The Quinnipiac Chronicle, Volume 96, Issue 11

Hamden municipal election is a ‘clean sweep’ for town Democrats

By LILLIAN CURTIN Opinion Editor

On Nov. 4, Democrat Adam Sendroff became the projected winner of the mayoral race. He will be the first mayor to serve a four-year term.

Sendroff became the Democratic candidate after winning the primary election in September, beating petitioning candidate Jameka Jefferie.

Current Mayor Lauren Garrett, also a Democrat, announced in July that she wouldn’t be seeking a third term.

“I have worked very hard for the Town of Hamden and made many difficult decisions. Today I am making another difficult decision, to spend more time with my family and prioritize my wellbeing. Therefore, I have decided to end my campaign for Mayor,” Garrett said in a public statement.

Since 2020, elections have increasingly favored incumbent candidates, so Garrett’s decision left the race highly contested, with no candidate seeking reelection.

Sendroff won with 8,518 votes — about 2,000 more votes than Garret secured in the 2023 election, reported by the Secretary of the State’s Office.

Sendroff ran against Republican Jonathan Katz, Green Party candidate Patricia Vener-Saavedra and petitioning candidate Jameka Jefferie. Before Garrett announced she wasn’t running for reelection, he was also planning on running against her.

Katz didn’t concede Tuesday night, with his team claiming he wanted to wait until all of the results were counted. He conceded Wednesday morning saying, “I plan to reach out to Adam Sendroff to congratulate him on his victory and wish him success as he takes on the important responsibility of leading our town,” he said.

Katz received 3,839 votes, compared to the 5,042 votes that former republican mayoral candidate Crystal Dailey received in 2023.

Hamden has seen a growth in the town’s long-term debt. Property taxes were a key issue for voters, both Katz and Sendroff agreed.

The town clerk candidates were Democrat Karimah Mickens and Republican Debra Rigney, with Mickens winning.

The Councilmen-At-Large section in column 6 of the ballot allows voters to choose up to four candidates. This year, the Democratic candidates were Tasha Hunt,

Douglas J.C. Foley, Katie Kiely and Maurine M. Crouch. Crouch and Fouley were also on the ballot under the Working Families Party, respectively. The Republican candidates were Victor Mitchell, Thomas Figlar and Robert Anthony.

Row A lists the Democratic candidates, Row B lists the Republican candidates, and other rows will include third-party, petitioning and write-in candidates. Voters are allowed to mix their vote between parties, and don’t have to necessarily choose the same party for every position.

The winners were all the candidates in Councilmen-At-Large Row A.

While the constituents of the CouncilmenAt-Large are all of Hamden, the Councilman position in column 7 is different, as the position is exclusive to respective districts. The winners, Sean Cardwell (District 1), Jeron Alston (District 2), Abdul Osmanu (District 3), Sarah Gallagher (District 4), Rhonda Caldwell (District 5), Grace Teodosio (District 6), Adrian Webber (District 7), Ted Stevens (District 8) and Tameeka Parks (District 9), will make up the district council.

The final positions up for election in -

cluded the Board of Education. Voters could choose up to six candidates. The Democratic candidates included Quinnipiac’s Administrative Director of the Honors Program, Melissa Kaplan, who sought reelection for the Hamden Board of Education as Board Chair.

Nancy Edmonds-Hill, Christopher M. Piscitelli and David Asbery were the other Democrats running. The Republican candidates were Marcia Brown and Crystal Dailey. The winners were Kaplan, Hill, Asbery and Piscitelli. This is the first election using the state’s new tabulators, more commonly known to voters as the “ballot box.” These new machines are more digital and include more features. For example, they can alert voters if they’ve overvoted or missed something on the ballot.

Quinnipiac alumni Thomas Peters ‘24 won the Treasurer seat in Durham as a Democrat against Republican Brett W. Eagleson. Peters won by only 27 votes. He will serve a two year term.

This will be the first “clean sweep” for Hamden Democrats since 2017, with the party winning nearly every race.

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School of Communications justice and law speaker series hosts a screening of ‘Free Fernando!’

By NATHAN ROJAS Staff Writer

As part of the justice and law speaker series, Quinnipiac University held a screening Monday night of the documentary “Free Fernando!”: A True Story of an Innocent Man’s Three Decade Quest for Freedom” which details the story of an innocent man wrongly incarcerated for 18 years.

Sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Intellectual and Culture Events fund and hosted by the Criminal Justice program, students were able to witness the story of Fernando Bermudez, who was incarcerated for a crime he did not commit.

Bermudez wanted to create this film, not only to share his story, but also to show the effects that such an experience can have on an individual.

“This film… it needs to be out there in the world, for the world to see and for him to be heard,” Marc Wishengrad, filmmaker and director of “Free Fernando!” said.

On Feb. 6, 1992, Bermudez, 21 at the time, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 23 years to life in prison.

Witnesses wrongly identified Bermudez, stating that they were coerced into misidentifying him as the shooter.

During his time in prison, Bermudez fought for his freedom.

“My family fought so hard,” Bermudez said. “My family scrambled up some money…they took a loan. We hired an attorney.”

Despite the evidence in favor of his innocence, the courts refused to schedule subsequent hearings, preventing Bermudez from proving himself.

“I just felt if I told the truth, it would be as simple as going home,” Bermudez said

It wasn’t until Nov. 12, 2009, that Bermudez was exonerated and released from prison.

“A struggle, a battle, an outcome like mine is one that was hard fought through the intervention of other people,” Bermudez said.

After the screening, attending students and faculty were able to ask Bermudez and Wishengrad questions.

Many were curious about Bermudez’s thoughts on the justice system, after it had failed him for so long.

While Bermudez acknowledges this fact, he does not want to break his children’s faith in it.

“I took them many places just to expose them to what I hope will be an influence that they can know about social justice,” he said.

After his release from prison, Bermudez had trouble readapting to normal life.

“I realized that after the happy ending of get-

ting out, that it was more difficult than I imagined… the institutionalization is something that has to be fought against,” Bermudez said.

Even now, Wishengrad believes that Bermudez is still adapting, “still trying to free Fernando,” despite having been released 16 years ago.

Students were also interested in the psychological effects of Bermudez’s incarceration.

“You have to have psychological help. You need therapy,” he said.

Additionally, they were curious about what he had done to seek this help.

“In terms of the type of social health that people in my situation receive upon their release… we’re not given that,” Bermudez said.

Because of this, Bermudez has found alternative solutions to repairing his mental health.

“It’s really a matter of just being free again and doing things that I feel could help my mental health,” he said.

These reasons also served as a motivator for Wishengrad, in producing the documentary.

“I still have to tell the whole story… to see

him in the world, to see the effect of incarceration and PTSD,” Wishengrad said.

Wishengrad believes that through Bermudez, audiences are able to understand what happens to a person when they’ve been incarcerated.

Despite his record being cleared, Bermudez struggled to find work, with many of his applications being denied.

“It’s a matter of still being accepted into society after having been incarcerated so long,” Bermudez said.

From his time in prison, Bermudez has “learned to appreciate freedom.”

“Despite the circumstances that one finds himself in, you still have the freedom to choose your attitude within those circumstances,” Bermudez said.

According to experts, roughly 5% of incarcerated criminals are innocent, Bermudez said.

“What about a human life destroyed, being wrongfully executed? What accountability is there for that,” Bermudez said. “Progress is being made, but we’re still far from correcting the problem.”

“ I realized that after the happy ending of getting out, that it was more difficult than I imagined.”

– Fernando Bermudez

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@quchronicle/@quchronsports

Students in attendance at the documentary screening participated in a Q&A session with Fernando Bermudez and the filmmaker Marc Wishengrad.

TYLER MIGNAULT/CHRONICLE

Quinnipiac University hosted a screening on Nov. 10 of the documentary “Free Fernando!” about Fernando Bermudez, a man who was wrongly incarcerated for 18 years.

New student organization aims to raise awareness about Alzheimer's

By CHLOE GRANT Staff Writer

Quinnipiac University’s new Andy’s Alzheimer’s Awareness Club started after a friendship of five first year girls blossomed into an opportunity for change.

Andy’s Alzheimer’s Awareness Club began over the summer with first-year health science studies major and president of the organization, Kirsten Cairns. Cairns was inspired to form the club, after her father’s recent diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease.

“I noticed that when I would tell people, they’d be like, ‘Oh yeah, I know the disease,’ but they didn’t really know all that it entailed,” Cairns said. “I really just wanted to make a safe club for people that may not know or want to cope with, like the feeling of a new like diagnosis with a family member.”

After attending the Engagement Fair held in August, Cairns knew for sure she wanted to leave her mark on the school.

“I knew that I wanted to start a club at

Quinnipiac… I really just wanted to like, make friends and make (a) safe place for people to talk about Alzheimer’s and educate others,” Cairns said. “It really started when I came here and I went to the Engagement Fair, and I saw all these clubs, and I was like, ‘wow, I really, really want to do this now.’”

Cairns, along with the four other members of the club’s e-board (Evangeline Vertucci, nursing major and treasurer, Emily Lachance, undeclared business major and social media manager, Victoria Trypaluk, Health science studies major and vice president, and Emily Daoust, biology 3+1 major and secretary) met on the first day of classes in their residence hall during an impromptu dorm tour, and have been close friends ever since.

“We were walking in, (and) said, like, ‘oh, dorm tour!’ But no one was answering the door, so we told them to come to our room, and from then on, it was history. We just became friends,” Trypaluk, a health science studies major and

vice president of the organization, said.

The organization held its kickoff meeting on Nov. 6. They presented a slide show detailing facts, statistics and other information about Alzheimer’s disease while also allowing attendees time to play games and get to know one another. While the turnout was low, spirits remain high as the girls are currently in the process of planning future events.

With many goals in mind as it makes its debut on campus, one of Andy’s Alzheimer’s Awareness Club’s biggest objectives is to raise money for Alzheimer’s research funding. Such funding can be put towards understanding causes and prevention of the disease, as well as treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s, like Cairns’ father.

The girls proposed the idea of visiting local retirement homes in the surrounding community and spreading kindness to patients suffering from Alzheimer’s with handmade crafts or gifts. They also suggested

doing the same to students on campus who may have a family member dealing with the disease as a way of helping them cope.

As far as the future goes, the club hopes to soon acquire funding from the school to put their objectives into action and begin making a difference on campus.

“We definitely want to fundraise,” Cairns explained. “We want to make it popular because it is a really good club to fundraise for… so we can make these crafts and gifts for the retirement homes and families... with loved ones with Alzheimer’s. We want to, you know, really, just get our club out there.. because it is a really good club to fundraise for.”

For anyone interested in joining Andy’s Alzheimer’s Awareness Club, meetings will be held at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays. Location is yet to be decided. With any questions regarding joining, reach out to their Instagram, @alzheimersawareness.qu.

Two Quinnipiac students receive Medical Student Research Excellence award

By ADRIANA CERBONE Staff Writer

Sophomore medical students at Quinnipiac University, Emma Ratnaparkhi and Ishani Rao, became the first Quinnipiac students to receive an award for Medical Student Research Excellence at the Connecticut Academy of Family Physicians Scientific Symposium held on Oct. 29-30.

As members of Quinnipiac’s Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine and part of the class of 2028, Ratnaparkhi and Rao were recognized for their research as medical students at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, Connecticut.

Ratnaparkhi and Roe were recognized for their project, “Endometriosis and Time to Fertility Treatment: The Moderating Role of Oral Contraceptive Use.”

Ratnaparkhi and Rao expressed their appreciation for their mentors, Richard Feinn, a professor of medical sciences, and Jerrica Breindel, an associate professor of medical sciences at Quinnipiac, who they believe helped them get where they are today.

“We are really grateful for the opportunity to learn more about women’s health and family medicine, present our research and most importantly, learn from physicians and fellow students,” Ratnaparkhi said.

The award honors outstanding and meaningful research contributions by medical students all around Connecticut at the Connecticut Academy of Family Physicians (CTAFP) conference.

Their project explores important aspects of reproductive health for women. It examines how endometriosis can affect the timing of when women seek fertility treatment and the potential role oral contraceptives play in that process.

“Our project focused on how endometriosis can affect the time it takes for women to seek fertility treatment, and how this relationship can be moderated by birth control pills,” Ratnaparkhi said. “At the conference, we were able to meet and talk to physicians who treat patients with endometriosis and gain insight into the complexities of their diagnosis and treatment plans.”

Ratnaparkhi mentioned her passion for

women’s health and explained the reason why she chose to work in the medical field.

“We are both passionate about women’s health and are grateful to be at a medical school with mentors that support our academic interests,” she said.

This achievement highlights the Quinnipiac School of Medicine’s accomplishments in preparing their students to be skilled clinicians and active contributors to research. Other Quinnipiac students and faculty have won research awards in past years as well.

Chemistry and biochemistry students won awards at the eighth Annual ACSNew Haven Student Research Symposium in 2024. Puneet Sidhu received first place, Athena Chirigos received second place and Isabelle Zimber received third place.

On the business side, two students in the School of Business, Brianna Nash and Marcin Mazurek, won the Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research Award at a national conference in 2013. They won this award due to their research on cultural values and economic well-being.

Many professors at Quinnipiac have also won impressive awards. Professor Ruby Elkharboutly received a research award from the M&T Bank Center for Women in Business in 2023 and Professor Tuana Rua was granted the inaugural Excellence in Education award from the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce in 2024.

Ratnaparkhi and Rao say they hope to continue connecting with more mentors and physicians in the medical field and continue to learn more about family medicine and women’s health.

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMMA RATNAPARKHI

From Left: Quinnipiac University sophomore medical students Emma Ratnaparkhi and Ishani Rao presented their research “Endometriosis and Time to Fertility Treatment: The Moderating Role of Oral Contraceptive Use” at a scientific symposium and recieved a research excellence award.

Opinion

The blue wave is here

Democrats fought and won election night

By LILLIAN CURTIN Opinion Editor

On Nov. 4, the U.S. carried out elections throughout the country. Most were municipal, with a few gubernatorial elections.

This is the first mass election night since the 2024 Presidential Election, which elected President Donald Trump into office for a second term. To say that this was an election night for the history books would be an understatement.

The results of this election are obvious displays of the current shifts happening due to the political climate.

Since the last election, we’ve seen an increase in political violence, the economy faltering, a government shutdown and have been placed on the human rights watch list. Trump’s approval rating has been understandably decreasing, now at 41%. Congress’s approval rating? Even worse, at just 15%.

It seems more people have finally gotten the memo that if you want change, you can’t just complain about it — you need to do something. You need to vote, and that includes local elections. And boy, did people vote.

We’re seeing a blaring blue wave, with Democrats taking positions of power throughout the country, including its most populous city.

In New York City, residents elected democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as the new Mayorelect. He is a 34-year-old Muslim immigrant — already a testament to the shift in voter attitude.

When former President Barack Obama was running for office, rumours of him being Muslim were used to smear his campaign. Now, despite

the lingering islamophobia that he’s faced, Mamdani’s election as mayor is groundbreaking as he owns his Muslim and South Asian identity proudly, using it to empower himself and others.

He’s an immigrant who moved to the Big Apple when he was seven years old. With an administration that has become so anti-immigration, having an immigrant lead the biggest city in the country is a huge milestone. It shows that Trump, no matter how hard he tries to convince us of the opposite, doesn’t have absolute power.

Mamdani ran against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo originally ran as a Democrat in the primary; however, when he lost to Mamdani, he decided to continue to run as an independent. Republican Curtis Sliwa was the third candidate.

Cuomo’s campaign was already looking faulty, but he kissed any semblance of a chance at the seat “goodbye,” when Trump endorsed him. Trying to save face, Cuomo said, “The President does not support me.” Voters want change so much that an endorsement from the most powerful man in the country was actually harmful to Cuomo’s campaign.

Mamdani was also the youngest of the three candidates. We’ve seen a trend of voters choosing younger candidates. As a whole, Congress is getting younger, with fewer Baby Boomers in positions of power.

Mamdani is 34 years old. He can relate to younger voters. Especially those who have seen the struggle of entering the workforce in this economy firsthand. It’s just something most older people can’t understand because they haven’t

been in it. There’s a comfort knowing that a candidate is aware, not on a superficial level, but genuinely aware.

Mamdani wasn’t the only Democratic winner. There was a gubernatorial election in New Jersey, with Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill taking a massive win. Sherrill beat Republican Jack Ciattarelli, keeping New Jersey blue.

In October, Ibrar Nadeem, the Muslim relations advisor to Ciatrrarelli, gave a speech that included a call to ban same-sex marriage. With current fears of the Supreme Court overturning Obergefell v. Hodges, the ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, Ciattarelli having an ally who advocated for the ban of same-sex marriage was only going to damage his campaign.

Virginia elected Democrat Abigail Spanberger as its first female governor.

Voters also decided on measures, such as Proposition 50, which would redraw district lines in California, which could allow for Democrats to gain up to five new seats in next year’s U.S. House elections. This measure is a response to the GOP taking away representation from voters in order to gain seats. Prop 50 differs from Texas’s random gerrymandering because it gave the people a voice, instead of taking away their representation without warning.

One of Trump’s biggest enemies? The courts. These elections weren’t just exclusive to town administrators and governors, but also court positions in certain areas.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court retained Justices Kevin Dougherty, Christine Donohue and David Wecht. All Democratic justices,

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which means that the court maintains the democratic majority.

After a year of taking steps backward, it feels like we’ve finally taken a few steps forward. Women and minorities are in positions of power in a time when the odds feel stacked against them. As Mayor-elect Mamdani said to Trump, “Turn the volume up,” because hopefully, this is just a small taste of what next year’s midterms are going to be like. But for the first time in a year, I have hope.

When internet fame becomes a public trial

By ALYSSA SCHNEIDER Contributing Writer

There was once a time when having widespread influence meant leading the world — now it means convincing millions of people to buy the $35.00 mascara that you got for free.

In late 2019, 15-year-old Charli D’Amelio went viral on TikTok for her short dance videos. Ever since, her life hasn’t been the same. Now everyone knows her name.

But with that influence comes a price tag. Sure, her “name” was the reason she hit 100 million followers before she could even vote, but it’s also the reason people felt the right to publicly vote on whether or not she was worth all the attention she was getting.

What if someone were as cynical as I, and wanted to write about the “rise of the micro- celebrity,” and talk about everything wrong with a young influencer who is getting more attention than them?

Let me stop you right there. If you think that’s what I’m here to do, you’ve got it wrong. I’m not criticizing D’Amelio, in fact, I’m empathizing with her because that could have been any one of us. It has been.

D’Amelio wasn’t the first, and she wasn’t last, just one of many.

Let’s take a look at influencer and singer Addison Rae, another young girl brought to fame by a record button and a ring light. Or what about influencer Bella Poarch? Or even Piper Rockelle.

When you set your camera up, ready to record, there’s a chance you may never put it down, because those girls never did. The moment you hit post, you’re risking the forceful broadcast of your life every single day just to feel accepted by the tap of a like button.

But here’s the thing, you aren’t “accepted” at all. You’re judged, critiqued, put under a microscope for every person with a phone to look through. Sure, seven million people liked your Sephora partner ship, but eight million more rolled their eyes and scrolled.

But who cares?

Publicity is public ity, right? Wrong. Your crown could be taken at any given moment for any given thing.

Once a lot of people love you, a lot of people hate you, and they will rum mage through your past to find any reason to validate their hate —as if they’re perfect and have never said or done the wrong thing in their entire life.

Some people don’t deserve a platform, and sometimes the platforms we give them are the reason they don’t deserve it.

It’s a common cliche, but it’s true. Fame ruins people. You can sit up there on your high horse and talk all you want about these “problematic influencers,” but if all eyes were suddenly teen, who knows how you would turn out by 21.

Social media isn’t the only place where we witness this. What about reality television? Big Brother? Love Island?

It’s all a way of putting young, vulnerable people in a stressful situation and broadcasting it for the entire nation to see. And for what? Sponsorships? Money? Well, of course.

Social media and reality television come together in times like these to make the worst of the already awful. After your meltdown is streamed by the country, they take it to X to let everyone know exactly how they feel about you.

To make matters worse, the majority of reality television shows don’t allow contestants to have

internet access during their time on the show, so it is not until they fly back home and have working wifi that they are allowed to see what the world has been saying about them.

This has driven people insane, literally, with some even taking their own lives or threatening to.

Over the summer of 2025, Love Island showed its seventh season. Many of us are familiar with the “controversial” contestant, Cierra Ortega, who was asked to leave the Villa during episode 30.

Once Cierra returned home, she realized she was kicked off the show due to a post resurfacing of her using an anti-asian slur.

It was reported by her close friends and family that she was inconsolable for days, threatening to take her own life as she couldn’t deal with the backlash. She received death threats, along with her parents who also allegedly received threats from people, stating they would “call ICE on them,” according to E News.

Was what she posted right? No. Should we hold people accountable for their actions? Yes. But do we have the right to berate, threaten, and torture other human beings because they said something we disagreed with 10 years ago? Of course not.

From harassment, to death threats, the Salem Witch trials never ended, but took another form. At the end of the day, we are all people, we have all made mistakes, but we are not all famous and that’s the only reason we have not all been burned.

KARA MCCURDY/WIKIMEDIA

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani photographed in Assembly District 36 in February 2024.

Opinion

It's not our fault you can't get laid

The male loneliness epidemic is a myth

By VIVIAN GAGE Copy Editor

If you’ve been online at some point in the past few years, you’ve heard of the male loneliness epidemic. If you’re like me, your first experience with the word either made you laugh, roll your eyes or both.

The truth is that there is no male loneliness epidemic, and most of us know that. It doesn’t exist, at least not in the way the term implies.

Men are lonely, but so are women. A 2025 Pew Research survey found that 16% of men say they’re lonely all or most of the time. For women, that number is at 15%. Not much of a difference, right?

Loneliness doesn’t differ greatly by gender in the U.S., but it does differ by age. Adults younger than 50 are much more likely to say they’re lonely than those over 50. Another study shows those between the ages of 18 to 24 feel more lonely than any other age group, with studies showing 73% report feeling alone sometimes or always.

There is a Generation Z loneliness problem, not just a male loneliness problem. So why are men making themselves the center of attention, asking for women to pity them?

Men struggle to confide in other people, build strong emotional support systems or use support systems even when they know they’re there. They are less willing than women to talk to their friends, mothers, other family members or mental health professionals.

This may be why the risk of suicide for men is three to five times greater than that for women, across every age group. Men are “hit harder” by this new era of loneliness than women on paper, even though they’re equally as lonely.

So why is loneliness more of an issue for men? In the eyes of some people, women are to blame.

There has been a recent emphasis put on women’s rejection as one of the root problems of men’s depression, a key theme spread by incels. Incels (involuntarily celibates) are a subculture of men who believe they are unjustly denied relationships and sex due to women’s unjust lack of appreciation for them and they have become increasingly prevalent on the internet.

According to PubMed Central, those who are part of the incel community have reported “significant issues pertaining to their mental, social, and relational well-being.” Men who struggle with loneliness are often drawn to incel groups and may seek support from forums that often feature misogynistic and violent content.

The result? Many of these lonely men help create a culture that normalizes and endorses violent and degrading thoughts towards women, with some actually committing violent and deadly acts.

Self-proclaimed responsible for the deaths of over 50 individuals. Fifty. And that’s lowballing it.

One example of incel violence was the Toronto van attack in 2020. Alek Minassian killed 10 people by ploughing his rental van into a group of pedestrians. Leading up to the event, he had praised Elliot Rodger on his social media accounts, a celebrated figure and martyr among the incel community

for committing the first known incel-based attack. Rodger had gone on a shooting rampage in Isla Vista when targeting an Alpha Phi sorority house, killing six people before taking his own life. Rodger had planned his murderous rampage as a “Day of Retribution,” saying that he had to exact revenge on the society that denied the 22-year-old virgin sex and love.

Obviously, he was a figure worth looking up to for Minassian, who posted “The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys! All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!” on his Facebook minutes before his murderous rampage.

Not all lonely men become incels, and not all incels murder or violate women. But the fear women have, which leads them to distrust men, is understandable. Globally, around 50,000 women per year are murdered by their intimate partners, ex-partners or family members. Lonely men are scary men, especially when they spew woman-hating rhetoric on social media. are lonely too, especially mothers, but they get largely ignored by social media. Everyone gets lonely. As stated earlier, Generation Z is the loneliest group of people. And yet, young men are the ones crying about an epidemic and blaming women for their inability to get some.

This “male loneliness epidemic” and the incel movement, which feeds into it, are simply more fallout from the

patriarchy. Men have been promised dominance without intimacy, but now their dominance isn’t promised or expected. Yet men still measure their worth based on outdated expectations, refusing to adapt to the modern world in which women want men to be their equals, both in the workforce and in the emotional realm. But, men continue to mock women for being too emotional and whiny, then complain loudly that they’re lonely.

So how do we help these poor, lonely men?

We can’t, not really. Women have been trying to help for decades, but we can’t make emotionally unavailable men open themselves up to their friends and change their ideas about what constitutes masculinity. The so-called male loneliness epidemic exists because men have taught boys and other men to push intimate and meaningful friendships away.

Men who are lonely need to raise emotionally available boys, talk to their families about their emotions and work to make safe spaces with their friends. Men need to help themselves.

The Generation Z loneliness problem won’t be solved easily, especially not in the era of technology, which has robbed us of spaces to meaningfully connect with others. But the “male loneliness epidemic” can be solved if men adopt and embrace feminism, scrapping the idea of a traditional, breadwinning man and work to build a society of men with empathy who genuinely care about people’s well-being.

It’s okay to admit you’re lonely. What I cannot, and will not, accept is this false idea that men are lonelier than women, who have to face increased rates of violence as a result.

It’s time for us to break up with the “male loneliness epidemic.” Sorry to end things this way. It’s not me, it’s you.

Christmas movies only work when they stop playing it safe

By ANTHONY ANGELILLO Staff Writer

Christmas movies only matter when they stop pretending that the holidays are perfect. A lot of them play it soft, act sweet and never take a risk — those movies fade fast. The ones that stick around are the ones that say something real and do not worry about who disagrees.

I come back to “The Santa Clause,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Home Alone” every year because they actually try. They hit a nerve. They bring out messy feelings. They even annoy some people. Good. A Christmas story that doesn’t spark a reaction is not worth watching.

“The Santa Clause” stands out because it puts a regular guy, Scott Calvin, at the center, not some magical hero he eventually becomes. Calvin is flawed, selfish at times and honestly not that easy to like. That is exactly why his story works.

A lot of Christmas movies avoid showing adults with real problems, but this one leans into them. The whole plot forces him to grow whether he wants to or not, while also dealing with the reality that he may lose custody of his son, Charlie.

Some viewers still complain that the movie is too weird or too dated, but that misses the point. Christmas stories need characters who fall on their face before getting back up. This movie understood that before others did.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” with Jim Carrey might be the most divisive Christmas movie ever made, and I will defend it every time.

People who hate it say it is too loud, too creepy or too chaotic. That is why it is so great. Christmas

is stressful. December is busy. Families clash. Plans fall through. Carrey’s Grinch captures that meltdown energy better than any calm, polished holiday classic. He is a mess, but a purposeful mess. The movie takes swings at consumer culture, fake joy and the pressure to look happy when you are not. That honesty hits harder than any feel-good movie that tries to hide the rough edges of the season behind tinsel.

“Home Alone” might be the clearest example of why Christmas movies should not be afraid to get dark. A kid, Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), is straight-up left behind by his family, two criminals try to break in while he’s home alone and the entire story runs on fear before anything hopeful happens. The setup is bold and more Christmas movies should follow that lead.

The slapstick comedy get all the attention, but the emotion underneath is stronger than people admit. McCallister deals with loneliness, regret and guilt in a way that feels raw for a kid his age. The truth is, Christmas can be lonely for many people and this movie does not pretend otherwise.

Some viewers say the film is too violent

or too wild, but those risks make the emotional payoff hit harder.

Christmas movies should stop trying to be safe. Safe movies fade after one watch. Movies that take risks last decades. “The Santa Clause” challenges the idea that dads always know what to do. “The Grinch” challenges the notion that joy comes from gifts. “Home Alone” challenges the idea that kids cannot understand deep emotions. That is why these films are at the

lot of newer Christmas movies fall into the trap of being soft, predictable or painfully corny. They go for cute moments instead of honest ones. That is why so many forgettable holiday movies pile up on streaming sites look festive but feel empty. The stories drift through the same safe plots with no punch behind them.

“Elf” works because the main character, Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell), genuinely struggles with belonging. “The Polar Express” works because belief has a cost. “A Christmas Story” works because childhood is confusing, funny and slightly unfair. These films do

not hide from the real parts of life. Newer ones often do and that is why they disappear.

Another issue I have is that holiday movies rely too much on nostalgia. People cling to older films because new ones rarely push boundaries. That is why we see channels like Freeform and AMC constantly repeat the same Christmas movies until you cannot stand to watch them anymore. That is why every December, the same film climbs the streaming chart, trends on social media and the same quotes get reposted.

That is not because people fear change. People just want movies that feel honest. When a Christmas film tells the truth cleanly and simply, it earns a spot in the cycle.

When it tries too hard to be perfect, most people tune out. A good Christmas story dares to be uncomfortable because that is what allows the comfort at the end to work.

A strong Christmas movie does not need bright colors, fake snow or a predictable ending. It needs characters who change for reasons that matter, moments that spark debate and flaws that viewers recognize in themselves.

That is how I choose which Christmas movies to return to each year, no matter how many times I have watched them, because a Christmas story earns my respect when it leaves the viewer feeling something unexpected. The strongest films touch on something human and let the lesson develop naturally in the moment, rather than carrying the weight throughout. That kind of impact sticks with people long after the season ends.

ILLUSTRATION BY KATERINA PARIZKOVA

Arts & Life

People magazine crowns first openly gay Sexiest Man Alive, ‘Wicked’ heartthrob Jonathan Bailey

By AMANDA DRONZEK Staff Writer

People magazine finally got it right.

The 2025 Sexiest Man Alive is actually sexy. He’s a tantalizing triple-threat who can act, sing and dance through life on the big screen — it’s freaking Jonathan Bailey.

The 37-year-old English actor is the first openly gay man to be named Sexiest Man Alive, probably for those slutty little reading glasses he wore in “Jurassic World: Rebirth” (2025).

On Nov. 4, the magazine published an article announcing that Bailey received the esteemed honor, titled, “Jonathan Bailey Is the Sexiest Man Alive 2025! (We Know, We Nailed It).”

Don’t get ahead of yourself, People. You hit the nail on the head with Chris Evans in 2022, but who the hell thought that people wanted to get into Blake Shelton’s pants in 2017?

It stings to know Bailey will one day devote himself to a man, rather than a 20-year-old female college student. But alas, life is more painless for the brainless, so I’ll continue to fawn and fantasize.

Bailey is on a hot streak in Hollywood, most notably for playing Prince Fiyero in Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” (2024) and “Wicked: For Good,” which releases on Nov. 21.

His rendition of Fiyero is nothing short of fantastical. Bailey is a vision with a stunning voice and a perfect boyish attitude to encapsulate a

wonderfully depressing character who embodies the phrase, “ignorance is bliss.”

In both the Broadway and movie versions, Fiyero enrolls in Shiz University — yes, he’s supposed to be in college; yes, Bailey is pushing 40.

Fiyero is quickly thrust into a love triangle between main characters Glinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), ultimately choosing to be with Elphaba despite her being deemed “The Wicked Witch of the West.”

At the conclusion of “Wicked,” Elphaba saves Fieryo’s life by turning him into the Scarecrow, who is actually a different version of the character known from “The Wizard of Oz.”

However, Bailey’s rise to becoming a household name began in 2020 when Netflix released Shonda Rhimes’ “Bridgerton,” a series based on Julia Quinn's Regency romance novels. The critically acclaimed adaptation is famous for its steamy tales of the opulent Bridgerton children finding suitable partners. Season 4 is set to release on Jan. 29, 2026, with Bailey reprising his role as Anthony Bridgerton.

I’ll admit, I've only seen parts of “Bridgerton” — specifically Season 2. And if you’ve watched the show, you know exactly why.

It was a Bailey sex-fest.

Anthony is a goddamn yearner. And if any girl says she doesn’t want her man to beg and plead for her to fold, I fear she’s lying. He might be

gay in real life, but Bailey knows his way around untying a corset. After all, Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) is the object of his desire.

In 2024, Bailey earned a 2024 Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries for his work in Showtime's “Fellow Travelers,” a thriller following two closeted gay men’s relationship spanning from the Lavender Scare to the AIDS epidemic.

Bailey played political staffer Tim Laughlin alongside costar Matt Bomer as his lover, Hawkins Fuller.

To state the obvious, the guy is on a roll. And to the men out there, Bailey is allegedly single, has an adorable cockapoo, named Benson and loves Legos. He’s also just a wonderful person. Sigh.

In an interview with GQ, the actor stated that in 2026, he’s stepping down from his busy schedule to focus on his charity, The Shameless

Fund, which raises money and awareness for the LGBTQ+ community.

There really was no competition for Sexiest Man Alive this year. Ignoring Bailey’s soft brown eyes, his ever-so-slightly salt-and-peppered hair and his irresistible accent would have been a crime against humanity.

Reflecting on the British Vogue article ‘Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing Now?’

By SOPHIE MURRAY Staff Writer

On Oct. 29, Journalist Chanté Joseph published an opinion article for British Vogue titled, “Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing Now?”

A few days after the article got published, having never read it before, I started noticing multiple TikTok videos saying things like, “Sorry, Vogue, but it’s not embarrassing to have a boyfriend,” or, “I have to disagree with Vogue, being openly in love is pretty cool.” Curious and confused, I decided to look up the article myself.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going in. Is it really a universal belief that having a boyfriend is now embarrassing? Why could this be? Being in a relationship and finding love and partnership is great, is it not?

But as I read it, I realized it wasn’t quite what I expected it to be.

Joseph begins by reflecting on the 2010s, when sharing your relationship online was almost a status symbol. Couples' content was everywhere and women were being praised for being in relationships. It was aspirational to have a boyfriend to show off.

“Women were rewarded for their ability to find and keep a man, with elevated social status and praise," Joseph wrote. “It became even more suffocating when this could be leveraged on social media.”

She describes how it felt as if everyone was once living in “boyfriend land,” where life revolved around having and maintaining a relationship.

Now, though, the dynamic has shifted. People are posting less about their partners and audiences seem uninterested, even put off, by seeing influencers’ boyfriends

showcased in their content.

Joseph refers to the “Delusional Diaries” podcast, fronted by two New York-based influencers, Halley Kate and Jaz, and their discussion on if having a boyfriend is lame now. One of the top comments on the podcast read, “Why does having a boyfriend feel Republican now?” “Boyfriends are out of style. They won’t come back until they start acting right,” read another.

Still, Joseph makes it clear that there is no shame in falling in love or actively trying to find love, but there’s also nothing wrong with not wanting a relationship. Many women are reclaiming single life, turning what was once seen as a lonely or undesirable status into something empowering. Ultimately, the shift challenges the old idea that a woman needs a man to be happy or successful.

After reading and digesting the purpose of the article, it was clear that people criticizing it online either didn’t read it or completely missed the point. The article is not saying women shouldn’t be in happy, healthy relationships. It’s celebrating the fact that we now live in a world where a woman’s worth isn’t

defined by her relationship status.

This message really resonates with Generation Z and Millennials, whose lives look completely different than the generations before them. Our parents' generations, mostly Generation X, typically married young, often between the ages of 23 to 26. My parents, both Generation X, got married at the age of 24. Now, Millennials and Generation Z are often waiting longer to settle down, and many women are choosing to live alone or with friends rather than moving straight in with a male partner.

For a lot of women, that’s groundbreaking. Many today are the first in their families to kind of independence. Not so long ago, women needed men to open bank accounts, to sign leases and to have any sort of mobility and flexibility in the world. That’s no longer the case. Women today are independent and self-sufficient. They’re not settling for relationships just to gain access to benefits they can now provide for themselves. What Joseph is really saying is that with this newfound freedom and flexibility, women would rather

live full, satisfying lives on their own than with some guy just because she’s required to follow a heteronormative script.

In 2025, the idea of being a “male-centric” woman, someone who shapes her identity around her boyfriend, feels outdated. Women have more opportunities and autonomy than ever before, so why should our entire personalities revolve around who we’re dating?

That’s why I was surprised by how many people online seemed angry instead of inspired. Even for women in relationships, this should feel empowering. It’s exciting that we live in a time that generations of women before us could only dream about. One where being single isn’t just a waiting room for a man to choose you, but a valid and joyful stage of life on its own.

It’s wonderful to add a boyfriend into your life when feeling whole on your own beforehand, and finding love is something worth celebrating. But we can’t keep romanticizing being male-centric when women have more independence and opportunity than ever before.

For the people criticizing this article online, it’s important to realize Joseph isn’t attacking love or relationships, but it’s a reflection on how far women have come. It challenges us to think about what it means to be fulfilled, independent and self-defined in a world that once told us our value depended on being chosen.

Regardless of your relationship status, the real takeaway is that women finally have the freedom to decide what happiness looks like for themselves, and that is worth celebrating.

ILLUSTRATIONBY

Everything but the turkey: A Thanksgiving cooking guide to ease the holiday stress

By SOPHIE MURRAY Staff Writer

As someone who loves to cook, Thanksgiving has always felt like my love language. Getting the opportunity to create a full menu and cook for the people I love is something I look forward to each and every year.

Food has a way of bringing people together, and it’s what makes Thanksgiving so special to me. Sharing what we’re thankful for, gearing up for the holiday season and enjoying a comforting home-cooked meal.

But for many, the preparation can be overwhelming. Hosting, planning and cooking can easily turn into a source of stress instead of joy. Not sure what to make, what everyone will enjoy or where to even start?

This is my Thanksgiving cooking guide that I have curated over my many years of trial and error in the kitchen. These recipes are simple, crowd-pleasing and stress-free. The only catch? You won’t find a turkey recipe here. Personally, I think turkey is the most overrated (and most stressful) part of the meal. So, this is everything but the turkey.

APPETIZERS

Appetizers are one of the best parts of Thanksgiving dinner, maybe because it’s like the calm before the storm. My family’s all time favorites are bacon wrapped dates. They’re the perfect balance of sweet, salty and chewy. All you have to do is stuff medjool dates with brie cheese, wrap a half piece of bacon around the date and bake at 400 F for 10 minutes. Brush honey and drizzle thyme on top and pop back into the oven until caramelized. They disappear fast.

Another staple is honey glazed carrots. Peel your carrots and chop them into two inch pieces. In a bowl, combine one-fourth cup honey, three minced garlic cloves, two tablespoons of melted butter, one tablespoon olive oil, cinnamon, ginger, salt and pepper. Toss in the glaze then put on a baking pan to cook at 350 F for 20 minutes.

STUFFING

My ultimate favorite Thanksgiving dish is stuffing. Boxed stuffing is fine in a pinch but a doctored up stuffing is even better because it’s still quick but tastes so much better. Start by swapping out the water for chicken

broth and adding half a stick of butter to boil together. On the stovetop, brown a package of ground sausage, then saute carrots and onions with the other half stick of butter. Season generously, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme are key. Once the broth mixture boils, add the stuffing mix and cook as directed. Combine everything, toss in as much garlic as you’d like, and you’ll have the easiest but most flavorful stuffing yet.

MAC & CHEESE

If I could only make one dish, it would be mac and cheese. It’s comforting, nostalgic and always a crowd favorite. The secret is to use the right cheese and the right pasta. You absolutely must hand shred — pre-shredded doesn’t melt right so don’t try and beat around the bush with it. Also, use cavatappi pasta because it holds the sauce the best.

I like a mix of mozzarella, colby jack and sharp cheddar cheese. Start by boiling your water and heavily salting it. Once boiling, add in your pasta and cook for around eight minutes. While your pasta cooks, shred the cheese by hand. Next, gather your seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. On a pan over medium heat, add three tablespoons of butter, let that melt down then add in your seasonings and let this cook together for 30 seconds to bloom. Then add three tablespoons of flour to create a roux and cook for two minutes. Next, slowly and gradually whisk in one can of evaporated milk and a tablespoon of dijon mustard. Slowly, add in two cups of heavy cream mixing in between each pour. Then, bring your heat to low and gradually add in half of your cheese mixture and slowly mix it together. Finally, add your pasta and start layering the mixture in a baking dish along with the rest of your cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 F for around 25 to 30 minutes.

MASHED POTATOES

Mashed potatoes were one of those dishes that took me a lot of trial and error. They were either an unappetising texture or extremely bland. But after lots of experimenting, I’ve cracked the code. Start by melting one and a half cups unsalted butter on the stove top with as many whole cloves of garlic as you’d like, I typically do five. Add one cup of heavy cream to the mixture and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Next you’re going to wash, peel and dice six pounds of russet

potatoes. Throw those in a large pot filled to the top with cold water and heavily salt the water. Bring to a boil on high heat for 10-12 minutes. Strain the potatoes then return back to the pot and let sit for five minutes for all of the excess moisture to evaporate. Now, the most tedious but necessary part is to strain the potatoes. If you have a potato ricer this is easy, but if not, use a strainer to mash the potatoes through to ensure no lumps – it’s necessary. From there, stir in your butter mixture to the potatoes along with salt, pepper and rosemary. Serve in a dish topped with freshly chopped chives and a chunk of butter.

DESSERT

Personally, there are always some things that will always be store bought in my family: cornbread, cranberry sauce and gravy are all things you will never catch me making homemade. But when it comes to dessert, I’m all in. I’ve never been a pie person, especially pumpkin pie, but bars are a different story.

Chocolate pecan pie bars are so delicious and

such an upgrade to basic pie. For the crust combine in a mixer one and a half cups flour, one-fourth cup of brown sugar, one stick of room temperature butter, two ounces of room temperature cream cheese, vanilla and salt. Pat down in a baking dish and cook at 350 F for about 10 minutes. While the dough is baking, make the filling. Whisk together threee-quater cups of honey, three-quarter cups brown sugar, two eggs, two tablespoons of room temperature butter, salt and vanilla. Set that to the side and chop two and a half cups pecans and four ounces of chocolate. Once the dough comes out of the oven, place the pecan chocolate mixture then pour over the sugar mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and place tin foil on top and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least two hours. This year, don’t stress too much about the process of cooking and planning a big meal. Cook with love, eat with joy and be grateful for the ones around your table because that’s what makes Thanksgiving truly special.

Quinnipiac student-run PR Agency directed content for Connecticut Innovations' Tour de CT

By MORGAN KOLOMER, TIM PATRICK AND GRACE CONNEELY-NOLAN

This fall, The Agency embarked on one of its biggest projects: managing social media content for Connecticut Innovations’ Tour de Connecticut from Sept.15-18, a four-day 200-mile bike ride across the state.

The Agency at Quinnipiac is a studentrun interdisciplinary firm that works with professional clients to carry out their ideas, consisting of social media, graphic design, content and copy and photography/video teams.

Connecticut Innovations (CI), headquartered in New Haven, is a venture capital firm that finances and supports start-up companies. The company manages nearly 250 portfolio companies across multiple industries, including biotech, IT, climate tech and consumer package goods. CI hosts Tour de Connecticut to display its passion and dedication to its clients.

“We created the Tour de Connecticut to showcase how closely connected— and uniquely ambitious—Connecticut’s

innovation ecosystem really is,” Matt McCooe, CEO of Connecticut Innovations, said. “This initiative is our way of celebrating founders, investors and partners who helped build something special here.”

Throughout the four-day bike ride, earlystage companies in CI’s portfolio traveled to various Connecticut attractions. The ride started in Stamford, and riders explored locations across Connecticut, from Dunkin’ Park to the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford. Riders crossed the finish line at Delamar Mystic on Sept. 18, completing one of Connecticut’s largest biking events.

“It’s such a unique way to experience our state, not just the scenery, but also the energy of riding together as a group,” Shari Cantor, mayor of West Hartford said. “It’s an opportunity to engage with local businesses, residents and communities along the way, while sharing in the camaraderie of the ride.”

ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHIE MURRAY

NICHOLAS PESTRITTO/ ILLUSTRATION BY REBECCA COLLINS AND RYAN LOPANO

Quinnipiac's student-run public relations firm created content for Connecticut Innovations' Tour de Connecticut event from Sept. 15-18.

Why we should be grateful for every moment we have with our grandparents

By ANTHONY ANGELILLO Staff Writer

I realize how fortunate I am to have my grandparents, but not everyone does. I have seven: four are alive, two have died and one I have never met. It is easy to overlook these relationships. Through stories, love and surprises, I have learned that our bonds with grandparents significantly influence our lives and the loss of one leaves a deep ache.

That is why it is important to cherish your grandparents while you can. When they are gone, the ground shifts and suddenly, every story feels priceless.

My Papa died on Thursday, Oct. 30. Losing him hit me harder than I expected. I had gone through this before and I was lucky to get to say goodbye days earlier. For one last time, it was just me talking to him, with the room to ourselves, telling him how he was the greatest grandfather a kid could ask for and that I loved him. It was not the suddenness of his death so much as the hollow space his presence has left behind. I miss his voice, his laugh and the times my brothers and I would play War and Go Fish with him.

My Grandpa Louie died on Nov. 17, 2023. I think about him a lot. I remember his signature greeting line of, “watcha doing?” and always saying that he was going to give me a knuckle sandwich. Moments such as visiting him, discussing life or when he let me drive his truck for the first time — I still remember whenever I drive that same truck, which is now mine. After a grandparent passes on, they continue to teach you, but you must learn to remember them on your own.

Research by ThedaCare shows that grandchildren with strong bonds to grandparents often have better emotional

health, stronger self-esteem and fewer behavioral problems. Grandparents also benefit from staying connected, which helps them stay mentally engaged and less isolated.

There are four still with me. My Nana, who was originally married to Grandpa Louie, later married my Papa after their divorce, is now living with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Watching her navigate this disease is painful, but there are still bright spots. Sometimes she remembers a story, other times she may ask the same question multiple times.

Through all that, she is still my Nana, who announced my birth inside Marshalls, where she worked, because her grandbaby

the person she was before the disease crept in. Yet in those moments when she smiles at me because she sees my face, or squeezes my hand when I am talking to her, I feel more thankful every day.

Additional studies by BMC Public Health show that grandchildren who have affectionate relationships with their grandparents show healthier habits and better emotional outcomes. Her memories might fade over time, but my love for her will last forever.

My Grandma was first married to my Grandpa Michael, who died in 1997. She then married my Grandpa Warren a few months after I was born. I still visit Grandpa Warren and Grandma in their nursing home. Sometimes it is awkward going down the same hallway, smelling the building, hearing stories I may have already heard. I still visit as much as possible because I realized what a gift those visits were.

When my grandparents were still getting settled into their nursing home, I would go on trips with my Grandpa Warren to their old house to pick things up. Once, we had to get a life-size wooden giraffe because why not? Walking through their nursing home carrying the giraffe was hilarious but worth it, considering these moments are on a supply-and-demand basis.

Each grandparent showed me a different version of love. Papa introduced me to U.S. presidents and bought me my first book when I was eight. He then created a custom book for me, filled with everything I could want and more. He kept adding things, and I am so thankful he did.

My Grandpa Louie taught me strength and toughness. Nana brings back memories, as I always call her my Granny Apple. Back in fourth grade, I won a contest by writing a letter to the Apple

Harvest Parade Committee about how much I love my Nana and we rode in the parade together. My Grandma brings resilience and kindness. Grandpa Michael brings a legacy and Grandpa Warren brings life stories.

Grandparents often help grandchildren make sense of where they came from, who they are and what they might still become. One study found that grandchildren who felt emotionally close to a grandmother reported healthier behaviors, such as better sleep and fewer risky habits.

These last few days, the grief has been sharp. My mind wanders to things I wish I had asked them, stories I try to remember.

Grief teaches you to value what you have while it is still here. It teaches you to call, visit, laugh and say “thank you,” because once that person is gone, you will regret not having done more.

In memory of my Grandpa Michael, whom I never got the chance to meet, I carry the idea that there was someone I would have loved to meet before me. Thanks to stories, I can still feel a connection to him.

To my late Papa Jay and Grandpa Louie, I thank you for your love, memories and the joy you brought into my life. I was fortunate to see both of them days before their passing, and although I never had a one-on-one goodbye with my Grandpa Louie, he told me to take care of my parents, and I will do everything I can to honor that promise.

If you have grandparents who have passed away, look at what they left you. If your grandparents are still here, ask them for one more story. Visit them again this weekend. Listen when they repeat themselves. Laugh when they joke around with you. Tell them you love and appreciate them. It holds more significance than you might realize.

The revival of vinyl records

The method in which people have listened to music has changed a lot over the last century. In the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s cassette tapes and compact discs became the primary way for people to listen to music. Today it’s music streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music that dominate the industry.

But for a majority of the 20th century, vinyl records were the preferred and only way to listen to one’s favorite artist, song or album without paying to see them live.

After being considered a dead industry for more than four decades, something miraculous happened. Vinyl record sales began to increase. In 2005 the record industry recorded $14.2 million dollars in total revenue. In 2022 the industry recorded $1.2 billion dollars in total revenue.

In the age of streaming and music finding a permanent home on the internet, music's oldest physical format is experiencing a renaissance unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.

Underneath all of the headlines is one question: After nearly fourty years of vinyl being phased out, why is it coming back now?

We can’t talk about the revival of vinyl without talking about “Record Store Day.”

The holiday was first founded in 2007 by a group of independent record store owners and employees in order to bring more awareness to the unique culture surrounding nearly 1,400 other independent stores around the country.

This day has seen new record pressings find its way into the hands of collectors. While you can find traditional vinyls at retail stores such as Target and Walmart, these different kinds of pressings can only be found at independent stores. This allows stores to compete with box chains in terms of sales, and contribute to making special edition vinyls into collectables.

American singer-songwriter

Taylor Swift’s latest studio album “The Life of A Showgirl” is a perfect example of the collectable culture the vinyl industry has. The basic pressing was announced hours after the album itself was announced. Over the course of the next two months, she would announce seven other record variants only sold on her website. Those variants are now considered rare because of their availability and limited supply.

However, it’s not just special edition records that fit that criteria. Collectors everywhere have vinyls that are considered rare, therefore increasing their value. Others have vinyl’s lack monetary value but hold immense emotional value.

As a collector myself, I have certain records in my collection that are special to me. Not because of the price, but because of the story behind them.

For my 18th birthday, two of my

friends got me Coldplay's third studio album “X&Y” as a gift. Our combined love of the band has been something the three of us have bonded over, making it an extra special record in my collection.

There’s also the aspect of ownership in record collecting that people resonate with. Whenever you buy or stream a song, you’re doing it on a platform that isn’t your own. But when you buy and listen to a vinyl record, you’re listening to your own copy of the song. It’s your copy that you’re playing on your own player. It's an indescribable feeling knowing that you have the physical version of a song or album that means so much to you.

Vinyl’s resurgence proves the longing desire that people have to be entertained by something real. To be entertained by something they can hold, touch and treasure. At the end of the day, vinyl’s comeback isn’t just about nostalgia — it’s about connection to the moments in our lives that can only be played through physical media.

Fourty years since its prime, vinyl exists not just as a method to tell stories, but a way to keep the love of music alive for the next generation.

By COOPER WOODWARD Staff Writer

ILLUSTRATION BY KATERINA PARIZKOVA

ILLUSTRATION BY KATERINA PARIZKOVA

How the 2025 World Series became the new benchmark for baseball greatness

By ANTHONY ANGELILLO Staff Writer

The 2025 MLB World Series delivered everything a baseball fan could ever want with thrills, twists, heartbreak and history. From the first pitch to the final out, the Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays offered seven games of nonstop drama that will be talked about for decades.

This series did more than crown a champion. It told a story filled with pressure, perseverance and moments that left millions stunned, surprised and in awe.

Game 1 saw Toronto stun Los Angeles with an 11-4 blowout, thanks to a monster nine-run sixth inning that saw a pinch-hit grand slam by outfielder Addison Barger, the first in World Series history.

This set the tone early. No lead would be safe and no game would follow a script. The Blue Jays, who had not won a title since 1993, came out swinging like they had nothing to lose. It was clear this was going to be a wild ride.

Los Angeles responded in Game 2 by demonstrating the resilience of a defending champion. Starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered a complete game, his second straight in the postseason, giving up only one run and striking out eight batters. His control, composure and confidence under pressure were evident throughout. This victory tied the series and showed the inconsistent nature of both teams’ offense heading back to Los Angeles.

What followed is perhaps the main reason I consider this Series an “all-time classic:” Game 3. Lasting 18 innings and nearly six hours, it tied the record for the longest World Series game in history. Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman made

history as the first player to hit multiple walk-off home runs in the World Series, while designated hitter/starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani reached base nine times and hit four extra-base hits, both tying postseason records. Although baseball games aren't meant to last this long, when they do, fans get to witness something legendary. Game 3 quickly became one of the most memorable postseason games of all time.

Just when the Dodgers seemed to take control 2-1 in the series, the Blue Jays stormed back. Game 4 went to Toronto, 6-2. Their response showed heart. Every time Los Angeles pulled ahead, Toronto found a way to answer. The Blue Jays, who already had a setback with outfielder George Springer's injury in the prior game, showed that they were still a serious threat, with stars like first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and second baseman Bo Bichette stepping up.

The Series continued to swing back and forth. Game 5 saw the Blue Jays win 6-1, thanks to back-to-back homers by outfielders Davis Schneider and Guerrero, bringing the series back to Toronto with only one win away from winning it all. Game 6 kept the tension high

throughout, but the Dodgers won 3-1 thanks to another gem from Yamamoto, timely hit in the third inning, and a ball that landed just right in the bottom of the ninth, which was enough to send this series to a Game 7 that did not disappoint.

Los Angeles secured a 5-4 victory, marking the first Game 7 decided by a home run in extra innings. Catcher Will Smith hit the go-ahead shot in the 11th, while Yamamoto returned to pitch the last three innings after just a day of rest. The series appeared finished after Bichette's three-run homer in the third. However, by the ninth, the score was 4-3 with Toronto ahead and closer Jeff Hoffman on the mound.

Then, an unlikely hero emerged.

Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas, typically valued more for his defense and known as one of the team's weaker hitters, tied the game with a solo homer, sending it into extra innings. This kind of ending captures what defines champions and leaves lasting legacies.

The Dodgers became the first team since the New York Yankees from 1998 to 2000 to win back-to-back championships. Yamamoto was named the World Series MVP after pitching 17-

2/3 innings, posting a 1.02 ERA and 15 strikeouts. He allowed 10 hits, two runs and two walks, and his performance was highlighted by three wins in the Series, marking the first time since Randy Johnson in 2001 that a pitcher achieved this feat.

Viewership numbers matched the drama. Game 7 drew over 51 million viewers worldwide, making it the most-watched baseball game in 34 years, since the 1991 World Series.

What set this series apart was the balance. Both teams had elite talent and both delivered under pressure. The Dodgers had big-name stars and postseason experience. The Blue Jays brought fresh energy and fearless hitting. The momentum never stayed on one side for long, keeping every game meaningful.

The international reach also shined through. MLB demonstrated that it is more global than ever. With Japanese dominance, Canadian pride and American tradition, the 2025 Series brought together fans from around the world with a shared passion. Merchandise and jersey sales along with social media trends confirmed what was already clear, thanks to the electric fans at every game.

As a student trying to keep up with homework, this series still managed to pull my attention away from every assignment. Each night, my schedule revolved around baseball. As a lifelong baseball fan, this series left me speechless more times than ever before. It truly was a magical series that will be very hard to top.

The 2025 World Series combined history, heartbreak and greatness into one unforgettable ride. It showed that even in a sport built on patience, sometimes all it takes is one swing to change everything.

Russell Westbrook always finds a way

By MICHAEL PETITTO Associate Sports Editor

Just before the opening tip-off of the NBA season, it seemed like it would be the first time in 18 years that Sacramento Kings point guard Russell Westbrook wouldn’t be suiting up to play.

Not even a month later, he’s proven himself once again.

The last five years have been a rollercoaster for Westbrook, who’s bounced around from team to team, transitioning from the role of superstar to a contributor off the bench.

The lowest point in Westbrook’s career came when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021. The team was never a fit for him. The Brodie didn’t play well during his two years in Showtime L.A., and fans let him know it.

During games and on social media, they would taunt him by calling him “Westbrick,” something that Westbrook or his family didn’t take lightly. It got so bad that he stopped bringing his kids to games.

“I don’t even want to bring my kids to the game,” Westbrook said via SportsCenter. “Because I don’t want them to hear people call their dad nicknames for no reason.”

The constant heckling alongside his decreased production marked rock bottom for Westbrook.

But as Russ always does, he took it in

stride, playing with the same heart and motor that won over so many fans in Oklahoma City during his days as an MVP candidate.

Last season, when Westbrook was a member of the Denver Nuggets, he averaged 13 points, five rebounds and six assists off the bench as a key contributor for Denver’s offense.

It wasn’t always perfect, but Westbrook silenced criticism about his style of basketball and made some key plays during Denver’s firstround playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

After bowing out in seven games the next series against the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook surprised many by declining his player option, becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Westbrook remained unsigned throughout the entire summer, until Oct. 16, when the nine-time All-Star signed a one-year deal with the Kings.

It was a strange scenario, as the Nuggets are yearly title contenders while the Kings have been struggling to make it past mediocrity for the last three years. Why decline that player option?

When the Kings local media.

“They didn’t want me back,” Westbrook said. “They told me not to pick up the player option. I don’t play anywhere I’m not wanted. I don’t need to.”

Right now, Westbrook has a place to call home, somewhere he is wanted. He’s found a new light in Sacramento, where he’s thriving both as a starter and off the bench.

As a starter, Westbrook is averaging 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists a game outstanding efficiency. And to start his time in Sacramento off with a bang, Russ turned back the clock against the Warriors of Nov. 5 with a 23 point, 14 rebound and 10 assist game, earning him his 204th career triple double.

Westbrook set a new record during that game as well. Those 14 rebounds were enough to make him the NBA’s all-time leader in rebounds for a guard, surpassing Hall of Famer Jason Kidd.

As Russ embarks on his 18th season in the league, it’s important not to take his presence on the court for granted. One day, he will retire and the league is a better place with Westbrook in it.

ILLUSTRATION BY KATERINA PARIZKOVA

Women's soccer falls to Canisius on penalty kicks in MAAC semifinals

By EMILY MARQUIS Staff Writer

HAMDEN — For the first time in four seasons, the Quinnipiac Bobcats season would end before the MAAC championship game. In its Thursday afternoon matchup, Quinnipiac would pull out every stop in its 2-1 semifinal loss to the Canisius Golden Griffins.

All sports are matters of mere inches and soccer is no exception. A single inch, left or right, can determine the fate of a season.

Quinnipiac’s matchup against Canisius was no different.

When the game began, it seemed that the Bobcats were going to be on the beneficial end of that principle. Pure effort on the offensive end in the opening five set the tone for the Quinnipiac side, with sophomore midfielder Addyson Earl starting the contest with a steal right in front of the Canisius goal.

The subsequent shot was just barely blocked by a Griffins defender, but the momentum was already established in the Bobcat’s favor. A small Canisius push for possession in the middle of the first wasn’t enough to change the feeling of the game.

This contest was Quinnipiac’s to lose.

As the half progressed, the familiar chippiness that Quinnipiac came to expect against Canisius began to rear its ugly head. The increased physicality echoed the ghosts of the Bobcats last bout with the Griffins — a 2-0 victory that was more memorable for its frustrating officiating than for the gameplay itself.

As the first half clock steadily ticked toward minute 45 of play, Quinnipiac would once again have another great chance. Down the near sideline, the Bobcats would execute a near perfect give and go, opening up a cross for senior forward Morgan Cupo.

The cross sailed cleanly through the box, missing multiple Bobcats by mere inches, harmlessly rolling out of bounds for a Canisius corner.

That remained the tale of the tape for both sides. A few close range chances missed just off target, or just wide or were scooped up by both goalkeepers; Quinnipiac sophomore Olivia Jarvis and Canisius freshman Chloe Tseros.

Quinnipiac came into this contest with one of the strongest defensive groups in the MAAC in the second half of the season, only allowing two goals in the entire month of October. That defensive prowess showed against the Griffins, only allowing three shots

on goal in regulation. After staving off first half pressure from Canisius, it was the offensive effort that would shine in the second.

Quinnipiac amped up its offensive attack. Earning only two corners in the first half, it was as if the Bobcats flipped a switch in the second. Nine corner kicks had the Griffins on their heels, with the offensive attack forcing Canisius to pack its defense tight into the penalty area.

Once again, the Bobcats seemed to be in total control.

Then, on a simple breakout, the entire trajectory of the game changed.

er Marina Mahon that initiated the trip.

If Mahon’s foot was a couple inches forward when Cregan stumbled, or had Cregan fallen a couple inches back from where she did, perhaps this call wouldn’t have been so impactful.

But it was.

The referee confirmed the penalty kick, and Cregan took her opportunity to bury the dead ball for the Griffins. 1-0.

The Bobcats, despite the manner of Canisius goals, didn’t quit, sustaining pressure on the opposite end before an eerily similar play materialized on the opposite

time’s conclusion nearly put the game on ice, foiled only by an off-target Cupo header.

Despite the pressure going into a golden-goal overtime, head coach Dave Clarke and the rest of the squad seemed cool and collected. Even with the influx of youth on this team unfamiliar with collegiate playoff pressure, the team remained composed.

“You have to take the pressure off them,” Clarke said. “They haven’t dealt with (overtime) because it’s not in the regular season.”

judgement in those situations is objectively difficult.

When Canisius’s junior forward Maggie Cregan tripped on the edge of the penalty box, every person in the stadium understood the magnitude of this decision. Everyone understood the implications of a penalty kick 49 minutes into a scoreless semifinal game.

It was so important that the referee stopped the contest, stopped the clock and went to confirm if it was freshman defend -

This time, Canisius would commit a foul at close range. The takedown would leave the ball in the hands of

rey Andersson, who would perfectly drive a freekick from just beyond the half-circle, inches past Tseros’ outstretched fingertips, to tie the score.

The stadium erupted and there was an overwhelming feeling that whoever broke the tie would be the one to win the contest.

Quinnipiac seemed dead set on making sure it was its squad that left Hamden happy after the goal. Pressure only increased, mounting as the minutes turned to seconds on the game clock. A corner near regulation

In overtime, the Bobcats continued to fight hard. For much of the first ten-minute overtime period and almost the entirety of the second, Quinnipiac retained possession and pressure, pounding the Griffins with an additional four shots by the end of both periods.

One such shot even seemed to cross the goal line. On one of Quinnipiac’s five corners during the second overtime period, it appeared that Cupo punched the ricocheting ball over the line before it was cleared.

It was too close to call. On the Canisius side, the ball was just inches from crossing the line before a breath-taking defensive play saved the season. For the Bobcats, the ball was the final lucky break in a game where execution was near impossible to come by.

The officials once again went to video review, but technical difficulties made the action void. The Bobcats were left with no goal, and were back on the field with only eight minutes to make magic happen before penalty kicks.

Unfortunately for Quinnipiac, the game would go to the latter.

“It’s a great way to win. It’s a terrible way to lose,” Clarke said.

Terrible didn’t begin to describe it. Hundred and ten minutes of soccer, and the entire season, decided by ten shots.

And unfortunately, even with a valiant effort by Jarvis to keep fighting off the Griffins penalty kicks, it would be too much. Quinnipiac would lose its first game to Canisius in eleven seasons, with the Griffins advancing to the MAAC finals 4-3 on penalty kicks.

“For the game we had and the domination, the corners, the chances, the clearances…credit to them,” Clarke said.

As the Griffins celebrated the victory, the Bobcats came together one final time to watch. Silent and somber, the 2025 Quinnipiac women’s soccer team stood on the field together one final time.

Past and present Bobcats showcased in the 2025 Rivalry Series

By CLAIRE FRANKLAND Sports Editor

Team USA and Team Canada will face off in a four-game matchup for the 2025 Rivalry Series, and some familiar faces for Quinnipiac women’s ice hockey will participate, including former defenseman and captain ‘20 Kati Tabin, as well as assistant coach Brent Hill.

KATI TABIN

Former Quinnipiac defender Tabin will appear in the Rivalry Series for Team Canada, as the Winnipeg native played for the Bobcats from 2016 to 2020, proving to be a strong defensive asset.

In her freshman campaign, Tabin recorded two goals and five assists, appearing in 32 games for the Bobcats, while blocking 24 shots. In returning to Hamden for her sophomore season, she doubled her point total to 14, coming off three goals and 11 assists. She

would further nearly double her blocked shots total, ending the season with 47, the second highest on the team.

In her final season in Hamden, Tabin was named captain of the Bobcats, recording 18 points, on five goals and 13 assists, with a plus-nine on-ice rating.

“She is such a wonderful skater, like, just so explosive, and how she could create time and space for herself,” head coach Cass Turner said. “I think she found her footing in terms of herself as a leader…she’s the first player in our program’s history to play on the Canadian Senior National Team.”

After departing from Hamden, she was drafted No. 30 overall in the Professional Women’s Hockey League by the Montreal Victoire. In her professional career thus far, Tabin has tallied 14 points, coming on five goals and nine assists.

during the Rivalry Series, serving as assis tant coach for the Bobcats for

five full seasons.

sons in Hamden, Hills’ leadership has resulted in the Bobcats’ power play sit ting in the top 10 consistently, while also be ing ranked among the top teams nationally in scoring, according to Quinnipiac Athletics.

extensive coaching experience, coaching for the USA Hockey U18 Women’s National Team at the 2015 IIHF Women’s World Championships, Merrimack College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

TYLER MIGNAULT/CHRONICLE

Quinnipiac women’s soccer embraces one another after losing to Canisius in penalty kicks during the MAAC Semifinals on Nov. 7.

Men's ice hockey falls to Yale 4-2 for the first time since 2018

By ALEXANDRA MARTINAKOVA Editor-in-Chief

NEW HAVEN — It was the words “Yale Wins” that danced on the videoboard in Ingalls Rink above Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey’s heads Friday night. The Bobcats fell 4-2 to the Bulldogs in their ECAC opener — their first loss to Yale since 2018.

On paper, Quinnipiac should’ve won. The Bobcats are the No. 5 team in the nation, Yale hasn’t been nationally ranked since 2011. They haven’t lost to the Bulldogs in 2,826 days on a 17 game win streak in the Battle of Whitney Avenue. Quinnipiac was 5-2-2 on the season, while this was Yale’s third game.

Even in this Friday night game, the Bobcats outshot the Bulldogs 63 to 38, with 27 shots-ongoal to Yale’s 23. Six powerplays. Thirty-seven faceoffs won to Yale’s 19. The numbers are clearly pointing in Quinnipiac’s favor.

But at the end of the day, those numbers mean nothing. Hockey is an unpredictable game, and Yale showed Quinnipiac just how unpredictable it can be.

“We struggled,” head coach Rand Pecknold said. “It’s a struggle right now, it’s a battle. We got kids with no confidence, no buy-in.”

However, Quinnipiac came out of the gate swinging when freshman winger Ethan Wyttenbach grabbed the puck off of a turnover and found his linemate, freshman forward Antonin Verreault, in front of Yale’s net for the first goal of the night, a little over two minutes into the game.

Eight minutes later, senior defender Charlie Leddy’s one-timer, and first goal of the season, put the Bobcats into a two-nothing lead.

A comfortable start, one might say. Maybe a little too comfortable, as the game didn’t stay unanswered for long, and the Bobcats would not find the back of the net again.

Three minutes later, Yale’s junior winger David Andreychuk caught a pass and shot from the far circle, sliding the puck right in between junior goaltender Dylan Silverstein’s pads, putting the Bulldogs up on the board.

It must’ve lit a fire under Quinnipiac as it posed 10 shots straight after, none of which came even close to crossing that red goal line, with Yale’s sophomore netminder Noah Pak posting 25 saves on the night with a .926 save percentage.

“Pak was the best player on the ice tonight, he was outstanding,” Pecknold said. “I thought

Yale played great.”

On the other side of the ice, Silverstein recorded 19 saves with a .826 save percentage, his third worst in his collegiate career.

Whether it was the energy from the alumni crowd or just a point to be proven, Yale had it out for Quinnipiac tonight. The Bulldogs’ physical game would result in six power plays for the Bobcats, which would ultimately remain unsuccessful. On the other hand, and a positive note, Yale did not score on its two power play opportunities either.

A bit of a backwards statistic for a team like Quinnipiac that is No. 19 in the nation on power play percentage but No. 35 in penalty killing percentage.

“We gotta play to our identity, obviously we didn’t do that tonight but it’s a work in progress,” Pecknold said. “We’re immature as a team right now but we will figure it out.”

Two times there were instances where the game would go without stoppage for over five minutes, with a lot of scoring opportunities for the Bobcats.

“When there’s no whistles, you gotta play four lines so that’s what we did,” Pecknold said. “We have good depth, but a lot of the guys struggled. They struggled in the first and they couldn’t reset. That’s a staple at Quinnipiac, we’re always good at resetting so we don’t waste a game, but we got some guys that struggled. We’ll get better.”

Fourteen minutes into the second period, sophomore defenseman Elliott Groenewold heads to the box for interference. Six seconds later, Andreychuk joins him for hooking.

Four-on-four play. Yale’s senior center Elan Bar-Lewise shoots the puck from behind his net all the way to Quinnipiac’s blue line, where freshman center James Shannon is waiting for it.

The former Quinnipiac commit snipes a shot to the top left past Silverstein and ties the game with his first collegiate career goal, 16 minutes into the second.

“He’s a great kid, I thought he was one of the best players,” Pecknold said. “He’s playing hard, I wish it wasn’t against us, but he’s a really good kid.”

For the next 20 minutes of play, the Bobcats would try and shoot and try again, but every single one of their attempts was denied. Even with the six penalty minutes Yale amassed just this period, every Quinnipiac shot was either blocked or just wide.

You don’t score, you get scored on, or however that saying goes. Yale took that literally.

With less than four minutes left in regulation, senior center David Chen’s backhander finds the back of the net as Silverstein looks to the other side expecting the puck behind the net, not in it.

Last time Yale scored three goals on Quinnipiac was on Feb. 9, 2018, coincidentally also the last game the Bulldogs won over the Bobcats.

And they weren’t done breaking the streaks tonight. With a wide open net after Pecknold pulled Silverstein out with 2:40 to go in regulation, sophomore winger Ronan O’Donnell drove the puck in 17 seconds before the final buzzer.

The last time Yale scored four goals on Quin-

nipiac was during the 2013 NCAA Championship game, when the Bulldogs shut out the Bobcats for the national title.

And so the Bulldogs took the win and the bragging rights for the foreseeable future. You can’t change the outcome of a game. Dwelling on it is not going to help anything. The only thing Quinnipiac can do now is take this loss and learn from it going forward. After all, there’s still at least 26 more games in the season. And Pecknold has a clear outlook for the future games.

“We’re gonna play better.”

Quinnipiac will travel to Providence, Rhode Island, to face the Brown Bears on Saturday. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.

Quinnipiac field hockey moves to NEC as associate member

By MICHAEL PETITTO Associate Sports Editor

around the program after going 2-16 last season, is optimistic about rejoining the conference.

“We are excited for the next chapter in our pursuit of chasing championships and creating

a decade, and cannot wait to see what the fall of 2026 holds for us in the NEC.”

The Bobcats will see at least one familiar foe in the NEC, as rival Fairfield University field

pete in the NEC Field Hockey Championship and play for the NEC’s automatic bid for the

Quinnipiac field hockey announced Monday via a press release that the team has accepted an

icut on Oct. 31.

The Bobcats, who finished 10-8 on the year and 5-4 in Big East play, once again find themselves back in the NEC. Quinnipiac served as a

TYLER MIGNAULT/CHRONICLE

Quinnipiac and Yale men’s ice hockey shake hands after the Bulldogs defeat the Bobcats 4-2.

In a sport where height is key, Quinnipiac volleyball doesn't see it as one

By JAMES NOLAN Staff Writer

Author Arthur G. Lewis once wrote, “It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.”

Sports are littered with success stories of undersized individuals. Less common is the story, and triumph, of an undersized team.

Yet, the Quinnipiac Bobcats volleyball team just clinched another ticket to the MAAC Tournament.

It comes as no shock.

Since their 2022 conference title, they have lost just nine games against MAAC competition, been to the championship game twice and won two MAAC Player of the Year awards, in 2023 with senior outside hitter Ginevra Giovagnoni and in 2024 with graduate opposite Elena Giacomini. The list goes on, but the point is that Quinnipiac has solidified itself as a prime contender within the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

It has accomplished all of that as one of the shortest teams in the conference.

It’s not that height is all that matters in volleyball, but it certainly helps. At its core, it is a sport revolving around attempts at keeping the ball up and putting it down.

fourth shortest team in the MAAC, with a mean height of 69.93 inches, or a tad over 5-foot-8.

The tallest player in the conference is Emily Sawyer, a middle blocker for Sacred Heart University, who is listed at 6-foot-6. The Bobcats were more than able to shut her down, limiting her to just nine kills across seven sets in two matchups.

After the second meeting between the Pioneers and Bobcats, Quinnipiac senior middle blocker Milena Silva spoke about what it took to stop Sawyer.

“It’s more about me adjusting than about her,” Silva said. “It’s more about us, not the tallest player in the MAAC.”

Of course, being the taller team doesn’t have a one-on-one correlation with winning volleyball games. Manhattan, which has gotten comfortable in the cellar of the MAAC standings, is tied for second with an average height of 71.90 inches. Meanwhile, Fairfield, the two-time reigning champion of the conference, is not in the upper half of average height.

Let’s take a moment to compare just the starters of Quinnipiac and Fairfield, as determined by most sets played, as shown in

They are the shortest front row in the conference, when averaging a team’s middle blockers, outside and opposite hitters. The Bobcats come out to a height of 70.91 inches in the front, with every other team operating above 71 inches.

That’s part of the reason the Bobcats rank second-to-last in both blocks per set (1.55) and blocks allowed per set (2.86).

“We try to make up for it in other areas, we try to neutralize that by serving well,” Robinson said.

To Robinson’s credit, the team has done just that. The Bobcats rank first among MAAC teams with service aces per set with 1.82. On the flip side, they only allow 1.31 against them, the second-best mark in the conference.

It’s more than just that, though; Robinson has fostered a culture in Hamden obsessed with winning and connectedness.

“Anyone who gives to the game and anyone that I am connected to, that I’ve coached, they’re everything to me,” he said.

Two of those former athletes who are “everything” to Robinson include outsider hitter/opposite Aryanah Diaz ‘23 and opposite Alexandra Tennon ‘24. The pair appeared in the stands of Burt Kahn Court on consecutive days in October.

Diaz and Tennon were both a part of that 2022 Championship team. They stand at 5-foot4 and 5-foot-8, respectively, but totaled 1,068 and 620 kills over their careers with the Bobcats.

“I love that they stop in. That’s part of the legacy we’ve been talking about,” Robinson said. “Like the old Quinnipiac volleyball, we dumpster fired that thing, right? We let it burn down, and we’ve been rebuilding this thing from the ashes. And part of that rebuild is having a love for this place.”

Perhaps it is that love of Hamden that has seen the Bobcats lose just three games at home in the past three seasons.

You can’t teach height, sure, but the other side of that coin is that you can’t teach heart, something the Bobcats have been second to none.

comes quite evident, with the only Bobcat outright taller than their Stag counterpart being junior outside Leilani-kai Giusta. Of course, when the Stags visited Hamden, the

son. After the game, Quinnipiac’s head coach

“There’s just some things I don’t worry about when I coach,” Robinson said. “If a girl hits a ball a foot over one

QUINN O’NEILL/CHRONICLE