The Quinnipiac Chronicle, Volume 96, Issue 12

Updated parking policy at Hilltop Lot frustrates students

Quinnipiac University students are experiencing confusion and inconvenience as a new policy was implemented for parking at Hilltop lot, preventing them from entering campus at the service entrance.

A document outlining the new short-term parking policy states that “the intent is to provide convenient, temporary access to the main cam-

pus area while maintaining overall parking availability and campus safety.”

The implementation of the new policy has prevented sophomore students, with a U2 parking pass for students with 27-56 credits, from entering campus at all.

“(The Public Safety officer) saw my sticker up in the front, and he was like ‘you can’t come in here at all,’ and I was confused. Why can’t I

come in?” Layla Cox, a sophomore in the film, television and media 3+1 program, said.

She was told not to enter campus at the service entrance next to the College of Arts and Sciences because sophomores are not permitted to park in Hilltop Lot.

First-year and sophomore students are not

See PARKING Page 2

Student organizations collaborate in ‘Voices for Palestine’ event

By LILLIAN CURTIN

Quinnipiac University’s Students for Social Justice and Multicultural Student Leadership Council held a collaborative panel event on Nov. 13 called “Voices for Palestine,” featuring panelist speakers that focused on “education, dialogue, and collective reflection on Palestinian identity, resistance and the power of community in shaping liberation.”

The panel featured speakers Basel Alnajjar, Layan Alnajjar and Sam Pudlin.

Siblings Basel and Layan Alnajjar, Palestinian-Syrian activists, are cofounders of the non-profit organization We Will Return, “Fighting for the liberation of our homeland through activism, humanitarian aid, and education.” They grew up in Hartford, but their mother was born in Palestine.

Pudlin is the founder of the Hartford Jewish Organizing Collective (HJOC) and a charter member of the Connecticut Palestine Solidarity Coalition.

The event was moderated by SSJ Co-Presidents Xiomara Saavedra-Vicente and Mariam Saad and SSJ’s Vice-President and MSLC President Tahira Jilu. The organizations began collaborating in spring 2025 to plan the event.

The event opened with discussion of how identity has shaped the panelists’ activism. Basel reflected on his Muslim ethnicity and religion

“These three identities paired into effect, really just motivated me and inspired me to be-

come an artist,” Basel said. “You see your family going through occupation, going through ethnic cleansing, going through restriction of movement that’s going on over there.”

Layan explained it from a different perspective: academically and professionally. She graduated from the University of Connecticut with a major in marketing and a minor in management, with a concentration in digital marketing analytics.

Layan explained that it’s helpful to use your biggest strengths to contribute to the movement.

“For me, I’m good at marketing, I’m good at social media, I’m good at engagement metrics, I’m good at making flyers,” Layan said. “So I inserted myself in the movement in that way.”

Pudlin agreed that identity plays a large role in activism.

“(HJOC) is designed to organize on an affinity basis,” Pudlin said. “(Affinity organization) allows you to create these small communities that can be so much more durable than other types of political organization, that can really get people together, bonded.”

The panelists also described the barriers they’ve faced when it comes to advocacy. Basel spoke from the perspective of a former college student, reflecting on his time at UConn.

“Every single thing that we tried to do was shut down by (administration),” Basel said.

Layan highlighted a protest held at UConn by the Students for Justice in Palestine in

2021, where the organization, Hillel, passed out “Islamophobic pamphlets” at the protest, which conflated Islam and the pro-Palestine movement with terrorism.

In 2024 Quinnipiac’s Students for Justice in Palestine was the original name of Students for Social Justice. However, the University’s Office of Student Engagement denied the organization until the name was changed, according to a statement made by SSJ at the time.

Layan continued that one of the biggest barriers is the silence from your universities and employers. She said to “expose” them by taking to social media and documenting what is going on.

Pudlin noted that he’s known people who have lost their jobs and been harassed for their involvement in activism.

“It can get bad, but at the end of the day, that’s just blackmail,” Pudlin said, adding that you can’t be blackmailed if everything you stand for is already made public.

When asked about anti-semitism, he said that, “This conflation of opposition to Israel with anti-Semitism puts us in real, physical danger.”

He noted a specific example.

“We are moving rapidly from a point where they say all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic to only criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic,” Pudlin said. “When Elon Musk threw a hand for a salute, they were the first ones out there saying,

Physician Assistant program taken off probation after two years

Quinnipiac University’s Physician Assistant program has been taken off of probation after two years. The PA program was originally put on probation in November 2023, after numerous students had filed complaints.

These complaints claimed that the PA program failed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“My understanding is that there was a 10 year accreditation visit from the Accreditation Review Commission of the physician assistant… they determined that the program was not in compliance with the accreditation standards,” Trenton Honda, dean of the School of Health Sciences said.

The PA program was originally put on probation after a lawsuit filed in 2022 accused Quinnipiac officials of failing to accommodate a student’s mental health disability, according to an investigation done by The Chronicle.

Additionally, “several former physician assistant students came forward in the weeks after the student filed the suit… calling the program’s environment ‘unsupportive,’ ‘militaristic,’ ‘toxic’ and ‘cutthroat.’”

The program was also accused of punishing students with disabilities “by placing them on probation, suspension or dismissal instead of seeking ways on how to better support them.”

In response to these allegations, a letter was sent to the Connecticut DOJ.

The letter read, “The discriminatory treatment, including the culture of mental health stigma created by the PA faculty, has been a destructive force for these students and their families… We ask that your department investigate these claims and hold QU and the PA faculty accountable and responsible for any actions that you deem harmful and illegal to students, past and present,” according to The Chronicle.

Since then, faculty have been working to meet these standards.

“Our faculty worked incredibly hard to respond to all of the citations that they gave us,” Jocelyn Depathy, interim program director and chair physician assistant studies said. “We had incredible support from our administration… and they were instrumental in really giving us the support and resources that we needed.”

After addressing concerns and citations, the Accreditation Review Commission (ARC), “came and did a repeat SITE visit to look at those things that they had said we needed to address… immediately upon them leaving, they noted no observations, which means they didn’t note anything that needed to be fixed,” Depathy said.

Prior to these efforts, the university also created a non-discrimination clause, to ensure its “commitment to ‘providing equal educational opportunities and full participation for students with disabilities,’” according to the report by the Chronicle.

Fortunately, the probation did not have any effects on the students. But it required “a tremendous amount of very hard work” from “dedicated expert faculty,” Honda said.

Depathy also mentioned that the PA program maintained higher than average first time pass rates on the PANCE, their certifying exam.

Additionally, any graduate students seeking employment six months after their graduation were employed, she added.

“I want to emphasize that there has never been any question about the high quality of the education that’s provided by our expert faculty in the program,” Honda said.

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University's General Curriculum put under review

By ADRIANA CERBONE Staff Writer

Quinnipiac University students are required to take a few general education courses along with core classes that align with their major. This curriculum launched in fall 2015 and now, 10 years later, it is under review.

The University Curriculum integrates courses such as first-year seminar, first-year writing, mathematics, social science, humanities, fine arts and natural science. The courses allow students to gain an education outside of their desired major to expose them to different perspectives.

After a decade, a review of the University Curriculum is being launched.

Vice President for Academic Innovation & Effectiveness Annalisa Zinn believes that this curriculum is more than a set of requirements.

Zinn says that the curriculum is the heart. It’s how Quinnipiac professors and advisors prepare their students to be successful in their future by learning how to navigate through complex situations and respond to any challenges and opportunities that come up.

“This is a moment to think creatively about how we can design a general education experience that is not only distinctive to our institution, but also deeply relevant to the world our students are entering,” Zinn wrote in an email to The Chronicle. “It’s a chance to shape a curriculum that equips students with the intellectual tools, cross-disciplinary thinking, and adaptable skills they need to lead, contribute, and thrive after graduation.”

According to Zinn, it is Quinnipiac’s goal to ensure that the University Curriculum courses help students prepare for their future.

“We are in the early stages of reviewing the UC,” Director of General Education Jill Fehleison wrote. “Our initial focus will be on what students need from their general education and what structure would best deliver the curriculum.”

Many other colleges and universities are looking to change, or have already changed, their

PARKING from cover

permitted to park in Hilltop Lot during weekdays. Any student with a valid parking pass may park in Hilltop Lot on the weekends starting on Friday at 5 p.m. until Monday 5 a.m.

“It’s crazy. I’m just going to go pick people up,” Cox said.

Many students have similar experiences from the past few weeks. Some have had their licenses taken at the gate in exchange for a 20-minute parking pass issued by Public Safety. Licenses are only returned to students as they leave campus.

“If a student does not have a valid parking permit for Hilltop and wishes to drop off passengers or groceries, they may request a 20 minute temporary pass.” Elizabeth Brown, executive director of One Stop, in coordination with the Department of Public Safety, wrote to The Chronicle.

This policy is a new addition to the existing parking rules and regulations.

“Drivers who are dropping off passengers must provide the gate officer a form of identification (driver’s license or student ID). They will be given a temporary pass and granted access for a 20-minute period. The driver will receive their identification back when they return the pass to the officer at the gate,” Brown wrote.

The document outlining these changes will be integrated into the existing parking policy this summer in preparations for the 2026-27 school year.

As of now, “The document was recently developed to ensure that the policy is clear and was shared with all Public Safety officers and One Stop Employees,” Brown wrote.

The new policy has left students confused and irritated as they try to navigate parking on main campus.

curriculum as well.

According to Fehleison, most schools regularly review and revise their curriculum based on assessment and the needs of the students

The University of Connecticut is implementing a new common curriculum this year for all first-year and readmitted students for leadership and global citizenship.

State-level legislative actions in Ohio, Utah and Florida are reshaping the general education requirements to focus on civics and Western civilization. They are also banning specific gender and race courses.

First-year occupational therapy major Alexia Pawlow finds the university curriculum courses at Quinnipiac to be useful, for the most part.

“I think that the basic math, English and science courses are necessary to take, because they are common skills that go into your everyday life as an OT,” Pawlow said. “However, being forced to take a film, or criminal justice class doesn’t relate to my major whatsoever, so in a way I feel it’s pointless.”

Pawlow also mentioned how English is an important course that she would take, even if it was not necessary. She believes you must know “how to dissect articles” to understand what people say in any major or field.

First-year applied business major Megan Barnes had a different take than Pawlow.

“I think that the University Curriculum should not be required because if we are paying for our courses then we should be able to choose what classes we want to take,” she said.

Senior interdisciplinary studies and special education major Kayla Dupper had a different opinion; she believes that university curriculum is important and the building block for her future career.

“Learning different subjects and topics helps me develop a sense of comfort as I know I will be dealing with all subjects in the future,” Dupper said.

Although Dupper finds the curriculum im-

“It does not make sense that the people who live on main campus cannot park on main campus,” Lauren Fadairo, a sophomore data science and business analytics double major, said.

Many students share her frustration. Some students are concerned that the new policy is unnecessary given the existing parking policy.

“They’re not worried about the fact that we’re going to stay in there because if we stay there, we’re going to get a ticket anyway,” Fadairo said.

So far, the new policy has only created more inconvenience for students as they struggle to understand the logistics.

“If they take the (student ID) card,

portant, she worries that it may affect and not cointeract with her specific major classes that are necessary for graduation. Besides this, she finds general education necessary for the improvement of academics and skills.

“General education improves people’s academics and real world skills by improving their ability to understand and communicate effectively with others in any field,” Dupper said.

Quinnipiac’s curriculum blends a mixture of foundational knowledge and skills that are needed to succeed in future careers and adapt quickly to different situations and environments.

The curriculum consists of 15 core courses or 46 academic credits that must be taken throughout your undergraduate experience.

“I think the Quinnipiac University curriculum is well organized and helps students build useful skills. It seems balanced, with a mix of core classes and classes focused on each individual major,” Sebastian Thomas, a sophomore finance major, said. “Overall, Quinnipiac University’s plan supports students in learning and preparing for their future careers.”

Students have a wide variety of different classes they can take to fulfill these credits, providing students with many options to pick classes they are genuinely interested in.

Junior psychology major Melia Peragine was undeclared in the College of Arts and Sciences for almost two years. The university curriculum allowed her to explore random classes and majors while still getting the necessary credits.

“Though this benefitted me, I know people who knew what they wanted to pursue and hated that they had to take random classes just to fill credit. To better prepare people for their future careers, having a hands-on requirement could help (internship, volunteer, certification),” Peragine said.

We will have to see what changes, if any, come from the review of classes being conducted.

how are they even going to get in (to their dorm)?” Fadairo said.

Many students are left wondering why this policy was created and what to do going forward.

“I mean, I get it. You don’t want people to go in there if they’re not supposed to, and you don’t want campus to be in any danger, but I am a Quinnipiac student. So I don’t understand why I’m not allowed to go in there and pick someone up or drop someone off,” Cox said.

Students looking for more information regarding parking rules and regulations can find them on the parking page of the Quinnipiac website.

Students without the proper parking pass wishing to park in Hilltop Lot are given a 20-minute parking pass and must leave their driver’s license with the Public Safety officer at the gate.

Quinnipiac Democrats are absent from campus again

By AVA HIGHLAND News Editor

The student organization Quinnipiac University Democrats is once again no longer running on campus. The club had a seven-year hiatus beginning in 1996 and was brought back in 2003. Now, it faces an absence again.

The club gave students the opportunity to learn more about political topics or issues and served as an outlet for discussion.

Nearby universities including Sacred Heart, Yale, Fairfield and University of Connecticut all still have active Democrat organizations.

Former Quinnipiac Democrats president and senior political science and history double major Nick Fizzano joined the club during his first year at Quinnipiac in 2022. At the time the executive board was made up of only seniors, which led Fizzano to become the next president halfway through his first year.

“It was a good opportunity for people to talk about things, or even just listen to things that maybe they normally wouldn’t discuss,” he said. “Quinnipiac isn’t a particularly political campus, so I think having that outlet, was really particularly good for our members. But I also know people who weren’t members, who came to one or two

events and really had a good time.”

Fizzano noted a couple of reasons for the club no longer running, one being a common reason among any club.

“Every time you get a political (organization), it’s one or two people who have found five to 10 people who are interested and willing to show up and willing to keep it running,” Fizzano said. “But that maxes out at four years.”

Fizzano also noted an additional reasoning, in regard to the Quinnipiac College of Republicans.

“Quinnipiac University Democrats have always done worse when the College Republicans have done worse.”

Fizzano explained that during his time in Quinnipiac Democrats, the College Republicans had low membership or were inactive.

“When you have a non-political campus, where people really aren’t engaged, unless there’s something to be engaged against, there’s really no interest,” Fizzano said. “What’s the point of Democrats without Republicans?”

With the now absence of Quinnipiac Democrats, Fizzano nodded to the Quinnipiac Political Science Association, which stands as one of the few remaining political organizations. Fizzano noted that QPSA “has kind of taken on the lead role as the political organization on campus.”

While still running, the Quinnipiac Democrats hosted a variety of events including guest speaker events, bingo and watch parties.

“We did the things that normal clubs would do, plus a couple of political things,” Fizzano said.

The Quinnipiac Democrats also collaborated with the Quinnipiac College of Re -

publicans to host annual debates, discussing a variety of current issues and topics.

Fizzano hopes to see the club re-emerge once again at Quinnipiac, noting that several students have expressed interest to him in wanting to restart it.

“Really I’d just like to see a more engaged student body at Quinnipiac,” Fizzano said.

‘No, it’s not so bad. He’s a good guy, right? Don’t worry too much about it.’ It’s appalling.”

It’s not just universities that try to silence you. Basel said that sometimes it’s your own community, too.

“You’re supposed to essentially assimilate into the American mindset,” Basel said.

When asked about misconceptions regarding Palestine, Layan says that Palestinians are seen as argumentative and aggressive, but in reality, they don’t want to be fighting.

Pudlin explained that he was taught those misconceptions.

“We are taught most of us, almost all of us, in our homes, in Hebrew school, at summer camp, some of the most outrageously racist, Islamophobic things you will ever hear in your life,” Pudlin said.

Layan added to this sentiment.

“They’ve been given this image of just monsters walking here,” Layan said. “And I don’t think you meet these two guys and think like, ‘yeah, they’re probably wearing a bomb vest, right now,’ right?”

This statement prompted a comment from a member of the audience to joke: “Why do you think there’s so much security?” referring to the Public Safety presence with multiple officers at the entrance points.

“The safety and well-being of every member of our community is always our highest priority,” John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations, wrote a statement to The Chronicle. “Public Safety was at the event in a supportive role and had met with the student group that organized the event in advance to coordinate logistics. Their presence was part of the routine safety support we provide at many campus gatherings as part of our commitment to the community.”

The panelists were then asked what true solidarity with Palestinians looks like from non-Palestinian allies. Basel said that despite their mother being Palestinian, he and Layan don’t have more of a right to speak on the Palestinian situation than other people in the world.

“The only way that I know if you’re fully on my side is if you do not police Palestinians on how to resist,” Layan added. “You don’t act like you know how to resist and how you would act in that situation, so you don’t try to tell them what’s moral and what’s okay and how you should resist.”

Junior Health Science major and treasurer of SSJ Hana ElMaghraby asked what changes had been seen in Connecticut, in terms of policy and activism.

“(Senator Chris) Murphy is a big one,” Pudlin said.

Pudlin explained that after meeting constantly in his office, they were able to persuade him. However, he says that Senator Richard Blumenthal isn’t going to be moved and “don’t waste your time on people who can’t be moved.”

He also says that there’s “cowardice” when it comes to government officials.

“There are people who I personally know to be on our side, who just think it’s too big of a risk to ever say something in public,” Pudlin.

Layan and Basel reflected on seeing a shift in the public, noting that many countries support Palestine but that people in the United States focus more on Israel.

The last discussion question asked by the panelists was, “What strategies have been effective in pushing back against censorship or disciplinary action related to pro-Palestine activism?”

Basel explained that it’s very hard to get people to care, and it’s also difficult to find strategies to fight censorship.

“It’s not asking people to listen, but forcing personalism,” Basel said.

He argued that the most effective way is to talk to someone, verbally inviting them to a meeting. When it comes to censorship, he says you have to be “undeniable.”

“If there’s a street shut down every day because we’re having a protest and nobody on the news is talking about it, that looks weird; people are going to notice,” Basel said. “You have to

put them in a position where they have to at least report that you exist, even if you’re not getting a friendly report out of it, because silence is a much more powerful tool.”

Pudlin also advises on dealing with disciplinary and legal action, encouraging planning.

“Start raising money,” Pudlin said. “If people are going to get arrested for this thing, they’re going to need a lawyer while they’re in jail, or they’re not getting out of jail. Once you have that, find the lawyers.”

The moderators then changed to audience questions. Audience members were able to use a QR code to ask their questions anonymously.

The first question from the audience was regarding President Donald Trump, asking, “Where do you see the future of Palestinian activism specifically under Trump’s presidency?”

Pudlin responded that he did things that were “a little different under Trump,” but policy and strategy on Palestine haven’t changed at all.

He says that the types of people who would be organizers towards the Palestinian movement are “going to want to go work with the immigrants that are being snatched in the streets,” he says, “their energy is being diverted elsewhere.”

Another question asked about Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s recent win in the New York City Mayoral race, asking if “What do you think his victory indicates about the changing landscape of American public opinion on Palestine?

Basel, who now lives in New York City, says, it’s a whole new world. “We’re actually doing something right now… our actions have actually shown up and manifested themselves in the legitimate political landscape of the world.”

After the event, The Chronicle asked Basel and Layan how their upbringing influenced how they fight for justice today.

“Our parents were very much… they wanted us as kids to kind of figure it out on our own…. We weren’t raised, like super aggressively proPalestine,” Layan said, and Basal agreed.

Layan continued, “We knew our Palestinian identity, we knew our Syrian identity, but we weren’t, you know, let’s say, out on the streets like you see us now.” They both agreed that they “figured it out on their own.”

Layan and Basel are both close to college age, and they said that they can relate to college students when they speak to them.

“I feel like whenever I talk to a younger crowd, I just see myself,” Layan said, “I know what the student experience is like. I know what it’s like to be censored on campus. I know what it’s like to feel like you don’t have a voice on campus, that your administration doesn’t support you.”

Basel agreed and added, “We can see the old generation who have been fighting for years and years for this movement, and still have not seen anything. Yet we thankfully and fortunately were the ones to actually see a change in the movement.”

Pudlin brought the perspective of the older generation, “I love working with student groups. I think it’s really important that you guys get organized, keep it together, because you’re gonna graduate. Eventually, you all are gonna graduate, and the skills that you’re building here are the ones you’re gonna be able to take back home with you or wherever you’re going and continue the struggle there.”

3+1 Film Major Zoe Matzelle spoke to The Chronicle about her thoughts on the event, “I think hearing from people that are actually from Palestine is like really interesting. And it kind of gives you more of a perspective on, you know, people that deal with this personally and what they actually go through.”

ElMaghraby also reiterated Matzell’s point about the importance of the Palestinian perspective.

On what it means to be Palestinian, Basel says, “you embrace that identity, and Palestinian identity means being strong, means being fearless. It means not backing down. It means being caring, loving, supportive, community-based, and everything pure in the world is embodied by what it means to be truly Palestinian.” He says that Palestine is a moral identity, not an ethnic one.

CHATWAN MONGKOL/CHRONICLE

Political science major Alyssa Arends ‘24 debated about border policy for the QU Democrats in a debate with the Quinnipiac College of Republicans on Oct. 20, 2021.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY MARIAM SAAD

From left to right: Activists on the panel Sam Pudlin, Layan Alnajjar, Basel Alnajjar and moderators Mariam Saad, Tahira Jilu and Xiomara Saavedra-Vicente.

By NICOLE GEMMATI Staff Writer

Opinion

The subversion of tropes

“There is no such thing as a new idea,” writer Mark Twain said.

Though this quote may seem negative, it does raise an interesting point about the books, TV shows, movies and other media that we consume. Each follows a set plot that may have been regurgitated from another prior piece of art.

While writers and directors can come up with some differences that set them apart, cracks are shown through tropes that weave their way into these pieces for the sake of the story.

A majority of these tropes focus on romance, and though there may be others that try and branch away from this, they ultimately come back as an aid. Enemies to lovers, a common trope found throughout the media, often features a “bad boy” type of character. With tropes often serving as the primary marketing tactic in a new form of media, they become overused and indistinguishable.

In an effort to break away from the stereotype, writers will often try to subvert these tropes in an effort to shed a different light on characters, ultimately keeping viewer engagement.

The “bad boy,” though still troubled, is now an intellectual, such as Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia) in “Gilmore Girls” — a love interest for bookish main character, Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel).

The “bad girl,” on the other hand, is revealed to be inexperienced, like McKayla Strawberry (Maika Monroe) in “Hot Summer Nights” — the primary love interest for the equally inexperienced Daniel Middleton (Timothée Chalamet).

While these subversions initially cured the

problem of overutilization, they eventually grew stale like their predecessor, becoming stereotypes of their own. Mason Thames’ character Miller Adams in the book adaptation of “Regretting You” is a prime example of this.

Though he comes across as a “bad boy” used for the main character to rebel against her mother, in actuality, he is a huge softie. He cares for his grandfather and becomes infatuated with his girlfriend. He doesn’t smoke, and he even chews on lollipops instead of a toothpick like we’d suspect.

The problem with this is that he comes across as inauthentic. We’re introduced to these subversions right off the bat, and have a hard time seeing him as anything else. We hardly have time to build up this idea of him in our head without getting the rug pulled out from under us.

This in turn can cause us to have a hard time sympathizing with the opposing viewpoint that sees him as a threat. While the character is supposed to come across as a rebel, the obvious facade that he’s put up as a shield makes his faux persona cringeworthy.

Another these subversions does not have to do with the characters themselves, but with the viewers. By being introduced to these twodimensional yet seemingly multifaceted characters, we build up this new trope that we’ve been introduced to, and quickly accustomed to.

Since primarily act as love interests for the main characters, we only see them

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from a certain point of view, making their complexities stock. The reveal of Jess as a literary enthusiast and McKayla’s reveal as a virgin only act as plot points for Rory and Daniel to like them more. It feels more like something the writers cooked up than something that would actually happen to the characters if they were real people.

This expectation that our crushes fit the idealness we have in our heads is just unrealistic. Though our main characters get lucky by having their perfect significant other set up right in front of them, the writers fail to admit that sometimes people

making it seem as if he is already fixed, and it paints McKayla in a negative light when she was portrayed as having had sex.

A more effective way to save these characters and still have them be considered love interests is to have them learn to be better people rather than secretly being one. Jess can win Rory’s heart by taking an interest in her hobbies, though he has no interest in them himself. This can prove he is trying to change, and help him figure out a gateway to express his feelings.

McKayla is portrayed as a sultry character who is still desired by Daniel despite him being portrayed as the opposite. Once she reveals the truth about her experience, it is then when he sees her as less of an enigma, and as someone who is more attainable, fitting right into the male gaze.

Daniel’s growth on finding out she is more pure than he imagined is not needed, especially given that he wanted to be with her in the first place. McKayla’s portrayal as someone who has had sex shouldn’t be portrayed as negative, but rather normal. The writers made this decision purely for the audience, evidenced by how it hardly affected Daniel.

this subversion of tropes is an attempt to create new ideas, it too has become unoriginal. The implication that people can’t grow or change is unintentionally harmful, as well as the male and female gaze that it feeds into. Though coming up with new ideas is an impressive and admirable feat, we have to make sure they’re not halfbaked, and that we are able to build off of them when need be.

The Grove infiltrated by litterers

By CAROLINE ALLEN Contributing Writer

The Grove is Quinnipiac University’s newest residence hall designed to foster community through intentional and cutting-edge architecture. The process to live in the building includes a simple short-answer questionnaire and the determination to take action through a research project that students complete throughout the school year.

The reward for such work is access to The Grove’s facilities: modern, fully functioning kitchens and appliances, various study nooks and conference rooms, entire rooms dedicated to relaxation and massage chairs and individual bathrooms and showers.

If you couldn’t tell, I am a thriving Grove resident. During the nearly two months I’ve spent exploring all my building has to offer, I’ve only found one issue. It would appear that students who do not live in The Grove often visit and use the facilities intended for residents.

I’m all for having friends over to watch a movie or to swing on the hammocks outside The Grove, but my main issue is when students from other dorms find their way into our building on their own and have no respect for the space.

I would love to hang out in The

Grove’s massage room, but I’m deeply discouraged by the litter left on the floor and across the seats of the room. The trashed tray of decomposing chicken wings and discarded utensils do not make me feel overly welcome.

Almost every day when I trudge to one of the nearby bathrooms, shower caddy in hand, equipped with my shower shoes, I have half a mind to turn right around. I find personal belongings, left by outsiders, abandoned on the sink counters and torn-up toilet paper decorating the bathroom floors

There is an alarming disrespect for other students’ homes here. It’s obvious that the majority of students using these facilities don’t have any interest in keeping them clean, nor do they have any respect for the custodial staff. The most concerning fact is that some of these shared spaces, like the massage rooms, are not cleaned by staff and nobody seems to notice. It is not their responsibility to pick up the tray of chicken bones left in the corner and it will sit there for days on end. It is our responsibility to clean up after ourselves and to keep these spaces decent for everyone to use.

When I hear friends expressing their excitement over our building, I’m more than happy to invite them to play foosball on the third floor or to bake cookies

in our kitchen together.

The problem is when my fellow residents tell me about the other students they let in the building. Usually, they take their “everything showers” in our bathroom and leave. I feel these non-Grove residents don’t share the same respect residents should for our home. Why would they? It’s not like they live here and share the responsibility to keep it clean.

Unfortunately, I’m not even sure how this issue could be fixed. You can’t persuade adults to care about their cleanliness habits on a random Wednesday. Each of these special rooms in The Grove are already locked behind Q-Card-activated doors that only Grove residents should be able to access.

The solution might be announcements made by RAs threatening consequences until Grove residents stop letting their friends use our spaces without responsibility. I hate to say it, but taking away privileges to those facilities, even for the whole building, might be the only way to inspire students to clean up after themselves.

While I wait for the entire Grove population and beyond to realize they left their moms and maids at home when they moved to college, I’ll have no choice but to continue to avoid our ruined spaces.

ILLUSTRATION BY KATERINA PARIZKOVA

National Guard(eners) are glorified landscapers Opinion

Why the National Guard needs to leave our nation's capital

By VIVIAN GAGE Copy Editor

Flocking around the stairs leading out of Union Station. Enjoying some music near the Lincoln Memorial. Even sitting to dreamily gaze at the scenic sunset over the Potomac River. I saw National Guard members do a lot of things last weekend on my trip to Washington, D.C.

What I didn’t see, however, was any sensible reason for them to be there.

Watching them engage in leisurely activities, co-existing with locals and tourists alike — seeing them enjoy the sunny weather with smiles on their faces, decked out in full camo with guns strapped to their hips — was surreal to say the least. It made one thing abundantly clear: The National Guard has no reason to be at the capital and it’s time for them to leave.

There are 958 National Guard troops from D.C. and 1,300 National Guard troops from other states, so over 2,000 Guard members in total, currently in Washington. There are also deployments in Los Angeles, Memphis, Tennessee Portland, Oregon and Chicago.

Troops were deployed to Washington on Aug. 11 with the task of “providing a visible presence in support of local and federal law enforcement at areas along the National Mall, key federal buildings, the Washington waterfront, Metro subway stations and other areas,” according to the National Guard official website.

The deployment followed President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring a crime emergency in the District of Columbia, which stated that “rising violence in the capital now urgently endangers public servants, citizens, and tourists, disrupts safe and secure transportation and the proper functioning of the Federal Government…” etc., etc.

Essentially, they were sent to rescue the city

from “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor,” in President Trump’s own words. The reality, though, is that violent crime has been steadily falling in Washington since 2023 and, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, it actually hit a 30-year low in January.

And while tackling “squalor” seems commendable, doing so by harassing the homeless is a disgrace. I mean, seriously, we all know that forcing the National Guard to clear away homeless encampments and intimidate people with guns and uniforms doesn’t actually help remedy the situation. Nothing screams “for the people” like attacking citizens who are already at their lowest.

In my eyes, the deployment of armed troops feels like the President’s declaration of war on the country’s own Democratic cities, and D.C. residents seem to agree.

The Guards have been met with fierce opposition from locals, who have engaged in various protests asking for the removal of the troops, saying they’re opposing the “authoritarian regime.” During my visit, I couldn’t go a few feet without seeing a bright red “Free D.C.” sign in someone’s yard, asking for the removal of the National Guard on top of other pleas.

Most of the city seems to want the troops removed, and the troops don’t seem too eager to stay.

According to a CNN article, the Guards’ morale is dropping. “One soldier from Tennessee told his father that from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. every day, his only task is to walk around Chinatown.” Another complained about getting cursed at all day, while others have questioned what their actual job is.

Normally, when the National Guard is deployed domestically, it’s to respond to crises like hurricanes or wildfires, offering support or doing search and rescue.

In Washington, however, they are working on beautification projects, picking up trash and tending to the National Parks. So far, Guardsmen have cleaned more than “3.2 miles of roadways, collected more than 500 bags of trash, and disposed of three truckloads of plant waste in coordination with the U.S. National Park Service,” according to the same CNN article.

The guards cleaning up the city are part of what the Pentagon has named Task Force Beautification. They are being sent to highly trafficked tourist spots to replant grass, wash off graffiti, mulch and repaint fences, as detailed in a recent New York Times article.

While beautifying the city is nice of them, I think we can all agree that having National Guard members raking leaves and spreading mulch is laughable, and frankly unfair to the troops, who locals have been calling the “National Gardeners.”

According to a fact sheet put together by the Institute of Policy Studies, the cumulative cost of deploying the National Guard to all five aforementioned cities through Nov. 15 is over $470 million. The cost for just the troops in Washington, D.C., specifically, is close to $270 million.

Our government is spending millions so the National Guard can pick up trash.

Trump argued that the troops are necessary to quell violence in Democratic-controlled cities and crack down on crime. I don’t know about you, but I can’t recall the last time a fallen leaf held me at gunpoint or tried to include me in a drug deal.

A new court filing and emails of National Guard leaders obtained by ABC News show that the National Guard could be in D.C. all the way into summer, possibly using the planned celebration of America’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, as a reason for staying. The Guard’s orders

technically last until Nov. 30, but an extension seems very likely.

Just peachy. The deployment of the National Guard to U.S. cities, and their continued, useless presence there, is outrageous. It is costing our government financially. It is scaring American citizens and making their commute to work feel like crossing a war zone. It’s humiliating and cruel for the Guard members themselves, many of whom have been stuck living out of state for months to guard citizens from the occasional rowdy pigeon.

It is time for the National Guard troops to leave D.C. and all the other cities they are senselessly occupying. We should not be declaring war on ourselves just so armed guards can gaze at the sunset for a paycheck, then take credit for the already existing decline in violent crime. Let these troops go home so they can stop disrupting everyone else’s.

Experiencing a social media identity crisis

By MORGAN BOLLIGER Staff Writer

On average, I spend around an hour a day on Instagram. Most of the time, I’m just doomscrolling on reels, following links on posts to read whatever the latest drama is or looking at other people’s pages.

But I often get major anxiety — and it’s not related to thinking my page isn’t aesthetic enough, or wishing that I looked like someone else.

Does my page reflect who I am in real life? Is my page expressive of me? Who am I? These are the thoughts that are running through my head. I like to call it a social media identity crisis.

It makes me feel claustrophobic in my own skin. I almost dissociate as I view this version of me online and compare it to myself in real life. I agonize over changing up my profile — adding highlights and then deleting them. Going into my archives and putting old posts back up on my page and then removing them. My account pretty much looks different every couple of months.

After I do this, I always think to myself: this is it. I’m never changing my feed again. This is me. And then one or two months later, I go down the same exact rabbit hole. But why do I do this? It would be so easy for me to just delete Instagram and never have to worry about this again, right?

No, because those thoughts would still be

there. If they’re not about Instagram, they’re about the clothes I wear. If they’re not about the clothes I wear, they’re about the things I choose to say. And as much as it pains me to say it, social media is a part of me and the rest of my generation. Afterall, we’re the “anxious generation” for a reason.

And despite everything, I actually really do like Instagram. It’s a means to communicate with friends and family, see what my favorite celebrities are up to and most importantly, it’s a form of expression — whether I know how to express myself or not.

Every teenager goes through phases, trying to discover who they are and what they like. Social media adds another layer, and more pressure, to that. Maybe the anxiety of defining who I am wouldn’t be as bad if I deleted all of my social media accounts, but it would still be there.

The reason I call it a social media identity crisis specifically, though, is thatit’s so easy to focus on. If I hated a particular outfit I wore, I would just never wear it again. If I cringe remembering something I said, I don’t ever have to repeat it. You can forget about things like that.

My Instagram page, on the other hand, is right there. I can look at it and dissect it whenever I want and most importantly, so can other people. That scares me a lot, too. Unfortunately, it’s ingrained in my brain to look at someone’s account and think that it reflects their personality

and who they truly are. And I know I’m quick to judge if someone’s page is all nice and cute when I know they’re actually rude and closed off in real life.

On one hand, it provides a sort of comfort knowing you can make your feed look like whatever you want. It doesn’t necessarily have to be truthful. But maybe why I’m so concerned about it is because I want my feed to be truthful, and I want it to be reflective of me.

Maybe, page, I’m also constantly evolving and changing. That’s not a bad thing, but seeing it occur right in front of my eyes, or whenever I open up my phone, is a lot.

So I don’t necessarily know how to deal with my social media identity crises. They’re complicated and messy, but maybe even pivotal when going through my adolescent years in a society so consumed with the media.

When I figure it out, I’ll let you know.

VIVIAN GAGE/CHRONICLE

Members of the National Guard looking over the Potomac river in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 7, 2025.

Arts & Life

Breaking down the surprises, snubs and star power of the 2026 Grammys

By COOPER WOODWARD Staff Writer

November means a lot for many different people around the world. But for music fans, it’s the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year: Grammy season.

On Nov. 4 the Recording Academy released the nominations for the 2026 Grammy Award ceremony. Two new categories have been added to the 68th edition of music’s biggest night, those being Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album, the latter splitting what was Best Country Album into two parts.

While there are 95 total awards up for grabs during the ceremony, the most eyes are going to be on the ‘big four’: Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Album of the Year.

When reading the nominations for the first time, Best New Artist was the first category of the four to really catch my eye. Last year, it was primarily a two-horse race between Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter, with Roan taking home the award.

This year, it’s more of an even playing field. Like always, you have the longshots. This year, they are The Marias, Addison Rae and Sombr. Each of them has a catalogue that can earn them the award in a vacuum, but I just don’t see them breaking through and taking it home. Those who have better odds are KATSEYE and Lola Young.

And of course, you have your headliners. This year, those are Alex Warren, Olivia Dean and Leon Thomas. While Warren’s year has been loudly broadcast, Dean’s and Thomas’ have quietly flown under the radar. Each of them are slowly becoming stars in the field of pop and R&B music, respectively.

Thomas has also scored a nomination in the biggest category of them all: Album of The Year.

Thomas scored his first-ever nomination in the category with his album “Mutt.” A shocker to say the least, but not the only unexpected nomination. Justin Bieber’s “Swag” and Pusha T, Clipse and Malice’s “Let God Sort ‘em out” both scored nominations. A warm surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.

Rounding out the field are nominees who are very expected. Bad Bunny’s “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend,” Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX,” Tyler, the Creator’s “Chromakopia” and Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” rounded out the field.

This group is one of the most entertaining ones we’ve seen in a while. A stunning 149 career nominations between the four blue bloods and 57 total between the newcomers. You have your Davids and Goliaths. Hallmarks of an entertaining ceremony.

But there is one album that I am astonished hasn’t made it to the marquee of music’s

biggest night. Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd’s “Hurry Up Tomorrow.”

His final project under The Weeknd moniker, Tesfaye knocked the album out of the park. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard top 200 and lead single “Timeless” peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100 charts. Despite its accolades, the album is nowhere to be seen on the nomination list.

Rounding out the top four categories are two similar but also different categories in Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Like most years, the nominations for these two are very similar. Bad Bunny’s “DtMF,”

Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild,” Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower,” Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther,” Doechii’s “Anxiety” and ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” all share nominations between the two categories.

The two outliers? “Golden” from the “KPop Demon Hunters” soundtrack earned itself the nod in Song of the Year, and Chappell Roan’s “The Subway” earned a nod in Record of the Year.

While the two focus on different aspects of making a song, The Academy has a history of doubling up on the two categories. Three of the last five winners have taken home both awards. I don’t believe that trend will change this year.

Surprising debuts, long overdue recognition and continued dominance remind us why the Grammys continue to draw eyes year after year, as they should. They celebrate commercial success, but they also represent shifting tastes, risks and reinvention that make music the gift that keeps on giving. Whether the awards land in the hands of newcomers or veterans, the 68th ceremony promises a showcase of artistry on the highest level. One that reflects the unpredictability of the year in music itself.

‘Frankenstein’ deserves its flowers regardless of differences from the novel

By AMANDA DRONZEK Staff Writer

Feeling maternal towards The Creature (Jacob Elordi) in director Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” is not something I would’ve predicted for myself. And yet, here we are.

I am no literature expert. I would rather read smut than Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” but I can say that from what I’ve researched, del Toro’s adaptation of the book is brilliant.

Sue me for glazing, I don’t care.

“Frankenstein,” set in England during the 18th century, is a Gothic horror story about Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), a gifted scientist intent on defying mortality.

Through a maddening experiment, Frankenstein assembles the body parts of male corpses and uses electricity to create a sentient being.

Frankenstein is initially enamored by The Creature, but grows aggravated by his stunted cognitive abilities, leading Frankenstein to set his laboratory on fire and abandon his creation.

The prelude of “Frankenstein” presents The Creature as animalistic. In a seething rage, The Creature finds his maker, gravely injured, aboard a Royal Danish Navy crew ship headed toward the North Pole.

The captain, Anderson, listens to first-person accounts of both Frankenstein and The Creature’s life leading up to the present, breaking the film into two parts.

Elordi as The Creature is simply stunning — his appearance the result of 11 hours in the make-up trailer. Makeup artist Mike Hill used full-body prosthetics to construct an 8-foot-tall

discolored Creature that is far from the disfigured classic green monster with screws in its neck. we usually see.

Elordi fully commits to physical acting rather than verbal, as The Creature is initially infantile and unable to communicate clearly.

As he begins to understand his surroundings — from the dungeon he’s confined to — The Creature meets Elizabeth Lavenza (Mia Goth), Frankenstein’s soon-to-be sister in-law.

The two share an emotional intimacy that does not exist in the novel. To Goth and Elordi’s credit, their chemistry is tantalizing. Whether del Toro was aiming for a romantic relationship or not is the viewer’s prerogative.

When The Creature emerges after Frankenstein abandons him, he shelters in a farmhouse and becomes a silent benefactor for the family living there. As winter approaches, everyone except an old blind man leaves the home.

Yearning for connection, The Creature approaches the man, who offers him kindness. The old man senses The Creature’s humanity, teaching him to speak and read and The Creature makes his first friend.

It’s a tender few moments that end abruptly when the old man is slaughtered by wolves, which The Creature very graphically disposes of.

He returns to the ashen laboratory and discovers he is the product of harvested body parts. Consumed by self-loathing, The Creature seeks out Frankenstein and confronts him on the evening of Elizabeth and William Frankenstein’s wedding.

The Creature demands that if he must suffer

eternally as an abomination, he requires a female counterpart. Frankenstein refutes this out of fear that the monsters will procreate, triggering a violent rift in which Frankenstein accidentally shoots Elizabeth and blames The Creature.

This sequence fares far differently in the novel. Frankenstein agrees to craft a female companion for The Creature, but destroys her when he considers they might get down and dirty. The Creature then murders Elizabeth as retribution because she is Frankenstein’s fiancée in the book.

It is much easier to sympathize with del Toro’s Creature, and audiences may find themselves despising Frankenstein, who in the book is a morally complex college student whose obsession with alchemy goes too far.

That said, Isaac doesn’t disappoint as an egotistical middle-aged madman, giving a compelling antithesis to Elordi’s performance.

Following Elizabeth’s death, The Creature viciously attacks Frankenstein, succumbing to the monstrous capabilities his creator always feared. The Creature vows to hunt Frankenstein through the Arctic — where the captain finds him, wounded — until he can reverse his immortality.

After finishing their respective stories, Frankenstein, on his deathbed, begs for forgiveness from The Creature, which he surprisingly gets. I personally would’ve found it poetic for The Creature to wipe out the entire ship and rip out Frankenstein’s heart, but maybe I’m a little vulgar.

Instead, del Toro frames Frankenstein as the real monster. Despite The Creature’s incredulous strength, uncontrollable emotions and sadistic tendencies, he is ultimately a

sheltered, lonely man searching for love in a world that he will outlive.

My biggest quip with the film is that it was released on Netflix. It’s too good for that. “Frankenstein” is haunting and alluring; a wonderful, albeit slightly different rendition of the original. But as someone who never read the book, I don’t see this as a fault.

I’m not saying Elordi should hoist that Academy Award for best male actor this spring, but anything less than a nomination is a snub. That goes for the makeup and costume department as well as set designers, who, under del Toro’s wing, opted for authentic elements and color grading over heavy VFX.

Thank you, Andrew Garfield, for giving up this role and forcing del Toro to find a new Creature. And thank you, “The Kissing Booth,” for not totally derailing Elordi’s acting career.

Swiping for something real

Why dating apps still attract young adults

By ANTHONY ANGELILLO Staff Writer

Look around any college campus, and it’s hard to miss the glow of phone screens and the quiet swipe of thumbs. For many students, that motion is more than a way to pass a few minutes. It has become a primary way to meet someone new, flirt or build a serious relationship without leaving the dorm or the library.

Dating apps seem almost impossible to escape because they have become part of everyday life for young adults. The Pew Research Center reports that about 30% of adults in the U.S. have used a dating site or app, and around 53% of those under 30-years-old say they have tried online dating at least once.

A national poll by research firm SSRS in 2024 found that 56% of adults ages 18 to 29 have used online dating, highlighting how common swiping has become among this age group.

On a campus like Quinnipiac, the pool of people you see in person can feel small. You run into the same faces in the dining hall, the student center, at sports games and during club meetings. Dating apps expand that circle.

They draw people from other majors, other colleges and nearby towns, all stacked into a feed you can scroll through in bed or during a quiet shift at work. That glimpse of a bigger world on your phone can feel exciting when campus life starts to feel small.

That is part of why online dating works for many people. A 2025 summary of relationship research estimated that between 10% and nearly

50% of couples in the U.S. now meet online. Hearing that kind of success makes it easier to understand why students keep reinstalling dating apps even after awkward dates.

The reasons people use these platforms often overlap. Pew research on online dating motives shows many users say they are looking for a long-term partner, while a similar share mentions casual dating.

Smaller groups say casual sex or making new friends are their main goals. This mix matches how college students talk about their feeds. One person might hope for a future partner, while another just wants a movie buddy or someone for late-night food runs. The same app holds all those possibilities.

Gender also shapes the experience in subtle ways. Pew data shows men are slightly more likely than women to have tried online dating, at 34% compared to 27%. Desert News reports that women face more safety concerns and unwanted behaviors, leading many to use more filters, share locations with friends or meet in public spaces. For men, the bigger issue can be low match rates and quiet messages afterward, which can wear people down over time.

Convenience also drives much of the appeal. College life stacks classes, jobs, practices and club meetings into long days that leave little energy for traditional dating. Approaching someone in person requires confidence and timing. Opening an app takes just seconds, giving users control over when to swipe, respond to messages and how much

effort to put in. For busy students, that control can feel more realistic than hoping for a perfect meet-up in the dining hall.

Still, even with new matches and playful chats, the emotional toll can linger. A 2024 Forbes Health and OnePoll survey found that 78% of dating app users felt emotionally drained by online dating at times. Many said the cycle of swiping, matching and facing rejection is exhausting but hard to stop. That mix of hope and burnout is something most students quietly understand.

Recent reports suggest that younger users are starting to question how much energy they want to invest in these platforms. A 2025 Newsweek article quoted a Generation Z dating coach who said swiping often feels transactional, tiring and scripted, prompting some young adults to seek more natural ways to meet people offline.

For many students, the appeal of dating apps comes down to a simple trade-off. Apps offer more potential matches than campus life ever could, with flexible options for serious relationships, casual dates and everything in between.

However, they also bring stress, safety worries and emotional fatigue. The same phone that buzzes

with a new match can also deliver silence that feels deafening.

Online dating is not going anywhere. The challenge now is less about whether these apps will last and more about how we choose to use them. Finding balance through swiping, clear boundaries, with occasional breaks, might be

Netflix series ‘Death by Lightning’ revisits a slice of history nearly forgotten

By ANTHONY ANGELILLO Staff Writer

Netflix released its four-episode historical drama “Death by Lightning” on Nov. 6, with early feedback being strong. The series has stayed in Netflix's top 10 TV shows in the U.S. since its debut.

Before I dive into this series, we must understand the life of James A. Garfield, the 20th U.S. president. A former Union general from Ohio, Garfield served in Congress from 1863-1880 before winning the 1880 presidential election.

In July 1881, he was shot at a Washington train station and later died from infection rather than the bullet itself. The series turns Garfield from a barely known figure into someone brought back from the depths of history, 144 years after his death.

Created by Mike Makowsky and directed by Matt Ross, “Death by Lightning” was inspired by Candice Millard’s book “Destiny of the Republic.” It stars Michael Shannon as President James A. Garfield and Matthew Macfadyen as Garfield’s assassin Charles Guiteau, with Nick Offerman, Bradley Whitford and Betty Gilpin also in prominent roles.

The series tells two stories at once. Garfield, a relatively unknown Ohio Union soldier and politician, is suddenly nominated as the Republican candidate for president against his wishes at the 1880 Republican convention. At the same time, Guiteau, a failed lawyer who lived a life as a delusional drifter, full of schemes, moves from “supporting” former President Ulysses S. Grant to obsessing

over Garfield.

Episode one, “The Man from Ohio,” lays the foundation for the 1880 presidential election. Garfield tries to avoid the Republican nomination, but the chaos of the convention pushes delegates toward him after a long stalemate. The episode did a good job keeping the political process clear.

It shows how deals are made, displays power shifts and fights between reformers and traditionalists. Considering the current political environment, I feel we have it easy compared to the lengths politicians went to get high ranking positions in Washington, considering that nothing was off limits back in the 19th century.

Guiteau tries to insert himself into any campaign worth any gain to him and his future, hoping someone will notice him. It is an efficient

shows how two very different men end up on a collision course.

Episode two, “Party Faithful,” highlights the pressures leading up to Garfield’s victory. Cabinet choices, demands for favors and party loyalty all hit at once.

Guiteau reappears after stalking many key members of the Garfield Campaign earns him a minor campaign speech that makes him believe that he is qualified for a major appointment. His confidence grows even though no one takes him seriously. The episode moves quickly as Garfield tries to push reform while the system continues to resist.

Episode three, “Casus Belli,” raises the tension. Garfield refuses to give in to party bosses who want control over federal jobs, setting up a direct clash with Sen. Roscoe Conkling and the New York machine. Corruption was rampant during this time due to everything going through the ports in New York, which I found very interesting. Meanwhile, Guiteau’s expectations twist into something darker. His need for recognition becomes an obsession. Add in all of the foreshadowing the series projects in relation to Garfield’s death, it made an event that was already known suspenseful.

The series does not exaggerate Guiteau, instead leaning towards how entitlement and instability can mix in a way that leads to violence.

Episode four, “Destiny of the Republic,” is the hardest to watch. Guiteau shoots Garfield at the Baltimore and Potomac station, but the president survives the initial wound. What follows

is the real tragedy. Doctors ignore basic sanitary practices, probe the wound with unclean hands, and refuse help from others. Infection spreads because of pride and outdated beliefs.

Garfield suffers for weeks while the country waits. Alexander Graham Bell attempts to help with a metal detector, but fails when doctors limit where he can search. The episode ends with Vice President Chester Arthur taking office and moving reform forward in the wake of the crisis.

The series does a great job in its accuracy of events throughout. I really liked how much depth was put into Garfield’s assassination and the role Dr. D. Willard Bliss had in Garfield’s slow decline and his death.

The fact-checking grounds the drama instead of letting it drift into exaggeration. However even though the accuracy was decent some events were dramaticized, like one of the final scenes with Mrs. Garfield and Guiteau talking inside the prison over how history would remember someone.

This was clearly a fictional conversation that foreshadowed events that did not happen.

The series stays clear and easy to follow. Shannon plays Garfield with steady strength. Macfadyen shows Guiteau growing in danger without turning him into a cartoon. Betty Gilpin and Nick Offerman add depth as Lucretia Garfield and Chester Arthur. Every role adds something real to the story.

By the end, “Death by Lightning” is a very well-made political series. It does not try to reinvent history. It lays out how an overlooked president confronted a broken political system, how an unstable man slipped through the cracks and how the nation paid the price. For anyone who wants a series that respects the story and the audience, this one is worth your time.

ILLUSTRATION BY REBECCACOLLIN S

A double-edged blade: Professional hockey's culture problem

By EMILY MARQUIS Staff Writer

One of the first lessons youth hockey teaches young children — particularly the children whose ankles still bend as they stand motionless on the ice — is how to play as a team.

“The name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back,” actor Kurt Russell said in “Miracle” (2004).

Russell, embodying the sentiments of 1980 United States men’s national team coach Herb Brooks, parrots a mantra that every hockey player understands, and one that Brooks used when selecting that gold medal-winning Olympic squad. Hockey is a team game, and players have to look out for one another.

However, the more famous second half of Russell’s quote overshadows the equally important first part: “When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates.”

Brooks said these famous words to a group of disjointed college kids, hoping to inspire hockey players to put aside collegiate allegiances and play as a single team. But the message rings true in a different way now.

Players are no longer college students made famous by beating one of the greatest hockey teams in the world. They are stars, even before they make the National Hockey League. From as early as 15 years old, eyes are on them, with scouts analyzing their every move to determine which of the acne-covered junior players will become the future star of a National Hockey League franchise.

It’s not just their on-ice talent that matters either. Off-ice issues not only put a stain on the player’s reputation, but their entire organization. A player’s legacy defines more than just the name on the back. The name on the front is revered, but can equally be tarnished.

An outsider may hope that pressure to develop high-quality character in their high-quality

hockey players would create teams that practice accountability. Cutting ties from players who lack a sound moral character should be a no-brainer.

Yet, for these organizations, protecting the “boys club” of hockey comes above all else. Putting the team first, and protecting oneself is a double-edged sword.

It’s a mantra that, through the percolation of former players into every crevice of hockey administration, has infiltrated the very fiber of the sport.

In the 2010, Chicago Blackhawks had a sexual assault scandal when a player, later found to be prospect winger Kyle Beach, was sexually assaulted by a member of the Blackhawks coaching staff. Then, Blackhawks head coach

Joel Quenneville was a 13-year NHL veteran. Quenneville did nothing to protect Beach from this member of the staff, and failed to alert any authorities of the staffer’s actions.

Former Blackhawks’ general manager Stan Bowman, the son of Stanley Cup-winning coach and Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman, was initially banned by the league in the aftermath of this scandal. Stan has since returned to work as the Edmonton Oilers general manager.

It’s a boys club sewn not only in blood, but through decades of that same tried and true method. This mindset of protecting the team is so fundamentally baked into the game that organizations prepare as if it is predestined, rather than preventable.

Hockey Canada, the national governing body for ice hockey within the northern nation, faced heavy scrutiny after a secret fund was discovered in the organization's finances. In 2022, $2.9 million was taken out of the National Equity Fund, which solely received money from youth hockey players’ registration fees, by Hockey Canada to pay for settlements. Rather than fostering a culture where a hush fund is unnecessary, organizations

like Hockey Canada would prefer to protect their own until it is no longer possible.

Even when parents of players failed to realize it, the ever-increasing fees of Canadian youth hockey exist in no small part to defend their child’s sport from certain scrutiny. To protect the image of a national legacy of greatness through the sport of ice hockey, a few victims were unfairly silenced.

Even for players who face consequences in North America, the idea of putting the team above all else is taken to an extreme elsewhere. Many NHL players who were pushed out of the league due to various charges against them fled to the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Twotime Stanley Cup winner Vyacheslav Voynov served two months in jail for domestic violence charges, before going back to Russia to join SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. Reid Boucher, who bounced between the NHL and the American Hockey League (AHL) for nearly six seasons, pled guilty to sexual assault charges in 2022, but continues to play professional hockey in the KHL.

Even individuals like center Michael McLeod, who was actively involved in a sexual assault in allegation, were granted the opportunity to continue playing hockey at a professional level in the KHL. For his new team, the backlash paled in comparison to the pedigree of courting a former NHL player and the perceived talent that it would bring to the roster.

McLeod’s suspension was the tip of a hockey scandal iceberg that put Hockey Canada’s underlying issues on the map. Five members of the 2018 Canadian World Junior Hockey team, including McLeod, were charged for sexual assault in 2024. Each of the five players would receive suspensions from the NHL for the duration of the trial.

The players would be acquitted, with the judge citing failure to meet the onus of proof as the reason for the verdict. The legal system

functions on a promise of innocence until proven guilty. But as many enraged NHL fans have pointed out, a lack of evidence is not proof of complete innocence.

However, an acquittal is proof enough for the NHL. Despite the media storm that accompanied it, the league announced that players involved in the trial would be reinstated and could return to play.

Many fans wondered if any team would willingly take on one of the five players. Would talent and the betterment of the team once again trump morals? Or perhaps the NHL would take a step toward erasing the legacy of hockey as a boy’s club, preventing these five players from returning to the ice for good?

On Dec. 1, one of the five men, goaltender Carter Hart, will be eligible to return to NHL ice. He returned to a professional hockey roster fifteen days earlier, suiting up as the Henderson Silver Knights backup on Nov. 15, in preparation for his future as a Vegas Golden Knight.

Suspension over. A chance to reforge his hockey career and push his history off the ice to the back burner.

As a fan, it’s easy to see the good in sports. Easy to view the stories of triumph — such as Brooks’ 1980 national team that managed the impossible — in the same breath as executives covering up sexual assault scandals to protect their team’s legacy.

These victims don’t get to see that good side. The “boys club” ruins the beauty of hockey, by uplifting those who have the most power, rather than those who are most deserving. Even if justice is served in a courtroom or through a lengthy suspension, these victims will never get true justice. A player's fame and pedigree can never be truly erased, especially when many in the hockey world have no interest in erasing it.

How the ‘The Walking Dead’ missed out on their best character

By NICOLE GEMMATI Staff Writer

Probably one of the most recognizable forms of zombie media, “The Walking Dead” initially originated as a series of comic books by Robert Kirkman. Wildly successful, Kirkman’s work went on to spawn a television series, multiple spinoffs and a choice-based video game produced by Telltale Studios.

The latter follows convicted felon Lee Everett (Dave Fennoy), who takes a young girl, Clementine (Melissa Hutchison), under his wing upon finding out she has no one else amidst the apocalypse. Though the game gives you the illusion of choice, it more or less follows a set plot, with the player's choice building or destroying Lee’s moral code — a large theme throughout the story, seeing as he acts as an influence to Clementine.

Clem is thrust into a world that is not suitable for a child in the slightest and Lee is forced to make the decision of whether to keep her childlike innocence or prepare her for this new life, changing her as a person entirely. He does the latter, but comes to terms with this after a conversation with another survivor, realizing that if you treat a kid like a kid during the apocalypse, they’ll die as one.

Quickly, Clem learns to make tough decisions, contributing to her character development in Season 2 after nearly a two-year time jump. After witnessing numerous deaths and being on the road for so long, Clementine has become more

accustomed to the world around her. Now acting as the protagonist, players get a chance to further her character.

A major critique of this game in particular is the rest of Clem’s group asking her to do every task while they sit back. Though this makes sense from a gameplay perspective, the concept of fully grown adults asking an 11-yearold girl to do their dirty work makes the other characters hateable, and paints Clem as a wronged character, making us sympathize with her even more.

Our choices towards these characters contribute to Clem becoming more jaded, and leads to numerous trust issues that impact her character throughout the course of the seasons. This pipeline is in tune with the state of the world, as trust runs scarce.

“The Walking Dead” franchise’s theme quickly moves from one of morality to one of trust, running into the third game as well, where Clem appears once again as a side character. Players are instead introduced to Javi (Jeff Schine), an entirely new character who we’re

forced to become quickly accustomed to. Players’ typical choices largely lean in favor of Clementine as we know her, though this in turn makes Javi seem naive for trusting a girl he just met.

While the relationships within this game are muddled, the introduction of newfound civilizations is widely apparent, and is a highlight in an otherwise dull game. The writers follow a realistic, yet imaginable timeline of society’s collapse, with new ones sprouting amid the chaos.

The show follows the same plot, with walkers becoming more of a nuisance than an actual threat, given that survivors know how to of them after a while. Because of this, the series quickly becomes entrenched in the man vs. man aspect of the apocalypse, moving away from why viewers tuned

As viewership decreased as the seasons went on, the writers attempted to make a last-ditch effort to spice things up by introducing walker variations. This was a clear attempt to fill the plothole of sentient walkers that were introduced in the first season, only to be immediately dropped

after the original showrunner left.

With 11 seasons to explain the outbreak and possible cures, “The Walking Dead” just didn’t deliver, and the initial cause of the zombie apocalypse still remains unknown. Along with this, the show failed to deliver on a fan favorite character that surely would have upped their ratings: Clementine.

Though the show technically takes place in a separate universe from the comic and game — which do exist in the same universe — there is some overlap of characters, such as Glenn, Hershel and Jesus, played in the show by Steven Yeun, Scott Wilson and Tom Payne, respectively. A live-action version of Clem would have surely boosted the ratings. With casting posing as a possible issue, a mere mention of her name would have sufficed.

Seeing as how Clementine is a 16-year-old sharp shooter who has travelled across multiple states — including Georgia and Virginia, where the show takes place — a mention of her as an urban legend to the series’ main character Rick (Andrew Lincoln) wouldn’t be too unbelievable. The Telltale games quickly decided to end their series after realizing that they were already past their peak, while the show tried to milk their name-brand, ultimately ruining it. Trying to make up for it in spin-offs and shock value-esque plot points — such as a walker giving birth — they’re failing to see the cure that is laid out right in front of them: Clementine.

Dancing towards the finale: Who will take home the Mirrorball?

By SOPHIE MURRAY Staff Writer

With only two weeks left in the 34th season of “Dancing with the Stars,” the competition is tightening and fans are eagerly anticipating who will take home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy as the show enters the semi-finals.

Following a mixed reaction to the 20th anniversary episode that saw fan favorite comedian Andy Richter and pro Emma Slater eliminated, six couples remain to compete in the semi-finals: TikTok influencer Alix Earle and pro Val Chmerkovskiy, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and pro Witney Carson, realityTV star Whitney Leavitt and pro Mark Ballas, TV personality Dylan Efron and pro Danielle Karagach, actress Elaine Hendrix and pro Alan Bersten and Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles and pro Ezra Sosa.

In the most recent episode, which premiered Nov. 11, Irwin, Efron, Earle and Leavitt all earned a perfect 40/40, receiving straight 10s from the judges.

Chiles, Hendrix and Richter rounded out the bottom of the leaderboard. Eliminations are determined by a combination of judges’ scores and fan votes, and this past week, the “people’s princess” Richter was sent home after a wave of mixed reactions from viewers.

While some fans adored his presence, others felt his run should have ended weeks earlier. Still, his departure underscores just how intense and competitive the season has become as we head into the final stretch.

Next week is Prince Week, honoring the work and legacy of music icon Prince. For the semifinals, each couple will perform two dances, one in a style which they’ve never performed before and another redemption dance from a style they’ve previously done.

Earle and Chmerkovskiy will perform an Argentine tango and Viennese waltz. Irwin and Carson will dance a jive and Viennese waltz. Leavitt and Ballas will do a cha-cha and Viennese waltz. Efron and Karagach are performing a tango

and cha-cha. Hendrix and Bersten will perform a Foxtrot and a Paso Doble. Chiles and Sosa will perform a jive and Argentine tango.

We can expect standout performances from Irwin, Earle and Leavitt, who have all demonstrated polished technique from the very beginning and only continue to elevate their skills as the competition progresses.

Irwin has showcased an impressive stage presence all season, consistently winning over both audiences and judges. While performance quality can sometimes outweigh pure technique, Irwin brings both: strong dance ability paired with charismatic, expressive storytelling.

His partnership with Carson is one of the strongest in the competition and fans look forward to what they’ll bring to the table each week. His story also resonates deeply. The Irwin family inspires an emotional connection among viewers, and during dedication night and last week’s episode, the heartstrings were pulled.

The affection the public holds for the Irwin family undoubtedly gives him an added boost of fan support. Overall, his blend of skill and showmanship makes him one of the strongest

With Chmerkovskiy’s guidance, it is certain their upcoming performances are going to be toptier. Her loyal fan base gives her another major edge, with 7.8 million followers on TikTok, she has undeniable voting power. With her consistently high scores and massive following, Earle and Chmerkovskiy are absolute contenders for the finale.

Leavitt, known from “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” has sparked some mixed reactions online regarding what some viewers believe is an unfair advantage. Leavitt has a strong dance background; she majored in it in college, and rumors have circulated that her pro partner, Ballas, specifically chose her because of her experience.

After winning Season 31 with TikTok star Charli D’Amelio, Ballas announced his retirement following 20 seasons on the show. However, speculation grew that he’d only return if paired with another seasoned dancer, like D’Amelio. Whether or not these rumors are true, many fans aren’t thrilled with his stacked deck.

Their frustration even showed in their votes: despite earning some of the highest scores of the

On the bottom half for me we have Chiles, Hendrix and Efron.

While these three couples have generally scored lower than the others, none of them are weak dancers or performers. In fact, they have all shown impressive growth and have earned steady praise from the judges throughout the competition. Their trajectories make next week’s eliminations hard to predict as each of them have proven they deserve to be here.

Chiles, in particular, has a very strong chance of reaching the finale. Her improvement has been remarkable, and her partnership with Sosa continues to deliver exciting performances. Not to mention, Sosa’s choreography has been outstanding lately and I think they could really pull through to the finale.

Their dances are very memorable. I still go back and rewatch their jive from Week Two. Do I think they have a shot of taking home the Mirrorball? No. But they’re firmly in my top four and absolutely capable of making the finale.

Efron and Hendrix have also been strong contenders, consistently delivering polished, enjoyable performances. They’ve both made significant progress since episode one, but for me, none of their routines have truly been standout or unforgettable.

Efron benefits from dancing alongside Danielle Karagach, and at times, it feels like she carries the routine.

Hendrix, meanwhile, has shown resilience through injuries and setbacks. However, none of her dances stand out to me or are super memorable. They’re both entertaining and clearly talented, but I don’t think they have enough momentum to break into the finale.

The performances in the next episode will play a pivotal role in determining how the rest of the season plays out. At this point in the competition, every detail from choreography and musicality to storytelling and fan engagement can make or break a couple’s momentum. Next week’s routines will reveal who can rise to the occasion and inch one step closer to winning the Mirrorball.

The end of Trinity Christian College

By RILEIGH LUTRUS Staff Writer

After 66 years, Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, is due to close permanently. At the end of the 2025-2026 academic year, the college will be shutting its doors for good. The private, non-profit college has been struggling financially because of low enrollment and other factors.

“Despite strategic efforts to adjust its growth model and eliminate its deficit, Trinity has faced fast-evolving economic and cultural realities: post-COVID financial losses, persistent operating deficits, a decline in college enrollment, increased competition for students, and shifting donor giving and financial circumstances,” Trinity told the Chicago Tribune.

The school plans to sell its buildings and land to pay off its debt.

In 2023, with a 40% drop in tuition rate, they had to cut six to eight of their 65 faculty members and 10 of their 150 staff members. During this time, President Aaron Kuecker resigned after 14 years at Trinity because of the tuition drop. He went on to find another job and left Acting President Jeanine Mozie in charge. In 2024, more than 75% of Trinity’s donations only came from three donors, according to the school’s most recent audit.

“Despite the graduate success, the school stated that there is no way for it to remain open after this academic year,” according to USA Today.

Acting President Jeanine Mozie says they are

going to support their students to stay on track, provide teach-out plans and help with transfer opportunities. In a news release, officials from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, said they are working with Trinity and “are welcoming students from the Palos Heights college with open arms, offering streamlined credit transfer processes and dedicated advising.”

Trinity offers their 1,000 students 70 different majors, a 98% graduate placement rate and an immersive Christian community. Full course schedules, housing, meal plans and athletics will continue until closing. Once the college closes, Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will be the primary record holder. Faculty and staff of Trinity will also receive guidance in finding new jobs. “Our deepest commitment in this season is to care for our people, particularly our students, faculty and staff, as we mourn this ending,” Mozie said in a news release.

Students and staff are devastated by the news. In interviews with CBS Chicago, current student Sean Croften and current softball player Alexa Chapman shared their sadness. “We’re all like one little family, so it’s really sad to see what’s happening,” said Croften.

Chapman shared, “I went to class and no one was there except for my professor. I said, ‘It’s real?’ and then I started crying. I’ve been crying ever since.” Many current and past students are equally shocked and emotional. Alumni Kenneth Dryhout and chairperson for Trinity’s Board of Trustees said, “I grieve this ending. My parents

attended Trinity and were married here on campus. This decision was not taken lightly."

The issue of low enrollment is not specific to Trinity; many Bible schools have been closing recently. “According to 2024 analysis from the Hechinger Report, 79 nonprofit colleges and universities had either closed, merged, or announced plans to do so since the pandemic. Of that number, more than half were religiously affiliated,” according to World Sound Journalism.

This past May, St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, North Carolina, closed because of financial problems. And after this 2025-2026 school year, Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan, is also closing due to the decline in enrollment. Many small Illinois Bible institutions are facing budget cuts and lower enrollment.

James Fraser, a professor emeritus at New York University who specializes in religion and higher education, told the Tribune that “across the country and, I’m sure, across Illinois, the percentage of kids who are choosing a Bible institute has dropped dramatically from 50 or 100 years ago.”

The Week reported that “more than 500 nonprofit private colleges have shut down in the last decade… three times what it was in the decade prior.” The rising cost of tuition is also leading students to question whether the value of a four-year degree is worth it. Due to the decline in birth rates following the 2008 Great Recession, there is also lower enrollment. This decline is called the “enrollment cliff,” and it

affects many private, non-profit colleges. Trinity Christian College is one of many private, non-profit colleges closing after years of building up a community. Students, faculty and staff can get their education or work anywhere, but Trinity was where they created a home. Just like Trinity, Quinnipiac is a private, non-profit college where many have found their place. It’s sad to see a similar loving community have to close. Think Academy says, “as students, faculty, and alumni mourn the end of an era, their stories illustrate why small colleges matter — and why sustaining them is a national challenge worth solving.”

ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHIEMURRAY

BJORN CHRISTIAN TORRISSEN/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Trinity Christian College will close at the end of the 2025-26 academic year due to financial struggles and low enrollment.

Can't stop making history

Women's cross country earns highest finish at Regionals in team history

By CLAIRE FRANKLAND Sports Editor

Quinnipiac women’s cross country can not stop making program history this season. After four-peating as MAAC Champions, the Bobcats traveled to Hopkinton, N.H. to compete in the NCAA Northeast Regionals.

And the Bobcats made a statement, placing eighth overall, Quinnipiac’s highest finish at NCAA Regionals in program history.

“It was fantastic, the girls were really starting to see what they’re capable of. And they’re running with more confidence, and they’re running where they can be,” women’s cross country head coach Carolyn Martin said. “It’s tough to go from trying to race to win, to try and race to be in the top ten, and I think today was great. A great day to show what they can do and compete with some really, really great programs.”

The program history made that morning didn’t stop there.

Senior Rachel St. Germain solidified her name in Quinnipiac history, being the first Bobcat in 20 years to be named NCAA AllRegional with her 21st-place finish. Germain improved 69 places, finishing with a time of 20:28.6, her fastest collegiate time.

“Rachel is such a consistent athlete.

She’s someone that you know is so humble that she doesn’t know how good she is,” Martin said. “I think when you have someone that can be really consistent like that, you know, any given day, they’re going to be on top and have this great race…It’s been fun to coach her and watch her grow as a person and leader.”

Senior Sierra Gray finished shortly after Germain, finishing No. 28, with a time of 20:35.4. Three more Bobcats would place for Quinnipiac, with sophomore Madeleine O’Neill (48th), junior Zoe Merryman (75th) and freshman Ashley Carillo (88th).

And while Quinnipiac’s finishes seem spread out in terms of finishing placement, taking a deeper look at each Bobcat’s final times, they are a lot closer than you may think.

When comparing Germain, who was the highest placing Bobcat, and Carillo, the final Bobcat whose placement counted towards the team’s final score, only 1:36.6 separates their times.

This stat within the Bobcats competition is related to the team’s emphasis on pack running, which they have focused on improving this season. The strategy has contributed to Quinnipiac’s continued success thus far.

“I think our team using those earlier races to really pack up and work together, trains them when they get to those bigger fields to look for each other and to key off each other to help pull them forward,” Martin said. While the sun sets on Quinnipiac wom -

en’s cross country’s dominant season, Martin and her squad reflect on the continued success of the program, the growth they have made and the future ahead of them.

“It’s really exciting to be able to see our team grow,” Martin said.

Honoring flight members lost on 9/11, one push at a time

Paulie's Push remembers those who died on Sept. 11, 2001

By MICHAEL PETITTO Associate Sports Editor

Paul “Paulie” Veneto has pushed an airline beverage cart a total of 750 miles in four years. Every year, the cart is pushed to one of the multiple sites from 9/11 to honor members of those flights that day in 2001, the people Veneto calls the “first first responders.”

In 2021, Veneto traveled from Logan International Airport, in Boston to Ground Zero in Manhattan in honor of United Flight 175. In an effort called Paulie’s Push, each year since Veneto has made journeys honoring flights American 77, United 93 and American 11.

On Nov. 11, Veneto made his way to Quinnipiac University during the Bobcats men’s and women’s basketball matchups to spread the word about his cause.

For Veneto, his first push in 2021 to honor United 175 was personal; it served to honor men and women that he knew personally.

“I was a flight attendant with United and I landed at 8 o’clock the night before,” Veneto said. “I knew the crew that got on the plane for 175 the next morning, the ones that hit the second tower.”

Veneto started the push as a way to honor those who seemed to be almost forgotten, the brave men and women on board the four hijacked airplanes.

“In my eyes from what I was feeling and what a lot of us crew members were feeling for years was that nobody was recognizing the heroics of these fight crew members,” Veneto said. “They weren’t trained to fight terrorism, they just weren’t. I knew I had to do something, but I knew I had to do something that would draw national attention. I had no idea how to do it.”

After the first anniversary of 9/11, Veneto was standing at a gallery for one of the flights he was working and spotted out of the corner of his eye a beverage cart. And that’s when it clicked.

“I didn’t know how I was going to do it,”

Veneto said. “Or what I was going to do, if I was able to do it, but I knew that was the key to it.”

Nineteen years later, on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, he was ready. When Veneto first started training, people thought he was homeless, collecting cans, but it was starting to draw attention and nothing would deter Veneto from his cause.

Many have questioned Paulie as to why he doesn’t modify his cart. “Air tires will make it easier,” they tell him, but Veneto has no interest in lightening his workload.

“(The flight members) didn’t have those options that morning,” Veneto said. “So I’m not going to try to make this thing easier because they weren’t able to make it easier.”

Veneto has made many pushes, but the push he made to Quinnipiac was not planned. In fact, it happened by pure chance.

Veneto was invited to join Northeast Card Expo, a popular event in which card collectors unite to buy, sell and marvel at their favorite collectibles. There, Veneto just so happened to run into Quinnipiac Assistant Athletic Director John Opie, who invited him to come to M&T Bank Arena.

“(I) have always thought he had a great purpose,” Opie wrote in a statement to The Chronicle. “His mission is a living Salute to Service, reminding us of the courage, sacrifice and quiet heroism that continues today..”

“It was awesome,” Veneto said. “I was so grateful for the opportunity, because every little thing helps.”

Veneto has hours of stories about the connections he’s made across his journey. People who had family members on the flights, or even just communities coming together to support a good cause.

It’s an unexpected outcome for Paulie, but one

he embraces with open arms. On one of Veneto’s journeys, a man asked him for a picture. Afterwards, the man told Veneto that he was standing next to his neighbor while waiting for him The neighbors had not spoken to each other for five years, but they were chatting for an hour waiting to see Veneto.

“I’ll never forget that moment,” Veneto said. “Because that was when I realized what was happening, that people were talking to each other. People were coming together.”

Next year, on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, Veneto will be embarking on a journey that he in-

vites everyone to join. As Veneto passes through different towns, any person will have the opportunity to push the cart.

“It’s everybody’s push,” Veneto said. “I’ve only focused on the flight crew members of the first, first responders, but now that I completed that, it’s time to include everybody.”

Veneto gives all the credit to the people who have helped him along the way.

“I really, truly am just a guy who pushed a cart,” Veneto said. “That’s all it is. I just push the cart. And everybody else does the work to make it happen.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF QUINNIPIAC ATHLETICS

Paul “Paulie” Veneto is honored center court during Quinnipiac’s Salute to Service event on Nov. 11 at the men’s basketball game against Yale.

PHOTO COURTESY OF QUINNIPIAC ATHLETICS

Senior Rachel S. Germain cements her name in program history, being the first Bobcat in 20 years to be named NCAA All-Regional.

‘We want Altman’

Former goaltender Noah Altman returns to M&T Bank Arena

By CLAIRE FRANKLAND Sports Editor

Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey welcomed back a well-known former Bobcat in its Saturday afternoon matchup against Boston University, Noah Altman.

The 6-foot-7 former assistant captain goaltender, known for always having a smile on his face, registered a perfect save percentage in his seven appearances during his collegiate career.

“It’s amazing,” Altman said. “It’s definitely weird. It’s the first time that I’ve been up here in over a couple years. I was up here (University Club) for a few games when I was hurt. But weird, being an alum coming back, it’s strange.”

Yet, despite being in M&T Bank Arena without his equipment and Quinnipiac threads, Altman feels like he’s still out there with the team.

“During the national anthem tonight, I felt like I was on the ice, like I was almost moving around, a little bit like I was still out there,” Altman said.

The Los Angeles native played four seasons in Hamden before entering the transfer portal at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, with one year left of eligibility. Ultimately, Altman was not picked up in the transfer portal, moving on to his next chapter in life.

“As soon as I graduated, I got a job at ESPN, so I’m a production assistant on SportsCenter at night, and my hours are at night, so I work from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.,” Alt-

man said. “It’s a bit of an adjustment not playing hockey. Obviously, it’s what I’ve done for the past, basically, I don’t know, 10 or 15 years of my life, so it’s been very fun, but I miss playing.”

Lacing up the skates for the first time at 13 years old, Altman made it his goal to play Division I hockey. Head coach Rand Pecknold and his staff would take the chance on a kid with only a few years of experience under his belt.

Prior to coming to Quinnipiac, Altman played in the North American Hockey League for the Bismarck Bobcats, appearing in

eight games with a .877 save percentage.

Yet, when he first stepped into Hamden, Altman knew Quinnipiac was the place for him. And throughout his four seasons with the Bobcats, Altman grew close with his teammates, creating strong bonds that have carried outside of collegiate play.

“Definitely still in touch with all of them. I definitely have a little bit of a bias towards the guys that I have played with,” Altman said. “Mace (junior forward Mason Marcellus) and Vic (senior forward Victor Czerneckivanair), both score in the first period. So I love seeing them do well.”

And since stepping away from Hamden, Altman credits the connections he made while with the Bobcats on the team’s culture and atmosphere, which he believes continue to make Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey such a dominant squad.

Altman says he loves being able to come back as an alum and see the progress his alma mater has made, even just a short time into its 2025-26 campaign.

“I think that’s one of the coolest parts of our program, is the culture that we’ve created. And I remember as a freshman and sophomore and really all the way through the alums being so cool to me and creating that relationship,” Altman said. “So now being able to come back and meet all the younger guys and still be able to see the guys I played with for some one year, but some like three years, is really, really cool.”

Carolyn Martin named MAAC Coach of the Year for fourth consecutive time

By CLAIRE FRANKLAND Sports Editor

It’s impressive when a coach is awarded Coach of the Year even once, maybe even if they two-peat. Yet, Quinnipiac women’s cross country head coach Carolyn Martin has exceeded expectations, winning her fourth Coach of the Year award at the conclusion of the MAAC 2025 season.

And while the award was given solely to Martin, she credits her success to her team and staff as a whole for helping lead such a strong squad.

“I think it’s pretty cool, but I think what everyone needs to realize is it’s not one person,” Martin said. “We have an awesome staff that does it, and I feel like our staff is really cohesive. We really work together.”

Martin highlights former head coach Chris Dickerson as a huge help towards the team’s continued success. Dickerson coached the Bobcats for 13 seasons before retiring in 2022; however he still volunteers and hevlps with Quinnipiac cross country and track & field.

“Chris Dickerson has been working with me since I started as a head coach, and now he volunteers and just does it for fun. And he’s a huge part of our success,” Martin said. “I feel like they make one Coach of the Year, but one of my first proposals is going to be, is there needs to be a staff of the year because it’s not what I’m doing, it’s what we’re doing.”

Martin won her first MAAC Coach of the Year award in the 2015-16 campaign, where she led the Bobcats to their first MAAC Championship in program history, taking down the 10-time defending champions, the Iona Gaels. Martin joined the Bobcats program in the early 2000s, serving in multiple leadership roles over the years, including assistant coach, head coach for both women’s and men’s pro-

grams and Director of Cross Country and Track & Field.

“I had great leadership ahead of me. Our men’s coach at the time and our women’s coach at the time would coach me, Sean Green and Ed O’Connor; they were great people for teaching team culture,” Martin said. “They made my experience really well. So I feel like I kind of built off of what they taught me, and we continue to be successful.”

And if you thought Martin’s connection with Quinnipiac starts with her coaching career, you’d be mistaken. A former Bobcats athlete herself, she ran all four years of her collegiate career, serving as captain for two seasons. During her senior campaign, Martin was named to the AllConference team and an All-New England accolade at NCAA Regionals.

“The passion runs pretty deep. I’ve been involved,” Martin said. “I tell the girls, I’m like, I was a captain, you know, at first I was an athlete, then I was a captain, then I was an assistant. Now as a head coach, I’ve done every role on this team, and it’s been exciting to see full circle, just to be part of it, as long as I’ve been part of it and been able to continue to help it grow.”

As Quinnipiac women’s cross country closes its chapter on another successful season, Martin and the rest of her squad look to the future and the progress her team has made thus far.

“I think it’s really exciting to be able to see our team grow, and to be able to get up there with some of these teams that you know have a lot of pieces of things that we don’t have,” Martin said. “It’s fun to be able to go compete with them and go compete at this high of a level.”

Bobcat's softball welcomes Xen Penny to their coaching lineup

By CLAIRE FRANKLAND

Quinnipiac softball announced Monday that Xen Penny will join the coaching lineup as an assistant coach.

“Join us in welcoming Xen Penny as the newest member of QU softball!” Quinnipiac softball announced via Instagram.

Penny has an extensive coaching background, recently serving as a Minor League Coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2022-23, focusing on everyday hitting for newly drafted athletes.

His background includes working in the Complex League, Low-A and High-A, helping train athletes and create game strategies. Additionally, Penny has run his own hitting business in Arizona for the last three years.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Xen to Quinnipiac,” Smith said to Quinnipiac Athletics. “He is passionate, relationship-driven, and has a brilliant mind for the game. Xen is one of the most forward-thinking offensive coaches I’ve been around, and his ability to communicate, teach, and elevate hitters will be a huge asset to our student-athletes. We’re thrilled to have him here to help continue elevating our program!”

Prior to coaching, Penny was a student-athlete at Rowan College, where he was named 2nd Team All-GSAC, and Clarke University.

ZACHARY REAGAN/CHRONICLE

Former goaltender Noah Altman ‘25 plays his final appereance for Quinnipiac during its senior night matchup against Brown.

ROB RASMUSSEN/QU ATHLETICS

Women’s cross country showers head coach Carolyn Martin after winning fourth consecutive MAAC Title on Nov. 1.

Sports Editor

Quinnipiac men's ice hockey dominates Boston University in a 6-2 win

By ALEXANDRA MARTINAKOVA Editor-In-Chief

HAMDEN — In a Saturday afternoon 6-2 win against No. 13 Boston University, No. 10 Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey played like it had something to prove.

After falling to the Yale Bulldogs, for the first time since 2018, and clawing out an overtime win over the Brown Bears last weekend, it certainly did.

While Quinnipiac sits in the rankings above Boston, the line-up for the Terriers can seem more than just a little intimidating, with 19 NHL draft picks — one of them Boston’s sophomore netminder Mikhail Yegorov, who despite letting six in, still recorded 43 saves on the night.

“BU is an excellent hockey team, tons of talent, really well coached,” head coach Rand Pecknold said. “I’m just really happy with our guys, we fought a little bit with our buy-in but tonight was excellent. Everyone was on board and we got rewarded for it.”

Six different Bobcats had multiple points on the night, with forwards junior Mason Marcellus and freshman Antonin Verreault leading the

goal of the night, when he caught a pass from sophomore forward Chris Pelosi three minutes into the first period.

“It’s pretty much just all Chris Pelosi,” Marcellus laughed. “He won the battle, outraced a few guys and fed me in the slot. Rand’s been telling me to shoot so wrapped my head right around that one.”

Quinnipiac kept up intense pressure on Boston University throughout the whole first 20 minutes, outshooting the Terriers 25 to eight on shots on goal just in the first period, and 49 to 33 on the night.

“The first thing we did was hit the net, we’ve been missing the net a lot,” Pecknold said.

Out of the 25 shots, two more found the back of the net with senior center Victor Czerneckianair and freshman defender Nate Tivey netting their first goals of the season (and collegiate career for Tivey).

Czerneckianair’s goal was assisted by the duo of Marcellus and senior forward Jeremy Wilmer, the first out of their two assists on the night.

“I haven’t played a whole lot with Wilms but he’s the smartest player on our team, it’s not even close,” Marcellus said. “Being able

the score, a sentiment echoed by Pecknold.

“I was a little worried to start the second, BU’s gonna reload and we’re gonna go ‘Oh this is gonna be an easy night’ and I give the guys a lot of credit,” Pecknold said. “We came out and we were good the whole game. It was a good effort.”

And it sure looked that way when the Terriers’ junior winger Jack Harvey netted a shorthanded to put Boston University on the board.

Before the game, Quinnipiac and Boston were neck and neck in the NCAA powerplay rankings, No. 18 and 19 respectively, while the Terriers sat on No. 15 in penalty kill percentage with the Bobcats all the way down at No. 41.

That will definitely change after tonight, not only because of that shorthanded goal, but also because of Verreault’s response during that same power-play and another power-play goal a minute later, when freshman winger Ethan Wyttenbach sniped his sixth of the season.

Twenty four seconds later, the Terriers tried to find any way to stay in the game, when sophomore forward Nick Roukounakis — the

piac’s junior netminder Matej Marinov for his first collegiate goal.

The Nitra, Slovakia native in the Bobcats’ net made 31 saves on the night, his highest this season so far.

“He was good, he battled,” Pecknold said. “He did a good job tonight and he had some awesome saves.”

Up 5-2 going into the third, the momentum on the ice shifted. The Terriers did not want to go home without trying their absolute best, outshooting Quinnipiac 17 to seven on shots on goal on the period.

It wasn’t a Terrier who found the back of the net for the final goal of the night though; it was Quinnipiac freshman forward Markus Vidicek who tipped the rebound in the crease after Yegorov blocked Wilmer’s shot to only solidify Quinnipiac’s win over Boston University.

Quinnipiac improves its overall record to 7-3-2 and heads back into ECAC play on a two-game win streak.

The Bobcats will be back on home ice next weekend, welcoming Clarkson and St. Lawrence, looking to improve their start to the conference. Puck drop against Clarkson is set

TAYLOR