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
NOVEMBER 8, 2017
QUCHRONICLE.COM OPINION: GIVE LOVE A CHANCE P. 7
VOLUME 88, ISSUE 11
ARTS & LIFE: DANGEROUS INTERNET GAME P. 12
SPORTS: BASKETBALL SEASON PREVIEWS P. 18 & 19
Perseverance: from a ‘bad situation’ to being a Bobcat
Student veteran Edward Baiocco found his way through the military By NICHOLAS SLATER Staff Writer
Edward Baiocco, 30, a Wilmington, Delaware native, freshman civil engineering major at Quinnipiac and student veteran, wants people to know that when life gets hard and you are feeling down, push through because anything is possible. Baiocco attended Thomas McKean High School, home of the Highlanders. During his senior year at McKean, Baiocco dropped out of school and according to him, he wasn’t a very good student. He began to consider dropping out during his sophomore and junior years, but was officially out of school for senior year. After dropping out, Baiocco began working with a construction company that built decks and additions to homes. He later went back to school to get his GED diploma. After watching his father and grandfather serve in the military with admiration, Baiocco decided to follow in their footsteps and join. He began accumulating college credits in the military, as boot camp credits transferred to college credits. Baiocco began boot camp in the Great Lakes. After, he moved to Meridian, Mississippi, where he worked as an aviation maintenance administrationman. “I took care of logbooks for aircrafts, kept track of parts, dealt with work orders for maintenance and things like that,” he said. From Mississippi, Baiocco was stationed in San Diego, Oklahoma City and Jacksonville, Florida. During his service, he was motivated by
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Edward Baiocco has been out of the military for a year and a half and plans get a degree in civil engineering at Quinnipiac. having some type of career. “I found out quick that it wasn’t going to be easy to get a good job making good money, you know, right out of high school,” Baiocco said, “So, I decided to go do something to change my life. And because my father and grandfather had pursued it, too.” Now, he is motivated by being the best version of himself that he can be. “I just want to try to improve,” Baiocco said, “Every day I try to do something that can push me another level higher.” Despite serving in the Navy for eight years
and traveling the world, Baiocco said there is still a lot he has to do in his life, including finishing school. He describes being a student veteran as an “interesting” experience. “Sometimes I can feel out of place… but I know what the end goal is and I know that it’ll be beneficial to me,” Baiocco said. He benefits from getting different perspectives of the younger students. As any soldier does, Baiocco gained a lot of knowledge and many skills during his time in the military. “You learn a lot of discipline in the military,” Baiocco said. “It just gives you (a)
more well-rounded outlook on things. You can work through situations, solve problems and stuff better.” He said he was not disciplined in high school. “(The military) made me a more well-rounded person,” he said. Baiocco has been reacquainting himself with civilian life for a year and a half. “It was a little different at first,” Baiocco said, “You’re used to wearing a uniform every day.” Baiocco is proud of the gratitude he has received since returning home.. “It makes me happy and it makes me proud. I’m very proud that I’ve served my country,” he said. According to Baiocco, Quinnipiac’s Student Veterans Organization (SVO) does a lot for veterans on campus. The organization provides a lounge just for veterans, along with a network between other veterans on campus, he said. SVO also helps veterans get involved with activities. Tyler DuBois, a fellow member of the SVO, met Baiocco last year at a transfer student seminar. DuBois said they talked about their hobbies, hockey and their military experience. Since the school year started, DuBois said he and Baiocco have become good friends. Outside of school, Baiocco is a fan of Philadelphia sports teams, specifically the Philadelphia Flyers. “I watch a lot of hockey, play a lot of hockey,” Baiocco said. See BAIOCCO Page 4
#JusticeForJazzy
University of Hartford crime sparks discussion about discrimination on campus
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A crime was fully brought to light at the University of Hartford on Saturday, Oct. 28 when freshman student Briana Rae Brochu was arrested and charged with third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree breach of peace. Campus officials were notified that she had been systematically tampering with the belongings of her roommate Chennel “Jazzy” Rowe, according to USA Today. Brochu admitted to police about her list of offenses against Rowe, which included smearing bodily fluids on her backpack and licking her dining utensils. Brochu also admitted on her Instagram account that she spat in Rowe’s coconut oil, mixed moldy clam dip into her face lotion and put her toothbrush “where the sun don’t shine” shortly after being told by Rowe that she was moving out of their dorm. Brochu concluded her confession with announcing that she finally got to say goodbye to Rowe, whom she described as a “Jamaican Barbie.” Rowe released a video on Facebook live where she documented her experience living with Brochu, detailing the tension between the two of them since the beginning of the semester. Rowe also talked about how she likely got sick because of Brochu’s actions, because during the semester she developed a sore throat so severe she couldn’t sleep and could barely whisper. Brochu’s behavior was not tolerated and she is no longer a student at the institution, according
to a statement made by The University of Hartford’s President Greg Woodward. Many people are sharing Rowe’s story online using the hashtag “#JusticeForJazzy,” urging the University of Hartford to address Brochu’s acts as a hate crime, which is an attack on someone based solely on someone’s specific social group or ethnic background, according to USA Today. It is because of this incident that students at Quinnipiac University have speculated about their own administration and how they might handle acts of discrimination on campus. Junior Brenna Mendell finds the acts committed by Brochu to be hate crimes and said that even if it wasn’t, no one should ever invoke such harm on another person in that manner. “Obviously, it had something to do with her thought process to do this horrible stuff,” Mendell said. “I mean, maybe she wouldn’t have done it if her roommate wasn’t a certain race.” Mendell said that if there were acts of discrimination on campus, she trusts that the university would handle it properly. “I think this school would probably handle it pretty well, considering the conversations that I’ve had with (Resident Assistants) and (Residence Hall Directors) concerning problems with my room in past years,” Mendell said. “I think this school would try to handle it in the most politically correct way, which is not necessarily the way that always makes everyone happy, but I feel like they’d try to do their best.” Senior Nathan Williams also considers Brochu’s actions to be hate crimes and is certain that
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PHOTO COURTESY OF HEAVY.COM
Briana Rae Brochu (left) was arrested and charged with third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree breach of peace for tampering with her roommate, Chennel “Jazzy” Rowe’s (right) belongings. Quinnipiac would follow the same steps as the University of Hartford did to rectify the situation. “This incident shows parts of the absolute worst that humanity has to offer. To be slowly poisoning your roommate is something that is very extreme,” Williams said, “I am 100-percent sure the university would handle the situation very similarly. They would inform the local police department and expel the student. We will probably have workshops and meetings to discuss the issue, from the perspective
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of the student body.” Mendell said educating students on these types of crimes can help further inform them on what is considered offensive. “I just think that some people do these things because they’re just not educated,” Mendell said. “I think this university could have a lot more education on what is considered a hate crime, what is considered being racist, different things See JAZZY Page 4
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INDEX
Staff Writer
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By JENNIE TORRES
Opinion: 6 Interactive: 11 Arts and Life: 12 Sports: 16