DECEMBER 3, 2025 • VOLUME 96 • ISSUE 13
The official student newspaper of Quinnipiac University since 1929
By ADRIANA CERBONE Staff Writer
Quinnipiac University’s College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) is in discussion to launch a Bachelor of Science in Forensic Studies next fall to provide new opportunities, knowledge and experience. Forensic Studies combines natural science with criminal justice and applies science to solve legal problems such as examining fingerprints or DNA to find the truth in a case. Forensic Studies was launched as a minor at Quinnipiac in 2023. “The university is exploring the possibility of a forensic studies program, but nothing has been approved,” John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations, wrote in a statement to The Chronicle. “Any proposal must go through the university’s formal academic review and approval process. We will share updates as appropriate.” Each student within this major has an academic plan that they consult with their academic advisor to build. First and second year students are required to meet with their advisor at least once a semester to discuss academic, experiential learning, career and co-curricular opportunities. “With the new business building and the SITE, Quinnipiac is expanding so I believe it is very valuable having more majors,” Mason Marcellus, a junior finance major, said. “I
New forensic studies major under consideration to come to Quinnipiac
See MAJOR Page 2
TYLER MIGNAULT/CHRONICLE
Local advocates and congresswoman urge Quinnipiac to reopen Irish Great Hunger Museum By AVA HIGHLAND News Editor
The student-led petition to reopen Quinnipiac University’s Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum reached over 2,000 signatures, leading to a letter sent to President Marie Hardin by Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. On Oct. 31, three members of Ireland’s Great Hunger Bord — Turlough McConnell, Catherine Shannon and Joseph McDonagh — met with Hardin. As DeLauro was unable to attend, District Director Jennifer Lamb read DeLauro’s letter addressed to Hardin. DeLauro is a U.S. representative for Connecticut’s 3rd Congressional District. In her letter, she detailed her upset from the museum’s initial closure and urged the university to reconsider the decision. “Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum provided a sobering experience of the suffering and resilience of the Irish, a story that unfortunately has been replicated across
many decades and cultures,” DeLauro wrote in her letter. “With the building in Hamden specifically designed to enhance the story which the collection tells, the museum became a community treasure and I supported the efforts to reopen it in its current collection so it could continue its critical mission of education and understanding.” The museum was opened in 2012 by President Emeritus John Lahey, but was later closed in 2020 by President Emerita Judy Olian during the COVID-19 pandemic. The museum housed a collection of visual art, artifacts and printed materials, serving as a resource for students, staff and the local community. It also attracted visitors from Ireland. “I have long advocated to keep Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum open,” DeLauro wrote in a statement to The Chronicle. “The museum contains the world’s largest collection of Great Hunger-related art and
artifacts that illuminate the story of The Great Famine and the suffering and resilience of the Irish.” In 2021, the university announced the permanent closure of the museum and over 100 people, including state officials, gathered at the building on Whitney Avenue in protest. After the announcement, DeLauro immediately began working with local advocates as well as directors of Ireland’s Great Hunger Bord to request the museum be reopened and advocate for the collection not to be dismantled. In her letter, DeLauro also highlighted that after the museum’s closing, the university had plans to move the collection to the Gaelic American Club of Fairfield (GAC). However, the GAC did not have the qualifying tax status needed to accept the collection. The university once again said that they are collaborating with Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, Inc. (IGHMF) to
OPINION
ARTS & LIFE
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provide public access to the collection. President Hardin has not issued a statement. “(IGHMF) has made meaningful progress on establishing a new home for the collection in Fairfield,” John Morgan, associate vice president of public relations, wrote in a statement to The Chronicle. “In the meantime, IGHMF is showcasing art from the collection through exhibitions around the state and region.” However, it has been five years since the museum’s closure and the full collection remains inaccessible to the public — a fact that continues to leave DeLauro, Lahey and local advocates unsettled. “My views on this matter have not changed over the past five years during which time the museum doors have remained closed, the collection is largely collecting dust in Hamden/North Haven, See MUSEUM Page 3
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Quinnipiac Athletics signs 44 future Bobcats during the collegiate early signing period