THE MIRROR Independent student-run newspaper
Week of September 24, 2014
Vol. 40, Iss. 4
Fairfield Mirror @FairfieldMirror fairfieldmirror FairfieldMirror.com
Erick Cooper Jr. / The Mirror
Students participated in Fresh Check Day’s wide variety of therapeutic relaxation activities, which focused on celebrating life and promoting mental health awareness.
Celebrating life with a Fresh Check on mental health By Catherine Veschi Contributing Writer According to the American College Health Association, 1,088 college students commit suicide every year; a figure that has been steadily increasing since the 1950s. In an effort to reverse this trend and spread mental health and suicide awareness, Fairfield’s annual Fresh Check Day was enacted. On Wednesday, Sept. 17, Fresh Check Day was held on the Quad from noon to 3 p.m. This event is designed to bring awareness to mental health resources and coping strategies on college campuses. Fresh Check takes a different approach to addressing the issue of suicide than many other programs. Instead of lecturing students about the importance of suicide awareness, Fresh Check
provides students with interactive activities that are designed to celebrate life. “Fresh Check Day is a positive, uplifting way to start important conversations about mental health, wellness and suicide prevention,” said Elizabeth McOsker, outreach coordinator of the Jordan Matthew Porco Memorial Foundation. According to McOsker, “Fresh Check Day is the signature program of the Jordan Matthew Porco Memorial Foundation.” JMPMF was founded by Jordan Porco’s family after he committed suicide while a freshman in college in 2011. In the past three years, 10 Connecticut schools have held Fresh Check Days. The event consisted of 10 different stations, each with an activity for students to complete. Each activity emphasized how valuable life is, as well as how valuable each individual is.
According to Dean of Students Karen Donoghue ‘03, Fresh Check Day was “an opportunity to celebrate life and have people realize that they’re valued within this community.” The first station informed students of the startling statistic that one in every 10 college students has contemplated suicide, showing students that suicide is a significant issue, and that the other nine of 10 students can do their part to help those who are suicidal. “We really want to educate students about that and make sure that they realize that there are many options and resources available to them,” Donoghue said. However, Erin Monahan ‘18 felt that the program didn’t do enough to show students how to help those who are suicidal. “It didn’t really prepare you to deal with sui-
cide prevention and being the 9/10 that would prevent the 1/10 from actually committing suicide,” Monahan said. She felt as though the event was more helpful in realizing your own struggles in transitioning into college than in helping others who are struggling. Another station had students take surveys, which psychological professionals checked over. However, Justine Ferrara ‘18 felt that the process wasn’t private enough. “I did not like, however, that they told the students right there, in front of big groups of other people, ‘I think you need to talk with someone’ and then brought them to the enclosed tent right next door,” Ferrara said. For Ferrara, it was a very convenient way to have your mental health checked, but the setup wasn’t ideal. READ STORY ON PAGE 3
Sodexo upgrades dining service to students’ satisfaction By Christina Mowry Assistant News Editor Students’ hunger for change in Fairfield’s dining services seems to have been fed by Sodexo’s updated dining options implemented at the start of this semester. The new dining options include the addition of a Starbucks in the DiMenna-Nyselius Library and a cafe in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business. The Barone Main Dining Hall, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Starbucks and the Stag Snack Bar all have expanded hours as well. Assistant Vice President of Administration and Student Affairs James Fitzpatrick ‘70 believes that the expansion of dining hours in Barone has been one of the biggest successes. “The late night numbers are very, very strong. People seem to be lounging around ... relaxing and talking with no pressure in terms of time,” he said. Longtime Sodexo employee Jose Morales agreed with the statement, saying, “It’s definitely busy … [Students] still come in until 9:30.” Fitzpatrick also mentioned that
focusing on Friday and Saturday night meals in Barone has been “extremely well received.” “I came up on Friday night and I said ‘I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a Friday night dinner where there were so many options,’” said Fitzpatrick. On the other hand, Fitzpatrick said that business at Starbucks has started off slow, and Einstein’s has seen lower sales on Saturdays. But Fitzpatrick credits the low turnout to the fact that students are still easing into the semester. Einstein’s employee Stephanie Cenatiempo said she noticed more students buying from Einstein’s later on Saturday morning “at around 9 or 10 a.m.” Fairfield’s new dining changes also include the option to use meal plan swipes at the Stag. Although there are limits to what students can purchase and at what time they can purchase them, this update has been incredibly popular. When asked about its success, Fitzpatrick laughed, saying, “I think it’s probably too successful, in that people are saying, ‘Why can we only do it from 1 to 4?’” READ STORY ON PAGE 3
Robert Joyce / The Mirror
Junior Eric Hannmann receives a salad made by a Sodexo worker in the Barone Main Dining Hall.