Mirror - Vol. 32, No. 17 - February 08, 2007

              WEEK OF fEBRUARY 8, 2007
Vol. 32, Iss. 17 - 24 pages
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The independent student newspaper
of Fairfield University
On Spring Weekend Changes, Everyone Has a Different Story
BY ALEXANDRA STEWART
As student leaders and administrator scrambled
to ease student outrage over plans to change the
University's Spring Weekend format, two themes
were constant: no one was happy with the situation
and virtually everyone placed the responsibility on
someone el e's boulders.
Ashlee Downing '08, programming director for
the Inter Residence Hall Assembly, said her group
- which is responsible for planning Spring Week­end
events - was forced to change the format for
the weekend by a combination of three administra­tors:
Director of Residence Life Deb Cady, Dean of
Students Thomas Pellegrino and Vice President for
Student Affairs Mark Reed.
"IRHA did not make the decision," Downing
said. "We were told that the event couldn't be run
as it had in the past. We . . voiced our concerns but
Great Strides,
But ALong
Way to Go
This article is the second in a series
commemorating Black History Month. Next
week: African-Americans in college sports.
Kevin Dawson, an African-American
assistant professor in Fairfield's history
department, has both a bachelor's degree
and a doctorate under his belt.
As one of seven black professors at
Fairfield, Dawson is in a unique position
to reflect upon the challenges that African­Americans
have faced and overcome over
the years.
Dawson's father attended college, but
might not have if he hadn't been given an
athletic scholarship.
His uncle had the grades to get in, but
couldn't afford the financial burden.
"There's a lot more opportunities
across the board for black professors and
students," he said. "Look at my parents'
generation. The opportunities were not
nearly as available."
Indeed, said Renee White, associate
professor of sociology and co-director
of the black studies program at Fairfield,
opportunities for black students in higher
education are far more plentiful than they
were a generation ago.
"From establishing Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HCBUs) when
denied access to all-white schools to
desegregating universities in the 1950s
onward, we can see how the numbers of
college educated blacks has increased,"
White said.
Students participating in the black
studies program, such as Geoff Middleton
'08, also said universities have made prog­ress
in accommodating black students.
REED
were told that this came from
the administration."
Downing said she and
Mike Wood '07, the town­house
and apartment repre­sentative
on the IRHA ex­ecutive
board, met with Cady
and Associate Director of
Residence Life Karen Dono­ghue
in late November, and
were told Pellegrino and Reed
wanted the format of the events
changed so that Spam Jam-- the out-door festival held
for juniors and seniors at the townhouses -- would
be combined with May Day, a similar event held for
underclassmen on the quad.
"When we met with the administration there
was no discussion of joining the events," Wood said.
"There was plenty of information on how we'll make
this the best event possible." INSIDE:
Pellegrino and Reed both denied playing any
role in instituting the changes-- statements that were
backed up by Cady.
DoESITTAKE
ALcoHOL TO
MAKE A TRADI­TION?
P. 7
"I am simply removed from this situation," Reed
said in an e-mail. "If the issue needed to be reviewed
by someone outside the [Office ofResidence Life and
Office of Student Activities], then it would be the
purview of the Dean of Students. However, he too, is
not typically involved in these kinds of things."
Pellegrino did not comment on the issue
other than to say that it appeared IRHA and FUSA
- which staged what it called an "emergency
meeting" on Monday night to officially oppose the
planned changes - had failed to communicate with
one another.
And Cady, reached at her home by phone, said
S EE "WILLIAMS" ON P. 7
EDITORIAL: GET
YouR STORY
STRAIGHT, P. 9
CHAPIN:
WHAT'S THE
POINT OF FUSA?
P. 10
McConville
Will Not Seek
Re-Election
BY, ANDREW CHAPIN
FUSA President Hutch Williams '08 will
be without his running mate for the upcoming
spring election.
Hi.., curr nt vice pre ident, Meg. n M Co­nville
'08. will not
run for re-election,
leaving a critical
position in next
year's student gov­ernment
vacant.
"l will not be
running for the
position of FUSA
vice president in
the upcoming
elections," she
said. "Due to the
summer commit-
McCoNVILLE
ment of FUSA I will be unable to fulfill that
duty."
This ''hard" decision, as McConville
described it, was made in large part due to her
future after college.
"As I am an upcoming enior I have had
many discussions with mentors as well as
interviewers, family and the Career Planning
Center and the decision I have made is that I
need to commit this upcoming summer to an
internship which will give me experience and
assistance in determining what it will be that
l may endeavor after college," McConville
said, "My choice not to run is not a lack of
commitment or dedication to FUSA, and I am
definitely looking to stay involved and fulfill
another position within FUSA,"
Williams said he understands McCon­ville's
decision and the value of internships
in future career opportunities.
"Megan is a business major and like most
business majors, internships are critical," he
said. "She's going in that direction and I com­"
The black middle class in America pletely support her; it's a good decision."
has gone from a nonexistence to a promi­nent
statistic over the past 30 years, thanks
to more opportunities given to African­Americans
in education," he said.
Middleton, a backup center on the
men's basketball team who is at Fairfield
on an athletic scholarship, added that since
BOBBY MORESCO (above) talked to a capacity crowd at the Quick
Center about the ins and outs of writing and producing award-winning
movies, such as '1Crash," and "MiUion Dollar Baby." He told the crowd
to "write what you want to write~ not what you're getting paid for." For an
Instead of expressing animosity toward
his vice president, Williams is looking forward
to the upcoming election and the search for a
new running mate.
"The last thing I would want her to do
would be to come back and not be fully fo­cused,"
he said. "She'll definitely be missed.
xclusive interview with Moresco, go to P. 8. For a story on the event and
SEE "FAIRFIELD" ON P. 5 ore; go to WWW.FAIRFIELDMIRROR.COM .. SEE "McCoNVILLE" oN P. 6