Mirror - Vol. 26, No. 19 - March 29, 2001

              INSIDE LOOK
Take a closer look at what the
new library has in store for you
Page 8
PHOTO FORUM
Students react to the opening
of the new library
Page 12
Fairfield
March 29, 2001 MIRROR University
Volume 26, Number 19
Sodexho's prison
by Chris Zeitz
After a critical article was printed
in The Mirror and signs appeared in
buildings demanding that Fairfield
University cease its contract with
Sodexho-Marriot, the university's
food service provider is facing
increased scrutiny this week.
Though Sodexho is under
criticism across the United
States for the involvement of
its parent company (Sodexho-
Alliance) with the Correc-tions
Corporation of
America (CCA), Fairfield
is not currently planning to
terminate its relationship
with the corporation.
The protests against
Sodexho-Marriot have
been going on for some
time, peeking at Ithaca Col
lege with the occupation of a
University Hall by a group of stu-dents
known as the Young Democratic
Socialists several months ago. Despite
the demands of the protestors there, Ithaca
has decided to not void their contract with
Sodexho-Marriot.
Other similar groups have held pro-tests
throughout the country, including
Northwestern University, University of
California-Davis, and University of Ne-vada-
Las Vegas. The group that appears
to be the catalyst for these protests is the
Prison Moratorium Project (PMP).
The PMP contends thatWiversities
that use Sodexho-Marriot are aiding in
the operation of allegedly sub-par pris-ons
owned and operated by the for-profit
CCA. Sodexho-Alliance, who owns a
majority share of Sodexho-Marriot, is
the link between college cafeterias and
private prisons. The French based
Sodexho-Alliance owns about eight per-cent
of CCAs shares. Over the 1999-
2000 fiscal year, according to this
university's filings with the Internal Rev-enue
Service, Sodexho's contract with
Fairfield was valued at $4,117,047. It is
the contention of protestors and the PMP
problem
that this type of involvement consti-tutes
a partnership in for-profit pris-ons.
The demands of the protestors
at these schools are mirrored in-creasingly
here at Fairfield. Ed
Feldheim 03, among others, has
begun to circulate a petition ob-jecting
to Sodexho-Marriott's
link to for-profit prisons. PMP
contends that the CCA has cut
corners in medical care in
order to maximize profits.
According to the PMP, pris-oners
have been assaulted
in prisons run by the
CCA. This has all left a
bad taste in Feldheim's
mouth, as he says that he
"won't eat there [Barone
Campus Center] anymore."
Sodexho-Marriot has is-sued
several statements that state
that as a subsidiary of Sodexho-Alliance,
they have no control over the invest-ments
of their parent company. Several
months ago, after the protests had be-gun,
Pierre Bellon, chairman of
Sodexho-Alliance, announced plans to
sell all of this company's shares of CCA.
See "VP" on p. 6
Assistant professor
tops money list
By Ethan Fry
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Fairfield's highest paid employees
might not be who you think...
The highest paid employee of Fair-field
University is not the president, a
vice president or even a dean, but an as-sistant
professor at the school of busi-ness.
Dr. Milo Peck, a former teacher of
the year award winner who teaches ac-counting,
earned $177,041 in the fiscal
year 1999-2000, eclipsing the salary of
even Father Kelley, who made $ 175,000
as president.
Fairfield is required to publish the
names of its top paid officers and em-ployees
for each fiscal year in their ERS
return.
Dr. Peck said that he was paid so
much because of two executive training
programs he developed with the Univer-sity
over a period which spanned two
recording periods.
In a written statement, he stated that
"Since the billing telescoped into one
reporting period rather than a multi pe-i
J )
riod of time I believe it distorts the re-porting
of the compensation reported by
the university." He added that the fig-ure
"in no way reflects my ongoing sala-ried
compensation with the University."
Faculty members had mixed reac-tions.
Most thought that the explanation
offered by Dr. Peck was satisfactory.
Lucy Katz, a professor in the school of
business, said, "Accounting faculty are
often paid above average salaries be-cause
they are so much in demand."
Dr. George Lang, a mathematics
professor and executive secretary of the
faculty academic council, concurred,
See p. 2 for a list of top
paid employees
saying "It is true that accounting profes-sors
(here and elsewhere) are paid on a
scale beyond that of other disciplines, but
not that much." He added, "Is this
enough to make you want to be an ac-counting
major?"
Some stressed that such high sala-ries
are not normal at Fairfield. Dr.
Kathryn Nantz, an economics professor
See "PROFESSOR'S" on p. 2
3 new deans
announced
By Kristen Delaney
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Along with all the physical con-struction
that has been taking place on
campus, Fairfield is about to get an ad-ministrative
face-lift as well.
Three new deans have been ap-pointed
to virtually all under-graduate
schools: the College of Arts and Sci-ences,
the Charles F. Dolan School of
Business and the School of Nursing.
These new deans, Dr. Timothy Law
Snyder, Dr. Norman Solomon and Dr.
Jeanne Marie Novotny, of the respective
schools, will be instated for the advent
of the Fall 2001 semester.
While it may seem strange that Fair-field
is hiring three new deans at one
time, Academic Vice President Orin
Grossman offered an explanation. With
his promotion from dean of the College
of Arts and Sciences to his current posi-tion,
the death of Dr Walter Ryba, former
dean of the Business School, and the
departing of Dr. Theresa Valiga in the
School of Nursing, these positions were
all left open around the same time and
needed to be filled.
The new administrators come from
as far as Minnesota, and all expressed a
tremendous enthusiasm and sincere in-terest
in the Fairfield community and the
upcoming years at the university.
Snyder, the future dean for the Col-lege
of Arts and Sciences, was "im-pressed
with the sense of community and
overwhelming kindness and care for in-dividuals
that people [at Fairfield] ex-pressed."
Dean of Science for four years
and faculty member for 14 years at
Georgetown University, Snyder said one
of the reasons he applied to Fairfield was
because he wished to remain at a Jesuit
institution, respecting its education tra-dition.
He felt comfortable upon visiting
the campus, and said, "It's the moment
you step on campus: you just know its
right."
More specific elements that ap-pealed
to him was the "emphasis on the
liberal arts; the encouragement of spiri-tual
development of members of its en-tire
community, [the university's] em-phasis
on service to society, and its ap-
See "DEANS" on p. 2