Fairfield Mirror 2/19/20

THE MIRROR Independent student newspaper

Week of February 19, 2020

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Vol. 45 Iss. 16

The Fight for Campus Change: FUSA Presidential Debate

The Coronavirus

Opinion China’s President is not being a responsible leader.

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Women’s Swiming and Diviving Colleen Vann/The Mirror

Pictured left to right: Gadioma ‘22, Ugwu ‘22, Crosby ‘21, Miceli-Kaya ‘21, Guerrera ‘21 and Haidar ‘21.

about.

By Colleen Vann Contributing Writer

The Fairfield University Student Association held the Presidential debate on Tuesday night, Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the Dogwoods Room of the John A. Barone Campus Center. The six nominees, running on three tickets, discussed sustainability, transparency, diversity and other matters concerning student life.

Juniors Sean Crosby and Angelica Miceli-Kaya delivered their opening statement with an emphasis on advocacy and transparency.

Transparency is perhaps the most distinctive aspect of this ticket, and it was one of their four main goals that they mentioned. The candidates were direct in their criticism of the current administration and the ways in which they would work to ameliorate the means of communication in their potential administration.

“Sean and I have noticed an extreme lack of communication between our current president and vice president. There seems to be an ‘I’ mentality that hindered others from voicing their opinions,” stated Miceli-Kaya.

Throughout the debate there were two responses from this ticket that further emphasized and specified their goal of transparency. The first was in regard to the controversial topic of secret ballots within FUSA. Crosby was adamantly against the practice of secret ballots within the senate, stating that senators, as well as the President and Vice President, are elected to make decisions, and it is important for transparency that the students know what their elected officials are voting for or against.

They also spoke about the use of social media to connect with the student body on a more personal level, as well as the possibility of having set times where students could come and sit with the President and Vice President to get to know them better and express any concerns that they may have.

Sustainability was an aspect that was included in every ticket’s campaign, as it is an issue which many students are concerned and passionate

Sophomores Vincent Gadioma and Tobenna Ugwu push sustainability as one of their biggest concerns. One of the questions stated that Fairfield recycles only 9% of their waste and asked candidates for specific ways in which they plan to make the university’s recycling efforts better.

Gadioma presented his idea that there be color-coded bins that designate which materials go where, such a paper, plastic, glass and metal. This would make recycling on-campus more convenient for students, and hopefully make the process of the actual picking up and recycling of the waste from the university more efficient as well.

Additionally, Ugwu and Gadioma emphasized the impact they believed could be made on campus by students who were passionate and had the means and the structure to take real action towards a greener campus.

“Efforts to create a student led task force for sustainability has been pushed aside to the senate,” said Gadioma.

He then went on to state his belief that if he and Ugwu were to be elected into office they could achieve the creation of such a task force.

A unique issue that was brought up, and specifically addressed by Noelle Guerrera ‘21 and Ali Haidar ‘21, was food insecurity on campus. Guerra explained that this was an issue of students not knowing where their next meal would come from, or when.

Guerra presented her idea of a meal swipe program, which would allow students with extra meal swipes to donate them to other students in need.

Those students could privately identify themselves as food insecure and the donated swipes would be transferred onto their StagCard so that they could have full access to the Daniel and Grace Tully Dining Commons and find a full and healthy meal.

Haidar added to this proposal by promoting the improvement of the quality of food at the Tully and the Stag as well as accessibility to both food options. Students would be more willing to get food on campus if the food was

Continue Reading Fight On Page 2

Sports Women’s swimming and diving secure third straight MAAC championship title.

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Youtuber Review

Vine Finding joy on Bon Appetit’s Youtube Channel.

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Staff and Students Speak Out for Sustainability

By Colleen Vann Contributing Writer

Considering the increasing attention that is being given to issues on sustainability, it comes as no surprise that Fairfield students are concerned to learn that Fairfield University recycles only nine percent of its waste.

This statistic was brought up repeatedly at the meeting of Fairfield’s Campus Sustainability Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m. The other major points of discussion were the prospect of bringing Amazon Lockers to campus, as well as a proposal by sophomore Matthew Little to provide each dorm room with a recycling bin.

The CSC is comprised of students, faculty and staff, and according to the university’s website, “is charged with helping set the University’s goals and evaluating its progress with regards to sustainability.” The committee and the issues that it deals with are evidently of importance to students and faculty, as the afternoon meeting was composed of around 30 people.

Before getting into new business, Jim Fitzpatrick, assistant vice president of administration and student affairs and the chair of the committee, shared the good news that over 150 of the reusable Dunkin’ tumblers have been sold, when the goal was seven to eight dozen.

An agenda was distributed at the start of the meeting that consisted of eight items under the category of, “Up-

dates on Unfinished Business from Previous Meetings.”

Within the first hour of the meeting only three of those items were discussed thoroughly. One item was dropped from the agenda as it was resolved--there is no way to get a cardboard compactor according to Joe Bouchard, the director of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety.

Five of the items were passed by with short explanations that they were in progress or needed further research.

“The Campus Sustainability Committee works well in that it allows a variety of students, administrators, and faculty members to address environmental sustainability together,” Little said. “However, many of the ideas that are suggested by students or faculty members never come into fruition.”

The agenda item that received the most attention was the status of obtaining Amazon Lockers on campus.

Fitzpatrick delivered an update that the university was in the final stages of negotiating with Amazon to get the lockers that would allow students to pick up their Amazon packages 24/7

with a simple scan of their phone. Fitzpatrick expressed that this project was a result of the extremely long lines that were forming at the mailroom, for which he had to bring in more staff to manage.

Conversation and questions about these lockers continued for a long time about the logistics of the process and where the lockers would go but mainly students were concerned with how this was going to increase the university’s sustainability efforts.

Information complied by Lexi Thimble

News

THE MIRROR | Week of February 19, 2020

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Candidates Share Their Goals for Fairfield’s Future Continued from Page One

more diverse and attuned to allergies and religious or personal restrictions, he said.

The issue of diversity on campus was one which to which each ticket had a specific and elaborate response. The moderators stated that Fairfield University is the least ethnically diverse university in the state of Connecticut.

Ugwu spoke of his involvement with the Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs office on campus, along with his work on FUSA’s Diversity and Inclusion Board. He has been working on putting together the events such as Fairfield United’s talent show, and he believes that the allocation of more funds to the clubs on campus that promote and support diversity would be a great way to start dealing with the issue of such a lack of diversity.

He is also involved with research on how to increase the number of diverse students on campus and how to ensure that they are all “treated equally and given all the same opportunities.”

Ugwu also expanded on the issue of diversity beyond race, stating that, “Commuter students on this campus are not second class students, and should not be treated as such.”

Haidar emphasized that point as well, and brought up the hopes to find the commuters a larger lounge area that is more central and would allow those students to feel more connected to the rest of the campus and student body.

Haidar also expanded the issue of diversity to religion as well, promoting “religious plurality” on campus. Miceli-Kaya added to this expansion of kinds of diversity to include gender and financial statuses.

Throughout the entire debate, each ticket was insistent on both their passion for making a positive difference on this campus and advocating for students and the issues that they feel need to be addressed in this community.

The ballot will open on Life@Fairfield on Thursday Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. and will close on Tuesday Feb. 25 at 5 p.m., which will be followed by an election party at the Levee where the results will be announced. Make sure to make your voice heard in this campus government election!

Editor’s Note: Tobenna Ugwu is the current Coffee Break Editor of The Mirror.

Colleen Vann/The Mirror

Nolan Wolfe ‘20 introduces the canadidates for the presidental debate in the Dogwoods Room.

Stags Propose Solutions to Save the Environment Continued from Page One

Information complied by Lexi Thimble

One student voiced her concern that these lockers were providing future solutions but that something needs to be done now because every day students are throwing out hundreds of packages. Many others chimed in with the need for more bins and areas for recycling.

Sophomore Vincent Gadioma suggested using a color-coded system similar to the one that Georgetown University uses with the tongs in the dining hall that correspond to a particular caloric measurement. Instead of tongs, boxes would be color-coded, informing students of which material--plastic, metal, or cardboard--went into which box. “[We should] shift the responsibility back to students,” Gadioma said.

To coincide with the need for better recycling practices on campus, Little brought up his proposal to the committee. He started with statistics from recycling audits he obtained and compared them to Fairfield’s numbers.

“Fairfield recycles nine percent of its waste, while Loyola Marymount recycles 76 percent,” Little reiterated via electronic message. “According to

Joe Bouchard, Connecticut state law mandates that universities recycle at least 20 percent. Yale and Connecticut College both recycle 40 percent.”

Little explained that Boston College is one school amongst others that equip each individual dorm room with a recycling bin, and he hopes to bring that practice to Fairfield.

David Frassinelli, the vice president for facilities management, responded that each apartment-style housing is provided with a recycling bin, and that since dorms are too small to each have a dedicated recycling bin each residence hall has a recycling bin somewhere in the building, if not on every floor.

Little, and other students, retorted that students could make room for a bin in their dorm room, and that the building bins were unreliable due to being far from rooms or sometimes not even being there.

The debate over Little’s proposal resulted with Frassinelli stating that they will look into what would be required in order to put recycling bins in each room on campus, so Little hopes to have an update, and hopefully a response, at the next meeting.

Alliance Hosts an Inclusive Valentine’s Day Celebration

By Danielle Sondgeroth Contributing Writer

On Feb. 14, Fairfield University’s LGBTQ+ community came together for an inclusive celebration of Valentine’s Day, hosted by Fairfield Alliance.

Students gathered in the McCormick first floor lounge and were treated to Valentine’s-themed treats and love songs sung by LGBTQ+ artists. The club also set aside a table for making valentines for friends and loved ones.

Senior Eleanor Sgaramella, the vice president of Fairfield Alliance, believes that this event was an important one for campus. “We wanted to do an event basically to be an all-inclusive Valentine’s day event,” she said. “Non-heterosexual couples could have a space to celebrate the holiday and know that they were safe.”

This event was just one of many that Alliance has put on in the past school year to promote inclusivity and acceptance on campus. In the Fall 2019, Alliance also helped organize and participated in Fairfield University Student Association’s first Pride March to raise community awareness, and partnered with the Alliance Build-A-House to host a Thanksgiving Dinner for club members and friends to discuss the idea of finding a “chosen family.” In an interview back in November, Sgaramella explained why she feels so strongly about Alliance and providing a safe space for members of the Fairfield University LGBTQ+ community.

“I definitely have times where I feel apprehensive of people in the [campus] community or am just generally nervous knowing there’s no telling for sure if I’m in a safe

space, which is why Alliance has been such a great resource for me,” she said.

Back in 2010, Fairfield University was ranked #19 on a list of LGBT Unfriendly Campuses by the Princeton Review, as previously reported by The Mirror when the list was first published. Although LGBTQ+ staff and students may seem outwardly happy, there have been a number of reports of hate speech and slurs used. That’s why Alliance members believe that the club and its events are so important.

“I feel like Alliance made a great safe space,” said Eden Marchese ’23.

They are a vocal advocate of LGBTQ+ visibility on campus.

In the past 10 years since the Princeton Review article was released, Fairfield University has been making strides towards visibility and inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community and sponsors a variety of events. A showing of “Tom na Fazenda”’ is scheduled President and Vice at the Quick Center on March 20, 2020, co-sponsored by Alliance and the Triangle Community Center in Norwalk– a local LGBTQ+ resource center.

More Alliance visibility events will be scheduled throughout the remainder of the semester and president

Photo contributed by Danielle Sondgeroth

President of Alliance Thimble ‘20 and Sgaramella ‘20.

Lexi Thimble ‘20 and Sgaramella hope for increased inclusivity on campus thanks to them.

Editor’s Note: Lexi Thimble is the current Editor-in-Chief of The Mirror.

News

THE MIRROR | Week of February 19, 2020

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The Mirror Reflects on this Week in Social Media

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

2/11 11:00 a.m.

An unknown vehicle struck a baluster outside the Health Center, causing damage. Anyone with information is asked to please contact DPS. 2/12 10:30 p.m.

An assault was reported to Public Safety. The assault occurred in Claver Hall approximately two weeks prior to the report. Both parties are known and were referred to student conduct.

2/13 2:00 p.m.

A student reported receiving harassing text messages from an unknown number. The person with the number was unable to be identified so the student blocked the number and no further action was taken.

3:15 p.m.

The Fairfield Barstool Sports Instagram revealed a video of someone ripping a stop sign off a pole at the townhouses.

The person was identified as a non-student and the situation is still under investigation.

2/14 1:26 p.m.

A female Resident Assistant reported being threatened by a male student at the townhouses. All parties are known and have been referred to student conduct.

2/15 8:15 p.m.

One of the glass doors of the John A. Barone Campus Center was discovered shattered. There are currently no suspects, anybody with information is asked to please contact DPS.

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Business Department Email: info@fairfieldmirror.com Lila Condon, Director of Finance

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

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

News

THE MIRROR | Week of February 19, 2020

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‘That Little Thread of a Story’ Gayle Jessup White and Andrew Davenport Report from Monticello

By Lexi Thimble Editor-in-Chief

The history of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States of America and author of the Declaration of Indepence, is infinitely more complex than what those two traits suggest. On Wednesday, Feb. 12, Gayle Jessup White and Andrew Davenport visited the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts to speak to that complicated past, one that includes the ownership of slaves that both Jessup White and Davenport are descended from.

Jessup White and Davenport gave their joint talk, “A Report from Monticello: Restoring African American Narratives to Thomas Jefferson’s Plantation” as part of the Common Ground Lecture Series and Open VISIONS Forum. The conversation was moderated by professor Philip Eliasoph, PhD, and accompanying Jessup White and Davenport on their panel was associated professor of history Shannon King, PhD. Davenport is a current PhD student at Georgetown University, where he studies U.S. history and works as the Georgetown Slavery Archive Fellow. He is an alum of Fairfield College Preparatory School, graduating from there in 2008. He continued on to Kenyon College for his undergraduate degree, then returned back to Fairfield for his master’s degree in American Studies.

Jessup White is the current public relations and community engagement officer for Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, the home and surrounding plantation grounds where the past president once lived. With an undergraduate degree from Howard University and a master of science in journalism from Northwestern University, she began her career at the Washington Bureau of the New York Times before becoming a television news reporter and anchor, and later a public television producer.

What connects the both of them, however, is their familial connection to Jefferson via Sally Hemings, with Jessup White also Tobenna Ugwu/The Mirror being related to the Hubbards, another enslaved family who lived at Monticello. Jessup White heard some of this oral history as she Davenport and Jessup White were the prime speakers at Regina A. Quick Center on Feb. 12. grew up, telling The Mirror that she was introduced to that “thread of a story” when she was 13, which she pursued for the following 40 years.

This led her to the Getting Word project, an initiative begun at Monticello in 1993, “to preserve the histories of the African American families at Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia plantation,” as stated on their website. These accounts have allowed the project to tell, “the stories of people whose lives and achievements were all but erased over the last 200 years.”

“What [Getting Word] has done is it has helped families, who have been separated by sale, by deaths, by ambitions in some cases, by tragedy, be brought back together,” Jessup White said.

“We connected in 2015, that’s when we found out we were related,” Davenport added. This connection followed Jessup White’s involvement in 2014 as a fellow. “I’ve been involved [with the project] since 2016 or so. I did research on them in 2017, and did my MA thesis here at Fairfield on the Getting Word project.”

Speaking further on Getting Word, Jessup White credits the project with helping her discover the details to that initial oral story she was told when she was a child, discovering the project basically by accident.

“I sort of stumbled into it, it’s not that I planned it; I didn’t know it existed,” she said. “But...I had this curiosity about my ancestry, and how a black family from Washington, D.C. could be related to the third president of the United States.”

“I would not have known that my family was enslaved at Monticello. Andrew would not be here now were it not for that story that started so many years ago, that little thread of a story...Sometimes it feels providential.”

Davenport and Jessup White found that their stories coming together and their families being reunited has coincided with where the country is currently at when it comes to discussions of slavery and African American history.

“People now want to talk about enslavement and the consequences of enslavement, the messages of enslavement that we still live with today,” Jessup White said.

Davenport specifically made mention of the New York Times’ “1619 Project,” and Nikole Hannah-Jones’ first essay of that series. The Mirror spoke to Hannah-Jones about that project previously this semester.

“In her opening piece for the 1619 Project, [Hannah-Jones] talks about the difficulties her dad had talking about some of these issues, and if you can imagine it was even more challenging for older generations to talk about enslavement and their experiences in a segregated military or what have you,” he said. “Now in 2020, it seems like people are more willing to discuss these things and dig deeper into American history, to come out the other side and see what’s happening now.”

While speaking more specifically about Thomas Jefferson’s history, Davenport and Jessup White discussed the continued complexity of understanding his significance in their lives. Could they view him purely as the man who enslaved their ancestors and not as the person that helped shape the early history of our nation? Or was the omission of that fact not the most effective way to view him? At the very least, they reached a decisive consensus that there is a difference between remembering and venerating a historical figure such as Jefferson.

“Veneration is uncritical worship,” Davenport said. “Remembering is [having] an eye towards telling, telling a story that is fuller...Memory is a faulty thing, but remembering is totally different from veneration. That’s what we want to get into, we want to get back to memory and how people were and consider them in context.”

Jessup White added that it is a natural human instinct to venerate the figures we admire, whether they be in our own lives or those who act as public figures.

“It might even be necessary [to venerate people], in some respects. But I also think it allows for false narratives, and that is in fact what we are combatting, those false narratives,” she said.

“Jefferson has been venerated, and was venerated in his own lifetime; he was considered the saint of Monticello...It is far more valuable to see Jefferson as human, to see him with his flaws, to know that in spite of his many flaws, and they were considerable, that he still gave us the most inspiring words of humankind. And we can’t dismiss that, but we don’t have to venerate it either. Venerate the words, but not the man.”

“

People now want to talk about enslavement and the consequences of enslavement, the messages of enslavement that we still live with today.”

- Gayle Jessup White

Tobenna Ugwu/The Mirror

Pictured from left to right: Eliasoph, Davenport, Jessup White and King.

Opinion

Opinion

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THE MIRROR | Week of February 19, 2019

Editor Catherine Santangelo» catherine.santangelo@student.fairfield.edu

President Xi Fails to be the Leader His People Need

By Caroline Chapman Contributing Writer

In an authoritarian state, President Xi Jinping’s absence from the public stage since the alarming and accelerating health crisis that is the Wuhan Coronavirus, is quite an ironic scene.

Here you have the leader of the most populous country in the world, who is supposed to embody all that is dominant, powerful and in control. And then you have the opposite reality: a country in complete disarray, a virus wreaking havoc on the people and their leader hiding from it all.

Less than three weeks ago, President Xi spoke at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, promising progress for China in 2020, but he has since cynically remained silent in regards to the pressing health crisis that currently exists as the largest threat to his country.

In a time when citizens are compelled to heavily rely on the leadership of their nation, Xi’s absence only exacerbates the panic that it is to be in China right now.

Not only is it alarming, but equally disheartening that President Xi has not spoken out and provided any sentiment regarding the crisis. In such a horrifying time as this, the disappearance of a leader points to the fact that authoritative systems are flawed, and his silence when the public is desperate for leadership is an act of cowardice, one that should question his role as the leader of a country with nearly 1.5 billion citizens.

The fact of the matter is that President Xi must confront the reality that he is up against. The rapid spread of this virus and the government's inability to control it is certainly raising public discontent within China. Xi has placed his

second leader, Li Keqian, in charge of handling this health crisis by sending him to Wuhan to visit doctors in replacement of himself. Subsequently, Xi has successfully damaged his reputation as a public leader by removing himself from the crisis altogether.

On Thursday, in its coverage of Xi’s absence, The New York Times featured a comment from Victor Shih, an associate professor at the University of California San Diego who studies Chinese politics.

He explained that, “Politically, I think [Xi] is discovering that having total dictatorial power has a downside, which is that when things go wrong or have a high risk of going wrong, then you also have to bear all the responsibility.”

Shih’s words resonate with me in that Xi's decision to remain uncommunicative during this time is indica-

tive of the pitfalls of dictatorial power. It would come as no surprise that in remaining mum, Xi’s incentive is to preserve his political position for a third term. How selfish, how careless?

I cannot begin to comprehend what it would be like to be in China today, and it’s hard to imagine the pain being endured by the citizens of China as fear has taken hold of hope. It is a shame; dare I say a human rights crisis, that China’s leader is stepping back in a time where leadership is most essential, crucial and imperative.

Photo Courtesy of @Mutamain Twitter

Exceptions to School Policies Should Be Made for Good Causes

By Rebeccah Worth Contributing Writer

When Texas teen Newt Johnson found out that his little sister Maggie was diagnosed with Wegener’s disease, he knew that she would eventually lose her beautiful red locks from chemotherapy, and he wanted to provide a solution for her for when that happened.

Wegener’s disease is a rare autoimmune disease that affects the kidneys, leaving Maggie with severe nausea, headaches and eventually having to withdraw from school.

Johnson wanted so badly to alleviate some of his little sister’s pain and decided that he would grow out his hair until it was long enough to make it into a wig for her. However, there was just one problem. Growing out his hair would mean that Johnson would have to withdraw from his school due to a school policy. According to the Poth Independent School District, obtained by CNN, male students are not permitted to have hair extending “beyond the ear opening on the sides nor beyond the top of a dress shirt collar in the back.”

“It really stressed me out because I already worried about my sister,” CNN quotes Johnson. “It made me feel good that I could do someCreative Commons/Public Domain Photos thing for her.”

Instead of abiding by the rules, Johnson decided that he would rather leave school than give up the opportunity to help his little sister. Though having to make this decision stressed Johnson out, he knew that it would be worth it in the end.

I agree with Johnson’s decision to leave his school.

Even though there are certain rules that should be enforced, the length of someone’s hair should not be a top priority, especially when it was for an amazing cause.

The school administration should have made an exception for Johnson’s case and put themselves in his shoes. The one thing that Johnson was trying to do was make his sister more comfortable through an extremely difficult time in her life and his only options were to withdraw from school or be suspended and have detention. Though the school argued that Johnson would not have been denied his education completely, even putting him through suspension and detention would affect his time in school.

In addition, I do not think it was right for the school district to further upset a child who is fighting for her life. “I don’t understand why he has to get in trouble for doing this for me,” Maggie said.

I believe that this story should inspire school districts to make exceptions in their policies for circumstances such as this. The length of Johnson’s hair should not matter nor affect his performance in school.

Therefore, I fully support his decision to withdraw from school and make his little sister’s pain just a little bit more bearable.

Creative Commons/Needpix.com

Editorial Board An Ode to Karen and Georgia, My Podcast Friends Lexi Thimble Editor-in-Chief

Two years ago, I was studying abroad in London, England, a simple statement that makes me unbearably nostalgic. I was taking classes and I had my first office job in the west part of the city. Not only was I living on my own in a foreign country, taking classes and traveling to other countries, but I also had a work commute three times a week to a new job. I felt like I finally was starting to understand what being an adult was.

While my internship was very rewarding, data entry is only so interesting for so long, and while the BBC Radio they played in the office was interesting, I was looking for something more. I’m a huge true crime fan and I was just starting to get into podcasts, so when a list of the top true crime podcasts suggested a show called “My Favorite Murder,” I figured I’d give it a shot.

Hosted by Karen Kilgarriff and Georgia Hardstark, these two true crime-obsessed friends spend an hour and a half every week telling each other crime stories. They’re categorized as a “true crime comedy podcast,” which Karen acknowledges during every liveshow can be an off-putting

concept to some people. This show, as I quickly learned, is so much more than that.

Beyond the stories they tell each other, Karen and Georgia are extremely honest and vulnerable about their lives. They speak openly about their relationships with their parents, their previous addictions and the mental health issues they have dealt with in their lives. They somehow make all that, and the murder, funny, without degrading themselves, their experiences or that of the victims they describe. In fact, there are stories I listen to that leave me more empowered than I’ve ever felt before, and the show acts as a way for both Karen and Georgia, but also for their listeners, to reclaim their traumas and educate themselves about the dangers the world poses to them. Women are much more likely to be the victims of the gruesome crimes they discuss on MFM, so why not learn about those stories, remember the women impacted by them and celebrate the survivors?

Karen and Georgia became my friends during that internship, and I carried them with me when I returned

home to the States as well. That summer I worked for my dad from his home office which was an extremely rewarding job, but it helped having their voices in my ear while I organized his Excel documents.

The main purpose of this piece, besides being a love letter to Karen and Georgia for keeping me company during jobs in new and sometimes lonely places, is an encouragement to listen to MFM and shows like them. Murder and comedy is not the most obvious pair, but I’ve never had a moment while listening to their episodes where I thought they were being disrespectful. On their show, words and the feelings of others matter so much, and it’s refreshing to listen to two people who have been through some of the most terrible life experiences discuss equally terrible things in a way that finds a silver lining in the story, that copes with these stories positively.

If I’ve sold you, MFM releases a mini episode every Monday and a full episode every Thursday. Go give them a listen, and remember to stay sexy and don’t get murdered.

GOODBYE!!

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THE MIRROR | Week of February 19, 2019

Opinion

Facial Recognition is a Step in the Right Direction for Safer Schools

By Alonna Nesto Contributing Writer

There is nothing scarier than sending your child to school and having them not return home at the end of the day. This is what many parents had to experience through the Sandy Hook School Shooting, Parkland Shooting and many more tragic events that will forever leave an impact on many people. The amount of school shootings seems to be increasing as the years pass by, and the ones that occurred will never be forgotten. There must be a way to reduce the amount of shootings and crimes that occur in school settings.

Facial recognition is the answer for the Lockport City School District in New York. According to The New York Times, Lockport City School District will take advantage of this technique at all eight of its schools. It is said to be one of the first districts in the United States to use this method to increase safety.

The New York Times reports that Jim Shultz, a father in the Lockport School district, is one who strongly believes that facial recognition should not exist in schools. He argued his opinion through various sources such as in a New York Times Op-Ed, and in a petition for his daughter’s high school. One of Schutlz’s arguments is that facial recognition takes away from the student’s privacy.

I disagree. Every time I see a school shooting in the news, I wonder to myself, “when is there going to be an end to this?” Anything can happen at a school at any time, and we must do anything we can to protect the children, faculty and staff who go to school everyday. It is a place for community. Children should feel comfortable attending school, and parents should feel comfortable sending their children to school. But after many school shootings, I am sure that it makes children and parents hesitant to want to attend school.

Facial recognition will be able to view faces and then administrators will be able to detect if they are considered “a person of interest,” meaning anyone who seems to be threatening or banned from the school or area, according to The New York Times article.

One reason I disagree with Shultz is because I do not think that students need that much privacy in a school setting. If they believe they need extra privacy because they may be doing inappropriate things in a school setting, they probably should not be doing those things. The cameras should be used for safety purposes only. While I understand where many may feel uncomfortable with a camera watching them, safety to me is a priority.

One of the main reasons I support facial recognition in schools is because it has the ability to detect guns. If a gun is detected, an alert will be sent to law enforcement and administrators. This is where trouble can occur because technology is not always accurate, such as if a gun is supposedly detected but it is something other than a gun. There definitely should be mock situations practiced in schools for situations like these that might happen when using facial recognition technology.

Although I strongly believe that this system could help with school safety, administrators must make sure they do not accuse anyone just because they may have similar facial features to “persons of interests,” which was a point stressed by Jayde McDonald, a prior student in Lockport Schools, in The New York Times.

Although this technology can be expensive for its original purchase, it takes away from paying security or law enforcement to stand at doors during the school day. The price may be high, but they are attempting to make schools safer which is what is most important.

I appreciate anything that is being done to further safety in schools.

Saying that a school shooting or crime cannot happen in your own school is not realistic. Nothing would be worse than the feeling of regret for not having facial recognition when it was needed after a tragic situation in school.

Creative Commons/CIO.com

Reading is An Enriching Experience, So We Should Do More of It

By Catherine Santangelo Opinion Editor

Over the past few years, especially since coming to college, I have observed that people are reading less. In college, everyone’s schedules are super busy and hectic with academics, extracurriculars and trying to have a social life. It seems that any free time that a college student has is usually spent on streaming services to watch movies and binge TV shows. Not many people want to cuddle up with a good book anymore.

I have to admit that I am guilty of living this college lifestyle where the only reading I do is for homework from boring textbooks. It seems like nowadays all of us college students in our free time want to cuddle up with the TV remote or our laptops with Netflix open as opposed to a book. However, with my recent rediscovery of how wonderful books are, I believe it is time to change this trend.

At the beginning of this semester, I happily rediscovered my enjoyment of reading. When I was a bit younger, around middle school age and into high school, I really enjoyed reading. My best friend would always recommend books for me to read, which were often part of larger series, and I would always read the whole series and thoroughly enjoy them. One of my favorite series that I ever read that she recommended to me was the “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series by Sarah J. Maas. If you enjoy the fantasy fiction genre, I definitely recommend that you read this series! It’s four books of pure perfection.

When I came to college, I lost my enjoyment of reading due to the crazy transition and the drastic change in my schedule. I no longer felt that I had time to pick up a good book and get lost in the pages.

At the end of last semester I decided to pick up an English minor. I knew I had room in my schedule to take some extra classes, and I decided that I might as well make them count and get another minor in a subject I have always enjoyed in school. This semester, I am taking an English course called Edith Wharton & Her Circle, and reading novels and short stories is a huge part of the course. After finishing reading the first novel for the class, which was, “The House of Mirth”

by Edith Wharton, I realized how much I missed reading. I really enjoyed this novel and it absolutely brought back my feelings of

how enjoyable reading can be. Thank you, Edith Wharton!

There is something about reading a book that is such a truly fulfilling experience, especially when it’s the right book. But by reading a book, I mean having a physical copy of the book in front of you where you can flip the pages and actually see the progress you are making as you read.

Kindles, Nooks and other technological ways to read are fine too, but reading from an actual paper book makes the experience for me so much more exciting!

Reading is such an enriching experience that can introduce you to worlds that you have always wanted to explore or worlds that you have never imagined before. Sometimes when I am reading an amazing book, I become so fully immersed in what is going on, and can actually imagine myself being in the story.

My absolute favorite part about reading is how connected you can become with the characters. I love when you read a book and you can feel the emotions that the characters are feeling, and you can feel what it’s like to be in the certain situations that the characters are in. It makes reading a book so much more of an immersive experience.

This is a calling for everyone to get back to reading. Take a break from the latest show that you are binging and pick out a book that you’ve been meaning to read for probably the past few years. Get lost in the pages, connect with some characters, and then when you’re done reading it, maybe there’s a movie version of it that you can check out! I am a very big movie fan, however I am also a strong believer that the books are often better than the movies.

I know people say that you should read more instead of watching TV because watching TV rots your brain, but I am not one of these people. Of course I enjoy binging shows and settling in to watch a good movie or show to unwind from a busy day, and there are actually lots of educational things to watch out there! However, there still is something special about reading and really connecting with a good book. Now that I have reconnected with reading, I know that nothing compares to the feeling of enjoying a book so thoroughly that you can’t wait to read it again and looking forward to reading whatever book you choose next.

Get back to reading everyone! You won’t regret it.

Creative Commons/Flickr

The Vine

arts, entertainment, features Editor Gracianne Eldrenkamp gracianne.eldrenkamp@student.fairfield.edu

Changing What It Means to Be a Magazine Photo Courtesy of @rhodaboonefood Instagram CreativeCommons/Pixabay

THE MIRROR | Week of February 19, 2020

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Bon Appétit Appeals to All Audiences

By Sheila McCombs Chief Copy Editor So, dear readers, last week I was sick with an upper respiratory infection and did absolutely nothing but lay down for about five days. During this time, the amount of media that I usually consume went way up, from movies, TV and so many YouTube videos. I was kind of lonely and miserable because I was sick, but I found the perfect thing to make me feel better: Bon Appetit videos on YouTube. I don’t think I am overstating by saying that I think I watched every single video on the whole channel.

Bon Appétit is a food and restaurant magazine originally, being one of the publications under the Conde Nast company. It put its first issue out in 1956 and still continues to put out a print publication every month (which I am a current subscriber too!). However, the focus of this article is the magazine's rapidly growing YouTube channel, which currently has 5.33 million subscribers.

The BA Youtube channel launched in 2012, mostly making videos that followed the general format of Buzzfeed’s “Tasty” channel, called “hands and pans,” which involve no personality behind the camera talking but only an overview of what the steps of a recipe entails with captions. Then, in 2016, they began releasing more traditional food show style content, with a host behind the camera talking the view through the recipe. This is when the YouTube page really took off and it has been growing a huge following ever since.

For me, the best thing about the channel is the wide range of content and personalities that they offer. The range of staff is one of the most enjoyable things, because even though they are all different, they are all enjoyable in their own way! There are probably about ten chefs who regularly appear in the videos, whether as the star of the show or to offer support and advice to the people working on the video. From Chris Morocco with his dry wit and sage advice, to Gaby Melian and her endless smiles and happiness, with Andy Baraghani, who has a clear brand of food full of spices and herbs but no sense of superiority over the viewer, it is the people who make the channel as amazing as it is. The test kitchen, where all of the videos are filmed, has the atmosphere of one of the healthiest work environments I have ever seen, full of genuine support and caring between all the people that work there.

There are about six regular shows, besides the normal recipe videos, that the channel puts on most weeks.

The most popular of these shows is “Gourmet Makes,” which stars pastry chef Claire Saffitz, as she attempts to make the gourmet version of popular snack foods like Snickers, Ruffles potato chips, Jelly Bellies and Skittles.

The joy of this show isn’t in trying to learn a recipe for an at-home version of these snacks, but watching Claire try to figure it out and sometimes fail. She lets the viewer see that you don’t have to make things perfect every time and that it's ok to ask other people for help when you don’t have all the answers. She shows that cooking isn’t about perfection, but making mistakes and learning along the way. People seem to agree with me, because her most recent episode from one week ago already has 2.6 million views.

Asking what my favorite BA show is, is like asking me who my favorite child is; I am reluctant to admit it, but I have one that I love the most. That show is “It’s Alive! with Brad Leone.” The premise is that Brad makes a different recipe that involves fermentation, which Brad calls “controlled rot” (which is you know, a fun way of saying things). Do I have any interest in fermenting things for eating purposes? Not in the slightest. Have I seen every episode of the show? Yes! Something about this chaotic, loveable man with his terrible pronunciation and childlike enthusiasm brings me so much joy.

He spends the whole time talking to the camera and making sure the viewer knows that they are going to learn together. If you ever need to feel better about humanity, look no further than Brad Leone and his (at least to me) perfect show.

Bon Appetit’s YouTube channel has brought a lot of people so much fun and joy. There is not a single video that doesn’t have comments from viewers that say, “This made my day,” or “This made me less anxious today.” There is the Instagram account, “meme_appetit” with 261,000 followers, that is just full of pure jokes and pictures from the test kitchen. Bon Appetit is no passing fad, and I for one couldn’t be happier about it. Give it a try and find out everything that is good about humans again, all on a YouTube page.

Meditate Your Way Into a Stress-Free Semester

By Michael Riggi Contributing Writer Do you ever find yourself stressed and feel like you have nowhere to turn to? Have the social and academic pressures of life on campus ever made you feel anxious or overwhelmed? Have you ever wished that you would be able to “take a step back” from everything for a little while? Then look no further than meditation!

Every other Tuesday and Thursday, students looking to destress can head over to the Bellarmine Art Museum from 4:00-4:30 p.m. for free “Mindfulness and Meditation” sessions with certified teacher Jackie DeLise. DeLise, who has taught meditation classes at Fairfield for the past year, understands the high pressures of college life and encourages all students to join her classes to learn the fundamentals of mindfulness, meditation and breathing.

“I am fully aware, highly sensitive to and deeply understand the high level of stress and anxiety we are all experiencing with our 24/7 technology connectivity, societal expectations and fast paced lifestyles,” DeLise said. “My training and studies prepared me for teaching from a neuroscience perspective, so I share what is really happening in our minds and bodies when we are stressed and anxious… and [aim to] enhance our overall emotional, physical, and mental health and wellbeing.”

DeLise has a long history of experience in the field, including two national certifications to teach, and boasts 200 hours of graduate level studies as a certified meditation and mindfulness teacher, with a neuroscience re- search focus. She also has completed 100 hours of studies based on the foundational principles of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, and Google's Search Inside Yourself mindfulness, emotional intelligence and leadership mastery programs to become a “Certified Mindfulness@Work Teacher.”

To achieve these certifications, DeLise studied with world renowned Hay House author and teacher Sarah McLean for two years at the McLean Meditation Institute, which was formerly located in SedoA drawn figure practices meditation.

na, AZ before moving to Santa Barbara, CA. She has also worked with Deepak Chopra and other Meditation and Mindfulness luminaries in the spiritual and wellness field.

“I was motivated to teach at Fairfield University for a number of reasons,” DeLise said. “My family has a 35-plus year history of graduates there, the campus is beautiful, and Bellarmine Hall and the Art Museum are tranquil, ‘sacred’ spaces. I want to contribute to the students (and other members of the community) by teaching what I have learned and share a few moments of stillness, quiet and hope from within each of us to live a happier, more balanced life,” she said.

Before moving into the realm of physical meditation, each session begins with a brief monologue from DeLise and an overview of the “five essentials” of meditation. Although DeLise’s specialty practice is breath awareness, the classes also cover other meditation topics such as self inquiry, guided visualizations, and much more.

DeLise believes breathing is a big key to meditation and acts as a center point of “calm” and “peace” in every person. In each class session, seasoned and beginner students alike have the opportunity to comfortably sit back and navigate the inner terrain of their mind with DeLise as their guide. By the end of every class, DeLise hopes students walk out feeling a sense of tranquility they hadn’t felt before after having settled their minds and bodies.

“My classes are inclusive and open to all, so come as you are, and learn the fundamentals of simple, easy everyday practices and techniques based on ancient wisdom,” DeLise said.

Mindfulness and Meditation sessions will continue to be offered for the rest of the semester to all students every other Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00-4:30 p.m. in the Bellarmine Art Museum. Prior to attending classes, interested parties should register online through Life@Fairfield.

While Tuesday sessions are limited to just G V eS those on campus, students are encouraged e Fr s/ to invite family members and friends from n o m the larger Fairfield community to the Thursday om C class sessions. e v i

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Splendid Snacks In Stag Country

By Christina Engelke Contributing Writer One of the greatest advantages to being a Fairfield University student is all of the incredible eateries available in the area. Fairfield County is undoubtedly a haven for foodies, and us Stags are definitely pretty spoiled. Personally, I most commonly seek out the amazing food off campus throughout the course of the weekend. In these cases, I am often seeking out the best breakfast options around. After nearly four years of hungry weekend mornings, I’ve compiled a master list of the best establishments for a weekend breakfast. Whether you’re seeking to cure a hangover or simply too lazy to chef up yourself, there are so many amazing alternatives for any occasion.

For a bottomless brunch...The Sinclair Brunch at The Sinclair is anything but basic. Whether you’re seated indoors or outdoors, the crisp white and modern decor of this restaurant will undoubtedly brighten up your morning. Their menu ranges from the typical brunch favorites to more unique options, like breakfast pasta. Not only does their menu include a diverse and delicious selection of food, but they also offer bottomless bloody Mary’s, red sangria, mimosas and bellinis for $17.50.

For the sweet tooth...Chips This cute and cozy diner is both family-friendly and welcoming to pancake lovers of all ages. Known for their endless selection of pancakes, Chips is a sweet tooth’s breakfast dream come true. Although their massive menu does stretch to a variety of savory alternatives for both breakfast and lunch, it is difficult to see past the pancakes. From buttermilk to birthday cake, the opportunities are endless.

For the best egg sandwiches…Hole in the Wall Fairfield’s best egg sandwich is arguably the most debated and sought after food for Fairfield U students. While I have had the opportunity to try a wide variety of breakfast sandwiches around the area, I’ve come to the conclusion that Hole in the Wall is the best of the BEC’s. Small and set back on Post Road, this unassuming deli truly is a hole in the wall. However, their served-all-day breakfast selections are truly delicious. Their breakfast sandwich specials in particular are exactly how they are referred to, special.

For the indecisive eater...Circle Diner There’s nothing more comforting for me on a weekend morning than going to a diner. Perhaps this is an unpopular personal preference, but regardless, the Circle Diner is all at once soothing and satisfying. On those mornings when you truly could eat anything and everything, this is the perfect place to be.

Their menu maintains all the typical diner classics, but they do it all oh so well. When indecision strikes, the Circle Diner is your safest bet. Order at random, or order the whole menu. Either way, you can’t fail.

For the best bagels...Village Bagels Being from Long Island, this was not an easy decision for me to make. While no Connecticut bagel will ever compare to those from home (and don’t fight me on that), Village Bagels are the closest it comes to curing the cravings. Their menu consists of a wide variety of breakfast and sandwich options, but I usually keep it simple with an everything bagel with cream cheese. Whatever your bagel and spread preferences are, you really can’t go wrong, and make sure to have it toasted!

For the weekend your parents come to visit...Centro Centro Ristorante, an Italian restaurant on Post Road, is one of those foolproof food places for any occasion. However, their brunch is a little known secret and often overshadowed by their other Italian dishes. While the dishes included on their lunch and dinner menus are undeniably delicious, their brunch is top-notch. In lieu of the typical Italian style bread and oil, you are served croissants and strawberry butter, which is debatably the best part of the meal. However, their classic brunch selections are truly exceptional as well. Offered on Sunday’s from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., it is my favorite place to bring family and any weekend visitors, especially on sunny Sunday’s to enjoy the outdoor seating.

For the best coffee...Donut Inn When caffeine is at the top of your concerns, look no further than Donut Inn. Colleges are a breeding ground for coffee addictions, and Fairfield University is no different. I can’t argue with the reliability of the typical coffee chains.

However, one sip from this unsuspecting local favorite will have you sold. I genuinely cannot compare their iced coffee to any other, and trust me when I say that I have plenty of iced coffee experience to compare.

In truth, the Donut Inn Photo Courtesy of @thesinclairct Instagram drive-through will be one of my hardest goodbyes Two drinks available at The Sinclair. come graduation.

'Portrait' is Pure Perfection

By Tyler Zikias Film Columnist

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is a French, period-piece romance, directed by Celine Sciamma. The film follows Marianne (Noémie Merlant), a painter tasked with painting a rich woman, Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), who is to be given away in marriage. However, Héloïse has no desire to marry the man she is set up to and refuses to pose for Marianne. Marianne then must pose as hired company to take walks with Héloïse in order to take quick looks at her and paint from memory. The story is already engaging enough outside of the fact that what it develops into is the most pure and realistic love story I have ever seen on film. “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is a masterpiece and, cutting right to the chase, you need to see it.

The performances are nothing short of perfect. Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel have perfect chemistry and their moments together are perfectly understated. The two have meaningful conversations about their emotions and each actor takes time to deliver the lines as if they’re struggling to tell the other how they’re feeling. With how reserved they are, every smile or laugh carries so much emotion. The act of painting Héloïse brings the two together with so many revealing moments and allowing them to show vulnerability. These moments in a less intelligent film would be loud arguments with the characters shouting the others flaws at them. This film chooses quieter, more frequent moments where the characters are hitting each other where they are most vulnerable. This vulnerability allows their relationship to flourish.

The film is also gorgeous. All of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” was shot in 8K, allowing for the high resolution images with incredibly rich detail. The beaches and landscapes are captured in exquisite detail. Each shot is bursting with color and can serve as painting on its own. The cinematography itself also tells a story of where the two leads are in their relationship. Early in the film, Sciamma uses a lot of wide shots to accentuate the distance between them, and as the film progresses, the camera moves closer to the characters, showing how they’ve grown. Every visual component of the film is working towards telling the grander story.

I’ll say it again: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is a masterpiece. It is one of the most perfect movies I have ever seen with realistic characters and a devastating romance that isn’t necessarily allowed, especially during this time period.

The performances are incredible, the script is raw, the cinematography is rich, and the ending is the most emotional conclusion I have seen in a while. You need to see this film.

Photo Courtesy of @portrait_film Instagram Grade: A+ Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel play lovers in "Portrait of a Lady on Fire."

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'P.S. I Still Love' You Is Basic

By Julia Monteleone Managing Editor

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Last week you heard my perspective on the soundtrack for “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You.” Now that the movie has been released on Netflix, you get to hear my opinion on it! Here we go.

We left off the last movie with Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) making their fake relationship very much real when she finds him after his lacrosse practice (because of course) and confesses that she wants to be with him.

The bliss continues as the second movie opens with Lara Jean and Peter going on their very first date. We get a classic scene that we have definitely seen before in other romantic comedies where the main female character dances around her room in excitement for her date with the man of her dreams. Peter comes to the door with flowers as opposed to every date I have personally been on where the guy texts me “here” and I hop into his weird smelling Honda.

Everything is going smoothly with their sweet high school relationship until one of the love letters that was unaccounted for in the last film gets a response. Enter John Ambrose Mclaren (Jordan Fisher), Lara Jean’s Model United Nations crush from the sixth grade. Did you think they weren’t going to run into each other after that? Surprise, they do! John Ambrose and Lara Jean end up volunteering together at a retirement center, where they begin to build a relationship again.

While Lara Jean hangs out with the glamorous Stormy, a resident of the retirement community, and continues to spend more time with John Ambrose planning the annual garden party, the relationship between Lara Jean and Peter begins to hit some speed bumps.

Most of their problems stem from Lara Jean’s insecurity about his past relationship with Gen, while she also gets close to John Ambrose in the process. This all reaches its fever pitch when Lara Jean finds out that Peter has been seeing Gen without telling her and they break up. This leads her directly into the arms of John Ambrose, when they finally share a kiss at the ball they threw at the retirement home.

However, it isn’t over yet. SPOILER! Lara Jean realizes she wants Peter instead. When she runs out into the snow to go get him, she finds him standing there waiting. The rest is history!

Now before I close this, I must say that high school Julia would have chosen Peter too. I mean come on! A tall, dark and handsome lacrosse player? Say less. However, I will say that John Ambrose seemed to me the better fit for Lara Jean.

They had much more in common in my eyes. He seemed like more of Lara Jean’s type in that he enjoyed reading and volunteering with old people and whatnot.

Overall, if you are looking for a feel good movie with a great soundtrack, handsome men who are definitely not high school-aged in real life and a lovely but corny ending -- this is the movie for you. If you go in with the right expectations about the level of cheese, then you will enjoy it!

Lana Condor plays Lara Jean in "PS I Still Love You."

Gucci Glances Back to the Past

By Nicholas Gayle Fashion Columnist There is much to be said about the Gucci Fall 2020-2021 menswear show. It has been five years since the creative director and lead designer, Alessandro Michele, took the helm of the Italian fashion house. Upon arrival in 2015, Michele bought his maximalist charm to the Milanese runways.

2015 has long since passed. The industry has become increasingly aware of the impact that has on the environment. At the end of 2019, Gucci CEO and President, Marco Bizzarni, challenged the rest of the fashion world to become carbon neutral via Instagram. In addition, Virgil Abloh declared the death of streetwear, thus himself challenging designers to change their formulas.

With this in mind, Michele chose to be more vulnerable this season. It was more streamlined and relied less on the famed monogram.

The mood was much more gloomy than in seasons past and Michele invited us to join him on a quite vulnerable innerdialogue.

T h e show’s tagline was “#RavPhoto Courtesy of @gucci Instagram e L i k e YouAre". For Model displays Gucci's Fall 2020-2021 menswear collection.

this collection, we were sent back to when Michele was young and perhaps to a time when he would peruse through his mother’s closet. Time was an element of the show. The show began with a pendulum swinging that swung back and forth. As it progressed the pendulum served as a constant reminder of where the fashion house was in 2015 and where it’s going.

The opening look was a casual ensemble as the velvet tuxedo jacket with a massive silk shawl lapels was established with knitted hare. It was accompanied by a pair of wide-leg silver lame pants and brown shoes. It was one of the more conservative looks of the collecPhoto Courtesy of @gucci Instagram tion as the very next look Creative Director Alessandro Michele stands with models. was more indicative of what was to come. The next look featured a cropped, knitted sweater with a graphic that read “Mon Petit”, a french term of endearment translated to “my little one”. The message would show up again in another iteration and speaks to the crux of the collection: a referendum of masculinity.

Gucci prefaced the show with an Instagram post titled “Masculine, Plural”. The post discussed toxic masculinity and how it fosters violence. It goes to call on men to “reconnect with his core of fragility”. Whether one agrees with the message or not, it is impossible to deny that Michele was speaking directly to that point. As the show went on, models appeared in a mix of 60s and 50s inspired couture dresses. Perhaps the strongest statement of the show came in the form of an oversized white t-shirt that featured the words “impatient” and “impotent” overlapping each other.

The finale looks like a model with red bangs in a long floral shirt covered by a brown knitted sweater with holes. It’s certainly an interesting way to end this particular show. In a time where traditional masculine tropes are being questioned, menswear is going through a metamorphosis, and it will be fascinating to see what’s next on the Michele timeline. Other menswear brands will have to develop their own responses to the changing times.

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Inkwell Beach Bunny's New Beats are Bops Spotlight

By Gracianne Eldrenkamp Vine Editor

Totally Quickers

By Trevor MacDonnell Assistant Editor at The Inkwell

CreativeCommons/Flickr

There once was a man who wanted to be a duck. He dreamed of floating in the water, eating bread, and harassing small children who wander too close to his pond. He tried strapping on a bill and wearing arm floaties in the tub as practice but it just wasn’t the same.

He learned to swallow food whole without chewing and to prune his nonexistent feathers. When he was ready, he ventured into the town pond, nude of course, as ducks go commando in the wild, waddling on the shore and floating carelessly on the still water. He had achieved his dream, but come winter he faced a new challenge. His fellow ducks were migrating but alas he could not fly. He built a set of wings, snorted a line of duck cocaine for energy, and flapped his wings like a mad hummingbird. Taking off to the sky, he soared in the sun, his glued on feathers shaking in the wind. But his journey was cut short by an avid game hunter who saw the odd creature and wanted it for his den wall. With a crack the duck man crashed down, but with a small smile as he died an honorable duck death. Quack quack

song to dance to when no one is looking.

“Racetrack” has the simplicity and ease of listening to a lullaby, but the sentimental lyrics and Trifilio’s lonesome lyrics give the lullaby a fresh, romantic touch. The piano sounds like a toy piano with its staccato but echoing sound.

It’s a song I could fall asleep to or a song I could cry about unrequited love to, depending on the day.

I think the only issue I have with this album is that it doesn’t stand out with the sea of love albums. The themes, although universally relatable, aren’t original ideas. The thing that made me want to listen to the whole thing is my love for Beach Bunny’s past music, their down-to-earth vibe and Trifilio's hypnotizing vocals.

Beach Bunny’s new album is an in-depth celebration of love packaged in a wistfully heartwarming little bow.

It’s a great listen to rock out to or listen casually as you do homework. Although “Honeymoon” doesn’t do anything particularly original, there’s something so soothing listening to the album, and I’d recommend it overall nevertheless.

Maybe you’ve heard Chicago-based indie pop band Beach Bunny’s popular songs, “Prom Queen” or “Painkiller.” Although not at the stardom level of similar artists, Beach Bunny manages to individualize their music in an addictive way that. They released their newest album, “Honeymoon” on Feb. 14. Perfectly in time for Valentine’s Day, “Honeymoon” talks about love, whether it’s about loving another person or loving yourself.

Beach Bunny’s style is smooth and relaxing while never being boring to listen to. The lead singer Lili Trifilio’s vocals are simultaneously strong while still melding with the instrumentals, and often they mix together in a way where neither overpowers the other. What makes their indie pop more unique is Beach Bunny’s tendency to add flairs of rock into their songs, despite their initial mellow sounds.

“Promises” is one of the stand-out songs on the album because of its fantastic use of layers. The bass guitar and drums hold this song together in a way that grounds it and makes it so easy to enjoy. The lead guitar adds a layer of flair to the groundwork of the bass guitar and drums. The lyrics tell the story of a person who was broken up with, but it doesn’t blame the other party like breakup songs often do.

It focuses on the inner turmoil of the narrator as they try to move on with life.

One of the best songs on the album is “Rearview.” It isn’t the type of song I necessarily gravitate towards. It’s soft and quiet for most of the song, focusing only on the vocal and guitar, and it’s a song about pining for a person after a breakup. It also focuses on the narrator’s struggles with their self-image. My favorite part of this song, and the reason why I go back to it time and time again to relisten, is when the guitar is replaced with a bass guitar and Trifilio’s singing turns into something more akin to a chant. It’s a breakdown that turns a basic song into something I’d love to yell along with at a concert.

“Dream Boy” is a fun song to bop along to. The unusual rhythm and catchy rhymes give it a unique quality even though the lyrics clearly reference cliché love tropes. The drums stand out in this song because they blend in to the song perfectly while taking it to a new level. It’s the perfect Cover of Beach Bunny's new album, "Honeymoon."

Pick What You Want With this Pasta

By Gracianne Eldrenkamp Vine Editor As a person who loves to cook, I usually take recipes and adjust them to my own liking. This Italian inspired pasta recipe is the result of seeing many similar recipes but not the exact thing that I wanted. I’m genuinely surprised it worked out so well for me, but it means I can easily share with everyone else! Feel free to make your own changes to make it perfect for you.

Ingredients 1 box of pasta 1 jar of oil-packed sun dried tomatoes (both the oil and tomatoes!)

1/2 jar of quartered, not marinated artichokes 1 small head of broccoli, cut into small pieces 1 red bell pepper, cut into small pieces 3 cloves minced garlic 1 tsp dried basil 1 tbsp olive oil ½ tsp red pepper flakes Parmesan cheese (for topping) Salt and pepper to taste Start by tossing the cut broccoli and bell pepper in oil and a few pinches of salt and roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Separately, boil your pasta according to the box directions in salted water.

Open your jar of sun dried tomatoes. Drain the oil into a pan and cut the tomatoes into smaller, more manageable pieces. In the sun dried tomato oil add the basil, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Put this mixture on medium high heat until fragrant and set aside.

Once pasta is cooked and drained, return it to the pot and add roasted broccoli and Pasta that has been cooked with vegetables. peppers, drained artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and oil mixture. Stir gently to combine.

Serve with some parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

CreativeCommons/Flickr

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Coffee Break Editor: Tobenna Ugwu tobenna.ugwu@student.fairfield.edu

The dream team, The Mirror 2019-2020 Staff, pose for a picture outside The Mirror Office

Going Bananas With Bananas: Art Fever Strikes Campus Danielle Sondgeroth Contributing Writer

For the past month, bananas have been spotted taped to surfaces all across campus, from the Stag Statue to the doors of 42 Langguth and even in the Barone Campus Center.

Who is the perpetrator of “banana-gate” and what is the purpose of the harmless prank?

The banana prank originated in an Art History 101 class, called “Sex, Sacrilege, and Scandal,” taught by Dr. Philip Eliasoph. The class focuses on shocking and scandalous art throughout the centuries. On the first day of class, Dr. Eliasoph discussed an artwork created by famed contemporary Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. Cattelan is known for his shocking artworks including his recent work, “The Comedian,” that premiered at Miami’s annual Art|Basel and sold for $120,000. “The Comedian” was, simply, a real, ripe banana taped to a wall.

Projected in his first lectures were images of Marcel Duchamp’s ‘Le Fountain’ – a porcelain urinal famously exhibited at the 1917 Armory Exhibition of Independent Artist.

“If this absurd object is venerated today in art museums from Milan to Michigan – you can be sure that the notion of ‘anti-art’ – [the Dada movement] marks a seminal moment in the history of modernism,” Dr. Eliasoph said. Dr. Eliasoph’s assignment to his class that morning was to begin taping bananas all over campus to gauge the student body’s reaction and react they did. “I think that it’s great,” said student Matthew Little, ’22. “I personally don’t think that there’s anything wrong with ‘The Comedian,’ and I’m happy that those posting the bananas are giving it the attention that it deserves.” Dr. Eliasoph believes that this assignment is not just a fun prank on the student body, but a way for students to engage with the world beyond Fairfield. “If campus art/guerrilla/activists are pranking us with banana/duct tape street art, this is a healthy way for Stag/Artists to demonstrate their awareness of what’s taking place in the external culture beyond Barlow Road,” he said.

“We tend to internalize our daily lives inside the ‘safe space gates’ of our tranquil and all too comfortable campus. Banana tape shouts to the world: ‘we are all connected!’ To some degree - this is an aesthetic response to our Jesuit values as ‘Men and Women who live for others.’ Cattelan is an internationally respected arts activist - so this is solidarity for Humanist causes,” said Dr. Eliasoph.

Ultimately, this harmless prank and art expression has a larger meaning: art can be anything and can help us to see beyond the walls of the BC. It makes a statement and, although simple, promotes a reaction from the students, allowing them to further engage in the world at large in their own way.

Creative Commons/Flikr

Sports

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

Page 13

THE MIRROR | Week of February 19, 2020

This Week in Sports: What You Missed

In Case You Missed It: Wednesday, February 12th -Women's Lacrosse lost to UConn, 19-12 Friday, February 14th -Men's Basketball won against Marist, 57-53 Saturday, February 15th -Men's Lacrosse won against Stony Brook, 18-16 -Women's Basketball lost to Iona, 59-52 Sunday, February 16th

Photo Contributed by Sports Information Desk

Sophomore infielder Justin Guerrera recieved All-MAAC recognition following a stellar 2019 season with the Stags.

The Fairfield University men's basketball team (10-15, 6-8 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) fell to Saint Peter's University (13-11, 10-5 MAAC) on Sunday, Feb. 16 in Jersey City, N.J. by a score of 61-44. The Stags came off of a 57-53 win earlier that weekend on Friday, Feb. 14 against Marist College (6-16, 5-8 MAAC), but were unable to keep the success streak rolling.

Fairfield struggled to score when St. Peter's consistently squashed them at the net with nine blocks to the game. Their shortcomings from the floor was reflected in their .283 field goal percentage, which dropped dramatically from the beginning of the first period when they were shooting 45 percent. This indicated that much work needed to be done before their next four games hosted at Alumni Hall.

Junior guard Jesus Cruz led the offensive charge, tallying nine points against the Peacocks. Senior Aidas Kavaliauskas' eight points also set the pace for the Stags. After the second half, Fairfield was left with a lot of ground to make up, behind by ten points. The 28-18 lead by the home team would only grow, and the Stags were unable to secure any sort of upper-hand. Time went stale in St. Peters' favor, and Fairfield took the loss, 61-44.

-Women's Tennis lost to Colgate, 4-3 -Men's Tennis won against Colgate, 4-3 -Men's Basketball won against St. Peter's, 61-44

Photo Contributed by Sports Information Desk

Sophomore Kaya Gore's 7-5 win over Colgate in No. 1 Singles helped put the Stags ahead, and claim a narrow one point lead to win the match.

Upcoming This Week: Wednesday, February 19th -Women's Lacrosse vs Columbia, 3:00 p.m.

-Women's Tennis at Columbia, 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 22nd -Men's Lacrosse at Georgetown, 12:00 p.m.

On Sunday, Feb. 16 the Fairfield University men's tennis team traveled to Syracuse, N.Y. to take on Colgate University. Redshirt junior Lewis Edwards and senior Tyler Shibles competed in doubles, to take home a 6-2 win against Colgate's Jack Selatti and Jack Albon. After that, William Townsend Font '21 and Stephan Mitrovic '23 took down Kun Tan and Nate Romig by a score of 6-3. Kaya Gore '22 and Jonathan Olive-Blanco '23 finished up doubles upending Scott Bickel and Tyler Krantz, 5-2.

Edwards and Shibles picked up wins in singles, but the overall match score was tied 3-3 before Kaya carried his team to a 4-3 victory, after an impressive No. 1 singles performance against Bickel. He was able to prevail by a score of 7-5. The men are slated to travel to the United States Military Academy to face the Black Knights on Sunday, March 1.

In this week's issue...

- Iona Inches Past Fairfield, 59-52 (Pg. 14) - Breaking Down Fairfield Lacrosse With Coach Baxter (Pg. 15) - Women's Swimming and Diving Celebrate MAAC Championship Three-peat (Pg. 16)

Sports

Page 14

THE MIRROR | Week of February 19, 2020

Iona Inches Past Fairfield, 59-52

By Haley Norton Contributing Writer

The Fairfield University women’s basketball team played Monmouth University (4-11) last Thursday, Feb. 13. The Stags showed great effort and won 40-39, thanks to a buzzer-beating shot by Sam Kramer ‘20. The Stags are still the third seed in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, while Monmouth is the tenth. The Stags also played Iona College this past Saturday, Feb. 15. While they put up a good fight, they sadly lost, 59-52. Iona is the sixth seed in the MAAC, with a conference record of 6-7, while the Stags are currently 9-4.

We once again saw coach Joe Frager’s favorite starters, including Sam Kramer, Katie Armstrong ‘20, Callie Cavanaugh ‘21, Lou Lopez-Senechal ‘22 and Rachel Hakes ‘22. The game started out with Iona scoring the first few points, until Armstrong came in hot with her first three-pointer of the evening. She later hit two more three-pointers, and led the team in points, with both her and Cavanaugh scoring 13 points. Hakes had her first assist of the game following Armstrong’s threepointer, her first of the teams’ collective eight. Kramer contributed to five of these assists later in the game. We quickly saw three turnovers from Fairfield, who couldn’t seem to keep their eyes on the ball the first quarter. Iona totaled eight steals from the Stags. This is an area we typically see the Stags lacking in. While they’re great defenders and have some of the top shooters in the MAAC, sometimes their kryptonite can be incomplete passes and steals. It was nice to see that a turnover set a fire in Hakes, as she came back and got a steal from Iona. There was a few minute stretch where neither team was scoring, and the first quarter ended with Fairfield up 12-10.

The second quarter was a big one for Iona regarding points. Fairfield came out hot, when Kramer hit a three and graduate student Kendra Landy contributed an assist. Landy later missed a jumper, but Armstrong grabbed the rebound. Fairfield totaled 33 rebounds this game, with Iona only getting 27. Cavanaugh led the team with 10 rebounds by the end of the game. Kramer then attempted a three, with Lopez-Senechal right under the basket to rebound and put it back up.

Kramer had another great assist, which is clearly a strong department for her. Landy had a big defensive rebound that led to an assist by Andrea Hernangomez ’22, and two for Lopez-Senechal.

Landy was later able to steal the ball back, but it only resulted in another turnover on Fairfield’s end. Iona was able to tie the game, 22-22, and the Stags tried to push back with a few great jumpers

by Lopez-Senechal and Hakes. By the end of the half, Iona was up 31-28.

The Stags typically come back blazing after halftime, but when they saw the court their shots weren’t falling until Armstrong got down low to bring their energy back with a layup. Armstrong was fouled and hit her free throw. The Stags impressively went 100 percent for their free throws this game. Another two minutes passed with a few more steals for Iona and plenty of missed shots, until Kramer got fouled and the Stags took the lead. Iona quickly responded with two layups to bring their score up. Junior Sam Lewis had a defensive rebound that she sent straight to Armstrong, who was fouled and then hit both free throws. This brought the score to 41-38, Iona, at the end of the third.

The last quarter was another good one for Iona, where they scored 18 points compared to Fairfield’s 14. Iona hit a layup, then Hakes hit one too. Iona scored a three-pointer but LopezSenechal was right there and responded with a jumper. Kramer had a great steal that led to an assist to Cavanuagh, and two free throws after a foul down low. It seemed like Farfield had a vengeance and was going to pull this one out. Iona maintained consistent pressure, and hit another three-pointer, stole the ball yet again, and proceeded to hit an immediate layup. Iona netted 22 three-pointers throughout this game, while Fairfield only hit 19. Iona shot 60 percent tonight, and 66.67 percent for three-pointers. The Stags shot 40.4 percent, and only 22.2 percent for threepointers. By the end of the game, Iona was able to narrowly out-shoot Fairfield, and they won 59-52. The Stags put up an excellent fight, but their turnovers really got to them.

Make sure to tune into the Fairfield University women’s basketball game this Saturday, Feb. 22 against Quinnipiac University! Quinnipiac is currently the fourth seed in the MAAC, with a conference record of 9-5.

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

Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor

Lexi Thimble Editor-in-Chief

What do you look for in a FUSA Presidential candidate?

Should the Astros be stripped of their World Series Championship Title?

TRANSPARENCY!! I want to Without a doubt. They have know what's going on in my publicly admitted to cheating to student government and what our earn that title. The MLB would be elected representatives are doing to compromising the integrity of the make this university better! sport if they let the Astros keep it.

I'm looking for someone with genuine enthusiasm for the job and a strong passion for the students.

What the heck did they do jeez.

Anyone who seems like they know Sure, they cheated like that's not Katherine Klima what they're doing and is ready to cool.

Executive Editor take on the responsibility.

Gracianne Eldrenkamp Vine Editor

I want to see some passion! If you don't look like you're excited for one of the hardest jobs on campus than what's the point?

Of course! And give the title to the runner-up too, if that's even a thing.

Photo Courtesy of Sports Information Desk

Redshirt senior Callie Cavanaugh recorded a double-double, posting 10 rebounds and 13 points.

Your 2019-2020 4x5 Columnists:

Julia Lanzillotta, Lexi Thimble, Katherine Klima and Julia Monteleone What is one hope you have for the future of The Mirror?

Your message to the new Mirror staff members:

I really hope that more students will rely on The Mirror to inform them on what is happening on campus. I want it to reach more people.

Make the most of this opportunity! Donnarumma...CAS deserves a nice, new building like the Nursing School or the DSB!

There's so much I hope I've done that will encourage the future growth of The Mirror, but mainly I hope that future writers and editors have a passion for sustaining the paper and improving its overall quality.

You're going to have the most rewarding, wildest moments of college in this newsroom, so treasure every moment of it.

I'm gonna agree with Lanz, all the humanities get shoved into dark ol' Donnarumma, and those departments deserve better.

I hope more students will join. The Mirror is a lot of fun and you'll gain so much from being a part of this team.

It's going to be a feral time, but you'll love it a ton. It is an amazing opportunity.

I am going to agree with everyone above. There are no windows in Donnarumma and it'd be great to know what time of day it is after spending hours in that building.

I genuinely hope future editors and writers have had as much fun as I have on this paper!

Embrace caffeine. Also, do any and all homework BEFORE coming into the office on Tuesday.

You'll thank me later.

I think Donnarumma's a good idea, but also I'd love to see some updates made to some of the older residential buildings like the old townhouses and Loyola Hall.

What should be next on the priorities list for construction at Fairfield?

Sports

THE MIRROR | Week of February 19, 2020

Page 15

Breaking Down Fairfield Lacrosse With Coach Baxter

By Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor On Friday, Feb. 14, The Mirror sat down with the head coach of the Fairfield University men’s lacrosse team Andrew Baxter ahead of the Stags’ 2020 season-opener, and Baxter’s first game at the helm of the program.

The athletics department’s “We Are Stags Initiative” is heavily based on Jesuit values. Do you believe that these values are employable on the lacrosse field?

We’ve involved the cultural commitments into our culture as a program, in terms of competing, caring, leading and growing. We touch on those all the time, and the other piece along with that is the selflessness piece which goes along with the Jesuit value of Men for Others. We have tried to incorporate that as much as possible in our program in terms of everything: how we behave on campus, in the locker room, on the field and in the community. It has been a big part of our program.

Last season obviously did not end how anyone had hoped it would. What have you worked on during the off-season to change the trajectory that this program was going?

It has been the biggest piece that we’ve worked on-changing the mindset culturally from where we were to where we think we can be. We talk a lot about behaving like a championship team and what that looks like from what a championship rep looks like, what a championship drill looks like, all the way up to a practice. Obviously we’ll see tomorrow how we do in games. I think it’s a mindset that the guys need to have from being confident in what we’re doing. A lot of that stems from how we’ve been practicing in that we haven’t been focused as much on the ‘what’…more of the ‘how’...and how we’re doing things, how we conduct ourselves at practice. That’s been a big piece of trying to change the mindset of guys from where they were to where they want to be.

How has that been going so far?

It has been going well, the buy-in has been great. I’m hoping tomorrow that the school and the community will see the effort that these guys have put in in terms of the energy and the passion that we’re starting to show for Fairfield lacrosse. We talked about flaunting our new brand of lacrosse.

In the past, you have had great success as the Defensive Coordinator at Drexel, Ohio State and Yale. Who on this roster has stood out to you defensively thus far?

We have a great group defensively. I think we have a little bit more experience defensively than we do offensively this season, which has been helpful. On close defense, the guys that have been standing out are a couple juniors; Lucas Pederson and George Elmquist have made tremendous strides in the fall and have proven to this team that they care about what we’re doing and they have selfless attitudes about the whole thing. Brian Cosgrove, a senior captain, and Jake Tymon, a senior captain, have also stepped up. All four of those guys have tremendous experience so we’ve been relying on those guys to lead the unit. We also feel like we have great depth at the short-stick defensive midfield position. Tyler Wuchte and Brendan Dreyer are both sophomores who played last year, and they have been awesome in the fall and into the spring. Adam Riestis is a fifth-year senior who has played in the past, so he has got a lot of experience as well. Zane Friedt is a junior, another older guy who has logged some minutes for the team, but he is going to probably play more of a defensive midfield role this year, so we feel like we have good depth there. It’s a good, experienced unit so it has made it easier for me.

How do you plan on using your extensive experience with recruiting to elevate Fairfield lacrosse in the future?

We are trying to bring in guys that know what they’re getting into in terms of changing the mindset, as we were talking about earlier, and being a part of building something great here. That has been our pitch recruiting-wise. We want guys that are excited about that and excited to dive into something and make it their own. We’ve gotten good response from our initial wave of recruits that we have had on campus, and I think through my past recruiting experiences, I’ve gotten ties to some high quality high school programs that we’ve been able to draw from and get good interest from. Relationships I’ve been able to build through recruit-

ing are starting to pay off coming here. The guys that know me from a high school level and a club level have been in touch with us and we’ve gotten a good response. We are still actually recruiting for our 2020 class and we’re almost done with that. We’ve got nine commitments now for our 2021 class already.

There are guys that we’re really excited about, and the bigger thing is they are excited about coming here and being a part of that.

The 2020 campaign starts on Saturday against Stony Brook. What are you expecting from your group in regards to both mental and physical performance?

We talked about our Photo Courtesy of Sports Information Desk mental preparation tomorHead coach Andrew Baxter of Fairfield University men's lacrosse. row. Our mental keys for tomorrow are just focusing on the next play. I told the guys in the meeting earlier that the next play that is happening tomorrow is the first faceoff, and that’s all we need to worry about- that’s the only thing we need to focus on right now. As the game goes on, it’s just going to be about the next play. We want to try and be the loudest team on the field and we want to try and be the most physical team on the field. That’s something we’ve been working on, like I was saying before about the ‘how.’

Those are the things we’ve been focused on at practice; communication, doing everything with a purpose, being loud, being physical. If we can accomplish those things tomorrow, the rest of the stuff offensively and defensively will hopefully take care of itself.

With the recent availability of the VIP Suite, and other ticket packages offered to fans, you will be sure to see growth in the stands. Do you feel a greater sense of responsibility as a head coach knowing that the program is also growing externally?

Yes and no. I feel responsible that I, along with President Nemec and Paul Schlickmann’s vision of the program, want Fairfield lacrosse to be a part of the identity for Fairfield University and the Fairfield community. I do feel responsible for the brand of lacrosse that we are going to showcase tomorrow. I think if we can just accomplish some of the things we have been working on in terms of our brand, in terms of being loud and physical and playing with energy and passion, then I’d be psyched.

Finally, if you were to choose one main goal that you seek to accomplish this season, what would it be?

I would like to see a commitment from our team outside of an individual perspective.

I want the guys to understand that they are committed to something greater than themselves and that it starts with Fairfield lacrosse, Fairfield University and the community of Fairfield. If we can accomplish that through lacrosse in the way that we play and in the way that we conduct ourselves, then I will be happy.

Following The Mirror’s interview with coach Baxter, the Stags pulled away from their home opener against the Stony Brook University Seawolves with a win, 18-16. This was Baxter’s first win as a collegiate head coach.

Photo Courtesy of Sports Information Desk

Head coach Andrew Baxter began his career in coaching over 18 years ago, and offers extensive experience in Colonial Athletic Association lacrosse to Fairfield University men's lacrosse program.

@MirrorSports Fairfield Mirror Sports

Week of February 19, 2020

fairfieldmirror.com

SPORTS 16

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

Women's Swimming and Diving Celebrate MAAC Championship Three-peat

Photo Courtesy of Sports Information Desk

The Fairfield University women's swimming and diving program had a 4-7 overall record going into the MAAC Championships, but they pushed their limits to fight for another conference title.

By Julia Lanzillotta Sports Editor On Saturday, Feb. 15 in Buffalo, NY the Fairfield University women’s swimming and diving team won the 2020 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships for the third year in a row. They maintained their first-place standing for the final three days of the competition, and finished victoriously with 581 points. The Stags edged out Iona College who tallied 557 points in second place, and Marist College whose 549 points placed them in third.

The two-time reigning champions were humbled after the opening day of competition on Wednesday, Feb. 12, when it wrapped up with the Stags in fourth place out of the ten participating teams, behind Marist, Canisius College and Rider University.

They managed to claim a win in the 800 Yard Freestyle Relay, and finished in second place in the 200 Yard Medley Relay, which earned the Stags a total of 88 points to close out day one. The powerhouse 800 Yard Freestyle Relay made up of juniors Sara Ostensen, Maria Nitti, Rachel Landry and Morgan Hansen stopped the clock at 7:32.25. First year Alexandra Miko-Rydzaj, Colleen Young ‘20, Hansen and Nitti finished the 200 Yard Medley in 1:43.03, which was a performance second to Rider’s team who clocked in at 1:41.79.

On the second day, Fairfield felt a sense of urgency to climb back to the top, and a trio of second place finishes plus a first place win did just that.

Nitti was a force to be reckoned with, and her contributions were pivotal for her team. She claimed the top spot in the 50 Yard Freestyle, finishing in 23.17.

Sophomore Shannon Feeley (5:00.29) landed second place in the 500 Yard Freestyle, while Ostensen (5:00.37) followed shortly behind. Hansen (2:05.62) had her hand in a number two finisher in the 200 Yard Individual Medley.

The 200 Yard Freestyle wrapped up day two, and representing the Stags in the pool were Nitti (23.20), Emily Holman ‘21 (24.18), Sam D’Alessandro ‘22 (23.70) and Ostensen (23.98). The women finished in 1:35.06, tabbing them in second place. Finally, Fairfield had come back to defend their title. They shot up to first place with 228 total points.

On the third day, Hansen shattered the 54.97 MAAC record for the 100 Yard Butterfly when she finished in 54.65, winning the event. Nitti carried on the winning mentality which Hansen modeled, and she won the 200 Yard Freestyle in 1:51.34. After that, Fairfield’s Miko-Rydzaj, Young, Hansen and Ostensen finished the 400 Yard Medley Relay in first place at 3:48.36. The Stags took home a pair of third-place nods earned by Feeley (4:32.59) in the 400 Yard Individual Medley and Young (1:04.37) in the 100 Yard Breaststroke.

For the second day in a row, the Stags were in the lead with a cumulative total of 419 points.

On their heels, just 20 points behind was Marist with 399 points. It all would boil down to the

next evening, during the final day of competition.

Nitti’s momentum from the days prior picked up when she claimed the number one spot in the 100 Yard Freestyle with a finishing time of 51.09. Hansen was another athlete who continued her hot-streak. She secured first place in the 200 Yard Butterfly, finishing in 2:01.76. Ostensen (17:12.74) came in second in the 1650 Yard Freestyle.

Young (2:23.08) took third in the 200 Yard Breaststroke and Krivitsky (2:23.69) placed fourth. The final race which insured the Stags’ victory was the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay comprised of Nitti, Ostensen, D’Alessandro and Hansen who sealed the deal in 3:27.83, upending Iona College by less than a one second margin.

The Fairfield women’s swimming and diving team earned their title as champions for yet another year when Fairfield racked up a grand total of 581 points over the four days of competition. Runner up Iona gathered 557 points and in third place was Marist, who counted 549 points. Head coach Anthony Bruno of Fairfield was awarded the 2020 MAAC Women’s Co-Coach of the Year alongside Iona’s head coach Nick Cavataro. This distinction was chosen by the other coaches and their selection was indicative of the men’s commendable efforts throughout the season and during the championship meet.

Other special honors were given to Nitti after she had three individual wins under her belt, along with contributions in two relay events. She was named the MAAC Championship’s Women’s Most Outstanding Swimmer.

The Stags will next hit the water on Thursday, March 12 for the 2020 College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America National Invitational.

Photo Courtesy of @fairfieldu Instagram

With a total of 581 points, the Stags earned the title of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champions for the third year in a row.