catherine boudreau ceboud@gmail.com | (802) 782-9286 | issuu.com/ceboudreau/docs/boudreau_portfolio

EDUCATION

AWARDS

SKILLS

Quinnipiac University Hamden, CTBachelor of Arts in Journalism, May 2013Major in Journalism; Minors in Spanish and International Studies

Universidad Antonio de Nebrija Madrid, SpainIntensive Spanish Language Courses, Spring Semester 2011

New England College Newspaper of the Year, 2012 & 2013The Quinnipiac Chronicle: Awarded by the New England Society of Newspaper Editors

Global Citizen of the Year, 2013For demonstrating a passion for the advancement of internationalism and multiculturalism in and outside the classroom & leading events related to diversity: Awarded by OMGE

Lamda Pi Eta Communications Honor Society

RELATED EXPERIENCE

WNPR Public Radio; Circulation 257,000 Hartford, CTProduction Assistant/Intern: Spring 2013• Conducted research for daily news programs “Where We Live” & “The Colin McEnroe Show.”• Captured audio, did man on the street interviews and edited content for web and radio continuity.• Booked guests for upcoming shows and screened phone calls from listeners during live broadcasts.• Attended weekly show planning meetings, generating feedback and ideas.

The Burlington Free Press Daily Newspaper; Circulation 31,000 Burlington, VT Intern Reporter & Freelancer: Summer 2012 to Present• Cover local topics including news, culture and community events.• Conduct interviews, take photos and utilize social media to promote articles.• Propose story ideas and work under tight deadlines.

The Quinnipiac Chronicle Weekly Newspaper; Circulation 2,500 Hamden, CT Editor of Arts & Life: April 2012 to April 2013• Ran weekly meetings to discuss assignments and deadlines.• Collaborated with editorial staff to plan layout and improve publication.• Updated website with stories and multimedia content; promoted using social media.• Wrote and edited stories based on structure, factual information and AP Style.

Proficient in Spanish

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services New Haven, CT Assistant: Spring 2013• Assisted clients with appointments, transportation, household orientation, and employment forms. • Translated documents for Spanish-speakers and their new environment.• Helped with child care and administrative tasks in case management.

Office of Multicultural and Global Education (OMGE) Hamden, CTGlobal Partner: August 2012 to May 2013• Mentored international students and helped them adjust to campus life.• Assisted with orientation, planned events on and off campus and created content for the web.Global Amdassador: August 2011 to May 2012• Assisted students in the study abroad process and held information sessions.

Datestamp: 08/18/2012Section: VermontBook: BPage: 1From: StaffPublication: The Burlington Free Press

Field testing

By Catherine Boudreau

On the border of Highgate and Franklin sits Windfall Acres Dairy Farm. This is where Wayne and NancyFiske have lived since 1979, managing 360 acres of farmland.

The couple often plans for the season ahead by looking through old paper documents containing crop yields,soil tests, and the amount of fertilizer, manure and nutrients spread. They also take a look at what MotherNature has in store. From there, Wayne Fiske heads out with the plan in mind, and like many farmers, trackswhat he does to his fields on paper, and records it on spreadsheets once he gets home.

This process is changing, however. No longer will farmers have to use pieces of paper, coffee cups, or eventhe palm of their hands to write down these records; records that by law have to be submitted to the VermontDepartment of Agriculture each year. There's an app for that: goCrop.

"This is a one of a kind tool," Heather Darby, an associate professor of agronomy for the University ofVermont Extension, and the pioneer of goCrop, said. "There is nothing available like this out there forfarmers, and it's really powerful and exciting."

GoCrop is a crop and nutrient management tool that has both web and mobile versions that work together.The web portion is where farmers plan for the upcoming season. They enter data about their farm, includingnumber of acres, characteristics of each field, crops, livestock, equipment, types and amount of commercialfertilizers, manure and more. The mobile app is used in the field. While harvesting or spreading on numerousfields, farmers can enter real−time data ? which is synchronized with the web version and stored forever.

The application is currently in the beta−testing phase, and roughly 30 farmers are experimenting with it thissummer.

"I noticed a lot of farmers embracing mobile devices," Darby said. "So my thought was why don't we bringthis to their iPhone. And farmers are into it."

Because Vermont is rural and wireless Internet is not widespread, the application needs only cell service toprocess data. The synchronization to the web application occurs once the phone picks up a wirelessconnection, Tom Jaros, owner of Empower Mobility and developer of the application, said. He has beenworking on the project since the end of 2010, when Darby's grant application was approved by UVMExtension. She also received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Darby said.

"I think its going to shine," Jaros said. "If it can work in Vermont, it will be successful everywhere."

Darby has been educating farmers over the years about nutrient management, a key function of goCrop.

1

The program uses data about field characteristics and fertilizer to calculate the nutrients each field needs.Farmers can use it to decide of they need to adjust their practices.

Knowing how much fertilizer to use not only prevents runoff pollution, such as phosphorus which causesproblems with algae growth, but also saves the farmer money on fertilizer, manure and herbicide, Darby said.

The Fiskes' farm is in the Rock River watershed, which has some of the highest levels of phosphorus pollutionin the state, Wayne Fiske said.

"Now we aren't putting on too much phosphorus or too much fertilizer that the land can't utilize," WayneFiske said. "We look at [goCrop] before we start spreading and see what the land needs. It really wakes youup. Every farmer here in Rock River is changing their ways of farming."

The goal is to maximize yields and reduce environmental impact for a more viable agriculture industry, Darbysaid. The more accurate the data, the more efficient the farm.

"The way farming is now with low milk prices and high fertilizer prices, we don't want to put on any morefertilizer than we need to to grow a crop," Wayne Fiske said.

The application took more than a year and a half to develop, Jaros said, and this summer was its first test run.There are some kinks to work out, mainly with the synchronization between devices. For example, NancyFisk spotted an army worm recently and entered it into the pest feature in the mobile version of goCrop. Whenshe tried to look at the entry Monday, it wasn't there.

"That's just a part of the development process," Jaros said, adding that no one has ever done this before.

Nancy Fiske said whenever she runs into a glitch, she sends an email letting the development team know.

The plan is to officially launch the application by late fall or early winter, Darby said.

Ken Millman is the president of Spike Advertising in Burlington, and has been working on a marketingstrategy and promotional website for the application. He said they team will first practice business to businessmarketing, meaning instead of selling to one farmer at a time, they will try to attract companies to buy in bulk.This includes establishments such as Cabot Creamery, Ben and Jerry's, agricultural colleges and stateagencies, Millman said. It costs about $150 for full access to the web application, and includes one freelicense for the mobile app, which costs about $10.

Further down the road, the goCrop team plans to tackle the Northeast, and then other parts of the country thatmake sense, such as California or the mid−west, Millman said. Then the plan is to make it available toindividual farmers.

"It's so easy to use, too," Nancy Fiske said. "I can see maybe in the future installing them in tractors."

2

Datestamp: 07/21/2012Section: NewsBook: APage: 03From: StaffPublication: The Burlington Free Press

'This could have happened anywhere'

By Catherine Boudreau

Duncan Eaton, 17, was working the concession stand before an 11 a.m. showing of "The Dark Knight Rises"Friday at the Palace 9 theater in South Burlington when he took a moment to talk about the shootings inColorado.

"It's really scary, because nobody knows a motive," Eaton said. "I work at a theater, and my first thought was,'This could have happened anywhere.'"

At the midnight showing of the Batman movie in an Aurora, Colo., cinema, police say 24−year−old JamesHolmes barged into a crowded theater, hurled a gas canister and then opened fire on the audience. Twelvepeople died and another 59 were wounded in the worst mass shooting in Colorado since the Columbine HighSchool massacre April 20, 1999.

This past Sunday at the Majestic 10 theater in Williston, Vermont moviegoers had the chance to see the highlyanticipated summer blockbuster before the rest of the nation at a special screening and fundraiser. U.S. Sen.Patrick Leahy, D−Vt., who makes an appearance in the Batman film and helped arrange the screening, was inthe audience.

In a statement Friday afternoon, Leahy said: "Marcelle and I were horrified and saddened by this senselesstragedy. The thoughts of the nation and indeed the world are turned to these innocent victims and theirfamilies, and our hearts and our prayers are also with them."

Gov. Peter Shumlin has ordered flags to be flown at half−staff until sunset Wednesday in honor of thevictims.

Merrill Jarvis and Harold Blank, owners of the Majestic 10, released a statement reacting to the shooting: "Weare shocked and saddened by this violent and senseless act. ... As owners of a theater and a place of publicassembly the security and safety of our patrons is always a priority. We shall continue to monitor the situationin Colorado and adjust security needs as necessary."

Moviegoers outside the Majestic 10 on Friday had their own reactions.

"It's a crazy thing. I know things like this happen but my initial reaction was, 'How could someone do this?'We'll never really know why or how," said Tyler Miles, 19, while standing in line with his brother Zack, 17,before a 12:10 p.m. showing of "The Dark Knight Rises."

"It's definitely saddening, but at the same time I think we have to realize that life is short, and you have to takeadvantage of the time you have. People shouldn't be afraid to go to the movies," Zack Miles said.

1

Although neither brother wanted to speculate on the Colorado shooter's motive, Zack Miles said he would notconnect it to the dark nature of the Batman film.

"I think it might be a little bit of a stretch to blame this on the movie," he said. "When it comes down to it, it'sthe individual who makes the decision."

Speculating on whether the Colorado shooter was influenced by the Batman movie, Brian Sisco, 28, asked:"How can you not have a clear depiction of reality from fiction? What goes through that mind? What was thisguy thinking? ... It's just ... wow."

2

Datestamp: 05/30/2012Section: Local News

Spectrum celebrates opening of new residence for homeless youths

Community members and staff of Spectrum Youth and Family Services filled to capacity the new Pearl Streetresidence to celebrate its opening Wednesday. Eight rooms are now available to people ages 18 to 22 whohave left foster care and need a place to live.

Spectrum, which has provided shelter and transitional housing for homeless youths for more than 40 years,modeled the new location after its Maple Street residence, which has produced successful outcomes, saidMark Redmond, executive director of Spectrum.

"What we really found is that about two years ago, the transitional housing on Maple Street started to befilled all the time to the point where we had a waiting list," Redmond said. "For every youth we had stayingthere we would have another waiting. This caused a back−up in our shelter, so we decided we really neededto expand and re−create what we have on Maple Street."

Since 2008, Spectrum has seen a 41 percent increase in the number of young people staying in its facilities,Redmond said. Its staff works one−on−one with each person, providing them with counseling and servicessuch as help finding a job, returning to school and learning life skills to maintain an independent lifestyle.

More than 85 percent of the youths who stayed at the Maple Street location have had consistent employmentand income, and moved on to long−term housing, Redmond said.

People can stay at the new location for up to 18 months and are enrolled in a customized program shaped bytheir specific goals and needs. If completed, residents receive a housing voucher paid for with federal housingfunding. This allows them to receive subsidized housing anywhere in the United States.

"It's just a fantastic segue for young people who are homeless or are going to be homeless to anchorthemselves for a year or longer and get the skills they need to be successful adults," Redmond said.

Kandi Clark is a case manager for the Pearl Street Residential Program. She spoke from personal experiencein the foster care system when explaining the importance of the facility to young people in the community.

"When these youth leave the system, they don't have that core structure that the majority of other youthwould have, so they need services like this to catapult them into adulthood. They didn't have these transitionprograms at all when I was growing up, so coming into this, I'm like 'how amazing would this have been?' Itreally would have made such a huge difference," Clark said.

She also stressed how transitional facilities help young people overcome multigenerational issues such aspoverty, unemployment, neglect and abuse.

More than 240 individuals, foundations, businesses and institutions in Vermont helped Spectrum raise$200,000, including the Burlington Housing Authority and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board.Philanthropist Doris Buffett's Sunshine Lady Foundation matched the $200,000, providing enough money tocomplete the project.

1

Leah Ziegler is the founder of Fix It With Five, a student−organized grant program from St. Michael'sCollege. It uses $5 from every student's tuition to award a total of $10,000 to an organization working towardsystemic change in the community. Students then vote on which applicant receives the funds.

"Spectrum isn't just putting a Band−Aid on an issue, they are providing support for youth, and I think thatreally resonated for students at St. Mike's. They see that their $5 is going to help individuals that are the sameage as them. They could be one of the St. Mike's students," Ziegler said.

2

Datestamp: 05/24/2012Section: NewsBook: APage: 01From: StaffPublication: Burlington Free Press

Stand against school harassment gains an ally in Governor's Office

By Catherine Boudreau

After weeks of advocating for the passage of bills strengthening anti−harassment policy in schools, OutrightVermont, alongside the Human Rights Commission, saw their efforts pay off.

Two bills, H. 412 and H. 771, passed the Vermont Legislature at the end of April and recently were signed byGov. Peter Shumlin. The governor arrived at what Outright Vermont calls its queer youth center to thank staffand volunteers of the organization for their work.

"We have all the tools we need to deal with electronic bullying, with after−school bullying, bullying beyondschool grounds, and beyond the school day," Shumlin said Wednesday. "The bills I signed a few days agogive the authority that schools need to make clear that discrimination of any kind is unacceptable at any hour."

Prior to the passing of bills in early May, there was a gray area surrounding harassment laws in school, saidLlu Mulvaney−Stanak, director of development for Outright. The Burlington−based organization works withroughly 3,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning young people ages 13−22.

Now the lines are more clear: Individuals can sue schools for not stopping harassment, and schools arerequired to adopt cohesive harassment−, hazing− and bullying−prevention policies. Also, the term harassmenthas been redefined. Previously, acts of harassment were required to be both pervasive and severe. Now, it isdefined as pervasive or severe.

"One incident of harassment can be so severe that it can have lifelong implications," said Melissa Murray,executive director of Outright Vermont. "So it's just a really important distinction, because it gives our youthmore protection in schools."

According to Murray, sexual orientation and gender identity are among the biggest reasons young people areharassed in school. The 2011 Vermont Youth Survey reported that gay and lesbian youths were twice as likelyto be bullied and five times more likely to attempt suicide.

Shepard Lantz, 17, has been involved with Outright for four years and called his involvement with theorganization "eye−opening." Referencing a recent documentary titled "Bully," he detailed the importance ofthe issue.

"It's such a dear thing to my heart and so many of the hearts of the people here, especially in terms of what Ihave seen people go through and my personal struggles. It really means a lot," Lantz said.

Lantz said he hopes the new laws will help students not only be more comfortable in their schoolenvironment, but also in their own skin.

1

For Elissa Benoit, 21, the passage of this legislation means the defending and protection of Vermont's youngpeople.

"This will help youth come out and be who they truly are," Benoit said.

Outright Vermont travels statewide to schools to educate students, parents and faculty about anti−harassmentpolicy and prevention. The organization also has held support groups every Friday since 1989. Outright isfunded to present in high schools, but Shumlin recently supported funding that helped Outright extend itsreach to middle schools.

Contact Catherine Boudreau at metro@burlingtonfreepress.com.

2

Datestamp: 08/04/2012Section: Round HereBook: CPage: 6From: StaffPublication: The Burlington Free Press

Old traditions mix for new tastes

By Catherine Boudreau

It's a tradition of summer that farm stands and markets pop up like zucchini around Vermont. As immigrantsand refugees make their homes here, they bring their own traditions and their influence brings new flavors tosome of these farm markets.

Fatuma Malande, a Somali American who immigrated to Burlington in 2005, sold homemade potato cakes,samosas and fresh produce at a farm stand at the King Street Youth Center Wednesday. The produce comesfrom a plot she farms as part of the New Farms for New Americans program. The youth center has partneredwith the program to host a farm stand for the first time this summer.

"I love Vermont because my kids can go to school, I can go to school," said Malande, who is taking Englishclasses, and who dons a 'Proud parent of an honor student' bumper sticker on her van. "It's a small state, so nottoo many people, no problems."

New Farms for New Americans is a program established by the Association of Africans Living in Vermont.This is the fifth year refugee farmers have sold their goods at a market organized by the association. About 50households grow produce on 16 plots at the Ethan Allen Homestead, and then bring them to sell at stands inthe Old North End, Winooski and now at the King Street Youth Center.

Malande said she has made many friends farming at the Ethan Allen Homestead, and works with four otherwomen on their plot. She names five other friends who work in different groups.

"We grow everything, everything," Malande said. "Cucumber, squash, tomato, corn, cilantro, spinach, kale,everything."

An outdoor market is a familiar setting for many refugees, Josie Weldon, a staff member of New Farms forNew Americans, said, adding that many African women prefer to sell in a direct market atmosphere.

"We decided to partner with the King Street Youth Center because they are a really dynamic organization thatcan help us get the word out," Weldon said. "They can also help us reach the demographic we are trying tooffer fresh produce to."

This demographic is mainly refugees and low income residents who receive public benefits. The farm standhas an Electronic Benefits Transfer machine, or an EBT machine, for customers using state food benefits.

The market at the youth center also reaffirms what the center teaches children every day: how to eat healthy,said Susannah Kerest, development director for the King Street Youth Center.

1

"And when kids come out and see their parents running a successful business, its a huge confidence boost,"Kerest added.

The New Farms for New Americans farm stand will be at the King Street Youth Center every Wednesdayfrom 3−6 p.m. through October.

2

T h e Q u i n n i p i a c C h r o n i c l e 7A r t s & L i f e | 7J a n u a r y 3 0 , 2 0 1 3

It was a sunny Tuesday after-noon when Mark Gius, 48, took his kids to the nearby park. Gius hollered “be careful” as his chil-dren sprinted toward the swing set. When he looked around for the nearest bench, he noticed some-thing: he was the only father at the playground that day.

Gius said he accepts his role as the primary caregiver. His wife is the “breadwinner” of the family, holding a position as vice president for financial services at a large com-pany. And while Gius is a professor of economics at Quinnipiac Univer-sity, his flexible schedule and small-er earnings have him spending more time at home.

“It was very rare, even in the last 10 years, for men to stay home with kids,” Gius said. “But now that more women are going to college, and fewer men are earning degrees, men will have to face up to taking on a less traditional role.”

Women have increasingly out-numbered men at universities across the nation since 1985. According to Census Bureau data, 916,000 women and 685,000 men graduated from college in 2009. This means 25 percent fewer men received college degrees that year.

A survey done by the Pew Re-search Center in 2011 revealed that women tend to have a more posi-tive view of their education. Fifty percent felt their education was ex-tremely valuable compared to 37 percent of men.

As more and more women pur-sue higher education and earn a

By catherine BoudreauCo-Arts & Life Editor

salary accompanying their degree, a debate has emerged in popular culture about whether men have a future as primary breadwinners or not.

Why the gap?Wendy Wang, a sociologist and

research associate for the Pew Re-search Center, said the public tends to think it’s more important for women to go to college than men if they want to get ahead. This could be a factor behind why so many pur-sue a degree.

“Because this is the general feel-ing among Americans, women feel like they need this education, and therefore do better in school. They kind of reinforce each other,” Wang said.

Wang also said that women are typically more disciplined than men, even at a young age. This makes them a good fit for a college envi-ronment, which rewards maturity, long-term strategy and a commit-ment to studies.

Gius has been teaching college for 21 years, and said he thinks men are more likely to enter the workforce after high school. This is because they want to earn money right away, and therefore get a job, instead of waiting four years to earn a bachelors degree.

Nicole Fano, 22, graduated from Quinnipiac University last year. She said because of her ed-ucation, she acquired countless skills, including communication and professionalism. For her, col-lege was a no-brainer, and she is thankful for this.

“Historically, women haven’t al-ways been allowed to gain a college education,” Fano said. “If you’ve been denied chocolate in the past, it tastes that much sweeter when you can actually eat it.”

Dr. Mala Matacin, a psychology professor at the University of Hart-ford, held this same view. She said that because women haven’t been admitted to college until recently in American history, this trickled down into families.

“If parents had to choose who to educate, it was sons, not daughters,” Matacin said. “There are women to this day who can tell you all kinds of stories about being discriminated in education. When people struggle, they value it.”

However, Holt Trenor, a 2011 graduate from Mississippi State University, thinks that because men typically hold higher positions than women at work, this motivates women to earn a degree. They need one in order to compete for the same positions as men, similar to what Wang argued.

Jobs & SalaryAlthough so many women are

attending college, Gius said this isn’t the only factor to consider when analyzing certain shifts. He credits the Great Recession as a ma-jor influence.

“A lot of male-dominated jobs, such as construction and manufac-turing, which are like 90 percent male, took the biggest hits,” Gius said. “Men lost jobs at a faster rate than women.”

And although men have added roughly 768,000 jobs, while women have lost 218,000 from June 2009 through May 2011 according to a Pew Research study, they are still more likely to be unemployed.

Gius does see education’s impact on this, as well. He said jobs you can get without a college degree are dis-appearing.

“I foresee women entering male dominated fields, like engineering, simply because they’ll have to,” Gius said. “If they are the more edu-cated gender, a shift will happen.”

Men continue to hold more posi-tions in important industries, such as technology and politics. And wom-en, on average, earn 78 percent of what their male counterparts do.

But according to a PayScale wage analysis, when comparing men and women who are similarly qualified and have the same job, women earn closer to 96 percent of what men do. The difference is due largely to career choice. Men typically enter fields with higher pay, such as a software developer,

where 89 percent of employees are male. Women are more likely to be a registered nurse, for example, and account for 89 percent of this field.

A flop is occurring specifically in the younger generation, however. Wang said single women in their twenties are earning roughly 8 per-cent more than men, specifically in metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Ga. (Here young women earn 20 percent more). Wang thinks this is largely due to education.

“Women are becoming the bet-ter educated gender, and are there-fore more qualified for jobs that pay well,” Wang said.

The reverse only applies to un-married, childless women under 30 working in cities. Wang said the interesting part is what will happen when these women turn 30 and per-haps have children.

“When [women] have children, they typically spend more time with their children,” Wang said. “What will happen when they have fami-lies? Will the trend continue? It’s hard to tell. Maybe once they get older and families they’ll need to fo-cus more on balancing a work and family.”

Gender RolesA major concern for Americans

is what effect this gap in higher edu-cation will have on the traditional roles of women and men.

Wang said she foresees challeng-es to the typical view of what makes a good partner.

“Traditionally women wanted to marry up,” Wang said. “But, if your peers are less educated, women will have to adjust what they define as a good companion.”

Gius thinks that as women con-tinue to become more financially independent, they may not see any reason to marry at all.

“In the past, women typically got married and left the work force because they had financial security that way,” Gius said. “Now that’s not the case. They are supporting themselves.”

According to 2010 Census data, 43 percent of all Americans over the age of 18 are single.

Fano sees the typical stereotypes for men and women disappearing, but still thinks marriage is valued by each gender.

“I think that college-educated students, while more likely to marry later in life, are getting married at least at similar rates as those who aren’t,” Fano said.

Only 51 percent of people are married, a 5 percent decrease from 2009 to 2010 as reported by the Pew

Research Center based on Census Bureau data. But marriage is more frequent for those with a college education and less prevalent among those without one.

Matacin said another shift is to-ward less defined gender roles. Men can be more nurturing and women can take on more leadership posi-tions, although she still sees stan-dard ideals.

“The view that men need to be strong and not show emotions very much is still there,” Matacin said. “This is why many are struggling through this shift. For women, there is also still this pressure to not only be a good parent, but succeed in the workplace and look a certain way.”

Trenor feels as though one ste-reotype in particular has changed.

“I think our society is losing the stereotype of the male bread-winner in the family and is begin-ning to see men and women as equal,” Trenor said. “I think this will definitely continue if there are significantly more women going to college than men.”

Gius agreed, and thinks men will have a bigger challenge than women. They’ll have to realize that they will probably be staying home, he said.

“I think men will have to do more changing than women,” Gius said. “Women want to be in-dependent, and now they are for the most part. For men, they’ve always been independent. They are going to have to make the ad-justments.”

Despite the concerns, Mata-cin, Gius, Wang and both alumni all agree it’s a positive thing that more women are going to col-lege today. Matacin said she pre-fers not to view it as a zero-sum game, where one gender comes out on top and the other is left in the dust.

“This reminds me of this quote: ‘You don’t have to be anti-man to be pro-woman,” Matacin said. “If women are doing well, why does that mean men are going to be nega-tively affected? Can’t they both do well?”

arts & Life quchronicle.com/arts-and-lifeartslife@quchronicle.com

@quchronartslife

The effects of women outnumbering men in higher educationTHE GENDER GAP

T h e Q u i n n i p i a c C h r o n i c l e88 | A r t s & L i f e A p r i l 3 , 2 0 1 3

west coast of Saudi Arabia about an hour from Mecca. He describes it as extremely diverse. People from all over the world visit because of its proximity to Mecca. People live there as long as they can, Abdlkader said, because liv-ing far from family is one of the last choices a Saudi would want to make.

This is because family is the most impor-tant thing in life, which is embedded in the teachings of the Quran, the book Muslims be-lieve is the verbatim word of God, Abdlkader said.

“In Islam, your mother and your father are most important in your life,” Abdlkader said. “Even more than your wife, because they gave you life. They spend life just to make sure you’re OK. For that, you have to be loyal and don’t disobey. You must keep in touch, call them, check they are ok, be there when they need you.”

Abdlkader wears a grin when thinking about his role in his family, in which he is the eldest of three sisters and two brothers.

“I’m the eldest, and it’s completely dif-ferent from being the youngest, the baby,” he said. “I think it is like this in most cultures. The first baby of the family is their experiment child because they don’t know how to raise a child. They think ‘OK, if we keep them away from everything, that would be best.’”

Abdlkader said his two younger brothers, 19 and 20, have been raised less strict than he was, and uses his first car as an example. He tried to make his father buy him a new car, but instead had to drive a used pickup from an-other family member. His brother recently got a new Honda. Even after driving the pickup for a while, Abdlkader’s father still told him to buy his own car, he said laughing.

Abdlkader went to work without finishing his last year of high school. He said he had family struggles and became frustrated with school. It wasn’t until he wanted a promotion while working for Ikea that he went back to earn a diploma.

In Saudi Arabia, people can make enough money to cover basic expenses with a high school diploma. However, it wouldn’t be enough to save for the future or buy a house, Abdlkader said.

He wanted to attend school outside of Saudi Arabia and had been saving money and giving it to his mother. She was also saving for him through the Arab practice of ‘Jammeha, in which friends collect money over a period of time and give it away each month to the friend who needs it most. But if he wanted to study far way, his mother, who he describes as more of a friend, and his grandmother, whose advice Abdlkader uses in all of life’s circumstances, said he must get married first.

Abdlkader said the idea of marriage at age 17 was really exciting: having a companion and friend who would always take care of one another. He also thought of his father

“I see my father, how he’s responsible; he

goes to work whether he’s sick or not,” Ab-dlkader said. “That made me feel like respon-sibility is such a good thing.”

Abdlkader decided he was ready to get married and met Jaafari when he was 22. His parents, who knew Jaafari because she is Ab-dlkader’s sister’s friend, discussed the poten-tial relationship to make sure Abdlkader was a good fit for Jaafari before arranging for them to meet.

Abdlkader and Jaafari spent two years get-ting to know each other before getting mar-ried. In Saudi Arabia, the husband pays money to his bride – whatever amount she requests. Abdlkader said it is usually between $10,000 and $20,000 and the wife can do whatever she wants with it. The husband’s family also pays for the wedding, and a man is expected to pay for all expenses in the future.

Traditions and customs are changing, how-ever. Abdlkader said the new generation, his generation, is fighting with the old generation about ethics and values. Each goes deeper into religion to prove the other wrong.

Abdlkader uses his parents as an example.“My father and mother, if they have prob-

lems to discuss, my father leads everything,” Abdlkader said. “There is a lack of equality between father and mother. Rabaah and I, our life is completely different. We are a differ-ent generation. In the new, we can share our thoughts, share our ideas.”

But Abdlkader said his father has changed with age. As he grows older, he’s also thinking younger. “He hangs out with my brothers, and I say, ‘Father, you didn’t raise me like that.’ But people change.”

Abdlkader and Jaafari also share their ex-penses, as well as a bank account, in order to save money and have a better life. Though Saudi Arabia is a rich country, the standard of living has decreased since the wars in Iraq in 1990 and 2003, Abdlkader said.

“Best part I see in Jameel is his loving way and respect for his wife,” said Shamshad Sheikh, the Muslim chaplain for Quinnipiac.

“It’s so beautiful to see that. It shows very clearly the Islamic way of life where it says man and woman are equal. It changes the ste-reotype image of Muslim men. When I see Ja-meel and his wife together, I see the beauty of Islamic way of life in this couple, and I admire them.”

Abdlkader also credits the shift in perspec-tives to Saudi Arabia’s exposure to the outside world, but sees some negative effects of the changing Arab world. Embedded in Islam is a neighbor’s responsibility to one another. Abdlkader said within the last five years, he’s seen anger and selfishness, very unlike the past.

“Twenty years ago, if you needed help, you’d get more than you can imagine,” Ab-dlkader said. “In the U.S., same thing. Older people remember a stronger sense of commu-nity.”

Abdlkader said it’s a rule in Islam, that as a Muslim, people’s color, nationality or religion doesn’t matter. You must treat neighbors well.

This generous nature and the changing perspectives in Saudi Arabia is seen in King Abdullah’s international scholarship program. Abdlkader said the king wants people to gain a different perspective and bring that back to Saudi Arabia.

Here in the U.S., Abdlkader said he bal-ances Islam and American values with ease. Sheikh said she sees Abdlkader every Friday for prayer and congregation.

“I always hear positive things from him,” Sheikh said. “He’s a good young man, I pray, may God bless him with success and prosper-ity. I see strong religious foundation in him; he is deeply faithful and committed to his beliefs and principles.”

Abdlkader said there have only been a few incidences where he felt he was being stereo-typed.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s okay,” Abdlkader said. “I understand and am patient. People are always careful with what they don’t know. Afraid of unknown, you know?”

Jameel Abdlkader closed his notes at the end of his English class at California State University, Long Beach, and walked out un-til his professor stopped him. He asked if Abdlkader had time to grab a cup of coffee, and he agreed. As they made their way to Star-bucks around the corner, his professor turned and said, “Jameel, I’m going to tell you some-thing, but I don’t want you to freak.”

Abdlkader looked at his professor with concerned eyes and said, “What is it? Tell me.”

“My idea of Islam, if you’re Muslim, I au-tomatically think you’re a terrorist,” his pro-fessor said. “I want you to help me free this idea, I have so many questions.”

Abdlkader, 32, recalls this moment tilting his head back with a laugh, his red Hollister shirt peeking out from a gray sweater. He and his wife, Rabaah Jaafari, 26, left their home in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for California two years ago. They first studied English, and now are pursuing degrees in biomedical sciences at Quinnipiac University.

Abdlkader is one of nearly 23,000 Saudi Arabian students studying in America, accord-ing to a 2011 report by the International Insti-tute of Education. That is a 44 percent increase from the 2009/2010 school year, when roughly 16,000 students came.

These numbers have increased annually since King Abdullah took the Saudi Arabian throne in 2005, which coincided with Presi-dent George W. Bush’s agreement to open U.S. doors to Arab students again after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S. Abdullah created an international scholarship program with his own money that has sent about 130,000 students abroad in 2012.

Abdlkader received the scholarship after arriving in America. His wife applied first on-line and went through an interviewing process to ensure she was serious about her studies before she was approved. Because Abdlkader and Jaafari were already married at the time, he only had to fill out the application before being approved.

In Saudi Arabian culture, women are al-ways accompanied by a man when traveling outside their country. If they aren’t married, their father or brother goes.

“Because she’s already accepted, I go with her,” Abdlkader said. “Once I arrived they gave me my own scholarship for school, life expenses and, with no obligation, no strings attached.”

Despite the religious and cultural differ-ences among Muslims and Americans, Ab-dlkader said many aspects of life are the same. His professor didn’t understand the rituals of Saudi life many students maintain while studying in the U.S., none of which are con-nected to extremists, but tied to customs that have long been part of Islamic culture.

Abdlkader grew up in Jeddah, a city on the

By CATHERINE BOUDREAUCo-Arts & Life Editor

THIS IS ME

FROM SAUDI ARABIA TO AMERICA FOR AN EDUCATION

A WORLD APART, A WORLD THE SAME

MADELINE HARDY / CHRONICLE

Abdlkader, a freshman biomedical science, came with his wife to America from Saudi Arabia to get a better education.

NAME: Jameel Abdlkader HOMETOWN: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

YEAR: FreshmanAGE: 32

T h e Q u i n n i p i a c C h r o n i c l e1 01 0 | A r t s & L i f e S e p t e m b e r 5 , 2 0 1 2

chor Q30’s show “Hashtag That” together. DeCandia has been impressed by King from the beginning.

“He really knows how to balance a so-cial life and schoolwork,” DeCandia said. “He double checks the script to make sure it’s okay and motivates me to get it done on time. But he’s also always a lot of fun and really outgoing.”

DeCandia also said that King is a great friend, and admires his creativity and work ethic.

“I think it’s great how he is just figuring

aron King was the first to ar-rive home on an afternoon in

May 2010. High school was coming to an end, and there

was only one thing on his mind: getting into college. He spotted an envelope on the table marked Quinnipiac University. He rushed over to grab it, knowing that this was the letter of all letters; the letter deciding if he could attend his first choice or not.

He ripped it open and read it as fast as he could. Seeing the word “Congratulations!” first made him speechless, but then, at the top of his lungs, he screamed. It echoed through-out his entire house in Washington D.C.

King called his mom and dad immedi-ately after opening the letter.

“I was like, ‘Mom, Mom, Mom!’” he said. “And she was like, ‘What’s wrong, what happened?!’ She thought something bad had happened, like I was in an accident or something because I was so excited. My dad had the same reaction.”

King also made the news his Facebook status, tweeted about it, posted it on every social media known to man, he said.

The sophomore public relations major is the first in his family to pursue a college education. Though he has the first genera-tion status, like roughly 30 percent of enter-ing freshmen in the United States, it does anything but define him.

For as long as he can remember, King has been on the path to higher education. It was a fact of life. He researched universities as an eighth grader, he said, and joked that as soon as he came out of the womb, his mother told him he would go no matter what.

“My parents always pushed me, saying ‘I want you to do what I couldn’t do,’” King said, adding that both his parents witnessed family members not make anything of their lives, and wouldn’t let that happen to him.

King attended high school in Maryland instead of D.C., he said, because it is a bet-ter system that could prepare him for college. It also has a higher graduation rate than the D.C. school system: 86 percent compared to fewer than 60 percent as released by the Of-

By CATHERINE BOUDREAUCo-Arts & Life Editor

THIS IS ME

AARON KING SETS A NEW STANDARD AS THE FIRST IN HIS FAMILY TO GO TO COLLEGE

KING OF THE Q

MADELINE HARDY / CHRONICLE

Almost 17 percent of Quinnipiac’s sophomore class are first-generation college students, and King is one of them.

NAME: aaron king

HOMETOWN:Washington, D.c.

YEAR:sophomore

MAJOR: public relations

for first generation, it’s like you’re walking on eggshells.

if you mess up, there’s a possibility you may drop out...

you have to be self-motivated. – AARON KING

He wanted to experience a whole new world, gain independence and really make his parents proud.

– ANNA BRUNE, FRIEND

fice of the State Superintendent of Education.King became best friends with Anna

Brune in high school. She recalls his con-stant desire to do well in school.

“Once he wants to do something, he sticks to it and there’s no stopping him,” Brune said. “And he applied to schools all over. I think he wanted to experience a whole new world, gain independence and re-ally make his parents proud.”

When King began the college applica-tion process, however, he did feel the weight of being the first.

He did all the paperwork himself and was mostly stressed about obtaining the nec-essary information from his parents, he said. He doesn’t know what he would have done without the help of his counselors and teach-ers with forms he didn’t understand. But for the most part, it wasn’t too difficult, he said.

Nearly 17 percent of Quinnipiac’s Class of 2015 are first-generation college students, according to the UCLA Cooperative Institu-tional Research Program survey.

A 2010 National Center for Education-al Statistics study found a wide gap in the graduation rates between four-year students whose parents earned degrees, 69 percent, and those whose parents never went to col-lege, 40 percent. These students are more likely to drop out for a range of reasons, in-cluding little preparation, feeling like they don’t belong, bad grades and financial need.

“I think there is more pressure on the person who is the first generation,” King said. “For those who have parents who have gone, they already know what it takes to graduate because they’ve done it before. But for first generation, it’s like you’re walking on eggshells. If you mess up, there’s a pos-sibility you may drop out, and you may not have anyone telling you what you’re options are or really supporting you. You have to be self-motivated.”

King said his transition to Quinnipiac was a smooth sail, the hardest part being leaving his parents and younger brother. When he does feel stressed, it is mostly from his perfectionist personality.

“I pressure myself more than anyone else,” King said. “I’m my toughest compe-tition in my head. I have this quote: ‘The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement.’”

King said he immediately made friends in his hallway in Dana, got involved in Q30, where he is now the promotions director, and joined the fraternity Delta Tau Delta.

Anthony DeCandia and King have been friends since freshman year, and co-an-

it out all on his own. He’s doing a great job,” DeCandia said.

King has many goals for himself, which could be a factor behind his successes thus far.

His dream job would be to be a PR man-ager for GQ Magazine, he said, as he is a style buff and reads every issue. But more short-term, his goal is to graduate and look back with no regrets.

“Being the first one? I’d say that makes me feel like I’m doing this for [my parents],” King said. “I can look back and say, ‘Mom and Dad, I did this for you.’ That’s my big-gest goal. And having my parents say ‘I’m proud of you, everyone is proud of you.’”

King said that graduation day will be one of his proudest moments and expects a lot of tears.

“Pretty sure everyone in my family is going to cry, and then that will make me cry,” King said. “Just waterworks. So much crying.”

T h e Q u i n n i p i a c C h r o n i c l e1 4 F e b r u a r y 8 , 2 0 1 21 4 | A r t s & L i f e

Source Clothing Company is CT's newest boutique featuring designer clothing and accessories at discount prices. Featuring brands like

AnthropologieFree PeopleUrban Outfitters7 For All MankindTrue ReligionCitizens of Humanity

Source Clothing Company is located in the Maplecroft Plaza in Cheshire, CT at 187 Highland Avenue, Cheshire, CT (203) 272-8500 www.SourceClothingCompany.com

SOURCEclothing company

Source Clothing Company is located in the Maplecroft Plaza in Cheshire, CT187 Highland Avenue, Cheshire, CT

(203) 272-8500 www.SourceClothingCompany.com

For students and faculty:

Take an additional 10% off any purchase by showing your Quinnipiac ID card.

Unlike the penguin, which mates for life, chances are the average Quinnipiac Bobcat will not settle down during its four years of college – especially if it is a female.

Quinnipiac currently enrolls 2,253 undergraduate men and 3,735 undergraduate women, according to the Office of Admissions. Therefore, the ratio is approximately 19/31. In a typical year, there are nearly dou-ble the amount of female applicants compared to males. Last year’s num-bers clocked in at 11,819 female ap-plicants and 6,821 male applicants.

With numbers like that, guys have it pretty good, and they’ll be the first to admit it.

“I mean, of course it’s a lot easier for guys to find girls to either date or hook up with because we are in the minority,” freshman Mike Roc-chio said.

The guy-to-girl ratio affects the dating atmosphere on campus in many ways, from the random hook-up mentality to the hopes of forming a serious relationship.

“The thing about relationships is that the best ones happen when there is relative equality,” said Michele Hoffnung, professor of psychology. “One form of this is when there are equal numbers of partners and you have an equal amount of choice.”

According to Hoffnung, the gen-der imbalance on campus contrib-utes to multiple aspects of Quinni-piac’s dating culture, one being the notion of, “the more you score, the better,” which is prevalent in our culture among young men in gen-eral. This could lead to more super-ficial relationships, she said.

Sophomore Tori Rice said that from what she’s seen on campus, many guys and girls just hook up, and it rarely becomes something permanent.

“I feel like because of the ratio, many guys have the mentality of if they go out, they are definitely going home with a girl. And the sad thing is, they aren’t entirely incorrect,” Rice said. “Guys have the indeci-sion.”

Meaningless hookups may reso-nate with many Quinnipiac students, as nights out in New Haven notori-ously end with a story or two.

However, students’ tendencies to go out to New Haven every week-end may also mean something else.

Senior Sonia George stated that many girls don’t go out because they want to hook up, but to even out the ratio and potentially meet guys from other schools.

“A lot of my friends have boy-friends that don’t go here. They met them out,” George said.

Hoffnung stated that fortunately, Quinnipiac’s campus is not a closed community. Therefore, there are many opportunities to meet people outside of college, such as at an in-ternship.

While the gender imbalance seems to contribute to frequent hookups, it may also affect the stan-dards that women set for themselves.

“Women will hang out with men they know they wouldn’t have in other situations. They may take a step down, so to speak,” Hoffnung said. “But that’s because they’re young, there’s nothing permanent about it, and that’s reasonable.”

Hoffnung added that there may be benefits to this, as well. In these cases,

women may discover other qualities that are important to them besides those they originally had in mind.

Men, however, don’t need to be as concerned with standards.

“I think it’s tough for guys to ac-tually date girls because there are so many options. It’s hard to tie your-self down to just one when there are a lot of single girls,” sophomore Tanner Tamsin said.

Tamsin also said that girls hook up to potentially form a committed relationship.

“If you are hooking up for a while, girls usually want to date,” Tamsin said.

Rocchio stated that if girls do find a guy they really like, they hold onto them because it’s harder to find someone else.

According to Hoffnung, how-ever, holding onto someone isn’t related to gender. If the ratio were in a woman’s favor, these roles would be reversed.

“If the imbalance were in the oth-er direction, men would try to hold on to women they like because there were fewer choices,” Hoffnung said.

Hoffnung advises that dating in

The raTio effecTcollege shouldn’t be a major concern.

Ultimately, most people don’t marry their college boyfriends or girl-friends, Hoffnung said. She has also done research showing that women in all-women colleges marry at the same rate as those in co-ed colleges.

According to the Pew Research Center, the average age for marriage among men is 28, and 26 among women. The research shows that most people marry someone they meet in graduate school or in the work place, for example.

“You are more likely to marry people you meet when you are about ready to get married,” Hoffnung said.

While Quinnipiac’s dating scene may be difficult for some to master, committed relationships can exist on campus.

Junior Evan Soderhom met his girlfriend walking the halls of Com-mons freshman year, he said.

“We have been dating for more than a year and a half and I don’t have the idea of being tied down,” Soderhom said. “Sure there are a lot of other girls at Quinnipiac, but I’ve found the one I want and all it takes is one.”

By Catherine BoudreauAssociate Arts & Life Editor

The uneven girl to guy ratio makes itself evident at Quinnipiac, even in the cafeteria.LEsLy ALvArEz/chronicLE

eVerYBoDY eLSe’S raTioS

BreaKDoWN of QU’S raTio

Uconn49% Women

51% Men

Yale52% Women

48% Men

U of New haven56% Women

44% Men

Fairfield U59% Women

41% Men

Quinnipiac62% Women

38% Men

Sacred Heart65% Women

35% Men

all statistics according to College Board

eNroLLeD UNDerGraDUaTeS:2,253 MeN3,735 WoMeN

LaST Year’S aPPLicaNTS:6,821 MeN 11,819 WoMeN

1931

Dating at Quinnipiac

T h e Q u i n n i p i a c C h r o n i c l e S e p t e m b e r 2 8 , 2 0 1 18 | A r t s & L i f e8

AnnA brundAge/chronicLe

The rate at which alcohol is processed depends on many factors: gender, weight, how fast you drink, how concentrated [the alcohol] is, and how much food is in your stomach.

Arts & Life quchronicle.com/arts-and-lifeartslife@quchronicle.com

@quchronicle

By cAtherine BoudreAuStaff Writer

Two weeks ago, the last thing sophomore Danielle Gagliardi’s friend’s roommate remembered was taking a picture with her friends in line for Dayglow.

Then she woke up in a hospital bed, completely freaked out with a bracelet on her wrist that said “fall risk.” Apparently, she couldn’t stand, so the people at the door for Dayglow didn’t allow her to enter. Her friends tried feeding her a shish kebob so she would sober up, but people in the ambulance standing by saw and took her with them.

According to Dr. Joseph Segen’s Concise Medical Dictionary, a black-out is an episode of total amnesia last-ing from hours to days after a period of intense drinking or alcohol binge.

Some college students experi-ence them frequently as a result of binge drinking.

According to a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry, blackouts can generally be divided into two categories: en bloc black-outs and fragmentary blackouts

(more commonly known as brown-outs).

Someone who experiences an en bloc blackout cannot recall anything that happened during the period of time they were blacked out. How-ever, while it is happening, they can still carry on conversations and ac-complish tasks.

Brownouts are characterized by the ability to recall certain events from a period of intoxication. But a person who experienced a brownout is usually unaware that other memo-ries are missing until reminded by someone else.

“Nobody has figured out the pre-cise mechanism in which alcohol af-fects your consciousness,” said Dr. Phillip Brewer, university medical director for student health services at Quinnipiac.

However, according to Brewer, alcohol is absorbed directly by the stomach. What isn’t absorbed by the stomach then enters the small intes-tine. From there, it flows to the liver and is metabolized by an enzyme. The liver only metabolizes 30 per-cent of the alcohol. Therefore, 70

percent of pure alcohol makes it into one’s bloodstream and brain.

“The rate at which alcohol is processed depends on many factors: gender, weight, how fast you drink, how concentrated [the alcohol] is, how much food is in your stomach,” Brewer said. “But, your blood alco-hol content will rise and can con-tinue to rise for another couple of hours. An hour later you can have a higher alcohol level than you did at your last drink.”

This explains why as a night progresses, students can feel more intoxicated although they stopped drinking.

Researchers at the Duke Uni-versity Medical Center suspect that consuming a lot of alcohol quickly increases the chance of having a blackout, because it leads to a rapid increase in the person's blood-alco-hol content. The brain is not pre-pared to deal with so much alcohol all at once.

When someone’s blood-alcohol content rises slowly over an ex-tended period of time, people are less likely to black out, even if they

eventually become intoxicated. This could be due to a small level of tol-erance that develops during con-sumption of alcohol, and could help protect the brain from blackouts, re-searchers at Duke say.

While there are no clear long-term effects from blacking out, stu-dents who reach this state are more likely to involve themselves in risky behavior, as they have little or no control of their impulses.

“It was my birthday and I had a lot to drink in a short amount of time,” said Tyler Perry, a junior at the University of Vermont. “I remember my vision becoming really hazy at one point, but after that nothing. I woke up the next morning with a big cut on my head, not knowing where I was or what happened.”

Besides the obvious consequenc-es that may result from a blackout, such as serious embarrassment and regret, Quinnipiac has its own set of consequences for students who are caught severely intoxicated.

Quinnipiac’s student handbook states, “Students who display intoxi-cated behaviors (i.e., slurred speech,

glazed eyes, etc.), or students who require staff assistance due to the con-sumption of alcohol or illegal drugs are subject to disciplinary action.”

“I went to health services after a [resident assistant] wrote me up one night for throwing up in the bathroom,” said a Quinnipiac junior. “Afterward, I received an email from the [residence hall director] about a conduct meeting. I had to at-tend that, take an alcohol education class and they also sent a letter home to my parents. I was on academic probation for four months, too, so if I got in trouble during that time pe-riod I think things would have got-ten a lot more serious.”

According to a study done by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, almost half of full-time college students binge drink. How-ever, there are no statistics regarding the number of students who black-out.

“From my experience, when peo-ple tell me their blackout stories, noth-ing good ever seems to come from them,” senior Jessica Prior said.