Parents and Families Update: September 2022

Welcome! and welcome back!

September 20, 2022

Family with dog takes picture with Boomer

The fall semester is off to a great start. Here’s a snapshot of what you need to know. Thank you to all of the parents/families who attended Bobcat Weekend. We hope you enjoyed your visit! We did.

Highlights

SPOTLIGHT: Parent/Family Academy

Join us once a month during the fall semester for our Parent Academy. This month’s academy, Wednesday, September 28 at 7:00 p.m. focuses on student connection and academic support. Parents/family members are invited to attend the monthly one hour zoom session with special guests from the University who oversee the operations. The guests will provide a ten-minute overview of their operation and then we open it to Q & A. Tom Ellett, CXO, serves as the host of this program. Register for the webinar here.

Parent Advisory Board

Each month the CXO meets with a group of thirteen parents who help provide ideas and feedback on the various issues we review. Highlights from the meetings will be posted in the newsletter each month.

Campus Engagement

What’s Happening This Weekend

Filled with shuttle schedules and activities for the weekend, the WHTW flyer is shared every Friday morning. These flyers are posted in the student residences every Friday by noon.

Fraternity and Sorority Life

There are still several opportunities to join a fraternity or sorority at Quinnipiac. Those interested in learning more about our community can connect on Instagram @qufsl or send an email to fslife@qu.edu.

All students are welcome to meet the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life staff on September 30 at the Meet and Eat event. Students are encouraged to ask questions, say hi, and make an ice cream sundae.

Religious Life

The Office of Religious Life offers worship services and programs for students of faith to deepen their beliefs and provide opportunities to engage in social justice activities.

Through activities and events, students have the opportunity to supplement and complement the work of the classroom. The office also offers confidential resources, so what a student says remains with the religious life team.

Religious Life is also a valuable resource where students are challenged to explore life’s great existential questions for themselves. 

Community Service

The Community Service Fair is Thursday, September 29 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Bobcat Way Lawn.

One Stop

Questions?

One Stop provides seamless and integrated student administrative services throughout the entire student life cycle. One Stop includes cross-functional student solutions for:

  • records and enrollment services
  • managing student finances
  • parking and transportation services

One Stop works closely with and can provide preliminary information about financial aid, Q-Cards, housing, and dining. Advanced registrar functions such as degree conferrals, Dean’s List and diplomas will continue to be administered through the Registrar.

Parking Policy for Fall 2022

New parking policies for Fall 2022 will assign parking based on class year:

  • Seniors, juniors, and all commuters may park in specified lots on the Mount Carmel Campus.
  • Sophomores must park in the York Hill garage, returning to the pre-COVID policy of no sophomores parking on the Mount Carmel Campus.
  • The university will maintain its policy that residential first-year students cannot have a vehicle on campus.
  • North Lot traffic congestion will be eased by allowing vehicles to exit at the east end of the lot next to the athletic fields.
  • New parking permits are required for all students, faculty, and staff for the upcoming semester.
  • The York Hill Express shuttle will run exclusively between the York Hill Campus and the Mount Carmel Campus during peak class hours Monday-Friday for faster access between the campuses.

Student Engagement

Check out Welcome Guide 2022 by searching for “Quinnipiac University Events” in your app store — to find the “Welcome Guide 2022” schedule for the first 6 weeks of events designed specifically for incoming students.

Find events throughout the year at QU.edu/events.

1929 Scholarship fund

Student leaders have established a fund called the 1929 scholarship fund for students — by students. Students are collecting $19.29 to raise funds for student scholarships. The fund is reviewed by students on the team to help other students who are having a difficult time with finances. Please encourage your student to consider donating to this important scholarship fund.

Health & Wellness

Students should follow these Instagram accounts for up-to-date hours, programs and incentives: 

@quwellness 
@qu_fitness 


National Alliance for Mental Illness

National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) is a club on campus and an amazing resource for parents. If you suspect that your child may be struggling mentally or emotionally, remember the five Ts: Tell, Test, Teach, Talk, Take Action.  

  1. Tell your child they can come to you with any problem
  2. Test their academic health by checking their end of semester grades
  3. Teach them how to recognize depression and anxiety
  4. Talk with them more often or visit if they are in distress 
  5. Take action if your student is experiencing high-risk mental health concerns

To learn more and for additional resources, visit NAMI

Wellness Programs

Free Fitness Classes on all three campuses  
Sign up 24 hours prior to each class at  www.imleagues.com 
  
Reflective Hike to Yoga 
4:30 p.m. at Sleeping Giant State Park:
September 19 
October 3
October 17
October 31 
Sign up: www.imleagues.com 

Women’s Wellness Night 
September 14
6 to 9 p.m. at the Mount Carmel Fitness Center 
Instruction, workouts, raffles and more! 
www.imleagues.com 

Self-Care Check-In Workbook Series 
A journaling series using a workbook (provided at first meeting) 
September 14
September 21
September 28
October 5 
4:15 to 5:15 p.m. 
Sign up: www.imleagues.com  

The Zen Den
MNH-309 on the North Haven Campus
Hours: Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
Feeling stressed? Overwhelmed? The goal of the Zen Den is to provide a space for students to relax and unwind.

Wellness Wednesdays

Each Wednesday, a different wellness topic is covered, focusing on how to have not only a healthy body, but a healthy mind. The university will provide educational materials outside Starbucks from 10 a.m. to noon at the table, let you know where to go to learn more, and open a dialogue for communication with an expert in the topic. To stay up to date with Wellness Wednesday events this year, follow @quwellness on Instagram.    

 
Counseling Services
  • To make an appointment: Call Counseling Services at 203-582-8680, choose option No. 1, and schedule an appointment by talking to the counseling center secretary. 
  • In the case of a mental health crisis, speak with a licensed mental health provider by calling 203-582-8680 and choosing option No. 3. 
  • Emergency Services: Dial 911 or the Department of Public Safety: 203-582-6200
Togetherall

Connect with others who understand what you’re going through, anytime and anywhere, with Togetherall. It’s free to use, anonymous and active 24/7. Join Togetherall’s online peer community today at togetherall.com with your student email. 

Help Us Help Your Student

The following are Health and Wellness Resources your Quinnipiac student has access to but may not be fully utilizing. In the case that your child comes to you with questions about how to sign up for a fitness class or a health services appointment, you now have answers:

Fitness
  • Hours:  
    • Mount Carmel and York Hill campuses: Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. / Weekends: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
    • North Haven Campus: Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. / Weekends: Closed
  • Sign up for the following classes at www.IMLeagues.com
    • Spinning, body sculpting, Zumba, Bootcamp, Core Conditioning, yoga and Pilates.  
CARE  

What is CARE? The Community, Assessment, Response and Evaluation (CARE) Team is committed to the safety and wellbeing of our community through proactive, coordinated, and deliberate approaches by identifying, assessing, managing and reducing any student interpersonal or behavioral concerns.  

The CARE Team is a partnership of various university offices that is supported by the Office of the Dean of Students. Team members include all residential life professional staff, select staff from counseling, student health services, graduate student affairs, religious life, fraternity and sorority life, veteran and military affairs, Title IX, department of cultural and global engagement and student affairs. 

The CARE team meets weekly to review and discuss new referrals, ongoing cases and the best course of action to support students of concern. 

CARE referrals are submitted by faculty, staff, students and community members. 

COVID

Information and resources on Quinnipiac’s COVID protocols

  • Quinnipiac’s COVID-19 resources page – a dedicated page that contains an archive of previous email updates and links to helpful additional resources.
  • Frequently asked questions – covers common questions about many of Fall 2022 COVID protocols.
  • Isolation protocols – an informational flyer for students that provides step-by-step directions on what to do if you test positive for COVID.
COVID Testing
  • A 24-hour vending machine that dispenses free at-home test kits using your student’s Q-Card is located in the entryway to the former Student Health Services building on Bobcat Way across from Public Safety.
  • On-campus testing is available by appointment at Student Health Services.
Notifying Close Contacts If You Test Positive

A close contact is someone who has been within six feet of a COVID-positive person for 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period. Students, faculty and staff are responsible for notifying all close contacts they encountered during the 24-hour period before their positive test result. If you were exposed to COVID-19 as a close contact, you do not need to quarantine (regardless of immunization status). However, CDC guidelines recommend you wear a mask in public for 10 days and monitor yourself for symptoms of COVID. You should take a rapid test 5 days after your exposure, and if you test positive, you must follow the university’s isolation protocols.

Mask policy
  • Quinnipiac is mask optional indoors and outdoors across our campuses, but masks remain required when interacting with clinical patients or in health care settings, such as visiting Student Health Services. Of course, anyone can make a personal choice to wear a mask in any setting.
  • Faculty or staff may request that masks be worn in their class or office; if a professor or staff asks you to do so, please be respectful of their wishes.
  • Anyone experiencing any symptoms should wear a mask until they have tested themself and confirmed they have not tested positive for COVID.

Bobcat Food Share

The Bobcat Food Share program was established in 2019 and helps address food insecurity. The university has partnered with student groups and Quinnipiac Dining to provide nutritional food, paper products, and other services to our students in need. Students can either contract the Dean of Students Office for assistance or can be referred through CARE by a community member. Students may need assistance for a short-term or on a long-term basis.

Community Service

Federal Community Work Study

Have a student who is interested in working for a non-profit organization? Have they considered doing Federal Community Work Study and make $16 an hour while gaining experience.

This opportunity is available to students who have submitted a FAFSA for 2022-23 and have financial need. Students will need to provide their own transportation. Positions can be found in MyQ under Student Employment.

Undergraduate students who were awarded Federal Work-study are already eligible to apply for these positions. Questions regarding eligibility can be directed to finaid@qu.edu. If eligible, then work with the Office of Community Engagement (vincent.contrucci@qu.edu) to obtain a position.

If your student is a Graduate Student and interested in doing community service, have them contact gradfinaid@qu.edu to determine if they are eligible. If eligible, then work with the Office of Community Engagement (Vincent.contrucci@qu.edu) to obtain a position.

On the Rocks Pub & Grill

The pub is now run students, Joseph Coverly and Savitri George. They bring a student perspective to hiring staff, managing menu, delivering great entertainment and helping to make it a student destination for dining.

Meal points are accepted for all food and non-alcoholic beverages.

On the Rocks is every Monday and Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m., during the academic year.

Bobcat Weekend

Thank you to all who attended Bobcat Weekend! It was so great seeing each of you. Check out some of the many memories on the university’s Instagram account.

Quick Links and Resources

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