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
VOLUME 87, ISSUE 7
OCTOBER 12, 2016
QUCHRONICLE.COM
Continuing to remember Bench installed before memorial game to preserve Jackie Gray’s memory By CAROLINE MILLIN Associate Copy Editor
PHOTO COURTESY OF TAYLOR CHELO
Jackie’s bench sits in front of the tower on Sleeping Giant State Park.
On Saturday, Oct. 8, approximately 50 members of the Quinnipiac community and about 30 members of Jacqueline Gray’s family gathered by the tower at Sleeping Giant State Park to unveil a bench commemorating Gray’s memory. They planned the unveiling of the bench to coincide with the memorial game in Jackie’s honor, which took place Saturday night. Cameron Burbank, a sophomore entrepreneurship major, coordinated the bench project. “It was something that I kind of wanted to do for a couple of reasons,” Burbank said. “It’s always nice to have something material, not just for yourself, but for everybody else. Having something like a bench really allows people to come together.” On July 4, 2016, Gray passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident, according to a statement from Vice President and Dean of Students Monique Drucker. At first, the project was small and Burbank’s GoFundMe page aimed to raise $600 for a simple, one person bench. The project grew quickly, however, which Burbank believes is a testament to Jackie’s impact on those around her. They ended up with $2,425 in donations. With a surplus of funding, the project was upgraded from a small bench with a small plaque to a bigger bench with a backrest and
a full engraving. However, the process to actually make this a reality was quite long. “It started out getting some initial approvals,” Burbank said. “I initially laid out a couple of spots that I was comfortable with, and the first choice was Sleeping Giant. We wanted to put it somewhere to make it a destination, which is nice.” Since Sleeping Giant is a state park, Burbank had some trouble securing a spot and getting approval for a full scale engraving. Overall, he said that the organizations involved were very accommodating, especially since they wanted to have the bench ready by Oct. 8. “The granite company was nice enough to expedite the order, Quinnipiac sent one of their trucks to go pick it up, and Lowe’s and Home Depot donated a bunch of materials to make the concrete slab base underneath, that way it never moves,” Burbank said. “The parks were also very helpful with being flexible with their hours, driving me back and forth with all my materials.” When the time came for Gray’s loved ones to gather at the unveiling of the bench, the scene was powerful. Senior nursing major Gabrielle Swan is a member of the IceCats team who was present at the unveiling. “It was a lot,” Swan said. “Very emotional for everyone, but honestly, [Burbank] did an amazing job and I think her family was speechSee BENCH Page 5
Clown sightings have students on edge
see what’s happening on Our award-winning website since 2009.
POLL
Quinnipiac students were in class, in the library, in the dining hall and walking around on campus when a rumor of a clown sighting spread throughout the student body. Clown sightings, arrests and rumors have been making appearances throughout the country since late August of this year. The first reported clown sighting was Aug. 29 in Fleetwood, South Carolina. Residents of an apartment complex reported a person wearing a clown costume trying to lure children into the woods. The sightings quickly swept the South, moving on to North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Maryland, according to International Business Times. From there, reports started coming in from Pennsylvania when a 12-year-old was chased by a clown in a park. There have been additional clown sightings in New Jersey, Idaho, Phoenix and most recently New Haven, Connecticut. On Monday, Oct. 3 after 7:30 p.m., the Department of Public Safety at Quinnipiac University received several reports of a clown sighting on campus. They also started seeing false social media reports about lockdowns in the Arnold Bernhard Library and the Center for Communications and Engineering, according to Associate Vice President of Public Relations John Morgan. It was rumored that the school was on lock-
down. The school sent out a tweet that night, denouncing these rumors. “The University is secure and is NOT in lockdown. All campus operations are running normally,” according to the official Quinnipiac Twitter account. These reports were investigated and no evidence of crime or clown costume was found, according to Chief of Public Safety Edgar Rodriguez. In his six years working at Quinnipiac University as a Public Safety officer, Rodriguez has never seen anything like this. “This is a first for me, but whether it is a prank or a threat, [Public Safety] is going to investigate it to the fullest,” he said. “I can’t recall anything like this, especially when I had to deal with a clown outfit, but I’m sure it won’t be the last.” Sophomore psychology major Aimee Trottier was in her dorm room when she heard about the rumored clown sightings on campus. “I first heard of the clown sighting on campus when my friend texted me to tell me about it, and I was on the phone with my mom,” she said. “My mom freaked out and immediately ordered pepper spray to be sent to me here at school. I was a little freaked out, but I wasn’t planning on leaving my dorm room, so I felt safe.” Rodriguez emphasized that in the state of Connecticut, wearing a costume or a mask is not
Are your parents coming for parents weekend?
a crime in itself. However, trespassing, harassing or assaulting someone while in a costume is. “We understand that the events of substantiated reports have made the campus community members nervous and concerned,” Rodriguez said. “We have heard from both students and parents about this issue.” Morgan said the safety and security of the university community is most important. He urges all students at Quinnipiac to sign up for the Rave Guardian system, which is a system that students can use to officially notify the university community of an emergency.
“They have all been pranks so far, but we take it as a threat. We take it very seriously.”
–EDGAR RODRIGUEZ CHIEF OF PUBLIC SAFETY “They have all been pranks so far, but we take it as a threat. We take it very seriously,” Rodriguez said. “Our number one priority is the security and safety of our students and faculty.” Caroline Santolli, a junior English major, feels threatened by the recent sightings in New Haven. “Anyone dressing up as clowns should be considered a threat because there have been re-
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
@quchronicle
ports where they have been seen carrying knives [New York City subway this past week],” she said. “However, I do believe it is somewhat of an epidemic now and that people are dressing up to get a reaction and draw more attention to this issue.” When Santolli heard about the rumored clown on campus, she assumed it was a prank but was still cautious about walking alone at night. “If a clown ever did come to campus, I would feel safe that our Public Safety would put the security of the students first and practice the correct protocol to handle the situation,” she said. Public Safety has also implemented a new change in case of emergency. Students should dial 911 instead of 111 from university phones when there is an emergency, due to the increased number of active-shooter incidents on campuses and now, clown sightings. By dialing 911 from any of the University’s three campuses, you will be directly connected to the local police department, depending on which campus you’re calling from. The 911 call also will send an “alert” to Quinnipiac’s Department of Public Safety. In addition, whenever a 911 call is made from a University location, the local police department and the Department of Public Safety See CLOWNS Page 4
@qu_chronicle
INDEX
News Editor
CONNECT
By HANNAH FEAKES
Interactive: 7 Opinion: 8 Arts & Life: 10 Sports: 14