Mirror - Vol. 33, No. 04 - September 27, 2007

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WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 27,2007
Vol. 33, Iss. 4-24 pages
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MThe IRROR wvw.FAIRFIELDMIRROR.coM
The independent student newspaper
of Fairfield University
Fairfield mourns tragic loss ofbeloved sophomore
Kristen Duhamel dies in fatal car accident
BY STEPHANIE LAUTO
One week ago, Kristen M. Duhamel '10
told her mother, Loren, that her car was not
working properly. The two traded cars and
planned to meet up the following Saturday after
the vehicle was fixed. But plans were changed
last minute, and the car exchange occurred
Friday afternoon instead.
"Kristen told me, 'Mom, you don't have
to drive all the way to Fairfield,'" said Loren
Duhamel, who lives in Charlestown, R.I. "So,
we met at the Clinton Outlets and we switched
cars there."
Although Loren Duhamel had no knowl-edge
of what would later occur, she said she
had a "feeling" and needed to see her daughter
before Saturday.
"There was something in me. 'How
about we go today?'" Loren Duhamel asked
INSIDE:
YOUNG LIFE LOST,
NEW PERSPECTIVE
FOUND
P. 8
GRIEVING A
SUDDEN VOID
p.8
Contributed Photo
Forever a family: From left: David Duhamel, Scott Duhamel, Kristen Duhamel '10, Loren
Duhamel, and Dan Duhamel celebrate Kristen's high school graduation.
her daughter on Friday,
Sept. 21.
Hours later, Kris-ten
Duhamel was pro-nounced
dead at Stam-ford
Hospital. She had
sustained severe inju-ries
from a car accident
on the Merritt Parkway
near Greenwich, Conn.,
state police said.
Duhamel, 19, who
was sitting in the backseat of classmate Mat-thew
P. Holmes's Ford Bronco, was ejected
onto the roadway after Holmes lost control
of his vehicle while navigating a curve. The
vehicle first struck the wood beam guardrail
on the left side of the two-lane highway, rolled
over, and then struck the right side, according
to the accident summary.
Duhamel and Holmes were taken in an
ambulance to Stamford Hospital and Roberto
L. Nicolia, Jr.' 10, the front seat passenger, was
transported to Greenwich Hospital. All three
passengers were wearing seatbelts, and both
males suffered non-fatal injuries, according
to police.
The case is still under police investigation.
A resident of Jogues Hall, Duhamel was
a nursing major studying to become a nurse
practitioner.
"She was very interested, nufhe medical
field since she was four years old,'' said Loren
Duhamel.
SEE "STUDENT" ON P. 5
HOUIC SUlu 3,W3VI Fairfield credits, ideals transfer abroad
BY RACHEL BREAN
Recent federal investigations into the
student loan industry revealed unethical re-lationships
between universities and lending
companies. Now, the study abroad industry
is under scrutiny for offering universities
similar incentives in exchange for exclusivity
of programs.
But Fairfield officials maintain that its
study abroad office has not received any in-ducements
from its program affiliates.
"We are mindful of safety and security
issues and try to stay as informed as possible
about our students when they are abroad.
However, there are no incentives from pro-grams
for enrolling our students," said Edna
Wilson, dean of the university School of
Continuing Education, which coordinates all
study abroad programs.
Other colleges and universities are re-ceiving
bonuses, free and subsidized travel
overseas for officials, back-office services to
defray operating expenses, stipends to market
the programs to students, unpaid membership
on advisory councils and boards, and cash
bonuses and commissions on student-paid fees,
according to a recent New York Times article.
According to Fairfield's School of
Continuing Education, Fairfield faculty and
administrators visit most study abroad loca-tions
to review international programs and
establish which programs are most appropri-ate
for students.
During the visits, they participate in
classroom observations, meetings with faculty
and administrators from the host institutions,
and meetings with American students at-tending
the host institution. Often, there are
also visits to inspect housing arrangements,
including host families if applicable.
Wilson said that the study abroad pro-gram
abides strongly by the Jesuit philosophy
of cura personalis, a commitment to caring
for the whole person.
"We believe that even though a student
is studying in another country, we have a
responsibility to know where that student is
located and what courses they are taking,"
said Wilson.
"We don't expect the student to have the
same experience as she or he would have had
on our Fairfield, Connecticut campus," Wilson
added, "but we
seek to provide
corresponding
learning and
cultural devel-opment
oppor-tunities."
A number
of years ago,
the University
centralized all
study abroad
programs and
services in
the University
College. This
centralization
insured stan-dard
practices
throughout
academic pro-grams
and
units, and pro-vided
administrative oversight.
"I think for the Florence program,
Fairfield was very involved compared to what
I've heard about other programs," said Emily
Krause '08, who studied abroad in Florence,
Italy, last semester.
"I absolutely loved the Fairfield oversite
and found it helpful. We had everything taken
care of for us," said Krause.
Study abroad is becoming integral to the
college experience; the study abroad industry
is expected to become more lucrative and
competitive.
SEE "STUDY" ON P. 3
Katie McCarthy/The Mirror
Bienvenido: Gabrielle Brygider '10 and Jeremy Shea '10 listen to Lynne
McDonald '08 as she describes her study abroad experience in Aix en
Provence, France, at the study abroad fair in the Barone Campus Center
last week.
Remembering a
giving' student
BY STEPHANIE LAUTO
DUHAMEL
It was Kristen Duhamel's infec-tious
smile and hearty laugh that set
her apart.
"You never saw Kristen mad. She
always had a smile on her face," said
Sheenagh Denniston, one of Duhamel's
closest friends from home. "If I was ever
upset or a friend was, she would snap you
out of it within five
minutes of conver-sation.
She always
made you feel that
you were going to
be all right."
Denniston
recalled lying on
Duhamel's bed two
weeks ago, sharing
her thoughts and
troubles with her
companion. After minutes of chatting and
joking, Denniston said she felt at ease.
"Kristen was so bubbly, so easy to
talk to," she said. "She had such a unique
laugh - it would just get us all going. If
you were in a bad mood, you weren't
staying in a bad mood around Kristen."
Vivid are the memories of Duhamel,
a Fairfield sophomore, in Denniston's
mind. But the void she feels after a car ac-cident
took Duhamel's life on Saturday,
Sept. 22 left her at a loss for words.
Duhamel's parents, Scott and Loren,
said she was a unique, compassionate
young woman.
"Kristen was the sunshine of our
lives, she was our angel," said Loren Du-hamel,
emphasizing their strong familial
bond. "Her and I had the most wonderful
relationship that any mother and daughter
could ever have, and I hope that other
mothers can have that relationship with
their daughters because that's one of the
reasons she was such a great girl. She
would always worry about me and ask,
'Are you OK mom? What's going on in
your life?'"
Duhamel was very close with her
two brothers Daniel, 26, and David, 24,
Loren Duhamel said. She also cherished
her dog, a yellow Labrador Retriever
named Max.
"Kristen loved Max," Loren Duhamel
said. "One thing that she told her friends
was, 'I love college but I miss Max.'"
Her father shared similar sentiments
about his daughter's demeanor.
"Even on a bad day, she was always
smiling," Scott Duhamel said. "Even
people who have only met her a few
times are distraught."
Duhamel often waited tables and
served breakfast at her family-owned
restaurant, The Willows, at the Willows
Resort in Charlestown, R.I. It was here,
Scott Duhamel said, that she shared her
personality with the community.
"She became a daughter of I don't
know how many people," he said. "When
they came in, she imparted that same
- it's not charm, it's more of a passion-ate
air."
Duhamel also served her community
as a volunteer for the Charlestown Ambu-
SEE "FAMILY" ON P. 7