Mirror - Vol. 06, No. 01 - April 22, 1982

              "The Image
of
Fairfield"
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Fairfield, Conn.
Volume 6, No. 1, Thursday, April 22,1982 Fairfield University, Fairfield, Connecticut 06430 Incorporated 1977
Cashier Charged With
Embezzling School Funds
by Mary-Margaret Walsh
Executive Editor
Former Fairfield University
cashier, Arlene (Toby) Bender, was
arrested and released on a $1,000
bond on April 12 for the alleged
embezzlement of over $20,000
from university funds.
Bender was an employee of
Fairfield University from 1976 until
1981. She is charged with first
degree embezzlement and will be
arraigned in court on April 20.
The alleged embezzlement was
first suspected this past Novem-ber
when Bender called in sick.
Her supervisor took over her job
and noticed that the cash
amounts appeared to be short.
University officials eventually
called in auditors Coopers and
Lybrand and proceeded to investi-gate
until the police were called in
on April 7.
The suspected embezzlement
was covered by Fairfield Univers-ity's
insurance policy under crime
and embezzlement.
"There are no indications that
anyone else was involved in the
suspected embezzlement," stated
Mr. William Lucas, Controller.
Lucas explained that the audi-tors
suspected that Bender did
not allegedly take the money from
the cashier's service over the
period of her total years of
employment.
According to Murray Farber,
Public Relations Director, it is
suspected that most of the ac-cused
embezzlement took place
during the last six months of her
employment.
The cashier service will con-tinue
to operate as a service to
Fairfield University's campus,
according to Lucas. However,
there will be internal changes of
"double checks" on the money.
Currently, a temporary cashier
was hired through an agency to
take Bender's job.
When asked about the problems
of the cashier service, Lucas
stressed that when dealing with
"cash and human nature there are
no foolproof systems. Nothing will
prohibit or tell us until after the
fact."
Fairfield University's Business
and Finance department are look-ing
into other alternatives for the
cashier service. They are seeking
the advice of local banks and are
examining the possibility of using
computers. Next year the cashier
service will be moved to Bellar-mine
Hall along with the Business
and Finance department.
Although the suspected embez-zlement
was covered by insurance,
"there are no winners in this type
of situation," commented Lucas.
"We feel that a gross injustice has
allegedly taken place."
Carl Gustafson, Jay Ricci, and Mike Bentivegna are recipients of the Stu-dent
Achievement Awards presented by Robert Brennan, Jr., President
of the Fairfield University Alumni Association. Janet Canepa (center) is
the recipient of this year's Loyola Medal. Missing from the photo is Ken
Daniels, who also will receive a Student Achievement Award.
[Photo by Lorraine Crowe]
Students Garner Awards
Sets
Shuttle Fee at $64
by Dave Scott
Staff Writer
Approximately 223 students
residing off campus next year
have signed up for the beach shut-tle.
For this service, an additional
$32 per semester will be added to
their tuition bill.
Dean William Schimpf, of Stu-dent
Services, explained that with
ber of trips could vary throughout
the year.
It is estimated that 350 students
will be residing on the beach.
Upon hearing that only 223 stu-dents
had indicated interest in the
beach shuttle, University Council
member Jerry Sargent remarked,
"I was disappointed in the
response, we were expecting
close to 300 sign ups." Sargent
by Elizabeth Kline
News Editor
Fairfield University's Alumni
Association named four seniors to
be the recipients of the Student
Achievement Award and one sen-ior
to be the recipient of the
Loyola Medal. These seniors are
honored for their "specific service
to a campus organization, commu-nity
project, or specific role in an
organization," stated Richard
Popolowski of the Alumni Asso-ciation.
Since 1979, the Alumni Associa-tion
has awarded the Student
Achievement Award. This year
Mike Bentivegna received the
award for outstanding service to
student government as FUSA
President. Kenny Daniels received
the award for outstanding service
as a varsity basketball athlete;
Carl Gustafson for oustanding ser-vice
as Editor-in-Chief of THE
MIRROR; Jay Ricci for oustanding
service in Campus Ministry.
Janet Canepa received the Loy-ola
Medal, which has been award-ed
since 1952, honoring her for her
leadership and campus involve-ment.
"A committee composed of fac-ulty,
alumni, students and admin-istrators
sit down and review
nominations," stated Popolowski
describing the selection process
for the awards. The ten member
committee reviewed approximately
thirty nominations from the
administration, faculty, and senior
class. Popolowski went on to say,
"If someone was nominated for
the Student Achievement Award, it
doesn't necessarily^ mean he
couldn't be named for the Loyola
Medal award."
Honored for his involvement in
student government, former FUSA
President Mike Bentivegna stated,
"I'm very excited and honored. I'd
like to thank the Alumni Associa-tion
very much for this award and
at the same time congratulate the
other student recipients." The
selection committee considered
Bentivegna's involvement in junior
year as Assistant Director of SEC
and Vice President of the Beach
Association. In his sophomore
and junior years, he served as a
member of the University Council.
As a freshman, Bentivegna was a
disc jockey for WVOF. He is a Mar-continued
page 2
the present number of students explained that this number may
signed up for the beach shuttle,
the added shuttle fee will be
required to insure the shuttle of
running 70 trips per week.
The shuttle service to town is
available to all students. The cost
will be included in the residence
fee, while the continued service to
the beach will only serve those
students carrying identification
cards indicating their payment for
the added privilege of the beach
route.
Dean Schimpf went on to say
that once a price has been agreed
to there can be no changes made.
The addition or reduction of beach
runs will be the result of student
response, meaning that the num-not
have been achieved because
of the indecision some students
are facing regarding beach house
leases. F.U.S.A. president, Sean
McAuliffe, also expressed sur-prise
over student response. He
stated, "I was hoping for about
320. Students should realize that
by not signing up they are just
hurting themselves. The shuttle
fee could work out to their advan-tage
if only students would unify."
Dean Schimpf said that within
the next few weeks precise figures
indicating cost and modification
of service will be achieved. "I think
most students are pleased about
the compromise," commented
Schimpf.
Drinking Age Bill Awaits
Governor's Approval
by Richard Swietek
Executive Editor
In an effort to reduce the
number of accidents and deaths
attributed to drunken drivers in
the state, the Connecticut
legislature passed a bill last
Wednesday to increase the legal
drinking age from 18 to 19.
Blood pressure screening was one of the free health services the Health Fair provided last Thursday in the
Oakroom. Junior nursing student, May-Britt Sten, is checking Al Naples' blood pressure. The Student Nurs-ing
Association and A.E.D. in conjunction with the Fairfield Board of Health, the Fairfield Nurse's Associa-tion,
and the Fairfield Department on Aging sponsored the fair. Patti O'Keefe, president of the S.N.A., stated
that approximately 250 people from the university attended the fair to take advantage of the "informative
booths run by students in terms of health promotion and disease prevention."
[Photo by Vincent DeAngelis]
Connecticut follows states
such as Maryland, Maine, Califor-nia
and Arizona which have in-creased
their age limits or stiffen-ed
penalties against driving while
intoxicated.
Originally, a bill was passed by
the State House of Represen-tatives
to move the legal age to 20,
but the Senate in an extremely
close vote chose to raise the limit
by only one year. The bill was then
sent back to the House where it
received unanimous support.
It will be approximately one
week until Governor Thomas
O'Neill will see the bill, but the
governor has stated that he will
sign it, thereby putting the law in-to
effect on July 1.
Amelia Mustone, State Senator
from Meriden, Ct. commented that
legislators at the capitol wanted
the limit to go into effect before
schools open in September. Sen.
Mustone cited a study done in
Michigan as evidence that an in-crease
in the drinking age reduces
crash rates among teenagers.
The study showed there was a
28% reduction in fatalities and ac-cidents
among young drivers after
Michigan raised its drinking age.
Senator Mustone added that
testimonies by parents and grass
roots groups also helped to sway
the opinions of many legislators.
As the senator stated, "I think the
sentiment on everyone's part was
that something should be done."
Mustone commented that in her
past three years as a legislator she
never voted to raise the drinking
age, but the arguments she heard
caused her to reconsider and
move in favor of the new age limit.
Mustone hoped that the state
would see a significant drop in the
number of accidents and traffic
deaths attributable to 18 year olds,
but she added, "Some responsible
teenagers will be denied the
priviledge of being able to drink."
Connecticut is now looking to
its neighboring state of New York
to pass a similar law. Legislators
hope to prevent young people
from going over the border to New
York whose present drinking age
is 18.
A recent bill proposed by New
York State Senator Frank Padavan
to increase the age limit to 19 is
being circulated for sponsors, and
according to John Kostas, press
secretary for the senator, the bill
looks as if it will surely pass with
few complications.
Kostas stated that, "In New
York fatalities due to drunk driving
are the fifth leading cause of
death overall and the first leading
cause of death in the 16-20 year
old age group.
Kostas added that if the bill
shows positive results a plan will
be undertaken to increase the age
as high as 21.