The official student newspaper of Quinnipiac University since 1929. Proud Recipient of the New England Society of Newspaper Editors’ Award for 2015-2016 College Newspaper of the Year
MAY 3, 2017
VOLUME 87, ISSUE 26
ARTS & LIFE: HISTORY OF TOAD’S P. 8
SPORTS: GOLF P. 16
QUCHRONICLE.COM OPINION: SENIOR SENDOFFS P. 6
Adderall usage on the rise
Roughly 45 percent of Quinnipiac students surveyed claim to have used Adderall By DREW JOHNSON AND ASHLEY NALLY- NAGEL
Juggling assignments crammed in at the end of the semester can lead to high stress levels among students as they plunge into finals week. “There’s different peaks of times in the academic year that students become more stressed,” Director of Health and Wellness Kerry Patton said. “Some of those are around final exams or midterm exams.” According to a survey of over 250 undergraduate students conducted by The Chronicle, 73.4 percent of students rated their stress around finals as eight or higher, 10 being the highest rate of stress. “We have counseling services here at Quinnipiac,” Patton said. “Students have an easy way to access counseling.” With finals week comes a boatload of studying and late nights, making drugs like Adderall popular among college students. Adderall, and similar drugs, like Vyvanse, are often prescribed to treat individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. It can come in the form of either instant release and extended release, according to DrugAbuse.gov Adderall contains a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, according to drugs.com. These amphetamines are central nervous system stimulants that affect
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Adderall and similar drugs are often prescribed to treat attention- deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
chemicals in the brain. “We have some students that are prescribed Adderall or different stimulants,” Patton said. “There’s kind of a big term they call a ‘study drug’ for different stimulants.” Nearly 45 percent of those surveyed admitted to using Adderall or a similar drug. However,
only 19.1 percent claimed to have a prescription. Even students who are prescribed Adderall are a bit skeptical about it. “They brand it as something that can help college students,” Stone said. “It’s not shown to be as harmful as it really can be to its users.”
Sophomore sociology major Dana Hammerle also has a prescription for Adderall. “It helped a lot in high school,” Hammerle said, though she hasn’t found the effects to be as beneficial in college. See ADDERALL Page 4
University aims to establish plaid tradition
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The flag. The cups. The banners. All in Quinnipiac Plaid. Two weeks ago, the university released its newest brand identity element. However, many students have noticed that the various promotional items offered at the time, such as Quinnipiac Plaid cups in the student center, are now gone. The plaid initiative was not a passing phase, according to Vice President of Brand Strategy and Communications Keith Rhodes. “The launch of the plaid did include many promotional elements to create interest and awareness that were short lived, and we are planning something similar soon on our North Haven campus, but plaid is here to stay,” Rhodes said. Rhodes emphasized that the university desires to continue to make the plaid a tradition Quinnipiac students can be proud of. “Quinnipiac Plaid is not a special promotion.” Rhodes said. “It is a core brand identity asset that will quickly be recognizable and provide a strong representation of Quinnipiac and our great community.” Sophomore psychology major Kelly O’Brien was intrigued by the original release of the plaid, and feels there should be more items available for students. “I think the first week we had (the plaid) was good,” O’Brien said. “It was cool seeing the cups and everything. I think it would be cool if we had more
plaid things in the (bookstore).” These types of promotional items will be coming to the campus bookstore soon, as well as to various other parts of the university, according to Rhodes. “You will be able to buy apparel… ties, hats, scarves… and merchandise in the bookstore with Quinnipiac Plaid,” Rhodes said. “You will even see touches of the plaid on some of our new athletics uniforms, with Quinnipiac Plaid flags being waved during games, and of course, we will celebrate national tartan and plaid days with campus promotions.” According to a statement released by Quinnipiac Athletics, the plaid will indeed find its way onto some of the university’s sports uniforms. “Quinnipiac Athletics is currently working with the Office of Brand Strategy and Integrated Communications as we begin our partnership with adidas. Quinnipiac Athletics is in the early stages of uniform design and are exploring ways to use all aspects of the University’s new marks and colors,” according to the Athletics department. So how successful a chance does the university feel the plaid has to be a top-selling item? According to Rhodes, those odds are high. “Students and alumni alike frequently wear plaid items, so why not Quinnipiac Plaid, especially given that it is so unique and was meticulously designed,” Rhodes said. “Moreover, given the level of early demand of plaid items from both the Quinnipiac
How many final exam periods do you have to go to?
Quinnipiac Plaid flags are on display at Campus Customs on Whitney Avenue.
Bookstore and Campus Customs, I expect interest to only grow from here.” O’Brien also feels that Quinnipiac Plaid has a good chance of becoming popular with students, provided that the university continues to encourage its growth. “Just making it known, and not letting it fade into the background (will help the plaid become successful). I think it can be successful if (the university) keeps up with it,” O’Brien said.
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
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Rhodes explained that Quinnipiac Plaid is not meant to replace any existing logos that the university uses, but rather to expand upon the university’s already-existing identity. “Quinnipiac Plaid is a new brand identity element that complements our current brand identity system by creating a unique design that is both symbolic and representative of who Quinnipiac is, and how we are different from See PLAID Page 4
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INDEX
Associate News Editor
CONNECT
By JEREMY TROETTI
Opinion: 6 Interactive: 7 Arts and Life: 8 Sports: 14