I recently discovered the online blog site CollegeOTR.com (College On The Record). According to College OTR, they are “the country’s premier college blog, capturing the best of everything that happens at college.” It works by OTR hiring an editor in chief for each campus featured on the website. The compensation for this position is $100 a month, with the terms and conditions stating you must post at least one blog per day. Out of curiosity, I checked the schools participating, and sure enough Quinnipiac was featured. Quinnipiac’s editor in chief is current senior Jessica Almanza.

Personally, I don’t know Jessica, and I’m sure she is a very nice girl, I guess I am just in disbelief of what I read the other night. I logged on for the first time only to find a post written on November 29th, entitled, “How To Spot A Quinnipiac Student.” As OTR states, they are not affiliated with Quinnipiac, so they do not have any responsibility for the material posted, and the opinions expressed are those of the authors. Just in case the article is no longer “available” after this is published, here is an excerpt of what Almanza says:

“Quinnipiac University is well-known as the premiere country club of the northeast. Known for its immaculately manicured grounds and almost impeccable security records, the university attracts some of the nation’s snobbiest trust fund babies. Those who walk around with their noses permanently positioned upward pollute the pristine campus. This seemingly arrogant aura should be enough to identify the Quinnipiac student off-campus but if there are ever any doubts, here a just a few hints to spot a bobcat.”

She then goes on to list “dead giveaways” of how to spot a QU student based on three quotes, such as “I was thinking about wearing my Nanette Lepore shoes to the club tonight,” or “No Dad, not good enough – I want a first-class tickets to Florida right now!” and even, “The laundry service is awful at this school!” Almanza concludes with suggesting to Yalies that next time they complain about how “dreadful” it is to be neighbors to QU, they should add this to their long list of “grievances against us.”

In no way am I writing this to bash Almanza, or publicly agree or disagree with her statement. In fact, I have no opinion on what she said, or how she worded it. First off, I’d like to applaud Almanza for standing up publically in something she believes in. She could have easily stood behind the cowardly wall of anonymity that Juicy Campus provides, but she was brave enough to speak out for something she believed in. That to me alone says something overly positive about the people in this community. The issue I had with this was why it was done.

I think what impacted me the most was how Almanza ended that last quote, let me repeat, “They should add this to the list of grievances against us.” By saying “us,” Almanza clearly recognizes the fact that she is a member of this very community she bashes. While we are not a broken community, we certainly have been having some identity issues as a whole throughout the past few months. In a time when we are lacking that necessary sense of community, how are we supposed to strengthen while the people taking shots at us are internal? I respect the idea of freedom of speech, but is this not slander to every member of the QU community?

Personally, I do not own a pair of Nanette Lepore shoes (Nor have I ever heard of them). Even if I did, I don’t think I’d wear them to the New Haven clubs anyway. The only experience I’ve ever had with first class has been when I walk through it to reach my seat in coach, and lastly, a trust fund? I certainly don’t have one of those. In fact, my nose points slightly downward. (It’s always bothered me a bit.) yet I am a Quinnipiac student. So I propose this question to Almanza, how would you recognize me in public?

I am an individual, as are the other 5000+ students in the Quinnipiac system. Together, we make up what is known as “Quinnipiac University” and that’s the truth. We are not classified by our immaculate landscaping, modern architecture, courses offered or even grades earned. We are classified by the people that live among us, who do not stand for hate, who do not allow for suppression of rights, but most of all, who do not stand quietly and observe. We speak out against what we feel is wrong, and that is what I am doing today. That is what a true bobcat does.
If you truly feel that strongly to provide our fellow Connecticut school with so called “material” to bash us with, I suggest you rethink where you want to be right now, because it doesn’t seem you are too happy with Quinnipiac.

PS if you do decide to join the Yale community, and are ever not in the mood to do laundry yourself, I did some research, and found something called the Yale Laundry Service! They provide full service & dry cleaning for you. Hopefully you don’t find them as awful or distasteful as Quinnipiac’s service.