Mirror - Vol. 01, No. 15 - March 16, 1978

              THE
FAIRFIELD Volume 1 No. 15 March 16, 1978
FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY, FAIRFIELD, CONN. 06430 MIRROR ^ Incorporated 1977
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. POSTAGE
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Permit No. 34
Fairfield, Conn.
Creep
Hassels
Co-eds
Last night, Security
released a statement that
three University girls were
harrassed by an uniden-tified
male on Tuesday
evening, March 14 on the
University campus. Ac-cording
to Mark Lombardi,
Director of "Security, no one
was injured in the incidents.
The three incidents all
involved the same man
security believes.
The first complaint was
received at 6:45 Tuesday a
female student was grabbed
by an unidentified male
near the patio area of the
Campus Center. She
blocked the individual and
continued to the library. A
second girl reported being
similarly attacked at 6:30
P.M. She screamed, pushed
the individual and ran
away.
Security received a third
complaint from a student
who reported that she was
accosted by a man in her
dormitory bathroom. When
the girl screamed, the
assailant ran out the door
and disappeared. Although
this occurred in the early
afternoon, the girl did not
report it to Security until
11:30 P.M. that night.
A description was
released on Wednesday
March 15. The man was
described as a white male,
age 15-18, of medium
height with brown hair and
a thin build.
The girls are cooperating
with the Security Depart-ment
and the Fairfield
Police to make a composite
sketch which will be
distributed throughout the
University.
Committee Calls For Student
Power To Rewrite Drinking Rules
Petition Circulates; Legislature Balks; Shimpf Say 'No Way'
V*
by Marianne O'Connell
Student and Administrative conflict
over the drinking situation, brought to
the surface again by last Saturday
night's unauthorized Conzaga party,
peaked yesterday afternoon as a
committee of student leaders called
for a referendum vote to bring the
drinking regulatory power back to the
student body.
An altercation between students
and head resident Pat Cordner, in
Conzaga last Saturday night over the
shutdown of a party, has sparked a
campus wide student petition
demanding a change of authority from
Student Services to the student
government.
At yesterday's meeting student
leaders Ned Barnett, Editor-in-Chief of
The Mirror, Vinnie O'Brien, F.US.A.
President-elect, Brian Beusse, Station
Manager of WVOF, Steve (Wheels)
Pallone, Harry Caruba, and Gerry
Gunning and Ken Purcell of the
University Council responded to the
mounting frustration over the present
drinking laws with a petition "to
transfer the responsibility for the
creation drinking regulations from the
division of Student Services to the
student body," and to disband all
present drinking regulations upon
approval of 2/3 of the student body.
Any new policy on drinking
regulations would also be made by the
procedure.
The referendum was planned for
Monday, March 20, when a
referendum vote has been scheduled
by FUSA on the new amendment to
the Constitution. However, legislature
has refused to endorse the petition,
though they commented that they
admire the spirit of it. Due to this lack
of support, it is now not possible to
have the referendum placed on
Monday's ballot, and the referendum
will have to wait until after Spring
Break when the student body can hold
a referendum without the legislature's
approval. Mark Dorigan, present FUSA
president has not pledged his support
and to date remains uninvolved.
William Schimpf, Dean of Students
has stated that even if the referendum
is passed and endorsed by the
University Council, he will not accept
it. "The issue is whether this is a self-ruled
institution or and institution
subject to the board of Trustees. It is
not ruled by majority vote.
The trustees want a responsible set
of rules. They don't want them set by
one segment. The trustees are legally
responsible, they can't waive that."
Dean Schimpf has stated that he
will accept changes in the drinking
regulations, but that he will not accept
a transferal of power from Student
Services to the student body. 'The
students should have some say in their
lifestyle, but the institution is run by
specific guidelines."
The major campus student
organizations Which have pledged
their support to this petition have also
planned a student rally immediately
after Spring Break, should their
demand be denied.
The group of student leaders
proposed that a Student Government
committee, chosen by Vinnie O'Brien,
meet and draft a new set of dorm
drinking regulations, to be voted on by
2/3 of the student body in another
referendum vote. All modifications
would have to be voted upon by the
student body, ensuring student
control. Enforcement of these
regulations would be left to Student
Services.
The petition has grown out of an
incident at an impromptu party on
Gonzaga 3, last Saturday night.
Students were drinking in a lounge
which has recently been set up from
extra dormitory rooms there was a keg
in the bathroom.
Head Resident, Pat Cordner entered
at 1 a.m. and stating it was not a
private party, tried to break it up. She
asked the students to move the keg
into a private room, which they did,
and locked the lounge.
A disturbance resulted ten minutes
later when she returned and finding
the students had re-entered the
lounge, tried to confiscate their keg
tap from the private dorm room.
Immediately afterwards, Gonzaga
residents drew up and circulated a
petition in their dorm which
questioned the out-dated drinking
regulations and stated their belief that
Pat Cordner had initiated unruly,
disorderly behavior by "crassly
confronting students and over-stepping
her bounds."
The petition also stated that Pat
Cordner "certainly was not concerned
Photo by Collin Kelleher
"Excuse Us But We're Pissed" marks the sentiments of enraged Gonzaga
students as they stand defiant against the drinking regulations imposed by
Student Services.
with the best interest of the com-munity."
Dean Schimpf, responding to the
incident commented "Pat violated no
rules. Her intent was to establish
control."
Cathy Boland, an RA on Gonzaga I
who was on duty and present at the
scene described the situation as "a
nightmare." "Pat may have incited
them, but they reacted horribly."
The next morning Student Services
notified the Gonzaga residents that all
functions for their dorm had been
cancelled, until further notice, due to
the incident. Gonzaga held meetings
both Monday and Tuesday night to
determine what action would be taken
against Student Services measures and
it was at Tuesday night's meeting that
the committee of student leaders was
appointed to look into the situation
and reach a decision upon action.
Gonzaga residents were particularly
upset about the decision to cancel all
dorm events, since they had planned a
St. Patrick's Day party for their dorm
in the Faculty Dining Room this Friday
night.
Dean Schimpf reinstated the party
and commented 'There was an in-dication
that they were unable to
handle their own behavior. We didn't
want to set up another situation, but it
wasn't fair to penalize the whole dorm
because of one action. It was a
misunderstanding and I apologized."
PETITION
We the students of Fairfield University, move to transfer the
responsibility for the creation of drinking regulations from the division
of Student Services to the student body. The responsibility for en-forcing
these rules will remain with Student Services. All existing
drinking rules will become null and void upon approval by referen-dum
of student initiated rule. This referendum once approved by two
thirds majority will then become binding. Any future modifications to
the drinking regulations will be approved by the same procedure.
We are calling for a statement from Student Services by Monday,
March 20, by 4:00 P.M. We pledge our full support.
What's In Future
For McAuliffe Hall
Photo by Vince Howley
A darkened McAuliffe Hall stands majestic on the hills of Fairfield against the cold winter winds.
by Julie Holland
The future of McAuliffe Hall
remains questionable, as the
University continues to ponder what is
to be done with this rapidly
deteriorating landmark located on the
hill across the street from Xavier Hall.
McAuliffe Hall and Bellarmine Hall
were purchased approximately thirty-nine
years ago with the intention of
starting a college preparatory school
and, provided that succeeded, they
eventually intended a Jesuit University
to follow it up. The prep went well and
plans for the University were put into
action.
Initially, the prep was supposed to
be located in Xavier and Berkmans,
and McAuliffe was to be part of the
University. However the University
expanded rapidly and needed the
immediate classroom space in Xavier
Hall, cancelling the previous plan. The
prep school is presently utilizing Berk-mans,
McAuliffe, and the third and
fourth floors of Xavier, while the
University occupies floors one and
two of Xavier but has no space in
McAuliffe Hall.
The controversy arises over the
future of McAuliffe Hall. It is an old
building which has taken a beating
from the continual use it has had for
over 25 years by the prep school. The
old architecture, plumbing, heating,
and electrical systems have never
been re-designed to fit the purposes of
a school. It has a stone facade, but
much of the interior is wooden, and
Jesuits who had been residing on the
top fbor vacated the premises about
Cont. on pg. 2