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Stags dominate St. Peter’s 50-38.

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THE MIRROR Independent student newspaper

Week of February 8, 2017

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Vol. 42 Iss. 15

Sham Jam Points to The Grape

Contributed by Kara Sheehan

By Deanna Carbone Assistant News Editor Traditionally, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Fairfield students have come together at Lantern Point for Sham Jam, a play off of the popular University event Clam Jam. Due to trouble in the past with the police and complaints from residents at Fairfield Beach, this year, Sham Jam will be held at The SeaGrape, both indoors and outdoors.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., seniors will have the chance to celebrate a twist on one of the longest lasting traditions on the beach.

Fairfield Beach Resident Organiza-

tion President Sean Tobin ‘17 believes that holding Sham Jam at the Grape would be the best way to go about holding the event without retaliation from the townspeople and police.

“Any party that isn’t spur of the moment is quickly shut down by the town,” said Tobin.

According to a Mirror article from last year, students were warned by a University email that police officers and security would be at Sham Jam. In an effort to be able to celebrate with minimal security restrictions, students hosted a makeshift

Sham Jam on the Point the day before the scheduled event. Residents on the Point and the beach also celebrated on its original date.

“The University will coordinate with Fairfield Police to hire officers to ensure the community is not impacted by the event and laws are enforced. This includes preventing any illegal or unsafe crowds or activities from occurring in the private, residential neighborhoods at the beach,” said Dean of Students Karen Donoghue ‘03.

Students enjoyed Sham Jam on the Point last year (top). This year, Sham Jam will be held at The SeaGrape parking lot and indoors.

Read Sham on Page 

Vigil Unifies Students After Ban

Student Involved in Off-Campus Accident

By Juliana Sansonetti News Editor

By Juliana Sansonetti News Editor A one-car accident took place on Fairfield Beach Road at 10:33 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 5. which took out the stairs of a home and sent the driver, Peter Jones ‘17 of Summit, N.J., to Bridgeport Hospital, according to The Fairfield Citizen.

Police said that 26-year-old Jones appeared to “have been travelling at a high speed when he went over a hump in the road and lost control of his pickup truck,” The Fairfield Citizen reported.

According to Lieutenant Robert Kalamaras of the Fairfield Police Department, the pickup truck, a 2011 Ford F-150, “was travelling eastbound on Fairfield Beach Road when [it] crossed over the center line and went off the left side of the roadway striking a parked vehicle in the driveway of 1054 Fairfield Beach Road.”

The parked vehicle belonged to Olivia Mansfield ‘17.

“The crash resulted in my car being totaled and there is damage on the house as well,” said Mansfield. “The moment of impact caused one of the support beams to be ripped out of the roof, as well as the staircase leading up to the house to be damaged as well.”

The truck continued through a yard and crashed into the front façade of 1024 Fairfield Beach Road, causing structural damage to the building and came to rest after striking the house, according to Kalamaras.

The accident took place shortly after the conclusion of the Super Bowl.

“It appears at this time that speed was a factor [in the collision]. We are looking to see if intoxication was also a factor,” said Kalamaras.

Jones was taken to the hospital by American Medical Response complaining of shoulder pain, according to Kalamaras.

A Blood Alcohol Content test was not given to Jones due to his injuries. The Fairfield Police Department will seek to ob-

Courtney DeSisto/The Mirror

Jesse Erickson/The Mirror

Peter Jones ‘17 crashed into a home on Fairfield Beach Road and subsequently destroyed the front stairs.

tain a search warrant for Jones’ blood alcohol levels from medical records based on the blood drawn at the hospital shortly after the crash.

Mansfield explained that her car was totaled and that there was damage on the house as well due to the crash.

It is still unclear whether or not the very front portion of the house is safe to be in, according to Mansfield.

Dean of Students Karen Donoghue ‘03 commented, “The safety and protection of our students and the larger Fairfield community remains a top priority for us. Students involved in any activity that potentially could violate University policy are subject to University disciplinary action.”

According to Kalamaras, “[Jones] was arrested by this department in the past for driving under the influence.” Jones’ previous arrest took place on April 3, 2016, according to The Fairfield Citizen.

When asked if anyone else apart from Jones was injured in the collision, Kalamaras responded, “not to my knowledge.”

The collision is still under investigation by the Crash Reconstruction Unit.

Backlash against President Donald Trump’s executive order immigration ban has been immediate and powerful across the nation. Here on campus, students, faculty and staff expressed their discontent with the ban by holding a candlelight vigil Wednesday, Feb.1. in solidarity with those affected.

The vigil, which was held at the Stag Statue, began with a 10-minute moment of silence out of respect for those affected by the ban. Students held up candles and homemade signs with slogans such as “Don’t Legislate Hate,” “Build Bridges Not Walls” and “#NoWallNoBan.” After the moment of silence, the attendees walked to the Barone Campus Center for remarks from Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Martin Nguyen and Muslim Chaplain Nargis Alizada. Following the remarks from Nguyen and Alizada, an interfaith prayer was led by two of the event’s organizers, Jesuit Universities Humanitarian Action Network Co-Fellows Deirdre McElroy ‘17 and Sophia Bolanos ‘18.

For Iman Jebara ‘17, the vigil hit close to home.

“I’m actually Syrian,” Jebara said. “Both my parents came from Syria, so this was a big thing for me. My parents came here 30 years ago and if they were trying to come today they would not be allowed in.”

Jabara went on to explain how she still has family in Syria who are refugees, along with refugee cousins in Turkey.

“This is a very important topic to me,” Jabara said of the vigil.

McElroy explained why JUHAN wanted to help organize the vigil.

“We’re a club that advocates for humanitarian rights and believes that everyone should have a chance to stand in solidarity with others and should be a man or woman for others following our Jesuit values,” said McElroy. “So when we heard about the executive Read University on Page 

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THE MIRROR | Week of February 8, 2017

News

University Holds Vigil in Solidarity with Refugees And Immigrants Continued from page 

order, we were honestly floored because it goes against everything we as a club, we as a University and we as a nation stand for.”

“We were really honored and thankful that we had this opportunity to make something so great and so important,” McElroy added.

In his speech, Nguyen advised the attendees of the vigil about what steps they can take toward fighting against the new order in America.

“We cannot accept that the things we are hearing are the new normal,” said Nguyen. “We may feel inclined to bury our heads in the sand, but that is not an option for immigrants.”

Nguyen, the son of two Vietnamese refugees, advised that students speak with their local government representatives to make change happen. He suggested the website 5calls.org, which directs users on which government officials they should call and what they should say to fight for issues that are important to them, which they can select on the site. He also spoke on the importance of voting every year, not just for presidential candidates, but for local candidates as well.

“While moments like these are heartwarming,” said Nguyen, in reference to the large crowd of just about over 100 that the vigil drew in according to Assistant Director of the Office of Student Diversity Carrie Robinson, “there is, as I see it, a tide rising against us. It will be very difficult to fight against it.”

Senior Riley Barrett, who attended the vigil, explained why she thought it was important to show support.

“I wanted to be able to stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters, specifically on campus,” Barrett said. “There have been a lot of people who were really upset over the executive order that Trump passed and I thought it was important to be a show of support.”

Barrett also commented on her pleasure with the crowd that attended the vigil.

“I was very impressed by the turnout and it makes me very hopeful for what we can achieve on campus,” commented Barrett.

Juliana Sansonetti/The Mirror

Students, faculty and staff attended a candlelight vigil by the Stag Statue in solidarity with those affected by Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration. Just over 100 students showed their support on Weds, Feb. 1.

Senior Abigayel Phillips, who initiated the event after hearing about the candlelight vigil at Yale University on Sunday, Jan. 29, reached out to Robinson. Afterwards, JUHAN was also asked to help with organizing the event.

Phillips, who said that she was “overwhelmed” and “anxious” after the succession of executive orders by President Trump, commented, “I think there is a lot of hope and creativity in coming together like this, so that’s what keeps me sane.”

Vigil attendee John Iezin ‘17 also commented on the executive order, saying, “[Hearing about the executive or-

der] was like a punch in the gut. But when you’re down, that’s when you have to react and get back up. So it motivated me, but it also brought me down a bit.”

When asked how she reacted to the executive order, Jabara said, “I honestly cried because that was it. Any hope I had of my family coming into America from Syria was all gone and I felt so hopeless that I would never see my family again. I am also scared to go to Turkey and I obviously can’t go to Syria, so I don’t have any way to see my family.”

“I think this ban is so unconstitutional and I will fight everyone and anyone [if] I have to,” she added.

Fairfield Bands Together To Support Fellow Stag

By Deanna Carbone Assistant News Editor Rather than let football rivalries create tension, the Fairfield University community came together on Super Bowl Sunday to support fellow Stag, Margaret Moore ‘19. Moore is in need of a new wheelchair due to her cerebral palsy diagnosis. The Department of Public Safety hosted a fundraiser in the Lower Level of the Barone Campus Center to raise money for Moore to buy a new wheelchair.

Approximately 100 students dropped by the event.

“The Department of Public Safety is extremely proud of the outpouring of support from the student body.

It’s very clear that Meg has made some great friends during her time here,” said Sergeant Robert Didato. Officer Darren Elderton conceived the idea of a fundraising opportunity after seeing Moore’s chair, especially her head rest, deteriorate over time. “I mentioned it to a few guys here that we should get together to do something for her to maybe fix it or get her a new one and we came up with the idea of the Super Bowl Fundraiser,” said Elderton, “we have been seeing her wheelchair go downhill through the years, I’ve helped her a couple of times.

It’s definitely gotten worse.The head rest is her whole support system. If she’s not up straight she can’t breathe.”

Moore’s mother has been fighting to get a new one because their insurance has denied the funds for it and since the chair is so expensive, DPS wants to help alleviate the cost.

The fundraiser brought in $4,690, while the DPS Go Fund Me page for Moore will continue to accept donations over the course of the next few weeks.

DPS is hoping to raise $60,000 in total.

Moore appreciated the Fairfield community’s thoughts and support.

“I was happy to see how many people came to this event. It was a constant flow of people coming and going. It really showed how willing we are to help others in need. It was a great event for a great person,” said Jake Tamagni ‘19 who attended the fundraiser. Not only is DPS making efforts for Moore, but the Inter-Residential Housing Association is taking part as well.

“Residence Life added tremendous support in collecting donations during other Super Bowl events that were held in the Residence Hall,” said Sgt. Didato.

Marketing Coordinator of Regis Hall, Ashley Kasperavich ‘20 described how her dorm planned on participating in this fundraiser.

“We had a pre-Super Bowl party in the Regis Lounge where we got snacks for people and we had a donation box. Everyone was very generous whether they were eating or not. We raised $77 in just 40 minutes. We plan on discussing more events for Meg moving forward this week with the rest of IRHA,” said Kasperavich.

IRHA made the fundraiser into a competition between the halls to increase incentive. The dorm that raises the most money will end up getting points toward community spirit week.

Excluding the money raised by IRHA, DPS has brought in around $9,000 toward their $60,000 goal.

THE MIRROR | Week of February 8, 2017

News

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The Mirror Reflects on this Week in Social Media Compiled by Elizabeth O’Hara Information contributed by the Department of Public Safety.

Friday, 2/3 10:54 p.m.- A Resident Assistant in Regis Hall contacted Public Safety after smelling a strong odor of marijuana outside of a dorm room. Public Safety also found 31 cans of beer in the room. The Fairfield Police Department was contacted and issued violations for possession of marijuana and alcohol to the student.

Saturday, 2/4 1:45 a.m.- Public Safety was called to the scene of a physical fight between roommates in the Townhouses. Room changes were made and one individual involved was transported to the hospital for evaluations. Fairfield PD was contacted but did not take action. The situation is under investigation.

10:47 p.m.- Public Safety responded to a reported incident of vandalism. A section of a fence near the vicinity of Townhouse 11 block was found damaged. No suspects were apprehended. The situation is under investigation.

Sunday, 2/5 1:00 a.m.- Public Safety responded to a vandalism incident which occurred at the Townhouses.

Those involved were high school students. The situation is under investigation.

12:10 a.m.- Public Safety issued an alcohol violation to an individual at the Townhouse 13 block.

The student was found with a beer in his backpack and was then referred to student conduct.

1:09 a.m.- Public Safety responded to a strong odor of marijuana in a running vehicle in the Regis Hall parking lot. The vehicle was searched and narcotics were confiscated. Fairfield PD issued a verbal warning to the three students in the vehicle.

1:32 a.m.- Public Safety was called to the Townhouses because a student threw a block of ice through a back porch window. The residents of the Townhouse ran and caught the individual near Rafferty Stadium. The suspect denied all allegations and the situation is under investigation.

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Students Walk to Learn about Privilege

By Patrick Orkins Contributing Writer

Students had an opportunity to participate in a Privilege Walk, a Buzzfeed inspired activity, to discuss the concept of privilege. The event was held by the Office of Student Diversity & Multicultural Affairs in the Lower Level of the Barone Campus Center on Wednesday, Feb. 1 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. The walk was organized by Diversity & Multicultural Affairs Program Coordinator Marisabel Santiago and Kelly Villacres ‘17.

Around 10 students attended the event and began the walk by standing together in a line. They were given 35 statements, or “privileges,” that included themes of race, gender and wealth. Students were asked to respond to the questions by stepping either forward or backward if they agreed. These included statements such as, “If you had more than 20 books growing up, step forward,” or “If you ever felt the need to change your behavior or speech in public, step back.” At the end of the walk, students were asked to look at where they and others stood.

Students discussed their privilege, what it meant to them and how they were made aware of other participants’ privileges.

During the discussion, Santiago urged participants to speak up and share their thoughts. Many students opened up about how they hadn’t thought of certain luxuries as privileges and taking for Read Activity on Page 

Patrick Orkins/The Mirror

Students participated in a Privilege Walk in the Lower Level BCC and learned about benefits that people take for granted.

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Activity Examines the Dynamics of Privilege in LLBCC Continued from page 

granted their position. Senior Riley Barrett said, “I never would have thought of having books in my house as some form of privilege, it isn’t something you immediately think of as a luxury.”

After one student recounted how they felt the need to give back to their community in the form of donating books, Santiago responded, “It’s important to realize who you are and what you can do with your own privilege to better someone else’s life.”

Junior Monet Monterosso believed the exercise stressed that everyone has privilege and those with more privilege have a chance to speak up for others. She said, “When people can take steps forward because of their privilege, they can’t see who is behind them.”

Villacres was inspired by a Buzzfeed video detailing privilege, finding it very revealing. Following the “ghetto party” held off-campus last year and issues brought up about race and class during the presidential campaign, Villacres thought students should have an opportunity to explore their own identity and reflect. She believes it is important for events like these to be held to start a dialogue about privilege. Villacres said, “It’s really important for people to have hard conversations like these in order to find common ground and understanding, we just need to talk about it in the right way.”

Villacres said, “These are issues that should be talked about, but in the right way.”

Some students like Domonique Jackson ‘18 agreed, saying, “It was a fantastic event overall, because it really highlighted different privileges we all have, which is important in the political climate we live in today.”

Patrick Orkins/The Mirror

Students participated in the Privilege Walk to learn about what it means to have privilege and what role privilege plays in their own lives. The activity, organized by Kelly Villacres ‘17, was inspired by a Buzzfeed video.

2.0 is Met with Indifference

Sham Jam Undergoes Major Changes Continued from page 

By Kaytlin Barcus Contributing Writer Within mere hours of my.Fairfield 2.0 being accessible to the Fairfield University community on Monday, Jan. 30, one student referred to it as “a mess” on the Fairfield University Class of 2020 Facebook page and many other students seem to agree.

Freshman Allie Cyran said, “I appreciate the search option, but overall it just seems a bit less organized.” She continued, “I tried looking up my schedule and I had to open other tabs just to get to it. It just seems unnecessary to change the whole layout.”

Another student, Mallory Burlington ‘20, stated, “I was just getting used to the old my.Fairfield and now it’s completely different.”

Despite the negative feedback from students, ITS has high hopes for this new update and considers it a success already.

Jason Victor, the help desk mananger at ITS, started the conversation by saying that, on the technical level, the launch of my.Fairfield 2.0 was “flawless,” and that it is “a better tool than we had before.” He acknowledged that people “resistant to change” may not like the new update, but claimed that once these people begin to understand how the new system works, they will quickly begin to like the updates.

Victor explained that the Fairfield community was actually the reason for the updates to the widely-used website. He said that they added many new functions that “people had been asking for,” such as a “mobile-friendly system, searchability and enabling departments to manage the tasks themselves.” The old system’s searchability was very limited; if you didn’t know where something was located on the website, it was very hard to find. It also did not work well on cell phones and tablets, which was a problem for people before.

Sophomore Megan Defeo said, “the old my.Fairfield website was really hard to navigate on my cell phone, so I’m happy they fixed that.”

Victor went into more detail about

how my.Fairfield 2.0 is personalized to the user. He talked about a new function called “favorites.” The new feature allows the user to click a star next to a task that they use regularly and it will become a “favorite” and move to the top of their page. He said, “every time you login, it will be there. You can reorder them and have as many as you’d like.”

Now, there is no need to search for something over and over again; you can make it one of your “favorites” and locate it with ease.

Banner Self-Service is another new tool that my.Fairfield 2.0 has to offer. Whereas before, every task had it’s own link (such as grades and course registration), now it is all under Banner Self-Service or Student Records. Now, if you search “grades,” for instance, the task “grades” itself will not come up, but instead it will say “Self-Service.”

Week-at-a-Glance, Victor also explained, was not taken out by ITS. The Registrar decided to get rid of it and replace it with something different that they believe is “better.” This is explained under a task “Where is my Week-at-a-Glance?” but the new version can be found under the “Register and Plan” task.

A common complaint among the

student body about my.Fairfield 2.0 is its appearance. Compared to the old website, many students think that the new updates are less visually appealing. Junior Josh Singleton put it simply: “It’s annoying and looks weird; it needs more pictures.” However, Victor claimed that “any comments we have received regarding general aesthetics of the site have been consistently positive,” and that the Fairfield Marketing Department “helped to make sure that the look and feel of the website matched and adhered to the University standards.”

Overall, my.Fairfield 2.0 is different compared to what the Fairfield community is used to, but ITS believes that it is a positive change. Despite the amount of negative feedback, some students do like the updates made. Freshman Kiley Deignan said, “I think that people aren’t giving it a chance because it’s so different from what they’re used to.” She continued, “the new layout is easier to navigate because of the ‘Most Popular’ and ‘Favorites’ sections.” The new system has many additional features that the previous one did not and with some getting used to, ITS believes it’ll be a much more efficient, smart tool for all of the faculty and students here to utilize.

Juliana Sansonetti/The Mirror The interface for my.Fairfield 2.0 includes a new version of the LaunchPad.

Rather than be a party during the day, as students here frequently refer to as a “darty,” it will be a ticketed event. Seniors will be given priority and 600 tickets will be available. Those who want to purchase tickets will be able to on the evening of March 3.

According to Tobin, there will be an open bar inside and an eighttap Bud Light Truck in the parking lot, along with corned beef sandwiches being served outside. There will also be live entertainment at the event as well. New York routed Irish rock band, the Narrowbacks will be headlining.

“Nothing like this has even been done through BRO, but given the obstacles that have been thrown at us this year, it should be an awesome alternative,” said Tobin.

Back in October, BRO tried to hold Oktoberfest at Lund Court, its usual location, until the property manager told them to hold it somewhere else. They tried to host the event at the Point, but G-Force was hired to stop the event from happening.

“After this and last year’s Sham Jam, we needed to make sure that Sham Jam [2017] would be a success,” said Tobin Despite the change in location, seniors are excited for this year’s event and venue.

“I am excited about it, but sad it won’t be on the beach like always.

It seems like the sense of beach traditions is going slowly down the drain, but I love the initiative people are taking to salvage our special holidays,” Kelley Oliveira ‘17.

Senior Brianne Zelko echoes these sentiments.

“I would rather it be at the beach because part of the fun is having your friends from home or siblings come, but at the same time I’m really excited to have it at The Grape, with the open bar, in the warmth, with the sandwiches, music and only seniors,” said Zelko.

Although this event is more geared toward seniors, underclassmen who feel as if they cannot participate in the event are disappointed by the change.

“It feels unfair for students under 21 to be excluded from an event that has been a tradition of Fairfield students for years,” said Kristen Gibney ‘19, who attended Sham Jam last year and enjoyed the event.

“I’m pretty disappointed that I don’t have the chance to go. Upperclassmen would tell me it was great,” said Chris Beninati ‘20. “I already bought one of the green shirts at the bookstore just for Sham Jam.” In a poll posted by our Twitter account, 65 percent of the 31 surveyed said they will not be going to Sham Jam because it is not on the Point.

“I mean if this is what the people running it think this is what’s best who am I to say anything about it,” said Beninati.

Although other students are upset about the change, they remain positive.

Sophomore Gabrielle Harvey believes it will enhance her senior year.

“Sham Jam used to be something that all grades could experience and was a great freshman year memory for me. It’s sad to know it won’t be the same this year but I know it will make it ever more special for my time as a senior,” said Harvey.

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THE MIRROR | Week of February 8, 2017

Opinion Editor Lexi Thimble » opinion@fairfieldmirror.com

Creative Commons/advocate.com

Getting Opinionated with The Mirror

Secretary of Education DeVos Teaches Incompetence

By Lexi Thimble Opinion Editor As appointments for Trump’s cabinet continue to undergo preliminary hearings, national attention has been turned toward Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Between her formal hearing and the follow-up questions asked of her by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, DeVos’ hearing revealed her lack of experience and knowledge in running a department of the United States government. Despite this apparent inadequacy, DeVos was appointed on Tuesday, Feb. 7 in a tiebreaker vote broken by Vice President Mike Pence. The appointment of DeVos is a mistake, not only because of her shortcomings in the knowledge of the office she now heads, but also because her appointment sends a statement about the power of incompetency in Trump’s America.

The video of Devos’ hearing makes it apparent that she is unfit for the office she’s being vetted for. She argued in favor of guns in schools in front of a representative from Newtown, Conn., the sight of the deadly school shooting in 2012. As reported

by The Washington Post, this argument consisted of the example of a school in Wyoming and their need for a gun to protect themselves "from potential grizzlies." She told Senator Bernie Sanders that it was possible her family had donated anywhere around $200 million to the Republican Party over the years.

She has no experience in dealing with public schools, rather spearheading the expansion of forprofit, private charter schools and the use of school vouchers, “which can allow students to carry tax-

payer dollars to private schools, for-profit schools, religious schools and online schools” as The New York Times reports. DeVos has garnered so much media attention and state senators have received such an inundation of outcries from the public that she was confirmed through a tiebreaker on behalf of Vice President Mike Pence because the Senate was locked into a 50/50 vote.

During a line of questioning from Senator Tim Kaine on whether she supports accountability of public, public charter or private schools that receive federal funding, DeVos repeatedly replied “I support accountability,” not wanting to give a firm yes or no response. It is in only this case that I would have to say I support it too; I support accountability of programs being given federal funding, but more than that I support accountability of our leaders. I want DeVos held accountable for her lack of knowledge about the department she’s been nominated for and so do other people.

We as a nation have to be extra vigilant these days and so far Trump’s incompetence has only allowed for the incompetence of others. So why shouldn’t the American people and the other senators elected into office to represent our best interests be critical of her?

I’m not an “actual” adult; my parents still help me financially in some cases — I work a part time job with no stressful demands and my biggest responsibility right now is to pass all my classes. But even I, as a person who hasn’t even lived a full two decades of life, know that in the real world, employers care about whether you can actually do your job. They care about your competence in that

position, they pay close attention to your performance and they hold you accountable if mistakes are made.

As the election season of this past year wore on, I became bewildered by what was being allowed to happen in this “real world.” This world, where men who brag of assault and openly discriminate against multiple ethnic groups and make fun of disabled reporters are elected president of the United States.

Moving forward, however, if Trump was too slippery to be held accountable on the campaign trail, it’s now up to the general public to hold him

and all his appointees accountable in their elected offices. If this means voicing a strong opposition of Betsy DeVos, standing by Elizabeth Warren, who is making my home state proud in how critical she has been of this current administration and holding DeVos accountable now that she has been confirmed then I will be among that group of dissenters.

Betsy DeVos isn’t fit for the office she’s been appointed to and it is clear that we as a nation have to be the ones who demand higher standards from our elected representatives, as our president is certainly not going to be the one to do so.

Pictured is the 45th President of the United States Donald J. Trump, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos

The Time is Now for Campus Construction

By Sabrina Musto Contributing Writer Fairfield University is currently in the process of executing several construction projects around campus: a new School of Nursing, a new dorm for students, renovations to the Barone Campus Center and a parking garage in front of the Aloysius P. Kelley Center. In addition, the University’s brand new Leslie C. Quick Recreational Complex was completed before the start of the 2016-17 school year. The big question is whether these construction projects should have been started sooner, as the seniors will miss out on these new improvements. It is my opinion that construction projects are very tricky to time out because no matter when a university begins a project or projects, there are always going to be students graduating who are going to miss out Catherine Veschi/The Mirror on the improvements.

Editorial Board "For Commercial Use Only" Jesse Erickson Editor-in-Chief Andrew DaRosa Executive Editor Catherine Veschi Managing Editor

If the construction had been scheduled for two years ago, then the seniors two years ago would have missed out on the improvements. While the current seniors will not get to enjoy the construction being done on campus, it will overall bring improvements and positive changes to our University.

I think that the biggest blow to seniors is in regards to the nursing students because they will not get to enjoy the brandnew state of the art Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies. However, one of the most prominent concerns for seniors does not seem to be that they will be missing out, but the current inconveniences that the construction causes on campus. Senior Meaghan Day says, “As far as missing out on the new Barone, it is not a big deal. The construction itself just makes getting around campus that much more tedious and causes parking issues and some extra travel time.”

After interviewing about 10 sophomores and juniors, at least eight of them agree that this construction has made life much more tedious on campus. I feel that this could have been started in the warmer weather.

This is because the cold winter weather is not ideal to be walking around construction and adding travel time to student’s everyday routes. I also believe that summer construction would be better for the Barone Dining Hall because at this point in time it is extremely overcrowded.

While seniors may be upset about missing out, there is a lot that goes into big construction projects, including funding, ap-

Every year, millions of Americans turn their televisions on to watch the Super Bowl, one of the biggest sporting events of the year.

However, many of these viewers wouldn’t necessarily consider themselves to be football fans, and watch the Super Bowl each year merely for the commercials, which are known as the best commercials audiences will see all year.

Super Bowl LI’s commercials certainly didn’t disappoint, and gave viewers something to talk about for the rest of the week. Hyundai, Budweiser, and Skittles were among some of the most noteworthy commercials this year, ranging from humorous to emotional appeals to the audience.

Hyundai’s commercial, which was shown immediately after the Super Bowl’s conclusion, highlighted the efforts our troops make on a daily basis, opening with the line “Millions of people just watched the Super Bowl, which wouldn’t be possible without our troops.” The

provals, time and space. This means that it has to be just the right time for a project and these factors were not in place to allow the current seniors to reap the benefits of construction. Sadly, for the class of 2017 the timing is right now and though they are missing out, the returning students will be faced with many benefits when the projects are complete.

The current time was just the right fit for Fairfield University to undergo this process, as it is its 75th anniversary, which marks a big year here at the University and these new improvements will not only be aesthetically pleasing, but they will bring major improvements to the school as a whole.

New underclassmen dorms will provide more housing availability, potentially as a building for Honors Program students. Additionally, a new parking garage will aid with the current overcrowding of the University parking lots and the Tully will offer new food options. Lastly, a new building for nursing students will allow them to enter into even more advanced practices in the nursing field.

So to answer the question of whether or not this construction should have been started earlier, I think that while it is unfortunate for the seniors who will not get to enjoy the improvements, at least they are being made and will benefit students at some point in the near future. The quality of this University will be greatly enhanced by these projects, and as long as they are being started, it is a great accomplishment for our University that will allow for a multitude of benefits in the coming years.

commercial goes on to spotlight members of the military who discuss the impact going into war has on them and their family, which surely appealed to the emotions of audiences across the country.

Companies didn’t shy away from politics in their advertising campaigns. Budweiser’s commercial, called “Born the Hard Way” also effectively targeted the emotions of its viewers.

The commercial sparked a debate about immigration, coming to viewers at a time when immigration is one of the more controversial topics of Donald J. Trump’s presidency thus far. It spotlights a fictionalized version of the journey of Adolphus Busch to the U.S., where he went on to create the Budweiser brand with fellow immigrant Eberhard Anheuser. While it was risky for Budweiser to create an advertising campaign revolving around such a controversial topic, ultimately, it was a smart move for the company, since the commercial has gener-

ated a great deal of discussion after the Super Bowl, elevating the brand’s recognition in a sense.

Spanning the other end of the spectrum is the inundation of comedically slapstick commercials that numbed the pain of both the Patriots’ “YUGE” deficit and a political atmosphere that seems to tighten its grip around culture more and more each day. Whether it was Bill Nye and his multiplying Persil cleaners or Brett Favre uncovering the conspiracy theory behind Buffalo Wild Wings, the Super Bowl was able to capture the American spirit in necessity of a comedic break. Whether or not we took this break is up to personal discretion, but the notion remains that for four hours, we could put aside all our political differences to laugh and cry through the waves of one of the most enticing Super Bowls, and more importantly, some of the best Super Bowl commercials in recent memory.

THE MIRROR | Week of February 8, 2017

Opinion

Page 6

America Risks Repeating History with Trump's Ban

By Nolan Wolfe Contributing Writer Last week, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States.” The order prevents any citizens of Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Somalia and Sudan from entering the United States for 90 days and suspended the refugee acceptance program for 120 days. Worse still, all Syrian refugees have been indefinitely blocked from entering the United States.

This is a broad overreaching of executive authority and directly conflicts with the American identity of liberty and peace that has been long fostered in this nation.

In 1941, Otto Frank, a Jewish man in Nazi-ruled Germany, fled to the Netherlands with his wife and two daughters and tried applying for visas for his family to enter the United States.

In the wake of so many foreigners trying to enter the country, the U.S. cancelled many visas, crushing the Franks’ hopes of reaching America. The Franks were discovered in hiding by Nazi forces and sent to concentration camps. His daughters, Anne and Margot, died of typhus and their mother, Edith, died of starvation. Anne Frank became one of the most famous victims of the Holocaust and her diary has sold over 27 million copies worldwide. Had the United States allowed the Franks into the country, they might have escaped their terrible fates. Just as the U.S. of 1941 wouldn’t have sent the Franks away with the knowledge that they would die at the hands of the Nazi regime, it is wrong for the U.S. to do the same to so many innocent refugees during this time period.

In 1941, the United States turned away refugees for fear that Nazi sympathizers would enter the country. However, they failed to realize that turning away refugees

sealed their horrible fates in the hands of the Nazis. The same thing is happening before our eyes today. President Trump has turned away refugees in the hopes that it will turn away terrorism, sending them back to war-torn lands and dangerous governments. This is not a deterrent for terrorism – this is an advertisement for it.

CNN reported that there have been zero terrorist attacks on American soil by refugees let into the United States since the Refugee Act of 1980. However, on the campaign trail, President Trump applied his usual method of inventing information and instilled fear into the hearts of many, claiming refugees from Syria and other war-torn countries would spread terrorism within American borders.

According to the United Nations, more than half of the 13 million Syrians who are in need of humanitarian aid are chil-

Creative Commons/Flickr

What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial and why?

Catherine Pezzella '17 "The Budweiser one was one of my favorites. To me, it showed the American dream and people coming over to start stuff in this country."

Jake Tamagni '19

"The one with Tom Brady that was shown after they won where he was putting the rings in the safe and he says 'Roger that.' It showed that after every challenge the Pats faced (like Goodell) they still ended up on top."

Jordan Mason '19

"I have two favorites this year. I liked the Hyundai one with the U.S. military base watching the Super Bowl and the Kia one with Melissa McCarthy 'cause she's funny as hell."

Photos Provided by Catherine Pezzlla, Jake Tamagni, Jordan Mason

The Mirror welcomes the opinions and contributions of its readers: Letters to the editor must be timely and submitted by email to info@fairfieldmirror.com or Box AA. All letters to the editor that are appropriate will be published either in print or online. The Mirror reserves the right to edit letters and articles for content, length and grammatical errors. Letters should be free of obscenities and personal attacks and should contain correct and factual information, not exceeding 500 words.

dren. President Trump now has the fates of almost 7 million innocent children resting on his shoulders.

There is nothing right about this executive order. Cleverly disguised as “Protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States,” the order is about keeping people whose lives President Trump deems less worthy than his own from entering this nation.

While the media has focused a great deal of attention on those who are standing against the executive order, there are many Americans who feel that President Trump’s actions are good-intentioned. Many Americans who work in manufacturing and other fields that don’t require post-secondary education feel that a surge of immigrants could threaten their own job security. In the past, other large immigrant groups, such as the Irish and the Germans, have entered the United States and set the stage for more competitive job markets. Many Americans feel that a similar pattern might emerge in today’s increasingly global marketplace.

There is also a genuine fear of terrorism entering the United States since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The terrorists who perpetrated those horrible crimes were immigrants from the Middle East. That and a two-centuriesold skepticism of immigrants has contributed to a major cultural problem that our world currently faces — whether allowing mass amounts of immigrants into our country would hurt or harm the nation in which we currently live. It is unlikely this debate will be put to bed any time soon, especially in the middle of an administration that seems hell-bent on closing the bridge to opportunity in America.

“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” –Winston Churchill

The Vine

arts, entertainment, features Editor Ali Phaneuf vine@fairfieldmirror.com

Students Go Gaga for Gaga

Photo Illustration by Ali Phaneuf Photos taken from Lady Gaga's Facebook page

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THE MIRROR | Week of February 8, 2017

The Vine

Lady Gaga's High-Energy Halftime Show

By Ali Phaneuf Vine Editor

The Patriots weren’t the only ones to have a winning performance at the NRG Stadium during the Super Bowl — Lady Gaga’s halftime show was also a jaw-dropping experience. From beginning to end, Gaga’s performance demonstrated not only her quality vocal skills, but also highlighted her ability to consistently deliver a bold, energized and unique performance. No one can deny that starting her routine from the top of the football stadium was remarkable and what really provided the “wow” factor was Gaga’s ability to sing while performing aerial tricks in mid-air.

Although many people thought that Gaga would bring a political snide to her performance, she kept her views on the down-low and focused her energy on her dance moves and songs. The only hint of a political statement was in the beginning of her routine when she chose to sing “God Bless America” followed by a verse of “This Land is Your Land” and concluding with the last line of the Pledge of Allegiance, “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Once she finished this section of the show, Gaga jumped from the top of the stadium and erupted into a jam-packed concert of her top hit songs.

Gaga sang the main choruses from her songs which spanned from 2008 all the way through 2016. Some of the songs included, “Just Dance,” “Bad Romance,” “Poker Face” and “Born This Way.” These songs reflect the style of the popstar and provided easy songs for the audience to enjoy throughout the show. Sophomore Brianna Napoli commented on how Gaga’s song choices made the act enjoyable.

“I was very impressed with Lady Gaga’s performance last night as she performed all of her previous songs.They were all throwbacks to when I was in middle school and high school, so I was able to really dance to them and get hyped up for the rest of the game” said Napoli.

Another noticeable quality during Gaga’s routine was her outfit of choice. There’s no better way to describe what she wore other than a glittery bodysuit that only she could pull off. The outfit sported extremely large shoulder pads and the suit went from her shoulders to the top of her thighs. She also wore high rise, high heeled, sparkly boots to complete the ensemble.

“She showed how truly talented she is and did so with class,” said Katelyn Jones ‘19.

“Her outfit was so amazing and even though she showed her stomach at one point it was so appropriate and didn't take away from her talent, which I honestly really appreciated.”

Gaga’s 2016 hit “Million Reasons” was highlighted during her performance by showing not only her singing talent, but her ability to play the piano as well. The lights dulled, the spotlight was on her and the crowd surrounded Gaga with hundreds of lit candles to set a beautiful scene.

“I thought the candles in the audience were really cool,” said Napoli. “They made the performance not only look like a dance show, but also like a light show.”

Lady Gaga radiated on the stage during the Super Bowl. Her reputation of thinking outside the box and delivering a high energy, enthusiastic performance was upheld. The show presented nothing but upbeat and positive vibes — something greatly appreciated by audience members.

“Overall, I thought Lady Gaga did an amazing job,” said Jones. “My friends and I were all going crazy because she's obviously the best person ever and provided a performance to remember.”

Photos taken from Lady Gaga's Facebook page

'Shadowland': A Journey of Bizzare Dreams

By Ali Phaneuf Vine Editor

Nothing but a white nightgown hung in the center of a dark stage as the performance of “Shadowland” began. The quiet and eerie setting soon exploded into a show of optical illusions and infatuating dance sequences. The Pilobolus Dance Company performed “Shadowland” in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Feb. 4 to a sold out audience.

“Shadowland” tells the story of a teenage girl who experiences a series of complex dreams. In order for these dreams to be effectively executed, the physical strength and technique from the dancers, as well as skills involving the white screen and colored lights seemed to be essential. The majority of the show was performed behind a white screen so that the lights could reflect off of it and a shadow could be created.

One of the first illusions of the show required the dancers to attach to each other and connect behind the white screen to form a giant face. The lead girl (Heather Favretto) then jumps out from inside the face’s mouth, leaving the audience in awe. The way the dancers are able to mesh their bodies together to create this one form is remarkable and caused the entire audience to appreciate their work in total silence.

“I have not seen anything like this type of performance before and the fact that it was created by body movements alone with very minimal props was very interesting,” said Lina Foncello ‘19.

The teenage girl then continues on through her series of dreams and finds herself in a restaurant-like setting with two tables and a large pot in the center of the white screen. There are three chefs that interact with the girl during this scene and together they throw food and other objects (such as rats and bunnies) into the pot. The scene becomes trippy when the tables start to move and it becomes obvious that the two tables were dancers the whole time. The way the dancers folded themselves and remained still for an extended period of time demonstrates their incredible strength and technique.

Not stopping to take a break, the dancers continued on to perform the most interesting portion of the show. In a new dream, the girl finds herself standing beneath an extended hand that is protruding from the top left corner of the screen. With the craft of illusion, it appears that the hand grabs the girl and morphs her into a new figure — a dog. One can assume the girl is in a kneeling position with her arm raised to her head and bent at the elbow to form a tight angle which, when reflected in the shadow of the screen, takes the shape of a dog. However, the hand doesn’t leave the girl in the form of a dog for the rest of the show, rather the hand morphs the girl into the body of a girl with the head of a dog.

The scene then transforms into a café setting and the dogheaded girl is sitting at a table and when she tries to order, nothing but barking noises come from her mouth. The tables and chairs then

stand up to form into people who begin laughing at the girl. Having to overcome humiliation proves to be challenging for the girl, but she eventually stumbles across a man who is eager to have her as a companion.

Taking the form of a car, the dancers vibrate in a way that signifies that the car is driving. Inside of the car is the man accompanied by the dog-headed girl and the two seem to have a friendly bond. “A dog is a man’s best friend” is the thought that comes to mind when viewing this scene. However, too much affection shown by the dogheaded girl causes the man to become annoyed and he ends up abandoning her in a field.

Not lonely for too long, the dog-headed girl comes face to face with a woman who works for a circus. The woman captures the dogheaded girl and takes her to perform in her circus, alongside three other acts. After the circus performance, the screen changes to show all of the circus animals tied up. Somehow the dancers attach to each other and create a beautiful elephant, who ends up freeing the dogheaded girl.

After an exhausting effort to run away from the circus people — who decided to chase after her — the dog-headed girl ends up jumping off of a cliff to avoid being recaptured. Landing in a deep body of water, the dog-headed girl is shown floating deeper and deeper into the water. The fluidity in which she moves her body during this scene, combined with the stunning blue lights reflected in the screen, gives the audience the illusion that she is actually immersed in water. The remaining dancers then take the form of a jellyfish and help the dogheaded girl return to land.

Following a tiring series of dreams, the dogheaded girl is not yet finished with her journey.

While walking along the land, she runs into a centaur — two dancers attached to each other to create the illusion of a centaur — and immediately feels a connection to him and they form a heated relationship.

Engaging in a highly sexual and intimate scene, the two dancers are able to portray an honest connectedness and vulnerability to the audience. Following this scene, the large hand that once transformed the girl into a dog re-appears and turns her back into a real girl.

“Shadowland” ends with

the teenage girl waking up the next morning and looking at herself in the mirror. She is elated to see that she does not have a dog’s head and appears to be extremely confident and comfortable in her own skin.

Although it had an unusual plot line, “Shadowland” took its audience on a captivating journey through the land of dreams and helped to portray just how powerful the messages of these dreams can be.

Some of these messages include the concept of society morphing you into a certain person (like the large hand did with the girl) and having to overcome setbacks and difficult occurrences that hold you back (like the girl being made fun of and then later being tied down at the circus) in order to flourish and feel free within the world (just as the girl finally did when she met the centaur).

Following a standing ovation, the cast performed an encore behind the white screen. Showcasing their most advanced and eyeappealing tricks, the encore proved to be just as enticing as the actual performance. The cast also made the audience feel unique due to their ability to morph their bodies together to form a Stag with the school’s emblem in the background. “Shadowland” provided one and a half hours of captivating dancing, tricks and illusions which entertained the audience from start to finish.

Photos Contributed by The Quick Center

The Vine

THE MIRROR | Week of February 8, 2017 Photos Contributed by Creative Commons/Flickr

Page 9

'The Wizard of Oz': Fifty Shades Darker

By Ali Phaneuf Vine Editor

Netflix’s Unusual 'Series of Unfortunate Events'

By Sabina Dirienzo Contributing Writer

If you’re looking to ruin your day, than Netflix has a great show for you.

Daniel Handler’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events” is Netflix’s new project. Written under the pseudonym “Lemony Snicket,” the 13-book series was Daniel Handler’s gothic horror absurdist children’s series.

The Netflix show incorporates these same genre elements into its eight-episode first season.

“A Series of Unfortunate Events,” or “ASOUE,” follows the orphaned Baudelaire siblings as they try to escape the villainous Count Olaf. The siblings: Violet, Klaus and Sunny are extremely clever and it’s delightful to watch them come up with inventive ways to foil Olaf (although Sunny is a baby and mostly just bites). Minor characters make quick two-episode appearances, but most are unusual and memorable.

Dr. Montgomery Montgomery — which is the character’s actual name — is a friendly herpetologist who knew the Baudelaire’s parents. While the siblings are immediately concerned with avoiding Count Olaf, the overall plot incorporates the mystery of their parents’ deaths and a secret society. The viewer is told their tale through the mysterious Lemony Snicket, who is a character in the series as well as the author’s pseudonym.

In 2007, “A Series of Unfortunate Events” was adapted into a movie by Nickelodeon. Although it technically portrayed Handler’s first three books, the plot was mixed together and Handler did not like the movie’s portrayal. The movie did not reach enough critical acclaim for a sequel.

Netflix’s series is more forgiving to the timing of books, allowing two episodes for every book in the series. In addition, Handler wrote the scripts for five of the episodes. With two episodes per book, the Netflix series gracefully handles the nuances of Handler’s gothic mystery.

Netflix’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events” incorporates narrative quirks. These are partially stylistic and partially due to the absurdist nature of Handler’s book series. “ASOUE” is set vaguely in the mid-twentieth century, without modern technology. Although Netflix’s series is implied (via presence of American accents) to take place in the United States, the character of Justice Strauss wears a wig while she works, like judges in Britain. Characters are oddly obsessed with the difference between ‘literally’ and ‘figuratively.’

By incorporating these weird nuances into the show, only some of which appeared in the book series, “ASOUE” reflects the book series’ absurdity.

One of the more clever devices that Netflix uses is having Lemony Snicket as an in-character narrator to the audience. Although the viewer is concerned for the fate of the charismatic Baudelaire siblings, having Snicket periodically interject reminds the audience that he is documenting their story for us. It also heightens the show’s mystery, as Lemony Snicket usually appears when a major plot point is imminent.

Viewers know next to nothing about Lemony Snicket, except that he has been tasked with discovering the Baudelaire’s fates.

Malina Weissman and Louis Hynes are excellent as Violet and Klaus, especially considering that they are child actors. I thought that the decision to have Sunny portrayed by a real baby rather than a CGI one was smart, as there is no creepy “uncanny valley” effect. I’m interested to see how the Netflix series justifies the actors aging between seasons; if there is a second season, will Sunny be recast? Neil Patrick Harris portrays the villainous Count Olaf, even singing the show’s “warning” theme song about how depressing it’s going to be.

“A Series of Unfortunate Events” does show unfortunate events. It’s based on a children’s series, but a gothic one – the Baudelaires struggle, face evil and face losses. Despite that, the characters are interesting, the plot is clever and it will be interesting to see how the mystery unravels if Netflix does a second series.

“A Series of Unfortunate Events” isn’t just for people who are nostalgic for the book series. Netflix has created a delightfully odd gothic mystery that stands strong on its own.

Ruby slippers, a yellow brick road and a sweet farm girl in a blue dress all symbolize the iconic, light-hearted story of “The Wizard of Oz,” right? Wrong. In the new NBC TV series “Emerald City,” viewers are taken on a thrilling 21st century adventure to the land of Oz. The series premiered on Jan. 6 with a two-episode debut and will continue to run for 10 total episodes for the first season.

The series begins in Lucas, Kan., a nearly desolate farming community and hometown to main character Dorothy Gale (Adria Arjona). Judy Garland’s famous 1939 portrayal of Dorothy as an innocent southern belle differs greatly from Arjona’s Dorothy — a fiery badass with a witty attitude to top it off. Dorothy was raised by adoptive parents and the story starts with her going to visit her biological mother for the first time. A warm welcome is far from what Dorothy receives upon arrival; she is instead greeted by a dead police officer lying on the floor and a few minutes later she finds the bleeding body of her mother in an underground bunker. Before Dorothy is able to discover what happened, a tornado strikes and she retreats to a parked police car for protection.

We all know what happens next — the police car is swept away by the tornado and Dorothy earns herself a one-way ticket to the magical land of Oz. With a crash landing, the car runs over the Mistress of the Eastern Wood — commonly known as the Wicked Witch of the West — and Dorothy is left with no idea of what to do or where to go. Luckily, Dorothy doesn’t have to travel the journey alone as she is accompanied by a police dog who she later names Toto, and who also happened to be in the car during the tornado. Lacking the ability to fit inside of a picnic basket, this version of Toto is an aggressive German Shepherd who would willingly attack anyone that posed a threat to himself or to Dorothy. The two companions then begin their journey to find the Wizard of Oz (Vincent D’Onofrio), in hopes that he will be able to help Dorothy return home.

While journeying along the yellow opium covered road, Dorothy and Toto come across what can be considered the scarecrow from the original story, but who now hangs nearly dead on a crucifix.

Dorothy takes the man (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) off of the cross and learns that he has amnesia and cannot remember his name or what happened to him — if only he had a brain.

Dorothy decides to name the man Lucas, after her hometown, and the two of them continue down the road to find the wizard. The wizard is not a wizard at all and holds no magical qualities, but attempts to uphold his power by outlawing magic — something that does not sit well with the two cardinal witches of the north and the south.

The Witch of the North, Glinda (Joely Richardson), oversees an orphanage for potential future members of the Wizard’s Council. Although people commonly assume Glinda to be the “good” witch, as she is in the original version, she may not turn out to be as innocent as one would expect in this one.

Due to the outlawing of magic, there is evident tension between Glinda and the Wizard of Oz which may result in future altercations.

The story alterations continue when we meet the Witch of the West — typically viewed as the villain. The Witch of the West (Ana Ularu) is now portrayed as a character who defies the unjust laws of the Wizard of Oz and consequently could be a character audiences root for in later episodes. Even though the Witch of the West provides hope to upholding magic, she still carries a darker demeanor — as an opium addict and overseer of a brothel, the Witch of the West still carries her “bad girl” persona.

In addition to the modern-day alterations to the story, NBC also introduces 21st century social commentary. For example, one of the primary themes in the series is the power of women. Dorothy doesn’t cower or back down from anyone; instead, she pulls herself up and kicks butt throughout each episode. The two witches, of the north and of the south, also demonstrate female empowerment by secretly defying the wizard and constantly trying to undermine his rule in order to save magic.

Another interesting concept in the series involves gender identity complexities. There is a character named Tip (Jordan Loughran), who plays the part of a teenage boy and who later transforms into a girl — a concept that introduces transgender acceptance. Tip starts off as a small sideline character, but is later seen as an important aspect to the plot, as she is the connection to Jack (Gerran Howell) — the tin man.

“Emerald City” is a perfect series for “Game of Thrones” and sci-fi lovers. It encompasses dark and gory violence, as well as risque sex scenes — this show is not intended for children. The series takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster and transforms scientific concepts and theories. By changing the face of a classic story, NBC reintroduces characters in a new light and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as they wait to see what will happen to Dorothy, the witches and magic.

Contribute to The Mirror Add a line to your résumé Apply your writing and multimedia skills Get published Mondays at 7 p.m.

Brainstorm, pitch stories and talk to editors Thursdays at 7 p.m.

Critiques from the EIC and Mirror advisor, Dr. Xie Applications for the 2017-18 Mirror staff go out on Thursday, Feb. 9. Apply by Feb. 23 for the opportunity to be a part of one of Fairfield's oldest publications.

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THE MIRROR | Week of February 8, 2017

The Vine

Creative Commons/Flickr

ashionably airfield

by Nicole Funaro

Everything that Glitters is (Rose) Gold

Nothing gold can stay, but the rose gold trend is sticking around for another season. This rich, rosy metal offers a perfect alternative to the traditional yellow gold, adding a bit of warmth and a hint of color to the metal. While rose gold may come off as pink and therefore read as “girly,” make no mistake: this tone isn’t reserved for girls. In fact, rose gold shows up in products for both men and women and is universally flattering on all skin tones.

Take watches, for example. Men and women alike can participate in the trend by wearing a rose gold timepiece, like those from MVMT. These luxury-on-a-budget watches have rose gold watch cases that can be worn with their matching bands or swapped out for a more subtle leather band if you only want a small dose of rose gold. With large, bold faces encased in equally eye-catching rose gold, these MVMT watches will be the perfect way to sample the trend without going out on a limb.

Guys should check out the black/rose gold model from MVMT’s 40 series, which features hour marks and the minute and second hands done in the rosy tone, providing a subtle but intriguing contrast against the stark black watch face. Available on a rose gold bracelet band for $125, you can add a leather band in either dark or light brown for only $35. Women can opt for the Sunset style, an all rose-gold piece with a white face and bracelet band that’s also available for $125 from MVMT. Watches and jewelry aren’t the only ways to test drive the rose gold trend. The ever-popular slip-on sneaker is also getting a metallic makeover in the rosy hue, courtesy of Vans. Available on Zappos.com, a superstore for all things designer fashion, these unisex rose-gold Vans fulfill all of your trend needs, giving you a casual athleisure look in a popular metallic tone. What’s interesting to know about these sneakers is that their rose gold uppers aren’t shiny to the point of being sparkly; instead they offer a very subtle sheen that catches light and reflects the rose gold tone in a way that is not obnoxious or distracting. Perhaps the best part about these cool kicks is that they will only set you back $60 and come with free shipping.

The rose gold trend may be here to stay, but with great options like these, you might not want to take your time snatching up these metallic styles.

Cara's Cuisine

By Cara Lee Assistant Vine Editor With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, everyone is looking for something sweet to eat — and what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a healthy dose of chocolate? Chocolate Lava Cake is one of the most popular Valentine’s Day desserts and with just a few commonly used ingredients, an oven and a custard cup, you can have four individually sized Lava Cakes in under 20 minutes! I can also vouch that this recipe can (and has been) easily made in a Residence Hall kitchen- so freshmen, sophomores and RAs, enjoy!

Ingredients: 1 stick of butter 2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate 2 ounces of semisweet chocolate 1 1/4 cups of powdered sugar 2 whole eggs 3 egg yolks 1 teaspoon of vanilla 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

Inkwell Spotlight On Second Thought, Don't Let It Snow

By Kayla Craig Contributing Writer at The Inkwell Peaceful, serene, beautiful A comforting blanket of white Until the minute you step outside It’s hard to see the beauty in winter, when you can barely even breathe, let alone see The aesthetic of it all is pretty much lost Once you slip and fall on the ice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Microwave the butter, bittersweet chocolate and semisweet chocolate in a large bowl in 20 second increments until the butter is melted.

Stir the chocolate-butter mixture until the chocolate is also completely melted.

Mix in the sugar until it is well blended.

Beat the eggs and egg yolks into the mixture.

Add the vanilla. Carefully and thoroughly stir in the flour.

Divide the mixture among lightly greased custard cups.

Bake until the sides are firm but the centers are still soft — 13 minutes.

Remove from oven. Let the cakes sit inside their cups for one minute before inverting them onto individual plates while warm.

If you really want to make a dessert about it, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sprinkle some powdered sugar on the top.

Photos contributed by Creative Commons/Flickr

I love snow, really I do But I think I’d prefer to enjoy it From the comfort of my room With the heat on and a cup of Hot cocoa That way I can look out the window And watch other people fall!

Creative Commons/Flickr

THE MIRROR | Week of February 8, 2017

The Vine

Page 11

Navigating the River Whyless

By Andrew DeRosa Executive Editor

In the rigid landscape of North Carolina lies an unwavering River that beats to the march of its own drum, pounding through the roots that make up the reverberations of life. However, this River is not a body of water, but rather an eccentric folk quartet that has been steadily producing melodically enticing compositions since 2012.

River Whyless have brought together elements of traditional folk music and baroque pop and have steadily increased their sphere of influence as of late. They have even made numerous festival appearances since their inception, including Newport Folk Festival and Floyd Festival. Most notably, the group will be performing at Bonnaroo for the first time this year.

“Last year [2016], we played Newport Folk Festival and that was a dream come true, and it came at a time when we needed something like that,” said Alex McWalters, drummer and percussionist for River Whyless.

These changes have simultaneously brought River Whyless into the spotlight and shifted the dynamic of the quartet as the group, with the addition of Daniel Shearin on bass after the departure of their former bassist, being the pinnacle change.

“That change altered the band dynamic quite a bit,” said McWalters. “[It] ultimately proved really beneficial and challenging but it took a little while for us to navigate that new dynamic.”

The center of their dynamism revolves around the aspect of songwriting, which has become a sort of introspective trophy for the group. With lyrics like “I will break you in/I've tried it before and I'll try it again/But if this time you feel your shell has grown to thin/Then I will lend you my skin,” from “Life Crisis,” River Whyless has transcended the norms of songwriting and has built upon themes of the land and multicultural diversity.

“We all have an inherent drive to create and play music,” said McWalters. “It’s usually being inspired by each other and sometimes, that is what we depend on one person in the group having something that they are inspired by or doing something out of inspiration.”

As challenging as the craft may be, McWalters and the motley crew of folk heroes have pulled through and last year, they released the highly acclaimed record, “We All the Light,” as well as their “Hold Me To Ya” single, which was released this past January. The premise of the compositions found light through nature and growth, two motifs that have come to define the group.

Whether listening to the African-inspired rhythm of “Blood Moon” or the indie pop

tinged “Kalangala,” River Whyless leaves an indelible mark on the realm of folk for a new wave of musicians, with their inspirations ranging from Wilco to Andrew Bird.

“The challenge is always to find the commonalities between what we are interested in,” said McWalters. “I think it's really important for us at this point to realize that there is no reason to deliberately set a direction, I think it is a process we had learned in the last record.”

Beyond the music is the overarching theme of politics, which has permeated through the band’s actions, especially since the election of President Donald Trump last month.

Due to Trump’s controversial policies, the band decided to donate all proceeds made through their Bandcamp site on Feb. 3 to the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as donate the proceeds of sales from their latest EP, “Hold Me To Ya,” to the National Wildlife Refuge Association.

“I feel as we get older, we just feel the need to do something positive,” said McWalters.

“Being in a band is an amazing opportunity [since] you have a platform of some kind that you can express what you believe in and actually contribute to the conversation in a larger way.”

“Nobody is able to make change alone,” McWalters added pridefully.

River Whyless will be playing at downtown Fairfield’s FTC StageOne on Saturday, Feb. 25.

Contributed by Rob Krauser

Heard It Through The GrapeVINE

By Cara Lee Assistant Vine Editor Doctor David Lerner is an assistant professor for the Visual and Performing Arts, Television, and Media Department. His interest in music began, as most people’s does, by listening to what his parents would play in the house; in his case, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

Then he began to develop his own taste in music with his greatest influence being his older sister. Accredited to her belonging to Generation X, Lerner’s sister would constantly introduce him to indie bands such as Tuscadero, Unrest and Liz Phair while she was in high school and she would always bring him signed memorabilia from any shows she attended. It was from this that his interest in music that “did not necessarily play on the radio” began.

Later, as a junior at the University of Maryland, Lerner became involved in his school radio show. While he never had a prime-time spot — at one point airing from 3 a.m. until 6 a.m. — he loved the experience. Especially when he was able to be one of the first to listen to newly released albums. With this experience in mind and with a list of favorite music a mile long, Lerner had a difficult time selecting which music to recommend and decided to pick songs that fit the theme of ‘Escape.’ Songs that expressed the feeling of needing to leave a place and being unsure of what the future has in store or if a return trip would ever occur.

“Sloop John B”- Beach Boys (1966) “When I was first listening to this song with my family, it came off as very innocent — a song about a boat trip gone wrong. Then I was listening to it later and noticed that under the bubblegum surface it was more complex with many subtle layers of darkness — including references to the counter culture in the line, ‘This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on.’”

“Street People” - Bobby Charles (1972) “This is a song about a wanderer. The speaker of the lyrics is wandering from town to town, commenting that there are people who would rather work and that society needs people to work, but that he does not want to. Instead, he is fine with continuing to walk and live his life on the streets with the other ‘Street People.’”

“FloriDada”- Animal Collective (2016) “This song has the campfire feel of a lot of the best Animal Collective tracks, with the vocalists in the group chanting the lyrics over each other in a rapid fire rhythm while drums pulse in the background. Unlike some of the others on this playlist, it's not about escaping from home or to an unfamiliar world, but in transforming the diverse spaces of the world into one whirling tapestry what they call the ‘everywhere world.’"

“Streets of Baltimore” - Gram Parsons (1973) “This song is also very much about the counterculture. Just like ‘Sloop John B’ it seems very innocent on the outside — like any traditional western country song that you would hear. But if you listened closer it was not the normal song sung by a white guy in a cowboy hat. It has a darker message to it where it talks about drugs and sex and that was something that, during the time it was released, country music didn’t do yet.”

“Born to Run” - Bruce Springsteen (1975) “This is my karaoke go-to. It’s about youth, passion and vitality. About escaping to an unknown destination with someone you love and living.”

“Don’t Let our Youth go to Waste” - Galaxie 500 (1988) “This is a cover, the original was completely acapella.

This song is about basking in youth, wanting more and about taking what the world has to offer.”

“Summer’s Here, Kids” - Grandaddy (1997) “This song is a bit funny. It’s about kids who go on a vacation, but they hate it and just do not want to be there.

One line is the kids on this trip reading a travel brochure which says that they’re going to have a ‘good time’ but they aren’t and the entire vacation is just horrible.”

Photo contributed by David Lerner

Do you want to be featured in the GrapeVINE? Please email a list of 5-7 of your favorite songs and also a picture of yourself that we can use to vine@ fairfieldmirror.com.

Creative Commons/Wikimedia

THE MIRROR | Week of February 8, 2017

Coffee Break

Page 12

Coffee Break Editor: Claire Monahan

For Fairfield’s 75th anniversary, The Mirror is bringing back one of it’s most iconic features: Boos and Cheers. Boos and Cheers is a section in the paper where you can anonymously submit tips about the things you’re happy about and the things you’re unhappy about. It’s a place where your inside jokes get published but only your group of friends understands what they mean. Better watch out next time you decide to cry and tell your Uber driver your entire life story … you never know if you’ll end up in Boos and Cheers!

Boooos Booos to the long line at Einstein’s… to the people who thought it was funny to wear their Giants clothing on our (Patriots) big day… to the Falcons blowing a huge lead in the Super Bowl… to LF to providing the worst customer experience… to the fact I ever have to leave my bed… to all the Patriots fans… to chipping my tooth at a party and having to get back to the dentist… for the third Friday in a row… to drinking my body weight in alcohol Wednesday through Saturday… to my boss “passing away this weekend”... to Ben… to Iman, the hacker of our website… to Goodell… to the snake in our friend group… to getting a B+ on a project I stayed up all night doing… to the 12 internships that I applied to that haven’t gotten back to me… to professors who don’t realize that I have my own life and would rather be watching the Real Housewives than reading for an irrelevant core class… to the people who don’t hold the door open to your building… to friends who always relate your problems back to themselves; if I wanted to hear about your life I would refer to your pathetic Twitter… to the girls wearing a full face of makeup at 8 a.m… to waking up with a stranger in your room… to people who ask to copy my notes but then talk crap about me behind my back… to the boy who says he wants to hook up but ignores you all the time… to the Stag meal exchange only being on weekdays from 1-4… to people who leave their laundry in the machine after it’s done… to having your last final on the last day of finals… to Oak Room dinners… to the people who don’t wipe the treadmills down…

Sitting Down with Former Mirror Editor-in-Chief Jenn Anderson ‘97 Q: As EIC, what was the most scandalous piece you published?

A: There isn’t one scandalous piece that stands out, but the most contentious stories always seemed to revolve around the beach and makes me realize we have really come a long way in partnering with the town. Both the students and the residents now seem to have much more mutual respect for each other and through the hard work of the students, the University and the town police, it’s much improved from 20 years ago.

Q: What was the worst thing to happen to you as EIC? What was the best?

A: The best was being ‘in the know’ of so much across campus, you really get to have your finger on the pulse. I can’t recall anything that could classify the ‘worst’ except for the fact we were holed up in a room in Gonzaga as our editorial room, right next to a deli Contributed by Jenn Anderson that was open until 2 a.m. So we always had some Jenn Anderson (above) was Editor-in-Chief of interesting visitors.

The Mirror and is now Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications at Fairfield University.

Q: What was your major/ minor?

A:English & Religious Studies Q: Where did you live all four years?

A: Claver, Campion, Road House (doesn’t exist now after [Hurricane] Sandy), The Girls Dupe Q:What were all of your roles on The Mirror?

A:Writer/Assistant Editor/News Editor/Editor in Chief

Q: Since you graduated, how has Fairfield changed?

How does it feel to be back?

A: Coming back to work at Fairfield was such a special opportunity. My husband and I are both alums, undergraduate and graduate and my husband’s father and sister went here. After spending 16 years in the corporate world, being able to come back to your alma mater and run a division in a field of study you are so passionate about is such a blessing. I love walking around campus and seeing the students experiencing the same wonderful things I did. And now, there are new state of the art buildings and a wide range of services available for students, as well as all of the clubs and service trips, you realize that students have so much at their fingertips to experience. The cultural depth of what students can take advantage of is incredible. And even with all of this, that special feeling you get here at Fairfield remains. Fairfield is truly a great place.

Cheers Cheers to living on the beach… to the Pats winning the Super Bowl… to Dance Fusion for coming in second and beating SHU at their first competition of the season… to the Fairfield Ice Hockey Team... to Donut Crazy... to beer… to Julian Edelman and the helmet catch 2K17… to pigs in a blanket… to Gisele Bündchen… to all the Patriots fans… to the GOAT… to the leftover buff chicken dip in my fridge... to Kelly putting 20 dollars into the machine at the casino and betting it all and losing, accidently… to the copy editor for going undefeated with me, giving me a shirt, letting me crash at her townhouse and overall for just getting me through the night… to my managing editor who gives great hugs and looks dope with or without red lipstick… to Eduardo for being the man when we go to Barone… to JDR for walking me home Friday night… to the snow coming in on Thursday and hopefully canceling classes… to the ones who hold the door open for you while looking you dead in the eyes, I like your style… to professors that cancel on days when I need a snowmobile to travel to class, even when the school stays open… to friends who respond to your heated text messages with a response of equal length or longer, you’re the real trues… to professors who let me bring my laptop to class. I can online shop and still get an A #breakthestigma… to the gen bio test being easy af… to friends who make random trips to Flipside… to friends who walk up the stairs together even though they are sore from the gym… to the associate program director of FUSA for turning 22...

Tensions Blaze at the Beach

The following story was written in September 1996 when relations between beach residents and students were poor. Jennifer Anderson (left) who was Editor-inChief at the time this was written noted that her most scandalous stories published centered around the beach-student relations.

By JoAnn Gometz News Editor

“Twenty years ago parties at the beach were an insignificant event. There were few town resident living there, especially during the winter. That isn’t the case now,” Fairfield Police Captain Paul Dyer said, in a recent interview.

He and Fairfield’s Chief of Police, Ronald Sullivan, expressed sympathy for both students and town residents living at the beach, but said that “we’re caught in the middle. The students say we do too much, and the residents say we aren’t doing enough.”

This year, they said, the semester started off with a larger number of students visiting the beach, for longer amounts of time.

“Including the students that live at the beach, there seemed to be about 1000 students down there every night of the first week,” Sullivan said.

“It seems that, for every student living there, there are 10 or 20 showing up,” Dyer said.

Dyer and Sullivan explained that one of the greatest problems facing them is underage drinking that takes place at the beach nearly every weekend.

They said that students are the ones who are responsible to keep things under control, and that may mean taking a very strong stand.

“Students living at the beach cannot provide to underage students. It’s illegal, and it’s a felony,” Dyer said. “Also, parties have to end by 10 p.m. from Sunday through Thursday, and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. People have to be gone by then, not leaving. Students can call us if people aren’t leaving and we will come and clear the house, but this has to be done about a half hour before the time is up.”

Sullivan said that the main point that needs to be made is that students must consider the beach to be a neighborhood, and just as other neighbors wouldn’t invite an uncontrollable number of guests, or allow gate-crashing, students must try to abide by the same standards.

“We have some laws that overlap. We’ve been giving the students infractions when a misdemeanor might have been give and we’ve been trying to be lenient about other things,” Dyer said.

“Students should expect us to be a lot more watchful, and to give harsher punishments. Also, more actual in-custody arrests may be made, if that is an option,” he said.

Read the full story at fairfieldmirror.com

THE MIRROR | Week of February 8, 2017

Sports

SPORTS

This Week in Sports:

Sports Editor: Alfredo Torres » sports@fairfieldmirror.com

In Case You

Page 13

Keeping Tabs On Swimming

Missed It:

Thursday, February 2nd -Women's Basketball defeats Quinnipiac, 65-52

-Men's Basketball defeats Niagara, 81-61 Saturday, February 4th -Women's Tennis defeats Lafayette, 5-2 -Men's Tennis defeats Lafayette, 7-0 Sunday, February 5th -Women's Basketball defeats St. Peter's, 50-38 Monday, February 6th -Men's Basketball defeats Quinnipiac, 81-61

Beginning on Feb. 8, the Stags Swimming and Diving team takes the trek up to Buffalo, N.Y. for the MAAC Championships at Erie Community College. In the 2016 championships, the men’s squad finished in seventh place while the women’s team came in sixth place, with each team combining to set 11 program records in the four-day meet. The men’s team will be led by the freshman duo of Phillip Zyskowski and Jordan Rahuraru, the former being the school record holder in the 1500m freestyle. Rahuraru, on the other hand, already holds claim to the second fastest time in Fairfield history for the 200y butterfly. As for the women, Kelly Cordes ‘19 and Colleen Young ‘20 are the headliners for the Stags in Buffalo. Last year, Cordes set the school record in the 500y freestyle and looks to build upon a sophomore campaign that has been equally impressive. But the star of Fairfield swimming this season has unquestionably been Young who has piled up accolades in her first season in the pool for Fairfield. She is already the record holder in the 200m breastroke and has been named MAAC Swimmer of the Week for Jan. 25. Look for the men’s and women’s teams to make a push to the top of the leaderboards this weekend in upstate New York.

Upcoming This Week: Thursday, February 9th -Men's Basketball at Marist, 7 p.m.

Saturday, February 11th -Women's Lacrosse at Holy Cross, 11 a.m.

-Men's Lacrosse at Richmond, 1 p.m.

Sunday, February 12th -Women's Basketball at Manhattan, 3 p.m.

Monday, February 13th -Men's Basketball vs. Rider, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, February 14th -Women's Basketball at St. Peters, 7 p.m.

It has been one heck of a year for Colleen Young. After taking home the Bronze in this summer’s 100m backstroke at the Paralympic Games in Rio, the freshman from St. Louis, Mo. has now been named to the 2017 Paralympic National Team to represent the United States. At only 18 years old, Young already holds 11 American records in her time with the national team. The versatile swimmer is a two-time Olympian, having previously participated in the 2012 games in London and a two-time World Championship competitor in both 2013 and 2015. In Worlds she has garnered two silver medals in the 100m breastroke and 100m backstroke, and three Bronze medals in the 400m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 100m backstroke. After what has already been a banner individual year and career for Young, she looks to help bring home the hardware for the Stags this year at the MAAC Championships.

While Young’s freshman year has been remarkable to this point, the best is surely yet to come from the swimmer.

Photos Contributed by Sports Information Desk

In this week's issue...

- Brady Leads Pats to Historic Super Bowl Victory (Page 14) - Stags Pick up Their Third Consecutive Win (Page 15) - Softball Looks to Take Control of the MAAC (Page 15) - Quinnipiac Edged Stags 73-71 (Page 16)

Sports

Page 14

THE MIRROR | Week of February 8, 2017

Brady Leads Pats to Historic Super Bowl Victory over Atlanta

Flickr/Creative Commons Tom Brady cemented himself as the greatest quaterback of all-time on Sunday night as the Patriots mounted a historic comback to take down the Falcons 34-28 in Houston for their fifth Super Bowl win.

By Patrick Getz Contributing Writer

to capturing their first Super Bowl as a franchise and the second championship in the Atlanta area.

However, they failed to execute and score to put the game out of reach. The momentum of the game changed drastically when Dont’a Hightower, a linebacker for the Patriots, caused a strip sack on the 2017 MVP QB. After that, the Falcons could not do anything and that allowed the Patriots to have a glimmer of hope. Atlanta fans will have to wait at least another season to celebrate that first Lombardi Trophy ceremony.

There always has been discussion on who the best QB of all-time is and everyone has their own opinions whether it should be Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Joe Montana and so on. However, Sunday night proved something that everyone should agree on: that Tom Brady is unquestionably the best QB of all-time. There is no more dispute anymore because Brady now has the most Super Bowl wins, along with his four Super Bowl MVP awards. Additionally, he threw for the most passing yards in Super Bowl history with 466 yards. Teams that led the game by more than 19 points were 93-0 in NFL postseason history until Brady and the Pats ended that streak, which could very well be the most startling statistic. Brady commanded his team to an improbable comeback and he looked unstoppable while doing it. The 39-year-old does not look like he is slowing down anytime soon and with a contract extension looming, the Patriots fans are more than content with Brady leading the charge at least for a couple more years.

Super Bowl LI was one for the ages when it comes to historic performances. The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons squared off in Houston in what became one of the greatest football games in NFL history. The Patriots never quit even while being down 25 points with 8:31 left in the third quarter. Most fans and possibly players would have given up hope when their team has a three-score deficit to overcome, but not the Pats with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and company.

Tom Brady orchestrated a 19-point comeback in the fourth quarter against an Atlanta defense that had his number in the first half, sacking him five times and causing two turnovers including a pick-six.

This is hard to believe since the Patriots success is predicated on controlling time of possession and minimizing turnovers, considering Brady only had two interceptions during the regular season, but three in the postseason. He went on to throw for 466 yards and two touchdowns along with completing roughly 70 percent of his passes. The Michigan graduate has exemplified efficiency throughout his entire career and he put that on display Sunday night without a doubt. The Patriots quarterback now has five Super Bowl rings, which is the most all-time after breaking a tie with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw.

On the other side, Matt Ryan and the Falcons started off the night strong but finished in the worst way possible, blowing a huge lead in the most pivotal game of the season. The Falcons were so close

Weekly 4x5 Because we have witty things to say ...

What was your reaction to the Super Bowl?

Jesse Erickson, Alfredo Torres, Daniel Montgomery and Andrew DaRosa

What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial?

Did you see LeBron James' shot over the Wiz to send the game to OT on Monday?

Swimming & Diving are set to compete in the MAAC Championship.

Can they bring home the chip?

How fast do you think the month of February will last?

Shana (our online vine editor) and The commercials were not my favorite this year. I try to avoid politics at all cost and politics were put on blast this year. this weekend. You can ask the staff However, that game was unreal about my first almost tattoo ... and I'm such a pessimist I cannot Also GOAT believe they won.

Yes! Coach said to fake right and break left, watch out for the pick and keep an eye on defense, gotta run the give and go and take the ball to the hole like an old school pro, he said, "Don't be afraid, Lebron."

Potato chip, potato chip, munch, munch, munch. I think Fairfield is a mighty fine bunch!

I have 3 weeks left as EIC so it is going to drag,. Plus, it's February and a time for love and I'm 200 percent single especially after I scared away my only admirer... #ugh @Larazaraaaa I JUST WANT TO BE UR DARLING!

Honestly, it probably was the best football game I have ever seen. A beautiful comeback by the GOAT himself, my condolences go out to all of ATL after a terrible choke act. #FireGoodell

Good question, Fredo! I think the Kia commercial with Melissa McCarthy was the best one but shoutout to the Bud Light Dog!

Wow! I don't even know how you get that shot off especially being that close to the out of bounds line but I guess that's what happens when you're the King but don't forget Kyrie won the gane. #UncleDrew #FinalsFlashback

This year's team really has the potential to put Fairfield on the map.

I'm hoping for a first place finish but predicting a third place finish.

I feel like yesterday was January and now we're in February, time just continues to fly. I'm getting old man, smh.

I hate Brady but he is without doubt the GOAT. The Roger Goodell memes were unreal.

Probably the Cam Newton commercial where he was bodying the little kids. If only the NFL was that easy.

People say Bron ain't clutch!!

Kyrie is the guy now but LBJ has it in em.

Absolutley. Colleen Young is ready to bring the Stags home.

This guy is turning the big 2-0 in a couple days so it should be a fun month.

Brady is the GOAT, absolutely no

Not gonna lie, I lost my mind when I saw the Stranger Things season 2 commericial. ELEVEN!

I'll take a rain check on that — not much of a basketball guy.

From the amount of content I've read about Colleen Young as of late, I believe they are poised to destroy the competition.

28 days, duh! If not, I'm going on strike against the year, all particpants can meet me at Einstein's.

Jesse Erickson I were such man's girls. We were Editor-in-Chief so into the game I almost went (Italian EIC) and got my second almost tattoo

Alfredo Torres Sports Editor

Daniel Montgomery Assistant Sports Editor

Your 2016-2017 4x5 Columnists:

Andrew DaRosa one can deny the sheer brilliance Executive Editor of that monsterous performance.

Also, shout out to the Pats fans in Houston for booing Goodell.

THE MIRROR | Week of February 8, 2017

Sports

Page 15

Fairfield Dominates St. Peter's 50-38

By Daniel Montgomery Assistant Sports Editor

Hours before the stage was set for arguably the most memorable Super Bowl of all time, George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall gave basketball fans a beautiful basketball performance.

In a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference showdown, Fairfield convincingly beat St.Peter’s in a 50-38 triumph. The win gave the Stags their ninth conference win on the season and pushed their overall record to one game over 500 at 12-11.

As the season has progressed, Fairfield has found that their offensive strengths lie in the post play of their two senior stars, seniors Casey Smith and Kelsey Carey. With the first half marred by countless missed three-point attempts combined with stout defense from both teams, it was a low-scoring affair entering the half at 18-16.

“In the second half we were able to get touches for Casey [Smith] and Kelsey [Carey] inside,” said head coach Joe Frager.

“At halftime we said it is not 18-16 but 2-0 and we just had to grind it out and get a win.”

Frager and his coaching staff knew that they had to get their best players going if they were to come out of Alumni with a win. In Sunday’s matinee, the second half was dominated by the two veterans as they took command of the block and showed why they are one of the most feared scoring tandems in the conference.

While Carey continued her stellar play from the first half and posted nine points in the final 16 minutes to finish with 15 points on the afternoon, Smith found it difficult to get herself in the first two quarters. With zero points headed into the break, Smith scored 14 points in the second frame to provide the Stags with a much needed offensive boost.

“The two of us took responsibility for the poor post play in the first half,” Smith said. “We turned it up a notch because we were getting great passes from the guards and we just had to convert our chances.”

Speaking of the guards, Macey Hollenshead ‘18 and Kendra Landy ‘19 chipped in six and four points respectively to compliment the forwards with big-time plays to seal the game.

Now with three consecutive wins under their belts, the Stags have figured out how to utilize the inside-outside offensive game plan that has vaulted them to fourth in the MAAC standings with their matchup with Manhattan College looming next Sunday.

“We are going to take the next couple practices to really focus on ourselves,” Frager said. “We want to tighten a few things up offensively and defensively and add a couple wrinkles to what we run now. This is a grind and we just need to accumulate as many wins as we can the rest of the way.”

The Stags look forward to their trip to Riverdale on Feb. 12 to take on the bottom-feeding Jaspers with the hope of picking up their 10th conference win. With Carey and Smith in their groove at the right time of the season, Fairfield looks to be a force in the MAAC for the rest of the year.

Alfredo Torres/The Mirror After a quiet first half, post player Casey Smith '17 (top) erupted for 14 second half points to lead the Stags to a 50-38 win. Smith and Kelsey Carey '17 accounted for 29 of Fairfield's 50 points in the win on Sunday as the Stags improve to 9-5 in conference play.

Softball Looks to Take Control of the MAAC

By Patrick Getz Contributing Writer Photo Contributed by Sports Information Desk

The Fairfield Stags Softball squad looks to improve on their 27-23 performance from last year and the Stags are certainly excited to make amends. They simply want to make a statement in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. They are also aspiring for a better start this upcoming season so they can build up momentum as the season progresses. The Stags have something to prove this year and they are certainly motivated.

Julie Brzezinski, head coach for Fairfield, enters her 19th season at the helm and has been a huge component for maintaining Fairfield’s success. The Stags have averaged 28 wins per season and Brzezinski has led the program to 12 winning campaigns. Last year, she guided Fairfield to its second MAAC Championship and the program’s first National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament bid. As the Fairfield softball team prepares for their season, they are indubitably in good hands.

One player who is looking to improve even more this season is pitcher Destinee Pallotto ‘18. The California native accounted for 10 wins in her sophomore season and she pitched for 146 innings along with recording 136 strikeouts, which was more than any other Fairfield pitcher. Her 10 wins a season ago is the most she has recorded as a Stag, surpassing her nine wins in 2015. The junior also possesses versatility to be utilized as a starter and as a reliever. In her 27 appearances, she did not allow a run in four of those appearances, two as a starter and two as a reliever. Going forward, Pallotto is certainly a focal point of the Stags rotation and she hopes to grow even more.

For the Stags offense, Tori Reed ‘17 makes a huge impact when she is on the field. The starting catcher stood out as she posted her second straight .300-plus season while she batted .355 a year ago. The Dover native led the team with 13 doubles to go along with her 16 extra base hits, which were second on the team. Her consistency is hard to beat. For the most part, she averaged a hit per game as she accumulated 49 of them in 50 games. Last season, the backstop started off scorching hot with a nine-game hitting streak while hitting .406 during that stretch. As potent as she is offensively, she is unquestionably sure-handed behind the plate. Reed did not commit an error at all during the regular season and she had 229 putouts as well as 14 assists. It is a major plus without a doubt to have such a talented, two-way player and the Stags will look to her as she readies for her finale as a Stag.

The Stags Softball unit will begin their season in Charlotte, N.C. as they face Robert Morris in their first game of the new endeavor as part of the Green & White Tournament on Feb. 24. Fairfield is circling that date on their calendars so when it is time for them to travel south, they will be more than ready to take the MAAC and NCAA by storm.

@MirrorSports Fairfield Mirror Sports Week of February 8, 2017

fairfieldmirror.com

SPORTS 16 Sports Editor: Alfredo Torres » sports@fairfieldmirror.com

Quinnipiac Edged Stags 73-71

Alfredo Torres/The Mirror Junior Tyler Nelson finished Monday's game with a total of 29 points, going 10-20 from the field and going perfect from the free throw line in his seven attempts. Nelson continues to lead the MAAC in scoring.

By Alfredo Torres Sports Editor

Alfredo Torres/The Mirror Sophomores Jonathan Kasibabu (top) totaled four points while Matija Milin (bottom) finished with eight.

The Stags looked to pick up their fourth consecutive win at home to go 4-0 in the homestand as they hosted in-state rival the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Monday, Feb. 6. But even a double-digit advantage was not enough to hold off the Bobcats as they pulled an improbable comeback to steal a 73-71 win on the road. Quinnipiac finished the game on a 15-2 run to cut Fairfield’s lead and take home the victory. “We didn’t do our best the last six, seven minutes and in this league, anybody can beat you,” said head coach Sydney Johnson of the final minutes of the game.

Fairfield jumped out to an early advantage to start the game after an early bucket from Quinnipiac, the Stags would score nine of the next 11 points of the game as they lead 12-6 through five minutes of play. The Stags connected on four three-pointers to start the offense, three coming off Tyler Nelson ‘18 and the other from Curtis Cobb ‘19.

The first half consisted of some back-and-forth action from both teams, but Fairfield would hold the advantage for the majority of the first half, building a 10-point lead heading into halftime. The Stags finished the first half with a total of nine assists while shooting 46.7 percent from the field. For the Stags, Nelson and Cobb carried the offensive load dropping 13 and 10 points respectively.

Fairfield led by as much as 14 points to start off the second half of basketball, but Quinnipiac would slowly work their way back into the game. With less than seven minutes remaining in the ballgame, Fairfield held a 63-53 lead before the Bobcats began their run. The next six minutes would see Quinnipiac’s offense explode for 11 unanswered points to tie the game at 65 and change the momentum of the game toward the Bobcats.

Nelson stopped Quinnipiac’s scoring run following a set of free throw shots which pushed the Stags up by two, 67-65 with less than two minutes remaining in the game. Quinnipiac’s Chaise Daniels would respond with a shot in the paint to tie the game once again at 67 with time running low.

Quinnipiac’s Peter Kiss retook the lead for the Bobcats after knocking down a free throw shot but missed on the second shot. Unfortunately for the Stags, Kiss was there to secure the rebound and reclaim the possession for Quinnipiac.

Kiss was sent to the free throw line once again, where he connected on one of two attempts giving the Bobcats the 69-67 lead. But Nelson answered right back for the Stags, when he drove the rim and connected on a layup to tie it back at 69. The next two possessions would see both Kiss and Nelson exchange layups to keep the game tied at 71.

The Bobcats held possession of the ball with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game.

Quinnipiac’s Kiss held the ball running some time off the clock, until he decided to attack the rim and drop a floater that found it’s way past a couple of Fairfield defenders to give them the late 73-71 edge with 1.9 seconds left in the game.

Fairfield had one final opportunity to either win or tie the game with limited time as they found Nelson at midcourt, who shot the ball but just missed the bottom of the net as the time expired to give Quinnipiac the win and steal one from their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe on the road.

For the Stags, Nelson led all scorers with 29 points but it was not enough to bring the Stags a victory. Fairfield will look to bounce back on Thursday, Feb. 9 when they travel to take on MAAC rival Marist on the road. After a heartbreaking loss, Johnson emphasized the importance of preparation for his team as they take on Marist. “We’ve got to get in the gym tomorrow and however long we’re practicing we’re going very, very hard and that’s what we can control.” The Stags look to make a final playoff push as five of their last seven games will be away from Webster Bank Arena.