Fairfield Mirror 2/17/2020

Mass Incarceration

Presidents’ Day

Senior Spotlight

Opinion

Vine

Sports

Too many people are being wrongfully convicted in the United States prison system.

Take a look back at the history of this fun federal holiday!

Alexa Brown ‘21 of Fairfield University women’s golf.

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THE MIRROR Independent student newspaper

Week of February 17, 2021

Vol. 46 Iss. 12

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FUSA Candidates Announced

By Danielle Sondgeroth News Editor

to begin the FUSA Constitutional Convention.

As president and vice president, Heffern and Fiori also want to focus on promoting racial justice at Fairfield. Heffern suggested that more training for racial justice and sensitivity could be implemented, and it may help students and staff to get a better understanding of the complex issue. He also believes that Fairfield should integrate cultural history into the Magis Core as a way for students to explore a larger range of world cultures as well as those within the United States to further promote unity and understanding, especially focusing on people of color and people in the LGBTQ+ community.

“We can’t forget and ignore what makes the student body diverse,” said Fiori, who also mentioned that she plans to improve visibility and inclusion for students who identify with religions other than Catholicism. “They should have a space and people to go to for support. I feel like it’s important to make sure every student who comes onto this campus feels like they can be here and feel loved.”

Heffern also noted that there are several groups on campus that are all fighting towards racial justice and would benefit from a more unified effort.

“There’s these different groups that are trying to tackle the same issue in their own way and are isolated from each other, which doesn’t work,” he said. “The faculty are doing their own thing. You have the student body who’s trying to advocate for some things and even within the student body, you have FUSA Diversity and Inclusion, the Black Student Union and Fairfield United Groups doing it their own way.”

Both Heffern and Fiori believe that the best way to promote racial justice and equality at Fairfield is to work together with all of these groups to create one united voice to represent all members of the campus community.

As the Spring 2021 semester progresses, the most anticipated event in the Fairfield University Student Association draws ever closer. New candidates for FUSA President and Vice President declared their candidacy before Feb. 9 and now they’re ready to begin their campaigns.

Although their positive impact has been felt throughout campus, current President Vincent Gadioma ‘22 and VP Tobenna Ugwu ‘22 aren’t planning to run again this semester.

“Vinny and I will not be running for another term,” said Ugwu. “We have enjoyed working with the student body this past year. We hope to spend our senior year focusing on studying for the MCATs and applying to medical schools.”

Three new pairs of candidates have petitioned to be on the ballot for FUSA President and Vice President, each running on a different platform with varying ideals and beliefs.

Tyler Heffern ‘22 and Cailyn Fiori ‘22 are hopeful to be elected president and vice president, respectively. Their platform runs on sustainability and racial justice, among other issues, and the pair plans on achieving all of their goals realistically during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Heffern’s dedication to sustainability is clear.

He has worked with the FUSA Sustainability Committee during his time as a senator and believes that Fairfield could improve its sustainability policies.

Heffern and Fiori plan to work with Leaders for Environmental Action at Fairfield (LEAF) to create a stable and doable plan to improve sustainability on campus.

Heffern has been a FUSA senator since his first year at Fairfield and is one of five senators from the Class of 2022. Only two of these senators have stayed on for all three years of their college careers thus far. He served as the Senate Speaker as a sophomore and has been a member of multiple influential committees within the Photo Courtesy of Tyler Heffern association, including the Campus Sustainability Committee and the FUSA COVID Task Force, among others. Heffern (left) and Fiori (right) are both members of the Class of Heffern was also responsible for writing the resolution 2022 and have served in FUSA for all three years of their careers at Fairfield.

Nadia Murad Speaks at Quick Center ByAndrew Murphy Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of britannica.com

Nadia Murad is a human rights activist, the United Nations’ Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking, and a 2018 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. She spoke at Fairfield University on Feb.11.

Nobel Prize Laureate of 2018, Nadia Murad, spoke at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts’ Annual Student Forum on Thursday, Feb. 11. Student panelists Catherine Santangelo ‘21, Vincent Gadioma ‘22 and Molly Lamendola ‘22 hosted Murad, who recounted both her sufferings at the hands of ISIS and her activist work on this issue.

“Experiences of genocide and sexual violence are all too common around the world,” said Murad, whose responses were converted into English from Kurmanji by her translator and fiancé, Abid Shamdeen. “The story of ISIS’s brutality is far from over for too many women and girls.”

The Islamic State, which occupied her home region of Sinjar, Iraq in 2014, killed her mother and six of her brothers, imprisoned her in sex-trafficking and, overall, destroyed life for the Yazidi people.

“Yazidis are part of Iraq, they’re part of a culture. Women are looked at less in the greater context of that country,” explained Murad.

She explained Yazidism as a monothesitic religion, one of the oldest in the world actually, that revolves around simplicity and does not adhere to obligatory practices or rituals. Yazdidi people have a history filled with genocide, ISIS’s massacre against this ethnoreligious group serving as the most recent case of this oppression.

The courage and strength which she displays in revisiting these traumatic experiences stems from her understanding of how her story supports others enduring these hardships.

“Survivors need resources to live a life with basic dignity before they can truly heal,” said Murad.

Continue Reading Nadia Murad On Page 4

Continue Reading Candidates On Page 3

Res Colleges Make Major Changes

By Molly Lamendola Vine Editor Sophomore students at Fairfield University usually have two distinct choices for housing options. They can choose a traditional suite-style building in “The Village” (Kostka Hall and Claver Hall) or they can apply to one of the Sophomore Residential College Programs: Service for Justice, Ignatian Leadership or Creative Life.

Residential Colleges are a unique housing option because they are marketed to students as a way for them to learn and live together in a community. In the programs, students are provided with a mentor and mentor group and are able to go on retreats throughout the year with their community.

Up until last year, each Residential College was housed in a different building in the quad. Service for Justice was in 70 McCormick Road, Creative Life was placed in Loyola Hall and Ignatian Leadership was in 42 Langguth Road.

As class sizes increased, and more space was needed for the incoming first-year students, the Creative Life program was moved from Loyola Hall to 70 McCormick Road, leaving just two buildings for the program.

But, for the Fall 2021 semester, the entire concept of the living and learning aspect of the Sophomore Residential Colleges is shifting entirely. No longer will students be restricted to living with those in their specific community. Now, any student in any of the Residential Colleges can choose between the two buildings utilized by the program: 42 Langguth Road or 70 McCormick Road.

The Sophomore Residential College program is being rebranded to the Ignatian Residential College Program, but now with three tracks: Leadership, Service for Justice and Creative Life.

Continue Reading Res College On Page 4

News

THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

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Dr. Kris Sealey Talks Black Lives Matter at Fairfield

By Danielle Sondgeroth News Editor In light of February being Black History Month, Kris Sealey, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy and the director of the Black Studies program here at Fairfield University, sat down with The Mirror this week to talk racial justice and equity on campus and beyond. Her main goal, she said, is to get students more involved in understanding racial inequalities and to help them become educated on these issues.

While Fairfield offers a number of courses dedicated to the Black experience, both in the United States and abroad, Sealy is especially enthusiastic about the Black Lives Matter course and curriculum now offered on campus.

“The Black Lives Matter course is something the University should be really proud of because it’s a course that grew out of students coming together and making clear demands for such a course. They organized, reached out across campus strategically to faculty and administration, and that’s really how the course came into existence,” Sealy said.

The key idea here is that students joined forces to form this course, and Sealy believes that it’s essential for Stags to start “using [their] available platforms to foreground these conversations.”

The course has inspired students to begin to change the views on race on campus and Sealy says this is thanks to the course’s activism requirement.

“Part of the charge of the Black Lives Matter course is that it has a lasting impact on the campus climate around race and racial justice,” she said. “Students are asked to design activism projects that extend the knowledge they gain in the course beyond the classroom walls. This course has contributed to improving the racial literacy of our student body. So at the very least, students leave the course knowing how to talk about race, how to name racial injustice and forms of anti-Black violence (in its historical and contemporary forms) and how to better understand the political stakes involved in fighting for a more racially just world.”

Further student understanding and compassion can easily be found in the work that organizations like the Black Student Union do. BSU provides a space for Black students and allies to work together to promote racial justice on campus while giving a voice to those students who are not often represented.

Students also rallied en masse in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in the summer of 2020 due to the tragic murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. On June 1, President Mark Nemec released a statement regarding the murders, where he detailed Fairfield’s commitment to promoting justice of all sorts. However, unlike other Jesuit colleges and universities like Georgetown University and the College of the Holy Cross, Nemec omitted the phrase,

“Black Lives Matter,” from his message. He instead opted for a more generalized statement of support saying that Fairfield must continue to have an open dialogue with people from all backgrounds.

The message, and omission of the Black Lives Matter movement from it, sparked outrage throughout the student body, with student and alumni groups, including affinity groups on campus like BSU and the Gender-Sexuality Alliance and larger Fairfield organizations like FUSA, releasing statements and petitions against Nemec’s message, pleading with him and the larger administration to say that Black lives do, in fact, matter.

The Fairfield Alumni Response Team released a petition directly following Nemec’s statement to call for administrators and the President himself to release a more encompassing statement to solidify Fairfield’s commitment to fighting racial injustices both on campus and elsewhere. Their open letter to President Nemec stated, “The statement you sent on behalf of Fairfield University—while well-intended—used coded language, offered little support, and failed to acknowledge the University’s continued shortcomings regarding inclusion, diversity, and equity. This leaves us—a diverse group of alumni representing intersectional identities, graduating classes, and lived experiences—wondering: Will Fairfield accept its role as an institution for change? Will it prove this statement is more than just lip service? Will it commit to becoming an anti-racist institution? Does the University agree that Black lives matter?”

The petition reached over 8,000 signatures, but the University has yet to release a statement in response.

Sealey acknowledged that the fight for racial justice and equity cannot continue unless there are a number of diverse voices in positions of power, especially when considering that Fairfield’s student and faculty population is predominantly white. According to a study on datausa.io, Fairfield University’s student population has remained at around 80 percent white for the past five years, while the Black population is at three percent. As a result, representation is a must.

“In order to think creatively about how to bring about more just structures and institutions, it’s always vital to have a diversity of experiences, voices and expertise in the room. As a predominantly white institution

(at all levels: students, faculty/staff, administration), we’re very much stymied in that way,” Sealy said. “To be sure, white folks can be advocates of racial justice, and allies in the work toward more just structures. And we do have those folks at Fairfield University. But it’s tough to overstate the importance of a diverse representation of experiences, who are not only part of the conversation, but who participate as equal and fully-belonging members of our University body.”

To read the rest of the story, visit fairfieldmirror.com

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Danielle Sondgeroth/The Mirror

News

THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

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FUSA Candidates Reveal Their Platforms Continued from Page 1 The candidates’ commitment to social and environmental justice is clear. Along with their efforts to make Fairfield a more inclusive community for all, Fiori wants to begin a safe return to campus events, specifically large-scale in-person Fairfield traditions like Red Sea Madness and the President’s Ball.

“We all know that some things like Red Sea Madness and Pres Ball are at the root of what makes Fairfield, Fairfield,” Fiori said. “It’s important to so many students, and even this year, we’re trying to figure out a way to pay tribute to those events so that every student can say ‘I went to Pres Ball all four years.’”

Fiori has worked on the Programming Board in FUSA for the past three years at Fairfield and has been the host of and the brains behind many events on campus. She cited the annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Event as one of her most successful events. She is confident that on-campus traditional events will be able to return

by Spring 2022, provided that COVID-19 is no longer as serious of a threat.

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“It’s such a fluid situation,” she said. “But it seems that franchise, he believes that it’s still a realistic venture for the we might be able to be in a place that’s better than right now.”

University.

Sophomores Noah Richardson and Manjot Singh also “It would not be cheap, probably anywhere from the plan to run for FUSA President and VP against Heffern and quote of $500,000 to $2 million,” he said, “But we’re spending Fiori, providing some stiff competition for their elders. The $40 million on a new convocation center and $45 million on two believe that FUSA needs new leadership that can handle the Dolan School of Business. There’s a lot of students who the pandemic and get Fairfield through such a strange time. would much rather have $1 million spent on a new, on-cam“People can’t even see their friends, there’s masks evpus restaurant.” erywhere,” said Richardson. “By next September or October Richardson has an idea for a restaurant in mind, and he things will probably be in a much better place than they are said he’d heard feedback about it from other students. today, but the issue is that without good student leadership, “The one that everyone’s eyes light up with is Chickwithout people who really know what they’re doing, we may fil-A,” he said. be still sitting with tons of restrictions and not having a clear Richardson acknowledged the anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment path of how we’re going to do events like Red Sea Madness or and evangelical Christian leanings of Chick-fil-A and how it Pres Ball. Without student leaders who can negotiate with the may deter students, but he believed that students would love it administration, there’s no way that they’d nonetheless. be able to pull those things off.”

“I don’t support those viewpoints As a former FUSA Senator, Richardby any stretch of the imagination,” he said, son believes that he’s “but I think that since it’s a Catholic instithe perfect candidate for tution, we could get away with it a bit.”

FUSA President thanks to his There’s no telling how the student experience and leadership skills, and he body will respond to a tentative Chickextended these traits to Singh as well. fil-A on campus, and for now it’s only an “We have the ambition, we have the idea, but it’s one that Richardson plans to drive and we have a platform that includes pursue whole heartedly throughout his and ideas which would be some of the biggest Singh’s prospective term. things FUSA has ever done,” he said. “I Cristian Navarro-Martinez and really genuinely believe that Manjot and I Martin Corarro declared their candidacy can be the best FUSA President and Vice for FUSA President and Vice President and President that this organization has seen in launched their official campaign on Feb. a very long time.”

9 and Instagram account on Feb. 11. The Mirror reached out Singh, the vice chair of the Student Diversity Council to the duo for an interview and more information about their and the associate director of Diversity and Inclusion in FUSA, platform, but they did not respond to the requests. decided to run for vice president thanks to her status as a The FUSA Presidential Debate is set for Feb. 18 at 7 commuter student and a woman of color. p.m. over Zoom. The link to the meeting can be found on “Entering the Fairfield environment, I felt like I was unLife@Fairfield. Voting opens on Feb. 21 at noon and will close derrepresented just looking around campus,” she said. “I didn’t on Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. feel particularly welcome just because [Fairfield] is a primarily white institution. I realized that most of the commuters are of more diverse populations, and when I got to my classes, that was just not the case. I noticed a lot of diverse voices in leadership positions on campus, but commuters felt like their voices weren’t being heard.”

As a result, Singh plans to launch projects to aid in commuter visibility. One of her first initiatives was to petition the administration to reduce parking pass pricing for commuter students. She also wants to see the commuter lounge remodeled since the large number of commuter students is growing out of the current lounge space.

“The commuter population is growing, so we have to come up with plans to make sure the commuters can fit within that space,” she said.

However, Singh acknowledged that the administration has to talk directly with commuters before making any decisions.

“Before we do that, we have to have conversations with commuters and commuter-peer assistants because they know what they’re really in need of,” she said.

Along with Singh’s ideas for the expansion of the commuter lounge in the lower level of the John A. Barone Campus Center, Richardson also has a number of ambitious plans for the University upon his election. Among them is his plan for Fairfield to build a new chain restaurant somewhere on campus.

“There’s a huge dining problem that students constantly complain about,” he said. Richardson also stated that he had talked with “top administrators” who had agreed that a chain restaurant at Fairfield would be a good idea.

“With the platform that I would have, we could potentially look at bringing in a huge franchise restaurant that would make the University a lot of money,” he said. “I believe that it’s possible that it could be done by next summer.”

Although concerns have arisen in his discussions with Photo Courtesy of noah.manjot.2021 on Instagram fellow students and staff about Richardson (left) and Singh (right) are both members of the class of the high price point that would 2023 and have served on a variety of FUSA committees and branches. come along with a restaurant

News

THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

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Nadia Murad Shares Her Story Continued from Page 1

Providing food, water and shelter are key objectives which Murad attempts to provide survivors with through her non-profit organization, Nadia’s Initiative. This foundation was established in 2018 and has worked towards restoring her now uninhabitable homeland. By re-building schools, helping women find economic opportunities and, with the help of the French government, constructing a new hospital with access to healthcare, Murad is doing so much for the displaced Yazidi peoples. However, she still asks for help.

“It has been over five years since ISIS has committed genocide against the Yazidis and nobody has held them accountable,” she remarked. “Perpetrators will continue to use sexual violence and genocide as tactics of war unless people prove there will be justice,” said Murad. “Justice can be preventative, but it must also be restorative.”

ISIS’s genocide was an attempt to take over Murad’s homeland of Sinjar. Their tactic: destruction to the point of no return. This method included both physically obliterating the land and infrastructure, as well as using women and girls as weapons of war.

The ambivalence of the world community against human rights violations recurred as a pressing theme in Murad’s responses. She stressed how youthful uncertainty should not stop students from advocating to make change in the world. Frustration and disappointment are two common themes in her line of work, but her willingness to speak on her own experience has produced significant results.

“Having women speak after this conflict is something new, and very meaningful and powerful,” explained Murad. “With many other conflicts, especially from that region, women would not come forward and speak about what happened.”

Nonetheless, her efforts remain limited, and the shortcomings of what one activist can do serve as the need for greater assistance.

“No individual community should depend on one source of hope for something.

The whole community shouldn’t put their hope into something,” said Murad. “Even me, I don’t want to be their hope. I believe it’s our global responsibility to make sure those can live a life of dignity and restore their dignity.”

This response particularly resonated with the student panelist who asked Murad about the role of hope in her work.

“She is still looking for hope in order to succeed in fighting against the injustices that herself and the Yazidi community have faced,” said Santangelo. “Nadia made it clear that it is not just about one person standing up for a cause; it requires all people joining together to achieve those goals, and that is what will bring us hope.”

Whether she is conversing with Fairfield students or sitting down with world leaders, Murad will continue to share her story in order to educate others and hopefully inspire the pursuit of sustainable solutions for both the issue at hand, as well as any future humanitarian crisis.

“If we let a very small community like this be displaced, how can we find international solutions for something like a pandemic?” Murad asked.

Her focus on the responsibility which people worldwide have in fighting these injustices inspired at least one Fairfield student.

“The international community has to do more to provide justice for the Yazidi people, and needs to better respond to injustices around the world,” said Gadioma.

Over 2,000 women remain missing from this atrocity. Through her foundation, Murad is trying to make sure they are not forgotten.

“It’s unfortunate that Nadia has to repeatedly speak about the horrors she faced just so people don’t forget the atrocities and continue to help them attempt to find a place of peace,” said Lamendola.

Murad’s fight for the Yazidi people is not entirely separate from her fight against the injustices that women suffer all over the world.

“We have encouraged women to tell their own stories. Their stories should not be told by a man or someone else,” said Murad.

Though especially prevalent in Murad’s country, gender-based violence and the silencing of such victims is a universal issue. At Fairfield, the Prevention Resource Office is an on-campus group dedicated to combatting sexual violence. The group aims to support students, promote healthy relationships and positively affect the University culture.

“Sexual and relationship violence is real, and it can be anywhere including here at Fairfield University,” stated a message shared by the PRO. “There are many members of our community working hard to prevent incidents and a range of resources, services and educational tools available to all members of our community.”

The PRO encourages students to share their experiences and help be the voice that eliminates sexual and relationship violence at Fairfield. Students can stay informed on Fairfield’s actions and inititives against sexual violence by following @Fairfieldunivpro Instagram account and joining the group’s portal on Life@Fairfield.

Gadioma is the current President of the Fairfield University Student Association.

Santangelo is currently the Editor-in-Chief of The Fairfield Mirror, and Lamendola is the current Vine Editor. Her term as Editor-in-Chief will begin in late February.

Res Colleges Undergo 2023 Nursing Students Significant Rebranding Begin Clinical Hours Continued from Page 1 Jonathan Horgan, the area coordinator to live with other creative people. Living with of 42 Langguth Road, argued that this rebrandpeople who share common interests builds ing will benefit the students. comradery and friendships that I think would “Students will gain a more holistic be lost with these changes.” experience through this program and come out When asked if she thinks the switch will with a wider/broader worldview and skill sets,” affect the community aspect, Ruyack said, “I he said. “Students were notified throughout don’t know if I would have had the same posithe application process regarding the changes tive experience with the Res College program being made to the tracks. Open office hours, if there were multiple programs in the same webinars, resident assistant info sessions, social building.” media postings, emails etc.”

Sophomore Carly Manzi, a current resWhen asked to clarify if students were ident of 42 Languuth stated, “I liked the set up told before they selected which program they because it gave you an opportunity to live with wished to apply to, people who had the he simply stated, same interests and “Students were mindset as you, and notified.” that’s a big part of Following a the experience.” She 2002 grant from the also mentioned that Lilly Foundation, the the old system did goal of the Sophcause some housing omore Residential issues, as those who College Program didn’t get into the was to “develop a program couldn’t dynamic model of live with their education which, friends. “It would be from a wide array nice that this allows of disciplines and the ability to do that perspectives, was so it’s more conveable to cultivate a nient for them, but seamless learning I’m just glad that it environment which wasn’t like this when integrated the intelI was applying,” said lectual, affective, and Manzi. spiritual dimensions Horgan Photo Courtesy of fairfield.edu stated that students of students’ lives.”

For nearly 20 years, it has do have the option allowed students to live and learn together as to accept or decline the position in the college one. As Fairfield’s website states, the program through a GoogleForm. He also encourages is unique because it is a mix of “distinctively students to reach out to them for a one-ondesigned academic courses” with the “purposeone meeting with any of their questions or ful residential living experiences.” concerns.

Horgan stated that he doesn’t think the “Like any change, there will be growing rebranding will affect the core living and learnpains,” Horgan said. “However, long term I do ing aspect of the program. believe that these changes will help sopho“Students will have the class experience, more students even more by exposing them mentor experience and residential experience to tenets of all three tracks. Students will in one of two halls designed for the program,” gain a more holistic experience through this he explained. rebranding change.”

“There are benefits to living within the If you are a current first-year student same Res College community,” Former Creative with strong opinions on the rebranding of the Life resident Rebecca Ruyack ‘21 stated. “I Sophomore Residential College Program and chose Creative Life and lived in what was conwould like to write a letter to the editor, please sidered ‘the worst building’ because I wanted email us at info@fairfieldmirror.com.

By Madison Gallo Contributing Writer

Photo Courtesy of fairfield.edu

Each year, nursing students participate in clinicals to gain real-world experience before earning their degrees.

This past week marked the beginning of the Class of 2023 nursing students’ clinical experience with the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies.

Fairfield University’s Egan School of Nursing gives its students theoretical and clinical components. In partnership with local clinical facilities, nursing students are able to participate in practical experiences during their undergraduate time. Clinical experiences begin during the spring semester of nursing students’ sophomore year.

“Clinicals are meant for us to gain experience and a better gist of nursing before we actually enter the field,” Ellie Schmieder ‘23 said. “It’s a part of the nursing school, but we aren’t in the classroom learning — it’s all hands-on.”

Schmieder will be completing the mental health nursing clinical at Yale New Haven Hospital. During this time she will be working on psychiatric floors.

Another aspect of the clinical program is the simulation lab. Nursing students interact with actors who pretend to be patients simulating real-life situations. There is a camera in the room so the clinical group and clinical instructor can watch and give feedback while each nursing student interacts with the “patient.”

“Everybody’s [clinical] is a little different, so after my two-weeks in [simulation], I will go to Stamford Hospital with my clinical instructor and group,” Kieran McAllister ‘23 said.

McAllister will also be completing her mental health nursing clinical.

“I’m super excited to finally get to work with patients and be in a clinical spot,” McAllister said. “Although it is a little

nerve-racking going to the hospital, I think sim has definitely made me more confident in my skills and capabilities.”

Anna Mercurio ‘23 is also completing her first clinical rotation at Stamford Hospital; however, she won’t begin until the last six weeks of the semester.

Mercurio is eager to start working with patients, but anxious to see the real pace of work at a hospital.

“I can’t wait to start working with patients, and even though I am a little nervous I feel that the work I have done in my classes up until now has prepared me for my upcoming clinicals,” said Mercurio.

Clinicals beginning for nursing students in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic presents an interesting and unique challenge to the student nurses.

“Clinical for me started this past Friday, but due to a COVID-outbreak at the hospital, it was cancelled,” Schmeider said.

“This just means my clinical group will have to reschedule and make up this clinical date we missed.”

Schmeider has also volunteered with other student nurses to oversee the regularly scheduled university-sanctioned testing.

“When I volunteer, I have to make sure that all the faculty and staff are getting tested, know how to properly do it and guide them through it if they need instructions,” Schmeider said. “Our job is to help guide the flow of testing and assist anyone who needs it.”

On top of clinicals beginning for Class of 2023 nursing students, 35 Class of 2021 nursing students will be vaccinating eligible candidates with the Pfizer vaccine.

Opinion

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THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

Editor Maria DiGregorio» maria.digregorio@student.fairfield.edu

Wrongful Convictions Ruin People's Lives

By Maria DiGregorio Opinion Editor

previous investigation.

Exonerating people is a wonderful thing which I do not want to take away from, but these people should not have been imprisoned in the first place. There was a mistake made on the part of the government, and innocent people had to suffer for it. There is no amount of money in the world that can make up for taking away 17 years of a person’s life. In those 17 years, inmates are subject to abuse, poor living conditions and many even develop mental health issues such as depression. Not to mention, when many inmates get out of prison society still labels them as an ‘ex-convict,’ so it is extremely difficult for them to live a normal life. In many cases, only entry-level jobs are available to them because they lack the education necessary to obtain a job with more demands.

Most states in the U.S. have statute for exonerees, but not all. The exceptions are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming. On average, prisoners who have been exonerated through DNA analysis spend more than 14 years behind bars.

The first step in fixing our corrupt prison system is having these states all input statutes. These statutes are meant to ensure that people have an easier time re-entering society. Usually, the amount of money given is nowhere near enough to sustain a comfortable life long term. But in the short term, the money can be used to acquire housing and sustain the individual until they find a job. Some other shortcomings in the current system are that some states prohibit compensation to those deemed to have “contributed” to their wrongful convictions. This is the wrong attitude to take, because it is ignoring the fact that they were wronged and suffered greatly because of it.

This denies justice to those who were coerced into confessing or pleading guilty to crimes they did not commit. This is most similar to the Robinson case because he was not directly involved in the case, but still somehow ended up being wrongly charged. In addition, denying these falsely accused individuals compensation goes directly against civil rights, which are guaranteed to every U.S. citizen.

I remember in my sophomore year class titled “Argument and Advocacy,” we were all told to choose a cause for which to advocate. I took this assignment rather seriously because, as a future law student, I figured I should find a cause that I am passionate about.

As I scrolled through Google, I came across the headline: The Innocence Project. I clicked on the website and I started watching videos of wrongly convicted people and a knot in my stomach grew. In this moment I knew that this was a cause I was passionate about and wanted to bring awareness to.

Currently in the United States prison system there are between 2.3 and 5 percent of wrongly convicted people in prison; which is equivalent to about 20,000 people nationwide. This number is alarming and way too high to go unnoticed. There are many things wrong with our prison system, but to me, this is the most pressing issue. As a society, we need to stop normalizing sending people to prison. If and when someone is sentenced to a prison sentence the government needs to be 100 percent sure they committed the crime.

In the past, the rates of wrongly imprisoned people were much higher than what they are now. Thanks to new technology being developed, however, these numbers are decreasing. One of the most popular ways to check if the accused individual actually committed the crime is through DNA analysis. DNA analysis is the process of examining physical evidence, such as blood or hair, and determining whether it can be matched to DNA taken from other individuals, such as suspects, witnesses or victims. In 2020, a man named Kerry Robinson was finally exonerated of his “crimes” after serving 17 years in prison. Robinson’s conviction stemmed from a case in 1993 where three young men held a woman at gunpoint and proceeded to rape her.

The police had the woman look through pictures in a high school yearbook in order to identify the young men who attacked her. The woman identified one attacker who would later be convicted, but then that attacker claimed Robinson was also involved. As we know now, this was a lie, and Robinson thinks Creative Commons/ Wikimedia Commons the attacker said this because he reported the attacker in a

The Accomplishments of Woman Politicians Are Often Overlooked

By Catherine Howley Contributing Writer

A new milestone has recently been achieved for women in our country. Recently elected Kamala Harris is the first ever female Vice President of the United States of America. History was made on Jan. 20, 2021 when Harris was inducted into the White House as our country’s next vice president. For years now, women have made strides to achieve a higher status of equality with their male peers, and yet another milestone has just been reached for the community.

As of last year, only 126 of the 535 seats of the 116th United States Congress are held by women. That is only 23.6 percent of all of Congress. In the statewide elective executive offices, of 311 available positions, only 90 are occupied by women. As for the state legislatures positions, 520 women hold 1,972 of the state senate seats and 1,640 of the 5,411 state house seats.

There is still a lot that has to improve for women within the realm of politics. However, many of the women who do hold political positions in our country have put forth a great deal of effort and work to better our country.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama undoubtedly went above and beyond in her role as first lady.

The Harvard Law School graduate served as an exemplary advocate for healthy lifestyles, service members and female education. One of Obama’s most notable actions as first lady was when she partnered with Refinery29 on Women’s International Day back in 2018. During this partnership, young women from Nepal, Ghana, Guatemala and Chicago exchanged their life stories. Unlike any other first lady, Obama even went as far as to promote healthy eating for young children by being featured on the Disney Channel, encouraging viewers to stay healthy by being active and eating lots of fruits of vegetables. Obama even went on to write her very own memoir, “Becoming,” which became a bestseller.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is another very influential political figure. Ocasio-Cortez is a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York’s 14th district. At the age of 29, Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman to serve in the United States Congress. Being the youngest woman to ever serve in Congress, Ocasio-Cortez exemplifies that you do not have to be of a certain age to serve as a member of our country’s Congress. Ocasio-Cortez was also able to defeat Joe Crowley, who was a 10-term incumbent.

In addition to how successful Ocasio-Cortez became at such a young age, she is also an advocate for many phenomenal causes and movements. Overall, the platforms Ocasio-Cortez advocates for are progressive platforms such as medicare for all, tuition-free public college, a federal jobs guarantee, a Green New Deal and abolishing the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE).

In October of 2020, Ocasio-Cortez hosted a Twitch stream of the very popular game “Among Us,” along with some very famous gamers including DrLupo and mxmtoon. Ocasio-Cortez did yet another streaming event with Twitch the following November. I found this to be a great event and opportunity put together by Ocasio-Cortez. From both streaming events, $200,000 was raised. This money went towards food pantries, eviction defense legal aid and community support organizations. Through this event, OcasioCortez was able to bring a group of people together virtually, while also raising money for such good causes.

Coming in as the second youngest woman ever elected into Congress is Representative Elise Stefanik.

Stefanik was very distraught about the GOP’s small and shrinking number of women in Congress. As a woman myself, I was very happy to hear that this was an issue Stefanik was passionate about and spoke for.

In a tweet dating back to December of 2018, Stefanik expressed how she will “continue speaking out about the crisis level of GOP women in Congress and will try to lead and change that by supporting strong GOP women candidates through my leadership PAC.” It is nice to hear, and read, that the disparity of women in politics, specifically Congress, does not go unseen by other women holding congressional positions. During her four years in the House, Stefanik not only spoke out about GOP women candidates and increasing the number of women in Congress, but she also voted to loosen gun control, repeal Obamacare and expand Federal Pell grants for low-income students. While Stefanik did have very strong Repubicanleaning views, she supported women in Congress and made strides to further the number of women holding positions in Congress.

Women have come a long way in our country in regards to politics. While women do still only represent a miniscule percentage of the population within Congress, I do believe that women will continue to see an increase in those numbers, especially now, with Harris as our country’s newly inducted vice president.

Creative Commons/ US News

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THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

Opinion

Fairfi eld Needs to Know the Importance of 'Going Green' By: Kaitlyn Drake Staff Writer

Fairfield University has prided itself on being a proponent of sustainability for at least a decade. Since the institution was named a ‘Cool School’ by the leading environmental lobbyist group, the Sierra Club, it seems that our leaders continued to dedicate themselves to a sustainable future. In 2015, Fairfield University released a new sustainability plan that included an initiative to begin composting food waste from students. This plan, a partnership with Blue Earth Compost, was enacted in August 2019, and shortly after, the University announced another partnership, this time with Quantum Biopower, to dispose of food scraps in an environmentally friendly manner. This was a huge step for Fairfield, especially since, according to the Town of Fairfield, “30 to 40 percent of the US’s food supply eventually goes to waste,” eventually contributing to a substantial amount of greenhouse gas. However, because of the pandemic, we are seeing a setback in Fairfield’s environmental initiatives.

The Daniel and Grace Tully Dining Commons, which used to employ the use of real plates and reusable silverware instead of the traditional trays, is now a warehouse of plastic encased meals and single-use utensils. While this is an understandable change due to the pandemic, the sheer amount of plastic that accumulates in the trash rooms each night from just one meal is obscene.

Trash rooms have become a graveyard of clear plastic stained by the food it used to contain. Some containers still contain food, especially if it was the home of a meal that was not as good as its consumer might have thought. White plastic spoons, forks and knives litter the floors. Since students typically do not want to put in the work that it requires to properly recycle an item, the recycling bin is always overflowing with non-recyclables. The amount of discarded plastic on our campus is absolutely appalling, and it is time for us to think of some new ways to serve food while keeping our students safe.

While plastic is an easy way to get food safely and cleanly transported from one location to another, there are multitudes of initiatives to replace our reliance on plastic. For example, we can continue supporting the composting process by putting composting bins in the residence halls.

The compost bins can then be taken to Quantum Biopower, with whom we have a partnership. This way, we can continue our partnership with an outside organization in our area that we already work with while keeping our carbon footprint low and our campus clean. The only thing residents would have to do is scrape their food into the designated bin.

Editorial Board "Food Trucks?

Yes!" Catherine Santangelo Editor-in-Chief

The containers, though, are both another story and my primary concern in this issue. Personally, before I came to campus last semester, I had thought that the “grab-and-go” option would be more sustainable than it turned out to be.

I was under the impression that, just like the last year I had spent at Fairfield, the food at the

Creative Commons/Environmental Leader

Tully would be self-servable. While in hindsight, this is not possible due to our COVID-19 restrictions, the Tully employees have the option to scoop food out of the metal troughs it is displayed in and pile it into containers. The idea that this would be the case prompted me to obtain reusable containers to put food in before I even visited the cafeteria.

However, the use of single use plastic containers is required

Fairfield University campus operations were brought into question at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of how things would be run so that students could safely return to campus for the Fall 2020 semester. Among the many different changes that Fairfield’s campus experienced, the addition of food trucks as a dining option was one of the best decisions Fairfield has made since I’ve been a student here. Even though I am graduating by the end of this semester and it is unknown how much longer this pandemic will continue, I hope that the food trucks remain as a dining option for students even after COVID-19 is over.

I used to be rather skeptical of food trucks.

When I would visit New York City, I would see food trucks sitting on every corner and I would always say to myself, “How could I trust eating the food that comes out of that truck?” They always looked kind of sketchy to me, and they also didn’t look like the most sanitary of places to be serving food. However, the food trucks at Fairfield have changed my perspective! Sure, the ones that come to campus are probably a much different breed of food trucks than the ones you see lining city streets, but I do have a newfound respect for them now, considering they are one of the reasons I still purchased a meal plan this semester.

To be honest, even though I live in a residence that has a kitchen, I do not know what I would have eaten this past year if it hadn't been for the food trucks. I’ve probably gotten lunch or dinner at the food trucks at least once a day when they are here, unless they are ones that I’m not a huge

for taking food out of the Tully, which is heavily problematic.

There are solutions, though, and they are not too difficult to implement. For example, students like me can bring the reusable containers they already own to the Tully, pass them to the employees, and have the employees scoop our food in there. That way, we can respect the COVID-19 guidelines while being perfectly sustainable. For those who do not have reusable containers, options like the GoBox and Green Grubbox are great ways for the Tully to reuse plastic take out containers. Since “biodegradable” and “compostable” t a k e out containers can be misleading and produce more waste than they’re worth, it would be a better option to use these reusable containers instead.

Residents have access to sinks to wash the containers, but there could always be a station in the Tully that would allow one to exchange a dirty to-go box for a clean one, much like a towel at a car wash. This practice could be moved, if needed, to places like the Stag after there is no longer a need to take out food from the Tully.

Similar practices can be used with silverware instead of using plastic utensils. As someone who tried to anticipate what the Tully would be like in the Fall 2020 semester, I had purchased a set of bamboo utensils so that I do not have to use the plastic ones. However, not everyone has silverware (or bamboo-ware) in their room, so the Tully could either purchase “green” silverware, or just cycle the silverware the same way as reusable to-go boxes. It isn’t a hard fix, and it was something we were essentially already doing before the pandemic.

The last solution I have for a more sustainable Fairfield is in terms of reusable bags. Even though there was a plastic bag ban in Connecticut, the Tully still loves to provide students with plastic bags that are labeled “biodegradable.” Of course, none of these bags are even remotely close to being disposed of properly, and the entire purpose of the initiative goes back to where it started. Again, I anticipated this, and got myself reusable bags. This is not an uncommon thing, though, since a lot of Americans are now opting for reusable bags to bring to stores instead of paying the fee for a plastic or paper bag. The Tully could encourage the use of reusable bags, but in case someone forgets, they could provide paper bags.

Being more sustainable, while it looks daunting, is not that much of a challenge considering the amount of alternatives that are available. As an institution that prides itself on being “green,” we should continue to be trailblazers in sustainability and saving the environment that we take so much for granted.

fan of (I know this is probably an unpopular opinion...but I’m looking at you Taste of Grill). I am not a very picky eater; however, there have been times when the Tully or other dining venues just haven’t had what I was interested in eating. So, when the food trucks came to campus, it opened up a whole new world of campus dining for me, as well as other students, and provided us with more food options that vary every day. Not only are there a decent amount of popular food options available, but the trucks also accept a variety of purchasing options. You can use meal swipes, dining dollars, cash or credit! Most food trucks also created special “$10 meal plan” menu items and pairings for students to order using a meal swipe.

The food trucks are not only about the food, though! Going to the food trucks can be a great way to meet up with friends outside to get food together. Even if you go to the food trucks alone, especially during peak meal hours, there is a large possibility that you will run into someone you know and can chat with while you wait for your food. It’s a social experience as well as a food experience!

You’re probably all wondering, “Well, if you love the food trucks so much, what are your favorites?” Well I’ll tell you! I have my top five food trucks and favorite menu items from each. Coming in at number five, we have Fryborg, and my favorite menu item is their cheeseburger with fries.

I’ve had cheeseburgers at some of the other trucks, but the Fryborg burgers are something else. They kind of remind me of a Shake Shack burger, but still stand out on their own as a really good burger.

In the number four spot we have Flacos Tacos, and I really enjoy their chicken tacos. The toppings that come with the tacos add so much more flavor to a simple chicken taco. The Plate is number three for me, but it’s probably number one for a lot of students considering the huge line that always seems to accumulate in front of it every time they come to campus. I love their turkey avocado wrap, but sometimes they put too much avocado and not enough bacon, which is my only complaint! Coming in at number two, we have Los Mariachis. Of the various Mexican food trucks that come to Fairfield, Los Mariachis is my favorite, and I usually get the chicken quesadillas. I love dipping them in the guacamole they put on the side! Finally, landing the number one spot on my food truck list is Fork in the Road! The unique menu items in combination with my good friend Mark who takes the orders at the window make this truck a winner in my book. I’m basically a regular customer at Fork in the Road because Mark always knows what I am going to order...the chicken pesto grilled cheese. If you haven’t tried this sandwich from Fork in the Road, then you have to try it next time they come to campus because it is the best!

Bringing food trucks to campus as an additional dining option for students was one of the best decisions Fairfield has made, and because of their popularity, they should definitely stick around even after the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end. I’ll miss the trucks once I graduate, but I know that students still at Fairfield will continue to enjoy the food that comes out of those windows.

THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

By Peyton Perry Contributing Writer This past Monday, Feb. 15, we all came together to celebrate the federal holiday of Presidents’ Day! Many schools across the country, several banks and busy post offices will all be closed and a surplus of non-essential workers will be granted the day off from their professions. We may know that this day of leisure from our hectic lives is bestowed upon us to allow for the remembrance of the United States’ astounding presidents of the past, but is there more to the story? Take a journey with me through the history of our beloved federal holiday, Presidents’ Day, and learn of how it came to be!

Let’s shift back in time to the early days of the 1800s.

Following the death of George Washington in 1799, Feb. 22 became the unofficial day of remembrance for the individual who was known as the “most important figure in American history.” Moving into the late 1870s, Washington’s birthday was established as a national holiday when Senator Stephen Wallace Dorsey of Arkansas proposed the measure. Then, in 1879, President Rutherford B. Hayes signed it into law. Originally this holiday was only recognized by the District of Columbia, but by 1885 the holiday became nationally recognized and expanded across the entire country. Washington’s birthday quickly joined the other four nationally recognized holidays of Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving!

Now, let's jump into the late 1960s! This is where the shift from Washington’s birthday to what we know of today as Presidents’ Day began. Senator Robert McClory of Illinois proposed a measure that was later passed by Congress, referred to as the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This measure sought to alter the days of celebration for several federal holidays from specific calendar dates to a series of pre-

By Brooke Lathe Contributing Writer

determined Mondays. Ensuring that holidays consistently fell on the same weekday, it was believed that employee absenteeism would be reduced, as more three-day weekends were granted. In addition, private sectors and labor unions believed that they too would benefit from this as a means of “bolstering retail sales.” It should be noted that McClory also included a provision for the combining of Washington’s birthday with Abraham Lincoln’s, which fell on Feb. 12. He believed that joining the two days would provide equal recognition for two of the most important American figures and even insinuated the concept of renaming the holiday to Presidents’ Day. This, however, greatly upset lawmakers from Washington’s home state of Virginia, and the idea was temporarily displaced.

The act passed in 1968 and officially took effect in 1971, following President Richard M. Nixon’s executive order. From this point on, Washington’s birthday celebration shifted from Feb. 22 to the third Monday of February. Columbus Day, Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day were shifted as well (although in 1980, Veterans’ Day moved back to Nov. 11). With the shifting of Washington’s birthday celebration, many people felt it was to include Lincoln’s birthday as well.

Markets quickly jumped on with sales and advertised with the name Presidents’ Day. By the mid-1980s, this new name caught on nationally and by the 2000s more than half of the United States had changed the name of the holiday to Presidents’ Day. Did you know that Presidents’ Day never actually falls on the birthday of a president? Although there are many significant presidents born in the month of February (George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan and William Henry Harrison to name a few!), the third Monday of the month never seems to coincide! Washington and Lincoln still remain the two most important presidents and individuals recognized on this day; however, the holi-

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day now encompasses the remembrance of all United States presidents.

Hopefully this gave you a better glimpse into the significance and reasoning for why we celebrate Presidents’ Day! Make sure to share what you’ve learned with family and friends and reflect upon the great individuals who have helped to shape this country!

CreativeCommons/Flickr

The Vine

Flipside Burger Bodega Taco Bar Fin Japanese Restaurant Milkcraft 16 Handles Creating some DIY holiday crafts can make the day even more festive! Additionally, it can be a fun and silly activity to do with your boyfriend or girlfriend to show off your artistic side. Here are seven of the cutest DIY valentines decorations I found that I encourage you to try and make: Valentine Card Display Baby Breath Heart Wreath Valentine Candle Holder Love Letter Banner Rose Petal Garland Valentines Day Branch Tree Valentines Day Pillow My all-time favorite hobby is baking, so living in a small college dorm room where the only available appliances are a microwave and fridge can get pretty frustrating. This doesn’t stop me, though! For any other sweet-tooth college students, I researched some of the most delicious V-Day recipes that are dorm friendly, along with other holiday goodies you can purchase at a store: Chocolate Covered Strawberries Oreo Truffles Oreo Chocolate Bark Cannoli Dip Cookie Dough Hearts Chocolate Covered Pretzels Strawberry Chocolate Chex Mix Be My Valentine Little Debbie Cakes Valentine Hostess Ding Dongs Even if you aren’t in a relationship this year, it doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate this holiday with your family, friends or even yourself ! After all, it would be a shame to have these great ideas go to waste. Whatever you decide to do to celebrate, I hope you take time to reflect on how much your loved ones mean to you and make sure to let them know. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays! It’s the perfect opportunity to remind your loved ones how much you appreciate them through a special message or action. While I can’t help you with the speech portion of this day, I can give you some unique ideas on fun ways to celebrate. From which movies to watch to how to make easy homemade Valentine’s Day desserts, I’ve got you covered!

Binge some lovey-dovey movies with your significant other! One of my love languages includes physical touch, which is common. Watching a movie, or multiple films in a row, provides an ideal chance to snuggle up with your loved one and share an intimate moment. Here are some cheesy rom-coms to choose from: “Valentine’s Day” - Hulu “The Notebook” - Hulu “Sleepless in Seattle” - Hulu/Amazon Prime “When Harry Met Sally” - Hulu/Amazon Prime “You’ve Got Mail” - Hulu/Amazon Prime “How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days” - Amazon Prime “Set it Up” - Netflix “Always Be My Maybe” - Netflix “When We First Met” - Netflix “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” - Netflix If you aren’t the type of person that can make a homemade meal, eating out at a restaurant or ordering takeout is another great way to make this holiday memorable. Personally, I only eat out at restaurants on special occasions, so getting dressed up and enjoying fancy food is definitely worth the price! Here are some of my favorite Post Road recommendations for you and your partner to chow down at: Pizzeria Molto Quattro Pazzi Cafe Cafe Madeline Old Post Tavern Colony Grill CreativeCommons/ClipArtLibrary

THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

The Vine

By Brooke Lathe Contributing Writer

By Matthew Adamski Contributing Writer Being so close to New York City, an avid museum-goer such as myself could not miss the opportunity to visit the institutions that are so close by. With the Metropolitan Museum of Art successfully crossed off from my list of places to visit, the American Museum of Natural History was naturally the next stop.

After climbing the flight of stone stairs outside and entering the main hall, there stood a skeletal model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex from eras gone by. There was a certain juxtaposition involved: humans and dinosaurs. Our species and theirs have never coexisted, yet the museum acted as the equalizer for both of us to finally meet.

The first room we visited was Akeley Hall of African Mammals, filled with taxidermy creatures that lived behind glass walls lining the wall. In the center stood a life-size herd of elephants, with calves holding on to their mother’s tails. I was taken aback by the extraordinary detail, and I just had to take a picture right by them. Each little exhibition had an information card detailing whether the species is extinct today, along with some additional facts.

Next was an exhibit on the animals of the ocean. The centerpiece of this exhibit was a massive whale that hung from the ceiling. It was a mesmerizing view, and as you looked at the similarly structured glass exhibits, the whale continued to watch. It made me feel as if I were in the ocean along with it.

In addition, there was a floor dedicated to the dinosaurs and modern animal skeletons.

It spoke to the great power of fossils in recreating the past and the history of the earth that

By Jessica Colloca Contributing Writer

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was shared by so many species before us. There was an ancient fossil of a dinosaur in one corner, and that of a modern-day rabbit in the other. Even I had to admit that the spacing was odd, but it all contributed to the overall theme of interconnectedness in the natural world. The charts of the different conditions the earth went through, such as the Ice Age, offered explanations to the shifts that occurred in the animal kingdom.

Personally, one of the most memorable aspects of the museum was the relationship that President Theodore Roosevelt had with this museum. Upon entering, I immediately felt his presence. Quotes by Roosevelt were spelled out on four grand walls in the foyer of the museum. Throughout the museum there stood memorials to him, especially the bronze statue of him casually sitting on a bench in rugged clothing with a pair of binoculars around his neck, which is placed in the center of a hall. The museum pointed out the great contribution, both financial and physical, that Roosevelt gave in order to preserve his own personal admiration for the natural world. It is thanks to him that so much of our own natural American landscape has been left untouched. He set around 230 million acres of land under federal protection. National parks such as Yosemite National Park exist thanks to him. I thought the museum was a noble memorial for an individual who contributed so much to this country.

Students will be glad to know that admission to the museum is free with a valid student ID, but you may choose to give a donation instead and still be welcome into the exhibitions.

I would recommend this museum to any avid biologists or historians because there is something for both parties. Either way, it makes for a full day of cultural imMatthewAdamski/TheMirror mersion.

Matthew Adamski poses in front of a whale.

while dating; contestants were not permitted to have any sexual contact for a month in order to win $100,000.

More recently, Netflix released the show “Bling Empire.” The show follows the wealthiWhether you’re quarantined alone for two weeks or cuddled up in your living room with your roommates, reality television is there for you. Everyone has a category of reality est Asian-American families in Los Angeles, Calif. as they throw elaborate parties, spark TV that they consider a guilty pleasure: dating shows, cook-offs, physical competitions or steamy romances and start a mountain of drama. It is perfect to put on in the background while you cook, clean or talk to your friends about your own lifestyle TV like “Jersey Shore” and “Teen Mom.” Whatever your niche is, there’s a mountain of drama. show for you to binge-watch this semester.

If dating shows aren’t for you, Netflix’s glass blowing comWith the rise of streaming serpetition, “Blown Away,” could cater more towards you. It challenges vices, they have become the best way expert glassblowers to create unique and intricate glass sculptures each for me to watch all my favorite shows. week. The final winner receives $60,000 worth of prizes. There are curNetflix has improved its reality TV choices, even rently two seasons available to watch on the streaming site. adding some original series. Last year’s infamous If you’re searching for a show that pushes contestants’ physicality and enshow that was extremely popular was “Love is Blind,” a durance, Netflix has added MTV’s “The Challenge” and the ultimate physically dating show where contestants were not allowed to see challenging competition, “Survivor.” You can also tune in every Thursday to watch the each other while they were getting to know one another.

36th season of “The Challenge” on MTV; reality TV alumni from shows like “Are You Also, another controversial love challenge, “Too Hot to Handle,” the One?,”“The Real World” and “Big Brother” team up in pairs and compete in extreme sparked conversation online about the importance of physical touch challenges with the end goal of $1 million in mind. If you have exhausted all your Netflix options, watched all the shows you could possibly binge, including the cringey Netflix originals, do not worry! Hulu is the reality TV hub.

Hulu uploads live television shows the day after they air on cable, so you can stay up to date with “The Bachelor” (if you stay off Twitter on Monday’s). Hulu has all our favorite shows like “Catfish,” “America’s Next Top Model,” “Shark Tank,” “Chopped” and “My 600-Lb. Life.” They also just added all 18 seasons of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” and on Feb. 16 you will be able to watch the most current episodes of the final season as well. Hulu breaks down their reality TV category into smaller segments, so it is easy to navigate to the shows you love the most.

However, if the amount of content on Hulu overwhelms you, I’ll give you some recommendations. No other dating show can compete with “Love Island UK,” especially season six. There are love triangles, scandals, couples you can live vicariously through and, of course, the English accents you can imitate even after you finish the series. Also, “1000-Lb. Sisters” is a must-watch. Two sisters, Amy and Tammy aim to lose enough weight to undergo a life changing surgery. Their weight loss journey is emotional, and you will find yourself getting invested in their day-to-day lives. They are also absolutely hilarious together. Finally, “American Ninja Warrior” will inspire you to create obstacle courses in your living room.

It is perfect for people who want a combination of athleticism and Photo Courtesy of @ kellymili Instagram humor in their reality TV. No matter what you land on, you can’t go wrong with clicking the reality TV tab on Netflix or Hulu!

Kelly Mi Li and Anna Shay from Netflix's "Bling Empire"

THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

The Vine

By Tyler Zikias Film Columnist Awards season is fast approaching for a year which felt like hardly any movies came out in the first place.

This is made clear when looking at the nominees for the 78th Golden Globe Awards, where some categories are packed with movies and performances that no one has heard of. Despite their many shortcomings in nominating deserving individuals and films this year, there are quite a few great films that were recognized this awards season.

“Minari” has come very close to being my favorite film of the year. It tells the story of a Korean family who moves to Arkansas to start a new life on a farm. The mother (Yeri Han) and father (Steven Yeun) have very different ideas of where they want the family to end up, while their daughter (Noel Cho) and son (Alan Kim) struggle with relating to their grandmother (Yuh-jung Youn).

The film doesn’t have a real direction, which I think is its biggest strength. It’s wrought with raw human interactions that reveal so much about the characters that inhabit this film. I felt like a fly on the wall watching this family navigate through their new life and the conflicts that arose along the way. It’s such a great film in the regard that it’s very simple and gets the most out of its script, location and characters. It’s one of those films, for me, that has been hyped up to an absurd degree, and while it didn’t completely knock my socks off, there was nothing about the movie that I didn’t like. “Minari” is currently nominated for best foreign-language film at the Golden Globes and is absolutely worth checking out.

Grade: A “Judas and the Black Messiah” is the latest Warner Brothers film to release in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously, and it tells the story of the Black Panther Party chairman, Fred Hampton, played perfectly by Daniel Kaluuya. The star of this show is Kaluuya, who delivers his greatest performance to date despite not having that much screen time. His speeches are booming and powerful, replicating those of the real Fred Hampton. There was a clip played at the end of the film with Hampton speaking, and I was shocked at how accurately Kaluuya embodied this

man. Action in the film is portrayed as brutal and violent, with nothing ever stylized. The film is gorgeous through its honesty, and the film’s messages remain relevant today.

The narrative is framed through the eyes of Bill O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield), an FBI informant who infiltrates Hampton’s group of Black Panthers, which I think is the film’s big-

By John Bizub Contributing Writer The days of the Sundance Film Festival have come to a close, and I want to thank Fairfield University for allowing me to attend the festival. It has been my dream for a very long time that I would be able to attend, even if it was all virtual. But...now let's get to the final movies I saw at the festival!

“Judas and the Black Messiah” Directed by Shaka King: This directorial debut from Shaka King follows an investigation into Fred Hampton and other Black Panther Party members. The film stars Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Standfield and Jesse Plemons, among others. “Judas and The Black Messiah” is more than a traditional biopic, as it acts more like a tragedy film. You witness the highs and lows of the group and the same highs and lows of their leader. My only issue with this film is that one side plotline felt a bit unnecessary to the film at large, and thus took away from the whole experience. However, this is a harrowing and thought-provoking film that will stay with me throughout the year. Kaluuya brings one of his best performances of the year, and it will be a shame if he is snubbed by the Academy. Standfield is also a notable highlight and thus deserves his own recognition.

9/10 “Prisoners of the Ghostland” Directed by Sion Sono: This is another wild and crazy film from Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono, though this is his first American feature. The film stars Nicholas Cage and Sofia Boutella, and it tells the story of a hero trying to rescue the governor’s daughter from being brainwashed. I am a big fan of this director’s “Love Exposure,” and thus, this was the most anticipated film of the festival for me. I enjoyed it, but I unfortunately was not completely ‘wowed’ by it. Cage is absolutely insane and has some hilarious moments, while Boutella brings a subtle, but great performance. The set design and costumes were fantastic, but the biggest issue was the script. It takes a bit to get going and does not reach the insane heights that Sono is known for until the final act. I did enjoy the world-building quite a bit, but at times the pacing dragged exponentially.

7/10 “In the Earth” Directed by Ben Wheatley: In this latest feature from acclaimed filmmaker Ben Wheatley, starring Joel Fry and Harley Squires, a researcher and team go out and find a mysterious entity in the woods and it's up to them to defeat it. This film was shot over the course of the pandemic last year. While I was interested in the first and third acts, the second act felt padded and at

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gest missed opportunity. I didn’t feel that the Panthers ever liked O’Neal very much, making his two-sided nature feel like an inconvenience most of the time. There is a scene where Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons), O’Neal’s advisor, talks about how he saw O’Neal at one of Hampton’s speeches and that O’Neal truly believed what Hampton was saying. While I understand what Mitchell meant, O’Neal’s actions in this particular scene don't feel earned.

A walk through history and a showcase for Daniel Kalyuua, “Judas” is stellar, despite its one major shortcoming.

Grade: B+ “One Night in Miami…” is Regina King’s adaptation of a stage play envisioning a night of conversation between Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Muhammed Ali and Jim Brown. This film is already at a disadvantage for me because I think it is very hard to adapt a play to film well. I was not a fan of Denzel Washington’s “Fences,” due to its lack of using the medium of film to its fullest form and seemingly all taking place in one backyard.

“One Night in Miami…” suffers in the same way with the majority of the film taking place in a single hotel room and a lot of its powerful dialogue being lost in a sea of familiarity. It doesn’t quite earn its stripes as a film and plays more like a filmed stage show.

That being said, I enjoyed the film more than I thought I would. The introduction to each character and the film’s ending were highlights for me, as they immediately set the tone for how African Americans were treated during this time period and how those of incredible talent looked to overcome it.

The main conflict comes from a debate between Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir) about what is best for their people, which is engaging for the most part. Every actor gives an exceptional performance and all have great chemistry together, really selling the fact that these legends were actual friends. I really wish “One Night in Miami…” had swung for the fences and pushed the medium further, but a solid base hit will do.

Grade: B

times boring. It does have a very psychedelic and crazy ending, but I wanted more in the middle portion.

The performances were fine and the editing choices were questionable, to say the least.

6/10 “Mayday” Directed by Karen Cinorre: In this directorial debut from Karen Cinorre, a strange storm haunts Ana (Grace Van Patten), and it is up to her and a group of soldiers to stop the things inside her.

This film has a fantastic performance from Mia Goth and some phenomenal set design, but there is not too much more to say about this film. It comes across similar to Zack Snyder’s “Sucker Punch,” but with little to say and nothing new to do.

“Mayday” is a film filled with promise and a unique set up and characters begging to be rooted for. However, I felt like this was borrowing from other films and felt too familiar at times!

5/10

THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

The Vine

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I n t e r v i e w S : A V I r t ua l V i cto r Y

By Grace Williams Contributing Writer

Interview season is upon us as many students are preparing for internship interviews or maybe even full-time job interviews. Whatever it is, there is no doubt that the interview process will certainly be different this year. Are you ready? Well, lucky for you, we have the perfect guide to prepare you for that Zoom interview and we know what to expect with some included special tips from Catherine Borgman of the Fairfield University Career Center.

To start off, Borgman has some words of wisdom for how to start preparing for your interview. “As for any interview, it is important to do your homework in advance by researching the organization and the position, know how your skills relate to the position and be able to articulate why you want the job,” she explains.

She goes on to say that, although Zoom interviews have obviously in-

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creased in popularity, they are probably here to stay. Therefore, there are some additional steps needed to prepare for a virtual interview.

One thing that should always be on your mind is what you’ll wear. Although most, if not all, interviews these days are being held on Zoom, the physical presentation of yourself is still important. Since the camera only shows your frame from the waist up, it’s your tophalf that becomes the most important aspect of your outfit. To look as put together and professional as possible, get out your best dress shirt, blouse or blazer!

Important tip: Make sure whatever you decide to wear is ironed and clean! Having stained or wrinkled clothing will show that you did not put much effort into looking appropriate for the interview.

Another important preparation aspect to think about is your background. You want to be in a space that is comfortable to you, but doesn’t have a very busy or distracting background to it. Borgman suggests that students can even book a private interview room in the Career Center.

It is important to make sure that your background is clean and organized and that the lighting is adequate. It is also important to account for and make sure that there are no distractions that could jeopardize the interview in this room. Make sure the room that you are in is quiet and calm and that your phone is turned on silent, or in another room completely.

Another important point of preparation is making sure that your laptop is positioned appropriately. Make sure that your camera is at eye level. You will also want to be mindful of looking into the camera while speaking to the interviewer and while listening to them (don’t get too close, of course).

Important tip: Log onto the call about 10 minutes early to make sure that there are no technical issues with your device or the platform the interview will be taking place on.

One last tip from the Career Center here on campus to crush that interview is to just be yourself ! Smile and extend a warm greeting to the person who is interviewing you. Also, express gratitude for the opportunity at the end of the interview, as they have taken time out of their day to give you this opportunity. You should also take notes because they may help you later on if you move onto the next round of interviewing or if you land the job.

This might seem like a lot, but if you keep all of this in mind and really prepare for your interview, there is no doubt that you will succeed.

If you want to practice your video interview skills anytime you want, go to https:// fairfield.interviewstream.com and create an account using your student email.

The University Career Center is also offering a Virtual Interview Prep (VIP) Day on Feb. 24 at 1:00 p.m. You can select the employer and a 30-minute time slot that works best for you! Each practice interview will consist of 20 minutes for the interview, followed by time for feedback. Check your email for the invitation to participate as space is limited.

Happy interviewing!

I n k w e l l Sp ot l i g h t : H o w to B r e a k a Ru t

By Nathan Schmidt Inkwell Contributor

Step 1: Stuck in a rut? Freshen up the house. Buy a cute decoration that complements your living room’s colors.

Step 2: No money for decorations? Get together with your friends on Zoom and use a virtual wallpaper.

Step 3: No friends online? Kick your exercise routine up a notch. Go for a short walk today — and try to walk at least as far tomorrow.

Step 4: Low energy? Focus on your sleep schedule.

Limit your phone time before bed.

Step 5: No money for a smartphone? Save on money by cutting all that avocado toast out of your diet.

Step 6: No money for avocado toast? Try being a little less smarmy. Your parents raised you better than this.

Step 7: No parents? At this point, there’s a non-zero chance that you’re Batman, in which case you should have plenty of money to spare.

Step 8: No sense of self-identity? This particular problem is unsolvable. Stick with being Batman.

Step 9: And you’re done! Enjoy the new, rut-free version of you!

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THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

Coffee Break

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

Movies Word Search T h e C o f f e e B r e a k Te a m h a s p u t t o g e t h e r a w o r d s e a r c h o f m o v i e s / d o c u m e n t a r i e s t h a t y o u s h o u l d check out! A mix of some classics, some new movies and some all time greats! All of these titles are available right now on Netflix or Hulu! Be sure to check back next week for more!

- El Camino

- Shrek

- Goodfellas

- Gemini Man

- The Founder

- Transformers

- Look Mom I Can Fly

- Terminator Dark Fate

- Miracle

- Parasite

- Inception

- Superbad

- Sherlock Holmes

- Rocketman

- Bee Movie

- Bolt

- Deadpool

- Chasing Coral

- Night At The Museum

Creative Commons /Flickr

Puzzlemaker / Discovery Education

Opinion: The Name of “Johns Hopkins University” Implies There is One True John Hopkin

By Nathan Schmidt I’ve done it. I’ve cracked the code. The private institution called Johns Hopkins University, located in Baltimore, Md., is actually proof of a secret religious miracle. The miracle is this: There is one true John Hopkin, and he is the one who will save us all.

The concept boils down to an Aristotelian argument of form. In order for there to be multiple Johns Hopkins already in existence, there must be a form — an underlying concept of a single, perfect John Hopkin. This is a singular truth. And what is the motto of Johns Hopkins University? Veritas vos liberabit: The truth will set you free. In order for the truth to have the agency to set anyone free, like the truth of John Hopkin, it must be more than a concept. It must be real!

There is no limit to the implications of this theory. Yes, Johns Hopkins University is proof of the one true savior of our time, John Hopkin. But the explosion of truth has spread across the universities of our country. Princeton University implies the existence of a prince and therefore a princess; therefore a United States royal family. University of California Berkeley is proof that no matter where you live, you can see California with your very own eyes. Slippery Rock University is proof that we’ve long since run out of good university names.

And even our very own Fairfield University is proof, by negation, of the existence of an Unfairfield University, a dark mirror image of our school where only grad students are allowed to ride the stag statue.

Now we must put our faith in the one true John Hopkin. Mark my words: He will come in our hour of need, or my name isn’t Nathans Schmidts.

Stagnation is a satirical newspaper on campus, be sure to check them out!

Creative Commons /Flickr

SPORTS Sports

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

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THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

This week, in Mirror history...

Photo Taken From The Mirror Archives

-

In this week's issue...

St. Peter's Slams Men's Basketball (Page 14) Women's Basketball Goes 0-2 In Hamden (Page 15) Re: Title Town Flies South For Winter (Page 15) Stag Spotlight: Alexa Brown of Women's Golf (Page 16)

Sports

Page 14

THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

St. Peter's Slams Men's Basketball

By Zachary Stevens Contributing Writer The Fairfield University men’s basketball team traveled to Jersey City, N.J. this past weekend, where they faced a tough Saint Peter’s University squad in a double header on Saturday, Feb. 13 and Sunday, Feb. 14.

Coming into the matchup, the Stags had a record of 4-13 overall and 4-8 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, while the Peacocks are on a much different path, with a record of 9-6 overall and 6-4 in the conference.

Having just won a big game against Quinnipiac University last week on Monday, Feb. 8, the Stags looked to build on that momentum and win back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Saint Peter’s would surely be no pushover, as the Peacocks have one of the best defenses in the MAAC and an elite shot blocker in KC Ndefo ‘22, guaranteeing an exciting series for basketball fans.

On Saturday, Feb. 13 the Stags opened the game with shooting troubles, scoring only five points in the first 10 minutes of the game and shooting about 20 percent from the field.

Although the Stags struggled offensively as a team, defensive intensity allowed them to tie the game at halftime, 17-17, credit to Taj Benning ‘21 who had 10 first half points and tied the game with a big three-pointer at the end of the half with four seconds remaining.

The second half proved to be much more promising for the Stags, as they kept their defensive pressure, holding the Peacocks to 32 percent from the field and 11 percent from the three-point line.

Along with defense, the Stags took Saint Peter’s best player, Ndefo, completely out of the game. This gave Chris Maidoh ‘23 the opportunity to dominate the inside, scoring 13 points and collecting seven rebounds.

Benning also carried his commendable first half performance into the second, finishing with 20 points and hitting clutch shots to keep the Stags within striking distance.

The Stags took the lead with two minutes and 34 seconds remaining, at 48-46, where they went on a 8-2 run.

This was finished off by Jake Wojcik ‘22, who sank a three-pointer to ice the game and give Saint Peter’s their first home loss since early January, falling short with a five-point deficit.

Fairfield came away with a 55-50 victory to create a two-game win streak going into the second leg of their trip.

The Stags looked to sweep the Peacocks on Sunday, Feb. 14, just a day after their big win against St. Peter’s the night before. Fairfield, unlike the night prior, started out swinging, taking an early 10-8 lead with 13:27 left in the first half.

The Peacocks then answered and applied defensive pressure along with offensive cohesiveness, that was too much for the Stags to handle. Led by star player Ndefo, who scored 13 points in the first 20 minutes of play, the Peacocks went into the half-time break with a 13 point lead at 22-35.

The beginning of the second half was working out in favor of the Stags, as they started to chip away at their shortcoming, going on a 14-7 run that brought the game within six points with 12 minutes remaining.

The Stags’ hope of a comeback was quickly squashed by Saint Peter’s ability to

force turnovers and bad shots. Alongside the defensive willingness, Ndefo finished the game with a career high 20 points, where he and the Peacocks looked themselves again.

Wojcik led the stags with 15 points, 3-3 from the field on 50 percent shooting. Ndefo led the Peacocks with 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Although the 66-49 outcome in favor of the home-team was disappointing for the Stags, they still have another six games to prove themselves before the 2021 MAAC Championship tournament scheduled for the week of March 8.

The Stags played two games against a very tough Saint Peter’s squad, who is not only one of the best defensive teams in the MAAC, but also one of the best shooting teams.

Coming away with a win will give the Stags a lot of confidence. When Fairfield is playing their best defense, they have a chance to beat anyone in the conference, we saw that with their win on Feb. 13.

“Our defense kept us around in the first half, it could have been a blowout, something much worse, so our defense was able to keep us around and we were able to keep it tight, luckily,” said Coach Young following Saturday’s game.

Defense is a part of Young’s identity, which is why the Stags have invested so deeply in his system. If they can fix their offensive struggles, the Stags will finish their season strong and on a positive note.

The Stags now have a record of 5-13 overall, and 5-8 in the MAAC. Fairfield’s next opponent will be Canisius College, where they will host the Golden Griffins at Alumni Hall on Feb. 19 at 5:00 p.m.

Photo Contributed by the Sports Information Desk

Wojcik '22 amassed 25 points in the two games the Stags played against St. Peter's University.

Weekly 4x5

Arenas in New York are welcoming fans. Would you attend an event during COVID?

If he wants to have a few drinks To finally have an assistant. to celebrate being one of the Welcome to sports, Thomas! greatest to ever play, then who cares? He’s a grown man and was on his own boat, so let him enjoy himself.

I had a delicious dinner and watched “Master Chef.” It doesn’t get better than that!

If it was safe to do so, I would LOVE to see the Rangers play this season.

Well, it created a new SNL character for Beck Bennett, “Drunk Tom Brady,” so that’s fun!

I am just so excited to see where the new staff will take The Mirror next!

Playa Bowls in the morning, 16 Handles at night….what more do I need to say?

Yes!! As long as it’s safe though.

The Bruins play the Rangers five more times this season, and I would be so happy if I could go to one of those games!

Hopefully it won’t be too Sheila McCombs bad...I have some faith in the Managing Editor new testing policies!

I think if I won the Super Bowl, I would also want to be allowed to celebrate on a boat in Florida in peace!

I am so excited to finally get to meet some of the contributing writers, who are now editors, in person!

I had brunch with all of my galentines and then we played Rom-Com roulette to pick a movie to watch!

I would give a kidney to go to Citifield and see a Mets game!

Sitting in the bleachers in the sun with a Diet Coke and a $12 hot dog sounds magical!

Surge is probably a bit of a stretch, as I think the people Molly Lamendola not following COVID guidelines now weren’t following Vine Editor them during study-in-place, but I bet they go up.

I just like the end of the 2007 film “The Game Plan,” directed

by Andy Fickman.

So many new ideas and new Homework lol. eyes! The Mirror is going to be a lot of fun!

Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor

Catherine Santangelo Editor-in-Chief

What do you think of Brady’s over-indulgence this week following his Super Bowl Win?

They will definitely go up, but the newly instated weekly mandatory testing is a great move by the University.

I think we will definitely see a rise in cases, but hopefully not as bad as last semester now that we have weekly testing in place.

Julia Lanzillotta, Catherine Santangelo, Sheila McCombs and Molly Lamendola How did you celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Because we have witty things to say ...

Do you think that cases will surge following the study-inplace order being lifted?

Your 2020-2021 4x5 Columnists:

What are you most excited about with the hiring of the new staff ?

Probably not. I like staying home in pajamas too much.

Sports

THE MIRROR | Week of February 17, 2021

Page 15

Women's Basketball Goes 0-2 In Hamden

By Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor, Executive Editor

points, and just behind her was Rose Caverly ‘22 with 18 points to the game.

Unfortunately, the Stags couldn’t keep up with the home-team and they were outscored by the Bobcats in the fourth and final quarter, 23-18, sealing their fate as the losing-team with a score of 67-55.

The Connecticut schools faced each other the following day at the same time, to finish off the weekend-long rivalry. Unlike the day prior, the Stags failed to show strength early on. In the first period of play alone, Quinnipiac managed to amass a score over twice that of Fairfield, 14-6. Two minutes and 40 seconds into the second quarter, the Stags kicked it into high gear with a 6-0 run, but Quinnipiac took a timeout to reconvene and returned to play rejuvenated.

They stole away with a whopping 12-0 surge, leaving Fairfield with a lot of ground to make up.

They would fail to even come close, and unfortunately the Stags left Hamden having experienced their first sweep of the 2020-21 season. It’s no shock that LopezSenechal was once again at the top of the leaderboards, with 17 points, more than any of her teammates. Rookie guard Janelle Brown had six points and six rebounds, while Armstrong had eight points and 10 total rebounds, with Hernangomez not too far behind with six points and eight rebounds.

One thing to note is the sloppiness of Fairfield in terms of turnovers. They racked up 26 total turnovers, and 23 of those led to successful scoring for the opposing team. Perhaps fatigue was to blame for their less than commendable performance, but the Stags have a four-day break before their next game day on Wednesday, Feb. 17 against Iona College (4-7, 3-5 MAAC).

Fairfield’s record now stands at 7-4 (6-3 MAAC) while Quinnipiac’s pair of wins brings their record to a commendable 11-5 (9-3 MAAC), notching them in second place in the MAAC. Fairfield is currently fifth in the conference and has another five games on the schedule before the 2021 MAAC Championship tournament which is slated to begin on Monday, March 8.

After a four day break, the Fairfield University women’s basketball team hit the court to take on their interstate rivals for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference matchup in Hamden, Conn. They were coming off of a narrow win, 67-61, against St. Peter’s University the previous Monday, and looked to keep the momentum going. The Stags faced the Quinnipiac University Bobcats for a two-game road trip starting on Friday, Feb. 12 and ending on Saturday, Feb. 13.

For Friday afternoon’s game, Quinnipiac’s Mackenzie Dewees ‘22 started out the scoring, sinking a pair of free throws awarded by a foul on Fairfield’s Sam Lewis, who is a graduate student. Lewis responded with a three-pointer to take the upper-hand for her team, and this marginal lead only widened as the first half progressed. One shot at a time, the Bobcats fought to chip away at Fairfield’s advantage and by the half-time whistle, the score was tied at 25.

Out of the gate in the third quarter, Quinnipiac came back with a vengeance, and went on a 7-2 run, from which Fairfield would never come back. However, this is not to say that they did not fight until the final buzzer to come back. Notable effort was made by three Stags in particular, who managed to keep the score close throughout the match. Lou Lopez-Senechal ‘22 was on fire, tallying 20 points for the Stags.

Furthermore, of her 17 field goal attempts, she made nine of them, with a field goal percentage of .529. Redshirt senior Katie Armstrong and Andrea Hernangomez ‘22 also broke into double-digits, with 12 and 13 points respectively.

In addition, Hernangomez led the stags in rebounds, with eight for the afternoon.

On the rival side, Quinnipiac’s Dewees notched a double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds), while Mikala Morris ‘23 was dynamite offensively, with 19 total Photo Contributed by the Sports Information Desk

Lou Lopez-Senechal '22 scored a total of 37 points this past weekend against the Quinnipiac University Bobcats.

Re: Title Town Flies South For Winter

By Thomas Coppola Staff Writer

In the undoubtedly uncertain times of the fall season of 2020, lots of things were happening at once; masked first-year students were rolling carts of belongings into their new home, professors made final touches to their hybrid lesson plans and the Fairfield University community finally began to see some familiar faces that they missed all too dearly since the middle of March 2020. In this makeshift reopening of the community, other notable organizations began to open their doors as well; more specifically, professional sports began to take shape once again.

In an opinion article published by The Mirror last September, I predicted that we would see the current “Title Town” of Boston move down south, more specifically to the Tampa area of Florida. I wrote that I thought each of Tampa’s professional teams would take home their own championship this year. After a few months have passed, let’s take a look at how close my prediction was!

In the past, Boston sports teams have been notorious for racking up numerous professional sports championships.

According to Sports Blog Nation, the New England Patriots have won three Super Bowl championships since 2015, being the most recent National Football League dynasty we have seen.

Aside from the dominant Patriots, the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association have both made their respective runs for the title in recent memory, with the Bruins hauling in the Stanley Cup in 2011.

The Boston Red Sox of Major League

Baseball have proved to be very productive lately, winning the World Series twice in the last decade, with the most recent being 2018, according to Sports Illustrated.But, that all began to change with the commencement of the MLB competition, where the Tampa Bay Rays made it to the 2020 World Series finals. Unfortunately, the series ended up being taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers, even though the Rays possessed one of the best records in the league: 40 wins and 20 losses out of 60 total games, according to Baseball Reference.

The Rays proved that they can compete with the big dogs of the league, something they have failed to show their city in past years. In my opinion, the Rays are here to stay; we will undoubtedly be seeing success from this team in the near future.

Strangely enough, lightning seems to strike twice in Tampa. So began the abbreviated NHL season, where the Tampa Bay Lightning rid themselves of their usual lack of playoff luck and defeated the Dallas Stars in just six games to win the Stanley Cup Championship. This is the first championship the city of Tampa has

seen in almost two decades; the first time a Tampa Bay sports team won a championship was the 2002 Buccaneers, according to Fox Sports. Besides 2020, though, the last championship occurred in 2004 with the Lightning winning their first franchise title.

Arguably the most impressive of feats, however, is the seemingly out-of-nowhere success of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With off-season acquisitions of superstar quarterback Tom Brady, elite running back Leonard Fournette and the breakout play of young weapons like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the Bucs were poised for a Super Bowl season.

When I wrote about the Buccaneers last fall, I believed they had something special that they never had in decades.

After this past weekend’s showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Brady bunch ended up proving the doubters wrong and proving my guess just about right.

To reiterate, I predicted that each of the three Tampa Bay sports teams would collect themselves a championship in what I called the “near future,” which I saw as three to five years. However, two out of the three teams were able to get it done this year, and the only one left behind (those poor Rays) will almost certainly find their groove within just a couple of seasons.

This is not the end of the road for the Lightning and Buccaneers, though; they will definitely go far into the playoffs next year and possibly repeat their success over again.

So, I was pretty close in my prediction. This winter, “Title Town” nestled into its new tropical getaway in Tampa, and it just might stay awhile.

Photo Courtesy of @Buccaneers on Instagram Photo Courtesy of @TBLightning Photo Courtesy @RaysBaseball Creative Commons/Pikist

Two out of the three professional sports teams in Tampa Bay, Fla., namely the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL) brought home championship titles this season.

SPORTS 16 Stag Spotlight: Alexa Brown of Women's Golf @Fairfield Mirror

Week of February 17, 2021

fairfieldmirror.com

Brown has also been looking forward to the team’s travel plans for the upcoming semester. The team hopes to begin playing smaller tournaments beginning in mid-March, before heading south for the 2021 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ChampionBeing the only senior on the Fairfield University women’s golf team has led Alexa ship.

Brown to take on extra responsibility this season, especially given the ongoing pandemic “We just found out the news that we will hopefully be playing in Disney [World] that continues to challenge the Athletics Department. come April,” Brown said, referring to the 2021 MAAC Championship. “It was definitely With the position of captain, Brown aims to set a good great news because we were not expecting it, but we’re example by arriving at each practice on time, as well as being also focusing on not getting our hopes up knowing it can a valuable resource to the other team members by answering change.” any questions they may have.

The hope of playing for a MAAC title this April has “It’s definitely different not having someone your age on given the golf team something to work for this semesthe team,” Brown said, referring to her seniority on the team. ter.

“But we do have one junior [Riley Sullivan]. She’s my co-cap“With no tournaments last semester, there wasn’t tain and we’re best friends.” something specific to look forward to,” Brown explained.

With the lack of traveling for tournaments and practices “But this gives us something to work toward.” being canceled, Brown outlined that it has been challenging In preparation for the championship, the men’s and to fully bond with the first-years. As captain, she has made an women’s golf teams have started both lift and practice for effort to keep communication open with the younger playthe spring semester. Brown is happy to get back to pracers through Zoom calls and group chats, but there are some tice for the season, but she is most excited to get the team aspects of team building that are better suited for in-person. back together.

As the spring season begins, she hopes that these bonds will “I can’t imagine not being a student-athlete,” Brown become stronger and the distance between the players will said. “My experience has been shaped around being part lessen. of a team and representing the University.”

Aside from team building, the lack of routine has also She has been part of a golf team for all four years been a challenge presented by COVID-19. Prior to the panof college, having played for Central Connecticut State demic, Brown’s athletic routine was packed with four hours University her first year, before transferring to Fairfield of practice each day, lifting twice a week, conditioning, team University to continue her athletic journey. yoga and frequent tournaments.

Brown would advise any student looking to join an Now, the team is required to attend one mandatory lift athletic team during the pandemic to continue working and conditioning session throughout the week and aims to hard. While the pandemic has forced college as a whole practice every day. However, practices are often left up in the to change, Brown emphasizes the importance of staying air between contact tracing and the recent snow storms. engaged with the school and present in the social life that Brown described how the constant changes to their is available at college. schedule have been difficult to those who are used to having “They should know that upperclassmen always a structured routine. As a way of combating these changes, Photo Contributed by the Sports Information Desk have their back,” Brown said, addressing future studentthe team has worked especially hard on their communication, athletes. “And they should know that we are working Brown played in six tournaments in the 2019-2020 season. ensuring all team members are kept up to date. to give them the experience we were lucky enough to have While the pandemic has not made anything easier for the pre-COVID.” golf team, Brown still tries to look at the positives. “It forced us to work a little harder and Brown is happy to announce that she has accepted her extra year of eligibility find ways around the changes,” Brown said. “It’s hard, but I think it’s a unique position to granted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and will be returning to Fairfield be in.” next fall to continue playing golf while pursuing her Master’s Degree in social work.

By Nicole Maher Contributing Writer

Photo Contributed by the Sports Information Desk

Alexa Brown is the only senior on the Fairfield University women's golf team and has accepted her extra year of National Collegiate Athletic Association eligibility to play again next year.