Mirror - Vol. 30, No. 17 - February 10, 2005

              The
Fairfield Chiversit\r's Student Ne
FUSA limits student access to meetings
BY CARA MUSIK
Ever wonder how your share of
FUSA's $240,000 budget, comprised of
mandatory student fees, is spent?
Well, dont attempt to get into the
FUSA meetings to find out.
Currently, there is no written policy
stating when FUSA senate meetings are
to be open or closed. Yet FUSA reserves
the right to ask members of the public to
leave if a vote is to be taken.
"Much of the discussion on certain
topics is highly opinionated and backed
by emotion and not facts," said Brett
Ritterbeck '05, FUSA Senate president
said, explaining the reasoning behind
the policy, or lack of one.
"This is information that the stu-dents
need to neither see nor hear about.
We are a legislature that conducts busi-ness
and debates issues," he said. "We
do that within our own chambers and
then the information and final products
•are what become public."
Though many Fairfield students
said that they would not attend all of the
meetings even if they were permitted
inside, some said that they would like to
at least have the option to do so.
"I know that the senators are sup-posed
to represent us," said Lisa Sbarra
'06, "but how can I trust that they'll
vote for what I want? I would like the
chance to be at all the meetings if I
choose to be."
Jenna Sbordone '06 agreed with
Sbarra.
"Frankly, I wouldn't go to the
meetings anyway," she said. "But if I
feel strongly about something, I would
like to be able to voice my opinion at a
SEE "CONFLICTS" ON P. 2
EDITORIAL
FUSA
should
adopt an
open door
policy
Page 9
A COMMUNITY MOURNS
Chris Donato/The Mirror
Paying their respects: Fairfield residents visit a makeshift memorial in front of Donnelly Jewelry on Post Road where a couple was killed in
a robbery last Wednesday.
Fairfield couple slain in jewelry store robbery
BY MEGAN J. MAHONEY
The front of the small card,
adorned with a Celtic cross and a
green border read, "Grieve not...
nor speak of me with tears.. ..but
laugh and talk of me as though I
were beside you. I love you so...
'twas heaven here with you."
The back of the card, handed
out to mourners at the services,
read in plain, spare text, "In Mem-ory
of Tim & Kim Donnelly, two
became one, December 2, 1972,
never to be separated, February
2, 2005."
The couple, slain in a rob-bery
last Wednesday evening
at their jewelry store, Donnelly
Jewelry, were laid to rest Monday
morning after a touching service
at St. Augustine's Church in
Bridgeport. Almost 1,000 people
attended the funeral and more
than 1,200 attended the wake the
previous night.
The Donnelly's touched
many people in their work, or-ganizations,
clubs and around
town as evidenced by the display
of sympathy and mourning in
Fairfield center. Their store was
known for its Celtic jewelry.
Bouquets of flowers, pictures
and cards lie outside the store-front
in a makeshift memorial.
Poems and handwritten notes
have been taped to the boarded-up
windows of the store. Candles
have been lit and left in the
couple's memory.
Many mourners have paused
by the memorial to remember the
couple and mourn their loss.
"First of all the outpouring
of sympathy from the community
has been overwhelming and un-believable,"
said Fairfield's First
Selectman Ken Flatto.
"It was such a tragedy to
lose those two people who were
so involved in the community
through their business and orga-nizations
like the Gaelic Club,"
Flatto added.
"They obviously touched a
lot of people. It happened in the
heart of Fairfield center," said
Flatto.
Kimberly Wickert and Timo-thy
Donnelly were high school
sweethearts, who met at age 17
and married at 21. She loved yoga
and creating jewelry. Tim was an
accomplished marathon runner.
Their two grown children,
Eric, 25, andTara, 23, both gradu-ated
from Fairfield University
and, until recently, Kim worked
in the finance department at the
university. She left her position
here to help her husband in the
jewelry store, which they opened
in 1987.
Eric, who graduated in 1999,
is the lead guitarist in the band,
Tim Warren and the Alternate
Routes. The band has been a cam-pus
favorite for several years and
has recently gained popularity off
campus as well.
Eric also worked in the music
SEE "COMMUNITY" ON P. 2
Spring concert
bid made
for OAR.
BY KELLY SHEEHAN
Disappointed with 112?
Had never heard of Howie Day?
Thought Third Eye Blind would
have been cool when "Semi
Charmed Life" came out?
FUSA's programming branch
listened to the student body's
complaints and put in its first bid
last week for the popular college
band, Of A Revolution (O.A.R.),
for Fairfield's spring concert. The
show is planned to take place over
the weekend ofApril 29, Fairfield's
May Day celebration.
"They put on a wonderful
show my freshman year," said Erin
Teeling '05. "And I would love
to have them come back for my
senior year. I've seen them three
times and they have never failed
to be amazing."
"O.A.R. is a great band, and
they are best when they are live,"
said Alison Sikora '06. "I'd love
for them to come to Fairfield.
Their shows are filled with tons
of energy and I think that's exactly
what college kids want."
According to Jillian Grant
'05, vice president of FUSA pro-gramming,
no other bands are
being considered until O.A.R.
responds to the bid.
It is expected that the band
will respond by Friday.
"Other acts will be sought
out should the need arise," said
Grant.
If O.A.R. rejects Fairfield's
bid, the programming board will
consult their concert agent, who
works as a middleman between
the university and prospective
entertainment.
Grant said the board would
only reevaluate its options and
look into other bands if O.A.R.
SEE "FUSA" ON P. 2