Mirror - Vol. 34, No. 17 - February 05, 2009

              WEEK OF FEBRUARY 5,2009
Vol. 34, Iss. 17- 20 pages
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INSIDE:
"One Seiser fits all"
p. 2
R4TEMY
PROFESSORS
\^ 1 million professors
over 6 (million opinions
"Rate Up!"
p. 7
"Students find new friends
at FUSA Fish Frenzy"
p. 9
"Driving more than just a
bus: Reggae musician and
Stag bus driver
Mutti Lewis"
p. 13
"Opportunity knocks"
p. 24
M.The IRROR WWW.FAIRFIELDMIRROR.COM
The independent student newspaper
of Fairfield University
Out ofthe city, without a paddle
Fairfield sued by
Bridgeport land
owners after
crew team leaves
lease early
BY KEITH CONNORS
The snow fell softly on Knowlton Street
in downtown Bridgeport, covering the streets
and casting a grey hue on the nearby build-ing.
Months earlier, the aged factory was
adorned with Fairfield regalia, the new home
of the men's and women's rowing team.
Only 16 months
later, no boats or equip-ment
can be found, and
the building finds itself
abandoned yet again.
Last June, Fairfield
athletics decided to abandon its pact with the
City of Bridgeport and move the men's and
women's rowing teams to a facility farther south
down 1-95, in Norwalk, citing "the landlords'
failure to meet the conditions of the lease," ac-cording
to a University press release.
INSIDE:
CARTOON
P. 7
Mirror File Photo
Back out boathouse: The University crew team left a boat house on Knowlton Street last
June. The owners now plan to file a breach of contract suit to recoup their investment.
Now, the City of Bridgeport seems
intent to find out the true reason behind the
team's departure, and to turn the one-time
goodwill pact and plan to revitalize the city
into a legal controversy.
Fairfield graduate Ed Piquette '78 and
former Bridgeport mayoral candidate Rick
Torres, two residents of the city and landlords
of the building on Knowlton Street, plan to
sue the University, citing a breach of contract.
Cumulatively, Piquette and Torres claim to have
spent $270,000 to transition the building, once
a window factory at the height of Bridgeport's
industrial movement, into a functional boat-house
on the shores of the Pequannock River.
"It really is a travesty," Piquette said. "It
SEE "UNIVERSITY" ON P. 5
Santa Clara dean tabbed as new academic vice president
Fr. Paul Fitzgerald to replace
Orin Grossman after this year
BY LILY NORTON
Starting July 1, California-native Fr. Paul J. Fitzgerald,
S.J. will be leaving the land of sun block and surfing to be
the new Academic Vice President of Fairfield.
Fitzgerald is currently the Senior Associate Dean of the Col-lege
ofArts and Sciences at Santa Clara University, a sister Jesuit
university, where he also completed his undergraduate studies.
The search committee for the academic vice president
was chaired by Fairfield Executive Vice President Billy
Weitzer and consisted of 11 other individuals, including stu-dent
representatives, who have been working several months
to find someone for the position.
Fitzgerald said he had known of Fairfield for some time
and was very interested when he first heard the position was
available. He mentioned Fairfield's good reputation among
the Jesuit community and his interaction with alumni as two
reasons he's excited to come work at for the University.
In the campus announcement Tuesday announcing the
selection of Fitzgerald, University President Fr. Jeffrey von Arx
said, "I believe that we have made an excellent selection in Fr.
Fitzgerald, who combines impressive scholarship with extensive
experience as an administrator and faculty member at Santa
Clara, where the hiring, retention and promotion of faculty, as
well as the promotion of increased diversity within the faculty,
have been his principal responsibilities," he said.
"I have every confidence that Fr. Fitzgerald will be of great
assistance as we continue to implement our University Plan."
SEE "FAIRFIELD" ON P. 2
Contributed Photo
Welcome to Fairfield!: Fitzgerald (center) will join the University as the new AVP.
An introduction to Fitzgerald
BY LILY NORTON
The Mirror: How did you hear of Fairfield University? Have you
known about it for some time?
Paul Fitzgerald: Fairfield University has long enjoyed a very good
reputation among Jesuits and lay folks at Jesuit high schools and universi-ties
across the country.
The first time I met and got to know Fairfield alumni was in the late
1980s when I arrived in Cambridge, Mass. for graduate studies in theology.
Fairfield alumni recalled fondly the tight-knit community, the dedication of
the faculty to student learning, and, of course, the great beauty of the cam-pus.
Alumni also spoke of the deep, life-long friendships that they formed
at Fairfield.
More recently, as a member of the religious studies department at
Santa Clara, I have read the scholarly work of such Fairfield faculty as Paul
Lakeland, John Thiel and Nancy Dallavalle or heard them present papers
SEE "Q&A" ON P. 3
li joy pi jpif TT| Check out video of the old Expanded coverage of Game day sports stories
Knowlton Street boathouse the new Academic Vice
www.fairfieldmirror.com [n Bridgeport President