While many students attending Quinnipiac Law School, or any law school,  may hold aspirations to incorporate law and politics into their future, Vitali is leaps and bounds ahead of the curve.

At the ripe age of 25, Vitali, a Wallingford resident, is running for a state Representative spot for the second time in three years. He is running as a Republican candidate, looking to unseat incumbent 85th District state Rep. Mary Mushinsky. Vitali ran in 2008 when he was starting his first year at Quinnipiac Law School, coming up short in his bid for election.

So what is his biggest challenge? For starters, Vitali is running against the longest-serving representative on the Connecticut General Assembly. Mushinsky was elected in 1980, and is presently serving a whopping 15th term in office. Before the previous election, no one had challenged Mushinsky in eight years. Chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party Christopher Healy and other influential party officials asked Vitali to challenge Mushinsky for the spot in the year heading up to the 2008 elections.

“I was a little hesitant, but then I decided to give it a shot and it worked out very well,” Vitali said. “It was an excellent experience and unfortunately I didn’t win, but it gave me the confidence and the desire to try it again this year, and hopefully it turns out differently.”

In Wallingford, Vitali serves on the Republican State Central Committee, which serves as an advisory board to the Republican Party in Connecticut. He has been involved in Wallingford politics since he was 15, and as a 9-year-old was waving signs for family friends running for the state Senate.

“The biggest part of my campaign is going door-to-door,” Vitali said. “I knocked on 2,800 doors when I was running last time and I’m focusing on doing about 4,000 doors this time and really getting out to meet people…and understanding what they think should be done in this state. Jobs, taxes, spending, all those things are the major issues we are facing. I don’t think the people are being listened to in Hartford.”

Although Vitali, if victorious, would represent Connecticut’s 85th District, which only covers a small portion of Wallingford, he would vote on matters which affect the entire state, including the budget deficit and unemployment.

Door-to-door campaigning starts July 1, so Vitali can still focus on his studies for the rest of the school year before switching focus to his political agenda. Vitali described his first campaigning experience as “a little weird” because of the amount of different reactions to his presence at neighborhood doorsteps.

Vitali graduated from Quinnipiac in May 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. After taking a year off from school, he returned to Quinnipiac to study at the law school. Like many politicians, Vitali doesn’t necessarily want to practice as an active lawyer.

“The fundamentals that I’m learning here really span all throughout society and really have given me a grounding in a lot of the issues that are facing the country,” Vitali said. “I’ve taken classes on employment law, retirement security and things like that, which is a major portion [of the problems].”

During his time at QU, Vitali helped found the Quinnipiac College Republicans on campus.

With a title that is brief and vague, but certainly appropriate, “The Big Event” is officially kicking off on Saturday, April 10, ushering in a national community service affair that has now reached Quinnipiac’s campus.

The event specifically involves teams of students dedicating several hours of community service to towns around Quinnipiac through non-profit organizations. There are 53 different teams , with about 550 student volunteers participating. With groups of approximately 10 people per site, organizations that have a scarcity of workers or resources will be receiving more help than usual.

Student Government officials, Community Action Project (CAP) members, and Big Event Committee members compose 50 more students involved. In addition, 100 extra volunteers are contributing to the event by driving other students to the events, or replacing students who cannot attend the events at the last minute. With a total of 700 volunteers partaking in The Big Event, the original expectation of 500 students has already been shattered.

The Big Event is held at over 100 different colleges and universities throughout the nation.

“I attended a Student Government Conference at Texas A&M during my sophomore year,” Big Event Chairperson Jen Walts said.“Texas A&M is where the Big Event began in 1982, when a student body president decided it was time to give back to their community in a big way.  Over the past few decades, the Big Event has expanded to universities across the nation, and I have wanted to bring it to Quinnipiac University ever since I returned from the conference.”

Walts, currently Vice President of Public Relations for the Student Government Association, has spearheaded the planning of this event since April 2009. Her proposals to SGA, CAP, and the Council of Presidents garnered their support for the project and helped her create the Big Event Committee this past fall semester.

The Big Event Committee includes eight chairs who each oversee their specific department: Big Event/Finance Chair (Walts), Volunteer Recruitment (Hillary Federico), Community Outreach (Melissa Trinks), Publicity (Emily Sarnoff and Ashley-Rose Sherman), Service Learning (Katie Bourassa), Event Logistics (Andrea Carlone), and Site Logistics (Jamie Kloss). The committee itself meets every week and has been the primary outlet for planning The Big Event.

Quinnipiac’s Big Event Committee kept in contact with Virginia Tech’s Big Event Expansion Chair, Stephanie Ward, throughout the planning. (Virginia Tech is one of the universities holding The Big Event.) Ward commended the efforts of the Committee in an e-mail, saying “700 volunteers for your first event is outstanding!  We definitely didn’t have that many when we first started The Big Event here!  It sounds like you’re doing an awesome job with this event!”

“The fact that Virginia Tech is excited about our number of volunteers is amazing, and we are proud to say that registration resulted in an overwhelming turnout,” Walts said.

The organizations the students will be working with are broken up into six categories: Educational Sites, Nature Sites, Medical/Research Sites, Youth Service Sites, Elderly Service Sites, and Community Outreach.

“When all is said and done, we want Hamden and the surrounding communities to know that Quinnipiac students care,” Walts said. “Students are thankful to be a part of the community we belong to, and residents of Hamden don’t always see that side of us–especially because of some of the negative media coverage we receive.  Students involved in this event are passionate about giving back, and when provided the opportunity, they leaped at the chance to do community service.”

The Opening Ceremony will be held April 10, at 9 am on the Quad, where both Hamden Mayor Scott Jackson and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano are set to be the opening speakers.

Vine is known for her risqué parodies of chart-topping songs, and sang her own versions of Lady GaGa’s “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face” during the show. These adaptations contained vulgar lyrics unlike the originals, which had the predominantly female crowd bellowing in an uproar of laughter. Many more of her parodies can be found online on her Web site, Sherryvine.com.

In between acts, the two joked around about the University, intentionally mispronouncing the school’s name, referring to The Chronicle as “The Quinnipiac Times,” with Arias making specific comments about the tacos he “just had from the Ratt.” The two were highly interactive with the students, serenading random unsuspecting ones they picked out of the crowd. In addition, they scouted out the theater looking for the very few males who showed up and would egg them on to answer questions and appear onstage with them.

The performance Friday was actually Vine’s second at Quinnipiac, as she was given high reviews by students last year.

“I had a blast the last time I was here, that’s why I wanted to come back,” Vine said. “I said, ‘If you ever want to have me back, let me know, maybe I’ll come with Joey and we could do so much together.’ It’s actually a lot more fun to perform for an appreciative crowd. Sometimes, especially in Manhattan, young people can be so jaded that you’ll be singing and they’ll just be texting and not paying attention at all.”

Both Vine and Arias found their way into the drag profession in different ways before teaming up in 1999 to create StarLust, a cabaret show performed in cities across the world.

“I was actually going to USC for my FMA in acting, when I had an assignment to create ten different characters,” Vine said. “One of these characters I created was based on a drag queen in LA. I ended up using this character in my own acts afterward.”

Arias, by his own admission, got into drag accidentally.

“I was invited to a party with Andy Warhol, Truman Capote, Keith Haring….It was basically the ‘downtown gang,’ it was around 1986 or 1987, and I never liked drag,” Arias said. “So here’s all these famous artists and writers all going in drag at a Halloween party, and when I walked in they were like ‘Oh my God, you need to be in drag. Period.’ ”

Photo credit: Joe Pelletier

“The CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] is telling us that there could be a third wave,” said Kathryn Macaione, director of student health services. “Right now we are seeing flu-like symptoms. Do we know it’s H1N1? We do not. Do we know it’s seasonal? We do not.”

This semester, there have been 32 students sent home with flu-like symptoms. The alternative housing site is not expected to be used again, but if it is, only one of the studios will be opened as an isolation area.

The CDC officially stated that H1N1 has affected an estimated 57 million Americans, and has been a factor in an estimated 11,690 deaths since its identification in April 2009. Immunizations have been a huge part of the process since they were issued to QU students in December. However, the state issued a recall on previous vaccinations set to expire in 2011.

According to a health update by the state, “Connecticut received more than 80,000 doses from the 50 effected lots, which were distributed to over 50 provider offices. These vaccines were shipped between November 2009 and January 2010. Although these vaccines remain potent, they are losing their potency more rapidly than expected, and therefore the shelf life is being shortened. There are no safety concerns with these lots of 2009 H1N1 vaccine. People who received vaccine from these lots with shortened shelf life do not need to take any action.”

Quinnipiac received 1,000 of these doses, but they had to be thrown out immediately after the immunization clinics due to the recall. The lack of students that received the vaccination, according to Macaione, was “disheartening.” At least 800 doses are confirmed to have been discarded as a result of the expiration deadline.

“We had a clinic, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday [two weeks ago]…Turnout was sad,” she said. “Would I order a whole big bunch again with the way the turnout was? No, I would not.”

The Health and Wellness Center instituted an extensive prevention policy last semester as a precaution to the virus, strictly adhering to the safety measures given by the CDC. The policy included sending students home with any sort of flu-like symptoms, as long as they lived within 200 miles of the school. The diagnoses did not have to be confirmed as H1N1 cases, rather the flu-like cases were “presumptive.” This policy has been, and will continue to stay in effect throughout the rest of this semester.

“It was a semester like I have never seen…and it was unprecedented,” Macaione said. “We had a great number of cases. It was over 500.”

The Quinnipiac Crisis Management team went to several seminars before the 2009-2010 academic year started, including those held at Yale and St. Joseph’s College to absorb knowledge regarding the virus’ implications on campus life.

“We were really a model,” Macaione said. “I think Quinnipiac really, really went above and beyond. We staffed it; we provided for needs, Chartwells provided for food. My colleagues couldn’t believe what we were doing.”

At least 480 students were sent home, while those who lived outside the 200 mile radius stayed in the temporary alternative housing site located in the second floor studios at the Recreation Center. The overflow of students with the symptoms, paired with the lack of beds in the Health Center (only four), meant that this site would be put to use.

“On Election Day, Student Health Services looked like a zoo. Our waiting rooms fell to capacity,” Macaione said. “Anybody that came in with the signs or symptoms of the flu, we put a mask on. We had them in our conference room. If you went out there it looked like a comic strip.”

There were a total of 70 beds set up in the studios (35 in each studio), which were staffed 24/7. Security guards were stationed at the door to make sure no one entered the premises. The maximum number of students to stay in the isolation areas at the same time was 10.

“We upset a lot of people,” Macaione said. “A: The classes in the studios had to be moved somewhere. B: By doing those temporary walls, we were displacing coaches and teams’ locker rooms … but we needed bathrooms, we needed showers, we needed a place for the staff, so the walls went up. We didn’t make lots of friends over at athletics.”

The alternative housing site was closed on Nov. 20, and it has not beenreopened.

Simple preventative measures to avoiding contracting H1N1, or any form of the flu, include thoroughly washing your hands and face, not sharing cups, and coughing and sneezing into your elbow.

Executive Board:
The Student Leader Advisory Committee met with President Lahey on March 1.

Student Concerns:
- Elections for 2010-2011 Student Government positions will be held on Wednesday, March 31.
- Leean Spalding from Chartwells is working on a new program called “Dare to Compare” which compares Quinnipiac’s meal plan with that of other Connecticut schools.
- Information Services is looking to put more Help Desk content online in order for students to be able to fix laptop problems.
- According to Facilities, there is not much that can be done about the noise related to the Echlin construction.
- No new grills will be added in Hill, but any grills that are broken will be replaced when weather gets warmer.
- Full access to cell phone service is estimated to be provided in York Hill once the Student Center is completed in the summer.
- Due to Spring Break, a Special Election for the open junior class representative position is unlikely to be held.

Programming:
- Programming Committee sent out e-mails to local colleges to discuss “Meet and Greets” with them.

Finance:
- This past weekend, SGA sent five members to represent Quinnipiac at the Conference on Student Government Associations (COSGA). These members were Matt Hudak, Dan Dempsey, Tom Galo, Jamie Kloss and Ben Cloutier.
- Budget workshops started March 1. This was the first of a series of 10 workshops in March to prepare for Budget Weekend.
- Tuition breakdown is expected to be released later this month.

Public Relations:
- As of Wednesday, Feb. 24, there have been 53 confirmed non-profit organization sites for “The Big Event,” as well as 36 teams who have registered.
- The Public Relations Committee is working with the Presidents and Vice Presidents Committee and the Student Awareness Committee (SAC) to sponsor an “SGA Day” in the spring.

Allison Skidmore – Motion sent to accept the Student Programming Board’s recommendation to add D. to number I under Section 2 of the SGA Financial Policy. The change to this policy would allocate 58 percent of SGA’s budget to SPB, while it would also exclude SPB from being audited – TABLED UNTIL WEDNESDAY

Each member had a three-minute opening statement, a five-minute question-and-answer session, and a two-minute conclusion to state their case for why they qualified for the position. When one candidate presented, the other had to step out of the room.

Hurst, a marketing major, believed that her election would be a mutual benefit to all parties.

“I feel that I’d be a positive contribution to the Student Government Association because I am very goal-oriented and determined, and also passionate in all that I do,” Hurst said. “Being a business major, I feel that this will really help me to enhance my teamwork skills and also my leadership skills. I’m not afraid to speak to students and hear out their concerns and opinions.”

Sherman, a psychology major, said in her statement how she had been looking to get more out of the college experience.

“This week, I’ve been living a dream of a freshman theme, because when I came to Quinnipiac, I’ve always wanted to be on SGA,” Sherman said. “This year I’ve found the time and opportunity to finally be a part of it. The support I have been receiving from a variety of different members has made me more excited and more confident to begin my possible goal as an SGA member.”

The voting process was entirely confidential, as only the SGA members casting their ballots were permitted in the room. SGA president Louis Venturelli conducted the election.

After the voting period was over, Hurst and Sherman were officially sworn in as representatives. Both of them are part of the Public Relations Committee.

There is still one Junior Class Representative position that is presently vacant. The date of the next Special Election for this position has yet to be determined.

On a Wednesday night in the Recreation Center beyond the basketball courts, you’ll find a dozen or more students grappling on blue mats. It may be a strange sight to those shooting hoops or running on the track, but to these self-proclaimed artists, it’s just another day in the life of QU’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Club.

The club was started by senior Anthony Grina and sophomores Joey LoRusso and Kirk Medrzychowski last year when Grina created the Facebook group “QU MMA.” The creation of the club was brought on by the lack of sparring opportunities in Quinnipiac’s aerobics classes. These classes feature conditioning and mostly non-contact drills that may only be sufficient in training a beginner.

“Kids don’t really have a chance to utilize what they’re learning in those classes,” Grina said. “They just learn the techniques but they really don’t get to apply them, and that’s the biggest part of learning. A very famous expression is, ‘The bag doesn’t hit back.’”

During a meeting, which can stretch anywhere from one to three hours, students spar in different styles of combat, including kickboxing, boxing, wrestling and jujitsu. Around 10 to 20 students show up depending on which night meetings are held.

Although Grina was the initial creator of the group, he believes the knowledge that has come from different students’ fighting backgrounds is the true reason why the club has flourished.

“We don’t have a teacher or an instructor,” he said. “This group was formed so we could help each other out… no one is really trying to go on an ego trip and punch everyone in the face or prove dominance. Everyone is just trying to learn from each other.”

Fighters are strongly encouraged to bring mouthguards, gloves, and protective cups for safety reasons.

“A lot of people associate mixed martial arts and fighting as being a ruthless and barbaric sport,” Grina said. “However, that’s far from the case. In fact, mixed martial arts has been proven to be statistically safer than figure skating.”

The Facebook group grew though word of mouth, according to Grina, and now has 68 members. This semester alone the club has expanded by 30 members, and is currently home to students of all skill levels, ages and weight classes. Presently, the club is not officially sponsored by Quinnipiac, mainly due to the time constraints of the students involved.

“We already practice when we want so we don’t really find the need to actually be official unless we got some kind of benefit from it,” Grina said. “We really don’t see any reward for the paperwork.”

Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing sports in America, evidenced by the increase of pay-per-view buy rates for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events over the past five years. The rise in popularity of cable television programs like “The Ultimate Fighter,” a reality TV show where the winning contestant gets a multi-fight contract in the UFC, has given the sport more mainstream appeal.

The MMA Club is currently encouraging any students, both male and female, interested in fighting to join the “QU MMA” Facebook group to get weekly updates of the meeting times and location.

The club is also available to coach any interested female member one-on-one.