Mirror - Vol. 15, No. 20 - April 11, 1991

              The
FairfieldMRRORV Volume 15, No. 20 Thursday, April 11, 1991 The Image Of Fairfield
Billy Joel Booked for Commencement Speech
Christina Hennessy
Editor In Chief
The old Piano Man himself,
Billy Joel, will be appearing live,
not as a rock singer, but rather as
the main speaker at the 41 st annual
commencement, and the recipient
of an honorary doctor of humane
letters degree for his humanitarian
service.
Joel, chosen by Rev.
Aloysius P. Kelley, University
President, will address the Class of
1991 on Sunday, May 19 at Bel-larmine
Terrace.
The University will also
grant an honorary doctor of laws
on Federal Judge Ellen Bree Burns,
an honorary doctor of science on
astronomer Rev. Martin McCarthy,
S.J., associate director of Vatican
Observatory, and an honorary
doctor of laws on Paul A. Volcker,
the distinguished economist, advi-sor
to five presidents of the United
States and former chief executive
officer of the Federal Reserve
Bank.
Fr. Kelley's selection ofJoel
was based on recommendations
made by students, faculty and
administration.
"The nomination is often
based on somebody who knows
the University and is honored or
knows somebody associated with
the University," said Murray Far-ber,
director of public relations.
"Ultimately, however, the
decision of the Board of Trustees
and Fr. Kelley will be that individ-ual
who exemplifies the ideals of
the University," he added.
Joel has not only piled up
five Grammys and hit the tops of
the charts with many albums and
singles, he also works behind the
scenes with individuals and groups
who are in need of help.
He was recently honored by
the Cathedral of St. John the Di-vine
for his stand on the impor-tance
of suicide education and the
promotion of international peace
and harmony and his work with
struggling fishermen who are fac-ing
a loss of income as well as way
of life as their livelihood falls prey
to PCB contamination. His re-cording
and promotional video to
"The Downeaster 'Alexa'" sup-ported
the fishermen whose liveli-hoods
were jeopardized.
Environmental causes are
of concern to Joel, as a portion of
the proceeds of the video went to
the Coast Alliance, an environ-mental
coalition protecting the
America's waters. East Hampton
Baymen's Association, a Long
Island Fisherman's organization
also benefited.
Burns, the first woman
appointed as federal judge in the
District of Connecticut, will be
honored on her active work in the
revision of elections, rehabilita-tion
of inmates and parole evalu-ation.
Fr. McCarthy, an astrono-mer
who has visited major obser-vatories
around the world, will be
honored for his research on Earth
and the galaxies beyond which has
resulted in over 100 published ar-ticles.
Considered the person who
purged inflation from the nation's
economy in the late 1970s and
early 1980s, Volcker will be hon-ored
for his work both in the
economy and as the f*. -mer chief
executive officer of the t^Jeral
Reserve Bank System.
Alumni Association Honors Outstanding Seniors
Emily Okenquist
News Editor
Kara LaReau
Contributing Writer
The Scholarship Commit-tee
of Fairfield's Alumni Associa-tion
has chosen seniors Robert
McCann and Julie Ruggiero as
recipients of the 1991 Saint Igna-tius
Loyola Medal, and KellyAnne
Conlisk, Matthew Gallagher,
Andrea Ottaviano, and John
Schratwieser as winners of Stu-dent
Achievement Awards.
The Loyola Medal, the high-est
honor awarded to a senior by
the alumni association, recognizes
students who best exemplify the
Jesuit ideal and have maximized
opportunities for intellectual,
emotional, and social growth.
Student Achievement Awards
honor seniors who have demon-strated
outstanding commitment to
a specific organization or activity.
During his years at Fair-field,
McCann has dedicated
himself to serving others, espe-cially
through volunteering in
Campus Ministry. He has worked
with children of St. Charles Parish
in Bridgeport whose parents have
AIDS and helps to prepare meals
each Friday for members of Br-idgeport's
Prospect House.
This American Studies
major has been a resident advisor
the past two years, and serves as
president of the American Studies
Clockwise from top: Matt Gallagher, Rob McCann, Julie Ruggi-ero,
Andrea Ottaviano, John Schratwieser, and KellyAnne Con-lisk.
J
Club and chairman ofFUSA's Arts
and Lectures Committee.
Ofall his activities, McCann
credits his involvement as a Mis-sion
Volunteer to Ecuador in the
summer of 1990 as his "most
powerful experience" at Fairfield
and he urges others to "get in-volved
in service." His commit-ment
to service will continue after
graduation as he plans to enter to
Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
"Rob has consciously
worked at appropriating the Jesuit
ideals at Fairfield," said Rev. Paul
Carrier, S.J., University Chaplain.
"He is a man of deep faith and
action - a person for others."
Ruggiero's involvement
with Alpha Sigma Nu, the Na-tional
Jesuit Honor Society, has
highlighted her academic achieve-ments
and her desire to serve the
community. "Better than anyone,
Julie embodies the aims and goals
of Alpha Sigma Nu - loyalty to the
Jesuit tradition," said Rev. Tom
Regan, S.J., moderator of Alpha
Sigma Nu.
As president of Alpha Mu
Gamma, the foreign language
honor society, Ruggiero set a fo-cused
goal of sponsoring a child in
Bridgeport with funds raised
through this organization. She has
worked on service oriented proj-ects
as secretary and vice presi-dent
of Circle K.
A Biology major concen-trating
in marine biology, Ruggi-ero
is a member of Alpha Epsilon
Delta, the premedical honor soci-ety
and was a teacher's assistant in
the biology labs during her junior
year.
In addition to her other re-sponsibilities,
Ruggiero spent the
past two years as a Resident Advi-sor,
the activity which affected her
most at Fairfield. "This experi-ence
opened my eyes to the differ-ent
kinds of people on campus,"
she said. "It's really a diverse
group."
As president of the Circle K
Society as a junior, secretary as a
sophomore, and a member all four
years, Conlisk has helped to reor-ganize
the club and establish
committees and also served as the
chairperson for several blood
drives. For her dedication and
commitment, the Circle K Society
named her an Outstanding Club
Member and Outstanding Secre-tary.
"Her dedication to Circle K
as well as to her other involve-
(continued on p. 4)
Orman Named
Teacher of the Year
Ann Marie Patisso
Contributing Writer
Alpha Sigma Nu, the Na-tional
Jesuit Honor Society, has
announced Dr. John M. Orman as
1991 Teacher of the Year. Orman
is a professor of Politics who was
chosen due to his outstanding
dedication to the students, the Uni-versity
and his profession.
Each year, Alpha Sigma
Nu requests that the student body
nominate a professor whom they
believe deserves the honor of
Teacher of the Year. From the
several nominations returned, the top three nominees were presented
to Alpha Sigma Nu for a vote.
The nomination responses show it is highly evident that Orman
is qualified to be recognized for Teacher of the Year. His academic
background includes a B.S. from Indiana State University, a M.A.
from Ball State University, and a Ph.D. from Indiana University.
Orman's teaching interests include the American Presidency,
U.S. Foreign Policy, Media and Politics, Ethics and American Gov-ernment,
and Politics of Popular Culture. He enjoys teaching seminars
and upper level undergraduate and graduate courses that relate to these
fields of study.
Orman has also written numerous books and articles and is
working on a book titled Celebrity Politics.
His admirability among students was apparent from the essay
responses shown on this year's nomination forms.
"Dr. Orman makes himself accessible to his students during
many office hours," said one of the respondents. "His teaching style
is extremely effective because he presents the material clearly and
with a terrific sense of humor."
Orman will be presented the Teacher of the Year Award at the
Senior-Faculty Brunch during Senior Week in May. He will become
an Honorary Member of Alpha Sigma Nu during the Induction
Ceremony in October 1991.
Victor F. Leeber, S.J., Professor of Modem Languages, was
also chosen to receive a Honorary Membership into Alpha Sigma Nu.