Fairfield Mirror 9/30/2020

THE MIRROR Independent student newspaper

Week of September 30, 2020

Vol. 46 Iss. 3

COVID Cases Continue to Climb on Campus

By Danielle Sondgeroth tives.”

News Editor Self-testing may be safer for the This past week of health professionals testing yielded 19 new, involved, but it’s positive tests. 27 students likely that a large are isolated on campus in portion of students the Conference Cenare not performter. Nine students have ing the nasal swab been cleared to return correctly. It’s easy for to campus. Fairfield still students to not insert remains in Code Yellow, the swab properly or keeping the regulations far enough up their and policies previously nasal cavity, which implemented last week in could lead to skewed, place, including the new and even false, inter-residential guest results. The nasal policy and the “grab and swabs used for the go” dining requirement. tests are considerably Some students smaller than swabs seem troubled by the used in hospitals and rise in COVID-19 cases urgent care centers on campus over the past Data compiled from the Fairfield University COVID-19 Dashboard by Danielle Sondand aren’t able to be few weeks. In fact, some geroth. inserted as far into students believe that Fairsaid. “There are colleges and universities across the nose. field isn’t doing enough to America that test 100 percent of the student Concerns about Fairfield’s COVID-19 curb the spread of the virus, despite its current population each week, and Fairfield has the safety measures seem to be skyrocketing due efforts. funds for that.” to the spike in cases over the past couple of Schools all over the country have been Kathryn Kalaigian ‘21 is similarly worried weeks. Students are frustrated at the behavior testing a larger portion of the student populaabout the fact that not every student has been of some that has contributed to this spike. Most tion each week, with some schools even testing tested yet. of the cases on campus can be traced back to the entire student body. At Yale University, “I do wish there was more frequent testisolated incidents and specific groups of people both undergraduate and graduate students are ing on campus. I know many students who still that have spread the virus to their roommates required to get tested for COVID-19 twice per haven’t been tested, even though we’ve been here and friends. COVID-19 cases have also been week, especially if they are living in high-densifor a month now, which is a bit concerning. We prevalent in sports teams across campus, since ty dorms.

Junior Brianna VanDermark is concerned shouldn’t have to seek testing elsewhere in order players come into close contact with each other to rid ourselves of our anxieties,” she said. during practice and often spend time together about the amount of students that are randomly Aside from the small sample size tested outside. tested each week.

“As for the increasing number of cases, “I think Fairfield needs to be testing more each week, students are also concerned about the methods used to test students.

Instead of I think that it’s partially everyone’s fault,” said of the student population,” she said. “[Other experienced nurses and doctors administering Drake. “I personally believe that all athletic schools] are testing every student each week. I tests, students are required to self-administer activity should be halted because it is the teams understand that’s expensive, but from a public their own COVID-19 nasal swab. This is a cause who are spreading the virus. Because of their health standpoint, it is a better way to track the for concern, especially for Anwen Su, ‘21. lack of masks during practices and when they’re COVID-19 spread.” “[Self testing] bothers me because a lot hanging out with each other, the virus is easily VanDermark is not alone in this sentiof people probably won’t do it right. Nobody caught and spread to other students. It makes ment. Kaitlyn Drake ‘23 is also wary of Fairwants to have something shoved up their nose, the most sense to shut down sports so that field’s low testing numbers. and we’re not trained in testing,” Su said. “It’s everyone else can be safe.”

“I personally think Fairfield isn’t testing good that we have twice weekly testing, but we enough. We need to have, at the very least, 30 should have professionals testing us. Because of Read COVID on Page Three percent of the population tested each week,” she self-testing, we likely have a lot of false nega-

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COVID-19 Guidelines

Opinion Fairfield must strengthen its COVID-19 regulations to keep students safe.

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Art of the Yard Sale

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Professionals in the Pandemic

FUSA Poses New Parking Petition

By Catherine Santangelo Editor-in-Chief “I’m currently unemployed and my work study documents are delaying me from working on campus. I commute everyday and only have enough money for gas and food at school since I don’t have a meal swipe. It’s been hard to get a job, and it’s not getting easier with my school schedule being busy and the pandemic. Also, all of my classes, except for one, required a book of some sort, and I have yet to buy all of them. It’s already difficult to manage so having to add the parking pass to that would be extremely stressful. It needs to be reduced,” said an anonymous commuter student.

COVID-19 has negatively impacted so many people financially, and this is just one example of how it has impacted a Fairfield University commuter student.

The Fairfield University Student Association sent out an email on Sept. 22 about a petition that has been formed by FUSA, the Commuter Students Association and the Beach Residents Advocacy Group to request that the Department of Public Safety and the Parking Office reduce the parking fee for commuter and beach students. The current fee for a parking pass on campus is $150, and the petition requests that it “be reduced by at least half for commuter and beach students for the 2020-2021 academic year.”

In less than 24 hours of releasing the petition, it had already received over 800 signatures.

Due to the effects of COVID-19, many people’s source of income has been seriously and negatively impacted, and as the petition says, “the price of the parking pass fee is intensifying their serious financial circumstances.”

Many expected the price of parking to go down due to COVID-19, but it has remained at the same price.

“This fight about reducing the parking fees has been ongoing since before I got here,” said Katherine Samonek ‘23, a commuter peer assistant who was involved in the creation of the petition. “It is gravely disappointing that this ongoing issue has continued to affect commuter

students, financially and mentally, with no attempt to resolve.”

Samonek and others involved in this petition have been in communication with DPS and the Parking Office to attempt to reduce the price, but they found out that DPS and the Parking Office do not actually have control over what the price of the parking pass is, nor do they have the authority to change it. However, they did mention two arguments as to why the price cannot be reduced.

The first reason that DPS and the Parking Office gave was that parking is not mandatory for students, and therefore students can choose to not have their cars on campus, which will save them from spending the money on a parking pass. Samonek and other commuters were not pleased with this reasoning.

“Parking has never been optional for commuters,” Samonek said. “This is a necessity for us, not a luxury.

To attend the classes we have already paid for, we need to pay an additional fee to get to them.”

As the petition also states, “commuter and beach students, who have no other choice but to pay this fee in order to attend classes on campus, are being unfairly burdened by this price.”

Sports Deputy director of Athletics shows that sports professionals can excel during the pandemic.

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Catherine Santangelo/The Mirror

Read Parking on Page Two

Parking lot B-2 is outside of the Barnyard Manor townhouses.

News

THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

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Students Advocate for Reduced Parking Fees on Fairfield’s campus.

“Commuters are being ignored...pushed to the side. We want to be addressed regularly,” Samonek said.

Feeling a sense of community on campus is highly important for a college student, but of the about 260 commuter students at Fairfield, not including beach resident commuters, many express that they do not feel very integrated into the Fairfield community.

“We pay for the same quality of education, so we shouldn’t be treated differently,” one commuter student shared.

Many experiences in college revolve around the idea that most students live on campus. For example, when introducing yourself on the first day of class, many professors will ask you to share where you live on campus.

A commuter student shared that this type of interaction immediately makes them feel separate from everyone else just because they live at home or at another off-campus location. Commuters are often left out of the equation in many respects.

On campus tours of Fairfield University, Samonek explained that the commuter lounge is not included as a stopping location during the tour, which causes many students, even commuter students, to not know where it is located or that it even exists in the first place. To commuters, the absence of showing the commuter lounge on tours enforces the idea that they are not as recognized on campus.

Commuters are looking to be more seen and integrated on campus, especially amidst COVID-19, and this could start with reducing the price of parking passes.

As described in the petition, “significantly reducing the parking pass fee for commuter and beach students will Molly Lamendola/The Mirror give these students a much-needed sense of relief, while Students work in the commuter lounge in the lower level of the John A. Barone Campus Center. conveying to them that the University is here to support of money for a parking pass that resident students pay, yet them and their academic endeavors during this challenging they are only coming on campus a limited amount of time Continued from Page One time.” throughout the week.

Registration of vehicles on campus had to be com“Due to the virus, I barely have to commute to The other argument that DPS and the Parking Ofpleted by Sept. 25 through a new online platform. This new campus. I take night classes from 6:30-9:00 p.m. two days a fice gave was that Fairfield charges much less for parking no-contact registration system requires students to scan week. During these times, the parking lots are widely availcompared to other institutions. For example, Sacred Heart their student IDs, as well as vehicle registrations, into an apable. I shouldn’t have to pay an outrageous fee for parking on plication and the application must be approved by the ParkUniversity charges their resident students $250 for a parking campus for a combined total of five hours per week - in an pass for the whole year. ing Office. Once it is approved, students pay for their pass Although Fairfield’s parking pass fee is $100 less, SHU empty parking lot,” one commuter student explained. online and then the parking sticker is put into their student A major complaint from commuters about how this only charges commuter students $30 for a parking pass each mailbox located in the John A. Barone Campus Center. Since year, whereas Fairfield commuters have to pay the same $150 parking fee issue has been handled is that they feel forced to the deadline for vehicle registration has already passed, it is pay the parking fee because the University seems to be run fee that residential students pay. There is no separate fee for unknown how this petition will be received by DPS and the commuters and beach residents. Even after paying the fee for “like a business, it’s not personal.”

Parking Office, and what changes may come from it for this While speaking with Samonek about this issue, it a parking pass, it does not guarantee students a parking spot academic year. If this petition is supported enough for actual became clear that there is a bigger issue at the heart of this on campus. action to occur, Samonek hopes that the parking fee can stay fight to reduce the parking fee, and it revolves around how This reasoning was also not well-received by comreduced even after COVID-19, to assist those who are still the commuter community feels overlooked and ostracized muter students because they are paying the same amount struggling financially during this time.

News

THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

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Students Fear COVID Spike Continued from Page One

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

9/21 5:06 p.m.

An incident of harassment was reported. A No Contact Order was issued and the case was referred to the Title IX director.

9/22 9:58 a.m.

A delivery truck accidentally struck the checkpoint near the North Benson Road entrance. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the operator of the vehicle had a previous warrant out and was arrested by the Fairfield Police Department.

9/26 1:08 a.m.

A vehicle on campus was observed operating erratically.

The vehicle was stopped, but the driver refused to produce identification. A Criminal Trespass Warning was issued and the vehicle and vehicle operator were escorted off of campus.

9/27 12:42 a.m.

A student was found in possession of narcotics; they were referred to student conduct.

1:26 a.m.

There was a report of a student taunting other students outside of Loyola Hall. The individual was identified and referred to student conduct.

Students are also frustrated at Fairfield’s supposed lack of transparency. Despite the COVID-19 dashboard updated on Fairfield’s website each week, some students believe that the University still isn’t providing enough information.

The University has hosted webinars about COVID-19 data in previous weeks after test results, but students feel that they should have had access to the discussed information much sooner.

“What is concerning is Fairfield’s lack of transparency,” said VanDermark. “For example, they were housing isolatstudents in the Holiday Inn in Bridgeport. This is fine; howthis change until this Friday, even though students have been it is unclear if the students who test positive while isolating at positive test numbers.”

Drake agrees with VanDermark’s statement.

“It’s the fault of the University if they are not releasing all of the information that they could be,” she said.

Overall, students seem most concerned about being sent home due to the rise in cases, and most students are unaware of how close the University is to going fully remote for the rest of the semester.

“My main concern at this point would be that Fairfield sends us home when the cases are out of control and most of us have been exposed [to the virus]. At that point, every student would be putting their families and communities at risk,” VanDermark said.

Some students are even advocating for the University to go completely online now to prevent further infection, including Aarushi Vijay ‘22.

“I can’t really say much about the measures being taken by Fairfield, but the best one is to shift entirely online before more students’ lives are affected by [the virus],” she said.

Overall, concern seems to be the most common sentiment among the student body as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Students are hopeful that the spread of the virus will be curbed and reduced as the semester goes on, but Fairfield remains uncertain in the wake of this deadly disease.

By Danielle Sondgeroth News Editor

Incorporated 1977

Catherine Santangelo, Editor-in-Chief Julia Lanzillotta, Executive Editor Sheila McCombs, Managing Editor Editors Colleen Vann, Chief Copy Danielle Sondgeroth, News Maria DiGregorio, Opinion Molly Lamendola, Vine Julia Lanzillotta, Sports Tristan Cruz, Coffee Break

September is National Recovery Month, and during this month, a variety of prevention and recovery programs from all over the country share success stories and information in order to raise awareness for recovery programs, as well as those who are in recovery or have recovered from substance abuse.

Substance abuse is a serious and real issue that affects millions of people every year, and often goes hand in hand with mental illness. According to the American Addiction Centers, “eight and a half million American adults suffered from both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, or co-occurring disorders” in 2017.

In the midst of the deadly epidemic of substance abuse and addiction, Fairfield University maintains programs for students on their journey to recovery.

Lisa Arnold is the clinical director of the Collegiate Recovery Program at Fairfield University. Now in its eighth year, the recovery program provides young men who have suffered from substance abuse with the opportunity to combine their recovery with receiving a higher education.

Substance abuse awareness is raised through programs like the Collegiate Recovery Program and through National Recovery Month as a whole. Arnold believes that

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National Recovery Month Comes to a Close

By Catherine Santangelo Editor-in-Chief

THE MIRROR

ed ever, they didn’t tell us about there for over a week. Additionally, home are being counted in the school’s

Courtesy of fairfield.edu

National Recovery Month is important “in order to educate Americans that substance abuse treatment and mental health services can enable those who are struggling with addiction to lead healthy and rewarding lives.”

Fairfield University offers compassionate and supportive treatment to victims of substance abuse through the Collegiate Recovery Program. Members live in a separate, cape-style house within walking distance of the University.

Arnold says that this housing “provides students in recovery with all of the support and guidance they need to navigate their recovery programs, while also attending college.”

The program administers regular on-site drug screenings and breathalyzer tests to its members to ensure their sobriety and subsequent recovery.

The members of this program are also kept active through a variety of sober activities to assist them in their recovery.

“There is a recreational component, with sober trips including skiing, boating, golfing, retreats and many other activities that the residents may choose to attend,” Arnold mentioned.

The recovery program also promotes community service and involvement to go along with Fairfield’s service tradition. Members of the program can participate in service programs both on campus and in the local community.

Members of the recovery program participate in a 12step program modeled after Ignatian spirituality, promoting the health and wellness of the mind, body and spirit. That program is facilitated by the house manager, Brian Dolan.

Dawn DeBiase, the director of the Social Work Masters Program, is an academic support advisor for the members of the recovery program, providing additional support.

The Collegiate Recovery Program is very important to the Fairfield community because it both helps those who are on their journey to recovery, and spreads awareness about substance abuse and mental health.

“By providing an education, resources and community connection, Fairfield University is changing the trajectory of recovering students’ lives. We carry this vision and commitment to foster and support those in recovery who seek a higher education throughout National Recovery Month, and every day of the year,” Arnold said.

Arnold is proud of the Collegiate Recovery Program and the work that has been done for those suffering with substance abuse.

“We are now in the 31st year of celebrating the gains made by those in recovery, promoting and supporting treatment and multiple pathways of recovery, the emergence of a strong and proud recovery community and the dedication of service providers and community members across the nation who make recovery in all of its forms possible,” Arnold said.

News

THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

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Faculty Spotlight: Sue Victor

By Molly Lamendola Vine Editor

Molly Lamendola/The Mirror

Sue Victor works as the operations assistant for enrollment management.

If there’s anything positive that has happened in our society within the last year, it has been our long overdue refocusing on unsung heroes - those that aren’t making the news, but are bagging groceries at Trader Joe’s, or a nurse wearing an N95 mask for 12 hours straight or a teacher putting it all on the line to teach students in a face-to-face capacity.

There are many people behind the scenes at Fairfield University that make this school what it is. These people are often not the face of Fairfield University and aren’t seen talking to reporters on the television or interviewed by papers, but each and every day they drive down North Benson Road, sit at their desks and make the university a better place.

One of those people is Sue Victor, operations assistant for enrollment management, specifically working with undergraduate students. She’s better known as the incredibly warm, enthusiastic woman who sits at the front desk of admissions in the Aloysius P. Kelley Center.

Victor has been at Fairfield University for 12 and a half years, sitting at that desk with a smile on her face as she greets the families coming to tour Fairfield. She might even be the first point of contact for some new families, giving them their first impression of what kind of a school Fairfield is and which types of people are in this community.

Victor says her favorite part of the job is, “meeting the families, especially the first-time visitors.” She gushes about how lovely it is to be a part of this exciting process with families.

Other than just being the first point of contact for many families, Victor is in charge of organizing all visitors and tours, and sometimes helps with event planning as well. She loves to witness “when the visitors arrive for the first time. This is really the most meaningful moment. It’s such a pivotal time of life.”

COVID-19 has certainly changed some of this excitement. On a normal warm fall day, 500 students can go past her desk on their way to their first tour, with up to 70 students on each tour.

Fairfield once could’ve bragged that it brought in up to 3,000 visitors a month but all of that has changed. Now, tour guides are capped Molly Lamendola/The Mirror on the number of people each tour can have.

Scanlon (left) and Victor (right) help a student.

Victor says this was a blessing in disguise in some ways, as many visitors have commented on how personal the tours are. The tour ambassapassionate about the work they do. The unique thing about dors can now talk one-on-one with many of the guests. her role at the Kelley Center is that she has probably met every These conversations are even more meaningful given single student that has stepped foot on our modern campus!” the tour ambassadors Fairfield has to offer, with whom Victor “If you think about it, she is the first face that everyone works personally. “I have the cream of the crop of students sees at Fairfield, and I can say without a doubt that it is her working with me.” She pauses to take a breath, looking out the contagious smile and comforting nature that makes prospecwindow and adjusting her mask. “[I’m] just so lucky,” she adds. tive students feel especially welcomed into our Fairfield ComThe love she has for her tour guides is a two-way street. munity,” Gadioma continued. “She is an irreplaceable gem and “There is not a brighter presence on Fairfield’s campus Fairfield has been so blessed to have her.” than Sue Victor,” shared Vincent Gadioma ‘22, a tour guide If Victor could pick out a particularly special day, one of and President of the Fairfield University Student Association. those that just sticks out in her 12 and a half years, she would “Until I met Sue, I’d never met someone so in love with and pick May 1.

For those who don’t remember, May 1 is college decision day for prospective students. It is the last day for students to submit paperwork and choose where they are going to spend the next few years. It’s just magical, Victor tells me: “The mom is crying, I’m crying and the daughter looks nervous.” It’s a very big day.

If there’s one thing Victor wants students to know, it’s that she always welcomes them to stop in and say hi to her.

Just pop in and give her a wave. “I love the traffic!,” she says.

As we wrap up, I ask if I can snap a few pictures of her in action. She looks overjoyed at the prospect, running off to get another student from the back to be part of our shot.

I laugh and stand chatting to Jess Scanlon ‘21, and ask about working with Victor. “She brightens up the day,” Scanlon says. “Really keeps it lively. She’s always a joy to be around!”

Victor comes back and we snap a few pictures before I wave goodbye. As I’m leaving, Scanlon asks what the photo is for. Victor smiles and tells her, “Oh you’re going to be in The Mirror!”

Molly Lamendola/The Mirror Scanlon laughs, “You go, Sue!” Scanlon (left) and Victor (right) work in the Aloysius P. Kelley Center.

Student Diversity Advocates for Mental Health

By Andrew Murphy Contributing Writer Dating back to last spring, the Office of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs has been collaborating with Counseling and Psychological Services to deal with social justice through the lens of mental health. Their efforts appear through constant support of students, as well as various programs, run both jointly and as individual offices.

Pejay Lucky, director of SDMA, implemented this dualistic approach upon the eruption of this year’s racial justice movement.

“My first goal, beyond educating and creating programs, is just student support,” Lucky said. “Really, mental health was the big thing I was concerned about with our students being away and thinking about how we continue to support them as a University.”

The support for students can be seen through direct outreach to students and organized programming in the form of faculty and staff training. Ongoing initiatives with this goal include the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Book Club for faculty members, as well as the Breakfast Club, a training group that teaches faculty how to better support students from underrepresented backgrounds.

SDMA’s efforts thus coincide with those of Counseling and Psychological Services.

Staff clinician Clinesha Johnson explains that the entire staff ’s support of students manifests during a particularly taxing time for mental health.

“We just kind of want people to know we support them one way or another,” she remarked.

That support presents itself in multiple formats. The Survivor Group for victims of sexual assault, the Grief Group for those mourning loved ones and the Nursing Support Group for student healthcare workers are just some of the many university-led groups catered towards specific student needs. However, Johnson wants to make it known that while they are well-equipped to handle severe illnesses and situations, C&PS offers a lot more.

“I just want students to start to think about mental health a little bit differently,” Johnson said.

She wants mental health visits to be de-stigmatized to the point that they seem like physicals, where you check-in with your doctor regularly, not just under extreme conditions.

“You don’t need to be chronically ill or depressed,” Johnson said. “You could be perfectly fine.”

In a world where COVID-19 has completely changed everyday life and exacerbated the attention towards racial injustice, Johnson stresses the importance for check-ins now more than ever.

The missions of these two offices converge through programs such as “Pandemic, Protests and the Past,” an event scheduled for Oct. 8. This talk will replicate many of the points shared in prior discussions, such as the April event entitled “Coping with Diversity

in Ethnically-Diverse Students.” This Zoom discussion addressed the hardships of race, both at a predominately white institution as well as in society at large. While dealing with many of the same issues, the Oct. 8 event will further incorporate how recent social injustices, protests and months dealing with a pandemic have added to these preexisting issues.

A recurring message from both sides of this collaborative is inclusiveness. Just as Johnson would love to see an increase in all students utilizing C&PS services, she echoed this sentiment about student representation at SDMA program collaborations.

“You don’t have to be a person of color to go to these events,” she affirmed.

“Pandemic, Protests and the Past” will take place via Zoom at 1:00 p.m. on Oct. 8.

Courtesy of SDMA

Opinion

THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

Opinion

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

Ruth Bader Ginsberg's Seat Will Never Be Adequately Filled By: Molly Lamendola Vine Editor

how valuable her life was to the United States, and to the sanctity of those natural rights, and this statement had to have come from her.

See, politics are inherently hypocritical and biased. If you’re liberal you believe the ConstiIn the early evening on Sept. 26, President Donald Trump announced Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to take the now open seat on the Supreme Court of the United States. My friends and tution should be interpreted one way, or if you’re a Republican it should look another. There’s now I sat in shock. She’s anti-abortion and has actually been called a “hero” for the Pro-Life movement. very little overlap between decisions. There is no longer any middle ground, so when I say quite Chuck Schumer and other Democrats are worried about what her position will mean for the future firmly that I believe the Senate should wait until the election, I know there will be people who of the Affordable Care Act, as talks on that are coming up in November. She’s also been deemed vehemently disagree with me.

The first point of argument in saying whether or not the position should be filled is the conservative enough to scrounge up the political support needed for Trump’s re-election bid. Especially from the conservative-evangelical section of his base, who’ll feel inspired by a Supreme timing of an election in less than 35 days. Republicans believe that it’s their obligation, and right, to fill the seat with a more conservative-leaning justice before the election shifts the political deCourt Justice being secured in their favor.

Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein stated that Barrett has “a long history of believing that mographic. Many of the more leading Republican senators are up for re-election this year; Thus, your religious beliefs should prevail.” This is a stark shift from the seat’s previous occupant, the I believe part of their desperation for the spot to be filled is based less on what Barrett would suplate Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who was a woman to be honored and revered for what she did for the port, and more on a need to convince their conservative base that they still deserve a job next year.

Though it’s doubtful that Mitch McConnell will lose his race, as the polls see his rival Amy rights of women and many others.

McGrath trailing behind him, Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins are in a tougher fight to “Mr. Trump could hardly have found a more polar opposite to Justice Ginsburg, a piokeep their seat. Graham actually hopped on Fox News on Thursday to talk about his race, neering champion of women’s rights and leader of the liberal wing of the court,” The New “I'm being killed financially. This money is because they hate my guts.”

York Times said.

The money is also something that’s inspired Democrats, as the number of funds But, as a woman who spoke up and fought for her own rights at the expense of pouring in within the hours after RBG’s death completely smashed records. It’s a loosening the control that the white androcentric view has on our entire society, RBG bit of a surprise from Democrats, as they very rarely get inspired by the Supreme was not liked by all. Grand Old Party representative Doug Collins horrifically wrote Court. The Republicans are the ones to get all keyed up and motivated for the opon Twitter, just hours after the news was announced, "RIP to the more than 30 million portunity to nominate a Justice. Now that the Democrats have finally figured out innocent babies that have been murdered during the decades that Ruth Bader Ginshow important it is, we’ll see if voter turnout changes at all, if Barrett isn’t already burg defended pro-abortion laws." He continued, "with @realDonaldTrump nominata seated Justice. ing a replacement that values human life, generations of unborn children have a chance So what’s next for Democrats after the nomination? It would take four Repubto live." licans to flip and vote with the Democrats and the two independent senators.

To calm Collins, and others like him, Barrett was the choice. And Yes, just four, but finding the four to flip against this new, go with the that choice came just eight days after RBG’s death was announced, flow and make no noise, party is going to be impossible. A few brave and just over 24 hours after her body was laid in the United States Republicans have stepped forward to state their support for waitCapitol. I understand that there’s a rush; Having a fully-functioning until after the election. Susan Collins, predicted to lose her ing Supreme Court is quite important in an election year. Howtight re-election campaign, has stated she’d vote against it. But, ever, the Supreme Court has only been utilized in an election still, that magic number of four hasn’t been hit. So, Democrats when the margins were razor-thin. For example, in 2000 with have been forced to scramble for an alternative.

Bush v. Gore because the results were between just a couple Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or AOC as she’s popularly hundred of votes in one state. Where the numbers are polling called, has floated the idea of increasing the amount of Supreme now, it looks like Biden might secure the victory with a large Court Justices. The idea would be to pack the Court with liberal enough margin that the Supreme Court wouldn’t need to rule Justices so the sheer amount overwhelms those nominated by on anything, unless it’s against the unfair amount of time by Trump, and the other, more conservative, justices. I think this which the ballots would need to be submitted. Such a case is an overstep, not fully thought through and just a generally would be in Florida, where Senator Rick Scott is proposing poor idea. As, if the power shifts to the Republicans, then they that all votes need to be counted within 24 hours of the polls will just do the same and we’ll be back at square one. But, now closing on Election Day. Barrett has been nominated with all of us watching in utter The late RBG knew the importance of her position, disbelief. Honestly, it will be less interesting to see if Republiand what her death may bring in this already politically cans can actually fill the seat, as chances are, they will, than to charged era. She told her granddaughter, "my most fervent see what tactics Democrats will utilize in attempting to block wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is inher nomination. In this new politically polarized world, when stalled." The accuracy of this statement has been brought into it comes to what Democrats will do to save the civil rights of question by President Trump. But I believe Justice Ginsberg knew Creative Commons/Wikimedia Commons Americans… all bets are off the table.

Fairfi eld Needs to Tighten Their Grip on COVID-19 Guidelines By: Kaitlyn Drake Contributing Writer

It’s Saturday night. Students wearing masks below their noses file into residence halls, ignoring capacity guidelines that are posted directly on the back of the doors. The quad is packed with groups of first years, while upperclassmen flood the beach houses. Athletes have been practicing without masks all week, only to turn around and attend those same parties. There is video evidence and first hand testimonies about students continuously breaking rules, and yet Fairfield University continues to act shocked when more and more students are becoming infected with COVID-19.

This was seemingly inevitable, but if we take a closer look, it becomes more clear that Fairfield is doing, and has been doing, something wrong. As of Sept. 23, the number of reported positive cases, as well as the number of people in isolation and quarantine, has risen once again.

When the semester first began, students were as optimistic as possible about the rules in place. It seemed easy enough: wear a mask at all times, follow social distancing guidelines both in and out of residence halls, attend the weekly testing if selected and fill out a daily survey. Fairfield even made up for some of the experiences that students were missing by providing services like food trucks, more Micro-Marts, outdoor seating and various other activities. However, students were still craving the “real college experience” that they signed up for, especially those participating in athletics, and thus, outbreaks of the virus occurred.

Fairfield claims that we are now in the Yellow, or low to moderate risk, zone, on their dashboard. An increase in guidelines in many departments followed, like the reduction of gatherings and denial of students to enter residence halls that are not their own. However, there is more to the story that Fairfield refuses to acknowledge.

There are two reasons that college campuses are subject to COVID-19 outbreaks: parties and athletics. Because Fairfield University was so lenient in both of these areas in the beginning of the semester, students have started to believe that they can do whatever they please, even if it is endangering other people’s lives. That is why schools like Wesleyan University are engaging students in activities so that they can socialize without going to parties, thus deterring the amount of cases on their campus. As well as this, Wesleyan has been actively discipling all students who are attending parties, which should have been something that Fairfield was doing from the beginning. As for athletics, Wesleyan University’s athletes are still required to wear masks, even while practicing. This is a rule that Wesleyan enforces and Fairfield continues to ignore - practices are still being held as normal, without a mask in sight. Wesleyan currently has a total of seven cases of COVID-19 between faculty and students.

However, Fairfield is not alone in its failure to adequately address COVID-19’s severity.

Colleges like the University of Connecticut and the University of Hartford have also seen an increase in cases since the beginning of the fall semester. If one compares the cumulative ratios of people infected with COVID-19 at each college, though, the results are shocking. UConn and the University of Hartford’s percentages of positive cases are approximately .015 percent and .0047 percent, respectively, but Fairfield’s cumulative percentage is a shocking .018 percent. This is es-

pecially scary when considering that Fairifeld’s population is way below UConn’s and the University of Hartford’s.

There are two things to note with UConn’s COVID-19 policies: the dean has stated that life on campus would remain “normal, for now,” followed by an extensive list of what normal would look like. Also, studentathletes are reportedly still practicing, making up about one third of the students who have tested positive for COVID-19. The University of Hartford also has a list of guidelines mandated by the state, but, like UConn and Fairfield, mask wearing during athletic practices is not enforced. Many of the cases that have been Photo Courtesy of / @fairfieldu Instagram reported are directly related to that latter fact.

Neighboring school Sacred Heart University is not doing much better. Compared to Fairfield, Sacred Heart is experiencing a lot more difficulty keeping students under control, as they experienced 100 new cases in the span of seven days. This can be attributed to a multitude of factors, including a lack of knowledge concerning the whereabouts of off-campus students, who made up 83 of those cases.

Spokespeople for Sacred Heart have blamed the outbreaks on small gatherings that are taking place. Looking at Sacred Heart’s reopening plan, their policies are very similar to Fairfield’s and other Connecticut colleges’, especially in regards to athletics: teams will still be allowed to practice.

Fairfield needs to tighten their grip on the student population. COVID-19 is not something that administration can simply “let go” as if it were a normal college party. People’s lives are in danger. It should not take someone dying in order for Fairfield to realize that their students’ lives are not something to be toyed with.

However, it is important to linger on the thought that college students will be just that college students. If we want to see real change, Fairfield must engage them in the community and stimulate not only their brains, but their social needs. It is Fairfield’s duty to enforce COVID-19 guidelines, including mask wearing on every single student (not just non-athletes), as well as create activities to cultivate the community that they claim to value.

Opinion

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THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' Ends, But The Show's Impact Lasts Forever

By Cat Howley Contributing Writer

Shocking news flooded Instagram on Sept. 8, 2020, as the Kardashian-Jenner family announced they would not continue filming their hit reality television series, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” (KUWTK). After 14 years of filming and 20 successful seasons, “KUWTK” is unfortunately coming to an end. According to an Instagram post from Kim Kardashian-West, the decision of no longer filming was a very difficult one for her and her family to make. In an article from Vanity Fair, it was revealed that the family has decided to “move on” and will air its final season in early 2021.

Since my first year of high school, I have been a huge fan of “KUWTK,” so hearing about the show’s ending feels like the end of an era for me. Every week on Sunday night at 8 p.m., I would look forward to watching the airing of the series’ new episode. I found that the hit series not only shaped those featured on the show into television celebrities, but also shaped them into beauty and fashion icons and entrepreneurs.

In 2007, when the show first aired, the Kardashian-Jenner family lived in a generously sized home and appeared very well-off for themselves. At that point in time, I was not yet watching the series. By the time I did start watching, in 2014, Kim Kardashian had been featured on the cover of Vogue alongside her husband Kanye West, Kylie Jenner had launched her own lipstick brand line, earning a million dollars and the other sisters had been in the process of launching their own beauty or fashion lines as well.

“KUWTK” allowed the Kardashian-Jenner family to strive and succeed at achieving their goals, which I found to be one of, if not the greatest, outcomes from this hit series.

The youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner sisters, Kylie Jenner, who used her fame on the show to launch a beauty line has already made millions of dollars for herself. In just five years, Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics has already hit the one billion dollar mark.

This is an extraordinary success for a

woman her age. Most 23 year olds cannot say they have made such success as Kylie has. Kylie was able to transition her fame of being a television star on “KUWTK,” to being a beauty mogul. Already known for her role in “KUWTK,” Kylie was able to leverage her fame to create one of the most lucrative businesses in the beauty industry.

“KUWTK” gave the women of the Kardashian-Jenner family a name for themselves.

Many argue, to this day, that the family got rich from doing nothing. While it is accurate that the family was rich in the earlier seasons of the series, I found that the series gave an even greater voice and name to the family, and allowed for them to create and design numerous brand collections and collaborations. “KUWTK” gave the Kardashian-Jenner women a platform that enabled them to launch countless fashion and beauty lines. In my opinion, the best clothing brand they created was Kim Kardashian’s Skims line. Skims is a brand of shapewear that is offered in nine different colors. The clothing includes bodysuits, shorts and women’s undergarments. Over the years, Kim had grown frustrated that she could not always find clothing that provided her with the correct support or coverage, which was why she created and launched the Skims line.

Kim not only launched Skims for herself, but for other women who faced the same struggles she did. I find that in doing so, Kim was trying to foster positivity among women with curvier body shapes. All women, including myself, know what it feels like when you don’t fit into certain clothes due to your body type. This is an awful feeling that women encounter, and through the development of Skims, Kim was trying to alleviate the stress that women feel.

Overall, the Kardashian-Jenner women have been very successful in launching their clothing and beauty lines. Many of their successes are owed to the platform they created from “KUWTK.” While all of the Kardashian-Jenner women have made a name for themselves, the two who stand out the most are Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. Last November Daily Mail wrote an article that discussed how Kim’s Skims shapewear was on its way to becoming a billion dollar brand, following in the footsteps of her youngest sister Kylie Jenner’s cosmetic lip kit brand. There is no question that these two women, along with their three other sisters, are overwhelmingly successful and have created brand lines about which they are very passionate.

Many, including myself, will be sad to no longer see the faces of the KardashianJenner family on the television. One of the biggest questions being asked is: Why did the family decide to stop filming? While no one truly knows the exact answer to this question, I believe that the family is tasked with so many personal jobs and goals right now, between running stores, modeling and launching new brands, that filming the series had become too much for them. To add to that, there are so many uncertainties in our world today that may have played a role in the Kardashion-Jenner family decision to no longer film “KUWTK.” 20 years was a long time for the show to air, but I strongly believe that the show brought them nothing but great success and that the family is just as sad to stop filming as we, the viewers, are to stop watching.

Photo Courtesy of @Kimkardashian Instagram

Editorial Board

"get out and vote!"

Catherine Santangelo

Editor-In-Chief

I am not very interested in politics.

Of course I have my views on certain topics, as everyone usually does, and I do get passionate about my views from time to time.

However, I really do not like talking about politics, and to be honest, a lot of the things that surround politics really confuse me. Despite my opinions about politics in general, the 2020 presidential election is quickly approaching, and one thing I do know is how important it is to register to vote in this year’s election. I, along with many others, am not happy with the state of our country right now.

Change needs to happen, and the only way we can do that is by using our voices and getting out there to vote. I am registered to vote, and I plan on voting in this election; it will be the first presidential election in which I am allowed to vote. However, my one major annoyance with the whole thing is that my experience with getting set to vote has not been straightforward, especially with the absentee ballot.

All over social media, people have been posting about the importance of registering to vote and participating in this upcoming election. I completely agree with this, however it has not been as easy and stress-free as everyone has been making it out to be. I am a New Hampshire resident, so I am registered to vote there, but since I plan on being here in Connecticut for the election in November, I have to vote via absentee ballot. I don’t want to speak about every state when I say this, because I don’t know the details of how other states are handling things, but the process for applying to get my absentee ballot has not been a smooth one. Back during the first week of August, I mailed in my appli-

cation to my town clerk, requesting absentee ballots for both my state primary election, as well as the general election. New Hampshire’s primary election was on Sept. 8, 2020, and even though I planned to vote in it, I was unable to because I never received my absentee ballot in the mail. I thought that requesting my ballots in early August would allow plenty of time for my town to mail me my primary election ballot, on which I could vote and mail back before having to return to school in a month. According to the absentee ballot tracker feature included on the nh.gov site, my town clerk mailed out my absentee ballot to my home address on Aug. 11, yet I never received it.

I called my town clerk’s office about this issue once I was at school and had missed my state’s primary election because I wanted answers as to why I never received my ballot. I also wanted to check in and make sure that I would receive my ballot for the general election. When I called, the woman I spoke to said, “I don’t know what to tell you…”

Well, thank you, town clerk.

There has been all this talk about how President Donald Trump has been manipulating the United States Postal Service, as this New Yorker article describes, in order to disrupt the delivery of people’s mail-in ballots so that their votes will not be counted in the election. The rumors say Trump’s motivation for this is to try and swing the results in his favor ensuring that he wins and serves a second term. I do not know how true this is, and I know that there are a multitude of other possible reasons as to why my absentee ballot did not get mailed to me. Nonetheless, my experience does not make me feel confident

in the postal service. They can get my family’s monthly magazine subscription or the daily grocery coupon flyer in our mailbox just fine, but when it comes to my absentee ballot, it just doesn’t show up? Something seems really wrong with that.

Don’t get me wrong...I thoroughly appreciate the postal service and their workers, and I acknowledge how important they are to our lives. However, when it comes to my right to vote, and when there is an option for me to vote by absentee ballot, I am really counting on the postal service to allow my vote to be included, especially in this, of all elections.

On absentee ballot applications, it asks why you are entitled to vote by absentee ballot, and there is now an option that people can check off that says you cannot vote in person because of your concerns for COVID-19. The pandemic has created an influx in the number of voters choosing to vote by mail-in ballot in this election for fear of being exposed to the virus at public voting locations. This means there will be an influx in the number of envelopes that the postal service must handle and properly deliver in order for people’s votes to be counted, including my own. I can only hope that the rumors are not true about Trump trying to manipulate the postal service, because even more people than usual are depending on them to make sure that their voices are heard and that their votes count in this year’s election.

For a guide on how to change a voter registration address, ways to vote by mail in a specific state and absentee ballot deadlines, check out https://www.mymove.com/moving/guides/voter-registration-by-state/.

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THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

The Vine

Falling in love with going to garage sales

By Molly Lamendola Vine Writer

Molly Lamendola/TheMirror

A table filled with objects for sale at a yard sale.

There’s a learned art in attending a yard sale. There are skills, tricks and tools you must have before successfully venturing out on your own into this cut-throat world of tag sales. Before coming to Fairfield University, I was a passive entity in the game. I watched “Antiques Roadshow” and guessed the price before it was announced. I walked to neighbors’ garage sales when they were selling old books. I even would pop into an estate sale or two if I saw it in the paper.

But, Fairfield County yard sales are a different breed. On just a singular drive to the grocery store, signs advertising “Tag Sale,” “Yard Sale” and “Estate Sale” will dot the entirety of your route. The houses are large and the items are of higher value; thus, gone are the days with 50 cent books and one dollar rings.

I’m here to teach you the rules of the game, and to provide you insight into one of my mornings on the hunt for some treasures. Hello, dear readers… and welcome to the world of a yard sale Saturday.

There are two rules you need to follow before setting out on your own yard sale adventure.

1) Caffeine is necessary. Or, at the very least, you need something to get your brain started up and active for the early morning start. I’m usually out by 8 or 9 a.m., and as a non-early morning lady, I need the extra boost to keep me focused and energized.

2) Bring good company. A yard sale is, just by its name, fun. But… it’s the company that makes it an event. If you don’t have someone to laugh at the ugly objects you find or the odd people selling them, then it’s just you looking at junk on a rug all alone.

So, now knowing those rules, let’s debrief my Saturday morning yard sale excursion.

I started, as I recommended to you, with a coffee.

My sister, the company I chose to fulfill rule two, went an alternative route, opting for some avocado toast to provide her with the sustenance to continue this battle.

We sat, chatted and caught up, while I went through the yard sale search website. The goal here is to cut down on waste travel time. If you have a good list of those you want to hit, then throw them in your GPS to see which ones are closest to each other, so you can get a lot done in a short amount of time.

With our breakfast finished, and our minds ready, we headed out to our first destination.

Burnham Road House: I know it’s not nice to generalize areas, but, after seeing Westport, CT next to the address, I was quite excited to see some expensive things at our first stop.

The house was a bit odd. It was completely beautiful, all set up on the hill overlooking some type of body of water, but the entire house was empty.

This type of sale is a “staging” set up. Everything is for sale, but it’s all set up to look like nothing was for sale. You know those big long plastic tables usually used for a garage sale? Not in Westport!

A huge glass chandelier hung from the ceiling, while a large snow white couch stretched across the entire room, and there was even an air hockey table. Nothing had a price tag of less than $500.

This was more of a “what kind of house we’d like to have if we make it big,” experience than an actual estate sale. My sister mumbled an expletive, followed by, “God, this is the nicest house I’ve ever been in.”

Other than walking around, looking out the windows and gaping at the large swimming pool, there was really nothing there for a young, poor college student to purchase for her tiny Mahan apartment.

So… off we went to the next building on our list!

Cedar Road House: This was absolutely my favorite lot of the day, if not a bit weird to get to. We had little to no directions, and just lucked out in watching someone walk into the backyard.

Never in my life have I seen a yard sale in the backyard!

Nonetheless, there we were, and oh, was this place big! It stretched across the entire length of the background. Paintings, a drum kit and a large glass terrarium that looked incredibly Victorian littered the back lawn.

It had a small pond, with seahorse shaped champagne glasses surrounding it. There was magic within this sale as well, with wooden masks, white wicker furniture and vintage clothes. Still, nothing piqued my interest, so we left empty handed.

Who knows?!: This wasn’t on the determined list. But, there are a few unsaid rules about yard sales that you only learn when you start attending them yourself. One of which is, no plan is the best plan.

If this means you do a bit of an illegal U-turn while your sister shouts at you just to get to a yard sale you saw with Halloween decorations in the front yard, you do it! This isn’t technically illegal under the laws and regulations of the yard sale code.

If they have Halloween decorations, all is legal.

So, we made it safe and sound to this surprise yard sale destination. This was the closest to a garage sale that we got that morning. A garage sale is the closest you’ll get to buying something you want, but for which you don’t want to pay full price.

There were books, particularly ones that are more well-known than the vintage ones you’d pick up at estate sales. Also, I stumbled upon little Halloween lights, with just a few of the batteries dead.

I recommend garage sales for the novices. They are something low risk to get your feet into the water of this world.

When asking my sister what she thought of this, she didn’t remember which one I was talking about: “I guess, unforgettable?”

“You mean forgettable?”

“Oh yeah, forgettable!”

Burr Street: My sister called this one “drab,” but I quite liked the little miniature poodle that followed the lady with two pairs of glasses on all around the house, circling her legs with its little furless paws.

This was an estate sale, but it wasn’t a really good one. The best thing about an estate sale is the opportunity to snoop through a house you’d never own. But this number was only the main floor, and so no snooping could be done upstairs or in the basement.

We did a bit of a loop, commented on the house and asked ourselves about the color scheme… and that was about it.

The only particularly memorable thing was the dog, how endlessly sad.

Main Street: I said goodbye to my sister after a full day's work and dropped her back at school. I’ll be completely honest with you, I was a bit down at this point. We tried to stop at a couple more little sales on our way back, but saw nothing that made us want to stop.

That’s another unsaid rule...your time is valuable. Thus, if nothing is speaking to you from the street, don’t feel bad about driving to the next stop.

So I went home, only four sales complete, when I received a message from an anonymous Stratford resident and historical council member, inviting me to a yard sale said to be extraordinary.

It did live up to the expectations.

A whole room of just books, and prints and a little snowy village replica with lights snaking around it.

Sure, the house itself was a bit run down in places. The kitchen floor was torn up while some of the walls looked a bit long forgotten. The understanding that this was once a house of great glory, and that eventually its time would come again, makes me really hope that someone pops in and takes care of it.

And that, that idea of the past, is why I have such a love for yard and estate sales. The idea of hunting for one small treasure makes all the traveling and coffee money worth it. It is glorious.

Just give it a try one free Saturday morning, and I’m sure you’ll fall in love.

Molly Lamendola/The Mirror

Molly Lamendola standing in front of a sign for a tag sale.

THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

The Vine

Page 9

Records Really Should Come Back in Style Like most of this generation, I’m sure you either have Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora or some other type of music streaming app downloaded on your phone. But, before any of these services ever existed, a popular way of listening to some of the newest hits was through vinyl records!

I’ve had the privilege of hearing friends and family share their memories of the magical experience of owning a physical copy of music, like these special albums. Even though each generation has been exposed to very different music platforms, every listener from the varying time periods have all described this type of musical encounter as ‘one of a kind.’

Baby Boomer - As vinyl records first flew onto store shelves in 1931, the baby boomers were the first generation to grow up with their fascinating abilities. My grandma had hundreds of albums surrounding the built-in record player in her house.

For hours, she would sit in her living room and listen to the “full” and “warm” sound it produced.

“When I was little, I used to think the singer was inside of the record player performing for me,” she said, laughing.

Well, that would certainly be a cool concept!

These records continued to be prevalent in the future of everyday life, especially for my grandfather who worked as a DJ at his college radio station and would choose which vinyls to play.

Generation X - “It was physical, it was personal.”

My mom was excited to share her fond memories of her record player days with me. Each birthday and holiday, the excitement of adding new albums to her collection was always there.

“It was more than just a song, you would have the vinyl cover that had the cool album art and sometimes a poster that came in the package. For me, there’s a different feeling from going to the vinyl store to buy a new single versus just downloading a song from iTunes.”

Generation Z - It’s not common to have a teenager in this decade invest their money in a vintage process, such as vinyl. We grew up in a time period where we have the privilege of being able to listen to any song in the world at just the touch of a button.

So, when asked why a record player was this Gen-Zer’s chosen form of musical entertainment, the prominent factor was the ‘personal connection’ it gives off.

“It's interesting and kind of nostalgic, even though I never lived in that era,” my good friend Maddy told me.

Putting on a record even just to clean your room or scroll through social media, gives you the opportunity to “enjoy your favorite artists’ music in its entirety.”

If any of these stories instilled even the slightest bit of curiosity within you, you’re in luck.

Just a seven minute walk from the Fairfield University Bookstore on Post Road stands the Vinyl Street Cafe. This homey store has a selection of all musical genres, from 80s rock to Broadway musicals.

Tuesdays through Fridays from 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., you can relax, order a drink and listen

to some tunes while you search through the hundreds of disks that are available for purchase. Prices range from the $2 bin to $50 new releases. Of course, the vinyls are only half of the musical equation. The Vinyl Street Cafe also sells record players that vary from $80 to $200.

This tangible, personal and nostalgic feel that accompanies the use of vinyls and record players brings an experience to music listeners like no other. While it’s convenient to stick to the monthly subscription and plug in some headphones, I highly suggest that you invest in this hobby of the past, and make it one of the present.

BrookeLathe/TheMirror

By Brooke Lathe Contributing Writer

A shelf of records from the Vinyl Street Cafe.

NETFLIX NAILS IT WITH 'CHICAGO 7'

By Tyler Zikias Film Columnist

There has been a long stretch without a new release since “Tenet” hit theaters about four weeks ago. Netflix has been carrying the load in the meantime with films like, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” “The Devil All the Time” and “Enola Holmes,” but they changed up their strategy a bit this weekend.

Netflix’s new film, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” released this weekend in select theaters in order to qualify it for The Academy Awards consideration next year. Of course, with an itch to get back to the movies, I saw it in a completely empty theater last Thursday night.

Not only was I excited to see a new film in theaters, but I am a huge fan of the writer and director Aaron Sorkin’s past work. This is only Sorkin’s second directorial feature after 2017’s, “Molly’s Game,” so I was greatly anticipating what he would choose to do next. With the courtroom setting for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” it places Sorkin right in his wheelhouse for what is one of the best films I’ve seen all year.

Like all of Sorkin’s films, the real standout is the screenplay. The dialogue flows together effortlessly, like an elaborate staged dance. It feels more like a play than anything else, with the way that characters dive into long soliloquies and cut each other off as scenes escalate in intensity. It’s wonderfully orchestrated, and Sorkin does a great job with directing his actors to be pitch-perfect when in a heated conversation.

Many actors have claimed that some of the toughest scripts they’ve ever had to perform were those of Aaron Sorkin.

He is a true wordsmith that demands laser focus and timing from an actor. The cast of “The Trial of the Chicago 7” navigates Sorkin’s script with ease. Not one character is a standout because every character contributes to the film’s best moments.

Eddie Redmayne, who I normally don’t like, is really strong in this film, giving a very reserved, yet emotionally charged performance. Tom Hayden, portrayed by Redmayne, has a very calm and determined demeanor throughout the film, that culminates in one huge explosion in the final act. Sorkin does an excellent job with Hayden’s arc, showing him as the true main character of the movie.

Another actor who I think will gain some buzz

around awards season is Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin. Strong delivers a brilliant, layered and comedic performance as a non-serious, anti-war activist. His character begins as a joke with a lot of one-liners and stoner-esque comedy. But, as the film progresses, Sorkin reveals more about what makes Rubin tick and who he actually is as a person under the facade he exhibits.

My only real issue with the film is that there are extended courtroom sequences that are excellently performed, but push themselves past the realm of believability. There will be impressive ten minute long scenes of constant dialogue with actors bouncing off of each other in perfect succession, but then it will be ruined by the constant interruption.

I can only imagine this is how Sorkin wants the audience to feel when the group is given an unfair situation due to a biased judge, but a lot of the interjections seem a little far fetched and throw off the rhythm that is being built up.

Also, this is Sorkin’s second film in the director’s chair, so there are definitely some aspects that he has yet to discover about himself behind the camera.

There isn’t a distinct visual style or flare that makes the movie itself interesting to watch. When the movie is working, it’s working because of the excellent performances and quickly paced dialogue.

There isn’t anything particularly interesting about what Sorkin chooses to do with the camera in order to enhance the viewing experience. There aren’t any stunning shots or strong composition, but a very standard and flat look that takes away from the immersion a little.

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” is a pressingly important film for the current social and political climate of America. It revolves around historical figures who fought for what they believed was the right thing to do, but who all had different tactics.

Not only is it a strongly written courtroom drama, but a commentary about putting differences aside to reach common ground when staring adversity in the face. It’s also a commentary on the power of protests, and how one act can shape the entire country’s view on a political or social issue. It’s a film for the times, and while I don’t think it has a chance down the line as a best picture win, I wouldn’t be surprised if the current state of the country sways Academy voters’ opinions.

Grade: A-

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THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

The Vine

A Moment with a Masterpiece Hatshepsut

By Tyler Heffern Art Columnist

the

Female

Pharaoh

dition. In this work though, besides the headdress which was usually reserved for a male ruler, she is shown in a woman’s dress and lacks a lot of the common symbols of kingship.

When the Metropolitan Museum of Art excavated her temple at Deir el-Bahari in the 1920s, they found this sculpture, and many others, in jagged pieces next to the complex.

After a painstaking reassembly and historical guesswork, it is believed that after Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s death and burial, Thutmose III decided to take revenge and had her sculptures pushed off the side of her temple, shattering them, and removing her name from the archival record wherever he could.

Thankfully, his plan was not successful, for today, she is recognized as one of the most important rulers in Egyptian history.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of women at Fairfield University, let this work be a lesson that women can, and have, reach the very top of political and social power. Of course, it was not easy, and it still isn't. It is an endless and thoroughly unfair struggle that will outlive all of us.

The women who do attain the highest ranks in our world are envied, disparaged and actively erased by those who come after her.

But, it is important to note that Hatshepsut did not ask politely to be pharaoh, nor did she always follow the rules set by the men before her.

This is precisely the reason why her image, her power and her legacy are remembered, and remembered far more than her vicious young nephew’s.

Photo Contributed by The Metropolitan Museum of Art

When you think of an Egyptian queen, it’s natural to imagine Cleopatra, a lover of Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. She was the last ruler of an independent Egypt before Rome conquered it and she, facing certain execution, committed suicide by snakebite (or so the story goes).

However, a more significant queen came before Cleopatra, she ruled over all of Egypt as the pharaoh, though she remains unknown by the majority of people.

Queen Hatshepsut was the daughter of King Thutmose I, and the sister/wife of his son, Thutmose II. Odd to us now, but the marriage of direct relatives was common for status purposes at the time. When Thutmose II died, his son from another wife, Thutmose III, was too young to take the throne. As Hatshepsut was closest in relation to royal blood, she became her nephew’s regent, acting on his behalf until he reached a competent age.

Accounts vary, but some argue that Hatshepsut grew accustomed to her role and the power that came with it and so she decided to leave regency behind to become the pharaoh.

Thutmose III, having eventually reached maturity, did not get a chance to claim his throne and had to wait until Hatshepsut’s death to take her place.

In this artwork, dully titled “The Female Pharaoh Hatshepsut,” the 5 foot half inch statue depicts the seated queen with a royal headdress and long, tight-fitting robe. The piece comes from the time during or after her pharaonic reign, as it once stood in her funerary temple, and it is one of the few sculptures of her that accentuates her femininity.

Most of her statues display her in royal, principally male, regalia, often donning a false beard and more masculine facial features, in order to stay true to over a millennium of tra- "The Female Pharaoh Hatshepsut" ca. 1479–1458 B.C., New Kingdom

A Rose Garden, Penn Station, and the Destruction of the Past

Have you ever gotten bored in class… like, really, really bored… so bored that there’s nothing to do but stare at that same poster your teacher has had up all year? That was me in high school in many classes, but my Advanced Placement Psychology class was the worst of all.

I’d sit in the very back, and look around at the different posters my teacher had hung of the bears in California (he went to college there) or different sights in New York. One that always stood out to me was the photo of Grand Central Station before the skyscrapers were built around it. It was taken around 1929, decades and decades before the idea of knocking it down was brought up.

See, in 1964 the neighboring New York subway station was demolished to be made into the new, and slightly disgusting, Pennsylvania Station. This caused national and international outrage, with the architectural historian Vincent Scully commenting, "one entered the city like a god. One scuttles in now like a rat.”

With that job done, the architects turned their sights to Grand Central Station. Protestors, disheartened with what happened with the late Penn Station, refused to let another building go. But, it was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who stood among the protestors, echoing their voice onto a national stage.

Now, a plaque hangs inside the terminal which tells more about how prevalent and involved Onassis was in the movement.

With her help, they were able to save this beloved station. But, even Onassis couldn’t stop the skyscrapers from building upward making that gorgeous photo unreplicable for future years.

This story has particular prominence today. Watching President Trump announce Amy Coney Barrett for Associate Supreme Court Justice, it was hard to distinguish from where he was speaking.

My friends and I looked over at each other guessing different prominent White House announcement spots, before the camera panned out and it was Grand Central Station in obvious the spot was the Rose Garden.

1929 with light streaming in before Why it took us so long to recognize this iconic space, where news conskysrapers were built. ferences, Olympic athlete meetings and even the wedding of Richard Nixon’s daughter Tricia were held, isn’t a surprise.

First Lady Melania Trump spent this summer redoing the garden. She removed all of the trees that the late Kennedy had put up during the most well-known, and longest-lasting construction of the garden in 1962.

Thus, Trump’s reconstruction caused some national outrage. Especially in her removal of ten crab apple trees planted by Kennedy.

The new garden is quite plain compared to what once was, it lacks the vibrancy of the previous rose garden. It’s hard to even call this garden the same name as what it once was, as

CreativeCommons/Flickr

so much of Kennedy’s original light has been completely covered over with strict, clean marble and sharp lines.

If only we could’ve saved this entity as Kennedy did for Grand Central Station. Instead, we have a garden that doesn’t stand out among the crowd and watching a message be delivered from there lacks the same excitement as before.

CreativeCommons/Flickr

By Molly Lamendola Vine Editor

The White House Rose Garden before the August 2020 reconstruction.

THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

The Vine

Page 11

Os c a r F l i c k s F ly i n g o n to you r s c r e e n

By John Bizub Contributing Writer

With only three months left in 2020, it is about time for the most competitive film season of the year. For anyone who is not ‘in the know’ on movies, the fall is the time when the heavy contending Oscar films are released. Debate is raised over whether or not they deserve this prestigious nomination, all after just one season. Looking at film festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival and beyond, these are the films that you should keep an extra eye on this year.

“Nomadland” Director: Chloé Zhao Starting off this list is a film from acclaimed indie darling, Chloé Zhao, who made a name for herself in 2017 with her film, “The Rider.” Before she handles the big task of directing a Marvel film with “The Eternals,” Zhao takes us on a poetic journey through the mountains with actress Frances McDormand as she becomes a modern-day nomad. This film has been receiving accolades of praise, not only for McDormand, but Zhao as well. “Nomadland” has received some awards already, most recently the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival and the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Zhao is the first person to win both awards.

“Nomadland” hits theaters Dec. 4!

“On the Rocks” Director: Sofia Coppola The second film is the latest film from legendary filmmaker Sofia Coppola. After directing the much divisive film remake of “The Beguiled,” Coppola is back in the director’s chair with a timely theme of marriage and fatherhood. Coppola teams up with her “Lost in Translation” co-star, Bill Murray, and also casts Rashida Jones as the lead. The film tells the story of Laura, who is a mother and a wife in New York City. She suspects some suspicious activity going on with her husband because she never sees him anymore, so she asks her father for advice. The film is set to have its world premiere at the NYFF this week, and will surely nab some Academy Awards talk for its screenplay and directing, alongside acting awards.

“On the Rocks” is available to stream on Apple TV+ on Oct. 2!

“American Utopia” Director: Spike Lee Fresh off of his brilliant new film, “Da 5 Bloods,” Spike Lee is back in the director’s chair for this concert film, based on David Byrne’s Broadway show, “American Utopia.” This film is Talking Heads’ frontman, Byrne, performing all of the classic hits we know and love. This sounds like a certain 1984 Jonathan Demme directed film.

The film has received unanimous praise from critics, calling it “this generation’s ‘Stop Making Sense.’” Lee is not only being talked about for his directorial efforts for “Da 5 Bloods,” but for this film as well.

“American Utopia” will be available to stream on HBO Max on Oct. 17!

“Dune” Director: Denis Villeneuve In a time where blockbuster films are all the craze, there is one certain blockbuster that has caught the attention of many. From the filmmaker behind masterpieces such as “Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049” and “Prisoners and Incendies,” comes “Dune.”

The film has an all-star cast of Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Furguson, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgard, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin and Dave Bautista. The film is being adapted from the science-fiction novel of the same name. “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides (Chalamet) as he is trying to take the throne, while also desperately attempting to reach Arrakis, the desert planet.

The film’s complex narrative is what fans are most excited for; judging from the spectacle, we may have the next “Lord of the Rings” trilogy on our hands.

“Dune” is coming to theaters Dec. 18!

There are lots of films to look forward to in the coming months, proving that 2020 still has some greatness to it!

Summer R eads to Car r y You Into the Fall

By Sheila McCombs Managing Editor

As the seasons begin to change, many things change with it.

Fall comes to usher summer, and all of the things that come with it, away including beach days, sunburns and many more amazing things. For me this seasonal change has always signaled the end of one important thing: summer reading.

In the summer, I have seemingly unlimited time to read for fun and I take full advantage of this by reading as much as I can. Now that we are back at school, I won’t have nearly as much time, but I can look fondly back on some of the books I read this summer, and share them with you in hopes that you can find some time to read one or two or all of them!

“The Great Pretender” This book was truly unlike anything else I have ever read, and that’s part of the reason why I loved it so much. This is a nonfiction book by Susannah Cahalan, who also wrote the bestseller, “Brain on Fire”.

“The Great Pretender” focuses on a study conducted in the 1970s by Dr. David Rosenhan titled “On Being Sane in Insane Places,” where eight people with no mental illnesses (including Dr. Rosenhan) got themselves admitted to psychiatric facilities. They all presented the same “symptoms” and then once they were inside the facility, they acted completely normal.

The book not only breaks down this study but also the current state of mental health diagnosis in the United States.

It is one of those books that makes you really think and question things, which are some of the best kinds! It is a bit lengthy, but it is totally worth the read!

A woman reads a book.

“The Vesuvius Club” Now, this book is purely in here for fun. I picked it up over the summer on Thriftbooks along with other books for a book club I do with my friends because I just wanted something fun to read.

I also saw it was by Mark Gatiss, the brilliant writer of “Sherlock” on the BBC, which made me like it even more. It turned out to be so much better than I ever expected! The book follows the character of Lucifer Box, a spy in early 1900s England described on the back cover as “equal parts James Bond and Sherlock Holmes, with a dash of Austin Powers.”

The books showcase the funny and fast-paced writing that made “Sherlock” so loved by viewers in a fun setting. This book was a little ridiculous but it made me actually laugh out loud while still having a good plot. Definitely, a fun read for anyone looking to relax!

“Just Mercy” This book was just recently turned into a movie starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx and Brie Larson.

If that is not enough convincing for you to read it, then I simply don’t know what you want from me, dear readers! The book is written by Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer who works on cases of convicted people looking for a second trial, with an organization called the Equal Justice Initiative.

The book alternates between talking about examples of cases he has worked on in all different circumstances, with telling the story of Walter McMillian, a man who was wrongfully convcited of murder and sentenced to death. Stevenson’s look at the justice system in America is timely and insightful but also easy to understand as someone who is not a lawyer.

This book gave me so much perspective and also gave me a feeling of hope because if there are people out there like Bryan Stevenson working for change, it can’t be that bad.

Even though summer reading may be over, there are always more books on the horizon and hopefully you can find time to pick up one of CreativeCommons/Pexels these!

THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

Coffee Break

Page 12

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

Curfew Moved to 12 Noon

By Rosemary Harper

Like all other higher education institutions around the country, Fairfield University has been battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

This semester, new and returning students were sensibly slapped with a wide range of COVID-19-safe guidelines to follow including mandatory mask wearing, social distancing, limiting the number of students allowed in one place at a time (10) and a campus-wide curfew of 11 p.m. However, due to the rise in cases since classes began four weeks ago, the University has decided to “kick it up a notch.”

An email from the Office of the Dean of Students was sent out this morning informing students of the new curfew. Effective from Friday, Sept. 25, residential students will be allowed to freely roam campus from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., at which time they will have to report back to their assigned housing. In an interview with Department of Public Safety officer Ron Grappes, Stagnation reporters found out what the consequences would be for students found outside their housing during the 23-hour curfew period: “Anyone that we find outside will have to take a 12-hour coronavirus prevention program, achieve two negative COVID-19 test results and write a formal 10 page, 12-point font, double spaced MLA style apology letter stating their regret. Don’t forget to cite your sources. We mean business.”

For anyone who is unlucky enough to be caught outside during curfew, students trained in Dwight K. Schrute-style apologetic writing will be available to help in the University Writing Center located in the library.

Be sure to follow Stagnation for updates on the University’s evolving situation.

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

The Coffee Break Team has put together a word search of the food trucks that have come to campus this semester thus far! Once you solve the puzzle, be sure to check them out in front of Alumni Hall!

Ted’s Steam Machine

El Bori

Liberty Rock Tavern

Loco BBQ

Big Green Truck

Taco Loco

Fork In the Road

Silver Sands Pizza

Taste Of Grill

Cowabunga

Bella Sera

Super Duper Weenie

Flaco’s Tacos

The Colombian Hot Dog

Claypot Chef

Fryborg

Rita’s Pitas

The Plate

Pierogies on Wheels

Los Mariachi’s On Wheels

Discover Education / Puzzlemaker

SPORTS Sports

Page 13

THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

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

This week, in Mirror history...

These excerpts were taken from The Mirror's archives to reflect upon our student-run newspaper's rich history. The first story was published in volume 42, issue four of The Mirror on Sept. 28, 2016 under Editor-in-Chief Jesse Erickson. The second piece was published in volume 43, issue four on Sept. 27, 2017 under Editor-in-Chief Allison White. Alfredo Torres was the sports editor at the time both articles were released, and Daniel Montgomery worked under him as the assistant sports editor .

By Chris LaZazzera '19 Assistant Sports Editor Emeritus

Photo Taken From The Mirror Archives

The Stags recorded their fifth straight win, a 3-0 sweep over the visiting Gaels from Iona on Sept. 25. The Stags remain undefeated in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, defeating teams including St. Peter’s, Rider, Manhattan and now Iona on their quest to defend the MAAC title.

It was an all around team effort with multiple Stags having big performances. Juniors Skylar Day and Sydney Buckley each had a double-double as they over-powered Iona. Day had 12 kills and 10 digs while Buckley dished out 17 assists and recorded 13 digs. Senior Megan O’Sullivan finished with 10 kills and Megan Theiller ‘18 added nine of her own.

Sophomore Kaitlyn Fisher and Mayda Garcia ‘20 each posted three and two kills, respectively to add to the Fairfield attack. Freshman Manuela Nicolini continued to showcase her skills, serving up 12 assists and landing a kill.

“I think we played well. Obviously we have a lot of things we are improving on and today was a good match for us to go in and try to focus on the things we’ve been practicing and improving on. We still have a while to go until we know where we want to be, but it was a good game today,” said Day on her team’s performance.

Fairfield was stellar on the defensive end too, limiting Iona to a dismal 0.19 hitting percentage. The Gaels (1-14, 0-3

MAAC) could not get anything going with Theiller, Mallory Bechtold ‘19 and Taylor Rudeen ‘19 leading the Stags with seven digs apiece.

Fisher, Garcia, O’Sullivan and Nicolini helped the Stags reach nine total blocks in total, which dampered any hope Iona had of trying to make it a game.

Fairfield’s head coach Todd Kress was happy with the victory, but continued to stress the importance of knowing that it is still early in the season. “We have a lot to do. We definitely have to continue to work on our defensive intensity and treating every point the same. So there’s still a lot of things we need to work on. It’s early; we are only four matches in, so we’re not even 25 percent in yet as far as conference play. We have a long way to go and lots of things to work on,” said Kress.

The Stags look to continue their winning ways as they visit the Marist Red Foxes on Wednesday in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. at 7 p.m. They will return to George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall on Oct. 1 and 2 as Niagara and Canisius come to town for a weekend matchup.

By Daniel Montgomery '19 Assistant Sports Editor Emeritus Some new faces fill the seats of the Stags bench in Alumni Hall, but overall not much has changed from last year.

The wins are piling up, and the red and white are once again dominating the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Now winners of five in a row with a record of 4-0 in conference play, Fairfield cemented their place as the MAAC’s team to beat as they made quick work of the St. Peter’s Peacocks 25-17, 25-13, 25-13 on Sunday, Sept.

24.

Fairfield took control of the game from the outset, as they posted 14 kills in the first set. Senior Skyler Day and Mayda Garcia ‘20 each had four kills while Manuela Nicolini ‘20 tallied 13 assists in the set.

The second set provided the Fairfield faithful with more of the same. Junior Kaitlyn Fisher and Garcia put four spikes away as part of a 17-kill set. Nicolini had 16 more assists in the frame to put her total at 29 through three sets.

With two sets in hand, the Stags cruised in the third set, posting their most efficient frame of the match with 12 kills and only three errors.

Fairfield finished the match with 43 kills and only 18 errors to boot.

Individually, numerous Stags shined against the Peacocks. Garcia led the offense with 11 kills, while Day finished the afternoon with nine putaways and Nicolini finished with 38 assists.

On the defensive end, Day had 13 digs and Taylor Rudeen ‘19 had 11 digs. Junior Sydney Williams led the way with three blocks against the Peacocks.

On this Sunday afternoon, it was undoubtedly Garcia, the Texas native who was the spark plug for the Stags in their controlling win. The outside hitter was humble after the double-digit kill performance and knows how vital her teammates are to her success.

“Going into today, we knew we had to pedal down,” Garcia said. “Any time I went up to hit I heard ‘I got your back’ behind me so that really helped me going up against a block and knowing that if I do hit into the block they will be there to pick me up.”

As the streak continues, Fairfield forges into the heart of MAAC play. Familiar foes whom they know so well fastly approach as they look to take command of the conference and post another undefeated season in the MAAC. As Garcia reiterates, no one game can trump the importance of the one that lies ahead.

“We take everyday like it is a new day. We forget yesterday’s game, forget what we did yesterday even if it was our best game and move on to the next one,” Garcia said.

The Stags return to the court when they travel to Buffalo, N.Y. to take on Canisius College Saturday, Sept.

30 at 1 p.m.

In this week's issue...

-

Convention Center Progress Remains a Mystery (Page 14) Q & A: Senior Spotlight With Meagan Morelli (Page 15) Sports Professionals Can Prosper During Pandemic (Page 16) Golf Program Sees Growth Despite Restrictions (Page 16)

Photo Taken From The Mirror Archives

Arena 100 Progress Remains a Mystery Sports

Page 14

THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

By Kevin Stush Contributing Writer

Last year, Fairfield University unveiled many completed projects on campus, including the new Charles F. Dolan School of Business and the Barnyard Manor townhouses on the south side of campus.

However, Fairfield didn’t stop here in their mission to further modernize this modern Jesuit University. With the completion of these projects came the announcement of a newer, bigger endeavor: a new Convention Center, which is being constructed in place of what is currently Alumni Hall.

The new Convention Center was set to open in 2021, with construction beginning in 2020; however, the COVID-19 pandemic brought construction to a halt.

The new Convention Center is planned to hold about 3,500 seats, a state-of-the-art broadcast and media center, a Stags Club lounge, numerous Photo Contributed by the Sports Information Desk concession stands, a beer garden, a Stags Spirit Shop and much more.

The Convention Center is a part of the Be The Next campaign which invites parents and alumni to donate to the building's constrution.

Students began to become familiar COVID-19 will be behind us, and the timing will align for fans to get back to games. This with seeing construction on campus surrounding the area of Alumni Hall, but when they could increase the spirit of students on campus, as activities are currently limited. Games returned this fall, there was no construction to be seen. could up morale and bring about a warm welcome for the Convention Center.

The information we compiled points to the fact that construction will commence in To obtain more information regarding the construction of the Convocation Center, early 2021, and an anticipated completion date is not yet confirmed. Last spring, the FairThe Mirror reached out to Fairfield’s associate director of Athletics/Facilities and Operafield University basketball and volleyball teams said goodbye to Alumni Hall at their final tions, Allen Gibson, who then directed us towards Campus Operations, as he stated they home games; however, these teams will get one last season on their homecourt, although have taken over the construction timeline. this could also change according to the trends of the pandemic.Throughout the entire outThe Mirror contacted the associate director of Athletics/Communications and Mebreak, people have become familiar with flexibility and change. Protocols and guidelines dia Relations, John Jones, for a comment, although he failed to respond. In addition, Peter are shifting daily.

Crowley, the director of Facilities Management, also failed to deliver any comment.

As of right now, for the 2020-2021 basketball seasons, spectators cannot attend any Curt Krushinsky, the director of Campus Planning and Design and Campus ArchiMetro Atlantic Athletic Conference games until Dec. 23. This date is tentative, and is just tect, directed us towards David Frassinelli, the vice president of Facilities Management, another example of the uncertain nature of this virus. With that being said, until construc- who provided me with a press release to answer my questions regarding the timeline since tion officially resumes, students will not truly have an informed idea of when the Conven- COVID-19. The article contains a link to the Convention Center webpage, with some tion Center will be complete. more information.

It is my hope that when the Convention Center is complete, a world surrounded by

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

Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor

Catherine Santangelo Editor-in-Chief

Your 2020-2021 4x5 Columnists:

Julia Lanzillotta, Catherine Santangelo, Sheila McCombs and Molly Lamendola

If you had to choose one Do you think that Fairfield sitcom to watch for the rest of will be able to recover back to your life, what would it be?

COVID status-level green?

If fans are eventually allowed back to Fairfield sporting events, would you attend?

Do you think students who get sent home should be refunded for room and board?

What’s a fall activity that people can still participate in, socially distanced?

“Gilmore Girls” in a heartbeat… although it has its fair share of drama. It has really gotten me into the autumn mood!

Without a doubt… I haven’t been to any sporting event since March, and I’m starting to lose it!

I think so- at least partially.

They’re not using the housing, so why not?

A Halloweentown movie marathon at home with my roommates is certainly on my to-do list this fall season!

Ummmmm…probably not, because I’ll still be nervous about COVID-19.

Yeah I think so, especially for those poor souls following the rules but get sent home because their roommates got sick and spread it to them.

Apple picking! It’s outdoors, and everyone can just have their own bag and claim a tree to pick from!

Ideally, yes. Realistically, no. It's all in the student body's hands and I hope everyone is well aware of that.

So no one told you life was If we can all work together to gonna be this wayyyyy…*clap stay safe, then yes! clap clap clap*

This is a hard one for me Sheila McCombs because I am not a big sitcom Managing Editor girl, but I would have to say “Brooklyn 99.” It gets me every time!

I always have hope, but it’s really just a wait and see kind of thing, given how fast things can change.

I think I would, as long as there are good precautions in place! I miss live sports so much!

100 percent, it is crazy to pay for something you aren’t using!

Pumpkin or apple picking is a great option! I have also been doing some fall baking with my roommates, which has really gotten us in the spirit!

“The Inbetweeners” was also a good one in the U.K., or I’ve Molly Lamendola been watching “New Girl” with my roommates, and I Vine Editor could probably do that.

I think that if everyone abides by regulations, there’s a good chance.

No......maybe if I get a Connect credit.

Yes, they should have to pay a conduct fine, but the University should refund.

Big fan of a brunch of some sort, or anything to do with pumpkin spice. Oh my godddddd… Yard sale hunt for vintage Halloween decorations!

That’s it!

Sports

THE MIRROR | Week of September 30, 2020

Page 15

Q & A: Senior Spotlight With Meagan Morelli

By Sheila McCombs Managing Editor

Meagan Morelli ‘21 is a guard on the Fairfield University women’s basketball team, and is currently looking forward to her last season as a Stag.

After the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament ended so abruptly due to COVID-19 on March 12 of this year, and the Stags had made it to the semi-finals, Morelli is eager to get her next shot at the championship.

Despite her final season looking much different than what she imagined, she remains full of optimism and a love for her team.

Q: How are you feeling about this upcoming season being your senior season as a Stag?

A: I think that it’s mixed emotions because it’s our senior year and everything is different. We are crossing our fingers that the season actually happens and [are] hoping for the best. We are practicing for the best possible scenario, but we have to take it day by day. We currently have no COVID-19 cases and have no one under surveillance, so we know we are taking it very seriously, especially after how the season ended last year.

Q: What have you found to be the biggest change so far with all of the new COVID-19 regulations?

A: I think the biggest change for us is that we don't get that team bonding that we have had in previous years. We can’t get together constantly like in the past. We are really working, especially the upperclassmen, to take the first-years under our wing in different ways. That has to be the most challenging, having to work harder to have that team chemistry that we had seven months ago. The most team building we really have is during conditioning, which is so different from every other year where that happens when we compete against each other during practice. We can’t gather together or go out to dinner, so communication has become really important. Our four new first-years have adjusted really well despite all of this though!

Q: Has this year differed from others in terms of your off-season practice routine? If so, how?

A: So usually during the off-season we have conditioning, and then small group training which is more of a practice. This year, another girl on the team, who is also my roommate, and I weren’t allowed to pass the ball to each other in practice. Our whole first practice was us throwing the ball out to ourselves and running into our shots by catching our own passes. So, that was so weird! But it has gotten a lot better. We did have to stop practice after there was a COVID-19 scare in the Athletics Department last week, but we came back and were able to have a team practice on Tuesday, which was amazing! We weren’t allowed to have any contact, which was very different.

We have mostly been working on transition drills and plays. We were joking about the fact that we haven’t had any defense at practice. We literally have not played defense for seven months, which is definitely the biggest difference.

Q: How do you feel about the conference schedule that was just announced? Do you think the later start date will affect the team positively or negatively?

A: We didn’t get to get our summer session this year, which usually puts us ahead of schedule. So, having the conference schedule pushed back is, from my perspective, a good thing because we have gotten pushed back in a ton of other ways, like how we are able to practice. So this will give us and our coaches more time to come up with a game plan on how we are going to approach the season. To be honest, we are in it for the championship and everyone has that mindset because of how close we got last year. We definitely have some unfinished business, especially our returning players. We had some of our best games going into the tournament last year, and then all of a sudden it was over before the semifinals. It’s our biggest motivation to stay healthy and follow the rules.

Q: Now that you have seen the conference schedule, do you have a team that you are really excited to play against?

A: I personally love playing against Marist [College] because they have a very similar fire to us. There are some teams who are scrappy, or teams with great defense or with great shooters. But Marist- they have it all. Even though I think they graduated some good shooters and players, I think it is always a head-to-head game with them. That was also the game that we were going into for the semifinals when the tournament got cut short.

Q: What drew you to Fairfield when you were considering collegiate

basketball programs?

A: My story is a little bit different because I am a walk-on. I didn’t get recruited to play here. I chose Fairfield strictly because of its academics and because of the vibe I got as a student rather than a student-athlete. When I came into college, I did know that whatever school I chose, I would want to be a part of the basketball program, and coming into it I just wanted a manager's position. I reached out to the coach because I knew that I wanted to become a coach in the future, and it wouldn’t be good for me to be totally away from the sport for four or five years. I ended up trying out for the practice team, which is filled with guys, and I made it. About a month later, into my first year, the head coach approached me and offered me a spot that had opened. Without any question I said absolutely, not really knowing how much it would change my life for the better. It has been life-changing.

Q: What do you think makes the basketball program here so unique?

A: Our program has always been a family, no matter what or who is on the team. The older you get, the bigger your family gets, because your seniors from your first year are people you still keep in contact with. I know almost every team would say that, but I think it is especially true for our team. We live together, we go to bat for each other no matter what, we take one another under our wing and we do things that other teams don’t really do for each other.

Q: Do you have a favorite memory during your career here at Fairfield?

A: Every year we do a secret Santa because we are all usually here during the holidays. We only get about three or four days to go home, and when we do we usually take people who live too far away to go home with us. We did secret Santa last year, and I remember wondering about what I was going to get from someone else and what to get for my person. When we did it, everyone was opening their gifts, and it was like we all knew our person so well. Everyone got something that was so personal to them, and it showed how well we know each other. We just knew all of these little details about each other, and it really reaffirmed our relationships.

Q: What is one goal you hope to accomplish during your final season?

A: For us, I think our biggest goal is to win the MAAC championship. To elaborate on that, I think my perspective is always different because I am someone who wants to be a coach. My goal for the team is to go into every practice as if it is a game and give it our all. I have always been an advocate for hard work, especially in those practice situations. My motto has always been “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Just to go in with the mentality that if I go in and work really hard, I am making the girl next to me better.

We all want to get better for the game that matters the most, and that is the one with the trophy at the end.”

The first game for Fairfield women’s basketball is scheduled for Dec. 9, with an away game against Iona College. MAAC and the National College Athletic Association guidelines in place regulate for no spectators at the games until Dec. 23, when there will be a reevaluation of these restrictions. All home games this season will be played on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall, with construction of the new Convention Center to begin next year. The Stags will be scheduled to play on Wednesdays and Saturdays throughout the season.

Photo Contributed by Meagan Morelli

Meagan Morelli is one of five seniors on the Fairfield University women's basketball roster.

@Fairfield Mirror Week of September 30, 2020

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

Sports Professionals Can Prosper During Pandemic

By Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor, Executive Editor

For months, live sports were forced to halt while the world was left to pick up the pieces of the coronavirus pandemic. Although many professional sports like hockey and football have resumed competition under rigid regulations, the fall sports here at Fairfield University have yet to pick back up again. Most recently, it was announced that the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference has curated a schedule module for the 2020-2021 season, giving Fairfield hoops the greenlight to formally hit the court again for conference play in early December.

Upon the establishment of the sports media program earlier this fall, such stagnancy in the sports world is surely a topic of concern for students hoping to pursue a career in this industry. Fortunately, if anything, the coronavirus has given deputy director of athletics, Zach Dayton, more work to do in modifying the department’s regular operations. He sat down with The Mirror to offer an inside perspective of the rather busy, inner workings of a collegiate level athletics department during this public health crisis.

Dayton wears many hats, acting as a sports administrator while also overseeing the marketing, brand strategy, communications, social media, digital strategy, ticket sales and operations and broadcast operaPhoto Contributed by the Sports Information Desk tions teams, all within the Athletics Department. In addition, he handles Zach Dayton is the deputy director of athletics at Fairfield. many projects for Paul Schlickmann,

Fairfield’s director of athletics. Although these responsibilities have not necessarily changed, the surrounding climate has forced him and his colleagues to adapt to new roles as well.

The halls of the Thomas J. Walsh Athletic Center are more empty than usual; however, this is not to say that less work is being done. Countless employees are working even harder, many in remote settings, to guarantee that when it comes time for basketball season to begin, the transition back to live sports will be seamless. Dayton detailed how powerful Zoom and other technological communication tools have been in ensuring that essential work gets done.

“I’ve tried to over-communicate and ensure that everyone has the tools to succeed, just in a virtual environment,” he said in terms of how his style of communication has shifted. Dayton emphasized the importance of tweaking the department’s philosophy to please supporters, and simultaneously drive interest and revenue in lieu of live audiences.

Despite the fact that from an external view, sports management and media are expected to suffer in some ways in the midst of this months-long hiatus, Dayton and his staff defy these assumptions through the strides that they have been making since the University first closed last spring. They have tirelessly operated under the guiding mission of making their fans feel as though they are as involved as ever in the culture of sports.

Long before the coronavirus left the department with no other option, Dayton has been preparing to progress towards a more digitized way of working. Under the helm of this deputy athletics director, live viewership for select men’s basketball games have so much as doubled, or even tripled.

He graciously thanks the specialists with whom he works for their endless efforts in making Stags athletics the best program it can be. Dayton welcomes the idea of extending the opportunity of being a part of such a diversely talented organization to students with enthusiasm, and foresees that with the resumption of play will come more opportunities for these aspiring professionals.

We would love to have students assist us on any facet, especially with the game day operation. It takes a village to put on a broadcast in the first-class manner, like we want to do,” said Dayton. “We’re always looking for students that are aspiring to grow into the athletics profession, whether that be marketing, ticket sales, digital strategy, communications, broadcasting or any of those areas.”

Dayton feels strongly about the significance of experiential learning once it is safe to do so, as the health and safety of student-athletes as well as his staff are paramount. He looks forward to having a hand in leading the next generation of athletic professionals to success.

Golf Program Sees Growth Despite Restrictions

By Thomas Coppola Contributing Writer

In March of this year, spring sports were unable to continue due to the outbreak of COVID-19. With the initial panic winding down by the summer, the country began reopening their recreational activities, with the primary candidate for reopening being golf.

Golf is the ideal sport to challenge COVID-19; it is socially-distant and played in the open air, which are two incredibly key factors to being safe during the pandemic. At Fairfield University, the situation is no different, with both the men’s and women’s golf programs continuing in a modified practice and play format.

Doug Holub has been the head coach of the Fairfield University golf teams for five years, and although some of his plans have shifted due to safety concerns, he is still extremely hopeful and excited that this year will repeat past successes. According to coach Holub, the busiest time of the year for the golf team is always fall, even though the golf season is in the spring.

A normal, pre-COVID-19 fall consists of practicing on the courses mostly every day, with players having the occasional day off to rest. This work is in preparation for tournaments that take place in the spring, in which each of the eighteen players on the team participates in about five or six. The tournaments normally take place within the confines of the New England region, but occasionally stretch as far as Florida.

This upcoming spring, some challenges present themselves. The teams will have to work with travel limitations; if they return back from a state on the travel advisory list, then they will need to quarantine for two weeks before getting back out onto the course.

Coach Holub has stated that he wants to try to avoid crowded places at all costs, his prime example being airports. Although it is quick and relatively easy for his teams to travel by air, airports and airplanes are crowded and can possibly present health threats to his players. To work around this, he said that he would be willing to investigate ways to drive to tournaments or events so that he can better ensure the health and safety of the golfers.

As they say, practice makes perfect, and this is all too familiar to coach Holub and his teams who have been brushing up on skills after a long break from hitting the links. In normal practice sessions, players are split up into four groups of four and play rounds to keep their skills sharp.

The golf teams typically practiced at the same course so that they could all work together as a team, but now, with COVID-19 restrictions, it is difficult for them to do so. They instead go to different courses so as to not break rules about gathering sizes. When I spoke with Coach Holub, he was headed to Tashua Knolls Golf Course in Trumbull, one town over from Fairfield. Aside from convenience, the location of practice courses are important because this has to do with limiting travel and exposure to the virus.

When the outbreak initially hit and courses were closed indefinitely, coach Holub had some incredibly interesting techniques to overcome challenges and keep team morale up at the same time.

One of his main efforts to unify the team during the difficult time was Zoom yoga, which involved all of his players tuning into a Zoom call and doing yoga together. He expressed that the months of March, April and May were especially hard on him and his players, as there was not much information about when they could get back on the courses.

While they waited patiently to return, his athletes worked online with trainers to develop workout routines that would help make them stronger and get in better shape for the golf season.

On top of physical strength, coach Holub preached the importance of mental strength on the course as well, teaching his players meditation techniques that improve focus and concentration. Holub said he saw the time off as somewhat of an advantage because he had the opportunity to work on the mental side of golf, something athletes normally ignore during the busy season.

The program has a lot to look forward to. “We have a young men’s team, so the future is definitely bright,” Coach Holub said. “For the women’s team, we have returning seniors, so I’m hoping for big things this year.”

Although the Fairfield University golf program has had to overcome a significant amount of unprecedented challenges throughout the last few months, this fall has proved to be the light at the end of the tunnel. In the coming days and weeks, the Stags will continue to polish up their game so that when spring rolls around, they will be “on par” for a terrific tournament season.

Photos Courtesy of @fairfieldstagsgolf on Instagram

Coach Doug Holub is a long-time member of the Fairfield community, as a Fairfield Prep graduate. In 2016 he was named the director of the Fairfield University men's and women's golf program.