Fairfield Mirror 10/28/2020

THE MIRR R Independent student newspaper

Week of October 28, 2020

Vol. 46 Iss. 7

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Beach Students Come Out of Quarantine

By Marc Stacey Contributing Writer

Photo Courtesy of tripadvisor.com

On Friday, Oct. 9, Fairfield students received an email that the COVID-19 status level was changed to orange. This was as a result of the high number of positive cases in Claver Hall, as well as at the beach.

The order put in place in dean Will Johnson’s email was simple: “We need for all students to hunker down.”

Students from the beach area were advised to isolate in their houses for the next two weeks without leaving, unless it was for essential reasons, with the hope that the number of positive cases would significantly decrease.

This was a tough adjustment for beach residents, especially since it hit right in the middle of the semester. Some members of the Fairfield community were nervous that they might have come into contact with another student who was positive. Others were not very thrilled about having to isolate for 14 days.

“I was nervous that I had come into contact with someone who had tested positive since there was such a high number of cases at the beach,” Caroline Coughlin ‘21 said.

Coughlin lives on Lantern Point and was nervous when the email was first sent out.

She also thought that the impending weeks of isolation were going to be difficult to get through, but thanks to her roommates, it went much better than expected.

“In the beginning it was scary,” Coughlin noted, “but it wasn’t as bad as I initially thought it was going to be. My roommates and I found ways to keep busy by playing board games with each other and just spending time together.”

Coughlin had the chance to visit her parents after testing negative for COVID-19, which she said was a nice way to break up the quarantine.

Beach resident Kevin Kryzwick ‘21 didn’t have this opportunity though. He tested positive for COVID-19 and isolated in his house on Fairfield Beach Road.

“I had a feeling that I was going to test positive because I was in contact with someone who tested positive,” Kryzwick noted. “I was just worried because I had seen my grandma recently, but thankfully she tested negative.”

Kryzwick said that his quarantine was definitely boring at first, but he found ways to keep himself busy by catching up on some schoolwork and watching shows on Netflix.

Most of the beach residents knew this two week isolation was for the best, but were still frustrated.

“Yeah it was definitely kind of frustrating. I felt like I was starting to get into a groove and then everything was put on hold. It makes it more unfortunate because it’s senior year, “ Kryzwick noted.

Beach residents and all Fairfield students are excited that this quarantine has ended, but are nervous for potential spikes in the future.

“I’m definitely excited to come out of quarantine,” Caroline Coughlin noted. “I’m just excited to enjoy the beach, go back to class in-person and have more social interactions, socially distanced of course. I’m nervous that there will be another spike, though, because I don’t want to spend any more of my senior year in quarantine.”

Photo Courtesy of fairfield.edu

Campus Moves Back into Code Yellow

By Danielle Sondgeroth News Editor After several weeks, Fairfield University moved back down a COVID Status Level, from orange to yellow, marking a significant decrease in positive COVID-19 cases following the quarantine of Claver Hall and beach residents, as well as a pause in athletic activity.

According to Dean of Students William Johnson, a Halloween party off campus, marketed by organizers as a “Halloween Banger,” is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30. Johnson said that “Marketing for the event is being directed to students at Fairfield and Sacred Heart. We do not know if this is a legitimate event. We encourage students to be cautious as this could be a scam.”

Johnson also cautioned students to be safe as the event could pose a significant public health risk due to the spread of COVID-19. “This event has the potential to be a ‘super-spreader,’” he said. Johnson also explained that the University will be working with local law enforcement as a result. Moreover, he urged students to not take part in the event, stating, “We urge you to not put yourself in a precarious position by attending this or any similar events.”

As of Oct. 26, Fairfield has 32 active positive cases of COVID-19 in total, of which only nine are quarantining on campus in the Conference Center. In total, 333 positive cases have been found this semester, with 301 cleared to return to campus. 14 people were cleared to return on Oct. 26.

There are 12 students currently quarantining in the Conference Center, eight of which had previously tested positive before Oct. 26. 27 students are in isolation in the Holiday Inn in Bridgeport and 195 students are currently self-isolating at home, as of Oct. 26. There are currently 52 rooms left in the Conference Center and 23 left in the Holiday Data compiled from the Fairfield University COVID-19 Dashboard by Danielle Sondgeroth.

Inn. The infection rate on campus remains at one percent.

Senior Spotlight: Danielle Profita

Sports Profita, of the Fairfield University field hockey team, sits down with The Mirror to discuss her career as a Stag.

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History of Witches

Fairfield Esports Lab

Vine

Opinion

A true look into the story of witches!

Did you know there were witches right in our backyard?!

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Fairfield University partners with Future Tech Enterprises to bring an Esports lab to campus.

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News

THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

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Theatre Fairfield Performs First Zoom Production

By Danielle Sondgeroth News Editor

Photo Courtesy of @theatrefairfield Instagram

This weekend, Theatre Fairfield premiered its very first production of the season. The production, entitled “Love and Imagination,” is a series of five short, comedic plays written by David Ives and six monologues by Barrie Cole, all performed completely over Zoom.

“Love and Imagination,” directed by Jan Mason, is a wonderfully wild ride from start to finish. Each monologue focuses on a day-to-day topic, with a few actually discussing COVID-19 and its effects on the contemporary psyche. The short plays ranged from relatively conventional, like “Sure Thing” which is about two people whose discussion restarts at the ring of a bell, to the more abstract, like “Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread” which is a parody of the musical style of famed contemporary composer, Philip Glass, and his eccentrically written operas.

Tracy Ferguson ‘22 played Betty in “Sure Thing,” second woman in “Philip Glass” and performed the monologue “Reverse Gossip” in “Love and Imagination,” and felt honored to be part of the cast. However, performing over Zoom came with its own challenges.

“Honestly, the hardest part about it was having to act by myself, like figuring out how to tell a story when it was just me

talking to my computer,” Ferguson said. “I’m very used to the kind of community and shared energy that live theatre provides but, you know, you get used to it. You figure it out, you work around it, and I think we all manage to find good ways to make the best of the situation.”

Kiersten Bjork ‘21 played the role of loudspeaker voice in “English Made Simple,” first woman in “Philip Glass,” May in “Time Flies” and performed the monologue “Novel Iris.” She related to Ferguson’s performance struggles. To read the rest of “Theatre Fairfield,” visit fairfieldmirror.com

Photo Courtesy of @theatrefairfield Instagram

Student actors Tracy Ferguson ‘22 (left) and Park Lytle (right) rehearse on Zoom for “Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread.”

Stag Statue Celebrates 11 Years on Campus

By Molly Lamendola Vine Editor There’s a pitstop in every Fairfield University admissions tour. You might have noticed it on yours, or you could’ve been too nervous, focusing instead on how your preppy tour guide in khaki shorts has this much energy at 9:00 a.m. Regardless, there’s a pause halfway between the Daniel and Grace Tully Dining Hall and the Quad. You all group around, tight and together in pre-COVID-19 times, and look upwards to a majestic being looking over campus, the stag statue.

Your tour guide will say something like, “Okay y’all,” and begin walking you through things that this statue does for campus. They’ll say that seniors will hop on to “ride the Stag” or even first-year students in the middle of the night before Department of Public Safety officers see.

They’ll continue and say something along the lines of how this is the most photographed spot on campus.

Reading this article, you’re now probably thinking about that awkward, sweaty move-in day photo you took, blushing and all embarrassed that your mom even wanted to take a picture. But, just a few years later you’ll beg her to take hundreds of pictures of you all decked out in your cap and gown, holding back tears of either leaving this place permanently, or the fact that you don’t really have a job lined up yet.

Whatever the reason, the tour guide will make you

feel like this statue is as much a part of campus as the library, dining hall or residence halls. The stag statue is a seemingly permanent fixture for campus, but it’s actually only been here for 11 years.

When the stag arrived on campus 11 years ago, it was a big deal. I wasn’t here, obviously. I was nine years old and probably getting ready to trick-or-treat, dressed as someone all of my peers just had to know, Annette Funicello. But, if you were on campus 11 years ago, there would’ve been a campus wide picnic followed by a parade, where the University pep band would play, as all athletic teams, cheerleaders, the Lucas the Stag mascot and the statue cheered and cheered from Loyola Drive to Gonzaga Hall.

Once at the hall, the glee club stood and sang the national anthem and the alma mater. Then, the Fairfield University Student Association and athletics members unveiled the statue in front of everyone’s excited eyes. The gasps quiet down slightly, to allow for the stag statue to be blessed by one of the Jesuits and then bam, the stag statue becomes a permanent fixture to campus.

It was apparently a long time coming. Robert J. Brennan Jr., past president of Fairfield’s alumni association, was quoted in a magazine at the time saying, “It is something I’ve wanted on Fairfield University’s campus for decades,” but it appears to have taken quite a long time to secure the appropriate funding, with many anonymous donors stepping up and chipping in.

The one who seems to have the most pride for the statue, then and now, is James Fitzpatrick, or Mr. Fitz as he’s called by most of the student body, who is the assistant vice president at Fairfield. After the stag had just been put up, he said, “It’s a source of pride in terms of our school mascot. We’re excited this project, which started in the mid-1960s, has finally come true.”

When I asked him what he thinks about it now, he told me he had two things to say, a funny thing and a more serious thing.

To read the rest of “Stag Statue” visit fairfieldmirror.com

Photo Courtesy of fairfield.edu

CARE Team Hosts Breonna Taylor Dialogue

By Danielle Sondgeroth News Editor After the tragic shooting of Breonna Taylor back in May, Fairfield University has been making efforts to discuss race and racial tensions on campus and beyond. On Oct. 20, the Community Advocate and Relationship Educators (CARE) Team and the Office of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs (SDMA) held an event entitled, “Breonna Taylor—Justice or No Justice?” The event was an open forum for students to discuss their thoughts on the case.

Pejay Lucky, the director of SDMA, described the event as a “civil reflection,” stating, “we hope to facilitate a conversation to help us learn from each other.”

The virtual event opened with a dialogue in small breakout groups about the meaning of justice and the consequences of punishment for things people didn’t actually do.

Students were then invited to look at a picture of Brett Hankinson, the officer who began firing the shots that led to Taylor’s death, and compare it to an image of Taylor.

Some students noticed that the images portrayed by mass media of Hankinson often paint him in a positive light as an upstanding member of society, where images of Taylor show her mostly in murals and works of art used by the Black Lives Matter movement, which may not seem as accessible or relatable to some of the American public. The students discussed how this can lead to different perceptions of the involved parties.

The CARE Team explained Taylor’s case and opened the floor to students to discuss whether or not justice was truly served.

In March, Breonna Taylor, an emergency room technician from Louisville, KY, was shot in her home by police who broke in due to an ongoing drug investigation.

Taylor’s boyfriend fired one warning shot, and officers fired 32 shots in return. Taylor was hit six times and was killed.

In June, the Louisville Metro Police Department fired Hankinson for firing shots blindly through Taylor’s screen door. However, through several hearings, none of the officers involved in the fatal shooting were charged with Taylor’s death.

“I don’t think justice was Photo Courtesy of mymodernmet.com

served whatsoever,” said Sean Bellamy ‘24, who participated in the dialogue. “We’re tired of seeing this time and time again.”

Nick Rejebian, one of Fairfield’s admission counselors, agreed with Bellamy’s statement.

“It’s hard to wrestle with the fact that someone has authority over someone’s life,” he said. “Breonna was saving lives [as an ER technician] and the officer wasn’t. The victims of police brutality can’t be people we just forget.”

Overall, students seemed to gain a lot from the event and found the discussion helpful to facilitate a dialogue between students and staff.

“I thought the event as a whole was very good. It had a lot of discourse over issues that are very prevalent in our society at the moment,” said Bellamy. “While Zoom meetings may not be preferable, they still work as a good tool to come together and Photo Courtesy of courier-journal.com meet with one another.”

Bellamy believes that the only Brett Hankinson was fired from the Louisville problem with the event was that it Police Department for firing the shot that trigfeatured many people with similar gered the killing of Breonna Taylor. viewpoints. “My only real gripe with the event is that everyone shared a lot of the same opinions, so there wasn’t much chance to hear the thoughts of people with conflicting viewpoints, but maybe that’s just me,” he said.

Overall, discussions like these are important to the campus community. In June, Fairfield’s president Mark Nemec, Ph.D., released a statement about the death of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests.

“It is in this context that I believe our unique role as a civic institution, and as an instrument of understanding and healing, comes into relief,” he said. “At Fairfield, we have to encourage open, critical dialogue, while sharing the respect for each citizen’s rights that are the essence of a democratic society.”

News

THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

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FUSA Talks with Former Female Presidents

By Molly Lamendola Vine Editor

Compiled by Colleen Vann Information contributed by the Department of Public Safety.

10/23 1:25 a.m.

Students in Jogues Hall were found in possession of narcotics. A citation was issued by the Fairfield Police Department and those involved were referred to student conduct.

3:32 a.m.

An altercation between roommates was reported at the townhouses. The students were referred to student conduct.

8:55 a.m.

There was a bicycle versus vehicle accident at the main entrance on North Benson Road. The bicyclist was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

11:00 p.m.

A student was documented for bringing a non-student guest onto campus via the townhouse gate.

10/24 12:09 a.m.

Possession of drug paraphernalia was discovered in Meditz.

The student was referred to student conduct.

12:47 a.m.

A group of students were seen entering the woodline by University Field and discovered in possession of narcotics.

They were referred to student conduct.

2:59 a.m.

Students were documented attempting to steal a University golf cart. They were referred to student conduct.

To read the rest of Crime Beat, visit fairfieldmirror.com

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Business Department Email: info@fairfieldmirror.com Lila Condon, Chief Financial Officer

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Contact Information Fairfield University 1073 North Benson Road, BCC 104 Box AA, Fairfield, CT 06824 General email: info@fairfieldmirror.com

By Andrew Murphy Staff Writer In honor of the 50 year anniversary of women joining Fairfield University’s undergraduate community, the Fairfield University Student Association has put on a number of events celebrating this momentous occasion.

They hosted both “A Conversation with Former Female FUSA Leaders” on Wednesday Oct. 21 and “50 Years of Women at Fairfield With Guest Speaker Shiza Shahid” on Saturday Oct. 24.

The conversation with past presidents was moderated by the current FUSA President, Vincent Gadioma ‘22.

The only six women to ever serve as FUSA President were vice president of student life Karen Donoghue ‘03, Jessica DiBuono ‘06, Zoë Ferranti ‘17, Cara Gibbons ‘18, Danielle Rice ‘19 and Claire Monahan ‘20.

During the conversation, the leaders shared insights based on their time in office, as well as an abundance of high praise for one another for starting a wave of female presidents, with the last four presidents being women.

“I felt more confident and comfortable in my ability to be president because they had laid some serious groundwork for me already,” said Rice.

She added that seeing Monahan win the 2019 election was especially important considering the history that Donoghue had begun in 2003.

This trend is particularly extraordinary given that prior to Ferranti’s presidency, only two women previously occupied the position.

“I didn’t understand how ceiling-shattering Donoghue’s presidency was when I was a freshman,” remarked DiBuono.

DiBuono, now an English teacher at Weston High School, spoke on how her time as president allowed her to enter life after Fairfield with the utmost confidence.

“I just took for granted that everyone wanted to hear my opinion because I was so used to being in meetings and people wanting to hear my opinion,” explained DiBuono.

“It helps me so much as an English teacher, as I have had such battles after bringing more diversity and female authors in our curriculum.”

Gibbons reiterated this sentiment about her job as a nurse.

“I am advocating for my patients constantly, as I was for the student body,” she said.

Despite their success in reaching this leadership position, the women had to endure gender biases to get there. As Donoghue mentioned, these biases are built into society’s very core. “‘She’s so sensitive.’ ‘She’s not strong enough to do that.’ These stereotypes are just something that all leaders face,” said Donoghue. “How often did we hear that when Hillary Clinton ran [for president]? FUSA is just a microcosm of the political structures we have in place.”

Ferranti, who ran against three male candidates during the last United States election year, truly felt this burden. Running against three male candidates, she had to address this topic and emphasize that she was not inferior to her male counterparts and that she offered new perspectives as a woman.

“Having women in positions of power is really important for life in general. For younger women to say, ‘Oh

Photo Courtesy of @fusa47 Instagram

she’s doing that, I want to do that one day too,’ that’s really important,” said Ferranti.

Among other words of wisdom, the women addressed all female attendees who might be considering running for a leadership position.

“Why not you? Why can’t you do that job?” asked Monahan. “Imagine yourself in that position. You would do good things in that job! You are someone who is capable of doing it, and you should run.”

“It’s very hard to not compare yourself to other people,” said Rice. “Trust yourself, trust your own ability.”

“Women can do anything, but the biggest thing is that we have to support one another,” said Gibbons. “If you are currently in a leadership position, be a mentor. Support somebody.”

Donoghue added to this thought by saying how women are not only still treated unequally, but sometimes they are the worst critics of other women. She stressed about how women not only need to uplift each other, but break through and represent themselves in male-dominanted spaces as well.

“As I look at the screen today, I still feel like there should be more females here,” declared Donoghue.

The group spent scattered moments throughout the event reminiscing on fond memories, unforgettable experiences and invaluable lessons from their times as president.

Nonetheless, it was the messages of empowerment that rang the loudest.

“Be your best advocate and an advocate for other women, as well,” said DiBuono. “Why not you? You bring so much to the table, you have ideas! Take your seat at the table and claim it.”

“I felt so inspired being on the panel with the other five female FUSA presidents,” said Monahan. “The event reminded me of all the progress Fairfield has made to be more inclusive, but it also highlighted all the ways we can continue to improve.”

In an email after the event, Donoghue stated that, “the women on the panel are strong, brave and role models to many. I consider myself blessed to be part of a group with such talented women. I hope more women join us in future years to make the past female FUSA president group stronger. In one hour, I found comfort, hope and inspiration from my friends.”

The conversation with Shiza Shahid was under a different light, focusing on what we can do for women outside of our campus. Shahid is the co-founder and former chief executive officer of the Malala Fund and is known for being a mentor of the Nobel Peace Prize winner and women’s education advocate, Malala Yousafzai.

Moderated by politics professor, Jocelyn Boryczka Ph.D., the conversation began with a look at the battle that took place to admit women to the University. At the time the student association held forums, with men discussing whether or not to allow women. They voted against the proposal. It wasn’t until the Board of Trustees passed a resolution that Fairfield was finally made co-educational for the fall of 1970.

Continue Reading Female Presidents on Page 4

The Mirror is the recognized student newspaper of Fairfield University. Opinions and ideas expressed herein are those of the individual student authors, and not those of the Fairfield University or its Board of Trustees Photo Courtesy of @fusa47 Instagram

News

THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

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FUSA Celebrates Women on Campus Continued from Page 3

She said she couldn’t do much to help by just writing case studies, but it was her desire to truly make a difference Shahid knows this battle well. Growing up in Pakithat led her to find this work and connect to people. She stan, she faced many of the same social challenges seen discovered this power women had, especially in her early in the United States, along with some struggles that aren’t work with women’s financial empowerment and education, seen here. Her mother was not able to attend higher educa- even describing that this power “struck” her. tion, nor join the workforce. Inspired by her mom and the Shahid received a scholarship to attend Stanford instability of her country, Shahid shared that she started University, but in 2009 she went back to Pakistan after the “showing up at the doors of nonprofits and asking them to Taliban banned the education of women entirely. She menlet me volunteer.” tions that although this was something that terrified her, none of her friends or classmates understood it or felt the impact of this decision.

“One of the challenges is that most people didn’t know this was happening. This was in a far-away place, in a far-away country that Americans hadn’t really heard of,” Shahid said.

The women that were directly affected by this ban had always been isolated. This led Shahid to travel and create a “Secret Summer Camp,” where they could be given resources that she had growing up that they could no longer access.

Years passed before her relationship to the famous activist Malala Yousafzai came into play, arguably the part of Shahid’s story that is most well known to us. She met the young girl before, became her mentor, invited her over to her house and was a close confidante to her entire family for many years before the murder attempt on Yousafzai in 2012.

Shahid quickly rushed to her side, but she mentioned she was not the only one who was closely following this story, as the idea that a young woman could be shot for trying to obtain an education in the 21st century sent shockwaves across the globe.

Molly Lamendola/The Mirror When support started flooding in from

people who wanted to know how to help Yousafzai, Shahid asked her what they should do next. Yousafzai was thankful for the support, but thought it would be best directed elsewhere. ‘“I’m really okay,’ she said, ‘But you should tell them to help the other girls,’’ is what Yousafzai said, according to Shahid’s memory.

Shahid then knew that this tragic event could be used for more than just a day in the news cycle, that the attempt to silence Yousafzai could be used to give a voice to countless others.

This kind of change might seem hard to come by for a typical Fairfield student. However, when Shahid was asked during the question and answer session what students could do right now and how they could start, she had a few ideas.

“Well certainly vote,” she said, and laughed. “Get your family to vote. Get your loved ones and friends to vote.”

She also emphasized the idea of being more thoughtful of purchases we’re making, and chose to support small businesses run by women and people of color.

Lastly, she mentioned that curiosity is always important, especially for college students with a multitude of opportunities to expand and diversify their knowledge.

What you learn most from both the FUSA President panel and Shahid is about the Jesuit value of being women and men for, and with, others. Though you might be lucky enough to attend Fairfield University and graduate with a degree, ready to take on the world, there’s always a next step. You can carry on and help the FUSA presidents who come after you find success in this challenging role, or be like Shahid and help younger girls find the same opportunities she was given as a child. All in all, it seems to matter more what you do for others after graduation than what you achieve while here.

Human Library Gives Virtual Experience

By Andrew Murphy Staff Writer

The DiMenna-Nyselius Library hosted their 5th annual version of the Human Library here at Fairfield University. This event, which occurred on Friday, Oct. 23 via Zoom, allowed participants, who were the “books,” to share their unique stories with readers in private, one-on-one settings.

The Human Library is an official organization that started in 2000 and operates in 80 countries worldwide. The movement’s core goal is social change, exhibited through their slogan “unjudge somebody.”

The event’s dynamics allow people who want to tell their stories to act as “books” and the attendees listening as “readers.”

Students, faculty and various other members of the Fairfield community partake in this event in order to tell personal stories that they feel address stereotypes and prejudices.

Fairfield usually hosts hundreds of readers for this event, but the logistics of virtual interaction limited this year’s number to 50 attendees dispersed throughout Zoom breakout rooms. During 20 minute periods in these rooms, books shared their stories while encouraging their readers to engage with thoughtful questions and dialogue.

“Yes, this is still another online event, but it is a real, one-on-one authentic conversation, and I don’t know how often you find those kinds of dialogues and safe spaces,” said co-chair of the event and student engagement and outreach librarian, Lisa Thornell. “It felt important in an election year and in wake of everything that happened this summer with George Floyd. This wasn’t the year to take a break.”

Thornell highlighted the death of George Floyd, which ignited nationwide racial injustice protests and conversations, because the Human Library aims to address the core stereotypes and biases which undermine these kinds of social inequalities.

Race, ethnicity and immigration were some of the general subjects mentioned in this event, but sexual orientation, gender identity and religion were also discussed in both

Photo Courtesy of rd.com

separate and overlapping instances. The central focus of the entire event was that no one experience fits into a monolithic, straightforward template.

The Book “Constant Journey” spoke about life as a refugee from Iraq, but only readers of this Book could learn its details. Though people may think they understand Iraqi refugees as a group, the Book stressed how this group consists of drastically varying ethnicities, cultures and religions.

“An American Tale: How individual effort and community support helped one kid do well” further explains the idea that behind every story, there exists an array of factors which make each person and their experiences completely unique. In this case, a college professor of over 25 years explained his account of being a first-generation college student who has traversed all around the country throughout his journey.

The Books telling their stories had certain stereotypes they wanted to address, ranging from culture to disability. However, much of their actual interaction with the reader depended upon the participation provided by the reader.

“Everytime the Book tells their story it’s a little different because they’re talking to a different person and that person has different questions or different things they want to share,” said Thornell.

The virtual format of the event certainly provided a different experience, and despite widespread skepticism, the organizers received really positive feedback.

“I think it went really well!” said the other co-chair, assessment librarian Barbara Ghilardi.

“As I was monitoring the Zoom room today, every time the Books and readers would return there were smiles on their faces. One Book told me she felt this event really gave her a chance to connect to others on a more personal level, something she feels she hasn’t been able to do as much this semester.”

Photo Courtesy of fairfield.edu

Opinion

THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

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Opinion Trick or Treating Should Not Be Put On Hold Editor Maria DiGregorio» maria.digregorio@student.fairfield.edu

By Cat Howley Contributing Writer

Halloween is just a few short days away, and some individuals still have concerns about whether or not it is safe to have their children go trick-or-treating or for teenagers and young adults to celebrate with normalcy. A year with a cancelled Halloween would devastate everyone of all ages. Throughout the month of October, children all over the country look forward to scary or fun costumes that they are going to don on Halloween. A lot of preparation goes into this, as all children want to have the best costume to impress and wow the homeowners they will encounter when they go door to door in neighborhoods to receive candy. Children are not the only ones who look forward to this spooky night in October, though. High school and college students also look forward to dressing up and having a fun night out with their friends.

Halloween is an all time favorite holiday for many people, myself included.

It would be devastating for me, and most others, to have a year with no Halloween.

While this year’s Halloween trickor-treating may not look similar to previous years, I do think people should still celebrate Halloween. With that said, I do think there are some precautions should be taken this year to ensure that all of those out trick-or-treating stay safe and healthy.

I think there are many options that can be put in place to avoid any face-to-face interaction when it comes to trick-or-treating. For starters, I think it would be beneficial for homeowners who intend on leaving candy for trick-or-treaters to put candy in either a ziplock or silicon bag so that children are not putting their hands in the same bowl that has already been reached into. Those who choose to do this can leave out bags that have been pre filled for trick-or-treaters. This eliminates any face-to-face contact between trick-or-treaters and homeowners, as well as any issues with children reaching their hands into bowls. Homeowners who wish to partake in this can simply leave the pre-filled bags on their doorstep or porch to allow trick-or-treaters to simply grab a bag and go and not have to ring any doorbells.

There is no doubt that this year’s Halloween experience will not be exactly like the

memories of previous Halloweens that we have. However, I do not think there is a need to have a year without Halloween.

We have all had a difficult year, so having Halloween to look forward to is something that will add a bit of light to all of our lives.

So many children were deprived of events they look forward to all year round, such as summer camps, vacations, sleepovers with their friends and more. It would be awful to have children deprived of yet another fun and exciting activity, such as trick-or-treating. After all, trick-or-treating is one of the main reasons children look forward to Halloween.

A year with no trick-or-treating is essentially a year with a cancelled Halloween.

As for young adults, I do think their Halloween celebrations should be celebrated as well. Halloweekend is a celebration most high school and college-aged students look forward to each year. It is a weekend for friends to dress up together, go out and have fun. With that said, I do believe there should be some precautions taken. I think it is in everyone’s best interest that those young adults who do intend on celebrating halloweekend celebrate it with those whom they have been regularly hanging out with.

Doing so would ensure that everyone stays safe and does not risk anything, as the last thing any high school or college aged-student would want is to become sick.

I know that some of the best Halloween memories I have had have been from my time spent here at Fairfield. My friends and I would always plan out costumes that we would wear for Halloweekend and then all go out together. It is always fun dressing up and taking pictures with your friends. HalCreative Commons/tOrange.biz loweekend is one of the most fun weekends that all college students, including myself, look forward to all of first semester. While we may not be able to celebrate the same way that we have in previous years, I think it is important that we all still make the best of it.

Halloween is a fun-filled holiday that should be celebrated with as much normalcy as possible this year. We have all suffered from having events taken away from as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It would be a shame to have yet another event, such as Halloween, stripped away from us. With that said, everyone who plans to participate in any Halloween activities should take all precautions necessary to have a safe and fun holiday.

Political Tensions Will Lead to the Destruction of the US

By Kaitlyn Drake Staff Writer

America has become so polarized in these last few years that it has been dubbed “The Fractured States of America” by CNN journalist Yaffa Fredrick. This phrase shows just how much the land of the free is at war with itself in regard to both the government and its citizens. Not only do we feel a divide between those who do not agree with us, but we feel paranoid that our coworkers, friends and family members may treat us differently because of our opinions.

Politics are not a source of power or an exercise of freedom anymore, and instead of bringing us closer together, they tear us apart.

The only way that the American people feel united right now is through the anxiety that they are feeling about the upcoming elec-

tion, and the future of their country.

Fredrick places blame on regular American people for this state of fear, and she urges us to engage in more vulnerable and uncomfortable political conversations. She believes that it is more productive to let people express their opinions and to approach them respectfully.

While it is respectable to come into any conversation with an open mind, there is one component of this argument that Fredrick fails to consider. Using politics to limit the rights of certain groups of people should not be a conversation that we enter with an open mind. For example, a person in the LGBTQ+ community should not feel obligated to tolerate and respect the opinion of someone who actively opposes giving them basic human rights. Oppression from the government is a real threat to minority groups, and Fredrick unfairly implies that it is up to those groups to heal the American divide by respecting their oppressors.

Healing America’s fracture is not as simple as listening to the opposing side. While it is important to debate about economic issues, healthcare and even the usage of marijuana, regular American citizens should not need to put themselves in a situation in which someone disrespects their existence with the excuse that it is ‘just an opinion.’ The mixing of politics with human rights has made having uncomfortable conversations a lot more difficult for the people who are directly affected by these issues.

More shocking, though, is the fact that, according to The New York Times, more than half of Americans reported having a mix of political views, and don’t totally agree nor disagree with any

Creative Commons/Wikimedia Commons

party. Americans are not as politically engaged as it seems; we’re all just scared. With increasing amounts of hostility between politicians though, we think that their views and actions reflect the opposing side, or even just generally politically engaged people. Even if we do have uncomfortable conversations like Fredrick urges us to have, they may not even lead anywhere.

As well as this, people are genuinely stressed out by politics.

During the past few months, social media has become more political than ever, but as the Pew Research Center reports, it has been making users “worn out” instead of more informed. Talking about politics on social media has been described as “stressful and frustrating,” showing that, despite the willingness of people to have those uncomfortable conversations, not everyone else is willing to listen.

Average American citizens have been doing their best, but the government has been providing a bad example.

In 2019, a study conducted by Pew Research Center found that Americans believed that Donald Trump was changing the nature of politics and debate “for the worse” and politicians’ rhetoric could increase the threat of violence against certain groups of people. This study reports that there is also a widespread view that politicians’ rhetoric has generally worsened. This can be shown through the debates this year which have been filled with constant interruptions, petty side glances and off-topic ramblings. The debates were described by CNN’s Jack Topper as a “hot mess inside a dumpster fire.” If this continues, America is going to be the laughing stock of the rest of the world, if it isn’t already. Not only are we going to feel attacked by the politicians who are meant to be serving us, but we will be attacked by everyone else in our lives.

The cause of the great divide in the United States is politicians, not us. This has notably happened before, during the years 1861 to 1865, otherwise known as the Civil War. The Civil War was a result of America’s politicians becoming so polarized that politicians from the south tried to secede. In every high school history class I have taken, it was taught that the Civil War was fought over “states’ rights,” and that debate is one that still exists today. It is not the fault of the average American, though, but of generational political discourse.

If politicians stay divided, America will eventually collapse into another Civil War. Have we not learned anything from our history? It is evident that political arguments are the reason for this divide in our country, and no matter who you vote for, the government will still be a source of anxiety and danger for American citizens.

Opinion

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THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

Fairfield's Esports Lab is a Complete Waste of Resources By: Maria DiGregorio Opinion Editor

This past summer, Fairfield University introduced an eSports team to their campus.

Video games have been around for awhile now, but have only recently been used as a way to make money. With physical contact sports being put on hold due to COVID-19, the University resorted to virtual sports. On paper this seems like a great solution for students amid social distancing, but should the University be encouraging this ‘sport’ long term?

The University’s eSports gaming lab is located in the Leslie C. Quick, Jr. Recreation Complex and will be used as a non-competitive social club for gamers. The University was able to pay for this huge expense by partnering with Future Tech Enterprises Inc., which is a company that endorses business solutions related to digital technology. They partnered with Fairfield University because they wanted to bring eGaming to universities, bringing attention to the activity. On the University’s end, they hope that this will not only attract more students to the University, but add another layer of engagement and competition to the recreational offerings.

This partnership resulted with the University being given Lenovo’s Legion brand gaming laptops, desktops, keyboards, monitors, headsets and accessories. The installation of this facility began prior to the COVID-19 shutdown in March and was completed in July.

In addition, Fairfield University became a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference eSports league, which will allow their gamers to compete in a regular season of online competition that will begin in October. Some schools with eSports leagues that Fairfield will be eligible to compete against are Canisius College, Marist College, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Saint Peter University and Siena College. The University is very excited for this endeavor and hopes it encourages bonding among the students.

Bob Venero, president and chief executive officer of Future Tech Enterprises Inc., stated: “eSports is a great way to drive student engagement and connections, as well as attract prospective students. It is also an industry that continues to grow and offer up job opportunities for students in almost any discipline, including advertising, design, finance, marketing and technology. Future Tech works closely with many of the world’s leading gaming equipment manufacturers and is an IT partner-of-choice for leading universities and Fortune 500 companies in the aerospace, defense, energy, healthcare, manufacturing and retail sectors.”

Fairfield University’s heart is in the right place, but I believe that calling a video gaming team ‘eSports’ is an insult to the University’s successful sports teams. I have never been the biggest supporter of virtual reality, but I believe that it has no place in academic institutions.

I understand that there may be certain monetary gains the school may receive, but it still does not belong here. As mentioned prior, this was not a cheap expense and in order to make it feasible the University had to partner with Future Tech Enterprises Inc., meaning that it was very costly. In my opinion, this money would have been better spent going toward educational and physical programs for students.

There is nothing wrong with playing video games as a leisurely activity, but once it becomes an official program, the University is recognizing that this is an acceptable way to spend a large sum of your time. The University should be encouraging students to go outside and better themselves academically and physically, not sit inside and stare at a computer screen.

In no way, shape or form do video games compare to the amount of discipline and skill it takes to be successful in football, basketball, soccer or baseball. Those are real sports that take talent and hard work. I understand that there is potential money to be made out of video games, but it should not be treated as an area that the University spends their time and resources on.

There are also several negative health effects that are synonymous with online gaming.

The first issue that it presents is that it gives users a false sense of motivation. A function in the human brain known as the triumph circuit makes us feel good when we overcome a challenge. In evolutionary biology there's a strong feeling humans get when they explore the unknown, find something valuable or overcome a problem. Video games capitalize on this by providing the same kind of feelings, but in a virtual environment. It makes the gamer feel as if they have overcome a problem or achieved something, which is why there is an attraction towards online gaming. The gamer starts to gain motivation for achieving things in their virtual reality and starts to lose motivation for achievement in their real life, which is extremely unhealthy because it lends these individuals to become unproductive and unmotivated in their real lives.

Another negative effect is becoming disconnected from society and relationships. Relationships need work to grow and prosper, just like anything else in life. But, when a person spends most of their time playing video games, there is almost no time left in the day to talk to friends and family. There is nothing wrong with gaming recreationally with friends and family to encourage bonding, but these gamers take it to an unhealthy level. They set aside time each day to game and schedule their lives around it.

A retort to this opinion about disconnection is that gamers play multiplayer games and connect with people online, so there is a level of human interaction.

This retort is completely false and has no substance, because talking to someone through video games is nowhere near as beneficial as face-to-face contact. They are not trying to get to know the person on a relational level, the interaction revolves around the terms of the video game. This conversation is not intimate and leaves no room for relational growth. As human beings we need human interaction to survive, so maintaining relationships is extremely important. Online gaming has tried to mimic this in virtual reality games, but it is nowhere near as satisfying as the real thing.

Fairfield University should not be supporting this because, overall, it does not aid in the intellectual development of its students.

Photo Courtesy of Fairfield University

Editorial Board "SPIRITS, GHOULS, AND GHOSTS, OH MY"

Catherine Santangelo

Editor-In-Chief

When I was in middle school, my school’s library had copies of books called “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” and “More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” which were full of spooky short stories that made you wonder about, and fear, what actually happens in the dark. During the Halloween season, these books were very popular amongst us students, as we loved reading these stories and freaking each other out. I typically don’t like being scared, which is why I’m not the biggest fan of Halloween, but during every fall season in middle school, these scary story books resurfaced and captured my fascination with the haunts and horrors that lay on their pages.

One spooky element that I have been especially fascinated with is ghosts. Of course, the various monsters, spirits and creepy characters within the “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” books are meant to be portrayed as evil and things that no one would typically want to have around. However, in the real world, I don’t believe this to be completely true about ghosts.

In the real world, I believe that ghosts exist, and I believe that most of them are not here to haunt people. Of course there are some people who don’t believe in ghosts at all, or those who don’t know what they believe in because they think it’s a realm of the unknown. But, what I believe in is the existence of people who have passed on, whose souls or spirits are still present on this earth in some other form. I like

to think that when people die, they aren’t just gone; they are still here with us in some way.

The only way I can think of this being possible is if their spirits were somehow still present with us, like in the form of a ghost.

Sometimes things happen in my life that are just too convenient or didn’t have to work out the way they did, but they did anyway, and I like to contribute those moments to the ghosts of my grandparents because I believe they are looking out for me even though they are gone. I also don’t know if anyone else has experienced a chilling sensation that seems to run through your skin and make your hairs stand up on your arms, but that sometimes happens to me when I’m stressed or am just in need of a pickme-up. What if those chills were ghosts letting you know that they are there? I would believe it.

The show “Long Island Medium” with Theresa Caputo fascinates me as well. Caputo is a medium who can supposedly communicate with people who have died. She meets with people to help them connect and communicate with their loved ones who have passed on, using herself as a bridge between them. Of course, this is a television show in which everything could be fabricated to increase viewership, but there are some details that Caputo brings up about these people’s family members that seem too specific to fabricate. The reactions of Caputo’s clients when she connects with their loved ones and shares messages are also very

emotional. They are either really good actors or Caputo is actually communicating with the spirits, which means that they do exist and are not completely gone when they die.

Earlier, I said that I don’t believe most ghosts are here to haunt people, but I definitely think there are some who do not have good intentions and decide to terrorize people. This makes me think of “The Conjuring” movies about paranormal activity that two separate families experience in their homes. As if these movies weren’t creepy enough on their own, they are based on true stories from the case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who were called to help these families rid themselves of their household horrors.

While the movies dramatize and enhance some elements to make the films scarier and more entertaining for viewers, they are nonetheless still true stories of spirits or demonic presences that haunted these families.

I think these demonic spirits are in the minority compared to ghosts or spirits that are here to watch over and connect with their loved ones who they sadly had to leave in the physical world. It’s a calming thought for me that our loved ones are still with us in some capacity.

I know there’s not much definitive proof of ghosts, but I certainly believe in them, just like I believe in Santa Claus (P.S. Forget Halloween...I am so ready for Christmas).

THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

The Vine

By Matthew Adamski Contributing Writer

From Roald Dahl’s firsthand account of their meetings to Hollywood’s fantastical representation of them in film, witches have always been a source of fascination for the masses in pop culture. Warts, green faces and shabby broomsticks are all characteristics we conjure up in our minds about these frightful women, but have we paused to wonder where this modern day folklore came from? With Halloween just around the corner, we here at The Mirror consider it our duty to set the record straight on the coven and their dark ways of black cauldrons and mystifying potions.

Witchcraft, in the most basic sense, refers to the practice of magic and the conjuring of spells and spirits to grant wishes, according to History.com. Women who did not fit the typical mold of wife and mother at the time were regarded with caution and curiosity. Many of them dispensed wisdom that was supernatural and difficult for the common folk to understand.

Witchcraft came into full swing of the public eye in Europe during the 15th century, when both the Catholic and Protestant churches began their crackdown on the supernatural. This fervor was further intensified with the publication of the book “Malleus Maleficarum,” translated to “The Hammer of Witches.” It was written in 1487 by a German monk named Heinrich Kreimer, who argued heresy was all around and being spread by witches, who were mistresses of the devil and in cahoots with him to bring sorrow and evil to the Christian land (History.com).

Kreimer’s book was meant to be a guide on how to identify and investigate witches. It became the equivalent to a modern day bestseller in Europe. Clergymen, officials and ordinary people flocked to this book and were instantaneously made aware of the methods the devil used to bring ruin into their communities. In it, Kreimer strongly condones the use of violence and torture in order to force a confession out of suspected witches. It is estimated

By: Tyler Heffern Art Columnist Surely everyone knows the legend of the werewolf. A half man, half beast that transforms once a month–on a full moon–into its most dangerous self. The original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Werewolves have littered our popular culture, appearing in books, television shows and movies, from “Teen Wolf ” and the Twilight Saga to the Harry Potter franchise. But with so much familiarity with werewolves, do most of us even know where they come from?

The oldest mention of a werewolf-esque creature appears in the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” written around 2,100 B.C.E. The story tells of Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, and her love for a shepherd who she ultimately transformed into a wolf. Like the other creatures she has turned her lovers into, it is an attempt to create everlasting love, though it is truly a tale of the incompatibility of gods and mortals.

The origin story that is most like our modern idea of a werewolf comes from the Roman poet, Ovid. In his “Metamorphoses,” the Greek king Lycaon, whose name derives from the Greek word for wolf, ‘lykos’, is visited by the king of the gods, Zeus (Jupiter in the Roman tradition). Lycaon decides to test the omniscience of Zeus, so he murders a hostage and offers the meat for the god’s feasting. Zeus, being all-knowing, rejects the food and transforms Lycaon into a wolf who flees the wrath of the almighty god. Zeus then casts his thunderbolts down to destroy the king’s palace.

This brings us to our artwork, Hendrik Goltzius’s “Lycaon Transformed into a Wolf.” Engraved in 1568 by the notable Dutch artist, who by the end of his life was considered an equal of the Renaissance and Baroque masters, Titian and Peter Paul Rubens, this work depicts the very scene described by Ovid in his creationary tale. In the print, Zeus sits at a table, wrapped in a furling robe and adorned with a crown as an eagle rests at his feet. He raises his hand up, casting his powers as Lycaon begins to transform, head first, and runs from the room. In the background, his palace burns with great flames. On the table sits the human flesh that angered Zeus and condemned Lycaon for an eternity.

This story is not about love. Instead, it is about immorality. The scene does not depict an

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that between 1500 and the mid-1600s, about 60,000 to 100,000 people were executed due to suspicion of witchcraft.

The 1692 Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Mass. are the most famous examples of witchcraft in colonial America. 19 suspected witches were hung in Salem after going through lengthy trials where young girls accused their neighbors of cooperation with the devil. Those court scenes were famous for girls throwing themselves across the floor when the accused woman pointed a finger in their direction. They had uncontrollable fits, claiming they were under the influence of the accused. The hysteria swept the small Puritan colony, where in their homogeneity, anyone who did not conform with their clothing, manner of life or other societal norms was open to suspicion.

Connecticut, not to be overshadowed by the northern colony, participated in the witch trial fever as well. In 1650, Connecticut declared witchcraft to be one in a slew of capital offenses, alongside blasphemy and murder. Alse Young of Wethersfield, Conn. was the first person in the Constitution State to be executed in 1647, in Hartford. She was one of 11 in Connecticut who were executed for the crime, per the CT State Library. Just as a panic spread through Salem, it spread here in our very own town of Fairfield in 1692.

However, no executions resulted from this panic. By 1662, the requirements needed to secure an execution upon an accused witch became more finely tuned; more proof was needed than just the single testimony of a witness, as was the case before. For the most part, after the Fairfield panic, witchcraft persecutions dwindled and the hysteria died down.

So, how did a wave of misunderstood genocide turn into a casual Halloween costume for children, a centerpiece for seasonal decoration and an icon in the “Wizard of Oz”? As seen above, the witches of history did not dress in outlandish costumes, but were rather cloaked in the regular outfits of the day. So, the answer is: interpretation.

In 1812, the Brothers Grimm took the loose interpretation of a witch in “Hansel and Gretel” as being an old lonely woman, with a ringing cackle, who lured children into her unsuspecting candy house in the middle of the woods with the conscious intention of cooking and eating them. In 1900, L. Frank Baum gave his readers (and subsequent cinema viewers) two contrasting versions. The witches of the east and west were evil—namely the Wicked Witch of the East, who gets crushed under Dorothy’s house, and the Wicked Witch of the West, with her deteriorating, dry green skin, Pexels dressed in full black and a pointy hat. Glinda, o n the other hand, is the good witch, from the south, and is presented as an angelic figure appearing to Dorothy in her times of need. She has no unorthodox facial coloring and is dressed in a shining dress–more like a fairy than a witch. In 1983, Roald Dahl presented to us a world in which there were conferences of witches, plotting the demise and destruction of children all over the world.

In the end, when we see kids dressed in black gowns and pointy hats running through the streets on the night of Oct. 31, let’s think of the long, drawn out, centuries-long history of witches and how we came from tricks to treats.

attempt at eternal passion, but rather a punishment for horrible acts and hubris. But it can be viewed on a deeper level, too. Few of us would argue that a mythical Zeus really did come down to earth and, fit with rage, create the fierce and feared werewolf. It is an allegory. Those who commit crimes are not physically turned into a monster, yet are morally monstrous. It is a change that does not come with more fur and sharper teeth, but with a loss of honor and a heightened drive to do more wrong.

Be safe this Halloween and remember that your actions may not be judged by a higher power or your fellow mortals, but they can still rear their ugly heads within.

A depiction of Zeus turning Lycaon into a wolf, with engraving by Hendrik Goltzius.

THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

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By Brooke Lathe Contributing Writer As we all know, 2020 has taken a lot of things from us: should definitely try out this activity.

Fear pong - While this game is created for the comfort, a bare face and normal life have all flown out the window! So, in return, instead of having our usual Hallo-weekend sole purpose of ‘dare or drink,’ it can also be played by stufilled with parties and other fun traditions, we have to adjust to dents who aren’t of the legal drinking age. Replace the alcoa COVID-19-friendly weekend this season. These changes are hol with water, candy or whatever your adolescent group can definitely not what any of us wanted, but hopefully these seven think of. In the ‘R-rated’ version, a normal beer pong table is spooky activities will bring back some excitement to the night. set, but now a card lays under each cup. When an opponent Pin the stem on the pumpkin - This may seem like a childish game that is played at a kid’s gets a ball in a cup you lift the drink to see what the card under reveals. If you do the dare, you can keep the birthday party, but a hearty laugh can burst out from anyone during this goofy activity. In just five minutes cup where it is but take the card away, but if you don’t do the dare, you have to drink. You can buy this card you can draw a pumpkin and stem, cut them out separately and tape the pumpkin to a wall. Once you attach game on Amazon, or at Walmart, Target and a ton of other stores.

Listen to a spooky playlist - When playing any of these games with friends, you'll need some tape to the back of the stem, spin around and try to place it on the top on the pumpkin. If a pumpkin doesn’t excite you, you can also do ‘pin the spider on the web,’ ‘pin the ribs on the skeleton’ or anything else some background music to run during the night. Before making your own playlist, be sure to add these fesspooky that you come up with. For students of legal age, you can increase the game’s maturity and comedy tive jams to the set…

“Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett level by playing after drinking a few cans of Truly!

“Thriller” by Michael Jackson Pumpkin painting / carving - If you’ve missed the opportunity to participate in any pumpkin activities provided by campus events or clubs, it’s not too late to do “Ghostbusters Theme Song” by Ray Parker Jr. i t on your own time. One location that our Stag Bus always visits is “Maneater” by Hall & Oates Stop and Shop. Here, you can buy everything you need. Paint, “Calling all the Monsters” by China Ann McClain pumpkins, mini candles and a carving tool set are all Halloween movie marathon stocked on the shelves of the store. This activity can defiThere is nothing wrong with spending Halloween alone, especially with everything going on this year. To be honnitely bring back some normality to the season.

Costume contest - Just because you est, it might even be the safest choice. However, instead aren’t able to show off your annual costume at a party of sitting around scrolling through TikTok, have your this year, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get one! Being in own fun! This might include a festive and scary movie costume will always put you in the Halloween spirit, binge like the following... which is exactly what we need. With your roommate or “Hocus Pocus” small circle of friends, try and create a contest. Maybe HalloweenTown series the title itself will be enough to win for the night or you “Coraline” can even throw in some prizes or ultimatums. But, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” whatever you end up dressing up as, make sure that “The Addams Family” your mask is a part of the costume.

“Halloween” Bobbing for apples - Bobbing for ap“Casper” ples may not seem like the most sanitary game to play “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” in your dorm room, but it is worth a try. Grab some Whatever games or activities you plan to do this crazy Halloweekend, just be sure to stay safe, stay apples from the dining hall, fill a bin with water and Photo Contributed by @Fusa47 Instagram smart and stay healthy! This includes wearing your start playing! To ensure that this meets the COVID-19 masks, social distancing and sanitizing those hands. guidelines, have each person use a different small bucket Happy Halloween! and only the people bobbing should be maskless.

Fairfield students at a FUSA pumpkn painting event.

Maybe it’s a pain, maybe it’s a gain. Either way, you

By Olivia Burke Contributing Writer Ah, pumpkin carving. Anyone who celebrates Halloween has fond memories of picking out a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch, or perhaps a grocery store, bringing it home to cut open and dig the seeds out of, carving a face or other design on it and then adding a candle or lightbulb to illuminate the design and create a spooky decoration.

Yet, it’s a Halloween tradition that few know the true history of, so I’m here to tell you all about it!

According to History.com, pumpkin carving originated in Ireland, where faces were originally carved into large potatoes or turnips. This practice comes from the Irish myth of a man named “Stingy Jack” who, according to legend, invited the devil to have a drink with him. Being stingy, Jack did not want to pay for the drink, and convinced the devil to turn into a coin which he could use to pay. The devil agreed, but Jack went back on his promise and put the devil in his pocket with a silver cross, preventing the devil from reverting to his original form. He eventually made a deal with the devil to free him, so long as the evil being agreed to not bother him for one more year and to not take his soul when he eventually dies.

When the devil returned a year later, Jack tricked him into climbing a tree to pick

fruit, and then he carved a cross into the tree so that the devil could not climb down. He then made a second deal with the devil; he would let him free so long as he agreed to not bother him for another decade.

During these ten years, Jack died, and since he was a sinner, he was not granted entry into heaven. The devil, keeping his promise, would not take his soul and grant him entry into hell. He sent Jack’s ghost away with a burning coal to light his way in the darkness, which Jack placed into a carved-out turnip.

Ever since, people have claimed to see Jack’s ghostly figure wandering through the night, trapped between heaven and hell. He was given the name “Jack of the Lantern,” or as we more commonly say, “Jack-O’-Lantern.”

In Ireland, Scotland and England, people began carving scary faces into plants (the Irish and Scottish favoring turnips and potatoes and the English favoring beets) and placing them in windows or outside their homes in order to scare away Jack and other evil spirits. It was not until Irish immigrants brought their tradition to North America, where pumpkins are a native species, that we began using pumpkins to make jack-o’-lanterns.

In the spirit of Halloween, my roommates and I decided to create our own jack-o’-lantern. After a long night of collaboration, we finally decided on a sleek, minimalist design that, in our humble opinions, best represents the spirit of Halloween. This terrifying figure is sure to scare away any evil spirits seeking to lurk in our apartment.

OliviaBurke/The Mirror

Olivia Burke and her roommates' pumpkin.

THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

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Halloween Costumes that are hits and haunts

By Rebecca Quigley Contributing Writer

For your average college student, Halloween falling on a Saturday would be a prime opportunity for Hallo-weekend festivities; the term designating the weekend celebration of Halloween. Friend groups can show off their costumes they’ve been planning since Oct. 1 and get together with friends to celebrate the end of the spooky season.

However, with the recent lockdowns and social distancing protocols put in place due to the coronavirus, Hallo-weekend has a different look this year. But, this doesn’t mean that you can’t still dress up and get creative! If you're stuck on what to dress up as, here are some ideas for what to do and what’s best to avoid.

The hits “Among Us” If you’ve heard the phrase, “Who’s the imposter?” being thrown around on social media, it is a reference to the popular iPhone game called “Among Us.” The app was released in 2018, but saw a recent resurgence in popularity this year. This multiplayer game is based on strategy and process of elimination. You work with other crew members to figure out who the imposter is that’s sabotaging the ship. But, more importantly to us, this is the perfect DIY costume for a group!

All you would need is for everyone to wear a certain color t-shirt like red, pink, blue or white. To dress up the outfits you can add some decorations like necklaces, glasses or hats pertaining to your color.

Decades Costumes If you’re an old soul, a decades costume would be the perfect fit for your dorm Halloween. Whether it's wearing some tie-dye and bellbottoms to be a ‘70s hippie or strapping on some workout clothes to pay homage to the ‘80s, there are so many ways to be creative in these decade outfits.

Pop Culture Dressing up as your favorite television character, singer, actor/actress or athlete is always fun and cre-

ative, and is a good way to show off your personality and interests. The best thing about this theme is that many of these costumes can be worn with clothes you already have in your closet. Some group costume ideas I’ve seen that have always been hits are music groups like the Spice Girls or the cast of hit shows like “The Office” or “Stranger Things.”

The Haunts (in no particular order)

COVID-19 Pandemic In the midst of a global pandemic that has affected millions of people around the world, and has led to so much loss and devastation, dressing up in anything resembling the pandemic would be in poor taste and offensive to anyone who has suffered as a result of the virus. It’s best to avoid hazmat suits or dressing as the virus. Instead, celebrate those hard working individuals in the medical field by dressing as a doctor or nurse.

Cultural Appropriation/Stereotypes This should go without saying, but dressing up as a culture that isn’t your own is not a costume. It is appropriating preconceived notions about that culture. This goes for the Native American headdress, the sombrero and poncho and most especially black face. Dressing up for Halloween should be fun and creative, and with such a wide range of costumes to pick from there should be no reason to pick one that mocks another culture.

Politics Yandy, a company known for their controversial women’s Halloween costumes, released their “Sexy Mail-in Ballot Costume.” It’s a white tube top dress with a printed on postal stamp and two “I Voted!” stickers. The description for this costume calls you the key to the election. While you can argue that Yandy is attempting to spread awareness about the upcoming election, I wouldn’t associate political decisions with the word ‘sexy,’ especially not one that is crucial in deciding who is going to be our nation’s president for the next four years. I’m all for encouraging voting and spreading the word, but dressing up as a mailin ballot is not going to get anyone elected. You need to actually fill out your ballot and be informed regarding this election!

Photo Taken from @yandy Instagram No matter what costume you decide to wear this HallowYandy models show off the "Sexy Mail-in Ballot" costume. een, we hope you have a fun and spooky time!

By Julia Monteleone Managing Editor

By Molly Lamendola Vine Editor There’s always those awkward first days of freshman year where nobody seems to know that there’s such a thing as towns outside of their small section of New Jersey, that people in Massachusetts call their water fountains “bubblers” or that not everyone has a Hannaford.

When this would happen with friends from Connecticut, Stew Leonard’s would always be brought up, without fail. Then, when I would mention that I had never heard of it, there'd be a gasp and a, “Molly you have to go, you in particular would love it!”

The reason they would say this is that I’m known for my love of all things stupidly Americana. This is Jim Henson with Kermit the Frog, the idea that we celebrate old men in top hats removing a rodent from a hole during Groundhogs Day or even food eating contests with hotdogs. I find it all completely ridiculous, but hilarious at the same time. So… when someone told me that there’s a grocery store in Connecticut with singing animatronics, I was hooked.

It took a lot of convincing to get my sister interested in the idea.

She is not as warm to the idea of stupid singing things, and she usually just rolls her eyes when I lose my mind over mugs with penguins all over them or Christmas flavored coffee.

“You’re every marketing company’s favorite customer, they make stupid stuff like that for simps like you to buy it,” she tells me.

Yeah… love her.

But, I purchased her a coffee and an egg sandwich and we were off.

You basically get there by driving continuously on Post Road for about 20 minutes. You don’t turn until a large barn emerges from the landscape.

“Well, I guess we’re here!” I said.

My sister shook her head, rolled her eyes and said, “Oh no way!” in such a sarcastic tone that the car was nearly brimming with it.

I guess I deserved it, there was incredibly large orange script all over the building declaring it Stew Leonard’s and the “World’s Largest Dairy Store.”

We started with the pumpkins because it’s freaking Halloween, and how could we not?! They have an incredibly large pumpkin section, and though I ran the idea about snagging some just because, once again… Halloween, the idea of two pumpkins just slowly rotting in my dorm room pushed me away from the idea.

But this was not a problem, since Stew Leonard’s had more than you can earn a free ice cream cone for shopping at Stew’s!” enough sites to keep me distracted.

Yes, this store is as close to a fever dream as you’ll get. I wouldn’t See, f you’re not aware, it’s set up quite similarly to an Ikea. It’s a recommend anyone stopping here right after hitting up the Statue of long, winding maze, with one singular aisle that wraps into a single Liberty or Mount Rushmore, but if anyone traveling to the United extensive line. I can only assume that it takes years to fully get the route States wants to get a true understanding of how ridiculously extra this down and not take two hours running backwards and forwards, like I country is, Stew Leonard’s is honestly a good pitstop. do at Trader Joe’s.

My sister and I were there as nothing more than tourists, observing it all like we were at some sort of animal-less zoo. We grabbed some munchkins and laughed at some of the signs that declared a booth just for rice cakes or kettle chips. The bright, handwritten-looking signs and wooden shelves made me feel more like we were dropped off somewhere in 1950s Iowa rather than a block and a half away from the Tiffany & Co. store in Westport.

Just as we were giggling in the dairy section at the turkey sculpture of butter, we froze suddenly, wondering where the childish voices singing some version of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” was coming from. Low and behold, it was animatronic milk cartons singing this Civil War era tune, with a Stew Leonard twist. I know it sounds crazy reading it, but imagine being there in-person and watching these robot arms move with fake instruments singing in the world’s largest dairy store. So freaking fantastic that I thought this was it.

“Ah, I get why people said I’d like this place.”

But, just as we were turning a corner, there it was in all its glory, Clover the Cow. They’re a brown color, with little white horns, pink ears, a pink nose and large gleaming brown eyes to match. The head peeks out of a little farm and with the press of a bright yellow button, his moo echoes across the aisle.

There are other similar animatronics decorating the store, once in a while we’d just look up and see a trio of big chickens or flipping stuffed animals with the words “we flip for our customers” hung above them.

Meghan Bell, director of public relations of Stew Leonard’s said that, “whether you’re a kid or a kid at heart, Stew Leonard’s is a great place to go food shopping! We’re world-famous for our country-fair atmosphere, in-store animatronic shows and customer-is-alwaysright attitude.”

She goes on to say, “I think college students would love Stew’s Molly Lamendola/The Mirror prepared meals-to-go and our freshly-baked cookies, Molly's sister Grace Lamendola stands in front of Clover the Cow muffins and more. Plus, be sure to download our app –

THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

The Vine

Page 11

Borat is back, but is he be!er than ever?

By Tyler Zikias Film Columnist

It has been 14 years since Sacha Baron Cohen shook the film industry with the introduc- the best moments. I will say that the saving grace of the second “Borat” was how relevant and tion to his now famous character, Borat Sagdiyev, a reporter from the nation of Kazakhstan. real it felt. It approaches the dumpster fire of the year 2020 with grace and precision. The film encapsulates just about every disaster that has been thrown our way with the first half The character’s first appearance in “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make of the film, exploring our messy political situation and equal rights, while the second Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” shifted the way that movie-goers exhalf takes a sharp turn when the COVID-19 pandemic first hits the United States. perienced comedies.

It is woven in absurdly, but works so well.

The film was centered around Baron Cohen’s character, Borat, who Borat also has a new companion this time around. Maria Bakalowas tasked with going to America to learn more about its culture for va, who plays Borat’s daughter Tutor, is along for the ride and is nothing short his own country, Kazakhstan. Borat is constantly put at odds with the of exceptional. She plays excellently as a fish out of water in America next American people he interacts with, who aren’t actors and don’t know that to Borat, who is just as equally still out of his element because times have Borat is fictional, due to their cultural differences, which leads to some of changed since 2006. The pair are magnetic and make even the most awkward the most hilarious scenes in modern comedy. moments in the film more uncomfortable to bear.

The original garnered critical acclaim and was nominated for several However, it should go without saying that awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay at “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” is not for everyone. the 79th Academy Awards, which is an unheard This time around, it is much more politically driven, feat for a comedy/mockumentary. The film also where Borat targets big names like Mike Pence and gained massive popularity for the controversy Rudy Giuliani with his antics. For some, this kind it created, not only in its depiction of Kazakhof stuff might not be considered comedy, which stan and its anti-semitic, racist title character, is how I felt at certain times during the movie. but also becuase it held a mirror to certain parts The film also can be seen as more of the same of America, revealing our own shortcomings. but with a very different social climate, with Seeing how people act and behave when the which I can also see some taking issue. right buttons are pushed is a fascinating exFor me, I thought the sequel to “Boperiment, especially under the veil of a rerat” was handled very well with a lot of lentlessly hilarious comedy. thought and care on display. Baron CoWith Baron Cohen returning hen definitely had a vision and a purto the big screen in his most famous pose to make this film as opposed role after 14 years, I was curious to to making a quick $100 million, see if Borat’s antics would hold up which is probably why he elected in today’s climate. I also wasn’t sure to have the film debut on Amazon how the film would tackle today’s isPrime Video before the election, sues in a sound and effective manrather than waiting for theaters to ner. Simply put, “Borat Subsequent reopen. The film takes a bit of time Moviefilm” was a pleasantly hilarito get going, but at its core, it is a ous surprise that I didn’t think I needless funny but more heartfelt version ed this badly. of the original. Definitely check it out if you liked It is very challenging to talk about a the first Borat or if you’re just curious about whose Borat movie because of its unscripted nature. career Sacha Baron Cohen will ruin this time.

To really explain how this movie works so well Grade: B would be to spoil it in its entirety and ruin all of Sacha Baron Cohen stars as Borat.

Montclair Films Make Magic on the Screen

By John Bizub Contributing Writer While many are stuck at home, wondering when life will go back to normal, film fans like myself are thriving off of the film festival season. This is the time when critics are allowed to see upcoming films early and predict if they are Academy Award nomination material.

I was very fortunate to be a guest of New Jersey’s Montclair Film Festival, where they show student short films and features, while also presenting larger, in demand and Oscar buzz films. For my own safety, I took part in the festival digitally where they offered just as many, if not more, selections of films to see.

Here are two films that I think should be on people’s radar!

“Black Bear” “Black Bear” is the latest from independent filmmaker Lawrence Michael Levine, and stars Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott. The story follows a filmmaker as she stays in a bed and breakfast-like cabin in the middle of the mountains. I will keep the plot synopsis short and brief because it is best to experience this film, like I did, as blind as possible. This film was outstanding, and will definitely be overlooked by many Oscar voters. However, that should not stop you from checking out this unexpected and thought-provoking thriller.

The film feels like it was created by two different filmmakers. The first act feels like a professionally made film by someone who understands the artform. The second act feels very chaotic, and mostly uses handheld camerawork. The script is tight and addresses topics of feminism, isolation and power. The performances by Plaza and Abbott are phenomenal, displaying Abbott as one of the best actors of our generation, who consistently brings A+ work to every film.

Please see this film; it is one of the best of the year and will certainly be overlooked! “Black Bear” will be streaming, as well as released in theatres, on Dec. 4!

9/10

“Minari” “Minari” comes from Korean filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung, and stars Steven Yeun, Han Yeri, Youn Yuh-jung, Alan S. Kim and Will Patton. This film tells the story of the Yi family, as they are trying to get by in the 1980s in America. Chung claims that this is a personal film about his childhood.

This film is nothing short of extraordinary and so far is my favorite of 2020! Chung has created something beautiful and quiet, while being sincere with the subject matter. The film discusses themes of love, faith, hope and the American dream, while not feeling clichéd or familiar.

Yeun brings my favorite performance of the year. He has solidified himself as an actor to look out for, and I hope he garners some Oscar buzz around this performance. The direction is quiet and patient, and the screenplay asks the audience to empathize with the family’s struggles. I hope entertainment company A24 really pushes hard for this film this award season because it is something nobody has seen before. It is entirely unique, avoiding falling into the genre’s familiar trappings. “Minari” will be released in theatres soon!

10/10

Coffee Break

THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

Page 12

COFFEE BREAK Editor: Tristan Cruz tristan.cruz@student.fairfield.edu

Dolan School of Business Majors & Minors Word Search The Coffee Break Team has put together a word search containing the majors and minors p r o v i d e d b y t h e D o l a n S c h o o l o f B u s i n e s s ! B e s u r e t o c h e c k o u t t h e F a i r fi e l d U n i v e r s i t y course and program catalog to learn more! Stay tuned for more word searches involving M a j o r s a n d M i n o r s f r o m t h e o t h e r s c h o o l s o f F a i r fi e l d !

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Accounting Accounting Information Systems (Business) Analytics Business Law and Ethics Economics Entrepreneurship Finance Information Systems International Business Management Marketing Sports Leadership and Management

Discovery Education / Puzzlemaker

Campus Solves Diversity Issues with Siddhartha Gautama Quote on Restroom Door

By Nathan Schmidt

Fairfield University has finally solved its issues with student diversity for all time. This week, campus officials unveiled a new commemorative monument, in the form of a brass plaque on the door of an all-gender restroom on the ground floor of Donnarumma Hall. The plaque reads: “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. – Gautama Buddha.”

This new installation comes in the wake of the wild success of the Prophet Muhammad quote in the campus parking lot. Students already cited that quote as increasing their awareness of Islam, as it is the only reference to that religion in any public display on campus. Now with a plaque commemorating Buddhism, there are no holes left in the representation of religions on campus, and every religion may be celebrated equally.

Campus spokesperson Julia Jarkansas (pronounced like the state) said in a public press statement, “We felt that this quote accurately embodies the spirit of going to the bathroom.”

Students, meanwhile, have been generally happy to accept that they have no issues with diversity. In fact, Stagnation was unable to reach any students for comment on the Siddhartha Gautama quote, mostly because none of them had seen it yet.

Jarkansas later added, “Buddhism is a great world religion, and it is Fairfield’s honor to begin embracing others — we’ve always embraced other religions. I’m Protestant. See? That’s diverse! Also, Jesus was Jewish, so, boom.”

With this monument, the book has been finally closed on issues of campus diversity in terms of race, religion and sex. Students are doubtless going to rejoice, as they are free to move on to things that matter to them in life.

Stagnation is a satirical newspaper on campus that contributes stories to Coffee Break, so be sure to check them out!

Nathan Schmidt / Stagnation

SPORTS Sports

Sports Editor: Julia Lanzillotta julia.lanzillotta@student.fairfield.edu

Page 13

THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

This week, in Mirror history...

Photo Taken From The Mirror Archives

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In this week's issue...

Barrett Brings in New Talent to Women's Soccer (Page 14) Cutouts Attract Alumni, But Steer Away Students (Page 15) Wins And Losses of the NHL Free Agency Period (Page 15) Senior Spotlight: Danielle Profita (Page 16)

Sports

Page 14

THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

Barrett Brings in New Talent to Women's Soccer

By Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor, Executive Editor

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference voted to cancel all fall sports for the 2020 season as a result of the current public health crisis, meaning that all conference sponsored fall sports at Fairfield University will not be competing this season.

This tumultuous time is difficult for any student-athlete, but for a team such as women’s soccer, who has welcomed a whopping total of eight first-years to the roster, the hiatus poses greater challenges.

Welcomed to the lineup are Caroline Kelly, Marina Karalis, Angela Filosa, Maddie Kiely, Elle Scott, Sydney Corbett, Allie Kirby and Juliette Grasso.

The class of 2024 is the first recruitment class that head coach David Barrett’s coaching staff has single-handedly selected since Barrett’s introduction to the Stags in 2018, making this group of women even more special.

Barrett’s major goal for this class is to reconstruct the philosophy of women’s soccer at Fairfield.

His selection process is determined by two things: how players fit the overall objective of the program, which is to compete for championships, and finding people who best match up with his coaching-style and philosophy for wanting to play.

He noted that some advantages of having a younger group to coach is that he is essentially starting from the ground up with them, and they are really ambitious.

A disadvantage is that these athletes are simply inexperienced. Without yet knowing the pressure of playing against collegiate-level competition and a truly rigorous game schedule, these women have a lot to learn.

“You take the good with the bad, but I think that the end result for us is that it’s an improvement in the overall quality of our roster–the overall quality of our soccer playing abilities,” said Barrett. “We are willing to

live with inexperience mistakes because I think we will have a lot of good soccer pieces that are out there too,” he confidently continued.

Barrett implored that the idea behind his approach to recruiting is to choose every athlete with the underlying motivation to grow the program and make the team better.

“The only thing that we set out for every year is to recruit players who are, in theory, better than the ones we have now,” he explained.

Such a tactic represents Barrett’s winning mentality, which is one sure to inspire the rookies.

“If we’re always pushing that envelope, the level of competition improves, which makes the quality of the learning environment better, and makes the overall team environment better.”

Barret doesn’t have any different expectations from this specific group of girls over any other athlete on the team regarding performance, but is extremely excited to welcome and get to know these new Stags.

His focus right now is doing what he can to ease the anxieties of these new additions, as they are feeling nervousness from both ends of the aisle, navigating a new school environment while also being thrown into a new athletic environment.

Both Barrett and his assistant coach, Megan Burke, are working to help these Stags get their feet on the ground and feel as comfortable and confident as they can, given the limitations imposed upon them.

“There’s a lot that these new people are experiencing, and we’re not trying to throw lot at them from a soca perspective beyond cer ting them acclimated getto the intensity of what we’re trying to accomplish and getting them confident in who they are,” said Barrett.

Photo Contributed by the Sports Information Desk

Head coach David Barrett of the Fairfield University women's soccer team welcomes eight new additions to the roster this year, and looks forward to watching them grow as athletes on the team.

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

Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor

Catherine Santangelo Editor-in-Chief

Your 2020-2021 4x5 Columnists:

Julia Lanzillotta, Catherine Santangelo, Sheila McCombs and Molly Lamendola

Can trick-or-treating be done What’s your favorite Halloween How can students celebrate safely this year? candy? this weekend without breaking COVID guidelines?

Will you be purchasing a cardboard cutout for the basketball games at Alumni Hall?

Horror movies: scary or stupid?

I guess with a lot of hand sani- Reese’s peanut butter cups for tizer between each house, sure! SURE!

Dress up and watch scary movies with your roommates!

That’s what I’ll be doing!

As much as I like the idea, it’s just not in the budget for me right now.

It depends on the movie, but I certainly do appreciate a well-made horror film when I see one.

It might be smartest for houses to put out a bowl of candy, but that’s not as fun and one kid could come along and take the whole bowl :(

KitKats! If you’re someone who takes a bite out of the whole thing instead of breaking apart the sticks…don’t talk to me.

I’m not really into celebrating Halloween, so I’ll probably be sleeping, but a movie night in with roommates sounds fun!

Cute idea! Not so cute prices.

I still don’t understand the concept of wanting to be scared from watching horror/thriller movies, but I have seen some pretty awesome ones.

The peanut M&M is a perfect food, and I stand by that completely.

Come up with a cute group costume with your roomies and take some Instagram photos in the safety of your home!

You know I am a huge Fairfield basketball and cheerleading fan, but I am not made of money!!

I HATE scary movies, so I would probably find most of them scary.

Phonebank for local campaigns.

Woo! Democracy is spooky!

No.

Stupid, unless it’s by Jordan Peele.

I am with Lanz, as long as Sheila McCombs there are some safety precauManaging Editor tions, I think so! Luckily, masks are in this time of year anyway!

We should do that thing in the Fondue.

1999 classic “Smart House” Molly Lamendola with the virtual food.

Vine Editor

Sports

THE MIRROR | Week of October 28, 2020

Page 15

Cutouts Attract Alumni, But Steer Away Students

By Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor, Executive Editor The Fairfield University Department of Athletics launched a project which has become common for sports franchises of all calibers ever since crowds haven’t been able to fill the stands due to COVID-19. Fan cardboard cutouts will be available for purchase in lieu of in-person attendance at the 2020-2021 men’s and women’s basketball home games at Alumni Hall.

With a flat rate of $60, Stags fans can upload a photo of themselves to be printed and placed in the seats to watch their favorite teams play. I understand why this project came about; without ticket sales, the marketing department needed to find other ways to not only create revenue, but to engage fans.

“We wanted to provide an opportunity for fans to be represented at games… It looked like a cool engagement opportunity for people near and far,” said Zach Dayton, deputy director of athletics. “There are also groups of people that live far away from campus that are Fairfield Stags fans, and this is a way for them to get involved in game day that they haven’t done before.”

My biggest issue with this idea stems from my perspective as a student. This initiative seems to be geared primarily towards alumni donors who seek to stay involved with Fairfield athletics. To adults with steady incomes, this project is a fantastic idea! $60 is a perfectly acceptable donation to make to the program, plus it comes with perks like having your face seen on television in the crowd, even potentially during a commercial on an ESPN broadcast when the games are aired. Even more perks are doled out to those who buy cutouts in bulk.

Boston College is selling cutouts similar to Fairfield’s for sports like football and field hockey, for $25. Providence College is selling theirs at $50 for basketball games, plus they offer a $10 discount for season ticket holders Dayton said that the price point was determined by surveying the industry, acknowledging that some schools charged more while others charged less. I am not shocked to find that Fairfield is on the higher end of this range; however, I can see how they would settle on the price tag considering the well-known generosity of our alumni network. $5 from each sale will go towards the Fairfield University Athletic Director’s Fund, which surely contributed to the price. According to the school’s website, the fund serves the purpose of enhancing the lives of student-athletes inside and outside of the classroom. Some projects that the fund has contributed to already are the academic center and fueling station within the Thomas J. Walsh, Jr. Athletic Center and gear packages for the athletes. Dayton mentioned that this is something that dedicated fans are really enthusiastic about.

“We are constantly fundraising in order to build a championship-caliber experience for our student-athletes,” said Dayton.

In all fairness, athletics offered the opportunity for students to enter to win a free cutout of themselves through a contest held on their official Instagram page. Nonetheless, to me, this project is catered far less to students who are mournPhoto Contributed by the Sports Information Desk ing the loss of watching their peers on the court, and more towards donors willing to meet the financial demands of the Cutouts are available for purchase on FairfieldStags.com for $60. program.

Wins and Losses of the NHL Free Agency Period

By Thomas Coppola Staff Writer

The strangest period of the National Hockey League free agency in recent years has finally come to a close this past week, with many players uprooting their careers to play for new teams. Some NHL franchises were able to secure top-tier talent for their depth charts, whereas others watched star players say their goodbyes.

One of the biggest moves of this offseason was defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, the former St. Louis Blues captain, taking his talents to the desert where he will play for the Vegas Golden Knights. According to the NHL’s official website, Pietrangelo put up 52 points in the short 70-game season, making him one of the most sought-after free agents on the market.

Pietrangelo was coming off of a relatively hot streak of playoff success, leading his Blues to the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals and bringing it home.

His contract with the Knights comes at a high price of $61.6 million over seven years, which amounts to about $8.8 million per season for the Knights’ front office. Pietrangelo will most likely play on their first defensive pairing, making this a worthy acquisition.

Another large move from the past week of free agency was former Boston Bruins defenseman, Torey Krug, moving to St. Louis. The Blues management team likely offered Krug, who is one of the most lucrative free agent defensemen in the league, a large deal so that they could fill the gap of Alex Pietrangelo.

After leaving the Bruins, Krug was looking for a large contract to cement his position as a solid top four defensemen. He did just this, getting scooped up by St. Louis for seven years at $45.5 million, according to an article from Sporting News. His value is unmatched in this free agency period, making him one of the most valuable acquisitions of any team. This is especially exciting for the Blues, in lieu of the Alex Pietrangelo loss.

Taylor Hall, another free agent with high value, decided to cut his stint with the Arizona Coyotes short so that he could play up north with the Buffalo Sabres. The Buffalo Sabres have been rebuilding and restructuring their team for a very long time, and this may be the final piece of the puzzle that they need in order to make a large splash in the Atlantic Division.

The 28-year-old winger has made his way around the league in recent years, starting his career in Edmonton with the Oilers. In 2016, he decided to play with the New Jersey Devils, and this year he was sent to the Arizona Coyotes. As per the NHL's website, with the New Jersey Devils in 2018, Hall received the Hart Trophy for being the most valuable player in the league, one of the highest achievements a player can receive.

In the 2019-2020 season, Hall obtained 52 points total, 27 coming from the Coyotes and 25 being produced for the Devils. It is extremely clear that Hall will become the backbone of the Buffalo offense in no time.

During the free agency period, there were many goalies who have thrown their names into the ring. As reported by spotrac, the major movements of goaltenders in the NHL include Jacob Markstrom to the Calgary Flames, Braden Holtby to the Vancouver Canucks, Henrik Lundqvist to the Capitals and Cam Talbot to the Minnesota Wild.

If you notice, goaltenders in free agency merely get moved around through a certain group of teams; when Talbot left the Flames, Markstrom filled in; when Markstrom left the Canucks, Holtby filled in; when Holtby left the Capitals, Lundqvist filled in. This is no surprise, as every team is looking for a new starting goalie or a solid backup netminder.

This year’s NHL free agency period has been a rather normal one, although instead of it taking place during the summer after the Stanley Cup Finals, it has proceeded in the fall after this year’s unusually abbreviated playoffs. This year’s free agency frenzy is sure to pay off for the teams that scored big in picking up Pietrangelo, Krug and Hall, and in the next few seasons, we will be able to see if these acquisitions pay off in game outcomes.

Photo Courtesy of @stlouisblues on Instagram

As captain of the St. Louis Blues since 2016, Alex Pietrangelo has a lot of history with the team. In 2019, he led the team to the Stanley Cup Championship, and is now on the Vegas Golden Knights.

@Fairfield Mirror Week of October 28, 2020

SPORTS 16 Sports Editor: Julia Lanzillotta » julia.lanzillotta@student.fairfield.edu

Senior Spotlight: Danielle Profita fairfieldmirror.com

By Thomas Coppola Staff Writer

The fall sports season being canceled was met with widespread chagrin around campus; first-years and seniors alike were stunned with the feeling that they would not be able to cheer on their Stags in the autumn air. This is a normal time for sports like field hockey, soccer, volleyball and more to begin their seasons, but COVID-19 had other plans. These sports will instead pick up in the spring season, where players will finally have the chance to prove themselves out on the field or court.

Danielle Profita is a prime example of this. She is a senior on the Fairfield University field hockey team who has had incredible success over her past three seasons. This year, she hopes that her team can repeat their past successes from 2018 and 2019, and finally bring home a National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship win.

Two years ago, during the 2018 season, Profita and her teammates battled through the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference playoffs to the finals, where they took home the runner-up trophy. This made her fired up, more driven and prepared to overcome anything thrown at her and the team.

“This only pushed us harder for the future, and made us want to do ten times better,” Profita said.

The bar was set incredibly high for the team last year, and they delivered by making it to the sweet sixteen round of the NCAA tournament. In this upcoming season, she hopes to make it there again.

The momentum will keep rolling soon, but for now, athletics are coming back from a brief two-week pause due to the rise in COVID-19 cases, as expected. For many teams, it is tough to get into a good groove due to the extremely limited access to athletic facilities campus-wide.

In a normal, everyday environment, one could probably find Profita attending classes, grabbing food with her friends, and later, hitting the books after a team lifting session.

“I love to hang out with my teammates,” Profita said.

The most important thing that a Division I athlete could do without competition is try to keep their team chemistry up in any way that they can. The field hockey team at Fairfield University has been experimenting with many different ways to stay connected with each other, like participating in team Zoom sessions, personality workshops and other fun activities like trivia nights. The team has also been Photo Contributed by the Sports Information Desk staying active with Zoom workouts led by team trainers.

Life without competition for a Division I athlete is very strange, as it is a large part of their lives. However, Profita chooses not to In 2019, Danielle Profita '21 averaged 1.4 points per game. dwell on this.

“As a team, we need to keep thinking long term, and focus on winning a championship,” Profita said confidently.

Although many fall athletes hope for their season to start sooner rather than later, Profita has realized that it is probably in the best interest of the league to postpone it.

“They needed to do what is best for our team's health and safety, especially since field hockey is a high contact sport,” Profita said. “The season wouldn’t be normal anyway, so I think the MAAC made the right move.”

Looking forward, the team has hopes for the upcoming season. When cases decrease to a point deemed safe enough to play, the team will be able to take University Field and finish what they started.

Getting sent home in the spring of last year definitely fueled the fire and made the team realize that they would have to play their hearts out this season, as nothing can be taken for granted.

Profita is extremely excited for the future, even outside of the realm of field hockey. After graduating from Fairfield University in 2021, she hopes to land a job with a government agency that deals with environmental issues, as she is an environmental studies major. If the season gets canceled once again, she will make a decision on whether or not she wants to stay and take her extra year of eligibility.

Clearly, the field hockey team is dealing with the COVID-19 situation in an extremely optimistic way. Hopefully, alongside the other fall sports teams, the Stags will be able to hit the field and achieve all the ambitious goals that they set for themselves.

Photo Contributed by the Sports Information Desk

Profita finished the 2019 season as the Fairfield University field hockey team's top scorer, amassing 25 total points with eight goals and nine assists. She scored a point in 13 of 22 games played.