THE MIRR R Independent student newspaper
Week of October 30, 2019
Vol. 45 Iss. 8
Fetty Wap Rocks Red Sea Madness
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Fetty Wap performs for 2,000 Fairfield University students in Alumni Hall on Oct. 25 in 2019’s Red Sea Madness Concert. By Colleen Vann Contributing Writer
Fairfield hosted its annual Red Sea Madness and Fall Concert event on Friday, Oct. 25, which sold out tickets and featured hip-hop artist Fetty Wap. The event was hosted by the Fairfield University Students Association and Stags in the Stands. The Red Sea Madness pep rally to kick off the basketball season was held before the concert, starting at 7:30 p.m., and the bleachers of Alumni Hall were filled by students, all dressed in the color red, thus creating the illusion of a red sea. This element of the night is enjoyed by many students. “I think that the concert was very fun. I especially like the Red Sea Madness, I feel like that’s a great touch to the night to celebrate our basketball teams and Fairfield!” said Jillian Casey ‘22. The men and women’s basketball team
came out and competed in mini games such as a three-point contest (won by the women) and a dunk contest on the men’s team. The Fairfield dance team and cheerleaders performed as well. Faculty members were brought out to join in on the festivities; President Mark Nemec, Ph.D. was challenged to shoot a three-pointer in order to win a pre-game pizza party for the students in a few weeks but unfortunately, he did not make the shot. Students were also asked to participate in this pep rally, such as in the dance competition, where the crowd voted by applause for the student they felt had the best dance moves who would then win $250. The winner this year was Louis Benoit ‘21. Those students that attended the pep rally later filled the floor of Alumni Hall in front of the stage, and the remainder of the students who attended the concert stood in the stands. The floor was packed tight with students waiting to see Fetty Wap perform.
Last Sunday, Fetty Wap was arrested in Las Vegas on alleged assault and battery charges, as reported by CNBC. The claim made by local news reporters was that he hit a parking attendant after getting into an argument. Students at Fairfield were concerned that Fetty Wap would not be able to come perform at Fairfield due to these allegations. “I think people are excited about the concert, I think it has certainly generated a lot of buzz here on campus. But at the end of the day, I think we are a little concerned about the allegations made this week,” Conor Chmiel ‘22 said. However, the university and the student organizers assured those who shared these concerns that everything was under control. In an email sent to the student body by FUSA and the Department of Public Safety, it was stated that, “we wanted to assure you that
Women’s rugby celebrates 25 years on campus. Page 8
Fortinbras Performance
Vine Theatre Fairfield performs “Fortinbras.” Page 16
Continue Reading Red Sea On Page 4
Annual Powderpuff Event Cancelled be taking place. Toutoulis continued on in a Facebook post to say that, in working with the Parks and Recreation Department of the Town of Fairfield, BRO was notified that the The Fairfield Beach Resident Organization 2019permit they had applied for to host the event in Veteran’s 2020 Facebook group was met with disappointing news on Park had been denied. Without a large outdoor space with the morning of Thursday, Oct. 24. BRO President Jenwhich to hold the event, BRO was left with no option but nie Toutoulis ‘20, who is responsible for planning BRO’s to seek an alternative event to take Powderpuff ’s place in non-university affiliated events such as Oktoberfest and November. Mock Wedding, announced that the annual all-female Toutoulis commented on the situation via email, exPowderpuff football game to be held on Nov. 23 would not pressing disappointment at the turn of events but nevertheless attempting to find a silver lining. “Not being able to use Veteran’s Park gives the senior class an opportunity to come together and work through this bump in the road,” she said. “Many of our classmates have reached out offering suggestions, assistance in planning a new event, and spaces where we can do so.” These suggestions have been submitted through a Google Forms link that was attached to the announcement post, with Toutoulis encouraging group members to submit what events they would like to see and to take this as an opportunity for the class of 2020 to create their own tradition to be carried on after they graduate. This announcement still left many wondering Alicia Phaneuf/The Mirror why the popular event would no longer be taking place. Senior Valerie Bien-Aime commented that, An image from last year’s Powderpuff football game. By Lexi Thimble Editor-in-Chief
with all the expectation built up around this event, not being able to participate feels like a huge disappointment. “From what I’ve heard,” she said via electronic message, “people are upset because they have waited three years to participate in this event, and now it’s been ripped out from under them.” However, the reason behind Powderpuff ’s cancellation comes down to something very simple: a scheduling issue. Both Toutoulis and Anthony Calabrese, the Director of Parks and Recreation for the Town of Fairfield, asserted via email that the, “permit was denied because the date requested was after the date our Town fields close for the winter.” This not only precludes Fairfield University students from using Veteran’s Park, but any other organization as well. In the past, Powderpuff has traditionally been held in the first week of November; last year’s event took place on Nov. 3, early enough in the month that the organizer’s most likely would not have had to contend with such scheduling conflicts. “All of us at BRO have spent countless hours already planning events for the senior class, and we will continue to do so,” Toutoulis stated, again emphasizing the positive aspects of the situation. “We are confident that our class can come up with a great alternative for a November event this year, and are also looking forward to the many more events being planned for this Spring.”
News
THE MIRROR | Week of October 30, 2019
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THE MIRROR | Week of October 30, 2019
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The Mirror Reflects on this Week in Social Media
Compiled by Julia Crews Information contributed by the Department of Public Safety
10/22 1:54 p.m. Townhouse resident reported a bean bag couch missing from their unit. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Department of Public Safety. 3:40 p.m. Student reported money stolen from her wallet. DPS reminds everyone to lock their doors. 10/23 1:30 a.m. A student reported a suspicious person in a vehicle via the LiveSafe app who approached her saying that he was “looking for a party” and to “hang out.” CCTV footage identified the vehicle and its operator. The Fairfield Police Department was notified and a criminal trespass warning was issued to the non-student. 10:32 a.m. A suspicious male was reported in Bellarmine Hall. He was identified and issued a criminal trespass notice and warned not to return to campus. 10/24 4:15 p.m. A motor vehicle hit and run was reported in the Aloysius P. Kelley Center parking garage. DPS identified the party who struck the vehicle using CCTV. The Fairfield Police Department was notified. 10/26 12:30 p.m. A Fairfield University banner was stolen from a light pole by Meditz Hall. The student responsible was identified and referred to student conduct.
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News
THE MIRROR | Week of October 30, 2019
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Red Sea Madness Stirs Up School Spirit and Fun Continued From Page one
Fetty Wap will be in attendance. This has always been the case and was confirmed by his agent.” Fetty Wap came on stage around 9:45 p.m. wearing a Fairfield jersey. He performed until about 10:30 p.m., playing some of his hits such as “Trap Queen” and “My Way.” Students said that they had a good time; however, the biggest complaint heard was about the immensely crowded environment around the stage. “I think it was an overall good time, the pep rally was really fun and it was nice to have a lot of people there,” said Olivia Alessandro ‘22. “The music was good, just crowded depending where you were.” Sophomore Tyler Senior said, “I had a lot of fun at the concert with all my friends. We went to the pep rally, Red Sea Madness supporting our basketball programs. Fetty Wap was great, he really got the crowd into it, all in all it was a great experience.” “We’re still running our numbers from this weekend, but out of the 2300 tickets sold, we estimate that approximately 2,000 students were in attendance at this year’s event,” wrote Thomas Boutros, FUSA’s director of programming via email. “As always, we aim to support our partners over at Fairfield Athletics, as well as our Men & Women’s basketball teams, while putting on a great show for our students. With that being said, I would say this year’s Red Sea Madness was a hit! The pep rally was probably the most engaged and fun that we’ve had since our partnership began, and Fetty Wap put on an amazing show.” “My friends and I had a lot of fun at Fetty Wap!” said Megan MacGilvray ‘23. “It was very fun to see the Fairfield community come together.”
Lexi Thimble/The Mirror
Students dance to Fetty Wap as he performs his set on Friday night, which included his hit “Trap Queen.”
Fairfield University Dining Services Fights Hunger By Gabrielle Arlotta Contributing Writer
Fairfield University Dining Services promoted Waste Less Week to reach students on topics of sustainability and food waste in The Daniel and Grace Tully Dining Commons starting Monday, Oct. 21. Life@Fairfield encouraged students to check out the opportunities presented, with the platform stating, “Hunger affects individuals on a fundamentally personal level...more than 50 million Americans are food insecure, more than 40 billion meals are wasted a year, and the solution is more simple than you would think.” Students had the chance to learn about the partnership shared between Food Rescue US & Fairfield University Dining Services. Life@Fairfield further stated, “Together these two organizations are committed to ending local hunger by transferring fresh and usable food to nearby food banks, pantries, shelters and families.” The process in fighting to end hunger locally starts at the source of the leftover food. Fairfield University makes an abundance of food for its students which usually results in excess. This is where the national non-profit organization Food Rescue US steps in. The Fairfield County Site Director for Food Rescue US Nicole Straight stated that in Fairfield County alone, Food Rescue US works with over 80 donors, one being Fairfield University. Other donors include General Electric, Stamford Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk Public Schools, Trader Joes, Whole Foods and more. Fairfield
University is one of the few universities not just in the area but the country who is actively, almost on a daily basis, working to support the community and reduce food insecurity as well as waste. Straight and fellow Food Rescue US representative Danielle Blaine came to the university equipped with pamphlets and information on the food waste crisis. Importantly, they had the resources that outlined how to get involved within the Fairfield Community. Straight stated that 80 local social service agencies work with individuals who face food insecurity as well. Food Rescue US doesn’t stop there, as they also work with seniors, veterans, children and schools where kids are on food assistance. The organizations mindset is, wherever there is a need, they will try and help. The unique quality about Food Rescue US is their process in rescuing the food. There is no hired staff, hired trucks or warehouses, instead they use the Direct Transfer Model. By downloading an application on your iPhone, the organization rescues seven days a week, where volunteers pick up from Fairfield University 2-3 days. Food Rescue US averages about 120 rescues in the town of Fairfield alone per week using the efficient model. Straight said, “The time it takes you to go to the grocery store and come home, is the time it sits in your car. There is no down time, no sorting, the food gets directly where it needs to go.” Fairfield country has over 900 volunteers but the non-profit always needs more. Rescues are typically within a half mile to five miles away, making the runs convenient. Straight fur-
Photo Courtesy of Fairfield University’s Twitter
All leftover food from the Tully that isn’t put out for students goes to good use at Food Rescue US.
ther explained in regards to the simplicity of model, “Just download our app, look at the schedule, pick up whatever you can, pick up and that’s it. Super easy.” Food Rescue US, originally called Community Plates, started in Norwalk in 2011. Presently, the organization is in 13 states around the country; States like DC, Miami, Oregon, Cleavland, Cincinnati and more. Closer to home, Harding High School in Bridgeport, is one of the many receiving agents. After a football coach reached out to Food Rescue US, now some of Fairfield University’s donations are feeding 80 athletes across the high school. The organization prides itself on their app based system, and Straight noted Food Rescue US was one of the first in the field to use such advancements. The app shows you where you want to go, who the contact person is, what time you pick up and where to drop off. As they grow rapidly, its cause links to the rise in insecurity and food waste as it has become a major environmental issue. Straight speculates, “I think with food waste, its like you come to the cafeteria, you eat your food and then it’s like out of sight out of mind. You don’t think about the other 40 chicken breasts that got cooked and didn’t get eaten and are going to go into a landfill and off-gas methane.” Food Rescue US stresses the desire to keep the rescue work a tight knit community, stating a rise in Fairfield University student volunteers completing rescues from the University itself would be greatly appreciated. “This is all about finding purpose and being of service in your community,” Straight concluded. To download the app and get started, click here or search “Food Rescue US” in the App Store. The Tully Dining Commons executive chef Joe Distillio shed light on this global issue and further reported on how Fairfield University, Sodexo and Food Rescue US share ties. Sodexo is the food service provider of Fairfield University. Food Rescue US contacted Sodexo initially to get the ball rolling and since then, there has been a great relationship. Distillio adds, “It’s a win-win for everybody.” Dining Services will then put food together for the organization following the schedule. Distillio noted he works very closely with Straight, to make sure they have food ready for volunteers in time. This means making sure it’s enough food for sometimes 30-80 people. Mr. Fitzpatrick, a client that has been with a university for 50 years, organizes another batch of food for Prospect House, which they put together twice a week for him to donate to families that are in need. What filled Waste Less Week further was an event called, “From Bean to Cup: Sustainable Coffee Cultivation,” where Sun Coffee Roasters founder Keith Lemnios outlined the journey of sustainably grown coffee beans Monday. Another highlighted Fairfield University’s collaboration with Field Goods, and in the last, chefs from The Humane Society’s Forward Food Initiative prepare plant based meals for their guests, with a side of knowledge and information on the positive impact a plant-based diet has on the environment.
Opinion
THE MIRROR | Week of October 30, 2019
pinion
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Editor Catherine Santangelo» catherine.santangelo@student.fairfield.edu
Look It's-...It's Freakin' Butts...I Love Halloween By Catherine Santangelo Opinion Section Editor The fall season is the time for pumpkin spice flavored everything, pumpkin picking and carving, snacking on pumpkin seeds and putting out your best pumpkin themed Halloween decorations. According to Fox News, for Mike O’Neil of North Fulton, Georgia, the pumpkin themed decoration that he chooses to display on his lawn is an absolutely hilarious “mooning pumpkin man.” This pumpkin man of scarecrow-like stature is complete with a jack-o-lantern head and two smaller pumpkins to make up his buttocks. He is in a bent over position, and his arms are made to look like they are pulling down his jeans to “moon” people passing by with his pumpkin bottom. Fox News reports that O’Neil says he puts out this decoration to “make people laugh and have a little fun,” but there have been some complaints against this piece of Halloween hilarity. The Home Owners Association of O’Neil’s neighborhood reached out to him to complain that the decoration was offensive. I personally laughed my own pumpkin butt off when I first saw the photos of this genius decoration, and I did not find any offense in it at all. Fox News reports that O’Neil has been putting this decoration out since 2008, and he has never received any complaints until this year. Despite the complaints, the HOA did not ask him to take down the decoration, but in response, O’Neil put out a sign in front of his pumpkin man that said “Censored by the GBHOA,” referring to the Grogan’s Bluff Homeowners Association. O’Neil took matters into his own hands on how he felt to best deal with the criticism he received, which I appreciated. The HOA did not appreciate this response, however, but I think it was actually a good move because it allowed him to keep up his festive and fun decoration while also putting out a message to his neighbors
that it is censored, and therefore may be offensive to some residents. I can understand the problem if a neighboring young child saw this pumpkin man and decided to “moon” people in real life, but I think O’Neil censoring his decoration allows for others to make their own choice to enjoy it or not. It would be unfair of the HOA to ask him to take it down completely after so many years of putting it up without a problem. Halloween is not really one of my favorite holidays mainly because of the spookiness that comes along with the season (I am not a huge fan of scary stuff ). Since Halloween is so focused on the haunts and horrors, many of the decorations that I see around people’s houses this time of year are frightening, demon-like creatures hanging from their porches, enormous, hairy spiders that will crawl all over you and zombies missing limbs and busting out of their lawn graves. You cannot tell me that a harmless and smiling mooning pumpkin man is more disturbing and offensive than any of those those creepy Halloween decorations. I would much rather walk by a pumpkin man mooning me than a freaky, Pennywise-looking clown with blood dripping from its mouth. The Halloween season overall comes with some pretty questionable and sometimes controversial decoration choices due to the major themes that the holiday brings. I appreciate O’Neil’s pumpkin man because it adds humor and lightheartedness to the season, especially for those who do not care much for the spooks. It’s festive for fall, it brings laughs to most people who see it and it was put up in good fun. It was not put up to be offensive. I see O’Neil’s intent for putting this decoration out as a man simply having a good old time trying to bring some laughs into his own neighborhood. Pictured: O'Neil's "mooning pumpkin man" decoration Photo Courtesy of @BrittanyEdney Twitter
Coach Keanon Lowe is an Example of the Kind and Heroic People Our World Needs
has recently emerged showing the dramatic moment where Lowe embracing the student and reminding him of his self-worth and how wrestled the weapon from Diaz and ultimately embraced him in a hug he is loved by the community, not through tackling the student or rethat lasted over a minute. This empathetic display of kindness shocked sorting to violence. The instance of May 17 and Coach Lowe’s response Keanon Lowe, football as well as track and field coach at Park- many viewers, as it directly contrasts the violence that many authori- reminds us that there are genuine and heroic people in this country, rose High School, has been praised for his heroic actions after pre- ties use to de-escalate similar situations. In describing the incident and it is important that we continue to remind our peers that they are venting another school tragedy from happening. According to The to CBS, Lowe comments how most people “don’t know what they’re valued and wanted. When people are internally suffering, we cannot Washington Post, on May 17, 2019, 19-year-old student Angel Gra- doing until it’s done.” While Diaz planned to take his own life on this ostracize them and lead individuals to the extreme of being willing to nados-Diaz walked into school with possession of a firearm concealed day, when he uncovered the gun, the initial take their own life. We need to support our peers and provide them reaction for students and teachers was to with the necessary resources to help them heal. Coach Lowe did not flee in terror. However, Lowe’s immediate just save a life, but he saved a family and a community from the tragedy reaction to grab the gun and stop a tragedy that this country knows all too well. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 from occurring is a rare instance where a cry for help had been answered. The kindness that Lowe showed Diaz leaves viewers speechless. Too often have news outlets focused on violent de-escalation of similar situations where authority figures tackle the gunman or use violence to beat violence. Lowe is not only an example to law enforcement, but also to this country on how we have to battle this violent epidemic of mental illness. As a country we do not fight violence with violence, but rather with kindness. Following his trial, Diaz will receive mental health and substance abuse treatment as part of his 36 month probationary period. Many commentators Pictured: Lowe embraces Granados-Diaz after taking gun away from him have criticized this mandate as not being Photo Courtesy of @NBCNightlyNews Twitter harsh enough for the trauma that has been imposed on the students at school, but rather under his coat. In what appeared to be a casual Friday at Parkrose, Diaz than focusing of Diaz’s punishment, we should be focusing on the heabrupted the normalcy of the students day after taking out the firearm roic actions of Keanon Lowe. from under his coat and pointing the weapon at himself. Without hesiLowe’s response to Diaz shows how this country does not need tation Loew lunged for the weapon and placed both of his hands on the to arm our teachers or have more security or firearms. Instead, what rifle as he tugged with Diaz to free the gun from his grasp. According to this country needs is kindness. We need to remind each other that reports, Diaz planned to take his life that day after battling with suicidal we are loved and valued. Coach Lowe’s hug to Diaz shows more kindthoughts for months and recently breaking up with his girlfriend. ness to an individual in a single minute than this country has shown Pictured: Parkrose High School football and track and field Since this day, as reported by CBS News, security footage each other in decades. Lowe was able to de-escalate the situation by coach who prevented a school tragedy
By Kallan Hook Contributing Writer
Photo Courtesy of @NBCNightlyNews Twitter
Editorial Board "It's Okay to be a Wuss" Lexi Thimble Editor-in-Chief
If you’re an avid reader of The Mirror (and I hope you are, whoever it is reading this), you’ll have seen the answers I give every week in the 4x5 on page 14 in the Sports section. While you should definitely check out the 4x5 this week, I’ve joked there twice this semester about my aversion to horror movies, with an exact quote being, “I have never enjoyed a horror movie in my life :).” The “:)” may lead you to believe that this was said in jest, but I am being completely serious when I say that I have truly never in my life enjoyed a horror movie in the way that I would enjoy, say, a period drama adapted from a Jane Austen novel. You’re talking about a girl who used to not be able to make it through “Hocus Pocus,” a film shown on Disney Channel starring Bette Midler; all things considered, how scary could it have actually been? It’s with this fact that I’ve fully accepted my identity as that of a giant wuss.
Halloween therefore represents such a conflict-ridden time for me, as I’m someone who loves getting dressed up, eating candy and going out with friends to generally partake in everything about Halloween, minus all elements of horror. I’ll carve pumpkins, put up decorations and watch “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” like I do every year to get in the festive mood, but I refuse to touch horror movies with anything less than a forty foot pole; they can keep their distance. Blood, guts and gore? Absolutely not. Jumpscares? If they’re asking me to jump in fear, I’ll deliver, and kick anyone in my direct vicinity in the process. Anything involving insects or feral creatures? I will be making a brisk exit from the room. The last unpopular opinion I expressed in this section was my strong dislike for summer, and while I’ll admit that was a pretty controversial one, this may be a strong
contender. But I know I can’t be alone, especially because basic logic contends that spending at least an hour and a half being terrified is only something enjoyed by crazy people! Who asks for that?! So for those of you who also have nightmares because of the mildest horror film, know that you’re not alone, and I’m probably a bigger baby than you are! You’re valid! In the spirit of this being a constructive discussion, however, I am not without suggestions on how to deal with a potential conflict between your own fears and your friends’ crazy desires to be scared out of their minds. Here’s my advice to skirt the whole issue this Halloween: instead of the latest slasher film, convince your friends to watch a true crime documentary about a serial killer instead. After all, nothing tops fictional horror like the horrors of reality. And on that note, happy Halloween!
THE MIRROR | Week of October 30, 2019
Opinion
The Gender Pay Gap is Not Driven by Sexism By Jack Martorano Contributing Writer
A girls’ soccer team in Burlington, Vermont was penalized on the field by referees after revealing white t-shirts that featured “#EqualPay,” as reported by NBC News. The girls were penalized in accordance with the rules of the league, which prohibits wearing uniforms tagged with slogans during official games. Because of this rule, I do agree that they should have been penalized. In this very visible protest, the team was trying to bring awareness to the gender pay gap in America. Although the gender pay gap is real, it is largely misrepresented by the left. To me, the type of rhetoric from the left about the gender pay gap in America is mindboggling. We constantly hear that women only earn 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. From this, most people infer that a man will be paid more than a woman for doing the same job and working the same number of hours. This is obviously the case with the girls on the soccer team, who have been told by politicians on the left that women face systemic sexism when going to work, as stated by a Forbes article. However, this logic is unfounded and must be challenged. Many people have come to this false conclusion because studies will compare the annual median earnings of men and women. Upon finding that men generally earn more money than women, many reports automatically assume that the cause is rampant sexism, albeit these studies do not actually investigate the true causes. This logic is inherently flawed, as there is little to no factual basis for this
argument. It’s also problematic because we shouldn’t always assume the worst of people in America. The true reason for this gap in earnings by gender is women’s choices, which is simply ignored by both politicians and researchers. This is not to say that women make worse choices than men, it’s that they make different choices. These different choices have clear effects on their salaries, just as one’s salary would be negatively affected if they made the choice to go on an unannounced vacation for a month. A new study out of Harvard University explained by the Foundation for Economic Education affirms the aforementioned claim. The study examined salaries between men and women at the same job at the same place. In this case, the job that they examined was at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. This method of study is particularly logical because if the pay gap was based on sexism, we could clearly see it in a job that is specifically shared by men and women. As stated by the Foundation for Economic Educa-
tion, the authors concluded that the pay gap they found at the MBTA can be entirely explained by different choices between men and women. For example, male train and bus drivers worked 83 percent more overtime than their female counterparts and twice as many women as men never took overtime hours. Therefore, the wage gap is more directly attributed to the difference in choice between men and women than sexism in the workplace. I think it’s important to clarify that sometimes women must make choices that will put them at a disadvantage in their careers, such as skipping out on hours to care for their children. That’s not to say that they shouldn’t make those choices or that those choices are wrong; I’m merely saying that this is a prime cause of the gender pay gap. But to automatically attribute the gender pay gap to sexism in America is irresponsible, to say the least.
Creative Commons/Pixabay, Wikipedia
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Tik Tok Club Promotes Community and Creativity By Grace Gelep Contributing Writer The short video making app Tik Tok has taken over the phones of millions of tweens and teens all around the world, and is now spreading into the halls of high schools. West Orange High School in Winter Garden, Florida has created a whole entire club dedicated to the Tik Tok app, the New York Times reports, which allows teens to make short video clips of dancing or acting out a skit, usually set to music or a voice track. The app has become quite a phenomenon that has been downloaded on smart phones over 1 billion times, according to SensorTower. Meeting every other Monday after school, these Florida students gather to watch the most popular Tik Tok videos, recreate them and then challenge their creations against each other, and the winner earns a gift card. The persuasive line to encourage people to join is, “Do you want to be Tik Tok famous?” Some tweens who are “Tik Tok famous” have even more followers than established celebrities on YouTube, Inverse. com reports, and even some students at West Orange have videos that have gone viral. Although the app is more popular among middle and high school students, I still see these Tik Tok videos everywhere on other social media platforms. I personally don’t have the app downloaded, but these short dancing clips pop up everywhere on my Instagram account. Even without participating directly on the app, you can’t escape these viral videos. Does this social media app belong in educational organizations though? I think bringing attention to social media platforms
in a school setting could be dangerous, considering how prevalent it already is in life outside of school. Many social media apps have been a factor in the mental health problems of teens. A report by the American Academy of Pediatrics even coined the term “Facebook depression” and described it as a, “depression that develops when teens and preteens spend time on social media sites and then begin to exhibit classic symptoms of depression due to the intensity of the online world,” the National Center for Health Research reports. But what about Tik Tok? Tik Tok is different from other social media platforms. On apps like Instagram and Facebook, the content posted is carefully crafted and edited by users in order to put their best image forward. This kind of posting is fake and doesn’t show anyone as their real, relatable selves. Tik Tok gives teens an opportunity to have fun and make real creative content like dances and skits, rather than posting heavily filtered photos. This type of app is the perfect concept for a club at a high school. It promotes creativity in the students and encourages them to work together on a project that is actually fun for them. This is a club that absolutely anyone can get involved in, and is an after school activity for the kids who might not be very athletic or have the talents that most school clubs require. Also, because of Tik Tok’s popularity in all types of teens, I can only imagine how this club can bring together students from multiple different social groups and create new friendships. Tik Tok is a rare social media outlet that has the ability to bring teens together instead of isolating them, so I think it should be welcomed in an education setting.
Shorter Presidential Elections Would Be More Beneficial for Our Country By Stella Henry Contributing Writer It was New Year’s Eve when I saw the online advertisement announcing that Senator Elizabeth Warren was launching an exploratory committee for president. Being a fan of Warren, at first, I was elated. “Maybe by this time next year, there will be a woman in the White House instead of...well...whatever Trump is,” I told myself. But then I remembered that it was New Years Eve 2018, not 2019. At that time, President Donald J. Trump’s term wasn’t even halfway over. The 2020 election was still nearly two years away. Warren was far from alone in announcing so soon. From January to May, over 20 other candidates entered the race. What’s more, back in October 2015, according to NPR, Former Vice President Joe Biden indicated that he was thinking of running for the 2016 nomination but declined to do so because he thought it would have been too late in the race for him to pose a serious challenge. This was despite the fact that there was still over a year until the election. Fast forward to today, and presidential candidates and debates dominate the news cycle, and there already seems to be an obsession among pundits about which candidate is the “most electable” and who is rising or falling in the polls, even though such metrics mean practically nothing at this stage. All of this got me thinking about why it seems that presidential elections start earlier and earlier, and go on for longer and longer every four years - and whether or not it is detrimental to the country. Was it really necessary for Warren and all the other candidates to kick off their campaigns so early this year? No, it wasn’t. After all, other countries don’t do it this way. As NPR reports, the U.S., in addition to being an outlier among other nations when it comes to things like gun-related deaths and the number of incarcerated individuals, also has a presidential election cycle that is far longer than those of almost all other countries. In Mexico and the United Kingdom, for instance, elections run for roughly five months, while in Canada, they are less than three months. At the very low end of the spectrum lies Japan, lasting just under two weeks. I should mention that I am not necessarily arguing that elections should be two weeks or two months long, or any length in particular for that matter. But many Americans have gotten so used to having extremely long presidential campaigns that they have become desensitized to it, never even stopping to think about the fact that it definitely doesn’t have to be this way. Although some of the reasons as to why the U.S. has longer elections are by design, such as the system of holding primaries, which naturally would necessitate longer campaigns, there is reason to believe that they are still unacceptably long. But so what if we constantly seem to be having elections? Well, one consequence of drawn out elections is voter apathy and fatigue. When an election lasts for months and years on end, people are eventually bound to tire of hearing and readin turn suppress ing about it. This can foster a general attitude of indifference, which could voter turnout when Election Day finally arrives. After all, the to and learn more that people are exposed about a candidate or cand i d at e s , the more likely it is that t h e y will find some fault with o r become annoyed with them, which may lead to them deciding that it is simply not worth it to head to the polls. In other words, familiarity breeds contempt. All this aside, there is another major consequence of prolonged elections, and it revolves around the green paper that makes Photo Courtesy of @nataliesurely Twitter the world grow round: money. It pretty
much goes without saying that the longer an election is, the more expensive it will be. Of course, the relationship between the length of elections and how much money they cost represents a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation; that is, it could be argued that it is not so much that American elections are so prohibitively expensive because they are long, but rather that they are long because they are expensive, since the pressure to raise a lot of money incentivizes candidates to announce their candidacy earlier than they otherwise would have. But one of the reasons why candidates are required to raise so much money in the first place is that they campaign for months and years on end, which means that more money is needed to pay for advertisements and campaign staff, which results in a vicious cycle of sorts. It is even possible that the length of American elections contributes to the disproportionate say that corporations and the mega-rich have in regard to public policy, because someone has to foot the bill for these long and expensive campaigns, and many candidates turn to wealthy special-interest groups for just that purpose. It doesn’t help matters that candidates are expected to raise the funds for their campaign largely on their own, without the help of the government, as the government could never justify funding the camCreative Commons/Flickr paigns of everyone running for president for two years, which brings me to the next problem with long election cycles. If an election lasted, say, three months, as opposed to nearly two years, there wouldn’t be any opportunity for nearly as many candidates to enter the race, since there would only be time to focus on two or three candidates as opposed to 25, which is the total number of Democrats who are either running or were running but later withdrew from the race. Most of these candidates have or have had good policy ideas, and each of them would certainly be a better president than Trump ever has been, but in a field that crowded, there are bound to be some who do not have, and never have had, any meaningful chance of winning. Some might argue that anyone who wants to run for president should be able to, but in the end, there can only be one winner, and to have dozens of non-viable candidates running is an incredible drain on resources. That said, admittedly, a large part of why there are so many candidates vying for the White House in 2020, at least on the Democratic side, is that they all seem to think that they have a shot at defeating the incumbent president, and they may be right about that. Trump’s chance of winning re-election, as it stands now, is less than it was for most other incumbent presidents. But most of the candidates announced that they were running when Trump’s term was barely half over, and we are still a little over a year away from November 2020. This begs the question, “How are we supposed to know what Trump’s true chances of winning will be if the only poll that matters is the one on Election Day, which we are still so far away from?” A year may not seem very long, but a lot can happen in that time frame. We can barely predict what’s going to happen tomorrow, let alone six or eight months from now, so what’s the point of constantly focusing on who is trying to defeat Trump instead of paying attention to the man who, for now, whether we like it or not, is still commander-in-chief? In short, instead of getting all riled up about the election, we should remind ourselves to calm down, because ultimately, it is next year, not next month.
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arts, entertainment, features Editor Gracianne Eldrenkamp gracianne.eldrenkamp@student.fairfield.edu
Audiences Die Laughing During
'Fortinbras' Photo Courtesy of @califournier Instagram CreativeCommons/Pixabay
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Lots of Laughs at Fortinbras By Andrew Murphy Contributing Writer Theatre Fairfield’s five performances of “Fortinbras,” spanning from Wednesday, Oct. 23 to Sunday, Oct. 27, delivered a truly hilarious and enjoyable show for all in attendance. The story of “Fortinbras” begins where Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” concludes. The cast provided an incredible sequence of scenes which silently summarized “Hamlet” before finishing this revisitation with a talkative fight scene. This montage consisted of incredible lighting, staging and music, and it also provided necessary context for the audience to understand the significance of the play. In this play, Fortinbras, portrayed by Carlin Fournier ‘22, inherits Hamlet’s throne. He insists that his success as king will depend on how well he lies to the public. This reluctance to tell the truth unearths the political satire which causes so much of Actors rehearse for "Fortinbras." the humor in this play. Fortinbras also never has any idea where his troops are or what they are doing, further establishing this political satire. In one scene, Fournier delivers a masterful transition of complete, frantic panic to serene composure where he asserts “I have total control.” Moments such as this help construct the hilariousness of this play. Sophomore Maya Kapur does a remarkable job portraying Horatio, Fortinbras’s voice of reason, whose hilarious body language perfectly conveys the frustration of a political advisor attempting to remain ethical. Horatio’s counterpart Osric, played by Michael Stack ‘22, provides great comedic balance to Fortinbras’s crew of servants through his timid, passive personality. By the end of the play, these characters have joined Polonius (Martha Hegley ‘20), Ophelia (Emily Ramsey ‘20), Claudius (Park Lytle ‘21), Gertrude (Fallon Sullivan ‘20) and Hamlet (Declan Quigley ‘22) as ghosts who float around the castle. These ghosts, all deceased characters from “Hamlet,” possess newfound morals and principles in the afterlife. Ramsey wonderfully captures the aggressively seductive nature of Ophelia, but this behavior still does not even come close to comparing to that of Claudius and Gertrude. Lytle and Sullivan display
the conflict between wishing to remain pure and wholesome and possessing sexual urges which are strong enough to make them flail around like animals, performing physical comedy so outrageous that Shakespeare himself would roll over in his grave. This explicit sexual comedy intertwines with other hilarious elements through the characters of the two Polish maidens played by Kiersten Bjork ‘21 and Samantha Millette ‘20. The language barrier between these girls and Fortinbras creates an abundance of funny exchanges. As a dead man, Hamlet too gains a newfound sense of self; his new violent tendencies inspire him to demand that fellow ghosts repeatedly stab Claudius in another truly bizarre scene. This play’s humor at the expense of Shakespearean principles constitute the central messages of this comedy’s magnificence. Hamlet revolves around Photo Courtesy of @theatrefairfield Instagram royalty, violence, honor. In this play, Polonius claims that, “Death has been my greatest disappointment, it’s too much like life.” Fortinbras shrugs off his own death in a similarly comical fashion, merely suggesting, “Not everything works out.” Such phrases as, “The examined life is also not worth living” and “Oops, we’re back to telling the truth again” further magnify this comic element. Besides the acting itself, this play delivered in a performance so laudable that I would be outrageously wrong if I did not emphasize all the other elements which construct this magnificent show. The use of props such as watermelons, full-body dummies and inflatable genitalia compliment the stage’s lighting and background devices which bring this play to life. The cast does an impressive job of maneuvering all over the massive staircase and other elevated surfaces on stage. Out of all this staging, the most impressive element was the flawless execution of a stage trick involving dialogue with a VHS video. In closing, Theatre Fairfield delivered a gem of a show from top to bottom. The entire audience remained captivated for the length of the two plus hour performance, and I think everybody experienced quite a few more laughs than they expected.
Kanye is King in His New Album By Michael Riggi Contributing Writer After nearly a year of anticipation from fans and multiple missed release dates, Kanye West’s ninth studio album “Jesus is King” has finally arrived. Proclaiming himself as a “recent Christian convert,” the artist’s newest gospel-inspired album steers in a different direction from anything he has released before. Blending elements of Christian gospel with a signature Kanye West style, “Jesus is King” is refreshing and acts as the start of a new unique era for the artist. Although the final product is alluring and empowering, the leadup to the release of “Jesus is King” was anything but. Coming off the heels of a progressive public breakdown in early 2018, Ye (short for Kanye) relocated to Wyoming to collect himself and work on new music for himself and others. After releasing critically-acclaimed projects with Pusha T (“DAYTONA”), Kid Cudi (“KIDS SEE GHOSTS”), and his own self-titled solo album (“ye”) later that year, Kanye announced his next studio project “Yandhi” would arrive on Sept. 29, 2018. Claiming he needed more time to work on the album, “Yandhi” eventually failed to materialize as many more supposed release dates came and went. In an attempt to redeem himself from his mistakes a year earlier, Ye began to turn to religion and formed a series of experimental “Sunday Service” concerts that would later become the basis for his latest album. Following a number of “Sunday Service” performances this year, spouse Kim Kardashian posted a tracklist on Twitter for Ye’s new album “Jesus is King” with a scheduled Sept. 27 release date back in late August. Failing to meet this date and many other speculated ones, Ye finally released the album (twelve hours later than he promised) on Oct. 25, along with a 35 minute IMAX film of the same name. Despite its frustrating rollout and short length (barely reaching 27 minutes), “Jesus is King” delivers on its promises of dynamic and powerful tunes. Focusing mainly on different religious themes and choir-heavy sounds, “Jesus is King” never oversteps its subject matter and appeals to a wide demographic of both religious and non-religious fans (although some might
find the switch in subject matter jarring at first). With “Jesus is King,” it’s clear that Ye has found his niche and is joyful in spreading religion to others while still making the music he wants to make. From the very beginning, the tracks “Every Hour,” “Selah” and “Follow God” start the record strong with beautiful melodic background vocals and compelling bars from the rapper. This trend continues throughout the album with other well-produced and satisfying tracks like “On God,” “Hands On,” “God Is” and notable standout song “Use This Gospel” (reuniting rapping-duo Clipse nearly ten years after their last album). In traditional Kanye fashion though, the album includes its fair share of goofy lyrics on songs like “Closed on Sunday.” Following its release on Friday many fans took to social media platforms like Twitter to express their displeasure with the album, attacking its length in particular. While some tracks on “Jesus is King” are definitely on the shorter side, the album never feels half-baked r itte like previous projects released by the artTw t s e yew ist. Every song has a different and natural kan @ feel to it, distinguishing the album from its preom r f n ake decessors and other music released this year. to T o h P While “Jesus is King” doesn’t necessarily sit at the peak of the artist’s discography, the new project provides a new exciting look at a different and more faith-filled side of Kanye West that fans haven’t seen before. Even fifteen years after the release of his first album “The College Dropout,” Kanye West still continues to redefine himself as a person and innovate the music genre with every album he releases, something which can’t be said about many other modern musicians.
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'The Current War' Isn't Electrifying By Tyler Zikias Contributing Writer
“The Current War” has had an odd path to finally being released in theaters. The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and didn’t make a big impression by any means. Then, with allegations against Harvey Weinstein and his studio, The Weinstein Company and it’s subsequent shut down, “The Current War” would not be released in theaters until it found a new distributor. The film finally found this new distributor, but director, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, wished to reshoot a few scenes as well as shorten the film by about 10 minutes. Now, we have “The Current War: Director’s Cut” in theaters and despite the long road it took to get here, it should’ve been dumped elsewhere. There are few good things about “The Current War,” but the one standout is clearly the cast. Benedict Cumberbatch as Thomas Edison is as pitch-perfect as casting can get. Cumberbatch has this ability to pivot from incredibly likable to an unreasonable jerk in an instant. It works well for a character like Edison because, at least in this movie, he’s a family man but also the catalyst for a lot of the conflict in this movie. Michael Shannon is awesome as the much older and solemn George Westinghouse and Tom Holland provides some much needed comic relief as Samuel Insull. Nicholas Hoult’s Nikola Tesla is certainly the weak point, but mainly because he isn’t given much to do. The story itself of this war between two electrical powerhouses about whose method will be used to light a city and eventually the country was also very interesting. There’s a lot of backstabbing and slander which I found pretty fun, but this film needs more than just a solid premise to be good. This film has been assembled and disassembled so many times that you can’t help but feel like you’re watching some sort of Frankenstein-movie with a bunch of scenes lined up that don’t really connect well together. The movie starts strong with a solid introduction to Thomas Edison, his family and his plight, but ultimately doesn’t care much about the other supporting players. It seems as if Gomez-Rejon wanted to make a movie about Thomas Edison but ultimately wanted to make it more crowded and less interesting. Like I mentioned earlier, Nikola Tesla is in maybe five scenes in the entire movie. He is set up like everyone else but isn’t utilized in the slightest. The way every character’s story ends is also a disaster, throwing everything that came before out the window in favor of a squeaky clean wrap up. A lot of it just doesn’t make sense and can be maddening when you look back on the film and feel like no real progress has been made for any of the characters. But, messy films can be fun sometimes too, right? There are lots of movies that can be a blast to watch that don’t have the best structure. Yeah, “The Current War” isn’t one of those movies. In fact, It’s really boring. I was nearly asleep during the entire second act because of how repetitive it all felt. All of Edison’s scenes were saying the same thing and all of Westinghouse’s scenes were just responding to that thing. You can only hear the same lines of dialogue regurgitated so many times over before losing interest entirely. The film looks great which can be a plus, but it’s overall useless when what’s happening in the frame is uninteresting. “The Current War” could have been a special movie. I could have seen Oscar nominations aplenty for a star-studded, historical drama with surprisingly good production design. But, when your film isn’t very good at the start and a bunch of behind the scenes factors play into your film being forgotten until now, a director can lose sight of his original vision. While I have read that this is an improvement over the cut that was screened at TIFF, I still can’t give this one a recommendation. Grade: C-
Halloween Music to Scream About By Katherine Klima Executive Editor A problem I faced throwing a Halloween party a couple of years back was the kind of music I’d be playing. I feel as if the music during the spookiest time of the year isn’t always as talked about as the Christmas season. However, what I quickly discovered is that there are actually quite a few awesome Halloween songs out there. So, here are my top seven picks for classic Halloween songs you must play this Oct. 31: “Monster Mash” - Bobby Pickett Ah yes, the ultimate Halloween bop to surpass all Halloween bops (in my opinion). This song will get any party started due to the fact it is the Halloween song. It’s the “Jingle Bells” or the “All I Want for Christmas is You” of Halloween. This song has been played at almost every Halloween party I’ve been to in the last ten years and it brings back some iconic memories with my friends. Undoubtedly, this is a must-listen this Halloween. “I Put a Spell on You” - Bette Midler There are so many versions of this song by so many famous artists: Nina Simone, Annie Lenox, Marilyn Manson– you name it. However, the one version that always gets me in the Halloween mood is Bette Midler’s cover from the 1993 film “Hocus Pocus.” I enjoy this one not only because it’s one of the best scenes in the movie but also because Midler brings her own spooky twist to CreativeCommons/Pixabay this amazing song. Now, sadly this version isn’t on Spotify, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying Midler’s iconic version. “Ghostbusters” - Ray Parker, Jr. I absolutely adore this song, mostly because I love the films, but also because it’s a fun song to play every Halloween. Originally debuting in 1984 along with the first film in the series, this is a classic. How can you not be a fan of this song? Especially with the iconic line “I ain’t afraid of no ghost.” I am a huge fan of Ray Parker Jr’s version, but if you want one with a more modern flare try out the 2016 version by Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliot. An interesting combination, but nonetheless still a bop.
“This is Halloween” - The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack This has to be the top pick from my childhood. It’s the most iconic song from the 1993 film “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” It also has a Marylin Manson version which is super punk– if you want a more darker route. However, I’ve always preferred the original film version because it’s more whimsical and fun to listen to. Not to mention, it is a really awesome scene to watch every Halloween. “Thriller” - Michael Jackson If you’ve ever watched a Party City commercial around this time, then you’ve definitely heard this song. Jackson’s 1983 sensation not only has one of the best music videos from the 1980s, but it also has some of the best choreography. I think almost everyone knows the “Thriller Dance,” so it’s definitely a must for a Halloween party with dancing. “Werewolves of London” - Warren Zevon Everytime I hear the beginning of this song I confuse it with “Sweet Home Alabama.” Despite that, it’s a chill song. It’s an upbeat classic that gives off old rock ‘n’ roll vibes. This 1978 hit is great recommendation for anyone who adores a good old fashioned rock song. As someone who’s a huge sucker for some 60s and 70s rock, I definitely recommend to add this to your Halloween playlist. “The Addams Family Groove” - MC Hammer If you’ve not heard this banger yet, you’re missing out. Most of you are probably familiar with the original “Addams Family Theme Song;” however, this is much different than the classic. “The Addams Family Groove” was created for the 1991 film. It was performed by MC Hammer, so this song is peak early 1990s music. I think it’s something different to add into the mix and is oddly catchy. And, if you love this song, I highly recommend to check out “Addams Family Whoomp” by Tag Team from the 1993 sequel, “Addams Family Values.”
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Places to Shop for Cruelty-Free Shoes By Sabrina Trueheart Fashion Columnist
I can’t deny – shoes are amazing. They can complete an outfit, add a splash of color to your all-black attire or even make you appear taller than you are. Taking a trip once every few months to DSW is one of the shopping trips I look forward to most, as there are rows upon rows of options for footwear. However, my love for shoes leads to one of my biggest gripes with the fashion industry – the lack of options of cruelty-free footwear. It can seem nearly impossible to find a shoe that is not made of leather, suede or fur. Ever since I decided to fully dedicate myself to vegetarianism in early high school, I also decided to fully commit to wearing cruelty-free clothing and footwear. This meant giving away my beloved Uggs (which I might add is a brand that may be one of the cruelest of them all) and choosing my new shoes wisely. Shoes are often made of leather, suede or real fur because these materials supposedly hold up better than others, making these shoes last years longer than shoes that are not made of these materials. And, I must admit that is true – many of the crueltyfree footwear I have owned have fallen apart in under two years. Sometimes, cruelty-free footwear can even appear less appealing than the shoes with real leather or real suede. Faux-suede boots often are flimsy, and the soles on shoes not made with animal materials can wear out much faster, hurting your feet. But are any of these reasons to put aside your beliefs regarding animal rights? If you are struggling with this same issue, you are not
alone. Many animal lovers out there feel they have a lack of options when it comes to footwear. It isn’t easy to find cruelty-free footwear, which is why even those who are deeply committed to animal rights activism may still have a pair of suede boots. Fortunately, there are some brands out there that are on your side. If all else fails, be sure to check the labels online and in-store when buying shoes. “Man-made” or “synthetic” upper (the top of the shoe) or sole (the bottom of the shoe) means materials like rubber were used to create the shoe as opposed to animal products. Nonetheless, here are three companies that make vegan, cruelty-free footwear: Toms Toms is a popular company, and while many of their styles do include leather or suede, there is an entire vegan section on their website! The vegan shoe section features a variety of shoe styles that are made with faux materials. Personally, I love the classic vegan Toms. Tip: if you’re buying Toms in-store, it’s pretty easy to spot the vegan Toms – the vegan shoes have a canvas-like sole, while the leather ones look like leather and have lines that curve along the foot! Moo Shoes Moo Shoes was one of the first cruelty-free shoe brands I discovered at the beginning of this journey. Based out of New York, Moo Shoes is committed to creating cruelty-free shoes for men and women. I am obsessed with their vegan Dr. Martens – I would love to have multiple pairs! Although their shoes are a bit pricey, they’re very fashionable! Plus, who could argue with cruelty-free, high-quality footwear? Susi Studio Susi Studio is not only committed to making crueltyfree footwear – their shoes are often made of faux leather produced from recycled plastic bottles! By recycling plastic bottles to create shoes, Susi Studio is clearly an up-andcoming company that cares about our planet. Although they only sell Photo Courtesy of @toms Instagram women’s footwear, their options are super stylish and won’t burn a hole in your wallet!
The Mirror Abroad: Just a Moment with Molly By Molly Lamendola Abroad Columnist
I’m quite familiar with old Mr. Banksy. A few documentaries watched, a couple presentaOh man oh man, we spent the weekend tions given and you could say we’re on a first in Amsterdam! After leaving my lovely Britname basis. Thus, when you see a gallery filled ish friends in London and saying goodbye to with things that he’s done, with the museum good memories of constantly being slightly stating, “The ‘Laugh Now’ exhibition is not aucold and damp, we arrived and were just a bit thorised by Banksy, nor was it curated in colless so-cold and damp. laboration with the artist,” that leaves you a bit I knew we were in the right country afopen to suspicion, no? ter the ticket lady let us exit the train station Basically, because of Banksy’s new popuwithout checking our tickets. When we tried larity, a lot of his pieces have been just ripped showing her them she responded in fluent or carved off the wall and sold to the highest English, “I don’t really care” and just used her bidder. Now, not saying any of these pieces all access pass to let us through. Perfect. Misweren’t obtained completely legally, but withsion Accomplished. This country is for me. out the artists approval for the show, how can Literally every building matches my it even happen? Pinterest board of the perfect house. Unlike Oh, and totally accepting that I’m a hypNew York filled with similar matching ceocrite for paying money to see the show and ment buildings, or any housing development finding all the art dope as all heck, but… just in suburban America where we use the word think about it friends and neighbors, just think “cookie cutter” to describe the layout, Amabout it. sterdam stands apart. Now onto the Heineken Experience! To be Every building unit has a bit of persontotally honest, wasn’t a massive fan of the whole ality. Everything is painted different bright thing. It felt like one of those middle school colors that stand out from the grey landscape trips that really aren’t that exciting, but you’re and even the architecture seems to have the enjoying it because at least you’re not in school, buildings swoop in and out of the skyline. you know? *Kisses fingers like an Italian lady* Just beauIt was more than just a museum. You’re tiful. lead throughout this giant plant thing learning Be forewarned though friends, Amsterabout the production of beer, before ending the dam is not an easily walkable city. Where tour with some beer tasting; definitely different Florence you could walk end to end in 20 than any trip I went on in middle school. But minutes, Amsterdam is a bit of a hike to really, with the slightly out of date visual effects and fro. Though I bet the Metro and other to make it look like we were in the factory and forms of public transportation are quite easy some laser lights here and there, I wasn’t all to figure out, if given the time, we were only that impressed. Molly Lamendola/The Mirror around for a weekend, so having the option Maybe it’ll be your thing if you’re super to use Uber was phenomenal. Lamendola stops by the Museum of Contemporary Art. into beer, but it wasn’t my cup of tea and everyBut, I’m a walker and my travel companion for this week Mr. Ciro is also a walker by na- one in my group was much more interested in the gift shop at the end than any of the actual ture. We’re happiest when meandering around new cities just looking for cool things to do with beer facts. absolutely no plan or itinerary in mind. That’s how we happened upon the Banksy “Laugh Now” But again, whatever. At least I didn’t get hit by a bike while on one of our walks. I can’t even exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art. ride a bike, so an injury like that would just be ironic. Go Amsterdam!
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Inkwell and PFC Host an Open Mic Night
Hallo ween
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By Gracianne Eldrenkamp Vine Editor
CreativeCommons/Flickr
By Katherine Klima Co-Editor-in-Chief at The Inkwell Tis the season for bats, ugly faced rats, and scary black cats. Tis the season for Jack-O-Lanterns, lighting up in the dark, as trick or treaters disembark. Tis the season for a witch's cackle, broomsticks in the sky, and magic in the air. Tis the season for Halloween, a time to be scary, and a time to be wary.
Fairfield University doesn’t often hold events for writers to share their work, but on Nov. 8, two clubs have joined forces in order to create an Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. at The Levee. The Inkwell is a creative writing club on campus that produces a student-run literary magazine. Their co-editors in chief, seniors Katherine Klima and Maeve Nowak encourage their club members to write nonfiction, fiction and poetry with a variety of prompts. The Inkwell has an upcoming horror themed issue for the spooky season. The Inkwell will work with Performing for Change, an organization on campus that uses their art to speak out against social injustice. Performing for Change is run by club president, Aarushi Vijay ‘22. They have a performance every semester that includes everything from acting, singing, dancing, poetry, spoken word and so many more. At the Open Mic Night, students will read their writing to the room in a casual, comfortable setting. It’s the perfect place for writers of all genres to spend their evening. “We felt that Fairfield didn't have an Open Mic Night where all its creative people can come together and enjoy a night of sharing and listening to wonderful pieces,” Vijay wrote in an email. The Inkwell and PFC are looking for submissions for the Open Mic Night. If you are interested in submitted, contact inkwellliterary@gmail.com. There is no specific topic or theme for the night, so all genres are accepted. The best works to submit, as they will be read aloud, are shorter like poetry or prose up to two pages. “I’m going to submit a poem I wrote,” Nowak said. “It’s a love poem about my long distance relationship.” If you don’t think you have the guts to go up and read your own work, the Inkwell and PFC still encourage you to participate. The Inkwell executive board is happy to do it for you. You could also submit your work anonymously if that makes you more comfortable. For a night of creativity and fun, stop by The Levee and enjoy what the students of Fairfield University have to offer. The Open Mic Night is a good way to get your writing out there and appreciated and support fellow creative minds. “You can sit by the Levee’s fireplace and listen to some great writing while spending time with friends,” Nowak said, “Besides, what else are you going to do on a Friday night?” Editor’s Note: Katherine Klima ‘20 is the Executive Editor of The Mirror.
Mocktails for Your Monster Mash If you’re over the age of 21, you can switch the syrup with butterscotch schnapps or add a splash of bourbon to give it a bit of a kick Fancy Apple Cider Apple cider is a classic fall drink, but why not spice it up this Halloween? Mix two parts apple cider with one part ginger ale soda and white grape juice and you have a drink that feels both classy and seasonal. Witches’ Potion Making this will Creati veCom mons/P make you feel like a witch ixabay brewing your newest potion! To CreativeCommons/Pixabay make this spooky bright green drink dissolve two packages of lime gelatin and one half By Gracianne Eldrenkamp cup of sugar in one cup of boiling water. Add Vine Editor three cups of cold water. Stir in one quart of lemonWho doesn’t love a good party? If you’re planning a Halloween party this year, you’re lime soda and one quart of lemon-lime Gatorade and enjoy! With this drink, you get a layer definitely going to want a punch bowl to keep your guests hydrated, and some festive mock- of gelatin on top that’s both tasty and fun. tails are the best way to go! Plus, mocktails are perfect to keep up sober October. Here’s a Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate few options to pick from. I don’t think a Halloween list is complete without something that’s pumpkin-flavored. Butterbeer Mix one cup of milk with one tablespoon of pumpkin puree in a pot over medium low heat. Ah, the Harry Potter classic. It’s both nostalgic and delicious, and although you can Add a splash of vanilla extract and a few shakes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger buy similar things bottled online and at some stores, it’s also so easy to make at home. Just to taste (use a pumpkin pie spice mix for convenience). Add a pinch of salt. Cook until mix cream soda with a drizzle of butterscotch syrup and add vanilla ice cream and whipped bubbles form at the sides and take off the heat. Add one third cup of white chocolate chips cream! and stir until chips are melted and combined. Top with whipped cream.
THE MIRROR | Week of October 30, 2019
Coffee Break
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Coffee Break Editor: Tobenna Ugwu tobenna.ugwu@student.fairfield.edu
Mirror Staff Termination
To celebrate Halloween, Toby decided to fatally terminate the contracts of all the Mirror Staff. He gave them the liberty of choosing the way they wanted to go and here is how they all gracefully exited. GRACIE tried to become best friends with Toby, but that only made her end come quicker. JCREW tried her best to negotiate for her life, using every diplomatic move in the book, but all to no avail. KAT was not fazed at all, she just hung out and awaited the end. CATHERINE and SHEILA bailed before it got to their turn and they are still missing till this day. LANZ accepted her fate and made the best of it; she went out with a bang, literally. LEXI tried outsmarting the terminator by terminating her own contract, but it did not end well.
Creative Commons/ Public Domain, Wikipedia
Crunch Time Costumes for Halloween If you are like me, the idea of planning for a costume never seems like a good idea until October 31st, when you realize you have nothing and the big day is upon you. Sometimes, homemade costumes created out of low-budgets and desperation are the best. Here are a few cringey ideas that I know you’ll just love. #1. Get a box (go to Tully or the Mailroom). Get some tape. Beat the box slightly out of shape and then use the tape on the inside to hold its sags in place and then wear the box. Tell people you are Non-Euclidean Space. Bonus #1 Cover the box in tin-foil. Now you are the Shining Trapezohedron. #2. Walk around in kind of ratty clothes, with a slight limp/ misstep, and hold your eyes slightly too wide open (while suppressing, the best you can, the urge to blink). You are the Innsmouth Look. #3. Get a piece of poster-board or foam-board, and cut out a square in it to one side so that it resembles the white border of a Polaroid. Use a sharpie to write Pacman’s Model along the wider end. #4. Wrap yourself in tin foil and put a Chipotle logo on your back. You are a Burrito.
Sudoku 4 U!! The Coffee Break Team decided to add a Sudoku puzzle for this spooky issue, because there is nothing more scary than a bunch of numbers.
CreativeCommons/Wikipedia
Sports
SPORTS Sports Editor: Julia Lanzillotta julia.lanzillotta@student.fairďŹ eld.edu
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THE MIRROR | Week of October 30, 2019
This Week in Sports: What You Missed
In Case You Missed It: Saturday, October 26 -Women's Swim and Dive won against Monmouth, 189-105 -Men's Swim and Dive lost to Monmouth, 154.5-133.5 -Field Hockey won against Merrimack, 3-1 -Women's Soccer won against Siena, 4-1 -Volleyball won against Quinnipiac, 3-0 -Men's Soccer won against Siena,
Photo Contributed by Sports Information Desk
The Fairfield University volleyball team goes 15-4 overall and is flawless in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference as their current record stands at 10-0. Their tenth win gives them a winning MAAC record for the 24th season in a row, setting a conference record. They are riding a 13-game win streak, following eight consecutive wins which all were decided in the third set. This past week they conquered Canisius College (9-12, 6-3 MAAC) on Sunday, Oct. 20 with set scores of 25-18, 25-23 and finally 25-18. They moved on to Quinnipiac University (8-12, 4-7 MAAC) on Saturday, Oct. 26 25-22, 25-19 and 25-11. Their next match is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30 Fairfield's own George Bisacca Court against Siena College (9-13, 4-7). The Stags are currently ranked in first place in the conference.
3-0
Upcoming This Week: Friday, November 1st -Field Hockey vs LIU, 3:00 PM
Photo Contributed bySports Information Desk
The women of Fairfield University's cross country team participated in the Central Connecticut State University mini meet on Friday, Oct. 25 in New Britain, CT. Genevieve Connelly '22 completed the 3K course in 10:52.4, leading her team. Casey Ems '22, Jane Frawley '22 and Mia Melao '22 trailed closely behind Connelly, finishing in 10:55.6, 10:55.9 and 10:56.1 respectively. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship meet is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2 at 11:00 a.m.
-Men's & Women's Swim and Dive at Holy Cross, 4:00 PM Saturday, November 2nd -Men's & Women's Rowing Fall Metropolitan Championships, All Day -Men's Soccer at Quinnipiac, 1:00 PM
In this week's issue... - Men's Soccer Splits Week 1-1 Against MAAC Competition (Pg. 14) - Field Hockey Faces Final Few NEC Matchups (Pg. 15) - Stags Secure Tenth Win of 2019 Season (Pg.15)
- FairďŹ eld Rugby Club Celebrates Decades of Success (Pg. 16)
Sports
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THE MIRROR | Week of October 30, 2019
Men's Soccer Splits Week 1-1 Against MAAC Competition
Photo Courtesy of Sports Information Desk Senior Marcus Nordgard scored his third career goal and his first goal of the 2019 season against Siena College at 43 minutes and 12 seconds, contributing to their 3-0 shutout at home.
By Michael Hoffman Chief Financial Officer The Fairfield University Stags (4-6, 2-3-2) started off their week with a 3-0 loss on the road to the Manhattan University Jaspers (5-8, 4-3) on Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 7:00 p.m. Fairfield and Manhattan spent the entire first half and the majority of the second half of the game locked in a defensive battle, as neither side allowed a goal over the first 80 minutes of the game. Fairfield goalkeeper Gordon Botterill ‘21 did a nice job stopping six of the nine Jasper shots on net. Manhattan broke the scoreless tie in minute 82 when Brandon Joseph Baudi blasted one by Botterill. Manhattan then took advantage of an aggressive Fairfield team, putting two goals in the net in the eighty-ninth minute. Offensively, Fairfield had their chances, putting twelve shots up, but only put one of those shots on net. Manhattan dominated play in the second half, putting up 14 shots to Fairfield’s five. Defenseman Daniel Ramiondo ‘23 got Fairfield’s only shot on net. Fairfield then returned home on Saturday, Oct. 26 and got a 3-0 victory over the Siena Uni-
Weekly 4x5 Because we have witty things to say ... Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor
Lexi Thimble Editor-in-Chief
versity Saints (5-10, 2-5) during a 7:00 p.m. night game at Lessing Field. Fairfield and Siena spent most of the first half tied at zero before a shot from defenseman Marcus Norgaard ‘20 gave Fairfield the lead that they would never relinquish. Forward Matt McGlinchey ‘21 widened the Stags lead to 2-0 when he buried a penalty kick into the net in the first minute of the second half. In minute 72 of the game, Johnathan Filipe ‘22 put the game fully out of reach when he scored off of an assist from Santiago Gonzalez ‘22. Fairfield coach Carl Rees talked about the pressure that the Stags are facing on their road to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament, saying, “We have spent our time in the sunshine and now we have to cope with having our backs against the wall, We find ourselves in a position we are not familiar and now we have to overcome this type of challenge.” After a 1-1 week, Fairfield will look to pick up another win at home over the Canisius Golden Golden Griffiths (2-12, 1-6) on Wednesday, Oct. 30. The Stags will finish out the week when they go on the road to face in-state rival Quinnipiac Bobcats (6-5-3, 4-2-1) on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Your 2019-2020 4x5 Columnists:
Julia Lanzillotta, Lexi Thimble, Katherine Klima and Julia Monteleone
What are you dressing as for The Nightmare Before Halloween? Christmas: Halloween or Christmas movie?
Any pre-season predictions for Fairfield's basketball programs this year?
Best Halloween candy:
Trick-or-Treat?
I probably should get to planning Both... I'll take any excuse I can get that, shouldn't I? to watch it.
I think the men's team is under great leadership and I'm excited to see how Coach Young's training will play out on the court. For the women, I have high hopes that they'll make a memorable showing in the MAAC this season.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (pronounced Reeeeeees-isssssssssss)
Treat, always.
So far all I have planned is some- I haven't seen it all the way thing involving a toga and a laurel through but anything Tim Burton wreath, but besides that...I'm at a is a Halloween movie, full stop. loss quite honestly.
I wish them the best while knowing nothing about what they spend most of their lives doing!
I'm going to say Reese's solely so I can assert my pronunciation as correct because everyone else is coming for my life!! It's Reesees, come by Massachusetts sometime people!!
We love treats!
I usually watch it for Halloween, but I think it can definitely be both.
Ah I hope they do good.
AirHeads. Man, I love those.
Both. Love treats but we also love a good trick.
Halloween. Christmas movies don't make me feel DISCOMFORT.
Go Stags!
Reese's. Also sidenote if you pronounce it like Reecees and not Reese's you're a serial killer.
Treat. Is that even a question?
Remy from Ratatouille and a Katherine Klima witch with my roommates.
Executive Editor
Let's see. On Thursday I'll be sun
Julia Monteleone and moon with my best friend, Managing Editor on Friday a pin-up girl, Saturday
afternoon a tiger and finally Saturday night Bubbles from Powerpuff Girls with my friends.
Sports
THE MIRROR | Week of October 30, 2019
Page 15
Field Hockey Faces Final Few NEC Matchups By Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor The Fairfield University field hockey team began a three-game Northeast Conference NEC run starting on Thursday, Oct. 24 at Wagner College (1-10, 0-4 NEC) in Staten Island, NY and then moving on to Merrimack College (2-13, 1-4 NEC) in Durham, NH on Saturday, Oct. 26. The away competitions were decided 3-1 in favor of the Stags, but they look on to finish conference play for the season on University Field in Fairfield, Conn. against Long Island University (7-7, 4-1 NEC). The two victories improved Fairfield’s overall record to 14-2 while they remain untouchable 5-0 in the NEC. On Thursday afternoon in New York, all of the action happened in the fourth quarter of play. Junior Danielle Profita was first to score at 45 minutes and 42 seconds, registering her seventh goal of the season. She leads the team in scoring, and the helper was credited to Luzi Persiehl ‘22. This would be her first of two in the matchup against Wagner. Later on, with 50 minutes and nine seconds on the clock, she racked up another assist when she shot the ball in sophomore midfielder Malen Iglesias’s direction, who took advantage of her position in front of goal and deflected it into the net. To finish up the trio of scoring, Ymke Huisman ‘22 notched her first goal as a Stag with three minutes left in the match. She stole the ball from an opposing defender and delivered a lucky chance from the left circle to finish up the scoring opportunity for Fairfield, 3-0. Wagner’s Hannah Meyer managed to tally a point for Wagner’s side of the scoring sheet, but they could not make up the difference that Fairfield amassed. Although of the home-team’s 15 shots, nine were on target, Fairfield’s five on goal out of 11 were executed with more precision and ultimately turned out successfully. In New Hampshire against Merrimack, the Stags matched their highest win-streak with a seventh consecutive triumph for the second time this season. The 3-1 decision kept Fairfield sitting comfortably in a 24th place ranking in the nation. Merrimack jumped at an offensive chance and posted a goal early in the game, six minutes into the first period. Senior Stag Emily Halderson scored the equalizer more than halfway into the second, at 22 minutes and 25 seconds unassisted. The third quarter was controlled by Fairfield’s Kelly Buckley ‘21 who was responsible for Fairfield’s surge. For the third time this week, Persiehl’s pass set Buckley up to put one past the goalkeeper, and set Fairfield ahead 2-1. Once more, she rounded out her scoring chances with another rocket, this time unassisted, at 41 minutes and 42 seconds with a period of play in regulation time left.
Photo Courtesy of Sports Information Desk
Sophomore midfielder Ymke Huisman scored her first career goal against on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Merrimack was able to fend off five shots from Fairfield in the last quarter, but failed to gain the upper hand. The results were 3-1 in Fairfield’s favor. On Friday, Nov. 3 they will wrap up NEC play at home before taking on the Drexel University Dragons (4-12) in the last regular-season game of the season.
Stags Secure Tenth Win of 2019 Season
Photo Courtesy of Sports Information Desk
Seniors Julia Kleczkowski, Melanie Hingher, Jenn Wahlig and Julia McGuire pose with athletic director Paul Schlickmann, Mark R. Nemec, Ph.D. and their families on senior night against Iona.
By Kevin Stush Contributing Writer The Fairfield University women’s soccer team (8-4-3) had a week to remember as they finished up regular season play. It started with a home game on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. The Stags won by a score of eight to one, which ties a record that was set back in 2014 for most goals scored in a game on Lessing Field. In addition, Wednesday’s game was the team’s Senior Night, which honored the women on the team who are a part of the Class of 2020. The Stags’ aggressive game play started right away, as they had four shots in the first ten minutes, followed by an Iona goal that gave the Gaels a one goal lead. About a minute and a half later, 11 minutes and 50 seconds into the game, Liz Dumas ‘21 found the back of the net for her seventh goal of the season with the help of Nicole Stryjek ‘21, increasing the Stags lead. The third and fourth goals were both scored by Melanie Hingher ‘20, marking her first and second goals for the season. With
just about 15 minutes left in the half, Gabby Diodati ‘21 scored her second goal of the season unassisted, which would lead the Stags into halftime with a 5-0 lead. Iona’s Amber Crispin was able to get one shot past sophomore goalie Aytana Muschajew early in the second, half decreasing the Stags lead to four goals. Stryjek kept the Stags rolling, scoring the sixth and seventh team goals in the game. Fairfield’s eighth and final goal came from first-year Allie Landino with the assist from Brooke Hernon ‘22, which would be Landino’s first career goal as a Stag. Defensively, Fairfield was led by rookie goalkeeper Gena Pike who played in the first half and Muschajew who finished out the game. Helping out the goalkeepers were Olivia Homan ‘23 and Josie Horosky ‘23. Offensively, Fairfield was led by their six scorers as well as Hernon, Stephanie Tsangaris ‘22 and Julia McGuire ‘20. The Stags outshot Iona 25-7 in the 8-1 win. Was this the outcome that Fairfield was expecting, to win by seven goals? “We were expecting to win and we wanted
to play well...I didn’t know we were going to get eight, but we wanted to play well,” said Coach David Barret in regards to the win. The players were equally as surprised, as Melanie Hingher said, “We expected to come out hard, play for our seniors, and play for each other, but didn’t expect it to be this good of a result.” Good results continued to come Fairfield’s way on Saturday, Oct. 26, when they took down Siena College (4-9-4) on the Saints home field. With goals from Hernon, Tsangaris, Diodati and McGuire, the Stags defeated Siena 4-1. Outshooting the Saints only by 2, the Stags had to keep up aggressive game play throughout the entire game. Pike had three saves on the day, keeping the Saints to only one goal. With Wednesday’s win, Fairfield has clinched a spot in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament and will host a game on their own turf. The team is now 10-4-3 on the season and will face off against Monmouth University (11-22) in Long Branch, NJ for their last regular season game on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
SPORTS 16 Fairfield Rugby Club Celebrates Decades of Success @MirrorSports
Fairfield Mirror Sports
Week of October 30, 2019
fairfieldmirror.com
Sports Editor: Julia Lanzillotta » julia.lanzillotta@student.fairfield.edu
By Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor Since 1963, the Fairfield University rugby club has been an organization built on a unique balance of athleticism, integrity and kinship. The men’s rugby club participates in the Division IA Liberty Conference which is the highest division in collegiate ruby while the women’s team, established in 1994, plays at a Division II level in the Trio-State Rugby Conference. Most recently, the women celebrated their 25th anniversary on campus. They also gained national exposure for their excellence this past season when they reached the Sweet Sixteen National Championships and ranked ninth in the country. Members of the 2018 women’s team were inducted into the Friends of Fairfield Rugby Hall of Honor for their outstanding achievements. Director of rugby, Tom O’Connor ‘75, has watched the program evolve since he began his time as a Red Rugger in 1971. “Oakie,” as he was nicknamed back in the ‘70s by his teammates, compared the values of his sport to those that Fairfield University upholds as a Jesuit instiPhoto Courtesy of @ fairfieldwomensrugby Instagram tution. He explained, “rugby follows very closely to the Jesuit ideals of mind, body and spirit. You can’t be a group of rugby players unless you play as The Fairfield University women's rugby club recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, as they were established as a club on campus in 1994. a team.” and split their time serving Fairfield’s incoming freshman class by helping them move in. With 15 players on the pitch during game-play, rugby athletes are forced to conAdditionally, they are scheduled to travel to Spain and parts of France in January to not only stantly work with each other to reach common goals and find success. Such reliance on each play but also do community service. In the classroom, the Stags excel just as much. 18 Fairother creates an unparalleled fellowship between those who play the game. field Rugby players were recognized on the 2018-19 USA Rugby Collegiate Academic Honor O’Connor described the special camaraderie that Fairfield rugby players shared. Roll List. Of 200 honorees representing over 50 schools nationwide, Fairfield had the most He explained, “If you’re a rugby player you do embody those Jesuit ideals of mind, student-athletes awarded from a single institution. body and spirit. The friends that you make on a rugby pitch are the friends you make for Under the leadership of O’Connor in conjunction with that of moderator Friar life.” Michael Doody, coaches Austin Ryan, Marc Downes and Sal Esposito of the men’s team as Oakie’s passion for the sport as an alumnus is shared by the ever-growing Friends well as Jack Wallace and Eric Anahory on the women’s end, the program as a whole is set at of Fairfield Rugby non-profit alumni association made up of over 2,000 members who pasan upwards trajectory. Incredible progress in the ruggers’ style of play has already been made sionately support the program. obvious to the director. “As a board member of the Friends of Fairfield rugby, we live vicariously through On Sunday, Oct. 27 the women’s team faced the University of Albany in the Diviour student athletes where we support them in every way through internships and career sion II quarterfinals of the Trio-State Rugby Conference and won 38-14. They are slated to opportunities…we as alumni understand what it takes to be a rugby player,” explained take on Marist College next week on Sunday, Nov. 3 in the semifinals at 11:00 a.m. on Lt. O’Connor. Hans Grauert Memorial Field, on the school’s grounds. It is the first of its kind built solely As a result of their monetary contributions, for the first time ever the ruggers were welcomed to participate in the strength and conditioning program at the Thomas J. Walsh, Jr. for rugby on an American college campus. The men are scheduled to face the University of Athletic Center alongside Fairfield’s varsity athletic programs. Rhode Island at home on Saturday, Nov. 2 before their playoff thrust at the Liberty Conference Bowl Semifinals on Off the field, the players are Saturday, Nov. 9. making waves as well-rounded members of the Fairfield community. For the first time in program history, the men moved in early for pre-season workouts
Photo Courtesy of @ fairfieldurugby Instagram
"Rugby is not just a game, it's a way of life", proclaimed Tom 'Oakie' O'Connor '75, Fairfield University rugby club Red Rugger from 1971-1975 and current director of rugby.