Mirror - Vol. 32, No. 25 - April 12, 2007

              WEEK OF APRIL 12,2007
Vol. 32, Iss. 25-16 pages
FREE - Take One MfflROR www.FAIRFIELDMIRRORcoM
The independent student newspaper
of Fairfield University
Nine Freshmen Arrested After Bridgeport Police Raid The Blue
BY JESS MITCHELL
Nine Fairfield freshmen were arrested and charged with
possession of alcohol by a minor Tuesday, April 3, when
Bridgeport police officers raided The Blue, a local bar fre-quented
by students, according to recent police report.
Each student received a summons to appear in court on
Wednesday, April 11. Seven of the students were charged
with forgery of the third degree, while another was charged
with breach of peace, all of whom were required to pay
$2,500 bail, according to the report.
"It was a standard raid," said Sgt. Bergquist of the
Narcotics and Vice Division. "Undercover officers made
observations regarding underage drinking."
Bergquist also said that the bar was probably packed
beyond fire code regulations. However, the police focused
their attention on the underage drinking.
Bridgeport police officers arrived at 11 p.m. just before
some students, including Mere Hausler' 10, arrived. Hausler
said the doors were locked with everyone inside.
"It was mayhem, everyone was trying to get out," she
said.
Mike Bennett' 10 said he noticed the undercover cops
inside the bar because they were not drinking.
"[Police] brought anyone they saw that was really in-toxicated
into the kitchen for questioning. They used force
on those who weren't cooperating," said Bennett.
Undercover police officers selected students out of
a 150-person crowd as they were leaving The Blue, an
establishment located on Fairfield Avenue in Bridegport
previously named Black Rock and Blue, according to one
student who was arrested and requested anonymity.
The student said he noticed the undercover officers
inside the bar and thought it was "weird" to see a 40-year-old
woman amidst a crowd of college students.
"I didn't really put it together," he said, "but I did see
[the female officer] watch me buy a beer. I couldn't tell you
why she picked me."
The arrested students were brought to the Narcotics
and Vice Office on River Street in Bridgeport where they
were handcuffed to the table, according to the student. The
student said police confiscated the students' cell phones,
wallets, keys, belts and shoelaces to be returned upon their
release.
Dean of Students Tom Pellegrino said he learned of
the raid the morning after it occurred.
"The code of conduct applies to matters occurring off
campus, so our policies will apply, as will the ability of each
Lorraine Lampe/The Mirror
Good night gone bad: Students found themselves be-hind
bars instead of at the bar.
student to represent his or her side of the story and to have
each matter heard individually," said Pellegrino.
The incident relates to the broader issue of program-
SEE "INCIDENT" ON P. 5
James Nguyen / The Mirror
Music to our ears: The Jazz Ensemble played its Spring Concert in front of a packed crowd at the Black Box on
Tuesday. Pictured above is John Quell '09 (left), Allen Pangilinan '09(center) and Mark Basso '07 (right).
Recycling Initiatives
Decrease Trash Output
BY ALEXANDRA GROSS
With threats of increased hurricanes, droughts and other
natural disasters, people across the world are trying to slow the
global warming process. Currently, Fairfield is doing its part by
moving toward becoming a "trashless" campus.
Since the addition of blue recycling bins in January, build-ings
across campus have seen the positive effects of increased
paper recycling. Within a month of the program's implementa-tion,
Donnarumma was able to remove large amounts of paper
from the waste stream, according to Charlene Wallace, recycling
coordinator for Donnarumma and department secretary for the
philosophy, religious studies and the honors program departments.
This allowed for the removal of an entire dumpster from behind
the building.
"We probably reduced our trash output by 90 percent," said
Wallace. "We've realized that paper was one of the biggest con-tributors.
Now, we have a new locked dumpster just for paper.
The amount of regular waste is so small that it can be added to
the Canisius dumpster."
The University has gone from 2.44 tons of white office paper
a month in March 2006 to 10.73 tons of paper a month these past
two months, according to recent data report from the University's
disposal service, American Disposal Services.
"This data shows that our small, incremental recycling
SEE "PAPER" ON P. 5
DiMeo Charged With Stealing Handgun in Donnelly Murders
BY KACIE RILEY
The man charged with murdering Kim
and Tim Donnelly, longtime members of
the Univeristy community, was arraigned
Tuesday in Bridgeport Superior Court.
The Donnellys were robbed and mur-dered
on Feb. 2, 2005 in their Fairfield
jewelry store. Kim Donnelly was a former
University professor and the couple's son,
Eric Donnelly, graduated from Fairfield
in 2001.
The accused, Chris DiMeo, fought
extradition to Connecticut for over a year,
but was finally brought from New York
at the end of March. At that time he was
held on a $5 million bail and charged with
capital felony, two counts of felony mur-der,
two counts
of murder and
one count each of
first-degree rob-bery
and criminal
possession of a
handgun.
On April 10,
an extra charge
was added as
Greenwich police
arrested DiMeo for
allegedly stealing the handgun used in the
Donnelly slayings.
The judge added a $50,000 bail for
the Greenwich charges.
Police searched for DiMeo and his
girlfriend, Nicole Pearce, for two days
DIMEO
after the shooting, finally arresting them
at a motel in Atlantic City, N.J. Both later
pleaded guilty to the robbery and murder
of a Long Island jeweler, Thomas Renison,
the manager of J&J Jewelry, a Glen Head,
N.Y. store.
DiMeo was sentenced to a life term
and is scheduled for a hearing on May
14. Pearce was sentenced to 20 years for
robbery but has not been arraigned in
Bridgeport yet.
DiMeo's mother, Maryann Taylor-
Casey, 40, was arrested and charged with
driving the getaway car in the jewelry
robbery.
The Donnelly murders stunned the
community, not only because a murder
had not occurred in Fairfield in nine
years, but because the Donnellys were
well-known and well-liked. More than
1,000 people attended the funeral. The
Donnellys' daughter Tara also graduated
from Fairfield in 2003.
"It still amazes me how many people
my parents knew and how many people are
willing to help remember their memory in
a positive way," said Eric Donnelly. "It's
the best tribute they could have."
The Donnellys are still an active part
of the community, as their family started
a music scholarship in their name at the
University. The Donnelly Walk and a
musical festival at the Black Rock Arts
Center are two upcoming events that help
fund the scholarship and pay tribute to the
Donnelly family.