Mirror - Vol. 33, No. 02 - September 13, 2007

              WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 13,2007
Vol. 33, Iss. 2-32 pages
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The independent student newspaper
of Fairfield University
Loan Lender Agreements Under Scrutiny
BY JOE CARRETTA
Fairfield's mission statement pro-motes
its status as a university whose
"primary objectives are to ... foster in
| students] ethical and religious values and
a sense of social responsibility."
But recent events have caused some
to question whether the University itself
abides by this mantra.
On Aug. 27, Fairfield voluntarily
agreed to place $28,000 into scholarship
funds in an effort to counter any financial
gains the University saw as a result of
its little-publicized agreement with The
College Board Inc. College Board is a
Web site designed for prospective college
students that has a student loan program.
Previously, College Board was listed on
the University Web site as one of its pre-ferred
lenders.
Federal investigations into the student
loan industry revealed relationships be-tween
universities and lending companies
that were formed illegally, although in the
best interests of both parties.
Admissions and financial-aid soft-ware
discounts of $16,000 were granted
to Fairfield from College Board, in addi-tion
to an all expenses paid trip to Amelia
Island in Florida for one financial aid
director at Fairfield to discuss student
loan issues.
Fairfield failed to confirm the financial
aid director who was the beneficiary of this
trip, despite the fact that there is only one
position that carries that title.
Rama Sudhakar, vice presi-dent
of marketing and commu-nications,
said, "Fairfield sought dis-counts
wherever possible to get the
best prices for the institution."
"The University had followed the
common practices of most higher educa-tion
institutions when purchasing financial
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aid tools and services from third party
vendors," she said.
University President Fr. Jeffrey von
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Dave Axelrod/The Mirror
Candlelight Reverence: Students on campus gathered Tuesday night at a memorial service to remember the victims who died on Sept.
11, 2001. There was a candelight vigil held from 9-10 p.m. behind Loyola Hall on the rainy, windy night. Students shared stories, poems and
songs to pay tribute. A large American Flag was also hung in front of the BCC in rememberance of the tragedy.
FairfieldJumps To Second In U.S. News Rankings
BY MEGHAN SCHELZI
Last year Fairfield tied for the No. 4
position among colleges ijj the Northeast
with masters programs, according to U.S.
News & World Report's "America's Best
Colleges 2007".
This year, Fairfield is tied with Loyola
College in Maryland and Providence Col-lege
for the No. 2 ranking in that category.
According to the U.S. News & World
Report Web site, 574 universities are sur-veyed
and ranked within four geographic
areas: North, South, West and Midwest.
The groupings are derived from the
basic classification framework established
by the Carnegie Foundation for the Ad-vancement
of Teaching in 2006, according
to the Web site.
Academic Vice President Orin Gross-man
said in a press release that he is always
pleased when Fairfield places well in various
college guides. However, he said he wants
prospective students and their parents to
know that such guides are limited in what
they can measure.
This is the 17th year that U.S. News &
World Report has ranked the University in
the top four among universities in the North-east
with masters degree programs.
Although U.S. News & World Report
separates schools with graduate programs
from those without, the schools are ranked
based on the same general criteria.
"The U.S. News ratings provide some
useful information, but there are so many
quantifiable attributes that contribute to a
successful college experience, such as the
individual attention given by a professor, the
Jesuit emphasis on issues of social justice,
the integration of student living and learning
experiences and the real-world connections
provided by internships, study abroad and
research opportunities," said Grossman in
a press release.
Joe Ginese, a former Fairfield graduate
student, who received his MBA at Fairfield,
chose to go Fairfield based on the Universi-ty's
reputation and credentials.
"I chose to go to Fairfield because of
its rankings, specifically the AACSB Inter-national
accreditation and the small class
size," said Ginese.
Still, Grossman stressed the importance
of assessing the school based on more than
just ranking. Getting to know the Fairfield
campus and its ammenities, for example, is
an important part of becoming integrated
into its community.
"So, while I always like to see Fairfield
at the top of its league, I also encourage
parents and students to visit Fairfield to get
a first-hand experience," said Grossman.
Local Murderer
Sentenced
BY KATE MCGANN
A year after Fairfield was rocked by
news of the murder of Barry James, his
next door neighbor Jonathan Edington
was sentenced to 12 years in prison for
first degree manslaughter.
Allegedly, Edington, the father
of a two-year-old girl, accused James
of molesting his daughter, and in a fit
of rage, broke into James's home and
stabbed him to death.
The molestation charge was filed
by Edington's wife, Christina Edington,
three days after James's murder, accord-ing
to the Fairfield Minuteman.
Edington had called police several
months earlier to report seeing James
"not fully clothed" through the win-dow,
though he never filed a formal
complaint.
Police were never able to sub-stantiate
the claim, despite reports that
Edington knew of his wife's concerns
regarding James's interaction with their
daughter.
According to police reports, Ed-ington
called for emergency medical
personnel as James lay bleeding on his
kitchen floor.
Edington had broken into the house
that James shared with his parents,
who had also contacted police after the
stabbing.
According to an article from the
Fairfield Minuteman, Judge Richard
Comerford said the incident was a
"Shakespearean tragedy brought into
the real world."
After hearing about Edington's
sentencing, Mike Garcia '08 agreed.
"It makes sense because you can
see the parallels of the guy being like
a tragic hero figure trying to protect his
daughter from what he thinks happened
to her," he said.
Comerford initially sentenced
Edington to 20 years behind bars, but
rescinded eight years of the sentence,
leaving 12 years in prison plus five years
probation.
According to news reports, both
Edington, a former patent lawyer, and
his wife, Christina, have been served
with wrongful death lawsuits on the as-sertion
that the false abuse claim incited
the attack.
"It's scary to think that some-thing
like that could have happened
in Fairfield, but it's good to know
that justice was served," said Gillian
Bonynge '08.