My Fault: London.” The original, where Nick basically just chases Noah in a car around the city until it ends in an impossible move, was pretty anticlimactic compared to the newer version.

In “My Fault: London,” Nick is stabbed, and beaten and his car flips trying to save her, and still somehow doing everything in his power. The Spanish version could never.

The English movie was completely different from the Spanish books and movies, and that’s why it worked. They weren’t competing with the originals by using the same exact script but instead created their own storyline and used the original key concepts as a guide.

I remember when I was waiting for the third book to be released in English so I could recover from the second. I recovered, and then they released the second movie and I was in shambles yet again.

Now, between the second and third movies, this new version was released at the perfect time.

The English version was less toxic and more emotional. There’s only one problem. Since the plot of “Culpa Tuya” and “Culpa Nuestra” surrounds Nick and Noah’s horrible relationship, how could they make a “Your Fault: London” and “Our Fault: London” if their relationship is fine?

Hopefully, they will make two more movies with the approach they used for this one because it was so much better than the original.

ILLUSTRATION BY KATERINA PARIZKOVA

ILLUSTRATION

Men’s hockey ‘Beat Yale’ madness continues

By TYLER PLATZ Staff Writer

Quinnipiac’s winning streak against rival Yale now stands at 17 games after its 4-1 win on Feb. 21.

The word “rivalry” should be used lightly when it comes to the Battle of Whitney Ave. Perhaps the word “battle” is a little extreme as well, because when these rivals play, the Bobcats have been dominant as of late.

Yale’s last win over Quinnipiac was in 2018, and its last win on the road on Quinnipiac’s ice was in 2011. Flashforward to 2025, the Bobcats sit atop the ECAC conference with 21 wins, having already clinched a home game in the first round of the playoffs. Yale remains last, with only six wins this season.

The fans in the student section didn’t need to look much farther than Yale’s goal line to see Quinnipiac’s dominance. Right on the other side of

the glass along the boards, the Bobcats quickly established their presence.

This decisive win over the lastplace opponent adds to the momentum of a team already gaining steam, following 7-2 and 6-2 victories over Union and RPI respectively.

This installment of Quinnipiac and Yale had all the elements of a rivalry game. It was chippy, there were plenty of hits from both sides and scrums ensued after multiple whistles.

“We were resilient, that’s what we do all year,” head coach Rand Pecknold said. “It’s like a roller coaster every game.”

The animosity doesn’t come from each team battling it out and exchanging victories, it instead stems from the proximity of the two schools and the one-sidedness of the rivalry.

An extended version with more information can be found at quchronicle.com

TRIPP MENHALL/CHRONICLE

The Quinnipiac student section waves rally towels.

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Fans at the M&T Bank arena are given yellow rally towels that read BOBCAT NATION.

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Before the game, head coach Rand Pecknold hands out Eli’s on Whitney’s pizza to lucky rows in the student sections.

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Treloar (left), freshman forward Aaron Schwartz (center) and junior forward Jeremy Wilmer (right) celebrate a goal against Yale.

TYLER MIGNAULT/CHRONICLE

Graduate student forward Travis Treloar takes the face off against Yale on Feb. 21.

Indoor track and field earns second at MAAC Championships

By AMANDA DRONZEK Sports Editor

Quinnipiac women’s indoor track and field capped off its season with its fourth consecutive second-place finish in the MAAC Championships Sunday evening at The Armory in Manhattan.

The Bobcats totaled 135 points, bested by reigning champions Rider yet again, who had just a seven point edge at 142.

“It was a great day,” head coach Carolyn Martin said. “The girls had some really good performances. It seems to kind of be the same story these last couple of years. We were just trying to get closer and closer.”

Mirroring last season’s results, there isn’t much for Quinnipiac to be discouraged about. The squad put up a strong front against the powerhouse that is the Broncs, winning seven events and breaking two MAAC records.

In Quinnipiac fashion, the track was its playground. Junior Rachel St. Germain claimed gold in the 5000m and made the po-

dium in the mile. Additionally, junior Sierra Gray followed Germain’s heels and took silver in the 5000m.

An obvious standout throughout the competition was senior Rylie Smith — the 2025 MAAC Track Most Outstanding Performer for the second straight season — who not only retained first place in the 400m but also broke a conference record at 54.32 seconds. Smith finished third in the 200m, the 2024 champion upset by her own teammate, junior Izzie Anzaldo.

“Rylie’s been having fantastic races,” Martin said. “I really think being able to have a teammate there really pushing her, Izzie Anzaldo is really catapulting her, and doing some amazing things. You know, getting the meet record is huge.”

Speaking of defending champions repeating, junior Nyasia Daily struck gold in the 60m, smashing a school record and clocking in at 7.51 seconds.

Other point boosters for Quinnipiac was

graduate student Alessandra Zaffina who earned gold in the 3000m, graduate student Alyssa Romagnoli who took third in the 800m and junior Sydney Lavelle who secured two bronze medals in the high jump and hurdles.

One of Sunday’s most glaring highlights was certainly Quinnipiac’s conference recordbreaking performance in the 4x400m relay (3:45.62). The foursome of Lavelle, Smith, Anzaldo and Romagnoli had approximately an eight second advantage over Rider when they crossed the finish line and landed gold.

“Honestly, I think adding the few teams that were added to the MAAC kind of helped us,” Martin said. “Having Sacred Heart, having Merrimack join the MAAC, actually spread out some points more in the throws that typically are going more to Rider.”

Not too shabby for Martin’s squad.

The biggest issue Quinnipiac faces in title meets is its throwing program. The Bobcats don’t have the same depth they’ve built on the

track which in turn makes it extremely difficult to win championships without a full, developed throwing team to rack in points.

Ultimately, that shouldn’t be a factor in Quinnipiac’s performance this past weekend. Although it lacked in field events, the Bobcats continue to inch closer and closer to ending Rider’s winning ways.

For now, there aren’t many wounds to lick. Quinnipiac’s focus is shifting to the outdoors where it has had ample success in the past. Last May, the Bobcats returned to Hamden with 15 medals.

“We’re going to try to take the momentum of building on what we did during the indoor season and continuing to work hard,” Martin said. “I’m excited to see what outdoor (season) is going to bring and I think the team is excited, eager to get back at it again to go for a team title again.”

Men’s tennis facing pressure as defending MAAC champions

By ALEXANDRA MARTINAKOVA Editor-in-Chief

Three hundred and six days ago, nine Bobcats made program history, when they lifted the MAAC trophy over their heads for the first time after 10 years in the conference.

Now, the defending champions are determined to prove they belong at the top.

“We’re picked No. 1,” head coach Bryan Adinolfi said. “The pressure is on to try to live up to the expectations but I think we can do it, I think we have the talent to do it, it’s just the matter of squeezing everything out of everyone as much as we can to play the best tennis of their life come the end of April.”

With the loss of senior captains Ayato Arakaki and Shaurya Sood to graduation, that honor now goes to senior Yasha Laskin — a player who rarely ever sees any play time.

“Shaurya and Ayato as senior captains, it’s difficult to replace that kind of experience, playing pretty high in the line-up,” Adinolfi said. “So filling those gaps is definitely challenging but I think that we’ve done a good job.”

However, the team still dons three graduate students, in the form of two returners — Daniel Velek and Donovan Brown — and a transfer Alex Yang.

“(Yang) played at NYU, he’s a good ad -

dition,” Adinolfi said.

Yang isn’t the only new face on the team. He is one of the two players that joined the Bobcats in the spring semester, but overall five new members now fight for the navy and gold.

Freshmen Elias Hoxha and James Lorenzetti have made quite the entrance in their rookie season, playing consistently on the No. 4 and No. 5 position respectively.

The remaining new faces, freshmen Vishal Prakash and Carl Sjoholm have yet to make their mark, as Prakash has been fighting some injuries, and Sjoholm is fighting for that No. 6 spot.

However, even with a lot of new faces, Quinnipiac’s team maintained most of its roster from last year and the returners are nothing to sleep on.

Juniors Csanad Nyaradi and Gaurav Mootha, alongside Brown, are all fighting for that No. 5-6 spot with the freshmen, creating what the team never really had in the past — depth.

“We’re looking as good as last year,” Adinolfi said. “And the hope is to win it again.”

Velek is back at the No. 1 position, but this time he is supported by sophomores Carlos Braun-Simo and Finn Burridge from their respective No. 2 and No. 3 spots — a jump from their No. 4-5-6 positions they found themselves in last season.

Unfortunately the dynamic then-freshman doubles duo from last year is no longer together on the line-up, as now Burridge plays alongside Hoxha at the No. 2 doubles spot, while BraunSimo spots Yang as his No. 3 doubles partner.

“Our closeness doesn’t thankfully just come from us playing doubles,” Braun-Simo said. “We’re usually on the court next to each other. Finn and Elias are playing well together, me and Alex are playing well together, it would’ve been cool to play all four years together but it doesn’t seem like it’s gonna happen.”

The doubles line-up is rounded out by Velek and Lorenzetti leading the pack at the No. 1 spot.

With such a stacked up team, one would think that the Bobcats would have no troubles entering their season. However, their record so far, (0-7), would quickly prove someone otherwise, at least at the first glance. Adinolfi knows it’s about much more than that.

“This was definitely the strongest schedule that Quinnipiac men’s tennis has ever had,” Adinolfi said. “We’re playing Harvard who’s top 10 in the country, we’ve got five Ivy’s on the schedule. It was done purposefully, playing a tough schedule, the idea is to get us prepared to play at a higher level when we play our conference matches.”

“Everyone can grow and I think that’s kind

of the mindset everyone has,” Burridge said. “To the external viewers that look at it as, men’s tennis is getting killed every week, but for us it’s about the MAAC.”

And after opponents like No. 59 Penn State or No. 27 Cornell, the MAAC opponents can’t seem so scary. Nevertheless, Adinolfi knows not to underestimate anyone.

“Fairfield has the talent and they have become our rival,” Adinolfi said. “Siena, Marist and Niagara all have good teams as well, in my opinion everyone is good and no match will be easy and everyone will have to fight for those six spots in the conference tournament and to win the whole thing. In a sense that makes it really exciting, because our work ethic and team chemistry and all those little things actually matter.”

Quinnipiac will begin MAAC play March 22 against Marist at the Red Foxes’ home courts. The Bobcat’s home opener is set for March 23 when they host out-of-conference opponent LIU before returning to MAAC play March 29 against conference rookie Merrimack.

“I love the fact that we have outdoor courts here, it’s a place to defend,” Braun-Simo said. “When we have people coming to watch, friends, parents and other athletes, it’s an additional pressure but it’s also an honor to have a court to fight for and feel at home at.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF QUINNIPIAC ATHLETICS

Born into basketball

Why Samson Reilly’s family is rooted in Connecticut hardwood

By RYAN JOHANSON Associate Sports Editor

Growing up, freshman guard Samson Reilly knew one thing: basketball.

Whether it was shooting on the minihoop during the NBA Finals or attending his father’s practices, Samson’s life was surrounded by the game.

“My basketball experience started ever since I can remember,” Reilly said. “I think the first time I picked up a basketball was when I came out of the womb. My earliest memories are at a basketball game, on a basketball court, anything really basketball-related.”

Reilly grew up in Manchester, Connecticut, as the middle child of three. His older brother, Luke Reilly Jr., is a sophomore guard at Division II Florida Southern College and his younger brother, Rocco Reilly, is a sophomore at East Catholic High School.

With four years separating Luke and Rocco, it was difficult for all three to play on one team. However, as the middle child, Samson was able to play with both, and he knew how he needed to learn from Luke Jr. but also teach when it came down to playing with Rocco.

“Once my older brother left last year, then I really started to get along with my younger brother and take things that my older brother did for me and I did for him,” Samson said. “That meant a lot to me, so if I do it for (Rocco), it’ll mean a lot to him.”

Like Rocco, Samson and Luke went through the reigns of East Catholic learning under the wing of their father, Luke Reilly Sr.

Playing for your father comes with challenges, something Luke Sr. understood well from his own experiences playing for his dad. Coaching a son often draws scrutiny, with outsiders assuming favoritism. But, for Luke Sr., the decision was made for itself.

“They’re typically the types of players that are the first guys in, the last guys to leave,” Luke Sr. said. “And that really helped a lot. I played for my dad. It’s something I wouldn’t trade for the world. But there’s also definitely some challenges that come with it.”

Despite the obstacles that arose in his four seasons at East Catholic, Samson averaged 28 points per game and finished 20-3 his senior year, totaling 77 wins in his time there, according to MaxPreps. He also won two state titles with his brother, Luke Jr. and his dad, Luke Sr. The latter of those state titles is something that the Reilly’s hold dear to their hearts.

Both Luke Jr. and Samson have been around the East Catholic basketball program for as long as they can remember — being at practices, on the bus before games, sitting on the bench and being in the locker room. After watching East Catholic win the state championship in 2014, the brothers made a pact: they would tackle their dad at halfcourt after that final horn sounded.

Nine years later, it came true when they won the 2023 DI Connecticut State Championship.

“The buzzer goes off, we win, and we both find each other, and we tackle and take him down,” Luke Jr. said. “And, just that in itself, like that little moment that might not

have seem so awesome to other people, it meant the world to us.”

Samson is a part of a long line of Reilly’s in Connecticut. His grandfather, Joe, and great uncle, Gene, are among some of the most successful high school coaches in the area. His uncle, Joe, coaches at Wesleyan University.

“Honestly, it was great, definitely something that you think about and kind of reflect on every day, like that’s how awesome of an experience it was,” Luke Jr. said. “I will say early on, though, it’s one of those things where you’re the coach’s son. So every successful thing you do is minimized, and every mistake that happens that was caused by you is magnetized.”

Reilly was the earliest commitment out of the five freshmen on the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team, announcing his intentions to play for head coach Tom Pecora on Nov. 8, 2023. That relief took the pressure off going into his final year of high school.

“Colleges are probably saying, ‘Hey, we’re gonna take this many kids out of high school, we can take this many kids out of the portal,’ and you got to factor all that in,” Luke Reilly Sr. said. “The timeline of the decision was perfect for him, and I feel like it really allowed him to really thrive his senior year and enjoy the game, and he loves basketball.”

So far, Samson has not played a game for the Bobcats, and it looks like his first year in Hamden will be a redshirt season. But for him, the decision to stay close to home wasn’t for the short term.

“I thought Quinnipiac felt like a place where I could be more successful short-term

and long-term,” Samson said. “Being close to home, I’m super close to my dad and my whole family. So them being able to come to games was something that was important to me, and for me to have that support system close by was another deciding factor.” For Samson, basketball is more than just a game. From driveway battles with his brothers to winning state championships with his dad, he carries the passion for the game that comes from the last name Reilly.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY LUKE REILLY SR.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY QUINNIPIAC ATHLETICS

Freshman guard Samson Reilly is a two-time DI Connecticut State Champion.