Mirror - Vol. 19, No. 04 - October 13, 1994

              The
FairfieldMIRR®R Volume 19, No. 4 Thursday, October 13,1994 The Image of Fairfield
Dr.Kim Bridgford named Professor of the Year
Shelagh Scollin
Staff Writer
Dr. Kim Bridgford,
Associate Professor of English,
was recently named Professor of
the Year for the state of
Connecticut by the Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement
of Teaching. This award
recognizes outstanding college
instructors for their commitment
and service to the teaching
profession. This is the first time
any Fairfield faculty member has
been given this distinction.
Granted tenure last May, Dr.
Bridgford has taught English at
Fairfield since the Fall of 1989.
Dr. Bridgford was
nominated for the award this
summer by Dr. Robert Wall,
Academic Vice President, and Dr.
Mary Frances Malone, Assistant
Academic Vice President. The
award was based on letters of
recommendation from students,
colleagues, and University
president Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J.,
as well as a personal essay.
In a recent interview,
Dr. Bridgford said she was
"shocked, surprised, and
English Professor Kim Bridgford,
Connecticut's Professor of the Year.
bewildered" when Dr. Wall called
to tell her she had won the award.
Dr. Bridgford's
colleagues and students were less
astonished. "I was delighted when
I heard the news, but not the least
bit surprised," said Dr. Betsy
Bowen, Chair of the English
Department. "She is known
throughout the d partment as
being very dedicated to students.
With all the students who come to
see her, she still gives each her
undivided attention."
In his letter of
recommendation, Fr. Kelley
stated, "Dr. Bridgford adds
immeasurably to Fairfield
University and through her
scholarship helps enhance the
national reputation of the Fairfield
University writing program."
Susan Vinski, a senior
English major, called Dr. Bridgford
"one of the best teachers I've ever
had." She added, "I can't think of
a more deserving person to have
gotten the award."
Originally from a small
mining town in Illinois, Dr.
Bridgford graduated with a B.A. in
Writing and a Master of Fine Arts
from the University of Iowa in the
1980's. She subsequently received
both a Masters and a Ph.D. in
English from the University of
Illinois.
Soon afterward, Dr.
Bridgford began teaching at
Fairfield, which she enjoys
immensely. In conversations with
colleagues at other schools, she was
somewhat surprised to learn that
the dedication and achievement
levels she saw in her students were
not mirrored everywhere else.
"Fairfield students are not only
gifted, they highlight their gifts with
their perseverance," she said.
To Dr. Bridgford, it is very
important that writers feel
affection—even love—for their
material. When a teacher conveys
this intimacy with the written word,
students get caught up in the
excitement of writing. This is
something Dr. Bridgford learned
from some of her best teachers, and
she strives to carry on their legacy.
Although she has been
writing stories since the age of 6 or
7, Dr. Bridgford credits some of the
teachers from her undergraduate
years with inspiring her to persevere
with her writing. Miss Lucy
Shawgo, whom she had for high
school English, taught her students
the importance of attention to
detail and encouraged them to
submit for publication.
Professor Sven Armens
was Dr. Bridgford's
undergraduate advisor. "He ran
his course like a grad seminar,"
Dr. Bridgford said, "and I wanted
to meet the challenge."
The poet Donald Justice,
who taught her at the University
of Iowa, was probably the biggest
influence on her career as a writer.
"I love his work," she said. "Not
only was he generous with his
time, but he conveyed his love of
the craft of writing by the amount
of time he spent on every poem."
As these teachers did, Dr.
Bridgford sets high standards for
herself and for her students.
"Anything worth doing is worth
doing very well," she said. "It's
not easy to get things to a stage
where they can be published, but I
encourage my students to work
toward this. There are goals
outside of class that I want to see
(Continued on page 3)
Students and town continue battle over beach
Caitlin Whelan
News Editor
The mood at the beach
remains rocky this semester, as
students continue to struggle with
tensions from the town. Student
beach residents face a new
conflict as the Town of Fairfield
has brought the threat of eviction
closer to home. Earlier this year,
. a house at the beach was evicted
because the number of residents
exceeded the legal occupation.
The laws of Fairfield
allow for no more than four
unrelated individuals to occupy a
house on the beach. Some
residences house more than the
legal number of people, and the
town issues citations to those
houses that are discovered to be
over-occupied. The forms of
surveillance used to monitor the
number of occupants in each
house supposedly include wide
angle cameras and aerial
photographs to track the number
of cars.
Students who live at the
beach resent feeling they are
Tensions at the beach continue for Fairfield Students. Photo: File.
constantly under surveillance,
particularly those who have
nothing to hide. Monica
Chelchowski '95, a beach resident,
said "We're law-abiding, paying
residents who want to be in a
livable environment."
According to Annie
Heckenberger '95, Student Beach
Resident Association President,
"The biggest problem is the Fire
Chief, not in the fact that he is
enforcing the laws, but the manner
in which he is. The way kids think
of him now, they won't call him
when there's a fire. That's the
problem."
This summer, Dean
Vendley sent a letter to all the
parents of beach residents
explaining the circumstances at
the beach, including news of the
over occupied house being
evicted. The purpose of the letter,
Vendley said, was "to alert
families of what they might
encounter." The response from
both parents and students,
Vendley said, was "very
favorable. Many parents were
not aware of the circumstances,
and were grateful for being told
what might happen. There were
some changes made as a result.
Some people moved to houses
with fewer students living in
them."
As for emotions among
the students living at the beach,
Vendley said, "particularly at the
beginning of the semester, there
were mounting frustrations.
Students felt like they were under
attack. Some students complained
that they felt like they were always
being watched, that they were not
respected. I don't think that is still
the case. Now the students speak
about the police with respect. The
tensions that were there came from
not knowing when they would be
under attack."
Heckenberger agreed
that things have died down since
the beginning of the semester.
"The rumors have settled a little,
and I think it will get even quieter
as winter approaches."
FUSA President Chris
Pilkerton feels the students "are
concerned about the prices they' re
paying. It's important that
students who do have worries
rnmmnniratp with Annip IVan
Vendley, and if need be, FUSA."
"I share a concern with
the town for our students to be
protected," Dean Vendley said.
"I spoke with the Fire Chief, who
explained that the laws allow no
more than four unrelated people
in a house, and any more than
that found could cause an
eviction."
Efforts to improve the
tensions have been made both on
and off campus. "As for the
beach students," Vendley said, "I
talk with residents who call me.
When there are citations, I meet
with them to talk about the offense
and see if there are ways it could
have been prevented. It is more
of an educational process."
SBRA has made efforts
as well. "We've been meeting
with First Selectman Paul
Audley, and he's helped smooth
things down a little,"
Heckenberger said.
Pilkerton said that
FUSA's role in the beach situation
is "to act with Annie in any service
toward education or
(Continued on page 3)
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