Mirror - Vol. 10, No. 29 - March 26, 1987

              The
FairfieldMIRRORv Volume 10, No. 29 Our Tenth Year Thursday, March 26, 1987 The Image of Fairfield
Burke: Commencement Speaker Academic Vice President Appointed
The Most Rev. Lawrence A. Burke,
S.J., Bishop of Nassua, Bahamas, will
deliver the commencement address at
ceremonies on Sunday, May 17, and will
receive an honoray doctor of laws degree.
An honorary doctor of laws will
also be conferred on Alphonsus J.
Donahue, trustee emeritus of the
University. In addition, honorary doctor
of humane letters degrees will be awarded
to Lucille Lortel, artistic director and
founder of The White Barn Theater in
Westport, and Rev. David W. Tracy,
professor of theology at the University of
Chicago Divinity School.
An estimated 950 students, will
receive certificates of advanced study,
masters and bachelors degrees.
Bishop Burke will be honored for
service to faith and justice. Since
becoming bishop in 1981, he has
emphasized the need to build the Church
through the local population. He
expanded the lay ministry school,
pastoral programs, local vocations with
an emphasis on diocesan priesthood and
the evaluation of the Catholic school
system. He was born in Jamaica, entered
the Society of Jesus in 1951 and was
ordained in 1964. He taught at St.
George's College in Jamaica and in 1973
became the first Jamaican appointed
regional superior of the Jesuits in
Jamaica.
Alphonsus Donahue is the former
owner of the radio stations WSTC and
WYRS in Stamford and continues his
involvement in radio as chairman of the
executive committee of Chase
Broadcasting Inc. in Stamford. In his
long service to Fairfield University, he
carried on a family tradition since his
father helped advise the Jesuits on the
purchase of the property than now forms
the University campus. Mr. Donahue
became a member of the Board of
Trustees in 1974 and will be recognized
for his extensive service in the area of
development. He was also a member of
several key search committees. He
received the Papal conferment of the
Knights of Malta in 1956 and the
Knights of St. Gregory in 1960; and has
been active in serving his church,
hospitals, United Fund and state and
national Democratic party political
campaigns.
In honoring Lucille Lortel, the
University is recognizing a producer
whose contributions to the theater were
depicted in the documentary film "The
Queen of Off-Broadway." She was an
actress on stage and in films when in
1947 she founded the White Barn Theater
to develop the talents of new
playwrights, composers, actors, directors
and designers and to allow established
artists to experiment.
The honorary degree for Rev. David
Tracy recognizes his achievements as an
original and influential Roman Catholic
theologian. He is a priest of the Diocese
of Brigdeport, now teaching in Chicago,
who was featured as the cover article on
The New York Times Sunday Magazine
last November. According to Newsweek,
in another article, Father Tracy "set out
to do the seemingly impossible — to
digest, interpret and carry forward the
whole of contemporary theology." A
specialist in hermeneutics, or theories of
interpretation, he is a prolific writer and
is gaining international prominence.
Musici de Montreal Returns in Oak Room
*T ' '** if/ j*.
:hi W.
The 17 piece I MUSICI de MONTREAL will perform in the Oak Room April 3rd in the Evenings
of Music Series.
New Editor Takes Over
On Tuesday, March 24 The Mirror
Editorial Board and Staff elected Melissa
Campanelli as the Editor-in-Chief for the
Melissa Campanelli
[Photo by Andrea Whitehouse]
1987-'88. She will assume responisibily
for the production of the paper on Friday
March 27.
Campanelli is a Junior English
major from Port Washington New York.
She is the second female to be elected
Editor. In March of 1982 Jill Krisinski
became the first to hold that title.
Campanelli welcomes applications for all
editorial positions.
"She's is going to do a terrific job."
said Editor Emeritus Joseph Draper.
"Melissa has great working relationships
with many people on campus and bring
abundant enthusiasm to the paper. I
wish I could stay on."
Draper plans to play some golf and
clean out the garage with his spare time.
Dr. Robert P.Stepsis, associate vice
president for academic affairs at Trinity
University in San Antonio, Texas, has
been named academic vice president at
Fairfield University, it was announced by
Rev. Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J.,
University President.
Dr. Stepsis succeeds Rev.
Christopher Mooney, S.J., academic vice
president since 1980, who resigned
effective with the end of the academic
year and will take a one-year leave before
returning to teach in the Religious
Studies Department.
At Trinity University, Dr. Stepsis
served as acting vice president for
academic afvfairs for one year, 1982-83,
as well as associate vice president and
associate professor of English. Prior to
joining the faculty of Trinity in 1980, he
was at St. Louis University as assistant
to the academic vice president, chair for
the Department of Art and Art History,
associate professor of English and
director of the honors program.
He also served for one year at the
University of California at San Diego as
American Council on Education fellow
in academic administration and was
assistant professor of English at Lake
Forest College in Illinois.
Dr. Stepsis holds a bachelor of arts,
magna cum laude, from the University of
Notre Dame where he concentrated in
English literature, and a Ph. D. with a
concentration in medieval literature from
Harvard. He also attended law courses at
St. Louis University. He received a
Woodrow Wilson Fellowship; a staff
tuition scholarship and a teaching
fellowship from Harvard; a summer
research grant from Lake Forest College
where he was runner-up for the Great
Teacher Award; a summer stipend from
the National Endowment for the
Humanities; and was a nominee for the
outstanding teacher award at St. Louis.
His research has focused on the
influence of 14th Century philosophy
and theology on Chaucer and he has
written extensively on Chaucer and "The
Canterbury Tales."
Father Kelley commented that he
was pleased with the selection adding that
Dr. Stepsis "has a well articulated
philosophy of education compatible with
Fairfield University's and has
considerable academic administration
experience at two universities as well as
an understanding of Jesuit goals through
his service at St Lousi University."
Father Kelley also thanked Father
Mooney for his service as the
University's first full-time academic vice
president during a period in which
Fairfield's reputation broadened in
academic areas and applications soared.
Syposium on Latin America Held
By Connie McKenna
News Editor
A panel of eight members of the
model OAS (Organazation of American
States) discussed Latin America Tuesday
night. The symposium took place in the t
Campus Center.
The first speaker began by reading
excerpts of a letter written by Archbishop
Romero in 1980. The letter was sent to
President Carter in hopes of convincing
him to refrain from sending military aid
to El Salvador. Romero asserted that
Carter had "the obligation to see that
faith and justice reign in my country."
The relationship between the United
States and Latin American countries was
next examined. Joe Ryan asserted that
the U.S. has frequently used international
communism as an excused for
intervention. "Neo-dependency is the
policy the U.S. commonly follows," said
Ryan, "it's a system fo using strong
influence, but not actual direct control."
A summary of political changes in
Nicagarua was then given as Alex Diaz
stated that the government of 1978, led
by Samosa, was approved of by the U.S.
since Samosa ruled with an "iron-fist"
and kept the country safe for United
States investment.
The symposium also included
comparitive statistics from the 1978
Somosa regime and the 1984 rule of the
Sandanistas. The literacy rate of 505 in
1978 was improved to 87% by 1984, as
the number of teachers rose from 12,000
to 53,000.
Discussion of the general economic
situation in Nicaragua next occured. The
symposium ended witha discussion of
liberation theology.
Tuesday evening eight members of the OAS discussed Latin American
[Photo by Andrea Whitehouse]