Mirror - Vol. 20, No. 02 - September 28, 1995

              The
FairfieldMIRR©R Volume 20, Number 2 Thursday, September 28, 1995 The Image of Fairfield
UMOJA hosted panel discussion on race and ethnicity
Danielle Gillis
Staff Writer
On Wednesday, Sept.
20, the Oak Room became host
to a relaxed and friendly
atmosphere in which professors
and students comfortably
discussed ethnicity and race as it
pertains to history, literature, and
personal experience. UMOJA
presented the first installment of
a lecture series "Race," where
six panel members addressed the
multifaced question: Does race
really matter?
The panel members,
Walter Petry, Johanna Garvey,
Gita Rajan, Larri Mazon,
Vincent Rosivach, and Antonio
Simoes each contributed to the
discussion drawing from their
respective fields of study. Petry,
professor of history with a
specialization in Latin American
studies, said, "We have a serious
problem with race in the
Americas." Garvey, professor of
comparative literature, teaches
courses on African-American
and women's literature and
answered the question, "Race
matters because racism matters."
Rajan, professor of English
specializing in victorial literature
said, "We need to find a new
vocabulary and move away from
us versus them." Mazon, director
of multicultural relations, helps
students apply what they learn in
the classroom to everyday life.
In response to the question of the
evening, he said, "We are a
society that is extremely race
conscious. It frames how we see
each other and how we deal with
each other." Rosivach, professor
of Greek and Roman studies,
said, "We cannot understand the
institution of race if we do not
understand its past." Simoes,
dean of the Graduate School of
Education with a special interest
in multicultural education said,
"It saddens me...we are race
conscious across the world. It
frightens me as I learn more."
However, this
discussion proved to be very
open minded and enlightening
through the interaction of panel
members with the audience. The
discussion pondered further
questions such as: Where does
our modern concept ofrace come
from? How has human diversity
been reflected in literature and
art? How has race been defined
for you as an individual? The
biological and social factors
regarding race have come
together over the years to form
identities as well as stereotypes.
Rajan recognized the importance
of deconstruction. This concept
sparked input from many
audience members. The students
of UMOJA began to speak on
their personal experience with
concepts of race growing up in
this culture. They spoke of
misconceptions and defining
themselves in college. Many
people group those who have
similar skin colors in one large
category when in fact there is a
much greater combination of
various cultures. There is a need
to recognize individual identity
as well as a common humanity.
As one audience member so aptly
said, "It's like Kool-Aid. Man of
different flavors but actually
we're all just sugar and water."
The major themes
discussed in UMOJA's meeting
were further reinforced in
Theatre Fairfield's presentation
of Humyn Nature. Due to its
immense popularity it was moved
from the Black Box to the Kelley
Theater. The message was
powerful, resulting in a greater
understanding of the concepts of
ethnicity here at Fairfield.
Business students will
market Newman's Own
Christine Hamel
News Editor
On September 19,
Newman's Own came to
campus to talk with students
who are taking business
decision making. The student
teams are supposed to create a
way for Newman's Own to
promote their products on
campus. The team from
Newman's Own came to
discuss their company and their
product line.
Newman's Own is a
product line started by actor
Paul Newman. Based in
Westport, the company made
up of 14 , gives all of its
profits away to different
charities. Newman started the
company because he was
unhappy with the products out
on the market. He began with
salad dressing and then started
on his own tomato sauce. He
now has popcorn, salsa, and
lemonade out on the market.
During the lecture,
students watched a movie
discussing some ofthe charities
Newman's Own benefits.
Newman started a camp for
children who couldn't attend
camp due to cancer and other
serious diseases. The camp,
named "The Hole in the Wall
Gang Camp", is located in
Ashford, Connecticut. The
camp was named after the band
of bandits led by Paul Newman
in the film "Butch Cassidy and
the Sundance Kid". At this
camp, children with similar
diseases relax and meet others
and talk about their diseases.
With the popularity ofthe camp,
four additional camps have
been opened in the United
States and abroad. All of the
camps have medical
professionals on staff 24 hours
a day in case the children
become ill.
Students learned
about the company and
products. They are now to come
up with a way for Fairfield
University students to consume
Newman's Own salad
dressings and tomato sauce
products that are currently in
the cafeteria. If Newman's
Own keeps their concession at
Fairfield and approves of the
student ideas, they will start a
scholarship beginning at
$5,000. The scholarship will
increase based on the students'
consumption of the products.
"We're very excited
to be working with an
organization that can
demonstrate to students that a
company can make money and
be charitable at the same time,"
Dr. Sandra Ducoffe, one of the
team professors, said.
The students involved
in the project will receive a
Newman's Own t-shirt. All
students that asked questions
at the lecture received
complimentary products.
O'Connor & Cipriano race for
Fairfield Town Council
Vanessa Lops
Co-CommentaryEditor
"Here at Fairfield
University, we have 3,000
students who contribute to the
economic vitality of our town;
they need representation. So, we
are running to represent the
students and protect their rights,"
said Chris Cipriano '98. "The
next step is the November
election."
"We did excellent in the
primaries last Tuesday," said the
other candidate Jim O'Connor
'98.
On September 12, the
state of Connecticut held its
primary elections for state and
local representation.
Cipriano and O'Connor
breezed through the Republican
primaries for the Fairfield Town
Council, ranking first and fourth
in total votes received. They are
now two of seven people, two
Democrats and five Republicans,
competing for the five open seats
on the Council.
In the tradition of past
Fairfield representatives,
Cipriano and O'Connor are
running on the platform of
protecting Fairfield students'
rights while "Bridging the Gap"
between the town and University
students.
"Most students don't
realize just how much of an
impact the Town Council
decisions have on us," said
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Chris Cipriano, left, and Jim O'Connor, right, are running for seats
on the Fairfield Town Council.
photo by: K. Skerry
Cipriano.
In the past, the Town
Council voted on proposed
ordinances that, if passed, could
have increased beach resident's
rent and violation fines. Student
representation on the Council led
to the defeat of such proposals.
Former Town Council
representative Chris Pilkerton
organized the Hindsight program,
a student volunteer project in
which Fairfield University
students offer tutoring services to
local high schools.
"Programs like the
Hindsight were set up to make a
connection between the town and
University students," said
O'Connor. "If we win the election
in November, Chris and I have
some ideas of how we can
further involve the students in
town functions."
The election is on
Tuesday, November 7. Fairfield
University campus residents
who are eligible to vote can
register with the town of
Fairfield because, by living on
campus, Fairfield becomes their
primary residence.
Registration booths
will be set up outside Dolan and
the Campus Center throughout
the first week of October. The
registration deadline for the
November 7th election is
October 17.
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