Conde told The Chronicle that prior to his suspension on April 16, the University never found him in possession of illegal or harmful drugs, and Quinnipiac security never searched his Ledges dorm room.

Associate Vice President for Public Relations John Morgan told The Chronicle in an e-mail that “student privacy laws prohibit the university from commenting on this matter.”

Conde was officially suspended on April 16, and faces suspension for the remainder of this semester and the fall semester.

Conde said he had never sold drugs on the Quinnipiac campus, so the University charges were a complete surprise.

“I was shocked,” he said. “Completely shocked.”

Four of Conde’s hallmates on the first floor of Ledges told The Chronicle on Sunday that they never saw Conde dealing drugs.

“He wasn’t a drug dealer,” freshman Matt Creegan said. “I never saw him deal marijuana.”

Conde’s roommate, Michael Strashun, described the suspension as “complete bullshit.”

Questions first arose on March 15, when Quinnipiac security entered a third floor Ledges dorm room and discovered a vaporizer. Conde was in the room at the time, but allowed to leave after explaining himself. He said he was in the room visiting a friend.

The student in possession of the vaporizer, along with marijuana and $300 in cash found after further investigation, declined comment.

On April 1, Conde received an e-mail summoning him to an April 6 conduct meeting for his “alleged involvement in the incident,” the e-mail read.

Conde described the situation as “ridiculous.”

“I wish there was police involved, because this wouldn’t have been able to stick,” he said. “In a legal case, there’s no evidence.”

On Friday, Quinnipiac held its third annual Relay for Life event to raise money for the American Cancer Society (ACS). The event was held in the Recreation Center, with 116 teams totaling 965 participants. Throughout the night, at least one person from each team walked around an artificial track for up to 14 hours to symbolize what cancer patients endure during their treatment. Students could purchase and decorate bags with names of those who have or had cancer for the luminaria ceremony, where the lights were turned off and the bags lining the track were lit up with glowsticks. Aside from team donations, there were many other creative ways to raise money including mocktails, limbo, cookie decorating, and other events, including a survivors’ banquet. This year’s theme was dedicated to birthdays.

This year, Quinnipiac raised over $80,000 for the fight against cancer. A large novelty check was presented by Relay for Life Co-Chair Jennifer Scarlett to the ACS during the opening ceremonies.

Vice President and Dean of Students Manuel Carreiro was thrilled by the success of the Quinnipiac effort.

“This exemplifies what Quinnipiac University is about, but more than anything else, our students ‘commitment to community,” he said.

During the opening ceremonies, Quinnipiac student survivors spoke of their battles against cancer. Among them was sophomore Briana Galeazzi, who was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 12 years old. She underwent 12 months of intense chemotherapy, and had to undergo two-and-a-half subsequent years of post-chemo treatment.

“Fighting cancer is a group effort, not merely an individual one,” Galeazzi said. “One cannot overlook the critical role support from friends and family plays in battling this disease. Relay for Life epitomizes this spirit.”

Relay for Life was planned nearly a year in advance, and required much commitment and dedication from students. However, the personal aspect was clearly a motivating factor for the participants and planners.

“I got involved in Relay for Life as not only a continuation of my love for service, but also because it is an event that benefits a cause that is close to my heart,”  said Event Co-Chair Ashley Chacon-Baker said.

Although Chacon-Baker is not a cancer survivor herself, she and her family were personally affected by the disease.

“Though people ‘relay’ for several different reasons, my grandmother’s story touches me because it is an inspiration to me and others,” she said. “The good news is that I have the opportunity to do something for them, and that is to relay. All of the co-chairs, committee members, captains, participants, and donors all make Relay for Life the wonderful event that it is. The amount of work and dedication that goes in to organizing the event is huge, but the passion behind the work is immeasurable.”

Chacon-Baker was not alone in being affected by cancer through another family member’s affliction.

“Nearly everybody I know has been personally affected by cancer in some way,” sophomore Trevor Berlo said.

Berlo, whose grandparents both died of cancer, participated on the team “16 Candles,” a play on the 1984 Molly Ringwald film, in keeping with the birthday theme of this year’s event.

“It is because of our common experience as students and people, along with the QU community’s dedication to serving others, that Relay for Life has helped to bring so many students together to bring about an event which not only fosters great socialization, but service to our fellow humans,” Berlo said.

Greek life was prominent at Relay for Life, with some organizations fielding numerous teams. Alpha Delta Pi (ADPi) dominated six teams. Sophomore Kim Dundon, ADPi’s Relay for Life chair, first participated in Relay for Life during her freshman year, when her whole floor in her dorm took part. Her highly positive experience, along with that of others, helped motivate ADPi to spread the cause to its members.

“Knowing my aunt’s successful fight against cancer, this mass participation touches my heart,” Dundon said.

Phi Sigma Sigma had eight teams participating in the event.

“Given the widespread and lethal reach of cancer, the least the community can do is to walk in solidarity against it,” said sophomore Phi Sigma Sigma team captain Jordana Centauro said. “It is ridiculous that our advanced society, which has cured polio, mumps, and rubella, along with sending men to the moon, cannot cure this disease.”

For junior Jillian Bassi, a member of the PT Club team, the event held special meaning not only to her heart, but to her future career. As an aspiring physical therapist, she may one day help breast cancer patients ward off lymphodemia, which afflicts those fighting the disease.

“Relay is important because it shows cancer patients and survivors that people will support them during this difficult time,” Bassi said. “As someone who could be directly involved with cancer, it is touching to see such large support, especially from young people, who generally tend to be apathetic.”

“The massive turnout shows that any illusions of Bobcats being apathetic couldn’t be further from the truth,” said freshman Ashish Silwal, member of the Delta Tau Delta team.

This year’s turnout brought Quinnipiac’s grand donation total to more than $300,000 since it began holding the event in 2008.

Kristen Alldedge works for the ACS and helps organize Relay for Life at numerous communities and campuses, and was moved by the Quinnipiac effort.

“Quinnipiac’s Relay for Life was mind-blowing, not simply because of how many students showed up, but because of how many stayed, coupled with their enthusiasm and involvement,” Alldedge said. “I was particularly moved by the student survivors.”

Wald is spearheading an ad hoc committee called the Community Resource Group, whose mission is to raise student awareness of the resources the Quinnipiac community has set up for students on issues including sexual harassment, sexual abuse, alcohol abuse and drug abuse.

“We feel it could be further publicized, and we’re going to utilize the Programming Committee, Public Relations Committee, and the Student Awareness Committee to help get that mission out that we have those things in place for students,” Wald said.

The committee will be comprised of both Student Government Association members and students from the general population in order to have a balance of student input.  It is open to the entire Quinnipiac community.

It was brought to the attention of the Faculty Senate Student Affairs Committee, on which Wald serves, that there were more widespread cases of sexual harassment and assault on campus than what was being reported.

“If you look at the end of the year statistics you have maybe two-three sexual assaults and offenses actually recorded,” Wald said. “But the issue brought to our attention was that there were a lot more that actually occurred.  We don’t have the authority to reach out to those kids and get in contact with them, but what we can do is promote the resources on campus that are in place for students who need that extra help so you can trust the system,” Wald said.

Quinnipiac offers Alcoholics Anonymous meetings through the Albert Schweitzer Institute, and counseling services through Health Services. The Office of Student Affairs has a comprehensive system of groups that will meet starting next semester that the committee will also help promote.

“After doing some research and talking to people about why these things aren’t reported, it’s because of one of two things: they don’t know the system exists, or they don’t trust the system,” Wald said.  “They’re afraid that if they report it, they’re going to be embarrassed, other people are going to get in trouble, that kind of thing.”

The committee plans on reaching out to students through door-to-door knocking, programs, informational flyers and small focus groups.

Wald is looking into working with Professor of Sociology Lori Sudderth, who recently received a $30,000 grant from the state of Connecticut to look into why sexual harassment and abuse cases aren’t being reported.

“We want to show that it’s okay to get help, it can be done confidentially, it can be done privately, and there are people that are here specifically for that,” Wald said.

The Quinnies will take place on Saturday, May 1 from 2 to 5 p.m. in Buckman Theater.  Admission is free and free candy will be provided.  This is the fourth year of the Quinnies, the Quinnipiac Film Society’s year-end, summit event.

QFS accepts submissions from any undergraduate student for this event.  The submissions have been collected for the past two weeks and all are 10 minutes or less.  After submission, the films are pre-judged by two anonymous faculty members to choose the top four in the categories of music video, comedy, drama, and experimental/other.  The winning four films will be screened at the festival and then further judged by three professors from the School of Communications.

According to senior Film, Video and Interactive Media (FVI) major Matt Galo, president of QFS, this year will see the return of the Quinnies trophies for the winners of each category.  Some films will also be available afterward for private viewing.

“Who doesn’t like watching movies?” Galo said.  “It’s exciting to stay to the end and see if the movies you want to win do win.”

Junior Caitlin Goldberg, FVI major, will be president of the club next year.

“People in this school are so talented and I don’t think half the student body realizes how talented people really are,” Goldberg said.

The Quinnies is QFS’s main event beand the culmination of the past year’s work.  Everything from class projects to personal films students have made, this is the big event where they can display the product of their hard work..

“These people spend 50, 60, 70 hours on eight minutes of film,” Goldberg said.  “A lot of times they take so much time to create these projects and nothing happens with them.  We want to give them an environment that’s competitive, fun and worthwhile.”

John Kelley, senior Media Studies major, is the director of promotions in QFS and has been involved with the club since its inception.

“It’s a fantastic way to not only bring the campus together in a celebration of film, but also a great way for students to showcase their work in front of a large audience,” Kelley said.

Quinnipiac students took part in an event sponsored by TOMS Shoes on April 8 called One Day Without Shoes to experience the difficulties of being without shoes.

Throughout the day, Quinnipiac students attended class, ate lunch, lounged on the Quad and did other activities while barefoot.

“I think owning a pair of shoes, or multiple shoes for that matter, is something a lot of QU students take for granted,” said senior Megan Scully, creator of the Facebook event for Quinnipiac’s One Day Without Shoes.  “It isn’t something that is publicized very often, but millions of people walk around barefoot everyday. I wanted to bring this unique event to campus to raise awareness for TOMS Shoes and their cause.”

This event was based on TOMS, a shoe company with the motto “One for One.”  For every pair of shoes that is bought through TOMS, it will give a new pair of shoes to a child in need.

Many children throughout the world do not have enough money to buy shoes, and are consequently more susceptible to soil-transmitted diseases as well as cuts and sores.  Also, schools in these developing countries will not allow children to attend if they are barefoot.

“There is no comparison in feeling a little uncomfortable after having one day of wearing no shoes, and being a small vulnerable child going barefoot day after day,” junior Erin Clark said. “It really makes you think, and have great appreciation for all that you are blessed with having.”

The event was advertised solely on Facebook, and with more than 500 who chose to “attend,” supporters were a little disappointed with the outcome.

“It seemed like people didn’t want to go the whole day without shoes,” said junior Matt Hudak.  “Working in admissions, I did my tour without shoes and the prospective families loved the idea. I just wish I saw more people around campus participating.”

Many who participated in this event felt the same way about the benefits of this type of active helping.

“I didn’t really face any major difficulties, besides a little discomfort towards the end of the day,” Clark said. “Plus, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, so that helped out a lot. If it was raining, I still would have probably done it. It’s just water, right?”

Students can visit Toms.com to read more about the cause, buy a pair of shoes as part of their “One for One” campaign, or learn how to participate in the organization’s endeavors.

It was not a response to textbook rental sites, bookstore manager Andrew Tranquilli said, but “they got a good jump on us.”

Online rental options have continued to pick up financial steam since their inception, most evident in the fact that Chegg.com secured more than $100 million in venture capital earlier this year. But the big advantage to a rental program on campus, Tranquilli said, was convenience.

“We’ll have the right books, the right editions, and if there is damage we can do a no-hassle switch,” he said.

Pricing will be “competitive,” and Tranquilli estimated a $100 textbook to cost about $45 for a semester-long rental.

While such figures have yet to be finalized, the current percentage would make a Quinnipiac rental more expensive than one from Chegg.com. A new English 102 text, “Retellings,” costs $91 at the school bookstore, which would make for a tentative $40 rental. The same book at Chegg.com costs $28.99 for a semesterly rental, though the Chegg book may or may not be used.

But according to Tranquilli, about 80 percent of Quinnipiac students make textbook purchases at the campus bookstore.

“It’s saving money,” junior marketing major Allison Skidmore said of the rental program. “A lot of money.”

A rental option would also bypass the buy-back process, where many students would not know the dollar value of their used books.

“You know that you’ll get your money’s worth,” physical therapy junior Rachel Nash said. “Before, you would wait in all those lines without knowing you were going to get money back.”

For that matter, don’t swim or go boating in the body of water that runs near the athletic fields and residence halls, Professor Linda Post’s BMS 213L (Microbiology and Pathology Lab) class concluded after testing the waters.

The students tested for coliforms (lactose-fermenting organisms that produce gas) and enterococci (indicators that should not be found in water) on March 15 in the fabled creek.

Six samples were collected, and, on average, there were 933.3 units of coliforms per 100 mL of water found in the creek.  Drinking water should have 0/100 mL, water that is safe for swimming should have 235/100 mL and boating water should have 298/100 mL.

The students counted the number of brownish-black or black colonies and multiplied the number they found by 100 to obtain the final results.

“Just even thinking about touching the water makes me nauseous,” sophomore nursing major Camille Cielo said.  She said she was playing with a soccer ball near the creek one time and refused to retrieve it after it fell into the water.

The average enterococcus count was 650/100 mL, with safe levels for drinking water, swimming water and boating water being 0/100 mL, 61/100 mL and 89/100 mL, respectively.

“It’s disgusting because it’s indicating there’s fecal matter in the water,” Cielo said.

Post said she assigned the activity to make students aware of organisms in water, to demonstrate testing for contamination in water and to examine the concept of using non-pathogenic bacteria to indicate the presence of pathogenic bacteria in water.  Pathogenic bacteria are bacteria that cause infectious diseases.

In addition, students also used three techniques suggested by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for making contaminated water drinkable – boiling water, or adding iodine or bleach to the water.

“I was not particularly surprised at the results,” Post said in an e-mail. “All water has microorganisms in it and the creek was no surprise as to number or kinds. I was not necessarily surprised but very pleased that the emergency measures the EPA suggested worked so well. Each method eliminated all the bacteria.”

Cielo said the results were taken after a recent rainstorm, which may have skewed the results.  Debris and other materials from the ground could have ended up in the creek.

Photo Credit: Tara McMahon

This was the eighth year that Quinnipiac’s Habitat for Humanity has hosted the Shack-A-Thon, which is also popular on college campuses across the country.

According to Greg Madrid, faculty advisor of Habitat for Humanity for three years, the event was aimed to bring awareness to the Quinnipiac community about homelessness in the United States and how it is so “close to home.”

“There are people living in boxes down in New Haven,” Madrid said. “We hope people will walk by and ask questions so we can give them information.”

This year, 10 teams pre-registered and more were added the day of the event.  Teams typically consisted of six to 10 people.

All of the materials used had been donated.  According to junior Caitlin Guarino, president of the QU chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the collection of cardboard boxes is the lengthiest process of the preparation for this event.  Members of Habitat for Humanity have been preparing all spring semester by getting boxes from the Quinnipiac bookstore, Stop & Shop on Dixwell Avenue, and Bob’s, a clothing store also on Dixwell Avenue.  Some of their most successful finds, however, were results of dumpster diving behind Liquor Land, Bon-Ton and Dollar Tree.

“The bigger, the better,” Madrid said.  “As silly as it sounds, a refrigerator box can be like heaven to the homeless.”

Chartwells, one of the number one supporters of Habitat events, donated the food.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers were provided for the participants.

The $10 pre-registration fee and $15 event-day registration fee goes directly to another Habitat for Humanity branch.  Each year, Quinnipiac’s group donates to another branch in order to spread where their money goes.  Often, this includes branches in Bridgeport, New Haven, and now the Sleeping Giant branch in Hamden.

“Since most of our events are off-campus, this is a really good way to get out in our college community and let them know what we do in Bridgeport and New Haven,” Guarino said.

Construction of the shacks began around 4:45 p.m.

“We try to extend it as long as we can,”  Madrid said.  “Ultimately we’d love to do 24 hours, but we try to get it done between when most classes are done and when we can be cleaned up for the morning classes.”

Prizes were given to the best overall shack, most structurally sound, most creative, and the best organization’s shack.  Awards for the winners included a $50 gift card to Olive Garden, a $25 gift card and various candy and snacks.

With the goal to win ‘most structurally sound,’ freshmen Habitat members Louis Durak and John Hood were building their shack with only closed boxes.

“We figure if we put the boxes how they’re at their most strong, it will be pretty sound,” Durak said.

Across the Quad, junior Colleen Casey and her four team members built their shack with a different theme in mind.

Their plan was to make their shack look like a die to correlate with their theme of “Family Game Night.”

“We’re going to find a marker and make dots,” Casey said, as her teammates put the finishing touches on their square box.

They brought board games Life and Scattergories to play in their finished shack.

“It’s a new experience, a great cause, and I thought it would be fun,” Casey said.

Duct tape and cardboard were the materials Habitat provided.  They did not restrict anyone from bringing anything, even laptops.

“We understand studying still needs to happen,” Madrid said.  “But once the power runs out, it’s not like we’re going to supply them with electrical outlets.”

[CORRECTION: The print edition wrongly identified a 9:30 presentation as one given by students who traveled to Nicaragua with the Albert Schweitzer Institute. It was given by students who traveled to Pittsburgh with Habitat for Humanity.]

The all-night event wrapped up Thursday morning at 6.

“I hope it makes people think of the homeless,” Guarino said.  “Not everyone lives like we do.  Not everyone is as fortunate as we are.”

Photo credit: Joe Pelletier

“Our annual philanthropy event brings the campus community together to fight for a voice for children in the foster care system,” said junior Ally Giorgio, KAO’s vice president of public relations. “We are thrilled so many people came to support Kappa Alpha Theta, Greek life and CASA.”

The event was open not only to the entire Quinnipiac community, but to the Hamden community as well. Families from the Hamden area came to “Kicks” to support the cause and play kickball, and in some cases were victorious in their games.

“Children these days are bred to play kickball,” said sophomore Jordana Centauro, whose team lost to a Hamden family’s team “Happy Birthday Scott.”  “I mainly came today to support Greek life, socialize with friends, work on recruitment and give back to the wider community around us.”

“It’s like a little carnival,” sophomore KAO member Liz Helming said.

Helming was referring to the layout of the event, which included far more than kickball. KAO held raffles for prizes such as Boston Red Sox tickets, a free car wash, New Jersey Devils tickets, a home cooked meal from KAO, and a Bath and Body Works gift basket.  Other amenities included mocktails, snow cones, face-painting and the game of “win-a-fish.” However, the amenities were not paid for by cash, or even Q-Cash. KAO accepted “Betty Bucks,” or play money that contained the likeness of KAO’s founder Betty Locke in place of George Washington. “Betty Bucks” were also accepted for food, which included a barbecue. However, participants in the tournament ate for free.

More than 260 people participated on 26 teams, which contained between eight and 10 members each.

Sophomore John McCarthy played on the Tau Kappa Epsilon team “Broseph L. Settles,” a play on words of TKE founder Joseph L. Settles.

“TKEs are eager to support Greek life, and it is important to support each organization’s causes for mutual benefit among Greeks and to help the wider community,” McCarthy said.

Despite the event’s Greek flavor,  non-Greeks also came out in force to support children, as evidenced by the co-ed team “Do It For the Children.”

In the end, the winners of the tournament hailed from the QU men’s hockey team, on the kickball squad “The L61’s,” after defeating a team called “The Beers.”

Photo credit: Amanda Shulman

“It was the most enlightening and educational crash course into this industry,” senior David McRorie said of the program last year.

McRorie took the Assistant Directing course and learned the practical/logistics of film production such as paper work, pre-production/production process, and scheduling. This allowed him to learn class theory as well as first-hand skills on set.

“I learned more during that month than I ever did during school about the logistics and workings of the film industry,” he said. “It was intense, but worth it.”

The Film Industry Training Program is a one-month course that runs from June 7 to July 2. It trains people from ages 18-60 how to work on a film in a specific field. The 10 departments include Assistant Directors, Producing Office Coordinator, Script Supervision, Set Construction, Props and Dressing, Locations Management, Lighting and Grip, Camera, Sound, and Wardrobe.

In the last two years, the training has taken place at Norwalk and Middlesex Community Colleges, but this year it’s making its way to Quinnipiac University. Only one hundred applicants will be accepted to the program this year.

“This is one of the best things we do at Quinnipiac,” said Liam O’Brien, chair of the Film, Video and Interactive Media department. “There is nothing like this in the U.S. It’s the only one of its kind.”

Not only do students get hands-on experience from the program, but also the opportunity to build relationships with the motion picture professionals in the field.

“What is amazing about the program is that the trainers are real professionals,” O’Brien said. “The actors are Connecticut residents.”

McRorie came into the program with an open mind and said he participated in any opportunity he had.

“Go in with an open mind. Be willing to learn every little detail you can, even if it is someone else’s department or job, because it will always come in use in the future,” McRorie said.

To find out more information, contact Professor Liam O’Brien. Applications must be submitted by Friday, April 23.