Chronicle: The Magazine

Commencement Issue

CHRONICLE

The Magazine

SENIOR SPOTLIGHTS Natalie Deduck’s journey to the Peace Corps

Cory Hibbeler’s path from walk-on to captain

HAMDEN HISTORY Looking back on Quinnipiac’s relationship with Hamden

WHO WE ARE

A breakdown of the Class of 2014

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Chronicle: The Magazine

CHRONICLE

The Magazine

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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MEET THE STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Katie O’Brien SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR Matt Eisenberg DESIGN EDITOR Hannah Schindler

A CHANGING CAMPUS

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CO-NEWS EDITOR Amanda Hoskins CO-NEWS EDITOR Julia Perkins ARTS & LIFE/FEATURES EDITOR Sarah Harris ADVERTISING MANAGER Steven McSpiritt Cover photo by Matt Eisenberg

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A TASTE OF HAMDEN

CONFIDENT OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE

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MAILING ADDRESS Quinnipiac University 275 Mount Carmel Avenue Hamden, CT 06518 CHRONICLE: THE MAGAZINE is a special edition issue of The Quinnipiac Chronicle.

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A CHANGING CAMPUS

When the Class of 2014 walked onto Quinnipiac’s three campuses in the fall of 2010, the university was a very different place. With construction and expansions, the university added a variety of amenities and services for students to enjoy. Walk through time and take a look at some of the largest physical changes the university made.

ROCKY TOP Rocky Top Student Center on the York Hill campus opened on Sept.

3, 2010. Rocky Top, also known as “The Lodge,” visually differs from buildings on the Mount Carmel campus. It resembles a mountain ski resort unlike the uniform brick buildings found on the main campus.

The addition of the student center allowed students living on York Hill to have access to dining, postal and fitness services without traveling to the Mount Carmel campus.

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SEPTEMBER 2010

PINE GROVE STATUE Standing near the security booth of the university’s New Road entrance, the “Facing Couple” sculpture has sat in Pine Grove since 2011. The Lender family and the Quinnipiac Board of Trustees donated the $75,000 sculpture.

Students expressed different opinions about potential “sexual tinges” the sculpture may portray. A poll taken by The Chronicle shows 75 percent of students do not think the sculpture fits at Quinnipiac.

OCTOBER 2011

Written by KATIE O’BRIEN, JULIA PERKINS & AMANDA HOSKINS

When students walked onto the Mount Carmel campus in August of 2012 the blue tarps that students were used to seeing surrounding the student center were no longer there. The new addition to the student center was complete with its staircases and large fireplace. The Alumni Hall side of the student center was completed in August of 2011, but the larger addition had needed much more construction.

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OPENS

The university celebrated the opening of the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, located on the North Haven campus in August of 2013. The School of Medicine, which focuses on primary care, was a $100 million project that began in 2009. Quinnipiac is one of less than 100 universities in the nation to have both a school of law and a school of edicine in the United States.

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Photography by KATIE O’BRIEN, BRYAN LIPINER & MADELINE HARDY

AUGUST 2012

CARL HANSEN STUDENT CENTER

OCTOBER 2012

Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum opened Oct. 11, 2012. The art collection was previously located in the Lender Family Special Collection Room in the Arnold Bernhard Library. However, the collection grew too large to house in one room, according to President John Lahey.

AUGUST 2013

IRISH HUNGER MUSEUM

When the Class of 2014 walked onto campus in the fall of 2010, there were 5,859 undergraduate students. Now, this number has grown to 6,307.

Illustration by KRISTEN RIELLO

Written by KATIE O’BRIEN, JULIA PERKINS & KATHERINE ROJAS

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From college to university, Quinnipiac University expanded in the past 25 years and continues to reshape the town of Hamden. Now, Quinnipiac President John Lahey and the university devised a tentative 10-year plan to make northern Hamden a “collegiate neighborhood,” Lahey said. “[Northern Hamden is] improving but it’s not what I would say an aesthetically beautiful collegiate sort of strip there,” he said. “We’re also working with state officials to get that area of Whitney converted into a boulevard.”

This growth is creating “growing pains” for the town of Hamden, Lahey said.

“Quinnipiac has had what I would say a hot and cold relationship with the town of Hamden over the past,” he said. * * * In 2012, Hamden Mayor Scott Jackson addressed the Quinnipiac community during a visit to the Mount Carmel campus about the friction between students living off campus and Hamden residents.

“When you are trying to get your child out the door to daycare at eight in the morning, having students next door who are partying until two in the morning – it just doesn’t work,” Jackson said.

In the 2013-14 academic year, almost 1,000 students lived off campus, with around 800 in Hamden, Lahey said.

During the 2013 Hamden mayoral debate in October, candidates Jackson and Bob Anthony addressed the issue of off-campus housing for students. They agreed the university is an asset to the town; however, they pushed for on-campus housing to alleviate some of the friction between students who live off campus and Ham-

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den residents.

“The students have to understand that if you’re living in a neighborhood, it is a neighborhood. It’s not a dorm,” Jackson said. “You’re off campus because you feel like you are responsible enough to be off campus and that responsibility carries certain requirements.”

A little more than two weeks later, the Hamden police cited 22 students for throwing large parties off campus. In response, the university announced on Nov. 7, 2013, it would dismiss students who hosted off-campus parties that Hamden police broke up.

“Quinnipiac has had what I would say a hot and cold relationship with the town of Hamden over the past.”

– John Lahey President of Quinnipiac University

“There are some [students] who have caused major disturbances that have disrupted the quality of life in our neighborhoods and jeopardized public safety overall,” Thomas Wydra, Hamden police chief, said.

At the Hamden Planning and Zoning meeting in November, Planning and Zoning Commission member Michele Mastropetre described the off-campus parties as “appalling.”

“Quinnipiac, in my opinion, is a lousy neighbor,”

Mastropetre said. “There’s a lot of little issues going around town and I think that if we made, instead of giving people financial incentives, if we made the housing something that kids want to live in they would live there.”

Hamden resident Gail Traester said the problems between the university and town stem from Quinnipiac over accepting students.

“It’s just a vicious cycle,” Traester said. “They’ll over accept, need more dorms. Over accept, need more dorms.”

Traester said the university should require students to live on campus.

“The students are here for four years,” she said. “The residents, most of them, are here for life and I think the first concern is for the residents.”

The town has asked Quinnipiac to require students to live on campus before, Lahey said.

“We’ve said absolutely not, that’s not a policy we’re aware of that any university even has,” he said.

While the university works to accommodate all students with housing, around 20 to 25 percent of students, mostly seniors, choose to live off campus, Lahey said. * * * The Chronicle spoke with Lahey in November 2013, when he discussed his plans to turn the northern end of Hamden, from Ives Street up to Mount Carmel Avenue, into a college town over the next 10 years.

“We are in the process of buying as many of the houses along Whitney Avenue there are possible,” Lahey said.

The university would either turn the houses into use for administrative purposes, the radio station, QU Online or other activities, Lahey said.

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The three houses where the off-campus parties in the fall of 2013 occurred are not Quinnipiac owned.

“We’ll get those houses eventually and we’re working with the town to enforce the zoning laws,” he said. “They need to enforce them, and if we can eliminate those houses it will work.”

Quinnipiac’s plans and ideas for its future in Hamden include a Quinnipiac inn, a Quinnipiac theater and attractive venues like Starbucks and Barnes & Noble, Lahey said.

Jackson submitted a letter to Hamden Patch in response to Lahey’s comments to The Chronicle on university expansion.

“It is important for the university and its students to understand that this is not Quinnipiac, Conn., it is Hamden, Conn.,” Jackson said in his letter to Hamden Patch.

Lahey’s comments to The Chronicle frustrated Hamden Legislative Council President James Pascarella. “[Lahey’s interview] wasn’t just my catalyst, it pretty much was a catalyst for just about anybody in elected office in town that just reached the conclusion that this has gone on long enough,” Pascarella said. “I think the president’s interview this past late fall was ill-timed, ill-conceived and it has caused a great deal of stress in the relationship [between the town and the university].”

Although the university’s growth created tension between the town and Quinnipiac, Jackson said in October he appreciates the university’s progress.

“I see what President Lahey has done over a quarter of a century and it’s unbelievable,” Jackson said. “I was talking with a guy from Yale who said, ‘You know we used to laugh at Quinnipiac, but they’ve done in 10 years what has taken us 300 to do, and that’s a fair statement.”

1896 Dixwell Ave. Hamden, CT 06518 phone: 203.288.8836 fax: 203.288.8636 comments@sakuragardencuisine.com

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Seniors speak up

Many memorable moments can happen in four years. College is a time for students to grow, experience new adventures and prepare for the world outside the Quinnipiac bubble. The Chronicle went around campus and asked seniors what their most memorable moments were.

Written by AMANDA HOSKINS

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Leah Mark | Broadcast Journalism | New York, N.Y.

Definitely just the memories of being on the Quad when it was really nice out or the first time I climbed [Sleeping Giant]. Last year was the first time I actually climbed it and I just thought it was really cool. And I know this is cheesy, but the day when I got accepted in my sorority because I came to Quinnipiac to be in a sorority, so getting accepted was a huge thing for me.

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Benjamin Maniscalco | Psychology | Belmont, Mass.

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Quinnipiac definitely did a good job getting us ready for the real world and all the work through my senior year has definitely prepared me for a nine-to-five job, easing us into the future. Networking wise, Quinnipiac has helped me a lot. They definitely introduced me to a lot of great people in my field of study and I can see where that can help with me in the future.

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Kristen Foley | Public Relations | Foxboro, Mass.

My greatest memory at Quinnipiac has to be my involvement in SPB and getting to plan Fall Fest and getting to put on such a great event for the Quinnipiac community. It was really awesome to see all the work that I put in and then seeing the final product and seeing that Quinnipiac students really enjoyed it.

Luigi Tancredi | Marketing | Wallingford, Conn.

My greatest memory was definitely joining Greek Life. It’s something that helped to, in a sense, bring my college career full circle. It opened so many doors, so many different things and different positions and so many separate smaller events that together looking back made college so important in what college actually is and things that I will reflect on in the future and tell my kids about and future friends that didn’t go to school with me.

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Photography by KATIE O’BRIEN

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This year’s senior class is a diverse group of students in more ways than one. From home states, to major, to Greek life involvement, no student is alike. Here’s a breakdown of some statistics for the Class of 2014.

Written by KATIE O’BRIEN Illustrations by MICHELE SNOW

*number of students per state entering 2010

406

1643 ADMITTED

United we divide OUT OF

14000 applications Gender gap

382 358 284 Largest majors upon entering Nursing Media Studies Psychology Physical Therapy Undeclared

Academic breakdown

18% COMMUNICATIONS 19% BUSINESS 30% ARTS AND SCIENCES 33% HEALTH SCIENCE

40%

60% Percentage of women and men in a sorority or fraternity

32% sorority involvement 17% fraternity involvement

26% total

*campus totals as of fall 2013

Most popular names Michael Matthew Nicholas Christopher Joseph

Lauren Samantha Danielle Emily Jessica

*Statistics according to Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid Joan Isaac Mohr and Associate Director of Student Center and Campus LIfe Courtney McKenna.

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A taste of Hamden

From pizza restaurants, to bars and delis, there are several food restaurants in Hamden that are staples for the Quinnipiac student body. The Chronicle ranked the Written by AMANDA HOSKINS, best sites around town for students to grab a bite to eat.

MATT EISENBERG & SARAH HARRIS Photography by SARAH HARRIS

PIZZA

BAR

DELI

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

TONINO’S

PRIMO’S

DROOGIE’S

Greasy and cheezy. I can dig it. Thick crust and fast delivery is always a plus for me. The atmosphere was OK, nothing like a sit down restaurant but that’s not what I was expecting from a pizzeria.

Similar to Tonino’s with the same thick crust but not the same. Tasted great right out of the oven but the wait was frustrating considering I was the only one in the pizza parlor.

It may take them an entire hour to deliver your food but if you’re a lover of thin crust and not too much grease, this pizza is for you. Only thing is, the pizza won’t be as warm as Tonino’s or Primo’s because of delivery time. Don’t forget to order a milkshake on the side. I recommend a vanilla milkshake with banana and cinnamon.

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

AUNCHIE’S

SIDE STREET

ODIE’S

Friday night penny drafts from 9 to 10 p.m. Bagels & Booze as the ultimate start to May Weekend. Both of them only mean one thing: Aunchie’s.

Aunt Chilada’s themed parties Friday nights are fun, but regardless of a pajama theme or no theme whatsoever, it’s the Hamden bar that every senior knows of and nearly every graduate goes back to on alumni weekend.

Free wings? Nuff said. Side Street Bar & Grille is the Tuesday night go-to college bar.

The bar offers a fair selection of beer and other drinks. While Side Street also hosts trivia night on Mondays and karaoke on other nights, the free wings Side Street offers on Tuesdays are what make it the staple in Hamden.

Sure, it used to be WhitBag, but since new ownership took over last year, Odie’s Place has been a great place on weeknights, thanks it its big screen TVs, pool table, dartboard and bubble hockey. This bar has a local touch, whether it’s happy hour or on a Thursday night.

First Place

Second Place

Third Place

RAY & MIKE’S

CORNER DELI

MONDO’S

A little further up the road but a bit of a bigger venue, the Corner Deli is not far behind Ray & Mike’s with their selection. The chicken parmesan is a must-try. Not too messy are their sandwiches, but they have it all and you can put together any type. Their salads are also phenomenal and there are a few places to sit.

OK, everyone went down to the Ratt to get their sandwiches at one point when they were underclassmen.

Not quite your typical deli, but it gets the job done when you are looking for food on campus late at night.

Open late, this is the go-to sandwich place. Ray & Mike’s signature sandwiches are one of a kind. Located within a few minutes of campus, it is so easy to grab Ray & Mike’s every day of the week. Call ahead, or order on the spot, your sandwich will be ready in minutes.

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Photography by SARAH HARRIS & MATT EISENBERG

Confident out of the comfort zone Written by AMANDA HOSKINS

Right click, open Internet Explorer, www. peacecorps.gov, right click close. Natalie Deduck sat at her computer day by day opening and closing the Peace Corps application, trying to make a decision as to what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. She would ask herself what path was she going to take. Did she want to commit to at least two years in a foreign country?

It was the start of her senior year and, like all seniors, she was coming to terms with reality and thinking about what was in store for her after graduation. During her time at Quinnipiac, Deduck made close connections with David Ives, director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute, and Sean Duffy, her political science advisor, so she went to them for some answers. She knew the two people she trusted and looked up to the most would be able to steer her in the right direction.

“You know me; you care about me,” Deduck said to them. “What are we doing after graduation?”

And those next few words that came out of Ives’ and Duffy’s mouths would bring tears to Deduck as they encouraged her to apply to the Peace Corps.

Deduck left New Jersey and entered Quinnipiac in the fall of 2010 as a film, video and interactive media major. She was involved in film production in high school and, quite frankly, she was good at it. But as she dove into the School of Communications and explored her options, she realized communications was not for her. Deduck was lost within the major and craved a different type of learning. *** After taking a variety of courses, Deduck fell in love with her international relations class and found a passion for political science. She persuaded her parents it was the right choice of study for the next four years.

Upon switching her major to political science, Deduck formed an immediate relationship with Duffy. He was the adviser for Model UN, which Deduck was a part of, and also ran trips to Nicaragua through the Schweitzer Institute.

Within her new major, Deduck craved a direction within the field that would cater to her passion. As she talked with Duffy, he in-

troduced a trip he would run to Nicaragua that would involve traveling to the second-poorest country in the western hemisphere, going to the communities and assessing and evaluating the work the Schweitzer Institute had done there.

Then in the summer of 2012, Deduck accompanied Duffy and a delegation to Nicaragua, a journey that would spark her interests in

“I didn’t want to default by digressing into my American comforts.”

– Natalie Deduck exploring the world beyond the United States.

“I think what made the trip so unique, maybe in comparison to maybe other major or service trips, was that I spoke to more community members than any other trip that I know of,” Deduck said. “It was the first time that I was taken into a completely different cultural space and a completely different socio and economic space and I was speaking with people. And while I noted their differences, I noted their similarities.”

Deduck made strong connections with families in Nicaragua and for the first time was able to realize regardless of cultural and language barriers, displaying a sense of kindness, openness and respect leaves a good impression on others and can translate to an eye-opening experience. *** It was November, and for the first time when Deduck opened the tab for the Peace Corps application, she made it past the name and address portion. Deduck was getting into the bulk of her Peace Corps application and the reality of it all was starting to hit her.

On Dec. 1, 2013, Deduck submitted the final piece of the tedious application. That was it. She was done. All she had to do was wait and not question the decision she made. *** February 2013, Deduck hopped on a plane for Buenos Aires, Argentina. She had one hefty suitcase and a backpack containing the thickest Spanish dictionary she could find. Deduck

would be spending the next six months studying abroad and living with a family who didn’t speak English. She wouldn’t be surrounded by Quinnipiac students and for the first time she was on her own.

A strange decision, some would argue, but for Deduck this planning was purposeful.

“I didn’t want to default by digressing into my American comforts,” Deduck said. “I wanted to be pushed. I wanted to be uncomfortable.

I wanted to learn another language and I wanted to be in another part of the world and learn all that it was.”

Deduck spoke minimal Spanish at the time, but admits now she can hold a conversation very well with an impressive accent.

With the language barrier, Deduck needed to find a different way to connect with the people in Argentina. During her travels she gained a confidence others lack. Deduck formed a tight-knit relationship with the family maid, Susi. Deduck’s eyes filled with tears speaking about this woman who didn’t speak English.

She found a different way to connect with Susi while her Spanish-speaking skills were developing. Deduck learned communicating with people of other cultures and languages would no longer be a weakness, but an ever-improving strength.

“At the end of the day, I had more confidence than I ever could have predicted receiving,” Deduck said. “Because I was able to do something I wasn’t necessarily sure I was capable of doing, and I did it and I did it successfully.” *** Deduck’s father, Steve, remembers the butterflies in Deduck’s stomach as she walked into a public school for the first time in ninth grade.

The thought of walking into a new school out of her comfort zone struck her nerves. Prior to saying farewell to her parents she told them she would be spending most of the day hiding in the girls bathroom. But with encouragement and support, she found her confidence.

“Her freshman year in high school was really the turning point in getting over her fears and never turning back,” Steve said.

“I think her greatest strength is her confidence,” her brother, Stephen, said. “From my angle she has the confidence to do anything,

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seize any opportunity and be whoever she wants to be.”

Like her brother, Ives believes Deduck’s confidence is among her greatest characteristics and makes her stand out.

“What really impressed me about Natalie was going into Argentina by herself essentially, which I think is extraordinarily gutsy,” Ives said.

“And Natalie had some tough times while she was in Argentina, but she survived them and got to speak Spanish.”

Deduck learned the bulk of her Spanish speaking skills on her own while in Argentina through speaking with the locals.

“I just really respect somebody that can take that on,” Ives said. “Go by themselves, not know the language and then make a success of that themselves. It really says something about what kind of person Natalie is.” *** It was mid-December, the phone rang, and it was the Peace Corps. Deduck listened as they told her the areas of need were in the education sector. Because Deduck was unfamiliar with the education field, they encouraged her to start working with English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, to help people learn English.

“Of course I said I would do it,” Deduck said. *** Walking to the Albert Schweitzer Institute around lunchtime on Tuesdays will be a walk into a culture clash. Sitting around a square table in the back room sat Deduck, Jean Blue, an ESL instructor and three others who come to improve their English conversational skills.

“Natalie is a very young teacher, but at the same time she is very skillful to explain a lot of special terms,” Anna, a student in the class from the Ukraine, said in her broken English.

During the hour-and-a-half-long class, Deduck and Blue read through various news articles with the students, helping them with pronunciation and explaining words.

Facial expressions was one word Deduck helped explain. Using her hands, and her own facial expressions, she gave students examples of when a facial expression is used or written about.

“In my opinion, Natalie is purposeful,” Anna said, as Natalie’s eyes opened with satisfaction with the big words that Anna used. “I am impressed. Natalie knows her goals and does a lot of things to achieve her goals.”

Following the English conversation group, Deduck works one-on-one with a student from China, Kun Shi. Not your average woman, Kun Shi is one of the top surgeons in China and the president of a hospital in Beijing. With a

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brain full of knowledge and experience, Kun Shi struggles with suffocation of the mind in the United States due to her language barrier, so Deduck works with her to teach her words and phrases so she can better her understanding of the English language.

“She is, you know, a brilliant human being who can barely function at the most basic levels because of language,” Deduck said.

Deduck lacked being an educational instructor on her resume. Once she was part of the ESL program, she was ready for the next step. *** Feb. 20, 2014. Deduck walked into the Northeast Regional Office of the Peace Corps in Manhattan.

After sitting down for two and a half hours with the Peace Corps recruiter, the interview was nearly over. But before getting up to leave the room, the recruiter looked at her and gave Deduck the news she thought she would have had to wait weeks for: she would be offered the nomination to the Peace Corps.

“Just hearing those words after more than two hours of interviewing was incredible,” Deduck said. “To know that she could say that to me, right from the interview, with confidence, really meant a lot to me.”

Eighty-seven days until graduation, and Deduck finally knew where she would be going after. She would commit two years to a country, which remains unknown, most likely doing work in the education sector.

Ives is confident Deduck will succeed whatever sector she is selected for.

“She has got such a nice personality and is so outgoing and so friendly and competent in terms of getting organized, so she won’t have any trouble with either program she gets as-

signed to,” Ives said.

An emotional roller coaster of a year and Deduck was now sure she was making the right decision. In May, Deduck will walk across the platform on the Quad, collect her diploma and in nine months to one year, she will be immersed in yet another culture for two years.

“We are so young and so capable and I am just around so many people who doubt themselves and or say I am inspiring,” Deduck said.

“I don’t think that I am inspiring.”

Deduck does not know what the future holds for her following the Peace Corps, but is sure she would like to get her master’s degree through its programs and hopes to work and do research on an international level eventually.

“I leave a lot to the fact that the Peace Corps will change me and it will teach me a lot about myself and the world,” Deduck said. “I never thought as a freshman here that I would ever be qualified or even ready for making a two-year commitment to be in a developing nation, but because I have had those experiences and because I have been able to build myself into somebody that is qualified in order to do it, that gave me the confidence to be able to do it.”

Deduck’s father knew all along she was ready to take on the Peace Corps and reflects on the times he dropped her off at school. She kissed him goodbye, turned away and never looked back. And the Peace Corps will be another journey.

“It’s been a progression,” he said. “You know it was going away to college; a one week spring trip to Nicaragua was a leap, but only a week. And that went well. OK, then a semester Argentina. It’s been a real progression towards that point to where you say OK the Peace Corps is just another leap.”

Thank you.

The Chronicle thanks you, the Quinnipiac Community, for your loyalty over the past four years. Our appreciation for your dedication to this publication is unmatched.

DANCIN’ THROUGH THE YEARS Whether students are at Toad’s Place, on the Quad, in their residence halls or at a fundraiser, Quinnipiac Bobcats are always dancing. There have been multiple dance crazes in the past four years and students have welcomed them all with open arms. The Chronicle compiled the most popular dances in the past four year. Which one was your favorite?

Written by SARAH HARRIS

THE HARLEM SHAKE

The internet dance craze stormed Quinnipiac in 2013 when students danced to the song in the snow and other locations on campus. G-Dep popularized the original version of the dance that originated from kids in Harlem, according to AllHipHop.com.

THE WOBBLE The song became popular once it hit Billboard’s Hot 100 in January of 2012, according to Billboard.com. This song and dance overtook Orientation 2012. The Orientation Leaders often danced to the Wobble, informing the Class of 2016 of the current hip-hop dance at Quinnipiac.

THE DOUGIE

Named after the rapper Doug E. Fresh, according to complex.com, the Dougie became popular when the seniors had just come to Quinnipiac. The song “Teach me how to Dougie” by Cali Swag District was played often in Toad’s Place.

TWERKING

Although twerking has been around since 1993, according to VH1, the dance became more popular in the last four years when Juicy J came out with “Bandz A Make Her Dance” in September of 2012. Then, Miley Cyrus made the dance even more popular when she twerked on stage while Juicy J performed his song.

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GREEK GROWTH In the fall of 2010, 10.8 percent of students were in Greek life. At the start of this academic year, 26.16 percent of students were affiliated with Greek organizations, according to Associate Director of Student Center and Campus Life Courtney McKenna.

Written by JULIA PERKINS

Over the course of the past four years, eight new Greek life chapters came to campus and 1,056 more students joined Greek life.

Yet, McKenna said the university never intended for Greek life to grow so large on campus.

“I think that’s the most misunderstood piece of the whole growth,” she said.

The university added more chapters to keep up with the increased interest in Greek life.

“It really is not just adding chapters for vanity’s sake necessarily or just adding this because ‘Oh it’s fun to have more,’” she said.

“Really it is to keep the chapter experience as small as we can, despite the fact it’s gotten larger almost every year.”

When students saw there were several different Greek chapters to choose from, interest in fraternity and sorority life grew, she said.

“Now what that has done is shown people ‘oh there are more options and I could see myself in these options,’” McKenna said. “So I think that has attracted people to join too.”

Senior Kerry Buscaglia became a founding sister of the new chapter of Pi Beta Phi her sophomore year. “[Greek life] was growing so much that I kind of wanted to be in one,” she said. “A lot of my friends were in [Greek life] and I wanted to get more involved and it’s a way to get involved almost socially.”

Each year, the fraternities have stayed around the same size, McKenna said, but the women’s chapters have grown “exponentially.”

For example, Kappa Alpha Theta had 105 women in the sorority in fall 2010. In fall 2013, the sorority grew to 186 members.

Kappa Delta, which came to campus in the fall of 2012 started with 126 students. Now it is the largest Greek organization on campus, with 204 members, as of fall 2013.

On the other hand, Sigma Phi Epsilon had 85 members in the fall of 2010 and grew to 97 members by fall 2013. Tau Kappa Epsilon’s membership decreased slightly from 59 members in fall 2010 to 54 members in fall 2013.

At Quinnipiac, two-thirds of the Greek population are women and one-third are men. This is unusual because on most college campuses men outweigh women in Greek life, McKenna said.

McKenna said it’s been “frustrating” that the sororities have not maintained smaller sizes like the fraternities.

“It hasn’t panned out the way logically it should,” she said. “In my head I’m like ‘OK community, we will add this chapter and then we should be good’ and then we see that recruitment numbers skyrocket.”

Senior Kappa Alpha Theta member Emily Greco said there are pros and cons to having large chapters.

“It’s definitely harder getting to know a lot more girls in your sorority,” she said. “But also having so many girls in your sorority you get such like a diverse amount of people and you can just meet so many different people.”

Buscaglia said she agreed with Greco.

“I think having larger chapter sizes kind of stops all stereotypes,” Buscaglia said.

“Because it’s a larger group of diverse people where you’re not going to get that one type of person filling an entire chapter.”

McKenna said she cannot figure out why Greek life has grown so quickly.

“I wish I knew the exact answer to it,” she said. “I think in general, as humans we all want to belong to something and I think this, fraternities and sororities, give you something if you are looking for it for the right reasons, something to belong to for the rest of your life and I think that is attractive to students.”

Senior Sigma Phi Epsilon member Chris Domin said he is surprised at Greek life’s

growth on campus.

“I think it’s good that the school’s growing and they’re matching the growth of students and the interest of students to different organizations,” he said. “I think the only drawback is that the school is, facilities-wise, not growing as fast as it could be for it to

In the fall of 2010, 654 students were Greek affiliated. By the fall of 2013, this number grew to 1,710 Greeks. hold those organizations” Since many of the sororities are large, the organizations struggle to find space on campus to meet, McKenna said. Only Buckman Center, the grand courtroom in the Law School building, the dance studios and Burt Kahn Court are large enough to hold many of the fraternities and sororities, she said.

Chapters are stronger when they have space to spend time together, she said.

“If I won the lottery I would build a giant space, gift it to Quinnipiac to create a new space, not just for Greeks,” McKenna said. “But something with moveable walls that could fit a huge group, but also a small group that all student organizations could benefit from.”

Although Greek life has grown over the past four years, McKenna said she does not foresee the campus becoming more than 30 percent Greek.

“I just think 25 to 30 percent is the sweet spot so to speak,” she said. “There are other institutions that are 40, 50, 60 percent Greek that have the similar kind of size structure to our’s, but my gut tells me that we would never be over 30 percent.”

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PLAY HARD,

WORK HARDER Before they passed, Cory Hibbeler’s parents taught their son the importance of having a strong work ethic. It’s not only how Cory walked onto a Division I hockey team, but became the captain of one of the top programs in the country.

Written and Photography by MATT EISENBERG

W

hen Cory Hibbeler remembers the advice his parents gave him at a young age, he tears up. The same advice that inspires teammates and coaches to follow him. The same advice that led an average college hockey team in southern Connecticut to the largest of spotlights. The same advice that keeps him going, day in and day out. “Give it your all and good things will happen.” *** Sometimes at night, Quinnipiac Head Coach Rand Pecknold and Assistant Coach Bill Riga will see Hibbeler skate on the ice alone, shooting pucks to get some more practice. They will see the team’s captain come in at 11 a.m. on a Sunday, hours after a night game, taking shots on the ice. Even when he played in junior hockey, he would be the first one in the locker room for practice and on the ice.

Coaches and teammates all say Hibbeler leads by example, whether it is during a game or in the weight room. He played both forward and defense in juniors when he was with the Lincoln (Neb.) Stars, and he’s done the same for Quinnipiac.

“I’m sure if we needed a goalie, he’d be out there playing,” Quinnipiac assistant captain Kellen Jones said.

Hibbeler’s main dream was to play Division I hockey. He moved from Missouri to Culver, Ind., to play hockey for Culver Academy when he was just 14.

“That’s when I kind of realized that he was pretty serious about this,” his sister, Nicole, said.

After four years, he played for the Stars. His first year, he helped lead the team to a first-place finish in the United States Hockey League’s West Division, but still lacked offers. His second year, the team finished seventh

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and he yet again didn’t get many offers to play college hockey. He could have fallen back on lacrosse, as he had played at Culver, but his mom wanted her son to be happy.

“You can’t give up, there’s something out there for you,” his mom, Karina, would say.

“Don’t give up on hockey.”

One day, then-Quinnipiac assistant coach Ben Syer called Cory, offering him a walk-on spot for the Bobcats. Cory’s mother wanted him to go. She wanted him to go to college.

Cory called former Lincoln teammate Mike Dalhuisen, who had just finished his freshman year with the Bobcats.

Dalhuisen was at the beach when he got a phone call from Cory.

“Hey, I’m thinking about coming to Quinnipiac. How do you like it there?”

Cory said.

“I absolutely love it,” Dalhuisen replied, talking about hockey and the social scene.

Cory told him he would call him right back.

A few minutes later, Dalhuisen’s phone rang.

“Hey, I just committed,” Cory told him. *** When Cory left for Culver, it was tough on his sister and mother, but tougher for him.

While his sister was leaving for Truman State University, about a three-hour drive from their home in St. Charles, Mo., he didn’t want to be by himself, nor did he want to leave his mom by herself. His father, Michael, had died in an auto accident in January 2002 when his car had hit a patch of black ice and slid into an overpass. Cory was 12.

They’re always in the back of my mind and I still think about them, but the fact is that they’re gone and I’ve gotta move on.”

- Cory Hibbeler “It was obviously a huge shock,” Nicole, 27, said. “We weren’t ever prepared for it.”

Michael wanted Cory to play baseball, but Cory fell in love with hockey when he was 4. At a friend’s birthday party, he and his friends played roller hockey. Cory remembers the party as a “glorified street hockey game” with plastic blades, sticks and a ball, but he loved how fast-paced it was compared to baseball. The next year, Cory signed up for a roller league. After that, he started playing ice hockey.

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Nicole remembers getting dragged around to Cory’s practices and games as a child, and going on family trips, sometimes to Chicago or farther away. One Thanksgiving, the family drove 9-10 hours due to a snowstorm to Cory’s tournament in Chicago, which would normally have been a five- or six-hour drive.

“It was a pretty amazing trek,” Nicole said.

Cory would play floor hockey for hours on end as a kid, using small nets, tiny sticks and a ball in the hotel hallways with his friends.

“We had kids lose teeth and those games got rough, but it was always fun,” Cory said with a smile. “God, we loved hanging out and playing in the hotel more than we liked playing the games.”

When he wasn’t practicing with his teammates or playing actual games, he would take shots in a net in the basement, skate or play with his dad.

“I just remember always thinking, ‘Don’t you ever get sick of it?’” Nicole said with a laugh.

His father didn’t understand all the ins and outs of hockey, so he didn’t critique Cory’s talent. The one thing he would do was challenge his work ethic.

“The only thing he would harp on me on is if he thought I was being lazy or if he didn’t think I was playing up to my potential,” Cory said. *** Cory was tempted to leave Culver Academy after his freshman year. He struggled living away from home and his family. He didn’t necessarily like how structured or disciplined it was with having to wear a uniform every day, keeping his room tidy or waking up at 6:30 a.m.

He stuck with it, mainly for the people he was with and for the hockey. It got easier one day at a time. By his second year, he loved it.

“It was hard going away from home when you’re only 15 years old,” Cory said. “I felt like that second year I really came into my own and made some really strong friendships that I didn’t really want to leave, so that’s why I ended up staying all four years.”

He contemplated leaving Lincoln during his second year, too. Some things weren’t going well for him, but he turned to his mother for guidance.

“If you quit, you’re going to regret it,” she told him.

His biggest ordeal, however, came his freshman year at Quinnipiac. While the team was on a road trip to St. Cloud State in October 2010, Cory got a phone call from his grandmother late at night. He knew something was up. His mother suffered a sudden heart attack and passed away.

“Kind of felt like the same nightmare all over again,” Cory said.

Zach Hansen, then a senior assistant

captain, was Cory’s roommate in the hotel room and was with him when he found out.

“To the day, I think it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever witnessed and seen,” Hansen said. “You never want to hear that news in the first place. To be there right when he got the phone call, it was pretty sad.”

Cory flew home to be with his family the next morning. He wasn’t sure if he was going to return to Quinnipiac. He wanted to be with his family 16 hours away in Missouri.

Friends, family and coaches all mourned with the Hibbelers. Dalhuisen and Pecknold flew to Missouri for Karina’s funeral.

Dalhuisen lived with Cory off campus for the three years they were Bobcats. He had a strong connection with Cory, as he lost his mother when he was 18 to leukemia.

“It was good to have him around to talk about what was going through my head,” Cory said. “I had a ton of emotions that I didn’t really know how to react to.”

When Dalhuisen lost his mother, he faced two options: remain in mourning or make her proud. He offered that same advice to Cory.

“Do what you think she would want you to do,” he told him.

Cory was gracious for the support from everyone, including Pecknold. It didn’t matter that Cory was so new to Quinnipiac; he was still one of Pecknold’s players. Pecknold didn’t hesitate about attending the funeral.

“I thought that I needed to go and be there for him, whether I knew him that well at the time or not,” he said.

There, Pecknold assured him he had a support system at school and everyone would be there for him.

“You’ve got a family here at Quinnipiac,” Pecknold told him.

Cory said it played a big role for him to return to Hamden.

“That kind of shocked me, but I definitely appreciated it,” Cory said. “It was a tough time.”

Cory knew his mom wanted him to graduate from Quinnipiac. He returned shortly after. He would write “K.H.,” his mother’s initials, on his hockey stick as a freshman and sophomore. He doesn’t need to do that as a reminder anymore.

“They’re always in the back of my mind and I still think about them, but the fact is that they’re gone and I’ve gotta move on,” Cory said. “I appreciate everything they’ve done, but now I kind of look to myself more for motivation and that kind of stuff.” *** While the Stars struggled to a 16-36-8 record in the 2009-10 season, Cory still made the most of his time, recording 14 points on the season. But no matter the team’s record, Cory would still be the hardest worker and would do it with a grin that brought positivity

to the locker room.

“He was everybody’s best friend,” Lincoln Stars Head Coach Jimmy McGroarty said.

“Everybody gravitated toward him. … As a coach, you want 20 guys like Cory Hibbeler on your team.”

Cory hasn’t ever been the leading scorer.

In his Bobcat career, he has totaled 18 goals and 16 assists. By comparison, four players in the 2013-14 season totaled more than 35 points. Yet his coaches and teammates say he exemplifies the definition of a captain. Cory does whatever is in the best interest of the team, symbolized by his versatility on the ice.

He would push his other teammates to outwork him, even though he would try and outwork everyone. And most of all, he would always wear a smile on his face, as McGroarty remembers.

“Cory was contagious,” McGroarty said.

“Every time he was working hard, he always had that smile, so it always made it easier for guys to follow his lead. He’s a born leader.”

Sometimes, all someone needs is one chance, and that’s what Cory earned. He has scored big goals and been a central figure on the Bobcats’ second-leading penalty-kill unit in the country. He blocks shots and gives a complete effort every shift, Riga said, which energizes the bench into doing the same.

“He was definitely recruited as part of the team,” Riga said. “He just didn’t have a full scholarship.”

Cory struggled with playing time his first semester at Quinnipiac, playing in only four games. He kept working hard in practice and fought his way into the lineup Jan. 7, 2011, vs. Colgate. Initially, Pecknold was going to have Cory and another player split playing time that weekend, but he played so well that

Pecknold left him in the lineup. It was the start of a stretch in which he would play 17 of the team’s next 18 games toward the end of the season. He played in 37 of 40 games as a sophomore, 36 of 43 as a junior and all 40 as a senior.

“When you battle like Cory did, there’s just no way around it for a coach to not put him in the lineup,” Dalhuisen said. *** Cory was the only one in his class to have a car as a freshman, so when he and the rest of his first-year teammates — Kellen and Connor Jones, Zach Tolkinen and Brooks Robinson — needed a ride up York Hill to the arena, they would call Cory for a ride and all fit in his Ford Explorer.

“Little things like that, you don’t forget about,” said Connor, another assistant captain. “Taking time out of your day to help us out. He was always about that and he’s still about that.”

He goes out of his way to make sure he gets each teammate pumped up for the game, whether it’s with a glove tap, his loud voice in the locker room or just his hustle.

Even in the weight room, he tries to push people to work harder.

“I know when we came in freshman year, you look at him and he looks like a Levis model without a shirt and just a pair of jeans on,” Connor said. “You look at him in the gym and you’re like, ‘Man, that guy gives it his all every exercise.’”

He was the only junior to be an assistant captain of last year’s team that reached the national championship game, and he’s the captain of the Bobcats this year, to nobody’s surprise. His sister wasn’t surprised. Neither were Syer, Hansen or the Joneses. The

players vote on who the captain is for the year ahead, and Pecknold said it was a nearunanimous vote.

“The guys on the team look up to him,” Riga said.

Cory is still weighing his post-graduation options. Hockey may not be in the entrepreneurship major’s future, but he has options. He could move back home. He could work for a construction company one of his friends works for.

“It’s wherever my best opportunity is,” Cory said.

At home, nearly 1,000 miles away, Nicole would watch Cory’s games online. If she couldn’t watch them, she’d listen to them. If she couldn’t do that, she’d constantly check her phone for score updates. But no matter what, she’d always check the standings.

“I absolutely keep track of that,” Nicole said.

She rarely got a chance to see her younger brother play in person, but made the trip to last year’s Frozen Four in Pittsburgh with her uncle and grandma. They were filled with joy, watching Cory accomplish his dream of playing Division I hockey on the largest of stages. Though the Bobcats didn’t reach the Frozen Four this season, Nicole and her grandma traveled to Connecticut for Cory’s Senior Night game on Feb. 22. The last of the seniors to be introduced, he was welcomed to a rousing applause.

Whether they were at home in Missouri or in Hamden, Cory knows they are there for him. He knows his parents will always be there, too, watching him play the game he loves.

Watching him live his dream. Watching their son continue to live the value of hard work they instilled in him.

And making them proud.

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A MOMENT IN TIME

Over the past four years, Quinnipiac saw two no-hitters, several championships, milestone wins and numerous broken records. Here are the top four moments on the field, court and Written by NICK SOLARI ice since 2010.

Photography by MATT EISENBERG

1

2 3

4 1. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GOES DANCING

3. SKIP WINS 500TH

The women’s basketball team defeated Saint Francis (Pa.) in the Northeast Conference Championship on March 17, 2013, 72-33, to clinch a spot in the national tournament for the first time in program history. Quinnipiac finished the season 30-3 overall, including a perfect 18-0 record in the conference play.

Baseball Head Coach Dan “Skip” Gooley recorded his 500th win on April 13, 2012, as Quinnipiac defeated Mount St. Mary’s 17-3.

Gooley’s first win at the helm came back in 1977. He went 203-122-5 from 1977-87 before leaving to coach at the University of Hartford.

He returned to Quinnipiac in 2002.

2. MEN’S SOCCER WINS MAAC

4. BABSTOCK BREAKS RECORDS

The men’s soccer team won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship for the first time in program history. Quinnipiac won two straight games via penalty kicks to win the conference, defeating Iona in the semis and Monmouth in the title game.

Kelly Babstock became the women’s ice hockey program leader in goals, assists and points during her sophomore season. She broke the points record on Nov. 8, 2011, and went on to shatter all program records, totaling 203 points, 95 goals and 108 assists in her career.

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TOP SPORTS STORIES

Written by NICK SOLARI Photography by MATT EISENBERG

1 THE FROZEN FOUR RUN

The Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey advanced to the NCAA Division I Frozen Four for the first time in program history in the 2012-13 season, ultimately losing 4-0 to Yale in the national championship game. The Bobcats went 30-8-5 during the season, including a 21-game unbeaten streak that lasted from early November to mid-February. Quinnipiac also reached No. 1 in the USCHO.com poll for the first time in program history.

TITLE IX LAWSUIT REACHES SETTLEMENT

2

Quinnipiac agreed to keep the volleyball team for the next three years on April 26, 2013. The recommitment to the volleyball team effectively settled the Biediger, et al. v.

Quinnipiac University case. Student-athletes of the volleyball team sued the university in 2009, saying the university was not in compliance with Title IX, a federal law dealing with gender equity, after the school tried to eliminate volleyball and replace it with competitive cheer.

MOVE TO THE MAAC

3

Quinnipiac was approved to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference as of July 1, 2013. The Bobcats left the Northeast Conference to join the MAAC in every sport except men’s and women’s ice hockey, acrobatics and tumbling and women’s rugby. Quinnipiac joined Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan, Marist, Monmouth, Niagara, Rider, Saint Peter’s and Siena in the conference.

4

WOMEN’S RUGBY EMERGES

Quinnipiac became the fifth NCAA women’s rugby program in the country on Sept. 14, 2011. Though the Bobcats lost 51-0 against Rutgers that day, they made history by become just the second NCAA Division I program in the whole country. In its second season in existence, Quinnipiac went 15-1, finishing in third place in the Emirates Airlines Collegiate National Tournament consolation game.

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