Mirror - Vol. 16, No. 02 - September 12, 1991

              The
FairfieldMRRORV Volume 16, No. 2 Thursday, September 12, 1991 The Image Of Fairfield
University Seeks Approval
To Subdivide 13 Acres
Christina Hennessy
Editor-in-Chief
Fairfield University may
have new neighbors in the near
future if the Town Planning and
Zoning Commission for the town
of Fairfield approves the Univer-sity's
plan to subdivide and sell off
about 13 acres of the Dolan Cam-pus,
approximately halfof the land
purchased from the Sisters of
Notre Dame de Namur in 1989.
The University goes before
the commission on Tues., Sept. 24
to seek approval for the creation of
40 building lots located on the
property behind the DavidJ. Dolan
House, which contains the offices
of the School of Continuing Edu-cation.
The property holds several
old structures, such as a non-op-erational
reservoir.
"At the time the school
purchased the land from the Sis-ters,
the University did not have
plans to build or do anything with
the property and though we re-tained
the plot for two years, the
University expected to sell off the
property," said Murray Farber,
director of Public Relations.
Originally, the University
bought about 13 acres and the
buildings ofNorth Campus for $6.5
million two years ago and picked
up the additional land for $3 mil-lion
dollars so that the Sisters could
dispose of the entire 26 acres.
"It would cost the Univer-sity
more than $300,000 a year to
carry a 20-year mortgage on the
property," said William Lucas, vice
president for finance in a recent
press release.
The lots created in this area,
according to the University's pro-posal,
will range from 9,375 square
feet to 14,000 square feet. Such
Trees line a pathway that is part of the property currently up
for approval to go on the market and be subdivided. rv photo: Dan Wall
subdivisions have rankled some
nearby residents who have lots of
12,000 square feet. Such oppo-sition
be raised at the hearing.
"The University plans to
maintain a buffer of shrubs, trees
and growth between the Univer-sity
property at North Campus and
the new residences, if the proposal
is approved," said Farber.
"It is rare to have a piece of
land good for development go on
the market," said Farber.
Though opposition has
been raised about the proximity of
the new lots to the University, the
level of noise from the residence
halls and the differences in plots in
relationship with the existing
neighborhoods the University con-cluded
that to keep the land as
open space wouldforce an increase
in tuition or a snatching away of
donated funds from educational
priorities.
For instance, the donated
funds used for financial aid, the
Nyselius Library or computers,
among other things, would be
channeled away from these needs
to pay for the upkeep of the prop-erty
In addition, University
studies found that the current
dimensions ofUniversity property
is enough to meet expected needs.
Ifthe school gains approval
for the sale of the property, the
first choice will be to sell the lot as
a single package, however the
University is willing to sell it offin
a few sections.
"The University is not in
the business of selling offresiden-tial
lots, so if the proposal is ap-proved,
the University hopes to
sell the land in a single package or
in large sections to a developer or
contractor perhaps," said Farber.
"That individual or group will
handle the individual sale of the
land."
The Campus Center Celebrates 25 Years
The Campus Center's 25th birthday celebration kicked off last Friday with the cutting of the
birthday cake. Shown here are The Stag; William Brennan, director of Food Services; James
Fitzpatrick, assistant dean of University Activities; Ric Taylor, University Engineer; and Mark
Losh, Stag-Her Inn Manager. A Faculty and Staff luncheon, sponsored by Seller's Food
Corporation, was held in the Oak Room, and the first Fabulous Friday began at 4 p.m. in the
newly renovated Stag-Her, featuring the sounds of the campus band "Thru The Mood." Later
in the evening, "Those Melvins" performed to conclude the celebration. photo: Dan Wall
Campus Ministry
Welcomes New
Assistant Chaplain
Emily Okenquist
News Editor
Dr. Anne T. Flood,
amember of the Sisters of
Charity, has been named
the University's assistant
chaplain, replacing Paula
Oddis who resigned last
spring.
Sr. Flood comes to
Fairfield after a 12 year
association with the New
York Foundling Hospital
where she worked with
underprivileged children.
This vocational
choice fulfills her desire
to return to her first love
of teaching and working
with young people.
"We are very
happy to have her here,"
said Rev. Paul Carrier,
S.J., University Chaplain.
"She has a wealth of ex-perience
and back-ground."
Uponreading Fair-field's
job description which re-quested
someone to be involved
with counseling, retreats, and
prayer on a college campus, she
knew this was for her.
"That describes me," she
said. "I was looking for ajob where
I could find people to reach out to
and let them know I'm there for
them."
In her previous positions,
Sr. Flood has worked with sick,
abandoned, and impoverished chil-dren
at the Foundling Hospital as
director and founder of the Spiri-tual
Development Department and
has assisted other youngsters and
families in trouble.
"Children mean a great deal
to me," she said. "When we loose
the care of children, we loose
hope."
A graduate of the College
ofMount St. Vincent, with a bache-lor's
degree in English. Sr. Flood
earned her M.A. and Ph.D degrees
at the Catholic University.
She has worked with preg-nant
single young women in
mother-child programs and is
concerned with religious classes
at 45 group homes.
She has taught religious
courses at a variety ofhigh schools
and colleges, coordinated adult
spiritual developments, and estab-lished
catechetical courses with
emphasis on Vatican II theology
while serving as a CCD school
archdiocesan coordinator.
"This job [at Fairfield] is a
balance of my academic back-ground,
my work with the poor,
and concern for the homeless,"
said Sr. Flood.
"I'm caught up by human
concern and religious opportu-nity."
The work she has done in
helping families in trouble, espe-cially
women and children, will
m H
f
%$'•■
jpfl
d \ MM
1 "S
photo: Dan Wall
continue while she is at Fairfield.
"I would like to share with
the students the plight of women
and children today," Sr. Flood said.
"There are children and families
in crisis, and what we do at Fair-field
University can help them and
affect society."
She hopes to invite speak-ers
to campus to discuss the prob-lem
of children with AIDS, help
R.A.s with floor programs, and
take field trips with Fairfield stu-dents
back to the Foundling Hos-pital
to continue volunteering
there.
Eventually, she wants to
add to the women's issues on
campus by establishing more
courses in these areas.
"As the University expands,
it's good to have someone with
experience in crisis situations,"
said Fr. Carrier. "She is the right
person at the right time."
Her involvement with the
Campus Ministry staff will include
acting as coordinator of the lec-tors,
working with the Eucharistic
Ministers, planning retreats, as-sisting
in the Freshman Experi-ence
Program and the "other innu-merableopportunitiesatFairfield."
The search committee,
headed by Rev. Paul Carrier, S.J.,
University Chaplain, included
Rev. James Hayes, S.J. and Rev.
Paul Holland, S.J., Assistant Uni-versity
Chaplains, Suzanne D.
Lyngaas, assistant professor of
accounting, Gwen Vendley, direc-tor
of the Freshman Experience
Program, and three students, Kath-leen
Kaspar, Douglas Perlitz, and
Kathryn Tamulis, members of the
Class of 1992.
"I want to put my mind and
heart toward what is already so
strongly begun in Campus Minis-try,"
said Sr. Flood. "I feel I've
come home."